Corruption

Thoughts

Steven felt isolated. He was isolated, isolated by bars, and even though Connie and the Gems are just outside, he couldn't shake the feeling that they didn't want to be there.

"You realise they're just sitting there out of pity. They couldn't care less about you. Stop being a burden and man up. Send them home." Steven glanced worriedly over to them, "I'd be such a hypocrite if I told them to leave after I wanted them to stay... I should've just left them home...why am I so selfish?" He thought to himself, bringing up his knees to his chin and folding his arms on top of them.

"You feeling okay, Steven? You've been really quiet..." Connie had sat up at the bars, facing Steven. She glanced to the claw marks he had left last time he was in there, and a pit fell in her stomach.

"I'm fine, I just have nothing to talk about" He replied, with a quiet chuckle. He folded his legs again and he looked back at her.

"You uh...want to pass the time?" Connie encouraged, holding her violin to her chin. Steven smiled at her and grabbed his Ukulele.

The two started playing together, and as Steven played, it distracted him from his surroundings. Connie smiled, realising she help him calm down.

The time passed quickly as night fell. The musicians stopped as Steven yawned, which in turn, made Connie yawn. The two chuckled at their yawns. Pearl stood up and walked over to the entrance to Steven's cave, "I think you two better get some rest, luckily I came prepared." She gloated before tapping her gem. A small glowing ball emerged, split in two and floated to Steven and Connie, before expanding and forming a blanket.

"Thanks Pearl" The two replied. Steven layed down and placed the blanket over his corrupted body. Connie pressed up against Lion and covered her body too. They both fell asleep quickly, leaving the never sleeping gems alone.

In an instant, Steven opened his eyes once more to see a pastel pink void. Nothing was anywhere, he worriedly glanced before looking at himself, he was normal again. He had two arms, his tail, gone like it wasn't there, he placed his hand on his forehead and felt the normal curve of his skull. He wanted to yell in joy but, what was the point of celebrating is no one was there with him.

He stayed in the pink void, in his isolation.

"Why am I here? This isn't like any dream state stuff..." He thought to himself. He stared up at nothing, it seemed to lighten.

A bright light blinded Steven from above, he squinted and covered his face with his arms. Once his eyes adjusted to the new light, he looked up to see an enormous swarm of snow white butterflies fluttering aggressively above him. The sight frightened him, as his mind was flooded with repressed thoughts, like the butterflies where speaking to him.

"You're the reason Rose is gone, you're the reason the love of my life is gone!" A voice similar to Pearls yelled.

"You're so insensitive" Amethyst's voice snarled.

"So immature" Garnet added.

"You're no leader." Bismuth chimmed in.

"You're a traitor to your kind" Peridot's disapprovingly stated.

"You distracted me from keeping Jasper trapped in our fusion. You're such a pest." Lapis angrily hollered.

Pitiful tears swelled up in Steven's eyes. All of these thoughts, they where all true, he knew that is what everyone really thinks of him. The pastel pink void darkened to a dim purple, with a butterfly ceiling.

The bright butterflies all started to come closer to him, flying around him, with everyone's angry yells and accusations swarming his ears. He could feel a horrid stabbing sensation on his back, his sides, his head and eyes. He yelled out in pain once again, as the dim purple of the void appeared on his skin.

As the butterflies disbursed back to the air, Steven was left in a ball, a corrupted, crying ball, overcome with pain and self hatred.

Everything was silent, apart from Steven's sorry sobbing. He hugged his stomach and sides with two arms and the other two on his forehead and covering his face, tears seeping relentlessly through the gaps of his fingers, and his silver claws on the end of all of them. He felt the claws, which where resting on his face, dig beneath his skin, and warm blood mixed with his cold tears and both streamed down his hands.

For a moment, he was glad to be alone. No one could see him like that, dark, reddish eyes, bloody face, corrupted. A truly sorry state for any human or gem.

After hours of sobbing he heard a distance voice calling him...Multiple voices...chanted his worried name. They where getting louder. And louder. And louder-

"Steven!" Connie cried, he opened his eyes and felt his hands covering his face. He took them away and looked towards Connie.

She was stood up, teary eyed, surrounded by a worried Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. Seeing their worried faces, he looked down at his hands. Blood covered his claws, his own blood, he felt his face, it was wet, tears, he was crying, sobbing without sound, "Are you okay?! You started crying and then you clawed at your face! Come here" Amethyst yelled in a soft tone, Steven stood up and walked over, tears still pouring down his face.

"Guys I'm fine, I just....I just had a bad dream.." Steven began before Connie hugged him through the bars.

"No you're not! You keep saying you're fine but you're obviously not!" She started sobbing too, placing her head against his shoulder, "You hurt yourself! I don't care if you did it in your sleep, you still did it!"

"Steven, you can talk to us if you're feeling like this..." Garnet spoke in a caring voice, removing her visor, revealing her three worried eyes.

"I..." Steven began quietly, before the canyon was overflowed with the deep rumbling from something in the air.