Steven Universe Future: A Corrupted Identity

Chapter 16: The Only Way

The three crystal gems were battered and exhausted, but they pressed on. They had to subdue him. Any damage they did, the fountain would fix.

Pearl's spear jabbed into Steven's side, but it was a pinprick compared to his size. She jumped away before his foot could crush her.

Steven, she thought, watching the monster ignore Garnet as she pummeled the side of his head. His eyes were on White and Blue, who were still locked in combat not far from them. The sky lit up with blue and white, telling the gems all they needed to know about the state of the scuffle.

Garnet landed on the spikes that jutted out from Steven's jaw and yelled out Pearl, who jumped out of the way just in time as his tail lashed out toward her. The fusion watched Steven's gemstone bathe them all in pink light and felt the anger coursing in her veins. Her Ruby-side screamed and bashed her fist into Steven's cheek, enraged at the thought of her friend suffering at her hands. The Sapphire in her reminded her to hold on when Steven whipped his head to the side, trying to dislodge her.

Amethyst was jumping and using her whip to propel herself unnoticed up Steven's back. The rage her chest was different: Steven had always been there for her and she neglected to be there for him. She should've have pushed him more the other night when she noticed how crestfallen he looked. But she didn't. And now, it was her fault. She had to fix this.

The purple gem reached the top of Steven's head and looked at Garnet in warning before she whipped her weapon right into Steven's left eye.

The monster roared in agony, stumbling to the side and nearly missing Pearl, who was dancing between his feet. The white flashes from the Diamonds' battle that colored the sky seized and Steven violently bucked his head back, dislodging both Garnet and Amethyst.

Amethyst lashed out her whip and it wound itself around the spike on his jaw before she fell. She held on for dear life as Steven shook his head, trying to clear out the tears forming in his irritated eye. 

Garnet fell to the earth, leaping off his side spikes and rolling. She turned and watched Amethyst get thrown around like a cat toy.

Steven lowered his eyes to them, one red and watery, not seeing the gem under his cheek. His eyes glowed pink and a beam of light flew out of them. They both jumped away, now dodging more than fighting.

Amethyst, still unseen, climbed and stood on the bridge of Steven's nose. When she got there, the assault of pink light stopped and he looked at her, crosseyed and glaring.

"Hey dude," she said, snapping her whip back and aiming at his eye again. "Sorry about this."

Behind them, Blue was given a moment of reprieve as White froze, her stance animated like she was about to fire another volley of attacks. Blue knocked the white gem down, watching as she fell, unmoving, like a statue, to the ground.

Blue took a few deep breaths, eyeing her closely, but the gem matriarch didn't move. Blue looked to Steven, who was completely focused on the Crystal Gems now and understood. They were no more than pebbles to him, but they still fought and hurt him enough to distract him from White.

The only remaining Diamond braced herself before stepping over the rubble around her and toward the fight. The pink aura enveloped her and rage flared in her chest, fueled by her sorrow of hurting her family.

"This ends now," she said, her teeth gritted and hands curled into fists.

Steven whipped around to face her, his foot rising to slam down onto Amethyst, who was flung off Steven's head moments ago and dazed.