The Diamond in The Rough

Chapter 14

10 weeks later...

Steven grew more nervous as he sat upon his pink throne because he knew Black Diamond was coming. He didn't know how everyone will react to his sudden appearance or this truth that Midnight keeps mentioning.  All he can do is watch everyone have fun and dance around at this party. Pearl walked over to Steven with a concerned look on her face, "Steven are you alright?"  Steven's cheeks glowed pink as he takes deep breaths, " I just don't know! What am I supposed to do about Midnight and Black Diamond?" Pearl jumped up and pull him down from the throne while covering his mouth with her hand so no one hears him any further, "I don't know either Steven but until they arrive, we have to stay calm and not show any sights of concern or danger otherwise everyone will panic." 

Peridot came rushing over to them with a nervous look, " guys, red alert! Red alert!" Pearl glared a Peridot who quickly stood shut, "what's wrong?" Peridot showed them her radar scanner as beads of sweat ran down her face, " my scanner shows a ship just approach Homeworld 5 mins ago and has just landed." Steven's eyes widen in shock and Peridot knew exactly what he's thinking. "They're here. Midnight and Black Diamond are officially on Homeworld." The second Peridot said this the ballroom doors flew open which left everyone in shock. All the diamonds were confused until they saw Midnight standing in the doorway. All she did was a deep bow and gestured to a figure that was behind her and walking around a corner to everyone's view.  

Everyone's jaw dropped when they saw Black Diamond walk through the door and enter the ballroom. The room fell silent as everyone including Steven felt the freezing cold sura down to their souls. When White Diamond felt this ice-cold aura her body almost froze in place as her eyes glow white, "no, no, no, it's not possible ... you!" Everyone jumped in shock when White turned around and shot two giant light laser beams out of her eyes at Black Diamond. Without even flinching, Black held up his hand and easily deflected the laser that now made a hole in the ceiling, "I see you missed me." White's anger boiled as she marches up to this gem, "what gives you the right to come back here!? Let alone come back after your failure!"

 Black rolled his eyes as he walked past White as in cape blew in the cool breeze that the new hole in the ceiling let into the ballroom. "My dear, I almost forgot how short temper you can be at times when things are not your way. Clearly, you can see past this and meet me in the center and silver grounds." White Diamond instantly froze when she heard this and held her head as a million thoughts rapid ran through her head. "Middle ground... middle ground? Middle ground! You dare appear in my court on Homeworld and ask me for your return!? I rather see you shattered than allow you back into Homeworld!" Fear spread throughout the ballroom when they see how anger White is. 

Quickly everyone evacuated out the ballroom expect for the crystal gems and other diamonds. That stood there in shock as White Diamond's behavior towards Black that was now sitting upon her throne. "White, clearly something is bothering you. Would you like to share with the rest of us what's wrong?" White Diamond glared at him as she fires another laser at him but he easily just tilted his head. This allowed him to avoid getting hit by the laser directly in the face, "I guess you rather not tell anyone and suffer in silence than openly tell the truth." White glared at him as she got ready to fire another laser as Black gave her a serious yet annoyed look. " You're seriously trying to kill me. Darling, I would be flatter but both us know that I remained dead for far too long."

White Diamond ran up to him and grabbed him by his throat as he tries to get up. But she forced him to sit back down and pinned him down into the throne. "the truth is nothing but lies and a useless phase in the matter!" Black Diamond stared into her eyes as he felt her gripping coming loose around his neck as she became more nervous. He pushed her off and stood up from the throne as Steven ran to him, "Black Diamond!?" Black look down at Steven with a curious look, "so you must be the human leader that my dear pearl, Midnight told me about in detail on my ship." Steven gave him a nervous look as Midnight walked up to Steven, "no matter what the truth will be revealed." 

Black Diamond dusted himself off as he looks at the other diamonds with a disgusted look on his face. "If you wish to know me and purposes here on Homeworld or as a gem in general then you may ask my dear White Diamond. Clearly, she remembers me if she shot multiple mind control laser beams at me." Everyone looked at White Diamond who glared at Black Diamond, "you are not real! You're just illusion!" Black narrowed his eyes at her as he walked up to her, " if I was an illusion my dear then why can everyone see me?" Steven saw how nervous White Diamond is and how anger boiled in her eyes. Quickly he made a giant pink wall between them in order to separate them. "Stop this! Both of you!"

Black rolled his eyes in annoyance as he tapped on the pink wall, "so somehow the rose quartz - human  hybrid can conduct walls that are strong enough and possibly be mistaken to a diamond's?" White pound her fist on the wall in anger when she hears this, "you have no right to address Steven as such a horrific name! His name is Steven Universe" Black turn towards her and gave her a cold - dead stare through the pink wall that divided them. "I have no right? I thought I had the right to say so. As well as return home after being gone for who knows how long! But clearly I am not welcome here and would rather be shattered if that were the case!"  Steven saw Midnight grew more nervous as looks up at Black Diamond's gem.

With jaw dropped, Steven realized after focusing and paying close attention to it, his gem his cracked.  That weaved throughout his gem as they slowly spread throughout it. As anger boiled in Black Diamond's eyes, "clearly you no longer wish for me to be alive since every trace of my existence has been either destroyed or wiped clean from the record books! "So go ahead and tell them! Tell everyone the truth about the Black Court and my status as a diamond! Shout it from the rooftops for all I care, my dear! Since I am nothing to you that never existed then I will leave and let forget about me again!" Everyone was in shock as a black aura spread across the room as Black Diamond waved his hand.

But he held his head in pain as the cracks in his gem glow and caused him to fall to his knees.  Midnight gave a sad look to her diamond as he held his head in pain and black vines began to grow out of control around the room. Steven saw how much pain he is and quickly lowered the wall that separated him and White, "Black!?" Midnight instantly summoned her fans and blocked Steven from stepping any closer to Black. "Don't come any closer to him!" Steven gestured to Black as he yells at Midnight, "why didn't you tell us his gem is still crack!? His gem is becoming more cracked by the second!" Midnight glared at him as a single tear ran down her visible eye, "it's not your concern! It's mine! None of your healing powers can fully heal his cracking gem!"

Steven saw Black holding his head in pain as he groans in pain, "can't you see he's in a lot of pain!?" Midnight swung her leg out and cause Steven to fall flat on his back, "you seriously don't get it! He was perfectly fine until that Diamond anger him! Figure it out yourself! Not everything is going be straight forward and telling you there problems!" Steven glowed pink when he heard this and saw Midnight walk up to Black Diamond. She jumped and climbed across the vines that grew wildly around the room. Once she was high and close enough, she reaches out and touches Black Diamond's gem as her gem glows. Soon after black bines wrapped around Black Diamond as he was now inside a large ball made of thick black vines.

Steven stood there in shock as White Diamond look at Midnight, "what did you do to him?" Midnight look at up her as anger burned throughout her body, "due to the mental and emotional traumatic memories he's been through, his gem can't fully heal. Imagine the moment that you are the verge of shattering and dying as a nightmare. That never ends, never stops, always plays in your mind the moment you close your eyes and then reopen them. That is what my diamond suffers for and his powers will never fully come back because of this.  Every negative thought and emotional breakdown will only further damage and crack his gem.  The only way to prevent this ... I must put him to sleep within the vines of the dark earth."