Steven Universe fic

part 17 Chapter Four: Time

Spinel stepped off the warp pad and onto the hallowed battlefield of gems. Bubbles and shards and ghostly white gems scattered about the area at the other end of the stage that held Aquamarine's flickering and glitching grin. She stared forward, forcing herself to walk around the poor gems who had been lost to the weapons she so desperately tried to stop White from building.
The weapon she used to destroy Aquamarine.
Guilt hung heavy on her shoulders, and despite thinking the gem deserved the fate, for what she had done to her, Spinel couldn't shake the darkness of shame that made her feet so heavy to move.
She was mad, rageful, wild even...but it didn't erase what she had done to her.
What she would have done to Steven, if he hadn't stopped her, if he hadn't fused with her.

She spotted a small star skipper covered in rubble and meandered through the shattered or destroyed gems toward it, hoping its menial speed would suffice to get her to the kindergarten. It wasn't far.
And she had been there before.
In the garden.

It was just like Pink's, but smaller, and she swore she had played in that same garden, with Pink, or she had just met Pink. It didn't matter. She was going to check on Steven, she had to make sure he was safe. Make sure White hadn't hurt him.

She shook with fear at the thought of the diamond, but she made herself move. Made herself get into the small ship and fly to the kindergarten. And made herself take her first terrified steps out into the palace garden, away from the sight of any gems nearby.

She could hear voices, a low rumble of a voice that echoed through the halls like howling winds, but that was all she could hear.
Not White's voice, Not Blue's or Yellow's, and not Steven or the gems, just the unsettling, ancient low voice that shook the walls and reverberated through her core. She slowly made her way through the halls, fighting her fear every step she took, she fought with her overwhelming urge to curl into a ball and hide and tremble and wait for Steven to find ans comfort her.

No. She couldn't do that.
She had to make sure he was safe, she had to make sure they all were safe.
What was she thinking?!
She didn't bring any weapons, she didn't even have the scythe! This was a stupid idea, she needed to leave.

"Stop it!" She scolded in a soft whisper, forcing herself to inch closer to the voice of the unknown creature in the halls.

Finally, she rounded a corner, stopping short just before she entered the blinding light that shined from within the room. She peered up at the table at which sat Blue, Yellow and White Diamond, as well as Steven and the gems. A rainbow of colors refracted the light of the room, downing the walls in a beautiful colorful gradient, causing the small pink gem to gasp, folding herself against the wall and sneaking a peak at the only voice that spoke within the room.

"My other half has finally returned." The beast snarled, flicking its tongue at her friend. It reared its head, shaking with what seemed to be a chuckle that was nearly absorbed by the sound of gemstones clinking against one another on its skin. She watched frozen as Steven stared confused and frightened by the slithering monster in front of him. It was larger than the diamonds, at least twice a much, and a pink venom dripped from its lips as it spoke.

"Who are you?" Steven's voice was small, but Spinel could hear it, and she could hear the fear that made it tremble.
The beast laughed, sucking in a breath that nearly knocked the gems from their feet.

"I forgot, you traded your existence to become a frivolous...free thinking individual. As if being a Diamond wasn't enough." The monster sniggered, "I have always had a taste for the finer things though."

Its head rested on the pedestal that held Steven and his friends in the air, and it flicked its tongue at his feet.

"I guess some aspects of myself were translated after all." The creature whispered, though, its whisper was only somewhat softer than it's booming voice.