Chapter Text
A blaring alert rang out from the Diamond control panel in the crystal conservatory above as Steven was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on a hoagie. It startled him, causing him to nearly drop a sliced dill pickle he was trying to perfectly place.
"Whoa, that's not the normal alert, wonder what's up?" He tossed the slices limply on the plate and headed for the stairs.
It had been nearly 6 months since the events with Spinel and an immediate pitt of regret grew in his stomach as he ascended the stairs. He'd gotten so caught up in his happily ever after that Steven had been woefully slack in checking in on Spinel. She'd seemed so happy when she left, and things had been so quiet, not to mention he was very glad to have the Diamonds off his back. He hoped everything was alright. He hoped the Diamonds were just overreacting and pestering him about something mundane.
Those hopes were dashed as soon as the screen on the console lit up with a scene of chaos.
"Steven!" Yellow Diamond shouted as she ducked off screen an instant before a screaming beam of pure light shot off to the upper right of the screen. The beam caused the image on Yellow's end to tremble on impact, then it swung off wildly into the background, slicing through and destroying a large pillar.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to do that! Shut up, yes I did!" Spinel shouted off screen. At least Steven was pretty sure it was Spinel, but the two phrases were in entirely different tones, the first high and innocent, the second menacing and sharp.
"Uhhh, guys, what's going on?" Steven said, eyes wide. Then he heard the unmistakable crackle of Yellow's lightning and panic rose up into his chest. "Guys!?"
"Ha ha, that tickles! Don't do that again!" Said Spinel, again in two conflicting manners.
"We're getting Steven now, please calm down!" Blue pleaded off screen. Another beam of light could be heard, followed by a yelp of fright from Blue.
"Oh what fun, I've missed my best friend! This is no time for games you idiot!"
"Ok, I'm on my way, but why does it sound like Spinel is arguing with herself?"
White Diamond came into view, looking furious. "We'll explain when you get here, just please hurry before she brings the whole building down on us! Spinel has gone out of control!" The end of her sentence was dripping in her old tone of flippant impatience.
Steven frowned, nodded and ran for the teleporter.
~~~
By the time Steven arrived, the warp pad room was already in ruins, floor, ceiling and walls sliced to pieces, rubble fallen everywhere and small random fires of white flame burning here and there. It was a miracle that the pad itself hadn't been damaged. Steven ran from that room into a large open garden area where he found Blue kneeling while Yellow held her around the shoulders. White stood tall as usual just in front of them.
"Blue, Yellow, White!" Steven waved as he ran to them. "What's going on? Where's Spinel?"
"We're not sure," Yellow began with a shrug, "as soon as she heard the warp pad activate, she ran into this courtyard and hid."
"Always with her silly little games," White said, rolling her eyes in dismissal.
Steven didn't like their tones. They said they would adore Spinel but they sounded so...tired of her. That and this apparent outburst she'd had gave Steven pause. Was it a mistake to let Spinel go off with the Diamonds all those months ago? Steven didn't know who he was feeling more of a rising disappointment towards, the Diamonds, or himself. He turned from them with a sour look on his face and called out with both hands cupping his mouth.
"Spinel, where are you?"
"I'm over here!" A long, light pink arm waved from behind a boulder surrounded by shrubbery at the other end of the area. "Put your hand down, he can't see me like this!" A darker pink arm pulled the other one down out of sight.
"Spinel?" Steven began to approach slowly.
"Be careful Steven," said Blue.
"But you, I-I mean I? Or, we both want to see him. This game is confusing." Said the sweet Spinel voice. "I changed my mind!" Yelled the other in desperation as she audibly punched the boulder.
"Spinel, I'm coming over, ok?" Steven said softly as he neared the boulder with an arm outstretched.
"NO! Stay back, Steven!" A struggle could be heard as Steven began to round the large rock. "Oh quit being a grumpy gus, he's here, Steven's here!" Steven was nearly knocked over by a bundle of tangled, stretchy limbs as it rolled past him and out into full view on the ground a few feet from him.
The sight before him didn't make any sense at first, but as the limbs fell slack and returned to their normal state and the being before him slowly stood up, the true horror of what he was seeing struck him in the chest like a full bore strike from Bismuth's hammer. There she stood, somehow in two halves down the middle. The left side, her original form, with cute heart hair bun and all, a perky half grin on her half face. On the right, her second, broken form grimaced in pain, fresh tears streaming down her permanent black ones. The two halves were held together in the middle by a jagged, searing line of pure light energy, it rippled and flickered like a narrow trench full of white hot flame.
When Steven's eyes fell upon her gem, or what was left of it, his eyes welled up with tears. It was broken in two, one side upright, the other inverted, for the most part. The larger pieces more or less held their original right-side up/upside down heart shapes, but they were pulled towards the blinding energy in the center fissure while the smaller bits trailed off and spiraled slightly, causing the two broken heart halves to resemble some twisted Yin-Yang symbol.
Steven put his hand to his mouth as the tears ran down his burning cheeks and his knees trembled. He didn't want to admit it, how could she even be standing there? It didn't make sense, but the condition of her gem made it undeniable. She. Spinel was...
"Spinel," he choked out, "you've been shattered."
He fell to his knees catching himself with his other hand. His stomach was empty but he still felt a dry heave traveling up his throat. Spinel was on him in an instant, her hands on his shoulders as she knelt to try and meet his gaze. Both sides of her now crying. She was saying something, but he couldn't hear her. In that moment, something inside him broke, and the only thing present in his mind was a single, deafening thought:
This was all his fault.