Chapter Text
“There! Now you look like you really mean Bismuth.”
Steven stared at the Breaking Point on his wrist in utter horror. Bismuth wanted him to use it. She wanted him to shatter other gems!
“Now that’s a real weapon!” Bismuth said holding her hand out to him and smiling. “Why don’t you give it a test run?” She placed her hand on top of one of the sparring dolls. “This one’s got your name on it!” Steven walked over to the sparring doll with dread. Bismuth held up her hands, “Wait! Let me get out of your way!” She said while hopping across the crack to the side.
Steven stared at the sparring doll and held up the Breaking Point. He shut his eyes and slowly lined it up with the sparring doll’s gem. Tears welled up in his eyes and he looked at the the fake gem. He couldn’t do it. He sighed, “Bismuth, I can’t use this.”
“What?” Bismuth was taken aback by Steven's answer. "Why not?" She asked aggressively.
Steven backed away from the sparring doll, “Shattering gems.” He frowned and looked up at her holding out his arms. “Wouldn’t that make us the same as Homeworld?” He asked.
“Of course not!” Bismuth shouted. “We’d be shattering them for the sake of our cause! To protect our allies, our friends, to free all gems from Homeworld’s tyranny!”
“It just it-” Steven looked down at the Breaking Point. “It’s not what a Crystal Gem would do.”
Bismuth stomped over to Steven and towered above him. “Don’t tell me what a Crystal Gem would do.” She snapped at him. “Nobody’s more Crystal Gem then I am.” She reached out and grabbed the Breaking Point. “If you won’t take it I’ll just use it myself.”
Steven jerked it away from her hand, “No!” He shouted. “No one is using it!” He took it off his arm and threw it onto the floor. “I’m sorry, Bismuth.” He turned to her with tears in his eyes. “But it’s not right.” He glared at her.
Bismuth clenched her fist and growled, “That’s exactly what she said.”
“Huh?” Steven looked at her confused.
Bismuth got closer to him. “That’s exactly what you said.”
“Um- uh…” Steven looked behind him nervously.
“It is you isn’t it, Rose?” Bismuth stared at him raising her eyebrows in shock.
“Woah. What are you talking about?!?” Steven held his arms up in the air.
“Don’t lie to me!” Bismuth yelled at him. “You can’t expect me to believe you now after you lied about everything! You’re lying about this new form just like you lied to the others about me!” Steven let out a frightened gasp as she pulled him up violently by the collar of his shirt. “But I didn’t just disappear did I? You know what happened to me!” Bismuth screamed and punched Steven in the face.
Steven yelped in pain as her hand connected with his face. “Wait, Bismuth!” He shouted. “This is just a big misunderstanding!” He said struggling against her strong grip.
“Liar!” Bismuth roared. “Don’t play games with me, Rose! We were right here! I offered you the secret to victory and you refused!” She brought out her hammers got ready to hit Steven with another blow. “The breaking point would’ve changed everything! I didn’t want to fight you! But you left me no choice!” She swung at him again. Steven bubbled up and flew across the room landing on the burning floor.
He screamed out in pain. Now not only did he have a broken nose that was leaking blood but third-degree burns as well. “Bismuth…” Steven began to slowly push himself up off the ground. “Please.” He begged moaning with pain.
Bismuth made her way towards him her arm slowly turning into a pickaxe, “What type of leader doesn’t give her army the best chance to live!” She raised it above her head and swung it down at him. Steven eyes widened and he held his arm above his head magically bringing out his shield. The pickaxe slammed against it with a loud clashing sound. Tears rolled down Steven’s cheeks as he struggled to repeal the pickaxe away from his body. “How could you value the gems of our enemies more than our own? And look what you’ve done without me! Without the breaking point!” She got ready to slam the pickaxe down again. “You’ve lost!” She screamed.
Steven yelped and rolled to the side as the pickaxe came down at him again. “Wait!” He coughed out. “I’m not my mom! I don’t know what she did but I’m sure she didn’t want to hurt you!”
“It’s too late!” Bismuth growled at him. “I don’t believe you anymore.” Bismuth stood above him. Steven bubbled to protect himself launching Bismuth across the room.
Bismuth landed on her feet and clenched her fists. “All that talk about how gems could take control of their identities, how we’ve been convinced to ignore our own potential?” Steven unbubbled and fell to the floor getting burned even more. “That’s all it was, wasn’t it?” Bismuth screamed and broke a sparring doll. “Just talk!” Bismuth launched herself at Steven with her hammer again and slammed it into the ground in front of him.
Steven flew through the air and began to float his flip flop falling off his foot into the lava below him. Steven whimpered in fear and shut his eyes tight. “You should have listened to me, Rose! I would have taken the war to Homeworld and shattered the Diamonds!” Bismuth shouted lifting up another sparring doll.
“I would have liberated everyone!” She roared throwing it at him. It slammed into Steven’s body and he crashed into the wall behind him. He let out a scream of pain and pushed it off of him. It fell to the ground with a loud crash. Steven soon fell on top of it with a loud groan.
Bismuth grabbed the Breaking Point and made her way over to him. She strapped it onto her arm as Steven struggled to get up. He was bloody and bruised. A few of his bones were broken and he had terrible burns covering his body. His body was broken but his gem still not shattered. Bismuth stood above him and glared at him with fury in her eyes. She picked him up again by the shirt collar and stared deep into his eyes. “Look at where all of yours lies have gotten you.” She growled and lifted up the bottom of his shirt. She lined the Breaking Point up with his gem and smiled at him. “If you won’t lead your armies to victory with the Breaking Point then I will!” She shouted as the Breaking Point slammed into his gem shattering it in an instant.
Steven roared with pain and clutched were his gem used to be. Pieces of his gem fell to the floor as he flailed in Bismuth’s grip. He screamed and screamed and screamed repeatedly. “It hurts! It hurts so much! Oh God! AHHHH!”
Bismuth’s grin faltered as she watched Steven thrash in her grip. It was only then when she saw the true agony, the true pain, that Steven was in that she realised: Steven was not Rose. Gems couldn’t bleed. Gems couldn’t have their skin burn. Gems couldn’t survived after their gem was shattered. She dropped Steven and he crashed into the floor where he curled up into the fetal position and cried out in pain.
Bismuth backed away from Steven and looked at him horrified, “What…” She muttered. “What have I done?” She stared at the Breaking Point for a couple minutes before tearing it off her arm and throwing it to the floor. “What have I done?!?”