Sombra del Diablo
As for the cooling day to go by, a train continued on heading north until it stopped by another, isolated station. It'd been a bit since things had calmed down for not only the Crystal Gems, but, for their friends too. Things chilled out, calmed down, and that day the group were heading to another area for a surprise for the Gems to see. The area they stopped at was a bit colder than Ponyville, even a small hint of white snow in the taller hillsides, as the group got themselves out. However, not everypony could make it for this one: Applejack caught up in her own work on her farm, and Fulgurite on a solo mission assigned by Garnet herself. Everyone else went along, getting off the train as they guided the Crystal Gems out of the train cart. However, the group were blindfolded for the surprise before they arrived, an idea Pinkie and Steven both decided to do (although Steven also was blindfolded).
"Is this really necessary?" Pearl asked, feeling her blind fold over her eyes. Pinkie though quickly stopped Pearl from moving the blind fold.
"Almost there," Pinkie said, moving them forward. The group helped everyone off the train station platform, until they got into the right place. The Gems felt cooling, yet soft grass at their feet, and soon Pinkie quickly got the blindfolds off of their eyes. It took a moment to adjust, but, what they ended up seeing in front of them ...
In front of them, was an extremely shiny, clean, and very beautiful castle just ahead of them! A tall tower of silver crystalline beauty as it shined off of the mid-day sun. The arch that lead to the castle was where they were at: three magic-filled diamonds in midair alongside red velvet crustal pillars. They could see other homes around the area, also made up of crystalline material, adding just as much beautiful viewing for the Gems to see. As for the Gems, they seen beautiful areas back in their world, but this was diffidently a surprise to behold for them.
"This is the Crystal Empire," Twilight announced. The Gems were simply amazed by the Crystal Empire, and its appearance. Not that they didn't hear of it before, but this was their first viewing of the area, Pearl moving ahead first to get a better view of it. She never seen such a place before outside of Gem culture, and to think such a place existed was an astonishment in and of itself.
"Oh ... Oh my ... Such a ... Amazing, I ... Don't know what to say ..." Pearl said, a smile forming on her face.
"DANG! Look at this place! is that ALL crystal?" Amethyst asked.
"It's the Crystal Empire, you bet it is!" Rainbow replied with a wink and a smile. Garnet took off her glasses, her three eyes just staring off to get a full picture.
"Incredible," Garnet said, though seeing such a place was a great surprise for everyone.
"What're we doing standing here for? Come on, let's check it out! WOOO!" Steven insisted, already starting to run off towards the empire with Lapis, Amethyst, Rainbow, and Pinkie. When Rarity looked over to Pearl, she even caught a tear coming out from Pearl's eye.
"You alright dear?"
"Oh, I'm fine, more than fine. Come on Garnet!" Pearl said, heading off to join the others. The rest of the Mane Six, and Garnet began to head off themselves. What a trip for the Gems to end up in.
It didn't really take too long before the group ended up arriving in the Crystal Empire. As far as locations go, the Crystal Empire seemed to be an excellent spot for the Gems to go to. As the group continued going through the empire, the sights of so much crystalline uniqueness were a lot to note. Not only were they seeing a lot of crystal-made buildings, but also a lot of the local ponies were also crystal-skinned. Since the ponies knew some whereabouts on where to go, visiting the place a number of times before, the pony group played tour guide again to the Gems, bringing them about the place with how much knowledge they knew of the empire. With so much to explore for the Gems, their afternoon was spent more on sight-seeing, learning, and trying new things within the Crystal Empire. If this wasn't in Equestria, this place could've easily been a highly respected area in Gem culture. Heck, it can be a landmark of all time, yet, this place was for Ponykind, not for Gemkind, despite its Gem appeal.
Throughout the afternoon, the Gems did a huge exploration over the entire empire, seeing the sights practically everywhere. It was simply marvelous, and also the area seemed to have something for everybody. Amethyst and Steven enjoyed the jousting that occurred there, while Pearl and Lapis had their fun time over by the Crystal library, learning about the empire through there. Of course, with all of this stuff going on, there's bound to be some stuff worth taking back home. It was a nice time for a lot of them to do, and as sunset began to come back around, the Gems began to head on back to the train, outside of the empire. It was a lot of fun, and Steven had gotten some souvenirs for the trip back home. The Mane Six joined them on the way out, as Steven was looking through his stuff he had in a recently bought saddlebag (no handbag in the pony world).
"Did you like your surprise?" Pinkie asked, as they walked along the path.
"You bet! Hey Pearl, look what I got for you," Steven said, pulling something out from the saddlebag. In his hand, he gave Pearl a Crystal Empire snow globe, having the main castle inside of it.
"Aw, that's so sweet," Pearl said, looking at the snow globe Steven gave her as the half-Gem smiled happily. It was indeed a sweet little gift for Pearl to have. Garnet then pulled out her key, opening up the door for them to get back to Beach City.
"What other things did you get?" Lapis asked.
"Well ... dun-dun-DUN!" Steven then pulled out another fancy trinket: a crystal-lined necklace, which Steven gave to Lapis. The Mane Six were glad that their trip went on without any trouble, and everyone having a good time visiting. With their door opening up for them to go, the Gems started heading back. With the Mane Six heading back to the train station, and the Gems heading back to the Beach house, it all seemed like a nice ending to their day...
~~~~~~
Back at the beach house, Steven was pretty much satisfied and happy. Late in the day, and everything quiet, Steven happily put his little trinket next to his kitty alarm clock. The one Steven put was a little plush of the Crystal Empire queen (an alicorn, obviously). It was a good day, as he laid in his bed. However, before he could go to sleep, he glanced to the front door, and noticed the main picture of Rose on the wall. Steven felt his own Gem, which matched her own...
"Goodnight, mom," Steven said. When it came to Rose, he personally never met her before, but she was no less important to him. Sharing her Gem on his own stomach - the same spot Rose had her Gem by the look of the picture. With a sigh, and everything calming down, Steven went right off to sleep. Alongside his bed, Blue was also asleep by the foot of the bed for company, but other than that it seemed that no one else was around. As they were asleep, they weren't aware of what was coming their way.
Settling down, the moon was temporarily blocked off by the seaside clouds. As it did, the light from the moon was blocked off to the beach house, as such, no light going inside. With the light away, and leaving Steven in the dark, he was left defenseless. Nearby the screen door, leading outside, the weakening light revealed a sort of odd shadow. However, the shadow didn't connect to anything in the room, as it began to move around the place on the walls as if it was in the room. Almost seconds after appearing in the room, Blue's ears picked up the faintest sounds of something moving. While he couldn't see anything, technically, his senses told him otherwise, as something began going up Steven's stairs. Blue got up, growling a tiny bit. However, the second he did that, the shadow turned, looked right in his eyes, and disappeared fast out the door. Blue rushed to the door, beginning to bark a bit to wake Steven up. While it did work, Steven didn't see or think anything was wrong.
"What, Blue? You want to go out?" Steven asked, getting up. Thinking whatever that was, was still outside, Blue rushed out of the door the second it was open. Steven, too tired, kept the door propped open and went back to bed. A few minutes later, when Blue looked back, that same shadow appeared inside the house. It removed the prop as Blue rushed to the door, seeing it shut. Being a dog, all Blue could do was bark like mad, hoping it'll wake Steven up. Unlike before though, it wasn't working, as the shadow crept up the stairs, barely making a sound. Steven was fast asleep by the time it stood forth by his bed, black as the shadows themselves, maybe even more so. Two green eyes opened up, looking down at the half-Gem. A forelimb gently touched Steven's free arm, Blue frantic for trying to get in by scratching the doors and barking his head off. A mouth, with sharp vampire-like fangs opened up over Steven's head. Blue was in even more of a panic, forced to watch the whole thing happen.
Steven himself suddenly woke up, eyes wide open. However, when he did, he wasn't exactly at the Beach House. In fact, he wasn't exactly anywhere: just left in some sort of space-like place with no floor. Steven was still standing though, still in his PJs, and he seemed to be alone at first.
"Hello?! Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet?!"
"Salutations."
Steven looked to his right, as he saw something coming towards him from the starry abyss around him. It looked like a tall unicorn, dark fur with a black mane and tail that seemed to look like fire. He had on a fully armored outfit, with a red cape, and silver armor like a metal knight. His eyes were of red, like a vampire, with a small hint of fangs from the upper mouth. With a few steps forward, he looked at Steven with a serious expression. Steven didn't recognize him at first, as he moved forward to him, though Steven got a bit spooked.
"Oh, let's not get carried away, I'm not here to hurt you."
"You're not?" Steven asked, though was still wary.
"Not entirely. Course, I can't hurt you as much as you hurt your friends. Isn't that right?" He accused, a small smirk forming on his face. While he didn't want to hurt him, he didn't seem very friendly.
"Huh? I didn't hurt anyone," Steven said, a bit confused, as the unicorn started to circle him.
"Now Steven, let's not lie to each other. Your so-called 'friends', the Crystal Gems, correct? Your whole existence has been putting up to shame, hasn't it? Almost like they prefer your mother over you." He was going off what he knew, as it was of what he gathered while seeing them at the Crystal Empire, without anypony noticing of course. But, since Steven was just a kid, he didn't immediately trust this unicorn so fast... but ...
"W-What?"
"Don't act like you didn't notice anything. Always talking about her triumphs over yours, saying how wonderful she was before you came along. And who, might I ask was responsible for making such a noble and loving figure to cease to be, hm?" The unicorn, looking into Steven's eyes with his eyes turning green, then lifted up Steven's shirt from behind him, enough to show Steven the Quartz Gem. Steven knew what this unicorn was talking about, feeling his heart getting messed with by this thing. Steven felt a bit uneasy with himself, looking at his Gemstone as the unicorn moved back to let him think on it. The Gems do talk more about what his mother accomplished than what he did. However, the effect from the eye stare was taking its toll, as a small hint of purple smoke seeped from Steven's eyes, turning the same green color as the unicorn did.
"...N-No, that's not true," Steven said, tears starting to come down. However, the unicorn went over to him again.
"Simple denial will not cover your existence," he stated. Steven felt more tears over his eyes, as he began to cry a little bit. In the real world, his eyes were still showing the effects, and tears were slowly coming out. The unicorn moved over to him, gently rubbing his head, as Steven hugged him tightly as he sobbed.
"There, there. Truths can be harsh, I'm sure ... However, I do believe of one place where you can do the right thing."
"*sniff* R-really?" Steven asked in between tears. The unicorn nodded, his front hooves wrapping around him. Steven felt hurt still from his points; it made too much sense to him.
"There's a cavern, outside of Beach City. If you want the Gems to remove all this hidden hate, then I suggest you go there. You'll find a spring, where Gems of any state can be reborn from any situation. If you alone go there, you can free Rose from her ... inconvenient state," he explained, a hoof on Steven's stomach. But, going there alone? ...
"By myself?"
"You wouldn't want any more of their shame to go with you, do you? It can be a surprise, if you will. A wonderful surprise on their front step, to see not only you, but, your loving mother brought back to life, all thanks to you. You want to make them happy, do you?"
That changed the mood quite a bit. There was a chance Steven can bring back Rose for the Crystal Gems? Steven could see it now: Steven coming back home with his mother all well, and the happy faces on the Crystal Gems to see that sweet Gem arrive back after so long. His dad would be very happy too, of course, and it would give the Mane Six a chance to befriend Rose too. Course, all of these thoughts came with a whiplash, Steven's eyes still green and purple smoke. As if sensing Steven's decision upfront, the unicorn moved away from him. However, Steven didn't know where this copse was.
"W-Wait! Where's this place?"
"Go outside Beach City to the east, pass the first three farms along the road, take a left at the nearest lone oak, keep going until you see the first sign of mountains. Find a cave by the mountainside, and you made it. If you see any other houses pass there, you've gone too far. I hope I assisted enough for you?" He explained, before beginning to disappear into the stars around them. Steven just nodded, though the fact that the Crystal Gems were disappointed in the first place was a bit hard for him to take still...
Steven woke back up. It wasn't morning yet, and no one was around. Blue wasn't at the door either for some reason, so, he couldn't do anything. Steven, however, knew what he was going to do. With a mix of shame and determination, he got up, got his clothes on, and wrote a small list for him to follow regarding direction.
Go east
3 farms
left of oak
mountain cave
Four different directions, and they all head off to the same spot altogether. Blue could barely see what the list said, but he still couldn't do anything ... Still, his own shame and despair over the unicorn's hard truth had Steven left something else for the others to get to see ...
~~~~~~
The next morning came around, but with Steven no longer there. The first Gem to go into the main room was Garnet, wanting to wake Steven up for the day. However, when she got in the room, she began to sense something was wrong: she can't sense Steven around.
"Steven?" Garnet said, waiting for a reply. However, her voice went unanswered. Garnet moved in a bit, but then noticed something on the counter, Steven's magic key on it. Garnet wasn't sure what was going on, and she went to the letter, picking it up. At first, Garnet seemed a bit unmoved, but when she read everything off, the situation got much more serious.
Dear Crystal Gems:
I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for being the reason mom is gone, and I know you don't tell me, but you guys are disappointed in me. You wish I can be Rose, but I'm not. But I can get her back, I know it, then you won't be ashamed of me anymore.
I still love you:
Steven
...
As the sun got higher, Garnet quickly got the other Gems and the Mane Six altogether, getting a search party under way. Fulgurite, Lapis, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle had gotten the most looking, mostly because they could cover the most ground in a shorter time than the others could, though that didn't mean they didn't search around either. Throughout the morning, worried sick, everybody/everypony looked high and low for Steven, looking everywhere they could, but there was no sign of him anywhere. Only one clue was that his bike was missing, and Blue was still outside when they started looking, but that was about it as far as any clues would go. For the letter, they could get an idea to why Steven left in the first place, but where he went to do so was still a mystery.
The search continued on for quite a while, and still no sign of him all and all. To increase their chances, they need more eyes looking for him. Even if twelve were already doing so, it could help to get some more people aware of the situation, and lending a hand. For one spot: Amethyst and Pearl decided to check another spot: Connie's house. Pearl was a little bit unsure about it: with her discorded self being the first time they met her, but Amethyst agreed to do the talking for her. Amethyst knocked on the door a bit, until Connie's parents opened up the door.
"We're not interested in any sales, thank you," the dad made clear, thinking she was one of those saleswomen that goes door-to-door. However, Amethyst didn't had any clue on what he was talking about, and got to the point.
"What? No, no, listen, have you seen a small kid go through here? About ye tall, brown hair," Amethyst said. However, the parents were a bit untrusting of them, especially when they saw Pearl standing close by. However, they did see she looked a lot different from before, from appearance to behavior.
"Hold on, have I seen you somewhere?" The mother asked, referring to Pearl in question. Pearl looked worried, but, Amethyst could see her worry, and quickly got up an idea to fix things.
"Oh, just a relative visiting, but anyway, had you seen anyone like that? He's short, funny, has a Gem on his stomach." The excuse for Pearl's behavior before was easily fixed, though, Amethyst's lie made Pearl a little uncomfortable. Oh well, at least she can start off a bit differently with them.
"Steven?" The mother asked, the only kid she knew of that fit the description.
"Yes! You seen him?!" Amethyst asked, hopeful. Both parents however looked to each other after Amethyst asked.
"I don't think we did. Why?"
"Steven's missing, that's why," Amethyst said. Both parents immediately got worried over little Steven. They already had to deal with Connie running away, and they could relate to their worry over where Steven was. Speaking of Connie, things had calmed down, and they weren't as mad at Connie as before. Connie in question was overhearing what Amethyst was talking about from inside. She heard just enough to know Steven was gone...
"Oh my goodness, that's horrible!" The mother gasped.
"You think? Sure you didn't see Steven?"
"No, we'll try to look for him."
"Thanks. Come on, let's go," Amethyst said, beginning to go with Pearl as Connie's family got ready to look around.
As for Garnet, she headed over to the 'It's a wash' car wash, trying to find Steven. When Garnet showed up, she saw Greg cleaning up his van, scrubbing it down with a sponge, as Garnet went over.
"Oh, hey Garnet," Greg said.
"Hello. Greg, listen, it's about Steven," Garnet began.
"Steven? Oh, how's he doing by the way?"
"That's just it. He's gone. He ran away."
"Wait, what?" Greg asked, stepping back. However, that got him tripping over a water bucket on the ground, getting him wet a little bit.
"Ran away?! Where'd he go?!"
"Don't know, we're all trying to look for him. Could use some more help," Garnet explained. Before it could go any further, Lapis soon came back around, landing gently on Greg's van. Alongside her was Twilight.
"Anything?"
"No sign of him," sighed Lapis, as she landed on the ground in between Greg and Garnet.
"Don't you guys have any clue?" Greg asked, completely worried.
"Not much except a note this morning," Lapis answered. As they were talking, something else was coming their way. As they discussed a little, Blue suddenly showed up. The dog was helping too in his own way in the search, but soon the dog went back to Garnet with Steven's magic key. Blue knew what happened in a way, and tried barking a bit, but since he was a dog, he can't tell them. The pup dropped the key by her feet, pushing it with his nose.
"Don't worry, Blue, we'll find him," Twilight assured the dog. Blue gave a snort, annoyed that they aren't getting it. Rather than keep barking (since that did wonders last night ...) Blue grabbed Greg by the shirt, and began to pull him away.
"Hey, stop it, let go!" Greg said, trying to get him to stop until he was facing the beach.
"Sorry about that," Garnet said, as Blue ran out to the beach, working out stuff with his paws to make a picture in the sand. For a dog who never had any lesson, he did a decent enough job on the pictures to get the point across. First picture he got out was what seemed to be three houses in the sand, then some triangles further away, then a tree in between the spots. Garnet, Lapis, Twilight, and Greg looked at Blue's pictures, as Blue then made an arrow going through each spot. He then gave a bark as he pointed a paw by the mountains. Garnet took a moment, looking over the make-shift map, until they got to the point right away. Garnet and Twilight nodded, as they turned to Lapis and Greg.
"Greg, get the van ready, Twilight, Lapis, get the others back here. We have to go."
~~~~~~
Farther away, still influenced by his dream unicorn, Steven kept going on his bike along the country road, still following his instructions. He kept following the road east, though the farms were few and far between. Made sense, he guessed; if this place is a Gem landmark, making it right next to human civilization wasn't the best idea (aside from the Beach House cave, that is). After all, it took nearly a day to reach the closest Kindergarten. So far, Steven had past at least two of the farms the unicorn had mentioned and reaching over to the third. Even if he wasn't on a mission, the ride was actually quite calming, though a little cool for a summer day. Peddling forward, Steven began to look around a bit after passing the third farm, though, didn't see any oak at first. In fact, he didn't see any tree at first. All he saw on the road was open grassland and fields. The road ahead of him curved away, but he then saw a dirt trail he can take. He stopped once he went off the road, and onto the dirt trail, looking at the list.
Go east3 farms
left of oak
mountain cave
He didn't say to follow the road the whole way, just to the east. So, shrugging, he began to ride down the dirt trail. With the opened field around him, he had a good view of everything around him. After a few more minutes of going along the trail, scrubs and small pine trees started to come up around him, giving some shade to the bright sun. And a few minutes after that, Steven then saw the said oak tree along the trail.
"There you are," Steven said to himself, looking at the list again, and crossing off the next step.
Go east3 farmsleft of oak
mountain cave
Only one left. Looking to the left of the tree, he did start to see a hint of mountain range not too far off from where he was. Must be the right spot, and lucky for him a second trail curved in the right direction. So, with a smile, he began to head off along the trail.
Further back, the others were trying to catch up to him, using the van to close the gap much faster. Those that could fly (aside from Fluttershy) flew alongside the van as Fulgurite and Lion ran alongside. Wherever Steven was going, he sure had gone a long way if he made it past three farms, over six miles last they checked.
"Can you guys see him yet?!" Amethyst called from the van.
"No, I don't think so!" Twilight called. As they continued, Blue looked out from the window, sniffing the air before barking loudly again. Lion also got the scent and began to run away from the road. Ahead, they saw the same dirt path Steven went down, the bike marks in the dirt still evident. Greg stopped the van nearby, as Lion roared for their attention. Blue actually jumped out the window once they stopped, and sniffed where the tire tracks were. They seemed only a bit fresh but was enough to get a scent out of it. The other Gems and ponies got themselves out, heading over to see what they found. After getting it though, Lion and Blue started running off ahead along the trail.
"Lapis! You, Rainbow, and Twilight fly ahead and follow Lion and Blue! We'll meet up with you," Garnet called. Without a second to loose, the three started flying off ahead, everyone else running on the ground to catch up. Fulgurite catch up easy, though Greg needed a bit to catch up with the other Gems, never mind the animals.
Further away, Steven was still going along the trail as best he could. He began to near the mountain range as he continued onward along the dirt path, with the mountains gradually towering over him. Steven took a moment to stop, the trail going along the mountainside. Steven kept his eye open for any signs of any cave around the place, not having much luck at first. While going along though, he then saw something up ahead that got him excited: a lone cave entrance. Steven stopped for a moment to look over the list.
Go east3 farmsleft of oakmountain cave
That was everything. Parking his bike outside, Steven got off and began to head on inside. If there's any chance Rose can be brought back, then this would be it. Steven felt his Gem one more time, before he began to head off inside.
The cave itself was fairly sized, and not too cramped around him as Steven continued through. While light was starting to diminish from the entrance, it never got too dark to when he couldn't see where he was going. The ground underfoot was smooth, cold, and dried out to pure rock after five feet down. Steven didn't know what he was getting himself towards, but, it'll be worth it in the end. Then, as he made about thirty feet into the cave passage, he began to see a new light show up ahead. Then, Steven ventured to the other end of the cave; a gigantic opening into a huge cavern. The area itself looked large enough to fit a hot air balloon inside, and with crystals lining up around the corners of the cavern, it told Steven that he found the spot ... maybe. There was a deep opened area, yeah, but, there was no water. Not a single drop was shown within the pit, which Steven thought was where the spring was ... Then he heard footsteps.
Or rather, hoof steps.
"Where's the spring?" Steven wondered aloud.
"How nice of you to make it."
Steven turned around to a corner of the cavern, by a lot of darkened crystals to see the very same unicorn he saw in his dream! A surprise alone to see him outside of dreamland.
"Oh, you. Where's the spring, isn't this where -"
"What spring?" He said. Immediately, Steven no longer felt like he was accomplishing anything, or felt any safe. Soon, the unicorn quickly charged at him, grabbed him by the arm with his sharp teeth, and threw him into the pit! Steven tumbled a little bit, landing on his back into the pit, as the unicorn stood up on the rim with a disapproved look on his face.
"You lied to me!" Steven yelled from the bottom of the pit.
"Call it a habit. Course, it's easier to lie to small kids; especially ones with something in their past to work with," the unicorn replied smugly. Steven looked down to the rose Gem, the only thing that could've given the unicorn anything to work with. Steven realized he'd been tricked, and he was all alone for there. The unicorn turned away; his horn glowing as more dark crystals formed up around Steven. The half-Gem tried to get out, but the unicorn wasn't going to help him. On top of that, the sides were too smoothly edged in to get a proper grip.
"How could you?!" Steven asked, feeling hurt all over again, maybe even more so then when he first met the unicorn.
"I already did, so, why explain again. Typical," the unicorn scoffed, as he focused his magic some more, his horn glowing a deep velvet red. Steven quickly got out another Gem tactic: a bubble shield, just as he fired at him. The beam launched out of the horn bounced off easily, and slammed into the far wall. The unicorn tried again, but the bubble shield seemed to be making each attack pointless, as they kept being launched to the wall, making indents in them. Steven kept trying to get himself out, but, the unicorn blasted too frequently for him to move around much, especially in his bubble shield. While it seemed fruitless, Steven was straining more and more from each blast, as the unicorn could see that. He prepared for another blast at Steven, but then a thought crossed his mind as he looked around at the crystal spires around him. Before he could try ...
"Steven!"
The sound from one of Steven's friends was luck; both good and bad. While it told the unicorn friends were coming, it distracted Steven for that one moment. The unicorn blasted his beam at the spires around them, intensifying the power, and Steven's sudden own shield was not enough to fully block the attack, the bubble popping, and Steven getting the full hit of the blast! And not a moment too soon for the unicorn; seconds later, the fastest of Stevens friends (Rainbow, Lion, Lapis, Twilight and Blue) soon arrived to see Steven hurt in the pit. They quickly saw who was responsible nearby, Rainbow and Twilight personally beyond shocked by who they saw.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't our little princess and her brigade. Come to watch?"
"Sombra? Y-You're supposed to be gone!" Twilight yelled. The unicorn, Sombra as it turned out, stopped his own magic beam, and turned to the others, seeing Blue and Lion growling at him.
"Well it's clear I'm not. Wouldn't matter anyway, already began," Sombra said with pride, looking to Steven, still in pain as if being electrocuted. The others tried to reach him, but the magical field around him launched them back with harsh force. Sombra sat down, and watched Steven's suffering within the blast. Steven looked to his friends, tears pouring out of his eyes, as he began to feel a bit different ...
As it was happening, Lion then charged at Sombra, but the unicorn simply moved aside in a smooth dodge, the angry creature surging past him. Blue tried to attack too, but Sombra grabbed him by the foot, and threw Blue at Lion. Twilight went on and tried another approach: using her magic to stop the beams. Sombra calculated that and raised a second black crystal to stop the Alicorn. Rainbow and Lapis also tried to break the crystals, but it seemed far too sturdy to be broken for the moment. That would explain why Sombra wasn't too worried about their attempts to save Steven. Steven meanwhile could only watch his friends try to save him, as the dark beams began to change him bit by bit. It was a rather long process, which Sombra also knew, considering he wasn't a 100% Gem. His own body started to change before everyone; a light of pink, dim yet shimmering, began to show from his own Gemstone.
"Steven!!" Lapis yelled. But to Steven, the screams were starting to diminish as he felt weaker and weaker from the effects of the dark crystal beams. As for the sharp pain, that dulled down to soreness all over his body, as his eyes started to close a little bit. They kept trying to break the spires, but eventually they found it will not do it in time.
"Sombra, let him go!" Twilight demanded.
"Why? This is getting amusing," Sombra said, finding a comfy spot nearby to watch the spectacle. Angry, Twilight launched a huge attack beam from her horn, only for Sombra to bow, and slice the beam in two with his own horn! The catch: he didn't even use any attack or even went any fast, he simply bowed like he was getting a drink from some imaginary pond, his horn's own durability making short work of it. His horn glowed red again, as his own beam blasted at Twilight. She got up her own shield, but the shear force of the blast forced her to back up. Blue suddenly charged up, finally getting a grip on the back of Sombra's neck, forcing Sombra to buck like a wild horse to get Blue off of him. Lion got up, and roared at Sombra. The force of Lion's roar launched Sombra back to the far wall, though it didn't do much damage to the unicorn himself. Sombra charged up again, ready to shoot as Lion, but then something else started to happen to Steven that halted the fight for a moment.
Steven, within the beams, began to have his whole body give off a sort of pink glow, dimmed by the aura from the magical blasts. Suddenly, everybody/everypony was exposed to a sudden blast of energy. The force finally cracked the gem spires, but injured everyone else there. The only one uninjured was Sombra, whom ran off and teleported away with his own magic before Lion could get him again. The blast made a large cloud of dust a debris to form up, making them unable to see what happened to Steven ...
Only then did everyone else arrive.
"What happened?" Pearl called.
"Y'all alright?" added Applejack.
So much of the group weren't aware of Sombra's involvement, and for those that were, were more worried over what happened to Steven. What caught everyone off guard was a small groan coming from the pit. However, it didn't sound like Steven in there ...
As the cloud cleared, only then did they all see the horrid realization. laying in the large pit, barely moving, wasn't the Steven they all already knew. Something else was in there: a creature about as large as Lion, though with some differences. It didn't had an actual face, replaced by a mirror with two lines resembling a sad expression where the eyes should be. The body had a feline-like appearance as well, with the tail and mane made up of green and pink flower pedals. The gemstone was hidden in the end of its tail, and it also had on a sort of chest guard. Everyone there was simply shocked, as silence befell over them all. The ponies were surprised as any, but the Gems felt it even worse...
That creature was Steven!
"... N-No ... No!"
The noise of Garnet's gasp caught Steven's attention, and he climbed out. Normally, he'd be happy to see them. But now, he no longer recognized them. Whimpering, Blue moved over to Steven, but the corrupted half-Gem suddenly started to flee up to the opening above the cavern. Steven was extremely fast, and none of them could get him in time. Not even Rainbow and Fulgurite, who got the closest. As for the others, they were just trying to comprehend what just happened ...
"Oh no ... Steven ..." Pearl was the first to start crying, on her knees at the sight of her beloved Steven turning corrupted. Blue joined in her crying too, howling to the heavens. Fluttershy ended up crying too along with Pearl, but eventually ...
"How could this happened?! We were supposed to protect him!" Pearl sobbed, tears pouring down her face. Garnet, while not showing anything, took it the worst. Out of many of the Gems, she was the most experienced out of all of them, and from that, seeing Steven end up corrupted was a devastating blow to her. They've faced corrupted gems before, but how were they going to deal with something like this? ...
The crying wasn't helping her out.
"Stop it!" Garnet demanded, catching them by surprise.
"Crying isn't going to help anything! We have to get him back."
"B-But he's -"
"I know what happened, but we can't leave him alone. Go outside and fan out, he couldn't had gone far!" Garnet ordered. The others were still on the part when Steven was turned corrupted, but they don't have much other option. Those on the ground raced out of the tunnel while those who flew went out the skylight. Garnet still needed a bit, a small tear dripping out from behind her shades, before beginning to go out herself.
She needed some time alone ...
You thought a full episode in the Crystal Empire, didn't you? 
Yes, Sombra's back! I'm a Sombra fan, and I'm not sure if he's really dead or not, can you blame me? Besides, imagine how deadly of a threat he actually is to the crystal gems.
Get ready to have your heartstrings messed with (ain't I a devil? 
)
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One would think that Steven would question why he was dreaming of a unicorn demon after just getting back from the Crystal Empire. Also, I don't mean to toot my own horn, but have you read my SU crossover yet? I don't get a lot of feedback on it, and would like to know what you think of it.
Anyway, aside from that I like where this story is going, aside from the occasional grammar error, and eagerly await the next chapter.
This was a bit unexpected. Besides that, I've noticed that each and every 'disaster' they seem to rely on each other. While this is a crossover, and it does make sense for them to also ask for help from the ponies when Steven disappeared, not every situation should be something that requires them to call for the others. I'm not saying to break the groups up, just that they don't always have to call upon the ponies, or the ponies calling upon the gems. Instead, experiment with the Gems going solo in Equestria, or the Ponies doing the same on Earth, maybe have the keys malfunction or something, making each group trapped in the others world, having to try and solve each others problem while Discord tries to fix the keys?
Just trying to help out some.
Noooooo
6710458 YYYYYEEEEEEEEESSSSSSS
Yes you are the Devil and I love story plot goes Dark.
6709118 in glad you're enjoying the ride, and I'll check out your own in a bit
6709243 I do see where you're coming from. Thanks for the help ^^
6710711
mwahahaha!
That..... is just pure evil.
6712697 it's Sombra, that's the idea of it.
6711231
Mehehehe hehehehe hehe AHHAHAHAHAHA AAAAAAAHHHHHAAAAAAHHHH!!!!
Perfect.
6714116 you win the laugh XD
6725694 Thank you EquestrianKirin.
Reader's Note: you don't need somepony/somebody nor everypony/everybody. If it is just ponies, then it just everypony. If it's, in this case Ponies and Jems, then it is everybody. See what I'm saying? It make it a little bit easier to ready and less confusing. But all in all, it is a great story. Keep up the work.
...What, thee absolute, SHITE IS THIS! Okay, you nearly had me stop reading this story - for a while - with the Pearl chapter, but this... THIS IS ABSOLUTE... I'M MAD TO THINK OF ANYTHING! But still, when I saw the chapter title I was thinking "Oh, Sombra back, that's cool.", but the way you wrote him appearing... Whuuuu? Like, the Mane 6 invite the Crystal Gems to the Empire, they're there for awhile, then suddenly, oh Sombra is now in Steven's world, no mention of him entering his world or somehow stealthing his way in when Garnet opens the portal, he, is, just, there, WHAT!?
I read my fair share of stories with plot points that don't make sense later in the story, but I feel like you made the excuse of Sombra, JUST BECAUSE THEY WENT INTO THE EMPIRE?!
But what really got me miffed was the way Sombra was written and how Steven reacted through all this - I feel like Sombra's appearance would of made more sense during S3 or S4 Steven, as at that time, there was a lot of secrets Rose Quartz were revealed to Steven/the group, it doesn't make sense why Steven would have this sort of emotional tie to his mom, when in the first half of S1 Steven, he does care for his mom, but not far enough to do something this reckless. And if there was a way to bring Rose back - especially on Earth - then the Crystal Gems would know, not some dream unicorn of all things!?
Also wouldn't Steven question the idea of a dream unicorn all of a sudden, and secondly how the heck would Sombra had this all planned - knowing the route from Steven's home to his little hideout, and knowing Steven's weakness with just a glance of his gem and the photo of his mom? So unless you show Sombra was in Steven's world long enough to be this informative then I'll take that as an okay as long you explain what's he doing in their world... but thirdly...
In what part did Sombra knew or think what would happen if he used his dark crystal magic on Steven, and also, corruption doesn't work like this... I know this story was like, what written before Steven Universe Seasons 4 or 5 but come on, we know Corruption is similar to damaging mentally, whether through something traumatic, being infected with another corrupted gem through fusion or the power of the Diamonds - discluding Pink for obvious reasons...
I don't like smart, snarky Sombra, made me think of Discord, and there can only one mad manipulator in a series; when I first saw Sombra - both his first appearance and read the comic about his return - he felt more like a powerhouse villain, who was shunned from birth, not some... whatever he is in this chapter; some smart manipulative baddie... Now all imagine Sombra with some really long ass cape that reaches a meter long with a monocle and a very snarky laugh... except more annoying and not diabolically silly like Team Rocket...
Okay I'm done for the rant but if I don't get straight answers from the story or author, THERE WILL BE A RECKONING!
9774439
Well Sombra never confirmed to actually been killed, and this was written well before his re-appearance in Season 9, and I only worked off the implications from his S3 appearance - which to me is a villain who's always planning ahead and setting things up. You can't deny that it's some amazing planning how he set up all those traps for a thousand years ahead of time.
In part due to his age. Steven's still a kid, and if given enough of an idea they would try in their own way to fix things, even if acting reckless. And even if the Gems knew, would they really tell him? They've kept a lot of secrets from him and don't actually tell him until AFTER he figured them out first.
Sombra didn't figure it out himself. Blame the grapevine of Season 8 for blabbering on this information to him and him working out the rest.
STEVEN!! don't you watch Saturday morning cartoons? you never trust the dark foreboding shadow monster
also how did sombra know anything about "rose" when those would be private thoughts that steven would keep to himself
and thirdly wouldn't the bubble around the empire from the crystal heart mean sombra wouldn't be able to even know about the gems because he can't even get into the empire
9838518
True villains don't care about rules XP plus you're gonna have to read on to find the answer to at least one of those questions
Steven: Aaahh! It's a tax collector! *rushes out*