The night time entered his room and filled around him. Only mere shimmers of moon light surrounded the room, they peeked around the window panes like a frightened child behind its mother. Steven lay there shaking as a dream entered into his mind. There he was, in one of the many kindergartens from earth. This one, however, was untouched by war or even birth. There he was watching as one of the many home world drills pierced the ground and inject the ground with something. Steven walked closer to it reaching out to touch it. When he was close enough the scene changed, suddenly Steven was no longer in a warm sunny kindergarten. This kindergarten had become something different, completely different. The kindergarten became a room made from home world tech and multiple Peridots surrounded a tube. "What is this?" Steven thought to himself out loud. He approached the tube and peered in to see what the Peridots were staring at. In the tube there appeared to be a slender man on his hands and knees breathing heavily as if wounded or exhausted. Steven tried to get a good look at the man's features, there was virtually nothing he could see.

Steven looked at the Peridots as they whispered among themselves. He tried to listen to what they were saying but all he could manage to hear was "Whoever made this gem is gonna get it." Suddenly a door opened, three Rubys walked in followed by none other than Pink Diamond herself. She walked over to the tube so gracefully she appeared to be floating. Steven watched as she looked down in the tube that was now having short shocks zoom down to the bottom, presumably hitting the figure below. Her face went from a firm commanding stare to that of utter disgust. "This is unacceptable; these types of Gems have been extinct for a reason! Who allowed this...this abomination to be born see me at once!" Her voice was so stern and frightening the Peridots all lined up as to be interrogated. Pink Diamond leaned in and went down the row one by one as she spoke. "And if they are not within my chambers soon I will personally crack each and every one of your gems just to be sure, is that understood?" The Peridots all saluted and let out an affirmative in unison. "Leave the tube on and leave the failure here. We leave for a different kindergarten tomorrow, if the shocks don't destroy the gem then the air strike that's coming will." With that the Peridots set the tube to repeat the shock for the next few days, Steven approached the tube and looked down. He could see the man as a Gem now, he squinted and looked closer.

"Woah." Steven saw the Gem on the man's chest, it wasn't a Gem he was familiar with though. It was oval shaped and pure black. The Gem gazed up, his eyes locking in with Steven's. The Gem seemed to have snapped out of his weakened state, his face now morphing into that of a monster that seemed to detach from his body and fly at Steven. Steven jolted up and looked around in a cold sweat. The next day Steven seemed tired to the rest of the Gems, he looked down at the waffle Garnet made and face planted to sleep. Pearl extended a hand to him. "Steven?" He jolted up screaming. "Oh Pearl it's just you." Pear spoke "Who else would it be?" Steven looked confused. "What? Oh nothing never mind, oh waffles! I sure do love waffles ha ha." Steven forked all the waffles and at them in one swoop, Pear looked at him concerned. "Steven are you ok?" Steven stood up and started walking away "A yup yup, no time to talk gatta go hang out with Connie bye!" He closed the door with a slam behind him. All three Gems looked confused as Garnet spoke up. "What was that all about?" Steven walked on a beach to meet Connie, she was sitting in her sunhat and dress. She waved to Steven. He smiled and hurried over to her, he was smiling eyes closed and laughing. Just as he opened his eyes he saw the sand had become a black color, he looked over to Connie who was just an empty sack of skin, almost as if she was a costume someone took off. The face he saw in his dream the previous night in his dreams was in the sky looking down at Steven laughing. "What's wrong Steven? You aren't SCARED are you? Ahahahaha!"

Connie shook Steven awake. "Steven!" He jolted up and looked at her. "Steven are you ok? You were running towards me and just fell face first asleep! What's wrong?" Steven began to cry into Connie's arms. He looked up at her and spoke. "I think we need to talk to Pearl." Connie and Steven were sitting with the Gems on the sofa. "So what's up dude?' Amethyst said as she was in the form of a monkey picking at Steven's hair. "Well I had this dream last night, it was really weird." Garnet spoke. "Steven it's ok to have nightmares, if you're ever worried or afraid you can come to us." He looked up tears in his eyes. "No you don't understand. It didn't feel like a dream, it felt like a memory." Pearl looked at Steven concerned. "What did you see Steven?" he took a breath. "Well, there was a drill making a new kindergarten. It was in the middle of nowhere and it looked like it was the only drill there." Pearl looked to Garnet who was in shock. Pear spoke up "Was that it?" Steven looked at Pearl. "No next thing I knew I was in a room full of Peridots who has some Gem in a tube." Peridot was ease dropping from Steven's room and overheard the mention of a Gem in a tube. She jumped down and ran to Steven grabbing him by the shoulders. "What did the Gem look like?" Steven freaked out and confused yelled "I don't know!" Peridot persisted "What did the Gem look like?" Pearl tried to approach Peridot to make her stop. "Peridot!" Steven cried "I couldn't see his face. He was all black and his gem was black too!" Peridot gasped, she stepped back. "Oh no.." Amethyst turned back into her normal form and walked up to Peridot. "Is there something you wanna tell us man?" Peridot curled up into a ball shivering with a fear expression on her face. "He's b-b-b-b-back? No no no."

Garnet picked Peridot up and placed her on the sofa. "Tell us please, you'll be safe since you're here with us." Peridot shuddered and began to speak. "B-b-b-black Onyx…" She fainted as a fast lighting flash happened (yet there was no storm). Time passed as Peridot began to wake up, Pearl was pacing the floor and Garnet was packing a bag. Amethyst was fanning Peridot and Steven was fighting off sleep. Peridot jolted up and looked at Steven. She walked over, Steven was fighting off sleep slumping to wake himself up. Peridot looked at him and spoke. "Steven, you need to sleep again. Ask Black Onyx where he is we HAVE to find him." Steven half sleepily spoke. "Don't wanna…wanna have nightmares…" Pearl spoke to Peridot. "Why should he do that? This thing is tormenting him and you want to find it?" Peridot angrily replied "If he is getting into Steven's dreams then we have to stop him!" Garnet spoke up. "Why's that?" Peridot put her hand to her chin and paced. "Black Onyxs were hardly ever used in wars unless the Gems wanted to completely destroy a planet. All species in the universe we know of sleep, so they dream. The Black Onyx feeds off fear and dreams, they completely destroy the person form the inside to the point the Gems wouldn't NEED to destroy the beings individually." Pearl looked at Steven then at Peridot. "Do it Steven." Pearl said to Steven. Steven looked at her surprised. "I don't want to, the dreams are so terrible I don't want that to happen again." Garnet kneeled down and put her hand on his shoulder. "It will be ok, we're here." Steven looked up at her, then down at his shoes. "Alright…I'll do it." Steven closed his eyes tight and fell asleep. Steven was face down in a dark room, nothing was visible except him. He stood up and looked around. "H..hello? Onyx? Are you there?" a disembodied whispery yet rough voice spoke up "Why hello there, what brings you to my part of the town kiddo?"

Steven looked around afraid and his voice was shaky. "W…where are you? I can't see you." Onyx laughed soon there was small children laughing as well, a flood of sound and laughter surrounded Steven as the blackness engulfed him. Steven now screaming and cry opened his eyes and he was in the tube chamber. "Hey kid, see those controls over there. Press the code 2234 will ya? We can talk after." Steven looked into the tube the blackness engulfed it and nothing could be seen (if anything WAS there). Steven spoke up still shaken. "N..no how can I trust you?" Onyx let out a sigh. "If you do it I'll stop messing with you. Deal?" Steven took a breath "Deal." Steven reluctantly walked over and typed the code in, the tube lifted and the blackness poured out into a form. Before Steven stood a sender shaped male figure in what looked to be a suit. The Onyx gem glimmered a deep black. Onyx's face formed, he had light pinkish eyes and a large mouth. His skin was scarred and almost deformed (possibly due to the years of shocking). He smiled at Steven. "Thanks kid, wanna chat huh?" Steven kept his distance and spoke. "Yea.." Onyx was next to him now. He whispered into his ear "Come find me then." With that Steven opened his eyes and looked up at Garnet. "I know where to go." With that the Gems (including Peridot) stepped on the teleporter pad and were off to the Kindergarten. Once in the kindergarten the Gems noticed it was a flat land with only one drill and a base. Amethyst pointed to it. "Woah what is that thing?" Pearl was in a shocked daze and walked past Amethyst while explain. "It's a containment house, they used to use those on home world for corrupted gems or traitors. What are we up against Peridot?" Peridot followed Pearl. "You have no clue." Once inside they saw the tube was open, Steven jumped back afraid. "What? How? I was asleep, it was a dream!" Peridot looked at him and spoke "You Claude! Anything that happens in those dreams happen in real life." Steven looked at Peridot. "You mean like that one movie? Scary Sleep?" Peridot face palmed "Yes sure why not." Steven screamed and ran to Garnet hugging her. "Steven why are you afraid, we're here." He looked up at her "They didn't stop him in the movie."

Garnet chuckled "Well this isn't a movie silly. You have nothing to be scared of." Amethyst walked over and hugged Steven "Yea man were here for you." Pearl joined the hug and so did Peridot but so did…Lapis? Steven noticed this. "Wait a minute, Lapis didn't come with us!" They formed into a black rock incasing Steven. "Ah! Onyx lemme go!" Onyx appeared sipping from a Martini glass and was in front of Steven, he spoke in a very calm and sarcastic manner. "You know the thing just squeezes harder the more you struggle." He sipped and smiled. "Now we can talk, sound good?" Steven looked at Onyx mad. "Fine." He said. "Was any of that even real? Us showing up here?" Onyx finished his drink and the glass poofed away. "Oh yes, you just fell asleep. In fact your friends are probably trying to break you out right now. Don't worry I will release you when you ask. Deal is a deal after all. So what did you want to know?" Steven thought then asked "Well, why did you make me dream all this and set you free? Why were you scaring me?" Onyx sighed "Well it is fairly simple, I thought you would have figured it out. I needed you to free me so I can get back at that Peridot you hang out with. Scaring you was just a way to bring back my power." Steven replied "Why Peridot? What did she do?" Onyx turned around enraged his head became a giant demon hea as he shouted "What did she-!" he turned back into his normal self and ran his hand through his head and chuckled. "What did she do he asks, ok. Well kid, she was the one who sorta left that shocker on till the power died after the air strike. Now then I think that's enough questions for one evening wake up.' Onyx clapped his hands and Steven woke up without the black goo around him. He sat up and saw the Gems in fighting position as Onyx stood there. "Please, step aside. My business is only with the Peridot there." Pearl pointed her lance at him. "The only one going near her is her friends, Amethyst take her and run." Amethyst grabbed Peridot by her arm and ran with her flapping in the breeze behind her.

Peridot was frozen in fear and could not move, her mouth making only a muh sound when trying to speak. Back at the station Steven ducked for cover, the sound of the pad activating signaled the departure of Peridot. Onyx's head was looking downward as he began to laugh and slowly look up. "One thousand years, one thousand years to get back at that pathetic gem only for my chance to be ruined by the resistance! You know, if Rose had taken me up on that offer of release you could have beaten home world by now right? I could literally could have destroyed the WHOLE computer system for their defense. We could have gotten in and wiped earth off their maps, you know that right?" Pearl spoke out. "There's no way Rose could have been here; this is an uncharted kindergarten!" Onyx chuckled. "Oh that's rich. Of course she never told you. She never told you about any of the shady things she did. Well never mind now, move over so I can get that Peridot." He started walking to the door, Garnet picked him up. In the most blank faced voice he said "Well this is going to hurt." Garnet threw him against a wall as it crumbled. Onyx got up and brushed himself off. "I'm going to assume that was an involuntary spasm and this time you're going to let me pass." "Nope." Garnet said as she ducked for a beam of light that Pearl fired zoomed past and hit Onyx. "Now then surrender as a prisoner before we make this get any uglier." Onyx didn't stand back up, a black beam of light jolted from his gem and a weird looking black smoke emerged. It spoke like Onyx, it WAS Onyx. "You know, up till this point I was pretty happy. Now I'm just mad." The smoke formed into a dragon and began to fight Pearl and Garnet, it swung its large claw at them knocking them both into the wall. "Now stay down." Both got back up slowly in pain, Garnet charged the dragon swinging her fist at it. However, the smoke only dissipated and then reformed as an apache warrior. It did a wall jump and got behind Garnet. Before she could react he drop kicked her and pulled out a tomahawk. He was about to put the axe in Garnet's back when Pearl flung the tomahawk out of his hands with her spear. He jumped back and reformed into a knight, he took a sword out and charged at Pearl their weapons clashing Garnet was out cold and Steven crept over to her. "Garnet..." he shook her but all she did was groan in pain. Steven looked up only to see Pearl falling on top of Garnet knocked out too. Onyx walked over to Steven. Steven had his shield out now pointing it up at Onyx. "I won't let you hurt them!"

Onyx chuckled. "That really is you Rose." Steven surprised let out a huh. "I suspected as much, only Rose would have remembered this place. Listen kid I'm not here to hurt you guys. I just want to smash that Peridot. Stay out of my way and no one else gets hurt. Ok?" Steven held the shield tighter. "No Peridot is my friend, I can't let you hurt her!" He knocked his shield into Onyx and the cloud flew back into Onyx's gem. He jolted up coughing. "Woah there, yeah you are a Rose Cortez. They're the only ones who can send that cloud back in me. Nice shot too." Steven was still grasping his shield. "Ah put it away kid, I can't go smoke for another 40 minutes. You got me really good geez." Steven reluctantly deformed the shield. "I'm trusting you." Onyx limped over and slumped down next to Steven. "Smart kid, say why are you fighting in all this? What's the point of you doing something that you were never involved in?" Steven stopped then sat next to him. "Well, cos it feels right. It's what I think mom would have wanted. For everyone to live in peace. I mean that's what everyone would want right? No more fighting, just be happy." Onyx looked at Steven and smirked, he chuckled. "Wow, that's pretty…look kid. I wanted to do that, my tactics were brutal but…no one would have gotten hurt. Your mom just really didn't feel right letting me out AND for good reason. You saw what I could do, I'm a danger to everyone. Tell you what kid. I'll just go, leave you guys alone. But trust me on this." Onyx got up with a groan. "You'll see me again kid. Take care of that Peridot for me eh?" He chuckled and walked off into the distance of the kindergarten. Garnet groaned and started to get up, Steven ran over to her and help her up. Pearl slumped on the floor holding her head and swaying from the dizziness. "W..what happened? Where's Onyx?" Pearl asked confused. Steven helped her up. "He's gone." Steven looked out into the direction Onyx walked "For now." Garnet put a hand on Steven's shoulder and looked down at him. Steven looked up, somehow he knew that she knew what happened. They walked back to the teleport pad and went home. Steven was going to have a lot to tell Peridot.