Corrupting Light

“	The other Diamonds were furious. In a last-ditch attempt to wipe out the Rebellion, the Diamonds launched a direct attack against Earth, and in their fury, they used their powers to end the fighting once and for all.	”
—Garnet in "Your Mother and Mine"

Corrupting Light
Information
Type	Attack
Participants	The Great Diamond Authority White Diamond Yellow Diamond Blue Diamond
Location	Earth

The Corrupting Light was a cataclysmic event and final assault against the Crystal Gems by the remaining members of the Great Diamond Authority. The attack was intended to obliterate all Gems on Earth; however, it instead resulted in the corruption of almost every Gem on the planet. This attack marked the end of the Rebellion.

While intended to only be used against the Crystal Gems, some Homeworld Gems, such as Nephrite and her crew, were also caught in the attack because they were stranded on Earth when it was unleashed.

The light was first shown in "Same Old World" and later seen in the episode "Monster Reunion" in greater detail. The light is composed of blue, white, and yellow rays, the colors of the three current Diamonds.

Given Yellow Diamond's ability to disrupt Gem bodies, Blue Diamond's ability to overwrite Gem emotions and White Diamond's ability to overpower Gem minds, the Corrupting Light's effect may represent a combination of the worst parts of their abilities - warped bodies, broken minds and rampant emotions.

History

4,500 Years Ago

At the end of the Rebellion, the Diamonds faced two massive losses: the "destruction" of one of their own (Pink Diamond) and the loss of her colony, Earth. In retaliation, the Diamonds combined their powers and launched a direct attack against Earth: the Corrupting Light.

Before the Diamonds attacked, Homeworld Gems were ordered to leave the planet by one or more of their commanders. This caused a panic in which Gems fled the planet en masse in both spaceships and through the Galaxy Warp to Homeworld. In this commotion, Lapis Lazuli, who was in the mirror containing her, was dropped and stepped on, cracking her gemstone. Being poofed and trapped inside the mirror, she was saved from being corrupted.

After the majority of Homeworld Gems had fled, a light appeared in the sky, accompanied by what Steven interprets as "A sound? A song?". Later, in "Monster Reunion", the purpose of the light is explained by Centipeetle. It is confirmed to be the source of her corruption. It was most likely to ensure the Rebellion could never threaten Homeworld again. Based on her recollection of the event, it seems that the majority of Gems were not aware of what exactly they were fleeing from, as she was kept in the dark by her commander.

When the Corrupting Light appeared, Rose Quartz protected Garnet and Pearl from the blast with her shield. 

Trivia

• The song in question, in addition to appearing in "Same Old World" and "Monster Reunion", has also been heard as a motif at the beginning of "Blue Diamond", "Yellow Diamond", "White Diamond".
• The degree of the light and song's direct role in inducing corruption, or if they were merely byproducts of something else, is unknown.
• It's possible that the light attack was actually the manifestation of an occurrence in theoretical astrophysics known as a kugelblitz, which is a concentration of heat, light or radiation (in this case being light) so great in intensity that it traps itself in it's own event horizon, warping spacetime around it. This would be a possible explanation in and itself as to why Gems exposed to it became corrupted; since physical forms of Gems are made of light, they were likely warped by the physics-altering nature of the kugelblitz.
• The mental corruption caused by this light is referred to as "damage from the Diamonds" in "Monster Reunion" by both Pearl and Steven.
• In order for a Gem to become corrupted, their physical form needed to be exposed to the light itself. As a result, the following Gems were on Earth during the attack, but were not corrupted for various reasons:
  • Rose Quartz/Pink Diamond, Garnet, and Pearl (protected by Rose's/Pink Diamond's shield)
  • Amethyst (still incubating in the Prime Kindergarten)
  • Lapis Lazuli (trapped in the mirror)
  • Bismuth (bubbled and stored in the Pink Dimension)
• It is revealed in "Legs From Here to Homeworld" that the Diamonds' attack wasn't intended to corrupt all Gems on Earth but destroy them outright, showing that at least Blue and Yellow Diamond were unaware of its effects. It seems likely that Earth's Gems were spared destruction because Pink Diamond's absence prevented the blast from hitting them at its fullest possible strength.

Gallery

Screenshots

The remaining Gems trying to escape Earth. One steps on the mirror Lapis is incarcerated in.

Homeworld Gems left before the light blast.

The corrupting light engulfing the area.

"Damage of the Diamonds."

The Corrupting Light ー an ability brought about by the combined power of the Diamonds.

Three color light

Rose activating her shield to protect Garnet, Pearl, and herself.

The Corrupting Light in "A Single Pale Rose".

Animations

The Corrupting Light approaching Earth to corrupt the remaining Gems in "Same Old World".

The remaining Gems trying to escape Earth in "Monster Reunion".

The Corrupting Light approaching Earth to corrupt the remaining Gems in "Monster Reunion".

The Diamonds preparing to activate the Corrupting Light.