A/N:

Hello all! I would like to dedicate this chapter to user AmberGoldenHeart for being a supportive fan and alerting me to some technical defects affecting certain chapters of Thousands Year Fairytale so that I could fix it.

And as always, thank you to all of you lovely readers. The other chapters will be coming out this week. Enjoy!

-Connor

"You're such an idiot." Pink Diamond told herself. "Running from a Peridot?! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Her feet pounded against the ground as she ran across the battlefield, away from her unworthy adversary, chest heaving, skirt clenched in her fists. Forgotten bits of metal scattered the plains, pieces of weapons and armor cast aside by no longer living warriors posing a major tripping hazard. Stars sparkled overhead, the peaceful glow of the landscape taunting her as she ran.

"Come over here and face me, you coward!" Peridot roared, gem destabilizer in hand. She took flight with her limb enhancers, quickly catching up to Pink Diamond. She landed and continued to run once she'd gotten close enough, tightening her grip around the weapon.

Pink Diamond stumbled over a rock, whirling and falling to her knees. Miraculously, a small blade, torn from its handle, lay on the ground in front of her. Quickly, she grasped it. The edge dug into her palm, but she showed no sign of pain. She stood and held the blade to her assailant's neck, pleasantly surprised that she didn't try to run as she held a death grip on her upper arm, the surrounding flesh turning pale green. Her eyes narrowed into slits, and she stared her down.

"Drop the stolen weapon, Peridot, and accept the consequences of your crimes." She ordered.

"Why would I ever do that?" Peridot scoffed. "Your weak threats don't scare me." She rammed the gem destabilizer into Pink Diamond's upper thigh, where her gem was located. A short, pained gasp escaped from her lips, and her gem shattered to pieces, her physical form instantly diminishing to dust. A small smirk on her lips, Peridot gathered up the broken pieces, only leaving the smallest fragment behind.

Peridot swung open the door to her pod, closing it quietly behind her. The lights flicked on, a soft green glow filling the room. She spun the dial to unlock her vault, stashing the destabilizer and gem shards inside, then quickly closing the vault, flipping the dial to clear out the code. She exited her vehicle and locked it behind her, scanning the area to ensure that no one had seen her. Faint lines of pink just barely brushed the horizon, signaling the oncoming rising of the sun.

"Shit!" She grumbled under her breath, then ran towards the warp pads, careful to keep her footsteps silent. She stepped on the warp pad, careful to remain deadly still. A soft warble echoed throughout the room, and she felt herself being whisked away, reforming across the universe. She tiptoed onto the Earth, not making a sound as she quietly moved across the terrain. She reached the Kindergarten, relieved to see that she'd made it in time.

The Kindergarten's landscape was silent and still, more like a painting than an actual place. Nothing moved or made a sound, the entire location a moment frozen in time. Peridot maintained that silence as she crept across the ground. She dug her fingers into the rocky soil of the cliff as she began to climb, her feet searching for footholds, minuscule pebbles and grains of dust and dirt falling to the ground. She hauled herself up, pushing upwards with her leg and tearing her hand from the sediment, only to grasp the material again a few inches upward. Crumbles of dirt cascaded to the ground, and she wobbled in the air, nearly losing her footing. Quickly, she secured her foot in a steady place and stopped a moment, letting the panic from nearly falling wash over her until it faded away. She continued up the cliff, small rays of sunlight peeking out of the clouds. She tore the injector from the cliff wall and lost her balance, freefalling toward the ground. She cried out in surprise whilst tumbling through the air, flinching upon impact as she thudded against the dirt. Legs trembling, she stood, a dull ache traveling through her spine as she examined the injector. She breathed a quick sigh of relief, seeing that the instrument was safe. Straining her muscles, she hauled the injector up onto her narrow shoulders, trudging her way towards the warp pad. The soft, moist dirt sank beneath her light weight, making her journey increasingly difficult.

Several minutes passed, the green gem struggling under the weight of the stolen injector.

"I guess the other gems were right about Karma…" She grumbled to herself. A sudden idea burst in her mind, and she activated her limb enhancers, flying up into the air. "Why didn't I think of this before?!" She landed softly on the warp pad, sighing with relief as she was whisked back to her home planet.

Stashing the injector in her vault, Peridot smirked. Her plans were just beginning.

And absolutely nothing and no one could stop her now