Odyssey
Author's Note: I've decided to rewrite Lazarus and make it closer to canon. Now, regardless of how the show will go, it'll still remain an AU for the most part. But this fic will have elements such as Rose being Pink Diamond and all that. Jasper will make a return and I will even put my Scary!White fics together since it's been advised that I do so. After a certain point, I was inclined to agree. LOL.
This will also have moments when before Lars is resurrected and contain scenes from the show, just fixed up to work for the fic itself.
"Even his griefs are a joy long after to one that remembers all that he wrought and endured."
― Homer, The Odyssey
"War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength."
― George Orwell, 1984
By: VampireQueenAkasha
~O~
Chapter One: Beginning
Run.
That's all the corrupted gem could do.
Jasper raced through the desert for days, her paws and hooves throbbing from the trek. It had been a long journey and she hadn't been sure enough that the Crystal Gems hadn't been following her. The sun began to set against the horizon, so she decived she would stop and laid her head down against the ground. Just to take a moment to rest.
It's quiet.
After a moment, Jasper curled up into the dirt, digging her claws deep through the ground into a little makeshift den. She wrapped her tail around herself, hissed out softly before finding sleep. It had been difficult given the frayed hinges of her mind. Flickers of memories and scalding spurts of color from darker places in her head.
Hurting.
Sleep came once again, though it ended quickly as human activity awoke the corrupted gem. It was day and the humans seemed to be just waking from their sleep, to do whatever meaningless activity that humans did in their short, meager lives.
Don't come near me.
Jasper rose to her full height with a threatening snarl and a show of teeth; a few humans spotted her from their place in the tent, screaming in fright. They fled and Jasper shuffled her way to their campsite, sniffing at a pot of water. She was so thirsty without knowing why. She had never needed to drink before.
She took a few drinks from the pot anyway, sniffling loudly before she continued to run.
Fragmented whispers of her truer self, comforting her somehow in spite of her new form. She continued on with the sun rising behind her. The sight of a forgotten gem structure appeared in the distance, so Jasper made her way toward it. At the very least, it was familiar.
Jasper stepped through a broken doorway, blocked only slightly by debris. Pushing her way into a vast chamber, Jasper noticed several cusions laid in a corner. She pawed them a few times, trying to get comfortable before settling down. Around her were murals of the Diamonds. She didn't want to look at them.
She didn't have her other eye to close; the horrible spike in her head prevented a lot of attempts at relaxing, but the feeling in this unique gem chamber settled over her. She didn't even know where she was. Perhaps it belonged to Blue Diamond. What did it matter, anyway? The Diamonds no longer looked at Earth with anything other than a jaundiced eye.
Let it relax you.
The whisper from deep within soothed her somehow. Relax. Yes. Just for a little while.
Her body felt weak, rippling from the agony of her corruption and the exhaustion of running. If anything, at least the pain had subsided a bit, leaving a dull ache.
Jasper took a deep inhale, hating the rattling animal sound from her own throat. But the sensations in the chamber seemed to take hold, relaxing every bit of her corrupted form.
She found sleep.
O
[Several days earlier...]
It was cold that morning in the Burning Room.
How funny given the name.
And Steven continued hearing Jasper's words echoing in his mind. Over and over again.
Steven hadn't been able to sleep as he watched the bubble containing Jasper's gem drift silently above his head. Sometimes he wondered if gems spent a lot of time thinking when they were bubbled. Or if they slept. The others never really explained it to him.
Then again, they never explained anything to him.
It wasn't their fault. Steven didn't blame them. He didn't want to blame them. But they didn't give him answers and it didn't help him find the peace he needed. He didn't receive help from them regarding what his mother had done to Pink Diamond. Just vague answers. Always.
He held the bubble now, studying Jasper's gem inside.
What did she know? What could she have told him?
Jasper wasn't willing to answer. And if anything, she had been shocked when Steven knew nothing about what happened to Pink Diamond. Was he supposed to know? Why couldn't things have been easier for them? Why didn't the answers just make sense for once?
He still remembered the raw desperation in Jasper's eyes. The pain and anger there. Jasper had been anything but a good gem, but Steven could never forget how she looked at him. How she hated him for what his mother did. She had her reasons for the things she did. If only he knew the truth.
There had to be answers. Taking her gem away and trying what he had done with the Centipeetle Mother and Peridot had to work. He had to try and fix what his mother had done.
Maybe.
Still, he had to take a chance at it.
He quickly made his way to the Warp Pad and returned to the Beta Kindergarten. Being in bare feet the entire time was probably not the best idea.
He winced and grimaced as the hot sand scorched his heels.
"Ouch..." Steven muttered, the sound echoing in the great chasm. "Ouch, ouch..." He sighed ruefully and glanced over his shoulders. "Probably should have brought my flip-flops."
He sighed again and shrugged to himself. "Well, can't go back for them now."
He searched the Kindergarten by himself, watching the spaces where gems had been formed. The empty holes in the wall seemed creepy at night. He never really noticed it when he had tried capturing another corrupted gem with Peridot; the one who had been fast, and took almost the whole day to capture.
He set Jasper's bubbled gem down near his feet and began to work on tending to a place where he could keep her.
Jasper was dangerous. He wasn't about to forget that. So he had to use a different strategy with her. Something she had done with the other corrupted gems she had kept for her personal army. It seemed to work, so he could do that too. Fortunately, there was a makeshift cell that only required a little extra care from him.
He carefully scooped the bubbled gem up into his hands and took a deep breath to calm himself. This would get interesting.
Or dangerous.
Either way, Steven was ready.
"Okay, Jasper." he said, trying to keep himself calm. "Let's talk."
With that, he deposited the gem into the cell and the bubble popped instantly.
Immediately, Jasper's gem fell to the ground in a small puff of dust. Steven watched as the glow of her reanimating gem filled the cell. He saw a ray of light emerge; limbs were formed, a flowing head of hair. For a second, he thought Jasper wasn't corrupted at all.
Then, he heard it. The frightening scream from Jasper, transforming slowly into a nightmarish roar of rage. The gnashing of sharp teeth and splatters of saliva that hit the dust below.
The light faded, replaced with jagged, teal spikes and horns. Sick, green splotches across orange, striped skin. Large paws. Dangerous claws that sliced into the ground beneath her feet.
As blind as she was, Jasper still seemed to be able to see. She paced around the cell, screeching and clawing at the walls in a mad attempt to regain her senses and surroundings. It was hard to remember her for what she was when she acted like Lion did.
"J-Jasper?" Steven said, carefully.
Immediately, Jasper quieted down at the mention of her name, looking straight at him. It wasn't like her usual outbursts where she would give a cold laugh, or mock him. She only...stared.
It was hard to tell if she was staring at him, given the large spikes protruding from her eyes. But Steven still had the feeling she saw him. Saw THROUGH HIM.
"Jasper, do you remember me?" he asked.
The gem approached, sniffing the air slightly. A gurgle escaped her. A low snarl of intimidation. Caution. How odd that she seemed more careful in this form.
"I know it might seem strange," Steven continued, with a careful smile, "But that cell you're in? I only put you there so you won't hurt me."
Jasper snarled, showing her dangerous teeth. Her claws almost kneaded the ground beneath her. She seemed more animal like this than anything else. But Steven remembered how Centi had been; how she had behaved like a dog rather than a dangerous gem.
He didn't know if this would work. If he could keep her secret.
Maybe healing her a little...
Steven licked the palm of his hand, coming up with a generous amount of saliva. He raised it to Jasper's face, touching one of her eye spikes quickly.
The gem recoiled with a shriek of confusion and loathing, clawing at her face desperately in an effort to be rid of the nuisance.
"Sorry!" Steven cried, holding out two hands. "I just thought it would help you see!"
Well, so he could see her looking at him, anyway.
Jasper whirled, her back to him. She snorted and snarled, pawing at her face. After a few moments, the sounds stopped and so did she.
Finally, she turned back, giving him a snarl of rage.
Steven was shocked to see what his healing spit had done.
Instead of a spike over her right eye, one of her natural, golden eyes stared back at him. Narrowed. Filled with anxiety and distress. Whatever she used to be, it was long gone right now. She didn't know him. The same as Centi.
That was probably for the best.
The eye focused on him, demanding answers. Centi had given him the same sounds and glare of protest when he had healed her too.
The golden stare held him frozen in his spot. There was nothing beyond that look. Nothing but anger and fear.
Fear.
The same fear he had seen on Jasper's face before she had succumbed completely to her corruption. He wanted to talk to her a little more, but looked up and noticed how late it was getting. The sun would set and the others would probably worry about him.
"Jasper, I hate to leave you in there, but I'll be back," Steven assured her.
She continued to stare, her gaze hard and cold.
Steven quickly rushed back toward the warp pad and noticed Jasper still watching him.
O
Steven had barely slept when he returned to the Temple.
That next morning, he had almost taken a swim in his cereal. Or at least, that was how Garnet had put it. She was chuckling and picking him up when his head fell forward.
"Steven, I don't think you want to go for a swim in your cornflakes." she said, smiling.
Steven blinked a little before rubbing the sleepy sensation from his eyes. "Oh, sorry."
"Didn't sleep well?" Garnet guessed.
"How could you tell?" Steven quipped, wiping his mouth a little. He had a little bit of cornflakes still sticking to his cheeks.
Pearl and Amethyst entered the kitchen, arguing about cleaning. Lapis wasn't far behind. Well, Pearl had been doing most of the arguing with her.
"...I told you not to let Peridot touch them!"
Amethyst laughed loudly, holding her sides. "It was worth it!" she cried. She grinned at Lapis. "Hey! Did you get a load of her face when they popped! She was like..."
She imitated Peridot's nasally screeching before losing it completely in a fit of cackles.
Lapis stared at her for a moment before she couldn't help her giggle.
"Well I hope you had a good laugh," Pearl scolded, "Because it's going to take forever to clean that mess up."
Amethyst shrugged with a final giggle. "Worth it."
Suddenly, Peridot burst through the door, screeching wildly and thrashing her arms about. She was covered head to toe in red globs of goo.
"AH!" she screamed, frantic to get it off. "Get it off! What is this horrible, sticky - "
She collided headfirst into the wall, drawing another cackle from Amethyst.
Pearl sighed, rolling her eyes. She plucked Peridot up from the floor. "Come on. Let's find the hose and wash you down."
She made a disgusted noise as several more globs of the hideous red goo clung to her cheeks and top. Well, this was annoying.
While they chattered aimlessly, Steven made his way to the bathroom to start the day.
He remembered Jasper sitting alone in her cell and decided that maybe it would be okay to bring a few things with him. He hoped that a little gesture of good will would help in their discussion. He thought about bringing paper and pencils. Maybe the trick would work as it had with Centi.
But Jasper couldn't very well use them with her huge paws.
Anything that might help could be useful, so he shoved it in his backpack anyway. A few snacks and treats would probably be good too. It was a gesture of kindness and it was a good enough start. Jasper was different and Steven knew she would have to be approached differently. Had she remembered him, she probably would have tried to break out of her cell.
He made his way back to the Beta Kindergarten and approached the cell that housed Jasper. The corrupted gem was lying on her side, seemingly asleep. When she lifted her head, Steven had almost forgotten that one of her eyes was fixed from his healing spit. It squinted suspiciously at him.
"Hi..." he said, nervously. "I'm back."
Jasper glanced down, watching as he deposited a few things from his backpack, only the ground. He carefully rolled an apple into the cell to her.
She seemed to sniff it a few times, her tongue tasting it a bit before gobbling it up in one small snap of her teeth. Steven smiled a bit and pulled out a bag of chips. He opened it and took a handful, shoving them into his mouth. Jasper looked up at the sound of crunching chips.
Steven looked surprised before he laughed a little. "Hey, you want some?" he asked.
Jasper hissed lowly and took a single step forward. Steven tossed a few chips into her cell and she gobbled them up in several snaps of her dangerous teeth. She ate every bite as if she had been starved; Steven had never seen a gem so eager to eat, with the exception of Amethyst. Most of them never HAD to.
Steven took a step forward, careful. Jasper's eye immediately narrowed and she snarled a warning at him. He retreated a few steps before sitting down in the dirt.
"Okay, sorry," he said, with a nervous laugh. "You need your space. Got it."
Jasper laid down on her belly, staring at him; perhaps she was trying to understand. Steven was sure she didn't remember him. She was entirely too calm for being what she was.
Steven murmured thoughtfully. "Do you remember anything?" he asked.
Jasper glanced down. She raised a single claw and scratched something in the dirt. Steven watched curiously as she began to make a mark depicting a Diamond. Oh, right. HER Diamond. That was what all of this was about.
"What happened to your Diamond?" he asked.
Jasper's eyes widened slightly; then she rose, giving out a roar. She began to punch the walls, claw them and shriek out like a wounded dog. Steven had to block out the sounds with two hands at his ears, wincing in pain. A howl of rage. A small, hitched cry of pain.
Then, she saw his gem.
The gem of a Rose Quartz.
Jasper screamed and it sounded less bestial and more human. Steven jumped back with a startled gasp as Jasper clawed at him through the bars of the makeshift cell. The rage in her wide, good eye, the way saliva flew from her snapping, screaming jaws.
"Stop!" Steven begged. "I'm not her!"
Jasper ignored him, still madly reaching through the bars like a thing possessed. She wasn't listening. She didn't hear him.
All she saw was Rose Quartz.
He decided to spend the afternoon at the Big Donut away from Jasper. It didn't feel right to leave her like that, but he still needed time, especially after what had happened.. But he couldn't even eat anything Sadie offered him. She noticed how distracted he was and wiped down the counter top while she spoke.
"Hey, Steven," she said. "What's the matter?"
Steven sighed, leaning his head on his arm. "I don't know..."
Sadie seemed discouraged by the response. "Hm, everything okay back home?"
"Yeah, I guess." Steven said, pushing his donut away.
That was a first.
He was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "Sadie, do people keep secrets from you?"
Sadie let out a laugh. Half-hearted. "Oh yeah, I mean, look who I work with."
Lars was outside. He seemed to be cursing about gum that was stuck at the bottom of his shoe. He attempted to scrape it off on a street sign. It was almost funny watching him get smacked by the sign when it chose to kick back and hit him in the leg.
Sadie's wiping slowed and she stared at Steven, troubled by his silence. "What's this about?" she asked.
"Why do people keep secrets anyway?" Steven suddenly asked, throwing his arms in the air. "When you're family, shouldn't you just be honest?"
Sadie sighed through her nose. "Sometimes people keep secrets because they don't know how the person might handle them." she explained. "Maybe sometimes the secret is really bad and they're worried they might hurt you. Yeah, it's not right, but that's just how it is, I guess."
Steven thought about that. Sadie did make sense, but he still didn't understand it.
Hurt or no hurt, wasn't it important to be honest?
"Sometimes family might hurt you," Sadie continued, taking the donut from Steven's plate and holding it out to him. "I think it's important to remember to love them no matter what."
Steven stared at the offering for a moment before smiling. "You're pretty smart, Sadie."
She chuckled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. "Well..."
Steven gave her a hug, stuffed the donut in his mouth and rushed from the store. She watched him go, laughing softly.
Later that day, Pearl searched the house for Steven. She found remnants of his clothing, as well as some of his toys, but no sign of him.
Amethyst was busy making a meal out of another atrocious combination of food.
"Amethyst, have you seen Steven?" she asked.
Amethyst shrugged her shoulders. "Nope."
She handled a jar of pickles and opened it up, sending its contents falling to the floor in a terrible spray of brine and vegetables. Pearl wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Amethyst, stop making a mess!" she ordered.
Amethyst shrugged once. "What?" she said, "Not like I won't eat it up off the floor."
Pearl sighed, throwing her arms in the air with a disappointed sound.
O
Jasper watched him.
She reminded him of a wet, frozen dog, just staring in the darkness of the makeshift cell with her good eye almost glowing. He even saw a mild tremble in her large, spiked frame. She looked seconds away from lunging again.
Steven wanted to leave. He didn't like the way she stared at him.
But there was something else he had to do.
"I'm not her." he tried to explain. "I know we did this before..."
He trailed off hesitantly, not quite sure how to put it. He gathered a few things from his bag. A photo of Rose Quartz. He held it up nearest his ear to try and show Jasper the difference. That wide, narrowed eye didn't show interest in what she was seeing.
Not at first.
She seemed to stare at the photo of Rose Quartz, then to Steven's wary face. Then back to Rose. Then Steven again. Her narrow pupil darting left to right each time. It was unnerving.
It clearly didn't seem to click with Jasper. All she saw was Rose, in another form.
...trying to confuse me...
The hiss that escaped Jasper was softer and it reminded Steven of an angry Velociraptor he had seen from the last movie he'd seen about dinosaurs.
What else could he do to convince her?
"I'll come back for you." he promised, gathering his things.
Jasper watched him go. The entire time he had spoken, her claws had dug enormous grooves in the earth beneath her.
"Rose Quartz takes priority!"
"Jasper, you need to be calm!"
"I AM CALM!"
The gem had been pacing back and forth in her ship. Another gem stood nearby; a Rhodonite. They were often used as Pink Diamond's garden caretakers. They were particularly fussy about appearance and didn't like the slightest dent or imperfection.
They were always dressed in the cleanest, most pristine of finery. They were not made for battle. They were simply there as keepers.
Watching Jasper pace for a few moments, the Rhodonite sighed, casting her gaze upwards before shaking her head.
"Yeah, you look really calm." she muttered. "Now we should - You're going to pit the floor!"
Jasper clenched her fists, shaking with rage.
Rhodonite began to distract herself by sweeping the floor where Jasper had been pacing. She muttered to herself while Jasper continued to rant, her mouth pantomiming the same words from the other gem. She had heard it a million times.
"Rose Quartz is our enemy and we need to shatter her whatever the cost!" Jasper spat.
"If we are to make Rose Quartz pay for her transgressions, we are to do so with a clear mind. I understand gems such as yourself are built for conquest and nothing more. But if you go with your emotions on your shoulders, you will be shattered."
"Don't preach to me about battle!"
Rhodonite stared at her with disappointment.
She turned to depart. Jasper called after her in confused anger. "Where are you going?" she demanded.
"To tend to Her gardens."
"What?!" Jasper cried, unable to fathom such idiocy.
"Yes." Rhodonite answered, with a certain peaceful calm in her words. "That is what we are made for. That is what we will continue to do."
O
Jasper had fallen asleep, but awoke to the sound of curious chittering. She looked up, spotting a corrupted gem standing on the other side of the cell. Watching her.
It had a fat, furry blue body and a single gem embedded in its chest. It had no arms, but two large legs and a gaping mouth filled with razor teeth.
It tilted its head at the other corrupted gem inside the cell.
Roles reversed.
What a cruel, mocking twist of fate.
Jasper turned away from the cell, too exhausted to fight.
The little gem bounced onto the other side of the cell, trying to see her better. Jasper gave a gruff snort, sending a puff of dirt in its direction.
Go away.
The gem was obviously too far gone to understand it. It skittered about her cell, making excited noises. Jasper's good eye rolled in annoyance.
O
Steven took a seat across from Connie, barely listening when she was talking about her homework. He managed to doodle a little picture of Jasper's corrupted form on paper, moments as Connie took it out from under his hands.
"Steven, what is this?" she asked. She raised her eyebrows. "This looks like Jasper."
It occurred to Steven that she had never seen Jasper's corrupted form. He took the picture from her and sighed, crumbling it up into a ball.
"It's nothing. I'm just...distracted." he said.
Connie frowned. She tilted her head, knowing full well that something else was going on. Steven was always so easy to read.
"Steven..." she said. "Is something going on?"
Steven wanted to tell her. He really did. Maybe she would know some way to help that he couldn't. He gave a long, heavy sigh.
Taking Connie's hand, he led her from the library so that others would not hear. When he turned around the corner and told her everything, Connie's eyes widened in shock.
"You WHAT?" she exclaimed.
Steven held out two hands. "Please, just hear me out."
Connie folded her arms across her chest, frowning and waiting for his explanation. "Steven, this is very dangerous." she reminded him. "Do you remember what she almost did to us? To Amethyst?"
Steven nodded. "I know. I just...I had to try."
"Steven, if you're trying to fix this because..." Connie trailed off, not sure if bringing up what they had dealt with in their fused realm was a good idea.
"I'm not trying to fix what I did." Steven told her. "I'm trying to fix what mom did."
Connie was amazed by the mature response from him. Steven's face was filled with sadness. "Mom had her reasons. Yeah, I get that. I know Garnet and the others are always talking about how war makes you do crazy things. But maybe it doesn't have to be like that. Maybe there can be another way to stop this."
Connie hesitated for a moment, considering his words. She exhaled, making a face. "Show me where she is."
Steven smiled and nodded.
The two walked back to the Temple, passing the kitchen. The gems were nowhere to be seen. Steven could make out the sounds of Amethyst doing something on the roof. He had no idea what it was. Garnet was talking with her.
He started to step up onto the warp pad, but Pearl was suddenly there, arms folded. She cleared her throat and regarded the pair curiously.
"Well. Where are we off to in such a hurry?" she asked.
Steven and Connie looked at each other, uncertain of how to answer.
"Uhm..." Connie said. "We were..."
Steven held up two hands, trying to sound convincing as possible. "Connie has a project! We need to find plants!"
"Oh?" Pearl said. She seemed interested. "Plants, you say? Maybe I could help." She made a face. "Amethyst has insisted on playing games with the lights again. I tell you, it's all fun and games until Peridot ends up wrapped in multi-colorful light fixtures."
Steven started pushing Connie onto the warp pad. "Thanks, but we can handle it!"
They both grinned widely at her and Pearl quirked an eyebrow.
She wasn't buying it, but allowed for them to depart without further talk. They were more than capable of looking out for each other should a situation arise.
Still, something didn't seem right to her.
O
Jasper tugged frantically at the cell bars so hard that the muscles in her arm strained. The screech she uttered almost sounded less beastly and more like her old voice. The bar began to bend slowly. Jasper uttered a triumphant gurgle of sounds. Just a little more. She would finally be free.
The sounds of Steven and Connie talking together caused her to pause slightly. Craning her head, she spotted the two approaching around the corner. Releasing the bar, Jasper scooted back a little bit, staring at them rigidly.
Who was that smaller female?
Jasper's mind was a broken playback feed of images and colors from her most recent battle, before everything had gone black. And the sounds that she didn't recognize bursting from her swollen, monstrous throat.
But importantly, she remembered the agony.
How it felt to have her physical form shredded by the corruption. How she felt like she was choking, dying over and over again.
Connie focused on Jasper, amazed by the sight of her. Jasper felt cognitive enough to recongize the stare. It was fear, that much she knew. It reminded her of the lower class Gems regarding her. The Rubies who drooled over her like despicable entertainment Gems. The ones who worked in the lower districts of Homeworld.
"Wait, what happened to her?" Connie asked, looking at Steven.
"She was corrupted." Steven explained. "I'm trying to help fix her."
Connie wasn't so sure about that idea. "I don't know, Steven..."
"I know. It's crazy..."
"Have you made any progress?"
"Well, not much." Steven told her. "She still thinks I'm my mom."
"She doesn't understand how she gave up her form to have you." Connie affirmed. "It's still confusing to me. Maybe if we explain that to her?"
Steven exhaled. "There's no way. She only sees it as a trick."
Connie seemed to be thinking about that as he spoke. She looked up at Jasper for a moment, noticing the shaking in her frame, the way she stared at Steven like she wanted to tear him apart. She still had no idea why he wanted to help her. She seemed dangerous to Connie.
But that was Steven. Always wanting to help even the most dangerous of gems.
But in a way, Peridot was dangerous and they had gone through so much together. Maybe Connie wasn't looking at it correctly. Despite this, Jasper looked different than other gem corruptions. She looked as though part of her face and arm hadn't been entirely corrupted yet.
But Steven had told her than he witnessed her full corruption. So what did this mean?
Jasper moved forward, clutching the bar tightly in one hand. She gave it an angry tug, snarling.
Connie nodded her head. "I might have an idea."
O
Jasper stared down at Connie, pressing her paws close to her face. She leaned forward, trying to read the book title that the human was holding up.
"My mom gave me this book a long time ago." she told her. "When my brother died."
Jasper actually looked a little bored. She thought the smaller human would have had some sort of sense and perhaps gave her something more meaningful that a book. It wasn't like she could read it.
Connie watched as Jasper stood up and turned her back to her, lying down on her sides like Lion often did when he was bored or just tired.
Connie murmured with dismay, but continued talking.
"It's called 'Frankenstein'." she said. "I don't know why, but this book used to be my brother's favorite. I would read it all the time when I felt sad."
Jasper didn't look back at her. She only acknowledged Connie by the particularly rude grunt from her throat. Connie made a face. Steven was sitting beside her and shrugged his shoulders. Well, it was worth a shot, anyway.
Connie stared down at the book in her hands. She didn't realize she had started crying until Steven comforted her with a hug. Jasper's ears caught the sound and she glanced back with a small growling in her throat.
Her features smoothed out a little when she noticed the tears.
"Jasper, it's alright if you need to cry."
"Jasper's don't cry, idiot."
"You were her favorite. No one would blame you."
Rhodonite was alone in the garden. Others had been left to become the massive vines that surrounded the beautiful statues. It was a fate they had chosen for themselves. To disappear into nothing with their Diamond.
Jasper was standing among the dead garden, dressed in her cloak. She looked regal and proud, as all Jasper's of her kind were known to look. But she had changed since being affiliated with Yellow Diamond.
She was no longer smiling, unless she was close to destroying a Rebel gem. She almost seemed emotionless, thanks to Yellow Diamond's influence.
Jasper's eyes wandered around, studying each detail of the once-living garden. She gave a rather rude snort.
"Why do you still try to heal this...this gem forsaken place?" she snapped.
Rhodonite herself looked almost...pale. Her black and pink colors were faded, perhaps from overworking herself. She no longer held her head high and chatted excitedly. No, her eyes simply looked heavy and sad. Jasper didn't like it.
"It's my duty." Rhodonite replied, now very quiet herself.
Jasper scoffed. "You have the Diamond Authority to serve. That is your duty."
"My duty was to Pink Diamond..."
"Yeah?" Jasper spat, her voice high with rage. "Well Pink Diamond is gone!"
It was the first real show of emotion that Jasper had displayed in such a long time. Rhodonite arched her thin eyebrows, not certain how to respond. And she usually had responses of every sort to give.
Instead, Jasper calmed herself, tucking her hands into her cloak. She turned with a swift huff and her voice even once more - albeit filled with mockery.
"You don't get it..."
She left without another word.
When she had returned the following day, she found Rhodonite's gem shards lying on the floor where she had once stood. A knife was nearby.
The sight wasn't something Jasper hadn't seen before. She had known that Gems often times shattered themselves. For honor. For peace. Whatever the excuse had been, it was never something she was fully prepared for.
Some gems just couldn't shake their loyalty.
"What a waste."
O
Pearl was suspicious.
She had seen Connie and Steven hurry out of the temple every day for the passed week now. Garnet herself didn't show signs of worry, so that should have been enough to pacify her. But then again, Garnet often times knew what was going on and allowed for things to play out as they did.
Meanwhile, Jasper was tugging on the bars of her cell. She snarled, spewing saliva from her jagged teeth. When it wouldn't budge, she angrily smacked her head into it, causing it to dent. Surprised, Jasper stared at the bar for a few moments before taking a step back.
Charging forward, she smashed her head into the bars, knocking them completely loose. Stepping out of the makeshift cave, Jasper looked around the Beta Kindergarten before taking off.
A few hours later, Steven and Connie made their way through the Beta Kindergarten.
"...I don't know..." Steven was saying, "Maybe Jasper's just set in her ways. I'm starting to think she's only going to see my mom and not me. Maybe we should tell Garnet. She usually knows what to do."
"I...don't think they're going to like that you took Jasper's gem." Connie pointed out.
"Yeah..." Steven agreed. "But I had to try something. We weren't getting anywhere. And Jasper's the only one who - "
He stopped, gave a terrified cry. Connie looked up and her eyes widened in horror.
They were standing next to the cell that once held the corrupted gem. For the longest time, neither one of them could speak.
"Uh-oh." Steven finally said.
Connie looked at him with a weak smile. "So, should I tell them or you?"
Meanwhile, Jasper was scaling across a bridge. She spotted a dam nearby which she used to soak her great mane. The icy cold water felt better than anything she'd experienced the passed few days. She heard the sound of an approaching car and lifted her head. A snarl ripped from her throat as the man behind the wheel screamed at the sight of her.
She gave a bellowing roar at the man. He quickly put the car in reverse and drove backwards, still screaming the entire time.
Jasper shook the water from her body like a dog, sending splashes of it everywhere. Finally, she looked up at the sight of Beach City nearby. As far as she knew, the Rebel gems were there. Her memory was still fragmented from her corruption, but she would never forget the place where it all started.
Where it led up to this.
She attempted to formulate words, but her disfigured jaw and mismatched face only wrought forth horrible snarls and hisses.
Connie and Steven were rushing through the house after hurrying into the warp pad. They passed the gems as they were all doing their own thing; Pearl and Amethyst in the kitchen and Garnet working on cleaning.
"We have to hurry!" Steven hissed. "Her tracks led us to Beach City!"
Pearl lifted her head. "Hold it." she warned.
The two froze at the door. Pearl approached them, folding her arms across her chest. "What's that about tracks, I heard?" she asked.
Steven and Connie were almost sweating now. Their uncomfortable, frightened faces made Pearl completely understand that more was going on.
"Don't think I don't know you two have been sneaking off a lot lately," Pearl continued, "Food going missing. Not to mention these little late-night trips. Steven? What's going on here?"
Steven was nervous and sweating profusely. Connie spoke up immediately, her words rushing out of her in a complete, run-on sentence.
"Jasper's loose!" she cried. "And it's probably our fault!"
The gems in the house all stared at them in shocked silence. Amethyst had been in the middle of eating a donut that fell from her hands at the moment those words left her lips.