Crystal Clash
Chapter 2 Sandcastle
By: Major144
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
On the planet Earth, Steven had decided to have a beach day to welcome the two new team members Scarlet and Cherry to Beach City. The two Rubies were now a part of the Crystal Gems and Steven thought it would be fun to throw a beach day for them. Garnet thought it was an excellent idea, so Steven called his father and Connie to come to the beach and join in the fun. A few hours later everyone was on the beach setting up to have some fun. Peridot, Scarlet, and Cherry stared at the others in confusion. To the three Homeworld Gems stuff like parties were a bit new to them. Steven came up with a little idea to make them feel comfortable by getting Connie and the two of them grabbed some shoveled and pails, which they began to fill with sand to create a sandcastle.
"Hey Peridot. Scarlet. Cherry. Check this out!" Called Steven as he put a pail of sand on the ground and raised it up revealing a little cylinder shaped pile of sand, which he put a little toy flag on.
"What is it?" Asked Cherry as she tilted her head.
"It's a sandcastle." Explained Connie.
"A...sandcastle?" Asked Peridot in confusion.
"Yeah it's a little pretend castle made out of sand and they're fun to make. Peridot you like to build stuff, so why don't you try building one with Scarlet and Cherry." Said Steven.
"But...what do we build?" Asked Scarlet.
"Whatever you want. Just think of something and try to build something like it." Said Connie as she handed Scarlet a pail and a shovel.
Scarlet took the pail and shovel and she turned to look at the other two gems. Peridot was scratching her chin in thought and then she glanced at the Temple and got an idea.
"We're going to build a little replica of the Temple. I'll get started with the main structure, while you two look for materials that would look good for the project." Said Peridot.
"I'm good with that." Said Cherry as she and Scarlet went down to shore to look for material to use.
Peridot started to gather up a bunch of sand together in a pile and began to shape it. The green gem soon realized that the sand needed to be more dense in order to stay in good shape. Peridot held some sand in her hand and watched it fall between her fingers, before casting a look at the ocean and getting an idea. The gem grabbed a pail and went about filling it with water to pour on the sand to make it more dense. Scarlet and Cherry were exploring the shore for materials. They came across a few seashells and some sticks. Scarlet picked a large seashell to examine it and let out a startled yelp and dropped the shell, when a hermit crab popped out of it. Cherry let out a little laugh and Scarlet glared at her, before the two of them went back to gathering materials. The two Rubies soon gathered three seashells, about seven twigs, and a patch of seaweed that had been washed ashore. Satisfied with their work the two of them joined back up with Peridot. The three gems began to add the items to their mound of sand. Six of the twigs were stuck into the side of the sand mound forming arms, the seventh twig was used as the nose, the seashells were used as the eyes and mouth, and the seaweed was used as hair. Peridot, Scarlet, and Cherry stepped back from their creation to examine it. Steven and the others joined in and began complimenting the gems on their work.
"Whoa! You made a mini version of the Temple! That's so cool!" Said Steven.
"It's real creative." Said Connie.
"Thanks. The materials weren't the best for a normal construction project, but I'm glad you like it. I actually enjoyed making something just for fun and I appreciated Scarlet and Cherry's assistance." Said Peridot.
"That was fun." Said Cherry.
"It was certainly interesting." Admitted Scarlet.
The group continued to hangout and have fun. Peridot noticed that Steven was looking out at the sea sadly and was curious about his mood.
"I cannot help, but notice that you seem sad about something. Is it ok that I ask what it is?" Asked Peridot.
"Yeah it's ok. You see I was thinking about Lapis." Said Steven.
"Lapis Lazuli? I remember her, she was my informant, when I came to Earth along with Jasper. I never found out what happened to her after the crash. I just knew she vanished." Said Peridot.
"Well after the ship crashed, Jasper forced Lapis to fuse with her to attack us. It seemed like we were done for, but Lapis used her powers to get the upper hand on Jasper and caused these big chains made out of water to shoot out and grab the fusion dragging herself and Jasper deep into the ocean. Lapis sacrificed herself to save me and the others and I keep wondering if I'll ever see her again." Said Steven as he continued to stare at the ocean.
Peridot shuddered a little bit at the idea of a fusion with Jasper. The big gem always intimidated her and bossed her around. Fusion with another gem was a somewhat frightening to Peridot, but the idea of being fused with Jasper was terrifying. Lapis had done something brave to save Steven and the others and Peridot respected that action.
"My experience with Lapis is limited. I only spoke to her about what little she knew about the Earth and how she came back to the Homewold, but from what I gathered about her, was that she was very strong willed and resilient. I would normally say that the odds of her coming back, were low, but I've learned from you and the others that no matter how bad the odds are, there's always a chance of success. If Lapis is anything like the Crystal Gems, then you'll see her again." Said Peridot trying to be comforting.
"You know what? Your right Peridot. I'm sure Lapis will figure out some way to break free from Jasper and then she'll come back." Said Steven with a grin as he went back to hang with the others.
Peridot smiled a little and rejoined the party.
To be continued.