Peridot's entire world ceased to exist. Here she was, caught in a full on betrayal of her love. She had no defenses, no explanations, and absolutely no way out. Whatever she had, was now clearly over. "Lapis, I'm sorry!" Lapis screamed out at Peridot, "Shut up! Get the hell out of my way!" Materializing a hand from the nearby pool, Lapis flung Peridot out-of-the-way into the barn wall. She had a very clear target and an even more clear vendetta. Amethyst materialized her whip immediately, "Lapis! Back off!" Lapis was not fooling around, her only focus was Amethyst's gem. "You! You home wrecker! You bitch! You whore! I'm going to tear your gem in half!" Amethyst lunged straight for Lapis, whip in toe. Lapis' ethereal arm whacked her aside, sending her tumbling into the cornfield.
"You don't want to do this Lapis! I don't want to hurt you!" Lapis wasn't listening, she only saw vengeance. "Just shut up and die already!" The hand came down again, this time narrowly missing Amethyst. Amethyst's dodge became a counter-attack, as she flung her whip around to catch Lapis' torso off guard. Lapis took the blow full force and fell face-first into the dirt. Lapis began wildly swinging her own water whips back and forth, forcing Amethyst back onto the defensive. "Just quit it and listen to me for a second!" Lapis wasn't even going to dignify her with a response. Crossing her arms she made an x motion with her whips, knocking Amethyst to the ground. Amethyst balled up and charged for Lapis at full speed. It was clear there was only one way this battle could end, in someone's demise. Amethyst struck Lapis just as Lapis raised herself a shield. The impact was still enough to knock Lapis onto her backside.
With one fell swoop, Amethyst flung her whip around Lapis' body, knotting her into submission. "Lapis, it's over! Give it up before someone gets hurt!" Lapis laughed insanely, "Oh, wouldn't that just be tragic!?" It took little effort for Lapis to snap her binds. "I should've destroyed you the first time we met. Guess now I'll finish the job." Amethyst rolled back to avoid what would've been a fatal blow from her water fist. Amethyst kept moving backwards, unable to hold back the relentless assault advancing toward her. Finally, Lapis had enough. Amethyst buckled as Lapis chained her arms and legs to the ground with the pool water. "This is going to be the last mistake you ever make." With all of her effort, Lapis encased Amethyst in a bubble. She began to squeeze and contort the bubble, in an effort to force Amethyst back into her gem. Amethyst struggled against the grip, but it was entirely in vain. Within a few moments, she had lost all of her energy and will to keep fighting. With a loud bang, she poofed and fell through the bubble to the ground with a clang.
"Goodbye, Amethyst..." Lapis raised her water fist in preparation for the final blow. It seemed all was over, when suddenly Lapis was knocked backwards across the barnyard. An object had struck her head on and blew up in her face after flinging her skyward. She looked up to find Garnet standing across the field with Pearl and Steven flanking her sides. Garnet's gauntlets reformed as quickly as they shot off. "Lapis Lazuli! This has gone on far enough! Cease and desist!" Lapis stood up from her stupor and took a good look at her newest challengers. "So, is that how it's gonna be?", Lapis growled. "I've beaten you once, and I'll beat you again. This time, I won't be nearly as merciful!"
Lapis wasted no time in attacking the gems. A raging whirlpool consumed the barnyard, tearing everything it touched apart. Only by the power of Steven's bubble were Garnet and Pearl kept safe. "We need to get her away from water!", Pearl said hurriedly. "But how?", Steven asked. "Let me handle this.", Garnet replied. "On three Steven, I want you to drop the bubble. Once it's dropped, I want you Pearl to brace Steven back and Steven I want you to form your shield." "Where is this going?", Pearl asked confused. "Just do it now!", Garnet yelled. On the count of three, Steven dropped the bubble. Braced by Pearl, Steven held his shield up to the sky. Garnet jumped atop the shield, and twisted her form back. This may work, or it may kill her. Either way, it was their best chance. Corkscrewing up into the descending whirlpool, Garnet hit the monstrosity dead on. A loud explosion echoed across the sky as both Garnet and the cloud evaporated in a poof of smoke. For a minute, everything was quiet. A few drops of rain from the steamy cloud the impact had formed hit the ground, followed by Garnet.
"Garnet!", the two cried simultaneously. Garnet struggled to stand, weakened by the impact. She raised her head slowly and turned to Lapis. "You have no power here! Surrender or I'll reduce you to your gem!" Lapis too, took some time to stand. Her hair was frizzled and her dress was muddied. She stared down the permafusion with vengeful eyes. But she knew she was beaten. Without her source of power, she had no chance. "Damn it!", she cried. Suddenly, the four heard some clanging from across the barnyard. It was Peridot, who had barely survived the torrent of attacks being flung back and forth. Her hair was thoroughly soaked, and her form wavered from damage. She coughed a slight bit, and looked up at Lapis. Lapis said nothing, just gave her a cruel and cold look. Peridot could only whimper, "Lapis..." Lapis flew off into the distance. Before too long, she disappeared into the horizon.
"Lazuli! Wait! I'm sorry!" But it was far too late. Lapis was gone. Nobody knew where she went. And at the moment, everyone but Peridot was more concerned about Amethyst's condition. "Steven, bubble her gem and take her back to the Temple. She'll reform there when we get back." Steven followed Garnet's instructions word for word. The gems left for the warp pad without hesitation, only Steven turning his head to give Peridot a sad glance. Peridot waited until everyone was gone, and then she began to cry.
That night was the quietest Peridot had in some time. She had only the whimpers of Veggie to keep her company now. Peridot got to work fixing up her barn, alone now. She found it much more difficult without Lapis' help. Eventually, she simply gave up. "What's the point? It's no use anyway!" Peridot slumped herself against the back wall, or at least what was left of it. Veggie whimpered loudly and sat themself in Peridot's lap, shivering in the cold. "Oh Veggie, I'm so sorry... What are we gonna do?" Peridot stroked her hand back and forth over their top, as Veggie curled up in a desperate attempt to find comfort and warmth.
Lapis didn't know where she was going. She didn't care to know either. She didn't need Peridot. She didn't need Steven. All she needed was herself. She could make it in this strange new world, even if she had to do it all on her own. Eventually, something caught her eye. A glimmer of lights in the far horizon. Lapis remembered what it must've been. "Empire City..." Lapis descended upon the town in a hasty fashion, making sure to land as discreetly as possible. Not that it mattered though, plenty of people saw her. This place was very different from Beach City. It was even more different from Homeworld. Lapis fixed her hair, stood up straight, and just kept walking. Eventually, she found a hotel. They must have room, right? Walking inside, she found the receptionist.
Amethyst reformed quick as she normally did. Hitting the burning room's floor, she looked around for Lapis and Peridot, before realizing where she was. Steven sat in the corner, having patiently waited for Amethyst's unbubbled gem to reform. "Amethyst, are you alright?" Amethyst charged at Steven, "Steven! What happened!? Where is everyone?" Steven tried to calmly explain everything that had just happened, but that seemed to only worsen Amethyst's condition. "I have to go see her, it's important! She needs help!" Steven held her back as she tried to spring into a run. "You've taken a bit of damage! You should sit for a while." Amethyst squirmed and struggled, eventually breaking his grip. Only to run straight into Garnet and Pearl. Amethyst started to get the idea she wasn't going anywhere.
Lapis walked to the receptionist desk. A small balding man greeted her at the front. "Good evening madame, looking for a night?" Lapis shrugged. "Yea, I guess I could stay here for a few weeks." The receptionist seemed excited by the prospect, "Goodie! And how many days exactly?" Lapis didn't know quite where he was going with this. "Uhm, maybe like ten?" The receptionist typed up a bill on his computer. "In a regular suite that will be 12,500 dollars." Lapis shrieked, "What!?" The receptionist chuckled, "But we do have a special on executive suites at a discount price for your duration of 21,000!" Lapis could barely whisper, "Is there anywhere I can stay for free?" The receptionist's smile pursed into a frown. "Now that you mention it..."
Lapis looked up at the aging brownstone. Well, this was the place he gave her. The sounds of gunfire and barking dogs echoed against distant sirens. Wherever she was, she was certainly missing home already. She walked inside, the building looked like it had been deserted long ago. Mold and leaky pipes coated the walls in thick brown must. Garbage and broken furniture littered the floor. Moving upstairs she found herself an empty stained cot. A strong breeze sifted through the decaying structure, causing her to shiver. This was it, her new home. No friends, no love, no hope. And laying back into her cot, she cried herself to sleep.
Amethyst's talk with the gems meandered nowhere. It was very clear she too was on her own with this. Walking out into the night, she found herself a seat on the porch. The same strong breeze blew across the sands, sending a chill down her back. Amethyst too began to cry. She naturally blamed herself. Everything had fallen apart so fast, and there was nothing she could do now. It had been so long since she had felt so helpless. And that's when something caught her gaze. Far above her head, situated over the horizon, was a star. It wasn't different or extraordinary in any real way. She wasn't sure why, but it stood out to her. Closing her eyes, she sighed deeply.
Peridot walked out of her barn, and looked to the skies. A single star stood out to her, just beyond the moon. A beautiful twinkling light above the chaotic world below. She put her hands together, and searched for something to say. Lapis too found the same star. There was something Steven had once taught her. A wish upon a star. How did it go again? And then all three remembered. "Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight..."