Peridot sits up and spits up some sand. She wished she hadn't opened her mouth, but that happens when you fall through the air screaming. Not only was the taste of sand disgusting but the grains are annoying, and you never seem to be able to get it all out.
Peridot stands up and begins to run towards the immobile blue gem, Lapis Lazulli. Before Peridot can get to her, Peridot is startled by an angry voice.
"You!" Jasper yells as she slowly stands. Peridot eeps. "Why did you get in my way!?"
"In your way!?" Peridot retorts in defiance. She points accusingly at Jasper. "If anything you were in my way!"
"What are you talking about!?" Jasper yells in confusion as she approaches Peridot.
"I'm saying," Peridot begins as she steps back defensively, "that I can't successfully destroy the Cluster and betray Homeworld if you shatter my co-conspirators!"
Jasper is taken aback, but her shock turns to anger as she punts Peridot like a football.
"Peridot!" Steven yells as he struggles to get up on his two feet.
"You know... It's so easy getting you worked up, Jasper." Peridot says with a smirk as she wipes sand and spit off her chin. "You can't even keep a fusion under control." Peridot laughs, taunting Jasper.
"Shut up, brat!" Jasper yells as she runs up and kicks Peridot again.
She would've used her spin dash, but she was running on fumes after the fusion came undone. Peridot gets her hands up in time to block, but it offered little support, and she was sent flying again.
"Brat?" Peridot states as she weakly begins to get up on wobbly legs. "I think you mean traitor. While you were off playing games with Lazulli, I was plotting to destroy the Cluster, designing a drill to get me there, and working with the Crystal Gems the whole time!" Peridot laughs.
"Why? Why are you telling me this?" Jasper asks full of confusion. "It doesn't make you look tough! It makes you look pathetic!"
"Why?" Peridot states still laughing. "Because I'm distracting you, Clod!"
Jasper turns around to see what was behind her... There was nothing. As Jasper was looking away, Peridot grabbed a handful of Jasper's hair and slides under her legs. With a sharp tug, Peridot pulled Jasper's head down and under her legs, flipping Jasper. She landed on her gut with a thud. Jasper looked up and was about to say something when Peridot jumped on her head. She dug Jasper's face into the sand and twisted her feet around to make sure Jasper got a nice mouth full of sand.
Jasper yells in frustration as she jumps back and and sends Peridot tumbling along the beach.
"Worth it!" Peridot yells as the furious Jasper begins chasing Peridot around the beach, Peridot laughing at Jasper the whole time.
Truth be told, Peridot was terrified, but she was also enjoying this. Jasper had been nothing but a bully to her and Lapis. The bad attitude, the constant ordering around, the physical abuse, all of it. Jasper was now being lead around the beach like an angry little sheep. Peridot felt like she was in control of the situation, and of Jasper. She got great satisfaction out of that.
"Enough of these stupid games!" Jasper yells as she forced up enough energy for a spin dash.
She plowed right into Peridot and sent her crashing into the base of the cliff-side that the temple was built into. When the dust settled, Peridot was hanging limp, her head firmly in Jasper's giant hand.
"I'm going to enjoy this!" Jasper says as she slowly begins to squeeze Peridot's head. Peridot lets out a scream as her visor begins to crack. "Any last words, runt!?"
Peridot was too weak to move, let alone fight back. She could feel the pressure on her gem. It was going to crack, she knew it. Jasper was going to shatter her, and she was going to die. She had distracted Jasper as long as she could, and it was a long time considering that Jasper is a fully trained Homeworld soldier, and she was just an energy drained Peridot. To Peridot, this was an accomplishment. This thought made Peridot smile. Jasper's grip tightened, and Peridot's body contorts as her gem cracks.
"I'm gonna wipe that smug grin off your face, you little -" Jasper couldn't finish off that sentence. She gasped in pain and looked at the pink blade that had stopped mere inches from Peridot's chest. She followed the blade down to the exit wound it had made through her torso. Jasper looked behind her in shock and terror to see Steven and Lapis Lazulli both panting heavily and both holding onto the handle of the blade that had just sealed her fate.
Jasper poofs.
Peridot lands on the sand with a thud, her body broken and contorted... Gem cracking even further.
"PERIDOT!" Yelled five concerned voices.
Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl finally make it back to the scene.
"STAY BACK!" Lapis yells at the gems threateningly.
The gems stop in their tracks. Nobody is in any real shape to fight right now. As Lapis stares the Crystal Gems down, a flash of light emanates from Peridot's Gem as it slowly heals. Steven helps Peridot back to her feet, his hand still wet with saliva.
"Thank you, Steven." Peridot weakly says. She is standing, but only because of Steven supporting her. She's not even trying to stand on her own, she knows she can't. "Lapis... Its ok. I'm with them..."
Lapis was taken aback. She has a wide array of emotions going on right now. Happy to see Peridot alive and to see Steven again. Confused as to why Peridot would say such a thing. Angry at the Crystal Gems. And really, really tired.
Lapis finally manages to be able to speak again. "Explain yourself, Peridot."
"Tomorrow." Steven says as he grabs Lapis by the hand and begins to help the weak Peridot and exhausted Lapis Lazulli back to his house. "I think we all need a good night's rest first."
Pearl looks like she's about to say something, but Steven cuts her off.
"All of us." Steven says with authority. Everyone but Garnet walks into the temple. She stops and picks up Jasper's gem. She thinks about crushing it for a moment but instead decides to just bubble it. She walks into the house.
((I imagined yackety sax and three stooges sound effects when I had written up the fight of Jasper vs Peridot. I figured even with Jasper being totally exhausted, Peridot would still lose. I mean, come on. Jasper was on Earth the last time Homeworld was and we can easily assume that she's been in the military the whole time since then. And I think the only reason Garnet beat Jasper the second time around was because of Future Vision abuse. Also, Jasper is like the living embodiment of the WWE. So yeah... Peridot can't beat Jasper, and Peridot knows this... But she can easily outsmart her... Also distract Jasper, and we all know that Peridot can be very, very frustrating.
I'm really enjoying writing this and would like to take the time to thank you all for reading! Its been so much fun that I've decided that once A Long Weekend is over I plan to start writing up another work of fiction!))
