And now we come to the end of the first act of this story. This and the next two chapters have been in my mind for roughly two years now so I hope they don't disappoint!
The days seemed to fly by for the Crystal Gems with so many new faces. Between the daily training sessions, the temple's resident builders looking for new ideas for inventions along with the regular antics that came with having such a large and literally colorful family living under one roof.
While it was helped that everyone in the house had their own space, the main house itself was often chaotic and today was no exception. As Steven finished his morning routine to begin his morning run, Amethyst was on his bed trying to teach Cinnabar video games starting with a basic platforming game. Like her respective element, the fire bending gem was very quick to set off when things went wrong.
"UGH! This is impossible! How am I supposed to move my thumbs this much?!" she yelled while literally smoking.
"Dude, this is the first level! I can beat this one hand," boasted Amethyst.
"Fine! Prove it!"
"Watch and learn, noob."
To make her point, Amethyst used her shapeshifting to turn one of her arms into a stump and yet proceeded to make it through the stage with only one hand on the controller. The scarlet gem looked at her in awe.
"Told ya."
Steven snickered as he went downstairs and left the two to their fun. On the main floor of the house, Pearl and Rhodonite were making idle chit-chat as they waited for Connie to arrive for their next lesson. Topaz, meanwhile, was simply sitting by the fire pit enjoying the warmth it provided. The young boy's spirits lifted seeing her so content and at peace compared to when they first met.
As he walked out the front door, he found Garnet, Bismuth and Lapis Lazuli watching something with great amusement on the beach. When he stepped up to the railing, he gasped as he saw Lion zip by with a terrified Peridot screaming for dear life while clinging to his mane.
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLLP!" she yelled for the umpteenth time.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" guffawed Bismuth as she finally lost her composure at the sight, "I can't... hahaha…This is too much…AHAHahaha…"
"What's happening" ventured Steven, almost afraid to ask.
Lapis spoke up as she kept watching the hilarity unfold. "Apparently, Peridot wanted to study Lion and that weird space in his mane and-"
"She woke him from his nap. And then this happened," finished Garnet.
"I WAAAAAAANT PUUUUUUUUUMPKIIIIIIIN!" shrieked Peri as she passed them once more.
"How long has she been going for?" asked the boy.
"Fifteen minutes now," answered Garnet who was clearly enjoying the show.
"You'd think she'd let go by now…"
"STEEEEEVEEEEEN!" shouted Peri as her hands started cramping, "DOOOOOOOO SOMETHIIIIIIIIIIING!"
"Lion, Dad's bed is open for napping upstairs!"
That actually did the trick as the massive feline immediately stopped and traipsed up the patio steps and went inside ready for a catnap. Unfortunately, Peridot was still holding onto the mane when he went from a full run to a stop and thus she was flung about fifty feet into the sand face-down.
Bismuth laughed so hard tears were streaming from her eyes while Lapis was clearly struggling not to do the same. Steven was already losing that battle as he watched Peri try to shake off all the sand on her like a dog.
"Garnet," she asked, "Do you know where Adamite is?"
"Her room, most likely."
"Good, because I'm going to need her to ensure all these accursed particles are off of me…"
Bismuth laughed for several more minutes before she finally managed to catch her breath, long after Garnet and Lapis returned to their usual activities. Steven, meanwhile, was doing stretches to prepare himself for his morning run. Just as he was about to get going, however, he received a call on his phone.
"Hello?"
"Heya, schtu-ball! How you doing today?"
"DAD!"
"Yep, I know, it's hard to believe I still exist. Sorry I can't be there more often for you sport, but I've gotta lot on my plate nowadays."
"Don't worry about it, dad. I've got a lot going on too with my training and so many new gems around. So how's the car wash?"
"Great! Haven't been this busy in... well, forever! Those kids are doing great and for once I have time to do something else."
"You mean your little fitness routine?"
"Yeah… About that… Is Peridot or Bismuth around?"
"Uh, yeah, Bismuth's right here."
"Is that your dad?" asked the dreadlocked gem just before she went inside.
"Yeah, and he wants to talk to you."
Bismuth took the phone as best as she could given the size of her hands and took the call indoors leaving Steven to ponder what they were discussing. Knowing where butting into other people's lives got him last time, though, he decided to let this sort itself out and take his jog around the boardwalk. As he ran around the piers and shops of the sleepy town, many familiar faces greeted and waved to him. While his inner child was dying for some fry bits and donuts, he had to reign in him impulses and get back to work. Once he came back almost an hour later, he was treated to a surprise as he found Peridot and Bismuth sitting with his father in the flesh.
"Dad! What're you doing here?"
"That's right, sport, I'm still alive!" The two embraced in a hug and spent a few seconds just being near each other until Peridot interrupted them.
"Ahem, while your familial interactions are indeed charming, he has a prior obligation that he needs to fulfill. Now then, we have finally finished construction on that project of yours but-"
"We still need you to actually use it," finished Bismuth much to her partner's frustration, "After all that work we need to make sure there's no glitches."
"'Project?' What are they talking about, Dad?"
Greg took a deep breath and exhaled before holding his son by the shoulders. "Steven…I'm no gem. Sure, I've found ways to be handy in the past but I can't help but feel like I'm starting to be dead weight."
"That's not true, Dad! You've been really helpful before!"
"Sure, I did some cool things like fixing that dome (Although Pearl's face when I told her what I did was hilarious) and I kinda helped with the drill since it was made with parts from the barn, but there's not much else besides that. Heck, I've had to be rescued from space once and then got held hostage by Homeworld twice now!"
"Adamite says she's sorry for that, by the way," spoke Peridot.
"Uhh…Thanks. Anyway, sport, I don't want to be some helpless old fart who needs the Crystal Gems to come to his rescue over and over again. I wanna be able to really pitch in with something besides my checkbook, too."
"In short, your father had the idea to create a smaller, more portable version of that attack robot I designed months ago for my bet with Pearl. While we were making slow progress before, our efforts were aided by Aquamarine's fleet and all the parts we were able to salvage in order to make a wearable armor along with matching weapons that could also make him surpass the capabilities of a typical human," explained Peridot only for Steven to tilt his head to one side in clear confusion.
"Your dad had us build him a super suit so he can kick butt," summarized Bismuth.
"REALLY?!" gasped the boy as his eyes went starry, "That's amazing!"
Greg could only chuckle at his son's enthusiasm. "Hehehe… Yeah, your old man's been getting himself into shape so he doesn't worry about getting tuckered out too fast in the thick of it. I honestly thought you'd be a little worried about me."
"Dad, I know we could use everything we can get and if this is what you want, I won't try to stop you."
The two embraced in a warm hug once again before Steven suddenly looked him dead in the eye with a grumpy scowl on his face.
"But if you get too injured, young man, I'm confiscating your super suit and you're going to bed without supper!"
"Hey now, who's the parent here again?! Looks like I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson!"
The middle-aged rocker grabbed his son and began giving him noogies, both of them laughing all the while as Bismuth could only giggle at their antics. Peridot, meanwhile, was just getting more exasperated.
"Again, touching as your tomfoolery is, we still need to begin testing the suit immediately and that includes making sure he fits in it. No offense, but those sorts of adjustments take some time to implement."
"Alright, ladies, I'm done goofing off for now," he uttered while giving his son a final affectionate hair tussling, "Let's suit me up!"
Peridot led him and Bismuth into her room while Steven resumed today's training regimen; sparring with Pearl and Rhodonite at the Sky Arena. After a solid hour of sparring against the duo of gems, he returned home with the two to find Garnet simply talking with Adamite and Cinnabar while outside past the force field the Off-Colors were running diagnostics on the Sun Incinerator.
"Hi Steven! Look who finally came out of her room!" joked Cinnabar.
"How amusing," droned Adamite, "But if my memory, which has always been superior to yours, is correct then you also indulged in your new space for an extended period of time as well.
"Maybe, but at least I didn't spend all that time make rock castles!"
"I happen to find it relaxing which is key to staying in top mental condition for battle. You can poke fun at it at your leisure, but you will get no reaction from me."
"They've been like this all day, haven't they?" whispered Pearl to Garnet.
"Pretty much. You seem very happy with Steven's training."
"He's become the ideal student," she praised, "Attentive, devoted, and always looking for new ways to improve. It's hard to believe a year ago we were scared he couldn't handle a basic mission or treat the whole thing like a game!"
"Guess we should've given him more credit."
While the two original Crystal Gems made small talk, Rhodonite made her way outside to help her crewmates with the diagnostics. Steven, meanwhile, was just taking a brief rest before his next activity and drinking a bottle of water.
As the bustle of the temple of continued, Connie walked in with Rose's sword in one hand and a duffel bag in the other.
"Ready to go, jam bud?" she called as she let herself in.
"You bet! I wonder if we can finally get the hang of archery as Stevonnie today?"
"I know, right? You'd think between the two of us there'd be some applicable skills, but instead we either can't nock the arrow right or when we do fire it, the thing flies for maybe two feet."
"I still have no idea how we managed to hit ourselves with the bowstring that one time!"
"Don't worry about that for now," assured Pearl, "Today we're mostly going to be focusing on you two as individuals anyway. In fact, today's lesson will have you trying to copy each other so you can learn more about how you can improve from the other's expertise."
The kids understood the idea, but also could not help but want to recreate that old gag of two people mimicking each other in a mirror looking more ridiculous as they go along. Before they could all head to the warp pad, though, something else was warped in. Unlike the other unexpected packages, though, this was looked to be an ordinary white crystal that Steven could easily hold in his hands. Before any of them, including the security barrier on the warp pad, could react the crystal exploded into a ball of white lightning that blinds everyone in the room. When they all clear their eyes, it's apparent that the pad protector is fried beyond repair.
"Our creation!" moaned Peridot, "What is the meaning of this?!"
"We're going to find out…" muttered Garnet as all the Crystal Gems either emerged from their rooms or came in from outside to watch. While Greg already went home to tinker with his new suit, the others were all standing in dead silence until another warp stream emerged. Once the lights cleared, a tall imposing figure stood against all the Crystal Gems save for the Off-Colors who watched from outside the force field. Despite being outnumbered almost ten to one; the intruder did not look the least bit intimidated. To the newer arrivals, they had no idea who this hulking orange gem was other than she was clearly bad news. For the longtime members, her cocky smirk was unforgettable.
"J-J-Jasper?!" exclaimed Steven, baffled out of his mind.
"What's the matter, Rose Quartz? Thought your little corruption stunt would keep me down forever? Or were just planning to keep me in a bubble for all time?!" she growled.
"That whole debacle was clearly your fault!" corrected Peridot, "You willingly fused with a corrupted gem in a last-ditch effort to defeat Smoky Quartz when you proved incapable of doing so with your own abilities."
"Shut it, you traitor!"
"Like consent ever mattered to her…" mumbled Lapis. Hearing this, Adamite and Cinnabar quickly realized just who this gem was.
"You're the clod who fused with her to make Malachite, aren't you?!" yelled Cinnabar as she looked ready to turn Jasper into cinders.
"Yeah. Got a problem with that?"
Adamite placed a hand on her blue-colored cohort and glared at Jasper with pure hatred. "You are the gem responsible for keeping Lapis Lazuli in a toxic relationship purely out of your own lust for power. You not only broke one of the most crucial laws of Homeworld, but you did so out of your own personal pleasure. If it were my decision, I would happily shatter you to ensure you never put her in that situation ever again."
Rather than be offended, the brawler just laughed it off. "Like I care what some outdated gem thinks. Besides, you think you can take me on?"
"I know I sure can!" boasted Bismuth as she rushed forward and punched Jasper hard enough to completely smash through the now-defunct warp pad protector and into the wall near the temple door. Bismuth morphed her hand into a hammer and went straight for her gemstone, but Jasper was not overpowered so easily. She intercepted the blow and kneed Bismuth in the gut hard enough to make her lose her footing and then shoved her aside. Garnet and Topaz then grabbed her by the shoulders to ensure she did not try that again.
"Let me go! I'm gonna teach her a lesson! She's gonna pay for doing that to another gem!"
"Bismuth, we don't need to escalate things," said Garnet, "Stand down before this gets any uglier."
The dreadlocked blacksmith reluctantly agreed and stopped squirming.
"Now then, what exactly do you want? Knowing you, this could be some sort of personal vendetta," asked Pearl.
"As much as I want to clobber all of you traitors, I'm here on a mission for White Diamond herself. I'm here to collect Rose Quartz."
"This again?!" shrieked Connie, "What is wrong with you all?! Can't you just leave well enough alone?! He's one person in an entire universe and you don't have anything better to do?!"
Jasper completely ignored her and instead looked at Steven. Rather than look afraid or back down, he met her stare without flinching. The gem actually looked impressed.
"Well, whatever's up with that body of yours, at least you carry yourself like you used to. For once, you don't like a sniveling coward."
"You don't have to do this. You can just go back to Homeworld and live your life while we live ours. We won't attack you if you don't attack us."
"Says the gem responsible for shattering Pink Diamond for doing her job…"
Steven's eye twitched at that remark. "I keep telling you I'm not Rose Quartz, but whatever. Would you please just get out of my house?"
"Not unless you agree to come with me and finally face the other Diamonds, unless you plan on shattering them too?"
While the boy was trying to hold onto whatever tact he had left, Connie already lost all of hers and got in Jasper's face. "ARRRRGH! Will you listen for one second?! Steven is NOT Rose Quartz! How many times does he have to tell you idiots before-!"
She was cut off as Jasper socked the girl in the face hard enough to draw blood and dislocate her nose. The entire group gasped in shock.
"You need to teach your pet some manners."
"How dare you! Human beings are unique individuals capable of far more than us gems are!" scolded Pearl as she pointed her spear at Jasper's face.
"Really? Given how fragile it is-"
Steven interrupted her with a single word. "She."
"Huh?"
"It's she. She is my best friend and deserves respect. Now you better apologize for hurting her before I do something I regret." His shield appeared on one arm while a gauntlet appeared on his other hand.
"Ha! Like you can do anything to me. You've never been able to fight me off before unless you relied on fusion."
"Jasper, it doesn't have to be like this!" begged Amethyst, "We're all the same! You were even made on Earth, just like me! Why do we have to keep bringing up this same old grudge instead of finally moving on?"
Jasper looked down at her very distant purple relative, her eyes barely able to hold back the tears as Connie was trying to stop her nosebleed. She then let out a loud, cruel laugh and kicked Amethyst away like a soccer ball.
"I am nothing like you filthy, disgraceful rejects! If there's anything good about this forsaken hunk of rock, it's that it at least produced some proper loyal gems like me. I still have no idea why you fight so much for it, but if you want to wipe yourself out by resisting the punishment you all deserve then be my guest."
With that hateful rhetoric in the open, the entire house was silent enough that they could hear the floorboards settling. Even otherwise levelheaded gems like Garnet and Adamite looked half-ready to throw all caution to the wind as long as it meant beating the orange braggart's face in. Topaz already had her staff out and Cinnabar was literally smoking in rage. Lapis, however, was a picture of tranquil fury. Rather than lash out with her fists, she let out her aggression with words.
"Jasper…You really never change. You've literally been given a second chance at life and here you are throwing it away all over some petty squabble."
"'Petty?!' They shattered Pink Diamond! And hundreds of thousands of other gems who tried to defend their empire and you say that's a waste of time?! Have these gems corrupted you to like they did me?"
"That was your own fault, you clod! You chose to fuse with a corrupted gem and now you're going to lie through your teeth and say it's Steven's fault?! Your body may be fixed, but something is still clearly wrong with your head."
Lapis then walked up to Jasper and looked her square in the eyes. "Besides, I'm not the one who begged to become Malachite again. I learned how to be independent while you talked like you needed me. Who's the weak one here?"
"You better stop talking like that or I'll-"
"You'll make an even bigger fool of yourself," finished Pearl, "You are just like so many naysayers who swore Rose Quartz was insane and yet here. We. Are." The gem took another step forward with each word.
"It may have been an uphill battle in every sense of the word and we may have lost some good friends along the way, but we survived. And we proved we don't need the Diamond Authority. We are perfectly capable of thriving on our own instead of being mindless drones like you."
"Mindless?! I'm-"
"A standard-issue jasper fulfilling your routine functions just like tens of millions of others," interrupted Peridot, "You are a dime-a-dozen soldier who could effortlessly be replaced the instant you outlive your purpose. I, on the other hand, am different from the myriad of other peridots out there both in terms of skill set and personality. That's the difference between us, Jasper. I'm irreplaceable and you are not."
"Why you pathetic little runt-"
"You're the pathetic one!" shouted Bismuth, "All you go on about is boast about how big and bad you are, yet you need some Diamond to boss you around and give you something to do! If you've really got the power you say you have, why don't you go your own way instead of just being White Diamond's attack dog?"
"Shut it, you stupid-"
"If we're stupid, how come you can't answer anything, huh?" dared Amethyst, "If we're the helpless little idiots you keep saying we are, how did we send you packing every single time you came after us?"
"That was just luck-"
"Leave it to a delusional imbecile to concoct excuses for her failure instead of looking for ways to improve," chided Adamite, "Then again, since you, the ideal jasper, are designed to prioritize brawn over intellect you seem to be working properly."
"Take that back, you faulty-"
"Adamite and I survived for millennia without you creeps ordering us around!" boasted Cinnabar, "And now we realize we should have done something with ourselves instead of just waiting for Homeworld to find us. We were the clueless ones, since we never knew how much else was out there. And now, I wouldn't trade my life here for anything since I have more important things like friends."
"Just be quiet already-"
"You're just like Aquamarine!" insulted Topaz, "Whenever someone comes around that you can't bully into doing what you want, you just beat them down until they cave in. You clearly don't care about Lapis and frankly I don't think you care about the Diamonds. All you care about is yourself and helping you get ahead and that's sickening. I'm glad I never have to worry gems like that in my life ever again, because here I'm not just a tool to them. I'm someone who deserves respect and that's something you'll never understand."
"I swear I'm gonna-"
"Jasper, it's obvious there's no reasoning with you," added Garnet, "But if you can take anything from this, let it be this: you're alone. You may say you've got a massive empire behind you, but we all know that's not true. The second you don't do what you're told, the Diamonds will toss you aside. If you can stomach living like that, then I really am grateful I left Homeworld all those years ago. The Crystal Gems value each other, flaws and all, because we know that every gem is important. We know how to think for ourselves because we all have ideas that can help. When one of us falls behind, we all try to get them back on their feet. That's why Rose fought for this world, so any gem who didn't want to live in the shadow of domineering, prejudiced, tyrannical schists like the Diamonds and their subservient little thugs like you can have a place to be themselves. Now I suggest you get back on that warp pad, go back to Homeworld and never come back."
Jasper looked at the group of defiant gems, silently fuming as they once again refused to cooperate and come quietly. Unlike when they first met, though, Jasper was currently against four times as many opponents who seemed far less like the pushovers she once thought of them as.
"If you want me to leave, then make me!"
Jasper summoned her crash helmet and lunged straight at Steven. Much to her surprise, he summoned a shield and barely flinched from the impact. With his other hand free, he summoned a spear and would have gutted her had she not jumped back.
That soon became the least of her problems, though, as Garnet summoned a wave of ice and almost froze her solid. This actually made Jasper lose her concentration and look at the fusion with complete bewilderment.
"What the?!"
"I got upgraded since last time," replied the fusion as a small flame appeared in her other hand. She then summoned her gauntlets and nailed Jasper hard enough to send her flying out the windows and into the inside of the force field with a deafening smack.
"Peri, shut off the force field! We'll get her outside where there's more room!" shouted Amethyst as she dashed out the door with her hyper-speed. A few seconds later, the pink bubble around the temple came down for the first time in weeks as Jasper tried leaping into the air for an aerial attack. She was quickly brought down, literally, by Amethyst as she wrapped her whip around Jasper's foot and flung her into the sand.
With much more room to operate in, Amethyst showed off her new ability by literally running circles around her orange opponent and whipping her over and over again.
"How are you doing this?!" screamed Jasper.
"Who's the defect now, huh?!" jeered the stout sprinter as she raised a cloud of dust around her. With Jasper sufficiently blinded, she was wide-open to Adamite launching a boulder of solidified sand and Lapis crashing a ten-foot tall wave on top of her. All at once she was flattened by a dual attack of earth and water.
Before she even got another opportunity to bite back, Topaz and Bismuth double-teamed her. Now facing two gems of equal strength, she was quickly overwhelmed by the former's skills with her staff and the latter's mix of hand-to-hand combat mixed with her shapeshifting. The blacksmith landed an uppercut that sent her opponent flying. As she soared into the air, Pearl was already above her and slammed her into the ground with enough force to make a crater in the sand.
Even with that blow, though, Jasper would not quit and raced after Pearl using a spin dash. The lithe swordswoman quickly dodged and brought in Rhodonite who charged in with her saber.
"What, another war machine?!" goaded Jasper.
"Better that than being the Diamonds' pet!" replied Rhodonite with more bravado than she ever had in her life. Although she was new to direct combat, the four-armed fusion quickly found her stride and soon Jasper found herself being sliced and even stabbed multiple times. As much as it pained her to admit it, even she realized she was in a losing position with so many opponents with different skills and teamwork. She lowered herself to her knees and tried to catch her breath as the entire assembly of Crystal Gems, Steven and Connie included, stared her down.
"Now then," offered Garnet, "Now that we've made it clear we're not surrendering and you can't force in into complying, you have the chance to go peacefully. I highly suggest you take it."
The look Jasper gave her was pure, complete malice. If looks could kill, hers could literally give someone a stroke from a mile away. She eventually stood up, shoved Garnet out of the way with her shoulder and began walking back to the temple. As she passed by her enemies she saw looks of hesitation out of fear that she might snap once again, pride in how the supposed best gem Homeworld had to offer failed, and satisfaction that they once again stood their ground. Then she came face-to-face with Steven and Connie both glaring at her. While Steven was unarmed at the moment, Connie was still holding onto Rose's sword.
"So you really care about these…organics?" asked Jasper contemptibly.
"Yes. Every one of them is different. There's no one else like her on the planet."
"I see…"
In a split second, too fast for even the other gems to notice, Jasper kicked Steven away and grabbed Connie by her hair. The girl kicked and struggled as she shrieked in pain, but Jasper placed her other hand around her throat and began squeezing.
"NO! LET HER GO!" begged Steven as Connie gasped for air, dropping the sword in the process.
"Aw, what's the matter Rose? This little thing really means that much to you? Then why don't we make a deal; I let her go and you come with me instead."
"Steven, don't you dare do it!" demanded Connie once she got her breath back.
"But…Connie…"
"You promised me you'd never give yourself up again and I expect you to keep it!"
"But…"
"Shut it, you disgusting pebble!" shouted Jasper as she flung Connie face-first into the dirt. Unfortunately for her, that gave the girl the opportunity to reclaim her weapon. She managed to swing backhanded with enough force to cut Jasper's arm. With a pained gasp she let Connie go and stared her down like a disobedient animal.
"Connie, wait!" yelled Steven as he ran up to her, "Take my hand, we can fuse into Stevonnie and then-"
He was interrupted by Jasper ramming into him with a shoulder charge and sending him flying. While he was distracted by his concern for Connie's well-being, his alien opponent had no such restraint. She circled Connie, relishing the look of fear on her face.
"Let me guess, you're gonna give me the same speech about how we don't have to fight, right?" she taunted.
"As if you'd listen, you overgrown rock," jabbed Connie before charging with her blade held high. Despite her relative bulkiness, Jasper was quick on her feet and dodged her strike. Again and again Connie swung with ferocity, trying different maneuvers to trip up her foe, but the gem just avoided everything she threw at her.
"What's the matter, Rose Quartz?! Aren't you gonna help your friend?" goaded Jasper, "I'm not going to keep playing with her for much longer!"
The young boy heard her words, felt his stomach twist in anger at her insults, but his legs refused to cooperate. For the first time in months, the quiet confidence he held was gone. He felt that same terror encroach him in the old days when he first tried going on missions with Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl only for his body to lock up when he came in contact with the monster they were chasing. Only deep down, he knew this situation was worse. Not only was this monster dangerous, it was fully capable of thought and it was truly out for his blood. His eyes with pinpricks and his heart was beating like it was trying to escape his chest.
All the while, Connie was quickly growing exhausted. While the physical training she had with Garnet definitely helped, her stamina was still limited while Jasper was not breaking a sweat. Not helping her case was the growing frustration she felt as every strike she made hit nothing but air, no matter what strategy she used. It continued until Connie was simply stabbing and slashing randomly as her breaths grew heavier and her movements sloppier.
Their clash finally came to end, however, when Jasper stopped an overhead death-strike by trapping the blade between her hands.
"This is the sword you used to shatter Pink Diamond, isn't it?" asked the gem in a remarkably somber tone as Connie dangled off the handle. She nodded numbly, her mind just as limp as her body.
With a flick of her wrists, she severed the point of the blade. This threw Connie off and she, along with the rest of the horrified Crystal Gems, watched as Jasper threw punch after punch into the beloved blade. With each blow it was bent, mangled, or even splintered into dozens of pieces. Once she was done with it, what was once Rose Quartz's signature weapon was a pile of useless pink shards.
"There. Now it will never take another gem's life…" she muttered to herself, sounding genuinely relieved.
The feelings were not mutual, however, as the rest of the group looked on in horror as if one of their own was just killed in front of them. Bismuth and Pearl, in particular, looked ready to repay the favor with Jasper's gemstone.
That was not the end of the rampant cruelty, though, as Jasper grabbed Connie by her hair and hoisted her up against her will as she kicked and screamed for help with whatever energy she had left.
"You care so badly about this thing, huh Rose? Maybe if the Diamonds got her instead they'd let you go?"
"Don't say that! They don't want human beings!" asserted Steven, clearly trying to hold in a massive crying episode.
"Well then, maybe you'll accept a trade. Either I take her back to Homeworld with me instead of you, or you finally fess up to your crimes and accept your fate. I'll be at the main Kindergarten. You've got one hour of this planet's time before I leave with your friend in tow."
And with that, Jasper dragged her hostage kicking and screaming up the stairs and back inside. As she warped away, Steven could scarcely believe what started as an ordinary day turned into a complete nightmare in less than an hour.
Next time, The Crystal Gems try to save Connie. These next chapters are so special that I don't want to spoil anything!
Thank you all so much for reading! Please feel free to leave a review!