It was the day after Bismuth had returned. Thomas had was in the dessert, not just anywhere in the dessert. Thomas was in the beta kindergarten, it was established half-way through the war in order to quickly create more soldiers on the ground.
Thomas looked around, he had gone to the the forge to fix his triple shot add-ons, alone with a few other things. Thomas looked around the much smaller, much more narrow corridors made out of red sandstone.
He observed the uneven holes where the gems came out of. He then stopped a giant one, it was almost five times the size of the other holes, the arms are also in an upward pose instead of at the sides, This hole was where Jasper came out from. Thomas looked at it and kept going.
Thomas then entered another part of the kinderga and was surprised. There were holes, but they wornt in humanoid shapes like the other ones. These holes were round and had metal sheets as makeshift bars.
Varris yellow eyes appeared in the holes. Thomas was horrified, he realised that this was where Jasper had been keep the corrupted gems she'd capued. "So you finally found me." A voice said behind Thomas.
Thomas sighed "I guess so, Jasper." he said. Jasper grinned "So are you gonna do?" she asked sarcastically. Thomas turn around "Well were se what what happens." he said spawning his arm cannon.
Jasper then began to form into a ball doing a spindash, when she released Thomas jumped over her as she hit the wall. Thomas then fired a triple shot one of the shots hitting Jasper, knocking her back.
"Heh barely felt it." Jaster said. Sudden the was a rumbuling. Jasper looked up and saw that the wall was chipping away fast, she quickly dodged it. When the dust settled jasper looked reader then ever.
"Did you see that? Wa-poosh, just wa-poosh!" Amethyst said swinging her rope, her, Syeven and Bismuth were walking towards the barn "That's great, Amethyst. You're getting so fast. Right Bismuth?" Steven said giving her a nug.
Bismuth wasn't paying attention she wa thinking about something. She could have sworn she heard the jail car lock, but in the morning it was unlocked. She also heard the warp pad being used, but no one had used it all night.
Excepted Thomas he wasn't there when she woke up, so she assumed that he used it. But did he lock the cage, if so why why did he unlock it? Unless, no he wouldn't.
"No! This is worse!" Amethyst shouted, knocking Bismuth out of her trance." This morning it was like wshh! Just wshh! Superfast, like wshh wshh!" She denistrated. "Uh-huh. I think this is why a day off would be good for you. You should take a break from obsessing over Jasper." Steven said.
"Steven's right." Bismuth said "Obsessing over one enemy always leads to bad things.". Amethyst sighs and begrudgingly despawnd her whip "Are you sure we have to do this now?" she asked. "Yes! Visiting Peridot and Lapis will be so much fun!" Steven yelled.
"And I don't think I can sleep on that bed in the prison car another night." Bismuth added. "Yeah, 'cause when I think fun and good beds, I think 'Lapis'." Amethyst said sarcastically. "I wonder what they're up to." Steven said out loud
"Maybe they drove each other crazy and burned the barn down." Amethyst suggested. The trio had stopped, having reached the barn "Woah…" Steven said looking at the barn, it had been heavily modified with some modifications including a truck placed into the ceiling, the large silo now coming out of the side of the barn, and a small tent next to it with a green Canadian-like flag waving.
On top of that there were five railway vans, but they weren't attached to bogeys and were just the van parts. Each one of then looked slightly different. One was pink with Pink diamond in it fully refurbished, another one was just plane red, another had dented wood on the van, another one covert in foliage, and the last one was just yellow with Yellow diamond very whiterd.
"They sure did something to this place." Steven said. Lapis and Peridot were in the truck in the coming watching Camp Pining Hearts. "Oh, get over it, Percy. Go make another friendship bracelet." Peridot said
"Seriously." Lapis added. "Lapis! Peridot! Hi!" Steven yelled. Lapis and Peridot looked down and saw Steven and Amethyst, the miles and flew down with their wings and helicopter fingers.
"Steven! It's so good to see you again!" Lapis greeted.
"You too, Lapis." Steven said. "Amethyst! Something looks different about you…" Peridot said, she was wearing a bow tie "Like what?" "Have you grown taller since the last time I saw you?" "Nope, still short." "You're welcome!" Peridot said laughing.
"For the joke." Peridot explained. Amethyst just rolled her eyes. Bismuth then walked over to then walked over to them, she was caught in thought again. Lapis had a shocked face when she saw her.
"Oh guys this is Bismuth, she was one of the original Crystal gems." Steven explained. "Well hello" Peridot said. "Howdy, can't wait to do Bismuth with you." Bismuth said. Peridot and Steven Laughed.
"Oh that's good." Peridot said "Bismuth needs a place to stay." Steven explained "We were wondering if She could stay here.". "Of course she can." Peridot said "I'm sure one of the rubies has some room."
"Speaking of witch, where are they?" Steven asked. "There off fixing the track, they won't be back for awhile." Peridot explained. "Oh ok." Steven said "Anyway, I love what you did to the barn." he added.
"Awh, I know." Peridot saif "But wait, wait! You guys have to see the inside!" she the pointed inside "Lapis, fly us in!" she yelled. "No…" Lipis said with an disinterested face walking inside. Peridot just ignored it and walked it. Steven, Amethyst and Bismuth looked shocked when they saw the inside.
"Welcome to our home away from Homeworld!" Peridot announced. The barn was full of interesting objects Steven runs over to the prevaly destroyed wall, it had been crudely converted into an aquarium.
"Woah, you made the wall an aquarium!" Steven said existed, he was slight shock by seeing the alien plushie that Peridot won in at funland floating in the aquarium. Bismuth looked impressed at the bard "You made all this?" she asked
"Yes, yes we did." Peridot said, Amethyst,who was rolling a vacuum filled with fish and water back and forth casually with her foot asked "You did all this stuff on purpose? Like, you didn't just knock over a bunch of paint cans and go, 'Eh, just leave it.'"
"Oh no, this was all very intentional." Peridot said "You see, I have this idea: What if we made music, but instead of sounds, we use things?" she explained. Amethyst roller her eyes "That's dumb." she said.
"Guys, that's art!" Steven said walking next to Amethyst. "Art? That sounds ridiculous!" Per8dot said scoffing "I've been calling it meep morp." Lapis said "Let us show you our... morps.' Peridot said she then walked over to a table with several cassettes, along with her broken recorder with a blue ribbon placed on it.
"This piece is called 'Wow, thanks.' It represents the struggles of intercommunication. The tape is the ribbon that binds our experience on Earth together. It has no functional purpose! It just makes me feel bad!" She explained.
Lapis gestured toward a baseball mitt, a baseball bat, and a baseball, all of which are tethered by string to a stick, which is in turned tethered to something above. "Here's my meep morp." she said.
"This is a baseball bat. It reminds me of when I played baseball." Lapis explained. Steven looks confused as at when she did that. Lapis then walks backwards, now gesturing toward a leaf sitting on a rock
"This is the leaf Steven gave me." Lapis said "It reminds me of the time... Steven gave me a leaf." she explained "Hey, yeah! It reminds me of that too!" Steven said. They turn toward a TV on a stand with two mirrors sticking out of it, looping a scene from "Camp Pining Hearts"
"I just feel trapped. I just feel trapped." The character Percy said on the TV over and over again. "Is this one about... the thousands of years you spent trapped in a mirror?" Steven asked with a worried expression.
"No, I just really like that show." Lapis explained, looked at Bismuth.
"Oh, Amethyst! You'll love this one!" Peridot said, she then pointed to four toilets, three toilets were crudely placed in a semicircle, with one in the back facing forward and slightly lifted. "Check it out!" she said.
"They're... toilets?" Amethyst said "Right! What will I think of next?" Peridot said while laughing
"This represents the time I spent spinning on the turntable." She explained "I call it 'Sick.' It's a collaborative piece."
Peridot then gives Lapis a thumbs-up, she does the same. Lapis then proceeds to make a water spout from all four toilets, making the two on the sides wave back and forth "It's amazing!" Steven said "Interesting." Bismuth said
"I don't get it." Amethyst said "What's there to get? It's water! Shooting out of toilets!" Steven said. "I can see that at home." "Alright, I see you're not impressed." Peridot said she began to rummage through a corner of the barn, grabbing things.
"But this - hold on. This, this is what we've all been waiting for! With the power of my metal abilities I will impress the shirts right off of you!" Peridot said two drums, two cymbals, a saxophone, a recorder, a triangle, and a tambourine, while holding two drumsticks and having a harmonica placed around her neck.
"Ta-da! It's a one-Gem metal band!" Peridot announces "One, a two, a three and -" Peridot then inhales and blows into the harmonica, causing her to lose control of every other instrument as they fly in various directions, crashing on the ground.
Peridot then casually tosses the drumsticks onto the ground "Well, that's as far as I've practiced that!" she said. Steven and Bismuth and laugh as Steven nudges Amethyst in the shoulder. Lapis then walks up to Peridot and places a hand on her shoulder
"Why don't you try one thing at a time?" she asked. "Because we have guests, Lapis! Guests who must be impressed!" Peridot shouted. "Hmm…" lapis said thinking, she then picks up the tambourine and casually shakes it.
"We can try it together!" Lapis shouted "Yeah!" Peridot shouted in agreement, she then levitates a triangle and dings it once. Steven, Bismuth, Amethyst sit down and watch them perform
"Isn't this great." asked them both.
Bismuth nods, but before she could said anything. Amethyst said "Pff. No.". Steven was caught by surprise "Look at all this cool stuff they're doing!" he said pointing to Peridot and Lapis as they randomly hit the triangle and shake the tambourine, without any beat or reason.
"This is all nothing! They've been out here playing with garbage!" Amethyst shouted. "But you love playing with garbage…" Steven said "Not anymore! Who has time for any of that when Jasper is out there!"
Peridot and Lapis freeze, Peridot drops the triangle on the floor. "Uh, Amethyst? I uh, try not to use the J-word so loosely around here." Peridot said Amethyst sighs "I'm going to go do something useful." she then gets up and walks out the barn.
"Wow, Amethyst doesn't seem to understand morps at all." Peridot said "Is she always like this?"
Bismuth asked "No, it's something else. Amethyst found out she's supposed to be just like Jasper." Steven explained "Eh?" Peridot and Bismuth said confused.
"Jasper took her down in a fight and now she's obsessed with getting a rematch. ...To prove she's good enough." Steven added "Hmph." Peridot said
Amethyst was knocking over cans angrily with her whip on a metal pipe. Peridot then comes, grabbing her arm. "Amethyst, Ams, Big A! You - are way better than Jasper!" she said in a greedy voice.
"What?" Amethyst said "Oh…" she added seeing Steven walking in from other side. "What did you tell her?" Amethyst asked Steven "I uh…" Steven said trailing off "What are you even doing comparing yourself to her?" Peridot asked.
She then begins to swivel one of the canes that Amethyst set up with her abilities. "Oh Amethyst, that's ridiculous. I should call you Ridiculousthyst." Peridot then began to laugh she grows slightly frustrated that she can't knock over the can, she kicks a rock at it and and it hits it dead on.
"I mean, seriously, Amethyst and Jasper are two completely different Quartzes. Sure, you're both from Earth, but your Kindergartens are radically different." Peridot explained. "H-hold on, what?" Steven asked
"We're both... from Earth?" Amethyst asked "Well sure!" Peridot said "Amethyst, you're from the Prime Kindergarten in Facet Five. She's from the Beta Kindergarten in Facet Nine!" she explained.
"Have you seen that place?" Peridot asked. "No!" Amethyst shouted. "Oh, well maybe you should! So you can see how the other half was made. Poorly!" Peridot the began to laugh "No, seriously, let's go. You'll get a kick out of this."
Steven then went back into the barn, Bismuth was still looking around at the meep morp "Bismuth were gonna go. Are you gonna be ok" he asked "Yeah I'll be ok." Bismuth said looking at the tv.
Outside Peridot looks up to Lapis, who is watching "Camp Pining Hearts" on the truck sticking out from the roof "That's your problem, Paulette. You let yourself become the kayak race." Percy on the tv said "Cold." Lapis commented.
"Hey Lapis are you okay!?" Peridot yelled "Yeah." Lapis said. "Are you sure?" Peridot asked. "Yeah." "I'm leaving, but I'll be back." Peridot said. "Okay." Lapis said "Do you need anything?" Peridot asked.
"No." Lapis said "What season is that?" Peridot asked. "Three." Lapis answers. "Peridot, let's go" steven said coming out of the barn. "Okay, yeah, business time." Peridot said, she then removes her bow.
"You know what to do with this!" Peridot said tossing it up to Lapis. Lapis had her hand held up, in anticipation of catching it. But the bow was thrown way too high, overshooting her. Lapis doesn't move.
Amethyst, Peridot, and Steven warp in on a warp pad in the desert. "Here we are, Jasper's origin. The Beta Kindergarten." Peridot said Amethyst and Steven looked around "Am I underwhelmed? It's pretty bright out here." Steven said.
"It's red." Amethyst said bluntly. "No kidding. Heh. Red sandstone! Hah! This is what I'm talking about! We're lucky this place hasn't blown away. Beta, am I right?" Peridot joked. Steven laughs before cupping his hand and whispering to Amethyst "That's a math joke, right?"
"Heh, c'mon, it gets worse." Peridot said walking into the kindergarten. Steven and Amethyst follow Peridot as she walks along the path. "I mean, this place has got the right growing conditions in a pinch. I guess…" Peridot said trailing off.
Peridot then picks up a rock from the ground and licks it before tossing it aside "But it's too small! It was obviously a total rush job." she said. "Uh, rush job?" Steven asked. "Halfway through the rebellion, Homeworld scrambled to generate extra soldiers on the ground."
Peridot then gestures toward an gem hole "Look at this, the holes don't even line up! Hehe, it's like they just threw injectors down wherever!"she said she then pointed to another hole "Oh, and that one? This Carnelian came out sideways! How could she not, the walls are curved! Hehe, what a joke."
"Man, I-I had no idea." Amethyst said. "I tell you, it really makes you appreciate the Prime Kindergarten, Amethyst. Your Kindergarten was so thought through! Sure, you might have spent extra time in the ground, but everything else is stacked in your favor! Great location, great holes, even spacing, consistent depth, a real kindergartener gets it right."
Steven stops walking to look at a broken injector, which is missing its legs. "What happened to this injector?" he asked "What you want to see is a vertical alignment; no angle in the exit; a clean, strong silhouette. None of these holes come close!" Peridot said.
"What about that one?" Amethyst said pointing to Jasper's hole "Jasper…" Peridot trailed off. "This is Jasper's hole?" Steven asked "It's huge." Amethyst commented." Oh, come on, we already know she's tall. Let's take a closer look." Peridot said.
She then approaches the hole and tries to climb her way up into it. CA kindergartener can tell a lot about a Gem's makeup and flaws by their exit marks.", Peridot looks toward Steven "Steven..?"
"Oh." Steven said, he then runs over and tosses Peridot up in the air, grunting as she catches the ledge to the hole on the fall down. "Thanks!" she said, she then runs to random parts of the hole, gesturing to them.
You see, the problem here" Peridot said trying to find a flaw. "Wait, oh, wait, oh, no, um. Now this part... hm. There's this thing where if you count the steps to the back I can…" she murders walking back into the hole.
Peridot then defeatedly walks out and climbs down from the hole, walking over to Amethyst and Steven. "What is it?" Amethyst said "She's even got frictional rock melt. It's glass all the way to the back." Peridot said.
"Actually, I uh, I've never seen an exit hole this perfect." she stated. "Ugh, so it is true." Amethyst
"Amethyst, that doesn't matter." Steven said "Who you are isn't about where you came from! It's who you wanna be! It's what you worked hard for. It's what you care about! That's what really matters."
"Yeah! Yeah, you're right!" Amethyst yelled. "Yeah!" Steven and Peridot yelled. "It's about who I wanna be!"Amethyst said "Yeah!" "And I wanna be the Gem that beats Jasper into the dirt!" "Yeah!" Only Peridot yelled
"Huh?" Steven said confused. "Wait, no!" Peridot yelled "Don't fight her! Are you not seeing this? She's the ultimate Quartz!" She stated "I'm doing it." Amethyst said "Yeah, and not just for me, for all the weird holes out there! Like this guy! And "Skinny" up there! And, and, and this mess!" amethyst said pointing to the restive holes.
"Amethyst, that's…" Peridot said "Yeah, ha! I bet she was great." Amethyst said standing next to the hole. Peridot runs over to the hole Amethyst is standing near. "No, no no no, hold on. Something's really wrong here. These marks are new. This hole's been dug out. Recently."
"Maybe it was a prairie dog? A uh, really big one..?" Steven suggested "Hm." peridot said walkin further down the path. Steven and Amethyst follow. "There's more!" Peridot said Pointing to holes with metal bars covering them.
"Woah." Amethyst said surprised. "These aren't exit holes anymore." Peridot said. "Then what are they?" Steven asked approaching one and reaches for one of the bars, yellow eyes the appener in the cage.
"Steven!" Peridot and Amethyst yell, They both quickly grab Steven and pull him away.
"Corrupted Gems? In cages?" Steven said confused "Why? Who would do this?" Peridot asked. Sudden the was a rumbuling. The trio looked around for the sourse. Amethyst gasps in surprise as she spots Jasper behind a cloud of dust.
"That's who."she said. "Jasper." Steven said quietly. Amethyst then angrily summons her whip, ready for a fight.