Chapter 9
Behind the Veil pt. 1: The Battle for Earth!
I own Nothing
It was another calm and collected day in Beach City, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and so far, not a single monster attack or strange incident has happened today, freeing up Steven to have a nice day with his father. "A Peedee, give me some fry bi-" Steven was prepared to chant only to have Peedee, drop exactly what Steven wanted in front of him, a nice bag of fry bits. "Oh, thanks, how'd you know?"
"Eh, I saw you two coming, thought I'd be one step ahead of you this time." The youngest of the fryman family, Peedee, said as he buffed a spot out on the countertop with a damp rag.
"Are you closing up all by yourself?" Greg asked, looking behind Peedee to see no other member of the Fryman clan in the building.
"Yeah, It's just me tonight." He said nonchalantly, almost as if he's done this a thousand times before.
"Wow, that's a lot of responsibility for a kid your age," Greg commented with a smile. "Hey, your dad must really trust you."
"Don't patronize me, sir." With that, the two universes were off down the beach with their delectable treats in hand.
"See ya, Peedee!" Steven waved, his manners still as refreshing as ever. Once his goodbyes were said, Steven continued getting his father up to date about what's been going on the past few weeks. "So, like I was saying, Peridot's been shooting huge robots here from space. And when you smash them, they explode into goo." Steven chuckled, chucking another handful of fry bits into his mouth, enjoying the crunch of his favorite snack.
Greg, the 'wise' parent he was, held a nervous grin to what his son has just told him like most parents would. "That sounds scary." He said, "you know, I'm not sure if…." He stopped, trying to find the proper words for what he was about to say, "do you ever feel like this gem stuff is too much for you?"
But, Steven's innocent mind didn't really follow, "what do you -" However, his retort was silence by an ear piercing sound that shook the very foundation of beach city, cracking if not all out destroying any glass in a 100 yard radius of the sound. Reeling from the unforeseen sound wave, Steven looked to find what could have caused such an assault on the ears only to find one possible source, a floating, golden hand - pointing down towards the denizens of Beach City.
"W-What the hey was that?!" Greg questioned, but didn't hear a response. He looked to his son to find him staring to the sky, his eyes unwilling to move from that spot, "Steven?" He asked,
"Is that a hand?"
"The light cannons should be ready."
"Guys!" Steven yelled, running down the beach as fast as his stubby little lges could carry him. "Did you see that thing in the sky?"
"It's a ship. We have to assume it's Peridot." Pearl stated, peering through the telescope to get a better look at the massive, robotic hand now descending towards their city.
"It's happening," Greg mumbled
Steven was about to ask something else only to be stopped when he noticed they were down a member, "hey, where's Naruto?"
"We don't know, while we were setting up our defenses for what's about to happen, he disappeared." Pearl explained with a sigh, what is with that gem and dissappearing when they need him the most? "We didn't have time to look for him, we needed to get these light cannons up and running before that ship lands."
"We don't have much time to waste, ready the light cannons!" And so, Amethyst pushes the final light cannon into place while they hand a single walky talky to Steven. "Steven, light'em up."
"If every pork chop was perfect…..we wouldn't have hotdogs," The four light cannons blossomed in perfect unison and fired their payload, aimed straight for their intended target; the forming of their beams was a beautiful sight to behold….but it wasn't enough to stop such a massive ship. With a single shift, the ship blocked the heavy cannon fire with ease, not even leaving a dent on its palm as it shifted back to it's pointing position; it's speed unhampered.
"No effect," Garnet said, holding the telescope to her eye.
"What now?" Greg wondered aloud,
"We'll have to take them head on. The whole town might be in danger," stated Garnet,
Something clicked in Steven's mind. "Wait, maybe Naruto might have some idea to stop this thing."
Pearl said, "right now what's more important is protecting the city."
"I know, and I can make a call that will make sure the city is safe, but we might need Naruto in this fight. He knows Peridot and this Jasper person; if anyone can bring them down, it's Naruto." Steven said
"...He's right," Garnet agreed, "we can't lose him, not now."
Amethyst nodded, "yeah, we'll need all the help we can get."
"Very well, but Steven, you need to make that call first. Evacuating the town is our top priority." Pearl stated sternly, Naruto may be a helpful addition but he was not above the safety of the city. After Steven got on the horn with Mayor Dewey Steven stormed the beach until he got back home, the first place he needed to look to find Obsidian.
"NARUTO!" Steven yelled, barging through the screen door of his home before quickly going on the search, rummaging through room after room to try and find him. "Oh man, where could he be? This is no time for him to go disappearing on us again. NARUTO! Come on out, we need you!" Pearl's room? Empty. Garnet's room? Nothing. AMethyst's room? A lot of stuff, but not Obsidian. Living room, kitchen, fridge, freezer, his room, his drawers - all of these rooms and more were completely void of Naruto. "Guys, I can't find Naruto anywhe-" Steven's decree was cut short when he noticed the shadow of a standing figure displayed across the sandy beach. He looked up high where the shadow originated to find none other than the gem he was looking for, his eyes locked on the thing that's caused Steven so much fright. High in the sky rested a gigantic floating hand, it's index finger stretched out towards the earth.
"They're here," he whispered, his fist clenched tightly as a scowl etched itself across his features and yet, if you looked closely, deep within his baby blues, you could see a hint of fear for what was to come. "Why are they here so soon, I thought we'd have more time. Steven's not ready to face a gem like Jasper, none of them are….am I even ready to face her?...I don't know what I need to do, tell me something, Naruto, give me something!" But nothing accompanied his plea, a silence was what greeted him, something that's never happened before. "...Naruto?"
"NARUTO!" A faint voice called out to him, he looked down to see the tiny speck that was Steven waving his hands in the air, hoping to catch his attention.
"Steven?" With a quick jump, Naruto landed on the sandy shores of the beach, right next to Steven who seemed scared stiff about what was happening. "What's up, Steven? What's the matter?"
"What's the matter?! There's a massive golden hand pointing at Beach City, and then you suddenly up and disappear again! What do you think is the matter?" Steven comically yelled, he wouldn't be surprised if Steven's head had grown just to add a bit more to his sentence. However, even though Steven looked cute when he was mad, Naruto knew that Steven was actually worried for his teacher, and for that, he was sorry.
"Oh, I didn't mean to worry you, Steven. It's just….." Naruto trailed off, stealing one more glacne towards the hand.
"Why were you even up there in the first place?" Steven sighed, still a bit peeved at his teacher for leaving in such a mysterious way.
"...I needed to get a closer look at that thing," he said cryptically. "Peridot and Jasper are on the ship, I can feel it….."
"Naruto, are you gonna be okay?" Steven asked, following Naruto's gaze up to the ship still falling from the sky.
Naruto nodded, "...yeah, Steven, I'll be fine. Right now we need to worry about clearing this place of civilians, Jasper's not someone who cares about casualties."
"Don't worry, I've got my contact on that." Steven points over to the dinky little mayor on his rather egotistical little van talking to his people about evacuation. It was a good start, but Obsidian knew that it probably wouldn't be enough. Looking at the sweating face of their supposed Mayor, he knew the people of Beach City wouldn't leave their homes and their livelihoods for this man, no, they'd only leave if their was a truly kind and sympathetic voice leading them, one like Stevens, but it seemed like the Crystal Gems had already beaten him to the punch. Loading all of Steven and Greg's stuff into the back of Mr. Universe's van, the group stopped when they saw Steven's confused face.
"Oh, that's a great idea, dad. You should leave with the rest of-" His words soon stopped when he noticed his hamburger bag leaning against the van; they were expecting him to leave as well. "I-Is that my luggage?"
"Uh…" Both Greg and Pearl both muttered, "who wants to tell him?" Greg, Pearl, and Amethyst shrunk at such responsibility, leaving only Obsidian and Garnet to break the news to the poor boy.
"Steven, I know you don't think we trust you. I know more often than not, we treat you like a human child. But the truth is we rely on you." She hands him a megaphone, "your voice inspires us, binds us, reminds us why we promised to protect the planet. You must now be that voice...for them." She turns Steven, pointing him in the direction of his people who looked terrified of what was to come. "If anything happens, you need to be there to protect them, like your mother once did. It's your destiny."
Steven paused, fighting back the tears that threatened to pour from his eyes. "...B-But Garnet, what about you guys? Why can't I…..Why can't I protect you guys as well, you're my family."
"Steven," Naruto began, kneeling to Steven's height"I swear to you from the very depths of my soul, I will protect your family in your absence. I won't let these homeworld gems lay a finger on them, even if it takes every last ounce of my being to do so, I give you my word."
"...Do you promise?"
An all knowing smirk perched onto Naruto's lips as he gives his young protoshe a thumbs up, "it's a promise of a lifetime, and I never go back on my promises." Naruto said, placing a comforting hand on his apprentice's shoulder. "Now, get out their and protect your people, Steven!"
"I will," Steven nodded, wiping his tears off on his shirt sleeve. "I promise, I won't disappoint you two!"
"We know," with that, Steven jumps into his dad's van and heads out to help his people evacuate, leaving behind the only family he's ever known to deal with an unknown threat. "We did everything we could." Garnet said as the group watches Steven's van leave the beach.
"Hopefully we can buy them some more time." Obsidian sighed as he sees the tail lights disappear into the distance. "As I said, Steven, you will have your chance to shine one day. Sadly, today is not that day,"
"Alright, pull it together. We're free of any civilians, this is the time we need to focus the most." Garnet stated, just like a true leader would in such a situation. "Obsidian, you know what we're going up against, do you have any advice?"
Obsidian paused, taking in the image of the descending ship one last time before he spoke. "...Bring everything you have to this fight, because if you don't, Jasper will not take pity on you."
"Noted," Garnet nodded before turning to others. "Pearl, Amethyst - let's try to take this ship down with Opal's arrow barrage,"
"Right,"
"On it,"
As decreed by the shaded leader, Pearl and Amethyst began their fusion dance, something that Obsidian has the displeasure of not seeing until today. Just a few days prior he was lucky enough to do his own fusion dance but he was more focused on himself and his partner, he wasn't able to see how a fusion dance would look to a passerby and from what he could tell, both of them had a far different dancing style. Pearl was far more elegant yet it felt routine, rather boring if you asked him but Amethyst on the other hand held a more aggressive, unscripted dance that flowed from her core as if each time she danced it was slightly different. However, before Obsidian could analyze their dance styles any further, they had already come together to form their fusion, and Obsidian would be lying if he said that what he saw next didn't shock him.
Opal, now fully formed before her team, standing with her new bright-periwinkle skin, and thick, wavy, off-white hair. Her hair extends slightly past her calves, tied back into a rowdy ponytail. Extending from off the sides of the ponytail are two small pigtails in the front and chin-length bangs, which resembled Pearl's. Opal has a lean, toned body with two pairs of slender arms. Her face is thin and rounded, inheriting Pearl's pointed nose and Amethyst's plump lips. Her height surprised Obsidian, being at least twice as tall as Garnet. Her outfit consists of a fuchsia, knee-length leggings with pale-violet cuffs rolled up, and yellow flat boots.
Her visage was...striking to say the least.
Something deep inside Obsidian seemed to click just a little as he watched this magnificent fusion call upon the weapons of her two halves, Pearl's spear and Amethyst whip before bring them together to form a decorated bow. He'd never admit it out loud, but just then as he gazed at this union of his childhood friend and a respected member of the Crystal Gems, he felt his non-existent heart skip a beat.
He'd might be so bold as to say he's….infatuated with Opal's visage.
"Fire!" Garnet yelled just as the ship came in range of Opal's firing capacity.
"Right," Opal answered, taking in a deep breath, "release!" And just as she commanded, she relinquished the bow string, sending her energy arrow towards the descending ship in the sky. Once in range of the ship, the arrow separated into a barrage of smaller arrows, going for the quantity over quality approach to hopefully leave some form of impact against their enemies - unfortunately, they weren't so lucky. The attacks glanced off the hull, leaving mere scraps compared to what the gems wished it would leave - but the didn't have time to get upset about their failed second attempt to harm this hand in the sky, because said hand had decided to go on the offensive for once.
Stretching out one of it's many digits towards the beach, it began to collect a devastating amount of energy on the tip of it's outstretched digit, this hellish green orb of destruction was pointed at non other than Opal. Opal's eyes widened along with the others, each feeling worried for their own safety - what would this blast do? Is it powerful enough to wipe beach city off the map? Who knows, all they could guess is that whenever that attacks is fully charged, they'd be it's main targets.
As the others seemed to wait for the inevitable, Obsidian began to conjure up a plan that could possibly buy them and this city more time. Revelation hit him as he jumped into action without a second's hesitation putting himself between Opal and the massive floating hand in the sky. It was such a strange action to the remaining gems, what was he doing? Was he prepared to protect Opal and the others with his own body? That's very heroic, but they knew it wouldn't stop the blast from wreaking havoc on them and the city they so cherish.
But, all of their questions were laid to rest when Obsidian spoke to the ship. "Jasper! Peridot! I'm right here, if you want me, come get me, but if you fire that now I'll be lost forever! And I don't think you'd want that, would you Jasper?!"
"Obsidian, what are you doing?!" Opal asked, concerned for what her friend/secret crush was propositioning.
"I'm doing what I can to make sure that Jasper doesn't blow this place to kingdom come. She won't let me be destroyed, I'm too valuable to her." And in a few moments his words were validated as the gems witnessed the growing orb of energy slowly dissipate, leaving behind a few specks of light. However, once said energy had dissipated the ship began picking up speed, making a bee-line to the shore of Beach City.
"Could you reason with her, Obsidian?" Garnet asked, a rather optimistic question for the usual stoic of the group, but even she was willing to go with any and all options at this point if it ment the world and her firends were safe.
"...A long time ago I believe I could, but now….she's too far gone." Obsidian answered rather cryptically, at this point he'd rather now dive into his past memories, they'd onl throw him off the task at hand.
That statement made the fusion rather curious, "what caused her to turn this way?"
"...Me,"
While the gems dealt with the problem at hand, Steven could only set in his father's van, watching from the passenger window as the hand in the sky began to descend faster and faster as time moved on. "Maybe when Peridot gets to earth, she'll see how nice all the people are and she won't want to hurt anyone." Steven stated, his heart racing at the idea of what might happen to his friends but he knew he needed to steel himself in the moment, his town needs him, he needed to be strong, and besides, Obsidian won't let his family be hurt, he promised.
"Just like your mother." Greg said, a fond gleem shimmering in his eyes.
"Yeah?" Steven questioned, squeezing slightly on the megaphone he had placed on his lap.
"Yeah," Greg answered with a smile, hiding his true concern that plagued his heart for the world he calls home. "But these other gems aren't like your mother. They're not like Garnet, Amethyst, or Pearl. They're not gonna start caring about people now." He explained, his father like facade falling the more he discussed such things. He was terrified, absolutely terrified; the stories told to him by Rose, Garnet, and even Pearl would cause anyone to be. "...They didn't the first time they…" a pause hung over the van as Steven looked to his father, Greg's face dotted with perspiration - did he truly just say that out loud?
"The first time they what?" Steven asked,
"...I mean, it was thousands of years ago. It's - it's not like I was there." Hearing his father's reservations made Steven want to know even more, he leaned in and widened his eyes, prepared for his father to continue. "The gems should be telling you all this stuff, but I get it." Greg sighed, scratching his balding head as he tried to think of a way to put this delicately for his son. "I mean, they don't want you thinking of them like that."
"Like what?" Steven questioned, visibly worried about his father was about to discuss. Greg gritted his teeth and tightened his grip against the steering wheel, debating weather or not to continue down this path, was it his place to tell him? Would Steven's view of his loved ones change if he knew? "Dad, like what?"
And with that, Greg snapped, he couldn't keep silent any longer. "Like aliens, Steven! Aliens who invaded earth!"
"What?" Steven questioned nervously,
"All they do is try to make up for it, but the just can't forgive themselves. Do you understand?" Steven sat still, his eyes now glued to the dashboard in thought. Greg sighed, "look, they were doing something awful to the planet, and your mother couldn't stand it anymore. She told me that's why she had to turn on her own kind. She gave up everything just to stop what they started here and drive the invading gems off of earth."
Images flashed before Steven's very eyes, replaying all the times he's seen the damage the homeworld gems caused this planet and yet, at the time, it seemed Steven merely glossed over them as if they were just interesting little tidbits. Now, the veil has been lifted for Steven, the war that happened on earth, the Kindergarten, all of it - it was interesting or neat or even amazing, it was just what it's called, war. "So, sh-she saved the world. That's good!" Steven said, but his tone betrayed him; his statement sounded more like a question.
"Uh, no such thing as a good war, kiddo. Gems were destroyed. People, too. In the end, your mother could only save a handful of her closest friends. If it weren't for her shield - man, I don't know." Greg looked to his son, seeing how dejected and saddened he was by this whole thing. What type of father would do that, he must have thought. "Bu-but hey," he started, trying to change the topic, "let's look on the bright side. We're gonna drive by that waffle place in a couple of miles."
But steven wasn't having it, he couldn't abandon his friends, not now, not when they'd need his mother's shield the most. "We got to go back! Turn the van around!"
"No way!" Yelled Greg, his hair standing on end at his son's demands. "The gems don't want you going back."
"I know they're just trying to protect me, but I have to protect them! I have mom's shield, they need me!" begged Steven, his face wet with tears.
"I need you, too!"
"Please, dad what if they get hurt?!" Greg didn't answer, refusing to meet his son's gaze - electing to just keep his eyes on the road. "Dad, turn around." Steven begged, gripping his father's jacket in hopes of getting his attention, but it was no use, Greg couldn't bare letting his son risk his life. "Dad! Turn the van around, please!" His words now ignored, Steven, in a fit of rage did the unthinkable, he smashed his fist into the dashboard, breaking the glove box in half. However, Steven wasn't prepared for what was about to transpire next. The car's airbag fired off, squeezing Steven from the car to the outside and with one quick moment, Steven bubbled himself, allowing himself to fall to the ground peacefully as his father's van came to a screeching halt.
"Steven!" Greg yelled, rushing to his son's aid.
"Hey Greg, are you and Steven okay?" Soon, the whole town of beach city began to surround the two, worried for their safety.
"Yeah, we're fine," he sighed, he's never been this stressed before in his life.
"Dad, please, I have to go back." "They don't have my shield. Do you - do you understand?" tears now streaming for the poor boy's face, Greg knew what needed to be done, he didn't like it nor did he want it but this was no long about what he wanted.
"Yeah, I do." He said, his hand placed on his growing boy's shoulder. "Just...be careful or I'm gonna run fresh out of family." He wiped a tear for his boy's eye, such an emotional boy he was - he got that from him.
"Stay with everyone and keep them safe. I'll figure out some way to get back to beach city," Steven stated, his determination now at an all time high only to feel a soft weight land on his afro. It was lion, prepared to take Steven back into the fray. "Oh, this'll work!" And with a little lift from his father, Steven was on Lion, rushing towards his destination at a quick pace. However, before he was even out of sight of the Beach City residence, he remembered he had something that he needed to do. Quickly, he whipped out his phone and called a certain someone, his expression filled with worry. "Come on," he moaned, hoping someone, anyone would pick up - but sadly he was faced with yet another answering machine, leaving another burden on his shoulders. He did as the machine told him to do before Lion let out a mighty sonic roar, ripping a hole through the fabric of space and time, giving them the perfect leap they needed to end up right on the battlefield.
"Stay here, if something happens, dad will need a new son." Steven stated to Lion, dismounting his furry companion before heading straight for his friends.
Steven soon ran onto the scene to see the final few moments of the ship's descent, his family standing there on the shore of the beach, a defeated look etched into each face. "At least Steven is safe."
"Hey, guys!"
"Steven!" The mere shock Steven still being around during such a dangerous situation caused Opal to separate back into their original form, Pearl landing on the soft sand while Amethyst fell into the arms of Obsidian - to her never ending enjoyment.
"You came back!" Amethyst yelled, quickly remembering the seriousness of the situation as she kicked out of Obsidian's warming embrace, though, deep down, she wanted to stay in them for a bit longer if she could have.
"What are you doing?!" Pearl yelled, terrified of steven's return. The whole reason they shipped him off with his father was to protect him, and yet here he is in harm's way, just like they didn't want him to be. "Get out of here!"
"But -"
"It's too late," Both Garnet and Obsidian yelled as the noticed just how close the ship was, "just stay behind us."
"Steven! Listen to her! We'll protect you with everything we've got!" And just as Obsidian demanded Steven to do so, the hand finally landed, hovering over the ocean with the grace and procession a ship like that should never have. The ship soon flipped, revealing it's open palm to the group as it's fingers acted as ramps to the sandy beach below it. Once the sand settled, an orb appeared in the palm of this ships hand as it made it's way down the palm and to the first digit.
The more it moved the more unnerved the gems became, especially Obsidian. As he watched the orb make it's way to the tip of the pointer finger a lump caught in his throat, he couldn't speak, he couldn't even move - all he could do was tighten his grip on his scythe for dear life and hope that he can pull of a miracle.
The ball dissolved, revealing three gem forms before them, two of them were all too familiar for Obsidian, dangerously familiar. The index finger they stood upon lowered, allowing the three homeworld gems to step down onto the awaiting sand below them; the crystal gems now visible tightening up for a surprise attack.
"There they are, these are those gems I told you about that have allied themselves with Obsidian." Peridot stated, leveling a finger towards the three individual gems in question. However, Jasper didn't seem to register those supposed gems yet, her eyes were locked on her long lost comrade, her Obsidian.
"You have no idea how long I've waited for this day," said Jasper, her words sending a shiver down Obsidian's spine. "All those years of searching, all those years of planning and I find you on this dirt ball of a planet with a defective runt, a common pearl, and a disgusting display."
"Peridot, Jasper, this is between you and me, leave them out of this."
"Humph, I say we get rid of these plebs first, then we drag back Obsidian to homeworld." Peridot stated, but it didn't' seem like Jasper was listening, she was too focused on the gem standing before her.
"Is that all you've got to say to me? After all these years apart, did you even miss me?" she asked with a chuckle, her beefy arms now folded under her chest, a smug smile raising across her features.
"This isn't a game," Naruto stated sternly, leveling a glare towards Jasper.
"Obsidian," Steven whispered, pointing towards the blue haired gem standing nervously next to Jasper. "look, they have Lapis! We have to save her,"
"We need to focus on the task at hand, Steven. Right now, my top priority is to protect you, the gems, and this world. Lapis will have to wait," Naruto said, he felt bad for having to be so blunt but right now was no time for worrying about another foreign gem.
"But-"
Jasper's patients was running thin, she had not time to talk, all she desired was to take back what was hers. "You're right, Obsidian, this isn't some game. You've done the unthinkable and now I'm here to bring you back to your senses, to bring you back to who you truly are. So, before this continues any further, I'll give you one chance to spare yourself some pain; step aside and you won't be harmed."
"...If I did, could you guarantee me that you won't hurt these gems or this planet?"
"Obsidian, no, don't you dare try to sacrifice yourself for us!"
Jasper chuckled, "you know my answer. Not only are they defectors of the Homeworld, but they've also done something punishable by death. They tried to take you away from me,"
"I am not some object for you to own, Jasper!" He declared, finding her statement to be aggravating, for lack of a better term. "But fine, if you're unwilling to stand down, then I must stand against you! I won't let you hurt my friends or this planet,"
"Friends…." she grunted, her smug smile now replaced with a menacing snarl. "So, that's how it's going to be, right? You've abandoned me and your duties for these rejects….fine then, I guess I'll just have to beat some sense into you!"
"You need to leave, immediately!" Garnet stated firmly, taking her stance against this new threat.
"Yeah, Step off!" Amethyst growled, pulling her whip taught.
"This is not a gem-controlled planet anymore. You have no claim to this world or any gem inhabiting it, that includes Obsidian," Pearl fired off, standing proud with her teammates next to her.
"...So, this is all you have to go up against me, Obsidian? The left over gems of Rose Quartz's resistance?" "Some lost, defective pearl, a puny, overcooked runt, and this shameless display? I expected more….hmm? What is that?" SHe questioned, pointing a gloved digit towards the undefined gem of the group, Steven, who was peering from behind Naruto's pant leg.
Each crystal gem tensed, prepared to protect Steven from any onslaught from Jasper. Lapis looked afraid for Steven, hoping that maybe, just maybe Jasper would live at least Steven alone in this fight. However, that wasn't the case as Peridot decided to chime in, "it calls itself the Steven."
"He's just a human. He isn't a threat at all. He - he's not one of them."
"Heh, this makes this pathetic team of yours even more saddening, Obsidian." "You're allowing a lowly human to fight alongside you. How the mighty have fallen," "Alright then, seeing as you've refused my generosity, I guess I have no choice to take matters into my own hands. Peridot,"
"Y-Yes, Jasper?"
"Call in two of your Robonoids, I want them to deal with the rejects. Obsidian is mine,"
"Very well, calling out battle Robonoids."
As the orb like machines made there way out of the ship, Garnet turned to his apprentice with a stern look and said, "Steven, get out of here." Her words were stern, there was no humor or leeway in her statement, this wasn't a joke nor a game to her.
"Huh? But, wh-" Steven tried to defend his reasoning for being her but the team wasn't having it.
"We're serious, Steven, this isn't a place for you to be right now. Go inside and wait until this is settled," something Steven's never seen appeared upon Obsidian features, it was fear. He knew what was about to come, a battle of a titanic force clashing against the last resistance this earth has, and he wasn't sure which would fair better in such a fight so all he could do was hope that he could save at least one of his friends from this battle, that friend being Steven.
"He's right Steven, leave us." Pearl stated, gripping her weapon tightly as she looked onward towards her enemies preparing for battle.
"No," Steven definitely stated, planting his feet firm in the sand.
"I won't let you risk your life!" Garnet yelled, raising her voice for the first time towards her beloved Steven, at least Obsidian believes that to be true.
"But this is my home, and you're all my family!" Their dispute was short lived as the Robonoids called upon by Peridot were already set to attack moments after the command was made. Once her backup was ready, Jasper disrobed, letting the heavy garment crash against the beach surface with a thud. With a pop of her neck she summoned her weapon, a battering ram helmet, a weapon that was all too familiar to Obsidian. He's watched Jasper decimate thousands of people, creatures, and other gems with that thing, he never thought in a million years that such a brutal weapon would have been turned towards him.
"Let's finish this, once and for all, Obsidian!" And with that, regardless of if the Crystal Gems were ready for something like this or not, the battle began - Jasper rushed forth to meet the gems head on along side the two Robonoids taking up her flank, controlled by none other than the tech savvy gem, Peridot.
"We don't have time to argue! Amethyst, please, take Steven away from here while we hold them off!" Naruto ordered, summoning his weapon of choice without warning. Any second with Jasper in battle is a struggle, if you are even a second slower than her you've given her an opening that she won't hesitate to take; Naruto refused to give her such an opening.
"No," Amethyst denied outright, "I won't leave you behind to face this monster! You'll need all the help you can get,"
"We can't let Jasper take Steven, just do it!" Obsidian was growing anxious, the closer the stappeding Jasper came to them the more worried he grew. Doubt began to creep into the forefront of his mind, he's grown weak of the years while Jasper has done nothing but hunt him down and train to bring him back someday, maybe she is beyond his strength, maybe she's grown too much, maybe…..he couldn't think like that right now, his enemy was baring down on him right now and he needed to focus. So, with a heavy breath, he stated firmly, "I'll be fine…..I know for certain that she won't shatter me,"
Amethyst looked a bit uneasy about leaving her friends behind but reluctantly said, "...Promise me that you will stay safe,"
"Amethyst, I-" Obsidian began, but Amethyst refused to hear any excuses.
"Promise me!" She ordered,
Time was not on their side right now, so he thought it'd be best for her to just hear what she needed to hear. "...Alright, now go!"
With a nod, Amethyst went to get Steven, prepared to protect him with her life. "Come on Steven, let's get you outta he-" She reached out to grab his hand and lead him away from the battlefield but Steven was too quick.
"No, I won't run! My family, the people that mean the most to me are in danger, I can't just sit around and let you protect me!" Bravely, Steven rushed past Amethyst, prepared to defend his family with his life just as they were prepared to do the same. "I'm - I'm a crystal gem too!" As Jasper and her Robonoids came into range, her head now cocked back to deliver a hellish attack, Steven's gem began to glow. Before anyone could do anything to stop this display, Steven's shield appeared, this time larger than ever before, just in time for Jasper and her robotic sphere's to colloid with said shield.
The clash was hellish, cracking the very shield that blocked their path - but, with one mighty shove, Steven sent the opposition back, Shoving Jasper a few feet away while the Robonoids rolled to a stop next to her. The Gems were astounded with Steven's show of strength, but were immediately worried when the young boy dropped to his knees, overwhelmed by the excursion on his body in such a short amount of time.
"That shield, that symbol!" Jasper gasped as the shield in question began to dissipate, giving Jasper the opening she desired. "Peridot, send your Robonoids to take on the stragglers!"
"Yes, Jasper!" Peridot answered, sending her robotic minions to do her bedding. As Steven laid defenseless against the sand Obsidian kneeling next to him, his family were now targets of the homeworld gem's next attack. Thinking fast, Obsidian snatched up Steven and weaved through the orbs with grace, hoping that his friends the orb's were after could fight against them long enough for him to target his true adversary, Peridot. Jasper may pose a huge threat, but Peridot's tech was by far and away the most destructive thing on this battlefield. With a tap of her screens she could send a hellish barrage of laser fire from their ship or send out wave after wave of Robonoids until they were too outnumbered to even come back from it. She needed to be stopped, and once she was then maybe they had a fair fight….too bad something stood in his way.
"And where do you think you're going?" Jasper questioned, blocking the way with her massive, intimidating frame. "I wouldn't think you're going after Peridot, now were you? Heh, maybe the old Obsidian is still in there after all. Such a ruthless tactic, take out their technician, crumble their defenses, but I think you forgotten something; even without tech I can still pummel you into submission."
"Steven, run!" Naruto said, placing Steven down before preparing to take on Jasper head to head, something he's both dreaded and waited for, for 5 years. Heeding Obsidian's advice, Steven high-tailed it the other direction; but Jasper wasn't prepared to let anyone who oppose her retreat.
"Not so fast, Rose!" Jasper barked, prepared to blaze past Obsidian to stop this runt from retreating, but her tactical strategy was put on hold when Obsidian stepped in, brandishing his scythe. With a swipe of his weapon, he pushed back Jasper, keeping her at bay for the time being.
"You're fight is with me, remember!" Obsidian hissed,
"Oh, don't you worry, we'll have our fight, but right now I won't miss this opportunity!" Jasper stated, "I thought Rose was long since dead, but now that I see her alive and well, Yellow Diamond wants both her and you back on homeworld!"
"I don't give a damn what Yellow Diamond wants, you won't touch Steven and that's final." Naruto said firmly as he slipped into his fighting stance, prepared to keep Jasper at bay for as long as possible.
"Big words, I hope you have the power to back them up!" But, before Obsidian could even go on the offensive, Obsidian was taken out of the equation by the remote controlled annoyances that were the Robonoids.
"Grab Rose Quartz, Jasper, I'll hold them off!" Peridot yelled from the safety of her spot near the ship, her hovering metallic fingers dancing around the holographic keyboard as if it were magic.
"...Humph, that's the first useful thing you've done this whole trip, Peridot...I'm surprised." Jasper stated, it seemed like a compliment but even Jasper's compliments could be taken as insults if you look at them in the right light. With little time to waste Jasper rushed to Steven's positions, her big powerful legs leaping across the battlefield at a breakneck pace; while Steven merely couldn't outrun her. Steven collapsed on the sand, his previous act of heroism had zapped him of all his strength, he was lucky that he had made it this far; but because of his fatigue, Jasper was able to catch up with zero issues.
Standing tall above the boy's downed frame, Jasper stared before her at this sickening display of weakness and scowled, "Rose, why do you look like this?" She asked, looming over Steven's small frame. "Why are you so weak?"
"Don't hurt him!" Proclaimed Lapis, flying over to the scene on translucent water wings in hopes of defusing this situation. No matter what happened she never wanted to see Steven hurt, she could care less about the planet or the other crystal gems, but Steven was the only gem that was ever nice to her during her time on earth; if she was going to protect anyone on this planet, it would be him.
"You knew about this!" Jasper hissed, her words laced with rage.
"It wasn't relevant to the mission," Lapis meekly stated, unaware of what she has brought upon herself.
"You….You lied to me!" Enraged by this bit of information, Jasper lashed out, cracking Lapis across the cheek with unchecked powers, sending the water gem skidding across the sandy beach. "If there is anything I hate more, it's liars!"
Steven watched this display of brutality in horror, Jasper's strength was terrifying - how could anyone compete with her. With Lapis out of her way, Jasper begins to stalk the young gem, her eyes transfixed on his slowly retreating frame. "Leave Steven alone!" Yelled another before Jasper was taken by suprise from behind, a gauntlet drilled her in the spine, pushing the dominating gem back with a grunt.
Jasper growled, growing more frustrated by the second, "the thought of such a disgusting display was able to lay a single hand on me is an insult to me as a warrior! I will rectify that right here, right now," with a simple flick of her wrist, a oddly shaped weapon appeared in her hand. It had the shape of a odd tuning fork that held a oblong sphere within its gap. SPeaking of it's gap, a greenish electrical current rushed through it, adding to it's menacing nature. "Primed gem destabilizer!"
Jasper took to the offensive, charging Garnet with reckless abandoned as Garnet went on the defensive. She dodged a few strikes of this aptly named gem destabilizer before throwing in a few of her own punches, which, shockingly were dodged with ease - no one's ever dodged Garnet's attacks so easily. "Humph, sloppy." That was all Jasper said before digging the tip of the gem destabilizer into Garnet's gut, sending 1,000's of uncontrolled wattz through Garnet's very being. This display only lasted for a second before the unthinkable happened, Garnet cracked. A single, distinct line from the top of her forehead to the bottom of her waist began to form and branch off around her body, severing limbs and body parts without mercy.
The remaining crystal gems, who had their own hands full with Peridot's creations were stunned into silence as they watched the strongest one of them all, their best friend reduced to nothing more than a gem.
Obsidian watched on, his struggle against this massive orb taking a back seat to what he had just seen. "Jasper…..what have you done?" Naruto thought before he blew past his opponent and made his way towards Jasper, a new emotion taking over his visage, rage. "Jasper!" He yelled, prepared to take his once long time friend head on for what he just did to one of his friends, but he still had one thing standing in his way before he could reach her. With the element of surprise, the Robonoid he sidestepped was now gaining on him, ready to put a wrench in his plans.
This thing needed to be dealt with, now!
So, with a grip that would snap a tree branch in two, Naruto turned to face his orb like opponent; a red, heated aura rising from his blade as he aimed himself towards his target. With one swift motion, he sliced through the hard outer shelling of the Robonoid, leaving it null and unresponsive; unfortunately, his decision to take out this Robonoid came with a price.
Peridot played him like a fiddle, the Robonoid he just slashed through was only a diversion to help her pick off another one of their team members without opposition. Seeing as Obsidian was busy, Pearl and Amethyst went to defend Steven from the looming beast of Jasper; but before they could even make it half way towards their destination, Pearl was sideswiped by the last Robonoid and in one swift motion, it absorbed her into it's body before stultifying it's silicone inside, freezing Pearl in place in seconds.
"Pearl!" Amethyst yelled, following the orb back to the ship in hopes of finding a way to help her friend. While Amethyst focused on saving Pearl, Obsidian's course was undeterred - he needed to protect Steven, he promised everyone he would.
"Jasper, we have successfully capture the defective Pearl. She'll be placed on board our ship until further notice." Peridot stated over their communication link, controlling the Robonoid that has captured Pearl straight into the ship.
"Good, grab that useless Lazuli as well. Yellow Diamond might find the information she has a bit more useful than I did." Jasper chuckled before turning her attention back to Steven who was still shocked by his square mother's desemation. "Now, Rose, I have a bone to pick with you." She growled, gripping the boy by his collar and hoisting him up into the air with ease. "I was there, you know, at the first ware for this garbage planet. I fought against your armies. I respected your tactics. But this...this is sick!"
"Jasper, let him go!" Naruto yelled as he ran towards the scene,
"I don't get what you're planning, Rose, but look. Your base is taken. Your armies are ruined. You have failed!" Dispelling her weapon of choice, Jasper rears back her thick head before bring it directly into Steven's knocking him out without a second thought, leaving Amethyst and Obsidian as the only Crystal Gems standing.
"Jasper!" Obsidian seethed, reaching his destination only to find that he was already too late. He looked to the ground to find both of Garnet's gems casted carelessly against the sand shore. "You've gone too far!"
"Did you know that you had Rose on your team, Obsidian? Did you know you were harboring one of catalysts for that foolish rebellion back on Homeworld?!" Jasper questioned, only to get nothing in return; but, surprisingly, Obsidian silence spoke just enough for her to know he knew. "And yet you did nothing to stop it!"
"I told you the day I left, I am not fighting for Homeworld anymore!" He yelled, the rage and disgust for homeworld now coming through perfectly.
Jasper snarled at this, "...humph, you say that like you have a choice," yet her sour mood soon turned smug as she still held the unconscious body of one of Naruto's supposed friends within her grasp. "You will come back to homeworld and become mine once more or I'll shatter every last one of your friends,"
"You wouldn't dare," he stated, yet deep down he knew the answer.
"I've shattered gems over far less, don't tempt me." She chuckled, before presenting Steven as her proof. "Now, lay down your weapon and come peacefully or I'll start with Rose here," with little options open to him, Naruto recalled his weapon to the pleasure of Jasper, snickering at his submissive behavior.
"Good, you're at least still good at taking orders." She cooed, "now, kneel." Naruto was hesitant to do so, even if his friends were in danger his pride as a fighter and a warrior still ran through his veins, kneeling to her would only give her more power over him, more dominese. "I said kneel!" She said through gritted teeth, still holding Steven outstretched to carry home the fact that she still holds all the cards, "or do you want another shattered gem on your conscious?"
His knuckles were turning white, everything about himself was telling him not to do this but he couldn't bare to see Jasper destroy Steven - nothing was more important that protecting Steven, not even his pride. So, with a heavy heart, Naruto took a knee, once again caving into the demands of a crazy woman. "Heheh, it's always good to see someone understand the gravity of the situation." Jasper was loving this, she finally had control over her Obsidian once again and she refuses to lose such a thing again, "now, for your final order. I want you to fight that little runt of yours."
"What?!" He practically spat, she was insane to think he'd fight Amethyst.
"You heard me," she stated sternly, almost finding some sick sort of joy in toying with him. "I want you to take down your final soldier for me,"
"I refuse!" He barked through gritted teeth.
She paused, a slick smile appearing on her features. "Very well, if you're unwilling to do it, I'll do it myself. I'll crush that overcooked runt's gem under my boot heel, and then you can blame her destruction on yourself."
"How's about this 'runt' kick your ass!" without warning, Amethyst's whip wrapped around the muscle-bound gem's thick neck before Amethyst sends a stream of purple fire up the cord directly into Jasper's face, actually causing the gem some pain. With an opening presenting itself to Naruto, he rush the blinded Jasper, ripping Steven from her grip before toppling her with a shoulder charge.
Rolling out of Jasper's range, Obsidian came to a stop next to Amethyst who was still on guard for Jasper's next attack. "Thank you, Amethyst, I didn't know how long I could have stalled her." Obsidian said, placing the unconscious Steven down behind them.
"Well, you know me, I always love crashing parties," Amethyst joked, seeing Jasper's body shift - somehow she knew that her little attack wouldn't keep her down for long.
"Were you able to get Pearl?" Naruto asked, calling his weapon into battle with a flick of his wrist.
"No, that damned Peridot shut me out of the ship before I could even board it," she answered with a sigh. Just as Amethyst was close enough to slow down that Robonoid from entering the ship, Peridot had used her limp enhancer's offensive energy blast function to stun her for just long enough to board the ship with her price. It pissed off Amethyst to no end to have been outsmarted and outgunned by a damned Peridot but she knew she couldn't dwell on it right now, Naruto needed her and she knew the stood a better chance together than apart.
"So, it's just the two of us then," he commented, getting a nod from his shorter partner. "Alright then, let's give it our all!"
"You little runt! That actually hurt, I'll give you that much - but don't get too cocky on me," said Jasper, now back up on her feet for round 2. "That will be your only effective hit on me tonight, I guarantee it!"
"I'll take her high, Amethyst, go for her legs!"
"On it!" And so, the battle continued onward as the final members of the Crystal Gems took their last stand against the destructive Homeworld Gems. Each member showing everything they have against one another, each meaning to topple the other's; Amethyst's wide ranged whips kept Jasper on her feet while Naruto's quick feet and long reach with his scythe pushed Jasper back. It was something that Jasper hasn't faced in quite some time, an actual challenge, but that's not to say that the Crystal Gems were dominating their opponent.
Regardless of their range and skill working as a team, Jasper has never been known as a pushover, each crack of the whip from Amethyst landed on Jasper, yet did little damage compared to her first attack. Naruto, now doing anything and everything to land a hit, has only been able to leave a few knicks on her clothing and battering ram helmet, other than that, Jasper's alluded his swings.
However, this constant back and forth had to come to an end, and the gem to do just that was one who wasn't even in the fight.
Peridot, from her spot in the ship, watched as the three continued their little battle - growing more and more aggravated by the second. This was taking far too long in her opinion, knowing Jasper she's merely taking her sweet time against her opponents to assert her dominance over them. However, this wasn't something Peridot wanted to waste time on, so, with a few swipes on her keyboard, her plan went into action.
The ship they arrived in began to rise as it's pointer finger stretched out, a ball of pure energy developed on it's tip as she took aim. She had a choice to make, she could target dead center, right at the group or use a wide spread scatter shot for more of a concussive shot. She could end this quickly and take the center shot but something stopped her from doing so, no, it wasn't Jasper or the thought of her surviving and crushing her gem - though, come to think of it, that would be a good deterrent for doing so - it was Obsidian. He was within the line of fire and with the power behind this shot she wasn't 100% certain if a straight shot would kill all of them or not, and she didn't want to risk it.
"Why?" she questioned herself, her finger still hovering over the button, "why are you even considering this? Just...just press the button, you'll end this whole thing. Once that's done you can go to the Kindergarten, start it up yourself, and be back at homeworld before you know it. JUST PRESS THE BUTTON!" bue no matter how much she talked herself up, she just couldn't bring herself to take the shot. It wasn't just Jasper who wanted to bring Obsidian back, she's spent just as much time as Jasper has worrying over him, hoping that each planet they landed on might have him, but she also doesn't pretend like Jasper does that what he did that day, what he did to them was fake. She remembers what he did, she remembers all too well, yet even with all of that in her mind, the anger and hatred she holds for him deep down inside, she still couldn't pull the trigger.
So, with a sigh, Peridot settled for option number 2, "scatter shot!" She ordered, dragging her finger across the screen as the ship followed her laid out path.
Without warning, the ship fired, carving a line in the sand before exploding with enough concussive force to send each fighter flying, well, two of them anyway. Jasper, who beforehand noticed their ship raising from it's original position, latched herself to the sandy shore right before the attack hit which helped in keeping her glued to her current position. As the dust settled Jasper surveyed the area, hoping to find her weakened opponents so she could end this fight soon enough. As she searched, a body made itself known by shaking off the sand that had buried her moments ago - it was the supposed runt of the group, Amethyst.
Before Amethyst could even see straight after such a hellish attack, Jasper was on her like a vulture, prepared to dig into it's prey. Now pinned to the sandy beach by Jasper's heavy boot, Amethyst could only let out a whimper before her capture stepped up the pressure. "You know, I don't think you three understand what you've gotten yourselves into." She sighed, digging her heel into the small of Amethyst's back. "Obsidian is mine! He has always been mine and will stay that way, if anyone tries to stand in my way I'll shatter them like the pieces of trash they are. Starting with you!" With the blast taking a lot of out of her, all Amethyst could do was watch as Jasper prepared to headbutt Amethyst into extinction.
"JASPER!" The primal shout was followed with a strong shoulder barge, pushing the muscle bound gem back. "Don't you dare touch my Amethyst!" This attack was followed with another as, with one powerful uppercut, a fist connected with Jasper's chin, filled with as much raw, unkept power Obsidian could muster, sending Jasper flying through the air before landing a few feet away with a heavy thud. "Amethyst!" He yelled, dropping to his knees to scoop up his friend and rest her head against his chest, a concerned look quite apparent in his features. "Hey, amethyst, please speak. Tell me that you're okay, tell me that you can hear me."
With a timid voice, Amethyst spoke softly, "y-you said….your,"
"What?" He asked, far more worried about his friend's health and safety than about what he's said in the heat of the moment.
She reached her hand to his cheek, drawing his attention to her face rather than her condition. This was an important moment for her, far more important than her physical self right now. "You….said that I was y-your Amethyst, d-did you….mean that?"
"Of course I did, you mean everything to me!"
"Obsidian….you have no idea how long I've wai-"
"I've gotta hand it to you, that's the first punch you've thrown this entire fight that actually hurt me. I hope you have more of that left in your tank, if not, that'll just be disappointing." And just as the two were about to have the moment they've been waiting for, another had to step in. "Let's go!" Without remorse, Jasper reared her foot back before sending it flying towards Obsidian's chin, connecting flawlessly with it's intended target. With Naruto now skidding across the beachfront, Jasper continues her assault on a certain blue gem. Grabbing Amethyst by her shirt she lifts the defected gem into the sky, a menacing gleam in her eyes, "so, you're the one who's brainwashed Obsidian, you're the one that's made him this soft over the years."
"S-Shut up!" Amethyst raged, her moment was ruined yet again and this time it was ruined by this insane ex-partner of Obsidian, she refused to let her continue talking about Obsidian as if she owns him. "I-I love Obsidian! I always have, the only person who's tried to….brainwash and control him is you and that Peridot! I won't let you take Obsidian away from me again!"
"You little runt!" Jasper hissed in disgust, spiking poor Amethyst into the dirt like she was nothing more than a football, "you act as if you know him. You were nothing more than a passerby in his long life, while I've spent millenias with him; both of us shoulder to shoulder on the battlefield, learning each other's moves, our styles, and who we were! We were comrades, gems in arms; you were nothing!" Jasper stalked her prey as Amethyst tried her damndest to reach her feet. This battle, it was taking it's toll on our short little gem; Pearl's been captured, Garnet's been popped, and Steven's been knocked out - each member of the Crystal Gems has been systematically taken out except for her and Obsidian, they have to put up a fight no matter what, for their friends and this planet.
"T-T-That's not true….I…..I meant something to Obsidian! I always have! He told me that!" She refuted heatedly, refusing to let the tears building up fall.
"Do you know how many times I've ever heard him talk about you, runt?" Jasper asked, deciding to humor this little runt's fantasy. "Absolutely zero; I heard him talk about Peridot more than a disappointment like you,"
"You're lying!" Amethyst barked, "Obsidian and I-"
"Were nothing but a fantasy that you refuse to let go!" Jasper yelled back, shaking Amethyst's resolve by her mere volume alone. "Face it, you were nothing more than a distant memory in his life, and now, I'll make sure that memory ends here!" What more could Amethyst do? She's done everything she can do and it barely made Jasper flinch, she was done for, over, about to be popped and whisked onto her ship like all the others to be thrown into cells and brought back to homeworld - this was the end for Amethyst...and yet the hit never came. Slowly, Amethyst opened her eyes only to find a familiar face blocking Jasper's fist with the shaft of his scythe, holding her back as much as he could.
"Jasper, please, stop this!"
"Are you begging for this runt's survival?! They really have softened you up!" She yelled, soon gripping Naruto's weapon and pulling backwards, bringing him dead center into her chest. Once there she wrapped her arms around him, locking him into her hold as she squeezes him tightly against her own frame. "I remember when you'd crush defects like this under your boot heel, you were a real gem, a gem I looked up to, a gem I respected! But now, those treacherous gems back on homeworld and these rejects have warped your mind! I want back my old Obsidian, and I'll do everything within my power to do it!"
"Obsidian would never do something like that! You don't know the first thing about him, now let him go or I'll make you!" Amethyst yelled, finding new found strength in Jasper's ridiculous claims.
"Ha! You saying that just shows how ignorant you are!" She fired back, squeezing her price tighter to her body, reciving a pained grunt from said price. "Obsidian was a beast, one of the best gems we'd ever had, he'd cut through waves of our enemies in a single second which is why it saddens me to see how slow and out of shape he's become over the past few years! But don't worry, when we get back to homeworld I'll make sure you're back in working order."
"I won't let you take him back to become another grunt in your army!" Amethyst yelled, wildly flailing her whip around Jasper, hoping to get some reaction from her, but all Jasper did was take it in strides. Without wasting a second, Jasper allowed Amethyst's whip to wrapping around her arm before grabbing it full, locking Amethyst's whip into her tight grip.
"A grunt? Is that what you thought he was?" She asked, looking from Obsidian to Amethyst. Just as the gears began to turn in the lumbering beast's mind, a light chuckle came to her lips only for it to grow into a thunderous laughter. "ahahahahaAHAHAHAHA! What stories have you been filling this defect's mind with, Obsidian?!"
"Stop laughing!" Amethyst grunted, trying to wrestle back her whip from Jasper's hands but her grip was far too strong. However, with a single tug of the taught whip, Amethyst flew towards Jasper's awaiting fist, decking her across the chin yet again.
"J-J-Jasper! No….d-d-don't hurt her, I beg you!" Obsidian squeaked, watching helplessly as his friend was being systematically beaten to a pulp.
Her boot once again meeting Amethyst's prone body as she continues to laugh. "Do you really think that I'd risk my life or career on the battlefield for a grunt?! No, he's much more special than that, he was Yellow Diamonds right-hand gem, just like me!"
"N-N-No….y-y-your lyin-"
"Shut it!" Jasper growled, applying more pressure to poor Amethyst's chest. "He was the best we had to offer so of course he'd be by Yellow Diamond's side and he served with pride for 5,000 years, he was just like me! Ruthless, driven, and loyal until that damned rebellion got their hooks into him!"
"O-Obsidian….she's l-l-lying, right?" Amethyst looked to Obsidian, hoping to find soleus in his confirmation. "T-Tell me it's not true…."
"Yes, Obsidian, tell her the truth!" Jasper squeezed once more, eliciting another scream from her captured victim, "tell her how you helped Yellow Diamond terreform thousands of planets! Tell her how we wiped out countless species who got in our way, tell her how you put countless rebellion leaders to death before they kidnapped you! Tell her now or I'll crush her and her gem right here and now!"
"I-I-I-IT'S TRUE! I DID EVERYTHING JASPER JUST SAID, I WAS THE RIGHT HAND GEM FOR YELLOW DIAMOND!" A silence crept over the battlefield, each gem holding a different expression. Amethyst looked damn near heart broken, her supposed friend weaved a web of lies to her from the very beginning; Obsidian was down casted, ashamed of what he had to do at this moment in time, and finally, there was Jasper who couldn't look more pleased with herself if she tried.
"...N-No,"
"I-I'm sorry,"
"Good, I knew you'd come to your senses." but nothing was ever that simple with Jasper. With a hefty stomp, Amethyst's physical form was destroyed, leaving nothing but her dusty gem behind.
"B-But you promised!"
"Yes I did, but you know as well as I do how much our word is worth." Jasper stated blankly as she placed her boot over the gem this time, prepared to finish her job. "Now, I'm going to erase this defect from existence!" Everything seemed to go so slow, Jasper's boot moved an inch a second as she grew closer and closer to Amethyst's unprotected gem, prepared to shatter it without a shred of remorse. He couldn't allow this to happen but what could he do, right now he seemed to be no match for his captor, everything he's thrown at her has either been counter or just infective but he couldn't' just let his friend die. "No, this can't happen! I can't let this happen, I won't!" He thought as he saw Jasper's foot now one inch from the gem, his heart began to pound, no, he doesn't have a heart, then what was that beating? Something within him, something hot, something primal, something powerful began to bubble from his gem, a feeling that he hasn't felt in decades. "Amethyst, Pearl, Garnet, Steven - I failed you all but I won't let her take you four!"
"NOOO!" Naruto exploded with raw power, blasting Jasper backward with a force that she wasn't seen for a long time, the second source of power that's ever brought excitement to her very core.
"There it is! That's what I've been looking for all along! My true Obsidian!"
Obsidian, unfazed by Jasper's words, scoops up Amethyst's gem - he stares mournfully at it as he noticed a crack beginning to set through it's once perfect gemstone. "Amethyst, even if you never look at me the same way again, I'll protect you with all my strength." his thoughts gave him strength as he slips his friend's gem into his pocket and turns to his opponent, a deadly glare settling into his features. "You wanted the true me and you'll regret it! I'll make you pay for everything you've done to my friends!" And with that heated decree, both combatants pushed off, charging at one another with powerful strides and blistering speed, prepared to clash in a battle for the ages.
Thank you all for waiting for my this update and I hope it was all worth the wait. Now, this update is a bit longer than usual because my updates might become a bit more speratic of the course of the next few months. I've been back to college for about a month now and my projects are just getting harder and harder, so, if you're wondering why I haven't updated it, please, blame my professors.
But anyway, thanks once again for reading my story and if you liked it, please leave a review and PM me if you have any questions, I'll hopefully get back to you. See yea!