The Crystal Temps walked in a dark cave. All was quiet except for a squeaking noise. Jasper shushed them. "This way."
Peridot turned to Connie, who was responsible for the noise. Connie blushed in her yellow rain slicker. "Connie!" Peridot hissed in a whisper. "You're making too much noise! Take off that garment of clothing, now!"
"But Lapis told me to wear it! Honest!" Connie insisted.
Peridot glared at Lapis who shrugged. "I didn't want her to get cold, ok?"
Connie held her arms out to be quieter. "See? I'm being quiet!"
The gems trudged on when Connie suddenly stopped. "Guys…. this cliff I'm on is crumbling…"
"Then get off it!" Peridot squealed.
The cliff broke and Connie screamed in fear. She suddenly was scooped up by Lapis. Jasper and Peridot suddenly landed on the ground to face a giant gem monster.
It shot little spikes at them but Jasper dodged easily.
"Lapis! Get Connie out of here!" Peridot yelled.
"Hold on tight!" Lapis cried. Connie wrapped her arms around Lapis's neck. The woman zoomed away, to a nook in the side of a wall that they could safely watch from.
Jasper dodged the arms and made her helmet. She slammed into the monster's mouth and it poofed. Jasper bubbled the gem and sent it away.
"Jasper! That was amazing!" Connie cried. Lapis flew her down.
"Wait! Those little parasites are getting away!" Peri cried, pointing to the little drills left behind.
"And if they come back," Jasper smirked. "They'll have me to dealwith."
Connie skipped in front of the gems later on the beach. "We all worked so hard, we deserve a reward."
"You have something in mind?" Peridot assumed.
"Well," Connie said. "Steven's been telling me the arcade at Funland's pretty cool, can we try it?"
"Well…." Jasper muttered. "Do we have to?"
"Come on, guys!" Lapis said. "We deserve a break!"
They were at the Funland Arcade and Connie dragged Peridot to a game. "Try this! It looks like you'd like it." They looked up at a game called Road Killer.
"I get to… kill the road?"
"Yes. You like that, right?"
Peridot glanced at Connie. "... Sure?"
"Just try it!" Connie said, skipping away.
"Kill the road!" The game said.
"Huh…. Okay!" Peridot squealed.
"This game has water in it, you'll like it." Connie said, showing Lapis a game where she could shoot water out of a gun in clowns mouths. "You can get tickets and those will win you prizes!"
Lapis watched Connie bounce away. Lapis looked at the game then at her hands.
"Teens of Rage?" Connie whispered, pulling Jasper with her.
"Try this… I think you just punch." Connie said.
Jasper took it literally and punched the screen. It broke. "Yes! I won! Try to beat that, Teens of Rage!" Jasper cried. Connie stared.
She ran to another game called Punch Buddy. "Here! You can actually punch this!"
Jasper did so and the thing flew off. "Yes! I win again! These games are nothing!"
Connie took her to "Meat Beat Mania"
"Hey! This is a game that has no violence! You just… shake the meat to the beat?" Connie whispered in confusion.
"Whatever you say, kid." Jasper shrugged. Connie grabbed her before she punched the game and gave her a bag of coins. "Steven gave these to me, to try at the games. Just…use the meat!"
She walked over to Peridot to see the gem laughing in triumph. "DIE ROAD, DIE!"
"You're… doing fine." Connie whispered. She glanced over to see Lapis with a dark look in her eyes, her arms forward like she was a puppet. Connie saw Lapis was using her powers to drown the clowns and was winning many tickets.
"Lapis! W-what are you doing?!" Connie cried.
Lapis shook out of her trance. "I'm winning you a falcon plush, it looks like the one in your books…" Lapis said.
"You mean… from the Spirit Morth series?!" Connie cried.
"Yeah."
"Aweso-"
Suddenly, Mr. Frowny walked up. "Do you two know what happened to Teens of Rage?" He asked blandly.
"Oh, yes sir! Um… about that…" Connie stuttered.
Lapis realized what must've happened and covered Connie's mouth. Connie looked at her with confusion. "Actually, we don't!" Lapis laughed nervously. Lapis tugged Connie away.
"But I do! This is wrong!" Connie cried.
"I don't want us to get in trouble!" Lapis answered. "I think saving the world multiple times will be enough for him!"
She grabbed Peri's arm as they passed. "We're going home!" Lapis said. Peridot pulled away. "No! I'm winning!"
"P, come on!" Lapis yelled. Her water came out of her gem and pushed Peridot away from the game. "NOOO! LAPIS, YOU CLOD!"
It was the next day and Connie was absorbed in her book.
"What's the mission today?" She asked dully, almost completely trapped under the book's spell.
"Jasper will let us know." Peridot said, practicing her powers.
"I wonder what the mission is…" Connie mumbled, rolling over on her stomach on the bed.
"Jasper told me a secret mission for you, Connie!" Lapis exclaimed from down on the couch.
"Really?!" Connie squealed.
"Yeah! She said to put the book down and spend some time with Lapis, oh wait! That's me!" Lapis laughed. "Seriously, you're too obsessed with that silly book!"
"I am not!" Connie huffed. Her phone suddenly rang it's little catchy song and Connie answered it. "Hey, Steven! What's up?" The gems watched her listen and then nod. "Okay! Yeah! Yeah, I'll be there!"
Connie ran down to the beach. "Hey, Steven!"
Steven turned with his metal mutt and smiled. "Oh, hi Connie! Thanks for coming!"
Connie ran to him and took the metal detector he gave her.
They started hunting for quarters together with the two Metal Mutts.
"So… Other than helping you search for quarters, you said you had something to talk about with me?" Connie asked.
"Oh, yeah! It's your gem friend, Jasper, I saw her at the arcade a little bit ago. Is she okay? She seemed… angry, like she was going to punch something!" Steven said.
Connie looked up. "W-what?!"
Suddenly, Steven fell back in surprise. Connie turned to him. "What's the matter?" He pointed to the sand and Connie saw one of the parasites from the day before. It snapped onto Connie's hand and she cried out in fear. She threw it upward
and Steven gasped. "What is that?!"
"A parasite!" Connie cried. She turned to Steven. "You need to hide!"
"No! I'm not leaving you alone! I can protect you!" Steven cried.
"No! Not now!" Connie cried. "Go!"
"Connie-!"
Connie shoved him away the other direction. "Please! I'm protecting you!"
Steven looked upset but then grabbed her hand and closed it around something hard. He ran away. "Maybe I can't protect her… but the gems will!"
A few minutes later, Connie screamed in pain as the tiny drills hit her. Suddenly, a metal pole block some of their strikes. Peri and Lapis landed beside her.
"Steven told us you were in danger! I like that kid, he keeps you safe!" Lapis cried.
Connie then remembered Steven's gifts and glanced down at her hands. Eight quarters? What was she to do with eight quarters?! Just add them to the bag with the many others he gave her that Jasper now had and was using to play… "Meat
Beat Mania." Connie breathed.
"We need Jasper!" Peridot growled, the spikes overwhelming them.
"I'm on it!" Connie yelled.
The girl raced to the arcade and found Jasper still playing. She was incredible!
"Jasper! Jasper, we need help!" Connie cried. The gem didn't respond. "Jasper?!"
Jasper clenched her teeth when Connie grabbed her arm. "Get. Off. Me." She growled.
Connie let go. "Are you… okay?"
Jasper didn't look at her. "I must beat this game! It's taunting me!"
"Jasper, the little drills are back! Lapis and Peri are in trouble!" Connie cried.
"Just… 5 more hours…" Jasper growled.
"You're obsessed! I'll save you!" Connie said, running to the cord. She unplugged the game and it stopped. Jasper turned to Connie. "You think that will stop me from winning, kiddo?"
"Jasper, what has gotten into you?!" Connie cried.
Jasper shoved the girl to the ground then sighed. "Yellow gave this to me only for emergencies… I don't care." Jasper got a gem destabilizatior from her belt in the back and put it in the game. She resumed.
Connie realized what she must do and ran to the game. She inserted the quarters and started to play. She tried 3 more times, failing each! She had no quarters left
"No…" Connie whispered. "No, no, no! That was supposed to stop you! Why haven't you stopped?! What is wrong with you right now?!" Connie sobbed. She ran up to the screen and started to punch the game's screen, tears slipping
down her face. "Your friends need you! Please! You've become a monster!" The game finally broke.
Connie sobbed over the game when she felt a hand on her. She turned to see Jasper had tears in her eyes too. "Connie… I'm sorry. My competitive spirit always takes control whenever I'm really upset about something…"
"Is this about Lapis? Is that what you're upset about? Don't think I didn't notice how scared she was at the dance competition last week. Will you tell me what's up?" Connie asked.
"Some other time…" Jasper whispered. She ruffled the girl's hair.
Connie watched Jasper run out to join thier team and they started fighting the drills.
"It was you." Mr. Frowney muttered at Connie from behind. "You broke my games, didn't you? Oh, of course you did."
Connie frowned as he handed her a broom.