Connie and the Temps were in the battlefield filled with strawberries again and Connie glanced around. "Why are we here again?"

"This was a site of two historic battles, one of which we found Lapis." Peridot smiled. Lapis gave a groan. "Every weapon here was left by a Gem over 5,000 years ago. I don't like to disturb it, but Jasper said she feels guilty leaving
these lying around."

Lapis picked up a large ax that she recognized and smiled. "This won't try to kill us anymore!"

Connie and Peridot nodded in agreement.

"I wonder if I can find some ancient artifact around here!" Connie cried, skipping away. "Lion help me look!"

The lion glanced sitting next to Jasper. He walked away and started digging at something.

"Aw, come on." Connie groaned.

"You must order the lion,Connie!" Peridot groaned.

"Oh, we've been making progress, now he looks at me when I say his name!" Connie grinned. She called his name, then again, and again until she gave up. "Uh, sometimes…"

Connie turned and saw a shine from dirt. She ran over and got something out. She brushed it off and saw it was a gorgeous gleaming shield, yellow with her mother's insignia. "Peridot, look!"

Peridot walked up and grinned. "One of your mother's soildersmust've had a real shield, to help defend…"

Connie smiled softly. "I think… Can I keep this? Please?" She begged. For some reason, she thought it might make her close to the gem who had fallen holding it.

"I suppose…" Peridot muttered.

There was a gentle roar and they turned to see Lion had a yellow scabbard in its mouth.

"Oh my stars! The scabbard for Yellow Diamond's sword!" Peridot gasped, running to the lion. She tried to struggle it away from Lion but he held firm. "Gimme it, beast!"

"My mother fought here?" Connie whispered.

"That's right! And I, the brave Peridot, fought alongside her." Peridot grinned.

Lapis gave a sigh. "I wish… I could've been here before being abandoned."

"No, you don't." Jasper growled. "You would've been caught in a war, captured and forced information out of if you sided with us and they caught you… It was filled with destruction and death."

Peridot suddenly popped in front of her. "But we won! Your mother led us to glorious victory! The odds were against us, and our hearts were uncertain. But we chose to fight alongside our Diamond, and here we made our stand against our
Homeworld!"

Connie smiled.

The gems warped home.

"Come on, I'll help you with that." Jasper said, helping Lapis with the ax.

"It's been ages…" Peridot whispered, hugging the scabbard close, blushing. She felt Connie staring at her and turned. "What's upsetting you?"

"W-what was my mother like?" Connie whispered.

"She was courageous, and brilliant... and beautiful... Sometimes, you look so much like her." Peridot grinned.

Connie smiled softly.

"Connie... Maybe you should hold onto this…" Peridot whispered, givingthe scabbard to Connie.

Connie's eyes misted. "This'll complete it… I've been needing this, thank yo-"

Peridot had clearly been to lost in memory, not listening. "I wonder where her sword is… Nothing else could fit so perfectly inside! Let's go get it!"

"Peridot, you don't-"

"Can you keep a secret? Take it to your shattering point, I pray it never comes?" Peridot whispered.

Connie's voice trailed off. "A secret?"

"Shh! It's a secret, even to Jasper and Lapis. Yellow Diamond had a place that she kept hidden from all but me, but you have her gem. That place is yours now, and I can show it to you!" Peridot cried, giddy with excitement.

"Okay…"

They warped and saw a mountain.

"Now it's just a three-hour hike that way, followed by a vertical climb at 90 degrees. Think you can handle it?" Peridot asked. Connie nodded eagerly.

Despite wanting to, Connie was soon too exhausted to move. Peridot climbed up the mountain with Connie tied to her back by the metal pole wrapped around her waist.

"I was your mother's sole confidant— for the words she could share with no one else, I was there to listen." Peridot smirked gleefully.

"Why'd she keep so many secrets?" Connie asked.

"She had to, Connie!" Peridot said. "It's the mark of a great leader, knowing just what to keep hidden from everyone you're trying to protect. Everyone except me!" She squealed. They reached the top and went into the cave.

"Welcome to Yellow Diamond's secret armory!" Peridot announced. Connie recognized it immediately. "I'm sorry, but I've been here before…"

"W-what?" Peridot asked dryly. "Connie, no, no that's insane. You must be thinking of someplace else, I'm the only other Crystal Temp that's witnessed the Armory's magnificence before now!"

"No… Lion showed me…" Connie whispered.

"THAT YELLOW MAMMAL?!" Peridot cried.

Connie gave a tiny nod, motioning her to the pedestal. "Um, yes… There's a lot of amazing things in here!"

"I know!" Peridot groaned, watching the floor glow yellow. "That's why I brought you here! Now let me show you how you can access the artillery."

Connie placed her hand on the placed pedestal. "Oh, no. I can do this!" She blinked and smiled in memory. "Oh, right." She poked her cheek and axes came out of the floor. "Look, axes!"

"The Axes of Ages?!" Peridot murmured in surprise.

Connie poked herself, wincing. "And then there's this really strong warrior with chains!"

"The Heretic's Anguish?!" Peridot groaned, pulling her hair.

Connie poked her side again and grinned. "Three Electric Cannons!"

"The Electrocuting Trio!" Peridot whispered.

Connie poked her nose and armor came out. "And, armor!"

"The Armor of the Fallen, Connie! Ugh, this is crazy!" Peridot fell onto the floor rocking herself. "We're looking for her sword!"

Connie blushed. "I thought you knew…"

Connie stood in front of Lion and it had bowed to her. "There's a lot of things in here," Connie said, holding the yellow shield from the battlefield. She leapt into Lion, holding her breath. Lapis, Jasper, and Peridot waited until Connie
leapt back out. Before they could respond, Connie ran up the steps and grabbed the sword from her room. She ran back and said, "I found it in Lion's mane, and have been using it pretty often." Connie explained.
"But ever since Amethyst… I decided not to just carry it around until real world-threating emergencies, like when Amethyst tried to kill Dad and Steven."

"Yellow Diamond's sword, how did it start in there?" Peridot squealed, pointing to Lion.

"I don't know, but there's a ton of stuff in there, I keep stuff in him too, as you saw." Connie grinned.

"HOW?!" Peridot screeched. She ran to Lion and tried to enter but he growled at her. "This beast… it couldn't be related to such a beautiful, glowing, lustrous, won-"

"That's why it's so yellow!" Lapis interrupted, rubbing its back.

"Duh!" Jasper chuckled.

Peridot glared at them. "But… My Diamond didn't have a lion."

Connie slowly took the sword out and put it in the real scabbard. "But… I'm almost certain it's her things."

Peridot almost forcefully tore the sword and sheath away. "No, My Diamond didn't have a lion, because if she did have a lion I would have known about it!" Peridot cried, hugging the sword and flushed.

"Yellow kept many things secret, even from us." Jasper tried, crossing her arms.

"But not from me, I was the one she told everything, me, Peridot, not you!" Peridot growled, tears in her eyes.

Lapis gave frown, her eyes burning, her own small tears floating upward with her unchecked emotions. "Peridot, we miss her too!" Jasper grabbed Lapis' shoulder to calm her.

"You clods can't understand how I feel, none of you had what we had!" Peridot yelled, her right hand curling into a fist.

"She probably just wanted to protect you, like everyone else." Connie whispered weakly. She gave a small smile.

"What do you know?! You've never even met her!" Peridot slammed her fist into the wall, causing the picture of Connie's mother to fall off. Peridot gave a whimper but Jasper caught it just in time. Peridot looked at Connie who was shocked.
Peridot gave a growl and ran to the warp pad.

Lapis flew to Connie, checking for injuries. "P, you could've seriously hurt her!" Peridot vanished on the warp pad.

Connie looked up and whispered. "Where did she go?"

"I don't know." Lapis sighed. She turned around and whispered, "And at the moment? I don't care."

Connie watched Lapis run to her room and turned to Jasper. "Jasper?"

The gem didn't respond.

"I-Is she going to be okay?" Connie whispered, wiping away a tear. Jasper had seemed to be lost in her own memories. "I'm… going to go check on her." She turned to Lion. "Do you know where she went?"

Lion gave a growl.

"That's a yes, isn't it." Connie said, hoping on the animal. "Let's go!" Lion opened a portal and leapt in.

Jasper frowned and whispered, "Good luck, kiddo."

Lion and Connie were back at the Gem Battlefield. "Peridot?"

Peridot was clutching the sword and turned to see them. She fled. "Go away, Connie!"

Lion made portals and caught up to the small gem. Peridot was trying to run and get somewhere private.

"Please! Stop!" Connie yelled.

Peridot ran faster and jumped onto small platforms of earth. "Get that hairy neon beast away from me!"

Connie stopped Lion and whispered, "You better sit this one out, Lion." The animal sat down in front of his young mistress and she turned back to see Peridot was leaping among the platforms. Connie was in fact much more graceful than
Peridot, so was quick to catch up.

Peridot leapt onto the highest platform though and Connie was hesitant. "I guess… I'm coming."

She leapt to another platform and another until she was one away from Peridot.

"This is really hard to do in flats." Connie laughed nervously.

"Go away! I don't want to talk about my feelings right now!" Peridot squealed, back turned.

Connie felt her heart sink. "Peri! Did I... did I do something wrong? You got to tell me!" She cried.

Peridot didn't respond.

Connie didn't care if no human could make the jump. Some part of her memory said she could make it. Connie took a breath and ran off the edge. She felt like she was flying, light as air. She was filled with determination. Then, Peridot turned.
Her face was filled with both anger and sorrow, eyes filled with tears as she clutched the sword.

Connie's eyes widened in surprise, and she fell.

"CONNIE!" Peridot screeched, watching her fall.

Connie was quick to grab a vine just before she fell into a infinite forest. She was sweating, thin arms struggling to hold on tight. She glanced up and saw Peridot was looking down from the platform, as if to see if she was okay. Once she saw
Connie staring, she went back.

Connie slowly started climbing up and got to the top, panting. Peridot had both hands to the side of her face, crying tears of sorrow and anger at herself.

"Peridot!" Connie cried, running to her. "Peri, you have to tell me what's wrong.

"Sometimes, you even sound like my Diamond…" The gem whispered. "Do you even remember this place? Do you have any of her memories? We fought a battle here, found Lapis here…" Suddenly, her gem glowed and a hologram of a towering
woman appeared. Connie looked at it with tears in her eyes.

"Peridot…" The hologram said in Peridot's voice.

"Yes, my Diamond?" Peridot asked, making her hands into a diamond shape but Yellow slowly pushed her hands to their normal state.

"I'm going to stay and fight for this planet. I've put you and Jasper through so much already, and that Lapis Lazuli almost shattered you both today.…" Yellow whispered. "You don't need to fight alongside me…"

"But I have to-!" The Diamond put a finger on the gem's lips.

"You might've been made for me, but you do not have to serve me any longer, I am a traitor." The hologram said. "Please, please understand if we lose, we'll be killed, and if we win, we can never go home."

"But why would I ever want to go home, if you're here, my Diamond?" Peridot smiled softly. "I will always serve you."

Yellow let out a laugh. "My Peridot…" She reached out her hand and Peridot's eyes grew into stars. She breathed in excitement and slowly grabbed it but the hologram poofed away…

"Everything I ever did, I did for her." Peridot whispered, Connie staring in surprise, trying to comprehend. "Now she's gone, but I'm still here, and I'm going to die here and… Sometimes, I wonder if she can see me through your eyes."
Peridot gave a sigh. "What would she think of me now?"

Connie hesitated before walking up and hugging the gem. "Well… I think you're pretty great." Peridot flinched in shock, then started silently crying…

A few minutes later, Peridot and Connie had climbed down and Peridot had given Connie back her mother's sword and scabbard, which she put on her back to return to her room later. Connie then told her the crazy story of how she and Steven
had first found the sword, acting it out and making Peridot crack a grin. Connie got a idea and held her breath. She leapt in Lion and then came out holding a yellow battle flag that she had seen before. Peridot gasped.

Connie sat beside Lion later, listening to the epic tales of the Gem War and of her mother that Peridot told. And later, as the sun set, Peridot and Connie rode Lion home, the flag still firmly grasped in Peridot's hands.

I couldn't hold this in! Okay, change of plans, Once every Wednesday.