"We need to track down that Pearl. We found her pod. We know she's out there somewhere. She came to Earth with a job to do and odds are, she's still gonna try to do it. That's why I called you all down."

Connie glanced up from folding her romper. "Oh. So, you're not here to help me fold the laundry?"

Lapis and Peridot were also folding clothing, Lapis neatly while Peridot observing the fabric, seeing where she could stick her arms through, not organizing like the others.

"Oh, well… they can help with that." Jasper shrugged. "The chore wheel idea you had fell apart fast."

"Yeah, wonder why." Lapis huffed, motioning to a chore wheel Connie had made. Jasper's name was crossed out many times in red.

"Wasn't me." Jasper shrugged.

"We're a team, start acting like." Lapis sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Being alone has its perks." Jasper smirked. She slammed down beside Lapis. She made a messy pile behind her as they still talked.

"Why do you need this again?" Peridot asked, putting the article on her eyes.

Connie blushed and snatched it away. "Because I'm part-human girl, I grow and this is a must." She threw it behind her. She glanced at Lapis and grinned, "You should fuse with Peri! Oh! Or make Apatite, that could make this much
faster!"

"Hey! Yeah! That's a-" Jasper started but felt Lapis glare at her. "Sorry kid, but no. We only fuse in deadly situations, you know that."

Lapis suddenly clenched Connie's blue shirt, and Connie saw it had a assorted pile of shells printed on, including a oyster with a pearl in it. "Jasper, you don't think Pearl would come looking for us, do you?"

"Nah. She was sent here to do something in the Kindergarten, remember?"

"Do you think she's still going to try to reactivate it?" Lapis sighed.

"I… hope not." Jasper bit her lip, looking guilty. "If she gets it back up and running, the injectors will turn back on."

"Injectors? What're those?" Connie whispered.

"You've already seen them." Peridot said. Her gem projected a injector. "Well, you've seen them disabled. If Pearl reactivates them, they'll pick up right where they left off, planting Gems in the crust of the Earth, where they'll
incubate and suck the life right out of the ground," Jasper seemed to look at her huge build, her build that was only made from this Earth. "we can't let Pearl restart Gem production here, if we do, the entire planet will become..."

"Totally-" She glanced at Connie, hesitated, and then whispered, "skewed."

Lapis nodded.

"Don't worry, we'll stop her. C'mon, guys." Jasper called, walking up to the warp.

"Coming!" Peridot cried, running after. Lapis followed.

Lapis cocked her head and motioned to Connie, "C'mon, that means you too!"

Connie blushed in happiness and ran to them.

"You're a part-gem too." Jasper smiled, ruffling the girl's hair.

"Jasper, maybe we shouldn't bring Connie. This might be dangerous." Lapis whispered.

"I agree with Lazuli. We should have her stay." Peridot said.

"Are you two scared of that Pearl?" Jasper chuckled. They both looked away. Jasper frowned, "Well, she's gonna have to go through us first." They warped away.

Peridot projected a light from her gem and looked around. "Hm, it appears that nothing has moved since the last time we were here…."

"You're right. But just because Pearl hasn't been here yet, it doesn't mean she won't come." Jasper sighed.

Connie nodded.

"We gotta search this place."

Connie nodded once more.

"That way, we can make sure she doesn't show up!"

"Good plan!" Connie beamed.

Later, she was wandering around the kindergarten when she heard a voice: "Log date 6 5 2. This is Pearl, servant of Lady Rose Quartz, updating status." Connie snuck up and saw Pearl come on a elevator. "I am still stuck on this awful
planet... However, the fusion experiments are developing quite nicely if I do say so myself. A few have even emerged early... Tonight, I shall proceed in the new plan after finishing this one of…" Pearl noticed Connie and gasped in shock. "You!"

Connie was surprised as well but took out her sword threateningly. "Don't move."

Pearl blinked and then looked around. "Are… the others with you?" Connie narrowed her eyes. Pearl then frowned and huffed out, "Well, it doesn't matter, I'll capture you either way, like she wants me to!" Pearl suddenly grabbed
Connie's wrist so tightly she dropped her sword. Pearl started pulling her away in the direction of the warp and Connie yelled in protest, "Let me go! What do you want from me?!"

"Silly Connie, it's not what I want from you. If my lady wants you so badly for your humanness and gem, well then I must bring you to her." Pearl answered.

"Pearl!" They turned to see Jasper and the rest of the Temps with their weapons. Pearl gasped in surprise and Connie took the distraction as the time to slam her foot down on her pink slipper. Pearl gave a yelp and Connie ran, grabbing
her sword

The Temps chased after Pearl and cornered her.

"Nowhere to go! You're cornered!"Lapis cried.

"That's what you think!" Pearl laughed. She leapt exspertly scaling the wall. Connie gasped in suprise.

"Who taught a simple servant to do that?" Peridot growled. She threw her pole at the gem and it hit a injector that collapsed on her, pushing her down. The thing hit the ground harshly.

"I-Is she okay?" Connie whispered.

Suddenly, Pearl imreged by fling off a piece with her sword.

"Of course she is!" Lapis growled in annoyance. She ran at the gem and let a water clone run at her. Pearl leapt right over it though and used the hilt of her blade to knock Lapis away, making the clone evaporate.

"You Crystal Twerps! Go ahead! Wreck this place! See if I care!" Pearl chuckled. "I already got what I needed, and I'll have Yellow Diamond soon enough!" She leapt away and her laughs echoed around. Lapis gave a growl, getting
up, "Come on, Peri, let's go get her!" Peridot ran to her and grabbed her shoulders, letting Lapis fly off.

"Hurry, Jasper!" Connie cried, attempting to run. She kept trying until she realized Jasper was holding her up like a windup doll that didn't work unless you put it on the ground.

"If she wants you, you shouldn't follow her, besides, she didn't turn the injectors on. What did she do?" Connie glanced around and saw that was true. Jasper set her down and walked to the collapsed injector. She lifted in up to reveal
a dark hole. "Down here, kid."

"You know, you're really smart and strong." Connie complimented. "No wonder you beat Garnet! You have more brains and brawn then Ruby and Sapphire combined!"

Jasper gave a weak smirk. "Welp, you'd be the first to think it."

Connie tilted her head in confusion. "Don't you know it?"

Jasper only leapt down in the hole and Connie followed.

"Jasper, may I ask you something?" Connie asked tentatively.

Jasper shrugged, "What is it?"

"Um… How did you know-" Connie gasped suddenly when they reached the control room. "This place… it's worse than before."

"No doubt about that." Jasper whispered, looking at ripped out collums. "Something's up."

Connie grazed her hand on the shattered crystal that made the power. It was still shattered… "The power's not even on. What could she be doing?"

Jasper frowned, walking up to a column. "She somehow ripped these out. She's doing something strange." There was a sudden rustling and Jasper looked to a column that it came from. She frowned in suspicion and walked up to it. Connie noticed
and followed her. She gasped in surprise when she heard it too, the pillar shook. "Is there... something in there?" She asked. Suddenly, a small creature came down from the ceiling, it was a cut off blue leg with a orange hand seemingly
glued on. Connie gasped in shock as more like it fell. Jasper picked one up and Connie walked up, tilting her head, "What are they?" Suddenly, the one Jasper was holding attacked Connie, clawing at her head and hair. She gave a short scream
and Jasper quickly poofed it, holding it gently. Connie looked at the jagged shards and whispered, "It looks like... two gem shards stuck together…"

Jasper shook involuntarily and threw the shard away, disgusted. "Ugh!"

Connie looked at the demented things and choked out, "Are these all… gems stuck together?"

Jasper suddenly slammed her fist down on the ground, shattering it and making a dent. Connie gasped in suprise, "Jasper?"

Suddenly, the pillar started to shake once more and Connie held her sword out. "What was that?"

The thing exsploded and many gem shards forced together came out. They were shrieking and bodies formed from the shards for only a second. They reached out for freedom, but it was not granted. "Jasper. Jasper. What do we do?" Connie gave
a cry as smaller versions of it started to attack. She prayed her gem destabilizing powers would come, but they didn't in her panicked state. "Please, talk to me!" She attacked it with her thick blade, poofing it. Connie realized the bigger
one had grabbed Jasper and was holding her in place, she was shaking. Connie tried and tried to poof it but it was much too big!

Jasper gave a angry growl, blinking tears away. "These were Crystal Temps, shattered into pieces. They were buried together!"

"Jasper? Are you okay?!"

"They were forced together! URGH! No one should be forced to! This is wrong! Connie, destabilizatie them!" Jasper snapped.

Connie blinked, "I-I can't-"

"What do you mean, YOU CAN'T?!" Jasper cried, shaking more and more.

"I… It doesn't always work!" Connie yelled. "You can't just… use me!"

Jasper gave a growl in anger and finally pushed it away, poofing it. Connie glanced at her. "Are you okay."

Jasper was silent.

Suddenly, Lapis and Peridot entered.

"We lost her…" Lapis sighed. She saw Jasper holding the gemshards and slowly walked up. "Jasper? W-what is-"

Jasper gave a dark laugh. "She let this happen. She allowed this, Garnet allowed it to save herself!"

Lapis slowly relized and whispered out, "These… they were… No…. Homewprld did this?"

"OF COURSE THEY DID!" Jasper yelled, making Lapis gasp. "SHE DID THIS TO SAVE HERSELF! AND ALL OUR FRIENDS, THEY WERE IN THIS!"

Lapis held back tears. "Jasper… This isn't your fault!"

"OH SHUT UP!" Jasper shouted, shoving her away.

"Jasper!" Peridot snarled. She ran to Lapis and helped her up. "That is enough!"

Connie was shaking in shock and fear. She ran to Jasper and grabbed the shards. She bubbled them and bubbled them away. She panted and looked at the gems, and like a leader, whispered, "Let's go home."

A few hours later, Connie warped over to a hand of the temple which had a washer and dryer. She looked over to see Jasper leaning on the dryer. "Oh, um, hello Jasper."

Jasper didn't turn. "Here to check on me again?"
She growled.

"I… how did you know?" Connie asked

"Because you've been doing it every ten minutes." Jasper snapped sharply. "Listen kid, I want to be alone right now."

Connie frowned and whispered, "Are you... alright?"

Jasper gave a light chuckle. "Nope. Just wish you hadn't seen that."

"Oh." Connie whispered. "It's okay."

"No it isn't, Connie." Jasper sighed, slumping down to sit. Connie walked up and sat beside her. "... Why?"

"What Homeworld did… taking the shards and parts of fallen gems and sticking them togther, these gems weren't asked permission." Jasper sighed. "Sometimes, fusions can be unstable, as you've both seen, but at least it was her choice-"
Jasper paused and whispered softly, "Was it? Was it her choice?"

Connie gently put a hand on Jasper and the gem contuied, "Fusion is a choice, and those gems weren't given a choice. It isn't right. That… thing, isn't fusion." Jasper growled. They heard a beep from the drier and Connie got up and started
to take clothes out. She bit her lip and whispered, "Do you forget who you once were? Once you fuse, I mean."

Jasper glanced back at her. "You've fused before."

"Yes, but I mean…"

"When you're in a unstable fusion." Jasper finished. "Like Malachite or Sugilite."

Connie gave a tiny nod.

"Well… Malachite probably forgets about Lapis and I when she's around, probably thinks we can never come out…. I never thought anyone else would feel forced into a fusion but-" Suddenly, a light blue sock flew from Connie's hand. She
tried to reach it but Jasper caught it first. She looked at Connie, who was holding a orange sock. She smiled, "Nice catch. Better pair them back up."

Jasper looked out at the ocean and sighed, "No, they don't match…"