Pearl was at the Galaxy Warp, picking up pieces of the broken warp to Homeworld. "Urgh. Why is this always broken?! And the Hub's down too. Urgh! Stupid Crystal Twerps! They ruin everything!" She released the pile. "Perhaps, if I
get Yellow Diamond or 'Connie' as they call her, Rose will-" A warp pad nearby glowed, revealing Connie and the Temps.
"I win! I did it! Ha, ha!" Peridot squealed. Connie took out her sword and threateningly said, "You're not getting away this time."
"Good. You came right to me." Pearl whispered, eyeing Connie's gem. "How did you find me anyway?"
"Why would we tell you?" Connie growled. "You'll never escape us! No matter what you do!"
"Pearl, we're gonna-" Jasper started.
Peridot pointed her pole and cried out, "Prepare to die!"
Pearl gave a huff and turned, crossing her arms, "Yellow Diamond, surrender yourself, before I get too bored with your servants."
Connie gave a growl, gripping her sword harder, "They're not my-"
"NEVER!" Peridot screamed. Pearl groaned, "I do not have time for this!" She whipped herself around, her dual blades sliding against each other. "Listen here, your planet will die and I'm not sticking around to find
out when!" Her gem glowed and eight holograms of herself appeared. They all ran for the other gems. Connie gave a grunt, swinging out her own blade and blocked the eight.
Pearl turned to Peridot with a small smile. Peridot gave a growl, "I'm going to get you, you Crystal clod!" Her pole floated up and shaped into a hammer. Pearl quickly leapt over the hammer and with swiftness slid behind Peri and had
her blades crossed to the small gem's neck. "You were saying?" Peal chuckled.
Connie gave a gasp and turned to Jasper, "Cover for me. I can't let her sacrifice herself for us!" Connie slid out from under the holograms. Jasper grabbed all the blades with one large clap. Connie ran at Pearl who dropped a blade,
one still at Peridot's neck. The gem grabbed Connie's wrist and growled, "You're coming with me!" Connie looked at her hands, seeing a yellow glow. Her powers! She attempted to slam a hand on Pearl when the gem put the sword closer to Peridot's
neck, "Oh no you don't!" Pearl said in a singsong voice. She sliced and Connie gave a scream in horror. The tall gem put the point to Peridot's
gem, "Your choice, Yellow Diamond."
"Connie! Listen! She's faking it!" Lapis cried, but the glow was already gone from Connie's hands.
Pearl smirked and kicked Peri's gem away. Connie gave cry but Pearl pulled her along.
Lapis gave a war cry and used the water to shove Pearl away from Connie.
Pearl struggled against the water but then expertly twirled her sword in her fingers to point straight at Lapis. Lapis gave a gasp, and a water clone of Pearl protected her. The clone ran at Pearl. They had a small bout until Pearl destroyed it.
Lapis gave a growl until she heard a yell from Jasper, "Lapis! I need some help!" Lapis turned to see the holos had multiplied. Lapis flew to her aid. Connie ran to Peridot's gem, holding it close. She gently placed the gem back on the ground.
Pearl leapt on a warp pad, trying to make it warp her away, but it was busted, like the others. She gave a squawk in annoyance, "Does anything on this pathetic planet work?!"
"You… LIED TO ME!" Connie screamed, leaping to Pearl. They spared while Jasper and Lapis finally destroyed all the clones. Connie tried to jab at Pearl but the gem suddenly held the blade between her hands. She smirked and threw Connie
upward, high into the air. The girl screamed out in fear as the ground grew closer.
"CONNIE!" Her teammates cried. Lapis tried to fly up but found herself surrounded by Holo Pearls once more. Jasper ran to Pearl who was trying to escape in the distraction. Peridot reformed in the chaos.
"Connie?!" She gasped.
"Peridot! Save Connie!" Jasper yelled.
Peridot eyed Pearl and ran at her, "No! I've been too useless already! I'm getting that Pearl, this will be my glory!"
"GUYS!" Connie cried, still falling.
Jasper ran at Pearl from one direction, and Peridot from the other. They slammed into each other, and fell in a heap. Lapis suddenly flew in and scooped Connie up, inches from her doom.
Pearl gave a small laugh, "Oh! You two are so pathetic! You can't even keep your teammate safe because of your fighting! Hm. At least Garnet, Amethyst and I trust each other!"
Connie breathed hard while Lapis glared at the two, holding her girl like she would never let her go.
Pearl pointed a sword at Connie, "The tables have turned, haven't they? You'll now find you can never escape me! I won't rest until I get you and get you to my lady!" She warped away, her words echoing in the gems' ears.
The Temps warped into the beach house.
"What was that?!" Jasper yelled at Peridot.
Peridot blushed, "So Connie almost died, it's not like that doesn't happen every day!"
Connie nodded, "I gotta agree with her on that."
Lapis flew over to the couch and sat with her back turned to them, "... She won't rest until she has Connie, did you guys even hear that? Why does Pearl's master want her so badly?"
Peridot gave a small sigh, "Oh, I don't know, maybe because she was the rebellious leader of Homeworld in her past life?!"
Connie winced.
Jasper gave a growl, "Just shut up! I don't want to know. Whatever it is, she's not taking our Connie away."
Peridot gave a small smile, looking at Pearl's escape pod attached to the warp pad, "My tracking worked exactly as it needed to! Now I can track that Pearl down and bubble her for good! Then, everything will go back to normal!"
Peridot grinned at Jasper who looked away.
Suddenly, the pod started to light up and the Temps turned to it. "She's using the warps now!" Peridot stuck her arm into the programming and her eyes looked coded. A globe projected out of her gem, showing a blinking dot. "There
she is! Oh ho, still trying to escape! It's useless!" The small gem cackled, walking to the warp pad. Jasper slowly joined her.
Connie was about to go along but turned to Lapis, "What's wrong?"
Lapis blew a bang out her hair face and whispered, "She's so arrogant sometimes… Thinking this will all leave if she catches Pearl." The gem flew to the warp pad and Connie stood in thought until Jasper startled her, "Kid! Get your
butt over here!"
The Temps warped in to see an ancient spaceship. Connie gasped, "Wow…"
"Ba ha ha ha! That clod is as dull as dirt!" Peridot smirked. Connie turned to her, "What is this place?"
"It's a ship, Connie!" Peridot cried, "Homeworld gems used to travel here to Earth in these before the warps were made. But now they're utter garbage. A pearl can't even fly a ship! Now let's shatter her!" Peridot cried,
running to the ship entrance.
Connie frowned and ran after her, "We're bubbling Pearl, not shattering her, you know that, don't you?"
Peridot only nodded and walked in, the rest not far behind. The ship was overgrown with life. Green, dry vines and sticks clung to its walls and it was rusted over.
"Yikes. Earth sure beat this ship up, huh." Jasper murmured to no one in particular.
Suddenly, a diamond in the center of the room glowed. The Temps gasped and the diamond projected a screen with Pearl smirking at them on it, "You actually fell for it! This is the oldest trick in the book! Hm, you would think a Diamond would
order her most competent soldiers to rebel."
"Heh! You fell for this, you muddy clod! You can't even fly this garbage!" Peridot laughed. Her words echoed and there was silence. Pearl raised an eyebrow and gave a teal blush, "Well, this is just embarrassing, but I believe the
microphone's a bit covered, just, repeat what you said."
Connie uncovered a diamond shaped microphone and spoke into it, "Well, to give a brief
summary, Peridot called you a clod and said you can't fly this ship, she thinks it's garbage."
Pearl gave a laugh and smiled coyly, "Well, Yellow Diamond, or whoever you claim to be, know you won't be trapped in that garbage for long, as for your friends…" Pearl smirked, "They'll just have to regret for years walking
their leader right into a trap!" The Temps heard the door slam shut behind them and turned to it with gasps of surprise. Pearl smirked, "Ah, finally I can have some peace and quiet without you three around, and with Connie in my custody,
I will return to Homeworld. I have you right where I want you."
"No…" Peridot whispered. She ran to the door and started pounding frantically, "No, no, no! This can't be happening!"
"Ugh, why do you let that Peridot yammer away? It's very annoying and very disruptive." Pearl growled. She sighed in frustration and then glanced at the buttons below her, "Now, to complete my orders, shatter the lackeys and
get Yellow Diamond." She slammed her finger on a button and they flinched. The Temps realized nothing happened and Connie glanced up at Pearl, "Was that supposed to-"
"Quiet!" Pearl snapped. She pressed another button and it activated the ship's lasers which extended to point at Connie and the Temps. "See? I know what I'm doing!" Pearl said pridefully. Connie deflected them with her sword,
slashing, blocking and spinning. Lapis saw her growing tired, as were Jasper and Peridot, shielding with their metal and helmet.
"Everyone, get around me!" Lapis cried. The others ran to her and she made a water shield around them, freezing it. Connie collapsed to the ground, panting and sweating.
"Connie, are you alright?" Lapis asked, bending down to the girl. The ice suddenly cracked and then shattered loudly. Connie gave a gasp and started defecting again. Jasper suddenly saw a way out of the room. "Guys! Come on!"
She called. Connie nearly tripped over but followed the others.
They panted for air and Connie put her sword away. "I… I think it's over."
Suddenly, spikes shot up right next to her. Lapis flew over, carrying Peridot while Jasper picked up Connie and had the girl ride her back like she was a protective mother bear. They weaved between the spikes and finally got to the end. They
saw Pearl standing in front of them and Peridot ripped away from Lapis, "YOU! DIE, DIE, DIE, you clod!" Peridot screeched, making her pole turn into various weapons, trying to poof a mere hologram.
"Wow." Pearl laughed as the gem was nearly crying in anger, "Honestly, how long are you going to keep at that?"
Jasper grabbed Peridot's arm roughly, "HEY! Stop it!"
"Let me go, you clod!" Peridot protested, struggling in her grip.
Jasper sighed, "It's not even doing anything."
Peridot gave a growl and whispered, "How did someone who used to be so great and mighty, lead her team straight into a cloddy Pearl's trap? For once, our problem is my…" suddenly, the hologram disappeared, "fault?" The floor
collapsed under the Temps and they fell. Lapis, in her shocked state, only thought to make her wings too late, for she was only able to catch Connie mid fall.
"I got you!" Lapis cried. She breathed a sigh in relief, "I got you…"
They glanced down and saw Peridot and Jasper had fallen into a small room.
"Oh no. Are you two alright?" Connie called.
Jasper looked up with a weary smile, "A-ok kiddo! Don't worry about us-" The floor then slammed shut.
"Well, that's just great." Lapis muttered.
She flew Connie to the ground. They landed gently and saw a screen showing Jasper and Peridot pounding on the walls.
"We have to get them out!" Connie cried. Jasper started pounding with her helmet and Peridot inhaled. She gave a growl of effort and the walls started to go outward. Peridot kept pushing and pushing, but soon, she realized the room
would not break. "Lapis! Are you listening to me?!" Connie cried.
"I… didn't mean to upset you, or offend you, or whatever I did to make you so angry with me!" Peridot exhaled, falling to the floor.
Lapis paused and squinted, "Wait…"
Peridot blushed, sweating, "I thought things would go differently. I thought I could catch Pearl-"
"We're getting out of here, you know that." Jasper groaned, pushing harder.
Peridot huffed, pushing again, this time upward. "I mean it, Jasper. I thought catching that squawking nuisance might make things go back to normal, I wanted you to like me again…"
Jasper glanced at Peridot, "Are you serious right now? You know how much fusion means to me after Malicite. You know how I feel about my strength."
Lapis and Connie looked at each other with weak smiles.
"They're talking, and listening to one another…" Lapos murmured.
Connie nodded, "Maybe they can work this out, on their own."
Suddenly, gears at the top of the room started turning. The gems watched in horror as the room started to close in on the two. Lapis gasped in shock, "They won't be able to if they get crushed!"
Jasper and Peridot pushed hard on the walls.
"Just tell me what I can do to make this all go away!" Peridot cried.
Jasper gave a strained grunt, "It's finally your turn to learn what Lapis and I already have: no matter what you do or how hard you try, somethings will never go away! People will still remember, it's your duty to make efforts to prove
you've changed!"
Peridot paused pushing, "But it has to go away-"
"It never will!"
"No, it has to-"
"It won't!"
They were silent for a moment, only the sliding walls making noise.
"I couldn't help myself..." Peridot whispered.
Jasper sighed, "Yeah, you could."
The small gem frowned, "Wha… I just wanted to feel strong again! Is that so hard to believe? I needed to fuse ag-"
The walls suddenly stopped as Lapis rusted the gears.
Jasper gave a grunt and looked up at Peridot, her eyes shadowy in anger, "Don't ever say that, do you hear me? Never say you needed to fuse unless you truly did."
"Sorry. I just… wish I could be as strong as you, I like feeling powerful and with you, I can if we fuse…" Peridot frowned, "... If we can't make up, then how could Lapis want to fuse with you that morning?"
Jasper smirked sadly, "You make it sound so simple… That took years and years of silence, anger, and fear. I was hiding nearby when Lapis told Connie about Malachite's past, only then I saw how it really, really hurt her. The only way
we were able to make up was when Connie's own self worth was in danger…"
Lapis sighed softly, glancing at Connie who was in her own thoughts.
"So, can you promise me, prove that you won't use fusion for your own interests?" Jasper whispered, sitting with her legs against a wall.
Peridot nodded with earnestness, "Yes. Yes, I promise."
"Then…" Jasper muttered softly, "Let's get out of here."
"Oh my stars! Are you ok with that?" Peridot asked in disbelief.
Jasper shrugged, "Yeah, sure. But first, let me tell you something."
Peridot cocked her head.
"Peri, you're strong, really strong. Maybe not physically, but you can be so bold and brave, and smart, you have always protected the Earth, even with Yellow Diamond not here to tell you to. I envy you big time."
"R-Really?" Peridot sniffed.
Jasper frowned, "Okay, reign it i-"
Peridot hugged Jasper around the waist, "Thank you." The small gem coughed.
Outside, Lapis and Connie were at a loss, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, the room slammed open and Andalusite molded the metal left over into a tiny marble compared to her. She gave a smile and crossed her arms. She disappeared with Jasper
and Peridot in her place.
Pearl held her trembling together, staring at the numerous buttons.
"Oh, where are they? I… I don't know how to find them! Why can't Garnet be here? I'm stuck, I don't know what to do…" Pearl whispered, away from the Crystal Temps, finally able to release her anxiety. "I should just try to
call Homeworld again, Rose'll tell me what to do and I'll-"
The wall suddenly blasted open behind her and the Crystal Temps were there, Connie pointing her sword at Pearl.
"Nowhere to run now!" Jasper smirked.
"Surrender!" Connie growled forcefully.
Pearl stuttered and almost looked like she wanted to obey her, then her usual smugness appeared, "Ha! Do you think I'll give up that easily?"
Connie ran at her, sword unsheathed. Pearl leapt up and scaled the wall. The hybrid threw her sword at the woman but only the handle managed to hook her foot. Pearl struggled slightly, and almost fell. Connie grabbed her leg and hung on,
"Got you!"
Lapis flew up and grabbed Connie, "Careful! Don't let her go!"
Peridot grabbed to Lapis and Jasper to Peri.
Pearl glanced down at them with anger. She tried to shake Connie off, "Get off of me, you…. Oh, what even are you?!" The gem slammed her sword hilt on Connie's hand. Connie gave a grunt in pain and released her in it. Lapis gave
Connie to Peri and flew up at Pearl. She grabbed her and pulled, trying to catch her.
"Urgh! You little wretch! Let go!" Pearl yelled, slashing at Lapis' wings, making the gem falter enough so Pearl could escape. She turned to them, "I will get you, you Connie, and your servants will be shattered soon enough!"
Pearl leapt out of a window in the ceiling.
Lapis fell back, only a pink slipper in her hand from Pearl's foot. She flew to the ground, and gave the slipper to Peridot. Connie ran up, looking disappointed, "I… I thought we had her this time…"
"Don't you worry your pretty little head off, Connie." Peridot said with a small smile, patting her head, "We're getting her next time."
"You think so?" Connie whispered.
"If the shoe fits!" Jasper smirked. Connie giggled and Peridot forced out a simple, "HA!"
Lapis smiled nearby, away from them, giving a sigh of relief, "... It's over… Finally, over."
Sorry this is so late guys! Also, I am thinking about starting up anamino for this fic, but I need two things, a cover image,and all of you! You can talk about theories, ask me questions, anything you want! If anyone is interested in it, or in making fanart (much encouraged) for a cover image, tell me! Give me your thoughts, this is all for you!