Peridot and Jasper warped in a few minutes after Steven had been dropped off at the van, feeling rather unhappy at their results.
"I can't believe we didn't find Garnet…" Jasper grunted softly.
"We found Garnet!" Connie announced, running into the house to jump into Jasper's arms for a big bear hug.
"WHAT?!" Peridot screeched, Lapis walking in with her ears covered.
Jasper was surprised for a moment, then gave it to her. She then took the girl by the shoulders, a serious and demanding growl coming from her. "Where is she."
"S-She left, I don't know where!" Connie panted.
Peridot tugged her away from Jasper, checking to see if she was alright. "Are you hurt? Is your gem okay? Did Steven get hurt? His body's fragile-"
"No! We're just fine, I walked Steven home myself!" Connie smiled reassuringly. "Garnet showed up with those corrupted gems, and then she unfused. Steven and I fought a corrupted gem
while Lapis fought Garnet, she was really brave!"
Jasper's eyes wided, and looked behind Connie to see Lapis just standing in the doorway, lost in her sea of thoughts.
Jasper saw her new form and slowly walked up to the gem. "Lapis… are you okay?"
Lapis didn't look up. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Jasper was silent for a moment, then whispered. "Listen, I get if you were scared, and if you don't want to fi-"
"I'm fine, Jasper." Lapis growled.
Jasper frowned and then went back over to Connie, shrugging in confusion.
A few minutes later, Connie was in her training outfit with sword in hand, excitedly waiting in front of Peridot.
"Connie, I I know you're smart enough to know that this fight with Garnet will not be your last with her." Peridot said sternly.
"I do know. It was a minor victory that should not be celebrated." Connie answered bluntly back.
Peridot chuckled. "Connie, of course it something to be celebrated! Jasper has been working to make your favorite dessert to congratulate you!"
Connie looked over to see Jasper had accidentally ripped off the refrigerator door while trying to get lemons for the lemon bars. She gave a wave to Connie. The girl waved back with a giggle.
Lapis from the couch meanwhile watched Connie like she was the most precious thing in the world, and to this gem, she was. Connie didn't notice though.
The girl bounded up to Lapis with a grin.
"Lapis! Want to watch me train?" Connie asked hopefully.
The gem glanced at her with a shrug. "Um… okay."
Peridot was surprised that Lapis hadn't been overjoyed to hear Connie wanting to watch her. She hadn't heard Lapis this down since the day she joined the Crystal Temps, the day that she apologized for hurting both her and Jasper.
Lapis walked up and they warped away.
"Now, to truly defeat a powerful fusion like Garnet alone, you must be able to know thier strengths and weaknesses. Knowing that will give you a advantage over them." Peridot exsplained to Connie who had her hands behind her back as the gem paced in front of her like a war general.
"Understood!" Connie replied with determination.
As Lapis watched from the bleachers, she remembered how Garnet had known Lapis was stronger, that the only reason the blue gem didn't win was because she had been distracted by her two worst weaknesses: her past, and her love for Connie. She didn't know for certain if love truly was a weakness, after all, that was what Garnet was made of, but love had still brought her downfall.
Lapis watched for hours Connie train to the point of exhaustion, for the Temps didn't stop thier training until something came up or they just couldn't any more. Connie had grown far past the holo Peridots by now and had advanced to fighting Lapis' water clones every practice. The girl kept beating them, with her graceful kicks and skilful slashes, she needed no positive reinforcement to guide her on. Peridot still cheered for her though.
Lapis realized in the middle of the practice that Connie had gotten a lot stronger since her last watching of a practice, she could control her destablizing power perfectly at this point, since no one had enraged or upset her, easily could slash through hordes of enemies, and her hair no longer frizzed up during combat from her unexpected bursts of electric currents, for she could now sense them. Her speed had gone up to where she was near a blur at her full power, she could pick up half of a pillar with her abnormal Diamond strength and still managed to not have a single hair fall out place from her tight braid. It was incredible, and Lapis honestly wondered if Connie had gotten even stronger than her.
When she finally couldn't do it any longer, Connie, Lapis and Peri walked back to the warp pad.
"How did I do, Lapis?" Connie asked, a certain glow about her with the job done.
"Fine." Lapis grunted, her eyes a bit shadowy. "You did fine, Connie."
The girl wondered if she had done or said something wrong, then realized Lapis must've been feeling awful about not being able to save her…
"Help! Somebody help me!" Connie cried, backing up into the kitchen counter.
"Connie?! What's wrong?!" Lapis cried, flying in from her room. She then saw a tall and falling apart robot that had a sword in its hand pointed at Connie who had dropped her own sword, she recognized it as a robot Peridot had made when Connie was a little toddler that had meant to act as her guard and nanny whenever all the Temps had to leave for a mission and Doug swamped in work. It must've gotten reactivated, but Lapis knew exactly what was going on.
"Ah! Lapis, it's going to get me!" Connie moaned, putting a hand to her head to look scared. Lapis only rolled her eyes and kicked the piece of junk over, glaring at Connie.
"You saved me!" Connie gushed. "I knew you would! You're my-!"
"It's amazing that this robot that Peridot gave you after it went rouge, just happened to wake up today of all days after being deactivated for about four years, isn't it?" Lapis sighed with a bored look on face.
"I-I know!" Connie laughed nervously. "It was such a shock! But you saved me, and you did so great!"
Lapis groaned and flopped on the couch, not bothering to tell Connie she didn't need to pity her. "I know you fired it up just so I would come and save you, you could've easily switched it off it or destroyed it if you really had been attacked by it."
Connie gave a sad sigh and gather up the parts of her broken machine, then trudged up the stairs to store it in her closet again. "I'm sorry, Lapis, but I wanted you to feel better."
"I don't think I'm ever going to feel better until I beat Garnet." Lapis grunted softly, flipping herself to lay on her back.
Connie ran up to her loft bedroom so she could look at Lapis' sad face. "That's no way to think."
"I know, but out of all of us, you were the one to send her running." Lapis moaned, glaring up at the girl, not really caring at the moment if it would hurt her feelings. "You!"
Connie narrowed her eyes in confusion and slight anger. "Uh… what's that supposed to mean?"
"You used to be weak and well… pathetic! I used to save you, not the other way around!" Lapis cried, turning away to face the kitchen. "I'm sorry, but it's kinda annoying!"
"Oh! Well then, I'm so sorry I learned to defend myself from gems who want to shatter me!" Connie huffed sarcastically.
Lapis' eyes widened and then flew up and leaned to Connie's face with a frown. "Urgh! No! I didn't say I'm not thankful that you can! It's just… I was supposed to beat Garnet and show to everyone I was just as strong as her, both physically and mentally but-!
"You want to beat Garnet so bad? Your first step is beating me!" Connie cried. "The first to give in loses!"
There was a silence and the two glared slightly at one another.
"Sounds perfect." Lapis hissed.
Both of the elegant gems were brutal when in concentrated fights, Jasper and Peridot could tell that to anyone. However, they had never fought each other before this day.
Connie didn't notice that neither she nor Lapis were acting like their normal selves, that what Garnet had said and done had torn them apart, made them this way. The girl knew once Lapis was happy again, she would be as well.
"Since I was so weak and pathetic before, let's see if I improved!" Connie growled, taking out her mother's sword.
"You have, that's why it's going to feel amazing when you give in!" Lapis yelled back, her wings flaring to life.
Connie gave a laugh and smirked. "Temps don't give in." Her hands started to glow yellow and Lapis' eyes widened in shock and she slowly backed up. Connie didn't notice.
The girl then gave a cry and ran at Lapis, her sword by her side.
Lapis leapt up, crying in shock, and Connie had to swerve off her path to avoid hitting a pillar.
Lapis landed and caught Connie by her waist, flinging her onto the bleachers. The girl gave a groan in pain, it hurt so bad… Lapis knew it was still her, still a fragile half human, didn't she?
The girl attempted to lift her sword but then realized it had frozen to the floor. "Ugh! Really?! That's a good move!"
Lapis said nothing, a wild look in her eyes, staring down at Connie.
"Are you.. okay up there?" Connie laughed nervously. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Lapis gave a yell, and a shot of pure ice fired at Connie's gem.
Connie abandoned her sword with a gasp in terror and leapt over Lapis, landing on the tiled floor on her stomach before scrambling away.
She then noticed Connie had seen her sword had unfreezed when Lapis had made her wings. She must've forgotten to fill her gem with more water!
Lapis gave a growl and Connie stopped midrun because her legs were pulled out from under her.
Connie grabbed the chains and electricity shot up them, making Lapis gasp and leap away to dodge.
The half gem grabbed her sword and leapt to Lapis with a war cry.
Lapis blocked it with a ice shield and Connie was thrust up in the air with water around her neck. The water made Connie grow face to face with Lapis.
"L-Lapis…?" Connie whispered, shaking. "W-What did I do? Why did you…?"
Lapis panted hard, and then her eyes seemed to once again gain their ocean blue colour instead of the wide eyes, Connie hadn't seen it since thier encounter with Garnet. Tears welled up in her eyes and she fell to her knees with a sob, releasing Connie.
"I'm so sorry…" Lapis whispered. "Just… you've never aimed your destabilising powers at me and… the last time those powers were shown…"
"My mother was fighting you after you poofed Jasper and Peri?" Connie finished with a whisper.
Lapis numbly nodded. "M-Maybe what I was made to do isn't truly out of me! What if I've been hiding it, and I didn't even know it?!"
"Lapis!" Connie cried, grabbing her shoulders.
Lapis looked up at her girl with teary eyes. "What?"
"Have you been thinking that since Garnet reminded you?"
Lapis slowly nodded. "I-I guess.. I know deep down that I'd never hurt you on purpose… I was made to conquer a Diamond, but I can't even defeat a two gem fusion, I can't beat you… I… I sometimes wonder why they even made me if I just failed their expectations, what good am I to this world?"
Connie gave a dry laugh, wiping away tears. "I wonder that about myself, all the time! Why have me when you could have my mother?
Lapis clenched her teeth and shoved Connie into a hug, gripping her head. "Don't think that! I never want you to feel you have to live up to her. Just like everyone else on this planet, people love you, and you were made to be here, with us."
"The same goes to you." Connie whispered.
Lapis laughed as tears slipped down her face. "Who taught you to be this smart?"
"I did, but not enough to have her know about the importance of these ruins!" A familiar voice rang out, making them gasp and turn to see Peridot practically fuming in the entryway. She then frowned. "What were you two doing anyway?"
"Er, nothing really!" Connie laughed nervously, pulling away.
"No lemon bars for either of you until you clean this mess up!"
"Aw man!" Lapis moaned, and got to work cleaning.