Steven looked out into the ruined— literally ruins— canyon. "Is this . . . ?"

Noone said anything, Amethyst was currently looking along the walls, at the misshapen holes that stretched as far as she could see. Steven turned to look at the other, taller, quartz. "How long has it been?"

". . . over five-thousand years . . ." She shook her head and scoffed, "Let's go, you two need to see this place fully,"

Steven took a deep breath and started to walk forward, "There are no Corrupted Gems here, right?"

Jasper stayed silent, but did shrug. Amethyst started walking, catching up to Steven, "No way we could know,"

Steven nodded and the three walked in silence. It was a simple pathway: straight. It reminded Steven a lot of his dream, straight and linear. "Hey, Jasper?"

Jasper turned her head slightly, "What do you want?"

"How did you do it?"

Jasper knew what he meant, the corruption. How did she save herself when no one else could? "I'm a Jasper; I won't lose easily. And I won't let this planet corrupt me." She turned her head to the Gem holes marked across the canyon walls, "What do you know of the war?"

Steven chuckled nervously, "Not much,"

"Noted. You've probably noticed how these holes are . . . not right." As soon as the words left Jasper's mouth, Amethyst lowered her head. "This is the mark of the tipping point in the war. Homeworld was losing and needed more troops on the ground, so they started a Kindergarten in the most unlikely or desirable of places . . . here."

"What's wrong with this place?"

"The placement is just wrong! Everything that came from here came out deformed or misshapen because of it. And they paid for it,"

"They?" This time it was Amethyst who spoke.

"The Gems that came from this place, deformed and broken. They were contradictions to the Homeworld ideal." Jasper lifted her hand and examined it.

Amethyst's arms shook. "You don't have the right to decide who is right or wrong. Just because they don't fit in your stupid Homeworld ideal doesn't mean they were wrong!"

Jasper stopped and scoffed, "It's fact, all Gems made here were and are defective in some way, shape, or form."

"That doesn't mean we're weak!"

"There is nothing you you can do or say, we are weak,"

Amethyst stomped a foot into the ground as Steven's eyes widened. He whispered, "We?"

"Oh! You think you are so special don't you?!"

"I can't argue with that, and yet—"

Amethyst charged forward, throwing a punch— easily dodged— at Jasper. Amethyst turned her body and pulled out a whip, attacking Jasper with a thrust of her weapon. Jasper grabbed the end of the whip. "Calm down, Runt. You didn't listen, did you?"

Amethyst pulled on her whip, it didn't budge. "What are you even talking about?!"

"Look behind you,"

Amethyst glared at Jasper, "Oh yeah! Like I would—"

"Amethyst," It was Steven, "Look,"

Amethyst desummoned her whip, shooting one last glare at Jasper before turning around, "Woah." The hole was straight unlike the others. A big Gem, that apparently had been flexing at the time, came from here. She knew who it was immediately.

"You're not the only quartz from Earth. I was made here, during that pitiful war."

Amethyst turned to face her, "You said all Gems made here were weak, did you . . . ?"

"Yes. Have you ever felt the true power of fusion? We quartzs were made for strength and security. It's what we are. Fighting validates that, but fusion . . . you can feel a new world of power. You feel so inconsequential, you aren't needed or even worth the ground you're standing on or made from when that power exists. We are weak in the grand scheme of things. We don't matter,"

The air got cold and stiff. What Jasper said actually rang a bell for Amethyst, Sugilite was stronger than anything Amethyst could ever dream of achieving. Strength, a level of power, she could never reach.

"No, you're wrong." Amethyst turned around to face Steven, "Fusion doesn't make you feel like that. It makes you feel good . . . wanted. It doesn't make you feel bad because you are part of it,"

Amethyst looked down.

Steven took a step back, away from the two. "Guys, c'mon." He looked up at Jasper, "You're not weak. Neither of you! You guys are strong, just because some people are stronger doesn't mean you're any less. Fusion or not, your worth still exists,"

"You don't understand. How could you? You can't fuse! And you definitely don't know the pressures of Homeworld! I'm a disgrace! I fused with another Gem, a forbidden arrangement. Not even another quartz!" She had started to walk forward, "I'll be crushed for disobeying a direct order from Yellow Diamond!"

"But, you're not on Homeworld, you're on Earth,"

Jasper stopped. " . . . Earth." Jasper turned her head as a spinning ball of purple light slammed into her shoulder. It was enough to push Jasper away, but she shrugged off the attack. "What are you doing, Runt?"

"Stay away from him!" Amethyst had summoned two whips and started to run at Jasper.

"Amethyst! No!" Steven shouted too late, the fight had begun.

Jasper let the whips slam into her, she didn't budge. Amethyst jumped into the air and threw one of her whips at Jasper, forcing the large quartz to jump out of the way. Jasper landed and turned up to Amethyst as a second whip wrapped around her torso, tieing her arms to her body.

Amethyst landed on the ground and entered a mad sprint for Jasper. She reeled her fist back, but at the last moment she saw Jasper smirk.

Jasper kicked her in the stomach, knocking her away and causing her to bounce off the ground and slam into the wall. Amethyst stood to her feet, shaking. Jasper entered a slow walk towards the smaller quartz, flexing enough to snap the whip tieing her arms down. "You never stood a chance,"

Amethyst coughed, "I knew you were stronger than me, but this is just ridiculous. How can you be this much stronger than me?!"

"Isn't it obvious?" She stopped right in front of Amethyst.

Steven eyes widened, getting a bad feeling.

"I came out right and you," Jasper pointed at Amethyst, "came out wrong."

"No! That's not true!" Jasper turned to Steven as he continued, "Just because she isn't as big as you doesn't mean she is wrong." He shivered, "She's just different. And that's not wrong." He turned to Amethyst, "Please . . . don't start a fight,"

"Steven—" Steven shuttered again, this time grabbing his arms for comfort. "Hey, Ste-man, are you alright?"

Steven looked to his left and right, "I—"

He was cut off by a roar, a close one. Jasper grunted, "Corrupted Gem,"

Amethyst turned to another roar, "Hey, was it just me or was that one different?"

And that's when it happened, a collection of roars and scream-like screeches sounded out throughout the Kindergarten. Steven started to back up, towards Jasper and Amethyst. "How many could there be?"

His question was soon answered. Corrupted Gems of all shapes and sizes started to pour into the somewhat open space they were in, drawn to the presence of three Gems. Steven's eyes widened as he saw a fusion experiment.

"Steven." Steven turned as Amethyst walked past him. "Stay behind me," She sprinted forward, jumping into a spin dash. Her spinning form slashed past a small Corrupted Gem, poofing it's form. She slid to a stop and quickly bubbled the Gem. She summoned a whip as another Gem lunged at her. She thrashed her weapon forward, hitting the Gem across the canyon, into the wall. It landed with a thud, a catalyst to jumpstart the others.

Three corrupted Gems loomed over Amethyst. Fear entered Steven's mind. "Jasper you have to—" She was gone. Jasper had left. He turned back to the fray as an orange blur raced towards combat.

Jasper knocked the Corrupted Gems away. "Stand tall, Runt! You're a quartz soldier, be proud." She punched down another corrupt as they charged.

Amethyst snorted. "I thought I was wrong," She slid under the belly of a Corrupted Gem, wrapping a whip around it's front legs, flipped to her feet and pulled, bring the Gem down onto it's stomach. She waited for Jasper to drive her fist into it's head, poofing it. "How am I going to be proud of that."

"So, now you're going to start listing? You're a rebel; a Crystal Gem. Besides, it's your application that makes you wrong or right. Pride is the first step." The two soldiers went back to back.

The two found themselves surrounded. Jasper and Amethyst leaped forward, punching and kicking their opponents. Gem after Gem poofed and Amethyst bubbled a few.

"You're faster than I gave you credit for!" Jasper smiled, "If you had technique you would be a decent fighter!"

"From you, I'll take that as a compliment." Amethyst's eyes widened as more Gems appeared, "How many are there?!"

"AH!" The two quartzes turned as a pink bubble smashed into them. Steven was inside, bruised and bleeding from several cuts. "Sorry guys, I tried to hold out,"

Jasper grit her teeth, she could practically feel the amount of Corrupted Gems. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the forced fusion, her mind instantly on the old war. She scoffed, "What worth is there?" She rushed forward, past a surprised Amethyst and worried Steven. Her aim: a corrupted Quartz soldier. She stopped in front of the beast, placing a hand on it's face and over it's Gem, on it's chest. "For a failed soldier like me and you?!" THeir Gem's glowed, giving freight to Steven and Amethyst.

Their bodies turned to light, a pure white, and they merged. Their fusion was big, clawed, and with hooves and horns giving it a monstrous feel. It was a dark orange, with brown and black stripes. It laughed, eyes Steven and Amethyst for a moment before turning it's attention to the Corrupted Gems surrounding them. It stomped forward, hesitating before roaring and snarling.

That was enough to send the Gems away, scampering and tripping out of their sight. It chuckled once more before splitting. Jasper stayed on the ground as the monster slipped from her control and sprinted away. Steven and Amethyst ran over, Steven had a smile on his face. "Jasper! You saved us!" His excitement died down as he looked at her arm. "Corruption . . ." He shook his head. Jasper had this. She pushed it down before, she could do it again.

Jasper closed her eyes and stood shakily to her feet. The corruption only growed.

Steven quickly licked his hand and started walking over to Jasper. Amethyst grabbed his arm, "Be careful."

He nodded. "Jasper, it's going to be alright. I'll heal—"

She jumped into the air, away from him and landed with a heavy thud, several feet away from Steven. "Stay away from me, ROSE!"

The air grew cold. Steven took a step back, "Wh-what?" His eyes widened as Jasper recovered from her surprise at her outburst.

"You don't understand, but she would." She placed a hand on her growing corruption. "Rose was special, my Diamond's favorite quartz. I know she shattered her because she needed a catalyst, not out of hate. I hate her, but she's not the quartz I hate the most."

Steven opened his mouth to speak, but Amethyst beat him to the punchline, "What are you saying?"

"Do you know what I had to do . . . to survive? My sisters . . . I was the only survivor. My Diamond is gone . . . PIECES! Do you know how hard I've tried to forget?! Why do you think I like fusion so much?"

"Fusion isn't supposed to make you feel bad!" He winced as Jasper fell to her knees.

"Bad?! It doesn't make me feel terrible. It makes me feel . . . less. I'm no longer me! You can lose yourself, become someone entirely new." Her shoulder bulged and she bit her tounge in pain. "A chance to forget . . ."

"No! Jasper, we can work through this!" Steven took a step forward, "Y—you could be a Crystal Gem,"

Jasper chuckled, "A Crystal Gem. The very same I came here to finish off. Listen, corruption is my last shot to forget the war and what followed!" She pulled her limbs in closer as they surged with corruption. "I don't want to be me anymore, so just let me die,"

Amethyst watched as Jasper became more and more corrupted. She pitied her. The bigger quartz. She looked over at Steven, he was looking at the ground, he was almost crying. She felt her own heart snap. She looked back at Jasper, the one who couldn't return Homeworld; her home. "Wait— Steven! Heal her! You still have a chance!"

Steven's head snapped up and she could see the hope in his eyes . . . right before it vanished. "I can't,"

"What?"

"I don't have her consent," He narrowed his eyes at Jasper, "JASPER!"

She had to struggle to look up, pain in her eyes, "What?" Her breathing was heavy and her entire body morphed beyond her physical form.

". . . I'm sorry that things couldn't work out. You would've been great." He waited a couple seconds before turning on his heel and limping away. "C'mon, Amethyst, we don't want to be here when she changes."

Amethyst found her throat very dry at that moment, but followed him. She found herself looking back at the quartz soldier as they rounded the corner, " . . . goodbye, sis."

The two walked in silence. Once near the Warp Pad, Amethyst grabbed Steven's arm. "Hey, you alright?"

He sniffed, "Why wouldn't I be?" Amethyst felt him rench his wrist from her grip, "Let's go."

He stepped onto the Warp Pad. Amethyst looked down to see small circles of wet sandstone, very small. She looked up to see his back turned to her. "I—" She was cut off by a loud roar in the distance.

She quickly stepped onto the Warp Pad and turned for one last look of the Kindergarten before Steven activated the warp stream.

Jasper was back home.