Lol when I started this series I was like "oh they're gonna have light hearted family adventures and it'll be sunshine and rainbows with mild conflict and equal focus on all characters" what happened? Also when Lapis was called a Sapphire last chapter it was bc White Diamond wants to keep Lapis' presence a secret from the other Diamonds n stuff. Also this chapter is slightly more sassy than normal.
Jasper: I stand up, still drowsy from my sleep. The ship is starting to land. I sit down in the pilot's seat, bracing for impact. The ship hits, and dirt sprays everywhere. The moment I walk out, I find Pearl's spear tip press against my neck.
"What a warm welcome." I mutter.
In her shock, Pearl only manages to scream "Jasper!" at the top of her lungs.
"Yeah, I've really missed you too. Can I speak with you as a group? 'Cause I'm pretty sure you'll want to hear what I have to say, and I don't want to have to repeat it."
Pearl grudgingly walks me into her camp with her spear against my back.
The five gems stare up at me in shock. I give a little cough to break the ice, but no one says a word.
"I assume you want to know why I'm here." I start.
"You monster!" Peridot yells.
I sigh. "If I'm going to be interrupted every time I try to speak, I might as well leave now with this very valuable information." I say.
"Why are we letting her back? We should have poofed her ages ago!" Pearl argues, ignoring my comment.
"We want to hear what she has to say." Garnet replies.
"Doesn't really seem like it." I mutter, but they don't hear me over the sounds of their own bickering.
"She's probably lying. She always lies." Amethyst argues.
"She's hurt Lapis a lot too, we've all seen it." Peridot growls.
"We should at least give her a chance. We gave you and Lapis a chance, Peridot." The small Rose reasons.
"Only after almost killing us for nothing!" Peridot yells.
"Can I actually speak?" I interrupt, but they ignore me.
"That's different!" Pearl exclaims.
"We had good reason to believe that-" Amethyst starts, but I yell over her.
"Lapis Lazuli has been captured by Homeworld, you idiots!" I scream.
This managed to get their attention.
"What?" Peridot asks, shocked.
"Some Homeworld spaceship captured her and they're bringing her to Homeworld." I reply, glad to finally have their attention.
"So why are you here?" Pearl asks suspiciously.
"Homeworld wants to use her – and me – as part of a plot to shatter the Diamonds against our wills. If we're caught, we'll be shattered. The plan involves us – that is the creations of the four Diamonds – fusing." I state.
"But wasn't Rose Quartz part of that group?" Amethyst asks.
I nod. "Lapis loves little Rose here, and since I wanted to tell you about Lazuli's fate, I thought I might as well protect him too."
Little Rose smiled up at me. "My name's Steven, not little Rose. And thanks. I knew you weren't all that bad."
"That can't be the only reason you're here." Pearl states.
"No. I want your help to save Lazuli and myself – and all of Homeworld really, this plan will result in thousands of deaths – from this scheme. If we succeed, we'll be able to get 'Steven' back to Earth in a spaceship. If you take the spaceship now, Lazuli will perish. It's your choice."
"What happens if we don't help and this plan works?" Garnet asks.
"I wasn't told. I thought that White Diamond was hiding something from me when she told me this. I have a feeling that she wants to share power with no other, and that Lazuli and I would be potential threats. It wouldn't be good for anyone." I state.
"How do we know that you aren't just asking for help for yourself; that you wouldn't have come to us if you weren't at risk?" Pearl asks, glaring at me.
"Do you really think that I don't care for Lazuli at all? Not even after all this time spent fused together?" I yell.
"I'm surprised that you care for anyone at all, honestly." Pearl mutters.
"I still have feelings, you know. I know that I've messed up in the past, but I'm trying to make it right now!" I yell.
"Yeah, you have messed up in the past. We all saw it. How can you hurt someone so badly and then expect them to not hate you?" Peridot responds.
"I'm not proud of what I've done, but at least I'm trying to fix it! I'm surprised Lazuli ever let you see it at all, actually!" I yell back.
They all look very uncomfortable at this.
"She didn't let you, did she? You did it without asking. Isn't that immoral or something like that?" I ask.
"We had a reason, and we saw what we needed to." Pearl weakly states.
I raise an eyebrow. "You haven't treated her very well either."
Pearl merely blushes.
"And where is she now? In the middle of space, being forced to accept her sorry fate. And you just stand here, taking your good old time deciding whether or not you're going to help her." I continue.
"It's a serious decision that we must dis-" Pearl begins.
"You're really letting me down here. I expected better from you." I interrupt.
"This isn't just something we can-"
"The Crystal Gems, guardians of the Earth, are too afraid to save their friend from destruction."
"Could you just-"
"What a shame. I actually thought you were supposed to be the heroes or something."
"We are the-"
"But I guess you're just cowards."
"We're ten times braver than-"
"I guess I'll just have to go and do everything myself."
"Could someone stop her from interrupti-"
"And since I'm a villain, I guess both your friend and I will be doomed."
"Please, someone, just-"
"Pity."
Pearl glares at me. I smirk back at her.
"Yes, Pearl?"
"Are you finished, Jasper?"
"Yeah, I'm done."
"Finally."
"What was that?"
"Nothing, nothing."
Amethyst is grinning from beside Pearl, who is trying very hard to ignore her.
I raise my eyebrow.
"So, are you coming with me?" I ask.
Pearl glances at Garnet, who nods.
"Let's go."
Lapis: The cell door finally opens.
"We've arrived on Homeworld." The Peridot tells me.
Every time I see her, I think of the Peridot I know so well.
I walk down the hallway, taking turns left and right. Finally, we reach the exit to the ship. I look out from the doorway, and realize once again that Homeworld isn't the place I knew anymore.
One of the Peridots on the ship pushes me out of the door. I spin around, furious.
"Don't touch me." I growl.
She shrugs. "You weren't moving. Someone had to do something."
"You can't just boss me around."
"You're lucky that your gem is of such a high rank, or I imagine that you'd have been shattered long ago for your attitude."
I roll my eyes and follow her to the nearest warp pad. She gestures to it sarcastically.
"Looks like we've finally made it all this way. Was it really that hard to walk here? Should I roll out a red carpet?"
"Yeah that would be nice."
"Maybe if you had one, you'd be quicker to leave."
"Luckily for you, I'm already gone."
I warped away.
Jasper: I set the ship on autopilot and then sit down in the middle of the floor of the ruby spaceship with the others. Our ride will only take a few minutes, so we have no time to waste.
"So, Jasper, do you have a plan?" Pearl asks.
I shrug. "I have half of a plan. It's good enough."
Pearl starts to give me a cutting response, but Garnet puts her hand on the pale gem's shoulder.
"Go on."
"We have Sapphire tell White Diamond that she foresaw her plan in the future and that it ends up in her death. Meanwhile, the rest of us will go and break Lazuli out of jail. Simple."
The gems glance at each other.
"It seems so simple." Peridot murmurs.
"I can't think of a better plan." Pearl says.
"Then let's do it." Garnet replies.
Just then, I hear the signal beep coming from the space craft telling us that we're landing.
When the ship is secure, I open the door. Everyone has shapeshifted into their various disguises, and we're ready to go.
But what we didn't plan for were the two Amethyst guards standing outside our door.
"Welcome back, soldier. White Diamond awaits you." One of them said, beckoning to me.
I gulped and followed her. Our group had been separated. The plan had already failed.
Lapis: Once I'd arrived on Homeworld, the Peridots had tried to take me to White Diamond. I'd had other thoughts in mind, though, and so I tried to escape. No such luck. After they'd caught me, a smaller gem had put shackles on my wrists. That didn't remind me of Malachite at all.
Then I'd been taken to see White Diamond, which as you may have guessed, did not turn out well. Being told that I'd have to fuse with Jasper again wasn't exactly a selling point to her argument. I was still in her court, when suddenly,
"Ah! Jasper. So good to see you've finally rejoined us. Now tell me, did you find Rose Quartz?" White Diamond said.
I spun around to find Jasper walking towards us. I looked her in the eyes, terrified. She merely shook her head.
"Rose Quartz was shattered long ago. Her troops still remain on Earth. It'll only be the three of us here today, my Diamond." Jasper proclaimed.
I let out a sigh of relief. She hadn't betrayed Steven.
"Very well. You all know the plan now. It's time to end the Diamond's tyranny once and for all." White Diamond told us.
I shook my head. "I refuse. I'll never fuse with you." I yelled.
White Diamond only smiled. "Now, now. I'm sure we can come to an agreement. I know that your friends are here. It would be a shame if something were to… happen to them."
I froze. How had the Crystal Gems gotten here? I remember what Jasper had told me in our dream. She had been planning to talk with them. I shot a look at her to find that she had the same panicked glance on her face.
"And what if you punished me instead?" I ask. I'd rather take the pain for them than let them get hurt because I was scared.
White Diamond glared down at me. "We'll do the same thing we did last time you rebelled. A full gem polish."
I gulped, thinking of the mirror they'd once kept me in. "And that is?"
"It's a way of eradicating your memories."
Her words sunk in.
"You said you did this to me before."
"Yes."
"When?"
"It was a last resort. Your loyalties were uncertain during the war with Earth. The other Diamonds thought that it would be a nice way to remove any thoughts of rebellion."
"But I still remember things long before the war." I say, thinking of all those I've shattered.
"Fake memories, meant to sway your mind to Homeworld's side."
It hadn't been real. None of it.
My first real memories had been of the mirror.
Tears threaten my eyes but I beat them beat.
"You're despicable. All of you."
"You will obey me. Fuse with us, Lazuli."
I look over at Jasper and see only pity on her face. I wonder if she knew.
"I hate you." I say, holding my hand out.
White Diamond grins.
The three of us begin to fuse.