Jasper's Descent

Chapter 1

"My Jasper", a soft, calm voice cooed, "Without you, I would be lost on this planet. It is so large and yet, I feel every inch of it closing in on me. The others feel I have too much of a soft spot for it, but…Oh no! They're attacking! JASPER!"

Jasper's eyes darted open to avoid being attacked by the sounds of shattering. She can't bear it again. She leans forward in her chair and realizes she dozed off. Again. She can't understand why she's been so tired lately. She's never needed rest before. No more than a gem of her caliber would require. As she sits on the edge of her seat to collect herself, she attempts to process the events of the past few days. "I don't understand why she looks like that", she thinks aloud. Jasper can't figure out why the mighty Rose Quartz would choose such a lowly form and abandon the famous stature of a Quartz soldier.

"It has to be that Pearl. That lost, defective Pearl made her change her physical form. She probably thought it would erase what she did to our Diamond." Jasper had always respected Rose Quartz. She was the only gem who could stand toe-to-toe with her and give her an actual fight. There were rumors that Rose had been shattered, permanently retreated into her gem, or even defected from her precious Crystal Gem. Jasper thought back on the last encounter she had with Rose Quartz.

"You will not win this war Jasper", Rose Quartz stated as she held her sword and caught her breath. The 8-foot tall Quartz soldier seemed to show no sign of fatigue, yet it was obvious she and Jasper were matched in ability.

"Oh please. You've said the same thing for 5,000 years and here we are. Still fighting the same fight with you and your band of misfits using every tactic you have to stall the inevitable. As strong as you are Rose, even you can't stop the great Diamond Authority, only inconvenience it.", Jasper responded with her head held high.

Rose's face changed as she whispered "I've done it before, I can do it again. Remember Pink…"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Before Jasper knew it, she had Rose Quartz, the infamous leader of the Crystal Gem rebellion, hemmed against a wall. "You cannot and will not utter the name of a perfect being. You do not deserve to even think her name, let alone say it."

After what Rose Quartz had done to their Diamond, this statement filled Jasper with a rage she had never felt. She could hardly believe that this moment even needed to happen. She and Rose had been Pink Diamond's top two soldiers. Jasper always knew that Rose was their Diamond's favorite, but she didn't care. Her only mission in her life was to make her Diamond proud, that was all she needed.

"I know what she meant to you", Rose uttered, "She once meant the same to me. I followed her blindly and only questioned her when necessary. And then something changed. I saw the beauty in this planet and realized that she should not be allowed to colonize it. The organisms on this planet are sentient, Jasper. They need resources as we do. They may not be able to change their forms, but they have the unique ability to change their destiny. That is something you will never understand."

Jasper could hardly believe that Rose was defending such a weak race and using them to validate what she had done. Before Jasper knew it, she was landing blow after blow onto every inch of Rose's massive being. "FIGHT ME!" Jasper screamed as her fist shook in the air. "No. It would hinder you from feeling what you feel. Your fight is not with me, Jasper. You have emotions that need to be dealt with and I am not going to stop you." At this moment, Jasper realized that she had not gotten the upper hand, this closeness had been granted to her.

"There are gems who would shatter leagues of others to be this close to you. They would kill to be able to shatter the #1 traitor of home world.", Jasper said as she gritted her teeth. "Go ahead then.", the leader of the Crystal Gems stated. "If you feel it necessary to complete your healing, go ahead."

"STOP YOUR GAMES ROSE! This has always been your downfall. You spend too much time focused on how others feel instead of looking at the bigger picture! Would you truly sacrifice yourself just to prove a point to me?!" Jasper was at her wit's end and could take no more of the Gem leader's words.

"Jasper, this is what stops YOU from being a true leader." Rose's shield materialized from her gemstone and knocked Jasper from one side of the field where they stood to the other. "Being a leader, a true leader, does not mean that you know simply when to eliminate others. It means that you know how to evaluate what is best for those that look up to you. You know that every move you make can ripple through the lives of millions. You shattering me could have many outcomes, but I believe it would make you see that you have more power than you think."

Jasper couldn't understand what she meant by this. Was she actually implying that Jasper might feel remorse or even feel free by shattering her?

"I've had enough of your games traitor."

The two mighty soldiers jumped as high as they could and lunged. Rose Quartz's might sword and shield met with the impervious helmet Jasper wore with the full strength of the two Quartz soldiers behind them!