Chapter 3

A vow to become stronger together and a much needed rematch

The movie night was great. The group ended up watching Steven's Lonely Blade movie collection. Garnet Amethyst, Pearl, and Steven had already seen all of them, but it was still nice to revisit them. Connie on the other hand had never seen Lonely Blade, but she still found it enjoyable despite the inaccuracies. Lapis had a tough time getting into it and spent most of the night asleep. Peridot was focused into the movies more than anyone and left Steven's house with Lapis feeling inspired and determined to make a weapon superior to Lonely Blade's.

After the last Lonely Blade movie ended, Lapis and Peridot used the Temple warp to the warp back to the warp pad closest to the barn. The two stepped off the warp pad and slowly made their way back to the barn. There was a thick silence between them as they softly approached the barn

.

Lapis clutched her left arm with her right subtlety. She wanted to say something. She wanted to say something about today but she couldn't. How could she? She glanced over at Peridot, who was nervously chewing on her upper lip. Finally, they reached the barn door which Peridot opened after inputting the right code in the keypad she designed herself.

They walked in and the lights flickered on automatically. Peridot was slowly but surely turning the barn into their own personal gem cave complete with their own art and flare. Lapis walked over to her hammock and sat down. She held her hands over her lap while Peridot had a seat on the couch which was positioned right in front of Lapis' hammock. Peridot usually slept in the truck they built into the roof of barn but, she sat in front of Lapis because she too had something to say. Nothing was between them except the old television set which had a few seasons of Camp Pining Hearts stacked on top of it.

Peridot sighed heavily. "Man today was pretty wild huh?" She asked, chuckling nervously.

"Yeah…" Lapis curtly agreed. Steven's words nagged at her.

"Why don't you just tell her how you feel?" She heard Steven say carelessly. As if it was that simple. As if it were just a few words Lapis just had to get off of her chest. No it was more like a dictionary and her getting ragdolled during training was only adding on to the baggage.

"W-we make a pretty good team." Peridot says cutting through Lapis' thoughts. "I'm really glad things worked o-."

"No." Lapis interrupted coldly. "We don't make a good team and its my fault things didn't work out."

" Lapis…." Peridot said under her breath starting to get up.

" I-i wasn't ready for today to be as intense as it was." Lapis admitted. "I got stomped and you ended having to carry me...I'm sorry I didn't pull my weight." Lapis stared at the floor feeling hot and ashamed, revisiting her defeat. Peridot got her knees and made her way over to Lapis. Peridot stopped in front of Lapis, and tilted her head under Lapis' face to make sure Lapis didn't have any choice but to see and listen to her. She gently place a hand on Lapis' knee.

"Laz you don't have to apologize for today." Peridot said softly. "It's nothing to be ashamed of either. Those clods do nothing but train and go on missions anyway. So don't beat yourself up over I-"

"That's not it!" Lapis interrupted frustratedly. "I know I could have beaten Steven today. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that I couldn't… It's just when we started to fight, I started to feel things and I couldn't concentrate. I wasn't expecting Steven to be as strong as he was and it just brought up things I can't really explain."

" What kind of things?" Peridot asked looking into Lapis' eyes.

"I know it sounds crazy." Lapis said meeting Peridot's gaze. "But when he came at me it was like Jasper was coming at me or I was back in a war I had no place in…..I got scared and the next thing I knew I couldn't move.."

"And then Steven beat you into the ground." Peridot said, finishing the scenario. Lapis nodded sadly.

"God I absolutely hate feeling like this!" Lapis yelled angrily. "Steven knocked me out cold and you beat him and Connie at the same time?! How am I supposed to believe that? How could you handle both of them when you were so scared to fight in the first place?"

"Lapis…." Peridot started. "It was more complicated than that. It's not like I j-..."

"I feel so weak and helpless." Lapis said, standing up from her hammock. She clenched her fists tightly. "Peridot… I need you to do something for me…"

"A-a-and what's that?" Peridot asked scurrying onto her feet. She could feel Lapis' presence darken and it sent chills all throughout her body.

"Fight me." She said ominously.

"W-what?!" Peridot stammered. "Fight you? W-why?"

"I know I was pathetic today…" Lapis said standing up and starting to move forward. "I need to reassure myself that I'm not as weak as I feel!" Peridot sighed.

"Listen Laz, it's late how about we get some rest and train again tomorrow?" Peridot asked trying to calm her down.

"You're stalling." Lapis said calling Peridot out indifferently. "You said it yourself. Gems don't need sleep. Meet me outside when you're ready." Lapis walked passed Peridot and made her way outside the barn. Peridot, still shook, began running her hands through her hair wildly.

"This is bad this is bad this bad this bad!" She thought to herself frantically. "The Hell am I gonna do?! I can't fight Lapis I don't even know how my power works and even if I did how could I use it on her?! And she's so upset. She's well beyond reason right now. Oh my stars! Why is she sooo unpredictable?" Peridot worriedly turned towards the door which had automatically shut after Lapis left. She cupped her face in an attempt to calm herself down. She took deep breaths before standing up straight.

"Woah woah calm down Peri." Peridot thought to herself. "Losing my head won't get me anywhere. I'll just give her an honest fight, she'll appreciate it,I'll tell her about my feelings, and everything will be fine." Peridot started towards the door confidently. Meanwhile on the outside of the barn lapis leaned on the wall just beside the door. She eyed the pool dejectedly.

"It was too hard for me to talk this out anyway." Lapis brooded to herself. "Maybe Peri will be able to understand how I feel in the context of a fight. Kinda like Pierce and Paulette when they understood each other best during that obstacle course." The door opened slowly and Peridot came out boldly. She didn't so much as look at Lapis on her way out. She just walked past her and stood in front of the crops. Pumpkin was completely asleep on the truck bed overlooking the clearing. Peridot sighed before meeting lapis' gaze from across the field.

"I'm assuming we fight until one of us calls uncle." Peridot called out straightforwardly.

"Yeah." Lapis answered. "That's fine with me." Peridot let out an uneasy chuckle followed by a nervous smirk.

"Steven got off easy fighting a abstracted lapis." Peridot thought to herself. "But I'll be fighting the real deal. No doubt the smaller than average lake will give her exceptionally increased range putting me at a huge disadvantage .If I want to win this, I'll have to get in close before she covers all of my options with her hydrotelokenis."

"I'll use the pool to locked her down." Lapis thought, dropping into her fighting stance. "I'll force her into a corner so she'll have to use her power on me….then I'll make her surrender." Lapis stood directly across from Peridot, right in front of the barns double doors. A cool night breeze blew passed them, swaying their hair to the side and creating ripples in the stillness of the pool.

"I'm ready when you are!" Peridot shouted from across the way.

"Bring it!" Lapis replied aggressively. That instant Peridot sprung forward. She knew the first few seconds of the match were crucial. Peridot ran at Lapis full speed who wasted no time taking action.

Lapis quickly held her right arm out from her body opening her her palm. As she did that, the water in the pool began whirling around furiously. In mere seconds, a pillar of swirling water rushed out of the pool and made its way over to Lapis' right hand. Lapis held the stream of water out from her body with her right hand and punched the the stream with her left hand sending dozens of miniature water chains bursting out towards Peridot.

In an instant the chains were inches away from Peridot who reacted instinctively. She clumsily managed her way around the chains. For the chains that came from the left, Peridot dodged to the right. For the chains that came from the right, Peridot weaved to the left. For the chains that came from above, Peridot hit an uneasy back bend. To dodge the chains that came from below, Peridot leaped into the air. Peridot grunted mid-air.

"Tsk! All this effort just to get close!" Peridot thought to herself inching closer and closer towards Lapis. "I've only got one shot to win this… If I don't floor her with this punch it's game over! I can't mess this up! No matter what!"

Peridot landed a few feet away from Lapis who had drained away the stream she pulled from the pool. Peridot lunged forward, this time as quickly as possible to attack lapis before she brought more water into the mix. At first Peridot's persistence shocked Lapis, but she wouldn't let her guard down a second time. Peridot cocked her right arm back mid lounge. She was about to put all of her strength into this attack.

It was checkmate for Lapis Peridot thought swinging her fist forward as hard as she could, but something was off. Peridot felt her fist connect to something but a splash was heard. Peridot opened her eyes to see that Lapis summoned a water wing to block her attack. Peridot landed right in front of Lapis, her hand still caught in the water wing. Lapis clenched her fist tighter and the wing's grip on Peridot's hand tightened as well.

"How much longer are you going to toy with me?!" Lapis shouted angrily crashing her foot into Peridot's stomach. The attack send Peridot flying onto her back several feet away from Lapis. Peridot groaned before stubbornly rolling onto her side. "When are you gonna fight me seriously?!"

"What do you think I'm doing right now?!" Peridot asked frustratedly. "I can't think of a single reason to hold back at a time like this." Lapis sighed.

"I don't understand why you won't just use the same strength you used to defeat Steven and Connie against me." Lapis said watching Peridot struggle to her feel

"I can't." Peridot answered lowly.

"And why not?" Lapis questioned impatiently.

"B-because it's not my strength." Peridot stammered.

"Then whose strength is it Peridot?" Lapis asked crossing her arms.

"Err um it's not really strength at all." Peridot started nervously. "You see it's kinda-..."

"Kinda what Peridot?" Lapis interrupted hurtfully. "Kind of a lie? It's good to know you think I'm weak and stupid! If it's not strength then what the Hell is it?!"

"IT'S LOVE!" Peridot yelled facing her with her head down. Peridot blushed heavily after yelling over Lapis who was too shocked to even say anything. Peridot started towards her slowly. "It was my love for you that defeated them. I saw Steven beating you into the ground and it tore me apart knowing that I couldn't help you. Connie was faster and stronger than me. Any move I made she countered just about flawlessly, but it was something about seeing your body hit the ground that made me shake. There was something about your face being pounded in that made my blood boil. Next thing I knew something snapped, and I knew in my mind and my body that I was going to help you. It didn't matter what I was up against, I was going to protect you. It was in that moment I knew exactly how I felt about you. It was in that moment that I knew that my existence would be spent protecting you and our home from any threat. I don't care how strong I have to get and to be completely honest I wouldn't want it any other way."

When Peridot finished, she stood directly in front of Lapis who was in complete awe at what she just heard.

"Peridot.. I had no idea you felt that way." Lapis said peering down at Peridot who was inches away from her. "I was so scared that you wouldn't want anything to do with me. I mean I couldn't blame you with all the problems I have with my past."

"I was scared." Peridot admitted openly. "Recently I've been kind of cold towards you but it's not because I don't want anything to do with you... I-it's quite the opposite actually. We've been living on earth together for a few months but things like love and relationships were still foreign territory for me and for the longest time I've been too scared to take that first step even though it could be the greatest adventure I'd ever get to be a part of."

Peridot and Lapis stared at each other teary eyed for a moment before Lapis spoke.

"Y'know that was literally the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." She started with a blush. "I have no doubt that you're the gem I wanna be with, but in order to be the gem that I want to be, I'm gonna have be able to take care of myself. My whole life I've feared the diamonds and ever since I found out that we're training to go up against homeworld all I've thought about secretly in the back of my head is 'why not run away' I've had plenty of opportunities but something stopped me from leaving every single time. That something was you Peri. I've been meaning to tell you how I felt but i was sure you'd brush me off. I can't leave because my home is with you and I can't let anything get in the way of that."

Lapis saw the tears welling up in Peridot's eyes. Peridot leaped into Lapis' arms and the force sent the two gems to the ground. Lapis hugged Peridot's waist while Peridot cupped her tiny hands around Lapis' face. The two shared a long passionate kiss under the warm starry night sky.

"I love you." Peridot said cuddling up next to Lapis on the truck bed.

"I love you too." Lapis said pulling peridot closer to her. The two fell asleep together for the first time in weeks, this time completely at peace with one another.

Lapis and Peridot slept in the next day, but the next morning found Steven bright eyed and bushy tailed. He woke to her the other crystal gems lightly discussing something important in the living room. Steven quietly sat up in his bed in an attempt to hear what all the chatter was about.

"Well how much power did you use?" Amethyst asked Pearl impatiently.

"Hardly any at all." Pearl answered frivolously. "There just children after all!"

"Well I was takin' it easy on em' too P!" Amethyst said defensively.

"Enough!" Garnet cut in frustratedly. "We need to be more specific! Pearl put a number to power you used."

"Oh well ummm.." Pearl stammered. "I'd say I only used about twenty percent of my full power in the fight."

"Amethyst?" Garnet said turning towards Amethyst. "What about you?" Amethyst thought for a moment before cracking her knuckles and deciding on a number.

"I'd say I only used about fifteen percent of my full power!" Amethyst said proudly one upping Pearl by five percent. Pearl crossed her arms to stop herself from calling Amethyst's bluff, but Garnet's intense stare made Amethyst rethink her number.

"Ok ok it was more like a third of my full power." Amethyst admitted seriously.

"Honestly Amethyst you should really take more care in how you fight." Pearl warned. "If you would have taken it any easier on Connie they probably would have figured you out."

"Oh get off my back already." Amethyst said annoyed. "You're always trying to ride someone's di-"

"What are we talking about?" Steven said surprising the group in the kitchen.

"Oh Steven!" Pearl said surprised to see him. "Ummm we were just talking about our err.. Umm.. Our chances to.."

"Win the lottery!" Amethyst finished excitedly.

"Oh really?" Steven questioned unimpressed with their ruse. "Because it sounded like all you guys were holding back yesterday!"

"Whaaat!?" Pearl exclaimed pretending that Steven's analysis was way off.

"Yeh why would we do that?" Amethyst asked nonchalantly.

"Guys you don't have to lie to me ok." Steven said vexingly. "It's just kind of disappointing to hear I was trying my best for no reason."

"It wasn't in vain." Garnet said finally. "We wanted to assess you and Connie as a team and you two have grown tremendously. We are all proud."

"Yeh." Steven said aggravated that everyone was missing the point of his frustration. "Well I bet Connie would want an honest fight without all the hand holdy percentages."

"Aww c'mon Steven.." Amethyst argued nonchalantly sitting herself up on Steven's counter.

" Amethyst is right Steven." Pearl agreed. "We've been Crystal Gems for thousands of years. It's only natural that you and Connie would have a little trouble catching up to us."

"That's the thing!" Steven replied throwing his hands above his head. "I wanna know that I have catching up to do. I wanna know how much more powerful you guys are than me so I can get strong too. I thought that was why we were training in the first place. It's not like HomeWorld gems are gonna hold back two thirds of their power just because I'm a kid!" Garnet walked past Amethyst and Pearl and kneeled in front of Steven.

"You're right Steven." Garnet said calmly agreeing with Steven. "We shouldn't have held back and let you celebrate a false victory. How can we make it up to you?" Steven pondered for a moment. He pulled out his phone and started to unlock it.

"I want a rematch!" Steven declared. "I'm gonna tell Connie what happened and when she gets here I want a serious match. No holding back."

"Alright then." Garnet agreed shocking both Pearl and Amethyst. "I'll do you one better. I say we have a tournament. We'll fight on the beach and the winner gets to make the losers do whatever the winner wants."

"Ok you're on." Steven said excitedly. "But how do we decide who fights who?"

"it'll be a doubles tournament." Garnet explained. "You and Connie will fight Pearl and Amethyst and who ever wins fights me."

"Ohh I see." Steven said caressing his imaginary beard. "Because your Ruby and Sapphire."

"Exactly." Garnet smiled fully.

"Okay! You've got yourself a deal." Steven said shaking hands with Garnet. "I'm gonna go call Connie to see when she can come over." Steven left the kitchen and plopped down on the couch. He held his phone up to his ear waiting for Connie to pick up.

"Garnet what are you thinking?!" Pearl exclaimed in a muffled whisper. "We can't use our full power against them they're children!"

"Yeah man." Amethyst agreed quietly. "They'll no doubt get crushed."

"Probably." Garnet agreed. "But Steven has a point. We can't afford to keep going easy on him no matter how much we love him. I couldn't possibly predict what Homeworld has in store for us so we need to be ready for anything. If that means we have to fight a couple of kids seriously, then that's what we'll do."

"What do you mean 'You already knew'?!" Steven exclaimed into the phone.

"I don't know. I just figured y'know?" Connie answered truthfully. "All the stories you told me about them, there was absolutely no way they were fighting us for real."

"I have seen them do some pretty crazy stuff…." Steven agreed reluctantly. "So you coming over?"

"Yea I'll head over on Lion after school." Connie answered. "I'll probably be over there later on in the afternoon."

"Ok great." Steven smiled. "But are you sure you're cool with an honest rematch? Things will probably get rough."

"Oh definitely." Connie replied. "I'd rather a challenge than a handicap. Besides you can always heal me if i get ruffed up." Her tone was somewhat sexual. Steven blushed lightly.

"Y-yeh sure you bet." Steven said sincerely. They said bye before Steven hung up. He stood up from the couch and went to the bathroom to prepare for the afternoon rolled around quickly. Steven found himself on his porch stretching himself out before the tournament.

"Ok Steven." Steven whispered to himself. "This is for real. Just do your best. Heh, I'm probably worried over nothing. For all I know Connie and I will do great." Steven placed his foot up on the wooden railing and launched himself into the air. He floated over to the shore before gently landing.

He let the water wash the bottoms of his red shoes. He stared into the crystal clear waters. Steven waited in silence for a moment. Steven looked over to the right and saw a pink ball of energy whirl into existence. The sphere morphed itself into an oval and out of the oval, a Connie carrying lion burst forward onto the beach.

Lion's claws dug into the sand and brought them to a gradual stop. Connie, clad in her purple training uniform, hopped off of Lion and onto the sand in front of Steven.

"Hey Steven." Connie greeted sweetly. He was silent. She noticed Steven's intense expression. "Steven? Are you okay?" Steven frantically snapped out of his transe.

"Huh!? Oh hey Connie." He said bashfully rubbing the back of his head. "I guess I've been kinda anxious all day."

"That excited for the fight?" Connie asked.

"More like that nervous." Steven admitted looking over out over the water. "I'm finally gonna know how strong I am. I can't wait, but at the same time…"

"You're afraid you're not a match for them." Connie finished. Steven clenched his fists and focused on the tides that washed up around his shoes.

"It doesn't matter." Steven grumbled inaudibly.

"What?" Connie asked stepping closer to Steven who's head suddenly perked up.

"It doesn't matter how much stronger they are than me!" Steven repeated proudly. "I don't care how hard I have to work! I'll be someone worthy of this gem, and I'll lead the rebellion just like my mom did!" Connie slipped her fingers into Steven's clenched fist.

"And I'll be here with you every step of the way." Connie said with a smile. Steven nodded back confidently.

"Aww you guys are so friggin cute." Amethyst said from behind them. Steven snapped around completely unaware that Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl behind them. They all stood arms crossed except for Pearl who held back tears of joy.

"I guess it's time." Steven said coldly. Garnet nodded. Steven turned to Connie who met his gaze silently. The group dispersed around the beach. Garnet stood on Steven's porch to spectate the first match, while Pearl and Amethyst Stood on the side of the beach closest to the city and cliffside. Steven and Connie stood several meters away from them.

A subtle nod from Connie to Lion told Lion to find something to do during the fight. While Lion wandered off, Steven and Connie split apart. Steven firmly planted his feet in front of Pearl and Connie found herself in front of Amethyst. A moment of silence crept over the beach. A tense atmosphere made itself at home on the beach. Steven's front yard was essentially about to become a passionate chaotic battlefield filled with effort and energy. Connie drew her sword and held it in front her.

Garnet inspected both parties to make sure they were ready. Pearl held her natural stance. She summoned no weapon but her bare-handed stance was intimidating enough. Amethyst on the other hand, stood casually in front of Connie with her arms crossed behind her head and her right leg over her left. Both teams were ready, so Garnet loudly brought two of Steven's pans together. The loud crash signified the start of the match.

That instant, Steven and Pearl rushed forward full speed. Steven leaped forward driving his fist at Pearl full force. Stevens attack was strong but also predictable. Pearl easily avoided the attack by soaring gracefully into air. Steven stopped himself and shot his head up to make sure he didn't lose track of Pearl. She ascended high into the air. At the apex of her jump, Pearl gem glowed brilliantly and she pulled out her trident. The second gravity started to weigh on her she aerodynamically realigned herself to plummet towards the ground. Her landing caused an intense rush on the ground. Individual grains of sand were forcefully blasted everywhere and a thick cloud of smoke stretched out over them. Connie and Amethyst stood on opposite sides of the commotion.

"Steven!?" Connie worriedly called out into fog. Slowly the fog faded revealing Steven and Pearl. Pearl's landing had sent Steven onto his back. Steven struggled to keep Pearl's trident from piercing his chest. His body violently shook under the pressure. He held his shield up against Pearl as best he could, but there was a problem.

"She's so strong!" Steven admitted to himself. "I can't believe she was holding back this much strength during our training session!...I can't give up yet! I'm plenty strong too!" Steven's gem whirled finatically as he expanded his shield over his whole body. He pressed his feet up against the shield, and with all of his limbs up against the shield, he was able to spring Pearl off of him.

Pearl landed a few meters away from Steven and without wasting any time, they both stormed forward once more to exchange blows. Steven had to react fast. Their exchanges were very one sided with pearl getting best of Steven almost every time. However, Steven expected as much.

One clash sent Steven tumbling through the sand and landing on his back. He nimbly flipped back on to his feet pearl flashed forward ramming her spear onto his shield. This clash sent out an undetectable force lifting sand and other grains into the air. The ground around them started to shake as they began to exert more and more effort. Sparks fired off of Steven's shield and shot off into every other direction.

"You know Steven," Pearl started with a hint of satisfaction in her voice. "Even when I'm trying, you're not a bad fight." Steven struggle to speak while shoving his shield up against Pearl's spear.

"Obviously if you have time to speak, You aren't trying your best." Steven vented frustratedly. Pearl smiled confidently before disappearing into thin air. Steven squatted down attentively. Pearls speed was no joke. The entire fight had been an uphill battle, Pearl getting the best of Steven in almost every instance. To win this fight Steven was going to have to fight smarter and harder. Steven scoped the area around him. No sign of Pearl anywhere.

"Sorry Steven." Pearls voiced resonated around him. "There's just no way for you to win this fight. I've been a crystal gem for thousands of years and I know when an opponent is outmatched. So instead of toying around with you I'm going to end this." Pearl then appeared behind Steven spinning furiously. Steven only had a second to react. Pearl swung her foot out and with the speed of her revolutions, her kick sent a bubbled Steven hurtling into the air. Pearl wasn't finished. With her speed and agility, She was able to bounce steven around midair effortlessly. The sound of her foot forcefully thumping against Steven's bubble echoed across the beach. An especially heavy attack sent a bubbled Steven plummeting down to the coast. His impact caused yet another explosion of dirt and water to be sent everywhere.

"Steven!" Connie called out worriedly.

"Come on Connie!" Amethyst sighed starting towards her. "You and I both know Steven and Pearl will be just fine. If you're gonna worry-" Amethyst vanished from in front of Connie. Connie's head swivelled in an attempt to find Amethyst. Besides Pearl and Steven's bout, the beach barely stirred at all. Her body was tense. She held her sword steady in front of her.

"You should worry about yourself." She heard Amethyst whisper in her ear. She leaped away from Amethyst who had somehow easily gotten behind her undetected.

"Can't think about it too much." Connie said to herself. "If I let her get to me I'm done for!" Connie lounged forward thrusting her pink blade at Amethyst. The broad weapon inched closer to Amethyst, the tip almost touching her iris, before she vanished into thin air.

No doubt this sight was a product of Amethyst's formidable speed, so Connie immediately canceled her momentum and skillfully swung the sword behind her. She was well aware of the power difference between them. However, Amethyst could still be fairly predictable in her uninspired moments.

Connie's horizontal backslash definitely mixed up Amethyst, and as a result, Amethyst lost a lock of her hair barely being able to avoid the strike. She expertly flipped away, nimbly landing in a kneeling position. She brushed back a few strands left over her face after Connie's attack.

In a way, Connie kind of did Amethyst a favor. Amethyst had a habit of covering twenty-five percent of her face with her hair. Now with only a strand of hair hanging over her eye, her appearance reflected some of the changes her character had undergone since Jasper was bubbled. Amethyst stood up and started stretching. She pulled her right arm behind her head with her left and then her left with her right. She dropped into a squat and began stretching out her legs.

Finally she stopped stretching and stood a few meters away from Connie who held her sword out in front of her. Amethyst had her arms by her sides. A blank expression painted itself on her face. Connie's obsidian pupils met her gaze. The only hint of emotion on her person was her eyes. Her body was still and motionless, but her eyes were wild purple flames that seemed to say so much about her. In her eyes, Connie could see her pain and insecurities rising to the surface, creating low and menacing presence. Connie let her fear push her back a step. Amethyst noticed this and started to walk forward. Her pace was comfortable and slow which made it even more intimidating.

"I know why you do this." Amethyst said threateningly. "You're desperate aren't you?" Connie hesitated. Her grip on her sword tightened before she charged forward.

"Just ignore her." Connie mumbled to herself as she rushed forward. She unleashed a fury a quick sharp sword slashes. Amethyst, this time completely ready, dodged her effortlessly.

"You want to be the best you right?" Amethyst whispered suddenly appearing behind Connie. Connie responded by swinging herself around full speed in an attempt to cut Amethyst in half. Her sword cut through the air effortlessly but Amethyst got clear of the blade by jumping back at the last second. Connie continued her attack not letting Amethyst out her field of vision. Her pink blade seemed to hum as Connie swung it again and again. She leaped through the air in pursuit of the purple gem. Her steps were light and focused.

After a particularly long scramble, Connie stopped to catch her breath. This entire situation was dire for her. Connie's breath was ragged.

"Your eyes don't lie." Amethyst said condescendingly. "You're fighting the truth you know. You don't want to accept it even when it's staring dead at you."

"What are you…" Connie started ask being cut off by Amethyst.

"You're a crystal gem too Connie!" Amethyst said mockingly of Steven. "You're just one little girl sitting at the grownups table." Her words were like knives in Connies back. Her confidence took the brunt of the blow. Connie staggered angrily before swiping her sword off of the ground and Charging at Amethyst full speed. Her anger pushed her through the fatigue. Finally, she thrusted her blade up aimed at the purple gems throat. Amethyst vanished once again. Connie's eyes panned up to see Amethyst lightly balancing her big toe on the tip of her sword. Connie growled lowly. Could her efforts really be pointless. She knew there was a gap in power, but to be outclassed to this degree was insane.

"Truth Hurts!" Amethyst quipped before sending Connie's sword flying into the cliffside next to Steven's house. Connie's aches brought her down onto her hands and knees. Sweat rolled down the sides of her face and fell to the soft sand from her chin. She may have over done it, but she knew her opponent. She couldn't have possibly fathom the gap in power between them and it was maddening. She couldn't even keep up with Amethyst's nonchalant movements. She had trained intensely with them for months, nearly perfecting what Pearl regarded as "The Art of the Sword". Connie's head hung low to the ground as she fought back tears that welled up in her eyes. She sniffled at her inevitable defeat. Amethyst pulled her up by the low collar on her gi and held her up above the ground.

"Time to face reality." Amethyst said neutrally. "Time to accept yourself for what you really are." Amethyst held Connie above the ground with her left hand and rocked her skull with a forceful right haymaker. Connie screamed out in pain, as the dark red blood from her nose splattered out onto the sand. Amethyst striked again and again. Connie's head jolted violently back and forth in response to Amethyst's attacks. Connie bled profusely. Streams of blood ran freely from her scalp and nose.

"YOU'RE NOTHING!" Amethyst yelled angrily with each passing blow. "YOU CAN TRY ALL YOU WANT BUT YOU CAN FIX THE FACTS! YOUR WEAK AND YOU ALWAYS WILL BE!" Garnet watched from the porch. She shifted her shades farther onto her face. Garnet knew Amethyst's words weren't for Connie . Amethyst let her in feeling loose during Connie's beating. Suddenly, Amethyst stopped pounding Connie's face and let her nearly lifeless body hit the ground.

"It's over." Amethyst said, finally calming down. Connie laid face down in the sand. Her face was battered, bruised, and numb with pain. She was barely conscious, but she heard what Amethyst said. She couldn't let her be right. Amethyst, done with Connie, turned and started walking towards Steven in Pearl who were still locked in combat.

"It isn't over." Amethyst heard a muffled voice call out. She turned to see Connie struggle up to her hands and knees. She struggled to do anything at this point. Still she fought her eventual collapse with all her might. "You are wrong...you're wrong about me." Amethyst walked back to a gravely wounded Connie. Amethyst stood above her waiting for her to stand back up.

"I AM SOMETHING!" Connie shouted forcing herself up onto her feet. That instant, Amethyst's eyes widened as she mercilessly launched Connie high into the air with a devastating kick. Connie's body flew higher and higher. Just as she passed the cliffs edge, Amethyst appear there with a sadistic smile. Her gem hummed as she pulled out her long purple energy whips.

As soon as Connie's momentum started to fade, she felt herself being tightly constricted. Her face was so swollen she could barely open her eyes. She caught a glimpse of Amethyst's devilish grin. Amethyst slung her deadly purple electric currents through the whips. When the currents reached Connie's body, she cried out in bloody agony.

Her body was lit up with purple electricity. It was a wild spectacle from the ground. Almost as if a bolt of purple lighting stopped before it hit the ground and concentrated itself in the air. Amethyst's attack seem to absorb all the light in the area. The only light visible was the purple charge that ate away at Connie's skin and the sparks that flew off of her body. Her screams filled the void of silence.

"I'm sorry kiddo." Amethyst yelled over Connie's screams. "What were you saying?!"

"HnnAAhhh" Connie cried out in pain. Stumbling back, Steven narrowly dodged Pearl's trident. Then, Connie's shrieks filled his ears and he snapped around to catch Connie trapped in a hurricane of purple electricity. His heart skipped a beat.

Completely deserting his battle with Pearl, Steven rushed to the cliff side. His movements were frantic. He couldn't think of a plan. He couldn't think of anything. Next thing he knew he soaring through the air determined to rip Connie out of those deadly ropes. Amethyst, seeing Steven approach, let Connie slip through her whips. Connie's body descended into a free fall. Steven swept her up in his arms and slowly drifted back to the ground.

Steven laid Connie out on the soft sand. He peered down at her battered, broken body. She stirred slightly before a volt of electricity violently shook her body. Steven kneeled down next her and place his lips on her forehead. A hot pink glow lit her body before dimming down. Her bruises were lessened but still there. She groaned quietly as she fell into a more peaceful unconsciousness.

"That should hold you for now." Steven whispered to a layed out Connie. Steven figured the last thing Connie need was another beating, so he only healed her enough to stabilize her as opposed to completely restoring her. Steven stood above her.

He could feel rage boil up inside. He asked for a real match, but all he could see on Connie's face was a senseless beating. He heard Amethyst land behind him.

"Looks like she couldn't take the heat." Amethyst said nonchalantly crossing her arms behind head. "She was so determined to get the crap kicked out her. Kinda funny when you think about it."

"Amethyst…" Steven scornfully spoke. "If I hadn't of shown up when I did she would have died."

"So?" Amethyst replied snobbishly. "You insisted on a real fight so so bad, and when you get one you don't know what to do." Steven's clenched fist began to shake ferociously. He could feel his anger steamily rising out of his pores. Steven's gem whirled as it began to glow brighter and brighter.

"You're right." Steven agreed calmly as her turned to face her. "Let's go a round or two Amethyst."

Amethyst took a second to process what Steven said. She hesitated a bit. His tone was darker than usually and she sensed something else. She sensed something dark. She sensed malice.

"S-sure I've been looking forward to this rematch." Amethyst said dropping into her own fighting stance. She wasn't gonna let Steven win regardless. She heard pearl land behind her. "I've got this P don't butt in!"

"Are you sure you got this?" Pearl asked, storing her trident in her gem, and placing her hands on her hips. Amethyst focus shifted from Steven to Pearl.

"W-what of course I got this!" Amethyst replied uneasily. In that instant, Steven's gem ruptured out a vibrant burst of pink electricity that launched him at Amethyst with incredible speed. Amethyst snapped her focus back to Steven but was blindsided and sent tumbling through the sand by a very forceful punch. A trail of smoke and dust followed her.

Pearl let out a small chuckle before summoning her spear. She took a moment to observe Steven. He stood as tall as he could. His gem lit through his shirt and pink electricity periodically glistered throughout his body. His eyes glowed an angry hot pink. He set his sights on Pearl who readied her spear. Steven started towards her Pearl slowly. His shoes buzzed wildly with every step. The tension continued to build as Steven approached.

Pearl heard Amethyst unoriented groans behind her. Pearl held her trident in front her and squatted down into her fighting stance. She turned to see Amethyst standing beside her whips drawn and ready to fight. They dashed forward with quickening steps. Pearl reached Steven first with her superior speed and swung her spear at Steven who vanished into thin air. Pearl's head swivelled to locate him.

"He's up there!" Pearl heard Amethyst scream before bouncing off of her head and soaring high into the air. There she found steven effortlessly floating above the ground. The electricity crackled around him. Amethyst attempted to attack Steven, but he was already behind her ready to retaliate with a powerful elbow. Amethyst's body found itself buried under sand post impact.

She rushed out of her burial to find Steven holding back Pearl's spear with one hand. She hastily dashed toward them catching Steven's flushed gaze. Two kicks easily sent Pearl crashing into Amethyst with a splintered spear in her grasp.

The gems eased up off of the ground easily. They were shaken by Steven's composure. He was so different. Seemingly out of nowhere the differences in their power were in Steven's favor. His pink power hummed about him. Once again Steven started towards them.

This time his blank expression was replaced by an intimidating grin. He opened and closed his hands allowing the energy sizzle in between his fingers. After getting a few feet within Amethyst and Pearl, Steven dropped down into his fighting stance. Like him, his stance was also different. What used to be a defensive stance protected by his rose pink shield was now a confident yet terrifying offensive position.

His gem began to emit a terrifyingly bright radiance. His aura seemed to absorb all the light in area and as result grew tenfold. The pink light grew more and more. Garnet materialized in front of Steven. She held up her hand.

"Move outa the way Garnet!" Amethyst yelled. "We got this!" Pearl agreed with a nod readying another spear.

"This fight is over." Garnet said stepping to the side of Steven. The pink light emanating from his gem almost instantly died down and was follow by the sound of Steven collapsing face first into the sand. His body shuddered violently with Neo electricity ravaging it.

"W-what just happened?" Pearl asked tiredly dropping her spear. She wiped the sweat from her brow before coming to Garnet's shoulder. Amethyst stood on the other side of Garnet.

"His gem shorted out." Garnet stated, picking Steven up over her shoulder. "What we just witnessed was a fraction of Steven's inner strength."

"Incredible!" Pearl said soft running her hands through Steven's hair. "It makes sense I suppose."

"Yeah, all of off his powers are connected to his emotions." Amethyst agreed. "It makes sense that we'd see this surge in energy after I roughed up Connie."

"Wow you actually said something intelligent?" Pearl said hiding a shady smirk. "That's a first."

"Shaddup P." Amethyst replied slightly annoyed. "So what's the next move Garnet?" Garnet took a second to respond.

"I don't really know." Garnet admitted. "Let's just get the kids inside. They need to rest." The others nodded. The group returned to the house promptly. Steven was gently place on his bed and tucked in. Pearl laid Connie onto the couch and sat next to her.

Garnet came down the creaking wooden stairs and approached Pearl.

"What is it Garnet ?" Pearl asked, her gaze never leaving Connie.

"I'm to take a while to myself so I meditate and map out a plan." Garnet replied heading back to the temple door.

"Umm alright. Did you want me to pop in when Steven and Connie wake up?" Pearl asked, turning towards Garnet.

"I won't be that long." Garnet answered passing through lit corridor. The door whirled shut behind her, leaving a worried Pearl to her exasperated sighs.