"Get up!" Steven commanded. He stood over the savagely beaten warrior, as she struggled to push herself off the cracked ground. The pressure he emitted left a sense of dread in the Sky Ruins. His skin glowed a vibrant Pink as he looked at Jasper's broken form, barely able to support herself on her knee. She shook violently as she dry-heaved. Every fiber of her being was either nauseatingly numb or burned from the numerous bruises she received from the glowing hybrid. Jasper's dirty white hair felt heavy as she strained to lift her head up, showing the enraged boy her agony.

"Please...*coughs*" Jasper said, trying to hold back the urge to vomit. Her head wavered as her eyes couldn't focus on the pink scowl before her. "...I-I yield. Okay? *coughs* I'm... sorry. I take back what I said about Rose- I mean Pink Diamond. Pl-*coughs*-ease, no more. It wasn't my fault your human pet got- Argh!" A Spike Ball Fist crashed into her gem, creating a resounding crack, which echoed through the empty arena. The blow sent Jasper flying to the other side, bouncing on the floor like a flat rock on still water, until she skidded to a halt. Her body started glitching out, but she desperately fought to pull herself together. She craned her head up, pain edged in her face, as she tried to focus her one good eye on the fighter slowly making his way towards her. Steven dismissed his Bubble Gauntlets and summoned the Breaking Point from his gem, his eyes dead set on her fractured gemstone. For the first time in a while, Jasper didn't want to go down fighting.

"I said... Get. Up." He growled. Once Steven reached her broken form, he gave her a swift kick to the ribs to bring his point home. Bile and blood spewed from her mouth, as she hacked up her damaged lung. "If you don't get up on the count of "three", I'm going to shatter you. 1..." Steven's aura exploded around him as she shielded her eyes away from the light. "2..."

At this point, the fear really set in for Jasper, she didn't have it in her to take any more of his assaults, much less fight back. She was supposed to be a warrior. Jasper begged her legs to give her just a bit more, just enough to stand a little bit longer. Where were those Crystal Cruds when you needed them? She wanted to tell herself that she didn't need them, or they're crummy fusions, but she would be delighted if she had that overcooked runt here.

"3..." He said, raising the weapon over her gem. Jasper, somehow, used the last of her strength to jump up in an orange blaze, summoning her helmet in a final attempt to hit him in his gem. "Pathetic." He said before vanishing from her sight. She floated there, looking around aimlessly before hearing him clear his throat below her. His eyes were cold. Steven reared back his fist, preparing to deliver a deadly uppercut to her glass nose. Pink flames blazed from his palm, before he charged his hand forward without hesitation. "Know your place."

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Jasper sat quietly in the bed of the pickup truck as she watched the television with Lapis. She wasn't really into any of the things that the blue gem watched, or the television for that matter. She wanted to leave. Not just the lounge area, but the Barn in general. She knew that even without the chains that bind her to Lapis, she would still be a prisoner on this planet. Her only crime was avenging someone she admired and believed wholeheartedly in, only to realize that she wasn't even a pawn in her own game. She lived in constant agony here. She was shunned by most of the sentient Gems of the populated Little Homeworld and was treated with animosity by her surrounding kin. The only one that spared her a genuine hand of kindness was Amethyst.

"She should be here soon." She said under her breath. Jasper enjoyed those moments that the shorter Quartz would steal her for the day. She didn't have to wear those heavy shackles everywhere she went, and she treated her with respect. She wished she were nicer to the runt, way back when. Jasper used to long for her visits, and she still does, but now she would be moving in with her shorter companion and that was the only thing that put her at ease.

"Steven called Peri." Lapis said, breaking Jasper out of her thoughts with a sense of impending dread. "He said that Amethyst would be running a little late today. So, he'll be picking you up shortly." Jasper had a 100-yard stare, beginning to hyperventilate (although she didn't need air), events of her most painful encounter with the hybrid. Suddenly spooked by a bright light, she turned to the giant beam coming down from the sky, her face growing pale by the second. "Oh, that must be him now." Lapis said with noticeable glee. The Orange Quartz quickly bolted out the barn, in a desperate attempt not to be seen. "How cute." The blue Gem summoned her wings and slowly floated outside, seeing her larger "associate" run around the side. "Now-Now. Don't make it so easy." She said hovering in place. As much as she wanted to go hunt her down, she much preferred Steven's company. She jetted off towards the Warp Pad, meeting her B.S.F.B.

"Steven!" She said, lifting him in the air, spinning around, leaving a sparkling cascade of Water Droplets falling around them. "It's so good to see you."

"Lapis. How is my little Raindrop?" He said as he ruffled her deep blue hair. They hovered in the air, slowly descending in their respective manners.

"I've been fine." She said, twirling around her friend. "I was dying for you to visit again."

"Yeah, sorry." Steven said. "I've been super busy with other human matters. Then I just got out of a video call with Yellow and Blue. That was boring."

"Oh my. That must have been dull." Lapis said in a knowing tone.

"I just had to give my monthly update on the progress of De-corrupting Gems. Blue Diamond was just there to see me. She wants me to come and visit her sometime next week."

"I rather you use that free time with me. I've been so incredibly bored without you here." Lapis said, tickling his chin. She had many ideas on how she would love to spend time with her pink-eyed friend.

"I'm sure your Barn Mate gives you more than enough entertainment, Lapis." He said, placing his hands on her waist, lightly pushing her back. "I hate to intrude on you guys."

"She's not here right now. You are though." She said, pulling herself closer. "I'm looking for some fun, buddy."

"Heh. Well, aren't you subtle." Steven commented. "And here I thought you were very possessive of her."

"True. Peridot is my Little Camper, and mine alone. However," Lapis said, teasing his crotch line with one of her water tentacles. "...I'm only loyal to you, and you alone, My Steven~."

"I'm very thankful for your loyalty Lil' Lappy." Steven said, releasing himself from her grasp. "However, I have another that has my heart. Unless she gives the go-ahead, I must ask that you refrain yourself from advancing."

"I can do much better than Amy, Stevey. And nobody has to know." She winked.

"I'd know." He said, walking towards the Barn. "Anyway, where's Jasper? I'm supposed to pick her up."

Lapis stood there, annoyed by his rejection. "I don't know. She's somewhere around here." She huffed.

"Well, let's look for her." Steven said, ignoring the smart tone in her voice. Suddenly, Lapis floated over to his ear, giving it a little kiss.

"How about we go look for her, together?" She cooed.

"Get off me, Lazuli." He said sternly. "Or you can forget about me considering you at all."

Lapis, taking the hint, flew off to the sky, getting a bird's-eye view. She focused on the right corner of the Barn, not too surprised to see Jasper's large white hair poking out. A devilish grin edged its way on her face. "Hey, Steven! I'm to search around the perimeter. You check the inside."

"Okay." He waved her off, heading inside the Barn. When he was far inside, she flew over to Jasper's position.

"He's here." Jasper said, rocking back and forth, clutching her disheveled hair. "Oh Diamond, why did he have to come? Why him and not Amethyst?" Jasper mind raced a thousand miles a minute, flashing memories of what she referred to as The Incident.

"Know your place..." That phrase was burned into her brain. She never, in her millennia, ever expected him to be at that level of power. And when she learned he wasn't at his peak, the pressure she felt intensified.

"No more. Please, no more... I don't want to fight again." The tears wouldn't stop pouring from her face. The Old Her would have looked down on her with disappointment.

"Is this what we are now?" She heard her say. "A pathetic whelp. To think you used to be me. Disgusting."

"I can't go through that again. He almost shattered me. If Amethyst hadn't stopped him..."

"The fact you had to rely on that overcooked runt just proves how worthless you are now! First you let yourself become corrupted, now you are outside, sitting on your ass whining like some type of dog."

"..."

"Nothing to say?! Good. Saves me from having to hear any pitiful excuses you have stored in that broken head of yours."

"Hello, Jasper." Lapis said in a jovial tone, floating behind her. "Talking to yourself I see."

The orange Gem's heart sank inside her stomach, as she turned to face her devilish grin. "Lapis..." Her voice quaked.

"You've been a very bad Quartz, Jasper." Her wings grew larger, and each tip elongated to form water whips.

"I-I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to run away. Honest. I was just..." Jasper said, desperately searching for a lie.

"Oh, I'm not upset that you tried to run away." Lapis said, inching her tentacles closer to her target. "I actually prefer you not being around anymore. However, I'm bound to vices to track your worthless ass. But, what I'm mad about is you getting in my way. So, I'll cut you a deal; If you stay missing for a few more minutes, I can overlook this minor transgression. But if you don't, then I'll just stick you under the pool until I want to bring you back up. And we wouldn't want that, would we?"

"No..." Jasper shuddered. The memory of Malachite's imprisonment stung in the back of her mind. She rather "fights" Steven before going through that experience again.

Lapis smiled at the groveling Quartz soldier. "Then I expect you to stay right here while I go entertain our esteemed guest." With that, Lapis retracted her water, and walked inside the Barn.

Jasper let out a deep sigh, getting her composure back.

"Pathetic. You should have knocked her into the Earth."

"No. If I did, then Steven would have gotten involved. I wouldn't have a chance against him. Much less with the two of them at once."

"I can't believe this is how I turned out. After 1 loss."

"It wasn't just a loss. It was a one-sided war. I never felt so weak. I was almost... shattered."

"Well, I'd rather be shattered than become the broken mess you are right now."

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"Hey, check it out! This is my favorite puddle!" Amethyst said, suddenly rushing towards the small pool of water.

"Hey! Wait up!" Jasper said, attempting to catch up with her shorter counterpart. 'She can run pretty fast, for a runt'. Jasper tried to keep paste with her, watching her stubby little legs go in her tight black leggings. A blush rose from her cheeks when she realized that she was staring a bit too long.

"Cannonball!" Splash!

A large geyser shot up in the air, creating a great cascade of water drops, which drizzled over them. Jasper watched Amethyst move her wet hair out of her way and Jasper stood on the shore, mesmerized by that cheeky grin she always threw her way. The water particles shimmered in the light, accenting her purple skin. "Beautiful..." The word continued to resonate in her mind, as she continued to stare at Amethyst treading water.

"I know, right?!" Amethyst said gleefully, snapping Jasper out of her trance. "That's probably my second-best waterspout!"

"Oh, yeah. That was... decent. I guess." Jasper said, correcting her tone. Amethyst rolled her eyes at her failed attempt at producing her condescending attitude.

'Trying to mask your jealousy of my awesome cannonball.' "Why don't you hop in too, tiger?" She said in a cheeky tone.

Jasper shivered inwardly at the notion. She looked down, passed to the shore, into the clear abyss that surrounded her companion. Her mind went on to another race as she watched the small waves lick at her feet. 'I can't even see the bottom. No way on this Pink Diamond forsaken planet am I going to set foot in there.' She wondered where this water even came from. Jasper could hear the waterfalls above her, yet there was not a clear source, as the sound of the liquid pouring surrounded her. She wondered if this was Lapis's doing. "Mmgh!" Her chest tightened at the thought of that Water Witch swimming around in here. Jasper took a deep breath to compose herself. There were only them inside this room.

"Hey, Jasper!" Amethyst shouted, surprising the Orange Quartz by popping out of the water in front of her. Jasper jumped, wanting to bash her teeth into the back of her throat for having the audacity, but after seeing that shit-eating grin that somehow grew on her, displayed proudly, she relented, though begrudgingly. "I asked if you wanted to hop in with me."

"I heard you." Jasper said, walking away from the reservoir. "And my answer is no. Now can you please show me where I will be staying?"

"Fine." Amethyst said, climbing onto the shore. "So much for wanting to have fun."

Jasper stopped in her track, blushing profusely, not that Amethyst needed to see it to know that she got under her tan skin. She grinned at her success. "W-we'll have time for that later, okay?"

"Sure thing!" She said, taking Jasper's large hands, pulling her to follow. "Come on, Jasper! Stop dragging your feet." Amethyst said, pulling along her larger companion. "I can't wait to show you the place."

If Jasper had to describe Amethyst's room in one word, then it would be... "Cluster-Fuck". The vast number of random trinkets that were stacked into mounts rivaled the height of the Diamonds. She didn't know what a quarter of these items did, or their function/significance to the purple gremlin. The stockpiles that surrounded looked ready to topple over with the slightest breeze. What amazed the orange gem was not only the fact that these things were still standing, despite being situated in a way that it was structurally unbalanced, but that she had the absolute gall to say that she knew where everything was in the junkyard.

"How do you find anything in all this junk?" Jasper said, as she side-stepped each of the trash pillars, which she found difficult due to her large build. "It's a mess in here."

"Well, to the untrained eye, this would appear to be a mess." Amethyst said, voice swelling with pride. "But I have a system. Things that are round go over here, and things that I find delicious sit over there. Then there are the purple things that I gathered around town. Oh, and these are my favorite types of things to put on food."

"Okay. Okay. I get it." Jasper said, cutting her off. While she grew to tolerate Amethyst's voice, hearing her go on about all this useless crap was getting on her nerves. "Just show me where I'll be staying inside this ClusterFuck."

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Steven sat in the pink void, with his love resting her head on his lap, quietly strumming his guitar. They hadn't spoken once since he started tuning the instrument. She smiled sweetly at him as he practiced the song he prepared to sing. He had heard it recently while he was driving around one day, and it hit him like an arrow through the chest. Steven had practiced it in secret for over a month, changing some of the words around to fit, only now feeling confident to play to his audience.

"I think I'm ready." He said to her,

"Go ahead." She said softly.

Steven silently nodded.

{Parodied From Grayscales'- "Tommy's Song"}

Eyes stinging red,

from tears clouding focus

My edges broken glass,

shattered, dull, and bolus

I sat... in your living room

The same one that you snuck through

Those were simpler years

Tried to live them to their fullest

Memories in my head followed you the closest

rushed through every single day

Grabbed you, wouldn't let you go

And I laid... in that living room, seven hours straight

Didn't speak or move but I swear to God...

Swear to God I felt your soul

And it's the small things that drove me insane

Held your funeral on a perfect weather day

No last goodbye, just silence made

It's fallen tears falling in the falling rain...

Stood outside of your old bedroom

Stillness, heavy air, sun drenched hollow view

I would've been there to listen through

Said "It's okay to lose, even angels sing the blues"

I heard gospels~

In my head, in my head, in my head

Closed my eyes for just a glimpse

You were gone when they opened

Obsidian iris, brown cheeks

In that moment we'll never forget

That night I swore I heard your spirit sing

You promised me you found peace in your sleep

I know you're finally serene

Watched your smile~, change in picture frames

Through best years, taken slow, a life of pain

No last goodbye, just silence made

It's fallen tears in falling rain

Stood outside of your old bedroom

Stillness, heavy air, sun drenched hollow view

I wish I were there instead of you

Said "It's okay to lose, even angels sing the blues"

I heard gospels singing in my head...

Steven took a moment to breathe, calming the tension building in his chest. Before releasing it in a short guitar riff, change the soft acoustic instrument into its electric counterpart.

I heard gospels singing in my head

I saw angels there, holding your hands

And I pray that it didn't hurt too badly, my friend

I'll see you soon, it's not the end

I heard gospels singing in my head

I saw angels there, holding your hands

And I pray that it didn't hurt too badly, my friend

I'll see you soon, it's not the end

I heard gospels singing in my head

I saw angels there, holding your hands

And I pray that it didn't hurt to bury my friend

I'll see you soon, this won't be the end

I thought about those glasses you never used

You were my gem, the one I never wanted to lose

No night goes by when I don't think of you

We miss you so much Connie, know that you miss us too

Love, I know I'd do the same for you

Did what you had to do, even angels sing the blues

Yeah, I know that I'll see you soon

Did what you had to do, even angels sing the blues

Steven looked down in his now empty lap, not bothering to search for the manifestation of his own desires, choosing to only bawl silently in his personal isolation. Guilty plagued his mind from the day he came face to face with White Diamond. He begged her to let Connie go, that she had nothing to do with Pink Diamond. In that moment he was powerless to stop her from ending her life.

"Another pest removed. And now for that nest of a failed colony." He still couldn't recall much after she said that, but when he came to, saw White Diamond's cracked gemstone in his hands, as the room around him was in disarray. Columns were broken and collapsed. The ground below him was fractured, as if an earthquake tore through it. The Crystal Gems and Diamonds stared in horror and held their hands over their respective faces as he looked over at the lifeless corpse of his first crush. He dropped the White gemstone in his hands, letting it shatter from the impact of hitting the ground, as he rushed over to her. He was horrified by the sight, holding back the urge to vomit, although this wasn't the first time, he saw one of his friends die, but in this instance, she was the one he never imagined could happen, especially when he was nearby.

He failed to protect her. Even if he resurrected her, it didn't matter. Her pink skin would have been a permanent reminder of his incompetence. So, he refused to speak to anyone. For months, he sat alone in Rose's Room, staring at scenes from the past playing out in front of him. He closed himself off, only leaving to use the bathroom, and eat (which he did minimally). Even after years passed him by, the nightmare and bounds of depression followed him. Demons from the past, gnawing at his soul, they would haunt him throughout his days.

Suddenly, he felt two thin arms sneak up behind him, wrapping around his frame. "Pearl...?" His voice cracked. "I thought I said stand out the door."

"I heard you." She said a slight strain was present as she spoke in a soft tone. Steven knew what she meant, and a new wave of tears found their way out. "I couldn't leave you to suffer alone. You've been isolated and struggling by yourself, with your guilt, for far too long." Pearl's grip tightened as she slowly rocked her surrogate son from side to side. His breathing become more stable and deliberate as he let himself go with her moments." I know what it is like to have been where you are Steven." She rested her head in the crook of his neck, hoping the gesture would calm her nerves.

"How could you know anything about how I feel?!" He questioned. "I was supposed to protect her. Let her be with me against my better judgment. I was the one that encouraged her to be involved in my life. Against my better judgement, I followed my heart and look at what it cost me. She's dead Pearl! She is fucking dead! Even if brought her back, she couldn't live a normal life. She would become what she always feared she was before she met me; an outcast." Steven fell back into his hysterics. His tears poured out as he buried his face in her chest. He couldn't accept that this pain was common, that it wasn't unique to him and him alone. His voice became raspy and weak as he cried in her form.

After a few minutes of silence, Steven's tired voice reached his friend's ear. "It should've been me..." He stated. "I failed her, I failed everyone, and It should be me...Every day, I think at least once or twice, if she can see me from where she is, and I wonder what she thinks about me."

Pearl pondered for a moment, not sure what to say. Steven was always the one that kept her ground. He was the one that kept her head above water whenever she was drowning in despair. She never knew how he always knew what to say. Then again, he always claimed to never know what to say. He used to encourage her to speak from her heart, but what did she tell her to say? The porcelain gemstone knew that she was emotional, and her emotions tended to get in the way when it came to her making reasonable and rational decisions when it involved her friends and her wellbeing. She couldn't fail her adoptive child, not when he needed her to keep him from falling over the edge.

"What would she think of me now?" He simply asked.

A memory suddenly came to her mind. Pearl laid a kiss on his forehead and lovingly replied. "Well... I think you're pretty great." Steven eyes widened, as he could feel the wellspring of emotions rushing back. His chest quivered at her words. His heart ached the meaning. "We both shared blood on our hands that day, Steven." She was begrudged to be admitted. "I was her teacher, and she was a student. I was supposed to make sure she was prepared, and in that regard, I failed her too. However, it wasn't just as a mentor, but as a friend. So, you shouldn't have to feel the need to bear this alone." Pearl placed a small peck on his cheek, before pulling herself closer to him. "When I lost your mother, you were always there for me as such a friend."

"I-I'm no better than her, Pearl."

"I would disagree. I mean look at you, you feel guilt, you feel remorse for actions outside your control. You actively regret your impulses, and you just want to fix things that cannot be changed. You are honest, you have always been honest and as my honest friend, I'll always be here to help carry any burden for you." A tear fell on Steven's forehead as Pearl frame shook and her arms squeezed him as hard as she could. "Please come out of here. Come back to us. I just want my baby back."

"Pearl..." Steven said in awe. His eyes welled up with the last of his tears. He never realized, never thought, that his pain would bleed on the people around him. "I'm sorry..."

The two embraced in their pain and each other for the next hour in silence. Took turns wiping each other's tears, comforting themselves with words and gifting their respective friend hugs and platonic kisses for their broken forms.

"I give you so much shit." Steven said, breaking the thick air of white noise. "I know I have changed since my time with White Diamond, and at times I pick at you, but I don't mean any malice behind it."

"It's fine. If I am being honest, a part of me enjoys the attention. Sometimes it's nice to see you smile occasionally. And if it's at my expense, then I guess I can deal with it. Besides, I remember when you were little, and used to have a fixate with my nose."

"Really?"

"Indeed. It was annoying at first and you would just hold on to it until you fell asleep or whatnot. I remember one time I did shrink it down; you wouldn't stop fussing until I brought it back. I miss those days. I miss spending time with you in general."

"Heh. I must have been a weird child. Then again, I lived with yall, so perhaps that's where I got it from."

"Heh. I suppose so."

"I guess we should leave now, huh?"

"Could we just stay like this for a while longer?"

"Sure thing, I missed spending time with you as well." Steven admitted, placing a kiss on her forehead.