-ATTENTION: "The Lonely Shadow" has finally been released upon my account. (The picture above is in fact its cover) Look for it in My Books and please at least read and vote. I ask no silent readers. I see that this book, if continued, has great potential. Either I or sjskj1234 will post a chapter or two on WEEKENDS. Thus, giving me enough time to work on the conclusion of this book and beginning of others. I post odds, my wonderful partner posts evens. Provide us feedback on what we need to work on, or what we do best. Enjoy! :)

And now for VOTES-

Jasper x Peridot (4 votes total)

Lapis x Peridot (1 vote total)

((Keep voting if you haven't already voted. It's soon to be here. :) ))

Sorry its been a bit since I last posted. This whole entire time I've been trying to word this in a way where the actions were descriptive enough to give readers that special scene we do so enjoy. (Imagination) I feel from this chapter on should be smooth sailing until the rugged ends of this book. Go ahead. Enjoy the chapter. -FANtastic FAN-loving FANcy FANfiction365

-Grief and Grievance-

Sapphire's P.O.V

Several times she was thrown to the ground, her spine felt as if it were being crumbled into tiny bits of rugged pieces. Each time she got back up in hopes of rejoining Ruby once again. But that thing...composed of over hundreds of shards, delivering deafening screams, and manipulating Ruby's voice; utilizing it to gain an opening and a hint of mercy. It tried desperately to kill her, but she could read its moves like words on a page.

Every death blow it dealt, she dodged. Every screech of pain it hollered when she broke off a gem straight from its core, weakened it. Its newly formed mouth dripped sulferic acid, bearing saber sharp fangs. All in a measly effort to bring her down. She ducked left just as it swooped down to bite, and launched herself upwards. She knew better than to stick her right hand into its gooey, jelly body shell...it'd only snatch her gem straight from her palm without a moment's hesitance, forcing her to bond with it. Sapphire knew that would NEVER happen. She WOULDN'T let it happen. Ruby, Steven, Amethyst...they depended on her. Although they may not know it, their lives rested in her hands.

She stuck out her left and reached deep inside the underbelly of semiopaque jelly, snaking her hand through a tangle of slender cord-like veins and grasping the clustered geode. She swung, trying to free a small mazarine blue gem that acted as the wall between her and Ruby. "Let..." she gritted her teeth tightly. "GO!!! IT'S. NOT. YOURS!!!!!!"

Another blood curdling scream of Rubys', just enough to fuel her rage.

It's head turned inwards with a force so strong she almost slipped, and spewed acid at her hand--she closed her eye--but the gem wiggled loose and Sapphire fell to her death...

Underneath her, a tall pile of soft grained ice spread, providing comfort for her almost fatal fall. She cradled the gem, bubbled it, and sent it somewhere else while keeping her eye pinned on the strong acid flowing through its body freely, burning veins and seeping through the jelly slowly. 27 gems were free...there'd be lots more to go. Ruby's gem peeked through the crowd of others, there were just a few more she'd have to remove and they'd be together soon. Sapphire's body ached as she stood. She wobbled and put a hand to her head, just recently she had almost fainted. What if it happened...what if she couldn't get Ruby back...what if she were captured, spending eternity in an endless hell. Above all she feared that all hope was already lost.

The monster quickly knocked her against the wall and choked the last bit of air out of her lungs. She wheezed, her tongue bloodied itself; dripping down her chin and further. Blood clots caught in the dryness of her throat and she struggled with the last of her energy...until she fell flat--slumped over--while the monster widened its mouth, slowly inching her closer to the depths of hot, acidic breath.

Closer.......----"Well, danger is my middle name."----

Closer.......

Closer.......----"That's a lie. Your middle name is cutie pie."----

ICE SPREAD OVER ITS LIMBS, CASTING A THICK SHELL OVER ITS ENTIRE BODY. With its body mass being too much in general, the ice only served in pulling them both down, and there they were...slowly...falling. IT, completely frozen...her, stuck in place, inside its cold clutches.

The
Fall
Seemed
Long.....
But
It
Wasn't-

Ice shattered all around her from the impact of hitting the temple floor. Shards flew at her, cutting her skin, slicing her hair, making her bleed...just barely missing her eye. And then silence. She stood shakily, kicking away clumps of torn flesh clasped tightly in an abundance of ice. Frost clung to her dress...but all she cared about was the core. The core was far, but safe. She slowly made her way through the obstacle of ice, everything lay shattered in her path. She reached for the core...immediately she worked at breaking away the others.

She inhaled the frosty air as best as she could...but one piece of jagged ice that stuck out from her rib cage, had already punctured a lung. Vision fading...fading in and out, but she held on. Seconds went to minutes, and minutes to hours- until she finally found herself far away from the ice, rocking and crying in a secluded corner of the room. Cradling two very dear gems in her arms. Ruby had lost all color...

Amethyst hadn't made it.

((....... -Fanfiction365))