This takes place between "Too Short to Ride" and "Beach City Drift"
R… e… s… o… u…
Peridot sat on the elongated chair (The couch, she reminded herself) in the loft of the barn, slowly tapping out her thoughts on the 'tablet' device that Steven had given her. She had been up there for most of the day, slowly tapping at the tablet's screen and wishing for a proper speech-to-text program.
Steven had mentioned something about 'apps'. Maybe there's a speech-to-text 'app', Peridot thought to herself.
…t… o… i… n… c…
"What are you doing?"
Peridot jumped in her seat at the sound of the voice of her barn mate.
"Lazuli," Peridot greeted, trying to cover the tablet's screen while also trying not to look like she was hiding something. "To what do I owe this interaction to?" Peridot turned around as best she could Lazuli, who was standing behind the couch and also dismissing her water wings. No wonder she was able to get up here without Peridot hearing her.
Lazuli glanced down at the tablet before returning her gaze back to Peridot. "What resources are you gathering?" She raised an eyebrow. "And why?"
"Well, I'm, uh.., just organizing an… itinerary for my activities over the next several days," Peridot worked through. "I.. have a plan to increase my effectiveness to the Crystal Gems."
"Increase your effectiveness…" Lazuli said as she circled around in order to be in front of the couch. "Does this have to do with your new powers?"
"In a sense," Peridot said, still not sure what Lazuli's goal here was. "After discovering my, hehe…" She grinned proudly. "My magnetic personality." She paused, expecting for Lazuli to start laughing. However, her face remained impassable. Perhaps she did not understand. "My magnetic personality, Lazuli," Peridot said. "It's a 'play on words'. Steven tells me it's very funny."
"Did he come up with that for you?"
"Er, well yes…" Peridot confessed.
"Did he have to explain it to you?"
Peridot could feel her face warm as she spoke, "Yes, he… he did," she said quietly.
To her relief, Lazuli did not press further at Peridot's jape, instead asking, "So, what? Did your new powers motivate you to start going on more missions?"
"Kind of," Peridot said. "I've been thinking for the last several days. Right now, there are only three fully trained Crystal Gems," she explained. "Steven and Connie are learning, yes, but compared to the Gems, they still have a long way to go."
"So now you that you have magnetism powers, you think you'll just follow the others into battle?" Lazuli said, not bothering to hide the skepticism out of her voice.
"Well… Not right away," Peridot said. "But, I have a three prong plan to address my shortcomings and prepare me for further greatness."
Lazuli sighed as she sat down in front of the television. "Alright. Let's hear them."
Peridot glanced down at her tablet. "Step one: Find a new set of limb enhancers. Step two: Begin weapons training with Pearl. Step three: Talk to-" Peridot quickly cut herself off. "W-well, I haven't quite finalized the third step."
For a few seconds, Lazuli was silent, only resting a dull gaze on Peridot.
"So… you want to have a more active role in the Gem's missions?" Lazuli said finally.
"Yes," Peridot replied solemnly. "The Gems have been… friends to me. It is only fitting that I try and assist them in whatever way I'm capable of."
Lazuli was silent again for several moments before saying simply, "Why limb enhancers?"
"My gem is an era two peridot," she responded. "It's not capable of producing the energy needed to resist heavy injury to my holographic form while in battle."
"How do you know-… Does this have anything to do with why you were running backward and throwing yourself into the barn's wall all yesterday afternoon?" Lazuli asked.
Peridot looked down at the tablet in her lap. "If I ran into the barn frontwards, I might have damaged my gem…"
"Right… But limb enhancers won't help with wayward walls," Lazuli said.
"Ones, like I had, won't," Peridot replied. "But I'm not looking technical enhancers. I'm looking for battle enhancers."
"Battle enhancers? They make those?" Lazuli asked.
"Ah, of course," Peridot said. "When you left Homeworld, they hadn't begun the third era of quartz soldiers… Yes, to answer your question. In order assist modern quartzes, a new brand of limb enhancers, called battle enhancers, were developed. In addition to strengthing each limb, a full set can act as a power source, increasing the energy output of a gem by tenfold." Peridot's eyes grew alight as she thought about it. "With a full set, I could stand toe-to-toe with Amethyst in battle…"
"Except that she has more than five thousand years worth of battle experience," Lazuli snarkily responded.
Peridot could feel herself blushing again. "Yes, true… But that's what step two is for."
"Okay, next point. Where are you going to get any battle enhancers? The only Homeworld quartz to come to Earth lately didn't use them," Lazuli said.
"That is also correct," Peridot admitted as she slid off the couch. "However, I may have something to act a temporary measure until a modern quartz does show themselves."
Peridot stepped down the ladder leading back to the bottom of the barn. Lazuli slowly drifted down beside her, assisted by her water wings. The green Gem jogged over towards the tractor and grabbed a small box that had been stored behind it.
"What's in the box?" Lazuli asked, her gaze firmly planted on the container.
"My latest work," Peridot replied simply. She opened the box and pulled out a small device. It looked pretty rough-hewn, Peridot did have to admit. She had constructed its casing out of scrap metal she had found around Beach City. But the circuitry inside was top quality; most of it having been taken from the pyramid when she and Amethyst had finally dismantled it.
"Okay, I give up. What is it?" Lazuli asked.
"It's a 'Gem Energy Multiplier', of course," Peridot responded, proud of her invention.
"A 'Gem Energy Multiplier'… a GEM, in other words. Did you intend for that acronym?"
"Er, yes, of course!" Peridot lied. "It's all part of my genius design."
"Right," Lazuli responded flatly. "So how's it work?"
"Simple," Peridot responded. "You just place it over your gem, like so," she said as she carefully strapped the device to her gem using a simple elastic strap she had gotten from a discarded pair of pants. "Once done, you activate it by increasing the energy output of your gem. It'll detect the spike and start multiplying immediately."
"I see… Does it matter how much of an energy spike you give it?"
"It has to be a spike of at least thirty units of power. So summoning your weapon, or in your case, your wings would be enough to activate it." Peridot explained.
"Of course, you don't have a weapon," Lapis pointed out.
"A valid point," Peridot said. "But there are other ways to get that amount of an energy spike from your gem, though the most direct way is to… well, to be attacked."
"Attacked?" Lapis had a bemused look on her face.
"Yes. In case you are ambushed or something of that nature occurs," Peridot said. "That way it will activate automatically without any conscious effort on your part."
"Hmm…" Lapis pondered. "That's… actually pretty clever, Peridot."
Peridot felt somewhat unsure how to handle this praise. "Ah… Thank you, Lazuli," she said awkwardly.
There was a beat of silence between the two of them before Lazuli asked, "Can it increase your gems energy output by the same amount as a set of battle enhancers?"
"Not quiet, but it is close," Peridot said. "In fact, I'm about to start my official test for the GEM. Are you interested in assisting, Lazuli?"
"I… guess," Lazuli sounded somewhat unsure. "What do I have to do?"
"Observe mainly," Peridot said. "However, I could use your help in activating it."
"Okay," Lazuli said slowly. "What do I have to do?"
"Simple. Attack me."
"Attack you? Are you sure?" Lazuli seemed a bit more reluctant than Peridot had guessed she would have been.
"Of course. It'll be okay, It's for… science," Peridot tried to reassure.
"Well… okay. If you're sure…"
Before Peridot even had a chance to brace herself, she felt Lazuli's knee dig deeply into her stomach. The pain was fierce and immediate. It took all of Peridot's will power to not topple over, but then… As quickly as it had come, the pain began to recede until it was barely a buzz in the reaches of her form.
The machine had activated.
"It's on now," Peridot said, straightening herself. The increase in energy from her gem was… interesting, to say the least. Peridot had never felt strong, at least not physically. But now, she felt like she could take on a whole squad of rubies.
"Hey, Peridot," Lazuli began, drawing her out of thoughts of strength. "You said summoning my wings would be enough to activate the GEM, right?"
Peridot nodded.
"Would harnessing my hydrokinesis any other way also be enough to activate it?"
Peridot considered for a moment. "Probably," she said.
"Then in that case, couldn't you have just used your ferrokinesis to start the GEM?"
Peridot did her best to keep a calm and neutral face, but on the inside, she was kicking herself for being so stupid. Of course her magnetism powers would have been enough to activate the GEM. As soon as she was done with the testing, she needed to type a note about that on her tablet device.
"Well, regardless of how, the GEM is now active. If you'll follow me outside the barn…" Peridot said, as smoothly as she could manage. She walked out through the barn's exit, stopping as soon as she reached the barn's outside thresold. Lazuli following behind her. "The first test shall be a simple measure of my jump height," Peridot said as she gazed upwards at the top of the barn door. "Without the enhancer, I could only jump to about halfway up the barn door."
"Alright. Let's see the fruits of your labor," Lazuli said, folding her arms across her chest.
Peridot hesitated, just for a moment. If she jumped and there wasn't a noticeable increase, then all the work she had done, to both make herself better as well as to try and impress-…
"Well… Let's begin," Peridot said softly.
She readied herself, crouching down to prepare her jump. After just a second of delay, Peridot jumped upwards with all her might!… And was shocked when she saw the barn swiftly pass by her as she ascended upwards. She quickly looked down below her and saw both the ground and the barn quickly receding into the distance.
"Wahoo!" Peridot called out joyously. "It worked! My creation is a success!"
After a minute, Peridot felt herself slow; rest in the air for a second, and then begin her return to the Earth below.
Very, very quickly…!
The exuberance she felt mere seconds ago was now replaced with a cold knot of dread. She was going to hit the ground. Hard. Amethyst and the others could land safely from this height, but Peridot had never been this high up without something solid beneath her feet. She had no idea how to land safely, only that, when she did, she needed to minimize the damage the crash was sure to inflict. With the GEM, it was unlikely she would loose her projection, but her gem (both of them) were still in danger of being damaged in the soon-to-be crash. Without many options, Peridot covered both of her gems and her eyes with either of her hands and braced herself for impact…
…
…
…
Hmm… This collision is taking longer than I estimated it would, Peridot thought to herself.
Peridot slowly opened her eyes and saw that she was indeed still falling, she was just falling much slower than she had been previously. She began to look around her, trying to see what was causing this change.
"Quite squirming," Lazuli said, her voice coming from just above Peridot's head. It was at this point that she realized two arms were tightly wrapped around her waist.
"Lazuli…" Peridot said in awe. "You… you caught me…"
"That I did," Lazuli responded nonchalantly.
After about another minute of smooth flight, the two Gems returned to the ground, Lapis gently placing Peridot on her own feet.
Peridot reached up and removed the GEM from her gem. "I-… thank you, Lazuli. Without you, I might have-"
"Why did you do that?" Lazuli asked indignantly. "Why did you try and jump as high as you could? You should have had a smaller test jump."
"Er, well, yes you're correct, but I was-"
Lazuli, however, cut her off with a deep sigh. "Why are you doing this, Peridot? Really."
Peridot was silent.
"I mean, you've already been on missions with them. You even helped Steven and Connie when they couldn't diffuse, and then afterward when Connie was suffering from the after-effects," Lazuli said, exasperated. "You just endangered yourself, and for what, exactly? To go on more missions?"
"…"
Lazuli sighed as she turned away. "Right. I don't know what answer I expected."
"Because… I want to prove myself to them."
Lazuli quickly turned around, unsure if she had just heard correctly. "You want… to prove yourself?"
Peridot had her eyes trained on the ground as she spoke. "When I discovered my magnetism powers, I… I realized that there was more I could do, other than just stand behind the Crystal Gems and… examine any tech they threw my way." Her voice began to waver slightly as she continued, "But… I'm still just an era two peridot. Even with my new powers, my… options are limited. So, I need to improve myself. Maybe then I can… show that I'm more than just a peridot. I can prove myself to the Gems," she eyes flicked up towards Lazuli. "And… I can prove myself to you."
This time, it was Lazuli's turn to blush. "S-show me? What do you mean?"
"I know that… you still don't like me that much, Lazuli," Peridot said.
"That-… that's not true, Peridot."
"But, it's okay," Peridot continued, ignoring Lazuli's response. "After what… happened to you when you returned to Homeworld. And then your imprisonment and forced return to Earth… I wasn't directly responsible… but I was complicit in it."
"Peridot… I don't…" Lazuli trailed off, unable to finish her half-hearted defense.
"The kindness you've shown me already is only because Steven has spoken up for me. So, I want to prove that I'm worthy of what you've shown me already. And of more," she finished quietly. Peridot refocused her gaze at the ground, trying with all her might to hold back the rush of sadness that was sweeping over her.
I was a clod. I shouldn't have even tried this.
Even with my new power, I'm not cut out for this.
My gem isn't cut for it… I'm… just a peridot…
Peridot had closed her eyes and was about to unleash the building tears when she suddenly felt two arms once again wrap around her. Peridot opened her eyes and saw that Lazuli had gotten on her knees and was tightly hugging Peridot close.
"I'm sorry, Peridot," she said simply. "I… I shouldn't have blown up at you like that. But.. you had me worried."
"You… You were worried about me?" Peridot stammered
"Yeah. I was."
They stayed like this for several minutes, before Lazuli finally broke away, releasing Peridot from her grasp and standing back up.
"I can't… I can't promise that everything will be perfect between us from now on, Peridot," Lazuli said. "But you've been putting a lot more effort into apologizing then I have in trying to understand."
Silence fell heavily around them. Neither of the Gems seemed sure what came next.
"Can I just… make a request?" Lazuli asked, breaking through the quiet.
"Of course, Lazuli," Peridot responded.
"Don't call me Lazuli anymore," she responded. "That's what all the Gems in the Noble's Court used to call me. I hated it." She softly smiled. "Just call me Lapis, okay?"
"Oh, alright Laz-, I mean Lapis," Peridot responded. "I… I can do that."
"Thanks," Lapis responded lightly. "And like I said, I'm going to try and give you a bit more… credit. For what it's worth, you don't seem like the same Gem I met when I was being transported back to Earth."
"Thank you, Lapis…" Peridot trailed off. "Does…" She gave a subtle smile. "Does this mean you'll finally watch some of Camp Pining Hearts with me?"
Lapis rolled her eyes. "Urg, you and that show. What do you see in it?"
"It's an intense a personal story of those torn apart by forces beyond their control! It has drama, action, and lots of… characters," Peridot enthusiastically said.
"I see…" Lapis said, a sarcastic smile on her lips. "It's got everything."
"It does! Here, why don't we watch some now? I could use a break from my work and I can show you the 'Over the Camp Walls' story arc. It features some of the best writing in the show," Peridot exclaimed. "And that's saying something since it comes right in the middle of season five…"
"Geez, Peridot. I don't…" she paused for a moment, before her expression softened, just a touch. "Sure. Why not? I don't have anything else to do now."
"Great! Come on! Let's go!" Peridot grabbed Lapis's hand and led her towards the barn. But as they reached the barn's doors, Peridot stopped.
"What's wrong?" Lapis asked.
"I can't do this now," Peridot said, releasing Lapis's hand. "I need to finish my plan."
"Step two is sword fighting with Pearl, right? You can't learn that in a single day."
"I know, but I can start. And then, step three is to fuse with-" Peridot cut herself off quickly.
However, Lapis still heard what she said. "Fuse with who, exactly?" she asked slyly.
"That… is private. If you don't mind, Lapis." Peridot squeaked out.
"Of course. I can't force you to tell me," Lapis gave a genuine chuckle. "Well… when you're done with your mission, I'll be waiting here. We can watch some of your show then."
"I… Yes, of course." Peridot began to walk towards the warp pad in the distance. She looked over her shoulder. "Thank you, Lapis."
Lapis gave a small wave as Peridot as she stepped onto the warp pad activated it. It engulfed her in a stream of light, whisking her away to her next step.
The next step to prove herself.
To the Crystal Gems.
To Lapis.
To Steven.
And to herself.
A/N: Hope you enjoy this new fic and, as always, critical feedback is welcomed.