Had the Gems Not Been There
"This gem tech is simply archaic."
"I don't know. I think it looks pretty cool."
Peridot stopped what she was doing and spun her screen around in surprise. Before her was what had appeared to be an odd, squishy lifeform. It was short, soft, and smiling for some odd reason. It was wearing odd appearance modifiers on its body. And they were loose. They didn't appear to be connected to the creature's body.
"Hi, I'm Steven." It said, still smiling.
Apparently it was called a "Steven".
"There appears to be an infestation of… 'Stevens' in the Prime Kindergarten."
"Aw, I'm not so bad once you get to know me."
Peridot then began to wonder something.
"… And how many more 'Stevens' are present in this area?"
"Oh. Heh, just me."
"Ah, that's a relief. So, tell me, have 'Stevens' replaced 'Humans' as the dominant species on Earth?"
"Oh no, there are lots of humans. There's my dad, Connie, Lars and Sadie, the mailman, Onion… I think? Lots of people."
Peridot came to the conclusion that this was most likely the only "Steven" on Earth. She cataloged this new information for future analysis.
"Now I get to ask a question." She could still hear it talking. "What are you doing?"
Once Peridot decided that she had gathered enough information from the "Steven", she turned around to continue her work. She also figured that it would be best to just get rid of this thing before it asked too many questions, not that it would make a difference.
"Just picking up where we left off."
Peridot raised one of her green mechanical hands above the "Steven's" head, closed it into a fist, and brought it down without even turning around.
WHAM
It was late at night, after about three weeks of the non-stop arrival of the giant marble robots. They were like the smaller ones, only they weren't here to fix the galaxy warp. They just showed up and then the crystal gems would go out to destroy them. And then they'd show up again, and the gems would destroy them again… and again, and again, and again.
Every time they'd come back from destroying one, they would seem even more annoyed than the last. The gems had never looked so frustrated. Every time one of these robots would show up, the gems would destroy it but they seemed to return home more and more miserable and irritable.
Steven laid awake, thinking. Why were they coming? What did they want? Garnet just says that all that matters is that they stop them, but Steven could tell that she wanted them to stop coming as much as the others. If only there were a way to figure out why these marble robot guys were showing up. Then it came…
SPLOOSH
… out of the ocean? Steven sprang from his bed and out the door. Then he saw it. Waddling right outside of his house was another giant marble robot. He turned around and saw that the gems weren't coming out of the temple in response. Then again, Steven only found out because he heard something coming out of the water. It didn't sound like it hit anywhere.
"Hmmm, maybe it was so far out in the ocean, it didn't make too much noise?" Steven thought.
Steven contemplated on whether or not he should tell the gems about it. Then again, they would probably just destroy it and get even more annoyed. But then, what else could he do? But just then, Steven got an idea; an idea upon which he would have to act fast. He quickly got off of the porch, ran up to the robot, and jumped up to climb onto it.
Steven really didn't like going behind the gems' backs or keeping things from them, but times like these were just too important. The best way to find out what these giant marble guys wanted was to see for himself.
"Alright, [singing] time to follow the funky flo-o-o-w." He sang.
Steven sat atop the giant robot orb as it started to move toward his house. Steven knew that if he let it use the warp at home, then the gems might hear it. He immediately jumped off of the robot and tried to push it away. After a while of keeping the marble robot from entering the house, it soon gave up and started walking past his house. Steven jumped back on and let it carry him off. It walked into, and then out of, town and eventually found another warp pad. Once it was on top of the warp pad, the marble robot activated it and by the end of the trip, Steven found that he had arrived at the Kindergarten. There were drills, holes from formerly newly formed gems, and absolutely no signs of life anywhere.
"Why would it want to come here?" He thought.
"Hmm…" He said while still thinking.
"Maybe it wants to know where Amethyst came from?"
The giant marble robot kept walking, but then stopped all of a sudden. Steven looked around, wondering why it suddenly stopped, but then he got his answer when the marble robot changed shape into an upside down pyramid and started "digging" underground.
The robot kept moving downward until it reached a strange green laboratory. As the robot connected itself to the lab, Steven took a peek over the edge, but then slipped and fell off. After recovering from the impact of hitting the ground, Steven saw that the tip of the pyramid appeared to be dripping, but then the drop that fell from the pyramid turned into one of the smaller robots soon after it hit the ground.
The little marble robot made its way through the lab and walked up to a strange looking pedestal. It then touched the pedestal and the lab seemed to… turn on. Then, a screen came down followed by two giant robotic hands from the floor. On the screen was none other than the Homeworld gem, Peridot. From there, all is known up until…
WHAM
Peridot would have liked to go back to work if it weren't for one small detail.
"Um."
Peridot turned around instantly in response to the sound that she heard behind her. Raising the green, mechanical hand, she could clearly see that the "Steven" was still in one piece.
"HUH?!"
And in a… bubble?
"WHAT?! Wha- why- huh?! Wha- What just happened?!" She asked.
"I'm… sorry?" It responded.
As the Steven said that, Peridot noticed that the bubble seemed to disappear.
"…?!"
WHAM
Peridot tried once again to smash the Steven, but once again, the bubble was formed.
WHAM
And again.
WHAM
And again.
WHAM
And again.
WHAM
And again.
WHAM
"GrrrrRRRRRRRR…!"
WHAM
"Could…"
WHAM
"… you…"
WHAM
"STOP DOING THAT SO I CAN CRUSH YOU?!"
WHAM
WHAM
WHAM
WHAM
No matter how many times she tried, the bubble kept forming around the Steven.
"I-It's not my fault!"
WHAM
"I promise I'm not doing this on purpose!"
WHAM
"I actually have no control over it!"
From there, Peridot ceased her onslaught of hand slams.
"You have no control over it?" Peridot said skeptically.
"Yes! I-I mean no, I don't! Honest! It just sort of… happens on its own."
Peridot moved her screen closer to "the Steven" so to better observe it.
"Just what are you, exactly?"
"Well, that's actually kind of hard to say."
"Are you a gem?"
"Uh, almost?"
"'Almost'?"
"Well, I'm actually half gem. On my mom's side."
Peridot just stood there and stared at the… hybrid…? Steven? She didn't know what to make of it. Gem hybrids were supposed to be impossible since gems were non-organic, thus making reproduction impossible. And yet this… whatever-it-is just told her that he was one.
Peridot decided to scan it but… sensors indicated that it was, in fact, 95% organic, and the other 5% was inorganic materials. Not only that, but the Steven also seemed be giving off gem readings. How was this even possible?
"How is this even possible?"
Peridot could only think of one thing to do. Finish her work and report this to Yellow Diamond later. The Steven didn't seem to be a threat. Peridot decided to ignore it and get back to work. Although, it can be often hard to focus when an impossibility is standing right behind you… or rather, behind the screen that you're using to project your image.
"So… what are you doing?" asked the Steven.
"None of your business."
"Oh, c'mon. Please? I promise I won't tell."
Despite refusing it the first time, the Steven persisted. Peridot turned around and was greeted with the Steven smiling once again. Peridot figured that if she didn't answer it soon, then it would just persist and become even more annoying.
"(groan) (sigh) Fine…" She reluctantly agreed. "I am doing research on a very important project for my superiors."
"Oh, you mean it's like homework?"
"…! This is a vital, minor process to an even greater chain of events that shall be even more beneficial to all of gem-kind! I was solely charged with studying and researching the progress of said project so far and was charged with overseeing its development." Peridot finished with a smug grin.
"So, like homework?"
Peridot went wide-eyed in response to the Steven's simplicity, but it soon turned into an unamused frown.
"(sigh) Yes. Now that I have answered your trivial question, leave."
"Wait! Aren't you going to tell me your name?"
Peridot paused once again.
"My name? For what purpose?!"
"Well, I told you my name. It only seems fair that you tell me yours."
Peridot took a deep breath followed by a groan to relieve the unwanted stress that she was receiving from the Steven's presence.
"Peridot. My name is Peridot."
"Nice to meet you, Peridot. Well, I guess I better get home before my friends worry about me."
"(sigh) Finally."
"Bye, Peridot!"
Peridot was relieved that this persistently annoying Steven was leaving so that she could focus on her work.
"The 'Steven' certainly was persistent. A little too persistent. I'd better report this to Yellow Diamond."
But just when she was about to inform her superiors about the Steven, she got something that very few gems were allowed to act upon. Peridot had a thought. This "Steven" didn't seem like a threat, despite its obvious gem abilities. Also, if it lived on Earth, then it wouldn't really matter what it did. They had come this far. There was no way that such a small weak life-form could be of any threat to the emergence of the Cluster; ergo, there was no need to waste Yellow Diamond's time with it.
After Steven had arrived home via warp, he was soon met with the gems emerging from the temple, weapons ready and pointed directly at him. He froze and so did they once they saw him.
"Steven?!" They all said in unison.
"Um… hi?" He responded.
"What are you doing up so late… and… using the warp pad?" Asked Pearl.
Thinking quickly, Steven thought up a lie.
"Um… I couldn't sleep, so… I went out for a walk… I found a warp pad outside of town so… I just took it back here?" He lied.
Garnet walked up to him and knelt down in front of him.
"Steven, you shouldn't be out walking on your own this late at night."
"I know. I'm sorry. It's just…" Steven couldn't think of much else to say, luckily, Garnet started talking again.
"I know. You're upset, and probably needed to clear your head. But now that you're back, you should probably get some sleep."
"You're right, (yawn) thanks, Garnet."
With that fortunate turn of events, Steven quickly returned to his bed.
"Goodnight, guys."
"Well, technically, it's morning." Said Pearl.
"Goodnight, Steven." Said Garnet as soon as Pearl finished her sentence.
"Sleep tight. Don't let the marble-robo-goo-bots bite." Amethyst joked.
"Amethyst!" Pearl warned.
Amethyst just laughed as they all soon re-entered the temple, but Steven remained awake. He became lost in thought.
"Maybe this is a good thing? If Peridot's marble robots were just looking for that lab, then maybe she won't have to send more, and the gems won't have to worry about it. But then again, what if Peridot is doing something bad…? Maybe I can ask her tomorrow night when I go to visit?"
As Steven's thought came to an end, he soon fell asleep.
It had barely been twenty hours, but low and behold…
"I'm back!"
... it returned. Peridot stopped her work and turned around only to meet the smiling face of the Steven once again.
"You're back?!"
"Yes, I am. Hi, Peridot."
"Why are-?! W-what are you-?!"
Peridot stopped herself before losing her cool too much. She calmed down the best that she could, though she was still a little upset.
"What are you doing back here?"
"Oh, I wanted to come back to see you."
"'To see me'? For what purpose?"
"Well, I wanted to get to know you."
Peridot eyes widened in response to the Steven's reason for returning which soon turned a look of confusion.
"'Get to know me'? What purpose would that serve?"
"Well, I thought if the two of us got to know each other a little better, then maybe we could become friends."
Peridot continued to stare at the Steven's smiling face after hearing its request.
"You… want to be 'friends' with… me?"
"Yeah!"
"Why, that's the… (snicker) (laughing) single most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! Nya-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! What makes you think that we could be 'friends'?!"
"Well, we're both gems. Well, almost. And I think all gems should be friends."
"Heh, please. Gems have no use for 'friends'. Our only purpose is to expand our empire, conquer other worlds, and progress our technology and weapons. Speaking of which… if you'll excuse me."
Peridot turned around to continue her work. Steven thought that this would be the perfect time.
"So, what are you working on, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I do mind, actually."
"Oh."
"So maybe you should just not even bother and leave me to my work."
"Hmmm… Do you eat?"
"…!" Peridot stopped once again. "Excuse me? Why would you ask such question?"
"Well, I just wanted to know if you ate or not. So, do you?"
"Of course not! Gems have no need to-! Wait a minute… do you eat?"
"Yeah. I do."
"Why?"
"Well, I kinda need to, since I'm half-human."
"You're half-human?! Oh, what am I saying. Of course you are. (sigh) But I don't have time for this… and I don't really care."
Peridot continued her work. For a few minutes, everything was silent.
"What does all this stuff do any way."
Despite how annoyed Peridot was already becoming because of the Steven's presence, she decided to answer its question.
"This is a mainframe that was designed so that a certified Kindergartener, such as myself, can oversee development on the… project I mentioned yesterday."
"Wow, that sounds cool."
"Heh, I suppose to someone with substandard intelligence, like you. I for one happen to have a few ideas on how to improve this outdated technology that would ensure the data could be surveyed and transmitted much faster. (Not that anyone will listen to me.)" Peridot quietly stated that last part with dissatisfaction.
"Cool, like what?"
Yet again, Peridot was found surprised by the Steven's words. This time though, it was because its words seemed to appeal to her. It seemed interested in her ideas. No one had ever been interested in one of her ideas before.
"Um… very well. For starters, I think that we should…
As Peridot continued to explain her ideas, she started to get a little too into it. That is to say, she added too much detail. Before she knew it, it had been four hours and she was just finishing up.
"… and that is how this could be improved. I also have a few ideas about-"
"(snore)"
Peridot turned around in response to the strange noise. What she saw was the Steven, and it appeared to be in a state of slumber.
"Hey!"
"Huh?!"
"Were you even listening to my explanation?!"
"Oh, sorry, Peridot. I guess I'm just really tired."
Peridot started to feel a little curious about something.
"Do you tire easily?"
"Only when I do a lot of work, or just don't get enough sleep. Do you ever get tired?"
"No… well… sometimes." Peridot responded hesitantly. "Things do tire me sometimes."
"Like what?"
"Well, pointless questions from a persistent Steven for one thing."
The Steven appeared to take the hint with a slightly disappointed expression.
"Oh, sorry. Well, I guess I do need to get home soon."
The Steven started to vacate the area and Peridot returned to her work.
"Finally."
"I'll be back, okay? Bye, Peridot!"
Because Peridot was busy working, she didn't hear what it was that the Steven had just said, until it was too late.
"Huh?! W-wait, don't come back!"
But her words fell on deaf audible receivers, for the Steven had already left.
"(Groan) Great, there's no way I'll be able to finish my work now. It'll take me, at least, two days to finish this with… that coming back here in twenty hours."
After the previous visits, Peridot didn't feel like getting side-tracked by meaningless conversation, even if the Steven seemed to be interested in her… and… no gem ever had been interested in her before… But that was beside the point. She needed to keep him… er… it out, so that she could work. She then began to think of ways to keep the Steven from returning.
Steven returned home. This time, however, he decided to use the warp pad outside of town, just as he did when leaving to go see Peridot, so that the gems wouldn't know that he had left. He then went to bed as soon as he managed to sneak back into his house. While he slept, the Gems were in the middle of a conversation.
"Why would they just stop coming all of a sudden?" Asked Pearl.
"Ugh, who cares?" Asked Amethyst.
"We care, because if these ones just stop coming, then that means that they might be sending something much worse." Said Garnet.
"Oh, what if they send in an entire army of them," Pearl started to panic, "or maybe one that's so big-"
"Enough! We'll just have to wait and see. But most of all, we have to keep Steven safe."
Twenty hours later, Steven returned to the lab, only to find that the entrance had been barricaded. Though the barricade seemed sturdy, all it took to bring it down (mostly by accident) was moving a single rock. Just one pebble lodged at the very bottom. Peridot once again seemed surprised to see him.
Peridot was just working as usual, but then heard the sound of falling rubble behind her. She was shocked when she turned around and saw that her barricade had failed her. From there, the rest was inevitable. As per its usual visits, the Steven started conversing with Peridot, thus distracting her every once and a while so that she could answer its tedious questions.
Well, some of them were tedious, but others she actually enjoyed answering, so much that she would forget about her work so that she could elaborate on her answers, and it would listen… for the most part, other times it would just fall asleep again. It would usually take a while for Peridot to remember her job. Finally, it was time for the Steven to return to where he… (ahem) it dwelled. But Peridot knew that it would be back, and she would need a new way to thwart its efforts.
For that past three days, Peridot was busying herself with her work, as well as her efforts to impede the Steven's unintentional efforts to delay the inevitable. All of them were met with the unfortunate outcome of failure, for the Steven always managed to find a way inside the facility. So, one day, she decided that she was just going to ignore him. If she didn't respond to his words, then maybe he would leave.
"Hi, Peridot!"
Peridot's face cringed at the sound of the familiar intruder, but nevertheless she continued her work.
"…"
"Uh… it's good to see you."
"…"
So far, so good.
"Um… so, how are you?"
"…"
"Is everything okay?"
"…"
"Peridot?"
"Yes! Just a few more minutes and the Steven should lose interest and finally leave." Peridot thought.
"Oh, I see. You don't want to talk right now." Steven said, slightly down.
Peridot started to smile at the possibility that her plan might actually be working.
"Well, that's alright." He began to perk up. "I'll do all the talking."
Peridot froze and her eyes grew wide in realization that her plan had failed.
"Now let me see. My full name is Steven Quartz Universe. My dad is Greg Universe. I was born…"
After about 3 hours of talking, Peridot had learned a number of things about the Steven. Facts that she would have rather not care to have learned (or at least she kept telling herself that she wouldn't care to learn them). For instance, it favored some kind of Earth food called "Cookie Cat" which, according to him, was discontinued. He was "born" and now lives somewhere called "Beach City". He has something called a "Dad".
"… and then when I was 6, I wrote a song all about my friends. (gasp) OH!"
Peridot cringed once again and stopped working in response to his sudden outburst.
"WHAT?!" She shouted.
"Hey, you're talking!" Steven exclaimed happily.
"Why did you make that noise?!" She said rather loudly whilst turning around to face him.
"Oh, right. I just got a great idea! Tomorrow night, I'll bring my ukulele and play you the song!"
"OH, please don't!"
"Really, it's no trouble! I want to do it!"
"I mean STOP COMING BACK HERE!"
Peridot's voice echoed throughout the facility, so much that her voice could've been audible to anyone standing outside. The Steven stood there and stared for a moment before speaking.
"… But… why?"
"Because I don't want you here! I just want to finish my work on the Cluster so that I don't have to come back to this GEM FORSAKEN PLANET! Nothing was going my way to begin with! First the Homeworld warp was destroyed, then someone keeps destroying my plug robonoids, and now you keep coming back here and you won't. Stop. TALKING! I'm behind schedule enough as it is, and it's only been five days! How long can humans talk for anyway?! And I don't even know what you are! Oh, WHAT ELSE COULD GO WRONG?!"
As Peridot continued to rant, she didn't seem to notice that she was expressing her displeasure through the movement of the giant mechanical hands in the lab instead of her own. It wasn't until her giant hands impacted the ceiling upon the word "wrong" and caused it to start falling apart that she noticed.
"Oh, no."
As the roof began to cave in, Peridot's screen was backed to the wall with the large green gem and the pedestal. Steven noticed that the roof above her was going to fall. In a last minute effort to help her, he hurried to her side and focused on protecting her. Then all of a sudden, a large pink bubble appeared around Steven and Peridot's screen and hands, allowing the lab to fall apart around them.
After about a three minutes, the smoke began to clear up and the destruction was revealed. Everything, except for the pedestal, Peridot's screen and hands, and the wall behind them with the big green gem inside, was completely destroyed. The bubble dissipated and Peridot saw everything.
"T-the lab… All of my work… It's all gone."
Steven noticed that her screen was facing downward and her hands fell to the ground with a loud "THUD".
"Uh, Peridot?"
"What am I going to tell Yellow Diamond?"
"A-are you okay?"
Peridot's screen rose up.
"Leave."
"Huh?"
"This is all your fault. None of this would've happened if you hadn't interfered. So just… go."
Not wanting to cause any more trouble, Steven began making his way to the exit.
"Maybe I can explain the issue- No, she wouldn't care. I'd still take the blame for this. It was my duty to oversee the Cluster, and now… everything is… destroyed. Maybe I can clean it up? Send some more plug robonoids to…? No, that won't work."
Just as Steven was about to leave, he stopped. He turned around and noticed how crestfallen Peridot seemed. At that moment, he had made his decision. He walked back and faced a large pile of rubble.
"What are you doing?"
Steven then began cleaning up the best he could.
"Hurk."
He picked up a large chunk of rock and carried to the center of the room.
"Huh?" Peridot said, puzzled. "What are you doing?"
THUD
"Phew. Helping. I want to help you clean up."
"Why would you do that after I told you to leave? Does 'leave' not mean the same thing on your planet as it does on mine?"
"Because you're upset, and a good friend doesn't just leave when a friend needs help."
Peridot looked at the Steven surprised.
"'Friend'?"
"Hurk" said Steven, lifting another bolder. "W-well, y-y-yeah."
"And what would cause you to use the word 'friend' when referring to me?"
THUD
Steven continued to speak after dropping the rock next to the other one.
"Well, maybe not yet, but I would maybe like to be your friend."
"That can never happen."
"Well, that still won't stop me… Hurk… f-from h-helping you n-now."
THUD
"Oh and… I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." Said Steven.
Peridot's eyes were wide once again, but for a completely different reason. Never, for as long as she could remember, had anyone ever offered her help.
"If you knew why I was here and what I was working on, you probably wouldn't be helping me."
"Is it bad?"
"…"
"Well, still. You're right."
"About what?"
"This is my fault. So, I may as well clean up my mess."
For a moment, Peridot watched the Steven move all of the rubble to the center of the room. Then, with a sigh, she reactivated her hands and used them to assist.
"Huh?" It said.
"I'm the one who really made this mess. It's my responsibility. You should just go… (sigh) but you're not going to, are you?"
The Steven smiled and shook its head.
"Of course not." She said. "Well, we may as well get started."
With that, they both started cleaning up. Peridot had never had help with anything before. Everything that she was ever told to do, she was made to do on her own. Until now. The Steven was helping her clean up her mess. After about one hour, the mess was already cleaned up enough for her start working again… if anything was in one piece, that is, which it wasn't.
"If only I had more plug robonoids."
"Do you mean those small marble robots?"
"Uh… I believe so? But they're all here on Homeworld."
"Well, why don't you just send more here to Earth?"
"Because someone keeps destroying them. And I can't use the large one I already sent because I need it to transmit my signal from Homeworld to Earth."
"Well, why don't you just send them through space like the big ones?"
"They're too small to angle properly to land anywhere near the Kindergarten."
"Oh, well why not send another big one?"
"That might work, but how can I be sure that it won't be destroyed like all of the others?"
"Well, I didn't know this guy was here until it came out of the ocean." The Steven pointed to the large robonoid that Peridot used as a signal transmitter. "I think it was because it landed in the middle of the ocean. It was too far from land for anyone to know that it landed."
"… I suppose… that could work. Yes, I just have to precisely set the trajectory so that it lands right in the middle of the ocean, and I can use the transmitter from this one so that it will lead it straight to the Kindergarten."
"Yeah! We'll be able to fix this place up in no time…! Oh, I think it's time for me to go. I'll be back tomorrow. Bye, Peridot."
And as the Steven left, for the first time since meeting it- him, Peridot did not object to his choice to return.
"Goodbye… the Steven."
Hearing Peridot say that, "Goodbye", made Steven feel happy, because he knew that he was making progress.
The following morning, Steven was feeling tired. All of those nights sneaking out to meet Peridot were really taking a toll on him, but he felt okay with it. At first, he was worried of the others growing suspicious of him, but then he came up with an idea. Whenever he felt drowsy during the day, he would challenge Amethyst to a "sleeping contest", and it worked, but now, Garnet was starting to grow suspicious again.
That night, Steven sneaked out again, and returned to the Kindergarten. When he entered the lab, he smiled at the sight of the giant marble robot standing on top of the one that resembled an upside-down pyramid. Especially when he saw the smaller ones around the lab, using their marble goop to fix it up. He quickly ran up to Peridot's screen with a big smile on his face.
"Peridot! The plan worked! Your lab's almost fixed!"
"Yes, surprisingly it did." Looking back at the Steven, Peridot felt nervous about what she was going to say next. "Um… The S-teven? I am going to say something… (inhale) Thank you."
"For what?"
"For… um… helping me… with… w-well… this. You offered to help me. You gave me the idea for sending the giant plug robonoid into the middle of the ocean. And you say that my ideas (the ones you were actually awake to listen to, of course) were… cool. No gem has ever treated me that way. The way that you treat me."
"What about your other friends?"
"Here on Homeworld, we don't have 'friends', just our assigned duties. I've… well… I-"
"It's okay."
"Hm?"
"It's okay, Peridot. I understand. I'm honored to be your first friend."
"N-no, Steven. I-"
"?"
"(sigh) Never mind. I have a job to do. Everything is in proper working order, so I'll just... get started. The plug robonoids can work on cleaning up the rest of the mess."
As Peridot worked and the marble robots worked on cleaning up the lab, Steven just sat down.
While talking to him, Peridot had noticed that the Steven had brought with him an oddly shaped bag full of unknown objects, along with a most peculiar object tied around his body. Out of curiosity, Peridot decided to ask what it was.
"That thing… around your body. Is it… some sort of weapon?"
"Huh?" Steven looked down at himself and noticed what she was referring to. "Oh, you mean my ukulele? No, it's not a weapon, it's an instrument."
"What kind of 'instrument'." In her life, the only "instruments" she had ever seen were the kind used in creating something.
"The musical kind."
"'Music'?"
"Yeah. Here let me show you." And Steven began to play the song that he wrote for the Crystal Gems when he was younger.
"If you're evil and you're on the rise,
You can count on the four of us taking you down."
As the Steven continued playing, Peridot couldn't help but listen. She couldn't help but stop her work and listen. She didn't want to admit it but she actually liked listening to music.
"'Cause we're good and evil never beats us.
We'll win the fight and then go out for pizzas.
We… are the Crystal Gems,
We'll always save the day,
And if you think we can't…
We'll always find a way.
That's why the people of
This
World
Believe in…
Uh…" Steven stopped playing.
Peridot noticed the Steven's sudden cease.
"Why did you stop?"
"Uh, sorry. It's uh… still a working progress."
"Well, for what it's worth… I, uh… like-your-song." She said the last part of her sentence quickly, but by the look on the Steven's face, she was sure that he heard it.
Steven smiled when he heard Peridot compliment his song, and was glad that she didn't seem to read too much into when he mentioned the Crystal Gems.
"Oh, yeah. I also brought snacks."
"'Snacks'?"
"Yeah, in case I got hungry while helping you clean up, but it looks like your marble robots got it covered."
Peridot turned around and watched as the Steven proceeded to remove his strange bag from his back, and remove from it, a number of strange containers that housed more strange objects.
"Are any of those weapons?"
"Huh? Oh, no. These are my snacks. But I guess it is a lot, isn't it? Hey you want… um… sorry. Forgot gems don't need to eat."
"It's fine. So… do you eat often?"
"Yeah, sometimes."
"Why?"
"Well, for energy."
"You regain energy by eating?"
"Yeah, sometimes."
"… Interesting."
"I know gems don't need to eat, but I think you'd like these."
Steven pulled out a can of grape soda and a bag of chaaaps from his cheeseburger backpack, opened up the bag and began to eat the chips inside.
"Well, I suppose I'll just get back to work, then. Since all of my work that I started on when I got here was destroyed when… well, you know… I'm going to have to start over."
"Okay."
For a while, as Peridot worked, it was silent. Then the Steven started talking.
"Do you want any help?"
Peridot was silent for a moment before speaking.
"If you knew what I was working on, you wouldn't be asking me that question."
"Oh."
Again it was silent, but then the Steven started to speak again. This time, it was his usual questions about Peridot; about what she liked and her ideas. To which, she gave her usual responses, and didn't refuse to answer any of them. Still, they were distracting, but she actually enjoyed talking to someone who would be willing to listen to her… until he'd fall asleep mid-sentence.
Waking up after suddenly falling asleep told Steven that he needed to get back home and get some rest. After bidding farewell to Peridot, he left the lab and started making his way back home, not noticing that he left some things behind.
Not too long after the Steven departed, Peridot heard a noise behind her. It was her plug robonoids fiddling with the leftovers from the Steven's "snacks", an unopened bag and an unopened can. At first, Peridot ignored them and just went back to work, but she kept looking back to see them on the floor. Letting curiosity get the better of her, she ordered one of her plug robonoids to retrieve the "snacks" from the floor. She then got an idea… a bad idea.
With a few commands typed in, the robonoid absorbed the snacks and began leaving the cave and the other robonoids behind it. After a few hours, the plug robonoid arrived on Homeworld and made its way to its master. Peridot would have to be quick and careful. Should any of her superiors find her using one of her plug robonoid for something so… trivial, there was no telling how much trouble she would be in.
Steven came back, this time, much much earlier than usual. It was now mid-day by the time he arrived at the Kindergarten. He lied and told the gems that he was spending the day in town, while they were busying themselves with… whatever it was they were doing, but not telling him. When he entered the lab, he was met with a very unexpected sight. On Peridot's screen, she appeared to be… eating.
"Uh, Peridot?" Steven said, trying to get her attention.
Peridot was caught off guard and red-handed by the Steven coming back so early. In her surprised state, she started to cough and choke on the snacks that she was eating. Fortunately, it was only for a moment, and once it was over and she recovered from the experience, she attempted to hide the snacks from the Steven.
"T-the Steven! Y-your back early." She said, attempting to act as though she wasn't just eating something.
"Peridot… were you… eating?"
"Wh-what?! D—don't be ridiculous! Gems don't eat!"
"Then what's that on your face?"
Peridot wiped the touch stumps of her arm attachments across her face and examined them. On them, she found remnants of her previous actions. She saw the futility in hiding it.
"I… had a plug robonoid send a me some… samples of your snacks."
The Steven kept staring.
"This was merely an experiment, I swear! Nothing more, nothing less!" She said while panicking.
As the Steven continued to stare at her, she followed up by grabbing her can of earth fruit flavored liquid and took a quick sip… followed by another… and then one more. The Steven kept staring at her, but then started smiling smugly.
"The experiment proved to be… (enjoyable)." She said that last part quietly. "You don't… have any more… do you?"
Steven grinned and opened his cheeseburger backpack, revealing his bag full of snacks, but then his smile disappeared as he closed his bag up again.
"Sorry I'm early, but I wanted to show you something."
Peridot noticed the Steven's… appearance.
"You look… different." She stated.
"Huh." Said Steven, but then he looked down and saw what she was talking about. "Oh, you mean my shirt?"
"What's a shirt?"
"Well, this." Steven held up his red shirt with a yellow star on it. "This my favorite shirt."
"So it's true then. Your appearance modifiers aren't melded to your body."
"No, I can change my shirt whenever I want."
"I see. So, you wanted to show me something?"
"Oh, yeah… I wanted to show you… uh…" Steven looked at her screen. "Can you, move around in that thing?"
"You mean my image screen? It can only move around the given area."
"Oh." Steven started to feel a little down. "I guess it won't work. If you can't see it, then-"
"I have an idea." Peridot said suddenly, earning Steven's attention. "I can use one of my plug robonoids to project my image just like the screen here in the lab. I can also use it to see whatever it is you wish to show me."
Once everything was set, the Steven retrieved the plug robonoid that projected the image of Peridot and walked outside with it.
"So what is it that you wanted to show me?"
"Don't worry, it'll be quick, I promise."
The Steven walked over to the Kindergarten warp pad and warped himself and Peridot to a different location.
Steven's plan was to show Peridot everything great about the Earth. He showed her flowers, animals, and this time it was Peridot's turn to ask questions. She would ask him questions about the planets flora and fauna. She would ask him about the ecosystems. Due to Steven not knowing everything there was to know about the subjects, he could only answer questions with limited context on them. Nevertheless, Peridot seemed content with most of his answers. For example, she learned that while some creatures were capable of flight, that did not imply that all Earth creatures were capable of it; humans for example.
This became their new routine, Steven would visit during the day and take a marble robot to show Peridot different parts of the Earth, and in the end, he would give the robot some snacks for Peridot. She seemed to grow more and more interested in it with each passing day.
Peridot was changing, and she knew it. She started to express her emotions more openly whenever she was with the Steven. She started to look forward to seeing him walk through that entrance every day. Unfortunately, once he would leave, a new feeling would start to make its way into her. Guilt. She knew that the emergence of the Cluster would result in the destruction of the Earth, and that would mean… the Steven would also be shattered, or however a hybrid like him would expire. She… didn't enjoy this emotion. She didn't want the Steven to perish. She enjoyed his company, despite the times when his speaking would occasionally get on her nerves. She was willing to admit something that contradicted everything that she believed in. The Steven was her friend. She felt that… no, she knew that something had to be done. So, she continued working until he came back the next day.
Steven returned the following day. As usual, Peridot was working.
"Hi, Peridot!" He greeted his lime-green colored friend.
"Hello, Steven." She returned the greeting.
"Are you ready? I've got something great planned for today."
"Actually, I wanted to ask you something."
"Oh, okay. What is it?"
"Well… I was… wondering if you would… If… maybe you'd like to…" Peridot hesitated as she tried to speak. "How-would-you-like-come-live-on-Homeworld?"
This was the plan that she came up with. Every rational part of her being was telling her that this was a terrible idea. She knew that if he was discovered, there was no telling what horrible punishments awaited them both, but for some odd reason that even she didn't understand, she felt that it was worth the risk if it meant that there was a slim chance that he would be spared the fate of witnessing the emergence of the Cluster.
"What?" Steven was unsure if he heard her correctly.
"Well, I haven't really worked out all of the issues yet but I'm sure I-"
"Peridot, you want me to leave Earth?"
"Um… yes? But I assure you, Steven, this benefits you. I promise."
"Peridot, I can't leave Earth."
"Oh, sure you can. You can hide in my larger plug robonoid and I can bring you back here via the Homeworld warp. Well, once I have my smaller robonoids repair it."
"Peridot, I'm serious."
Peridot stared at him for a moment before speaking.
"Well… so am I. Steven, I'm doing this for your own good."
"What do you mean?"
"(sigh) Steven, I'm trying to protect you from something… bad. Like… really really bad. Something I've been monitoring for some time."
"You mean… the bad thing you were telling me about?"
Peridot hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Yes."
"But, why can't you just stop it?"
"Steven, be reasonable. It's bad enough that I'm bringing back foreign substances just so I can eat them. It'll be even worse and far more difficult trying to hide you from my superiors. But you expect me to try and convince them to rethink something that took thousands of years to prepare?!"
"Yes!"
"Well, I can't do that!"
"Well, I can't leave Earth."
"Steven, you'll die if you stay there!"
"I don't care!"
"What on this gem forsaken planet could convince you to stay on a planet that will most definitely result in your own demise?!"
"I'm not leaving the other gems!"
Steven immediately shut his mouth after saying that.
"What?" She asked.
"I-I said my other friends… here on Earth."
"No, you said 'other gems'. But that makes no sense. The Red Eye didn't report the presence of any gems on this planet." Peridot checked the screen on her arm attachments to be sure.
"Well… I guess it wouldn't have." Steven said nervously.
"What do you mean?"
"We kind of… blew it up?"
"You what?! Wait a minute. Are you and these 'other gems' the reason the Homeworld warp is down?!" Peridot held up her screen to show the Steven what she found on the Earth Homeworld warp, the first time she used it. "Is this your bizarre icon?!"
Steven recognized the image she was holding up as the Crying Breakfast Friends sticker he placed on the warp himself.
"Why do you keep destroying my things?!"
"Why do you keep trying to get me to leave?!"
"Because I figured 'friends' didn't let each other get shattered!"
"But friends also don't make each other leave their home planets and their other friends behind!"
"Well, I thought friends trusted friends' better judgements!"
"Not when their wrong!"
"Well, I don't think I want to be friends with a clod who doesn't even know what he's talking about!"
"Good, 'cause I don't want to be friends with somebody who keeps trying to hurt my home planet and tries to make me leave it to die!"
"Then I guess we're not friends!"
"I guess not!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
"Fine!" They both said in unison.
After all was said and done, Peridot's image disappeared from the large screen, causing the screen and hands to fall, making Steven flinch.
"Uh, Peridot?"
Steven then heard something behind him. Turning around, he saw that the source was the marble robots. They were all leaving the lab. He followed them outside, where he saw them all take off into the sky. Once the very last one had left, Steven returned to the lab. It was dark, empty, and there was no sign of Peridot. Steven sat down, feeling sad.
"Oh, Peridot."
"It's alright, Steven." Came a voice that Steven recognized.
Turning around, his suspicions were correct.
"Garnet! I… I was just-"
"It's okay, Steven. I already know."
"You do?"
"I was a little suspicious, so I followed you. What I found was you trying to make friends with Peridot."
"… but I failed."
"No, Steven. You succeeded."
"Huh? But, Peridot said-"
"Peridot said she thought that 'friends' trusted each other's judgments. That means she considered you a friend."
"But not anymore. Now, she's probably going to tell everyone on Homeworld about you guys."
"Maybe, maybe not. Only time will tell for sure, but I think that we should still tell Pearl and Amethyst."
"Yeah."
"But just in case." Garnet walked up to the pedestal and the big green gem in the wall behind it, summoned her gem gauntlets, and smashed them both.
And so, Steven and Garnet returned to the temple to tell them… Time passed. New events occurred, a message was sent to Earth, and three Homeworld gems were en route to said planet: A prisoner/informant, an escort, and a Kindergartener. From their hand shaped ship, a beam of light was seen heading straight for them. The attack hit, but nothing happened. The ship then started its decent.
"Stop right in front of that temple!" Ordered Jasper.
"Who's the one in charge here?" Asked Peridot.
Despite this, Peridot took the controls and had the ship descend closer to the temple, but then…
RUPTURE
Alarms blared, the ship ruptured, nobody seemed to know what was happening.
"What's going on?!" Asked Jasper.
"I-I'm not sure!"
KRACKA-KABOOM
An explosion was heard throughout the ship.
"Their attack must've done more damage than I thought! I've lost control of the ship! We're going to crash!"
"Get to your pod! We're heading back to Homeworld, and coming back with reinforcements!"
Jasper started making her way to the pods. Peridot on the other hand, shifted her finger while in control of the ship, and something resembling a thin, yellow tuning fork with a yellow gem in the middle appeared before her.
"No, we're not." She said, taking the device into the hand of her arm attachment.
"Excuse me? You wanna run that by me aga-AAAAAHHHH!" Jasper was interrupted, but didn't see by what.
The device that Peridot had was a gem destabilizer, which she used on Jasper.
POOF
Once Jasper was reduced to only her gem, Peridot encased it in a green bubble that shot out of her arm attachment.
"Of all the gems I've met, you are, by far, the worst."
Steven and the Crystal Gems watched as the ship seemed to be falling apart. The ship then seemed to flick something off into the distance, before falling into the ocean. After the smoke had cleared and the water had calmed, everyone was left to wonder what that was. That is, until Steven caught sight of something flowing in the wind and out of the burning wreckage. It was an empty bag of chaaaps.
"Peridot?!"
Weeks later, Steven awoke in the middle of the night. He found it difficult to return to sleep, so he decided to go outside. Once he got there, he heard the faintest sound of soft music. Since it was particularly quiet out tonight, the music was barely audible, but Steven could hear enough to know that it was coming from above. Steven spent some time walking uphill until he reached the cliff. He then noticed two people sitting on the edge of the cliff-side. The one thing that he managed to make out was the triangular shaped hair of one of them. The other's hair looked a little messy, but her outfit looked familiar enough. He said two names, which caught their attention.
"Peridot? Lapis?"
They both turned around and faced him, smiling warmly.
"Hi, Steven." Said Lapis Lazuli.
"Hello, the Steven." Said Peridot.
The End