So I tried my hand at a bit of tone, that's new. Please leave some constructive criticism in the comments! I've never done this sort of thing before so I want it to be as good as I can make it.
"I'm not getting caught up in the middle of another war."
Lapis Lazuli, head down, raises her arms. Her gem glows, and the small lake drains to form a thin layer of water underneath the barn. She lifts it, summoning her water wings to fly along with it.
Tears well up in Peridot's eyes. Steven looks on, horrified.
"...Fine!"
The pure emotion in her voice is something Lapis cannot ignore, even if she wants to, and she doesn't, not really. She looks back at Peridot with a matching expression of despair and stops. Peridot inhales shakily and continues.
"...But it's my home, too. And if you want to take everything from me, from, from us? Go right ahead. I can't stop you.
"But you'll have to live with it. That you did this to someone you loved."
Lapis blinks tears out of her eyes.
"I can't say no to you."
They fall asleep watching Camp Pining Hearts in the truck bed together, as they have forever.
Or, Peridot does. Lapis just pretends for her sake.
When it gets late enough, she shifts. Peridot makes no response, so it is safe. She gets up and flies to the main level, retrieving the technician's recorder and heading for the silo.
A brisk night tonight. There is a heavy wind.
Heh. Good that she has a blanket.
After taking a moment to figure out how the damn thing is supposed to work, she presses record and begins to speak.
She talks for hours, and for once she actually feels it. Time lost its meaning to her when she became trapped, and this is the only time it will ever feel like anything again.
When she stops, it is not because she is finished, but because she has nothing left to say.
She presses the stop button on the recorder. The sun peeks over the ocean horizon, and the light reflecting off the great blue expanse is serene.
She wishes they could have seen it together, just one last time.
There is so much they never did together.
She looks back at the truck bed. A tear rolls down her cheekbone. She rises, dropping the device.
The sound of it hitting the silo is much louder than it should have been. Peridot jolts awake, and sees Lapis standing on the silo, whose expression changes.
She pushes off into cosmic eternity.
"...See, that's the thing."
"What?"
"Lapis is gone, Connie. And Peridot is..."
"What's wrong?"
"Peri's just lost it."
It has been a month.
Steven stands on the Warp Pad at the back of his house. He lingers for a moment. He doesn't know how Peridot will be today, and it has been particularly bad the past few days.
He has been doing this every day since Lapis left. It is taking its toll on him, too, but he at least has Connie to confide in.
Peridot has no one.
He wills the destination into the pad, and it obliges.
It is almost dusk.
Steven walks to the barn, stepping over the seam where Lapis had momentarily lifted it. She eventually believed she would have been cruel to take this from Peridot, but all that had done was leave reminders of herself behind.
And that was worse.
He opens the door and enters. Pumpkin begins barking at him and jumps up on him, leaving Peridot curled up in a corner.
"No, stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it. It's just. Steven."
Steven sighs. "You want me to bring her back over?"
She grunts in response.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'."
Steven brings the pumpkin-dog into his arms and walks over to the Gem, putting her down.
"She always did like you better."
Peridot sighs and sits up.
"I finally did it."
Steven's expression shifts to one of slight intrigue. "...what do you mean?"
"I brought myself to listen to her message. She knew enough to replace the tape with a blank one, and she filled almost the entire thing before she left. I was just... so afraid that she might have had some ulterior motive for leaving. That I hadn't been good enough, you know?"
Steven exhales sharply in what was supposed to be a small chuckle. "Yeah. I know that feeling well."
Peridot gains a small smile. "But it wasn't at all like that. The way she remembered everything? The way she talked about Earth?"
She sighs. "She felt... powerless, Steven. She just wanted to be in control... I think if she'd wanted to, we could've fought together. There isn't any water on most colonies, so she's used to it, but here? The whole planet's covered. She was in her element, I-"
She blinks away a tear and won't look directly at Steven.
"But she didn't want it. I just... I don't understand..."
He moves in closer and wraps his arms around her. His eyes are glassy.
"It wasn't your fault."
It has been two months.
Steven kneels at the window at the front of his house, staring out into the dreary day. It's transitioning to fall, and that means hurricane season. Though there isn't one at the moment, the storm right now comes close. The sea is restless and the sky dark, and there is the occasional crack of lightning.
He sighs. Though Peridot has been getting better, the weather today reminds Steven of her, and he doesn't think the green Gem will take it well.
The warp pad activates, and it is Pearl. She walks over to Steven and puts her hands on his shoulders, kneeling beside him.
"You all right?"
"I'm fine. It's just..."
"Peridot?"
Steven nods. "The weather today probably reminds her of Lapis."
He sighs.
"I should probably check on her..."
"Oh, uhm, actually..."
Steven looks up at her. "What?"
Pearl won't meet his eyes. "...do you think you could ask her if she's up for doing some mission work with us today? We need her help with some more modern gem tech. I don't understand it myself."
He looks back down. "I can try, but it's a long shot. I'll see how she is and ask her if I think she seems okay."
Pearl nods. "Thank you."
"Yeah."
He heads for the warp pad and, apprehensive, activates it.
The barn has been a source of dread for Steven for quite some time now, but it has never been like this. When he arrives on the warp pad, he can immediately tell that something is wrong. The feeling is implicit, but he's sure of it.
Not really understanding this, he heads on.
The huge doors to the barn are usually open, so when they are closed he finds he doesn't know how to open them. Tentatively, he knocks on the door.
"W̸h̶o̸ ̸i̶s̸ ̷i̶t̵?̶"
A very familiar voice, to be sure. One he didn't expect to hear, at least not anymore.
"L-Lapis...?"
It's definitely her voice, but there's something wrong with it.
".̵.̸.̴Y̶-̵Y̸e̴a̵h̴,̸ ̵S̷t̸e̸v̴e̴n̵,̵ ̵I̸'̴m̵ ̷h̶e̵r̵e̸!̶ ̶C̸o̴m̸e̴ ̵o̸n̴ ̵i̸n̸!̸"
"I, uhm... heh... I can't open the door, Lapis."
"O̵h̸!̸ ̸S̴o̸r̷r̵y̵!̷ ̸L̸e̸t̴ ̶m̴e̶ ̸g̸e̷t̸ ̶t̷h̶a̵t̸ ̸f̵o̴r̷ ̷y̶o̴u̵.̶"
The door slides sideways, and it is much more rough than Steven thinks it should be, but to be fair he hasn't really seen this done before.
The inside is almost completely dark, matching the gloomy weather. The only light is a soft blue from Lapis' aquarium on the right wall.
This is enough to see it, though.
Standing stiffly in the corner is... something that resembles Lapis in shape and size, but not in texture, as it is made of metal sheets and riveting. The dress is made of blue cloth, but it is patchy and ripped. Its face is carved into the front of its head, forced into what was almost certainly intended to be a small smile but what now looks like a grimace. Its eyes are slits, and its head is hollow save for a tape player that always seems to be running, and a blue LED which is mostly obscured but allows blue light to emit out of the facial features.
It's horrifying.
".̴.̴.̵S̷t̵e̸v̷e̷n̷?̵ ̶I̸-̷-̸ ̵u̸h̷m̷,̸ ̸I̵ ̸c̶a̶n̶ ̴h̷e̶a̷r̷ ̶y̴o̴u̷,̷ ̵b̵u̷t̸.̸.̸.̴?̵"
"She isn't done yet."
Steven looks over to the source of this new voice. Peridot, on the floor, facing the wall. He stares at her in disbelief.
"Why... Why would you ever-"
"She still... she still needs this, uhm, this vision system, here... I've got the framework done, but I still need to install it-"
"What is this?!"
The technician turns around. Her face, even being made of hard light, is stained with trails of tears. Her visor is cracked in a few places.
As if she were trying to convince herself she is fine, she says, "It's... It's Lazuli. What's the issue?"
".̸.̵.̶u̴h̵m̸,̸ ̴w̴h̴a̴t̶'̸s̴ ̵w̶r̵o̴n̷g̵?̸"
Steven sighs. "Do you have any idea what this means to me? What it should mean to you? You were doing so well... Did none of it matter?"
Peridot looks down. "...When she was here, she made me feel like... I meant more than I ever had before. Y-you didn't see any of it, but when she left, I just... broke. Couldn't get up to face myself anymore. And you were that figure for a while, actually. I'd dedicate every day to pulling it together for you."
She removes her cracked visor.
"And you just... stopped coming over. Granted, that wasn't wrong of you, I'm sure you had a lot to do, but I needed someone." She looks up. "So... I built her."
"C̵o̸m̸e̷ ̴h̶e̸r̴e̷.̶ ̷C̵o̸m̸e̴ ̶h̶e̸r̸e̷,̶ ̵b̷o̶t̶h̷ ̷o̶f̷ ̷y̴o̸u̶.̵"
The faux Lapis has sit down and is extending her arms out. A drop of oil makes its way down her cheek and collects at the jaw.
They both comply, and she embraces them tightly. It is cold but surprisingly welcoming, just like the real thing.
"S̵h̵e̸ ̶m̵i̸g̸h̵t̵ ̸n̶o̸t̶ ̸b̸e̵ ̶c̶o̸m̷i̶n̴g̴ ̶b̴a̴c̵k̶ ̵f̶o̵r̷ ̵a̵ ̷l̷o̷n̸g̷ ̸t̸i̷m̶e̴.̵ ̸U̸n̸t̶i̵l̸ ̶s̴h̵e̷ ̸d̴o̶e̸s̵.̶.̴.̵ ̴I̵'̷m̶ ̵h̴e̵r̶e̴ ̶f̷o̷r̵ ̴y̸o̷u̵ ̴b̴o̶t̷h̵.̵"
Steven returns the embrace, but Peridot looks absolutely mortified.
"...what's wrong?"
"I didn't program this in."
His expression shifts to something slightly more apprehensive. 'Lapis' lowers her head a bit and tightens her embrace slightly. Oil pools at the bottom of her slit-eyes and eventually trickles down her cheeks again. It doesn't stop. The trickle becomes a gush. Steven and Peridot snap to their feet.
"I̴.̵.̸.̸ ̵I̸ ̴w̷a̴s̶n̴'̶t̴.̸.̸.̷ ̶s̵t̶r̵o̷n̴g̶ ̷e̸n̴o̵u̵g̵h̶.̴.̶.̸?̸"
She gets up, beginning to convulse violently.
"G̸o̶!̴"
They rush out of the barn. As they step into the grass, a noise like a computer exploding can be heard. Peridot's eyes go glassy. She sighs and looks down.
"Go, Steven."
"I-"
"Just go."
"...okay."
He turns and hugs her for a moment, then heads off.
As he activates the warp pad, he looks back. The technician has curled up on the ground, quietly sobbing. He sighs.
It wasn't enough.
That night, he finds himself in a void, upon an endlessly expanding floor of solid water. This has only happened once before, so he knows exactly what to expect. The thought of Jasper's battered face, staring at him with contempt, enters his mind.
He shudders.
"Steven?..."
"Lapis!"
He sees her in the distance and runs toward her. She elects to glide shortly above the ground instead. They meet, and embrace tightly. Then Lapis pulls away, kneeling and putting her hands on his shoulders. "...What are you doing here?"
The boy is obviously embarrassed by this question, but he feels the need to answer it anyway. He takes a shaky breath and sighs. "...It's Peridot."
She feels a pang of guilt at this name, and her expression reflects this. "Oh, man... how bad did she get?"
"She needs you, Lapis. It was much worse than I think even you imagined."
She coughs. "...Right. I'm coming back."
Steven shows a small smile. "Really? You... you mean it?"
She nods, once, firmly. "Yes."
He beams and hugs her again. "Thank you so much."
Pulling away again, he realizes something. "Where are you, anyway...?"
She looks around, though of course there is nothing to see - they're in Lapis' mind. "Pretty far out... I might not be back for a while. Do you think you can keep her from doing anything stupid in the meantime?"
"Definitely. She'll perk right up once she knows you're coming."
She coughs again, and this time it devolves into a fit.
"Are you...?"
"Nothing. It's nothing. I'm fine."
"I, uhm... okay."
She smiles as he slips back into consciousness. "See you soon, okay?"
"Yeah, see you."
It evaporates, leaving Steven dreamlessly asleep.
His eyes snap open. It's clear for what feels like the first time in months, though in reality it has only been three days.
He rushes down the stairs, hastily retreating into the bathroom and emerging within five seconds fully clothed, then proceeding to the warp pad.
She'll be so excited!
He can hardly wait.
The ground squishes under Steven's shoes as he approaches the barn. It feels good not to dread this anymore, instead looking forward to it.
"Hey, I've-"
Then he sees it. Her gem, in the corner, on the floor. He bolts toward it and scoops it up.
He feels a pang of guilt. He isn't sure whether she did this to herself or if something attacked her, but he should've been there for her. He failed her again.
Inspecting the stone, he seems no imperfections or chips that weren't already there, leading to him concluding that it was the former. He sighs, wiping some of the condensation off of it.
"I'm sorry."
He returns to the warp pad, heading home.
Lapis Lazuli already felt bad about what she did, so she hadn't even left the solar system when Steven contacted her, which made her pass out. As soon as she regained consciousness, she reversed course, deciding that her decision was inexcusably selfish anyway.
It takes her only a week to return.
She touches down on the small lake that she was once going to use to take the barn with her.
It has been so long since then, and yet not at all.
She rushes inside the barn with an unsure smile on her face. "Peridot, I-"
Then she notices it.
Her expression contorts to one of horror at what this must mean. She reaches out a hand to wipe away the oil-tears, and underneath the metal had rusted away. The texture feels surreal under her thumb.
She sighs. "So... you remembered, huh?" Blinking back tears, she whispers, "I never meant for this to happen... I'm so sorry, Peridot."
As if in response to her words, the faux Lapis - the Figure - shudders and comes to life, if a diminished one. The terraformer is taken aback by this.
"S̵h̷e̴.̵.̴.̴ ̸S̶h̸e̴ ̵s̶t̵i̶l̴l̷ ̴b̸e̸l̵i̷e̵v̴e̶s̸ ̸i̴n̶ ̸y̸o̶u̴,̶ ̴y̴o̶u̵ ̴k̶n̴o̶w̷.̶.̵.̵ ̷"
"I... What? Why? I abandoned them... I abandoned... her..."
She blinks, and the Figure is back to being a husk. Just like that. Almost as if... she had imagined it?
The warp pad activates behind her. It's Steven, with something in his hands. A... pillow?
"Oh! You're back!"
He runs up to her, almost tripping.
"Whoa, ya good there?"
He carefully puts down the pillow and hugs Lapis rather forcefully. She goes stiff for a moment but returns the gesture.
"So, what've you got there...?"
As an answer, he gets the pillow again. When he brings it close enough, Lapis sees it.
Peridot's gem, perched upon the pillow.
"I... what? What happened? When?"
Steven scratches the back of his head. "I found her like this when I woke up after doing that dream-speak thing with you? I don't know what actually happened, honestly..."
The stone begins to glow.
"Oh! She's coming back!"
"Yes! I'm here for you!"
It floats into the air. Her basic figure forms around it, and slowly more details emerge until she is fully restored.
There's only one problem, though - she's in midair.
Lapis quickly summons her water wings, propelling herself to where Peridot is, and wrapping her arms around her.
"You're okay. I've got you."
"I... Lapis?"
Her voice cracks. "Yeah. Yeah, I came back."
"Can you, uhm, put me down? I can only do this on the ground."
"Uh, sure?"
She complies, and as soon as Peridot's feet touch the ground she grabs Lapis and pulls her into a tight hug. She smiles and returns it.
"I'm here for you."
Wow, hard to believe this whole thing came from Sonic Forces lipservice and a drawing mistake, lol. Please leave constructive criticism on your way out in a review!