Author's Note: Well, seeing as how I'm already late to the band wagon, I might as well get on it anyway, right? This One-Shot will act as a sort of... reboot for me, and I hope that it's enjoyable!
Disclaimer: I do not own Steven Universe. This wonderful show belongs to its creator, Rebecca Sugar.
"A c-connection? It can't be…"
Peridot stared at the holographic screen in disbelief as she hesitantly began typing commands into it. It had been quite some time since she had arrived on Earth and her time there had been less than enjoyable. After losing Jasper, her escort, she went into hiding, all the while continuing her mission of restarting the Kindergarten in hopes of eventually finding some way to return to Home World. It seemed that a chance was now being given to her.
As the minutes ticked by and receiving no answer after the first few attempts, Peridot began to lose hope of ever returning home at all when the hologram lit up, revealing a dark outline of a tall figure.
"A Peridot? Why have you contacted me?" Despite being a question, the tone of voice suggested it was more of a demand as the figure sat down.
Quickly composing herself, Peridot cleared her throat before replying, "T-this is Peridot reporting in from Earth. My mission has-" She was cut off by the figure waving their hand back and forth, and felt a bit of irritation grow within her as the figure suddenly snapped their fingers.
"Wait...yes, I remember now. I've received your reports. Your data has proven to be…" The figure seemed to pause for a moment, thinking of the proper words. "Less than adequate. Now, I ask again," the figure said, leaning in to show their face, "why have you contacted me?"
Peridot's face paled upon realizing who she was speaking to and she immediately took a knee. "Y-Yellow Diamond! My mission on Earth has been compromised. I request an immediate exfil." She didn't dare look directly at her, fear clouding her mind as she awaited her leader's reply.
Yellow Diamond was silent for a few moments, amplifying Peridot's nervousness ten-fold before she eventually spoke. "You wish for me to send you a rescue ship? But of course! I'll send one right away!"
Peridot's worries quickly vanished as she looked at the intimidating Gem. "Thank you, Yellow Diamond!"
"That is," she continued, "if you hadn't caused us so much trouble in the first place." Yellow Diamond soon grew a frown on her face, glaring daggers at Peridot as the latter looked at her with dread. "You lost one of our Diamond Hands," she said, her voice increasing in pitch as she continued, "you lost Commander Jasper, your escort and a survivor of the War; You failed to restart the Kindergarten; Your list of blunders seems to go on and on!" Yellow Diamond rested a hand on her face as she sighed. "Not even the "data" that you've collected has been useful. Honestly..."
Peridot cringed at Yellow Diamond's voice, her legs trembling slightly as she began to desperately explain herself. "I-I apologize for the mistakes that I've made, but they weren't my fault! It was all because of those-" She was cut off by the look of quiet rage that Yellow Diamond wore on her face, and she ceased her talking as she stared directly into her eyes.
"I will say this only once; I have no need for defective Gems such as yourself." Her voice was cold and uncaring but grew softer as she continued. "However, I am not without mercy; instead of a slow and agonizing death, I will give you the next best thing. Peridot," she said, rising from her seat as she walked away from the screen, "you are hereby banished from Home World. Should you ever show your face here again, I will have you executed on the spot. Don't think for one second that I will forget, because I won't."
With that, the connection was severed, an error message flashing across the screen as Peridot slowly sunk to her knees. She couldn't believe it; after everything she had done for her Home planet, this was her reward.
Banishment.
The word replayed itself in her head, taunting her as she began to comprehend the current situation. Small tears began to form in her eyes as she dismissed the hologram, getting back onto her feet before walking off.
"Why?" she whispered. "It's all because of those- those-" Peridot kicked a pebble in frustration as she yelled, "those Crystal Clods!" Kicking another pebble, Peridot sighed, her anger leaving her system as she fell back, sprawled across the ground. The texture was surprisingly soft, and looking to the side she found that she was lying in what she came to know as "sand." Removing the visor from her face, she looked at it briefly before throwing it off in a random direction, rubbing her eyes as she began contemplating what to do about her worsening situation.
"I have no home to return to now, and I'm completely cut off from Gem technology. What point is there in doing anything now that I no longer have anything…" Peridot sniffled as she brought her hands to her chest, her mind wandering to her life before coming to Earth. While it wasn't exactly… "glamorous," living on Home World, she didn't hate her life there. She was completely devoted to its cause, and would have done anything to ensure its glorious future. Now, having been banished, her devotion had all but disappeared, hopelessness and fear beginning to take its place the longer she thought about it.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Peridot continued lying in the sand and decided to try to come up with something in the morning, though at this point, she wondered why she even bothered. Strangely, her eyes began to droop downward, the events that had just transpired finally taking its toll on her as her mind began to slow down. The last thing she remembered seeing before blacking out was a small figure rushing towards her, yelling something as it neared her.
"Who is talking?" Peridot's eyes remained closed as she slowly began to wake up. The emotional stress from before must have been too much for her and her body forced itself to go to sleep, she thought. Focusing her hearing, Peridot began to make out a few distinct voices as she listened in on their conversation.
"...should we do? Why was she just lying on the Beach like that?"
"Doesn't matter. I say we smash her Gem and get it all over with."
"We'll discuss this later. For now, we'll have to wait until she wakes up."
The rest of the conversation was muffled as Peridot's breaths came out a bit more heavily, increasing in speed as fear made its way into her mind. What was going to happen to her? Who were these people? The voices, despite their varying tones, sounded familiar to the technician, and she was trying to put a face to them when they suddenly stopped. Confused, she slowly inched one of her eyes open to see someone looming over her. Her eyes snapped wide open as her breathing hitched; looking up, she could see a boy wearing a pink shirt with a yellow star in the center smiling down at her.
"Guys, she's awake!" Steven looked away from Peridot towards the other Gems, excitement evident in his features as he motioned for them to come over. Clearly outnumbered and outmatched, Peridot sprung up from the couch she was laying on, barreling past Steven as she rushed towards the door. She was just within its reach when a purple whip wrapped itself around her, dragging her back towards the group as she struggled to get free.
"Let me go, you Crystal Clods! You've done enough to me already!" Peridot glared at the assembled Gems, her squirming having ceased as the whip tightened itself around her.
Hearing this only made Pearl scowl in distaste. "You have no right to say that after what you've done. You should be grateful that we even took you in." She sighed, crossing her arms as she began tapping her foot. "Steven, we'll take it from here. Why don't you go and invite Connie to play around at the Boardwalk?"
"Connie's got Tennis practice today Pearl, and the Boardwalk's closed down for repairs." Steven looked at the three Gems curiously before looking at the bound Gem before them. "What are you going to do with Peridot?"
The Crystal Gems cast an uneasy look around each other before Garnet walked over to the boy, kneeling down and putting a hand on his shoulder. "Steven," she began, "Peridot can't be allowed to go where she pleases. Think of what she did to us- she would want nothing more than to bring this planet under Home World's rule." She squeezed his shoulder slightly, her glasses hiding her pleading eyes. "You have to understand that what we do is for the good of everyone."
"What? I don't understand, Garnet. What do you mean?" Steven looked over her shoulder towards the remaining Gems, his eyes flickering between the two for answers.
"W-Well, Steven, we're going to have to…" Pearl trailed off, rubbing her arm as she looked away from him.
"We're gonna bubble her, Steven. She's not going anywhere ever again."
"Amethyst!"
"What? It's the truth! There's no point in hiding it from him, anyway." Amethyst waved Pearl off as she looked down, staring into Peridot's fear-filled eyes. "It's the only thing we can do."
"What?!" Shock was written all over Steven's face as he looked towards Garnet, her silence telling him that what Amethyst was saying was the truth. Clenching his hands into fists, Steven quickly made his way around Garnet and positioned himself in front of the bound Gem, spreading his arms out to act as a human shield. "No, this isn't right! Peridot isn't bad, guys! She doesn't deserve this!"
"Steven, this is no time for arguments! We need to do this now while we have the chance! Please, just move-"
"No!" The young boy's yell cut Pearl off, and it seemed to stun the Gems that were present, each of them staring at him with widened eyes. "I'm not just going to stand here and watch you all trap her like this! She captured us and took us prisoner because she didn't have a choice! All she was doing was just- she was just following orders!"
"That doesn't excuse her for what she's done, Steven!" Pearl was practically fuming at this point, and she took deep breaths in an attempt to compose herself. "Steven, this matter doesn't concern you, this is-"
"Yes it does! You all said it yourselves!" Steven rubbed his eyes free of his tears as he stood up straight, holding a hand over his chest as he yelled, "I'm a Crystal Gem too!"
This seemed to stop any opposition from Pearl, whatever was about to come out of her mouth having been forced down her throat by the boy's sudden proclamation. Looking around, Steven could Garnet and Amethyst standing motionless, the former almost dropping her whip from how surprised she was.
Moments passed before the leader of the Crystal Gems found the strength in her legs and moved herself forward, gently removing her glasses as she knelt back down in front of the boy. "You're absolutely right, Steven. You are a Crystal Gem, and that means that you have a say in this too." Garnet's features softened a she smiled at Steven, playfully ruffling his hair, much to his confusion. "Steven, what do you think we should do with her?"
Startled cries could be heard from the other Gems as Steven looked past Garnet, staring at Peridot's bound form. Looking into her eyes, Steven could see a mix of emotions: anxiety, fear, and a bit of… hope? Nodding his head, Steven looked back at Garnet, putting on his most serious face as he said, "We should give her a second chance. If we show her the good things about Earth, maybe she'll change."
Garnet chuckled softly, having already known his answer as she resummoned her glasses and stood back up. Looking over at Rose's picture, Garnet couldn't help but let a sigh escape her lips. "He's so much like you, Rose. To have the capacity to love so much- he's a wonderful child, and he'll only grow more from here."
Breaking her gaze from the portrait, Garnet turned back around towards the group, nudging her head towards Amethyst as she pointed at her whip.
Amethyst could only stare at Garnet in disbelief, but she eventually released her hold on their captive, putting her weapon back into her Gem as she watched Peridot slowly stand back up. "I'm not liking this, Garnet. This seems like a bad move to me." Glancing at her leader, Amethyst gave them one last look before walking over to the Temple door, entering her room without another word.
Dusting herself off, Peridot looked up to see the remaining Gems staring at her, causing her to shrink slightly in their presence. "I-I'm afraid I don't understand. You're not going to harm me?"
"No, we are not." Pearl sent a small glare Peridot's way as she stood next to Garnet. "Under normal circumstances, you would have received a "different" kind of treatment. But, whatever Garnet says goes," she sighed.
Before she could say a single word, said Gem had placed her hand on Peridot's shoulder, tightening her grip as she stared at her. "This does not mean that you're off the hook completely. You will be accompanied at all times, and you are bound to this City only. Should you suddenly disappear or harm anyone," she said, leaning in towards her, "you will be bubbled permanently with no exceptions. Steven has given you this chance. Don't waste it." With that, she released her hold on the Gem's shoulder and walked away, a hidden grin having made its way to her face as she walked into her room.
The remaining three simply stood there in an awkward silence, none of them knowing entirely what to say. The whole situation had ended just as soon as it had started, and the tension that was in the room had all but vanished.
"The Steven… saved me. Why?" Peridot looked at the smaller boy with intrigue as he smiled at her.
"This is great! Now I can show you around Beach City! We'll have some Fry Bits, get a few doughnuts, and then-" Steven was cut off from his rambling at the sound of Pearl clearing her throat.
"Steven, you are not going anywhere with her-alone, anyway. I will accompany you for now." Pearl squinted her eyes in suspicion at Peridot before feeling something grabbing her by the hand and dragging her off, Peridot in tow.
"This is going to be great! Where should we start?" Steven grew starry-eyed as they exited the door of the beach house, turning his head back to the two other Gems with a small smile.
"This Steven is… very strange." Peridot sighed as she cast a look back towards the Statue, ignoring the other two's conversation. "Is this what I'm destined to be? A prisoner on some junk planet?" She didn't necessarily like the idea-at all, honestly- but despite the situation, she couldn't help but let a small smile creep onto her face. "I suppose I should at least be grateful. The Steven kept my Gem from getting crushed." Having noticed that they had stopped moving, Peridot turned her head back to see Steven with a small bag, grinning as he offered it towards her.
"This may not turn out to be so bad after all."
Hopefully this was enjoyable for you! I wasn't too sure how long to make this, and whether or not this is considered a "One-Shot", based on its length, but its here! Thanks for Reading!