The barn lost another strip of wood, the wooden plank sailing away into the vastness of space. Lapis looked over her shoulder to watch it go, her irritation at this structure only grew.
She didn't know how long she's been journeying, all she knew was that she needed to avoid Homeworld at all costs. If Homeworld found her then... The blue gem shivered at the thought of what Homeworld would do to her, she already tried to go back once but hesitated. She can only try and move on.
The barn wasn't looking it's best. Some wooden planks were missing, leaving spots of bare nothingness in random places. Everything inside was floating, the organization of the meep morps was all ruined. Lapis internally reminded herself to try and fix it when she hits landfall at wherever.
Her arms strained to hold up the massive structure, reminding her so much of the fight against Jasper when she was in the ocean. It still felt like yesterday... Lapis's thoughts shifted to everyone on Earth. Steven, The Crystal Gems, and Peridot... Peridot. She felt the hole in her heart grow deeper at the thought of Peridot. How was she...? Was she okay..? Was Earth okay...? Was Pumpkin okay...? Was Steven okay...? Was... Everything okay?
Lapis stopped then, both her and the barn floating still. She looked back, taking note of how many planets she passed. Beyond all of them, she could still see the glow of Earth. Earth stared at her while she stared back. She wanted to go back. She wanted to put the barn back and pretend she never left. She wanted to plant again, she wanted to enjoy the Earth with Peridot again. She wanted to be with the other gems, learn from them, grow with them, learn fusion and learn how to fight, as Steven told her.
But she couldn't. She couldn't bare the thought of Homeworld taking over Earth, being brought back for questioning, possibly get shattered. She couldn't bare going back, to be purely hated. No matter what she did, no matter where she went, she was trapped.
Lapis was trapped.
The blue gem turned away and forced herself to move forward, a song bubbling from inside her.
I guess I'll have to face... That in this awful place... I shouldn't show a trace of doubt.
Another wooden plank flew off.
But pulled against the grain, I feel a little pain, that I would rather do without.
Her head rose a little higher, staring straight ahead.
I'd rather be free...
Free...
Free.
Tears began to form in her eyes. She began to remember her time on Earth. The flight with Steven, the home she built with Peridot which was slowly getting ruined... She couldn't bring it all back now. She made her choice. She left and abandoned them. She abandoned Earth. She abandoned Peridot and Steven. She abandoned everything she grew and helped create.
She abandoned everything on Earth.
I'd rather be free...
Free...
Free...
"I'm sorry..." Lapis murmured, her tears beginning to fall. "I'm so.. sorry..."
From here.
Peridot spotted the gems resting near the shoreline, the evening sun dappling the land in a calm orange. She fumbled with her hands. She hasn't been out of the house in a bit... She could use the fresh air. But even then... She glanced back towards the house, wanting to ever so crawl back into the bathroom, but she refused. She needed answers. She wanted to accept how things were but... How could she?
Why would Lapis leave like that?
To protect herself? Was Homeworld after her?!
The gem went over to them and sat, keeping a bit of distance from Garnet as she hugged her knees. Her head hurt. She wanted to understand and yet... How could she?
"Hello, Peridot."
Peridot flinched at Garnet's greeting and glanced up at her.
"H-Hello Garnet..."
Garnet smiled a bit as she looked at her. "Good to see you out and about~."
Peridot only nodded and looked away again. "Yeah. I guess...?" She was unsure. Was she "good" being out here? Or was that just a figure of speech? Her head was crammed with so many questions, Lapis being the main topic. Maybe... She could ask the others about this..? Her throat tightening, Peridot managed to open her mouth.
"I'm... Confused."
"About what...?"
"Well... Why Lapis left."
Garnet went quiet then. Peridot looked up at her. "She always mentioned something about being trapped in a mirror... What was all that about? Why did she hate you all?" Her voice sharply hissed at hate and now all the gems were staring at her. She could feel her face go warm as she tried to correct herself. "D-Disliked you guys! Not hate... Hate's a bit of a strong word-"Garnet rested a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay... You aren't wrong."
Amethyst piped up. "Yeah, she was a complete jerk." Pearl shushed her afterward.
Peridot could only curl up further. She was, wasn't she? She was bitter to Peridot when they met again, which she had every reason to be... Yet she changed. She changed alongside Peridot and the two built their own home and began to farm. Now... She was gone.
"She's still a complete jerk," Peridot mumbled. "Why would she just leave...?"
The gems all looked at each other then back at her. They were unsure what to say... They were shocked when Peridot came home with Steven, her bright gem now dulled. Steven has explained to them of Lapis's departure, which shocked Pearl and Amethyst more than anything and Garnet staying quiet. Garnet was wrapped in her own thoughts. She foresaw that something was going to happen and it would revolve around Peridot but what it was, she didn't know. Her visions have been fuzzy as of late and the fusion couldn't explain to herself (more like ruby and sapphire talking to one another) why this was. Was something catastrophic building up? Were the Diamonds going to invade Earth? Was one of the gems going to be shattered? She wasn't sure and she can only see so much... But she needed to focus on the present.
The fusion glanced at Peridot. "Did she take the barn with her?"
"Yes!" Peridot suddenly blurted out. "She took everything!"
"Maybe... She will be back..? I know how close you two are so maybe she's-" Pearl tried to reassure but Peridot's face only shriveled into anger.
"Maybe nothing! She took everything, the barn, my meep morps, my first bubbled gem, and didn't even say goodbye! She didn't even reward me for my honesty!" She sighed in frustration and took a deep breath. "Why?"
"Why would she leave..?"
Peridot nodded.
Garnet crossed her arms, lost in her own thoughts now. "Lapis has fallen on a few hardships... Has she told you about Jasper?"
Peridot nodded again. "Yeah... How can they stayed fused for so long?!"
"Fusion can take many forms, there are corrupted gems, fusions that are strong as Garnet here, and Malachite... The fact that Lapis held on for so long is astonishing, to say the least." Pearl said, her finger on her chin, she always gotten this look when she gets into her explanations. It annoyed Peridot a little. "But she also held a grudge against us for a while as well!"
"Yeah, because of the mirror."
Pearl made a face. "Yeah... That."
Lapis only told her about being trapped by the gems, that she was stuck for thousands of years. She was never told anything about why and how. Peridot knew about Jasper and her, how they were fused for so long and trapped in the ocean. Peridot never fused before and her story about Malachite didn't help gain her confidence about fusion as a whole. She was always so sensitive about fusion afterward, she despised the subject. About the mirror, however, she was only brief. She never understood about the mirror. It was only that she was trapped for thousands of years and that the gems kept her in that prison till Steven saved her.
"Why didn't you rescue her? She wanted to be free." Peridot's questions started to pour out then. "Why was she trapped? Who did it? Why didn't she like Earth? Why didn't she stay? Why didn't she reward me for my emotional honesty?! Didn't I mean anything to her?!"
"Peridot, We-"
Peridot stood up. "I hate that she's gone! I hate that the barn is gone! I hate that everything we worked hard for is gone! She's gone and she... didn't say goodbye..." The small gem clenched her fists and uttered out one final question that has been eating at her since day one of this ordeal. "Why?"
The gems looked at her now in worry and sadness. They had no idea what this felt like. None of them understood what having your best friend leaving you behind without any goodbyes felt like. None of them knew... Tears began to fall down Peridot's face, her vision blurring. "Why would she leave...? Did I do something wrong...?" Peridot mumbled, her hands covering her face.
"...Peridot... It wasn't your fault... It's Homeworld." She heard Garnet say and she felt herself being pulled into a hug, feeling Amethyst's soft familiar skin.
"Aww... P... She'll be back, I'm sure!" Amethyst said. "She'll come back and everything will be okay!"
She wanted to believe that. She wanted to believe that Lapis would come back, bring the barn back, and just say sorry. They could be happy again. They could plant again. They could go on adventures again. But... She couldn't. She couldn't believe it at all. With a heavy heart, she broke the hug and turned away, the moment Lapis leaving now stuck in her mind.
"I'm not going to get caught up in another war..."
The blue gem didn't look back to Peridot as she stepped towards the barn, her wings sprouting from her gem as water surrounded the barn. The barn was pulled from the ground, Peridot yelling for her.
"Wait! No!" She watched as the tire hanging on the side of the barn fell. "You're supposed to award me for my emotional honesty!"
Lapis raised the barn higher, the structure hovering high above, water flowing around it in a ring-type format. Peridot watched as she looked down at her and Steven, hesitating for a moment. Peridot's mind screamed. It only screamed harder as Lapis flew off, taking the barn and everything with her. The only thing left was the massive hole in the ground and Peridot only watched her go, her heart shattering, her memories shattering.
"...Come on... Let's go."
"...Who trapped her in the mirror." She asked. She didn't look at them.
"Homeworld did... I-I found it and I-" Pearl started. "S-She didn't... Tell you-"
"Why did you keep her trapped?" Peridot looked over at her. "Why keep her trapped in that mirror when she could have been freed?"
Pearl then flinched and she could only bring her hands to her mouth, starting to slightly shake. She looked... Tormented. She wanted to speak and yet, she couldn't... Something was holding her back. Peridot only scoffed, knowing what this meant. She was ordered not to.
"You were ordered to not tell, did you?" She hissed.
Pearl didn't move. She only looked away, her shivering only growing worse.
"...You always were just a filthy Pearl..."
If she was going to find out about Lapis and the mirror, her next person to go to was Steven. Peridot opened the door to the house, looking around.
"Steven?" She called. No answer.
She hurried up the steps to his room. He wasn't there. She looked into the kitchen and groaned. Where was he?! Now wasn't the good time for him to be gone! She went back outside and demanded to know where Steven was.
"He's out with Connie!" Amethyst said and got up. "Want me to go with you?"
Peridot agreed, ignoring Garnet and Pearl. The two ventured out to Beach City, Amethyst trying to talk to Peridot the whole way. Peridot's only goal was to find Steven to find out the truth. She snapped at Amethyst for Garnet and Pearl hiding something, something she knew would have been vital. Amethyst went quiet after that. The first place they went to was The Donut Shop, which she demanded to Sadie at where the two were.
"Oh... Steven and Connie did buy donuts here. They said they would be at the amusement park!" She answered. Peridot went there next, Amethyst lagging behind, surprised by this new determination. Peridot ignored the screams of the humans, the screeching of the amusement park rides and the shouts of Amethyst telling her to wait up. She squirmed past the crowds of people, her eyes scanning for the familiar pink shirt and puffed up hair. Finally, she saw them.
Connie laughed with Steven as they exited off a ride, Lion sluggishly getting up. Peridot ran up to them, stopped, and yelled. "STEVEN!"
Steven blinked in surprise at Peridot's yell but he smiled wide nonetheless. "Oh! Hey Peridot! You here to hang out with us?"
Peridot ignored his friendly greeting. "What did Lapis tell you about the mirror?!"
"W-What?"
"What did. Lapis tell you. About the mirror."
Steven made a frown. "Peridot...?"
"Garnet and Pearl won't tell me anything! Their hiding something and I don't know what it is!" Peridot's anger only grew. "What happened to Lapis and the mirror?! Who trapped her?! Why won't they tell me anything?!"
Steven held a hand up. "Okay. Okay... I'll tell you once we're out of the park." He glances at Connie. "You don't mind, do you?"
Connie shook her head. "Fine by me? I could use some rest after all the rides we went on!"
Lion also agreed, opening his mouth and letting out a huge yawn. The group left the park, Steven and Connie laughing as they exited. The two had a great time but internally, Steven was worried about Peridot. His worriedness for her only grew when she found them back there. She was ahead of the group, her arms jutted downwards at her sides. She didn't stop or look back at them and didn't even start talking. She was silent, a fierce bitterness in her eyes. They moved back towards the temple. It was night, the pale moon hovering above Beach City. They made it to the beach, in which Peridot stopped finally and turned. She sat.
"Alright. Tell me." She said, her voice monotoned.
Steven, Amethyst, and Connie sat, forming a row, with Lion simply laying down.
"Well... She brought me to a remote place..." Steven began. "She began to act funny and..." He got the better of himself. "Peridot, what happened?"
Peridot glared away. "Just... Tell me."
Steven frowned but then took a deep breath. He began his explanation, explaining that Lapis was caught in the war, was poofed (by what gem, he didn't know) and was trapped in the familiar mirror and brought back for questioning. The gems thought she was a rebel and they questioned her non-stop. He mentioned of the bright light and how many years later, she was found. Peridot listened intently, taking note of the war and the bright light. So.. Lapis was caught in the great gem war? She was caught in the bright light that wiped out all gem life? No wonder she hated the gems and Homeworld... She let out a sigh.
"I'm sorry..." She said and pulled her knees up. "I'm sorry for yelling at you..."
"It's okay Peridot... It's just..." He sighed. "Pearl and Garnet... Don't tell me much either."
Connie rested a hand on Steven's shoulder. "They will someday...? Maybe... You're too young?"
He shrugged. "I don't know..."
Peridot glanced at him. "Because your Rose Quartz...?"
He only nodded. "Yeah. Both of those."
Peridot then looked up at the sky. Stars twinkled down at her and she stared past them, noticing the constellation of Homeworld. She realized this night... That maybe... Lapis wasn't going to come back.