Year 2: When It Rains
Garnet: *angrily knocking on the bathroom door* Open the door, Peridot! If this Cluster is putting us in danger, you need to tell us what it is so we can stop it.
Peridot: NO! I hate you. I'm not telling you anything about the Cluster.
Amethyst: *leans on Pearl's back* Oh, come on! Is it like a big...hunk of...granola?
Peridot: What's... granola?
Me: I think it's a little more complicated than that, Amethyst.
Pearl: Now Peridot, I'm sure we can reach some sort of agreement. Perhaps a trade is in order?
Peridot: Oh, sure, why don't you just give me back my leg enhancements and my arm attachments with my screen and my log and all my information?! Oh wait, YOU DESTROYED THEM! So no, I DON'T THINK WE CAN REACH SOME SORT OF AGREEMENT! Unless you are willing to give back one of my attatchments your Marble is hanging on to.
Me: Not on your life, Dot! I just got the hang of this thing! *Shoots a laser from the hand*
Pearl: What did I tell you about handling that thing in the house!? (Flushing is heard.)
Steven: Okay Peridot, you can turn around now. (Steven comes out of the bathroom and clears his throat) Sorry for interrupting your interrogation.
Garnet: Don't worry about it, Steven.
Me: We weren't making any progress anyway.
Pearl: I swear, Peridot is gonna crack any second now!
Peridot: I'll never crack for the likes of you, you... CRYSTAL CLODS! *laughs*
Pearl: *growls* I'VE GOT YOUR CLODS RIGHT HERE, YOU LITTLE-
Garnet: Hold on Pearl. If she's not going to be of any help, let's investigate this thing on our own.
Steven: I'll come with you!
Garnet: Sorry Steven, we're gonna need you to stay here and keep an eye on our... *adjusts her visor* guest.
Steven: Really?!
Me: I might as well stay with 'em too. In case our guest does anything funny.
Pearl: I doubt that she will try anything, she's harmless without her limb enhancers.
Peridot: *muffled* I'M NOT HARMLESS!
Pearl: Oh, hush up!
Garnet: Oh! Steven, there's one more thing I have to mention.
Steven: What is it?
Garnet: *forms a heart shape near her chest with her hands* I love you. Bye!
Amethyst: See ya later! (Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl depart through the warp pad.)
Steven: *blushes and waves* Hmm~
Later that evening, rain began to fall on the temple. I was simply relaxing on the couch while Steven was making soup. Once thunder roared, it was only a matter of time before our little episode began.
(Thunder strikes. Peridot kicks the bathroom door open and runs out, accidentally hitting a wall.)
Peridot: It's happening!
Steven: What?!
Peridot: (runs to Steven) THE CLUSTER!
Steven: Really?!
Peridot: What else could be making that horrible- *thunder* AHHHHH! It's pounding on the Earth from the inside! This is it, this is THE END OF THE WORLD! *cries and whimpers*
Me: *giggles* Oh, you are a silly little Dot. Yes you are!
Steven: Oh, that's just thunder!
Peridot: What?
Steven: Yeah, everything is fine, it's just thunder. It happens when it rains.
Peridot: Uh... huh?
Steven: You don't know about rain?
Peridot: ... I don't know anything without my screen.
Me: You don't go out much, do you?
Steven: I-It's okay. Here, pretend this soup is the ocean. When the sun warms it up, water evaporates into clouds, like this steam. *opens the cooking pot, releasing steam from inside* But when the clouds get really heavy, it rains.
Peridot: So, scalding liquid pours down from the sky?
Steven: No, no i-it's just water, it can't hurt you. Here, *turns off stove* why don't I just show you?
Me: You go on ahead. I tend not to do anything during a rainy day. (Steven runs outside and into the rain.)
Steven: Woo-hoo!
Peridot: *Watches Steven from the doorway* Steven, wait! Umm uhhmmm?..
Steven: COME ON! *laughs* Look, I'm okay, it's just water! This is just something that happens on Earth! Isn't it cool?! *laughs and falls into mud* WOOOAAAHHH! BWAH! *stands up, still laughing* YEAH! WHOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOO! (Peridot reaches her hand out into rain, but pulls back when hit by a rain drop)
Steven: YEAH YOU DID IT! What do you think? Isn't it cool? *laughs*
Peridot: Cool... (Soon, the two were back inside, Steven was drying off)
Steven: That was fun. Huh?
Peridot: It was... something. Hmmm, ehhh... hmmm. Steven?
Steven: Hm?
Peridot: I'm going to say something. *takes a deep breath* Thank you.
Steven: Uhh, what for?
Peridot: For explaining this "rain" business to me. *Smiles*
Steven: Oh, no problem. *giggles*
Peridot: Yes, you're a much more intelligent creature than I initially thought.
Steven: Um, that's... good?
Peridot: Yes, much more useful than those... clods. STEVEN! I've made up my mind.
Steven: About what exactly?
Peridot: I've decided to share some... information with you!
Steven: Aww, I know you use my tooth brush.
Peridot: N-no. Well yes, but it's about the Cluster. *I zipped in*
Me: I'm listening. *Peridot flinches when she sees me behind her*
Peridot: Dah! Um, Steven. Can we talk somewhere more private?
Steven: Don't worry, Peri. You can trust her.
Peridot: Are you sure?... *She looks up to me and sees that I have a crazed look on my face*
Steven: Peridot, you have to tell the rest of the Crystal Gems, they need to know this.
Peridot: No! I don't want to talk to them! You're the only ones I need! I can show you now, but I have nothing! (her eyes form a sad expression slowly) My arm attachments, my fingers, my screen, my log, it's all gone!
Steven: But Marble has your arm attatchment! Maybe she can give us your log.
Me: What log?
Peridot: The one for the Cluster!
Me: Oh, that log. Yeah, I had to make some room for my apps while I was fixing this thing, so I deleted it.
Peridot: Arrgh! No problem, all of my logs up to dat still exist, backed up in Facet Five of the prime Kindergarten!
Steven: You want us to take you to the Kindergarten? I don't know, uh...
Peridot: Steven, don't you want to know about the Cluster?
Steven: Hmm...
Steven: You want us to take you to the Kindergarten? I don't know, uh...
Peridot: Steven, don't you want to know about the Cluster?
Steven: Hmm... Okay. We can go to the Kindergarten.
Peridot: Ahh, Y-Y-Y-YES!
Steven: Bu-u-t-
Peridot: No... a catch. Fine! What are your demands?
Steven: You're gonna to have to hold my hand the whole time. *Steven giggles*
(Steven, Peridot, and I warp to the kindergarten)
Steven: Welp, here we are.
Peridot: Okay, great! Let's go. (Steven and Peridot fall off the edge of the platform and scream.)
Steven: This place just gets worse every time I come here.
Me: *I fell off the edge as well* That makes two of us...
Peridot: I know. It's been so poorly managed. It must have been in way better shape when you first emerged.
Steven: Emerged?
Peridot: Yeah, you're some kind of quartz, right? *The two stop walking* You must have been made here.
Steven: Uh... I came from my mom and dad.
Peridot: Are those some kind of rocks? Or another planet?
Steven: *chuckles* Nope. My dad is from Earth, but my mom's a Gem. *Shows Peridot his Gem*
Peridot: You're some sort of... hybrid? How is that possible?
Steven: The answer to that is a story I like to call, "The Ballad of Rose and Greg".
Peridot: I don't care. Let's just hurry to the control room. *The three of us start walking again*
Steven: You sure this is safe? The last time we were here, there were a bunch of fusion monsters.
Me: Don't remind me...*shudders*
Peridot: Yes, I was checking their progress.
Steven: What's the deal with those things?
[At the Prime Kindergarten Control Room]
Peridot: When it became clear that the Earth was no longer a viable colony, Homeworld decided to use it for something else—a series of experiments. A gem geo-weapon.
Me: A weapon, huh?
Steven: Oh, did you help?
Peridot: Negative. I wasn't lucky enough to be around for that. *points to herself* But I read over a few hundred years of reports. *chuckles*
Steven: This is where you need to be, right?
Peridot: Yes. I'm going to have to remove this panel and do a bit of work to restore power to this room, so... can I have my hand back now?
Steven: Okay, but stay where we can see you. (The panel beeps, Peridot grunts and strains but cannot lift it.)
Peridot: It's over... I can't show you anything. Let's go back.
Steven: Mind if I try?
Peridot: Go ahead, knock yourself out. *looks away, and Steven pulls away the panel with ease.) Whoa!
Steven: There you go!
Peridot: Alright. (She begins rummaging around in the controls behind the panel.) This over here... (The Control Room regains power.) It's not perfect, but it'll do for now. (Steven drops the panel and Peridot groans as she can't reach the gem pedestal.) Come on!
Steven: What's up, 'dot?
Peridot: I can't quite reach the- (Steven picks up Peridot and puts her on his shoulders.)
Steven: It's okay to ask for help, you know.
Peridot: I had it. (Peridot presses a button and the height of the structure reduces. She then clears her throat, places her hand on the structure in the center. The structure begins to glow and a plethora of Gem Shards are shown on the room's screens.) These are the early attempts at artificial fusion.
Me: Artificial fusion? So that's what you call those abominations.
Steven: *looks around* That's a lot of Gem Shards...
Peridot: We were growing them here at this very site, but these were just prototypes for the final product.
(The screen projects a globe, a marker displayed around the east coast of North America.)
Peridot: A singular, giant, artificial fusion, comprised of millions of Gem Shards. The Cluster.
Me: Millions? As in millions of shards are under the earth right now?
Peridot: *closes eyes and raises hand in rejection* Oh, no, when it forms, it'll be much, much bigger than the Earth. Right now, it lies dormant, incubating in the Earth's core, but when it emerges and takes its physical form, it will destroy the planet. (The Earth is shown to grow large and pop, the Cluster forming its physical form. Steven stares at it with great concern.) The prototypes are already emerging. The Cluster is next. If we can't get off this planet, we've got to stop the Cluster. *clenches fist and Steven starts sweating*
Steven: What is it?
Peridot: *grabs Steven's shoulders and grins* It's you, Steven! (Steven, Peridot and I go out of the control room to the Kindergarten.) Now that you're both filled in, we can get to work!
Steven: Uhh, how are we supposed to help?
Peridot: Well, you have all the information that we need about Earth and it's erratic behavior. Put that together with my expansive knowledge of the cluster and we just might be able to stop it!
Steven: No Peridot, I don't think you get it! Just because I know how clouds work doesn't mean I know how to stop a giant mutant in the center of the earth! Besides, the only reason that I know anything about clouds and rain is because my dad told me.
Peridot: What are you talking about?
Steven: I used to be really scared of thunderstorms, just like you. Then Dad explained how rain and all that stuff works, then I wasn't scared of rain anymore.
Peridot: Well I'm sure you have other knowledge about how this planet works.
Steven: If we want to stop this Cluster thing, we'll need help from the Crystal Gems.
Peridot: I said I don't need them! Let's just warp me back to the bathroom or whatever you call it and we'll take care of this. If it looks really bad, then we can just ask this "Dad" for help, right? (a screeching roar is heard) Yikes! What was that?
Steven: Oh no! Gem mutants!
Me: Oh god! *I summon my axe* Steven, protect Peridot! I'll try to hold them off! (Steven makes a bubble shield around himself and Peridot as the Gem mutants screech.) Stay back! I'm well armed!
Peridot: Do something!
Steven: I am doing something!
Peridot: Something useful!
Steven: Uh... Let's run!
Me: Way ahead of you! *I start running with the two*
Peridot: Over here!
Steven: No, the other way!
Peridot: No, not there!
All Three: AAAAAAHHHHHH!
Steven: Let's run into this corner! (they do, but...) Oh no!
Peridot: We're cornered!
All Three: AAAAAHH! *A Gem monster pounces on Steven's bubble*
Peridot: Marble! Why can't you fight them?!
Me: *A gem monster surrounds me* Uh, I have a certain uncomfortability around mutants...
Peridot: *To Steven* How about you? Can't you destroy it?
Steven: No, this is all I can do on my own! *Gem monster pushes down on the bubble*
Peridot: Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh... That's it, we are finished!
Garnet: *off-screen* Hang on, Steven!
Steven: It's the Gems!
Me: About time, too! (Pearl stabs the monsters as Amethyst smashes them and Garnet attacks the Gem mutant in front of Steven and Peridot.)
Steven: *determined* Peridot, there's no way we can stop this thing in the Earth on our own. We need the help of the Crystal Gems.
Pearl: *worried* Steven! Are you boys alright?
Peridot: Move aside, Steven. *Pushes Steven aside*
Amethyst: Peridot?
Pearl: What are you three doing here?
Garnet: Steven, I thought I told you to keep an eye on her.
Steven: I know, but-
Me: I tried to help, but the mutants, they were-
Peridot: *reluctant* They did what they were told. *Peridot gazes at Steven, then back at the Crystal Gems* Alright, listen up you clo- argh - Crystal Gems! I've made up my mind. I have something to tell you about the Cluster.
[END]