Time passed, Steven confronted the others about Pink diamond, and her shattering at Rose's hand. Amethyst for her part was equally devastated by the revelation, though she was quicker to accept the explanation that "Some times in a war you don't have any good options, so you just choose the best you have." Than Steven was. While he did acknowledge their point after a while it still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Trips out to the barn became just another part of the daily routine once the new warp was installed. Steven went almost everyday, accompanied by at least one of the other gems to receive updates on the drill. In the early days they would help sort through the junk that had been accumulated over the years. She made no secret of her confusion about Garnet's choice to remain fused, or her outright astonishment that Rose as their leader would dane to get her hands dirty.

". . .I mean doesn't she have a Pearl to do that kind of thing for her?" Peridot asked one day while watching Rose haul a tractor engine outside. Everything fell silent and Steven could feel heat rushing into his cheeks. Peridot oblivious looked between Garnet, Amethyst and Lapis incredulously. "What?" Garnet looked like she would answer but Steven stepped forward and with a motion of his hand and a slight expression of will commanded Peridot's limb enhancers to bring her to his eye level.

"That's not how it works in the crystal gems, we have leaders but no one is better than another, and no one owns anyone." He tapped at the gem in his forehead. "My mom was a pearl, and she was just as important to this team as Garnet, Amethyst, or even Rose." As he said that she paled and turned her gaze to where Rose stood silently. Rose nodded in agreement and her eyes bugged out, as they moved back to face Steven. "You could be the same. . .all you'd have to do is ask." Peridot's eyes goggled further and Amethyst stifled a chuckle at the expression.

"The same? That doesn't make any sense, some are clearly meant to be superior to others." Steven shook his head.

"We don't see it that way." Garnet chimed in. "If we still thought like that, Ruby and Sapphire would have never come together, they would have just continued on, never knowing how happy they could have been. Amethyst wouldn't have had a life of her own, she would have been discarded as defective, but now she's not just the warrior she was meant to be, she's a protector, and a teacher." Amethyst colored deeply at the praise and Steven let a smile slip onto his face. "Rose was just another soldier until she decided she wanted something more. There were so many of us during the war, gems who decided they didn't just want to be parts of a machine. Gems built for war became artists, frivolous gems became hardened warriors, I wasn't the only fusion who chose to live that way." Another silence dragged for long moments.

"When the war ended we thought we would build a new home for ourselves with the humans, where we could all choose what we wanted, but the diamonds. . ." Steven shot her a harsh look and corrected.

"The remaining diamonds." Rose cringed at the words but nodded sadly.

"The remaining diamonds lashed out , I was only able to save Garnet and Pearl, and now even Pearl is gone." Some of the anger drained out of Steven at the mention of his mother. "We hold to the ideals they're still suffering for, that no one gem is greater than any other."

Steven released her limb enhancers and Peridot righted herself, her expression inscrutable, offering only a thoughtful

"Huh" As she cast her gaze around at all of them, before settling on Rose once again. "But you're still the one giving the orders?" Steven sensed something more than seemed obvious in that question but he couldn't quite place what. Rose nodded.

"I'm the leader because I have the most experience leading, just like you have the most experience with the cluster so we defer to you on making this drill." Another look of abject shock swept up Peridot's expression.

"You. . .differ, you differ to me?" Rose gave a rueful grin and nodded again.

"Yes on the subject of the cluster and how to keep it from destroying this world, I and all of us defer to you." She punctuated the point with a laugh and a mocking curtsy. A curtsy which set Peridot to hyperventilating and going practically teal in the face. The tension broken the rest of them burst into laughter. It wasn't long before hyperventilating turned into a wheezing laugh from peridot as well, using her limb enhancer fingers to wipe tears from under her visor.

"I think you're all insane." She commented looking over at each of them as they got themselves under control. "But I guess I am too." Amethyst rose from where she'd fallen on the ground to clap the green gem on the back.

"That's the spirit Peri." Another round of more subdued laughter rolled through the other gems and a more gentle blush seeped into Peridot's cheeks. Smiling, Steven looked out onto the horizon and noted.

"Sun's going down, guess we should call it a day. Why don't you ditch those limb ehancers and come watch the sunset with us?" He offered looking back at the still flushed gem.

"What? Why would I ever want to remove my limb enhancers ever again." Steven shrugged looking at them.

"They're not. . .you, why do you have them anyway?" He surprised himself in asking, and even more so that he had never thought to ask it before. Peridot looked from side to side warily, crossing her arms over her chest. Lapis stepped in then, and rested a hand on her shoulder; The two of them having grown closer over the last few weeks.

"It's okay." Peridot nodded and sighed as she stepped from the leg attachments and piled the arms next to them a moment later.

"Resources aren't what they used to be on homeworld, and Era two peridots simply can't be produced with the same capabilities as the old Era 1s could, so we've all been augmented with limb enhancers to make us suitable." The shame clearly written on her face. Amethyst's arms closed around her first, then Lapis' Steven stepped towards her as the two gems held close.

"We don't think there's anything wrong with you Peridot, we like you just like this." He reached out, taking her smaller hands in his own. "You don't need any augmentation for us." Tears welled up in peridot's eyes as Rose and Garnet exchanged a proud look.

"Like I said, insane." Then they all made their way to the nearby hill and sat to watch the sun go down in contented silence.