"Behold! My innovation!" A voice yelled and immediately shot forward in shock.
"Wah!" I screamed as I fell off the bed and landed on the floor. "Ouch!"
"Suha!" I heard Steven's voice. I opened my eyes and saw Steven standing there with a couple tears down his face.
"What's up Steven?" I asked, though I noticed my voice was a bit deeper.
"You have returned!" Another voice yelled and I looked over to see Peridot with a green ribbon on her head. She also strapped a tablet on a velcro band on her wrist.
"What do you mean returned?" I asked her.
"You've been gone for over a month!" Steven yelled.
"Wait, how did I get out of the Cluster?" I asked him.
"They just gave you to us." Peridot explained. "It was very interesting to watch. Also you might want to look in a mirror." Peridot clicked the camera icon on her tablet and took a few steps backed up. I stood up and noticed that I must've grown while I was asleep. I was about the same height as Pearl if I guessed looking at my height difference from Steven. Peridot seemed to have taken a photo because she walked back over and showed it to me. I almost feel back in surprise. I used to look around Connie's age to Jenny's. My hair reached below my waist and my locs had curled wonderfully. My skin had darkened and instead of being medium brown it had reached to a good mix between dark brown and deep purple. The gray undertone stayed but wasn't as obvious as before. My hair, eyelashes, eyes and eyebrow color had changed the most, they were a mixture of different colors but was mostly white.
"What-" I was at a loss for words.
"It seemed that the Cluster changed your physical appearance." Peridot explained circling around me. "It's rather impressive actually, considering those gems had the perfect opportunity to turn you into fragments and make you a part of the Cluster."
"Why didn't they?" I asked no one in particular.
"No one knows. Only the Cluster." Peridot said.
"I'm sure it's fine. Maybe that experience just made me want to change?" I said.
"You two ready to go or what? Oh Suha, you're awake." A voice said and I looked behind me and saw Amethyst sitting on the couch. Steven took a seat besides her and I took a seat by Steven while Peridot walked down the stairs.
"Go?" Peridot asked.
"Yeah. Amethyst and I were gonna go out, and we wanted you to come, too." Steven said.
""Hang out"? Oh, yeah." Peridot blushed green. "That's a friend thing to do. So, where are we hanging out, friends?"
"Suha you can come too, if you want." Amethyst said, her cheeks turning purple.
"Really?" I was surprised, last time I checked Amethyst and I wasn't even considered friends, there was still some awkwardness between us. I guess the whole saving the Earth a couple times has finally loosened her up. I could feel the heat raise and I smiled. "Sure!"
As we walked towards the Beach City amusement park, I realized that this was my first official time walking in the streets. I noticed a few glances our way but that was it. Peridot, Amethyst and Steven explained everything that I missed. Such as Steven being able to bubble the Cluster, Lapis and Peridot living in the barn together and tried to resolve their past conflicts, Lapis had a very traumatic experience being fused with Jasper so she wasn't in a good mental state (though she did ask how I was), five Ruby soldiers appeared trying to search for Jasper but the Gems were able to trick them into leaving Earth through baseball, Steven experienced his new ability floating in the air and how it was tied to his emotions, Sour Crean's biological father Marty came by and gave Greg money he owned him and Greg, Steven and Pearl went to Empire City (my face darkened at that) and Steven helped heal Pearl's and his father's relationship because of Rose Quartz.
"Seems like I missed a lot." I said as we reached Beach City Funland, an amusement park which featured roller coasters, an arcade, a midway, a teacup, a ferris wheel, a carousel and bumper cars.
"Ta-da! Welcome to Funland!" Steven cheered.
Peridot looked at the entrance sign. "You brought me to a sign!" Peridot said.
"Nah, nah." Amethyst said and everyone locked hands. "You gotta go inside!" They pulled us inside and showed us a roller coaster.
"Aha, a speed pattern transportation circuit." Peridot said happily.
"And a roller coaster." Steven said and he and Amethyst smiled happily.
"You've got to do the most fun thing in Funland first." Amethyst said putting her hand on her hip, smirking.
"Hmm.." Peridot said, putting her hand on her chin. "Bold. Let's follow this logic!" The four of us ran to the Appalachian ride where a man stood as the operator. I realized this must be Mr. Smiley, the description that Steven told me fit perfectly. He was a tall bald man with medium brown skin and a mustache that framed his large and bright smile. We wore a collared gray-blue shirt with a geometric print of periwinkle circles and sulfur yellow triangles tucked into black or olive green mid-thigh length shorts, light brown boots, and a fanny pack.
He stood beside a height chart. "Four, please!" Steven cheered running forward.
"Sure. We got some new rules, first." He pointed to the chart. "Though you're fine." He said to me and I nodded back. The trio measured their heights, Steven was about half a foot too short and Amethyst was a couple inches too short. Peridot walked over happily as the pair grunted in disappointment. She had a wide smile on her face as she was tall enough to surprise the height limit. Mr. Smiley narrowed his eyes and flattened Peridot's hair to see her real height. Peridot throws her hands up in anger and moves her arms up and down in a tantrum.
"Ha-ha! Sorry, guys. Looks like this squad has some growing to do before you can ride." Mr. Smiley says and Peridot stops her tantrum.
"I do not have to grow. This height is indicative of my rarity and importance. I demand entry, you CLOD!" Mr. Smiley's eyes and smile narrow at Peridot's outburst. He clears his throat.
"You kids want another lifetime ban?" He asks easily.
"No thanks, Mr. Smiley. " Steven says and hurries Peridot away.
"Shorty Squad out." Amethyst said and the two of us went to join the duo. " Well, that stinks." She looked over at me. "Why are you still here? You're tall enough to ride."
"It's not that fun alone." I said. "Trust me, I've done it before." I couldn't help but think about the school field trips where it was just me, by myself, all alone. "I was really looking forward to going on the ride with you guys."
Amethyst smacks her head. "Ah, of course. Let's just grow!" She grows to about my height. She was wearing a black and white baseball cap, backwards, dark purple ripped jeans and a white shirt that was tied at the bottom with the sleeves rolled up.
Steven gasped. "Shape-shifting!" He said and grew his legs a little shorter so that his height reached a few inches shorter than my height. Steven and Amethyst look down at Peridot. Peridot tries tos shapeshift herself but is left sweating, grunting and straining.
"Uh, Peridot?" Steven asked. Peridot stops and opens her left eye and looks at Steven, embarrassed.
"Uh, I... I must be a little rusty. Why don't you three just go?" She said softly.
"Aw, what?" Steven whines, disappointed.
"What?" Peridot asked angrily, and we looked at her.
"You sure?" Amethyst asked.
"Sure I'm sure. I can just look up what a roller coaster feels like. Just hurry up and go so you can hurry up and come back." She said quickly, fanning her arms at Amethyst.
"Oh, okay." Amethyst and Steven walk away but I take a seat on the ground.
"What are you still doing here?" Peridot asked, her eyes narrowed.
"It's not fun to stand alone." I say. "Don't mind me." A few minutes pass and Amethyst and Steven return to us, in their normal forms. They led us to the House of Mirrors, where Amethyst and Steven shapeshifted so they looked normal.
"Why don't you try Suha?" Steven asked and I looked at him uncomfortably.
"No thanks." I say softly. "Not into it."
"Oh, okay." Steven says and gets back to shapeshifting. Amethyst and Steven lead us to a different area. I look down at Peridot to see her typing. "Am I having fun?" into a search engine, where the definition of "fun" pops up and she sighs in disappointment. We walked by a ring toss game booth that had a lot of green alien plush toys. Peridot stops in front of it and explains that she wants the toy. Steven rings the bell and Mr. Smiley runs over panting.
"Hey there, Steven." Mr. Smiley says happily, though there was a hint of stress in his voice.
"Mr. Smiley, you're working the ring toss, too?" Steven asked, giving the man a couple of tickets.
"Yeah. You can say we're a little "understaffed"." Mr. Smiley says and pulls out three rows of rings.
"Ha! I get it." Steven says happily.
"I'm glad you see the humor in it, Steven, because I haven't seen a bed in six days!" Mr. Smiley says and Steven laughs nervously. Peridot tosses the ring and hits the back of the wall. She throws her arms up joyfully thinking she's won. Steven and Amethyst explain that's not how it works. The trio tries to throw the rings but they miss every bottle. It was actually impressive how they couldn't get a single one. Amethyst distracts Me. Smiley by telling him that some kid named "Onion" was trying to set the roller coaster on fire. Mr. Smiley runs over and Amethyst shapeshifts her arm so that the ring lands on a bottle. Mr. Smiley comes back and Peridot gets a tiny alien on her index finger.
"It's a little sister." Mr. Smiley says laughing and Peridot walks over with a look of disappointment on her face.
"Um, excuse me, but you're wrong. I'm supposed to win that one." Peridot says, pointing to the large alien plush. Mr. Smiley explains that the big plush equals ten rings. Amethyst, Steven and I go to get some food and we take a seat on a bench. Peridot explains that she's unable to shapeshift and Steven and Amethyst try to help her shapeshift.
They extended their tongues to lick their elbows. Fail. Then, Amethyst shapeshifted into a cat, Peridot can only curl her hands like a cat. Steven shapeshifted one of his fingers into a cat head, it terrified him, and he dunked it into the sea making it disappear. Amethyst shapeshifted into a ball and threw herself at Steven. Steven extended his arms to catch Amethyst and bounced her towards Peridot. Peridot was unable to catch Amethyst and took a direct hit in the face, leaving her laying face-down on the sand and moaning in pain. Amethyst shapeshifted back to normal and walked up to Peridot with Steven. They then start pulling on Peridot, she says now, until she demands that they drop her.
"This isn't going to work." Peridot said.
"Maybe if we keep trying…" Steven said positively.
"No." Peridot said, disappointment in her voice, she takes a seat on the sand. "My lack of skill is an objective fact. I'm an Era-2 Peridot. I am new. Resources are dwindling on Homeworld. They can't make Gems like they used to. That's why they give Era-2 Peridots technological enhancements because we... don't have powers." She hugs the tablet to her.
Amethyst walks over to Peridot, with an angry expression on her face. Per, I'mma be really real with you for a sec. This whole time we've been here, you've just been focusing on what you can't do. Of course you're not having any fun." Peridot focuses on her tablet. "You think that all you are is who you could be, but we don't hang out with you because of who you could be. We like you." She continues to ignore Amethyst and keeps typing on her tablet. " I know you just heard me. Stop playing with that thing. Ugh. Gimme that!" Amethyst takes the tablet away.
"Amethyst…" I warn.
"NO!" Peridot yells, tightening her grip on her.
"You don't need it!" Amethyst yelled back.
"You don't know that!" Peridot yelled back.
"Yes. I. do!" She snatches the tablet away.
"Wait! Wait-wait-wait-wai-w-w-w-wait!" Peridot yelled in a panic as Amethyst threw it into the ocean. Peridot stands up and holds her arms out. "NO! IT'S ALL THAT I AM!"
"Peridot!" Steven and I saw in shock, noticing the tablet floating in the sky. "Metal Powers!"
"... Dude." Amethyst said walking over.
"Do you know what this means? You can open really tight jars. You can remove staples without a staple remover. You can open doors without having to touch them after you wash your hands." Steven said in excitement as Peridot moved the tablet over towards her.
"No. I know exactly what I can do." Peridot said determined. She went over to the ring toss game booth and used her power to levitate and drop ten rings onto the bottles. Mr. Smiley gave her the big alien plus reward and she hugged happily.
"Congratulations, Peridot." I told her.
"Thanks." She said. "And thanks for being there, you know…"
"You're welcome." I said. "Let's come here again, just the two of us." The smile that she had on her face was confirmation enough.