True to her word, ten minutes later Peridot stood in the front doorway, with Sour Cream waiting for her by his car, a clunky old Boltswagon Moth painted a baby blue color.

"Woah," he said, in awe of her change in appearance. She ditched her green hoodie and leggings for a black tank-top and jean shorts, with green striped thigh-highs underneaths. Her normally messy triangular hair was puffed out and pulled back into a bun, and she had on dark green fingerless gloves and white high-tops. She had used makeup too, but only sparingly. The usual purple bagginess around her eyes was whitened out with concealer and her top lashes were a thicker black than normal thanks to mascara. The only thing the same about her was her glasses, which she couldn't see without.

"Damn, Peridot, you clean up good! I didn't even know you owned those kind of clothes."

Peridot grinned. "You like it? I didn't know about the gloves, but I just thought 'what the hell'."

Sour Cream nodded. "Good choice. But where did you get them?"

Peridot blushed for the millionth time that day. "I, uh, used to do cosplay when I was younger, and I didn't really grow much since then."

"Well, I'm liking the bad girl look on you. Hop in." He punctuated that last part with another twirl of his keys, and Peridot slid into the passenger seat. Clicking in her seat belt, Sour Cream revved the engine once and backed out of the drive carefully, and soon they were on their way. Peridot began to realize exactly how much she was missing when she saw all the things that had changed about Beach City. New houses had been build, sidewalks re-cemented, roadsides changed, mostly little things. But the one big thing was the housing project she could see in the distance. "Little Homestead", it was called, Beach City's very first suburban district, with over seventy planned ranch-style homes that stood to triple the city's population. Peridot had heard about it when she was in high school, but to see it being completed was something else.

"Hey, um… sis?" Sour Cream asked. "What exactly did you guys talk about? You definitely seem a lot… happier than normal."

"Oh, nothing," Peridot said, her gaze fixed out the window. "Just gay stu- girl stuff. Girl stuff, I meant." But she decided it was stupid to hide it and added, "And I'm gay."

"Nice. Good for you. Oh hey, we're here."

They pulled into the large parking lot of the Starlight Roller Rink, a space-themed establishment. It was packed, but Sour Cream drove around to the back, where there was a much smaller employee parking lot.

"I remember this place. It used to be a lot smaller though."

"Yeah," he said, turning off the car. "They did a refurbishment a few years ago, and it's way nicer. It's even got an arcade now."

"It had an arcade back then too," Peridot pointed out.

"Three gumball machines and a PAC-MAN game doesn't count as an arcade, Peri."

"Touché."

Inside, Peridot almost felt at home with the dim lights and the flashing screens and techno music. A crowd of people raced around the wooden-floored rink, all laughing and talking and having a good time. Sour Cream walked off towards the door to the DJ booth, and gave Peridot a thumbs up as he walked off. It had been years since she skated, but Peridot made a beeline for the shoe counter like she was pre-programmed to; a memory pulled her, a recollection of a time before.

"One pair, please," She found herself saying to the clerk. "Size five."

She sighted a bench to sit on and put on her skates, realizing it had been literal years since she had to tie a lace, having Velcro shoes. 'Up and over… pull it through… bunny ears…'

Before she stood up to join the masses, Peridot couldnt help but to stop and think. 'Am I… really doing this? Me?' It was a line of thinking that kept her in the basement for half a decade, and she had no rebuttal to it. But then a new voice chimed, 'Lapis could be here.'

Peridot shot up off her ass and nearly fell over. "Okay," She muttered to herself. "The basics. Push forward… and… AH!" She was bumped by a trio of skaters passing by and it caused her to lose balance and fall onto her back.

"Oh hey," said a familiar voice. "Sorry dude." The offending skater turned around and offered a hand to help her up.

"It's okay, it's…" Peridot got a good look at the skater's face. "…Amethyst?"

It was her. A little older, a little different, but it was Amethyst. She was about as tall as Peridot (not very) and still a bit plump, but she had filled out incredibly over the years and never looked better. Her hair was still long and flowing, though now a silver color instead of her natural black. Her dark skin had lightened, now a creamy brown not unlike Lapis, and she had a purple stud in each eyebrow.

"Do I know... wait.." She pulled her up. "P-Peridot?"

Peridot had barely enough time to squeeze out a single syllable before she was grappled into a bone-shattering hug by her former best friend. Her lungs were being squished into her throat and she began to see stars. After an eternity, Amethyst let her go. Apparently, it was a day for tears because moisture had formed at the corners of her eyes. Then suddenly she was frowning and punched Peridot in the shoulder, not-so-playfully.

"Ow! What-" And then they were hugging again.

"Where the fuck have you been man? Nobody's seen you, you drop off the face of the goddamn earth," she said angrily through the hug, but then pulled away again to face Peridot, "but you have no idea how good it is to see you, holy shit."

"It's good to see you too, Amethyst. Really good." Peridot said. Amethyst wiped her eyes and laughed, turning away.

"Guys, this is the chick I was telling you about!" Amethyst said to her two other friends. "Peridot motherfucking Olivine!"

The one on the left, a thin, very skinny man with a goatee and trimmed brown hair, held out a hand that Peridot shook. "Nathan DeBrillo."

The other on the right, a stocky woman with pitch black hair and blood-red eyes followed suit. "Komina Darkness." Peridot nervously took her hand as well, slightly uneasy about the large black pointed nails it had.

"So uhm," she said to Amethyst. "What have you been up to?"

"Well actually, I…" Amethyst stopped. "You know what? No. We're gonna do this right." She turned around. "Nathan, Darkness, take five. I have business to attend to." Apparently this was a sign they understood, because without question they turned and skated away, and rather quickly. Peridot was about to ask an obvious question, but Amethyst grabbed her by the arms and looked her dead in the eye. "I'm sorry if you came to skate, but that's not happening anymore. We have shit to do." She grabbed Peridot and pulled her to the exit.

"Hey, you're not allowed to take those skates outdoors!" The man at the counter said to them. Amethyst rounded on him with terrifying speed and rage.

"Chester, this is NOT the fucking time. Don't make me clusterfuck you again." She pointed directly at him, at his heart.

Peridot thought she actually saw him physically shrink when she said this. But then he replied, "Please Amethyst, I can't lose my job!"

"Jesus Christ! Peridot, skates off." She complied. When they were both skateless, the ordeal continued.

"What's a clusterfuck?" She asked as they passed through the exit.

"You don't want to find out." They were out on the pavement, and Amethyst spotted a bench, which she dragged Peridot to. "Wait here, I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere. And undo your hair!" And then she sped back inside at relativistic speed, leaving a very confused Peridot alone on a cold metal bench.

MEANWHILE…

"Amethyst! Where are you taking me? OW! Be gentle with my wrist!"

"P, you're my best friend and I love you, but you need to just deal with it and trust me. Yo! You two! Let's go, come on!"

"Um… Amethyst? What are you…"

"UGH! No time to explain! Let's GO! It's A1-fucking-zero hour!"

"Oh shit… Connie, we have to go. It's never good when she says that."

"Well, right, okay."

"Hey! Amethyst, I already told you, you can't take the skates outside!"

"Uggghhh… FINE! Guys, take 'em off!"

Peridot squirmed nervously in her seat. She remembered when Amethyst was like this, it was usually the prelude to something potentially dangerous and/or illegal. She imagined the day ending with the roller rink on fire, and Amethyst running around high on adrenaline, being chased by the fucking police. Knowing her, it was entirely possible. As images of destruction and mayhem filled her mind, she took off the elastic that kept her hair in its bob and let it melt back into its native triangle shape.

The door to the rink burst open, Amethyst first, with three other people in tow. Peridot was startled and stood up quickly They were tall and blonde, short and curly haired, and skinny and dark-skinned, and all familiar and in their socks. They were all pelting questions at Amethyst, the tall blonde being the loudest.

"Amethyst, I was having a perfectly good conversation with- what are we doing outside?" Amethyst answered her, and all of them, by making a 'here it is' gesture with an open palm at a previously unseen Peridot, who waved awkwardly. There was a full ten seconds of utter shock where nobody made a sound nor movement. Peridot suddenly recognized each one of them at the same time. 'Pearl! Steven! And Connie? Oh my God, the time goes by!' Time was frozen for them all in a single instant of incredulity.

And then they all barrelled into the tiny blonde.

"Peridot! Oh stars, it's really you!"

"You're back! I can't believe you're back!"

"Where the hell were you?"

Peridot was never one for this much physical contact…

"It's been so long, I missed you!"

"Peridot! OH MY GOD PERIDOT!"

"Steven! She can't breathe! Let her go!"

…but right now, she could die happy.