A/N: Happy New Year! Sorry again for the delay! My Christmas was very hectic and I was very very busy. I hope you all had a wonderful winter holiday or vacation! You all deserve it! And I shall give you your holiday gift with another chapter! This chapter has a lot of...details... or explanations that I hope you understand and don't get lost in. It might be boring because of the lengthy explanations, but it's all essential to the story, haha.
Replies:
camdawg: Thank You! I do like the Homeworld Gems too! I feel like if the Steven Crewniverse explored each of their relationships more like Peridot, they'd be a lot of fun and entertaining (that's just me though, hahah). And I can't answer that right now. All I can say is... maaaaaybeeee. Aw, haha, well Pearl was a little pain in my ass in the first few episodes, but I've grown to like her, but I understand how you feels haha!
Queen-of-Earth: Shouldn't take that long my Queen! I hope I can satisfy you more! *bows*
FanficLovingPerson: Thank YOU! I love your username btw!
Desire4Chocolates: ! Thank you! :D
Lemon Fresh: :0 Wow! Thank you so much, that means a lot! I'm glad you like my writing and think it's different! *Wipes tears*
Victoria Black: ! Thank you! I'm glad! That's the reaction I was hoping for! haha!
WeAreTheCrystalGays: :D!
I'm out of names: Oh, sorry for the confusion. Yes, indigo can be depicted as a bluish purplish color, but not straight up blue or straight up purple haha. I didn't want to say 'blue' because I didn't want you guys to be confused with Sapphire's color on the Crystal Gate. And ... :D I'm sorry I can't answer all of those questions! Well not yet. My chapters will answer them I suppose! And.. I uh.. embarrassingly acted out and then drew out this fic and it's all based from that haha. Btw I love your morals haha.
StevenSquid: B-baka! I'll give you more chapters all the time! /w/
Disclaimer: Okay, Steven Universe does not belong to me, no matter how many times I asked Santa.
Enjoy!
CH5: Explanations
Jasper settled Steven onto a large steel table that was in the middle of Peridot's room. It was ice cold to the touch making Steven gasp at the cold contact. It was such a drastic temperature change from his scorching body heat.
Steven looked around in the large room in interest. The room resembled much like Amethyst's. There were large crystals around the walls and floor. There was even waterfalls cascading down the walls, like how Amethyst's room did. Although this room shared some qualities of Amethyst room, it had its differences. One being that the room was tidy. Not a spec of trash or dirt could be found on the floor. Instead of piles of junk and massive hoarding. There were electronic devices placed neatly in their respectable places. There was a giant screen in nearby where Steven was laying. It looked just like the one from the Kindergarten, the same one that Peridot used to communicate with Steven for the first time. Right below the screen was a panel, that resembled a large like computer keyboard where Peridot was currently standing.
Peridot pressed a key, and said, "Regroup all flask robonoids to this location." A few moments passed until finally the door to Peridot's room opened, and a dozen of tiny flask robonoids marched into the room. Steven watched in interest as the robonoids scramble towards her in an orderly fashion.
Peridot looked up at Steven, "Okay, we shall start your usual check up– augh! Jasper! Don't touch that!" Peridot shrieked.
The orange gem was fiddling a foreign object while Lapis watched her in keen interest. Jasper looked up at her, like a kid being caught doing something wrong by their parent. Jasper slowly put the item back down and crossed her arms, giving a bored look. Lapis faced Peridot giving a small sheepish smile and clasped her hands behind her back.
Peridot gasped and marched over to where both gems were standing. She shoved them both out of the way and inspected the object that Jasper was fiddling with. She thoroughly checked if there were any damages before placing it back down. She whipped her head around and looked at both Jasper and Lapis and frowned,"How many times do I have to tell you two, to not touch anything in here!" She hissed.
Jasper grunted before looking away and Lapis gave an apologetic smile, "Sorry, Peridot. We won't touch anything else."
Peridot narrowed her eyes at her comrades and stalked back towards Steven. Peridot sighed before looking back down at the half gem and asked, "Anyway...what seems to be your ailment, Steven?"
"Huh?" Steven asked.
Peridot sighed again, "I forgot about your lack of expansive diction..."
"She's asking what's wrong, Steven," Lapis clarified, walking towards them.
"O-oh...um..." Steven paused and looked at Peridot, "My whole body hurts... And I have a headache too..." He cringed.
Peridot frowned, "Seems like the common influenza virus that most humans succumb to."
Steven's eyes widened. What the heck was an influenza? It sounded like some type of rare and nasty disease! "What?" Steven whimpered.
"The influenza virus." Peridot repeated. Steven still looked very unsure at what Peridot was referring to.
"She's talking about the flu." Jasper said in a monotone voice. She joined the others and leaned on the sturdy table Steven was laying on, "If Peridot would speak like a person and not a robot, you'd be able to understand her more."
Peridot shot an annoyed glare at Jasper and walked over to the group of flask robonoids, "Robo-Two, conduct the standard computerized tomography scan on Steven Quartz Universe." She ordered. In a blink of an eye, one flask robonoid stepped forward from the group and began to crawl towards Steven. It jumped on the table and started to make a computerized noise. A soft glow of light projected from the robonoid and it swept slowly across Steven's body.
Steven just gulped and stayed still as the robonoid took its time scanning him. Peridot silently hovered over him, narrowing her eyes at the robonoid. Jasper stoically remained silent and Lapis looked warily at Steven. During the scan, a loud rumble erupted from Steven's stomach, catching all the gems off guard.
A small embarrassed blush dusted Steven's cheeks and he gave a small awkward chuckle, "I think I'm a little hungry..."
Jasper rolled her eyes and stared directly at Peridot, "I told you, feeding him only two times a day was nonsense." She accused.
Peridot's eyes narrowed, "I'm sorry I don't consume a plethora of food like you do. I assumed that Steven didn't eat like an obnoxious bovine like yourself."
Jasper narrowed her eyes back, "Who the hell you think you're calling a bovi–"
"Ok, that's enough." Lapis stepped in, lightly touching Jasper's shoulder. She turned to Steven and gave a small apologetic smile, "I think we just ran out of food yesterday, Steven. If you would like, Jasper and I can go to the store and pick you up something to eat."
Jasper eyes widened in shock, "Jasper is most certainly not going to the store!"
"What would you like, Steven?" Lapis asked, ignoring what Jasper said.
Steven looked around, thinking, "Um..can I have...a cheeseburger?" Steven asked.
"One cheeseburger for you, then," Lapis smiled, "We'll go grocery shopping to get all the ingredients while you and Peridot finish your check up–"
"What do you mean by 'we'? I am not going to that gem-forsaken market!" Jasper seethed. It was pretty obvious that Jasper hated going grocery shopping and Steven couldn't quite understand why? What was so terrible at the grocery store?
"Well, it's the least you can do for eating all of Steven's yogurt the other day," Peridot piped in, giving a smug glance at the larger Gem. Jasper glowered at Peridot. If looks could kill, Peridot would already be in her grave right now.
"That's right, Jasper. It'll only be for about an hour–" Lapis tried.
"Any amount of time in that place is not worth me entering." Jasper sternly said.
"Jasper..." Lapis sighed annoyed. She finally shrugged her shoulders and turned around, "Fine. Stay here with Steven and Peridot while I'll go and get the groceries. But don't complain if I buy the wrong flavored protein shake mix you love so much."
Jasper stiffened as Lapis began to exit the room. She was having an inward battle between staying put for the sake of her pride or go with Lapis for the sake of her precious protein shake mix.
"You better go, Jasper. What would you ever do without your beloved protein shake?" Peridot teased, snickering to herself. Somehow, Jasper glared even harder at Peridot, before turning on her heel and heading towards the exit. As she walked away, Jasper purposely went near the foreign item that she was fiddling with earlier and swatted it on the ground.
"Oops." Jasper said half-heartedly, earning a gasp from Peridot, and followed Lapis out the door.
Peridot scrambled to her item, picking it up and examined it for damages. She gently put it back where it belong before glaring at the door where Jasper just left out of.
"Um, Peridot?" Steven called, grabbing her attention.
"Yes?" She answered hotly.
"How long is this gonna take?" He asked, referring to the robonoid that was still scanning him.
Peridot walked over to the table that Steven was laying on and looked at the robonoid skeptically, "It doesn't usually take this long. But I assume it should be done any moment now." She said.
"Oh," Steven said. He wasn't sure what to say or do. Here he was with Peridot, a gem that he used to have so many questions for, but now was blank for any topic of conversation. He had no idea what they would possibly have in common, but Steven wasn't one for staying in silence, "Um...what's so special about a protein shake?" Steven asked.
Peridot looked at Steven and quirked a brow, "What?"
"I mean, Jasper must really like protein shakes, right?" Steven smiled.
Peridot gave an indifferent shrug, "Yes, she seems to have an urge to consume protein powder that condenses into a liquid."
"Why?"
Peridot rolled her eyes, "She has this obsession for staying 'fit', so she constantly invests her time in strenuous, physical, activities, which includes drinking that substance. She got that inane idea from you father several years before you were born."
Steven blinked. He understood what Peridot was saying, but it was very hard for him to follow her long and complexed words. It was like she was speaking straight out of a dictionary, "Um...what does inane mean?" He asked sheepishly.
"It means stupid or silly." She answered. She walked over to her large computer keyboard and pressed a button. Suddenly the large over head screen above flashed and had a list of words scrolling down the screen. Peridot stared intensely at the words and turned around back to the robonoid that was still scanning Steven, "Why is this taking so long?" She mumbled to herself.
"How long does it usually take?" Steven inquired.
"About twenty seconds, but this has been going on for a few minutes now." She said. She put her robotic fingers on her chin, in deep thought. She turned back around towards the keyboard and typed in a few keys before suddenly the screen flashed a in giant red letters saying:
[ ERROR DURING CT SCAN]
Peridot narrowed her eyes and scoffed, "What does it mean, error? I conduct this procedure at least once a month!"
Steven visibly cringed. If things weren't going so smoothly, he wondered what could actually be the problem. He didn't want anything else to go wrong today.
"Computer, diagnose the core error of the computerized tomography scan." Peridot demanded. The screen juggled between multiple data logs and long scripts of words. Peridot calmly and silently read the words on the screen with a trained eye, accessing and comprehending the words at an extremely rapid pace. Steven, too, was trying to read the screen but was unsuccessful. From where he was laying, the words' font size were way too small to read. Just as he was able to recognize the first letter of the sentence, Peridot let out a surprised gasp.
Steven jumped, "W-what's wrong?" He asked. Did she really finish reading the information that fast?
"I-I don't..." Peridot mumbled. She typed in a couple of keys and then another large file of data with the heading that said "ERROR REPORT" engulfed the screen.
"Peridot?" Steven called, not sure what the problem was.
Peridot ignored his call and read over the screen once more. She read and reread the information, and gritted her teeth. An agitated growl escaped Peridot's throat, "This is wrong! This is a mistake! This can't be right!" She swiftly went over to Steven and plucked a single strand of hair from his curly locks. Ignoring his soft 'ow', Peridot walked back over to the keyboard and typed in a few keys before a small square compartment opened from a panel nearby. It looked like a podium where teachers or professors would lecture from, but instead of standard wood or metal, that it would usually have been made out of, it was incased with light green crystals.
Without hesitation, Peridot walked over to the panel and dropped Steven's strand of hair into the middle of the square compartment. The panel encased the strand with a small glass box and softly glowed green from beneath.
Steven watched intensely as Peridot hotly walked back to the screen, grumbling in the process. The screen quickly switched to a progress bar that said "DNA SAMPLE SCANNING". Peridot just stood silently. Her back to Steven and tension heavy on her shoulders. Steven swallowed hard and stared at the back of Peridot's head. He was confused, and by the way Peridot's demeanor was shaping out to be, she was most likely in the same boat. Steven bit his bottom lip, thinking about what he should say...or what he should ask. Peridot knew more than him at the moment and he couldn't just stand idly by if there was something wrong with him.
"Peridot," Steven called again, but was only met with a sole robotic finger from Peridot, silently shushing him. Steven let out a disappointed frown. He's gotten that response one too many times from both Garnet and Pearl, and he knew it meant 'be quiet for a second'. So Steven remained quiet, waiting for Peridot and/or the screen above to elaborate on their current situation.
Suddenly the computer screen flickered again, this time to two images that were side by side together. It looked like two DNA strands. Steven saw the image before in some of his comic books but never really understood what they exactly were. All he knew was that it had to do with science and Peter Parker's DNA turned him into Spiderman with it. So the most logical explanation for the picture to be on the screen was that Steven was possibly turning into a superhero.
"What?" Peridot breathlessly said. Her back still faced Steven and her eyes glued to the screen.
"What's wrong?" Steven asked quietly.
Finally, Peridot slowly turned around, but her eyes never met his. They were looking everywhere else, distant and calculating, "Your DNA. It's not...It's..." She paused.
"Peridot?" Steven quietly called.
"It's ...different..." She muttered, her eyes narrowing at her feet.
"Different..." Steven repeated. His eyebrows pinched together and asked innocently, "And...that's bad?"
Peridot's eyes finally shot up to Steven. She let out an irritated hiss, "It's absolutely—one hundred percent—" Peridot's hands reached up to her hair and groaned, "There are no words to express it!"
Steven cringed at her elevated voice. Before he could ask again what was the issue, Peridot continued, "This is—I don't understand! Your DNA now differs from the one I've kept from you since your birth! It's impossible! It's—"
"It's bad?" Steven quietly piped.
Peridot looked at Steven in bewilderment, "YES. It's bad, Steven! It's unnatural! I have no idea what it means!" She snapped.
"Then why is it bad?"
Peridot took a deep breath and closed her eyes, silently regaining her composure. She opened her eyes again, her eyes filled with concerned, "Steven. Your DNA – every human's DNA– is different. It's your personal identification. It's what makes you, you." She paused. She looked off and began thinking, "But now, your DNA is different. It has a different code. And I don't know what it means."
Steven's eyes narrowed and he frowned, confused, "Does that mean...I'm a different person?" He asked.
Peridot looked at the floor and then folder her arms across her chest, "I don't know."
The two stood in a silence. A silence that filled the air with uncertainty and tension. Peridot stood quietly, obviously in mid thought, trying to figure out a solution or some sort of understanding. Steven looked at Peridot, waiting for an answer. Steven wasn't sure what the big deal was. He still felt like he was himself. He knew who he was. He knew where he came from. He remembered his friends and family and how they shaped him to a loving and kind person that he knew he was. Even if where he was now was a complete illusion or quite possibly his reality, Steven still hung on to who he was and what he knew. Steven shook his head. He knew that his life wasn't fabricated. He knew Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst. He knew they were his family and that they were real. If it weren't for him touching the Versal Stone, he would still be with...
"Wait!" Steven gasped, quickly gaining Peridot's attention, "Peridot, what do you know about the Versal Stone?"
Peridot's brow rose, "I know plenty."
"Do you think...maybe the Versal Stone switched my DNA or something?" He asked. Maybe it could clear some of the confusing things up for them both.
Peridot shook her head, "The Versal Stone wasn't designed for such a thing."
Steven's brows scrunched together, "What do you mean?"
Peridot rolled her eyes and groaned, "Steven, you know I loathe repeating myself."
"Repeat yourself? You never told me anything about the Versal Stone." He defended.
Peridot narrowed her eyes, "You asked me the very same question before we departed on the mission to search for the Versal Stone. Don't you remember?"
Steven frowned and shook his head, "I don't ever remember having a life with you or Jasper or Lapis." He said, "I mean, I did meet you guys before, but I never lived with you guys...or...known you as Crystal Gems."
"You—Wait...what do you mean that you've met us before?"
"Um..." Steven began, not sure how if his explanation was going to make sense to her, "Okay, like, the Crystal Gems and I confronted you, Lapis and Jasper before...but I never had like a real relationship with you guys. Well...Except Lapis. We were friends and I helped her go back to Homeworld."
"The Crystal Gems being...?" Peridot prompted, "The Gems you were referring to earlier? The Quartz...and Pearl?"
"Yeah, it's Amethyst, Pearl and Garnet. They're the last Crystal Gems and I lived with them." Steven said.
"But not us?" Peridot confirmed, "Not Jasper, Lapis and myself?"
Steven shook his head, "No. You guys were from Homeworld and we fought you guys before."
"Elaborate." Peridot said.
"Um...it's a long story..." He said, avoiding her eyes.
"We have time." Peridot said, standing akimbo, "Start from the beginning. Details are essential."
Steven blinked, "Where do you want me to start?"
"When you first started to live with those Gems until now."
Steven gulped, "Um okay." He began to the beginning from where she asked. He talked about living with his Dad and then transitioned to live with the the Crystal Gems. He briefly went over the missions he went on and how he learned little bits and pieces of his mother.
"I met you." Steven said after a brief pause, "You were at the Kindergarten and doing something there. Garnet smashed the Warp Pad into pieces after you left though. Then, I met Lapis. She was stuck inside of a mirror but I freed her and she flew away home. And then Jasper came..." He grimaced, "She came to Earth with you and Lapis and she almost killed us. She captured us and we were in space going to Homeworld but we escaped. But when we came back home, Jasper and Lapis fused into Malachite and Lapis dragged them into the ocean." He looked up thoughtfully.
His eyes traveled back down to meet Peridot's. A wave of confusion splashed her in the face, "That is...troubling..." She muttered.
"Huh?"
"I thought..." Peridot shook her head and looked off to the side, "What you were saying earlier about these Gems...I thought you were hallucinating. I didn't know that you were being serious." She admitted. She wasn't sure how to perceive the information of what Steven was giving.
"Oh um..." Steven looked around uncomfortably, "Well yeah. I'm sorry I don't have any memories of living with you..." He apologized.
Peridot made a clicking noise and cocked her head to the side, robotic fingers laying on her chin in deep thought.
Steven looked at her again, "But...the Versal Stone. I think..." He paused thinking, "Before I touched the Versal Stone, I was with Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst. We were looking for it."
"So were we," Peridot mumbled, "You, Jasper, Lapis and I were in search of the the Versal Stone." She said, narrowing her eyes.
"But... I found the stone. It was a reflection of me inside of it though..." He said, unsure.
Peridot's eyes narrowed into thin strips, "What do you mean a reflection?"
"Like...it was shiny and then I saw myself. Except the me inside of the stone had a mind of his own. We were talking—" Steven paused. He blinked and his eyes grew as wide as a saucer, and gasped, "He mentioned Lapis!"
"Lazuli?" Peridot inquired.
"Yeah! That's why I grabbed it in the first place..." Steven muddled in his thoughts, "He said that he wanted to show Lapis that he met me. He said it like she was with him." Steven's head was swimming with thoughts and possibilities. What if what was happening was true? What if Steven did live with Jasper, Peridot and Lapis? What if his father wasn't really on good terms with him? What if this whole world was the living breathing truth in which Steven existed in?
But what if he was just the wrong Steven?
"What are you concluding?" Peridot asked, curious of what Steven was stringing together.
"The Steven that was in the Versal Stone. I think he lived with you guys!" Steven finally said.
" 'You guys' being...?" Peridot asked blandly.
"You, Jasper and Lapis. I think he lived with you guys! I think that he and I maybe...switched lives or DNA or something." He said. He wasn't sure if he had all the assorted details, but the core basis of what he was saying made sense. Well to him at least, "That's probably the reason why I don't have any memory of living with you guys and stuff."
Peridot stubbornly shook her head, "Improbable."
"Huh? Why?" Steven asked. He knew this idea was a stretch but he needed to have some hope. Some reason for what was going on before he lost his sanity.
"Because, the Versal Stone wasn't designed for such thing." She answered with a huff.
"What was it designed for?"
Peridot crossed her arms over her chest, eyes turning into a deep scowl as she looked nowhere in particular, "It was a destabilizing weapon for Gems that went rogue."
Steven's eyebrows pinched together, "Went rogue?"
Peridot finally met with Steven's eyes, "Yes. It was used to the equivalent to what humans would classify as the death penalty."
A sudden shiver rushed down Steven's spine. The topic about death in general usually always upset him in a way that his stomach would drop ten feet underground. And since he was already feeling like he was in the worst shape ever, the topic made him feel a lot worse. Despite this, Steven decided to push on to further detail, "How could the Versal Stone be like the death penalty?"
"The Versal Stone is one of the many stones that emits large quantities of energy, filled with light. A Gem is an organism who is an embodiment of light. When the two come in contact with one another, only a negative result will occur." She concluded.
"What negative effect?" Steven asked.
"Similar to what happened to you. Your body will be encased in light, ultimately destroying your Gem and your very existence." She breathed heavily, running a palm through her thick hair.
Steven only blinked, not understanding, "But... If it rids Gems, then why am I..."
"I'm assuming because you are half a Gem and half a human. Humans are not affected by any types of stones. That is why you are able to pick them up with ease or collect them." She paused and looked at the ceiling, "But, as soon as you touched it...the Versal Stone operated in reverse."
"Reverse?"
"Yes. When a Gem usually comes in contact with the Versal Stone, the light encases the user's gem, then swallows the body whole, ultimately erasing the Gem from existence. However, when you touched it, your body was consumed by the light first, then your gem." Peridot concluded.
"Oh." Steven said quietly, not sure what that –or any of this– meant. "I think, when the light touched my gem, it hurt...a lot."
Peridot's eyes reached his, and concern flashed across her face, "Your gem!" She said and rushed to his side. She lightly grabbed the hem of his shirt and began pulling it up while saying, "How could I be so transparent?! Thinking about everything else but your—"
She paused in mid sentence. Her mouth went agape, and her eyes widened the size of a pair of inflated balloons, "Oh my stars..." She gasped.
Worried, Steven squirmed to look at where Peridot was focused on, but failed due to his lack of strength, "What's wrong?" He panicked. Peridot said nothing, as her eyes strained on the Rose Quartz, embedded in his stomach. Steven strained and lifted his body up on his elbows. He looked past his raised shirt until he saw his gem.
Steven gasped in shock.
His gem, wasn't the normal pink hue, instead, it was a cloudy haze of white with swirl-like designs, much like the ones on Jasper's skin, covering the facets.
Steven's mouth went dry and his mind went blank. It was obviously an unusual sight. The lovely pink that both Steven and Rose shared, was gone, and was only the eerie, misty, color floating around in his gem.
"P-Peridot," Steven called, not really sure why he called on her. Maybe because of her expansive knowledge, or calculative demeanor was his reasoning, but for now, he was drawing up blanks.
"R-Robo-Two, do a quick diagnostic report on this Rose Quartz gem." Peridot ordered.
The taut robonoid jumped onto Steven's legs and crawled next to his stomach where his gem was placed. The robonoid, once again, emitted a scanner that had a soft green glow, directing it only on Steven's gem.
Peridot whipped around and went to her panel and typed in a few keys. The overhead screen displayed a data log, that had a percentage of what was being scanned. The scan went rather quickly, compared to the scan they did earlier, and almost immediately, the scan was complete. A sudden window popped up on the screen, displaying paragraphs of information on the screen.
With a carefully trained eye, Peridot quietly read each sentence with incredible speed. She read and reread each sentence, and each time, her already opened mouth seemed to hang lower and lower.
"What," Peridot's voice hitched a few octaves. It wasn't a question, but just a flat out statement, that clearly captured her confusion.
"Peridot," Stevens voice trembled with fear. Peridot didn't respond. "Peridot, what's wrong? What is this? Please, talk to me!" Steven begged.
Peridot slowly and robotically turned around to face Steven. Steven wasn't sure what was worse, the color of his gem or that absolute distant and lost look on Peridot's face.
She didn't look him in the eye, she looked directly beyond him, saying, "The Versal Stone."
Steven frowned. He wetted his lips and swallowed some saliva, "What?"
"The Versal Stone," She repeated, "It's inside your gem."
A/N:
Sorry for the cliff-hanger hahah. This chapter was gonna be a lot longer but I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer hahah!
If you're still confused about the function of the Versal Stone, don't worry, Peridot's working on it! Give her time!
Next chapter should be fun, there should be a lot of Lapis Lazuli involved, for those of you who likes her mom swapped interaction with Steven.
Anyway, Happy New Year! I'll try to put another chapter up a lot quicker, and I do love the reviews to keep encouraging me!
Thank you! Until Next Time!