(I'm awfully sorry about the severe lack of updates! And also this chapter. I've struggled incredibly hard with it, and even now, am dubious of the results. I often have doubts of my own writing skills, as many likely feel, so I can only hope you enjoy!)
Chapter Five
Upon opening her eyes, Peridot found herself surrounded by darkness.
She blinked to clarify her vision wasn't failing her. Then she gazed at her fingers, only to see a dark outline of her appendages. With a quick glimpse around, it all stayed the same, not to her surprise; shadowed in nothingness. No signs of life to be seen.
Peridot, curiosity beating out any sort of fear that swelled within her, stepped forward.
Yellow glowed underneath her foot.
She shrieked and recoiled back. The ground changed, as if activated by sensing her presence. The glow faded in and out, like a firefly, but then the color illuminated in a narrow pathway. It stretched out far into the mouth of black, and Peridot saw no end to it.
Now the warning signs echoed and practically yelled at her that this would not lead to anything good. Despite this, she followed the path, which winded further and further. Still, no other sight was around, other than the path itself.
She walked. She walked for a long time, wondering where this would lead her, and if it was even leading anywhere. Her mind raced and kept her occupied, but it also kept coming back to the same question: Where am I?
For a moment, she tried thinking back to what had happened before ending up here, but a flash interrupted her train of though. Peridot had to shield her eyes from the sudden change in brightness.
Once her eyes adjusted, she looked around. Now there was a throne, a grand throne that could easily fit fifty of her own kind. Aside from the walkway and the throne, however, Peridot saw nothing but growing darkness. Below her, she saw no sign of a bottom surface...
Something was in front of the throne. From her distance, it was hard to tell. She hurried her pace. It was a small pile of what appeared to be dust-or worse, but that thought concerned her.
...
She stopped walking. Her whole body froze, or at least it felt like it. Her shakes, shaking, curled into tight fists against her chest. Once she got a clear view of the color of the pile, she stopped. It felt like everything stopped.
"No... no no no no," Peridot repeated with a shake of her head, her eyes glue to the pile of purple shards in front of her.
Amethyst's gem was scattered into so many pieces that Peridot couldn't count them all, but the amount didn't matter. All she knew was that it was too many, too many to take hold of and never let go.
"Amethyst?" Peridot's voice shrank. She knelt down in front of the shards. Her fingers delicately held them and pinched her skin, but she felt nothing. She cradled a pair of pieces in her hands. Taking a good look at her hands, they were shaking furiously.
She tried to tell herself that something was off. Her mind now screamed at her that none of this made sense, since she saw the Crystal Gems not even a few hours ago. She remembered Amethyst's eyes glowing as she jumped atop Peridot in pure delight. They were laughing, so content with everything.
"Amethyst!"
Suddenly, tears welled in her eyes, and her body shook. She clutched her stomach as it to hold back the shaking, to take control which she knew was impossible at this point. Her eyes remained on the remains of her friend, her ex-enemy, someone she wanted to spend the rest of her time on Earth with. Because that little voice that tried to convince her that this wasn't real wasn't loud enough. After all, what if this was real, and what if this did happen? The image of Amethyst falling apart made the tears fall thick and hot.
"Why?" Peridot's voice cracked, anger and sadness crashing inside her. Her voice grew as she asked no one, "Why?"
Then... footsteps.
No. Heels. And a shadow cast itself over her.
Before she could turn around, a voice spoke above her, thunderous. "There should be no tears over a defective Amethyst."
Her breathing was still heavy from crying. She looked behind herself, and her whole body trembled.
"Yellow..." Her voice was too broken, and she sniffed. "Yellow Diamond."
"Don't speak unless I ask of you," Yellow Diamond scolded, voice growing louder yet still menacingly calm. She stepped forward, heels clacking against the floor with a metallic boom in Peridot's ears. "She had no use for Homeworld, that Quartz. She was no better off alive."
She stepped back, and her feet brushed up against Amethyst's shards. Her fingers couldn't stop shaking. No way on Earth or Homeworld this is real! Is this one of those dreams?! Stars, I hope I never have one again! And when will this one end?!
"And you are hardly any better."
Peridot stayed quiet, words lost.
"Just as useless. You failed your mission on Earth-no, you did more than fail. You betrayed your own planet, your own Diamond, over a worthless planet." Yellow Diamond's hands clenched. "You're not worthy of living-not here. Not anywhere."
Peridot couldn't even bring out any response before Yellow Diamond's boot rose, rising several feet into the air. Peridot turned around in hopes of retreating, but the ground had vanished, as if crumbled without her knowledge! Amethyst's shards had vanished.
She looked up, and a heel was approaching her, flashing in bright light. Her breathing grew shallow and staggered, and she lost control of herself and screamed.
Peridot lurched up, clutching her head, her fingers ghosting over her gem. The screams were replaced with heavy, wheezy gasps. Several things felt different from where she was just moments ago, much to her relief.
Rather than standing along a golden path-walk, she sat up back inside the barn.
And she was alone.
Peridot pressed her palms underneath her eyes, rubbing away the tears that actually appeared as she woke up. She sniffled and looked outside. The moon was incredibly low, so it was early in the morning. She did not get much sleep, and she was not going to sleep anytime soon!
The images looked so real. Of course they weren't but stars, it felt like she was actually holding Amethyst's broken gem pieces in her grasp.
Peridot stood up and walked outside. It was a little cold, but she didn't think much of it. She found the warp pad not too far away.
She didn't think twice of this. She needed to see Amethyst.
She traveled the beam of bright blue light and seconds later found herself inside the Temple. It was quiet.
Peridot hurried into the living room, not realizing that she was not the only one awake in the Temple. She collided into something and struggled to keep herself upright. With windmilling arms, she composed herself and glanced up at who she walked into.
"Nyeh! Garnet-!"
Garnet placed a finger against her lips. When she pointed behind Peridot, the green gem turned. Steven was fast asleep in bed, back turned to the wall, and for whatever reason, Amethyst had slung herself atop the couch, snoring to her heart's content.
Peridot felt a heavy weight lift from her thin muscles, and her shoulders slacked. What she saw was nothing more than a dream, but she felt relief seeing Amethyst alive and sleeping peacefully, her gem shining and in one piece. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
Then she realized Garnet was still there. The fusion was just looking at her. Peridot bit her lip.
Garnet stayed unresponsive for a few moments, but then she jabbed a thumb toward the front door. She walked outside before Peridot could respond. As opposed to following the gem, Peridot gazed at the sleeping Amethyst.
This crazy gem had been messing with her mind, clearly. And unintentionally. Now she had invaded her dreams in the worst way possible. Now the thought of losing her crept into her mind. Like without her, everything just... sucked.
Amethyst mumbled in her sleep, which made Peridot jump back. If she was caught looking at her as she slept, she would never hear the end of it! She stepped away and finally followed Garnet outside to see her standing on the porch, arms crossed.
Said fusion did not react when Peridot stood beside her. She rested her arms on the railing. They stood there, in silence, for a whole minute.
The quiet was killing Peridot. Very slowly. "You're not asking why I'm here?" Peridot shot her a confused look.
Garnet shrugged. "You're always welcome here. There's always room at the Temple, if you ever want to stay. Though I'm sure we could find a replacement for the bathroom."
"Right," Peridot grumbled, as the memories of being stuck in that bathroom were nothing pleasant. She placed her chin under her arms. Then something came to her, and she added, "Or do you already know why because of your future vision?"
"That's not how it always works, but I've got a few... ideas in here." She brushed her shades further up her nose, flashing a grin. It softened. "I know you've got a lot worrying you, but... I can assure you, things will pick up. In due time."
Peridot peered up at her, eyes wide. A small part of her wanted to remark on future vision, call in unfair and a severe lack of privacy (darn Sapphires!). However, hearing her say that gave her the tiniest shred of hope. That things would improve. Though how she would get to that section of her new life, she remained clueless on.
"That's... good to know," she replied, avoiding the fusion's gaze. She failed to see Garnet's eyes, but nonetheless found her fairly intimidating. Perhaps it was also the fact that she couldn't even see the rest of her expression. Only a smile that became gentle.
Garnet nodded. "Well, I can tell you need some time... alone. But I do have something that might help a little."
Peridot's interest piqued. She looked up. "Which is?"
From within her crossed arms, Garnet revealed a familiar rectangle.
"My tape recorder?"
"You left it out in the field a while back. Probably just forgot about it. But I thought I'd return it to you when you need it most. It could help sort out your thoughts, at the very least." Garnet knelt down to hand it to her, but not before tapped her shades, which vanished. Three eyes stared into Peridot's face, with a very soft gaze in every one. "It can't hurt."
Peridot flinched, but she took the recorder. Garnet giggled.
"Well, thank you, Garnet," Peridot muttered, looking at the recorder.
"Anytime." Another tap against her face, and the shades materialized over her eyes. She turned toward the house. "Don't lose it this time!"
Peridot's eyes rolled.
She watched Garnet return inside the Temple before she turned back. Her gaze wandered to her recorder, and it came to her that she had not been keeping track of her logs as of recent.
With a tap of the record button, she began.
"Log Date..." After a long pause, she mustered a tired sigh. "I've lost track at this point. Similar to how I felt as if I've lost control over... well, multiple things since my crash here on Earth." Her eyes drifted to the beach feet way. There was the lightest of breezes, smooth against her skin. "Garnet was right. I have too much going on, and I'm not sure what to do. I doubt talking about it will help," she finished, mumbling the words.
The sun was rising. The skies were brightening with faded orange colors. Eve the deep blue ocean had a yellow glow brushing across the waves.
Peridot sighed again. "I can't even imagine looking through my old logs-not on this one, of course, but from my previous tech. There's a lot that's… different now. For the most part, it's a good change," she clarified to no one in particular. A pause lingered. "But it's still weird! Thinking back to what everything was like a few months ago.
"Maybe that's why everything feels so strange now." Her voice lowered as she scratched her head. "Or maybe it's also because Earth is strange, too. Because it is. It doesn't make sense! None of it does. You aren't meant to do something, you just… do whatever, I guess. Which can be annoying, if not interesting, but..." She paused, blinking, and for a moment, lowered her recorder. She thought for a moment before bringing it closer to her mouth once more to say, "What am I supposed to do? How do I know? I know you can do whatever you want if you 'try,' but I've never done that before! How do I figure out anything I'm supposed to do? About these change in feelings, about my horrifying dreams, about all my failures, just... everything!"
She stopped, taking in a large gulp of air. Gems don't require oxygen, but at the moment, it felt needed. It took a minute or two for her to compose herself and find the next words.
"The drill's ready to destroy the Cluster within a day or two, but a small part of me assumes the worst. That it won't work." She snorted, but not particularly amused. "And even if it does, Yellow Diamond will surely..."
She let that sentence drop. It was a terrible thought that she begged to leave her be, but it refused. One last sigh.
"I have no idea what I should do, and it's terrifying."
"Peridot?"
Peridot nearly jumped over the railing before glancing behind her shoulder. Amethyst stood at the doorway, her hair even more unkempt than usual. She adjusted her black shoulder strap as she walked toward Peridot, who pressed the recorder button to end it.
"You weren't listening, were you!?" Peridot panicked.
"Only something in the end about the Cluster. I, uh, didn't mean to eavesdrop, I swear." Amethyst wore a crooked smile. "I can just... I'll leave, if you want-"
"No, no!" Peridot shouted a little hurriedly. Amethyst stopped and looked at her, lips pursed out. "You can join me if you want."
Amethyst smiled. "Heh, cool." Her arms slung behind her head, she walked over to Peridot's side.
Peridot cast her a quick look. The wind blew Amethyst's hair, lifting it toward the sea. The sun rose further, spreading a soft, orange glow on the Quartz. She stared at the ocean, but her focus did not look like it was on the salty waves.
Feeling her face warm up, Peridot curtly turned away.
"You seem tense."
Amethyst's eyebrows perked up. Peridot had a feeling it was crystal clear on her face. Though for a moment tempted to brush it off with a confident, if not dismissive, "I don't know what you're talking about," Amethyst's concerned voice made the idea forgotten.
"Is it that obvious?" she muttered.
Amethyst's lips curled up at the edges. "Besides you talking about junk in your log thing? A bit." She laughed softly. "I saw you talking to Garnet, and it was weird since, you know, you don't usually visit this early. I was just wondering."
"About what?"
"Are you going to be okay?"
Peridot bit her lip, half tempted to let spill everything. However, certainty wasn't on her side. It was not as if Amethyst could understand what she was feeling (could she?), so how could she response?
Exposing her feelings brought on a strange new terror she never felt before. It was too much, even if she felt a little relief before in talking about into her log, but she wanted to keep it to herself.
"It's nothing," she excused, a little sweat dripping on her forehead. She avoided Amethyst's gaze, which had grown concerned while Peridot had panicked in her head. She chose to ignore it, sticking with putting up the barriers. "Everything's fine. Nothing you need to worry about, I assure you."
Amethyst's face dropped with disappointment. However, she just rubbed at her face for a moment. The two stopped talking for a few moments until Amethyst let out a loud breath of air. Peridot looked at her questioningly. "So, uh, I'm thinking of just... taking a walk around the beach." Amethyst tilted her body toward the ocean. "Wanna join?"
The sudden question caught Peridot off guard. "Umm... sure."
"Sweet. Then let's go!" Amethyst jumped over the railing and landed on the sand below.
Peridot preferred the stairs. Amethyst waited for her at the bottom, and once Peridot made her way down, they started walking.
And Amethyst was quick to start another conversation, by starting with another odd question.
"Don't you ever, like, get lonely?"
"Lonely?"
"You know, at the barn. Since no one else is there... I dunno, just thought I'd ask." Amethyst crossed her arms.
Peridot didn't answer immediately. Rather, she wondered what was going through Amethyst's mind. Asking to walk around the beach, asking if she was lonely; it was borderline suspicious. "I like it here," she replied. "There's plenty of space for myself! A huge improve on Steven's bathroom."
Amethyst chuckled. "You got me there. But it's also pretty far from the Temple."
"There's the warp pad," Peridot said, eyebrow raised.
"Yeahhhh, I guess that's true." She kicked the sand lightly.
Peridot was no fool. Amethyst was upset by something, as well. By what, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She wasn't always that great at that part. By instinct, she desired to comfort Amethyst, but she hadn't the faintest.
"Well, the reason I came over was because... I had one of those dreams."
"Oh, really?" Amethyst's pitch rose with interest. "So, uh, what happened? Anything weird or crazy?"
Peridot cringed and regretted saying anything instantly. How could she explain her dream to Amethyst? She dreamed of her getting shattered!How do you just say that to someone?! It didn't sound like something appropriate to say. "It's, umm, hard to explain. But it was…" Her fingers stroked the recorder. "An unpleasant experience. I thought I should at least tell you why I came over."
Realization dawned on Amethyst. "Oh, you had a nightmare. It's a bad dream, something scary or something, usually," she added before Peridot asked. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad."
I doubt that.
Amethyst stared at her when she didn't respond, then said, "You don't want to let them get to you.
"It felt real," Peridot let slip without thought and very much instantly regretted so. Curse her stupid mouth!
Amethyst's eyes widened, and rather than get angry, she sighed. "Okay, seriously, you shouldn't be afraid to tell me. Being secret-y about whatever problems you have ain't gonna fix it."
Peridot had a feeling this was about more than her slip up. "It's nothing you need to be concerned about," Peridot shot back, a bit more defensive than she planned.
"You sure?" Amethyst asked, voice laced with doubt.
"Yes, because everything's fine." Peridot crossed her arms firmly, pose straightened.
Amethyst's nostrils flared, eyebrows knitted down. "Sure it is. Everything's totally fine," she whispered with heavy sarcasm that even Peridot caught onto. "Is that what you told Garnet and Pearl?"
Peridot looked at her. "Garnet? Pearl? What do they have to do with this?"
Amethyst's eyes shrank, like she was caught in headlights. She no longer looked completely irritated, but… mostly frustrated. She turned away and said, "F-forget it! Seriously, it's nothing."
Peridot noticed the tension in the air, and hated it. This wasn't what she wanted and couldn't help but feel miserable now. Still, what did she mean when she said Garnet and Pearl?
"Sorry, I shouldn't have asked," Amethyst whispered, brushing through her hair. "It's none of my business, so it's... whatever. I guess I got a little too nosy, you know."
Peridot smiled a little. "Yes, I suppose you did get a little... scent sponge-y."
Amethyst snickered. "Alright, that wasn't too bad. I'll give you that."
"So you walk around the beach every morning?" Peridot couldn't help but ask. "You don't exactly come across as a gem who prefers mornings."
"Not at all," Amethyst scoffed. "I'm more of a night owl, if you will."
"Owl? You look nothing like one... unless that's just a figure of-"
"Well, now I am!" Amethyst glowed and in her place, a purple owl flew midair. She laughed with more enthusiasm this time, and Peridot laughed back. Amethyst, however, was quick to transform back to her original form, stretching out her arms. "I actually came out here for some early morning pranks. If you're cool with that, I mean."
Peridot glanced over in the direction of the town. "No one's out here, though. Not as far as I can tell."
"You'd be surprised." Amethyst slung her arm around Peridot's shoulder and directed them toward part of the beach further away from Beach City. They didn't take too long walking before they spotted a small circle of people sitting in the sand. Amethyst shot a finger at them. "I introduce you to... tourists!"
"What about them?" Peridot squinted at the four younger looking humans surrounding a pile of burnt out logs.
Amethyst looked ecstatic before she ran over to a rock embedded in the sand not too far from them. Behind it, she pulled out a cardboard box. It was filled with a rainbow array of things that Peridot couldn't quite figure out.
With a faux serious expression, Peridot said, "Explain."
Amethyst picked up one of the colored things—a purple one—and tossed it lightly in the air, only to catch it again. "Water balloons, my friend. Just fill up these babies with water and boom, a great weapon for mild pranks."
"So that's an actual weapon?" Peridot asked, somewhat in belief.
Amethyst laughed. "Nah—well… not really. You throw them at people and get them soaked, so it doesn't hurt them. At most, it'll probably annoy them. But these morons decided to run out here in the middle of the night before, yelling and throwing stuff! This close," she said, squishing her thumb and forefinger together, "to breaking a window. Pearl was gonna flipped, I swear."
"And you want me to help?"
"You've got a good throwing arm," Amethyst said, elbowing her playfully. "The perfect throwing arm for revenge, heheh! Just give it a throw at 'em. But keep quiet." She tapped her lips with her finger as she took Peridot's wrist with her other hand. Pulling them towards a large rock several feet away from the group of humans, who failed to notice either gem, Amethyst next brought over the box of water balloons. She, again, pressed a finger to her lips
Peridot peeked out from the rock to get a look at the humans, who looked about twenty-something. They also looked bored and rather sleepy, but one of them was talking to the others with some enthusiasm.
"She didn't even notice. I'm telling you, she is clueless about the whole thing!" the girl in the bikini and crop top told her friends, her hands moving around along with her words.
The guy with a lip piecing and glasses shook his head. "Is it really that big a deal?"
The girl smirked. "I mean—"
She cut herself off when a water balloon rained down from the sky, staining her hair, makeup, and crop top. She shrieked and stood up, flailing and shouting at the other three visitors, who just watched in confusion. Their confusion, however, morphed into similar shock when they were hit, next, water splashing across their bodies and even their bags beside them. A couple balloons landed at their feet as they all stood up.
"GET WRECKED!" Amethyst cried out in a deeper voice.
She grabbed Peridot , pulling them behind the large rock, one that easily concealed them from the humans. They started laughing, unable to control themselves. Amethyst was clutching her stomach at this point, and Peridot leaned against the rock. They still peeked out to observe the trio of college kids, ignoring the tears that welled up from their laughing.
"Oh my god, I can't believe this! I just.. UGH!"
"Think it was those weirdos in that beach house over there?" the second male human asked, pointing over at the Temple.
"I'm getting my parents over here. I swear, those losers won't hear the end of this!" the woman continued, exasperated.
"C'mon, guys, it's just a little water," murmured the other girl, who brushed her long, wet locks from her face. "We got some towels…."
"Let's bail!" the first one cried out, angrily rising to her feet and stomping away with her bag. The other two followed not too far behind, either rushing to the crop top woman's aid or just as irritated. Amethyst and Peridot watched them walk off the beach and toward Beach City.
"Hey!" Amethyst yelled through snickering, cupping her hands around her mouth. She then pointed beside her. "You forgot your boombox!"
They failed to listen to her, or did but refused to look back. Amethyst rolled her eyes and spun around to face Peridot, who still sported a goofy grin.
"Welp, I tried. But, uh, don't tell the others about this," Amethyst said, again laughing. "I don't usually prank a lotta random kids, and Steven told me it was better to just leave them alone, but…" Her eyes drifted up. "Well, he's not here, so who cares?"
"My lips are sealed. Our little secret." Peridot pointed from herself to Amethyst, chuckling.
"Good." Amethyst winked.
The previous song the humans were listening to faded out, and seconds later, another one rolled into the air. This one had a funky beat, fast and something that instantly caught Amethyst's attention.
"Aww, sweet! This song rocks!" Her face lit up. "Good to know they have good taste, am I right?" She ran to stand next to the boombox and starting swaying her hips. "Come dance with me!" She stuck her hand out when Peridot walked over to her.
"Dancing?!" Peridot exclaimed, recoiling away from her hand. "Doesn't that mean…?"
Peridot didn't need to complete the sentence for Amethyst to figure it out. Her face fell, but she also blushed. "N-no! Not for fusion!" She tried to pull off a laugh, but it came out weak and almost awkward. "We also dance for fun, you know."
"I never learned to dance." She crossed her arms. "It isn't a Peridot's place to dance on Homeworld. That was a field for Emeralds."
Amethyst rolled her eyes. "Right. But hey, that's cool. I'm sure you can do it. Just, uhh… go for it! Show me what you got!"
Peridot braced herself, but tried to keep an open mind. After all, she had seen Emeralds dance before. How hard could it be?
Except she had no idea what she was doing. She moved her feet around and tried to shake her hips, but Amethyst was way better at it. Her arms moved around, but even to Peridot, it felt too automatic. Any attempts at finding a sort of rhythm were not there, and eventually stopped after nearly tripping on her own two feet.
"Wow, you weren't kidding." Amethyst rubbed the back of her head.
"I told you!"
"Yeah, you did." Amethyst stepped toward her. "Don't worry, though. You'll figure it out. Just… let's start off slow. I mean." Her face flushed a darker shade of purple as her eyes turned away. "I don't dance a lotta slow dances or anything, but we'll figure something out."
Peridot's head was still spinning. They were going to dance. Even if it didn't always correlate with fusion, the very idea of it couldn't escape her mind. What if they fused on accident?
Or what if she couldn't fuse? As if she needed another reason to feel like a complete failure!
One of Amethyst's hands fell to Peridot's waist. Peridot froze at the touch. The other hand locked around Peridot's, and she intertwined their fingers together. Her thoughts fell away.
"Just follow my lead." Amethyst's voice lowered.
"Absolutely." Peridot's immediate response was hardly above a whisper, her expression nothing short of starstruck.
Their foot movements were only by inches at a time. Amethyst, rather, guideD her back and forth or left and right, then back again. Peridot kept her gaze on Amethyst through the whole thing, as if she would mess up if she didn't.
They moved around the beach slowly. Peridot followed Amethyst's feet and noticed a pattern in there somewhere. If only she could get the hang of it.
"See, you just gotta not think about it, but… also know what you're doing," Amethyst said. She glanced down. "No looking down at your feet or anything. You just gotta… be in the moment and go for it."
"For a Quartz, that's easy, to just go on instinct," Peridot grumbled loud and clear.
Amethyst shot her a deadpan look.
"It's a compliment!"
Amethyst just stared at her for a moment, but then she snickered. "I guess it's true though. I don't think about how I dance. Oh, here, I'll show you some of my moves."
Amethyst let go of Peridot and stepped back. Her body began moving that way where her body positively flowed, shining with confidence. And the distance between the two grew to a point where Peridot wished she could feel Amethyst against her again. Amethyst swirled around, shaking her backside and Peridot really needed to stop staring but oh, stars.
She tossed a look over her shoulder at Peridot. "Like what you see?" she asked, fingers brushing through her hair.
"Yes." Peridot's face burned.
Amethyst's face shifted, and her hands fell away from her hair. She looked shocked, if anything, and she blushed, lips pursing out. There was silence and staring for several long moments. Peridot almost spoke up again, to make sure Amethyst was paying any attention.
Then Amethyst nodded her head forward, chuckling under her breath. "You're hilarious, Peri," she responded as she pulled her head back up, hair swaying back.
Peridot blinked, her mouth falling but not coming up with anything to say. After all, she wasn't attempting to be funny there, nor did she follow her accidental joke. Rather than harp on it, she grinned confidently and said, "You know it."
Smiling, Amethyst danced her way toward Peridot, and once the former held out her hands, Peridot knew what was next. She took Amethyst's hands into hers. Both of their backs straightened, poses parallel with one another, and the rush of waves collapsed around their ankles. The water was ice cold.
And they continued dancing together. It wasn't wild like Amethyst's moves, but their movements were faster than the first time. Amethyst twirled Peridot, and Peridot spun around. They pulled away, only connected by each other's hand, but eventually return into one another's arms.
"There, you got it!" Amethyst exclaimed through laughter.
The waves were loud and amongst the whistling of the morning wind, sound resonated among the music to the boombox behind Amethyst, which was now a softer tune of guitar strumming. The sea smelled like salt and pure bliss, this feeling that made Peridot shut her eyes.
Peridots did not act much on instinct, but as of recent, she realized that she was starting to do a lot of things Peridots were certainly not programmed for.
Peridot released one of Amethyst's hands and spun her around. Amethyst let out a surprised noise, but she was still smiling. They met in the middle again, not noticing that the music from the boombox silenced.
Peridot forgot about the nightmares, the feelings of failure. All she focused on was Amethyst, who was beaming and looked so happy, and Peridot just got lost in seeing that pure delight. At the very least, being different has grown on me.
Then Amethyst tilted her back, and Peridot's balance faltered. One leg kicked out in protest. Before her back met the sand, however, Amethyst's hand gripped her back. Peridot yipped.
They remained in this pose, with Peridot leaning against one heel and Amethyst's hand on her back. Amethyst glanced down at her, a glee-filled smile gracing her face. Peridot couldn't help but smile back.
Amethyst's gem glowed, and a light appeared above Peridot, just barely visibly in her vision. Everything about her felt light and warm, starting from her gem and spreading throughout her body. It wasn't the usual feeling that came from simply looking at Amethyst, either.
Their eyes met, and it was only now when Peridot noted the small gap between them, their noses now touching and Amethyst's hair spreading all around her like a light grey veil. What little breath she had escaped her in a whoosh. One swift move, and their lips could meet. Their gems were now bursting with a brilliant glow, but neither of them said anything of it. They just stared.
Then everything felt light and bright and beautiful.