Better Together

Gem Drill

Y/n POV

We got word of Lapis and Jasper being on Masque Island, so the gems went to investigate it. Steven was able to help them take down malachite using his psychic powers to become a watermelon? I'm still a little fresh on this whole mental telepathy stuff, but he's getting better at controlling it. Unfortunately the gems got trapped on the island, which left us alone with the drill. I was in the barn when the entire ground started shaking, and out of desperation I ran out to see what was going on.

"What's going on?!" I yelled. "I think it's the cluster!" Steven shouted back. "If you're done lying there, maybe you could make yourselves useful before the world ends all together?" Peridot said as she ran over to us. We then ran up to the drill and hopped inside, it was a pretty tight fit though. "Ouch, it's kind of tight in here." I said. "How did you expect to get all of the gems in here anyway?" Steven asked. Peridot just shrugged and said they'll shapeshift or something. We continued digging deeper into the earth, and it got darker and more dangerous. Steven looked really nervous so I held his hand to try to comfort him. "O-oh t-thanks, Y/n." Steven said with a giant blush. Steven asked Peridot if she had any tunes, and she started playing elevator music.

"Hey Peridot, you were made on Homeworld, right?" Steven asked as we passed by some peridotite. "Mhm" Peridot said with a nod. "What was it like?" Steven said. "I didn't exist, then I did. I don't have many memories of it, only feelings. But it's hard sometimes, not to have feelings for where you came from." Peridot said with a saddened expression. "B-but it's fine! I have something else now" Peridot shrieked. "What's that?" Steven asked. "You know...you...guys" She replied. Steven gave a small smile and nodded. I haven't gotten much sleep lately so I was a bit tired and let out a little yawn. "You okay, Y/n?" Steven asked me. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit tired though" I said sleepily. Steven motioned for me to put my head on his shoulder which I gladly accepted. After a few minutes I fell asleep, happily humming as Steven gently rubbed my back. I didn't get to sleep for long though, all of a sudden there was a loud bang and a gem mutant appeared outside the drill.

"A gem mutant! They're all over us and attacking the drill, what do we do?" Steven yelled. Peridot pressed a button and a little machine opened up on top of the drill, while she handed Steven a controller. "Pearl didn't think it was necessary, but I never leave home without a blaster cannon." Peridot said. "Something about this just doesn't feel right." Steven said. "Then use the d-pad" Peridot replied. "No, it's just we can't leave these gems here. They're gonna form sooner or later, and if I could just bubble them, they'd be safe." Steven said. "I'm with Steven on this, there's just gotta be a way to help them." I said. Peridot just sighed and explained that they're too broken to be fixed. As we continued drilling, we hit a dense rock and everything began to shake.

"We're hitting more solid rock, this is it!" Peridot yelled, struggling to drill through. The drill went through the rock and opened up to a dark area with a giant, glowing biomass harbored below. "It's...the cluster." Steven and I said. We gazed upon this massive lifeform in awe, but that's when we felt rumbling everywhere. "What's happening!?" Steven asked. "It's too late, it's already taking form!" Peridot replied. "Look you 2, I'm really sorry I can't save you or the many other lifeforms that matter far less to me. Do you have last words?" Peridot asked. "I love you guys." Steven said, giving us a bear hug. "Yeah, me too." I said, getting teary eyed. "Wow..." Peridot replied. The rumbling got worse and she cowered into us.

"Y/n if this really is the end, there's something I want to say to you. I...I like y-" Steven was about to say. The cluster suddenly halted in it's formation and Peridot seized this opportunity to keep drilling. "Peridot I don't think we should hurt the cluster, I don't think it knows what it's doing!" I yelled. "It doesn't matter whether or not it knows what it's doing, it's still gonna do it." She replied. I look over to see Steven clenching his head, while groaning in pain. I started suddenly getting lightheaded and almost passed out.

"What's wrong with you 2, is the increased vibrations damaging your heads?!" Peridot asked us. "I don't know!" Steven and I said. "We haven't even pierced through yet, are you going to be okay?" Peridot asked. We both nodded as Peridot proceeded to continue drilling. The drill started to lose control and one of the drill bits flew off. "Uh oh, runaway drill!" Steven yelled. Peridot was struggling to keep balance, but all of a sudden Steven started hyperventilating. "Steven?! Hey, talk to me." I said, trying to relax him. He wouldn't calm down so I pulled him into a hug and rubbed his head gently. This sort of soothed him, but he dropped out of consciousness and I got increasingly worried.

Steven POV

"Y/n? Peridot?" I asked, but none of them were there. I looked around to see ghouls just flying all around me. I winced at the pain in my head. Then there was this big glow and the cluster appeared before me. "Am I inside the cluster's mind?" I thought to myself. "Must...want to...need to...have to..." The gem shards said. "Want to...need to...". "You want...want to what?" I asked. "FORM" The shards screamed. The sound was so loud and I covered my ears. "Argh, please stop!" I yelled. The shards kept yelling about how they wanted to form, so I tried to bubble them.

"Look, I can bubble you, and you, and you, and you" I said, panting. "Okay, that's 5 out of...oh geez." I mumbled. The cries and screams started to grow louder. "I'm sorry, I can't do this alone!" I said. The light started to get even brighter before I floated away. I woke up suddenly to Y/n hugging me tightly. "Steven? Thank god, I thought you were seriously hurt!" Y/n said. "Don't worry about me, it's the cluster. They don't want to form!" I said. "Look, we gotta put it in a bubble!" I exclaimed. "Bubble THAT?" Peridot asked. All of a sudden, the shards started bubbling themselves. "Look, they're bubbling each other!" I said. I bent down to try and help them bubble themselves.

"Y/n, can you help me with this?" I said. "I...I can try" Y/n replied. He put his hand out and started to coat the drill in a blue aura. "I've got you, and you've got this. And we all have each other!" I said. The cluster then forms a giant pink bubble around itself. "It actually worked!" Peridot said. "I can't believe it..." Y/n said in awe. We started to surface back to the top with the drill and saw the gems, Garnet carrying lapis. "Guys, you're back! Is Lapis okay?" I asked. "She's gonna be fine" Garnet replied. "How did it go, did you destroy the cluster?" Pearl asked.

"No, we just talked to it. But now it's in a bubble" Y/n said. "How on earth did you bubble that thing?!" They asked. "It's simple, we just had a little help" I said, while pulling in Y/n for a side hug. He just giggled and grinned.