Peridot sat with the human in the pitch black of night.
"Peridot..."
"What?"
"I'm afraid, if we ever catch you, we'll have to make you retreat into your gem so we can bubble you... Will you be mad? That you can't regenerate?"
"You won't catch me. Not while I'm still living."
Peridot paused.
"But if you do, I have a feeling you won't let that happen..."
Steven looked at the ground as Peridot smiled and glanced over at him.
"Will you?"
Steven sighed and covered his face.
"I don't know... Maybe- Maybe I can convince the Gems that you're good. You... You are good, right?"
There was a long pause, Peridot questioning her own alignment when it came to Earth or Homeworld, or rather, Steven or obeying orders.
"I don't know either."
Steven was about to respond to her when he heard someone yelling.
"Peridot!"
The Crystal Gems, now accompanied by Emerald, charged forward, racing toward the green gem.
Pearl noticed Steven standing by Peridot, who was panicking and starting to prepare to leave.
"I knew I heard someone leave the house! Steven, what are you doing here, with her?"
Peridot finally gave in and decided to run.
"You don't understand! I won't ever let you get the best of me, you clods! I'll do whatever it takes!"
Peridot held out her hand, and a sort of touchscreen formed out of her fingers in front of her as she was running. A part of the screen flashed red, and her finger once again took another shape. They seemed to form a laser. She shot a beam of energy at a wall in the Kindergarden, blasting it so it revealed a cave system.
Peridot shouted in success, and entered the cave, the Gem following close behind, including Steven.
There were various carvings in the cave, but none of the gems paid any attention as they zoomed past without any second thought.
Finally Peridot came to a dead end.
"Oh no..."
"It's the end of the line, Peridot!" Garnet fearlessly shouted. The Gem drew their weapons, Emerald wielding a double-sided battle axe. Steven helplessly stood beside Pearl, who double-wielded her spears.
Peridot was sweating, and finally she took a deep breath and reached for her gem.
"I didn't want it to come to this."
She pulled out a machete, then another, holding them both in her hands. Steven stared at her weapon, dumbfounded.
"I thought you didn't have a weapon, Peridot!"
"I don't like summoning weapons. Gem Tech is better," Peridot growled.
"Weapon or no weapon, you're going down," Amethyst snapped at her.
"Yeah, prepared to be defeated!" Emerald yelled.
Garnet was the first to charge, raising her gauntlets toward Peridot, and shouting. She swung, but her hit was skillfully dodged by the agile gem, who gave the fusion a swing of her own, which was just as easily dodged. Amethyst tried to snap her black whip toward Peridot, successfully trapping her, but instead of giving in slashing the whip with her machete, cutting it. The whip quickly disappeared, but swiftly was regenerated by Amethyst, who fell backwards after the sudden lack of a foundation at the end of her weapon. Pearl used her spear as a sword, clanging against Peridot's machete, until Peridot ducked underneath her, taking Pearl off guard. The graceful gem whirled around, only to have her spear knocked out of her hands. Peridot quickly turned around, dodging Steven and going for the opening.
"I don't think so."
The fusion known as Emerald blocked Peridot's way out of the cave, her axe drawn and ready.
"Ugh, I don't have time for this!"
Emerald frowned and swung at Peridot, who was taken off guard but jumped over the swing, landing on the ground. Emerald held the axe up, ready to hit Peridot while she was immobile.
"It all stops now."
Emerald raised up her weapon, and started to swing down.
"Stop!"
The dust cleared and the Crystal Gems were shocked to see Steven standing in front of Peridot, protecting her with his shield.
"Steven! What are you doing?!" Pearl practically screamed.
"I know you think Peridot is bad! But she's not! She's just misunderstood and she's just following orders! Even if she doesn't choose our side-" Steven looked behind him, seeing Peridot shaking with fear, her eyes wide and her mouth open. He started to put away his shield.
"I know she has good in her. She has feelings- just like us! We can't trap her in a bubble forever! Please understand. Peridot is my friend."
Emerald looked quite at war with herself, and she started to unfuse.
"Oof!" Sunstone landed on the ground, her feet extended out.
"Ah!" Aquamarine fell face-first onto the cave's floor.
Sunstone quickly ran to Steven's side.
"Steven..."
Aquamarine turned her nose up, her arms crossed and eyes closed in defiance.
Peridot backed away.
"I-I- You just- I- Uh... You-You saved me!"
Steven looked at his friend with sympathetic eyes, and nodded.
"I-I-" Peridot stopped talking and ran off, her machetes poofing away.
[Short time skip: Walking to the warp pad]
No one talked on the way to the warp pad. Sunstone and Aquamarine were still unfused, and weren't talking to each other. Steven was standing by Sunstone, no one else speaking to him. He rubbed his arm, feeling guilty about what he did.
He had no idea what Peridot was set out to do.
So was defending her wrong because her bubblement was for the greater good?
Or was it right because he was standing up for what he believed in, and what he believed was right at the time?
The sun was rising. Steven would probably receive some sort of punishment when the Gems decided to talk to him. The six of them boarded the warp pad wordlessly, and went home.
Steven silently changed into his pajamas, and climbed into bed. The gems disappeared into their rooms, not saying anything to the young gem. Sunstone and Aquamarine stormed off into another room.
"Goodnight, guys," Steven said loudly, even though he knew no one was listening.
"Goodnight, Peridot..." Steven stared out the window.
"Good luck."
