I had to protect you

Chapter One - An unlucky mission

I couldn't wait, a mission. Though, the rest of the gems won't let me help, Steven offered to keep me company. Ha, if that helps. I tried to convince Garnet and Pearl, and all they would tell me was that I wasn't, "experienced." Even Amethyst agrees with them...

Pearl told Steven and I to stay with them, and when they eventually find the corrupted gem or whatever is causing a "disturbance", for us to keep our distance.

"I haven't heard anything like it!" Pearl started, as we warped to a forest. Perhaps this is why they wanted to protect the earth, it looked amazing! The others conversation started to grow quieter as I glanced around the island.

"And welcome to Mask Island!" Steven said, jumping in front of me. "Isn't is great?"

"Yeah.." I said tuning him out.

"Peridot, are you listening?"

I blinked, resuming my focus. "Yes-I mean- what?" Steven chuckled a bit, noticing my out of focus, and held my hand.

For a second I felt surprised and another feeling I can't really explain, I just felt really, weird. In a good way, if that even makes any sense.

Garnet stopped.

"What's the holdup-" Amethyst started only to have Garnet hush her.

The ground started shaking. I thought we had stopped the Cluster...

The three gems summoned their weapons. A giant robotic creature burst through the trees. This wasn't a gem. It looked like a machine almost, and I didn't want to be reminded of what I thought it was, either.

It was in a sphere kind of shape, having four metal poles to hold it up. In the middle of the machine, lied a rotating center piece, and a small circle, designed to shoot blasts of energy, if I'm correct.

That's when it started to shoot. I squeezed Steven's hand, backing away. I could only stare at it.

"Peridot, is everything alright...?" Steven said glancing at me. I didn't answer.

It was confusing. Pearl was at it with her spear, Garnet was punching it, and Amethyst was squeezing it. Don't they even know what it can do? They just dodge carelessly!

"Leave this planet, and never come back!" Said Pearl aggressively.

"Peridot, we can go back if you want-"

"Steven out of the way!" I shouted. Steven ducked, and the energy clashed against a tree, sending it forwards. We started running, and just as we got away from the tree's end, the crash from it tripped me, and sent me downhill to where the attack was. I felt a sudden jolt of sharp pain.

Oh no.

No..

no.

I squinted my eyes, and gritted my teeth. Why am I not poofed. No. That's not why. I just am not-... I tried to cover my gem, but the glitching had given it away. I looked up. Steven was blocking the way of one of the energy blasts, that had just been shot. Everything flashed before me eyes too quickly. Now, it was slower than ever.

"I won't let you hurt her!"

And that's when I did it.

"Steven!"

I got up, and tackled Steven down from the blast, only to look up at the others.

Except I didn't see them.

I saw something different, and was thrown backwards harshly.

I heard a crash or an explosion or something. I squinted my left eye shut.

I heard someone run over to me.

"Peridot...?"

I don't like this...

"Peridot, please get up!...?"

So I did.

"Steven! Are you okay?!?" Said a Pearl rushing over to him along with Garnet and Amethyst.

"Peridot..?" Steven mumbled looking up at me.

"What do you mean, 'Peridot'-" Pearl froze.

I was cracked. And, well not really, "corrupt." Homeworld had nothing else to get rid of us with, so they had tried to corrupt us.

You can heal a cracked gem, but not a corrupted one.