Steven Universe: Beyond The Mirror

This Is Peridot

The underground kindergarten access control room remains frozen in time through stunned silence as two pair of eyes lock onto each other. Two faces share quivering lips and bulging eyes as they blink them wider. Steven takes a careful, slow step back on the glossy surface of the platform as the screen draws itself back an inch.

Steven's body shivers as the figure on the screen puts a finger up, opening its mouth. The figure closes it and puts it's finger back down. The figure narrows it's eyes as its lips return its frown. Steven could feel his throat tightening, choking against the cold, dense atmosphere as he casts his eyes down. He gulps as the figure finally speaks out to him.

"Hello, little...thing?" The figure raises an eyebrow. "That just happened to end up in the Prime Kindergarten access control room." The figure keeps her voice firm as her mind explodes with thoughts for the first time since...the very beginning. "Tell me, how did you get in here?" Steven clasps his hands together in front of him as his face starts to sweat.

"I...um..." The figure leans in closer, her face taking up most of the screen on the monitor. "Did you get lost? Did you come to this place and you just happened to come across my robonoids? Is that how you got here?" Steven's skin goes pale as the chilling tone of the figure's voice thickens his skull.

Steven blinks his eyes shut for a moment. He opens them and he locks them right on the figure's once more. He shudders as he exhales. "H-Hi." The figure's face scrunches as Steven holds his breath a moment more. His heart quickens its beat as his brain rushes to come up with a cautious response. Finally, he opens his mouth...and he let's the words come out as he processes them in his mind.

"I'm...Steven. Steven Universe." The figure takes a moment to blink. "Well...hello, Steven." The figure turns its head away from the monitor. "Excuse me. One moment." The figure pulls up a screen within the screen as a peculiar hand pops up on the monitor. Its fingers are bright yellow, green pieces of chalk disconnected and freely hovering in the air over a dark circle on a gauntlet.

One of the fingers taps on the screen...then taps once more and holds to slide a dial to adjust the volume of her voice...even though to Steven it is hardly being raised from where he can hear her. "Log Date. 2. 20. 2. This is Peridot. I have-!" Steven jumps and he gapes. "Oh. Your name is Peridot." He attempts to smile. "That's a nice name."

Peridot taps a pause button on her screen, turning it into a play button as she gives a sideways glance. "Do you mind? You're disrupting my recording." Steven could feel his body steadily getting mobile as his voice receives its confidence. "Oh. Sorry." He finds his lips forming a wider, more genuine smile as Peridot turns back to her screen.

She taps the play button on her screen and she resumes her recording aloud. "I have just discovered more than simple artificial intelligence inside the Prime Kindergarten access control room. There appears to be an outbreak of Stevens here in the Prime Kindergarten." Steven chuckles. "No, no. I'm the only me around here."

Peridot's eye twitches. "Correction. There appears to be an outbreak of ONE Steven in the Prime Kindergarten access control room. It is already getting on my nerves--as you can tell by the sound of my voice!" She clenches her teeth as she grumbles into the recording.

"I am here in the Kindergarten Connection Center on Homeworld. Planet...I don't know anymore. It's just a simple task given out by my Diamond. It's my first time here and-!" Steven gawks as his eyes bulge. "You're from Homeworld?!" Peridot's cheeks heat up as Peridot jabs at the pause button.

She whips her body around, flashing a scowl towards Steven. "Alright, you pebble. What do you want?!" Steven blinks as his smile fades. "Oh. Did I...disrupt your recording again?" Peridot's teeth grind as her eyes bulge. "You most certainly did, you pesky little-!" Steven holds a finger up. "Wait. If you're from Homeworld, maybe...you could help me out?"