Peridot had never run so fast with their little legs as when they sprinted from the mysterious ladder to the light of the exit. They didn't hesitate, they look back once, they just wanted out.

The Gem burst out of the fortress at such a pace they ran right off the hill, lost footing and tumbled down the side. Their hands instinctively went to their gemstone, and by the end of the ordeal they were unharmed, if a little shaken up.

Still giddy from the fall, they tried and failed to get up, laughing at their good luck.

"I'm alright." They breathed as they looked back up the hill. "I gotta report this to Steven. Lion-"

The Gem turned, but all they could see was miles of flat shrubby land. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows.

"Lion was captured by that hand." Peridot stated to themselves. "I am now stranded. On a remote island. By myself."

They kicked some sand around.

"And I didn't tell Steven or Greg of my plan. That was a stupid miscalculation!" They shook themselves. "Anyway, I can work this out. I don't need them, I can just take some, nyuh, sand and... this stick! Yes, and then I can use it to... use it to..."

Peridot looked up at the imposing yellow fortress, and they sighed.

"Who am I kidding? There is nothing here; I can't rescue Lion! I can't do anything on my own!" They sat down, and tried to snap the stick they had found in two. It refused to budge, so after a moment they simply dropped it and buried their face in their knees, defeated.

And this time, they were utterly alone. The shadows lengthened, until the sun set and night washed over the hill. Crickets cheeped, creatures howled and still Peridot sat there all curled up.

They weren't actually that terrified now. In all honesty, they were bored.

Being defeated was boring, Peridot decided. Sure, they had had plenty of time to think, but after a couple of humiliating hours they really didn't have much to think about anymore except for what they were doing here.

What were they doing here, doing nothing? They weren't being productive, or even – as Steven said – enjoying themselves. They felt awful, a mix of guilt and shame and restlessness. And their back hurt.

And if they were feeling so awful sitting here, how much worse could doing something to save Lion and the Crystal Gems be?

So Peridot tentatively got up, and stretched. Then they turned on their gemstone light and began looking for something that might prove useful against the fortress. Already they were feeling just a bit better.

~Line Break~

"Alright Earthlings, listen up! It is regrettable, but you are my last hope for saving Lion and the Crystal Gems. This is the last full rotation before they reach Mars. Everything must go perfectly, and not a stone is to be told of our secret mission. Am I understood?"

A pack of five dingoes circled around Peridot, whining and sniffing. They were less interested in hearing what the Gem had to say, and more about how weird this strange new creature smelled: they couldn't get over it! Plus they had food, so it wasn't like they were going to go anywhere.

Peridot groaned. "Nyah, you clods are useless! Why do I always end up working with animals? I hate animals!"

The Gem was beginning to regret choosing the dingoes over the snake ladders. The idea had occurred to them as morning broke, but whilst out collecting snakes (the most harmless snakes in the world, Astroalia boasted) they had encountered a pack of these wild dogs who just wouldn't leave them alone. That combined with the sudden realisation that snakes don't make good ladders, convinced Peridot to switch to Plan B.

"You'll have to do." Peridot picked up a stick and tied a snake to it. "Everybody, charge!"

The group plodded up the hill, stopped to take a breath, then ran into the yellow fortress. The dingoes were barking excitedly and jumping around Peridot for the food, which they struggled to keep out of reach.

One of them bit their arm, causing the Gem to recoil and drop the stick. The wild dogs made short work of it.

"Ow! Hey, that's not fair!" The Gem briefly considered reaching in to retrieve the stick, but common sense quickly pushed that idea out of their head. "Stop it! This isn't part of the plan!"

That was when one very large dark hand emerged out of the darkness and clamped down around one dingo. The animal's cries alerted the others who yelped and scattered, leaving Peridot alone. After a very brief moment of frozen terror, the Gem came to their senses and high-tailed it back out of the fortress. They glared down at the deserting dingoes.

"So that plan was a complete failure." They stroked their chin. "Maybe I could have gone with snake ropes... but I can't climb adequately enough for that to work. Nyeh..."

It was then that Peridot became aware of a rushing noise, distant but growing closer, like a wave crashing against the shore. When they looked up, they perceived a large column of water arcing over the land, coming right towards them. That would have been strange enough if there wasn't any source of water within sight.

They yelped and backed up, but after a second they realised on the the top of the column was a flat surface, and on the surface was two figures.

"Steven?" Peridot frowned. Then: "Lapis Lazuli?"