Chapter Text
The first time Peridot corrupted, she didn’t even realise.
It had been a regular day. Well, that was a lie. It had been an awful day full of hurt and betrayal, what with Lapis taking the barn and leaving her there to be alone again. Abandoning her like Homeworld and then Jasper. She was so intensely affected that it manifested physically in little ways, so subtle that she didn’t notice.
She had been in Steven’s bathtub, curled up in a blanket and crying softly. She had curled up in a ball, tears falling down lime cheeks and falling onto the plush blanket. A feeling not unlike pure agony had enveloped her, dragging away any semblance of hope that things could return to normal.
She should’ve known then that something was wrong, but she ignored the ache, focusing instead on not crying out. This was her problem, not anyone else’s, and as much as she wanted to go crying to Garnet or Steven, she couldn’t. This wasn’t their issue.
The next time had been after the fight with the Diamonds. She had gotten occasional aches every so often when she got frustrated with a project, and she had to be careful not to get too excited when watching Camp Pining Hearts, but never anything like the overpowering pain she had felt on that day when Lapis had taken everything from her.
After she had regenerated, one of the first times she had ever regenerated, she had had to sit there for a moment, resisting the urge to cling to Bismuth. She could not show weakness in front of such a commanding gem. She refused to show weakness. This pain was blinding, but she could deal with it. What she couldn’t deal with was the creeping, growing seedling of knowledge that something was wrong.
The most recent time she had felt it was now. She could feel the cracks growing, breaking apart the facade that she was fine. She was fine. She was totally fine. She just had to sit. The pain probably just came from an old injury or carelessness, but that seedling was a field of doubt now. She knew something was wrong with her.
She should have noticed the first time when she knew her hair didn’t grow, especially like that. She should’ve noticed when her teeth became sharper and fangs began to grow. She should’ve noticed when her skin became tough, like the metal of her Limb Enhancers. She should’ve known when little horns began to grow through her poof of hair.
Now she was forced to know, the horns grown so much she couldn’t hide them anymore, and her fangs growing to a length where they were uncomfortable. She knew because as she stumbled into the main room of the shared house that she lived in with Lapis and Bismuth, she could barely stand. Her form wasn’t meant for bipedal travel anymore, forcing her to the ground as her legs ached and shifted.
She cried out this time, unable to hide her struggle as she tried to get back on her feet. Robotic claws dug gashes into the stone floor as her new form began to take hold. Her hands changed before her eyes, shifting similarly to her legs. They resembled her Limb Enhancers, if they were actually a part of her.
Just as she thought about just letting herself become corrupted, The figures of her two best friends rushed in. As much as she wanted their company, her mind raced, warning her of how much she could hurt the duo simply by being near them. She’d scraped the floor without even trying, what could she do to them..?
“Peridot!?” Bismuth cried, rushing over. Lapis followed, though made a decision to grab Steven instead.
In the moment, Peridot made a decision too. She decided she didn’t want to hurt her friends any more than this transformation already would. So she used her power, pushing away the approaching gem as much as she could. Bismuth was made of diamagnetic material, the sort of stuff that repelled away from Peridot’s kind of magic. It was often inconvenient, but in this situation, it was helpful.
“Peridot! Let me help!” Bismuth had been flung into the far wall, knocking a table over and making Lapis’s painting’s rock. Peridot simply shook her head, tears falling down her face.
“Peridot!” Bismuth’s cry of pain, emotional and caring, almost made Peridot reconsider, but she couldn’t. She had to protect her friends.
“Peridot, please- Let us help!”
Peridot looked up. Her light green eyes had shifted to that of a darker hue, her jaw contorted to display rows of sharp teeth. Her jaw looked almost mechanical, like the rest of her body certainly did, and horns continued to spiral through her hair. She was still crying, trying to get back on her feet despite her now animalistic frame.
Peridot’s magnetic field faltered, and Bismuth took a careful step forward. After the second, and then the third and fourth, Bismuth ran towards the corrupting gem, arms outstretched for a hug. She fell to the ground, holding Peridot in hands half the size of the little gem. She really did seem so little like this, corrupted and crying.
Peridot clung to whatever sanity she could as she wrapped her arms around Bismuth’s waist. She didn’t want to hurt her friend. She didn’t want to hurt Bismuth. That was what kept her grounded.
Peridot found it harder and harder to resist the urge to fight back, glad her half formed claws were too dull to pierce the tough skin of her blacksmith companion. It surprised her when Bismuth noticed this turmoil and gave her a hand - literally. Bismuth knew Peridot liked to bite, it was just something she did, so corrupted Peridot would be no different. Well, there was a difference, corrupted Peridot had rather sharp teeth and a habit of being defensive.
When Lapis came rushing back in, she found a sight that made her metaphorical stomach do a flip. Peridot seemed so.. different. She was so animalistic and feral, she was scared there was no Peridot left to save, but one glance at the blue gem and she was back to trying to stand.
Peridot tried to form words, but all she managed to do was make a series of mechanical whirrs and clicks. This made her more frantic as she tried to escape Bismuth’s lap, falling on account of Bismuth’s now free hands.
Steven said something the little gem couldn’t understand before taking a step towards the corruption. Peridot lashed out, attempting to bite Steven before settling down a tad. He wanted to heal her. He could heal her. He could heal this.. right? He could heal corruption..?