#i truly am one that appears & poof for a whole month huh?

[damianito]

Cat against cat crime

[minijenn]

Past and Self Reflections

A sequel to Much Needed Comfort

Peridot woke up to a strange sensation.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t the new sensation of waking up in the comfort of Lapis’s arms.  Rather, it was the sensation that she was laying down on a cold, hard surface.  Peridot slowly opened her eyes to properly assess her surroundings.  At first, the Gem technician just thought that she had fallen off the hammock while she was asleep and landed on the barn floor.  However, she was met with a different sight that she was also rather familiar with: space.

Peridot gazed at the twinkling stars in absolute shock and awe.  She looked down to her feet to see that she was standing on a green, glass-like surface.  There was something eerily familiar about the surface, however she put her finger on it.  She then looked around to see that there were what appeared to be five short columns with the same green coloring.  Peridot then peered at what was between two of the middle columns and was shocked.  The blue ocean mixed with the green landscapes was without a shadow of a doubt the planet that the green Gem came to know and love; Earth.

That was when Peridot was starting to realize were she was.  Those weren’t green columns surrounding her, they were fingers.  She wasn’t just standing on a floor, she was standing in the middle of a palm.  In spite of all logic and reason, Peridot was back on the Hand Ship that she took to get to Earth all of those months ago.  This time, the ship appeared to be floating in the Earth’s upper atmosphere; positioned as if it was holding something in the palm of its hand.  While the Gem technician was able to figure out where she was, there was still one other thing on her mind.  How the heck did she go from cuddling with her roommate in their barn to standing on a ship that reminded her too much of her dreaded past.

Peridot would soon get her answer from one of her greatest nightmares. 

The green Gem began to hear a soft sound, which was rather odd consider that she was in space.  The sound seemed to grow louder and louder as time went on, and Peridot was slowing able to make it out.  It sounded like laughter, of all thing, which only confused the Gem technician more.  As the laughter became louder, it seemed like it was resonating all around her.  The laugh was finally loud enough for the green Gem to recognize it.  It was a rather loud, high-pitch laugh that had somehow had a hint of sadism in it.  That was when Peridot’s mind suddenly went blank and her breaths became short and ragged from terror.

“No,” she muttered under her panicked breath.  “No, this can’t be happening!  There’s no way that this is happening!”  The green Gem couldn’t face the one who had shaken her to the core, not again.

“Oh it’s happening, Greenie!” Peridot turned around in absolute horror.  She came face-to-face with a figure that had been burned into her mind.  The single, silted eye seemed to pierce right through her soul.  The bright yellow light emitting from the triangular form was slightly stinging her eyes.  The cane that the demon was holding made her flinch every time it got close to her.  Bill Cipher was just as menacing as she remembered him on that day.  The day that marked her darkest and most embarrassing moment in her entire life.  That’s why it was no surprise when Peridot gave a frightful scream after confronting the dream demon.   

The dream demon only gave a sadistic laugh at the green Gem’s terror.  “Well well well,” the demon said as he floated down to the terrified Gem.  “If it isn’t my good old buddy, Greenie!  Haven’t seen you in a long while!  Not since our last visit, huh?  Man let me tell you, I’ve been around the block for a while now, but you were probably the easiest person to mess with!  And your reaction was just PRICELESS!  You should’ve seen the look on your face when I-“

“STOP!” Peridot shouted at the dream demon.  Just thinking about what Bill did to her in the past just caused her to shiver all over.  She could even bare to hear the demon mention it with such glee.  “Don’t you DARE bring that up again!  You will not hold that over my head forever, and I will no longer be intimidated by you any longer!” she yelled at the sadistic triangle.  Peridot tried her best to put on a brave face against the demon, but her fear was still festering in the back of her mind.

Bill was quiet for a moment, but Peridot could have sworn that he was holding back a snicker.  “Ah whatever, Greenie.  I’m not her to talk about the past, as hilarious as it is!  Tell you what though, I’ll make it up to you!  Here’s a little gift from me!”  With a snap of his fingers, the demon’s “gift” instantly materialized on the Gem technician.  When she looked down, it appeared that there were heavy, metallic cylinders had encased her arms and legs.  Upon closer inspection, Peridot was able to recognize that they had a similar appearance to her old limb enhancers.  The only difference was that the fingers and feet were missing, leaving the green Gem completely unable to move her hands and feet.  Needless to say, Peridot was far from amused with her new constraints.

“You like ‘em, I made them just for you!” the demon gloated.  “These babies will make sure you can’t use those dumb metal tricks that your apparently so proud of.  And they can let me do this!”  The dream demon snapped his fingers again and Peridot’s arms were suddenly pulled to the ground.  She tried to lift herself off the floor, but it appeared that the was magnetized.  Her new constraints were attracted to the magnetizing force, causing the green Gem to remain on her hands and knees in front of Bill.  “Grrr, why are you doing this, you cretin!  Are you just trying to embarrass me for some sick entertainment?!” the Gem technician protested.

“Normally, that would be the case, Greenie,” the sadistic triangle said, folding his arms behind him.  “But this is pure business.  You see, I like to think that it’s my job to wake people up from their sappy little fantasies they sometimes have and get them back on track.  And you got it really bad, Greenie!  What with this whole ‘turning over a new leaf’ garbage!  Why the heck are you trying to change?!”  The green Gem gave the demon a confused look.  “What are you talking about?” she asked.  Bill rolled his eye and wrapped his arm around her.  “I’m talking about how you’re trying to be a goodie-goodie two shoes now!  It’s turning you into a pathetic loser!  I mean, let’s look at how you once were.”

With another snap of the demon’s fingers, a figure suddenly appeared in from of them.  Peridot instantly recognized the figure as how she looked when she was still aligned with Homeworld.  But at the same time, the green Gem had a difficult time recognizing the Gem in front of her.  Standing tall and rigid, the old Peridot towered before her thanks to her limb enhancers.  Her face was cold and unempathetic, betraying no emotion other than indifference.  She looked hard into the clone’s eyes, but could only find a dark, empty void.  While the current Peridot was reflecting on her past appearance, Bill decided to interrupt.

“See, now THIS is someone with potential!  Look at the cold, dead expression in your eyes!  Look at that dedication to the suffering of other just to impress her superiors!  Sure, you were a little rough around the edges, but nothing a little polishing from yours truly wouldn’t solve!  You could’ve gone so far on this pathetic rock!  But now…”  The dream demon poofed the past Peridot away with the flick of a wrist and went in front of the Gem technician.  “You’re just a pathetic weakling!  No authority, no limb enhancers, just another embarrassment that has to stand on her tippy-toes just to reach stuff on the top shelf.  You totally fit in with those Crystal Chumps!”  Peridot felt rather hurt at the demon’s insult to her appearance and physique.  The loss of her limb enhancers had been a rather difficult adjustment for her in the beginning.  Not only were there the physical obstacles very apparent, but she didn’t help but feel somewhat inferior without them.  However, the Gem technician then remembered some words of wisdom that a certain hyper-active girl gave her.  “Mabel said that I’m perfect the way I am,” she stated with resolve.  “And she also said that anyone who thinks otherwise are just a bunch of jerks that don’t deserve my attention!”

Bill paused for a moment before he started bursting out laughing.  “Wait wait wait, you’re telling me that your taking advice from Shooting Star?!  That is the most HILAIOUS thing I’ve heard all day!  Take it from me Greenie, her and the rest of the Pines family are a bunch of shady liars!  They’re all too afraid to voice their actual feelings and opinions about others, so that just put on convincing faces!  Why else do you think Pin Tree is pretending to be so nice to you?!”  Peridot was confused for a moment, but she was finally able to figure out who he was referring to.  “Wait, what do you mean Dipper is pretending to be nice to me?  He’s already forgiven me for what I did for Homeworld, even though I may not deserve it.” she said defending her relationship with the boy.

“Oh really?!” the dream said.  The Gem technician then became rather alarmed when Bill suddenly grew larger.  “Then why don’t we take a look at what he really thought about you when you were trying to redeem yourself!”  The bottom half of the dream demon suddenly cut to static from a screen.  When it cleared, Peridot saw what appeared to be footage of Dipper and Steven in mid conversation down at the Mystery Shack.

“I don’t get it Steven, why do you trust her so much?  You do remember all of those things she did to us, right?!” Dipper said in a frustrated tone.  “Come on Dipper, I know that she did some bad stuff in the past, but she’s really trying to help us with the drill now.  Give her a chance!” Steven defended the green Gem.  The inquisitive boy was getting frustrated now.  “Give her a chance?!  After she tried to kidnap you and the Gems?  After she insulted us time and time again?  After what she did to Lapis?!” Dipper shouted out.

Steven was rather appealed by this exclamation.  “Dipper, that’s not fair!  You know that Peridot didn’t trap Lapis down under the lake, that was Jasper!”  Dipper just gave an aggravated sigh.  “I know that Steven, but that doesn’t excuse her involvement.  She could be the same Peridot that tried to destroy Earth.  The only reason she’s helping us in the first place is because she’s in as much danger from the Cluster as we all are!”  Dipper then turned away from the young Gem and folded his arms.  “When all this stuff with the Cluster is taken care of, I think we should bubble Peridot again.  It’ll be safer that way.”

The young Gem was quiet for a moment, unable to respond to such a terrible plan.  “Wait, what?!  Dipper, we can’t do that to Peridot!  She really is coming around, I know it!  We just have to trust her and I know she’ll-“

“No!” Dipper interrupted Steven.  “I’m tired of being fooled and taken advantage of!  Peridot hasn’t changed, she’s still the same terrible Gem that will stab us in the back when she gets the chance.  And that’s who she’ll always be.”

The screen cut to static and Bill returned to his usual size.  “Yeesh, talk about trust issues, am I right?!” the demon gloated.  “I could just feel the scorn and distrust pouring out of Pine Tree’s mouth!  I guess he really did never have any faith in you, Greenie!  And have a gut feeling that he still has some of those feelings deep inside of him too.  Hatred like that never really just disappears like that.  And to think, you were actually trying so hard to get on those meatsacks’ good side, and Pine Tree still thought that you were a monster!  How does that feel?”  Peridot’s arms were still constraint to the ground, so she couldn’t stop the lone tears that were streaming down her face.  The green Gem had always assumed that Dipper was not as accepting to her as Steven and Mabel was when they were working on the drill.  She didn’t have to read minds to know that the boy was still distrustful of her back then due to past allegiance to Homeworld.  But to now actually hear him say that with such genuine conviction was just too much for the Gem technician.

“But…Lapis told me…” Peridot muttered, trying to recall the conversation she had with the blue Gem a little while ago.  “Yeah, how about we talk about Water Wings,” Bill interrupted the Gem technician.  “And how much of a dumb move it is to actually count on her.”  Peridot was taken aback at the dream demon’s outrageous claim.  “In case you haven’t noticed, Water Wings is a complete coward that only cares about herself.  The second danger gets to close for comfort, she’ll flies away on those puny wings to save her own gemstone!  I bet that if you were in danger and you were reaching out to her for help, all you would see is her back as she’s flying away from you!  Who would be stupid enough to trust anything someone like that says?!  The only time when she actually thinks about someone other than herself is when it involves Pine Tree or Rose Bud.”

Bill then summoned two symbols in engulfed in blue flames in each of his hands; Peridot recognizing them as Rose Quartz’s insignia and the pine tree symbol that was on Dipper’s hat.  “I have big plans to finally show those two where their place is,” the demon stated.  Peridot slightly cringed when Bill slowly crushed the symbols in his hands into nothingness.  “And Water Wings was freaking out when I told her that!  So, I made an offer to back off as long as she promised me a small favor.  She refused of course, but I could definitely see the doubt running through her mind.  All she needs is a little….incentive with making a decision.  That’s the thing about sentimental cowards like Water Wings, they’re just too easy to manipulate…just like a puppet!”

Peridot took a deep breath, something inside the Gem technician’s mind finally snapped.  She didn’t know whether it was from the threat Bill made to the boy, the unnecessary soiling of Lapis’s good character or just Bill’s carefree attitude about this in general.  Peridot only had one thought going through her mind: She had enough.  “Listen closely,” the green Gem mutter before converting to angry yell.  “I will not let you talk bad about me, Dipper, Steven and ESPECIALLY Lapis anymore.  I do NOT need my limb enhancers to feel like I’m powerful and confident about my self-image!  I do NOT need to be shown what Dipper USED to think about me, because I know that he has forgiven me now!  And I do not need you spilling out constant lies about Lapis!  She does care about me along with Dipper and Steven and I know that she would never take a deal with the likes of you!  So how about you do something useful, and leave me alone.  YOU CLOD!!!”  Silence filled the air as Peridot finally finished her tangent.  The green Gem couldn’t help but feel a sense of low-key satisfaction from what she just told the dream demon.  However, that feeling soon dissipated as she saw Bill float down to her.  He did not look amused.

“Well, I bet you feel clever about insulting me like did to Yellow, Greenie.” The demon said in a cold tone.  “Fortunately for you, she was halfway across the universe when you did.  Why don’t show you what really happens when you speak up against your betters.”  But Peridot could even think, Bill struck her in the face with the back of his hand.  A sharp burning was felt across the Gem technician’s cheek.  And because her arms were still constrained, she couldn’t caress her injury to ease the pain.  The stinging was so bad, new tears start to emerge from the green Gem’s eyes.  “Bet that brings up some good memories from back on Homeworld, huh?  You may think that you’re strong now, but I think you just have to be reminded about what you really are.  A lousy peon who can’t take orders even to save her sorry existence!”  Bill then floated away from the Gem he just struck.

“Well it’s been fun Greenie, but I have other matters to attend to.  I don’t think someone as pathetic as you deserves more of my time of day.  So just remember to think about what I told you now, before it’s too late and I have to do something drastic!  I’ll be keeping eye on you, so don’t be getting any crazy ideas about ‘acceptances’ or ‘strength’!  See you later!”  Bill Cipher then emitted a bright flash and he was gone.  Peridot thought it was over until she felt the ground tremble.  The fingers of the Hand Ship began to rise into the air and close in on her.  The Hand Ship was slowly balling up into a fist, leaving the Gem technician to be crushed in the middle.  Her metal constraints were still firmly attached to the floor, leaving the green Gem no chance of escape.

The only thing she could do was scream at her oncoming demise.

Peridot was shrieking uncontrollably as she was struggling to free herself from the tight grasp she was in.  The green Gem did everything from kicking to thrashing, trying to free herself from Bill’s hold.  After a full minute of this, she was finally calm enough to hear the voice talking to her.

“Peridot!  PERIDOT!  Calm down, it’s just me!” Peridot heard as she was suddenly turned around face her captor.  However, instead of facing the one-eyed demon, she was looking into the soft, gentle eyes of Lapis.  The green Gem quickly scan the room to confirm that she was still in the hammock in the barn.  She then looked back to Lapis and noticed the shock and worry in her face.  “Peridot, what happen?!  Why were you screaming?!  Are you hurt?!”  Lapis then lifted her hand to caress the green Gem’s check, only for her to wince in pain.  Peridot could still feel the sting from when Bill struck her.  The memories of the encounter were flooding back into her mind with excessive details.  Peridot then couldn’t stop herself from suddenly giving the blue Gem a tight hug.

“Lapis!” she cried out.  The Gem technician was starting to uncontrollably sob.  “I’m sorry!  I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner!  Bill came to me in a dream!  He said things that really scared me!  He reminded me of what he did to me a month ago!  I didn’t tell you because…because…” Peridot couldn’t finish as she broke down into tears.  Peridot just cried for a minute before she felt Lapis gently rubbing her back, which calmed her down.  “It’s okay, Peridot.” The blue Gem whispered.

“You’re safe now.  You safe with me now.”

[rejectedusername-trashfics]

Make This Place Your Home: Chapter 6- A Fire Elemental Lights a Spark

Summary:Humans feared magical creatures. They created kingdoms so that they could protect themselves. So, creatures needed to create colonies and outposts for themselves to live now. This is the story of how the Achievia Trading Outpost came to be and how it’s residences discovered it. Prequel to Creatures of the Day 

Chapter: 6/7

Word Count: 1,325

First / Previous / Next / AO3

Everything in Achievia was a bit easier with the addition of magic. Everyone felt a lot safer in the building of the outpost once Lindsay had put protection charms on them. Griffon was relieved that everyone wasn’t trying to make her do all the work anymore and the construction crew was happy that their buildings were even better. Lindsay was also able to help Jack and Caleb improve their healing potions by providing more supplies and working on improvements for them. She truly was the witch of the outpost.

Lindsay was getting a bit tired of it all. When the resident artisan/everyman of Cock Bite, Jon, outpost came to visit, he was able to show her a camera that he was able to get out of a human kingdom that was lenient on creatures, called Bismuth. He introduced her to the human element of electricity. If she could get electricity for the outpost, her life would be a lot easier.

She talked to Geoff about this. “But we need magic here in the outpost,” Geoff argued.

“I’m not saying that we don’t. Without magic I’d be out of a job.”

“So, what are you saying then?”

“I’m saying that with electricity, things could run a lot smoother, and people wouldn’t have to just rely on me for living assistance,” Lindsay explained.

“Huh?”

“I’m tired, Geoff.”

Geoff smirked in pride. “That’s my girl.”

“I thought Griffon and Meg were your girls.”

Geoff ignored her. “We can trade with Cock Bite to get the human electricity for you.”

Lindsay smiled. “Thank you!”

And a few months had gone by and Achievia had gotten all the wiring, power outlets, lightbulbs, and appliances it would need. Geoff went to Lindsay’s hut once they had gathered all the supplies. “You do know how to set all this stuff up, right?” he asked her.

Lindsay’s eyes widened in realization. “Shit.”

“What?”

“I don’t actually know how to set this all up.”

Geoff narrowed his eyes. “So you’re telling me that you asked for all of this shit to use, and you didn’t know how to start using any of it?” he groaned.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!”

“Ha! Lindsay’s useless one now,” Ray, in his cat familiar form, called out groggily from the corner.

“Hey, weren’t you being a lazy asshole and taking a cat nap?” Lindsay called back.

“No need to shame me. But, I think I’m gonna get back to that,” he said, laying his furry head back down.

While this was going on, Jack was working in the clinic when he started to smell smoke. “What is that?” he asked. He took another sniff and started to choke. “Is that fire?”  He stepped out of the clinic and saw the smoke coming out of the forest. “Shit.”

Being a water elemental, he knew he could put out a fire. He didn’t actually know if he would need Caleb to help him too, but for the time being he was going to try and put it out on his own. He grabbed heap of water from the river and ran towards the flame. He found that the flame was coming from a young man that appeared to be on fire. He quickly threw the heap of water on the man. The flame quickly went out and the man fell to the ground, naked. He was coughing, but looked seemingly unburnt. “DUDE!” the man called out.

“You caught fire, so I put you out to save you. You’re welcome,” Jack replied as he walked over and picked the man up to sling him over his shoulder.

“You didn’t save me. And where are you taking me?”

“To my clinic. You seem pretty non-burnt considering how long you were on fire. But I want to give you a check up to make sure,” Jack answered as he walked back to the clinic, carrying the man.

“I don’t burn.”

“What do you mean by that?”

The man sighed. “I mean, I burn things, but I personally can’t burn,” he attempted to explain.

“So, what is it some pyromania magic of something?”

The man shook his head. “I’ve never really thought about it. I don’t know if species counts as that.”

“Species? You’re a-” Jack was cut off before he could finish.

“A fire elemental. Yeah. I was bored so I was messing around.”

“Okay, so I know you’re not burned. But at least I’m gonna take you back to my clinic so you can get some clothes.”

“Who’s to say I won’t burn those off too?”

Jack rolled his eyes. They got back to the clinic and set the man down on a cot. He ran off to find him some clothes. He grabbed some of Caleb’s and came back. “Here, you can borrow some of my assistant’s,” he said as he handed the clothes to him.

The man nodded. “Thanks.” He slid off the bed and began to put them on. “I’m honestly looking for a place to live, too. Could I stay here?”

Jack sighed. “Could I at least know your name first?”

“Michael. My name is Michael. Does this mean I can stay here now?”

“Look kid- Michael, you’re asking the wrong person.”

“Well, who do I ask then?”

“The outpost leader, Geoff.”

“Where is he around here?”

“I think he was working on something about human technology with the outpost witch, Lindsay.”

“Human technology, psh that shit’s easy,” Michael commented, sliding the shirt on.

“Well, why don’t I take you to her hut then? Maybe you could help them out.”

“Sweet!”

Then the two of them walked into Lindsay’s hut to see Geoff scolding Lindsay. “The whole human electricity thing was your idea. You should know how to start it!” Geoff yelled.

“How was I supposed to get the information to learn how to start it?” Lindsay yelled back.

“Research!”

“How the fuck was I supposed to get the research while we’re basically cut off from humanity? The only reason we were able to get all this shit is because Cock Bite is all buddy buddy with Bismuth!”

Jack leaned down to Michael’s ear, “Well, this is awkward.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “I can set this shit up,” he called out. He walked over to Geoff and took the lightbulb out of his hand. He snapped his fingers on his other hand. He touched it to the bulb and it lit up.

“How did you do that?” Lindsay asked.

“Electricity comes along with being a fire elemental.”

“You’re a lifesaver.”

Michael shrugged. “It comes naturally.” He turned to Geoff. “And are you the leader of the outpost?” he asked him.

“Yes, I am. What do you need?” Geoff asked.

“I’m looking for a place to live.”

Geoff sighed. “Why do all the people who want to live here meet with Jack first? Griffon’s should to be the outpost mom,” he murmured to himself. Then he turned back to Michael. “Can you set up all the human electrical shit?”

“Electricity is pretty easy for me. So, yeah, I can do that.”

“You’re hired. And that means you can stay.”

“Yes!” Michael cheered.

“I’m gonna go tell the construction crew they need to build another hut,” Geoff said as he exited. Jack followed him out.

“I guess that means we can talk and get to know each other because we’ll be sorta working together for a bit,” Lindsay announced happily.

“You seem pretty chill, so I’m okay with that,” Michael replied.

“You’re gonna be working with me too,” Ray called out.

Michael turned to see where the voice was coming from and saw a cat. “A talking cat familiar?”

Then Ray poofed back into his human form. “Shape-shifting familiar,” he corrected.

Michael shrugged. “Alright, I think I’m gonna like it here.”

“Hopefully you won’t be a useless as Ray,” Lindsay joked.

“Sue me,” Ray joked in response. Then the three of them laughed. Everything was gonna work out just fine.