"My Diamond, the lustrous Yellow Diamond has arrived," a gentle voice announced twenty feet below the great throne on which Blue Diamond sat, rubbing a spot off of her chest gem.
"Thank you Pearl," she replied. Even in simple phrases, her slow drawling voice commanded authority, and all gems in the room subconsciously perked up to the sound. As she flicked away a spec of dust absent mindedly, a prick of anxiety nagged at the edges of her mind. Racking her brain, she couldn't figure out where the feeling originated; all ships had returned for the evening, only the Jasper battalion en route to Earth that had hit an asteroid was not accounted for. She decided it had just been too long since she had enjoyed the company of her sisters and the responsibility of war was taking its toll on her.
Just as she exhaled with the decision, the large entrance to her throne room opened with a whoosh of air, revealing her stronger half, Yellow Diamond.
"Good evening sister," she greeted. Her gravelly voice signalled each gem to stand quickly and bow, folding their arms into reverent diamond shapes at the elbows. With an uncaring flick of her wrist, they all resumed duty.
"It is always a pleasure Yellow. How are things? I know White couldn't make it but have you heard from Pink, she's not usually late," Blue Diamond asked, waving her hand over the button panel on the armrest of her throne causing a second, yellow chair to rise from the floor opposite her.
"Haven't even been in five minutes and you're already nagging. She'll be here, Yellow. You know those Amethysts are hardly competent enough to drive their own ships, let alone a Diamond liner," she laughed haughtily. Blue chuckled along good naturedly, but still could not ignore the growing sense of fear.
She looked to Yellow, her stronger half for guidance. Yellow Diamond had always been the most commanding of the four, second only to White Diamond, their most powerful sister. Blue naturally looked up to her in the times she questioned herself. She wished at times that she too possessed the incredible confidence that emanated from Yellow Diamond. Everything she did commanded authority in ways that Blue could only pretend. Although coming across soft, Blue Diamond knew that she could be ruthless when need be. She was a Diamond, after all.
As she stared at Yellow, lost in her own mind, she noticed that her sister had long since launched into a story of valiant battle, a scene Blue rarely saw herself. Realizing she had no clue where the story had begun, she looked over to her Pearl for help.
Looking down at her feet, she saw her own light blue Pearl conversing quietly with her sister's corresponding yellow Pearl. Many gems say that the nature of the Pearl reflects that of the master, and in this moment Blue could see in stunning clarity how much her sister's Pearl mirrored her.
As she spoke, her hands flitted about her face, pointing and waving for emphasis. She pointed her long slender nose into the air and laughed in the same arrogant way as Yellow Diamond did when talking down of another gem. Crossing her arms, the pearl looked pointedly at Blue Pearl for validation. Blue Pearl only nodded her head slightly, keeping her slender arms crossed respectfully behind her back and head down. Her bobbed periwinkle hair covered her eyes and ears in the same manner as many blue gems under Blue Diamond.
"Blue? Blue Diamond are you even listening to me?"
"Hm? Oh, of course sister. You were just to the part about those imbecilic Agates…" Blue muttered halfheartedly. She knew this was enough to satisfy her sister so she could launch into another story. What Blue was more interested in though, was the whereabouts of her youngest sister, Pink Diamond.
"Pearl," Blue said suddenly, cutting off her sister. Surprised by the sharpness of her request, her Pearl stood obediently.
"Yes my Diamond?"
"Call in a Sapphire, I require her ability."
"At once, my Diamond." Eager to please, she leapt with ballerina-like poise to the door and bowed quickly before exiting into the great hallway. The large doors shut loudly, the sound echoing around the remaining gems.
"Care to explain?" Yellow asked pointedly. Blue cowered inwardly at the stare of her annoyed sister, but pushed her timidness away. All her sisters harped on how emotional she always acted but she could no longer suppress the feeling.
"I have a...feeling."
"Please tell me you're joking." Yellow pinched the bridge of her nose. "I thought we decided it was time for you to push this immaturity away. I mean in the face of an interstellar war even, sister-"
"No, this is different. Tell me you can't feel it in the atmosphere, Yellow. I mean she hasn't even contacted the Diamond Line, if she would've been late don't you think she would've let us know?"
"She takes after you in a careless sort of regard," Yellow replied, standing from her throne and stretching her long legs. "Always so deep in thought." The bitterness in her voice struck Blue.
"Say what you will but I can feel it." Blue crossed her arms and turned away from her sister. The two exchanged no words until the entry way doors opened and Blue Pearl accompanied by a dutiful Sapphire.
"This is not your usual Sapphire. I was quite fond of her, is she off on errand?" Yellow Diamond asked, draping her arms over the back of her throne.
"You haven't heard? Her and a Ruby assigned to protect her...fused." Blue Diamond shuddered and Yellow Diamond looked irate. "And then to make matters worse, the abomination took off to join the rebellion, can you believe?"
"How disgusting, what a waste," Yellow sighed. The two turned their attention to the floor where the two blue gems waited patiently.
"Thank you for coming Sapphire, I am in need of an answer," Blue Diamond asked sweetly, earning a scoff from her sister. Contrary to the other three Diamonds, Blue was not afraid to be gentle to her subjects. Often when no other authority were around, she would take up her Pearl and share stories with her, even making her laugh. If any of her sisters were to know of the relationship between a Diamond Authority and a virtual slave, she'd never hear the end of it.
"Any way I can be of service," the Sapphire stated, sweeping her billowing dress in a low curtsy. She was a small gem, shorter than Pearl by two or three versions of herself. Her baby blue hair came to a curled stop at the tops of her shoulders, long bangs shielding her single eye from view. Her gem allowed her to see possible outcomes far into the future, making her a great asset to the Diamonds fighting the rebellion.
"Tell me, when will Pink Diamond arrive?"
The Sapphire grew quiet, concentrating in her mind but showing no emotion. The moments of silence stretched farther and farther until they had been waiting for several minutes.
"Well?" Yellow asked impatiently, earning a wave from Blue who remained quiet, staring at the Sapphire. Finally, she spoke.
"She will not." The words echoed off of the solid marble walls of the room.
"What do you mean?" Blue's face twisted in confusion but also with increasing anxiety.
"Speak up gem, act as if you are in the presence of royalty," Yellow demanded, quickly circling to the front of her throne and sitting down on the edge. In the same, sure tone, the Sapphire clasped her hands in front of her.
"I have explored every possibility, every outcome as far as my vision stretches, and in every one, Pink Diamond does not arrive because her gem is shattered."
No one spoke. Every gem in the room had ceased motion. Yellow and Blue Pearl stood, staring at the contorted expressions of their masters. The Sapphire stood emotionless.
Suddenly the entire room became cloaked in a thick blue haze. Motions seemed disconnected, giant blue tears erupted from the eyes of every gem. A heavy tear rolled out from under the hair of the stoic Sapphire. All eyes turned to to the source of the strange phenomenon, and they settled on Blue Diamond.
"Sister...please control yourself," Yellow Diamond choked, holding a hand out toward her sister. Enormous tears spilled down her front against her will, under the influence of the blue wave.
Blue Diamond sat, hands clutching the edge of her throne, her incredible depression cast out of her body and into the air, affecting everyone in the direct vicinity. Her emotions had always been powerful, and now she had no control. As everyone remained still, held captive with Blue Diamonds grief, she shook.
"By whom," she finally erupted through clenched teeth. Her own eyes swam, but she kept everything in the room under her thumb. In this shattering moment, she needed everything to be still so she could process. Even her nagging sister needed to be kept silent for a moment. Every gem seemed to be drowning in their own tears, suffocated by their own- Blue Diamond's- grief.
After a moment of struggling, the Sapphire gasped. "Rose Quartz."
In an eerily calm voice, Blue Diamond spoke. "Everyone in this room except Yellow Diamond and our Pearls needs to leave immediately. Sapphire, alert the Amethysts on duty to prepare my ship, I am going to Earth."
With the final word, the strange spell lifted, and gems found they could wipe their tears and move once again. Terrified and without reason, every gem in the room began running toward the door and within a few seconds, the throne room was clear minus the two Diamonds and their Pearls. After many moments, Yellow began to speak.
"I couldn't...Why did we not foresee this?" She asked the question but it was not directed to anyone. She laid her head in her hands and stared at the floor, her Pearl peeking timidly from behind her ankles.
Blue Diamond raised her fist and brought it down upon the button pad of her throne, shattering it and flinging marble shards in every direction. Her incredible sadness was contained by only a shred of self control. She felt a small hand touch her ankle and looked down to see her Pearl looking at the door, crying while hugging her leg. This was the only reason she did not allow her emotions to be unleashed on the room again. She could not hurt her Pearl the way she was hurting.
"I am going to Earth." Blue finally said. Yellow Diamond looked at her as though she said she was going to congratulate Rose Quartz on the assassination of her sister.
"You can't," she said, somehow finding a sternness to her voice.
"I will have Rose Quartz shattered, I do not care the cost," Blue said, already in motion. Her sister stood quickly and grasped her shoulders, spinning her around.
"Do you wish to meet her same fate? I will not have that maniac take two sisters from me today."
"How can you stand here and not avenge her?" Blue shouted, not understanding why her sister, the war hero and battle crazed gem did not want to take action. "What causes you to cower here?"
"We are not fit to fight, we will gather armies and launch an attack when we are ready, not when their cheap tactics cause a rise out of us."
"A rise? Is that all the death of Pink is to you?" Blue shook her sister's hands away. "I will have that gems head if I have your support or not."
"And how do you suppose you'll get to her?"
"My palanquin is in working order-"
"She was shattered right outside of her palanquin, Blue. My Pearl just received the Peridot's confirmation of the events. You will be completely exposed, hers for the taking."
Blue Diamond could not believe the lack of support and felt weak. She sunk to the ground and felt her Pearl rush to her side. She looked to her sister for support. To her surprise, Yellow Diamond straightened her vest, wiped her face and plastered the look of arrogance over her features once more.
"I will go take this report to White Diamond and request course of action. Promise me you won't leave homeworld," Yellow said, tightening the buttons of her sleeve.
"You're leaving me here?" Blue asked, looking up at her, hopelessly.
"Don't be dramatic, this is what we need to do. This is how we get Rose Quartz. This is how we avenge Pink." She began to stride to the door, her Pearl following closely behind. Blue crumpled.
"You were never as close to her as I was…" she whimpered, turning her back to her sister.
"I know." Yellow admitted after a moment of silence. "I will send Agates of my own to assist you for the next few days," she said, finality hinting at the edges of her voice. She just needed to get out.
"How are you so...unbothered?" Blue asked incredulously.
"Contact me if there are any emergencies," she brushed off and opened the doors, hurrying out and leaving Blue alone.
"It's only how she's dealing, my Diamond," her Pearl spoke quickly, knowing that any other time her comment would've earned her severe punishment. Blue Diamond stroked her Pearl's hair softly with her finger, large tears welling up in her eyes.
Small popping noises sounded above their heads, and looking up Blue saw opaque pink bubbles with individual shards of her broken sister's gem appearing, sent from Earth. They filled the space above their heads, casting comforting pink light on the floor around them.
"Nice to see you, Pink," Blue's voice cracked.