Pearl was terrified.
She loved seeing her Diamond so happy. She loved being free to explore Earth, to defend the organics that lived there. She thought starting a rebellion, driving Homeworld from this system would be the perfect solution to the oncoming catastrophe.
Now she was standing in a palanquin she no longer felt safe in, holding a sword too large for her, about to end a war that had gone on for centuries.
"I never want to look back."
Pink Diamond's hands placed Pearls over her mouth. She didn't resist. She couldn't. She was just a Pearl. A servant, a pretty toy on the heels of a tyrant.
She did what she had to. She shattered Pink Diamond. She never looked back.
How could she? She was just a Pearl.
—
The white light faded. Rose's shield faded from existence as they realized what had happened. Gems littered the ground, both broken and whole. Pearl's friends, comrades...gone.
Ruby and Sapphire hit the ground with a dull thud. Rose stared at the sky in silent horror as ice covered the ground, casting a grim blue light on the faces of the four survivors.
Pearl ran.
Far and fast. She had to get away. If she had run away, far away, from Pink Diamond, from Rose Quartz, this never would've happened. Who else would have aided her? Who would have shown her the Earth?
For the first time, Pearl started to regret her decision.
—
Pearl was quiet, and Garnet was concerned. Despite the excitement of the temple, the artistic opportunities of the statue, Pearl remained silent. Stoic. Closed off.
"You can talk to me, Pearl."
She shook her head. "No."
"Pearl-"
She covered her mouth and shook her head.
Garnet didn't quite understand for millennia.
—
"Pearl... Did you shatter Pink Diamond?"
Panic hit her. What was she supposed to say? 'Yes Steven, I shattered Pink Diamond and I'm letting the Diamonds target you instead!' How could she possibly explain the thousands of years of silence she had endured when she couldn't even tell him who he was? Whose legacy he had inherited?
"I..."
—
"Where's Steven?"
To be honest, she was surprised Amethyst had noticed so quickly. She knew it was harsh, but Quartz soldiers aren't exactly perceptive.
"He's finding my...phone. In my gem," she said. "To put the case on it!"
Garnet seemed dubious, but Amethyst accepted it. "Well geez P, how'd you lose something in your own brain?"
"It...happens. Sometimes."
She shrugged. "Whatever. Hey, what if he finds out an embarrassing secret?"
"Amethyst!" Pearl exclaimed. They quickly fell into the familiar cycle of bickering as Garnet stared on in bemusement.
-
"Mom was Pink Diamond."
Finally, Pearl was free.
