Lunge. Parry. Thrust.
Chapter One.
A Pearl's life was one of repetition, do this, do that, stand here and hold this. Look pretty, sing, please me. The details might change but the beats were always the same no matter what, some Pearls she knew found comfort in that certainty, that things always went a certain way but she always hated it. Not that she would ever say such a thing out loud.
Her diamond detested insolence, imperfection. Such things would not be tolerated in this new colony, the newest one she had been put in charge off by the other diamonds. Pink Diamond was the youngest of the diamonds and thus she was the weakest of the great diamond authority, the ultimate power of Homeworld that all gems answered too but she was still a Diamond, an ultimate and perfect life form and no gem would dare defy her.
Pearl sighed as she looked over the figures that were projected from her gem, she was well aware that compared to her sisters she was far better off than many of her sisters, all her Diamond ever asked of her was to do these tasks so she didn't have too, the worst she ever asked for her was to dance for her which was hardly the worst thing her Diamond could do to her.
She still shivered as she though about the stories of what Blue Diamond did to her Pearl.
She had seen her fellow Pearl only once back on Homeworld, the poor thing was subdued even for a Pearl and she had keep her head down and made no noise, not a whimper. Nothing. Nothing to risk angering her diamond.
Pearl knew that all things considered she was lucky, she even had her own chambers which was rare because a Pearl would normally be forced to sleep standing up or at their Gem's feet, but the repetition of her life bothered her. She knew that being a Pearl that being bothered by repetition was something of a flaw and if any Gem knew how she felt then she would be considered defective and the best possible outcome was that she would be shattered.
Pearl shook her head and cleared her thoughts before she shut off her projection, she needed to get these figures to her diamond. She would be punished if she was late.
She walked over to the door of her chambers and it slid upwards, she stepped out into the hallway beyond and began to walk down the crystal passageway of her Diamond's palace. It was a magnificent structure, built on to the side of the mountain and held up by four great pillars. Pearl sometimes looked down to see if she could see the bottom but it was too far down.
Sometimes, she wondered how long a fall it would be to the bottom.
As Pearl made her way through the castle she stopped when she heard grunting from inside her Diamond's personal stadium, Pearl looked down into the stadium and she saw that two quartz solders were battling one another, she couldn't identify there gems from here but they were fighting fiercely, one wield an axe the size of Pearl and the other was using a gigantic mace.
Pearl enjoyed watching the fights, the spars. It was often the best part of her day when she could watch them with Her Diamond, she didn't have to worry about any tasks set out for her she simply had to watch and enjoy the skill on display.
These had none of the skill that she observed in other solders, none of the grace, none of the form. They were simply trying to hit one another, relying only on their brute strength. It was not enjoyable to watch, to say the least.
She shouldn't even be watching, she didn't want to risk her Diamond's anger after all.
She hurried down the corridors and sighed with relief as she saw the doors of her Diamond's throne room loom before her with another four minuites, thrity-two seconds and six milliseconds to spare.
She pushed open the doors and stopped when she saw that her Diamond was not alone as she had expected her to be, there was another quartz solider in front of her but it was not just any quartz solider, with her pink ringlets and unusual form it was almost impossible to mistake Rose Quartz, the general of all their diamonds forces, for any other quartz.
The quartz's form, she had to admit, unsettled her quite a great deal, not that she would ever say such a thing out loud of course, she would never disrespect such a high ranking gem, she would never disrespect any gem. But the form was quite unreal, it was true that almost every gem had a humanoid form but the general had from that looked almost completely human with skin that looked like a great deal of the humans outside.
Pearl didn't know why such a respected Gem would want to look like one of those things out there, they were animals. One time she had seen one of them...eating. It had been a horrifying experience, the way it's teeth had mushed and grinded what it had put into it's mouth and the way it's neck convulsed as the mush was swallowed and then it came back out it, it was an utterly disgusting experience.
Rose Quartz had an angry expression on her face and their Diamond had an expression of barely contained irritation on hers, Pearl realised with horror that they were arguing. Why was this happening, you didn't not question a Diamond's decisions, you did not question her authority, you did not question a Diamond at all about anything. They gave you an order and you were happy to do it.
"My Diamond, please I beg of you. Do not do this, this planet is full of life, it's beautiful! We can't destroy all of that simply to make more solders and gain more resources. Please, the organic ecosystems generates plenty of resources on it's own. If we are careful then we can have a permanent supply, let me go in front of the authority and make my case." Rose Quartz pleaded, her wide eyes begging even while her face remained set in it's fury.
"No." Her Diamond said, her voice almost seeming to make the room shake or was that just Pearl? "This planet will be made into a colony and I will not have you wasting my fellow Diamond's time."
"But my Diamond!" Rose shouted but she was interrupted when Pink Diamond stood from her throne, she was taller than Rose, much taller. So tall in fact that the other Pink gem had to put her head completely back to look up at her.
"Enough! You are my general and I respect you and your tactics but clearly somewhere along the way you have forgotten your self, I am a Diamond and I will not be questioned! You are to leave my sight immediately or I will have you exiled from my palace, is that clear!" The Diamond shouted and Rose Quatz nodded in defeat before she turned and left the throne, only sparing a glance at Pearl and giving her a small, sad smile as she left.
Her Diamond breathed in and out deeply before she sat back down in her chair, she glanced at Pearl and beckoned her forward with a single hand gesture. "Pearl, I trust that you have the figures I asked you to bring me?"
"Yes my Diamond, the Primary Kindergarten is operating at peak efficiency , the beta Kindergarten is working at half the effenicy we expected..." Pearl wasn't really thinking as she rattled off the figures, her projection was doing most of the work for her.
All the while she talked all she could think about, was Rose Quartz.
A gem who had been brave enough to stand up to a Diamond.
End of Chapter One.
Well, here we are. My first Steven Universe fanfic, please be gentle but constructive criticism is more than welcome.