"I don't like being here, Steven," Connie remarked as she and her companion strode through the dark and desolate Kindergarten Facet Five. The Injectors cast eerie shadows across the breeding grounds, threatening and imposing.
The young female knight's hand instinctually grasped against the handle of her sword, which dangled off of her belt, displaying her deadliness for all to see. Steven noticed and gestured for her to let go. He wasn't ready to see people fighting again . . . especially not after what happened.
"I don't like it here, either, but I made a promise to Garnet," Steven said, extra softly like he was afraid to provoke the long-dead machinery around them. "Besides, it had taken me forever to finally convince them to let me go outside without a chaperone."
"My parents were like that too!" Connie exclaimed. "Trust me; it's a lot worse when it's your first time risking your life in battle, not to mention it was against aliens from another world. My parents thought I was going to die, and I expected it too. If it wasn't for Chrysoprase . . ."
"Yeah, we owe her a lot," Steven nodded, remembering the most colossal fusion he had ever witnessed. It was every Crystal Gem bound together for a last minute strategy: Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, Jasper, Peridot, and Lapis. She was enormous, threatening, and far beyond human-like. She was both wondrous and imposing at the same time.
A fusion such as her would have never been made if Yellow Diamond hadn't arrived on Earth with a full fleet of ships, ready to reactivate the Cluster and punish those who failed the original mission. It was widespread panic, seeing all of Yellow Diamond's power unleashed upon Beach City, destroying several parts of town that may never be repaired for all Steven knew. Chrysoprase was the most unstable fusion ever made, behaving more like an animal than an actual Gem and pretty much representing everything Homeworld thought of the Crystal Gems: anarchic, brutal, savage beasts. But her presence was all it took for Yellow Diamond to surrender; her booming voice could make ships fall out of the sky and into the sea and one swipe of her hand could send an earthquake down to deal with them.
It was a terrifying victory but it was one well-earned.
"Pearl's been worried sick lately," Steven said. "Seeing Yellow Diamond again triggered a lot of bad memories for her. It's the same with Jasper and Garnet . . . it was difficult for Jasper to see everything that reminded her of home. Peridot and Amethyst weren't there to see the first war unfold and Lapis was dormant inside of a mirror most of the time. I don't know how to help them."
"Do you think it might happen again? Another war, maybe," Connie asked nervously. She wasn't supposed to be involved in this and yet she was, wholeheartedly Steven might add. It felt wrong, knowing that she was entirely innocent and yet she was fighting for the Crystal Gems' crimes. She should've been protecting her parents, not Steven.
"I don't know," Steven admitted. "Garnet told me that the Diamond Authority wouldn't go down with one strike and it might not be as easy as one fusion next time. The other Diamonds might get involved, wherever they may be. And now it's not even about the Cluster anymore; they're furious with me."
"What did you do?" Connie prodded him on. If there was one thing Steven was certain about his friend, it was that Connie hated being left in the dark, like she was a burden.
"They thought Rose Quartz was dead for all these years, and they're confused about whether or not I'm her or not . . . but either way, they don't like me: for both having my mom's gem and being part human," Steven said quietly. It felt strange, bearing out his feelings like this to Connie and not the Crystal Gems. But Connie was much more approachable; she didn't have any attached memories towards Homeworld or Rose Quartz, she was an unbiased opinion. It was easier this way.
"If they ever show up here again, I'll be ready," Connie replied with a fierce look in her eyes.
Steven smiled in response, but now that the whole ordeal was over, he would much rather have his friend Connie back, not this stunning knight in shining armor. The old Connie was a lot less intense and laughed more often. For once, Steven wanted to feel human. He hasn't been getting that a lot lately. Sometimes, he forgot the fact that he was fourteen. He would often look in the mirror and see someone slightly more mature looking back, and then see it vanish and revert back to his chubby-cheeked self. It was confusing: did he want to be more mature or be young?
"What are we looking for again, anyways?" Connie asked.
"Signs of any Homeworld Gems anywhere," Steven answered. "Most of the time, we've been leaving that to Jasper and Garnet, but I wanted to prove to Pearl that I'm perfectly fine with leaving the Temple for missions."
"After seeing Chrysoprase, why would any Homeworld Gem ever stay behind?" the human warrior said as her eyes flitted around their surroundings cautiously, her hand readily grasping on her sword.
"Some sort of revenge mission, maybe out of loyalty, even?" Steven spit out ideas randomly. "The thing is that Homeworld Gems function a lot differently than the Crystal Gems. They would do anything to please their Diamond."
"It's almost admirable," Connie replied and Steven nodded.
"It's too bad that they work for Yellow Diamond, though," Steven said. "They might be perfectly nice Gems deep down."
"Not everyone is like that, Steven," Connie remarked.
"I don't believe that for a second," the Gem hybrid replied stubbornly and it cracked a smile from his friend, which made him laugh as well.
This was what he needed. A simple laugh with his friend Connie, it made him feel like there wasn't any pressure building up on him, making him feel like he was inadequate compared to what his mother did. It reminded him that he was still young, that there was someone who expected him to act young and be happy. It was relieving.
Suddenly, a noise interrupted their conversation. It wasn't threatening; it hardly sounded like a roar or a shot and it definitely wasn't something that could come from a corrupt Gem's mouth, in fact, Steven recognized that sound.
It sounded like . . . crying.
Nevertheless, Connie whipped out her sword, its blade gleaming in the darkness and casting a light on the human's face, showing her suddenly fierce scowl.
"Wait a second, Connie," Steven yelped, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. How fast Connie could go from an easygoing companion to a sharp warrior was almost frightening for him. "Nothing has threatened us yet."
"You said that Homeworld Gems might be ready for us," the female knight retorted. "I'm just being prepared."
"That didn't sound like a threat though," her friend reassured her. "I think it was actually crying."
"What kind of enemy would cry here?" Connie shot back.
"Who said they were our enemy?" Steven snapped and he began to follow the sound.
"Steven!" Connie cried and she immediately set off after him, still holding onto her sword.
The young boy proved to be getting a lot faster lately, as he always a couple steps ahead of Connie, who was also getting of training. She should feel a bit proud of him but she was preoccupied with making sure he wasn't going to get himself killed, like the Diamonds wanted. She loved that Steven cared so much about everyone around him even after what has been happening to him, but sometimes, it felt a lot more foolish than noble. Sometimes Connie wondered if this stemmed from the fact that he could control his age, and therefore, would never have a reason to grow up. What if he decided to never mature at all? Would even be a good thing; watching Steven be an eternal child?
Steven's search finally concluded at a hole that was shielded by the scattered parts of a boulder. And it almost looked like it was hidden on purpose. From behind the rocks, he could hear anguished sobs.
"Hey, don't be sad," Steven whispered. "You're not alone here."
Suddenly, the crying stopped. The young boy raised an eyebrow; he swore that it was this hole he heard the crying from.
"Steven!" he heard as Connie finally caught up to him.
"Connie, there's somebody in this hole, I think they might be trapped inside," Steven cried. He pushed at the boulders blocking the entrance. "Help me."
"What if it's someone dangerous?" the young soldier-in-training blurted out. "If there's really a Gem in there, then I don't think the Crystal Gems would like that."
"It doesn't matter if they don't like us or not, we can't let them get hurt like this," Steven implored.
Connie sighed as she put her sword away. "I know your heart's in the right place and everything but—"
The young boy didn't listen to her, though. He managed to shove one of the barricades away but now was struggling with another one, which was twice his size.
"Connie, come on," he pleaded, donning on the saddest pair of puppy eyes Connie had ever seen. Not even someone like Jasper could resist.
With an exasperated sigh, the female knight took out her sword again and sliced the boulder in half with one sharp strike, which elicited a surprised shriek from whoever was inside the hole. The rock bits crumbled away, revealing a curled-up figure, half shrouded by the darkness.
Once his eyes adjusted to the dim light, Steven gasped. He recognized the Gem inside.
He had encountered her a long time ago, and he never even gotten the chance to speak to her. And she likely didn't know of him either, unless her superiors had told her. Connie was still standing beside him, bewildered. She never seen this Gem before and had no idea why Steven recognized her. Her eyes widened even more when she saw how much the Gem curled up inside the hole looked like someone she knew.
"Steven, is she a . . ." she couldn't even complete her sentence. Connie was never supposed to see someone like her. She wasn't sure whether or not if she should be awestruck or ready to fight.
All Steven could do was nod in response. He would have never thought that she would end up on Earth.
Why Yellow Diamond of all Gems would even need to bring her Pearl to an invasion was beyond him.
Nevertheless, he reached out a hand towards her. The hole she was hiding in was large enough for him and Connie to crawl inside without having to squeeze for space but he didn't want to push it too far. For all he knew, she would try to attack him. Who knew what this Pearl has been subjected to?
It was strange looking at her in the eyes. It was like looking at Pearl herself but he knew that Pearl—his Pearl—was back at the Temple, possibly twiddling her thumbs, waiting for him to come home.
The resemblance was uncanny: same round eyes, same sleek graceful limbs, same pointed nose, and same porcelain skin that glistened even in a horrid place like the Kindergarten. But she was colored in a different way: in an array of pastel yellows and whites, unlike Pearl's more free-form colors. And while Pearl possessed pale blue eyes that were clouded with a thousand memories, this Pearl's eyes were sharp and haughty.
"Don't you dare touch me!" she shrieked before Steven could lay a finger on her. Her voice was similar to Pearl's as well, but it was much shriller.
"This is strange," Connie whispered. She was looking into the eyes of her sword instructor, but it wasn't the same. No matter how much she looked like Pearl, she wasn't Pearl. This was a Homeworld slave, a piece of the corrupt world that the Crystal Gems wanted so badly to escape and leave behind them.
"No, I'm not here to hurt you," Steven said softly, like Yellow Diamond's Pearl was a hurt child instead of the servant to his greatest enemy.
"Says the one who slashed my safety barrier," the Pearl hissed. "Now it's going to take forever to put it back together."
"Wait, so you put it there yourself?" Steven blurted out. "No one trapped you inside of this hole?"
"Why would they?" the Pearl snapped. "I was completely alone when I regenerated. I needed a safe place to hide from them. Now you ruined it!"
"Why are you here?" Connie asked and Steven noticed her hand moving towards the sword dangling from her waist.
"I didn't have a choice," she sobbed. "When my Diamond explained it to me, I thought that it would be a quick mission, that I won't have to do anything and we would take care it. But then our armada was faced off with some kind of . . . monster . . . and before I knew it, the ship I was in was blown out of sky by her roar and sank into the sea. It collided with the bottom of the ocean and I was poofed by the damage. My gemstone floated to the surface and I ended up on another coast. By the time I came to, everyone I knew was gone and the battle was over."
"Why didn't anyone look for you?" Steven asked.
The Pearl bit her lip nervously before answering. "Perhaps they had more pressing matters other than a lost Pearl."
Steven and Connie's faces softened with pity. She was abandoned and lost. Without her master, she didn't know what to do with herself. Now she was stranded on a plant she hardly knew and forced to live there.
"But I'm fine! Leave now, you're not even supposed to know why I was called here! You're only two humans after all! As if you can comprehend the reasons my Diamond needed to come here to this wretched place," she snapped, looking as if she could bite them. But as far as the two Jam Buds knew, she was harmless.
Then the edges of her silhouette suddenly warped and shifted, which caused the Pearl to shriek and crawl further and further into the shadows of her hiding place. Steven recognized that as well; he'd seen it happen to Amethyst and to Jasper.
Her gemstone was cracked.
The Pearl clapped her hands over the damaged stone on her chest and bit back another sob. "This can't be happening," she whispered to herself and it sent another pang of pain down Steven's spine, seeing her in pain like this.
It didn't matter if she belonged to Yellow Diamond or not, she was in trouble and she needed help. He knew what to do and he was going to aid her, even if she didn't want it.
"I know what you need," Steven cried, grabbing the Pearl's arm and ignoring the shrieking that was elicited from touching her. "Please, I can help you."
"How would you know? You're only just a human," she grunted, trying to pull back from his grasp.
"I can't explain it right now, but unless you want to get hurt from this, you need to trust me," Steven said, finally pulling her into the light.
"Steven, are you sure about this?" Connie asked as they dragged an extremely hesitant Pearl towards the Warp Pad.
"It doesn't matter if she belongs to Yellow Diamond," Steven whispered. "She's hurt and she needs someone to help her and I know how. That's all that matters. She's still a Gem, isn't she?"
A/N: You probably weren't expecting this for a sequel to Renegade Pearl. Most of you might've wanted a story where Steven revives Blue with his mom's fountain instead of this, but frankly, I don't feel comfortable with resurrecting character unless it's 100% confirmed that Rose's tears have that capability (I believe there's a difference between cracked and broken and if Rose could resurrect Gems, why couldn't she do that with the countless Gems she lost during the war?). Sorry if this isn't what you wanted from me but I liked the idea. Blue might not be guaranteed to be resurrected in this but she'll definitely be mentioned from time to time so at least you have that to look forward to. And since Steven can communicate with Gem shards, he might have an actual conversation with her (not sure how that would play out, though).
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