It took Pink Diamond's Pearl a moment to even realize she was in her gem. Most alarming of all she couldn't remember why she had dissipated her form in the first place.
She took barely the briefest moment to stabilize herself before reforming in a place completely unfamiliar to her. It was obviously a Diamond's room, the ceiling was high and she was standing on a table maybe twenty feet in the air. A chair was to the left of it. Along the walls were stylized star charts with lights inset to them, causing the various celestial bodies to glow with light. The room was empty other than her. Pearl relaxed slightly and sorted through her memories.
Something...something was wrong she knew, something just beyond reforming in an unusual place. Something had happened to Pink Diamond.
The door opposite the chair opened and the towering figure of White diamond walked in. Alone. Pink Pearl curtsied low.
"White Diamond, your brilliance forgive me but what has happened?" She asked. She was almost positive she had breached some form of protocol, White Diamond's Pearl would have known and gently corrected her. But White Diamond's Pearl hadn't been in the picture for a thousand years.
The Diamond didn't acknowledge her for a moment, she stared at the walls and Pink Pearl saw a flicker of exhaustion fly across the monarchs face before it was replaced by an impassive neutral expression.
"Pink Diamond has been shattered." She turned towards the Pearl, walking towards her and finally sitting on the edge of the chair next to the table. Pearl's form went cold and for a moment she wondered if she had misheard.
"What she..but that's impossible!" She said drawing one hand over her gem and one to her mouth. White Diamond tensed and she turned to Pearl with the most intense stare she had ever seen.
"Are you doubting me pearl?" She asked coldly. Pearl fluttered backwards she didn't know if she was saluting or bowing.
"No my brilliance I apologise I didn't mean.. I... when?" her words almost came out in a sob this couldn't be real, this couldn't be happening.
"Five days ago, she was shattered by Rose Quartz just outside her palinquin." White Diamond said, she stood again and paced. "Yellow Diamond and I are waiting for Blue Diamond to reform then the whole affair will be ended as it should have been," Pearl didn't know if she should ask about Blue Diamond, was it her place to ask. Was it ok if she didn't care? Where did all of this leave her? Perhaps that was the most terrifying thought to wrack her being. What happened to a Diamond's pearl when the Diamond was shattered? It was a ridiculous question under normal circumstances.
"I..." She began again, White Diamond didn't react though she did frown, She remembered White Diamonds former Pearl saying that her diamond truly couldn't abide chatter like Pink Diamond did. "Why am I here your brilliance? If I may ask." she finally stammered out. White Diamond gave a long suffering sigh.
"Yellow has laid claim to the planet, Blue to the zoo, You are now my pearl." White Diamond said. The dread in Pearls gem intensified if anything.
"I...are...yes my diamond," Pink Pearl bowed as she had seen White Pearl do before and asked the only other thing she could think of. "Do you..should I reform to something more appropriate." A thin smile appeared on the diamonds face, one that really had no emotion behind it.
"That will not be necessary. Come along." White Diamond. She headed from the door. Pink Pearl frantically figured out how she was supposed to get down. She ended up leaping rather ungracefully from the table to the arm of the chair, to it's seat, to the floor, straightening her clothes as she moved quickly in an effort to keep up with White Diamond.
Thousands of questions and emotions flickered through her gem but she did her best to act like nothing was amiss.
Like it was perfectly normal for her to be opening the door for the impatient supreme ruler of gem kind.
Like it was perfectly normal to see Yellow Diamond sitting next to Blue diamonds Gem trying to act like she wasn't crying as she looked out into the expanse of stars surrounding the earth.
Like it was perfectly normal for Yellow and Blue Pearl to be standing by themselves in the opposite corner of the room, dealing with their own worries instead of the Diamond's for once.
White diamond dismissed her with a careless wave of her hand and moved quickly to Yellow diamonds side. Pink Pearl made for the two pearl and was immediately engulfed in a hug by Yellow Pearl.
"Thank the stars you're alright." She murmured. Pink Pearl stiffened slightly stunned, Yellow didn't like to receive hugs, much less give them.
"She was worried about you, we had no idea what had happened to you, after the attack" Blue said her voice possibly even lower than normal.
"I..I don't remember what happened." Pink said. She spared a brief glance at the two diamonds and averted her eyes when she saw White Diamond put an arm around Yellow Diamond. She tried to think back, tried to remember what had happened only to feel a sharp pain shoot through her gem, like she had cracked it.
"Don't try." Blue said softly putting a hand on Pink's shoulder. Pink nodded and gently felt her gem to insure it was still whole.
"I can't do this. I'm nothing like White." She said, keeping her voice even lower, as if speaking about the missing Pearl would summon her, or White Diamonds wrath.
"No and that's a good thing,she doesn't need another traitorous clod." Yellow spat.
"Yellow." Blue said.
"What you were thinking it as well!" Yellow said her voice rising to nearly a speaking level, Blue smacked a hand over Yellow's mouth, ,glanced at the two diamonds who were paying them no mind, and turned to Pink.
"You will be fine Pink, just do your best." She said.
"And what if my best isn't good enough?" Pink Pearl asked. Yellow and Blue looked at each other, and the question hung in the air, supported by the shards of an answer they all knew.