White Lie
Author's Note: This fic is based off of the mural. It is a part of my Scary!White series. I wanted to do a fic based only on this mural itself. I know it won't probably end up this way in the show. :T This was made more to occupy my time with headcanons until the show - if it ever returns - comes back on.
This acts as a prequel to Off-White. I know I thought I'd be done with this, but hell if I can't stop writing these little fics. XD
"War is too serious a matter to leave to soldiers."
- William Tecumseh Sherman
"She taught me all about real sacrifice. That it should be done from love... That it should be done from necessity, not without exhausting all other options. That it should be done for people who need your strength because they don't have enough of their own."
-Veronica Roth, Allegiant
By: VampireQueenAkasha
~O~
Fire.
Burning metal.
Rose's hand was shaking as she cradled the gem of Pink Diamond in her arms. She still couldn't believe that it'd happened. So fast. So quick. She hadn't seen how horrifying such a thing had been; not at first. But to truly hold the gem of a Diamond in her arms...
"Rose?" Pearl watched her with wide, frightened eyes. "Rose what do we do now?"
Rose didn't know. She really wanted to know. Truly, she did.
Humans often felt the roaring of blood in their ears. What Rose felt right now was quite the equivalent of that; a pounding shriek through her entire form. Now that it had happened, she couldn't stop shaking. She'd truly done it.
"We go forward," Rose told her, "That's all we do right now. But we do not take Pink Diamond to the rest. They will not understand."
Pearl shook her head, insistent. "Make them understand!"
Rose sighed heavily, as if releasing a great burden. The weight of Pink Diamond's gem began to bear down on her. She bubbled it, moments before she could reform. The attack had severed her form - Busmuth's sword was certainly capable of cutting through it as she had said. It would never have shattered a gem. Rose would not have that.
"I cannot make gems understand, Pearl." she reminded her. "They will choose shattering of the Diamonds. I don't want anyone to forget why we fight this war to begin with. That isn't what we are. That isn't what we should be. That is reserved for the Diamond Authority. We are not the Diamonds and we never will be."
"But - "
"No." Rose's tone was still gentle, but firm that she had meant what she said. "We will discuss it tomorrow in private. Just the two of us. There is a way we can end this war peacefully. Pink Diamond's gem may hold that opportunity."
Pearl still seemed to doubt that, but nonetheless, didn't argue further.
The smell of fire from gem weapons began to choke her senses, so she followed Rose as they made their way from the broken palanquin.
That evening, the battle had died down, leaving an uncomfortable silence at the campsite. Rose had kept Pink Diamond's gem away from her soldiers. She didn't like keeping such things from them, but she understood that their ferocity and anxiousness from the battles would complicate a potential plan she had to end the war in both favors.
Surely they would understand her decision later.
Taking Pearl aside away from the camp, she began to discuss her plan to meet up with White Diamond and bargain Pink for Earth. Pearl expressed horror in the choice.
"Rose, there's no way the Diamonds will take that deal!" she whispered, fiercely.
"White Diamond is rational," Rose assured her, "And diplomatic as she needs to be. I wouldn't make this kind of offer with Blue or Yellow Diamond. We've seen exactly what kind of responses they're capable of. White? I think if worded properly, she will take my offer."
Pearl took her larger hands in hers as much as she could. She gave Rose a pleading look and the other gem sighed gently through her nose. She shut her eyes, shook her head and slowly pulled her hands from Pearl's. The action seemed to wound Pearl and Rose smiled reassuringly.
"This war wasn't for me, Pearl. Remember that." she reminded her. "This is to free humans and gems from the Diamond Authority."
Pearl nodded, clearing her throat delicately.
Yes, of course.
O
There were many Roaming Eyes.
Rose stood alone in the battlefield of crystals and smoke, surrounded by an enormous army of Rubies who had been waiting for her at their vessels. Several of them were crouched low; they looked almost seconds from diving at her. She carefully watched each one of them, analyzing their every motion, every expression.
The situation may call for it, but I don't want a fight.
There was one Ruby in particular that watched her curiously, teeth bared like a dog. Instead of a left eye, her gemstone rested there in her head, glinting brightly.
Rose was cradling Pink Diamond's gemstone closely in her arms. There were a few collective gasps, a series of disgusted snorts and wide, shocked eyes from the gems around her. To think that a Rose Quartz would stoop as low as to wield the gem of her maker in such a way. It was a violation of everything they knew.
"Filth!" a Ruby spat. "How dare you put your hands on a Diamond?"
"We should shatter her for this!" another Ruby snarled, "Why wait? She is alone and without a weapon! We can all take her down!"
The Eyeball Ruby looked at them all. "No!" she hissed, "We wait for White Diamond! Rose is hers and hers alone!"
Suddenly, the smoke around them seemed to swell, flowing outwards to surround them like a warm, gentle blanket. Footsteps filled the air and the gems looked in its direction, breath stopping. Rose hid Pink Diamond's gem behind her for the moment.
Clack, clack, clack...
White hair.
Glinting silver armor as bright and shining as the sun.
A perfect diamond-shaped stone on her forehead.
Rose stood straight, clutching Pink Diamond's gem in her hands as White made her way through the smoke, a silent and eerie specter. To be in her presence at last brought the Rubies to their knees. They lowered their heads before the Diamond.
White Diamond regarded Rose below her with that air of grace and superiority that the gems of her status were wont to do. The armor she wore glinted off of her eyes, almost blinding the gem standing before the Diamond. Rose was not impressed by such immaculate airs. There had been a time when the Diamonds frightened her, but she wouldn't be swayed this time.
"White Diamond." Rose spoke strong.
"You have earned my attention," White spoke, her voice rolling out of her in an almost sensual purr. There was always an age to her tone, her manner of speech and her behavior. "You know who I am, yes?"
Rose nodded her head. "I know what you are." she replied, "I know you're a Diamond who uses the spoken word before her fists. I know you would hear me."
White chuckled gently, as if amused. "You have played this game quite long enough, Rose Quartz. I assumed your request for my presence meant surrender."
Rose didn't reply. Her mind raced with thoughts, unbidden.
"Yellow and Blue express interest in this new game you've played," White continued, "The Rebellion. The liars. The cheaters. Those who would bend their own free will at the expense of others. It's all the same to me."
"Pink Diamond - "
"Pink Diamond is love, Rose Quartz," White interrupted, watching her with unblinking diamond-shaped irises, "But I do not love you."
"No, but I know you're logic," Rose argued, keeping Pink Diamond's gem hidden behind her, "I know you would hear me. I know there's a reason you stand above everyone."
A thin smile lit White's face. "You presume much."
Rose slowly produced Pink Diamond's gem from behind her back. White's smile slowly drained from her face. It was the first change that anyone had seen in her. The mild widening of her eyes, the slight parting of her lips.
"Pink..." she whispered.
"There are many who would ask for her shards," Rose chose her words carefully and gently, "But my weapon can't break the gem. I simply dispelled her form. I want to strike a deal with you, White Diamond. Pink...for Earth."
White looked shaken, unable to fathom the idea that Pink Diamond's gem was there. In Rose Quartz's hands. Clutched like a common toy. She felt a true emotion stab through her core being. A scorching swell of agony.
What have you done.
WhathaveyoudoneWhathaveyoudoneWhathaveyoudoneWhathaveyoudoneWhathaveyoudoneWhathaveyoudoneWhathaveyoudoneWhathaveyou -
Suddenly walleyed, White Diamond took a deep, yet sharp. "You had planned this from the very beginning."
"I have." Rose didn't like how small her voice sounded.
"You managed to put Pink Diamond in danger," White continued, a scalding air blanketing the scorching earth around them. It resonated from her being; a strong pulse, "A Diamond who put her faith in her most loyal subject."
Reaching behind her, White unclasped the long cloak that she wore; it pooled in a mess behind her and her unsettling look froze Rose where she stood.
Something was wrong.
This wasn't happening as she'd hoped it would.
"To do something like this... there is no word in the Old Language, no documented song ever created in the whole of the universe that can truly describe such...evil. And to think there are gems who love such a leader like you."
White continued to speak, slowly raising her hand toward the smaller gem. The Rubies had begun backing away, fearing what was to come. Rose glanced at them, then to White; the Diamond's eyes were small, eerie pinpricks.
"You will not have us... You will not have Homeworld." White whispered, that smooth, seductive drawl long gone.
Rose's eyes widened. She took a step back. "White..."
White's hand shook somewhat. Jaw clenched, eyes shining; she began to radiate with fire. "What you've done..." she continued, as if Rose had never spoken. "Sacrifices must be made for the good of all of us. She will understand."
Rose's eyes widened and in that moment, White unleashed a fiery blast toward her.
She lifted Pink Diamond's gem and the attack passed harmlessly to the sides, splitting the fire in two. White continued, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her lips pursed and the fire surged harder, brighter. It blinded the Rubies and they struggled to shield their eyes.
In seconds, their forms were dispelled from the sheer might of it, leaving only Rose to hold back the attack. White advanced slowly, her right leg stepping into a bed of crystals. Cracks began to form on her leg, scorching her.
A thin, hairline crack shot through Pink Diamond's gem. Rose's eyes widened in horror.
Stars, what are you doing? Stop!
Finally, the sound of a shattering gem echoed through the night, piercing the almost calm serenity of the planet.
In seconds, the sound of an anguished wail followed.
O
Rose slowly made her way through the crowds of gems waiting for her. Pearl saw her, pushing her way passed Rebel Gems, noticing the scorched dress, the singed hair and the deadened stare on Rose's face. Fresh tears began to fall down her cheeks, but she seemed unable to fathom anything else around her. Garnet also followed behind Pearl and they both met Rose at her side.
"Rose!" Garnet cried. "Rose, what happened?"
Rose looked up at her and her features crumbled in anguish. "I...I didn't mean to..." she began.
She could say no more as she began to sob, covering her eyes with two hands. Pearl's eyes widened and she draped herself across Rose's back as the larger gem crumbled to the ground. The Rebels gathered closer in an effort to offer her some form of comfort, despite knowing nothing of why Rose suffered. They were in the dark to her plan.
The only one who knew was Pearl.
Meanwhile, Yellow and Blue stepped into White's chamber, finding the other Diamond withered on the floor, draped in her cloak. She clawed her face with her hands, whimpering such pitiful noises.
"She's gone..."
"I can't believe it..."
"White..."
White's shoulders shook and she suddenly screamed in anguish. Her hands hovered over her face, shaking almost violently. The sound was haunting, echoing through her chamber. Yellow and Blue watched the other Diamond, shock on their faces.
They were crying as well, but as the fresh tears poured down their cheeks, they could only observe their eldest Diamond screaming with raw pain and hate. White's emotional responses were nothing that they'd ever experienced before.
"What do we do now?" Blue asked, moaning as she was held in Yellow's arms. "Were do we go? What do we do without Pink?"
The sobbing, wailing noises White Diamond uttered began to change into choking, hysterical laughter. It was disturbing to the Diamond's watching from a safe distance away and so entirely alien on someone like White Diamond.
White Diamond laid her face against a wall, hysterically laughing as tears streamed down her cheeks. Blue and Yellow attempted to get her back to reality. They made their way to her side, kneeling down on the floor with her.
"White, look at me!" Blue begged, cupping her cheeks. "White, please..."
White continued to laugh before it broke into helpless sobbing once again. The raw, horrific way her features twisted...
"I WAS THERE!" she screamed. "I WAS THERE AND - "
Yellow pulled her to her feet, grabbing her by her shoulder and the high-throated color of her cloak. "Get a hold of yourself!" she groaned, also still crying. "White, stand up! We have to gather the gems! They will need guidance!"
White's eyes widened for a few moments, as if the notion startled her more than anything else. It was like a symphony played across her face. The emotions drained completely, leaving only a blank, deadened stare that concerned Blue more than anyone else.
"White?" she whispered.
"Yes, of course." White seemed to calm, disassociate herself to those around her. "They will need guidance, as will all of Homeworld."
"What will we do?" Yellow asked.
"Purge."
The two Diamonds looked confused for a moment. They glanced at each other, unable to comprehend White's words at first. It was Yellow who reacted first with a mild widening of her eyes and a parting of her lips.
Purge it. Destroy it. Let them never see.
White's tear-streaked face turned to focus on the other two. She smiled now. "If they wish to fight for their beliefs, then let them die for them."
She will understand.
O
[Years later]
Clack, clack, clack...
"You think this will make you good? You're not good."
"I know."
In the darkness of the chamber, the pink pearl knelt in the center of the complete diamond insignia, shaken and frightened of the shape that paced around her in the darkness. The synthetic voice that trilled out like a machine. Emotionless. Without feeling.
"You think you can make up for the choices you made?"
The pink pearl shook her head, exhausted. "No."
White Diamond's eyes seemed to glow in the room. Thick tendrils connected her throat to the ceiling high above. She observed the creature at her feet like a terrifying predator stalking its prey. Her long nailed fingers clenched tight.
"Do you know what it means to suffer, little pearl?" White asked, her heels still clacking against the marble floor. "It's always quite abstract...the suffering of others, but I know. I know that better than anyone." Her voice became a shrill whisper. "Because of you."
The pink pearl looked up at her tearfully. "Forgive me."
"You ask for forgiveness, but do you understand what it means to forgive another being? One who allowed Rose Quartz to get close to the one I loved? One who let her corrupt everything that we have made?" White's almost robotic tones rang out with amusement. "To forgive is to forget, and I will not. Not as the rest of you have."
The pink pearl looked hopelessly confused. Tears poured down her cheeks and she whimpered as White Diamond's gem began to glow.
"Forgive me!" she cried.
"STOP SAYING THAT!" White suddenly screamed, her voice deepening rather frighteningly, like a malfunctioning computer.
The pearl gave a frightened squeak, recoiling from her.
White knelt down now, reaching with one hand to scoop her up. The pearl whimpered as she was brought up to the face of the Diamond. The emotionless expression, the eerie gaze and the way her gem glowed bright lit up the darkness of the room; it made her features more unsettling that before.
"She will understand," White crooned, her thumb roughly petting the pearl's head, drawing pained grunts from the gem. Her voice dropped softly as she chanted the words like a mantra. "She will understand. Oh yes, she will understand. She will understand."
As she chanted, her gem glowed brighter. And brighter. So bright.
She will understand.
The flash blinded the pearl and her shrieks were silenced.
O
A smiling, wide-eyed and happy pink pearl stood at the center of the court. She bowed to the gems who had been transferred from Pink Diamond's court to Yellow's and greeted them as she was meant to. All of them were happy. Everyone was smiling and content. As it should be.
Everyone returned to their duties with a purpose.
Yellow Diamond had been far too busy performing the duties that were normally left to Blue, as the other Diamond was left to mourn their loss. White had spoken no more about the destruction of Pink Diamond, leaving Yellow to find solutions to recovering her.
Along with her normal duties.
And her new ones.
Yellow watched the shape of White Diamond's ship in the distance - a floating torso without arms. Nearby rested the tower where she would often remain seated, performing her duties as necessary to Homeworld. But they hadn't spoken to her. All White did anymore was sleep.
Perhaps that was best.
For now, all they had to do was wait until Earth was gone, erasing anything left of the war that brought nothing but sorrow.
Meanwhile, White sat in her chambers, neck attached with tubes in the ceiling. She caressed the arm rests of her cathedra, watching the many monitors laid out before her.
Much had changed in a short time. White closed her eyes, remembering how it had been to experiment on her own form. To take the very thing that wrought forth her emotional responses. But somehow, they always waited, far away in the deeper recesses of her mind.
She will understand.