"This is the Jasper from Earth's Beta Kindergarten?"
"Yes, my Diamond," Yellow Pearl chirped. "Despite the utter failure of the Beta Kindergarten, this one still managed to come out half-way decent."
Jasper dutifully saluted Yellow Diamond. The Pearl continued prattling on, but Jasper barely listened. She kept her eyes glued to the floor, replaying the last few months in her mind.
The battle at the fjord was a complete failure. What Homeworld thought was a barren wastleland of snow and ice was actually an ambush of Crystal Gems, buried under a fresh snowfall and waiting for their arrival. The battle cost Homeworld dearly, with thousands of Gems captured or shattered. Both the Kindergartens were tapped out and Homeworld had no more resources to devote to recapturing the planet. The order to retreat had come swiftly after that. Any gem not on a ship or warp pad were caught in the blast of the Diamonds' Light Bomb...
"Jasper!" The Pearl's voice cut through her thoughts. "Our Diamond is speaking to you!"
"Please forgive me, Yellow Diamond. I'm not myself today." Jasper's tone was flat and insincere.
"Yellow Diamond?" The Pearl was indignant. "The proper address is my Diamond! And don't think we haven't noticed you haven't changed the insignia on your uniform. You have been reassigned to this court because you failed to protect your Diamond. She was shattered on your watch..."
Jasper looked down at her black uniform, with a pink diamond emblazoned on it. Oh, yes. There was one more casualty: Pink Diamond. Shattered by the leader of the rebellion, Rose Quartz. The same leader Jasper tried and failed to defeat on the fjord as revenge. Jasper's hand curled around an imaginary battle-axe. How dare Yellow Diamond's prissy little pet attempt to dress her down?! Especially when she was safe lounging around Yellow Diamond's feet while their fellow gems were being shattered. Jasper had a mind to...
"That's enough, Pearl," Yellow Diamond's cool, measured voice ended Yellow Pearl's tirade. "You may leave us. I'll see to this one's re-education personally."
The Pearl cast one last smug look in Jasper's direction as she flounced out of the throne room. Yellow Diamond rubbed her temple once she disappeared through the giant doors. "You'll have to pardon Pearl. She's young and very... eager to please."
"Not at all." Jasper stared at a space three inches to the left of Yellow Diamond's head. Enough to make it look like she was paying attention, but still avoided looking Yellow Diamond in the eyes.
"But," Yellow Diamond rose from the throne as she spoke. "That doesn't change the fact that Pearl is correct: Since your reassignment, I have noticed a certain... reluctance in your service."
All the Diamonds had forms that were physically imposing and Yellow Diamond was no exception. The ruler was easily twice Jasper's height. Her attire was befitting one of a military commander, tight-fitting down to the waist with an open skirt that allowed ease of movement. Her hair was cropped short and spiked in front, reminiscent of a war helmet.
Yellow Diamond's boots clicked on the cold tile as she descended the throne. Jasper felt herself straighten as the golden ruler circled her. "My, my. You are well-formed. It would be a shame to shatter and reform you." She stopped in front of Jasper and lifted the Quartz's chin with a long finger. "Perhaps I can devise... other means to ensure your obedience."
After a long moment of staring at the Diamond's appraising expression, Jasper felt the withdrawal of Yellow Diamond's hand. The ruler moved to a side door of the throne room, waving her hand behind her.
"Come," was the sharp command.
Jasper knew no argument would be tolerated. She fell in step a few paces behind Yellow Diamond and followed her out of the throne room. Jasper opened her mouth several times, intending to ask questions, but closed it when she found all of them inappropriate. After a few twists and turns, Yellow Diamond stopped at a door and tapped in a key-code. She motioned to Jasper to step inside and followed close behind. The door silently closed behind them and clicked shut.
Jasper had only been on Homeworld for a few weeks since the retreat from Earth. But she had heard rumors of re-education among the remnants of Pink Diamond's court. Any Gem that didn't immediately fall in step with their new Diamond's authority was taken away and often never heard from again. If they did come back, it was like their personalities were overwritten. They didn't seem to remember the Earth, the war, or their beloved Pink Diamond.
"Stand on the dias and await my instructions," Yellow Diamond commanded. Jasper almost robotically moved to the dias and stood in its center.
As Yellow Diamond moved across the room, Jasper scanned the area. The room was largely barren. A dias in the center occupied about half the floor space with a console off to the side. Yellow Diamond stood next to the console and considered it. The console only reached halfway up her shin. She closed her eyes and concentrated, compacting her form so that she was only a couple of heads taller than Jasper. Somehow, Jasper found this form even more intimidating as Yellow Diamond positioned herself comfortably behind the console and keyed in a sequence.
"Do you know why you are here, Jasper?" Yellow Diamond sounded almost bored as the console sprang to life.
"You mentioned re-education, Yellow Diamond," was Jasper's measured response.
"Exactly," Yellow Diamond looked back at the console, waiting for it finish warming up.
Jasper licked her lips and clenched her fists. "Permission to ask a question?"
"Granted." Yellow Diamond drummed her fingers on the top of the console.
"What about my service is unsatisfactory? In my short time on Homeworld, haven't I served you faithfully?"
"Faithfully, yes. Willingly, no. That is what we are here to correct."
Yellow Diamond glided her fingers over the console. Manacles of pure energy shot up from the dias and wrapped around Jasper's limbs. Jasper immediately started struggling against them, only to scream out as a jolt of electricity shot through her. She sank to her knees and felt the links of energy tighten. Yellow Diamond watched impassively as Jasper's muscles twitched and bulged to fight the manacles. They held the Quartz fast in a kneeling position with her arms away from her body. She waited until the electricity stabilized and Jasper had stopped struggling before speaking again.
"Let's start with your stubborn attachment to your former Diamond. Since being assigned to me, you've yet to change your insignia. You address me as Yellow Diamond, not my Diamond. You must learn that you belong to me now."
Jasper's back arched as another jolt coursed through her body. Her scream bounced off the walls of the room.
"Let's continue with your ridiculous defense of the gems from that failure of a kindergarten. Don't think I haven't heard about the fights you start whenever someone mentions your fellow defective Quartzes."
Another jolt. Another scream.
"I have also heard rumors that you object to the new geo-weapon being created on your planet of origin. As if it is your place to question my orders."
Jasper barely had time to register the accusation before another wave of electricity and pain hit her.
"Every Gem is made for a purpose: To serve the Diamonds. Those who cannot fit inside this order are purged. To come out misshapen, to reshape yourself outside your purpose, and to defend that ruined, worthless planet is a disgrace."
Yellow Diamond ran a single finger over the console, halting the shocks. Jasper took in huge gulps of air, staring at Yellow Diamond's impassive expression.
"Normally, Gems would be shattered and reprocessed for even one of these offenses. But you are too valuable a specimen to lose over mere indiscretions."
Jasper closed her eyes, still twitching from the last jolt. She barely registered Yellow Diamond's gloved hand caressing her face. Jasper opened her eyes to see the Diamond's face inches from hers. A small smile that didn't reach her eyes played on her face.
"You are going to hate me over the next few days, Jasper. And I won't blame you." A long finger moved a strand of hair out of Jasper's face. "But a few months from now, you will thank me for this."
Yellow Diamond walked back to the console and tapped out a sequence. "I'm afraid I have other matters to attend to at the moment. I will return to check on your re-education before the day is out."
Jasper was already screaming when the first jolt hit. She hadn't finished screaming when the next one started. Yellow Diamond ignored the Quartz's agony as she returned to her original size and strolled out of the room. Before walking through the door, she took one last look at the Quartz straining against the manacles, writhing to find some small relief from the electric jolts. Her face was frozen in a wild, fanged grimace as she howled in pain.
"So lovely," she murmured as she left Jasper to her torture.