Steven

It had been three days since White Diamond had taken Pearl. Garnet has been in the Temple since we got back to Earth. Amethyst is trying to keep my spirits up, but she's having a hard time too. Connie and I have been on the Sun Incinerator with the off-colors trying to find any sign of where White Diamond went with the sensors and listening in on transmissions, but nothing. The locations of Yellow and Blue are easy to track, but it's like White is a ghost.

Cat Steven joined me on my bed, and cuddled up on my chest. I scratched behind her ears and listened to her purr. Finally, I was able to fall asleep.

I started dreaming about space. Well, it was more of a nightmare. I was in a bubble floating aimlessly like when I got sucked out of the Moon Base. There were asteroids coming up, but they were all shaped like Dewey's head for some reason. Then one started talking but all that came out was static. I guess that's pretty weird, but my dreams usually are. There was a flash of white light and then I was sitting on a throne, looking out of a huge spaceship. I didn't recognize it as a place I had been before. A hatch opened on the floor and a cell rose up. Pearl was inside, curled in a ball with her arms hugging tight across her chest. I was having a Diamond dream.

"Are you feeling more cooperative yet my Pearl?"

Pearl, didn't move. White Diamond pressed a button on the control panel at the arm of her throne and Pearl was shocked. White released the button and commanded, "Stand up Pearl."

Pearl rose to her feet, "No. I am not feeling more cooperative. And I never will."

White Diamond sighed, "You are making this very tedious. Although I do enjoy a good challenge. I am intrigued by this will you have developed, but I will break it."

Pearl smirked, "Go ahead and try."

White Diamond pressed the control again and I woke up crying Pearl's name.

Garnet and Amethyst came up the stairs.

"Steven," Garnet turned on my room light, "Did you just have a Diamond dream?"

I blinked rapidly as my eyes adjusted to light and nodded, "Yes! And I saw Pearl."

Garnet grinned, "Good, then we have a chance to find her. Steven, it's time to see if we can hone your ability to see through other's eyes."

"O-okay," I jumped out of my bed, Cat Steven meowed in protest and landed on her feet, "and we need to do it soon. White Diamond is hurting Pearl and said something about forcing her to cooperate and breaking her will. And-"

Garnet placed a hand on my shoulder, "Whoa, slow down Steven. Take a breath, you have to be able to relax and focus to find Pearl. Come on, there's a room in the Temple I use to meditate, let's go there."

I nodded, "Okay."

Pearl

"Do you think being obstinate makes you strong Pearl? Do you think it threatens me in any way?" White Diamond asked me as she worked on something on her screen. I tried my best to steel my mind. For the past three days she had gone between shocking me, controlling me, and then trying to tear down my will with her words. No doubt she was about to start another session.

"I know it does." I said and tried to stand as tall as I could.

White Diamond looked up from her work and commanded, "Pearl, get down on both knees and place your forehead on the ground."

I remained standing for only a few moments and then did as she said. The floor was cold on my gem. I squeezed my eyes shut and gritted my teeth. Her control over me was getting stronger and stronger. After thousands of years of freedom, three days was all she needed to regain her hold on me. No, I couldn't think like that. I was still my own gem. I still had some control.

White Diamond rested her head on her fist and spoke, "You are not to speak, only listen. And you are not to move unless I tell you. Today I will test how physically strong you have become. This may make you think you have a chance to stand up to me, but I assure you, no matter how much strength and power you accumulate, it will always be less than mine. Also remember why I am doing this. You are nothing but an experiment. You were and always will be just a tool to me. The only reason I am bothering with you at all is because I want to see if the time on your own has made you more useful to me. That is your purpose after all, to be useful to me. I will not shatter you, nor will I injure or allow injury enough to cause you to reform. Either I will forge you into my perfect tool, or I will break you until you are useless and discard you. There will be no other outcome Pearl. Your friends will not be able to save you, and you will not escape. Now then, I will have you face an increasing number of quartz soldiers to test the limits of your fighting abilities. You are not to shatter any of them, and they are not allowed to shatter you. Once you are more compliant I will test the mechanical abilities that you have also picked up, although I'm sure you will require some guidance after all the upgrades our technology has been through since you left. And of course, if you continue to insist on stepping out of line, I will force you back into your place. You are a Pearl, you are not autonomous, and you are not a true gem. You are for me, and you are my tool for me to do with as I please. Now," she brought in twenty quartz soldiers and lowered the door to my cell, "I'm sure twenty is overkill, but I do hope you surprise me. Get up Pearl, and fight."

Garnet

Two days had passed since Steven's White Diamond dream and I had started to try to coach him on controlling his unique ability. I wasn't sure if I was helping or if it would work. I couldn't foresee a future where we found and rescued Pearl. But I wanted to rescue her, so I was making the decisions to try and increase that possibility.

We had not been able to see through White Diamond's eyes again. However, we had successfully been able to think about Amethyst and see through her eyes. Today she was on the outskirts of Beach City and Steven had been able to enter her dream and stay with her once she woke up. We also discovered that when I placed my hand on Steven I was able to enter Amethyst's dream as well. White Diamond would never sleep though, and I wasn't sure how to proceed.

"Alright Steven, let's give it another shot. Focus on White Diamond, remember to keep your breathing steady and think of nothing else." I placed a hand Steven's shoulder. Steven took a deep breath in and out, and then closed his eyes.

For a minute, nothing happened, then we heard a sound, but it was too distant. We saw Pearl way ahead of us. "Let's walk towards her Steven."

As we did the darkness slowly turn into the beach, the sunset over the ocean appeared. We were on the cliff on top of the Temple, except there were pebbles shaped like diamonds on the ground.

"Is this," Steven looked at me, "Is this Pearl's dream?"

"Let's find out and try and talk to her." I said and then yelled Pearl's name.

She turned around and stood up, "G-Garnet? Steven?"

Steven ran up and hugged her, "It is your dream!"

"Oh," she hugged Steven back, "yeah. But why are you here? And how is Garnet here?"

Steven excitedly explained, "Oh, I had a Diamond dream and I saw you through White Diamond's eyes so Garnet has been trying to help me control my power better so I can see through her eyes again and try to find out where you are. And we discovered I can bring her with me when she's touching me. I guess I was thinking too much about you though so we're here. I thought you didn't like to sleep?"

Pearl fidgeted, "Well, I didn't. But lately… it's been a nice break I guess. Not always, but this dream has been. Especially now that you're here."

"Sooo, how are you doing?" Steven asked.

"Oh, um, hanging in there. I beat thirteen of White Diamond's quartz soldiers," she puffed her chest out and put her hands on her hips, "I was trying to beat all twenty but the last seven were a little more experienced…oh, and I tried to punch my Diamond in the face, but I telegraphed the attack a little too much so it didn't exactly end well. I did impress her though. So I'll be fine, and coming for me is too dangerous." Pearl locked eyes with me, "White Diamond won't shatter me, but you guys aren't hers, she'll shatter you without a second thought."

"You're not her gem either Pearl." I said.

Pearl blushed and she covered her mouth for a second then said, "R-right. I am my own gem. I meant, you were never her gems so – " the ground started shaking.

"Wh-what's happening?" Steven struggled to keep his balance.

"Oh no," Pearl wrapped her arms like she was hugging herself, "Guess it's time again. Garnet, please listen. Stop looking for me, don't try to rescue me. It's too dangerous. My Diamond," she gasped, "Wh-white Diamond is too strong. If you come for me she'll kill all of you and I – I honestly don't think I could keep fighting her after," she started tearing up, "please, just leave me, it's too late."

The sun turned into White Diamond's face and her voice overpowered the sound of the ocean, "Stand up Pearl."

Pearl woke up and we stayed with her. She stood up slowly, her legs shook and her right arm dangled uselessly at her side. She was in a cell. I could tell we were on a ship, but not where the ship was. I desperately searched for some sort of defining characteristic to locate her with but the ship was traveling so the stars were just blurs. Pearl didn't have a good view of White Diamond's console either.

White Diamond spoke, "Oh, looks like you have two visitors in your head."

Pearl gasped, "Wh-what? No, of course not, how would that be t-true."

"Steven, get us out now!" I yelled.

"Huh, but do you know where Pearl is?"

"Steven, NOW!" I could feel White Diamond's presence. She was a mind controller, and she was closing in on us. Steven pulled us out just in time.

"Wh-what was that?" Steven gasped, and we were back in the temple. "Right before I pulled us out. I-it felt like someone was about to grab us."

"It was White Diamond. She has powers over gems' minds Steven. You felt it before right?"

"Y-yeah. What would have happened if she had caught us in Pearl's mind?"

"I don't know," I stood up and opened the door to Steven's room, "but I could feel ill-intent. I'm sure she meant to harm us somehow. Now please, leave me. I need to be alone and think Steven."

"Oh, um, okay. I should probably rest a bit anyway. All this mind hopping is pretty draining." Steven walked out.

"That's a good idea. Oh, Steven!"

He whirled around.

"You did a great job. I love you." I smiled and closed the door.

We started arguing out loud.

"What are we going to do Sapphire? White Diamond is so strong. And she's starting to get to Pearl – those diamond shaped pebbles, the way she kept slipping up and talking like White Diamond owns her."

"What can we do? What can we possibly do? I can't see a future where we find Pearl and we can't risk going back into Pearl's mind and White Diamond getting us. Pearl wasn't being dramatic when she said she wouldn't be able to fight any more if something happened to us."

"We can't just leave her there!"

"I know, but we can't even find her."

"It's our fault she's there in the first place, we have a responsibility to rescue her. We should have told her it was too dangerous to meet with White Diamond, we should have tried to get her before we escaped. We should – "

"Stop Ruby, that isn't helping. We can't change the past, we can only forge a new future."

"And what future are we forging?! One where we give up and let that monster keep hurting Pearl?!"

"That isn't what I want and you know it!"

"I – I know, I'm sorry." We looked at our gems. "I'm just… so mad and lost. I hate feeling blind and helpless."

"I know. I feel the same way. Nevertheless, arguing isn't getting us any closer. And using Steven's mind hopping abilities has become too dangerous. We have to think of something else."

I clenched my fists, "I have to find another way."

To be continued…