Pink sprinted through the trees, towards the crystals. Logic dictated that that was where the other Diamonds would be arriving. Her physical form's heart pounded anxiously, what would the other Diamonds be like? What would they think of her? The second she had seen the ships, the realisation had hit Pink like a rockslide, that she hadn't been acting like a Diamond. It didn't take a millennia old Gem to know that Gem matriarchs didn't eat, sleep or play with humans. Pink was suddenly aware that her hair was weighed down with water, her back covered, head to toe in sand, and her feet and ankles caked in mud.
As soon as Pink reached the clearing where she had emerged, she began brushing sand off her back and grabbing handfuls of her lifeless hair, in a vain attempt to make it spring up again. As she desperately fussed over herself, Tayko, who had made an impressive effort to run after the enormous Diamond, leapt to the top of a tree at the edge of the clearing, and walked along the furthest branch from the trunk, so as to be near Pink's head.
"Pink... what's wrong? What are those things?" She asked, picking on up Pink's anxiety, and sharing in it.
"Tayko!" Pink remarked in surprise. "Go! You shouldn't be here!" She said, urgently, but taking care not to sound angry or resentful.
"Why not? What's happening?" Tayko asked, worried that her new friend was in danger.
Pink looked up, anxiously. The four ships had formed a circle, above the clearing, with their hands in the center. From the yellow and blue ships, two objects were descending from the palms.
"Tayko, it's the other Diamonds!" Pink said, quickly. "And I don't know how they act around organic life, so please hide and stay quiet!"
Sensing Pink's urgency, and seeing the objects rapidly descending towards them, Tayko nodded, and retreated into the foliage behind her. Turning around, Pink realised that the objects were two palanquins. One blue, the other yellow, corresponding with the colour ship from which they came. Besides their colour, they were identical. Each had a terraced exterior, with their contents concealed by a translucent veil, an extravagant roof, like the roof of a castle, and four spindly legs, ready to make contact with the ground.
The two vehicles came to rest, landing on opposite sides of the clearing, without a sound. Their veils parted and the doors opened. Inside, Pink was alarmed, and intimidated, (but not surprised) to find Blue and Yellow Diamond, sitting on magnificent thrones. At their feet, taking their hands off the palanquins' controls, Pink recognised a blue and yellow Pearl. Like their respective diamonds, the Pearls were similar in appearance, yet polar opposites. Yellow Pearl stood up straight with her hands behind her back, her nose elevated in smug pride, and her hair pointing upwards. Transparent ruffles decorated her shoulders. Blue Pearl had her head bowed in tired depression, her pointed nose was the only part of her face, not concealed by her lifeless mop of hair, she was wearing transparent material too, in the form of a skirt. Both Pearls' gems were in the same position as their diamonds, at the top of their chests, just below their neck.
The Diamonds rose to their feet and left their palanquins. They soon noticed Pink, standing silently, and awkwardly fumbling her hands, both of the older Diamonds looked surprised, but in different ways. Blue covered her mouth with her hands and gasped joyously. Yellow leaned backwards and cringed, her gasp was one of disgust. Before Pink could gauge the other Diamonds' reactions, Blue ran towards her, her robe billowing behind her, and threw her arms around the smaller Diamond.
"Oh Pink!" She gasped. "You're so beautiful!"
"She's filthy!" Yellow added, angrily. She strode towards Blue and separated her from Pink, with a hand on each Diamond's shoulder. "What happened to you?"
"Oh... I was just..." Pink stammered, but Yellow had asked rhetorically.
"Never mind, we need to get you cleaned up, before White arrives!"
With a snap of Yellow's fingers, four spherical robonoids appeared in the air, all around her, with a glimmer of light. They flew over to Pink, and began orbiting her, starting at her head, and lowering, all the while, shining a yellow light. Pink shuddered as her hair sprung up again, after the robonoids' light destroyed all traces of sand and water in it. Over just a few seconds, the robonoids returned Pink to her state of cleanliness, immediately after emerging from the ground, then, they did the same to Blue, destroying the sand and mud that had stained her robe, when she hugged Pink.
"How do you feel?" Blue asked, softly, as the robonoids vanished.
Pink tried to think of an appropriate answer. The truth was, she felt scared, apprehensive, intimidated, and unsure. "Kinda overwhelmed, I guess..."
Yellow grimaced and mouthed the word 'kinda' to herself. "Never mind that. Are you ready to begin work on your first colony?"
Before Pink could open her mouth to reply, Blue placed her hands on her shoulders, defensively. "Yellow!" She snapped, accusingly. "She's not even a day old yet! Let her adjust!"
"We're Gems!" Yellow said, with a boastful aura of pride. "If she hasn't the courage and motivation to begin now, then..."
"That's enough!" Blue interrupted.
Sure enough, Pink was almost trembling at Yellow's words. How was that sentence going to end? Then she'll be shattered? She certainly didn't feel ready to rule a colony. Did that mean she was defective? Were defective Diamonds shattered? Had it happened before?
Before Pink began full-on panicking, Blue crouched down to her eye level, reassuringly. "Don't listen to her. Most Gems are ready to perform their function the moment they come out of the ground, it's true, but you aren't like most Gems! You're the only Pink Diamond in the universe. You're unique! There's no one to say how long it should take, before you're ready to build a colony!"
"Were... were you both ready, right away?" Pink asked, nervously.
Yellow rested her hands on her hips, and looked away from the other Diamonds, dismissively. "Well I know I was!"
Suddenly, Blue surprised Yellow and Pink by bursting out laughing. She covered her mouth again, and visibly tried to stifle her laughter, to no avail.
"What?" Pink asked nervously. She turned to Yellow. "What is it?"
Yellow responded by folding her arms and frowning irritably. Eventually, Blue calmed down enough to reply.
"She certainly thought she was ready." She said to Pink. She turned to Yellow. "Why don't you tell her about your first military campaign."
"I really don't think that's..." Yellow angrily began, but fortunately for her, she was saved by the bell.
"Yellow, look!" Blue said, her grin vanishing.
From White Diamond's ship, a third palanquin was descending to the clearing. The two older Diamonds immediately sprang into action, they stood on either side of Pink, ensuring they were on the opposite side of the clearing, from where the palanquin would land. Yellow stood commandingly to attention. Blue did the same, for just a moment, before looking over to Pink, and brushing a lock of her hair away from her face.
The palanquin landed. It was several feet taller than the other two, and white as snow, otherwise, it was identical. As the veil parted, Pink felt Blue take her hand and squeeze it reassuringly. The doors opened. Pink could feel the electrical tension in the air. Inside the vehicle, was another throne... which was empty.
Yellow immediately relaxed and groaned loudly, in irritation. Blue sighed and shook her head. "Really... I would have thought she would make time for this, if anything..."
"Wh... where is she?" Pink asked. "Where's White?"
From inside the white palanquin, came a third Pearl. The white Pearl seemed far more relaxed than the other two, but carried herself with an unmistakable air of professionalism, almost as though she were a Diamond, herself. She wore a light blue leotard, with clear ruffles hanging from her shoulders like a short poncho, and her large, circular gem, sat proudly on her forehead.
"My Diamonds." She greeted, confidently, as she strode from the palanquin, giving the Diamond salute as she went. "My Grand White Diamond sends her deepest regrets, that she was unable to be here, for this momentous occasion, in the form of this message."
From the Pearl's gem, a hologram appeared, depicting a life-size White Diamond. Just as Pink barely reached Yellow and Blue Diamond's shoulders, the same could be said for the two of them, and White. The youngest Diamond strained her neck, to look at up the hologram. White Diamond wore a gorgeous, flowing ball gown, with pointed shoulders, much like Yellow's. Her silver hair spiked upwards angrily, but her expression was one of tranquil serenity. Like her Pearl, her gem rested on her forehead, immediately under her hairline.
The hologram burst to life, and White Diamond saluted her fellow leaders. "My Diamonds!" She announced. "It is with my deepest sympathies, that I concede I am unable to leave Sector Omicron-9 at this time. The conflict with the Darmites has reached a critical stage and requires my constant supervision." Like her expression, White Diamond's voice was as calm and gentle as a pond, on a windless night.
Pink had no idea what a Darmite was, but it seemed that, if the Gem society was engaged in conflict, it was understandable that White Diamond would be too busy to attend her initiation. Blue and Yellow Diamond still seemed irritated though, as though they believed the conflict could have been spared White's attention, at least for a short time.
Pink jumped slightly, as the hologram addressed her personally. "Pink... While we're all at your service, should you need us, we all have our own work, to aid the stability, and progression of our society, so I'm certain Blue and Yellow Diamond won't be able to stay with you for long."
Pink ground her teeth, she was afraid of that. While Blue Diamond was easily the more welcoming of the two, Pink had been counting on both of them to help her settle into her role.
"Which is why I'm sending you my primary Pearl. She shadows me in all of my duties, so I am confident that she will be able to offer you any guidance you need."
Pink looked at the Pearl. She was standing perfectly still, with her hands clasped behind her back, and her head tilted upwards, projecting the hologram.
"In addition, I hope you will do me the honor of accepting this gift, of the first Gem under your command." The Pearl made a gesture with her hand, and a pink, circular gem, in a white bubble floated out of the palanquin, towards Pink. It came to a halt, hovering above the youngest Diamond's hands. She quickly recognised what kind of Gem it was.
"This is to be your personal Pearl." White Diamond confirmed. "I cultivated her myself, on board my ship, and bubbled her before she emerged. You will be the first face she sees, and the only Gem to whom she is loyal."
Pink looked at the Pearl and felt a swell of pride, both for the Gem in her hands, and for herself, having received a personal gift from White Diamond.
"The drop ships, delivering the supplies you'll need, to begin your colony are en route." White continued. "And Pink?" She smiled, very slightly. "Welcome to the universe."