A/N: Aligns with the "Lion is Pink Pearl" theory.

Pink Diamond's death should've been the end of it.

Rose was all prepared to leave the past behind her. No more pain and regret, no more wondering if things could've been different, no more feeling tears behind her eyelids whenever she looked up at the night sky.

Her life on Homeworld was behind her. They tried to destroy her brethren, she'll destroy theirs. The past burned and crumbled like a fire but it shed light towards the future. Everything that had to be done was done. There was no one else left to suffer for Rose's actions. Gems have died trying to serve her cause, forced to fight against her, or punished just because she was associated with them.

But it was over.

Finally, she could live on Earth peacefully. Homeworld could burn to ashes for all she cared. Rose no longer had to worry about the Diamonds or any of their followers. None of it mattered now. All that mattered was what lied ahead of her. She was free.

After what happened with Amethyst, Rose should've seen this coming. But she expected that the Gem sprawled on the desert sand before her would've died by now, either by a foolish misjudgment of how Earth worked or by completely going mad and committing suicide. Rose had seen Gems like her do such a thing when they lose their purpose.

Still, she couldn't help but feel impressed that she survived this long.

"Please, I won't hurt you," Rose cooed as she took a step towards the abandoned Gem.

The Gem took two steps back and curled up her knees to her chest, trembling and waiting for certain death.

"I swear, there's no one with me," Rose said as gently as possible.

The Gem kept silent. Then again, Rose expected that from her. She knew her for eons and there has never been one situation where she uttered a single word. Other sounds came out of her mouth, however: gasps when she was surprised, little whistles when she demanded help, sometimes little humming when Rose decided to sing, and when no one else could see her, little sobs as she broke down crying.

And it looked as if she was about to cry right now.

"I know what I did was wrong," Rose whispered. "But you have to understand, I had no choice. And besides, has she ever even cared about you the same way I did? For years and years, she has neglected you and carried you around like a doll. And through it all, I've been there for you. She deserved it."

The delicate Gem narrowed her eyes and avoided Rose's gaze. It was unsettling to see her so emotional. She had usually been so docile and obedient, sometimes a bit anxious, but nevertheless picture-perfect. It was so strange to see her exhibit emotions.

Rose didn't need to procure the truth out of her friend-turned-adversary; all she needed to do was feel it. It was a gift of hers; she could sense the feelings and thoughts from other Gems and if she tried hard enough, she could even communicate with them via gemstone. It only worked on Gems, however, and it frustrated Rose that she could never project this ability on humans.

"I know how you feel," Rose whispered, walking closer and closer towards the defenseless Gem, who desperately scurried further and further away. "You have no home, no master, no one left to care for you or protect you. After all, Gems like you aren't normally the most noticed on Homeworld."

The Gem looked up at Rose again and nodded weakly in response. Her arms fell to her sides as she kept listening, no longer using them to shield herself from Rose.

"And I know there's no other option than to just wither here and die," Rose continued, her voice growing heavy with grief and regret. "But if please, if you could ever find it in yourself to trust me again, I swear I won't let you suffer here alone."

Unimaginable silence slogged by, making time creep slower and slower. But after contemplating it for who knows how long, the Gem got up on her knees and slowly reached out towards Rose, who enveloped her in a deep embrace, running her fingers through the Gem's wild mane-like curls that mimicked her own and Pink Diamond's.

"You don't have to worry, I'm still here for you," Rose sobbed quietly. "I really missed you, Pink Pearl."

Pink Pearl didn't wish to go to the Crystal Temple. Rose understood why; she was uncomfortable with going to one of the main bases of the war that took away almost everything from her. And deep down, Rose was relieved to hear that (or sense that) since she didn't know what her comrades would think. Pearl would immediately panic and demand she needed to be bubbled, Amethyst would be utterly confused why there were two Pearls and Rose would need to explain Homeworld's system, and Garnet . . . Rose wasn't exactly sure but she knew she would most likely side with Pearl.

It was true that Pink Pearl probably wasn't trustworthy. Being a Pearl that belonged to a Diamond, her loyalty to Homeworld might still remain, and she would especially be dangerous because her master had died at the hands of Rose. But Rose had spent millennia after millennia with her, far longer that she had known Pearl, and Pink Pearl was now completely cut off from Homeworld. Rose refused to believe she would betray her.

Instead, her loyalty aligned with Rose. She served her whenever Rose came to visit her; no matter how many times Rose insisted it wasn't necessary. It was probably best to let her do so, since it reminded Pink Pearl of her old life and she was desperate to feel some sort of the routine she was used to before on Homeworld; it made her feel like nothing had changed.

Now she regained a purpose: carrying precious objects for Rose within her gemstone, such as . . . well, secret things that didn't belong in the Temple and fighting for her when the other Crystal Gems weren't available.

She never learned to summon a weapon, even though Rose wished to see it badly. But she did learn how to defend herself, for when Rose was forced to leave her. And sometimes, Pink Pearl surprised her by protecting Rose when it was necessary. She couldn't help but feel nostalgia for when she trained Pearl.

But it was apparent that Pink Pearl yearned to see Homeworld again. She would look up at the stars with desperation and plead Rose that something had to be done about it. And Rose was forced to respond to her with regretful tears. And it absolutely broke Pink.

She couldn't stop it from happening.

It infected her slowly at first, her nimble fingers sharpening and her teeth growing longer and developing a clean point when that clearly shouldn't be occurring. Then it came in full-blow. Before Rose's eyes, she could see Pink turn into an untamed beast. Her hair grew in length until it lost that delicate sheen it possessed and became matted and wild. Her graceful limbs thickened and grew hair that matched the curls that grew on Rose's head. She ended up walking on four legs and a tail extended from her hindquarters.

She was a monster.

Finally, Rose could hear Pink make a sound that wasn't a gasp or a sob: it was a ferocious roar of pain, loud enough to blow Rose off her feet and almost made her fall on her face if it wasn't for her levitation abilities.

This all could've been prevented. If only she had done the right thing when she found Pink abandoned in the desert, if only she had spared her the homesickness and the guilt by sealing her away in a bubble properly, like what Pearl would've advised her to do. But no, she had once again made a rash decision that ended up letting someone else suffer the consequences.

She had taken away Pink's master, her home, and everything that mattered to her. All because of her desperation to let the Crystal Gems survive. And now it was too late to change it. The results could never be reversed for all Rose knew.

And this wasn't the first time something like this happened.