Nikki Firesong - Thanks, man. Yeah, it's been a rough couple of days. But I'm starting to get my energy back. (Price of working around sick customers and coworkers.)
Ways - There will be more about Lion coming up, I promise!
~O~
Chapter Eleven: Pearl Mentality I
"Why does it keep coming back?"
"Go back to sleep. It's okay."
"No! Let us look upon the face of the traitor!"
Steven wandered through the snowy storm and found himself standing before another link of chain. It was covered in ice.
"Please," he said, "Let me see you."
A moment of hesitation passed from the enormous being.
Then, at last; a hoof stepped into the light. Steven watched, his features gradually changing from confusion to shock as the great form of the creature slowly appeared before him.
It was enormous; larger than Malachite or Carnelian. It had pale, sick blue skin and was crouched on four legs that had been bound by the links of a frozen chain all the same. The chains were glowing, as if they somehow kept this creature from escaping.
The most unsettling thing about the being before him were the two faces fused to one head; one was bright red, caught in the middle of a grimace of rage. The other was a passive, white, serene face with sad eyes. Long, black hair trailed down its back and across its shoulders like snakes.
"Welcome, little one," the serene voice spoke and the head rotated on those shoulders, grinding like a statue. "I think it's time we spoke."
The head rotated so that the angry face was facing Steven now. "Liar! Little liar! You'll lie to us like everyone else!"
Again, the head rotated, speaking calmly. "It's okay, let me speak. You're fine."
Steven was both stunned and mildly frightened by this being. it was clearly a fusion of gems given the appearance of a circular stone at the center of their chest.
"Who..." he began. "Who are you?"
"It's been a long time since we were separated, little one," the serene voice continued, "White Diamond took to calling us...Diopside. A fitting name, given the circumstances. We are just one of her many...pet projects. A living horror of her madness."
"Madness?" Steven asked, "What do you mean?"
"There is madness in the obsession for Order," Diopside explained, "Believe us. We have seen the true face of White Diamond. You will understand in time."
A heavy sigh, a collection from both faces.
"We hated one another, you know," Diopside continued, still strangely peaceful, "Even when we had taken the side of Rose Quartz, we fought each other constantly."
"Wait, you were in my mom's army?" Steven looked shocked.
"Oh yes. We served her...very loyal to her...in the war and fought for this planet," Diopside said. Her eyes closed for the moment before she continued. "White Diamond found us. She exploited our loathing for one another by forcing us to fuse. And..."
A pause. A shaking whisper. A large hand raised itself toward the chains around its body.
"Don't tell!" the enraged voice snarled. "Mustn't speak! Not its business!"
"Shh..." the soft voice assured the secondary face. "It's okay. He will learn eventually."
A few heavy steps as the fusion turned; the chains that bound her rattled slightly and Steven felt himself stepping back.
Another sigh.
"Rose Quartz had shattered Pink Diamond. Upon this, the others of her cut had been hidden away. Only we knew where they were." Diopside began. "It's... It's hard to remember sometimes. It's been so long. White Diamond found us. She had forced us to fuse to one another. She...She tortured us. For thirty years, we remained under her knife. And every day, we told her how we truly felt about her."
Steven's eyes widened. "Thirty years?" he exclaimed.
"Indeed." Diopside exhaled softly. "For thirty years, she would ask us where the Rose Quartz's were hiding. And for thirty years, we gave her nothing." Her voice began to shake and a small sob escaped her. "But after those thirty years, we just...couldn't do it anymore. We couldn't. We gave her everything."
Steven noticed the angry face had begun to shed tears. They trickled down her face in rivers. The serene face had begun to cry too. Clawed hands rose to cover their faces and soft weeping sounds escaped them.
"No... You were tortured...for thirty years?" Steven felt his heart breaking at the thought of it.
Diopside lowered her hands, settled herself onto her elbows and spoke evenly to him.
"If White Diamond could torture us for that long," she continued, her voice haggard. "If she can patiently wait thirty years for what she wants... What do you think she's going to do to all of you?"
"Torture us!" the enraged voice groaned. "Loathes us! Pain... No, you know not of pain! It knows nothing of pain! Shut up! Leave us!"
Steven thought about her words for a while. Then, he looked up at her.
"I'm sorry."
Diopside reacted a little with a soft, surprised sound. Steven started to cry. He shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"I'm sorry that happened to you," he said, "You didn't deserve any of that. None of you did. I wish I could have helped more. Maybe if I did..."
Diopside's two faces seemed surprised by his sympathy. Then, the passive face smiled sadly.
"You don't need to cry for us, little half-breed. It is us who should weep for you," she told him, "We weep because we know what White Diamond wants to do with all of you. And it horrifies us. It horrifies us so much."
The enraged voice cackled. "Wait for it, half one! Wait to suffer!"
Steven shook his head, a small sound escaping him.
"We can still help you!" he told her. "Just tell us where you are!"
"Oh..." the peaceful voice exhaled sadly, "Don't worry for us, little half-breed. We have long since remained in the dark as we are. It is our calling now." A small chuckle escaped her. "You are kind, but only the living can redeem themselves. We cannot..."
A heavy thud as Diopside turned, revealing long, strings of black hair on her rippling back.
"Leave us. We will do you no good."
O
Steven couldn't eat his breakfast that morning.
Spinel was humming a tune to herself as she walked to the fridge. "Steven!" she said. "Why the long face? Your human holiday Christmas is coming up in two days! You should be happy!"
Steven looked up at her when she removed a glass cup from the cabinet. "Spinel. Do you know anyone named Diopside?"
"Diopside?" she asked, frowning.
Steven frowned. "Yeah. That was the gem I was seeing in my dreams. Only she's a fusion." He looked at her curiously and approached, noticing how shaken Spinel suddenly looked. "Spinel? Spinel. Did you know her?"
Spinel's eyes narrowed a little. "I remember something about that name..." she told him. "About how there was a laboratory that White Diamond kept hidden from the other two Diamonds. Somewhere cold. That name was mentioned once."
"Do you remember anything else?"
"No. I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Steven sighed and leaned back in his seat. "This is crazy! How can we find her if we don't even know where she is?"
Spinel frowned thoughtfully. "What if she doesn't want to be found?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, how you described her, I wouldn't wanna be seen," Spinel pointed out. "Plus, White Diamond's laboratory was secret. It's probably not a place any of us can find. Not even me. And I've been EVERYWHERE."
Garnet entered the house, addressing everyone there. "I've found one of them." she announced.
"Who? A corruption?" Pearl asked.
"Her Pearl." Garnet answered.
Pearl reacted a bit at that. "Then I'll go." she said.
"Pearl, are you sure?" Steven seemed reluctant.
"This is between two Pearl's, Steven. I can handle Yellow Diamond's. I'll do what needs to be done." Pearl's demeanor had changed drastically. She seemed more focused.
Garnet seemed to doubt this to an extent. "Pearl, if she's..."
"Garnet, I can handle it." Pearl argued. "Just tell me where she is."
O
Pearl wandered into the mountains alone. Her spear was at the ready and she was prepared to face against Yellow Pearl. She knew that Yellow Diamond's pearl would probably pose no threat, but she had to be absolutely ready.
This had a lot to do with her, in a small sense of the word. Pearl wanted to be the one to handle another pearl. After all, they were both once made in servitude. They were both without their "masters". And they were both pearls.
Maybe she hoped that a small part of her fellow pearl would be able to be saved. And she knew that with the others around, it would interfere.
It was naive. Pearl knew this. But was she wrong to try?
A cry filled the air and Pearl spotted Yellow Pearl fleeing from a wild bear. She furrowed her brow and gave chase. Yellow Pearl was screaming, attempting to be rid of the bear.
"Hey!" Pearl called.
The bear looked toward her with a grunt and a snarl. Pearl twirled her spear and pointed it at the animal before shooting at its feet. It gave a roar of protest before fleeing from her. Yellow Pearl watched the sight with confusion and disgust.
"You, traitorous Crystal Gem!" she snarled, "How dare you!"
Pearl shook her head, walking up to her. "Save your life? You're welcome."
"I never asked you to!" Yellow Pearl screeched.
Pearl studied her up and down; this pearl's attire was smudged with mud, grime and residue from the forest. Twigs littered her hair and leaves in her uniform. The chiffon on her shoulders looked torn and her eyes seemed sunken.
Yellow Diamond's pampered pearl was reduced to this. It almost made Pearl sad.
"I want to help you," Pearl assured her.
"HELP?" Yellow Pearl screeched, eyes widening. "Do you think destroying my Diamond was helping anyone?"
"She was going to destroy all of us. Even you. She'd lost her mind," Pearl said, straightening. "I think you know that as well as I do."
Yellow Pearl seemed to hesitate before quickly straightening onto two shaking legs. She started to leave, but stopped at the sounds of snarling. Her eyes widened in horror.
"Oh no! The corruptions!" she cried.
Pearl looked around. "How many?"
Yellow Pearl didn't have time to answer as throngs of corrupted gems tore through the trees, groaning and howling in a chorus of rage and agony. Pearl had no idea there were so many that escaped. She thought they had captured all of them.
"Go!" Pearl shouted.
Yellow Pearl quickly fled, not waiting a moment to argue. Pearl took a few warning shots at the corruptions and followed behind her. There were too many for her to handle on her own, and Yellow Pearl was not going to be much help.
She immediately located a cave and gestured for the Yellow Pearl to follow.
"Hurry! In here!" she ordered.
Yellow Pearl didn't argue. She quickly squeezed her way into the cave and Pearl ducked inside with her. They waited in silence as the corruptions surged passed them, still howling and snarling. Pearl watched them go before she turned to Yellow Pearl.
"I thought I'd lost them..." Yellow Pearl whispered, shaken. "They want me. They want me for what Yellow Diamond did..."
Pearl frowned at her. "You still have a chance to make this right. You can be better than she was."
"Better?" Yellow Pearl looked up at her in disbelief. "BETTER? We're PEARLS! We're not supposed to be better! We're supposed to be what we are! Who are you to be your own gem?"
"Is that what she told you?" Pearl asked, calmly. "Because that's what they told us. We're supposed to keep our mouths shut and do as we're told. But I bet you had your own thoughts before, didn't you? Especially when it came to Jasper."
Yellow Pearl's eyes narrowed, but her features smoothed out. Pain lit her gaze now.
"I didn't want her to do those things..." she admitted, shaking her head slowly. "I didn't want to see that happen!"
Pearl's voice hardened. "You kept your mouth shut and you let it happen."
Yellow Pearl stared at her in anguish and rage. "I DIDN'T WANT HER TO DO THAT TO JASPER!"
Their voices began to overlap each other.
"YOU LET HER DO IT!"
"I DIDN'T WANT HER TO HURT JASPER!"
"YOU ALLOWED IT TO HAPPEN!"
Yellow Pearl tugged at her hair, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I DIDN'T WANT YELLOW DIAMOND TO HURT ANYONE!" she shouted. Her voice trembled and she stared at Pearl, lip quivering. "I didn't want that. I was a pearl who had to do whatever she was told, but I didn't want that! You don't know what it was like!"
Pearl frowned, but softened a little when Yellow Pearl continued to cry.
"Actually, I do." she told her.
Yellow Pearl scoffed. "You think every gem will rise above the Authority as you have. You think all pearls can become what you are. But in the end, we can't hide from what we were made to be. We're still made to be slaves and we'll always need someone to tell us what to do."
O
"We'll need to find White Diamond's laboratory." Garnet told the other gems. "Spinel?"
She looked over at Spinel, who was studying her fingers. She looked up at the mention of her name with a small smile.
"You've been there." Garnet continued. "Is there anything you can remember about this place? Anything that might help us uncover its location?"
Spinel murmured thoughtfully. "I only went there once. I don't remember anything about it."
"Hm. We know that Steven is known to White Diamond," Peridot said, "But we don't know what she's planning!"
Steven thought about Diopside before he spoke. "Diopside said that she was tortured by White Diamond and forced to stay fused. Peridot, you called Garnet a war machine once. Is there a reason why Homeworld would make fusions force themselves together?"
Peridot grimaced. "Well, White Diamond's motives are usually unknown, even to the other Diamonds. But I know that Yellow Diamond started the Cluster based on White Diamond's research. She felt it was suitable to punish rebel gems."
White Diamond made her way through the facility and stood before the creature in the shadows. It began to sob softly.
"Please..."
"Save your tears, Diopside. All I seek is information, and your suffering ends." White Diamond said. "Do you think me an impatient Diamond as my kin? Not at all. I have many, many millennia to discover more."
"White Diamond."
The Diamond turned and noticed Yellow Diamond there. She stared up at Diopside and grimaced with disgust.
"Ugh, it's disgusting," she snapped, "Why must you spend years here with that?"
"Beauty is of little importance to me," White Diamond replied, "I seek only results and perhaps, more than that. Do you understand fusion?"
"All of us do."
"But do you truly comprehend it, my sister?" White Diamond asked, tilting her head like a curious dog. "A melting of forms. A twisting of the natural order. To the lesser beings of Homeworld, it is merely a taboo. As it should remain. But to us, I see opportunity. In the right circumstances."
Yellow Diamond frowned curiously. "Is that so?"
"Behold the fruits of my efforts." White Diamond gestured to Diopside. "Two beings permanently fused. Their rage and hatred can create a weapon. A force that will cripple multitudes. And what greater way to destroy the hope of those who defy us than to corrupt the very beings they love."
Yellow Diamond chuckled. "Sister, such a cruel fate. We could stand to learn much from you."
White Diamond's features remained impassive.
"Cruel? The universe has never been anything but cruel, Yellow Diamond," White Diamond reminded her. "Why should we be different?"
Yellow Diamond considered her words. "I see. You're not wrong."
"Indeed."
"It's alright to feel a little, you understand."
"I feel NOTHING, Yellow Diamond. As it should be." White Diamond said, retrieving a tool from her table; a sharp scalpel, "For you see what emotion has done. What it allowed to happen."
"Why not let us destroy the planet then?" Yellow Diamond suggested, with a chuckle. "Erase it all from existence? Those disgusting, organic beings the rebels loved so much will purely be an added bonus."
"No. Simply destroying it will not be enough," White Diamond studied the sharp object in her hand. "And we will not be rid of the place where she was made."
"We could - "
"NO." White Diamond spoke firmly now, her wide-unseeing gaze focusing on Yellow Diamond. "You do not have my blessing to make such a decision."
A decision of such magnitude did require the approval of ALL Diamonds. Instead, Yellow Diamond scoffed and just shook her head.
"This is why we never meet. You speak so decorously of evolution and change, yet you are blind to what needs to truly be done!"
White Diamond watched as she departed with her pearl. She focused on Diopside now and calmly regarded the being.
"Shall we resume?" she said.
"You... You can pretend all you like, but we see it..." Diopside whimpered, the calm voice speaking. "It rattles you. You still feel, no matter how often you deny it...! They took Pink Diamond away and it fills you with so much rage. We know. We know what it's like to hate so much."
White Diamond's serene expression never changed.
"That's why you did it, didn't you?" Diopside laughed dryly. "That's why you cut it away. You couldn't handle your emotions... what it was like...to suffer so much pain... They're not weak for having them. YOU'RE WEAK FOR TAKING THEM AWAY!"
White Diamond lowered her arm somewhat. "It would seem you have yet to understand what true pain is, Diopside."
O
Note - Diopside derives its name from the Greek dis, "twice", and òpsè, "face" in reference to the two ways of orienting the vertical prism. Diopside was discovered and first described about 1800, by Brazilian naturalist Jose Bonifacio de Andrada e Silva.
The chapter title "Pearl Mentality" is a play on "Pack Mentality". Also, the OST "Fermata in Mistic Air" from Silent Hill 2 inspired the discussion between Steven and Diopside.
Diopside is a creation of two gems who hated one another, but learned to live together as a forced fusion. She was inspired by someone, but I don't really want to say who.