Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Onyx and the Pearl. Enjoy the 2000-word episode. I don't own Steven Universe, Cartoon Network and Rebecca Sugar do.

Takes place during the events of 'Back to the Barn.'

Onyx continued to try and make himself less noticeable as he watched what was happening before him, he should have known that his sister would have degraded Pearl for being a servant. The dogma of homeworld hadn't left her yet, she still treated her own brother (Not that Onyx let his sister bug him) like a soldier, BUT INSULTING PEARL!? Onyx really doubted his sister wasn't somewhat insane after being formed.

'Great job, sis, you tick off my best friend/partner form the rebellion and now if I pick to support my sister, Pearl will think I don't respect her as anything but a servant, if I pick Pearl though, Peridot will think I don't care about her despite her being my sister! Oh, I am so going to sabotage her backup limb enhancers for this when we get back to the Limestone.

"Your support me on this, right Onyx? You tell this little twerp of a Peridot that I'm more qualified to lead the construction of the drill."

"No, my brother will tell you that as a Pearl, your place is to take orders and look nice so he will tell you I'M more qualified to build the drill then some servant gem."

Onyx looked back and forth between his annoyed sister and his partner during the rebellion. He didn't fear Peridot other than making her sad but he all but melted under Pearl's stare, she had been the one he worked with after defecting from the homeworld ranks, she was the only one able to match him in a fight due to her speed and skill and she was the one Gem besides Rose that knew him well enough to know how Onyx would adept to Earth, soldier gem or not, he feared angering the former servant gem.

"I…. Um… Well you see, I think…" He looked back and forth and nearly wish he was just shattered rather then pick a side.

'Thanks sis, your dogma and inability to see Pearl as anything other than a servant means either way I pick I'm still screwed.' Onyx thought, hoping for something to take their mind off of what he thought.

"You guys should be robots to see who builds the drill!" Onyx let out a praise to the stars as Steven took their minds off him.

Only until Pearl dragged Onyx off to help her build the robot, Onyx knew the girl didn't need his help to build a mech but he was sure that Pearl just wanted him to seem like he supported her belief, he didn't need to look to see the anger in his sister's eyes.

"Explain to me why your letting my sister's insults get to you, Pearl? I fought by you and Rose since the rebellion started, your smart enough to kn-…" He was cut off by Pearl as she started building.

"To know that you won't pick either side because if you don't pick your sister, she will think that your siding with me over family?" Onyx was speechless but nodded before coming back to his senses.

"Pearl, don't listen to my arrogant sister, she's going to have her dogma for a while, I'm her older brother and she still treats me like an Onyx gem, your better than this, you're the mature one, I know your better than this, you know your more mature then this and you don't have to prove your better, me and the others already know."

Onyx couldn't see the blush on Pearl's face and even if he could, he wouldn't understand it, his kind of Gem was made for nothing but war and protecting the one diamond that made them, emotion was something he had little grasp of besides how to comfort someone. She finished and turned, Onyx didn't feel much better since he would have to show his sister he still cared for her, he didn't however miss the smile on Pearl's face.

"Pearl and Onyx sitting in a tree ki-…" Onyx turned to a laughing Amethyst.

"That tears it, come here you sliver haired, whip using flying purple people eater!" Onyx said as he went to chase Amethyst for teasing him, it didn't subtract from the giggle of laughter Pearl made as Onyx gave up chasing her 2 minutes after he started to watch the contests.

"Onyx, I didn't know you were able to speak like that." Garnet said as Onyx gave her a confused look as he sat down.

"Speak like what? I was just telling her she shouldn't feel a need to prove herself, my sister is always treating gems the same, she doesn't understand a gem's function when they were formed doesn't mean they can't adept and learn more skills." Amethyst sat next to Steven, a smile on her face.

"A wheeled mech with the height of a diamond…. I didn't expect that." Onyx said as Onyx titled his head.

"Yeah, I'm betting Pearl loves to hear you sweet talk her with all your lovely dove words." Onyx growled and tried to reach around Garnet at the Quartz.

"Come here, I'll freeze your avatar like glass!" Onyx's hands froze over like ice before Garnet grabbed his arm.

"No freezing." Onyx growled as Amethyst blew a raspberry at him.

"Then tell her to stop mocking me, Pearl has been my partner and friend since the rebellion and before she and Rose went to Earth, she's a valued comrade and someone I respect." Onyx also didn't notice Pearl's blush but he did notice the uniform she had on.

"Hey, that's the same uniform she had on when she worked for -…" He was cut off by Steven.

"Ladies and Gentle gems, Welcome to the first robo-lympics on Earth!" Onyx shook the ice off his hands and sat down the watch.

"This is going to be…. Interesting."

(20 minutes later)

Onyx yawned a little, it wasn't that the Soldier Gem found the completion boring but he knew his sister and Pearl were evenly matched.

"Ok, this is going to end in a tie, I just know…. HEY, HOW COME YOU GUYS ARE ALLOWED TO THROW THINGS AROUND AND I GOT YELLED AT WHEN I DID IT DURING THE REBELLION!?"

Onyx all but screamed as Pearl and Peridot tossed cars over a hill, Onyx's frown made him seem more a small child and less like a veteran warrior. Onyx didn't need to hear or see the board to know that Pearl and Peradot had once again tied, he expected it.

What he didn't expect, was his sister grabbing Pearl's bot with a claw.

"No, I demand a tie breaker now!" Onyx hoped Pearl just shrugged it off and went back inside, he could deal with his sister, he was about to turn and walk in when Pearl tried to be the more mature gem.

"No, you're a Pearl, your beneath me and I will never work with you no matter what you do!" Onyx turned as Pearl's machine kicked his sister's down.

"Oh, lovely, my sister is such a sore loser." Onyx groaned under his breath as his sister's machine tackled Pearl's.

"Stop! Giant robots shouldn't fight!" Steven yelled as Onyx sighed and crossed his arms.

"At least Pearl was above this… At first…" Onyx's expression changed at Peridot's words.

"No, your nothing but a toy, a shiny little trinket, where do you get the gall to act like your own gem! You're a Pearl!" Onyx was angered but his expression turned to shock as Pearl punched Peradot in the face.

"Wow… Just… Wow, I have never seen her like this." Onyx was so surprised at Pearl's response that he barely noticed Pearl leap into the air only to be caught by his sister's mech.

"He, he, he, he, he!" Peridot slammed Pearl's machine into the ground until it was junk.

"Like I said, your nothing but a Pearl!" Onyx stormed over and grabbed his sister as she climbed out.

"ONYX?!" Onyx turned towards Pearl as Steven, Garnet and Amethyst helped her up.

"Make sure she's ok, I'm having a chat with my sister." Pearl regained her strength and waved the trio off.

"I'm ok, go check on Onyx, he may need someone to calm him down." Pearl walked over with the others, they didn't need to be more than 50 feet away to hear the argument.\

"I can't believe you! Why is letting go of our former home's dogma and arrogance so hard for you!?"

"Hard for me!? Your supporting the Pearl over me! All gems have their uses, Onyx, Jasper and Quartz gems are soldiers, Peridots and Bismuth gems are builders and engineers and Pearls are servants!" Steven could see Onyx was a few seconds away from losing it on his sister, his next sentences confirmed it.

"Pearl has been fighting side by side with me since the rebellion and since I defected, she's as much warrior as any Quartz and she's shown me how much hard work and skill can turn a Pearl into a warrior, she's one of the best gems I've had the pleasure of fighting with and you have to insult her just because she's supposed to be a servant!? Is our role on Homeworld all that you see?!" Pearl could see Onyx start to cry at this as he removed his glasses.

"Am I only a soldier gem to you, sis, not a brother or family but just another soldier gem, just like how you see Pearl as just another servant?" Peradot backpedaled, she wanted to make a point, she had never or would never consider hurting her brother's feelings, but she didn't need her intelligence to see she had already hurt him more than just her remarks to Pearl.

"No… I could never, Onyx…." Onyx turned and walked away as Pearl felt a mixture of happiness for Onyx's remarks towards her and sadness at seeing how Peridot's words affected her sibling.

"ONYX, COME BACK! I DIDN'T MEAN TO INSULT YOU, I WAS JUST…." Onyx had already flown off as the Engineer gem realized her error as she wiped away a few tears.

"He'll come back, he just needs time to calm down." Pearl said as Peridot turned, she knew that Onyx had seen Pearl in a different light but she didn't need her brains to understand Onyx would be happier when he came back if she started to discard her pride.

"I…. Misjudged you, my brother's words aside, you're a skilled engineer…. And I think our combined talents would help the drill be completed faster." Pearl nodded as the duo began to walk back towards the barn.

"Do you really think he will come back? I didn't mean to insult my brother…. And because of how he took it I can see just how badly my pride can sting people."

Pearl wouldn't have smiled if Onyx's words for her didn't hang in the air, if a soldier gem was willing to admit that a Pearl could become a skilled and respected warrior, then Onyx was proving that she was right to eventually trust him.

"I know he will come back, now let's see about the drill." Peridot nodded and smiled a bit.

Author notes

Ok, two things, one Steven's birthday and when it rains won't be on the list since a. I don't think I could do much with when it rains that I didn't put here and b. I have a few more chapters to cycle in. So, what did you guys think, did I lay on the emotions a little early for Onyx to develop or did I do it on time? I wanted this chapter to show how Onyx was unwilling to emotionally harm two people close to him and it was also to show Onyx's disgust with the way gems are treated in the caste. Anyway, next chapter will be tomorrow and it will have 2 or more chapters tomorrow. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!

Also, here are the next few show based chapters.

It could have been great.

Message received

Super water melon island.

Gem drill.

Barn Mates.