Onyx
"Hey, Onyx?" Steven said, as we stood on the porch. "I think something's wrong with Pearl.
"Really?" I said. "Well… Actually, I've noticed it, too… "
"I tried to talk to her, but she kept saying she was fine," said Steven. "Maybe she's still upset over Garnet."
"...But she's been like that since we tried to confront Emerald at Empire City," I said. "I tried to talk to her, but came up with the same result. There are moments when she acts fine, and there are moments when she spaces out, looking worried about something… but it was less transparent when Garnet was around…"
Suddenly, the we warp pad activate.
"They're back!" I said.
"Okay," said Steven. "Go see them. I'm gonna see if Connie's here yet."
"Alright," I said. "I'll see you in a bit."
I ran back inside and Ruby, Amethyst and Pearl were back. Pearl looked really troubled. And Ruby, was just mad.
"I almost had him!" Ruby yelled, pacing back and forth.
Amethyst sighed and tried to ignore Ruby. Pearl walked silently towards the couch.
"Ruby, just… go into the temple with Amethyst…" Pearl said, not even bothering to look at them.
"But…" Ruby tried to say, before she was silenced by look from Pearl. Ruby gave me a look before she walked into the temple with Amethyst.
Pearl was quiet on the couch. Her mouth was covered and she was fighting back tears, but some of them still came down from her eyes.
"...Pearl?" I said.
Pearl stayed silent.
"Uh… Is this about Sapphire?" I said.
Still nothing.
"...I'm sorry…" I said.
Pearl gasped.
"No! No!" Pearl finally said. "This isn't about you! I… We found Emerald at the Kindergarten…"
"Really?!" I said. "Did he have Sapphire?"
"Yes, but… he got away…" said Pearl.
"Oh… Then I guess it was about Sapphire…" I said.
"Um… Yes…" Pearl said, sitting up and wiping her eyes. "Uh… That was… what was wrong."
Pearl, you're a terrible liar…
I wanted to know what was bothering her. Steven was right to notice. She had been acting a bit weird for a while. So, I was going to get the truth out. Then, Steven came in with Connie, bundled up in winter gear. Pearl stood up and immediately changed her mood.
"We're here!" said Connie.
"Just in time," said Pearl.
"Thanks for letting me do this, Pearl," said Connie. "I've been waiting all month to go to the Great North with you!"
"The Great North?" said Pearl. "R-Right… Uh… Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes, ma'am!" said Connie. "I've been training for a whole year and I want you to see how far I've come."
"The Great North?" I said. "What about Sapphire?"
"We'll also be looking for her, too," said Pearl. "I saw where the ship was heading, and thought they might pass through the Great North. Amethyst and Ruby are going to go to the Kindergarten later and find what Emerald was up to over there."
"Should we still go on the mission?" said Connie.
"Yes," said Pearl. "Onyx, I need you to come with me in case things get hectic."
"Okay," I said.
"Are we all clear?" said Pearl.
"Yes, ma'am!" Connie and Steven both said.
Pearl, Steven, Connie and I took the warp pad and went to a place that was covered with snow. Whatever was behind us looked like a giant Wailing Stone. The temperature was very low and all the many pine trees were under a coat of snow.
"Whoa!" I said. "I've never seen snow before!"
"Wow!" said Connie. "The Great North is so beautiful in person!"
"Wait! Wait!" Steven said, getting out his cell phone.
"Steven, we don't have time to be taking photos!" I said.
"But it's Connie's first mission!" said Steven. "Her parents asked me to take lots of pictures!"
"Thank-you so much for letting me come on this mission, Pearl!" said Connie. "It's such an honor to work alongside you."
"Well, Connie, your sword-fighting skills have far exceeded my expectations," said Pearl. "And, with my careful supervision, of course, I'm confident you can handle a simple Gem recover mission like this."
"Thank-you so much!" said Connie. And at that moment, Steven took a photo.
"Connie's first mission!" Steven whispered, excitedly.
The snow was cold when I touched it. Made sense. Steven showed me how to make snowballs. He also said, if we had time, we'd have a snowball fight.
I was still curious as to what Emerald was doing at the Kindergarten. Whatever he said or did must've really gotten to Pearl. In fact, she looked around with her face a mix of sadness and worry. I wished she would say something, but it seemed she was set on covering it up. Steven was really worried about her… and we already had enough things to worry about.
"Recap the mission for us, Connie," said Pearl.
"Ruby was looking for Sapphire when she saw some corrupted Gem activity in these woods," said Connie. "It is our job to locate it, destabilize its form, and bubble it."
"Very good," said Pearl. "Now, your human bodies aren't designed to last in this cold. So we'll have to be extra careful."
"That's okay," said Connie. "I've got this backpack filled with everything we need to survive in the wilderness."
"And I brought board games in case we get bored!" said Steven.
"Ah, yes," said Pearl. "Very good."
"So, how do we know when this corrupted Gem is nearby?" said Connie.
Suddenly, there was a bunch of roaring and growling in the distance.
"That's how!" said Pearl. "Here it comes!"
A huge monster that walked on four legs came through the trees. Its skin was a mix of pink and green and it had had big white hair. Steven took a quick photo.
"Steven! Connie!" I said. "Weapons!"
"Remember!" Pearl said, as we pulled out our weapons. "You work together!"
"Ready!" the three of us said.
Suddenly, another monster like the first appeared. Except, the monster's skin was kind of brown looking.
"Two of them?!" Pearl said, drawing her spear.
The two monsters ran at us.
"Steven! Bubble!" Pearl yelled.
"Bubble power!" Steven chanted, throwing his fist in the air.
Steven's bubble appeared around us. However, the monsters ran around us and went separate directions.
"They… ran away?" said Steven, while he deactivated his bubble.
Pearl sighed.
"There weren't suppose to be two…" she said.
"Oh! Oh! I have an idea!" said Connie. "Let's split up! You and Onyx can go after one, and Steven and I will go after the other one!"
"Connie, you are my pupil, so I know your combat skills are excellent!" said Pearl. "But… I'm afraid this is too risky. You've never been in a real fight before."
"Well, that's not true!" said Steven. "Connie defeated those monsters at the hospital!"
"But-" Pearl tried to say.
"And look!" Steven said, holding out a walkie-talkie that kind of looked like a cat. "I brought these walkie-talkies so we can talk to each other in case something happens."
"But-" Pearl tried again.
"And, I read this book front to back!" Connie said, confidently. "At least twenty times!"
Connie held out a book that said, "How to Survive" on it.
Pearl sighed.
"Well, alright," said Pearl. "But as soon as you find something, contact me immediately! I don't want you fighting alone!"
"Are you sure?" I said.
"No," said Pearl. "But they're really insisting… One more time. What are you looking for?"
"A monster," Steven and Connie said.
"And what do you do if you find anything?" said Pearl.
"Call you!" Steven and Connie said.
"And who's your favorite Gem?" Pearl said with a smile.
"Pearl…" Steven said with a whine.
"Why, thank-you," said Pearl. And we laughed. "Now be safe."
"Yes, ma'am," Steven and Connie both said.
So we went our separate direction. Connie and Steven took the path on the right, while Pearl and I took the one on the left.
The footprints left by the monsters were huge. Pearl said the monster should be easy to find, as long as we followed them.
"How are you two doing?" Pearl said into her walkie-talkie. "Are you hungry? Remember, you humans need to eat."
"Yes, ma'am!" Connie and Steven both said on the other line.
"Don't worry, Pearl,' I said, kicking up bits of snow. "They'll be fine… I hope."
Pearl smiled.
"You're worried too, huh?" said Pearl.
"I just do because they aren't exactly Gems," I said. "Steven's half-Gem and Connie completely human. Steven told me extreme weather can be harmful to them. Hence why they bundled up like that. And what if Carnelian and Emerald are out here. The last thing we need if more of our team kidnapped…"
"Maybe I'm rubbing off on you too much…" said Pearl. "But your fears right now are rational."
Suddenly, I almost tripped over a root. Luckily, Pearl was there to catch me.
"Careful!" said Pearl. "There might be stuff buried under the snow."
Pearl and I kept walking, but then the tracks just stopped.
"Wait… That's it?" said Pearl. "That Gem didn't have wings, did it?"
"I don't think so…" I said, looking around. "Pearl, look!"
Up ahead, there were destroyed trees and footprints. They looked humanoid and all the signs indicated a struggle.
"Foot prints?" said Pearl. "You don't think Steven and Connie were here, do you?"
"But… they went in the other direction," I said. I looked up and say the clouds. They were really dark. "Hey, do storms happen in snow places?"
"Yes," said Pearl. "They're called blizzards. Give me a second."
Pearl pulled out the walkie-talkie.
"Steven?" said Pearl. "Connie? We're not having much luck finding the monster. We might have to return to the temple and regroup."
"No! No!" said Connie. "We can handle it! We're making great progress. We can definitely handle this by ourselves!"
"Oh! Well, you sound very confident," said Pearl. "Carry on, then. And remember, Connie."
"Stance wide! Body lowered!" said Connie. "I've got it, ma'am!"
"Balance is the key!" Pearl sang.
"They're okay?" I said.
"It seems so," said Pearl. "Here, why don't you hold this for a bit."
"Pearl handed the walkie-talkie to me. I looked at it curiously as we kept walking a bit. What did Steven find so cool about this device?
Suddenly, I tripped over something and fell on the floor.
"OW!" I yelled. "My ankle!
"Onyx!" Pearl said, running over. "Are you alright?"
"Y-Yes…" I said, sitting up and rubbing my ankle. "I wasn't watching where I was going… What's in this snow? It's hardened!"
"Hardened?" said Pearl.
"I kicked it hard enough to know," I grumbled.
Pearl ran over to wear I tripped and cleared off the snow. Underneath was a green metal-looking part. She then pulled it out.
"Is that…" I said.
"A part from Emerald's ship…" Pearl said, her eyes widening. "Peridot's sabotage…"
Pearl and I looked at each other.
"Sapphire!" we both said.
The humanoid footprints came horizontally from where the monster ones were from. We went that direction, finding more parts along the way. We had to be getting closer.
"Sapphire!" I yelled.
"Keep it down!" said Pearl. "They'll hear us if we're too loud."
Then, beyond a thick patch of trees we found a completely destroyed ship on the ground. The hull was in shambles. We could even go in without using the door.
"Sapphire?" I said.
"E… Emerald?" said Pearl. "Carnelian?"
Pearl and I walked around the crash sight. We checked the remains of the ship's rooms, check under fallen ship parts… but nothing turned up.
"Do you think Sapphire escaped when it came down?" I said.
"I just hope she's okay…" Pearl said, started to look upset again.
"...Pearl?" I said.
Suddenly, we heard a loud growling noise in the distance.
"It's the monster!" Pearl said, pulling out her spear.
The monster came out of the woods and charged at us. Only this time, we didn't have Steven to protect us. Pearl and I jumped out of the way.
"Onyx!" Pearl said, holding out her hand. "We only have one way to beat it."
I knew what that gesture meant.
"I… I can't!" I said. "What if I-"
"You won't!" said Pearl. "I trust you!"
Before the monster came back Pearl and I fused. Luna jumped into the air and dodged the monster's charge. She took a step back summoning her scythe. She shot beams at it and the monster was backed into a corner.
Luna charged at the monster at full speed. Suddenly, before she could land the final strike, everything around her went blank and the monster suddenly looked like a Gem.
"...What?" Luna said, her eyes widening. "I'm sorry!" She then shouted.
Luna missed the monster and a light spread through her body and she split. Pearl and I fell onto the ground, the monster towering over us.
"P-Pearl?!" I said.
Pearl looked up at the monster and just started running.
"Pearl!" I said.
The monster tried to step on me, but I jumped out of the way. The shock wave still sent me flying to a nearby tree. I pulled out my sword and I ran in another direction as fast as I could. Up ahead, I cut down a tree and blocked its path. With that, I kept running as fast as possible.
"Pearl?" I yelled. "Pearl?!"
I wondered what happened? Who the heck did Luna see? I did remember Garnet saying something about this.
"For a fusion to work, there's needs to be balance. An imbalance can cause your fusion to lose touch with reality, see things that aren't there, and eventually fall apart. That is to say, if one of you is falling apart, your fusion will, as well."
I had never seen that Gem before. Could Pearl have seen him? I had to find her. Steven and Connie were still out there. She would never forget about the mission like this.
Something cold and white fell on my nose. I looked up and saw more falling. It was snowing… and it would only be a matter of time before a snowstorm happened. I had to find Pearl fast!
The monster had stopped pursuing me, so I decided to walk back where we had fought the monster.
Nothing was around. The monster had fled, but I found Pearl's footprints. The only option I had to finding her was to just follow them.
"Pearl?" Steven said through the walkie-talkie. "Onyx, you there?"
"Um, y-yeah," I said, as I walked along. "I'm here."
"It started snowing," said Steven. "Are you guys okay?"
"We fought the monster," I said. "But something happened when we did. We fused into Luna and she panicked and we fell apart."
"What?" said Steven.
"And Pearl ran!" I said.
"What do you mean?" said Steven.
"I'm not sure," I said. "We unfused and Pearl just… ran! Don't worry about me, though. I'll find her."
"O… Okay," said Steven.
I kept going and the snow started falling harder. Then I fell down a slope. Some snow came down with me. I managed to dig my head out of the snow… and up ahead was a cave. Pearl stood inside, visible at from where I was. I rushed out of the snow as fast as I could, but tripped and I came in.
"Pearl!" I said.
Pearl was on her knees. Her mouth was covered and she was holding back tears. In front of her was what appeared to be an unlit fire pit. I could still smell smoke, so it was probably put out recently.
"Pearl…" I said, walking in. "You have to tell me what's wrong…"
"Why…?" Pearl finally spoke. "Why him...? Why did he have to do this...?"
"What?" I said.
"He was right…" Pearl said, looking to the floor.
"We all do things… we'll regret…" said Pearl. "Both sides… I… Everyone did things they weren't proud of… Garnet… myself… even Rose… We won the war… but the things we did would be at our backs forever."
"What do you mean?" I said.
"When the war started for Earth," said Pearl, "while the Gems were expected to follow the orders of their Diamonds, it was still up to them who's side they were on… Many of them left friends behind to fight for earth… And some ended up having to fight each other…"
Pearl crossed her arms. Tears came down from her eyes, as she recalled the memories. She looked up, observing the cave.
"I remember… this place…" said Pearl. "Does he still have those memories…?"
"He?" I said.
"We were right here…" said Pearl. "Thousands of years ago…"
Pearl's gem started glowing and it projected an image. In it, I saw a young Pearl in this very cave.
"Pearl?" said a voice. "You in here?"
"Pearl, that voice…" I said.
Another Gem came into the scene. He wore some kind of collared buttoned sweater. On the back of it was a huge diamond design. Pearl's projection didn't play in color so I couldn't tell what color it was. His hair was shorter and he had a kind smile.
"Is that… Emerald?" I said.
"Cool," said Emerald. "You're here. Come on! Let's see how you've been doing."
Then there was an image of Pearl and emerald sparring hand-to-hand. The two blocked each other's attacks, when Emerald went on the offensive and tried to swipe at her, but Pearl ducked and counted him by kicking him to the floor.
Emerald stood up, dusting himself off.
"I… I did it!" the young Pearl said.
"Yes," said Emerald. "You're getting much better."
Pearl looked outside.
"This is such a lovely planet…" she said.
"I know…" Emerald said, walking up next to her. "A lovely place to build a colony… Well, so says my fellow elites."
Pearl looked to the floor at that sentence.
"...Maybe we should… stop," said Pearl.
"What?" said Emerald. "Why?!"
"I… I'm a Pearl…" Pearl said, sadly. "I'm not suppose… to fight… If they find out that you've been teaching me things outside my purpose…"
"Pearly, if I didn't think I could hide this from the others, I wouldn't have gone through with this," said Emerald. "I promise to do everything I can to protect you…"
Pearl smiled.
"So…" she said. "So you think the rumors of the rebellion are true?" said Pearl.
"I think so," Emerald said, reaching into his pocket. "They told us to keep it a secret to prevent panic for now, but no one should have reason to worry. Know how rebellions go, this problem should be settled quickly."
"Right…" said Pearl.
"Here," said Emerald. "I got this for you…"
Emerald pulled out a rose. It was pink.
"Oh, Emerald!" said Pearl. "It's pink!"
"Yeah," said Emerald. "I found it on the way over here. Most of them were red, but I found this pink one. Just tell your mistress you found it while you working if she sees it. Alright, let's get you back before anyone notices you're missing."
Pearl laughed.
"We're so bad," Pearl said, taking the rose.
"Yeah," Emerald said, with a chuckle. "We sure are…"
The projection stopped after that.
"Before Garnet… Before Rose… Before the war… or any of this…" said Pearl. "It was just Emerald and I… against the Gem society…"
Pearl looked to the floor.
"I couldn't fight…" said Pearl. "I couldn't even hold a weapon right…. Then, it was Emerald who showed me how… but no matter what we'd do.. Emerald was risking everything, including his own life just for me. Then I met Rose… and everything changed. Emerald didn't want to leave his friends… but I couldn't just sit by and let Emerald keep risking his own existence. I wanted to keep this planet safe! I was alone on Homeworld… I had no friends… I was just a Pearl, and I didn't want him to worry about someone like me, anymore…"
"...So you left…" I concluded.
Pearl's eyes filled.
"Not even… a good-bye…" said Pearl. "I… I don't know what to do…"
So this was all Emerald's doing. Him being here was making everyone suffer…
"That doesn't matter…" I said. "For now, we have to focus on saving Sapphire… Only then, can we try to talk to Emerald. But just know that you don't have go through this alone… You have us."
I gave Pearl a hug.
"Hello?!" said a voice. "Anyone? Pearl? Onyx?"
I pulled out the walkie-talkie as fast as I could.
"This is Onyx!" I said. "What's going on?"
"Onyx, we found the monster!" said Connie.
"What?!" said Pearl.
"We need your help!" said Connie.
"We'll be right there, Connie!" I said.
"Ah, what am I doing?" said Pearl. "We've gotta focus on that monster! I'm so sorry, Onyx! I almost got you killed!"
"It's okay, Pearl," I said. "I promise we'll find a way to confront Emerald about this. Now, let's go!"
Pearl and I ran outside into the blizzard. I let Pearl lead the way. She really had a good sense of direction.
"We jumped off a cliffside and landed near Steven and Connie who were in a protective bubble.
Then, to my shock, Jasper was standing nearby.
"Connie!" said Pearl. "Where's the-"
"Jasper!" I yelled, hiding behind Pearl.
Jasper merely looked at us and laughed.
"Hey, Rose!" Jasper said, holding up the gems of the two monsters. "Look what I got."
We stayed absolutely still. Steven, for some reason, took a picture. Jasper turned around and disappeared into the blizzard, chuckling to herself.
Pearl sighed in relief.
"Are you two okay?!" Pearl said, as Steven deactivated his bubble.
"Pearl!" Steven said, embracing her. "You're back!"
"Yeah…" said Connie. "We're fine!"
"I can't believe Jasper was here, too!" I said.
"I don't think we should worry about her, for now..." said Pearl. "What matters is that Steven and Connie are safe."
"I'm sorry…" Connie then said.
"What?" said Pearl.
"I thought I'd be ready to fight, but I wasn't," said Connie. "I failed…"
"You weren't suppose to fight," said Pearl. "You were suppose to call us and you did. This was a total success."
"Connie's first mission!" Steven cheered.
"Connie's first mission!" Pearl repeated.
"Let's get a picture," I said.
"Oh! Good idea!" Steven said, getting out his phone.
Everyone gathered around his phone.
"Oh! Another picture," said Pearl. "Tell me when you-"
There was a flash from Steven's phone.
"And… got it!" said Steven.
The photo was fine, but Pearl's face was off. It was kinda funny.
"Oh no…" said Pearl. "Are your parents going to see this?"
"My parents see all of my photos, ma'am," said Connie.
We started heading back to the warp pad. However, I stopped and gazed at the horizon. So, Emerald had some sort of connection to Pearl. And Jasper's out here… I can only pray they hadn't found each other…
Hang in there, Sapphire… We'll save you...