White Pearl waited for the door to fully open before she floated in the room. The room was empty. Pink diamonds timetable showed that she was occupied in the court fitting. White Pearls eyes didn't move as she spotted the white screens were scattered all over the room... Thrown around carelessly. White pearl collected every single one.

All ten screens were present, White pearl turned back towards the door and slowly floated up to it. The door opened and White Pearl floated out the room, the door closing after her.

The pink room was empty.

A gust of wind made its way through the balcony into the room, causing the pink long curtains to swing. A sound of a small pained grunt following into the room. The voice belonging to Pearl, who was tearing up. She was at her limit. Yet, she knew she couldn't let go... literally. As she was hanging on the outside of the balcony. Fingers clinging to the decorative edge. Her feet starting to slowly slip along the straight, flat and polished wall. It worked as a hiding place from White Pearl... the white Pearl who never used the chime to announce her presence.

Yet, she did behave like a proper pearl and properly chimed for once. Giving Pearl just a split moment to hide.

Why?

Did she hide?

That was irrelevant to think about as she was trying her hardest not to lose her grip and fall. She could see her gem collide with the ground the height being too great and her gem splintering in so many shards...

Pink diamond never finding her.

Pearl felt her tears falling freely as she tried to pull herself up. She couldn't. She couldn't pull her weight up. Her arms shook and her footing slipping more. She gasped. Surface pearl searched for anything to help but there were no weapons they had on them. The closest weapon was the sword left inside the small hidden room of hers. She couldn't summon her own weapon...

She didn't have a weapon to summon, no pearl does... She could really use a whip or rope right now or a pair of water wings.

Another inch of slipping, another inch closer to getting herself shattered. Pink will be devastated.

"pink pearl?" A small voice coming from up. Pearl's eyes moved to see. A pebble was standing on the railing and looking down at her.

"... help?" Pearl asked, knowing the pebbles were too weak, they could never hoist her up, maybe they could fetch a guard? No, they are things to not be seen, they cannot fetch any gem. Her left foot gave out, move weight suddenly being put on her fingers. Pearl let out a yelp. Her arms shivering, giving out. A moment more and she is ...

The pink curtain flattered over her head. Letting go, Pearl push with the right foot off the wall, reaching out. A single moment in time Pearl was free falling.

It...

Felt like dancing.

Hands wrapped around the pink material. Pearl felt under her fingers the material straining and swinging back towards the wall. Pearl felt more than saw as she hit the wall face first. Pearl was clinging to the material, her ears ringing after the collision.

She could not poof, poofing was not allowed yet. Her gem would fall down.

Feeling her tears sliding down her cheeks, she bit her lip and climb up the curtain and over the balcony rallying. She flopped on the floor. She took a breath, she was alive. A buzz passed over her light body and she moved, just a bit more.

Pass the limit.

A gentle touch on her shoulder. She shifted her head. Several pebbles looked at her, she blinked at them. Seeing her blink they started to go into hiding.

"Wait...thank you..." Pearl coughed. That sensation was most unpleasant... She felt like laughing her head off... she didn't laugh. Another cough.

"breath." One pebble offered to her and she did. It helped the sensation in her neck.

"pink's waiting." Yet another pebble offered and Pearl nodded. For Pink. She stood up from the Pink floor, in Pink room.

She walked with confidence, her body felt like it was constantly shivering. A buzz in her ears and her eyes only looking ahead herself. Only seeing directly in front of herself. Like she was in an odd tunnel where the walls were made out of a haze. Everything was so pink. All the things were pink. Pink. But not like Pinks gem pink. That pink was prettier.

She knew she passed two quartz soldiers who noticed her, even turned after her. She didn't care to bow her head. She kept on walking towards her goal. The extraction chamber door closed behind her. When did she walk up to it? She was missing time, but she was sure she didn't poof yet. As well it didn't matter as she was now in the Pink extraction chamber, it had Pink walls, and pink floor and pink ceiling and Pink was there. In a fortress of bubbles. Pink bubbles. Pinks pink bubbles on top of pink water.

Pearl chuckled. "Pink, I got it just before not pink took them away!" Her voice catching the attention of her Pink.

Pink hair raised from pinks pink bubbles, Pinks head with pink hair turned towards her, pink eyes looked at her. Pearl waved.

Pinks pink eyes grew. Pearl only blinked but Pink was now on top of her. Hoovering above her not pink self. Her pinks gloves were on Pearls not pink shoulders… Pearl should be more pink. Yes, pinker, more pink. Pink like her pink screens.

"You are cracked!" Pink yelled. It really was not that troublesome. Pink was there and, pink water in the pink pool, with pinks pink bubbles, was just there. Pinks Pearl will be fine she even was in pinks pink arms! All was so pink.

"Let me show you, my pink Pink diamond." Pearl summoned the archive screen about Yellow gem line.

"Is your mind off colour! Don't use your gem, you will worsen your crack!"

Pearl petted her pinks diamond pink pretty pink hair. Another ringing in her ears, the world skipping ahead in time for a bit. As she found herself on her own knees.

"Nah, does not matter. Look, this is Pinks pink archive data on a pink screen." Pearl was about to summon the not Pinks not the pink screen of not archive. Pinks pink hand stopped her own, not the pink hand.

"Don't do that, you glitched! You were not cracked when you left the chamber a short bit ago! "

Oh, is the skipping and buzzing and ringing how glitching feels?

The thin, not pink Jasper trained not pink me feeling like this? Not Pink Jasper was great, even if not pink.

"How did this even happen!?" Pink spoke, her voice sounded pink. A worried pink. Not the best pink shade of Pinks pink voice. Still, Pearl could answer that.

"My not pink face hit the pink wall!" She grinned. She was aware she just dropped nine out of ten pink facts from the full for Pinks pink answer. It was still technically true. Pink true. Not pink pinks true. Pink...pink...pink...

"It's not wide but it's a deep crack..." Pink mumbled and nodded to herself. Her pink fingers were caressing Pearl, not Pinks pink pearl. "I can heal it." Pink concluded sounding so sure, lovely pink shade of pink Pinks voice and Pearl was now in Pinks pinks arms, held securely by Pinks pink hands. Pearls eyes wandered over Pinks pink chest to Pinks pink eyes. She could…

"Don't even think about it." Warned Pink, with a stern glare at Pearl.

"But Pink…!" Pearl whined. "I want to show it! The not pink right is not right!" Pearl could tell she wasn't sounding the clearest, but couldn't help her not pink self. It felt like a lot of words were slipping away from her not pink mind.

Pink didn't react, maybe she didn't understand anything said? Pink was slowly lowering pearl, in her Pinks pink arms, into Pinks pink water, Pearl poked at Pinks pink bubbles. Giggling in an odd high tone to her own not pink ears as the bubble popped.

The Pearl was in the pink water and she gasped. Pain.

The world exploded as everything spread into more than just one colour and not that colour. Her thinking shifted and became more than just a colour. Pearl reached on into herself trying to feel Surface Pearl. She couldn't reach her. Words were returning to her, she was...panicking.

She started to feel a lot of pain all at once. Her arms were on fire from the hurt. She… stopped feeling pain because of her crack. Now everything hurt as if proving she was still a gem and not a bunch of unfeeling, not living shards. It was proof she was alive. Pearl was sure she heard Renegade at one moment in the pink haze.

Yes, Surface is here too. Just being a mess right now.

Pearl relaxed, the panic ebbing away.

"Shh… It's fine. I am here." Her diamonds voice cut in. Pearl was raised out the water and she felt her head being adjusted between her diamonds hands. Opening her eyes she saw Pink diamond lean down. Her pink diamond-shaped eyes studying her gem.

Pearl took a sharp breath as she felt Pinks lips on her gem a moment later. She could feel her gem mending. All was happening so fast. So dizzyingly. The pain was shrinking away. She had to show Pink diamond the records.

Gently tears were falling from her diamonds eyes on top of Pearl. Distracting her from how good and nice they felt to her gem...

"My diamond… I… "

"How are you this depleted?" Pink wondered as she slightly moved from Pearl gem to look at her eyes instead. " You shouldn't even be able to have a form being this depleted. You should recharge. Once I am done with healing you, you should poof." Pinks fingers caressed over Pearls gem, spreading the pink tears evenly around.

Shivers run down pearls body, a moan of relief slipping out. She couldn't stop.

"I disagree. "

Pink blinked, her eyes shifted to the side, looking away from pearl. "And why?"

"I don't know how long I need to reform. What if takes too long." What if you suffer once more because you don't know and I took too long.

"We aren't in any hurry anyway. Take as long as you need." They were in a hurry! Or…right... White Pearl… Pearl had to believe that the gem with no will of their own somehow did something to give them a chance...Give Pearl a chance to collect the evidence, by simply chiming as appropriate. She will not waste it. She will prove worth the approval. Even if it was only imagined.

Pearl felt her eyes close, she summoned four screens. It hurt and Pearl felt herself whimpering from the effort.

"Hey! I told you not to do that!" Look at that another crime for the list. Disobedience. For a Pearl that would make her off colour. Luckily she is not off, she just chose to serve her Pink better.

"Than shatter me. " Pearl shot back, her own eyes hard. "You have to know this now. These two screens are what White diamond send to you by White Pearl and these two are the information I got from the archive. Compare them." Her job complete. Her mission complete. She could rest now.

Pearl sunk deeper into the water, resting her head against her diamonds belly. Realizing she sunk low enough to be on eye level with Pink diamonds diamond. The water line just touching the perfect gem.

"Will you stop being so difficult if I do that? "

Her diamond asked over her, Pearl didn't have the will to answer the question. A moment passed and she could tell Pink was reading them. Comparing them, seeing it was so important to Pearl her eyes slid up and up and up to see her Pink face. Her diamond trying to make sense out of it.

Not making sense out of it. Rereading them again.

Pearl's eyes travelled back to the diamond gem. It wasn't anything like on the murals… It was so much more pretty. Pearl studied the way it shined so close to the waterline. How the light broke and reflected from the clearness within. It was… her diamond… Pearl smiled. Pearl's fingers reached out gently following the gem outline.

Will she ever stop?

She was asked, she should answer.

"No," Pearl said aloud.

"What?!" Pink was unsettled by this point Half way standing up in shock, raising out the water pulling Pearl with her. Pink voice was so unsteady, like the waving of the water they were in. Maybe Pearl answered a question her diamond was thinking to herself. She did take time to answer it. Shifting her head just a bit Pearl found herself looking directly up. Her own gem a hair away from Pink pink diamonds gem.

She should clarify.

"No, I will not stop, because I care for you." Pearl didn't give a moment to Pink to protest. " I don't care you don't look at me as your Pearl. I am sorry I am not enough. " Because she was not enough... Just a Pearl...but she could try. Like she tried with Renegade. If Renegade could be what she wanted then any gem could… Because renegade is just a Pearl too, and yet...so much...more. More, because it is never enough.

"That was not..." There was guilt on her diamonds face.

"It was exactly what you meant… It doesn't matter to me." It truly didn't, it hurt but she could live with that hurt. She could choose to live with it.

"Even if I am ordered to not care about you, I will care about you. I want to choose to make you happy. You will be my diamond." Pearls are honest. This was the most honesty Pearl could ever show. It left her feeling… spend. She didn't have it in herself to move anymore. Her eyes just managing to slowly blink. She felt herself sliding down her diamond. A hand settled on her back and caught her. Supporting her.

Pearl opened her eyes.

"Pearl..." Pink looked so soft. The realisation of what Pearl just honestly admitted washing over her.

"Ah!... I… didn't … all those...words to just… I … think I still need… to heal..." Pearl paled yet her cheeks heated up, blushing, a pathetic attempt was made to waving her hands, she must still be damaged to just say those words. Pink shifted her eyes to the screens in her other hand and Pearl watched as Pinks eyes became harder, an ugly frown settling on her lips.

"... Maybe it was by chance, a gem wrongly writing the data down..." Pink looked back at Pearl searching for a yes diamond. Except Pearl didn't give it.

"Or she did it on purpose. So you would not learn anything." Pearl offered instead. Her own blush vanishing as she felt the edge and hardness flow over her. Ragged edges. Sharp cut.

Accusation.

Pink placed the screens down, still supporting Pearl, Pink leaning her head on her freed hand. Pink shifted to sitting on the edge of the pool, Pearl's head ending up resting against Pinks' leg. The soft fabric making for a great pillow. Pearl listened to her diamonds confusion. "But I don't understand… why would she...lie to me. It must have been an honest mistake...She is never wrong. I am the one who is always…"

"I don't think that my diamond," Pearl stated, feeling the edges in her own words, the harshness of the unsaid implications.

"Why?" Yet her diamond didn't want to believe. So Pearl will serve her the way she needs, she will offer her own belief, one Pink diamond needed to hear, so she wouldn't get hurt again in the same way.

"Because… I believe White Pearl wanted me to get a look at them before she took them away and back to White Diamond."

"White Pearl is perfect, she has no will of her own, no wants, no needs. She couldn't have wanted anything." Pink words responded, sounding more as if she was repeating something she was told one too many times.

"I know." Pearl tiredly responded. Taking a moment of rest to nuzzle into the soft fabric.

"You...?" Fear in her diamonds voice shortened the moment and Pearl refocused fully on her Pink.

"All Pearls know that, my diamond..." Pearl answered carefully.

"Oh, right." A change in expression, uneasiness… Why would it make Pink uneasy? None came to mind. Moving on, Pearl took a breath she didn't need.

"I can't explain it properly… it's a feeling I got and see how she behaved…. It was like she approved of me getting this to you, without White diamond noticing... I am sure of it." Pearl knew how it sounded… its till was odd how sure she was about this. How sure she was that white diamond did not know…

White diamond could have made her pearl behave oddly to … waste time on a pearl? Waste time on what a pearl will think?

Could white diamond predict she would be sharing it with Pink…

No.

She could not.

"...My Pearl..." Pinks eyes teared up, Pearl found herself in Pinks' arms again. Heavy tears dropping onto her gem. She couldn't help the small noises of relief that was coursing through her. Some strength returning in her arms.

"Thank you...my Pearl." Pink smiled petting Pearl along with her hair. "I know what I am going to do… But I will need your help."

"Nothing would bring me greater joy my diamond." Pearl saluted.

"We will give White diamond exactly what she wants. Me failing. " A smile so akin Renegade smirk spread over Pinks' face. It thrilled Pearl, a shiver passing over her light body, one that had nothing to do with the healing. "We will repeat this ten cycles. I will fail nine questions from ten. Every single time. And you will stay with me for the first four cycles, during which you will help me learn the correct information from the archive. So I can answer one question right, every single time." Pink grinned wide at her.

"And the other six days my diamond?" Pearl leaned closer to her diamond. So much so fast… it was so hard to decide what to think about first.

Don't think just do.

Pearl wrapped her hands around her diamond hugging her back. Tiredness was slipping back into her. The pain was mostly gone by this point.

"You were doing the preparations, so keep doing them during those six cycles. " Pink answered nuzzling into Pearl's hair.

Pearl nodded, as her diamond kept explaining her voice sounding determined.

"White wants a failing diamond, she shall get it while I improve and get better. I will learn and will find a way to prove myself. For now, we will play her game and bind our time. I am really good at playing games. "

Pearl grinned, there will be a lot of things to do. She can be the ally her diamond needs. Ally… yes, that was another pretty word.

"My Pearl, I am counting on you. Do you think you can do it?"

"Is your gem pink?" Pearl smirked, matching the thrilling smirk of her Pink. Her diamond wanted to grow in the shadow until she becomes an even better diamond. Pearl was excited. She could help her. Truly help her.

"But first, poof. You are depleted to a point where you should not be able to project a body. Yet here you are pushing on stubbornly." That... Pearl didn't want to poof.

"But my diamond!"

"It's fine, I can help you recharge faster. I promise you, you will reform by the third cycle. " She promised.

Pearl hesitated.

"Pearl. My pearl… trust me, as I will be trusting you."

Pearl closed her eyes, shifting until she was sitting in her diamonds lap. So many things happened so fast. She was really tired. Pink repeated the words.

"My pearl..." a gentle pet along her hair and Pearl felt the blush return… She nodded, giving a small mile to PInk before she closed her eyes, surrendering to the tiredness.

Pearl light shifted. Shrinking as it was pulled into her gem.

A pearl resting in a pink-gloved hand.