Chapter Two
Homeworld had adjusted nicely to the addition of Pink Diamond. Probably because all of their true feelings were locked away and they had thrown away the key. But, nothing seemed to have changed...for a while. Then, Pink started to become, how does one say, bubbly. Pink ran throughout the halls every day because of boredom, running into the Diamonds several times. She began to form her own personality: kind, yet immature and definitely energized. The young Diamond was formal when she needed to be, during meetings or broadcasts. Other times, she would be in her room, dancing to songs she created.
Pink hadn't stopped asking for a colony and White regretted ever speaking of them. She begged Yellow and Blue, not even daring to ask White. They denied her every time, claiming she was immature and unfit to rule. Pink expressed her anger through short tantrums and White decided to throw her in a cold room when she misbehaved. Lately, she had been good and stopped asking for things. Until today.
White Diamond sat in the warm pool, staring up at the blue ceiling. Yellow sat across from her and Blue sat on another side. The three Diamonds were relaxing quietly, taking a short break from their duties. Blue toyed with a small gadget, then dropped it in the pool. It sparked for a while and died out. Yellow snorted and Blue glared at her. Yellow glared back at her and White glared at both of them.
Blue realized what she was doing, then looked at the water. "Sorry." She apologized and White rolled her eyes.
"You have got to control yourself, Blue. You don't want to start being confused with-" White started and the door opened quickly. Pink Diamond skipped in and hopped in the middle of the pool. She tried to stay afloat since the pool was about fifty feet deep, which was tricky but she managed to do it.
"What are you guys doing?" Pink asked.
Yellow looked at her fellow Diamonds, then smiled towards Pink. "Just relaxing. I have to attend a combat preparation class in a few minutes. Those Rubies will get themselves killed, either from ignorance or plain stupidity." The three elder Diamonds shared a quick laugh, but Pink didn't understand.
"Um...okay." Pink said, going underwater. She swam in a circle for a while, then popped up. "Hey, wanna play a game?"
Blue Diamond glanced at White, who seemed to not be angry or irritated. "A game? What do you have in mind, Pink?"
Pink shrugged, then went underwater again. The other Diamonds saw her mouth move and bubbles rising to the surface, but her words were ineligible. Yellow squinted and moved closer, as Pink continued to talk underwater.
"Perfect Harmony." White said and Pink rose above the water. The Diamonds stared at her and White looked around. "What? That's what the group of Ambers sang at the introductory event." Pink nodded quickly, smiling brightly.
"Yes!" Pink went underwater again and sang another song. Blue clapped her hands together.
"Flawless Harmony!" She exclaimed and Pink rose above the water.
"We need a better variety of song titles." Pink thought aloud and the Diamonds shared another laugh. They continued to play the pool game until Pink got tired and sat on the side of the pool, swinging her legs like a kid. "White?"
"Yes?" White asked her.
Pink smiled sweetly, her aura glowing gently. "So, uh, I was just wondering...can I have a Pearl?" She asked and Yellow couldn't help but laugh. White glanced at her, then smiled toward Pink.
"You've shown true maturity these past years...sometimes...but especially when it is needed. I know I can be a bit harsh, but it's needed. So, I will allow you to have a Pearl. Of course, I don't trust you to visit The Reef alone so I will return with your Pearl." White said and Pink squealed.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, White!" She exclaimed, jumping out of the pool. Pink skipped toward the door, then turned back. "I have some...important business to do." She said and exited the room. Yellow stood up slowly, walking toward the door, leaving the room. White left quickly after, drying off automatically as if her body had never touched the water.
She walked to a nearby warp and closed her eyes. White soon arrived at the beautiful Reef and walked through the hall. She placed her hand on the pad and three beeps sounded. "Welcome, White Diamond. I am Shell, the Reef's appointed guide. What may I do for you?"
"I would like to get a Pearl for Pink Diamond." White said clearly and the Shell took a while, before responding.
"Of course. Please list all customization options for Pink Diamond's Pearl." Shell said.
"Only one: I want it to be pink." White said and Shell beeped, before fading away. A new Shell appeared at her feet and White picked it up. She warped back to Homeworld and knocked on Pink's door. "Pink, come out." She called and Pink opened the door.
Her eyes were red as if she were crying and White assumed that was because of Blue. White set the Shell at her feet and it rose into the air slowly. White turned around and walked through the halls, humming "Perfect Harmony".
After overseeing a long informative broadcast, White stared at the large mirror in her throne room. She slowly looked at the top of it and touched the black diamond. White gasped and looked at the mirror. Sure enough, she stared back. "I'm sorry." White whispered and the image in the mirror flickered for a second, as if it wanted to reply. White looked back at the diamond and raised her fist. "I'm sorry." She said, then struck the diamond. When she removed her hand, it was still stable. White Diamond struck it again, but nothing happened. Her aura grew stronger with every strike, until a sound rang throughout the palace and White fell to the ground.
"You were always so flawless." She whispered, looking up to the black diamond. Her eyes glimmered from tears. "How?"
Someone knocked on her door and White stood up quickly, making a quick motion with her hand. The part of the wall the mirror was on turned around and the mirror was hidden again. White walked over to the door and opened it. No one was there, so she closed it. Then, someone knocked again. She opened it, but no one was there. White stepped outside and looked around. The halls were empty. She growled, then walked back into her room and screamed. Pink was on her throne with her new Pink Pearl and they were sitting down. White walked over to them and squinted.
"I don't have time for games." White said as a panel appeared in front of her. She tapped a button and it shimmered away. "That was an alert. One of my colonies is being sucked dry from some rogue force. Obviously, I'll have to contact Yellow and ask her to send 100 troops to secure the area. If the rogue force is a Gem, we can just rejuvenate them. If it's some other species, however, we'll-"
"Boring!" Pink groaned and Pink Pearl giggled softly. Pink jumped off the throne and stared at White from the ground. Pink Pearl jumped off too, but forgot to float and hit the ground. "I'm bored, White! When can I get a colony?" She asked and White smiled.
"Make yourself useful, first. Bask in our flawless glory. Host an event that celebrates our achievements." White suggested sarcastically and Pink squealed.
"Okay, White, I won't disappoint you!" She said, running out the room with her Pearl. White turned around and closed the door. She slumped in her throne and sighed deeply.
White waved her hand in the air and a panel appeared. Yellow was shown on the panel, ordering a batch of Rubies. She turned to face White and smiled, obviously surprised. "Hello, White. Do you need something?" Yellow asked.
"Send 100 troops to WB6. There seems to be a few rogue ships taking my resources." White ordered her. Yellow nodded, but White held up a finger. "If you have to shatter...don't hesitate." Yellow nodded again and the panel shimmered away.
White stood up and walked over to the wall. She made a motion and the wall turned again, revealing the mirror. White stared at the black diamond and touched it slowly. Her gem began to glow slowly and an image began to form in the mirror. It was a beautiful Gem, colored pitch black with a black diamond on her forehead. She looked exactly like White, but was colored the opposite. "Hello, Starlight. Is your little game over?" The Black Diamond asked and a tear fell down White's cheek.
"I can't free you. You know I can't." White sneered and Black chuckled lightly. "What you did...that was your choice. I helped you once and you ruined my life. I had to do this, Black."
"It could have been just us. Or should I say…" Black smirked intimidatingly. "Just me." White screamed out of frustration and motioned for the mirror to disappear. She cringed at Black's malicious laughter and walked away. White left her room and went into the office of Homeworld's leading therapist. She certainly had a lot to speak about and just needed to share it all. White walked in the aesthetic office and sat down in a sleek chair.
The small Kunzite was faced away from White in a spinning chair, holding a tablet. She slowly turned around. "Name and occu-My Diamond!" The Kunzite sat up straight and smiled brightly. "Welcome to my office! Normally, I would only accept patients with appointments, but…" She laughed nervously, "...you're a Diamond!"
White nodded slowly, looking around awkwardly. "It certainly is roomy for...a small Gem like you. I heard that you're the leading therapist on Homeworld? Congratulations."
Kunzite grinned, blushing lightly, then put her clipboard down on her desk. "Thank you, my Diamond. I owe it to Yellow Diamond, to be honest. I was the first Kunzite to be created by hand and that was truly an honor. So, what's going on?" Kunzite asked and White sighed.
"I'm not comfortable sharing everything, so you must make do with what I tell you." White explained and Kunzite nodded. "Before my existence, there was a Gem called Black Diamond. She was created by no one, just formed from billions of materials in the universe. Black Diamond was every color, such a beautiful and elegant person...until she wasn't. She had become lonely and wanted to create another Gem. To do this, she had to give up her life. Black Diamond avoided doing this by creating a new Diamond and placing her own soul into the new Diamond's. So, the new Diamond was actually two Gems."
"...And you were one of them. Black Diamond stored her soul into your body, which means you both had to share control." Kunzite squinted, rubbing her temples. "Or...did you fight for control? My Diamond, is she...still in you?"
White was about to answer, but doubled over in extreme pain. She groaned loudly, pounding anything nearby, then looked at Kunzite. Her eyes were completely blacked out and she was panting viciously. "No…" She muttered, standing up. She stomped her foot on the ground, sending out a large blast and Kunzite fell out of her chair. Kunzite backed up slowly and reached the wall.
"M-My Diamond?" Kunzite asked and White screamed. She screamed as loud as she could and it was filled with so many mixed emotions. Anger, sadness, fear and much more. Kunzite looked at her Diamond in fear as her Gem slowly cracked. White glared at Kunzite and summoned energy...then let it out on the poor Gem.
Kunzite screamed, which got quieter and quieter, until her cracked and corrupted Gem lay on the ground. White gasped and fell to her knees. Her eyes slowly went back to normal and she looked at the gem. White bubbled it quickly, then left the office. She went down the hall, then stopped and took a deep breath. The voice in her head had one more thing to say before it faded away.
One way or another, I will come back. Just you wait, Starlight. Just you wait.