"You want to know about Rose Quartz?" Bismuth muttered? "I thought you knew everything you needed to know about her?"
"Cut the crap, rebel," Connie said as she sat down on the floor opposite Bismuth's cell. "I'm smart enough to know propaganda when I hear it. I'm a Diamond's pearl. I make most of it nowadays. Tell me about how you met the rebel leader."
"Or what?"
"Or nothing. Tell me what I want to know, and you'll get some tools."
Bismuth eyes lit up for just a second before narrowing. "Your Diamond will never allow that."
"I'm allowed to do a lot of things if nobody knows I'm doing it," Connie said copying her Diamond. It made her swell with love but she stamped it down.
Watching her for a moment, Bismuth seemed to debate with herself, then she shifted and nodded.
"Earth was another colony to me, Pearl. It wasn't special. I saw some new bismuths when escaped your base earlier. They were so happy to be here. They taking down statues of Pink Diamond, talking about her dancing and singing for them, remembering her fondly. I have no memories of her like that. I have no memories of anything like that. Back on Homeworld we were just pieces in the machine, replaceable, built to a job and do it perfectly. I was just one bismuth made to build towers for thinkers to think in and arenas for fighters to fight in. I had no pride in my work, even though it was always perfect because it said nothing about me."
A sudden smile graced Bismuth's face. It might have been the first one Connie had ever seen on her. Bismuth was obviously far away in time reliving something that Connie knew she needed to understand.
"Then I met her. Rose Quartz. She was beautiful. And strong. And spectacular. She asked questions, questions I had never heard before. She asked me what I wanted to build and why. No one had ever done that before. She made me everything I am." Suddenly Bismuth's eyes grew sad.
Connie looked at her, really looked at her. She noticed for the first time that Bismuth had reformed differently inside her cell. When she had been dissipated by Connie on the beach Bismuth had been covered in a star, a former symbol of the Crystal Gems, reclaimed by Pink Diamond during her rise when she named her Pink Stars. Now Bismuth's Star was broken and incomplete.
"When Rose Diamond destroyed her creation, she took everything from you," Connie said sadly. "I understand why you hate Steven so much. But he's not his mother. He's different." I'm not her! "He… would understand."
"He would never understand," Bismuth growled. "I've watched him toy with people, too."
Sighing, Connie decided to change the subject. "Were you there when Rose Diamond escaped and destroyed Rose Quartz?"
A darkness passed over Bismuth's face. "Yes. We were in the deepest part of my forge, where I made my best and deadliest weapons. I had just completed the Breaking Pointing for her. I showed her how to use it and she turned cold. She said shattering gems, even Diamonds, was wrong. That it wasn't what we did. We fought, she put her sword, the sword I forged especially for her, through my stomach and I woke up here, with you and Your Diamond."
Connie frowned. "You just said you saw Rose Diamond destroy Rose Quartz? If you were dissipated before that happened–"
"I saw it. That moment. When she chose the Diamonds over the Rebellion she destroyed Rose Quartz."
"What?!"
"When I woke up, I woke up with Rose Quartz again. Her gem, her son. And when he told me who he was, he told me who she was." She laughed. "There never was any Rebel Rose Quartz. There was only Pink Diamond."
Connie stood up. "You're lying or you're wrong."
"No, I'm not!" Bismuth said, standing up. "Think about it! How could Rose Quartz fake Pink Diamond's death? Who can make fake gem shards but Pink Diamond herself? Why fake her death anyway? It was supposed to be real! Rose had a pearl! And I've seen Your Diamond's court! I'd know Pearl anywhere! And Garnet!"
Connie froze.
"Made of a ruby and sapphire, right? Great fighter, future vision? She was my friend. They were… my friends…" Bismuth sniffed and tears began to roll down her face. "How are they? They haven't come to see me. Do they talk about the rebellion?"
"They were separated from their Diamonds by the Crystal Gems. They fought for Pink Diamond and rewarded by becoming the first Pink Stars," Connie said coldly.
"And the rest of the Crystal Gems?" Bismuth said softly.
"They're… gone…" Connie walked up the cell. "I was told… that when the Diamonds thought Rose was dead, they unleashed an attack on New Homeworld that… made them wrong. Not shattered, but monstrous and deadly to everything and everyone around them. Homeworld and Crystal Gems alike are out there, suffering. It's the job of the Pink Stars to collect and bubble them to protect them from themselves."
Bismuth put her head down.
"If I can bring you something that proves Rose Diamond shattered Rose Quartz, will you…"
"What? Join your side? No. Go away, Pearl. But don't trust Pink Diamond. I did and look where it go me."
Connie walked right up to the cell and whispered, "Rose Diamond is gone."
#
Connie trudged back to the elevator. She had suspected, of course. Steven lied constantly and it would be the scandal of the authority and yet so like a Diamond to lead a fake rebellion against herself. Steven had used the name Rose Quartz. Rose Diamond hadn't used the name Quartz, but she had allowed people to believe that was her identity when it suited her. Why Connie ever believed there was a Rebel Rose Quartz, she wasn't 100% sure. What she didn't understand was why? Why go through the trouble of faking a rebellion only for it to fail? Didn't the Diamonds have enough power?
"Connie? Connie!" Rayne hugged Connie around the torso so hard something in Connie's back cracked. "Garnet! I found her!"
Garnet appeared seemingly out of nowhere. She dissipated her visor and smiled in relief. "We went to check on you and you were gone."
"What are you doing wandering around after being poofed so recently?" Rayne asked, looking Connie over. "It's not right for an organic-gem to get hurt as much as you do," she said in a hushed tone.
Connie laughed and brushed off Rayne's worrying hands. "I'm fine," she said, "I'm tough. I was just checking on Bismuth."
"Why in stars were you doing that?" Rayne asked?
"It's… the first thing I do when I get up?" Connie answered.
Rayne and Garnet looked at each other with worried looks.
"Connie," Rayne said. "Are you sure you're okay? It's not morning. Garnet, do you think she has a concussion?"
"Hmm," Garnet seemed to be thinking, or using her future vision.
"I don't have a concussion," Connie sighed. "I know it's not morning. I didn't check on Bismuth this morning, I went straight to Throne Room to meet gems with Steven because Steven and I slept in this morning."
"You mean, you skipped your duties to have sex," Garnet corrected. She smiled suddenly. "It happens. But you can't distract us with how cute your relationship is. You have to rest, Connie. Right after your debriefing. Come on."
Garnet turned and began to walk. Rayne ushered Connie to follow, looking over her as she did, checking her pulse, looking in her eyes, and asking her questions. This lasted all the way to the Throne Room where Steven was sitting on his throne looking bored and annoyed while Ellie, Axelle, Lacey and Peridot stood by.
Ellie was doing a handstand while juggling with her feet, seemingly trying to entertain Steven without success. Lacey was half-heartedly watching Ellie, more a grimace on her face than a smile. Peridot couldn't manage that; she looked miserable. Axelle was sitting on the steps to the throne, watching Steven out of the corner of her eye, frowning heavily.
"We're back," Garnet said as they entered the room.
"Connie!" the group said together.
Ellie dropped the balls she was juggling, hopped to her feet and stretched her arms across the room to grab Connie. Despite Rayne and Garnet trying to grab her and shouting, Connie flew forward and crashed into Ellie chest first.
"Oh, my gosh!" Ellie cried. "You're okay! Thought you were shattered!"
"Ellie!" Rayne shouted. "You're going to break her!"
Ellie loosened her grip, but didn't stop crying. Connie smiled and hugged Ellie back.
"I'm fine. Why is everyone so scared for me all the time? I'm pretty tough."
"Yea," Axelle said. "I poof all the time and no one fusses over me. Besides, Conster comes back even faster than I do." She walked up to Connie and Ellie and held up her hand. "Deep cut buddies!"
Connie slapped her hand and laughed. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a bit of green and turned.
"Peridot?" Connie said.
Peridot had inched up Connie. She was different looking. She was wearing a vest and pants with a wide sash, instead of a jumpsuit and shorts. Connie saw her influence in it and was shocked frankly.
"Pearl…" Peridot sniffed and started crying. "I'm so sorry I was rude to you."
"It's okay," Connie said. "It's fine."
"No, it's not," Peridot said crying. "I'm so sorry. I… I…" She gave up on talking and began to wail.
"Yo, Con," Axelle whispered, "what happened down there?"
Connie chuckled. "Nothing much. I guess I'm a different sort of pearl than she expected."
"Of course you are," Lacey said. "You're a Diamond's pearl."
Connie turned and raised her eyebrows.
"Rose established a sort of two-tier class of pearls. There are pearls like me, domestic pearls."
"Pearls like you used to be," Rayne corrected smugly as stood next to Lacey. "Domestic pearls are the typical Era 1 and Ear 2 pearl, domestic servants made to… hold things. Era 3 and Era 4 pearls are and will be made to do things like us, Connie. It's a well-kept secret among the inner-circle of the Diamonds that a pearl is worth an army of quartzes. The takeover of the Ruby System in Era 3? Planned by Sun."
"What?" Connie said. "Sun?"
"Daisy took the credit, of course," Steven said. He was finally next to Connie, holding her hand gently. "But that's the way it has to be. The Diamonds know that they need to be leaders, but they know they need support. Mom used to say diamonds are hard, but they can also be brittle. Daisey always liked that. Iris liked to say that Mom wanted them all to be happy."
"Likely," Lacey said, "Peridot mistook you for a domestic pearl, instead of a battle pearl."
"Huh," Connie said. "I see." She hadn't suspected that. She thought Rayne and she were different, special. However, it perhaps more accurate to say that Rayne was special. No doubt this classification of 'battle pearl' was Rose's doing, and Rayne was the first of them. Connie, however, was just latest of them. Still, to be Homeworld's best kept secret was not nothing.
"Doesn't explain why she's crying though," Axelle muttered. She was looking more and more aggravated as Peridot stood there crying.
At this point, it wasn't clear what she was crying over anymore. But Connie had an inkling, given her new appearance.
"Maybe she's upset because I poofed her," Connie speculated. Peridot being Data Archiver, she'd probably never had her form dissipated before, and if she had ever imagined it happening, it wasn't going to be at the hands of a pearl.
The room reacted to Connie's words all at once, in a flurry of actions.
"What?!" Steven shouted. "You poofed her?" The emphasis on the word 'you' was so hard Connie was almost ashamed. She could defend herself, of course. It was the best course of action at the time. But the accusation in Steven's tone was almost unbearable.
At the same Axelle shouted, "Hell!" in her other ear and slapped her back so hard it nearly sent her tumbling over. "Terri got owned by the Constar! Whoop-whoop!"
Under Steven and Axelle's shouting Rayne muttered, "Garnet," and cast a glance at her, holding Lacey's arm tightly.
Lacey simply looked from Peridot to Connie and back again, horror and confusion on her face.
Garnet immediately held out her hand with a sigh and received a metal bracelet from Ellie, who frowned heavily.
"I can explain," Connie added.
#
"Taking me out of the field is just unnecessary," Connie said. She was sitting slouching in bed in nothing but her harness, watching Steven get dressed.
He stopped from pulling on his boxers, a smile slipping from his face. "I… huh?"
"You heard me."
"I did, My Pearl, but I don't understand. I thought you were fine with it."
"I'm not."
Steven gave a dismayed looked. "Why tell me now?" he asked. "You could have said something during the debriefing. Garnet might have backed you. And Axelle too!"
"I wanted to have sex," Connie said simply. "If we would have fought over whether I took time off or not, you would have sulked."
"You… you're right and I don't like it!" Steven spat. "Why not tell me?"
"Because being close to you, having sex and fusing, is more important airing petty grievances," Connie muttered.
"Being honest is more important than being together and yea, I know this coming from me." Steven palmed his face. "Let's… promise to stop keeping things from each other."
Connie raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
Steven lowered his hand and smiled. "Really. I promise. I won't lie to you or keep things from you anymore."
Thinking for a moment, but pretending to be touched, Connie smiled. After a moment she said, "I promise too," and lied in doing so, as she assumed Steven was doing.
"So why are you mad?"
"I don't need a break," Connie said. "Especially with you dealing with the Jade System."
"I'm not going into battle," Steven said. "Just meetings. I'll tell you all about it. And you can deal with Bismuth if you want. If she comes around, we can have her help us. I need Bismuth's weapons."
Connie frowned. "I need to know more about the Rebellion to get to Bismuth. What they teach in school is… too watered down. I need details from the ground. Stories about where Homeworld lost. We originally thought Rose Quartz shattered your mom. I need those stories."
"I'll get them to you," Steven said. "If you stay away from robonoids for a while to make sure there's no trauma. You kept yourself from poofing for away longer than you should have. Who knows what suffering those types of injures did to your mind."
"So it wasn't that I poofed," Connie pouted. "It was that I didn't."
"Being poofed has its benefits, even for organic -gems. It keeps you from further damage. You stayed standing for way too long."
"They would have shattered us," Connie protested.
"I know," Steven said gently. "But let us take care of you. Let me take care of you. I'm Pink Diamond, after all. I'm supposed to make things better."
Connie watched Steven's face for a moment. He was so earnest and so sweet. He was still the man she'd met in the woods. That seemed a lifetime ago. He was a healer. Maybe he was Rose Quartz. Maybe his mother had been too. It occurred to her that maybe the whole thing hadn't been about power. She smiled.
Steven moved forward and kissed her. His mouth still tasted like between her legs and she laughed.
"Go wash your mouth," she said, pulling away. "I'm going to bed."
"Night, Connie."
"Night, Steven."
#
Connie woke the following morning in her usual pink and black cocoon. However, for the first time in two months, she woke up alone. She sunk into the blankets and shut her eyes, frowning. There was nothing for Connie to do that day, she didn't have training or any missions. Her orders were to rest. Sulking was resting. As she sulked further into the blankets, something cold touched her cheek. She opened her eyes, wiped away the tears that fell, and found the cold object that disturbed her. It was a mirror.
The mirror was small but ornate, made of shiny white metal and pure glass. Connie looked at herself in it. She was a mess again already. Her hair was sticking up and her eyes were puffy.
"Ugh," she muttered. "I need a shower."
Climbing out of bed with the mirror in one hand, Connie walked over to Steven's and her bathroom to get cleaned up. She set the mirror on the counter, only to to notice how it didn't lie flat. Frowning, Connie flipped the mirror over to find a single, cracked, tear-dropped shaped gem in the center of the mirror. She looked at it for a few seconds before placing the mirror back on the counter, gem-side up.
"How appropriate," she muttered. "Tear-shaped and cracked. Someone has a sense of humor."
Ignoring the sinking sense in the pit of her stomach, Connie got in the shower. She had just began to wash her hair when she heard the door open.
"Hello?" Connie called.
"Oh! Connie," Rayne's voice called. "I thought you were still asleep. I was just… checking on you."
"I'm okay, Rayne."
"Okay. Try to stay in bed today."
"I will. Hey, did you leave that mirror in here?" Connie asked.
"Oh, that?" Rayne said. "Yes. It's a teaching device from Era 1. It can show anything it's seen. But it might be broken, now that I think about it."
"The gem is cracked," Connie said. "But don't worry, I'm sure I can get it to work."
"I can just take it if you–"
"No, it's fine," Connie insisted. She poked her head out of the shower and smiled. "I got it."
Rayne was by the mirror, her hand almost on it, but not quite.
"Are you sure?" Rayne asked with a smile.
"Yep," Connie answered.
Nodding, Rayne withdrew her hand and turned towards the door to the bathroom. "Well, then I'll leave it to you. I'll check on you later, Connie."
#
Washed, dried, and covered by her leotard, Connie sat back in bed with her mirror. She looked down at its back, rubbing the cracked gem under her fingers delicately. Back on the colony, she'd never owned another gem. Lower-level gems rarely had their own gems, pearls even more so. Yet, now she had a mirror gem all her own. It was cracked, but it was hers. Connie wondered why Rose or Steven hadn't fixed the crack for Rayne. Maybe the mirror was cracked during the Diamond's attack on New Homeworld. If so, maybe it couldn't be fixed.
Flipping the mirror over, Connie looked at her reflection in the surface. It looked like an ordinary mirror. There was no sign that anyone was there except her. Still, she smiled politely.
"Hello, Mirror," Connie said. "I'm Aubergine Pearl-Connie. You're my teacher now."
The mirror's surface glowed faintly, distorting Connie's reflection with ripples across its facade.
"You used to be Rayne's," Connie went on as she got comfortable. "Did Rose give you to her?"
The ripples became more urgent before settling down and revealing ghostly figures moving through a misty a landscape. It looked to be a building of some sort at first, but then the shapes became clearer and what Connie thought were black walls between white columns she realized was the inky black sky between rows and rows of free-standing pillars. It was a Galaxy Warp like the one in Steven's Moon Base. Unlike Steven's Galaxy Warp, this one was outside somewhere and destroyed.
Moving through the ruins and among the cracked warp pads was Rayne. She physically looked the same, even though she wore different clothes. There was something about her, though, that made her look young and lost. Rayne stopped suddenly and knelled. She began moving rocks and debris with her hands before stopping as suddenly as she started.
"I found her!" Ryane yelled over her shoulder to the other figures. Her voice was warbled and strange coming from the mirror. She leaned back down and picked up and a mirror with a cracked gem out of the dirt. The surface of the mirror rippled, then showed Connie's face again.
"So… Rayne found you and you've been with her ever since." Connie thought for a moment, considering her next course of action. Still unsure of Rayne's motivations, she decided to play it safe. "When did you meet Rose?" she asked.
The surface distorted then calmed before showing Rayne in the same place as before, holding out the mirror with both hands. A bigger pair hand took it from Rayne. The hands belong to a huge quartz. In the mirror she wasn't as pink as she should have been, but it was clear she was a rose quartz. Her curly hair fell to her wide hips. She wore a long dress of white and pink, and she had a gem in her stomach. She was the rebel leader, Rose Quartz.
Connie kept her face carefully neutral and watched.
Rose Quartz looked at the mirror carefully, flipped it over to examine the gem, then sighed.
"It's a lapis lazuli," she said. "Just as the reports told us."
"Can you save her?" another voice asked. Garnet stepped into the frame. She was different, younger, mixed up as if she didn't know if she was a ruby or a sapphire. This tie-dye Garnet came up to Rose Quartz's shoulder. "She's cracked, but…" Garnet looked worried in a way that Connie never saw her look now.
"I can't," Rose Quartz breathed. "The top crack is just the beginning of the damage." She eased the mirror towards Garnet. "Underneath, she's shattered. The mirror is holding her together. If we remove her from it…"
Rayne gasped. Garnet turned her head away. Rose Quartz brought the mirror to her cheek in a way Connie remembered Lacey doing with Rayne's gem.
"I'm sorry," Rose Quartz said. "I'm sorry we were too late, Lapis Lazuli."
"They shattered her," Rayne said, "because she wouldn't give us up." She sounded angry, even with her voice distorted.
"What do we with her now?" Garnet asked.
"Rayne," Rose Quartz said. "Keep her safe. Maybe one day we can heal her."
Rayne accepted the mirror from Rose Quartz and slipped it into her gem.
The mirror's surface rippled, and the images faded out, and Connie found her face wasn't neutral. She was frowning heavily to keep back tears.
"Who shattered you, Lapis?" she asked without thinking.
The answer was obvious. Homeworld. The answer was shocking. Lapis Lazuli hadn't been a rebel.
Lapis Lazuli like all of her facet before Era 3 had been a terraformer. She had been sent from Blue Diamond's court to terraform Pink Diamond's first colony, only to be caught on a battlefield and poofed by an unknown soldier. She'd simply seen a flash of a bismuth's hair and then nothing. The next image was of Lapis Lazuli in the mirror being questioned by Blue Diamond's court. They had mistaken her for a Crystal Gem and taken her prisoner. Rose Quartz lead a small band of rebels to save to her and driven the court to the Galaxy Warp. However, in their haste, they'd shattered Lapis Lazuli, her mirror prison the only thing holding her gem together. Pearl had carefully carried her for thousands of years since then.
"Wow," Connie muttered. "I'm so sorry, Lapis." She rolled over onto her side, carefully cradling Lapis's gem with her hand. It was clear to Connie that Rayne was sharing thousands of years' worth of secrets with her. Perhaps she knew Connie accessed the terminal in the Data Station. If so, why not just tell her everything herself? Why give her Lapis? Connie took a deep breath.
"Lapis? When did you find out Rose was Pink?"
#
An image of Rayne. She was crying, holding the mirror to her chest.
"Oh, Lapis," she said. "They're gone. They're all gone."
The surrounding land was scorched but sparkling. It was clear what had happened. There had been a battle and gems had fallen.
"It's just us now, Lapis. You, me, Garnet, and Rose. The rest are all gone." Rayne sniffed and wiped her eyes. "What are we going to do?"
Another cry rang out over the barren landscape. It was an agonized wail, long and high. Rayne's head snapped up, and she jumped to her feet. Mirror in hand, Rayne ran towards the source of the sound. She came upon it in the form of Rose Quartz and Garnet. Rose Quartz was on the ground, on her knees, with her forehead pressed to the ground. Garnet was nearby, her hands out.
"Rose?" Rayne called.
"I…" Rose Quartz muttered. "I did this. I got them all shattered! It's my fault. It's my fault!" She screamed and a wave of energy rolled out from her in all directions. It was pink, but it was not the lovely pink bliss Connie knew. This was angry, destructive pink energy. Rayne and Garnet were gone in a second, but then so was Rose Quartz, torn apart by her own emotions. All three, dissipated. Only Lapis was left to watch.
Rayne came back first, gasping. She looked around and saw three gems on the ground, a ruby, a sapphire and a pink diamond. Rayne panicked. She rushed to the Diamond and snatched it up before sighing. Then she collected Ruby, Sapphire, and Lapis.
"What are we going to do, Lapis?" Rayne asked. "Rose is gone. So is Garnet. What should we do? We're alone. I wish you were out here with me." With a sigh, Rayne walked.
The sun and moon passed over Rayne's head many times as she walked, but finally ruby and sapphire came back. They seemed confused, but okay.
"Where's Rose?" Garnet asked as soon as she reformed.
"She… uh…"
As if summoned by her name, the Pink Diamond began to glow and reform, only it didn't reform into Rose Quartz. It reformed back into Pink Diamond—or some version of Pink Diamond, someone closer to the Pink Diamond Connie knew. Garnet stared for a moment.
"You," Garnet said.
"Garnet," Rayne said. "We… can explain."
"No, we can't," Pink Diamond said. "We can't. I tried to save this world, and I failed. I can't explain it. I don't deserve to try."
"Rose," Rayne said.
Garnet frowned, and she looked furious. "I… don't understand. Why did you do this?" She summoned her gauntlets. "All those gems that fought and were shattered for you? Why did you lead them?"
"I thought I could save them…" Pink said miserably. "I was wrong."
"Save them from what?" Garnet asked stepping closer.
"From Blue! From Yellow! And White!" Pink screamed.
Garnet paused. "You… wanted to save us from the other Diamonds?"
"I tried," Pink said, holding her head in her hands. "I'm so sorry."
Garnet advanced on Pink, ignoring how Rayne stepped between them, a hand on her sword.
"Why?" Garnet asked.
Pink looked up. There were tears in her eyes. "Why?" she repeated.
"Why I am here? Why did Ruby risk her life for Sapphire? Why did Sapphire give up everything for Ruby? Why am I sure I'd rather do this, be this, then any anything else?"
Wiping her face, Pink shook her head.
"You said," Garnet went on, "that I already was the answer."
"You are," Pink blurted out. "You don't need me for that. Before you, I thought I was just going to drive every gem off this planet and go home. But when I saw you, I knew that this place could be home for us. For gems like you and me to be free. You are the answer. You always will be. You never needed me or anyone else to tell you that. You just thought you did. You were my answer."
Garnet dissipated her gauntlets, crossed her arms, and titled her hands in salute. "My Diamond," she said.
Pink gasped. "N-no. I…"
"We're not done yet," Garnet said. She ended her salute and tapped her visor, dissipating it. "I have a plan."
#
Connie's reflection came back to the mirror to find her smiling.
"I guess I know what happened next. Rose wandered Earth, gaining a following among the natives. Then she and her followers built a ship, and came back to Homeworld. She told everyone she'd been kidnapped and things went from there."
Connie sat up and frowned, careful not to jostle Lapis's gem.
"Where was Lacey during this? Lacey and Ellie never talk about the Rebellion."
#
Rose, Rayne, and Garnet walked up the steps to White's Palace. In their wake was Yellow Diamond and Blue Diamond with their pearls.
"You really want to call yourself Rose, Pink?" Yellow asked.
"It's Rose Diamond," Rose said. "And yes. I want a name. I think everyone should have a name."
"Your fusion doesn't have a name," Blue pointed out smugly.
Garnet bristled, but said nothing.
"Garnet has a name. Her name is Juhreul."
"What in stars is a Juhreul?" Blue asked.
"Me," Garnet replied cooly as she kept up with Rose.
Before anyone could say anything else. Another pearl appeared. She was stark-white with a cracked face and a blank smile. It was Lacey—or some terrible imitation of her.
"Pink Diamond's presence is required," Lacey said in a voice not her own.
"White Diamond's pearl," Yellow said. "Now White," Yellow said. "We—"
"Only Pink Diamond's presence is required," White-Lacey said just before a bubble of white engulfed both her and Rose and whisked them away.
The image rippled and changed to night. Rose walked out of White's Palace with Lacey restored to normal and at her side. Lacey looked dazed but unharmed. White walked out behind them, towering over them, a pink flush on her face. She looked dazed as well, but happy. Yellow and Blue gasped.
"What happened?" Blue asked.
"I plan on taking more colonies," Rose said. "But I want to colonize slowly. I have plans."
"What sort of plans?" Yellow asked, frowning.
"Why did you give her broken pearl back, White?" Blue asked. "She'll just crack her again."
"Oh," White sighed. "I think Rose has learned her lesson. Haven't you, Rose?"
"Yes. Oh! Before I go to my garden to pick up my spinel, what name do you want?"
White turned more pink and titled her head. "Well. I'm not sure? Maybe I should match you, Starlight."
Rose gasped. "I know! Rayne. Give me that white flower from where we took off."
Rayne bowed, produced a white flower from her gem and handed it to Rose. Jumping, Rose floated up into White's waiting hands.
"Here," Rose said. "It's a lily. It grows on my new homeworld."
"New Homeworld?" White said. "Lily? Hmm." She looked at the tiny flower. "I like it. From now on, I'm Lily Diamond."
The screen rippled again.
Ellie stood among weeds in an overgrown garden, badly in need of some care. It wasn't too bad; the structures were still sound, but the plants were out of the control. They were growing on Ellie. Still, Ellie jumped up when she was Rose.
"Pink! You look different!"
"It's Rose now," Rose said. "Oh! We need to give you a name. Well, we'll get to that. Come on. We're going."
"Where?!" Ellie asked as she took Rose's hand.
"Our new home. You'll have lots of new best friends. Hundreds of best friends. You'll never be alone again. Unless you want to be."
Ellie smiled and titled her head to one side. "Hundreds of best friends? Wow… Where is this place?"
#
"So Ellie and Lacey don't know," Connie whispered. She was tucked under the blankets, cradling Lapis' mirror with her arms. "I guess Axelle doesn't know either. But why not tell me herself?" Connie curled into a tighter ball. "Why hasn't Steven told me?"
#
"I never want to look back. No one must ever know," Rose said. She was shaped in her original form, as Pink Diamond, but Connie knew Pink Diamond had never been real. She'd always been Rose, a rebel leader, a protector, a liar, and a selfish brat, but a great lover of all her subjects. "So as my last order as Diamond, you must never speak a word of this to anyone." Rose crossed Rayne's hands over her mouth.
After that they walked out of Pink palanquin and into the fresh air. Only Rayne was shaped like the Rebel Leader. She even had her sword. Connie wondered where that sword was now. Rayne probably knew. In the mirror, Rayne cut Rose down and swiped her gem out of the air before running.
Connie noticed these images weren't like the others. They were even less clear than the others and the strange blue tint to them, like Rayne's holograms. She only noticed because the next images were normal.
It was Rayne, Juhreul, and Rose, sitting close together somewhere Connie couldn't identify. Rose was pregnant, her hands on her stomach.
"Take care of him," Rose said. "Protect him from Lily, Iris, and Daisy."
"We will," Juhreul said.
Ryane only nodded.
"Don't tell him," Rayne said. "He doesn't deserve the burden. He's going to have a good rule, a pure one. One I never had."
"You did the best you could," Juhreul said. "You were an amazing leader."
"The best," Rayne said finally, sobbing.
"I know you two don't approve of this-"
"It's not our place to approve or disapprove, My Diamond," Juhreul said. "But know, we will miss you."
"Should we…" Rayne sniffed. "Should we at least tell Axelle?"
"No," Rose said. "She doesn't deserve that. This has to be our secret. Juhreul. I can't order you to stay quiet—"
"You would never have to, My Diamond," Juhreul assured her. Her visor was gone. She looked as if she would cry.
"Thank you. My Quartz, My Pearl."
#
Connie sighed and caressed the side of the mirror.
"She wouldn't shatter them," Connie muttered. "But she never trusted them either. Her own family. Lily, Iris, and Daisy. I wonder why?"
"All they understand is power," Lapis answered in Rose's voice.
"Hmm. Maybe."
"You should sleep," Lapis said, this time in Rayne's voice.
"Okay. Fifteen minutes. Then I'll get up. Wake me up, Lapis?"
"Goodnight, Connie." Rayne-voiced Lapis said.
"Night, Lapis." Connie muttered.