The Crystal Gems and White Pearl arrived back at the gem location. It looked exactly the same as they left it so that was a good sign. It meant no one came after her. The air was warm and humid in the area but they hadn't noticed the last time they were there because they were so focused on White Pearl's arrival. They were all nervous wondering what the ruins would hold for them. Just as they all started towards the ruins' doors, White Pearl held her arm up.
"Wait here, just in case, there's no telling what'll be beyond this door."
They all nodded and waited as she went up and put in the codes inside of the panel causing the thousand years old door to open up. The door creaked open, braking away the vines and plants that have grown around its entrance. Once it was completely opened, she then looked at the others with a serious face and she nodded. They nodded back to her.
"Everything looks clear from here, come on."
They had been walking a short while noticing the Earth had reclaimed most of the inside of the ancient building like it did the outside. No one was taking this mission lightly because it was unknown who or what was living inside of the building. Even White Pearl herself didn't really know it seemed though she was sent there by White Diamond herself. Pearl touched the walls carefully staring at every crack like they held a secret.
"I wonder how this place managed to stay standing all this time?" Pearl said aloud but no one could say anything but "I don't know."
"It's so well made for it being so old."
"This was one of the first Gem Locations ever built on this planet. It was programed to be preserved from the inside and stabilized, which is the reason why this place is still standing under all these plants and soil that is around it," White Pearl said standing at the middle of the hall.
They entered the next room but strange enough it was empty. It had a multiple tiled floor with diamond shaped tiled walls. There was no plant life in the room like someone had just built it and left it there. White Diamond hadn't given her too many instructions on getting through the traps if any appeared. She was just clear that White Pearl had do her mission and succeed and go back to Homeworld without making her wait too long.
"Careful, this room is one of the ones holding a trap, one simple mistake could lead to us being-"
White Pearl stopped speaking upon hearing a tile being pushed down into the floor. They all turned around to see the worried look on Soren's face. His foot was down into the floor stepping on the trap tile.
"Lead to us being what?" he asked nervously trying to force a smile but it wasn't fooling anyone.
The walls looked like they were shrinking away like they were thinning out. Every other diamond shaped tile opened up and started firing spears at them from all directions. They let out a few yells of surprise, sprinting out of the room as fast as they could. Everyone expected White Pearl to stop leading them but she kept on running down the next hallway with urgency.
"Why are we still running?" Steven asked looking puzzled.
"When one of the traps set off, so does the others in the rest of the rooms we enter. So, keep running for our lives because those weapons target gemstones with precise precision," she shouted loud enough for everyone to hear all the way behind her.
They continued to run through the next room noticing all the tiles from behind at beginning to fall into what looked like the shape bottomless pit. They jumped out of the wall of the collapsing tile floor and continued through a short hallway before entering the next room. To their surprise, the next room was filled with large statues of different, mysterious looking gems. Just as the Crystal Gems thought maybe it would be safe, the statues started to rattle violently and crack.
This room wasn't any better than the rest. The statues started to fall on them. Amethyst had to split one in half to avoid being hit. Pearl smacked one away, shattering it upon impact. The floor even started to collapse inward from the weight hitting the floor. White Diamond didn't want anyone getting her planet destroying weapon and she was going to make sure of it… but she didn't count on her pearl betraying her either.
After making it into the next room they all then stopped seeing that it was a dead end to a deep abyss. The room was pitch black so it was hard to tell where another trap would be. White Pearl hadn't said anything for few minutes staring at the darkness like she was waiting or something. Everyone looked around the room trying to see if they could see what White Pearl was staring at.
"What do we do now, wait here for us to be crushed or fall into something?" Amethyst asked.
White Pearl looked around again and then shook her head as she then said. "No, there's an entrance down below us. If we can use something to get to it, we'll be able to reach the room quicker."
White Pearl looked around at everyone then took a double take.
"Wait, where's the boy, Steven?"
"Hey guys look over here I found large crystal, it looks like a boat… but it's connected to some sort of rope?"
White Pearl smiled slightly seeing what it was as she and the others walked or ran over to it. White Pearl studied it with a big smile now.
"Steven, you have good eyes. We can use this to get us over there, everyone get in."
They climbed into the boat and waited just a minute like they expected something to happen but nothing did. They scooted the boat to the edge of the hole they couldn't see. Without warning, the ground shook violently like there was a quake of some kind and they were sent into the darkness. They were on their way to the next room with no idea what would be waiting.
Everyone screamed going through the darkness but they hit the bottom splashing water everywhere. Everyone looked around and they started to see light leaking into the darkness around them. They got into further into the light from an unknown source, they realized the water was crystal clear; clearer than the ocean water back home in Beach City. They went down a long hallway with statues lined up on either side.
The statues were wearing crystal like armor while holding weapons. There was one with a diamond on the front of its chest plate that stood out from the rest. It was unclear if they were real, live gems once or just put there to look intimidating. They passed them and began to make their way to a platform in the center of the room before getting off the crystal boat they were in. They all were feeling relieved and they began walking to the middle of the platform seeing a small rounded table holding what looks like the device White Pearl had showed up to Earth for. It had the shape of a Quatrefoil and it glowed white in some spots but most of the outside was a grayish color.
"I got this. When this was made, only an Elite and the Elite's Pearl can hold something like this
because it's too dangerous around others."
The others then nodded as they watched White Pearl carefully get the device. After she had it safe in her arms, they all felt relieved to have gotten it before White Diamond did. Peridot made a weird face and tapped her lips.
"Wait, White Pearl didn't you mention something about a Guardian?" the small green gem asked.
Before White Pearl could answer, they then felt the ground shake behind them and looked to see one of the statues from before had jumped right over near the platform in the water. It started roaring at them angrily with bright red eyes. The wind coming from the enormous sound knocked them over in shock. They didn't think one of the statues would come alive.
"That must be the Guardian!" Jewel yelled.
They all then began to summon their weapons and began getting ready to battle the armored Colossus. It had to be as big as one of the Diamonds ruling Homeworld. They tried doing everything they can to beat the Guardian but was no use. They were barely chipping small pieces off of it as it swung it's sword around wildly. It was s as when they were blown back by another roar for the fifth time when Pearl looked around at her friends.
"There's gotta be a way to break through its armor," Pearl yelled, her voice sounding worn out and tired.
They began looking around before White Pearl noticed a large cannon made of porcelain on top of a pillar.
"Lapis, can you bring me up to that cannon?" White Pearl asked pointing upward.
Lapis nodded, "Sure thing."
Lapis flew upward, grabbing White Pearl up to the cannon. Once they were up there, she then aimed the cannon to the Guardian. White Pearl pulled the string hanging out the back if the canon and it shot what looked like a ball of light at it, surprisingly knocking the Guardian back and blowing off some of its armor with an arm. Once the dust cleared, the broken armor revealed a crystal in its chest showing its it's power source. The diamond shaped crystal on its armor was just a fake.
The Guardian was angry now, it looked up and jumped in the air towards her. White Pearl was faster than it and she pulled the string again. It blasted again, blowing it up and the crystal, to bits defeating it. They all cheered happily and then cheered for her beating the Guardian. White Pearl's cheeks turned a light gray color.
"It was no problem, but let's get out of here before anything else happens. We'll destroy the device when we're back at that place you call the beach house."
They got out of the ruins and headed for the warp pad for home.
X
X
Inside Garnet's room, everyone was standing beyond the lava pit in the middle of the room. White Pearl smiled at everyone, holding the device in her arms. White Pearl let out a big sigh and dropped the device into the hot liquid. It melted into the lava and after seeing it melt away, Pearl then placed her hand onto White Pearl's shoulder. Everyone was beaming at her with excitement.
"Welcome to the team," Pearl said and White Pearl blushed again.
"Yay new Gem of the team!" Steven cried out happily.
Everyone headed out of Garnet's room but White Pearl looked back at the lava with a relieved smile on her face.
She was free. She was free and part of the Crystal Gems where she would have friends.