"I'm glad you, Greg, and the gems got back safely." Freshwater said, crossing her arms behind her head as she stared up at the sky above.

"I am too." Steven said, joining the Pearl on the shoreline. "Honestly, I was surprised everything went as well as it did."

Freshwater grimaced. "Yeah…I'm not going to lie, that plan was pretty risky." she said, glancing at Steven. "Like Pearl says, there's a fine line between bravery and stupidity. Before today I would have said you were all on the side of stupidity. Now though?" she paused, mulling it over. "It's more like right in the middle." she said, chuckling. "I mean come on, shapeshifting? Coming back to the same zoo Holly Blue works at after everything? Stealing a very secretive report and showing it to the Diamond's Pearl?"

Steven laughed. "Yeah, when you put it like that, we were pretty brave."

Freshwater scoffed. "Or stupid." she said, laughing as well and closing her eyes as she and Steven shifted to comfortable silence for a few minutes, both gems deep in thought.

"Hey, Steven?"

"Hm?"

Freshwater bit her lower lip. "Why did you guys even come back for me? I figured the gems would be furious with me after learning about how I betrayed them. Honestly, I would have understood if you guys would have left me at the hands of the Diamonds."

Steven aused, mulling over the question for a moment. "Honestly…at first, everyone was angry." he admitted, stroking his chin as he contemplated his next words. "While everyone was thankful that you saved Pearl, Jet, and B9, I don't think anyone could really separate your initial betrayal from the gem you are now. For some gems, it was like you trying to fix things just…didn't matter, since you had already betrayed us. To some of them, you were still the same gem - you just did one good deed to undo the damage. It was like it…wasn't enough." he explained, his mind flashing back to the many yelling matches Garnet and Amethyst would have when Freshwater's name came up in conversation.

"I think it all started to change, though, when Pearl said she wanted to talk to you and make sure you were alright. She got some pushback at first, but when she explained how much you had changed by the time she was bubbled and sent away from the Zoo, I think everyone started to realize that maybe Pearl was right, and that you deserved a second chance." Steven explained. "See…a huge thing that comes with being a Crystal Gem is the idea that everyone can change. We may not forget your betrayal, but that doesn't mean we can't forgive you and move on."

Freshwater listened intently to Steven's words, soaking them all in as the boy spoke. "Trust me, I definitely understand why some gems may struggle to forgive me so easily. After all, even though I definitely am not the same gem that I used to be, I still can't deny the fact that I hurt people, and those people have the right to be wary of me or distance themselves from me because of how I used to act." she said, pausing briefly for a moment before continuing. "Even if the gems never trust me the same way they used to, though, I would like to formally apologize for my behavior. It….wasn't right to turn on you all the way I did. I would also like to thank you guys for coming to the Zoo and stepping in." she said, giving Steven a smile.

Steven flashed a toothy grin back at the gem with a thumbs up. "Of course. I'll be sure to pass along the message to the gems. I'm sure they would love to hear it. And of course…you'll be able to say it in person?" he said, cocking his head to the side.

Freshwater sighed. "Hopefully." she murmured. "I definitely want to, but getting away from the Diamonds is going to be…difficult." she said, glancing at Steven. "But. That doesn't mean I don't want to. I want to get away from them - I just don't want to bring them to you guys when I do. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I put you guys in danger like that again."

Steven smiled. "Honestly, the fact that you even want to try to come back is a huge step up from the last time we spoke."

Freshwater snickered. "You sound like Pearl." she said with a smile, looking up when she heard the loud, familiar beeping of Steven's alarm. "Whelp, that's your cue." she said, helping the boy to his feet.

"Bye Freshwater." Steven said, hugging the gem around the waist. "It was nice to see you again."

Freshwater returned the hug with a smile. "The feeling is mutual, Steven. Oh! Can you…tell Pearl I said hi?"

Steven looked up at the gem with a coy smile. "Just Pearl?"

Freshwater's face darkened slightly. "A-And the other gems, of course!"

Steven chuckled. "Yeah, sure." he said, the world around him darkening as he started to wake up.

...

Freshwater rubbed sleep from her eyes as Blue Diamond's ship lifted into the air, the gem on the way back to her own throne room after dropping Freshwater off at White Diamond's room. As the door slid open, Freshwater felt a twinge of fear in the pit of her stomach. She hoped she would be able to fool White into thinking that she still was oblivious to her relationship with the perfect Pearl experiment.

"Eeeeassyy Fresh." the gem said as she came to a stop in front of the gem's door, her hand on the handle as she took a deep breath. "I just have to keep doing what I've been doing. Just like Holly Blue trained me." she whispered, a shudder running down her spine at the memory of the tyrannical gem.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, the gem opened the door and entered, bowing low and saluting the gem. "My Diamond. A pleasure to be in your presence as always."

White Diamond smiled, motioning for the gem to stand. "Defect. I hear your trip to the Zoo was enlightening?"

Freshwater grimaced. She had no idea. "Yes, My Diamond. It was quite informative, and while the humans are quite endearing, I could never turn on you for them, your radiance."

White Diamond smiled. "Aah, that's good. I assume you now what happened to the last gem who made that mistake?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

Freshwater bit her lower lip. "Of course, My Diamond." she said. "That defect was shattered, along with the Onyx, Bismuth, and other Pearl who helped in transporting the humans from the Zoo." she said, her heart thundering in her chest as she lied through her teeth.

For a long and agonizing moment, White Diamond mulled over the gem's answer before finally smiling and looking pleased. "Exactly, my pet. Now, I know a gem such as yourself would never even think about turning on us, especially since we went out of our way to fix you, along with wipe any memories you have associated with that atrocious form. We want to help rid this planet of defective traits that you and others possess, which is why your next mission is so SO important. I know you will not disappoint." she said with a wry smile.

Freshwater felt a shudder run down her spine as she forced a smile and nodded. "I will do whatever you ask of me, my Diamond."

White Diamond smiled. "I know you will. Now, speaking of your next mission, we have everything ready for you to depart as soon as possible. You will be accompanied by an Aquamarine guard and two Topaz soldiers who also have business on Earth. We of course can't send a defenseless, defective Pearl to a planet on their own without protection, as you understand. After your missions are complete, you will be returning to Homeworld. There, you will be taking part in a mission that gems will speak of for future generations." she said, a glint in her eye. "I won't worry your pretty little head about it now, but just know - BIG things are coming, defect."

Freshwater nodded, doing her best to maintain her forced smile. "I look forward to assisting you, My Diamond."

"The feeling is mutual, dear." White Diamond said with a sickeningly sweet smile before waving the gem off.

White Diamond's smile didn't fade until the door to her room slid closed, the gem immediately reaching for the Diamond Line and calling Yellow and Blue Diamond, instructing each of their Pearls to summon their Diamonds immediately.

"I assume the meeting with the Defect went as planned?" Yellow Diamond said, taking the Diamond line from her Pearl as White Diamond nodded. "Of course it did. As I suspected, she does not remember a thing and is still just as loyal as she was the day we wiped her memory. However…it does not hurt to be cautious." she said, nodding a greeting at Blue Diamodn as the gem took the Diamond line from her own Pearl.

"Are you suggesting the Aquamarine and Topaz guards going with her to Earth is not enough?" Blue Diamond asked, surprised.

"Yes." White said, nodding. "At this point, we cannot be too careful. I am growing tired of the Crystal Gems being a thorn in my side. It has gone on for long enough, and I am ready to destroy that planet and them with it."

"What other protection are you suggesting? More gems?" Yellow Diamond asked, arching an eyebrow.

White shook her head. "No, actually. I have ordered the Aquamarine and Topaz gem to poof the gem as soon as she finishes her report. After that we will no longer need her after all, and gems are starting to wisen up and question if the defect is the same as the gem in our court. I'd rather shatter her at the next earliest convenience. I would have the Aquamarine and Topaz gem shatter her while on Earth, but I'd rather not have them question why, even if they only do so behind closed doors. The Peridots can also keep her shards and potentially use them for future research if need be, of course."

Yellow Diamond felt like she had had a weight lifted off of her shoulders. "Finally. I've ordered that gem to be shattered thousands of years ago."

"Well, in a way it is good that that didn't happen." White Diamond said with a sigh. "Somehow, she is perfect in terms of what a Pearl should be - at least in terms of behavior. The only things that are absolutely unforgivable and why I deem her another failed attempt are her horrendous form and the fact that her loyalty to us is not guaranteed."

Blue Diamond nodded. "Yes, every task I have given her has been done swiftly and efficiently. Even tasks my own Pearl would struggle to accomplish, such as her trip to the Kindergarten to take care of the Off-Color problem we had there."

"See, that is exactly the point of all of this, my dear Blue." White Diamond said with a broad smile. "An entire race of a single gem type that can fulfill all of our needs. Never questioning us, never straying, and only doing exactly what they are told. Had we done things this way originally, we would still have our Pink with us. Gems would not feel the need for freedom, because to them freedom would be pointless. When this is all said and done, we will only have one uniform class of gems who will not falter, question, disrespect, or even think about shattering us. Project perfection will be the answer to all of this. Mark my words."