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Given how traumatizing his harrowing experience with the Fusion monsters was, Isaac decided to take a break from going on Gem missions. And for the past few days, he's been spending his time doing some more mundane things like relaxing, playing video games, watching tv, and hanging out with his girlfriend Pearl. And today was no different.
Today, Isaac agreed to have a picnic with Steven and Connie. The kids said that it was a lovely day for a picnic, and Isaac agreed. They perched themselves on the top-right hand of the Crystal Temple statue, which provided them with an excellent view of the ocean. The kids brought out biscuits and jams for snacks, along with their musical instruments. Together, Steven and Conne tuned their ukulele and violin, respectively. Isaac sat on the washing machine as the pair then proceeded to sing a duet.
"The sun is bright, our shirts are clean, We're sitting up above the sea, Come on and share this jam with me." Steven sang happily as he played his ukulele.
"Peach or plum or strawberry, any kind is fine, you see, come on and share this jam with me!" Connie picked up where he left off, synchronizing her violin perfectly with the young demi-Gem's melody.
The two kids turned to Isaac with big smiles. Smiling and rolling his eyes, Isaac started singing with them. I'll do my best, to give this jam the sweetness it deserves." He sang as the kids gave him the tunes. He swayed his body side to side with the upbeat song. "And I'll keep it fresh, I'm jamming on these tasty preserves!"
Steven and Connie end the song harmoniously, leaning their heads close to each other. "Ingredients in harmony, we mix together perfectly, come on and share this jam with me!"
The melody came to a conclusion on a bright high note, followed by a cheerful laugh from the young Gem. "WOO-HOO! Jam buds!"
Connie placed her violin back in its case and looked back at Steven with a smile. "Nice jam session!" She complimented him with a chuckle.
"Yeah, you two are getting really good," Isaac said, taking a bite of a biscuit with some strawberry jam on it.
"And now it's time for the best part!" Steven said, grabbing his own biscuit and spreading some strawberry jam on it.
He was just about prepared to eat it when the three of them heard the sound of shrill caws getting louder. They turned to see a flock of seagulls approaching them. Steven screamed and flinched as the birds dive-bombed towards him. Isaac jumped off the washing machine and was about to defend his little brother, however, Connie beat him to the punch. She jumped in front of Steven, using her violin bow to fend them off with wide swings and jabs. Isaac looked at her with wide eyes as her moves were so fast that a normal human wouldn't have been able to see them.
"Hi-yah!" Connie yelled, pointing the bow to the sky as she watched the seagulls flying off into the sky. Having been scared off. "Run back to your masters! Tell them we're not afraid of your kind!"
Steven giggled. "Thanks for saving my jam snack. Unfortunately, it's not safe from me," he said before eagerly shoving the jam snack into his mouth.
As the boy happily munched on his treat, Isaac swallowed the bite he had taken and looked at Connie. "Connie, that was pretty impressive," he said with a smirk. "You'd make a good sword fighter."
"Really?" Connie glanced at her violin bow as she held it up. "I was just swinging this thing around. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I'd love to learn how to use a real sword!"
"Does your school have a fencing team?" Isaac asked, intrigued by the genuine interest she had.
"No, I mean real sword fighting. As you do," Connie pointed to Isaac's tattooed arms with his gemstone. "Every time I see it in movies and TV, I'm just utterly amazed and wish that it was me doing the fighting."
"Oh!" Steven peaked up, before swallowing the snack and got starry eyes. "Isaac, you should teach her!"
"I should what?" Isaac asked, completely caught off guard by Steven's suggestion.
"You know how to fight with a sword, you can teach Connie!" The Young Gem clarified as he got excited with the idea.
Connie gasped and turned to Isaac with an excited look of her own. "Really? Can you do it?!"
"W-Well, I…I'm not completely sure…" Isaac said, looking away nervously as he thought about it. He didn't even know how to even begin teaching someone as young as Connie. But that's when his eyes widened and a wide grin formed on his face. "You know what, I know just the person to do it!"
"Wait, you're not going to do it?" Steven asked, almost looking disappointed. Isaac chuckled and walked towards the nearby warp pad.
"But not me…"
"She!" Isaac said, presenting his girlfriend, the lovely, intelligent, and caring Gem Pearl, to the two kids.
"Uh, what's going on, dear?" Pearl asked, sitting on top of the tea table in the living room of the beach house. She was happy to see her boyfriend and Connie, as she really liked the young girl and supported Steven's friendship with her. However, when the three of them congregated on her and Isaac presented her as if she was something brand new, she was caught off guard. Though, she did blush at how special Isaac made her feel.
"Well, my lovely Gem," Isaac began as he sauntered over to her and booped her gemstone, making her blush harder. "Connie is looking for someone to teach her how to use a sword. And I thought to myself, well, who better to do it than the best swordsman on the team?"
"Yeah!" Steven cut in with an excited grin. "You know everything there is about swords, Pearl, and Connie's already so good!"
"Steven!" Connie exclaimed, blushing with embarrassment. The last thing she wanted was for her friend to over-exaggerate her skills, when all she did was swing around a violin bow.
"But you are!" Steven contested enthusiastically. "You helped me fight the robot floaty-thing. She took down that evil clone of herself, uh... those mean seagulls just now…"
"Wait, when did you fight evil clones?" Isaac asked, interrupting Steven. "How long was I on that island?"
Pearl hummed to herself as she looked over at Connie. "You're awfully young to begin something like this. But, I suppose I was only a few thousand years old when I began fighting alongside Rose Quartz. Isaac, what do you think?" Pearl asked her boyfriend.
"I think you should do it. I've seen her moves, and she has the potential." Isaac said, crossing his arms and looking at Connie with a smile.
Upon seeing that Isaac was on her side and that the white Gem was starting to consider the idea, Connie raised her hand for Pearl's attention. "Yes, Connie?" Pearl asked upon noticing her hand.
"Please, I wanna learn!" Connie exclaimed urgently. She blushed with embarrassment before recomposing herself. "I mean, I don't know what'll happen in the future, but if something dangerous comes along, I don't wanna be a burden; I wanna help! I wanna be there for Steven, to fight by his side! The Earth is my home too. Can't I help protect it?"
Needless to say, Pearl was deeply touched by Connie's profoundly heroic words and resolve. It reminded her of the vow she made countless centuries ago. And that's why she had tears of joy brimming in her eyes. "Oh... Okay...!" she whispered gently before standing up and wiping away her tears with an enthused grin. "If that's how you feel, we should get started! Isaac, I'll need some help."
"You've got it, babe!" Isaac said with an excited grin as they walked off towards the Temple door. They would need the right weapons for the job, and Pearl had many to choose from.
"Woo-hoo!" Steven cheered as he excitedly hurried to follow Pearl and Isaac.
"Wait, now?" Connie asked, taken aback by how fast everything was happening.
In order to properly train Connie, they need the proper location to accommodate such training. Fortunately for them, Pearl knew just the place. After gathering three training swords for herself, Connie, and Isaac, who'd offered to assist in the training, the white Gem warped herself and the group to a special location.
Isaac and Steven were still standing when they warped, but Connie initially floated above the Warp Pad. She wasn't used to the Gem's magical teleportation device. This would result in her falling flat on top of the pad and giggling with excitement
"You okay?" Steven asked as he helped Connie up, who was still giggling. "It can take some getting used to."
"WOO!" Connie cheerfully shouted. The Indian girl almost fell over again, continuing to laugh, and Steven grabbed her to keep her from falling over.
Smiling in amusement, Isaac then looked around to see where they were. From the look of it, the structure they were standing on was high in the sky, given the clouds that were all around them. Behind the Warp Pad in the front of the structure was a four-colored lozenge symbol of the Great Diamond Authority along with small circles surrounding it, which resembled the Galaxy Warp. There were stairs to the left and right of the entrance, which lead to another area of the temple.
Looking at the stairs, Isaac saw Pearl turning her back to him and the kids and started walking to the left set of the stairs. In her hands were a pair of training saber swords. "Where are we?" He asked, holding his own training sword; a katana.
Pearl stopped and looked at him flirtingly. "Come and see for yourself, handsome," she said, giggling upon seeing her boyfriend blush. The white Gem then turned and started walking up the stairs.
Connie turned to Steven and said, "Race you!" Steven and Connie ran up the steps towards the main area, as Isaac walked behind them. The kids laughed along the way. Pearl walked in front of them until they all arrived at the entrance to the main area.
"Woah!" Connie said, taking in the breathtaking and beautiful place she found herself now in.
The place Pearl brought them to was a massive arena in the sky that was in ruins. The structure showed signs of damage throughout, debris can be seen floating nearby, and a significant portion appeared to be missing. Floating above the entrance to the arena were four large octahedrons colored and positioned in the design of the Great Diamond Authority symbol, with the pink portion somewhat destroyed. Three statues of Gems holding weapons could be seen in the center of the arena. The first one on the left wields a sword with her gemstone placed on her chest. The second Gem on the right wielded a spear and had her gemstone placed where her nose would be, similar to Jasper's. The third Gem on the far right had her gemstone placed on her forehead and wielded a mace. The fourth Gem statue was on the far left, but her statue was destroyed, save for the legs. Gem writing could be seen on the columns next to the statues. Hexagonal holes that looked like windows were underneath the structure on the ruined end.
"This place is amazing!" Isaac said as he looked around. Pearl giggled and kissed his cheek. Never getting tired of Isaac's amazement whenever they go somewhere new.
"It certainly is, love," Pearl said with a broad smile. She turned her back to the humans and walked down the stairs. The three quickly kept pace with her as she walked into the middle of the arena. "This is an Ancient Sky Arena, Connie, where some of the first battles for Earth took place. It was here that I became familiar with the human concept of being a knight, completely dedicated to a person and a cause." She placed her training sword down on the ground, before drawing out the sword Connie would be using. Turning around, the Gem presented Connie with the sword. "This is what you must become, Connie; brave, selfless, loyal... a knight!"
At this, the white Gem held out the sword to Connie. Silently instructing her to take it up. She held out her hands and allowed Pearl to place the sword on them. With one hand holding up the blade, she wrapped her fingers around the grip of the sword. She stared at her own reflection as the moment was almost surreal. This was a toy or dull metal or a violin bow, this was a real weapon that was being placed in her hands. And weapons were meant to kill. It was almost intimidating to the young girl.
"We begin with a bow, first to me, your teacher," said Pearl authoritatively, bowing gracefully to Connie. Connie returned the gesture, albeit with only a slight bow. Awkwardly holding her sword. Pearl stood straight and gestured to Steven. "And now again, to your liege."
"Okay!" Connie turned to Steven and kneeled before him with frivolity. "My liege," she remarked, her tone intentionally overdramatic.
Steven acknowledged with a playful bow back. "Miss Knight," he said. Unable to show themselves back, Steven and Connie begin giggling under their breath.
Isaac was already smirking as he watched their silly, lighthearted interaction. However, Pearl wasn't as amused as she stepped closer. "I hope you two are taking this seriously," she said, crossing her arms and turning away with her nose angled up.
"Yes, ma'am!" Connie said with a big grin, and Steven nodded.
Pearl turned to Isaac. "Isaac, you will be Connie's opponent for the first few lessons. After a while, I'll be using the Holo-Pearls," she said to her boyfriend.
"Uh, are you sure about that?" Isaac looked at her with an uneasy expression. "The last time you used that thing, you poofed."
"Oh, don't worry. I've made modifications." Pearl said with pride.
"Uh, okay." Isaac turned to Connie and drew his katana from its sheath. He then pointed the sword at Connie. "Let's see what you've got, kid."
"Yes!" Connie said excitedly. However, one person wasn't so eager to start. Steven was far less complacent with the idea of his friend being pitted against Isaac of all people. Not when he's seen how much of a ruthless combatant he could be. That's why his gem glowed, and his bubble shield suddenly forms around himself and Connie. This started the young girl and the blonde man, who looked at the young Gem questioningly.
"Steven?" Connie asked with a concerned frown.
"Hm? Oh!" Steven blushed in embarrassment when he saw the bubble formed unconsciously by himself. "I-I'm sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry." He quickly dispelled his bubble and stepped back. The boy let out an awkward laugh and scratched the back of his neck. "Reflex. Uh, you just be careful, and I will go over here."
Steven walked off towards the stands nervously, allowing Pearl to begin her lesson. She walked up to Connie and placed her right hand on Connie's sword arm and her left hand on her shoulder. She started off the first lesson by guiding its movement. Without needing to be told what to do, Isaac walked up to the girls and got into a fighting stance. He crossed his sword with Connie's and waited for Pearl.
"Alright, everything begins with your stance. Remember…" The white Gem began by having her student take up a proper starting position. And then, she graced the ears of everyone present with
"You do it for him," she sang brightly as she guided Connie into a simple swing of her blade. "And you would do it again." As the sword was swung at him, Isaac blocked the blade with his own. He smiled at Connie as she smiled at him and Pearl.
And so the first lesson continued with Connie slowly swinging at Isaac in a mock sword fight. Pearl smiled in approval as she continued gilding the young girl's movements. "You do it for her—that is to say," she was quick to correct herself as she blushed awkwardly at her missay, while glancing at Isaac. She then turned around. "You'll do it for him."
Steven smiled cheerfully as they watched this training commence from the sidelines on the arena's seats. Both of them are eager to support and cheer Connie on.
The next part of the lesson was Pearl mentoring Connie on her stance. "Keep your stance wide, Keep your body lowered," she sang in an authoritative tone. However, she smiled as Connie took her advice.
"As you're moving forward,"
And so began Connie's rigorous training. The young girl would come to the house first thing in the morning and would learn under Pearl from sunrise to sundown. She would almost greet Steven and Isaac when she came through the door, drink a protein shake in one go, and then rush to the wrap pad, where Pearl would be waiting for her. Eager to learn everything that the white Gem had to teach her.
"Balance is the key."
Despite her lack of formal training, Pearl was impressed with how fast Connie was learning and mastering her lessons. It just goes to show how brilliant she already was. Under Pearl's firm by fair tutelage, her skills excelled at largely the same speed as the white Gem, and even Isaac. As a result, Pearl decided it was time to stop using her boyfriend as Connie's opponent, and step in herself. Taking the young girl from basic beginner sets to a more introductory intermediate level in only a few days.
"Right foot; left foot," she sang as the two of them crossed swords and stepped back and forth as they pushed up against their blades. Now go even faster, And as you're moving backwards, Keep your eyes on me."
As the sun started to set over the horizon, Pearl decided to have Connie fight against one of her Holo-Pearls, while Isaac stood by with Steven. The white Gem stood by and watched intently as Connie then began to sing what she's been taught thus far. "Keep my stance wide." she sang with a fierce expression on her face.
"Good," Pearl noted approvingly. The Holo-Pearl's eyes turned red and charged at the young girl.
"Keep my body lowered," Connie continued as she rushed towards her opponent.
"Right!"
Connie and the Holo-Pearl's swords clashed. "As I'm moving forward…" She trailed off as the hologram started pushing her back with its strikes.
"Concentrate! Don't you want him to live?!" Pearl cut her off, chiding her. Upon hearing this, Steven sucked in a sharp breath as he watched from the stands. Isaac narrowed his eyes and reached for his training sword.
"Right foot, left foot." Connie sang, dodging one stab before blocking another one. She then rolled out of the way of another swing.
"Yes, but put your whole body into it!" Pearl told her. Steven watched the duel with fingers crossed as he watched Connie continue fighting off the holo-Pearl. The young girl regained her stance and dodged Holo-Pearl's attacks as she continued to spar off with it. "Everything you have, Everything you are, You've got to give—"
Later on, as the moon was high in the sky, Pearl ended the lesson for that day by telling Connie and the boys a story about her time during the war. The humans sat on the stands as the white Gem stood in front of them. She displayed a memory of her past from her gemstone for them all to see.
"On the battlefield, When everything is chaos," she sang as Isaac, and the kids saw her running across a battlefield that took place thousands of years ago. Tall burning flames were everywhere, and on the ground were the fallen weapons of dead Gems. With a different outfit, Pearl carried a battle-damaged sword with a look of unabridged terror on her face. "And you have nothing but the way you feel, your strategy and a sword."
The white Gem came to a screeching halt as she released a frightened gasp when she came across an alarming sight. Onyx, Gem of War, and general of all of Homeworld's armies, stood tall and proud with a scowl on her face and her katana in hand. She turned her head to face Rose Quartz. Her hair shadowed the pink Gem's eyes, but her expression was fierce and determined even as she struggled to stand up. "You just think about the life you'll have together after the war!"
Pearl shouted in tears as she watched Onyx approach Rose in a walk. Her heart broke at the mere thought of her beloved liege facing off against the powerful Gem. Pearl rushed to defend Rose from the enemy without hesitation as Onyx swung at her. Blocking the attack with her sword. "And then you do it for her."
The hologram abruptly disappeared into a burst of sparkles in the night air, leaving the kids in complete awe over what they just saw, with Steven in tears. Isaac, on the other hand, looked away in shame. But then he turned back to see Pearl engaging another holo-Pearl in a belief skirmish. "That's how you know you can win," she sang, easily winning the fight. "You do it for her, that is to say, you'll do it for him."
Pearl's words would continue to fill Connie with confidence and determination, even as her training became more consistent and physically demanding. As Isaac watched, he couldn't help but think it was a miracle that the young girl hadn't worked herself into exhaustion. Even as she gained cuts and calluses over the past several days.
Connie cringed as she looked over her rough, scarred hand. It would be challenging for her to wield her sword with her hand in the state it was in. Fortunately for her, Isaac walked over with a roll of gauze tape he pulled from a first aid kit. As she watched her boyfriend wrap Connie's hand up for her, Pearl sang, "Deep down, you know, You weren't built for fighting. But that doesn't mean, You're not prepared to try."
Moving his hands away, Isaac showed Connie how he'd bandaged her wounds and sword hand. Connie looked at it weirdly before clenching her hand into a fist. That's when Steven hurried over with a bright smile on his face with a tray of snacks and juice he'd prepared to help keep his friend energized during her training.
"What they don't know, Is your real advantage." Connie picked up the juice and was about to take a drink when Pearl cut her off. Still singing, she crossed her arms and looked sternly at her pupil. Reminding her that they had no time for breaks of any kind. "When you live for someone, You're prepared to die."
That dramatic lesson certainly shocked Isaac and Steven as Connie did as she was instructed and gently declined the young demi-Gem's offer and continued to train, to Steven's dismay. As for Connie, based on everything the white Gem was teaching her, she was called upon for a higher purpose. Something that she deeply and readily believed in as much as Pearl did. And it was this higher purpose that kept Connie coming back day after day. Time and time again, Pearl instructed her that her purpose was to protect someone special first, above anything and everything else, including herself. Making Steven her number one priority, regardless of the dangers, they would find themselves in.
But as Isaac watched Connie soak in every word Pearl passed onto her, the more he became concerned for the young girl's mental safety. Pearl's dedication to Rose was endless, selfless, and noble. But he was starting to question Pearl's method of teaching. However, the demi-Gem couldn't deny the results that his girlfriend was making with Connie.
"Deep down, I know, That I'm just a human." Connie sang. Her appearance changed drastically as she donned a new training outfit.
"True."
"But you know that you can draw your sword and fight." The girls sang together. Connie rushed and attacked the holo-Pearl, showing off how her sword-fighting skill had progressively improved.
"With my short existence." the girl sang as she blocked every strike.
Good.
"I can make a difference."
Yes, excellent!
"I can be there for him, I can be his knight." Connie swept the legs out from under the advance-level Holo-Pearl and pointed her sword at its face. Winning the duel.
"I can do it for him. You'd do it for her." Both master and apprentice sang together.
"Okay, now do that again," Pearl said.
"Yes, ma'am!" Connie said.
Together, after sparring off, they walked over to Steven and knelt before him. "You do it for her, And now you say."
"I'll do it for him." Connie renewed their vows to Steven as she brought the song to an end.
Steven looked extremely uncomfortable and glanced up at Isaac, who was just as anxious as to how far things were going. Pearl's insistence upon Connie giving everything she had to give for his brother's life certainly wasn't helping him see things in a positive light. It was quite the opposite, and it was alarming how serious Connie was taking the message his girlfriend was telling her pupil.
After Connie's latest training, they warped back to the Temple. The young girl ran off to go back home, while the white Gem opened the Temple Door to enter her room. She was so proud of the progress that her student was making. However, as the door to her room closed, someone else quickly slipped in.
"Pearl!"
"Huh?" Pearl turned around and was surprised to see Isaac standing at the entrance of her room. Looking at her with a frown, Isaac walked towards her and jumped up on the platform she was standing on. "Oh, Isaac. Did you need something? I'm trying to plan Connie's next training step and I need to be able to focus."
"Alright, then I'm going to get to the point," Isaac said, holding out something that he had in his hands. Pearl looked and was confused to see they were wooden swords that were crafted to be almost exact replicas of the swords she was using to train Connie.
"What are these?" She asked, picking them up and looking at them with a raised eyebrow.
"They're training swords. I made them so that you and Connie could use them when sparring," Isaac said. At this, Pearl scoffed and threw over the edge of her platform. "Hey!"
"Isaac, I appreciate the gesture, but it's not what's best for Connie," the white Gem remarked pointedly. "She already learned how to handle real swords, and I'm not going to have her be downgraded to sticks. Especially when I have her fight me."
"Have her fight you?" Isaac asked, looking at her confused. "Wait, you're not going to have Connie face you tomorrow, right?"
Pearl crossed her arms and looked at him, annoyed. "And what if I am? I have to be the judge of whether or not she's finished her training."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Isaac repeated, holding up his hands to get her to stop. "Pearl, don't you think that's a little too dangerous? She's still a beginner, and I know for certain that you're not going to hold back. I brought those swords because I wanted her to be safe."
"Safe?" Pearl asked, scoffing harshly at her boyfriend. "Isaac, you of all people should know that in a battle, safety is not something you are. Connie will have to deal with being in danger constantly until the battle has ended. She needs to be prepared to take down whatever foe crosses her path. Perhaps I need to remind you that this isn't a game. This is real, serious, tangible training that will equip her with the skills necessary to stand against our enemies in the violence of this unforgiving war!"
"War?" Isaac asked, growing frustrated with the white Gem. "We're not at war with anyone!"
"We're always at war, Isaac!" Pearl scowled as she turned away and paced around the platform. "You all want to pretend that we're safe and that nothing can harm us, but it's not true! We can't just continue to believe that these peaceful times will last forever! With Peridot, Citrine, and Malachite on earth, we're in more danger than ever before! And the more blades we have at the ready, the better off we all are!"
"Pearl, calm down," Isaac said, approaching her. "I get that you want Connie to be prepared, but what you're teaching Connie isn't just how to fight. It's to throw her life away. And I don't know about you, but that's taking this sword-fighting stuff too far."
Pearl spun around to glare at him with appalling anger. The two of them stared each other down, before the white Gem said coldly, "Fine, if you don't approve of my training method, then you're no longer welcome to our training sessions. Now get out of my room."
Even though Isaac was deeply hurt by that, he didn't fight her. He just turned around and started retreating back towards the door. Still, he did glance over his shoulder at her to see that she'd turned her back to him. He sighed dejectedly, hating that they had this fight.
The next morning, Isaac warped to the beach house to see Steven was the only one there. Noticeably apprehensive, he was seen reading a book titled How to Talk to People. "Never had a problem with that before," Isaac said. This startled Steven, and he quickly looked at his friend. "Well, until you first met Connie."
"Isaac, I think this training is going way too far," Steven said, looking at the ground gravely. "I want to help Connie be a sword fighter, but…"
"Yeah, Pearl's taking this way too far," Isaac said, walking over and plopping himself down on the couch.
"Can you talk to her?!" Steven asked with a desperate expression.
"You don't think I've tried?" Isaac exclaimed, still frustrated. "I tried asking her to use wooden swords to make it safer, and she blew up at me! I want Connie to learn how to fight, but there has to be a limit. We've got to figure out a way to get Pearl to tone down the—"
At that moment, Connie entered the house. "Connie!" Steven exclaimed when he saw her.
"Hey, Steven. Hey, Isaac." The girl greeted the two warmly as she walked through the living room and headed to the warp pad. Ready to start another day of training. Isaac and Steven exchanged an anxious glance, knowing that this was their chance.
"Connie, hold up!" Isaac exclaimed as he stood up. He walked to her as Steven hopped off his seat at the counter and hurried after Connie.
"Sure, what's going on?" Connie asked, turning towards them curiously.
"Look, about Pearl's training—" Isaac was suddenly interrupted when the Temple door to Pearl's Room opened, and Pearl walked out. She looked at her pupil with a broad, relaxed smile as she held her arms behind her back.
"Ah, right on time." She remarked.
"Hang on, Pearl. We need to talk," Isaac said with a stern look in his eyes.
"There's no need to worry, Isaac," Pearl said with confidence. "You don't need to apologize for yesterday."
"Excuse me?"
"It's admirable that you're looking after Connie's safety, but it's completely unfounded. She's been making great strides. She's going to be an asset to us." Pearl said to her boyfriend, before turning her head slightly to her student. "We have important training to do, Connie. Let's go."
"Yes, ma'am," Connie said, making a determined face as she stepped onto the warp pad.
"No, wait!" Isaac reached out for the girls, but the white Gem, frowning at her beloved, activated the warp pad. Warping Connie and herself away. "Dammit!" Frustrated, Isaac paced around with his head down and his hands on his hips. Now he'll have to wait until Connie gets back to talk to her.
Steven sighed in dejection and looked at his brother. "What do we do?" He asked.
"Let me think, let me think," Isaac said.
It was at that moment that the door to Amethyst's Room opened up, revealing Amethyst, who was laughing hysterically, and Garnet smirking a witty smirk as they walked out. "Wow, Garnet, that was the funniest thing I've ever heard!"
"Garnet, master of comedy." the Gem leader said with a hint of amusement in her otherwise deadpan tone. The pair of Gems walk onto the warp pad when they notice Steven looking troubled and Isaac looking at them.
"Yo, Steven. Hey, Isaac, you and Pearl doing some weird sword thing?" Amethyst asked, before tossing something over to him on the floor. They were the same wooden training swords that Isaac made for his girlfriend and Connie.
Isaac sighed and collected them off the ground. "Well, I was going to have Pearl use them for her training sessions with Connie, but she didn't want her to use them."
"Wait, Pearl's training your friend?" Amethyst asked Steven.
"Y-Yeah…" Steven said tentatively, though the others being here gave him an idea. What if he voiced his concerns to Garnet and Amethyst? Maybe they could lend their aid or even advise him on the matter. "But I think it's getting a little too serious. She wants Connie to do all this dangerous stuff for me, a-and when Isaac tried talking to her, she wouldn't listen."
As Steven explained, Amethyst and Garnet look at each other with concerned, yet knowing glances. This was something Isaac saw. "Do you…know what's going on with her?
"What you told us makes sense," said the Gem leader.
"What do you mean?" Isaac asked.
Garnet let out a sigh as she walked up to the young man and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Isaac, remember, Pearl was deeply in love with Rose before you came along," she said to him. Isaac looked away with a frown before Garnet gently brought him back to face her. "And it was during the war that Pearl took pride in risking her destruction for Steven's mother. She put Rose Quartz over everything; over logic, over consequence, over her own life. It was especially bad when Onyx was our enemy. And it's because of that, she nearly met her end countless times, with each sacrifice being more agonizing than the last."
At that moment, Isaac's eyes started to widen slowly. When Pearl showed them all the holograms of her past during the war, it cut out right when Pearl blocked Onyx's sword. And then, his mind started imagining what it was likely like from his past self's pov. He could see the white Gem boldly throwing herself in front of Rose, her sword at the ready to defend her. However, he would easily defeat her with a brutal blow of his weapon or his fist. And it would repeat time and time again that he lost count of how many times he was close to killing her. All while Rose watched on with an immense amount of concern. Even Onyx didn't seem to want to strike the blow until she had no other choice.
"Isaac!"
"Huh?" Isaac looked up and was confused about where he was. He was on the floor as the others surrounded him.
"You okay, dude?" Amethyst asked, remembering how this kind of thing happened to him when they first went to the Kindergarten.
"I…I just had a vision. I saw…all the times I poofed Pearl in the war." Isaac looked down at the ground, ashamed for all those times he'd hurt her.
"No, Isaac. That was your mother." Garnet said, surprised that he would think like that.
"But my mom was my past life or something, right?!" Isaac exclaimed, placing a hand on his chest. "So I still did it! I was the one that kept hurting Pearl!"
"But if it weren't you, then it would have been another Gem. One that would've shattered her." Garnet tried comforting him. "Pearl would have done anything for Rose. Even die for her if need be."
While it did put Isaac's mind at ease, a new, more horrible thought entered his mind. As he remembered all the times he'd poofed Pearl as Onyx, he then thought of what would happen if Connie were in his girlfriend's place and Steven was in Rose's. If history was to repeat itself….
Isaac's face turned pale. "Oh no…"
"What? What's oh no?" Amethyst asked, confused.
"We never should have done this. We have to get to the arena!" Isaac yelled, getting up and rushing to the warp pad.
"Isaac, wait!" Steven ran after him and jumped on before the two hastily warped away. In the stream together, Steven looked at his brother with a worried expression. "What's wrong?!"
"We have to stop Pearl's training and end this now!" Isaac exclaimed, freaking out.
"Why? What's going on?" Steven asked, getting more anxious.
"Steven, Pearl wasn't just teaching Connie how to sword fight…." Isaac gulped. "She's teaching her how to sacrifice herself."
Hearing that, Steven gasped. "Just like how she did in the war? But if Connie did that…" He trailed off as Isaac nodded grimly.
"She dies."
The moment the two arrived at the Sky Arena, Isaac and Steven wasted no time running up the stairs, knowing that they had to stop this now. The sword fighting lessons were spiraling out of control fast. If they didn't, Connie was going to become a case of actual martyrdom.
As they reached the entrance of the arena, the pair stopped short and saw Pearl and Connie in the center of the arena. Even from their elevated position, they overheard Pearl impart yet another depreciating lesson to her pupil. "Remember, Connie. In the heat of battle, Steven is what matters," she said pointedly as her student listened intently. "You don't matter."
"I don't matter, Connie repeated dutifully.
This caused Isaac and Steven's alarm to spike high. "We have to stop them now!" The boy yelled. They both ran down together towards Connie and Pearl.
"Now... let us... begin!" Pearl spread her arms out wide, and her gemstone glowed. Using her magic, she began to amass clouds into the arena. Isaac and Steven were just about to reach the two when they were all engulfed in a dense fog that concealed the battleground.
Holding both wooden swords in his hands, Isaac led Steven into the fog as he started searching frantically through the clouds. "Connie! Connie, where are you?" Steven called out to his friend.
Isaac looked around, before the sound of Connie shouting in the background, along with the clashing of swords, caught his attention. She was already fighting, and it reminded him that they needed to put an end to this madness.
"Connie!" Isaac shouted into the mist. "Pearl, stop this! I know what you're trying to do! You're trying to make Connie do what you did, but it's wrong!"
He turned around and was about to shout out for the girls again when he saw Pearl's silhouette approaching him. However, as it got closer, Isaac saw it was a Holo-Pearl that was walking over to him and Steven. In its hand was a sharp sword, so Isaac pushed Steven behind himself. "Where's Pearl?"
Instead of responding the way Isaac wanted, the clone's eyes turned red. "Unregistered combatant detected!" It declared.
BASH!
Isaac suddenly bashed it in the head with one of his wooden swords, sending it flying off the arena. "Jerk."
"RAH!" a voice shouted from behind Isaac, forcing him to quickly turn around and push Steven out of the way. He brought his wooden swords up to block the attacks. The blade of the sword connected with his wooden ones, behind he saw it was none other than Connie, mistaking him for a holo-Pearl.
"Connie!" Steven cried out in relief.
"Steven?" Connie looked at the boy in confusion, before looking at Isaac and realizing that she'd just attacked him. Pulling her sword from him, she asked, "What are you doing out here?"
"We're here to end this fucked up training!" Isaac exclaimed.
"What? What are you talking about?" Connie asked, still confused.
Steven ran up to her and grabbed Connie. "Connie, I don't want you to do this anymore! Not alone!"
"He's right," Isaac said, nodding. "Connie, what Pearl's been telling you is wrong! You think that you have to be ready to fight for Steven, but you don't. This isn't how any of us want it to happen. "
Connie shook her head. "No, Steven. I understand now!" She exclaimed, grinning at him with an inspired expression. "Your legacy, your destiny, you are everything! And I... I am nothing... But I can do this for you! I can give you my service!"
"No! I don't want you to!" Steven exclaimed, shaking his head.
"Steven... I'm doing this... FOR YOU!" Connie shoved Steven's head down and ducked her down, dodging another Holo-Pearl's attack. Isaac was about to destroy it, when Connie beat him to it. Countering it with a slash that cut it in half. "I need to be able to protect you!"
"But if you're the one protecting me…" Steven began, before seeing another Holo-Pearl approach Connie from behind, as she was distracted by him. It raised its sword, ready to strike. "Then who's the one protecting you?!"
Steven ran forth and jumped in front of Connie and deflected the Holo-Pearl's attack by summoning his shield and blocking its sword. Isaac then took that moment to hit the clone with his wooden swords, breaking the Holo-Pearl apart. Needless to say, Connie was shocked over how she'd just been defended by her own liege and Isaac.
Isaac turned to Connie with a stern scowl. "What's the point of learning how to be a sword fighter if you're just planning on dying the first moment you see Steven in danger? You're not a Gem, Connie. We're all capable of dying. I get it, you want to protect Steven, but you shouldn't fight for him. You should fight with him. I can't protect Steven all the time. And if I'm not there, I need you with him. Together."
"None of us have to do anything by ourselves," Steven added just as firmly. "We're all great, but we're better together and helping each other out. So, please…" Steven offered his hand to Connie with that same warm smile he always gave. "...Won't you share this jam with me?"
For a moment, Connie hesitated as she stared at Steven's outstretched hand. If she did, it would go against everything that Pearl had taught her. The white Gem told her that she needed to be able to stand on her own, to rely on her own abilities and wits to succeed. She couldn't rely on teammates to back her up. She was supposed to be protecting Steven, her liege. Risking life and limb for him. Yet he wanted to fight with her as equals.
However, the more she thought about it, the more Connie found it quite appealing. All this time, she thought she needed to protect him, but she forgot that it was Steven that was protecting him long before she started training. And it was her desire to stand with her friend that made her realize that they were right. And so, Connie smiled as she gladly grabbed Steven's hand and stood up.
"ISAAC! STEVEN!" In a sudden moment, Pearl reappeared in the mist and used her powers to disperse the clouds in the arena. All the Holo-Pearls that were still alive popped as she stormed up to the kids and her boyfriend. Who was quickly about to be her ex-boyfriend.
"Pearl—" Isaac was cut off by the white Gem.
"I told you not to come back. Don't interfere! She needs to take me on herself." Pearl growled hotly as she snatched up her sword. "Take Steven and leave, now!"
"No!"
Pearl was completely taken aback by this sudden refusal of her orders. "E-Excuse me?!" she asked, appalled.
"Pearl, this has gone on long enough!" Isaac said, standing in front of the kids. "Garnet told me what you did during the war. I saw a vision. I know that you threw yourself in front of me to protect Rose. But you shouldn't have! And you shouldn't have been trying to teach Connie to risk her own safety."
"This is what she wanted to learn!" Pearl shot back. "I'm making her into a knight for Steven."
"No, you're teaching a kid a pretty twisted way of thinking," Isaac said, gesturing to the young girl. "So let me make this clear for you, my darling, Connie does matter! She isn't nothing. She's a living thing, and I'm more than certain that it's the Crystal Gem's way of protecting all living things."
"And she's not alone. Together, we're a team!" Steven boldly claimed. "She's the strawberry!"
"And he's the biscuit!" Connie finished as she reclaimed her sword.
"...and that makes us... JAM-"
"-BUDS!" The two kids proclaimed together in a rousing battle cry. However, all it did was completely confuse the white Gem as she looked at them with a weird look.
"Wha—?"
Both Steven and Connie quickly run out from behind Isaac and charge towards Pearl. She was completely taken aback as Connie engaged in a small bout with the white Gem. When Pearl found the opportunity to attack, she took it and swung at her. But with lightning-fast speed, Connie swapped places with Steven, who blocked Pearl's trajectory with his shield. Caught off-guard, Pearl wasn't able to do anything as Isaac jumped over all of them and landed behind Pearl.
She was about to turn around to face him, but Connie used that moment to bash her sword against Pearl's, sending it across the arena. Without a weapon, Pearl couldn't do anything as Isaac swung both wooden swords at her. The white Gem braced herself to be poofed.
But it never came.
Pearl opened her eyes and looked up to see the wooden sword crossed at her neck. "And that's your head," Isaac said, pulling his swords away.
Pearl breathed heavily before growling and glaring at him. "NO! No, in a real battle, Steven won't be there to save Connie! And neither would you, Isaac!"
"Yes, we will!" Isaac said firmly, walking around Pearl to stand with the kids, who were all smiling with resolve. "We're all gonna be there for each other, no matter what! And even if Connie isn't with us, I'll be there for Steven to have his back.
"Issac, you don't know that." Pearl protested lividly.
"Yes, I do!" He asserted boldly. "If any of us are going to fight, we're going to fight together. No one fights alone anymore, not when we don't have to!"
"How could you even say that!?" Pearl shouted at her boyfriend as she grabbed her hair before throwing her arms down. Her anger towards the young man increased. "Steven shouldn't be anywhere near the fight, he's too important!"
"Why? Because I'm Rose's son?!" Steven shot back.
"No! I mean, yes, but. …. You need us to protect him!"
"No, I don't! Not if it means you'll kill yourselves!"
"I'm expendable!"
"No, you're not!" Isaac shouted.
"YES, I AM!"
"NO!"
"WHY WON'T YOU LET ME DO THIS FOR YOU, ROSE?!" Pearl suddenly yelled, crying out all of her pent-up emotions that's been boiling in her for countless lifetimes ago. Everything that she's been holding back had finally exploded to the surface and echoed in the arena as tears form in her eyes. And she's said it not just in front of the son of the Gem she loved, but into the face of the man she now loves.
The moment she realized the pink Gem's name left her mouth, Pearl froze, her breath catching in a gasp as tears filled her eyes as she looked at Isaac in horror. The outburst shocked all three of them, and Issac gave her an upset look. However, that turned into a sad expression. She still loved Rose, he had to remind himself. She still wasn't fully over her.
The two lovers stared at one another, not sure what to say in the aftermath of such a tense moment. "I….I mean, why not let her? Why won't you let Connie protect you, Steven? Why wouldn't you, Isaac…" She trailed off, succumbing to the relationship that she's likely just ruined her one chance of finding love again. She dropped her sword, letting it clatter on the ground as she turned and walked to the edge of the arena. "T…that's enough for today."
With a wavering sigh, the Demi-Gem nodded. "Yeah, it is," Issac said as he turned around and left the arena. Isaac needed to be alone for a moment.
As they watched him walk up the stairs, the kids turned around and watched Pearl sit at the edge of the arena. Steven and Connie exchange worried looks. Realizing just how much deeper this went, they both walked towards Pearl and sat on both sides of her.
"Hey... Pearl? I didn't mean to mess up your training, but all that 'You're nothing' talk was really freaking me out." Steven said the white Gem with a gentle tone.
"Did Rose make you feel like you were nothing?" Connie asked hesitantly.
At this, Pearl wept with a slight smile as she chuckled sardonically. She opened her eyes and looked up at the sunset as tears streamed down her face. "Rose made me feel... like I was... everything."
"And what about Isaac?" Pearl gasped when she heard the name of her new beloved and looked at Steven with wide eyes. He was staring at her with a worried expression. "You and Isaac are dating, right? Does he make you feel like that?"
"He does. By the Diamonds, he really does. He makes me feel like Rose, but…it's somehow different. When I'm with him…it's like…" Pearl trailed off, not wanting to admit the truth. Rose viewed Pearl as a friend and loved her as such, but she did not love her. Not the way Pearl loved her. But with Isaac, it was as if she was finally getting what Rose would not. Love in return for hers. He gave her another reason to fight. He gave her kindness, passion, and love that made Pearl feel complete. The shattered heart that was left when Roe died, he was there to hold her back together and help her heal.
"That's because you make him feel like that, too, right? Because you love him, and he loves you!" Connie said, smiling happily for Pearl.
"Connie, it's not that simple," Pearl said, looking down with a depressed expression.
"What do you mean? You've told him that you loved him, right?" Connie asked.
"No."
"What?!" Steven yelled at her. "Why not?! You know that you do! You know that you're together with him. Why else would you be if you weren't!"
"I CAN'T TELL ISAAC I LOVE HIM!" Pearl shouted up into the sky. Closing her eyes and breaking down into uncontrollable sobs as she cried into her knees. Surprised, Steven and Connie quickly hugged her.
"Pearl, is it because of my mom?" Steven asked. "I know how you loved her. Or, still love her, but now you love Isaac now, right? So why can't you tell him?"
Pearl stopped her crying to speak. "Because I would be betraying Rose." She said, finally revealing what was holding her back for all these weeks. "I-I'm sorry, but…I can't bring myself to say it to him. And that's what I hate about myself the most, ever since this all started. I know he loves me, and I want to return that love with every fiber of my gemstone. But if I do, I would be betraying everything I've done for Rose. How can I tell Isaac I love him when I'm still in love with Rose?"
"By just saying it," Steven said, getting her to look at him. "Trust me, you're not betraying her if you do love him. You have to know that she would have wanted you to be happy. You can't just hold onto that kind of love, especially if she didn't feel the same. But Isaac does feel the same way, and with him, you can be happy."
Pearl looked at her ward with wide eyes. He'd just said the same message that Garnet said, but with the reassurance that she would not be betraying her love for Rose. "But…But how can I just let it go when she gave me everything? Everything that I became."
"By taking what she gave you to start a new life," Connie said. "Sure, she may not have felt the same way you did, but Isaac does. Don't try to cling to your love for Rose. Remember it and cherish it, so you can move on."
As she allowed her student's words to sink in, the Gem began to wipe away her tears as she realized just how right everyone was. She still loved Rose. It wasn't an easy thing to let go, but Pearl knew that this isn't what her liege would have wanted. Not the way she tried to train Connie, or how she's treated Isaac.
"What was I thinking… I really…fucked up, didn't I?" Pearl shook her head, laughing once more as she realized how foolish she's been all this time. "I…I'm sorry, I have to go!"
On the beach of Mask Island, Isaac stared out at the sea as the sun started to set over the horizon. As he stood in the sand without his shoes on, he held up one of the wooden swords he made and stared at it sadly. And then he started singing as he practiced many of the sword forms that Pearl taught him.
"Even if I only came in second,
I'll be there to lend her a hand~
Whether it's my sword or my love
Even when the going gets tough~
I'll do it for her~
And I would do it again."
And now I say.
I'll do it for her.
And everything that's right~
She's my everything
And I'll be there as her knight~"
As he finished the song with a sword stab, Isaac heard the sound of footsteps in the sands behind him. He turned to find Pearl standing there. She looked at him with an expression of remorse. They both stand in silence for a moment, before Issac dropped his wooden sword on the ground and opened his arms to Pearl. Smiling at her lovingly. Pearl teared up and rushed to him in an embrace, and Issac returned it. Wrapping his arms around her small body as she cried into his chest.
"I'm so sorry! I never should have pushed you away. I wasn't thinking straight—I-I didn't…." Pearl continued sobbing as Isaac rubbed the back of her head.
"Pearl, it's okay. I…I know that you're still in love with Rose," Isaac said, though was hesitant to say it as it was a truth that hurt him. "Just know that I'm always here for you. And you don't have to do that whole sacrificing thing anymore. It wasn't healthy to begin with. I may not be Rose, but I still love you, Pearl. Never forget that."
Pearl sniffed as tears poured down her face. She smiled and rubbed her face into Isaac's shirt again. Then she said this to him: "As do I, my love."
Isaac's eyes widened before he too smiled, as a tear ran down his left cheek. It wasn't a full 'I love you' from her, but he knew it meant the same. It was a start.
AN: And that was Sworn to the Sword, one of the best Pearl episodes of the series. This was a joy to write, and it allowed me to write about what would be a constant hiccup in Isaac and Pearl's relationship. Pearl's continuing love for Rose, which Isaac saw as being a rather unhealthy love. And I'm sure many of us will agree that Pearl's love for Rose was unhealthy in many aspects.
Next chapter will be Chille Tid, before we get to Cry for Help. All I can say is that things are going to play out much differently in the story than it did in the show.
Thank you very much for reading, Gem of War will return.