Hello! Here is another chapter of 'An Odyssey to Remember'. After this chapter, I will be returning to my fanfic 'Something More', picking up where I left off on that. If you haven't read it before, go ahead and give it a go.
Enjoy! And I do not own 'Steven Universe'.
Chapter 3
Love and Hatred
Seated on her throne, Yellow Diamond rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "An off-color Quartz who stood up to my Fire Agate, you say?"
The two Topazes kneeling before their Diamond nodded their heads.
"And you are both sure it wasn't a Rose Quartz?"
The Topazes nodded.
"Hmmmmm." Yellow mused. "That is certainly something: An off-color Gem standing up to my Fire Agate. Not very tall, but dark haired with a stocky yet soft build, yes?"
The Topazes looked at each other and shrugged, then looked back at their Diamond and nodded.
"And the off-color was aided by an unorthodox fusion that took down the two of you?"
The Topazes nodded their heads in shame.
"...You are both dismissed."
The Topazes stood up and saluted their Diamond before leaving the throne room.
Deep in thought, Yellow Diamond drummed her fingers on her throne's armrest. '...I wonder…"
"Pearl?"
"Yes, my Diamond?" Yellow Diamond's Pearl replied, standing next to the throne. Her pointed, pixie hair was the color of the outside of a lemon and her skin was the color of the inside. She had the common slender build most Pearls had, as well as the pointed nose. Her outfit was a bit revealing; a beige leotard that split at the chest and had no top, just a pair of plate-sized, yellow, translucent frills on her shoulders. Her pink leggings went up from her yellow slippers to her mid-thighs. Her round gem was in her chest.
"I have a task for you, and I'm going to ask for Blue Diamond to lend her Pearl to aid you."
"Very good, my Diamond." Yellow Pearl replied. "May I ask what it is you're having me do?"
"If Pink Diamond insists on playing her games, then I suppose the only thing I can do is beat her at one of them." Yellow Diamond replied. She tapped her throne's armrest and a large holoscreen appeared in front of her. "Now, let's see if Blue Diamond will join in the game."
"Listen to this one, Gregory. This is my favorite song by my favorite musician."
Six year old Greg, dressed in a pair of blue shorts and a red T-shirt, put on the headphones and his mother put on the record. Greg's eyes lit up at the sound of the music. "Wow. This one is really good!"
Greg's mother chuckled. She was a beautiful woman, with long jet-black hair, fair skin, and hazel eyes. She wore a purple, long sleeve shirt with a pair of blue jeans. A pair of silver, peace sign earrings hung from her earlobes. She and her son were in her room sitting on her bed. The record player was on top of the nightstand next to the bed, playing the track.
"Yeah. This is 'Mountaintop' by Steven Copperpot. He was never the most famous guitarist, but he stayed true to his music and never sold out. And all of the money he made from his music, which I think is completely underrated and unappreciated, he used to found the orphanage I grew up in. He's the reason I started writing songs. He's my hero."
"Cool!" Greg shouted, the sound of the music playing through the headphones making him misjudge his voice volume.
Greg's mother shook her head in amusement before taking the headphones off of Greg's head, much to his disappointment. "As much as I would love to sit here and listen to music with you for the rest of the night, you have homework to finish and a bedtime heading your way."
"Aw, mom! Do I have to?!" Greg whined.
"Yes. Yes you do." his mom replied. "Scat."
Greg let out a dramatic sigh. He hopped off the bed and headed for the door. Greg had his hand on the knob when he heard his mother cough. Greg turned back to his mom. "Are you okay, mom?"
"Oh, I'm fine, sweetie. Just a sore throat from singing too much." Greg's mom said. "Now, get going. Remember to brush your teeth, and I'll be there to tuck you in when it's bedtime."
"Will you sing me one of your new songs?" Greg asked hopefully.
"I don't know. It depends on how you do on your homework when I check it." his mother replied.
Greg hurried out the bedroom. His mom smiled at her son's eagerness. "There goes my biggest fan." she said to herself with a chuckle.
"WAKE UP!"
Greg's head shot up and his eyes shot open. "What?! What?! I'm up! What?!"
Amber, Spinel and Padparadscha were surrounding Greg's futon with looks of concern. Amethyst was still asleep on Greg's chest when he jolted forward, so she went flying off the bed when Greg awoke.
"OW!" Amethyst complained when she landed on the floor. "What the heck?! I was loving sleep!"
"So did I." said Padparadscha. "Although, I think I might've gone to an alternate dimension while I slept. What is big was little, and what is little was big, and I was bigger than everybody."
"That's called a dream, Padparadscha." Greg said. "Dreams can get a little weird sometimes. Say, what're guys waking me up for?"
"Well, we awoke from our sleep, which we enjoyed immensely, by the way." Amber explained. "When we saw you were crying during your sleep."
Greg blinked. He rubbed his cheeks and noticed that they were, in fact, wet with tears.
"Is something wrong? Are you becoming ill?" Amber asked. "Do I need to cut something off? 'Cause I will."
Greg wiped the tears off of his face. "I'm fine, guys. I just had one of those dreams too."
"What was the dream?" Amethyst asked.
"Oh, uh, nothing worth mentioning." Greg replied. He got out of bed and put on his jacket. "So, you Gems have any exciting plans?" He asked while he put on his shoes. He walked over and entered the self-cleaning station and the cubicle closed, then the machine began to hum and fill with sparkling steam.
"Our current assignments are to watch over and take care of you." Amber said. "So, whatever you do, that's our plan."
"Not me, but I didn't have anything else to do aside from stand by Pink Diamond's throne without moving until I was needed." said Padparadscha.
Greg stepped out of the cubicle, clean as a whistle. "But, I'm not allowed to even leave the Garden unless Ruby needs me to chaperone her through the Kindergarten." Greg said. "Can I take another look at the Salvage Station Item List? I gotta find a gaming system on that thing."
The warp pad lit up.
"I predict...the warp pad will activate!" Padparadscha declared.
"Who could that be?" Greg asked.
"Maybe it's Ruby, here to ask you to sneak her to Sapphire again." Amethyst brought a hand to her hand and sighed dramatically. "Oh, forbidden love. It's a beautiful thing until they're caught and killed."
"You should stay here, Amethyst." Amber said. "Whoever it is may not...agree...with off-colors."
"Whatever." Amethyst grabbed a magazine out of Greg's chest of stuff and hopped onto the futon. "Tell whoever it is to go crack themselves if you can get away with it."
Greg, Amber, Padparadscha and Spinel walked down the dais to the warp pad. Standing on the dais were two Gems who looked a lot like Pearl. One of them looked like Pearl's yellow twin, while the other was at least a little more different looking. This one wore a baby-blue leotard nearly identical to the yellow one's, with a blue, see-through skirt and a pair of blue slippers. Her skin was sky-blue and her hair was the same color as her leotard. If her pointed nose didn't part her hair and reveal her mouth, then her drooping hair would have concealed her whole face. Just like her yellow counterpart, her gem was located on her chest.
"Oh, hello." Greg greeted with a friendly smile as the two new Gems stepped off the warp pad. "Welcome to the Garden of Pink Diamond. Can I help you two with something?"
"Uh, Greg?" Amber asked. She, Padparadscha and Spinel all looked a little nervous. "Those are Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond's personal Pearls."
Greg's smile slowly melted into a worried frown. "...Well, I guess it would be a stupid question to ask which one was which, huh?"
"Believe it or not, we've been asked that before." said the blue Pearl. Her voice was as soft and gentle as snowfall.
"If Blue and Yellow Diamond sent the two of you here, then I assume you're here to kill me or something?" Greg asked.
"Oh, please. If they wanted you dead they wouldn't have sent a couple of Pearls to do it." said the yellow Pearl. Her voice sounded like if Pearl held her nose when she spoke.
"Although, considering you're just a human, two Pearls might have been overkill." said Blue Pearl.
"I want to rebuke that, but I can't deny the fact that you might be right." Greg said.
"Why are the two of you here?" Amber demanded. "You trespass into the Garden of Pink Diamond!"
"We come as messengers, nothing more." Yellow Pearl stated. "The luminous Yellow Diamond and the lustrous Blue Diamond request the presence of the newest addition to the court of the resplendent Pink Diamond."
"Do they all need adjectives at the beginning of their names?" Greg asked. "I ask this in sincerity, I wanna know if I'm doing something wrong."
"The human does not leave the Garden." Amber stated firmly. "Sorry, not sorry. Now scram."
"Our Diamond's want to meet the human." Yellow Pearl said stubbornly.
The warp pad lit up again, revealing Pearl and Pink Diamond at her full height. "I don't think so."
"A splendid entrance, my Diamond." said Pearl.
"Right? I didn't even try to time it." Pink said. "And as for you two; please return to your Diamonds and tell them to leave my human alone." she told the other Pearls.
"Blue and Yellow Diamond simply wish to meet the human." Blue Pearl said. "They mean him no harm, they just want to see your new human for themselves, to recognize what purpose he serves in your court."
"You can't be serious," said Pink. "Since when do they actually care about any organic life I bring into my care? What happened to organic life doesn't matter?"
"I'm sorry, your radiance, but Yellow Diamond and Blue Diamond are not giving you a choice." Yellow Pearl said.
"They want to meet the human." Blue Pearl said. "With all due respect, your brilliance, you would be wise meet their demands and introduce the Human Greg to them."
Pink Diamond narrowed her eyes. "You may leave now." she said dangerously.
Pink and Pearl stepped off the pad and the blue and yellow Pearl walked onto the pad. "The other Diamonds are waiting for you and the human." Yellow Pearl said.
"They want him presentable and well-behaved." Blue Pearl added.
The two Pearls both curtsied. "Farewell, Pink Diamond." they sang in unison before the warp pad took them away.
Pink Diamond rubbed her temples. "This is not good."
"What's the big deal?" Greg asked. "All I gotta do is make an appearance. So what?"
"You really think that's all Blue and Yellow want?" Pink asked. "I know what they're doing. They want to see you for themselves so they can point out all of your flaws and tell me all of the reasons why I should get rid of you."
"Sounds like meeting the parents. At least it'll be a familiar setting."
"This is serious, Greg!" Pink exclaimed. "Blue and Yellow Diamond are strict about etiquette and protocol, and keeping a human around goes against both. They want to see you so they can judge you for themselves, and then they'll probably end you themselves!"
"Look, I've been arrested enough times to know how to keep my cool and behave." Greg said. "Trust me, Pink Diamond, you've got nothing to worry about. What are they really gonna do, point out that I'm organic and go from there? That's already been established."
"Overconfidence will be your undoing." Pearl said crossly. "You risk embarrassing Pink Diamond and you risk your own life. The former being far more momentous."
"I'm not going to embarrass anyone, I swear." Greg said. "The Pearls said you didn't really have a choice, anyway, so we have to do this. Just tell me exactly what to do, and I'll do it."
"Cease functioning immediately." said Pearl.
"Pearl!" Pink scolded.
"It was just a suggestion." Pearl muttered bitterly as she hung her head.
Pink Diamond let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand through her big, pink hair. "Greg. I need you to do exactly as I tell you. Understand?"
Greg nodded.
"Amber."
Amber stepped forward. "Yes, my Diamond?"
"We need to give our human a quick change in appearance."
"Alright, Greg. Come on out." Pink called. She was down to Quartz size again, standing outside of Greg's self-cleaning station with the other Gems.
"Ya know, this isn't really my style." Greg called out from the inside of the green cubicle. "No offense to you guys, back I feel kinda silly."
"Ah, come on, Greg." Amethyst encouraged. "How bad could it be?"
"It won't be bad," said Amber. "I designed it myself, just in case he would need it."
"Just get out here, human!" Pearl shouted. "We don't have forever."
Greg opened up the cubicle and stepped out.
Spinel laughed. "I like it! I like it!"
Greg was now wearing a sharp-collared, black tunic with the Pink Diamond emblem on the chest. The pants and the sleeves were hot pink and the boots matched the black tunic. Greg's long hair had been brushed and the outfit had been scented with flower pheromones.
"I take it back, I am digging this outfit." Greg examined his new look with excitement. "I feel like a rockstar trying to start a new look."
"Now you really look like a Quartz." Amethyst said with a teasing grin.
"Everything I design turns out flawless." Amber stated proudly.
"Greg is going to like his new outfit." said Padparadscha.
"It'll work. It'll work." Pink said anxiously. "I just need you to look the part and respond to any questions the Diamond's might have for you in a dignified and polite manner."
"Should I bring my guitar?" Greg asked. "I could play a song for the Diamonds."
"No...Yes...Well…" Pink tapped her chin in thought. "...No, maybe you shouldn't. Don't give them a reason to ask you to do something. In fact, don't speak unless spoken to, and try not to make eye contact. Make yourself as unnoticeable as possible."
"I can already tell this is gonna suck." Greg said.
"If all goes well, you'll be alive. That's the goal here." Pink said. "Alright, listen up, everyone. Padparadscha, Amber, and of course, Pearl are coming with me to introduce Greg to the Blue and Yellow Diamond. Jasper is coming with us as well."
"Jasper?" Amber patted her hair down and checked her cube-shaped bun. "Good to know."
"You know she hates you, right?" Amethyst.
"She hates everyone." Amber argued. "She hates me because I'm the one Gem who isn't afraid of her."
"Spinel and Amethyst, you stay here." Pink ordered.
"You got it, Pink." Amethyst said. The little Gem looked worried, though. She kept glancing at Greg as if to make sure he was still there.
"Good. Now, with that all settled, let's get going." Pink started down the dais and Greg and the Gems followed.
With the others gone, Amethyst put the futon in the couch position and she and Spinel sat down. They watched as the warp pad lit up and took them away. "So...what do you wanna do?" Amethyst asked.
"Something fun!" Spinel answered cheerfully.
"...Yeah, sounds good." Amethyst said. She stared up into space with an absent look on her face. (that rhymed)
Spinel tilted her head curiously. "Are you okay, Amethyst?" she asked. "Are you worried about Greg? I am too."
"We shouldn't have to be." Amethyst complained. "This is the second time he's risked his short, easy-to-end life and for what? For Gems he barely knows?"
"Greg just wants to help in any way he can." Spinel said. "You're the one who brought him here, maybe you're just feeling guilty. I think it's sweet you care about him so much."
Amethyst's face turned a deeper shade of violet. "Uh...yeah, whatever."
Spinel blinked. "What's going on with-"
"I'm gonna look for stuff on the Salvage Station Item List!" Amethyst hopped off the futon and hurried down the dais.
Spinel watched Amethyst run off with a confused look on her face.
Pink Diamond led her group down the immense corridor. A worried look on her face. Jasper was walking behind the group, marching along with a determined frown on her face. Greg felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up knowing she was walking behind him. Greg had a hard time getting a read on the big warrior Gem. She was almost as terrifying as Fire Agate was, but Jasper at least was less like the devil's advocate and more like a hired mercenary who took her job way too seriously. Greg made a mental note not to get too close to Jasper. She looked like she could kill him with her pinky finger.
"Is everyone ready?" Pink asked. Greg felt like the question was focused on him, though.
"Yes, my Diamond." Pearl stated proudly. She looked back and shot Greg a warning look that said 'You'd better be.'
With a sly look grin on her face, Amber slowed down so she took up the rear next to Jasper. "Heyyyyyyyyyyy, Jasper."
"Oh, for Diamond's sake." Jasper muttered under her breath with a tired look.
"It's nice to finally be able to chat with you again." Amber said.
"Go away."
"You're looking like a one-Gem army, as usual."
"Shoo."
"Beta Kindergarten did good on you, didn't it?"
"Don't you have someone else to bother?"
"Yes, but I prefer bothering you."
"Amber, stay with the group, please." Pink called over her shoulder.
"Aw, darn." Amber pouted.
"Oh, thank you, Pink Diamond." Jasper muttered.
"See ya later, Jasper." Amber said with a smile and a wink before walking back up next to Greg and the others. Greg, Pearl and Padparadscha all gave Amber a weird look. "...What?"
"Here we are, gang." Pink said. The Gems and one human were standing before a giant, black door. Pink placed her hand on the door and her emblem appeared on the door as if greeting her. The giant door slid up into the ceiling and Pink Diamond walked into the room, followed by her entourage.
The room they had entered was as big as a ballroom. Three thrones on a small dais sat side by side far in front of the room and acted as the main focus of attention. The small one in the middle was pink and while the one to the right of it was blue and the one to its left was yellow. Standing off to the side of the blue and and yellow thrones was a group of Gems. The Gems on the yellow throne's side were mostly Quartzes and Agates. Military looking Gems. The one's on the blue throne's side were more elegant looking. Sapphire was actually there. She gave Greg a knowing smile as he entered the room.
Sitting in the blue and yellow thrones were Blue and Yellow Diamond themselves. Their Pearls stood at attention by their feet. They sat on their thrones as if they ruled the entire universe. Which, they kind of did.
"Blue Diamond. Yellow Diamond." Pink Diamond greeted formally.
"You're late again, Pink Diamond." Yellow chided.
"But, I see you've brought the human." Blue's cyan gaze found Greg. "I like what you've done with the it." she commented. "Now it looks like a soft, little Quartz."
"...Yes, it does, doesn't it?" Yellow said mysteriously.
Pink Diamond took her seat on her throne. "I would like to introduce you both to Gregory Universe. My human bard."
'Good God, they keep getting bigger.' Greg came close to saying out loud. After seeing Pink Diamond, meeting these two definitely took him by surprise. Blue Diamond and Yellow Diamond were both as terrifying as they were beautiful. Like a halestorm and a thunderstorm. Instead of saying anything, he wordlessly did the salute Amber had shown him, using every ounce of willpower he had to keep his cool.
"You named it Universe?" Yellow Diamond asked.
"No, that's just his name." Pink said.
"Oh. Is it an elite human back on Earth?" Blue Diamond asked.
"No, he's just a musician." Pink replied. "And a good one too."
"I have no doubt, but I would appreciate not having to hear that thing squawk." said Yellow.
'Don't say anything. Don't say anything. She has the power, so she can say whatever she wants.' Greg thought to himself.
"If I might make a suggestion," Blue Diamond said. "Since the human is organic, it's immune to destabilizer technology, yes?"
Pink frowned. "...Yes." she replied hesitantly.
"I just remembered there was a shipment of dysfunctional destabilizers that needed to be properly discarded." Blue said. "Why don't we put his biology to use and have him discard the faulty equipment for us?"
Pink Diamond didn't seem too happy about it, but she didn't argue with her fellow Diamonds. "He'll need a guide." Pink said.
"My Pearl will take the human to where it needs to go and instruct it on what it needs to do." Blue said.
Blue Pearl stepped forward and bowed in respect.
Pink Diamond fought hard not to gripe. "Greg, go with Blue Diamond's Pearl, please. Do as she instructs."
"Yes, my Diamond." Greg said. Although, he couldn't help but feel like he was about to follow a wolf into its pack.
Blue Pearl walked up to Greg. "Follow me, please." she said.
The soft-spoken Gem seemed innocent enough to calm Greg's worries. He followed the thin, blue Gem out of the room.
"Was this your plan?" Pink demanded. "Lure him away from me so one of your Gems can take care of him? Or maybe those destabilizers are rigged to explode?"
"No, of course not." Blue said. "Listen, Pink. If you want to keep the human, then you're going to have to prove it can be of use to you."
"What do you mean?" Pink asked.
"All of the other creatures you've brought into your Garden have been creepy little nuisances." Yellow said. "I will admit, this one at least is Gem-like enough to be borderline-tolerated, but we insist it lifts its own weight while in your care."
"Seriously?" Pink asked. "You two didn't throw this much of a fit when I made Spinel, and her purpose is to entertain. Just like Greg."
"If the human wishes to live among Gems, then it needs to prove itself." Yellow insisted.
"Oooooooooooh, now I see what you're doing." said Pink. "You held this meeting with all of our courts, just so you could set my human up to fail in front of everyone, to humiliate me and show just how useless Greg is. What's the catch here, are the destabilizers each a million pounds or something? What's the next menial task after this one?"
"Do you really think we would stoop so low, Pink?" Yellow asked.
"Uh-huh." Pink replied. "And let me guess; you have some grand finale planned for when Greg finishes his pointless task."
Yellow Diamond didn't respond.
Blue Pearl and Greg walked side by side down the hallway. Greg had to look over just to make sure she was still there. The petite Gem was as silent as a ghost. Even her footsteps were barely audible. The dead silence was killing Greg, so against what Pink had advised him, he decided to give a conversation with the Pearl a try.
"Hey, be honest with me. Are you leading me to my death?" Not the best conversation starter, but it seemed like a necessary question at the time.
"Oh, I assure you. No harm is meant to befall you." Blue Pearl said.
"Do I detect a 'yet'?" Greg asked.
"I hope not."
"...Getting kind of a spooky vibe from you all of a sudden. Not really helping ease my nerves."
"I apologize if I am upsetting you." Blue Pearl said. The way she spoke was like an answering machine. Automated and prerecorded. Greg felt a little bad for her. She was like the shy girl at school who didn't want to be noticed.
"No need to apologize." Greg said. "If I'm making you uncomfortable, then I'm the one who should be apologizing."
The Pearl seemed a little surprised by Greg's consideration. "I...I am but a Pearl. What I feel is of no importance."
"That sounds insanely depressing." Greg said.
"It's the truth." Blue Pearl replied. "Pearls are merely accessories owned by elite Gems. Our only purpose to do as we're told."
"That's sounds like slavery." Greg remarked.
"It is an honor to serve as Blue Diamond's Pearl." the Pearl said. "I live to serve her will."
"Well...what about your will?" Greg asked. "Your only satisfaction in life can't be serving your Diamond. What else makes you happy?"
"...Uh...Uh...Uh…" Blue Pearl didn't seem to know how to respond to that. It was like telling a robot a paradox phrase.
"Okay, what do you like to do?" Greg asked. "Any hobbies?"
"Well… I like to draw." Blue Pearl offered. "My Diamond lets me draw, when a visual image is required."
"No kidding?" Greg asked. "I love drawing! I draw all of my own album covers. I took a couple of art classes in college before I dropped out."
"I have no idea what any of that means." Blue Pearl said.
"I think it's neat you like to draw." Greg clarified. "I'd like to see some of your work."
"...Oh." Blue Pearl's voice was barely above a whisper, and Greg couldn't see her blush behind her hair.
The two of them arrived at a green, metal door. Blue Pearl placed her hand on the door and it split down the middle before each half went into either wall. Blue Pearl walked inside and Greg followed. The room they had entered looked like if Doctor Frankenstein got high on PCP and redecorated his laboratory. The room was filled with all kinds of crazy, colorful technology. Some of it sparked, some of it hissed, some of it even danced.
"Holy smokes. This is crazy!" Greg exclaimed.
"Do you like it? I'm glad you like it. Don't like it? Go crack yourself. Just kidding. You seem swell. Don't touch anything. I don't like it when anybody touch my things."
Greg looked over to who had quickly spouted all of that. The Gem he saw wandering around the lab checking on all of the equipment acted as if she took several injections of caffeine every twelve hours with the way she was constantly moving. She was tall and lanky with skin the color of teak wood. Her hair was the same color but a few shades darker and was spiked up as if she had received an electric shock. Her square-cut, golden-bronze gem was where her left eye should have been on her narrow face. The craziest thing about her was the equipment she wore. The Gem was wearing some kind of black, tight-fighting exosuit. Her legs, chest, naval area and her arms were encased in a cybernetic casing, giving her a bit of a Terminator look.
"Greetings, Sphene." said Blue Pearl. "We are here to dispose of the faulty destabilizers."
"Faulty destabilizers. Something went wrong with the shock-cores. Truly a disappointing event. The first of my work to ever go wrong. My work never goes wrong. How will you be disposing of the destabilizers?"
"This here is Greg the human, an organic life form." said Blue Pearl. "The destabilizers won't affect him to severely."
Sphene finally stopped moving around her lab and focused her attention on Greg. She quickly approached the frightened human and raised a mechanical hand up to Greg's face. A scanning light ran across Greg's startled face. The data seemed to stream right into her gem-eye.
"A human being. Male. Age: twenty-one years. Labeled Greg." Sphene said.
"Hello to you too." said Greg. "What are you, some kind of cyber-gem?"
"Yes," said Sphene. "I am Sphene Facet-5G6Y Cut-3TW. Also called Sphene. Sometimes called Titanite. I am a machinist, technician, and inventor Gem. Us Sphenes are often mistaken for Peridots. Even though we look little alike and Peridots are just mean and bossy. Sphenes are easy to get along with. Everyone likes Sphenes."
"Sphenes are a fairly new brand of Gem." Blue Gem explained. "They were made to meet demands as Gem technology continued to advance. The way Sphenes are made is quite unique. They are incubated separately in a Kindergarten, in a ground plot with their mech-suit. As they emerge, they emerge with their enhancements already on them. Their bodies perfectly fitted and and melded into their mech-suits."
"You wouldn't believe how much of a hassle getting poofed is." Sphene commented. "The destabilizers are over there. Toss them into the scrap chute. I am leaving now. I need to make some modifications to an Emerald's flagship. I'm not even gonna get a 'thank you'. Emeralds are such ingrates. Goodbye."
Sphene had walked out the lab by the time she finished talking.
"Wow." said Greg.
"And she's one of the less talkative Sphenes." Blue Pearl said. "Shall we begin our task?"
Greg and Blue Pearl walked over to a pile of destabilizers. They looked like the destabilizer Amber had given Greg, except they were sword-sized. Some were yellow, some were blue, and a few were pink. They all kept sparking randomly and uncontrollably, like a broken fuse box.
Blue looked over at Greg. "Ready to begin?"
Greg gulped.
"And so, that concludes my report on the Libra Sector Kindergartens." The Condor Agate reported. She was a tall and strong, red Quartz commander who stood tall and proud before the Diamonds.
"So, no major hotspots?" Yellow Diamond asked. "Just the regular level one and two Kindergarten Facilities?"
Condor Agate frowned in worry. "Well, there's also a level three Kindergarten on the planet Zebeth."
"What a shame." said Blue Diamond. "We need to find more fruitful planets for colonizing. Our resources are beginning to wear thin."
"Earth would have been a tremendous supply of resource." Yellow commented. "A shame the whole project was put on hold for thousands of years."
"Are we really bringing this up again?" Pink asked incredulously. "Even if I wanted to go back and colonize that planet, you two won't even let me."
"It's not us." Blue said. "White was the one who said we should wait to reattempt colonizing that planet."
"Your failure to colonize Earth was our most painful embarrassment as an empire." said Yellow. "If your Rose Quartz hadn't helped the natives fight us off, and if you hadn't given up so easily, the Gem Empire would have a prosperous and highly beneficial colony which you would have been in charge of."
Pink Diamond cringed. It was bad enough when Yellow Diamond chewed her out, but she hated it when Yellow did it publicly in front of her Gems.
"I'm surprised your human trusts you so much, considering you were once tasked to colonize his home planet." Blue commented. "But, I suppose he doesn't have much of a choice."
Pink's grip tightened on her throne's armrest. "Mmm-Hmm."
"Wait. Does the human not know?" Yelllow asked. "Unbelievable. We nearly eradicate all organic life on their planet, and they don't even remember us? I almost feel insulted."
"So, your human really doesn't know?" Blue chuckled. "That's actually quite amusing."
"He doesn't need to know." Pink stated.
"Fair enough." Yellow said. "Speaking of the human, what is taking it so long?"
"He only left an hour ago, and he's handling dangerous equipment." Pink argued. "All because you're trying to set him up to fail."
"Do you really think I would put that much effort into taking away one of your pets, Pink?" Yellow asked.
"So, you're not trying to get me to get rid of him?" Pink asked.
"I never said that." replied Yellow.
"Pink, we won't take away your human without good reason, so long as you can get some use out of him." Blue said. "But, we may have a very good reason."
Pink raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm sorry, Pink. But if Yellow's suspicions are true, then this is not something any of us can ignore." said Blue.
"You didn't answer my question." Pink said sternly. "What are you talking about?"
"Do not worry, Pink." Yellow said. "This will be a mere matter of 'yes' or 'no'."
Yellow Diamond raised two fingers off her armrest, and a pair of Topazes stepped forward.
With a strained grunt, Greg tossed the last armful of destabilizers into the chute, giving him a little zap before plummeting down. "Ow!" he complained. "Well, at least that's all of them."
Blue Pearl was tapping and sliding her finger on a blue screen she pulled from her gem. "I apologize for not being able to help you, but those destabilizers would have reduced my body to nothing instantly."
"Ah, don't worry about it." Greg said. "Say, what're you working on?"
Blue Pearl's hair hid her blush. "You...requested to see one of my drawings. And so...here is one of my drawings." The Pearl turned the screen for Greg to see. Greg was surprised to see a perfect, white outline of Blue Diamond. Greg couldn't think of any sketch artist back on Earth that could've done a better job.
"Dang, that's pretty good!" Greg said.
Blue Pearl smiled bashfully. "I have more." She slid her finger across the screen and the drawing was replaced by one of Yellow Diamond, then one of Pink Diamond, then one of a squadron of Quartzes, and then one of Greg himself.
"That last one is new." Pearl quickly said.
"These are amazing!" Greg said. "You're amazing!"
Pearl actually flinched as if the compliment had struck her. "...Why do you do that?"
Greg blinked in confusion. "Do what?"
"You don't have to be so nice to me. Or, compliment anything about me." Blue Pearl said. "So, why do you?"
"I'm not gonna throw what little weight I have around just to bully you, if that's what you mean." Greg said. "I'm being nice because I'm a nice person, and you seem nice too."
Blue Pearl hugged her arms in embarrassment. "Well...thank you...for being nice to me."
"Don't mention it, Pearl." Greg replied. "That's your name, right?"
"I am a Pearl, yes."
"Well, you're like, one of three Pearls I've met so far. I oughta come up with a nickname for you." Greg said.
"Nick-name?" Pearl asked.
"A fun name to call someone instead of their real name." Greg explained. "Or, do you prefer Pearl?"
"I...think I would prefer Pearl." she whispered. "But...I'm flattered by the attempt."
"Hey, what are friends for?" said Greg.
Blue Pearl's head perked up. "Friends?"
"Sure, why not?" Greg asked. "Now, how about we get back to the Diamonds, huh?"
The Pearl's mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. She looked like she was trying to say something, but couldn't. "Yes. Let's go." Blue Pearl said. Her voice was barely audible.
Pearl led the human out of the laboratory. And for the first time in her entire existence, she felt guilt.
Pearl opened the door to the meeting room and stepped inside with the human right behind her. "The task has been completed, my Diamond." Blue Pearl announced.
"Ah, splendid." Blue Diamond said. "To me, Pearl."
Blue Pearl bowed her head and made her way to her Diamond's side. Greg thought he heard her whisper 'I'm sorry' before she left, but it was incredibly hard to tell.
"I'm glad you're back, human." Yellow Diamond said.
"You are?" Greg couldn't help but ask. He looked over at Pink Diamond, who looked terrified for him. Amber and Padparadscha both look scared as well. Even Pearl and Jasper looked a little worried.
"As a matter of fact, I am." Yellow replied. "I wanted to introduce you to two Gems I believe you might be acquainted with."
The two Topazes Greg had met in the Kindergarten stepped towards Greg. they might have been fused when Greg had last seen them, but he still recognized them. Even unfused, they were still massive. They both stood over Greg stone-faced, but recognition flashed in both of their eyes.
Greg fought to control the well of panic developing in his core. 'Stay calm. Stay calm. Breathe.'
"Now, then." said Yellow Diamond. "Topazes. Do you recognize this human? Was this the one who rescued the off-color you and my Fire Agate apprehended?"
The Topazes stared Greg down with intense gazes, their faces unreadable. Greg held his breath until his face began to turn blue. The Topazes turned to Yellow Diamond,
And they both shook their heads.
Yellow Diamond frowned. "No?"
The Topazes shook their heads again.
Greg gently let out the breath he was holding. He stared in confusion at the Topazes. 'Do they not remember me?...Thank God.'
"This was not the one who, with the help of a fusion who named herself Garnet, liberated the off-color you captured?" Yellow pressed. "He matches the description perfectly."
The Topazes shook their heads once more.
Pink decided to take advantage of the situation. "This is what the two of you wanted? You think my human rescued an off-color from your Fire Agate?" she asked. "That's just sad."
"It was Yellow's idea." Blue Diamond said. "And I've never had any reason to distrust her intuition before."
"Oh, sure. Try to toss it all on me. That's fine." Yellow muttered.
"Well, big surprise, my human wasn't the vigilante Quartz." said Pink Diamond. "Now, me and my court are leaving. Thank you for wasting my time."
"Actually, I have one more witness." Yellow Diamond said.
'...My heart stopped beating for a few seconds. That can't be good." Greg thought to himself.
The door opened once more. Greg turned around to see who it was and his blood turned cold.
Fire Agate's flaming eyes focused on Greg. Her smile was cruel and hungry, like a crocodile about to feast. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
"It was good of you to reform so quickly to attend this meeting, Fire Agate." said Yellow Diamond.
"Anything for you, my Diamond." With her hands folded behind her back underneath her cape, Fire Agate stepped towards Greg, who stumbled back in fear. She looked exactly the same as last time Greg had seen her. Insanely terrifying. The flaming pupils in the crimson Gem's eyes danced eagerly, like they were ready to burn.
"So, you're a human?" Fire Agate asked. "Ahhhhhhhh, I remember the humans. They were easy to kill, but oddly enough, hard to kill off. I hacked them to pieces back on Earth. I'd chop off their limbs and they'd just keep on fighting. You had to stab them through the chest or naval to kill them. Or chop off or pop off their heads." Fire Agate chuckled. "I loved the humans. Savage fighters who weren't afraid to die."
Fire Agate reached up and ran a finger down the horrified Greg's cheek. "Are you afraid to die, little human?"
Before Greg could wet himself, Jasper came up and put herself between him and Fire Agate. "Back off." Jasper growled.
"Ah, Jasper." Fire Agate greeted. "Seeing you always puts a smile on my face. The one other Quartz soldier in the universe that can match up to me."
"You'd better remember that." Jasper said threateningly.
"Haven't you ever wondered what we could have been, Jasper?" Fire Agate asked. "You and I could have been the most powerful Quartz duo Homeworld has ever known, fulfilling the will of the Diamonds. We would have been the left and right fist of the Authority. But instead, your talents are wasted." Fire Agate continued. "You don't belong by Pink Diamond's side. You belong by my side."
Over by Pink Diamond's throne, Amber crossed her arms.
Jasper narrowed her eyes. "I am proud to serve my Diamond." she declared. "You can go jump in a black hole."
Fire Agate sighed. "How disappointing."
"Enough!" Yellow Diamond commanded. "Fire Agate. Do you recognize this human? Have you seen it before?"
Fire Agate returned her attention onto Greg, who shivered and shook under her gaze.
"I've never seen this one before, no."
Greg blinked. Pink and her court did their best to mask both their relief and their confusion.
"What?!" Yellow Diamond exclaimed. "This wasn't the one who stopped you from shattering the off-color you found in the Kindergarten?!"
"I assure you, my Diamond, I encountered no humans in that sector of the abandoned Kindergarten." Fire Agate said. "The off-color who opposed me was a deformed Quartz, not a Quartz-looking human. An Onyx, I would guess. It was hard to tell, though."
"Enough of this, Yellow!" Pink demanded. "You have nothing on my Greg, because there isn't anything on my Greg."
Greg felt his cheeks flush from being called her Greg. But then again, Pearl was called her Pearl.
"We're leaving." Pink announced. "Nice try attempting to humiliate me in front of everyone, but you failed horribly."
"Pink, you need to get rid of that filthy human!" Yellow shouted in outrage.
"Why?! He's not going to do anything bad!" Pink argued.
"I can predict that Pink Diamond is correct." Sapphire said to Blue Diamond.
"As can I." Padparadscha added.
"Because of his kind, everything on Earth was ruined!" Yellow shouted. "Can't you see I'm just trying to help you?!"
"No, you're not." Pink Diamond stood up from her throne and turned to her peers. "All you've ever done was condescend towards me because anything you don't deem perfect is deemed worthless right then and there. Nothing you've ever done was for me, it was all for your notion on perfection. A category I, apparently, don't fall under."
"Yellow. Pink. Calm yourselves." Blue ordered. "Perhaps this was poorly planned, I will admit, but we're just worried about you, Pink. You know what those humans did."
"I'm sorry, what are you guys referring to?" Greg asked. "Everything on Earth was ruined? What we humans did?"
"You don't know?" Fire Agate asked in amusement. "You've been brought into Pink Diamond's protection, without even knowing?"
"That's enough." Pink Diamond ordered.
"Oh, no it's not." Yellow said.
"Yellow, don't do this." Pink said. "You've lost. Just accept it."
Yellow Diamond turned her gaze onto Greg. "Haven't you wondered why Pink Diamond keeps tabs on your world?" she asked him. "We are interstellar colonists. What do you think we do to planets like yours?"
'...Oh, no.' Greg suddenly understood. In hindsight, Greg really should have figured it out sooner. They were colonists. They were an expanding empire. They've been to Earth before. Greg had seen enough space alien movies to know where this was going.
Greg looked to Pink Diamond in hope he might be wrong, but she couldn't even bring herself to meet his gaze. Greg swallowed down the lump forming in his throat.
"By the look on your face, I'd say you've figured it out." said Fire Agate. She seemed to be enjoying this. "Yes, little human. Your planet was a failed colony. And, you're gonna love this, the colonization of Earth was overseen by Pink Diamond."
"...So…" Greg tried to meet Pink's gaze. "...What stopped you?"
"You humans did, actually." Said Blue Diamond. "One of Pink Diamond's Rose Quartzes and a handful of other Gems went rogue, and aided the humans in preserving the life on your planet. They taught the humans many things. How to sabotage, how to fight back, and where to hide. In response, Pink tried to make a deal of her own with the natives. She promised them an eternal paradise if they would rat out the rogue Rose Quartz and her accomplices. But, the humans proved to be far more cunning than we could have initially anticipated. They kept angling conflicts back and forth at Pink Diamond and Rose Quartz, until the whole project eventually collapsed on itself."
"Pearl. Amber. Take Greg back to the Garden. Now." Pink Diamond ordered.
"Yes, my Diamond." they both said. They walked up to either side of Greg and placed a hand on each shoulder.
"We need to go." Amber whispered.
Greg let the two Gems guide him out of the room. Over by Blue Diamond's side, Blue Pearl hung her head a little lower as he left.
Pink glared at Blue and Yellow once Greg was gone. "He may never trust me again."
"It's just a human, Pink." Blue said. "I'm sorry about all of this, but we just think things would be better with the human gone."
Pink closed her eyes and sighed in aggravation. "For once, can't any of you trust me with the simplest of tasks?"
Yellow Diamond brought her hand up and pinched her brow. "My court. Leave."
Yellow Diamonds court left through a side entrance.
"My court as well." said Blue Diamond. Her Gems went through an exit on the other side of the room.
"Jasper. Padparadscha. Wait outside for me." said Pink. The two Gems saluted and left.
Once everyone but the Blue and Yellow Diamond's Pearl was gone, Blue stood up and placed a hand on Pink Diamond's shoulder. "Pink, we want to be able to trust you more, but ever since Earth, things haven't been the same."
"It was your planet to rule, by every right." said Yellow. "But when things got rough, you ran. You let a Rose Quartz and a small army of organic humans chase you off your own planet."
Pink looked down at the ground sadly. "All my life, you've all pushed me to be something I'm not. I don't want to exterminate any organic life I come across. I don't want to rule with an iron fist. Why can't you just accept me for the Gem I am? For the Diamond I want to be and am trying to be?"
Yellow Diamond stood up from her throne. Pink was sure she was going to get a good scolding from her, but instead she rested a hand tenderly on Pink's other shoulder.
"Pink. We love the Gem you are." Yellow said sincerely. "And don't get me wrong, you do good work. Your Gems are fiercely loyal, the productions of your Factory are a fine contribution to the Empire, and you have a talent for making Gems with what little you have to work with. Your Jasper and your Padparadscha? Flawless. And I'll admit, the Spinel you made is quite entertaining."
Pink looked up at Yellow's abnormally kind gaze with both surprise and joy in her eyes from finally hearing Yellow say that. Blue looked at Yellow and shot her a proud smile.
"But, you have to understand your role as a Diamond." Yellow continued. "You were made to command and control. To rule by our side in our expansion of Homeworld's empire. You can't keep hiding from that. Sooner or later, you'll have to go back to your planet, and reclaim it in the name of the Gem Empire. In the name of the Great Diamond Authority."
Pink frowned. She shrugged Yellow and Blue's hands off her shoulder. "...We are agents of death." she said. "All I've ever wanted to be was an agent of life."
Pink Diamond turned around and left, leaving Blue and Yellow with their uncertainty.
Greg was completely silent as Pearl and Amber walked him to the nearest warp pad. Greg looked scared and hurt. Amber looked pretty guilty as they walked, as if she was at fault somehow.
"So...now you know," said Amber. "I hope you're not...you know...mad at any of us."
Greg didn't reply.
"Oh, get over it." Pearl said. "So we tried to take over your planet, no need to make a big deal over it."
Greg abruptly stopped walking. Pearl and Amber stopped and looked back at Greg in confusion.
"...My planet was almost taken over by Pink Diamond." Greg said. "I'm pretty sure that qualifies as a big deal."
"Well, I'm sorry, but it hardly matters now anyway." Pearl argued. "Pink Diamond is your only hope for survival. Like it or not, you'll just have to bear through it. Honestly, it really shouldn't be that much of a shock."
"How can someone who was literally made to obey be so condescending?" Greg asked pointedly.
That apparently struck a nerve. Anger flashed onto Pearl's face. She stuck a finger in Greg's face. "Now, look here, human! I-"
Someone placed a hand on Greg's shoulder. Greg felt his blood chill again.
Pearl's anger immediately turned to fear. She and Amber backed up a few steps.
"He has a point, you know." Fire Agate said. "But, then again, being a Diamond's personal accessory has its perks, yes?"
Pearl frowned at Fire Agate.
Greg found the courage to turn around and meet Fire Agate's gaze, immediately wishing he hadn't when he looked into her fiery eyes. Fire Agate's grin was somehow both sinister and friendly.
Greg gulped and backed up a step. "Why did you and the Topazes lie to your Diamond for me?"
"I have no idea what the Topaz fusion's motive was, but I, however, couldn't let it get out that a human poofed me. I have a reputation to keep." said Fire Agate. "And between you and me, lying to my Diamond was quite a thrill. My one act of rebellion. I think I've earned it."
"But, you still hate me with every fibre of your being." Greg guessed.
"You misunderstand me, Human Greg." said Fire Agate. "I don't hate you. Oh, no. In fact, dare I say it, I admire you, in a way."
"You do?" Greg asked incredulously. Pearl and Amber watched the whole exchange in perplexion.
"Oh, yes. It takes a lot of courage for a soft little human like you to stand up to me and a Topaz fusion. You don't just look like a Quartz, you may very well have a little Quartz in you."
"...Well...thanks." Greg clapped his hands together. "Glad you and I could patch things up between us. Phew, what a relief."
Fire Agate cocked her head in amusement.
"Welp, you take care now." Greg started taking small steps back. "Wish me luck on not dying and I'll wish you luck on the whole 'hunt down the off-color' thing. I won't, obviously. Just like you won't wish me luck on not dying...obviously. Have a good one." Greg turned around and began hurrying away.
"Human?"
Greg froze, then slowly turned back around.
"I only tell you all of this so you know that when I do kill you, when you're staring into my eyes, screaming for help and mercy you will not receive as I run my blade through your insides, it's not personal, it's simply principle."
Greg turned a few shades paler.
Fire Agate's grin widened. "See you later, Gregory Universe." The Devil-Gem turned around and walked away.
Greg slowly inhaled and exhaled. "She. Is. Terrifying."
"She's still got nothing on Jasper." Amber muttered.
"We need to get you to the Garden." Pearl said. "Quickly."
Pink Diamond walked down the hall in silence, not in any real hurry to get to where she was headed. She felt guilty, she felt angry, she felt sad, she felt awful. Padparadscha and Jasper trailed behind their Diamond. They both could sense Pink Diamond's distress. Jasper decided to stay silent, but not Padparadscha.
"My Diamond. Are you okay?" Padparadscha asked.
"I'm not sure Greg will still trust me after this." Pink said. "He knows I was once tasked to take over his home."
"That was many years ago, my Diamond." said Padparadscha. "Greg does not seem like one to hold a grudge. Perhaps you should just go talk to him."
"...Maybe," said Pink. "I just...I was hoping…" Pink sighed. "Nevermind."
Pink Diamond, Padparadscha and Jasper arrived at a warp pad. "You first, Jasper. Go to the Arena. You have new Quartzes to train."
Jasper bowed her head. "Yes, my Diamond." she said before stepping onto the warp pad and disappearing in a beam of light.
"Now you and me, Padparadscha." Pink said. "Let's see how our human is doing."
Pink and Pad stepped onto the warp pad and was beamed away. They traveled through warp space and wound up in the Garden. Amethyst and Spinel were talking to each other with worried looks on their faces. Amber and Pearl seemed to be arguing about something. When they all noticed Pink and Padparadscha had arrived, the six Gems gathered together in the center of the Garden.
"So, he knows now?!" Amethyst asked. She looked and sounded pretty upset.
"Yes, yes he does." Pink Diamond said. "Where is he?"
"Up on the dais, in his private space." Amber said. "We thought we should leave him alone for now."
"Is Greg not gonna like us any more?" Spinel asked in worry.
"No one else will say it, so I will. Why are we making this much of a fuss over the human?" Pearl asked. "I knew this would happen. He hasn't been here that long, and he's already causing trouble for this court."
"Will you shut up?!" Amethyst asked. "Geez, how much of an uptight know-it-all can a Gem be when she was made just to hold your stuff and look pretty?"
"Why you little-" Pearl was about to charge at Amethyst, but Pink placed her big hand in front of Pearl before she could get to the little Gem.
"None of that, Pearl." Pink ordered. "And furthermore, you could try to be a little more considerate, don't you think?"
Pearl brought her hands together and looked down at the ground. "Yes, my Diamond." She actually sounded a little hurt.
"I'll go talk to Greg." Pink shrunk down to Quartz size. "You all wait here."
When Pink got to the top of the dais, she saw Greg sitting on the futon in its couch position. He was back in his normal attire, the Gem uniform Amber had made was tossed to the side of the futon. He was staring up into the stars of space with a blank look. A pair of headphones were on Greg's head, connected to a cassette player.
Pink just stood there and twiddled her thumbs for a minute, then walked over and sat down next to Greg. "Hey."
Greg paused the tape and took his headphones off. "...Hey."
Pink pointed to the cassette player. "What's that?"
"This is a cassette player." Greg said. "It plays music recorded on the tape." Greg took the tape out and showed it to Pink. "This is a Steven Copperpot album. I was listening to his song 'Mountaintop' when you came."
Pink Diamond chuckled. "Human names are so weird. First Greg, now Steven. Steven. Steeeeeven. Ste-ven." Pink chuckled again. "It's such a fun name to say."
Greg gave a small smile. "He's been my favorite musical artist since I was little. Listening to his music always calms me down. It reminds me of...when things were better."
Pink frowned. She looked away with a guilty expression. "I imagine you might feel a little...betrayed right now. But I-"
"I don't feel betrayed." Greg interrupted. "I just… I need to know." Greg looked into Pink's diamond eyes. "Is my planet about to be conquered and colonized? Is that why you keep tabs on Earth? Are you about to invade my planet?"
Pink's eyes widened in panic for a minute, then she slowly let them close. "...I was made on that planet." she confessed. "White, Yellow and Blue incubated me into the Earth's crust. My emergence broke the very Earth apart, beginning what you humans call the continental drift. When I emerged, I was met by a group of humans." Pink smiled. "The humans looked scared at first, but then they all got down and bowed to me, accepting me as their master. They sort of become the first of my court. I taught them to speak in my language and everything."
Pink let out a soft laugh. "When the Diamonds came and found me, I was sitting on a throne wearing a crown of flowers the humans had made me, flanked by a pair of big, spear wielding humans. The Diamonds looked so proud of me. White said I was already a natural leader. It was a happy day for me; meeting my family, living on a planet full of life, being worshiped by the humans, it felt like paradise."
Greg tilted his head curiously. "Is that why you tried to colonize it? Because you liked it so much?"
"I never wanted to colonize your planet. But, the other Diamonds gave me the equipment and the Gempower to colonize Earth. They said it would be my base of operations as a Diamond. My center of control. I didn't really care about any of that, I was just excited to impress them. And so, I began to build my first Kindergarten. The first one went horribly. The Beta Kindergarten produced mostly off-colors, with the exception of Jasper."
"Jasper's from Earth?"
"Yup. My second Kindergarten, the Prime Kindergarten, was a much better success. I made my own variant of Quartz soldiers, the Rose Quartzes. Along with a bunch of other Quartzes, including the little Amethyst you and I both know and love, a few other types of Gems, and even Amber. Although, I made Amber using completely organic and unorthodox means. Sort of like how Pearls are made, but a little more untraditional. I was trying to get creative. I wanted a Gem that could interact with the organic life of Earth and study, learn, and document it."
"You were talking about colonizing my planet?"
"Right, right. Sorry. After the Prime Kindergarten, I began to notice a few things wrong. I asked my human subjects and they told me how the Kindergartens were killing the planet. And so, I asked the other Diamonds if I could stop. They told me I had to finish my colony. That it was my duty as a Diamond to colonize the planet I was made on."
"Not that I'm complaining, but why not just colonize the planet like they asked you?" Greg asked.
"I loved that planet." Pink said. "I would walk through the forests and listen to the life sing. I would breathe that fresh air. I would watch the animals interact with each other. I quickly learned I had a gift with organic plant life. The humans revered me for making their crops grow fruitful. I felt a...a connection to the planet that had given me life."
"So, what did you do to save it?" Greg asked.
"I did nothing, because I couldn't do anything." Pink's expression became drawn and conflicted. "And so I...I...I assigned a Rose Quartz to stage a rebellion with the humans and a few trustworthy Gems the Rose Quartz recruited. After some sabotage, some theft, good role playing, and a big battle than seemed incredibly one-sided, I was able to convince the Diamonds to spare the Earth, saying that it just wasn't worth the trouble and I just wasn't ready for my own colony yet."
Greg's eyes widened with shock. "You-"
Pink quickly covered his mouth with her hands. "Shhhhhhh! The only other being in the universe that knows I staged the whole thing is Pearl. I only tell you this because I know I can trust you, and I want you to trust me. I need you to swear to me you'll never breathe a word of what I told you to anyone. Okay?"
Greg nodded.
"Okay." Pink removed her hands.
Greg rubbed his sore jaw. Pink had a tight grip. "So, if you never really wanted to turn Earth into a colony, and if you staged the whole mutiny-rebellion thing, then why do you keep tabs on Earth? Why not just go back and finish the job?"
"It was White's idea, really." Pink said. "I can keep tabs on the progress of Earth, but until she deems me ready, I'm not allowed to go back to Earth at all. And according to Gem law, the other Diamonds aren't allowed to colonize the planet themselves because Earth is my planet of creation. The right to colonize that planet is mine, and mine alone."
"That's good, right?" Greg asked.
"Up until White deems me ready and sends me to finish what I started." Pink said.
"Oh." Greg cleared his throat. "So, the other Diamonds really don't know you're the one who staged the rebellion?"
"Take it from me; the arrogant never suspect the truth and the paranoid suspect all but the truth." said Pink. "They think it was all the human's fault. I wasn't happy to let your people take all the blame, but it was the best way around the truth."
Greg looked down at the ground and clicked his heels. "Do you regret any of it?"
"I don't regret saving your world." Pink answered. "But, I do regret lying to the others and causing so much trouble. A lot of Gems were shattered because of the lie I told, and even more humans. To this day, the Diamonds won't trust me with anything."
"At least you have three big sisters that care about you and that you can call family." Greg said. "A lot of people aren't so lucky."
"Yeah, maybe." Pink said. "But, do you want to know what I miss the most about Earth? When I breathed in its air and listened to the sounds of the wilderness around me, when I felt the sunlight warm my body, I felt pure freedom. I felt...alive."
"Earth is a pretty great place." Greg agreed. "You wouldn't believe how badly we humans take it for granted."
Pink looked at Greg curiously. "...Are you...not angry at me?" she asked. "I just admitted to attempting to suck the life out of your planet thousands of years ago."
"Quick question, how old are you Gems?" Greg asked. "Are you guys freaking immortal or something?"
"We never age, unlike organic matter." Pink said. "Back to my question. Are you not mad at me?"
Greg took a deep breath. "...We don't always have a say in how our lives end up." he said. "Sometimes...things just happen, and we work with what we have. Being a Diamond wasn't your choice, but saving the Earth was. You took the high road, despite the consequences. That took courage the other Diamonds should wish they had. You're not a villain, Pink, you're by far the most warm, kind, compassionate being I have ever met. And the Diamonds are fools for not being able to see your true worth and beauty."
Pink stared at Greg in disbelief with starry eyes and tinted cheeks. "Th...Thank you, Greg. That was...that was…"
Pink and Greg stared into each other's eyes. Without either of them actually realizing it, Pink placed her hand over Greg's hand on the couch.
When they did realize their hands were touching, they both quickly pulled their hands away. They looked away from each other with faces red with embarrassment. Neither of them having the courage to so much as glance at each other. Greg rubbed his arm and Pink drummed her fingers on the couch.
"...I-I should go." Pink stood up off the futon.
"I'll be right here if you need me." Greg said. "It's not like I have anywhere else to go."
Pink started towards the stairs, but stopped before she walked down them. "Greg?"
Greg stood up off the couch. "Yeah?"
Pink turned around and rushed at Greg. She dropped down on her knees and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.
"Thank you for not hating me."
Greg blushed madly. He awkwardly returned the eight-foot tall Gem's hug. "Don't mention it."
Pink let up on the hug and met Greg's gaze, with her hands gripping his shoulders. "Greg. I know being brought here wasn't your choice, and you'd rather be on Earth." the Diamond smiled. "But, I'm grateful to have met you. Even though it hasn't been very long, I feel like you're slowly becoming my greatest friend."
Greg returned her smile with a bashful smile of his own.
"Now, I really should go." Pink said, standing back on her feet.
"Where ya going?" Greg asked, doing his best to mask his disappointment.
Pink turned around so Greg couldn't see her face. "To do the only thing I can do anymore that feels like the right thing." She said mysteriously before heading down the dais. "See you later, Greg."
Greg waited until he saw the warp pad activate, then he put the cassette player in the nightstand drawer. He looked up into space and sighed. "I wonder if other musicians get sent up into space and meet a race of magic, lady space aliens?" he wondered out loud.
"You're the first human we've interacted with since the failed Earth colony, actually."
Greg turned his head to see Amber, Amethyst, Spinel and Padparadscha walking up the dais. They all looked a little guilty. Amethyst especially.
"So, hey. Greg. How's, uh…" the little purple Gem began nervously. "How's it going?"
"Are you mad at us, Greg?" Spinel said. Her eyes were shimmering with tears and her bottom lip quivered. Greg couldn't have stayed mad at that face if she ran over his dog.
"I'm not mad at you guys." Greg assured them. "I'm just a little freaked out."
"I suppose that's to be expected." said Amber. "You just figured out that the Diamond who's been harboring you was once tasked to turn your planet into a Gem colony. Also in addition to Yellow and Blue Diamond quite clearly wanting you gone one way or the other, the most terrifying Agate ever made wants to slowly and painfully kill you."
"Yeah, that about sums it up." said Greg. "And don't forget I can't go back home in another ten years."
"And you're not mad at us?" Amethyst asked.
"Of course not." Greg smiled. "You guys have been nice to me. You're my friends. Nothing will ever change that."
Amethyst smiled happily.
"Awwwwwwwww." said Amber. "Although, theoretically, there are a number of things that could change that. Like, if Amethyst cut your throat you while you slept, or if I poisoned your sustenance salts, or if Padparadscha gave you a prediction that led you straight to Fire Agate, or if Spinel-"
"Alright, I get it, I get it. Geez." Greg said. "Listen, how about we all just sit back, watch a movie, and forget this whole thing ever happened. You guys can pick."
"Can we play with the white rectangle thing me and Amethyst found in the Salvage Station list instead?" Spinel asked. "Just looking at the thing gave me a need to play."
"If you found what I hope you found and if God's finally cutting me some slack, I'm teaching you guys how to play Mario Kart!" Greg said excitedly. He started down the dais. "Come on guys, lets go!"
Carnelian ran for her life as the Quartz posse gained on her. She ran through the old, abandoned shipyard in an attempt to lose her pursuers. There were spaceships and equipment both big and small everywhere, giving Carnelian ample opportunities to escape or hide.
"Get back here!" Carnelian heard one of the Quartz soldiers roar. "In the name of the Diamonds, you will be shattered, off-color!"
"I'm getting really sick of being called that." Carnelian muttered in her nasally voice. The little, red Gem raced around a broken down flagship in an attempt to find a place to hide.
But instead, she screeched to a halt when she saw a Jasper and an Onyx had cut her off.
"Oh, crack me!" Carnelian exclaimed.
"That's the idea." said the Onyx.
Carnelian covered the gem on her shoulder with her hand. Three savage looking Amethysts came up behind her and blocked her rear escape. Each of the other Quartzes were twice as tall as Carnelian.
"Can't we talk about this?!" Carnelian begged. "Quartz to Quartzes?!"
"We take no joy in this." said the Onyx. "I'm sorry. This is the way it has to be."
The Jasper summoned a war hammer from her gem.
"So, please don't struggle. Make this easier for all of us and just accept it."
Carnelian shrieked and fell to her knees in a fetal position, her arms swung over her head while she shook with fear.
The Jasper raised her hammer to strike.
A white, elegant spear went through the Jasper's chest before she could bring her hammer down. The Jasper stared down at the spear in her chest with a look of shock before she was poofed. The spear fell to the ground with a clank.
The rest of the surprised Quartzes looked around to see who had thrown the spear. No one could be seen other than them.
"Who's there?! Identify yourself!" Onyx shouted.
A pink blur slammed into Onyx's face, knocking her to the ground. The blur embedded itself into the side of the flagship. It was a perfectly round, beautifully designed, pink shield, with a spiral design and a triangle in a circle sigil in its center.
The Amethyst trio backed away in fear as Onyx rose back on her unsteady feet. "What...was that?" she asked groggily.
Something quickly ran past Onyx, too quick to be seen by the eye. With a sharp, slashing noise, Onyx's eyes shot wide open in shock before she poofed.
The Amethysts gulped in comical unison. Carnelian looked up from her cowering in confusion. "What's going on? Am I winning?"
"Leave the Carnelian alone!" A strong voice from the shadows commanded.
The three Amethysts all looked at each other.
"Bail?" one of them asked.
"Bail." the other two answered. They all ran off, leaving Carnelian feeling both confused and relieved. She stood up off the ground and looked around. "Hello?" She asked cautiously.
Two Gems stepped out of the shadows. One was a pale Pearl with salmon-pink hair wearing a blue, sleeveless top and a pair of pink shorts and slippers, wielding a rapier as white as moonlight. The other Gem was a Rose Quartz with big, pink, curly hair wearing a big, white dress with a yellow star in her navel where her pink, round gem was. The pink sword she wielded was a straight bladed saber with a red, rose-shaped pommel handle with vines etched into the guard.
"Are you okay?" The Rose Quartz asked. Her voice was as kind as she was beautiful.
Carnelian nodded. "Never better."
The Rose Quartz chuckled. "Good to hear. Come on, friend, let's get you to the Factory. It's a bit of a long trip, but I know how to get there safely."
Rose Quartz offered Carnelian her hand.
Huzzah! Enter Rose Quartz! Thank you so much for reading my story. I hope you're enjoying it.
Until next time!