The light faded quickly, leaving one gem standing in their place.

"Oh. We—I fused—and—this is great!" She twirled unsteadily in place, hands coming up to touch the pair of gems on her chest, side by side. "That was so easy." She took a deep breath."Is this okay? This is okay. This is nice."

She examined her body carefully—she wasn't sure what she'd expected, but she didn't feel much different physically than Blue and Yellow did when they were separate. She had no extra limbs like they'd seen on Opal; fusing had just made them bigger like it did for soldiers on Homeworld. It was a strange sensation, knowing Pearls could exist like this, that she could exist like this. She wasn't used to it, but it was reassuring. Pearls were gems like any other, and they could experience fusion too.

She had kept the leotard they'd worn on Homeworld though, which was unsettling until she realized the diamond was gone from the front of the soft green cloth. There were new things too—her hair fell to her chin similar to Blue's, but her bangs were kept short and out of the way. Meanwhile, the sheer fabric that adorned every Pearl was looped loosely around her shoulders and floated down on either side of her, flaring out elegantly as it continued. She flicked her fingers over the ends curiously, watching it flutter before moving her hands to the tops of her matching green stockings and laughing to herself. There were parts of their old outfits that her components missed sometimes, and it was nice to have that familiarity in such a new situation.

"What am I supposed to do?" she wondered aloud. Should she show the Crystal Gems? Or should this first time be private? She liked both ideas. Maybe she'd spend a little more time out here before she went back. But if the fusion didn't last, then she'd be disappointed she didn't get to say hello to Steven, like she promised. Determinedly, she turned and walked towards the warp pad.

Walking was…more of a challenge than she'd expected. She could feel both her components automatically trying to move the way they were used to, but the two combined created a strange, uneven mixture. Stumbling a few times and catching herself on her hands, she slowly made her way to the warp pad. Surely this had to get easier with time; fusions like Garnet would split apart out of pure frustration if it was always like this.

Once on the warp pad, it was easy to get back to the temple and she appeared in the house to the surprise of all five of the Crystal Gems, who were seated around the table in various stages of eating or not eating.

Peridot, first to see them, yelped and grabbed Garnet's arm, nearly falling off her chair. "Oh my stars, they fused!"

"Huh?" Amethyst twisted around to look at the warp pad. "Whoa, look at you guys!"

"Good job," Garnet added, giving her a thumbs up and a wide smile.

"You look so cool," Steven gushed, abandoning his plate and rushing over.

"Steven, wait!" Pearl intercepted him before he could get too close. "We don't know how stable she is."

"I'm incredibly stable," the fusion said proudly. "Or, well, I'm pretty sure I am. I only just began existing, so it's hard to tell. Either way, nice to meet you, Pearl."

"Likewise," Pearl said faintly. "I didn't even know you were trying to fuse."

"And you fused before me!" Peridot burst out. "I had a whole plan and you two just come along and do it like it's nothing!"

"It's not nothing," she said, stepping down from the pad. "It's amazing."

"It's still not fair!" She looked the fusion over, still clearly wanting to keep her distance, though she looked increasingly fascinated. "But congratulations, I guess."

"Thanks," she said with an amused smirk. "To be honest, I didn't even know Pearls could fuse until we got here," she admitted before pausing, one hand still splayed in the air like she was getting ready to explain something. "The grammar in that sentence didn't quite make sense; I'll have to work on that. Anyway, Blue and Yellow have been thinking about it and wanted to try, so here I am!"

"That's awesome!" Steven interjected. "Thanks for coming to show us!"

"I promised, didn't I?" She knelt down, a little unsteady, so she wasn't towering over him quite as much.

"What's your name?" Steven asked, smiling up at her.

"My name?"

"Steven, Blue and Yellow are the same type of gem," Pearl interjected, putting a hand on his shoulder. "She's a Pearl like they are."

"But we can't call her that," he said, frowning. "You're Pearl."

"We've really got to figure out a better system," Amethyst agreed. "I vote nicknames. So we've got Pierogi, Lemon Drop, Blueberry, and…hmm…"

"Why are they all foods?" Pearl asked exasperatedly.

She shrugged. "'Cause I'm hungry?"

"That's physically impossible."

Amethyst ignored her, thinking. "Oh, I know! Blueberry Lemonade." She frowned. "But I guess that's not green…"

"I give up," Pearl sighed. "Do you have a preference?" she asked the fusion. "If you don't think of something, you're going to be subjected to whatever Amethyst decides on."

She laughed loudly. "I don't know; you can call me whatever you want. It's not like my components have names either. Or," she said suddenly, growing serious, "I suppose Yellow and Blue are their names now. Strange."

"Let's just call you Green until you decide," Garnet offered, walking over. "How do you feel?"

"Good! Very good. A little wobbly. Is that normal?"

"Perfectly normal," she said reassuringly, placing a hand on Green's arm. "You'll get the hang of it."

"I will," she agreed confidently. "I have a lot to do, after all." Green glanced back at Steven, hesitating. "I hope this is exciting enough," she added. "I'm sorry I don't turn into something different."

"Don't be sorry!" he said quickly, coming over to give her a hug. "I think you're great just like this!"

She smiled, relieved. "Me too," she said conspiratorially. "I like this a lot. I'm my own gem."

"You're your own gems separately too, though," Steven said worriedly.

"No, I mean…it's different like this. They get to choose what I'm made for. Homeworld doesn't have any say in what a fusion of Pearls should be like." She patted Steven on the head carefully. "I'm our own—ugh, pronouns—gems separately too, I know that. But thank you. They appreciate the reminder."

"You're welcome!"

"That said," Green continued, words gaining momentum quickly as she spoke, "I don't really know what I'm supposed to be doing right now. It was just a trial run; I didn't expect it to work right away. How long does fusion last? I'd like to test out a few things, but if my time is limited then—"

"You might want to slow down," Garnet said in amusement, holding up her hands.

"Oh. Yes. Sorry. I've just never been a fusion before. Or I suppose I've always been a fusion, but I only just started being. What was I before? Yellow and Blue really don't know very much about this sort of thing, so it's rather overwhelming."

"Yeah, you know how you were asking about how long fusion lasts?" Amethyst laughed. "If you keep freaking out, you're going to be gone in five seconds."

"I'm not freaking out," she said, her jaw set stubbornly. "I am attempting to gain a better understanding of my situation so that the two gems that make me won't freak out."

"You can ask me anything you like," Garnet said helpfully.

"Can I?" She looked relieved. "I'd like that."

"Sure."

"Thank you. I have a lot of questions, but I'll just ask the most immediately pressing ones. They ought to have asked more about the process before they fused, but I suppose I can't blame them."

"Go ahead," Garnet said with a smile.

"First of all, how necessary is dancing to the fusion process? We—I—fused without doing it at all. And Homeworld gems don't have to either… If gems share the same type, do they automatically bypass that step?"

"No, not as far as I know," she replied. "Ruby could fuse with other Rubies without dancing because they shared a similar goal and mindset. But Ruby and Sapphire can also fuse without dancing now, because their desire to be together negates the need for anything extra."

"But the rest of you seem to dance to fuse."

"Yes," Pearl said, carefully kneeling down beside Green with a worried frown, "it does aid in synchronizing with one another."

"But that seems pretty easy to begin with."

"Well, I don't mean to pry, but considering how quickly Blue and Yellow managed to fuse and how stable you appear to be, I daresay they're already able to work together and anticipate each other's needs."

"Oh." Green glanced down at her chest. "Yes."

"Then that helps."

She smiled a little. "Okay. So how long will I be here? And what do I do to separate if that becomes necessary?"

"I don't know how long you'll stay fused—that depends—but you can separate whenever you're ready," Pearl said. "It's not difficult, you just… I think Garnet would do a better job of explaining." She turned to the other gem.

Garnet smiled. "You make a conscious decision to unfuse, and then let go. Just clear your mind and focus on the two of them individually."

"I'm a bit concerned about them, actually," Green admitted. "Will they be alright? I mean, I know I am them, but this is all so new and none of us understand it very well."

"It takes time," Garnet said.

"Yeah, there's no rulebook for it," Amethyst agreed. "Just do what feels right, and you'll figure it out."

"But do be careful," Pearl added quickly. "Fusion is a very complex matter and shouldn't be taken lightly, especially as it's your first time. You're sure you're feeling alright?" she asked.

"Absolutely! You know, there's so many things I want to try—how strong do you think I am? Do you get exponentially stronger no matter what kind of gem you fuse with, or does it vary? Obviously three gems would be stronger than two, but I assume there's some kind of variation as a result of different gem types as well. Hmm," she mused thoughtfully, "perhaps I'll go back to the arena and see what I'm capable of. Would anyone like to come with me?"

"I'm in!" Amethyst volunteered.

"Me too!" Steven chimed in.

"Excellent," she said, standing up. "Peridot? You can come too if you want."

"Yes! I'm not passing up a chance to get data on this—you're likely the first Pearl fusion to ever exist!"

"I know, it's so strange being unique!"

"Be that as it may, you are not going to the arena," Pearl said sharply. "I told you, you need to be careful. Sit down."

Green's eyes hardened as she looked down at Pearl. "I don't take orders."

"While you are a guest in this house and experimenting with gem abilities you don't fully understand, you do," Pearl retorted, crossing her arms. "Furthermore, you're my student and I expressly forbid any attempt at combat until at least your second fusion."

Her face flushed angrily. "I don't need your permission. Blue and Yellow think very highly of you, but that doesn't mean you get to tell me what to do. I want to test things out for myself."

"Oh, for heaven's sake—"

"Pearl's right," Garnet interrupted calmly. "You shouldn't overdo things the first time. That's not an order, it's a suggestion from gems who have a fair amount of experience."

Green's demeanor softened slightly. "Alright," she said reluctantly, "but how am I supposed to learn if I don't figure it out now?"

"I have notes!" Peridot volunteered.

"What?"

"Er, notes. On fusion. I've been compiling them for my own purposes, but if you'd like to take a look, I think that could be arranged."

"Oh, yes, I'd like that. I don't feel like reading them now, but Yellow will be happy to take a look at them later." She stretched out her arms carefully. "I think…I should probably go soon. It is a lot to take in, and the sooner I go the sooner I can come back and try out fighting."

"Aww, you're leaving already?" Steven asked.

"I think that's best. I'm sure they'll call on me when the time comes. I have a rebellion to lead after all." Green smirked. "I'm sure the Diamonds will be thrilled to see Pearls can fuse like—" She broke off suddenly, eyes going wide. "I-I don't…can't…" She lifted trembling hands to her gems. "I'm sorry, I need to go now, goodbye!" she said rapidly, and the next second there was a flash of light, Blue and Yellow tumbling apart ungracefully.

"Are you guys—" Steven began.

Yellow leapt over him and crashed to the floor next to Blue, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Are you hurt?"

"Wh-What? No," she answered. "Why would I be hurt?"

"You separated really quickly," she said, scanning her gem with narrowed eyes. "Come on," she said, pulling Blue to her feet and dragging her outside for privacy. "We'll be back in a minute," she called over her shoulder to the others, who had all moved to check on them.

"I'm fine," Blue said with a small smile as she was pulled a little way down the beach. "That was great, really."

Yellow's concern didn't seem to be assuaged in the least. "I don't understand what happened."

"Don't worry about it." She brushed Yellow's hands away carefully. "It was just a bit overwhelming."

She looked mildly offended. "It was equally overwhelming for me, but you're the one who panicked."

"Well, sorry," Blue muttered, a mix of anger and frustration lacing her voice. "I didn't realize I was supposed to be flawless at this the first time!"

Yellow flinched.

"I—" She faltered, drawing in a shaky breath. "I didn't mean that. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," she muttered.

Blue shivered, one hand coming up to tangle loosely in her hair. "I—We—She was talking about the Diamonds and all I could think was that if we had done that on Homeworld, we'd both have been…" She glanced up uncertainly. "I was scared. For both of us. And her."

"Blue—"

"You don't know how angry the idea of other types of fusion made her," she whispered. "She was going to destroy Garnet just for existing; she'd do worse to a Pearl…"

"Blue Diamond is light years away," Yellow said bluntly. "And she doesn't own you."

Blue laughed breathily. "Blue Diamond hasn't owned me for a long time, but that doesn't make her any less terrifying."

"Well, at the very least, I think our fusion would be competent enough to put up a good fight."

Blue nodded, squeezing her eyes shut. "You're right. I'm sorry for ruining it," she murmured. "I didn't mean to."

"You didn't ruin anything," Yellow said impatiently. "I didn't expect us to stay fused for that long anyway."

"I know, I just…everything was going so well…"

"It wasn't going that well, neither of us knew what we were doing."

"But it was good," Blue protested. "She was so confident and happy and…" She didn't quite manage to meet Yellow's eyes. "I liked being together like that, I really did."

"You do realize we were both in the fusion, right?" Yellow asked in some attempt at reassurance. "I could tell that much without you explaining it."

"You're not upset?"

"Do I look upset?"

"…You look kind of annoyed, but I guess that's normal," Blue said with a tentative smile.

"I'm not annoyed," she muttered, "I'm just thinking."

"Are—Are you okay? I should have asked that sooner." She bit her lip.

"Yes, I think so, it's just weird having someone else in my head. Or…whatever it is that happens." Yellow watched her uncertainly for a moment, then stretched out a hand, waiting.

Blue's eyes darted to it immediately, and she reached out to meet the offer.

The other Pearl waited until Blue's fingers had settled firmly around her own. "It was better than I expected," she said lightly.

Blue choked out an amused laugh. "That's something, at least," she whispered.

"We'll figure out what we can do to make it go more smoothly next time."

"Next time?"

"If you want."

"Please." She gave Yellow a shaky smile.

"I need some time to process first though."

"Yeah," Blue agreed. "Yeah, me too. But that was fun." She squeezed Yellow's hand, a small playful smile creeping onto her face. "Thanks for making history with me."

"Always a pleasure."

"I really think I ought to go check on them," Pearl said, pacing back and forth in the living room.

"Relax, P, they're fine. Garnet said so." Amethyst made her sit down. "Geez, you're high-strung lately."

"They've never fused before! I think it's a reasonable concern to have."

"Why, were you incapacitated in some manner after your first fusion?" Peridot asked curiously from where she was rummaging through the closet.

"I was not," Pearl replied heatedly, "but it's a lot to take in!"

"They can handle it," Amethyst told her. "Besides, you're the one who's always going on about ultimate connections and whatever. Let 'em have a moment to themselves."

"Right…" She clasped her hands in her lap, frowning.

"I don't remember you being this weird about my first fusion. And that was with you."

"It was different for you," Pearl said in a low voice. "You didn't have… You didn't have Homeworld's ideology ingrained in you from the day you were made. The rest of us do."

"So I don't get it because I'm from Earth," Amethyst said bitterly.

"Precisely!" she said sharply. Then she caught herself, voice softening as she lowered her eyes. "I'm incredibly grateful for that."

The other gem blinked in surprise, then looked away.

"I just mean," Pearl sighed, "that I envy you sometimes. It isn't easy to go from being a Pearl there to being a gem here. Fusion doesn't even cross our minds on Homeworld."

"Gotcha," Amethyst said with a small smile. "Pearls have to stick together then, huh?"

"Something like that," she murmured. "But you're right. They're doing well enough on their own."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Of course!" Pearl said quickly. "It just…seems that they've made much more progress than I ever did in such a short time."

"Only cuz they're in a rush," Amethyst countered. "And c'mon, it's not like they've got everything together; they were a mess not too long ago."

"I know."

Peridot came over to join them, sitting herself down on the other side of Pearl. "It's clearly due to your guidance anyway," she said, ripping a piece of Velcro apart and then sticking it back together curiously. "Everyone knows a task is easier when you have prior experiences to draw from, even if those experiences aren't your own," she added in explanation when Pearl looked at her. "If every technician had to start from scratch, none of us would even have made it to Earth in the first place."

"That's surprisingly astute," Pearl said with a quick smile.

"That's me," Peridot replied proudly.

"So you gonna hang out with your Pearl Squad or stick around and watch TV with us?" Amethyst asked.

"Pearl Squad?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Steven named you," Peridot said. "I suggested CaCO₃ Triumvirate, but apparently that's too complicated."

"I see," Pearl said dryly. "Well, I suppose I'll stay here for a while."

"Awesome!" Amethyst slung an arm around her shoulders. "We're marathoning the Camp Pining Hearts spinoff series."

"It's an atrocity," Peridot added.

"Then why are you watching it?"

"I have to! It's the burden of a true fan!"

"And Percy guest stars in one episode," Amethyst whispered.

"I will never understand your fascination with these characters," Pearl said, crossing her arms and settling back on the couch as Peridot ran to drag the television downstairs. Her eyes darted sideways. "Thank you," she murmured. "You're right, Amethyst, I have been high-strung as of late."

"Not that much more than normal," she said, waving her off.

"I almost hurt Blue today," Pearl said quietly. "War reflexes."

"You need those," Amethyst replied, shrugging. "And you stopped yourself, right?"

"Yes. I just feel out of sorts lately."

"We got your back, P," she said with a half-smile. "You just need a break from all that swordfighting and building and—what else have you been doing? I barely see you lately."

"Strategizing, mostly."

"Oh, right, Peri said she was telling you about a bunch of Homeworld junk so we'd know how to fight them."

"Right." She hesitated. "I'm sorry, I suppose I have been absent quite a bit."

"What? No, don't worry about it," Amethyst said, looking embarrassed. "Anyway, the point was you've gotta stop thinking every now and then. Watch TV, take a nap, snack on something…"

"That sounds incredibly unappealing."

"Then just stick around for one episode; it's fun to see how mad P-dot gets about continuity."

"What did you say about me?" the technician demanded, dropping the TV onto the coffee table and plugging it in.

"We were just appreciating your proclivity for dissecting Earth cultural artifacts," Pearl replied, which made Peridot brighten and Amethyst hide a snort of laughter.

"If you'd like, I can bring you up to date on all the developments in the show so far!"

"That won't be necessary."

"If you say so." Peridot settled herself back on the couch, next to Amethyst.

"Peridot," Pearl added belatedly.

"Yeah?"

"I appreciate your support as well."

"I-I am a Crystal Gem," Peridot replied, flustered. "Anyway, are we watching this or not?"

"We are," Pearl sighed. "You'd better start it before I can regret my choice."

"This show makes you regret every nanosecond."

"See, it'll be fun, we'll all get to suffer through it together," Amethyst said, an arm around each of them. "And if you're still worried after, I'll go pester the other two with you, 'kay, Pierogi?"

"Alright," she agreed with a quiet laugh. "Thank you."