Yellow discovered very quickly that she was not a fan of group hugs.
She and Blue had shared the role of recounting their conversation with the Pearls on Homeworld, and everyone else had listened with rapt attention to every word. Upon finishing, Pearl was in one of her starry-eyed renegade moods and Blue was positively glowing with delight as Pearl wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Blue, in turn, had pulled Yellow in, making herself the center of a poorly coordinated hug and looking far too happy about it for Yellow to decline.
And then all the other Crystal Gems had joined in and she'd lost her escape route.
Yellow glanced down at Steven, who was on her other side, and he smiled up at her when they made eye contact. Yeah, she was definitely stuck now.
"Did you all miss the part where Yellow Diamond is sending more gems here?" she muttered under her breath.
"No, but we're celebrating the rest of the news," Garnet said, voice tinged with amusement. "Your hard work paid off, after all."
"Blue's hard work, not mine," Yellow replied.
"Yours too," Blue protested.
"You have a few thousand years on me and you're more than welcome to take the credit."
"You just want me to let go, don't you?"
"Yes."
Blue laughed and gave her one final squeeze before letting her arm slip back to her side.
"Thank you." Yellow maneuvered out from under Garnet's arm as well and moved away to sit on the edge of the couch. Steven started to let go too, but she pulled him along with her instead.
"Hey, you can't just go starting your own group hug," Amethyst complained.
Peridot nodded in agreement. "You're breaking protocol."
"The point of this hug is that it's not a group hug," Yellow said haughtily. "If I wanted to be squashed by six different gems simultaneously, I'd go back to Homeworld."
"Spoilsport."
Steven giggled, settling comfortably against her side in a far less stifling embrace. "It's okay, I'll come back and visit!" he called to the others.
"You'd better," Garnet replied with a smile.
Their little celebration didn't go on for too much longer, and Yellow reaffirmed her opinion that hugs in moderation were fine—Blue's were always calming and Steven's were nice too, the warmth his human form generated making her appreciate his presence all the more. Organic life, she mused, was so different. She liked different, and she liked the freely given affection between the Crystal Gems even if this particular ritual wasn't for her.
"I'll draw up a new training schedule," Pearl said excitedly as she extracted herself from the group. "I'd really like to focus more on technique now that you're both quite adept with the basics. And I think we could all benefit from some group sparring sessions and—yes, I should work on the holo-Pearl simulations so Steven can use them safely. But first we should move all of the sound equipment into the barn so we can be sure to keep it working for the next call. Yellow?"
"Okay," she agreed, getting up and stretching.
"I'll help too!" Blue volunteered.
It didn't take too long to move the equipment over between the three Pearls, though they were careful not to jostle it too much during the trip to the barn.
Once they were back at the temple, Pearl dusted off her hands. "I think now's as good a time as any to continue training," she declared. "That is, if you didn't have any other plans for today."
Yellow's eyes flicked to Blue. "We do have plans, actually."
"What? Oh!" Realization dawned on Pearl's face. "Yes, of course, I'm sorry; I got so caught up in everything else I forgot! We can start tomorrow then."
"Thanks," Blue said gratefully. "I'm sure we could do a little training this evening."
"No, no, that's not necessary," she replied with a smile. "You're due for a day off anyway. Garnet," she called, "would you mind opening up the Burning Room for us?"
"No problem." She strode over to the door, extending both palms. The corresponding gems on the star glowed and the door split open. "Here you go."
Blue peered in curiously, taking in the red-colored room and the assortment of bubbles floating near the ceiling. "What are all these?" she asked.
"Gems corrupted at the end of the war," Garnet replied.
"Corrupted by what?" Yellow queried, leaning in and looking around suspiciously. "And what are you doing with them?"
"The Diamonds wanted to be sure the rebellion was wiped out," Pearl said, ushering them inside. "Rose protected Garnet and me—and Amethyst was still in the ground—but the rest of the Crystal Gems…"
"We poof them and bubble them so they'll be safe," Garnet continued, seeing the unease in Yellow's expression. "It's not harvesting."
"Thank the stars," she muttered. "I was just starting to like you." She peered up at the nearest bubble. "They're all Crystal Gems?"
"Most of them, yes," Pearl said. "A few are Homeworld troops that got left behind in the retreat."
"I had no idea," Blue murmured, pressing a hand to her gem. "I knew they 'won' but…I didn't know the Diamonds went this far."
"None of us expected it," Pearl said bitterly.
"They were desperate," Garnet said. "The war had gone on far longer than they expected."
"I see," Blue said quietly. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright," she replied. She reached up, pulling one of the bubbles down and passing it over to Blue carefully. "We've all lost friends. All we can do is keep them safe here and make sure they're not in pain."
"Thank you," she murmured, cupping the pale bubble in both hands and staring at the too-familiar fragments within.
Garnet's hands pressed briefly to the backs of hers, gems hot and cold against her skin, and held them for a moment. Blue looked up and locked eyes with her, surprised to find the fusion's visor gone. "It was a brave thing to do," she said simply.
Blue gulped, feeling wonderfully overwhelmed by the support as Garnet's hands slipped away. I was brave. She'd thought so too, in secret, back when she started taking them, but after she learned what her own actions had cost her she just felt like an idiot. This…This brought back a little bit of her original confidence. I was brave.
"Are you alright?" Pearl asked carefully.
She nodded. Another hand joined hers, and she looked up in surprise to find Yellow there, uneasy but determined. "Thanks," she whispered again.
She wasn't sure how to feel, about to complete this duty after so long, but she would be forever grateful that she wasn't going to be doing it alone like she'd expected.
"This is the spot I was thinking of," Pearl said as they reached a quiet, flower-filled field. "What do you think, Blue?"
She looked down at the grass, then back at the bubble cradled in her hands. "It's perfect. It's very…It's very Earth, if that makes sense."
"I think I know what you mean," she returned with a smile.
"Thank you for bringing us here," Blue said earnestly.
"It's no trouble." Pearl hesitated. "I'd recommend leaving them bubbled. We're not sure of all the effects of the damage from the Diamonds, but if there's any residual energy left it's better to be safe than…"
"I understand."
"I could show you how to bubble them yourself if you'd like," she offered.
"No," Blue said with a faint smile. "I don't think they'd mind having the Renegade guard them."
Pearl froze, looking like she was at a complete loss for words for a moment as tears welled in her eyes. Then she shook her head quickly, putting on as neutral an expression as she could manage. "Well, um, take your time. I'll be at the temple if you need anything, so…yes. I'll see you later." She turned and hurried back in the direction of the warp pad.
Blue turned to find Yellow giving her a confused look. "What?"
"Isn't she staying?" Yellow asked under her breath, gesturing towards Pearl's retreating form.
"What?"
"I mean, I assumed you wanted her here as well."
"I…wasn't sure if I should ask," Blue admitted.
Yellow gave her a light shove forward. "Ask if you want to ask," she said impatiently. "Like you said, we're on Earth."
"…You're right." Blue ran a few careful steps forward, calling out before Pearl could get out of earshot. "Pearl! Wait!"
She turned around, confused, and began to walk back. "Yes?"
Blue took a deep breath. "Would you—Would you like to stay?"
Heartfelt emotion glistened in Pearl's eyes and she nodded quickly, coming over to join them. "I'd like that very much. Are you sure?"
Blue smiled. "Very sure."
Once she'd decided on a place, the three of them got to work digging a small grave. Blue set the bubble aside as she worked, letting it rest on the grass beside her. The feel of the dirt on her hands was close to being comforting—an almost there for her one-track thoughts.
It was done almost too soon, and Blue scooped up the other Pearls in her hands, biting her lip as another wave of emptiness hit her. She'd carried them in her gem for so long that this almost felt wrong, even if it had always been their destination.
Blue swept her hair back from her face with one hand. She could see herself shaking but felt disconnected from her form.
Yellow reached out to steady her hand, though she made no move to take the bubble.
She dipped her head gratefully, unable to find any words. After a few long moments, she sat up straight and leaned forward to place the Pearls in the ground carefully.
"Goodbye," she whispered, letting her hand linger briefly on top before she gathered a handful of dirt and let it fall lightly over the smooth surface. Pearl and Yellow let her take the lead as she covered the little grave, staying back and resting a hand lightly on each of her shoulders.
When it was finished, she looked to Pearl. "What do we do now?" she asked shakily.
"Whatever you'd like," she replied. "You can say something, or mark this place with something to remember them by, or…anything, really."
"I don't want to mark it." She would remember them regardless. She wanted them to be able to rest, for this small place to be overgrown and made part of a planet much more loving than the one they came from.
"Alright."
"But…" She reached out and rested her hand lightly on the fresh soil. She did want to say something. "I'm sorry this is all I could do. I wish you could know that things are starting to change." She drew in an unsteady breath. "I honor your service," she whispered. "You're safe now."
Small tears formed and trailed uneven streaks down her cheeks as she stood, eyes still glued to the ground.
"You're free," she told them. "And…And I'll fight for you."
"We all will," Pearl agreed softly from behind her.
Yellow nodded, her hand the ghost of a touch on Blue's right shoulder.
Blue took a deep breath and put her hand to her gem to summon her sword and honor the pledge. The weapon materialized in a blaze of shimmering light, and it was weighted strangely in her fingers as it emerged, drawing her attention away from the grave for the first time since they'd arrived.
That…was decidedly not her sword, or any of the weapons she was carrying.
Pearl made a sort of stifled, half-excited half-crying noise behind her, and Yellow's fingers tightened almost painfully on her shoulder.
"I'll fight for you," Blue repeated in a choked voice, blinking quickly to try and focus her blurred vision. She dipped into a low, respectful bow towards the grave, her newly formed weapon clutched in her hands. "Thank you," she murmured.
She stayed there for a few moments, then stood, her eyes traveling up the length of the weapon in her hands. It was a spear, not unlike Pearl's, but it was topped with a crescent-shaped blade rather than a single point. She ran her fingertips along it curiously, finding it even sharper than any of the forged weapons she'd tried.
"I summoned," she whispered, turning to the other two. "I summoned!"
The statement broke the somber atmosphere, sending it crumbling as Pearl hugged her tightly and Yellow placed a hand just above Blue's on the spear, giving her a genuine, pleased smile.
"You did it," she said warmly.
Blue let out a breathy laugh and held tightly to the solid weapon in her hands. "I did!"
Whatever else they'd done, she really did have something to thank the other Pearls for.
"Congratulations," Garnet told Blue upon her return.
"Thanks!"
"Congratulations on what?" Steven asked curiously.
"Yeah, you look way too happy to be coming back from a funeral," Amethyst said, propping her head up on her hands. "That is where you went, right?"
"Yes," Blue replied. "But I managed to summon my weapon for the first time too."
"Oh my gosh, that's amazing!" Steven exclaimed, jumping up from his seat between Garnet's legs. "Can we see?"
"I, um, I've only done it once…" she began shyly. "I'll try." Blue closed her eyes and placed her hand in front of her gem, trying to recall the feeling from before. The hilt of one of her practice swords began to emerge, but she pushed it back in. "Not that," she muttered. "Spear, please."
Amethyst laughed. "You can't talk your weapon out, Blueberry."
"I believe," she began, catching hold of the glowing object that began to emerge from her gem, "I just did." She pulled her new spear out, more than a little relieved that she had managed it. "There."
"Whoa." The Quartz grinned. "Now that is a cool spear."
"Isn't it lovely?" Pearl gushed, making Yellow roll her eyes. "It's so symmetrical and well-balanced!"
"It's really cool!" Steven's enthusiasm matched Pearl's as he stared up at it. "Can I hold it?"
Blue nodded, passing her spear over with a smile. Her spear.
"You knew?" Pearl asked Garnet conversationally as she kept an eye on Steven.
"It was pretty likely," Garnet replied with a shrug and a smile. She patted the seat beside her, and Pearl sat down. "I assume the rest went well too?"
She nodded, then jumped to her feet again as she remembered something. "Oh, Blue, this is for you!" Pearl pulled something small from her gem and handed it over with a flourish.
Blue took it, squinting down at the little piece of paper she'd been given. "It's…you?"
"What is this?" Yellow asked disdainfully, looking over Blue's shoulder.
"A Pearl point!" Pearl reached for her gem and then handed Yellow one as well. "Here you go!"
Yellow looked at it doubtfully. "Well, no one's ever given me points for being a Pearl, but, uh…" She placed it back in Pearl's hand. "I'll pass."
"Yellow," Blue chided.
"They're not for being a Pearl," Pearl informed her, unfazed as she peeled the back off the sticker and reached over to stick it onto Yellow's arm. "They're for punctuality, perseverance, and positivity," she continued, giving it a little pat.
Yellow gave her a particularly derisive glare. "That doesn't explain why I would want a miniature version of your face applied to my form."
"When you earn enough of them, you can pick out a prize from the Pearl Prize Pouch!" She paused. "Well, as soon as I fill it up. I haven't had time to go to the store yet."
"I've earned three Pearl Points already!" Steven added happily.
"Are you all cracked?" Yellow muttered, picking at the sticker on her arm.
"I think it's cute," Blue said.
"Of course you do."
"Careful," Amethyst said with a wide smile, "or you won't get any points for positivity."
Yellow groaned, pulling the sticker all the way off and glaring at it for a moment before she put it inside her gem. "There. I'm keeping it. Happy?"
Pearl blatantly ignored her, continuing on. "Anyway, that one is for perseverance, since you've both been putting so much effort into your training and I'm very proud of all the progress you've made. I have no doubt Yellow will be able to summon soon as well."
Blue's face lit up and she stored the Pearl Point away safely. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome," she returned with a smile.
Yellow stood there silently, looking rather taken aback by the praise, until Blue caught her hand.
"We'll make sure we earn lots more!" Blue said happily.
"Yeah," she said blankly, before coming to her senses. "I mean, no. Please don't give me any more."
"Too late, you asked for it," Amethyst laughed.
Once everyone had dispersed, Blue found herself sitting alone in the living room, saying good night to the other gems as they left to the barn or to their own rooms. She wasn't quite sure what to do with herself, but she knew she needed at least a little time to unwind and think after everything that had happened.
"Blue?" Steven called downstairs worriedly after a little while. "Are you okay?"
"What?" She blinked, coming out of her thoughts. "Yes, I'm fine."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure," Blue said with a smile. "I think I'm just a little lonely."
"Oh." Steven padded down the steps and hopped up on the couch beside her. "I bet Yellow or Pearl or Peridot would keep you company if you went to the barn. And I'm supposed to be going to bed but I could talk Garnet into letting us watch TV together for a little while."
"Thanks, but…" She pressed a hand to her gem carefully. "I'm lonely but I want some time alone. Is that silly?"
He shook his head.
"I can go somewhere else if I'm in the way…"
"No, you can stay here!" Steven said quickly. "Here is fine! Just, uh, please don't watch me sleep or anything."
"Why would I do that?"
He shrugged. "Pearl used to."
She laughed a little. "Well, I think that's just a Pearl thing, not a Pearl thing, so you don't have to worry."
"Okay," he laughed. "I'll see you in the morning then?"
"Yeah," Blue replied. She gave him a small, tentative hug. "Good night?"
"Good night!" he returned as he headed back up to his room.
Blue lay down on the sofa and let her thoughts wander. She liked the dark of the room, and she let it cover her as she clutched her newly formed weapon to her chest one more time, taking slow, steady breaths in and out. It was quiet here, and safe, and she let herself grieve for the Pearls that had left an empty space in her gem.
Goodbye.
Blue was roused only a few hours later from the daydream-like state she'd entered, with the sound of a startled shout from above her. She immediately bolted upright and ran upstairs to Steven's room.
"Steven, what is it?" Blue asked anxiously, crashing to her knees beside the bed when she saw he was still lying there. "Are you okay?"
He scrubbed at his eyes quickly and then threw the blankets aside, jumping out of bed. "We have to go get the others!"
"What…?" Blue let him pull her downstairs and over to the temple door, watching as he banged on it quickly.
"Garnet! Amethyst! Pearl!"
"Pearl's at the barn with Yellow and Peridot," Blue reminded him.
"Oh, right. Garnet! Amethyst!" He reached up to knock again, but the door split into three and opened before he could.
"We're here," Garnet said, crouching down in front of him. Amethyst was right behind her. "What did you see?"
"It's Lapis! I don't think she's in control anymore and—"
"Okay." She adjusted her visor. "Blue, go to the barn and get Pearl. Tell her that Malachite's back."
Blue snapped to attention, nearly bringing her arms up for a diamond salute before she caught herself. "On my way," she said, stepping onto the warp pad.
The rest of Garnet's words were lost as Blue was pulled into the warp stream and soon she was appearing near the barn, launching into a run as soon as she landed. She wasn't sure what was happening, but if it had Garnet worried it had to be serious and Blue had no intention of wasting time.
What was Malachite?