Chapter Six: Mirror, Mirror

"Home again!" Steven declared as he threw the Palanquin's curtains aside and tossed his backpack onto his bed. Pearl followed closely behind him, carrying the garment bag over her shoulder and a small suitcase in her other hand.

"Careful," she said, setting the suitcase down on the floor. "You don't want to damage the mirror."

"Oh right." Steven ran over to his backpack and started to dig through it, eventually emerging with the blue hand mirror in his grasp. He looked over it carefully, examining the glass and the gem on back. "It still looks okay. Well, except for the crack."

"That is good," Pearl said. She brought the garment bag to her front, considered it, before continuing, "I'm not sure where I can put this, however."

"You can put it in the wardrobe," Steven said, indicating towards the wardrobe tucked between the dresser and Blue Diamond's throne. "There's lots of room there."

"Ah, I couldn't do that, Steven," Pearl said. "That is your space. I couldn't put anything of mine there."

"It's alright, Pearl. Put the bag in the wardrobe."

She hesitated, before tilting her head at him. "Very well." She stepped lightly over to the wardrobe and opened it. Pearl pushed the hung up clothes back and hung the garment bag from the rack. She closed the doors and looked back at Steven, who was lying on his bed, gazing at the mirror. "It is done, my Steven."

"Great," Steven responded. His eyes were still glued onto the mirror, on his own reflection. Steven had of course seen mirrors before, but there were none around the Palanquin. And while Pearl always made sure Steven was presentable, he never really got a chance to look at himself, save for when they went into town. But now he could, whenever he wanted.

"It seems—" Pearl said laying a hand on Steven's shoulder. He looked up, realizing that Pearl must have been talking to him and he hadn't heard her. "—that it is already after lunch, my Steven. If you have no objections, we will take the rest of the today off and resume your lessons tomorrow."

"Yes, Pearl," Steven said, sitting up on the bed. "I need to show the mirror around anyway."

"The mirror?" Pearl asked. She paused a second before continuing, "Ah. Of course. I would only ask that you please don't stray into town."

"Alright, Pearl," Steven nodded as he hopped off the bed. She looked into the mirror again and smiled at his own face. "So. I guess I need to give you the tour, huh?" He turned the mirror over in his hand and slowly let it reflect the Palanquin. "I live here with Pearl. Here being, a mountainside in Korea." He pointed the mirror at Pearl, who was at Steven's bed unpacking his backpack. "This is Pearl. Since Dad moved away, she's the one who takes care of me most of the time." He waved and Pearl smiled and waved back. "Pearl is really great. You're going to love living at the Palanquin with her— I do!"

"Ah, my Steven, you are too kind." She bowed slightly at him. "I love being here with you, as well."

Steven smiled brighter before turning away and going elsewhere in the Palanquin. He went from place to place, starting with the throne where Steven and Pearl would often snuggle close and read stories with each other. Then he talked about the table where he ate his meals and about some of his favorite food. Next was the study corner, an area covered in pillows with a low table where Steven and Pearl had their lessons most days. And finally, Steven began pointing out the art that hung from the Palanquin's walls. Pictures he had drawn, but also photos. Some of Steven, some of Dad, a few were of Pearl. But others were just of landscapes of places that Steven and Pearl (and sometimes Dad) had gone to.

He had gone over several of the pictures when he suddenly realized that his descriptions had devolved into: 'And this is when we went to Egypt' or 'This was our trip to Hawaii'. He turned the mirror to face him. "Sorry. We've been to a lot of places." He looked over at Pearl, who had finished with his bookbag and had moved to his suitcase. "I'm gonna go show the mirror around the mountainside."

"Very well, my Steven," Pearl replied. "Just, as I said, please do not wander into town."

"I won't," Steven said as he trotted through the curtains and out into crisp mountain air. That would have been a pretty long trip, anyway.

Steven took a moment to consider what to do, before he began walking down the slope into the wooded area. He looked up into the trees and started whistling, trying to get the attention of Nari, or any of her fellows who might be able to tell him where she was. Unfortunately, he wasn't having much luck. Again.

"Sorry about this," he apologized into the mirror. "I mean, I'm pretty sure it's not migrating season yet, but…" He sighed. "Maybe I should look it up on Pearl's Blueberry Pi again… Oh!" Steven remembered. "It's not like, a blueberry pie you eat. It's a small a computer that Pearl can carry with her where she goes."

He stopped next to a tree, the same one he had first met Nari and Tim at. But there was no one else around now. A quick whistle confirmed that. He sighed again. He was pretty sure this was the tree they had met at. Maybe it was further in—

"Steven?"

Steven looked up and around him, trying to find who had called his name. It had kinda sounded like Pearl, but he couldn't see her. And she wasn't the type to try and hide, at least not from him.

A few more moments of trying to see her and finally Steven shrugged to himself. "Maybe I was just imagining it."

"Steven? Steven?"

It was Pearl's voice again, Steven was sure of it. Except… she did sound a little weird. Distorted. Kinda like when Dad video chatted with him and the connection would start to worsen. Like speakers getting muffled. That's what Pearl's voice sounded like right now.

Or the voice that sounded like Pearl's.

Steven had only taken a step forward when the voice started saying his name in a rapid fire fashion. "Steven? Steven? Steven? Steven—"

It was finally then that Steven realized where the voice was coming from. It was coming from right next to him, though lower on the ground.

From his hand.

Or not precisely, he thought. It wasn't his hand that was speaking, it was… the mirror?

Steven raised the mirror to eye level— and nearly dropped it when he saw a Pearl's face looking at him, before swirling away back into Steven's own surprised and confused reflection.

He continued to inspect his increasingly perplexed (and just slightly frightened) expression reflected at him in the mirror. It made no sound, or altered its image. It just… reflected. He looked deeply into the mirror, turning it at various angles, waiting to see if it would speak again.

He didn't have to wait long, as the mirror's reflection swirled and shifted. But this time it didn't show Pearl; it instead showed Dad. "Steven?" Dad's face asked, hanging on the image for a second before again returning to showing Steven's own reflection.

Steven felt his lips tremble. He was unsure what to do, so he did what he usually did when someone he didn't know who was talking to him. He introduced himself.

"Hi. Um, my name is Steven. Though… I guess you know that already." He bit his lip. "Do you have a name?"

His reflection twisted and swirled into… Steven's reflection. Though now it moved and spoke independently of him. "A mirror!" it mimicked.

Steven giggled. "Yeah, I guess that's right. So you can really understand me?"

The mirrored showed Steven's face again, "Yes, Pearl."

Steven's eyes grew in wonder. "Cooool~"

Again, Steven's reflection said, "Flatterer!"

Steven laughed again, first genuinely, then nervously. "I hope I haven't been boring you with my tour." No response from the mirror. Grimacing, he turned the mirror around, the glass facing the wooded area and the cracked gem facing Steven. "I like it here, but I know there's not much to see."

Steven heard his own voice coming from the mirror, "It's so pretty!"

"Yeah! It is!" Steven agreed as he began walking vaguely forward. "I mean, down in town is nice and Empire City was really cool, but I like being up here in the mountain, just me, Pearl, and the animals. You know?"

Pearl's voice responded, "I love being here with you, as well."

"Aww, really?" Steven asked. "Well, even though we just met, I'm glad you do." The mirror didn't respond, so they walked in silence for a while, Steven closely examining the gem on the back of the mirror.

It, like the rest of the mirror, was blue and it was shaped like a drop of water. If it hadn't been for the crack going down the center of the gem, it would have been near flawless. Steven idly wondered if there was any way to fix it.

"You're… not really a mirror, huh?" Steven asked, still looking intently at the gem as he walked. "I mean, you're not a mirror. You're a Gem, right?" There was no answer. "So if you're in the mirror… does that mean that you're trapped?" Again, no answer. "If you're trapped, then… maybe I— or Pearl and I can help you? You know, get out. I'm sure you'd be a better friend as a Gem then as a mir-"

"Steven. Dangerous. Trap."

The words broke Steven's train of thought, and just in time. He found himself at the edge of a steep cliff, a long fall waiting below.

"Woah!" Steven exclaimed, and scrambled backwards, away from the ledge. Once safely away, Steven hurried to his feet and looked the mirror over to make sure it hadn't been damaged. Thankfully, it looked just as it had.

"Wow," Steven breathed. "You saved me. If you hadn't said anything, then I would have stepped right off the cliff!"

"We need to be careful," the mirror said, this time in Dad's voice. Steven turned the mirror around just in time to see Dad's face replaced with Pearl's, again saying, "I love being here with you, as well."

"So… you like being here. With me. And Pearl," Steven said slowly, making sure he had everything down in his head. "Okay. Then… do you want to be free? Because…" He pulled at the gem a little, feeling it it give a little. He remembered Pearl's lessons about Gem physiology, and how it differed from organic biology. "Your gem is the power source. If I pull it free, you should be free… But I don't want to do it if you think it might hurt you…"

Steven heard his father's voice from the mirror, "No, no, it's alright."

Steven smiled a little before nodding. "Okay. Then… I'll do it." He grabbed the gem firmly and began pulling, first a little and then a lot, grunting a bit at the effort. He was doing his best to not pull too hard, in case he accidentally damaged the gem even more. But still, he had to to pull it off the-

Without expecting it, the gem came free with a pop !

In an instant, there was a bang as the mirror's glass shattered. Steven flung his hand up to protect his eyes as the freed gem floated up in the the air, glowing brilliant blue.

The gem hovered in front of him, glowing brighter and and brighter until a figure began to form from the light. First the basic shape of a person, then a top and dress, a long ribbon, disheveled hair. The light then receded, revealing the water drop gemstone on the figure's back. She was entirely blue, from her gem, her skin, her dress, her hair.

The Gem fell to the ground, catching herself on her hands and knees. Dropping the now-broken mirror, Steven rushed over to her side, trying to ask if she was alright, to say something, but finding it hard to speak.

The Gem rose unsteadily, slowly, to her feet. "I— You freed me." She faltered, almost falling back down, but Steven caught her. It was now that Steven noticed her eyes. They weren't like his, or Pearl's, or Dad's, or anybody's he'd ever seen They were featureless and reflective. Steven could see his own surprised and uncertain expression reflected back at him.

"You talked to me," the Gem said, a small smile appearing on her lips. She carefully got out of Steven's arms and stood up straight herself. "You saved me…" she breathed softly. Her smile broadened just a little as Steven looked at himself in her eyes. "Thank you, I… My name is Lapis. Lapis Lazuli. And- thank you, Steven. For saving me."


For so long in Lapis Lazuli's existence there had been… nothing.

There had been the dark, stone floor of the galaxy warp below her. Then the Pearl had came, and found her mirror, and there had been a brief glimmer of hope. But the Pearl had put the mirror inside her gem, and it had been nothing but a void of pure white for a seemingly endless amount of time.

At first, Lapis had tried to entertain herself. Painted pictures in her mind, of the places she'd been. Imagined what she'd do once she got out. Sang old songs to herself, and composed new ones. Wondered what was happening throughout the galaxy without her.

But it was hard. It was hard, and it hurt.

Slowly, Lapis let herself slip away. It was easier to drift, thoughtless. To become the inanimate object she was supposed to be.

Then things had started happening again.

The Pearl had brought her out, and all in a rush, Lapis had come back to herself. The Pearl was talking to a Rose Quartz— the Rose Quartz, certainly— who was talking, in turn, to a human. Lapis could have revealed herself then, but it had hur, it hurt to do anything, and anyway, she'd been scared. These were Crystal Gems. Everyone had heard stories about what the Crystal Gems had done, and Lapis had known they were true. It was their fault she'd gotten stuck in the mirror in the first place.

So she'd stayed stubbornly silent.

Rose Quartz had passed the mirror on to the human, who'd passed it to another human, who'd then had to give it up to another Pearl. And Lapis had still stayed silent, still watching, still scared to speak up, still scared that she was going to end up spending yet another eternity in another Pearl's gem.

But… this Pearl was different from the other one. Lapis had recognised her immediately. She was not a rebel. Far from it. She was a familiar face. The sheer blue skirts, the hidden eyes, the diamond insignia, the gem on the breast— this was Blue Diamond's Pearl.

The Pearl had mentioned Blue Diamond by name, which had confirmed it. Lapis had almost revealed herself then, but held back. She still had so many questions. Why was Blue Diamond's Pearl on Earth? Why was she in the company of humans? And what would she do, if she found that the mirror could talk? Lock Lapis away again, or begin interrogating her?

Lapis Lazuli had waited, and she'd been given to Steven.

Steven had not been what Lapis expected of a human. Or of anyone, really. He was friendly, and kind, and he had spoken to her. Not like an object, or a tool, but like a person.

And when Lapis talked back, he rescued her.

She was free. Free! She had a body. Arms and legs and eyes and a nose and a mouth. She could feel dirt and grass under her toes, feel wind blowing through her hair. It was dizzying, and overwhelming, and Lapis was grateful when Steven helped her stand.

"You're welcome," Steven said, after she'd thanked him. And then, "Um… uh…"

He wasn't sure what to say next, what to do. Lapis felt the same.

For as long as she'd been in the mirror, Lapis Lazuli had wanted nothing more to be free. But now that she had that freedom, she wasn't sure what to do with it. To go home, certainly, but how? She had no wings. She tried and tried to summon them, but all that accomplished was a deep flash of pain which struck right to the core of her being.

So she couldn't go home. Not yet. But she still had questions she needed answered.

"Can you take me to the Pearl?" Lapis asked.

"Pearl?" said Steven. There was a flash of something like worry or guilt on his face, quickly replaced by a bright smile. "Sure! I bet she'll love to meet you!"

Hand in hand, Steven lead her back the way he came. As they walked, Lapis reached out, touching passing trees and rocks and leaves, just because she could, just to savour the texture beneath her fingers. Soon they crested the hill, and came to Blue Diamond's Palanquin.

It was most certainly hers. It was too distinctive to be anything else. But the inside was so… strange. So much… stuff, cluttering up the place.

The Pearl was in the process of actively cleaning and organizing all that stuff. "Welcome back," she said, turning away from a large storage area Lapis had heard them call 'a wardrobe'. "That was rather fas—"

The Pearl froze.

"A Lapis Lazuli," she said. Her mouth opened, then stopped. Her face remained perfectly blank and perfectly motionless for several long seconds. "The mirror."

Lapis clenched her fists, and nodded.

"She was stuck in there, Pearl!" said Steven. "And she started talking to me, and she was really nice, and she saved me, and she let me out! I mean, I let her out!"

Blue Diamond's Pearl took a small step towards them. Lapis could not see her eyes, but she could feel them on her. "Gems used to power objects should not be conscious. The process erases their sentience."

Lapis shrugged, feeling her teeth grind together. "Well. Guess I was the exception. Lucky me."

There was a taut silence in which nobody moved.

It occurred to Lapis that she wasn't following any of the proper rules of Court etiquette. It was just— just so hard to focus, she felt like there were fissures running through her mind, making it difficult to remember the right things to say. She managed to bow her head, and said, "I apologize for the intrusion. I come seeking an audience with Blue Diamond."

Another silence, shorter this time. Finally the Pearl answered, voice cool, "She is not here."

Ah. That was— strange, wasn't it? Blue Diamond wasn't one to go without her personal Pearl.

Lapis shook her head. Didn't matter. "Can you tell me where she is?"

"No."

"I see," Lapis said.

She wanted very, very much, to yell at the Pearl, to demand she tell her where Blue Diamond was. She had not waited stars-knew-how-long to be preventing from finding her home, her Court, and her Diamond. It took all her self-control not to lash out. The Pearl was probably just… following orders.

So Lapis would have to go find Blue Diamond herself. Go back to Homeworld. She didn't have wings… but she could find water. This was Earth. The planet had a lot of it. She could stretch it and stretch it— make it to space—

Lapis turned on her heels, and said, "Fine. Then I'll look elsewhere."

"Wait!" cried Steven, grabbing her by the hand. It was enough to make Lapis stop, if only to thank him again, but then… "You won't be able to find her!"

"Steven," said Pearl, a warning.

"Why not?" said Lapis.

"Because I'm Blue Diamond!"

"What?"

Lapis stared. Stared at the human child. Because that's obviously what he was. He was tiny, and soft, and warm, and nothing like the regal, dominating Blue Diamond.

The Pearl stepped in between Lapis and Steven, and there was something strange in her demeano, something never seen in a Pearl, something fierce, something protective.

It was enough to make Lapis begin to reconsider things.

"Are you… are you really Blue Diamond?" she asked Steven.

"Don't answer—" said Pearl.

Steven had opened his mouth, but was now biting his lip. But the way Pearl was acting, that was almost enough. And when Lapis focused her attention on Steven's chest— there, just poking out above the hem of Steven's shirt, a tip of a blue triangle…

And she could feel it. Just barely. It was muted, and strange, distorted through her cracked gem, but Lapis could hear Blue Diamond's Song, thrumming and clear and powerful, now following a strange new beat. Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Ba-dump.

It was coming from Steven.

Lapis raised her hands in the Diamond salute.

Awkwardly, stumbling a bit, Steven responded in kind. Then he stopped. "Uh… wait, I'm not the one who's meant to do that, am I…?"

Pearl sighed. Lapis couldn't help but giggle a little.

She stifled that laughter immediately. You didn't laugh at a Diamond.

But Blue Diamond— or Steven?— just smiled at her. A genuine, warm smile.

"I'm— I'm sorry," Lapis said. "I'm… confused."

"That's okay," said Steven.

Pearl stood up straighter, holding up her head in a very un-pearl like fashion. "Do you still intend to leave, Lapis Lazuli?"

"I… intend to serve my Court."

"Your Court," repeated Pearl. "And your Diamond."

"Yes."

The Pearl's voice was soft, but piercing. "And is your loyalty absolute?"

Lapis did not hesitate. "Yes."

Pearl flashed the ghost of a smile, laying one hand on Steven's shoulder. "Then you may stay. And we will explain everything."