Chapter Twenty-Five: Protection

"What am I gonna do?!"

"Well, I don't know," said Sadie. "Draw something?"

"I can't!" Lars moaned.

Sadie continued wiping down the counter. "Well, have you tried?"

"No. I don't need to. I already know I'm terrible."

She raised an eyebrow. "Well, that doesn't seem like a very helpful attitude."

"But it's the truth."

Sadie sighed. She grabbed her purse, rummaged around for a pen, placing it and a napkin on a dry patch of counter. She pointed at it. "Come on, Lars. Just try."

He glared, and huffed, but stomped over to the napkin and tried. Ten minutes later, he awkwardly pushed the napkin back towards her. Sadie picked it up, and looked it over.

"So?" he asked.

"It's nice!" said Sadie, staring down at the squiggles. "Um… really nice, bold lines, very creative—"

"What's it supposed to be?"

"Uh… a… dog?" she hazarded.

He slammed his palm into his face. "It's supposed to be a horse!"

"Oh. Well, it's not that bad— just, make the ears more pointed, and change the legs a little…" Sadie trailed off, realizing that Lars wasn't even listening. He was staring off at nothing. She bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, then stepped closer, risking the chance to wrap an arm around his waist. "Look, it's no big deal. Just submit whatever, who cares if you win?"

"I do! And Steven Universe does! If he submits some super awesome cool picture, and I give in some— doodle fart— I'm gonna look like a total buffoon!"

She squeezed him. "You will not."

"I will!" He pulled his hair. "He's probably working on making something really awesome, right now…"


One moment Steven was looking over at the park, empty, sky clear, the moon shining brightly above him. But then he blinked and rubbed his eyes and it was daytime again. The park was filled with people and the sun shone overhead.

He turned and looked at Garnet. "That… felt closer. It was at night, but it felt like it was closer to present day."

Garnet nodded shortly. "Then you're making progress."

"Yeah, but I still can't pull the vision of us all arriving." Steven kicked a nearby rock a few feet away.

"You will get there in time," Garnet replied evenly. "For now, all you need is more—"

"Yooo! Rose! We got it!"

Steven turned around and saw Amethyst and Pearl-ssi rushing over to Rose and Pearl. Amethyst had something clutched into her hands. He turned back around at Garnet.

"Let's see what they've got," Garnet said.

Steven grabbed his bag and pulled it over his shoulder as together they joined the four, Pearl-ssi already in the middle of an explanation.

"...and the entrance proper was just beyond those trees. It was small, well hidden by growth, and unless you knew how to slice into a control panel-"

"Like you do, of course," Garnet said as she and Steven approached.

Pearl-ssi smiled assuredly. "Of course."

Rose chuckled. "How in the stars did I end up with someone as amazing as you, Pearl?"

"Well, I do believe you stole me," said Pearl-ssi, a knowing grin crossing her lips. Steven looked away, trying to focus on a nearby flower bed, suddenly feeling deeply uncomfortable. Pearl-ssi's face flushed with color. "Thought, maybe we can do this later… when we have some privacy?"

Amethyst let out a long groan.

Rose laughed good naturedly, and Steven felt his own cheeks beginning to warm as a hand was laid on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Pearl next to him, a small smile resting on her lips. "How did your training go, honey?" she asked.

"Pretty good," he answered. "I wasn't able to bring the vision up, but I got close a couple of times."

"He has a lot of natural skill," Garnet said. "And he already a lot of the basics down."

Steven beamed with pride, before noticing the artifact in Amethyst's hand. He leaned in to get a better look, and she grinned at him. "Ya see it, dude? Pretty cool, huh?" She held out the object for him to get a closer look. It was spherical, or maybe had been once, for now it was covered in all sorts of nicks and imperfections. Its exact color was impossible to discern, swirling and shifting, but it was somehow dark yet glowing with an inner light.

"What is it?" Steven asked. He tentatively reached out to touch it, and felt a strange cold-warmth roll up his arm. He quickly retracted his hand.

"We believe it's a sort of energy source," Pearl-ssi said. "To what level and extent we won't know until we're able to test it in a controlled environment."

"Ohhh," Steven cooed in wonder. "That's cool. Are you going to do anything with it?"

"We have no plans for it in the immediate future," Rose answered. "We retrieve artifacts mainly to secure them."

"Yeah, you said they're not stable," Steven said, still looking at the odd device. "Is it… like, at risk of blowing up?"

"No. Its core is stable and its main containment chamber is still holding together well," Pearl-ssi said.

"Main reason we're nicking it is so that it doesn't attract anything," Amethyst added.

"Like a corrupted Gem," Garnet answered Steven's unspoken question.

"Corrupted? What's a corrupted—"

Before Steven could finish his question, he was interrupted by the sounds of people screaming. They all turned and saw people and families running towards away from…

"A monster!" Steven yelled.

It was impossible not to notice, the way it was charging through the park. Huge and blue, with a giant horn jutting out of its head. In fact, Steven immediately recognised what the monster looked like.

"A giant beetle," he said taking an involuntary step forward, only to be pulled back by Pearl's tight grasp. A giant dung beetle, to be be precise. He had to stifle an almost-hysterical giggle at the image of it rolling the little sphere around like a ball of dung.

"You freed a monster," Garnet said to Amethyst and Pearl-ssi, her imposing gauntlets flashing over her hands.

"Hey, we didn't free nothin'," Amethyst said, summoning her whip and snapping it in the air.

"Enough." It was Rose, who was speaking calmly, but quickly. "Engage the enemy. I'll sweep the area and ensure all humans get to safety. And then I'll rejoin you."

"Alright, Rose," Pearl-ssi said. "Crystal Gems: Move!"

All at once, the three of them moved in perfect unison, dashing at the beetle monster with their weapons drawn. Again, Steven tried to move closer. He never had a chance to get such a good look at a monster like this before, but Rose was quick to stop him.

"Both of you stay back. I don't want anything to happen to either of you."

Before Steven could say anything in response, Rose leapt into the air, out sight.

"It's conducting electricity!" Steven heard Pearl-ssi yell. The three Crystal Gems leapt out of the way as a lightening bolt arced from the beetle's horn and struck the ground with a loud crack, causing the ground to shake under Steven's feet.

There was barely a second before the beetle reared back and Garnet yelled, "Move!" Again, all three of them moved as if one entity, spreading out but still keeping the beetle surrounded. The beetle, for its part, charged forward, missing all of the Gems but still striking a slab of ruined wall, causing it to topple.

Pearl said something, but Steven didn't hear it. Instead, he heard another voice calling out.

"Help. Find boy. Find Pack."

In the distance, on the other side of the of the battle, Steven could see a dog, its ears pushed back and head lowered in fear, its side glistening red with blood. The dog looked like a German Shepard and in an instant Steven recognized it. The one who'd been playing with Rose Quartz earlier, who'd been distracting him—

Without a moment's hesitation, Steven darted off towards the dog. Pearl was yelling after him, but he ignored her. She'd be angry with him, he knew that. But that didn't matter. The Gems weren't paying attention to the dog, and if it stayed there, it was going to get hurt. Or worse.

He ran behind the monster, dodging a misplaced chunk of ruin that Amethyst threw at the beast. He slowed as he approached the dog, not wanting to startle them.

"Hey," he said gently. "Are you alright?"

The dog looked straight at him, its eyes filled with fear. "Hurt. Where's boy?"

"I don't know," Steven answered. "But you're not going to find him staying here."

There was another crash, another crack, but the dog stayed where it stood. "I can't leave without boy."

"He's already gone home," Steven said. "You need to as well." His eyes moved to the dog's wound. It looked deep. "And quickly. You need to get that looked at."

The dog was silent for a moment before responding, "Elder boy did say to boy to return home in times of fear."

"Exactly," Steven said. "So I'm sure that's where he is now."

"Okay." And without another word, the dog bounded off into the distance, leaving the chaos of the park behind them.

Steven had only a second to feel relieved before he heard voices screaming out his name. He tried to turn, but saw only a blur of blue as something rammed into him, sending him flying backwards. There was a sharp pain in his arm as hit the ground with his opposite shoulder, tumbling to a stop. Dazed, he tried to stand, but couldn't. There was something warm trickling down his arm.

His vision was blurry. He saw only vague shapes; something big and blue, and fuzzy figures moving at dizzying speeds. He blinked several times and it became clearer. One of the shapes, a slim blue one, was rushing a large, darker blue shape, some sort of weapon brandished in their hand.

"Pearl! Stay back!" It was a Pearl's voice, but he couldn't tell where the voice was coming from.

What he did see was Pearl rushing in front of him, standing between him and the beetle.

"No. I won't let this monster hurt him!" Pearl was defiant, something he wasn't quite sure he'd ever heard in her voice.

No, no! She didn't know how to fight, she was gonna get hurt!

He tried to call out to her, tell her to let the Crystal Gems handle this, but all that came out of his throat was a hacking cough.

Pearl's defiance didn't save her from the monster's next attack. Steven saw the tip of its horn glow before it shot out another bolt of lightning, one that hit Pearl squarely in the gut and sent her flying back. She hit the ground and skidded to a stop, just a few inches away from Steven. She didn't move.

Steven's chest tightened, and his senses seemed to dull as the world around him faded away. He heard sounds, yells and crashes and felt more rumbling beneath him. There were shapes and colors flashing in the distance… darkness encroaching on his vision… the world around him ebbing away…

—only to be brought back in a rush, all at once, as something cool washed over his forehead.

His eyes shot open and he saw Rose Quartz leaning over him, the corners of her eyes shining and a smile spreading across her face.

"You're with us again, Steven," she said easily.

"Pearl!" Steven cried as he shot up. "Where's Pearl?!"

Thankfully, his question was answered immediately. She was sitting right next to him, hair a little disheveled, but otherwise looking completely unharmed.

"Steven," she said softly. "Are you alright?"

But Steven didn't answer, instead he leapt from where he sat and into her lap, wrapping his arms tightly around her and burying his face into her chest. As soon as he felt his face press against her, Steven felt a knot of tension and worry that he hadn't even been aware of dissolve into a sense of relief. He hugged her tighter, wanting to ask if she was alright, but the words refused to come.

"Shh, shh. It's okay, it's okay. I am here…"

Steven wasn't crying, not really. And he might have tried to tell Pearl that, but… hearing her voice and feeling her gentle stroke on his back made him feel better about what she'd done. And what he thought had happened to her..

"Pearl acted very bravely," Garnet said. "She fought to protect you."

"Yeah," Amethyst chimed in. "Dunno if it's the smartest thing to rush a corrupted Gem with a broken branch. But it was brave, I guess."

Steven let go of Pearl, though he remained seated in her lap with her arms snugly around him.

He rubbed his head. It was amazing how the pain was completely gone. He mumbled thanks to Rose Quartz for the healing, and the Crystal Gems for protecting him. He looked slowly around the park. It was in terrible state. The ruins were even more ruined, the grass was all torn up, benches had been thrown haphazardly, and the slide in the playground had been crushed. Thankfully, there were no signs of bodies anywhere.

"Where's the monster?" he asked.

"Sent it off with a bubble," said Amethyst.

"To the Temple," Garnet clarified, when he saw Steven's frown. "Along with the power source we came here to collect."

"Did… the power source do that to it?" said Steven, slowly.

The Crystal Gems looked at each other.

"Do what to what?" asked Amethyst.

"To the beetle," said Steven. He wiggled his fingers to indicate magic. "Like… magical radiation… changing them… Turning all these animals into monsters?"

There was a beat of silence. Steven felt Pearl lay a hand on his shoulder and squeeze.

"He doesn't know," Pearl-ssi said, shooting at glare at Pearl. The other Crystal Gems all looked solemn, except for Amethyst, who just looked uncomfortable.

"Know… what?" asked Steven, a now very familiar discomfort settling in his stomach.

Rose was the one who answered. "The monsters are corrupted, yes. But they are not corrupted animals." She took a deep breath. "They are Gems, who have had their body and mind twisted and changed. Left with only a shadow of their former intelligence, filled with uncontrollable fear and rage, and… are now only a danger to all other beings around them."

Steven was silent, letting this knowledge settle around him.

He'd never thought much about the monsters. They'd only come poking around the Palanquin once or twice; those had been scary times, with him huddling inside, listening to Pearl scaring them off. Whenever he asked questions about them, Pearl's explanations had been brief: that they were an artifact of Homeworld's attempted colonization and the War.

He'd just sort of filled in the blanks himself. He'd always assumed...

"All… all those monsters… they used to be Gems?"

There were nods all around. Steven looked at Pearl. She was still for a moment, and then she nodded as well.

"After the war," Rose began, "our main goal was to tend to them, try to heal them. So far though… we haven't had any positive results. All we can do is destroy their form and bubble their gem, for their safety and others."

Steven grimaced down at his feet. Speaking to no one in particular, he asked, "I thought those were just… mutant animals or something… How'd that even happen?'"

Amethyst scoffed. "What do ya think, dude? Homeworld."

Steven looked up. "They- why would they do that?"

"It was their last, defiant blow against us," Pearl-ssi said evenly. "We'd won the war, freed the planet… but the Diamonds simply couldn't stand that."

"They unleashed an attack that affected every single Gem on the planet," Rose Quartz continued. "Loyal Homeworld soldiers and Crystal Gems alike. It didn't matter." Her expression fell as she looked away. "They punished everyone."

Pearl-ssi walked over to Rose, wrapping an arm around her waist and resting her head against her arm. But Steven only looked down at his lap, at the blue hands that were wrapped gently around his own waist.

"Geez, dude," Amethyst said. "You really were kept in the dark, huh?"

Both Steven and Pearl were silent in return.


It was night in Beach City by the time Steven and Pearl returned to the RV. Lapis was off flying, and after inquiring how it went, Dad went off to Fish Stew Pizza to get a quick dinner.

Only Steven and Pearl were left alone in the van.

After what seemed like hours of heavy, oppressive silence, Steven spoke, asking in an almost whisper, "Why didn't you tell me the monsters were corrupted Gems?"

"Because you weren't ready."

"I'm twelve now."

"Yes, but you weren't always, darling," Pearl responded. "When you were young, you were not ready for such truths. So I kept them from you, waiting until I thought you could understand them."

"Like you being a slave."

Pearl's face twitched, but she didn't look away from him. "In a similar manner, yes."

"Okay," Steven said as he slid off the table's seat and walked over to where Pearl stood. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "No more secrets, okay? We're honest with each other from now on."

Pearl's lips pressed together, but she remained silent.

"Pearl," Steven insisted. "We- we're a family, right? You, me, and Dad. And Lapis. And families don't lie to each other." His gaze fell to the floor. "Or at least our family shouldn't…"

A beat of silence passed, before Pearl spoke, "Alright, Steven. I will… I will do my best."

"Okay," Steven said, feeling a heavy weight lift off his chest. Smiling and his tone lifting, he continued, "Why don't we get plates and stuff out for when Dad gets back with the pizza?"

Pearl smiled back at him. "A very good idea, dear. You can grab the napkins and I will get the plates."


Pearl waited until it was dark and the humans had begun preparing for sleep— if they were not unconscious already— to approach their van. She hesitated outside of it, uncertain of the protocol for this kind of situation, and not wishing to draw the attention of either Universe.

She was preparing to attempt a knock on the vehicle's door when Blue Pearl stepped out...

...and froze— the typical Pearl response to being startled.

Pearl slowly raised an open hand and flashed a smile to reassure her. "Ah! Hello, Pearl. I was hoping to speak with you."

"Hello." Blue Pearl took a cautious step forward, and eased the RV door close behind her. "May I ask what about?"

"About what you did today. How you fought that monster."

"Attempted to fight," Blue Pearl corrected.

"Fought," Pearl repeated. "Whether you were successful or not, you still did what you could, to protect yourself and others." She paused a moment, to see if Blue Pearl would say something. When she did not, Pearl added, "You were very brave."

The other Pearl gave the slightest of shrugs.

"My bravery should have not have been necessary. We were reassured that there would be no danger on that mission," she said.

"Ah," said Pearl, hemming a little, "yes, well, we were mistaken. Garnet's future vision can occasionally be—"

"Wrong."

"—Faulty," Pearl said. "She's not infallible, I'm afraid. This universe is filled with unexpected dangers."

The other Pearl said nothing. Just stared at her. Pearl could feel her silent judgement, right down to her core.

"I could teach you self defense, if you want," Pearl said, and now she couldn't help her hands from twisting around each other. "The spear is my forte, obviously, but I'm also extremely experienced with a sword. I've noticed you favour that knife, and I could help you with that as well."

Blue Pearl clasped her hands to her chest. "I see. Thank you very much for the offer, but I do not know if this would be advisable."

Pearl felt a flash of disappointment and frustration, but pushed against it. This had been expected, and she wasn't going to give up that easily. "I know what you're thinking— it's hardly appropriate for a Pearl to be fighting. But you've already fought, and it is more than likely you will have to again. Next time, we may not be there to help you."

Blue Pearl raised her head, but said nothing.

"It would help you protect Steven," Pearl made herself add, after a moment.

A small exhale a breath, almost a sigh, and Pearl thought she had her. But then she said, "Again, thank you, Pearl. But I am currently too busy to pursue combat training."

Pearl put her hands on her hips. "Too busy with what, exactly? Surely Steven doesn't require constant attention."

"I have my duties."

"What duties could you possibly have in the middle of the night, while he's asleep?"

Blue Pearl drew herself up to her full height, face flashing in a frown, opening her mouth to say something— and then pausing as if to reconsider. "It is something you should know," she said. "I will show you."

Blinking, Pearl said, "What?"

Blue Pearl was already walking at a brisk pace down the beach, waving at her to follow. "My duties. It will be easier to show you than to explain." Pearl hurried to follow, suspicion and curiosity burning in her core. The other Pearl seemed to sense that suspicion, and said, "You may bring the rest of your team, if you wish. They should also see this."

Now this is interesting, Pearl thought.

She followed the other Pearl's request, and gathered the rest of the Crystal Gems. Blue Pearl requested they all follow her onto the warp pad, which was met with some resistance. "Not until we know where you're taking us," Pearl said.

"The Kindergarten."

Immediately they all stiffened.

"What duties could you possibly have there?" said Rose Quartz, frowning.

"I am not re-activating it, if that is your concern," said Blue Pearl. "Please. What I am doing is for the protection of this planet and its inhabitants."

They could hardly not go. One by one they all stepped onto the warp pad— Amethyst last of all, her eyes fixed stubbornly on the ground, forcing Pearl to ask her to come along.

It was dark in the Kindergarten. Darker even than it had been in Beach City. The cavern walls loomed over them, blocking what little light the night sky offered. Pearl illuminated the way with a bright beam of white light from her gem, Rose and Garnet following suit.

Amethyst stared around, and took a step closer to Rose. "This… this isn't my Kindergarten."

"No. This is Beta," said Blue Pearl. She did not even need a light, navigating completely from memory, setting off into the darkness.

"The second Kindergarten," breathed Rose.

" This is where it was," said Garnet, holding up another hand to give more light.

There had been rumors of it, during the War. Seemed to be the only way Homeworld could be getting so many new soldiers onto the planet so quickly. But the place's location had been fiercely guarded. Pearl had been part of many scouting parties to fertile areas, as well as spy missions to gather intel from key Authority Management Posts; they'd all turned up nothing. Every one the Crystal Gems had captured had either known nothing, or claimed so, committed to hiding the truth.

And here it was.

How could the rebellion have turned out, if they'd known about it back when it had mattered?

Just as her mind was threatening to get lost in a dark maze of what-ifs, out of the darkness loomed a dark thing. Pearl stepped closer and turned her head to it, bathing it in light, and could only say, "What is that?"

"A drill," said Blue Pearl.

She explained. About the Cluster, buried deep under the planet's surface, set to emerge in the next year, its body growing and growing and growing until the Earth cracked like a shell around it.

"Ugh," said Amethyst. "That's just sick."

Pearl burned with rage. "It wasn't enough for them, was it? Wasn't enough for them to drive every Gem on this planet mad. Couldn't leave them alone, even after that. No, they had to make sure Earth was reduced to dust—"

Garnet was just standing there, shaking— shaking enough that her very form seemed to be warbling. "All those Gems," she whispered, "forced together like that…"

Rose came over, wrapped an arm around Garnet's shoulders to steady her. Garnet's glasses had vanished, and she was staring at the other Pearl with tear-filled eyes.

The other Pearl stared impassively back.

Pearl stepped forward, wrapped her fingers around Garnet's left hand, gave a gentle squeeze. She thought, Don't blame her, Garnet. She had no control over this. No blame.

"Blue Diamond never approved of this plan, not wholly," said Pearl. "After coming to Earth, she turned against it completely. This is her attempt to set things right."

Rose's voice was very soft when she said, "She changed her mind."

Pearl glanced at her. How much? Pearl wondered. How much did she change, really?

Blue Pearl bent down to open what appeared to be a primitive human tool box, pulling out a wrench. "I've been working for years on this project, and Lapis began helping me recently. I understand that none of you are mechanics, but nonetheless, if we pool our resources, I believe that we'll—"

"Show me your blueprints," said Pearl.

"—be able to— uh. Yes. Of course." Momentarily thrown by the interruption, Blue Pearl turned away, rifled for a bit, then returned with a neatly stapled stack of paper. She handed it silently to Pearl.

Pearl flipped through it. The designs were well drawn and clearly labelled with the precision of someone whose life depended on keeping accurate notes. They were hardly the most elegant designs ever. Crude attempts at joining human and Homeworld technology, odd engineering choices that were often overly complex, the occasional calculation error which would be devastating if implemented…

But the essential plan was sound.

Pearl cast her eye to the half-completed carapace of the drill. "Yes," she said. "I can work with this."

She reached into the tool box, plucked out a screwdriver, tossed it ten feet in the air, and caught it easily.

"Show off," Amethyst muttered.

Pearl smirked. "Let's get started, shall we?"

oOo

Authors' Note: The dastardly forces of 'GoogleDocs automated content bots' tried to hide this entire chapter from us yesterday, but we managed to reclaim it, and present it to our waiting fans. Rejoice, rejoice!