Steven Universe Fanfiction

My Pearl

Chapter 5: Earthbound


Stand straight, hands clasped in front of you, eyes always forward but never meeting another Gem's eyes. Always be there to be of use to your master, even for the tiniest matter. Your master is everything; you are worthless without them. These were the sort of things that were drilled into your head on creation and stay they would for whatever is left of the rest of your life. These are a mantra you recite as you await your master, who is in a very important meeting about something. You are not worthy of such knowledge unless the master deems it so. You worry about your appearance: a simple green leotard with a transparent knee-length skirt. A pale hand is itching to smooth out and clean whatever blemish is on you, is on your master. But you must resist, you must be still and poised.

The grand doors you stood by slowly swing open with a rumble, revealing your master at last. You wait. When your master reaches an exact distance from you, you curtsy. Your master says nothing, but you feel the nod directed at you before moving on. You follow dutifully if not with some difficulty given her massive strides, ten paces behind. Quick sharp steps, a rhythmic click-clack of your footwear as you follow the brooding stomps of your master.

"Make preparations. We leave for the Crystal System Colony Planet Earth. You are to meet me at the Galaxy Warp in exactly fifteen minutes," your master commands.

"At once, milady," is your reply. You curtsy again, listening as your master's footfalls fade away. Once they are, you immediately move out to your master's personal quarters and make a mental list of the items to be stored in your gem. There are important things to retrieve and so little time; thirteen minutes.

Your master's personal quarters are a spartan one, very much unlike the usual flair and chic of other lauded Gems of Gem society but it serves her well; nine minutes. Quickly, you move about storing what is needed by and of personal importance to your master. Storing a weapons collection in your gem, you wonder at the expediency of it all. Hero of thousands of battles or not, there would usually be some sort of advanced notice of deployment. Then again, when your master's Diamond orders you, usual protocol goes out the window. Finishing, you survey the room one last time before leaving for the Galaxy Warp; three minutes.

Two minutes and fifty-nine seconds later, you are at the Galaxy Warp standing a distance away as a Peridot reads out the latest report regarding your master's current deployment. A rebellion is taking place, led by a Rose Quartz and your master is tasked in striking it down. Your master thanks the Peridot, who bows low before returning to her duty: Galaxy Warp maintenance. You sneak a glance at your master's face; gauging her mood.

It's a difficult task though, considering her great height. She is easily a foot taller than a quartz. Like always, her face is a solid mask of stoicism; a beautiful mint green one. Your master's dark green hair is tamed into a beautiful loose plait braid; something you have the honor of maintaining and applying. You are also aware that even out of the braid, your master's hair is not unruly and wild like the other quartzes but rather waterfalls into waves reaching down to the middle of her back. Translucent green eyes miss not a thing, as they swiftly dart to the side and for just one second, your eyes meet. Panic seizes you, kowtowing immediately before her.

"Forgive me! I meant no offense, I just…" you begin to beg.

"Rise, Pearl," your master interrupts. You're a shivering mess but you comply with the command. Your eyes are trained on her forest green boots.

It is a firm hand that gently cups your chin and forces you to look up at her; a difficult task to be sure since you barely reach her hip and the angle is a bit extreme but you look. From your master's boots, your eyes move up to the sea foam green body suit; an opening at her belly revealing her trillion-faceted gem and a yellow diamond emblem on the left side of her chest. Finally, your blue eyes meet translucent green once again; you're quaking in fear and trepidation at what this all means.

"How long have you served me?" she asks. Truly a strange question to be sure, what is time to a Pearl after all when the only thing that matters is your servitude? Regardless, you answer her as any good Pearl would.

"T-t-this year would be the thousandth, m-milady," your voice is trembling as you're still looking into your master's eyes. But your master's hand keeps you in place, your master must have a reason; why else would she do this? You see a ghost of a grin pass her face, you're not sure if the fear is making you imagine things or if it really was there.

"A long time…don't you think that maybe deserve to look upon me without fear? Have I been that terrible to you?"

"No, milady! You've always been good to me, more than I deserve! I-I…"

Deserve? When did a Pearl deserve anything other than what was given or done to them? You wonder if this is a test of sorts, if maybe she would replace you after all this time. One thousand years is a long while and more than enough to hear and observe what happens to other Pearls for whatever reason. You once knew a green Pearl, dismissed for breaking a precious object through no fault of her own. Or what about that red Pearl for not being the right shade of red? In the end, only two things happen to Pearls that are no longer of use to their masters: shattered or harvested. Oh stars…you're about to be replaced. And yet, the thought does not fill you with dread and fear. Strangely, calm washes over you and your trembling ceases. Your master notices and frowns.

"You think I don't need you? That you're being replaced?"

"If that is your wish, milady."

And if truly that was what she wished, you would accept it and your eventual fate. Like a good Pearl would. Your master looks at you for the longest time; so much so that the nearby Peridot meekly shuffles her limb-enhanced feet, wondering whether or not to remind the Quartz of her departure. She doesn't get the chance to as your master turns away and steps onto the warp pad, her stance imperious.

"Come, Pearl."

You are surprised but obey regardless. You move to stand in your usual place behind her…

"I would have you at my side, Pearl."

You freeze. At her side? What did she mean by that? Your thoughts are interrupted though when the same firm but gentle hand clasps your shoulder, bringing you to a stop right by her side; as she had commanded.

"A thousand years is a long time. Such loyalty deserves to be rewarded," your master says, "Things will be explained at the appropriate time but for now, you are to walk by my side, is that understood?"

"Y-yes, milady; understood," is all you can reply.

She nods before looking straight ahead. You resume your usual stance: straight, hands clasped in front of you, eyes always forward but never meeting another Gem's eyes. In a pillar of light, you and your master are transported away from Homeworld.

When you and your master arrive at the Galaxy Warp on Earth, you are surrounded by quartzes with weapons drawn. Immediately, they assume a diamond formation around your master. Your master waves them off though.

"What are you doing?" Your master asks of those around her.

"We…are assuming formation to escort you, ma'am?" a warrior responded hesitantly, you observe that she is an Agate.

"Is there no warp pad to whatever command base you have established on Earth?"

"There is…but the rebels have been getting bolder. We were ordered to escort you to the Prime Kindergarten in case they attacked and as a means of throwing them off," this time it was an Aventurine that answered. Your master ponders over this.

"Very well. However, assume the diamond wing formation. If I am to deal with this rebellion, I want to know what we're up against. If we do encounter any rebels, I will deal with them; is that understood?"

The quartzes salute and rearrange themselves accordingly: two smaller diamond formations behind her left and right. You move to stand at your master's side. With everything in readiness, the group moves out. The escorts warp first; you and your master follow afterwards. The warp pad deposits you and your master into a cacophony of machinery and a chaotic storm of movement and orders. Throughout the canyon, dust clouds billow up into the sky as towering machines drill deep into the earth with thunderous rumbling as technicians, engineers, and caretakers scurry about making sure everything goes smoothly. "Injectors" if you remember correctly. You have always heard and read how Gems are made but never got to see the process until now.

A Peridot approaches your master and bows deeply, revealing her gem on the back of her head. The workers, on seeing this, switch off the machines and bow as well. It is an unnerving silence.

"General Vermarine Quartz, I am honored to receive you in our humble Kindergarten today. I am Peridot Facet-1A3G Cut-7BC and I am the Director of this particular facility, dedicated to the production of Quartzes. I take it you are here to inspect the latest batch that has been made?"

Your master's eyes narrow, nodding.

"Allow me to guide you to the Kindergarten Control Room then. We keep all of our records there and I'm sure you will be most pleased with the results so far. I must admit that we are pleasantly surprised for we were not expecting you to visit our fine facility until a later date."

A flash of green light and a single-edged great sword is immediately drawn; your master whirls around cutting a swath through her escort, some of whom manage to dodge while others are forced into their gems.

"WE'VE BEEN FOUND OUT! ATTACK!"

Fear grips you as the supposed escort of your master turns upon her like a wave. You look around and the fear becomes tighter. All around you, shrieks of terror scatter the non-combatant gems as they try to flee the chaos of Gem rebels popping out of the ground; some had even shape-shifted from some of the workers you saw earlier. The unfortunate ones are brought down, forced into their gems. You're taking short hasty breaths, so very unsure of what to do. You vaguely grab onto something to steady yourself as you fall to your knees; something returns the grip and even falls with you but for the life of you, you can't bring yourself to look. Not until a large shadow casts darkness over you. Turning your head slowly, you see it's the Peridot that had just introduced herself. Turning further and looking up, you see a Sunstone Gem poised to strike the both of you down with a massive mace, its head adorned with menacing spikes.

The Gem rebel never got the chance though as your master's sword cuts through her waist, the rebel disappearing in a cloud and her gem dropping to the ground. Immediately, it is shattered under the heavy foot of your master.

"Are you two alright!?" your master asks, whirling around once more to fend off the rebels.

"Y-y-yes, milady!" you reply.

"Peridot, take my Pearl and lock yourselves in the Control Room! Barricade, collapse the entrance, I don't care; the enemy is not allowed to reach you!"

"Y-yes, General!" The Peridot replies, hastily grabbing your hand with her floating fingers. Her other hand's fingers take on a strange shape, energy crackling at the tip.

With a mad dash, you are whisked away as the Peridot pulls you along. Strangely, some of the rebels ignore you and charge in the direction you last saw your master. Those the Peridot deemed a threat were shot and paralyzed. Eventually the Peridot comes to a stop in the middle of an inconspicuous space of the canyon. She immediately kneels down, one set of fingers forming a screen as data and locks are desperately accessed. There is a low rumble as the space you're standing on transforms into a gem platform.

"Come on! Come on! Hurry up!" You hear the Peridot plead, stomping on the platform.

"Over there! Get them!"

With a small "Eep!" and a desperate push on her screen, the platform immediately drops down. Both of you scream at the sudden descent. The opening is immediately sealed and just in time as you hear heavy clangs echo down into the darkness. You immediately shine your gem to illuminate it, taking stock of your surroundings as the Peridot struggles to catch her breath on her knees before sighing in relief at having escaped. This soon turns into panicked ramblings.

"Oh my stars…how did this all happen…WHEN did this happen…gems I've known and worked with…all that time working…the research…the experiments…no, wait…they're still safe…they have to be safe…what will Yellow Diamond say…how could I have known…I'm just a certified Kindergartener…I was never trained for this…of all the muddy fuddy rock rolling cloddy things to have happened…the barriers will hold…it HAS to hold…no way out…defenseless…just a Pearl…wait, THAT'S IT!"

The Peridot clings to you, her eyes quivering.

"You! You're a Pearl to Vermarine Quartz! You HAVE to have SOMETHING that we can use! A weapon of some kind!? A device!? ANYTHING!?"

How was one supposed to respond to that? What would a Pearl such as yourself do with any of those things? Perhaps for your master to make use of when she asks of it but to use it yourself was a most ludicrous idea.

"F-forgive me, ma'am. I'm just a Pearl, I wouldn't know what to do with such things…"

The Peridot only moans, dropping down face first into the platform.

"That's it…we're shattered…should've known better than to ask a Pearl how to fight…" you hear her snicker, "Oh stars, I've cracked…what would the Peridots back on Homeworld say?"

She shrieks up onto her feet when the platform comes to a sudden halt. Looking around, you notice that you have arrived at the control room of the Kindergarten if the gem technology surrounding you is anything to go by. With a great sigh, the Peridot regains her calmness and walks towards the central control panel. You follow hesitantly, stopping to stand by the platform.

"Log Date: 0 01 5 The Prime Kindergarten has been attacked by the Gem rebels that call themselves the 'Crystal Gems.' While this is a terrible occurrence, this particular attack is most egregious for it occurred while a venerated gem warrior was visiting our facility. I have no doubt in my mind that Vermarine Quartz will have some harsh critiques regarding the security of an important facility such as this. I do not blame her. We should've been prepared for an attack where rebels would pop out of the very ground we were using to create Gems and even more so for rebels to impersonate workers. I shudder to think of what other information they managed to abscond with during their time here," you hear the Peridot say as she pushes some buttons and twists something. Gem hands materialize from the wall and begin to mimic her hand movements as they interact with even larger screens, even begin to pull strange stone pillars from the walls. There is much clamor at the barrier but it is strangely rhythmic to you as the rebels try to raid the control room.

"Right now, I am bunkered down in the Prime Kindergarten Control Room with Vermarine Quartz's Pearl, as ordered seconds after the attack began. While I am most confused as to why such concern is shown for a Pearl, I dare not disobey. Given that I have no idea how long we will have to wait here or how this attack will end, I've decided that it would be most efficient to continue what work I can and report on it; this could very well be my last report. The Gem experiments and the Gem Weapon are showing progress but it is slow…miniscule at best. It may very well take hundreds, if not thousands of years for them to reach maturity."

She pauses for a bit, listening. The repeated clockwork of weapons against the barrier still sound.

"Given the repeated attempts to break down the barrier, the Gem rebels are still out there attempting to access the control room. With the period of time that has passed, two outcomes can be assumed: Vermarine Quartz is shattered," you freeze at the terrible thought, "Or she managed to escape and is seeking assistance in liberating this kindergarten. If the Prime Kindergarten is lost, Quartz manufacturing on Earth will come to a complete halt. Considering the need for them to deal with this rebellion, this would be a very unfortunate circumstance. Plans have been made for a Beta Kindergarten but that is still in the construction phase."

She pauses for a bit and for a moment, you see something akin to sorrow on the Peridot cross her face as she sighs.

"That is all I can report at this time. Peridot. Facet 3. End Log."

It is quiet in the control room as the two of you contemplate your fate. If anything, you notice that it's perhaps too quiet. You begin to wonder about it before a loud boom makes the entire room rumble. Your eyes immediately dart to the barrier. Shining your gem on it, you see it: a dent.

"I suspect that we have five minutes before they manage to tear down the barrier, shatter us, and destroy the control room. I've done all that I can do. I suggest you do the same though, I find it hard to imagine what a Pearl would do in a situation like this," you hear the Peridot say. She has taken to stand next to you, her eyes watching the barrier. Five minutes.

Another boom; the dent is larger now. Four minutes fifty seconds.

What would a Pearl do in a situation like this? There is absolutely nothing in your programming or training that prepared you for this. If anything, it's wait for your master to receive new orders. So you wait. You clasp your hands together and bow your head in a silent prayer, hoping that your master did manage to escape. Three minutes forty-five seconds.

Boom; you hear the barrier screeching in defiance as it struggles to hold together. A ray of light passes through. You and the Peridot tense but remain where you are. Three minutes thirty seconds.

You hear a roar as the barrier finally collapses in an explosion of energy, debris and dirt collapsing into the tunnel in a rumbling cloud. The two of you retreat a little, avoiding it. The Peridot sighs as she merely stares at the cloud, waiting for whatever it is to come out and end it. Your hands clasp together tighter as you shut your eyes and prepare for the worst. You hear a gasp as a firm yet gentle hand cups your chin and tilts your head up.

"Pearl, look at me."


Author's Note: For a long time, I was contemplating whether or not to make this one a VERY long flashback chapter. I instead decided that it would probably be best to break it up into separate pieces to be revealed slowly over time. Will some people hate it? Probably. I'm also hoping that the 2nd Person POV doesn't throw people off too much, considering I much prefer the 3rd. I'm also hoping that military titles are acceptable and used properly, considering we have little to no idea of the Gem military structure but here's hoping I was good enough to suspend belief a little.

Not quite sure what the etiquette is but hey, 20 followers. I'm pleasantly surprised and humbled to have that many and I hope that all of you continue to enjoy this story as it goes on.

Special Thanks go to the following for their encouraging reviews, private messages, and detailed questions:

williambragg165 (for some odd reason, your name keeps on disappearing when I save so no periods for you, I guess?)

R.E.W. 4

With that, this author's note is over. Enjoy and see you all next chapter.

Edit 8/12/16: Smoky Quartz is canon. Suspicions about future Rose Quartz fusions have inspired me to change two minor characters. That's all.