Yellow Pearl would never admit it, but the argument proposed by the Defense Zircon at the trial of Rose Quartz – Steven, she reminded herself – had caused her to start wondering herself just what had happened the day that Pink Diamond was shattered. The issue of her Pearl's whereabouts had naturally been especially troubling, and despite how much she didn't want to believe a word Bismuth told her about what had really happened, she couldn't deny that it filled in all those holes quite neatly.
Beside her, Blue Pearl was showing far more emotion than she could recall ever seeing before, trembling so much that she seemed about to tunnel through the ground. And while she prided herself on being able to maintain more decorum, she was just as disturbed. "Her Diamond told her to rebel, and be as unlike a Pearl as it's possible to be."
Bismuth replied, "I just found out myself recently, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."
Yellow Pearl opened her mouth, but then stopped what she was going to say. Instead, she said after thinking it over a bit longer, "I don't know what I would have done. It's beyond anything I've had to comprehend in my millennia of existence."
Much to her surprise, Blue Pearl suddenly spoke up. "If I had the chance, I think I would have done it."
Both Yellow Pearl and Bismuth turned to her with goggle-eyed expressions. She went on, "It would be what my Diamond wanted, after all." And was Yellow Pearl imagining a slight ironic edge to those words?
She put both hands on Blue Pearl's shoulders. "Really think about what you're saying. Our entire purpose is to serve our owners. We were never meant to do any fighting. Where would you even start?"
The surprises continued as Blue Pearl brushed a hand through her hair, the better to look Yellow Pearl right in the eyes. "I suppose the same place that Pink Diamond's Pearl did."
The conversation was interrupted by a gout of laughter. Yellow Pearl sighed, having almost forgotten that Bismuth was there in the shock of her counterpart's words. The huge Gem petered out and said, "Somehow, I don't doubt it. Even by the time I came along, Pearl wasn't nearly as sure about what she was doing as you seem to be."
Blue Pearl smiled at that, a quite disconcerting sight from someone who'd only glanced at the floor with a dour expression as long as Yellow Pearl had known her. "I was there when the Garnet fusion first formed. Until that day I'd never questioned anything about my purpose in life, but the Sapphire speaking so calmly about her form being destroyed, and Blue Diamond not seeming to care, made me start. I've never said anything about it because she would shatter me for these kinds of thoughts." And then came a quite disconcerting laugh to rival Bismuth's. "Oh my stars, that feels so good!"
Yellow Pearl backed away from her. "I can't believe what I'm hearing! You've been having traitorous thoughts all this time?"
Bismuth stepped in front of her with a stern expression. "Hey, keep in mind everything I just told you. The rebel leader was a Diamond too, so how can you say either side were traitors?"
Yellow stammered for a bit, and ended up with, "I don't know any of it was true! All I know is my Diamond is still out there, and I'm going to serve my purpose however I can!" With that, she ran down the steps and away across the beach.
Blue Pearl started to go after her, but Bismuth placed a hand on her shoulder. "If there's one thing I've learned from recent events, it's that you can't force someone to agree with you. She has the information, and now it's up to her what to do with it."
Blue Pearl sighed. "I hope she makes the right decision. I've actually grown quite fond of her, in her own way." She smiled again at another thought she hadn't dared voice for thousands of years.
Bismuth said, "In the meantime, why don't you give me some help fixing this place up? It's about time you found out what else you can really do."
