A/N: Finally, the long awaited temporary remedy to your burning curiosity (temporary because it will only be a matter of time until the next one, which is this chapter).
The fusion stared at the white arm as it landed on the edge of the beach. Part of her watched with absolute horror and trepidation while the rest nervously observed with confusion and mild curiosity. Their current predicament was long forgotten. The fusion stood up. Now that the diamonds were part of their fusion, they easily towered over the temple. The day had brightened considerably, and the sun was peeking up just over the horizon. In a few minutes, the whole town would be awake.
The head and torso landed gently on the waves, the entire ship so large the fusion had to crane her head up to see it all. Something shot out of the mouth and slammed onto the sand, kicking up dust and sand. A gust of wind blew it away to reveal a giant, white being. She was enormous, slightly taller than the fusion, even with the two diamonds fused. She had spiky hair that seemed to glitter harshly in the early morning light and a long sweeping cloak that covered her entire body, with sharp, protruding shoulder guards. A sparkling white diamond rested on her forehead. In fact, her entire being seemed to shine with a divine radiance, it was almost blinding to look at.
However, the most unsettling part was her smile. It seemed to be frozen on her face, in a perpetual, emotionless grin.
'Hello, Diamonds. Hope you've had fun on this little rock, and released some steam. Play time is over though, you are needed in Homeworld. Everyone is so worried, you don't want them to be concerned now do you? Come on, let's go back and put everyones' gems to ease. We can be our perfect selves again. Pink Diamond, it's delightful to see you again. Everyone was very alarmed at the news of your shattering, but they are relieved. Aren't you excited to see your home? Well, come now. Homeworld is waiting.'
The fusion gaped at the diamond. Blue and Yellow Diamond were especially confused at her calm and unperturbed demeanour. They had expected White Diamond to blow her top and pop them, suppressing them in a bubble for the next few millennia. While the Crystal Gems didn't have many expectations to begin with, they were still rather surprised at the somewhat amiable impression White Diamond had made. They had expected a more antagonistic greeting.
'I-' the fusion tried to speak but she was interrupted.
'Come along now, everyone will be so relieved to see you whole. Pink, your precious amethysts are safe and sound, ready to serve you. They will be pleased to see you again.' Her character was so strong and commanding that the fusion couldn't speak. Behind White Diamond, a small white bubble was flying towards them at a high speed. It slowed down quite a lot before coming to a rest by White Diamond's feet. The bubble opened and a tiny white pearl stepped out. Or rather, she seemed to float.
Her features were very small from the fusion's towering height, but her heightened vision more than made up for this. While it was expected by Blue and Yellow Diamond, the Crystal Gems were struck with discomfort. Half of the pearl's face was obscured with cracks, and she moved with complete stiffness and stillness. Her eyes seemed to see straight ahead, and like her diamond, her face was frozen in a faint, absent smile. Her light manifestation was completely devoid of colour, instead having a range of greys colouring her clothing.
When she moved, instead of walking with the elegance of Blue and Yellow Pearl, who seemed as if their every action was a dance, she seemed to float through the air. Her toes were unceasingly pointed down, and her arms were raised to shoulder level, as if she had been captured in that one state of elegance and had been stuck in that position for a long time.
She was there, but it was like she wasn't. She had no presence. It was like a ghost was floating towards her.
As she made her way closer to the fusion, Yellow Diamond snapped back to her senses and took over the fusion. She would not let Pink out of her sight after so long.
'White Diamond, I must refuse. Pink has…found her home here. Come on White, leave us be.' She said warily said in a gruff tone. It was clear that she wasn't used to such acts of caution.
The pearl came to a stop midway to their position while White Diamond simply stared at them, still with that unsettling smile on her face. It was as if she had not heard what the fusion said. There was a heavy silence hanging in the air. The fusion waited with baited breath.
Then White Diamond twitched. A spasm overtook her face in a microsecond, so fast the fusion was only able to see it because of their superior vision. It was like her image was cracking.
'Everyone is waiting for you. You will come to Homeworld and everyone will be relieved. Everyone will have a splendid time again. You will come home.' Her voice seemed to fall flat. Pearl continued on her way.
'N-no! I won't come!' The fusion leaped away from the pearl. White Diamond's eyes glittered. The pearl froze for a second before continuing on her way towards the fusion.
For the first few minutes, the fusion kept dodging the pearl, but the pearl seemed to grow faster. Eventually, she realised that the beach offered too small a space to comfortably and effectively move about freely. With a giant leap, their combined power adding to her physical prowess, she soared through the air, higher and higher, farther and farther away from the beach, White Pearl still following her. She kept rising until she couldn't even see White Diamond, before falling back to earth. When she landed in a semi-arid, remote area, a resounding boom resonated and giant clouds of sand and dust floated to the air, the fusion now crouching in the midst of a giant crater.
White Pearl landed not too far away, and came flying through the vegetation like it wasn't there. In fact, she seemed to phase through the vegetation, it looked as if the plants were going through her. Soon, it was a struggle to keep ahead of the pearl. It certainly didn't help matters when White Diamond also landed some distance from the fusion and the pearl's chase. That moment of distraction had them almost caught.
Desperate, the fusion brought out her hammer and tried to strike the pearl. However, rather than hitting home, it went right through her. The fusion was flabbergasted. Even if the hammer had been able to go through her body, which was simply a light manifestation, it shouldn't have been able to go through her gem. Besides, the hammer wasn't just an ordinary tool, it was the fusion's weapon, a light manifestation in itself, and should have been able to strike the light manifestation of the other gem.
While the fusion was pondering this, the pearl created a giant, white, opaque bubble, not unlike Steven's own protective pink transparent bubble. It grew, and kept growing and growing, showing no sign of stopping. It was almost to the height of the fusion before she snapped out of it and jumped away. White Diamond's face twitched again, this time more noticeably and more violently. The white pearl whizzed towards where the fusion had landed. She barely had enough time to dodge. The fusion's mind, or rather minds, whirled as she tried to think of a way to defeat the pearl. Seeing as they had no idea of what they were up against, Sapphire's future vision was useless. They were stumped, the only thing they could do now was dodge, and even that they could barely manage. It was very surprising that a single pearl could keep up with a Diamond, let alone three diamonds fused, and then some. Then, Amethyst had a brilliant idea.
'Hey guys, what if we used the diamond's power! I bet, since we're all fused, their power would be totally overpowering. We should work together to defeat her!' The diamonds saw no fault in her plan and agreed. Raising her hand, the fusion drew her power until two different colours radiated from her arm; blue and yellow. It didn't take much effort to combine them to make a green colour similar to Peridot. She had been doing this while she was running from the pearl, so when it was ready, she jumped forward with a quick burst of speed, and turned around and faced the pearl, who was hot on her tail. A moment later, the shot was fired as fast as lightning, and the pearl was unable to dodge.
The light cascaded from her arm and flowed through the air. It was almost elegant in its passage, though it had passed in an instant. The entire body of the pearl was caught in it. For a second, nothing seemed to happen. Then, she froze. Glowing green cracks began to emanate from the pearl's body, spreading out from the gem on her abdomen like shattered glass. Tears welled from her eyes, but looked very strange because her face was still stuck in that mindless smile. Her eye seemed to go extra wide, and green light shone from the cracks in her other eye. She became a blindingly bright green light, before she exploded with a giant puff of smoke. A clink sounded as the now dormant pearl clunked to the ground, its shiny exterior glinting coldly in the late morning sun. A small crack ran along the side.
The fusion quickly bubbled it in a green bubble, before tapping it and sending it home, wherever that may be now. She looked at White Diamond. White Diamond looked at her. By now, her smile had faded. Her expression was cold and remote. Her radiance glowed icily, the light stabbing at their eyes, as spiky as her glitterry hair. Her black lips were twisted in an unseemly way, and her entire body was stiff, rigid. The fusion nervously waited for her to make her move. Finally, White Diamond opened her mouth.
'Yo-ou- everyon- homew-' it was as if she couldn't make sentences. She shut her mouth tightly. Coldness seeped into her gaze and sharpened it. This time, a definite smirk lifted the corners of her mouth. A smug, confident smirk. 'You. Will. Come. To. Homeworld. And you will obey my command.'
She slowly rose her arm, the pointed fingers elegantly straightened and the palm facing the fusion. White Diamond's eyes sought the fusion's, pinning her under her heavy gaze. There must have been more to it than that, however, as the fusion found herself frozen in place. She couldn't move, and she couldn't dodge.
Light from around White Diamond's palm seemed to be getting sucked into it, and her hand glowed, the light becoming glaringly brighter. The fusion tried to break free from the spell White Diamond had put her under, straining against the invisible bonds holding her in place. It was as if she was a deer in headlights. She could only watch as the light grew brighter and brighter.
Eventually, it became so bright, that it was like staring straight into the sun. It was as if she had become a star. It was too much to look at, so the fusion closed their eyes. They tried to struggle against the mysterious hold they were under, but they didn't even budge. They even tried unfusing, but it was hopeless. There was no way they could avoid this. It was the end.
'To think it all started with a beach party...' Amethyst sighed wistfully, 'well, it was nice knowing y'all.' At least they could converse internally.
'Steven, I'm sooo sorry for not telling you about your mother being Pink Diamond. I wanted to, I really did, but…she told me to leave the past as it is and look forward to the future. And I simply could not refuse. It had been her last command to me as a diamond. The only reason I was able to now was because the diamonds had told you. I'm so sorry Steven.' Pearl said pleadingly, begging him to believe her. Instead, it was Sapphire who answered her.
'I can't believe…after all this time…why would she do this?! I trusted her, I didn't look into her with my future vision, but she betrayed me. All she said…about peace and off-colour gems and choosing our own destiny…were they all lies?! Was our love built on a lie?! She was just a diamond after all!' Sapphire was distraught, her voice shook with rage and betrayal.
'Sapphire…you know Rose wasn't like that.' There was a moment of silence. Everyone kept quiet, knowing that Pearl was finally going to tell them the truth, and divulge in the past she was forbidden to speak of. The diamonds, especially, perked up.
'When I was first assigned to her, oh, say maybe 10 000 years ago, I was told to be what she wanted, I was told to be her toy. I didn't have many expectations, I knew my job. But she…treated me differently, like I was worth more than an ornament to be displayed. She talked to me as if I was an equal, though of course I never treated her with anything less than what her status demanded. She asked me for my opinion, she took my words into consideration.
She wasn't being a diamond.
I quietly waited and watched, playing my role as the decoration, but I couldn't help but notice how the responsibility of being a diamond stifled her. There was only one thing she desired above all else. After much…negotiation, she finally got what she wanted. Her own colony. At first, she was just like any other diamond, supervising the workers, planning the construction of the kindergartens and the colonies. She worked tirelessly to make her gems content with the plans and working on earth.
She was as any diamond would be with her colony.
But then, she began to dream.
When the work was done and whenever she would have a break, she would sit in the supervision room, sometimes for hours, simply observing the gems that she had created; their behaviour, relationships, emotions, movement. She was enthralled by their incessant chatter and goofing around, their strong bonds with each other, and the way they popped out of the ground, already knowing what to do. One day, she looked to me with such longing in her eyes. I couldn't say no. When no one was looking, she would sneak down to earth, disguising herself as Rose Quartz. It was just for fun, at first. She'd go down for a few giggles, let loose and mingle with the other gems. I had never seen her happier. She was almost obsessive. I would try to limit her interaction, in fear of getting caught, but she was more and more convinced.
She wanted to be with them.
She also began to notice the wildlife around her. The natural life on earth. Sometimes she would wander around for a few days, walking through the underbrush and taking in the breathtaking beauty of earth. Thankfully, no one questioned her absences, too afraid of a diamond's wrath. I was her most trusted friend, so she always brought me with her. I felt so important during those days, like it was just me and Rose against the universe. I was the one she told her secrets to, I was the one she trusted the most. It was the best years of my life. She also met the natives, and she grew fond of them, sometimes taking some as lovers. She found them fascinating.
However, as time passed, I noticed her smile starting to fade, the humour in her eyes wilting. I questioned her, and she told me her plans. She wanted to preserve the life on earth rather than destroy it. She saw what was happening to the world, how the kindergartens were sucking up all the nutrients from the world. She began to hate that which she had first been captivated by. She began to see gem creation as a form of destruction. Then began her ideas of rebellion.
Her pseudonym, Rose Quartz, became less fictitious and more real. She would disappear for days as the infamous Rose Quartz planned attacks and gained the trust of fellow quartzes. She loved the idea of being a heroic and noble gem who wanted to save the world from destruction. She wanted to protect the beauty and sanctity of the earth. Her strategy was perfect. Her diamond self would get information and her quartz self would act on it. It turned into a rebellion.
It had been a few decades since Rose had gained her infamous title, when she heard of a meeting. She went in with the usual expectations. Go in, pop a few gems and get out. However, one thing derailed her plans. Yes, that's right, she saw the most unlikely fusions of all, something that completely changed the light in which she saw fusion. She saw a sapphire, one of the most upper class gems in the gem society, fusing with a ruby, a common, expendable foot soldier. Her viewpoint was totally challenged. Initially, her main focus was protecting the earth from further destruction due to gem creation. And while she was no ordinary gem, she still held the views and beliefs about gem kind that had been instilled in her since she had popped out of the ground. However, when she saw you fusing…she didn't even know gems could do that.
Traditionally, gems could only be fused with their own type. Even then, it was purely for battle purposes, and in dire circumstances. Fusing outside of such a situation was unheard of. Later that day, I tried it with her. I was very clumsy and awkward, but we felt a connection, our hearts were one. It was only for a moment…but I had a glimpse of what it was like. It was beautiful.' Pearl's voice which had sounded dreamy, lost in the memories of the past, became less fluent as she realised that everyone was listening. She became a little self-conscious, and had she been visible, a dark blue blush would have highlighted her cheeks.
'I- ah, I think it was quite an enlightening experience for Rose as well. I'm sure she would have felt- ah, n-not that I'm making assumptions, mind you, just-' she paused, then continued in a more composed manner, 'So you see, Sapphire and Ruby, you were the ones who influenced and pushed us towards uniting off-colours with gems. Without you, we wouldn't have been seeking to eradicate the walls between each gem class and kind. You broadened our goals, and brought a whole other issue into light. I'm sorry, Sapphire, she never meant for this to happen. Her intentions were born completely out of her pure selflessness, or maybe even selfishness, to protect the world and gems who didn't fit in. She wanted Earth to be a place where everyone could be themselves. She just-'
'So you're saying,' Sapphire interrupted, though thankfully much calmer than before, if a little lost, 'after all this time, we weren't following her but she was following us? We…pushed her towards these goals? Of course, how could I say that she was just a diamond, after she had told us to be ourselves…I'm sorry. Ruby, I shouldn't have said all that. Even if Rose was deceiving us, I should never have doubted our love. Please, forgive me.' Sapphire sounded forlorn.
'It's a surprise to us all Sapphire. We all need to let off some steam. I'm just glad you didn't run off and hide, or shut yourself away, refusing to be with me anymore.'
Ruby was rather nonchalant about the whole idea, surprisingly. Amethyst, however, was very surprised.
'Man, I didn't think about this 'cause of White Diamond and all, but I can't believe Rose Quartz, who was the leader of the rebellion against Pink Diamond, and Steven's mum, was actually fighting against herself this entire time! I bet no one saw this coming!' Her mind was still reeling, clearly. 'But Steven, how are you handling all this? I bet it's been a real rollercoaster ride. Do you…feel like, I dunno, you need to talk about it or something?'
'Thanks for the concern Amethyst. I know it's hard to believe but I'm surprisingly cool with all this. Actually, maybe not so surprising since I barely knew my mum anyway. A lot of things make sense now though, and at least I don't need to worry about my mum being some sort of malevolent diamond shatterer. But guys, I know we're still shocked from Pink Diamond being my mum and all, but is there no way to stop White Diamond from shooting us with her laser hand?' Steven, in this case, was surprisingly the voice of reason. Their attention turned to the paralysis of the fusion's limbs. Try as they might, they still couldn't break free. They were really in a bind, and Sapphire could see no way of escaping.
They were going to fall at the hands of White Diamond.
A/N: Is this the end for them? Sorry if Pearl's monologue was too long. In my defence, it had to be done. It was an important part of the show and White Diamond's arrival had just delayed it. Also, I hope I did White Diamond's speech right. I wanted to get that unsettling impression she made.
I've had a busy busy week this week due to exams, so I haven't been able to work on my fan fiction much. Thankfully, all my exams are over so I should be able to work on it a bit more. I hope this chapter was satisfactory. Thank you again for reading!