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Pink diamond requested a meeting with me. Does she know what I plan to do to her? This isn’t a good time to be up close to her, Bismuth is still working on my sword. She says it might not even be able to cut gems when it’s done either. Pink diamond wants to see me in the main office of her ship, where she is in total control, where only her Pearl would be there as Pink diamond destroys my physical form and uses my gem to power a chandelier or something even more degrading. I can’t avoid her or then the diamonds would know something is going on. Maybe she doesn’t know and I will walk in, say whatever I need to say, then get back to work on destroying homeworld’s totalitarian government. I am about to enter the room when I hear the booming voice only a diamond can have.
“Rubies,” she starts, “I request you both find my Pearl as she is somewhere on the Earth’s surface and I worry the planet might damage her. And bring my sapphire to help.” I watch two rubies head out with a confused sapphire in tow. The cycloptic gem looks at me and I shrug in return because I’m just another gem perplexed at the demands of the boss nothing suspicious at all hum dee dum. I walk inside to be greeted by pink diamond in all her glory. But once I get over the awe of seeing her in person, I realize we are completely alone. Now things are suspicious for a different reason.
“I can help you, Rose Quartz” she states. I say nothing. She continues, “I know you’re planning a disruption in a kindergarten four earth rotations from now. I can request quartzs to aid me that day so there’s less guards around, even provide cover by saying you were with me if anyone asks.” What is she doing?
“Why would you want to help?” I ask.
She leans in close and whispers, “Earth deserves better than us.” We’re under the heel of a totalitarian government that cares nothing for that it can’t exploit but that’s what she cares about? At least having a diamond for an ally is just what we need. Though I don’t want her too informed: she’s not only part of the problem with homeworld but also potentially dangerous if she turns on us. It’s best that she’s at a distance.
--
There had been an attack on Pink diamond’s palanquin. She wasn’t there when it happened but the general consensus is that she must have been destroyed as there were shards of pink found nearby. A ruby even claims to have witnessed her death at my hand. As such Pink Diamond is now permanently a resident at our base on earth since whoever tried to get her will surely try again. No one is happy about this. Pearl leaves the room when she enters and Garnet is more quiet than normal. Bismuth makes her discomfort known vocally but it makes Pink Diamond snap on reflex on how she isn’t technically responsible for the tyranny without even thinking about she was still complicit. Everyone else has similar reactions to this turn of events. I don’t know how to resolve any of this. Bismuth is going to show me something at her forge, maybe she invented the solution to everything. I’m really hoping the conflict between everyone doesn’t reach a boiling point.
--
It’s terrifying watching a diamond fight. Even an accidental swing of her legs is enough to poof most small foot soldiers. It’s clear she’s never been in battle before but her raw strength makes up for it. Many homeworld gems are targeting her, either because of how noticeable and dangerous she is or because of rumors that she’s only a fusion shapeshifting herself to look like the late Pink diamond to mock them. Among the chaos, I notice that there seems to be less homeworld soldiers. I relax slightly, thinking of victory. Then I notice the remaining soldiers. They’re retreating. Why? Soldiers never give up. Even if they’re losing. Even if they don’t want to fight. They’d be punished for insubordination. Someone gave them an order to run. Why? Homeworld doesn’t value their pawns enough to risk defeat. Is there a different risk? What risk? Pearl is calling my name. She’s running toward me. She looks so happy. Then I see Garnet barreling toward us. She’s shouting something but a melody is starting to drown her out. Where have I heard it before? I can’t find Pink Diamond. But I see a glint of a familiar pink between Garnet and myself. I rush to her, grab Pearl and the pink object, and generate the largest shield I can. Light and song and screaming engulf everything.
--
I managed to save myself, Pearl, Garnet, and Diamond. Diamond’s physical body was destroyed but this allowed her gem to fit behind my shield. Only now, the panic receding, that it strikes me how surreal it is knowing diamonds can be hurt. Maybe there is a way to end their reign on homeworld. But for today, Earth is ours and homeworld is a worry light years away. We sit on a warp pad in silence, as far away from the battlefield and the monsters that were once sapient gems, once friends, as we can be. I hold Pink Diamond’s gem in my lap and wonder: would there have been room for one more if I hadn’t been carrying her gem? Is she worth it? Bismuth is still safe in the bubble she’s in. She wanted the diamonds killed for their cruelty and here I am protecting one that probably is responsible for hundreds of deaths. But I don’t know that.
Even if she is, how many of the gems I’ve poofed have survived ? But what I’m doing is to prevent future damage caused by the diamonds. What if down the line I become a tyrant like them? No. I meant what I said to Bismuth that I am not going to shatter anyone as that makes us just as bad as homeworld. Granted I should’ve added because every gem deserves a chance to live regardless of their past but there was a lot going on in the moment that lead to me throwing punches. I’m distracted as Pink Diamond reforms. Her outfit is slightly different with a loose cloth covering her navel. She looks around until the rising sun over the horizon steals everyone’s attention.
“Welcome to Earth”, I say aloud.
--
We found a newly unearthed amethyst. While she’s small in stature she’s also filled to the brim with life. She gets on Pearl’s nerves but they do clearly care for each other. Garnet enjoys having someone new to tell old jokes to. Amethyst even gets along with Diamond since they’re both earthlings and is even teaching her how to shapeshift. Times like this remind me why I broke free in the first place. Where else could a fusion, a pearl, an overcooked soldier, a traitor, and a diamond exist as equals?
And I was going to shatter her. I was going to have various gems of high castes distract any guards while I would catch her by surprise using my floating powers to stab her in the throat. And while her body was destroyed, I would pierce her gem, ending her forever. Would I have regretted it? Would I continue shattering others without remorse? It doesn’t matter. I need to look toward the future and bury my past.
--
Pearl watches Dia and me from a distance. She has always hated grime so she keeps a distance from the moss pond. I don’t think tending to algae is that gross but that’s just me. Amethyst runs up to Pearl talking about something Garnet did and carries her off. I turn my attention to Dia who’s bubbled something. She starts shaking it. I realize what’s in there. I grab it from her and open it to let the fish out. My tears stream down onto it. I don’t even know if it’s hurt, I just feel sorry for it. Emotions never work right for me: getting worked up over small things or not feeling anything over important things. Thankfully the fish swims just fine when returned to the water. Dia just watches with an expression that could be grief, but is too confused and half-hearted for such.
“Organic life doesn’t reform when their bodies break,” I inform her while trying to keep calm. She looks away and pulls at the cloth over her torso. She doesn’t know any better but she should. She just should.
--
Dia has been dating a human. Now I’ve dated humans before, much to Pearl’s chagrin, but Dia has always kept her distance from them. I don’t know how she can be so fond of something she knows so little about. The object of her affection is a musician we met at the beach during a concert I dragged her to come to. His name is Greg. I thought he was cute with his space gimmick, I’d have dated him for a few months, but Dia seemed interested in him so I let her have a try at romance without any competition. Now they’ve been together for about a decade. I don’t know how they lasted as long as they had, Garnet said she foresaw it but I think she’s just trying to show off. She sure was surprised when Dia said she was going to have a baby. She’s already six months in and Amethyst likes feeling the baby kick. She can’t wait till they pop out and they can duke it out for real. Greg warned her that when babies are born they can’t start fighting, at least not immediately. Then he corrects himself saying she shouldn’t think about fighting his child at all. None of us understand much about humanity but it’s nice to learn more about those who live with us. This was their home first after all. I guess Dia had a point all those millennia ago, but it’s hard to think about things like that when you’re trying to keep your own group alive.
--
Dia wants to talk to me alone. We sit on the edge of the shore. I see Greg and the others probably discussing those plans for making a house around the temple. He’s frantically trying to get Pearl to put down a massive pile of wood that she seems to be insisting needs to be put somewhere else.
“Rose,” she sighs, “every day I feel weaker. I don’t… I don’t think I’ll survive making my child.” I don’t know how to respond. She continues, “If that happens, I want you to be his mother.”
I reply, “what do you not trust Greg or Garnet or Pearl? What about Amethyst I mean she could make a good crib!” This gets a laugh out of her.
“It’s not that. Okay maybe a little,” she says between giggles before she becomes solemn, “It’s just that I’ve known you the longest, Rose. I know how great you are with humans and, well, with me. I’m going to bring a new diamond into existence: one that’s not going to be influenced by home world. You can make sure they don’t fall into the same mindset that I did.” As much as I could argue with her about this, there is nothing I can do. She already has the baby in her, and she doesn’t interested in changing that, so at least I can try to give her some comfort.
I answer, “I’ll try my best.”
--
Dia, if you could only see your boy. He looks mostly like Greg but is really tall, with diamond pupils, and he has your ridiculous long neck. And he cares so deeply about everyone. He always tries to think of a solution with as little violence as necessary. He managed to befriend a Peridot, a Lapis Lazuli, and a corrupted Nephrite. I had to heal the last two, with different results, but Steven was the one who really connected with them. His first encounter with fusing was of cooperation between his guardians, an Amethyst and a Pearl, to save his life instead of seeing it as a weapon for conquest. When he found out Garnet was a fusion, there was no disgust, only love.
On his fourteenth birthday he shrunk himself to be the same height as his friend since he was embarrassed by his height. He accidentally turned back into a baby! Eventually he changed back but everyone was freaking out and we had no idea what to do.
We still have no idea what to do with him. In general, I mean. Not the baby issue. He’s learned so much, even things we tried to keep him unaware of. Upon discovering Bismuth, because he found out holding my gem could let him inside the mane- I was poofed, don’t ask why- he revealed what had happened to her. Things got heated when I reformed but she ended up warping someplace else to think about all that’s changed. She returned when Steven reached out to her to join Garnet’s wedding, while I was probably going to fight and bubble her to avoid personal conflict. Again. I don’t know what future Steven is heading us toward, but it will be a great one. He can do right what all of us couldn’t.
Well… what I couldn’t. Everyone has changed so much: Amethyst has matured, Pearl has branched out, and Garnet has accepted what she doesn’t know. But I’m still Rose. If anything I’m less than what I was. I’m no longer the wisest, nor Pearl’s favorite, nor the one to rise to the challenge. What have I been doing? I wasn’t the one who faced my mistakes. All I’ve done is-
“Hey, Rose?” Steven asks while I’m tending to my plants. I wonder how his plants are doing. He recently started a garden after his friends went away. I gave a cactus of his sapience so he could have a new companion but one he couldn’t get too close to so he’d still interact with people. The cactus attacked us while saying weirdly personal statements before Steven was able to calm it down. Another mistake of mine that he had to fix.
I ask, “Is there something you need?” I look him in the eyes and I see just how tired he looks. How very, very tired.
He sighs, “I… I think there’s some things I need to talk about.”
“I can listen,” I reply. Listening is the least I can do for him.