Chapter Text
The bright light of a gem reforming roused Chrysoberyl from her grief. Chrysoberyl blinked wearily at the form before her, straining against the static that clouded her vision.
“My- my Diamond?”, she muttered, staring at the tall, slender, pink gem before her. Chrysoberyl’s eyes filled with shock at the sight of Pink Diamond, her Radiance awash with a bright light, forming a halo around her.
“I must be shattered too, then.”, she spoke once more, her eyes only for her Diamond as she broke the silence between them, “The grief must have finally been enough to shatter me. Either that or Rose was able to reform and strike me down too.”.
“You are Chrysoberyl 1AB, correct?”, Pink Diamond finally asked.
“Yes my Diamond.”, Chrysoberyl replied, her static pools filling with tears, as she began to weep once more, “I’m sorry. I failed you. It’s my fault you were shattered, I wasn’t there for you when you needed me... I’m so sorry...”, she broke off, sobs wracking her form.
“It’s okay. Don’t cry.”, Pink Diamond replied quickly, enveloping the small, pale, green gem in a hug, “You didn’t fail me. If anyone should apologize it’s probably me.”, she trailed off, laughing slightly.
“My Diamond, I was supposed to protect you, what do you mean that-“, Chrysoberyl replied, backing away from Pink Diamond’s embrace before cutting herself off.
“Wait, what?”, she breathed, finally taking in the environment around her, the churned earth, the still-active disruption shields, and the renegade Pearl staring at Pink Diamond with, was that guilt in her gaze?
“You- you’re alive!? We’re alive?? I don’t understand.”, Chrysoberyl rambled.
“I have some explaining to do. Chrysoberyl, would you mind gathering your team down here, and releasing Pearl as well?”, Pink Diamond asked.
“Yes, of course my Diamond.”, Chrysoberyl bowed in a Diamond salute.
At once, Chrysoberyl turned back on her com line, only to be assaulted by the sound of Dot raving over the coms.
“CHRYSOBERYL ARE YOU SEEING THIS!? I MEAN OF COURSE YOU SEE HER BUT SHE’S HERE!! SHE’S ALIVE! OH MY STARS WHAT EVEN IS THIS?”, Dot screamed over the line.
“Dot.”, Chrysoberyl winced at her voice, “Can you land the ship and drop the barriers? She wants to speak with us.”.
* * *
“I’ll do it.”, Amethyst’s spoke over the coms, dropping the barrier around them.
Carefully, Amethyst landed the ship amongst the flowers some ways away from the Diamond and her subject.
“I… can’t believe it’s her.”, White Sapphire whispered to Amethyst as Dot and her walked out of the ship, “That’s why I never saw her shatter… She didn’t…”, she breathed, still unable to comprehend the situation.
“Should we approach them?”, Dot asked, looking to the two in the center of the field.
“No, let her have some time with our Diamond. You know how she took the news of our Diamond’s shattering.”, Amethyst replied.
“Yes.”, White Sapphire agreed, “She needs this.”.
A few moments later, the group eventually made their way down to the meadow where Pink Diamond and Chrysoberyl were, the former raising her gaze and acknowledging the group, while the latter remained bowed in the Diamond salute.
“First and foremost, I ask that you all remain silent on matters concerning my continued existence.”, Pink Diamond ordered them all, “Prior to all of this, the faking of my shattering was only known to one other, my own dear Pearl.”, she finished, nodding to the Renegade Pearl, who had been freed and was approaching the group.
Chrysoberyl turned to look up at her Radiance abruptly, “Your Pearl!? The second Pearl, her Radiance White Diamond’s former hand, is the Renegade Pearl!? Ma’am I am so sorry!”, she exclaimed in shock, before bowing to Pearl.
“Yes, and her service and leadership abilities are deserving of such a title and more.”, Pink Diamond smiled, “Now as I was saying, if you wish to honor me and everything that my Court stood for, I ask of you… I beg of you to keep this a secret.”.
White Sapphire, Dot, and Amethyst each startled as Chrysoberyl began to cry, losing as if the weight of the galaxy bore upon her gem, “Y-yes my Diamond. I will do as you wish.”.
“Thank you, my Chrysoberyl.”, Pink Diamond smiled, “Should you still wish to serve my Court in light of this order, I only ask for you to complete one other task.”.
“Anything, my Diamond.”, Chrysoberyl replied, seemingly desperate to show that her allegiance had not swayed despite the pressure she was under.
“When I saw the formation of the first gems of the Pink Court I rejoiced. I thought that we were creating life from nothing, instead of sapping it away as we were actually doing.”, she paused, her tone becoming nostalgic, “If it is possible, I ask of each of you to find a way in which this ideal can be met. A way for gems to be formed without harming the environment around them.”.
“Consider it done, my Diamond.”, Chrysoberyl replied.
“Consider this my final order, and the way in which I better the rest of the Authority.”, she spoke, her words carrying over the meadow.
Amethyst and Dot watched as Chrysoberyl’s expression seemed to twist with apprehension and grief, before finally finding some form of resolve, “Yes, my Diamond.”.
“Your Radiance.”, White Sapphire spoke up, “I know that we did not personally attack you, but we still helped Chrysoberyl’s efforts. For that we apologize deeply for our wrongdoings.”.
At that, White Sapphire bowed, the other two gems in her company bowing as well.
“You are forgiven.”, Pink Diamond replied with a gentle smile, “That being said, could you please bring me the organic creature you attacked, Clarity?”.
“Yes, your Radiance.”, White Sapphire replied.
Mere moments later, White Sapphire returned, the massive beast in her tow.
“It is unmoving, yet it still has a physical form, so it should not be shattered.”, White Sapphire commented.
“Unfortunately, that is not how things work here on Earth.”, Pink Diamond knelt down to the lion, as she wiped a single tear from her eye and placed it on the creature’s forehead, “Beings here can shatter and retain their physical form. The humans here call the process ‘death’.”.
As the tear absorbed into the lion’s skin, a gentle pink light began to spread through its form. Eventually the glowing stopped, revealing that the lion had taken on a pink hue. With a start, the beast opened its eyes, clearly afraid and alert.
“Shh, shhh… It’s okay… You’re okay.”, Pink Diamond soothed, calming the organic creature down, before turning back to the gems, “You four are dismissed - however Chrysoberyl, White Sapphire?”.
“Yes my Diamond?”, Chrysoberyl and White Sapphire each spoke in unison, bowing in the Diamond salute.
“Thank you… For everything.”.
* * *
Could she even ask this of them?
She sighed deeply, taking another breath as she looked back at her friends.
“It would be worse not to ask them.”, she decided.
Chrysoberyl turned the old and worn emblem of the Pink Court over in her hands once more, relishing its familiar weight. Despite its faded hue and the lighting of the moon base, the crest still seemed to shine. After all this time, after all this pain, it was still here.
“Everyone, have I ever told you about my service under Pink Diamond?”, Chrysoberyl asked eventually, turning towards the others as they lounged about the base’s uppermost floor.
Only White Sapphire nodded in response.
“It was wonderful, it was a time I knew and could see that I could truly make a difference in the universe.”, she began, “We all have regrets from that time, things that we wished we could have done better, but knowing that she’s alive now, knowing that I still have a chance, there’s something I can do about it.”, Chrysoberyl sighed, pushing aside her regret, “My Diamond asked me once, as soon as she received a colony of her own, if I could ensure that the other Diamonds respected her, as they do each other.”, Chrysoberyl paused, crying once more.
“Just how many tears had she shed this cycle?”, the thought crossed her gem.
“I tried.”, she admitted, “I tried to make that happen so hard, but at that time, I was just one gem. I came close, organizing what I thought was the defeat of the rebellion on her first colony, leveraging the aid of White Sapphire, but it failed.”, Chrysoberyl paused, turning to White Sapphire, Dot, and Amethyst, “I have a new chance to obey her orders, and fulfill my word that I gave to her all those cycles ago. I cannot fail her a second time, so please forgive me, but I cannot go back to Homeworld with you. You don’t have to join me in this if you don’t want to, and I understand if you wish to leave me, but I have to make this right. I’m going to stay and work on a way to solve the resource crisis, and then, I will ensure that she gains the respect from the other members of the Authority.”.
Sapphire smiled in response, grabbing ahold of Chrysoberyl’s hand, “Chrys, I would never leave you. I’m going to stay and help Pink Diamond with you.”.
“Yeah!”, Dot shouted, “You’re gonna need help designing a new kindergarten after all! And besides, why would I leave you? Yeah, the rest of Homeworld may look at us as some kind of ‘super team’, but I’m, not sticking around for peer pressure! You’re like, the best boss I’ve ever had! Of course I’m staying put!”.
“I second that.”, Amethyst replied warmly, “Chrys, if you think that this is a worthy cause, I’m gonna be with you all the way!”.
“Thank you.”, Chrysoberyl dried her tears, drawing everyone into a big group hug, “I’m so grateful to serve alongside all of you.”.
The group stayed like that for a moment, just enjoying one another’s embrace and letting the stress and the pain of the cycle’s revelations wash away, before breaking away.
“Dot,”, Chrysoberyl began, her voice filled with excitement, “It’s time that we open up a new mission profile.”.
“Yes ma’am!”, Dot replied eagerly, “What do we call this one?”.
Chrysoberyl turned her gaze towards planet Earth, Pink Diamond’s first colony.
“It will be hers again…”, Chrysoberyl promised to herself, “And it will be the first of many.”.
“Operation: Ensky.”.