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The platform on which they stood was old and in ruins, but Pearl enjoyed it for it’s scenery. It floated high above the surface of Homeworld, formerly an observatory. There had once been walls, but they had crumbled over time leaving nothing but stars on all sides. Pearl would often sit here with Rose and talk about almost anything. Sometimes they would sit so close, Pearl could almost imagine them holding hands. Every few sentences she would find herself sliding closer and closer, until her head rested on the larger gem’s side. This particular night, they had been talking about the imminent revolution. Rose seemed bent on leaving her home for something far more uncertain. And then, Rose had turned and looked her straight in the eyes, a smile playing on her lips.
“Pearl. Fuse with me.”
“What?”
“Fuse with me. I want to see who we are together.”
“I… I don’t know what to say… you’re…this is so…”
Her expression changed from excitement to sincerity.
“If you’re uncomfortable, you don’t have to.”
“No, no, I… I would be honored to fuse with you.”
“My lovely Pearl, thank you so much! I’m sure we’ll be wonderful.”
“You mean, now? Here?”
“Why not?"
Rose laughed, and held out her hand. Pearl looked hesitant, but her emotions betrayed her and she took it. She was quickly but carefully lifted to her feet, and the two of them stood across from each other. Pearl looked up, awestruck. Her gem glowed bright white, casting stark shadows on Rose’s soft features. She towered over Pearl without being intimidating- her white gown gracefully flowing around her. By now, her gem was glowing as well, but with a pale pink light that covered the two with a reassuring warmth.
Music filled their minds, a delicate piano intertwining with violin, sliding up and down scales and arpeggios that seemed to be written from the lines of the constellations themselves. They slowly moved toward each other, turning in tandem to the rhythm that they found so easy to follow. Every note filled Pearl with more joy, and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling as she whirled forward. She was in a blur. The music seemed sweeter than it ever sounded when she fused, like every memory she had of the two of them had become tangible right before her eyes.
All she could see was her face, her smile, looking at her the way she had always wanted to be looked at. She was just a Pearl, nothing special. There was no reason someone so beautiful, so perfect, would want to fuse with someone so insignificant. She remembered the first time she had touched her- just a pat on the shoulder to say she was doing well. But that touch sent a shock through her- she felt as if she were alive, more than a projection of her form. Every time she looked at her, she was constantly awed by her elegance and her kind leadership. No one was left out, no one was second guessed. She listened to those around her as if they were her most trusted confidants. Rose was the only one who made her feel as if she deserved to take up space, and now Rose wanted to share that space with her.
Almost as if in a dream, Pearl leapt gracefully into the air, and then Rose was holding her. Her hands held her securely around the waist, slowly bringing her downwards as she turned them in tandem. Rose hesitated for a moment, afraid she might break this gem that was so much smaller, so much more fragile than she was. Pearl was now face to face with Rose, only a few inches from her. And Rose was smiling at her as if she were the most beautiful creature in the world. For the first time, Pearl actually believed it.
She didn’t know when exactly it had happened, but she felt the familiar burst of energy, and the peculiar closeness that meant their fusion was beginning. In fleeting flashes she saw into Rose’s mind- she felt her happiness, her worry, her love for the simplest things. Swiftly departing scenes from Rose’s point of view depicted her everyday life, and over and over Pearl was always there. Astonished, she realized the feeling Rose had whenever she was there was something close to the love Pearl had for her. She loved her! Days, years, eons of wondering had finally been answered. Rose loved her. And she hoped with her entire being that she would never stop.
Pearl wondered if Rose could see inside her memories as well- this had never happened any of the other times she had fused. She didn’t know if it was because of Rose’s power, or possibly her own feelings for Rose, but she cherished every millisecond.
The light from their gems grew brighter, and suddenly they were someone new.
They felt… strange. Not bad, but strange. It took a moment to get their bearings, but soon they had taken stock of themselves- two arms, two legs, and four eyes. They had hair with the volume and length as Rose’s, but it was pale as Pearl’s skin. They were incredibly tall, due to Rose’s height combined with Pearl’s lankiness. They used their forehead gem to project an image of themselves, and the first thought that went through their mind was that they were incredible.
The part of them that was Pearl hoped Rose thought as well of them as she did.
“Pearl, we’re…”
“I believe we make Rainbow Quartz.”
“Well, we’re beautiful.”
“We’re beautiful because you are, Rose.”
“That’s ridiculous, Pearl. You are beautiful. You are incredible, you’re intelligent, you’re strategic… there are so many beautiful things about you.”
“It’s perfectly fine. I know I look, well, like every other Pearl.”
“Just because you look like them doesn’t mean you are them.”
“But-“
“Listen to me. Your mind is so much greater than mine will ever be. You are made up of all the moments you have lived. That’s why you’re beautiful- because you’re you. You are a Pearl, yes. But you are my Pearl, and I wouldn’t have any other by my side. Do you understand?”
“I… yes. I just…”
“You don’t have to say anything. We’re fused, remember?”
Rainbow Quartz sat on the edge of the platform, looking out at the stars with her new eyes. She knew many things, but what the future held was not one of them. And yet, it didn’t bother her as much as it used to. She was someone completely new, something the universe had never seen before. More than a gem- as Rose had often told those who looked down upon fusion- they were an experience. Together they were light and rebirth and hope, and they were reluctant to let it go.
Somewhere inside, Pearl hoped Rose never would.