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"My Diamond, the primary kindergarten is complete!"
Pink looks down at her pearl, smiling at the news.
"Really? Then what?" She asks excitedly.
"Well, we should begin work on the Beta kindergarten next, my Diamond." Pearl responds, projecting from her gemstone.
"Oh yeah? Well, the group of Bismuths I spoke of should be arriving on a ship soon!"
"That sounds wonderful, my Diamond."
Pink rushes out the door, looking around for the ship. Pearl quickly follows behind, no entirely surprised by Pink's enthusiasm. The two wait patiently together, with Pink rambling on and on about how she'll make the other Diamonds proud and how she'll be accepted as a proper diamond. Pearl listens to her, responding positively from time to time. As Pink goes on and on, Pearl notices a large ship approaching their planet.
"My Diamond, I believe the ship is arriving..."
"is it? Oh, I'm so excited! Are you excited?"
"I could be if you so wish, my Diamond."
Pink focuses her attention onto the incoming ship. The two gems take a few steps back as the ship lands in front of them. A Nephrite exits the ship and walks towards Pink Diamond.
"Greetings, Pink Diamond." She says, doing the diamond gesture.
"Are the bismuths in there?"
"All 8 that you asked for, Pink Diamond." She nods, gesturing with her head to the ship.
Pink sprints over to the ship, almost making Nephrite tumble over. Pearl catches her before she can fall, watching as Pink disappears into the ship.
"T...Thank you." Nephrite sighs, standing up straight.
"Not a problem." Pearl says in response, her focus still on the ship.
Pink doesn't take long to return, now with the group of Bismuths. Nephrite talks with Pink for a few minutes before handing a communicator to one of the bismuths.
"Radio in to me when you're all finished your duties. I'll return you all to Homeworld, that is if Pink Diamond decides to keep some of you for her own work, understood?"
The bismuths all nod their heads, walking over to Pink.
"I'll be off then." Nephrite exhales in exhaustion, doing the diamond gesture to Pink Diamond before heading to her ship.
She leaves as quickly as she arrived, heading back to Homeworld by herself.
"Well, why don't you all follow me? I'll show you where you'll be terraforming." Pink tells the group, already walking off to the warp zone.
"Terraforming? Well, ain't that somethin' new?" One of the bismuths exclaims, interested in the task.
"Pearl! You'll keep track of everything for me, okay?" She calls out, alerting Pearl.
"Understood, my Diamond!" She yells back.
Pink and the Bismuths all warp to the planet, leaving Pearl by herself. She stands there for a second before going back to the palace. She walks to the desk, looking through the control panel and observing the progression of the planet's colony. The silence begins to bug Pearl after a while, the only other gem within the palace being Cinnabar, but she's not doing anything of interest. Pearl continues her work until her boredom reaches a point, she closes the control panel and turns to Cinnabar.
"Excuse me..."
Cinnabar glances over at Pearl, taking a moment to realize that she's being spoken to.
"Oh! Yes...?" Cinnabar moves out the corner she was standing in.
"How come you're just standing there...?" Pearl approaches her, leaning forward.
"Well...Pink Diamond said that I should always be nearby if she needs entertainment..."
"I see. Well, Pink isn't here at the moment..."
Cinnabar looks around herself, confirming what Pearl is saying.
"Ah, well. I think I should stay near by my spot. Wouldn't want to upset Pink Diamond." Cinnabar reassures, shuffling back over to her corner.
Pearl stares at Cinnabar for a moment before going back to her respective spot. Pearl reaches the desk, turning the control panel back on. She looks at the Bismuths terraforming the hills, however, her gaze shifts over to Pink. Her attention gets sidetracked and she doesn't even hear the Diamond Communicator turning itself on.
*BEEP!* *BEEP!* *BEEP!*
Pearl jumps at the noise, frantically searching for the source of the noise. She grabs the Diamond Communicator and turns it on, the face of Yellow Diamond appearing on the screen.
"Pink, we-"
Pearl sets the communicator down on the desk, trying to collect her composure.
"Where is Pink?"
"She...She's with the bismuths..." Pearl explains, fixing her now messy hair.
"Bismuths?" Yellow raises an eyebrow.
"Y...Yes."
"Whatever. Tell her that we're having a trial." Yellow waves her hand, shifting her focusing to something else.
"A-"
"A trial?! What for?! Who for?!" Cinnabar yelps out, pushing Pearl out of the way.
"Will you- Ah, so you are the Cinnabar, is that right?"
Cinnabar pauses, glancing at Pearl before standing up straight, doing the diamond gesture.
"Y..Yes, I am." She replies to her, stumbling over her words.
"Interesting." Yellow says flatly, still not giving the gems any mind.
Pearl shoves Cinnabar aside, taking over.
"I will inform Pink Diamond of the trial as soon as possible."
"Good."
The communicator shuts off, leaving Pearl and Cinnabar to stand there in an uncomfortable silence.
"Wait! Who's the trial for?!" Cinnabar freaks out, pulling at her hair.
"I don't know." Pearl responds dryly to her.
"Why is there a trial?! What's going on?!" She continues to yell, shaking Pearl softly.
"I still don't know, Cinnabar. Pearl backs away from Cinnabar, her tone laced with annoyance.
The doors to the palace swing open, alerting the two gems. Pink rushes into the room, not noticing the stress radiating off the two gems.
"The Bismuths are doing so good! I'm sure we'll be able to use any leftover resources to-" Pink cuts herself off, now noticing their expressions.
"Is something wrong?"
Pearl raises her finger to respond but Cinnabar cuts her off, even though she hadn't even spoken.
"Yes! There's a trial happening! And we don't even know who it's for!" She slumps down onto the ground, her anxiety on full display.
"That's correct. Yellow Diamond contacted you and told me that a trial will be taking place soon."
Pink thinks for a second. picking Cinnabar and setting her down on her feet.
"Well, I suppose we'll have to check it out..." She stands up tall, her expression somewhat strained.
"Do I have to come?! I don't want to! Please don't make me!" Cinnabar panics, hugging Pearl tightly.
"No, of course not. My rubies will keep you company while we're gone, okay?" Pink attempts her calm her down.
Cinnabar nods her head silently, still panicking but now keeping it silent.
"Pearl, let's go." Pink walks towards the door, her hands clenching into loose fists.
"Of course, my Diamond." Pearl pushes Cinnabar aside and rushes to her side, her hands over her chest.
The two go to the warp zone, teleporting to Homeworld. Upon arrival, they immediately make their way to the trial room. Pearl constantly looks to her sides, noticing and hearing the whispers of the other Homeworld gems.
"Did you hear....?" A ruby whispers to another.
"What they did was unacceptable...!" A Lapis Lazuli complains out loud.
"They should get the maximum punishment..." A quartz soldier sneers.
"Such disgraceful gems...!" A jade rolls her eyes, her tone full of disgust.
Pearl attempts to shut out their whispers, focusing on her current duty. Pink barely reacts towards the outrage displayed by the other gems, her focus entirely on getting to the trial room. Speaking of which, Pearl and Pink reach the trial room, entering the room just to hear more yelling. Pink holds her hand out to Pearl, stopping her movement.
"Stay here, I need to speak to the other Diamonds."
Pearl stands completely still, watching as Pink approaches the other Diamonds. Blue and Yellow are discussing to themselves about the case of the trial when they notice Pink walking towards them.
"Pink, you should be at your seat." Yellow scoffs at her, crossing her arms.
"I know...but I just need to know what the trial is about..."
"Pink, you'll learn what when the trial begins." Blue leans down towards her, her tone softer compared to Yellow's.
"Understood, I'll go back." Pink steps away, hugging herself as she leaves.
Pink Diamond and Pearl go over to her spot in the trial room, waiting for it to begin. Pearl looks around, noticing a long columns, full of seats for the other gems. Looking at the main door, she sees groups of gems entering and taking their seats to watch the trial unfold. Yellow stands up from her seat, snapping her fingers. The noise echoes throughout the room, silencing the gems. Yellow Diamond looks down at the ground, her zircon walking out into the center of the room.
"Gems of Homeworld, we are gathered today to see the disgraceful gems that have broken Homeworlds rules."
Yellow snaps her fingers again, the main doors swinging open. Two quartz soldiers bring a Bismuth and a Jasper into the court. The quartz soldiers throw the two gems into the center of the room, a spotlight cast upon them. Zircon lends a hand out to them, the Jasper reaching her own hand out, assuming she was being helped.
"Everyone, feast upon these disgraces of Homeworld."
The room erupts in noise, the gems yelling out at the two gems. Yellow Diamond holds her hand up, the noise slowly dying down. Yellow's pearl walks onto the edge of Yellow Diamond's seat, projecting from her gemstone.
"Pearl, list out the crimes committed."
Yellow Pearl taps the projection, the screen changing onto the list.
"First crime: Fusing with another type of gem."
"It was an accident! I swear it-" Jasper yells out in desperation.
"Silence!" Blue yells out, her emotional waves spreading across the room, silencing the gem.
"Continue speaking, Pearl." Yellow speaks up, wiping a small tear from her eye.
"S..Second crime:" Yellow wipes her teary eyes, trying to see what's written on the list. "Causing minor damage to a gem structure, along with evading capture from quartz soldiers."
"Is that all?"
"Yes, my Diamond..." She nods her head, the projection disappearing into her gemstone.
"Good, go back to your spot."
The Bismuth and Jasper look up at the Diamonds, fear pulsing throughout their body's.
"You know the rules of Homeworld. Fusion between two different gems is prohibited!" Yellow exclaims at them.
The Bismuth stands forward, making the Homeworld gems talk loudly amongst themselves.
"My Diamond, our fusion was a complete accident-"
"No." Yellow interrupts her, standing from her seat.
"What...?" Bismuth says in confusion, taking a few steps back.
"It isn't just the fusion. It's you both, you're defective gems that do not deserve to exist..." She explains with disgust, point at the two gems.
The gallery raises their voices yet again, demeaning the two gems. Blue and Yellow whisper to each other during this, their expressions filled with negativity. The persecutor grins at the accused, looking through her holograms of evidence. Pink meanwhile just stares at the two gems, her expression unreadable. Pearl looks up at her Diamond, trying to understand what she's feeling. She tugs at her arm, bringing Pink's attention to herself.
"My Diamond, is something bothering you...?"
"Those gems......why are Yellow and Blue doing this to them.....?" Pink whispers, her voice shaky.
"Like they said, fusion between two different gems is prohibited...."
"I know that..." Pink leans over her seat, his body shaking softly. "But...I can't....I don't want to say anything that'll make them mad at me...not now..."
"Now...?"
"Yellow's already been turning a new leaf with me. I don't want to ruin that..." Pink looks up at the other Diamonds, her expression softening.
"I see..." Pearl mutters to herself, looking down at the Jasper and Bismuth.
Yellow and Blue stop speaking to eachother, their focus back onto the gems. Yellow nods her head as she sits down, allowing Blue to take center stage.
"We have come to a decision. You will show the court your disgusting fusion." Blue sneers at them.
The jasper shoots up, shaking her head.
"No! We have the choice to fuse if we want to or not!" She yells at Blue, throwing her arms out in anger.
"I never said you had a choice." Blue snaps her fingers.
The gems suddenly feel a pair of arms holding them. The Bismuth and Jasper see a pair of Topazes pushing them against eachother. The gems try to pull away, to break free from the Topazes, but they can't. The Topazes continue to push the gems against one another, but it's when their gemstones touch where they fuse. The gallery, the Diamonds and everyone else watches as the gems combine into a new being entirely. The glow of the gem twitches and morphs into an array of messed up shapes and forms. Finally, the gem forms completely, earning an array of gasps from the court.
"Observe, Homeworld gems. The monstrosity of this fusion." Zircon lends her hand out, smriking at the gallery.
"You....You forced us........!" The fusion cries out, tears pouring down her face as they look up at Blue Diamond.
"It's for the best..."
Zircon opens her mouth to mock the gem when a hand clenches around her neck. The fusion throws Zircon onto the floor, her face full of pain, anger and sadness. The nearby quartz soldiers and the Topazes run over, trying to stop the fusion from causing further destruction.
"Oh my...." Pearl stares in amazement, watching the fusion fighting off the soldiers.
"You are all the disgraces!" The fusion yells as she fights off a quartz soldier, overpowering the gem in seconds.
"That's enough!" Pink slams her hands down, shaking the room.
The waves of energy makes the fusion fall over, the gems unfusing. Pearl jumps away from Pink in shock, appalled by her sudden reaction. The Diamonds stare down at Pink, equally as shocked.
"Pink...." Blue mutters, her eyes wide.
"You gems need to stop....! You're acting irrationally and not like a gem should be!"
The Jasper and Bismuth stares up at Pink, fearful of her. Yellow glances over at Blue, silently conveying her thoughts. The Diamonds take a second before turning their attention to Pink.
"I believe that we know what do to do with you, isn't that right Pink?"
"Huh...?"
"Since you seem so adamant on putting yourself into this, I'm sure you know our decision for these defective gems..."
Pink takes a moment, looking down at the terrified gems as she considers the situation she's put herself into. The gallery impatiently waits for her response, alongside the other Diamonds. Pearl glances up at Pink, wanting to comfort her or at least keep her from doing anything irrational like she was supposed to.
"The choice...." Pink finally says, looking up at the other Diamonds. "...is to shatter the two gems, as they've broken an important rule of Homeworld."
Everyone in the trial room exclaims, all of them reacting one way or another. The Diamonds seem genuinely surprised by her response, not expecting from 'Pink the screwup.'
"Exactly. You've gotten something correct for once, Pink." Blue smiles faintly at Pink, her tone soft.
Pink smiles from ear to ear at that, happy to be recognized for something positive. When she glances over at Pearl, the gem averts her gaze from her Diamond, choosing to look down at the floor. The gallery begins to ramp up in volume again, with Blue Diamond turning to her pearl, pointing towards the now defective gems.
"Everyone, please settle down, the Diamonds will be speaking." Blue Pearl says to the gallery.
The gallery shuts up, allowing Yellow to speak. "You two don't deserve to exist, not while the amalgamation of your fusion can exist."
"No...! P...Please, my Diamond! I'll do anything!" Jasper begs, falling to her knees in desperation.
Yellow scoffs in response, snapping her fingers. The Topazes grab the two gems again, forcing them to fuse. When they do, the guards hold them still. Yellow points a finger at the fusion, shooting out a beam. "AAAAAHHHHHH!" The fusion quickly destabilizes, leaving only the gemstones on the floor. the Topazes look up at the Diamonds, silently asking for confirmation. Yellow, Blue and reluctantly Pink nod their heads. The soldiers put their feet other the gemstones, and in mere seconds, shatters them. "This trial is over. The court is now adjourned." Zircon announces to the gallery. The room begins emptying out, with every respective gem heading back to do their jobs. Pink takes this opportunity to talk to the other Diamonds, leaving Pearl with the others. Pink tugs at Blue's dress, getting both Blue and Yellow's attention.
"What is it, Pink?"
"I just need to ask....was me inserting myself a bad thing...?" She asks nervously, avoiding eye contact.
The Diamonds take a moment before kneeling down towards her.
"Surprisingly, no. You were doing just fine." Blue reassures, smiling at her.
"Really...?" Pink responds in surprise.
"Yes. The fact that you're finally becoming a true Diamond is a feat in itself, and acting like us is just as good." Yellow remarks positively.
Meanwhile, Pearl awkwardly stands beside the other two pearls, who are very talkative.
"And maybe we'll get some alone time...." Yellow whispers to Blue, a cheeky smile resting on her face.
"Perhaps. Although, our Diamonds will more than likely need us later."
Pearl glances over at them upon hearing Yellow's groaning, confused by their interactions.
"Fine. But when do you suppose we can...?" She questions Blue, crossing her arms in annoyance.
Blue notices Pearl's staring, causing the gem to look away to the floor. The other pearls mutter to each other before going silent.
(I don't think I've ever seen two pearls be so talkative...)
Pink walks over to her pearl, kneeling down to her.
"Come on, we have to go now."
"O..Of course, my Diamond." Pearl stutters, walking beside her.
Pearl glances back at the other pearls, who've begun talking again. She rolls her eyes as she looks forward, choosing to ignore them. The two gems warp back to the planet, seeing that the Bismuth's have finished the terraforming. Pink ecstatically commends the gems, thanking them for their help, which then flusters the Bismuths. Pearl watches from afar, admiring Pink's childlike nature. Pink glances over at Pearl, but when she does, her expression changes to something more grim.
(I shouldn't be acting like this...)
'Why are you acting so kind to lower gems, Pink? They worship us, not the other way around.' Yellow's voice reprimands Pink in her head.
(I'm sorry.......I'll do better...)
"You will all return to the where the Nephrite brought you here. That's an...an order" Pink stands up, her tone and expression more stern compared to just a few seconds ago.
"Of course, anything for you, Pink Diamond." One of Bismuths replies back, glancing at another one in confusion.
Pink doesn't respond. She walks off towards her pearl, who stands equally as confused as the Bismuths.
"My Diamond, you seemed so happy, what could be the-"
"Pearl, if you ever catch me acting like that again, you tell me to stop, understood?"
Pearl stares at her, shocked by her sudden change.
"Is that understood?" Pink repeats, taking a step forward.
"Y...Yes, my Diamond."
"Good, now let's start on the Beta Kindergarten."