The Voice of Pearl

Chapter Twelve

The silence tugging at all of them seemed grow stronger as the minutes went by. Yellow Pearl was standing up tall in front of the pink control panel on the left side of the main view-port in the ship. Blue Pearl quietly monitored the screen through her thick wavy locks of hair covering her face and parting at her pointed nose. Steven stood in the centre of the large pink room, with the window stretched across in front of him with a view of nothing but white lines whizzing past them as they continued warming through space in a single, smooth momentum. The faint holograph of the pink legs covered Steven's own legs, and he stood there with his mouth shut in a straight line. Thoughts turning gears in his mind as he tried to figure out how he was going to explain everything to his friends and family back on Earth. Since Pearl couldn't exactly speak anymore, he would have to tell them what went down and what the plan was for the corrupted gems. Hopefully the other three Pearl's could save Steven some time and introduce themselves.

Pink Pearl stood right beside Steven on his right, mere inches apart from his shoulder as the boy kept catching the gaze of those peach pink pupils. The taller gem would always blush a darker shade of pink and glance away when ever Steven looked back up at her. While his own white-skinned Pearl kept on looking at the other gems in the room worryingly. Never once did she smile, or even put a reassuring hand on the half gem's shoulder. Her blue eyes farted around the room cautiously, occasionally giving Pink Pearl an unreadable glare that seemed to be more on the aggressive side. She was carful to make sure Steven didn't see her giving the Pink Pearl these hissing glares, but she couldn't help seeing another Pearl so close to her Steven.

And possibly having a weird crush on him.

It may be in a Pearl's nature to have romantic feelings for their owners, but Steven wasn't an owner. He's not Pink Diamond, and was like a son to Pearl. Obviously Pink Pearl still thought of him as Pink Diamond, and clearly doesn't quite understand how aging works yet. This was all too wrong, and she wished she could tell the other Pearl that Steven is half a human boy, that has his mother's gem and powers. He wasn't Pink Diamond and didn't consider himself more 'obligated' than the Pearls in the room. He didn't have those kind of standards and treated everyone like they were his friend.

Pearl let out a silent sigh as she straightened up her posture and looked ahead at the confusing swirling patterns beyond the window suddenly settle in to a frozen view of Earth. Like a perfect painting, the green and blue planet appeared in the centre of the inky black space. Getting bigger and bigger as they neared it. The excited Steven threw his arms in the air. "Yeah! Earth! Aw man- I don't think any of you have ever been to Earth- or even seen it in person, have you?" He asked joyfully to the Pink Pearl beside him, who shook her head along with the hesitant Blue and Yellow Pearl.

"..I've only ever seen Earth on the monitors.." Blue Pearl's soft voice seemed louder in the silent large room of the ship. She smiled and turned her body slightly to face Steven. Then the Yellow Pearl responded, keeping her back turned to the boy and her gaze fixed on the control panels under her fingers. "I used to check up on the cluster's progress by connecting to the active networks that were left on Earth during the Amethyst productions. It would be.. interesting to see how Earth was such a powerful incubator for the cluster." She said in her high pitched teacher-like tone. The yellow gem sounded so professional, and Steven knew instantly that Earth defiantly had a chance to change that. To help Yellow Pearl be more open and herself rather than acting like a business woman all the time.

The two Pearls have now said their comments upon their pre-landing check to Earth, and now Pink Pearl wanted to speak. With that magenta-like blush spread on her slim face, she looked down at Steven with a small smile while clasping her hands together. "I can't wait to finally get to see Earth! I was originally going to go with you for the invasion- until I was replaced..." Her eyes flashed at Pearl as a moment of sadness and anger swept across her briefly, before she continued. "But now I can actually see it! And get to go to Earth with you, and live there! I couldn't ask for a better future my Diamond!" Her shaky tone was all the proof Steven needed to know how happy she was about going to Earth. He smiled back at her, replying. "You'll love it here! It's so much different from five thousand years ago- there's more to do and places to see! Oh and don't forget the movies! Dogcopter and Lonely Blade are my favorites!" He chuckled slightly, and Pink Pearl mimicked the gesture.

The palest Pearl rolled her eyes at the Pink Pearl pretending to relate and understand what Steven was talking about during the whole landing. He mainly preached about all the movies, foods, amusement parks and rides, and music on Earth. Pearl usually would love it when Steven talked about the things he was so passionate about, but this time- all she could notice was how hard this other Pearl was trying to force herself closer to Steven. It was almost painful to watch her try so hard to get Steven to like her despite him liking everyone equally. She crossed her arms and looked away while the two had the Earthly conversation.

Meanwhile Blue and Yellow Pearl did most of the landing. It was as if Steven was in a driver's student car with an instructor, and the instructor was controlling the car the whole time effortlessly. No wonder the landing was so perfect compared to the take off. Only if Pearl had her voice, she could easily help and instruct Steven on what to do for a perfect landing so that he could learn to have better control over his mother's ship. Unfortunately that wouldn't be happening anytime soon, and possibly never. But there was a small flicker of hope that there would be a cure somewhere in this galaxy, maybe even on Earth..

"All engines have been turned off my Diamond. When ever you're ready I'll have us warped outside the ship." Yellow Pearl spoke in her strong and sharp words while standing a few feet away from Steven. Blue Pearl approached as well, not wanting to be left behind when they all warped outside the ship. She was however, more concerned as to where they were. Yes they were on Earth, but why in the middle of a desert? Nothing but sand and silent breezes hitting the pink metal of the ship form outside. But like always, she kept her thoughts to herself and her voice remained stuck in her own throat as her mind told her that the opinions of a Pearl do not matter unless asked by a superior gem.

Steven nodded with a beaming smile, ready as ever to get back to Beach City. The warp pad wasn't far from where the ship was parked, but the desert was a perfect place to keep a huge alien ship shaped like a pair of legs. Having that on the beach casting a shadow on the whole town didn't sound pleasant. "I'm ready! Are you three ready to set foot on Earth?" He asked with white starts twinkling in his pupils, and the three Pearls looked at each other with confusion. While the palest snickered silently to herself, since she knew that none of them must have understood Steven's phrase. Yellow Pearl even looked down at her own two feet in confusion before flicking her eyes back to Steven. "By landing on Earth I've already set foot on Earth my Diamond." She tilted her head a bit, wondering what Steven had meant. The boy however was busy being eager to explain, and replied. "You'll see! Now let's go!" And as he said those last words, a large pink bubble engulfed them as they went right through the thick strong walls of the ship and descended down to the sand covered ground.

The bubble unfurled from top to bottom as they stood in the dessert beside the tall legs planted firmly despite the soft ground texture. Yellow Pearl squinted her eyes as a strong gust of wind blew in from the front, small bits of sand skidding across her face as she judged it all. Steven could tell by the slightly annoyed look plastered on her pale yellow face that she wasn't enjoying Earth so far, but it had only been mere seconds! He rushed towards the warp pad and motioned for the four Pearls to follow. "This way!" He said as he ran for a few seconds before hopping on to a solid platform. The blue glossy warp pad stood out from the grainy beige sand that surrounded it like an ocean, and the four pearls easily found their way on the warp pad as well. Steven saved his words for their arrival back home, and only smiled as the five of them warped away back to the beach house.

The sunset tinted the whole inside of the house a shade of peachy-orange. The lights were all off during this transition to night, but the two crystal gems were there. Sitting on the couch across from Greg and Connie who sat on the wooden floor around the coffee table. There seemed to be some note books and sketches laid out like a map on the small table, but Steven only got a glance of it as Connie rushed to hoard them towards her with her spread out arms. "STEVEN!" She shouted, and none of them were sure if it was excitement or fear that struck in her tone. The papers and notes crumbled as she shoved them in to her backpack resting beside her on the floor.

"WHOA FOUR PEARLS?!" Amethyst's jaw hung wide from the sight of four elegant gems standing beside Steven like personal security guards. Garnet simply smiled and walked up to the half gem with a kneel, giving him a hug. "Welcome home." She said cheerfully as Steven thanked her. The dark red gem stood back up and let Greg swoop the boy up in his arms and gave him a bear hug. "I missed you kiddo! I was so worried- but you're here now!" He laughed happily while wiping away a small tear of joy that had slipped out the corner of his eye. "I'm ok! Pearl helped me out a lot on Homeworld, and now- we have more potential Crystal gems- oh man it's going to be GREAT!" He threw his arms in the air, a sign of pure happiness that would always make the pale gem smile. As soon as Greg Steven down from the hug, he walked up to Pearl with a small nervous smile. "..thanks for taking care of Steven out there..! I'm just- so grateful to have you in his life, I wouldn't know what to do if you hadn't been there for him! Probably would have panicked and then cried out in my van or something!" He chuckled at his own little joke, hoping to hear another chuckle in response but.. it never came. Pearl just smiled and opened her mouth to talk, or maybe to chuckle- but closed it in a thin line before it turned in to a frown. Sadness flashed over her eyes as the memory of her voice being taken away poured in as if it was happening all over again. Greg caught the frown and his own laughter died down. "..s..sorry.. that probably wasn't funny anyway.." he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, while Pearl quickly shook her head. She was eager to tell him that it wasn't the joke that she had been frowning at, but rather what had happened. Something that she couldn't explain, but thankfully relief overwhelmed her when Steven stepped in to their one person conversation.

"Dad...um..." His frown grew as he looked up to meet his eyes. "White Diamond took Pearl's voice in exchange for an agreement to cure the corrupted gems on Earth." Everything seemed to halt at his sentence, the world had never been more quieter to Steven. "White gave us a list. The list of all the missing gems from the Gem War on Earth. If we find and bubble all of these gems and send them back to Homeworld, the Diamonds will cure them! White would have never agreed to this deal if it wasn't for Pearl's sacrifice.. so it's really because of her that the corruptions will be saved." Steven smiled lightly at his motherly figure, who caught everyone's gaze and blushed a shade of blue from embarrassment. She had wished she could tell everyone that it was Steven who actually made this happen.

He was the one that changed White Diamond's mind.

When they all first arrived on Homeworld, there was no chance White would have agreed to cure all the corrupted gems. But after Steven spending a couple days there, working hard to convince the Diamonds- it all finally paid off. He accomplished something and was able to speak to the most powerful Diamond to exist and change her mind. It's something Pearl could only dream of herself doing, but maybe the dream was partly true? She never intended to change Pink Diamond's mind about invading Earth- but it happened anyway.

However, Pearl knew very well that Steven deserved the credit for this one. Pink Diamond didn't exactly have a strong mind like White, and was easily persuaded by other people's thoughts or opinions. Pearl could never top what Steven did a few hours ago, at such a young age with no one to support him but herself. And being half mortal probably didn't help him feel safe, but it did help him win the case. Pearl was most proud of the boys heart and determination, and she couldn't stop the small smile on her face any longer.

"You did a good job too Steven."

Pearl wished it was her own voice, but the voice belonged to Pink Pearl. The pale gem growled internally as her smile snapped away when those words were heard. Pink Pearl smiled brightly like a happy puppy as she gazed at Steven with sparkling eyes. Pearl on the other hand shifted her attention elsewhere to prevent herself from becoming agitated at the scene playing out before her. The conversation became a distant mumble as her eyes scanned the house for any defects or messes, forgetting about the human she had been 'talking' to.

"Oh geez.. I'm so sorry Pearl. If you every find a way to get your voice back, let me know. Ok? I'll try and help in every way!" He looked in to her pale blue eyes, and then looked at his son who nodded with determination. Steven responded with a smile "I know there's got to be some ancient gem thing left on Earth that could help her. I remember White saying there was a way, we just need to figure it out." He slammed a fist in to his palm determinedly as his gaze fell on to Garnet, Amethyst and Connie having what seemed to be a half pleasant conversation with the other two yellow and blue Pearls. It was then that he felt the need to introduce everyone to each other, so he made his way over to the small group and stopped half way, standing up on the coffee table and clearing his throat loudly as he grabbed everyone's attention.

The room fell silent and all eyes were on the small half gem standing on the table. "Attention gems and humans! Now that we are all here, I think it's time to properly introduce each other by saying our names and hobbies!" Steven smiled back at everyone, despite Yellow Pearl's confused look, he continued. "I'll go first. My name's Steven and I love to make new friends!" The happiness in his voice was obvious, and then he turned to his left. Garnet stood quietly, but after seeing Steven turn to her she spoke up. "Garnet. My hobby is being a Crystal gem." Her speech was quick, and then everyone's gaze was fixed on the gem standing next to Garnet which was Amethyst.

"Oh-" The purple gem woke up from her day dreaming and stood up straight. "My name's Amethyst! Or..." she shifted in to her wrestling form. "PURPLE PUMA! Yeah!" She chuckled. "And I like to wrestle, eat, sleep, find some useless junk and hang out with this little man!" She hopped up on the wooden coffee table next to Steven and put a strong arm around him. Scruffing up his hair with her free hand. The boy chuckled, but all Pearl noticed was the slight shake of the table the two were on. She wanted to badly to tell him to get down, but unfortunately she couldn't. But now that Amethyst was no longer shapeshifting and giving Steven an aggressive form of affection, the table seemed to settle and the next person spoke.

"Hi! I'm Connie!" She said facing the new Pearls. "I like to read books, but sword-fighting is my main thing! I left my sword at home today, but I can show you guys tomorrow if you want to see it? Bismuth made it for me— Wait!" She turned to Steven. "Shouldn't we invite Bismuth, Peridot and Lapis?They probably have no idea that you're home!" The human exclaimed, and Amethyst was quick to act. She hopped high up and flipped on to the warp pad while everyone watched. She gave the half gem a thumbs up and a wink. "I got this. You guys continue the welcome wagon!" She said with a huge smile, and Steven couldn't be more grateful that he didn't have to leave right when he got back. "Thanks Amethyst!" His voice caught her ears before the warp pad activated and shone brightly for a second. When the bright light was gone, So was Amethyst. And now that that was taken care of, it was time to introduce the next person who was Steven's dad.

"Welcome to Earth Pearl-Pearls..?" He chuckled nervously. "This is going to take some time getting used to..." the human mumbled before continuing. "The name's Greg, Greg Universe- or, ! I'm Steven's dad, and also part rockstar!" He joked as he reached over to the couch and held his guitar, strumming a few quick notes to impress. "I work at the car wash, but in my free time I write music. Most of my recent songs are inspired by Steven and his magical missions!" The proud dad gave his son a look that said 'thank you' before returning to the crowd of three Pearls. "I mean.. I help with missions sometimes- but around here, I'd say I'm more of a side character." The shrug followed, and once again Yellow Pearl looked at Blue Pearl for any signs of acknowledgement. Since Yellow Pearl has no idea what any of these terms meant, none of the Pearls did except the silent Pearl. Who happened to be the next one up in the introduction circle they were magically standing in. She just awkwardly looked away, almost shamefully. There was nothing she could say and the other Pearls pretty much knew her already. Maybe even better than anyone else in this room did. They knew of the horrible things she had done whilst serving White Diamond, and what she had done to Pink Pearl- she still felt horrible about that.

"Oh.. uh.. Pearl can't talk...so.. I'll help!" Steven hopped off the table and rushed over to stand next to his Pearl. The pale gem felt some tension fade as she watched Steven get off from that dangerous wooden table and stand beside her. "This is Pearl- or you guys might know her as White Pearl." He glanced at the three other Pearls. "She loves to dance, and clean up the house all the time!" He looked up at her and smiled, hoping for a smile back for some reassurance that he was doing ok with speaking for her. The boy was glad to see a faint smile back, and continued. "Pearl always looks out for me, and helped me become who I am today. She may not have her voice, but she still has so much more. She's different now and- I really think you guys could all be great friends!" Steven looked at the three Pearls, who glanced at each other, and then at Pearl before looking back at Steven. Yellow Pearl almost said something before Pink Pearl interrupted. "If you say so, Steven." She gave him half a fake smile before a bright light shone from the warp pad-

"STEEVEENNNN!"

Peridot ran over to the half gem and gave him a huge hug. "Peridot!" He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her in response. "You reformed!" The boy watched as she stepped back, twirling on her heel and showing off her new outfit. The green gem grinned and struck a pose with her hands on her hips. "Yep! Cool, right? I got a personalized version of Garnet's glasses-" She put a hand on her yellow large glasses and fixed them in place as they glimmered in the light. "And Pearls former top- in my colours though!" She pointed to the small star on her chest, and then motioned to her legs. "I was also inspired my Amethyst's leggings! Instead of having a stupid yellow diamond on my knees, I got stars!" She happily laughed and hopped up like an energetic child, making Steven laugh too.

"Lapis! Bismuth!" He gave them both quick hugs. "I like your new outfit too!" He said to Lapis, who looked away with a small blush of embarrassment. "Eh.. I went for the more.. comfortable option." She shrugged, and next Bismuth spoke. "Glad to see you in one piece Steven! So.. how was Homeworld?" She asked as she kneeled to get to his eye level. There was just too much to tell her, he couldn't possibly say everything right now. "That's a story for tomorrow- for now, I have new Crystal Gems to introduce!" He held her larger hand and dragged the gem along to the welcome circle.

"Wha-" Bismuth was speechless as she froze in her tracks, seeing three other Pearls. Not any Pearls, but the Diamond's personal Pearls. All standing right under the same roof in a perfect posture. "Oh great..not these guys-!" Peridot complained as she caught up with Bismuth and Steven, joining the welcome group with Lapis who crossed her arms and thinned her eyes at the new Pearls. Steven rushed to reassure everyone. "No it's ok! They're different now, and they are all here to help cure the corrupted gems!" He uneasily stepped between them, hoping that they would understand. But out of the three shocked gems, Peridot still seemed the most annoyed at the new Pearls.. or one Pearl in particular-

"You're the Peridot that called my Diamond a.. a clod!" Yellow Pearl snapped and stepped forward, which only encouraged Peridot to start a fight. "She is a clod! And you- you just do whatever she wants you to do even when it's bad! I can't believe..." She clenched her green fists, but within seconds they relaxed and she let out a sigh. "..I can't believe I was just like you..." She looked up at the shocked Yellow Pearl, who was once again speechless. "You know- Earth changed me, and I bet it can change you too." She smiled slightly, making the other Pearl uncomfortable as she looked away to the side, responding. "A planet can't possibly change who I am." She huffed, thinking logically just as Peridot suspected- since she too used to do that a lot. "You're right. A planet can't change you, but the people on it can." She sighed.

"She's totally right!" Connie hopped in on the conversation. "The people- the humans on Earth changed all the gems! It changed Pink Diamond and everyone in this room to become a better version of themselves!" She said as the palest Pearl nodded proudly in agreement. "Crystal gem or not, we all welcome you-" She looked at the new pearls. "To our home, Earth."