Lapis And Volley

Lapis and Volley

Note: this is an au where pink does loose volleyball to white. But white gives volley back after pink gets earth. Unable to deal with her guilt and grief, pink shatters herself at the end of the rebellion instead of faking it.

Pink Diamond’s Pearl wept loudly into her hands as she hovered over the shattered stone in front of her. How could she? How could Rose- her diamond- lie to her?

Pearl had been in on it from the start. Ever since Pink started this whole rebellion with her, she’d known every detail of this plot to free the Earth and her fellow gems. So they’d not suffer under the terrible diamonds ever again. Like she did under White. 

This was their final idea. Fake Pink Diamond’s shattering by the hands of Rose Quartz. Pearl herself would play the part of Rose. To keep up the idea that Rose and Pink were separate entities. And they’d fake it with the blade the missing Bismuth had made. It could not shatter, but they could make it look like it had. And Pearl was sworn to secrecy about all this with an order.

They had a signal for Pearl to do the deed, but… it never came. Pink seemed to have prepared a different speech than their plan. Nerves, maybe? 

That was quickly ruled out. Suddenly, Pink Diamond was pledging her support for the crystal gems. Saying how colonizing couldn’t stop so long as she was there. And- she pulled out a different weapon than their plan. And turned it on her own gem.

Chaos came after this. A huge battle between grieving gems and the crystal gems ensued. But Pearl was deaf to it all as she stared at the shards. Questions swimming in her head. In the confusion of the battle, a soldier saw her and couldn’t tell if this Pearl was friend or foe. She was still in her homeworld uniform, but she could have just not been poofed yet.

Pearl barely registered the sword being driven through her.

–

When Pearl reformed, the battlefield was quiet. She found herself inside the palanquin of Pink diamond, with the emergency defense walls engaged. When had they triggered? Pearl numbly disengaged them, fumbling her way out of the palanquin. 

She looked around the dark, night field. Weapons laid everywhere, but no soldiers seemed to wield them. Where was homeworld? Where were the crystal gems? Pearl looked, but found nothing but shards. 

At least, until she heard a rustling in a bush. Pearl summoned her whip and readied herself. “Garnet?” she tried, taking a step back. She hoped that it was the fusion. Garnet always knew what to do, and with everything going on-

Pearl was suddenly attacked by a beast she could barely describe. It was pure fire and lava, burning Pearl any time she tried to wrestle it away. It roared and growled, seemingly confused and agitated as it pinned Pearl to the battlefield floor. Pearl quickly made her ribbon into a lance, and pierced the soft underbelly of the beast. 

She expected blood, as with all organic creatures of earth, but the thing….. poofed? Pearl blinked in confusion as a gem clanked to the ground. What in the stars-?

She bent down and inspected the gem. A ruby- probably a foot soldier fighting for Pink. But there were no flaws in the gem. No cracks. So why was its form so…. Monstrous? Pearl needed answers. She bubbled the gem, warped it away to their base, and stepped through the bushes. 

Through the bushes, another creature sat. But this one was different. A large bird-like creature with four legs, made of pure ice. It had a singular eye on its head, tears streaming from it. It screeched sadly and trotted to Pearl. Pearl readied herself to summon her weapon again…. But the creature simply nuzzled against her. Fluffing its wings out and showing its Sapphire gemstone on its right wing. 

Pearl’s inner gears turned. Only one Sapphire had been on Earth. And she was half of Garnet. And the Ruby who’d attacked her….

Pearl collapsed and hugged the bird tight, sobbing. “What happened to you, Garnet?" 

–

It’d been almost an Earth month since Pink shattered herself. Since then, Pearl had gathered information from local humans on what she’d missed. Homeworld retreated and launched a final attack. This attack was a bright light, which seemed to corrupt every gem left on Earth. Nothing seemed to fix it, even Rose’s fountain did nothing. 

She was the only one left, since she had been shoved into the palanquin and it’d engaged emergency mode for the fight around it. She was lucky but…… everyone she knew and loved was gone. She was alone. And was it worth it….? The Earth was safe but….. 

Pearl had been moving in a numb blur. Doing things she knew Rose would want done after Homeworld’s retreat. What they’d planned to do. Next on her list was the galaxy warp. Homeworld could return to finish what they’d started any day now. So, she would destroy every warp with a connection off planet. They wouldn’t come back. They wouldn’t make Rose’s sacrifice be in vain. 

When she was done, she turned to warp back to the base she had made for herself. But…. A mirror laying on the ground caught her eye. Was this something homeworld left behind….? How could she have missed it before? 

She sat on her own legs and carefully picked up the mirror. She fingered the cracked front before turning it over. A cracked Lapis Lazuli lay in the gem slot. 

”Hello….?“ Pearl cautiously greated. This could just be a gem born unsentiant. But the thought of a gem trapped in there, like she was trapped under White Diamond…. "Are you alive? Is there a way you can communicate with me?”

The mirror was silent a moment before glitching Pearl’s words back to her. “-Can communicate. -Alive." 

Pearl startled a moment before taking a deep breath. "If I let you out, do you think you can form? Or will you need to be healed first?”

The mirror paused before questioning, “You- let- me- out?" 

Pearl smiled, "Of course. No gem deserves to be trapped.  I know first hand-” She fingered her cracked eye a moment, “That being trapped is terrible. Now, heal? Or let out first?”

“Let- me- out! Let- me- out!" 

Pearl nodded before wrenching the gem out of the mirror. The mirror part shattered, and the Lapis Lazuli began to glow.

Pearl caught her as she stumbled over. The Lapis smiled weakly, showing her mirrored eyes to Pearl. "Thank you…. I thought maybe you were coming to question me more-”

“No- ah hah-” Pearl awkwardly looked away, shoving her questions towards the gem down, “There's…. No gem left to question you.”

The Lazuli squinted, “What-” she glitched from her crack “-do you mean?" 

"Oof, let’s get this crack healed first. Then…. Then I’ll show you.” Pearl motioned to the warp, “C'mon. Unless you think you can fly." 

"Probably not.” The Lapis shook her head and leaned on Pearl for support as they walked to the warp and warped away. “Where are you taking me? The soldier bays?”

“Ah-” She shook her head, “No. Somewhere-…. You might not like.” They arrived at Rose’s fountain with that sentence. 

“What is that?” Lapis squinted at the fountain, “And is that…. Rose Quartz?!” Lapis pulled away from Pearl the best she could and held up her fists, “Are you a crystal gem?! You won’t sway me to your side!" 

”Ah-!“ Pearl held up her hands in surrender. "Yes, but I won’t try to sway you. I’ll even let you fly back to Homeworld. I just ask that you don’t tell them you came from Earth. Say you were off planet for the final attack or-”

“Final attack?” Lapis faltered a moment, “The war's…. Over?” She gulped and looked to the fountain, spotting bubbles where Pearl had left them. “And…. Who won?”

“Technically?” Pearl sighed, “The crystal gems did. But…. It doesn’t feel like a victory.” She hugged herself a moment before shaking her head. “Come on. I’ll fill you in once you’re healed. Being cracked is so painful-”

“Why do you care?” Lapis bit back, growling, “You’re a crystal gem. And I’m from homeworld. Shouldn’t you want me shattered?”

Pearl sighed, motioning to her eye crack, “I care because I know what it’s like to be hurt and confused. I care because you’re the first actual gem I’ve seen in a month. And I care because…. Rose would do the same thing." 

Lapis hesitated before she nodded, relaxing, "Lead the way then." 

–

"So homeworld just-” Lapis splashed the water, before motioning to all the bubbles, “Hurt all these gems? Just cause Pink Diamond decided to shatter herself?”

“Mhm.” Pearl nodded, “I was only safe because I was within my gem at the time, and my gem was thrown into Pink Diamond’s palanquin. It has an emergency mode that can withstand those kinds of things." 

”Shale-“ Lapis cursed and ran a hand through her hair, "That’s messed up. Even homeworld gems?”

“Yes,” Pearl nodded, “Anyone who didn’t get off planet in time. I assume the only reason you were safe is because your gem was stuck in an object.”

Lapis chuckled half heartedly, “I’d have to thank the gem that forced me into my gemstone then. Being in that mirror…. It was awful. All those questions from gems I saw as allies-”

Pearl nodded, “They are always quick to turn if they think you’ve messed up.”

Lapis paused a moment before looking tentatively at Pearl.  “A crystal gem wouldn't betray you like that though?”

Pearl laughed, waving her off, “Never.”