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”Is everyone alright? Betty?” a voice called out from what used to be a small ship. Climbing out of the rubble was a brown skinned young man with a dark brown afro wearing a yellow shirt and black pants. The shirt was open enough to expose a rectangular, orange gem on his chest. Not only that, but he also had a lighter patch of skin around his eye.”I’m fine!” another voiced responded. The owner of said voice belonged to a large, pale woman with long, sandy blonde hair that was separated in braids, allowing a light blue gem on the back of her head to be shown. She wore a medium blue shirt and lighter blue shorts. ”What about the others?””Diana? Eyeball?” the man yelled.”We’re right here, Harry.” the former replied, a slightly tanned and skinny woman with a backless blue dress revealing that she also had a blue gem on her back, climbed out of the rubble with the latter, a Ruby with her gem on her eye. ”Some field trip this turned out to be.””I don’t even remember what happened.” Betty said, wiping sweat with from her forehead. ”Did the engine blow out? Did we get hit with something?””Who knows.” Diana answered, her short brown hair all messed up. She sat down on the sand, and then realized something. ”Wait, where’s Mara?””Mara?” Betty called out.”I’m here!” a quiet voice cried out, just enough for the rest to hear. A pale hand appeared among the rubble before pushing away a flat piece of metal. Out came a frail woman, paler than Betty, with light blonde hair in a now messy bun. She wore a pink shirt that exposed her midriff, where a smooth, pale pink gem appeared on her navel. ”I think I’m fine.””Well, this is not what I had anticipated at all.” Eyeball spoke up.”You mean to tell me that this crash landing into an unknown moon wasn’t part of the fun and exciting field trip?” Harry asked sarcastically.”Harold, can you please not be a wise guy for five minutes?” Betty interrupted with an annoyed expression.”I told you not to call me Harold!””Quiet!” Eyeball yelled. ”First things first, where are we?”“I think we’re on a beach.” Diana pointed out. It was true, they were on a quiet beach with many palm trees and fine, white sand.”At least it’s not cold.” Mara commented. ”I don’t like the cold.””Is the communication device on the ship still active?” Betty asked.”I don’t think so, the ship got pretty totalled.” Harry told them.”Just great.” Eyeball muttered.”Wait, this is a moon, right?” Diana said. ”So wouldn’t there be a Diamond Base on it?””You’re right. Clever thinking, Diana.” Eyeball complimented.”So we just have to find it.” Betty added.”I guess it’s off to the Diamond Base, then. Come on, let’s go.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Thanks to her powers, Diana was able to use her water wings to fly around the moon, looking around for the Diamond Base. It took her a few minutes to find it, but it was there all right.
”Guys, I found it!” she yelled, floating down towards the rest of the group. ”It’s only a few minute’s walk, so we should be back on track in no time!”
”Thank the stars!” Harry exclaimed. ”This place may be beautiful, but it’s still hot.”
”Gee Harry, you’re more dramatic than my dad.” Diana commented.
”Well, the show’s over folks, let’s keep walking.” Eyeball reminded them. The group began to walk while Diana remained flying, but at a slow pace so that she was still close to them.
”Do you think there’s anyone here?” Betty asked.
”I doubt it, look at that planet over there.” Mara replied, looking toward the planet that the moon belonged to, which could be seen from where they were. It was all broken apart and lifeless. ”It’s so messed up, what Homeworld used to do to planets.”
”I know, but what about here?” Betty asked again. ”Like there’s life on this moon.”
”Probably some animals.” Mara said. ”I hope they’re the cute and cuddly kind.”
“Mara, I appreciate the sentiment, but let’s focus on getting contact first before we start trying to befriend creatures we don’t know about.” Harry told her, changing the conversation.
”Alright, I’m just trying to lighten the mood.” she replied, undoing her bun so that her hair went down to her shoulder.
”We’re here.” Eyeball interrupted. In front of them was an old Diamond Base, and by the looks of it, an Era 1 Diamond Base.
”Yeesh, it looks old.” Harry noted. ”Do you think anything in there still works?”
”There’s only one way to find out.” Eyeball stated, pressing the button to open the door.
”Wow…” Mara murmured as they walked inside. ”It is old.”
”This is definitely an Era 1 base, since it has the old insignia.” Eyeball explained, looking up at the giant murals of the Diamonds. She glanced over at the mural of Pink Diamond and paused for a bit.
”Hey, Eyeball,” Diana tried to get her attention. ”Are you alright?”
”Huh? Oh! Right.” the Ruby snapped back into reality. ”Just got a little emotional for a second. Let’s keep going.”
When they got upstairs, they were surprised to find that the communication desk was gone entirely. Everyone either gasped or groaned.
”Where is it?!” Eyeball shrieked. ”Don’t tell me it got destroyed!” She smacked her forehead. This wasn’t the first time this happened to her, only this time it was gone completely instead of destroyed, leaving just the seat that once belonged to a Diamond.
”Someone must have taken it.” Mara said.
”But who?” Harry asked. ”No one else is here!”
”We don’t know that.” Betty pointed out.
”Look, everyone.” Eyeball announced. ”It seems that we have no communication with the outside world whatsoever.” She sighed. ”So we might be here for a while. They’ll probably realize we’re missing and they’ll go looking for us.”
”But how will they know where we are?” Diana inquired, leaning against the wall in frustration.
”This is on the route we were going.” Eyeball assured them. They know we left Earth safely, but when they realize we’re not at our destination they’ll come looking for us.”
”But until then, we just have to wait.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
”I’m a bit worried about all this.” Mara stated as they all sat down on the second floor of the Diamond Base. The group had decided to make the base their temporary home, since it provided good shelter should something happen.
Nightfall had arrived sooner than one could expect. Eyeball stayed downstairs while the four half-humans decided to sleep upstairs.
”What do you mean?” Diana asked.
”What if we end up staying longer than we thought? And then we end up like that one guy who made friends with a volleyball?” she questioned.
”I assure you, it would take a lot for someone like me to lose my mind.” Harry bragged.
”Relax, Mara.” she assured. ”We’re all going to be fine.”
Meanwhile, Betty looked around at their new home. ”It’s no barn, but it’ll do.”
”Oh, are you a farm girl?” Harry chuckled.
”Of course I am.” Betty replied. ”Diana and I grew up on a farm.”
”Did you milk cows and play banjos and shit?” he joked.
Betty rolled her eyes. ”We didn’t have any cows but I have many chickens at home.” she boasted. ”What about you?”
”I’m from Empire City.” he told them.
”Oh ho! Looks like we got ourselves a city boy here!” Betty laughed. ”I should have known.”
”What do you mean by that, farm girl?” Harry demanded angrily, stepping closer.
”Please don’t fight!” Everyone turned towards Mara, who suddenly spoke up. ”It’s too early to fight and I don’t want to see it.”
”Mara has a point.” Diana agreed. ”We have to get along or else this whole thing will get out of hand.”
”Alright, I’m sorry.” Betty apologized.
Harry sighed. ”I do wonder how we’re going to get through this.” he said. ”All my stuff was destroyed with the ship.”
”Same here.” Diana replied.
”Wait.” Mara looked up with realization. ”No it wasn’t.” She stood up with a smile on her face. ”It wasn’t!”
”What on Earth are you talking about?” Betty asked.
”I have your stuff...”
”WHAT?”
”I do!” she exclaimed. ”Before the trip I asked Eyeball if I could hold everyone’s things and she said yes! Everything’s with me!”
”Oooh that’s right.” Diana realized. ”You’re part Pearl.”
”Yeah!” she said, taking someone’s purse out of her gem.
”Thank the stars.” Betty muttered in relief. Mara continued taking baggage out of her gem.
”Also, I tend to overpack so I have a lot of random stuff in there.” she told them. ”A bunch of my mom’s stuff is in there, too.”
”Do you have any food or water?” Diana asked.
”I have some food in there but among the four of us, it might last about two weeks.” she explained. ”As for water, I have a couple large jugs but we have to use it sparingly.”
”Gee, why do you have so much stuff with you all the time?” Harry commented.
”Well my guardians are pretty overprotective. Cashmere told me I should always have food and water with me, just in case.” she said.
”Who’s Cashmere?” Diana asked.
”One of my guardians.” Mara simply stated, continuing to take stuff out.
”So, since we’re all gonna be here for a while, we might as well get to know each other.” Diana told everyone. They made some makeshift beds using a bunch of sleeping bags and blankets courtesy of Mara.
”Alright, who’s up first?” Betty asked. ”We can take turns.”
”I’ll go first!” Harry exclaimed. ”Where do I even start?”
”How about your full name and age.” Diana suggested. ”And then maybe a fact about yourself.”
”Well then. My name’s Harry Hessonite Ross and I’m 29 years old.” he stated proudly. ”And I was born and raised in Empire City where I went to a private school where I won an award in sword fighting, one of the many skills I have that was passed down from my dear mother who-”
”Just your name and age would have been fine.” Betty interrupted, slightly annoyed.
”How about you tell us about yourself then, Miss Farm Girl.”
”Okay, the name’s Betty Agate Demayo and I’m 55 years old.” she told them.
”And yet you don’t look a day over 25.” Harry complimented.
“Anyway…” Betty continued, ignoring him. “One fact about me is… I’m related to Stevonnie Universe.”
“No way!” Mara exclaimed. “You’re really related to a Diamond?”
“Yeah, my dad was cousins with one of their dads.” she revealed. “Not only that, but Diana’s mom was a Crystal Gem.”
“Which faction?” Harry asked.
“The main one in Beach City.” Diana replied.
“Wow, what’s Stevonnie
like
?” Mara inquired with wonder in her eyes.
“They’re pretty cool.” Betty told her.
“I hope I can meet them one day.” she said.
“Maybe someday you will.” Diana smiled. “Oh, it’s my turn, isn’t it?” She stretched for a few moments. “I’m Diana Lazuli Newman, 53 years old, and I like gardening. Oh and I also like making things.”
“You should see some of her work, what does Peridot call them again?” Betty asked.
“Meep morps.” Diana chuckled.
“Your turn, Mara.” Harry said. “You haven’t introduced yourself yet.”
“Oh, okay.” she prepared herself. “My name is Mara Pearl and I’m 24.”
“Just Mara Pearl?”
“I… don’t really have a last name so… when I was born they decided to call me Mara Pearl and it stuck.” she explained, looking down.
“What’s your dad’s last name?” Diana questioned.
“I never met my dad.” she replied in a solemn tone.
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Betty consoled her.
“It’s fine.” she smiled.
Harry yawned, breaking the awkwardness of the conversation. “It’s getting a bit late and I’m tired. We should probably hit the hay.”
“For once, you are right.” Betty agreed with him. “I guess we’ll see what happens in the morning, huh.”
”Good night, everyone.” Mara said as she turned off a lantern that was next to her sleeping bag.
”Don’t let the moon monster bite.” Harry added.
”Shut up, Harold.”
”I told you not to call me that!”
Diana rolled her eyes. This would be a long first night.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It had been a week so far since the ship crashed onto the serene ocean moon, and so far things had been going pretty decent. They still had some food left over, but they were running out, so it was decided that finding some on their own was the next main priority.
”What about that?” Betty pointed towards a tree bearing a strange green fruit. Diana flew up to take a closer look.
”Hmm…” she picked one off the tree. ”This doesn’t look like anything from home. Or at least anything I’ve grown before.”
”Is it safe?” Betty asked.
”There’s only one way to be sure.” Diana replied. ”One of us has to eat it.”
”One of
you
has to eat it.” Harry corrected. ”I’m not risking it.”
”You baby, I’ll do it!” Betty exclaimed, summoning a whip from her Gem. She wrapped it around one of the fruits in order to yank it off the tree.
”Woah…” he muttered.
Betty grabbed the fruit and took a bite out of it. There was a moment of silence as the other two waited for some sort of reaction.
”Well, how is it?” Diana asked.
”It’s okay.” Betty told them. ”A little tart, but still good.”
”Pfft, I could have handled it.” Harry bragged, snatching the fruit from her hand and taking a bite himself. He immediately spit it out in disgust. ”A little tart? This is sour!”
”Seems fine to me.” she replied as Diana began picking some more from the tree. ”You’re going to have to get used to them, Your Highness.”
”Ugh, whatever then!”
The two started to get into a heated discussion about whether or not the fruit was healthy or if it could cause side effects, annoying Diana a little.
”Anyway, before I get a headache listening to you two keep arguing like an old married couple, I’m going to look for some fresh water.” Diana told them. It was just an excuse to get away from their bickering, but it was true that they needed water soon. ”See you later.” she said as she flew away, leaving the two alone.
Meanwhile, Mara was at a nearby shore, taking care of the laundry. She volunteered to be on laundry duty for the time being, tying up a makeshift clothesline between two palm trees.
”In the crowd of a million people…” she sang out loud, her white sundress flowing in the soft wind. ”I’ll find my valentine…”She hung up another shirt on the line.”Then I’ll climb to the highest steeple…” she continued singing. ”And tell the world they’re miiiiiiine…””How’s the laundry going?” Eyeball asked, interrupting Mara’s song.
”It’s going along nicely.” she told her. ”What about you?”
”I was looking around the rubble trying to figure out what caused the ship to malfunction.” she explained. ”But I couldn’t figure it out! Hmph!” she cried out in frustration, sitting on the sand. ”I can’t believe this. My first opportunity to lead a mission and it’s a complete failure!”
”Don’t beat yourself up about it, Eyeball.” Mara assured her, just finishing up the rest of the laundry. ”You know what Velvet used to tell me?”
”What?”
”She would say that failures are just a way to teach you a lesson.” she said, sitting down next to the Ruby.
”I know that, but I was so excited to show you all the wonders of space.” Eyeball muttered sadly. ”But I always seem to get stranded somewhere! Just like when I got lost floating in space all those years ago.”
”You kind of did show the wonders of space, though.” Mara admitted. ”At least, for me. I had never even left Delmarva before coming on this trip.”
”You do have a point.” she replied, laying back and looking up at the sky. ”I’ve never been here either. And that’s saying a lot, because I’ve been to a lot of planets in my day.”
”I wonder how the others are doing back home.” Mara thought out loud. ”They’re probably worried sick about me.” She could already imagine it in her head: Cashmere freaking out, Velvet and Gingham attempting to comfort her but still being equally as scared, not knowing what could possibly have happened to their little girl. The thought of it made her upset, so she tried to avoid thinking too much about it.
She knew that she missed them more than ever, but she had hope she would see them soon. And when she did, she would never want to leave them ever again.
Diana flew around for a while, keeping her eyes peeled for any signs of a body of water that was drinkable. It was somewhat relaxing, being able to fly around by herself without any distractions, especially with Betty and Harry’s bickering the past couple of days.
Even if it was sometimes entertaining, it did get on her nerves after a while. Hopefully this would all be over soon and she could get back to that barn she missed so much. Maybe she could get back before it was time to harvest the corn.
She spotted a small lake after a while, one that she didn’t see the first time. Making her way down to the ground, she landed gracefully on the sand, kneeling down to
take a handful of water and taste it.
Surely enough, it was fresh. Good! That was one problem solved. As she made a note to herself to come back here, Diana noticed something glistening in the sand.
Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be the remains of a broken communication device.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Diana, are you feeling alright?” Betty asked in a concerned voice, swimming towards her best friend. The four Gem hybrids were swimming on the beach near the base. Harry was showing off to Mara, but she was too busy collecting shells to notice him. “You seem off.”
“Oh!” Diana snapped back into reality. “I’m fine, just tired.” She was still concerned about what she had found near the freshwater lake a few days before, but she didn’t want to alarm anyone. However, she found it hard to keep to herself about it. “Hey, Betty? Can we talk in private?”
“Sure.” she replied. The two of them swam away from the rest of the group and hid behind a rock. ”Okay, what is it?”
”This is going to sound crazy, but I think we aren’t the only people on this moon.” Diana told her. ”I think there might be other Gems here.”
Betty looked at her in shock. ”What?”
”When I was looking for fresh water, I found something.” she explained. ”It looked like the broken remains of a communicator.”
”Are you sure it was recently broken? It could have been sitting there for thousands of years.” Betty pointed out.
”Maybe, but do you think it’s possible that we aren’t alone here like we thought?” Diana suggested. ”It seems suspicious that the Diamond Base was in decent condition when we found it.”
”You do have a point.” her friend replied, looking down for a moment. ”Don’t worry. Later tonight we can discuss this with the others, see if we can come up with a plan.”
”Good idea.”
Just then, Harry swam in from the other side of the rock. ”Heeeyyyy what are you two ladies talking about?”
”Nothing.” Betty replied, turning her head the other way.
”Hey guys!” Mara swam near them. ”I found a pretty shell!” She held out a pink conch shell and showed it to them. ”I’m definitely adding this to my collection.” she said to herself as she stored the shell into her Pearl.
”There’s something we need to discuss later tonight.” Diana told them. ”Just thought you all should know.”
”Alright.” Mara said. ”Anyway, Eyeball told me to tell you it’s getting late and she wants us back in the base in a few minutes.”
”We’ll be there soon.” Betty replied. ”Let me just get out and dry off first.”
Diana flew out from the water while the other three swam back to the shore.
”I have to say, Betty.” Harry commented. ”I like your bathing suit.”
”Is that a genuine compliment or are you just saying that to get on my good side?” Betty responded, slightly annoyed.
”It could be either.” he simply answered.
Meanwhile, Mara had just gotten out when she felt something in her eye, causing it to sting a little bit. A salty tear fell from the same eye before it’s vision started getting a bit faded.
”Oh no, not this again…”
she thought to herself as she quickly ran to get a towel from the clothesline before anyone noticed. She had hoped
that
wouldn’t happen while she was stuck on this moon. At least her other eye was always fine.
”Mara Pearl, what are you doing, girl?” Betty called out.
”I’ll be there in a second!” she replied. ”I’m just getting your towels.” She quickly grabbed four towels from the line and wrapped herself in one of them, but not before covering her eye with it.
Back at the base, Eyeball was waiting for the four of them, slightly concerned.
”We have a problem.” she announced.
”What is it?” Mara asked.
”I’ve been looking through the remains of my ship to figure out what went wrong.” the Ruby told them. ”When I found something interesting.”
”You found something?” Diana responded with curiosity.
”I took a good look at the engine, when I saw that some parts of it had been twisted from the inside.” she revealed. ”Here’s the thing, though. The engine was perfectly fine when I last checked it before leaving Earth.”
”So it must have gotten messed up during the flight.” Harry concluded. ”Sometimes stuff like that happens.”
”But it looked like something twisted it, and there’s no way a living being could have gotten in the engine while it was on to be able to do such damage.” Eyeball explained.
”What does that mean, then?” Betty questioned.
”I don’t know…” she looked at them. ”But I have a feeling something’s wrong.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After the concerns brought to light that day, the gang tried to stay positive about the situation in hopes that everything was going to be fine. Right now, everyone was telling stories about their childhoods to lighten the mood.“Then, she put a bunch of red bath tablets in my wings to make it look like they were made of blood instead of water.” Diana told the others. “The look on Peridot’s face was priceless!”“I think I still I have the video!” Betty laughed.Harry noticed that she made an obnoxious sound when she laughed, but found it quite cute. However, he soon remembered the situation they were in.“So, guys… what are we going to do about this?” Harry asked, laying down on his blanket. “If there is another Gem living here that we don’t know about.”“How can we even be sure there’s another Gem here anyway? A broken engine and communicator isn’t really solid proof.” Betty pointed out.“And besides, we can’t be too quick to assume they’re bad.” Mara suggested. “Maybe they just happened to crash land on the same moon as us.”Harry sighed. “Mara, I don’t know how much those other Pearls told you about Gemkind.” he told her. “But not all Gems are nice. Hell, some still believe in the old ways.”“Old ways?” Mara asked. “You mean like Era 1 and 2? Old Homeworld?” The other Pearls didn’t really go into detail with her about their lives on Homeworld, but Mara knew what they were originally made for during those days. They often told her that she was lucky for being half human because she would never have to experience being treated the way they once were.“It was messed up, I’ve heard.” Diana added. “Hey Eyeball, you’re Era 1, right? What was it like?”“More brutal than you could possibly imagine.” Eyeball explained. “You hybrids and Era 3 Gems have it easy, but back in my day, every Gem was assigned a role and they had to fulfill it perfectly, or else they would be shattered.”“I remember when I was a kid, Mrs. Garnet told me about how she became a fusion.” Diana said. “How it was once not allowed.”“Who the hell’s Mrs. Garnet?” Harry asked.“Oh that’s right, you and Mara aren’t from Beach City.” Betty replied. “Garnet’s a friend of ours. She’s really cool.”Suddenly Mara became really interested. “Wow, a fusion?”“Have you never fused before, Mara?” Diana questioned.“I fused with Gingham once, that was pretty fun.” she said, and then looked down. “But if I’m being honest, the only Gems I knew before meeting you guys was her, Velvet, and Cashmere. Oh! And also this one Aquamarine who visited whenever I got really sick.”“Wait, you know Dr. Marine?” Diana and Betty got excited all of a sudden.“Dr. Marine?” Mara looked at her confused. “The one that visited me was named Dr. Campbell, but she let me call her Abby-Marie.”“That’s her real name.” Betty explained. “But everyone in Beach City calls her Dr. Marine.”“I have no idea who that is.” Harry commented.“Only the best doctor ever.” Diana explained, flying up above everyone. “She knows all sorts of things about human biology and she’s an expert on Gem hybrids.”“And that husband of hers?” Betty added. “He’s just a ball of sunshine! So polite! Unlike Harold here.”“I have ears and feelings , you know!” he replied, annoyed.“Oh really? I thought that massive ego took up all the room in that pretty little head of yours.” Betty retorted with a smug look on her face.“You think my head is pretty?” he countered with an even bigger smirk.Betty blushed in frustration. “That’s not what I meant you… you…”“Take your time, Farm Girl.”“Grrr!”“Don’t you two start, now.” Diana interrupted. “You’ll only make our situation worse.”Mara looked down, her face starting to look upset. “I miss the Earth.”“We all do, honey.” Betty said, scooting closer and putting a hand on Mara’s shoulder.“Don’t get me wrong. I have been enjoying this place, it’s beautiful, especially the beach and ocean.” the blonde haired half Gem explained. “But I keep getting this feeling that we shouldn’t be here.” She sighed, messing with her hair. “I’ve been trying to cheer myself up, collecting shells and exploring and whatnot. But I could have done that at home.”“Mara, it’s going to be okay.” Diana assured her.“But what if it isn’t?” she asked. “I’m not as independent as you guys. I’ve always had Velvet, Cashmere, and Gingham taking care of me. That’s the whole reason I came on this trip in the first place. But it’s a lot harder than I thought.”“But that’s a part of growing up, isn’t it?” Eyeball asked. “I may not be human, but one thing I’ve learned about them is that sooner or later, they grow to become independent.”“You’re right.” Mara told the Ruby. “But I didn’t think it would be this drastic.”“Well most humans aren’t half Gem.” Betty reminded them.”That’s true.” Diana noted, landing back down next to the group.”Whatever happens to us, we’ll be fine as long as we stick together.” Betty said. ”The rescue will come for us soon, I’m sure. We already lasted this long, haven’t we?””Yeah…” Mara agreed in uncertainty. ”I hope you’re right.””Whoever is on this moon with us, I’m sure they’re not as big of a problem as we think if there’s five of us.” Eyeball told them. ”Assuming it’s just one Gem or even anyone at all.”The five of them laid back down, watching the starry night sky from the base’s glass ceiling.”We’ll be home soon, I just know it.”Betty closed her eyes. She imagined herself back at the barn with Diana. Taking care of her chickens and hanging out with the Famethyst.Diana thought about the barn, too. Helping out with the crops and preparing for this year’s Together Banquet and hanging out with Peridot and Stevonnie.Harry imagined himself back in Empire City with his father. Looking at his collection of awards that he won over the years and living in his fancy high rise apartment with electricity and air conditioning.And Mara dreamt of her home, the little house where she would spend hours making clothes for the Pearls’ dress shop. She promised herself she would make a nice new dress once she got back to Earth.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A few days later, Mara was by herself upstairs in the Diamond Base. She was taking out and looking at stuff she had in her pearl in hopes that she could find something useful, or at least a way to entertain herself while she was stuck here with the others. So far she had taken out a rope, walkie talkies, a board game, an unopened bottle of red wine, a whistle, and other various things.
“Come on, what else do I have in here?” she asked herself. She took out what looked like a box for a remote controlled car with a spy camera. “Huh, I forgot I had that.” She made a mental note to try that out eventually.
“Mara? Are you up here?” she heard Diana flying up to where she was.
“Diana?” she called out. She quickly put some of the things away.
“Oh good, it’s you.” she replied in relief, her wings disappearing. “I need to talk to you, I have an idea.”
“Well, what is it?”
“You know how Betty and Harry have been arguing a lot lately and it’s really annoying?” she asked.
“Yeah, why?” Mara responded.
“I’ve been a bit observant lately.” she told her. “And maybe I’m just crazy, but I think they might be into each other.”
“Wait, like
into
each other?” she tried to understand what she just heard.
“I’ve seen how they’ve been interacting with each other.” Diana explained. “Harry flirts with Betty and she gets all flustered.”
“Now that you mention it, I have noticed.” she replied. “What should we do about it?”
“I think we should wait and see what happens. Maybe keep an eye on them for a little while until we know for sure.” Diana told her. “Then we’ll decide what to do next.”
“What to do next?” Mara questioned.
“Look, I’m getting bored around here.” Diana confessed. “Getting Betty and Harry together would keep me somewhat occupied.”
”I have some things we could do to keep us entertained.” Mara suggested. ”I got board games and oh!” She took out the box from earlier. ”I was thinking we could take it for a spin.”
Diana looked at the box. ”Spy Car 3000? Remote control car with spy cam?”
”I was thinking we could try it.”
”Would it work?”
”We could find out later tonight.” Mara said, opening the box and looking inside. ”We could drive it around and see what we find.”
”Sounds fun.” Diana replied. ”Anyway, I’m going to go get some more fruit.”
”Alright, have fun.”
Diana walked back downstairs, leaving Mara by herself again. She continued going through the items in her pearl.
A few minutes later, however, she saw Betty entering.
”Oh good, it’s just you.” she sighed in relief. ”I need to tell you something.” The woman walked closer and sat down next to her. ”Can you keep a secret?”
”Of course.”
”Alright. I’m telling you because even though Diana is my best friend, she would never let me hear the end of it.” Betty revealed, a slightly embarrassed look on her face.
”Well, what is it?” Mara asked.
”I think I might be into Harry.”
”You mean… you like him?” Mara pretended to be surprised. ”I had no idea.”
”I know he’s a pampered rich city boy who wouldn’t survive a day at the farm but…” she smiled. ”He’s also kinda cute.”
”It’s totally normal to be in love, you know.” Mara assured her.
”Yeah, but him? We’re totally different.” Betty told her, leaning against the wall and looking up at the glass ceiling. ”I know he might like me back ’cause he always flirts with me, but I’m ashamed to admit I like it.”
”I won’t tell anyone.”
”Good.”
”I wish I was in love.” Mara admitted. ”If we’re being honest, I’ve never been in a relationship either. In fact, I’m a total virgin!”
”That’s nothing to be ashamed of, Mara.”
”I’m still waiting, though. I know I’ll find love someday, no matter how long it takes. I’ve always dreamed of romance.” Mara had a dreamy look in her eyes as she said this, thinking about all the times she wished she had someone.
”Good for you.” Betty got up and stretched. ”Anyway, thanks for listening. I’ve got to go for my afternoon jog. Even if we’re stranded on another planet, I have to keep my beautiful body in shape.” she said proudly.
”You go ahead and do that,” she replied. ”I’m going to stay inside today.”
”I’ll meet up with you later.” Betty promised as she was leaving. “By the way, we’re thinking of having a campfire downstairs later tonight. You should come.”
“I will.” she stated. “Oh, by the way, I had this idea-“ Before she could finish her sentence, Betty was already gone. “Okay then.” Mara simply said, going back to her own business.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
”Here we go.” Eyeball said to herself as she used her powers to light the large pile of wood on fire, creating a campfire in the middle of the floor. Everyone had gathered downstairs for the night, the Diamond Base being large enough to safely place a campfire.”It’s so warm.” Mara commented.”Too bad we don’t have marshmellows.” Betty added, sitting down near the fire.“So what are we going to do, anyway?” Harry asked. “Just relax?”“Something like that.” Diana told them, sitting next to Betty. She kicked her shoes off and put her feet near the fire. “We might as well relax a little since we can’t do anything at the moment.”“I have an idea, let’s play truth or dare.” Harry suggested.“Sure.” Diana simply replied, fine with whatever.“I’ll go first!” Betty exclaimed, standing up. “And I chose dare. I’m sure I can handle whatever you throw at me.””Wait, can I chose the dare?” Diana asked.”Go ahead.” Betty bragged. ”Do your worst!””I dare you… to kiss Harry.”Everyone went silent as Betty blushed. Mara tried not to say anything and Eyeball just sat there with her eye wide open in shock. Diana smirked. She knew exactly what she was doing.Betty looked back at Diana, and then to Harry. Without saying a single word, she walked over to him and gave him a long kiss on the lips, grabbing him by the shirt in the process.Harry felt a bit surprised that she was quick to do it, but didn’t mind anyway. Something told him that she really meant it, since the kiss lasted thirty seconds. But before it could go any farther, she pulled away and walked back.Betty sat back down, looking at everyone’s surprised faces. She tried her best to remain stoic and not flustered at all. ”Alright, who’s next?””I’ll go.” Diana volunteered.”Diana, truth or dare?” Betty asked.”Truth.””Alright, if you could ask your mom one question, what would it be?””What would I ask my mom? Hmmm…” Diana paused to think about the question. She knew a lot about her mom from what Peridot had told her. ”I guess I would ask her how she managed to go through all that she did. My mom suffered so much before she became a Crystal Gem, and I can’t begin to imagine what her pain was like. If she could get through that, I could survive anything.””That’s actually really inspiring, I’m not gonna lie.” Harry said.”Thank you.” Diana replied, appreciating the comment. ”I think it’s Mara’s turn. Truth or dare?””Truth.””What is your biggest secret?”Mara froze. She wasn’t really the type of person to have something to hide. She was generally happy with her life and she had a fine childhood. But there was one thing that haunted her, one thing she could never figure out.”Okay.” she sighed. ”This might sound a bit complicated, but I’m pretty sure it has something to do with my mom.” She took out a small picture from her pearl. ”There she is.”The picture showed a Pearl, one with pink hair that was tied into two buns. Her gem was identical to Mara’s: light pink and on her navel. But the thing that stood out the most was her eyes, or in this case, eye.”What’s wrong with her eye? It’s cracked…” Eyeball commented.”I don’t know. Apparently something happened to it.” Mara told them. “But that’s not the secret.”“Then what is?” Harry asked.“Well, sometimes… on rare occasions, one of my eyes will start to freak out.” she revealed. “It’s always the same one, my right eye. My vision will go a bit funny, and then tears will start to fall. Occasionally, my vision will just go white.”“Oh my stars…” Betty murmured. “Does it hurt?”“It used to, but not anymore.” she explained. “This first time it happened was during choir class when I was eleven. We were in the middle of a song when it happened.” she continued. “My eye started hurting really bad and I was crying involuntarily. I had to be sent to the nurse. But they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it.”“Holy shit…” Diana whispered.Harry giggled. “You were in the school choir?”“Seriously, Harry?” Betty rolled her eyes.“What’s wrong with being in the choir?”“It’s just so nerdy.” he told her.Mara frowned. “Cashmere wanted me to be have plenty of skills, so I was signed up for a bunch of activities: choir, gymnastics, dance, and most important, sewing. Anyway, I think my mom’s eye being cracked might have something to do with it.”“Do you know much about your mom?” Diana asked.“Unfortunately not. I don’t know who she used to belong to or what she was like other than what I’m told. To be honest, I don’t think the other Pearls knew her that well, either.” she said.”That’s pretty crazy.” Harry commented.”I’m sure it’s not that bad.” Mara replied.”At least she knows her mom was a Gem.” Eyeball added. ”I’ve heard stories of hybrids not even knowing they were half Gem.””Wait, what!?” Diana and Betty shouted in unison.”How the hell does someone not know?” Harry questioned.”You’d be surprised. Have any of you heard the story of Loretta Gardner?” Eyeball asked. "That one's a real doozy."Everyone shook their head.”It’s an insane story, but it really happened. Apparently, Loretta’s mother was a type of Nacre. Before she went to Earth, her job back on Homeworld was to create Pearls.” Eyeball explained. ”But Loretta grew up with adopted parents, in an all human household with no knowledge of Gemkind whatsoever.””It’s hard to believe in this day and age people wouldn’t at least know of the existence of Gems.” Betty told her.”This was several decades ago.” the Ruby replied. ”It was a time when folks were still getting used to Gems. But anyway, for most of her life, Loretta had no idea she was half Gem… until she was 17…””What happened when she was 17?””She created her first Pearl.”Everyone went silent and looked at Eyeball in shock. A couple jaws dropped.”It was her senior year of high school, and she had gotten really stressed over her final exams.” she continued. ”All that stress caused her to accidentally create a Pearl.””Damn.” Harry stated. ”That must have been terrifying, holy shit."”But wait, aren’t Nacres like rather powerful?” Betty asked. ”There weren’t any other signs she might have been half Gem?””Rumor has it her mother had an affinity for plantlife. She might have thought she had a gift, who knows…” Eyeball answered.”What happened to the Pearl?” Mara became a bit curious.”I don’t know.” she sighed, looking at the fire. ”Loretta became a bit reclusive after finding out what she really was. As for the Pearl? Beats me.””Oh my stars…” Mara murmured. ”I guess I should consider myself lucky…”"How do I know you're not making this up just to weird us out?" Harry inquired. "I'm starting to doubt the legitimacy of this screwed up tale.""Please, I don't have the imagination to make up something like this." she deadpanned.
There was an awkward silence for a few moments as the group tried to process the story they had just heard. It did sound crazy, but in this world, it didn't seem too far fetched. After all, if a Diamond hybrid could exist, any type of Gem hybrid was possible.”Well, this whole game of truth or dare escalated quickly.” Diana commented, trying to change the subject and lighten the mood.”Do you wanna play something else?” Betty suggested. ”We could just talk, or something.””Wait, I know!” Mara exclaimed, taking something from her Pearl. It was the box from earlier. ”I wanted to try this out.””Spy Car 3000?” Betty read out loud.”It has night vision and can drive through rocks, sand, and snow.” Mara shared. ”Come on, can we try it?””Alright, sure.” Eyeball agreed. ”What could possibly go wrong?”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
”Oh wow, this actually works.” Harry said as the remote control car began driving around, with Mara controlling it.”Wait, can I try?” Betty asked.”Sure.” Mara replied, handing the remote over to her. Betty laughed as the car began spinning around in circles.”Look at em go!” she marvelled as she watched the car.”So how are we gonna do this?” Harry looked at the empty box.”It comes with a camera and a monitor.” Mara explained, showing him a small screen that displayed the car’s point of view. ”I need to turn the flashlight and night vision on first. May I have the remote back for just a second?” Betty handed it back to her and she fiddled with some buttons. A small light appeared from the car.”Do you think we’ll find anything?” Diana questioned aloud.”Probably some weird animals.” Eyeball told her. ”This place has seemed pretty peaceful so far, but you never know what you could find.”The car continued to drive around the floor of the base, making a circle around the campfire, which was now put out. Mara placed the small monitor on the floor and the group gathered near it.She handed the controls to Eyeball. ”Since you’re the pilot of the group, I figured you could take the reigns.””Thank you, Mara.” the Ruby replied. She began to pilot the car towards the door. Betty quickly ran and opened it so the car could leave the base.At first, all they saw was just sand and palm trees, but after a while, they began seeing more greenery. A couple times, they spotted a crab or bird.”Watch out for the water.” Betty reminded Eyeball, the car getting a little too close to the shore.”Don’t worry, I got this.” she replied, steering it the other way. It was at this point that the camera began showing parts of the moon that they hadn’t explored yet.
”Gee, how big is this moon anyway? I thought we had covered most of it by now.” Harry commented.”I’m not sure, I’ve never seen these parts before.”
Eyeball replied.”Me neither.” Diana added.The little car began driving down a sandy beach, the sight of waves and palm trees appearing on the grainy screen. At first, everything seemed normal, but then everyone stopped.”What is that?”As the car continued forward, a figure appeared on the screen.”Is that... a person?” Mara asked. Eyeball drove closer.”It’s a Gem...”The figure appeared to be a thin, tall Gem with long, light colored hair and a dress that went down all the way to the ground. Their
hair was mostly straight with a few light waves along the ends, some strands fell near their pale face. A teardrop shaped gem was on their chest, but due to the camera’s night vision, no one could tell what color it was other than the fact that it was more on the lighter side.”Who is that?”Suddenly, the Gem looked straight at the camera. Everyone went silent. Then, the car must have been lifted up into the air, because the camera appeared to be moving up, despite the fact that the Gem wasn’t even touching it.”What’s going on?”The Gem continued to stare for a few moments, and then the camera feed went dead.Everyone screamed.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The initial reaction from what they had just seen caused a bit of panic among the group. Betty instinctively jumped into Harry’s arms, Mara started crying, and Diana couldn’t find any other words other than ”holy shit”.Needless to say, things did not go as planned.”Oh my stars oh my stars oh my stars...” Mara said quietly to herself, hugging her knees. ”I wanna go home...””Did you friggin’ see that?!” Betty exclaimed, still holding onto Harry, who was shaking himself.”I’m too handsome to die!” he cried.
”I knew we weren’t alone here.” Diana added. ”I was right!” She felt a little satisfied her suspicions were correct, but also terrified and wished she hadn’t been right.”EVERYONE QUIET!” Eyeball yelled. The panic stopped and everyone looked at her.
Betty realized she was still in Harry’s arms and quickly moved away without saying a word, a slight embarrassment fell over her. ”We have to remain calm.””What kind of Gem do you think that was?” Diana asked, collecting herself and sitting back down.”It was teardrop shaped, so maybe a Lapis Lazuli?” Harry suggested.
”No, it was too light colored to be a Lapis.” Diana replied.
”Too bad we didn’t get to see what the color was.” Mara commented. ”Maybe we’d have a better clue.””Whoever they are, they’re terrifying!” Betty shouted. ”We have to do something!””But what they’re friendly?” Mara suggested.”They destroyed a toy car just by looking at it!” Harry responded, throwing his hands up in the air to show emphasis.”Maybe the Gem thought they were in danger and acted in self defense.” she defended, crossing her arms. ”We don’t know their side of the story!””I swear, Mara. Your blind optimism about people is going to get you in trouble one day.” he huffed in frustration.”Hey! Before we all lose our heads, shut up and listen to me!” Eyeball yelled again. She took a deep breath, and then looked at everyone. ”Now we know for certain there’s someone else here. Hiding in this base doesn’t seem like the best option since it’ll just get us nowhere.””So what are we going to do?” Mara inquired.”We’ll go looking for this mysterious Gem and hope they aren’t hostile.” Eyeball announced.”And if they are?” Betty asked.”There’s five of us and one of them.” the Ruby reminded them. ”I’m sure we can handle this.”The group looked at each other with unsure glances, hoping that they were right.
No one could rest easily that night. The knowledge of another presence, one that could possibly pose a threat if they weren’t careful lingered in their minds. There was a feeling of uneasiness in the air that lasted throughout the night.Morning came sooner than they had hoped, but by then they felt brave enough to go seek out their unknown neighbor. As the five exited the base, they could only hope this confrontation would end peacefully.“Before we move forward, I surely hope you have something to defend yourselves with should something go wrong.” Eyeball told the group.Harry summoned a sword from his gem. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you all.”“So will I.” Betty added as she summoned her whip.
“I’ve got my water powers.” Diana mentioned, her wings appearing as she started to float above the group.Mara looked down shyly. “I’m not much of a fighter, but I can defend myself.” she explained. “Velvet gave me pepperspray. Oh! And I could cause a distraction with my holograms.”
“Good enough.” Eyeball said as the door to the Diamond Base closed behind them.“Now, we’ve got a neighbor to visit.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Hey... Betty?” Harry asked while the group was walking. “Before we possibly face off against a potentially dangerous unknown Gem, I’ve got to ask you something.”“Yeah?” Betty responded as she walked with the rest of the group.The group had been trekking around the Ocean Moon for about half an hour. However, they still had not found any trace of the mysterious Gem they found on the camera. Not planning on giving up anytime soon, they continued their search.“Did you really mean it when you kissed me back there?” he questioned. Betty froze.“Uh... well...”“Because I’ve kissed before and I can tell when someone means it.” he explained.“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” she lied. Betty wasn’t going to let that Empire City boy win that easily.“Come on, you know what I mean.”
“It was a dare.” she countered.“I know, but you just went for it. Didn’t even try to argue or anything, like you wanted to kiss me.” he pointed out. “And you jumped into my arms last night, too.”Shit, he was right. She sighed. “To tell you the truth, I kind of did.”“Oh really, now?”
“Ach!” Betty exclaimed. “I can’t believe I’m telling you this!” She began to blush, but tried to hide it but no avail.“So you are into me!”“What? No, what I meant was-““You don’t have to lie about it, Betty. If I were you, I would be into me.” he bragged.“Of course you would.”“You didn’t answer the question.”“Alright, fine. You got me.” she revealed, crossing her arms in defeat. “I might be into you. Just... don’t be so smug over it. You’re still a city boy, but a cute one.”
“Knew it!” he said with a smug look on his face. “Don’t worry, I’m into you, too.”“I knew that already.” she told him. “You flirt with me all the time.”“Got me there.” he admitted. “So what does that mean?”“Hm?”“For us?” he asked. “Like when we get back to Earth, we can start dating?”“Sure.”“Yes!” he cheered.
Meanwhile, Diana leaned over to Mara.
“Ha, I was right.” she whispered to her.“Do you think they’ll get married?” Mara whispered back.“They’ve been together for ten seconds, Mar. Slow down.” she replied.“Sorry, I just got excited.” she smiled. Her smile faded, however, when she heard a noise. “Wait, I think I hear something.” Mara interrupted.
“What?”“Everyone, quiet.” Eyeball ordered.Mara slowly walked around, trying to figure out where she heard the noise. As she made her way near a bush, she heard the noise again.“I heard it again.” she murmured. Stepping closer to the bush she peeked into it.Only to come face to face with another Pearl.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Mara looked directly at the Pearl, a look of surprise on both of their faces. It definitely wasn’t Cashmere, Velvet, or Gingham. In fact, she had never met another Pearl in person besides them, only seeing a few others on TV.For starters, this Pearl was very pink. She had straight pink hair that stopped at her upper back and light pink skin. Her gem was on her chest, also a pale shade of pink. She wore a pink leotard with a long, toole skirt that went below her knees and dark pink flats.”Excuse me?” Mara called out to the Pearl.She sunk back into the bush to hide. ”Ah!””Wait, don’t go!” she told her. The Pearl stuck her head out with caution, examining Mara and the others. ”We’re not going to hurt you.””You’re not supposed to see me!” she exclaimed. ”Go away!””Who are you?” Mara asked. ”What’s your
name?”She sighed, realizing her pleas to get them to leave her alone were not working. ”I am Pearl.”
Mara looked confused. ”Do you just call yourself... Pearl?” she replied. ”There are tons of Pearls, don’t you have a name for yourself?”
”Pearl is the name my Bustamite has assigned me.” she explained. ”It is what I am, no more, no less.””Your... Bustamite?” Diana responded.Eyeball froze. She had heard that name a long time ago, this was not good.”Well, just calling you Pearl is going to get confusing for me.” Mara told her. ”So I think I’m going to call you...” she thought for a moment. ”Shelley.””Shelley?” Betty asked. ”Why Shelley?””I don’t know, I just like that name.” Mara said. ”Plus, she lives on the ocean moon and there are shells in the ocean. So Shelley it is.””Not gonna argue with that logic.” Harry commented, shrugging his shoulders.”You are under no authority to address me as anything other than Pearl.” the Pearl retorted. ”Especially not you.” she looked at Mara with a glare.”Why not?”
”Just look at you, you’re a Pearl like I am.” she pointed to Mara’s pearl. ”You already have a lot of nerve to talk to me the way you do.””What?” Mara frowned. No one had ever spoken to her that way. She was just trying to be nice, why was this Pearl so quick to put her down like this?”I’ve already made a big mistake interacting with you five!” she exclaimed with a panicked expression. ”I was just supposed to be observing you quietly.””Observe us?””Of course.” Shelley revealed. ”Ever since you arrived, I was given the job of watching you. My Bustamite has been very keen on keeping you in check.””You were watching us this whole time?” Eyeball muttered angrily. ”Why?!””My Bustamite ordered me to!” she answered, a bit frightened by the Ruby’s sudden aggressiveness, shrinking back a little.Just then, Harry giggled. Everyone else looked at him. ”What? It’s a funny name.””Seriously?”
”Well, it is.” he defended. ”Hey, Shelley. Say ’Bustamite’.””Bustamite.”He giggled again. ”Come on.””Okay, I’ll admit that it is a little funny.” Diana chuckled. ”But still.””You won’t be laughing when she sees you talking to me.” the Pearl warned him.”Why, what’s going to happen?” Mara asked. ”We don’t mean any harm to either of you.””That Pearl is right, Mara.” Eyeball interrupted. ”We should just go back to the base.””What, why?””Pearl, what are you doing?!” a voice yelled.
Everyone turned around and saw the Gem from last night, now in person. Unlike on camera, she was able to be seen in color, showing her gem to be a light pink. Shelley began shaking as everyone saw that she did not look happy in the slightest.It was her. Bustamite.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Everyone stared at the Gem in shock, not really able to find the proper words to say. Shelley closed her eyes as if she was bracing herself while Bustamite looked at the group, studying them. She remained silent for a while, but then broke it after a few moments.“So, what have we here...” she said out loud, a disgusted look on her face. “A Hessonite, an Agate, a Lapis Lazuli, a Ruby, and... a Pearl. Odd choice to be assigned together, that’s for sure.”“Are you Bustamite?” Diana asked.She looked at them with mild surprise, then turned towards Shelley angrily. “How much did you tell them?!”“Not much, I swear!” she replied, shielding her arms in front of her face as if to protect herself. “Just your name and what you told me to do!”Bustamite growled in frustration, grabbing her shoulder rather harshly. “Ugh, you can’t do anything right, can you, Pearl? I give you one simple task, and you carelessly blow our cover.”
“Deepest apologies, my Bustamite. I tried my hardest not to be seen.” Shelley defended.“Well, that didn’t really work now, did it?” she sighed, letting her go. “There’s no use in hiding since they already know of our existance.”“Um, excuse me, Bustamite-“ Mara interrupted, but then felt a sharp slap across her face, despite the fact that Bustamite’s hand didn’t even move at all. “Ow!” she rubbed her cheek. “That hurt...”“I never ordered you to speak, Pearl.” she snapped, looking down at Mara with a condescending look. “Which one of these strange Gems do you belong to, anyway?”“Wha... what?”“Definitely not the Ruby. The Agate? No, that would be too much of a stretch.” she thought for a moment, then glanced over at Harry. “Of course! You must be the Hessonite’s.”“Actually, I... don’t belong to anybody.” Mara told her nervously.“Excuse me? Don’t make me laugh.” Bustamite replied, almost amused. “Did the Hessonite teach you to be funny?”“No, I’m being serious. I belong to myself.” Mara repeated. She didn’t like where this conversation was going, especially after what had just happened with Shelley. How long had this Gem been stuck on the moon for? Did she even know about the new laws?“She’s right.” Eyeball stepped in. “She’s not owned by anyone. Owning Pearls is kind of... out of fashion these days.”“You stay out of this, Ruby.” Bustamite spat, ignoring everything she had just said.”Now listen here, Bustamite...” Diana addressed the Gem. “We just want to talk. We didn’t realize you lived here.”“And you weren’t supposed to.” she replied.“We didn’t mean to intrude on your planet, but we had no choice seeing as our ship crashed.” Betty explained.
“You don’t think I already know that?” Bustamite looked at Betty, annoyed. ”You’re a strange looking Agate, aren’t you?”
“Hey, I don’t appreciate that tone of yours, especially from someone with the name ‘Bustamite’!” Harry butted in, a bit offended on behalf of his now girlfriend.“What is wrong with my name?”“It’s a funny name!” he told her, laughing a little.
“Harry, don’t...” Eyeball warned. She internally facepalmed. He really had no idea what he was getting himself into, did he?He giggled. ”I’m sorry, ha ha... but it’s hard to take you seriously with a name like that...”“DON’T LAUGH AT ME!”That sudden outburst sent a wave of power caused everyone to be pushed back and knocked to the ground.”Shit!” Harry felt his back hit a palm tree.As everyone was pushed back, Eyeball tried her best to get up and began to speak.“Bustamite was a high ranking Gem back on Homeworld.” Eyeball explained. “An exceptionally rare Gem, she had telekinesis, or the ability to move objects with her mind.” she glanced a Harry. “And you just pissed her off.””What is she doing on this abandoned planet?” Diana questioned.”She and her Pearl went missing around seven thousand years ago.” Eyeball told them.
”This must have been what happened to her!” Betty noted.
The rest got up, but Eyeball stood in front of them.”Eyeball, what are you doing?” Betty whispered, her voice slightly panicked.”Bustamite, my name is Eyeball, and I would like to discuss-““Enough chit chat!” Bustamite exclaimed, flinging Eyeball out of the way as if she were nothing but a speck of dust.“Eyeball!” Diana yelled.
”If I’m not going to be taken seriously around here, then I won’t be taken at all!” Bustamite began lifting rocks from the ground and threw them at the group all without even lifting a finger. ”I’m sure you’ll find this all hilarious now.”The fight had begun.Everyone began to dodge the rocks and other various objects that were being thrown towards them. Shelley was nowhere to be seen, so it was only assumed that she ran off in order to escape the chaos that was now occuring.
Diana flew towards her, trying to use her hydrokinesis to distract her. However, Bustamite was quick enough to notice, sending her flying into the ocean.Mara did a backflip to avoid the branches hurtling towards her. Her gymnastic skills allowed her to gracefully dodge anything that came her way. As soon as she was out of site, she climbed a nearby palm tree as to watch what was happening.She saw Harry summon his sword. “Don’t worry, I’ve got this!” He charged at Bustamite.“Pathetic.” she muttered.Suddenly, Harry’s sword was ripped from his hand and floated in the air. “What the hell?” The sword charged at Harry until it pinned him by his shirt onto another tree. “Shit!” He struggled, but the sword kept him in place.
Betty saw what had just happened to her boyfriend, and tried to fight back as well.“Harry!” she yelled. She tried to use her whip, but Bustamite responded by using her power to wrap the whip around Betty, preventing her from being able to move.With Diana and Eyeball thrown out of the way, there was no one else left to defend the two. Despite them outnumbering her, they were no match.All while this was happening, Mara was still hiding up in the tree, watching the fight. She couldn’t help but feel despair as her friends were being defeated so easily, but what could she do? She wasn’t much of a fighter at all, but maybe she could reason with her? It was better than just watching, that’s for sure.
She climbed down the tree and made her way back to where everyone else was.“Stop!” Mara ran towards Bustamite in attempt to get her to calm down. “Please, you’re hurting them! Ah!” Mara felt a force push her down to her knees. She tried to get up, but Bustamite used her telekinesis to keep her down. Not only that, but something was preventing her from using her holograms.“As if I’m going to take orders from you.” she replied coldly.
“Why are you being so cruel to us?” Mara asked, still struggling. ”There’s no need for all of this.”“Listen here, you useless toy. I’m not being cruel, I’m being honest.” she retorted, her expression a mixture of hatred and annoyance. “I’ve been trapped on this forsaken planet for stars knows how long with no one but that other damn Pearl.” She stepped closer. “All I wanted was some decent Gems to join me, but I couldn’t get that, could I?!”“What are you talking about?”“Do you think you came here by accident?” she revealed. “I destroyed your precious ship!”“You...” Mara suddenly remembered what Eyeball told her, how the ship’s engine was mysteriously bent in an unnatural way. “You’re behind this whole thing...” she didn’t know what else to say at this point.“I only did it because I was sick and tired of having no one but my Pearl to interact with!” she told her. “But unfortunately instead of the proper Gems I had hoped for, I got you freaks.”“We’re not freaks...”“Oh really?” she kneeled down to face Mara directly. ”I took the liberty of sending my Pearl to observe you all. She would tell me everything you five did, how you treated each other, became friends... I even know about the Agate and the Hessonite.” she winced in disgust at that last part. “If I had known you would all turn out to be off colors, I wouldn’t have brought you here.”“There’s nothing wrong with us at all.” Mara explained. “And besides, their names are Betty and Harry-“She stood up to look down at her. ”There you go again, speaking out of line. You know, it’s not right for someone of your status to be so... confident.”“How am I being confident? I’m just trying to be nice.” she replied.“Nice? As if that’s going to get you anywhere. Have you ever tried shutting your mouth like you’re supposed to?” Bustamite asked. ”After all, you are just a Pearl.””What does that have to do with anything?” Mara questioned.”Are you that unaware of your own unimportance?” she rolled her eyes and didn’t even think twice about the hurtful words coming out of her own mouth. ”You’re disposable, replaceable, someone’s object.”“That’s not true...” Mara stammered. ”I’m a person, too...”“You could disappear and no one would ever notice.” Her words felt like a stab in the heart. She looked down at the girl once more, her expression almost emotionless while Mara sat there looking defeated, having given up trying to fight against Bustamite’s telekinetic force. “Maybe it would be better if you did, seeing as you’re having so much trouble accepting your place... if there even is one for you. Perhaps you’re defective?”“How could you say something like that?” Mara asked on the verge of tears. Never in all her life had she heard anything as cruel as this being said to her. Isn’t this what Cashmere told her she would never have to hear?
“Oh come on, I’m simply telling the truth. That’s just how things are. It’s better you accept it.” She thought for a moment. “You know, normally, defective Pearls like you are reported to the Diamonds and sent to be shattered. But since we’re cut off from the rest of Homeworld, it looks like I’m going to have to purge you away myself.”“No!”“Unless...” the tall Gem thought for a moment. She glanced over at Mara, still being held down. ”Hm, I don’t think there’s a rule against owning more than one Pearl, is there? There may be a chance I could rid you of your... off colorness.”“Listen, it doesn’t have to be this way.” Mara said, finding the smallest amount of energy she had to try to reason with her. “Things have really changed since you were trapped here. When rescue comes, you can go to Earth with us!”“Earth? I have no idea what that is.””It’s a place, you see?” Mara explained, tears falling down her face. ”A place where every Gem has the right to be what they want, a place where Gems like you have no right to tell Gems like me that they’re worthless...” she closed her eyes. ”A place where I really would like to be right now!””That sounds like an absurd place!” Bustamite laughed. She didn’t seem to believe anything Mara said.”But it’s not just Earth, Homeworld is like that now, too!” she continued. ”I may have never been there before, but I’ve heard stories about it.” Mara looked up at her, feeling a sudden wave of confidence overcome her. ”Quartzes and Rubies walking side by side with Agates and Beryls... off colors being accepted for who they are... Pearls roaming around on their own, doing what they like without a care or worry in the world... the old Homeworld you knew is gone, Bustamite.””Oh, how touching...” she said mockingly. ”Not only are you defective, you’re also delusional! Now that I think of it, I’m worried you’re too far gone.” she said as she paced back and forth, but remained in front of her. ”Besides, having one Pearl is already a bother. Two Pearls would just hold me back.” she paused, then stared at her.Mara felt herself being lifted into the air, and then a force closing in around her neck, choking her. She tried to stop it, but nothing worked. Was she really going to go this way?”Stop struggling, I’m doing you a favor.” Bustamite demanded. But before she could do anything else...Something stabbed her from behind.She could only stand there in silence as she looked down and saw a knife sticking out from her chest, a few inches below her Gem. Mara, still floating in midair, looked on in surprise. The next thing she knew, she fell to the ground on her back and Bustamite had been poofed.
She quickly got up to see what happened and saw Eyeball holding Bustamite’s gem and bubbling it.
“If there’s anything I’ve learned as a trained Ruby soldier... it’s to never turn your back for too long.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Mara sighed in relief, still trying to process all that had just happened, the tears on her face already starting to dry. She was a bit out of breath after almost being choked to death. “You saved me...”“Of course I did, you’re my friend.” Eyeball replied with a smile. She sent the bubble away and walked towards her, helping her get up.“I can’t believe...” she groaned, dusting herself off. “I’ve never been so... degraded in all my life.”“I heard everything.” the Ruby told her. “I’m really sorry you had to hear all that.”“Were all Pearls really treated that badly?” Mara asked, the tears starting to flow again. She had heard some stories, yes. But hearing what Bustamite said to her face felt so... different. Not only that, but seeing how Shelley was treated didn’t really leave her mind either.“Some of them, yes. But I’ve heard a lot worse.” she explained. “Listen, don’t believe anything that bitch said. None of it is true.”“I know, but it still hurts.” she replied. “I’m just not used to this treatment.”“It’s okay, I’m here.” Eyeball gave her a hug and she hugged back. Just then, they heard something. Turning around, it was just Harry and Betty.
“Stars... that hurt like hell.” Harry commented, still feeling some pain from the fight.“At least she’s dealt with.” Betty said, rubbing her arm. “You’re a lifesaver, Eyeball.”“Sometimes, it’s all about stealth.” Eyeball simply stated. Just then, Diana flew back in. She seemed fine, but had a few bruises on her body, not to mention her hair was messy and wet.“You guys...” Diana huffed, exhausted.“What is it?” Mara asked.“You better come see this.”
The five walked towards the shore and saw what looked like a miracle. Waiting for them was a ship and two people - an Amethyst and a human man.
“Thank the stars!” Harry exclaimed.
Cheers could be heard from the other four. Mara cried again, but this time it was tears of joy. After more than two weeks living on this empty beach planet, they were finally being rescued. Diana would get to see her dad and Peridot again, Betty would see the Famethyst, Harry could go back to Empire City with his father, and Mara could reunite with Cashmere, Velvet, and Gingham.“Are you folks alright?” the man asked.
Betty nodded. “We’re a bit banged up, but alright.”“Good to hear.” the Amethyst replied. “You guys need a ride?”“Yes!” Eyeball agreed, practically jumping with joy, and then immediate calmed down. “Uh, I mean, yes.”“Don’t worry, cheer all you want.” the Amethyst assured Eyeball. “No one’s judgin’.”Mara paused for a moment, then remembered something. ”Wait, there’s something I have to do first.” she interrupted. “It won’t take long, I promise.”“Okay, go ahead.” the man said. Mara quickly ran off, heading towards the Diamond Base.
Entering the Diamond Base, Mara quickly ran upstairs to collect everyone’s stuff. But as she made her way to the second floor, someone was already there.“Shelley?” Mara called out. The Pearl must have been hiding in here during the whole fight, her face behind her knees. She looked up at Mara with a cautious expression.“Oh, you’re alive...” she murmured. “I was worried Bustamite would have, um, dealt with you by now.”“You don’t have to worry about Bustamite anymore.” she assured her fellow Pearl.
“Why?”
“She’s going to be... out for a while.” Mara explained. She wasn’t sure how to tell her that Bustamite was impaled by a knife then bubbled away.“Really?” Shelley looked up, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. She lowered her knees and began to look at Mara curiously.
“Yes. Not only that, but rescue has arrived and we’re going back to Earth. I think it would be best if you came with us.” Mara suggested. She felt as though it was the right thing to do, especially after what happened with Bustamite.“Why should I go with you?” she questioned, a bit untrustworthy of Mara’s intentions. After all, she didn’t know her.“Because it’s way better than here, that’s for sure.” she assured her. ”Trust me.”“I don’t know...”“It’s a place where Pearls like us can be free and happy.” she said. ”Somewhere where you won’t have to deal with Bustamite.”Shelley’s eyes lit up. ”There’s such a place?”“Yes! And we can go there right now!” Mara exclaimed, smiling.“Alright, I’ll go with you, but only because I don’t want to be here anymore.” Shelley replied, a bit unsure on what to do next.“Aw yay!” Mara exclaimed. “It’s going to be so much fun. You can live with me and the others. We’ll be like roommates!”“What’s a roommate?””Never mind all that, let me get all the stuff first, then we can go.” Mara said as she began placing things inside her pearl. She picked up her sleeping bag and thought to herself. Was she going to miss this place?She did have fun with her new friends, but the whole time she wished she was back on Earth. But then another thought crossed her mind: what would happen when they got back to Earth? Would she still see her friends again? Beach City wasn’t that far away, and they could exchange numbers. Either way, there probably was a way they could all hang out on Earth, especially now that Betty and Harry were dating.Shelley got up and stood there, watching this strange Pearl collect everything with ease. What would this place be like? She had never gone anywhere without her Bustamite before, and now she was gone, apparently. Without Bustamite, was she anything? Well, it looked like she was going to find out.After Mara was done, she offered her hand to Shelley. Reluctantly taking it, she was led by Mara out, but not before glancing back one last time...
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When they at last landed back on Earth the following day, they were greeted with a crowd surrounding them along the beach where the ship had landed. It appeared as though the news of their disappearance reached the town. It wasn't exactly the welcome party they were expecting, but it was a pleasant surprise.
As the five were escorted through the crowd, they heard a few feminine voices calling out.
”MARA!”
”Guys!” Mara yelled. A group of three Pearls ran through the crowd towards them, extremely relieved to see her. Pulling her into a group hug, she became overwhelmed with happiness. This was what Mara had been missing all this time. It was so great to have them back, and a part of her felt guilty for taking them for granted.
”Oh my stars, we were so worried! We didn’t know where you were!” a tan one with short hair and a beige sweater exclaimed, her pearl atop her forehead. Mara could tell that she looked like she had been through some stress. Maybe it was best not to tell them about Bustamite right away. She knew Cashmere would have a heart attack.
Mara hugged her tightly, tears of joy running down her face. ”Cashmere...”
”We thought you might have gone missing or kidnapped or worse!” a blue haired pearl with a checkered dress and a head-side gem told her,
waving her hands back and forth to convey her emotions.
“Don’t worry, Gingham. I’m fine.” Mara assured her, hugging her as well. ”I’m alright. You don't have to worry anymore.”
”Cashmere was freaking out like crazy! It was nuts!” Gingham added, breaking away from the hug. "We told her you'd probably be fine, but we still had that feeling something could have gone wrong."
“Even Velvet was crying.” Cashmere pointed out.
“Really?” Mara was a bit surprised. Velvet wasn't really one to show much emotion, she mostly kept to herself.
“Yeah...” said the third Pearl in a low, quiet voice. This Pearl was
a dark red one with smooth, long hair that went down her back. Like Mara, her pearl was located on her navel, but it was made to look like it was a part of her outfit.
“We’re so glad you’re back!” Cashmere shouted, her voice filled with relief.
“You smell like saltwater!” Gingham retorted.
“Yeah, there was a lot of that where I was.” Mara laughed awkwardly. “Oh... by the way, I kind of brought someone back from space...”
“You what?!” the three of them exclaimed.
She brought Shelley from behind her. Still a bit nervous and obviously not being used to the planet, the new Pearl avoided eye contact. ”Guys, this is Shelley. We found her on the Ocean Moon.” she explained. ”Canwepleaseletherstaybecauseshehasnowhereelsetogo pretty please?”
”Woah, slow down.” Gingham interrupted. ”You want her to live with us?”
”Listen, I know it’s all so sudden, but she was trapped on that moon for so long, she has no idea what the world is like now.”
”I don’t know...” Cashmere replied, unsure. ”We hardly know her.”
”Don’t worry, I can help her out and stuff.”
”Mara, we just got you back, and that whole incident has gotten all of us pretty shaken up.” Cashmere told her. ”And now you come back with an extra person. This is a lot to take in, you know.”
”Come on, pleeeeeeeaaaasssssse?” she begged. ”I can teach her about Earth culture, and it’s not like she has to eat or anything!”
”I don’t know...”
”I’ll allow it.” Velvet interrupted.
”Yeah, come on, C! It’ll be fun!” Gingham told her.
“Well, I suppose a fifth Pearl wouldn’t hurt.”
“Yes!” Mara jumped. “Oh boy, we’re going to have so much fun!”
“Fun?” Shelley questioned, rather confused. “I don’t understand...”
“We’ll explain it later.” the hybrid assured her.
“Now that’s settled, we have something to tell you.” Cashmere revealed.
”What is it?”
”Remember all those discussions we had about moving to Beach City?” Velvet asked.
Mara nodded. ”What about it?”
”It’s official. We’re moving.”
Mara’s face lit up. ”Really?” she asked, excitedly. ”But what about the shop?”
”We’re merging with another shop. You’ve heard of Cutie’s House of Beauty, right?” Cash told her. "The one run by Yellow Pearl?"
“Yellow Pearl?!" Mara's jaw dropped. "Cutie's? Of course I know
that shop!"
“Well, in order to do so, we’re going to have to move to Beach City, I hope that’s okay with you.”
”Yes! It's more than okay!” Mara exclaimed, jumping up and
down. ”Now I don’t have to worry about missing my new friends! Speaking of which, hey guys!”
Diana looked over at Mara and walked to her. “Mara, Stevonnie’s here!”
”Wait, really?” Not only was Mara
going to meet
Yellow Pearl, but Stevonnie too? It was as if she could just faint!
“This is your chance to say hi!” she encouraged her.
“Where are they?” Mara asked, her heart pounding with anticipation.
“Over there!” Diana pointed towards a figure with long, dark brown hair talking to someone else. It was indeed Stevonnie, the oldest hybrid in existence.
Mara turned towards the other Pearls. “I’ll be right back, okay?” She ran off back into the crowd in excitement.
Was she really about to meet them? Was this even real? She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
”Alrighty!” Gingham nodded, getting a good look at the new Pearl. ”So, Shelley, huh?”
”My name is Pearl.” she deadpanned. ”I still don't understand why I'm being referred to as 'Shelley'."
"We've got a lot of work to do..." Velvet sighed.
Making her way around, she navigated through a crowd of people all talking at once. It was a bit overwhelming, but as she got closer to the legendary hybrid it became easier for her to manage. It felt so unreal, being right in front of Stevonnie Universe. She also couldn't help but feel nervous, too. Mara gathered all the strength she had in herself to approach them. This was her chance to thank them for inspiring her. For a moment, she paused though, out of fear that she would sound annoying. But she pushed her fears away as she went for it anyway.
“Excuse me,” Mara tapped on Stevonnie’s shoulder. They turned around and looked down to see her. Here it was. The big moment. “You must be Stevonnie!”
“Of course I am.” they replied.
Immediately the girl became starstruck. “Hi, my name’s Mara! I’m so excited to meet you! I’ve heard so many great things about you!”
Stevonnie looked at this hybrid girl they had never met before. They were used to seeing new people all the time, so it didn't bother them as much as one would think. ”That’s wonderful. I don’t think we’ve met.”
”Well, I’m moving to Beach City so you might see me more.” she explained. “But wow, I can’t believe I’m talking to you right now!”
”I can’t wait. Welcome to Beach City, Mara.” They smiled. Noticing her gem, they began to realize something. Could it be? This girl reminded her of someone they hadn’t seen in around thirty years. Someone important...
"You know, you mean a lot to me. I'm pretty sure a lot of hybrids would say the same thing." Mara rambled on. She wasn't prepared for this, but she made do. "I just wanted to thank you. For everything."
Stevonnie paused. Had she really followed her Diamond’s footsteps after all? This fact was a lot to take in. After they took a better look, they knew it was indeed her daughter.Taking a deep breath, they shook her hand. They felt themselves getting a little emotional. No, now wasn’t the time. “Welcome, back.”
Eyeball walked towards Doc, a smile on her face. Despite her happiness, she remained calm and professional, saluting her fellow Ruby with her hand on her forehead. She was worried about what she had to say about what could technically been seen as a failure, but Doc seemed to be in a good mood despite the setback.
”Welcome, back soldier. I'm so glad to see you alive and well.” Doc greeted, patting her on the back.
”We got more important news.” the veteran revealed.
”Do tell.” Doc requested.
"Okay, well..." she paused in order to get the right words out of her mouth. The fact that she managed to defeat a Bustamite, a rare and powerful type of Gem, was already unbelievable. But it was something she had to tell her. ”My group and I were attacked by a rogue Bustamite.”
”A Bustamite?!” Doc murmured, losing her professional stance. ”My stars! And you survived?”
“It wasn’t easy, let me tell you.” Eyeball tried to word it in a way that didn't sound like she was bragging.
“How’d you do it? Those Bustamites can’t be messed with.” Doc leaned forward, visibly interested in what the other Ruby had to say.
”I was able to use my skills to destabilize her. She is guilty of both assault and illegal ownership of a Pearl.” Eyeball explained. ”The bubble has been sent for evaluation.”
”You did good. I’m proud of you.” the chest Ruby congratulated. “Your first leading mission was indeed a success.”
“But the ship crashed, preventing us from getting to our intended destination.”
“While that is true, you also were able to stop a criminal and keep your group safe. That doesn’t sound like a failure to me.” she assured her. “You did just fine.”
”Thank you, Doc.” Eyeball said, pulling her into a hug and smiling. "It's good to be back."
”HEEEYYYYY!” a large crowd of Quartzes dogpiled onto Betty, an act of affection that would scare most people. “Betty’s back!” The group toppled her onto the ground while all talking at once excitedly. Several chants of “you’re back” could be heard from them.
Betty had to push a few of them off of her before standing back up and breathing heavily. Even for someone who was half Agate, this whole endeavor wore her out more than she anticipated. Perhaps she needed a nice bath when she got home.
“Guys, guys, gimme some space, will ya?” she requested, still recovering from what had happened before. She was used to this from them, but it had been a while.
“We missed you!” Sharky, one of the Amethysts, cheered. “We didn’t wanna lose ya.”
"Elle almost went looking for you herself and I had to stop her." Skinny
“You gotta tell us about space, girl!” Jay, another one with curly hair, demanded, jumping up and down.
“What did you see?” Carnelian tugged on her braid in order to get her attention, something
the short Gem
had developed a quite endearing habit of since the hybrid started wearing them as a kid.
Betty smiled. It was nice to see how much they cared for her despite their problems with her mother in the past. They treated her like she was one of them, giving her a kinship with them, especially after the death of her father.
The Famethyst really
were
a family, and the tightest-knit one she knew of.
"Oh man, we ended up on this ocean planet and stayed inside an abandoned base." she revealed, brushing the dust off her clothes. "We fought this angry pink Gem with telekinetic powers and someone almost got killed!"
"Sick!" a pinkish looking Amethyst shouted.
"Give us more of the details!" Sharky added after giving her a playful punch on the shoulder.
Betty gave them a smug look and softly punched her back. “I’ll tell you about it later, after I introduce you to my new boyfriend.”
“BOYFRIEND?!” they all screamed, dramatically pretending to fall back in shock.
Betty couldn't help but laugh at their reaction. She had a lot to tell them about the Ocean Moon and Harry. Would they even like him? They probably would, but there was always that worry she had that they might intimidate him.
Harry looked around the crowd for someone, an anxious look on his face. Where was he? It wouldn't be unlike him not to show up, but it was the least he could do for something as important as this. Or at least send someone to get his son for him.
Luckily, he spotted a familiar figure. “Dad!” he called out upon seeing an older man in a fancy gray suit. He had brown skin much like his son, and his dark hair showed signs of visible graying. By the look on his face, he seemed concerned.
”I was worried about you, son.” he told him. ”I had a feeling I shouldn't have let you go on this trip.”
”But Dad, I-”
”You could have been hurt!” he interrupted. "I don't want to lose you."
”But I’m fine!” he exclaimed. ”Besides, I’m 29. You have no control over me and I would have gone anyway even if you were against it." he crossed his arms. "You really should start treating me like an adult.”
"I care about you a lot. But I also care about your well being." he put his hand on his son's shoulders and looked him in the eye. "I have to make sure you don't hurt yourself or you image."
"Come on, is my image really that important?"
”This discussion is over.” his father stated. ”Say goodbye to your friends, because we’re going home right away.”
”Can’t you at least let me introduce you to my new girlfriend?”
“You got a girlfriend?”
He pulled his hand away.
"Yes. I know I'm suppose to get your approval first, but I want to make my own decisions on this." his son explained to him. Sick of being treated like a child, he felt the need to start calling his own shots. And his love life would be among the first.
Mr. Ross
took a deep breath and sighed. “You can introduce me to her later, I have an important meeting to attend to.”
“Ugh, fine.” Harry groaned. There really was no reasoning with him. As long as he lived with him, there were so many rules he had to deal with. He walked toward Betty, dreading the goodbye.
“Diana, there you are!” a high pitched voice called out. Diana turned to see an Aquamarine wearing a doctor’s outfit, her hair tied up neatly. Flying towards her with a clipboard in hand, she had a friendly demeanor and some important information to tell. “Just making sure everyone is accounted for. I need you and all the others to meet me at my office sometime this week to make sure none of you caught any new diseases.” she glanced over at Diana’s bruises. ”But it looks like you need to be looked at immediately.”
”Sorry, there was a bit of roughing up.” she admitted, wincing while remembering the sensation of being thrown. Something told her she'd be feeling that for a while. Good thing hybrids were stronger than a normal human.
”I can tell.” the Aquamarine looked at her with concern. ”Can you still fly?”
“Pretty sure I can. We can fly there in a minute.” she replied, then looked around for someone in particular. ”Dr. Marine, where’s my dad?”
“I visited him today to drop off his medication.” she told her, checking something off of the clipboard. “He couldn’t make it due to his condition. You know how it is.”
“Right.” Diana looked down, a bit disappointed. “He is getting old after all.” Jamie had seen better years. Now an old man, there were many things he could no longer do, having retired from both his job of being a mailman and his passion for acting. Luckily, Diana had taken after him. But she knew that his time was limited and he was fading away.
“Diana!” another voice shouted. She saw Peridot running towards her, leaping into a hug. “See, I knew you’d be okay!”
“Ooh! Careful!” Diana exclaimed, her body still a bit sore from the fight.
”Sorry, sorry.” Peridot moved back a little. ”I was so worried when I was told you didn’t make it, so I went and scanned the route area to look for any stray planetoids you might have ended up on!” she explained. “And my calculations were correct! Welcome home, Di.”
Diana smiled. Classic Peridot. ”Is everything okay at home?”
“Of course, Jamie, Emile, and Judy are going to be so relieved!” the green Gem exclaimed. “Putzie kept asking when you were coming back.”
“They did?”
“You should have seen it! But we’re all glad you’re back, you know?” Peridot assured her. Diana felt the same, she had really missed everyone and was just eager to see them.
”Peridot’s right.” Dr. Marine added. ”But first, we need to get you to the hospital.”
“Do ya really gotta get going so soon?” Betty asked. “The fam’s eager to meet you.”
“Unfortunately.” Harry explained, rubbing the back of his neck. “He’s on a tight schedule.”
“You’d think he’d be more happy to see you, at the very least.” Betty put her hands on her hips, slightly annoyed. Not at Harry, but his father.
“You don’t know my dad.” he told her. “He does care about me, he’s just awful at showing it.”
“I guess so.” she replied. “Do you have my number?”
“Not yet.” he realized. ”What is it?”
“Let me put it in for you.”
He handed her his phone and she began entering her number. “We really should hang out.” Harry told her. ”I could show you the city.”
“I’ve already been to a city, just not yours. Besides, you gotta come to my place, first.” Betty told him, giving his phone back. “We’ll show you how to have some real fun!”
“Oh yeah?” he teased. Just then, Betty snuck a kiss on his cheek.
“Yeah.” she giggled as he blushed. ”Gotcha, city boy.” For the first time ever, she said it as an endearing term. They pulled into one more hug before parting.
Somewhere in Beach City, a Pearl leaned against a white fence in front of her light indigo house. She wore a dark purple dress that stopped below her knees and black kitten heels. Her medium length hair, a slightly
different shade of violet, flipped at the end, and her appearance was amplified by her black choker and loose bracelet. Her medium purple pearl was out of sight, just behind her upper back.
There was an air of pride around her, as if she was secretly showing herself off should anyone had been around. Looking at the sunset, she smiled. Her lavender skin almost shining against the sunlight.
However, her thoughts were cut short when she saw another Pearl walking towards her.
This one seemed to appear to be the opposite of her. She had short, curly black hair that seemed to be a tad bit messy. Her baggy clothes and lack of shoes contrasted against her neat outfit, and her faded black skin seemed to be covered in ash. Atop her forehead was a proudly placed black pearl.
Despite being polar opposites, they were happy to see each other.
“Hey, Charcoal.” the purple Pearl greeted, revealing her smooth voice. “Catch anything on fire today?”
“No, Candy. I haven’t.” she said, almost disappointed. Her voice was a bit husky. “Been tryna convince Goldie to let me be exempt from the firework ban.”
“She has a point, you know.” Candy reminded her. "Remember the noise complaints?"
“Hey, a Pearl’s gotta get her fix.” the black Pearl defended, leaning against the same fence.
"Thank the stars there's no rule against sex."
Charcoal rolled her eyes. “Anyway, we’re getting new neighbors. A bunch of new Pearls.”
”Nice.” Candy replied, filing her nails. ”I’ve been really bored here with the house next to me empty. Hope they’re cute.”
”I heard one of them’s a hybrid. And another’s new to Earth. Imagine that.” she said
as she took out what appeared to be a box of cigarettes, clearly old fashioned for this day and age. It's not like she cared, though.
”We’ve all been new to Earth at some point.” Candy stopped filing her nails and pulled out a compact mirror, admiring her reflection.
”True.” Charcoal mused.
”I just hope the other Pearls aren’t too hard on them. I mean, a hybrid and a newbie?”
”You know Ocean’s probably gonna pull some shit.” she told her, lighting a cigarette and putting it in her mouth. She blew a cloud of smoke. “She always does.”
“I think I’d better warn them about her.” Candy closed the compact mirror and put it away.
“She definitely will if she sees them hanging with you.” Charcoal pointed out.
“Oh bother!” she responded. “She’s the one who oughta keep her nose out of people’s business.” She knew firsthand how one nosey Pearl can ruin one’s reputation, and the last thing she wanted was for someone else to deal with the same problem. “I should still make sure they settle in alright.”
“That sounds nice.” Charcoal responded. “Let me know when they get here, I want to give them a welcoming gift.”
“Let me guess,” the purple Pearl paused. “Lighters?”
“You know me too well, Can.” she chuckled. It was quiet for a moment. A bunch of seagulls flew by, paying no attention to the two.
Candy interrupted the silence. “But they don’t, and that’s what’s great about meeting new people, don’t you think?”
“Couldn’t agree more.” Charcoal yawned, taking another drag of her cigarette.
The two looked on for a moment and wondered about what would happen next. Things had become a bit too quiet lately, it was almost a bit nerve wracking. Maybe some new neighbors was exactly what Candy, and the rest of Pearl Row, needed.