Radiance Reborn

Colours. Such a concept didn't exist to her form, yet did, all at once all around her. It seemed so foreign, after awaking in a blank, white crystal space.

White gazed entranced at them all. Yellows and oranges and reds, all around her. Detailed stained glass littered the walls, telling stories and showing images that she oh so wished to hear about, but could only glance at them as she walked past. She could only remember to keep moving through the hallways due to Yellow's and Blue's tight grasps on her hands.

They walked with their backs straight, heads held high, eyes straight ahead and perfectly poised for elegance. White held none of that. Her feet gracefully tapped the floor with each silent step, but that was as far as her elegance went. With every new mural that she passed by, she lent forward to see it sooner. When she was forced to pass it, she lent back to look at it for just a moment longer, inching to understand the history behind it.

Her eyes littered around the walls, the floor, the tiled roof. Darting with a youthful eagerness. Out of the corner of her eye, she would catch Blue or perhaps Yellow glance at her, before quickly averting their eyes once they realised they were caught.

White had long given up trying to memorise the endless hallways. It was an unforgiving labyrinth.

She thought it to be a fun little game, and giggled.

But it didn't last, and she signed quietly.

Upon her sigh, she saw them both glance at her in sync. But she ignored them both this time.

Instead she gazed at the designs on the walls and pillars. Tiny and elegant and all part of a small piece that contributed to the final, completed look. Each detail was masterfully crafted to be the same, perfect in every way.

(She loved that word. Perfect. But why? It was just a word, after all.)

The designs often followed the pattern of naturally formed crystals and gems, with all of their sharp edges and flat facets. It was pretty.

No. Pretty was too simple a word to describe such elegant detail of the palace. It was gorgeous. Divine.

(Divine! Oh, she loved that word, too. Just the simple sound of words made her gem elate and flutter, the meaning all too perfect.)

Yellow's wing of the palace was so much more… something, compared to her own.

White’s step faltered.

Yellow noticed, and Blue ignored it.

She had only just formed, why would she have her own wing in the palace?

Where had that come from?

White blinked out of her thoughts when the Diamond’s beside her suddenly stopped, coming back to reality.

“We’re here!” Steven cheered, jumping down from his perch on the nook of Blue’s hair. Another small being, brown, with no aura and no obvious gem, held onto his hand as Steven floated down to the ground. Blue’s eyes softened as she stared at him. Yellow’s hard eyes had a fond edge to them.

White glanced behind her as the other small gems she definitely did not forget were following them. The group quickly shuffled to the other two small creatures (gems?).

Yellow and Blue led her to a black cushioned area right by the open door and sat her down gently. The cushions were large and she sunk into them eagerly. Blue and Yellow cracked a shared grin at her obvious glee, before saying something that she did not care to catch, far too interested in the void she sat in. They wandered a bit away from her new fascination, joining the group of small gems.

White marvelled at the soft fluffiness of the pillowed floor. They were positioned so that they formed a circular bedding of softness. Her thin yet firm fingers squished at the dark pillows, her black nails piercing the silky fabric with ease. Her eyes widened at her next discovery, and her smile grew into a fast grin.

Out of the small cut in the fabric her nails had made, feathers were emerging. She didn't know how she knew what they were, but she didn't particularly care for it.

The feathers were small and black like the pillows it came from. Soft yet delicate. She busied herself with this new sensation, fiddling with the positioning of the cushions and twirling a larger feather in her hands.

White decided that feathers were not as entertaining as she first thought. Nor were the pillows. They were soft and fluffy, but she quickly grew bored of the simple feathers. They were all the same, and she did no longer feel the same gleeful joy at playing with them as she had before.

She laid on her pile of pillows, looking around to find a new source of entertainment. Yellow and Blue were busy with all of the small gems, and Steven and what she had now recognised as an organic.

White sighed softly as she frowned. Ugh, boredom was awful.

(But, Whittttttttte! I'm so borrrred!)

She glanced unenthusiastically at the group, then the walls, then back to her pillows.

She sighed again. This time louder, in hopes of catching the attention of Yellow or Blue or even Steven.

It didn't.

White rolled her eyes. What was even so important that they had to leave her in her suffering? What was she supposed to do now?

She glanced around the room in a last ditch attempt at freedom from her misery, and stopped in her tracks. The door was still open.

The door was still open…

If there was nothing worth entertaining herself with here, perhaps there may be elsewhere, White thought with a growing smile.

Perfect, she purred.

White slowly crept to the door. Every few steps, she would halt in her tracks and glance at the group. Yellow and Blue had their backs to the door, hiding her from view from the entire group. They sat on their knees while they talked to the smaller gems. No one noticed her.

With a determined gleam in her eyes, she grinned as she swiftly, silently, sneaked out of the room. She hid behind a wall, pressing herself against it as she giggled softly. Silly gems. She would be long gone when they realised she was missing.

Once she had calmed down from her fit of giggles, she stared down at the two pathways in the hallway. There were two options ahead of her.

She could go left, and head back the direction they had come from. Or she could go right, and explore a new direction and pathway.

The choice was easy for White. She chose right, and started her trek into the yellow-gold unknown.

She walked slowly and admired as the radiant yellow faded into a green, and slowly transformed into a deep royal blue archway. Each wall was intricately decorated with indents and glass and shards. Each told a story, a journey, a lesson. It was magnificent. It was unique.

She broke out of her awed trance as a small squeak softly interrupted her thoughts. White Diamond hadn't noticed how far she had gone, and glanced around in curiosity. The blue had faded into purple, and she was nearing a pinker part of the palace.

White looks down, focusing intently on the source of the mysterious sound, searching.

Her gleaming radiant irises gaze over the murals and pillars and curtains that cover entrances to balconies or windows. For a moment, she thinks she may have imagined the noise. Turning her attention back to the mural, this one depicting a pink, spiked haired individual holding a planet with a singular moon orbiting it, she allows her glimmering bare feet to softly pad against the crystal flooring as she travels deeper into the palace.

She takes a sharp right, at a forked hallway and disappears from view. Then, she halts, and waits.

Pink Pearl carefully balances on one foot, wobbling, her other currently trapped in a delicate red fabric of a curtain. She curses herself internally. She was a Pearl, made for grace and beauty, and she trips on her feet. She holds a breath that she does not need, and stays deathly still and silent as she watches her Diamond carefully search the hall. Her thin fragile fingers come to rest by her gem in comfort.

She allows a sigh of relief to escape her as Her Brilliance continues her trek down another corridor, away from view. She struggles behind the curtain, leaning against the window to carefully detangle the fabric from her left leg. She wants to hurry, so that she doesn't lose Her Radiance, but she also knows rushing may make the tangles worse.

Knot by knot, tangle by mangle, Pink Pearl carefully pulls herself free. She grins as she looks at herself. Not bad, Pearl thinks to herself, satisfied with her success.

No! She has to stay on track! Pearl shakes her head, before stepping out of her hiding place. The moment she does, she gasps.

Suddenly, large white hands scoop her up. Pink Pearl falls upon the waiting soft palm, breath caught in her vocal cords as her single working eyes widens, the other stuck in the broken past, unmoving. The hand lifts her up so fast Pearl floats in the air for a millisecond, before promptly falling on her face with a yelp.

She scrunches her eye closed, slightly curling in on herself as she props herself up on her hands, head bowed.

Her Radiance will surely be furious. Honestly, what was she thinking, following a Diamond unordered? It was quite obvious she wasn't! She never does–

A giggle, soft and musical yet loud in her ears. An unknown sound to come from the Original Diamond. Pink Pearl glances up from her fear ridden spot in Her Radiance's gracious palm.

White Diamond is watching her, with joy in her eyes and youthful glee. A sight for her sore eyes, after being deprived of seeing Pink Diamond for so long.

Onyx black lips curl up in a smile, as she speaks. “Found you~!” Her giggle died down into a small titter, her smile wide and unfaltering.

Oh.

That was right.

Her Radiance had been rejuvenated.

White's delight grew as she fondled the small Pearl in her gentle hands. Pearls were extraordinarily fragile, with a mere hardness of 2.5 on the Mohr scale. So she must be extraordinarily careful when handling the small gems, she rationalised.

She sat in the passageway on her knees, turning her head this way and that way to thoroughly examine the Gem closely with enthusiasm.

Pink Pearl let Her Radiance seemingly play with her with only a slightly unbothered gleam to her expression that White ignored. She sat silent and still as White Diamond's nails guided her to stand and lightly pushed her to spin, laughing softly as her skirt spun out. Her Diamond may have been rejuvenated, but she was still her Radiance.

“Um, i-if I may, my Radiance,” Pink Pearl stuttered nervously. Her one good pale pink eye darted down the corridor where she had thought Her Brilliance had walked down, before returning her eyes to White. “How– where– when–?” Pearl struggled to word her question, eyes darting between the giant white being before her, and the corridor behind her.

White giggled again. Such a silly Pearl. Wasn't it obvious?

White lifted up her other palm not holding the Pearl. Palm facing down, she twirled her fingers in the air, delicate sparkles of white light and retractions of rainbows darting around her form like butterflies as she began to glow brighter.

The light and rainbows travelled behind the Pearl, and White felt proud at her work as she gazed upon her magnificent light. Pearl watched in awe as the light shone on the simple air particles and formed an exact replica of White Diamond.

The replica waved and tittered with its own audio, before reaching down to boop her black nail against Pearl's pointed nose with her index finger. Pearl giggled as the illusion ruffled up her hair with the same finger, before exploding into rainbows.

Pearl laughed softly, light as a feather and White felt herself grin in triumph. She made the Gem laugh!

White Diamond grinned down at the Pearl, and Pink Pearl felt herself relax slowly.

“Well, perhaps my Radiance will appreciate a tour?” Pink Pearl asked softly, nervous when the silence expanded for too long.

White gasped. And for a moment Pink Pearl's gem sunk into the dirt that her gem had emerged from. But then she let out a breath of relief when Her Radiance nodded quite enthusiastically.

It was Amethyst that noticed first, and they were in the middle of debating the most important part of their plan when she tried to gather the others attention to the immediate problem.

“-but if we don't tell her, won't other gems?” Steven pointedly rhetorically asked. Garnet and Pearl nodded in agreement.

Yellow grunted in acknowledgement. “While that may be true, if White realises that her memories have been taken, she'll want them back! And then what?”

Blue agreed with Yellow. “That is true… she'll stop at nothing if she truly wants them back,” a few tears escape her eyes.

“Then we'll just have to make her not want them back!” Connie put in with vigor, which made Steven light up.

“Connie, that's a great idea!” he gushed with stars in his eyes, and Connie instantly blushed and looked away.

Yellow and Blue glanced at each other, having a silent conversation in seconds. Defeat, Yellow sighed. “While that could work, it will have to be executed promptly and effectively. Even so it still has risks that must be addressed.” She stressed, finally looking at Steven again.

While Steven and Connie conversed with the Diamond’s, Garnet and Pearl were having their own conversation, only occasionally providing input for Steven’s sake.

Garnet placed a hand on Pearl’s shoulder. “I still can't believe it actually worked.” the former servant stressed. “I mean, it only took three days to create a rejuvenator fit for a diamond!” she squawked, borderline hysterical as she waved her arms.

Garnet nodded, and tightened her grip to gather Pearl's attention. “We also had two Diamonds, and a very powerful power source…” she glanced not so subtly at Yellow Diamond under her visor. “And–”

“–and the great and lovable Peridot!” Peridot proudly stated from behind Pearl, who in turn squawked in shock from being startled. Garnet just smiled in amusement, which widened as Lapis and Bismuth joined in.

Amethyst, however, was unsurprisingly bored.

She glanced behind the giants that were Yellow and Blue, to sneak a glance the giant lightbulb in hopes of some form of entertainment–

And saw no glow, no white mound on the midnight black pillows, and no White Diamond in sight.

“OH FU–”

Nearly as soon as those first two letters of that second word left her mouth, Pearl's head shot to glare at her. In swift motions that can only be mastered through practise, she pulled her spear from her Gem and expertly aimed at Amethyst's feet.

Amethyst yelp as she jumped to avoid the weapon.

Pearl's scream of, “NO SWEARING UNTIL STEVEN IS OF LEGAL AGE, AMETHYST, WE HAD A DEAL!” went in one ear and out the other, as humans said.

Amethyst darted her eyes around the gigantic room they were in. Thoughts a storm in her gem.

How long was she gone? Where did she go? How did they miss a gigantic, glowing GOD just disappear?!

Shit! Amethyst rushed over to Steven, and tapped at his shoulder to get his attention.

Steven barely glanced at her. Simply stating, “Not now, Amethyst,” before returning to his plans with the Diamonds.

Trying to get Garnet and Pearl's attention bore the same reaction, and she didn't even get to talk over Peridot's rambling with Lapis and Bismuth.

Amethyst scrunched her fists tightly, and stomped away. She tched.

She returned with a large, crystal slab, and promptly smashed into the ground with a yell. “Will you all just listen to me?!”

Yellow sighed. “Yes, the floor is yours, runt.”

Steven sighed, “Yellow–”

“Not. The. Time!” Amethyst spoke over him. She panted for a moment, shards that crystal was heavy.

She glared at them all. “While you guys were all so busy chatting,” Amethyst grit out, “White disappeared.” She crossed her arms in defiance. Scowl coating her face.

Silence.

Aaaaaand then an uproar of chaos.

“SHE'S WHAT?” A furious Yellow.

“WHITE, WHERE DID YOU GO?” A hysterical Blue.

Oh, so now they want to listen to her, she scoffs, unimpressed.

“And this, My Radiance, is Blue Diamond’s extraction chamber.” Pink Pearl concludes. They had walked through the Yellow, Pink, and finally Blue wing of the palace. they had seen Yellow's extraction chamber as well, and she took note of a lack of Pink Extraction chamber.

Pearl continued, “While Yellow Diamond's extraction chamber uses steam to collect Diamond Essence, Blue Diamond's uses direct contact with pure h2o fluid.”

Pearl watched as stars seemed to grow jealous at White Diamond's shine, stars in her thrilled eyes.

White hurried over to the pool, not so gracefully plopping herself inside and tapped the crystal bottom, looking pointedly to Pearl. She sat on her knees, with her legs to the left side of her as she leaned back against the crystal wall.

“Oh, you wish to perform an extraction, My Radiance?” Pink Pearl concluded.

White nodded with wide, excited eyes and she squealed when the pool began to fill with liquid. Her excitement died down quickly, though, when she began to feel the uncomfortable temperature of the water. She shuffled her legs and shivered with a frown and a cautious glance at Pearl.

Pink Pearl began sputtering. She had failed in some area, and had to fix it fast. Why was Her Diamond suddenly in discomfort?

Pink Pearl began a checklist in ber mind. She followed orders, she was obedient and submissive like a Pearl, she turned on the water and completed the settings–

The settings! The water was cold, not warm!

Pearl cursed as she rushed to the controls at the base of the pool. White had begun trembling and tears pricked at her eyes. She hated the cold, she realised. The water was already up to her waist, and chilly as ice.

“Aha! Got it, My Radiance!” Pink Pearl proudly yelled, climbing up the stairs at the side of the pool of water. She performed a diamond salute and eagerly awaited her next command.

Slowly, steam began to rise out of the water as the pool heated up. White allowed her tense form to relax. Resting her arms at the right side of the thick edging of the pool, White rested her head as she closed her eyes. The heat of the pool melting all her former worries away.

Yes, White decides she very much likes the liquid extraction method. She sighs in content.

She stays that way for a moment, before opening her eyes to smile in thanks at Pearl, who flushes. White giggles at the silly reaction.

Pink Pearl clears her throat. “Ahem, My Radiance, there are also other settings to this extraction chamber, if you wish?”

White grinned.

Wet liquid puddles littered the blue tinted crystal room. Laughs and giggles and chuckles of joy and glee filling the room. Pink Pearl had just begun the ‘bubbling’ setting, as well as the ‘spa’ settings. It caused jets of forced liquid into the already full pool, creating bubbling water, yet never overflowed. Bubbles of other chemicals caused large and small circular floating bubbles.

White giggled as she popped a bubble that had floated too close to her awaiting hand. Pink Pearl smiled and watched.

The pool had long turned white with her ‘Essence’, as Pearl called it. It made the bubbles that formed from the water glow and iridescent shine that caught in the light. Mixed with her own natural glow, and rainbows of colour ran across the room tinted blue.

The shine caught on Pearl’s gem beautifully, and White Diamond had a wickedly fun idea.

Pearl was much too distracted by the lightworks of the bubbles to notice her until it was too late, not that she could have resisted if she had tried.

White went still, lowering herself in the water as she waited for the time to strike.

Pearl looked away from her direction, to pop a small bubble that had come close to her. She was reaching out, a mere inch from contact when White scooped her up and dove under the water. She grinned at the Pearl, who screamed.

But her grin fell when Pearl didn't stop screaming. Pulling her above water, White looked at her confused.

Why was she being so loud?

White cringed at the noise.

Above water, Pearl slowly stopped screaming, leaving behind a whimpering mess. White frowned. Gathering herself above water, White rested the Pearl on her knees.

She squinted at her, looking closely to find an explanation. She looked different. Her form seemed stretched, drooping. Like it was melting. She struggled for air in an attempt cool her super-heated gemstone.

The weaker the gemstone, the weaker the light form, she reasoned.

But how could she help?

Wait a moment. She saw the small Gem, Steven, heal another gem with one small simple action!

Yes, she could fix Pink Pearl right up!

White concentrated, closing her eyes as she brought forth the memory of the encounter only a few hours ago. A quick and simple solution.

She breathed for a moment, and opened her eyes. White licked her onyx black lips, as her hands scooped up the weak little gem. Her lips were large compared to Pink Pearl, but that just meant it would work better, right?

Pink Pearl tensed as White delicately placed her lips against her gemstone, lips so large that they consumed her entire torso. It was a fragile touch, and barely considered a kiss but Pearl still blushed and stuttered.

But then instantly she felt something change. She breathed in deeply as her form corrected itself and then some. She felt the crack in her eye, a cause of constant phantom pain, slowly itch away. With a strangled gasp, White slowly backed away. Hope and concern in her eyes.

And Pink Pearl could see. Oh star, dear star, she could see…

Tears came silently in Pearl's shock and White’s face fell.

Determination replaced it swiftly though. She placed another kiss to Pearl's gemstone at her navel, soft and as light as a feather, Pink Pearl laughed in joy, tears running down her face. Happy tears. White realises with a grin.

Pink Pearl quickly dissolves into a fit of laughter and giggles as White pampers her gem in short little kisses.

Pink Pearl sighs, content gazing around the room with her newly returned sight. White hums as she reclines in the boiling pool, careful to keep Pearl above it and protected by the hot steam via her hands.

White had just begun to riffle through the jar full of utensils on the left side of the bath when she's startled. Loud and bright red alarms start ringing and echoing in the extraction chamber. She feel her breathe pick up as eye eyes dart around the room in confusion and growing fear.

“My Radiance?” Pearl questions, her eyes wide with concern as White whimpers, the ringing alarms bursting into her ears. She carefully grasps Pearl to dispose of her on the edge of the pool. She falls to a startled heap but quickly gets to her feet. She searches for the cause for such an urgent alarm, yet finds none immediately.

White moans in pain as she tightly cups the sides of her head, muffling the ringing echo that reverberates within her gem. She closes her eyes tightly, as if wishing would simply turn the alarm off.

Pink Pearl notices her Diamond's state instantly, and comes to a realisation. She can either stay with White and ride the alarm out or until the issue is solved, or she could investigate and potentially turn the alarm off herself.

Pearl didn't want to leave her Radiance in this state, but she knew she would barely be of any help if she stayed. Pearl sighed in defeat as she gazed at the sniffling figure of White Diamond.

“My Radiance, I deeply apologise for being unable to assist you personally, but I will figure out a way to turn this off as soon as I possibly can, I swear.”

White didn't respond. She nodded, softly, barely noticeable if she was honest but it was enough. She bowed and hurried off to her task.

Her Radiance needed her help, she rationalised as she ran through the halls.

Pearl's are not meant to run. She can hear her past Nacre remark. But she doesn't care. She has a task to do.

Rushing through the halls and corridors, she finds herself face to face with a gem. They bump into each other and repel like magnets from the force of both of their momentum. Pearl forced a strained smile. “Ah, finally, another gem!” She sighs. “What is the meaning of this alarm?” She asks. A hand is presented to her, but she ignores it in favor of pushing herself to her feet and brushing herself off.

“... are you the Pink Pearl?” The Gem ignores her, possibly a Garnet, judging by her build and stance. Her back is stiff, and the Garnet seems to be hyper aware, face twitching as she searches the giant corridor they found themselves in.

Pearl raises an eyebrow yet complies. Never let it be said that Pink Pearl didn't recognise an order, for stars sake. “I am, and I have important orders to complete so if you don't mind–!”

“I need you to come with me, by the order of Yellow and Blue Diamond.” Garnet interrupted rudely with a blank face.

Pink Pearl scowled. “I have my orders–”

“It will be fast and the alarm will turn off.”

Pearl scoffed. Honestly, Garnets. She tched, and saluted with a small curtsy. “Of course, my garnet…” she grumbles with a fake smile. If it turned the alarm off, it would still be following her orders, right?

The Garnet swiftly turned on her feet and began to fast walk in the direction she came from. Pearl followed, the high ringing of the alarm still in her ears. Her hands twitch with the desire to cover her ears. But she resisted like a good Pearl.

Garnet pulled out a communication device and activated it as they walked. Twisting it to yellow, she held it as it began to glow. A light screen appeared and in an instant, Yellow Diamond jumped up and began walking.

“Did you find her?” Her voice boomed. Face firm with furrowed brows.

“No, but I know who will.” She glanced behind her, stepping to allow Yellow Diamond view of Pink Pearl, who saluted the instant she was seen.

“Bring her in.”

“Pink’s old Pearl? What is she doing here, Yellow?” The blue Diamond asked her counterpart gently, Pink Pearl stood in her hand, performing a salute.

Yellow sighed. “The fusion had said she saw a Pink Pearl guide us to–” she glanced at the Pearl for a moment. “-her.”

Steven floated into the air and dropped in Blue's awaiting palm. He smiled at the Pearl. “Hi there,” he started, and was interrupted by Yellow's cough. She looked at him as if to say ‘hurry it up’ even if he had only just gotten started. Steven sighed. “Well, Pearl, we have a question for you.”

Pearl glanced at the two giant gems in the room. “Of course, however may I assist?”

“Before we continue,” Blue interjected, drawing Pearl's attention. “What we tell you must not leave this room until we announce it to the public, do you understand?” Blue glared, and Steven frowned at her. “Blue…” He warns.

Yellow nodded along with Blue.

Overtaken, Steven reluctantly agrees.

“Of course, my Diamond's.” Pearl awaited their command. It is not for a Pearl to think or wonder, so she most definitely does not.

Yellow and Blue share a hesitant glance, before they sigh.

Garnet buts in, impatiently.
“We rejuvenated White Diamond and now we lost her. I foresaw in a vision that you would somehow bring us to her.”

Pearl blinked. Stupefied.