"Pearl, you need to calm down."

"Calm down? Rose, this is unthinkable! Unimaginable!"

"Pearl…"

"You want to defy commands from Blue Diamond herself. Neither of us have the authority to even speak with her, let alone question her direct orders."

"Pearl."

"You won't be able to hide from her. When her assassins get their hands on you, they'll-"

"Pearl!"

The younger gem froze in place. Reflexively, she clapped a hand to her mouth, and her height seemed to shrink under the weight of regret.

Rose took her eyes off her loyal companion. She knew Pearl had her best interests in mind, but Pearl didn't know the whole story, not nearly. Instead, Rose cast her gaze out towards the starlit sea. This planet had fantastic beaches, and they were made all the more beautiful by the reflection of the silver moon on the dark, rippling waters.

"Pearl," Rose spoke. "Can you see why I want to protect this place?"

Pearl slowly took her hand away from her mouth. Then, quietly and innocently, she gave her answer. "No."

A sigh escaped Rose's chest. She'd hoped that the two of them could see eye-to-eye on this matter, but unfortunately, Pearl seemed to have a completely unrelated set of priorities. She wanted to keep Rose safe, and that was a noble endeavor, but Rose feared that her companion would never understand that there were things in this galaxy worth risking lives for.

After a couple of tense moments, a few soft words slipped out of Pearl's mouth. "I wish I could see. I wish I could look at this planet through your eyes."

Rose stiffened. Something about Pearl's phrasing had set off a few ideas in her mind. She slowly turned to her companion, a smile creeping up her cheeks. "Maybe there's a way you can."

Pearl tilted her head sideways. "What? How?"

Rose grinned in full force now. She extended a single hand. "Would you fuse with me?"

At first, Pearl could only stare at Rose's outstretched hand. Then, she stumbled backwards a few steps, her eyes filled with uncertainty. "Fuse? But I…" A blush rapidly blossomed on her cheeks. "I don't know how."

Rose's laughter carried far out to sea. "You've never fused before?"

Pearl didn't meet her eyes, her gaze instead falling to the sand at her feet. "No."

Rose's expression softened. "Do you want to?"

"Yes!" Pearl cried out. "But…"

Concern filled Rose's heart. A moment later, she hardened with conviction. "Let me give you a good first impression, then." Gracefully, quietly, Rose made her way farther down the beach. By the time Pearl looked up again, she stood a respectful ten feet away. Rose turned to face her companion, hands clasped daintily in front of her.

Pearl straightened up a little, though there was still some hesitance to her movements. "But I don't even know where to begin," she responded. "There are millions of combinations of dance steps. Which ones do you want me to use?"

"Any ones you like," Rose replied. "There aren't any right or wrong ways to fuse. Dance the way you want to dance, and I'll follow you."

At first, Pearl didn't seem to understand exactly what this meant. She mimicked and mirrored Rose to an almost comical level. With a bit of encouragement, however, she began to experiment. A pointed toe here, a twirl there. Rose could see Pearl's own personal dance style emerging, a graceful performance where she shifted from pose to perfect pose like flowing water.

Rose adapted to her partner effortlessly. She was no stranger to fusion, but something about this dance with Pearl made the experience new and interesting again. Pearl was open, innocent, and trusting in a way few gems were anymore. When their physical forms blurred at the edges and their thoughts were no longer entirely distinct, Rose gave herself over to the experience.

Rainbow Quartz grew up, up, reaching for the lights of the heavens. Her massive hair bloomed like the world's largest flower, and it cascaded down past her shoulders. Two beings settled into their single body. The force of their mutual compassion bound their existences into a single entity. Two pairs of eyes opened, taking in a fresh view of this night on the beach.

One set of eyes appraised the scene with razor-sharp focus and practiced logic. A lifetime of running and hiding had given her a strong set of priorities. The beach was open, but dark. Good visibility, both a curse and a blessing. The sand, likewise, had its own share of benefits and faults, its loose surface making combat more difficult for all involved. Luckily, a quick sprint into the ocean would be enough to slow most pursuers.

The other set of eyes saw something entirely different. There was so much worth looking at on this humble planet. There was the sea, teeming with life on both a microscopic and macroscopic level. There was the cliff face, where hardy mosses and grasses clung to the stone, stubbornly trying to eke out a simple existence. There was so much life on this planet, so much promise. It was all simple, all easy to understand, but at the same time, it was beautifully complex. Each living thing had its own life, its own genetic history.

Best of all, every life form was different. They each lived out their own unique existence. On this wild planet, their differences made them stronger, not weaker. No creature was expected to be the same as the one beside it. They were free, beautifully free.

Rainbow Quartz continued to stare at this wonderful world through her twin sets of eyes. After a few quiet, purposeless minutes, her thoughts began to wander. There was no goal to keep her united anymore. Slowly, gradually, her personalities diverged, and her united existence melted away.

When Rose came back to herself, her eyes were glassy with tears. "Pearl…" She swallowed the lump of sadness in her throat. Seeing the world through Pearl's eyes had taught her more than she had imagined possible. "How long were you on the run?"

Pearl winced, glancing away. "I don't know."

Rose knew her companion. Had she been able, Pearl would have kept track of the years. "How could you go on living like that?" Rose asked.

Pearl clutched her arms in front of her. She looked so small, so vulnerable. "I was too different. The farmers were going to destroy me. If I hadn't escaped, they…" A shudder wracked her body. "There were times when I thought I was safe, when I thought they'd stopped looking for me. Those times never lasted."

Before Pearl could so much as blink, Rose's loving arms completely enveloped her. Pearl shook, but Rose held her gently, anchoring her to the world. As Pearl's sobs grew more and more visceral, she stroked her back in soft, sweeping motions. Rose noticed a few tears of her own rolling down her cheeks, but they were nothing in comparison to Pearl's waterfall of pain. It was all Rose could do to put an end to her companion's anguish and give her a place where she could feel safe once more.

When the night was finally still again, Rose released her. Pearl wiped the remnants of tears from her face. "This…this planet," the younger gem said, voice still hoarse. "I think I finally see why you care for it so much. There's so much life here, and no one needs to be perfect, and…" She looked up into Rose's face. "It's special, isn't it?"

Rose nodded, glad that Pearl had finally seen the light. "Blue Diamond does not see it that way. To her, the only lives that matter are hers and the other Diamonds'. If I don't talk to her, there will be no one stopping this planet's extinction."

"I'm-" Pearl's words suddenly choked off. She glanced away in uncertainty.

Rose's eyes narrowed in concern. "Pearl? What is it?"

Pearl sighed. "I don't think Blue Diamond will listen to you. But..."After a moment, her mouth twisted upwards in a weak smile. Her eyes met Rose's once more. "I understand that you'll take any risk if it means protecting this planet. Whatever path you take, I'll be at your side. I swear it."

Rose returned the smile. Even though Pearl could be a little overprotective at times, Rose felt all the more grateful knowing that she wouldn't have to fight this battle alone. Luckily, neither of them had anything to worry about, at least in terms of their own personal safety. "She will listen to me. I'll make sure of it. Having a friendly conversation with Blue Diamond is hardly a risk, I assure you."

Pearl's smile faltered. "I…really hope that is the case." She crossed her arms and looked out towards the sea. "I've seen what gems of a high station will do to those below them. Taking complaints to superiors is very risky. You may be a Quartz, but you are no Diamond."

Rose gave Pearl a strange look. She wouldn't have put it past Pearl to say those kinds of things in the past, but the two of them had fused now. There were no secrets in fusion. Just as the experience had taught Rose about Pearl's long and arduous story, the same should have happened in reverse. Rose had quite a history, and most of it was very…unfortunate.

Then again, Pearl was predisposed to blind herself to reality, especially when Rose herself was involved. It was a little worrying and more than a little sad. Rose was not someone worth protecting this fervently. She shouldn't have been held in such high regard.

Rose wanted nothing more than to open Pearl's eyes to the truth. But, the two of them had fused minds for several minutes, and Pearl hadn't learned even the slightest inkling about Rose's history. Perhaps she simply wasn't ready to handle the truth yet. Pearl thought so highly of Rose Quartz, and she'd put so much hope into this idealized construct of courage, understanding, and love. How much would it break her to know the deceptive, cruel menace Rose Diamond had been?

Rose sighed. This was a problem she could manage later. Tonight, there was only one goal on her mind, and that was doing whatever it took to rescue this helpless blue dot of a planet.

Pearl would need to remain blind for just a little while longer. Rose reassured her with a warm smile. "Blue will listen to me. I'll find a way, don't you worry."

You thought this wouldn't be updating this again, didn't you?

Rainbow Quartz has no dialogue. None at all. She doesn't have much of a discernible personality, either. How did I choose to compensate for such a nondescript character? Eye metaphors. At least I can finally utilize a couple of my headcanons now that they've been all but confirmed by some of the recent episodes. Of course, I'm not going to completely adhere to the usual fanon ideas, mind you. "Rose rescuing Pearl while she was on the run from the authorities" sounds a lot more compelling to me than most of the usual plots revolving around Pearl's backstory.

Next chapter is Sardonyx.