Hey everyone, so this is my first AU Steven Universe story, so I hope you like it. I'm just gonna say off the bat- I do NOT ship Pearl and Greg, that would be ridiculous. The Pearl in this story is essentially an OC. It's not technically a Mum Swap AU, since the main character isn't technically Steven, and I'm definitely not gonna do that thing where I just write out the transcript of every episode in the show, with different characters saying different lines. Saying that, the main events of the series will probably feature in some way, I don't have much of a plan. Anyway, enough rambling from me, enjoy!

In an alternate universe, Pearl was a very different Gem. Like most Gems of her cut she adored cleaning, planning and organising. At the same time, she was boisterous, outspoken and had an inappropriate sense of humour, with little understanding of tact. She was the only Gem of her cut with the ability to summon a weapon, and her weapons of choice were a pair of duel hatchets.

The most prominent aspect of Pearl's personality though, was that she detested authority figures, and being told what to do. She would have been shattered within days of emerging, but Pearl had always done an excellent job of keeping it on the down low. She seethed and gritted her teeth while carrying out orders, and would even occasionally stoop to making obscene gestures at her superiors when their backs were turned.

When Pearl came to earth, she saw it as an opportunity to make a new start. If she hadn't met Rose Quartz when she did, she probably would have started the rebellion herself. Pearl and Rose got along famously from the moment they joined forces, better and closer friends than any two Gems in the universe. Although Pearl had no opinion for or against organic life, she respected Rose's resolve, to stand up for it, no matter what the Diamonds said.

The years wore on, and eventually, the Crystal Gems won the war, and were left protecting the earth from the aftermath- the Crystal Gem army who had been reduced to mindless, corrupted beasts, all except Rose, Pearl, Garnet and eventually, the overcooked Amethyst they found in the Prime Kindergarten.

That was the life of the Crystal Gems, until the fateful day, when Greg Universe came to Beach City, to play a show. Pearl had seen fliers for the event the previous day, and convinced Rose to attend it with her. Of the four remaining Crystal Gems, Pearl was the most in touch with human culture. She had several human friends in town, adored eating, and even made the occasional trip to Funland.

While the wild-haired human onstage sang about flying through space, Rose smiled and listened intently, while Pearl whooped and cheered, and danced aggressively to the beat. They were the only people in the audience. Once the show was done, the Gems made their way to the merchandise stall, and struck up a conversation with the human. Rose vanished, shortly into their conversation, but the far more social Pearl remained. The two talked late into the night, and a friendship blossomed, which eventually became romance, in the form of undying love.

Greg gave up on his dreams of becoming a rock star, and remained in Beach City, and eventually got a job at the local car wash. His relationship with Pearl grew more and more intense, until the day Pearl decided to give up her physical form so that her gem might become her contribution to hers an Greg's split-species child. And so, Penny Universe was born.

At thirteen years old, Penny looked more like her mother, than her father. She was slender, and tall for her age, with pale skin and silvery hair which hung down around her shoulders. Her hairline was further back than most children her age, to make way for her mother's large, circular gem, which took up most of her forehead.

Penny's iconic outfit was a breezy, yellow sundress with a black star on the front, black shorts, and sensible trainers. Like her mother, most people who saw her believed she was a quiet, and reclusive type at first, and were greatly surprised by her tendencies to get overly excited, speak very quickly and loudly, and (an outlet she had been taught extensively to save for the Gems, rather than humans) bite people.

Since she was young, Penny had lived in a beach house the Gems had built, with a small mezzanine bedroom, overlooking a living room and kitchen, with the Gem's temple base on one side, and a door with a large picture of her mother hanging over it, on the other.

Despite her practically non-existent control over her gem and its powers, Penny Universe was on a mission to save the world.