What If Jasper Knew?

She couldn't believe it. She was frozen on the spot, staring in disbelief at what she had just witnessed. Pink Diamond, her beloved leader, and the closest thing she had to a mother, her creator, had shape-shifted into Rose Quartz, the leader of the rebellion, and her mortal enemy. Surely it couldn't be real. Surely Pink Diamond was just fooling around. But why, then, did it look just like her? Why was she accompanied by the Pearl that was always by Rose's side? Jasper wasn't sure whether to be furious, confused, or devastated. She decided on all three.

"What is this?" she said softly. Pink Diamond almost didn't hear her. She turned around, and her face turned pale. She gasped. Jasper had seen. Jasper, her most devout follower, now knew her secret.

"Jasper," she said. She was fully prepared to fight, should Jasper decide to attack her, or worse, run off to reveal her secret. But the Quartz stood in place, refusing to meet her gaze.

"This can't be real." said Jasper in disbelief. "It's not true, there has to be something else going on here." Jasper's fists reflexively clenched. "Tell me what's going on, My Diamond!" Not a question, but a command.

"Oh, Jasper," said Rose Quartz. "I was dreading this." Of all the Homeworld Gems to discover her identity, why did it have to be her? "Don't worry, this isn't what it looks like…"

"I think it's exactly what it looks like," Jasper said. Tears stung her eyes, but did not fall. "You are Rose Quartz. A traitor to Homeworld!"

"Jasper, please, listen," Rose said, walking towards her.

"No!" snarled Jasper. "Don't come near me! Speak to me as Pink Diamond. Speak to me in your true form." Her teeth were bared. "Or is this who you were all along?"

Rose Quartz paused. Closing her eyes, her body was enveloped in a bright white light. She doubled in size, retaking her original form as Pink Diamond.

"How long?" asked Jasper. "How long have you been leading that army of misfits and off-colors against us? Against your fellow Diamonds? Against me!?" She was breathing heavily know, her long white hair out of place.

"Jasper, please," Pink Diamond pleaded. "I know I'm a traitor, but I did this to protect the Earth."

The Earth? WHO GIVES A DAMN ABOUT THE EARTH!?" Jasper yelled.

"I do!" Pink responded. "There's so much beauty here that's worth protecting. I tried to make Homeworld see that, but-"

Jasper, despite her anguish, couldn't help but laugh. Her entire body shook with raucous laughter. "Beauty? What does this planet have that the thousands of others we've colonized lack? You want to protect this one over all the others because it looks pretty?"

Pink Diamond sighed. "Jasper, I first became Rose Quartz not to destroy, but to protect. Not just the innocent life of this planet, but Gems that have been unjustly persecuted by Homeworld. Gems that are different, that can't choose what they are. And Gems who want to choose who they are. I started the Crystal Gems in the name of freedom. Freedom from Homeworld's iron grip."

"Freedom?" Jasper said quietly. "And in doing so, you abandoned all the Gems who were still loyal to you!" Jasper looked down, the tears freely flowing now. "All the Gems who loved you. You left us behind for a bunch of organics and abominations!"

Pink Diamond looked angry for a moment, before she calmed herself. "Jasper, I want you to imagine something for a moment. Imagine you emerged from the bedrock as you did, a powerful warrior, ready and willing to serve Homeworld, and your Diamond. Imagine you were just as strong as the other Quartzes, and just as loyal. But imagine that, despite your loyalty, despite your strength, you were cast aside by the very ones you swore your allegiance to. That is the life of an off-color. I'm doing this so there can be freedom for all the Gems that Homeworld casts aside. So they can get the love that they rightly deserve."

"And the rest of us?" Jasper said. "The Gems that emerged perfectly? Where is your love for them?"

"That love is real as well," said Pink, kneeling down in front of Jasper. "Every time I told you that you were the ultimate Quartz, that you were meant for greatness, I meant it." She wiped away the Quartz's tears with her thumb. Jasper considered throwing her hand off of her, but decided not to. "I'm not only Rose Quartz. I don't just love the Gems that are broken: I have a deep love for all Gems, be they perfect or imperfect. And you, Jasper, are perfect." Pink Diamond lovingly placed her arms around the Quartz, drawing her into her embrace. In that moment, just for a brief second, Jasper forgot all about her Diamond being a traitor. In that moment, Pink Diamond was the same Diamond she had known and loved her whole life. No deceit, no war, just loyalty. She returned her embrace.

"You can stay with me," Pink said. "You can join the Crystal Gems. You don't have to fight me."

"I can't," Jasper said, tears running down her cheeks. "My loyalty lies with Homeworld. And you are an enemy of Homeworld." Despite this, she desperately wanted to stay with her Diamond. She wanted this war to be over, to leave this miserable planet behind, never to return. And she wanted her Diamond to go with her. But she knew she never would.

"I understand," said Pink Diamond. She ran her hand through Jasper's hair. "I know it's a hard thing to accept. If you must stay with Homeworld, I just ask that you keep my secret. Not just for my sake, but for the sake of all the Gems that call this planet their home. For the sake of the beings that live here. For the sake of my other followers."

"You are no longer My Diamond," Jasper said, growling. "I see no reason to take orders from you." She turned to leave. Pink Diamond was crestfallen. Something within her prevented her from stopping her. However, against all odds, Jasper turned around. "But I will keep your secret. Not for your sake, but for the Gems who still call you their Diamond. For the other Diamonds who love you."

"The other Diamonds don't love me," Pink said mournfully. "I know that now. I used to think that they did, but now I know I was just another tool to them, just like every other Gem."

"That isn't true," Jasper said, returning. "They love you. And I love you as well." Once again she embraced her Diamond. "I will keep your secret."

And keep it she did. She kept her secret when Pink faked her own shattering. She was devastated, just not for the same reason as the other Gems who did not know. She kept it when the Diamonds corrupted almost every Gem still on Earth. She kept it as Rose Quartz thought to herself, "Jasper was right. They really did love me…"

She even kept it when she returned to Earth, after it was found that Rose Quartz and her followers were still alive. She kept it even to the small organic who claimed he was not Rose Quartz. She did not keep it, however, when her crusade for revenge led her to become corrupted.

"I kept your secret, Rose!" she shouted, her body becoming twisted and her mind slipping away. "I kept it from everyone for all those thousands of years! And this is how you repay me!?"

"What secret?" the boy said. "What secret, I don't understand?"

It was then that she realized that the Diamond she loved truly was gone. "Who you really are!" she cried in disbelief. "You are Pink Diamond!"

And then everything went black.

When she reformed, she found herself in a pool of water. She was surrounded by hundreds of Gems that had been corrupted after the war. The Diamonds were there as well. She later found that the boy, the son of her Diamond, had reunited the Authority and undid the damage their attack had done.

Despite this, she still hurt.

Jasper later found herself standing atop a hill above the Crystal Gem's temple, overlooking the ocean. What would she do now? Would she still be accepted by Homeworld after what she had done? Now that she looked like this?

The voice of the boy came from behind her. "Jasper! Hey, Jasper!" He ran up beside her. "I've been looking for you!" He looked over the ocean as well. "Oh, are you enjoying the view? It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"No," Jasper said bluntly. "I hate this planet. I always have. I hate the things that live on it, and I hate what happened on it. Everything would have been easier if the Cluster had destroyed it." The boy seemed disappointed.

"But it was her planet," Jasper said. "She loved it. And while I hate this planet and the things on it, and while I hate the things she did, she was My Diamond, and I loved her."

"So...does that mean you're gonna stay?" the boy asked.

"Yes," said Jasper. "I will stay and protect this planet. Not for its sake, but for hers."