Chapter Text
Green and blue computer screens lit up the room, all over the floor lied old blueprints and fragments of gems. Dust and cobwebs covered the machines and the corners of the large square walls. Someone was typing frantically the buttons of the primitive keyboard.
She had sweat on her forehead, her blue eyes were focused on the screens in front of her, the gem at the centre of her chest was shining because of them; she was trying to hack into the database of that laboratory.
«Oh come on…stupid human old devices…» she whispered to herself. She seemed to be in a hurry as if someone was trying to find her. From her spot she could hear quick steps: they were heavy and numerous.
«At last!» she whispered - uttered in happiness. That laboratory had two large windows in front of the computers and they overlooked in a larger room: it was dark and the only source of light came from large pillars filled with a strange luminescent liquid; most of them were empty but the gem was interested in only one of them, the pillar with someone inside. The gem smiled at Her sight.
«I've found you…» suddenly the alarm went off and the green colour of the screen was replaced by a bright red "ALARM" screen. The gem saw how the pillars were gradually emptied from their liquid and all of a sudden the door of the laboratory was breaking down: five or more Amethysts, with their large and muscular body, were blocking the only way out for the other gem.
«Stop right there, you pearl!» one of the Amethysts warned loudly. The other gem, the "pearl", summoned a saber: a curved sword with a golden hilt and shining blade. The pearl attacked the Amethysts one by one; she was too nimble for them and slowly they were all poofed. The pearl sighed and her saber vanished inside her gem; she was picking up the gems from the floor when she felt a pain on her back. A Jasper punched her from behind and the pearl was hurled against the glassed window of the laboratory. She fell on the ground next to an empty pillar and the Jasper followed her: she was tall and muscular like the Amethysts but her skin was light orange / red coloured with a gem shining on her left hip.
The pearl stood up and summoned her saber again, ready to fight; the Jasper was armed too: a long, red blade right under her right arm, attached to her body thanks to her armour. The pearl saw with the corner of her eye that the only occupied pillar was now fully emptied of its liquid and the computer was finishing the procedure to release the unconscious body inside of it.
«So you came for it…» asked the Jasper with her powerful voice, while looking at the pillar behind the pearl. «Wrong move.» the Jasper attacked first, her red blade shone in the dark room. The pearl avoided her attack with a jump but Jasper's assaults were ferocious and fast. With a quick move, the Jasper attacked with her blade, the pearl protected herself with her saber but she could not see the punch that hit her face. The pearl flung against a pillar; with horror she noticed it was Her pillar and the glass cracked because of the collision. The Jasper was ready to attack again but her gaze stared at the pillar: the glass broke in pieces but the unconscious body was lift up thanks to some wires and pipes; from behind the body a bright green-blue beams of light, like the Aurora Borealis, erupted and gradually formed a sort of shield around the figure. The Jasper was amazed, almost relaxed by that sight and the pearl took advantage of it: her saber hit her right on her stomach and the Jasper was poofed, her gems clinked on the floor. The pearl bubbled the gem and it fluctuated in the air next to her; as soon as the danger disappeared, the Aurora Borealis shield vanished too. The wires and pipes broke and the body started to fall; the pearl rushed and grabbed it before hitting the ground.
«I've finally found you…my Labradorite»
★★★
For a long time, darkness was the only thing she could see. But after a while, a warm feeling went through her. What was that? She suddenly opened her eyes and recognised the source of that warmth: a little fire next to her. She rubbed her eyes and sat down, her head was spinning and her sight was a blur. When the eyes adjusted to the light of the fire, she saw rocks around her: she was in a tiny cave; from afar she saw a light blue bubble with something inside. She tried to stand up but a sharp pain on her lower back hit her and fell on her knees.
«You're finally awake, my Labradorite.» someone said. The voice came closer to her and helped the girl to sat down again.
«W-What?»
«I see you're still confused, my Labradorite. But do not worry! I'm at your eternal service. As long as you exist, I'll serve you!» the other one said. The girl looked up at her: light blue skin, pale blue hair that partially covered one eye, dark blue bodysuit and cyan "shoes" and pants; she was at least 6'4" (193 cm) if she was not on tiptoes.
«This…this is not helping…ehm?»
«I'm your Pearl.» she answered smiling. The girl's head was spinning again; she didn’t understand anything the "pearl" said. She massaged her temple and noticed she was naked. She tried to cover herself with her hands.
«Gems do not need clothes, my Labradorite. It's a human thing.»
«What are you talking about? Even you are wearing clothes…and you don’t seem much human to me.»
«These? Oh my, they are not clothes, my Labradorite. But if you insist, I can sew something nice for you: a fancy dress or a uniform!»
«Well I insist actually…» the girl replied now feeling uneasy near this person. However, in a matter of minutes the Pearl sew the most human set of clothes she could imagine: a complete set of underwear, a long pair of jeans and a white shirt with a purple rhombus printed on it. The girl was dressing herself afar from the Pearl and when she was going to wear her jeans she yelled, her voice echoed in the cave.
«What's wrong, my Labradorite?» the Pearl rushed to her, with her saber in her hand ready to fight.
«There's something!» the girl uttered with terror looking at Pearl.
The Pearl sighed and the saber disappeared inside her gem. «Where is it?»
«Here! On my lower back! It's hard and smooth!» the Pearl went behind her and looked down at the girl's body: a perfect oval shaped black gem was stuck in her sacrum; with light the gem had beautiful blue - green iridescent colours. The Pearl laughed quietly.
«It's just your gem, my Labradorite.»
«What?! I have a stone in my body?! Take it off!» she was in panic. The Pearl sighed.
«You really do not remember anything, my Labradorite…»
«…Remember what?»
★★★
The two were still in the cave. Pearl was dancing close to the exit; the blue bubble with another gem inside of it was still mid-air in a corner. "Labradorite" was sitting near the fire watching the flames thinking about the conversation with Pearl.
♦️FLASHBACK, FEW HOURS BEFORE♦️
«You really do not remember anything, my Labradorite…»
«…Remember what?» The Pearl sighed again more loudly this time and went in front of the girl.
«The thing in your sacrum is your gem, a Labradorite to be exact. Gems and humans live peacefully together since few years ago when the half-gem Steven Universe brought peace in the galaxy. The oppressive Great Diamond Authority does not exist anymore and all gems are considered equal.» the Pearl started to explain but the girl stopped her immediately.
«How did you find me?» asked "Labradorite". Then Pearl started to sweat.
«You were…kidnapped by a group of Amethysts and I saved you, my Labradorite.»
«Stop calling me like that…it's not my name.»
«Oh? It's not?»
«No! My name is…!» the girl stopped. She had a sudden memory lapse: she could not remember her name. Her mind was black; she could not remember anything. «I…I don’t know…my own name…» the girl felt gloomy and melancholy: a sense of fear and loss went through her heart. All of a sudden her gem on her back lighted up and soon the sadness disappeared: now a feeling of hope, happiness and calmness made her smile now relieved.
«I don't know anything…»
♦️END OF THE FLASHBACK♦️
"What does it mean "gems"? She could not be serious…" she thought by herself and looked at Pearl. She was still dancing like a ballerina: her blue skirt fluttered with every movement as for her light blue hair. "Labradorite" could hear her soft humming. Then her gaze focused on the blue bubble with a gem inside. Labradorite stood up and walked towards it: the gems inside this bubble was an orange, round stone.
"I wonder what kind of gem is it…" she looked at it through the bubble. Suddenly it blew up and Labradorite caught the gem before it reached the ground.
"Phew" she sighed observed the gem. "It is truly beautiful…" she was still watching it when it started to glow.
«Uh?» Pearl noticed the light in the cave, too bright to come from a tiny fire. With horror, she noticed that Jasper was reforming again. A 7' (2.14m) muscular body formed from the gem, light red-orange skin, dark red markings, and yellow-orange fluffy hair; she wore a sort of dark blue top and pants. This Jasper was facing Pearl and Labradorite was right behind the giant gem, not moving a single muscle.
«You pearl! Tell me where is your owner, now!» she commanded with her powerful voice. Jasper summoned her blade under her right arm while Pearl summoned hers from the pearl on her chest. They were ready to fight again.
«Wait!» Labradorite called from behind Jasper. She instantly turned her head and looked down; there was Labradorite: a small (5'.5", 1.70m) human girl, with her short wavy brown hair and blue-green eyes. The Jasper looked at her with her yellow eyes and lifted her blade in the air.
«Here you are!» Jasper said with a devilish smile. Labradorite was ready to receive the blow and closed the eyes but she sensed her body being throw away by someone. When Labradorite opened again her eyes she found Pearl in front of her in order to protect her.
«I've defeated Amethysts stronger than you.» said Pearl with her saber in her hand.
«I've crushed gems better than you.» and the two gems started the fight. Both Pearl and the Jasper were good, excellent warriors but soon the cave started to fall down.
«My Labradorite, run! The cave is going to collapse!» yelled Pearl during the battle. She was trying to keep the Jasper busy and Labradorite was watching them with fear. Then, without warning, she started to run away from the cave. She run and run towards nowhere, as far as possible from the two gems.