//------------------------------// // Birds of a Feather // Story: Equestria Ninja Gems // by Mister V //------------------------------// The next day, Pearl, April, and Rarity were in the house fixing lunch for the others, who were cleaning the beach after Dusk Quartz's ship crashed last night. "So this Dusk Quartz is from another dimension." April said, concerned about who he is, and what he has planned next. "Looks like it." Pearl added, sharing her concern. "How did they bring Corrupted Garnet here anyway?" Rarity asked with more concern than both of them. "Well Lady Achuta said she and Dusk Quartz were from another universe." Pearl said. "So it is safe to assume Corrupted Garnet is from that same universe." Pearl explained. The three of them were worried and did not know what to do. This was their first real dangerous foe in a while. Then curiousity over came Rarity's concern. "Um, Pearl darling, Garnet said that you posed as Rose Quartz to Fake Pink Diamond's shattering, but did she know about all the time?" She asked "And how did Pink Diamond even start beind Rose Quartz?" "Well that's a long story." Pearl began. "You see, I was given to Pink Diamond a few thousand years before she was given the Earth. I was supposed to make her happy, I just never could..." The scene shifts to the Moon. In a base on the moon, Pearl was standing next to a tall woman. She had pink skin, magenta eyes with diamond-shaped pupils, and shoulder-length yet large, fluffy pale pink hair. She also appeared to wear lipstick. Her physical form's projection was smaller than the other Diamonds, but she still towered over lower-ranking Gems. Her gemstone was located on her navel and displayed in a large pentagon-shaped opening, being an inverted-side view of a round-cut diamond. This was, infact, Pink Diamond, the gem Rose Quartz was before the rebellion, and she was looking kind of sad. A hologram lights up, going through various locations on Earth. "Could you imagine that running a colony would be this dull?" Pink asked, trying to cheer her self up. "I could imagine it, if you would like me to, my Diamond." Pearl awnsered, much to Pink's dismay. "Show me the status of the Prime Kindergarten." Pink ordered Pearl. "Yes, my Diamond." She replied before showing a hologram of the Earth. "The first Quartz soldiers are due to emerge soon." She said. That perked Pink right up. "Finally, something exciting!" She said, excited. she jumped down into a room with a orb, with Pearl taking the stairs. "Hurry, we've got to see this! Quickly, turn it on." She said with enthusiasm. "Yes, my Diamond." Pearl replied. The orb lights up, projecting the Prime Kindergarten in the room. It showed a canyon with many holes on the sides. This is the Prime Kindergarden, where they started to build the colony. "Look at this, Pearl!" Pink said in awe "We're creating life from nothing!" she then turned her attention to a light on the wall of the canyon as an Amethyst emerge. "Welcome to Earth!" She proclaimed, but she is reminded that it's all a hologram as the Amethyst walks over to some other Amethysts and starts talking to them. "I wish I could just be there..." She said, feeling sad again. "I'll have us warped in the Kindergarten at once, my Diamond." Pearl said, wanting to cheer her up. "W-What? N-No, no, if I went down to the Kindergarten I would never hear the end of it from Yellow and Blue." Pink said thinking about how mad they would get" Oh, but could you imagine? Me, down there, laughing and playing with the Amethysts?" She said thinking of the fun she'd have with them. "Of course I can, my Diamond." Pearl said before projecting a hologram of Pink Diamond laughing with several Amethysts. "You look so happy." "I won't be so happy when Blue and Yellow find out." Pink said more concerned. "They won't find out." Pearl said, hoping to calm her diamond's nerves "How's that?" Pink asked, confused. "Because... you look just like a Quartz." Pearl began as The hologram Pink turns into a Rose Quartz. "You changed your shape for a day!" "That's brilliant, Pearl!" Pink said, realizing it could work. "I'm glad I was able to help my Dia-" Pearl started only to see that Pink Diamond shapeshifts into Rose Quartz. "Hehe, down here." Rose said, grinning. She and Pearl warp to the Prime Kindergarten. "Pearl, look! This is...incredible!" She said in awe "We have to go down there and check it out." She added before grabbing Pearl by the hand and jumping up. as they went down, more Amithyst Guards jumped from the higher holes. "Pearl, this is so-" she started but was interrupted when an Amethyst passed by. "Outta my way!" She said as she knocked Rose down. "Oh no!" Pearl said helping Rose up "I'm so sorry, these Amethyst guards can be so rude..." "But Pearl, don't you see what's happening?" Rose said smiling "Huh?" Pearl asked, not sure of what she means. "We're actually here and I fitting right in!" Rose explained with enthusiasm "None of that dumb salute- Thank you so much for talking me into this. I couldn't have done this on my own." Rose said with gratitude "Uh...you're welcome, my Diamond-" Pearl started but Rose stopped her. "Shhh, Pearl, you're gonna get us in trouble." Rose said with a mischievous grin. "Sorry, my...Quartz." Pearl said, causing Rose to giggle and lead Pearl off to a group of Amethysts standing by the canyon wall. "Hey fellow Amethyst guards, what are we all up to?" Rose said, blending in quite well. "There's two more from our unit that haven't emerged yet, so we're gonna wait for them." One of the Amethyst Guards explained. Then, An Amethyst bursts from the wall and lands on the ground. "Here comes one of them." Rose walks up to her. "Oh, woah, look at you. Welcome to Earth!" Rose said with a warm embrace. "That is the first and nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." The new Amethyst Guard said. Then, the squadron leader approached "What's going on here?" She asked, demanding an explination. "Our orders were to move out as you emerged!" "But 8XM hasn't emerged yet." An Amethyst soldier explained. "She can catch up with us later." The squadron leader said "Go, go, go!" The Amethysts leave. Rose starts to follow them, but Pearl stopped her. "My Diamond? Please? Let's not draw any more attention to ourselves than we already have." She said with concern. "You're right." Rose said with dissapointment. "But things were getting really fun." Pearl thought for a moment then got an idea. "What if we took some time to explore some of Earth's other features?" Pearl said, with Rose smiling at the idea. "Pearl! You're so smart." She complimented. "Wait a minute, Who's 8XM?" April asked, completely confused. "That was Amethyst's codename." Pearl explained. "Quartz soldiers use codes to tell each other apart." Suddenly, the warp pad was turned on much to the suprise of all three of them. All they found was a note from Dusk Quartz telling them to come to the Prime Kindergarden. They knew it could be a trap but they had to stop him. So they went on the warp pad and went to meet him. When they arrive, the place seems quiet, a little too quiet. Rarity was thinking of the last thing Pearl said. "So it was all just so she could get out and have some fun?" Rarity asked with curiousity. "Well, that's how it started." Pearl said, knowing just what she was talking about. The scene shifts back to Rose and Pearl on Earth. "So, this is Earth." Rose said in awe. "And this is just a small portion of the resources available for making Gems on this planet." Pearl added. "I have to see it all." Rose said in a mix of love and excitement. Pearl and Rose explore the Earth. They walk through a field of flowers and Rose tossed some into the air before grabbing Pearl by the hand and went off they didn't go far when they saw a butterfly standing on a leaf. Rose tried to grab it but it flew around her and then went up in the air, while Rose hugged Pearl tightly. And then they came to a river they saw some fish swimming in it, and then saw the strangest creatures they had ever seen, Humans. They seemed happy as they left the river. This made Rose a bit sad, and became even more sad when she and Pearl returned. "Is everything alright, my Diamond?" Pearl asked, wondering what's wrong. "You seem troubled." "All this life that's been growing wild here on Earth...none of it will survive my invasion." Rose said as she learned the truth of what is happening. "We're not creating life from nothing. We're taking life, and leaving nothing behind." just then lightning flashed and thunder roared. "Forgive me, my Diamond. I shouldn't have brought you to such a place." Pearl said, feeling it's her fault. "No. I needed to see this." Rose said as it started to rain, knowing what she needed to do next. "So she did want to protect Earth. She didn't realize what the colony was doing to the planet." Rarity said, feeling sorry for her. Suddenly they heard a very sinister voice, from what Garnet and Sunset described all to well. "Aww, a very heartwarming story" Dusk Quartz said sarcastically, as if he knew the story. "Dusk Quartz, I assume." April said as she, Pearl and Rarity prepared for battle. "You assumed correctly, and if your friends told you about me you know what comes next." He said holding a bubble with a gem inside. "Alright Kraangdroids, GET THEM!!" He commanded, which resulted on Kraangdroids attacking. The three girls fought with grace and style. Pearl used her trident to slice through Kraangdroids, while April chopped them with her Tessen Fan & Tanto Katana Blade, and Rarity cut them down with her 2 Kama Sickles. They took them down with ease, but they knew the worst was yet to come. "Impressive, your just as eager to fight as your friend, the Fusion." Dusk Quartz complimented, before throwing the bubble he was holding. "But let's see if you can fight this." the bubble popped leaving the gem to emerge, looking just like Pearl but taking the form of a large bird with no eyes, a bow around it's neck, and spears for feet. "Girls, ready to fight?" Pearl asked. "Yes." April and Rarity answered. "Good answer." Pearl said, just before the tree of them charged at Corrupted Pearl, who fought with as much grace as our heroes. The bird like gem swong her spear like feet at them, only to miss by a few inches. The girls eventually poofed the bird like gem, then put it in a bubble. Dusk Quartz was slightly irritated, but shrugged it off "Well done, you proved yourself a graceful fighter Pearl." He said before warping, much to the girls suprise. "He warped, without a warp pad!" Pearl said in shock. "And he got away." April said in irritation. but Rarity was still thinking of when Rose started caring about Earth. "So, Pearl, when did Rose stop the colonization if she realized it was destroying the Earth." She asked. "She didn't but she tried." She said recalling when she was pleading with Blue and Yellow Diamond only to be shut down. "When she told the other Diamonds she didn't want to go through with the colony, they told her to finish what she started. When she told the other Diamonds she wanted to preserve life on Earth, they created the zoo and threw a handful of humans in. She did everything she could as Pink Diamond. But her status meant nothing to Blue and Yellow." She finally turns into Rose Quartz in anger. "So she decided to make a stand, as someone they couldn't ignore. She was going to scare every Gem off the planet. But everything changed when she saw Garnet's fusion." Rose and Pearl saw this for only a moment, then escaped. "I still can't believe it." Rose in amazement "Only on Earth, don't you think? Only on Earth where anything can happen. A fusion of two completely different Gems! Can all Gems do that? How have I never heard of this? I've only ever heard that it's unheard of. Can you imagine what that must feel li-" She was interuppted when Pearl suddenly picks up her by the feet. "Fusion...activate!" Pearl said, holding her with all her strength, only for her and Rose collapse on the ground. "Oh- I thought- if a Ruby and a Sapphire- but you're a Diamond- forgive me! What am I doing? I...I need to be replaced immediately!" Pearl said embarrased "No!" Rose said, wanting her to do that again. "But I've been imagining things." Pearl said blushing madly "Even when you haven't asked me to, I imagine that I ran away and met you here on Earth, a Rose Quartz. And I'm not yours, but I make you so happy anyway! Isn't that ridiculous? Tell me to stop!" She finished only for Rose to grab her. "Please don't ever stop!" Rose pleaded, all the while blushing madly herself. She and Pearl suddenly fuse into Rainbow Quartz, but she immediately breaks apart, and Rose and Pearl collapse on the ground. "This is very not allowed." Pearl said, only to Rose to gasp in realization. "That fusion!" She said in horror. "We never should've left her there with Blue, who knows what sort of horrible punishment-" They suddenly heard a crash. Pearl searches through the bushes and finds Garnet, having fallen down a hill. "Ow." Garnet said just befor looking up "Ah!" Rose walked towards them through the bushes as Garnet was trying to explain herself. "We didn't mean to fuse! Well- well we did this time. We'll unfuse, we'll..." She tried to finish, only to stop at the sight of Rose. "No, no, please. I'm glad to see you again." she said in awe. "Before Garnet, Rose was only fighting for Earth. Pearl said as she finished her story "But Garnet changed everything. Rose wanted to fight for her, she wanted to fight for Gems! And maybe she was foolish, and maybe even...selfish, but she was-" "Following Garnet." Rarity said, puzzling Pearl. "What?" she asked. "This whole time, Garnet thought they were following Rose, but Rose was following Garnet." Rarity explained. "How could she not after you swept her off her feet?" "W-What?" Pearl said blushing "Me?" "Are you kidding?" April said, agreeing with Rarity "You took her on this whirlwind tour of Earth and then she wanted to live here with you forever!" Another thought came to mind. "But wait, what happened after the learned this?" She asked. "Well, Ruby and Sapphire needed some time apart to comprehend this." Pearl explained "But when they got back together, Ruby asked Sapphire to marry her, Sapphire accepted, and they were married shortly after." Rarity soon realized something. "That's why she as the rings on both hands." She said. "Yes, they are a true sign of Garnet's love." Pearl answered. "Come on, lets go home and finish lunch for everyone." April said as she, Rarity, and Pearl get on the warp pad and go home.