>After Pearl got stabbed by the Holo-Pearl, Steven had been worried sick, while Garnet and Amethyst were much more relaxed, knowing what would eventually happen.
>When Pearl was poofed during sword practice a few months later, Steven was much less anxious and just a week later she emerged, looking even happier than her usual self.
>After that, however, Pearl had started acting a bit more strangely than normal.
>The next time she was poofed was only a month later, and after that she reformed only four days later.
>She didn't look as happy as usual, though.
>In fact, she was noticeably more morose than she had usually been, and looked slightly upset
>She claimed that it was simply that she was worried about Steven, but he had handled himself pretty well during her last reformation.
>Still, Pearl had a tendency to be neurotic.
>Maybe this was just one of her worse days.
>After the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh time happening within the course of six weeks, however, this was looking less like a bad day and more like a funk.
>After the next five times happening in a month, it began becoming a problem.
>Six months later, she was spending more half her time inside of her gem, constantly reforming
>and every time, she looked just a tiny bit worse than she normally did
>She would be found poofed in the arena twice or thrice a week, with her holopearl by her side.
>It wasn't until her first real mission in those six months that the gems realized how bad the situation really was.


>After fighting off twelve corrupted gems charging towards Steven, she nonchalantly turned around, exposing her back to an enemy, a small three-legged gem with a rectangled torseo and a sword-arm
>It was pretty obvious that Pearl had noticed it
>She had let the gem stab her
>Then, she poofed, as so many times before
>So garnet and Amethyst hatched up a plan
>They would hide in the arena and watch Pearl train
>Three days later, they were hidden behind a pillar
>Pearl walked in, and summoned a holopearl
>"Do you wish to engage in combat?" it droned, putting itself into a combat stance
>"No", pearl replied.
>"Please stab me".
>Garnet and Amethyst watched, mouths agape, as the holopearl plunged its blade into the left side of Pearl's chest
>"Pearl!" Amethyst shouted, running towards Pearl
>Pearl cocked her head to the side, horrified
>She raied her arm and tried to spek, but it was too late
>As Garnet moved from behind the pillar to grab Amethyst, she poofed
>Amy snatched the gem into her hands, but too late
>One question burned on both Garnet's and Amy's minds
>What would they tell Steven?


>Garnet and Amethyst waited patently for Pearl to come out
>they waited
>and waited
>and waited
>It had now been fifteen days, longer than ever before
>Steven had begun to get really worried
>He saw the temple doos start to open
>It was now or never
>As the gems exited the temple, he cleared his throat and spoke
>"Is Pearl coming back any time soon?"
>Amethyst and garnet exchanged a look
>Amethyst began to speak
>"Yeah... She'll be out before long, I think. But, you know, Pearl will be Pearl. Sorry, dude."
>"Don't worry about it, Steven. She's just taking her time. you know she's gotten hurt a lot lately." Garnet said.
>"Here's ten dollars. Go to the arcade. Greg will take care of dinner tonight."
>"Yay, pizza and story time!" Steven squealed, and ran into town to whacker off in front of a middle-aged black man
>the fat, unattractive retarded half-breed Jew had no idea what was really happening with Pearl
>Amethyst got herself something to eat, a stack of moldy pancakes with extra motor oil to drown the flies
>Then they went back inside, oping that pearl would reform
>A few hours later, it happened
>A burst of light came from the gem, and slowly Pearl's lithe form and oval head started taking shape
>After a few minutes, she was back, looking positively radiant
>She was smiling, until she noticed Garnet and Amy standing next to her
>"Pearl-"
>Pearl ran away befor Garnet could finish
>Garnet and amethyst stared at each other for a second, then nodded
>They chased Pearl to her room, where they found her curled up in a ball inside the middle of one of the fountains.
>"Go away!" Pearl shouted
>"Pearl, we need to talk." Garnet said, as monotone as ever.
>She took a deep breath, then spoke.
>"Why?"


>"You wouldn't understand. You couldn't understand. You've-
>"We can try, Pearl."
>"Please."
>"Well, I mean, it's just, it's just it's just- there is so much of it, all the pressure all the time"
>"The worries, the stress, the neurotic behavior, I´m not trying to I'm really not but he's just a kid Garnet I can't I need to worry about him"
>"Pearl. Collect yourself."
>"I'm sorry. It's it's just too much, okay? there's too much to deal with. All the stress and the worry and the danger, and always without respite. Except when I do it."
>"It all stops. There isn't anything to worry about, not problems, no cross to bear, it's just a quick burst of feeling in your chest and then... Silence."
>"When I'm poofed, the outside world disappears. I Disappear. There is nothing, just the silence and my self floating around in the nothingness. I am without the worry, the hustle and bustle of life. It's all gone, washed away like sand at the beach. And only the clean smooth surface is left, devoid of anything. I can finally have peace from... from all this. From life. I can drift endlessly for as long as I want, and the world will move around me as usual."
>"It doesn't matter if I exist or not. If i go into my gem, what will change? Nothing. Nobody will care. And i can finally have my peace, slowly drifting together as my self floats together and connects and reforms. It gives me a feeling of comfort, a feeling i haven't felt in a long time."
>"A feeling i haven't felt since Rose.."
>Garnet and Amethyst did not move, or speak.
>Eventually, Amethyst spoke in a low voice.
>"We miss you."
>"...Steven misses you."
>Pearl looked up, and a pang of guilt appeared on her face.
>"Pearl, he needs you. He's just a boy."
>"Pearl, please. For his sake." Amethyst butted in.
>The gems looked expectantly at Pearl.
>She started shaking.
>She began to sob, then cry.


>"Wh-where is he?" she murmured through her stifled sobs.
>"He's with Greg, I think." Amethyst replied.
>"YOU THINK? YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?"
>Pearl rushed towards the door.
>"I'M-A COMING, [s]LUIGI[/s] STEVEN!"
>"Pearl, wait!" Garnet shouted. But Pearl was already out the door.
>The Gems gave chase, with Amethyst jumping on Garnet's shoulders, and quickly started gaining on Pearl.
>"sttttttteeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNN"
>"Calm the heck down, Pearl, I'm sure he's fine!" Amethyst shouted
>"How do you know that? He could be in danger!"
>"He can take care of himself Pearl! Just calm down and let's talk for a bit."
>Pearl didn't listen, speeding across the boardwalk, and into the arcade
>"Is Steven here?"
>"No, he left over an hour ago. That kid gave me a good whackering, let me tell you" said the large negro standing across from Pearl
>Pearl sanic'd out the door shouting "SSTEEEEVVEEEENNN" and ran across the boardwalk, towards the car wash
>Then she saw it
>the van
>her precious Steven must be in there, recovering from god knows what having happened to him
>she picked up the pace
>she was almost to the van


>Pearl stopped just outside of the doors of the van
>She put her ears up to the door of the van, listening for a sound
>Unfortunately, Pearl didn't have ears, and the van was soundproof
>Pearl cursed herself for having forgotten that
>she ripped open the van doors
>Inside lay Steven, asleep on a mattress, covered with Greg's moss green turtleneck
>There hadn't been anything to worry about
>Pearl sighed
>"Pearl, stop!" She heard the gems yell
>Garnet and Amethyst grabbed Pearl by the arms and shut the doors to the van
>"Pearl, you don't have to worry so much. We can handle ourselves without you."
>"Yeah, P. We're not kids, you know. I mean, Steven technically is, but you get the point."
>"That doesn't mean you're not needed, or that you aren't important to us. you just need to learn to relax for a bit."
>Pearl Perl sighed, knowing that they were right. she had let her feelings take her over once again.
>"Group hug?" asked Amethyst.
>"Sure," said Pearl, while Garnet simply nodded.
>They grabbed each other and hugged tightly, huddling below the starlit night sky.
>Then they noticed the car wash was going
>Greg walked out of the car wash, buck naked, and holding a towel in his left hand
>"What the heck is going on?" said Greg, quickly covering her sizable girth
>Garnet and Amethyst rushed to explain, while Pearl just stared at him quietly
>She had though of another idea to release her stress