Steven Universe: Beyond The Mirror

False Guardians

Pearl stares at the temple door as Steven rests in his bed upstairs. His eyes are shut as his stomache heaves against the bedsheets. Lapis stares at the Gem as she sits on the couch, her body laying on it with her head against the wall.

Pearl groans as she presses a hand against the gem on her forehead. "Its been hours and Amethyst is still inside the temple." Lapis raises an eyebrow. "Well how do you know that?" Pearl turns around to face her suspect, stepping onto the warp pad.

"For your information, I am one of the guardians of this temple." Lapis folds her arms. "What is that supposed to mean?" Pearl's right eye twitches for a moment as she keeps her attitude at its calming level. "It means that I can tell who is inside and that I can manipulate a room however I see fit."

Lapis gets up and she starts heading towards her. "Can I try?" Pearl's gem glows as she pulls out her spear before pointing it at Lapis. Her eyebrows cross down with a downward curl in her lips. "Not another step, Lapis." Lapis stops in front of Pearl, staring her right in the eye.

"And no, you may not try." Lapis tilts her head to her right, her arms folded against her chest. "Why not?" Pearl puts her hands on her hips with her spear held against her right, bending her head down. "Because you are not a guardian." Lapis scoffs. "I'm not a guardian?"

Pearl shakes her head. "No, you are not." Lapis smirks. "Really? I guarded Steven-!" Pearl's eyes bulge. "You took him into the sea! He could've died out there! That is the exact OPPOSITE of what a guardian does!" Lapis narrows her eyes. "Well isn't a guardian supposed to protect something...or someone?!"

Pearl clenches her teeth. "Now you listen to me, you witch! I at least tried to protect him against the likes of you and your dirty antics! Right now, he may think you're just like the rest of us, but once he realizes that you're from the opposition, he'll finally let us contain you and this senseless game will be over!"

Lapis chuckles, her eyes shut for a moment. "Then why didn't you tell him about me and all of the other bad Gems when you had the chance?" Pearl gapes at her as she smirks. "Yes, I know he's young and that he shouldn't be learning any of that stuff, but when it all comes down to his life being on the line, he needs to know."

Lapis reproaches her by taking a step closer to the warp pad. Pearl keeps her spear at the ready in case Lapis dares to make an attempt to escape. "But let's forget about that for right now and...talk about something more...about us."

Pearl raises her eyebrow. "Remember that night you found the mirror I was trapped in on the Galaxy Warp?" Pearl reaches up to her gemstone as it glows. She pulls out the mirror and she holds it up to her face, looking upon the shattered glass that once made up the frame.

"You picked it up and you never bothered to look at what was on the back." Pearl flips the mirror around in her left hand, immediately noticing the blank frame--except for a faded outline of Lapis' gemstone. Pearl remains indifferent in her glare as Lapis continues.

"You may not believe me when I say this, but when you placed me inside your gem, I saw multiple things that you have stuffed inside it including one that I now find very...interesting." Pearl lifts her head up with sunken eyes. "Take out...the picture." Pearl grits her teeth. "What picture?"

Lapis smirks. "The one with you and Rose Quartz." Pearl's eyes bulge in a momentary blush as her body shifts in alarm. She thrusts her spear from her hip and towards Lapis' chest, the tip touching the mid-region of her upper body.

"Not...another...word. Once Garnet gets back, we will deliberate on whether or not to spare you for your crime. And right now, the odds don't seem to be in your favor." Lapis backs away and Pearl's spear dissipates as she folds her arms.

She watches Lapis as she sits back down on the couch, her eyes casted down on the floorboards. Lapis narrows her eyes as her forehead furrows. The bags hanging under her eyes darken as her glare crosses into her face. "That's what you think."