Fresh From Homeworld

The One to Blame

     Chrysoberyl stared up at the vast emptiness of the abandoned chrysoberyl kindergarten. She was there at last. After Howlite had given her the coordinates and a ship, it had been easy to get there, unlike getting to Howlite in the first place, which had taken an entire year.
     The unsettling calmness gave the place an eerie aura. Chrysoberyl could hardly believe that there really was a neglected gem here, overlooked by Yellow Diamond's own gems. The bare planet seemed dead and a lonely place to be. That was, until she heard the singing.
     She almost missed it. If she hadn't been listening to the silence so intently, she wouldn't have noticed the all-too-familiar voice. Nearing the sound of the singing, Chrysoberyl tried to place where she had heard the voice before. Until she mimicked the melody quietly herself, she hadn't noticed that the voice she was hearing was the same as her own. The lone chrysoberyl.
     Rows upon rows or empty holes were stacked in the dirt walls of the kindergarten. Chrysoberyl's voice seemed to get stuck in the back of her throat. Every one of these holes marks a chrysoberyl shattered because of my mistake.
     Well, every chrysoberyl but one. The singing, which had grown louder as Chrysoberyl neared to noise, suddenly stopped. Chrysoberyl froze in her tracks. The ominous silence filled the air once more, and she felt exposed. Though she knew she had nothing to fear, the fact that she was not alone did scare her. The fact that she didn't know where her equal was was a bit more than unsettling. The anticipation was killing her.
Was the chrysoberyl hiding? Perhaps she didn't emerge late, maybe she was missed by the other gems. In that case, she would know that she was wanted shattered.
"Come out," Chrysoberyl called out in the nearly empty kindergarten. "My Name is Chrysoberyl Facet 2 Cut 2XB. I'm not here to hurt you. I'm not like the others. Please, come out. I want to meet you."
After about ten seconds of nothing, Chrysoberyl heard a terrified gasp from a nearby hole. Chrysoberyl looked up into the startled eyes of a chocolate-colored chrysoberyl. The gem leaped down from her hole and bowed low with her face to the ground. "Forgive me, your clarity! Have mercy, your highness! I was simply overlooked! Spare your gem, my chrysoberyl!" the chrysoberyl shouted frantically. She looked up slightly and got a good look at Chrysoberyl. "Wait... you aren't... you weren't the chrysoberyl chosen to belong to Yellow Diamond." When Chrysoberyl didn't respond immediately, the brown Chrysoberyl exclaimed in a frenzy, "Oh, if you are, please show grace, your majesty! I am worthless in your presence, my-"
"Stop," Chrysoberyl commanded the other gem stoically. "I am none of those things you call me, nor are you worthless yourself. But you're right, I'm not the new chrysoberyl chosen."
     "But you're perfect," the chrysoberyl gaped in awe, still on her knees. "The cut of your gem is so precise. You're a yellow chrysoberyl, with the perfect chartreuse hue. Your gem's luster is indescribable. Why were you not chosen? You're far more beautiful than the chrysoberyl that was selected. And why are you here? I thought they shattered the rest of us."
     "They did," whispered Chrysoberyl in despair. "I'm the one to blame. I ran away from Yellow Diamond and this is what it caused..."
     The brown chrysoberyl shot up, here eyed widening in surprise. "Wait, you're that chrysoberyl?! But- but she shattered you!"
"No, that's a false report, but no one must know that I'm alive. I am a Crystal Gem now. I have joined the Rebellion, and I want you to join me." Chrysoberyl extended her hand to the chrysoberyl on the ground, who took it hesitantly. When she stood, Chrysoberyl put her hand on her shoulder. The gem on the cheek of the chrysoberyl next to her glittered in the faint light of the planet. "You don't have to be afraid anymore," explained Chrysoberyl. "You're safe now." Chrysoberyl smiled at the gem, and the other chrysoberyl gave a small, grateful smile back.
     The chrysoberyl's quick acceptance surprised Chrysoberyl. "You're very accepting," Chrysoberyl noted. "Why?"
     The chrysoberyl simply smiled and said, "Oh, no reason! I guess that's just how chrysoberyls are made, don't you agree?"
     "Yes, I suppose," Chrysoberyl noted. "Well, you're really ready to join me?"
     "Of course!" The chrysoberyl beamed.
     "What can I call you?" Chrysoberyl asked as they made their way toward the ship. "I think 'chrysoberyl' will get confusing after awhile, don't you?"
     "Hm..." the chrysoberyl thought. "Well, you can stay Chrysoberyl."
     "Alright then," Chrysoberyl agreed. "Why don't I call you Sienna? The name matches your color perfectly."
     "I like that!" The chrysoberyl, then Sienna, smiled. "Sienna."
     "Good," Chrysoberyl smiled back, though she couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.