Thrown Away

Moving On From The Past

As I get closer and closer to the door at the end of the hall, I can hear someone above. The voice sounds familiar, I look up, trying to indicate whether or not that there's a hatch in case of an emergency or something. I can't see anything except for dirt and medal, those were the only things keeping this place intact. I look back down in front of me to see the door getting, ever so slightly, closer. I look left and right at each of the different cells, each of them containing a different gem with the virus. I'll come back, for all of you, I promise, I thought, not sure if they could hear me.

Again, I look back in front of me to see someone in front of the door. It was me, on the floor sobbing. I stopped in my tracks, terrified by the sight of it. Of me, I looked exhausted in this state. The 'being' that was in front of me looked up, they were expressionless, but still sobbing. They attempted to stand up, but they couldn't. I couldn't see how or why, but I hated seeing this. "Hey, Azure!" I hear someone call out to me. Instinctively, I turn around cautiously, worried about who could be behind me. I see Amethyst, running towards me. A part of me wants to believe that it's the real Amethyst. But I couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't real, any of this.

"You aren't- You aren't the real, the real Amethyst," I could barely even speak. I was in disbelief and shock by what I was experiencing. "Are you?" I finish asking. She just stands there, expressionless. Seems to be a common occurrence down here. "None of this is real, is it?" I say aloud. I turn back around to see that the once expressionless and depressed version of myself that had been there, was now gone. I turn my head back around to where I came from, the Amethyst that was joyous to see me was also, now gone. I continue to run towards the door so that I could be free from this place.

I get to the door, it felt like I had been released from a cage that I had trapped myself in for so long. But a part of me wanted to never escape, a part of me thought that I should never escape that cage. But I now knew that I couldn't ever be put back into that cage again. I loved this feeling of freedom. I wanted to never leave it, I wanted this feeling to stay forever. But I still had to go and find Amethyst. I close my eyes, concentrating even more now. I think about everything that I've done to Amethyst, how could she still want to be around me? I've hurt her so much. But I think I already knew the answer to that question. Amethyst didn't seem like the type to give up, she didn't ever want to give up either. I open my eyes.

I run faster and faster, scared that the person behind me will eventually catch up to me. I wasn't sure how, but they were maintaining a speed that no gem or human had ever gone before. That is, until we discovered HSV. Carriers of HSV would gain an abnormally large speed increase whenever they felt determined or nervous. Opposites of each other, but still had the same effect. I needed to try and find Azure, Once I find her, we can figure out a way to sneak back into Little Homeworld, she wouldn't be taken in as long as she covered her arm. But I would, I had already been diagnosed with the virus by Pearl.

As soon as the saw me, I would most likely be poofed and bubbled immediately. And then who knows what would happen next. I turn my head around to see if the gem was still following me. I don't see them anymore. Of course, I was still cautious. With the speed that they were going at, they could easily run around me and ambush me. I run back the way I had originally come from, knowing that there had to be something there. It was just an open field, but, I had a feeling that it was somewhat important. I run into the open, out of the dense woods that I had run through for so long. I could see a hatch of some sort near the center of the fields.

I look around, trying to figure out if this was a trap or not. I couldn't see anyone, and I couldn't hear anyone or anything. Just the woods and the hatch. I cautiously walk over to the hatch, trying to figure out whether or not this is a trap by Yellow. I was nervous, obviously, but I had a feeling that Azure would be here. She had to be, right? Where else would she have gone? I had already run, or at least felt like I ran, through the entirety of the surrounding woods. I had to find Azure soon, Yellow might be torturing her down there. I had no clue what was going on down there. Where Azure was, I could only guess.

Amethyst's nearby! I run up the stairs that led to the hatch. I start banging my hands on it. "Amethyst! Over here!" I yell. I could hear her call back to me, "Azure? I'm coming!" She responded shortly after. I continue to bang on the hatch as I can hear Amethyst's footsteps getting closer and closer. I start to push the hatch as hard as I could. I could feel Amethyst pulling the hatch open as it almost felt like it was glued shut. I push on it harder and harder until the hatch finally pops off. I climb up the ladder that led up to the open field that Amethyst was currently in and that Yellow had been in earlier.

Once I get up there, Amethyst jumps into my arms and hugs me. I hug her back, thankful that all of this was now over. We could just live, we could just be normal. But then I remember something, the Hyper-Shade Virus. Pearl and the rest of the gems at Little Homeschool were probably trying to find Amethyst and I right now. We needed to get as far away as possible. I could only guess what they would do to me and Amethyst. There were only two things that we could do now. Either run, or go back down into the prison that Yellow was still in and hold her off until Pearl and the others get over here or find us.

"We have to get out of here, now!" Amethyst anxiously shouts as she runs off the opposite direction. I don't follow at first, she noticed almost immediately. "What are you doing?" She called out to me nervously and curiously. I was scared, not of her. But of myself. I know I told myself that I wouldn't let Yellow determine my current decisions, I've moved on from that. Haven't I? Where did I go wrong? My trust just vanished into thin air after those experiences that I've had with Yellow. It was terrifying, it's still terrifying to think about it. That was then, this is now and I don't know what to do.

"Maybe- Maybe we should bring Yellow back to Little Homeworld and let Pearl and the others deal with her!" I shout in frustration and confusion. I look at Amethyst, she was shocked by my reaction, maybe even scared of my answer. I cover my mouth as I realize what I just said. "Azure, I know that she's hurt you, but getting revenge isn't going to change anything!" She explains to me as she stands there. I fall to the ground, sobbing. I couldn't believe what I just said. "Getting rid of her wouldn't do anything, wouldn't change anything. Would anyone care? The only person who ever cared was me," I say, still sobbing.

"No, you're wrong. I care, I care about how you feel. I care about you, but there has to be a different way, ok?" She asks while walking up to me. It takes a little for me to respond, "I- Okay," I respond, hesitant about it. If we just got rid of Yellow, we could just live freely. Not have to worry about her attacking us, just out of nowhere. I wanted her gone, forever. I started to listen to myself for a second, I sounded just like her. Wanting someone, who was once important to me, gone for good. Just like that, never again would I ever see her.

"Now, come on!" She told me as she ran off back into the woods. I followed soon after, wondering where we were even going. I didn't know what she was thinking, I had to trust her otherwise who knows what'll happen. Pearl and the others are still trying to find us, so we still had to make sure we were as far away from them as possible. Amethyst was going surprisingly fast and I almost lost her, but I eventually caught up. "Where are we even going?!" I call to Amethyst as we continue to run deeper and deeper into the woods. "It's a surprise!" She responds.

I was worried and nervous by that response, but I try to ignore it. As long as it was far away from Little Homeworld and Yellow, it couldn't be that bad. I still felt like, no matter where I went, no matter who I was with, no matter where I was. Amethyst would still be in danger. Even if I was right by her side, making sure nothing ever happened to her. I wanted to protect her, I needed to protect her. But would she let me? Would she still be safe? I almost felt like a burdon on her, but when I wasn't around her, I felt like I should be right by her. Protecting her no matter what, even if that means that I have to get as far away from her as possible.

"We're almost there!" Amethyst shouts back to me as we get closer and closer to the edge of the dense woods. It felt like we had been running for the whole day, I never thought that these woods were this big. I can just barely see a strange structure in the distance. It almost looks like an old abandoned Homeworld ship. Peridot would probably know what it was, she loves this sort of stuff. She's been to Homeworld a few times, and since Era 3 began, the history catacombs became available to everyone. Since the Diamonds didn't really have anything to hide anymore. She has a LOT left to go over. A lot of stuff happened that the Diamonds didn't want anyone knowing about.

I notice that Amethyst had stopped right outside of the woods and sat down. I run up to her and sit down next to her. It was relaxing to finally take a break. "So, how would you describe Era 3 so far?" Amethyst asks me. I was confused by the question. It just kind of came out of nowhere. But, I started to think about my answer anyway. "The Era of Moving On,"I responded confidently. Amethyst smiled at me as the sun had started to set in front of us.