Solace

The consequences of dissatisfaction

"How did Rose find her?"

"Why can she fuse so easily?"

"Don't the humans call that 'homosexuality'?"

Those were some of the comments that she heard before Rose quieted the assemblage. "Settle down! We don't need to overwhelm our newcomer. It's about time we all got to work, anyways. I need all of my blacksmith gems to go to The Forge and finish your weapon projects from last week. There will be absolutely no procrastination today." A group of muscular Gems grumbled amongst each other. "Healers will be needed today to set up the infirmary. I will be there with you to give instructions on how make medicinal remedies out of healing tears. The rest of you will be sword training with a partner of your choice. Please choose someone you can get along with... I don't want anyone else to get impaled this week. I also should mention that our new recruit needs to be given a tour of our base. Any volunteers?" Everyone shuffled around uncomfortably. "I'll do it!" All of their gazes focused on the enthusiastic voice within the midst of the gathering. A wiry gem pranced over to Rose with a wide grin plastered onto her pale face. "And it looks like Pearl will be our only volunteer, as usual." She approvingly patted the thin gem on her shoulder. "Anything for you." Pearl gushed affectionately. Rose pretended not to hear her response and kept speaking. "Let's begin our daily routine. This rebellion isn't going to win itself!" With those few words, the Gems dispersed to their respective work positions. "I'll see you two later." She hurried away and left the two of them alone in the now empty room. "I believe we've met before under informal circumstances." Pearl cleared her throat in a dignified manner. "Weren't you the gem who was with Rose Quartz when she attacked Blue Diamond's encampment?" Garnet's tricolored eyes widened with a mixture of fear and fascination. "That was certainly me. But the fear-invoking renegade that you encountered isn't anything more than a former Homeworld servant with self esteem issues." She chuckled bitterly. Garnet was unsure if she should laugh along or not. "Anyways... as you may have deduced, this is the assembly hall. We meet here each morning to receive our daily instructions from Rose Quartz." She held out her hand and gestured at the vacant space. It was a commodious room with a transparent domed ceiling that overlooked the morning sky. A few lopsided battle axes were hung proudly on the arched walls of the expansive fortress. The floor was the only place that showed signs of imperfection. Several trails of muddy footprints littered the smooth linoleum tiles due to the rugged gem's strenuous labor. "this door to the right leads to the infirmary." She marched over to threshold and cracked the entryway wide enough to see the events taking place inside. Hundreds of gems bustled around the smaller space, setting up rickety cots and congregating amongst each other. Rose stood in the center of a large group with a glass of healing tears in her hand. Some were shoving each other to get a better view of her. Pearl glanced at Rose as a flushed tinge covered her cheeks. "Let's move on." her posture was slightly more slumped while they transitioned to a wide limestone corridor. The torches that were stationed along the walls cast an eerie orange glow throughout the descending hallway. Garnet noticed several doors leading off into different directions. "These are the privacy quarters. Everyone shares a room with at least 3 other roommates." Pearl halted abruptly and flung one of the doors open. It revealed a simple space with a few weapons and books sprawled messily across a smooth marble flooring. "We mostly use these spaces for battle strategy planning, private fusion practices, and recuperation after serious injuries." After walking into the depths of the passageway for a few more minutes they arrived at a heavy wooden threshold. She could perceive faint yells and the familiar sound of blades clashing against each other coming from within. The door emitted a grating creak whenever Pearl pulled it ajar. The noise caused everyone inside to take a hasty look at the twosome before returning to their previous activities. "And this is the training room." Garnet was engulfed with astonishment by the selection of glorious weapons that each gem brandished with pride. Viscous Battle cries ricocheted off the towering walls of the palatial expanse. "How are you able to forge such beautiful weapons?" Garnet whispered in wonderment. "Most of our weaponry isn't actually forged. It's summoned from within the depths of one's gemstone." Pearl explained. Garnet possessed a puzzled expression. The concept of summoning wasn't familiar with her. "Summoning is the withdrawal of a unique weapon or ability from an individual's  gemstone. It isn't an easy process. Summoning can only take place after one has fully identified and accepted themselves." Pearl widened her light blue eyes with strain contorted upon her pale face. A brilliant light illuminated the corridor as a spiraling turquoise spear appeared in her agile hands. "It still takes a lot of effort even though I've been doing this for 300 years." Garnet was astounded by the information she had received. "Could you teach me how to summon my weapon?" Pearl chuckled in amusement. "I could begin to teach you the basics if you insist... but I don't see you mastering this skill any time in the near future." She appeared slightly crestfallen at the derogatory statement. "If I'm going to teach you, we need to start practicing immediately. Who knows? Maybe you'll get the hang of summoning by the end of this cursed rebellion."

                     ~     ~     ~    ~

After an extensive stroll through the poorly lighted hallway, they arrived back at the assembly room. "This is an ideal place to begin because it's silent an empty. I'll walk you through each step. Keep in mind that each individual has a special way of summoning." Garnet nodded gingerly. "your eyes need to be open wide throughout the entire process. If you close them, you might sink into the depths of your self conscious. The next step is to think about all the important aspects that define yourself." She instantly thought of Ruby and Sapphire.

They are the foundation of my existence. I am a symbol of their love for each other.

"Start thinking about the differences between who you are today and who you strive to be tomorrow."

I feel the need to prove that I'm more than just two gems who are in love. I want to be a separate being entirely. In fact, I'll be more than just a separate gem... I'll be a strong warrior who can protect this earth.

"Finally, begin thinking about a weapon or a power that suits you."

I don't want to have to choose between a power and a weapon. In order to properly represent myself, I need to have both to display my two main aspects. I will have sapphire's remarkable future vision without question. Since Sapphire has the ability, Ruby should have the weapon. It should be something that implies her  everlasting temper. A pair of gauntlets would be an accurate portrayal.

"Call the objects to appear through your gemstones."

I summon a pair of gauntlets to represent  Ruby, who is one of my main aspects. I call upon visions of the future to portray Sapphire, who makes up my other half.

A peculiar red glow radiated from Garnet's gemstones as a pair of shimmering maroon gauntlets encased Her fists. She felt her knees buckling when the visions flooded her mind. The premonitions floated past her like fragile leaves drifting downstream on a swift river's current. Whispers of unknown voices crept into her ears when the images meandered past her field of eyesight. She was jarred back into reality when she felt her body hit the ground. When she opened her eyes, she saw Pearl's face underneath hers. It took her a few seconds to realize that She was pinned underneath her. Her face flushed when she figured out that her pelvis was pressed against Pearl's. "Impossible..." the gem beneath her muttered. "I-I'm sorry." Garnet mumbled as she scrambled off of her. "You summoned your weapon on the first try." Garnet felt her heart flutter at Pearl's astonishment. She somehow seemed.. appealing when she was vulnerable.

Sapphire! Garnet isn't in our control anymore.

It's best that we let her have her own emotions. She's an individual gem, not our puppet.

               4,000 years later

The excruciating pains in Garnet's head still continued to pulse constantly. After several hours of crouching in the floor of her room in a pained silence, she heard a knock on the door. "Come in." A familiar rounded face poked through the entrance. "Hey 'G. Are you okay? You've been in here for a couple of hours. Your wife won't shut up about how worried she is about you." Amethyst plopped down next to Garnet brashly. "What's eating you up, girl? Did Pearl make you mad again?" She inquired. "I'm fine." Garnet twitched uncomfortably. "No you're not. If you weren't mad at Pearl then you'd probably be making out with her or something." She snickered nervously. "True enough." Amethyst narrowed her dark eyes. "So you are mad at her. What did she do?" The smaller gem placed a supportive hand on her muscular thigh. "I'd rather not talk about this." She replied stoically."oh.. I get it. you're sexually frustrated." Garnet appeared shaken. "T-that's not what I said-"  Amethyst leaned closer. "You've always got me if that old bird isn't satisfying you." Her lips connected with Garnet's cheek hastily. She hopped off of the ground and skipped over to the door with a smug look on her face.

This is too much for Garnet to handle.

Agreed.