WWWeek Seven Entry: A Stone's Throw

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I hope it's not too late to this! If it is, I'd still like to share what I've written. This story focuses on how Garnet is coping with the gem war.

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“Even in running away from hurting, there is hurting.

In opening unprotected to the experience

that is enslaving you with its torment,

there is the willingness to be free.

Are you willing? Or do you just want to

wait until the world finally gets it and does it your way?”

-Gangaji

The crimson sky cried rubble, wailing a cautionary tale of death and grief. It's words, however, fell upon the deaf ears of morality. For gems, both good and bad, fought regardless. Action answered action. Feeling met feeling. Word choked word. The debris crashed and exploded against the ground. Plumes of smoke danced with the wind, markedly breaking the maelstrom of combat. The deafening sound of metal on metal reverberated throughout the battlefield, its purity only tainted by the broken screams of those wise enough to surrender. It was becoming increasingly clear; these gems were made to die.

Central to it all sat a cross-legged Garnet. And though her stature suggested otherwise, her composure was counterfeit. She stood with the vibrations of the ground, perhaps to quell the agony of battle. The tremulous booms of ancient gem weapons shot directly to her heart, only amplifying the depth of her abject desolation. Her allies’ cries for help echoed across her memory, eclipsing any past goodness on which she may have reminisced. Her body trembled. Tears poured from her eyes. She tried to speak, but the smoke of battle suppressed her voice. She tried to move, but woe’s dead hands groped her feet. Heat, however, pushed her forward. It spread from her chest to her face, and through her veins. Her head pounded, imaging the beat of her palpitating heart. Her hands stretched and contorted, knowing only wicked impulse. Her inner wrath laid itself down. A blanket over that whom she knew so well. But there was something secondary. Empty and cold it moved, ing through the malevolent cover that had been placed so near. Wrath readied his spear. Hopelessness, her hammer. And as the two began their onslaught, a third ed. It's pull rocked the ground on which they stood, and left both impotent.

But a person can only be pulled so many ways. And with each cry and each gunshot, her insides tore deeper. And though she was strong, her division shone through. The sounds of the battle became one forceful shriek. Her allies and enemies were indistinguishable. The ground and the sky merged. And through it all, a light cracked her face. The line was messy and sharp and it spread down her neck and through her body. She looked down at her hands for just a moment, and with a poof, one became two. And in the same instant, her surroundings evaporated, leaving the two in a blue void.

One, blue hair and blue skin, spoke through tears. “Why did you show me that?”

The other, dark maroon hair with red skin, looked down. “Sapphire-”

Sapphire interrupted Ruby. “People we knew. People we loved. Why would we want to revisit that?”

“It’s our past, Sapphire! We can’t just ignore it forever!”

“Our past?” Sapphire moved the hair from her eye. “I never wanted that! I wanted to talk to them- to reason with them- but you wouldn’t let me!” The air grew colder.

“They wouldn’t listen to reason. They would spit in our face before killing us. Wars can’t be ended through inaction. We had to fight or nothing would have changed!”

“I can see thousands of different possible futures. I knew what I needed to say, how I needed to say it, and who I needed to say it to make what I wanted to happen a reality. Why don’t you trust me on this?” Crystals of ice formed at her feet.

“You can’t be sure of any of the futures you see! There are so many things you couldn’t have ed for that could have messed something up! And even if you did get the chance to speak to the diamonds, who’s to say they wouldn’t have killed you outright? They were never willing to be diplomatic!”

“There are other ways of solving problems that don’t include damning innocent people. I was close to so many of those that fell that day. We could have reached a better solution together if we actually listened to each other.”

“I’ve always listened to you.” A strong wind ruffled the gems’ clothes. “You think you’re so much better than me cause they put you up on a little pedestal at homeworld, but you’re not. You won’t accept any solution that isn’t yours, and when I finally yield you act as if we got there together. You’re so convoluted that you expect everyone to bend over backward to make sure you have the power, but you refuse to recognize that cause you think you can do no wrong!”

“Ruby.” Sapphire trailed off.

Templated sentences sat in Ruby’s mouth, aching to see the light of day, but their desires were not fulfilled. Sobs took their place. Her tears fell to the ground. She sniffled. The next words that came out of her mouth were quiet and slow. “I’ve done all I can to get rid of this feeling.”

The last word echoed through the air. And as the sound trailed off, silence took its place. The Gems sat a moment, and lived in the oxymoronic simplicity of their being. And in that complete lack, came a great wave of satisfaction. There was no sound, no thoughts, nothing to do and nothing not to do. There was just living. And everything seemed to come together easier. They loved themselves and loved each other and that was it. There was nothing to live up to, nothing they were supposed to be, nothing they needed to do or say. There was just a lack of control. And with that relinquishment of control, forgiveness came naturally. They forgave their past actions and forgave their present selves, for they knew the beauty of everything in and surrounding them.

“I’m sorry.” Sapphire spoke. “I’m sorry, I really am. I never meant to make you feel that way.”

“And I’m sorry, too.” Ruby responded. “I didn’t mean what I said.”

Sapphire’s response caught Ruby off guard. “Of course you meant what you said.” There was a beat, “but don’t apologize for feeling.” She smiled. “Feelings aren’t there to ignore.”

The two reveled in their newfound understanding. Any war - any battle that had taken from them gave back not what they’d lost physically, but new power and self-worth in its place. And with that Garnet opened her eyes, and lived once again in Beach City, but always holding with her, her inner ocean of peace.

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Thanks for reading if you did. It means a lot to me. Love you all!

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#WWWeekSeven