"My Diamond…"

"Yes?"

"The council requests more gems."

Pearl could barely move with the stream of other gems from how much she was shaking. Her master had abandoned her. Why would she do this, pearl didn't know. She was a good servant, she did everything as was asked of her and never questioned orders she was given. She didn't talk to other pearls, when left alone with them, and didn't try to hide anything from her master. She always followed the rules.

Then why did her master threw her away? What did she do to cause such wrath from Prehnite? Why did her master have to be so cruel and sent her here…

"Why am I even here…" She murmured softly, looking at her light green hands.

A gem next to her turned her head and looked at her. It was an emerald.

"I presume they need a workforce."

"What do you mean?"

The emerald sighed, clearly annoyed with the pearls inability to use logic.

"Just look at the ground. The work is clearly unfinished and everything is hastily made." She kneeled and put her hand on the floor. "You can feel how rough the stone is…"

But before the scientist could say anything else, a figure appeared though the circle of gems that had formed around them. It was an obsidian soldier, wielding a ballistic weapon with both hands.

"What's going on here?" She asked, her finger lying on the weapons trigger.

"Nothing… Nothing important…" Emerald nervously muttered.

"Then get moving." The obsidian walked back through now dispersing circle of gems.

Emerald stood up and started walking, pearl following her.

"This is only proof that they need a workforce." Muttered the green gem under her nose.

"But then why are we here… We are not workers…"

Emerald stared at the pearl dumbfounded.

"I understand that pearls are not made to think, but even a ruby would understand what is happening. Diamond authority doesn't need us anymore, we are being phased out."

"What do you mean?" Pearl asked.

Emerald looked like she was about to break, but she somehow calmed herself down.

"We are outdated. I am not as capable as the newer models, and you, not as beautiful and graceful. We are useless for the elites."

"Prehnite would never change me for another pearl just because she's prettier!"

"We are all replaceable, of course she did. It was only a matter of time until she got tired of you. And now was an especially optional time to do so."

For the next few minutes they just walked as Pearl was lost in her thoughts. Emerald herself observed the amount of soldiers lined up next to the walls and calculating something in her head.

After several moments Pearl turned to the emerald and realized something. She bowed down slightly and proclaimed.

"I am apologize I allowed myself to talk back to you and ask questions without your permission"

Emerald laughed.

"Right now we are on the same level."

They walked for several more minutes before pearl turned to emerald and asked.

"Even if they need a workforce, why sent us?"

"I might have an idea…" Said the emerald as they moved closer and closer to what seemed to be the end of the tunnel.

The experience was different than they expected. Once they walked out of the tunnel they saw a massive well-lit hall, at the end of which were placed several hundred tables, a morganite or an emerald sitting behind each one. The walls of the room were light grey, while the floor and ceiling were black or dark grey.

There was a long line in front of each table, where hundreds if not thousands of gems were lined up. Emerald and Pearl were quickly directed to one of the lines by one of the numerous obsidian soldiers keeping order.

The line moved extremely slowly, but finally, both Emerald and Pearl reached the table. The Morganite sitting behind it gestured them to sit down, and so they did.

"What abilities do you have?"

"You mean our purpose?" Asked Emerald, completely baffled by the question.

"We know your purpose; we are interested of what you can do outside of it." The orange gem explained.

End notes

This chapter is here so that I don't need to explain from where the obsidians got so much supporting personnel, and why gems serving obsidians are allowed to perform task which they weren't created for.

Have a nice day!