Shards Of Sombra: Diamond · 11:49pm Oct 14th, 2021
Artwork by the magnificent Magfen
[ DIAMOND ]
The kind sibling. The nice one. The healer. Diamond has been seen as an absolute sweetheart, projecting a happy-go-lucky attitude and a smile for everyone. Discovered within the caverns beneath the Crystal Palace, Diamond first met Obsidian in a dream, where she only got a taste of his kindness. Then, after smuggling his shard out of the Empire, Obsidian revived her 'little' brother - and found him to be an absolute joy, much like many others who have met him. From there, he has proven to be exceedingly kindhearted and forgiving, even choosing to bear the brunt of Stonewall Peavine's punishments with a smile.
Currently, he is travelling with his sister {Obsidyan} and her friends as they embark on a journey to discover the last few shards remaining. But little by little, the small stallion has not only proven his worth, but has shown to be capable of far more seriousness. Obsidian may have a number of shady-types in her Dark family tree, but among them all, Diamond shines as one of the brighter branches, and holds so much kindness for the world, one wonders where a shard of Sombra would have gotten it from.
[Story Notes]
Diamond was what I wanted to toss into the mix as a bit of an opposite of his fellow siblings; he's sweet, kind and hysterically inept with words. I had it in mind for him to be one of the exceptions to the 'Sombra's Shards Are Mean' rule - like Ruby, but a bit more alive. The trope of the good kid among the family of ne'er-do-wells has always been a favorite of mine, and I really enjoyed making him just as bubbly and bright as Amethyst is dour and snarky.
Every time I put Diamond into the tale, I simply can't help myself - HE MUST BE CUTE. Each scene, I tried to make sure Diamond popped up with something that would make others go 'awwwwww' at his antics. He's like the anti-villian of the piece, spreading joy and smiles wherever he goes and generally being almost like a toddler in some instances - a very polite, well-behaved toddler, but a toddler nonetheless. Even when he's being serious, I still do what I can to let at least a little bit of sunshine creep into his actions.
In my original idea, Diamond would never have been released from his shard; he would have been a voice that contacted Obsidian through her dreams, guiding her along her way... but then I realized what I had decided for Siddy's siblings in her head, and realized it would be far too redundant with BOTH ideas in the tale. So, I chose instead to let Obsidian bring him out of his shard state... and I haven't regretted it since.
Pancho the stuffed phoenix was just that - a stuffed doll for Diamond, purchased by Obsidian and presented by Tourmaline. However, in my mind, Pancho became a visual cue for the Cute to begin, and he's usually present when Mundy goes all-out cute. It's like weaponizing adorableness... and Pancho is a sniper's scope; when the two are in cahoots, there's no escaping the inevitable diabetes-inducing cuteness they can generate together.
Oh, his crush on Stalwart Stance! THIS was the main reason I chose to make him a Shetland-sized pony, like Wart herself - because the heartwarming romance of the stallion coupled with Wart's wary lack of comprehension is comedic gold. Diamond in love was something I wanted to do, but I hadn't considered anyone for him directly... until Obsidian, with Wart in tow, let him out of his shard. One look at a mare that was not only his own size, but beautiful to behold to him... well, he was smitten. And poor Wart had no idea that the miniature male was waxing poetic over her; something she confesses to yearning for, later in the tale. I thought the irony would be enjoyable to add to the story.
The fact Diamond can understand but not speak Equestrian was a device I used to be able to get away with mispronunciations - something that I feel makes him all the more lovable and humorous. Though I will say, putting '{}' brackets around all his dialogue was a bit of a pain... but worth it - in my opinion - for the end result. (I chalk up what knowledge he has of Equestrian to Whistlewhite more than Sombra, honestly.)
Diamond does have a dark side, be assured of that - however, being the one who had to heal a lot of his siblings from their father's 'lessons', he tends to bury it inside, and rarely speaks of his own problems. He would simply rather be pleasant than possibly upset someone - but make no mistake: Diamond IS a Shard of Sombra... he's just the shiniest one of the bunch.
[Factoids]
A song for Diamond? Well, I suppose I could do worse than the classic I Can See Clearly Now by Johnny Nash. It speaks of a turn of attitude, of happy stuff and good things - all stuff that fits well with happy little Mundy. I can almost see him prancing down Ponyville's main street, Pancho on his back, singing this in perfect ancient Crystallian.
The FULL artwork of Diamond has one thing that this one doesn't - Pancho. The full artwork will be coming along for each sibling, no worries... until then, be like a hospital; have 'patients'.
Wart: "He's babbling again... and smelling me." = one of my favorite lines concering Diamond in the story; had me laughing like a loon when I first wrote it out. Yes, I'm weird - sorry, not sorry.
When I tried to picture Diamond's personality, I conjured pieces of Johnny Five from the Short Circuit movies, some Theodore from Alvin & The Chipmunks, a splash of Invader Zim levels of cluelessness, and just a hint of Trixie's flair for the dramatic.
[SPOILER]
Each one of these files will get a spoiler for the upcoming, unpublished story; read at your own risk.
Diamond may be a pacifist, but when he matches up against machines that have no souls to speak of... he gets to cut loose. And he does. And how.
I really like Diamond as a character.