I barely felt it as my fist impacted the cliff wall. The stone fractured, falling away against my increased strength. My eyes locked on the small indentation that formed around my fist. Bringing my hand up, I marveled at how little evidence showed on it.
“Ohhh, that’s impressive... for an adolescent earth pony.” Tempest’s response was loaded with just the right amount of snark as she approached from outside the ‘potential shrapnel’ area. “I have to wonder how much of your strength you were using, though, because that would take all that the pony could give.”
“I wasn’t trying to shatter the whole wall,” I responded, glancing back at her. “Even if it would probably feel like styrofoam, I’d rather not get showered in boulders.”
She nodded in response while looking up, as if that thought hadn’t even crossed her mind yet. “But we still have to learn what you can do, how far you can push yourself without feeling pain. If you hold yourself back because of the expectations you remember having about what would hurt you, you’ll be a hindrance on the battlefield instead of an asset.”
Sighing, I clenched my fist again. “Right, Right. You should move back then. Minimum safe distance.” Reminding myself that I didn’t need to stretch my limbs, I drew my arm back. “Doubled from the last one.”
Tempest retreated back behind a bismuth she’d convinced to observe so they had a more accurate idea of how to make things specifically for me to use. Her horn sparkled with lightning for a moment before releasing a tiny ball of lightning that shot a few feet into the air before exploding like a string of firecrackers, the signal to me that she was safe from immediate danger.
Focusing only on my next action, I drove my fist into the wall. Rock exploded around me, the entire structure collapsing. Large, small, even a few person-sized rock chunks rained down on me. A muscle previously flexed by Tanzanite twitched, forming a plane shield above me. It vanished as quickly as it appeared, leaving me standing in a lake of rubble.
“Can an adolescent earth pony do that?” I asked, wiping some of the dust from my face.
“I’m pretty sure there aren’t any ponies who aren’t alicorns that can do that without hurting themselves. You’re sure that was only double?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s hard to quantify without any baseline. Maybe triple?” I guessed, brushing a few stones out of my hair. “Not like I have any of this programmed into me.”
The bismuth moved in and started to clear up the rocks that had fallen around me, most of them common stones with a few natural quartz formations shattered by my blow. Tempest, meanwhile, waited for the cloud of stone dust in the air to dissipate so she could get a clear look at just how much damage had actually been done to the face of the ravine.
“You certainly pack a wallop, Your Brilliance,” the Bismuth complimented, her arms full of material. “I don’t even think a charging quartz could do that.”
“I certainly try,” I said, making a note to visit the lapises for a rinse. With the dust settling, I got the first taste of how strong I had become. Five feet of the wall in front of me had been obliterated, much of it laying at my feet or pulverized by the impact.
Tempest whistled, appraising the destruction. “Now that’s something. I don’t think even an alicorn could do that. At least not physically. Maybe the other diamonds made you short to condense all that pow… what is that?” She pointed to an oddly-shaped chunk of stone that rested in the rubble at the base of the crater I’d made.
It was oddly-shaped in that it had an actual shape rather than being just a random lump of stone. It was a star of pure white stone almost the same size as Tempest’s head, and it took no effort whatsoever for me to lift it up and take a closer look.
"I have no idea what this is," I stated simply, turning it over in my hands. "You got any ideas?" I asked, looking at the Bismuth. "Some abandoned art project maybe?"
She looked up and shrugged after a couple seconds. “Maybe try wiping the dust off of it and see if it makes any more sense? We don’t generally use stars for decorations though.”
I heeded her suggestion, taking a gulp of air. Most of the dust and dirt came off in one or two tries, revealing more of the surface. I felt it then, the strange power thrumming through it. Gems embedded at the star points began to glow, showering us in multihued light.
During the brightness, several thuds were heard, some louder than others. Once the light died down, there were a bunch of new gems in view, each of them different. A Lapis, Jasper, Peridot, Amethyst, Pearl and even a Garnet fusion. Each of them had expressions that varied in minor details, but each had confusion, surprise, tension and fear in common. Mostly, though, they looked tired. They only stayed on the ground for a moment, but they quickly got up soon after looking around, trying to get a feel for their surroundings, but going immediately on guard.
My world came to a grinding halt, the forms of these new arrivals burning into my mind. Much like myself, they were the spitting images of the characters I had spent hours watching. I bit my lip, trying to re-engage my thoughts. I didn't need another defragging nap. Not so soon.
Tempest stepped in front of my still form, magic crackling around her horn. "And who are you supposed to be? Emissaries of the Diamonds?"
“That’s the Pearl that instigated the first rebellion! TRAITOR IN THE ENCLAVE! SOUND THE ALARMS!” The bismuth that had been with us outright panicked and turned to run away almost immediately.
Soon, more confusion came, the Peridot wincing from the screaming, which prompted a scream of her own. “AhhstaybackSombraI’marmed!” she yelled, which did nothing to help them relax.
The Lapis’ wide eyes darted around, before they looked right back at me, sparking confusion, but other than that they didn’t say anything else.
Putting a hand on Tempest's shoulder, I stepped past her. The words passed my lips even as the question formed in my head. "Were you human too?"
Now, all of their eyes were on me. It looked like I’d said the right thing, because they seemed to relax a little after that. The Lapis let out a sigh. “Right, we’re in another… you know.” She spoke to the others, and they would either hunch over, sigh or do both.
“How do we turn that thing off again?” the Jasper asked.
“Beats me, we should try it sometime.” The Pearl rubbed her face.
"Tell me!" I demanded, desperate for just one sliver of humanity. To have it dangled in my face was too much. I had to know. At the time, I didn’t notice the fact that my ill-tempered shout caused the various pebbles and larger stones around me to jostle and move a good foot or so away from where they were.
The group didn’t move away, but looked a little taken aback.
“Okay okay fucking… What do you want to know?” the Lapis asked.
“David,” a voice nearly identical to Pearl’s came from around a bend in the canyon as Watson approached from where she had been posted. “Why did the bismuth with you claim there were... oh, hello there. I didn’t know you could manage to make new gems so quickly.”
It took a long moment for Watson's voice to pierce the cloud of anger that had descended on my mind. I pinched the bridge of my nose, steadying my breath. That was... concerning. I could be a hardass but fits of anger? "Watson, please remind me to see Bashir. I need to talk to her about something. As for them, I think I brought them here."
“New gems are always a good thing. Shall I make appointments for Bashir to check them for defects as well? The purple one seems to be on the small side for a quartz.”
Tempest chimed in, a certain edge to her voice. "I've never even seen an orange or purple gem before. Doesn't seem natural."
“None of us are natural,” the Lapis commented, taking a step forward.
Tempest responded to her movement with a magic bolt. It struck the ground at the Lapis's feet, scorching it black. "No one told you to approach the diamond. I'd suggest you start answering her questions before the local quartzes arrive. They can be quite vicious."
“Whoa! Clearly we were told to be here since we’re, well, here!” The Lapis arched her leg back from the blackened ground.
“If we aren’t wanted then just say something about contracts being finished and we’ll be on our way. Works just fine for us,” the Jasper pointed out, folding her arms with an impatient look on her face.
I put a hand up, having collected myself enough for the task at hand. "Tempest, please. I'm not sure how I brought you here but I would very much like to talk with you all. I'm Lt. Colonel David Kolya, formerly of the Marine Corps. As you can see, I'm now Pink Diamond."
“Shall I return to my post, then, and assure anyone who arrives that this is not the same pearl and there is no need to worry about your safety? If they are your guests, it would be improper to have your soldiers discorporate them.”
"That sounds like a good idea," I said, nodding my head. "If she's not already on her way, could you send for Delphi? Afterwards, I'd like you to come back, alright?" Turning back to my guests I motioned them closer. "I'd offer you a tour but, as Tempest said the quartz are bored and rowdy."
“Doesn’t matter to me. Not like we’ll be spending too long here, Lieutenant. First time I ever heard of a marine in pink,” the Jasper commented, before she was elbowed by the Garnet.
“Look, it seems like this is your first time meeting others like… Well, you,” the Lapis made a gesture to me. “Can we just answer your questions now?”
I nodded my head, kneeling down to better match their eye level. "Please. I take it you all used to be human, like myself?"
Tempest took a few steps away from my side as I did this, moving to interpose herself in the main path to the rest of the enclave so that her back would be the first thing anyone saw coming from that direction.
“That’s true, we all came from Earth before being transported here inexplicably,” the Pearl explained.
“It’s happened to a lot of people, actually. Chances are, we’re not even from the same earth you’re from. This phenomenon is that common and that widespread,” the Peridot explained.
"Right." That was comforting, in a sense. At least in the knowledge that I wasn't alone in this. "Have any of you had any character bleed through? I'm positive my sisters became the other diamonds and from this place, I think they inherited some character traits."
I could say it was about my sisters, but that was only a half truth. After that outburst, I was more afraid I had gained some portion of Pink Diamond's brattiness.
“Have we?” the Amethyst wondered absently, and they all took a glance at each other. “Yeah I’d say… Good chance of that happening.”
“Personally, I don’t feel much different,” the Jasper shrugged.
“That’s because usually you’ll end up sharing at least a few traits with the character you’ll become anyway. I don’t think it’s, like, an absolute thing but you were a marine lieutenant and now you’re in another, albeit much larger, leadership role,” the Peridot explained.
A leader with a budding anger problem, I scoffed. "How did I bring you here exactly? That star didn't look like anything special."
“It’s just a token. If you find one, you can summon others like you to your Equestria. They can do the same for you, if you choose to make one,” the Lapis said.
Something to consider for later. I looked back, a thought occurring to me. An opportunity I didn't think I'd get so soon. "Do I have to be the one to send you back, or can it be someone else?"
“Pretty sure it has to be you,” Lapis explained.
Clicking my tongue, I considered for a moment. "I know this is a lot to ask but, do you think you could try and poof me?" I asked with a straight face. "I've tried talking a few gems here onto doing it but, they freak out at the idea of harming their diamond."
“Sure.” Jasper stepped forward, her helmet being summoned as she leapt forward, helmet-first, straight for him, not bothering to ask if he was ready.
I braced myself, ignoring the instinct to retaliate. The impact sprawled me on my back, form still intact. "You're going to have to get creative," I said with a wince. "I can take a lot of punishment."
She seemed to be just fine with that, since without replying she picked him up and headbutted him several more times. He could see a smile on her face as she assaulted him over and over, seeming more like she was taking her anger out on him.
The others, meanwhile, watched silently until Amethyst spoke up, worried.
“Hey… uh, you don’t think the other gems here will get the wrong idea… do you?”
“That’s more likely than you think since one of you does have the exact same color scheme, hairstyle, and gem position as the pearl that stood alongside the legendary Rose Quartz, the only pink or red gem to ever exist before David here.” Tempest spoke up from her position as she observed the ongoing attacks. One of her eyes twitched slightly, and her horn glowed with a crackle of lightning-like energy briefly as she kept herself from interfering. “That’s why the bismuth ran off screaming, and why I’m standing here to block the direct path somewhat.”
“Thanks… For, like, not arresting us, then,” the purple gem muttered, still worried and standing next to the unicorn. The thought either didn’t occur to Jasper, or she didn’t care at all, putting so much energy into pummelling him she almost didn’t want him to poof just so she could keep going, punches, headbutts, spin dashes, they half expected her to summon an assist character.
“I wasn’t even working for him until a few days ago. Now I just need to remind myself that he asked for this for whatever reason.” Tempest looked down at Amethyst with a smirk. “Hard to protect someone from their own stupidity.”
I growled, rising to a knee and catching Jasper when she collided with me again. "The spindash gimmick clearly isn't working. Thanks anyway." Shifting my weight, I hurled her into the side of the canyon.
She looked angry. “I wasn’t done yet!”
“It was getting nowhere,” Lapis commented, before glancing to Tempest as Jasper jumped down with a grumble. “Maybe instead of blunt damage, we should try stabbing him, or something? Should be quicker,” she suggested.
“I know being hit with lightning makes gems here glitch, but only four living beings know how much it takes to damage a diamond to the point of vanishing in a puff of smoke.”
I brushed myself off, sighing. "Why couldn't one of you have Rose's sword? I'm just so done with this Barbie look."
“Why don’t you just shapeshift?” Peri questioned. “Just make your poofy clothes into a marine jacket or whatever you like wearing.”
"I would but I don't know how to do that. And even if I could, I'd rather the change be permanent than what the original Pink Diamond did with Rose Quartz."
“I… Wait that was a thing?”
I looked at her strangely. "Yeah, Pink Diamond was Rose Quartz. It was all a hoax to get the other diamonds to leave."
All the gems looked at each other, some in mild surprise and others not reacting.
“Wait…” Tempest spoke up at that. “Are you talking about here or something from before, because I already told you why you and her can’t be the same gem.”
"Why do you think I made such a big deal out of finding out there was a Rose Quartz here?" I questioned. "I don't know what's going on anymore than you do, but I know Pink Diamond used Rose Quartz as a way to escape her life as a diamond."
“I mean, I guess it’s just…” Pearl began.
“None of us ever really got to watch the show long enough to know that.” Peri explained. “We ended up here. Well, in a place similar to here, but without… This.” She gestured to the area. “Or her.” She pointed to Tempest. “Well I’ve never really seen you before so I don’t know what your deal is where we come from.”
“So Rose was a liar,” Garnet commented, surprised.
“Damn.” Lapis looked sad.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, feeling another onslaught of tangents."We're getting off-topic here."
“You’re right.” Peri agreed. “At this point, it looks like shapeshifting might be your only option, unless you wanna cycle through us trying to kill you in a ton of ways, but that would just be a waste of our time.” The green gem explained. “Is that everything, then? We done here?”
I nodded slowly. "Yeah we're done here. Thanks for your time."
“Stop right there, criminal scum!” A triple-sized topaz rounded the corner at a run, her face bearing a furious expression. “You dare infiltrate the enclave and threaten our diamond?”
“Oh buck me with a rake.” Tempest turned and held up a hand to try and get the attention of the huge yellow gem. “No, there’s been a misunderstanding. David is in no real danger right now.”
Ignoring my growing headache, I snapped the group a salute. "Thank you again for your time. Our contract is complete."
Like that, they all vanished in a flash of light.
“Fusing! They’re fusing!” The giant topaz shouted before rocking back and throwing her three-pronged weapon like a giant ninja star directly at the blinding light.
“No! Stop!” Tempest shouted at her and reached out with the magic of her repaired horn to try and catch the weapon in her telekinesis just in case there was a chance for it to actually impact one of the departing gems. “More muscle than brain, you gems, I swear…”
The impact caused me to stumble, a lance of pain that dug in and then faded to a dull ache. With a surreal detachment, my hands wrapped around the point sticking out of my chest. “I have a spear in my chest,” I said, rather dumbly.
“I don’t take orders from cattle!” Topaz shouted at Tempest, only for her face to freeze in an open-mouthed, horrified expression as the burst of light faded and she saw what her rash action had done. Her diamond, impaled on her weapon.
A wave of pain burned through my non-existent nerves, my senses screaming in agony. The world was there, and then it wasn’t, vanished in a burst of pink smoke.
Maybe we should have worked out the chain of command issues first.