“SIR! The captain needs to see you immediately as soon as you are in uniform, SIR!” I jolted awake at the rough voice of... what looked like a full-sized amethyst wearing a marine private’s uniform. The voice was all wrong though, far too masculine and gruff. I waved a hand in her direction, only for her expression to harden into an outright scowl. “Orders are orders, I am to get, and I quote, your lazy ass up and moving now before shit goes completely FUBAR.”
“Alright, alright... I’m awake.” I wave again and push myself up off of the thin mattress, only to stare down at my arms and hands in complete confusion for a full minute. Neon pink, and completely featureless aside from my fingers. I was nothing but uniformly glowing pink light, and the second I stopped focusing on my hands the fingers seemed to melt together so that my arms just...ended. “What the hell?”
“Uniform’s in your locker, sir, as always. Get yourself put together.”
A quick look at a mirror on the wall next to my bunk revealed the rest of my body was much the same. In fact, if I just stood still I looked like nothing more than a bright pink pillar. Most disconcerting was my face: perfectly flat and smooth. Nothing marred its surface, not even eyes.
“Sir, time isn’t something you can waste,” my unwelcome alarm clock urged.
“Right, right.” I looked around the room I found myself in and found it to be an odd mix of all of the one-room apartments I’d had, with my barracks bunk from basic, and a gym locker on the far wall. I moved over to that locker and opened it immediately since there wasn’t a lock keeping it sealed.
Instead of a small contained space offering almost no room to hold anything, the locker opened to reveal a glowing white room with rows and rows of clothing shelves, with the ones immediately in front of me offering a variety of tights and leotards. All of them pink, all of them fairly close to Pink Diamond’s canon appearance with slight variations. I hated each and every one of them on sight.
“No, no I need something I can feel comfortable in.” I started to close the locker and look elsewhere, only to pause as the shelves blurred and revealed a variety of casual clothes of all kinds, including dresses and pants. They were all still either red or pink, but this was nevertheless an improvement. “Huh...voice-operated options? I want the clothes I was wearing before I became Pink Diamond and I want to fit in them.”
The racks shifted again, replaced by a single pile of said clothing in reds with some pink highlights. It seemed there was no escaping that facet of my new existence. “Okay, at least now we’re getting somewhere.” Swiping them off the shelf, I stepped over to the mirror. Gazing at my reflection, I studied myself.
Focusing my thoughts, I thought of myself. The old me. My form shifted, flickering like static. For a fleeting moment, my face stared back at me. Cast in pink, but still me. It held for a moment before my body fizzled and reverted to a blank slate.
I sighed and took the plunge by forcing myself to put on the replicas of my old clothing before trying that again. I held my eyes closed... eyes that I didn’t have, but I tried not to think about that too much, for a few seconds before looking at the mirror again. This time I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t see myself at all despite the clothing I’d chosen. Instead, I was reminded of the few times I’d had a girlfriend wear my clothes the next morning. The pleasant memories brought a smile to my face.
The smile faded almost immediately as I watched my body shift and change in the mirror, and I couldn’t stop myself from tearing off the clothes as my light-pillar body became utterly feminine with hips and a visible bust. “NO! Absolutely not, you will NOT use my happy dick memories to emasculate me!” I shouted at whatever force was in control of this odd state of reality, and I felt my body shift back into its unformed state.
Growling, I resisted the urge to put a fist through the offending glass. I returned to the locker, staring inside of it. Military garb was out of the question, if I couldn’t look like me there wasn’t a point in dressing like me.
Slowly, agonizingly, an outfit formed in my head. “Combat boots, jeans, leather jacket and a Blind Guardian shirt; Nightfall in Middle Earth cover.” The items appeared on the shelves inside the impossibly-spacious locker with a blur of motion, accompanied by three articles I had not asked for but made sense from a human perspective: a pair of blood-red socks, what looked like a pair of skintight crimson boxers, and what could only be a matching sports bra.
Did I really need underwear as a gem? Sure, the socks would at least be a bit of a familiar feeling, but I doubted the other two were really necessary, all things considered. Then again, an exercise outfit of some kind for training with Tempest wouldn’t be bad. I brushed a hand over my body, trying to see if there was some sensitivity issue that would make these necessary.
If I could’ve frowned, I would’ve. Touch revealed itself to be worthless, merely giving me the sensation of contact without context. I could tell I was touching myself, but other than that I was completely numb no matter where I moved my hand.
My exasperation growing, I snarled a “Fuck it.” Snatching the selection of clothing, I stomped back to the mirror. “If I ever find that bitch that sent me here, I’m making her eat that stupid costume.”
It didn’t matter if nobody was really there to listen, the ranting did, in fact, improve my mood. Getting dressed didn’t take all that long, just a long moment filled with the most creative threats and profanities I could conjure up. Oddly, I began to feel more real and more myself as I got dressed. I took one last look in the mirror and nodded at the more casual appearance I now had. Casual, but far more like myself than the body I was forced to have. Sure, I looked like a teenage metalhead, but that was better than looking like a pink princess. My hands still looked oddly flat, and I turned back to the locker as an impulse struck me. “Mixed martial arts gloves. I need something to protect any gems from my fists if I can break rock as easily as that bit of practice showed.”
I reached in and grabbed the gloves off the shelf before quickly putting them on and pulling them tight. One more quick glance in the mirror had me running my fingers through my hair to try and get the poofy curls under control more. “Ugh, my head looks like a rejected Sonic design, or that sister from the bad show, what was it called?” Seeing my face start to actually shift in the mirror I quickly shook my head and felt the unwanted alterations revert. “No, no...no errant thoughts in here or I’ll look like a freak when I reform.”
“Focus on what I want. Focus.” I breathed slowly, letting my eyes close. I focused on the new image of myself, willing for that to be my default. Holding this image of myself firmly in my mind, I stepped through the doorway I had been presented with as my ‘destination.’
For just a moment I could see everything around me, and I realized that I was seeing out of all the facets of my gem at once. I couldn’t move, and it took a few seconds before I started feeling the air brush over me as Tempest raised me up. It was a lot like the one time I experienced sleep paralysis, with my mind waking up before my body could move.
After floating above her hand for a few seconds, I finally managed to stretch myself out. First one arm, then the opposite leg as a pink nimbus of light formed around my gem. It was like uncurling from ducking a grenade blast, with light instead of muscle not quite wanting to move, but my will to exist again overcame the resistance to reform that something was exerting on me. I gave one final push to stretch all my limbs out and with a pulse of energy I managed to bring my new body back into the world.
A moment passed, and then another. Each bringing back a sense to my perception. My hearing returned last, catching a word or two from Tempest. I didn’t register her comment, putting a hand on my chest. I expected a rush of adrenaline, a quickened pulse, but there was no heartbeat under my palm.
“I’m sorry, you were saying something, Tempest?” I asked, glancing down at her. “I was a bit distracted.” My hands roved over my front, making sure my form had adapted to my specifications. I’d be damned if I was going to spend another second in that tutu form. My fears subsided as my hands found their way into my new pockets.
“I-uh…” She trailed off while looking up at me, seemingly rendered speechless at the drastic change in my appearance before she quickly shook her head and reached up to rub at the base of her restored horn. “Right, well, at least you still have the same stature so they’ll recognize you. I was saying that it’s a good thing you’re back so those three topaz can stop feeling guilty about hurting a diamond and the other gems will stop trying to take you away from me.”
We hadn’t left the canyon, only now more than a few gems had arrived onto the scene. “My Diamond!” Bashir pushed through the crowd, snapping me a salute. “I heard your form had destabilized. While I’m pleased to see you have reestablished your form, I fear doing so so quickly might be detrimental to your continued stability.”
“We can’t have our precious new diamond compromised so quickly,” Navi chimed in while flying over and getting far too close to poke at my chest. “Although, your choice in attire raises many questions about your mental state. None of the others ever altered themselves this much outside of special occasions.”
I gently swatted away her hand. “The others didn’t get stuck looking like a ballerina. Alright everyone, I’m fine. Please return to whatever you were doing beforehand.”
Bashirr walked around me, waving a small tube like object over my legs. “Hmm, well. She seems stable. I can’t recommend doing that again, however. Such quick reformations can lead to deviations in your light structure.”
“Deviations like the swollen chest? It’s only a few millimeters, but I can still see details like that, and it’s not because of the baggy shirt either!” Navi snapped at Bashir before shrinking back from me and shaking her head. “Right, right, no angry orders. I remember, it’s just hard.”
Fighting off a groan, I clicked my tongue. “Obviously, I let my thoughts slip ever so slightly. As long as I’m not sporting a bust like Tempest, I’m perfectly content with my form. If it’s alright with all of you, I’d like to visit wherever my sisters used as a headquarters.”
Tempest looked down briefly before chuckling and shaking her head. “Yeah, as if a gem’s going to get anywhere close without shapeshifting.” She stepped up to Bashir and put a hand on the shorter gem’s shoulder. “You said all the readings you’re getting are healthy for David as far as you can tell?”
Bashir seemed uneasy about the touch, shifting her weight away from Tempest. “Yes, Her Brilliance is perfectly stable. I still need to finish her full exam, however. I request that you put some time aside for that, My Diamond.”
“Okay, that means everyone needs to clear out except for those who wish to lead us to the location David has just requested: headquarters, or the command center, or the war room, or whatever other name they might have used at the time.” Tempest was firm and commanding in tone without being harsh or overbearing, and she withdrew her hand from Bashir’s shoulder after the gem flinched. “Rubbernecking is not a benefit at this time.”
Navi glanced between myself and Tempest, the disdain clear in her expression. “This way then, Your Brilliance.” Fluttering her wings, she soared ahead of us. “The other diamonds ordered it sealed until your emergence. You’ll be the first gem in ages to step inside.”
I retrieved Watson from her post, getting a flurry of compliments over my new outfit. My look turned heads, starting many a hushed conversation as we passed. A small smirk grew on my face, quite pleased with my choice.
“So,” Tempest interrupted my train of thought as we followed Navi through a tall tunnel heading down into the ground. “You’d be happy as long as you’re not as developed as I am? Not that I’ve ever seen a gem come close in a permanent form, but does that mean you considered trying out something closer to a true female body shape?”
“No that’s...” I gazed down at myself, unable to see the small change Navi could. “I couldn’t change into my old self, and an errant thought made me more feminine than I wanted to look. This is as neutral as I can think to make it.”
“Oh. Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think I like the punk look you have going. It’s not something many ponies would bother with and it makes you look quite different from any of the other diamonds.” She waved a hand in the air idly. “I suppose that might have been a bit much to anyone who’d already gone through such a fundamental change anyways, push it to see how far things could go. It might be a good idea to find out your limits there too, though, how much you can push this form without causing undue strain. I know gem strength doesn’t really depend upon their size and all, but you are short for a diamond if the height of this tunnel is anything to judge by.”
“I think David looks wonderful,” Watson said, keeping pace with me. “I’m not sure what ‘punk’ means but David really shines with it. Should I change my look to match, David?”
Tempest stared at Watson for a few seconds. “Do you have any settings other than ‘perky?’ It’s actually starting to get on my nerves how cheerful you are.”
“Don’t be too hard on her,” I cut in, patting Watson on the head. “She can’t really help herself. She was created to serve, as horrible as that is. I’m hoping she’ll grow out of it over time, given enough encouragement.”
“Sorry. I’m just not used to being around people who are so utterly upbeat is all.” She extended her hand towards Watson with a strained smile. “I shouldn’t have snapped at a gem who can’t help herself.”
Watson shook the offered hand with a smile, but didn’t respond otherwise, and our journey continued for another few minutes in complete silence as we headed further down underground. We had to be at least a couple dozen feet down before the tunnel ended in a massive door with a glowing blue panel in the middle. Navi motioned for me to step up. “The lock will only open for diamonds, Your Brilliance.”
Stepping up, I placed my hand on the panel. A deep rumble shook the ground, four multicolored lines coming to life on the door. Each line flowed into a section of a Diamond Authority emblem carved into the door. White lit up first, followed by blue and yellow, with pink coming last. The rumble turned into a grind as the door slid into the ground.
Inside the room was a huge table, reaching roughly to my shoulder height, with a bench-like ledge about halfway up that height as well as several sets of ladders and stairs sized for normal gems to help them get up to the top as well. An orb hung over the table, glowing with pure white light to illuminate the room as well as the surface of the table.
“Cozy,” I commented, stepping inside. “Tanzanite saw a map around here somewhere. We’ll look at that first. Navi, see if you can’t find it from the air. Tempest, this might be a little dicey for you. Sealed places like this tend to have some weird mold or disease inside.”
“Even molds need something to feed on to grow, David. This is a gem stronghold, so there’s likely nothing in there for mold to live off of for any length of time.” Tempest did hold back, though, with her nostrils flaring every so often. “Though, without proper ventilation I’m more concerned with stale air and not enough oxygen.”
“There’s no mystery about the map, Your Brilliance. You’ll need to climb on the seat to see it, but the only thing hiding it is your height.”
I almost shot a barb back at the height remark. Almost. Climbing onto the bench, I couldn’t help but feel like a child again. It was a strange mixture of nostalgia and embarrassment. “You wouldn’t happen to have a map for comparison would you, Tempest?”
“Grubber had the map we were using,” she responded quickly while taking a cautious step forward. “I could take a look at it myself to see if anything is ridiculously incorrect, though.”
Bending down, I grabbed her around the waist and hefted her onto the table. “It’s like you're weightless,” I muttered to myself, retracting my hands. “Sorry. I caught a bit of the map from Tanz, but the Rose Quartz thing made us split.”
“Weightless, eh? I guess that means I don’t have to worry about being a burden if I get knocked out or something.” Tempest quipped before turning in place to get a look at the map on top of the table. “Okay, let’s see here...none of the southern desert or coast is even on this map...lots of crossed-out gibberish and...no those must be names.”
“It’s Russian,” I said, tracing my fingers over one such line of characters. “Lemme see... this one says ‘Чешуйчатый ублюдок устроил засаду четвертому цитрулиновому легиону. Смонтирует его на стене’.” It made no sense to them, but the almost-terrified look on Tempest’s face made it worth it. “‘Scaly bastard ambushed fourth citrine legion. Will mount him on the wall.”
“So, that means not all of these are the names of places, then.” Tempest mused while looking over the diamond-scale map and pointing out a few key places. “Canterlot is missing, as is Ponyville. Fillydelphia is just a village, the Crystal Empire is in place...and there’s a huge collection of forces in the middle of the Everfree Forest.”
I helped Watson onto the table, my gaze staying on the map. “It looks like they were at the end of their rope. Their main force must have gone with some kind of dramatic retreat, if their enemies didn’t think to look for this place.”
“Pffft. You have insane camouflage out here in the badlands. Looking up out there where it seems like open sky? That’s a huge plane of clear crystal you’re looking out through, and the other side looks like the same packed earth as everywhere else. I didn’t even see the quartzes before they ambushed me when I was captured. Ancient, but effective.”
“Alright then.” Giving her an appraising glance, I went for broke. “I want to know why you came here in the first place, Tempest. If I’m going to trust and rely on you, I need you to be honest with me.”
“I was on a mission to recover an artifact that the Storm King loaned to the old changeling queen before she got deposed. That’s the green rock your soldiers took off of me. The Malachite of Misfortune. Legend says it brings bad luck to all who look upon it, but it had some amplification effect with changeling magic.”
Navi hovered above my shoulder, tapping her wand in her palm. “Yes, the failed gem. Blue Diamond called it ‘kryptonite’. She never managed to form a projection. She must have been snatched up by an organic during the exodus.”
“...My sisters made kryptonite?” I shouldn’t have been surprised, Stacy was the biggest nerd of us all. It only got worse when she met Steven. “Nevermind, that’s not why we’re here. So, the Storm King wanted it. Did he happen to say why?”
“He wanted to see if he could draw the energy off of it to amplify a petrification grenade before the invasion of Canterlot.” She blinked and reached up to run her hand along the length of her horn. “He wants the power of the four alicorn princesses of Equestria so he can have magic of his own.”
An invasion? Now that was something I could work with. Depending on the size of the invasion force, nearly two hundred quartzs could shift the outcome. “When and where? Does this map show where Canterlot is now?”
She shot me a look before moving over to stand next to an unmarked mountain near the middle of the map. “I already mentioned that it was missing. Sometime within the next few days. I had a week to finish my mission, then maybe a few days of testing the effects before the invasion. The week’s almost up and he doesn’t have the stone, so there’s nothing to test. That’ll move the timetable up a bit, maybe?”
I nodded my head, climbing onto the table. “It’ll take us more than a few days on foot to reach the mountain...” Walking the distance, I stood next to Tempest. “Navi, how many flight worthy ships do we have?”
“None.” She answered immediately, and fluttered up above the map. “My, my, it’s almost like old times again. Diamonds wanting troops moved. Taking advantage of a distraction we know will happen.” Rising to my height, her features betrayed her concern. “However, I would recommend caution, Your Brilliance. Our current forces might not be enough and your own court has yet to emerge from the kindergarten. However, the rubies should emerge in the next few days, as per Yellow’s predictions.”
If I still had blood, it would be running cold. A deep, burning anger welled forth and before I even registered it I had Navi grasped in my hand. “What?” I squeezed, conveying my displeasure. “What did you just say, Navi?”
“I said your court is still maturing, but there should be a batch of rubies emerging within the next few days if they grow in scale according to the predictions Yellow made regarding your essence and the resulting gems.”
“How?” I demanded, bringing her nose to nose. “How exactly did you pull that off? I never said you could make more fucking gems!”
“Three extraction cycles, run rapidly and using increased pressure to make as much essence as possible in as short a time as possible, on Blue Diamond’s orders.” She remained deadpan as she responded, showing no emotion at all. “You woke up as the last one was finishing. We didn’t manage to get all of what we’d pulled out hidden and contained in time with just the bed.”
My anger boiled into rage. I squeezed and squeezed until Navi popped like a balloon. Nothing intelligible passed my lips, everything bleeding into a red haze. Thank god for whatever shred of my mind remained lucid. I might have crushed her to dust, if not for military discipline.
“-vid?” Watson’s voice trickled in, saving Navi from my attention. “-the table.”
“Fuck the table, what about my arm?” Tempest hissed in pain from where she’d fallen at Watson’s side, both of them a good four feet from where I’d last seen them, and at the edge of a shallow crater that centered about a foot under my feet.
Loosening my grip on Navi’s gem, I found myself disconnected from the moment. “I don’t...” I sat down, staring at the teardrop gem in my hand. “I was so angry... I’ve never...” My fingers passed over Navi’s gem, frantically searching for any cracks. To my infinite relief, she had escaped harm.
“I believe a correction is in order. ‘Never before today.’” Watson spoke up while carefully lifting Tempest off of the deformed table. “David, what are the things in organic bodies that keep their shape called? Tempest might need a new one.”
“Bones. Organics have bones.” I held out my hand, offering her Navi’s gem. “Take Navi. I’ll get Tempest fixed.” Watson complied, switching dependents with me. “I’m sorry, Tempest.” Cradling her like a baby, I eased myself off the table and back onto the floor.
“Just the arm, everything else is fine, and keep that little blue bitch as far away from me as possible in the future if she’s so loyal to the other diamonds that she’d risk angering you.”
I didn’t meet her eyes, overcome with a smothering blanket of shame. “That shouldn’t have happened. Nothing’s ever made me that angry.” I’d been in combat before, seen my squadmates die in horrific ways. Nothing had ever sent me into a homicidal rage. “Guess I shouldn’t be surprised that she’d... nevermind.”
“Loyalty can make you blind sometimes.”
“You know, these secluded, diamond-serving gems don’t respect me at all except for the quartzes I fought. If you want me to be an effective bodyguard and advisor, we’re going to need to have some kind of public declaration where my standing is firmly placed in the ‘not a pet or toy’ category.” Tempest carefully flexed her arm after having a drop of tear-infused water placed on it. “Still slightly sore, but I’ll take that over shattered to pieces.”
I sighed in relief, watching her arm closely. “That’s good. There shouldn’t be any lasting damage. At least, I don’t think so.” A bit of guilt lifted from my shoulders, though I wasn’t pleased to see our supply used. “I’ll call for a general assembly then.”
“We’re also going to have to work on a way to either harness or disable that shattering field you projected. An aura of complete destruction would be a potent threat to hold in our pocket if we had a way to make it something you could actually use as a weapon.”
“I could call the gathering with your authority if you wish, David.” Watson chimed in from the doorway as she watched Tempest move her arm as well as attempt a few quick strikes at the air. “Then you and Tempest could focus on what and how you want to say what you’re going to say.”
Turning my head, I gave Watson a smile. “That would be very helpful, thank you, Watson.” Nodding at her, I turned back to Tempest. “How well do you know military structure?”
“Well enough to know that any person in the role of the ultimate leader and decider needs good advisors they can trust as well as people who intercept the annoying little things and deal with them as they’re able. Technically I had the rank of ‘commander’ in the Storm King’s forces, but... the guy’s a little on the goofy side.”
“Then you’ll be getting the same lessons the gems will.” A good portion of the walk to the plaza was taken up by said lesson. I broke down a simplified marine command structure, from private to general. For our purposes, I left out the inbetween ranks. They didn’t need to exist, not just yet anyway.
“So you’ve got some gems here that have command experience, and I’ve got some decent combat experience. That’d put me, most likely, at major, just so the gems that already have command positions and respect aren’t completely insulted, but with a caveat that I only answer to you?”
“Exactly. Those with the most experience will be colonels and we’ll work down from there.” Taking a breath, I slipped back into my hardass voice. Walking in pace with Tempest, I made a show of walking past the line of gathered gems.
I came to a stop at the head of the crowd, Tempest by my side. As we discussed, she projected her voice outward. “Attention!”
All of the quartzes in attendance looked up and stopped chatting with their neighbors at this, and a few of them laughed softly at the fact that it was Tempest speaking until they saw the serious expression on my face. “It has become clear that there is a need for an overhaul of the command structure, as well as making a few things perfectly clear. Tempest Shadow here is not a pet, or a toy, she is my bodyguard and a major in the new command structure we are instituting right now.”
“My sister’s organization was sloppy, mine will not be,” I continued, my voice loud and my expression firm. “No longer will gem type be the deciding factor in what you do in the military sense. I respect natural ability and experience. If a zircon shows she can lead better than an agate or emerald, then she will. Is that understood!?”
A few gems bore expressions of confusion, but most of them were nodding and saluting. The confusion was not limited to any one type of gem, and a couple quartzes were smiling wide at this new information. One emerald raised her hand after saluting.
“Yes?” I asked, my eyes snapping to her.
“So does this mean a long evaluation of our abilities before we can resume normal operations, or will you be assuming some basic familiarity with command as accorded to type and evaluating our capabilities according to that baseline?”
“We’ll be going with the second until we have the time for the first,” I explained. “We’ll be deploying in a day or two. I want all of you ready and prepared for that.”
“Deploying for what?”
“Wait, we’re actually going to do something other than patrol?”
“Finally, a chance to do something!”
Chaos and chatter broke out among the quartz ranks at this news, and more than a few started punching shoulders or slapping backs. Two green quartzes even fused and began cheering as one larger quartz.
Tempest rolled her eyes briefly before looking up at me. Her horn sparked with her magic aura as she began to gather energy. “Shall we calm them down with an explosion or two?”
“By all means, Major Tempest.” I gave a slight, fleeting smile before it dropped into a hardline scowl as over a dozen short, red gems started pushing their way to the front of the crowd.
Presenting themselves with the traditional salute, the newborn rubies fell in line behind a particularly hardass looking ruby. “My diamond,” she began, peering up at me with determined eyes. “We are at your service.”
“New gems!” A cheer began to start amongst all of the gems present now as they started to celebrate the arrival of the rubies en masse. A gathering about order had quickly devolved into complete chaos with one bit of news and one new event. Tempest wasted no time in firing off a bunch of magical fireworks from her horn at the unseen roof of the enclave.
“Alright, fragments, listen up and stop chattering like a bunch of gossiping fillies! We have a fight to prepare for and a bunch of training and coordination to perform afterwards! Your performance in the upcoming fight shall serve as a form of field test and evaluation of your basic abilities. Does anyone have any questions so far?”
One of the rubies spoke up immediately. “Yes! Why are we taking orders from a native?”
“Okay, right, let’s get this out of the way right now for the newcomers. Direct from your diamond through my lips.” Tempest grinned at the offending newborn gem in a way that would probably have scared something smarter than a ruby. “This is the pecking order: you, the dirt, the worms inside the dirt, Grubber’s stool, Grubber, me, and then David, who is also known as Pink Diamond. Any questions?”
The same ruby responded again, but seemed otherwise accepting of this information. “Yes. What’s a grubber?”