//------------------------------// // XX - Gem Princess // Story: The Distant Princess // by GMBlackjack //------------------------------// Gems are a peculiar race. They are simultaneously one of the oldest forms of sentient life in the universe AND they are wholly artificial, an unlikely pairing that should go down as one of the biggest cosmic jokes in existence. Their mark on galactic history is one of brutal hegemony that ended abruptly. Individual Gems are best described as hard-light constructs fueled by internal self-sustaining magic reserves, making them the most effective arcane batteries known to exist. The gemstone is a complex neural net—a computer. If it were not for the magic captive within the gemstone, they would be simple machines, but as anyone on Ooo knows, magic has a habit of endowing sentience. Gems are a rare example of the arcane arts and the scientific ones working in near perfect tandem. Their construction gives them many unique powers, though in most cases these powers are tuned to serve an exact purpose. The Lapis Lazuli line is designed for terraforming, for instance. Unfortunately, Gems lack the ability to procreate in their own power and require outside reserves. This is a process that requires acres of land, gigalithic amounts of technology, and hundreds of Gems to pull off. In this day and age, Gems are beyond rare. If they weren’t immortal, the race would be truly dead. ~~~ “So uh… Princess... Lapis?” Rainbow Dash cocked her head, unsure of what exactly to say in this situation. “You okay?” “I’m fine,” Lapis said, taking a moment to examine her hands. Looking down at her dress, she frowned, as if dissatisfied with her outfit. “So, uh… do you know why you were trapped in the center of a temple buried deep underground?” “Buried deep underground…?” Lapis locked eyes with Rainbow, frowning. “What year is it?” “Uh… 1118?” “I think she’s older than that,” Finn said, frowning. “Does ‘Mushroom War’ mean anything to you?” “So they finally named it…” Lapis clenched her fists and sighed. “Let me guess, one thousand, one hundred and eighteen years ago?” “That’s just the foundation of Equestria,” Rainbow Dash said. “I don’t know about ancient history.” “About two thousand years,” Finn answered with an uncharacteristically serious face. “Two thousand years…” Lapis grimaced, taking a few steps back so she could lean on a wall. “She would have come for me if she could have…” “Who?” Rainbow asked. Lapis didn’t answer. Instead, she traced her fingers through a defect in the rock. “Tell me… Finn?” “Uh, yes?” Finn took a step forward. “You’re human. When did other organics arrive on this planet?” She gestured at Rainbow. Finn blinked at her. “What? When?” “Yeah what are you talking about?” Rainbow tossed her mane back. “Ponies have always been around!” “Yeah, things just got smarter after the Mushroom Bomb dropped.” Lapis snorted. “Smarter indeed.” She put a finger to her chin. “Mushroom Bomb… Mushroom Bomb... “ She stamped her foot, letting out a grunt of frustration. “I needed to be there. Peridot, Steven, I… do those names mean anything to you?” They shook their heads. “Garnet? Pearl? Amethyst? Bismuth? Greg? Connie? The Diamonds?” As each name came out, her face became increasingly more desparate. “Look, it was two thousand years ago, nothing really survived from that time,” Finn said, reaching out a hand to her. “Nothing?!” Lapis slapped his hand away. “I’m still here, aren’t I!?” “Well…” Finn sighed. “Almost nothing. Marceline, Simon, and Betty are from your time.” Lapis leaned in until her nose was almost touching Finn’s. “Then they can help.” Finn swallowed nervously. “One’s gone missing, the other’s enchanted by a mystic ice crown, and the other was, like, five when it all went down.” “And there’s nothing else that survived?” “Peebles has lots of records and stuff, but she’s complained a lot about everything that happened during the war being ‘fried like a badonkaboo on midsummer's noon spitfire.’ The hole in history really bugs her. Enough that even I know about it, and I don’t even read stuff!” Rainbow sighed. “Apparently you know a lot more about history than I do. Greeeeeat.” “I’m sure you know a lot of Equestrian history!” Finn said, taking the momentary change in conversation focus to back away from Lapis. “Yep! Every pony who’s ever served as Captain of the Wonderbolts, flight formations, and—” she glanced at Lapis, “—none of that is important right now.” “I’ve got to find something…” Lapis tapped her foot. “There has to be some way to figure out what happened… Have you seen anything in the temple?” “A lot of things!” Finn grinned. “There was this weird heart, waterfalls, a—” She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. “Explain. Everything.” So he did. He got into his best storytelling stance and retold the adventures of Finn and Jake and Rainbow, adding Jack in as he appeared. He described the strange walls, the crack, the corn monster, and the worn down temple. Their explosive entrance caught Lapis’ attention, but she said nothing. She hung on to every detail of what he and Rainbow found within the Temple… but as he got to where they were now, she was clearly disappointed. “You broke it,” she said, simply. “What?” Finn frowned. “The temple was only designed to let five Gems access its doors. Some of us were given access later… but it was supposed to bar all others from entry. By forcing its ancient door open you broke the spatial matrix and…” She pointed upward at the blackness. “Everything was messed up.” “Oh. Sorry.” “You had no way to know…” She stared at the nothingness for several seconds. “Didn’t even recognize the Gems…” “What?” “You’ve never seen another of my kind, have you?” “Nope,” Finn admitted. “Rainbow?” “You look kinda like the Elements of Harmony?” Rainbow suggested. “But they aren’t people.” “...Then there’s nothing for me to go off of…” Lapis said, sagging to the ground. “Nothing…” “Hey,” Finn said, crossing his arms. “There’s loads of stuff to go off of. I’m sure Peebles has tons of records and stuff you could search to learn more. And Marceline might know something, and who knows, we could track down Betty!” “Or I could bring you to the Elements of Harmony, they might help!” Rainbow added with a hopeful smile. “If you need to find out what happened to your friends, you need to find out,” Finn said, extending a hand. “What’s the use?” Lapis asked, shaking her head. “It’s been two thousand years.” “So?” Rainbow asked. “Like you said, you’re still around. You! You are the Gem… Princess!” Rainbow forced a grin. “What are the chances nothing else is still here? You can’t be the only one! Come on, you know it’s true.” “And we’ll help you find it!” Finn extended his hand again. “Come with us.” Lapis looked at his hand, hesitant. “You won’t know the adventure you missed if you don’t try.” With the slightest hint of a smile, Lapis extended her hand, fingers shaking in the warm air. At which point Jack and Jake fell from the ceiling onto the ground. Jack landed on his feet while Jake fell flat on his face. “I’m okay,” Jake grunted. “Just covered in pink clouds…” Jack nodded to Rainbow and Finn before resting his gaze on Lapis. “Greetings.” Lapis retracted her hand from Finn, expression becoming pensive. “...Jack, right?” “Yes. You are an elegant creature.” He approached her, stopping the moment she flinched. “Ah…” A darkness crossed Lapis’ face. “I…” She noticed that Jake was holding something—an old, tattered piece of cloth in the shape of a cheeseburger. A burst of water erupted from Lapis’ gemstone, forming into a hand that tore the cloth cheeseburger from Jake’s hand. “Where did you find this?” Jake scratched the back of his head. “It was just floating out in the nothingness, lady.” “Cheeseburger backpack…” She traced the edge of it with a delicate finger while her lips began to tremble. “That’s a backpack!?” Jake gawked. “I thought it was just some piece of junky art.” Rainbow, Finn, and Jack glared at Jake. “What?” “Please. Leave,” Lapis hissed, her entire body trembing. “Um… how?” Rainbow asked. Lapis let out an exasperated cry, focusing for a moment. The folds of her dress began to ripple with arcane energy and the temple started to tremble. A hole formed in a nearby wall, becoming a doorway that led right back to the underground beach. “Out.” All four of them listened, scrambling back out into the sand. Lapis glared at them from the other side. For a moment, her gaze rested on Finn, and she softened, tears finally forming in her eyes. Turning away, she snapped her fingers. The doorway vanished. In its place was a broken door that led to an empty stone room. “...Spooky,” Jake said. “Not now,” Finn sighed, sitting down on a broken crystal platform. “She needed our help. And…” “Bad timing,” Rainbow finished. “It was just bad timing.” She glared at Jake. “What?” Jake grabbed his head. “Why is everyone looking at me like I messed everything up?” Jack put a hand on Jake’s shoulder, steadying him. “You are somewhat clueless when it comes to the feelings of others. Something I am certain Miss Dash can empathize with.” Rainbow paled. “Uh… y-yeah.” She sagged visibly, though she did not touch the ground. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair.” “I’m still not even sure what you’re apologizing for,” Jake said. “But I know it’s honest, so you’re forgiven.” Jack turned to the doorway, frowning. “Such a lost, pained soul.” “She’s been trapped in there for thousands of years,” Finn explained. “All she wanted… was to go back, to know what happened.” “A kindred spirit,” Jack said, letting out a tired sigh. “...There is nothing we can do now. She does not want us. Come.” Waiting no longer, he walked away from the temple.