The first rays of light shone through transparent pink, bathing us in the colors of the dawn. A small section of shield hovered above my hands, taking my full concentration. Vague impressions from Tanzanite guided me, at least enough to start summoning them.
“How long am I at?” I turned my head, looking back at Watson.
“It has been five minutes, David,” Watson answered, watching with no small amount of interest “Now five minutes and fifteen seconds in the time it took me to answer you.”
Lowering my hands, I allowed the shield to fade away. Exertion isn’t much different for gems, and holding a shield, especially if you're learning, can drain you. Those mornings before Umberfoal went similarly to that one, exploring some aspect of my powers.
After some effort, I’d managed to manifest and keep the shields up for a period of time consistently. Though I still didn’t know how much punishment they could take before shattering. Maybe once I was able to manifest shields for ten minutes on a regular basis, that’d be my next point of training.
“That was excellent progress, David,” Watson complimented. “Two minutes more than yesterday.”
“It’s like working out,” I commented, taking a seat. “Except I don’t have to give the “muscles” a rest before exercising more.”
A soft rustling carried on the wind, heralding a very tired looking princess landing beside me. “That’s not entirely true.” Twilight sipped at a steaming mug. “Shapeshifting isn’t the only thing that has a limit.”
I tapped my chin in thought, that certainly did put a hamper on things. And there I was believing I’d found the secret to infinite gains. The only bright side was being a diamond likely meant my limit was greater than average.
“Good morning, Your Highness.” Watson inclined her head.
“Good to see you, Twilight,” I greeted, pulling myself out of my musing. “Looks like you’ve been up all night. Was Umberfoal that interesting a topic?”
Giggling, Twilight found a rock to perch on. “I’m not a stranger to late nights, and the ‘Lonely Pearl’ was quite talkative. I’m not even sure when we stopped talking about Umberfoal.”
“Glad to know she’s getting some conversation after all that isolation.” A smile creeped onto my face. “And be sure to take a nap after our talk. A cup of tea is no substitute for sleep.”
“I’ll be fine David.” Twilight waved a hand. “I know my own limits very well.”
In her more casual sleepwear, my eyes drifted to her chest. Embedded between her collarbones a black gem rose, splotched by several patches of white.
“If it’s something you’ll talk about, I have been curious about your heritage. I'm not familiar with snowflake obsidians." I moved my eyes to her face, observing her reaction.
“An elemental gem,” Twilight explained, moving closer to give me a better look at her gem. Holding up a hand, a copy of her tea cup made of ice took shape in her palm. “It has its benefits.”
That was certainly new. Taking the replica from her, I felt a surreal detachment. Instinctively, I felt the urge to drop such a cold object. My body simply didn’t care and my rational mind agreed.
“Snowflake Obsidian are builder type gems,” Watson began unbidden. “They dig ice trenches for the quartz soldiers.” A giddy smile broke over her face. “So many facts! You didn’t even have to ask that time, David!”
“My dad says he met my mom when the observatory he worked at needed some repairs,” Twilight stated, nodding at Watson’s explanation. “He said he was fascinated by how easily she could diagnose and put into place the plan needed to make everything ship shape. He started talking to her, one thing led to another and boom, you have me.”
She shifted her wings, frown tugging at her mouth. “He was already married to my mom, Twilight Velvet, at the time.”
“How’d she take that?” I set the ice cup down, wiping any liquid on my jacker. “If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Pretty well. The three of them were in a relationship for a while. My mother helped raise my brother Shining Armor. But...” Her words trickled off, reaching to touch her gem. “She wanted to have a child of her own.”
“Have you ever felt her?” I asked, letting my eyes drift to the jewel.
Finishing her tea, Twilight traced the source of her gem. “Sometimes I’ll experience a fragment of her memories in a dream, or a rush of emotion I know isn’t mine. Nothing beyond that. Though, that’s pretty typical for hybrids.”
“That tracks with what I know.” I sincerely hoped she didn’t have nightmares. It seemed like too personal a subject to broach, even now.
Twilight offered a knowing smile and let a hand rest on her gem. “No David, I haven’t had any nightmares from my mother’s memories. It’s widely believed that the parent gem controls what is shown to their children.” Giving the gem a final pat, she removed her hand and let it rest on her lap. “You don’t have to worry about going too far, I’ve had a long time to wrap my head around being a hybrid. Helps that there are others out there too.”
Our morning chat evolved from pleasantries to more pressing matters. Results from the surveys suggested the enclave could be restored within a decade or two. The kindergarten itself would likely remain barren for several generations even with intervention. It still is, persevered now as the birthplace of red gems.
Our meeting transitioned to the war room. The Lonely Pearl had given us a location, deep into the Badlands. They weren’t called that for no reason. If we were going to traverse them, we’d need a solid plan. And of course, my sisters had to complicate the journey.
“A-a-access to Umberfoal requires both the presence of a diamond and a three part key.” The Lonely Pearl walked across the map, crouching down at the southern portion. “During the retreat, the pieces were sequestered away in the w-w-wastes.”
“And given the drift of sands and wind, those pieces could be anywhere,” I stated, staring down at the map.
The Lonely Pearl bowed her head. “I-I’m sorry, Your Brilliance. The other d-d-diamonds didn’t leave any indication of the hiding places.”
“That’s not your fault, LP,” I assured her, holding a hand up. “We’ll make this work.”
Twilight hummed, muzzle scrunching in thought. “The changeling hive isn’t too far away. They’d know legends of the badlands better than anyone else.”
“And if they can offer some additional sets of eyes that’d be a big help too. Can you set up a meeting for us, Twilight?”
“Of course. King Thorax is a friend and I know he’d be happy to help someone who stopped his former queen from conquering Equestria.” Clapping LP on the shoulder, she turned to me. “However, with the surveys complete, Rainbow and I will be returning to Ponyville.”
“I think I can manage a meeting by myself,” I assured her. “Just put in a word to set it up with Thorax please. Though why do I get the feeling you’re going to ask for a favor in return?” A smirk played across my face.
Twilight shrugged, shifting her wings. “I’m just helping a new friend make another new friend. You should know, Rose and Charlie will be coming down to take our place. They’ll be bringing a warp pad.”
“And you weren’t going to ask to take LP back to Ponyville with you and show her the library in your castle?” I pointed at her hand still firmly on the pearl’s shoulder.
Her face flushed, red against purple. “As much as I want to, she needs time to adjust to being with others again.”
Much like The Lonely Pearl, Twilight was herself a font of knowledge. In the remaining time of her visit, our new map was installed and annotated with every shred of trivia the mare could think of.
Our escapades were overshadowed by the building rivalry between Rainbow Dash and Tempest. Their sparring matches became a favorite topic among the quartzes, and an irritation of the ambers. Thankfully, neither of them ended up inside of a topaz.
Following a commotion from the gym, I came upon the two engaging in a squat off. Both seemed to be at it for a while given the layer of sweat on them. Despite that, neither one was letting up and the barbell was staying stock still across their shoulders.
“Ready to give up, little pony?” Tempest punctuated the end of the question by fully standing up.
“Your back giving out, nag?” Rainbow retorted, matching Tempest’s motion.
“You kidding? I could handle twice this much. I just didn’t want to wound that precious ego of yours.” The unicorn flashed a smirk at the other mare as she sped up as if to prove her point.
Tempest’s gym was a recent addition, repurposed from a disused storage room. It had since gotten a further expansion. The quartzes loved the place, tasking a rather confused Bismuth with crafting them appropriate weights.
Speaking of quartzes, several of them had huddled together to watch the show and make bets on the outcome. I’m surprised more hadn’t crammed into the room.
“What’s the count?” I asked a Holly Blue.
“Both are at 60,” the Holly answered, not taking her eyes away before realizing who she was talking to. Scrambling, she offered a salute while watching the action from the corner of her eyes.
“At ease.” I settled in, crouching down to her level. “I trust things haven’t been getting out of hand?”
“Ever since the head Amber chewed them out about their last sparring match, the two have been doing things like this,” The Holly explained, visibly relaxing. “So far neither’s collapsed.”
Her stance shifted, features downturning. “Your Brilliance, if I may inquire about something?”
“You can just call me David,” I said, waving a hand. Before she could argue I added, “Or sir if you can’t drop all formalities. And go ahead, ask away.”
“That speech you gave about the command restructure.” Her gaze went anywhere that wasn’t me. “Commanding other gems is what I was made for. I’m not going to be replaced, am I?”
I offered the Holly a soft smile. “The simple answer is, no you won’t be replaced. The more satisfactory answer is that there’s a big difference from being a boss, and being someone who gives unquestionable orders. Anyone under your command can and should call you out if your orders make no sense.”
Squeezing her shoulder, I caught her gaze. “You and all the other Agates are going to be invaluable in the next few days. We have four new quartz types emerging, at least one of which is completely unknown to me.”
The Holly nodded, the gears of her mind turning. “I think I see what you’re saying. I will strive to take your words to mind, M- sir.”
Leaning in conspiratorially, I whispered “Rose Quartz and her pearl will be arriving soon and I don’t need the quartzes attacking her every five minutes.”
Stiffening, she slipped back into her salute. “I will spread the word to my fellow agates and my direct subordinates. Shall I do so right away, sir?”
“I think it can wait until the ponies have finished. Let me know how it turns out.”
This seemed to please her. Squaring her shoulders, her attention returned to the contest taking place.
Twilight’s departure heralded my children’s arrival. Ostensibly, Delphi’s prediction was only for me. Realistically, nothing so eventful as quartz emergences had happened in centuries. No matter how secretive, they would’ve found their way to the kindergarten.
Straightening up, I tried to make myself look as official as possible. My mind swirled with possibilities of what I’d first say to my new quartzes. I’d only get one chance at a first impression after all.
“The hematoids will emerge first.” Delphi stood at my side, unbothered by the multitude of eyes upon her. “...Oh my. You should ready the agates.”
“Thank you for the update.” I let my eyes settle on where the hematoids were implanted.
As mentioned before, diamond essence is the well from which all gems rise, each carrying its own properties. Stacy’s instills particularly deep emotions, Jennifer’s grants a high sense of duty. Mine? Mine is the essence of passion.
When the first hematoid emerged, she did so with a roar. Marked by a scarlet mane, she told the world she existed. And when her sister stepped out, bumping into her, she greeted that sister with a right hook.
Hematoids live for the thrill of battle, which they made quite clear when more and more of them joined the scuffle. If I hadn’t been told, I wouldn’t even have known a bit of Erika had been mixed into them.
“I did tell you, David.” Delphi addressed the collected agates. “Please reign in the hematoids. The roses are about to join us.”
The Holly Blue I had spoken to stepped forward, conjuring her whip. “Alright ladies! That’s enough of that. You;re in the presence of your diamond, act like it!” Her whip cracked, impacting the space between two hematoids.
Falling silent and still, the newborn gems’ attention shifted. Looking over and seeing the Holly, and several others, readying their whips again got an instant response from them. With a little bit more shoving, the hematoids hurriedly lined themselves up.
“My diamond, forgive our lapse of discipline!” The first born centered her gaze at me, eyes full of devotion and adoration. “It won’t happen again!”
“At ease.” Walking along the line up, their individuality shined through the uniformity. A gem here had glam-rock hair. Another had curls. “I would prefer to be referred to as David or Sir, but if you must call me by an honorific, I will accept ‘Your Brilliance’.”
“Yes, Your Brilliance!” the hematoids called out in unison, snapping a salute.
In stark contrast to their scarlet sisters, the Roses’ birth was quiet. The first born stepped out of her hole with a look of wonder so pure it could’ve rotted Pinkie Pie’s teeth. She greeted her sisters with laughter and joy.
“Are we sure these are quartzes?” Tempest asked, watching as the roses tittered amongst themselves. “They seem so… soft.”
A little hand went up, almost flailing back and forth.
“David, you don’t have to raise your hand. We’re not in class.”
Young David had a chocolate brown coat and a shock of swept back red mane. Besides a pair of shorts he was wearing a red t-shirt with a space invader on it. “Right, sorry,” he said with a nervous laugh.
A firm hand planted itself on his head, ruffling his mane. “But, it is a polite way to get someone's attention.” His father, a stallion named Button Mash, held my namesake in his lap.
“That’s very true,” I agreed, giving the pair a smile. “So what’s your question for me, little guy?”
David touched his gem, pondering his words. “Why were hematoids beating each other up and the roses hugging each other?”
A sigh floated in, stealing our attention. Bashirr stood in the main doorway, datapad in hand. “It seems the local school has inadequate lessons on gems.”
“Bashirr, he’s six.”
Pointedly ignoring me, Bashirr took a place in front of our guests. “Assuming David conveyed the details well, I’ll break it down in layman's terms. A diamond's essence has a great impact on the gems it creates. Pure red essence generates an extreme form of this. In fact, if hematoids didn’t have a splash of metallic refined white essence, they’d be nearly mindless berserkers. This is also why Pyrope’s have an annoying flair for the dramatic and why rubies can be so reckless.” Quite pleased with herself, she crossed her arms. “Rose’s are one fourth white, three fourths red. The mix redirects that aggression into a desire to protect.”
An awkward silence fell upon us, broken when our third guest spoke.
“A gem's original purpose also affects their personality,” she said, looking at the colt. “Hematoids beat up bad guys and roses keep them and everyone else safe.”
“Er, yes. That does factor into things.” Bashirr’s mouth twitched into a frown. “You should’ve waited for me to go over that part, David.”
Lifting a disgruntled Bashirr into my lap, I smiled at our guests. “I don’t know. I think I had it covered with Sweetie Belle’s help.”
“So if rubies are reckless,” Little David started, rubbing at his ruby eye. “Does that explain why I thought it was a good idea to try using my bed sheets as a parachute off the roof?”
I stifled a laugh, hiding my smile. “All kids do reckless things, David. But, it could’ve been a bit of your mother bleeding through.”
“Just as long as you don’t wind up a sore loser like her,” Button Mash added, ruffling his son’s mane. “Can’t tell you how many controllers she broke because I kicked the shine off her gem at Super Smash Sisters.”
Glancing at me, Sweetie Belle motioned for me to continue. “I believe you were telling us about the emergences?”
To say the roses confused everyone would be underselling the concept of a quartz. Even the Rose Quartz was a soldier. Someone to be afraid of. A palpable tension had settled over the crowd during the wait and now it had... evaporated.
“Yes those are definitely quartzes, but not the kind you're used to.” Waving the agates off, I let my years of running boot camp shine through. “Attention!”
The jovial atmosphere of the roses died. They lined up in tight formation, features locked into masks of seriousness. I had to wonder if my essence carried a fraction of my own discipline, elevated into something akin to instincts.
Such was the same with the cherries and the amethysts. Twenty five of each type; a hundred soldiers to start my court. A hundred of my children... and a hundred of my nieces. The idea was overwhelming, more so with that baggage. I’d debated having one or two kids back in my old life, and suddenly I had dozens and was expected to keep producing more.
Thankfully, none carried any flaws and none had been found overcooking. Bashirr and the peridots moved with previously unseen gusto, noting every behavior and quirk the newborns showed.
“Any word on our straggler?”
Bashirr grumbled, turning from the hematoid she had been examining. “The ruby still hasn’t emerged. As I said before, overcooking gems can take weeks or months to-”
Shoving Bashirr behind her, the hematoid snapped a salute. “Your Brilliance, it is an honor beyond honor to be the first of your quartz. I vow to win you glory beyond that of your peers!”
“You have a mean right hook.” Nodding in approval, my hand grasped her shoulder. “Since you're the first, you get the first name. I’m thinking...Sonja.”
“I shall carry it with honor!” Sonja saluted once more. “All enemies of Your Brilliance shall quiver in fear at its mention!”
Bashirr took to my side, hands clutching her tablet. “I didn’t expect them to be more brutish than the typical quartz. They’ll make excellent soldiers, though I think the agates will have their hands full.”
I chuckled, patting Sonja’s shoulder. “Guess that’s what happens when their passions run high.”
“We’ll have to adjust the red to white ratio in future batches. The other batches emerged within expected parameters.”
“They just need to be hammered into shape.” Tempest approached, Grubber at her heels. “Like most soldiers.”
“Good gems come pre-hammered,” Bashirr argued, waving her tablet at the assembled gems. “That’s the point of measuring the ratios.”
Snatching the tablet, Tempest tossed it over her shoulder. “And you haven’t actually commanded anyone. Leave that to David and myself.”
Bashirr grumbled under her breath, walking off to grab her tablet. With her argument so utterly dismissed she went back to her task of inspecting the new gems.
Celaeno returned with the morning, a shining chunk of rock hanging from her ship. Tempest took the hematoids to greet them. A sea of red stood behind her, eager to show their devotion to their beloved diamond.
“Alright ladies, I want all of you in formation. If I see so much as a falter when that warp pad is delivered then I’m giving you all ten laps,” Tempest barked, eyeing her troops with a stern glare.
“Ahoy down there!” Celaeno appeared over the railing. “Permission to deliver?”
“Granted!” Tempest called back, waving the captain and her ship closer. Turning back to the hematoids she ordered, “Just like we trained for. Get that pad laid down nice and smooth!”
“Your gems are very disciplined, David.” Watson’s mouth twitched, a hand moving through her hair. “I imagine you’d prefer a pearl in your own color.”
Lowering myself to her height, I lifted her head. “Waston, don’t do that. You are who you are. I don’t care if you aren’t red or pink. If I ever get a new assistant it’ll be because you ask me to retire.”
Her features upturned before scrunching. “I’m afraid I don’t really understand those terms, David.”
“Retirement is when you stop working. For people it's typically to enjoy the later part of their lives But for gems it could be as simple as settling down with someone nice you meet.”
Her smile returned, brimming with innocence. “I live for your eternal service, David. Nothing would ever make me want to ‘re-tire’.”
“If you ever tell me about some nice stallion or mare I’m gonna remind you you said that~” I teased, poking her cheek.
“Ahem. Are you done flirting with your indentured servant?”
Charlie stood not far off, arms crossed and lips pulled back into a sneer. With the two pearls so close, it was uncanny just how much they looked alike even taking into account gem templates. He tapped his foot, looking at us expectantly.
“Watson is not an indentured servant,” I said, turning to greet our visitor. “And sorry talking to her bothered you.” I did my best not to glare at Charlie.
Rose touched down beside him, features downturned. Grabbing Charlie’s wrist, she pulled him back. “Charlie, you're doing it again.”
“What? I wasn’t the one playing house when they’re supposed to be hosting guests. We even gave them notice.” Charlie shrugged his free arm, undeterred in the face of admonishment.
“We talked about this,” Rose pressed.
“We talked about me trying, this is me trying,” he countered, making a point not to meet her scrutinizing gaze. Pulling away, Charlie strode closer. “I can’t say I’m all that impressed.”
“Luckily your approval wasn’t something I was seeking out,” I said, flashing the rude man a smile before turning my attention to Rose. “It’s good to talk to you, Rose.”
“It is good to-”
Charlie cleared his throat, holding my gaze. “If you want Rose and I to truly accept your claims of peace, you’re going to have to prove it.”
“Alright, and what do you suggest, little man?” I asked, picking out the color of medal I wanted for the level of restraint I was showing.
“Simple!” He straightened up, grasping Rose’s hand. “A duel. Our Rainbow Quartz.” Her gaze shifted to Watson. “Against yours.”
“Okay, gonna have to walk me through your logic here,” I said, pinching my brow. “How does a duel demonstrate our commitment to peace?”
“As cliche as it sounds, I’ve come to find that you can tell a lot about a person by how they carry themselves in combat.”
Air rushed past Rose’s lips, her expression matching my own. “I’m sorry, David. He’s not going to budge once he’s got an idea in his head.”
I won’t recount my response in pleasant company. Suffice it to say, Charlie fits into a very specific subclass of person back on Earth. A very annoying one.
“I’m not going to make Watson fuse with me.” The very thought made me nauseous. “She hasn’t even grasped her free will yet and I’m not going to take adva-”
Watson moved past me, planting herself in front of Charlie. “I accept your challenge, renegade pearl. I’ll prove my devotion to David and remove any doubt to my eternal service.”
“There ya have it, she’s on board!” Charlie started laughing, voice jumping a few octaves.
A bismuth hurried over, flashing a salute. “Your Brilliance, the gym has been renovated for your use.” At my surprise, she added. “Delphi’s orders.”
“The upside of having a sapphire on hand. ” I motioned for Charlie and Rose to follow me. “Come on, let’s get this little duel over with.”
Word of the new diamond fighting the rebel hero and her pearl spread like wildfire. The bizmuths had to take out the walls to accommodate everyone. Gems had been praying for excitement, and it seemed I was here to deliver.
Standing opposite Rose and Charlie, Watson and I gathered ourselves. Lowering myself to her level, I searched her face. “You don’t have to do this, you know that right? Fusing can be very overwhelming.”
Watson wore her smile, hands clasped before her. “I want to, David. After we duel that rather rude pearl, there will be no question in your mind about me ‘re-tiring’.”
Her innocence gave her words a sweet venom. I wanted her to make her own choices for her own reasons. And here she was, making her first real one, in service to me. In the end, I acquiesced, unwilling to squash this seedling of self-determination.
This fusion would be a good way to let her know what I wanted for her, and by extension all my gems. It didn’t matter if I didn’t have the right way with words yet, my feelings would flow between us freely. I almost felt like thanking Charlie for this duel, if I didn’t think he’d be smug about it.
Taking Watson’s hand, I gave it a squeeze. “Are you ready, Watson?”
“I was ready the instant that pearl disrespected you, David,” she answered, the smile spreading across her face that sent a shiver down my spine. It was the kind of look a mother gives her child when she knows you’ve done something that needs punishing.
Deciding not to delay any further, I helped Watson into a starting position for our dance. I opted to keep things simple, standard four step dance with the odd spin or dip thrown in for the odd flair. Tossing her into the air, our bodies bled together on her return.
“We’ll have to stop there for now.” Standing up, I made a show of stretching. “We need someone else to tell the rest of that story.”
“Who else could tell the story?” one of the foals asked, tilting their head at me.
“Your grandmother needs Watson to form Rainbow Quartz,” Button Mash replied, lifting his son up. “Didn’t you say that Tanzanite narrated her parts?”
“Aww, way to spoil the surprise, Button.” I pouted before breaking into a chuckle. “You just took the wind out of your mother-in-law’s sails.”
Unperturbed, David scrambled onto his father’s head. “When can I hear the rest?! I wanna know who won!”
Sweetie poked David’s nose, tittering softly. “That just means you have a reason to visit again. You do want to see your grandma again, don’t you?”
“I love visiting grandma!” David agreed, throwing his hands up. Joy radiated off him, pure and unconditional. “She’s so cool! Grandma Delphi is so nice and Grandma Tempest gives me rock candy!”
Bashirr’s mouth twitched. “I’m a cool grandma...”
I picked up David, holding him close to my chest. “Sweetie, Button, as your diamond and mother-in-law, I order you to hand over this colt to me.”
“Ack! Grandma no! You're the good diamond!”
The worst kind of happiness comes with a bittersweet taste. My tiny namesake brought forth as much regret as he did jubilation. He was akin to a knife, piercing the scar tissue formed by a life of combat and broken relationships. Everytime that smile bloomed, another life choice was questioned. Perhaps I could’ve made things wo-
“-ay?” A tiny finger poked my chest. “You're crying, Grandma.”
Averting my gaze, I hastily wiped away the bright red liquid. “I’m okay. Just... feeling sentimental.” Returning David to his father, I collected myself. “Perhaps we should call our visit here?” I saw them to the door, my spirits lifting at the excited chatter regarding the quartz match.