//------------------------------// // 1:Discovery of the Gems. // Story: Crystals: Dancing While Equestria Goes to Tartarus // by mlpsuperfan //------------------------------// Sunstone walked through the tunnels underneath Canterlot, lighting their way with peach-tinted magic. Very few ponies knew about the caverns, and fewer chose to explore them. But since Sunstone was a geologist, or practicing to become one at least, they decided to see if they could find any unusual gems or stone formations. And lo and behold, their curiosity paid off as they entered a cave full of glowing gems in all the colors of the rainbow. Picking several off the floor, Sunstone began to examine them. These gems, though ordinary enough, were perfectly cut and polished despite having been discovered just a few seconds ago. And as Sunstone brought them closer, they noticed one of them glowing brightly. Dropping it into their hoof, Sunstone saw that the gem was, coincidentally, a sunstone cut into an oval. As they held the gem, a warm feeling began to spread. Sunstone thought they saw wisps of fire curling at the edge of their vision, and could have sworn that there was steam curling from a few stalagtites. Picking the gem back up again, Sunstone chose a few others to show their friends. Little did they know what an impact these gems would have. _____ Sugar trotted down the street to her little cafe, Buns and Brews. It was just about time to start preparing for the morning rush, and she needed to get started. Celestia's sun had just barely peeked over the horizon, and it was shaping up to be a beautiful morning. As she was gazing at the multicolored clouds, Sugar walked smack dab into another pony. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" Helping the other pony up, Sugar realized that it was her friend Sunstone. "It's fine Sugar." replied Sunstone. Brushing off their sweater, they noticed one of the six gems they had brought back was glowing. "I... was coming to show you something anyway. These jewels are rather odd, and I wanted your opinion." Sugar poked at the glowing gem sitting on the cobbles. "I think this one likes me!" Picking up the teardrop-shaped crystal, she felt a burst of energy flow through her body, almost like she was on a sugar high. Buzzing her wings excitedly, she exclaimed: "Wow! These really are odd! Mind if I borrow this one for a bit?" "I suppose there's no harm in it." Sunstone replied. "Tell me if anything else odd happens, alright?" Sugar nodded eagerly. "No problem Sunny! I'll let you know if it so much as wiggles!" Trotting off, Sugar felt a new spring in her step, as if nothing could go wrong today. _____ Crystal Quartz was busy making sure the clouds were placed properly for this week's drizzle. Since there weren't a whole lot of plants in Canterlot, he didn't need to be that busy, but the sooner he finished, the sooner he would be able to go free-flying. He had just finished when somepony in the street below caught his eye. Flying down for a closer look, Crystal realized that it was his friend Sunstone. But she looked a bit odd, almost as if she were... sparkling? But that was ridiculous: ponies only sparkled in bad vampony series. "Hiya Sunny!" He called, causing the yellow pony to jump. Grinning, he dived to the ground, stopping himself just inches away from Sunstone. "Very funny Quartz." Sunstone snorted. "Shouldn't you be getting the clouds ready?" "Already done. Hey, why do you look all sparkly? Is it a new magic trick or something?" Quartz asked. "Actually, I think it's these jewels I found." Holding a clear gem out for Crystal Quartz to see, Sunstone saw that this stone as well began to shine. Does that effect have to do with the ponies themselves? they wondered. Holding the translucent stone in his forehooves, Crystal Quartz felt a cool breeze swirling through his pale grey feathers."Cool! Hey, I bet BJ knows what these are." Crystal Quartz replied. "He's a regular gemoliast or whatever it's called." Thinking for a moment, he perked up. "Mind if I join you? I haven't seen Jasper in forever!" "It's gemologist, and no I don't mind." Sunstone replied, smiling at her friend's horrible pronunciation. "Come on." _____ Black Jasper was brewing his daily cup of coffee when someone knocked on the door. "Coming!" He called, trotting downstairs. Opening the door, he saw his brother Crystal Quartz, along with a sunshine-colored unicorn. "Hey Quartz. What brings you here?" "So, Sunny here's a junior gemowhatsit, and they found some freaky jewels that make you sparkle, so I asked why they looked like one of those silly romance vampires, and I got all finished with the clouds, and the clear gem made me feel nice, and you know all sorts of gem stuff, so I decided to bring them here for you to see!" "...What?" Sunstone smirked a bit, then recomposed themselves. "What he means is, I wanted to see if you knew anything about magical gems." "Oh, of course!" Grabbing several books from his shelves, Black Jasper flipped through one of them. "And... here we go. Could I please see one of these magic crystals?" Choosing a dark crystal from one of the four they had left, Sunstone noticed that it began to sparkle like the others had.This is getting to be ridiculous! "Hmm..." As Black Jasper examined the gem, he noted the similarities between this crystal and the ones described in the book. "So, where did you find this?" "In the cave system under Canterlot. There were dozens, perhaps even hundreds of gems, but I only got a couple in case they were dangerous." Jasper continued flipping through the book, then sighed. "Well it appears you found a new type, because I can't find any mention of glowing sparkle gems. Sorry miss... Sunny, was it?" Standing up, he began to put away the books. "I suppose you'll have to write your own paper about these." "Oh, that's fine." Sunstone replied. Turning to leave, they added, "Thanks for trying anyway!" And they left with Crystal Quartz following after, not realising that they had left a gem behind.