Chapter 2: Downtown Funk
The rising sun filtered gently through the blooming greenery of the trees, casting mottled light upon Lapis's still frame as she lay quietly at the border of the school grounds.
Sunlight.
How long had it been since she'd seen the light of day for herself? Actually seen it, instead of having it filtered through memories or the water or a half-dead haze? She could not trust her own reckoning anymore, but she knew it had to have been a very long time.
Lapis leaned back against the tree with a sigh, still amazed after all these years how...soft the wood was compared to the more metallic brambles of her old home. Really, everything was softer on Earth. The plants, the animals, the weather...it stood in stark contrast to the angular crystal mountains and comparably thin atmosphere of home. The first time she had taken a breath, Lapis almost choked on how dense the air around her actually was.
Softest of all, though, was the sunlight. She had spent her younger years under the luminance of a titanic red supergiant, so large and imposing that even the deepest nights held the hue of twilight to them, and the days were tinted a bloody crimson as the sun blanketed the entire sky. She hadn't even known what stars had looked like before she took to space for the first time. But here? Here the nights were only illuminated by those same stars, and the daylight was calm and golden, warm and inviting instead of cold and angry.
It was one of the only things she had liked at first when she came here. And now...now she only wished to see those old bright red skies again.
Gripping the bark of the tree Lapis dragged herself to her feet, brushing some stray twigs and dirt away as she really considered her options for the first time since she had arrived in Canterlot. Using the human infrastructure was a great idea in theory, but her ideas of how to make it work for her were exceptionally muddled. Her actual memories were still fogged and unreliable, and she had never spent much time among humans anyway. All her practical memories of human society were from Steven's perspective, and she doubted that he had had a...normal childhood, for a human.
Still, it was worth a shot. Lapis closed her eyes and allowed the memories of her time with Steven to fill her vision. In her damaged state she had to concentrate to avoid images of the past; she could not afford another relapse into terror.
A beach. People talking...some crackpot screaming his own name...the one named Lars with the holes in his ears who reminded her of an ugly fungus...Steven wanting to go to a place on the other side of town...Steven climbing on some kind of vehicle and placing currency in the front...a "bus"...a bus for the town of...
"Beach City. I have to get to Beach City."
Lapis stumbled forward again, knees still weak and balance uneven. Her body was not getting any better, and in fact seemed to be getting worse with every passing hour. Glancing at her back she stared at the ugly crack in her gem that was the culprit of all this, and to her alarm saw that it had expanded, even if only slightly. If she tried to poof herself now the energy involved would drain the last of the gem's stability, and if that happened...
She just had to keep moving forward...and away from the school. And the first step to that was finding a "bus"!
...how did Steven find a "bus" again?
She supposed she could try to find one by waiting at the road like Steven had, but that could take hours, and in the time it took to find one on her own she could completely break down. If she could get to the ocean...maybe...just maybe she could find some way to heal herself.
Lapis didn't have any time to waste. She'd already lost untold days due to her own incompetence, and the stakes were higher than they were before. As much as she disliked the prospect...
...she had to find a human to help her.
***
As it turned out, finding a human was a bit more...difficult than Lapis had expected. Well, no, FINDING one was easy, they had become much more populous since Lapis had been trapped in the mirror. The problems came in...dealing with them.
The very first person she had come into contact with, a lilac-tinted woman with a lily in her hair, fainted as soon as she laid eyes on Lapis; she didn't even have time to say anything before the small group of people she had come with immediately scattered. Lapis fared little better with the next two encounters, with the first being a green-haired older woman with some sort of bird emblem on her chest who turned tail and ran towards the school she had just fled from. The second, a reedy beige-looking male with thick glasses, sandy hair and an exceptionally hideous plaid shirt, did stop to look her over for a minute before shaking his head in some sort of distaste before wandering away.
Remembering how Steven had always approached other people, Lapis started the next few encounters before they had a chance to run away, immediately running at them and making as much of a...happy face as she could. Her grin stretched ear to ear as she ran towards them shouting loud hellos and waving her left arm around.
This tactic netted...mixed results. At least this time the people actually made noises at her before running off this time.
Lapis gripped her hair in her good hand and audibly groaned as she continued her staggered walk through the streets of Canterlot, the brick and mortar buildings cold and uninviting as people who saw her ran away from the windows. "Damn it, this is getting me nowhere!" In a fit of frustration she planted her foot into a nearby garbage can; the impact ran up along her leg and sent a jolt of pain into her body that caused her to topple over. Her vision, already fuzzy as it was, swam and displaced itself for a solid minute as she regained her bearings.
No doubt about it. Her condition was worsening. Even the slightest pain was almost crippling now.
Lapis closed her eyes, taking in a deep, but steady breath to try and regain some strength; in emergencies Gems could metabolize oxygen for a quick burst of energy, and although it wasn't the most efficient of options her choices were dwindling rapidly. The thick air was worthwhile for once in that respect.
It was as Lapis opened her eyes that she saw...something, moving on the edges of her peripheral vision. Well, not so much moving as...generally vibrating. Her eyes turned towards the source of the movement, and for only a split second she saw another woman standing at the far end of the street she was on, taller than the others she had met but slightly more robust in her build than they were, dressed in a loose white t-shirt, blue overjacket, and pink long skirt. Neon pink hair, styled like a heaping pile of Steven's cotton candy, contrasted a bit with her more subdued coral skin, and sharply contrasted with her even brighter, baby blue eyes. Lapis could have sworn she saw them glowing for a moment. A long and warped grin, wider than even a Gem could manage, adorned her features. In the instant Lapis locked eyes with her she seemed to let out a low gasp, which turned into an extremely deep breath before...
She could not believe it. The girl had been there in one instant, and the moment Lapis blinked she had vanished. It was as if by magic...
Magic. It wasn't unheard of on this planet.
Lapis stood back on her feet again, pinpricks of sweat forming on her brow as she ran down the increasingly humid street towards whatever mad hallucination she had just witnessed. It was a stretch, but if this human had some kind of teleportation she could take advantage of it was her best chance to get home.
She was barely able to keep herself moving as she found herself on the edge of the sidewalk, the pink one having vanished without a trace. Her eyes darted back and forth for where she could be; even back on Homeworld individual teleports were short affairs, maybe about 500 feet or so, but there was not even any sign of her in the distance.
Lapis could feel her spirit pounding, the oxygen's combustive side effects becoming apparent as her sweating seemed to increase. In a rush, she turned to the left and began to run blindly...
...right into another human. Lapis felt strong arms - far stronger than she expected - grip her by the torso as she was knocked backwards, to prevent her from having yet another crippling fall.
"Whoa missy! Almost got yerself flattened, there!", rang a cheerful voice, heavy with an inflection that Lapis was unfamiliar with. She must have been from outside town as well.
She slumped in the muscular arms for only a moment before righting herself, stepping back a bit to get a better look at whoever it was that had caught her. She was definitely shorter than the pink one but significantly better built, arms and legs subtly swelling with strong musculature that just strained against her white button up shirt and thick leather tunic. The woman's tan - lighter than those Lapis had seen on the beach - matched the sun-bleached blonde hair pulled into a low ponytail at her waist, held beneath an equally sun-baked leather hat with a decoration she recognized as an Earth apple, casting a shadow over bright green eyes that nevertheless had an odd...clarity about them.
Lapis shook her head a bit before continuing. This was the first person who hadn't reacted in terror so far; she had to play it cool.
"H-hello?", she opened sheepishly. Smooth.
"Howdy!" The rustic girl slapped her hand on Lapis's left shoulder, grinning widely. "Mah name's Applejack! Ah don't think Ah've seen you around before; new in town, is mah best guess!"
Lapis had to take a minute to sort through what she had actually said. "Y-yeah. My...my name's Lapis. Lapis Lazuli."
Applejack cocked her head. "Like the rock?", she asked quizzically. "Well, can't say mah family's much better at namin' personally, but still, don't matter! You look like you got your ass kicked lookin' for someone...or somethin'."
Lapis nodded eagerly, brushing off the slight against her condition. "Yeah, a bus! I need a bus to get to Beach City and I don't know how to..."
"Whoa there, darlin', don't rush on off yet." Applejack's face had suddenly grown quite serious, her face leaning in towards' Lapis's right arm. The Gem realized that she had been studying her for the entirety of their brief conversation. It was difficult to tell at a glance, but Applejack's expression soon turned sour when she saw how the arm had been cracked and twisted in multiple, unnatural ways...and how, to Lapis's surprise, it was sweating much more profusely than the rest of her body.
"Hun, Ah thought you might've got into a fight or run through the woods, but there ain't no way Ah'm lettin' you run off on your own when you're like this. You're arm's broken and you're cold as a rock. We need to get you to a hospital."
Lapis stepped back. Hospital? Could an Earth hospital even properly analyze her, especially so far away from any Gem influence? They'd probably end up shattering her in their utter incompetence.
No, no she had to get to the ocean. If she could just get to the ocean...
"If I can just get to the ocean..."
"Darlin'? Darlin', you've been mumblin' to yerself for a bit now."
Lapis started. Thinking about the hospital had caused her to lose track of time. She didn't have the time to waste.
"Look, the hospitals here can't help me, they don't have the equipment to fix my Gem! I can repair it...I think...but I need to be near the ocean to do it!"
Applejack stared at her in surprise and concern, her eyebrows knitting. Lapis swore to herself as she remembered how few humans had come into contact with their kind before. It was probably why so many had been running away from her.
"Gem? Ah don't know much 'bout jewelry, but Ah know someone who does. Ah also know that you're 'bout to keel over if you don't get treatment. If yah come with me Ah'll introduce you to her and she can fix up your gems real nice. She's darn good at it."
Lapis was about to run past her when she realized just how futile the effort was, and right now she was not in any position to pick and choose her help. Applejack was the first person to make an effort to help her, even if only out of some sense of hospitality...
That and her knees were about to give out on her. Lapis felt her whole body slump down to the ground, just in time for Applejack to hook her right arm underneath Lapis's left shoulder, hoisting herself under the rapidly fading Gem.
"Hang on, Lapis, Ah gotcha." Applejack was the one holding most of Lapis's weight as she reached for some kind of device in her tunic pocket. "Jeez, figures this happens on the one day Big Mac isn't in the city on errands. Just as well, really, boy'd talk your ear off if he had the chance. Let's just hope Rarity doesn't do the same; she's got a thing for blue types." Applejack winked at her as she flipped open the device, something Lapis could vaguely identify as a cell phone from her Mirror memories, and dialed a number into it.
"Hey, hey Rares, this is Applejack. Look, we've got a situation goin' on right now and...no, Ah'm pretty sure Pinkie has nothin' to do with it. Yes, Ah just saw her! Look, you go and get yer car and meet us at the water fountain. We got some poor girl in really bad shape, keeps babblin' about her gem and...wh...what?"
Lapis vaguely heard an excited squeal on the other end of the line and a sudden stream of muffled questions; anything else faded into background noise as she weakly limped forward.
"Yes, yes she's a weird color and named after a rock, who cares? No, Ah don't care who actually gets yer car, just get it done!"
Applejack sighed in frustration and closed her phone. "Darn, Rarity, can't keep it together for a minute, can ya?" Applejack hefted Lapis again and directed her down the street, patiently helping Lapis walk where she needed to go. "Sorry 'bout that, she can get a bit overeager sometimes. Ah guess she knows you or something, called you a Crystal?"
"Gem," Lapis moaned weakly. "Just a Gem." She would not be associated with crystals of any kind if she could help it. "Did she sound like she knew what I was?"
Applejack shrugged with her free shoulder, pocketing the phone as they passed by the judgmental looks of many a passing stranger. "Heck if Ah know. Bein' perfectly honest, between the phone call and yer body temp, somethin' tells me Ah don't know what you are neither."
Lapis stared at Applejack in some surprise, lifting her head enough to get a better look at her. "...then why help me? You barely know me at all..."
"Just how Ah was raised, Ah guess. We Apples have always been part of the town, especially back in the day when it was all farmland. And even back then mah granny was taught how to be respectful of people. So if Ah see someone banged up like you...then Ah can't just let it slide."
Lapis smiled to herself, a vision of Steven pulling her Gem out of the Mirror flashing in her memory. "Heheh...I just hope all your friends are this nice."
Applejack laughed. "Well, mebbe nice isn't quite the word for a few of them, but Ah'd trust mah friends with mah life, even Rarity. Don't worry, Ah think y'all'll get along like a wagon on fire."
Lapis couldn't help but imagine an ancient gem wheelbarrow in flames, rolling down a hill. Fitting metaphor for the past few days, really.
"Actually, Ah think you'll be meetin' most of 'em today," Applejack grunted as she readjusted the weight. Everyone 'cept for Pinkie is already at the fountain; we met up to do some birthday shoppin' for another friend of ours..."
The name struck a memory. "Wait, did you say Pinkie? Does she have pink hair?"
Applejack nodded. "Yeah, actually. Why, did you see her?"
"Yeah! She was standing on the street and just vanished! I thought she could use magic and I wanted to talk to her!"
Applejack stared at her for a moment and rolled her eyes. "Darn it, that's why Ah couldn't find her either. She ran off when her hair started twitching so Ah chased after her. Ah guess when she saw you that's when she disappeared."
Lapis was surprised by how...casual Applejack was about all this. "Does...does she do that a lot?"
Applejack shrugged. "Only when she meets someone new. Pinkie Pie is...different. Ah mean, different even by this town's standards. She's probably cooking up some kind of wacky party for ya as we speak. Ah just hope she has enough sense not to do it when you're getting bettere."
Lapis smiled. "I don't know. A party might not be bad right now."
Applejack grinned at her, the slightest hint of mischief creeping into her eyes. "Well, we'll see what you think after she throws it."
Lapis would have little time to ponder what Applejack meant by that.
It wasn't much longer before Lapis managed to spot the fountain. It was a surprisingly elegant affair for a town like this, carved out of white polished granite and adorned with various equestrian iconography; in fact, the centerpiece of the fountain was a trio of horses - upon closer inspection Lapis noticed one had a horn and the other had wings - spraying water from their mouths. And as Applejack had described there were already two people -or was it three? Lapis could swear she saw a third person dart away behind a tree as soon as she was in sight -waiting for them at the fountain's edge.
In spite of the distance and the slight cerulean haze now hovering at the edges of her vision, Lapis could almost immediately identify which one was the "Rarity" Applejack spoke of. She was not so much sitting on the fountain as much as posing on it, reclining on the stone as she crossed her surprisingly long legs without a care in the world, her light blue sundress framed upon her lithe and slender body as if it had been designed for her. Dark purple hair was neatly coiffed and curled, with nary a strand out of place. If she hadn't already known she was a human Lapis would have sworn she was some kind of Gem; the fact that her hairclip was almost an exact replica of the Royal Seal of the Blue Diamond House did not help. Nevertheless, it was almost...comforting, to see something like it again, after all this time.
The other human closest to them, who seemed to be deep in conversation with this Rarity, was...not quite as proper. Squatting on the ground like a bird of prey, the shorter of the two women sported a tattered jean jacket and white nylon miniskirt, providing contrast to her lighter blue skin and, to Lapis's legitimate shock, the messy and uncombed mane of hair which had all the colors of the rainbow. Like Rarity she struck a slim figure, if a bit more muscular. The emblem of a cloud spitting rainbow-colored lightning adorned her shirt, and Lapis vaguely wondered if everyone in town had some sort of symbol associated with them. Maybe they had more in common than she thought.
Drawing closer allowed her to hear the snippets of their conversation.
"Yeah yeah, college, financing, whatever. I'm sure I can cook something up."
"Rainbow Dash, darling, one does not "cook up" a future. It requires foresight, planning, dare I say a little charisma! Do you really plan on coasting like this forever?" Rarity seemed to be busy typing something on her own phone, which Lapis noticed was more advanced - and significantly more decorated - than Applejack's.
The one named Rainbow Dash visibly rolled her eyes as she seemed to scoff at Rarity's concerns. "This from the girl who can't take her eyes off her phone for five seconds."
Rarity harrumphed. "If you MUST know, I just so happen to be keeping up to date with events in Beach City. If Applejack is to be believed, we may well have a Crystal Gem visiting today, and I will NOT be embarrassed in front of them."
Lapis was about to open her mouth in objection when Applejack herself spoke up. "Erm, actually, she just wants to be called a Gem, Ah guess. Sorry to disappoint."
Rainbow Dash was the first to respond, glancing sideways towards the both of them as she lifted herself up.
"Hey Applejack, is that the HOLY CRAP WHAT IS THAT?!!!"
Rainbow Dash tumbled in a panic, just barely able to flip herself out of falling into the fountain. At this distance it was plainly obvious Lapis was not human, and to her frustration she found the multicolored girl staring at her like something out of an insane menagerie. Which Lapis supposed she technically was...
Still...the idea of being stared at like a freak...she felt herself bristle as a chill ran down her injured arm.
To her surprise, Rarity managed to keep her composure, as Lapis noticed her walking in her direction without a trace of fear.
"THAT, Rainbow my dear, is a Gem. If you'd been keeping up with the local news you'd know they're all the rage in Beach City."
Rainbow snorted. "Psssh, only good thing that ever happened in Beach City was Greg Universe stopping there on a tour ten years ago, what's your point? And again. Seriously. What the hell is that?"
Rarity rolled her eyes. "You and your rock bands. But no, Rainbow, I may not know exactly WHAT she is, but I do know she needs our help right now. I mean, look at the poor dear."
Lapis pulled away from Applejack as Rarity stepped forward.
"Well, let's start with introductions. I am Rarity, but I would think Applejack mentioned me at least once to you, right?"
Lapis stared at the stylish human, and tentatively nodded, not capable of much else by this point. "Y-yes. Applejack said you could...fix me?"
Rarity said nothing, choosing instead to crouch down in front of Lapis to observe her more closely. "Well, perhaps. I can at least get a sense of what sort of condition you're in. The name is Lapis Lazuli, right?"
Where Lapis had been confused before, now she was totally gobsmacked. "How did you..."
"Darling, I work with precious stones for a living and I follow the exploits of your friends in Beach City. It's not that hard to..."
"They're not my friends," Lapis spat out, a heat rising in her gullet as this mistake was made for the second time in a row. Rarity stepped back for a moment at the sudden spike in hostility.
"Tch, talk about touchy. Maybe someone needs to chill out." Rainbow Dash audibly snorted in the background, her smile denoting disdain.
But Lapis noticed that her eyes were fixed squarely on her and noone else, and that she had not taken one step away from the tree trunk where she had seen that third person hide behind. A tuft of pink hair peeked out from between the branches, immediately darting back as soon as Lapis spotted them.
Lapis glared at Rainbow Dash for a moment, staring right back at her, before realizing exactly what was going on. A vision of Steven stepping up to her defense passed before her eyes.
"Whatever," both Lapis and Rainbow sighed simultaneously.
"IF you're both quite done measuring sizes...I think we can proceed."
It took Lapis a moment to realize that Rarity was still there, arms crossed and...pouting?
Applejack audibly groaned. " Aww jeez, now we're never gonna hear the end of it."
Within the minute, Rarity was back to examining Lapis, focusing specifically on her right arm and upon the cracked gem on her back, all the while mildly whining - or was it complaining? - about how everyone in town was out to make her day more complicated. In a strange way, though, Lapis found it...almost cute, like some manner of grumpy Pearl that had been offended and wished to express it.
"...And despite the fact that both of you could use some much needed "chilling out," pontificated Rarity, "I would like to apologize to you about earlier. Applejack did tell me that, for whatever reason, you didn't want to be associated with the Crystal Gems. As much as I'd like to hear whatever juicy gossip you have on them, I do need to respect your boundaries."
Lapis stared at Rarity for a moment, taking a minute to process what she had said; her hearing was a bit muffled at the moment. "Ummm...thank you. There's no way you could have known." Unlike the Crystal Gems, she thought bitterly.
"Still, it was exceptionally unladylike of me. Someone as lovely as you needn't have to put up with that; your style is trés magnifique. " Rarity winked directly at Lapis, who was now at a complete loss for words. How could she be expected to respond to something like that?
"Uh, Rares, the gem?"
"Oh, right!" Rarity seemed to shake herself out of her thorough inspection. "Well, my dear, Applejack is right about one thing, you do need to get some medical attention. This arm alone would have you laid up for weeks if you were flesh and blood like us. However...that's where things get complicated."
Lapis tilted her head, a bit of frustration building in her. "I thought you could fix my Gem, that's what Applejack said."
"Gems, darling, rocks and jewelry, that's my speciality. I know enough about the Beach City Gems to diagnose you, not cure you. THAT requires someone with a bit more expertise in magic than I have...and lucky for you I know just the girl."
Rarity was interrupted before she could explain further by the roar of an engine as a sizable towncar pulled up next to the fountain, a white Oldsmobile with what appeared to be a dragon as a car ornament. Lapis was caught off guard, believing that none of these girls really knew how to drive in the first place.
"Well. Speak of the devil and she shall appear! Lapis, this is the girl I want you to meet, I just had her pick up my car since she's the only one I trust to drive it."
Rainbow audibly coughed in the background. "Oh, so I drag race your little red Corvette ONE time!"
Rarity glanced over her shoulder, glaring daggers at Rainbow. "Into. A. DITCH."
Applejack stepped in at this point, holding her hands out at both. "Look, guys, maybe we can save the bickerin' for when we DON'T have a crippled gal to tend to? Oh, and stow that devil talk, Rares, you know how she gets about that."
Rarity rolled her eyes. "It's an EXPRESSION, Applejack, one she's heard a dozen times before. Besides, she's not actually a demon! ...anymore, anyway."
Something about that last statement sent a shudder into Lapis, a terrible dread that she had to flee this place. Her voice was even as she spoke up. "Devil? What do you mean devil?"
"Oh, it's a long and sordid story, my dear. I wouldn't bring it up to her, she's a bit...sensitive about it."
Lapis rolled her eyes. "It doesn't really matter. It's not like she's actually a demon or...or..."
Lapis could feel every part of her body lock into place, like she was frozen in time, as the town car door opened and its occupant stepped out. Everyone else was moving around her, the girl...if she, no IT could even be called that...walked towards them, speaking and laughing like nothing was wrong.
She was unmistakeable. The vision of her was burned in her memory forever, hair of auburn gold and blood red framing her gleaming, bright blue eyes. Her figure had filled out substantially since the last human form she had from Steven's memory, but she was still as imposing as ever, and naturally wore the same leather jacket. Confidence...charisma...deception...it was all a lie.
Now, in the moment where Lapis had thought herself safe...Sunset Shimmer stood before her. And Applejack...was pointing Sunset in her direction.
The demon walked forward, false smile beaming brightly, staring right at Lapis. Her options had now disappeared and she was in no condition to run. Who knew if the others were under her spell...or could even be trusted now?
Visions ran through her mind again...a crying Steven...a swelling surge of darkness...the monster hiding in this seemingly innocent girl...
Lapis stepped back, a combination of fear and outright wrath polluting her face. She could finally hear her voice, as smoky and deep as ever.
"Hi! You must be Lapis!"
She was still in front of the fountain. Lapis still had a chance.
"You."
Lapis spoke the word with vitriol and wrath as she lifted her left arm. The other girls stared at her in surprise, not expecting this particular response.
"You hurt him. You hurt them. You...you're here to hurt everyone...to trap me. But I won't let you."
She had one shot...if she failed, her strength would not last for another one.
"Applejack. Get out of my way."
Applejack stared at Lapis in shock, unaware of how the fountain water had started to overflow, forming a pool in front of Sunset. The crimson haired monster backed away, a look that Lapis could not read creeping over her face. Was it...fear?
No. She could not let confusion cloud her judgment. This was Sunset Shimmer. This was the one who was seeking her and Steven out. She was the one whose presence she felt on the river.
The water rose up in a wall, and molded itself into the shape of a razor thin cresting wave. The bottom edge sliced a wedge into the concrete as it rose.
"Lapis, what are you doing?! Stop!!!"
Rainbow Dash and Rarity began to run towards her, but Lapis had her sights set on the target. She could see Sunset Shimmer's expression rapidly shifting, turned from fear into concern as she stared into Lapis's eyes.
The blue haze blocked out Applejack and the others from Lapis's sight as water droplets began to hover silently, forming walls of razor sharp liquid sharps on both sides of the she-demon. Her left hand hung in the air like an executioner's axe, positioned directly across from her water construct.
Black glowing eyes wreathed in flame appeared before her. Sunset was in the way. She stood between her...and home.
I am Lapis Lazuli. And you...are my enemy.
"Die."
Lapis brought her hand forward,in a sweeping motion, her killing intent focused entirely on Sunset...
The water blade ruptured apart, disintegrating into pieces. A spasm rocked Lapis's whole body as a gout of water sprayed unbidden out of her open mouth.