Like a Diamond

A deep sigh escaped my lips, thankful to be away from that annoying little pixie. I ran my hands down my face, wondering if the ‘gloves’ covering my hands could come off. It was such an odd thought; one that made me laugh.

“Is something wrong, my Diam...David?” Pearl spoke up after a few seconds, reminding me that she was following at my side. “You seem...conflicted?”

“Hm? Oh, uh, no. I’m fine.” Cutting my laugh short, I gave her a smile. “I just had a random thought that amused me. Nothing to worry about.”

“Okay, I’ll make a note not to worry about random laughter in the future, even so soon after being upset.” She smiled up at me for a moment and then looked around. “Did you plan on going anywhere in particular, or were you planning to wander around to get to know where things are? We could do either easily enough, but the peridot you named ‘Bashir’ did say you should come back in a couple hours.”

“Well, I need to find a mirror first,” I replied, turning my gaze out towards the rest of the encampment.

“We don’t have too many mirrors here, since most gems already know what they look like, but we do have a small public pool where gems can clean their exposed facets since dirt and dust is inescapable. I can see about putting in a request for a bismuth to add one to your...well it’s not really a palace.” Sapphire’s voice came from my other side.

Blinking, I turned my attention to my blue colored aide. “That would be very helpful, thanks.” I watched her for a moment before turning back to Pearl. If I was going to start giving names out like candy, I might as well give them ones now. “So... tell me. How do you two feel about names?”

“If it would help you remember us, or differentiate me from the other sapphires in some way, I wouldn’t refuse a name.”

“Anything that you would wish me to have is a most gracious gift, m-David…” Pearl smiled widely as she said this, and she seemed to be having an easier time avoiding honorifics already.

“It’s not that I wouldn’t remember you guys, it just sits better in my mind to give everyone something unique to call them,” I explained, settling my sights on Sapphire. “Way back when, there used to be a place called Delphi, said to be the home of oracles; those that could see the future. How do you like the name ‘Delphi’?”

“Huh... I don’t recall anything like that from the history that I’ve read, but the name sounds...I want to say cute?” She shifted her head up slightly, seemingly looking at me though her bangs before nodding. “I like the sound of it in my mind though.”

“Delphi it is.” I nodded, turning my attention back to Pearl. She had held her gaze, still smiling brightly. It turned my stomach a little, seeing someone so utterly devoted to me without really even knowing me. “I have just the name for you: Watson. An ever-faithful companion to a flawed individual.”

“I... I fail to see how that is fitting… you don’t have any flaws that can be seen, David. You’re a Diamond, after all, and that means you’re perfect.” She frowned briefly, and then looked down. “B-but if you w-want to demean yourself in this way it isn’t really my place to argue with you.”

Coming to a stop, I took another breath. In that moment, I felt like a deprogrammer; desperately trying to break a cultists programming. Kneeling down, I gently touched Pearl’s face. “Listen to me, alright? No matter what anyone tells you, no matter what your head is telling you; no one is perfect. The only thing we can do is try and be better than what we were the day before.”

“Be careful, David. The aquamarine aside, most gems have a deeply-held respect for any Diamond. Some of them might not be able to accept a Diamond not being perfect as something that is even possible.”

“N-no one is p-perfect. O-of course, I will remember that, as you have said it.” Pearl twitched a little, and seemed to shiver in place for a moment before wrapping her arms around herself. “I’m s-sorry for making such a fuss over it.”

Frowning, I reached my arms out and pulled her into a hug. “Don’t worry about it, alright? Let’s find that mirror and then you can help me pick out a new look?” Pulling away, I hid my frown with another smile. “How does that sound?”

“Oh, did you plan on shapeshifting, David? You are aware that for most gems that’s only a temporary thing, right? I...I actually can’t recall having even heard of a diamond making use of it before.” Delphi gasped, and then giggled. “Oh, my, this is going to be interesting having someone as unpredictable as you around.”

Letting go of Pearl, I rose back to full height. “You know, what I wouldn’t have given for you back home, Delphi. Woulda saved me a ton of trouble in bootcamp.” Thinking more on it, I don’t actually know if having someone seeing the future would have helped. It might’ve just pissed off Sargent Mcdowell more.

“Back home?” Delphi touched my leg for a moment before drawing her hand back as if she’d just been stung. “But... you only just emerged. This is your home, as it has been our home for centuries. You... you shouldn’t have memories from before you emerged.” She sounded confused in a way that she truly never had before now.

“That’s the thing, I remember a whole life before this,” I explained, getting rather agitated. I wasn’t trying to ‘break’ them. A fear that I had damaged them psychologically entered my mind. “That’s why I was so freaked out when we first met. Before then, I wasn’t Pink Diamond. Hell, I wasn’t even a gem.”

A few seconds passed before Pearl suddenly spoke up. “So, is this old, non-Gem life where you’re drawing the names you wish us to have from? It seems so impossible, but it must be true if you have only recently emerged.”

“It should be utterly impossible...but then the aquamarine did mention one of the other Diamonds reacting to your name...and there’s no way they could have even known about that unless there truly was something before you were a Diamond which they remembered.” Delphi mused before beginning to walk again. “We should get going if you want the light to be good enough for a clear image in the water, but this is something I will need to look into. A non-gem becoming a gem…”

Following after her, I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. Delphi seemed to be taking things relatively fine but... My gaze and my mind kept going back to Watson. Poor thing, I should never have tried to be that blunt that quickly.

Delphi turned right and led us through an archway decorated with the Diamond Authority emblem, and after a minute the somewhat-cramped walls began to widen out a little. At the same time, the sound of a bunch of voices cheering and shouting encouragement started to be able to be heard. At first it seemed like it might be the two topaz guard that were standing on the other side of that archway, but they were as still as statues when I turned my head to look back. Interestingly, on this side of the archway there was an engraving declaring that the area beyond was for waste and maintenance, with no mention of anything else.

After a few more minutes of walking the walls swept out wide and the canyon we were in opened up into more of a valley, with some kind of transparent crystal structure allowing light in from above. A crowd of topaz soldiers stood around what had to be the pool Delphi had spoken about, but it seemed to be...in use at the moment.

Two figures made of water stood head and shoulders above any gem in the crowd around the pool, and even from here I could make out the distinctive dual-peaked ‘helmet’ of Yellow Diamond on one of them while the other appeared to have a long horn on a misshapen head with a huge mass of hair as well as two huge wings. The fact that it also had three pairs of arms told me this had to be a fusion, but I couldn’t even begin to guess what gems might make something that looked like this.

The fact that they were made of water and moving also told me that there was at least one lapis around here somewhere.

“Go Yellow Diamond!”

“Zap ‘em! Stomp those hybrids like the mud they are!”

“Come on, I’ve got five to one odds on the hybrid fusion winning. That’s five shifts of boring guard duty you don’t have to do if she w-”

“You should know nobody’s going to bet on a memory of a fight that we all know the outcome of, you twit.” This came from what almost looked like a golden version of a normal-sized amethyst, one of only a few in the crowd of gems that weren’t a topaz.

“Oh dear... that lapis always clouds my sight.” Delphi’s voice was almost overwhelmed by the crowd, but I could still just barely hear her.

My mood lifted, my face bearing mischief. “Ah, I get it. She get your ice box shakin’ huh?” I teased, lightly poking at the back of Delphi’s head. “I can see it.”

The sound of my voice carried a bit more than I thought it would, it seems, and, even as I felt a bit of a chill begin around Delphi, I also heard a few gasps followed by a shout. “Red gem? Diamond on the field! Attention!” The result was immediate and predictable, with the cheering crowd quickly going silent as the soldiers scrambled to get into some semblance of order. All of them were also performing that awkward salute while the watery figures continued to move and fight.

Stepping forward, I threw out my arms. “Don’t stop on my account. Enjoy yourselves! You got the leave, enjoy it. If any agates try and tell you otherwise, point em my way.”

Leadership was natural, for me anyway. Even when I was in bootcamp, people turned to me. Got me officer rank pretty quickly. Things were different here, so very different.

“No agates here right now, boss!” One of those few quartz’s shouted in response before quickly turning their attention back to the watery show with a laugh. “You heard her, girls, off-duty is off-duty!”

Most of the crowd relaxed much slower than that soldier, but most of them smiled and nodded at me before turning their attention back to the show. Everything seemed much more subdued right up to the point where what looked like lightning flashed out from the watery version of Yellow Diamond to strike the strange fusion that was her opponent. This was followed by a loud cheer as the opponent froze for a second, and then splashed apart to dissolve into the pool.

“Aw! Crud!” the topaz from before groaned. “That hybrid cost me five shifts!!”

“Wait, you mean you were serious about that bet? If I’d known you were serious I’d have made it ten.”

“Don’t be too hard on her. It’s not like everyone’s seen this play out before, or could recognize that this was the first time that fusion appeared from the way the fight went.”

“Sounds like someone took advantage of a rookie mistake on a sucker’s bet.”

The fact that all of their voices were identical made it difficult to tell one topaz apart from the rest, but the sulking expression made it easy to identify the ‘victim’ of this bet gone wrong. The crowd parted as I moved closer to the pool while the watery figure of Yellow Diamond struck a triumphant pose. One fist raised into the air while her other hand seemed to point right at me.

“This is a record?” I ask, gazing up at the remaining construct. “How long ago was it taken?”

“A little over a millennium a-” Delphi started to respond, only for a different voice to cut her off.

“One thousand two hundred and sixty years ago, your pinkness.” Another blue figure stood up from behind the rim of the pool, water running down her arms and streaming from her hair for a few seconds before being flung back from her to splash against the slowly-dissolving form of Yellow Diamond as the lapis took a step towards me. “And it’s how I remember seeing the fight rather than a recording. That strange fusion attacking a project I was working on, and Yellow Diamond fending her off because she happened to be there to check on the progress that day…”

“It was pretty good,” I compliment, holding my hand out towards her. “But just call me David, that’s what I would like to be called.”

She looked up at me while brushing her hair back behind her ears, and squinted for a few seconds. “David, right. So, are there any new projects to work on that are going to involve my abilities, or am I going to be stuck waiting for the other Diamonds to come rescue us for another thousand years while doing nothing productive because we have to keep a low profile?”

“I think I got something.” Turning my head, I gestured for Pearl to join me. “Think you can work with Lapis here and help me pick a new look?” I didn’t mind the pink, pink was just a color. But I wasn’t going to stay with the ballerina look.

“But you already look splendid, David. You may not be as imposing as Yellow Diamond, but you are your own cut and color.” Pearl smiled as she spoke, and didn’t hesitate in the least this time in her contrary statement.

“You want an opinion on your form? I’m a terraformer, not a peridot.” The lapis shrugged as she brushed idly at her gown-like attire. “I’m also not exactly an expert on clothing if that’s what you meant.”

“I’m just... not feeling the tutu look.” I gestured to myself. “I look like a sci-fi barbie doll. It’s really not my kinda thing.”

“So you’ll be wanting a mirrored surface then. I suppose it’s the least I can do to help out our newest, and smallest, leader.” She smirked before a wall of water rose up from the pool. It seemed to solidify without freezing, and then more water rose up to surround it and take on three distinct forms without obscuring the viewing surface. Above the wall was what could only be the head and hair of White Diamond, with a pair of outstretched arms soon taking form above the heads of Yellow and Blue Diamond to the left and right of the wall respectively.

As the watery sculptures became more solid and stopped flowing, a few oddities stood out to me about the figures of Yellow and Blue. Blue seemed to be wearing an evening gown rather than the all-covering cloak I was used to seeing her wearing, one that looked like it was tailored to allow the weird hair-monoboob she had to look like it was part of a decorative effect rather than definitely just being her hair. Yellow Diamond seemed to have ditched the ‘combat skirt’ and filed down her pointy shoulder pads so that she looked a bit more like an executive in a suit instead of the outdated armored look the character in the show had.

“I-is Yellow Diamond wearing a pantsuit?” I questioned, staring at the image. “Well, that just tells me that they changed their forms as well. See? Nothing to worry about, Watson.”

“What’s a ‘pantsuit’, David?” Watson inquired, seeming to accept the name. “Is that what you wish your form to contain?”

“Yeah, Yellow Diamond changed her form after her fourth fight with the fusion, when her skirt was used as gripping point and she got thrown around a bunch of times.” This came from one of the quartz soldiers that had stuck around after the big show was over, and she shrugged as I looked at her. “Officially she managed to beat the fusion back, but I remember hearing rumors back then that she was forcibly de-manifested and it took a week for her to reform.”

“She definitely changed her appearance at some point. This is how I remember her and Blue Diamond looking the last time they were here.” The lapis nodded solemnly.

Turning back to the wall, I stepped closer. Something tugged at my mind, a handful of puzzle pieces without clear connections. “Thanks, Lapis.” Leaning closer, my eyes gazed over my reflection.

Much like the other gems, my body had that ‘not quite real’ look, like I was a cartoon character projected onto a mannequin. The various shades of pink that made up my form seemed much more vibrant than the small screen had presented them. I never hated Pink Diamond’s design, even if it was a little too ‘little girl fantasy’ for me.

Turning my head back, I gestured at Watson. “You have a spear, right?”

She stared up at me, then took a step back as if I’d just slapped her, meanwhile the quartz started cackling with laughter at the expressions on everyone else’s faces. “Wait, are you serious? You’re fresh from the ground and you want to make changes that would require that one of us attack you, the Diamond that we’re sworn to protect and wait for? And you put that weight on your own pearl to boot?”

Clicking my tongue, I turned to look at said quartz. She was a mix of white and yellow, with her gem on her cheek and a yellow diamond centered on the chest of her uniform. “Yeah, you know what? It is a little crazy. Maybe it’s a little soon, but I don’t like this look. Watson, don’t worry about it. I didn’t mean to upset you and I apologize.”

“She’s not the only one shocked by your request, David. It’s extremely unusual for a gem, of any status, to ask to be de-manifested.” Delphi’s voice was soft and thoughtful.

“No kidding. I’ve even seen a cracked quartz struggle to maintain her form and refuse the mercy of a quick stab so she could be brought to an amber without having to be awake for it, all because we had restless natives bearing down on us.”

“I’m sorry, whats an amber?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, I know what ‘amber’ is, but, are you telling me there's an amber gem?”

“Battlefield support and construction aides. They can seal cracks in another gem to stabilize their form and prevent further degradation, and they also help bismuths turn raw stone into the crystal we use to build with here. Something about how their gems interact with the strange local energies while they form enables this, but the specifics aren’t fully known.” Watson responded quickly, then gasped and giggled. “Oh, I didn’t know that I knew that until you asked. That was fun.”

That was... new. My mind wheeled from the thought of my form to a very new topic. “Delphi, are there any injured gems in the camp? This is important, I really need to know.” Of course, this hinged on whether or not I could cry on command. That specific detail wasn’t too important, but I had to set the precedent.

“There are a dozen or so gems with small cracks or chips, only one of whom has refused to be treated by an amber for the injury; something about a missing finger not being a big deal. The ones who were treated have full and stable forms with some mild discoloration, even if they aren’t able to qualify for fully active duty aside from standing guard or close patrols.”

“Right, right.” I called upon all those days in bootcamp, all the screaming and yelling. All the insults and demeaning statements. Opening my mouth, my voice spoke with the sound of thunder. “Attention! This is your new diamond speaking! Any and all gems with cracks or chips, report to me at once!”

Immediately kneeling down, I dragged my little group into a huddle. “Alright, this is how it’s gonna work. I need one of you to make me cry.”

“Uh, no offense, but maybe you should get to where those gems would expect you to be after an announcement like that first? You didn’t exactly yell that you were at the community washing pool.”

“That’s very true but I can’t help them if I can’t cry,” I reply, giving them a flat look.

“If you feel pain, I guarantee I can make you cry.” The quartz soldier’s left hand glowed briefly, and was soon encased in a wicked-looking gauntlet covered in metallic yellow spikes and barbs. As she flexed her fingers and closed her hand into a fist, a toothed blade extended out from the back of her wrist. “You just have to promise not to hold it against me.”

I patted her on the shoulder, rising up. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Delphi, would you mind showing us the way to the gathering area?”

“Yes, of course. I would expect those who heard you to be heading for your quarters shortly. That would be back in the concealed area we came from, for your protection. Everything possible was done to make this place appear to be the lowest-possible priority of targets.”

Filing that little tidbit of knowledge away, I followed after Delphi. Something happened here, on whatever planet this was. Another version of Earth? I’d have to sit down with a few of my ‘entourage’ and figure it all out.

The walk wasn’t too long, even with my slowed stride. I was greeted by the sight of a small crowd of gems, mostly quartzes, standing outside of an elegant arched doorway painted in the lightest of pink paint. Murmuring to themselves, they snapped to attention when they caught sight of me.

Moving to the front of the crowd, I greeted them with a wave. “Hello, everyone. Sorry to call you in on short notice, but this is rather important. Now, I understand that each of you has had your gem damaged in some way. I’m here to fix that. Would one of you mind coming up first?”

“But... we’re all okay, your glorious pinkness.”

I held a hand up. “I know you feel that way, and I appreciate your dedication but we all know a crack or a chip can easily get worse. Now, I will pick one of you if it comes down to it.” Deciding not to let them wiggle out of this, I pointed at a random quartz. “How about you?”

“I-is this because you know something is going to go wrong with us if we only get patched up by an amber?”

“I’ve been fine for centuries. I think we’d have learned by now if there was anything actually wrong with us after an amber did her best to seal our cracks.”

“How about we show our new diamond the same respect we would show to Yellow or Blue Diamond and stop second-guessing her? Even if she is newly-emerged, she is still Our Diamond.” This came from the quartz at my side, and the others quickly stopped their renewed chatter.

The one I’d pointed at stepped forward slowly and looked up at me. Half of her face looked like it was covered in a clear brown mask that almost mirrored the shape of the crack in the upper left part of her eye-gem. “Forgive me for forcing you to look upon my off-coloredness, My Diamond.”

Kneeling to her height, I pat her head. “It’s alright. You’re just fine, I promise.” Turning my head to the other quartz, I nodded. “You can proceed. Don’t hold anything back.” I turned back to the quartz in front of me, leaning forward so my head was over hers. “I’m going to heaaaaAAARGH!”

Even though I had just ordered her to do it and not hold back, nothing I had even imagined had prepared me for just how much her attack was going to hurt. The strike was right at my lower back, and hit so hard I thought it would have easily broken my spine if I still had one, then came the pulling to the side and the further explosion of pain as those spikes and barbs were dug even further into me, and then straight back out. If I had been anything other than a gem; my back would surely be a bloody mess at this point.

Hot tears ran down my face, dropping onto the horrified quartz in front of me. Blinded by the pain, I didn’t see the outcome of this little demonstration for several minutes. Most of that time was me pawing at my screaming back in futility. When the pain finally faded, half of the crowd of gems were gathered close to me with their hands held close over their gems while the other half had backed off and were staring towards the ground.

Sucking air in through my teeth, I did my best to keep the tears flowing. “You just need a bit. Just a bit to heal you up. Delphi, c-could you send for a Bismuth or two? I have a p-project in mind.”

“O-of course, David. I’ll go now and fetch one so that you can tell her the details yourself.”

“It’s like I was never cracked…”

“The amber seal, it just popped right off and I’m not even flickering…”

“The itching...that maddening itch is finally gone!”

“No more ringing in my ears…”

Despite the lingering pain, a genuine smile spread across my face. The best part of my tours had been making people’s lives just a little bit better. Raising my head, I spoke to the gems that had moved off.

“Hey, guys come on. Free healing, no pledges or praises needed,” I promised, feeling the steady stream of tears flowing down my face. “Please don’t get all self-deprecating on me, you all need this.”

I felt a hand on my side. “David? Are you alright? Should I get Bashir?” Watson questioned, tone drenched in concern.

“No, I’m fine. It just... hurts a bit,” I waved her off. “I might need to do it again, to keep the tears flowing.”

The gems that had healed themselves backed off and to one side while the rest of the group that had gathered quickly walked forward, all except one topaz who hung back for the moment. Soon an even ten discarded amber fragments littered the ground at my feet that had popped off of the gems as they healed from their injuries.

Gazing at the topaz, I motioned them forward. “I’m not going to hurt you. Just get you a bit wet. You aren’t afraid of water, are you?”

She shook her head slowly and offered a salute. “I am uninjured, your glorious redness. I simply came to observe so that I could assure another topaz that this was genuine and not a diamond disposing of useless soldiers under a ruse.”

Suppressing a sniffle, I nodded my head. “I give you my word, I’m not like that. No one is getting shattered on my watch.” Standing up, I wiped at my face. “I’m glad I could help all of you.” I held back a further statement, deciding to wait for Delphi to return.

“So you want me to build a fountain that is full of your tears? Seems a little weird that the first thing you want to do after emerging is cry enough to fill a water system.” What seemed to be ‘my’ bismuth nodded after a few more seconds of thought. “We can start out small, though, like something a single gem at a time can use, and then make it bigger later if we need to. Make the reservoir taper down so that it only needs a tiny bit until we need to expand it.”

“I’m more interested in infusing normal water with my tears ability to heal,” I explained, sitting down by the ‘schematic’ she had etched into the canyon floor. “The fountain is just a way for gems to make use of said enchanted waters.”

“Hmmm. Well, I don’t know much about magic. I know that the other diamonds are able to do some interesting things, but I don’t really know anything about healing either. Do you think that we could try diluting your tears?”

I nodded my head, not eager for another crying session. “I think there’s still a damaged quartz in the enclave. We’ll get some water and see if a tear or two will give it the same healing properties.”

“Right, well, I’ll go make a few small containers so we can see about testing a bunch of concentrations at a time to see just how much we can dilute your tears without losing effectiveness. I’ll bring one of your ambers with me when I come back so we can give our emergency medical gems a personal display of your healing versus their sealing. That way they know that carrying around a couple containers of this tear water will make it that much easier to save gems that would otherwise shatter.”

I smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. “That’s a great idea...” I stared at her for a moment, trying to recall her name. It took me a moment to realize she didn’t have one; and I could feel my face heating up. “Right, right. You don’t have a name yet. That’s embarrassing...”

“Oh, David, that’s a lovely shade of red,” Watson complimented, though, I’m still not sure if she hadn’t been screwing with me.

“Name? No offense, Your Pinkness, but I’m just a two-kilogram bismuth, not even artisan-grade, but I’m good at making small things and big things, so I’m the best one for this project of yours. I’m gonna go check our stockpile for some pure silica and see if we have some scraps of graphene to make the test vials a little sturdier for mixing and pouring.”

I nodded, kicking myself for flunking geology. "Alright then, I'll leave you to it. I'll get back to you on the name; make a list of them or something for you."

My thoughts jumped from the subject at hand to the concept of naming. Almost two hundred gems and I had only named four of them. Several solutions came to mind, ranging from hat pulls, to a big list to pick from. I didn't even realize I had zoned out until Watson spoke up.

“David, you’ve been staring at the rough diagram the bismuth made of your idea for fifteen minutes. The sapphire you named ‘Delphi’ earlier has already gone inside to make sure that everything is ready for you. Perhaps it’s time we went inside?”

"Huh?" I blinked, giving my head a shake. A haze had descended unto my thoughts, or perhaps it had already been there? I did my best to ignore it, regarding her with a slow nod. "Right, right. Sorry, I got caught up in my own thoughts."

“Whatever you wish to do is fine. I simply thought it best to mention that we were keeping her waiting inside, and it’s also that much less time until you had said you were going to meet that peridot as well... Bashir.” She smiled up at me as she said the name, as if she was happy to have remembered it for me.

Hiding a frown of my own, I smiled back. "Thank you, Watson. Just give me a bit of a poke if I do that again." Stepping by her, I took the first step into my quarters. Standing in the middle, I took a look around.

Everything was as pink as the gems could've managed. Most of it was painted, with pink crystal a rarity. A bureau sat in the corner, its top littered with hair care utensils. To my further befuddlement, a bed sat up against the back wall.

A picture of refinement, it bore silken curtains and sheets; just as pink as I was. Parting its shroud, I stared down at the massive mattress. A quick palm press confirmed it to be memory foam.

"I wasn't expecting a bed..." I muttered, watching as my palm print slowly faded. I took a step back and looked around once again, this time noticing a few doorways that led to other rooms deeper in as well as the fact that the walls of my room were... carved and decorated with various figures and images. Murals, really, for lack of a better term.

"Do you know what these are, Watson?" I stood before the first, eyes roving over its chiseled surface. I could pick out a gem standing over some indistinct smaller figures, but something seemed a bit off.

“Aside from the basic differences between types of gems and their general functions I am still learning, David. I would guess them to be artistic renditions of historic events, though.”

“Your pearl learns quickly, and is rather astute, David. Those murals are a symbolic history of gemkind on this world. That one specifically is of the diamonds first emerging and greeting the local organic life forms.”

"Humans, I assume?" The thought of seeing humans after my conversion was...strange. Best described as a reverse uncanny valley.

“The Diamonds called them minotaurs, and later met other creatures that walk upright like gems. Ponies, gryphons, and a species of intelligent underground canines who called themselves diamond dogs. There are larger creatures here too, ones which do not have a bipedal body, but I don’t know of anything called a ‘human.’”

As she spoke, my eyes lingered on the horned figures standing in White's presence. The alieness of it bore into my soul, turning the haze into a cyclone. "Please tell me you’re joking," I all but begged, letting out a stuttering laugh. "I-its a pretty funny joke."

“Ah, Pink Diamond? You are here?” I felt my eye twitch at that voice as Navi flew into one of the other doorways, a faint blue glow suffusing the room behind her briefly before it flickered and vanished. “I must apologize, Your Radiance. Had I but known of your special condition upon emerging I would have taken steps to have you brought here immediately.”

"What the hell are you talking about?" I snapped, focusing my distress into my dislike of the little pixie.

“I... I do foresee you making use of the bed, David. Perhaps the aquamarine has actually been trying to help this entire time?”

My glare lingered for a moment longer before I let a long sigh. "Yeah, I could use a nap." Patting Watson's head, I sat on the edge of my bed. "Could you let Bashir know we'll have to reschedule? In fact, after that, why don't you keep exploring the enclave?"

“I will tell Bashir that you will not be making contact at the appointed time due to...a medical suggestion? I’ll try to word it so she doesn’t worry, and then I will do as you ask and keep exploring and learning.” She nodded and looked up at me before turning and walking towards the door. “Should I also get a topaz to watch the door so you aren’t disturbed?”

“There’s no need for that. Now that our diamond has emerged the enclave will function a little more efficiently. It may look like simple stonework, but that doorway will shut itself to allow only specific gems through while Pink Diamond is in here and making use of her bed.” Navi flitted away from me and towards the doorway herself, and she stared Watson in the eye for a few seconds before speaking again. “You aren’t defective, at least, but you seem to not have had certain knowledge given to you... I wonder how old your model is? Anyways, I can guide you to the archive we have of basic history for new gems that need to know more details than can be fit into a modern injector sample.”

"Oh that would be lovely." Watson bowed her head to me before following Navi out.

"I shall prepare whatever you shall need upon awakening," Delphi said, performing a small curtsy. "I hope you rest well."

True to Navi's word, once I was alone a wall rose up in the threshold and sealed the passage with a loud thunk. Trapped with my thoughts, I laid down on the bed, letting myself sink into its softness. Thoughts chirped and names buzzed, bouncing from one idea or emotion to another in a cacophony of noise. I closed my eyes and brought my hands up to my ears in a futile attempt to drown out the noise, only to feel everything quickly slip away.

The tension bled out of my form, my breathing going still. The comforting ocean of sleep slipped over me as I submerged beneath its waves.