The Diamonds is the second installment in MasonIrving's Legends, a series focusing on major mysteries of the gem race. This is the first episode in the series, having a three-act structure as opposed to one-to-two in a short story. It was preceded by Origins and followed by Rose Quartz. If you have read the previous installment(s), continue.
Plot[]
Prologue[]
Salutations.
This is Sunstone, official historian of the Gem Empire and its affiliates. I have been studying the history of our race; our species' beginnings, our present, and our future.
In the last report, I discussed the origins of our existence. It appears that we were created by a higher intelligence, entities known only as the Ancients, who influenced our culture and inspired our religions. The first gem was, well, I don't know. And neither do the Diamonds, strangely. I've asked them, they'd either say it was a gem long gone or a myth. Evidence of her existence was present on one of our natural moons and on structures of a colony called Earth. Even though I've moved on from gem origins, I've been looking into her identity as a little side project.
Anyway, I've decided to focus most of my efforts on the diamonds. Let me just say that the diamonds are some of the most exsquisite beings I've ever laid my eyes on. They are gigantic, and are perfectly formed. They are wise, powerful, and have everything under control.
My current mission is to learn about their origins. I had set up interviews for Yellow Diamond, Blue Diamond, and Lord Diamond, taking notes as I went along. I have one more interview, but I might as well make a rough draft of what I know so far and make corrections later.
Well, here it goes:
Act I: Formation[]
It was a tale as old as time. A being–old, wise, and powerful–had ruled the gem race for billions of years. However, one day, something happened.
The four diamonds, Yellow Diamond, Blue Diamond, Pink Diamond, and of course, Lord Diamond, were made in Old Homeworld around 1 billion years ago. They were forced to work in a gem-mining camp, locations used to dig up raw gems for processing (bringing to life), at the hands of a mineral known as Sard. I believe that was her name, it's a rough translation of ancient gem language. Anyway, the four Diamonds were like sisters, very close and always by each others' side. Lord Diamond, back when she called herself White Diamond, was the leader, stern, cold and to the point on the outside, but caring on the inside. Yellow Diamond was like White as well, but had a shorter temper and paranoia, and wasn't much about compassion. Blue Diamond was shy and didn't talk a lot, usually covering herself in a cloak, but got serious when necessary. And Pink Diamond was sweet and passionate about every living thing.
In the olden days, there wasn't really any "gems" around. The only true gem was the ruler; the rest were, minerals. They were one evolutionary step (or should I say upgrade) from being gems, but not there yet. Minerals were the Ancient's failed attempts at manipulation of the gem's sentience-activation. However, the Diamonds were different. They were the Ancient's goals done right, and their template for future gem developments. They were gems, some of the earliest. In fact, they were possibly the second, after the leader of course. They were outcasts. And being outcasts, they were forced to live outside of the camps, alone.
The Diamond gang had to build their own shelter, and find ways to live comfortable. Since there never was any organic life on Homeworld, gems were built to not eat, sleep, or drink, so that wasn't a problem. The problem was what to do. Gems were designed by the Ancients to be the perfect beings; having immortality. They lived for years and years with nothing to do. Nothing until some time later.
Act II: Discovery[]
One day, According to Blue Diamond, she decidedly started to swim in a large-but-average sea, now known as the Blue Diamond Sea. Now, I believe she was splashing around (like I said, with nothing to do), when she felt some water move on its own. Confused, she shrugged it off and kept splashing, acting as if nothing had ever happe...there! It happened again! What was going on?
"It was like an invisible force pushed the small wave away from me. I was concerned, not knowing what to do. It just happened with no reason why. Interestingly, every time it occured, I felt a rush of, well, energy, flowing through my body and gem. I decided to figure it out." After experimenting, analyzing where and when the force pushed the water, and making some mental notes, she realized that it was her who caused it. She pushed the water, even without her hand in it. It was hydrokinesis! She went back to the camp immediately to tell the others, before realizing they might not believe such a story. So, three months passed and she told them. Interestingly, all three of them were shocked. Not because of her hydrokinesis. But because she could describe every detail, from the position of the sun to the color of the sky during sunset, and every spoken word, despite the fact that it was a quarter of the month later than when it had actually happened. Blue Diamond was smart, but this was impressive. Hyper-intelligence.
Yellow Diamond was the next one to discover her powers. She was walking along a field. In the middle of a storm, I believe. A lightning storm. It was an average day, about two weeks after the confession of Blue Diamond. Ever since then, the others have been paranoid of their powers, if they have any. Yellow Diamond was very careful of making sure nothing happened. She actively said that she didn't believe in these "powers". But deep down, she knew she may have had them. And sure enough, it happened. Zap! Lightning, right in front of her!
"I felt an energy flow through me, like what Blue Diamond had. Except, it was more like a jolt, a surge of electrical power. I had to face the truth, that this wasn't superstition. This was real. I could control electricity," said Yellow Diamond.
"And how did you know that it was coming from you? How did you learn how to activate it?" I say, asking my usual interviewing questions.
"I just had to concentrate, and there, I have lightning coming out of my hands. Simple as that. I realized that having actual lightning, like in the case of the storm, helped me with amplifying it, as I tried it on a sunny day and it wasn't as strong."
With her new discovery, she rushed home. She was fast, real fast. Like, REALLY fast. She was home in a second, running at least two kilometers. Super speed. She ran back and forth and back and forth before eventually becoming bored of it. She told her peers, who were still shocked but not as much as before, and went on with her day.
Intermission[]
As I was halfway-done with the last sentence I was working on, the end of the YD section, someone knocked on my bunker door. I quickly finished, told whoever it was that I was coming, and opened the door.
"Peridot!"
It was my good friend Peridot (Facet-2F5L, Cut-5XG), coming for a visit! I last saw her as I left Homeworld for Earth to nab an interview with Pink Diamond, and to study the First Gem. She told me that she has a special mission from Yellow Diamond herself, which is checking on the newly made Kindergarten, and grabbing some of its successfully formed gems. We talked and talked, about things such as the latest masterpiece from the Kindergarten, a Jasper of some kind, and the latest gossip and rumors on Homeworld. She told me that Yellow Diamond's coming for a visit to check on me. I told her that Tiger's Eye and Aventurine are working elsewhere on Earth, and that we've been in touch.
"Did you hear about those rebels?" she told me.
"Rebels?"
"Affirmative! No one's exactly sure, but they're two gems who for some reason just started acting out against the diamonds. There wasn't any reason, really. At least, any reason that we commoners know of."
Sure enough, someone else wanted to see me. I gave Peridot a handshake before she left, then I greeted the other person at the entrance. It was a Sapphire.
"Ugh. Not you again! All week I've been here you've been blabbering on about how 'war' is coming. Please stop! We get it! What's next, the apocalypse?"
"Hello to you too," she sarcastically responded.
I sat down with a pout as she told me her latest "foresight". But this was different. It wasn't one of their cryptic messages that Sapphires are infamously known for, this was a real and straightforward message.
"Two rebels are on their way. They will attack the court of Blue Diamond, and will show no mercy. Blue Diamond will escape. Yellow Diamond will be less fortunate. War is coming."
At that moment, she left. I was speechless. I knew what she said, and what it meant. Think, Sunstone. What does this mean. What will happen. I was a little paranoid. And when I'm paranoid, I write. Also paranoid about Yellow Diamond's visit, I decided to continue writing my essay.
Act II: Discovery (cont.)[]
Now onto my diamond; Pink Diamond. I appreciate her. She isn't like the cold, stern, higher up diamonds. She's sweet, nice, and naive. It feels like I can trust her. She's wonderful.
Anyway, Pink Diamond could control organic life. It's very bizarre. Organic life has always been uncommon on Homeworld, so Pink Diamond never really had a purpose. She could grow plants, ones that looked like miniature versions of herself, doing her every whim. For this reason she's always been the 'least' of the four. Her emblem is at the bottom of the empire seal. It's always been like that. Sadly, I do not know how she learned about her powers,, but I will after I talk with Yellow Diamond, and then interview her. Now, onto Lord Diamond.
Ah, Lord Diamond! The most magnificent creature in all of the cosmos, if I do say so myself. The most pure, most beautiful, smartest, and overall best gem. Enough opinions. Lord Diamond has all of the Diamonds' Powers. She can control water, go really fast, is strong, and can move things with her mind. Her powers have been discovered once in a while. Sometimes, when one of the others was showing off her power that she had discovered, Lord would get all jittery and replicate it. It was a strange, uncontrollable activation mechanism. She did learn to control it.
As time went on, the Diamonds learned more and more of their powers. Blue Diamond could move things with her mind, communicate with other beings inside their heads, and could gaze into the future. Yellow could shoot orbs of lightning energy. And Lord Diamond, well, just copied them. They were the first four gems (besides the leader, of course) who had powers specific to their gemstone. Everyone was happy. Pink Diamond, however, was unsure. One day, she asked White if they would show the leader their powers. To her surprise, White Diamond said yes.
"But won't we get shattered for being freaks?" Pink Diamond was nervous about this. About all of this. What was now and what was yet to come.
"Sure," White Diamond replied. "but that's not exactly what we are doing."
"Oh." Pink let out a slight but still unsure sigh of relief. "So, what are we going to do?"
"I'll tell you what we're going to do."
"What?" Pink Diamond was dreading to hear the answer.
What Lord Diamond said next would never be forgotten. "We're going to rise up, and take the leader down."
Act III: Rising[]
The next day, the four Diamonds immediately went to the palace of the Leader. It was an old, old palace, made of marble and beautifully painted colors of blue, red, green, yellow, and more. They are so old that the palace has been reduced to (excuse my language) cloddy rock. The Marble looks like granite now. It's sad. The palace walls have glyphs written in Old High Gem, a language lost in time for billions of years. It's literally impossible to translate and faded to nothing, which is why I couldn't use the palace as research material. The walls contained art describing the ancient history of the gems; the creations of the Ancients, and the ruler. Now it has nothing.
The Leader. It always goes back to her, for some reason. She did have a name, but it was forbidden to say it, even in writing, so no one ever knew it. According to the diamonds, she sat on a golden throne, a chair adorned with shining gemstones. Some say the stones were those who were punished for their sins against her. For her awesome power, she was very small, about the size of Yellow Diamond's boots. She had a dress on, but no limb enhancers or anything else. She was incredibly quiet. She had no consorts, no crown, and wore a stern, cold look on her face.
When the diamonds entered the palace that day, things almost immediately went to chaos. Minerals all inside waiting for their courts and appeals looking back, guards going crazy. When the Diamonds, led by white, stepped across the ailse to the throne, the Leader didn't retaliate. In fact, when the guards were going to escort the "criminals" outside of the castle, she hand-motioned (no talking) to stop and let them through.
"O Leader." White Diamond was feeling a little too confident about the situation's outcome. "We'd like to change somethings around here."
As this was spoken, the leader hand-signaled and shooed all of the guards and citizens away.
"Talk."
Her high-pitched yet cold, stern voice made everyone, including White Diamond, shiver nervously. How could they fight someone like this? Someone who's lived for over 3.5 billion years, while the diamonds had only used their powers for about one and a half months.
Surprisingly, it was the reluctant Pink Diamond who spoke out.
"You are...you're a monster! A cold-blooded killer! One who adorns the remnants of your enemies on your seat!! You're evil! EVIL I SAY! EVIL!!! YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO RULE!
Everyone gasps. The leader stands up from her chair and walks toward the middle of the room, to face the terrified gems. She faces Pink Diamond. Despite the fact that she's as least twice as tall, Pink is still afraid of what the Leader might do to her or her friends.
"Fine."
The Diamonds are shocked. Fine? Fine?! Who would say fine? Did she even know what they meant?
Apparently she did, because as she said fine, she left the palace.
"Wait!"
Blue Diamond, the most sympathetic of the bunch, asked her to stay. The Leader stopped right in front of the entrance. She turned around and smiled. Not a smile of gratitude.
A smile of scheming.
"One stays. The other goes. All at once, down we go."
The poem echoed across the palace. As it did, the five fought. The diamonds didn't know what she meant? Why would all of us go down if we stayed? And why were we fighting? And why were we—?
The fighting seemed like hours. Weeks. Millenia. It never seemed to end. But it did. For some reason, after it was all over, the Leader laughed. It wasn't a happy-go-lucky what are we doing kind of laugh, no. It was an insane, hysterical, haunting laugh. A laugh that bounced off and echoed through the walls of the palace, making its way to the door and entering the night. After several minutes of silence from them, the Diamonds laughed along with them. Not about how stupid this was, but at how it seemed to go on forever. That this wasn't the end. The Leader let them win. But this wasn't the end. If anything, this was just the beginning. The beginning of a never ending cycle of cat and mouse. Overthrowing and overthrowing again and again, with no real purpose or clear sign of who's truly winning. They might as well have their fun now, because it would be a long time until they start again. But for now, the diamonds had won, turning the Era-0 Gem Republic into a massive Gem Empire.
Sunstone, Reporting: Out.
Epilogue[]
"Sunstone, Facet 6. Cut 3LC."
It was her. Yellow Diamond. She had to fill in to check on my work, because my diamond, Pink Diamond, had unfinished business elsewhere on Earth.
"Is your report on your diamonds' histories finished? I am hoping for adequate work."
Going along with her lightning-speed, it only took about 5 seconds for Yellow Diamond to read the entire piece. Fingers crossed!
"Excellent, I will arrange for a Moonstone to file this under matriarch archives. Your work is satisfactory once again."
Whew!
"Don't forget, you still must interview with Pink Diamond. Even though you have enough information, more will be extra helpful in the future.
"Thank you, my—er, Yellow Diamond." And with that, she walked out the door.
Wait? What's that? Yellow Diamond is saying something. It sounds like she's talking with a gem.
"Excuse me, but why are you not with your squadron? And why are you—oh no. No—!"
POOF!
I ran outside. A cloaked figure was running into a corner!
"Hey!" I followed her.
It was a long and tedious chase. I was running face first into a building, one that this stranger was standing right in front of. I stretched out my arms waiting to grab her, when I heard an unfimiliar sound and crashed into the doorless structure. She disappeared! Or at least went somewhere.
I looked around to see where I was. I was in the Sapphire quarters! The room that newly-formed Sapphires come to train and use their future-telling abilities to the most. I looked around when I found a file about Pink Diamond on a computer. I clicked on it and...
It told me too much.
"No! She wouldn't do that! Never! Not to someone like HER!"
"You need to accept it. We Sapphires found it's the best course of action for your sanity."
That Sapphire. THAT SAPPHIRE!!!
"YOU!!!" At this point, I was losing it. "GET AWAY! EVERY TIME I SEE YOU, TRAGEDY STRIKES! GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU CLOD!"
The Sapphire pondered for a moment, then spoke. "I have moved beyond from these places. But I usually come here to Earth to help with newer Sapphires. But I came here to tell you something. That person. In the cloak. You know her?"
"I DON'T—no. No. Is it really...her?"
"That's all I know that's new. Everything else I've told you still applies. The rebels. The war. Now, if you excuse me, I must attend a court with Blue Diamond. I must tell her things will end here. They won't. It won't end soon. Also, I'm sorry."
"What?!?!"
"Sorry for your friends."
I ran outside. It's Aventurine!
"Sunstone! Tiger's Eye--," she was panting, "Shattered by rebels. They–"
ZAP!
"NO!!!! AVENTURINE!"
It was the worst thing that could happen. It wasn't like I had lost a friend. I-I loved her.
The Sapphire was right.
War is coming.
Homeworld...[]
Master Log Date: 315674325
Enterer: Lord Diamond
Information:
Yellow Diamond has been poofed. It may be her.
Blue Diamond is safe on Earth. Currently holding a court.
Pink Diamond...
As for myself, I am fine. My Pearl is still missing. It's pitiful. She was like a daughter to me. Still emotionally unstable, most likely.
Until tomorrow.