Birth
A bright light shined, cutting through the nothingness.
A small, confused gem reflexively shielded its eyes, taken aback by the sudden brightness. The startled alien sat up, struggling to take in myriad unknown sensations pervading its newfound senses. An unidentifiable noise echoed distantly, rising and falling away like an ephemeral tide. A draft blew over the gem's prone form, chilling its newly formed body. The young gem steadily grew more aware, and nervously began to test the capabilities of its new form. It wiggled its fingers and stretched, taking in the sensations of corporeal existence.
Who am I? Where am I?
The confounded youngling remained prostrate on the ground, its strength repressed by an inexplicable exhaustion which hung over it. As it lay silently, the sounds that played around it seemed to draw closer. Their pitch and frequency changed, and at once they surrounded the dazed gem. The terrified alien curled up and shut its eyes as the cacophony whirled around it. Dizziness persisted, and the frightened alien prayed silently for it to end.
How did I get here? What is this…feeling?
As if sympathetic to its unspoken plea, the vertigo slowly faded. The gem opened its eyes fully, and was greeted by a cloudless sky. The youngling's vision shifted and blurred slightly, but its curiosity was undeterred. Putting forth tremendous effort, the newly formed alien managed to get to its knees. A wave of dizziness surged through the gem, causing it to grab its head. Fighting back the nausea, it shakily planted one foot on the ground and lifted itself up slightly. With a single motion, the alien managed to stand upright. A feeling of accomplishment rushed through the youngling's mind, and it broke into a smile. With newfound confidence, the gem took its first triumphant step…
…and promptly fell flat on its face.
Still elated by its progress, the small gem dared to try again. The newly formed alien once again stood up without incident and just as quickly lost its balance. This time, however, it didn't fall.
The youngling turned to find itself in the arms of another gem. The enigmatic alien gently helped the youngling to its feet. The newly formed gem examined its companion with reserved curiosity.
Shrouded in a white, loose-fitting garment which blew in the light wind, the gem stood just slightly taller than its neonatal counterpart. Its body was an opaque white which seemed to shine in the daylight. The younger gem stood silently, enthralled by its perplexing companion. The recently-formed alien shifted on its feet nervously and averted its gaze, unsure of the other gem's intentions. Finally, the alabaster stranger broke the tense silence
"Are you feeling okay?" it asked kindly. The newborn gem stared quietly before answering.
"Y-yeah," it replied shyly. Taking a step forward, the young alien stumbled. In an instant, its companion was at its side supporting it.
"Take your time," the friendly gem said. "I know this must be…weird…for you. I had trouble when I first emerged too." The young gem turned to its compassionate friend and gazed into its pupil-less, gleaming eyes. The ghostly, pale spheres glimmered with an alluring light which gripped the newly formed alien's interest. She looked deep into the two mirror-like eyes, and was surprised to find another gem staring back. The image was nearly identical to the kind stranger, save its gentle expression. The young gem squinted and leaned towards the reflection; its curiosity turned to surprise as the image followed suit. The youngling stumbled back once more, leaning on the gentle gem's shoulder to keep its balance.
"I look like you," the young alien commented with surprise. The kind gem smiled.
"And I look like you," it answered. The newborn alien thought for a moment.
"Am I you?" the youngling asked.
"You're you," the benevolent gem responded with a lighthearted laugh.
"But who am I?" the newborn gem questioned, its nervousness all but forgotten.
"That is for you to decide," its companion replied. "Come meet the others." The kind stranger gestured to a group of similar gems, who were sitting in a circle a short distance away. The young alien nodded, and the duo slowly made their way to the gathering.
A short while later…
"So you've been waiting here for a while?" the newly formed gem asked quietly as it sat in the welcoming group.
"Not too long," one gem replied. "We just started emerging a short while back. Our group has been steadily growing larger."
"We don't know why we're here or what created us," added another gem, "but we haven't encountered anyone besides each other."
"So what are we supposed to do?" the young gem asked the cordial group. The gems turned and whispered among one another before one spoke up.
"We have no idea. We've just been waiting here until someone comes for us."
The young gem frowned, dissatisfied with the lack of information. It stood impatiently and stretched, examining its bleak surroundings. Its attention settled on a crystal platform a short distance from the group.
"What's that?" the young alien queried. The question drew blank stares from the crowd, which in turn elicited a frustrated sigh from the newly formed gem.
"We don't know that either, huh?" it commented. "Why don't we know anything? I'm really tired of all this…not knowing!" The irritated alien stomped over to the pad. "When is someone going to tell us why we're here?"
Without warning, a beam of light shot up from the pad. Startled, the young gem stumbled backwards and fell to the ground. It watched as several dark shapes formed in the warp stream. Suddenly the luminous pillar faded, leaving several unexpected visitors standing on the platform. One of them, a short green gem, stepped off the pad and summoned a holographic screen.
"Alright," the green visitor said to the group of massive, imposing gems flanking her. "It appears that all of them have emerged. Let's finish this quickly so I can file my report and attend to my next assignment."
"Hey!" the newborn gem yelled as it got to its feet. "Who are you? Do you know what's going on? Why are we here? Why are you here?" The green gem looked at the confounded young gem before absent-mindedly returning her attention to her holographic log.
"I am Peridot. And you are…experiments," the small technician explained. She turned and nodded to her formidable entourage, who stepped off the warp pad and walked over to the group of confused gems. The youngling turned back to the peridot, who was busy entering incomprehensible data into her digital record.
"You still haven't told me what you're doing here! Or what's going on!" the fledgling alien stated impatiently. "You're the first other…"
The small gem's rant was interrupted by a pained scream. She turned around just in time to watch one of Peridot's guards crush a hapless gem who had been sitting in the group. The massive gem summoned a cudgel and swung it in a wide arc, crushing two more innocent gems without a second thought. The young gem watched, paralyzed by fear, as the indomitable warriors set upon her companions. The horrified alien turned to the peridot, who was disinterestedly watching the carnage.
"Stop!" the terrified gem cried yelled. "Why are you doing this?
"As I said, you were experiments," the peridot explained. "Failed experiments. The Diamond Authority decided that your gems would be of more use elsewhere." The young gem opened its mouth to respond, but was cut off by another scream from a panicked member of the group. Without thinking, the young gem turned and rushed to its assailed friends. As it ran towards the other gems, a surge of power coursed through it. Suddenly, an orb of light appeared in the panicked alien's hand. The glow faded as rapidly as it had appeared, replaced by a small dagger. The newly formed gem examined the foreign object for a moment and immediately discerned its purpose. It surveyed the brutal scene, searching for an ideal target. Choosing a nearby quartz, who was preoccupied with crushing a hapless gem, the fledgling gem jumped and swung downward, planting the knife in the villain's neck. The hulking killer let out a cry of pain and shock before disappearing into a formless cloud. The young alien regained her balance and whirled around, reveling in the small victory.
Her moment of triumph did not last long, however. Before the youngling could react, another massive gem tackled it, slamming it to the ground.
"Drop your pathetic weapon, whelp," the vile assailant spat. The newly formed alien complied, allowing the dagger to clatter to the ground and disappear. The young gem was yanked to its feet and marched to the peridot, who was still busy with her screen. The green gem looked down at the defiant youngling.
"Why is this one still alive?" the impassive technician asked.
"It attacked us," the hulking gem explained. "I wanted to report before I shatter it."
"Sure," the peridot responded uninterestedly. Before the technician could utter another word, her display began to flash. She tapped the screen, and a gem's face appeared.
"My diamond," the peridot began, "I was just finishing…"
"Yes, I am well aware of your assignment," the gem overlord interrupted. "You're behind schedule…again."
"I apologize, my diamond," the technician stuttered. "One of the experiments attacked us. We destroyed the rest of them. Once we shatter this one, we can gather the shards and…"
"The defiant one is the last one left?" the gem ruler inquired.
"Yes," the peridot responded. "We'll shatter it and…"
"No," the tyrant interrupted. "Bring it to me."
A word from the author:
Hello,
This is a story I wrote a while back but never got around to posting. I hope you enjoy! And don't forget to comment, follow, and favorite!
-Lotus