Incubus
Author's Note: I decided to do another fic regarding nightmares and White Diamond. Since I've been having a lot of nightmares lately, I was inspired to write more. This kinda takes place after Steven returns from Homeworld from The Trial. It's a sequel to "Nightmare's and Dreamscapes" and an AU. The "Bloodborne Soundtrack OST - The Witch of Hemwick" inspired some eerie scenes.
"You learned to run from what you feel, and that's why you have nightmares. To deny is to invite madness. To accept is to control."
― Megan Chance, The Spiritualist
"Nightmares exist outside of logic, and there's little fun to be had in explanations; they're antithetical to the poetry of fear."
― Stephen King
By: VampireQueenAkasha
~O~
The gems had refused to leave his side.
Steven didn't blame them, really; they were now more protective of him than ever since he'd left to turn himself in to Homeworld. He hadn't told them about what he'd seen in his dream regarding White Diamond. That was probably best to leave alone for the time being. At least until things returned to normal.
Now, he simply laid on the couch with a blanket around him, staring at the black Robonoid that Peridot tinkered around with. The others watched her in silence, perhaps cautious by the sight of the thing. Peridot had said nothing, which was a concerning factor in itself. Peridot always talked and had something to say about anything, but now, she looked entirely too somber and contemplative.
Finally, she furrowed her brow and sighed, setting a screwdriver down. The others stared at her and Peridot gave them a brief glance before she studied the Robonoid. For all she knew, it wasn't like the ones she'd handled and made.
"Well, this is an interesting Robonoid," she told them. "I've never seen one like it. Must belong to a gem from another court."
"What court?" Pearl asked, frowning with concern.
"I don't know. If I could take it apart a little more, I might be able to discern its origins from within," Peridot replied.
"Be careful, Peridot." Steven warned.
They watched her carefully, and Peridot picked up the screwdriver again. She attempted to pry open a piece of metal on the Robonoid, but a sudden charge of electricity surged through her from the machine, sending her flying through the air with a pained screech.
She hit the wall harshly and fell to the floor with a groan of pain. The others quickly rose and made their way to her.
"Peridot!" Steven exclaimed, kneeling beside her and helping her stand. "Are you okay?"
"Ugh..." Peridot groaned, holding her head. She swayed a little and blinked, dazed. "What... What was that?"
"I don't know, but we should put it away," Garnet said.
She moved to gather the Robonoid into her hands, but Peridot quickly stood up, rushing to take the machine in her hands.
"Wait!" she insisted. She looked up at Garnet anxiously. "This thing came through Lion's mane! This is our chance to uncover the reasoning behind its presence and even more, why it was determined to get to Steven!"
Steven remembered that well; when Lars had insisted he return to Earth, a black Robonoid had appeared after the others had been destroyed. But this one hadn't been interested in shattering them. It had only been interested in following Steven.
The Off Colors had tried to grab it before Steven dove through Lion's mane, but they'd failed in their efforts.
[Three Hours Earlier...]
Steven jumped through Lion's mane, struggling to fend off the black Robonoid as it passed through the dimension with him. When he was thrown back into the house, struggling with the machine, Garnet had been already upon him.
She punched it swiftly, sending it scattering across the floor in a shower of sparks. Pearl made her way to Steven and the others joined in. Tears of amazement and joy were shed from them and Steven was just happy to find himself in their arms.
"Garnet..." he mumbled, tearfully. "I couldn't bring him back."
"Who?" Garnet asked.
"Lars. He's still there!"
Garnet sighed gently, comforting him in her embrace. "It's alright, Steven. We'll come up with something. I promise."
The Robonoid laid on the kitchen counter than night. Peridot had fallen asleep nearby with a screwdriver in hand and several tools scattered around her. Pearl was asleep nearby on the couch. Garnet had been resting in a chair. Amethyst was on the floor buried beneath several pillows.
Steven was the only one not asleep.
He couldn't stop thinking about White Diamond. What he'd seen and heard from her still lingered in his mind. The others didn't know and he didn't want to worry them any more than he already had. Connie had been upset with him for leaving without her.
Steven didn't understand that. He was home now, so it was fine. Right?
He sighed quietly. He was so tired. He had to sleep.
He shut his eyes and tried to calm himself.
White Diamond's chuckle filled his head.
O
While everyone slept that night, the house was quiet. The Robonoid at the counter was still, but a small red light suddenly brightened on the tip of it. Peridot stirred in her sleep, giving a distressted murmur. She shifted a little, twitching her hands and mumbling.
She began to dream; finding herself standing in Yellow Diamond's great halls. It was quite a sight, if not for the eerie emptiness inside. Once upon a time, she'd visited this magnificent place only once to deliver reports to her Diamond.
"Hello?" Peridot called, looking around. "Hello!"
Alongside her were several gems that suddenly appeared, heads lowered. Peridot blinked, surprised by the sight of them. They seemed to resemble screens that had been put on pause; their faces were deadened almost.
Peridot murmured thoughtfully, waving her hand in front of their faces, noting no reaction. She tilted her head.
"That's weird." she remarked.
"Peridot..."
The gem looked up, giving a startled cry at the sight of Yellow Diamond sitting at her throne. She looked different from her usual grace and perfection. Her hair was wild and unkept, eyes wide and frightening. She had long, sharp nails that scraped the arm rests of her throne. The hems of her uniform were frayed.
Peridot was frightened. Not at all awestruck to be in her presence as she'd once been. "M-My Diamond." she stammered.
Scrape...scrape...
The nail continued to scratch the throne. It was an agonizing sound, loud in the grand chamber of her hall.
Peridot whimpered and she managed a small giggle, to try and distract herself from the overwhelming dread. "I-I know this looks bad, but I was acting crazy!" she stammered, "I see that now!"
No response. Just an eerie, constant stare. Peridot shuddered under her scrutiny and saluted her, almost forgetting herself.
"I...I just had so much fun." Peridot continued with a helpless smile, withering. "I mean, they're not so bad when you get to know them!"
Yellow Diamond chuckled now, but the noise was by no means friendly. When she spoke, her voice was different. It came from someone she didn't know or recognize.
"Of course you did. We all crave a change to the mundane. The constant." she rumbled, "I don't blame you. What else is to be expected from a genetically inferior specimen?"
Peridot crumbled at the harshness of the words.
"You stand before me in such a state!" she hissed, with a curt wave of her hand. "Where are your limb enhancers? Why do you stand before me like that?"
Peridot looked down and gave a cry, stunned to find her limb enhancers on her form once again. They felt different now; colder and wrong. She grunted as she tried to pluck one of the robotic arms from her.
"No! No, I don't want them on!" she cried.
Yellow Diamond watched her struggle, her grin wide and amused. Something was wrong with her. Peridot tried to pry off the false legs, but they were stuck to her body.
"You can pretend to be one of them, but you will always be half of what you truly are," Yellow Diamond crooned, her voice strangely soft, almost soothing.
It didn't belong to her.
When Peridot looked up again, Yellow Diamond's eyes were white.
O
Outside of the dream, Peridot had fallen from her seat at the counter, whimpering and squirming in fright, lost in the throes of her nightmare. The tiny red light on the Robonoid continued to glow bright.
Pearl began to stir on the couch, gasping softly with fright. She turned and rolled a little on the couch.
In her dream, she was standing in her room, meditating on one of the many waterfalls; she was sitting, her legs crossed and her eyes closed. The room itself was darkened, leaving her alone. Behind her, a shimmering set of silver scales shifted and a soft hissing sound filled the air.
"Pearl... What are you doing, Pearl?"
"Meditating." Pearl replied, as if it were of no consequence.
More scales. A thin, serpent-like body began to circle around Pearl. It spoke in a familiar, almost soothing voice.
"You should rest. It's getting late, Pearl."
"No," Pearl said, firmly. She opened her eyes, refusing to look at the thing that watched her from the shadows; with white eyes and diamond-shaped irises. "I'm not going to rest. I can't rest even for a minute."
"Of course you can. Rest, Renegade Pearl."
Pearl felt a plunging sensation and she looked down in shock as the waterfall below her began to vanish into darkness. She fell soon afterwards with a scream, moments as the pair of white eyes stared back at her. The calm, contented voice was suddenly filled with malice.
"REST LIKE YOUR PRECIOUS ROSE QUARTZ!" the voice snarled.
Pearl screamed as she fell.
And fell.
When she finally stopped, she had landed in the middle of the gem battlefield, directly on top of a bed of withered roses. Pearl looked down and gave a startled cry before jumping to her feet, running through the battle and avoiding blasts from cannons.
The roar of battle, the sounds of death around her began to transform into sinister laughter. Pearl looked over the horizon, spotting a shadowy form with white eyes. She gave a cry of fright and sprinted back the way she'd come. It laughed cruelly and gave chase, crawling on all fours.
Panting, Pearl struggled to avoid everything around her and flee the terrible shape behind her. Overhead, the moon was pale white, watching her like an eye.
Maybe it actually WAS an eye.
Pearl fled until she spotted the sight of a door. Confused, she stopped in front of it, noticing that it was much like the door at the Temple. She glanced over her shoulder briefly; the shadowy thing wasn't far behind, so she simply stepped through the door and it closed behind her.
Now, she was standing in the middle of a great, expansive white court of Homeworld. Several gems were standing around her, in the middle of conversation. Pearl was shocked to see that these gems were actually pearls like herself.
Pearl frowned, confused as she looked around.
Then, the pearls gave frightened cries and looked up at the sight of White Diamond; she was standing over them like a cruel, towering specter. Elegant, deadly in every way that a diamond was; dressed in the finest robes, spiked hair flowing like that of a white crown upon her head.
The other pearls had begun crumbling to their knees, lowering their faces to the floors before White Diamond. Pearl, however, did not. They whimpered with fear, shuddering with everything that they were.
"Kneel before me, Renegade Pearl." White commanded, with a thin, cold smile.
Pearl shook her head, forcing resolve in her voice. "I won't! I'll NEVER kneel again!"
White Diamond seemed more amused at first by this proclaimation. But when it seemed that Pearl would truly not kneel before her, that smile slowly slid from her face and she advanced, menace in her steps this time.
"I said...KNEEL!"
The frightening, piercing shout echoed through the chamber and it brought forth whimpers of terror from the pearls around her. Pearl bit her lip, struggled to resist before she fell to one knee. And then, eventually, the other.
White Diamond relaxed, smiled calmly once again and even chuckled. "Good. Isn't this much easier for you? This is your natural state. This is what you were made to do. Your sole purpose exists in subservience. Regardless of the little battles you wage in the name of freedom...in the end, this is where you will always be."
Tears poured down Pearl's cheeks. She clutched her fists, wanting with all her might to rise and face against the nightmare weighing her down.
Too weak.
You're too weak.
O
Amethyst mumbled under her breath, squirming in her sleep. Her brow knotted and she caught the attention of Lion, who came over and tried to nudge her with his nose. It did nothing to awaken her.
In her dream, she saw herself standing in the vast Prime Kindergarten. There were various Quartz's walking around and talking, but they didn't seem to see her at all. They were sharing whispers with one another and it gave Amethyst a chilling feeling.
"Hey." she said, looking up at an amethyst talking with a jasper. "Hey, what's going on?"
No acknowledgement from the Quartz, but her eyes were white, which Amethyst found weird. Still, she continued through the Kindergarten and spotted a statue. Interested, she made her way toward it and found herself facing an image of Pink Diamond.
Amethyst blinked, unsettled by the sight of it. For some reason, it gave her an unpleasant feeling. She didn't know why, as she'd never met Pink Diamond before.
A whisper behind her and she looked over her shoulder.
"Huh." Amethyst murmured.
When she looked back at the statue, her eyes widened.
The statue was now looking directly at her, head turned in an unnatural way. The grin on the statue was frightening as well; Amethyst backed away with an uncomfortable sound.
Then, the eyes and mouth began to leak with black tar, trickling down the statue in sticky rivers. The eyes began to glow white. Amethyst backed away with several frightened sounds as the statue continued...watching her.
A soft, contented chuckle filled the air; it was ethereal, ghostly and seemed to surround Amethyst from all sides. She looked around warily, struggling to find the source.
"Pitiful flawed thing. Why, oh why didn't they shatter you?"
Amethyst looked up sharply at the sight of the Quartz shadows as they suddenly stared down at her, eyes glowing white. They had diamond-shaped irises and they grinned together, watching Amethyst with a collection of cruel smiles.
"No..." Amethyst moaned, backing away.
"Look at you." the voice sneered, with contempt, "Misbegotten thing. Shattering you would be an act of mercy."
Amethyst readied her whip and gave it a loud crack at her side. She faced the Quartz shadows and raised her chin defiantly.
"Bring it on!" she shouted.
She snapped her whip at the Quartz shadows. All the while it happened, the eerie voice continued to laugh; as if her actions did nothing. More Quartz's were pouring from the exit holes to join the fight. Amethyst continued to destroy them, but paused once, exhaustion touching her face.
"Fight... Fight... Fight..." the voice chanted, in a bizarre falsetto of mockery.
Amethyst groaned with anguish. There were so many...
O
While Steven was dreaming, he found himself in a cloudy realm reminiscent of his mother's room. But there was something different about it. In the distance, he could see pieces of earth floating around with gems and people he'd known his entire life. They were talking, but he couldn't hear what they were saying.
In front of him, Rose Quartz was standing; her back was to him and a gentle breeze was billowing her great curls of pink hair.
Steven felt compelled to go to her. Somehow, his dream brought him forward; he walked slowly, carefully. There was a warmth in the air around him, but a broken note echoed in the back of his mind. A warning about the approach.
"Mom?" he said, hesitantly.
Rose didn't turn around, so Steven continued moving forward until he was close enough to reach out and touch her arm.
As soon as he did, she turned and Steven gave a startled cry.
Rose had no face. It was nothing more than a blank pink canvas.
Steven backed away, frightened. Rose started advancing toward him and he produced his shield, tossing it at her with a shout.
"No! Stay BACK!" he cried.
It struck Rose across her midsection, sending her falling backwards in an almost painful manner. Steven winced sharply, watching as Rose fell flat on her back.
Then, he stared down at his shield and his eyes widened in horror. Why had he done that? What made him attack her that way?
"Steven..."
He looked up toward Rose, who suddenly stiffened. She sat straight up, rising to her feet before stalking toward Steven again. He yelped in fright and backed away, moments as Rose's body began to contort. Her arms lengthened. Her legs followed and were replaced with black, high-heeled boots. Her head stretched and white hair began to sprout from her head.
Steven could only stare, mouth agape as Rose stretched taller. And taller.
Then, her head was replaced with White Diamond's and the being cackled wickedly. Steven cried out in fright and rolled out of the way to avoid the black claw-like nails that came crashing down upon him. Steven turned and ran.
White Diamond pursued him, laughing.
Steven continued to run until he spotted a door marked with a broken Diamond Authority logo. He quickly opened it and dove through, moments as White Diamond's hand swooped in to grab him. He stumbled through a dark room before finally hitting his back against a counter.
Steven groaned, blinked and looked around, surprised to find himself in The Big Donut. The windows were covered in ice. Frowning, he approached and peered through them as much as he could. He didn't see White Diamond anywhere.
"What's going on?" he wondered, frightened. "Am I in her head again? How can I be in her head if I'm not on Homeworld anymore?" Then, he groaned and covered his face with two hands. "What if I never left and I'm still dreaming?"
A gentle chuckle filled the air and Steven looked up where the door was that he'd fallen through. It levitated on the ceiling of The Big Donut and he couldn't see anything anymore from it. Unnerved, he made his way to the door of the store and pushed it open.
Bits of ice fell away and he found himself on the street of Beach City. It was night and the stars shone brightly overhead. He saw no sign of White Diamond or anyone else.
Slowly, he started forward.
O
"Hello?" Steven called. "Hey, White Diamond!"
He didn't see her, but heard the sound of her chuckle from afar, as if she took great amusement in the entire game.
"You don't have to hide from me."
Steven tried to make an effort to ignore her. He was going to find answers, the same as before. And if this was still a dream, he couldn't be hurt in it. White Diamond was just trying to scare him. Sure, it was working, but he had to fight it.
He walked until he noticed several people from Beach City. They were standing perfectly still, faces blank and devoid of emotion. Steven approached Sadie, who was in the middle of carrying a box of donuts. He waved a hand in front of her face.
"Sadie?" he said.
He saw Lars appear in a swirl of black smoke, in mid-walk nearby. Steven's features filled with anguish and he was reminded of his friend lost on Homeworld. He approached the image and reached out, but a chuckle from White Diamond froze him. He looked up, horrified to see the diamond looming over him from the shadows.
"No! Leave me alone!" he shouted, throwing his shield at her.
It struck White Diamond in the face. She recoiled with a pained grunt, holding her left eye with one hand. Steven looked stunned to see that it had harmed her; he hadn't expected it to actually hurt. Her eye was shadowed in pain and she grimaced.
Then, she looked down at Steven and her mouth stretched up into an eerie, almost skeletal grin. She lowered her arm and leaned forward slightly, still grinning.
"You cannot harm me, child. I am not some common gem you cast away." she crooned.
Steven whimpered with fright. White Diamond took one step forward, the sound of her heel hitting concrete echoing loudly in the air. She walked forward stiffly, like a toy soldier. Steven continued backing away from her, forcing resolve in his voice.
"What can be gained from your actions? What drives you to protect the dead?" White crooned, gesturing to the images of familiar faces and friends. "You are the warrior of a weak and dying Rebellion - a Rebellion that is the true evil."
She raised one foot and crushed it down upon an image of Mayor Dewey, dispelling him into dust. Steven gave a yelp, his hands going over his mouth. His eyes brimmed at the sight as White Diamond began to crush each and every image.
Another contented chuckle. "Oh, I know. It's quite unbearable, isn't it? The suffering of strangers and friends. Is what drives you your need to protect those who would hate you if they knew what you truly were?"
Steven struggled to calm himself; he shook his head rapidly and White continued to watch with a wicked grin.
"No?" she crooned. "Is it not the will of humankind to condemn that which they fear? To hunt it relentlessly until it is destroyed?"
Steven looked surprised now. "Fear?"
He was reminded of how the Diamonds often shattered gems who fused, how they destroyed corrupted ones...and the Off-Colors. He remembered all of it.
"I think YOU'RE the one who's afraid!" Steven suddenly shouted.
White blinked once. Twice. Her eyes widened at the accusation and she took another menacing step forward.
"What?" she asked, her voice strangely even now.
Steven swallowed thickly. "Yeah! You heard me!"
"I fear nothing, misbegotten thing," she whispered, her voice suddenly shrill.
"Yeah, I think you do!" Steven challenged. "None of this is real! This is just a dream! You can't do anything to me here!"
White tilted her head, voice still unnaturally high. "I can't do anything to you? Arrogant gnat!" she hissed, raising one hand. In her palm, a dangerous, gleaming-white scythe materialized from thin air. "Such vanity! Such pride! I cannot physically harm you, but there are so many other ways to destroy a gem. I could rip your mind in half and leave you a ruined husk!"
Steven turned and ran, mere seconds as the scythe came down upon him. It split the ground in two and he narrowly avoided falling through the crevice in the ground. White Diamond loomed over him with a frightening, high shriek.
Steven rolled out of the way and rushed down the street toward the Temple. White Diamond was in pursuit; a white specter gliding through the air. When Steven rushed inside and slammed the door behind him, he hid behind the counter and looked over it with a yelp. White's eye peered through the window; a diamond-shaped iris swimming in a sea of white.
Steven cried out, nearly falling over when he felt the ground beneath him shake violently. Outside, White Diamond was now a gargantuan being, seizing the house and yanking it free from the Temple's hands. She chuckled, watching the boy inside struggle to maintain his balance.
"This world and everything in it will suffer. And you will have the chance to watch it all fall because of your choices."
O
Connie was knocking on the door of the Temple that morning. She furrowed her brow and waited for someone to answer, but no one did.
"Steven?" she called. "Hey, are you in there?"
She pressed her ear to the window and could make out the sounds of whimpers. Immediately, Connie drew back her leg and kicked the door open, stunned to find the gems and Steven struggling against their nightmares.
At the center was the Black Robonoid, pulsing with light and life.
She drew out the sword behind her and charged for the machine with a yell. Bringing the blade down on the machine, it shattered to splinters. Sparks flew through the air and Connie continued smashing it over and over. Just to be sure.
Connie made her way to Peridot first, shaking the gem. "Peridot! Peridot, wake up!"
Peridot groaned and after a few moments, her eyes fluttered open. She looked around frantically, struggling to regain her senses as Connie moved to wake the others. Peridot looked down at the remains of the Black Robonoid and frowned.
"Steven!" Connie cried, shaking him awake. "Steven, are you okay?"
Steven shuddered, rubbing his head. "I think so."
"Of course..." Peridot murmured, holding a small metal device in her hand, "A device used to influence dreams."
Pearl blinked, staring at her in confusion. "Wait, what do you mean?"
Peridot turned to them, holding an odd, diamond-shaped piece of metal in her hands. "I've heard of this kind of technology, but I've never seen it before firsthand. It's - "
"White Diamond." Steven interrupted. He glanced at the confused looks from the others. "I saw her. White Diamond. She was in my dreams and I connected with her mind on Homeworld."
"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" Garnet asked him.
"I didn't want to scare anyone," Steven argued.
Peridot blinked, stunned. "Wait, White Diamond?"
"Yeah. Have you seen her before?" Steven looked at her now.
"No one has." Peridot shrugged her shoulders. "She's not what you might call the most social of the Diamonds. Maybe Era-1 gems may have had a chance to talk with her, but almost all of those in her court don't."
Pearl's hands went to her mouth and she couldn't speak. Her eyes were wide.
"She knows about Steven." Peridot told them, gravely. "Otherwise, she wouldn't have sent this Robonoid after him. She knows about the gems still here on Earth. This isn't over."
Amethyst glanced at the others before looking at Peridot. "So...what do we do now?"
For once, Peridot had no answer.
"I don't know." she said.
Meanwhile, back on Homeworld, a pearl made her way into the darkened chamber, clutching a holographic tablet in hands. She lowered her head.
"My Diamond..." she said, in a soft, melodic voice, "We have received a report of a stolen Sun Incinerator, taken by renegade gems and one...Lars."
White Diamond didn't respond.
"How would you like us to respond?" the pearl asked, lowering her eyes.
White Diamond calmly waved one hand in the air and the pearl nodded. "As you command, My Diamond."
She made her way out of the chamber and White Diamond regarded several screens laid out in front of her; some of them were scenes of gems going about their daily routine on Homeworld. Another was of the inside of a cockpit inside the Sun Incinerator, where Lars and the Off-Color gems were.
She smiled.