Greg encounters one of his biggest horrors.
Being a father wasn't easy.
Greg respected peoples choices they made for themselves, but on the occasion, they did require some kind of intervention. That's how he took it to raising Steven, after being with Rose and having to be the balance of human expectations verses a gems expectations and sussing out the issues between the two. Matters of life, death and love had been discussed in exchange of each species knowledge of the cosmos. He wouldn't have started out that way with Steven on that count, but rather, utilizing skills he'd learned through life to help guide his precious son.
But it did become known to Greg throughout the years that there will be the times he will not know the solution and given Steven's makeup, he'd always fear for something out of the ordinary to occur to him and he would have no clue how to fix it. Luckily for Greg, that didn't come until Steven was older. It hurt him to let go of Steven...But as all things Greg had to suppress, he took it in stride. Besides, he could be there for Steven if absolutely necessary, as being part human would still be as equally important as being part gem.
Though throughout the times, especially recent times, it was easier to see how it could go all wrong very quickly. Steven was much like his mother in his ambitions. Then not realizing the consequence. But he very much wanted to rectify the mistakes he created. For all it was worth, Greg would always love Steven and would be more than happy to share his 'old man' wisdom.
On his own, Greg would carry on with his life as he would need to. The odd thought came here and there as Greg would deal with his emotions on a private occasion, He didn't like to admit he'd cried himself to sleep. But he'd be fine the next day. He understood that it was important to vent once in a while, to release the pent up vibes from the times he's had to lock away the more painful moments in his life. The years could either be cruel or kind to him...in the end, he knew he'd be fine. He's had decades of experience to learn how to manage and no one could take those away from him.
But recently, even with his heart decked as it was from missing Rose, meeting Snow stirred something in him. Something he hadn't felt in a while.
From Connie's introduction to her in the van, to their talk in front of the fire place, to their dance in Rose's old room...it was clear that she'd been, funnily enough, the most human gem he'd ever met. If it weren't for the blatantly obvious signs like the gem on her forehead, he could have mistaken her for an extremely pale human. It was obvious through her wording and expression, that she was more animated in the human condition, than a gem. He could feel comfortable in expressing himself in front of her, despite only knowing her for such a short time. It was like she could be some kind of gem therapist. Goodness knows some of them needed to be talked to in that way.
Thinking back to the dancing, he recalled her gyrating her hips and moving her arms and the rest of body in a way he'd seen in music videos...oh...not this feeling...
Oh Greg...how did you fall into that trap again? He'd thought to himself.
Not unlike the trap he'd found himself, being captured n' all.
He'd awoken inside a dark prison. The roof was quite high above him and the room was built in a hexagonal fashion, with the grey walls and floor with no door in sight. Last thing he remembered was a striking pain on his head.
Although a panel nearby opened as Greg could only glance at it for the moment, until he realized that it was a way out.
Though as he went through it, he only then realized into was going into a large room of dull, only with a mirror inside of it. The panel disappeared. Well that was pointless, only going from a small room to a bigger one. He heard clanks and grinds of machines as he looked up to see a whole bunch of wires and metal appendages from above. Next thing he knew, was that was hovering in the air with his hands behind his back. He saw himself in the mirror. He'd chalk it up to the third most compromising position he'd ever been in,
"Uhhh hello? Anyone there?" He called out, in hope of reaching out to literally anybody.
A square panel up from beneath him and out appeared an unfamiliar red gem.
"Oh...didn't expect someone to come so quickly. That's good prison service!"
The gem ignored him as she combined her detachable fingers together into a screen and used one remaining finger to swipe through numerous images and text.
"I was just camping outside with my faithful companion. We-we weren't doing anything wrong. There were no signs to say this area was out of bounds. Ya might wanna put up some warnings."
"SILENCE!" They roared.
Greg swallowed. Someone was antsy.
"Now...Greg Universe. I am Pyrope Garnet. I don't mean to be rude, in fact I'm here to thank you."
He noticed the red gem on her left shoulder, more so than her words perturbed him. She held a dark air about her that sent strains to his heart.
"Thank me?" He repeated, perplexed by her nature.
She nodded.
"You're the one she procured and utilized for her best creation. Only Pink Diamond could be the one who could make us question all of what we knew and understood about ourselves. The rest of the Diamond Authority were too close minded and sterile in their imaginations. You however, hold a power like none other and yet...your genome is left unchanged. Its staggering to think that someone as weak as you had called out to one of the most powerful gems in existence to help with her work." She continued.
Wow...this gem did her homework. But none of this was of any science experiment Rose and him worked on. He didn't even do well at biology.
"I'm just a man. Nothing more." He told her.
He wondered how much she knew. It was alarming to think that she had been studying him alongside Steven. but she was definitely wrong about...
"Steven is our son, made of a mutual decision based on love. None of this science stuff was considered between us."
The gem laughed. He wouldn't expect a gem like her to understand. Probably had no one care for her like that. No one to teach her.
"Love? Milky Quartz considered that possibility. But I'm not here to talk about the past. I'm here to talk about the future you're going to help create!" She claimed with dark joy.
It was then a hellish growl sounded nearby as the mirror itself sounded like something was hitting it from the other side. It was any wonder it didn't break under the sheer force of what ever it was behind it. He realized where he was. He was in an interrogation room, like those he'd seen in cop shows. But the person on the other side was more of a less a real gun-ho person...or thing.
"Excuse my Master. They've been a bit grouchy since they awakened not long ago."
Her Master? Behind there?
"Does your Master accept criticism?" Greg said, using snark to mask his displeasure.
But he thought deep about her wording. Which she really going to use him...for future Stevens? Greg was content with just the one kid.
Pyrope laughed again. Maybe not. Maybe she'll probe him. Either physically or mentally. Both were nasty, either way.
"Oh my Greg, I can see why she liked you." She said as she wiped a tear.
"Unfortunately progress isn't without pain and sacrifice. My Master needs sustenance."
Greg felt himself shrink. They were going to use him as food? But then he felt a jolt of electricity run through him, forcing him to scream in pain as he was scrambled by it. It ran for a few seconds before it stopped. He breathed in deeply, then gasped as the mirror started to vibrate again alongside the growls and screams that were muffled behind it.
"I think they enjoyed that." Pyrope noted.
Something as horrific as that was the opposite of joy.
"I've studied the limit of how much electric shock a human can take over a period of time. Too little is useless, too much can instantly kill you. Just the right amount of voltage is required for lengthy torments."
He felt it again as he tried so hard not to burst out in pain. His muscles froze involuntarily as he couldn't breath properly. It lasted a little longer this time.
The mirror shook once more and the screams were louder than before. The room this joined in on the chaos. But this...this thing did not seem to like him being hurt like this. Those were screams of anguish. Greg felt tears on his cheeks. He almost...felt sorry for it. He looked at his reflection, which looked worse for wear. He didn't care about that. The more he stared at himself, he could hear whispers in his mind. Images of his times with Rose flashed right by him in microsecond instances, as well as memories with Steven. He closed his eyes, trying to shut the images out. He knew Pyrope was doing this on purpose as well as her Master. Snow talked about the Lillim's ability to torment others. This was what she had been talking about. She'd warned them...and no one took it seriously.
A more more shocks and the same moments occurred over and over again. There was only so much Greg could take. Until new, unseen visions floated in his mind. Reality ceased as he found himself in a dark void again. He'd fallen to the floor and looked around, seeing stars everywhere. It was like he was in space and once he could see the whitish dirt, then looked at the Earth nearby, that he realized he was on the moon.
"HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE HERE!" He heard someone yell. A voice he knew.
"Rose?" Greg murmured. He turned his head multiple times to find the source.
"No he's not." They continued.
The next thing he knew, was that he was surrounded by three individuals. One was Rose, one was Steven and another...a taller, pink Gem with cotton candy hair. They stood around him in a triangle formation, with their eyes closed and their heads down.
"He's only human." Said Steven.
"Human he may be, but he's our Greg." Said Rose.
The other one kept quiet throughout it all. Greg had no idea what was going on anymore and just had to wing it. It was better than being electrocuted, to say the least. Or he was dead. He couldn't tell.
"He doesn't deserve this." Said Steven.
"No he doesn't." Said Rose.
Again, the taller pink one remained silent and still.
"Oh boy, well someone...anyone, can you explain to me whats going on here?" Greg asked, as sincere as he could.
"You can't give in. He can't give in."
He opened his eyes, seeing his reflection in the mirror once more. What was that all about? People just liked to play their games with him. Was...was the other figure Pink Diamond? He'd never even seen her, only a vague description from Steven. His own heartbeat rang in his ears, he then heard someone else coming in the room.
"He's passed out already?" Said the other gem who came into the room. She had hers on her collar and had the figure and voice of a Pearl.
"Unfortunately yes. I've got the other one on standby for the next test." Pyrope replied.
"Did you figure out what happened with the Diamond we had?"
A Diamond? Hmmm...they believed Greg had passed out. He could take this to his advantage to eavesdrop as he closed his eyes.
"Ugh I got ambushed by the Crystal Gems." Said the Pearl.
They weren't far from there and they were still alive, thank goodness.
"They're smarter than you give them credit for."
He heard Pyrope whine.
"The Diamond wasn't with them?" She asked.
What Diamond? Greg wondered. He hoped in way that they weren't talking about Steven...but who else would it be?
"No. How...how did it get out?" The Pearl questioned.
"I'm not sure. After we pulled it out and had its data flash copied, I returned it to the Bubble Room. But somehow it still got out." Pyrope answered.
Now there was a random Diamond running around in the hallways? Surely that couldn't be a Diamond he'd met already.
"It's a Diamond. I'm sure it must have burst out due to its power. Remember the data from the Cluster?" The Pearl put forth.
They knew about that too, it appeared.
"Is it going to be a problem?"
There was another moment of pure silence as Greg tried to put the pieces together. Pulled it out...pulled it out of what?
"Must have been that idiot Jasper. I told her to wait." Pyrope responded with anger.
"She must be the most impatient Quartz I'd ever met. I had her looking for more Thought Markers. I'll have to take it off her hands at some stage. Delta Strut is in lockdown."
She was down here too? It was certainly a party he'd been forced into.
"I think we've spent way too much time with the resolute Snow Quartzes." The Pearl joked.
Greg's heart skipped a beat, as he thought about Snow.
"Speaking of Snow Quartzes, what about the one I told you about, the one who was running around with the Homo Magia?"
There's that term again. Pyrope mentioned it before. More dread piled into his stomach and churned into a near unbearable case of anxiety as he stressed over Steven and Connie's safety.
"I think that could be who've been looking for. The one we need to be extra careful of."
They were after Snow as well. How much more complicated would they to make situation, would be the more appropriate question.
"Why didn't you bring her gem then after you cut the elevator wires earlier?" Pyrope wondered.
These two were casually sadistic. Not the type of people you'd wanna hang with. Or party with.
"I couldn't find it. I was too busy worrying about the-"
Another earthquake and a series of growls and screams. This time, one on a higher magnitude than before. Greg could hear the creaking noises from above, which he feared it could cut him loose to allow him to fall. He wanted to get out, but he'd prefer to get out alive.
"I've got the beast in the other room. He's a lot more resilient than the human." Pyrope mentioned.
Lion. Poor Lion was suffering the same torture.
"Milky's notes about it helped immensely. The restraints weren't the only device I had to reinforce. The muzzle itself was necessary to keep it from roaring. But it's become frantic and immune to any sedative we've given him."
Why..why did they have to do this? To satisfy some unnamed evil overlord? There was so little Greg could do right now. He wasn't going to allow himself to wallow in despair.
"I can run some tests on his organic makeup. He was resurrected by Pink Diamond after all. He could be like the human girl. Exposure to a gems power like that could have him with gemlike attributes and therefore could be vulnerable to infection." The Pearl suggested.
No...
"Hah...you're not just a pretty Pearl." Complimented Pyrope.
"Very well. Do it. Another ally to the party could prove useful."
Greg was left on his own as the pair left him like that and turned the lights off. He tried to struggle against the grip the machine had on him but the shocks left him tired and weak. The only lights in the room right now were LED like dots that were on the machine itself. He looked forward as his mind tried to get a hold of what they had talked about.
His deepest fears were still on Steven and Connie and he did not want to face the Maheswarans wrath if anything bad happened to her. They could look after themselves now, especially with Stevens growing independence. Not that he wasn't before...but what did they want with him? His Diamond?
He didn't want to think about it but he couldn't help it. Signs went towards this Master of theirs wanting their hands on a Diamond. So Steven was their only logical choice. Would Steven be able to negotiate terms with them? Greg held onto that ideal but doubt clouded his mind. It was another magic gem scenario he really should have no part of. He started to cry on the impending realization that they may want to infect Steven and use his power. Steven wouldn't allow them.
Pyrope did say the Diamond ran away however, so it gave Greg a slice of hope he'd been hungry for. He stared at the mirror, suspecting that the monster was hiding behind it still.
Greg oddly didn't fear it as much as he pitied it. What the gems had to gain by torturing him for its sake was beyond anything Greg would be able to grasp.
Whispers filled his mind as it returned to a similar hallucination as before.
"You don't like this...do you..." Greg asked in his calm tone.
No reply, but surely, it had to be listening.
"I don't like it either. I wish I could help you..."
Steven would have a better job with his powers. All Greg had were his words and experiences.
"I don't know who or what you are. But I think...I think, you're someone who doesn't want to hurt anyone. So I don't believe you're evil. Just misguided."
He couldn't believe himself in saying that, but they were words Steven would say that others would find to be youthbound naivety. The room grew colder as the whispers got louder.
"You don't need to do the evil stuff they tell you to do. You're much as a prisoner in here as I am."
I mean, if it reacted to him being in pain, it was at best, an empathetic being...if he could stretch it far enough.
"They react to it better and they definitely have a creepy fascination with torture. Both you and I suffer for their desires. So...no matter how bad it gets, even if it kills me, you need to deny them that satisfaction-"
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Greg winced as the beasts sudden response almost deafened him as it rocked the room again. As Greg opened his eyes, he was back in space again. But this time, the ground he stood on was pure water. The view was beautiful, seeing the sparkling stars and distant, colourful galaxies that generated a feeling a general calmness in what ever magical place he'd found himself in. He looked down to see his reflection, only to see a younger version of himself with a full head of hair. He stumbled backwards as his rapid steps sent ripples all over in pure surprise.
"Greg."
He saw Rose in front of him, with a smile on her face as he looked at her. This couldn't be real. He refused to believe it.
"Rose..." He muttered.
Too scared to move, Rose instead approached him. This was wrong but yet...
"You'll get through this. You and I could not have anticipated this." She told him.
He eventually stood back and rubbed the back of his neck.
"You've always tried to be positive. I asked Steven to take care of the others. But I need you to still look out for him too."
The amount of pent up grief had begun to spill out of him. No not now! He lorded over his emotions with steel hard logic.
"You're not Rose, I know that. You're one of the Lillim aren't you?" He questioned with a scowl on his face.
Rose was offended, as coloured drained from her form until she was completely black and white.
"You're not easily fooled. I tried using this form to comfort you." She said, frowning.
Greg growled. He wouldn't accept such lies. But...this had to be the monster trying to communicate with him. The form glitched repeatedly, like a tv with bad reception, and changed forms between Steven, herself and what he'd gathered was Pink Diamond every few seconds, accompanied by the the static sounds that accompanied them. It disturbed him, but he had to remain steadfast.
"I know...there's not much I can do." They said, as Rose's and Steven's voices overlapped and changed constantly.
"I know there's not much, there's not much, you can do. But please stay here with me until...until the gems arrive."
Greg was curious as to what this thing even was. It was one of the Lillim yet, it held an interesting power. Pyrope and presumably Black Pearl had malicious intentions from the get go. But their Master was more reasonable to deal with. Unusual, given previous circumstances.
"Do you know what's going on around here?" Greg questioned. This was his only chance to get a hold of what nonsense had been surrounding them lately.
Rose nodded. Steven shook his head. Pink Diamond shrugged.
"I don't...I don't know. The Pyrope, the Pearl. They call, they call...this world their salvation, their biggest creation."
There was already evil on the horizon.
"The last memories I had, the last memories we had were...Black Pearl, she, she, she..."
The entity repeated itself in loop and went all wonky and took different shapes with the shadows engrossing it, before it took Steven's form and fell on its knees, digging its fingers into its scalp and looking towards the sky.
"PLEASE STOP DON'T DO IT! NOT AGAIN STOP IT!" It screamed as the world decided to glitch violently along with it. Greg's heart broke as it saw the face of despair with Steven's form and voice. It was clear in its state if distress it had be taking mass amounts of punishment from these two gems alone. He rested his hands on its shoulders which stabilized it, for the moment.
"Woah its okay." He assured it as Greg sat on his legs.
The dimension calmed down, returning to its previous form. He didn't like it taking Steven's form like that as Greg let it go and stood back. Which made him think of the most absurd scenarios. Although to be considered absurd to begin, you'd have to line it up and make it like it was the most bizarre occurrence in this day and age. Goodness knows of all the adventure's he been dragged to be considered normal in comparison.
"Do you have a name?"
An awkward tension rose between them as the entity continued to remain in the Steven form, as it looked up to Greg with pleading eyes that made Greg incredibly uncomfortable.
"They had given me a name. A name I could use. Not that I want to use it." It said.
If it was Steven then by all means please Greg to choose a new one.
"What do you prefer to be called then?" Greg requested as he smiled. He might as well.
It put a finger to its lips and stuck its tongue out. It knew Steven's mannerisms quite well too.
"I don't know. It feels wrong to discard something that has value. But the value..."
It then transformed into Pink Diamond in a quick phase.
"The value strikes fear and terror. It shouldn't. But it will." It said in Rose's voice as it looked to the water on its right.
Couldn't be any worse. A names a name. Don't like it, change it. Greg knew that well.
"Try me." Greg dared. He was scared, but willing.
It turned back into Steven, then it did something weird. Or weirder than it already was.
"I need a form that doesn't exist. A name is important but this individual has a powerful name." It said as it rose a hand which clung on its shirt.
It then warped into someone Greg hadn't seen in a long time, with long hair and a black tshirt with a star in the middle and torn off sleeves, as well as a pair of torn jeans. It was like Greg was looking into a mirror of the past.
"I hope you don't mind." It said in Gregs younger voice.
Greg was speechless. Sure he missed being that age but sheesh. He was weirded out, but he'd take that over Steven, Rose or Pink.
"Uhhhh sure...I mean I can tell the difference between my son and someone who isn't my son but looks like him." Greg replied. Did that even make sense?
The Not Greg blinked twice.
"I mean, I don't think it'd matter what form you'd take. Only the one that feels natural to you. I'm not well versed on Gems in general, but I have been told that staying in something that's not your natural state isn't always good for you. I've seen it happen."
Plenty of times.
It smiled.
"It'll be fine. I...I've never had a shape or form to call my own. I might still try to find the right one. This one will do for now." It said.
That perplexed Greg. Don't gems pop out of the ground, already knowing who they are and what they're supposed to do?
"Does it feel natural?" Greg questioned.
It shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess so. So you still want to know my name?" It said.
Oh yeah.
"Sure." Greg replied.
It nodded. Surely it wasn't going to be that bad...
"Well, they call me Black Diamond."
Oh...