He steeled himself before he entered the room. It was always difficult for him to walk in with a neutral expression.
“Hello there, Steven.” Pink smiled at her routine visitor. “Is it that time of day already?”

A heavy sigh left his lips. “Yeah. How are you holding up here?” He sat down in front of the giant woman. Although he held back his emotions, Pink could sense that he was in turmoil.

“I’m fine, but I’m more concern about you, darling. You seem more despondent.”

“I’m fine. I’m just worn out from… things.”

“Oh. So, we are going to do today?”

With a heavy sigh, the pink cloud began into thin into a deep white fog, surrounding the two being. The room was so encased there was hardly any ray of light able to penetrate the haze. Steven concentrated intensively as his diamond glowed brightly, bathing the heavy mist into a vivid pink light. Pink was in awe as she starred at the hybrid across from her. She felt the aura emanating from him, oddly warming her. Pink noticed a rhythmic sensation stemming from herself and saw that her own gemstone was pulsating with a fainter shine.

The fog suddenly swirled around the duo, powerful winds blowing against that sea of pink-washed vapor. Their hair followed the air streaming about, spooking Pink in a small degree.

“Steven, what’s going on?”

Steven, still focused on the task at hand, as if the world around them didn’t exist. With his eyelids becoming more relaxed, he finally spoke. “Tell me, Pink…” The clouds rolled away, leaving them sitting in an open field. The Sun shined through crystal clear skies, as birds sung songs through the windless Jetstream above. Pink rubbed her hands over the ground, and slowly, flowers bloomed trailing her delicate fingers. She admired the pink petal of the roses that follow her digits mindlessly over the Earth. “…what if I told you that this what the world was like outside this room? Things constantly growing, maturing and developing.” The diamond bathe in the warm air, admiring to landscape that had been created. “This world greatest quality is that is one of few that can support life, especially at this magnitude.” Steven took at glance at his mother. She seems like a baby in a sandbox for the first time. Petting a dove that landed on her shoulder, it was obvious that Pink began to lose focus on what he was saying. He could tell that she was completely lost on what he was saying. A tear fell from his eye, and, with a heavy sigh, he continued. “At a time, this world was yours.”

“Really?” She said in disbelief.

“Yes, and this is merely a fraction of what it could hold. There are millions of other things see. Even place undiscovered, thousands of secrets this place holds. They too belonged to you.”

Pink tried to process this information. Thousands upon thousands of wonders laid beyond the door to this room, and she had ownership over all it. “Then why am I here, Steven?”

Steven’s eyes closed once more. “What do you know…” Instantaneously, the room turned black, only for an eclipsed sun to appear in the sky, casting a dim light over them, relieving the once lush field was now reduced a scorched, barren wasteland. Weapons of many variety plunged into the Earth’s crust, and scattered gemstones without shine nor luster, some even cracked or shattered, littered to ground. Fires of an endless spectrum burned away what remained of the meadow. Ravens flew erratically, cawing an ear-piercing melody. A very frighten Pink Diamond looked in an unblinking horror at the demise. “…War?” He said in an empty tone.

“War?!”

Silhouettes began to fight into background, shouting and the sounds of warriors clashing crashed throughout the room. Some were like modern day Goliaths, smashing through their enemies’ defenses with almost relative ease. Others weren’t as built but commanded the elementals themselves to cause destruction equal to, if not greater than, the golems. Ships bombed and decimated fortress and left craters in their wake. The planet was upheaved under the pressure of the on slot. The most horrifying thing about the whole ordeal is the area completely devoid of life. “War is what happens when communication fails.”

“I-I don’t understand.”

“It all began with you.” He paused giving her time to digest this but didn’t give her time to retort. “This was a war where eras clashed, over fate of the planet you grew to love. You willingly denounced your own kind to protect this precious world. However, you were willing to sacrifice many sheep to the slaughter. Rams to the altar. You threw many to the wolfs.” A blue figure flew from behind him, wings of water frantically flapping to the heavens. Her teardrop gemstone glowed, leaving a trail of neon blue in the dark. “Even angels fell to this war.” Teal chains rose from a liquid Earth and latched themselves to her, slowly dragging her back down to the ground. The struggling only made more tragic as she was overtaken by the ground. A giant tiger of orange light pounced from behind Steven, tackling Pink and pinning her to the barren ground. But rather than rip at her, it focused on her feature. Slowly, molten tears welt up in its eyes. “Loyalty no longer held any meaning. Many came out with heavy wounds to their pride.” Pink looked closer, discovered the gem in place of its nose was crack, as well as its paws was slashed. Before she could help, it roared, shaking the world around it before leaping behind Steven disappearing. A princess cloaked in white stood at the edge of battlefield. She raised a dagger to sky and gave battle cry worthy of a warlord. “Pure hearts were no match to weight of a blade.” With one swift motion, she plunged the knife through her porcelain crown. Blue blood trailed down her face, yet she seemed unfazed by her injury. Suddenly, she appeared front Pink, who was unable to look away. The maiden stood silently for a moment before reaching out to her. The large woman cautiously mirrored her.

“Does this satisfy you, my love?”

Before Pink was able to reach her, she fell dead on the floor, her eyes never leaving her subject. “In the end, what are we left with? An angel, who was casted out in the sea of depression. A courageous beast, who was too prideful to let her wounds be her undoing. A fragile being, who would end up sacrificing herself to please to one she loved. These aren’t half the tragedies you have caused, but I felt these were the most effective.”

“I- I didn’t know…”

“THAT’S NOT AN EXCUSE FOR MASS GENOCIDE!!!”

Pink was on verge of tears. She didn’t know what to say, what to do. She was responsible for a war the destroyed millions of lives, all for her own gain. “I’m... sorry…” It was all she could muster.

“It takes more than words, Pink. You must understand the weight of the decisions you made are still in affect to this day. And until you can truly see that, I can’t let you out of this room.”

With that, the room return to normal, nothing from the paradise lost remained. Pink cradled the young man in her embrace. He remained stiff, resisting the urge to reciprocate. After a few moments, he took his leave.

Pearl was waiting for him at the door. “How do you feel?”

“I don’t know?”

She gathered him in her arms. “It’s okay to cry, Steven.” She placed a motherly kiss on his forehead.

He tried so hard to prove her wrong.

Pearl laid in the bed, awake as he slept. Steven’s breathing was slow and silent. Pearl looked at him, and silently apologized for the weight he held on his shoulders. Maybe in a different life, things wouldn’t be like this. Perhaps there was something she could do. But for now, it was probably best she left him for the evening. She sat up on the bed and headed to her room.

“Pearl… don’t leave.” He said. There wasn’t a hint of sleep in his voice.

Pearl, with sad grin, return to his side. “Certainly Steven.” She returns to her spot and laid herself against his frame. Steven didn’t mind in the slightest. He found himself watching her slowly drift away. Her gem began to glow, and through her projection, he watched her friend at play in her mind. He stroked her hair, and suddenly she was dreaming of him. Through her, they danced and sang songs. It was probably the biggest smile he had seen on her face in a while. He kissed her on her gem before he cuddled up to her.

“Sweet dreams, my best friend.”