Perhaps the only way in which Pink Diamond could live with herself was in blissful ignorance of how much of a nuisance she was to everyone around her.

When the other Diamonds looked at her, they most often thought of someone else who, at this point, was a well-known cautionary tale throughout the Gem Empire. Stories would go round and round about a Halite, a subordinate involved with colonization who, at first, was only an annoyance in that she overworked the Gems assigned to her in the ever-growing Gem org chart. However, soon enough, she would find herself wanting more and more, and it was only a matter of time before she lost sense of the aforementioned org chart and took it up with her superiors, and from them, the Diamonds with unmeetable demands.

Like a wart on the feet of organic beings, Halite's desire for things would grow out of proportion. After the Diamonds had blocked any and all direct communication with her, she would find increasingly creative ways to contact them, and after the demands were not met, they would return with ever-greater scope and arrogance, up until she demanded to uproot the system outright and instate her as the overseer of all colonies of the Empire. In the end, classing her as an instigator of rebellion, they had no choice but to shatter her.

After this, the power of gossip muddied the story, to the point where the Diamonds, themselves, seemed to forget the exact details. Did Halite accidentally shatter her own subordinates, demand that the Diamonds "repair" them, and then, shatter them again? Did she end up colonizing the wrong planet of the star system and then arrogantly refuse to admit her mistake? Did she or did she not have others who had joined her cause, and did she even have a cause, or did she just demand for the sake of demanding? There was no way to know, and the Diamonds didn't particularly care about an old story.

Yet, no matter how outrageous the stories about Halite got, Pink seemed to be everything she was rumored to be - and worse.

Not in the sense of wanting more and more - Pink only really fixated on the fact that the other Diamonds were colonizing and conquering worlds in the name of the Gem Empire, whereas she, herself, had not received a single colony. Yet, where Pink lacked in raw ego, she more than made up for in... inelegance and silliness.

It would have been nothing if these were either isolated incidents, harmless ones, or both. However, with her own presence and seeking of the mysterious "fun" force, Pink was seriously threatening the integrity of the Gem Empire. The physical destruction that her escapades caused, whether direct or indirect, had to be taken care of in order to maintain the pristine looks of Homeworld and the other planets before any new conquests had been made, and at some point, the Gems in charge of fixing it might just declare it to be enough.

And yet, there wasn't much that the others could do. A grandiose personality change, that would be required to bring Pink in line with the other Diamonds, was pretty much unprecedented, and as one of them, she needed to be there for her court. And besides, they couldn't just shatter her for another reason: if they did that, then they would, by necessity, have to admit that she was fallible, and what applied to her would apply to them, too. The integrity of the Gem Empire depended on the unwavering authority of the Diamonds, and the Gem who challenged that authority wasn't going to be any single one of them.

So, for the time, they beared Pink, knowing that Gem history, written by them and taught around the empire, would vindicate her as the beacon of her own set of virtues, one way or another.

However, in the face of all of this, Pink was not even remotely unfazed. After all, she only saw not getting a colony, at any point in her life, as just a minor hiccup, and otherwise, she basically had the time of her life. Though the others would initially be annoyed when she brought up anything else, over time, she and her closest guardians, Blue and Yellow Diamonds, developed games to play. And though they were thoroughly annoyed by having to turn away from colonization in order to tend to her, in the end, they still appreciated her, right?

And besides, they weren't all that the Gem Empire had to offer to meet Pink's demand for companionship. For example, as a Diamond, Pink was immediately entitled to a Pearl, the best kind of servant that a Gem could ask for, who, when Yellow and Blue were too busy with either their own troubles or cleaning up after her, would still do her bidding. Though it was obvious that Pearl wasn't an infallible servant with zero self-agency, that was the precise Gem that Pink needed, to break up the monotony of life on Homeworld.

And if someone like a Pearl felt too hollow, there was always Spinel. Hailing herself as Pink's "best friend", Spinel was practically made to play with her, and with many games programmed into her, the fun would almost never stop. Though playing games was absolutely unheard of for a vast majority of other gemstones and cuts, and would definitely put an impact on the perception of the Diamonds if discovered, Pink and Spinel had many worlds to run off to, where they could play in peace, without the bothersome calls of "what are you doing?".

And if what Pink desired for, more than anything in her life, was a sense of power, then that could be provided to her by her court. Each Diamond was entitled to a court - more accurately, each Gem in the Empire, who was thought of as being in line and desirable, was assigned to a Diamond, and the court was a collection of Gems serving a single Diamond. And whereas Pink's court didn't do much, in the end, being responsible for the tasks of a number of Gems only rivaled by that of the other Diamonds had to count for something.

Overall, Pink led a pretty satisfying life as one of the Gem matriarchs, and with any luck, she would be getting a colony very soon, completing the dossier. This was what it was all coming down to, right? And there was no way that the truth could unravel and leave Pink with an existential crisis, struggling to find more and more pieces to put together.

Right?

The story of Pink Diamond, encompassing many decisions she made in life, could be said to have many different beginnings, going back as early as her forming. However, arguably the most important of them all was the beginning of her irreversible change.

This particular beginning was rather innocent. Among other parts of her life, Pink liked the balls, in which members of her court, as well as the other Diamonds' courts, would assert their unwavering allegiance and subordinance. However, with Pink's influence alone, these balls were transformed from simple assertions of allegiance, fitting an otherwise utilitarian species of Gems, to almost-entertaining dances and songs.

Almost.

Pink always wanted to stretch the limits of the balls and make them enjoyable, through and through. In fact, she particularly remembered an incident in the past, wherein she suggested that the Diamonds, themselves, demonstrate their power in some way as well, and though she was lacking in powers of her own, she made up for a trick, taught to her by Spinel, in which she threw literal balls - or, well, bubbled Gems - in a strict sequence, managing to never drop one as multiple ones in the air.

This, however, was not meant to happen, and instead, would be replaced with scolding after Pink, briefly losing focus, did drop the bubbled Gems, the bubbles burst and the Gems inside were scratched. What was more, typically, a Gem wasn't bubbled for no reason at all, and in many cases, these were fugitives and/or undesirables, who Yellow and Blue would not let be unbubbled for a single second. Without further questioning, they locked Pink up, but even then, she still got a glimpse of the furious face of Yellow.

Those were fun times, Pink thought to herself. And Yellow always looks funny when she's angry.

Yet, for this ball, for the most part, she showed restraint, especially as she was dominated by a feeling of resent. As the time passed, the old and tired fun activities had stopped being fun, and what mattered to her the most was how, in a society that would otherwise be utilitarian, it wasn't just Pink who didn't receive a concrete purpose, but her entire court.

Nevertheless, the course was set for the ball to happen, and it started with the same tired routine. First, Pink's Pearl would introduce her Diamond to anyone willing to listen, as well as those who were not. Then, Yellow's Pearl would do the same, followed by Blue's, and finally, White Diamond would introduce herself, almost always with "I believe I need no introduction; after all, you are all just reflections of me, as I radiate every color of the spectrum".

It was always weird how White Diamond, the absolute leader of every single Gem in Homeworld and elsewhere, as well as a billion other pretentious titles that Pink wouldn't be able to remember in entirety if she tried, didn't even have a Pearl of her own. However, Pink didn't even contemplate that for a single moment, knowing that the reason was likely something that the other Diamonds wouldn't talk about. She also did her best not to question any other part of the procedure; as fun as it was to see the others fuming, what was not fun was eons of being locked up.

Nevertheless, Pink Diamond watched as the Gems in her court presented their "best possible selves" (whatever that meant) to her, as did the other courts. Each and every time, she would try and sound enthusiastic and accepting of all of her court members, and likewise, they would try and voice their undying allegiance to the Gem Empire, and to her instead of the other Diamonds, quoting radiance (yeah, she was no being of all the colors of the spectrum, like White) and elegance (if Pink was so elegant, then why did Yellow and Blue always say that she was the exact opposite?) among other virtues.

And yet, each and every time, she felt resent for herself - and for members of her court, too.

What would normally be a show of power was quickly becoming a show of boredom. Pink, herself, knew that there was no pushing the other Diamonds to do fun activities at the ballroom, and likewise, there was no escaping the ball before it was over in order to do the fun activities on her own. Likewise, among Gemkind, being in Pink Diamond's court was treated as a punishment on par with imprisonment for eons or being trapped in a bubble; in fact, she was pretty sure she even overheard some who compared it with being shattered.

Even at a glance, this was immediately obvious. Whereas the other courts, clearly coded as each Diamond preferred to take in Gems of a similar coloration to herself, were dancing and showing how they can be the cogs of the ever-spinning Gem machinery, the movements of those in Pink's court were considerably slower and less precise.

Enough was enough, and if Pink couldn't demonstrate her glory by conquering and colonizing worlds in the name of Gems, then she would have to make up for it in other ways. She thus waited until the next Gem in her court presented herself, and this time, she would get personal.

The Gem in question, whose green gemstone substituted for her cyclops eye, introduced herself, doing the traditional Diamond salute: "Nephrite, Facet-413 Cabochon-12. I am honored to serve you, my Diamond, and hope to be deserving of your reverence."

"While I appreciate any feelings that you may have towards my leadership, let's cut it and talk for a bit." Pink responded, before descending from her throne to ballroom level and meeting the Nephrite eye-to-eye. Even in such a little response, the influence from them was leaking, and her individuality seemed to be completely shut down.

This wasn't how a Diamond was supposed to act; in fact, a Diamond, more than anyone else, should be able to express her individuality. Everything was seriously wrong, and even with a simple conversation, Pink hoped to learn exactly how wrong it was.

"I am greatly honored, already, that you acknowledged me individually, my Diamond." Nephrite responded.

"Cut it!" Pink suddenly burst out. "Your mere presence is what I treasure, and as your Diamond, I will put your feelings above those of my own."

"My... feelings?" The subordinate Gem seemed confused more than ever.

"Yeah, how do you feel about not being able to conquer planets in the name of all Gems? Because if I am ever to get a colony, after my Pearl, I will take you there first and foremost."

The two Gems didn't get much of an opportunity to get personal and examine each other's worries, though, before they heard hissing from above, in the form of Blue and Yellow. "Pink, what are you doing?" Yellow started. "You are to get back in your throne and acknowledge that you are the superior of your court!"

"Indeed, Pink, your current behavior is completely unacceptable!" Blue added.

Turning away from Nephrite and towards the two thrones, Pink lashed back out. "Well, if I never get a colony, then what am I even the superior of? Mindless drones that do literally nothing? Oh, wait! That's me! Now, if you excuse me, since we've proven that I am an equal to my court..."

Yellow and Blue were briefly flabbergasted, but in time, they were able to return to their usual demeanors - for the greater good of Gemkind. "Pink, you have to understand," Blue spoke, "you are above these gems - just look at your size compared to the rest of them! You are above them, and therefore, no one can question that you are their superior..."

"Then prove it! Right here, right now, tell me that I am getting a colony!" Pink shot back. The Nephrite, behind her, even got excited - if Pink Diamond, objectively the best of the Diamonds, was listened to, right here, right now, that would mean that the two would get to travel on an entourage very soon.

However, to the frustration of both of them, Yellow and Blue only shook their heads - as different as the two of them were, they seemed to agree on the same thing. "You do not need a colony to show your radiance. Just look at yourself!"

Leaving the Nephrite behind, Pink ran up to her throne, past her Pearl diligently standing by it, before climbing it up and standing up on the back-rest. She then swerved for a little, but luckily, was able to maintain her balance as she approached Yellow and Blue, from an angle as high as possible, yet one which still made her feel like an insignificant inferior: "I will only look at myself when I see that my court is happy, and they're very obviously not! I've been feeling what they are feeling, even without needing to come down and talk! What I see is a million voices, expecting me to get a colony, and if you can't give one right now... if you can't give one right now..."

Suddenly, with the emphasis of that last word, Pink snapped. When she got flustered, her powers were known to be highly destructive, and cracked the throne seat, making her swerve off the back-rest; luckily, she was able to gracefully land, placing her feet where she would normally be sitting. If it were anyone else who she blew up in front of like that, they would absolutely be scared to submission, and in fact, a minor form of hysteria ensued within the dancing courts, whose members stopped in their tracks as they watched the tantrum unfold.

However, these were, despite everything else, the Diamonds, who knew that they couldn't let their guard down. Blue tried her best not to widen her eyes in shock, whereas Yellow only stated, matter-of-factly: "Please, calm down."

"I will absolutely not calm down!" Pink shot back, and as usual, the more words she emphasized, the worse the cracks around herself and in the rest of the ballroom were. "Maybe it's just who I am! And as I am a Diamond... and as I am equal to you... maybe you have to calm down and listen to me!"

As the cracks worsened, the panic gradually grew and the formerly dancing gems started running away, worried that a structure or a few might collapse and fall on them. Pink only gave a brief glance towards the scene, spotting, first and foremost, the Nephrite who she briefly interacted with, being sure to evacuate the premises before anything else happened. The only Gems not caught up in the scene, as it stood now, were the Diamonds and their respective Pearls; Pink's was right there, somewhat scared by her words, but ready to back her up in case anything needed backing up.

"Pink, we've been over this." In contrast with Pink, who had gone from a bored little Gem to a maelstrom of fury and destruction, Yellow was able to keep her cool throughout all of it, and even knew how to state the facts without the need for assistance from her Pearl. However, even she showed a bit of hesitation as she spoke her next lines: "You are the youngest of us - that is, you have emerged at the latest time - and you are not exactly... the most presentable out of us. Therefore, until and unless we can get a handle on you, you will not be getting a colony, and that's final!"

All the while, White Diamond, the leader of Gemkind and the supposed final arbiter of the relationship among the Diamonds, remained silent and motionless as a statue - even as her name was directly called. She, of all the Gems, had to brave on and face Pink's tantrums head-on, show that she was unfazed by them, and thus, set an example to the rest of Gemkind - that is, in the very least, the ones who had remained after Pink quite literally shook the ground.

The three - Yellow, Blue and White - couldn't show any sort of flaw, any sort of weakness towards Pink. Especially as Yellow liked to say, if they bent the rules for her, they would have to bend them for everyone - and the rules upon which Gemkind was built were immutable since the race first formed. Truly, if that could be conveyed as clearly as possible, then Pink would understand, right?

Yet, what applied to the other Diamonds, as Pink figured, either didn't apply to her or was an unknown, and her show of brute force continued. "Don't even talk to me about final! I'll make sure that this is the final of you!" At this point, the throne that Pink would have sat on was all but completely obliterated, and only an elevated platform above the floor remained. Meanwhile, cracks that Pink formed managed to completely surround the ballroom, and chunks of rock had already started to fall; luckily, they were falling quite a distance away from the Diamonds, and the Gems besides the Diamonds and the Pearls had completely disappeared from the premises.

"Pink!" Blue tried to at least partially return the compassion. "We can talk about this!"

"No!" Until the Diamonds told her what she wanted to hear, Pink, for as long as she could manage, would have to not budge from her position. At this point, the feelings of her court had completely overwhelmed her, and she truly believed to speak for the masses. "I don't wanna talk to you, either! And what is White even thinking that she is saying?" She called out to the single most unwavering Diamond of them all.

Suddenly, a crack had finally struck one of the Gems: Pink's Pearl. As her eyes were roughly on the level of Pink's feet, and the floor beneath them had received most of the wear and tear, and as she was the closest to Pink, she was the easiest target. That particular wear and tear, however, was special, as it could travel through three dimensions, and thus, struck the Pearl right in her left eye, leading her to scream out in pain.

Finally, Pink managed to elicit some sort of response from White. She didn't speak, nor did her expression shift from the unwavering smile and arms extended in reverence. However, her eyes beamed, shooting lasers towards the direction of Pink and her Pearl, and struck the Pearl straight in her belly gemstone, rendering it completely white. From there, the Pearl's screams continued as the whiteness spread from the gemstone to the now damaged form, completely encompassing it.

Once again, Pink only gave a few brief glances at the Pearl, feeling her pain somewhat, but knowing that none of the Diamonds had been reached, and that therefore, her own destruction should continue. If she had to, she would even level the entire ballroom. "For the last time, and I'll not make you leave until you give me one - I. Want. A. Colony!" she shouted, making sure to stomp with each emphasized word, the stomps getting more and more aggressive as they were powered by every single negative emotion of every single member of her court.

That, however, was when Pink's power had grown beyond her own control, and with the last word, her own gemstone ever-so-slightly cracked.

As she suddenly lost perception of time and space, falling backwards from her court, before passing out, she only managed to catch White doing another one of her beams - this time, at herself.