"We have arrived, My Diamond," said Pink Pearl with a slight smile.
"Good!" Pink Diamond waved to the towering gem in front of her, then calmly interlocked her fingers together.
"Hello, Pink," said White, sitting utterly still in her throne. Pink stepped across the shimmering floor until she delicately propelled herself upward, arching her body in the shape of a crescent moon. She gracefully outstretched her arms behind her, attempting to display her proper manners. Pearl watched dreamily, her pupils closely following her Diamond.
Pink slowly landed on the armrest, leaning forward to politely kiss White's hand. White tilted her head slightly towards her. "What have you come to discuss?"
Pink glanced at White's forehead. "Your gem looks lustrous today."
"Surely that is not all you have to say. Please do keep in mind that I was forced to move some urgent meetings to make time for you." Though her tone varied, her smile remained.
Pink nodded her head. "I have something to ask." White's eyes narrowed in recognition. She swiftly scooped Pink in her hands, setting her down on the floor with a soft tap of her feet upon landing. "Pink Diamond, you cannot run your own colony."
White's emotions could be difficult to perceive, as her perpetual smile was a poker face of sorts. But looking into her eyes, all that Pink could see was White making a mockery of her. She was sick of being treated like a child. She was a Diamond!
Pink clenched her fists in irritation. "You didn't even let me ask!"
"You have no reason to desire a colony, Pink. You are perfectly happy where you are. Perhaps we will grant you your very own planet one day, when the time is right. You are dismissed."
"No!" Pink erupted. "When will the time be right? What do I have to prove? What do I have to wait for?" She squared her shoulders. "And no, I'm not happy where I am!" she said through gritted teeth.
"You are simply not fit to run one at this time. You will now go to your room." White crossed her legs. White's blunt wording fueled Pink's anger.
"You are simply not fit to run one at this time." It echoed through her mind, over and over again. She was a Diamond, of course she could manage a colony! Either way, she didn't care - she wanted one.
She paced around the floor in stiff circles, each stomp making a deep indentation. In just a moment, cracks and fissures surrounded her. She seemed to have lost control over her breathing, her chest rapidly rising and falling. As she fell onto her knees and let her torso fall forward, her pearl made a sincere attempt to calm her. Gently placing a hand on her shoulder, she said, "Don't worry! I know you'll get your colony one day."
White laughed condescendingly, narrowing her eyes. "Oh, Pink. You are only proving my point. Making your poor pearl snap you out of a tantrum… You are much too immature to lead a planet."
Pink slowly turned her head towards White, looking defeated and furious.
"There we go. All tuckered-out from your outburst. You may now go to your room…"
Everything was blanketed in silence as White looked at her fellow Diamond expectantly.
Pink sharply shattered the hush with a thunderous scream, the sheer velocity of which sent cracks raging throughout the room in seconds, twirling throughout every crevice. Pink's pearl was hurled into the wall at full force, her head struck against the wall. She collapsed weakly on the floor, sobbing. She kept still for a moment before she lifted herself, still trembling.
Her legs felt too frail to hold her weight, so she remained there, on her hands and knees.
She gradually turned her head towards Pink.
Pearl's shocked, desperate expression sent guilt tearing through her. Tears continued to everlastingly stream down her chin, but they were even more intense now. She gasped, veiling her mouth with her hands. She found herself unable to speak.
"I…"
White's eyes widened. "Pink, that is enough."
White threw Pink into the Prison Tower, the dread of the mundane structure washing over her once more. As Pink refamiliarized herself with its interior, White began to shut the doors. Just as the light was about to disappear, she noticed her pearl, exactly as she was before, but drained of her fuchsia color. She stared blankly into the Prison Tower, her extended arms perfectly mirroring White Diamond's stance.
She was no longer an individual.
