So this is a little something that I started working on a while ago, then came back to just recently. I thought it's be interesting to have a story like this, so here you go, merry Christmas.

(Don't ask XD)

Steven awoke to darkness, only darkness. Not even a single ray of light could be seen peeking through. Not even the slightest sound could be heard, except for his own steady breathing. "Huh? W-Where am I?" he said in his mind. "Am I in space? Or...Malachite's realm?"

Just then, he noticed two hands reaching out in front of him. They weren't Steven's own, and it was clear to see, because they were much bigger in size. They pulled back the dark as if they were curtains, and an overwhelming amount of light revealed itself. It was like Steven was staring at the sun!

Then he felt himself walking into it. Strange. He never even wanted his legs to move in the first place. After what seemed like a few minutes of being blinded, but was only a few seconds, a scene began to form around him. Gems of all sizes and colors surrounded him, muttering words to each other and staring at him. A giant chair could be seen in front of him, too, with a Pearl standing to its right. She was standing straight and tall, her hands behind her back. She gave Steven a dull glance, then closed her eyes.

Silence followed, and Steven felt himself become motionless. Against his will, he looked up. He gasped. There, in the enormous chair, was a Gem just as big! She was pink all over, and her gemstone was on her chest. It was diamond-shaped, and Steven knew that there could only be one Gem like that.

Pink Diamond.

Steven flew into a panic. "W-Wait, Pink Diamond?! B-But she's shattered! How did I get here? This has got to be a dream! This had got to-"

"Wait...if Pink Diamond was alive thousands of years ago, and my mom was alive thousands of years ago, and she-"

Steven was in the mind of his mother.

He felt himself draw a sword, and point it at Pink Diamond. The other Gems around him gasped, their hands clasping over their mouths. "Oh no." He leaped into the air. He thrusted the sword straight at the shining pink gemstone. "No, no no, stop, stop-!"

Right before the impact Steven awoke from his dream. His head shot up from his pillow; he was breathing hard. Without thinking, he cried at the top of his lungs, "PEARL! GARNET! AMETHYST! I SAW HER! I SAW PINK...I saw Pink…" His voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. He burst into tears and his vision became blurred.

He didn't even notice the Temple Door opening, or the three Gems running up to him. "STEVEN!" they cried, going up the stairs to his room and crowding around his bed. "Steven, what happened?" Pearl asked, her words rushed.

"I saw Pink Diamond!" Steven said. "I was in mom's mind! She was in her palanquin and she was walking up to her and she...she…"

He didn't need to complete his sentence for the others to understand. The Gems exchanged worried glances, hesitant to speak first. Finally, Amethyst made an awkward movement toward Steven and wrapped her arm around him.

"H-Hey, it's okay, little dude, your dream's done!" she said. "Why don't you just go back to sleep and-"

"I CAN'T!" Steven yelled, louder than intended. Immediately, he felt Amethyst's hand shoot back as if she had touched something hot. Seeing the Crystal Gems' shocked faces, his heart sank. "I can't," he repeated in a whisper.

Amethyst knew she had made a mistake. She blushed and looked away, clenching her arm. "Aw, man…" she muttered. At that moment, Pearl's hand reached over to stroke Steven's hair. She felt his pain, all of it.

"Oh, Steven," she said in a gentle tone. "I know it's...hard to believe the truth, but she had no other choice. She had to do it."

"She could've bubbled her," Steven replied. He pushed Pearl's hand away without much effort. "She didn't have to shatter her. There was another way but-"

"If Pink Diamond had been bubbled," Garnet spoke up. "Then in a sense she would have still been alive. Other Gems would have gone and tried to bring her back so she could colonize Earth." Steven looked down. "Shattering her was the only option."

The boy was quiet for a moment. "It's just...my mom was so nice to everyone! I...never imagined that she would do something like that."

"But dude, she did it for a reason!" a smiling Amethyst exclaimed. "She did it to protect us, to protect Earth! Dude, if Pink Diamond hadn't been shattered, you wouldn't even be here right now!"

"You mean a great value to us, Steven," Pearl added. "Sure we...all miss Rose, but...it's like...she's still here with us."

"You're a lot like your mother," Garnet cut in. She placed a hand on Steven's cheek as he stared up at her with hopeful eyes. "Brave, selfless, kind...and a fantastic leader." The tiniest grin formed on her face. "And whatever your actions may be, we'll always know that they're never meant to hurt anyone."

"We love you, little guy!" said Amethyst. She wrapped her arms around Steven with a bright smile, some of her hair falling onto his face. He didn't mind, though. He only smiled back.

It was when Pearl and Garnet hugged him as well that he struggled to contain himself. His smile spreading, he felt his eyes water and silent tears fell down his face. But he didn't hold them back. Not one.

He hugged the Crystal Gems in return, a sense of peace washing over him.

"I love you, too."

Steven sure has some interesting dreams.