Blue clutched her gemstone in pain as she hobbled towards her Diamond.

Have I ever been in this much pain before? She thought to herself.

She had experienced being poofed for the sake of renewing her appearance back in the training facility. Masters would often style their Pearls in different ways in order to keep up with the latest trends and she needed to get used to the experience. And it would only be a simple slice through the torso in order to retreat back into her true form. It was quick and simple and she had been through it so many times, it no longer made her scream or wince.

But damaging your gemstone was much more different than damaging your physical form. When getting poofed, you would feel immense pain but then it would dissipate in an instant and then you would be in your raw form; pure and whole and safe, like being insubstantial as air.

A cracked gemstone was a whole new level of injury.

There was no way to summon anything from your gemstone or activate your pocket dimension. And since your raw form was damaged, there was no hope for retreating into it. You could no longer heal yourself. You were trapped this way.

The Amethyst who damaged her stone had simply dropped her on the floor when she was done "punishing her." Blue could still remember her sinister chuckle as Blue was left in a half-conscious state. It took almost forever for her to get back on her feet properly and even longer to find the right path back to her Diamond.

She had never experienced this kind of pain before. And what horrified her even more was that she had started to glitch out, seeing her limbs bend out in crooked directions in ways that should not be possible. The jagged crack on her stone was quite deep and the symptoms were coming in fast.

"My Diamond," Blue said hoarsely, feeling her voice slowly glitch. It changed tones as she kept speaking, almost as if someone was changing the pitch constantly.

"What's wrong with you?" Blue Diamond spoke, showing perhaps what was the most concern her voice could contain.

Blue knew she couldn't hide it for long. It wouldn't be long until she began to deteriorate into a hideous deformed version of herself. And that was not flattering for a Pearl.

She slowly removed her hand from her gemstone and let the crack speak for itself.

Blue Diamond stood up abruptly and her hands balled into fists as she gazed upon her wounded Pearl.

"My Pearl, oh my stars!" she gasped in a slightly alarmed way. It sounded absolutely faked, but it was expected. She was much more perplexed than sympathetic. What kind of trouble could a Pearl get into that resulted in a crack?

It was incredibly difficult to point her finger in the right direction, especially since her arm was losing its shape as she spoke, but she managed to point out the perpetrator, who had returned to her spot guarding her Diamond almost as if she had never left.

"S-she tried to kill me," Blue coughed out as she felt her face contort in rather unflattering ways.

Everyone gathered in the Spire fell into dead silence as they witnessed this. Most of them took a step back in horror as they saw such a malformed Pearl. It was extremely uncommon to see one look so . . . deformed. Yet no one dared to help her return to full health.

The Amethyst simply crossed her arms and gasped indignantly. "My Diamond, I had caught her breaking a rule right underneath your nose! I was only delivering rightful justice."

"W-what, no don't believe her!" Blue cried out, and another glitch caused her to fall to her knees in pain and clutch her gemstone again. She was in no condition to stand. Still, no one helped her.

"First, a Pearl commits a serious treason, and then she lies about it?" Amethyst scolded Blue as she approached her, lightly patting her on her now malformed head. "It's truly disappointing."

Blue Diamond stood beside the Amethyst, her face absolutely stoic as she witnessed her loyal Pearl deteriorate before her. She didn't offer any help or even looked her in the eye. She—only—stood—there.

"I didn't do anything wrong," were the only words that managed to escape Blue's lips. "I swear on my life. Please help me."

Blue Diamond looked between her almost dying Pearl and her Amethyst guard, who was currently smirking arrogantly amidst all of this tragedy.

Finally, she spoke. "Fetch the healers," she sighed in frustration. "We'll discuss punishment after your treatment."

Blue's throat constricted. What did she mean by her punishment?

"Didn't you hear me? I said this was her fault, she damaged me," Blue cried.

"But didn't you listen to her?" Blue Diamond replied in a bored tone, having the audacity to roll her eyes while doing so. "She was only doing what was right. Hopefully, I won't have to go through the pain of ordering a new Pearl. Perhaps you could go through a less extreme punishment, depending on the circumstances."

"B-but, shouldn't you trust your own Pearl?" Blue spluttered, no longer caring about her dignity.

Blue Diamond narrowed her eyes. "While you are an efficient and remarkable Pearl, this Amethyst had been by my side for ages and won countless battles. I have only owned you for less than a full orbit. The odds prove that she is much more trustworthy."

Blue still couldn't believe it. "B-but—"

Out of nowhere, Blue Diamond's foot met contact with Blue's chest. It added more injury to Blue's already serious crack. If anything, it accelerated the process. All of Blue's breath was knocked out of her chest and she was forced to keep her eyes to the ground, feeling tears behind her eyelids.

"Listen to me," Blue Diamond intoned, only shifting her expression for this occasion. "If you truly want treatment, then you will accept your place. If you refuse to do so, then prepare to die this way. It's your choice."

Blue was flabbergasted. She was here; curled up on the floor, surrounded by possible healers and now she was being denied treatment. And the guilty party was standing above her, whole and undamaged. And no one dared to do anything about it . . . because the law prevented them.

And there was nothing she could do to change it.

"I'm sorry," Blue whispered hoarsely, still writhing from her master's kick. She didn't mean it at all, but it was either her dignity or her well-being to sacrifice.

She chose her well-being.

A smile formed on Blue Diamond's face and she sighed in satisfaction. Beside her, Amethyst bared her teeth in a venomous smile, one that could only belong to a monster.

"Now, would anyone please help my Pearl?" Blue Diamond finally spoke, a smirk forming beneath her hood. It had taken forever for a pair of healers to take Blue by the arms and head for treatment.