Trigger warning: slight physical and emotional abuse; non-graphic rape/sexual abuse

Dread

It had been a long day, and all White wanted was to go home, take a dip in the spring, and relax. Maybe use her pearl for some much-needed pleasure, she thought. But when she entered the spring room, she was not expecting what she saw.

"What are you doing?" She shouted upon seeing the mountains of bubbles with her pearl and her assistant buried inside. They had been laughing, but as soon as she entered that stopped and both sets of eyes became wide.

"My Diamond!" Moonstone said, flustered as she scurried out from the bubbles. Pearl only sat there, her unneeded yet comforting breath quickening as she watched the events around her take place. "Madam, should y-you not still be at your meeting?"

White glared.

"My meeting was this morning, Moonstone. What do you think you two are doing? Do you know that I can have gems crushed for things like this? I'm the highest ranking Diamond here. They don't even need a reason to crush gems for me. Do you understand what I'm saying?" White was furious. Her own pearl and her much-trusted assistant were... Playing?

She supposed the pearl was young after all; mistakes were to be expected at this age. But still, Moonstone should have directed the pearl in the right way and the two certainly should not be playing around, messing up her spring room and using up her effervescence-inducing soaps. She was very, very angry and would not stand for this.

"Moonstone! Clean this mess up! I expect it to be sparkling by the time I return, am I clear? Do not pull a stunt like this again. Clean, and I will get to your punishment later. As for you," She pulled Pearl up from her bubble fortress by the collar. "You're coming with me." She stood the pearl up and fiercely grabbed her hand, pulling her through the doors of the spring room and marching her towards White Diamond's private quarters. Though Pearl had not yet learned the name for that dread, the emotion had returned now, and she was beginning to realize that it was not a good thing.

They briskly entered the large double doors to the room, a large relaxation unit in the middle of the room and mirrors lining one wall. The ceiling was painted in shades of many colors and crystal, resembling a stain glass mirror but not quite exactly so. As soon as they entered, Pearl was taken back upon seeing something in the mirror.

Me.

She had pale pink hair; a pastel shade that looked similar to what we today would refer to as sweet cotton candy. Delicately placed in her hair was a sort of crown, looping around her head and pulling back her long bangs in the front. Small, clear crystals practically dripped from the silver outline, sparkling in her pale hair. Her body was dressed in a gorgeous gown, mostly being white with small shades of pink, blue, and yellow. It resembled that of a renaissance gown, with large, tool sleeves that hung down much below Pearl's hips and a transparent, glittering skirt beginning under a white bodice and hem and falling past her feet. Her feet were held in small, delicate flats, laced with tiny crystal shards so they glittered in the light. She was stunning, she thought. And suddenly, she began to feel for the second time the feeling of happiness. Why would someone put so much detail in dressing her if they weren't going to be proud of her or befriend her? Maybe White Diamond wasn't so bad; maybe she-

The doors slammed. Pearl's head whipped up to see White standing there, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face.

"Oh, dear Pearl." She said softly, that grin not leaving. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

The smile was unnerving, but the words sounded genuine enough. Pearl kept her chin high, hoping for the best from her Master.

Slowly, White Diamond kneeled to Pearl's height, and placed a cold hand on Pearl's cheek. She caressed it lightly, and Pearl felt that this touch meant it was okay; that she had not made a mistake and was not going to be punished. She was right. White was not as bad as she seemed.

White's face twisted from love to something horrible, and the hand that had been petting Pearl's face turned back and slapped her.

"What were you thinking?" White said forcefully. She slapped Pearl again. Pearl's face was now a horrible mix of emotions, with horror and disbelief and fear and pain all etched into her features like carvings on wood. Tears prickled into her eyes from the pain and her breathing became quick and rapid. White slapped Pearl once more, harder and with more passion than before. And then she sighed and stood quickly, turning quickly and walking to the other side of the room. She pulled the curtains open and looked out to the bustling city below, filled with colorful, happy gems. Pearl pulled a small hand to her face, feeling heat radiating from the bruising skin, and heard White sigh deeply again. She turned back and came to the pearl and kneeled beside her.

"I'm sorry," She smiled softly, putting her hand lightly to Pearl's face again. Pearl flinched, "Don't be afraid now. I just had to teach you a lesson, dear. You agree that you won't pull a stunt like that again, right?" Pearl nodded and tried to look away, but White's grip was strong and she pulled Pearl's face back to look at her. "Look at me. Now, see, don't you agree that you needed that?" Pearl guessed she had. If she knew she wasn't going to misbehave like that, she did guess she had needed it. Such was the way of the world, she supposed. She finally nodded.

"See now, that's good. Why don't you come join me in the spring? I'm sure Moonstone has cleaned your mess. Would you like to come relax with me?"

Without realizing what she was doing, Pearl nodded weakly.

White held Pearl's hand as they walked back to the spring room. They walked quietly and softly, as if not to disrupt anything. Pearl wanted to ask why; was there a reason they were being so hidden and quiet?

The outside was dark now, galaxies and stars twinkling up in the sky like tiny pin pricks in a black blanket. It was soothing, Pearl thought, to see the sky above from the glass roof of the main hallway. Everything up there, in the sky, was so gorgeous. But, as she thought, she began to think that maybe, just maybe, the things down here were beautiful, too.

The door to the spring room opened softly, with White rapping quietly on the side of the door before grasping the knob lightly. They entered the room to see it sparkling; the soap had cleaned the floors greatly, and had even touched up the walls. Moonstone, drenched from head to toe, was now moving around the room lighting each of the now-dry candles. The room was beautiful, Pearl thought, with little lights dotting the darkness and causing the room to be lit with a warm glow. The water glistened against it, warm and only steaming slightly at this hour. It must've been late, but there was no way of knowing just how late it was.

Moonstone looked up suddenly, a tiny gasp escaping her lips.

"Madam," She bowed, her hands perfectly in the diamond shape. "I have finished cleaning the area and am now lighting the candles for you; is this temperature correct for the room and the water?" White let go of Pearl's hand for a moment, leaving her in the doorway as she moved to the water. Moonstone watched her intently, and after White dipped her fingers into the water she nodded.

"Wonderful, Moonstone. Please finish lighting the candles and then leave Pearl and I here to relax, alright?"

Moonstone paled, only just noticing Pearl's shy presence in the door. Another small gasp came from her mouth, and she swallowed hard.

"Y-yes, ma'am. I will be out of your way momentarily, ma'am."

Pearl didn't know why her friend's - her friend - eyes had gone so wide, or why that made her herself feel such intense fear, or why it made the dread return. Within moments, Moonstone had shakily finished the lighting and was walking to the door, nervousness etched in her form.

"I'm so sorry," She mumbled as she passed Pearl, a whisper so low that Pearl and only Pearl could hear it. This left the gem with more confusion, even after the doors behind her were softly shut. She looked to her Diamond to see her slowly emerging herself in the deep water.

"Come along now," She said, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. Pearl's form shook, though she didn't quite understand why, but she knew she couldn't disobey an order. She cautiously dipped herself into the water before White pulled her in up to her nose. She sputtered a little, and White tutted at her.

"Can you not swim, dear? Oh, what a shame. I guess we will just have to do something else while in here..." She grinned, and Pearl did not know what was happening, and did not know to resist when White pulled Pearl's tiny form towards her. She didn't know to resist when White slid her hand down Pearl's leg, or when she blatantly pulled their lips together and began moving her tongue across Pearl's.

White had done this before; of course she had. This is one of the main reasons Pearl's existed, correct? Though gems didn't reproduce sexually, their forms still had the basic functions and yearnings for pleasure. Not all gems, of course, but many got lonely just as White Diamond had. And who better to relieve all that pent up stress than a servant who could only mimic emotions? A servant who couldn't feel or think? White smiled and pulled the tiny pearl closer to her, ignoring the shaking of the other's hands and the look of real, genuine emotion on her face.

She's only a pearl, there are no emotions or feelings to worry about. Do as you please; Pearl's can not harvest resentment.

She's only a pearl.

The walk from the meeting had been quiet so far. Pink and Rose had barely spoken a word to each other after the long day, and the silence of the city around them was not encouraging conversation. Rose, however felt she needed to speak up, no matter how out of place it seemed.

"Pink?" She said softly, looking up at the taller form. Pink looked down at her after a moment, her warm eyes weary and tired.

"Yes, Rose?"

Rose hesitated then, seeing the wear on Pink's face. But she had to continue.

"Why was Yellow so adamant on hurting the lives of the Luscarians? It's not like they've ever attacked us, and their planet isn't as promising as she claims. We'd be destroying precious life; we couldn't do that. They're living just like us. Why does she want to kill them?"

Pink pulled a hand to her face and ran it through her long bangs.

"Oh, Rose. There's a lot you haven't learned."