Pearl is unconscious, her body mangled, hooked to machines. Her mind drifts deep into a memory—a rotting, pink-tinted house, half-submerged in water.
It's her childhood home.
She hears screaming. Plates smashing.
Pearl's Mom (off-screen, monstrous):
"You're a disappointment, Pearl. Just like your damn father."
Young Pearl, barely a toddler, hides under the table. A boot slams down near her face.
Pearl's Mom:
"Stop crying. I told you—KRABS ISN'T COMING BACK. He left because of you."
ACT 2: Memory Breakdown
Pearl watches her younger self flinch, cry, and stay silent.
The walls begin to melt. Her mother's face distorts—becoming a swirling mass of teeth and rage.
The house burns behind her.
Then—
SpongeBob's voice echoes into the dream:
"Wake up, princess. Time for more work."
The memory cracks like glass. The house floods in reverse.
ACT 3: Reality Returns
Pearl jolts awake.
She's still on the metal table. Her body is beyond repair. Her skin is pale. Blood seeps through soaked gauze. Her muscles twitch involuntarily.
SpongeBob is back. Standing above her. Calm. Gloves on. Hands behind his back.
SpongeBob:
"That must've been a heavy dream. Let's lighten the load."
He picks up a hooked blade.
Pearl (raspy whisper):
"Go to hell…"
SpongeBob (smiling):
"Already there. I just redecorated."
ACT 4: The GUTTING
Without hesitation, he slices her open.
Straight across the abdomen.
Blood pours. Her guts slide out, twitching. Her body shakes. But she's still alive.
SpongeBob (softly, as he digs into her intestines):
"Do you know how hard it is to truly transform someone? It's not about fixing. It's about… rebuilding."
Pearl gasps, choking on air. Her strength: gone.
She can't move. Can't scream. Her pupils dilate.
ACT 5: Her Breaking Point
She hears her mom's voice again—faint and cruel.
"You'll never be anything. You're just meat. Soft, pathetic meat."
But Pearl stares forward. Bloodied. Gutted. Still alive.
She mutters, under her breath:
Pearl:
"Fuck… you…"
SpongeBob pauses. Stares.
SpongeBob (coldly):
"Wrong answer."
ACT 6: Upstairs Pressure Builds
Meanwhile, Sandy and Patrick are losing it. They're outside SpongeBob's house every damn day now.
Sandy:
"It's been too long. Pearl's phone is dead. No pings. No signs."
Patrick (genuinely worried):
"I had a dream she was screaming."
Sandy (gritting her teeth):
"That wasn't a dream, Patrick. That was your conscience."
She pulls out a wrench.
Sandy:
"We break in tonight."
ACT 7: Tank Maintenance
Back downstairs, SpongeBob is calmly sewing Pearl's guts back into her.
He's labeled her with a new tag:
"Specimen V2: Trauma Evolution"
He carefully places a section of her intestine into a side tank.
SpongeBob:
"For future study. You're a goldmine of pain."
ACT 8: Pearl's Weakness
Her body now has:
0 strength
No ability to move her lower body
Stitches across her abdomen like a broken doll
A tracking implant buried in her chest
She's alive. But barely.
And she knows it.
ACT 9: The Twist Ending
Pearl looks up at the ceiling. Her lips barely move.
Pearl:
"He… did this to Squidward… to Dad… he'll do it to everyone."
But SpongeBob's already back at his notebook.
SpongeBob (calmly):
"Phase Three begins tomorrow."
He glances toward the cage in the corner. Something snarls.
ACT 10: The Final Image
Outside, Sandy and Patrick step onto SpongeBob's front porch.
Sandy grips the wrench.
Patrick holds a flashlight in his mouth.
They look at each other.
Sandy:
"Let's end this."