Spinel's New Game: FUTURE

Chapter 5 - The Dungeon

Smoky Quartz blinked open her eyes. "Woah!" she cried. "What happened?" She looked around and could see she was in a dank, dark room, enclosed behind metal bars. The room was hardly lit up at all, and Smoky Quartz could barely see.

"What's going on?" Smoky Quartz breathed out.

We're trapped in here, Steven could hear Amethysts' thoughts as they shared a body. I fused with you so you wouldn't die. You looked terrible, man.

Why are we here? Steven thought to her in question. Who did this? Why are you here?

Garnet trapped us, Amethyst explained. She became very angry when she found out Pearl had told you Garnet was hurting her... and she threw me down here after they had a fight! I hadn't known about anything until then, I had no idea what Garnet had been doing to Pearl.

But why would Garnet do this!? Steven cried inside his thoughts. Garnet's our friend!

I don't know, thought Amethyst grimly. But something seriously bad is happening.

We need to break out of here! Steven cried. 

I already tried, Amethyst explained. My whip did nothing to those metal bars we're being held behind. I don't know what kind of magic they're made out of, but there's no escape.

Smoky Quartz took a couple of glances around the room. It was hard to see in the darkness, but there was a musky staircase at the edge of the room, leading upwards. Other than that, there was a dirty, giant metal door attached to one of the walls. What's behind that? Smoky Quartz wondered nervously. There was another much smaller door on the opposite wall.

Then, Smoky Quartz glanced to the side and saw Spinel's magenta gemstone sitting on the floor near her, also inside the prison. "Spinel!" Smoky Quartz exclaimed.

Garnet poofed her, Steven thought to Amethyst.

I can't believe Garnet would poof Spinel and risk your life, Steven, Amethyst thought in astonishment. And how could she do something so terrible to Pearl? What is she doing to Pearl!?

Smoky Quartz sat alone in the dark cellar for another hour, contemplating what could be happening and struggling to grasp the reality of Greg's death. Finally, after what felt like forever, Spinel's gemstone lit up into a bright, pink light. It spun and floated into the air.

Spinel reformed and fell to the ground, looking around in terror. "Wha-? What's going on!?" she cried in alarm.

Smoky Quartz unfused and Steven fell into Spinel's arms. The two reformed back into Rhodolite and she received Steven's thoughts, informing her of what Steven had just taken in about the place they were in.

"This is horrible," Rhodolite began to cry.

"We've gotta stay strong," Amethyst encouraged. "Can you use Spinel's stretchy powers or whatever to get out of here?"

"I can try!" Rhodolite decided, stretching her arm through the bars. She felt around the disgusting, wet, dark room. "I can," Rhodolite said. "But there's no keys or anything around here. I don't know how to open up this cage."

"Crap," Amethyst muttered. At that moment, there was a clanking sound.

"Someone's coming!" Rhodolite gasped, pulling her arm back in and cowering to the back of the cellar. Amethyst instinctively summoned her whip. Footsteps could be heard coming down the staircase in front of them.

Garnet emerged from the shadows, walking down from the staircase and into the room.

"Garnet!" Amethyst spat. "What is happening?"

"Well, Amethyst," Garnet grunted, clenching her fists. "You can find out." Garnet threw up her hands and her gemstones lit up, temporarily causing the bars of the prison to disappear. Rhodolite and Amethyst gasped in astonishment. 

Garnet leaped forward, grabbed Amethyst by the hair, and then threw her across the room. Garnet then re-summoned the bars as soon as Rhodolite had begun rushing forward. "No!" Rhodolite cried.

Amethyst got up and attempted to crack her whip at Garnet, but Garnet just summoned her gauntlets and caught the whip in midair. She yanked it which caused Amethyst to be pulled towards her. Garnet slammed her fists down over Amethyst's head as hard as she could and Amethyst burst into smoke, poofing.

"No!" Rhodolite screamed, banging on the caging. Garnet bent down and picked up Amethyst's gemstone. She walked over to the large metal door, opened it up, and went inside. Rhodolite was left staring in astonishment and horror.