Spinel grits her teeth and holds back more tears, before she looks down and realizes what she has done. She cups her mouth with her hands and gasps deeply. Her eyes shaking, she falls back and catches herself with one hand while rubbing her face with the other. She looks up and sees the gems talking, and Steven getting up. Out of fear, she grabs Taaf's gem and runs to the conservatory.
After some running, she drops to her knees and gently sets Taaf's gem down, then leaning over it and covering it with her arms, as if to protect a fire from wind, while tears drop and stain his gem. No results for a while, she pockets Taaf's gem. Spinel had dropped to her knees, crying harder than ever.
•~Meanwhile~•
Pearl: Steven, are you okay!?
Steven: D-Don't worry about me, it's
Spinel and Taaffeite. We need them to remember how to stop her injector. Ugh!
Steven collapses into Greg's hands in defeat and exhaustion.
Steven: Pearl, what do you know about Spinel?
Pearl: Uhh... Well, she was Pink Diamond's little playmate. They used to spend ages together in Pink's garden-
Steven: Garden?!
Pearl: That's where they used to play!
Amethyst: So, what's her problem with us?
Pearl: I don't know. I haven't seen her in 6,000 years. Something must have happened to her since then.
Steven: Ugh... Alright, alright, but what about Taaffeite?
Pearl: Uh... Well, I guess I have a vague idea? Pink Diamond used to talk about him a lot, but I never met him.
Steven: Ugh... Well, maybe if we got one, we could reason with the other.
-Garnet and Lion descend back from the sky too.
Greg: Whoa, kiddo. Are you sure you don't need a break?
Amethyst: It looks like that fusion took everything out of you.
Steven: I gotta do what I can with the little I have left. I'm going after Spinel and Taaffeite.
Steven grabs his jacket from -Garnet and hops on Lion's back, before riding off.
Greg: Steven, wait!
Lion bursts through the warehouse door, where Mayor Nanefua is seen outside.
Mayor Nanefua: Oh, Steven, some stragglers are missing from the shelters!
Steven: Did you see a pink or purple Gem run by?
Nanefua points in the direction of the Beach House.
Steven: Thanks.
•~And now...~•
Steven and Lion ride off to the house, striding across the tainted waters, while Steven clutches his gem in pain and exhaustion.
Steven: Just this morning, everything was perfect. Why did everything have to change?! I want my happily ever after back!
As Steven and Lion arrive at the front of the Beach House, a glow shines from within Steven's conservatory.
Steven: That might be one of them.
Steven hopped off of Lion and leans down to him, and says:
Steven: Go find Connie, we need all hands on deck.
Roaring a portal into existence, Lion rushes in and warps away.
•~Trans. Int. Steven's Conservatory, brought to you by Canada Dry. It's not any other soda, but hey, it's okay.~•
Steven slowly peeks into his conservatory from the doorway, and sees only Spinel.
Steven: Spinel? What's wrong?
He finds Spinel keeling on the warp pad inside. He approaches her, and she turns to face Steven, sobbing frantically. Steven flinches in surprise at the depressed Gem.
Spinel, crying: I just... started getting these feelings flooding back to me...!
Steven: That's- That's good! But... w-where's Taaffeite?
Spinel, curling up into a ball, points to the bathroom door. Steven walks up and tries the doorknob to find out that it's locked. He knocks, only to hear nothing.
Steven: Anyways... Spinel. I need you two to remember. If you don't, something really bad will happen to me and my home. Please, think! Do you remember the garden?
Spinel: The garden?
Steven: Is anything coming back to you?
Remembering her past, Spinel looks back up to the sky, briefly smiles, looking back on her happy memories... before degrading into a destroyed frown and lifts her hand up.
Spinel: NO!
In anguish, Spinel slams her fists into the warp pad, activating it, and it warps her and Steven away.
Steven: Spinel, where are we going!?
Spinel: Back... to where I never left...
•~Trans. Int. Pink Diamond's Garden~•
Steven and Spinel arrive on a warp pad in the middle of a vine and mold infested garden. Spinel looks around at her surroundings, gasps in epiphany and runs off the warp pad.
Steven: Spinel!
Steven runs for Spinel.
Spinel: This was our garden! A special world, built just for Pink and I.
Spinel begins flashing back to her happy memories, with Spinel playing hide-and-seek with Taaf and Pink Diamond, as she surprised her with funny faces, making them laugh.
Spinel: On Homeworld, Pink was so lonely and sad, but not here! Here, we would play for hours. Me and my Laafy Taafy would play every day that Pink was gone. Every day in the garden was so much fun.
Spinel juggled some bubbles while Taaf pretended to juggle by just floating bubbles in circles making Pink Diamond laugh and clap, but she then sighs a bit.
Spinel: At least... That's what I thought.
Steven: Did something happen?
Spinel grew a more somber expression while still holding her smile.
Spinel: Pink wanted a colony, more than anything.
Another flashback plays, with Pink standing by the Diamond communicator, talking to Yellow and Blue Diamond, while the two listened nearby.
Spinel: One day, her wish came true! Blue and Yellow gave Pink her very own planet - Earth! I was so excited! A brand new place to play!
Spinel happily bounced around an excited Pink Diamond, who is becoming more irritated by Spinel's antics.
Steven: So, why didn't you go with her?
As Spinel and Taaf tried to follow Pink Diamond to the warp pad, Pink halted them to stay back, but they continued following her. Spinel then stopped Pink by holding onto her hand. Pink sighed, as Spinel begins to sing "Drift Away", voicing Pink Diamond's words.
Spinel's gem turns around into an upside-down heart, and she reforms back to her current self. Back with her hateful demeanor, Spinel glares back at Steven.
Steven: S-Spinel, you've- you've got your memories back! I can't believe Mom did that to you.
...
Steven: Actually, I can totally believe it. You're not the only one she hurt-
Steven approaches Spinel to try to console herself, but she reactively pushes him away, pinning him to the ground.
Spinel growls: Yeah, you must know all about her life without me! RUB IT IN, WHY DON'T YA?!
Spinel angrily starts to punch at Steven.
Steven: No!
Steven tries to summon his shield unsuccessfully.
Steven: I-It's not like that! You deserve a better friend.
Spinel roars in anger and swings her fist at the column holding the Diamond communicator instead, destroying it. She then sighs in defeat, kneeling down sadly to the ground, crying again.
Steven: Spinel, come back and save the
Earth with me. You can start over there, make new friends.
Steven offers his hand to Spinel, who looks away in distress, and says:
Spinel: ... Taaf was the only friend I needed after Pink.
Steven: ... I understand.
Steven moves to sit next to Spinel.
Steven: You need to talk to him.
Spinel: But... he hates me now.
Steven: Huh? What happened?
Spinel curls back up into a ball, holding her head on her arms while looking down. She starts to explain everything that happened after she ran off. During, she started to form more tears as she cried harder.
Steven: Oh...
Spinel, stuttering: I-I don't know c-came over me...
Steven turns his head to Spinel.
Steven: We need you to try and talk to him.
Spinel gets even sadder.
Spinel: Why would he listen to the psychopath that just poofed him for trying to help me?
Spinel holds her head in her hands.
Steven: If you don't, everyone on earth would die!
Spinel sniffled, sat there for a while and pondered. What would she say? What would he say? How is she going to get him to trust her again? After a while, she got up, grabbed Steven and pulled him towards the warp pad.
Spinel: I'll try.
•~Trans. Int. Beach House~•
Inside the house, Pearl and Amethyst anxiously waits for Steven, while -Garnet picks up and examines a spork curiously.
Amethyst: If he finds her, he'll come back here, right?
Steven walks down the stairs.
Steven: Guys! Guess who's back?!
Steven turns to Spinel, who is cowering.
Steven: Come on down!
Spinel: Won't they all be... not exactly incredibly thrilled to see me like this?
Spinel points at her face, and waves her finger in circles as she says
Steven: We just have to talk to them.
Steven holds Spinel's hands and leads her downstairs.
Steven: Ta-da!
Pearl: W-W-W-W-W-WHAT?!?!
(Most of) The Crystal Gems immediately get defensive. Pearl quickly summons her spear in reflex, while Amethyst summons her whip.
-Garnet: Oh, Spinel! Did you change your hair?
Steven holds out his hands.
Steven: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Spinel got her memories back, but she's not gonna hurt us. Everything's chill.
Lion's portal suddenly opens and he leaps out of it, with Connie riding on his back, wearing a space camp uniform and brandishing her sword. Lion slides across the floor and Connie jumps off him, landing next to Pearl.
Connie: Hah! I'm here! Where's the fight?!
Connie swings her sword around, violently.
Steven: Don't fight! Everything's chill.
The gems put their weapons down.
Amethyst: So... what's happening?
Steven and Spinel walk down the stairs while Spinel rubs her hands together, anxious.
Steven: Spinel has gotten over the loss of Pink Diamond, but she needs Taaffeite.
Spinel doesn't say anything, and doesn't move, other than nodding her head after Steven finished.
Amethyst: Hm. I've got an eye on her, though.
Pearl: Where is he anyways?
Spinel gets Taaf's gem, and holds it towards them.
Spinel explained what had lead up to this happening. At the end of her speech, she looked down at Taaf's gem in shame.
Pearl: Well, then we need him to ref-
As if on cue (but still interrupting, in Taaf's nature), Taaf's gem started glowing. Spinel panicked and set his gem on the floor. When he had fully reformed, he looked around, and panicked.
Spinel: Taaf!
Spinel went in for a hug. His gem started glowing the same glow, an arrow flew out of his gem and almost flew straight into Spinel's head, but it had stopped abruptly before. Everyone looked over, and Spinel flinched, giving Taaf the perfect opportunity to get his trash can lid and arrow back, to fly away.
By the time the pink gem had looked back over, Taaf was already gone.
Spinel: Huh?
Everyone looked over, and Steven walked out and saw nothing. He looked down, up, left and right. Nothing.
Steven: Taaffeite is... gone.
All gems' eyes widened.
All went out to find Taaf. They spread out around Beach City, while Garnet just walked around the sand, still confused.
•~Timeskip, cos i dont like this~•
In about 3 hours, Connie was the one who ended up finding Taaf. He had punched a huge fucking hole in a storage unit. How sneaky. He was curled up into a ball, practicing tricks with his arrow. Connie had secretly texted Steven and told him Taaf's location.
As Connie sees the gems coming, she sneaks another look at Taaf, only to see him silently crying as he slides his sword out of his gem, with the blank stare, looking at the wall. At the sight, Connies eyes widen. In fear, she calls Lion and points at Taaf, and Lion grabs him, and runs to the gems, leaving Connie to run and catch up. As Lion reaches the others, Taaf looks up at them in fear.
•~Trans. Into the Beach House, temporarily being known as the 'Interrogation chamber.'~•
Spinel had specifically requested to be alone during the questioning.
Spinel: So... why?
Taaf: Why what?
Spinel: Why did you leave?
Taaf: Well, not only had you poofed me, but you had the audacity to try and hug me right after I had reformed, like nothing fucking happened.
Spinel got the sad look in her eyes.
Spinel: I just... I realized right after I went a bit wacko what I did, and I felt a wash of shame and even more loneliness.
Spinel sat down, and helt her head in her hands.
Spinel: I really do love you... I'm sorry if I go a bit crazy at times, but... I guess at the time I had though the others were my friends... and then they abandoned me. After that, the big Pink situation got me a bit down, and I just felt like I was going crazy...
Just hearing that made Taaf start to tear up. He sat next to Spinel and started to rub her backs in circles.
Spinel: I don't want your forgiveness, I don't deserve it... but I want to do at least this for the folks here on earth-
Spinel was cut off by Taaf grabbing her chin and tilting it over to him, to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. Spinel only had to sit there in shock and surprise for a moment, before shooting back:
Spinel: I... I really missed your lips.
Taaf: So did I. Well... It's nice to know you still care about me.
Taaf gave Spinel a big hug, and she grabbed his arm and hung hers there.
Taaf: Sorry for... making a big deal out of things.
Spinel: It wasn't you making a big deal, it was just me being childish.
They sat there for a while before they heard banging on the door. They looked over and saw Steven with his panicked expression.
Spinel: Oh, right, uh... we need to take that out of the earth.
Taaf: Epic.
•~Trans. Lighthouse Hill•~
Back on the hill, Spinel and Taaffeite's Injector continues to pump more poison into the Earth, as a lightning storm brews overhead. Peridot, Bismuth, and Lapis are still observing the situation on the hill. Peridot zooms in on the Injector schematic with her tablet, which shows them a dire development.
Lapis: That sounds bad.
Bismuth: That looks bad.
Peridot: That is bad! We're hitting critical mass.
Steven: Then I guess we're just in time.
Peridot, Bismuth, and Lapis flinch in shock, as the rest of the Gems approach from behind.
Peridot: Steven! What's the status on those two kooks!?
Steven: They're back, and here to help.
Spinel and Taaf walk closer to their injector, examining for a bit, before Spinel turns her finger into a horn and blows into it, and Taaf stomps audibly, and pretty fucking forceful. The Injector begins to retract its legs and drill, removing itself from the Earth's crust. Everyone cheers at this development.
Connie: Okay. Can someone fill me in?
Steven sighs in relief.
Steven: Thank you guys...
Taaf: Hey, no problem.
Spinel: Aww, gee. What are friends for?
Steven: Okay. We've almost cleaned up this mess. Now, all we need are Garnet's memories and my powers, and we can all get back to living happily ever after. What could work for Garnet? Something about fusion... Something about love...
Taaf butts in.
Taaf: But... what about us?
Steven looks over at Taaf.
Steven: Huh?
Taaf: Is that all you needed us for? To turn off the Injector?
Steven: No! Well... Sort of, but-
Taaf: Well, what now? We... we did what you wanted. I-Is that it?
Steven: Well, yeah. We can just... forget this whole thing ever happened.
Taaf: How you gonna forget with me and her around? We are the all your current problems. Why are you pretending that you want us here? What's your plan for us now, huh? You gonna put us somewhere? You gonna leave us somewhere!?
Steven: Taaffeite?
Before Steven can console Taaf, he smacks his hand away, knocking him back. The Rejuvenator slides out of his pocket. Upon seeing the axe-like weapon, Amethyst and Pearl jump away from the weapon, except for -Garnet, who looks at it curiously.
-Garnet: Oh, what's this?
She says as she proceeds to pick up the weapon.
Steven: G-Garnet, do-don't touch that!
Steven rushes towards Garnet and snatches the Rejuvenator away from Garnet, just as she turns it on. Spinel looks at in in shock, as Taaf backs up, pushing Spinel behind him to protect her.
Taaf, semi-scared: W-why do you have that?
Steven looks the weapon anxiously.
Steven: I-I was just carrying it. I-I didn't have anywhere else to put it.
Spinel: Weren't you the one who said "We can just forget this ever happened"? You mean, we can just forget this ever happened!
Spinel begins with her hysterical laugh, as Taaf stands up straight.
Taaf: What a plan, Universe! You get us to turn this fucker off, you work your magic to get this fucker back to normal-
Taaf points at -Garnet, who is picking individual pieces of dead grass.
Taaf: You get your gem powers to come back, You get us to let out guards down, then you get rid of us, yeah? Slice us in half and then get us to stop bothering you? Yeah? You want us to go back to when we were more 'Likable!?'
Taaf starts laughing as well. He nudges Spinel with his shoulder.
Taaf: Good luck little guy, I'm not going down without a good fight.
Spinel turns her finger into a horn and blows into it as Taaf enlarges his foot to get a better stomp, commanding the Injector once more as it hovers on the Crystal Gems.
Peridot: RUN FOR IT!
Everyone runs away in fear as the Injector plunges into the earth's crust, as Taaf lets out a scream, to be heard by everyone in the city.
How're you going m8. no update in a while, apologies, i got covd, then depression. but hey we're ending the Spinel Saga, so maybe i'll get more into the free form writing style soon, which means (maybe) more consistent chapters. i'm glad that people are still following me at this point, especially since i've been thinking about discontinuing this book for lack of updates for a while. Really trying my best to find time to work around essays and sleep to find a way to write more, which ended up in a bad sleep schedule, but hey, that's just the way of the jungle. that's how the cookie crumbles. that's how the scrimmage sckumpls. anyways
word count: 2994
love y'all