Light In the Universe DX

Chapter 19: Spinel

Steven jumped from location to location, checking everywhere for a garden of some kind.

Soon enough, they found exactly what Robert was talking about, the gem standing dormant still.

The three approached her, wading through the overgrown vegetation.

"Hey. What's your name?" Steven asked. She merely glanced at him.

"Can you talk?" Robert asked.

"Hey, Earth to Pink lady! What. Is. Your. Name?" Michael added. Spinel finally reacted.

"Earth?" She replied, her voice sounding raspy and dehydrated. Steven reached in his backpack and pulled out a water bottle and handed it to her. She looked at it confused.

"You sound thirsty," said Robert.

"B-but Pink Diamond told me to stand here. It's our game we're playing. I'm Spinel, by the way" She replied.

"Fun game." Michael replied sarcastically.

"So...she told you to just sit here..."

"Until she comes back!" Spinel interrupted Michael.

"And if she doesn't?"

"Wh-... She'll come back...eventually..."

"Yeah, no. She won't. If she hasn't come back in the time it took for this place to get the way it did, there is no way she's coming back."

Spinel looked like she was about to cry with the little water she consumed.

"But maybe you can play something with us?" Steven asked

"That...sounds nice..." Spinel said, drying her tears. "What...gems are you?"

"We're humans. Earth's residents." Michael replied. "By the way, we didn't just come to pick you up, we...kind of need something from you."

"According to sources, you have the first part of the Sacred Melody." Robert said "We kind of need it to save our mom."

"Oh. That old thing? I haven't sang in a long time, but here goes..."

Take a note, then a harmony

Add some words for a sweet melody.

Steven caught a whiff of a smell from his youth, remembering the time he spent with his dad. He somehow remembered a small dog as a baby. His chest swelled with nostalgia, the magical lyric filling him with joy.

"Archie..." Said Steven, the boys looking at him confused. "A dog Dad had with us when I was little."

With that, the four of them headed for the warp pad.

Meanwhile, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and Emerald were hot on Peridot's trail. Her pod was nowhere to be seen, but it didn't matter. The four chased Peridot into what appeared to be some sort of crashed spaceship long since claimed by time.

If Robert were there, he would say it looks like something Dr. Eggman built. Emerald was thankful the boys were safe at home, the crystal gems losing severely against the green menace and her pod.

With Peridot backed into a corner, Emerald took the opportunity to poof and bubble Peridot before she could finish her excuse.

With a job well done, the Gems head home to find Steven with a new friend, and immediately were on guard.

"Steven- who's your friend?" Pearl asked, trying not to sound alarmed at the familiar gem in the temple.

"Pink's- Pearl." Spinel said "So- is pink diamond here?"

"N-No..." Pearl replied, her hands trembling. "She's... no longer with us..."

"Toldja," Michael remarked.

"W-what?" Spinel sputtered, tears in her eyes "How! W-why?"

"She doesn't value you-."

"We were best friends!" Spinel cried "We played together! W-we sang together! I knew all of her favorite jokes!"

"Look. Spinel...Some people, be they human or gem...aren't nice. Some people can and will take advantage of you if given the chance. If not a clout-chasing ween, then you have something they want and will drop you the minute they get it." Michael replied.

"But we like you for you." Steven replied.

"That, and you've finally been providing an actual challenge to me." added Robert, referring to Spinel's win screen in the videos game they were playing.

"Th-then what?" Asked Spinel, drying her tears.

"Then we'll play some more later. We can't play all the time, mind you. But if we can find the time to play with you, then we will." Steven replied.

"O-okay." Spinel said "It beats being alone-."

Spinel tried to smile, but the knowledge that her diamond was gone weighed heavily upon her. Maybe, maybe these odd gems could help her forget about it.

Suddenly, Robert's phone rang. After a few minutes of talking, Robert went to head out. He was going to hang out with Audrey at Fun Land.

Meanwhile, Steven, Michael, Lily, and Spinel stood alongside the Crystal Gems, as the Gems had no idea what to do with Pink Diamond's Spinel.

"We can't just let her run amuck." Pearl murmured as Spinel played with some of the tools in the kitchen. "What if she gets information back to homeworld."

"What's wrong with Homeworld?" Spinel asked, having heard them. Michael was about to speak up, but Pearl covered his mouth.

"You see, Homeworld...doesn't like Earth. They don't want humans to exist. We saw that as wrong, and we swore to protect Earth and its inhabitants." Pearl replied.

"Pink- pink really liked earth." Spinel said, her gaze and pigtails drooping. Pearl had an idea.

"Well, the rest of Homeworld didn't. They thought Earth needed to be drilled for resources, which would kill every living creature on this planet. Robert, Michael, and Steven wouldn't exist."

"The humans are nice- but- I just wish Pink was still here." Spinel said. Pearl was about to say something, but she knew she couldn't. She couldn't let it come out. Steven and Pearl hugged Spinel, hoping it would make her feel better.

Spinel dried her tears a bit. "Thank you all." she said, trying to perk back up. She danced a bit, trying to get into the routine she would perform for pink. Steven encouraged her, joined by everyone else.