Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Arc 1 Understanding what is going on
Chapter 2 Message to the Universe 1: Confusion |complete
Chapter 3 Message to the Universe 2: Again |started
Chapter 4 Message to the Universe 3-5: Learnig how to help |not started
Chapter 5 Jungle Moon 1: Ok thats new |not started
Chapter 6 Message to the Universe 6: History Lesson |not started
Chapter 7 The Trial 1: Off Color adventure |not started
Chapter 8 The Zoo 1: Lets take a look at the menagerie |not started
Chapter 9 Warp Toor 1: Bonke|not started
Chapter 10 Ocean Gem 1: Hey Lapis|not started
Chapter 11 Steven's Birth 1: Spinels no good terrible decade |not started
Chapter 12 Message to the Universe 31: Shapeshifting 101 |not started
Chapter 13 Greg's adolescence 1: Spinel Spring the magician |not started
Chapter 14 Corruption Song 1: Bubbled |not started
Chapter 15 Pink's Shattering 1: Corrupted |not started
Chapter 16 The Answer 1: A new game |not started
Chapter 17 Lets play a game 1: Ops i lost :) |not started
Chapter 18 Jungle Moon 2: Retry |not started
Chapter 19 Message to the Universe 61: Rules |not started
Chapter 20 Rebirth 1: Exeption tha proves the rule |not started

Arc 2 Having fun as Spinel
Arc 3 Shapeshifting shenanigans
Arc 4 Holografic horseplay
Arc 5 Fusion frolicsomeness

Chapter Text

Loop 1

Spinel was incredibly confused, one moment she is talking with Volleyball, the next she is opening her eyes in The Garden.

‘Was I dreaming all this time? Was none of that real?’ She looked around trying to find an answer somewhere.

‘No, if all that were to be a dream, how would I know what a dream was? So… this must be a nightmare.’ She looked at herself to confirm her suspicions, finding her old form with the vines still stuck to her shoes.

‘Yup definitely a nightmare but when did I go to sle-.‘ Her thoughts where interrupted by the sound of the communicator activating and a familiar message starts to play.

Insert the message to the universe.

'Ok probably not a nightmare. Steven’s message wouldn’t play in any of my nightmares. So, what is happening?’ Deciding that she wouldn't find the answer there, Spinel started to walk towards de warp pad, ripping the vines that clutched her to her spot.

‘I can move, that's another point to this not being a nightmare.’ She thought will crossing the small distance.

Stopping on the warp pad Spinel thought her she should warp to. 'Probably best to go to Earth Steven or the rest of the gems should be my best option for what append’. With that Spinel warped to Little Homeworld.

Finding herself in the centre of the small-town Spinel didn’t think twice before beelining to the lighthouse, only greeting any gem that crossed her path since her mind has working on what to say when she arrived at her destination. ‘ “Hi there, I’m Spinel and I think that I’m dreaming?”… No, they would think that I’m crazy… “Steven hi, would you believe me if I said that Pink Diamond-” no, no one likes exposition…’

Steven was having a good morning: he finished his work with the Diamonds, talked with Connie (receiving a kiss from her), hanged out with the gems and was now resting on the hill near the lighthouse, today couldn’t be more perfect so he asks Garnet: “How’s the future look, Garnet? Do we all stay just like this forever?”.

The fusion adjusted her glasses before siting up and shouting a powerful “No!”.

Confusion passes through is mind letting escape a single “Hun?” before looking expectantly at Garnet, how was now mirroring Stevens internal confusion if her face was any indicator.

After a minute of awkward silence, the fusion responded, “I saw multiple futures where a giant Injector descends toward us, but nothing is happening.”

Suddenly an unfamiliar voice reached his ears “Hey do any of you know what is going on?”

‘Perfect Spinel just perfect. Now they are definitely confused. Why can’t I do anything correctly the first try! Ok let’s do some damage control.’ “I-” she started to talk but was immediately cut off by Garnet:

“You are the one that’s supposed to ride the Injector. What are you doing here? And why are you so different from my vision?”

‘“The one” not the Spinel, not insufferable clown so I think I can cross of dream and nightmare out of the list’ Spinel thought ‘now all that’s left is that I am broken or that I went back in time’. “There was a change of plans when I realized that- Wait different? Care to elaborate Garnet?”

The fusion looked uncertain if she should answer her question for a moment before responding “Your form is completely different, and your gem is upside down.”

After hearing that, she finally realized that she didn’t poof nor did she alter her form.

“Oh that… yeah, I just… you see I… forgot to charge my form???” she tried.

“What? How does that make any sense? Wait Spinel?!” Pearl screeched.

“You know her, Pearl?” Steven whispered.

“Look it doesn’t matter why didn’t change my form.” Since she couldn’t make things better, she decided to just stop stalling and get over with it. “Any way yes, I’m Spinel and I’m reliving the past and I don’t know if this is real or if my gem is broken so can you help me?”

Awkward silence filed the air will the Crystal Gems try to process what Spinel just said making her more nervous until Steven spoke. “What were you doing and where were you before you were sent back?”

“I was just talking with Volly- I mean Pink Pearl on some old ocean temple that she wanted to see why-?”

Steven interrupted “Did you have an hourglass one you?”

“Hourglass? I don’t think I had any on me but there were many close by before I-” she was a interrupted again.

“I think that I know what append, you might have used one of the prototypes for the glass of time. What were you two talking about?”

“WE were talking… were talking about…” Spinel trailed off.

“What? You were talking about what?” Steven questioned.

“I can’t seem to remember… is that bad?” Another moment of awkward silence past before Pearl responded.

“The glass of time was created so it transported the user backwards in time if the user made a wish but if you used a prototype, we don’t know what it does or how it operates so …” Pearl sopped speaking.

“Your trapped in the past.” Garnet finished.

“Oh… That’s something.” Spinel frown for a second before smiling and saying “Welp good morning I´m Spinel, Pink Diamond’s best friend who she left standing for 6000 years on a garden, pleasure to re-meet you.”

After telling what had append to her originally, having a day of relaxing, reforming into her preferred form and going to Homeworld with the Diamonds Spinel started to reform her friendships and in less than a moth thing started to feel normal for the pink gem, so much so that she forgot that she has in the past so when Steven came to Homeworld after a year…

“Spinel, do you know here the Diamonds are?” Steven

“Hello to you to Steven, didn’t Pearl teach you manners or Amethyst made you forget them?”

“Sorry I’m in a bit of a hurry.” Steven said slightly ashamed.

“They are in their rooms. Why? Is there something you need to ask them?” Spinel responded.

“Oh, is nothing to worry about. Just diamond things.” Steven lied as convincingly as he could while starting to leave the room.

“If you say so, have a good meeting and say hi from me to them.”

“I will.” Steve shouted as he ran out of the throne room.

‘Why do I fell déjà vu? Meh it’s probably nothing. Now what was a doing… ah yes voting for the gem president’ Spinel approached the voting booth finding to familiar gems in the projectors.

‘Oh, right I’m in the past Blue Zircon hasn’t been elected yet…’ that’s when it dawns on her what Steven was doing. ‘Dam it! How could I forget! I must warn White about-’ her thoughts here stopped by a miniature earthquake and with that she started running towards White’s room.

Spinel didn’t make it in time Steven has nowhere to be found and even with her explaining to the Diamonds when they reached Earth Steven had already been corrupted.

 ‘I’ve failed. I could have helped but I did nothing. Why did I do nothing? Why didn’t I use the opportunity that I was given?’

After the master hug™ and uncorrupting Steven, Spinel locked herself in Pink’s her room so she could cry and suddenly…