December- "189,341,712,000"
To Spinel, it felt as though she had been counting for her entire existence. The sky above her was darkening once more, another day having gone by while she stayed dedicated to Pink’s game.
189,342,916,864…
Over however long it had been since her friend left, the organic plants around her had started to die. Vines and roots grew rampant, crawling up her ankles while the leaves and flowers dried to yellow husks.
189,342,916,865…
She wanted to pry the vines from her skin, but she couldn’t break Pink’s rules! She couldn’t lose the game! When Pink came back and saw that she hadn’t moved, she would smile, and laugh, before coming up with another game instead.
189,342,916,866…
She couldn’t remember when she had started counting. Maybe it was the last time she saw the glow of the warp pad.
The last time she saw Pink.
Pink had been so excited to show her this game, and Spinel couldn’t disappoint her. Any moment now, Pink would be back, and they could juggle, or play tag!
189,342,916,878…
Any moment now, the glow of the warp would bring her friend back to her.
189,342,916,880…
Aaaany second now.
189,342,916,887…
Spinel stared on, watching for that telltale light.
It had to be soon.
…right?
189,342,916,898…
. . .
Everything changed suddenly, in the time it would take for a small piece of chipped pillar to fall to the ground.
One moment she was counting the seconds, playing the game, and the next, a crack rang out across the now-bright sky.
Suddenly a shadow covered the light, and for the first time in six-thousand years, Spinel turned her head.
The pillar nearby was falling.
SHe had a sudden reaction, diving out of the way as it crashed into the ground. The Pillar broke into pieces where she had once stood, and she was jarred enough to not feel the pain as her jaw banged against the dirtied tiles beneath her.
She was frozen, eyes wide as the garden had taken on a higher viewpoint. There was a small shriveled plant in front of her nose, its leaves yellow and dry.
She had stopped counting.
She had moved, breaking the only ruse of Pink’s most important game.
. . .
She hadn’t realized how much she actually missed moving until she started to do so again, pacing back and forth as her hands twitched. She was upset at her own actions, knowing that Pink would be sad when she saw that Spinel had lost her game.
After a few hours of pacing Spinel approached the warp, looking down at the dull blue surface. She hesitated, knowing that Pink would be sad to see her.
Spinel’s entire purpose was to be her best friend, to make her happy.
Sure, Pink would be sad, but maybe Spinel could help her be happy again; She could see her again, instead of waiting there in the garden.
She inhaled deeply, swiping her gloved hands over the warp’s surface. The dust raised in a cloud, and Spinel waved it away before stepping onto the cool blue stone.
She closed her eyes, before light filled the back of her eyelids.
. . .
When the light faded, she was in a gigantic room, every surface bright and shiny. Four thrones of varying size sat in the back, and various clumps of gems wandered around.
She had been there before, although not often. She wasn’t supposed to leave the garden, although hopefully no one would be mad that she did this time.
One time, Pink had brought her to this throne room for a ball. Spinel had fun, grabbing the Jades and dancing wildly with them to make Pink smile, jumping up and singing along with the musician, and making it feel more like a party rather than a boring ball.
She had tried to get Pink to join in and play with her, but she wouldn’t.
She had looked the opposite of happy.
That was the last time Pink brought her to Homeworld.
. . .
She started walking around, wondering where she could find Pink. She tried to ask a few gems that crossed her path, but they seemed to take one look and avoid her.
She didn’t understand why that happened; wasn’t she designed to be approachable?
Eventually she came across a massive set of blue doors, and when they slid open, she saw a gorgeous room.
The room was bright with natural light, giant soft-looking blue clouds floating on various levels, a large gem of the same hue resting on some of them.
Spinel slowly approached her, worried about seeing the Diamond again after this long. Would Blue Diamond even remember her?
“H-Hello?” She called awkwardly. She heard the creak in her own voice from lack of use, and with a slight tinge of surprise she realized that she had forgotten what her own voice sounded like.
. . .
Blue Diamond’s eyes drifted open slowly, taking in the little gem who had called for her. The gem was pink, covered in dirt, and some of her hair had come out of her heart-shaped buns.
Her eyes suddenly snapped open, remembering this gem.
. . .
Suddenly there were tears in Blue Diamond’s eyes as she looked down at her, and Spinel tilted her head slightly.
“Are you… Pink’s little playmate?” the Diamond asked softly. Spinel nodded solemnly, and Blue held out a giant hand. Her other hand touched one of the clouds, and the tears disappeared.
She lifted Spinel up to see her better, further messing up Spinel’s hair as she ruffled it with her thumb.
“I- I don’t know what’s going on. Where’s Pink?” Spinel asked, her voice cracking.
“Oh…” Blue reached her other hand to another cloud again, holding it between her fingers as she continued. Her eyes softened, her voice a whisper that echoed within Spinel’s mind.
“...She’s gone.”
“What?”
Spinel’s eyes were blown wide, and she felt to be the size of one of Pink’s pebbles.
“When she received her colony…” Blue continued, holding the cloud in her other hand like her stability depended on it. “...She left us. She had a… son.”
She looked back down at Spinel, her eyes empty. “She's… not coming back. At least, not any time soon.”
Spinel froze.
Blue had to be lying.
Pink couldn’t be gone!
She didn’t like playing this game anymore.
“No.” She said under her breath, the thousands of years she spent stuck in place running through her head.
She felt an intense pain, as though the mere idea of Pink being gone was prying the heart-shaped gem from her chest.
“NO!”
Blue Diamond leaned back slightly as Spinel shouted at the top of her lungs, and Spinel took the opportunity to turn and run, leaping off her hand and stretching her limbs to get down safely.
She didn’t stop running as she ran back to the ballroom, seeing a yellow Quartz standing on the warp pad about to use it. She stretched her arms, grabbing them roughly by the shoulders and pulling them in so they could see the dangerous look in her crazed eyes.
“Take me to Earth.” She said dangerously, and the Quartz quickly nodded.
. . .
They arrived in a dome of glass, and barely a moment after she stepped off the warp, the Quartz warped away again. She pried the metal door off the dome with her bare hands, throwing it so hard it cracked the thick glass of the dome behind her. She stormed on the wooden deck, rage fueling her actions.
She kicked down the door of the wooden building, seeing an organic with puffy black hair and a red shirt with a stupid yellow star on it.
Her tears hit the wood of the floor below her, her hands clenched into fists, and her eyes were wide and manic. One of her buns had completely broken, her spiky hair spilling out around her right shoulder.
The Organic’s eyes widened, but before they could jump up, she stretched her limbs to grab them and pull them in close, inches away from her face so they could look in her eyes.
“WHAT DID YOU DO TO PINK!?”