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"Really??? How did you get them to stop?"
"I met a little someone named Steveeen Universe! And he told me.. AAAIIII CAN MAKE A CHANGE, YOU CAN MAKE A PROMISE~"
Steven quickly interrupts with "Gah don't give my own advice!" shortly before he starts to turn pink, his face inflating for a moment.
"YOU CAN MA-" Spinel quickly stops singing and looks at him with concern saying, "Hey steven, whats the mattah? You look like you're about to explode or somethin."
Steven shoves Spinel though he only manages to stretch out her neck and limbs as her body moves back. He turning away as his skin starts to glow pink responds, "You can't make everything better by singing some stupid song! I know that better than anyone!"
Taken aback, Spinel looks at Steven with a worried look on her face, "Steven?"
Steven, instantly realizing what he's just told spinel immediately becomes fully pink and his body inflates for a second. Steven immediately turns tail and starts running back to the warp pad while shouting back, almost pleadingly "Spinel, I-I'm sorry, I just need to go, leave me alone!"
Spinel watches in shock as he runs off, her stretched limbs falling limp in piles of noodles. Her voice packed with concern and inches from crying manages to sputter out "St-steven... What's wrong..?"
Upon seeing Steven getting close to the warp pad, Spinel realizes she can't let Steven leave like this, she pulls herself together and spring launches herself at steven and the warp pad, managing to just barely make it in as he warps away.
Both of them are floating in a beam of bright light when Steven, glowing pink, looks at her with uncontrollable anger and yells, "I said leave me alone! Why are you following me!?"
Pink light shines across her face from being infront of steven.
Spinel reponds with a surprisingly steady but almost fragile voice while smiling sadly, "I can't just let my best friend feel bad alone Steven..."
Steven shouts again, "I said I'm fine! There's nothing wrong!" His body betraying his feelings as it rapidly shifts and grows and shrinks as he denies there's a problem.
"I'm not blind steven, I was made to be a friend, and I know what it's like to not have anyone there for you! Please, just talk to me!"
Almost as emphasis to her demand, they arrive at their destination. It's darker than they expected. Steven looks around and looks to Spinel before his face contorts in anger, "Why did you bring us here!? What's wrong with you!"
Spinel looks at him with eyes full of worry and fear while glancing around, "Steven... I didn't bring us here.. this is the last place I want to be"
"Then why are we in the garden!?" Steven shouts, shattering some of the stone around the warp pad and flinging Spinel backwards and causing her to slam into one of the gardens pink pillars hard enough to poof her instantly and shatter the pillar sending dust billowing through the air.
Immediately steven's pink glow disappears, "No... No no no no no!" He quickly runs to the rubble pile where Spinel impacted and starts digging through rocks trying to find her gem. His clothes gain a grey pink tint from the dust settling onto his shirt while he works. "Spinel, please, where are you, are you okay?" He pleads, tears starting to well up in his eyes.
After shifting a large section of crystal away from the pile, sending it tumbling down the ziggurat, he spots her, her gem, cracked down the middle. He covers his mouth and gasps as he starts to cry in full force. He cradles her gem to his chest as tears and dust cover the ground.
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Steven moves to the center of the garden and falls to a sitting position. He starts to mutter to himself that he can fix it, it's no problem. He lifts her and kisses the gem right on the crack, healing it with a slight glow. "See? Good as new! You can come back now!"
She doesn't. The garden is silent and empty as Steven waits for her to reform. Steven bites his lip as he watches her gem. "Maybe she just needs some room, here you go!" He says nervously setting her gem into the dead grass below. He watches anxiously for minutes.
But her gem remains still and dull.
With a sudden fear, he remembers Vollyball. Steven starts glowing pink again. He remembers how she was hurt by Rose without her meaning to. Hurt by his mom through a tantrum. He seems to be taller than moments before.
Voice full of realization he says with eyes full of tears, "I'm just like pink. I'm just like mom. That's why we're in the garden. I hurt people and hurt people and I'm never held accountable. I'm a mons-" his breakdown is interrupted by Spinel's gem starting to glow. He breaks into a full blown crying fit, partly relief and partly grief, sobbing.
Steven quickly picks her up again and hugs her gem to him, squeezing out between gasps of air "please Spinel, please be okay."
Spinel's form slowly emerges and glowing arms wrap around Steven as soon as they are created. As the glow fades, Spinel is facing him, hugging him tight
"Are yo-"
"Are you okay?" Spinel asks before Steven can.
With confusion and concern Steven replies "You're the one we should be worried about, you just got poofed! I'm fine!"
Spinel hugs him tighter. "I heard what you said Steven. You're not like her you know.."
Steven looks directly at her in surprise, the pink glow fading from him, "What?"
Spinel's voice is increases in volume and confidence, "You're not a monster either. Steven, you've done nothing but be nice to and help me since I've met you. You've helped me! Now its my turn."
Spinel stands tall infront of Steven, stretching her legs to be taller than him, and holds her hand out for him to help himself up with. She begins to sing, "I can make an effort, if I only understaaand~"
Steven doesn't grab her hand and looks at her in confusion, as if unable to understand what's happening.
Spinel stretches her arms and grabs his hands to pull them closer to her.
"Listen to me steven. I'm sure you've been through a lot, and you must be in a lot of pain. You need to let me help."
Steven pulls his hands back defensively, "No! I'm fine! You don't understand how I feel!"
"That's right, only you do, but you need to share!" She says while reaching down for him again. She starts singing again "You can make it different! You can make it right, you can make it better! You don't have to hiide~!"
Steven looks at her with sadness in his face but quickly looks away to hide it, turning to get up and run.
Spinel snaps her arms out, wrapping then around Steven and forcing him into a hug. She continues her singing but more gently, and full of concern, "You can make an effort! Starting with toniiiight~"
Steven squirms in her grip as she finishes her singing. "Cause youuuuu, you can make a change." Spinel finishes the song by holding Steven to her, her head on his shoulder. She whispers into his ear.
"Just let me help you Steven..."
Steven struggles for a second longer then falls limp against her. "Dont give me my own advice..." He mutters with no force behind it as he starts to sniffle. Steven buries his face against Spinel and starts crying.
Spinel patiently stands and holds Steven looking as if she didn't expect to get this far and as if she doesn't what to do next. She awkwardly starts petting his head. "I mean it Steven, I'm here for you, I wasn't lying when I said i was your best friend."
Spinel slowly shrinks back to her normal height, keeping a hold on Steven while she does so. "I don't think anyone can do it alone though. I certainly didn't. We should talk to the others about getting you help.
Steven shakes his head no.
"Well we can stay here for a bit but I'd rather not be here as long as I was last time, ya know? Have to leave eventually" Spinel say somewhat jokingly.
Steven sighs and then steps back from the hug. He looks defeated but more hopeful. He looks tired. He looks like Steven.
With hesitation he says,
"Okay. Let's go."