No words could describe how glad Spinel was. Not only were both Steven and Peridot okay, but they had also bubbled the whole Cluster, stopping it from forming and destroying the Earth! Now she knew for a fact they had saved the Earth, and that their former attempts from the past weren't all for not.
Peridot was busy telling them the story she and Steven went through. She was shocked at first when Steven told them that he had talked to the Cluster itself, but she was happy he wasn't harmed in the tiniest bit.
Yet... there was someone she was still worried about.
Lapis.
Of course, she knew Lapis wasn't hurt, but all those months of keeping Jasper in the ocean had really left her tired, unable to move much at all. All Spinel could wish was comfort the blue Gem, to hug and cuddle with her until she felt better. But she knew she needed time alone, and she respected that.
Spinel knew she would respect every choice that Lapis would make.
That night...
"Are you sure about this?" Spinel gently asked. After several hours, she and Steven (who was also concerned) decided to visit her, only to find her recovered and about to leave.
"Yeah," Steven agreed, "There's so much to see here on Earth."
Lapis didn't turn to look at them, "I have to. I... don't belong here on Earth, not with the Crystal Gems. I never have."
"... If that's what you want, we won't stop you," said Spinel. She truly didn't want Lapis to leave so soon, but she could never make someone stay against their will.
"Wish we could've hung out more," Steven added, "It feels like we only get to see you when something horrible is going on."
Lapis turned her head and smiled sadly, "That's just how it is with me. Thank you Steven… Spinel… Goodbye. Again."
"Goodbye…" They both replied, teary-eyed.
Lapis took off into the night sky, disappearing from sight. Spinel continued waving before stopping and placing her hands on Steven's shoulders. She hoped the blue Gem would come back.
After all; the more, the merrier.
Right?
The next day, after chatting with Peridot, and seeing how she was going to stay in the barn, Spinel walked outside. She had lingering feeling in her gemstone, still thinking about Lapis. Where could she have really gone to?
Homeworld? Definitely not.
"Hey Spinel!" Steven ran to her, cutting her thoughts, "Have you seen Lion around?"
Spinel blinked, but got what he meant, "I-I'm afraid not. Let's go look for him, shall we?"
With a cheerful nod, the two wandered around the area, trying to find the giant pink feline. However, they noticed something else on top of the silo. Something not giant, not pink, and not a feline.
"Lapis?"
With Steven sitting on her shoulders, Spinel climbed to the top of the silo, careful not to fall off, and sat down next to her.
"Hey," She murmured, "We thought you left."
The blue Gem sighed, "I was leaving, then I realized I've got nowhere to go. Who knows what they would do to me back home after what I did to Jasper? I can't go back to Homeworld and I can't stay here."
Spinel nodded a bit, not blaming the poor Gem for what had happened.
Steven seemed to think of something, "Hey! Why don't Spinel and I take you for a tour around the tri-state area?"
"A… tour?" Lapis stared at them.
Spinel gave her a bright smile, "Of course! We can show you around the place you'd like to stay in. There's many places other than the barn and Beach City."
Steven began counting on his fingers, "There's Surf City, Sea City, Aquatown, Bayburgh... Those are just the places I know."
"And there's more than just those places!" Spinel added, "Besides, it never hurts to look."
"Um..." Lapis thought for a moment, "... Okay then."
As Lapis summoned her water wings, Spinel placed Steven on her back and she shifted into a swallow.
"Couldn't you carry Steven?" Lapis lifted Steven on her back.
Spinel shrugged midair, "Not when I can't fly or in this size. Now let's go!"
"Yay!" Steven cheered as both Lapis and Spinel took flight. They traveled through the skies, flying over a moving train and through the forest ahead.
"How about this?" Steven suggested, "You could live out here in the country! There's no noise, no rules, and it'd just be you becoming one with nature."
Spinel laughed a bit, "That's if you can handle the sounds of the birds, squirrels, and the rest of the wildlife!"
Lapis tilted her head, "Birds? Squirrels? Wildlife?" She dove underneath the trees, Spinel joining her side, avoiding the branches in front of them.
Steven ducked his head under a large branch, "Whoa! Ha ha! Yeah, this place has great shelter! You can protect yourself from the rain and snow by the sticks and leaves. Be careful though, the leaves change color and fall depending on the season."
"But why?"
"The plantlife need to rest as the cold season, known as winter hits," Spinel answered her as they flew above the trees, "In the spring and summer, they're green, but in the fall, they turn red, orange, and yellow. In winter, they fall off and the trees rest."
"Wow…" Lapis gazed at the sight with amazement, "But maybe not here."
"Alright," Steven nodded in understanding, looking at his GPS on his phone, "There's still other places we can show you! Come on!"
"Onward!" Spinel flew ahead, prompting Lapis to follow after her.
By the time they reached Empire City, night slowly began to fall. Lapis also didn't like the thought of living in a bright, loud city. Even in Jersey, where people seemed to hate Earth, the three of them flew off above the clouds, laughing.
"Wow!" Steven gaped, "It's so beautiful up here!"
Lapis didn't really share his excitement, smiling anyway, "Eh, it's alright. I guess I can see why you like it."
"I'll have to agree with Lapis," said Spinel, "I've seen the stars many, many times before."
The blue Gem then got an idea and smirked at Steven, "Hold on!"
Before Spinel knew it, Lapis sped up and did a loop-de-loop, dropping Steven in the process. Spinel let out a shriek of fear, but immediately calmed when Lapis caught him.
"Don't EVER do that again!" Spinel nearly yelled at her, both panicked but relieved.
Lapis chuckled nervously in response, "Sorry Spinel, I couldn't help it."
Spinel sighed, only smiling when Steven was laughing from the excitement. By now, the full moon shone above them, and Spinel noticed they were flying over the ocean.
"Whoa, it's getting late," She noted, "And we're already at the ocean."
Steven narrowed his eyes when he caught something else, "Wait… Oh! It's the Galaxy Warp! Cool."
Lapis stared intensely at the warp, slowly loosening her grip on the boy. Spinel noticed, squawking at the blue Gem before she could drop her boy. Steven was also nearly yelled at Lapis that he was going to fall, but she quickly grabbed him tightly.
"S-Sorry!" Lapis apologized, "I'm sorry…"
They flew to the Galaxy Warp, Spinel shifting back to her normal form and Lapis solemnly stepped over to the broken main warp.
"This is where I was abandoned…" She spoke.
Spinel's eyes glittered with sympathy, "Oh Lapis…" She walked over to the other Gem, running a hand down her back and Steven joined her side.
"What happened?" He asked.
Silently, Lapis began to use her powers, creating walls of water surrounding the warp and the water pooled around their feet. The blue Gem walked over to the main warp, flooding it and projecting a crystal-clear surface. Both Steven and Spinel stared into it.
"It's like a mirror…" Steven whispered.
Lapis told her story, the water showing her memories, "It was thousands of years ago. I was only meant to visit for a short time, but I got caught in the middle of the war. It was awful. I tried to run, but… I was picked up by a Homeworld soldier and confused for a Crystal Gem, and used as a tool. They'd asked me 'Show us your base!', 'Where is your leader?' I didn't know. I couldn't say I'm not one of them. It soon became clear that there was no hope in stopping the rebellion. All of the Homeworld Gems fled, and all the panic of escaping Earth, I was left behind. And there I stayed. Freedom in my sight, but out of reach for ages, until I was found."
The last image Lapis could show was Spinel, appearing slightly different, seeing the mirror and grabbed hold of it. Spinel cringed as her former self gasped in shock, the rest of the Crystal Gems trying to snatch it out of her hands.
The vision faded, and Lapis finally let go of the water, Spinel catching her before she could collapse.
"Are you okay?" Steven asked gently.
Lapis lifted her head, "I'll be fine." She straightened up.
"Lapis... I'm sorry I couldn't free you earlier," Spinel mumbled, feeling guilty.
The blue Gem saw the genuine look in her eyes, "It's... okay. Should we go back?"
"Yeah, that sounds great," Spinel looked up at the moon, "It's getting late."
Shifting back into a swallow, Spinel flew up, followed by Lapis (with Steven on her back), and they flew away from the Galaxy Warp.
"For a moment, I really felt like things were different." Lapis vented, "But they're not. No matter where I go, I'm trapped."
"But you're not," Steven responded, "You're not underwater, you're not in a mirror. This time, you're free!"
"But I'm still on Earth."
Spinel decided to speak up, "And so are we. But you wanna know why we're staying here? Because the Earth doesn't keep 'still', it changes every day, every month, and every year! And believe me, I knew what it was like to keep still in one place for a long time. Why do you think I wanna make friends with you?"
Lapis stared at her, almost awestruck.
"You don't have to be alone anymore. You don't even need Jasper. You have us. We promise, Lapis, we wanna make you feel as you're safe and sound here. If you have anyone you want to talk to, you can come to me."
The blue Gem couldn't respond, only biting her lip in thought.
When they got back to the barn, Lapis placed Steven down and Spinel changed back to her normal form once more.
"I know you can't go back to Homeworld," said Steven, "but if you stay here, it'll be your choice to stay here."
Spinel nodded, "He's right. You are always welcome here on Earth."
Lapis blinked, then clasped her hair, "Gee... thanks. I never took the time to see Earth."
"It's no problem!" Spinel smiled kindly.
Lapis almost felt some kind of pressure lift off her shoulders. "So... I can stay?"
Both Spinel and Steven nodded, "Yeah!"
Almost at once, Lapis brightened up, "Then I'm staying!"
"Like... here here?" Steven asked.
"Here here!" Lapis chirped.
Suddenly, Peridot popped in, "Yes, 'hear hear' everybody..." She paused from confusion, "What are we talking about?"
"You?!" Lapis backed away.
Spinel laughed nervously, "Heeeey Lapis!" She sneaked behind the green Gem, "You remember Peridot! Now, before you get mad, or scared, or both, I'd like to say she's not planning to lock you, ask you for information, and nearly get you killed again!"
Lapis stared at them, very wary.
Peridot cleared her throat, "Ahem. Hello there, Lazuli. It's nice to see you again." She held out her hand for a handshake.
However, Lapis glowered a bit and crossed her arms, refusing the handshake. Immediately, Spinel and Steven became worried. Of course, they couldn't blame her for being so hesitant, despite their conversation.
Spinel knew this was going to be a challenge.