The Bagge family were watching TV in the living room. Muriel and Eustace sat in their chairs, while Courage and Spinel sat on the rug. Outside of the farmhouse, a white semitrailer truck parked about 20 feet away. It had "WHO" written on both sides of the cargo trailer, with purple font. And beneath the letters was a small logo of the "World Health Organization". Le Quack and Katz were in the driver's cab and they dressed up as if they were employees. They both stepped out of the truck and looked at the farmhouse. They grinned with delight.
"Wait here!", Le Quack smiled, "I'll ring the door bell. And once I give a thumbs up, you throw the little box onto the ground. That is how the trap springs out!" Katz nodded as he quietly chuckled. Le Quack sprinted towards the farmhouse as quickly as he could. Once he got there, he quickly rung the door bell and sought to catch his breath. The Bagge family turned as they heard the door bell.
"Go see who it is!", Eustace barked. He shoves Spinel towards the door. Spinel gave him a dirty look, but walked towards the door. She opened to find a still-panting Le Quack disguised as an employee. The duck looked up to see the Gem and he awkwardly smiled as he pointed towards the truck. Spinel glanced at the truck logo and she was perplexed by the name.
"It's WHO!", Spinel exclaimed.
"That's what I'm asking you!", Eustace spat, "Who's out there?!"
"Yes!", Spinel sighed, "WHO is out there!" Muriel curiously looked on, while Courage was just confused.
"Why are you asking me that?!", Eustace argued, "You're by the door!"
"Yes, but I ain't asking ya!", Spinel shouted, "I'm telling you! WHO is out there!"
"I'm asking you who's out there!", Eustace yelled.
"I already told you WHO is out there!", Spinel shouted.
"I don't know!", Eustace barked, "You tell me!" Muriel was now giggling, while Courage was getting even more confused. He hopped to the door to see what was going on. He immediately realizes that Le Quack was right in front of him, for the dog could see through that disguise. The duck grinned sinisterly at him and then gave a thumbs up. In response, Courage screamed until his ears turned into ash. Spinel did not pay attention to this, as she was still focused on the truck.
"WHO's got a truck!", Spinel exclaimed.
"I do, ya stupid Gem!", Eustace spat.
"No, WHO's got a truck!", Spinel argued.
"What are you asking me for?!", Eustace snapped. Muriel was beginning to laugh. Courage was tugging Spinel's arm to get her to notice him. She turned to the dog to see what was wrong. That's when they heard something getting smashed outside. They turned to the front door and noticed a giant bubble was beginning to emerge from a broken little box. The bubble was getting bigger and bigger, which caused Courage to faint. Spinel gasped, and she shut the front door and picked up Courage. She rushed over to Muriel and Eustace. Eustace was waiting impatiently while Muriel was beginning to calm down.
"Now WHO's putting up a bubble!", Spinel argued.
"Wait, who's putting up a bubble?!", Eustace asked.
"Yes!", Spinel sighed.
"So tell me!", Eustace barked.
"WHO!", Spinel shouted.
"The one outside!", Eustace growled.
"WHO!", Spinel yelled.
"The one with the bubble!", Eustace spat.
"WHO is right there!", Spinel barked.
"That's what I wanna know!", Eustace yelled. Muriel began to laugh hysterically, which caused both Eustace and Spinel to look at her strangely. It also caused Courage to regain consciousness, which made Spinel ease up. The door bell rang again, and that made Muriel stop laughing.
"My goodness!", Muriel smiled, "While I do appreciate your Abbott and Costello impressions, we do have someone by the door. But it's definitely something you can use in the contest!" She got from her chair and walked to the front door. Eustace and Spinel just looked at each other.
"What impression?", Spinel asked.
"Don't look at me!", Eustace spat, "I have no clue!" Courage sighed out of frustration. Muriel opened the front door, where the disguised Le Quack was now perfectly composed. By now, the bubble had formed around the entire farmhouse. It also surrounded the barn, the windmill, the hen house and Eustace's 'garden'.
"Greetings", Le Quack explained, "I am a liaison officer from WHO. I come here on urgent business."
"So who are you working for?", Eustace asked.
"I just told you", Le Quack grinned. Eustace growled in response.
"Eustace!", Muriel scolded, "Look at what's on the truck. He's from the World Health Organization!"
"What?!", Eustace asked as he looked at the logo, "Oh! That's what 'WHO' means. Ya should've told me that sooner, stupid Gem!" Spinel merely stuck her tongue at him.
"Your home has been randomly chosen for an experiment", Le Quack lied, "You see, the big scary virus has been spreading around the outskirts of Nowhere for a while. And we've been testing multiple solutions as to how to properly quarantine the most vulnerable. We think that this bubble might be the best solution, but we don't know for sure. And we figured that this home would be the perfect place to conduct this experiment. You have no neighbors and you two are elderly. You have nothing to lose here." Courage was loudly whimpering, while Spinel glared at the duck suspiciously. Muriel looked concerned while Eustace looked like his usual cranky self.
"Oh dear!", Muriel frowned, "It must getting very dangerous in the world right now. We'll gladly to do anything to help!"
"I ain't staying in no bubble!", Eustace spat.
"Oh, I forgot to show you the perks!", Le Quack grinned as he emptied his wing to reveal a wheelbarrow filled with Monopoly and 16 boxes of pizza, "For complying with us, we will give you pizza every single day. Along with some Monopoly. All of which is free of charge!" This made Eustace grin with delight.
"Free pizza!", Eustace smiled, "Why didn't ya say so?! We'll partake in this bubble business!"
"Hold on!", Spinel growled, "Just how long are you gonna be holding us here?"
"Just long enough for us to determine if the experiment was a success!", Le Quack explained, "We don't know the specifics yet!"
"Yeah, right!", Spinel huffed.
"Just sign here and the experiment will begin!", Le Quack smiled as he pulled out a form. Courage then pointed at the duck as he began to babble. He then morphed into Le Quack with a mallet, in reference to the first time they met Le Quack. He then morphed back to his normal state and continued to babble. He then morphed into Le Quack with hypnotic swirling eyes, in reference to the time the duck tricked the family into stealing lottery money. He then morphed back to his normal state and continued to babble. He then morphed into Le Quack holding a purple balloon, in reference to when Le Quack took Muriel to help him steal Swedish money. He then morphed back into his normal state, finishing with a loud whimper. But no one got the hint.
"Ha-ha-ha", Eustace frowned, "Stupid dog! You got a pen?!" Le Quack gave him a pen, and Eustace signed the form with his signature. Le Quack took back the pen and form, and gave a devious grin.
"Take care!", Le Quack smiled, "I look forward to checking back for the results!" He quickly sprinted away from the farmhouse. Eustace gleefully pushed the wheelbarrow through the front door. The rest of the Bagge family closed the front door and went back inside. The bubble had a small steel entrance, where the disguised Katz was waiting outside. Le Quack reached the entrance and opened it so he could exit the bubble. He then sealed up the entrance with a blowtorch. The duck smacked the bubble and cackled. The bubble was made of rubber.
"Did it go well?", Katz asked.
"Amazingly well, my friend!", Le Quack grinned, "You can release the gas at anytime. Just remember to wear your mask." The two villains laughed sinisterly. Back in the Bagge farmhouse, both Courage and Spinel were feeling stressed out, but for different reasons.
"Well, since we're going to be trapped for a while", Muriel smiled, "How about we play some Monopoly?" Eustace rubbed his hands with delight, Spinel just shrugged and Courage moaned out of worry. Several hours later, the family is at the dining table with the Monopoly board in the middle. Courage had fallen asleep in his seat, Muriel was evidently exhausted and Spinel was fuming. Eustace was celebrating winning this round.
"Yes, I win again!", Eustace cheered, "That's the 4th straight time in a row!"
"Eustace, can't we play something else?", Muriel yawned, "We've been playing this game for 6 hours!"
"Well, it ain't my fault that I have no competition!", Eustace argued, "You ain't got no fighting spirit, and the other opponents consist of a stupid dog and a stupid Gem!"
"Do you just get some pleasure off of insulting people?!", Spinel snapped.
"Maybe!", Eustace grinned.
"Oh, Eustace", Spinel spat, "You always are so despicably honest!"
"Let's just calm down!", Muriel pleaded, "How about we play a new game? How about charades?"
"Why bother?!", Eustace scowled, "They're probably too dumb to tell the difference!" Courage was beginning to wake up. But Spinel finally lost patience.
"You know!", Spinel growled, "I can understand why you insult me! But I'm getting sick and tired of how you're always treating Courage like dirt! He saved your sorry butt several times, yet you don't even care about him at all! You never show him kindness!"
"I never asked for the dog's help!", Eustace barked, "Nor do I want it! I never ever wanted that dumb dog! If you like him so much, go on and take him! I'm not gonna stop ya!"
"Eustace!", Muriel yelled, "That is quite enough!"
"Maybe I should!", Spinel spat, "Cause he'd be far safer with me! You two might have not noticed, but Courage has trauma! Just like me! Yet he has to save you guys every time because this is a dangerous place! But no one helps him back!"
"Don't say that, Spinel!", Muriel cried, "You know that I would do anything to help Courage! If he was ever suffering, he would come to me for comfort! Don't you ever question my love for him!"
"I know, Muriel", Spinel frowned, "I never question your heart. But I guess some people really are incapable of change!"
"Don't act like you're one to talk!", Eustace bellowed, "You have no idea what I've been through! That dog might be worthy of sympathy, but you're most certainly not! I wasn't the lunatic who tried to destroy the planet!" Spinel got up from her seat.
"I CHANGED, EUSTACE!", Spinel shrieked. She began to walk from the table and towards the front door.
"Sure you have", Eustace huffed. He got up and followed Spinel into the living room. Muriel and Courage followed suit.
"I want to be better!", Spinel cried, "I want to help people! And I'm gonna be helpful, even for awful people like you!"
"I don't need your help!", Eustace spat, "You know nothing about farming! I'm a farmer! I got a green thumb!"
"First off, your thumb ain't green!", Spinel barked, "Secondly, you ain't no farmer! I don't see no crops out there!"
"I was growing something!", Eustace yelled, "Until YOU dropped by with your needle and killed my plants!"
"Oh, my Injector killed 4 wittle plants!", Spinel mocked, "Boo-hoo! I could farm better than you with my eyes closed!"
"I'd like to see you try!", Eustace growled. Spinel opened the front door, but continued to glare at Eustace.
"Watch me!", Spinel huffed. She shut her eyes and began to spin like a top. She sped out of the farmhouse and began to spin on Eustace's garden. Muriel and Courage chased after her, but they suddenly stopped as they noticed the sky. Outside of the bubble were red-orange gas fumes. It surrounded the entire bubble like storm clouds. In response, Courage screamed until he turned into pink gas.
"Boys, I don't like how the sky is looking", Muriel exclaimed. Eustace caught to them and noticed it as well.
"A storm must be brewing!", Eustace shrugged, "That bubble is protecting us from danger! And ya know what a storm cloud means! The rain's really coming this time!" He began to celebrate.
"How are we supposed to get rain if we're under a bubble, Eustace?!", Muriel snapped. Eustace abruptly stopped celebrating.
"Oh, right", Eustace realized before focusing on Spinel, "Hey! Stop ripping up my garden, ya loon!" But she wouldn't listen. She continued to spin uncontrollably. She then began to spin in the direction of the windmill. She slammed into it at full force. She destroyed the legs of the windmill, which caused her to stop spinning. The windmill collapsed onto the Gem, into several pieces.
"Oh no!", Courage yelped. He and Muriel rushed over to clear the debris off of Spinel, who was in a dazed state. Eustace was far more worried about the windmill.
"Look what ya did, you stupid Gem!", Eustace whined, "You broke my windmill!"
"Chill out, man!", Spinel argued, "It's just a windmill!" The farmhouse's lights suddenly go out. for the power went out.
"Look at the house!", Eustace spat, "You just destroyed all of our power! The lights won't work and nor will the TV!" Muriel and Courage began to notice black mist coming towards them. They knew what was gonna happen.
"I don't think that's our biggest problem right now!", Muriel whimpered.
"RELAX!", Spinel yelled, "I'll fix this stupid thing!" Spinel got up and began to cluelessly fix the windmill. Eustace grabbed her arm.
"NO YOU WON'T!", Eustace barked, "I'm fixing it! You can't be trusted with anything! That's probably why Steven wronged you to begin with!" Spinel's eyes widen, as she then pushed Eustace to the ground.
"Back off, old man!", Spinel growled. The mist got closer. Courage and Muriel saw 4 skeletons on horses coming towards them.
"You back off, clown!", Eustace scowled. The skeletons came closer, brandishing medieval weapons and Viking attire.
"Don't make me hurt you again!", Spinel threatened. The skeletons' eyes glowed red. Courage and Muriel screamed together.
"Don't make me poof ya!", Eustace retorted. The skeletons bellowed demonic sounds as they came ever closer.
"Try it!", Spinel cackled, "See what happens!" Muriel whistled loudly with her fingers, catching Eustace and Spinel's attention.
"LOOK!", Muriel shrieked. The skeletons suddenly began to run circles around the Bagge family. These weren't no normal skeletons. The windmill vandals had come back with a vengeance.
"Huh, I thought the bubble was supposed to keep danger out!", Eustace argued.
"Where did they even come from?!", Spinel asked.
"The windmill!", Muriel yelled, "That windmill keeps these vandals from harming us! Unless we fix the windmill, they can't be stopped!" The vandals continued to circle around the Bagges. Spinel blinked as she stared at them. She then began to chuckle. The Bagge family look at her strangely.
"I think you're overexaggerating!", Spinel chuckled, "These chumps don't look that scary! I'll take care of them!" Spinel extended one of her arms and punched one of the vandals away. She then kicked another by extending her legs. She then began to spin like a top again. She began to target each of the vandals one by one. But the vandals' attention was focused solely on Spinel. They charged at Spinel in a single formation and slam into her. Spinel held off for a bit, until the vandals raised their weapons in the air. With one slice, they beheaded Spinel. The Bagge family screamed in terror, as they watched Spinel's head bounce onto the ground. Courage rushed over to help her.
"Spinel!", Courage yelled as he grabbed her head, "Are you alright?!"
"Feeling very strange", Spinel admitted as she looked at her headless body flailing around, "Actually, I have no idea how I haven't poofed yet! How is this even possible?!"
"No time to explain!", Courage yelled, "We gotta save them!" The vandals began to charge towards Muriel and Eustace.
"Eustace, you've got to fix that windmill!", Muriel pleaded.
"Ya don't need to tell me twice!", Eustace barked. But it was too late. The vandals caught up to them and beheaded them as well. Courage and Spinel gasp at this. The dog rushes over to his owners' heads and picks up them.
"So, we can survive without our bodies?!", Spinel spluttered, "This planet really is strange!"
"Just get me back onto my body already!", Eustace yelled, "And give me back my hat!" Courage nodded, as he attempts to throw Muriel's head at her body, but it gets deflected by a passing vandal. Muriel's head lands on Eustace's body. The same vandal charges at Courage and beheads him with one swipe. Courage's body lets go of Eustace's head and puts on Spinel's head.
"Hey, this doggie body's kinda cute!", Spinel giggled. Courage's head flies onto Muriel's body. Spinel's body comes across Eustace's head and puts it on, much to his chagrin.
"Now I'M a stupid Gem!", Eustace whined. The vandals began to charge at them again. The Bagges promptly run towards the remains of the windmill, where they put back on their original heads.
"Hurry!", Muriel shouted, "We have to fix the windmill!" Courage, Eustace and Spinel rapidly repair the windmill, as the vandals get closer to Muriel. Muriel screamed as the vandals prepared to behead her. But the vandals suddenly vanished into mist. The windmill was back in working condition. Muriel breathed a sigh of relief. The rest climbed down the windmill and were similarly exhausted.
"Wow", Spinel panted, "That was crazy!"
"No thanks to you!", Eustace yelled, "Your stupid actions put us in danger again!" This caused tears to form in Spinel's eyes.
"I was just trying to be helpful!", Spinel cried, "I'm not trying to hurt y'all anymore!" She quietly sobbed as tears fell down her face.
"Well, ya obviously failed!", Eustace spat. Muriel was now fed up.
"ENOUGH!", Muriel bellowed, "We are going to go inside and settle this peacefully!" She and Courage began walk back towards the house, with Eustace angrily following them. But Spinel stared the steel entrance that Le Quack had escaped through. She looked the bubble and at the red-orange fumes hovering outside. Spinel grit her teeth and clinched her fist as he looked at the entrance.
"Hold on, Muriel!", Spinel growled, "There's something I gotta do first! I ain't gonna let us be trapped here! I'm breaking this STUPID BUBBLE!" She began to speed towards the entrance at top speed. The Bagges stop walking and turn to see Spinel's meltdown.
"GOOD!", Eustace shouted, "It'd be the first thing you did right!" Spinel stopped outside the entrance. She grabbed it tightly.
"Spinel, wait!", Muriel pleaded, "You'll let the storm in!" Spinel let out a scream as she ripped the entrance out. Subsequently, the fumes began to pour into the area. The fumes were beginning to destroy the bubble from within. The Bagge family looked on with amazement.
"At least we'll get plenty of rain now!", Eustace cackled before he started smelling, "Wait a minute. This doesn't smell like rain. It smells like gas!" Spinel's eyes widen at this. She realized that she made a terrible mistake. And it truly hurt.
"Everyone in the cellar!", Muriel shouted. The Bagges began to run towards the cellar of their farmhouse. Spinel followed afterwards, with tears pouring down her face. They all made their way inside, as they closed the cellar door shut. The bubble had completely disintegrated by now and the farmhouse was completely exposed to the toxic gas. Le Quack and Katz watched this from the safety of the truck cab.
"Was that supposed to happen?", Katz asked.
"Not particularly", Le Quack grinned, "But the endgame is going according to plan! That Gem obviously let her anger get the best of her, and she literally burst our bubble! But by doing so, she has allowed the toxic gas to spread throughout towards the family. Soon enough, the Bagge family will succumb to the fumes! The Gem will lose all will to live! Then we'll have her right where we want her!"
"Such a shame it had to come to this!", Katz lamented, "I did want to beat the life out of the dog with my bare hands. And yet this is how it'll all end. It honestly feels like anticlimactic."
"Don't worry, my feline comrade!", Le Quack grinned, "There's a slim chance that the dog will still be alive for us to torture him one last time. When he is dead, we'll send him off in outer space! He'll finally be able to see his parents again!" They laughed hysterically for about 10 seconds.
"What do we do next then?", Katz grinned.
"That is quite simple", Le Quack smiled, "Once we get Spinel's gemstone, we'll headed for Beach City. We'll be collecting more Gems and make ourselves a fortune! You have your spiders?" Katz pulled out a big black spider.
"Indeed!", Katz cackled, "The experiments have been an absolute success. Now, with just one bite from these spiders, these Gems will forever go to sleep! Then we'll be billionaires! Now we wait for our first money-making victim!" They eagerly waited for Spinel to show up. Meanwhile, the Bagge family was hiding out. Muriel was trying to remain calm, while Courage was frantically pacing back and forth. Eustace was still acting like his usual self, but Spinel was completely beside herself. She was in a puddle of her tears. Courage and Muriel turned towards her and immediately felt sympathetic.
"I doomed you guys!", Spinel sobbed, "I let all of this happen. I tried to destroying this planet, I almost got y'all killed by vandals and now the gas is gonna kill you guys. AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT! I'M A MONSTER!" Spinel continued to cry uncontrollably, until Courage and Muriel hugged her as tightly as they could. Spinel's emotions were starting to affect Eustace, but he surely wasn't gonna show it.
"At least you're honest about it!", Eustace huffed. Courage growled and Muriel was livid.
"Have you no shred of empathy, Eustace?!", Muriel cried, "Do you have any idea what pain she went through for thousands of years?!"
"I don't have a clue!", Eustace argued, "All I know is that Steven Universe wronged her in someway!" Spinel's eyes widened at this, and she stopped crying.
"Wait!", Spinel realized, "You two didn't tell him about the garden?!"
"What about the garden?!", Eustace asked.
"I didn't think he was ready to hear it yet!", Muriel teared up. Spinel's face briefly contorted with pain, but she managed to compose herself.
"It's okay", Spinel sighed, "Eustace, even though we don't like each other, I feel that it's important that you know what happened. How much do you know about the Diamonds?"
"I know that they're the strongest Gems", Eustace shrugged, "And I do know that there used to be a fourth diamond. And that she was playful and silly, just like you used to be."
"That's the thing though", Spinel frowned, "Steven wasn't the one who wronged me. It was his mom: Pink Diamond. I was made to be her best friend. I used to play with her all the time! I had so much fun with her! I loved her! And I thought she loved me back. Guess I was wrong." Eustace became intrigued to hear more.
"Well, don't just leave me in the dark!", Eustace argued, "Tell me what happened!"
"It's still too painful for me to speak about it", Spinel frowned, "Ya mind if I let some music speak for me?" Eustace groaned at this, but he noticed the death glare that Muriel was giving him.
"Fine!", Eustace relented, "Do whatever makes you happy!" Spinel gave a small smile in response. Spinel then reached over to her new cassette player and pulled it close to her. She then pulled out a cassette tape titled "When She Loved Me by Sarah McLachlan", and put it into the cassette player. Spinel turned on the cassette player and began to play the tape. As if on cue, a flashback began to visualize itself in the middle of the room. It showed Spinel and Pink Diamond playing together in the garden, as the song began.
"When somebody loved me,
Everything was beautiful!
Every hour spent together
Lives within my heart!
And when she was sad,
I was there to dry her tears!
And when was happy so was I,
When she loved me!"
Muriel and Courage were tearing up. Spinel looked on with evident pain in her eyes. As Eustace listened on, he began to feel terrible.
"Through the summer and the fall,
We had each other, that was all!
Just she and I together,
Like it was meant to be!
And when she was lonely,
I was there to comfort her!
And I knew that she loved me!"
Tears were form under Eustace's glasses. This reminded of him of his own miserable childhood, and how his own mother never showed him love. Spinel's early life initially made him angry with envy, but he could sense that something was gonna happen. He continued to look at the flashback, which now reached the point where Pink Diamond told Spinel to stand still.
"So the years went by,
I stayed the same!
But she began to drift away,
I was left alone!
Still I waited for the day,
When she'd say, 'I will always love you'!"
Eustace led out an audible gasp. He had no idea that Spinel had been waiting in that spot for so long. Now he felt even worse. He not only felt terrible for his childhood and for Spinel's trauma, but also for how he treated her ever since she met her. And to a smaller extent, he felt bad for how he treated Courage as well. Tears began to stream down the old man's cheeks. Spinel glanced to see Eustace, and was genuinely surprised to see him so upset. But she could sense that there was deeper pain that Eustace had hid until now. Spinel gave Eustace a small, sympathetic smile. Muriel was too upset to notice, but Courage also noticed Eustace tearing up. The dog smiled as well, for he was happy that his owner was capable of empathy. The flashback was now visualizing when Spinel first encountered the Bagge family.
"Lonely and forgotten,
Never thought she'd look my way!
And she smiled at me and held me,
Just like she used to do!
Like she loved me,
When she loved me!"
Eustace had begun to cry into his hands. Spinel and Courage now pitied the old man.
"When somebody loved me,
Everything was beautiful!
Every hour spent together,
Lives within my heart!
When she loved me!"
When the song reached it's conclusion, Eustace dropped to his knees and cried hysterically. He had now caught Muriel's attention, but she was still bitter towards him for his prior behavior.
"Oh, Spinel!", Eustace teared up, "I didn't know you went through all that! Thousands of years all by yourself! I'm so sorry!"
"Ya aren't feeling good about yourself, are ya Eustace?!", Muriel barked.
"No", Eustace whimpered, "No, I don't. Not at all." Spinel walked over Eustace and hugged him tightly. This caught Muriel and Eustace off-guard, but not Courage. He already knew that this was in Spinel's nature.
"Don't be too hard on him, Muriel", Spinel soothed, "He didn't know. He may be a grouchy old man, but he ain't as awful as me. I've put y'all through enough danger. Now, I'm gonna make things right!" Spinel helped Eustace get back onto his feet and began to walk towards the cellar door.
"Spinel, where are you going?!", Muriel cried.
"Whoever is out there is clearly after us", Spinel explained, "But if I sacrificed myself, that'll give y'all enough time to get out of here. There are plenty of masks and bandanas available for y'all to temporarily fend off the poison. Save yourselves." Courage gasped at this, so he rushed over and grabbed her leg.
"NO!", Courage cried. Spinel tried to pull him off, but Muriel held onto the Gem's arm.
"We're not leaving without you, Spinel!", Muriel cried. Spinel initially was frustrated, but then she gave a sad smile. She gently pulled both Courage and Muriel off of her, and then hugged them.
"Don't worry about me", Spinel smiled sadly, "Y'all did fine without me and you'll continue to do so without me. I've caused too much damage to be redeemed. Now I'm gonna face the consequences for it. But I'm gonna do it to make sure y'all live. If the Diamonds ask about me, just tell them I ran away somewhere. Anyways, make sure to go somewhere safe. I love you all! Goodbye." Spinel let go of them, and she sped off. Muriel tried to run after her, but Eustace grabbed his wife in a loving embrace. Courage could see Spinel disappear into the still-present fumes. But he was not sad. He was livid, because he knew at least one of his enemies was behind this.
"Eustace, we're not gonna let her do this!", Muriel sobbed. Eustace could see the white truck as the fumes began to fade. And there was a cat and a duck waiting in front of it, without their disguises. Eustace glared at them with determination.
"No, we won't!", Eustace scowled, "Muriel, you call the cops! Courage, you're coming with me! We're gonna get some payback!" Courage was surprised to hear this from Eustace of all people, but there was no time to dwell on it. Muriel reached into her pocket and pulled out a purple bandana and a blue bandana.
"Wait, boys!", Muriel shouted as she gave them each a bandana, "Wear this while you're outside! And be safe out there!" Eustace and Courage put on their respective bandanas.
"We will!", Eustace yelled as he opened the cellar door, "Get in the truck. dog! Once the time is right, we'll jump out and save her!" Courage nodded with determination, and they both rushed over to the truck. Once they got in, Eustace slowly drove the truck to follow Spinel and he didn't turn on the headlights. He didn't want to alert her, but he wanted to hear what the scoundrels were planning. By now, the gas had been turned off and the fumes were fading away. But it was still hard for Katz and Le Quack to see through.
"How much longer do we have to wait?", Katz yawned. Just then, Le Quack could see Spinel's silhouette walking towards them.
"Wait a minute!", Le Quack exclaimed, "Someone's coming through the gas clouds! It's the gem girl!" Spinel walked through the fumes until she could clearly see the two villains with her own eyes. She gave them a death glare.
"Hello, Quackster!", Spinel scowled, "And nice to see you again, Katz! I knew you scumbags would be up to something!" Eustace stopped the truck about 10 feet behind Spinel. so that Le Quack and Katz couldn't see them. Courage was gritting his teeth.
"And it's lovely to see you too, Spinel!", Katz grinned, "So, where are your friends?"
"They're all dead", Spinel lied, "I'm giving myself up to you two. I have nothing else to live for."
"Aw, you sound so hurt!", Le Quack smiled, "You want your pain to go away forever?!" Courage was shaking with rage, but Eustace shushed him before he could make a sound.
"I guess that's the only thing I'm entitled to ask for", Spinel sighed.
"Then allow me to administer the perfect kind of medicine!", Katz grinned as he pulled out a giant spider, "One bite from this spider will poof your entire form. Your gemstone will remain intact, but you'll never again wake up. You'll forever be trapped in your gemstone, but that also means that you'll no longer experience pain." Spinel gave a sigh of pain before dropping to her knees. Courage quietly gasped, while Eustace began to count to 5.
"It's what I deserve", Spinel relented, "Go ahead. Put me out of my misery. Let me rest in peace." Eustace finished counting and began to rev up the truck. Courage was seething with rage.
"I'll gladly oblige!", Katz cackled. He continued to cackle as he held up the spider, until he heard the sound of a truck. The headlights turned on, blinding Katz and Le Quack. Spinel turned and gasped when she say Eustace and Courage. The truck then surged forward, past Spinel and hit Katz at full force, before stopping again. Courage immediately jumped out of the truck and ran over to Katz.
"KATZ!", Courage shrieked. He tackled the feline onto the ground and began to beat him senseless. Spinel was lost for words. Le Quack was scared for his life, and tried to run. But Eustace grabbed the duck's neck and held him up high.
"Huh?", Spinel asked, "What are you two doing here?"
"What does it look like?!", Eustace barked, "We're saving your sorry butt! We ain't gonna let these fiends end ya like that! So Quack Man, I think I'm in the mood for some roasted duck!"
"Wait!", Le Quack pleaded, "You don't understand! It all was the cat's idea!" Courage stopped beating Katz to hear this. Katz was battered up, but now he was livid.
"MY IDEA?!", Katz shrieked, "You were the one who got the toxic gas!"
"You got those radioactive spiders!", Le Quack spat.
"But you were the one who put up this stupid bubble!", Katz growled.
"Oh yeah, well I'm going to Beach City to hunt those Gems without you!", Le Quack barked before his eyes widened, "I shouldn't have said that aloud." Spinel just looked at them with shock. Even she didn't suspect that they were this irredeemable.
"Wow!", Spinel spluttered, "You two are really awful people! In fact, you guys might be the worst people I have ever met!"
"What does it matter?!", Katz scowled, "You've stopped us for now, but we'll be back! And we're gonna make you all pay!"
"Not this time", Courage spat as he pulled out Katz's baseball bat, "You tried to poison my family. You almost killed Spinel. You deserve to die." Katz was taken aback by this, but then he began to laugh it off.
"Oh, you poor little mutt", Katz chuckled, "You don't have the guts to carry out such an empty threat! Have some class, dear boy!" Courage growled at this, and he struck the cat with the bat as hard as he could. Courage continued to beat his arch-nemesis with all the rage that he had left. He was sobbed as he continued the beating, until his sadness overcame him. He dropped the bat and fell onto the ground, while sobbing uncontrollably. Eustace looked at the dog and gave a sympathetic smile. He dropped Le Quack onto the ground and picked up his dog. He placed Courage over his shoulder and patted him on the back. For the very first time, he showed affection for the dog, and it made Courage stop crying. Spinel couldn't believe her eyes, and neither could Katz or Le Quack. None of them expected this from the cold-hearted farmer. Eustace then began to cackle.
"Ya see!", Eustace cackled, "That dog ain't afraid of you no more! Neither of you can harm us anymore! We've got you clowns beat! But don't worry about what we'll do to ya! You're about to be dealt with by more merciful company!" Le Quack's eyes widened, and he tried to make his escape. But then a siren came roaring nearby. A police car had arrived, and the policemen were ready for the villains. Katz was too injured to put up a fight, so the cops were successfully able to subdue Le Quack long enough to cuff him.
"We'll take it from here!", the Policeman bellowed, "Thank you noble citizens for stopping these two scoundrels. We found out that the cat was using illegal funds to run his taxi service. And the duck has clearly impersonated a global organization for his own sinister purposes. And the gas and the spiders indicate that there was an attempted mass murder in the making. Katz and Le Quack, we're gonna put you two away for a long, long time!"
"Make it life, and you've got a deal", Le Quack relented. He, nor Katz, put up a fight as they chucked into the police car. The officers waved goodbye and then quickly got back in their car. They then sped off, just as quickly as they came. Courage, back on his feet, had calmed down by now, but Spinel was still in disbelief. She was ready to get herself poofed forever just to save the Bagge family, yet they chose to save her. Eustace, of all people, saved her life. She looked up at Eustace, who looked at her with genuine kindness.
"You guys saved me?", Spinel teared up, "Courage, you fought for me?! Eustace, you saved my life?! You actually saved my life?!"
"Of course, Spinel!", Eustace smiled, "We weren't gonna let ya be trapped inside your gemstone forever. You've already been through a lot. And I've figured that I've long owed ya a favor. So why not?" Spinel continued to look at him as tears began to form in her eyes. She stood up and hugged Eustace tightly, burying her head in his chest as she sobbed. Eustace hugged her affectionately.
"It's okay", Eustace soothed, "It's okay. You're safe with us now." Courage got tear-eyed as well, and he joined in on the hug. Muriel could see all of it from the farmhouse window, and it warmed her heart. She was exhausted, but overjoyed that the family was safe. Later on at night, Spinel and the Bagge family were situated in the bedroom. Spinel looked at Eustace with concern.
"Hey, Eustace", Spinel asked, "What was your childhood like? And I'm asking because I'm worried about ya. Did something happen to ya that made you so abrasive?" Eustace was taken aback by this question. He initially didn't know how to respond, but the warm smiles from the others eased him up.
"It all started with me Ma", Eustace lamented, "She never liked me. Not even when I was a kid. Always preferred my brother Horst over me! Just because he was a hunter and explorer! He never even let me join him once! They always called me 'stupid boy' and 'useless'! Well, I ain't 'useless'! I'm Eustace!" He began to softly sob into his hands. Spinel looked at him with sympathy.
"Ah, yes", Muriel frowned, " He and his brother never got along. And he never even knew his father. But his mother is such a cruel woman! She's always trying to split this family apart just to make her son miserable! It's despicable!" Spinel walked over to Eustace. gently grabbed his hands and smiled.
"Aw, Eustace", Spinel soothed, "It's okay. I could tell that you didn't have the best upbringing. Honestly, we're both kinda bad eggs with a muddy past. But we're perfectly capable of becoming better people. I'm striving to be better, and so can you!" Eustace didn't know if he truly could change. But he was grateful for Spinel's support.
"Thank you, Spinel", Eustace smiled, "I really appreciate it. You really are meant to be a great friend."
"I'm so glad that we're getting along!", Muriel smiled before she realized something, "Wait a minute! The contest's tomorrow! We gotta be there at the theater by noon!" This caught the Bagge family off-guard. They were so distracted today that they forgot that the contest was being held tomorrow. The room was quiet until Eustace gave a deep sigh.
"Look, Spinel", Eustace soothed, "Ya don't have to participate in this if ya don't want to. I'm not gonna force you to do it solely for the sake of that cash prize." Muriel and Courage gasped at this. They didn't expect Eustace to turn down this kind of opportunity. But Spinel just shook her head.
"No, it's okay", Spinel smiled, "I wanna do this. I wanna see if I can be a star! It'd definitely be a topic of conversation on Homeworld. Besides, I wanna see if I can turn this into a hobby. I ain't got no use for money, so y'all can have whatever cash I win." Eustace looked at Spinel and smiled warmly.
"Let's get to bed", Muriel yawned, "It's been an exceptionally long day." The Bagges got themselves situated in bed, with Spinel in the middle. But this time, she pulled Courage towards the middle so he could sleep next to her. The dog was surprised at this, but warmly accepted the gesture.
"I love you guys so much", Spinel whispered. She gave Courage a small kiss on the cheek as she shut her eyes. The dog smiled as he snuggled in the bed and went to sleep. The Bagge family slept ever so peacefully that night.