Chapter 4

"Oh no..." Connie moaned. Her knees went weak, and she could only watch as the life force steadily leaked from his gem. The light within flickered. "Steven?" She touched her hand to the surface of the gemstone, and it felt cold to the touch.

"What's going on?" Bismuth asked, "Why is Steven as pale as Pearl?"

Amethyst had pulled out a whip, glaring at Spinel. "Alright Noodles, spill! What the heck did ya do to steven?"

"Nothing! I swear!" Spinel waved her arm, outstretched in front of her.

The Gems surrounded the two, panic spreading among them.

"Spinel, you fused with him," Lapis said in a deadpan manner, "You gotta know something."

Spinel gazed down at her outstretched arm, and slowly pulled it back towards her body. Her face contorted into a mixture of shame, guilt, and fear. She looked away from everyone else and closed her eyes.

Spinel, for her part, was unsure what to do. She had kept it secret due to fear for too long, and now she was paying for it. She couldn't think clearly anymore. The fusion was the only thing shooting down her fears. However, she rode enough of a high to keep talking and spill her surface thoughts.

"I...I thought he was dead," Spinel said, her voice quivering, "At least, it felt like that for a few moments. I couldn't move, or think, or see...I-I thought I had lost myself. Lost him... then... and then..." Her eyes watered, holding herself with both hands.

"You fused with him? Why didn't you tell us?" Pearl asked, with the same expression she would have if someone was stepping on dog doo.

"I-I was.. I.. before we fused," Spinel said. "He was talking, I was angry. I cooled down a bit, but before he could say anything... red stuff came out of his nose and he fell over."

Spinel paused, took a long, deep breath as if to calm herself down.

"His gem was dimming," She said, "I could feel it. I thought I was going to lose him. I was so angry and upset over it that I couldn't think straight. Before I knew it, we had fused."

"And you didn't tell us because...?" Amethyst asked her in a deadpan manner.

Spinel scoffed at the question before answering. "I... I was afraid you wouldn't believe me."

Amethyst rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's rich."

Garnet looked on, a sensation of familiarity coming to her. This scene, it was close to a memory she had before. It was fleeting but it's slowly coming back to her...

Spinel looked at the floor, unsure of what to say next. She knew it was a silly reason to keep quiet, but she couldn't help it. She didn't have many friends to begin with. When she found out Pink Diamond was gone and not coming back, she was shocked and devastated on so many levels. And she was so close to her as well... She felt out of place, confused and upset.

Spinel found herself in a dark place for quite some time. When she had found out her memories were returning, she was both ecstatic and scared at the same time. She didn't want to remember Pink's actions, but she also didn't want to forget her either... The closest thing she ever had to a friend. Her not telling her friends was just another coping mechanism. It's what she did when things got too much for her.

Connie looked up from Steven's body. "Guys! Hate to interrupt, but Steven's gem is getting dimmer!"

"Stand back," Spinel said, "I'm going to try something..."

Spinel knelt down beside him and took one of his hands in both of hers. "You used to make me feel like the most important person in your life," She told him with a small smile, "Now I need you to do it just one more time. Let's go on another adventure, you and I."

Spinel closed her eyes and concentrated.

"Wait, you can't just-" Amethyst was stopped by Garnet.

"Let her."

Amethyst stared at Garnet in shock. "What?! Why?"

Garnet smiled, a familiar set of glasses flashing back upon her face. "Trust me."

Before anyone could react to this, Spinel's body glowed and flashed. Her form and Steven's merging and fusing back into one. From two became one, Taaffeite returned with dynamic entry. One foot stood on the ground while her hands were in various types of poses. She stood once more, feeling more solemn than before. The fusion was keeping Steven alive, but she didn't know how long he had.

"Welcome back," Garnet said, her outfit flashing brightly and returned to normal. "Thanks for jogging my memories."

Taaffeite smiled, nodding in agreement. "It was unintentional, but you're welcome all the same."

It was strange, being in control of a body once more. The power that came with it, the ability to both see and hear everything so clearly. It was almost as if she never left it. She could feel the gems pulse once more, beating in perfect rhythm. Taaffeite, one being made of two, emotional juxtapositions and contrasting memories hit for only a moment.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Upon opening them once more, everything felt so much... Clearer. "So, what's been going on while I've been away?"

"What about Steven?" Connie asked. "How can he still be alive?"

Garnet gave a small chuckle. "The fusion has acted as a vessel to keep him alive. It's temporary, however, It's only a matter of time before he runs out of energy. We'll need to act quickly."

Bismuth patted Garnet on the back, smiling. "Great to have you back, Garnet. With you back, we'll have everything sorted in no time."

"Mind if I take a look?" Peridot asked, holding up a device in one hand. Without waiting for a confirmation, she scanned the gem on Taaffeite's body. "Hmm..."

"What is it?" Lapis asked, looking over the green one's shoulder.

"You know how the rejuvenator is supposed to reset gems back to their original state?" Peridot asked rhetorically. She pointed to Steven's gem. "Well, this gem, while supposed to be Pink Diamond's gem, has no original state. At least, not anymore based on the data it's reading."

"So what does that mean?" Amethyst asked lazily.

"It means Pink Diamond altered her gem, making her who she is now: Steven," Peridot answered. "Because the gem's default state is Steven when he was born, it's likely trying to regress its energy output to that of an earth infant. Far less than what can sustain Steven."

"Which is why he's losing power," Taaffeite finished. It suddenly made sense... now she felt bad for putting Steven through that.

Connie bit her lip. "But how do we fix this?"

"That," Bismuth answered, "we don't know."

"Well, the most logical explanation is this," Peridot said, turning to look at everyone. "We just need to infuse the same rebooting sequence everyone else got when they got hit and regressed, only through a fusion."

Amethyst raised a brow, pocketing her whip. "So... what, they just gotta remember something Steven knows and that's it?"

Peridot nodded. "Yes... I think."

"Sounds rather vague," Pearl said, rubbing her chin. "There must be something more to it. Perhaps some form of personal growth of both Steven and Spinel?"

"How the shell are we suppose to know?" Amethyst asked. "That's something the two of them should know!"

"I'm afraid, there's nothing else I can add," Peridot said. "Unless, I mean, you need me to fuse with Spinel to see if something comes to me?"

Pearl looked surprised. "You? Suggesting to fuse?"

Peridot froze for a second, realizing the suggestion. "My stars, you're right. What am I thinking?"

"What do you mean?" Amethyst asked.

"You know perfectly that fusing would compromise my business," Peridot said. "It's not just that, it goes completely against my ideology. It's disgusting."

"People do it all the time and you never complained before," Amethyst said. "And I thought you were okay with fusions when you suggested it a second ago."

"I... I..." Peridot stuttered, looking at everyone else. "You tricked me into saying something out of character!"

"I think it was a good suggestion," Garnet said. "To be honest, you probably do know a lot about Steven and how he thinks."

"I..." She looked around. "I.. just remembered I need to pick up my dry cleaning!" She quickly dashed off.

"I don't think she has dry cleaning," Amethyst said once she was out of earshot.

"How about we focus on getting Steven's powers back first?" Taaffeite shrugged, leaning against the nearby van. "Can't be too hard. Two emotionally high individuals in one body? We're bound to cook up something." She smirked. "You know what they say: the more the emotional content, the better."

"Who says that?" Connie asked, rubbing her head in confusion.

"People on the internet."

"I don't think that's how it goes."

"Well... close enough."