"How long has Spongebob been trying to talk to people?"
It was now 7:00, and the sun was melting into the horizon as Jimmy and Timmy sat outside the entrance to the inn. So far, the chipper sea sponge had little to no luck making friends. Many of the characters had opened the door, and almost immediately closed it before Spongebob had finished his introduction.
"He gave up about 5 hours ago," Jimmy replied. "I almost feel bad for the little guy."
"Yeah, I get what you're trying to say," Timmy said, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. "I don't get why the others hate him so much. I mean, yeah, sometimes he's annoying, but he's a really nice guy."
Jimmy glanced at Timmy, then turned away and huddled his knees close to his body. It was getting a bit too chilly for comfort.
After a few moments of silence, Timmy leaned closer to Jimmy and whispered, "So who's gonna be the one to break the news to him?"
"Depends on what you mean. He seems to be aware that not that many people like him here. Unless you're talking about the, uh, gemstones."
"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about."
Jimmy gazed at the sky as he spoke slowly. "Without the gems, there won't be an inn. There won't even be our regular worlds for us to live in."
Timmy stared at Jimmy, taking in every word.
"You know about the gems, right, Timmy?"
"Not really. I mean, I know what they are, but I can't say I know much about them."
Jimmy gave a quick glance at Timmy to make sure he was listening, then continued.
"The gemstones are important to our existence. Ever since the beginning of television, they've been around to keep our worlds intact so that we wouldn't meet each other by accident. The only way to bring our worlds together would be to find the Orb of Power. Or in your case, use magic from your Fairy God Parents.
"The Orb of Power can only be activated by a being with a pure heart. Whoever released the energy had to be just that. The Orb contains - or, in this case, contained - the nine Gemstones of Unity. If even one gemstone is missing, disaster would befall our worlds.
"The nine gemstones are as follows, listen carefully, Timmy:
"The first one is the Ruby, known as the Gemstone of Power. It offers a balance of power to the characters in each world, and also grants immense power to whoever has it. If it fell in the wrong hands... who knows what would happen.
"Second is the Amethyst, the Gemstone of Emotion. It's what gives characters personality and free will. Without it, we would be nothing but puppets for whoever tried to control us.
"Third is the Aquamarine, the Gemstone of Peace. The Aquamarine helps characters remain tranquil in stressful situations. It's more important than it sounds, trust me.
"Fourth is the Emerald, the Gemstone of Protection. It helps keep us safe from intruders who wish to cause anyone harm. Anyone who has it could be invincible when it's used right.
"Fifth, the Diamond, Gemstone of Purity. This one helps keep people like you and me on the path of good. Some aren't affected by it, but that's because the Diamond has selective powers.
"Sixth, the Pearl, the Gemstone of Love. Love is what gives some happiness. Without love, there is only hatred. Without love, there is no friendship. The Pearl is sometimes considered the most important Gemstone. If we didn't have the Pearl, we wouldn't have each other, Timmy."
Timmy's head snapped up, his eyes bewildered. "Hold on, what?!"
"I meant platonic love, Timmy. I'm not in love with you or anything like that."
Timmy laughed. "Pfft, thank goodness! That would be kind of awkward."
Jimmy nodded, continuing the story.
"The Topaz is the seventh gemstone, the Gemstone of Hope. Considered equally important to love, hope is the reason we have motivation. Without hope, we would only have despair. Despair leads to depression, depression leads to loneliness, loneliness leads to-"
"I get it, Jimmy," Timmy interrupted, slumping forward so his head would be resting against his hand. "Continue, please."
"Alright. The next two are the Sapphire and Garnet, Gemstones of Wisdom and Guidance, respectively. It shouldn't be hard to figure out the Sapphire's purpose, but the Garnet is special because nobody's quite sure what it does. Theories about its purpose are often debated, but we all agree that it must be important.
And that's all of them. Any questions?"
Jimmy glanced at Timmy and noticed his eyes were closed. After a few snaps of his fingers, Jimmy concluded that Timmy was fast asleep.
"Don't do this again, Timmy. I don't want to have to carry you to your room again." Of course, there was no response.
Jimmy rolled his eyes, although he was smiling a little. "Alright, fine. I'll carry you again." Jimmy stood up, gently picking up Timmy and positioning him so that he was slumped over his shoulder. Carefully, he opened the door to the inn and walked inside, closing it quietly behind him.