Here we go with Garnet's Return.


Chapter 10:

Breaking away from Spinel's grasp with a grunt, all Spinel could do was stare as Garnet fixed her with a reaffirmance of self.

Spencer and Steven both watched as Garnet then said, "I've known hardships and confusion, but love can live through it all, if you face the truth together."

"She's remembering!" Spencer cried, her and her surrogate brother both seeing her start to glow.
"Her final piece!" Steven said, at the same time.

Seeing that she was losing the last strand of control over Steven's friends, Spinel only whimpered, "No …" Grabbing a rock with her arms, she launched it at her, saying, "Stop, don't you dare!"

Standing just simply over Steven and Spencer, the rock smashed over Garnet's form as it came crashing down in a burst of earth and dust. The impact knocked Spencer to the side as she and Steven braced themselves, the last two pieces of the Rejuvenator shattering in Steven's hands as he fell back and covered his face. Looking back up, the two of them saw Garnet's form holding a fist up with her left red gemmed hand, showing that she had shattered it.

"Oh, when a difficult day goes by," Garnet started to sing, Steven gasping in relief and awe as Spinel stares on in a cautious 'uh oh' face.

Reverting through her past forms, Garnet continued to sing until she came back to her current self and her two rings reappeared.

Garnet:
"Keeping it together is hard, but that's why
You've got to try,
You've got to try"

Making her star visor reappear, she reached up a hand down to help up Steven as she then turned to her side, seeing Spencer smile, too, a bit hurt but okay. Bending down to pick up the young girl, she held her close in one arm as she sang, "And when's there's a thundering storm outside, Underneath the covers you huddle and hide." Hugging the young girl in her grasp, Spencer only gripped Garnet around her neck. Hugging her close, she held her and rocked her a bit in the song, as her gaze in the visor that reflected the expression of Spinel's face then made contact with Spinel's, as she said, "Open your eyes, Open your eyes."

Seeing Spinel's expression soften, Spencer watched as Garnet then turned to see that the heart-clad gem had, for the moment, stopped as Garnet's words reached her, granting them a moment of peace. It was only for a couple of seconds, however, until the heads of Pearl, Amethyst, and Silver arrived over the top of the hole.

"Are you two alright down there?" Silver asked, immediately sliding down and almost stopping, bringing her hands up to her mouth immediately in joy. Curious, Amethyst and Pearl looked in, too, and gasped, seeing Garnet complete. Happily hugging the gem in front of him, Steven only joined his sister in embracing Garnet as they both just laughed in relief, Spencer sliding down from Garnet's hold and next to stand next to Steven as Amethyst chose that moment to come swinging in down and around their leaders' neck. All six of them, counting Pearl and Silver as they were the last ones to join them, were back together as Garnet embraced them all.

Garnet:
"It's the true, It's the true
It's the true kinda love
It's the true, It's the true
It's the true kinda love"

Filled with a newfound bout of rage, Spinel chose that moment to try and lunge out at them all, again. Connecting with Garnet's gauntlets instead, the heart-clad gem was held in a moment of pause, staring straight into Garnet's visor as the fusion only held her in place, her expression softening a bit, again, as Garnet only let her go, watching as she slid a bit back in response to her song.

Garnet:
"Stuck in the middle of fear and shame,
Everyone's looking for someone to blame,
Like it's a game
Like it's a game …"

Picking up Spencer, Silver leapt them both out of the path and right after Pearl as Amethyst ran with Steven, pulling him out of the heart-clad gem's path as she pushed back against Garnet's block and tried to attack, again. Leaping over her attack, Garnet joined Pearl and Amethyst in the air, as she grabbed Pearl's feet and Pearls grabbed ahold of Amethyst's whip, allowing Amethyst a chance to swing in towards Spinel. Kicking her back, Spinel caught herself on the shell wall of her Injector, giving herself the appearance of a target as she then looked over at Steven, seeing him trying to catch his breath.

"Steven, watch out!" Spencer cried, seeing how the gem was looking at him. Springing herself out at them both, Spencer tried to catch her brother as he tumbled back, only having enough time to shield himself briefly with an arm as he and Spencer both looked up in time to see Garnet grabbing Spinel by the feet, stopping her.

Garnet:
"And now I am better than "win-or-lose"
There's a new direction that I like to choose
It's called the truth
It's called the truth …"

Swinging the gem around in a tizzy sling-like stretch, Garnet stretched her out until Pearl and Amethyst were able to grab ahold of each of her hands. Looking back at Garnet in irritation, Garnet only let her go, launching her like an elastic band towards her Injector once more, this time her face clearly hitting it as she only shook it off and looked at all them in disbelief. However, looking up at the top of her Injector, Spinel had another idea.

"Not again!" Spencer cried, watching with them all as Spinel only bounced herself up to the very top of her Injector, away from them all as she turned her hand into a big horn once more and blew into it, activating the machine into a massive drainage action that pushed the rest of the poison into the hill around them. Bracing themselves, the poison erupted around them all in a gigantic flood of poisonous ooze and decay, creating fissures that erupted out into the city, causing it to rain down on everyone in the city as they all started to run and get away from it.

Holding their own, all any of them could do was wait for the ground beneath them to stop trembling beneath them all, as they did and watched as cracks in the earth filled up with the purple poison, leaving only destruction in their wakes as the town crumbled literally under their feet. The fissures that split open the earth had spread as far out beyond the town, even polluting the sources of water into the ocean and through the drainages around the town, leaving the sight above to make it seem like the town had been hit by a comet, the poison still spreading chaos in its wake through town.

"Look at all this! Ah!" Spencer said, feeling a small droplet of the rain land on her jacket, burning, as the fabric brushed briefly against her skin, gaining Steven's immediate concern as she only signaled at him that she was fine. They had a lot more than a small burn to deal with, right now. Looking up, the gem that caused this all was literally right above their heads, most likely enjoying the view, which only made Spencer's blood boil.

"Spencer, you sure you're alright?" Silver asked, immediately helping Spencer up to her feet as she, too, stepped back at Spencer's insistence.

"Drop it, please," she whispered, pulling up her collar and only pushing down her own fatigue, seeing the effect it was having on Steven. "Please, for Steven's sake. I'm fine," she whispered, only seeing Silver nod in understanding as the sign of the town made them concerned. "What's next?"

"We have to stop Spinel!" Garnet called out, saying what needed to be done.

"Wait! You guys have your powers, you've gotta go save everybody. I'll deal with Spinel," Steven said, perspiration and weakness all evident on his face. He couldn't hide it anymore, but it didn't stop him from wanting to help in the only way he knew how.

Amethyst immediately said, "She'll crush you, dude!"

"You can't fight her!" Pearl said, immediately thinking of his safety and wanting to protect him, seeing how weak he was in front of them all.

"But I can still talk to her. Please, hurry," Steven begged them all, knowing what they all could do that he currently couldn't help with.

"Right," Garnet said, moving her hands over to perch atop one of each of Pearl's and Amethyst's shoulders, leaving them to only smile at Steven, knowing he was right. Giving the order, Garnet only said, "Move out!"

Watching all of the Gems move out and go into the city to help, that only left Steven and Spencer alone on the hill, except for Silver as the only gem who hesitated, seeing them both alone. "Guys …"

"Silver, please go," Spencer said, pushing her friend to go help, too, pushing back her own panting. "They need your power, too! We'll be fine!"

Finally nodding, too, at Spencer's insistence, the silver clad gem, too, then left and joined the job of evacuating the city as then Spencer sighed and turned to Steven, who stood still with his eyes shut, thinking about how he could get to Spinel.

"You don't have to do this alone, you know," She said, testing the waters to see what her surrogate big brother was thinking.

"I have to," Steven said, catching his breath. Opening his tired eyes, he started to walk away, already having made his decision.

"No, you don't," she said, again, stopping him as she grabbed his hand. "I'm coming with you."

"Spencer, you … you can't," Steven tried to say, knowing how weak she was, too, as he turned his head towards her.

"Ok, I'm going to stop you right there!" Spencer shouted, stopping him in his tracks as he only starred back at her in surprise. "In fact, don't even finish that sentence or say that 'I can't' ever again! You've never said that to me before, and you're not going to start now! I may be as weak as you for the moment, but that hasn't stopped me either. I want to help you."

"I know that," Steven said, too tired to argue with her. "But, Spence … You don't have …"

" … My powers! I know, okay?!" Spencer huffed, catching her breath, too, except in determination. "Steven, I don't have diamond powers to protect me like you do. But, I don't need my powers to want to help! You've been doing everything on your own, even up to this point, trying to reason with Spinel. Don't you trust me enough to know I can help?!"

"You have helped me," Steven said, too tired to argue with her. "Please don't think I haven't noticed."

"Then, why do you feel like you have to face her alone?" Spencer immediately asked her brother, seeing his trembling shoulders.

"You guys … are … everything … to me," Steven said, laboring his words with his strength. "Spinel knew that, and that's why she did what she did. She even went after you to get to me. I don't want to give her another chance to hurt you."

"Steven, I know that," Spencer said, holding his shoulders as she looked him in the eyes. "But, trust me enough when I say that you guys mean the world to me, too! You guys took me in, even after everything I ever faced. And, I was alone. There are only so many things we can do alone, and maybe this is one of those times you feel like you have to. But, I can't let you do this one by yourself! I mean it!"

"Spencer," Steven said, seeing a change happen in her, one even she didn't even realize was happening even as the gems in the distance had just reached the town.

"If there's anything you've taught me, Steven Universe, it's when to trust others. I have always trusted you and our family, more than my own, to have my back. Especially now. So, I want you to trust me to know that I have yours."

Spencer:
"Trusting with a gentle heart
All to know when to let someone in
Experiences, Good or Bad
Now it's clear, what I was missing here …"

Behind her hair, Spencer's gem eye glowed with a passion, brighter than ever before as Spencer felt herself go aloft in the air in wonder, a sign that even had Steven uplifted as he watched Spencer gasp in shock, her powers returning. Watching her crossbow materialize in her hands, Spencer could only laugh as she watched her burns just underneath her sleeves and shoulder tears heal all on their own. Letting loose a tether cord on her bow, she watched as it grabbed onto one of the Injector's legs and she swung herself up in rhapsody, laughing all the while in joy.

Steven:
"Learning to trust, where you've been before or now
Now's it clear, that's what was missing here"

Spencer:
"Memories, clear as downcast day
Hurt and hate were all I knew back then
The first one I knew, never saw me
Now's it's clear, it's once all I knew"

"Opening my heart, a friend shattered and lost
Thinking back, trust was a part of here"

Taking his sister's hands as she landed, alit with new energy, Steven only smiled as Spencer said, "I got my powers!"

Steven:
"Moving on, I understand was hard
But here trust was the key to set you free …"
Spencer:
"… To set me free"

Spencer and Steven:
"Looking inside, we know it was true
For it's what I saw in You"

"Now, you have to let me help you," Spencer said jokingly, shoving her brother playfully in the arm, catching him, too, a bit as he faltered. "Right?"

"I know," Steven said, the both of them turning to the Injector and looking up to the scale of height that awaited their ascent. "I just have one thing to say, then. If we're doing this together, let's go."


Two siblings unite! Here, we have two songs dedicated "True Kinda Love" (the first half) and a new song for Spencer, called "Trust is the Key". Next up, a couple more of chapters to go. Thanks again, and enjoy!