In a desperate attempt to save her dying mother, Spinel Crystal chases a rumor into the unknown Magical Realm, a place beyond time. There, she finds much, much more than she ever bargained for.
cw: this section contains magical violence, death, and discussion of terminal illness
Firefly: I think it is high time I do the same!
Stone: Firefly! No!
Venom: You? End my life? Go ahead and try, child. Whatever power you can muster surely will not be enough.
Firefly: Perhaps not. But I would rather burn out here than let you live another day when others are gone because of you! No matter what it costs me, I will destroy you!
Firefly: This is for my family!
*thunder booms*
Stone: Firefly…
Firefly: …A life for a life. But not my own.
Mandarin: Firefly, she is…
Firefly: She is not yet at the Watcher’s side. There is still time to call her back, but I cannot do it alone. Please…please, help me.
Stone: We are with you, my daughter. We are here.
*soft humming*
Spinel: …Mama…
Astral: Not quite, my darling. You Crystals are always so impatient. Take your time, sweetheart. I’ll be here when it’s your time.
Spinel: …ngh…no…
Firefly: Wha..
Firefly: Spinel–
Spinel: No! Wait–
Firefly: Spinel, you are safe!
Firefly: It is over now…you are safe.
The next morning…
Faba: Add the root carefully. Yes, good.
Mandarin: She seems to be doing well.
Firefly: She does not remember.
Stone: You did not tell her?
Firefly: Venom is dead, she lives. There was no reason to burden her with the truth.
Firefly: She has enough to worry about as it is.
Lace: Stir counterclockwise the number of years your patient has lived.
Spinel: Thank Watcher I’m not making this for one of you guys…
Lace: Very amusing, child.
Firefly: …perhaps I will tell her someday. But not today.
Spinel: Add heat and–yes! Yes, it worked!
Lace: So it did! Congratulations, child. You have made the Elixer of Healing.
Spinel: Thank you so much, Sage Lace, I never could have…
Lace: Do not waste time on sentiment, girl. Bottle it and off with you.
Spinel: Thank you, all of you. I’ll be back as soon as Mama’s–
Stone: You will not be back.
Spinel: …what.
Stone: Venom’s defeat changed things. Neither you nor Firefly have magic any longer.
Spinel: What is that supposed to mean? I didn’t have magic before and I was fine!
Mandarin: What the lump is trying to say is that defeating Venom sapped all the magic from your being, both of you. You are now the opposite of this realm. We have been keeping you safe while you finished, but now it is time to leave.
Mandarin: Should you stay, you will perish.
Stone: Mandarin…
Firefly: Sage Mandarin is telling the truth, Spinel. I–we cannot stay here. I would…I would like to join you in your world.
Firefly: If you will have me?
Spinel: Of course I will.
Firefly: …this is it.
Stone: This is it. Once you begin the crossing, you cannot look back. You must be sure of yourself, my children. Your lives await you on the other side.
Firefly: Father…
Stone: No tears, my child. My greatest wish is that you go on to live a long and happy life. This is your chance! Do not waste it by looking back.
Firefly: …I will miss you.
Stone: And I you, my darling Firefly. …now go. And do not look back.
Spinel: Here–we’ll go together.
Firefly: I am a bit nervous. Does it hurt?
Spinel: Nah. It’s fine.
Mandarin: Do you think they can make it?
Stone: I do not know.
Mandarin: Stone, you let them go.
Stone: I let them try.
Lace: And what about us, old friend? Are we going to try again?
Stone: It is a time for new beginnings. Let us try our best this time.
Who are you? Who do you think you are?
Who are you? Who are you to lead her?
Who are you to think that you can hold your head up higher than your fellow man…
—
Spinel: Firefly?
Spinel: Firefly!
Firefly: Here–Spinel, I am here!
Firefly: Oh…oh, it is beautiful…
Spinel: You made it–we made it!
Firefly: We made it. And now we must make it to your mother–where is she?
Spinel: Waffle Creek General. Come on–we can make the train if we hurry!
Spinel: …oh no.
Firefly: Your family?
Spinel: Something’s wrong.
Dusk: You can’t be serious!
Dawn: Dusk, back up!
Dusk: Mama’s safe! We don’t know where Spinel is at all, Mom! We can’t stay here!
Aurora: Your mother has hours at best, Dusk! You can’t seriously think of abandoning her now!
Dusk: She’s got Gramma! Spinel’s out there, alone, and we have to find her!
Comet: Both of you, stop!
Dawn: Enough–wait–SPI!
Aurora: Spinel–you–where have you been?
Spinel: It’s a…really long story. I’m sorry for worrying everyone.
Spinel: Is…Mama’s still…
Aurora: She’s still alive. But…not for much longer. A few more hours at most.
Aurora: Spi, where did you go? We looked everywhere for you–even Cadence couldn’t find you…
Spinel: I. I went looking for something that could help, but it wasn’t in this world, so I had to…Mom, it’s a really long story and we don’t…please tell me I’m not too late.
Aurora: …unless you have a miracle, there’s only time to say goodbye.
Spinel: No…
Aurora: She hasn’t woken up since that day, sweetheart. She never knew you were gone.
Spinel: Mommy…
Aurora: …She’d be glad you’re safe. I’m glad you’re safe.
Aurora: Go on. We’ll talk about this later.
Spinel: …I’m back. Sorry it took me so long.
Spinel: I’m gonna fix this, Mama. I’m gonna fix you, and everything will go back to normal.
Spinel: So just hang on a little longer, okay?
Quartz: I don’t understand…they said it would be over soon…
Cadence: Depending on the root cause…
Forest: It could take a lot longer. We stay until it’s over.
Snow: This isn’t right…it’s not supposed to be like this…
Nebula: She will rest in the arms of the Watcher. That is…the most peace any of us can have.
Aurora: …another realm entirely…
Spinel: I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth. The legends were true and the potion is supposed to work.
Aurora: …the thing is…I believe you. I’ve seen some crazy things since I met your Mama, baby, and this isn’t even up there.
Spinel: Mom…what happens if it doesn’t work…
Aurora: Then you know you tried, and she…she got to pass away with her family at her side. *sniff* It’s better than it would have been the last time.
Spinel: Mom…
Spinel: …I already know about last time. We all do.
Aurora: I know. Heh, we tried to protect you from that and look how it ended. …oh, Dawn was right…
Aurora: …I’m not ready to say goodbye yet…
Opal: …ngh…
Aurora: Opal?
Spinel: Mama?
Opal: …mm-hmm…
Aurora: Oh, thank Watcher!
Spinel: It worked! It really worked!
Aurora: You’re awake!
Opal: Ro…what happened…
Aurora: Oh, it’s a long story–don’t move! I’m going to get a doctor!
Firefly: …she made it in time.
Aurora: She’s awake! Opal is awake!
Comet: Oh–thank Watcher!
Tourmaline: Mama’s okay!
Dawn: Thank goodness…
Dusk: Come here, sis…
Aurora: Firefly? I think you and I need to talk.
Firefly: We will. After a healer tends to your wife.
Opal: …what’s wrong, baby…
Spinel: I thought…I wasn’t sure I’d made it..I thought I’d lost you…
Opal: …I’m always with you, honey…always.
Spinel: Mama…!
Opal: Shh…it’s okay…we’re okay…
Some weeks later…
Aurora: Are you sure you wanna be out here, babe? The bed’s comfier.
Opal: Mm. This pillow’s pretty comfy, too. And I want to hear this for myself.
Firefly: It is a…very long story.
Comet: Then start talking, both of you.
Dawn: Right now. You’ve had a month to get your story straight, Spi.
Spinel: It’s not about getting it straight, it’s about where to start…
Dusk: The beginning’s usually a good spot.
Tourmaline: Whenever the fudge that was.
Firefly: Oh, so a thousand years ago?
Spinel: Firefly…she didn’t mean it like that.
Aurora: Just start with when you left.
Comet: The first time. We looked everywhere for that note and never found it, so no more lying.
Tourmaline: Whole truth, nothing but the truth.
Spinel: Well, it started the night we got into Mom’s office…
-
Spinel: And then we went to the hospital. That should be everything.
Opal: Sounds like an adventure.
Dusk: Mama, you’re actually buying this?
Tourmaline: …she’s not lying.
Tourmaline: I can tell, she’s…telling the truth.
Comet: Huh. You know, there are rumors about multiple planes of existence. I guess it could be true.
Dawn: This makes. No sense at all.
Spinel: It doesn’t have to make sense. It happened, it’s over, and it worked.
Aurora: And you’re grounded until you’re thirty. Firefly, do you have a place to stay?
Firefly: Uh…no?
Aurora: Well, you do now. First punishment, Spinel: Clean out the guest bedroom.
Dawn: First of many.
Dusk: First of a hundred.
Spinel: Tou, can we–
Tourmaline: I’m tired, Spi. Can we not do this tonight.
Spinel: …sure. G’night.
The next day…
Honeydew: I cannot believe this!
Spinel: Honeydew, will you just–
Honeydew: You ran off on me!
Spinel: What was I supposed to do?
Honeydew: You could have called me! We could have gone together!
Spinel: There was no time! I had to catch the train!
Honeydew: You had plenty of time to get yourself a girlfriend.
Spinel: Are you–it’s not like that! It’s complicated!
Honeydew: Is it? Because from where I’m standing it’s pretty simple. You got in over your head.
Spinel: Yes, I did, but I got back out of it because of Firefly!
Spinel: I wouldn’t have made it back if it wasn’t for her!
Honeydew: Are you sure you didn’t get into it because of her?
Spinel: Honeydew…
Honeydew: Spi, I love you. You’re the third sister I didn’t want but got anyway, and I’m only saying this because I’m worried. You vanish for a week and then come back with someone? Don’t you think that’s a little weird?
Firefly: ….
Spinel: I told you, it’s complicated. And I already have one brother–I don’t need another one messing with my life.
Honeydew: Spi–
Spinel: I love you too, okay? So I’m gonna walk away before either of us says something we regret. Call me when you’ve got your head out from between your legs.
Firefly: I am sorry. If I have made things…difficult.
Spinel: Pff. Honeydew’s a jerk sometimes. Don’t worry about it.
Firefly: Not only that, but your family…
Spinel: What–hey, no, you haven’t. It’s okay, Firefly. They like you, I like you, it’ll work out.
Firefly: …perhaps. Spinel, I–
Tourmaline: I saw Honeydew run off. Are you done already?
Spinel: …yeah, yeah, we’re done.
Tourmaline: Great, cause we gotta go. Mom just called: we need to go home right now.
slightly earlier…
*phone buzzes*
Aurora: Huh. That’s odd…Cadence is calling.
Opal: I thought she and Forest were out of town.
Aurora: Supposed to be.
Opal: Tell her I’m fine if she asks.
Aurora: Deal. Hey, Cay! Everything’s fine, we’re all good, Opal says hi–
Aurora: –wait. What–Cadence, slow down, slow down! Start from the beginning, what happened?
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