I LOVE SPINEL I LOVE SPINEL I LOVE SPINEL I LOVE SPINEL

Okay, actually being serious, I loved the Steven universe Movie. Great music that I'm still listening to as I'm writing this, lovable character moments and interactions that I adore, and Spinel competing with Amethyst and Steven for my favorite character of the entire series. While the movie probably doesn't move much along in terms of the show's entire story, I love the fact it's basically a reaffirming of all the growth the show has been through, and I think Steven is at his absolute best here, still positive and upbeat, but also a little more weary, cautious, and even understanding of the situation. I love how he doesn't even try to defend his mother's actions.

Also, Pink is the true villain of the show. Now, I don't hate her, She's actually a great character and the good she did does outweigh the bad, but as a person, she's horrible. It doesn't matter if what she did was unintentional, your actions shouldn't be hurting people this badly. All in all, Pink is a well intentioned person, but she doesn't think about long-term consequences, the consequences Steven has to face throughout the series.

Anyway, because Spinel needs love in every conceivable universe, here's one where she replaces Pearl. Also, I'm going to mark this story as complete, but don't think I won't come back to this. This is more or less going to be a series of one-shots, and I'm not sure how many of these things there will be.

I own nothing.

Sleeping, one of life greatest's blessings, and often a very overlooked gift. You can fight it, go against it, and even complain about it in the morning, but there's no denying the sense of refreshment it instills.

Of course, if you were over 6,000 years old and never once had the need to do so, then it could be hard for one to appreciate it's comfort.

That's what a certain rubbery figure was trying to comprehend as she watched over the young sleeping body of a three year old Steven Universe.

It wasn't like she planned on staring at the toddler all night. Well, she thought about doing it, but she wasn't going to go through with it. Greg Universe handled everything on the whole human care front, but every now and again, the little tyke tired him out too much for him to drive to Validia's, so he often resorted to sleeping against the temple entrance's wall with little Steven safely in his care.

"I don't get it. Why does he get to hold him all the time?" Spinel said to no one. Her arms kept twisting and looping in circles, trying to figure out the answer. "I was her best friend. I should be the one holding little Pi.., Rose." It was hard to keep everything in all the time, secrets, lies, and emotions. "Why does he get to have her all the time?"

It was already hard enough trying to understand the concept of babies at all, especially when Rose just announced one day she was pregnant. No warning, no indication that she wanted one before hand (except for maybe all those times she visited the hospital and stared at all the babies for hours. On the side note: she should do that again. It was fun seeing all the reactions those newborns had to her). It just kind of came out of nowhere.

What was weirder was that no one fought her on this. Amethyst just went silent, Garnet was strangely (albeit forcefully) supportive, and she herself, she didn't no what to think at the time.

She wanted Rose to be happy, but as her best friend, shouldn't she have been all that she needed. When Pink wanted a colony, she was there to cheer her on. When she wanted to see Earth, she was there by her side to enjoy the sights. When she rebelled against her fellow Diamonds and started a war that changed and challenged everyone's way of life, what kind of best friend would she be if she didn't poof thousands of solders for the sake of a rather confusing cause?

She said homeworld was wrong to make Gems the way they were. That Gems needed to find their own purpose, just like humans were able to. But she was happy being her best friend. If she wasn't made to be Pink's best friend, then she would have no friends. Or not exist. Or something like that.

Did that mean she was wrong to like being Pi.., Rose's friend? Was it wrong to want to be friends with her? Or was it right because it was something she actually did enjoy? Then what was right? Was the idea of something right an absolute, or was it something they had to come up with themselves? But if they were made to not choose, then how could she be making these decisions? Was...

Plop.

Spinel's head was inflating to emphasize the surplus of confusion swarming in, too the point where she lost her balance and fell over. She froze, thinking she might have woken the two, only to she both were still comfortably in slumber.

How could they sleeping when there was so much to know, to learn, to be confused about? Then again, everyone got most of their freak-outs during little pink's 4th month of being alive. Snow covered the entire city, and the Gems decided to finally get to know little Pink, as well as ease whatever tension was between Greg and them.

Garnet and Amethyst waved their white flags in the form of gifts: a razor and extra big diapers. Practical gifts, probably, but it Spinel all the more happy to be there. Figured that the only fun Gem would know exactly how to make her little pink happy. She summoned three bubbles from the palm of her hands, and she juggled. She twirled, flipped, kicked, she did practically every trick she had mastered while performing for best friend. It only made sense that what made her Diamond happy made little Pink happy.

And, it worked.

He smiled. He laughed. He looed at her and gave her the biggest smile she could muster. A smile. Validation that her existence mattered. She attempted at times to make the other's smile. Amethyst occasion indulged her, Garnet just outright turned her down, and apparently it was considered 'unnatural' by humans to constantly twist there heads 360 degrees while bouncing on pogo feet, so she was often left bored.

But little pink saw joy in her antics. He didn't tell her to knock it off, or to grow up, or to stop moving like steamboat willy(whatever that meant). He actually didn't talk at all (kinda made Garnet's suggestion of a dictionary a little less silly in hindsight.), but he didn't need to say anything. He smiled, he reached out for her, he wanted to be around her, he latterly glowed because of her.

(and afterwards their was a lot of yelling, shapeshifting, confusion, stealing, and potential murder, but that wasn't important now.)

The point was, Spinel was the happiest she had ever been in a long time, and ever since then, she'd never seen little pink that happy either. Granted, seeing little Pink was a bit of a tricky thing with the threat of monsters ever other day, but come on, who else could ever make the little guy happier?

That's what her purpose was now! She was supposed to be somebody's best friend, and little pink needed a best friend. It was obvious. For now on, she would be the only friend little pink would ever need.

"Come on little Pink. We have a lot of fun in our future." Spinel whispered, elongating her arms to reach out for Steven. It was pretty difficult not to wake up either of them, especially with one being fragile in so many pathetic ways, and the other being a baby. Fortunately, fate seemed to be on her side tonight, allowing her to lift little pink from the dad's grasp and into her own comforting hold.

"Someday, somewhere, somehow, I'll love again. I just found, someone."

Pink wasn't here. In a way, Spinel lost her 6,000 years ago when she came to earth.

"Someone, who treats you, better. Someone, who wants me around."

Rose wasn't Pink. Pink was innocent. Pink was silly, happy, a true friend she could find purpose and life in.

"Someday, somewhere, somehow, your going to feel found."

Rose, Rose was an ally. An associate. She could still be happy, but, maybe, maybe Spinel wasn't one of those things anymore to her. Maybe that's why she had no problem disappearing on all of them. But Steven needed Spinel, probably even more than Spinel needed him.

The baby boy snuggled in her arms, lightly breathing as he embraced the arms of his crying caretaker.

Spinel would never disappear on Steven. She would do anything for him. She'll do it all for him.

"Today, right here, right now, I already feel, found."