ANL Hello, everyone. I recently received permission by Minijen to write this story based on one of her AUs, specifically Gravity Rises/Momswap. This is one of the greatest writing honors I have ever received, so let's get started.
Now, with that out of the way, the adventure begins.
Momswap Rises
Chapter 1: New Friends
Pines Family House (Front Yard) 3:30 PM
It was a cold, sunny day in Piedmont, California, but it was no ordinary day. Today was the last day of school, which meant the start of winter vacation; the longest time away from school. As such, the children were ecstatic, which extended to the bus ride home, especially for the twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines.
Dipper was a twelve-year-old boy with fair skin, short brown hair that obscured his birthmark, and brown eyes. He wore a dark blue t-shirt with a yellow collar that had a matching shooting star symbol over a long sleeved yellow shirt, black shorts, white socks with a red stripe, and red tennis shoes.
Mabel was a twelve-year-old girl with fair skin, silver braces in her mouth, long brown hair with a red hair band, and brown eyes. She wore a brown coat with faux-fur lining that remained unzipped to reveal her large white shirt with a blue collar and a matching pine tree symbol. She also wore black leggings and brown boots.
"Oh, man, this is going to be the best winter ever!" Dipper yelled ecstatically to his older twin sister.
"Chill out, Dip. Do you want to lose your voice again?" Mabel asked halfheartedly.
"It'll totally be worth it, Mabel! Mark my words sis, this is going to be an epic winter vacation for us!" Dipper yelled, undeterred by his sister's comment.
"Yeah, in case you're forgetting, that's what you said during the last vacation, and we basically just lounged around the house the entire time." Mabel deadpanned, only for Dipper to playfully bop her nose, much to her annoyance.
"Aw, stop being such a spoilsport, Mabel! I guarantee you: things are going to be different!" Dipper said confidently as the bus stopped in front of their family home.
"Dipper, Mabel, time to get off." The bus driver said, which allowed Dipper and Mabel to retrieve their respective backpacks as they disembarked the bus and headed towards their two-story house.
Mabel good-naturedly scoffed from Dipper's earlier comment and said, "Come on, Dip; what are the odds that something like that's ever going to happen?"
Speedy Beaver Bus 8:30 AM
Mabel's eyes were widened with what could only be described as pure irony. Yesterday, after she'd ignored Dipper's premonitions of having a fun winter break, their parents told them they had to spend winter break with their reclusive great-uncle, or grunkle, Stanford "Ford" Pines, who lived all the way in some town called Gravity Falls, which was in Oregon.
Their parent's reasoning for this was so that they could finally have some fun and adventure during their vacation. Still, Mabel had attempted to suggest winter camp, but the arrangements were already made for tomorrow morning, much to her chagrin.
It wasn't that Mabel didn't care for her family, but she nor Dipper had ever gone so far from home before. While having Dipper along for the ride mitigated the homesickness, she endured her younger brother's occasionally annoying optimism.
"Oh, wipe that frown off your face, Mabel! We've got a whole winter to spend in Gravity Falls! You should be happy!" Dipper yelled happily.
"That's easy for you to say; you're always happy." Mabel lightly deadpanned.
"And why wouldn't I be?" Dipper asked, ignoring Mabel's comment. He then excitedly listed, "It's a new town, full of potential new friends…not to mention some local girls."
"Oh, boy. Are you still on that whole, 'winter romance', thing you've been trying for the past three winters?" Mabel asked as she lightly chuckled from her brother's previously failed attempts.
"Hey, they totally could've worked!" Dipper defended as he formed a confident smile and declared, "But now, there's a whole new field for me to play in, so I say, 'play ball!'!"
"Whatever, you sweet goof-bag. Romance is a waste of time." Mabel lightly mocked as she gave him a friendly punch to the arm. She then formed a somewhat sarcastic expression and said, "I'll tell you what: if I somehow get a crush on someone while we're in Gravity Falls, I'll do any chores you have for a week. Sound good?"
"It's a deal, Mabel!" Dipper said excitedly as he shook his sister's hand, solidifying their deal. He then declared, "Next stop: Gravity Falls!"
"Uh, that's about eight hours away." The bus driver pointed out, much to Dipper's brief disappointment.
"Oh, well. Let's play some car games! Or more fitting, bus games!" Dipper declared excitedly, which made Mabel's eyes widen from anxiety.
"Kill me, now." Mabel mouthed to the ceiling.
Ford's House (Front Yard) 4:50 PM
It had been a long journey for the twins, but more so for Mabel, as they finally arrived at their Grunkle Ford's house in the woods. Mabel had spent the entirety of the trip playing Dipper's car games, which while she knew he meant well, drove her insane. If it wasn't for the bathroom breaks, she would've been tempted to rip off her own ears to escape from her brother's unintentional wrath.
As such, she had wide, unblinking eyes and a forced smile on her face as she disembarked with Dipper, each of them carrying their respective luggage as they approached their Great-Uncle Ford's house.
Ford's house appeared to be an ordinary, two-story wooden shack that was kept in a surprisingly pristine condition, considering that their parents told them that Ford owned the home for over thirty years. Dipper and Mabel walked up the porch steps and knocked on the large, wooden door. When it opened, Dipper and Mabel finally saw their Grunkle Ford in the flesh. While they knew what, he looked like from pictures, they couldn't help but gasp when they met him face-to-face.
Ford was an elderly man in his sixties with fair skin, dark gray hair with a horizontal silver streak along the side of it, unusually long sideburns, a cleft chin, and a slight five o'clock shadow. He wore a pair of glasses, an open, light brown coat with a black pen in the right shirt pocket, a long-sleeved dress shirt with a brown sweater vest over it, and long, black pants with matching shoes. Oddly, he had two six-fingered hands, a sight that amazed Dipper and Mabel.
There was a somewhat eerie silence in the air as the twins anxiously gazed at the somewhat intimidating sight of Ford. While social awkwardness was expected of Mabel, even Dipper couldn't think of anything to say. They had no knowledge on what their Grunkle Ford was like, only knowing that he'd been living alone in the woods for over thirty years. As the two stared in anticipation, Ford smiled and broke the silence.
Ford bent down and gently extended his right hand to the twins. He then sincerely said, "Hi, I'm your Great-Uncle Ford. It's nice to meet you."
Dipper and Mabel stared at the old man's gesture for a few moments before Dipper took it first and shook his hand. His previous anxiety washed away as he felt the unfamiliar sensation of a six-fingered handshake.
"Whoa, a six-fingered handshake. That's like, a finger friendlier than normal!" Dipper said in amazement, which made Ford chuckle warmly.
"I like you, kid. You're weird." Ford complimented as he ended the handshake and extended his hand to Mabel, who took it after a few moments of hesitation.
"Huh, it does feel friendlier than normal." Mabel admitted, which made Ford smile as he ended the handshake and got back on his feet.
"Now then, let's get you kids settled in the attic." Ford said warmly as he led them inside the house.
"Wait, we have to live in the attic?" Mabel thought to herself.
Ford's House 2nd Floor (Attic) 5:00 PM
After properly introducing themselves to their Grunkle Ford, the twins arrived at what would be their room for the rest of winter break. There were two beds on each side of the attic, which had a window in the center wall. Dipper claimed the right bed while Mabel attempted to claim the left, only to notice that she had an unexpected guest on it…one that walked on four legs.
Mabel stared incredulously at the small, mountain goat that was on her bed and snidely said, "And there's a goat on my bed." She then turned to her twin brother and asked, "Hey, Dip. Want to trade?"
"As fun as it would be to have a goat bunkmate, got to pass on that, sis. I just marked my territory." Dipper proudly said as he pointed towards several posters of the Icelandic, pop sensation of BABBA he'd somehow put up mere moments after claiming his bed.
"I will never understand how you're able to do that, Dip." Mabel remarked apathetically.
"And I'll never tell you! Besides, Gompers is just part of the fun here!" Dipper exclaimed, instantly naming the trespassing goat. He then revealed his splinter-covered hands, which did nothing to deter his smile as he exclaimed, "Check out all these splinters!"
Mabel groaned in exasperation and softly said to herself, "Welcome to the most boring winter of your life, Mabel Andrea Pines."
Crystal Temple (Steven's Room) 5:05 PM
The Crystal Temple appeared to be nothing more than a landmark for the already strange town of Gravity Falls, Oregon. It was a statue of a towering, mystical woman with two faces, and eight arms. In one of its hands, gently cradled the home of Steven Universe, the sole male and youngest member of the Crystal Gems, the guardians of Gravity Falls.
Steven appeared to be a somewhat stocky, twelve-year-old boy, with short, bushy black hair, and black eyes. He wore a bright pink polo shirt with a yellow star stitched into the left pectoral, a salmon-pink undershirt, blue jeans that were rolled up to expose his ankles, and salmon-pink-and white shoes.
He'd been waiting on the Gems to return from their latest mission after he noticed that they left without him again when he was sleeping. It wasn't that he was particularly thrilled to join them, but their constant habit of leaving him out of the action made the young boy feel inadequate.
Granted, he did manage to summon his mother's shield from the pink gem embedded in his navel once before, but Peridot was always vocal about not letting him attend on the more dangerous missions. It wasn't that she didn't think he was capable, but she just didn't want him to get hurt.
As such, he halfheartedly stared at the crystalline warp pad in the center of the room. He silently timed it before a tunnel of light emerged, right on its usual schedule. When the light faded, the other three members of the Crystal Gems emerged from it, Peridot, Lapis, and Jasper.
Peridot appeared to be a tall and slender lime-green skinned woman with yellow green hair stylized into a wavy, triangular shape and a clear, light green visor over her green eyes, conveniently missing the green, triangular gem in her forehead. She wore a sleeveless, dark green V-neck uniform with a large, green star on her right pectoral that had a yellow outline and dark green pants with a black waist that had a light green star on her right hip and two small, yellow stars on her knees. She also wore differing shades of green and black arm straps on her upper arms. Oddly, her forearms and feet were covered in a lime-green-and-black armor, which gave her artificial, lime-green fingers that floated closely to where her hands should've been.
Lapis appeared to be a tall and slender light blue-skinned woman with wavy, dark blue hair stylized into a bob-cut. She wore a sleeveless dark blue vest with a matching bow on her back, tied so as not to obscure her dark blue, teardrop-shaped gem, underneath a light blue waistcoat with a dark blue trim and a light blue star in the center, which was tied to her waist with a purple sash, and a knee-length dark blue skirt. She also wore differing shades of blue leg straps that started low on her legs and ended at her ankles and light blue sandals.
Jasper appeared to be a tall and muscular tangerine-skinned woman with long, wavy white hair, reddish-orange markings on her face, arms, and legs, and amber eyes. She wore a sleeveless, light brown uniform with a black trim, a black sash around her waist, and dark brown shorts. She also wore black leg straps and brown shoes with black soles. Oddly, where her nose should have been, there was an orange, triangular gemstone with a faceted bottom, which gave it a diamond-like shape.
Currently, Peridot was disapprovingly glaring at Lapis, who had a bored, uninterested expression on her face.
"Lapis, that was an insanely risky move! You could've washed me and Jasper to the ends of the Earth with that tidal wave!" Peridot chastised.
"Hey, I dried you guys off, didn't I?" Lapis apathetically defended.
"That's not the point, Lapis. I understand how strong you are, but you have to know when to show restraint." Jasper firmly stated.
"Aw, stop being such a buzzkill, Jasper." Lapis said good-naturedly before she playfully spanked Peridot's butt, much to green Gem's embarrassment.
"Stop that! You know I don't like it when you do that!" Peridot whined.
"You know that's a lie." Lapis said with a flirtatious tone, one that made Peridot form a light green blush.
"I hate it when you do that." Peridot grumbled to herself as the group disembarked the warp pad, where they turned their gaze to see Steven on his bed, curled up with his latest literary find from the library, The Advantages of Being Invisible.
While the Gems unquestionably cared for their young protégé, they had their own ways of expressing it. Peridot would silently observe him to make sure he was safe whenever she wasn't on missions, Jasper put up a tough demeanor, but that always faded away whenever she saw him, enough to usually verbally express herself, but Lapis' way of showing how she cared…
"The Lapis Express is coming into the station!" Lapis yelled excitedly as she summoned literal water wings from her back and flew up to Steven. She then scooped him up in a loving embrace that pulled him from his book, much to the young boy's displeasure.
"Aw, Lapis! I was just getting to the good part!" Steven complained, but that did nothing to falter Lapis' innocent smile.
"Oh, you'll get back to your book, but what are the magic words?" Lapis asked playfully, much to Steven's annoyance.
"Please, Lappy?" Steven said in exasperation, which allowed Lapis to float back down and sit upon the bed with him, retracting her wings as she did so.
"That's my perfect boy." Lapis said sincerely as she gently kissed his forehead, an act that the young boy was still embarrassed by.
"Aw, Lapis!" Steven halfheartedly complained as he formed a small smile.
"I swear, one day you are going to get him killed with that kind of affection, Lapis." Peridot lightly chastised as she walked up alongside Jasper and sat around Steven's bed, much to the young boy's discomfort.
"Guys, I kind of prefer it one at a time, remember?" Steven said nervously.
"Maybe, but that won't save you from the tickle monster!" Peridot exclaimed as her artificial fingers started to lightly tickle Steven, which made the young boy laugh uproariously.
"Oh, come on! Not the tickle monster, again!" Steven protested through his laughter.
"Yeah, you know what happens to monsters around my cub!" Jasper boasted as she playfully flicked away Peridot's artificial fingers, which sent them back at the green Gem's face.
While Peridot would've ordinarily had an angered expression on her face, she only smiled since it was part of the act. When all her fingers were back, she rearranged them to their proper place, much to Steven's relief.
After the ensuing, friendly chaos, Lapis formed a quizzical expression towards Steven and asked, "So, you have any plans for what to do during your first day of winter break?"
"Eh, probably going to finish this book." Steven bluntly answered, which made the Gems form somewhat concerned expressions.
While they knew that Steven had a hard time ever coming out of his shell, they'd secretly hoped that he would've grown out of it by now. True, he did often hang out with his father at his car wash job, but Steven refused to pay much attention to any of the kids close to his age…with one recent exception.
The Gems were ecstatic after Steven met the breath of fresh air that was Connie Maheswaran, even though the circumstances were accidental. Based on Steven's summary, he'd been on his daily bike ride when he saw her running from a stampede of wild, Caledonian Boars. In a rare feat of courage, he leapt into the fray and safely encapsulated her in an indestructible, pink bubble he made from his gem. Unfortunately, he'd accidentally trapped himself alongside her, which led to some crazy hijinks trying to free themselves from it.
Connie's ideas for freedom were somewhat nonsensical and she ignored Steven's advice to wait for the Gems to help them, which ended with them catapulted into Gravity Falls Lake. Thankfully, Steven somehow saved the day and freed himself and Connie from the bubble. Unfortunately, it led to the duo facing off against the worm monster responsible for the then-recent earthquakes, but they came out on top.
As such, the Gems were confused because even though Connie had given him his number, he hadn't called her since. It wasn't that Steven didn't care for her after their adventure, but he'd never had anyone close to his age to really talk to. Especially one that Lapis knew had the potential to be more than just a friend.
"Hey, why don't you call that girl you saved, last week? She seemed to be a fun one, if memory serves." Lapis suggested, gently nudging her surrogate son.
The memory of Connie made Steven shyly blush as he twiddled his thumbs in embarrassment. "Well, I don't know about that. We kind of…barely know each other, you know?" Steven said nervously.
Peridot stared at Steven's display in confusion and asked, "Steven, why are you blushing?"
"Oh, no reason!" Steven badly defended, which made Lapis push the initiative further.
"Oh, because it looks like to me that you want her to join you. Being so close, fighting side-by-side, inches away from her tempting beauty…" Lapis said teasingly, which made Steven blush even harder.
"I-I-It's not like that, Lapis! Connie's way out of my league!" Steven accidentally revealed, much to Jasper and Lapis' amusement.
"Aw, my little cub's growing up! You're finally noticing girls!" Jasper praised and then formed an awkward expression. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong if you wanted to have boys, or whatever."
"Why would I want boys?" Steven asked, his embarrassment replaced with confusion.
"We'll tell you when you're older!" the Gems hastily said simultaneously, much to Steven's amusement.
"Oh, looks like the tables have turned." Steven said smugly, only for him to suddenly take out his cellphone as he punched in Connie's number. As he heard the phone ring, he embraced his guardians in a warm hug and said, "Thanks for helping me, guys."
The Gems stared at their young protégé for a few moments before they gleefully returned the embrace, only ending it when Steven heard Connie's voice on the other line.
"Uh, hi, Connie. Do you want to hang out, today?" Steven asked, somewhat nervously as the Gems stared in anticipation of her answer.
Soon enough, Connie gave her answer; "I'd love to."
Ford's House (1st Floor) 5:15 PM
After she'd chased the goat away, Mabel and Dipper had successfully moved in to their new beds for the rest of winter break. As such, they decided to explore their new home, specifically the first floor.
While she didn't expect much, she was pleasantly surprised with the several inventions that their Grunkle Ford had made as well as hopefully deceased specimens he'd collected from the strange town of Gravity Falls. They were scattered neatly throughout most of the first floor, but it stopped before it entered the kitchen. Since they weren't labeled, the twins had no idea what they did or what they were.
Being the boldest of the duo, Dipper extended his hand towards a skeleton's dog-like skull that retained its sharp teeth from whatever it was in life. However, before he could touch it, Ford arrived from the other room and gasped in shock. He quickly grabbed to young boy and set him down, far away from the skull.
"Are you insane?! Do you want to turn into a werewolf?!" Ford yelled incredulously, much to Dipper's confusion.
"Wait, werewolves?" Dipper asked, which made Ford clear his throat in embarrassment.
"Oh, dear. I suppose it's better for you two to know sooner rather than later." Ford admitted as knelt to their eyelevel.
"What are you talking about, Grunkle Ford?" Mabel asked, her curiosity piqued from his comment.
Ford sighed deeply and said, "Dipper and Mabel, the short answer is: there's monsters and oddities that inhabit Gravity Falls. I've spent the last thirty years researching them, but this is as much as I've done." Ford then gestured towards his captured specimens, before he rubbed his temples. "All I know is what they are, but nothing else. I feel like there should be more that I know, but it's like…something's missing."
Mabel and Dipper eyed each other caustically. While Mabel had been intrigued with the idea that there were supernatural creatures in this town, clearly their Grunkle Ford knew nothing about them. In fact, all these specimens were probably fake, but they could tell that there was something going on with his mind, so they silently agreed to humor him for now.
"That's okay, Grunkle Ford. We'll be careful not to touch any of these…specimens." Mabel vocalized, with Dipper nodding his head in agreement.
With that, the elderly scientist smiled and said, "Thanks, kids." He then cleared his throat as he got up and said, "Well, I'll be in my room, working on some new inventions; something to do until the school year starts and I can go back to teaching physics. You two should go out and see what this town is offering. Just be back before nightfall."
"Wait, you trust us to leave the house…unsupervised?!" Dipper yelled excitedly.
"You haven't given me a reason not to, so I figure it shouldn't be too bad." Ford said warmly as he tousled his great-nephew's hair.
"What about what you mentioned about supernatural creatures?" Mabel asked, though she was merely humoring the man.
"Oh, the more dangerous ones don't come out until nighttime. Besides, you two might make some new winter friends." Ford said encouragingly as he headed back to his room.
With an excited nod, Mabel formed a rare smile as she and her brother left Ford's house in search of adventure, even though there didn't seem to be anything supernatural about Gravity Falls.
Gravity Falls (Town Square) 5:20 PM
It hadn't been too long of a walk into town, with Dipper eagerly taking in the scenery and Mabel doing the same, albeit with less enthusiasm. Given that it was a small town, the twins viewed the several small stores Gravity Falls had to offer.
"Oh, check out all these stores! Funland Arcade, The Big Donut, Greasy's Diner, the Town Hall, that mattress store…this is the greatest!" Dipper exclaimed happily as he pointed them out and engaged in some friendly handshakes with strangers.
"Dipper, tone down the enthusiasm. Shaking stranger's hands is how you got the Flu, remember?" Mabel tersely advised.
"It was worth it! You should try being friendly too, Mabel!" Dipper happily said, which almost made Mabel burst into laughter.
"What, and be a hyperactive goof-ball like you? As if!" Mabel good-naturedly said as she punched her younger brother in his left arm.
"It can pay off. Who knows; maybe you'll finally find the boy of your dreams in this town." Dipper sincerely said as he returned the favor, an act that made the twins smile.
Suddenly, the siblings' antics were interrupted as they heard some hillbilly yell as he ran past them, "Oh, no! The mutant sheep are a 'coming! The mutant sheep are a 'coming!"
While they were certain that he was insane, his statement proved true as a large herd of mutant sheep suddenly emerged from where he was running from, which made the roaming denizens of Gravity Falls scream fearfully as they ran to safety. The sheep appeared to be bright green in color with red eyes and sharp teeth. Dipper and Mabel followed the feeling citizens, but in their haste to escape, Mabel's left foot accidentally got wedged into a large crack in the sidewalk, much to the twins' fear.
"Oh, no! I'll help you, sis!" Dipper yelled frantically as he and Mabel struggled to free her foot from the hole. Unfortunately, her foot was trapped too deep for them to pull it out, even with their combined strength.
"Hey, I need some help!" Mabel yelled frantically to the evacuating townspeople, but they were too frightened to even stop to say something. As such, Dipper and Mabel were forced to continue their efforts without aid, an unfortunate situation since the mutant sheep were coming closer.
"Come on! Let go of my sister, stupid hole!" Dipper yelled in his rare, concerned voice. Mabel formed an uneasy expression on her face from the display. Given their different personalities, Dipper was usually the one in trouble, so Mabel had to intervene and save him. However, neither of them had ever expected the situation to be reversed, and seeing her only brother like this made Mabel's heart sink.
"Dipper…you need to get out of here." Mabel said stoically.
"What?! No way, Mabel! I'm not leaving you like this!" Dipper yelled incredulously.
"If you stay, you'll die with me! Just go!" Mabel yelled concernedly, fighting back her tears.
As Dipper stared at her trapped sister, tears formed in his eyes as he was wracked with uncertainty. If he left, Mabel would die, but if he stayed, he and Mabel would die. Fortunately, his decision was made for him when he heard the wheels of a skateboard arrive, and then heard them screech as the unknown rider stopped in front of them.
He was a sixteen-year-old boy with fair skin, short, black hair, blue eyes, and stubble on his chin. He wore a gray beanie, a brown flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal the black tattoos on his forearms, blue jeans, and black shoes. Interestingly, he had black plug earrings and a matching choker. This was Robert "Robbie" Valentino.
"Come with me if you want to live!" Robbie declared as he grabbed Mabel from behind and effortlessly pulled her foot out from the hole. He then grabbed Dipper and skateboarded with the twins into a nearby alley. The trio stayed there as they watched the roaming mutant sheep stampede throughout the town. Thankfully, it didn't last long and when the sheep left, they breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wow, that was a close one!" Dipper exclaimed, breathlessly.
"Yeah, it's a good thing I was here. Those sheep always stampede through the town every five months like that." Robbie stated, only to mentally slap himself as he soon held out his hand to the twins. "The name's Robert, but everyone calls me Robbie."
"Dipper Amadeus Pines, at your service!" Dipper exclaimed cheerfully as he shook his hand.
"Nice to meet you, kid." Robbie said sincerely, only to end the handshake so he could extend it to Mabel. He knelt to her eyelevel and said, "And what's your name, cutie?"
Mabel stared at the teenaged boy and formed a small blush, much to her surprise. She'd never been rescued before by anyone other than her parents when she was younger. Especially not one as surprisingly handsome as Robbie. Still, she noticed that she was staring too long and that Robbie formed a quizzical expression on his face, clearly unsure of why she was staring at him. Not wanting to lose anymore face, Mabel hastily grabbed his hand with both of hers.
"Mabel Andrea Pines! It's nice to meet you!" Mabel frantically shrieked, much to her embarrassment. Thankfully, Robbie only smiled and tousled her hair as finished the awkward handshake and got back up.
"Wait, your last names are 'Pines'? Do you know Prof. Pines?" Robbie asked.
"Yeah, he's our great-uncle, or grunkle for short! We're living with him for the rest of winter break!" Dipper declared, which made Mabel form an embarrassed expression as she hastily clasped her brother's mouth, which Dipper tried to remove.
"Dudes, that's awesome! Prof. Pines is like, my favorite teacher!" Robbie praised, which made Mabel blush warmly.
"You're good at physics, Robbie?" Dipper asked as he finally freed himself from Mabel's vice-like grip.
"Yeah, I was one of the top kids in my grade thanks to Prof. Pines! When you guys see him, tell him I said, 'hi'!" Robbie cheerfully requested as he skateboarded away from the twins, unaware of the blissful smile and blush Mabel had on her face.
However, Dipper looked back at his twin sister and smiled knowingly at her expression. Mabel soon noticed that she hadn't hid her expression in time and hastily turned back to her normal face, but that did nothing to curtail Dipper's smile.
"What are you staring at, Dip?" Mabel asked tersely.
"Oh, nothing! Just…you so lost the bet!" Dipper exclaimed, much to Mabel's ire.
"I didn't. I don't have a crush on Robbie!" Mabel said angrily.
"Oh, okay." Dipper playfully conceded, only to suddenly exclaim as he turned around, "Hey, Robbie's coming back!"
"He is?! How's my hair?!" Mabel yelled frantically as her blush returned, only to suddenly connect the dots as she stared at her younger brother in contempt.
"I believe you owe me a week of chores, sis." Dipper said confidently, only for Mabel to throw a hard punch at his arm, which made Dipper exclaim in pain.
"You say a word about this to anyone, you're dead." Mabel said threateningly, which made Dipper gulp in anxiety as he nodded his head. Soon enough, Mabel's stoic expression returned as she said, "Now then, it seems that Grunkle Ford's specimens may not have been as fake as they seemed."
"Yeah, those were some freaky sheep." Dipper said as he winced from his arm pain.
"Sorry about that, Dip." Mabel said apologetically, only for her expression to turn cryptic as she and Dipper left the alley and saw the destruction brought on by those mutant sheep, "Maybe this town isn't what it seems…"
Gravity Falls Forest 5:35 PM
After making his plans with Connie, Steven went to her house to pick her up, not by car, but with some help from his recently acquired lion, which he named Lion since he couldn't think of anything else after their adventure last month. Lion appeared to be a normal lion, but he had a bright pink coat with a lighter pink mane, an oddity that Steven couldn't help but question since his acquisition. Still, that did nothing to curtail his time with Connie as she traveled alongside him, both on Lion's back as he traversed throughout the forest.
Connie was a twelve-year-old girl with tanned skin, large, waist-length dark brown hair, and black eyes. She wore a light-yellow t-shirt with a dark yellow sun symbol in the middle, blue jeans, and white sandals with salmon-pink straps. Currently, the young girl was smiling eagerly as she took in the sights of the forest.
"Oh, this is so cool! Thanks for bringing me here, Steven!" Connie praised, which made Steven blush slightly.
"It was no problem, Connie. It's nice to get out of the house sometimes, anyway!" Steven said nervously, knowing that he hardly ever ventured into the forest.
While Steven had lived in Gravity Falls his entire life, he hardly ever left the house on his own, and even then, that was to hang out with his dad or grab some food from the nearby donut shop. Steven always felt so scared and isolated from the world whenever he went outside, something that he wanted to change more than anything.
True, the Gems and his dad had done their best to make him feel comfortable when he left the house, but he knew it wouldn't have been enough. It wasn't until he met Connie that the world didn't seem so scary to him. He didn't know exactly what it was about her, but she made him want to come out of his shell more. It seemed ridiculous because they were so different from each other, but it felt…right whenever he was with her.
Suddenly, Lion stopped and growled menacingly at a rustling noise, much to Steven's apprehension, but Connie's excitement.
"Ooh, what kind of supernatural creature could be there? A werewolf, vampire, a were-pire?!" Connie listed excitedly, unaware of Steven's reluctance.
"Uh, you know, maybe we should go back home. It's getting kind of late." Steven said nervously.
"What? Steven, whatever's making that sound, I guarantee you it's something that'll probably change our lives forever!" Connie heartily suggested.
Before Steven could protest any further, Lion suddenly started to run towards the noise, his teeth barred and eyes that glowed pure white. Connie held onto Steven for dear life as Steven did the same with Lion's mane.
"This is awesome and terrifying!" Connie yelled excitedly.
"I think it's just terrifying!" Steven yelled fearfully.
Meanwhile, Dipper and Mabel had been exploring nearby, attempting to uncover more mysteries about this town. As such, Dipper threw caution to the wind as he did a handstand and walked alongside Mabel, like that.
"Dipper, you're going to get yourself hurt by walking on your hands." Mabel lightly chastised.
"Oh, live a little, sis! After those mutant sheep, you should be more concerned with whatever other cool mysteries this town has!" Dipper said excitedly.
"Well, so far, it's bupkis, little brother. I'm starting to think that maybe my hunch was off." Mabel admitted, disappointed.
"Oh, turn that frown upside-down, sis! You've never given up before when you had your mind set on something!" Dipper said chipperly as he let himself fall to the ground and got back on his feet.
"Yeah, that's true." Mabel said, her spirits somewhat lifted.
"Trust me, something big is going to happen in these woods and it'll change our lives forever!" Dipper said idealistically as he lovingly embraced his twin sister, only for the duo to hear a growling sound come closer.
"I think you were right!" Mabel said fearfully as Lion emerged from the bushes and leapt to pounce on them.
The twins were caught off-guard by a pink lion of all things in Oregon, but Dipper was pushed out of the way by Mabel, which only allowed Lion to pounce on her. The impact from the strange beast knocked her over with little effort. Dipper was in an absolute panic as he struggled to get up before this creature could devour his sister. Thankfully, a frightened, but hopeful voice intervened before the situation could escalate.
"Lion, get off her! I told you; no attacking random people for no reason!" Steven yelled hastily in a somewhat squeaky voice, that miraculously caused Lion to back off.
Mabel and Dipper sighed in relief as Lion complied and released his grip on the young girl. Dipper quickly rushed to his twin sister's side and helped her up, though the lion still stared at them distrustfully.
"Hey, anyone dead?" Connie bluntly asked as she and Steven descended from Lion's back.
"Uh, no. We're both okay, thanks." Mabel answered, albeit weirded out by the girl's unnecessary question.
"That's good to know. Steven's lion gets out of control sometimes." Connie answered, remembering what Steven told her during their first adventure.
"Whoa, this is your lion?!" Dipper asked excitedly to Steven when Lion calmed down enough, which made Steven form an awkward blush as he ducked his head.
"Uh, y-yeah. I-I-I've had him for like, a month now." Steven nervously answered as he stared at his feet.
"Uh, no offense, but you should keep that thing on a leash. It tried to eat me!" Mabel said tersely, only for Lion to respond in kind with a roar, which made the young girl whimper slightly.
"Oh, he looks and acts scary sometimes, but he's just a big teddy bear underneath that pink fur!" Connie said dismissively as she gently petted Lion's luxurious mane, which the pink creature reluctantly allowed her to do.
"Whoa, he's a bear inside and a lion outside?!" Dipper exclaimed, misinterpreting what Connie meant as he joined in petting him.
"That's not what she meant, Dip." Mabel clarified and then causally put up her hand, "My name's Mabel and the boy petting the lion is my brother, Dipper."
"Oh, yeah! My name's Connie and this is my new friend, Steven!" Connie said as she happily introduced herself and Steven to the twins, even though the most the half-Gem boy could do was quickly raise his hand and put it back down.
"Uh, is there something wrong with him?" Mabel asked as she pointed at Steven.
"Oh, no. He's just really shy." Connie clarified as she stopped petting Lion and went over to the young boy and gently touched his hand. "Hey, it's okay. I'm right here if you need me." Connie said sincerely, which brought a small smile to Steven's face as he lifted his head and saw her sincere expression.
Steven took a few deep breaths before he removed his hand from hers and looked at the twins with a determined expression. "My name is Steven Quartz Universe! I live in that temple on the hill!" Steven nervously declared as he pointed towards the very noticeable statue, one that made Dipper and Mabel gasp in amazement.
"Whoa, I totally didn't see that!" Dipper yelled, amazed.
"You think that we would've. It's like, a stone's-throw away from Grunkle Ford's house." Mabel added.
"Wait, Ford Pines? The one who lives in the shack in the middle of the woods?" Steven asked.
"Yeah, he's our great-uncle, but we call him, grunkle for short." Dipper clarified.
"That's so cool! Peridot and Prof. Pines used to work on a bunch of inventions together!" Steven revealed with a rare, large smile, which quickly faltered as he put his head back down. "Oh, sorry. I'm probably acting like a huge dork or something."
"Nah, I know dorks. I'm related to one!" Dipper exclaimed, much to Mabel's embarrassment.
"I'm not a dork, Dipper! I get like, straight 'A''s every semester!" Mabel defended, only to facepalm when she realized that she wasn't helping her case.
"Like, I said, 'dork'!" Dipper playfully mocked.
"Wait, who's Peridot?" Mabel asked, wanting to change the subject, but also for her curiosity.
"Oh, she and I-I-I are members of the Crystal Gems. It's her, Lapis, Jasper, then me. W-W-We use the magic from our gems to help humanity." Steven nervously revealed as Connie silently took his hand again.
"Wait, magic from your gems?" Mabel asked.
"Yeah, they're located on parts of their bodies!" Connie answered, filling in for the nervous Steven. "Peridot's is in her forehead, Lapis' is in her back, and Jasper's where her nose should be! Steven's gem is in his bellybutton, but he's only half-Gem! His mom was one a long time ago!" Connie revealed and then discretely whispered something in Steven's ear which made the young boy nod.
Steven then lifted his two shirts, blushing slightly as he revealed the gem in his navel, which made Dipper and Mabel exclaim in wonderment.
"Unbelievable…" Mabel said, awestruck.
"It's kind of pretty…" Dipper added, only for him to ask, "So, what does it do?"
As Connie opened her mouth to say it, Steven intervened a second before she could say anything, which was a pleasant surprise for her.
"T-T-The Gems told me that my mom used to do a lot of things with it." Steven revealed as he quickly pulled his shirt down. "But, I'm still learning h-h-how to use it. I've only made a shield and bubble from it, so far."
"The bubble is actually how we met! Steven saved me from a herd of stampeding Caledonian Boars when I tried to take a picture of one for my scrapbook!" Connie added, interjecting Steven.
"Y-Yeah. That was a crazy day, mostly because of your ideas." Steven said good-naturedly as he formed a small blush.
"Hey, it all worked out in the end! We beat that rampaging gem worm monster and saved the town!" Connie exclaimed, the memory of that fight still fresh in her mind.
"Whoa, you guys have been dealing with supernatural stuff, too?!" Mabel exclaimed excitedly. "We just ran away from a rampaging herd of mutant sheep!"
"Oh, yeah. I forgot that they rampage today. Also, they're not the only weird thing in this town." Steven said as he lifted his head once again.
"What could be weirder than rampaging sheep?" Dipper asked dismissively.
"I once ran into this weird sub-species of gnomes that wanted my socks for something. I spent most of the day trying to get those back, and then it turns out that they had no plan for using them. I never did get those socks back, though. They're not like the other gnomes; at least their intentions are clear." Steven answered.
"So, you guys are living with Prof. Pines? Did you just move here, like me?" Connie asked.
"Nah, we're only here for the rest of winter break." Mabel clarified as Dipper formed an adventurous grin.
"You know, maybe there's a reason why we ran into you guys. I think that we have the potential to have some super-fun adventures!" Dipper yelled excitedly.
"Heh, maybe." Steven admitted with a small grin.
"And all we had to do was have Steven's lion almost eat you, Mabel!" Connie said cheerfully, unaware of Mabel's uneasy expression.
"Uh, yeah. And as much as I can't believe I'm saying this, Dipper's right." Mabel admitted and soon formed a rare, hopeful expression. "Who knows? Maybe there's something else in these woods that'll change our lives forever!" Mabel exclaimed as she opened her arms, with one of her hands hitting a tree, which made her briefly wince in pain.
However, when her hand made contact, it let out a hollow sound that made her realize it was metal. She wasn't the only one who'd made that connection as the sound was loud enough for the kids and Lion to hear. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Mabel ran her hand over the metallic surface and found small, hidden hinges on one side of it, almost like a door. She soon felt the edges of what seemed to be a metal panel and with a little effort, pried it open.
The panel creaked open to reveal a small, dust-and-cobwebbed-covered compartment hollowed out into the tree. The only thing inside appeared to be an outward facing button, surrounded by a few smaller buttons and indecipherable letters engraved into the metal walls. The button itself appeared to have a six-fingered hand, exactly like Grunkle Ford's, but there was a pink, rose-like symbol embedded in the palm.
Her curiosity piqued, she turned towards the eager expressions of Dipper, Steven, and Connie, silently urging her to continue. Mabel then turned back and took a deep breath as she pressed the button and watched in anticipation as it sunk into the compartment until it couldn't go down anymore.
The kids spun around in surprise when they heard a soft, rumbling sound behind them, with Lion oddly having a knowing expression. They saw a patch of the forest floor slide back as it revealed a small dugout, apparently due to Mabel pressing the button.
"Whoa…" Mabel whispered to herself in confusion as she, the rest of the kids, and Lion approached the square hole in the ground. When she arrived, she knelt to get a better look and saw that the dugout was apparently abandoned like the tree compartment, with dust and cobwebs covering the sole object within; a book.
Mabel raised a cautious eyebrow to this abandoned tome and gently lifted it out. She blew the dust from its cover to reveal what kind of book it was. Surprisingly, the book was sturdily bound with a rugged, somewhat tattered burgundy leather cover and rounded, golden corners. However, what drew hers and everyone else's eyes, sans Lion's, was the six-fingered hand symbol in gold with a bold number three in black.
Mabel carefully placed the book on the ground and slowly creaked open the front of the book, which revealed a pastedown inscribed with the words, "Property of…", with the name having been torn out for unknown reasons. On the first page was a circular eyepiece, attached to the binding by a cord, which Mabel examined for a few moments before she turned her attention to the book itself.
Upon turning the page, she found what seemed to be a journal entry, headed with the date, "June 18", but oddly no year. However, the kids' curiosities, especially Mabel's, were undeterred as she started to read what was on the time-weathered page. "It's hard to believe that it's been six years since I began studying the strange and wonderful secrets of Gravity Falls, Oregon." Her curiosity at an all-time high, Mabel quickly skimmed through the rest of the book, with her and the rest of the kids gasping at the several sketches and photographs that depicted several oddities.
"Whoa, floating eyeballs." Dipper said, amazed.
"I totally want a cursed door." Connie mentioned in an excited whisper.
"Why did there have to be zombies in this book?" Steven said nervously.
"You guys are right; what is all this?" Mabel asked in bewilderment over the mysteries the journal depicted as she stood up so that the rest of the kids could properly view the book, unaware of when the hatch in the tree and on the ground closed on their own.
She finally stopped flipping when they saw a page with a message scrawled at the bottom in big, bold letters, "TRUST NO ONE!". Mabel and the others frowned in apprehension as they wanted to find the reasoning behind this strange warning. Soon enough, she came to the apparent explanation, which she read aloud, "Unfortunately, my suspicions have been confirmed; I'm being watched. I need to hide this book before HE finds it. I believe in science, but I pray that she'll understand and still be willing to help me. Remember in Gravity Falls, there's no one you can trust."
After reading this, Mabel slowly closed the book and mused about her findings. However, she wasn't the only one as Dipper, Connie, and Steven formed uneasy expressions from the journal's contents.
"Whoa, this is pretty heavy stuff." Dipper said, understating the author's warnings.
"I haven't even been here for that long. And now, it turns out this town has got a secret dark side." Connie added, with a hint of excitement.
"I've seen some of those creatures, but I-I-I never knew that there were so many in this town." Steven said fearfully.
"Yeah, and that's not the weirdest part. After that page, the rest was blank, like something…happened to the author before he could finish." Mabel stated, her curiosity overwhelming her apprehension.
Suddenly, Lion came closer to Mabel, which made the young girl squeal in apprehension, the memories of his earlier attack still fresh in her mind. He then opened his mouth and attempted to nibble on the book, but Steven intervened before he could.
"Lion, that is not a chew toy! It's an old book full of dangerous secrets!" Steven lightly chastised, which made Lion reluctantly comply with his master's demands.
"Well, what do we do now?" Connie asked.
Suddenly, Dipper snapped his fingers and shot the duo with an eager grin. "Hey, why don't you guys come with us to Grunkle Ford's house? We can totally investigate the journal better there!"
"Uh, maybe." Steven said shyly. "We could always show it to the Gems. They've been around long enough to know what it is, probably."
"Yeah, but Grunkle Ford's house is closer." Dipper pointed out.
"Hmm, you make a good argument, Dipper." Connie said with an eager grin. "Besides, I'd love to meet your grunkle!"
"I-I-I guess I'll go if Connie's going." Steven said nervously as he formed a small blush.
"Well, we need one more vote. Mabel, you in?" Dipper asked.
Mabel stared at the trio with a caustic expression. While she'd said otherwise, the author's message deeply resonated within her. There was no question that she trusted Dipper, and Steven and Connie seemed nice enough to be considered a word that Mabel had hardly ever used in her life; friends. As such, she formed a determined grin and said, "Okay, let's go!"
With that, the group erupted into cheers as Dipper, Steven, and Connie hitched a ride on Lion's back. Mabel would've joined them, but Lion growled at her ferociously when she tried, so she decided to safely walk alongside them to Ford's house.
Ford's House 1st Floor (Living Room) 6:00 PM
It'd been a relatively short journey back to Ford's house, since most of the time was spent talking, which made it easier to go over there than to the temple. The kids and Lion arrived at the front porch of the house, with Lion having to stay outside due to his size, much to the pink beast's thinly-veiled ire.
"Don't worry, Lion. We'll be back soon." Steven reassured as Dipper and Mabel opened the door for him and Connie.
"Grunkle Ford, we're home and we brought some friends! Oh, and Robbie says 'hi'!" Dipper exclaimed, hoping that Ford would hear him as the group entered the living room.
"That's good! Okay, but bring them upstairs in the attic! The inventions and specimens I have here are highly dangerous!" Ford called back from his room, which made Dipper and Mabel nod.
"Well, you heard the man. To our temporary room!" Dipper exclaimed as the kids went upstairs.
Ford's House 2nd Floor (Attic) 6:03 PM
Soon enough, the kids had arrived at Dipper and Mabel's room, with Connie eagerly looking at Dipper's BABBA posters and Steven appreciating the normalcy of Mabel's bed.
"Whoa, you like BABBA, too?!" Connie said excitedly. "They're like, my favorite band!"
"Really?!" Dipper yelled excitedly as he then cleared his throat and sung, "Disco girl…"
"Coming through…" Connie added.
"That girl is you. OOH OOOH, OOH OOOH." Both sung simultaneously.
Meanwhile, Steven and Mabel had been staring at their display in awe, but Steven formed a small blush when he heard Connie sing for the first time.
"Whoa, you have a nice voice, Connie." Steven complimented, which brought a small blush to the young girl's face.
"Yours has gotten better, Dip." Mabel added, which made Dipper smile.
"Thanks, Steven." Connie said with an odd bashfulness.
"Thanks, Mabel." Dipper said sincerely.
"Now, let's crack open this journal!" Mabel said excitedly as she took it out, for a loud, growling sound to resonate throughout the attic.
"Whoa, was that someone's stomach?" Dipper asked.
Mabel, Steven, and Connie nodded their heads side-to-side, indicating that it wasn't their stomachs. The growling sound soon came back, but with such a force that it made the kids lose their balance and crash onto the floor.
"Is this an earthquake?!" Steven asked fearfully.
"No, whatever it is, it's coming from outside!" Mabel declared as she and the kids struggled to get up.
With that, the kids stumbled a bit as they went downstairs with the intention of figuring out where that sound was coming from.
Ford's House (Front Yard) 6:12 PM
After a few near-falls, the kids finally managed to get out of the house and formed a collective gasp when they saw the creature. It appeared to be a ten-foot tall bear, but it had glowing blue fur, dark yellow eyes, and an azure gem with a pentagonal facet embedded in its navel. Oddly enough, there were several, smaller bears, each with much sharper teeth and claws than the apparent mother's, but not her gem.
"Whoa, what are these things?" Mabel asked inquisitively.
"I'm not sure, but we should get back in the house!" Steven fearfully whispered.
"Aw, look at her cute babies!" Connie gushed, only for one of them to start running towards them, its claws extending several inches as it did so, much to the group's apprehension.
"I don't think it's coming to hug us!" Dipper said fearfully as the group let out collective screams. However, before they could retreat to safety, a bright green energy beam hit the smaller bear creature, which made it poof into harmless blue cloud, much to the group's relief.
They turned their eyes towards whomever shot the creature and were amazed at the sudden arrival of Peridot, Lapis, and Jasper, the latter still having her artificial fingers in the position she used to fire the beam.
"Hey, need some help, kids?" Lapis casually greeted.
"Lapis, Peridot, Jasper, what's going on?!" Steven asked fearfully.
"Listen, little cub, you and the rest of the kids need to get back inside." Jasper said authoritatively.
"Wait, what?! No way! We can help!" Mabel protested.
"Uh, no offense kid, but none of you are Gems and Steven doesn't know how to use his powers properly. We can take care of him, but the rest of you are…a liability." Peridot reasoned, attempting to let them down gently.
Before Mabel could present any other argument, Ford suddenly burst from his door, carrying a red laser samurai sword, apparently there to fight.
"Okay, what's going on here?!" Ford yelled incredulously, only for his expression to falter when he noticed the Gems' presence. "Oh, hello everyone." Ford nervously greeted.
"Ford, it's been so long! I thought you would've perished from old age by now!" Peridot said excitedly, which was a sharp contrast to Lapis and Jasper's apathy to the old scientist's presence.
"It's only been two months, Peridot, but it's…nice to see you again." Ford said, albeit hesitantly towards the end.
"Hi, Prof. Pines! Steven yelled amiably, remembering the old man from his early childhood, which made Ford smile slightly.
"Do you seriously think that little stick's going to have chance against that?" Lapis said sardonically as she pointed towards the Gem Bear and her cubs.
"Hey, I've been able to take care of myself this long!" Ford pointed out.
"You've been lucky this long, you mean. If memory serves, we used to pull you out of jams all the time." Jasper said dismissively.
"I might be old, but I've still got some fire left in my heart! Besides, it invaded my home; I can attack it, legally!" Ford protested.
"Just go to bed, Ford. We've got this." Lapis said apathetically, which made Ford grumble as he reluctantly deactivated his laser sword as he went back inside, but not before he stopped in front of the kids.
"Well, let's get inside. If you kids need me, I'll be in the kitchen with some ice cream…and a large spoon." Ford said sorrowfully.
"Uh, this is a bad time to mention it, but you're out of ice cream, Grunkle Ford!" Dipper yelled as Ford left, remembering that he'd accidentally dropped the only tub when he and Mabel were exploring the first floor, right before he attempted to touch the dog-like skull.
"Damn it!" Ford loudly whispered to himself as the kids followed him shortly after, knowing that there wasn't anything that they could do against these creatures. While the thought did occur to them to use Lion, he was strangely missing after Steven told him to wait outside.
Ford's House 2nd Floor (Attic) 6:15 PM
An air of disappointment wafted throughout the room, although it mostly came from Dipper, Mabel, and Connie. Steven was particularly thrilled that he wasn't involved in the battle, but felt somewhat guilty that he allowed his surrogate mothers to do it for him. As such, the group felt the need to do something, but what?
"Oh, this totally sucks! A cool magic fight's happening outside and we can't even watch!" Dipper complained.
"I'm with you on that one. It totally bites!" Connie added.
"I'm kind of interested in what Grunkle Ford's history with the Gems is. They seemed to know each other and that green one seemed happy to see him." Mabel stated, although her expression turned inquisitive, "And what's the blue and orange one's problem with him anyway?"
"I'm not sure, but their names in the order you said are Peridot, Lapis, and Jasper." Steven said, somewhat offended by Mabel's designations.
"Oh, sorry. I wasn't trying to be offensive." Mabel said apologetically.
"It's fine, but don't talk about them like that again." Steven said seriously.
Suddenly, they heard the loud, growling sound come from outside again, but this time it was by the window in the attic, with the Gems apparently having led the mother Gem Bear away from the front yard. Unfortunately, its cubs had done a decent job in defending their mother as she started to heave and gave birth to five new cubs from her mouth, a sight that made most of the kids gag, but Connie smile in excitement.
"Oh, nice!" Connie said excitedly as she took out her phone and snapped a picture of the scene. "This is totally going in my scrapbook!"
"Guys, as grossed out and terrified as I am, I think that we should help them. At this rate, the fight's going to go on forever!" Mabel said determinedly.
"Mabel's right! Besides, if this fight damages the shack, where'll we live for the rest of winter break?!" Dipper exclaimed worriedly, with Mabel rolling her eyes from her younger brother's comment.
"Forget that! I'm a Crystal Gem, too! And that Gem Bear thing's attacking my family!" Steven said with a rare, angered expression.
"Wait, I think I know what might be able to help!" Connie exclaimed. "Mabel, there might be something in the journal about this thing!"
"Connie, that's a great idea!" Mabel said with a rare, enthusiastic grin as she grabbed the journal from underneath her bed and started to flip through the pages, with Dipper, Steven, and Connie joining in as extra eyes.
"Let's see here…" Mabel said as she quickly flipped through the journal's crinkled pages, carefully looking at the illustrations for anything that resembled the ursine creature. "Ghosts…zombies…pancake demons…some weird moss…"
The growling sound resonated throughout the shack as the group, minus Mabel, turned their eyes to see the Gem Bear effortlessly evaded Peridot's laser blasts, Lapis' limited water weapons that she formed by draining some nearby plants of their water, and even Jasper's full-on assault with her crash helmet, the weapon she summoned from her gem. Suddenly, its own claws elongated and started to slash at the Gems, which they were barely able to dodge.
"Uh, I think you need to hurry up, Mabel!" Connie yelled frantically.
"I'm working on it!" Mabel yelled defensively. Thankfully, she soon found the exact page she was looking for. "Alright, I got it!"
The rest of the group was quick to rejoin Mabel as she read the description aloud, with their eyes motioning towards a well-drawn picture of the beast. "This is one of the most difficult Gem creatures I have ever had the displeasure of encountering. While thankfully rare, the Gem Bear variation is a formidable opponent. In addition to its abnormal ability to retract and elongate its claws, it can give birth to five cubs at once from its mouth. These cubs are individually more of a danger than the mother herself, but they can be defeated easily with long range attacks. Avoid these devilish spawns at close range."
"Well, it's definitely all that, but does it say anything on how to defeat one?" Dipper asked, realizing that there wasn't anything that they didn't already know.
"Let's find out…" Mabel trailed off as she read the rest of the description aloud. "While I once thought that the Gem Bear avoided physical violence through heightened senses, I recently witnessed one defeated by the leader of the Crystal Gems, Rose Quartz."
"Whoa! The author saw my mom take out one of these things?!" Steven yelled in amazement.
"Looks like it. Guess you have a lot to live up to." Connie said good-naturedly, unaware of Steven's brief, uneasy expression from hearing that.
"Apparently, use of physical violence builds up the Gem Bear's stamina enough so that it can breed. The only way to defeat one is to gently hug the mother Gem Bear, which will cause it to harmlessly poof and allow its Gem to be bubbled to prevent regeneration. WARNING: YOU CANNOT DO THIS WITH ONE OF ITS CUBS AS IT'LL ONLY LEAD TO SEVERE SCARS AND POTENTIAL DISEMBOWELMENT." Mabel finished, with her forming an uneasy expression from the author's disturbingly specific warning.
"Whoa, so all it needs is a hug!" Dipper said chipperly.
"That's a pretty weird way of defeating it, but it makes sense since it's so scary!" Steven reasoned.
"Well, let's go hug the giant, vicious bear!" Connie exclaimed excitedly.
"Uh, probably not a good idea. We need one of the Gems to do it." Mabel said caustically, the author's warning still fresh in her mind.
"Good point, Mabel." Connie said, her common sense returning.
Ford's House 1st (Kitchen) 6:20 PM
With the new knowledge in hand, the kids attempted to leave the house, only for Ford to grab all of them and sat them down in four, individual chairs that sat around the dining room table. When he finished, he had a serious expression on his face.
"You kids aren't leaving this house. It's too dangerous." Ford said authoritatively.
"But, we've got information that can save the day!" Mabel protested.
"I sincerely doubt that, Mabel." Ford said incredulously. "Your parents entrusted yours and Dipper's safety to me and it looks like the more dangerous monsters are coming out early today."
"Well, what about me? That's my family out there, Prof. Pines!" Steven yelled concernedly.
"Exactly, Steven! I have collaborated with Peridot on several inventions, some of which were designed to keep you safe when you were growing up! I cannot, in good conscience, allow you to leave either!" Ford argued.
"Hey, I'm new here! You don't have anything you can use against me!" Connie said confidently.
"Maybe so, but you likely have no experience in dealing with the supernatural or Gem monsters, and given how clearly inept I was, even less than me!" Ford declared, although he rubbed his temples again, which worried Dipper and Mabel.
"Alright, alright. But, if we don't do something, their fight might destroy the shack!" Mabel pointed out.
With that, Ford gasped in rare apprehension. "You're right! There's too much important research down there…in the house!" Ford corrected himself, though he seemed to have some brief clarity when he'd accidently said the former.
"Uh, yeah! We can end this if you'll let us leave!" Dipper suggested as he decided to press the issue.
Ford sighed in resignation as he reluctantly opened the door to the backyard, which was right next to the fridge. "Very well, just hurry before something goes wrong with my head again and come back alive." Ford stated as the kids ran outside to help.
Ford's House (Backyard) 6:23 PM
Meanwhile, the Gems were on the ropes, even more so than they were before. The Gem Bear's attacks had grown faster and left noticeable damage on all of them. Both of Peridot's arm limb enhancers had several gashes, Lapis was running out of stamina from being forced to use her water wings to escape her attacks, and Jasper's crash helmet was cracked from the accidental impacts to nearby trees or rocks. Conversely, the Gem Bear seemed to be thriving from the fight and looked even stronger than she did when it started.
Soon enough, the kids arrived, with Mabel declaring, "Hey, Yogi! You're not smarter than the average bear!"
With that, the Gems and the Gem Bear's attention was garnered by the kids, a sight that made the former gasp in apprehension and the latter to growl in anger. Almost immediately, the Gem Bear ran at them, with the Gems frantically trying to catch up.
"Kids, get out of the way!" Jasper yelled fearfully.
"This thing's too dangerous!" Lapis added.
"Steven, it's going to rip you and your delicate human organs to shreds!" Peridot yelled in apprehension.
Suddenly, Mabel opened her arms, with the kids following soon after. When the Gem Bear reached them, before she could slash at them with her claws, Mabel hugged it, which stopped it mere inches from what would've been a fatal blow. The Gem Bear stared in reverence as Dipper, Steven, and Connie joined in the hugging, which made it glow even brighter, much to the Gem's confusion when they noticed this.
Given their respective positions, neither the kids nor the Gems saw what was the slightest of smiles on the Gem Bear's mouth mere moments before it violently exploded into a bright blue puff of smoke. Aside from the kids' hair damage, they were unharmed as Jasper came up and used her magic to place the azure gemstone in a dark orange bubble. She soon waved her hand, which made the bubbled gem disappear once and for all.
"Whoa! That was so cool!" Dipper exclaimed excitedly.
"You know it, Dipper! And I thought that fighting that worm monster was worth bragging about!" Connie added with equal fervor.
"I've never been so terrified in my life…and I liked it!" Steven admitted as he formed a sincere smile.
"That was awesome! We took down a dangerous Gem monster!" Mabel exclaimed eagerly.
When the cheering ended, Steven met the harsh stares of his guardians, a rare sight that made the young boy's smile falter as he gulped anxiously. While he did sometimes get into trouble during missions, he'd never done so on purpose. As such, Steven stared down in anxiety as he awaited his inevitable punishment, only to instead feel the warm and familiar embrace of his guardians.
"You did good, cub. You were stupid, but you did good." Jasper said sincerely, struggling not to cry.
"About time you grew some hair on your chest, Steven!" Lapis praised, though it was obvious that she was on the verge of crying.
"Never do anything that idiotic again!" Peridot yelled as she sobbed madly into Steven's shoulder, much to the boy's embarrassment.
"Guys, I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine!" Steven said playfully as he returned their embrace.
"Something here doesn't add up; why did you rush in like that?" Jasper asked, being able to compose herself first.
"I owe that to my new…friends. They're Dipper and Mabel, Prof. Pines' great niece and nephew." Steven explained with a small smile as he gestured to the duo.
"Uh, I helped too." Connie politely added.
"Yeah, but you're my first friend." Steven pointed out, which made Connie form a small blush.
With that, the Gems reluctantly ended their embrace with their young charge and stared at the duo amicably.
"Hi, we're the Crystal Gems. I'm Jasper and that's Lapis and Peridot." Jasper explained as she gestured to the two of them, who politely waved back.
"It's very nice to meet you. Thank you for helping our Steven." Lapis said sincerely.
"Indeed, though I am surprised that Ford never mentioned he had a great niece and nephew." Peridot said, briefly getting off-topic before she formed a quizzical expression when she looked at Mabel, "How did you know that hugging thing would work?"
Before Dipper or Mabel could answer, Jasper intervened.
"It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that our little Steven is safe and sound." Jasper said as she lovingly tousled Steven's hair.
"So, you guys deal with this sort of stuff all the time?" Dipper asked.
"Well, not all the time. Just daily! I've calculated an average of 22.5 hours a day!" Peridot answered cheerfully, taking Dipper's statement a bit too literally.
"It's a bit demanding, but worth it to keep humans safe, like you guys!" Lapis said with a casual grin.
"So, things have been a little vague, but are guys like, gem-gems?" Mabel asked, unsure on how to phrase it.
"Simplified down to our basic forms, yes we are." Peridot stated eloquently, always eager to tell anything regarding Gem biology to anyone willing to ask. "Unlike you humans, our bodies are just physical manifestations that we create from our gemstones." Peridot explained as she gestured to her own gem.
"So, you guys are like holograms, but with mass?" Mabel asked, still a bit confused with the concept.
"While that is a simplistic term, that's close enough." Peridot admitted as she formed a small grin.
"Hey, Jasper. Nice mass." Lapis said as she playfully elbowed the de-facto leader of the Gems, unaware of Peridot's thinly-veiled jealous scowl.
"I know. I am the ultimate Quartz soldier, remember?" Jasper said with a small, amused grin.
"Well, as much as I'd like to stay and catch up with Ford, it's time to go back home, Steven." Peridot said motherly.
"Whoa, you're right." Steven said as he glanced at the almost-completely set sun.
"Yeah, I need to get home too. My parents are going to start getting worried if I stay out too longer." Connie said with a frown, which quickly turned into a smile. "But, we can always hang out tomorrow, and maybe even the day after that!"
"That sounds awesome! Steven, we can totally check out the temple when we come over!" Dipper said excitedly.
"I'd…I'd like that." Steven said with a sincere smile as he turned towards the Gems. "Is that okay with you guys?"
Jasper shrugged indifferently with Peridot and Lapis forming eager expressions, knowing that having more friends would be good for Steven. "I don't see why not. Just try not to get him killed next time, okay?" Jasper said evenly, which made the twins nod in agreement.
"Bye, guys. It was nice meeting you!" Steven yelled back as he left with the Gems, who were followed by Lion who emerged from the nearby woods, apparently having slept through the entire fight.
"I'll see you guys later, too!" Connie yelled back as she left to go home, which was within a reasonable distance on foot.
Soon enough, Ford arrived carrying two mugs of hot chocolate with a sincere expression on his face.
"Well, you kids made it out alive. And to the victors go the spoils!" Ford said cheerfully as he handed them each a mug, which made the twins smile.
"Thanks, Grunkle Ford!" Mabel said sincerely as she drank hers first.
"Ooh, marshmallows!" Dipper said excitedly as he drank his next.
With that, the trio shared a hearty chuckle as they headed back inside, only for Dipper to accidentally trip over a nearby rock, which left him with a small cut on his right leg. The mug shattered upon contact, which miraculously only left Dipper with an additional cut on his left cheek.
"Well, so much for escaping today virtually unscathed." Dipper admitted with a joking smile.
"Thankfully, I have bandages." Ford stated as he carried Dipper back inside, with Mabel following closely as she continued to drink her hot chocolate.
Ford's House 2nd Floor (Attic) 10:00 PM
After receiving two blue bandages for his cheek and leg, respectively, Dipper and Mabel spent some time hanging out with Ford before they got ready for bed, with Mabel now scribbling down something in one of the journal's blank pages as she sat on her bed in her usual blue pajamas.
"This journal told me that there was no one in Gravity Falls I could trust. But, when you run away from a herd of mutant sheep, nearly get eaten by a lion, and somehow hug a dangerous Gem monster to death, you realize that you've got a word that I never thought I'd use for someone other than my sweet goof-bag of a brother; a friend. Our Grunkle Ford was right about this town and whoever wrote this journal unlocked so many mysteries and who knows how many are left to solve. Something tells me that Dipper was right; this is going to be an epic winter vacation for us." Mabel wrote as she then put her pen away and placed the journal underneath her pillow before she turned off the lantern that illuminated their room.
"Good night, Mabel." Dipper said wearily.
"Good night, Dipper." Mabel said similarly as the twins gently fell asleep.
Ford's House 1st Floor (Kitchen) 12:15 AM
Ford sat in the dark kitchen, sleep having eluded him tonight again. While he was grateful that the twins were safe, something about today resonated with him. It wasn't for the fact that the twins could've died, but this gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach, trying to tell him something.
Seeing the Gems, that monster, his specimens, it…awakened an all-too familiar feeling, the same one he occasionally felt for the past thirty years. Only this time, it was excruciating, like an intense guilt that ate away at his very soul. He never figured out what his mind wanted him to remember, but whatever it was must've been too terrible to recollect.
Knowing that he had only one option to get some sleep tonight, Ford opened one of his sleeping pill bottles from the kitchen medicine cabinet and swallowed the two he took nightly every few months. With that, Ford wandered back to his room where he fell into a dreamless slumber, but he briefly saw the image that haunted him for the past thirty years before he went to sleep; a wheel of strange symbols, with an odd, triangular creature in the center.
AN: Well, I'm very satisfied with the work I put into this chapter and would like to once again thank Minijen for this opportunity. I'll do my best not to make this too much like Universe Falls, but don't hold it against me if it seems that way. I'm keeping the fact that the Gems arrived in Gravity Falls during 1843 as well as Ford's still-mysterious history with Rose, with the appropriate changes since it is based on Minijen's fusion AU.
Next Time—Chapter 2: Legends and Fusions
