Hey guys! There's something odd with the Fanfiction formatting, so if the formatting of the text is off, I apologize. As for the reviews, thank you so much for the support! As for the person who pitched the crossover idea, it sounds like interesting but you should definitely write it yourself. As for the person who asked about the PearlxFord pairing- that's not gonna happen. There's probably going to be almost no romance in this fic, sorry to disappoint anyone.
Disclaimer: I don't own Steven Universe, Gravity Falls, and Rick and Morty
There were a million different thoughts running through the Crystal Gems' minds as Greg drove off. What was going on?! Why couldn't Greg remember Steven?! All three of the gems remembered saying goodnight to Steven the night before, Garnet and Pearl had checked his bedroom and loft area- both of which still contained all of his stuff. Amethyst didn't notice anything off in the house either, but then a thought occurred to her.
"Guys! Let's head back to the house and get some of Steven's stuff! Maybe Greg will remember him then..." Amethyst tried to sound optimistic, but wasn't sounding too convinced.
Ruby was stabilizing Sapphire, as her companion still had a severe headache. "Sounds good! I mean... can't hurt right?" She looked at her lover in question, but Sapphire was still gritting her teeth and was unable to respond. Ruby position Sapphire onto her back, so the clairvoyant didn't have to trouble herself with walking.
"Yes... anything would help at this point." Pearl agreed. Even though they agreed on a course of action, Pearl couldn't help but fear the worst for her leader's offspring.
As they were getting ready to make their way back to the beach house, they started taking notice of what Greg had said earlier. People were staring at them, taking pictures and murmuring to themselves as if they had never seen the Crystal Gems before. It seems as though their conversation with Greg had attracted some onlookers, including that annoying human with macaroni hair that was obsessed with blogging and making himself a Crystal Gem. Seeing him actually made Pearl and Amethyst angry, as it brought back memories of how he had the audacity to treat Steven while their surrogate son had invited him to their home. Luckily, he kept his distance and seemed to be just as wary as the other onlookers.
While they clearly weren't human, the city had long been used to their presence ever since before the Gem War. After Rose had met Greg, they had frequently visited the town and the people gradually got used to their presence.
But according to Greg, he had never met Rose and the Crystal Gems had never made an effort to interact with the town's people. It honestly troubled them, the humans of Beach City actually seemed fearful of them as if they were like Jasper and other Home World invaders.
Suddenly Amethyst spotted a familiar face in the crowd- Connie! Forcing her way through the crowd, Amethyst got right in front of the girl, grabbing her shoulders. "Connie! You remember Steven right?! Right?! You'd never forget us!"
The bespectacled girl adjusted her glasses, and nervously responded. "I... I... I'm sorry... I don't know who you're talking about... Ms..." The girl trailed off, as if she didn't actually know the Crystal Gem in front of her.
"Amethyst! It's me Amethyst! We've met tons of times!" The shortest gem exclaimed, shaking her once again. Amethyst then concentrated and morphed into Steven. "You're best friends with our little guy here! He even convinced you to wear contacts instead of glasses!" Suddenly, someone forcefully pulled Amethyst off of Connie and shoved her to ground.
"Get your hands off my daughter!" Amethyst recognized the woman as Connie's mother. "Connie! Are you all right?!"
"I'm fine mom..." Connie said quietly, feeling her discomfort increase as she saw the Amethyst gem and the other Crystal Gems seemingly tear up at her reaction. "I think they're confused about something..."
"Connie..." It was Pearl who pleaded this time. "You truly don't remember Steven...?"
Connie could only shake her head. "No... I'm sorry, I don't. I really have no idea who you guys are talking about. Was he a friend of yours? If you lost him, maybe we could help you-"
The girl's mother caught her off hastily. "That's enough Connie! Your father and I told you how dangerous the Crystal Gems were, and look what happens!" The woman then turned to Pearl and Amethyst. "I'm sorry for whatever loss you've had recently, but do not come into our town to disturb us! This incident is your own to bear just like everything else you've brought to our town!"
"MOM!" Connie was ashamed of what her parent just said. "They didn't hurt me, and they just lost their friend! Imagine how you would feel!"
"Then why are they insisting that you know this 'Steven' person?!" The woman haughtily demanded.
"Because..." Pearl spoke up, tears flowing down her face at this point. "They were training partners... they fused... I taught her how to wield a sword... and most importantly- she loved him, just as much as he loved her."
/
Dipper was trying to hold himself together as much as he could at the dinner table. Even as his parents were making small talk with him, he barely responded and didn't trust himself to speak. If any of his experiences at Gravity Falls taught him anything, it was not to talk about supernatural phenomena without having proof! Besides, he had combed the house and didn't find any evidence of Mabel's existence. There were no pictures of her on the wall, in the album, or anywhere in the home. Mabel was truly gone, and Dipper had no way to prove that she existed. Looking down below the table, he smiled when he saw Waddles look up at him pleadingly- obviously begging for food.
Dipper had to laugh when he and Mabel came home with Waddles. Their parents weren't exactly happy to learn that they had brought home a pig without notifying them. After a lot of yelling, pleading, and begging on Mabel's part, along with a very long phone rant to their uncles, they had relented and let Mabel keep Waddles. Dipper briefly wondered how and why he managed to convince his parents that keeping a pig in the suburbs was a good idea, but clearly it worked as Waddles was his only hold on sanity.
Then it dawned on Dipper... the journals! They had to have an answer to what was going on! The problem was- he and his family had decided to throw them into the bottomless pit after Weirdmaggeden had happened. However it was more than likely that the books had landed somewhere else in Gravity Falls, and even if they didn't- Dipper was more than willing to climb down to find them.
Dipper shivered when he thought of the evil triangle, the thought of Bill being responsible for this had crossed his mind but there was no way! Grunkle Stan had nearly sacrificed himself to insure Bill's demise, and the supernatural activity all but stopped in Gravity Falls afterward so it couldn't have been.
Besides, Bill could only implement his power when someone summoned him and then shook his hand. Not only did Mabel know better than to accept any kind of deal from him, but she didn't even have the first clue on how to draw the summoning circle.
Deciding on his course of action, Dipper knew he was risking being grounded until college- but without his sister in his life, leaving the house didn't seem so glamorous anyways.
"Hey Mom? Dad?" He got their parents' attention. "I'd like to go see my Uncles this weekend, is that okay?"
/
After the sobering experience of the town people, the Gems steadily made their back to their homestead. Diving right into the process, the normally organized Pearl was tearing the house apart looking for any evidence of Steven. Amethyst had opted to just looked around the walls idly, noticing that while Steven's stuff was there- all pictures of him were gone. This was also strange, as the boy's TV, video games, and even some of his clothes were there- but no evidence to prove the boy actually existed.
"Sapphire... please just rest..." Amethyst turned her attention to the duo, frowning at the fact that they still weren't fused. It was easy to understand why though, Sapphire hadn't been able to say anything due to clutching her head in pain. This was honestly the first time Amethyst or any of them had seen Sapphire like this, even when she would get the occasional headache it would go away just as quickly. Their friend having headaches typically meant that she was seeing so many possibilities that it was difficult keeping track of them; but this seemed to be much worse.
"How's she doing?" Amethyst asked.
"Not good!" Ruby hissed, clutching her love's hand. "Can't you see that?!"
"Hey! I'm just asking!" Amethyst shot back. "Sorry for being concerned!"
"If you're concerned, then help Pearl look for Steven!" Ruby shot back, not even looking at her.
Before Amethyst could reply, Pearl shouted "Will you both SHUT UP!" The ballerina like gem's eyes were dried, but it was clear she was still very distraught. "Steven is missing! Not even Greg or Connie remember him! And now we can't even find one picture of him in this house! Steven always kept pictures of everyone, but I can't find any of his scrapbooks! I'm always telling him to put them away! And the one time he listens?!" Pearl was practically tearing her hair out.
The gems were silent as the situation fully sank in... it was just last night they were putting the boy to bed, but now... they couldn't even find Steven's VHS tapes. That was when Amethyst noticed something else definitely absent.
"Guys... where's Lion?" Amethyst asked, look around for the beast. Now that they thought about it- they hadn't seen Lion all day either. The big cat normally stuck pretty close to house when he wasn't with Steven, and was typically pretty easy to find.
"Let's go to Rose's room! Maybe we'll find answers there!" Pearl insisted, dashing towards the room. However, the other gems didn't follow because they knew Steven hadn't been in there long enough to leave any evidence. But the thought did give Amethyst another idea- Rose's armory! If Steven didn't exist, then Rose's sword and shield would still be in there!
/
Throughout the rest of the week, Dipper had tried to adjust to being an only child and it honestly made him appreciate just how much Mabel enriched his life. She was a constant friend and companion, never leaving him alone long enough to feel lonely. Even though Mabel would occasionally tease him about his interest in the paranormal, she had always tagged along in his adventures to offer a helping hand in case he ever needed it.
This week also made Dipper guilty for all the times he wished he was an only child- he knew every kid with a sibling did it, but when it actually comes true... it becomes one of your greatest regrets. While Dipper did enjoy the silence and extra stuff he had due to his parents having more disposable income, he couldn't bear go inside the office space where Mabel's room used to be. Luckily, his school had parent teacher conferences beginning this Thursday and ending Tuesday so he was set to go to Gravity Falls tomorrow. Even luckier, Stan and Ford had taken a break from their world travels to check on the Mystery Shack. According to his parents, Soos was doing a good job running the shop with Wendy's help.
This also made Dipper wonder- if Mabel was gone, how different in the events of Weirdmaggeden had gone. Did it happen at all? Was the battle any harder? What had happened with Bill?!
Even though Mabel was absent from his life, his academic prowess and schedule remained intact and had earned him extra freedom from his parents. With the condition that he would finish his homework this weekend, and so say hi to his uncles, Dipper was given permission to spend the entire long weekend up in Oregon. He was leaving first thing in the morning, bringing Waddles with him on the bus would probably be a little more challenging without Stan and Ford threatening the driver, but he could make it work.
As he packed his bag, he knelt down and pet Waddles. "I don't suppose you remember Mabel do you?"
The pig wiggled his snout out him, before producing the sound that made his sister fall in love with the pig in the first place.
Waddles had actually oinked 'Mabel.'
/
The Crystal Gems were not only sad at this point, but they were also confused. They had decided to go with Amethyst's hunch and go to Rose's Armory, and were both shocked and relieved that Rose's sword and shield were missing. While they were relieved on one level that Rose's weapons were still absent from the vault, it still didn't explain where Steven was.
At this point, the Crystal Gems were at a loss of what to do. No one in Beach City had any memory of Steven, but the fact that Rose's sword and shield were missing were at least a sign that Steven was alive! There was a chance that the sword and shield were stolen, but none of the Gems could process that possibility right now.
"I don't understand... if Rose's sword and shield are gone... where is Steven? Where is Lion? What is going on?! Why can't Sapphire say anything?!" Pearl snapped at the blue clairvoyant, who was once again on Ruby's back.
"Hey back off! She's in pain! Sapphire would help us if she could!" Ruby snapped right back at her.
Amethyst continued to stare at the spaces with the silhouettes of the missing weapons, having similar thoughts. They really weren't sure where to go from here. Even though Pearl had been Rose's faithful company, it had been Garnet that had taken up leadership of the Crystal Gems and had since been the one to direct the group.
Given Ruby and Sapphire's situation though, there was no way that Garnet was making an appearance any time soon. So Amethyst and Pearl were on their own...
"Guys..." Amethyst said quietly. "We need to think... there might be some other records somewhere around this planet right?"
Pearl and Ruby turned towards her in surprise, with the taller gem responding: "That is a nice idea, but how would we find them? There are numerous Home World relics that Steven never even knew about, and there's no way he could get inside some of the bases on his own."
Suddenly, Sapphire came to life and gritted her teeth as she spoke. "P...P..." Sapphire clutched Ruby's shoulder.
"What is it Sapphire?! Take your time!" Ruby encouraged.
"P...eri...dot!" The clairvoyant cringed. "She... can use scanners..."
"That's right! Peridot and Lapis! They can help us!" Amethyst exclaimed.
Pearl seemed hesitant. "Well... it can't hurt." With the way things were going, Pearl was honestly wondering if they were even at the barn at all.
