Warm from a hot shower, Dipper raced down into Ford's lab.
The dark room came alive with a green glow from the text on Ford's old monitors. Sitting squarely on a platform in front of the biggest screen was the precious gem they had found, encased in a machine as it was scanned relentlessly by a series of lasers.
"Whooooaaaa!" Dipper breathed, watching complex data rush across the display.
"What is this?"
Ford was crouching by the printer as it spat out sheets of paper. "I'm using a system that combines sonic and infrared technology to identify the sub-atomic structure of this stone…"
Ford continued to detail his process as Dipper brought his face closer to the gem.
"Watch it!" Ford said out suddenly, grabbing Dippers shoulder and pulling him back. "There's an escape proof anti-radiation force field around that thing. You'll get a nasty shock if you touch it."
"G-good to know." Dipper squeaked.
"Sorry, shoulda warned you." Ford said, his face outlined by the otherworldly green light. "It's just so fascinating… while this gem is built from all the same basic materials as the rest of our universe, it is without a doubt NOT terrestrial in origin! But I think it might contain DNA! Conscious, self-aware inorganic life with properties of organic life!"
Ford held open his arms, as if holding out his discovery to the world. Dipper felt his great uncle's zeal as if it were his own. They really had captured an alien.
Although, Dipper had meet a few aliens already.
Conscious, self-aware inorganic life with properties of organic life.
"Hey…" Dipper began. "Is it getting… brighter?"
Dipper watched with paralyzed awe as the gem began to float into the air, afire with a painfully bright glow. Ford rushed over and pushed some dials to turn off the lasers.
And there it was, huddled in the center of the platform. Small. Green. Angry.
Now that he could get a better at it, the alien's head was just a massive angular poof of hair. It was rather short and unimposing, with that tiny body.
"AGH!" Dipper and Ford jerked backwards as the alien tried to leap off the platform and escape, only to electrocute its entire body with a loud crack. The force of the blast knocked it into the other side of the field, finally landing it right back where it started.
"Holy CRAP…" Dipper muttered, clutching his chest as the alien laid still. Its ragged breathing was louder than the hum of the force field.
"What did I ever do to you clods?!" The alien cried, voice tight with pain. It scanned the room in panic, eyes wide with terror.
"W-what are you gonna do to me?!" It shrunk down, wrapping its hands around its knees. "No no no no no this can't be happening…"
"Hello. It's ok. We're not going to hurt you. We just want to study you." Ford said calmly, holding out his hands as far as he could without getting zapped.
"It speaks English?!" He hissed to Dipper.
"Y-yeah, we didn't know that you were that gem…?" Dipper tried to speak to the alien. "The gem, I mean… the… gemm…"
Dipper's voice trailed off as gears whirled and clicked in his mind. He found himself getting lost in the stone on the alien's head; right above its terrified glare… he'd meet life forms with very much the same configuration…
But it COULDN'T be?! Here?! It wasn't possible! Dipper's heart was racing.
"Dipper? Is everything ok?" Ford was asking.
"N-no, it's just… wow, it speaks English?!" Dipper stammered unconvincingly.
It speaks English, but it's not from Earth.
Dipper locked eyes with the alien. It spoke English. He could just ask it if it- or perhaps, her- if she was a crystal gem. It would be easy.
"Dipper..." Ford had his hand to his chin, eyes lost in a thoughtful haze. "Do you think-"
Suddenly Dipper heard a small gasp behind him. He turned around to face his sister, standing in the doorway in her pajamas. She let her unicorn stuffed animal slip to the floor as she gave into astonishment.
"It's…" her mouth hung open. "SO CUTE!"
Dipper rushed to stop her, holding her back just before she collided with the force field.
"Stay back, Mabel." Ford warned. "The force field is live. And we still don't know how dangerous our guest is."
The alien was ignoring them. It had torn off one of the laser pointers, and swatted at the force field. A huge spark exploded in its face, causing it to cower again.
"It's very resourceful." Ford sounded impressed.
"Awww she looks terrified!" Mabel wailed. "She won't hurt nobody! Let her out! You're being mean, Dipper."
Mabel gave him a judgmental stare.
Dipper couldn't handle being pulled in so many directions at once.
Ford sighed. "Mabel, you know better. This is extraterrestrial phenomenon we're dealing with her, not some cat we found in the rain. MABEL!"
"How do you shut this thing off?!"
Fords voice rose into a yell as Mabel began to fiddle randomly with the dials on the control panel. There was a heated electric sequel, some flashing lights, and the force field popped off.
The alien leaned forward, like a cautious squirrel. She pawed the space in front of her, smiling.
"Hehe!" She cried, bolting for the doorway. "Thanks!"
"No you DON'T!" Ford reached the door in a single stride as Dipper played goalie to the escaped alien, who snaked around him a moment too late.
Growling in frustration, the creature bounded behind Mabel. It cowered, gripping Mabel's arms and glaring at the Pines like an angry green toddler.
"SEE?!" Mabel announced, patting the alien on its fluffy head. "She's NOT dangerous."
"That's right! You should be ashamed." The alien stuck out a purplish tongue, pulling down one eyelid and jeering at its captors.
Dipper gasped and pointed. "It's… so RUDE!"
Huffing, the creature leaned around Mabel and pointed back. "YOU'RE rude! You ran me over with your vehicle! You shot LASERS… INTO me! I bet you're gonna harvest me, or WORSE!"
Mabel placed her hand on the aliens shoulder. "We're not gonna hurt you! We should be friends. My name's Mabel!"
Dipper and Ford exchanged glances of disbelief.
The alien took a deep breath.
"If I agree to your request… promise you won't… study… me? Maybe you'll let me go?" It said carefully, studying Mabel's face.
"Mabel, no!" Ford hissed.
"I never wanted to study you in the first place!" Mabel declared. "I could never bring harm to something so cute."
The alien seemed to… blush? At the very least, it turned a darker shade of green.
"No i'm not... oh, whatever!" The alien shook her head.
"Peridot." She tentatively reached out her hand to Mabel. "Peridot, Facet-2-F-5-L, Cut-5-X-G."
"Now that's a name." Dipper muttered under his breath. Perhaps this WASN'T a crystal gem. Peridot, Facet-2-F-5-L, Cut-5-X-G seemed about as far removed from those independent warrior woman as possible.
"O-Or, you know, Peridot of the Crystal Gems, haha," Her face lite up with manic emotion and she shook Mabel's hand, "…whatever is easiest for you clods, I don't care. I'm on a mission. I really don't have time for this."
Peridot of the Crystal Gems
Dipper's ears rang. Mabel's eye widened in slow motion, her mouth forming into a huge "O."
"Peridot! That's a precious gem here on Earth. Yellowish green, just like it's body…" At the sound of Ford's voice, time regained its normal flow.
"You're a CRYSTAL GEM, from Beach City?!" Ford asked the question right before Dipper could.
Peridot blinked multiple times. Mabel gave a delighted gasp.
"Y-you KNOW about the crystal gems and beach city?!" She wheezed. "Wait a minute… you really ARE "The Pines!?"
"Amazing! AMAZING!" Ford stood up and began to pace. His enthusiasm practically generated its own heat. "Dipper has visited your home universe before! But you didn't meet him? Dipper told me tales about how powerful your race is…"
Now it was Peridot's turn to look flabbergasted.
"Dipper…" She said, pointing right at the boy in question. Her eyes seemed to probe into his soul. "You're… Dipper Pines?"
Dipper nodded dumbly. "Did Steven tell you about me?"
"YOU'RE A CRYSTAL GEM?!" Mabel grabbed Peridot's hands and interrupted Dipper, jumping up and down. "A real crystal gem!"
Peridot looked startled, but then lapsed into enthusiasm.
"Hehehe, I know, right?! ME, a crystal gem?! It's crazy! Completely insane! I'm COMPLETELY insane!"
Dipper silently hoped she wasn't being totally serious about that.
"And you're GREEN! I TOLD Dipper... I TOLD him. They have gems for every color of the rainbow!"
"Actually, no, they don't?" Peridot replied plainly.
Right then, the room's door slid open and there stood Stan, a cooking mitt on one hand. He smelled faintly of bacon.
"Ummm… am I interrupting something... whAT IS THAT?!" Stan jumped back and pointed to Peridot with his mitt. "The ALIEN?"
"No, Stan, this is Peridot!" Mabel announced. "And she's a crystal gem!"
Dipper's family was having breakfast with an alien.
Peridot was sitting squarely across from Dipper at the table, regarding bacon, eggs and pancakes with a mixture of curiosity and disgust. She clutched a cup of coffee Stan had offered her, occasionally dipping a finger into the hot liquid. Warm morning light filled the cluttered kitchen.
"Uhhhh… are you… gonna drink that?" Stan asked, gesturing to the coffee.
"I… don't know what to do with this." Peridot replied curtly. "It is a beverage… but it's too still hot to be safe for consumption."
"No, silly, its supposed to be hot! Cuz you drink it and BAM! It wakes you up! Just like Mable Juice, but with a disgusting taste!" Mabel smiled.
Dipper hadn't spent THAT much time with the Crystal Gems, but he doubted that Garnet, Amythest, or Pearl would have been at a loss over what coffee was. Peridot seemed… completely different.
Ford, who had been observing this whole time, finally exploded into inquiry.
"Amazing!" He declared. "So you don't need to drink or eat? You're not organic, but you assume an organic form in order to interface with the physical world…"
Peridot glowered at Ford, and then threw back the entire mug of coffee in one shot. She slammed the mug down and swallowed, looking vaguely horrified but intrigued.
"WOW!" She blinked. "May I have… another one of those?
There was an awkward pause as the humans gawked in confusion.
"Please." Peridot added.
Stan held up his hands. "Ya know what, I think we're… out…" But before he could finish Mabel was up and rushing about, yelling, "I'll get some!"
Peridot snatched up Mabel's orange juice and took a haphazard sip, pulling away. "It's so different," she muttered, leaning down and studying the orange liquid.
"Are you… ok?" Dipper asked, voice pitched to a high note.
"Hmm?" Peridot widened her eyes. "No!"
"Can I have that?" She gestured towards his milk, shifting her demeanor with disturbing speed. Dipper lifted his hands and gave bewildered nod. Peridot snatched it up sipped it, growing herself a milk mustache in the process.
"Why are you here?" Ford finally asked the question aloud they all had been wondering in their heads.
Peridot stared at him, her milk mustache obliterating the seriousness of the scene.
Peridot cleared her throat. "I'm here…" She whipped around to face Dipper, who shrank away.
Mabel was giggling fiercely.
"WHAT is wrong with you?" Peridot wailed, and Mabel bust into laughter as Peridot made a huge angry frown below her mustache.
Mabel mimed whipping her face, a motion that Peridot slowly mimicked.
"Why are you here? Get back to the p-point!" Dipper snapped, trying to not join in on the laughter. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ford nod approvingly.
"Oh. Yes. Of Course. Ahem!" She stood up, pointing straight at Dipper.
"I am here for Dipper Pines!"
"What?" Dipper stammered.
The whole table stared at Dipper, who nearly melted under the heat of all those curious eyes. His vision tunneled.
"Steven of the Crystal Gems has requested your presence in Beach City!" Peridot announced, her tone oddly formal. "M-more precisely, he uh... he needs your help. I need you to come to Beach City. A-and help Steven."
Peridot was faltering, her official demeanor falling away.
Ford slammed his palm of the table, sending Peridot into the air with a squeak.
"You expect Dipper to follow you into another UNIVERSE, just on your word? Dipper, do you even know this gem? You said there were only three of them."
Dipper shook his head. "No, I mean also yes, but…"
Peridot was couching like a frightened cat. No one said a word. Dipper's mind was swaying with confusion. Mabel was staring at Dipper, mouth agape.
"Wait." Peridot jolted in an alert position.
"Do you hear that?"
The whole group strained their ears. A distant scrapping noise was floating up through the window.
"Oh, that." Stan said. "Probably those raccoons getting under the porch again. I hope it isn't those weird blonde dudes…"
Peridot squared her shoulders. "The porch… you mean, underneath this dwelling?"
Before Stan could even finish nodding, Peridot pushed past the Pines and bolted out the open window.
"What's eating her?" Stan said indignantly.
"Let's follow her." Ford replied grimly.
Ford, Dipper, and Mabel headed out the door and found Peridot crouching next to the porch.
"Oh no no no no no… it should be right here… please be right here… why did leave it for so long?"
Dipper and company watched Peridot squeeze under some uneven boards that supported the Mystery Shack. Ford rushed to grab her, but Mabel stopped him.
"Stop! Let's see where she goes!" Mabel pleaded.
"She's been LIVING under our house?!" Stan bellowed, stomping out to join them.
"AGH! Where is it?! Did another life form get down here?" Peridot's agitated voice echoed from a hidden nook in the Shack's foundation.
She forced her way back to surface, dirt clotting in her hair. "Where is my dust?" She squealed. "It was RIGHT THERE, with all my other supplies… Oh no no no no no… NO!" Suddenly Peridot's eye's grew round, and she pointed behind the Pines.
Dipper followed her finger, and there, some green dust dangling from his whiskery chin, was Gompers the goat.
"AHHHH!" Peridot pushed past Dipper and lunged for the goat.
"YOU ATE MY PORTAL DUST!" Gompers gave a distressed bleat and scampered away far faster than the any of them could run, expertly dodging a tackle from Stan. He vanished into the forest, Peridot landing on her face as she leapt into open air.
"I-it can't be…" Peridot crouched and pawed the earth where some of the green sprinkles had dribbled from the animals mouth. "It- it can't… that was all I had, that was my ONLY way back… ah…"
Peridot slumped to the ground in the fetal position.
"I'm stuck here." She was whispering. "I'm stuck on this alternate Earth. I'm stuck here forever. I was so STUPID to think I could hide it there…"
"Hey, it's okaaay… Gompers doesn't know any better." Mabel got to her knees and gently rubbed Peridots back. "It'll be ok, I promise. We… uh…"
Dipper was glaring at his sister. The twins had plenty of moth dust. Peridot definitely wasn't stuck in Gravity Falls. But they couldn't say anything in front of the adults without jeopardizing their whole operation…
Or could they? If things got dangerous…
Peridot had become unresponsive, but Dipper could still make out her voice as she mumbled into the dirt.
"Steven… I failed… i'm sorry…"
"Maybe…" Dipper began, the urge to unload his secrets straining at his lips. Was it true that Steven was in trouble?
Ford was mumbling under his breath.
"Peridot, listen." Ford stepped forward.
"I am… very experienced in inter-dimensional travel. There may very well be a way for you to return home… safely. In the meantime…"
Stan glared at his brother. "I don't like where this is going…"
"Oh, please, please, Stan!" Mabel cried, eyes brimming with hope. "Let her stay! She's harmless! Look!"
Dipper had to agree. The green gem really did look defeated. He could certainly empathize… once he had been lost on strange beach. Hurt with entire dimensions separating him from his family. His only way back, vanished.
Dipper took a rapid breath.
"The gems gave me a home when I got stuck in Beach City. T-they didn't really trust me, either, but I woulda been toast without their help. If Peridot is really a crystal gem…"
He swayed as Mabel tackled him with a hug. "See? Dipper agrees with me!"
"Wait, Mabel, ugh! I still don't think we should trust her! I just don't think we should dump her!"
The older pair of Pines twins had broken off and spoke to each other in hushed tones. Mabel tended to Peridot, who continued to huddle on the ground. Dipper waited in anticipation.
"Alright." Stan finally spoke.
"She can stay until we figure out what is really going on here." Ford announced.
Dipper heaved a sigh as Mabel gave a cry of joy. "Oh, thank you, thank you Stan and Ford! You really DO have kindness in your gruff hearts!"
"She can live in the closet for now." Stan crossed his arms. "Hey, it'll be the first actual freak to live in the famous Mystery Shack! Hmmm…" Stan's eyes shifted across Peridot's alien body.
"You hear that? You can stay with us!" Mabel said softly, running a hand through Peridot's hair.
Dipper felt Ford standing behind him.
He turned around, not sure what to say. An unusual wind ruffled the trees behind him.
"I understand how she feels too, Dipper." Ford sighed. "But you know why we have to be careful? Her entire story could be a fabrication! This whole helplessness act could be just that… an act."
Dipper started to nod, slowly at first, but then with enthusiasm.
"I get it. But what if she's telling the TRUTH? If Steven is really in danger…" Dipper shuffled his feet, chest feeling hollow. "We just need to talk to her more."
"I agree." Ford confirmed. "In the meantime, we have to learn more before we choose to act."