Ladies and Gentleman, I would just like to say that I am absolutely floored by the amount of positive responses to the first chapter. All the favs, follows and reviews, it all just means so much to me. I fact, this is the best response to a first chapter I've gotten in a really long time, which just goes to show that I really am back in the swing of things. With that said, Gravity Falls is owned by Disney and Steven Universe is owned by Cartoon Network, but in a fair and just reality, they would both be owned by the same company so there could at least be the possibility of a canon crossover. But I digress, Enjoy.

Chapter 2: A Chance Encounter

(Several hours later)

Steven Universe, youngest of the Crystal Gems, the self-proclaimed guardians of humanity, was locked in mortal battle against his greatest foe; an ageless and unstoppable entity known in the common tongue as boredom.

It had been about four hours since the Gems left Steven home alone, but it might as well have been four years. After wasting an hour trying to come up with a song that would last six, he took a stab at finally completing the RPG he'd been playing on and off for the last month and a half; Golf Quest Mini. Unfortunately, the final dungeon took considerably less time to finish than he'd thought and the secret ending for completing all of the achievements was, in a word, unsatisfying. Since then, he'd bounced from one activity to another in a desperate attempt to amuse himself and now, with at least two full hours to spare, the young lad had officially run out of things to do.

It was pure hell.

So there he sat, the future savior of humanity, staring intently at the clock on the wall as if doing so would somehow make time move faster.

'I can't take this anymore. I'm so bored.' Steven thought to himself miserably. 'I'm too wound up to sleep. Not hungry enough to make myself a sandwich. There's never anything good on tv this time of day. And I've already read every book in the house. Wish I could go to the library and get some new ones, but Garnet said I'm not allowed to leave the house.'

Just then, he remembered something.

'Wait a minute… Garnet never actually said I wasn't allowed to leave the house. She only said I wasn't allowed to go into the woods.' The young lad mused to himself. 'In fact, she said I'm supposed to leave the house with Lion if something bad happens. So, I can't go into the woods, but I can go into town as long as I'm with Lion. So, if I go into town with Lion for just a couple of hours and then come straight back, the Gems can't be mad at me because I didn't technically break any rules. It's perfect!'

And with that, Steven sprang to his feet as his heart swelled with joy. At last he had found a way out of the doldrums.

"This is gonna be so great! What should I do first? Maybe I'll go to the Arcade? Or the Big Doughnut? Oh, I know, I'll go down to the carwash and hang with Dad and…"

ROAR!

Just then, the all too familiar roar of Steven's semi-loyal pet derailed his train of thought. Seemingly alerted by his master's voice, the great pink beast had awoken from its sunbathing slumber and was now waiting patiently by the front door. Upon seeing this, the young lad's already good mood increased ten-fold; taking it as a sign that this was going to be an afternoon he would never forget.

And he had no idea just how right he was.

XXX

(Somewhere in the woods, a short time later)

Dipper Pines had always considered himself to be a very bright young lad. Maybe not a genius, but definitely smarter than most of the other boys his age. And ever since he'd arrived in Gravity Falls, his keen mind and quick wits had been put to the test time and again, and on each occasion he'd managed to come out on top. However, there were times when he didn't feel quite so smart; times when he felt downright stupid. Unfortunately, now was one of those times. For in his haste to begin his latest epic adventure, our amateur mystery hunter had neglected to notice that the map he'd borrowed from his Grunkle Stan's office was over seven years out of date.

This fact first came to light when the Pines Twins, riding through the forest in their Great-Uncle's golfcart, ran smackdab into a chain-link fence surrounding a lumber camp where there was supposed to be nothing but trees, forcing them to take a detour. About an hour later, they discovered that the river they'd intended to use as a signal to know when to turn southeast had seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth; they would learn a few days later from their friend Soos that said river had been rerouted over two years ago by something called the Northwest Interstate Land Company. At any rate, after several more setbacks, our intrepid duo were forced to face the grim reality of their situation.

"Well, it's official. We're lost." Dipper said to his sister solemnly from his position in the passenger seat. "I think it's time to pull the plug on this one."

"What? But we haven't found your statue thingy yet." Mabel replied surprisedly; momentarily taking her eyes off the road and narrowly avoiding a massive oak tree.

"Mabel, I don't even know where we are right now. This map is useless. I think the smartest thing we can do is to use my compass to figure out which way the Mystery Shack is and try again when we're better prepared."

"Makes no difference to me, Bro-Bro. Either way, you still owe me a trip to the mall."

"Ugh. Don't remind me." The young mystery hunter groaned annoyedly, before another dark thought entered his mind. "Man, I hope the cart doesn't run out of gas before we get back. I forgot to grab the extra can and I'd hate to have to push this thing."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. The meter says we've still got a full tank. Same as when we left."

"Well, at least that's one piece of good news." Dipper replied as he attempted to readjust himself into a more comfortable position. A few moments later, his brain fully processed what his sister has just told him. "Wait, Mabel, are you telling me that we've been driving for over four and a half hours and the needle on the fuel gauge hasn't moved an inch?"

"Yeah. Why? Is that important?"

Suddenly, the golfcart's engine started making a strange sputtering sound and then it started to slow down until it came to a complete stop.

"No… it just means that the gauge is probably broken." Dipper answered in a hollow, exasperated voice. He wanted very much to lose his temper and throw a tantrum at this latest setback, but he just didn't have the energy for it. Literally everything that could've gone wrong today had gone wrong. This whole day had been one giant disaster and now he just wanted it to be over. "Sigh. I give up, Mabel. Let's just go home."

"But what about the golfcart?"

"Forget the stupid golfcart!" the young lad snapped at his twin, making her wince a little. "I… I'm sorry. I just… We'll leave it here for now and have Soos pick it up in his truck tomorrow."

"Dipper, are you okay?" Mabel asked concernedly, despite still seeming a little put off by his outburst.

"Sigh. No, Mabel, I'm pretty far from okay." Dipper answered bitterly. "This day's been a disaster and it's pretty much all my fault. I got the wrong map. I didn't check the golfcart. I forgot to bring extra gas. And the way things are going, I probably forgot the compass too. Ugh! What the heck is wrong with me? How could I be so… stupid?"

Our young mystery hunter was really going through it, but fortunately for him, his sister knew just how to cheer him up.

"Oh, lighten up, you big bag of sad." She said before giving him a light punch in the arm. "You're not stupid. You just got excited and forgot a couple of things. Big deal. You're twelve."

"Mabel, you don't understand."

"You're right, I don't, because you're bonkers. Dipper, why do you always make such a big deal whenever you mess up?"

"I don't know." He answered honestly "Maybe, because I'm supposed to be the smart one."

"Ouch."

"You know what I mean. I just… I'm smart, Mabel. Really smart. Smart enough at least that I should be able to control my own destiny, but I can't. I just can't, and it's so… frustrating."

"Well, if you want my advice, and I know you don't, but I'm your sister, so I'm gonna keep talking even if you tune me out, you need to quit being so ding-dong serious all the time." Mabel said to her twin in a blunt but well-meaning manner. "I mean, come on, at the rate you're going, by the time we're in high school, you're gonna have more ulcers than zits."

"Sigh. Maybe you're right." Dipper admitted, somewhat reluctantly. "But I don't know how to… you know… not be like this."

"I think the best place to start is to try to look on the bright side of this situation."

"What bright side?"

"Well…" the young lass began, only to pause for a moment when she couldn't think of one right off the bat. "Okay, so we're stranded in the woods because you made a bunch of mistakes and we probably won't get to see that giant statue lady today, but at least we're alive. And more importantly, we're in a forest full of weird magical creatures. So, odds are, we'll probably run into some leprechauns, or a unicorn, or at least something cool like a mountain li…"

Suddenly, the area was bathed in a blinding pinkish white light. Instinctively, Dipper covered his eyes with his hands to prevent any permanent damage. A few moments later, the light faded away and the young lad dared to open his eyes. And there in the distance he caught sight of something very large and very pink.

XXX

(At almost the exact same time)

Having had Lion for some time now, Steven had already grown used to the disorientating side effects of his warping powers. So it only took him a couple of seconds to regain his sight once they landed.

"Ah~ Feel that fresh air." The young lad said to himself aloud as he took in his new surroundings. "Now to spend the afternoon with my favorite dad and my favorite… trees?"

Steven deadpanned as he realized that Lion had warped him into the forest instead of into town like he wanted.

"Sigh. Lion, this isn't the carwash." He said annoyedly to his semi-faithful steed. "You were supposed to take me into town, not the woods."

The pink beast responded to this by letting out a loud yawn and laying on his stomach. Steven found this deeply aggravating, but not at all surprising.

"Lion, this is no time for a nap. I'm not supposed to be in the forest today." The young lad said sternly as he climbed off the beast and started pushing on its hindquarters like one would a stalled car. "Come on. Get up. You're gonna get me in trouble."

"OH MY GOSH! IT'S SO PINK!" shouted an unfamiliar voice from somewhere close by. A few seconds later, a young girl he didn't recognize darted onto the scene at an almost inhuman speed and began fawning over Lion from over a dozen different angles.

While she did this, Steven took a moment to examine her more closely and he concluded that he had definitely never seen her before. This was quite unusual for him, since Gravity Falls was such a small town that he knew the names and faces of just about everyone who lived there; even the ones he'd never actually spoken to. Still though, he did find her quite interesting. She clearly had a lot energy and her style, while somewhat odd, was quite endearing. I mean, how many people can you name who can pull off a pink cat sweater in the middle of summer?

Just then, the mystery girl ran up to Steven and, with a wide smile that showed off her braces, fired off a series of questions at a speed that would give most people whiplash.

"Is that a real lion? Is he yours? What's his name? How'd you get here? Is he magic? Can I pet him? Also, Hi, my name's Mabel. What's yours?"

Fortunately, Steven had a youthful energy all his own, so he was able to keep up.

"Yes. Yes. His name is Lion. We warped here. Yes. You can try, but he bites. And my name's Steven. It's nice to meet you."

The girl, Mabel, gave no verbal reply, save for a high-pitched squeal of delight. Steven wasn't sure if this was because she was impressed with his ability to keep up with her or that she'd been given permission to pet Lion, but in either case, she immediately ran over to try and run her fingers through the pink beast's fluffy mane.

"Okay… this is… something." Said yet another unfamiliar voice; this one clearly male.

A few seconds later, a new figure came onto the scene. It was a young boy, probably around Steven's age and his face was so similar to the girl's that there was no doubt in his mind that they were related.

"Oh, hello there." Steven said to the boy with polite enthusiasm. "Sorry, I didn't notice you earlier. Are you with her?"

"Yeah, that's my sister, Mabel. I'm Dipper." The other boy replied. His tone was polite enough, but his expression was a bit warry; like he was unsure whether Steven was really there or not. "You said your name was Steven, right?"

"Yup. That's me. Steven Universe." The young lad answered proudly; though for some reason, the other boy seemed to think this was a joke, because he started to chuckle.

"You're… You're kidding, right?"

"No, that's really my name."

"But what kind of last name is Universe?"

"I don't know. What kind of first name is Dipper?"

The other boy had no response to that, save for just shrugging his shoulders and saying,

"Okay… Fair enough."

"I've never seen you guys around town before. Did you just move here?" Steven asked, attempting to keep the conversation going.

"Actually we're just visiting for the summer." Dipper replied. "We're staying with our uncle. He runs that tourist trap just outside of town."

"Oh, you mean the Mystery Shack. I've heard of that place. I've always wanted to check it out, but my dad won't let me. He says it's a waste of money and that the guy who runs it is a sleazy weirdo. Oh, sorry."

"Don't be. He's not that far off." The other boy replied casually before his expression changed to one of sudden realization. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you around town either."

"Oh, that's probably because I live by the lake."

"Really?" Dipper said, while stroking his chin in a pensive manner. "Tell me, Steven. Have you ever seen anything… unusual down by the lake?"

"Unusual how?"

"You know, something that looks like it doesn't belong there. Like, for example, something that looks like ancient ruins or the remnants of a lost civilization. Ever see anything like that?"

Steven paused for a moment to think about this. The word 'ruins' brought to mind all those famous landmarks he'd read about in books or seen on tv; like the Pyramids of Giza or Stonehenge. For the life of him, he couldn't recall ever seeing anything like that by the lake, or anything that even remotely seemed like it didn't belong there, at least from his perspective.

"Nope. Not ringing any bells."

Are you sure? Think really hard about this. It's kind of important."

"Sorry, but I'm pretty sure I'd remember seeing something like that."

"Sigh. Well, thanks anywa…" Dipper started to say, only to cut himself off midsentence as a strange look spread across his face; the kind of look someone gets when they're suddenly struck by inspiration. "Wait, if you live by the lake, then you must know your way around these woods, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Steven answered humbly.

"Well, Mabel and I were heading down to the lake when we got lost. Maybe you could show us the way?"

"Well… I suppose I could." The young lad mused aloud. "I mean, I like helping people whenever I can. It's just… I'm not really supposed to be out in the woods by myself today. I could get in trouble."

"But… you're not by yourself." Dipper pointed out. "We're here with you."

Ah, now that was a very good point. And since Steven had already bent the rules this far without consequences, he saw no reason not to bend them just a little further.

"Well… okay. You talked me into it." The young lad replied enthusiastically before moving towards his semi-faithful steed. "If we all ride on Lion it should only take a few minutes."

"Oh, uh… okay, I guess we could do that." Dipper said, suddenly sounding much less certain. "That thing's tame, right?"

"More or less." Steven answered bluntly. "I mean, he kinda does his own thing most of the time, but he's not dangerous or any…"

Suddenly, the area was bathed in a familiar pinkish white light. Just like before, it took a few moments for everyone to regain their sight, but once they did, they could clearly see that Lion had vanished. Leaving Steven, Dipper and Mabel to fend for themselves; the latter of whom had a guilty look on her face and a fistful of pink hair.

"Okay, I know why you think that might've been my fault, but it definitely wasn't." she lied to the two boys unconvincingly.

Her brother looked quite annoyed, but Steven, who was no stranger to stressful situations, merely shrugged and said,

"Oh well, I guess we're walking then."

End Notes:

Like I said before, I love the positive response this has gotten so far and I hope it continues. And I hope to see even more favs, follows and reviews as I continue to churn our more chapters. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and I'll see you in the next one.

Peace.