Opening File: Aura Bond
Of the many abilities that exist in our world none is more mysterious, powerful and forbidden as the power of Aura Bond. This power by forging an invisible but almost unbreakable bond between the Aura of two or even more beings. When the Aura of one person is bonded to another it can allow them to share each other's thoughts, feelings and memories but at the same time it can be used as a form of slavery. Depending on the nature of the bond it can be used to force anyone who is bonded to obey the commands of the other one and the bond would ensure the order would be carried out to the absolute letter.
It is believed that Aura Bond plays a role in how the Elementals reincarnate with the Aura of the predecessors leaving the body and seeking out a suitable a host once they are ready and bond with them at birth. This bond grants the newborn Elementals access to the powers and even memories of their predecessors. It is also suggested that Aura Bond is how the spirit that created the hero Major Glory bonds with its new hosts. When a new host is chosen a bond is formed between them and the spirit, allowing the new host to gain the many abilities the spirit has to offer.
Aura Bond is also possible through the use of rare Semblances but they are often used to enforce slavery which why it is forbidden to the vast majority of the world with only very few exceptions allowed.
Close File
Xxx
"Bonds exist in all things, physically and emotionally. There are the bonds between atoms you learn in science and then there are the emotional bonds such as the bonds between a mother and child, a wife and husband, siblings, the bonds of friendship. Of course not all bonds are so great with one perfect example being the bonds of slavery, with the lives of the slaves in the hands of the slavers who control them and their fate. There is also the bond between enemies which can be made from hate and feelings of personal revenge or indifference and simply fighting on one side against the other." TOM remarked as the file closed. "What makes bonds so powerful is that they can bring out the best and the worst of everyone, showing us parts of ourselves we never known existed. Some believe bonds will dissolve at the end of one's life but do they ever really fade? Perhaps they do and perhaps they remain alive, transcending all laws of the universe."
Xxx
(Opening – Rise by Skillet)
The camera shows the planet Earth and zooms, going past the atmosphere, the surface and goes deep down into the planet's crust until it stops at the Cluster, the massive Gem Geo-Weapon that shines brightly before a black liquid dips down and covers it whole. Once it is covered completely it explodes and releases an endless swarm of Grimm that lunge at the camera but is stopped by four circles of light that come together to form the symbol of the Elementals and the title appears:
GRIMMFALL
(All I see is, shattered pieces)
Numerous Gem shards are shown floating in the darkness with reflections of the faces of Steven Universe, his mother, the Crystal Gems, Lapis Lazuli, Connie, Peridot and Jasper appearing on the shards.
(I can't keep it, hidden like a secret)
The shards then center on the original symbol of the Diamond Authority with all four diamond signs glowing and rejecting the shards.
(I can't look away)
Steven is then shown watching as the Diamond symbol morphs into the face of Bill Cipher who offers a flaming hand.
(From all this pain, in the world we've made)
Stanley Pines sits in the basement of his home, staring at the portal his brother made and looks down at two pictures, one showing him and his brother as children and the other showing the smiling faces of Dipper and Mabel.
(Every day you need, a bulletproof vest)
Rolf is then shown, wearing his armor proudly with his pitchfork in one hand, standing before the Haunted House of Peach Creek.
(To save yourself, from what you could never guess)
The doors open and inside the dark house the eyes of Fenrir flash, glaring at the camera before lunging out, his gaping maw consuming it.
(Am I safe today?)
Dipper and Mabel are seen up in their room along with Hoagie and Nyx, staring at Dipper's billboard wall and the many articles of the mystery surrounding Gravity Falls with Bill Cipher in the center of it all.
(When I step outside, in the wars we wage)
Buttercup steps onto Pleasure Island with her friend Mitch, seeing all the fantastic rides but suddenly all the children began to horribly change as she looks on in horror.
(Our future's here and now)
Dexter holds his Neurotomic Protocore in his hands.
(Here comes the countdown)
Deep in the lair of the Blind Eye Society a captive Mandy opens her eyes, now glowing red with black sclera.
(Sound it off, this is our call)
Ed's Aura flares as he manifests Ed-Zilla and lunges at Fenrir as he morphs into his true form.
(Rise and Revolution)
Raven flies back, ducking under Jujunga's wooden weapon.
(It's our time to change it all)
Superboy, Artemis and Monk Guan face down a strange who holds up a flute and smiles dangerously.
(Rise and Revolution)
Johnny Bravo, Carl, Amethyst and Steven ride on the back of Lion as he lands on a cliff overlooking GrimmFall.
(Unite, and Fight)
Deep underground Malachite Plasmius' eyes flash open and it lets out a roar.
(To make a better life)
Major Glory faces off against a group of shadowy figures surrounding him, Dee-Dee, Nigel, Abby, Marceline and Kenny.
(Everybody, one for all)
Nigel and Abby close their eyes and above them appears the image of Elsa and St. Nicholas, the two of them dancing together.
(Sound off, this is the call)
The sphere of the Cluster appears again, this time shrunken and in the hand of Sammael who grins evilly.
(Tonight, We Rise, Rise)
Dark clouds gather over GrimmFall, everyone watching as the shadow of the coming storm covers everything.
(Tonight, We Rise, Rise)
Stan's portal machine activates and a dark figure steps out.
(Tonight, We Rise)
From inside his healing chamber the red eyes of Vilgax flash with the reflection of his newly formed team appearing on the glass.
(Rise, rise and revolution)
Phil Ken Sebben stands in his office, looking out to see the dark clouds coming and reaches up to his eye patch.
(Rise, rise)
In Yamanouchi Academy Master Splinter stares up at the gathering clouds as an armored figure appears behind him.
(Rise and revolution)
The symbol of the Elementals appears with the current Elementals appearing on the color representing them except for the one representing Fire and the symbol breaks apart and the title again appears as the song ends.
(Rise)
GRIMMFALL
(Opening – Rise by Skillet Ends)
Xxx
Lazy Susan hummed while sweeping a broom across the floor of her Greasy's Diner restaurant, one of the few in Gravity Fall. "Ta dum, locking up." She said peering at possums scurrying around in the dishes and poked the possums with her broom. "Shoo, possums, shoo!"
She walked near a table, spotting Old Man McGucket napping under it.
"Git, McGucket, git!" She poked him with a broom, making him run out from underneath the table on all fours, panting, and mumbling incoherently. "Ta dum, ta dum... "
Once she was done she locked the door, closing up for the night. "Good night, diner. Good night, trees." She passes by the gnomes standing on top of each other, attempting to steal a pie. "Good night, tiny men stealing my pie. Wait, WHAT?!" She exclaimed, lifting her eyelid.
"Lift with your knees. No, your knees. If I go one more hour without eating, I'm gonna resort to cannibalism." The gnome noticed Lazy Susan, and tipped his hat. "Ma'am."
Lazy Susan shrieked and stepped back. "Little magic men! What does it mean? What do I do?" She bumped into a payphone and dialed 911. "Yes, hi. I'd like to report something. I'm at Greasy's Diner. You won't believe what I've witnessed."
As she spoke two figures snuck up behind her, from a patch of nearby bushes. "It's unbelievable! It's indescribable! It's- AAAAAAAH!" The figures grabbed her, covering her mouth and dragged her away.
"It is unseen." The leader whispered, leaving a strange eye symbol graffiti on the wall.
"…Welp, back to pie." The gnomes grabbed the pie and ran off. "I was this close to eating you, Steve."
Once the gnomes were gone a dark silhouette stepped out of the shadows and followed after the robed men.
Xxx
"How you can be so sure what is real and what isn't?"
Dexter scoffed. "The same way I know what exists right in front of me. If none of these creatures you speak off have ever been seen or examined they do not exist."
"But you can't see air and you know it exists." Dipper retorted.
"So in other words you go on the word of some author you have no idea was a legitimate scientist and you make claims to all things being mythical real. Judging from your 'Grunkle' downstairs and the way he runs things any so-called supernatural creature could be just a hoax he set up to pull in more tourists." Dexter grunted.
"Hey, leave Grunkle Stan out of this. For your information he doesn't believe in the things this book talks about either. I and Mabel have seen them with our own eyes and Hoagie has seen them too and we're not crazy. So if we're not crazy and have seen them, therefore they must exist." Dipper argued.
"Oh really?" Dexter glanced at Hoagie who seemed hesitant at being put on the spot. "Is this true?"
"…Yeah, it is." Hoagie nodded. "I've seen weird stuff and I know Dipper and Mabel aren't making things up. Maybe we have no clue who the author is and maybe he was crazy but you know what? A lot of things we have today might have been invented by people history labels as scientists but they were probably seen as crazy too in their time. Albert Einstein and Professor Hawk weren't exactly considered normal."
"Einstein was a genius and Professor Hawk has helped make breakthroughs in the last century." Dexter retorted.
"And he hasn't been seen or heard from in years." Hoagie pointed out. "And who are we to say what does and does not exist anyways? We have got creatures like the Grimm roaming the world and we still haven't catalogued every single kind of Grimm that exists. The Grimm came from a comet that impacted the planet billions of years ago and we're still trying to piece together the history between that time and now."
"We know enough to know that the Grimm were manifestations, perhaps evolutionary manifestations of an ancient life form that existed perhaps before the planet was formed. They are not magical creatures willed into existence by some divine power." Dexter shook his head. "As a fellow competitor I thought you would at least put facts and logic before theories and delusions."
Hoagie was scowling now. "And who are you to say what might be a delusion anyways? You were raised in basically a giant lab, no contact with the outside world or anyone else besides your family. You have not been out in the world; you haven't seen the crazy things that happen."
"Name one." Dexter challenged.
"How about Arcadia Oaks?" Dipper jumped in. "You know about Arcadia Oaks, don't you?"
"The place where an attack caused by a tribe of ape like Mobians occurred." Dexter answered.
"They weren't Mobians, they were Trolls. What happened was the result of a group of evil Trolls trying to block out the sun so they could reach the surface and conquer mankind. They were stopped when their leader was killed by a band of good Trolls."
"Unbelievable." Dexter shook his head. "You actually believe that paranoid hogwash? They were obviously mutated Mobians, living underground for centuries. It's perfectly reasonable to go along a different kind of evolution, much like the Faunus. Isolated tribes are naturally hostile to outsiders and anyone supposedly turned to stone can say it was the result of a special Semblance."
"And the Eternal Night?" Dipper continued.
"A result of an explosion of obviously rare Dust that affected our planet's climate that was thankfully temporary once the attack was halted. Such occurrences are not as rare and magical as you think. Just as we have yet to document every kind of Grimm we have yet to document every kind of Dust as well. The rumors of so-called magic are the result of conspiracy theorists who have so little in their lives they promote fear and paranoia to gain pleasure in seeing the reactions."
Dipper shook his head. "You know what? Fine, you want to bury your face in denial that's fine with me. I don't have to convince you what I know to be real because me and my friends knowing is good enough."
Dexter rolled his eyes, believing Dipper was admitting defeat which was fine with him. "Well, if my grandpa is done downstairs I will be leaving now."
No one offered any goodbye as he walked back downstairs.
Hoagie sighed. "Okay, I just want you both to know I am as sorry as I can possibly be. I knew he was the kind of person who likes telling everyone how smart he is but I didn't think he'd actually come up here."
"Ah no worries, Hoags." Mabel waved off his apology. "It's not your fault. He's just got his head buried in math books."
"Yeah but I didn't think it'd be that bad." Hoagie said, looking at Dipper. "Really sorry, Dipper. I know how much hunting the things in that journal means to you."
"It's all right. I knew he wouldn't believe what was written here anyways." Dipper said, putting the book down. "Besides, he'll find out the hard way and when he does we can deliver a big fat 'I told you so' right to his face before he has to eat his zipper boots."
"I'll have the ketchup!" Mabel laughed, holding up the ketchup bottle she had before.
The three shared a laugh, the coldness from the argument completely gone now.
"So, anything special today?" Hoagie asked, happy to change the subject.
"Same as usual. Trying to find out who the author is." Dipper answered, looking back at his billboard. "I am sure the answer is close by."
"I just remembered I got something!" Mabel picked up a green bottle.
"Yay, a filthy green bottle!" Dipper said sarcastically.
"It's a bottle message from Mermando, remember? He was part fish, part shirtless guy." Mabel gasped. "What if he wants to get back together?"
"I wouldn't get your hopes up, Mabel." Dipper replied.
"I am too lost to provide an answer." Hoagie shrugged.
"Too late! Hopes are way way up!" Mable squealed excitedly, opening the bottle cap and started reading the letter. "'Dear Mabel...' So far so good! "It is with a heavy heart...' So far so good! '...that I must inform you, I'm getting married'?!"
"And there it is." Dipper said sympathetically.
Mabel kept reading. "'In order to prevent an undersea civil war... arranged wedding... Queen of the Manatees?!'" She looked at the picture of Mermando's new bride. "And she's so beautiful! This can't be happening!"
"Oh, Mabel. You'll get over him eventually." Dipper sighed.
"You don't understand, Dipper." Mabel pulled out her scrapbook. "On my first day here, I made this page for summer romances. Look at my luck." She pointed to a picture of Norman. "Turned out to be gnomes," Next to a picture of Gideon. "Child psycho," Then to a picture of Gabe Bensen. "Made out with his own hands. And now..." She wrote 'FAILED' at the top of the page. "I wish I could just forget about them forever."
"Hey, look on the bright side. Summer's not over yet." Hoagie tried to comfort Mabel. "You still have time."
"Hey, if it's any consolation, my summer mission isn't a huge success either. I'm still trying to find the author of this journal, but with this laptop smashed, I've lost any lead in finding him." Dipper complained.
Mabel looked at the laptop. "Wait a minute. Dipper, look!"
"Through your bottle?" Dipper askes skeptically.
"Just do it." Mabel insisted.
Deciding to humor his sister Dipper peered through the bottle, and noticed a logo entitled 'McGucket Labs' magnified on the back of the laptop. "'McGucket Labs.' Wait, Old Man McGucket?"
"That crazy old guy who lives in the junkyard?" Hoagie questioned, taking the bottle and looked at the laptop. "I never heard of McGucket Labs."
"You don't think?..." Mabel pondered.
"Couldn't be... Doesn't make any sense, unless..." Dipper started connecting pictures and tying strings to the author. "This matches with this... This goes over here... And then the name... So that would mean... Old Man McGucket wrote the journals?!"
Xxx
'Am I blanchin',
Girl we blanchin',
I live up in a mansion
Am I blanchin',
Girl we blanchin
I live up in a mansion'
Soos Ramirez sang along, while sweeping broom across floor. "Am I blanchin', Girl we blanchin',I live up in a mansion."
"Ugh! I can't get that terrible song out of my head." Wendy groaned.
"Oh, you mean 'Straight Blanchin' by 'Lil Big Dawg? It's the catchiest song of the summer." Soos replied with a smile.
"What is 'blanchin'? Rappers can't just make up words!" Wendy retorted.
"Rappers are visionaries, Wendy. If they told me to eat my own pants, I would do it." Soos admitted.
'Eat your own pants. Eat your own pants, yeah!'
"I guess I have no choice." Soos unzipped his pants and hummed, just as Dipper, Mabel and Hoagie ran into the room.
"Wendy, Soos, we need to go see Old Man McGucket!" Dipper said urgently.
"We'll explain on the way!"
Wendy and Soos just followed after them, not even going to ask what was going on.
"Hey, what about work? Kids!" Stan called out but paused. "Why is Soos eating his own pants?"
Xxx
Things were not getting any easier.
Garnet was still not talking to Pearl about tricking her into fusing them together to form Sardonyx and Pearl had apparently gone out. Amethyst had gone to hang out with Johnny Bravo and Carl, feeling like she was suffocating being in the temple with other two Gems. Things were getting pretty lonely and depressing in the Gem Temple and trying to find friends on the Sky Web chat channels wasn't helping as much as Ben recommended.
He had almost never felt so helpless.
He couldn't help Pearl and Garnet mend their broken bond.
He couldn't help Lapis who was still stuck as Malachite.
Steven Universe felt like he couldn't help anyone.
"How can this get any worse?"
"I think I have a solution."
Steven jumped, seeing himself outside on the deck of his house and looked up at the face of the statue that was the Temple. Only its face looked like a yellow glowing triangle with a top hot, a bow tie, black arms and legs, and an eye peering down at him.
"What the-"
"Hi-ya!" The triangle floated down in front of the young boy. "Name's Bill and I am the answer to all your problems."
"Bill?" Steven stepped back. "What are you?"
"I'm just an average joe with a deep love for helping out others in need." Bill bowed and tipped his hat at Steven.
Steven took another step back, incredibly weary of the weird triangle floating in front of him.
"Slow to trust, huh? Can't say you are wrong there. How about a peace offering?" Bill snapped a finger and the land around them morphed into a dark cave.
"Wha-MALACHITE!" Steven shouted, seeing the massive Gem Fusion lying before him, trapped underneath a red glowing force field.
"Yep, all wrapped in a nice little bow for you to find, little Rose." Bill snapped his fingers again and they were back at the beach house. "You want to find her? Well, the finding her part is easy. The getting to her part is the difficult part."
"What do you mean?" Steven asked, looking very anxious.
"Did those space rocks ever tell you about the Darklands? The part of your great county infested with Grimm. She's right in middle of all that." Bill explained, floating around Steven. "So yeah, you got a long quest ahead of you. Better work on finding a way to get there and maybe work on a way actually getting through the Darklands if that Warp Pad there still works."
"There's a Warp Pad in the Darklands?" Steven asked.
"Oops. Spoiler alert." Bill said sheepishly. "Well, you got your way in. Good luck."
"Wait, how do you-"
"Hey, want to hear my impression of you in about three seconds?" Bill started waving his hands and let out a comical scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Xxx
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Steven woke up screaming, in the actual bed of his house.
He looked around and saw no one in the house, not even any of the Gems but that understandable. He looked out the window and saw the sun starting to rise, meaning it was very early. He got out of bed and rushed over to his laptop, looking up the Darklands on the Sky Web and what he read made him nervous. A large part of the country infested with Grimm, stretching for miles and no one has dared to venture into that forsaken place for centuries.
But what if Malachite was really there?
He wanted to tell the Gems about this but would they believe him?
Would Garnet and Pearl work together to try and find Malachite with him?
The Gems generally avoided going into places heavily populated by the Grimm because there was something about them that was poisonous to Gems. Steven remembered Pearl telling him about them:
"Steven, we can't help fight against the Grimm because there's something about them that is…More or less toxic to our bodies." Pearl uneasily began.
"Toxic?" Steven pondered.
Pearl nodded. "Our bodies are made of concentrated light and energy while the Grimm are, for the lack of a better word made of an organic substance made of concentrated darkness, hence why it is called the Dark Substance. When it comes in contact with us the substance disrupts the energy we need to maintain our bodies and infects our gems, effectively shattering us on the inside. That's why we generally avoid them."
"So you guys don't use Aura like my dad and other humans do?" Steven asked.
Pearl sighed. "No. We can't use Aura like humans do. It's similar to a kind of power only a few Gems have used but I can't use it and Garnet or Amethyst can't either."
'So the Gems can't go into the Darklands to rescue Lapis because the Grimm might kill them. We need a Hunter team to go into the Darklands.' Steven realized. 'But Beach City has no Huntsmen aside from… That's it!'
Xxx
KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!
"Keep your pants on; I said I'll be right there!" Pops hollered, racing to the door of the RV he, as well as his two pupils, had been calling home for the duration of their visit.
He swung the screen door open and looked to either side.
"Uh…down here, sir."
Pops looked down. "Oh! Steven! What brings you by, son?"
"Are Johnny and Carl in?" Steven asked immediately.
"Oh sure, they're just having another one of their little, er…roommate episodes." Pops cleared his throat.
Inside the RV, Steven could hear the sounds of objects being knocked over or smashed. "Carl I swear if you don't give me the remote right now I'm gonna-" Johnny was cut off by a flash of energy followed by a high pitched scream…which faded as Johnny flew up into the air, launched through the RV's roof.
"Duuuuude did you see him go?!" Amethyst laughed as Pops stepped aside to let Steven in.
"Just hope you kids realize I'm not paying to fix that." Pops deadpanned.
"Sorry Pops." Carl smiled sheepishly, seated towards the back with Amethyst, right beneath the Johnny shaped hole and in view of a small portable TV. "Johnny accidently stepped on one of my new Anti-Grimm grenades…again."
"A bit of a misnomer there, seeing as those things have yet to affect an actual Grimm." Pops replied. "…Steven, move three steps to the left."
Confused, Steven did as instructed…just before Johnny crashed down through the roof of the RV and landed where the boy had been standing moments earlier.
"Errrrr…" Johnny sat up, dazed. "Good job Maurice…yah got yer halo." He immediately collapsed backwards again.
Amethyst finally looked up from the TV. "Steven? What're you doing here, bud?"
"Amethyst, I need some help." Steven stepped around Johnny's twitching form. "I…I need to go to the Darklands!"
A sudden record scratch split the air as all eyes fixed themselves on him.
"Oh, sorry!" Pops adjusted an old record player he had left on the RV's kitchen counter. "Darned thing."
"Uh…Steven, you do know what's in the Darklands, right?" Amethyst asked. "Tons of Grimm, for one. Garnet would kill me if I took you there."
"She's right, Steven! Only the most seasoned and veteran of Huntsmen even dare go there!" Carl added. "Johnny and I can barely be qualified as Class II Huntsmen and we'd be eaten alive there!"
"But Lapis is there!" Steven pleaded. "She's trapped there with Jasper!"
"You're sure of that?" Pops asked. "That monster was pulled underground down by the beach. The Darklands are hundreds of miles from here."
"Actually…wouldn't be a stretch for them to end up that far." Amethyst revealed. "I mean something dragged them under, right? It's been a few weeks, so if they were snatched up whoever did it could have had plenty of time to move them there. Only thing I don't get is why they'd dump them in the middle of Grimm territory like that."
"Just how do you know they're in the Darklands anyhow?" Pops asked.
"I had…a vision." Steven hesitated. "I get them."
"Sounds right to me." Amethyst hopped up onto her feet.
"What, just like that?" Pops looked at the Gem.
"What can I say?" She shrugged. "Steven gets visions. I don't make his powers; I just follow 'em when they do stuff like this. If Steven says he saw them there then he saw them there, and knowing him he'll go there with or without some help so count me in."
"Are you sure, Amethyst? I mean…wasn't there something about Grimm being poisonous to Gems?" Steven asked. "I was mainly looking for Pops, Johnny and Carl since they're Huntsmen and-"
"Uh, what have you got in your belly button again?" Amethyst reminded him. "Poisonous to me means poisonous to you too, Steven."
"Oh…" Steven looked down. "Right, good point. But I still have to go help them."
"Which is why I'm going with. Garnet might kill me if I take you there but she and Pearl will probably shatter me, glue me back together and shatter me again if I let you go there with just these guys." Amethyst paused. "No offence, fellas."
"Eh, none taken." Pops shrugged.
"We kinda suck." Carl admitted.
"Durrrr…" Johnny mumbled, still recovering from his fall.
"So let's go." Amethyst smirked. "How long would it take us to get to the Darklands?"
"It'd be a half a week's travel to get from here to GrimmFall which is close enough to the Darklands. But once we get to the city they'll never let us passed the walls they've built up to keep the Grimm out. We might have better luck with Denver but that would take even longer to reach." Pops answered.
"I got a better idea." Steven pointed outside and when they all looked outside they saw a pink furred lion waiting for them. "I think he'll save plenty of time."
Xxx
"Old Man McGucket, are you here?" Dipper called out as the group arrived at the junkyard.
"Here hillbilly-billy-billy-billy." Soos exclaimed loudly.
The group came upon Nate and Lee standing in front of graffiti that said 'McSuckIt' laughing. "That's good."
"Took an hour to think of this, but it was worth it. Ha!" Lee laughed as they ran away as Old Man McGucket came out of his shack.
"Get outta here, you salt lickin', hornswagglin!... McSuckit, they got me good." He stopped upon seeing the group. "Visitors! Come, come." He led them inside. "Pull up some rusty metal. You're just in time for my hourly turf war with the hillbilly what lives in my mirror." He stopped at his reflection in a bathtub. "Quit starin' at me when I bathe!"
"You can drop the act, McGucket. I know you're the author. You studied the mysteries of this town and wrote this book." Dipper held up the journal.
"Dude, you're the genius Dipper's been searching for all summer!" Wendy exclaimed.
"Uh, genius? I'm no genius. I've never done nothin' worthwhile in my life. Everyone knows I'm no good to nobody. I can't remember what I used to be, but I must've been a big failure to end up like this." McGucket said sadly.
"But the laptop has your name on it." Soos pointed out.
"What about this book? Are you sure you didn't write it? Here, look closely." Dipper flipped through the journal.
"I told you, I don't recall. Everything before 1982 is just a blur. Just a hazy..." The journal flipped forward to an image a strange eye symbol and he shrieked. "The Blind Eye! Robes, the men, my mind! They did something!"
"Who did?" Dipper asked.
"I... oh, I don't recall."
"Oh, you poor old man! No wonder your mind's all…" Mabel blew raspberry. "You've been through something intense."
"What if McGucket learned something he wasn't supposed to know, and someone, or something, messed with his mind?" Dipper wondered. "We've got to get to the bottom of this."
"Think, dude. What is the earliest thing you can remember?" Wendy asked.
"Uh, this is, I think." McGucket pulled down a newspaper article.
"The history museum!"
"That's where we're going." Dipper said with conviction.
Xxx
Abby and Nigel sat outside in the backyard of the Uno household, both of them sitting underneath the single tree in the yard.
"So how do we do this?" Abby asked, finally breaking the silence.
"I am not sure. I mean, the first time I spoke with Elsa was around the time I found my Semblance and the few times after was when I tried to understand how it worked." Nigel admitted. "What I understand is that Elsa was not exactly…Well, Elsa."
Abby tilted her head, looking confused.
"What I mean is that Elsa was not some voice in my mind. She was basically mental representation of the person who the Ice Elemental used to be." Nigel held up a hand and a blue flame appeared, watching as frost formed around it. "She told me a bit of her past and how my Semblance was fused with the Ice Elemental's power."
"So she's like a voice in your head." Abby pondered.
"I am not even sure we were in my mind when we first spoke…It's more like, we were literally inside my own soul." Nigel dispelled the frost flame. "That's what it felt like before you taught me to hide my powers. I haven't heard much from Elsa or anyone else since then. I think the first step might be to stop hiding ourselves. I mean, Sammael probably already knows about us so it would be pointless to hide and not use our powers when he comes for us."
Abby shifted a bit, feeling uneasy but at the same time was understanding of Nigel's suggestion. "I've hid myself since I was little and it didn't save my parents."
"Then perhaps it is time we let go." Nigel held up his hand as he removed his sunglasses and closed his eyes. His Aura seemed to flare and a snowy flame flared from his eyes as they opened, signaling the activation of his Elemental powers. "I think an Elemental's powers is focused around their emotions, much like our Semblances are. You said the Grimm can sense the negative emotions of an Elemental even better than regular person's. Well, I think we will also need them to focus our powers."
Abby took a deep breath, feeling the waves of power coming off her friend and concentrated, working to remove the blocks her sister had taught her to place on her powers. It wasn't easy since she kept that part of herself hidden since she was little but one by one the blocks came off and with each one removed the power within grew stronger, seemingly eager to be released.
Nigel was right; an Elemental's power did not come from the mind.
It came from the soul.
A golden Aura surrounded Abby and from her eyes came a multi-colored flame, resembling a rainbow, signaling the awakening of the Candy Elemental. The Aura of the two Elementals seemed to flare from being near each other as the grass around them and the leaves of the tree above them started to frost, with tints of multiple colors ranging red, yellow, orange and pink appearing on them. Even the sky seemed affected as clouds began to gather, blocking out the sun.
From inside the house Monty and Jennifer Uno watched as the two children tapped into their hidden power. It was perhaps an honor to see two rare powers come into existence but both were more concerned for what it meant for their children. The power of the Elementals could alter and change the entire world and it also meant they would be targeted by a great many hoping to take that power for themselves.
All they could do was properly prepare them for what was to come.
Abby wasn't sure if she ever wanted stop this. The moment the last lock came off it felt like a tidal wave of power had broken free and was flowing out of the depths of her soul, wanting nothing more to make its mark on the world. After keeping it under control her whole life she found herself hoping she would never have to hide it again.
It was incredible.
"Abby?" Nigel spoke up, seeing the Aura around her growing in size as more of her power was released. "Abby, you need to slow down."
"I don't think…" Abby sounded strained. "I can."
Nigel's Aura receded and the icy flame surrounding his eyes faded. "Yes you can. You don't have to bind it anymore. Just imagine controlling it like you would your Semblance."
Abby took a deep breath and tried to focus, calming her powers and they slowly receded. "Thanks Nigel…I wasn't sure I could handle it. It was like the power had a will of its own."
"In a way it does." Nigel remarked as he put his sunglasses back on. "I guess that was its reaction to being locked away for so long. I had the same reaction, remember? My room was frozen entirely."
"I remember." Abby nodded. "You also unfroze it so quickly. I thought you might have had total control of your powers even though you just found them."
"Not really." Nigel shrugged. "But it should be easier for us now. We can work on training on how to use these powers without any locks on them."
"Yeah…" Abby brought up a hand and watched as a jellybean appeared on the palm. "I'm ready."
"Speaking of ready." Nigel stood up, smiling. "We're supposed to meet Marceline and Wally over at the park to meet with Kenny. Better not keep them waiting."
Xxx
Homeworld.
The planet where all Gem kind came from.
A jewel of civilization…Despite the planet appearing to be broken in half but still held together by gravity.
The surface of the planet was dead, wasted, and abandoned, presumably from the Kindergartens draining the planet's natural nutrients. The glossy surface of the planet was a dense cityscape carved into its natural surface. The planet had a pink-colored atmosphere breathable by humans, and a similar level of gravity to that of Earth. Thousands of years ago the inhabitants of this planet came to the Earth to colonize it and later destroy it because of the Rebellion started by Rose Quartz.
Since that time Homeworld has continued to produce Gems and advance their technology; however the planet's resources have almost been used up since the Rebellion and they cannot make the same kind of Gems before that time. New Gems, better known as Era 2 Gems were often outfitted with the cybernetic enhancements to compensate for the lack of Gem powers, including shape shifting and weapon summoning.
All so that they could serve their glorious Diamonds.
There was Yellow Diamond, who controlled of Homeworld's military forces and ruled them with an iron first.
Then there was Blue Diamond who was leader of Homeworld's diplomacy caste, ensuring all law is enforced on all Gem controlled worlds.
There was Pink Diamond, the youngest of the Diamonds who had met her end at the hands of Rose Quartz.
And finally there was White Diamond, the eldest and strongest of the Diamonds, the first of them to rise to power and the absolute ruler of all Gem kind. Feared by even her fellow Diamonds White's position as leader has gone unquestioned for millennia.
Homeworld and its people existed only to serve her.
All of Gem kind were mere extensions of her flawless being.
From lowliest Pearls who served, to the Bismuths that built and to the Hessonites who commanded.
All answered to her.
She was perfection along with her sisters, Yellow, Blue and…Pink.
White was no fool.
The entire Rebellion, Pink's shattering and even the so-called Crystal Gems were nothing more than one of many games Pink likes to play. White's little Starlight, just where did Blue and Yellow go wrong with her?
So bubbly.
So energetic.
So spoiled.
Always wanting and never being satisfied.
But she did one thing right during her time on Earth. She found a great power there among its people, a power comparable to the Diamonds. The creatures known as the Grimm were wild beasts, nothing to worry about compared to an empire that will one day span the entire universe. The organics, while inferior somehow discovered a power within them to manifest their aura similar to a Diamond which was not believed possible.
But during colonization of Earth Pink had discovered the Grimm, the organics and their powers, and White had sensed another power there. Four individuals towering over the other organics in power much like Diamonds towered over Gems and twelve other sources of great power with two of them even sharing a possible connection with the Gem race. These four were instrumental in rallying the organics to play along with Pink.
It was enough that White herself became interested in Pink's little game.
The entire battlefield was illuminated by what was almost thought to be a star colliding with the planet. The rebels and their allies covering their eyes while the loyal armies of Homeworld bowed their heads down, knowing what it was.
Rose's eyes widening in horror as she sees who is responsible for the light. "White."
White Diamond lets out a horrible laugh as with one hand she decimates the entire battlefield. How invigorating it felt to destroy an entire squad of rebels with one blast. The rebels scattering and fleeing from her as she personally led Homeworld's forces to victory. She chased after Rose across the entire planet, all the while the rebels were being pushed back.
"Oh Piiiiiiink." Rose stiffened at the sound of HER voice as she and Pearl hid in the broken remains of the Beta Kindergarten. "Aren't you going to come out and play? This is your game after all."
Rose's eyes widened, realizing that White knew.
She somehow knew.
"Isn't this what you wanted? To play the game of the great rebel leader? Have you gotten it all out of your system? Have you given up?" White's voice asked as the entire Kindergarten was bathed in her radiant light. "Or have you realized what your little game has done? To you, to your court, to your fellow Diamonds."
Rose tightened the grip on her sword.
"Oh, young dear Pink Diamond. Always demanding and demanding and never being satisfied with what you get. Blue and Yellow were always too soft on you. Giving you a colony too soon because they thought you would finally stop whining." White's voice sounded disappointed. "And of course you go fake your own shattering. Such is something I'd expect from you. Ironically I actually believed that this Rose Quartz game you started was actually teaching you how to be a better leader. How sad to see it was just another childish fit."
They could hear her footsteps coming closer.
"Do you remember first coming into existence? Blue was so elated, literally latching you onto her while Yellow tried to cover her feelings by complaining about you being too small. The two of them, so depressed and sad hearing your 'shattering' and now they want to shatter every single rebel but I am sure they want to do something worse to the big bad 'Rose Quartz'." White seemingly stopped just a foot away. "Tell me, Pink did you ever wonder why I ordered the creation of the 'special zone' when Blue thought simply to build a zoo? Why I supported your so-called colonization even when I knew you were trying to scare your fellow Gems?"
Rose pressed her sword to her chest, unable to answer. She couldn't find it in her to speak even if it was pointless.
"Because there is a power here that these organics have that may rival that of a Diamond. I want to see that power for myself and I will not stop until I see it. So you can continue your game, it will give me and the others a workout as we destroy more Gems with the silly idea of being anything more than what they were made to be." White Diamond knelt forward, her face just mere inches above Rose who was pressed against the back of the boulder she and her Pearl hiding behind. "You always did have an amusing imagination. I suppose that can be your comfort as more of your Crystal Gems are shattered by the loyal ones you abandoned so cruelly. Do you hear their screams and cries, do you feel their anguish and do you look them in the eye as you betray them over and over again? Such cruelty I never thought you were capable of and yet it makes me so proud of you, Pink to see you embrace your inner Diamond."
Rose let out a scream as she jumped out and plunged her sword through White's chest.
White didn't move.
She didn't scream.
She didn't even react.
Rose looked up into White's eyes and saw the Diamond smiling down at her. "Until the next time we can play, Starlight."
And her form disappeared back into her Diamond but Rose could not capture her because her gem instantly vanished.
It took an instant to reform but everyone believed Rose had tried to shatter White Diamond like she did Pink.
It was so amusing what her subjects believed sometimes.
And she knew the power.
Four humans, each of them strangely colored even among organics that were notoriously off-colored. The powers they used defeated entire battalions of Homeworld soldiers.
Finally she had seen the power.
And she knew what she needed to do. With Yellow and Blue behind her, White had ordered a mass shattering of any rebels they could find and then brought them together as part of the plan of the massive Gem-Geo weapon that would one day destroy the planet. Then they launched a final attack to obliterate all surviving Gems but White knew there would be survivors.
She knew Pink would try to shield herself and her followers from the attack.
And the result would lead to the Gems not being shattered.
Only their minds being shattered and devolved into ruined forms of their former selves.
Pink would play with Gem beasts she had unintentionally helped create, never knowing of the massive weapon growing under her feet and that was not even the best part.
The powers she had seen would not die with the planet.
They would seek out new hosts and those hosts would be found in the 'special zone' White had created just for Pink underneath the domain of the 'shattered' Diamond that was left in Blue's care. When the Earth was destroyed those powers would be found in the organics living here and they would be brought before White.
Such dangerous powers would be deemed too dangerous to exist by Yellow.
Blue would argue they would be all that is left of Pink's planet.
But White saw the potential for a whole new Gem race to be born through these powers. New Gems, more powerful than even Era 1 at her back and call.
They would march across the universe, colonizing planet after planet.
Until all worlds were Gem worlds.
All of them existing to serve the Diamonds.
All of them existing to serve her.
And more Gems would continue to be created.
White was no fool.
She knew the universe's resources were finite and once used up there would be no more Gems to create and serve her. But there was a chance to ensure new resources were made in the powers she was seeking. These powers were remarkably similar to the power of the Diamonds and there were even four of them much like there were four Diamonds and they came in four separate colors.
But what made them valuable was what they could create.
'More resources to make more of you? Is that all you ever think about, White?'
White Diamond did not even blink at the mental presence that had made itself known to her. It was not from this dimension and she could already sense its origins when it revealed itself to her on the mental plane.
"Bill Cipher, there you are." White Diamond spoke, able to see the dream demon on the mental plane. "Come to alleviate some boredom?"
'In a manner of speaking, White.' Bill Cipher answered, taking note of a small flare of annoyance in White Diamond but remained composed. Perfection did not get angry or annoyed and all that jazz. Bill snapped his fingers and three fireballs appeared, showing the images of three little humans. 'I come with good news. Three of the four Elementals have awakened their powers on Earth.'
"Good, good. And the fourth?"
'Still nothing on that front. You'd think Fire would be the first to wake up this century.' Bill shrugged.
"The Cluster's final cycle is coming to an end. When it happens the planet will be destroyed. I would rather the four be here, being trained and modified to serve me rather than waiting to see if the powers will seek out new hosts in Pink's little playground." White remarked calmly.
'No worries, White. When one wakes up, all of them wake up. It's just a matter of time. So Blue and Yellow still have no clue on what you plan to do, huh?'
"Oh, Yellow is focusing on business and Blue…Pink's little game has tired her greatly. She lost the nature of a Diamond and just goes through the motion." White waved off the topic of her sister Diamonds. "They can play their revenge game all they want. What truly matters is ensuring at the end all that is left is to ensure that Gemkind rises above all others."
'Right, because that's the only thing you do for fun. Well, on that subject I've encountered a…bump that might hinder our plans.' Bill's eye flashed red. 'A few pests that have been causing trouble.'
"Oh?" White Diamond narrowed her eyes slightly.
Bill conjured more images of Hoagie Gilligan, Dipper and Mabel Pines along with Mandy and Juniper Lee. 'The first three are ordinary humans but make no mistake. They are going to be trouble and the fourth is a Fallen, a Grimm-Human fusion.'
White cast a disinterested look over them, not even concerned about the Human/Grimm fusion. "And what makes them such a threat to the great and powerful Bill Cipher?"
Bill narrowed his eye as he dispelled the images. 'Glad you asked. On their own they are as pathetic as any other single life span meat bag. But the first three have been poking around and causing trouble, becoming a serious problem. The fourth works for those other Fallen that want to stop me and the fifth is also going to be an even bigger pain since she is empowered by other dimensional beings that don't want me having fun.'
"And what do you plan on doing about it?" White Diamond simply asked.
'Glad you asked again. As promised I'll deliver the Elementals to you before your little bomb in the planet goes off. I could even sweeten the deal and deliver Pinky to you while I am at it. I've already got her meat bag host on a wild goose chase.' Bill laughed. 'As for the rest I think I'll let my Blind Eye kiddies play with them.'
"Let Pink continue her games. She'll have it out of her system when her precious planet dies." White replied.
'So cold of you, White.' Bill laughed again. 'I knew there was a reason I liked you better than the other Diamonds. You really know how to have fun. Well, I'll get to work right now and remember, I am always watching.'
Bill vanished and White Diamond was left alone in her chambers that she had not left for thousands of years.
"Fun isn't a word one considers when bringing order and perfection to the universe." White Diamond smiled softly. "But this does make me smile."