I have an AO3 now. As of now, I've posted my Belos redemption AU, my Security Breach rewrite, and my Owl House X Stranger Things Crossover onto AO3. I plan to move other fanfics to that site too, making those accessible to people who use AO3 and not . I'm not gonna move all of them, but I'm definitely gonna move the big projects. My Amphibia OC Insert, my Stranger Things rewrite, as well as this and the Phineas and Ferb fics. After I move those last two, I should be able to start posting at an even pace.

With that out of the way, on with the story.

Stan was showing off his attractions to a group of tourists.

"For tonight's final illusion, we have the sack of mystery," he showed them. "When you put your money in, it mysteriously disappears."

You'd think these tourists would see the scam a mile away, but they were all dumber than a bag of rocks. They gave him as much money as they could spare.

Inside, Dipper, Mabel, and Soos were watching TV. After a while, it cut to a commercial.

"Hey, it's the commercial I was telling you about," said Soos.

"Are you completely miserable?" asked a voice on screen.

The TV showed a man sitting on a bed, crying in the most over dramatic way possible.

"Yes!" he shouted.

"Then you need to meet…" the voice said before a shadowy figure appeared on screen. "Gideon."

"Gideon?" Dipper asked suspiciously. "What makes him so special?"

"He's a psychic," the voice replied. "So don't waste your time with other so-called 'men of mystery'..." Stan appeared on screen coming out of a porta-potty like a crazy old man. The word 'Fraud' appeared on screen in big red letters. "Learn about tomorrow tonight at Gideon's Tent of Telepathy! Void where prohibited, no COD's accepted, Carla, I've always loved you, but I never had the guts to say it."

"Wow, I'm getting curious," Mabel admitted.

"Well, don't get too curious," Stan warned as he came in. "Ever since that monster Gideon rolled into town, I had nothing but trouble."

"Well, is he really psychic?" asked Mabel.

"I think we should find out," Dipper added.

"Never!" Stan yelled. "You're forbidden from patronizing the competition! No one that lives under my roof is allowed under Gideon's roof!"

"Tents don't have roofs," Dipper corrected. "I think we just found our loophole."

"So come down folks," the commercial announcer finished. "Gideon's expecting you."

Play Gravity Falls Intro Music

A bus stops in the small town of Gravity Falls. Dipper and Mabel get off the bus.

In front of them is the town's star attraction, The Mystery Shack. Their great-uncle, Stan, invites them inside.

The twins look around the shack. They're both curious about everything.

Later, the Pines investigate a strange footprint with four toes instead of five. None of them realize they're standing in a much larger footprint.

DIPPER

Dipper looks around a cave holding a candle for light. He comes across a strange skeleton that scares him. He drops his candle, getting rid of his only source of light.

MABEL

Mabel stands in a room wearing a purple sweater with stars, her name, and a rainbow. She plugs an outlet into her sweater, causing it to glow.

STAN

Stan tells the twins, Wendy, and Soos a scary story. Soos and the twins are terrified while Wendy is completely unfazed. However, none of them notice the scary creature behind them.

Dipper and Mabel lay in their room. Mabel reads a girl magazine while laying on the floor. Dipper reads a journal while laying on his bed. After a second, everyone and everything begins to float off the ground. Dipper is the only one who notices something off.

End Intro

One Cruel Summer

Chapter 3

The Hand That Rocks the Mabel

Dipper, Mabel, and Soos made it to the Tent of Telepathy. Dipper could only describe it with one sentence. "A bizarro version of the Mystery Shack (they even have their own Soos)."

To be fair, he wasn't wrong. The Tent did have a handyman named Deuce, according to the nametag.

Soos glared at Deuce suspiciously.

The show began. A large shadow appeared behind the curtain. The curtain opened.

On the other side was a tiny boy with a chubby face and freckles. He had long white hair, though a lot of it was straightened upward. He wore a tiny blue suit and a white cape.

"Hello America, my name is Lil' Gideon!" he announced in the cutest voice. He clapped his hands, and multiple white doves flew out of his hair.

"That's Stan's mortal enemy?" Dipper asked, bewildered. "But he's so little."

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's such a gift to have you here tonight," Gideon continued. "I have a vision. I predict you'll soon say 'aw'."

Gideon then made a cute face. The crowd reacted exactly how he said they would. "Aw."

"I'm not impressed," Dipper lied.

"Yes you are," Mabel replied, seeing through the facade.

Gideon then turned towards the man who collected the money from the guests. "Hit it, Dad."

Play "Gideon's Song" from Gravity Falls

The man started to play some music. Gideon tossed his cape into the crowd. Some women in the crowd fought over it.

Gideon:

Oh, I can see what other can't see

It ain't some sideshow trick, it's innate ability

Where others are blind I am futurely inclined

And you too could see if you was widdle ol' me

"Come on, everybody, ride up!" Gideon shouted. "I want y'all to keep it going!"

The crowd started to stand. Dipper stood among them. He felt like he was forced to stand. He was genuinely surprised.

"How did he…" he asked himself.

Gideon then started pointing to random people in the crowd.

You wish your son would call you more

"I'm leaving everything to my cats!" an old cat lady shouted.

I sense that you've been here before

"What gave it away?" the sheriff asked as if he wasn't holding a bunch of Gideon merchandise.

Gideon then walked off the stage and approached Mabel.

I'll read your mind, if I'm able

Something tells me you're named Mabel

So welcome all ye

To the Tent of Telepathy

Thanks for visiting widdle ol' me

End "Gideon's Song"

Gideon chugged a bottle of water after that energy-draining song.

"Thank you!" he thanked. "You all are the real miracles!"

With the show over, everyone headed home for the night.

"That guy's a bigger fraud than Stan," Dipper remarked. "No wonder our uncle hates him so much."

"Come on," said Mabel. "His dance moves were adorable. And did you see his hair? It was like, Whoosh!"

"You're too easily impressed."

"Yeah yeah."

The twins walked away, not noticing that Gideon was watching them.

The next morning, Mabel showed Dipper her bedazzled face. Multiple red, blue, and green jewels were glued onto her entire face, including her eyelids.

"Is that permanent?" Dipper asked, concerned.

"I am underappreciated in my time," Mabel remarked.

That's when the doorbell rang. Mabel went to answer it.

When she opened the door, the last person she expected to see was Lil' Gideon.

"Howdy," he greeted.

"It's widdle ol' you," Mabel smiled.

"Yeah, my song's quite catchy. I know we haven't formally met yet, but after yesterday's performance, I just couldn't get your laugh out of my head." Mabel laughed the laugh Gideon was referring to. "When I saw you in the audience, I said to myself, 'Now there's a kindred spirit, someone who appreciates the sparkly things in life.'"

"That's totally me!"

Mabel ended up swallowing some of the gems on her face, then coughed them out. The gems arranged perfectly onto Gideon's collar.

"Enchanting," he smiled. "Utterly enchanting."

"Who's at the door?" came Stan's voice.

"No one!" Mabel replied.

"I appreciate your discretion," said Gideon. "Stan's no fan of mine. I don't know how a lemon so sour can be related to a peach so sweet."

"Gideon!" Mabel pretended to scold.

"What do you say we step away from here and chat a little bit more? Perhaps in my dressing room?"

"Makeovers, yay!" Mabel poked Gideon in the chest, a bit harder than she intended.

"Ow."

Gideon and Mabel made it to Gideon's house. Gideon led Mabel to the dressing room. Mabel was amazed.

"Look at all your clothes," she smiled. "I can't believe this!"

"Do you see something you like?" asked Gideon. "'Cause I do?"

Mabel returned to the Mystery Shack with straightened hair, a pink bow, makeup, and polished pink nails.

Dipper was standing in the corner of the gift shop reading his journal when Mabel showed off her new nails.

"Hey, Dipper," she greeted.

"Mabel!" Dipper yelled, startled by her presence. "Where have you been, and what's with those fingernails? You look like a wolverine."

"I know, right?" Mabel roared and moved her nails like she was a wildcat. "I've been hanging out with my new pal, Gideon. He's one dapper little man."

The same boy from a couple chapters ago was about to offer Mabel a flower before he heard about her new pal. He sighed and walked away sadly.

"Mabel, I don't trust anyone whose hair is bigger than their head," said Dipper.

"Leave him alone," Mabel scolded. "You never want to do girl stuff with me. You and Soos do boy stuff all the time."

"What do you mean?"

Soos showed up with a batch of hot dogs.

"Dude, you ready to blow up these hot dogs in the microwave one by one?" he asked.

"Am I?" Dipper replied.

Dipper and Soos headed to the kitchen to blow up the hot dogs.

"One at a time! One at a time!" the boys cheered.

A bit later, Mabel and Gideon were sitting on the roof of a factory, enjoying the view.

"Wow, the view from your family's factory is nuts," Mabel remarked. "Good thing we both brought our…"

"Opera glasses," the two finished in unison. They both laughed knowing how in sync they were.

After looking down at the city for a bit, Gideon spoke what was on his mind. "Mabel, when I'm up here, looking down on all them little ol' people, I feel like I'm king of all I survey. I guess that makes you my queen."

"What?" Mabel reacted. "You are being so nice to me right now! Quit it!"

"I can't. I'm speaking from the heart. I've never felt this close with anyone."

Mabel realized what Gideon meant. "Look, Gideon, I like you a lot, but let's just be friends."

"At least give me a chance. Will you do me the honor of going on a date? It'll just be one little ol' date. I swear on my lucky bolo tie."

Mabel was still hesitant. Gideon then used his cute face.

"Okay then," she reluctantly relented. "I guess."

"Mabel Pines, you have made me the happiest boy in the world!" Gideon smiled as he hugged his crush.

Mabel could feel her friend sniffing. "Are you sniffing my hair?"

Later, Dipper and Mabel were playing on Stan's SNES.

"It's not a date-date," Mabel assured. "I just, you know, didn't want to hurt his feelings, and so I figured I'd throw him a boy."

"Mabel, guys don't work that way," Dipper warned. "He's gonna fall in love with you."

"Yeah, right. I'm not that lovable." Mabel realized she won the game. "WOO! Yes!"

"Okay, we agree on something here."

That's when the doorbell rang. Mabel answered. The moment she opened the door, a large horse popped in, jumpscaring her. On the horse's back was Gideon in deputy gear.

"A night of enchantment awaits, milady," he smiled.

"Oh boy," Mabel smiled nervously.

A bit later, Gideon and Mabel were at the fanciest restaurant in Gravity Falls.

"I can't believe they let us bring a horse in here," Mabel remarked.

"Well, people have a hard time saying no to me," Gideon replied as he put his feet on the table.

The waiter came in to pour Gideon a glass of water.

"Ah, Gideon," he smiled. "The feet on the table. An excellent choice."

"Jean-Luc, what did we discuss about eye-contact?" Gideon scolded.

"Yes, yes, very good." The waiter walked away.

"I've never seen so many forks," Mabel said as she looked at the options. She then looked at her water glass. "And water with bubbles in it? Oui oui."

"Parlez-vous français?" Gideon asked.

"I have no idea what you're saying."

The next day, Dipper, Soos, and Wendy were sitting in the gift shop minding their own business when Stan entered with a newspaper.

"Hey, what the Jekyll is Mabel doing in the paper next to that greasy pickpocket, Gideon?" he asked as he pointed at the front-page picture. The picture showed Mabel and Gideon holding hands while walking down the street.

"Oh yeah, it's like a big deal," said Wendy. "Everyone's talking about Gideon and Mabel's big date tonight."

"What? That little shyster is dating my great-niece?"

"I wonder what the new name will be for the power couple," Soos pondered. "Mab-eon? Gid-abel?" Gasp. "Ma-gid-bel-eon!"

Stan threw the paper onto the ground aggressively then left the room.

"I didn't know about it!" Dipper defended himself. "I told her not to do it!"

"Well, it ends tonight," Stan declared as he came back in his suit. "I'm going right down to that little skunk's house, and this will stop right now!"

Stan walked out the door.

"It would've been funny if that ended up being a closet and he had to walk out and use the real door," Soos remarked.

Stan drove to Gideon's house. He got out of the car and stomped to the front door.

"Gideon, you pouch of piss!" he screamed. "Open up!" He noticed the sign that read, 'Pardon the Garden'. "I will pardon nothing!"

The man that answered the door was a couple of feet larger than Stan. He had short brown hair. He wore a pink outfit and a yellow hat. He seemed delighted to see Stan.

"Why, Stanford Pines," he greeted. "What a delight."

"Out of the way, Bud," Stan demanded. "I'm looking for Gideon!"

"Well, I haven't seen the boy around, but since you're here, you simply must come in for coffee." Bud led Stan inside. "It's imported all the way from Columbia."

"Wow, I went to jail there once." Stan looked around the fancy living room and whistled. "Some digs you got here. This is beautiful." He then turned to the painting of a sad clown. "This is beautiful."

Bud came in with two cups of coffee. "I hear your niece and my Gideon are… they're singing in harmony, so to speak."

"Yeah, and I'm against it!" Stan smacked a pillow off the couch for emphasis.

"No, no, no, I see it as a fantastic business opportunity. Yes, the Mystery Shack and the Tent of Telepathy. We've been at each other's throats for far too…" Bud noticed a picture of Stan in front of a dart board. "Let me get that." He took the picture off the board. "At each other's throats for far too long. This is our big chance to brush aside our rivalry and pool our collective profits, you see."

Stan smiled at the idea. He leaned on a cash register, which made a little ding. He closed it right after it opened.

"I'm listening," he said.

"And I said, 'Autograph your own headshot, lady'," Gideon said after he finished his food.

"Uh, yeah," Mabel said unenthusiastically. She had a hard time enjoying her lobster because it was snapping at her.

"Mabel, tonight's date was a complete success, and tomorrow's date promises to top this one in every way."

"Whoa, you said just one date."

"What a surprise. A red crested South American rainbow macaw." A large multicolored bird flew onto Gideon's shoulder. "Two, three, four…"

"Mabel…" the bird said. "Will… you… accompany… Gideon… to… the… ballroom… dance… this…. 'Thurbday'..." Gideon shook the bird. "Thursday!"

A letter regurgitated from the bird's beak. The bird then flew away.

"They're expecting us," said Gideon. "Please say you'll go."

Mabel turned around. A whole crowd of people were smiling at her, as if begging her to go along with this.

"Gideon, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to say…" Mabel was about to say.

"I'm on the edge of my seat," the sheriff interrupted.

"This is gonna be adorable!" a transgender man added.

"If she says no, I'll die of sadness," an older woman cried.

"I can verify that will indeed happen," said a doctor.

Mabel was in a tough position.

Mabel returned to the Mystery Shack with a glum look on her face. This did not go unnoticed by Dipper.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I don't know," Mabel replied as she put her new lobster in a tank. "I have a lobster now."

"At least it's over and you never have to go out with him again." Dipper noticed Mabel's face remained. "Mabel, it's over, right?"

"Blargh! He asked me out again and I didn't know how to say no!"

"Like this. 'No.'"

"It's not that simple, Dipper. And I do like Gideon, as a friend, so I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I just need to get things back the way they used to be."

That night, Mabel and Gideon were riding down the lake. Old Man McGucket was steering.

"Boating at night! Boating at night!" he laughed.

"You know, I thought dancing was going to be the end of the evening, right?" said Mabel.

"Don't you want this ending to last, my sweet?" Gideon asked.

"No! I mean, I'm always happy to hang out with a friend! Pal, chum, mate."

"How about soulmate?"

Fireworks lit up in the sky. They had Mabel's name in a heart.

"You can't say no to that," said McGucket.

Later that night, Dipper was walking downstairs to get a drink of water. He noticed Mabel pacing around the living room.

"He's so nice!" she said to herself. "But I can't keep doing this! But I can't break his heart! I have no way out!"

"What the hell happened on that date?" Dipper asked.

"One minute, we were in the friendzone, but before I knew it, he pulled me into the romance zone. It was like quicksand."

"Come on, Mabel. It's not like you're gonna have to marry Gideon."

"Great news, Mabel!" Stan shouted as he came in wearing a 'Team Gideon' shirt. "You have to marry Gideon!"

"What?" Mabel reacted.

"It's part of my long term deal with Bud Gleeful. There's a lot of cash tied up in this thing. Plus, I have this shirt." He looked at himself and realized, "Wow, I am fat." Mabel ran out of the room screaming. Stan assumed she was screaming about his gut. "Bodies change, Mabel!"

Dipper entered the attic to check on Mabel. He noticed his sister hiding in her sweater.

"Oh no, Mabel?" he said, knowing where this was going.

"Mabel's not here," Mabel lied. "She's in sweater town."

"Are you gonna come out?"

"Mm."

"Well, how about this? If you don't break up with Gideon, I'll do it for you."

"You will?" Dipper nodded. Mabel came out of her 'sweater town' and hugged her brother. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Dipper made it to the restaurant Mabel said Gideon would be at. 'The Club.'

Dipper noticed Gideon sitting on the big table. He cleared his throat to get his attention.

"Dipper Pines," Gideon smiled. "Nice to see you. You look good."

"Thanks," Dipper thanked before getting serious. "Gideon, we gotta talk. Mabel isn't joining you tonight. She doesn't want to see you anymore. She's kinda weirded out by you, no offense."

"So what you're saying is…" Dipper noticed Gideon's eye twitch. "You've come between us."

"You're not gonna freak out or anything, are you?"

Gideon's normal gleeful smile returned. "Of course not. Things happen. Bygones, you know."

"Cool. Sorry man. Hey, thumbs up?"

Dipper walked away.

"Thumbs up, indeed," Gideon whispered with a cruel smile.

Dipper met up with Mabel outside.

"How'd it go?" Mabel asked. "Was he mad? Did he try to read your mind with psychic powers?"

"Don't worry, Mabel," Dipper assured. "He's a kid. He doesn't have powers."

Gideon sat in his room. He stared at himself in the mirror. He was fighting the urge to cry.

"Dipper Pines, you don't know what you've done," he said. Gideon held onto the jewel on his bolo tie. The light bulbs around his mirror started to shatter. Small objects in his room floated in the air. "You just made the biggest mistake of your life!"

Gideon threw everything onto the ground. They all shattered and scattered.

His father came into the room.

"Gideon Charles Gleeful!" he yelled. "Clean up your room this instant!"

"I can buy and sell you, old man!" Gideon threatened.

"Fair enough." Bud left the room.

Gideon looked at a photo he had of Dipper and Mabel. He used his amulet to burn Dipper's half of the photo.

The next morning, Dipper and Mabel were playing with Soos and having a good time.

"I'm so glad everything's back to normal," said Mabel. Right as she said that, the phone rang. Mabel turned to Dipper. "Your turn."

Since she said it first, Dipper had to answer.

"Oh man?" he muttered. Dipper entered the house and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Toby Determined, Gravity Falls Gossiper," said the voice on the phone.

"Oh, hey. Sorry for accusing you of murder last week."

"Water under the bridge. Say, we want to interview you about whether you've seen anything unusual in this here town since you've arrived."

"Finally! I thought you'd never ask. I have notes, theories… Uh-huh. 412 Gopher Road." He wrote the address on a notepad. "Tonight? Got it."

Dipper hung up.

That night, Dipper reached the address. When he noticed the abandoned house, he assumed he was in the wrong place.

He rechecked his notes. According to the mailbox with the number '412' on it, this was the place.

Dipper entered the building.

"Hello?" he called, causing an echo.

When no one answered, Dipper turned around.

However, before he could leave, the door slammed itself shut.

A light turned on. In front of Dipper, Gideon sat on a chair holding a toy of himself.

"Hello, friend," he greeted menacingly. "Dipper Pines. How long have you been living here? A week? Two? How's the scenery?"

"What do you want from me?" Dipper asked.

"Listen, boy. This town has secrets you couldn't begin to comprehend."

"Is this about Mabel? I told you, she's not into you."

"Liar! You turned her against me!" Gideon stood up and held his amulet. "She was my peach dumpling!"

Dipper noticed the glow coming from Gideon's chest. "Are you okay, man?"

Before Dipper knew it, he was floating off the floor. Then, he was sent flying into a stack of boxes.

"Reading minds isn't all I can do," Gideon smiled.

"But you're fake," Dipper panicked.

"Oh, tell me. Is this fake?"

Gideon lifted multiple bits of Gideon merchandise, and he aimed them all towards Dipper.

At the shack, Mabel sat on the porch chewing her hair. She couldn't help but feel bad for not severing ties with Gideon herself. That's when she noticed Wendy sitting next to her.

"How's that hair tasting, buddy?" she asked.

"Wendy, I need some advice," said Mabel. "You broke up with guys, right?"

"Yeah. Russ Durham, Eli Hall, Stony Davidson…"

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I thought everything was back to normal, but I still feel all gross. Maybe making Dipper do it for me was a mistake. Gideon deserves an honest break-up."

"Danny Feldman, Mark Epstein…" Wendy continued. "Oh, I don't think I actually broke up with him. No wonder he keeps calling me."

"I know what I gotta do," said Mabel. "Thanks for talking to me, Wendy."

Mabel got on her bike and left the shack.

Meanwhile, Dipper was trying to avoid all the projectiles thrown his way. He narrowly avoided each and every one.

At some point, Gideon tipped a shelf over in an attempt to crush Dipper. He jumped out of the way in time, but he hit the wall.

"Grunkle Stan was right about you!" Dipper yelled. "You are a monster!"

"Your sister will be mine!" Gideon laughed.

Gideon pulled the string of one of his toys. It made the same laugh.

Dipper found a bat next to him. An idea popped into his mind.

When he turned back, Gideon was busy playing with his toy.

With Gideon distracted, Dipper made his move. He ran towards Gideon, bat in hand, and landed a hit.

Gideon was quick to recover. He lifted Dipper into the air.

"She's never gonna date you, man!" Dipper yelled.

"That's a lie!" Gideon screamed. "And I'm gonna make sure you never lie to me again, friend."

Gideon pulled a pair of scissors out of a box and got ready to cut Dipper in half.

That's when Mabel showed up in the nick of time.

"Gideon, stop!" she yelled.

"Mabel, my marshmallow," Gideon smiled as he dropped the scissors. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, Gideon. I can't be your marshmallow. I should've been honest and told you that myself."

"I don't understand." Gideon closed his fist, inadvertently squeezing Dipper.

"Mabel, this isn't the time to be brutally honest with him," he struggled to say.

"But we can still be buddies, right?" Mabel asked. "Wouldn't you like that?"

"Really?" Gideon smiled.

Mabel noticed the amulet and grabbed it, releasing her brother.

"No, not really!" she shouted. "You were like attacking my brother! What the hell! Sorry, I meant heck."

"My tie, give it back!" Gideon demanded.

Mabel tossed the amulet to Dipper. He caught it.

"Not so powerful without this, are you?" he remarked.

Gideon wasn't going down, though. He grabbed Dipper and pushed him out the window. They both traded punches before they realized they were both falling to their deaths. They screamed and braced themselves…

But then they started floating before they touched the ground.

When they looked up, they saw Mabel floating down to the ground, wearing the amulet.

"Listen, Gideon," she told Gideon. "It's over. I will never, ever date you."

Mabel set Gideon and Dipper onto the ground. She then threw the amulet down, and crushed it with her foot, destroying it.

"My powers!" Gideon whined before backing into the woods. "This isn't over. This isn't the last you'll see of widdle ol' me."

Back at Gideon's house, Stan and Bud were drinking some SnP approved equivalent to liquor, having the time of their lives.

"This is living, brother," Stan smiled.

"From now on, it's all name brand foods and clown paintings," Bud said. That's when Gideon came in. Bud turned to him and smiled. "Hey, Gideon, look who I…"

"Stanford Pines," Gideon interrupted. "I rebuke thee. I rebuke thee! The entire Pines family has invoked my fury! You will all pay recompense for your transgressions!"

Stan sat silently for a long moment before finally saying, "Are those real words?"

"But sunshine, what about our arrangement?" Bud asked.

"Silence!" Gideon interrupted.

"Well, I see he's taken to one of his rages again. Sorry, Stan, but I have to side with Gideon on this one."

Bud tore up the contract.

"Okay, I can see when I'm not wanted," said Stan. He took the clown painting and made a run for it. "Try and catch me, suckers!"

Stan made it back to the shack. He hung the painting on the wall, but he wasn't satisfied. It was just a reminder of what he lost.

He turned around to see his niece and nephew sitting on the couch.

"What happened to you two?" he asked.

"Gideon," they both replied in unison.

"I see. The little butthead swore vengeance on the whole family. I guess he's gonna nibble my ankles or something."

"Yeah," said Dipper. "How's he gonna destroy us now, huh? Try to guess what number we're thinking of?"

"He'll never guess my number," Mabel added. "Negative eight. Who'd guess a negative number?"

"Look out," said Stan. "I bet he's planning our destruction right now."

The three Pines laughed at the joke.

What none of them realized was that Gideon was, in fact, planning their destruction.

Gideon crafted a small version of the Mystery Shack and the Pines family.

"Gideon, I still love you," he said, playing with the Mabel figurine. "If only my family weren't in the way." He then played with the Stan figure. "Look at me, I'm old and smelly." Next, he played with the Dipper toy. "Hey, what are you gonna do without your precious amulet?" Finally, he went back to his normal voice. "You'll see, boy. You'll see."

Gideon turned to a book with a page about a mystic amulet. He closed the book.

The book had a red cover with a golden six-fingered hand in the middle. The hand had the number two on it.

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