Summary:
After accidentally unleashing a horde of light monsters upon Gravity Falls, its up to Steven, Connie, Dipper, and Mabel to team up to save the day by attacking the light!
"Oh, Steven!" Pearl's voice trilled through the house as she, Garnet, and Amethyst warped in from their latest mission. While Steven had spent much of the morning engrossed in an engaging new RPG, the second the Gems arrived, his controller was tossed aside in favor of greeting them.
"You're back!" he cheered as he sprinted down from the loft.
"Hello, Steven," Garnet said. Between her hands, a strange, triangular object hovered, awash in a gentle aura of light. As soon as Steven spotted it, he was captivated. He always was whenever the Gems happened to bring home any mystical relics from their distant, daring quests.
"What's that?" he asked with an eager, intrigued smile.
"This is an ancient Gem weapon known as a Light Prism," Pearl eloquently explained. "In the hands of a powerful Gem, it could be used to command an entire army of light!"
"Whoa, cool!" Steven exclaimed, stars in his eyes. "Can I see it?"
"Oh, no," Pearl quickly shook her head. "Absolutely not. It's very dangerous. Well… in the hands of a powerful Gem anyway."
"But in the hands of Steven," Amethyst shrugged. "Eh, not so much."
"Yeah!" Steven offered up a pleading pout. "Me no powerful…"
"The answer's still no," Garnet asserted. "This Prism isn't a toy."
"Garnet's right," Pearl staunchly nodded. She raised a hand to her gemstone, summoning a small glass box. "That's exactly why we're going to keep it contained in this protective case and bubble it inside of the temple for good measure."
"Ugh, yeesh," Amethyst rolled her eyes as she watched Pearl secure the Prism inside of the case. "You wanna lock it up in a safe while you're at it, P?"
"Hm… That's… actually not the worst idea you've ever had, Amethyst…"
"I was joking ," she deadpanned. "Chill, Pearl. It's just some dumb shiny triangle. What's the worst that could happen?"
"I already told you what could happen!" Pearl huffed. She carefully sat the Prism down onto the kitchen counter as she prepared to bubble it away. "An army of light could-"
"Could what?" Amethyst interrupted. " Blind us by being too bright or whatever? C'mon," she snorted out a laugh. "We could take 'em."
"This is serious , Amethyst-"
"Serious? Like those dinky shrimp guys that gave you all that trouble the other week?"
"Those Crystal Shrimp were menaces ! Don't think I don't remember how you were struggling against them too! We were both lucky Garnet was there to-"
"You're lucky I'm there any time the two of you need saving," Garnet brought the argument to a quick end. She turned her back on her team in favor of opening the temple gate instead. As she entered, the most Pearl and Amethyst could do was simply a glance and a shrug.
"Garnet always wins," Amethyst chuckled, embarrassed.
"I guess so," Pearl muttered, stifling a blush. "We'll see you later, Steven," she only briefly glanced back over her shoulder as she and Amethyst ventured into the temple after Garnet.
"Oh," Steven frowned. If there was one thing he knew the Gems were good at, it was disappearing as quickly as they tended to appear. "Yeah, ok… see you guys later…"
He began to heave a disappointed sigh when the temple door sealed itself shut. That sigh was cut off, however, when he spotted what was still sitting on the kitchen counter beside him. "Oh my gosh," he grabbed the Light Prism, still enclosed inside of it's case. "You guys!" he shouted, rushing over to the temple gate and knocking on it. "You left your light thingy behind!"
Despite his best efforts, none of the Gems answered. Steven slumped against the door, the Prism still resting in his hands. "What am I supposed to do with you now?" he asked it, though of course, it offered no response. He heaved himself up onto his feet, his focus still on the Prism as he wandered over to the front windows. "I guess I should probably just leave you where I found you until the Gems come back out, huh?"
This time, his forlorn sigh actually made it out as he sunk onto the bench near the window. "I bet they found you on some super cool magical quest," he lay down, letting the Prism rest on his stomach. "I wish I could go on a magical quest too…"
Unable to curb his restlessness, Steven sat up, peering out the window beside him. As he stared at the Mystery Shack at the foot of the hill below, a small smile spread across his face when a newfound idea popped into his head. One that he hoped could satisfy his craving for adventure at least in some small way.
" Or… "
"Ta da!" Steven proudly held the Light Prism high above his head for his friends to see. He'd convinced Dipper, Mabel, and Connie to meet him down at the shack in record time, and with good reason. There was no telling when the Gems would realize their newly-claimed artifact was gone, and Steven wanted to make sure he had a chance to show off something this special while he still had a chance.
"It's… a triangle," Dipper noted bluntly.
"A really shiny triangle," Mabel added, much more fascinated. "Steven, is every Gem thing always so pretty and shiny?"
"Most Gem things are."
"So is this Gem thing magical then?" Connie asked, curious.
"Uh huh," Steven nodded. "Pearl said it can make, uh… what was it again? Oh, right! An 'army of light', but… I'm not sure what that could mean…"
"Well, whatever it does mean, it sounds awesome !" Mabel exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. "I wanna see it in action. Bust that baby outta that case and get the light show started!"
"It's a light army , Mabel, not a light show," Dipper corrected. "Which doesn't sound awesome to me; it sounds dangerous ."
"Yeah, that's exactly what Pearl said," Steven frowned down at the Prism. "But then again… she said only a powerful Gem could make the light army and… last time I checked, I'm not that powerful yet , so…"
"I don't know, Steven," Connie shook her head. "I'm with Dipper on this. I don't think we should play around with that thing."
"Yeah, you're probably right. But…"
" But you said it wouldn't do anything for you," Mabel pointed out as she plucked the Prism out of Steven's hands. "And since we're not even Gems, it definitely won't do anything for us. So what's the harm in taking just a quick peek?"
"The harm is that we shouldn't even risk it in the first place," Dipper protested. He managed to take it from Mabel, pulling it out of her reach when she tried to get it back from him. "I've been reading about Gem artifacts just like this in the journal, and a lot of them are incredibly powerful and-"
"Blah blah blah, boring nerd stuff, blah blah," Mabel teased, sticking her tongue out at her brother as she snatched the Prism back. "That's all I'm hearing from you right now. Relax, bro-bro." She casually tossed the case up before catching it again. "If this thing really was dangerous, then the Gems wouldn't have just left it lying around, would they?"
"Um… well, they sorta left it behind on accident," Steven rubbed the back of his neck. "But before that, they were talking about bubbling it or locking it up inside of a safe."
"That makes it sound like they thought it was dangerous, at least," Connie noted.
"Exactly," Dipper nodded, scowling. "So quit messing with it already, and-" He attempted to reclaim the Prism from Mabel, only to be met with a small shove, one that he readily returned as an argument quickly ensued. "Ugh, Mabel!"
"Dipper!" Mabel retorted just as harshly. "Why don't you quit being so paranoid and just-"
"Take that thing back up to the temple where it belongs and-"
"Having some fun with it isn't gonna hurt-"
"Anyone with any kind of common sense would know you shouldn't-"
"Keep on trying to grab it from me, but you're never gonna-"
"Stop being so-"
"You're just so-"
"ANNOYING!" both twins snapped in fierce unison, though their bickering hardly stopped there. Steven and Connie could only stand on the sidelines and anxiously watch as they grappled with each other for the Prism, though it never managed to stay in either of their hands for too long.
"Is this how siblings normally act?" Connie whispered, aside. "I've never had one to know."
"Me neither," Steven shook his head. "B-but they shouldn't fight like this! Come on, you guys," he stepped forward, throwing himself into the struggle between the twins. "Why don't we all just-" He stopped short when his hands finally latched onto the Prism–or rather, onto its case. The artifact itself suddenly slipped out, falling between the three of them. As caught up in their shouting match as they were, Dipper and Mabel didn't notice it, but Steven did. Without thinking, he lunged low for the Prism, catching the precious treasure with both hands well before it could hit the ground.
And at that exact moment… Prism's true power was suddenly unleashed
The second Steven so much as touched it, a powerful, practically blinding light erupted from it. The twins were caught off guard, as was Connie as they shielded their eyes from its sheer radiance. Steven did the same, only able to catch a glimpse of the Prism as it began to hover away from him as even more light began to violently erupt from deep within it.
"W-what's happening?!" he cried. His voice was drowned out by the ear-shattering racket the Prism was somehow creating. He was finally forced to let go of it, forced to fall back to the ground alongside his friends as something emerged from the artifact. A massive ray of white light briefly bounced aimlessly around the yard in front of the shack, before it finally took a more, monstrous form.
It was a fearsome beast, with long, spindly claws and a singular red eye. It glared viciously down at the four frightened kids before it as it towered high into the air above them, ready to strike. With few options on hand to flee or fight back, they were only able to gape up at the monster, shocked stiff when it let out a furious roar that only seemed to grow louder by the second.
"W-well," Steven breathlessly spoke up. "Look on the bright side. At least it's just one monster instead of a whole army, right?"
Without warning, the monster stepped back, its arms raised high into the air. On the ground in front of it, the Prism flashed seven successive colors, not that any of the kids noticed as fixated on the monster as they were. Those colors soon overtook the monster, flashing erratically over its form until, in another blinding burst of light, it exploded .
At first, the kids thought and hoped that was the end of it. But then, they noticed seven consecutive bursts of light launch out from where the monster once stood. Each of them shot high into the air, scattering as they fell back down all across town. Only one of the light bursts crashed back down near the shack, flashing a vibrant shade of indigo as it split apart upon hitting the ground.
When the light finally cleared, the kids were able to see what had been left behind. Instead of one monster, there were several , each glowing indigo as they scampered aimlessly around the yard. Fortunately, they were much smaller than the white light creature had been, but they were no less dangerous as they soon turned their attention on the kids before charging straight for them.
"You were saying?" Dipper shot Steven a pointed look.
By now, they'd all picked themselves off the ground, each of them tensing up as the light monsters continued creeping towards them. "What do we do now?" Connie asked anxiously.
"Um… I don't…" Steven trailed off. He looked up at the temple, expecting the Gems to emerge and save the day, just like they always did. Except… none of them came. They were left to fend for themselves this time.
Which is exactly what one of them did.
Dipper, Connie, and Steven nearly jumped out of their skin when they heard Mabel's fierce and sudden shout. They turned just in time to see her running straight at one of the light creatures with a large rock raised high above her head. She threw the rock down hard at the monster, all but crushing it until it imploded with a bright flash to signify its defeat.
"Ha! Take that!" she cheered. "Mabel - 1, light army - 0!"
"Wha–how'd you know that would work?" Dipper asked, bewildered.
"I didn't," Mabel shrugged as she reclaimed her rock. Before she could hurl it at another monster, however, the kids and the monsters alike were caught off guard when the shack's door abruptly burst open.
"Ok, what kind of kooky Gem nonsense is tearin' up my yard this time?" Stan scowled as he surveyed the situation. Confusion filled in between his annoyance as he spared a quick glance over at the kids. "No, seriously, what are these things? Some kinda weird sparkly bugs? Should I call an exterminator? Or better yet, get the flamethrower?"
"No need, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel proclaimed. "I've got this covered!" She slammed her rock down on yet another light monster, getting rid of it in short order, just like she had before.
Stan couldn't help but snort out a laugh at his niece's brazen, surprisingly violent display. "Atta girl, pumpkin!" he said with a broad, proud grin. "Out here bein' scrappy, just like your Grunkle Stan!" His smile folded into a more critical look when he glanced over at Dipper. "Why are you just standing there instead of lending your sister a hand, huh? Afraid those noodle arms of yours will give out if ya tried lifting a rock like that?"
"Grunkle Stan!" Dipper protested, his face red in embarrassment. "Not in front of Steven and Connie!"
"So," Stan shifted his gaze over to Steven. "What's the story with these creeps anyway? And why aren't the Gems down here to take care of it before they can scare any of my paying customers away?"
"Sorry, Mr. Pines, this is all my fault," Steven sighed as he reclaimed the fallen Prism. Fortunately this time, no other monsters emerged from it. "I accidentally summoned all these light monsters with this magical Prism thingy. And now, they're not just here–they could be causing trouble all over town! The Gems told me not to play around with it, but I did anyway, and they're gonna be sooooo mad when they find out-"
"So don't tell 'em."
"Huh?" Steven blinked, surprised.
"Look, kid," Stan began, crossing his arms. "If you don't want the Gems to grind your gears over this, then all you gotta do is clean up the mess you made before they can ever find out about it. From there, it's as easy as lying to them for the rest of your life."
"I don't want to lie to them!" Steven protested.
"But you're ok with them lying to you, right?" Stan countered with a raised eyebrow.
"That's what I keep saying," Dipper muttered, averting the glance Steven sent his way.
"Besides," Stan continued. "If Mabel keeps at it like she is, I don't think you'll have to worry about these little freaks for much longer."
He nodded over to Mabel, who was in the midst of beating another light monster into oblivion with her trusty rock. "Bam! Pow!" she let out a spirited shout with each successive strike. "You light guys may be really sparkly, and you're so bright that you may sorta hurt my eyes if I stare at you too long, but you're no match for the power of MABEL!"
"You know… Mr. Pines does have a point," Connie said to Steven and Dipper. "These light monsters aren't really as tough as they look–I think we could take them if we all teamed up. If we can track the rest of them down and defeat them all quickly enough-"
"Then the Gems will never have to know about any of this!" Dipper finished with a small, but growing smile. "And even if they do, they'll be so impressed when we're the ones who end up stopping them and saving the town all on our own. It'll be-"
"A quest!" Steven cut in, stars in his eyes. "A magical quest! Four heroes, coming together to make a super strong, super secret team!"
"Yeah!" Mabel tossed her rock aside after finishing another one of the indigo monsters off. She rushed over, pulling the others into a tight hug. "We've been on like, two whole magical adventures this summer so far. So if there's anyone who knows how to deal with something like this, it's us, obviously."
"Hm… you know, this seems like the kind of dangerous thing a responsible guardian wouldn't want you doing," Stan noted before ultimately shrugging. "Good thing I'm an uncle. Have fun, don't break any bones, and don't get arrested. 'Cause I ain't paying any hospital bills or bail if you do."
With that, Stan turned and headed back inside the shack, leaving the kids to finish off the indigo monsters with no real supervision, much less help. Not that they really needed it anyway. Only a few stragglers were left thanks to Mabel, who was just as quick to reclaim her rock and take care of the rest. Within a matter of minutes, the shack's yard was clear of light monsters, and as she knocked out the last of them, the Prism suddenly flashed in the same shade of indigo. Unsure of what else to do, Steven held the artifact up, watching with wide-eyed wonder as countless scattered light particles surged back into it.
"Whoa…" he stared down at the Prism as the others gathered around him. "Did we… do something right?"
"Looks like it," Dipper said. "Maybe once we beat all of the same-colored monsters, they go back inside the Prism where they belong."
"If I remember right, the bigger monster split into seven different colors," Connie recounted. "If we just beat one of them, that still leaves six more to find."
"Aw, that'll be easy-peasy!" Mabel grinned, confident. "Those little indigo guys were total push-overs. I bet the rest of them will be too."
"Even if they are," Dipper countered doubtfully. "We should at least try to go into this whole, uh… 'quest' thing prepared. We're gonna need some weapons or some sort of gear or"-
"Yo, dudes!"
"Soos!" the kids happily greeted the handyman as he emerged from the other side of the shack.
"I couldn't help but overhear that you guys are going on an epic magical quest, is that right?" he asked, curious.
"Yep!" Steven nodded. "We're gonna save the town! Again!"
"Right on," Soos offered the group a supportive thumbs up. "You know, if you dudes are in need of some super cool hero gear, I think I can hook you up."
"Whoa, really?" Mabel asked excitedly. "Thanks, Soos!"
"No prob, hambone," Soos opened the door to the gift shop, motioning for the kids to follow him inside. "Now, if you'll just step into my office, I'll get you suited up with everything you need."
"Um, Soos? Your 'office' is a cleaning closet…" Connie pointed out with a frown as they all gathered around it. The tiny closet was packed with typical cleaning supplies and assorted tools, none of which looked like it would do much good against the light monsters, as much as Soos was convinced it could.
"I know, pretty cool, right?" Soos said with a proud grin. "Go nuts, dudes. You can pick out anything you want to fight off those light guys."
"Well, I already know what I want!" Steven eagerly dove in first. He pulled out, of all things, a metal trash can lid, holding it out defensively in front of him. "It's just like my real shield! Ya know, just… a little less magical."
"Aw, heck yeah!" Mabel pulled herself out of the box she'd been digging through. "Check it out, you guys! Boxing gloves!" She readily slipped them on, throwing a few playful punches at the open air. "What were these doing in here, Soos?"
"Oh, they probably belong to Mr. Pines," Soos said. "I'm sure he won't mind if you use 'em though."
"Yay! I'm gonna beat the light right outta those monsters!" When Mabel swung her fist again, this time it caught her brother on the side of his face. While it hadn't been a particularly hard blow, it was enough to make Dipper stumble back as he rubbed his suddenly sore cheek.
"Ow! Mabel!" he fussed, shooting her a frustrated glare.
"Whoops, sorry!" Mabel let out a flustered laugh. "Guess I don't know my own strength."
"Hm…" Connie picked through the closest's contents next. "Oh! This will work." She held out an iron crowbar, giving it a small, experimental swing–far enough away that it wouldn't hit anyone.
"Whoa, that's like, a legitimate weapon," Dipper said, impressed. "Do you have anything else like that in there for me, Soos?"
"Let's see…" he shuffled through one of the closet's upper shelves. "Well, I got this air pump in case you need to inflate any pool floaties, an extension cord in case you gotta plug something in… Oh, and this broom."
"In case you want to try sweeping the light monster away," Mabel elbowed her brother teasingly.
"...I guess if there aren't any other options," Dipper sighed, defeated. "I'll take the broom."
"Good choice," Soos nodded in approval as he handed it over.
"Looks like we're all ready to set out on our adventure!" Steven proclaimed as he secured his "shield" behind his back.
"Oh, one more thing, dudes," Soos stopped the kids short as he rummaged through the back of the closet. "It's dangerous to go alone, so take this!"
He presented a backpack to the group, one that Steven recognized the moment he saw it. "My cheeseburger backpack!" he happily took it, hugging it tight. "I was wondering where this was! I thought I lost it!"
"You left it here a few weeks ago," Soos explained, grinning. "Mr. Pines told me to just toss it out, but I knew how much you like it, so I figured I'd hold onto it for you."
"Aw, thanks so much, Soos!" Steven gave him a grateful hug. "We can keep the Prism in this so it'll stay safe and sound. Now we're really ready to get this adventure started!"
"Yeah!" Dipper, Mabel, and Connie cheered, raising their makeshift weapons high.
Steven joined them in striking a brazen pose, their mission more than clear. With six colors to reclaim and an entire town to save, it was certainly a daunting task. But with their new "weapons" in hand, they were more than ready to face it. They'd stand strong against this mysterious new threat, and best of all, they'd do it together as a team.
"Let's attack the light!"
"Ok, so before we start, there's one thing I think we all need to agree on," Dipper said as the group began making their way toward town. "This is all Mabel's fault."
"Whaaaat?" Mabel asked, aghast. "No, it isn't!"
"Oh, so you weren't the one who wanted to take the Prism out of its case and play around with it then?" Dipper retorted dryly.
"...Yeah, ok, I see your point," Mabel sighed. "But how was I supposed to know all this would happen?"
"It's not your fault, Mabel, it's mine ," Steven spoke up, frowning guiltily. "I was the one who let all of the monsters out of the Prism in the first place–even if it was an accident. But I should have just given it back to the Gems instead of messing around with it. No wonder they don't bring me along on more missions…" He stole a sorrowful glance back at the temple as it towered over the trees behind them. "I just mess everything up…"
"Aw, Steven…" Connie placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "That's not true and you know it. It doesn't matter whose fault this was; all that matters is that we're trying to fix it. And we're going to fix it, right guys?" She asked the twins.
"Yeah!" they soundly agreed.
"...Yeah…" Steven allowed himself a small, warm smile at this, though it quickly fell as they approached the Big Donut. "Um… speaking of things that need fixing…"
The first signs of trouble were clear just from looking at the convenience store's exterior. Its large front window had been shattered, allowing the kids to peer through to see the chaos unfolding inside. Violet light monsters meandered about, ransacking shelves, tearing apart displays, and antagonizing the pair of employees who were forced to stand on top of the counter just to avoid them.
"Oh no!" Steven cried. "Lars! Sadie! Are you guys ok?!"
"Oh, great ," Lars deadpanned. "I thought these freaky little pests were bad enough, but now Steven's here too. Just what we need… Ow!" He winced when Sadie hit him with one of the donuts she was tossing at the light monsters in a futile attempt at fending them off.
"Don't be rude!" she scolded. "Sorry, Steven, but we can't sell you any donuts right now. We're… kind of in the middle of a situation right now, if you couldn't already tell."
"Don't worry!" Steven pulled his 'shield' out, and the others followed suit with their own makeshift weapons. "We're here to help! Let's go!"
"Wait, we're just gonna get in there and start fighting them?" Dipper asked, suddenly feeling unprepared. "Right now?"
"Well, we can't wait until later!" Mabel shrugged. Just like before, she was the first to rush into the fray, boxing gloves equipped as she landed a hearty punch to the nearest violet monster. Steven quickly joined her, tossing his trash can lid at the monsters closest to Sadie and Lars, dazing them long enough for Connie to come in with her crowbar to finish them off.
With what he knew was the weakest weapon of the lot, Dipper hesitated to get in on the action, until a handful of encroaching monsters left him with no other choice. When one of them jumped at him, he impulsively took a swing at it, hitting it hard enough to send it flying into the nearby freezer. Two more followed soon after, colliding into each other and bursting into nothing more than light particles after they crashed through the freezer's glass doors.
"Yeah!" Steven cheered as he ran by. "Way to go, Dipper!"
"Heh, thanks, Steven," Dipper returned with a small, bashful smile.
"Just a few more left!" Connie called as she brought her crowbar down on another monster. "If only we could finish them all off at once somehow…"
"Oh! I know!" Mabel's eyes lit up with a sudden, daring idea. "Let's tip the donut case over on 'em!"
"Tip the what over?" Lars and Sadie barked in equal alarm.
"I hate to sacrifice so many delicious donuts, but alas, it's for the greater good," Steven sighed. "Everyone! Get behind the case and push as hard as you can!"
"Steven, wait-" Sadie attempted to protest, but it was already too late. As the remaining violet monsters charged after them, the kids pushed their collective weight against the donut case as hard as they possibly could. It proved enough to send the case, donuts and all, toppling over onto the monsters, crushing each of them completely. Steven wasted no time pulling the Prism out of his backpack, watching with a smile as the violet light returned to it. A quick and painless end to the second leg of their magical quest.
Well, mostly painless.
"I can't believe it," Dipper said, amazed. "We actually did it!"
"Yeah, we did!" Steven exclaimed, just as excited. "First the Mystery Shack, and now the Big Donut–we're saving all of the best spots in Gravity Falls today!"
"Saved?" Lars scoffed as he clumsily climbed off the counter. It wasn't lost on Sadie when he made no effort to help her down. "Between those dumb purple monsters and you and your friends coming in here swinging around all that garbage, the place is completely wrecked!"
That much was true. Even besides the overturned and largely busted donut case, snacks were strewn all over the floor, cups and hot coffee spilled next to the broken freezer windows. The kids shared an apprehensive glance, knowing they were responsible for most of this disaster. Unlike Lars, however, Sadie didn't let any of them feel too guilty about it for long.
"Don't listen to him," she shook her head. "You guys did save our butts. Even if the execution was… a little messy."
"Speaking of messes," Lars said, scowling. "You four better clean this one! 'Cause I'm sure as heck not gonna."
"Oh yeah," Connie frowned as she looked over the ruinous state of the store again. "We probably should help tidy this up-"
"There's no time!" Mabel cut in. "We've gotta find and beat the rest of those light guys before the Gems can find out, remember?"
"Oh, right…" Connie rubbed the back of her neck. "Um… Maybe after we're done with that?"
"Thanks, you guys, but don't worry about it," Sadie assured. "It sounds like you guys are gonna be busy tracking more of those monsters down. So here," she reached into the case behind her, dropping four donuts into a bag that she handed off to Steven. "Why don't you take these for the road? On the house, as thanks for saving us."
"Aw, yeah!" Mabel exclaimed. "Free donuts!"
"Wow, thanks, Sadie!" Steven smiled as he passed the bag around to the others. "Are you sure you don't need any help right now?"
"Nah," Sadie waved her hand. "We've got it covered."
"Speak for yourself," Lars took a seat behind the counter, reclining back as he scrolled through his phone.
"Yeah, no," Sadie roughly tossed a rag his way. "You're helping."
"Tch, I didn't make this mess," Lars sneered. "Why should I help clean it up?"
"Because you work here!"
"So do you."
"I'm not cleaning all this up on my own, Lars."
"Then I guess it's not getting cleaned."
"Ugh! Why do you have to be so lazy all the time?!"
"Why do you have to be such a nag?!"
"I'm not nagging. You'd know if I was nagging."
"Oh, I do know… that you're nagging right now!"
The two only continued to argue from there, leaving the kids with little else to do but stand by and awkwardly watch. At least until Dipper spoke up to say what they were all thinking. "Uh… we should probably go…"
"Right."
"Yep."
"Agreed."
Without any further ado, they quietly retreated out of the store, leaving its employees to continue duking it out. With five colors left to find, there was still plenty of ground to cover and plenty more monsters to defeat. But if the skirmish at the Big Donut was any indication, they were off to a decent start. Only time would tell if they'd be able to keep that momentum up as they fully headed into town.
"Alright, you guys," Dipper began as they made their way down Main Street. "We've got to keep a sharp eye out for any more light monsters. For all we know, they could be anywhere, causing all sorts of damage, attacking innocent people or-"
"Or having an epic dance party in the park!"
"Huh?" the others turned where Mabel was pointing. There in the nearby park, a crowd of green light monsters was spinning and jumping about. A large group of teens surrounded them, strangely cheering them on as if they continued to "dance". While the kids didn't recognize most of the teens, there was one familiar face among them they all knew as soon as they saw her.
"Wendy!" they called, running over to her.
"Oh, hey, dorks," she offered them a friendly wave. "You guys here for the show too?"
"Show?" Connie asked, confused.
"Yeah, these weird little green guys just showed up here while me and my friends were chilling," Wendy explained. "Oh, by the way–hey, you guys!" She called to the rest of the group before turning back to the kids. "I want you to meet my friends. We have Lee and Nate…" The two teens chuckled as they playfully punched each other on the arms. "Tambry…"
"Hey," Tambry muttered as she kept her focus down at her phone.
"Thompson, who once ate a run-over waffle for 50 cents…"
"Don't tell them that!" Thompson cried, embarrassed.
"Jenny…"
"What's up?" Jenny asked with a cool grin.
"Buck…"
"Yo," Buck greeted, relaxed.
"Sour Cream…"
"How goes it?" Sour Cream nodded, smiling..
"And Robbie," Wendy finished "You can probably figure him out."
"Yeah, I'm the guy who spray painted the water tower," Robbie said, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets.
"Oh, you mean the big muffin?" Dipper asked.
"Um, it's a giant explosion," Robbie corrected pointedly.
At this, everyone took a glance at the water tower rising over the trees. "Heh, it kinda does look like a muffin," Nate agreed with a laugh.
Robbie let out an indignant huff as he shot all four of the kids a bitter look. "So what?" he asked Wendy. "Do you, like, babysit these dweebs or something?"
"Come on, Robbie," Wendy rolled her eyes. "Dipper and Mabel are my pals from work, and Steven and Connie like to hang out at the shack with them. Speaking of hanging out," she smiled as she turned back to the kids. "You guys should totally join us."
Aside from Robbie, the other teens largely agreed. "Yeah, these little green dudes are nuts ," Lee chuckled, pulling out his phone to record them.
"They've got some serious moves," Buck noted.
"I could totally rave to this," Sour Cream proceeded to do exactly that, pulling his jacket off and waving above his head as the other teens cheered him on.
"Whoa, Sour Cream!" Jenny laughed. "Don't get too crazy there."
"Um, I'm glad you guys are having fun," Steven piped up, nervous. "But those things are actually really dangerous light monsters. We've gotta do something about them before they-"
"Whoa, Steven, chill," Wendy cut in. "Look at those little guys; they're just vibing. They're not hurting anyone at all."
"Hm…" Mabel stepped in closer to one of the monsters, giving it an experimental poke. "You know what, yeah! I don't think these monsters are like the others; they just wanna have a little fun–OW!" She shrieked when the monster suddenly latched its claws into her hair, pulling hard. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" she panicked, trying her best to get a swing in at the monster, only to miss every time as it continued yanking aggressively on her hair. "Ok! I was wrong! This isn't fun at all! Seriously, ow !"
"Mabel!" Steven, Dipper, and Connie all cried in worried unison. Likewise, a wave of sudden alarm washed over the teens, though none of them really knew what to do to help. That was why Steven leapt into action first, rushing forward with his trash can lid ready to strike. He didn't get far, however, before another monster tripped him up, sending his weapon flying out of his hands before another creature pinned him securely against the ground.
"Oh no!" Connie exclaimed, already raising her crowbar high to attack before Dipper stopped her.
"Connie, I have a plan," he said, resolute. "Follow my lead."
She nodded, watching as he ran over to the nearest monster before batting it her way with his broom. Connie caught it with a brutal swing of her crowbar, swiftly defeating it before they moved onto the next creature. The teens could only stand by and watch the pair in awe as they worked their way through the crowd, quickly freeing Steven and Mabel alike before any further harm could come to them.
In the midst of this fray, one of the monsters happened to wander closer to Robbie, whose usual moodiness was completely lost as he scrambled up onto a park bench to avoid it. He let out a frightened scream as the creature tried climbing up after him, only for it to be knocked away just in time thanks to Dipper.
As if that wasn't embarrassing enough, Robbie stiffened when he heard Thompson snort out a laugh on the ground beside him. "You scream like a girl, man."
"Shut up, Thompson," Robbie punched him in the arm as he sullenly stepped off the bench.
Dipper and Connie continued to lead the charge against the remaining green monsters, working off each other as they timed their swings just right. As the last of the creatures reared up against them, Dipper swung low, using his broom to knock the monster off its feet. Connie charged in next, bringing her crowbar down upon its head with enough force to put an end to it. As its form dissipated into light particles, Steven pulled the Prism out and held it high, allowing another color to safely return from whence it came.
"Not bad," Connie offered Dipper a wry grin as they came back together. "It's surprising what you can do with that broom."
"Well, it's no crowbar, but it works," he smirked as he slung it over his shoulder. "Still, that was a pretty mean spike you gave it there at the end."
"Thanks," Connie chuckled. "Turns out tennis practice is good for something after all. I can show you some moves sometime, if you'd like."
"I… may have to take you up on that offer," Dipper said, rubbing the back of his neck. Fortunately, the sudden hint of red filling his face went unnoticed as Mabel rushed over to pull them both into a tight, celebratory hug.
"Oh my gosh, you guys, that was so cool !" she exclaimed. "You both were like bam! And boosh! And wa-pow! And then you took those green guys out like it was nothing!"
"Yeah, you guys are like total heroes," Wendy added with a bright thumbs up.
"Real pros," Buck added with a cool nod.
"Absolute bosses!" Lee and Nate added, pumping their fists.
"And already on your way to trending," Tambry turned her phone to show off the video she'd posted of the battle.
"Heh, it was nothing, really," Dipper let out a flustered laugh, unable to stifle a blush this time. "We were just-"
A sudden, startled scream broke through the air, quickly catching everyone's attention as it cut through the celebration. "What was that?" Mabel asked.
"Sounds like more trouble…" Connie noted with a frown.
"I think it came from over near the arcade," Steven already began leading the way in that direction, urging his friends to follow. "Come on, you guys!"
The teens waved them off as they hurried out of the park, though a long beat of silence passed between them all as they looked to the spot where the monsters had once been. "So, uh… what do we do now?" Thompson asked, clearing his throat.
"...Keep raving?" Jenny suggested with a shrug.
"Keep raving," Sour Cream agreed as he broke out dancing again.
The other teens readily rallied onto this impromptu rave, even without any of the monsters around to add onto the "vibes". "Go! Go! Go! Go!"
Even from a distance, the kids were able to tell that something was amiss at Funland Arcade. Several patrons were fleeing the establishment, crying out in fear as Mr. Smiley desperately tried to calm his paying customers down before he lost them entirely. "H-hold on there, folks! There's nothin' to worry about! Just a bit of a… infestation problem. B-but that shouldn't stop ya'll from enjoying all of the great games Funland Arcade has to offer!"
"Hey, Mr. Smiley!" Steven called as he and the others ran over. "What's going on?"
"I'll tell ya what's goin' on!" Mr. Smiley maintained his usual wide grin, despite the worry leaking into it. "Those little orange fellas are makin' a mess of my arcade!" He pointed to said "orange fellas", who, unsurprisingly, turned out to be a new group of light monsters. They'd already infiltrated much of the arcade, climbing atop game cabinets and raiding the prize counter without any sort of rhyme or reason. In the process, they continued scaring more and more customers off by the minute, much to Mr. Smiley's growing frustration. "No!" he cried, running back into the arcade. "You little punks! Stop ragin' on Teens of Rage ! Don't fight on top of Fight Fighters ! And quit beatin' up Meat Beat Mania !"
"Looks like we got here just in time," Connie said as she brandished her weapon.
"Let's go save video gaming as we know it!" Mabel boldly proclaimed.
Before any of the kids could charge in, however, they stopped short as someone else beat them to it. "Oh, hey, it's Onion!" Steven said as the younger boy silently passed them by to head for the arcade. "Uh, Onion, buddy? You probably shouldn't go in there. There's a bunch of monsters, and it's pretty dangerous. We're gonna-"
Steven stopped short when Onion glanced back over his shoulder at the group. His expression remained neutral as he showed off the baseball bat none of them had seen arrive with.
"Whoa, where'd he get that?" Mabel asked, confused.
"Wait, he's not going to-" Connie cut herself off with a surprised gasp. The others echoed it as they watched Onion get to work inside the arcade. From the very beginning, it wasn't a pretty sight. In fact, it was downright gruesome, to the point that the kids found themselves extremely glad that they weren't the light monsters taking the brunt of such a brutal beating.
"Uh… on second thought…" Dipper began stiffly. "I think Onion's got this one covered."
The others could only nod, wincing away from such an indescribable display of violence. The fact that it was all coming from someone even younger and smaller than any of them certainly wasn't lost on any of them. If anything, Onion defeated the wave of orange monsters far faster than any of them could have, and in no time at all, another color found its way back to the Prism, without any need for their intervention at all.
The group did their best to try and forget what they'd just witnessed as they continued further on into town. It wasn't long before another panicked wail rose through the air, a rather pathetic one at that. They quickly spotted its source just a bit further down the street, as a horde of blue light monsters surrounded Toby Determined just outside of the Gravity Falls Gossiper 's office.
"Gobbling goose feathers!" he cried as the monsters inched ever closer. "Somebody, help!" He waited for said help, only for several people to pass him by without so much as a second glance. "Anybody, help!" he tried again, only to be met with similar, unsympathetic results. "Aw, shucks…"
"What do you guys think?" Steven turned to the others. "Should we help him?"
"Eh?" Dipper shrugged. Mabel and Connie did the same, not quite compelled to lend their aid, though they couldn't really place why. In the end, though, they didn't have to, at least not at first.
A loud, rallying cry rang through the air, signaling the arrival of a certain pair coming in from above. They leapt from their perch on the newspaper office's roof, the larger of the two landing heavily on several of the light monsters, cushioning her fall and wiping them out all in one fell swoop. She caught her companion, who made use of her water gun to repel several more monsters in turn, even though it did little in the way of actually defeating them.
"Wait…" Connie paused, surprised as she recognized the duo. "Isn't that-"
"Candy and Grenda!" Mabel exclaimed, excited. "Hi, girls!"
"Heeeeey, Mabel!" Grenda returned as she elbow-slammed a light monster.
"Hello, Connie!" Candy added amidst dousing even more creatures. "Are you all out performing acts of vigilante justice too?"
"Um… sort of?" Dipper said, shrugging.
"We're saving the town by fighting light monsters!" Steven proclaimed, raising his trash can lid high.
"Oo! Like an epic quest!" Grenda grinned as she kept another monster pinned with her foot.
"Exactly!" Mabel nodded. "Oh, uh, speaking of that quest," she slipped her boxing gloves back on as several of the blue monsters began scampering their way. "We should probably get back to it!"
None of the others argued as they leapt into the fray, joining Candy and Grenda in battling the blue monsters. They managed to rescue Toby, allowing him a chance to flee back into his office, screaming frantically all the while. Even so, the kids remained outside, working together as a larger team to work their way through the crowd of creatures. Mabel and Grenda plowed through their foes, swinging punches and kicks in any and every direction to send the monsters flying. Steven used his "shield" to cover Candy as she sprayed the surrounding creatures, stunning them long enough for Dipper and Connie to come in and clock them with their own weapons.
As they fought, a small crowd gathered at a safe distance to watch the action. That crowd erupted into applause when the kids all teamed up to take out the final blue monster with a final, bombastic blow, ending another threat and sending yet another scattered color flying back into its proper place in the Prism. It should have been no different than all of the other colors they'd managed to collect so far, except…
"...y… o….u…"
"Huh?" Steven started, staring down at the prism as it briefly flashed blue. He could have sworn he'd just heard a soft, distant voice, trying and failing to speak to him, and yet…
He quickly shook his head to clear it in favor of joining in on the celebration around him instead. A round of cheers also sounded from the kids as they exchanged smiles and high fives over a job well done. "That was great, you guys!" Mabel said with a satisfied grin. "Taking out these light guys is even easier when they're more of us!"
"Maybe you two should join us," Connie suggested to Candy and Grenda. "We only have two more colors to find before the town is safe, but we could always use the extra help."
"Will we get to enact even more vigilante justice?" Candy asked.
"Um… sure?" Steven said, exchanging a confused glance with Dipper and Connie.
"Then count us in!" the pair heartily exclaimed. Before they could properly join the group, however, Toby poked his head out of his office, briefly glancing around to make sure the coast was clear.
"Bravo!" he exclaimed, grateful. "You all sure saved my bacon! Thanks to you, this lovable face is here to stay!" He flashed a wide, awkward grin, not noticing the cringes rippling through the spectating crowd as they quickly dispersed. "Mind if I grab a quick interview with the town heroes for the Gravity Falls Gossiper ?"
"Yes!" Mabel readily exclaimed. "I've always wanted to make the front page headline in a newspaper!"
"Me too!" Steven chimed in, stars in his eyes. "We're gonna be world-famous! Or, y'know, town-famous, which is just as good!"
"Um, we don't have time for this, remember?" Dipper stepped between the pair. "There's only two colors left. We're almost done, which means we can't afford to get distracted, especially not now when we're so close to the end."
"Ugh, I hate it when you're right…" Mabel heaved a disappointed sigh.
"We'll do the interview!" Grenda boisterously volunteered herself and Candy.
"Fielding the press is an important part of vigilante justice, after all," Candy nodded astutely.
"Aw, really?" Mabel smiled as she pulled the pair into a hug. "Thanks, you guys. You're the best!"
"Um… yeah. How… thoughtful?" Connie let out a small laugh at the irony of it all. Of the pair who had only had a small part in their work was taking a good bit of the credit. Not that any of them minded, however; they had much bigger things to worry about right now than their time in the limelight anyway.
At that, Toby launched into his round of questions, all of which Candy and Grenda were more than happy to answer. Not wanting to get in the way of the interview, the others took their leave. As they continued on their way, however, Steven pulled the Prism out of his backpack, staring down at it curiously. Thoughts of that strange voice he'd heard when they'd defeated the blue light still lingered at the back of his mind, to the point that he couldn't put them away so easily. Not this time.
"Hey, guys?" he spoke up, cutting through Dipper, Mabel, and Connie's conversation. "When we got the blue light back just now, did any of you hear anything… weird?"
They exchanged a curious glance, shaking their heads before turning back to Steven. "Um… no?" Connie raised an eyebrow. "Did you?"
"I… maybe?" Steven looked down at the Prism once more. "It sounded sort of like a voice, but… I couldn't really make out what it was saying. I think… it came from the blue light."
"From the monsters?" Dipper questioned, incredulous. "But… we've been fighting them all day and we know they can't talk. And if they could, what would they even have to say?"
"Other than 'blarg, we want to destroy the town because we're eeeeevil'!" Mabel threw on a deep, villainous voice to prove her point.
"Evil…" Steven echoed, his frown deepening. As it rested in his hands, the Prism looked so simple, so unassuming. And yet, the Gems had made their warnings about its power more than clear, power that they'd found themselves pitted against all day long. The Prism and the creatures it created were dangerous, there was no doubt about it. But evil? Could they really be called that if they were just acting on instinct? If they were simply being the army they were designed to be?
Could they really be any worse than the one who had unleashed them all upon an innocent town in the first place?
"Look alive, everyone," Connie broke through his thoughts just before they could become too overwhelming. "Monsters, dead ahead."
"Ooh, and they're yellow this time," Mabel added. Sure enough, a pack of bright yellow light monsters was besetting not just Gravity Fries, but the family that operated it. While Mr. Fryman tried fending them off with a potato peeler, it was clear the monsters weren't even remotely intimidated by it. Peedee, meanwhile, peeked anxiously over the counter, refusing to come out to help his father confront such immense danger. His brother Ronaldo, on the other hand, was in the thick of it, though he wasn't offering much help either. Instead, he had his phone in hand, eagerly recording every second of the monster attack with a practically manic grin.
"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed, beside himself with excitement. "These otherworldly creatures are undeniable proof… that the sneople are real !"
"Sneople?" Fryman glanced over at his son. "Ronaldo, what the heck are you on about this time?"
"The snake people , Dad!" Ronaldo reiterated insistently. "They control our government at the highest levels! Look!" He pulled a dollar out of his pocket, pointing at the symbols on the back of it. "The snake represents their hold on our country, the triangle represents their all-seeing gaze, the diamond represents their underground mines, or their sharp teeth… the details aren't important. They pit us mammals against each other with elections, sports, and anime message boards. We spend so much time fighting over 'dubs' or 'subs' that we miss the big picture! And these ," he motioned down to a yellow light monster beside him. "Must be their spies! It only makes sense!"
The kids paused their approach only long enough to listen to Ronaldo's unhinged rant. They spared a confused look at each other, none of them sure what to make about… whatever it was they just heard.
"Uh… is that guy crazy?" Dipper asked, baffled.
"Nah, he's just Ronaldo," Steven shrugged.
"Um, do you guys need some help?" Connie called to the Frymans.
"Yes!" Fryman and Peedee cried. Ronaldo, on the other hand, was far too engrossed in filming to even notice.
Even so, the kids didn't hesitate to throw themselves into another fight. Unlike most of the other light monsters, the yellow creatures actually made something of an effort to dodge their attacks. Instead of hitting a monster, Connie's crowbar met solid pavement, and Steven ended up tossing his trash can lid into the wall of Gravity Fries instead of any of the creatures. When Dipper and Mabel were met with similar results, they decided it was time to switch up their tactics a bit.
"We need some way to lure them all together so we can take them out without them slipping away from us…" Connie mused, catching her breath.
"Oh! I know!" Steven hurried over to the counter. "Hey, Peedee!" he peered over it, finding the boy still cowering just out of sight. "Gimme the bits!"
"What?" Peedee sat up, confused. "Why?"
"The bits!" Steven cheered without elaborating. "The bits! The bits!"
"Ok! Ok!" Peedee gave up and got up. He carefully scooped the leftover fry crumbs from the bottom of one of the fryer baskets, boxing them up before handing them over to Steven. "What are you even gonna do with these anywa-"
His unfinished question was answered when Steven suddenly threw the entire box of fry bits onto the street in front of the store. Intrigued, the yellow monsters began flocking over to the fallen food, less with the intent to eat it and more to merely investigate it. As distracted as they were, it allowed the kids the opening they needed for their attacks to actually land this time.
"This is working… surprisingly well," Dipper noted between swings of his broom.
"Ha!" Steven grinned, throwing his shield down again. "No one can resist the bits!"
Between the four of them, it didn't take too long to take most of the newly-surrounded monsters out. One of the pack, however, proved to be a bit more clever than the rest. It steered clear of the fry bits, maneuvering to make its move on the kids from behind. Mabel was the first to catch it in the act, though it swerved out of the way of her first several punches. In much of the same way, it veered right under swings of Connie's crowbar and Dipper's broom. It was nearly in the clear, until Steven managed to corner it against the shop's nearest wall.
"My, aren't you a tricky one?" he asked with a wry smirk. What he wasn't expecting, however, was for the monster to answer him.
"...W…why…"
"Huh?" he started, his shield going slack in his grip. "You… you really did just talk, just like the blue monsters before!"
"Steven, hurry!" Dipper urged. "Finish it off before it can get away again!"
"Wait!" Steven glanced back at the others. "I think it's trying to communicate!"
He turned back to the last yellow monster, only to find that it was already too late. As the creature made a leap towards him, Mabel caught it with a heavy punch before it could even touch him. It proved enough to not only knock it out of existence, but send the scattered yellow light particles flying back toward the Prism. Which meant that whatever it had been trying to say would forever go unheard.
"Whoops," Mabel tensed at the disappointed look on Steven's face. "Uh… Sorry."
"It's ok," he sighed, putting on a small smile. "I mean, at least there's only one color left to find, right?"
"NO!" Ronaldo suddenly cried, crumbling to his knees. "What have you DONE?!"
"Um… we defeated the monsters?" Connie said.
"And you saved Gravity Fries," Mr. Fryman added with a grateful smile. "I can't thank you kids enough. Next time any of you stop by, fries–and, uh, 'the bits'--are on the house. My treat."
"Wow! Thanks, Mr. Fryman!" Steven beamed. His smile quickly fell as Ronaldo let out another plaintiff wail behind him.
"I was just about to start livestreaming too!" he mourned, his phone slipping out of his hand. "How am I supposed to dissect one of those things to uncover the secrets of the sneople now?!"
"Um… Ronaldo?" Steven frowned as he pulled the Prism out of his pack. "Those monsters didn't come from the, uh, 'sneople'. They came from this-"
"Oo!" Ronaldo snatched the Prism out of his hands before he could even try to stop him. "Yes, of course! Why didn't I think of this before? I know exactly what this is!"
"Oh really?" Dipper asked, deadpan.
"This isn't the work of the sneople after all…" Ronaldo turned the Prism over, inspecting it closely. "It's actually polymorphic sentient rocks! They're here to hollow out the Earth! It's part of the Great Diamond Authority! They'll take on any form, like those yellow monsters! You can read all about it… on my blog!"
He held his phone up to the kids, allowing Connie to read the title of said blog aloud: "'Keep Gravity Falls Weird'?"
"Oo, you have three whole followers already?" Mabel asked, impressed. "Not bad!"
"Now all I've gotta do is break this magical pyramid wide open and the truth will finally be revealed!" Ronaldo proclaimed, holding the Prism high.
"Yeah, that's not happening," Dipper took the Prism back from him, handing it back to Steven well before Ronaldo could slam it onto the ground. "We've worked too hard to get all of those monsters back into the Prism. We're not going through it all again, especially not for something as dumb as… this."
"Nooooo!" Ronaldo cried. He desperately reached for the Prism even as the kids began to move on with it in tow. "My web-sclusive!"
"You have three followers," Peedee unsympathetically reminded him as he continued crying in defeat. "Calm down."
The sun was just beginning to set over the town as the kids made another lap through it. Unlike all of the other colors, their search for the final light was proving to be a frustrating challenge. They'd yet to happen upon it by accident or happenstance, and at this rate, it didn't seem like they were going to before the day came to an end.
"Ugh!" Mabel let out a loud, tired groan as they rounded yet another corner. "This is taking forever ! How hard can it be to find one more silly ol' light?"
"Maybe we're just not looking in the right places…" Dipper scanned the town map he'd grabbed from the Big Donut earlier.
"Or…" Steven pondered, his thoughts going back to earlier. "Maybe we're just not looking in the right way…"
"Steven?" Connie questioned, watching as he stepped up to the front of the group.
"Hey, uh, light monsters?" he cupped his hands around his mouth to project his voice. "It's me, Steven. You kinda tried talking to me earlier? I know you'd probably rather stay out here instead of going back into the Prism, but… we have to keep Gravity Falls safe. So… if you could just give us a hint about where to find you-"
A flash of bright, red light cut him off as it sparked from the nearby lakeside. The kids ran over to take a look, and sure enough, several light monsters were scampering aimlessly across the empty shore. "They actually… listened to you?" Dipper offered Steven a skeptical glance.
"I think so," Steven nodded, smiling.
"Alright, gang," Mabel began, baring her fists for the fight ahead. "This is it. It's time for the super climactic final battle! Let's get 'em!"
"Get 'em! Get 'em!" Tyler Cutebiker excitedly echoed from the sidewalk as kids charged out toward the lake.
The red light monsters noticed their approach well in advance, and they raced forward to meet it every bit as aggressively. They clashed somewhere in the middle of the shore, and though the kids held their own well, it was clear from the very start that this encounter was going to be different from the rest.
The first bad sign was when the red monsters resisted any of their strikes. They took beatings from their makeshift weapons far too well, all while doling plenty of attacks out of their own. The kids found themselves knocked to the sandy shore more times than they could count, though thankfully, the worst injuries they sustained were only minor bumps and bruises. After getting hit again, Steven rolled to the ground, unaware that his cheeseburger backpack had zipped open in the process. Even if he didn't notice the Prism rolling out of it, the red light monsters certainly did.
A piercing screech rose up from the crowd of creatures as they forced their way past the kids in favor of surrounding the prone Prism. The artifact reacted in turn, flushing in a bright, white glow as it began to hover into the air on its own accord. All the kids could do was worriedly watch as the red monsters took on that same light before they inexplicably began to merge together.
The amorphous mass of light quickly changed its shape into a form the kids were quick to recognize. The menacing white light monster emerged with a fearsome roar, now empowered by the Prism itself resting in the center of its single glowing eye. In claiming the Prism, it had managed to absorb each of the recollected colors, all combining back together to create a creature far more powerful than any the kids had faced thus far.
"Well," Dipper said, his voice tight with fear. "That's not good."
"What do we do now?" Connie asked as she anxiously gripped her crowbar.
"We fight it, duh!" Mabel raised her fists, rushing into the fray first.
"Wait!" Steven warned, but it came too late.
Mabel swung her fist at the white monster's legs to try and topple it over, only for it to catch her by the arm with one of its large hands. It lifted her up, shrieking furiously, before it tossed her hard toward the lake behind it. Her scream was cut off as she landed in the water, shaken as she hurriedly swam up to the surface. "I'm ok!" she assured the others while wading her way back toward the shore.
While the monster was distracted, Dipper made an attempt at attacking it next. Unfortunately, the creature proved far too sturdy for his already worn broom, and as soon as he so much as struck it, its wooden shaft snapped clean in half. "Aw, man!" he protested, dismayed as he looked down at the remains of his broken weapon. It soon became the least of his worries, however, when the white light monster spun around, kicking him hard in the chest. The blow sent him flying, and Connie was flung in the same direction not long after as the monster snatched her crowbar and cast it off towards the depths of the lake.
Steven spun around with a gasp, nearly following his first impulse to check on the downed pair. He didn't get a chance though, as the white light monster continued storming toward him with an angry roar that echoed across the entire shore. "H-hold on!" he pleaded with it, unsure of what else he even could do at this point. "We don't have to fight! I know you've been trying to talk to me–and I want to understand you!"
To prove his point, he let his trash can lid fall to the sand beside him, holding his hands up defensively instead. "Please," his voice wavered somewhere between fear and earnesty. He stole a glance over at his fallen friends, guilt weaving its way through his chest as he thought about how this fight had hurt each of them. About how his recklessness had hurt them. Which was why he had to do whatever it took to make it up to them, to stop this. To save them all. "Just… talk to me. I'll listen. I promise."
The monster stilled, staying silent for a moment. Steven wasn't sure if it could even understand him, much less how he could understand it. But then… once again, in a voice he couldn't even begin to describe, he heard it speak again, just as he'd asked:
"...a-are you… testing… me…?"
"What?" was all Steven had time to get out before the Gems arrived.
Garnet swept in seemingly out of nowhere, brutally slamming a gauntleted fist into the white monster's side. Amethyst was next, tossing her whip to entangle the creature's legs while Pearl tossed a spear straight for its head, clipping through a part of its massive form. The monster screamed, reeling back as it struggled to maintain its balance, but Amethyst held fast, keeping it from moving any further.
"Steven!" Pearl was at his side in seconds to fretfully check him for injuries. "Are you alright?" She worriedly winced when she looked over at Dipper and Connie as Garnet offered her hands to help them up off the ground. At the same time, Mabel kept a wide berth around the monster as she ran past it to rejoin the others. "What in the world is going on?! Is that… the Light Prism?!"
"How'd it get all the way out here?" Amethyst asked, pulling her whip taunt.
"Uh, it's a funny story," Mabel let out a forced laugh as she exchanged an uneasy glance with Dipper and Connie. "You guys are totally gonna laugh, trust me; it's a real side splitter. Ya see, we-"
"We were playing around with the Prism and I accidentally unleashed an entire light army all over town!" Steven blurted out, far too guilty to keep it contained.
"What?" the Gems asked in aghast unison.
"I'm sorry!" he cried, remorseful. "I know you guys said it was dangerous, b-but I just couldn't help myself! I didn't mean to cause all this trouble, that's why we-"
"There will be time to sort all this out later," Garnet said, turning back to the monster. "Kids, stay back. We'll handle this."
"Wait!" Dipper shouted as the Gems leapt into action. "We can help!"
"I'd say you four have already 'helped' plenty today," Pearl shook her head disapprovingly. "Fighting mindless monsters like this isn't your place; it's ours. So let us take care of it."
"But… that monster isn't mindless!" Steven countered. "It spoke to me, I heard it! Let me just-"
"Ught, Steven!" Amethyst summoned another whip, latching onto him to stop him from running into the fight. "Cut it out already! Do you want that thing to thrash you into next week?"
Steven didn't answer as he wriggled his way out of the whip. Still, he did as he was told, regrouping with Connie, Dipper, and Mabel as they watched the Gems try and fail to get the upper hand against the light monster. Just like the kids before them, their attacks were largely ineffective; yet another sign that unlike the others, this creature couldn't simply be beaten through brute strength alone.
"Seriously?" Dipper let out a disgruntled scoff. "Even after everything we went through today, the Gems still have to come to our rescue in the end? How is that fair?!"
"We've gotta show them just how heroic we really are!" Mabel proclaimed, pumping her fists. "If we can do that, then I'm sure they'll let us help them out!"
"But how are we supposed to do that without any weapons?" Connie asked, eyeing the monster worriedly.
"We don't need weapons," Steven said with a small, confident smile. "Because we're not going to fight it."
"Huh?" the others asked, equally confused.
Steven, however, made his emerging plan more than clear as he climbed atop a nearby rock to give himself some extra height. "Can you guys cover me? Uh, just in case this doesn't go like I hope it will…"
"Why wouldn't it?" Dipper asked, concerned.
"Don't worry, Steven!" Mabel chimed in with a bright thumbs up. "We believe in you!"
Steven nodded his thanks, though his smile didn't last long. He looked up just in time to see the white light monster breaking out of Amethyst's whip, sending her flying straight into Pearl as they both landed hard in the shallows of the lake. Garnet held up for a little longer, though the monster managed to counter each of her punches perfectly. Amidst this barrage, the monster fixed its lone-eyed gaze on Steven, once again speaking to him a voice apparently only he could hear.
"...sorry… I failed… you…"
"Failed me?" Steven echoed softly. He decided to address the monster–the Prism–directly, hoping it could finally offer him some much-needed answers. "What do you mean 'failed you'?"
"Who is he talking to?" Pearl muttered to Amethyst.
"I dunno," she shrugged, just as confused as she was.
"...failed… test…"
"What's it saying, Steven?" Connie asked.
"Something about… a test?" Steven scratched his head. He steeled himself as he looked back to the Prism, determined to figure this out, before it was too late. "H-hey, it's ok!" he assured it with a wavering smile. "I… I want to help you!"
The monster stomped back at this, seemingly surprised. Its lost momentum wasn't lost on Garnet as she glanced back over her shoulder. Upon spotting Steven and the others, it didn't take her too long to piece together what was going on. "Steven! You're communicating with it."
"I'm trying to," Steven frowned as he hopped off of his rock. He slowly began to approach the monster, and Connie, Dipper, and Mabel followed close behind, just in case. While Amethyst and Pearl let out a pair of fearful gasps, Garnet raised her arm to stop them from halting the kids' careful approach. Whatever they were doing, whatever Steven was doing, was working .
Or at least, they hoped it was.
"...I'm… sorry…"
"You don't have to be sorry," Steven said to the Prism, his brow furrowing. As he inched closer to the monster, it continued shying away from him, as if it were afraid. Of what, exactly, none of the kids had any sort of idea.
"...what… do you… want… from me… master…"
"Wait a minute…" Steven started, his eyes growing wide. "You think… I'm your master?!"
"Ooooh, you know, that does make sense," Mabel said, nodding.
"What?" Dipper asked, shooting her a puzzled look. "How?"
"Steven was the one who summoned all these light guys when he touched the Prism, right? So if he brought them all out here, then they oughta listen to what he says!"
"But they haven't been listening to him, or to any of us," Connie pointed out. "So then… why now…?"
Steven paused for a moment to ponder the exact same thing. All day long, the light creatures had been acting seemingly on their own accord, without any sort of guidance from anything or anyone at all. Their rampage across town had been a largely directionless one, a rampage that saw them randomly attacking whoever or whatever was closest to them without reason, purpose, without cause. Without a leader .
"Pearl!" Steven gasped when the realization struck him. "Didn't you say that the Prism was used to command an army of light?"
"Well, yes," Pearl began, frowning. "When powerful Gems held the Prism, they-" She froze, her voice softening as she looked to her fellow Gems with wide, wondering eyes. Could it be…? "Steven…"
"When I touched the Prism," he continued, keeping his sights set squarely on the white light monster. "The light creatures came out to fight for me, but this whole time we've been fighting them! They must've been so confused!"
"Which is why they've been going so crazy all over town!" Connie added onto his theory. "They didn't understand why we were attacking them, which led them to lash out."
Steven shuddered, anxious and remorseful when the Prism almost seemed to back such claims up with a pleading moan. "...master…"
"I'm not your-" he stopped himself just before he could confuse the poor creature even more than he already had. "I-I mean… I know you're fighting for me, but you don't have to!" He finally bridged the gap between himself and the white light monster. A soft smile slipped onto his face as he extended a hand out toward it, his fingers gently skimming its surprisingly warm, shimmering surface. "You don't have to be a weapon!"
"...what… do you… want… me to be…?"
"Whatever you want!" Steven's smile widened as he offered the best answer–the only answer he could give. "You can be anything !"
Despite this encouragement, the white light stumbled back again, screeching wildly. Its limbs flailed as radiant rays shot out from its form, overtaking the entire lake shore. The Gems and the kids alike were forced to shield their eyes from it all, leaving them in the blind as to what was happening. To the entirely new form the Prism chose to take on next.
When the light cleared, they were all surprised to see that form… was none other than Steven .
And not just one Steven either, but several , all appearing out of thin air as apparitions of soft, glittering light. Each of them wore a wide, cheerful smile, a silent, yet sure sign that the conflict was finally over, that the "battle" had been won.
"Whoa…" Mabel gaped, awestruck. "Look at all the shiny Stevens!"
"This…" Dipper flinched as he gave one of the Light Stevens an experimental poke, only for it to disperse into nothing more than scattered light particles. "Is really weird…"
"Really cool, you mean!" Mabel chuckled, twirling in between the light as it started to spill back to the Prism.
Steven reclaimed the artifact, holding it high to allow the light to willingly return to its rightful home. It flowed back into the Prism calmly, easily, as it loyally followed its "master's" call for peace. And then, as the last of the light vanished with a soft flourish, the Prism came to rest back within Steven's hands, ready for the next time he might have need of its power again.
"Steven," Connie broke the short beat of silence that passed as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know I've told you this before but… that was incredible."
"Heh, thanks," Steven grinned, blushing. He didn't linger too long in it, however, as he turned to face the Gems, switching his smile out for a sheepish frown. "So, uh… I…" he sighed, holding the Prism up to them. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. The whole town was in danger today, a-and a whole bunch of people almost got hurt, and it was all my fau-"
"It was all our fault."
Steven stilled, surprised as Connie, Dipper, and Mabel all stepped up beside him. They exchanged a stern nod, one that carried the exact same unspoken message. That for as much as they shared the burden of cleaning the mess they'd made together up, they'd share whatever consequences came after it too. That they were a team, no matter what they had to face, no matter how hard it might be.
No matter what.
At first, none of the Gems said anything. Aside from the frowns they all shared, it was hard to tell what any of them could be thinking, much less what they were going to say. Garnet was the first to open her mouth to speak, but her words were left unheard as someone else suddenly spoke up in her stead.
"Hey, there!"
The shout drew the group's attention to the sidewalk behind them, where a sizable crowd had gathered at some point. Among the faces in it, the kids recognized more than a few folks they'd helped or been helped by earlier, all sending grateful smiles their way.
"Um… hey, everyone," Steven offered the group a friendly, yet confused wave. "What's going on?"
"A lot of us never got a chance to thank you guys," Sadie explained. "You really bailed the Big Donut out of a lot of trouble earlier."
"Even if it took us hours to clean up the mess you twerps left behind," Lars muttered sourly. He quickly changed his tune, however, when Sadie elbowed him hard in the knee. "Ow! Ugh, fine . Thanks , I guess. Or whatever."
"And the way you guys took out those green guys back at the park?" Wendy added, smirking. "I haven't been able to get it out of my head all day. It was totally insane."
"Yeah, you four are wild , man," Lee nodded.
"Remind us to never tussle with any of you," Jenny said with a small chuckle.
"Not to mention you saved the premiere source of local news, the Gravity Falls Gossiper !" Toby held up the latest issue, showing a photo he'd somehow snagged of the battle against the blue monsters.
"And got us on the front page!" Candy and Grenda proudly pointed at the newspaper.
"You saved my fry shack-" Mr. Fryman was cut off as his older son angrily jumped in front of him.
"And you ruined my investigation into the trans-dimensional polygonal poltergeists watching over the town from beyond the veil!" Ronaldo griped bitterly.
"I thought you were investigating the 'sneople'," Peedee pointed out, rolling his eyes.
"That too!"
The rest of the crowd was quick to drown his unimportant protests out with a ripple of support, including a silent, yet sincere thumbs up from Onion. Unsure of how to really respond to so much gratitude, the kids could only return their smiles bashfully, each of them happy to have helped where they could. The Gems, however, got a different message entirely out of the townsfolks' hearty appreciation. A message that left them even more surprised with the kids standing before them than they already were.
"You four…" Pearl began, bewildered. "Fought off the rest of the light monsters?"
"Uh, yeah," Dipper nodded. "That's what we've been doing all day."
"All by yourselves?" Amethyst asked incredulously. "Whoa, that's… really hardcore."
"But… how could you possibly… those monsters are designed to go up against the fiercest of Gem warriors, not a bunch of…" Pearl cleared her throat, picking her next word carefully as to not offend any of them. "Young… humans…"
"It was easy!" Mabel said with a spirited grin. "The four of us teamed up and together, we attacked the light and saved the day!"
While Pearl and Amethyst were still left in awe, Garnet stepped forward. "Playing around with the Light Prism was a very irresponsible thing to do," she admonished sternly. None of them even tried arguing with her; they'd known from the very beginning just how reckless and foolish their actions had been. And just how disastrous things could have turned out for them, along with the town and everyone in it.
"But…"
Garnet's stoic facade slowly faded into a small smile, one brimming with pride. "Despite making this mess, the four of you worked your hardest to fix it. You protected the town, you protected each other, and you even managed to gain control over the Prism in the process. And… despite the odds, you all did an amazing job with all of it." Her smile widened as she folded the artifact securely into Steven's hands. "Keep it. I have a feeling it would rather stay with you."
Steven nodded warmly, taking care to safely tuck the Prism away back into its usual place in his Cheeseburger Backpack. At the same time, Amethyst ran over, shapeshifting an extra set of arms so she could hoist all four of the kids up into the air.
"Woo!" she cheered as the townsfolk erupted into applause. "Look at you guys! Savin' the town from a bunch of bonkers light monsters, all without dying too! That takes some serious skill!"
"Oho, yes!" Pearl added, readily shifting gears to join in on the celebration. "I can't say we couldn't have done a better job ourselves. You four really surprised–and inspired–all of us today. Thank you."
"You're welcome!" all four of the kids chimed in happy unison.
"Give it up for the Mystery Kids!" Someone shouted from the back of the crowd. It took a moment, but eventually, the kids spotted Soos waving brightly at them.
"Mystery Kids?" Connie asked, confused.
"Yeah, I've been trying to think of a cool group name for you dudes ever since you left the shack," Soos explained. "I decided to go with Mystery Kids 'cause like, you went off to solve the mystery of where all those little light dudes went. So bam: Mystery Kids."
"That… seems like a bit of a stretch…" Dipper frowned, not exactly fond of the name. Steven and Mabel, however, were taken with it almost as soon as they heard it.
"But it fits us so well!" Mabel exclaimed, excited.
"Yeah, it does!" Steven said, beaming.
"To the Mystery Kids!" Soos rallied once again.
The rest of the crowd, including even the Gems themselves, readily joined along. Soon enough, the air was filled with the same celebratory cheer that rang out freely into the evening air. A cheer meant for perhaps the most unexpected heroes and the most steadfast team Gravity Falls had ever seen.
"To the Mystery Kids!"