Summary:
Part 2
The next day, Steven worried for Mabel. He hoped she would be able to end things with Gideon. That evening, Steven noticed that Mabel was in a good mood. Which seemed odd, considering last night. She was humming as she made a bowl of dinner cereal.
"What's got you in a good mood? I thought the whole 'Gideon thing' was really bothering you," Steven asked from the table, his own bowl of dinner cereal in front of him.
"Oh!" she said, walking to the table, "Dipper broke up with Gideon for me. Now everything can go back to normal."
She sat down with a defiant "mh hm."
"Dipper broke up with Gideon for you?" Steven asked.
"Yeah, he suggested he do it bc I couldn't," Mabel ate a spoonful of cereal. "Dipper said he took it well."
Steven looked down at his cereal.
"Oh boy," he muttered.
He looked back up at Mabel.
"I don't think he's just gonna get over you Mabel. Gideon seems kind of like a manipulator. If anything, he's going to put his anger towards Dipper for 'getting in the way,'" Steven said, using air quotes for the last bit.
"What? Pft, no he wouldn't do that," Mabel brushed Steven off, and Steven knew there was no winning.
"Just keep an eye on Dipper, I don't think we've seen the last of Gideon," Steven said.
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Steven had a bad feeling. He couldn't explain it, but he did. It filled him with dread. He flipped through the channels on the TV, hoping something, anything, could stop the jitteriness he was feeling. He frowned, nothing seemed interesting. Steven turned the TV off and sighed. He'll just go for a walk.
He stood up from the recliner, stopping by his room for his pink jacket, and then walked outside. As he stepped outside, he noticed Dipper walking towards the road. Steven was tempted to call out, but decided against it. But the bad feeling got stronger. Something was gonna happen, and he was sure it had to do with Dipper. Making up his mind, Steven followed after Dipper.
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The sun was starting to set as Dipper approached the factory. He looked at the notepad in his hands, staring at the address before looking up at the factory. This was the place, but why did Toby want to meet him here? He put the notepad back in his vest pocket and stepped up to the doors, taking a small breath. He pushed the door open to find a dark room. He hesitated, but after another breath, stepped inside.
"Hello?" he called out.
He paused, waiting to hear Toby call back. But the factory stayed quiet. He sighed, maybe this was a waste of time. He turned to leave, but suddenly the door closed in front of him. He ran to it and banged on the doors. He heard the sound of electricity starting, and turned to see the overhead lights start to turn on, one by one. The last one lit up, revealing a swivel chair, with the back towards Dipper. It started to turn and Dipper could feel his heart beat fast in his chest.
"Hello friend," Gideon said.
Gideon was in the chair, and he had a doll of himself between his little legs. He pet the doll, stroking doll-him's hair.
Dipper rolled his eyes and groaned, "Gideon…"
Gideon began to play with the arms of the doll, not looking at Dipper.
"Dipper Pines, how long have you been livin' in this town? A week? Two? You like it here?" He looked at Dipper, "Enjoy the scenery?"
Dipper crossed his arms, "What do you want from me, man?"
Gideon cleared his throat, "Listen carefully, boy. This town has secrets you couldn't begin to comprehend."
"Is this about Mabel?" Dipper asked, "I told you, she's not into you!"
"Liar!" Gideon yelled, "You turned her against me!"
Gideon jumped out of the swivel chair and began to walk towards Dipper, his hand resting on his bolo tie.
"She was my peach dumplin'!" he said.
"Ah, you okay man?" Dipper asked and Gideon stopped in front of him.
A blue-green glow emitted from the bolo tie, lighting up Gideon's hand.
Uh oh. Dipper thought.
Gideon raised his hand and Dipper began to float. He made a throwing gesture, and Dipper flew across the room, crashing into boxes of Lil' Gideon merchandise.
"Reading minds isn't all I can do," Gideon said darkly.
"But-but you're fake!" Dipper stuttered.
"Oh tell me Dipper," He placed his hand on the bolo tie again, the light peeking through his fingers, "Does this seem fake to you?"
All around them, the boxes opened, and their contents began to float around. Clocks, dolls, mugs; all circling above Dipper's head.
Dipper watched as one-by-one, they started being thrown at him. He dodged, narrowly avoiding being hit with a Limited Edition Lil' GideonTM mug. Gideon laughed, clearly taking delight in Dipper's panic.
Suddenly, the door flew open, and Dipper looked to see Steven rushing towards him.
"Dipper!" He called.
"Who's this?" Gideon asked, "another person that turned Mabel against me?"
Gideon thrust out his hand and Steven began to float.
"Wait what?!" Steven yelled before Gideon threw him across the room.
"Steven!"
Dipper's heart beat fast in his chest as he ran towards Steven. He noticed a shadow over his head, and jumped to the side just in time to avoid being hit by a mug. More Lil' Gideon merchandise flew at him, forcing him away from Steven. Gideon laughed as Dipper ran by a shelf, which began to glow in a green-blue light, before tipping over, barely missing Dipper, causing him to trip and roll away. Dipper hit the wall with a loud thunk! and a dull throb began to pound on the back of his head.
"Grunkle Stan was right about you! You really are a monster!" Dipper said, grabbing his head as he spoke, the effort causing it to ache more.
"You're sister will be mine!" Gideon laughed.
He pulled a back string on the plush he was holding, which mimicked his laugh.
Dipper looked down and noticed a package labeled 'blunt object,' and saw that it contained a baseball bat.
Odd, he thought.
Odd, but useful. He ripped open the package, taking out the baseball bat. He looked over to see Steven standing and giving him a thumbs up. They communicated silently, and both realized what they had to do. He looked over at Gideon, who seemed to be distracted by the voice mimicking doll. Seeing his chance, Dipper and Steven rushed at him. But before either could incapacitate Gideon, he noticed them. Gideon dropped the doll and placed a hand on the bolo, raising the other into the air, catching Steven and Dipper in a blue-green light.
"She's never going to date you, man!" Dipper yelled in frustration.
"Learn how to take no as an answer, Gideon!" Steven followed up.
"That's a lie!" Gideon shouted, before his eyes slipped to the box next to him. "And I'm gonna make sure the two of you never lie to me again, friends."
Out from the box emerged a pair of shears.
"First Dipper, then you, whoever you are," Gideon glared in Steven's direction.
Both Dipper and Steven struggled against the magic holding them in place. But it was futile.
Suddenly, the doors to the warehouse flew open, revealing Mabel.
"Gideon! We have to talk!" She shouted.
Gideon's eyes opened wide and he turned around to face Mabel.
"Mabel! My marshmallow!," the shears clattered to the floor, "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I'm sorry Gideon, but I can't be your marshmallow. I needed to be honest and tell you that myself," she said.
"I… I don't understand," Gideon gripped the bolo tie tighter, and Steven and Dipper found it harder to breathe, their throats constricting as if being squeezed.
"Uh, Mabel, This probably isn't the best time to be brutally honest with him!" Dipper choked out.
Steven tried to speak as well, to say something- anything- to get Gideon to stop. But he couldn't.
Mabel walked up to Gideon.
"Hey, but we can still be makeover buddies, right?" Mabel reached out her hands and Gideon took them, his hand leaving the bolo tie to hold Mabel's. "Wouldn't you like that?" she asked.
"Really?" Gideon said, hope in his voice.
Fast as lightning, Mabel grabbed the bolo tie from around Gideon's neck and ripped it off, causing Dipper and Steven to fall out of the air.
"No, not really!" she yelled, "You were like attacking my brother! What the heck?!"
"My tie! Give it back!" Gideon shouted, reaching to try and grab it from Mabel's grasp, but it was just out of reach.
Mabel's eyes locked with Dipper's, and threw the tie over to him.
"Ha!" Dipper caught the tie, holding it up in triumph, "Not so powerful without this, are you?"
Gideon yelled and rushed him, his body crashing into Dipper's, causing the tie to fly out of his hand. The two tumbled backwards, crashing out of a window and off the cliff, into the darkness beyond.
"Dipper!" Mabel called.
Steven rushed after them, jumping out the broken window himself. He saw Dipper and Gideon fighting and falling, seeming unaware that they were getting closer and closer to the ground. Steven reached out his hand, attempting to grab the two as the horror of them falling began to sink in for them. They yelled as Steven managed to grab them both by the collar. Just before he was about to use his powers to save them from becoming grease stains on the ground, he felt himself go weightless. He looked up to see Mabel, surrounded by blue-green light, floating down towards them. She touched down and walked over to Gideon, who was floating upside down.
"Listen Gideon," she said, 'It's over. I will never, ever date you."
"Yeah!" Dipper yelled in agreement before the three boys fell to the ground.
Mabel went to throw the bolo tie to the ground, but Steven stopped her.
"May I see it?" He asked.
"But it's evil!" she exclaimed.
"It may not be," Steven said calmly, but inside he was anything but calm.
Mabel sighed and handed it to him.
Steven's heart beat fast in his chest as he turned over the bolo tie, exampining it. Why a Gem would be in a bolo tie, he didn't know, but he had to check. He grabbed the stone and began to pull. The air whipped around him, and pushed outwards, causing the trees to sway. The wind got stronger, and Steven knew he was right. He had to be. When he pulled Lapis from the mirror, water pooled at his feet, but now it was wind whipping Mabel's hair into her face.
"What's going on?!" She yelled, but Steven ignored her.
What mattered now was pulling the gemstone out of this bolo tie. With a crack like thunder, the stone was free. It floated out of Steven's hand, and a figure made of light began to form around it. At first it was just rudimentary shaped, but they molded, forming a small humanoid body resembling a child. There was a flash of light, and once Steven's eyes adjusted back to the darkness of the night, he saw what looked like a child kneeling on the ground, but he knew better.
She had blue-green skin, with long, fluffy mint green hair. She wore a simple sundress, and Steven noticed her gem was on her stomach, like his. Steven instinctually placed a hand over his gem. The Gem in front of them slowly looked up at Steven, tears in her eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered
"What?!" Gideon yelled.
Steven had forgotten he was there.
"My powers!"
Steven stood in between Gideon and the Gem.
"You were using a Gem for your powers! She's free now, and will never be used again. Now, leave!" Steven yelled. He didn't like yelling, but Gideon cared more about his powers than the well being of another living thing, and that made Steven glow pink.
The shock on Gideon's face morphed into one of anger.
"Oh, this isn't over," He said, walking backwards out of the clearing, "This aint the last you'll see of 'widdle,' ol', me."
Once Gideon was out of sight, Steven turned towards the Gem.
"You're safe now," He said, offering the Gem a hand to help her stand. "What's your name?" He asked.
"I'm…" she looked over at Dipper and Mabel, whose jaws may have well been on the floor.
"It's okay," Steven said in a calming voice, "They won't hurt you."
She looked back at Steven and took a deep breath before talking.
"I'm Turquoise. I came out stunted, so the Diamonds forced me into an amulet so my powers could be used."
She explained how the amulet was lost for hundreds of years, before some settlers found it and turned it into a bolo tie.
"Well you're safe now, the Diamonds have changed," Steven smiled.
She looked at Steven with disbelief.
"The Diamonds… changed?" She asked.
"Yeah," he said. He took a breath before continuing, "I'm Pink Diamond, well, I have her gem. She was my mom."
"But… Pink Diamond was shattered!" Turquoise said.
Oh boy, Steven thought.
He looked at Dipper and Mabel, and saw Dipper had the Journal out and was frantically writing things down. He sighed, this might as well happen.
"She faked her shattering. Rose Quartz was her in disguise," he said.
He didn't like talking about this, but someone had to tell her.
"Rose Quartz… the leader of the rebellion… was Pink Diamond?" Turquoise sat back on the ground in shock.
Steven nodded. He explained how she wanted to protect life on earth, and how colonizing the planet was killing all organic life. So she rebelled against herself, and faked her shattering so that the Diamond would leave the earth alone. But the Diamonds launched one last attack and corrupted all Gems on Earth except for Rose Quartz and her two closest Gems.
He paused, waiting for Turquoise to respond. When she didn't, he continued.
He explained how Rose Quartz gave up her physical form for him to be born, and he had fostered peace between the Diamonds and Gemkind. He explained how the corrupted Gems had been cured, and that they built their own city in Beach City, called Little Homeworld.
He glanced over at Dipper, who seemed to be writing at top speed. Steven internally sighed. He knew Dipper was going to have MANY questions for him later, but what mattered right now was helping this Gem.
"Little Homeworld? Do they accept Gems like… like me?" Turquoise asked, eyes cast down.
"Of course!" Steven smiled warmly, "My best friend is an Amethyst that stayed in the ground too long. All Gems are accepted there."
She looked up at Steven, and he saw tears well up in her eyes, but she was smiling.
"How do I get to Little Homeworld?" She asked.
"Well," he looked at Dipper and Mabel again. Dipper had stopped writing, but was looking at Steven expectantly. "It's on the other side of the country, but I know a shortcut," Steven winked.
Turquoise giggled, "What shortcut?"
"I can bubble you and teleport you there, if you're alright with that," Steven said.
She thought for a moment.
"Sure. Whatever gets me there fastest."
Steven took a deep breath, extending his arms. A bubble formed around Turquoise, who looked around in surprise.
"Tell them Steven sent you. They will take care of you," he said.
Turquoise offered Steven a little wave goodbye. Steven waved back. He glanced over to where the twins were to see Mabel waving frantically at Turquoise, a big grin on her face. Dipper was writing in the journal again.
Steven smiled at Turquoise one last time before tapping the bubble. There was a small buzz as it flashed and disappeared.
The three stood in silence, the only sound coming from the forest around them. Steven couldn't look at the twins. He tried to spare as many details as possible, but his heart was still racing. He kept his calm for Turquoise's sake, but now that he was alone with the twins, he didn't know what to do.
The silence was broken by Mabel.
"YOU CAN MAKE HUMAN-SIZED HAMSTER BALLS?!" She shouted, clearly excited.
Steven blinked at her. He wasn't expecting that. He laughed, then laughed harder, relief washing over him. There was just something about Mabel caring about his bubbling ability more than the exposition he just did that lightened Steven's mood. Her excitement over a 'human-sized hamster ball' was silly to Steven, in a way that only Mabel could be. He was scared of judgement, but he knew that Mabel would be the last to judge him. He smiled at her before raising his hand, tapping the top of Mabel's head, causing a bubble to form around her.
"Omggggg!!" She squealed before rolling in circles.
"Now let's get you two back to the Shack," Steven said.
The three of them walked- well, in Mabel's case, rolled- into the woods, making their way back to the Shack.
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When they got back to the Shack, Mabel and Dipper collapsed on the recliner in exhaustion. They had a long night. Stan came into the living room with a… clown painting? He hung it on the wall.
"I could've had it all," Stan sighed.
He turned to look at them.
"What the heck happened to you three?" He asked.
"Gideon," Mabel said.
"Gideon," Dipper followed up.
"Gideon," Steven finished.
"Gideon," Stan added, "Yeah, the little mutant swore vengeance on the whole family. I guess he's gonna try to nibble my ankles or something," Stan laughed.
"Oh yeah," Dipper said, "yeah, how's he gonna destroy us now, huh? Try to guess what number we are thinking? Ha!".
"He'll never guess what number I'm thinking of," Mabel paused for a moment, "Negative eight! No one would guess a negative number!"
Stan, Dipper, and Mabel laughed and joked together. Steven smiled, but he wasn't so sure. Even without the bolo tie, Steven understood the tone in Gideon's voice as he warned that they hadn't seen the last of him. It was a tone that suggested he was hiding something; something powerful. It worried Steven. But he wasn't going to ruin everyone's mood right now; including his own. He laughed when Stan made a joke about Gideon planning their destruction, and tried to ignore the pit forming in his stomach.
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That night, Steven dreamed of Gideon. He was viewing his room from above, watching Gideon pace back and force, muttering. He was holding a book. A book that looked eerily familiar. He began to close the book, but just before he did, the dream changed. He was in the Shack, but it looked different. Paper's were scattered everywhere, as if a tornado came through the living room. He saw a young Stan, standing in front of a mirror, cutting his hair. He was chipping away at a mullet, sighing at every chunk of hair that fell to the floor.
"What are you going to do, Stanley?" He asked the air.
The dream changed again and he was back in the forest where he had freed Turquoise.
"You really think you can save them?"
He looked around, trying to find the source of the voice, but saw no one. It echoed around him, filling his senses and hurting his head. He covered his ears as he heard that haunting laugh again. It played over and over again as he sank into nothingness.