Summary:
Steven, Dipper, and Amethyst try life on the road out. Meanwhile, Mabel, Connie, and Pearl desperately search the town in the hopes of finding the missing boys.
"Whoa, how are they gonna get out of this one?" Steven gasped, his eyes glued to the newest No Home Boys novel. He turned the page, reading on past the suspenseful cliffhanger to get his answer. "Oh, that's how!"
"Aaaaand… it's done!" Mabel drew his attention away from the book, just as she put the last finishing touches on her latest sweater. "Here you go, Steven!" she proudly held it up for him to see. "What do you think?"
"What do I think?" Steven echoed, stars in his eyes. "I think it's amazing , Mabel! It's got a star on it and everything!" He set his book aside and wasted no time slipping the pink sweater over his shirt. "Oh, wow! It's a perfect fit!"
"My sweaters always are," Mabel nodded, satisfied. "What do you think, bro-bro?"
Despite their enthusiasm, Dipper showed no effort to share it. Instead, he kept his focus solely on the journal, burying his face in it to hide his unshakably fretful frown. "Uh… Dipper?" Steven tried again after a beat of stilted silence.
"Hm?" This time, he offered a response, though it wasn't much of one.
"I asked you what you thought of the sweater I made for Steven," Mabel huffed, motioning over to said sweater.
"Oh. It's cool," Dipper answered, without so much as stealing a single glance up from the journal. While Mabel simply flopped back onto the couch with an annoyed groan, Steven couldn't help but frown as he kept his sights set on Dipper. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he could sense something was up. And he wasn't above trying to figure out exactly what that something was.
"Dipper, is everything ok?" he asked, concerned.
"What?" Dipper blinked, finally looking up from the journal. Though the question caught him off guard, he did what he could to collect himself as quickly as he could. "Oh, uh, yeah. Everything's fine," he reassured with a weak, fake smile. "What makes you think it's not?"
"Uh, because you haven't looked up from that journal all morning," Mabel pointed out. "Something you've already read cover to cover at least ten times now can't be that interesting, can it?"
"I have a feeling this doesn't really have much to do with the journal," Steven shook his head. "Is something bothering you, Dipper?"
"N-no," Dipper firmly denied. He quickly caved, however, upon meeting the wide, curious stares Steven and Mabel were both sending his way. Clearly, they weren't about to let him off the hook that easily, so he might as well come clean, as much as he didn't want to. "Ugh, fine, it's just… I'm still thinking about what happened the other day. Y'know, when I was sort of, kind of, totally responsible for breaking Wendy and Robbie up?"
"Why'd you be bummed out about that?" Mabel raised an eyebrow. "You helped Wendy get out of a bad relationship with a super icky guy. You're like, a total hero!"
"Yeah, well, I sure don't feel like one," Dipper shut the journal and looked away from the pair. "She was really upset over what happened, and I can't help but feel at least some of that is fault for telling her what Robbie was up to in the first place."
"But Dipper, you did the right thing letting Wendy know the truth," Steven offered him a consoling smile. "Garnet even said so herself."
"Well, Garnet also said that Wendy would eventually forgive me but that hasn't happened yet."
"Well there's your problem!" Mabel exclaimed. "You've been wasting all this time waiting for Wendy to come to you, when you should be the one to go to Wendy!"
"Mabel's right," Steven agreed. "Maybe Wendy hasn't talked to you about it yet because she doesn't know you're still upset about it. I'm sure you guys could smooth things over if you just asked her to!"
"Are you guys serious?" Dipper scoffed. "If anything, that would just remind her of what happened and make her feel worse! She doesn't deserve that, not after everything that's already happened."
"So… are you just going to keep avoiding her then?" Steven asked, frowning.
"…Maybe…"
"Oh, Dipper," Mabel chastised. "You can't just run away from all your problems! You should do what Grunkle Stan says: man up and punch them in the face!"
"Somehow I feel like that would only make things even worse…" Dipper said, rubbing his arm.
Luckily for him, however, Steven and Mabel didn't get a chance to press him any further as the warp pad on the far side of the temple lit up ahead of the Gems' return. They arrived in their usual flashy fashion, in the midst of an argument that had been going on for quite a while from the sounds of it.
"Ugh, who cares ?" Amethyst groaned. "It's not like it's even that big of a deal."
"I'd say it's a very big deal!" Pearl protested. "We should have been more careful. Who knows what dangers just letting Lapis return to Homeworld could bring? If she tells them about us… they might try to return to Earth…" She drew in a sharp breath, her eyes wide with sudden panic. "We can't let them come back!"
"Pearl, calm down," Garnet reassured, resting a hand on her shoulder. "We checked the Homeworld warp and it's still inactive. We're cut off. The Earth is safe."
"Safe from what?"
The Gems froze stiff at the sound of Steven posing this question. They exchanged a quick, anxious glance before Pearl forced out a loud, fake laugh. "K-kids!" she exclaimed with a too-wide smile. "We… we didn't know you three were here!"
"Hey, check this out you guys," Amethyst smirked as she showed off the large rock she'd brought back with her. Her mischievous smile only widened as she crushed it with her bare hands. "Kaboosh!"
"Amethyst, please!" Pearl shielded herself from the resulting shrapnel. "Be serious for once!"
"Pfft, never," Amethyst scowled, crossing her arms.
"So, uh… What were you guys saying about Homeworld just a minute ago?" Dipper asked, as carefully as he could. By now, he knew just how touchy of a subject this was for the Gems, and the last thing he wanted was to slip up and steer them away from it somehow.
Unfortunately for him, Steven and Mabel were set on doing that instead.
"What would be so bad about letting Gems from Homeworld come visit Earth?" Steven asked, genuinely curious.
"Yeah, meeting all those new Gems would be a lot of fun!" Mabel added. "Just like meeting Lapis was, only hopefully with a little less waterfall theft."
A beat of silence passed between the Gems before Pearl hesitantly broke it. "Kids… What happened with Homeworld… Well, it's… it's complicated." She was ready to leave it at that, at least until Garnet rested a steadying hand on her shoulder.
"Remember, we promised we would start being more honest with them," Garnet gently reminded her.
"Right…" Pearl slowly agreed. She knelt down to the kids' level, finally telling them at least a faction of the story they'd been yearning to hear for weeks now. "You see, kids, a very long time ago, Gems came to the Earth and tried to do something… very bad. It was something that would have damaged the entire planet, irrecoverably so. Some Gems, like Rose Quartz, Garnet, and myself, felt that this was unfair to the life that already existed here, and so we swore to never let the Earth be used for their… purposes. Even if it meant-" She stopped short as Amethyst shattered another rock somewhere behind her, all but breaking through the seriousness of her story. Pearl heaved an aggravated sigh, but continued nonetheless. "Even if it meant we could never go home."
"Long story short," Garnet said. "We chose Earth."
Despite how vague that story really was, it still was a lot to take in. And yet, while Steven and Mabel were satisfied by what they got, Dipper couldn't help but try to press for a few more details. Just in case the Gems were willing to reveal a little more than usual today. "Wait, so what exactly was Homeworld trying to do anyway?"
Garnet and Pearl exchanged a worried glance at this, and that was all Dipper needed to know he'd once again prodded too far. Sure enough, Pearl shut him down by simply saying, "We'll… save that for another time."
"Aw, come on!" Mabel let out a groan alongside her brother. "You guys don't have to end Gem story time here! We're always down for hearing more cool dark secrets about you guys!"
"Well… some of our 'secrets' are a little darker than others…" Pearl frowned, rubbing her arm.
"Whoa, wait a sec!" Steven cut in, suddenly excited. "If you guys can't go back to your home… then that means… you're just like the No-Home Boys!"
Everyone turned to look at him, mutually confused. "The what?" Pearl asked.
" The No-Home Boys !" Steven held his book up for them to see. "It's a book series about these boys who have no home. So they travel around the country, living in boxcars, riding river rafts and solving mysteries! They had a successful run, until the disastrous graphic novel adaptation. But my favorite story is this one: On the Run. In it, the No-Home Boys are chased across the countryside by a mysterious pursuer, which turns out to be the very fear resting within themselves."
"Whoa! That's like, your total life story!" Mabel said to the Gems.
"Oh, please," Pearl rolled her eyes. "We are not like the No-Home Boys. Steven, we are literally standing in your home right now."
"Yeah… that's a bit of a stretch," Garnet nodded. She trailed after Pearl as she turned to head for the temple gate, though not without adding, " On the Run does make for a pretty gripping title though."
"Bye, you guys!" Mabel cheerfully called after the pair as the door slid shut behind them. Amethyst, however, hung back as she plopped down on the now-empty couch.
"Ok, then…" Dipper turned to her, hoping she'd be willing to offer more information than Garnet and Pearl had. "So Amethyst… you wouldn't mind telling us what Homeworld Gems really want to do with the Earth… would you?"
"Who cares?" Amethyst curtly replied, perching her arms behind her head.
"We do!" Steven exclaimed with a pleading grin. "Will you please tell us about it, Amethyst? Please? Please? Please?"
"Ugh…" She rolled away from the kids with a loud, annoyed groan. "Why do you guys always wanna know about all that dumb old stuff anyway? It all happened way long ago so none of it matters anymore. Which means we don't need to talk about it, ok?"
"Oo, well, an answer like that definitely has me even more curious than I already was!" Mabel crooned, intrigued.
"You can keep on being curious, then," Amethyst stubbornly crossed her arms. "Cause I don't nothin' to tell you guys that you haven't already heard."
"Somehow, I seriously doubt that," Dipper muttered, scowling.
"We don't have to keep talking about it if you don't want to, Amethyst," Steven offered her a small, apologetic smile. "Why don't we all do something fun instead?"
"Oh, I've got an idea!" Mabel raised her hand. "We should have a Pink-Off! A contest to decide, once and for all, who's pinker: Lion or Waddles!"
"Yeah!" Steven readily agreed.
Dipper, on the other hand, wasn't as taken by his sister's suggestion. "Uh, I don't know if that's what I'd call 'fun'..."
"Ditto," Amethyst grumbled from her spot on the couch.
Mabel, however, was far from deterred as she ran for the door. "Aw, you guys will change your mind once we get started. Let me run back down to the shack to grab Waddles and the ultimate Pink-Off can commence!"
As she left, a newfound silence settled over the house. It was soon broken by Steven, however, as he let out a long, wistful sigh while staring down at the book in his hands. "You know," he began, absently flipping through the novel. "I wish I was a No-Home Boy. No past, no future. Just the open road!"
"Yeah…" Dipper agreed with a sigh of his own. "That whole no past, no future thing actually sounds pretty nice right about now… Too bad it's impossible."
"Impossible?"Amethyst suddenly sat up. "Says who?"
"Well, Dipper said it just a second ago," Steven pointed out.
Amethyst rolled her eyes as she moved to take a seat on the couch between the boys. "Listen," she slid her arms over their shoulders with a growing, daring grin. "You guys wanna see the open road? Then let's do it."
"What?!" they exclaimed in baffled unison.
"Yeah," Amethyst nodded as her smile widened. "Let's run."
"Really?!" Steven asked, excited.
"Sure, why not? Sounds like fun."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dipper quickly cut in. "Amethyst, we can't just… run away!"
"Uh, yeah we can," Amethyst dryly argued. "All we gotta do is get out the door and go ."
"Where are we gonna run away to?" Steven asked, eager and ready.
"Doesn't matter where, dude," Amethyst shrugged. "We can go wherever we want, do whatever we want, and best of all, no one will be around to tell us that we can't. Unless somebody plans on being totally lame about this, Dipper ."
"I don't think it's lame to think that randomly running away is, I dunno, just a little crazy ?" Dipper protested. "Amethyst, I know you don't have to eat or anything, but Steven and I do, and it's not like food is something that's really easy to come by when you're on the run with no money or no way of getting money."
"Oh! I know how to handle that!" Steven said, grinning. "We'll just do what the No-Home Boys do! We'll pack bindles of food and supplies to start us out for a few weeks and when we run out, we'll use our quick wit and determination to salvage more and survive on our own!"
"Yeah!" Amethyst brazenly cheered.
Still, Dipper wasn't so sold on such a risky plan quite yet. "Steven, somehow I doubt being literally homeless is as fun as those books of yours make it sound. Besides, somebody will notice we're gone eventually. What about Mabel, Grunkle Stan, Pearl, Garnet–"
"Ok I'm gonna stop you right there," Amethyst interrupted. "One: I don't care about what Pearl or Garnet might say about this. And two: Stan won't care because he's done stuff way crazier than this before. I should know; I was there for a bunch of it."
"Please come with us, Dipper!" Steven pleaded as he grabbed his arm and held on tight. "If you don't, then we can't be like the No-Home Boys because Amethyst's a Gem and I'll be the only boy!"
"Seriously, dude, loosen up for a change," Amethyst added. "Take a chance, have some fun. You really wanna sit around all day with your nose in that dumb old journal when you could be out living life wild and free?"
"Hey, that wasn't all I was going to do today," Dipper countered, crossing his arms. "I was… I was gonna… I'm going to head back down to the Mystery Shack after you guys set out 'on the road', or whatever."
"Oh, good!" Steven said with a supportive smile. "Maybe while you're down there, you and Wendy can finally talk about what happened the other day! That'll make you feel better for sure!"
Dipper stopped short at this suggestion, quickly changing his tune as soon as he heard it. Because really, anything was better than having to face such an awkward confrontation–even risking life and limb on the open road. Right?
"…On second thought… I think I might actually join you guys after all…" he hesitantly relented, hoping he wouldn't regret this decision. Even if he already did from the moment he made it.
"Whoa, really?" Amethyst asked, surprised. "That's pretty hardcore of you, dude. Nice."
"Hooray!" Steven cheered as he pulled Dipper into a celebratory hug. "Oh man, this is gonna be so much fun! We'll pack up our bindles, hitch a ride on a train, build a fire to keep us warm at night and tell stories around it, and see the world! What could be better?!"
"Y-yeah…" Dipper agreed with a bit of an uneasy laugh. "What… what could be better?"
"Nothing could. You guys know why?" Amethyst asked, more than ready to lead the way. To what exactly, the boys had no idea–they'd just have to figure that out as they went. "'Cause this crew's going ON THE RUN!"
"Alrighty, everyone! Sorry I took so long– somebody was taking his daily beauty nap and did not want to get up–but we're here now to decide-" Mabel stopped short, Waddles in her arms, as she stole a proper glance at the house. The noticeably now empty house.
"Uh… hello?" she frowned as she set Waddles down. "Dipper? Steven? Amethyst? Anyone here?"
She took a moment to look around, checking up the loft, in the kitchen, even going as far as peeking into the bathroom. And yet, to her rising alarm, there wasn't a single sign of any of them. It was as if they'd somehow, suddenly mysteriously disappeared. Or even worse–
"Oh no," she gasped, her eyes wide with fear. "They've been-"
She didn't get a chance to finish such a dreadful thought as the door suddenly opened behind her. "Hey, guys!" Connie greeted, shuffling the backpack slung over her shoulders as she entered the house. "What's… up?" She stopped, frowning, when she found only one of her friends was there to greet her. "Mabel, where are-"
"Connie!" Mabel ran back over to her, gripping her by the shoulders. "Oh, I'm so glad you're here! We have a serious situation on our hands!"
"Uh, and that situation is…?"
"Steven and Dipper have been kidnapped !"
"What?!" Connie started, aghast. "When? Why? By who?!"
"I don't know," Mabel shook her head, frantic. "But we've gotta find 'em and save them! We're gonna need at least six bazookas, maybe a tank, definitely a helicopter, or two, or ten-"
"Whoa, slow down," Connie cut in, lost in the shuffle. "Why don't we start with gathering the facts first? Now," she pulled a notepad out of her backpack to jot things down on. "When was the last time you saw either of them?"
"A few minutes ago," Mabel reported. "Before I went back down to the shack to get Waddles. They were hanging out with Amethyst, and-"
"Wait," Connie stopped her. "Are you sure they were actually kidnapped ? Maybe they just went somewhere with Amethyst instead."
Mabel paused to ponder this suggestion, but only for a moment before she ultimately shrugged it off. "Mm, no, they were kidnapped. I'm at least 70% sure of it, which means it must be true!"
Before Connie could even try to question her logic, the chime of the temple gate opening caught their attention. While they both hoped Steven and Dipper would somehow walk out of it, Pearl emerged instead, "Oh, hello, girls," she greeted them with a smile that quickly fell when she noticed how stressed they both looked. "Um… is everything alright?"
"Uh…" Connie frowned, apprehensive. "Well…"
"No, it's not!" Mabel wailed, distraught. "Steven and Dipper are gone ! They've been kidnapped!"
"Kidnapped?!" Pearl asked, aptly alarmed. "Are you sure?"
"Not really-"
"Positive!" Mabel shouted over Connie. "They're in super huge danger! I can feel it in my gut, and like Grunkle Stan says, you should always trust your gut, especially when it's getting close to lunchtime."
"W-well, if they really were kidnapped, then we have to find them!" Pearl exclaimed. Connie couldn't help but look at her, bewildered by how quickly she was willing to believe such an outlandish story. Not that she had much of a chance to try and talk her down from her distress as she continued. "Who would even do such an awful thing?!"
"It's gotta be someone who has it out for them," Mabel theorized, a hand perched to her chin. "Or someone who might wanna use 'em as a ransom, like in the movies!"
"Someone with not just a motive, but the resources to pull such a sinister scheme off," Pearl added. "Someone small enough to slip in and out unseen. Someone like-"
Pearl and Mabel both gasped as they reached the exact same conclusion at the exact same time. "Gideon!"
"Gideon?" Connie questioned. "You mean that psychic kid you guys told me about? Why would he kidnap Steven and Dipper?"
"'Cause he totally hates them!" Mabel explained. "Well, to be fair, he hates all of us, but I think he hates them the most."
"We should have anticipated he'd do something like this after what happened with those watermelons and the Magnitude Modulator the other day," Pearl shook her head. "I swear, he's only getting bolder and more brazen by the day. Well, don't worry," she assured as she summoned her spear from her Gem. "I'm not about to let him simply get away with this one."
"Wait, Pearl!" Mabel called after her as she headed for the door. "Let us come with you! We can help!"
"We can what?" Connie asked, utterly confused.
"Hm…" Pearl paused for a moment. "Well, since Garnet and Amethyst aren't around, I could always use some extra backup–not that Gideon is much of a threat, but still. Yes, I suppose you two can come along."
"Yes!" Mabel cheered as she pulled Connie along after her. "Don't worry, boys! This super cool girl squad is comin' to the rescue!"
"Um, maybe we should sit down and talk more about this first-" Connie's concerns were ultimately left unheard as she was all but dragged along for the mission. Whether she thought that mission carried any weight or not.
And, as the trio set off on that mission, not a single one of them noticed the note innocently sitting on the counter. A note Steven wrote, explaining everything, they all unknowingly left behind.
Since Amethyst had insisted on leaving as soon as possible to avoid Garnet and Pearl, Steven and Dipper were left with little time to prepare their bindles. They were only able to grab a few snacks from the kitchen before they set out with only those bindles and the clothes on their backs.
And just like that, they were off, on an adventure to parts unknown. On a quest to find their destinies. On the run.
After slipping out of the temple and past the shack, it wasn't long before the intrepid trio was on the road heading into town. Still, between their conflicting excitement and apprehension over this endeavor, if there was one thing Steven and Dipper couldn't help but agree on.
"You know, I wish we'd gotten a chance to say goodbye to Mabel before we left…" Dipper frowned as he spared a glance back at the shack in the distance.
"Yeah…" Steven nodded. "But it's ok! I'm sure once she reads the note I left, she won't be too upset."
"Ugh, Steven! What did I tell you about leaving a note?" Amethyst face-palmed. "It's not running away if you just tell everyone where you're going!"
"Oh, don't worry, I didn't," Steven assured. "Mostly 'cause I don't know where we're actually going."
"Uh, yeah, now that you mention it," Dipper spoke up. "What exactly is our, uh, plan with all this anyway?"
"Plan?" Amethyst scoffed. "There is no plan. We go wherever we want, whenever we want."
"Like the No-Home Boys!" Steven chimed in.
"Right…" Dipper dryly pretended to agree. Still, he had to admit, this was better than the alternative. It was better than trying and likely failing to repair a damaged friendship he wasn't so sure could even be saved.
As much as he wanted to take his mind off of Wendy, however, it seemed as though fate had other plans in mind. The trio was caught off guard by the sound of a sudden car horn as a packed vehicle pulled to a stop alongside them.
"Heeeey, what's up, you guys?" Jenny greeted from her spot in the driver's seat. Somehow, most of the other teens were squeezed between the front and back, with Buck, Sour Cream, Lee, Nate, Thompson, and Tambry all vying for space. Dipper noticed that Wendy and Robbie were absent, something he was hugely grateful for. Even as he desperately hoped their other friends knew nothing about his role in their recent breakup.
"Hi, guys!" Steven exclaimed with a friendly smile. Likewise, Amethyst offered the teens a cool, casual nod.
"What's with the sacks?" Lee asked, eyeing their bindles. "You guys practicing being hobos or something?"
"Uh, yeah, actually," Amethyst shrugged..
"We're on the run!" Steven exclaimed.
"O-on the run?" Thompson asked, concerned. "From who?"
"Oh, from no one," Steven reassured. "We're just doing it for fun. Right guys?"
"Yeah…" Dipper halfheartedly agreed. "Fun…"
"You guys are really living wild and free," Buck nodded his approval. "I like it."
"Do you three 'hobos' need a ride to wherever it is you're going?" Jenny asked, smirking. "We still got a little room back there, right guys?"
"Meh," Tambry flatly responded. Even as tightly squeezed as she was between Thompson and Nate, she was still as engrossed in texting away on her phone as ever.
"...We can make room," Sour Cream said a moment later.
"We'd love a ride to the outskirts of town!" Steven grinned. He ran over to the car and jumped up front in between Buck and Sour Cream. "Thanks so much, Jenny!"
"Don't mention it," Jenny laughed before turning back to Amethyst and Dipper. "You guys coming too?"
"You bet," Amethyst readily hopped into the back. "Anything's better than having to just walk like a bunch of squares. Right, Dipper?" She made a point of fixing him with a broad, challenging smirk. A challenge that, given the circumstances, he had no real choice but to take.
"Uh, yeah," he begrudgingly squeezed into what little space was left in the vehicle. "Thanks, you guys."
"So, where were you guys going before you passed by us?" Steven asked as the car continued on its way.
"We were just on our way to the Mystery Shack to pick Wendy up from work," Nate said. "She said she wanted to hang out, blow off some steam, you know?"
"Can't blame her, dude," Lee frowned. "She's been feeling pretty down ever since her and Robbie broke up the other day."
"Yeah…" Steven sighed. "Me and Dipper were actually there when they broke up. Wendy seemed really, really upset…"
" But ," Dipper quickly cut, slapping a hand over Steven's mouth before he could say much else. "J-just so you guys know, neither of us had anything to do with it! So, uh… yeah!"
"Wait, really?" Amethyst spoke up, confused. "Because just the other day, Garnet was telling me all about how you told Wendy that-" She only stopped when Dipper harshly shushed her. To his relief, none of the teens really seemed to notice much.
"Yeah, we don't really know a whole lot about what happened between those two…" Sour Cream mused. "All we know is that it was some pretty heavy drama."
"Wendy won't really tell us anything about it and none of us have heard from Robbie since then," Jenny shrugged. "Guess that's just par for the course when it comes to dating friends."
"It's like asking for trouble," Buck stoutly concluded..
"It still sucks that we can't all hang out like we used to because of this," Thompson said, pouting.
"Eh, they'll get over it," Tambry said, still not looking up from her phone.
"Aw, I'm so sorry, you guys," Steven said, earnest. "I know how hard it can be when your friends fight… But I think Tambry's right! Wendy and Robbie will feel better eventually and then you can all hang out and have fun together, just like before!"
"We hope you're right, Steven," Buck said with the smallest hint of a smile.
"I hope so too…" Dipper muttered, only to himself.
"Well, here we are," Jenny said as she brought the car to a stop. "The outskirts of town. You guys getting out here?"
"Yep!" Amethyst leapt out, grinning at the nearby sign reading " Now leaving Gravity Falls."
"Thanks again for the ride, you guys," Steven smiled at him and Dipper got out of the car with their bindles. "I hope everything turns out alright!"
"Thanks, dude," Lee grinned. "Hope your whole 'hobo' thing works out too!"
"Oh, it will," Amethyst muttered, looking away. "It has to this time..."
"Bye!" Steven waved as the teens drove off.
With that, the trio of 'runaways' was alone on the otherwise empty road. And to Dipper, at least, this whole thing suddenly seemed a lot more immediately, a lot more real . "So… what now?" he asked, barely masking his worry.
"Now," Amethyst smirked. "We just keep on running."
"Until when?" Steven asked.
"Till whenever!" Amethyst laughed as she hosted both boys onto her shoulders. "C'mon!"
Unable to do much else, the boys were simply along for the ride as Amethyst ran into the surrounding woods with both of them in tow. Of course, it wasn't long before she shoved them off, forcing them to walk as forests soon gave way to open fields. A new member had joined them during their trek through the woods, a curious raccoon that Steven was more than happy to let tag along–at least until it turned on him and Dipper, vying for the food in both of their bindles.
Still, random raccoon attacks aside, the boys were quickly discovering that running away was surprisingly liberating. While Steven had already been completely on board, Dipper found himself starting to come around the further they got from Gravity Falls. From everything he wanted to distract himself from, and more importantly, from what he was too ashamed to face.
But now, out here, none of that seemed to matter much at all anymore. With the endless skies above them and the open road ahead of them, there were no limits, no rules, no regrets. They could go anywhere, do anything, be anything they wanted.
And with nothing and no one to stop them, that's exactly what they were going to do.
It didn't take long for Pearl, Mabel, and Connie to make it to the Tent of Telepathy. If anything, they made it in record time, hoping to save the boys as quickly as possible. If they even needed saving in the first place, anyway.
"Alright," Pearl whispered. She clutched her spear tightly as they crept around the perimeter of the tent before finding a way to slip in unseen. "If Gideon is in there, then it stands to reason that Steven and Dipper should be too."
"They've gotta be, I just know it!" Mabel added quietly, yet zealously. "And we're not leaving without 'em!"
"Um, are you guys really sure about this?" Connie asked. "I mean what if Gideon didn't actually capture Steven and Dipper after all? Are you sure you two aren't jumping to conclusions with this whole thing, just a little?"
"I appreciate your concern, Connie," Pearl said, a hand on her hip. "But there's really no other plausible explanation for why the boys would just disappear for no reason."
"Maybe they just left and forgot to tell Mabel?"
"Pfft, nah ," Mabel waved the suggestion off. "They'd never do that. Their lives are definitely in danger and we're the only ones who can save them. Obviously."
"But-"
"That's right," Pearl sternly agreed. "Now, let's get in there and do exactly that!"
"Yeah!" Mabel raised her fists, ready for whatever confrontation was to come as she followed Pearl inside. Connie trailed after them much more anxiously; while she knew there was no stopping them, at least she hoped she could keep them out of trouble. Hopes that were quickly dashed as soon as they found their way to Gideon's dressing room.
They exchanged a set of brief, resolved nods before they made their dramatic entrance. Pearl burst in first, brandishing her spear and boldly proclaiming, "Alright, Gideon, give it up! We know what you've done!"
"And we're not about to let you get away with it!" Mabel added just as dramatically as she hopped in after Pearl.
"W-wha-" Gideon started as he spun around to face the intruders. Since he was in the middle of getting ready for his next show, his usually neat-pompadour was only half-hair sprayed, his blazer unbuttoned, and his eyes wide with genuine alarm. "M-Mabel, darlin'! How unexpected! And, ugh… you ," His sudden, excited smile fizzled completely when he looked over at Pearl. "What in the world are ya'll doin' here?!"
"Don't try to play dumb!" Mabel pointed an accusing finger at him. "We know you captured Dipper and Steven as part of one of your big, dumb 'revenge' schemes!"
"I did what now?" Gideon asked, baffled.
"So spill it!" Mabel demanded. "Where are you keeping them? In here?" She ran over to his wardrobe, throwing it open as she ripped several of his freshly-pressed suits out of it. "In here?" Next, she threw a chest open, only to find it filled to the brim with hair-care products instead of any signs of the boys. "Or what about here?!" She finished with the minifridge, pilfering through Gideon's generous stock of sparkling water, all in vain.
As dumbfounded as Gideon was, he could only let out a small, frightened squeak when he suddenly found himself on the wrong end of Pearl's spear. "Listen here, you little menace," she began, her voice low and vicious. "Over the past several centuries, I've learned over 200 different interrogation tactics and I'm not afraid to use any of them if it helps us get Steven and Dipper back safely. So you'd best start talking or else ."
"Uh, Pearl?" Connie piped up behind her. "Don't you think that's a little extreme?"
"Oh, no, no," Pearl shook her head as she inched her spear even closer to Gideon. "If anything, I'm being far too lenient on this… degenerate ."
"B-but I didn't even do anything!" Gideon protested. "Today, at least."
"Ha! Likely story!" Mabel exclaimed. "If you didn't capture Steven and Dipper, then where were you on Tuesday the 6th?"
"Huh?"
"Okay, I think that's enough," Connie cut in as she came to stand between the irate pair and Gideon. "You guys, I really don't think he did what you're accusing him of."
"Oh, thank heavens!" Gideon heaved a sigh of relief. "Finally someone with some sense, uh…"
"Oh, that's right, you two haven't met," Mabel snapped her fingers. "Gideon, this is Connie. Connie, Gideon."
"Uh, hi?" Connie briefly glanced back at him.
"Howdy," Gideon returned, frowning.
"Enough introductions!" Pearl huffed impatiently. "I'm only going to warn you one last time, Gideon; tell us where Steven and Dipper are or face dire consequences!"
"For the last time, I didn't make off with those two!" Gideon snapped, frustrated. "I already tried that before, remember? Twice . And though I'm loathed to admit it, neither attempt went very… well. Do you really think I'd be dumb enough to give it a third go?"
"Frankly? Yes," Pearl said point-blank.
"Fine!" Gideon scowled as he stood, throwing his arms up. "Go ahead and search the whole tent if ya want. I promise you won't find any evidence of any sort of misdeeds or malevolence."
"And if we do?" Pearl eyed him distrustfully.
Before Gideon could even offer a response, Mabel jumped in with a much more violent response. "Death by ocelots!"
" Or ," Connie interjected. "We could just call the police?"
A beat of silence passed, but to her and Gideon's relief, Mabel and Pearl largely agreed with her much more rational idea.
"Oh, yeah, I guess we could do that."
"Probably should have done that from the beginning, to be honest."
With that, the group got to searching, all while dragging Gideon along with them just to make sure he didn't try to slip away behind their backs. After checking every last inch of the dressing room, they investigated the stage and storage areas, even going as far as combing through the parking lot. And yet, despite their keen examination, they didn't find so much as a single trace of either of the boys. The very outcome Connie had anticipated all along, even if Pearl and Mabel were completely confounded by it.
"I don't understand," Pearl shook her head as they regrouped outside of the tent. "We searched high and low… Where in the world could they be?"
"Well, I can sure tell you where they're not ," Gideon scowled as he stormed back over to the tent. "A word of advice for you ladies? Next time ya'll wanna accuse someone of a crime they didn't commit, make sure you actually got some genuine proof first. And more importantly, make sure ya don't interrupt someone when they're in the middle of preening their pompadour! That's just plain rude ."
He turned his nose up at the trio, haughtily stepping back into the tent to leave them to their fruitless quest. One that they had no more leads to now than when they started.
"Alright, so maybe Gideon didn't capture them," Mabel finally admitted.
"Oh, really?" Connie deadpanned, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, that still doesn't explain what actually did happen to the boys," Pearl frowned. "They could be anywhere. I suppose we'll just have to search the entire town until we find them."
"Um, or we could check the temple again just in case they went back while we were gone?" Connie said. Even if she already knew her idea, just like all of the others, would fall on deaf ears when it came to Pearl and Mabel.
Her hunch was proven right when the pair only needed to exchange a glance before they reached the exact same decision. However misguided it might be.
"So we're searching the town then?"
"Oh, absolutely."
And, just like before, neither of them heard Connie's disgruntled sigh as she begrudgingly followed along after them. Someone had to make sure they didn't incorrectly accuse someone else of an actual crime–or worse. Someone had to stop them from getting too carried away, from going too far, from falling straight over the edge into insanity.
And unfortunately for Connie, that someone was her.
As the sun began to sink through the sky, Steven, Dipper, and Amethyst hopped onto an open train car as it sped through the valley. It was a much quicker, far more scenic way to travel, one that gave them a much-needed break after the lengthy hike out of town. As they settled into the hay-filled car, Steven decided to pass the time by entertaining his companions with, of all things, a song.
"It's time to get moving, time for us to have some fun," he began a bright, upbeat tune.
"There's no time to hang around, our adventure's just begun!" While Dipper was caught off guard by the sudden performance, Amethyst grinned as she tapped her hand against the floor of the car to create a fitting beat.
"We'll be thinkin' 'bout our friends as we chase the setting sun–"
"But we're leaving them behind," Amethyst joined in as Steven brought the first verse to an end. "We're on the run!"
"Come on, Dipper!" Steven encouraged, grinning. "Sing with me!"
"Uh… no thanks," Dipper tried his best not to cringe. "I don't really do much of… that. I think we're both better off leaving the whole singing thing to you."
"Aw, but it's so easy–and fun!" Steven implored as he grabbed his hand. "Please? Just this once? For me?"
As Steven gave his hand the slightest squeeze, Dipper started, his face suddenly warm for some strange reason. Despite how unbearably awkward the thought of randomly breaking out into song was for him, he couldn't help but start to cave when he met the earnest, hopeful look the other boy was sending his way. "I-I, uh… wouldn't really know what to sing…"
"That's ok!" Steven warmly assured. "You can just follow along after me." He sat a bit straighter, clearing his throat as he kicked off the next verse.
"We're on the run…"
For his part, Dipper took in a deep breath, ignoring the blush still burning his face as he prepared to sing after Steven. At least until Amethyst jumped in with a verse all her own before he could even get a single note out.
"I don't care about what all the others say."
"We're on the run…" While surprised, Steven still continued his part of the melody. Dipper simply shrugged, secretly grateful for the unexpected save.
"Well I guess there are some things that will just never go away."
"We're on the run…"
"I wish that I could say that there's no better place than home-"
"But home's a place that I have never known!" Steven and Amethyst finished on the same strangely wistful sentiment. One that was clearly coming more from one of them than the other.
"That's why we're on the run…"
As the song faded against the sound of the train's whistle, a beat of silence fell over the trio. It carried something almost akin to melancholy–until Steven cut through it with an indignant huff. "Aw, man, Amethyst!" he pouted, disappointed. "As good as that was, you didn't give Dipper a chance to sing at all!"
"Whatever," Amethyst shrugged, unconcerned.
"It's fine, Steven, really," Dipper said with a small, diffident smile. "I can always join you, uh, next time, right?"
"Yeah!" Steven cheered, stars in his eyes. "Just think of all the other great new songs we can come up with and sing out here on the road! And look at that sunset!" He waved his hand out past the car doors, where the crisp glow of the sun was just disappearing over the distant hills. "This is the life!"
"You can say that again," Amethyst agreed, propping herself against a hay bale.
"Yeah, you know, I gotta admit, I wasn't really feeling it at first," Dipper rubbed the back of his neck, grinning. "But now that we're actually out here, it's kind of nice and relaxing."
"That's what I was trying to tell you, dude," Amethyst said. "Out here, there's nothing to worry about. We go with the flow, ride the rails, and do nothing but chill. It's way better than having to follow a bunch of dumb rules and be whatever someone else wants you to be."
"And the best part is, we still have plenty of delicious snacks to enjoy!" Steven pulled a sandwich out of his bindle as Dipper did the same. And yet, before either of them could chow down, a familiar, frightening face just so happened to leap into the train car to stop them.
"Ah!" Steven cried as the raccoon pounced on him, stealing his food. "The raccoon is back!"
"Hold on, Steven! I got this!" Dipper grabbed the stick of his bindle to beat the critter back. Of course, it saw his swing coming and grabbed the stick just in time, pulling on it hard enough to knock Dipper off his feet altogether. With that, the raccoon skittered off, taking both boys' supply of food along with it.
"Aw, man!" Steven exclaimed, dismayed. Still, they weren't out of options just yet. "Um, Amethyst? Could we maybe have some of your food?"
Of course, at that exact moment, Amethyst was already in the middle of dumping her entire bindle into her mouth all at once. "Huh?" she asked, her mouth full of food she certainly wasn't going to share. "Oh, uh… sorry, guys."
"See? I knew this would happen," Dipper crossed his arms as he sat down on another hay bale.
"I guess our bindles couldn't fit enough for us and a raccoon…" Steven sighed against the sound of his rumbling stomach.
"Why didn't you just bring your backpack?" Amethyst asked him.
"...It wouldn't fit in my bindle?" Steven shrugged, embarrassed. He wasn't about to let that get the better of him, however. Not when they were so early on into their on the run adventure. "Maybe I can just sleep the hunger off. Just like the No-Home Boys."
"Might as well… Dipper agreed, as he lay down. It wasn't long before the train hit a rough bump, one that sent both him rolling off his stack of hay and onto the hard metal floor. "Ow!" he yelped, resting a hand against the sore-spot on the back of his head. "Ugh, why did I think that would be a good idea?!"
"You know," Steven said as he sat up, frowning. "I feel like I've been misled about hay. It always looks so soft in those illustrations, but it's actually really scratchy."
No more than a minute later, the train jolted again, sending one of the stacked hay bales toppling down right on top of him. And, ironically enough, that proved to be the literal straw to break the camel's back. "Amethyst, I wanna go home now."
"Same here," Dipper sighed. "I hate to say it, but I think going home and finally facing Wendy would be easier than having to live like… well, this. N-not that I'd actually do that if we do go home, but still."
"Pfft," Amethyst scoffed as she took a seat on the edge of the train car. "You guys need to get over yourselves. Have you ever tried not being such wimps?"
"…Doesn't running away technically make us all wimps?" Dipper questioned.
"Well, either way, I think I'm done being a No-Home Boy," Steven tiredly concluded.
"Not me," Amethyst said as she continued staring at the passing scenery.
"Amethyst, you don't honestly expect us to be able to last out here forever, do you?" Dipper asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I dunno, maybe," Amethyst turned her nose up at both boys. "You might if you learn to toughen up a bit."
"But… I'm sure Garnet and Pearl and Mr. Pines and Mabel are worried sick about us," Steven pointed out. "They're probably wondering when we're coming home right-"
"That's not my home," Amethyst suddenly, sharply cut him off.
"Huh?" Steven asked, confused.
"Oh yeah, that's right," Dipper said. "You're from Homeworld."
"That's not my home either!"
By now, both boys were more than a bit puzzled and perplexed. As on-edge as Amethyst clearly was, they almost didn't even want to ask. But in the end, curiosity got the better of them as Dipper decided to voice the question they both had on their minds. "Then… where are you from?"
To their surprise, Amethyst simply offered them a slow, mysterious smile, saying nothing else other than simply, "I'll show you."
With their mission more than clear, Pearl and Mabel led the way into town, with Connie tentatively tagging along behind them. They stopped just about everyone they saw, either asking or outright interrogating them as to Dipper and Steven's whereabouts. They checked the local restaurants, quickly getting kicked out of Fish Stew Pizza and Greasy's Diner for disturbing the peace. They passed by the police station, still not reporting the situation in favor of trying in vain to get answers out of Onion instead. They even investigated the dump, only to quickly retreat upon finding Old Man McGucket in the middle of a heated argument with his raccoon wife.
And yet, for all their intensive searching, there still wasn't any sign of either of the boys to be found. By the time they began trudging back to the temple, the sun sat low in the sky and they'd long since exhausted all of their options. And while Mabel and Pearl were still determined to get to the bottom of this troubling mystery, Connie couldn't help but finally voice what she had been thinking all day.
"Ok, you guys," she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as they scaled the temple steps. "We asked basically everyone in Gravity Falls. Can we finally admit to ourselves that Steven and Dipper probably weren't kidnapped by anyone?"
"Anyone in town ," Mabel corrected. "There's all sorts of crazy stuff in the woods that could have taken them, like a witch or a giant worm or a talking waffle with really buff arms."
"...What?"
" Or ," Pearl countered much more reasonably. "A corrupted Gem could have gotten ahold of them, or, even if they weren't captured, they could be off somewhere, stuck and afraid and desperately in need of help!" She reached the door first, opening it to allow the girls in ahead of her. "That's why we came back here to get some backup and-"
Pearl stopped short when she glanced up, only to find they weren't alone. Instead of finding the boys safe and sound, however, Garnet stood in the kitchen, looking over a piece of paper, instead. "G-Garnet?" Pearl asked, surprised.
"Welcome back," she greeted simply, not looking up from the paper.
"What are you reading?" Connie asked, curious.
"This note Steven left behind explaining where he, Dipper, and Amethyst went off to earlier."
" What?!" Pearl started, aghast. She swiped the note when Garnet handed it over to her, rapidly skimming it before she let out an appalled gasp. "They ran away ?! On their own accord?"
"Wait, so they weren't kidnapped?" Mabel asked, baffled.
"Ugh, no ! They weren't !" Connie snapped as she finally reached her breaking point. "That's what I've been trying to tell you two all day! But did either of you even think about listening to me? Noooo, you were too busy threatening everyone even remotely suspicious!"
"Eh, to be fair, Gideon is like, always suspicious, all the time," Mabel pointed out. "He just… wasn't as suspicious as usual today."
"That's not the point," Connie shook her head, annoyed. "They point is, you both got too carried away with this whole thing that you couldn't even see clearly. And because of that, we wasted the entire day on nothing ."
Pearl and Mabel both took pause, exchanging a wide-eyed, apprehensive glance. Still, if neither of them wanted to admit they agreed with her, Garnet was more than ready to do so in their stead. "Connie is right," she said, crossing her arms.. "Pearl, you're not going to want to hear this, but from the way it sounds, you acted impulsively today. Recklessly. A bit like Amethyst, if you ask me."
"W-what?" Pearl gaped, scandalized. "No, Garnet, you don't understand. I was just… I-I didn't mean to… I was… Like Amethyst ?" She ultimately folded into defeated dismay. "Really?"
"And Mabel="
"Eh, it's ok, Garnet," Mabel shrugged. "Dipper's gotten on my case a ton of times about how I get too carried away with stuff. He's right and so are you, Connie." She offered the other girl a small, apologetic smile as she rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry we didn't listen to you. I'll try to do better next time, ok? Especially since you're usually right about almost everything."
This caught Connie off guard just as much as Mabel suddenly pulling her into a tight hug did. Stll, she chuckled softly as she moved to return it, despite the warmth building up behind her cheeks. "W-well, I don't know about everything ," she said, flustered. "But thanks."
"Wait, I still don't understand," Pearl shook her head as she read over Steven's note again. "This says that Amethyst took the boys and ran away, because of course she would do something like that." She huffed, rolling her eyes. "But where exactly are they running away to?"
Garnet adjusted her shades, relying on her future vision to show her an answer. And a troubling one at that. "The Kindergarten," she said, her expression darkening.
Though Pearl let out an alarmed gasp, Mabel and Connie simply looked at each other, confused. "A kindergarten?" Connie asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why would Amethyst take them to a place like that?"
"Yeah, I mean, Dipper and Steven are a little old to be going back to kindergarten," Mabel pointed out. "As fun as it is with all of the snacks and crafts and naps-"
"It's not that kind of Kindergarten," Garnet said flatly.
"Oh, of all of the thoughtless, irresponsible-" Pearl cut her angry grumbling off as she stormed over to the warp pad. "I'm going to go get them and bring them back before anyone gets hurt. Are you coming, Garnet?"
"No." Garnet caught Mabel and Connie off guard when she put her hands on their shoulders and gently nudged them forward. "They are."
"Huh?" the girls asked, equally surprised.
Likewise, Pearl started, baffled by the very suggestion. "No, that… that's out of the question. The Kindergarten is extremely dangerous, Garnet. None of the kids should be there, that's exactly why I'm going to get the boys. It was outrageous for Amethyst to even think about taking them to-"
"But it was perfectly alright for you to take the girls on an interrogation-spree all over town," Garnet countered calmly.
Pearl blushed, clearing her throat. "I… I see your point. Alright, girls, come along then. But please stay close to me the entire time. The Kindergarten is… unnerving, to say the very least."
Despite this ominous warning, Mabel readily ran over to the warp pad and hopped up onto it. Connie approached more cautiously, at least until Mabel grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up to join them. "Well, at least we actually know where Steven and Dipper are this time…" she said, apprehensive.
"Yeah, and we're gonna save 'em for sure this time!" Mabel boldly proclaimed. "Let's hurry, Pearl, before they're attacked by a pack of ravenous five-year olds fighting over the last chocolate milk!"
"Again," Pearl sighed, equally exhausted and anxious as she warped them out. After the day she was having, it was hard not to be. And she had a feeling that, with their daunting destination in mind, it was only about to get worse from here. "It's not that kind of Kindergarten."
Amethyst made a point of ignoring the boys' questions as she led the way to her mysterious 'home'. She'd been largely silent since they'd left the train, but as they approached their apparent destination, she finally seemed to perk up. As for that destination, however…
The second they stepped past the threshold of a dark, towering canyon, something felt… off. That feeling only grew the deeper they descended into the canyon, between high walls of dry, desolate earth. Outside of their own echoing footsteps, the still, stale air was densely, deathly silent. At least until Amethyst cheerily decided to break it.
"Here we are!" she beamed, as if nothing was wrong about this unsettling place in the slightest. "Welcome to the Kindergarten! What do you guys think?"
"Um… It's great!" Steven exclaimed, forcing a smile.
"Uh, Amethyst?" Dipper spoke up. "This… isn't a kindergarten."
"What? Yeah, it is," Amethyst rolled her eyes. "I mean, there's no flashy sign or anything, but this is the real deal, for sure. Believe me, I would know."
"No, I mean-" Dipper cut himself off before starting over in terms a literal alien would understand. "Look, a kindergarten is like… well basically, it's a school for really little kids. And this place… Well, this place couldn't be any further than that."
"Oh, what, you don't believe me?" Amethyst challenged. "Come on, I'll show you!" She grabbed both boys by the arms, dragging them further into the colorless canyon. As they went, they began to notice holes dotting the stony walls surrounding them. Deep holes of all sizes, each of them oddly almost human -shaped. Even stranger yet were the massive, drill-like machines clinging to the cliffsides, hanging precariously high over their heads like shadows against the dull sky. It all came together to create a place that felt practically haunted, as if they were intruding upon ground that should not be tread. Ground that had been taken and tainted by some destructive, devastating force.
Ground that had the very life sucked straight out of it so very long ago.
"Ok, Amethyst, what is this place, really?" Dipper finally posed the question both he and Steven were thinking.
"It's kinda where I'm from," Amethyst glanced back, shrugging.
"But… I thought Gems were from space?" Steven frowned, confused.
"Pearl and Garnet are," Amethyst explained. "But I was made here on Earth. Like you two!"
"Wait, you're from Earth ?" Dipper asked, taken aback. "But how-"
"Don't act so surprised, dude," Amethyst flashed him a wry smirk. "You know, you're skeeving out the exact same way your uncle did when I brought him here a bunch of years ago."
" Stan's been here before?" Dipper asked, bewildered.
"Oh, totally," Amethyst chuckled. "I invited him out here to my old digs to chill with me, but he was like, kinda weirded out by all this? Don't know why though. The Kindergarten's where the party's at. Oh, and check it out!"
She ran on ahead to a nearby boulder, happily throwing her arms around it. "Oh man, I missed this guy!" she exclaimed, grinning. "It's my climbing rock!"
"Uh, hello!" Steven greeted the rock with an uncertain smile.
"Steven, that's a rock," Dipper deadpanned.
"Heck yeah it is!" Amethyst chuckled. "And over there-" She pointed to another boulder, vaulting herself up on top of it. "That's the sitting rock! And that one was the rock that I kicked into two rocks!" She flashed a smile down at the boys below her. "Pretty cool, huh?"
"So, how long did you live here?" Steven asked.
"For a while, I guess," Amethyst shrugged. "At least until I met your mom and the others." She didn't say much else as she flopped off the climbing rock and ran further into the Kindergarten. While Steven eagerly followed, Dipper stopped short as they passed directly under one of the drills, daunted by the sheer size of it alone.
"Whoa," he breathed, unsettled. "What are all those things anyway?"
"Eh, it's just some old Gem junk from a long time ago," Amethyst dismissively replied. "It's probably busted by now. But who cares about that? Check this out!" She pressed on ahead to one of the many holes dotting the cliff face, a noticeably smaller one against the ground. "Here's the hole I came out of!"
"What?!" both boys exclaimed as they hurried over to see for themselves.
"It's my hole ," she repeated, smirking. "Look! It's me siiiiizeeed…" Amethyst laughed as she inserted herself into the hole, sliding back into it seamlessly, as if it was indeed made for her and her alone. "Ah, it's still got that good hole smell."
"Let me get this straight," Steven interrupted as he and Dipper peered into the hole.. "You came out of this hole?"
"This is where I was made, dude," Amethyst nodded. "One day just… pop ! Right outta this hole."
"Hold on," Dipper said, floored as he tried to wrap his head around what she was implying. "So that's how Gems are made? You guys just… come out of the ground?! Well, actually, I guess that makes sense, seeing as how gem gems are made, but still—this is crazy!"
"Yep! That's exactly what Stan said too," Amethyst said with teasing grin.
"So… if this is your hole…" Steven backed away to get a better look at the hundreds of other holes on that wall alone. Hundreds among potentially thousands lining the Kindergarten walls. "What about all the other holes?"
This question was ultimately left unanswered, however. Because just then, the boys started at the telltale chime of the nearby warp pad, making the arrival of three familiar faces.
"Oh, look! There they are!" Mabel shouted as she waved down to the boys. Likewise, Connie let out a sigh of relief that their lengthy, chaotic search had at long last reached its end. Even if it was in a place like, well, this .
" Finally ," Pearl shared their sentiment. Even so, she hesitated in climbing down from the warp pad to join the others on the ground. Rather, she stole an anxious glance around the Kindergarten. A place she'd been too far too many times, one that carried far too many unpleasant memories along with it.
" Great ," Amethyst groaned as she pulled herself out of her hole. "Here comes the fun police…"
"We've been looking everywhere for you guys," Connie told the boys. "And I mean everywhere . I'm pretty sure half the town is in the process of filing restraining orders after our, uh, 'investigation' for you two."
"Uh… that sounds… intense?" Dipper said, concerned. "What do you mean?"
"We'll fill you in on all the deets later. For now, I'm so glad we finally found you!" Mabel pulled both boys into a tight hug. And then, just as quickly, she pulled away to swiftly smack them both on the backs of their heads.
"Ow!" Dipper shot his sister a glare. "Mabel, what-"
"That's for running away without us, you dummies!" she pouted angrily. "If you'd actually waited for me and Connie, then we could have come along and joined in on the fun too. I would have even packed us some cookies for the road!"
"Well, they probably wouldn't have lasted that long anyway thanks to the racoon…" Steven frowned.
"Trust us, Mabel, life on the road isn't as fun as it sounds," Dipper shook his head. "We just-"
"I don't wanna hear a peep outta you, Mr. 'Runs-Away-So-He-Doesn't-Have-To-Face-His-Problems'," Mabel turned her nose up at him. "I know you only did this so you wouldn't have to talk to Wendy, even though that's what you need to do!"
"Oh, come on!" Dipper exclaimed, exasperated. "That's not what this is about!"
"Really?" Steven asked. "Because I thought you said that you weren't going to talk to Wendy, even if we-"
"Steven!" Dipper harshly cut him off. Fortunately though, before their conversation could really continue, Pearl intervened as she came over to check on them.
"Oh, I'm so relieved to see you boys are alright," she sighed, both relieved and exhausted. "Garnet said you'd all be here, but I didn't want to believe it. Amethyst, what were you thinking bringing Steven and Dipper to a… Kindergarten ?"
"Oh yeah, that's right," Mabel frowned as she glanced around the stony, hole-ridden walls. "Huh. This place really doesn't look a lot like your usual kindergarten. Where's the toys and milk and little kids sitting on a rug for storytime."
"It's not that kind of kindergarten, remember?" Connie pointed out in a whisper.
"Well, Amethyst?" Pearl raised an eyebrow down at the other Gem. "Care to explain?"
"I dunno," Amethyst scowled, kicking a nearby pebble. "We were in the neighborhood. And hey, don't act like I'm the only bad example. You brought Mabel and Connie here, after all."
"Only because Garnet said it was alright," Pearl asserted, crossing her arms. She started, however, when she felt Steven lightly tug on her sash to get her attention.
"Pearl?" he began, apprehensive "Was Amethyst really… made here?"
Pearl drew in a sharp breath as she sharply turned her attention back on Amethyst. "How much did you tell them?"
"What? You mean about the bad thing?" Amethyst asked, growing angrier and angrier by the second. "How this bad place is where bad Gems came to grow more bad Gems? Is that what you're talking about?!"
"No way. They made other Gems here?" Dipper asked, awestruck.
"Cool! Where are they?!" Mabel grinned, glancing around.
"Thankfully, not here," Pearl said. "Amethyst, none of them are ready to hear about this!"
"A-about what?" Connie asked, unnerved.
"Oh, but don't worry, you guys," Amethyst faked a smile as she pressed past Pearl to step closer to the kids. "Everything's just fine now."
"Amethyst-" Pearl attempted to cut in, only to end up ignored.
"It all worked out. We won !"
" Stop -"
"And we shut this place down so the Earth would be safe from parasites like me !"
"Amethyst! That's enough !" Pearl shouted as she protectively stepped in front of the kids.
"Pearl?" Steven spoke up, worried. Dipper, Mabel, and Connie all shared that worry, none of them quite sure of what to think. Something was going on here, something with roots far deeper than any of them could have anticipated. Something that none of them had the slightest clue how to even begin to approach.
"Oh, kids, I'm so sorry," Pearl sighed as she glanced back at them. "None of you should have ever had to see this horrible place."
Amethyst bristled when she heard this. If everything else hadn't been enough to set her off, it proved to finally be what pushed her over the edge. "Then why don't you just leave ?!" she snapped as she summoned her whip.
Pearl barely had a chance to glance back at her before Amethyst's whip coiled around her waist. The kids gasped, alarmed, as Amethyst tossed her hard toward the nearest drill, which she crashed into brutally before hitting the ground.
"Admit it!" Amethyst yelled, furious. "I'm just an embarrassment to you!"
This time, Pearl managed to dodge her whip, not noticing as it sliced through one of the legs of the drill. At the same time, the kids rushed forward, still at a loss over what to do. But even still, one thing was clear: they had to put a stop to this sudden violence, and fast.
"Amethyst, wait!" Steven exclaimed, distraught. "You don't have to do this!"
"Y-yeah!" Mabel agreed. "You guys are friends! You shouldn't fight!"
Amethyst said nothing as she turned on the kids, shapeshifting her hand to be big enough to grab all four of them at once. There was little they could do as she tossed them all aside, refusing to let them distract her from the true target of her rage. Refusing to let them get in the middle of the tension that had been building between her and Pearl for far too long now.
"Uh, guys?" Dipper said once they landed, thankfully unscathed. "Maybe we shouldn't get involved in this…"
"No way!" Steven exclaimed. "We gotta stop this before they hurt each other!"
"Or before they end up hurting us on accident," Connie winced as she shielded herself from the rubble of the rock Amethyst had just viciously shattered.
"Amethyst!" Pearl shouted as she summoned her spear, just in case. "I don't want to fight you!"
"I wouldn't wanna fight me neither!" Amethyst snarled.
Far too enraged to back down now, she curled into a ball and sped straight at Pearl at a frightening speed. She rolled out of the way just in time, firing a few energy blasts from her spear to try and slow Amethyst down. That tactic proved fruitless when Amethyst simply outmaneuvered them, rolling against the wall of the canyon before leaping high into the air. From there, she threw her whip down at Pearl hard, only for her spear to end up slicing it clean in half.
"You guys!" Steven rushed forward again, despite his friends warning against it. "Stop it!"
"Stay out of it!" Amethyst fiercely ordered. She summoned another whip, tossing it at him and letting it tie itself around him tight. The force of it alone was enough to knock him back and send him to the ground, though it wasn't long before the others were at his side to pry him free.
"Are you ok?" Connie asked, worried.
"I'm fine," Steven quickly assured. He frowned as he looked up to see Pearl and Amethyst still duking it out without any signs of stopping. "But they're not."
Once again, Pearl easily leapt out of the way of Amethyst's whip. By now, this brawl had clearly reached a stalemate, something Pearl knew just as much as she knew Amethyst would never admit it. "Amethyst, stop this!" she urged sternly. "You can't beat me!"
"I don't CARE!" Amethyst practically screamed. In her rage, she pulled two more whips out of her gem, brutally cracking them in Pearl's direction. Both of them latched onto her spear and she yanked hard enough to nearly rip the weapon clean out of her hands. "I'm not gonna let you stand there and remind me of everything I hate about myself!"
With another seething shout, she rippled her whips again, letting a burst of energy split through them both. Pearl could do nothing to stop the resounding explosion they caused, one that rattled the entire Kindergarten, knocking the kids to the brittle ground. For her part, Pearl was thrown back hard into the same drill she'd struck earlier, struggling to pick herself up after such a brutal blow even as Amethyst stormed over to her.
"I never asked for it to be like this." Pearl looked up to find that Amethyst's anger was quickly giving way to despair. Heavy tears streaked down her face as she choked out a sob, her voice ragged as she admitted the truth. And what an utterly devastating truth it was. "I never asked to come out here! I never asked to be one of them! I never asked to be made !"
For a moment, Pearl was stunned into silence. All she could do was stare at her teammate, nearly moved to tears herself at the sight of just how clearly miserable she really was. By how miserable she'd probably been for a long time now, without any of them even noticing at all.
"Amethyst…" she muttered, unsure of where to even start. Not that she got much of a chance to as the kids finally found their chance to intervene.
"Amethyst, please, no more!" Steven pleaded tearfully. Connie, Dipper, and Mabel joined him, all just as intent on finding some way, any way to stop this. "I know you're upset, but I can't stand to watch you two hurt each other."
"Seriously, can't you two just… talk this out or something?" Dipper anxiously suggested. "It's bound to be easier than just beating each other senseless."
Amethyst only had time to draw in a breath before a sickening creak echoed through the air above. Everyone glanced up to find an alarming sight: one of the legs keeping the drill hanging over their heads had snapped. Acting quickly, Steven summoned a bubble around himself and the others, only to find that someone was still standing right outside of its protection.
"Amethyst!" Steven cried, afraid. He shouted for her again, only for Amethyst to look between him and the drill before she ultimately ran off, alone. Right as the drill came crashing down on them all.
Thankfully, the bubble did its job perfectly. As the dust began to settle, Steven let it fall, revealing the machine's wrecked remains, and little else.
Amethyst was nowhere in sight.
"Amethyst!" Steven ran forward, desperately searching for her. The others weren't far behind, all of them hoping against hope that the worst hadn't happened. That it wasn't already too late.
"Amethyst, where are you!?" Mabel called as loudly as she could.
"Wait, do you guys hear that?" Dipper asked as he caught the faintest sound of something nearby.
"Hm…" Connie paused, listening for it again. "It sounds like it's coming from-"
"The hole!" Steven gasped. He led the way, running for Amethyst's hole, only to find it blocked by a heap of rubble. Pearl stood a distance away, shaken, as she watched the kids work together to remove the blockade. Still, she couldn't deny the overwhelming relief when they peered inside and found exactly who they were looking for.
"Amethyst!" Steven exclaimed, surprised at the sight of her. She was huddled at the very back of her hole, her back to them, her shoulders shaking, and her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Still, if nothing else, it seemed as though she had escaped the drill's collapse mostly unscathed. Physically, at least.
"Go away," Amethyst muttered bitterly. "I'm bad and you guys shouldn't be around me."
"What?" Connie asked, confused. "That's ridiculous!"
"Yeah!" Mabel soundly agreed. "Amethyst, you're like, one of the coolest Gems we know! Then again, we only know like, four Gems, but still, you're great!"
"And hey, even though things are kind of… rough right now, we still had a fun time hanging out with you today, even if we almost died several times," Dipper said, "Right, Steven?"
"We did!" Steven nodded. "Look, Amethyst, we don't really know what any of this means, but-"
"Yeah, you don't," Amethyst coldly cut in. "'Cause if you did, then you wouldn't be talking to me."
The kids exchanged a glance of this, none of them knowing how to respond. Even without the full story of this place, they could tell it caused plenty of pain in the past, not just for the Earth, but for the very Gem created in it. Pain that none of them truly understood… but that didn't mean they couldn't turn to someone else who just might.
"I have an idea," Steven suddenly said. "Pearl, you gotta get in here. You have to help us."
"But-"
"You have to talk to her," he sternly insisted.
"Maybe if you do, then she'll feel better and come out!" Mabel added with a small, reassuring smile.
For as many misgivings as she might have had with this plan, Pearl still drew in a determined breath all the same. "Y-you're right," she said. "As difficult as all of this is, avoiding it isn't helping anything."
"Hey, doesn't that sound familiar, bro-bro?" Mabel asked, elbowing her brother.
"Mabel, now's really not the time for this," Dipper returned in a whisper. Even if he knew she was right, as much as he really didn't want to admit it.
Meanwhile, Pearl knelt down to the hole, slowly easing her way into the opening in the wall to take a seat next to Amethyst. For what felt like ages, neither of them said anything, until Pearl finally worked up the courage to go first. "Amethyst…" she reached her hand out, only to end up pulling it back "Amethyst, I had no idea you've been upset about this."
"What?!" Amethyst scoffed as she finally turned to face her. She made no effort to hide the tears still rolling down her face. "You had no idea?! This is like, my entire existence! You wanna pretend like none of this ever happened! You think I'm just a big mistake !"
"No, no!" Pearl quickly protested. "Amethyst, you're not the mistake. You're just the byproduct of a… big mistake…"
She trailed off, flustered by her own slip-up. Understandably, Amethyst only offered her a bitter glare while the kids shook their heads disapprovingly. Still, Pearl tried her best to recollect herself and recover from it. "No, that's not-" she awkwardly tried again. "I… I just never thought of this as you . None of this is your fault. You didn't build this place."
Despite everything else, Amethyst paused when she heard this. Because nobody, not even Rose herself, had ever told her this before. Nobody had ever told her that she wasn't actually part of this problem after all. Nobody had ever told her that this wasn't her burden to bear.
Nobody… until now .
"I'm sorry, Amethyst," Pearl gave her a small, sincere smile. "I hope you can forgive me. You're the one good thing that came out of this mess. I always thought you were proud of that."
That gentle smile stayed as Pearl extended an inviting hand to her. One that sought to pull her out of the guilt she'd been drowning in for practically her entire existence. Guilt that, Amethyst slowly realized, should have never been hers in the first place.
So, she took Pearl's hand and let her lead out of her hole. Away from the shadows of her past and to a better, brighter future instead. And unlike so many times before, this time when she left the hole she'd emerged from… she didn't bother looking back.
The kids shared a sigh of relief when the pair of Gems emerged from the hole together. That relief only grew when they watched Amethyst silently showed her gratitude to Pearl in the form of a tight, tearful hug. One that she was more than happy to return.
"Aw, they're friends again!" Mabel said, beaming.
"Yeah…" Steven nodded with a content smile of his own. "And you know? I have a feeling things will be even better between them from now on."
"Even better…" Dipper repeated to himself. If spending the entire day on the run hadn't taught him his lesson the hard way, what just happened here certainly had. He couldn't avoid the problem staring him in the face any longer. Much like Pearl and Amethyst, he had to stop running and confront it. He had to talk to Wendy–no matter how difficult it might be.
Because maybe, just maybe, if he did, then things might actually end up even better after all.
"Is everybody ready to head home?" Pearl asked as she led the way to the warp pad.
" More than ready…" Connie said, yawning after such a taxing day.
"Yes!" Steven agreed. "Let's go home so Steven can sleep in a bed!"
"Yeah, I think I've had enough of life on the road for one day…" Dipper said, just as tiredly.
"Seriously though, if you guys ever decide to do this again, please let us know!" Mabel pleaded.
"Somehow I doubt we'll be doing this again…" Pearl sent Amethyst a sly smirk. She returned it in full, knowing she had no reason to run anymore. Not now that she knew exactly where she belonged.
With that, the Gems and the kids warped away, leaving the Kindergarten behind. And yet, even still, in the empty silence that followed, something almost seemed to echo faintly through the canyon.
The echo of the Gems who had built it centuries ago.
By the next day, everything had finally seemed to return to normal. Or almost everything, something that Dipper planned on fixing as soon as he could. That was exactly why he was sitting outside of the Mystery Shack, anxiously and eagerly waiting, all while rehearsing what he wanted to say. None of that seemed to matter much though, when he finally spotted who he was waiting for strolling in for her shift.
"Wendy!" he called as he got up and ran over to her.
"Dipper!" Wendy offered him a relieved grin. "There you are, dude! I was looking all over for you yesterday."
"W-wait, really?" Dipper asked, surprised.
"Well, duh! My friends told me that they gave you, Steven, and Amethyst a ride out of town yesterday because you all were 'on the run' or something?"
"Oh, right…" Dipper frowned, a bit embarrassed.
"Gotta say, that's pretty gutsy of you, man," Wendy grinned, though it quickly faded. "But at the same time… it could have been pretty dangerous out there. I'm glad to see you're back safe and sound. Hobo living… probably isn't for you."
"Yeah, it really wasn't…" Dipper chuckled, rubbing his arm. Ultimately though, he decided to get to the point. After all, there really was no point putting this off any longer than he already had. "So uh, Wendy? Can I talk to you about… something?"
"Anything, dude," Wendy nodded, smiling.
"Well I, um, just wanted to tell you that… I'm sorry for what happened the other day," he said earnestly. "You know, for how I kinda ended up breaking you and Robbie up?"
"Oh what? You're still worried about that?" Wendy asked. "Don't be, dude. I'm really not even that torn up about it even more and you shouldn't be either."
"What?"
"I said it's ok," she assured with a warm laugh. "I mean, yeah it totally sucks that that happened, but like, you did the right thing. I'm glad you told me the truth about what Robbie was doing. You sort of bailed me out of a relationship that had, to be honest, been going downhill fast for a long time."
"B-but you were really upset," Dipper said, frowning. "And I thought you-"
"Well, yeah, I was upset at first," Wendy shrugged. "But I've had time to get over it. I'm sorry if the way I blew up over it made you feel bad or like you did something wrong. Because like I said, you didn't."
"So… so we're cool then?" Dipper asked, hopeful.
"Yeah, man," Wendy smirked as she fist-bumped him. "We're totally cool. You know, I was gonna steal Stan's ties and put them on a bunch of random exhibits in the museum. You wanna help?"
"Oh man, do I!" Dipper agreed, laughing as he ran inside after her.
At the same time, Steven, Mabel, and Connie emerged from their hiding spot around the corner of the shack. As much as none of them wanted to admit they'd been eavesdropping, they were still all more than relieved to see that once again, everything had turned out alright. Just like it had in the Kindergarten the previous day.
"Well, it looks like Dipper had nothing to worry about after all," Mabel concluded, grinning. "I can't wait to rub it in his face that I was right all along later."
"I'm just glad things are finally calming down around here," Connie let out a relaxed sigh. "Who knew that just talking stuff out and listening to each other could solve so many problems?"
"I think it's safe to say we've all learned an important lesson here," Steven agreed. "Sleeping on hay is really overrated."
The girls couldn't help but laugh at this, and though Steven joined them, his laughter soon fell into silence at the thought of the Kindergarten. To be honest, he'd been thinking about it ever since they left it; the image of those dead, decaying canyon walls was practically haunting his mind. And so too was everything Amethyst had said about it.
"How this bad place is where bad Gems came to grow more bad Gems?"
"Oh, but don't worry, you guys. Everything's just fine now. It all worked out. We won!"
"And we shut this place down so the Earth would be safe from parasites like me!"
The Kindergarten… a place where Gems were brought to life, at the expense of the very planet they were formed in. It was a daunting thought, especially when Steven remembered just how many other empty holes the Kindergarten was filled with. How much damage had Gemkind done to this planet in the past? Had they noticed? Had they even cared ?
Maybe most of them hadn't… but some had.
Steven allowed himself a smile as he stole a glance back up at the temple. The Crystal Gems had stood up for this planet, even if none of the rest of their kind did. They'd fought for it, they'd saved it, and they'd stayed here to protect it with their very lives. That was why Steven knew he could rest easy. Because as long as they were here, then their planet, their home would be safe.
He was certain of it.