Universe Falls (Gravity Falls x Steven Universe)

Summary:

The Gems and the Pines set out to restore the suddenly empty lake and upturned waterfall. But will the kids be able to convince the furious Lapis Lazuli to return what she has stolen?

"I'm grounded?!"

Steven was dismayed, and he made no efforts to hide it from the Gems. Neither did Dipper and Mabel as they stood alongside him to face not just them, but Stan too. They'd gotten him involved on the way back from the woods, dragging him back up to the temple and filling him in on exactly what his niece and nephew had helped Steven do. On exactly who they'd set free. 

"Yes, you're grounded!" Pearl sternly confirmed. 

"You disobeyed an order," Garnet added, arms crossed. 

"And as far as I'm concerned, you knuckleheads are grounded too," Stan scowled at the twins. 

"Huh? Why?" Mabel asked. 

"For not telling me that mirror could talk!" he crossly retorted. "Do you know how much money I could have made off of an attraction like that?!" He quickly changed his tune when he met the dry, disapproving look Garnet and Pearl were sending his way. "Oh, and uh, for letting loose some sort of crazy water witch, or something like that. I dunno."

"So now we're gonna bury you three 'til you've learned your lesson!" Amethyst held up a shovel. 

"Aah! That's not how grounding works!" Steven gasped, alarmed. 

"Are you guys seriously grounding us just for helping someone?" Dipper asked, appalled and angry. "Lapis was trapped in that mirror. Probably for a really long time from the way she acted. We did the right thing by helping her out!"

"Are you reeeeeally sure about that?" Amethyst asked.

"Perhaps we should remind you that she violently and viciously assaulted us with water?" Pearl asked with an indignant huff. 

"Yeah, but she only did that after you guys tried to attack her first!" Mabel protested. "Don't act like you wouldn't do the same if someone wanted to punch you in the face!"

"That doesn't matter now," Garnet said.

"Uh, I think it matters a lot," Dipper gave the Gems a critical look. For as bad as things had gotten between them when they ran off with the mirror earlier, he saw no reason to try and salvage what was already broken now. He saw no reason not to call them out when they were so clearly, so obviously in the wrong. "You guys said you found the mirror hundreds of years ago. If you knew Lapis was trapped in there all that time, why didn't you ever try to free her?"

"It wasn't that simple, Dipper," Pearl began. "It's true we did know a Gem was powering the mirror, but we didn't know whether or not she would be… dangerous if we set her free. It would have been a risk to us and quite possibly the rest of the world."

"But if you guys had freed her back then, maybe she would have been thankful and you guys could have been friends!" Steven said with an earnest, hopeful smile. 

"Uh… I hate to break it to you, Steven, but that probably wouldn't have happened…" Amethyst frowned. 

"Why not?" Mabel asked.

"It's because they can't get along with anyone," Stan pointed a deadpan thumb at the Gems. Aside from a short, sharp glare from Pearl, they largely ignored him. 

"There's no point in thinking about what could have been," Garnet concluded. "What's important now is that with a Gem as powerful as Lapis Lazuli on the loose, the entire town could be in danger,"

"But Lapis doesn't want to hurt anyone," Steven countered, concerned. "She just wants to go home, wherever that is for her. What's so bad about that?"

"Oh, Steven…" Pearl glanced away. She hesitated for a long moment, struggling to think of what to say, of what to tell him about where they really came from, what they really were. "'Home' for Gems is… well, it's… you see… it-"

She didn't get a chance to say much more, however, as the front door burst open to reveal a breathless, beleaguered Greg. "Dad?" Steven asked, surprised by the sudden intrusion. 

For a moment, Greg could only lean against the door, trying to recover from his rushed run up here. Eventually, he managed to get it together enough to get something out. "Uh… you guys? There's sort of a… situation going on down at the lake…" 

"Greg, we don't have time to deal with whatever might be happening down there," Pearl groaned, annoyed. "We have a situation of our own to deal with here."

"Yeah, well… you guys might wanna check this one out," Greg frowned as he led the way back out the door. "It's a bit of a doozy…"

By the time the Pines and the Gems arrived at the lake, most of the town had already beaten them there. The crowd was buzzing with quiet alarm over what had become of Gravity Falls' most famous landmark. And upon a first glance at it, it was no wonder why. 

The lake was, by all accounts, completely drained. What had once been a vast body of murky water was now nothing more than a dry, deep pit dotted only by the occasional puddle or long-sunken flotsam. It was easy to see exactly where all of its water had gone. Because instead of flowing down into the lake, the massive waterfall for which the town was named was now flowing upward instead. It soared high over the cliff, ascending somewhere beyond the clouds as it breached the very sky itself. A waterfall now rising ever higher out of reach with each passing moment. 

The Gems stood among the crowd, craning their necks to try and see where the imposing tower might lead. Likewise, the kids were awestruck by it, and even Stan couldn't help but adjust his glasses to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him again. "Well," he said staunchly. "That's somethin' you don't see everyday."

"What happened?" Dipper asked, completely bewildered. 

"That's what everyone's trying to figure out."

"Connie!" Steven smiled as she walked over to join them. She didn't really share his excitement though, in favor of offering her friends a worried frown. 

"Where have you guys been?" she asked them. "The whole town's been going crazy ever since the waterfall started… doing that."

Steven, Dipper, and Mabel exchanged an uncertain glance. There was a lot to fill her in on, a lot that likely had to do with whatever was happening with the waterfall. But with the town as unsettled and unnerved as it was, they quickly found there was no time. 

"Hey!" Mayor Dewey's voice broke through the anxious din of the crowd. "It's those magical ladies!" A frustrated scowl rested on his face as he hotly marched over to the Gems, megaphone in hand. "What's going on here?"

"The lake is gone, obviously," Garnet curtly replied. 

"That's right!" Dewey groaned, distraught. "And the waterfall is flowing up instead of down! This town is called Gravity Falls for a reason! This is false advertising! Aw, we're gonna lose all our summer business!"

"And all the tourist babes!" Lars lamented. He hardly noticed Sadie rolling her eyes as she stood alongside him. 

"Who's gonna buy my fries?!" Fryman asked.

"And my pizza!" Kofi Pizza added angrily.

"And our bacon coffee!" Lazy Susan exclaimed, concerned.

"Who's going to read all of the steamy gossip in the Gravity Falls Gossiper ?" Toby Determined wailed awkwardly.

"Who's gonna have fun at Funland Arcade?!" Mr. Smiley frantically demanded.

"Who's going to spend money at the Mystery Shack, by far the best tourist trap in Gravity Falls?!" Stan panicked above them all. A hush fell over the crowd as several other local business owners sent him flat, unimpressed glances. "What?" 

"As mayor," Mayor Dewey continued, his voice blaring at Garnet through his megaphone. "I demand that you explain this disaster immediate-" She quickly cut him off by slapping the megaphone out of his hand. That was all the warning Dewey needed to shrink away from her in fear as she succinctly explained. 

"It was Lapis Lazuli."

"Wait, Lapis did this?" Mabel asked, confused.

"Oh yes… I suppose that would make sense…" Pearl projected a holographic image of Lapis from her gem. The townsfolk all murmured in muted amazement, but Pearl hardly noticed as she continued. "Considering her ability to manipulate water, this would be an easy feat for a Gem like her."

"But why would Lapis steal the lake?" Steven asked, frowning. "She's a Gem, like us."

The Gems exchanged an apprehensive glance. None of them had the heart to tell him the full truth, not now anyway; they had hoped they wouldn't have to for a long time, and yet… 

Now they weren't sure they had much of a choice anymore. 

Even so, Pearl turned away, looking past the water tower Lapis had made. Looking up to the sky that tower was slowly but surely creeping ever higher into. "There's a lot you don't know about Gems, Steven…"

It didn't take long for the Gems to get tired of listening to Mayor Dewey desperately begging them to bring back the lake. After tersely assuring the townsfolk that they would fix the problem, everyone–Gems, Pines, Connie, Greg, and Soos–all congregated at the temple to strategize. Not that there was any clear-cut strategy when it came to a lake running dry and a waterfall flowing in reverse. 

"How could I have known that the Gem contained in that mirror would be so powerful?" Pearl fretted, shaking her head.

"Who cares about her? How are you three gonna get the waterfall back?" Stan pointed an accusing finger at the Gems. "You heard what Dewey said! Without the lake, no tourists are gonna bother coming to this nowhere town. No tourists means no visitors to the shack. And no visitors to the shack means I won't make any money! And if I don't make any money… Oh, I don't even wanna think about it!"

"Geez, chill out, Stan," Amethyst rolled her eyes. "Don't have a heart attack. We'll deal with it. Somehow…"

"Maybe if you dudes just ask this Lapis lady to give the waterfall back nicely then she'll do it," Soos suggested.

"That won't work," Garnet quickly shot the idea down. "Lapis isn't the kind of Gem that can be reasoned with."

Steven, Dipper, and Mabel weren't so sure they were willing to believe that. Even so, they didn't bother wasting time protesting the Gems any further than they already had. Instead, the three of them pulled away from the others, huddling together to try and work through this problem on their own. 

"This is bad, you guys," Dipper said, frowning. "Really bad. And I can't help but feel as though we're kind of responsible for it."

"Yeah, I mean, we were the ones who let Lapis out…" Mabel rubbed the back of her neck. "But how were we supposed to know that she'd go crazy and steal the lake?"

"She must have a good reason for it," Steven said. "If only we could go talk to her and see what's wrong…"

They stopped short, each of them gasping at the exact same time as the exact same idea struck them. "That's it!" they proclaimed with newfound, unified resolve. It wasn't much of a plan, but it was still a plan anyway, one that only they could carry out. 

Because if Lapis wouldn't listen to anyone else, then certainly she'd have to listen to them. She'd have to, they hoped, listen to her friends. 

They took advantage of the adults distracting each other to prepare for the arduous journey ahead as quickly and quietly as they could. They were just about ready to slip out of the temple, unseen and unnoticed, so no one could try to stop them. Until Connie happened to catch sight of them as they crept towards the door. 

"Where are you guys going?" she asked. And just like that, all eyes were suddenly on them. 

Even so, Steven and the twins stood their ground, refusing to let anyone hold them back from what needed to be done. No matter how daunting and dangerous it might be. "We're leaving to fix what we did to Gravity Falls," Steven said, resolved. 

"We're the ones who set Lapis free from the mirror," Dipper added, just as adamant. "Which means it's our fault that the lake and the waterfall is gone."

"So now we're gonna go take back the falls!" Mabel bravely declared. "Or get really thirsty trying."

Silence filled the air after that, for what felt like an unbearably long time at that. For the most part, no one seemed to react to their mission, which was why Dipper couldn't help but ask the most obvious question first. 

"You guys aren't gonna try and… stop us or anything?" 

"Because if you are, then we won't listen!" Mabel stomped her foot down defiantly. "We won't stop, we won't rest until we bring that waterfall back! Right, Steven?"

"Right!" Steven readily agreed. "I mean, we might stop for a snack break or something like that, but we're going to do this, whatever it takes!"

With valiant smiles, the trio prepared to set out, entirely on their own. They soon found that, to their surprise and relief, they wouldn't have to. "Wait up, kids," Greg stepped up to place a steady hand on Steven's shoulder. "I'm coming with you."

"I want to help you guys too!" Connie eagerly volunteered. "Also, I feel weird being in your house if you're not here, Steven."

As happy as they were to have their help, they got even more as Lion padded over and perched a paw on Steven's head. His soft roar was all they needed to know he'd be coming along for the ride, as much as his very presence startled Greg, Stan, and Soos alike. 

"Clearly," Pearl spoke up, smiling. "We're coming too.

"You're ungrounded, by the way," Garnet said with an approving nod. 

"Whoo!" Amethyst cheered as she jumped up onto the counter. "Road trip!"

"Dudes, I'm totally down for a magical road trip!" Soos exclaimed, excited. "Especially if you got snacks like you said."

"Wow, you guys… Thanks!" Steven said, beaming. His smile turned a touch warmer as he looked up at the Gems, at just how supportive and encouraging they were of this mission. It was a welcome change from the heavy tension of the previous night, as sure a sign as any that things were starting to go back to the way they were supposed to be. 

Or at least, they would be once the lake was back in its rightful place. 

"What about you, Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asked. She peered past the others to find that he was the only one who had yet to step forward to join their cause. "Aren't you coming too?"

"Why should I?" Stan scoffed."It's not like I'm not the one who made the falls go wacko."

The twins exchanged a look, already knowing they weren't about to let Stan off the hook that easily. Not when everyone else was already fully on board. "Ok, but remember, Grunkle Stan, we did find that mirror in your attic," Dipper pointed out. "And if word gets out about how that mirror was connected to Lapis and to what's happening to the waterfall? Oof, a lot of people are gonna be pretty angry at you ."

"So?" Stan stubbornly crossed his arms. "Almost everyone in town is always mad at me for some dumb reason or another anyway. You really think I care about what any of those losers thinks about me?"

"You will care if it means they stop spending money at the shack," Garnet cut in with a very convincing point. Too convincing, much to Stan's frustration. 

"Ugh, fine ," he groaned as he begrudgingly joined the others. "But only because my profits depend on that stupid waterfall."

"Yeah!" Amethyst shouted, already booking it for the door. "Let's go! This is gonna be great!"

"Amethyst, wait!" Pearl scolded, running out after her. The others soon followed, leaving Lion and the kids to bring up the rear as Connie pulled her friends aside in clear concern. 

"Are you guys sure you're ready for something like this?" she asked, frowning. "I mean, from the way the Gems made it sound, this could be dangerous…"

"Pft, dangerous-schmangerous," Mabel flashed a brazen grin. "We've been up against worse! Like… uh… Well, I can't really think of anything right now, but I'm sure something will come to me eventually."

"I think what Mabel's trying to say is, this'll be easy," Steven assured. "All we need to do is find Lapis and ask her to give the waterfall back. She'll listen to us. We're friends."

"But what if she doesn't give it back?" Connie wondered.

A long beat of silence passed as Steven and the twins exchanged another anxious look. The truth was, Lapis was still every bit as much of a mystery now as she was when she was trapped in the mirror. There was no telling if the fact that they let her go would be enough to convince her to release the waterfall. And if it wasn't, if they couldn't change her mind… "That's… a good question…" Dipper said, hoping that they wouldn't have to find out.

Mayor Dewey sat in what used to be the shallows of Lake Gravity Falls, disheveled and unshaven as he tried desperately to refill the empty lake with only a garden hose. As he mourned the death of the town's lucrative tourist season, he barely noticed the colorful van and pastel pink lion that sped past him, setting out toward the floating cliffs. The drive to the top of the falls would take hours, but with their bold mission in mind, none of them minded the distance it would take to get them there. 

Or at least, most of them didn't. 

"Stan, could you please move over a little?!" Pearl huffed, severely annoyed. "Between you and Amethyst and all of this garbage back here, I have no room!" 

She tried wriggling out of her spot between the pair, only to remain all but stuck in place. With Greg and Garnet up in the front of the van, that left little room for Stan, Amethyst, Pearl, and Soos in the back. As cramped as they were against each other and most of Greg's belongings, they were all much closer to each other than they ever wanted to be. 

"Why are you even complaining, Pearl? You're the skinniest one out of all of us!" Stan retorted. "But if you really need so much precious 'personal space', why don't you ask Amethyst to move instead?"

"Ugh, fine," Pearl rolled her eyes. "Amethyst, could you-"

"Shh, P, keep it down!" Amethyst didn't even bother looking over at her. "I'm trying to watch Soos play this cool video game!" She hardly noticed the aggravated glare Pearl shot her way as she focused her attention back on Soos's Game Guy, only to watch him lose a life. 

"Aw, man! I thought I had it that time!" Soos frowned.

"Mind if I try?" Amethyst asked, grinning.

"Sure thing, dude." He handed the game over to her. Almost as soon as she got her hands on it, however, she ran her character straight into the nearest pit, resulting in an immediate game over. 

"Nice!" Amethyst cheered, not noticing Soos's confusion. "I won!"

"Ugh, I can't believe those kids roped me into going on this crazy train," Stan crossed his arms, scowling. "And how come Garnet gets to sit all nice and comfy up front while the rest of us are squeezed together back here like a bunch of sardines?"

"I called shotgun," Garnet replied, glancing back with a small smirk.

"I'll give you $20 to switch places with me," Stan offered, dropping his voice down to a whisper as he leaned forward. 

"You and I both know you won't," Garnet calmly called his bluff.

Stan leaned back, quickly admitting defeat. "Fair enough."

"Aw, come on, you guys, it's not so bad," Greg said. "I live back there so I would know."

"That's not really reassuring, Greg," Pearl deadpanned.

"I know! How about we turn on some tunes to lighten the mood!" Greg suggested, putting a tape in. "This was one of Rose's favorites." A heavy metal song began to play, jamming through the stereo as the entire van thumped from its loud bass. While Pearl and Amethyst cringed, Soos cheerfully banged his head along with the tune. Stan, on the other hand, was nowhere near as taken with it.

"Geez, Greg! Turn that mess down!" he shouted over the music. "You're gonna bust my hearing aid out!"

"O-oh! Sorry, Mr. Pines!" Greg laughed awkwardly as he quickly turned the music down a bit. He perked up again as he looked over at Garnet sitting alongside him. "What do you think, Garnet?"

She said nothing, only giving him a dry, unimpressed look before she kicked the door of the van open and jumped out. She rolled across the ground, still completely straight-faced, even as she passed by the startled kids as they rode by on Lion. Even so, none of them questioned it; this was Garnet after all. And for Garnet, it wasn't out of the ordinary.

The road leading to the waterfall was thin and narrow, which meant the van could only go so fast up it. It wasn't long before dusk began to fall upon Gravity Falls, casting the imposing tower of water in a strange, almost shimmering shade of orange. The tower in and of itself was something of a beacon for the group, a constant reminder of their destination that only grew taller and more intimidating the closer they got to it.

At the very least, the van's seating situation had been rectified. Garnet had taken to reclining on the roof, allowing Stan to claim her former spot up front. As Soos, Greg, and Amethyst snoozed in the back, Pearl had taken over driving while Lion kept pace alongside the van with the kids in tow. The entire group had grown steadily quieter the closer they got to the former falls, as the weight of what they needed to do set in more and more. For Steven, Dipper, and Mabel at least, this wasn't just about getting the lake back; it was about setting things right with someone they only hoped was still their friend. 

If Lapis had ever truly been their friend in the first place, that is. 

Steven was the first to speak to it, his heart heavy with guilt he just couldn't shake. "I can't believe Lapis would do this…" he said, staring up at the tower's cloud-covered peak. "Gems shouldn't fight each other."

Pearl stole a glance over at him, heaving a soft, sad sigh as she quietly admitted the truth. "We're always fighting Gems, actually."

"What?!" the kids all gasped in equal shock.

"But why?" Mabel asked, concerned. "If there are other Gems out there, wouldn't you all be friends?"

"Well… it's not that simple…" Pearl frowned. "Oh, how do I put this? All Gems aren't necessarily… good…"

"What do you mean?" Connie asked.

Suddenly awake, Amethyst pushed forward in between Pearl and Stan to chime into the conversation. "All those monsters we fight used to be just like us! Right, Pearl?"

Pearl sighed again, nodding remorsefully. "Yes… but they've become corrupted and broken. We have to take care of them, subdue them, contain them. It's the best we can do for them… for now…"

"Wait…" Dipper began. "If all of those monsters are really Gems, then how did they get like… that?" It was a daunting thought, to know that so many of the monsters they'd squared off against so far this summer were once sane, once humanlike, or at least as humanlike as Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were. Even the journal hadn't revealed that much, a secret so surprising and yet so obvious in hindsight. How he hadn't managed to put the pieces together, to figure it out on his own, Dipper had no idea. 

But even if he'd missed out on discovering the answer to one question, he wouldn't dare miss out on finding the answers to all of the new questions that came along with it. If only those answers were something the Gems were more willing to give. 

Because instead of answering him, Pearl and Amethyst only exchanged a short, anxious glance. Garnet was finally the one to actually speak to it, but even then, it wasn't much. "It's a long story."

Dipper groaned, knowing exactly what a "long story" meant. It meant it was a story they Gems weren't going to tell him, a story they didn't want him–or anyone else for that matter-hearing. "Just how many mysterious secrets do you guys have?" he asked, not bothering to mask the bitter edge in his tone.

"Forget it, kid," Stan spoke up. "You'd be here all day trying to count all of the secrets these three try to keep from everyone."

"Come on, Stan," Amethyst playfully kicked the back of his seat. "Don't act like you don't have any dirty laundry of your own."

Stan only shifted slightly in his seat, barely skipping a beat before saying, "Not as much as you guys, that's for sure."

Surprisingly, the Gems didn't argue with that. Mostly because they were too distracted with what stood tall before them as the van broke through the trees to make it to the top of the cliff. The water tower was even more spectacular and more terrifying up close, glistening in the moonlight as it rose high into the heavens. It still pierced far past the dark clouds surrounding it, to the point that even this close, no one could clearly see where it ended. And, given just how daunting the tower on its own was, most of them weren't so sure they wanted to. 

"That's some… magical destiny stuff right there…" Connie balked, awestruck. 

"Guys, I just had the best idea for an album cover," Greg said, peering at the tower in amazement through the van's window.

"This is it," Garnet leapt down from the roof. Pearl and Amethyst soon joined her, more than ready for whatever confrontation may lie ahead. "Lapis Lazuli is here."

"Sheesh, she sure is into dramatic overkill, isn't she?" Stan said. Even so, he shot the twins a worried look as they unmounted Lion alongside Steven and Connie. He'd had hints of this type of concern only a handful of times this summer alone, but now, it was unshakable, undeniable. Dipper and Mabel had gotten themselves into some kind of untold trouble with Gem stuff, even after he'd told them not to. Which was exactly why he was here to make sure they didn't get themselves any deeper into that trouble than they clearly already were. 

"I still don't understand," Pearl shook her head, confused. "What does she want with the waterfall?" 

"Whoa… look at all this!" Connie stepped closer to the tower. "It's like a giant aquarium!" And indeed it was. Countless fish, both big and small, swam freely in the water of the tower, oblivious of the new shape it had taken on.

"Yo, dudes, look! Isn't that the Gobblewonker?" Soos pointed out the largest creature among them. One that certainly couldn't have been the robot Opal had defeated days ago. "Huh. I guess Old Man McGucket wasn't so crazy after all."

"Either that or he built another giant robot," Amethyst deadpanned.

"So how are we supposed to get Lapis to-" Dipper began. He was abruptly cut off, however, by none other than the Gem in question herself. 

"You shouldn't be here!" Lapis' voice thundered from her spot high atop the tower. The fury in it was just as clear as it had been back on the creekbank last night. 

Acting on a sudden burst of bravery, Steven rushed forward towards the tower. "Lapis Lazuli!" he called as loudly as he could. "It's us! Steven, Mabel, and Dipper!"

"Yeah!" Mabel added, joining him. "We're here to talk to you! And you know, getting the waterfall would be super nice too."

Suddenly, the water at the base of the tower began to ripple. To everyone's surprise, it remolded itself into the visage of Lapis herself, glaring down at the kids. "Go away!" she harshly ordered. "Before I make you!" 

"But I thought we were summer fun buddies!" Steven exclaimed worriedly.

The water shifted once more, this time reverting to the same image the mirror had latched onto, of the kids screaming in unified panic. "Nooooo!"

"But we set you free from the mirror!" Dipper protested. "You said so yourself–we helped you! Doesn't that mean anything in all this?"

"No, it doesn't!" Lapis hissed as her face appeared in the water again. "It doesn't change the fact that I was trapped in there for thousands of years, only to be used as a tool by everyone! Humans… Crystal Gems… You're all the same! You only care about this place and nothing else!"

Pearl and Amethyst found themselves agitated upon hearing this, especially since they had a good idea about what Lapis was alluding to. Still, Garnet was the one to restrain them as they prepared to leap to the kids' defense. "Easy," she advised. "Let them handle this."

"What do you mean?" Steven asked. "We're all Gems, right? We just want to help you!"

"You don't understand!" Lapis accused. A wave of sorrow washed over her expression as her face retreated back into the tower. "Just leave me alone…"

"Wait!" the kids called as they all ran towards the tower. They couldn't let Lapis slip away that easily; they couldn't leave without getting what they'd come all this way for, without restoring the falls, the lake, the very town itself. But for as much as they were determined to fix this, Lapis was determined to stop them. And as Steven, Dipper, and Mabel began pushing against the tower, that's when she finally decided to lash out. 

Out of nowhere, three hands suddenly shot out from the wall of water. They grabbed the kids by the collars, holding on tight as clearer shapes began to emerge around them. Three watery figures that looked exactly like Steven, Dipper, and Mabel. "I said…" Lapis began, her voice shaking with rage through her aquatic clones. "Leave me ALONE!"

Before either Steven or the twins could try to free themselves from the iron grip of their watery doppelgangers, they were brutally pushed away. Each of the clones shoved the kids back with heavy streams of water, hardly caring about where or how they might land. By luck alone, the Gems managed to safely catch them and set them back down on solid ground. 

Lapis, however, was only just getting started. Because soon enough, three more watery clones stepped out from the tower, this time taking on the forms of the Crystal Gems. Each and every one of the clones set their glowing eyes on the group gathered before them in a chilling glare, giving away their clearly violent intent. 

"Everyone! Stay behind us!" Pearl commanded. "We'll handle this."

"Sounds good to me!" Greg fearfully feld to take refuge behind a nearby rock. 

"Yeah, you don't have to tell me twice," Stan agreed as he and Soos did the same. Likewise, the kids gathered a safe distance behind the Gems, not hiding, but not running forward into the fray either. As much as they wanted to help the Gems, they could already tell this was a fight that was one they should wisely sit out. The first few seconds of it alone were enough to prove that. 

For as soon as the Gems called upon their weapons, their watery clones did the same, all but mirroring their every move. A troubling sign that this battle was going to be much more difficult than they thought. "Uh oh…" Amethyst muttered, her fist clenching tighter around her whip's handle.

"Stay together," Garnet firmly ordered. "Don't let them separate us-"

Garnet barely finished speaking before her aquatic double rushed in and decked her hard in the jaw. The force of the blow threw her back into the woods, sending several trees toppling over in her wake. Still, Garnet forced herself to rise, especially when her clone came at her again. The two Garnets leapt at each other, their gauntlets brutally colliding over and over in a rapid barrage. It took ages for Garnet to finally find the opening she needed to slam her first straight through her double's watery face. Only for the liquid to just as swiftly reform around her hand to push her back and kick her away into the nearest rock. 

For her part, Amethyst wasn't faring much better. Her whip latched around anything she could find: loose boulders, overturned trees, whatever it took to land even a single hit on her own clone. Unfortunately, her double was slippery, bending and twisting its shape out of the path of everything she threw at it. The more she launched at it, the more it became clear to Amethyst that she wouldn't be able to keep this up forever. She'd run out of ammo eventually, and when she finally did, that's when her tricky duplicate decided to strike. 

Its whip coiled around her ankle before it sent her flying far back into the forest, far past Pearl as she struggled against her own counterpart. She guarded against her clone's fast-flying spear as best she could, finally managing to land a hit against it by slicing it clear down the middle. Unfortunately, the two melting halves quickly reshaped into not just one watery Pearl, but two . "Ugh…" Pearl grumbled as she summoned another spear from her Gem to counteract the pair now poised against her. "I hate fighting me!" 

Fortunately, the Gems weren't alone in this battle. While the others were all hiding back behind the sidelines, Lion stood his ground to protect them by facing off against the clones of Steven and the twins. Unlike the Gems' doubles, they bore no weapons, but even so, they dodged Lion's barrage of sonic roars with ease. 

"Come on, Lion!" Connie encouraged. 

"You can take us!" Steven added, pumping his fist.

"You're a war machine, Lion!" Mabel cheered. "An adorable war machine!"

For as much as the kids believed in him, in the end, even Lion's formidable strength wasn't enough. The trio of clones soon overwhelmed him, all three of them lashing out with a heavy blast of water to throw the pink beast back. He slammed into the side of Greg's van, leaving a heavy dent as he fell back to the ground in a daze. 

"Oh no, not the van!" Greg cried as he rushed over to his damaged vehicle/home. 

"Revenge!" Steven brazenly rallied. He held up the water gun he'd brought along, and Dipper, Mabel, and Connie all supplied their own in turn. And even though the Gems had told them not to, they all began bravely, bolding running straight into the ongoing brawl. 

Or at least, they tried to until Stan stepped in to stop them. 

"Hold it!" he exclaimed, hands on his hips. "Look, I'm all about revenge as much as the next guy, but you four are way in over your heads with this one. So you kids just hang back and let me deal with those things instead, got it?"

"But what are you going to do?" Dipper asked, confused.

"Let's just say I didn't bring these babies along for nothing," Stan smirked as he pulled out a pair of brass knuckles. "Soos! Watch the kids! This could get ugly."

"You got it, Mr. Pines!" Soos dutifully saluted as he rounded up the kids. "Come on, dudes. Those water guys could mess you all up big time!" Despite their protests, there was ultimately little the kids could do but follow Soos's lead as he took them a safe distance away from the fight. As soon as he was sure they were out of the line of fire, Stan stepped up, brass knuckles equipped and ready for a punch as he challenged the remaining water clones. 

"Hey, you wet punks!" he called, glaring the kids' doubles down fiercely. He forced himself not to think about who they resembled, much less how out of practice he was. The last real scrap he'd been in… he couldn't even remember when or what it was, really. If he was lucky, muscle memory would kick in from all of the years he'd spent fighting his way in and out of trouble. "You're itchin' for a fight? Well come and get one!"

The twins' doubles charged forward first. Stan met them evenly, throwing out low blows that the clones easily dodged out of the way of. Instead, they swerved around him, regrouping just behind his back before launching a sharp stream of water his way. Stan only barely managed to face them and duck out from under their attack, even if he still got drenched from it in the process. 

"Ugh…" he winced as he wrung the water out of his suit jacket. "You know, it's kinda weird fighting you two since you look so much like-"

He was cut off, this time by Steven's clone as it suddenly ambushed him from behind. Stan saw it coming just in time, veering away before landing a heavy kick to keep one clone at bay. Unfortunately, the other two saw just the opening they needed to land a decisive blow. While Stan was distracted with Steven's double, the twins' duplicates teamed up to brutally blast him in the back. This time, Stan wasn't quick enough to ward them off, and before he knew it, he was slammed straight to the ground by their aquatic onslaught. 

"Grunkle Stan!" Dipper and Mabel cried from their spot on the sidelines. Even so, Stan wasn't one to stay down for too long. Or at least he hadn't been when he was much younger. 

He hissed through clenched teeth as he felt the emerging ache ripple across his back, but even so, he somehow managed to pull himself onto all fours. "Gah… I'm gonna be feeling that in the morning…" he cringed against the searing pain. He had no choice but to ignore it, though, when he noticed the water clones slowly starting to approach him again to finish the job. "Oh what? You three want some more?" he goaded fiercely. "Well, bring it on!" As ready as Stan was to get back into the fight, his back had other ideas. A sharp crack sounded as he tried to stand, sending him falling right back to the ground as he only narrowly bit back a swear.. "Ffffudge! Ah, just… just give me a minute, and I'll… W-when I get up, it'll be all over for—ow! Geez! Seriously, ow !"

Despite his clear struggle, the water clones had no intention of giving Stan a chance to recover, much less fight back. They crowded around him, arms raised to unleash even more water upon him when he was at his most compromised. And they would have done exactly that too if not for several much smaller streams of water striking them from behind. 

"Hey!" Steven shouted as he fired his water gun. "It's us you want, not him!"

"Yeah!" Mabel bravely brandished her own water gun as Dipper and Connie did the same. "Give us your best shot, um, us!" 

This was all the clones needed to swiftly switch their sights away from Stan and onto the kids instead. "Wait!" he raised a shaking arm to try and stop them. Of course, the kids hardly listened as they began haphazardly firing their "weapons" as the water clones hurried for them. "Soos! I thought I told you to watch them!"

"I was!" Soos peered out from the rock he was hiding behind. Oddly enough, he was dripping wet. "But alas, I was no match for their determination and Steven's water gun."

"Sorry again, Soos!" Steven called back to him. 

"Uh, so how exactly are we supposed to fight these guys?" Dipper asked, warily watching as the water clones got ever closer.. "The Gems can't stop them, much less Stan, so what can we do against them?"

"...This, I guess," Connie shrugged as she grabbed a few rocks off the ground. She made the first move against the clones, tossing those rocks at them as hard as she possibly could. Steven quickly joined in with his water gun, which surprisingly halted his own double's approach, at least for a moment. The twins' doppelgangers, however, weren't so easily deterred. 

Acting on impulse, Mabel let out a wild battle cry as she ran to meet her clone head on. She kept her finger on her water gun's trigger all the while, not noticing or caring when it didn't do much at all to stop her clone. Still, her double didn't make much of a move to retaliate, leading Mabel to think she was somehow gaining the upper hand already. At least until her water gun ran empty. 

"Oops," she pulled the trigger, only for a tiny spritz to splash out. She let out a forced chuckle as she looked back at her aquatic counterpart. "Uh… this is super awkward, but… I don't suppose you could lend me some water to fill up here? I mean, you're literally made of it, so I'm sure you could spare a little-"

Her clone was quick to silence her by lashing a whip of water out to knock her water gun away. Mabel yelped, clutching her now stinging hand as she frowned at her clone. "Ok, ok! I get it; you're not big on sharing. Sorry I asked…"

While Mabel continued cautiously backing away from her double, Dipper had no choice but to confront his. He gripped his own water gun tightly, keeping his aim set on his clone as it continued gliding toward him. "O-okay… There's nothing unsettling or insane about this," he told himself in an effort to calm his frayed nerves down. "I'm just about to fight a water-clone of myself made by a Gem who probably doesn't want to kill us all… right?" For a moment, he peered past his double, to the upturned waterfall behind it. To where Lapis was controlling all of this chaos from the safety of her stolen tower, seemingly not caring at all about who she might hurt, who he already had hurt in the process. 

And in light of that, in light of everything… Dipper couldn't help but wonder if they'd made the right choice in setting her free from that mirror after all. 

As distracted as he was by such distressing thoughts, he didn't even notice his water clone until it barreled into him and pinned him firmly to the ground. With his water gun thrown out of his hand, he had no time to even react before the clone unleashed a heavy torrent of water directly onto his face. Dipper tried raising a hand to stop it, but his double quickly forced it back down, ensuring he received the full brunt of the endless deluge. As a result, it wasn't long before he ended up not just waterlogged, but struggling to get even the smallest gasps of air against the violent downpour. And yet, just as he was getting lightheaded, just as the corners of his vision were starting to grow dark, just when he thought there was no way out of this, it all came to a sudden, miraculous stop. 

At first, Dipper didn't even notice the clone had been abruptly knocked away from him until he took in a sharp, involuntary gasp. He choked on it, pain lancing through his chest and stomach as new air competed for space against the water still filling his lungs. He tried curling in on himself to ease that pain, until a gentle hand hoisted him up and rolled him over to let him begin coughing some of that water up. 

"Come on, kid. Just let it out," Stan's usually gruff voice was surprisingly soft as he patted his ailing nephew on the back. "But at the same time, you might wanna hurry it up. Those guys don't stay down for very long."

After what felt like a lifetime of expelling unwanted water from his chest, Dipper let out a quiet groan as he tried focusing his still-blurry vision on his uncle. "G-Grunkle Stan… w-what-" he tried, only to end up cutting himself off with another bout of painful coughing.

"Shh. Just take it easy and let that big brain of yours rest for a while, ok?" Stan frowned and the worry in it was undoubtedly sincere. He made sure to be as careful as possible as he scooped Dipper up into his arms, only to freeze the second he heard a scream from Mabel pierce the air seconds later. "Oh, come on! Her too?!" he loudly complained. "Just how danger-prone are you kids?" 

Sure enough, Mabel was in plenty of danger of her own. Despite her best efforts to outmaneuver her clone, it wasn't long before she found herself knocked to the ground, unable to move thanks to the water tightly binding her ankles and arms. All she could do was watch, panicked, as her double raised up a massive swath of solid water high above her head, more than ready to bring it down upon her and crush her in an instant. Unable to escape, Mabel screamed again, this time in fear as she braced herself for the agonizing impact, an impact which fortunately never came. 

Instead, Stan rushed over, Dipper still in tow, and swept her up with his free arm just before her clone could slam its deadly strike down. He didn't bother looking back as he held on tight to both of the twins, running for cover as fast as he possibly could. 

"Grunkle Stan, what are you doing?!" Mabel asked, alarmed by her sudden rescue. "I thought you hurt your back!"

"Hey, my bad back's never stopped me before," Stan retorted. Still, he was right before; his aching back would definitely feel all of this the next morning. If they all survived that long, anyway. "Besides, I'm not about to let you two get beaten up by yourselves. That would just be embarrassing for all of us."

Mabel might have laughed at that, if not for the startling sight of her barely-conscious brother propped against Stan's other arm. "Dipper!" she gasped, shocked at how pale and dazed he looked. "What happened to you?! Are you ok?!"

Dipper didn't have much energy to offer her more than a weak smile and a small nod. "Y-yeah…" he croaked despite his sore throat. "I… I'm good."

"If by 'good' you mean you almost drowned, then yeah, kid, you're doing great," Stan deadpanned. "That's exactly why the three of us are booking it from this fight. The Gems have got it covered."

"But what about Steven and Connie?" Mabel asked, worried. She managed to spot the pair, still tag-teaming it against Steven's watery double. After a while, it seemingly grew tired of their barrage of rocks and useless water gun attacks and lashed out with an assault of its own. Before they knew it, both Steven and Connie found themselves hoisted into the air as orbs of water converged completely around their heads, cutting off any and all air. Fortunately, they had the wits about them to hold their breath, but that wouldn't save them for long once their lungs began to burn. 

Connie was the first to waver, desperately choking for air she couldn't get as her struggling began to wane. Steven glanced over at her, alarmed as he watched her eyes grow heavy and her mouth hang open, letting water pour in freely. There was painfully little he could do to help her though, not when he was on the verge of drowning himself. At least until Greg's van sped straight into all three of the kids' watery clones, taking them all out in one fell swoop. 

Steven and Connie fell to the ground, gasping for air. It took them a moment to regather their bearings, and they were largely still reeling when Soos stuck his head out of the passenger window to check on them. 

"Yo, are you dudes ok?!" he asked, aptly concerned. 

"W-we're fine," Steven shakily replied. "Right, Connie?"

While still breathless, Connie supplied a tiny, affirming nod all the same. Still, Greg was hardly relieved. "Is this a normal magical mission for you?!" he asked his son. "Because I'm not so sure how comfortable I am with you going on theses any-"

His question soon turned into a scream as the van suddenly shot high into the air. The water clones reappeared from where it had sat, and had sent it skyward, allowing it to catapult back towards the woods. Greg and Soos could only scream in terror until the van finally crashed back down to earth–hood first–into the trees. 

"Dad!" Steven cried, already rushing over to the van. 

"Soos!" the twins exclaimed, just as concerned. Still though, Stan insisted on carrying them both as he ran over to check on the wreckage. To everyone's relief, Greg and Soos began to crawl out from it, seemingly, surprisingly unscathed. 

"Are you guys ok?!" Connie asked.

"Ugh, a few bumps and bruises, but I think I'll be ok," Greg groaned as he flopped onto the ground. "But my poor van won't be…"

Begrudgingly, Stan finally put Dipper and Mabel down so he could help Soos get out of the van on the other side. "You gonna be ok, Soos?" he asked with masked concern. "'Cause I'm not paying you for any time off you might need after this."

"Nah, I'm good, Mr. Pines," Soos reassured, carefully rising to stand. "But that was totally crazy . I like, saw my whole life flash before my eyes and junk! Really makes me wish I'd taken those tap-dancing lessons when I had the chance…"

Even as everyone was trying to recover, it was clear the water clones weren't quite finished yet. Steven glanced back to find all three of them still standing there, still ready to attack. He took pause at this, slowly turning his attention back towards his friends and family. While Greg and Soos checked themselves over for any unseen injuries, Connie had turned to continue coughing up the last bit of water still left in her lungs. Stan yelped as he stretched his injured back out the best he could, while Mabel helped Dipper steady himself back on his feet, despite the plentiful cuts and bruises she'd sustained herself in the brawl. 

The longer Steven watched them, the more something started to settle in his gut. It wasn't a feeling he was all too familiar with, one he didn't like sitting in whenever it did come. But now, he let himself seethe with that anger, raw and real and rippling. It was one thing for Lapis to sick her watery puppets on the Gems; at least they were strong enough to defend themselves against them, even if they were still struggling to stay standing. But to attack powerless humans so viciously, so carelessly? To hurt an entire town by selfishly stealing their waterfall away? It was more than Steven could bear. 

True, Lapis had been hurt and trapped and voiceless for so very long. He understood that, sympathized with that. But the simple fact was her anger, her bitterness, her pain was hurting others. If left unchecked, it could very well stand to do far more than that. 

Which was why Steven refused to let this onslaught, this madness go on any longer than it already had. 

"Lapis!" he shouted as he turned his attention back toward the tower. "We don't want to fight anymore!" 

If Lapis heard him, she didn't show it. Instead, the kids' clones poised themselves for another attack at the group of humans before them. Steven, however, wasn't going to allow that strike to hit a single one of them as he stepped forward. "I said…" he held his arm out in front of him, hardly paying the bright glow blooming around his gem any mind. All that mattered now was protecting the people he cared about; that was all that ever mattered in the first place. "I don't want to fight!" 

In a brilliant flash of pink light, Steven's shield solidified over his arm. A certain sort of energy pulsed from its surface, disintegrating the kids' water copies on contact. They weren't the only ones either; the Gems watched, shocked, as their own clones splashed out of existence. It couldn't have come a moment too soon either, as each of them were nearly on the verge of defeat. Still, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl were all stunned to look back and find Steven bravely brandishing his weapon until every last one of the clones had been taken care of. Until the battle was, at long last, over . 

Steven silently let his shield vanish, but his expression remained solemn and stern as he slowly approached the tower. He all but missed Connie say his name as he passed her by, but what he couldn't ignore were the twins when they rushed forward to stop him before he could go too far. 

"Steven, wait," Dipper caught up with him just shy of the tower's base. "We're going with you."

"Yeah! There's no way you're going all the way up there to talk to Lapis without us!" Mabel added, firmly putting her foot down for good measure. 

As much as Steven wanted to appreciate their support, he simply shook his head. "I can't let you guys do that. Both of you almost got hurt really badly. There's no telling what could happen up there…"

"But we're fine , Steven," Mabel assured with a small smile. "I mean, sure we nearly drowned or got crushed or whatever, but we made it out ok!"

"The point is, the three of us let Lapis out of the mirror together," Dipper said, completely unshaken. "Which means we're still in this together, no matter what. So we're going with you, whether you like it or not."

"B-but…" Steven began to protest. He had every reason to, as well. To protect his friends, to safeguard two humans from a dangerous Gem, to shoulder the burden the way his mother would have most likely done before him. But at the end of the day, the twins were right ; they'd created this mess together. Which meant they ought to fix it together too. "Ok…" he finally sighed. "Then I guess… I guess we're doing this, huh?"

"You bet we are!" Mabel exclaimed. "Let's get this waterfall back to normal!"

Steven and Dipper shared a solid nod as they all turned to face the tower again. "Lapis! We're coming up to see you!" Steven called, craning his neck up towards its unseen peak. "So please don't drown us."

Connie gasped when she finally realized what her friends were about to do. What they were about to do without her . "Guys, wait!" she cried, rushing forward. And she was far from the only one. 

"Kids!" Stan yelled, running for the tower. Because there Dipper and Mabel were, throwing themselves right back into danger so soon after nearly meeting their ends. He might have almost been proud of them… if he wasn't so afraid of losing them all over again. 

And yet, none of this so much as stopped Steven, Dipper, and Mabel in the slightest. Instead, they took each other's hands first before taking the plunge straight into the tower. Each of them tightly held their breath, even as a hand of solid water suddenly formed underneath them, pushing them upward. At least Lapis was willing to show them a little mercy by not forcing them to swim all the way up to the top. 

They were quickly carried up through the length of the tower, spanning miles into the air until it finally cut through the clouds. Above those clouds was a calm, brilliantly starry night sky, dark enough to let the water tower shine even brighter against it. With only the lake water to supply it, the tower couldn't quite breach the atmosphere. Even so, the ground was still nowhere to be seen when the kids finally reached its lofty pinnacle. 

Even when their journey to the top reached its end, the kids still found themselves immoble thanks to the water still enveloping everything but their heads. Fortunately, they were able to breathe, not that it really meant much when the air was so thin and cold. Hopefully though, they wouldn't have to be up here for very long. For, standing just a few feet away from them, atop the surface of her watery tower, was none other than Lapis Lazuli herself.

Her mirror-like eyes reflected only disdain for her former friends as she used her powers to hold them in thrall. When she spoke, her voice was low and icy and every bit as threatening as it had been when she confronted the Gems the previous night. "What are you three doing here?"

"What?" Mabel asked, confused at the harsh reception.

"I think the better question is what are you doing here, Lapis?" Dipper shot back. "You stole the lake and the waterfall, and you nearly killed us all! What's up with that?"

Lapis glanced away. The slight hint of remorse that passed over her face wasn't lost on any of the kids as she hugged herself loosely. "I already told you; you don't understand…"

"Then help us understand!" Steven protested. "Why can't we work this out? Gems should be friends. We-"

Without warning, Lapis suddenly pulled the water bubble all three of them were trapped in closer to her. "Don't you know anything?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at them. "Your friends, the Crystal Gems, they don't really care about other Gems! All they care about is the Earth. But I never believed in this place…"

She sighed as she turned her gaze toward the stars. Or rather, toward one specific star, beaming bright in its place somewhere far off in space. Her shoulders fell as she walked away from the kids, letting the bubble containing them finally burst. They fell onto the solid surface of the tower in a messy heap before picking themselves up and moving over to follow Lapis. They joined her as she sat at the center of her tower, silently, sadly staring up at the night sky so far above. 

"So… is that why you stole the waterfall?" Steven asked after a while. "So you could go to… space?"

"Yes…" Lapis hung her head and closed her eyes. "All I want, all I've ever wanted… is to go home…"

"Wait… home…" Dipper repeated, his eyes widening as he remembered something. "Do you mean… Homeworld?"

"Yes…?" Lapis confirmed, raising an eyebrow. "That is where Gems come from, isn't it?"

"What? I've never heard of Homeworld before!" Steven exclaimed, bewildered. "Dipper, how'd you know about it?"

"I saw it mentioned in the journal the other day, but I didn't know what it meant until now," Dipper said, utterly floored by such an incredible discovery. By yet another realization that had been staring him in the face all summer long, now finally, suddenly made perfectly clear. "This is crazy! If Gems really are from space then that means that they're… they're basically aliens !"

"What's an alien?" Lapis asked, confused.

"Aliens are like these little green guys with big heads and huge eyes," Mabel explained. "Well, at least the aliens on TV are. But I don't think any of you guys look anything like that."

"Mabel!" Dipper scolded, annoyed, before he clarified for Lapis. "An alien is anyone who doesn't come from Earth. And while Gems being aliens would explain so much about them, it also raises so many new questions! Like how they ended up on Earth in the first place, or why they've stayed here for so long! Oh man, I wish I had the journal with me so I could-"

He swiftly stopped himself the second he happened to catch another glimpse of Lapis. By now, she'd turned her attention back up to the stars, her hands resting in her lap as her empty eyes seemed to shine with lasting longing. As Dipper stared at her, the less his own selfish desire for answers seemed to matter when weighed against Lapis' desire for something so simple, so essential, so important as her own home. A home she'd spent untold years trapped so far away from, unable to return, unable to break free, unable to do anything but wait and want and wish, until… 

Until now. 

"...Lapis?" he decided to ask, even though he knew he shouldn't. But he still wanted to know, wanted to understand why she'd do all this, why she'd go so far. Why she was somehow so angry and so sad, all at the same time. "Just how long have you been stuck here on Earth for?"

"...Too long," Lapis muttered. If the kids didn't know any better, her reflective eyes seemed to shine with what almost looked like tears. " Way too long…"

 "Lapis, we… we all know how important home can be." Steven spoke up, solemn, yet resolved. "But that's why we're here. You took the waterfall, which is an important part of our home."

"I'm only using this waterfall because my Gem is cracked," Lapis said. "All I need to do is draw from this planet's streams and rivers and eventually, the ocean. If I can just get enough water and stretch it far enough…" She trailed off as she took another look at that distant star, at Homeworld. A flash of grief filled in her features as she shook her head in emerging defeat over her impossible dream. "Oh, who am I kidding? This is never going to work…"

Silence filled the chilly air again after this. The kids were at a loss, really, about what to say, what to do, even what to think. Because suddenly, it all made sense; why Lapis had put up such a fight, why she was so desperate not to let anyone stop her or restrain her or cage her ever again. She wasn't a monster, she wasn't a foe, she wasn't even really dangerous. No, instead, Lapis was just lost . She'd spent so long as a prisoner inside of that mirror, so long away from the comforting familiarity of her home. Was it any wonder why she was so determined to find a way back? If any of them were in her shoes (or lack thereof), the kids weren't so sure they wouldn't have resorted to the same drastic measures she had to get back to where they belonged. 

The only problem was… they had no idea how to make that happen for her. No matter how much they may have wanted to. 

But then, Mabel gasped as a sudden idea struck her like a bolt of lightning. "Oh! Oh! I know!" she hopped to her feet, excited. "Steven, you could fix Lapis' gem with your healing powers! Just like you fixed Connie's eyes!"

"Whoa, you're right!" Steven smiled. "I can't believe I didn't think of that!"

"Wait, you have healing powers?" Lapis asked, incredulous. "Do they… work?"

"They work," Dipper confirmed. "But how they work is sorta… weird."

"Yeah…" Steven rubbed the back of his neck. "But I can give it a try if you want."

"O-okay…" Lapis tentatively turned to face her back to him. "What should I do?"

"Um… Just hold still and…" Steven trailed off before giving his hand a generous lick. His healing spit sparkled in the starlight as he gently placed his palm against Lapis' cracked gem. She shuddered against the odd sensation, but only for a moment. Because sure enough, Steven's healing magic soon began to work its wonders. 

The kids gathered close, watching in awe as Lapis' gemstone was engulfed in a luminous, renewing glow. The practically ancient crack torn across it smoothed over, vanishing from sight as if it had never been there at all. And as soon as it did, two equal bursts of water flushed from her gem, taking on the shape of a pair of graceful, aquatic wings . 

Overwhelmed with joy, Lapis smiled as she gave her water wings a small, experimental flap. That smile only brightened as she turned back to the kids, with eyes that were no longer empty, reflective voids. Tears were in them this time, but they were happy ones as she let her wings flow, open, wide and free behind her. 

"Thank you, Steven!" she brightly exclaimed. "Thank you all . For letting me out of the mirror and… and for this." She let out a small laugh, the first the kids had heard in her true voice as she looked back at her beautiful wings once more. 

While Dipper and Mabel were still completely speechless, Steven somehow found his voice as he wiped the remaining spit off his hand. "N-no prob, Bob."

Lapis' smile faded off into slight confusion. "…It's Lapis."

"No, Lapis, that's just an expression," Dipper explained after a beat of awkward silence.

"Oh," Lapis replied shortly, simply. Without much left to say, she turned toward the stars once more, but not before taking one final glance back at the kids behind her. "Well, okay. Bye."

And that was it. With a single, mighty flap of her powerful wings, Lapis took off. In an instant, she was soaring, rocketing away from her tower and from the kids as they watched her leave in wide-eyed, silent wonder. For a moment, at least. 

"Oh! Bye, Lapis!" Mabel called out as soon as her initial surprise wore off. "Hope you make it home safely! Don't forget to write!"

As stunned as they still were, Steven and Dipper weren't able to offer such a fond farewell as they watched Lapis grow ever smaller the further away she got. It was a bittersweet feeling, to watch their new friend leave so soon. And yet, there was still something so satisfying in knowing that they'd managed to help her, not just once, but twice. Even if it meant–

Even if it meant they might never see her again. 

The thought only barely skimmed their thoughts before the water suddenly began to tremble under their feet. Without Lapis' power to keep it together, the tower quickly started falling apart as gravity took hold of the water it was made of once more. The kids were barely able to get an alarmed shout out as the tower caved in on all sides. And, just as quickly, what was once solid ground gave out from under them entirely. 

Far down on the ground below, the impact of the tower's collapse could also be felt. "W-what's happening?!" Stan shouted over the din of the rattling ground. 

"The whole tower's coming down!" Garnet exclaimed, staring up at its tumbling top. 

"What about the kids?!" Greg asked in frightened concern.

Despite the others' emerging panic, Connie and Lion exchanged a determined glance. There was no question about what they needed to do, and that if they were going to do it, they needed to move now . So that's exactly what they did. 

With the tower's collapse, Steven, Dipper, and Mabel were sent into a literal freefall. In blind terror, the most they could do is cling onto each other and hope for a miracle as they hurtled fast toward the distant ground. Luckily, that miracle arrived in the form of a familiar pink feline. 

Lion soared through the air out of seemingly nowhere, with Connie clinging tightly onto his back as she stretched a hand out to help her friends. "Guys! Grab on!" she shouted over the roar of the water falling all around them. The three of them reached out to meet her hand, narrowly missing it altogether until Steven grabbed hold of her first, quickly followed by the twins. Connie yanked them up as hard as she could, allowing the three of them to join her on Lion's back. 

Seconds later, a sparkling portal appeared near the base of the crumbling tower. The adults all breathed a sigh of relief when Lion and all four of the kids emerged from it, but even then, they weren't quite in the clear yet. Behind them, the waterfall was still falling . And with the force it was coming down with, they all quickly realized one frightening thing–

It was going to take all of them down with it.

As dawn rose over Gravity Falls, Mayor Dewey let out another miserable sob. He'd been out all night, trying in vain to bring the lake back with his garden hose. As desperate as he was, he didn't even notice as water slowly began flooding back into the shallows until a large wave swallowed him whole. 

As the last of the tower fell, the waterfall surged over the cliff, pouring rapidly back into the empty basin below. Greg's van was pushed over the edge right along with it, but as it fell, Steven's powers once again came in to save the day. Before they could all be lost to the depths of the returning lake, he summoned a large, pink bubble to keep them all safe and oxygen-supplied. After that bubble came to rest upon the lakebed, Pearl carefully drove it out and back up to the shore. Only after they made it safely back to dry land, Steven finally let his bubble pop, allowing everyone a much-needed sigh of relief. 

"That's how you do it!" Amethyst gave him a playful punch on the arm. 

"Nice one, kid," Stan added, offering him a genuine thumbs up. 

Steven returned their smiles, at least until the van suddenly dropped even further into the sand. With a loud crash, all four of its wheels gave way and its hood popped open, with smoke pouring from it thanks to the damage it had sustained earlier. 

"Well," Pearl let out an awkward laugh. She held the now-broken steering wheel as she spared a glance over at Greg. "What's that thing you always say about the pork chop and the hot dog?"

Greg simply sat there in silent horror over what had become of his battered van. The others, however, were more than ready to celebrate in the aftermath of their narrow victory. 

"Yes!" Stan cheered as he looked out over the restored lake. "The Mystery Shack is saved!" He was quick to correct himself, however, upon noticing the critical look Garnet was giving him. "Uh, I mean... Gravity Falls is saved, I guess. If you wanna look at it like that."

"Look!" Connie exclaimed as she pointed towards town. The other kids all turned to see a large crowd rushing to meet them, all of them cheering in delighted excitement at the sight of their beloved lake's return. And they had every reason to celebrate too. The waterfall once again flowed normally from the floating cliff, pouring into the depths of the lake as it glistened in the light of the morning sun, just like it was supposed to. As sure a sign as any that their businesses, their families, and their town had all been saved. 

Still, as the people of Gravity Falls lauded the kids as their heroes of the day, not everyone was so content. "So… Lapis made it off-planet," Garnet said to Pearl. They kept their voices low to keep any of the others, especially the kids, from hearing their concerns. 

"If she makes it back to Homeworld… what could that mean for us?" Pearl asked, worried.

Garnet simply looked to the sky. She didn't dare bring up the ancient memories that even mentioning Homeworld stirred up for her and Pearl alike. "We wait and see," she said calmly. Because at the end of the day, that was all they really could do. For now. 

The elated townsfolk were more than happy to hoist the kids up on their shoulders and parade them around. And while they knew they should have basked in their moment of triumph, Steven, Dipper, and Mabel kept their sights on the bright sky above instead. 

Somewhere up there, a Gem by the name of Lapis Lazuli, who had been trapped and spent such a long time dreaming of freedom… was finally on her way home. And while their hearts hung heavy with the weight of her departure, they found a strange sense of hope stirring in them all the same. None of them could really place it, but they all felt as though somehow, someway, they would meet her again, even if it seemed impossible. 

After all, it wouldn't be the first time the impossible had happened in Gravity Falls. 

"Bye again, Lapis!" Mabel called, cheerfully waving up to the fading star that was Homeworld.

"See you around, Lapis," Dipper offered up his own sincere farewell with a solemn tip of his hat. 

"Yeah, see you, Lapis," Steven warmly finished as he watched Homeworld–and any last trace of the Gem bound for it–finally fade from the fresh morning sky. "Wherever you are."