Universe Falls (Gravity Falls x Steven Universe)

"Does he only respond to incantations?" Mabel asked, still trying to get the "invisible wizard" to show himself. "Expecto wizzarium! Wizle! Wiz-"

"It's not a wizard!" Dipper finally cut her off, annoyed with her antics. "I grew myself using this." Knowing Mabel wouldn't leave him alone otherwise, he finally showed her the size-changing flashlight. As much as he knew he'd regret doing so. 

"Uh… that's a flashlight," Mabel pointed out, not impressed.

"No, this," Dipper pointed to the crystal tied to the light. "It's some sort of magical Gem crystal. Amethyst told me that it-"

"Lemme see that thing!" Mabel suddenly snatched it. She didn't bother listening to the rest of her brother's explanation as she made off with it, if only to keep him from using it any more. 

"Mabel!" Dipper shouted as he gave chase. As the twins made it outside, they started grappling for the flashlight, nearly running into Steven as he hurried past in pursuit of Onion and Baby Melon.

"Come on, Onion!" Steven shouted, frustrated. "Give me back my Baby Melon!"

Even if Onion didn't listen to him, Baby Melon did . Out of nowhere, the small watermelon turned its head back to Steven, breaking free from Onion's grip as it jumped out of his arms. Not wanting to get caught, Onion kept on running, but Steven stopped the moment Baby Melon ran into his open embrace. 

"My Baby Melon!" Steven cried happily, holding his most prized melon close. "My precious… I never thought I'd see you again…" 

Despite his relief, Steven took pause as he looked back down at Baby Melon. Baby Melon, who had escaped on its own , who was winking at him with its seed eyes, who could somehow, suddenly move . "You're… ALIVE!" Steven gasped, awestruck. "You know, I really shouldn't be so surprised about this. We have to go show everyone!"

He found he wouldn't have to look far as he spotted Dipper and Mabel across the lawn. He ran over to them, taking Baby Melon by the hand and gently pulling it along after him. "Hey, guys! Check it out! Baby Melon is-"

"Not now, Steven!" Both twins angrily exclaimed as they continued struggling over the flashlight. 

Steven's smile quickly faded when finally realized what was going on. "Wait… are you guys… fighting? What's the matter?"

"Dipper won't let me see his dumb magic flash-" Mabel cut herself off as she managed to pry the flashlight away from her brother, only to accidentally switch it on in the process. The beam happened to strike one of the Watermelon Stevens sitting nearby, causing it to grow at least ten times its original size.

"Whoa!" Steven gasped as Mabel dropped the flashlight, shocked. "Baby Melon, check it out! It's a jumbo melon! How'd you do that?!" 

"I don't-" Mabel began again as she reclaimed the flashlight. Curious, she shined it on her own hand, shrieking when it suddenly swelled up well past the size it should have been. 

"It's ok," Dipper said as he took the flashlight back from her. "It can shrink things too." Steven and Mabel watched, dumbstruck, as he flipped the crystal around and used the beam to return his sister's hand back to its regular size.

"Wow…" Steven was thoroughly amazed. Mabel, on the other hand, had quickly realized what Dipper's ploy with this flashlight was. A ploy that she was determined to put a short stop to. 

"Normal hand karate chop!" she shouted as she smacked her brother's wrist and reclaimed the light.

"Hey!" Dipper protested as he ran after her. 

Likewise, Steven hurried after them both, with Baby Melon sprinting not too far behind. "Guys, wait!" he cried. "You don't have to fight! I'm sure we could figure out a way to take turns with the magic flashlight! Guys?!"

His pleas ultimately fell on deaf ears as the twins only continued battling over the flashlight. Each time either of them got control of it, they used it against the other one, from Mabel using it to size up Dipper's head to Dipper using it to shrink down Mabel's. While they were always quickly restored, that hardly stopped either of them in their duel to determine who the "alpha-twin" truly was. 

Steven, meanwhile, pursued the pair, begging them to talk things out all the while, not that either of them were really listening. Things finally came to a head when Baby Melon tripped, barreling into Steven, who crashed into Dipper and Mabel in turn. And, when the kids all tumbled to the ground together, so too did the size-changing flashlight as it rolled out of their reach–

And over toward Gideon instead. 

While still picking termites out of his suit, Gideon continued to angrily rant over his latest defeat, even if no one was around to hear him. "Curse the Pines family!" Gideon shouted, his face hot with fury. "Curse Stan! Curse Dipper! Curse-" He cut himself off as the flashlight suddenly landed right in front of him, quickly catching his eye "My, my, what delightful manner of dohickery is this?"

Dipper, Mabel, and Steven all gasped as they watched him pick it up. They had every reason to worry too after how much of a menace he'd been with the Levitation Charm in his possession. "This is bad…" Dipper muttered anxiously. 

"What do we do?!" Steven whispered, just as tense.

"Cool it, guys," Mabel said, much too plainly, much too loudly . "Maybe he didn't see us use it and doesn't know it's a magic flashlight that can grow and shrink things."

With Gideon standing only a few feet away, he easily overheard that, much to Dipper's frustrated annoyance. "Really?" he asked, shooting Mabel a critical look. 

For his part, Gideon simply smiled wickedly, wasting no time in turning the flashlight upon his defenseless victims. Before Steven, Dipper, Mabel, or even Baby Melon could even hope to get away, the pink light struck each of them squarely, working fast to shrink each of them down. Within seconds, the world around them seemed massive, with even grass and pebbles on the ground towering over all of their heads. 

By comparison, Gideon seemed like a giant as he let out a booming, triumphant laugh at his miniscule enemies' expense. With the mere blink of a flashlight, he'd gone from embarrassing defeat to an easy win, one that he wasn't about to let slip away from him so quickly. Which was exactly why he'd used his now-empty termite bottle to trap his tiny foes before they could even try to get away. 

However, what Gideon didn't notice as he reveled in his victory, were the many prying eyes watching him intently. And, the second they saw that Steven was in danger, the remaining Watermelon Stevens didn't hesitate to rush to his rescue. 

"Wha-?!" Gideon spun around when he heard the Watermelon Stevens' muffled war cries. He nearly dropped his bottle out of shock at the sight of the living melons alone, but he was even more alarmed when they suddenly started to attack him. 

The army of melons tackled Gideon, punching and kicking as hard as they could, all in an attempt to claim the bottle he only barely managed to hold out of their reach. From within that bottle, Steven and the twins could only watch, baffled, unable to do much else in such a small state. 

"Whoa! I guess they're all alive!" Steven gasped, awestruck. 

"But why are they acting so crazy?" Mabel asked, struggling to remain upright against the ongoing fray. "Baby Melon is way more chill than these guys!"

"I don't know… Any ideas, Baby Melon?" Steven turned to the now-even tinier watermelon beside him. But Baby Melon only had a shrug to offer in response. 

"Wait, that's it!" Dipper exclaimed. "Steven, see if you can get them to listen to you! Maybe they can save us from Gideon and take the flashlight back from him!"

"Um… I'll try…" Steven cleared his throat before he raised his voice as much as he could. "Hey, Watermelon Me's! If you guys aren't too busy, then could you maybe—whoa!"

Steven was cut off as Gideon abruptly tilted the bottle, knocking everyone inside of it over as he scrambled onto a tree stump to escape the rioting melons. As frazzled as he was from the assault, Gideon was far from the point of surrender. Especially when he figured out exactly how he could turn this sudden obstacle into a newfound opportunity. 

"Oh what? You lil' melon heads want him?!" Gideon challenged as he held the jar high over his head. The Watermelon Stevens all froze, each of them fixing their focus on it. "Well then, listen up! Unless you want me to smash this jar with all of 'em in it, ya'll are gonna listen to everything I say from here on out. Ya got it?"

The Watermelon Stevens reacted harshly, pressing up against the stump in another attempt at clamoring for the jar. Gideon, however, wasn't about to let them be his undoing. He held the jar as high as he possibly could, aiming it at a nearby tree with the intent of brutally throwing it against its trunk. Much to the horror of everyone hopelessly trapped inside of it. 

"I said do you got it ?!" he asked the watermelons once more. This time, they quickly got the message. Begrudgingly, they backed off, hanging their heads as they allowed Gideon to climb back down with a smug, satisfied smile. 

"Wait! You guys, no!" Steven called as he beat his fists against the side of the jar. "Don't listen to him! He-"

"Face it, Universe!" Gideon sharply cut him off as he held the jar in front of his face. "Ya'll lost ! All three of ya! Your watermelon army is mine! Your magical shrinkin' gadget is mine! And soon… the Mystery Shack and vengeance will be MINE!"

With a maniacal laugh, Gideon safely tucked the jar under his arm as he beckoned the Watermelon Stevens to follow him. The melons glumly did so, unable to do little else as he departed with their shrunken master in tow. And, only a few moments later, the Gems arrived, unknowingly missing everything. 

"I wonder where Steven is…" Pearl frowned over at Steven's now empty table. "He must have sold all of his watermelons by now… I'm still not sure if that was a good idea."

"Relax, P," Amethyst let out a bored yawn. "They're just watermelons. And besides, when does anything bad ever happen around here?"

Garnet offered only a short, simple response to this, one that her teammates couldn't help but agree with. "Every day."

"Friends, I wish I was a highway so I could have the honor of being rode upon by automobiles as fine as these ones right here!" Bud Gleeful put on an air showmanship as he presented his customers with one of the several used cars on his lot. As soon as he tapped the side of that car, however, one of its hubcaps fell off and a possum squirmed out of its hood, hissing. "Engine possum at no extra charge."

Even despite this, the crowd of customers went wild, waving their money around as they all scrambled to buy the car first. Bud's greedy grin was only cut short as he happened to spot his son passing by, toting a mysterious jar as a single file line of watermelons trailed behind him. "Say there, son," he called curiously. "What's in the jar? And who are your… little friends?"

"That's my widdle secret!" Gideon threw on a sickeningly sweet grin as he turned to face the onlookers. 

The crowd was quickly charmed, even though none of them noticed the contempt that filled Gideon's face as he turned away from them. "Mouth-breathin' fools…" he muttered disdainfully once he went inside his house. He only gave his mother a short, very dry greeting as he passed her by. For her part, Mrs. Gleeful offered no response as she continued nervously vacuuming the kitchen like her life depended on it. 

As soon as Gideon and all of the Watermelon Stevens had filed into his room, he finally unscrewed the jar and dumped Dipper, Mabel, Steven, and Baby Melon onto his desk. As small as they were, they knew there wasn't much they could do to escape, lest they be on the receiving end of Gideon's notoriously violent temper. "You three!" he shouted at the trio as they huddled in close to protect each other.

"What are you gonna do with us?!" Mabel asked, frightened.

"Why Mabel, I wouldn't hurt a hair on your itty-bitty head," Gideon chuckled twistedly. "If you agree to be my queen!"

"We live in a democracy!" Mabel exclaimed. "And never!"

"Maybe you'll change your mind after THIS!" Gideon picked Mabel up by the collar of her sweater, much to Dipper and Steven's shared alarm. Even so, she wasn't one to go down without a struggle, however tiny that struggle was forced to be. 

"No! I'll fight you until the day I-" Mabel swiftly stopped when Gideon held her up to a bag of one of her favorite sugary treats. "Gummy Koalas!" She didn't protest whatsoever as she was dropped into the bag, allowing her to happily snack on the candy, now half the size she was. 

With Mabel pacified, Gideon turned his attention back on Steven and Dipper instead. "As for you two…" he began darkly as he turned the bright table lamp on them. "What's the deal with these watermelons, Universe? Are they some sort of magical Gem thing?"

"Well, yeah," Steven admitted. "I accidentally grew them using-" He was abruptly cut off by Dipper, who had slapped a hand over his mouth to keep him from revealing any more. 

"We don't have to tell you anything!" he defiantly exclaimed. Even so, he still tensed up just a bit when Gideon turned his angry attention onto him.

"Oh really?" he challenged. "Well I think my watermelon comrades aren't too pleased with that. Right, fellas?"

Gideon glanced back at the group of Watermelon Stevens behind him, though not a single one of them moved so much as an inch at his command. "You seedy fools!"Get over here and intimidate them for me!"

At this, the watermelon lunged forward to once again attack Gideon instead of attacking for him. He let out a panicked wail as they pulled him to the ground, beating him just as brutally as they had back at the shack. "Augh! No!" he howled as one of the melons landed a kick straight to his face. "Get off me, you overly-ripe idiots!"

"Yeah! Get him!" Mabel cheered as she continued munching on her gummy koalas. "Kick his adorable butt!"

"Man, those guys really don't listen well, do they?" Dipper said to Steven. "Not even to you apparently."

"I'm not sure what their problem is…" Steven frowned as he glanced over at Baby Melon. "The Gems said that my mom used to grow magic plants that would listen to her, but… I guess I'm just not very good at it…" He heaved a disappointed sigh, though Baby Melon was quick to console him with a comforting hug. "Aw, Baby Melon! You're the best! You know, I guess you're even more of a 'baby' melon now that we're all so tiny! Ha!"

Eventually, Gideon managed to push the rebelling melons off of him enough to pick himself up off the ground. They were more than ready to keep on attacking him, until Gideon swiftly swiped Steven up off the desk, holding him high in the air with a tight fist. Steven let out a frightened yelp when he realized just how far he was from the ground–and how deadly a fall from such a height could truly be. 

"Back away!" Gideon fiercely warned the melons. "Back away or I'll squish him like a grape!"

This proved to finally be enough to reign the Watermelon Stevens back in. They stepped back slowly, glaring at Gideon all the while as he roughly dropped Steven back onto the desk. "I'll give those watermelons this," Gideon growled as he straightened up his disheveled suit. "They're about as smart as you are, Universe."

"Oh, thank you!" Steven smiled, oblivious. 

"You might as well just let us go, Gideon," Dipper spoke up. "You have literally nothing to gain from keeping us here."

"Oh, I don't now?" Gideon questioned coldly. "Then tell me… How exactly did you come across that magic flashlight? Hmm? Did somebody tell you about it? Did you read about it somewhere?"

Dipper hesitated, knowing that the answers to both of those questions were technically a yes. Still, the last thing he wanted was to reveal the journal to someone like Gideon , of all people. So instead, he came up with a much better idea instead. "Lean closer and I'll tell you!" he whispered, quickly motioning to Steven to cover his ears. While confused, he did so, just in time for Dipper to sound a nearby air horn right in Gideon's ear when he leaned in.

"Ahhh!" Gideon screamed as he whacked the lamp away, glaring hatefully down at the boys. "I could squash you both right now!" he shouted hotly, holding his fist over the two of them. 

The Watermelon Stevens lined in a bit closer when they saw this, ready to violently retaliate if need be. That alone was enough to get Gideon to back down, especially when he realized he shouldn't be too hasty. At least not yet. "Steel yourself, Gideon. You can use them. You can use them…"

Stan grinned, satisfied, as he watched Soos and Greg finish setting up the myriad of mirrors in the parlor. The Mystery Shack's newest attraction wasn't exactly the most complicated, but Stan knew that it would still pull in the crowds regardless. After all, he'd learned a long time ago that it took almost nothing to impress the impressionable masses that were his customers. 

"Soos, this maze of mirrors is your best idea that I'm taking credit for yet!" Stan proudly remarked. "We're gonna make a fortune!" He took off his fez and smirked as he looked at his reflection on one of the many mirrors. "Huh… Have my ears always been this big?"

Soos hurried up to the mirror when Stan walked away from it. He made sure his boss wasn't looking as he put on his fez and he stood boldly and wistfully before his reflection. "One day!"

"Hey, Mr. Pines?" Greg asked as he approached his former boss. "Is Steven still outside selling his watermelons? I haven't seen him around in a while…"

"What?" Stan asked, disgruntled. "That kid better not be shirking off! He's supposed to be out there making me—I mean, making us money!"

"Don't bother going out there and looking for him," Garnet said. Pearl and Amethyst trailed in after her as she entered the parlor. "He's not there."

"W-well then, where is he?" Greg asked, suddenly concerned. 

"Aw, I'm sure he's fine, Greg," Amethyst waved him off. "He's probably just hanging with Dipper and Mabel, going on some sort of 'wacky' adventure, or whatever those three do when we're not around."

The conversation was soon interrupted as the phone rang from the other room. As Stan went to answer it, he sullenly called back over his shoulder, "All those watermelons better be sold, or that kid's gonna hear it!"

"You have no right to scold Steven, Stan!" Pearl yelled after him. "He-" She was quickly cut off before her rant could continue by Amethyst suddenly yanking on her arm. 

"Whoa! Check out all the mirrors!" she bounced up and down excitedly at the sight of the mirror maze. "Last one in's an uptight Pearl!"

"W-what?!" Pearl exclaimed, appalled as she watched Amethyst blindly rush into the maze. "Amethyst, get back here! Amethyst!"

As Pearl ran in the maze after Amethyst, only Greg and Garnet were left behind as an awkward sort of silence soon filled the room. "Uh…" Greg began, unsure of what to say. However, before he could get another word out, Garnet silently stepped into the mirror maze on her own accord. "Good talk!" Greg called after her, flustered. 

"Yeah?" Stan dryly answered the phone. Somehow, he wasn't surprised to hear Gideon's voice on the other end.

"Stanford Pines, listen to me very closely," Gideon warned, his tone dead serious. "And make sure you pass this message onto the Crystal Gems too. I have your niece and nephew, as well as young Steven Universe. Hand over the deed to the Mystery Shack right now, or great harm will befall them!" A beat of silence passed before he added, "This is Gideon, by the way."

Much to Gideon's frustration, Stan responded not with fear, but with laughter instead. "Oh yeah, this has gotta be your worst plot yet," Stan snickered before he covered the phone. "Hey, you guys!" he called to the Gems as they made their way through the mirror maze. "Get a load of this! Gideon says he's holding the kids ransom for the shack! Pretty hilarious, right?"

"Totally!" Amethyst's laughter echoed from her spot in the maze. 

"More like completely ridiculous!" Pearl scoffed, still chasing Amethyst all the while. 

Garnet gave no response and Stan didn't wait for one as he spoke to Gideon once more. "You're full of it, kid. They're fine. I saw them playing in the yard just a few minutes ago."

"I have them in my possession!" Gideon insisted. "And I have an army of my very own! You don't believe me?! I will text you a photo!"

"'Text me a photo'?" Stan repeated, confused. "Now you're not even speaking English!"

"But-" Gideon was cut off when Stan abruptly hung up. "Hello? Hello? Augh!" 

Infuriated, he threw the phone against the wall in a fit of rage. Both Dipper and Steven had to quickly duck to avoid being hit by its debris. They soon realized they had even more to worry about as Gideon began to eerily laugh, only growing more unhinged by the second. "What am I doing? I don't need a ransom! I have THIS!"

As he held the size-changing flashlight up, a wave of newfound fear washed over all three of the kids. Especially when Gideon made his sinister plans for it more than clear. "I'll shrink Stan and take the shack for myself! And while I'm at it, I'll shrink the Gems too, and crush 'em like the rocks they are!"

"You can't do that!" Steven boldly protested.

"Oh, I can't?" Gideon retorted calmly, confidently.

"Yeah! We'll stop you!" Dipper exclaimed.

"Really? You and what army?" Gideon smirked back at the Watermelon Stevens still lining the room.

"Oh yeah…" Steven frowned, rubbing his arm. "I guess we forgot about that…"

The tension of the moment was all but shattered as Bud called for Gideon from downstairs. "Gideon! The ice cream truck is here!"

"Oh! Comin'!" Gideon called with an excited grin. Before he left, he made sure that his captives would stay in line under the watchful eye of, of all things, his pet hamster. "Guard them, Cheekums," he ordered before running off, taking all of the Watermelon Stevens with him. "I'm coming!"

As soon as Gideon had left, Steven and Dipper found themselves standing face to face with the oversized Cheekums. To their relief, they quickly found that he was far from an intimidating creature, especially as he let out a dormant squeak when Baby Melon stepped over to hug him. 

"Aw…" Steven smiled, stars in his eyes. "That is the cutest thing I've ever seen!"

"We gotta get out of here and save Stan and the Gems!" Dipper was quick to remind both Steven and Mabel of the dire matter at hand.

"I know!" Mabel agreed as she shoved the head of one of the gummy koalas into her sweater for safekeeping. "I will see you later."

"Yeah, but how can we help them?" Steven asked. "Gideon's huge compared to us and he has all of the Watermelon Stevens!"

"And he has the flashlight," Dipper added, sighing. "On the bright side, at least you and me are the same height again, Mabel."

"Actually…" Mabel frowned, uncertain. That alone prompted Dipper into demanding that they check again. It didn't take long for them to find a ruler, and once more, Steven confirmed that Mabel was indeed just a millimeter taller.

"You're still taller?" Dipper asked in disbelief. "Augh! How did this happen?"

"I guess it's just another mystery," Mabel shrugged, grinning.

"Whatever," Dipper scoffed as he glanced down at the floor far below them. "Just another reason to get that flashlight back as soon as possible."

"We're gonna need a long ladder to get all the way down there…" Steven said, apprehensive. Mabel, however, had another idea.

"Cheekums, to freedom!" she hopped up onto the hamster, patting his sides. "To freedom!" Upon patting Cheekums again and seeing that he didn't respond, Mabel quickly realized that her plan most likely wasn't going to work. "Aw, you're just a big ol' dummy-dumb!"

"What is it, Baby Melon?" Steven turned as the small watermelon tugged on his shirt. "Do you have an idea?"

Baby Melon eagerly nodded as it grabbed Steven's hand and pulled him over to the edge of the desk. Curious, the twins followed as Baby Melon's plan became clear when they spotted the nearby clothes hamper. It had spilled over during Gideon's last altercation with the other Watermelon Stevens, giving them a cushioned pile of powder blue-suit to land safely upon. 

As small as they were, sneaking downstairs was easy enough. Still, they made sure to be as careful as possible as they crept into the living room, where Gideon was greedily enjoying his ice cream. The Watermelon Stevens stood by all the while, watching him like hawks, all but waiting for another reason to attack him all over again. 

"Clean me!" Gideon sharply ordered his father. As soon as Bud was finished wiping his face off, Gideon turned his usual faux charm back on. "Father, could you give widdle ol' me and my watermelons a ride to the Mystery Shack?"

"Oh, I'd love to, sugarpot," Bud replied, grinning. "But I have a heck of a lot of cars to sell, I do!" His smile widened as he began lightly tickling his son. While Gideon laughed at first, he very quickly fell into yet another heated fit of rage. 

"N-no, no! DON'T TICKLE ME!" Gideon suddenly screamed. With an enraged shout, he threw his tub of ice cream across the room, only narrowly missing his mother. "NEVER tickle me! What have I told you?! What have I—look at me—what have I told you?!"

"Ticklin' is no laughing matter…" Bud meekly backed off.

"There you go," Gideon coldly patted his father's head. 

"Do you still need a ride?"Bud still asked nonetheless. 

"I'll just take the BUS!" Gideon growled, knocking over an end table as took his leave. The Watermelon Stevens followed after him, leaving his parents behind in a mix of happiness and horror. 

"Ah… precious memories…" Bud smiled, reclining back onto the couch.

"Just keep vacumnin'," Mrs. Gleeful fearfully muttered to herself as she did exactly that. "Just keep vacumin'…"

As soon as the coast was clear, Dipper, Mabel, Steven, and Baby Melon all made a run for it, escaping the house through the low dog door. As soon as they were outside, however, another problem soon became obvious. At their current size, it'd essentially take them forever to follow Gideon all the way over to the shack. And by the time they'd get there, they'd be far too late to save anyone from his wrath.

"We need to get higher…" Dipper frowned as he glanced around the car lot for a solution. 

"Yeah, especially you, 'cause you're short," Mabel elbowed him teasingly. 

"Ok, you know what, Mabel-"

"Guys, now's not the time!" Steven cut in before another argument could ensue. "We need to work together to come up with a plan, not fight!"

"...Steven's right," Dipper agreed. "And speaking of plans, I have one." He nodded up to a dollar sign balloon floating nearby. It took a bit of doing, but the group managed to scale the balloon's rope, making it to the top of the balloon just in time to see Gideon and his watermelon army board the bus below. 

"How are we ever gonna catch up with them?!" Steven asked as the bus took off without them. 

"Oh flying discount dollar, if only you could fly us back to the Mystery Shack," Mabel sighed, wistfully patting the balloon. 

"Maybe it can…" Dipper grinned as he pulled out his pocket knife. It took a while for the tiny knife to cut through the rope tethering the balloon, but as soon as it did, it took to the sky with the kids sailing swiftly upon it. Fortunately, the winds were in their favor as it chased after the bus Gideon was on, and the dollar's "wings" acted as perfect rudders to give them an extra level of control. 

They arrived at the Mystery Shack mere moments after Gideon, landing atop one of the totem poles in the yard. From there, they used the flag rope as a zipline to get over to the shack, landing them on the roof just as Gideon stepped onto the porch. 

"I'm comin' for ya, Stanford!" Gideon deviously announced. With the flashlight secure in his grasp and the Watermelon Stevens marching behind him, his victory was all but assured. Until… 

"I'm sorry, gummy friend," Mabel sighed as she held up the gummy koala she had saved earlier. 

"It's for the greater good," Dipper reassured her as both Steven and Baby Melon nodded their solemn agreement. With that, Mabel let the gummy koala go, letting it drop squarely on top of Gideon's pompadour below.

"Ugh!" he let out a disgusted shout. "One of those infernal gummy koalas has gotten into my perfect hair! I can't defeat Stan and the Gems looking like this!" 

After commanding the Watermelon Stevens to stand by, Gideon dropped the flashlight and hurried over to the nearest mirror to fix his hair. This gave Steven, Dipper, and Mabel plenty of time to rappel down to the ground–and to the size-changing flashlight all but waiting for them to use it. 

"Ok, guys," Steven whispered. He stole a glance over his shoulder to make sure Gideon was still distracted. "We have to hurry and do this before Gideon gets back."

"Right," Mabel agreed, standing near the flashlight's switch. "You get in front and I'll re-grow you."

While Steven and Baby Melon both nodded, Dipper wasn't as on board with such a plan. "Wait… you're gonna grow us back to equal height, right?"

"Dipper, that doesn't matter right now!" Mabel groaned, annoyed. 

"Well if it doesn't matter, why don't you just do it?" 

"Guys! Come on!" Steven urged, distressed. "We don't have time for this!"

"Why are you acting so weird?! Why can't you just accept that I'm a little bit taller than you?"

"Dipper! Mabel! Please! Mr. Pines and the Gems are in danger!" Steven practically begged, only to be drowned out all over again.

"Oh, I'm acting weird? You're the one who keeps calling me names and stuff!"

"Guys, cut it out! We gotta-"

"Oh what? You mean like little-"

"Don't say it!"

" Little Dipper ." 

Gideon ultimately brought the argument to a stark end with this. In an instant, he snatched the kids and Baby Melon up with one hand, and the size-changing flashlight with the other. And in the process, he all but snatched their one chance at turning the tides in their favor away from them altogether. "Well, lookie what almost happened!" Gideon grinned down at his struggling captives. "I dare say you would have defeated me, if it wasn't for your sibling bickering!"

"Gideon, wait!" Steven started to protest. Not that Gideon let him get much more than that out. 

"Whatever it is you're gonna say, Universe, save it!" he snapped. At the same time, the Watermelon Stevens pressed in closer upon noticing Steven was in danger. Something that Gideon once again was more than happy to use to his advantage. "And as for you lot, ya'll are gonna go in there and act as my loyal army, or else I'll squash him and all of you with him!"

Once more, the Watermelon Stevens had no choice but to back down and obey. Steven frowned as he noticed this, but before he could say anything to his sentient fruits, Gideon put his own twisted plan into action. He kicked the door of the Mystery Shack wide open, with the size-changing flashlight poised to attack whoever he saw first. 

"The shack is mine , Stanford Pines!" Gideon triumphantly proclaimed. He switched the flashlight on, letting its magic shine full-force upon the target before him. 

"No!" the kids cried as they watched Stan's fez fall to the ground. As far as Gideon was concerned, however, this was just one foe down, three more to go. 

"Well, well, Stanford," Gideon began as lifted the fallen fez up. "It appears I finally got the best of- what ?!" He gasped when he realized the one sitting under the hat wasn't Stan, but a much smaller Soos instead. 

"Hm…" Soos glanced around as he put his usual hat back on. "Alright, something is definitely different here…"

More enraged than ever, Gideon gathered up all of his tiny victims and tossed them into his jar, shaking it as he demanded answers out of the handyman. "Tell me where Stan and the Crystal Gems are!"

"Never!" Soos bravely protested. "You'll never find Stan and the Gems on the second floor to the left down the hall! …Wait, why did I say that?"

Gideon wasted no time jumping on this lead as he shoved the jar into his suit pocket and took off down the hall. "Oh, Stanford! I'm comin' for ya!" he flicked the flashlight on and off as he issued another harsh order to the Watermelon Stevens. "Shake a leg, you seedy simpletons!"

As the situation grew more dire by the minute, the kids, along with Soos and Baby Melon, beat against the side of the jar keeping them trapped. Not that it mattered much now; it'd only be a matter of time now before Gideon shrunk Stan and the Gems down too. 

And once he did, there'd be no one left to stop him. 

"I guess I kinda Soosed this one up, didn't I?" Soos asked, frowning.

"Nah, it's not your fault, Soos," Steven reassured. "I'd say someone else is a little more responsible for that…"

Under the surprisingly critical glare Steven offered them, Dipper and Mabel both quickly caved. Largely because they knew he was right . Their short-sightedness had, quite literally, gotten them into this mess and kept them tightly trapped in it with no way out. And all for the sake of an argument that, in the grand scheme of things, hardly seemed to matter anymore. 

"I… I guess this was sort of my fault…" Dipper admitted, rubbing his arm. "I mean, I'm the guy who put that shrinking device together in the first place. It's just… you kept teasing me, Mabel, like all day. What was that all about?"

Mabel sighed as she glanced away from her brother. "I guess it's that… you're better than me at almost everything, and you always rub it in my face. You always come up with the best plans and you know, like, everything… Sometimes… sometimes it feels like I just can't… measure up to you. With this height thing, it finally felt like I was winning at something for once."

"Aw, Mabel…" Dipper shook his head. "You shouldn't worry about measuring up to me. Heck, if anything, I should be trying to measure up to you . You're creative, you're funny, and you're like, the biggest social butterfly I've ever seen."

"You mean it?" Mabel asked, finally managing a small smile. 

"Of course I do," Dipper nodded. "And now I feel like a big jerk about being so petty over this height thing all day…"

"Don't you mean a little jerk?" Mabel joked. And unlike all of the others, this was one that Dipper couldn't help but genuinely laugh at.

"Alright, I walked right into that one," he chuckled. "Are we cool?"

"We're cool," Mabel agreed, firmly meeting her brother's fist bump. 

"Yay! We're cool!" Steven cheered as he scooped both of the twins and Baby Melon into a happy hug. 

"Let me get in there, dudes," Soos joined them, squeezing all of the kids tight. 

Sure, their situation may have seemed bleak, but somewhere in that hug, the kids still managed to find some hope all the same. Regardless of what size they might be, they were still standing together. And as long as they were together, then no matter how small they were, they knew they could make some big waves. 

Waves that they hoped might just be big enough to somehow save the day.

The Watermelon Stevens entered the parlor ahead of Gideon, acting as bodyguards on all sides as he caught sight of one of his enemies in one the many mirrors filling the room. "Stanford!" he snapped vengefully, refusing to be made a fool of again.

"Oh, hi, Gideon," Stan greeted, initially unconcerned. At least until he spotted the crowd of Watermelon Stevens surrounding him. "Hey! Where'd you get those?! I swear, kid, you better have paid full price for all those melons, or I'm gonna-"

"Pay for 'em?" Gideon interrupted with a wicked laugh. "I don't think so. They're my own personal army! And together, we're gonna destroy you and those darn Crystal Gems, and take this shack!"

"Sure you are," Stan rolled his eyes. "By the way, I've been looking for someone other than Amethyst and Pearl to try out my new mirror maze. Then again, you're an idiot. That's the end of the sentence."

Gideon clenched his fists, enraged, as Stan took off into the maze, laughing at his expense all the while. "You come back here!" 

"Try and find me, twerp!" Stan brazenly challenged. A challenge that Gideon readily took. 

"Fan out and find the Gems!" he commanded the Watermelon Stevens. "Or else!" He tapped the top of the bottle in his pocket as another grim reminder of what could happen if they didn't comply. Or rather, what could have happened if his tiny captives weren't already making a break for it. 

Working together, they managed to tower on top of each other to pry the jar open when Gideon wasn't looking. This time, their size proved to be an advantage as they were able to climb out of Gideon's pocket without being spotted. 

"Ok, we need to get that flashlight back before Gideon finds Stan or any of the Gems," Dipper firmly reminded the others.

"There it is!" Steven pointed to the light, resting in Gideon's other suit pocket. While close enough, none of them wanted to risk getting caught again. Which was why they took to sneaking around Gideon's back in order to get to it, a route with obstacles all its own. 

"Whoa! His hair is so shiny!" Mabel gasped, wonderstruck, as she took in the pristine brightness of Gideon's white hair.

"No!" Dipper pulled his sister back before she could touch it. "Don't look directly at it!"

"His neck is really squishy!" Soos grinned as he leaned into Gideon's generous love handles. "Hey look! I'm making fat angles!"

"Ew! Termites!" Gideon cringed when he felt the sudden disturbance on the back of his neck. A mere swipe of his hand was all it took to knock Soos clean off, much to the kids' shared alarm. 

"Tell my storyyyy!" Soos called up as he fell. Thankfully, he made a soft landing in the shag rug below, where he made an exciting, delicious discovery. "Hey, there you are!" He picked up the half-eaten chip he had dropped days ago, taking a bite. "Thought you could get away from me, eh corn chip?"

Meanwhile, Gideon continued to pursue Stan through the mirror maze, never catching up as his countless reflections only served to anger him even more. Still, he soon remembered his other targets when he overheard them arguing nearby. 

"There you are, Amethyst!" Pearl huffed, exasperated. "I can't believe we wasted all this time chasing you through this mess of mirrors!"

"Hey, nobody told you that you had to run after me," Amethyst shrugged, unbothered.

"Aha!" Gideon leapt out from behind one of the mirrors. He raised the size-changing flashlight, taking steady aim at the pair of confused Gems before him. "Stay right where you are! You ladies are cornered!"

After only a beat of silence, both Amethyst and Pearl broke down laughing at such a ridiculous demand. "What, you're not like, serious, are you, dude?" Amethyst asked, chuckling. "You really think we're afraid of you and some dinky little flashlight?"

"Oh you will be… after I do this !" Gideon flipped the flashlight on, cackling wildly as the pink beam shone upon the pair of Gems. And yet, what should have been a crowning moment soon shifted into confusion when he realized his foes weren't getting any smaller in the slightest. 

Instead, Pearl and Amethyst simply stood there, unsure of what was even supposed to be happening as Gideon began beating the side of the flashlight in newfound desperation. "W-what?!" he exclaimed, aghast. "Why ain't it working?! It's supposed to be working!"

"Uh… this is really embarrassing…" Amethyst muttered, frowning.

"Wait a second…" Pearl squinted at the small crystal tied to the front of the flashlight. "No, it can't be… Is that… a piece of the Magnitude Modulator?!"

"Magnitude what-now?" Amethyst asked. 

"The Magnitude Modulator!" Pearl pointedly repeated. "It was built by Gems ages ago in order to aid in construction by shrinking down or sizing up organic materials. That's why it doesn't work on us; we're manifestations of light."

"Oh, yeah, the size crystal things!" Amethyst exclaimed. "Ugh, darn it! I thought I told Dipper not to tell anyone about that!" 

"You did what ?" Pearl asked, eyeing her suspiciously. 

"Uh, I mean… I-I don't know anything about them!" Amethyst countered awkwardly. "And I totally didn't tell anyone else about them. That'd just be plain irresponsible, which you know I'm not."

"...Oh, for crying out loud…" Pearl pinched the bridge of her nose. Still, there'd be time to ream Amethyst out for this later; there was a much more daunting matter at hand to deal with now. "Listen, Gideon," she began, her tone firm as she took a step forward. "You need to hand that flashlight over right now. It's empowered with ancient Gem technology, and you have no business-"

"You really think I'm gonna just hand such a powerful tool over to you?" Gideon scoffed as he pulled the flashlight out of her reach. "Even if this didn't work on ya'll, I know something that will!" 

With a sharp whistle, Gideon beckoned all of the Watermelon Stevens to his side. Pearl and Amethyst gasped, shocked at the sight of the now fully-animated melon army. 

"They're alive?!" Amethyst asked, stunned.

"They most certainly are," Gideon grinned viciously. "And they're about to take you Gems down a peg or two… Watermelons! Get them!"

At his command, the watermelons pounced on the two Gems, their violent nature taking full control. Regardless, Pearl and Amethyst were ready for the onslaught as they quickly summoned their weapons, using them to easily slice through the first several melons in their way. Still, there was little they could do to stop Gideon as he ran off, determined as ever to shrink Stan. 

"Garnet!" Pearl let out a warning shout. "We're under-"

"Attack, I know," Garnet said as jumped down into the fray, her gauntlets already summoned. 

"Steven's watermelon guys came to life!" Amethyst lashed her whip out to knock back another melon. "And somehow that punk Gideon got them to attack us!"

"It makes sense," Garnet replied as she punched one of the watermelons to pieces. "Rose's plants lived to fight."

"But how in the world did Gideon of all people get them to listen to him?!" Pearl asked as she cut a watermelon's head clean off. "They're supposed to be listening to Steven!"

Garnet clenched her fists even tighter as she stole a glance in the direction Gideon had run off in. "It's because Gideon captured Steven and the twins," she said, a hint of anger in her otherwise calm voice. 

"What?!" Pearl and Amethyst exclaimed, equally alarmed. 

"That little scoundrel!" Pearl hissed, gripping her spear as she prepared to chase after him. "We have to rescue them!"

"No," Garnet quickly stopped her. "We have to take care of these watermelons. And besides, they have it covered."

As much as they wanted to help the kids, Pearl and Amethyst couldn't help but agree with their leader's counsel as they continued brawling the murderous melons. After all, they'd seen the kids get themselves out of more than a few tight spots before. All they could do now was trust that they'd able to do it again.

Satisfied that the Watermelon Stevens could handle the Gems, Gideon maneuvered his way through the mirror maze, ready to shrink Stan down the moment he saw him. On a knee jerk reaction, he fired off a beam from the flashlight at one of Stan's countless reflections, which bounced off nothing other than solid glass. 

"Hey, Mr. Pines!" Greg called as he entered the parlor, carrying Stan's fez. "I found your-" He was abruptly cut off as the size-changing beam suddenly bolted right past him, only missing him. Instead, it struck the taxidermied moose head on the wall next to him, swiftly shrinking it down. "Yikes!" Greg gasped as he turned attention to the chaos in the room below him. The Gems were brutally battling the Watermelon Stevens, while Gideon had begun breaking several of the surrounding mirrors to make tracking Stan down easier. Whatever was going on, it was clearly far beyond what Greg was comfortable dealing with, which was why he simply placed the fez on the banister before he slowly backed out of the room. "Uh… I'll come back later…"

"Hey, watch the merchandise!" Stan shouted as Gideon smashed another mirror in his demented frenzy. His plan ultimately worked as Stan himself stepped out into the open, angrily storming towards him. And, unknowingly, towards his untimely undoing. "You little troll! Those mirrors cost me ten—I mean, twenty five—five hundred—five hundred dollars each, and you're paying for all of them!"

"Oh contraire…" Gideon smirked as he held the flashlight up. "It'll be you who pays!"

"We're too late!" Steven cried as he and Baby Melon peeked out from Gideon's suit.

"Grunkle Stan is doomed!" Mabel mourned as Gideon took careful aim at Stan.

"Not entirely doomed!" Dipper corrected as he came up with a sudden idea. "Quick! To his armpit!"

"Uh… what?" Steven frowned, confused. Likewise, Mabel shook her head in protest, until Dipper managed to pull them both back down into Gideon's suit. 

"Just come on!" he urged, knowing they had not a second to waste. 

"Whoa, what is that thing?" Stan asked as Gideon used the flashlight to back him into the nearby wall.

Gideon offered no response as he launched into a confident, villainous monologue instead. "Finally, after all these years, after every humiliation! Your business, your family, everything will finally be mine! You have no one to protect you now! Prepare for the wrath of Gideon Glee-" He cut himself off, biting back an involuntary laugh before trying again. "Gideon Glee—oh, oh, hahahaha!"

Stan could only stand by, confused, as Gideon suddenly collapsed to the ground, dropping his flashlight as uncontrollable laughter overtook him. "Uh… I don't know how to respond to this…" Stan said with an uncomfortable frown. 

"N-no! No! Stop it! Hahaha!" Gideon howled, rolling on the ground to try and shake off whatever unseen force was aggressively tickling him. Unbeknownst to him, his four tiny captives were the culprits, working together to take him down in an unexpected, unintentionally hilarious way.

"Um, look, kid, I think this rivalry is getting to you," Stan said over Gideon's crazed chuckling. "I understand. I mean, I'm a pretty formidable foe. What can I say?"

Unable to regain his bearings, Gideon could only growl amidst his unstoppable laughter as Stan continued. "Hey now, come on! You'll get me one of these days!" he patronized insincerely. "Maybe you should, you know, run your evil plan by some friends next time. Workshop it. But first, get your issues in order there." 

Deciding it was finally time to kick Gideon out, Stan used his foot to roll him across the floor, ignoring his agonized laughter all the while. "Up over the carpet, there we go, around the end table, and out the door." Unceremoniously, Stan pushed him out, allowing him to clumsily roll down the porch steps and onto the grass. Luckily, Dipper, Mabel, Steven, and Baby Melon managed to jump off of him just in time, chasing after the flashlight after it fell out of Gideon's hands. 

Suddenly free from the tickling scourge, Gideon scrambled to his feet, panicking as he realized the flashlight was gone. "My light!"

"You're the light of my life too, pal," Stan deadpanned, slamming the door in Gideon's face. "Wow, what a freak show."

With the flashlight secured, the kids raced to use it as quickly as possible. Steven sized Baby Melon up first, before using it on himself to do the same. When the twins' turns came around, Mabel was caught off guard when Dipper motioned for her to go first. "After you." 

"It's ok," Mabel shook her head, smiling. "You can go first if you want—whoa!" She gasped as her brother suddenly turned the light on, bringing her back up to her regular height. She didn't hesitate to return the favor, only to find a pleasant surprise when they compared their heights again. "Hey, you let me keep my extra millimeter!" 

"You earned it," Dipper shrugged, content. After all, if he'd learned anything after spending the day at a few inches tall, it was that a mere millimeter didn't matter in the slightest. Especially if that millimeter got in between him and his sister.

 "Aww… Thanks, little brother!" Mabel laughed warmly. 

"Stop it," Dipper warned, just shy of Steven pulling them both into a tight hug. 

"I'm so glad you guys are getting along again!" His joy was short-lived, however, when the sound of shattering mirrors rang out from the far side of the room. Baby Melon pulled on Steven's arm, reminding him that trouble was still afoot. And that the other Watermelon Stevens were still on the attack. "Oh my gosh, you're right, Baby Melon! We still have to go help the Gems! Come on, you guys!"

"We'll catch up with you in a second!" Mabel called out after them as they ran into the maze. "So, I guess we should destroy this thing, huh?" She handed the size-changing flashlight over to Dipper. "You know, so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands and junk?"

"Seems like the smart thing to do," Dipper untied the crystal from the flashlight, letting it fall to the floor. 

"Die!" Mabel shouted as she brutally smashed it with her foot. Only a second later, however, a small, but familiar voice happened to catch their attention. 

"There you dudes are!" Soos shouted up at them, still extremely tiny. "I've been trying to get your attention!" And indeed he had, using several small shards of broken glass to spell out "Help Soos!" on the ground. Dipper and Mabel exchanged a horrified glance as they looked between the tiny handyman and the now-shattered crystal on the floor. It would take a while, but they knew exactly what they needed to do. 

"Glue?"

"Lots of glue."

Steven was shocked when he saw exactly how bad the battle between the Watermelon Stevens and the Gems had gotten. With wide eyes, he watched as Garnet slammed her fists into the melons clinging onto her leg, rendering them to mere chunks. Pearl spun her spear to cut several of the melons straight in half like the fruits they were. Meanwhile, Amethyst's whip caught several of the melons at once, crushing them mercilessly in the process. 

"Wait, don't!" Steven tried to warn the Gems. By all accounts, this was the last thing he could have ever wanted for his precious watermelons. But thanks to Gideon forcing them into such senseless violence, the Watermelon Stevens were now forced to pay the ultimate price as they met their delicious demise. 

Try as he might to get past the wall of watermelon standing between him and the Gems, Steven found it was a useless effort. Still, he wasn't about to give up so soon. "Come on, Baby Melon! We have to stop this!"

Despite their valiant efforts, it wasn't long before the living fruits began to outnumber and overpower the Gems. They ganged up on Garnet first, pouncing on her to the point that they easily dragged her down to the floor. Steven gasped when he saw this, desperate to put an end to this onslaught, before it was too late for either side of it. 

"Everyone! Please stop!" he shouted, hoping that the Watermelon Stevens would heed his command. "Look! I'm ok! You don't have to fight anymore!"

"Ahhh!" Amethyst's frightened scream caught his attention. He spun around to see that the Watermelon Stevens had managed to subdue her, holding her down as several more of them dug a hole right outside the window. "They're gonna put me in the ground!" Amethyst fearfully thrashed about, especially as another Watermelon Steven carried a large bouquet of violets up to the hole they planned on burying her in. "Those flowers are lovely!"

Before Steven could hurry over to help Amethyst, he was distracted by Pearl's frustrated shout. "Let go of my spear, you little twerps!" she growled, trying to tug her weapon away from the melons that had latched onto it. "I'll destroy you!"

With the situation only getting worse by the second, Steven shook his head, at a loss over how to stop it all. "This is bad, Baby Melly. How do we end this carnage?"

For a moment, Baby Melon was still as it solemnly shut its seed eyes. But in the end, it ultimately knew what it had to do. It knew what sacrifice it had to make. 

And so, in a sudden, single move, Baby Melon took a swing and punched Steven squarely in the gut. 

It didn't hurt too much, but it was still enough to knock Steven off his feet. As surprised as he was by this sudden attack, he was even more confused when the Watermelon Stevens all suddenly stopped assaulting the Gems… and turned their attention on the smallest melon among them instead. 

"B-Baby Melon?" Steven asked, concerned. And yet, Baby Melon simply stood where it was, holding its arms out wide as the whole of the watermelon horde pounced upon it. "No!" Steven cried, distraught as he jumped to his feet. "Let me through, you melon heads!" He forced his way into the crowd of crazed fruit just as they began to settle down–

But by then, it was already far too late. 

Tears were already in Steven's eyes as he glanced down at what little remained of Baby Melon. The miniature melon had been beaten to pieces; only a portion of its rind was left intact, filled with chunks of lifeless pink fruit. "B-Baby M-Melon…" he choked out a sob as he gently picked up what was left of his fallen friend. "I understand… You stopped the watermelons from fighting everyone else… by making them fight you…"

Deeply upset, Steven stood, holding Baby Melon's remains high for all of the other Watermelon Stevens to see. "Look what you've done!" he shouted angrily, mournfully. "You think I wanted this?! You should all be ashamed! He knew this was what it would take to calm your rage! He… he understood true loyalty…"

A heavy silence passed as the Gems exchanged a glance, equally impressed and unnerved. Even so, Steven couldn't stand to look at his rebellious melons any longer after all of the strife they had caused. After the innocent life they'd so viciously cut short. "Go!" Steven ordered, pointing at the door. "Think about what you've done! And don't come back until you understand what he did for me. For all of us!"

This time, the Watermelon Stevens finally listened to him. Quietly and orderly, they marched out of the shack, ultimately disappearing into the woods outside. Stan started as several of them passed him by, less concerned that they could move on their own, and far more concerned with the fact that they were leaving . 

"Hey! Hey!" he shouted as he ran up to Steven and the Gems. "Why is my money walking out the door?!"

"They're doing what they need to, Mr. Pines," Steven solemnly hung his head. "It's the only way they can really grow."

"They're watermelons !" Stan protested. "They've already grown!"

"Um, did we miss anything?" Dipper asked as he, Mabel, and Soos joined the group. Fortunately, they'd managed to reconstruct the crystal enough to restore the handyman to his full height again. Only to miss the entire battle against the Watermelon Stevens in the process.

"You guys sure did," Amethyst grinned. "Steven just thrashed his watermelon guys! It was awesome!"

"Oh no!" Mabel gasped when she saw what Steven was still cradling in his arms. "Is… is that… Baby Melon?! What happened?"

"He made the ultimate sacrifice…" Steven sighed sadly. "He was the true hero today…"

Despite his despair, he still looked up when he felt Garnet's hand come to rest on his shoulder. "Spoken like a true king."

"They don't need a king," Steven said, just shy of taking a few bites out of Baby Melon's sweet remains. Still, he stole a glance up as the last of the Watermelon Stevens vanished into the woods, free to pursue their own fate, whatever it might be. "They're their own melons now."

In light of his most humiliating defeat yet, Gideon was seething . He'd stormed home, shouting vicious, violent threats to the Crystal Gems and the Pines family all the while. Still, he knew those threats wouldn't be enough, not anymore. The time for simple games was over; next time, he wouldn't back down so easily. 

Next time, he wouldn't rest until he won , once and for all. 

"Aw, son, don't you mind that Stanford Pines or those Crystal Gems," Bud tried to console his son as he intensely paced around the living room. "You'll get your revenge one of these days."

"No!" Gideon furiously flipped over a chair. "It's not just about revenge! I want that shack! The physical building!"

"But why?" Bud asked, confused.

"Because it holds a secret you couldn't possibly imagine…" Gideon said, steeling his resolve. And, along with it, his vow to take each and every one of his enemies down, no matter what it might cost. "A secret that'll help me get everything I've ever wanted… And no one, I mean no one is gonna keep me from gettin' it…"