Mystery Universe

Hunt for the Plaidypus!

It was dark. So dark Steven couldn't see his hands in front of his face. He was surrounded by an inky blackness that seemed to seep into his skin. He felt cold, but other than that, he could feel nothing else. He couldn't even feel the ground beneath his feet. He heard his breath quicken and heard the loud thumping of his heart in his head. He felt a weight pulling him down, and he began to sink into what felt like mud.

"No!" He yelled, but his voice sounded muffled.

Then there was laughter, and it seemed to fill the space around him. It was a cruel laugh, nasally and piercing. It struck Steven, filling him with dread. As his head started to sink into the mud, he prayed he would never hear that laugh again.

Steven woke with a start, his heart pounding. What was that? Most of his nightmares consisted of old memories that had been warped, but this was new. There was someone else in his dream. Another presence, another... entity. But, that was impossible. He was the only person he knew that could wander the mental realm. So how had something visit him? Was there someone else out there like him? No, that's not possible. There's no one out there like him.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Whatever it was, he would have to think about it later. He promised the twins he would help them track down something called a "plaidypus." Apparently, it was a plaid platypus, but Dipper seemed really interested in it. Whenever Steven asked where he got the information about it from, he got really quiet before answering with a simple, "oh, you know, the internet or whatever." That answer seemed a little weird to Steven, but he didn't think much of it. There were a lot of things on the internet.

Steven stood up out of bed, and started getting ready. It was his day off, which he was happy for. Sometimes talking to people can get tiring. He joined the Pines family in the kitchen, where Stan was making pancakes. Mabel was bouncing in her seat as always, excited for their adventure today. She was chattering about how cute a plaidypus would be and describing how soft she's expecting it to be. Dipper had a map of Gravity Falls laid out on the table, and was plotting out where they were going to go.

"I say we check out the pond first. Plaidypuses like water, so anywhere there is water we have to check," Dipper marked several Xs on the map.

"Good morning everyone," Steven yawned, still waking up.

"Good morning Steven!" Mabel all but yelled.

"Hey," Dipper waved his hand absentmindedly at Steven, still focused on the map. He chewed the back of his pen before marking another X.

There was a click as Stan turned off the stovetop, "Alright! Stancakes are done!"

Steven sat down at the table as breakfast was served. Dipper quickly ate his Stancakes, while still looking at the map. He was so focused, he didn't notice when some syrup dribbled onto his shirt. Mabel wolfed down the food, wanting to get started on their quest. Steven ate at an average pace. Eating too fast could be bad for you.

After breakfast, Steven helped Stan with the dishes while the twins anxiously waited for him to be done in the next room. Dipper was going over his materials again, making sure they had everything.

"Okay, we got grapes, to feed it when we find it, a flashlight, compass, the map, hammer, in case we run into any gnomes, water bottles, sunscreen... anything else we should bring?" Dipper tapped his chin, racking his brain for what other materials they would need.

"What about," Mabel reached into her bag and pulled something out, "a camera! I want to get memories for my scrapbook!"

Dipper nodded, "That's good, Mabel. Now, anything else?"

Mabel shrugged. She looked back at the kitchen to make sure Steven was still in there. She really needed to talk to Dipper about Steven. There was some weird stuff about him, but the weirdest was the softball sized gem that Mabel had seen on his stomach the other day. He was reaching for something off a high shelf for a customer, and Mabel say the pink gem as his shirt lifted up a bit.