Strange Times, Stranger Places

Lets get to Chapter 1

Before we begin, maybe you need a bit of what is going on...

Steven and the Gems
The Crystal Gems, along with Connie, had a mission. Scout out Gravity Falls, and find any strange activity that could be caused by Gems, Gemtech, etc. They had one problem- it looked like the forests held more than their share of secrets and puzzles, so they would need some help. It was pure luck they could bring Connie, but who else could they ask for help? Maybe a local?

Mabel and Dipper
Coming back for the summer to the Mystery Shack, along with the Grunkles Stanford and Stanley, these two have grown a little from the previous adventures from last summer that ended with Weirdmageddon. The statue of Bill that stood where he was finally destroyed now was gone, and none could find it. Maybe the Dream Demon was back? They couldn't wait for another year in finding out what mysteries laid within the forests and mountains around the Shack. Maybe they'll find something new?

Frisk
The child had fallen down into the Underground for the umpteenth time in the resets. Now, Chara was nowhere to be seen, and it looked like the child could finally enjoy themselves in the Underground. With no parents to stop the fun, who knows what could happen? Of course, staying with Toriel for a little while couldn't hurt... The pie is always delicious!

How's that sound? Quite fun? Let's begin this story:

Steven, Connie, and the Gems opened up the hotel door. They were staying in a motel within Gravity Falls, and had very little luggage. Except for Connie. Her parents wanted her to be ready for everything. Steven had a small suitcase, filled with his normal shirts and shorts.

Connie and Steven wandered the town, after settling in. They had heard of a tourist trap called the Mystery Shack, and decided it would be cool to go see for a little while. They stopped by the arcade, playing older games and having a bit of fun.

Mabel and Dipper entered the arcade, looking for some of their favorite games. Mabel headed toward the crane games, and Dipper toward the fighting game. Two people were already playing, and seemed to be having fun.

"Hey can I play?"

"Sure!" The girl said. "Steven, I'm going to check out the crane games okay?"

"Alright!" Steven turned toward Dipper. "I'm Steven. Nice to meet you!"

Dipper looked at his outstretched hand. He took it. "I'm Dipper. Nice to meet you. Are you tourists?"

"Sort of. We came to check out some... Uhhh... Stuff."

Dipper was intrigued. He had never seen the strange boy before, and now had learned they were doing something mysterious. Time to check it out. But maybe after a game.

On the other side of the arcade, Mabel won a little pig plushie, that looked just like Waddles. She hugged it, and smiled wide.

"Lucky! How'd you do that?" A girl asked, walking over from another crane game. Mabel smiled, and put down the stuffed pig.

"I'll show you. I'm Mabel! Nice to meet cha."

"I'm Connie. It's nice to meet you too!"

They talked about how to cheat the crane game, and got two stuffed animals each. Connie got a stuffed pink lion and a little yellow star, and Mabel got her pig and a rainbow shooting star.

"This reminds me of Lion. Maybe he'll appear sometime..." Connie mumbled. Mabel overheard her, and asked, "Lion?"

"Oh! Steven, the boy I'm here with, has a pet Lion at home."

Mabel looked at her in shock and awe. "Really?" She had stars in her eyes, much like Steven had when he got excited. Connie laughed.

"Yea. He's pretty lazy, but he's really cool."

They talked for a bit about their animals, Waddles the pig and Lion the pink Lion.

They walked over towards the boys, and met as a large group.

"Do you guys want to go play laser tag?"

Both Connie and Steven replied, excited. "Sure!"

They paid, and began playing, dodging and shooting like pros. Mabel and Dipper were surprised at their skill. Steven avoided using his shield, knowing Pearl had told him that this area didn't know anything about the Gems, unlike the area that they lived in.

Dipper knew that the skill they had was not quite normal. If anything, they both seemed sort of trained. This only further intrigued him.

"You guys should come to the Mystery Shack. We could hang out there!" Mabel said, happily. Steven and Connie nodded, and the four walked over to the Shack. It had been rebuilt, and had a lot more to do since Soos and his mom took over. The Shack's sign had been fixed up, and looked quite nice.

They met with the Grunkles, Soos, and Wendy, downstairs. Dipper introduced the two newcomers. "This is Steven and Connie. They're visiting Gravity Falls... Uhhh... How long are you guys staying?"

Connie replied, "The whole summer, essentially."

"Awesome!" Mabel replied.

There was a few questions asked, and they went upstairs. Dipper's side of the room seemed filled with mystery and science gear, and Mabel's side was filled with boybands and random posters. Waddles walked over to Steven, and sniffed him. He began rubbing his head on Steven's leg, and he pet the pig in response.

Mabel smiled, and said, "That's Waddles the pig. He's a sweetheart."

"Awwww he's so cute!!!" Steven said, hugging the pig. Connie giggled a bit.

After a few hours, it was starting to get dark.

"We better get back to the hotel. Thank you guys for letting us come over!" Connie said, holding Steven's hand. The twins waved goodbye, and the two walked back to the hotel.

"They were pretty cool." Connie said.

"Yea. Today was fun. I'm glad the Gems let us do that." Steven replied.

Back inside of the room, the twins talked about the strange couple of kids.

"You think that something in the journals could explain them?" Dipper said.

"No. It doesn't matter anyway! They're gone. And we should have fun this summer! Let's not worry about mystery hunting!"

"Fine... But at least once a week, okay?"

"Fine..."

Frisk, who had been walking through the Ruins all day, finally made it to Toriel's house. Thank god they thought. Toriel came for them, and brought them inside. The child, who was actually twelve, sighed, and fell into the small bed provided for them.