#STEPPER WOULD STILL BE FORMED IN RIFTS BECAUSE OF EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES THAT I CAN'T EXPLAIN WITHOUT MAJOR SPOILERS

[minijenn]

Necessary Separation

A sequel to Tearing Me Apart

“Wait, what do you mean we can’t fuse anymore?” Dipper asked Garnet, who was rather confused about the fusion’s sudden request.

It had been about a day since Garnet had that terrible experience with Bill.  The Gem leader was completely shaken after that and had to spend the first few hours recuperating her mind and body.  While she wasn’t going to physically spit apart, there still was a rather noticeable divide between Ruby and Sapphire in her mind.  After she felt like she was in control again, Garnet then had to confront the tough decision she would have to make.  Mabel and Connie were occupied with something else in town, so Garnet summoned both Dipper and Steven to the Temple and sat them both down on the couch right under the loft. 

“What I mean,” the fusion calmly stated. “Is that I feel that you two should avoid fusing; at least for the time being.”  Garnet had been regretting to have this talk with the boys.  Fusion was very sensitive subject her, seeing how it almost created a huge schism between the Crystal Gems just a few weeks ago.  However, Garnet knew that this was something that could neither be avoided or ignored. 

Steven was silent for a few moments, but decided to speak his mind on this request.  “B-but I thought you liked Stepper?  You seemed to be so proud of us when we finally found the harmony.”

“No!” Garnet quickly corrected her protégé.  “I was proud, I AM proud that both of you could fuse and achieve harmony!” The fusion was clearly struggling with how to go about this issue.  “I just think that…maybe it would be best if Stepper would take a back seat, with everything that has happened these past few weeks.”

“So why aren’t Mabel and Connie here too?” Dipper asked. “Shouldn’t you also be telling them that they can’t form Maven or Stevonnie either?  Or is it just us for some reason?”  Garnet replied simply with just a tired sigh.  Dipper’s inquisitive nature was both his best and most aggravating trait in her opinion.  She was expecting some resistance from the boys, but that didn’t mean she was ready for it. 

Dipper was starting to become frustrated by this.  He really thought that the Gems were truly honest and supportive of him and the rest of the kids by now.  He had proven to them time and time again over the summer that they were more than capable of handling everything that had been thrown at them.  Now here he was, being told that he suddenly couldn’t do something that had earned high praise from the Gem leader.  Before he could protest further, Steven interrupted again.

“Garnet,” Steven gently asked, “Did you see something in the future?  Something….bad happening to Stepper?”  While Steven absolutely loved all the fusions that he could achieve with his closest friends, he still didn’t want to see them get hurt from something only he could be responsible for.

Garnet was inwardly grateful that Steven could move the conversation forward when she couldn’t.  “Yes Steven, I believe Stepper might be put into grave danger.  My future vision was fuzzy, but it did reveal something about Stepper that…worried me.  That’s why I believe you should avoid forming Stepper, so that we could prevent something like that from happening.”  Garnet had to use these euphemisms carefully here, so that she wouldn’t completely scare the boys like the last time she told them about her clairvoyant ability.

This was enough to reassure Steven on this whole situation.  The last thing he’d want to do would be to put his closest friends in harm’s way, like he had multiple times this summer.  However, Dipper was not as easily satisfied.  While it was true that he was wary and honestly uncomfortable with fusion at first, the boy learned both the pros and the cons of fusion.  He became proud that he was able to experience such a difficult and unique ability that only two other humans could share with the young Gem.

“W-well, what if you’re wrong?”  Dipper blurted out, much to both Garnet and Steven’s surprise.  Dipper then realize what he just implied and hurried to explain himself.  “I mean, future vision has been wrong before, right?  You couldn’t see the stuff about the portal or Great Uncle Ford.  Maybe this is another slip up, can’t that be right?”

Now Garnet was started to become a bit annoyed.  “Those were completely different circumstances, Dipper.  Circumstances that I am still trying to figure out for myself.  But this time, I know that this is for real.  I know that this is real and can be potentially dangerous if ignore.”

“Oh, so you’re suddenly able to suddenly able to tell which visions are real and which ones are not?!” Dipper started to argue with the fusion. “Because to me, it sounds like you’re just taking random guesses at this point!  What danger is exactly threating Stepper?  Bill?  Homeworld?  Why won’t you tell us?!”

Garnet truly wanted to tell the boys exactly what happened.  She wanted to tell them that Bill visited her and proceeded to torment Ruby and Sapphire and then threated to hurt Stepper.  But if she told them, they would constantly be in fear and looking over their shoulders.  They would know that it was really her that inspired Bill to target the boys like this in the first place.  She couldn’t have that on her conscious, she just wanted them to trust her so that she could keep them safe.  “I….don’t know,” she solemnly, much to Dipper’s continued aggravation. “it’s hard to make out.”

Steven started to notice things were spiraling out of control, so tried his best to lower the tension.  “Dipper, maybe we should take Garnet’s advice on this?  I mean, what if she-“ before the young Gem could finish, Dipper then stood up and snapped at him.  “No Steven, I’m not letting this go!  Why are you so calm about this?!  Why aren’t you taking my side?!  Don’t you like being Stepper, don’t you like fusing with me?”  Steven immediately felt guilty and tried to defend himself.  “No!  It’s not that, Dipper.  Of course I love being Stepper with you!  It’s just that-“

“Enough.”  Garnet firmly stated.  The Gem leader didn’t want it to come to this, but enough was enough.  Steven and Dipper needed to understand what she was doing was for their best interest.  If she had to be uncharacteristic hard towards the kids to protect them, she would do just that.  “The point of the matter is that I saw something that I didn’t like!  Something that could lead to some very bad consequences if ignored.  Even if there is just a small chance of that happening, we still need to take measures to prevent it.  Even if it means that I have to put my foot down and-“

“And what, forbid us from fusing?!  Like Homeworld?!”  Dipper suddenly cried out.  He was so focused and upset that he didn’t even notice Garnet’s hands tighten up into fists and started shaking.  “Isn’t that what Ruby and Sapphire did back then?!  They fused ever though Homeworld forbade it!  They knew that they would be shattered for it, but they did it anyway because they knew that there was nothing wrong with it!  So where do YOU get off saying that me and Steven can’t fuse for the same reason?!  If you forbid us fusing, you’d be no different from Homeworld!  YOU’D BE JUST LIKE THE DIAMONDS!”

“ENOUGH!” Garnet had finally had enough and slammed her fist on the small table that was in between her and the boys.  Even though she wasn’t wearing her gauntlets, she was easily able to shatter the piece of furniture into tiny pieces.  What followed was a dreaded silence that seemed to suffocate the room in both awkwardness and despair.

Garnet immediately felt regret over her unnecessary outburst and seeing the boys as a result.  Steven looked scared and concerned, a sight that made the fusion’s heart ache even more.  Dipper was just glaring at the floor, but she could tell that he felt some regret to what he said.  This was exactly what Garnet dreaded about this talk.  How could she just tell the boys to not to fuse?  The very thing that made Garnet who she was and what she stood for. She was so proud when she met Stevonnie, and grew even more proud when she met Maven and Stepper. And now here she was, doing the exact same thing that she ran away from Homeworld.  She needed to make this right, before it was too late.  Garnet kneeled to the ground so that she was on Steven and Dipper’s eye level.

“Dipper.” She said gently.  Dipper reluctantly looked up only to see that the Gem leader had removed her shades to reveal her three saddening eyes.  Dipper knew that this was a sign that she was serious, so he decided to let her speak.  Steven also walked next to Dipper so that he could hear what the fusion had to say as well.  “Before you and Mabel arrived here in Gravity Falls, Steven was the center of our world.  Rose might have left me, Amethyst and Pearl, but she left behind something that, arguably, brought us even more joy than we could ever ask for.”  She gestured towards Steven, who had tears welling up in his eyes from his caretaker’s sweet words.

Garnet then looked back to Dipper.  “We thought that only Steven would be able to touch our hearts like that.  But then you two came along.  You and Mabel showed us time and time again that you both had more heart, determination and bravery than most humans that we’ve known.  In time, we couldn’t help but feel attached to the both of you; like you became a part of our crazy world but we enjoyed your presence anyway.  

Dipper could only stare at the fusion in awe.  He could tell that she meant every word that she was telling him.  “L-like family?” he could only mutter.  The fusion gave him a small smile that had admittedly made him feel much better than how this conversation had started.

“You could certainly put it like that.”  She told him. “Ask Amethyst, Pearl, Lapis and even Peridot and they’ll tell you the very same thing.  We’re all so proud of you and Mabel, and it puts us at unease when both of you are in danger.”  Dipper was starting to feel a few tears in his eyes now.  At the beginning of the summer, he thought the Gems only thought of him and his sister as mere annoyances that deserved to stay in the dark forever.  But he was smarter than that.  He learned that the Gems really did care for them both and really tried to be as honest as they could with them. 

Dipper knew that Garnet was telling him the absolute truth, but he still felt like he was giving up something extremely important to him.  “But what about Stepper?  When I finally found the harmony with Steven, it felt…so good.  Like I was still there, but it was also like I was somebody…better.”

“And that’s exactly what it’s suppose to feel like.” Garnet reassured him.  “However, these visions of the future give me a really bad feeling.  I actually frights me to the very core.  If something were to happen to Stepper…the Gems and I would be devastated.  Not just because that we would lose Steven…..but that we would lose you as well.”

Garnet then embraced the boys in a tight hug.  Steven, Connie and the twins as well were the light of her life and she would bet her gemstones that the other Gems felt the same way.  Steven was letting a few tears escape from his eyes during the hug.  The young Gem shared the exact same sentiment that Garnet had for the twins.  After all they’ve been through together, Steven definitely considered the twins like family and was not afraid to admit it.  Dipper was feeling very conflicted at the moment.  He still felt like he was feeling betrayed that the fusion would forbid something he held so special, but he still returned the hug from Garnet’s beautiful words.

When they separated from the hug.  Dipper still looked rather sad, for he knew that Garnet still hadn’t changed her mind about Stepper.  “Come on Steven,” the boy said rather solemnly. “Let’s go find Mabel and Connie.”  Dipper then walked out the front door, no doubt thinking over what his next course of action would be.  Steven looked to his caretaker, who simply gave him a small nod.  That’s all Steven needed as he rushed out the door for Dipper, knowing that the boy would definitely need the young Gem’s support at this time.

The Gem leader was alone now and gave just a long sigh.  She looked to the two gemstones that were in her palms just like she did yesterday.  “Why does it have to be this way?” she muttered to herself.  There was only a brief pause before she answered her own question.  “Because it’s the only way to keep them safe.” She said in a calm tone.

Bill Cipher had made the fusion do something that defied her very existence: forbid fusion.  It made sick to her very core and wanted nothing but make the dream demon pay for what he did to her.  For now though, she had to believe that what she did was the best way to protect Steven and Dipper.

She just hoped that she wasn’t too late.