gravityfallsrewritten

[gravityfallsrewritten]

SHORTS #8: Stan's Birthday

SHORTS 8: Stan's Birthday [Takes place after "I Always Have A Plan"]

It was a success when the Shack threw its first ever party to attract the youth. However, it occurred to Y/n as she realized that they had not held a separate party to commemorate the older man's birthday. June 15th. This irritated her because she felt compelled to make an effort despite the man's wishes not to go too much on something so insignificant.

Now she made it her mission to throw a big surprise party that will hopefully send him into a heart attack– she was kidding. Or was she?

When she told Mabel of her plan, she had to cover the girl's mouth to prevent her from screaming excitedly. "Mabel, shh!" She hissed. That man's ears are too big for his own good. "It's supposed to be a secret!"

"I love surprise parties!" The braces-wearing girl squealed, twirling around. "Dipper and I are born birthday experts," she said, throwing an arm across her brother's shoulders.

Dipper pointed a finger gun at her. "We shared every birthday together so we know how to make them perfect."

"Alright," Y/n smiled. "I'm counting on you, guys. I guess I'll be the one distracting him while you guys do the planning."

"We need all hands on deck," Mabel said, reaching for her phone. "I'm calling for back-up," she hurried and dialed the numbers she obtained from her newfound friends, calling Soos for help. She walked downstairs, leaving the two.

Dipper didn't question Y/n's sudden decision to throw a surprise party for his great uncle, but he remained curious. Heck, he didn't even know that his birthday passed. But he felt warmth in his heart when he saw the way that she was willing to give him the best day ever, so of course he would help.

"What are you doing?" Stan deadpanned, not looking away from one of the control panels.

"Whatever do you mean?" Y/n asked with a slight smile, expecting Stan to question her behavior.

He rolled his eyes as if it was obvious. "You're doing that thing where you couldn't keep your hands still. Your tapping hurts my ears,"

"Well, you're an old man with huge ears after all, so of course you're sensitive to these noises," she replied easily, leaning back with her arms behind her neck.

"You only do that when you're nervous or anticipating something," he paused for a moment. "Are you hiding something from me?"

"I would never," Y/n breathed, her face morphing into an offensive expression. "I was just wondering if you'd like to go on a little expedition with me."

"Expe- what?" Stan questioned, glancing at her. "What's with the sudden activity? We haven't gone outside for the last thirty years."

"You mean we haven't gone outside together for the last thirty years," she easily corrected. "Come on, it'll be fun." She stood up and dusted her clothes.

He narrowed his eyes on her. "I'm suspicious of all of this." He spoke slowly, but after tossing the tools to the side, he relented. The two re-boarded the elevator, which took them to the top floor. She peered in through the vending machine's peeping hole. They quickly exited the multipurpose machine once the coast was clear. Y/n wondered where the gang was, but she had a feeling they were going to throw the party outside.

She led Stan outside, purposefully through the gift shop door—the exact opposite side of the Shack where the surprise was still going on. She was grateful for the events' precise timing. Stan wouldn't suspect anything because they walked out the door in front of them. From the corner of her eye, she saw a stray streamer flying aimlessly on the ground. Hopefully, Stan with his poor vision wouldn't notice. He didn't even question the disappearance of his employees and his niece and nephew.

"So, where are you taking me anyway?" Stan asked after a moment of walking idly around town. It took them about half an hour to exit the forest where the Mystery Shack resides. After crossing the wooden bridge, they were finally on the asphalt road. Thankfully, the streets were almost empty, but it was still a small town with people going to places they should go. She was also thankful that they minded their own business that day.

They passed by the Tent of Telepathy, Gleeful's Auto Sale, Greasy's Diner, a few more houses, until they rounded a corner and there was the local market at the other end of the avenue.

Y/n shrugged at his question. "We're going grocery shopping,"

"Well, you're unlucky," he faced her with a solemn smile. "I didn't bring my wallet-"

His words were stuck in his throat when she lazily raised her hand that held his auburn wallet. "You mean, this wallet?" She smirked.

Stan glared. "What are you planning..." He grouched.

"We've run out of food, Stan. What else are we supposed to do?"

He begrudgingly retrieved the shopping cart and began rolling his way in each aisle, Y/n in tow. She had the grocery list memorized in her head as she obtained what they needed. While strolling by the fresh goods area, Jimmy popped his head out from the corner with a smile.

Jimmy was the local grocer, ever the enthusiastic and perky teenager. Y/n flashed a kind smile at him. "Hi, Y/n!" He chirped. "Hey, Mr. Pines~!" He sang, already on his way to gather a dozen eggs. "Ya ready?"

Stan grinned, immediately shifting into a position. His legs were slightly apart as his body crouched. His hands were open and accepting as he eyed the eggs in the other person's arms, about to be transferred into the other. Y/n rolled her eyes playfully, moving the cart away for safety. They always seemed to do this every time Stan went to the market.

'Toss me a dozen eggs' was what they named the game.

But on the bright side, if Stan does catch the eggs, he gets to take it free, and no charge. But if even one egg slipped and fell to the ground, he gets nothing and he gets to pay for the cracked egg.

Stan was confident, though, and it didn't fade when he effortlessly secured them in his arms. "Ha! Nice throw, Jimmy!" Stan didn't forget to leave a compliment. If it wasn't for the boy's skill, he wouldn't have caught it properly.

Jimmy chuckled, impressed. He had his hands on either side of his hips. "Thanks for playing, Mr. Pines. 'Till next time," he retreated back to the storage room again.

All of the eggs Stan had captured were placed neatly on one side of the cart and they began pushing again. They didn't have to buy a lot of stuff so they were quick to check out. The bags they carried were light and soon their feet carried them back to the Mystery Shack.

"So you seriously forced me to go outside with you to go... grocery shopping?" Stan raised an eyebrow.

Y/n couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Maybe."

"That was it!?" Stan actually looked rather annoyed at the entire situation and she could only respond with an amused laugh.

"Yep! Now wasn't that fun?" She proudly smiled at him, to which he didn't reciprocate.

"I'm not having fun," he glared. "I'm not gonna agree to anything you offer ever again."

"Oh, come on!" Y/n expressed, her smile never leaving as she took the grocery bags inside and into the kitchen. She saw Mabel appearing behind Stan while he was busy glaring at her, showing an enthusiastic thumbs up– which only means that they were done with everything.

Well. that was fast.

"Okay, Stan, you caught me," Y/n raised her hands in faux defeat. "I brought you with me to go grocery shopping. But I've actually been wanting to expedite with you. I have these creatures I've been taking care of, but you might need some safety glasses before going to the site." The lie slipped easily from her lips. Stan kept his gaze at her, and his eyes became narrower and narrower in every sentence.

He kept quiet, but his hands remained on his hips.

"Now, we don't have access to either of our safety glasses, so we might need a makeshift one. Uh..." she looked around for something in the kitchen and settled for... "this one!" she said, holding up a random washcloth by the sink. "Here, wear it."

"What?!" Stan exclaimed. "Why do I need to wear one?"

"Um, because I don't feel pain?" She replied as if it was obvious. "And the site is very... bright and colorful. I hope you don't get sick of it." She said slowly, her story gradually falling apart. But the description reminded her of Rainbow-Blooded Equestrians she and Ford had an arm-wrestling match with that lasted for 30 hours.

Stan groaned. "Now I'm having second thoughts."

"Just- just put it on!" Y/n said, frustrated. She just needed Stan to be blindfolded. Was that so much to ask? "You can remove it once we're there."

He reluctantly put on the cloth around his eyes after handing the glasses to her. "Couldn't I put it on when we're near the site?"

Y/n resisted the urge to roll her eyes and bang her head against the wall. Of course Stan decided to be smart and calculating that day. "Good point, but we're actually nearer than you think." She retorted lightly. "Now, hold my hand, and follow the sound of my voice."

Stan wobbled around as he tried to step his foot on the ground. He was voicing out noises of discomfort of not being able to see while Y/n was happily guiding him towards the side of the Mystery Shack where a surprise was waiting for him.

Y/n made sure that her voice was loud for everyone else in the party to hear, taking that as their cue to hide. Everyone hid and managed to fit behind the table. "Okay, just walk over here," they hear Y/n's voice from the corner of the Shack. "And... stop." Y/n placed Stan in a spot where he could see everything.

There was a huge banner with the text saying, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY STAN!" with streamers and balloons hanging from the trees. The tables were filled with food and Y/n wondered how they prepared it quickly. Then again, they were outside for almost 2 hours.

"Okay. On the count of three, you're gonna remove your blindfold..." She ran to the side and shouted the following words. "3, 2, 1. Now!"

Stan pulled the cloth away from his head and adjusted his eyes to the lighting. Y/n handed him his glasses and as if on cue, the twins and their friends jumped out from the table. "Surprise! Happy Birthday Grunkle Stan!"

"Happy Birthday, Mr. Pines!" the others greeted.

"What...?" Stan was lost for words, looking at the scene in front of him. Mabel wore the biggest grin, while Soos had just thrown a handful of confetti. Grenda and Candy were also present, but Y/n was sheepishly bouncing on her heels.

Stan turned his head towards her. "So this was the reason why you deceived me."

Y/n's smile remained. "It was worth it, wasn't it?"

He wasn't able to provide an answer as the kids surrounded him with big smiles and hugs. "Happy Birthday, Grunkle Stan! Y/n told us pies are your favorite, but we didn't know which one specifically, so we have pecan pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie, key lime pie. Lazy Susan and Soos' Abuelita helped, but it's not a birthday without cake so we didn't forget about that one!" Mabel relayed the information to Stan, who was rendered speechless. He was left utterly stunned, his eyes widened in amazement. It was a rare expression for Stan to wear.

"Mr. Pines?" Soos called from beside him. "Are you crying?"

"N-no!" Stan quickly denied, looking away from them. He choked back a sob as he yelled, "I'm just sweating through my eyes! Come on, everybody, let's eat pie!"

"Yay!"

***

It was already nighttime when the duo found themselves back in the basement. It had gone quiet, the remnants of the party dying down from the excitement. The girl silently sat back on her chair after carefully placing the last slice of cake by her table. In the darkness, the older man with her brought out a lighter and a small candle, placing it on the cake after lighting it up.

The fire from the candle flickers, casting a soft glow that reflects the atmosphere.

It wasn't just Stan's birthday.

It was always a tradition on every birthday to make a wish before blowing out the candle. And in that moment, in the silence of the portal room, their hearts seemed to intertwine as they yearned for the same thing: to bring the real Stanford back.

The two exchanged glances, nodding as if to say, "I've always got your back."

They'll bring him back.

***

author's note: HI YALL! welcome to another set of shorts! these are original ones, and will be composed of 4-5 shorts! no codes this time, but prepare for lotta ones in the second season ;) (no way, confirmed second season wowie)

anyways, happy birthday to the original pines twins! in a way, this is my belated birthday present for them. it's all up to u what to give your old man :)

keep on a look out for... anything honestly. sometimes i might feel silly and change things. my brain is getting foggy from writing so i apologize for the mistakes and cheesy writing. i might forget anything important, but i'm sure future me will handle it and add it to the next one. we'll see.

as always, i love you guys so much. i appreciate your comments and they make me amuse every time. i read them all!!! keep commenting!!! i love u !!!

kimmiepines

[gravityfallsrewritten]

SHORTS #7: Mabel's Scrapbook

Page 15: Heist Movie (Takes place after "Sacrifices for Your Sibling")

"Twelve bucks a ticket?" Stan questioned as he handed everyone the tickets. "Pony Heist better be the best movie ever made!"

Pony Heist had been the talk of the town. The town being the entire Mystery Shack with Mabel as the only population. She had been wanting to go see this movie, and what better way to enjoy it than watching it with her family?

"I wrote a list of hilarious jokes to yell out during the movie. Pony Heist? More like BALONEY Heist! Right?"

Y/n couldn't help but snort at that. If she ever had a weakness, it was bad jokes. She had a fondness for them. Dipper looked to his right and hid his smile upon hearing her chortle.

Mabel grinned. "See? Y/n gets me!"

"That's because she likes bad jokes," Stan deadpanned as if it was obvious, making Y/n pout.

"Hey, don't ridicule my humor, old man." Y/n crossed her arms. "What are we waiting for? The movie's about to begin!"

So Y/n, Dipper, Mabel, Soos, and Stan entered the cinema, chanting "Movies! Movies! Movies!"

An unsuspecting candy fell out of Mabel's sweater and Thompson managed to notice it and picked it up. "Hey, you stop! There is no outside food or drink allowed in the theater!"

The five of them frowned in annoyance. "Well, it's just one candy," Mabel reasoned.

"Yeah! I wanna talk to the manager!" Stan placed his hands on his hips.

Thompson glared. "I am the manager! Your family is banned!"

And there they were, sitting on the pavement outside the cinema. Mabel pouted. "No ponies..."

"No explosions," Soos sighed.

That was it. She's not going to let this go any further. Y/n stood up. "Are we just gonna let Thompson do that to us?"

"Yeah! We are not going down like this!" Dipper followed her. "I've got a plan to break in."

The five huddled together and formed a plan to get in. Y/n and Stan dealt with the breaking in part and the distraction to get the other employees to chase them. Soos, disguised as a delivery guy, hauled a huge box with a Dipper inside of it. Dipper managed to reach a panel that controls the displays for the cinemas, including the names of the movies showing.

He deliberately changed one of the movie's titles to " Thompson Drinks Popcorn Butter' with the manager eventually noticing it. "What?! No, I don't! Thompson immediately interjected, stomping towards the cinema in hopes of changing it.

Now the counter was unoccupied, giving Mabel a chance to climb inside a huge case of syrup and began covering herself in its sticky, sugary treat. "This is my favorite part!" She yelled out, not knowing that Thompson was near.

"Hey!"

Mabel escaped in time before Thompson could find her, climbing on the walls and across the ceiling until she reached one of the main vents. She managed to open one without the use of any tools, making one wonder if Mabel really had secret super strength or the cinema had just poor maintenance. Y/n was willing to bet on the latter.

The vent from the outside was opened by none-other than the brown-haired gal and that was their cue to climb aboard and went on a journey to the correct cinema where the Pony Heist was showing. Dipper kicked open the next ventilation bars and before they knew it, they landed exactly in the screening room where they got to see the entire view of the movie without the uncomfortable cramped up space.

Yet, even with the freedom to move anywhere inside the screening room, the family remained as closed as they could on a lone couch. Y/n, Mabel, and Dipper sat on the ground, while Soos and Stan sat on the sofa.

And not even when the movie reached its midpoint was Stsn immersed by the pony movie. The narrator told the story, "But the ponies are filled with– TNT!" Said ponies crashed and exploded in one big boom.

The gang laughed at the occurrence. Mabel brought out her page of Pony Heist jokes and read it aloud for the crowd below. "'Pony Heist'? More like BALONEY HEIST! Am I right?!"

Everyone in the cinema laughed, enjoying the joke. Mabel retreated back to the couch and gave Dipper a high-five. In the corner of her eyes, Y/n noticed Thompson on a small TV screen with them in the room. He was holding a huge bottle of butter. "Hey, look!" She pointed, garnering the family's attention to the monitor.

Thompson flitted his eyes from left to right before drinking the gallon of butter without a care in the world. Everyone laughed as Mabel took a picture with her camera.

"I'd do the same though-" Soos chimed in.

***

Page 26: Petting Zoo (Takes place after "Exchanging Bosses and Bodies")

Good ol' farmer Sprott had recently made his farm into a temporary petting zoo. Mabel invited everyone– including Wendy to a trip on said farm. They begrudgingly agreed and now they arrived at the petting zoo.

"I'm gonna pet you, I'm gonna pet you, oh-ho! You better believe I'm gonna pet you!" Mabel said to the animals she passed by, goats and sheep alike. It was relatively normal– and boring, until a strange creature caught Mabel's brown eyes.

She gasped, running towards a certain eight-legged cow named Octavia, her name written on a yellow banner above. Dipper and Y/n soon followed after her. It was peculiar, the cow indeed having 8 legs placed randomly around her body.

Y/n hasn't seen this type of cow before. The other strange cows she had discovered were Cow Circles– cows coated with designs of otherworldly mathematical precision from horns to hooves (as described by Ford).

"More limbs means more hugs!" Mabel cheered.

Everyone observed closer. "Whoa! I didn't think nature would allow this!" Dipper remarked in awe.

"Yeah!" Stan voiced, turning to Sprott, "Hick farmer! What gives?"

The man was leaning casually against the trunk of the tree. "Octavia? Well, she's just another blessin' from the toxic sludge running off the Mud Flaps factory."

They glanced behind Sprott, where a goat was absently drinking from the toxic river before it grew another head– and died. Y/n noticed the factory being named 'Northwest Mud Flaps', and she just wondered what the toxic sludge contained.

Mabel laughed as Octavia licked her face. "I could pet this cow forever!"

Sprott rubbed his nose. "Well, get your pettin' done now 'cause I'm gonna eat 'er come cow eatin' season."

Wendy, Mabel, Soos, and Dipper gasped while Stan's eyes widened. Y/n grimaced at the thought.

"So you wanna eat the freak to gain its mutant powers. I respect that." Stan commented.

Y/n elbowed his side. "Don't call it a freak," she harshly whispered.

Before the group started to walk away, Mabel pulled on the old man's arm. "Grunkle Stan! We can't let Octavia be eaten!"

"Come on, Mabel! Cows are delicious!" Stan shrugged.

Mabel frowned, hugging Octavia's nose. "But we love her!"

Stan stared at Mabel petting the clueless cow, who was about to be turned into a burger (Sprott was holding two buns from a distance, imagining Octavia as a hamburger). Suddenly, Octavia licked him, making Stan sigh in defeat.. "Warm up the truck."

Y/n smiled at Stan's disgruntled reaction to the cheering around him. The group came up with a plan to wait until closing time to do the mission.

It was now 6PM and eventually, everyone else in the petting zoo left and one of the employees added the small 'CLOSED' sign by the entrance. The plan was on the go.

Soos sat on the roof of the truck, daliang the phone number of Sprott's farm. Not long after, the old phone from inside the barn rang and the farmer answered. "Hi! I'm calling from "Pictures of Tractors Monthly"! Please hold for an important message!" Soos said, holding up his portable keyboard. He began playing a tune and sang, "Da-ra-ta-ra-to! Ta-ra-ta-pa-da-ba-bo!"

While the farmer was distracted, the rest of the Pines loaded Octavia on the back of the truck.

"This is definitely a real message- ta-ra-pa-po!" Soos serenaded.

Once Octavia was safely tucked in the back of the truck, the gang entered the vehicle and Stan drove off in a hurry. Just then did Sprott notice the theft. "They're stealin' Octavia! Emmett! D'Shawn! Close the gate!"

While the truck was speeding away, the gate they were heading straight towards closed automatically and Stan made a sharp turn to the sheep pen, breaking some fences.

"Sheep! Dodge! Dodge!" Mabel screamed.

Stan swerved around the livestock, the truck almost tipping over. "Brace yourselves!" Stan yelled, heading towards a randomly placed ramp in the end of the pen. Everyone in the truck shrieked as the truck drove on a ramp, jumping over hay.

Serves Sprott right for building an escape ramp.

The gang waited until they were far enough from the petting zoo and Stan stopped the vehicle. They opened the trunk and Octavia walked out, mooing

"Goodbye, Octavia," Mabel said, "Here's a little something to remember us by."

Stan stuck a Mystery Shack sticker on Octavia's hind and smacked her back as farewell. Octavia moved forward and the group waved and said their goodbyes. "Bye!"

"Goodbye, Octavia!"

"Have beautiful babies!"

"I love you!"

Stan smiled. "She was alright for a mutant," he said, looking over at Y/n, and she nodded in approval at the correct nickname.

Octavia the eight-legged cow celebrated her freedom by sweetly eating grass. A bird passed by, and suddenly Octavia shot green lasers from her eyes, knocking out the bird as it fell from the sky, blackened and burnt. The moment it plummeted to the ground, Octavia stuck her mutated, long tongue to pull the bird to her mouth, aggressively eating the bird.

"Run," Stan told the terrified group, but Y/n was staring at it in awe, her mind reeling. Mabel stopped to take a picture of the cow's glowing eyes.

"Well, that was a fun day!"

***

KZHG. OVG’H HVV SLD 🗝: reverse

NUMBERS IN BOLD, THEY CATCH THE EYE, A PUZZLE KEY, DON'T PASS THEM BY. THEIR SIGNIFICANCE, YOU MUST DISCERN, A CLUE TO SOLVE, A LESSON TO LEARN.

[gravityfallsrewritten]

SHORTS #6: Fixin' it with Soos

#1: Cuckoo Clock (Takes place after "Bros Before Dinos")

Soos had the most original idea ever: what if he is the host of his own show where he does what he does best? And what is he good at? Fixing! So he went ahead and used Y/n's room as his set for the show. Y/n didn't mind– as long as he doesn't wreck anything and that he only does it once. It might sound like a harsh consideration and she trusts Soos, but her room is her safe haven. It's the only place where she could get peace.

So Soos excitedly set up on her bed so that it faced him. His cool keyboard was placed behind him to provide him with any sound effects. Y/n left him to his devices and went down to the basement for a moment.

"Hey, dudes! Welcome to 'Fixin' It With Soos', the only home "Fix It" show that I edited myself on my own computer." Soos could already imagine the effects that he's adding to the video once he reaches home. "Today I have this broken cuckoo clock." He picked up the clock. "As you can see, it's tore up from the floor up. Stan knocked it down the other day by accident."

Knocked down meaning Stan repeatedly beat it up with a bat, screaming at it to stop.

"I'm gonna fix it up, and when I'm done, Stan will rate my handiwork on the "Awesome-o-meter"." He took out a chart with a cartoony thermometer and words plastered on it.

A few minutes of duct tape and wood glue later, Soos somehow put it back together, but it didn't look functional. Not moments later, it already fell apart. "Almost there! Although, something off... Ah-ha! It needs decorations!"

Mabel walked into the scene, drinking a box of orange juice. "Oooh! Make it leopard print!"

The two proceeded to add more enhancements to the cuckoo clock, which now had an attached beach house with more miniature birds as friends. He even named them respectively.

Another montage of cuckoo clock repairing later, Y/n had finally come up to the surface– doing so as discreetly as possible before getting herself a classic Pitt cola. She entered through the living room's door and there she saw Soos, Mabel, and Stan with a draped object on a pedestal in the middle of them.

"Y/n! Perfect timing." Soos smiled. "It's the grand unveiling of Mr Pines' brand new Cuckoo Clock!"

"You've joined forces with Mabel. This is an unsettling development," Stan grumbled as Y/n took a sip from her cola.

Soos uncovered the cuckoo clock. "Voila!" and it is revealed to make music, light up the place and more decorations Soos and Mabel wanted, for example the slide and the boomboxes. Y/n's eyes widened and her gaze shifted to Stan who crossed his arms. "So, Stan, What do you think?"

"Why is it permanently set to 1:50?"

"Its hands are in the air, like it just doesn't care! So, one to ten, what do you give it?" Soos carried the cuckoo clock in his arms closer to Stan.

The old man scratched his head. "Well, it doesn't make that horrible Cuckoo sound anymore, so... I don't know, ten out of ten, whatever."

Soos was very happy and surprised, and dropped the Cuckoo Clock, destroying it.

***

#2:Golf Cart (Takes place after "Bros Before Dinos")

"Y/n, just one last episode I swear!" Soos begged on his knees.

"Okay, okay!" Y/n quickly replied, pulling him to his feet. "Just don't do that again." She sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. "Alright. You can film one more, but you know you can always do it in your room, right?"

"I know, but I don't want Abuelita watching me. Here is a safe space," he expressed with his arms wide. "But I think two episodes are enough considering my computer couldn't take any more rendering."

"I understand, Soos," she nodded. "Okay, go ahead."

Dipper and Wendy were outside of her room when she walked out. Wordlessly, she let the two inside of her room before walking out and closing the door. She couldn't wait to just lie down and sleep peacefully.

"Okay! You guys are here. Are you guys ready to be a part of this amazing show?"

"Of course, man. We'll support you," Wendy assured.

After setting up the camera, Soos stood from behind a table with a soldering iron. "Hey dudes! And welcome back to "Fixin' it with Soos," Soos said, while Dipper and Wendy were standing behind him, "the show where I always forget that I'm leaning on the soldering iron,"

Of course he would forget.

A few minutes later, Soos came back with a bandaged hand. "What needs fixing today?" He asked the two people.

"Well, me and Dipper were just doing normal work stuff with the golf cart..." Wendy began, telling the events of earlier. "So now the cart's busted for some reason. You think you can fix it so we can finish our stunt?"

"You have called upon my fix-it powers. I accept this call, Wendy," Soos said with a serious tone.

Meanwhile, the two were left confused. "Huh? What call?" Wendy questioned.

"The Call... of POWER!"

"What's happening right now?"

Soos whispered, I'll show you guys later. Oh no! A bat! Laser eyes, go! Boom."

Dipper blinked. "Still in the dark over here."

The 3 went outside to inspect the wrecked golf cart. Soos and Dipper changed into jumpsuits while Wendy took the couch outside to read a magazine. "It's time to fix the golf cart. At the end of the show, Dipper and Wendy will rank my handyman-ship from 1 to 10." His voice then dropped into a whisper next to Dipper. "Vote 10!"

"Happy to do it, dude." Dipper smiled. "Hey, do you think a girl would think I look cool in this jumpsuit?" He laughed nervously. "I mean..." He kept laughing.

In a defeated voice, Soos laid a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Some things, even Soos can't fix."

Not wasting any time, Soos and Dipper began fixing the cart. They opened the hood and Soos fiddled with the interior parts of the vehicle until he found the problem and fixed it with a wrench. "Huh, looks like a problem with the fuel injector. Dipper, try the engine now."

Dipper walked to the cart and started the engine successfully. "Hey! You did it, man. It works!"

"My fix-it power has been unleashed!"

"Why do you keep saying stuff like that?"

Another montage had passed of Soos adding embellishments and other augmentations to the cart. Y/n walked out of the Shack. It seemed like every time she knew that Soos would do an episode of his show, she would only arrive at the part where Soos is doing the unveiling of his final product.

"Y/n! Perfect timing!" Soos said it again once he noticed her. "I was just about to show Dipper and Wendy the new golf cart!"

Dipper's eyes widened when he saw her. Dang it, I changed my clothes too soon. His mind revolved around that one thought.

"Alright, let's see it," Y/n said, casually sipping on– you guessed it, Pitt Cola.

"Behold!" He revealed the redesigned cart, filled with memorabilia and painted designs. Everything was different and Y/n didn't know what to say, but this new golf cart just screamed danger. "So let's make this jump!"

"Jump?" Y/n tilted her head.

The three went ahead and climbed aboard the golf cart, Soos as the driver and that's when Y/n noticed a giant ramp placed in the middle of the clearing. Y/n merely watched from where she stood as Soos began driving the golf cart at maximum speed, but it didn't seem fast enough to cover the leap.

"I don't think we have enough speed to make it," Dipper said wearily.

"Hit the nitrous boosters!" Soos replied confidently.

"Aren't those illegal?" questioned Wendy.

Soos only cackled. "You bet your life they are, baby!" He pressed the middle of the steering wheel (which was a literal boat wheel) and the boosters came to life, immediately adding speed.

The cart went through the ramp at a greatest speed as Wendy and Dipper screamed happily. "We're clearing it! We're clearing it!" Dipper yelled.

"So, what score do I get, from one to ten?"

The other two chanted. "Ten out of ten! Ten out of ten!"

"Thanks, guys!"

The trio didn't realize that– they hadn't landed yet. The golf cart was still in mid-air, but maybe the roof that they were heading straight towards might be a stark reminder that they might just–

CRASH!

"Oh my god, are you guys okay?!" Y/n screamed hysterically when the golf cart straight-up collided with the Shack's wooden roof tiles. They were able to get off before the disaster but that didn't mean it didn't hurt when they rolled on the ground not-so gracefully.

She went ahead and checked if they were somewhat fine. Wendy had scratches, Dipper had a bruise on his elbows, while Y/n was sure that one of Soos' legs was broken.

She was also sure that Dipper was having a concussion from the way he was shamelessly clinging onto her.

But none of that mattered when Stan went outside and called for the Shack's handyman. "Soos! I think the roof is broken! Can you fix it for me?"

Soos flipped a thumb up. "I make my own economy."

***

ORMVH. GSV KZHG RH 🗝: reverse

[gravityfallsrewritten]

SHORTS #5: Mabel's Guide to Life

Ep 3: Color (Takes place after "Bros Before Dinos")

"What's your favorite color, Gravity Falls?"

Y/n and Mabel proceeded to ask every person this question. Ranging from common ones to absurd ones- like seriously, what the heck is a Magic Vision poster?

"What about you, Y/n? What's your favorite color?"

"Anything? But I love yellow the most," she answered truthfully. "But really. It changes everyday."

Mabel grinned. "Interesting answer! Just like you, Y/n."

Y/n didn't have time to think whether she should be offended or not because she had already gone to Stan's office. "What's your favorite color, Grunkle Stan?"

He was busy rummaging through suitcases around the room when his great niece asked the question. Y/n almost knew the answer as she had asked the question before, and was again met with the same awkward and boring answer.

"None."

"What?!" Mabel sputtered.

"I don't have a favorite color." Stan stood his ground, not sparing her a glance. "I don't even like colors."

Mabel was exasperated, throwing her arms up in hope. "Not even... rainbows?"

"Beats me, I've never seen a rainbow."

"WHAT?!" She screamed so loudly and before Y/n knew it, she was being dragged to the twins' room, stating it was a 'color emergency'. Surprisingly, Grenda and Candy were already there, while Dipper had just come in after the two.

The four sat on Dipper's bed, while Mabel was on the opposite side with the camera pointed at them like an interview. "Alright guys, how can we get Grunkle Stan to see a rainbow? I need ideas, people!"

Y/n sat idly beside Dipper, her hands intertwined in silence. She thought about the process of obtaining rainbows from the sky, or taking Stan to a unicorn's base and getting them to generate rainbows to their hearts' content.

It was until Candy came out with her own ideas that made Y/n shake off her plans. "What if we reflect the rainbow from the falls into Stan's window?"

Dipper and Candy exchanged enthusiastic high-fives while Y/n tilted her head. "But-"

"Yeah!" Grenda bellowed after drinking a whole gallon of expired milk. She carelessly fell off the bed and began sleeping.

Y/n almost helped the poor girl until Candy stretched out a hand. "It's fine, she does this."

The five- excluding Grenda since she still had to recover from the potential food poisoning- began to commence their scheme. After randomly finding a lone body mirror lying in the parlor room of the Shack, Y/n, Candy, and Dipper set up Soos' truck in front of a waterfall. Y/n guided the two carriers to the right angle where the mirror would perfectly reflect the water directly into Stan's office.

Dipper and Candy were wearing sunglasses as looking at the harsh light that the glass would reflect might literally blind someone. So Y/n made sure to let Mabel know that. She must've had a spare pair of glasses for Stan, right?

Sure enough, screams coming from the said man reverberated across the forest. His screams of agony were so resonating deep within the woods making the birds that lay peacefully, fly away at the noise.

The three sprinted back to the Mystery Shack and went straight to Stan's office to see Soos quickly putting the fire out with a fire extinguisher. Stan was limping as Mabel tried to assist him but he only muttered sounds of annoyance.

"I'll get the medkit," Dipper said in the midst of awkward silence before going away in big strides. Y/n and Candy merely stared at the situation that had developed.

As Mabel supported Stan towards the yellow couch, he screamed louder than before, "I HATE COLOR MORE THAN EVER!"

***

Ep 4: Art (Takes place after "Bros Before Dinos")

"Okay! Ready?" Mabel asked Y/n, who stood behind the camera once more.

"Yep." Y/n replied. "Are you?"

"Never better!"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "But that's not...-"

"Let's get the ball rolling!"

Mabel's enthusiasm had Y/n shaking her head. "Okay. Recording in 3... 2... 1..."

"Art! It's all around us! From the big triangles of the desert, to those pens that go like.. Brooop! Brooop!" She tilted said pen on her hand. "No one knows what art means or where it comes from, but one thing is for sure: I'm great at it!" She shrugged as casually as she could.

On the table were papers with different scribbles of colors as Mabel presented one by one. "At age 2, I was naturally gifted." It was a paper full of blue squiggly lines.

"At age 5, I was a master of portraits." It was a supposed picture of Dipper as a blue stickman.

"Age 7 was a time of free exploration!" She presented a painting of a rainbow court - a court with the occupants being literal rainbows.

Mabel leaned against the statue placed in the middle of the hallway. "But everything changed when I saw this amazing caricature!" She took out a drawing of Dipper with an entirely different art style. His head was uncharacteristically- or characteristically larger and his other facial features were exaggerated in size.

"Gimme that, gimme that!" Dipper voiced, magically materialized beside Y/n before snatching hte paper from her hands.

"What could make it even better you ask? I give you..." Mabel extracted a paper from her pocket. "The Cat-icature!"

It was a gray cartoon cat head with a hat similar to Dipper's. "Just compare this amazing likeness to Dipper!" She glided over towards her brother.

"That doesn't look anything like me-"

"You're right it does look exactly like you! But I didn't just draw Dipper. I'm planning on making more and selling it! I just need to find the perfect entrepreneur who would sell this!"

The two proceeded to go and find Stan and reel him in for the business proposal. Mabel had prepared the cat-icatures she made of Wendy, Soos, Stan, Waddles, and even Y/n and placed them all on the dining table where Stan spectated closely.

"Uh, it's just the same crummy cat face with a different hat each time- except for Y/n and Waddles," he said, specifically pointing at her caricature of an orange tabby with a daisy necklace as a collar.

"Exactly!" Mabel leaned forward. "And I sell 'em for 10 dollars each."

"You need an agent? I am now your agent."

Y/n had never cackled so loudly.

***

Soon enough, Stan had put up a stall that would sell cat-icatures for 10 dollars. It was a commission type thing where people would come and have Mabel draw them as cats as quickly as a minute. The word spread like wildfire and more people fell in line for a cat-icature of their own. Stan happily took all the money. "Mabel! These cat-icatures are sellin' like hotcakes!"

Mabel, who was sitting on the table across the stall, appeared bored. "Cat-icatures are good. But I've moved on to the next level. Behold... " she hauled out a giant cat and on its stomach was a drawn face of a man. "Humani-cat-icatures!"

Everyone paused upon seeing the giant cat. But then all of the customers who wanted to buy the cat-icatures wanted to buy the humani-cat-icatures instead. Their hollers were louder than before. Stan had the biggest smile he wore. "Somebody get this girl more cats!"

An hour of collecting stray cats from the back alleys later, Mabel was in a room surrounded by angry cats who refused to have their stomachs painted. Mabel's hair was disheveled and her sweater looked ripped. Her camera was propped on a crate as she videoed herself stepping closer to a cat.

"That's it for Mabel's guide to art, where we learned that sometimes you have to suffer for your art." She said towards the camera before talking to a dark cat. "Here, kitty, kitty-"

The cat jumped and attacked Mabel in her face. Mabel fell to the ground, screaming as she tried to get away from its sharp claws. "AHH! Y/n, help!!!" She began giggling. "It actually kinda tickles."

***

UFGFIV RH RM GSV 🗝: reverse

[gravityfallsrewritten]

SHORTS #4: Mabel's Guide to Life

[disclaimer: some episodes of mabel's guide to life could not be found due to technical issues. luckily, soos managed to salvage the important ones. enjoy! -mabel]

Ep 1: Dating (Takes place after "Bros Before Dinos")

Mabel saw Dipper filming his investigations and thought that she wanted to do that as well. To have her own TV show where she talks about her interests and color people intrigued. She got a more modern recorder that Soos found in his attic and let the girl borrow for her show.

All she needed was a cameraman– or rather, a camerawoman.

"Hey, Y/n! Wanna be on my show as my co-host?"

Dipper, having heard of Mabel's offer, immediately objected. "Hey, what gives, she's my co-host."

Mabel scoffed playfully, waving a dismissive hand. "Don't worry, Dips, you'll get your partner back. I just need Y/n to hold the camera for me! No biggie."

Y/n raised a pointer finger. "Uh, actually–"

The other twin ignored the first comment despite the blush in his cheeks. "You can just prop up the camera on a surface. Y/n and I still need to film more episodes."

"I'll help you, Mabel," Y/n said with a smile, overlooking Dipper's glare from beside her. She turned to face him as she shrugged. "I'll help both of you. Just don't clash your schedules with one another."

Dipper hesitantly relented, sighing. "Fine. We're filming the Moth Man tonight, okay?"

She nodded. "Okay."

"Okay!" Mabel clapped her hands. "Come on, Y/n! I need your help with the props!" Before the two could leave the room, she pointed at her brother. "And don't leave, I'm gonna need your help later!"

While Dipper's set was more cheap (but it was cute), Mabel's props were made with more effort and it showed. It was full of glitters, sparkles, gems, jewels, and glue. Tons of glue. Waddles was peacefully sleeping while Mabel placed the various colorful stones on its fat side. She used what looked like icing to spell out "Mabel's Guide To" as some sort of a title screen.

"Alright, we got the photo for the title," Mabel grinned, swiping a sweat on her forehead.

"So what guides are you gonna do?"

"Oh, a lot," Mabel gushed. "Everything life could offer: fitness, foods, sports, make-up, and more!"

And more she did. The two began setting up what Mabel's studio is supposed to look like. Mabel draped a light green cloth like a curtain for her background, while Y/n placed a white sheet on the table. Two of Mabel's favorite stuffed animals sat beside her as her guests as she placed mugs for them. Two light bulbs were placed inside cardboard boxes as her lights.

She sat on the chair while Y/n checked the camera's settings. "So, Soos gave this to you?"

"Yep, specifically for my show. So, are we ready?"

"What episode are we doing again?"

She raised her arms in joy. "Mabel's Guide to Dating!"

"Great! Dating." Y/n tried to match her enthusiasm. "Okay, I'm gonna count down and you're just gonna do your best."

"I always do my best." The camera rolled and Y/n counted down until she gestured for her to begin. "As we all know, I'm a dating expert. In fact, I can't get the boys to leave me alone!" She suddenly stood. "You know what you did, Zack!" She screamed, startling the camerawoman a bit.

Y/n feigned a confused stare from behind the camera, but she trusted Mabel to know what she was doing.

"Okay, cut," Mabel signaled and Y/n stopped recording. "Now we need to get Grunkle Stan, Soos, and Dipper."

"What for?"

"Oh, you'll see!"

The three were gathered quite easily– except for Stan who accepted but only because he was promised bacon– and now they sat in three separate chairs with a huge sign that says 'CONTESTANTS' hanging above them.

Soos was excited, Dipper was still slightly annoyed seeing Y/n helping his sister instead of him, while Stan was just bemused with the whole thing.

"And– action! Today we're gonna test the date-ability of three of Gravity Falls' swinging-est bachelors. Soos!"

Y/n pointed the camera at him. "Get ready to fall in love, America! Am I, am I looking at the right camera?"

"Over here, Soos," she told him.

"Dipper!"

He crossed his arms. "Who are you even making this for?" Such a baby.

"Grunkle Stan!"

"I'm only here 'cause you promised bacon." On cue, Mabel flung a bacon over her head, directly onto Stan's mouth. "I'm pacified!"

Mabel walked towards the camera. "And now for a simple 9,000 question dating quiz." She said before presenting three long papers.

The three men slash boys were transferred to the living room and they answered the quiz. The two girls watched them think of their answers differently. Mabel nudged her elbows into Y/n's. "Y/n, you wanna take my quiz? I have 1 more extra!"

"I do love quizzes..." Y/n admitted, "But I don't think I can ace this particular quiz."

"You don't need to ace it, you just need to answer honestly!"

"No."

Mabel let out a chuckle. "Heh, anyway, while they're busy working, let's film various animals getting all the love!"

***

A montage of Mabel forcing two of several kinds of animals to date later, and the results were in. The boys were back in their seats as Mabel brought their results. "Grunkle Stan, on a scale from one to five, you scored a three."

"Yes! Yes!"

"This will limit your dating pool to widows, lady plumbers and convicts." Mabel read.

"I still consider this a victory."

She walked over to Dipper. "Dipper. Your score is... eesh! You know, scores don't really matter. You should just focus on being you." She tried to reassure, flitting her gaze between him and the camera from across the room.

Mabel hurriedly skipped towards Soos. "Soos, on a scale from one to five you scored.. a twelve?"

"My grandma was right all along. I am the world's most perfect man!"

Soos stood up and raised his arms. Out of nowhere, three birds flew their way at him. "And cut!" Mabel shouted. "Thank you all for your participation." She smiled at them as they hastily walked out of the room. "Now I just need to film my final thoughts. You did so great, Y/n!"

"I just held the camera."

"Yeah, and I couldn't have done this show without your huge help!" She pulled her into an embrace. "Hugs!"

***

Ep 2: Fashion (Takes place after "Bros Before Dinos")

For this episode, Mabel had called up both Candy and Grenda. "Okay, girls, we're gonna do a Mabel's Guide to Fashion!"

"Great idea, Mabel!" Candy nodded.

Grenda gushed. "You're the most fashion expert out of all of us!"

Seeing the huge pile of sweaters with various colors and designs proved Grenda's statement. Y/n couldn't figure out how it fit her bags the first time the twins came here, but she saw tons of yarn that Mabel might have used to sew more sweaters for half of the summer.

So to start the episode, Mabel wore her unique sweaters and struck poses, Grenda narrating in the background. Dipper was even pulled in for a short cameo, getting him to wear glasses. As Mabel strutted across him with a confident walk, Dipper was writhing with awkwardness. "So wait, what do you want me to do?"

"Flip up your glasses!" Grenda harshly whispered from beside Y/n, while said girl was trying not to laugh.

"Uh, like this?" He flipped the shades of the glasses with an uncomfortable gaze. Y/n thought he looked cute.

After cleaning up the attic a bit, Mabel sat on an office chair with her arms on either side as if she's relaxing. "Guess what. It's Mabel." She said to the camera. "Everyone wants to look as amazing as me. But most people don't have time for fashion in their busy day-to-day lives." She jumped off the chair. "That's why I've created...

"FLASH MAKEOVER!"

Candy and Grenda beside Mabel as they screamed.

The first victim– or client was one sitting in the living room drinking from a mug. Y/n held the camera, appearing on the door and Soos noticed. "Oh, hey, Y/n. What are you uh-"

"Grenda, hold him down!"

Mabel, Candy, and Grenda arrived at the scene, swiftly tackling Soos to the ground. Candy and Mabel went ahead and put makeup on his face. They dressed him up in clothes and a blonde wig that Y/n swore she saw on TV before. "These pants are so tight... I can't move!"

"You can thank us later!" Mabel said as she, Candy, and Grenda dashed through the door.

Y/n was left standing with Soos until he lost his balance. "I'm down! Soos is down!" She had to stop recording and helped him stand back up before teaming with the three girls once again. She found them in front of the common bathroom where she heard singing from inside.

"Start the recording, Y/n," Mabel whispered. "This is our next target."

And she did just that. Mabel opened the door to see Stan singing in front of the mirror, "I'm Stan and I was wrong, I'm singing the Stan Wrong Song-"

Grenada didn't hesitate to tackle Stan to the ground, making him scream. "AHH! What's happening?!"

"BEAUTY IS HAPPENING!" Mabel retaliated as Candy and Grenda began applying cosmetics while Y/n held her laughter.

A full-15 minutes of make-up later, Stan finally saw the results of the girls' creation as Grenda stretched out a hand mirror. He found his skin to be a resemblance of a tiger, probably a reference to "Tiger Fist' – a show he's been watching.

"I'd be pretty mad at you girls," he paused, "if I didn't look so fantastic!"

"Success! Take it to the street, girls!"

The four proceeded to walk around town, looking for potential victims– rather clients. Mabel scoped the streets as she rubbed her chin. "Okay, gals. We need a real challenge."

"Old Man McGucket!" Someone screamed and there he sat on a bench, spitting in a bucket.

Grenda narrowed her eyes. "This one is a toughie." Candy nodded in agreement.

But Mabel grinned despite the task. "Let's try something bold!"

So they pulled McGucket to the sidewalk and turned him around so the back of his head was facing them. Mabel brought a red marker and began drawing a face on his bald head. "Am I good or am I good, girls?"

"Absolutely stunning," Grenda said from beside Y/n.

Mabel walked around the old man and gestured to his entire face. "Now we cover up that... problem... area..." She grabbed a handful of his beard and lifted to his head so that it covered his face. The end of his beard appeared to be his hair from the back as Mabel combed its bangs. "Now you just have to walk backwards everywhere you go and bingo! You're fabulous."

Old Man McGucket wasn't complaining. "That's the way my body naturally wants to move anyways!" He started to go backwards as he sang a tune. A random woman saw all of this and screamed and ran away, horrified.

Going back to the Shack, Grenda was reviewing the tapes as she praised Mabel's handiwork. "You are a visionary, Mabel!"

"Thanks, girls! Couldn't have done it without you guys." Mabel paused. "Though I think we're missing our one last flash makeover."

"Who is it? Is it Dipper?" Candy voiced out with her fists clenched excitedly.

"Nope!" The other girl replied, her eyes seeming to drift towards an unsuspecting girl who was watching the sun without her eyes getting hurt.

Said girl, now aware of the eyes directed at her, stopped in her movements. "What?"

Mabel stepped forward, Y/n paced back. Candy inched closer, Y/n avoided her path. Grenda with the camera began recording before Y/n burst into a sprint inside the Shack. The three girls quickly followed.

Y/n ran to the living room, then the kitchen, exiting through the back door. She waited until Candy and Mabel got to go outside as well and they did, waiting for her next move. Grenda was nowhere to be seen. Y/n sauntered side to side while Mabel and Candy were stomping closer. "You can't hide, Y/n!"

But she could run. She managed to escape their arms and went back inside the Shack where she was anticipating Grenda waiting so she decided to go through the front of the gift shop. Mabel screamed for Grenda, making her assumptions right that Grenda was waiting but just not on the right door.

Y/n made the haste decision to go upstairs instead of her room because typically, they would go to that place first. The room options upstairs were very minimal as it only contained the very-much-full storage room, Stan's room, and the twins' room. Maybe she should just jump out of the window and walk away as if nothing happened.

Why is she even running away? Maybe because she dislikes make-up and doesn't like the feeling of products being put on her face? She heard the ruckus downstairs as well as Mabel telling the girls to split up, and that was her cue to bolt inside the twins' room.

Dipper jumped when the door was suddenly opened. He opened his mouth to ask but Y/n quickly shushed him. "I have to hide."

He pointed at a vacant room behind her and Y/n didn't hesitate to climb a makeshift ladder towards a storage space full of unused toys and things.

As if on cue, Mabel entered the room, her hands almost shaking with glee. "Where is she?"

"Who?" Dipper casually responded as he went back to his reading.

"Y/n! Have you seen her?"

"Nope, it's just me."

Mabel grinned, pointing at him with sass. "Ha, you think you're a good liar, brother? I know she's in here. She can't hide! ...Unless she's in Stan's room then I'll let her be because I don't wanna go there."

Dipper could imagine Y/n's facepalm from her hiding spot. "Uh, well you're unlucky because nobody was here until you came. It's just... me." He avoided her gaze and instead focused on the words of the page.

The girl narrowed her eyes. "Sure... I'll leave you alone, for now." Before she made her leave, she made sure to open the closet door, finding it empty. Her eyes remained narrowed as she exited out of the room backwards.

Y/n crawled closer to the light and looked at Dipper. He lifted a palm, silently telling her to wait until the coast was clear. Once he nodded, she jumped down without making a single noise. "Thanks," she sighed in relief."

"No problem. It's only right since you helped me with that Stan incident."

The Stan incident being hiding in the roof after barging inside a bathroom occupied by said old man– all a ruse for uncovering a mystery.

Dipper held his eyes on her. "I can think of a million reasons as to why you're running away from my sister, but care to specify?"

"It's gonna sound pretty lame of me," she shrugged, "but in her episode, she's doing this segment where she and her friends do flash makeovers on random people. Guess who's the next target," she finished with a huge frown.

"Yikes," the boy tilted his head as he tried to sympathize with her. He placed a finger in the middle of the pages as a bookmark while he continued talking with her. "Make-up is weird."

"I just don't see the appeal, sorry." Y/n shrugged.

Dipper agreed. "But disliking it doesn't make you lame at all," he replied, referring to her first statement. "It's a fashion choice– and h-honestly you don't need it." He shrugged, avoiding her gaze as he suddenly found the wall interesting. "But what do I know, I'm a boy." Dipper quickly added, trying his best to lessen the heat in his cheeks.

Y/n sunk to the ground and crossed her legs comfortably. "Yeah, well, I agree with your statement so you know something. Maybe more than I do."

The two sat in a pleasant silence, until it was quite literally destroyed when Grenda burst through the door with Mabel and Candy– their eyes hungry, their fingers twitching, and their tooth-filled grins erupting with saliva. They looked like rabid hyenas.

"Y/n~! We found you!"

Before Y/n could have a chance to stand, Grenda had already thrown her entire body towards her, effectively trapping her. Mabel and Candy brought their bags as Y/n writhed in her cage. Grenda was relentless, even Y/n's strength couldn't overpower her tough stature.

Dipper didn't know what to do. He was afraid that if he were to step up and attempt to pull Y/n away from these... monsters that he'd be the next target, and he didn't want to string himself in this colorful mess. So he just watched with fearful eyes as the girls went ahead and applied blush, mascara, eyeliner, and lipstick on her face. An involuntary shiver ran down his spine. He didn't want to have to go through that again.

"And done! – Grenda, get the camera!" Mabel ordered, Grenda having pulled out the camera almost immediately.

Mabel spoke in front of the camera. "Of course, for the verdict of this result, we don't wanna be the judges because it would be biased, so we went with a more biased judge; my dorky brother, Dipper!"

Said boy tensed at the mention of his name, as Grenda pointed the recorder to his face. "Not too close!" He reprimanded. "And when did you decide I was the judge?"

"Uh– since the contestant is her?" Mabel quickly replied as if it was obvious. "Drum roll please!" An imaginary drum rolls over the room. "Tada!"

Candy turned Y/n around to face Dipper and he unconsciously swallowed at the sight. He blinked once, twice, three times, before blurting out his thoughts. "Pretty."

"What did he sayyyy?" Mabel screamed in a DJ voice, honking a horn. "Is our judge giving us a perfect score?"

Dipper cleared his throat, looking away casually. "It's pretty nice, but please don't wear make-up next time. You already look good." He mumbled in one breath.

But Mabel – and the rest of the girls had super hearing and were able to hear his sentences, making the three scream, while Y/n was still trying to process everything. Dipper tried to go back to his reading despite the loud beating of his heart. And while Candy and Grenda were still screaming around the room, Mabel held the camera to her face. "Tune in next time when I tell you what the next fashion trend is! Bye!"

***

VHDUFK IRU WKH VLJQV 🗝: caesar

[gravityfallsrewritten]

SHORTS #3: Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained

#42: The Tooth (Takes place after "Bros Before Dinos")

"Welcome to Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained, anomaly #42: The Tooth:"

Y/n moved the camera to the said tooth, half sunk into the ground, but the enormous size was hard to miss. Mabel was poking it with a stick. "I'm here for scale!"

"I found it yesterday when I was, uh, practicing..." Dipper trailed off, shaking his head. "Strangely human, but it's gigantic! It's bigger than any fish or lake monster I've ever seen. And we're gonna find out where it came from!"

Y/n had seen this exact tooth before– from the crown to the root. She, Ford, and F were on an expedition when they discovered the human-like tooth on a random lake. She could even remember F using a chisel (and some dental floss) to break free a few pieces.

The three went to the Tate McGucket– one who attends to the lake– for the supplies to go on the adventure. "Sir, have you noticed a large tooth landing on the shore of the lake this morning?"

"Tooth?" he asked, his back to the camera. "No, don't know nothin' about a tooth."

"We were thinking about paddling out on that lake tonight," Dipper said casually.

"Bit of friendly advice, kids: You see bubbles on that lake, run."

"What, why?"

Tate turned around and leaned forward on their faces, screaming, "Enough questions, get that camera out of here!" He smacked the camera away, and if it wasn't for Y/n's vice grip, it would have been on the ground already.

Night fell on the twins plus Y/n. She held the camera again as she panned it over to the two. "We're here at the lake to investigate. I brought Y/n and Mabel for backup."

Mabel grinned. "And I brought Bear-O, my adorable childhood puppet." She lifted Bear-O to her arms and made its mouth move. "Hi-yo! Ain't that right, honey? Did somebody say... honey?" Her voice was gone deep as she used it for the puppet's voice.

The girl laughed, holding the worn puppet close to her. Meanwhile Dipper deadpanned, "Nope. Creepy. Bear-O's creepy. Everyone hates Bear-O."

"What? Dipper, you haven't even asked for Y/n's opinion! So, Y/n, what do you think of my good ol' friend, Bear-O?"

"Uh, next question?"

Mabel pouted slightly. "Aw come on!" She smiled again. "You'll see! You, Y/n, me, and Bear-O, are the adventure team of a lifetime!"

After much time spent on persuading Mabel, eventually Bear-O had to be left on the island which didn't make Mabel very happy at that decision. She remained silent, glaring deeply as she rowed.

Y/n was rowing along with Mabel, while Dipper was holding the camera this time. He pointed the camera at Bear-O being left behind as if he was mocking the bear.

He continued talking about the investigation. "Okay. something out there left that tooth, and we're gonna find out what it is!"

Y/n felt excited– she hasn't been for a long time. It was like reliving her memory but with a different trio this time around. She, Ford, and F had only documented the stray tooth before going on their merry way, but with the twins, they could go and take a closer look.

Eventually, the boat arrived in the middle of the lake and they stopped rowing to inspect. Dipper handed the camera back to Y/n, ignoring the touches that they exchanged.

"What are we supposed to be looking for?" Mabel whispered into the night.

Dipper brought out a flashlight, pointing it at the vast expanse of water surrounding them. "I don't know, just look out for bubbles in the water."

As if on cue, bubbles fizzed near an island. "Guys, look!" Y/n said, gesturing to what she just saw.

"They're over by that island! We have to see what happens!"

The island was suddenly shaking. "What was tha-?"

"Ah!" Mabel screamed and her hands immediately found the oar and began rowing.

"Oh no, what's happening?"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" Mabel yelled.

Y/n began rowing as well after handing the camera back to Dipper. "JUST ROW!" The water kept shaking and quaking. Dipper sat in the middle of the two rowing girls as he pointed at the island behind Y/n.

The island arised, revealing to be a giant head with glowing eyes and huge set of teeth. It had a deep, murky voice, like it was out for blood. "!YNITSED RUOY RETNE !nerdlihc ,htuom ym retnE.rebmuls ym debrutsid evah uoY"

"AAAAAH!"

The head island was rearing to slam itself into the boat, but the three managed to escape in time, barely missing its giant mouth. They were close to the shore, hardly being able to reach it, but the monster attacked again, carrying its final blow.

With the opened mouth, it was on its way to eat them until Y/n grabbed the twins' wrist and jumped out to the lakeside, rolling ungracefully. It seemed that it had gotten bored of the chase and decided to sink back into the water.

Mabel coughed off a bit of dirt that got into her mouth. Dipper dusted his clothes and began looking for the camera that he carelessly dropped upon impact, while Y/n looked at the human tooth. It emitted a strong odor and Y/n was very aware of that smell. Yep, had to be coming from the giant island head.

Finally, Dipper found the camera lying on the ground. "The important thing is, we survived. Barely."

Mabel nodded in relief. "Ugh, yeah." Her worried expression was replaced with a smile when she brought the familiar bear back to the frame. "Did somebody say, bear-ly?"

"AAAAH!"

***

#132: The Hide Behind (Takes place after "Bros after Dinos")

"Y/n! Y/n! Take a look at this!" Dipper bounded to the room and greeted her with a huge smile, photos in hand.

"What is it?"

He practically shoved the pictures towards her. "Real-life Hide Behind footprints!"

"The Hide Behind?" Y/n dare asked, "I thought that was only lumberjack lore."

"Well, these footprints might suggest that it exists! I'm planning on filming another video about it and go and track it! Wanna go out with me?"

Y/n shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Meanwhile, Dipper was slapping his forehead for the awkward phrasing. Why did he have to word it like that? "Y-yeah, I'll just go and pack my things... we'll film in my room, and- bye."

He sprinted out of the room before she could blink. Y/n watched as Dipper mumbled grievances as he stalked up the stairs. She had no idea what happened moments ago. He simply asked if she's willing to go and accompany him in an adventure and she obliged. She'd answer in a heartbeat.

Speaking of the adventure... The Hide Behind. Boy, that was a name she hadn't heard of in a while. It's like it was yesterday when the creature hiding behind her, Ford, and F, tapping their shoulders and hiding like a prankster. She wondered if she could finally get a little glimpse of the tall, slender being.

Minutes passed, and Y/n found herself standing in front of the twins' door. She knocked on it once, twice, before Mabel opened the door and gladly let her in. "Where are your things?" She asked.

"I.. don't really need anything."

Mabel first feigned a confused look, before her face broke into a surprise and her eyes twinkled. "Oh yeah! I didn't forget, you're invincible!" She snapped her fingers with a grin. "Of course you wouldn't need all that stuff, unlike my weird brother here."

"Way to rub it in, Mabel," Dipper deadpanned. He was adjusting the straps of his duffle bag full of items he might need; a butterfly net, a pickaxe and other belongings. "Alright," he walked over to his bed where a piece of cardboard and marker lay. "Y/n, do you wanna film the intro with me?" He offered with a smile.

After much convincing, Y/n stood in front of the camera with Dipper, calling upon the gods in the sky to give her the confidence to just say something. Mabel pointed the lens at them, pressing the red button. "We're on!" She whispered.

"Oh," Dipper had just finished writing on the cardboard, "Hello, and welcome back to Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained. I'm here with my–" he cleared his throat awkwardly. "...friend, Y/n."

"Hi," she gave the audience a smile.

He choked back a cough. "So today we investigate Gravity Falls anomaly #132: The Hide Behind. Y/n, you have any idea about this particular oddity?" He turned behind him.

Y/n's body moved involuntarily, picking up the journal on the way and opening it as she'd already memorized the exact page. "Local lumberjacks tell of a mysterious creature with an ability to hide before it is seen. But what is he? A ghost, a living shadow? We might never know."

"But-!" Dipper cut off smoothly. "-these photos suggest it might actually be real! Either way, we intend to find out!"

The two exchanged smiles and Mabel shouted, "Cut!" like a director would.

Dipper's smile never went away. "I knew I should've included you in the title! You should be with me all the time now!"

Once more, he smacked his face with a loud noise as Mabel, having heard everything, laughed aloud. It's like this happened before, but what exactly happened? What did Dipper say that made him react that way? Y/n was a bit confused, but she rolled her eyes, laughing along with Mabel instead.

Dipper groaned, trying to recover from the embarrassment. "Let's just go."

"Okay, are we going to the forest already?" Y/n asked, walking alongside with the twins. Mabel was playing with a random U.F.O keychain she found, Dipper carried the rest of the cardboard pieces, while Y/n fiddled with the camera.

"No, I was thinking we could interview the only lumberjack we know, since y'know, it's lumberjack lore like you said."

"Oh, actually..." Y/n paused, her movements slowing. She bit her lip in contemplation. She remembered the lumberjack who lent her and Ford his majestic cabin that was actually filled with restless spirits and fearless ghosts. Dan Corduroy. She remembered him. Does he remember her? Will she risk her identity being exposed to the locals?

Lady Susan didn't seem to recognize her at first, and the rest of the townspeople ignored her when they went at the reopening of the wax museum-- "Manly" Dan was even present at the event.

Before her thoughts could further muddle in her mind, the twins called her attention. "There he is! He's chopping trees with his three sons." Dipper pointed at a small random clearing where a lone house stood in the middle.

Three little redheads worked together in handling the two-man saw while the father stood inches away, yelling incoherent cheers.

"Manly Dan! We wanna have you for a short interview!" Dipper shouted, his palms cupping the corners of his mouth.

The orange-haired man stomped his way over the three of them. "Huh?" He said.

Y/n shuffled the camera in her hands, trying to avoid his steely gaze. "It'll just be a few questions, sir."

The recording was ready just as Dipper finished writing on the cardboard. "So, mister," Dipper began, raising the cut up cardboard that was supposed to be a name plate. "Have you ever heard of The Hide Behind?"

Manly Dan Lumberjack / Punchung Enthusiast

"Hide Behind? Oh he's real, all right. Real as my beard! He was behind me once, and made a sound-" he imitated the sound by grazing his teeth together and produced a rattling noise. "Mighty spooky,"

Before anyone could utter another word, one of the brothers, Marcus, called for his father, "Dad?"

"It's coming down!"

In the background, the tall tree that they were busy cutting down, was currently falling in an angle. "Daddy's doin' a movie!" Manly Dan retorted in a loud shout. "He's doin' a movie now..."

Finally, the tree fell down in one big boom, crashing on the house and destroying it.

The mystery trio slowly backed away as they exchanged weary glances. They walked and when they were out of sight, they broke into a sprint, heading to other potential witnesses in Gravity Falls.

They found themselves in the diner, catching Lazy Susan doing nothing. Perfect opportunity for an interview. They got closer to the waitress, getting a whiff of her scent. Onions.

"Lazy Susan? Can we ask you a question?"

Susan smiled at the kids, holding a container of hot coffee and a mug on the other hand. "Oh, an interview! I can't wait!"

The camera began rolling, Dipper showed the rectangle shaped cardboard with Susan's name and her occupation.

Lazy Susan Waitress / Smells like Onions

"Have you ever heard of The Hide Behind?" Y/n asked from behind the camera.

"Could I get a refill, ma'am? Refill?" A guy with a gray mustache– that sounded awfully like Soos– requested, shaking his empty mug.

"Oh, the Hide-Behind is definitely real," Susan said, completely ignoring the man and the coffee running down her closed fist around the cup. " Might even be behind me right now! Let me see–" She began turning around and around "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa—!"

Y/n and Dipper exchanged worried glances, while the mustache guy was utterly confused.

Finally, after searching for more people, they went home for the day. As they walked back, they saw Stan sitting by the porch with a Pitt Cola. Mabel skipped over to him. "What about you, Grunkle Stan, do you believe in the spooky Hide Behind?" She wriggled her fingers for extra effects.

Stan grunted, taking a sip. Y/n recorded the old man as they trudged closer to his profile. "What shenanigans are you kids going at it this time?"

"These nerds are going crazy about a mystery creature again," Mabel answered enthusiastically, placing her hands on the arm of the chair beside Stan.

Y/n rolled her eyes playfully. "Just answer. Do you believe that the Hide Behind exists?"

Dipper presented the board with Stan's name in it.

Grunkle Stan Great Uncle / Mediocre Boss

"Don't believe every legend you hear, kid," Stan began. " The people in this town are literally the dumbest people in the world. Literally."

The girl holding the camera stifled her laughter.

"The Hide- Behind's just a rumor. You want a mystery? How about the mystery of why–"

A sudden sound cut Stan's off as something ran behind him. The old man jumped and recoiled while Y/n tried to capture the creature running off to who knows where. "That's it! Come on, Y/n!" Dipper bolted the scene and she was quick to follow.

Stan and Mabel began spouting phrases of "Hey, where are you going, we're doing an interview here!" "Wait, guys!"

But the two didn't stop, sprinting through the woods, panting. "Where is he, where is he?!" Dipper chanted under his breath.

"Over here!" Y/n swore she saw a shadowy figure hastily finding a cover. Dipper snapped his face towards her and followed her step.

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned to 4 hours. The two were back-to-back, eyeing every vicinity where they could spot the Hide Behind. They checked every corner, every nook and cranny of the forest from the bushes to the high tops. The only clue they had was the shackling sounds, so they followed it for the rest of the afternoon.

Eventually, after much searching and never letting the creature escape out of their sights, they reached another random clearing where the chattering noise was heard behind a slender tree.

"Alright. After hours of searching, we've narrowed it down to this tree." Dipper said in the camera. "Y/n and I have each other's backs, and Mabel happened to catch up to us so it's three versus one."

"Ayo!"

"Here it goes. Get ready to finally be seen, Hide Behind!"

The trio approached the willowy tree, thin enough to fit the skinny Hide Behind as seen from the journal. "In 3... 2... 1..."

They jumped in behind the three and found an owl with a maraca in its beak.

"What?"

"Woah, cool! Maraca owl!" Mabel enthused as she appeared from behind the bird with a huge smile. The owl flew around for a bit before landing on her sleeve. "Yeah! Play that thing!"

"Well, based on the lack of evidence, I have to conclude, anomaly #132, the Hide Behind, just a legend," Dipper said in finality.

Y/n placed a hand on his shoulder in assurance. "Hey, no worries. Maybe the Hide Behind doesn't want to be found." The two began walking to the direction they came from. "We could go for a banana split at the diner. Walking around is kinda tiring, don't you think?"

Dipper smiled at her invitation. "That sounds great."

Chatter chatter chatter.

"What was that?" The boy turned around and saw nothing. He shrugged in defeat and continued walking. He also decided to ignore the next prattling sounds and focused on Y/n instead. He'd rather just walk alongside her and listen to her stories forever.

***

LQ WKH IXWXUH, WKH 🗝: caesar

[gravityfallsrewritten]

SHORTS #2: Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained

#54: The Mailbox (Takes place after "Bros before Dinos")

Dipper and Y/n went back to the path they once came from, this time bringing their supplies. They recently discovered an abandoned mailbox lying in the middle of the forest. They had to investigate and inspect closer. Soos wanted to come with and now the three were walking up to the mailbox.

Y/n had the camera ready in her hands, pointing at Dipper. "Look good?" he asked her.

"Yep. You look nice."

He smiled, a faint blush in his cheeks but he cut himself off by clearing his throat. "Okay, we're starting. Soos, you got your costume ready?"

"I'm so ready, dude," Soos replied after putting on a coat and a pair of safety glasses. "I feel so much like an expert."

"That's what we want you to be, Soos," Y/n said, chuckling slightly. "Okay, ready? Three, two, one, and..." she pressed the button, giving Dipper the nod.

And that's when Dipper took the cue. "Welcome back to Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained. Anomaly #54: The Mailbox."

He reached out his hand towards the middle and Y/n swiped to the right, showcasing the mailbox. "There it is, in the middle of the forest. No house. No address. Today, me and my team of experts..."

Soos walked into frame. "'Sup?"

"Hey," Y/n followed, waving her hand in front of the camera.

". . . are gonna put a letter in and see who picks it up." Dipper finished, standing beside her.

"My letter posits a salient question: "Sup Dawg?"" Soos said, showing a folded letter that he wrote before slotting it inside.

Dipper nodded. "Now we're gonna hide behind a bush, and wait for someone to come by-"

The mailbox began to shake violently. "What the-?!" Y/n said, zooming in the post.

"Whoa!"

The flag of the mailbox was raised, indicating that there was already a reply. "Did you see that?" Soos asked, wearily stepping closer.

Dipper ran towards the mailbox. "Open it!"

"No, you open it, dude! I'm not touching a ghost mailbox!"

The two looked at Y/n for any guidance, to which she just gave a shrug. "Might just be harmless. You go open it."

"Okay, here goes." Dipper reached over and pulled the cover open. He retrieved a closed letter inside the box, with an insignia stamped in the middle as a seal. Dipper brought the letter closer to the camera and upon closer inspection, Y/n noticed an infinity symbol in the emblem.

"That's not our letter, dude!" Soos remarked.

Dipper opened the letter, peeking what's inside. "It says..." he gasped loudly before turning the letter, facing the lens. "'Hello, Y/n, Dipper, and Soos'!"

"It knows our names!" Y/n questioned, tilting her head slightly. "Is it like an all-knowing mailbox?"

"Let's test it."

Luckily for this particular experiment, the trio bought enough blank paper to use. Soos thought of a question that he wanted to ask as a test if the mailbox was truly all-knowing. "'What did I shave into my head this morning?'"

He placed the letter inside, and not even a second that the mailbox shook and shivered and its flag was raised. Soos pulled out the reply, opening it and reading it out loud. "'A baby duck holding a paddle ball'. Dude, it knew!"

As proof, Soos turned around and removed his hat, showing his shaved hair. It was exactly that.

"What?!" Dipper exclaimed from behind the camera.

Y/n felt chills running down. Does that mean they could ask it whatever they want and they would get immediate answers? A million questions flowed around her mind. Questions that she wanted to ask for a long time.

Dipper had another paper and pen and wrote "When is the end of the world?" before shoving it inside. The reply instantly came and he opened it. "3012. Huh. We got a while."

They asked plenty of questions, until Dipper turned to Y/n. "What about you, Y/n? You wanna ask the omniscient mailbox?"

"I... still have to think of one," she replied sheepishly, when in actuality, she was thinking of asking whether Ford is alive or not. That was the one question that remained on her mind. Is he still out there? Will her project be for nothing?

Meanwhile, Soos and Dipper were beaming with questions. Dipper stood beside the mailbox with a blank paper to write on. "Uh... what is the exact time and date of my death?"

"Did aliens build the pyramids?" Soos asked in the background.

"Or... what is the meaning of life?"

"What are marshmallows made of?!"

"Or... who wrote journal 3?"

"Who wrote the journal! Who wrote the journal!" Soos ecstatically pointed at him as excitement filled his veins.

Y/n rolled her eyes. They could simply just ask her and she'll happily provide the answer. But she remained quiet as she realized that she actually wouldn't spill that secret.

"We're finally gonna get the answer to the greatest mystery in Gravity Falls!" Dipper proclaimed, smiling towards the camera.

Suddenly, Mabel walked by with a grin. "Nifty! A mailbox! I've been wanting to mail Mom this video of me sticking a hundred gummy worms up my nose!" Without hesitating, Mabel shoved a package inside of the mailbox.

"No, wait!"

"Dude, stop!"

"Mabel!"

"Slam!" The girl whacked it closed and the mailbox shook. The trio except for Mabel waited with such anticipation as Dipper took the reply from inside and read it aloud. "Your gummy worm video has disturbed and insulted me. You fools are unworthy of my great knowledge. The era of human enlightenment shall never come to pass."

Just as he finished reading it, the mailbox glowed a very bright blue and the ground quivered. Everyone sprinted far from the mailbox before it exploded in a flash of light, collapsing in on itself.

Everyone was in disarray, clothes almost burned as Soos, Dipper, and Mabel stood in the middle of a scorched clearing. "Well, uh, that concludes Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained, where we learned when dealing with the unknown," he turned angrily to his sister, "do not mail videos of you shoving gummy worms up your nose!"

"There's more where that came from!" Mabel said, bringing out more gummy worms. "Into my nose! Into my nose-"

"No, no! Stop recording! Stop-!"

***

#82: Lefty (Takes place after "Bros Before Dinos")

"Alright. Welcome back to Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained," Dipper said to the camera. "Today we investigate Gravity Falls' anomaly #82... this guy."

Dipper panned over to a window that showed a man probably in his 40s across the street, inside a bowling alley. He was staring at a newspaper very curiously.

"Sure, he looked normal, but if he's so 'normal', explain why he's always facing left!"

On cue, the man went to reach for his mug located behind him, but instead of turning 180 degrees, he just leaned further until he could reach it, casually drinking the coffee.

Dipper has been following this peculiarity for weeks now; he basically knew his entire routine, yet he kept facing left in all of those activities. The younger boy had never once seen the right side of the guy's face. He questioned the absurdity of all.

So he asked his dear sister, "Mabel?" Y/n pointed the camera at Mabel. "Theories?"

"Theory one," Mabel pulled a piece of paper from an envelope. It was an illustration of her concepts. "He's hiding an embarrassing sunburn! Theory 2: half man, half lizard man!" She pulled another drawing, one after the next. "And theory number three- my personal favorite, he's normal! And Dipper's just crazy!"

Dipper pried the paper from her hands. "That's not a theory, that doesn't count as a theory."

Mabel laughed, and Y/n couldn't help but laugh as well. Dipper glared as he crossed his arms. Y/n pointed the camera back at Dipper. "So what's the plan?"

***

The plan was to walk inside, act like three normal best friends who just wanted to play bowling- while Dipper subtly questions the man. Seemed easy. "Hello, good sir!" Dipper greeted upon strutting alongside them.

"Uh, I'm sorry, cameras aren't allowed in here." The man gave a literal side eye- since only his left side was facing them.

Y/n lowered the camera, covering the lens briefly with her palm. But it was still recording, only focused at the lower angle. "Oh, sorry. It's not on the entire time, I promise."

She elbowed Dipper, and he took the chance to approach the guy closer by the counter. "So," he began, "do you mind grabbing those bowling shoes for me? The ones on your... right side?" He emphasized, and Y/n already wanted to feign disappointment at his lack of cleverness.

Luckily, even though the guy looked at him suspiciously, he was still very much accommodating. After all, the customers are always right. "These ones?" The man took the shoes behind him with ease, not even needing to turn around.

Dipper pouted slightly as he crossed his arms. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Whoops!" He said, fishing for his wallet from his vest. "Oh no, I... dropped my wallet!" But instead of dropping it like he said, he threw it on the other side of the counter, specifically on the guy's right side. "It's over to your right there, your right side... could, maybe, turn around and-"

The man huffed, exasperated, but nonetheless he only stepped back a bit and crouched down (still facing the left side) as he picked it up and gave it back to Dipper. "There you are, sir," he grumbled.

"Fine," he replied, taking back his wallet.

"Um, anyway, sir," Y/n chimed in. "Can you get us our bowling ball instead? We kids might have a little difficulty carrying something so heavy."

"I don't see why not," the man shrugged, exiting the counter and going to the rack where the colorful bowling balls were. "Let's see. Look like maybe a ten or..."

Dipper followed, standing beside Y/n as she glanced at the camera checking if the angle was still okay. "Well, uh, I was thinking it could be the- AHA!"

The boy lurched forward and took his chance now that the man's guard was down. He grabbed his shoulder and pushed it to the other side, forcefully turning his whole body around, revealing-

A whole other robotic side, completely metal. With sectioned rooms occupied by some sort of aliens. They looked to be working together in harmony as they each have their own roles to make this 'human' function.

"What the...?!"

One of the aliens finally noticed the three kids staring at them. "Guys!" It alerted his comrades, and they gasped as they all concluded that they had been revealed.

"We're blown. Shut it down! Shut it down!"

The aliens brought out a glowing red pill, chanting, "The time has come" before eating it. And upon intaking it, they began exploding. One of the aliens faced the other. "The time has come, brother!"

"I can't, I have a family!"

"You signed the oath!" It shoved the orb to the alien and they ate it in unison, exploding at the same time.

The man's right side was completely void of any controlling aliens until it malfunctioned and shut down, collapsing and exploding. The fire sprinklers were turned on.

"Ah, come on! The sprinklers are on!" One of the customers complained.

The three made a run for it. Dipper took the camera and turned it around, facing the three of them. "Well, that concludes anomaly #82. Uh, I think we might want to burn this tape."

***

DQG UHDG EHWZHHQ WKH

🗝: caesar

[gravityfallsrewritten]

SHORTS #1: Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained

#76: That Thing (Takes place after "Bros Before Dinos")

Dipper had decided to start his own paranormal show after finding an old camcorder they had found in the dusty corner of the attic. It has a surprisingly full memory, with no videos in the storage, so that was Dipper's cue to record all of his investigations.

He wanted Y/n to come along with him and include her as some sort of 'co-host' and Y/n was honestly honored, but she preferred to be behind the scenes and hold the camera instead of talking in front of it.

So the two started preparing the set to look like one of those TV shows with title screens and props surrounding the host, but the only props they could afford were old cardboard and a sharpie. The main title was "Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained," as Y/n insisted that her name wasn't necessary. Dipper was a little upset, so he made every effort to include her in his videos.

As he sat in the chair, the cardboard was placed on the table behind him. His vest and hat were discarded because he was supposed to be in his pajamas. They had to keep their voices as low as possible because Mabel was already asleep. Y/n positioned the camera to face Dipper, who sat holding a basket of something.

"Are we ready?" He asked.

"Yep. Looking good," Y/n nodded. "Recording in five, four, three, two..." she nodded in his direction and Dipper took the cue to begin his introduction.

"Welcome, to one of the many episodes of Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained," he spoke. "Gravity Falls is a strange town filled with wonder never before seen, and I'm here to take you all to a trip full of unsolved mysteries and weird anomalies. We might encounter dangerous monsters or scary ghosts, but today we're analyzing this specific case for the unexplained. Behold,"

Dipper lifted a chicken strip from the basket that he was holding, but it was no ordinary chicken strip.

"A Möbius Chicken Strip," he named.

Y/n remained behind the camera throughout the episode as she and Dipper discussed the Möbius strip and how the chicken could form this shape. The video consisted of eating crunchy chicken while questioning its existence. Y/n wasn't lying when the chicken tasted infinitely delicious - she loves bad jokes.

It lasted for about 15 minutes until it had to come to an end. Dipper adjusted his seating position and faced the camera again. "Well, that concludes Gravity Falls anomaly #13: The Möbius Chicken Strip," he ate a piece as he smiled. Y/n couldn't help but chuckle at his expression, the camera slightly shaking. "It's infinitely delicious!"

A strange creature screamed as it ran between her and Dipper. It slithered around Y/n's legs, causing her to drop the camcorder, but she caught it at the last second. Dipper dropped the bucket of chicken strips by accident. "Woah, hey!"

A small beast with hairy skin was still screeching around as it circled around her ankles until it pushed her away and she eventually fell to her butt. "What the heck!?" Y/n exclaimed as she watched it scamper away.

The room was a complete mess already but the critter didn't seem to care, retreating to a random corner and eating the twins' pile of candy. It was a miracle that Mabel didn't wake up despite the ruckus going on. "Oh no," Dipper said, burrowing his hands on his brown hair. "It's eating our leftover Summerween candy!"

"WHAT?!"

Screams from Mabel were heard as she finally sat up and got out of her bed. The beast was still munching on candy with the wrappers still on. "Ew, it's like ... a naked little man." Mabel commented. Dipper urged Y/n to keep recording as he was quickly writing on a new blank cardboard.

While the camera was still facing the eating critter, Dipper held the cardboard close to the lens as he spoke. "Uh, this is now Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained #76: That Thing."

It was still in the attic, wreaking havoc, so they had no choice but to capture it. Dipper was suited up into action, protecting himself with a bunch of Mabel's stuffed toys with a golf club as his weapon and a trash bin as a trap.

Y/n zoomed in on Dipper's determined look with narrowed eyes. "Get this on tape in case I die or whatever."

She rolled her eyes. So dramatic.

The camera followed him as he slowly approached the creature from the other side while it was still busy eating candies. It quickly noticed Dipper coming closer, regarding his movements. They walked in a circle, staring each other down.

Dipper used the golf club to scoop a small pile of candy as if luring the beast closer. The thing watched and as expected, took the bait, biting down. Dipper brought down the trash can, but the creature was unfortunately faster.

It began climbing up one of the wooden columns until it reached the ceiling. Mabel shouted, throwing one of her stuffed animals. "Oh! Die, mutant! Die!"

The creature crawled and crawled until it went through the open doors of the twins' room and downstairs. The trio followed its path until they reached the living room. "Save the candy!"

Y/n pointed the camera at Dipper standing in the middle of the room. "Where is it? Have you seen it?"

Mabel and Y/n watched as the thing jumped down and attacked Dipper's face. Mabel jumped into the scene and tried to punch it away, and the creature let go, screaming at her and waddling away towards the kitchen. Y/n tried following as she watched it climb up the fridge with the stash of candies.

She was just honestly amused at the creature munching on different things. He just looked like a very weird specimen who liked to eat. Dipper and Mabel came in the room and the monster, sensing that they were stepping closer, immediately threw food at them.

Dipper shielded himself from the projectiles with his arm, as Mabel opened her mouth to catch the candies. "Dipper, open your mouth!" Mabel said while chewing. "Try to catch the candy in your mouth! He's wasting it!"

"What? No! Why would I-"

An unwrapped piece of sweet fell in the middle of his teeth and Dipper stopped to nibble on it. "Mmm. Actually that's pretty good-"

He was cut off as he got smacked by a chocolate bar in his face. The thing jumped down, wriggling back to the living room as Mabel failed to catch it. Y/n followed it as she kept recording its movements with a huge smile on her face. This felt like advance journaling for her.

While staggering on the floor, one of its feet landed on the remote laying on the ground, turning the TV on. The creature huffed, hearing the sounds from the TV. His eyes stayed glued to the show that was premiering, his attention undivided.

"Oh wow," Y/n said, " Now he's hypnotized by the TV."

Dipper walked in as the creature sat back in the yellow chair. "Ha! And he dropped the candy." He stepped around and stood beside the mesmerized beast. "What a little dummy, glued to the..." Dipper trailed off. "To the..." he paused. "Oh, I love this movie."

"What are they showing?" Mabel asked, picking up the littered candies.

It was the rerun of The Fear Guy from Terror Town Street from channel 7 tonight. Mabel and Dipper sat together in the chair while the thing sat on the chair's arm, eating golf clubs. Y/n sat on the ground beside the pile of candies, tossing the twins if they wanted a specific piece and vice versa. Every loser candy was handed to Y/n and she didn't know if she should be offended, but she's not going to complain since it's her favorite ones from the bag.

The four of them quietly watched the movie as they munched on candies. "Shouldn't we... do something about the monster?"

"Candy now. Monster later." Mabel said without moving her eyes away from the TV.

Soos eventually walked in the room, stupidly mistaking the monster for Grunkle Stan.

#23: Stan's Tattoo (Takes place after "Exchanging Bosses and Bodies")

He didn't see it the first time, but after a few days and he heard a camera snap from behind him again, he knew that he was secretly being photographed.

Could it be a private investigator trying to get some dirt out of him? Or did the government finally got a hold out of him?

Alas, when Stan finally turned around, he saw his nephew standing behind the doorway with a camera in his hand snapping pictures of... him? He narrowed his eyes as the tween scrambled away. What was he getting suspicious of this time? Instead of dwelling on it further, Stan drank the rest of his Pitt Cola and stood up, retreating back to his room.

Dipper stared at his cork board full of pinned photos and notes. On top of the board was a ripped paper with "Stan's Tattoo" written on it. He couldn't find Y/n anywhere so he had Mabel to hold the camera this time. He had no idea where the girl could've gone considering it was only their second episode and she wouldn't be able to make an appearance, but Dipper couldn't wait longer to record.

"Okay, Mabel, I'm ready," he told his sister.

Mabel presented a thumbs up as she pressed the red button on the camcorder. Dipper stood beside the cork board, smiling. Mabel grinned, beginning to push her forefinger and thumb together in front of Dipper's head "Hello, I'm Dipper Pines. The girl trying to crush my head is Mabel."

"His partner isn't here so I'm helping!" she said from behind the camera, failing to notice the way Dipper blushed when he heard her say 'his partner'.

"Okay, that's- that's enough," he shooed her hand away before talking in a serious tone. Today we investigate Anomaly #23,Grunkle Stan's secret tattoo." He raised a flat cardboard with the same writing. Mabel then pointed at the board full of evidence.

"What is he hiding? A college prank? Secret symbol? Or something stranger?" Dipper questioned out loud. "Stan claims it doesn't exist, but today we're gonna find out."

The day proceeded as normal as Dipper tried to be while relaying the plans he had for Stan to reveal the secret markings behind his back. Y/n was still nowhere to be found but he placed that worrisome thought at the back of his head as the recording started again. Mabel held the camera, pointing directly at Dipper and Soos standing besides the Shack's thermostat.

"Okay, here's the plan. Stan never takes off his undershirt-" Dipper got closer to the camera, "obviously to hide his tattoo," he whispered before going back. "But me and Soos are about to turn up the heat on this mystery."

Dipper grinned, raising the temperature on the thermostat. Soos chuckled at the younger boy's pun. "Heh, literally! I love how you come up with stuff like that!"

Despite Soos' efforts to convince Stan to 'take off their clothes' to battle against the heat while they were working, Stan wasn't buying it, walking away to 'find a melon baller or something to pluck his eyes out' instead.

Hours passed by. It was a slow day, it seemed, as there weren't many customers around- actually, there weren't any tourists at all (it happens), so Dipper caught Stan lounging in the living room with just his undershirt. He figured it was the perfect time to initiate plan B as he readied his camcorder.

Dipper started recording and subtly faced it towards Stan. "Heavens! Is that poison oak on your shoulder? Let me scratch it for you." He reached for his tattoo, but Stan smacked it away without even looking at him.

"Kid, if you're trying to see my tattoo, you're gonna have to try harder than that."

"A-ha!" Dipper said, "I thought you said you didn't have a tattoo!"

"I don't. But you do," Stan replied, taking out a red marker and began leaning towards Dipper.

"What do you mean I- AAAHH!"

Dipper didn't have the chance to step away as Stan managed to write 'GOOBER' on his forehead near his birthmark. He tried so hard to wipe it away but the permanent ink wouldn't budge. TIme passed by once more when he heard sounds coming from their bathroom. Bathing noises and a deep, grunkle-y voice singing "du-du" jingles had Dipper deduct that it was no other than Stan who was using the bathroom at this time.

So he had Mabel hold the camera once more and didn't even adjust his bangs back when he pressed the button. "Okay, Plan C. Stan is in the shower. I wish it hadn't come to this, but sometimes you have to do terrible things for science."

"I believe in you, Goober!" Mabel said in the background.

He blinked. "Dipper. Just say Dipper." He took the camera from her and pointed the lens at the door of the bathroom, nerves in his veins. He was trudging ever so slowly towards inevitable terror and agony. Who knows what he might stumble into once he opens the gateway? With a deep breath, he pushed the plank open and walked inside. Here goes nothing.

Fog from the shower greeted him inside, and water was still pouring. He faced the shower curtain and eventually pulled it to the side, ready to take a peek.

The curtains were swept aside, and there stood Stan, fully clothed with the water running down his back, and a very angry look on his face. "You're never gonna see it, kid," he seethed. "Never. Gonna. See it."

"How long have you been standing there?"

Stan lunged forward. "Give me that camera-!"

"AAAH!"

Stan jumped out of the tub and scrambled towards Dipper as he burst out of the restroom. The boy dashed around every corner, hoping to lose the older man, but it was a small Shack. Dipper tried to rack his brain for possible hiding places while still being pursued before his brain came up with an idea.

"Give me that camera, Dipper!"

"Eek!"When he saw Stan trying to corner him, he bolted in the opposite direction. While Mabel tried to distract her great uncle, Dipper relied on his little feet to get him to the gift shop as quickly as possible. He nodded gratefully at his sister's assistance before locating the familiar ladder leading to the roof. He climbed the ladder quickly after putting the camcorder in his pocket.

He opened the hatch expecting to be alone, but there sat Y/n, with a book on her lap and a surprised expression when she saw Dipper.

"What-"

Dipper reached out and shook his hands, signaling her to be quiet. He pointed down with his finger to his lips.

"What happened?" She mouthed.

Before he could explain, a voice shouted, "I'M GONNA FIND YOU, KID!"

Y/n nodded as if she understood. Dipper might've done something to piss Stan off and he's currently trying to escape his wrath. He caught her eyes and speechlessly gave her a look as if saying 'mind if I stay here?' and she nodded again, going back to her reading.

That was until the pursuer himself was outside of the Shack and was waving his hands for her attention. "Hey, Y/n!"

She looked over the roof and saw Stan. "Yeah?!" She shouted back.

"Have you seen him?"

"Who?" She answered back as casually as she could while Dipper was trying to minimize himself as small as possible. Luckily, from the angle they were on, the older man was able to only see Y/n and not him, but he was still trying not to be seen.

"Dipper! Have you seen him?!" He shouted back.

She shrugged. "I don't know, I haven't seen anyone the whole day!"

Stan narrowed his eyes at her, but Y/n was confident that he'll believe her, because it was an honest answer. She hadn't seen anyone since she was downstairs for the entire afternoon- until now.

The older man let it go and walked back inside. Dipper figured that the coast was clear and let himself loose. "Thanks."

"No problem, Goober."

***

PDQB RI BRX ZLOO ODVW. 🗝: caesar

[gravityfallsrewritten]

Chapter 18: After All These Years

"Y/n."

Said girl looked up at the sound of a gravel sound calling her name. "Hello?" She called. The voice belonged to him. "Where are you?"

"Y/n."

"Stan," she replied just as quickly as before. She looked around, searching desperately for the elder man. She only needed to see his silhouette, his shadow. Where could he be?

"Y/n," he said for the final time. Finally, he materialized in front of her, but his wrists were ensnared by a pair of handcuffs. "We lost," his voice dropped in a whisper, "they... they found us."

And as if on cue, alarms reverberated around her, and flashes of blue and red appeared. A megaphone squeaked from afar, alerting them of someone coming into the scene. "This is the police!" Through the powerful blast of the megaphone, the police officer's urgent voice reverberates among the continuous sirens.

"Stan Pines, you are suspected to have been constructing a highly dangerous doomsday device hidden beneath the shack! Surrender yourself immediately! I repeat, surrender yourself now!"

Y/n remained frozen in place. The police found them and now Stan is getting taken away. Away from the portal, away from progress, away from the Mystery Shack.

Away from her.

This was her worst nightmare.

"No," She found the strength to speak. "No, please!" It all felt so real. "Stan!"

His gaze remained downwards. "I'm sorry, kid. I have no choice."

"Don't go! Please! We've worked so hard!" She tried to reason. Thirty years of trying to save Ford and it all goes downhill? Ruined by the police? Everything was gone just like that, and they were so close– yet so far.

The older man didn't say anything, but his feet moved to their own accord, taking him somewhere. Y/n tried to stop him, tried to wake him out of his trance. Maybe he was being brain-washed. Maybe his memories were wiped clean. Why was he giving up so easily?

"Stan! What about Ford?"

"We tried everything," he stopped in his tracks a bit, tilting his head to the side to address her. But he wasn't looking at her. "But I guess it wasn't good enough. Face it, Y/n. We didn't succeed.

"We. Failed."

Y/n opened her eyes, inhaling deeply as if she only remembered how to breathe again. She clenched her fist in retaliation to the dream she had. Bill couldn't be blamed– she has been having these dreams now long before she met the beast. Although, there's a possibility that he purposefully took advantage of her mind while she was asleep.

So many things to ponder about. For the last three decades, all she ever cared about was fixing the portal. Her and Stan's lives intertwined in a shared mission, dedicating countless hours, poured undying effort, and endured the passage of time. Days turned into nights, seasons passed, yet their resolve remained unwavering.

But remembering the occurrence of her dream... minutes have passed for how long she's been staring blankly at a wall.

Only realizing that this wasn't her bedroom. This wasn't the shack.

She vaguely remembered Soos suggesting they go to his house for the meantime– his house being his Abuelita's. She remembered finally falling to sleep from exhaustion and when she awoke, she saw a different living room filled with timeless trinkets. Frames of young Soos littered around the yellow walls, and the furniture was covered by meticulous patterns. Stan and Mabel laid on the ground with sleeping bags, while she laid on a mattress propped up on a couch.

A rustle beside her caught her attention. It was Dipper, He was squirming, closing his eyes tightly. Hesitantly, she placed a hand on his blanketed shoulder, rubbed soothing comforts. He was mumbling something before waking up in cold sweat. He screamed momentarily, clutching the blanket they shared.

He breathed heavily. "Y/n?" He saw her already staring at him. "I just had a horrible dream that Gideon stole the deed to the Mystery Shack, and kicked us out, and... we all had to move in with... Soos' grandma?" He all said in a series of questions.

Before Y/n could say anything, the third person sharing their bed sat up and leaned in closely towards them. "That was no dream, dude."

Soos, shirtless, said with conviction.

Dipper screamed in horror, waking everyone up. Abuelita from the side turned the lamp on and brought a finger to her lips. "Shh! Por favor."

"Uh, sorry...! Abuelita..." Dipper trailed off. He didn't even register that he was sleeping besides Y/n until he did, scooting slightly away. "Sorry, I didn't wake you up, did I?" He muttered guiltily.

Y/n's face morphed into an assuring smile. "I was already awake before you. No worries."

"Well you sure woke everyone else with that scream," Stan quipped from the ground he was sleeping on. "Now quiet! The news is finally on," he pointed at the TV.

Shandra Jimenez appeared on the screen, microphone in hand. "In a movement that has all of Gravity Falls buzzing, child psychic Gideon Gleeful has taken surprise ownership of the Mystery Shack, previously belonging to area shyster, Stanford Pines."

This time, Gideon stood in frame with the reporter. "Now that you have the shack, what exactly are you planning to do with it?"

"I have a big announcement to make today," Gideon spoke with a huge, fake smile in his punchable face, "and I'd like to cordially invite all the good people of Gravity Falls to join me. Free admission to anyone who wears their Gideon pins! It's my face!" He winked.

Y/n was the first to react. "The people of this town are too gullible to believe this despicable kid," she voiced out.

"I just can't believe Gideon beat us," Dipper lamented, sitting on the edge of the makeshift bed, "Normally, I'm able to save the day. This is all my fault."

Mabel stood beside her brother. "Don't worry, Dipper. Looks like Mabel's going to have to be the hero of the family now. I'll defeat Gideon with my grappling hook!" She brought out the tool she chose from the beginning of the summer.

Dipper glared mildly. "Mabel, no offense, but that grappling hook has literally never helped us once."

"Oh yeah? Jelly grab!" The girl shot her grappling hook at a random jar of jelly inexplicably placed on a shelf, causing it to break and splatter jelly on the walls. The paintings, porcelain angels and half of Abuelita's body were in the splash zone and are now covered by the sticky substance.

"I vacuum the walls now."

"So you lost the Shack," Soos said as if it was a normal day, like it was a trivial matter. "Look on the bright side, dudes! Now you get to live here with me. Soos!" He then invited anyone to race cars without batteries. It's supposed to be a pretend kind of game.

"We gotta take the Shack back."

***

***

The next day, the family dressed up as an undercover entourage– with help from Soos' wardrobe and went to Shack. They saw the child psychic taking up the stage and dancing around before walking up the podium and spoke into the mic. "Ladies and gentlemen! Today I am delighted to announce my new plans for the former Mystery Shack!"

Bud came up with a wagon, a covered prototype on it.

"I give you..." Gideon reached down and pulled the cloth away, revealing a miniature version of his plans. "Gideonland!"

"What?!" The incognito team exclaimed in unison.

"We are gonna turn this dirty ol' shack into three square miles of Gideon-tertainment. And introducin' our new mascot, Lil' Gideon Jr.!"

Bud pulled off a cloak to reveal Waddles in a Gideon costume, white hair and all.

"Boom, he's a pig!"

"Waddles!" Mabel screamed in horror. "You monster!"

"Alright, that's it!" Stan pulled off his disguise and angrily ran up the stage. Mabel, Dipper, and Y/n followed, destroying everything in their path.

Stan stood behind the lectern. "Listen up people. Gideon's a fraud! This kid broke in and stole my property!"

"You have to believe us!" Y/n reasoned.

"Arrest him officers!" Mabel ordered.

"Yeah!" Dipper agreed.

Gideon walked up. "Such accusations!" He said, his tone being artificially innocent. "Mr. Pines, I recall you gave the property to me!" He had the nerve to frown in confusion. "Look, here's the deed right here!" He easily pulled the deed out of his shirt for the town to see.

"Well that's all the proof I need to see," Officer Blubs dismissed.

"I love you, Lil' Gideon!" Durland hollered. "Sing them funny songs!"

"Do you actually believe that Stan Pines would willingly give the deed of his house to Gideon?!" Y/n shouted, angry and frustrated. "They're rivals for crying out loud!"

"Stan and I are very close friends!" Gideon instantly retorted, flashing his puppy eyes. "And he trusted me to hold onto the deed for safekeeping. We're the best of friends after all!"

"Best of friends?" Stan glared. "More like the worst of enemies. Give me back my deed, you pint-sized troublemaker!"

The little boy snapped his fingers and two burly guards got ready to kick the Pines off the stage. "Hey!" Mabel yelled. The other three were easily grabbed.

Y/n surprised herself that she could endure all Gideon's taunt without easily knocking him out of the stage and taking the deed. Beat up the father too for neglected parenting. But looking at the people of Gravity Falls, she knew that they were easily swayed, and if they saw her assaulting their favorite manipulator, they might shun her out and never trust her again. She had sacrificed so much to maintain her reputation.

"Now get off my property, old man!" He slapped a Gideon pin on Stan.

"I'll show you who's the old man- AH! Ow, my hearing aid! Ow!"

The Pines got carried off the stage by the guards. "Thanks for visiting Gideonland, folks!" Gideon giggled a heinous laugh. "Don't come back, I don't care for y'all."

Going back to Soos' home, Mabel, Dipper and Soos sat on the couch sadly, sulking about today. Stan and Y/n were in the kitchen. The former was pacing around with a telephone in his hands while Y/n was leaning on the countertop, her arms crossed and her face contorted into worry.

2 minutes earlier, in the midst of their argument, the ringing of the phone cut them off. Stan answered with a scowl, but when he heard the voice from the other side of the call, his face melted into nervousness. His skin paled more and he was sweating. "H-Henry! It's you! What's wrong?"

This wasn't the first time a call came up while they were talking. Stan waited, nodding consciously. Henry sounded mad at the other end from the way the older man was trying to calm him down. It seemed that the parents heard the news all the way from Piedmont. "Don't worry, your son and daughter are fine!" He reassured them, himself included. "Where're we staying? Uh, I put 'em up in this amazing four-star hotel!" There are hotels?

He seemed to be in his own world of delusions, like he was actually in a fine establishment, being served food. Y/n was getting more worried. "What, uh, sure! We got..." He glanced at the contents inside the refrigerator which was merely a near empty gallon of milk, "we've got plenty to eat..."

Stan stood back up in faux confidence. "Relax, if I thought I couldn't take care of these kids, I'd send them back right away. " That seemed to have done it. "Uh huh, you too." He ended the call seconds after.

Silence ensued, but not for long when Mabel shouted from one room away. "Grunkle Stan, can we order pizza?"

The older man checked his pockets only to discover they're empty. Y/n kept silent, tapping beats against her skin.

"They have to go back," Stan spoke in hushed tones, leaning against the tiled surface. "I can't afford to take care of them anymore, not when Gideon has the Shack."

"He also has the portal."

Stan frowned deeper, if that was even possible. He wanted to curse Gideon with every fiber of his being. How did he manage to beat them? For how long are they going to remain underneath his small thumb?

The thought of Gideon having his hands on the portal has been plaguing their minds for the last 12 hours. It's only a matter of time until Gideon dismantles the entire Shack for his tourist attraction and discovers the underground device before using it for his evil schemes. There was no way of stopping him then.

"Wait, where are you going?" Y/n stood up, seeing that Stan was about to walk out.

Stan sighed. "I'm gonna go get some fresh air. There's a lot on my plate right now." He didn't look at her. He never did, until he exited the kitchen and outside of the house.

Y/n didn't bother pursuing him, as she figured that he really needed a breather. Her mind has been jumbled. She had no idea what to do first. Should she just sneak over to the Mystery Shack and stealthily pass through the guards and Gideon to get to the basement? And what happens after that? Does she just plan on staying there forever?

"Y/n! Let's play racing cars!" Mabel's voice reverberated through the walls again.

"But we have no batteries so we have to pretend!" Soos chimed in as well.

Mustering all her positive thoughts to her facial expression, she pushed herself off and stepped into the living room with a small smile on her face. "How do you play?" She saw Soos, Mabel, and Dipper sitting on the floor with the racetrack in the middle. It had toy cars in the plastic path, waiting for control. But without the batteries, it was immobile.

"Go, go, go!" Mabel cheered on. "Go, red car!"

Y/n sat on the ground with them, placing her hands on her lap. She noticed Dipper watching her every move, and she looked back, catching his eye. He flashed a small reassuring smile, but it was strained. Her lips were pursed as she tried to smile back, but Dipper knew that she must be exhausted from the situation. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his noodle arms and force her to rest.

"Go, other red car!" Soos smiled, raising a fist.

Dipper's attention reverted back to the other two trying to entertain themselves with stationary vehicles. "This would be a lot more fun with batteries," he complained, glowering.

Sounds of footsteps interrupted the ongoing race and the four looked up at the old man who wore a worried look. Stan cleared his throat. "Kids... we gotta talk." Everyone stood face to face with Stan. "Look, I've been thinking, and... I can't take care of you anymore. I don't have a house or a job. The plan is, you're goin' home. Your bus leaves tomorrow, here are your tickets."

"But Grunkle Stan, you can't just give up!" Dipper tried to reason.

"Look, we lost, okay?" Stan cut off, casting a quick glance with Y/n. "The best thing is for you to be with your parents. I'm sorry, kids. Gideon won," he placed the tickets on the table. "Summer's over."

He didn't leave room for any objections and left the room. Soos ran after him, calling his name. "Mr. Pines! Come back! Reconsider!"

"Okay, that's it!" Dipper protested. "Guys, if Stan won't get our home back from Gideon, then we'll have to do it ourselves."

"Gideon may have the upper hand, but we have one thing he doesn't," Mabel said confidently.

"The journal!"

"A grappling hoo- oh." Mabel stopped. "The journal. Journal!"

"Y/n, you have to come with us," Dipper expressed with determination. "We need your help in getting the Shack back, too. I'm sure you're mad at Gideon and want proper revenge on him."

She does. She wanted nothing more than kicking the little guy's behind.

So the classic trio went to the Mystery Shack and concealed themselves behind large bushes. Two stoic-faced and muscly guards were pacing around the fences. They couldn't possibly get through. Dipper emerged from the bushes with a telescope.

"Okay. What can we use to defeat Gideon?" Dipper opened the journal in his grasp, flipping through the pages. "Barf fairy?"

"Yeah!" Mabel voiced.

"Nope." Dipper went to the next. "Butternut Squash with a Human Face and Emotions?" Y/n snorted back a laugh as she reminisced the exact moment she and Ford encountered this for the first time.

"Yeah!"

"Nope."

Dipper pitched to the next page, but Mabel stopped his hand, pointing at the set of symbols. "Whoa, what's this?"

Y/n leaned closer and saw the one-third part of the schematic plan of the inter-dimensional portal. It reminded her of the actual device living underneath them. She kept silent as she inspected Dipper's change in expression.

"I've stared at this page for hours. It seems like a blueprint to build some kind of strange futuristic super-weapon-"

"BORING!" Mabel bellowed. It seemed that Y/n had always underestimated Dipper, when he's actually smarter than he came off as. The braced-wearing girl continued, "To defeat those guards, we need some kind of army!"

"An army?" Y/n asked, "what about..." she temporarily took the journal and flipped to a specific page. "The gnomes?"

"Good idea, Y/n!" Dipper cheered, while Mabel nervously tugged the collar of her sweater. The three knew about their history with the gnomes. Heck, they experienced it firsthand. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

The three went back to where it all began. This was where they found Mabel tied up on the ground with a bunch of gnomes, but it seemed that the group were busy doing something else.

"I wonder what gnomes do out here alone in the forest," Mabel wondered aloud as they walked towards a nearby bush.

They got their answer when Y/n pushed apart the bunch of leaves and there they saw Jeff in a rather compromising position. Squirrels lathered his small body as he took a "bath" in a tub. The trio screamed in horror, and Jeff screamed back. "This is normal!" He tried to convince them.

There was no other way to change their mind otherwise.

"Well, well, well. Look who came crawlin' back,'' Jeff mocked, "So, changed your mind about marryin' me, did you, Mabel?"

"Ew, hardly!" Mabel replied all too quickly. "We need your help. And seriously, ew!"

"You want our help?" Jeff became angry, "after you left me at the altar? No dice!"

Y/n stepped forward with an inviting smile. "Well, what if we were able to get you a new queen?"

"Yeah, one even more beautiful than me!" Mabel encouraged.

Dipper smiled, "Her name's Gideon, and she has lovely white hair."

"Whoa. Mature woman, huh?" The gnome seemed interested in their offer. "Hey, Shmebulock, get my cologne!"

Said gnome came in with a skip in its step. "Shmebulock!" Y/n couldn't help but smile at the sight. Oh hey, it was the same gnome she and Ford experimented on.

"It's a deal!" Jeff shook hands with Dipper.

And they were off. Y/n schemed a plan to get inside as she laid out formations around the Shack. They talked about distracting Gideon before calling out for the white-haired boy. "Give us the deed to the shack, Gideon, or else!" Dipper demanded.

Gideon smirked with his hands on his hips. His two bodyguards were quick to stand behind him for backup. "Am I supposed to say, "Or else what"?"

"Yes, you are supposed to say that!" Mabel screamed as they heard the code word. "Now!"

The two guards were frozen as they felt gnome hats impaling their backs, temporarily knocking them out as they fell to the ground. The rest of the army of gnomes charged forward riding deer and bunnies. They had Gideon surrounded, number clearly at an advantage.

There was a flash of panic in his eyes. He tried to run, but it was useless as the gnomes pointed their apparently sharp hats. The three stepped forward with a threatening gaze. "You're surrounded by an unstoppable gnome army!" Dipper began, "Now give us back our deed and get off our property!"

Mabel's eyes narrowed, and Y/n's glare could cut bullets. Gideon only sighed in defeat, frowning down. "Very well," he spoke somberly. He dug through his coat pocket. "I supposed this deed belongs to-" He pulled out what wasn't the deed, but instead it was a whistle, and he didn't hesitate blowing into it. It produced a deafening, head-splitting sound, hurting the gnomes' sensitive ears. The trio looked around in worry as their plan slowly crumbled.

They guessed their other weakness other than leaf blowers were loud, shrill sounds.

The grimace on Gideon's face was quickly replaced by a cheerful simper. "Huh, what do you know? Works on gnomes too!" He shrugged before casually blowing on the whistle hard again.

Every gnome kicked their feet in reaction to the piercing noise. Their faces were scrunched in pain and for a moment, Y/n felt bad they had to string in the gnomes along. "Stop, we'll do anything!" Jeff screamed, kneeling on the ground and bowing. "How can we serve you, Your Majesty?" He continued, bringing a smile to the little boy's pale face. "The most beautiful girl we've ever seen!" The compliments were non-stop.

"I AM NOT A GIRL!" Gideon screeched, startling everyone.

"Really? But your skin is so soft! D'you... moisturize, or..."

"Subdue them!" Gideon commanded, pointing at the three. The gnomes immediately scamper towards them and easily got a hold of Dipper, Mabel, and Y/n who was thrashing around their hold.

"I have to admit, kids, I am impressed by your creativity," Gideon said, placing his hands behind his back. The audacity of him calling them "kids" was really starting to irritate her. "How did you ever-"

And as Dipper was trying to get out of the gnomes' hold, he didn't realize that the journal had slipped out from his vest, falling to the ground. Gideon instantly caught the sight of it, gasping. "Oh, no!" Dipper exclaimed in a panic.

"No!" Gideon breathed in disbelief, staring at the open pages of writings. "Could it be?" His eyes widened. "Is it...?" He went and carried it in his arms, flipping through the pages with an excited giggle. "Of course! It all makes sense! The one place I never think to look, you had it the whole time!"

If it wasn't possible, Y/n squirmed more. Just the thought of Gideon holding the journal filled her veins with fiery anger, but seeing it in person... she wanted nothing more than to choke his non-existent out of his mystery.

"No!" Dipper voiced out, trying to fight against the deathly grip of the gnomes. "Give it back!"

Gideon remained smirking. "Every victory you had because of your precious book!"

Dipper glared, "Give it back or I'll-!"

"Or you'll what, boy?" Gideon leaned forward in a mocking manner, rendering the other speechless. "You'll what? Huh? Huh? No muscles. No brains. Face it! You're nothin' without this!"

Y/n growled, trying to pull her arm out of their grip. "Don't make me beat you up again, Gideon!" She threatened, but it didn't faze the boy. She'd attacked him before, she wouldn't hesitate attacking him again for all the pain and suffering he had inflicted upon the family.

Gideon simply snorted. "I'd like to see you try!" He waved his hand, "Bye bye forever, y'all!" The whistle in his mouth produced that loud noise again, and the gnomes carried the three out of what used to be their property.

"NOOO!"

"AHH!"

"Let me go! Let me go, you dang gnomes!"

The gnomes dissipated and spread out after dropping the three of a random clearing. "Next time, do your own dirty work!" Jeff scolded before calling for his squirrels again and tucking it inside his pants.

Dipper remained seated on the dirt, placing his hands on his knees. "Well, that's it. Guess the bus should be here soon."

Mabel stopped pacing. "What?! Dipper, don't give up!" She crouched down to his height and tried to meet his eyes but they stayed staring at the ground as he aimlessly drew doodles on the soil. "You always have a plan!"

"No, the journal always has a plan!" Dipper quickly interjected. "Think about it, Mabel. Gideon was right! The only courageous or cool things The only courageous or cool things I've ever done have been because of that journal," he rambled. "Without it, I can't help you, or Stan, or Y/n..."

He briefly glanced at her. She was wearing a forlorn gaze.

"...Or anyone," Dipper finished his speech, looking back to the ground.

"There's gotta be something we could do," Mabel worried, turning her head towards Y/n, who had been silent ever since.

"What can we do?" Dipper asked, and when he was met with silence, he thought that that was it. It was over. With Gideon having his journal, he was powerless, helpless, weak.

"Bus 52, departing Gravity Falls. All aboard." The intercom sounded.

The twins found themselves in front of the bus door, opened and just too soon.

Their bags were packed, unprepared and unplanned. They begrudgingly hauled their baggage into the bus and towards the back of the vehicle, with no other passengers on board. It seemed that no one else planned on leaving this town the same time they did. It was the middle of the summer, after all.

Dipper and Mabel peered through the window from the back. There stood Stan, who could only give them an apologetic look. "Sorry, kids," they heard him through the glass. "It's for the best." There was nothing they could do. The Shack was gone, they didn't have a home, no business, no money. Everything was taken away from them, just like that.

As the bus began departing, the twins watched the friends they had made that stood beside Stan. Candy and Grenda were crying as they hugged each other. Wendy mournfully waved her goodbyes. The older man couldn't even look them in the eye.

But Y/n was nowhere to be found.

Dipper's heart squeezed painfully in his chest. She wasn't even there to say goodbye. He thought he could have one last conversation with her before leaving, but he guessed the universe couldn't even grant his one request. "I can't believe this is happening," he mumbled absentmindedly, and the bus drove further away from the town that unfurled his curiosity to the unknown.

Goodbye, Gravity Falls.

***

Back in the Mystery Shack, Gideon slammed the front door closed as he excitedly stomped his little feet on the wooden flooring, giggling in victory. All his scheming and waiting for the right time had finally come to fruition. (Though he wasn't really patient as he literally broke inside the Shack with dynamites, but that's beside the point).

He ordered his servants he call his parents out of the living room to have this moment all to himself. The mother and the father scrambled to escape his wrath and he was left to his own devices. "It's finally mine!" Gideon hollered. "At last! I have Journal number-"

He placed the journal he took from Dipper on the table. But it wasn't the first journal as he was expecting. Instead, the cover had adorned a number 3, not 1.

"Three?!" Gideon uttered in pure disbelief. "There were three of 'em?!" He slapped his forehead.

"Uh, son?" Bud's voice resonated through his son's tantrums. How he had the guts to speak to him while he was having an episode was beyond him, but it was an urgent matter. There was an unwanted visitor that he had caught at their doorstep.

"Don't disturb me, old man!" Gideon howled in anger.

Bud sighed in exhaustion. "B-but, you have a guest. They seemed furious."

"Gideon!"

His ears perked up at his name. "Let her in."

The large man hesitantly opened the door, and there stood Y/n, seething with rage. Without speaking, she quickly charged towards the little boy and tackled him to the ground. Gideon screamed for help as he tried to stop the flurry of arms coming to slap his face. Y/n's hands snaked towards his collar and began squeezing until he was choking on his breathing.

Big hands came and pulled her off, grabbing onto her arms tightly. "Now, calm down! Calm down!" Bud repeated, trying to alleviate the girl's fury. "We can all talk about this!"

Gideon was trying to replenish his oxygen, easing his collar and breathing heavily as he laid on the ground. This brought a small smirk to Y/n's face as she exhaled in exhilaration. That felt good.

"I told you I would kick your butt. Thanks for letting me in, by the way," she told Bud sarcastically.

"Ugh, get away from me, you're crazy!" Gideon screeched.

"Guess we haven't established that yet. Give us the Shack back!" She demanded, pushing against Bud's hold.

"Tell me, where is Journal number 1?!"

"I don't know."

Gideon stood up. "Don't lie to me!" He chucked the nearest chair to the other side before striding towards her. "Where's Journal number 1! The Journal that I got from that boy was the third one. I need all three for the power to be unlocked!" He screamed.

Y/n deadpanned, her lips pursed into a line. "Give me. The deed."

Gideon paced around wildly before stopping. His eyes widened as if he had a realization. "Dipper! He must know where it is. He gave me the third one and kept the first for himself!"

"Even if you try and ask him, they're already long gone," Y/n tried to say.

Gideon pulled on his hair frustratingly, his face red. "I can't let him leave Gravity Falls!" He shouted and began to take his leave, taking the two journals with him.

"Hey- w-where are you going?!" Y/n called out desperately, annoyance seeping through. She tramped her shoe on Bud's foot making him let go of her and she chased after him. Running outside of the Shack, she watched Gideon make his way to a larger version of him made out of steel. It was a robot Gideon, who can move according to his controls.

The giant stomped its way through the forest until they were gone. Y/n had to find a way to get to it somehow and finally stop his reign once and for all.

***

"Hey, Dipper, wanna play 'Bus Seat Treasure Hunt'?" Mabel offered, in hopes of cheering up her brother. They always come up with such random activities that would pass the boring time of traveling.

Dipper continued gazing through the window and watched the trees pass by. "I'm not in the mood," he answered earnestly.

"Oh, come on," Mabel insisted, opening the bus seat in between them, revealing what was underneath. "We've got a Canadian coin, gum that's shaped like Ronald Reagan's head– ooh! Miscellaneous fluid stain-!"

"Giant robot!" Dipper shrieked..

"Yeah, giant robot– wait. What?!" Mabel exclaimed back.

"LOOK!"

From the back of the bus, a giant Gideon robot slid across the dirt and was carelessly sprinting towards them. "Halt!" They heard his voice. "I demand you to halt!" Every step sent an earthquake their way. The twins screamed in a panic, going to the front of the bus where the driver sat.

"Mr. Bus Driver!" Mabel cried. "There's a giant Gideon bot coming towards us!"

"Oh, hey dudes."

"Soos!"

The twins cheered in relief when they saw a familiar face. It turns out that Soos had been taking multiple jobs at once when the Mystery Shack was temporarily out of service. Now, he had been a part-time bus driver for at least 40 minutes and this was his first day.

Soos accelerated and pressed on the gas, making the bus move faster. "Hang on, dudes!" The vehicle dodged Gideon's attacks as best as they could, but when the overly large hand went and reached for it, Soos had unknowingly swerved to a new direction, heading towards a restricted area, blocked off by wooden signs.

The bus went up a hill, the road going round and round. For a moment, they thought they lost him, but the robot was unfortunately persistent and carelessly climbed up the mountain. The twins watched through the window as the Gideon-bot made the effort to clamber up. "He already won, what does he want from us?!" Dipper asked incredulously.

They ran towards the front and saw that they were heading straight towards a cliff. "Soos! Cliff!" Dipper called out, but it was too late for Soos to kick the pedals. The tires squealed against the dirt until the bus turned and ended up hanging for its dear life, stopping right at the edge of the hill. Soos tried to accelerate, but the other end of the bus didn't have dirt to move against.

Gideon rises from the mountains, striding menacingly towards the transport. The bot easily grabbed the bus and began shaking it up and down until the roof was torn apart. There, he found Soos who busied himself reading a manual to help him in this situation. The twins were nowhere to be found.

He turned around and looked for them until he saw two kids trying to run across the railroad that connected two tunnels of the cliffs. Dipper and Mabel tried to escape, but when they saw the signed boards that said, "DEAD END", on the other side of the railway, it was hopeless to get away.

The Gideon-bot jumped down and landed, causing the bridge to quake with its weight. It was amazing that the structure could still withstand the great amount of mass. "TELL ME!" Gideon's real voice reverberated through the speakers of his machine. "Where is Journal #1?!"

"Journal #1?" The twins echoed his question.

"Don't play games with me, boy!" The robot punched the other cliff, rocks crumbling apart and falling onto the siblings. Dipper and Mabel tried their best to dodge the descending boulders.

Dipper glared at the bot. "I don't know what you're talking about, you took the only journal I ever had!" He shouted in retaliation. "What do you even want with these journals, anyway?"

Gideon didn't answer, instead he reached down and took the twins in each of his metallic hands, separating them. Mabel struggled against the tight, cold grip.

"LET GO OF HER!" Dipper punched the metal in every word he spoke.

The bot simply laughed. "You still think you're some kind of hero?"

Without warning, Gideon tossed him away. Dipper landed by the edge of the cliff, hitting his head on a rock. He felt a warm, sticky substance running down his nose. "Agh..." he rubbed the pain on the back of his head. It was getting hard to breathe, getting hard to stand up. But he managed to do so, anyway.

"Dipper, help me!" Mabel screamed. "Help!"

The boy tried to look around for a way to reach his sister and rescue her, but his mind couldn't even think properly. His mind was hazy, and his heartbeat was erratic. Usually, he would've taken his journal out of his vest right by now and flipped through the pages for the solution. But he didn't have anything, and he was left to himself.

He didn't know what to do.

He just stood there, frozen in place. The anxieties he had always felt came crashing in more heavily now. Gideon's words from earlier were plaguing his mind that his shoulders were sagging from emotions.

"Face it, kid, you're nothing without that journal!" It was true. " How're you gonna fight back? No muscles, no brains..." His words got to him. He felt tears escaping him as his lips quivered. "What are you gonna do, huh? What are you gonna do?"

Dipper retreated back to the forest in defeat. Gideon was right. There was nothing he could do. He let the words of mockery get to him as his resolve crumbled. His mind shut down.

That's why he was following his heart this time, and took a leap of faith.

He turned around and charged forward, plunging down from the cliff. He jumped, flying down towards the bot. Dipper yelled, alerting the bot as it faced him.

Dipper crashed directly through the eye– which was made of glass– and tackled the real Gideon out of the controller. They landed on the floor but Dipper quickly stood. "Let go of my sister!" Dipper reared his fist back and punched Gideon repeatedly in the face.

"Never! I finally won this time!" Gideon retaliated, pushing him off and fighting back. The two exchanged punches and hits. The Gideon bot replicated his actions, flying Mabel around.

Gideon managed to throw Dipper down, sending punches to his face until the brown-haired boy had had enough. His brows furrowed in resolution as he stood back up and prepared for Gideon's next hit. And when he did, he captured the boy's fist, easily stopping him.

The white-haired boy's resolve faltered for a bit, startled at Dipper's change in strength.

With Dipper's other hand, he guided Gideon's arm and twisted it around to aim for his pale face. He began hitting him with Gideon's own arm, playing a game of "why you hitting yourself?".

Finally, Dipper managed to force one last hit on Gideon, and the bot did the same, hitting its own head. It punched itself so hard, that the head came loose, spinning around wildly.

With Gideon out of his control hub, the robot lost its balance, until it eventually fall backwards and plummeted down. "Dudes! NOO!" Soos shouted.

The twins were falling in mid-air, screaming as they did so. The Gideon-bot crashed and caused a huge explosion, big enough for everyone in the town to see. Parts of the robot were still fizzing with electricity, convulsing as the last remaining power wore off. Amongst the destruction, a continuous squealing of a rope was heard,

The smoke dissipated a bit to reveal Dipper and Mabel, going down slowly with the help of the almighty, "GRAPPLING HOOK!" Mabel declared loud and proud. "Told you that would come in handy." She told to her brother before their shoes hit the ground safely.

"Mabel, that was amazing!" Dipper exclaimed excitedly.

"Not as amazing as you defeating that robot!" Mabel shot back, playfully punching him in the arm, causing him to knock over a random metal sheet and under it was his journal. Safe and sound.

Dipper quickly picked up the book and tucked it inside his vest, just in time for the townspeople to arrive– including the police. "Is this the thing that exploded?" A random townsfolk uttered aloud.

"What's going on?"

"What is it?"

"What happened?"

Gideon managed to pop his head out of his contraption, groaning as he felt a headache coming from the impact he dealt. The people saw him and immediately ran to his aid. "Gideon!" Deputy Durland assisted Gideon all the way down as the twins watched with distaste.

The group of people all feigned a concerned look. "What on earth happened here?" Durland asked the little boy.

"It was the Pines twins!" Gideon bawled haplessly. "They tried to attack me and blew up my statue with dynamite! Arrest 'em!"

"WHAT!?" The twins squawked in disbelief.

"Officers, he's lying!" Dipper tried to convince, but the handcuffs were already out and dangling.

Gideon wore the smirk back to his face as Blubs shrugged, "Sorry, kids, but we trust Gideon– and nothing short of a miracle could ever change our-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

The Stan mobile made its entrance as Y/n carelessly drove through the dirt and even went to bump the police car so hard that it flipped to the side before parking But Stan didn't care as he jumped out of the window. "Wait, wait! Stop everything!"

"Not this guy again," Blubs discerned, not even commenting enough that a young-looking kid was driving the car in the first place.

Stan sprinted out of the car and parted the people to make way towards the cops. "Just wait! Look!" He was full of energy as he ran to the destroyed robot. "You guys all think Gideon is so perfect and honest, "Oh! I could never tell a lie! I'm Gideon!"" He mocked, making Y/n roll her eyes.

"He's more honest than you!" Blubs retorted, hands on his hips.

"Yeah!" Durland agreed, "and he's psychic too!"

"How's this for psychic? Bam!" Stan proceeded to kick the Gideon-bot, causing the metal panel to fall off. "Take a good look!"

Inside the bot were numerous monitors displaying the lives of people from Gravity Falls. The townsfolk surrounded the bot and pointed out their appearances inside the screens. "That's me!" They echoed.

"That's right!" Stan grinned. "These pins are hidden cameras! And my hearing aid was picking up the feedback! Who's the fraud now?" With a pinch, he easily broke the pin in his hands, revealing the small camera inside.

The rest of the townspeople followed suit, smashing their Gideon-themed pins on the ground before glaring at the culprit. Gideon could only giggle nervously as he feared for his consequences. Everyone marched towards the child with grief-stricken expressions. "Gideon, we gave you our trust!" Durland sobbed.

"You lied to us!" Manly Dan exclaimed with roughness in his voice.

Gideon shrank back until he was cornered. He stuttered some sort of explanation, but it was useless to change their minds now. "W-what are you gonna do with me?"

Durland turned to the town's local enthusiasm enthusiast. "Tyler?"

With a heavy heart, Tyler looked away. "Get 'em..." he sobbed, sniffling away his tears. "Get 'em!"

Gideon gasped as Blubs stood over him. "Lil' Gideon, you are under arrest for conspiracy, fraud, and breaking our hearts!" His voice cracked at the end before turning to his partner. "Durland, the tiny handcuffs."

They shackled his tiny wrists together before letting him walk towards the police car. Stan was already there by the vehicle's door. "Just one more thing," he said, picking Gideon up by the back of his collar and effortlessly shaking him.

"Let go of me!" Gideon screamed as the contents from his suit fell. There were his wallet, set of keys, an ax!?, a random crumbled paper, a photograph of Mabel, the deed, and the second journal.

Y/n nonchalantly slinked through the crowd and took advantage of them being distracted by Stan reclaiming the deed. Fortunately, she managed to slip it inside the pocket of her jacket. No one seemed to have noticed it, and when the twins walked closer to Stan, she casually just gave them a relieved smile.

"I'm glad you guys are okay," she told them.

The twins reciprocated her smile, "Finally, we're free from Gideon," Mabel sighed in completion.

"Yeah, no more of that little jerk terrorizing us," Dipper added, smiling.

Gideon was finally sent off in the police car, screaming out curses and threats. Shandra Jimenez materialized beside Stan. "There you have it. Local hero Stanford Pines has just exposed Lil Gideon as a fraud," she said, aiming the microphone at Stan. "Anything you have to say to the town, Stanford?"

The camera pointed at Stan, Mabel, Dipper, and Y/n laughing carefree.

"The Mystery Shack is back, baby!"

***

The tourist trap was indeed back and better than ever, bustling with customers and booming with sales. With the grand re-opening, they attracted fans who wanted them to autograph their merchandise. Stan did so gladly, just as gladly as he took their money.

When the Shack was empty again, the family took their time adjusting to their rooms again, placing everything back to where it used to be. It seemed that Gideon didn't really touch anything in their rooms and with that, they were grateful.

Dipper and Mabel were tidying up their room when Stan opened their door. "Hey, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel greeted.

"Uh, you kiddos settlin' back in okay?" Stan began before letting himself in. He sat on the edge of his nephew's bed, right beside him.

"Yep!" Mabel answered.

"Hey, Grunkle Stan?" Dipper spoke slowly. "Me and Mabel have been talking, and I think there's something we should finally tell you."

He showed him the velvety book with the six-fingered golden hand on the cover.

"This is a journal Y/n and I found in the woods when you sent us out," he told the older man, handing Stan the journal to peruse. "It talks about all the crazy stuff that goes on in Gravity Falls. Gideon nearly destroyed the whole town trying to find it. I don't know what it means, or who wrote it. But, after all we've been through..." he and his sister exchanged smiles, "Maybe you should finally know about it."

Stan's face was serious, void of a smile. "I'm glad you showed me this, Dipper." He closed the journal after skimming through it. For a moment, they thought he was going to say more, but he suddenly cackled aloud. "Now I know where you've been getting it all from! Spookums and monsters." He ruffled up Dipper's hair in the process. "This kooky book has been filling your head with crazy conspiracies!"

"But it's all real!" Dipper tried to convince him. He had to believe him!

Stan merely laughed. "You gotta quit readin' this fantasy nonsense for your own good. Although some of these would make great attractions!" He opened a random page and showed an illustration of the Squash with Human Face and Emotions. "Can't come up with this stuff! Mind if I borrow this?" Stan got up from the bed, taking the book with him and strutting away.

"Wait! No! Grunkle Stan!" Dipper called after him, but it all fell on deaf ears.

Stan chortled, ""Magic book." Ridiculous!" He walked out of the room, laughing echoing in the hallways.

He didn't tread long before he saw Y/n, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed coolly. "Good acting back there. For a second, I would have also thought that you don't believe in the paranormal."

The two of them walked down the stairs. "How could I not when I've been living with one for 30 years?" Stan inputted the code and the vending machine easily opened with a hiss. They slipped inside. "And hey, they have to think that I don't believe any of this stuff or it would blow my cover."

They stepped out of the elevator at the lowest level, automatically entering the room that held the key to saving her exemplar and his brother.

"Let's get to work."

Y/n sat in the chair and dragged herself over to the table, where she opened a drawer to reveal the first journal. Stan handed her the third journal, and the second one as still in her jacket pocket when she took it out. She set them down on the table. One. Two. Three.

After all these years.

Finally they have them all.

One. Two. Three.

Y/n opened the journals to their corresponding pages. The sensation of the paper against her fingers was exhilarating. It was as if each time it had a different texture. She found the blueprint and pieced it together. There it was. Codes littered the entire pages, and she immediately copied the arrangements of the alphanumeric symbols. Her gaze shifted back and forth between Ford's writing and the buttons she was pressing.

Slowly, the lights on the portal lit up, associating with the switches and levers she moved. Stan was quiet, watching her work, right until she pressed the last key, and the portal turned on.

Stan gazed at the illuminated portal, beaming with life. "It's working! Y/n, it's working!" She was speechless.

The older man madly rushed through the sliding door and face-to-face with the portal. Stan jolted the massive lever to the other side, which Y/n watched through the protective glass. The portal began to sparkle with power, emitting random laser lights before blinking to a bright white. The empty and presumed-dead was now brought back to life. All thanks to these journals.

One. Two. Three.

"Here we go," Stan said, his hands on his hips. Their hard work is finally getting paid.

Three. Two. One.

***

END OF SEASON 1.

kimmiepines originally published: july 3, 2023 words: 8131 words

author's note: hello my beloved readers. i want to send my heartfelt thanks to you guys for your patience and your comments! i love reading them and it gives me joy every time i see how immersed you guys are with the story.

i just realized that this story has reached its 1st anniversary! this book was published july 1, 2022. it's been a YEAR and we're only finished with the first season! i love u guys!

thank you for the people who took the time to decipher the little codes i put in every chapter. theyre just silly activities that i wanted to try but i am so happy that people participated! purplexpassion since you solved the puzzle in the shorts chapter, here is your reward! (you already saw it but whatever-)

i'll see you guys next time! on to season 2, baby!!!

ZIV BLF IVZWB?

[gravityfallsrewritten]

Chapter 17: Escaping Dreams

It was surprising to see rain in the middle of summer– a thunderstorm nonetheless, but that wouldn't stop the twins from going and finding some entertainment. The moment the rain began though, because Stan was a major cheapskate and wouldn't dare spend a penny on fixing the Shack properly, the roof had gotten frail and weak, causing water to leak.

The family went and gathered as many containers as they could, ranging from cups, pots, and pans and began putting them under each leak.

While they were searching for more bowls, Mabel found a random Conflict Boatboard game lying around the attic and invited Dipper to play. Dipper, being competitive he is, immediately accepted the offer with an intent to win while Mabel had no idea how to play this particular game.

The rain continued pouring, and Y/n thought that this was a good excuse for coffee– although every hour is coffee hour for her– and proceeded to enjoy watching the rain fall down the window of the kitchen while sipping on the flavorful bitterness. Meanwhile Stan loitered by the TV as usual, boringly flipping through channels. Wendy and Soos were forced to stay inside the Shack because the heavy rain came unexpectedly and they didn't have anything against the weather.

Dipper inquisitively placed a hand on his chin. "I'm gonna say... B5,"

Mabel grinned excitedly. "Miss!" She proceeded to put a peg on her board. "Whop!" Her pegs were arranged like a cat's face.

"I don't think you're playing this right." Dipper glared.

All of a sudden, Stan's booming voice resonated through the house, louder than the rain. "Kids! Come quick!"

The twins sprinted down the stairs in unison, finding Stan cackling in mock laughter. Y/n sat on the huge dinosaur fossil beside the yellow couch as she continued sipping her hot beverage. "I need you to laugh at this with me!" Stan exclaimed, motioning to the TV where Gideon's commercial played. The boy held a mini guitar and the background were clouds passing by.

"Who's cute as a button, and always your friend? Lil' G-I-D to the E-O-N! Wink!"

"Li'l Gideon!" Bud announced after.

The twins had the urge to grimace. Y/n thought the jingle was fairly catchy, but it was also hilarious seeing Gideon try this hard. "Ugh, Gideon," Dipper stared weirdly.

"Remember when I wouldn't date him and he tried to destroy us?" Mabel voiced aloud.

Stan frowned deeply. "He's always trying to trick me into losing the Mystery Shack!"

"He's annoying."

Wendy walked in the room. "One time I caught him stealing my moisturizer."

"He's so weird."

Soos followed with a smile. "And yet, our mutual hatred for him bonds us together."

The commercial continued, and now Gideon was laughing with doves flying out from behind him. "Come on down to Li'l Gideon's Tent of Telepathy, opening soon at this location." The TV shows a pseudo-Mystery Shack getting crushed by the Tent of Telepathy.

"Uh," Dipper stuttered. "Should we be worried about that?"

"Please," Stan waved a dismissive hand, smirking, "the only way Gideon's taking over this shack is by breaking in and stealing my deed."

A crash was heard from the upstairs, alerting everyone. Y/n sat up. "You mean, right now?"

Inside Stan's office, was Gideon attempting to open Stan's huge safe. He mumbled possible significant numbers as codes, but nothing worked. "38? 41? Oh, heavens to Betsy!" He whispered harshly.

The door opened and there stood Stan with an angry expression. "Gideon!"

"Well, well, Stanford!" – Y/n visibly cringed upon hearing the incorrect name– "my arch nemesis. We seem to have entered a dangerous game of cat and mouse. But the question remains, who is the cat, and who is the-"

"Soos, broom." Stan deadpanned.

Conveniently, Soos was holding a broom when the old man asked for it. He began treading closer to the younger boy. "Oh no, not the broom!" Gideon ran around the room as Stan chased him.

Gideon hissed, but those fitful fell on almost deaf ears as he was repeatedly hit by the broom until he chased him outside in the rain. The people left in the office began cleaning up the mess that was the break-in attempt.

"You mark my words, Stanford, one day I'm gonna get that combination. And once I steal that deed, you'll never see the Mystery Shack again!" Gideon screamed against the rain accompanied by thunder.

"Good luck, bucko!" Stan replied with a smirk before closing the door.

Stan went back to his office, opening the vault with the combination before opening it. The deed was still there, tucked safely. He closed the vault shut again, pressing the lock button. He laughed mockingly. "The combo to this safe in the one place he'll never find it: my brain." He said aloud to himself, not knowing there was a pair of eyes peering at him through the window.

Gideon thought that he's had enough of playing games. He brought out his greatest weapon out of his little suit. A book; a dark, leather-bound cover adorned with an insignia– a six-fingered hand and a huge number 2 in blank ink. Inside were pages filled with intricate drawings and cryptic messages, and memories written by someone who had a lot on their mind. It was supposed to be a biography, a series of findings, but it had fallen in the wrong hands. It had fallen in the hands of one Gideon Gleeful.

He flipped to a certain page, his eyes shining a mischievous, evil glint as he stared at the book that gazed back.

***

It was still raining heavily. The five being Mabel, Dipper, Y/n, Wendy, and Stan were watching TV. Stan sat on the yellow throne, Mabel laid on her stomach, Dipper and Wendy were playing with toy guns– one couldn't be sure if they were enjoying it so much. Stan was the only one interested with the Grandpa the Kid showing on TV.

But while they looked like they were almost bored to death, Y/n was enjoying a tub of ice cream as she sat between Dipper and Mabel. Despite the cold rain, Y/n likes to eat dessert. It doesn't give her any brain freeze, nor does it make her tummy hurt no matter how much she ate.

Dipper glared at her playfully, aiming the Nyarf gun at her. "I admire your capacity to consume cold food in chilly conditions."

Y/n smirked at that from the rim of her ice cream tub. "You just couldn't handle it."

With that, Dipper fired, the plastic bullet hitting her straight on the forehead, but she didn't even flinch.

Mabel groaned, turning behind her. "Grunkle Stan, why can't we watch a movie that we'll all enjoy?" She brought out a video cassette. "Dream Boy High! 'Where love is on your permanent record~'."

A chorus of "Boo's" resounded while Y/n chuckled at Mabel's suggestion. "You'll learn to like it," Mabel said.

A sudden crash was heard from the kitchen, followed by Soos' screams as he ran out and into the living room. "Dudes! There's a bat in the kitchen! It tried to touch me with its weird little bat fingers!" His face scrunched worriedly.

"I got it," Y/n immediately stood up, wanting to help– but Stan pushed her back, her butt landing on the carpet with an 'oof'. "What the-"

"Don't worry, I got this under control," Stan reassured her, but she didn't believe a word he said. He simply leaned further back in his armchair and placed his hands on the nape of his neck in faux relaxation. "Dipper, take care of it."

"What?" Y/n and Dipper voiced in unison. "But why can't Y/n do it?" Dipper asked.

"'Cause life ain't fair," Stan answered without missing a beat. "Are you really making someone like Y/n sort it out?"

Y/n raised an eyebrow in offense. "What does that supposed to mean-?"

"Now go fight a bat so we can watch TV," Stan said to Dipper, completely ignoring her.

Dipper stood up and faced the older man. "No way, Grunkle Stan! You always make me do dumb chores." He clenched his fists. "I'm putting my foot down this time!" He said, stomping his shoe on the ground.

"I said do it, kid! Now!"

The room went quiet, except for Stan and Dipper seeming to have a stare-off, growling at each other.

"Grr-!"

"Okay! I'll do it." Dipper surrendered, sighing in defeat. He exchanged glances with Y/n before retreating back into the kitchen. Y/n and Mabel followed behind him. "Stupid chores..." he picked up a saucepan and spoon off the floor.

"Don't worry, I can help you, Dipper," Y/n tried to assure.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Stan shouted from the other room. "Y/n, go throw out the rainwater from the pots upstairs!"

She turned behind her and gave the voice a glare that could kill. Dipper tried to smile positively. "It's alright, Y/n. You can go."

"But-"

"I can handle it," he said, "Besides, Mabel is here for support."

"Okay..." Y/n said slowly before quickly sprinting across the living room and upstairs to take care of the leaks to get to the twins as soon as possible.

That left Dipper, who looked quite determined in getting the bat out, and Mabel, who had her back on the wall, about to say some inspiring words. "Remember, bats are more afraid of you than you are of them."

He nodded briefly before treading forwards to face the creature with nothing but kitchen supplies.

"Maybe I'm thinking of ducklings."

Loud screams from Dipper resounded as things crashed around the kitchen. The boy fought for his life when the bat extended its claws and aimed to scratch him. He managed to dodge its attacks, but the hits caused his Dipper to fly off. He screamed some more when the bat attempted to grab his vest and bring him away somewhere.

"Go get it, Dipper!" Mabel cheered from the side.

"I'm trying!"

"Do you need help?" Y/n asked, standing beside Mabel as she had already finished her task.

"It's fine!" He smiled shakily, trying to appear calm. The bat screeched, revealing its sharp fangs, rearing for Dipper. "A-actually, I might need a little- help! Eek!" He dodged the rabid animal's grasp.

Y/n frantically stepped in, arms reaching for the bat. It was a big bat, but it wasn't anything she hadn't seen before. The creature saw the gal coming towards it, so on instinct, it pushed Dipper off so hard that his head fell on the floor with a thud.

The bat squealed some more and tried to scare Y/n off, but there wasn't an inch of fear on her body. With her right arm, she stretched for the bat trapped in the corner. It jumped onto her and bit her hand, but of course, it didn't hurt. Now with her vacant hand, she caressed its furry head. The bat tensed up, surprised from the sudden act of affection. Its teeth let go of her fingers and began sniffing as if familiarizing itself.

Y/n walked herself and the bat near the fridge and opened it, finding a half-bitten apple. "Want it?"

She brought the fruit closer to the creature clinging onto her arm. It seemed to have understood her, leaning closer to catch a scent. It took it with its little hands, bringing it to its mouth and taking a bite. Y/n looked outside the kitchen window and the rain stopped. She deduced that the bat probably just wanted food and shelter. But this Shack wasn't the right place to look for those two things.

"You gotta go, little fella," she spoke to the bat. "You've caused quite the ruckus."

The twins watched with looks of wonder. It was amazing to see her so caring and gentle albeit seeing her literally act like that every single day. But this was the first time– and maybe last time, that she managed to calm down a raging bat.

Mabel, being the enthusiastic and optimistic one out of the two, stepped closer. "Can I pet it?"

Y/n glanced down at the creature and gestured something. "What do you say?"

The bat clung tightly, but its expressions were blank. Y/n nodded to signal Mabel that it was okay so the girl reached over and gently patted the bat's head and neck. Immediately, the creature nuzzled closer, closing its eyes in comfort. Y/n had the urge to smirk slyly. The bat does like pets, but wouldn't want to admit it.

Eventually, the bat had to be set free, seeing that there wasn't any rain anymore. Dipper didn't want to pet it for obvious reasons and because he needed medical attention. So Soos went to the bathroom and got the medkit.

Dipper was situated in a chair placed in the middle of the kitchen as the supplies were placed on the dining table. Bandages and disinfectant were brought out, and Mabel began applying bandages to Dipper's head. Y/n sat in front of him after washing her hands. She brought out the hydrogen peroxide and cotton balls, and began cleaning the wounds he got from the bat fight.

"This might hurt..." she mumbled, reaching for his arm.

"Ow, ow!" Dipper clenched his hand tightly.

She stopped momentarily, opting to glance at his face and see if the pain stopped before continuing. He gritted his teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut.

Dipper sighed. "Why does Grunkle Stan always pick on me? Think about it! The more painful or difficult the chore is, the more likely it is I'll have to do it. Why doesn't he pick on you guys?" His question seemed to be directed at Y/n since she felt his eyes on her.

She couldn't answer. Lucky for her, Soos came into the kitchen, having overheard the conversation. "Dipper, Stan's personality is one of life's great mysteries. Like whether or not it's possible to lick your own elbow." Good enough answer.

"I bet you can't!" Mabel challenged.

"I bet I can!" Soos began attempting to licking his own elbow, his feet leading him away from the kitchen. Mabel followed, chanting support.

It was just the two of them. Y/n was absentmindedly wrapping a new gauze on his wrist, not knowing what to say at the moment. Dipper exhaled tiredly. "Sometimes I feel like Stan hates me."

"He doesn't hate you." He looked up to see Y/n avoiding his gaze. It was a surprise to hear a reply after that statement. "He doesn't hate you," she repeated, softly this time.

Dipper remained quiet. Although thoughts were still brewing in his head– particularly memories of Stan bossing him around– he couldn't say anything. He watched as Y/n finished bandaging his hands and began clearing the table of the first aid supplies. Dipper stood up and helped her. Silence loomed over them. The only noise surrounding them were the random droplets of water coming from the sink and the deafening sound of a radiator. Their hands briefly touched when they reached for the gauze. Dipper flinched away while Y/n didn't bat an eye. It was just quiet.

"Thank you," Dipper decided to end the muteness between the two of them.

"You're welcome," she replied. So she wasn't mad at him. That was good. "You know that I'm always here for you." That was great. "I know that sometimes you try and prove to everybody that you can do it, but you don't have to do it alone." That was better. "We're a team. You and me." That was best.

He couldn't help but smile at that. "I know I can rely on you," he said. "I trust you."

Y/n's heart was racing, but she couldn't tell whether it was good or bad. Trust is a big word with even bigger implications. Her palms were clammy at his confession. He trusts her. Trust. That meant he trusts that she would never stab him in the back or she would catch him if he falls. He feels safe around her. He knows that he will never be hurt in her presence.

"I trust you too," she couldn't stop her mouth.

"You do?" Dipper dared to ask.

"Of course. We're friends, aren't we?"

The corner of his lips dropped slightly. It took him ten seconds to reply. "Yeah. That's... that's good to hear."

***

The day went on normally. The rain stopped in the afternoon, but it was still cloudy until sunset. Come evening was dinner, until Mabel proposed to have a movie night. Maybe this was her way of making Dipper relaxed and rested after that embarrassing bat fight, but a movie does sound nice.

"So, what are we watching?"

"Whatever comes in the almighty Gravity Falls TV!" Mabel answered happily, picking up the remote and switching the appliance on. Immediately, the announcer listed off the following movies the local theater production had to offer. Most of the items in the catalog were done with almost no effort at all, but it was still good entertainment– laughing at the mistakes and errors that they could notice.

"You're watching theGravity Falls Bargain Movie Showcase!" The voice from the TV took the trio's attention. "Coming up next: Kewl Vampirez! Classic Romantic Teenage Movie! Ducktective: The Duck That Went Quack! And Attack of the Killer Gnomes!"

"Hmm," Mabel thought aloud.

"I already know what you're thinking, Mabel," Dipper deadpanned.

"You don't know what I'm about to choose." The girl rolled her eyes.

The boy crossed his arms. "Let me guess, is it 'Classic Romantic Teenage Movie'?"

"Nope!" Mabel looked proud. "I actually want to watch Attack of the Killer Gnomes and see if they captured the gnomes' stinky attitude perfectly! But what about you, Y/n?"

The twins faced her as she entered the living room with a bowl of freshly cooked popcorn, the smell wafting in the air. "I'm fine with anything," she said, casually sitting next to Dipper on the big, yellow couch. Dipper immediately reached over and got himself a handful of the tasty snack.

"Well, for once I actually agree with Mabel's pick," Dipper said with his mouth still full, resulting in his speech to sound so muffled. He swallowed. "Come on, let's watch it."

Mabel played the movie anyway, the logos of the productions rolling up. She stood up and switched off the lights, the soft glow of the TV providing their only light. Mabel situated herself on the ground, in between Y/n and Dipper's feet, munching on her own bowl of popcorn– and with Waddles already fast asleep beside her, she used him as a pillow.

The movie was pretty decent– featuring a trio of friends going on an adventure when they encountered innocent-looking gnomes. They thought they were safe until they found out that they were about to be eaten, like a plot straight up from Hansel and Gretel. The three kids battle with the gnomes, reminding the three other people of their own encounters.

It was a funny moment when the microphone was being visible in some scenes, and the teen actors weren't doing their best acting scared. Well, who would get scared when the "gnomes" weren't actual, moving creatures. They were moved by hand, only plastered with eyebrows and sharp teeth to appear angry.

The credits soon rolled. The popcorn already ran out, and they were stretching in their seats. They opted to share their insights about the film they just watched, mostly recalling the moment when they pointed out the mistakes and laughing about it.

Mabel picked up the remote and switched through the channels, pausing when a duck in a detective outfit waddled around the street with a magnifying glass in one of its wings. "Ooh, which episode is this?"

"I think it's a rerun of the first season while we're waiting for the second," Y/n answered, her eyes glued to the TV. "I haven't watched this particular one, though."

"Oh okay. Let's watch it." Mabel grinned.

"Should I get more popcorn?"

The twins shook their heads. "Nuh-uh. I'm full."

"Me too."

"Okay then." Y/n stayed in the chair, even going as far as sliding down slightly. Dipper had his left arm placed on the arm of the couch as his head laid on his palm comfortably. Mabel remained seated, her back sliding further down Waddles' stomach. Her eyes were half-lidded as she burped out. A duck with a gun was the last thing she saw before sleep completely took over.

Dipper wasn't doing very well as well, he fought to keep his eyes open as the episode was nearing its end. He adjusted his seat and laid his back against the cushion, blinking his eyes. Y/n was beside him, attention solely on the television, eating what was left of the popcorn bowl.

He glanced to his right and watched as Y/n's eyes sparkled with the animation dancing in her sclera. Her mouth slightly opened when Ducktective stabbed the suspect repeatedly and fake blood gushed out.

Y/n saw something move in the corner of her eyes. Facing to her left slightly and sliding her gaze, Dipper was immersed with the TV, drumming his fingers against the arm of the couch. He suppressed a yawn with his right fist, tears forming in the corner of his eyes as it closed. When he opened those charming brown eyes again, Y/n already had her stare back towards the TV.

They sat equally, shoulder to shoulder, with hands not knowing where to put. Dipper's hands were on his stomach, while Y/n's were caged around her body. The episode reached its conclusion before the credits quickly appeared. A commercial for a new vacuum played and boredom commenced.

The two people left awake were too tired to start a conversation. All the noise left were voices from enthusiastic business people as they try to sell their invention, and the occasional whistle coming from Mabel as she laid fast asleep with her pet pig.

Y/n slowly blinked, afraid that sleep just might take her captive– but she didn't want to move and had to wake up the twins. She couldn't disrupt Mabel's slight laughs as she's clearly having the best dream ever.

But before Y/n could do further adjustments in her, she felt something heavy lay on her left shoulder, making her tense up. She could feel thick curls tickling her neck and cheek. And her arm felt warmth as skin made contact. Her whole left side felt warm as Dipper placed his entire weight on her.

Yet instead of moving, she stayed still, eyes fixated on the show. She hadn't watched this particular episode either, but her mind couldn't seem to concentrate. Her skin seemed to tingle when she felt Dipper nuzzle unconsciously deeper in her collar. Does he feel comfortable? Is she moving too much? Is she warm?

Is Waddles a pig?

They all have the same answers.

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her shoulders slumped after realizing that she was still tense. Y/n sighed a bit, calming her ferocious-beating heart, turning her gaze to the TV. She didn't know where to put her hands again, opting to intertwine it and place it on top of her stomach.

Dipper was sound asleep, and she was envious. But the universe reassured her and practically told her that she shouldn't worry any longer and soon enough, her eyelids felt heavy. Ducktective was hanging on a cliff and as much as Y/n wanted to see what happened, unfortunately, sleep came first.

△▼△

Dipper woke up to a bright flash, shielding his eyes until the light died. He looked around and saw that he was inside the Mystery Shack, but it was void of objects. It was an empty room, nothing else.

Except there was a blue portal that resembled a black hole, violent winds sweeping the boy off his feet as he tried to keep his feet on the ground. He stared at the swirl of dark colors, emitting a whooshing sound as if something was about to come out. He waited in participation. What could it be? A monster? His greatest fear? Death?

But nothing could have prepared him when a yellow triangle-shaped creature with arms and legs– its prominent features were a bowtie and tall hat– tumbled out of the portal.

"Hey there. buddy!" The triangle spoke, levitating in the air like it was a bubble. He snapped his fingers and a cane appeared in his hands. He floated down in front of the dumbstruck boy and began dancing, singing a tune.

Dipper, still bewildered, pointed at the being. "Who are you?"

The triangle's eye remained blank. "Name's Bill, nice to meet ya." He tipped his hat but doing so caused the room to flip and Dipper tumbled in his steps. He toppled around while Bill plopped his tall hat back to his pointy head.

Bill? That name sounded too familiar. And the isosceles form he took couldn't be a simple coincidence.

"Nice subconscious you got here, Dipper!"

Dipper tried to balance himself, recovering from the room flipping around. "Wha? H-how did you know my name?" His face scrunched into a look of anxiety, confusion, and fear.

"Oh, I know lots of things!" Bill raised his arms before landing on the floor. He pointed a finger-gun at him as he listed things that he knew about the boy. "You're scared to death of uncertainty.

Another copy of Bill came out from behind him, "Your real name isn't Dipper,"

And another duplicate appeared to the left. "And..." the copy chortled to himself. "Oh, this is interesting..." The three sets of Bills stared at him. "You spend a lot of time thinking about... Daisy?" The end came out more as a question rather than a statement. "Daisy? And I thought she's dumb."

Dipper raised an eyebrow. "Daisy? Who is that?"

If Bill had a mouth, he would be smirking. The other Bill leaned towards the last Bill. "Gimme details!" The three little triangles huddled together as whispers erupted. "Oh ho, that is scandalous!" The other one commented.

Dipper was getting red in the face, anxiety creeping in as he thought of what Bill might say. The triangle still had to explain who Daisy was supposed to be, but he may have a guess because she's the only one running through his mind. "Dude! What do you want from me?" Dipper said, exasperated.

"Oh, right!" Bill exclaimed before snapping his finger and before he knew, he became one again. He walked up to the boy. "So get this," his singular transformed into a mini-projector, emitting blue light. A photo of Stan's head appeared on the screen. "This fat little baby man Gideon hires me to, uh, I don't know-" the projection occurred,, depicting Bill's plan like he was doing a business proposal, prepared with a powerpoint presentation, "uh, hop into your uncle's mind and steal a combination to his safe or whatever?"

Dipper stared at the projector, his eyes furrowed.

BIll continued, "So the kid, can, I don't know, steal a deed and destroy your house or something?" He nonchalantly showed a graphic of Gideom's large hand smashing the Mystery Shack completely. "Pretty serious stuff," the show was over, and he turned off the projector that was his eye.

It was silent for a brief moment until Bill caught something lying on the ground. "Hey, what's this?" He picked it up, it was a paddleball. Bill began playing with it. "Paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle," he mumbled.

Dipper was still reeling from the information he just received from possibly one of the most powerful beings. "You're gonna get Grunkle Stan's code by entering his dreams?"

Bill continued paddling with a casual stance. "Sure, just like I entered your dreams. And thanks for the compliment! I am pretty powerful. Hey, what's that?" He snapped his fingers and before Dipper could have the chance to think and process what just happened, he realized that his feet weren't touching the ground anymore.

Gravity pulled him down as Dipper tried to cling to any leverage, screaming for help. He was falling through the sky, groups of clouds flying past him. Meanwhile, Bill's pose looked relaxed with his triangle head laying on his hand. "I bet you're wondering if there's a way to stop me." Dipper couldn't answer as he was still screaming. "Well, I don't wanna give you any hints, but I bet there's a way for you to follow me into his brain!"

He then pointed at something from afar. "Ah, there's the old man's head now!"

Dipper stopped screaming momentarily to take a look at a ginormous Stan head laying on the vast expanse of pasture. Bill had the two of them float near towards the target, until he stopped. He flew to where he needed to be; facing Dipper, as the same portal from earlier appeared once more.

"See you in your nightmares, kid!"

His eyes closed then opened. "You can't tell but I'm winking. You know, uh, one eye- okay, later, BYEEE!"

Bill went through the glowing gateway like a flushed toilet. Dipper looked down and realized that he was still falling, about to meet his rough demise. He screamed as the ground was coming near, but before the harsh impact, he woke up.

He was breathless when he opened his eyes. His face was sweaty as he scanned his surroundings. The TV was off, Mabel was on the ground fast asleep, but Y/n was already awake, rubbing her eyes frantically. She heaved a huge sigh, not noticing that the boy beside her was looking at her in concern.

Earlier...

A maniacal laugh echoed around the emptiness. She glanced around her to find the culprit, only to find nothing. She flitted her eyes around again until the laughing stopped.

Piano sounds accompanied a ringing voice as it sang a little jingle, "Daiiisy, Daiiisy~ Give me an answer, dooo~!"

Upon the horizon, a yellow triangle floated down with a singular eye closed. Arms stretched out as if he was a god descending from above. He continued singing despite not having a mouth– but Y/n was sure that the reverberating voice was coming from him, "I'm haaalf crazy! All for the looove of you!"

He hovered around until he was in front of her. Y/n was unimpressed. "Nice song," she remarked sarcastically.

"An 1892 classic, sung just for you!" He bounced around in the air. "I'm sure you missed me just as how I missed playing with you! Do you even remember who I am?"

She stepped back a bit at his close proximity. "Something tells me I met you before..." she said slowly.

"Does your brain need refreshing?" The triangle flew near and plucked a copy of her brain, dipping it in a bucket of water that magically appeared. "Name's Bill Cipher, although it's kinda my doing that you couldn't recall our first meeting."

"What?" She was clueless.

His one eye rolled away. "Oh come on, Daisy, surely that big head of yours can restore memories from 30 years ago!" Bill placed his hands on.... the side of his shape. "It's not that long, is it? You even kept the necklace he gave you!"

Instinctively, she reached for her collar where her necklace laid on. Ford? How does he know Ford?

"Oh my, you are so gullible! And stupid. And dumb." He laughed aloud, placing his hands where his stomach was supposed to be.

Y/n narrowed her eyes in irritation. She didn't want anyone to ever belittle her and her skills. "What do you want from me?"

"And why did the headless chicken cross the road?" The literal chicken without its head crossed between them. "Is for you to not know and keep your nose out of it!" He cackled before flicking her nose. "Okay, okay. I'll give you a hint. I'm not that bad."

Bill snapped his fingers and all of a sudden, Y/n was floating with him. "Wha-"

He swiped his hand to the left, and she felt whiplash from the movement of the room around them. Everything thrusted to the side and now they were in a dark, empty abyss. "Gideon Gleeful. Stan Pines. Mind. Code. Shack. Destroyed. Kaboom. Presentation over."

As a visual aid, pictures appeared around him out of nowhere.. Y/n's gaze wandered around possible hints but the answer was right in front of her all this time. She wasn't the moron Bill assumed she was. Clearly, this being was tasked to break inside Stan's mind to forcibly get the code for Gideon. How is he going to do that?

Her thoughts were cut off when a hand landed on her cheek harshly. She was brought back to reality– the reality being she's still with the triangle guy. She glared at him in offense. The slap didn't hurt of course, but the fact that he got to touch her made her annoyed.

"Boy, you kids sure love to overthink a lot. Here's some advice: clear your head. It would make it easy for me to look around for information I need when I enter your mind."

"As if I'll let you do as you please," Y/n challenged, crossing her arms.

"Why not? It would be so much fun! Look at all the fun me and Fordsy had!"

Hearing the name hit her harder than a smack ever could. Her veins felt like they were on fire, but her muscles were trembling. Fordsy? Ford? When she sought to grasp them, reflections of the past emerged. Ford's voice appeared to come in whispers. "Daisy, Daisy. Sleep tight, Daisy."

Bill groaned, annoyance seeping in. "Are we seriously doing this again? Come on, recover your memories faster. We're on a time limit over here!"

She kept quiet. She's had enough replying to his mockery. She kept her mind clear to avoid him reading her thoughts. She figured someone like Bill could do that. She just wanted Bill to get out of her mind as soon as possible so she could find a way to save Stan.

"You done?" Bill checked, leaning to the side.

Y/n promptly nodded, looking him directly in the eye, her arms remained on her sides. "Are you gonna leave now?"

"Because you said so... I have to leave," the triangle said, feigning sadness– if he could even do that. "Don't miss me that much. You still have to focus on fixing that portal!" He floated away from her, a portal hoving into view behind him. "See you in your nightmares!

"He'll see you soon."

She woke up with a sharp inhale, her eyes snapping open. Her breathing shortened for a bit as she rubbed her sleep away. The sun was already up as the light was seeping in. Noises from the TV entered her hearing and after successfully finding the remote within her reach, she turned it off. She just needed peace after that chaotic meeting with Bill.

Heaving a sigh, she rubbed her temples. "Bill Cipher..." That was the name of the triangle that visited her in her dreams.

"So you got that nightmare, too?" A voice to her left whispered slowly. Dipper looked down. "A triangle guy. I've seen him from the journal."

Dipper reached from behind him and retrieved the leathered book. He flipped through the pages and stopped once he saw a huge drawing. Bill Cipher, written in Ford's elegant writing. There were codes and symbols surrounding the triangle being with one eye. But it was seeing this particular page with drops of red that sent her mind into a frenzy. Was it blood? Was it jam? And why is this coming to light now? What was Ford hiding from her, then?

So many questions yet all of them are left unanswered.

The one thing she despised above all was someone keeping something from her, especially from someone she cared about. She simply did not enjoy being kept in the dark. Ignore the fact that she is literally doing to the twins what she despises right now. She pushed the uncertainty and nervousness down and remained blank. "Read it," she said.

"Beware Bill, the most powerful and dangerous creature I've ever encountered. Whatever you do, never let him into your mind."

An involuntary shiver ran across her spine. That was Ford's warning. He couldn't possibly write this in his journal if he hadn't encountered the being. The last statement seemed to haunt her. Never let him into your mind. More questions arise from that, alarms blaring in her mind.

"We have to stop him," she spoke. "Bill is planning to extract the code to the safe directly from Stan's mind."

A pointed gasp interrupted before Y/n could question Dipper's hesitant expression. Mabel was breathless. "Triangle..." she hyperventilated. "Stan's mind..." She puffed. "Code...!"

"Mabel, calm down." Y/n reached over and patted her hair comfortingly. "We'll stop him."

"You had that dream, too?" The girl exclaimed before standing up, startling her pet pig who ran away in fear. "We have to go now!"

"Dudes!" Soos came into the room in perfect timing, but he was panting out of breath. "You gotta help Stan! He's gone cuckoo bananas and his eyes are turning blue!"

The trio exchanged panic glances before discarding everything in the living room and following Soos into Stan's office. Opening the door, the sight of the old man greeted them. He was writhing in his seat like a wild dog. He grunted like he was having the worst nightmare ever.

In a panic, Mabel snatched the book from Dipper. "It is possible to follow the demon into a person's mind and prevent his chaos. One must simply recite this incantation."

Dipper wasn't feeling up to it, sulking. "Ugh, this is just great. I spend all day cleaning sinks and fighting bats for Stan and now I have to save him from some crazy brain demon?"

"But if we don't do anything Gideon might steal the shack! Or worse!" Mabel took the words out of Y/n's mouth.

Stan's screaming resounded and the four's attention switched to him. "Come on, Dipper," Y/n faced him. "Do this with us."

He sighed in defeat. "Fine."

A few minutes later, after hauling Stan over to the living room, the quartet managed to make the living room look like they were about to summon something– with the lights turned off and lit candles surrounding them. They all placed their hand on Stan's head as Dipper began orating the invocation.

"Videntis omnium. Magister mentium. Magnesium ad hominem. Magnum opus. Habeas corpus! Inceptus Nolanus overratus! Magister mentium! Magister mentium! MAGISTER MENTIUM!"

Eyes opened to a place of black and white. Soos and Mabel made exclamations of awe as they slowly looked at their surroundings. Y/n couldn't believe that it worked, while Dipper was wary of the atmosphere.

They stood in front of what seemed to be a macabre version of the Mystery Shack. "Whoa, this is Stan's mind?" Mabel said to no one in particular.

Soos followed suit, "Huh. Figured there would be a lot more hot old ladies."

Y/n frowned. Now they were going to see what Stan really was. She didn't want that day to come just yet.

"Remember, everyone, we've got to look out for the triangle guy," Mabel warned.

"Yeah, look out for the triangle guy!" A voice arrived, and it was Bill in the shape. He held a cane fit for his size as he twirled it around.

"Look! He's a triangle!" Soos pointed out.

Mabel asserted, "You leave our uncle's brain alone, you isosceles monster!"

"Mabel, wait!" Y/n's warning fell on deaf ears as the girl rushed forward to Bill, but he was one step ahead, using his body as a makeshift portal and Mabel jumped inside. Seconds later, she was out.

"Gotcha!" Mabel exclaimed, but her hands were empty. "Wait, what?"

Bill's eye widened slightly in joy. "Ah, Stan's family, we met at last! Question Mark, Shooting Star, Pinetree," he paused, intertwining his hands together. "And who could forget our dear Daisy!"

Dipper jolted when he heard the nickname. He looked to his right to see Y/n staring right at Bill with an irritated expression. He didn't want to think about Bill's implication earlier in his dream at the moment.

Without another second to think, Bill had shot a hole in Y/n's chest– that Mabel's hand could fit through. Dipper screamed. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Never better," she smiled as a joke, when she didn't even feel anything. Ignoring the literal gap in her torso, she glared at Bill. "Get out of Stan's mind, Bill! You're never gonna find the code!"

"Hah! As if you can stop me! I am the master of the mind. I even know what you're thinking right now! "

"That's impossible, no one can guess what I'm thinking!" Mabel objected.

With a snap of his fingers, two tall, brightly-colored men stood in between Mabel. They looked like they were from an 80s film, and looking at them just made Dipper's eyes hurt.

"Whoa!" The first guy spoke in a weird accent. "Where are we, bro?"

"We must be in heaven!" The blue-haired guy in a cool jacket shrugged. "'Cuz I just saw an angel..." he crouched down to Mabel, who was wearing a wide smile.

"I'm never letting go of your leg!"

Bill floated boredly. "You're out of your league, kids. Turn around now before you see something you might regret." He tipped his hat in farewell. "Later, suckers!" Bill crashed through the wall inside the Mystery Shack and he was gone.

"Let's go," Y/n spoke, unimpressed that Bill could easily distract them like that. She began walking as Dipper followed suit after complaining to Mabel about the two other men with them.

Eventually, the main door to the Shack opened, revealing sets of doors. It didn't look like the normal Shack; it was disoriented and messy– like Stan. Eyes roamed around floating wooden boards, monochromatic decorations and such.

As Y/n scouted every possible room they might come across, they followed the descending stairs. There were separate territories for Stan's hopes and fears, but they decided to go to his memories instead, hoping to find the memory of Stan inputting the code before Bill could. That way, they could conceal it or keep it safe from him.

Memories of Stans played as they walked by them. Each opened door showed recollection from this summer. Soos marveled at the sight. "Whoa, look! All of Stan's memories!"

"Great. Sure there's plenty of memories of Stan bossing me around, can't wait to see more of that."

Y/n raised an eyebrow at Dipper's bitterness. His resentment towards the old man can wait. What's important was that they get to the code before Bill finds it.

So everyone went searching, opening doors and looking through Stan's history. One had Stan in his entrepreneurial days, his moments in jail, and even his times going on dates.

While walking, Dipper discovered a door with a symbol on it; the iconic pinetree on his trucker hat. Write on the door were the words, "DIPPER MEMORIES" with a boarded up sign that said "keep out".

"Look, guys! Memories about me..." Dipper said, stopping in his tracks.

"That doesn't seem like a good idea," Soos suggested.

"I just wanna know what the old guy really thinks of me," He replied, raising an eyebrow.

Mabel walked by, casually smiling, "We already know how Stan feels about us; he loves us! We're great."

Dipper wasn't satisfied with the answer, crossing his arms in contempt.

Y/n looked away, knowing that Dipper would still go inside that section anyway despite their warnings. "Let's just go. We're running out of time." She just hoped that Dipper would soon understand that Stan's actions are vastly different from his intentions.

Dipper took Y/n's cue as a distraction, quietly thankful. He slipped away from the group as a distraction and went back to the already ajar door and tip-toed inside. A hallway full of closed doors greeted him, accompanied by Stan's orders and mocking laughter. "Dipper, my back itches!" "Unclog the toilet, Dipper!" "Dipper, fix the roof in this sweltering heat right now!"

He stopped in front of a random door, twisting the knob open. He remembered this memory. "-No buts! Now go chop that firewood already!" Stan twisted the newspaper in his hand and smacked Dipper's head with it.

"Ah!" Dipper winced, glaring as he turned around and walked towards the stump meters away from the Shack.

Stan sat down on the couch beside Y/n who was sighing in pity. "Stan, why are you so hard on Dipper all the time? You make fun of him 24/7, and you give him chores. And whenever I volunteer to do them, you don't let me."

Stan whispered something to Y/n that Dipper couldn't hear clearly, making him lean more. "The kid's a loser. He's weak! He's an utter embarrassment!

"I just wanna get rid of him..."

Dipper heard enough, closing the door with a deep frown on his face. He went to look for the exit, bile growing in his stomach. He just wanted to get out of this place.

Meanwhile the remaining five went and opened every door that might lead to Stan's code. Y/n had looked everywhere all the while being wary of what the others might discover the longer they were in here. On top of the vexing hole in her chest, it was becoming increasingly frustrating that they hadn't made any headway in cracking the code. She became agitated when she realized that anyone could open a door with her in it and notice that Stan was younger while Y/n remained the same. Fortunately, no one was able to locate one.

Yet.

Soos opened one door, displaying a memory of Stan in front of the vending machine, pressing buttons. The contraption opened and he stepped inside. Imaginary alarms blared in Y/n's ears as Soos let the memory play. "Soos, wait, let me explain-" Y/n whispered harshly.

"Boring," Soos cut off, closing the door abruptly. And at that, Y/n raised an eyebrow at his uninterest. Did... Did Soos just call possibly one of the most dangerous secrets unfolding right in front of his eyes- boring?!

Y/n stood still, while the rest went forth, following Mabel. Said girl found a trapdoor with the words TOP SECRET above it. "Alright, guys, I have a good feeling about this door," Mabel said before opening it.

Everyone watched as a memory of a shirtless Stan played with his belly button, giving it a voice and feeding it. Y/n almost gagged at the sight.

"Sweet sally!" Exclaimed Mabel.

"Oh, we've been searching forever! What if the triangle guy finds the memory before we do?" Soos expressed his uncertainty.

Y/n narrowed her eyes at the handyman. It wasn't like Soos to worry. In fact, he's been taking this situation very lightly– making dumb jokes, laughing at the memories, and smiling with Mabel. Something weird was going on, but she didn't know what.

Mabel placed a finger on her chin. "If we wanna find Stan's memory, we gotta think like Stan. He's always hiding stuff, right?"

Soos smiled, "Yeah! Like how he hides his arrest warrants under that rug in the gift shop?"

Wait, how did he know that?

Y/n felt a shiver running down her spine at the information. Only she knew that because she's the one hiding them under that rug.

"Soos-?"

Her question died in her throat when Mabel found the same exact-looking rug in one of the hallways. "Guys, look!" She pulled off the carpet and lo and behold, there was a random trapdoor. Mabel opened the door, and there Stan was, walking towards his vault with the deed in his hands. He placed it inside before closing the safe. He inputted the code, but Y/n closed the door just as Stan almost finished his sentence.

"Ok, we found it," she said. "Now let's destroy it."

Mabel smiled without a care in the world. "Good idea, Y/n! That way Bill wouldn't be able to get his hands on it."

Yeah, and even if the memory was disintegrated, Y/n knew the code. And even if Bill somehow got a hold of it and gave it to Gideon, she could easily change the code to the safe before Gideon could break in again.

She just didn't want to let him win.

Mabel saw a nearby ax and was about to hand it to Y/n until Soos stepped in between the two. "Wait! Maybe I should do it. My big fat arms are great at destroying stuff!"

Okay, Soos was bothering her now, but she refused to admit it. What happened to the Soos who had put his trust in her to do the job? Oh, it didn't appear to be the real Soos when he lifted the door with psychic power. A blue aura shone through the door.

"Hey, guys! I just saw a memory of Stan roller skating and wearing short-shorts!"

Their attention turned to the other Soos who was unaware of everything that happened. The first Soos laughed– his voice different now. At least he found it funny.

His two eyes become one and his body morphed back to a yellow floating triangle paired with a bowtie and tophat. He was floating again. "I knew it," Y/n seethed under her breath.

"Sure, you 'knew it'," Bill mocked through quotes. "Pretend you're the smartest in the room,"

She glowered more. She didn't like people belittling her intelligence.

"Face it, you won't beat me! You all are simply too gullible for a powerful guy like me." If he had a mouth, he would be smirking. "Later, suckers!" He breezed away before the human eye could blink.

"Come on, we gotta save Stan!" Mabel exclaimed. Y/n was rearing for a fight and was ready to agree with the braces-wearing gal, until-

"What's the point?" A voice sounded from the end of the hall. Dipper descended from the set of stairs. He scowled. "Why should I save him, huh? I work for Stan day and night, and all he does in return is say he wants to get rid of me," the boy fumed.

The group was quiet, until Mabel spoke. "Dipper, I'm sure that's not true," she reasoned, trying to ease his increasing temper. Leave it to Mabel to handle her brother's mood.

"I saw it with my own eyes in one of his memories, Mabel!" Dipper shouted. "He's always picked on me and now I know why. Stan hates me!" Then, his gaze flitted to the person standing behind. His glare only deepened. "Isn't that right, Y/n?"

Soos and the rest gasped at Dipper's accusation.

"What?" Y/n croaked a response. She wondered how she got reeled into the conversation between the twins.

"You were there," he began. "You asked Stan why he picks on me all the time, and you heard his answer."

She couldn't say anything.

"I'm weak, an utter embarrassment and Stan just wants to get rid of me. Does that ring a bell?" Dipper emphasized his phrases, and each time she felt guilt running across her veins. Upon seeing her face shift into one of shame, he grew even more angry.

Mabel stepped in, not wanting to waste any more time. "Dipper, it doesn't matter what you saw. If we don't stop Bill, we'll lose the Shack!"

"No!" He whirled to her. "You know what? Not this time. For once this is one of Stan's problems I'm not gonna fix." He folded his arms and stepped back.

Mabel narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Come on, Y/n, we'll save Stan ourselves."

When she heard her name, Y/n was startled and hesitantly stepped forward. The rest of the group followed Mabel, eventually leaving the two in the hall. Dipper was glaring so hard at the ground, he could practically ignite a fire with his gaze.

Y/n bit her lip in anticipation. "Dipper, I'm not sure what memory you saw in there, but you know Stan will always have an underlying meaning with his words." She had a feeling that what he saw wasn't all there is to it. There must be some way to convince him otherwise, but she didn't have time. "I hope you change your mind in saving him."

She waited, hoping for a shift in his resolve. He didn't move.

She left.

The group ran after the yellow triangle, following the path of destruction he left behind. There was one hall where all the doors of memories were opened so they ventured through. Mabel brought out a nyarf gun that she was hiding in her sweater's pocket the whole time.

Y/n heard a distorted voice in the next hall and urged the others to stay quiet. They followed her steps to the monochromatic corridor to see Bill talking to Gideon. He was on his way to disclose the code to him just as Mabel aimed for the trapdoor before firing. The plastic bullet directly hit the door, smacking it out of Bill's hand and tumbling towards one of Stan's memories of the Bottomless Pit.

Bill chased after the falling door with a scream. "Ah! No, no, no! Wait, no!"

The Stan in the memory watched as the door entered the pit and was plunged into the darkness. "Whoo! Whatever that was, it's gone forever!"

The door closes, leaving Bill petrified. Y/n stood proud of Mabel while the others cheered her on.

"She did it!" The two brightly colored men bellowed and gave each other a high five.

Soos raised his fist. "The Shack is safe!"

"The deal's off!" Gideon hissed.

Bill stuttered, "Wa-wait, no! Wait-!"

"I'm switchin' to plan B!"

The call ended before Bill could reply, and theatrically, his yellow body cracked into pieces and fell to the ground as if he wasn't of use anymore. His triangle form came back, but this time, it was bright red– like a warning sign and the edges of his shape illuminated like lightning.

He turned around and glared fiercely. "You! You can't even imagine what you just cost me! Do you have any idea what I'm like when.. I'm... mad?!" He roared the last part in a low, demonic voice.

Immediately, Y/n pushed Mabel back and shielded them. Bill wasn't playing anymore.

Several foreign characters passed by Bill's singular eye. The letters reflected on them, and Y/n could recognize some of them but she didn't entirely know what it meant.

All of a sudden, they were surrounded by tall fire. Encircling around them as if creating a cage, a trap. With no escape. Bill raised his hands and the fire only grew bigger until it was a wall of hot, scorching fire.

They were lifted off into the boundless panorama of inky blue, pink, and dark purple, littered with stars.

On the other end of the arena, Bill made himself bigger, towering over them like a skyscraper. Instinctively, the group huddled closer. They had nowhere to go. Behind them was the edge of the platform and one misstep might cause their demise. Meanwhile, in front of them was a raging demon who didn't get what he wanted. Y/n wanted to think that this is just a giant baby who's having a tantrum...

...who has the power to eradicate their existence with a snap of his fingers.

"EAT NIGHTMARES" Bill declared, his hands producing electricity, flowing towards them.

"AHHHHH!"

Meanwhile, the boy in a pinetree hat was desperately looking for a way out of here. He was helpless as he opened almost every door that might be the exit, but to no avail. "Ugh, how do I get out of this place?" He spoke to no one else in particular. "Exit? Hello?"

He opened a completely random door, but it turned out it was the same memory of him chopping wood. "Aw, this again?" he grumbled, his anger coming back in less than a second, but he was just exhausted.

However, he didn't close the door. Not yet. It was pathetic of him to listen to it again. Maybe it's just he was hoping it wasn't the same set of words he heard earlier. Maybe he just heard it wrong. Maybe Stan didn't really say those things.

"He's a loser. He's weak. I just want to get rid of him."

Yeah, why did he even bother expecting a different scenario?

Dipper started closing the door, but memory Stan continued. "Hah, yeah. Those are all things people said about me when I was a boy."

"Huh?" He opened the door again to get a closer hearing.

"It was terrible. I was the biggest wimp on the playground!"

A door opened behind Dipper. A memory. A younger Stan– a kid, stood under the rain and received a soccer ball to the face, displacing his square-framed glasses. He sobbed before running away, boisterous laughter followed him.

"So one summer, my pop signs me up for boxing lessons. It was even worse than the school yard!"

A door opened, playing the exact memory. Young Stan was pinned to the ground by a kid twice his size. "Left hook!" He punched his opponent. Someone watching from the shadows– his dad, nodded approvingly.

"Y'know, at the time, I thought my pop was trying to torture me!" Stan's voice continued.

Another door. It was of teenage Stan lining up at the local theater. Grandpa The Kid was showing, and he was outside, waiting in a line.

"But wouldn't you know it? The old man was doin' me a favor all along!"

A suspicious-looking man came up behind a woman while Stan was up front. "Give me that bag!"

"Help! My purse! Help!" The woman screamed.

"LEFT HOOK!" Teenage Stan bravely turned around and punched the guy in the face, knocking him out.

The people around him began cheering for him. The lady gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"So that's why I'm hard on Dipper," Stan told Y/n in the memory. "To toughen him up. So when the world fights he fights back. Look, it's working."

They watched as Dipper successfully chopped the wood in half. "I... I did it!" Memory Dipper was ecstatic. "Haha, yes!"

Memory Y/n couldn't help but smile.

"He's really comin' along!" Stan said with a smile. "When push comes to shove, I'm actually proud of him... just- don't ever tell him that. His head's big enough as it is."

She smirked at that, shaking her head.

Dipper from outside the door, grinned and placed a hand on the memory. But the memory hadn't installed some kind of invisible wall. Dipper accidentally fell into the memory, facing Stan and Y/n.

The two glanced at the other Dipper still very much chopping wood before reverting back to the Dipper who had just evaded their conversation. "Whoa, kid, what are you doin' here? Want a soda?" Stan flamboyantly flipped a hand and the can appeared in his hold.

"Wha- what the- how did you do that?" Dipper stuttered in wonder.

Y/n leaned on Stan's side, facing Dipper. "Word to the wise, Dip. We're in the mind! You could do whatever you can imagine here!" She demonstrated, generating two cans before outstretching her hand towards him, but he didn't take it. "What's wrong?" She tilted her head.

"I... I'm sorry,"

She hummed in intrigue.

"You were right," Dipper said. "Stan does have an underlying meaning with his words. He doesn't hate me. I didn't mean to be mad at you."

A short laugh resounded. Y/n smiled widely, "Dude, I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm a memory. Although, judging from your apology, it seemed that you didn't see the entire picture until now. So if it was up to me, I forgive you."

Dipper smiled gently.

"But you should probably be saying that to the real me. I'm sure she's still thinking of how to make it up to you. Just explain and I'm sure she'd forgive you too."

He eventually took the Pitt Cola in her hand and opened it. But before he could take a sip, he heard sounds; Bill's maniacal laughter, Mabel's screams, Soos' shouts, and Y/n's yells.

"Oh my gosh, what am I doing? I gotta stop Bill!" Dipper blurted out, leaving the can of soda behind.

Stan watched his great nephew go. "Huh. Fighting back."

Meanwhile, the gang was still being tormented by the giant, red Bill Cipher. "One nightmare, coming up!"

"Nightmare?" Soos asked anticipatingly. "Hope he doesn't mean that British dog man I'm always dreaming about."

A bright red laser zapped a spot beside Soos and indeed, a British dog man appeared in front of him. Mabel was hit by the red beam too, and her nightmare came true. Her skin changed into a sickly green hue and her braces were unbelievably bigger. Her voice changed low and slow. "What did you do to my cuteness!"

Bill didn't spare Xyler and Craz as well, getting knocked out by Bill's ray of light. They burned and vanished into space. "My dream boys!" Mabel cried out

"Don't think I forgot about you, Daisy!" Bill rubbed his hands together as he prepared a bigger laser. He pointed his black finger at her as she prepared for his attack. What are her nightmares consisted of? Sure, she is plagued with a constant state of anxiety but fear is a trivial thing to her. She began listing off things she's afraid of, and things she wasn't. Monsters don't scare her, poison is the least of her worries, bugs and creepy crawlers fascinate her...

"Hey, Bill!"

Dipper swooped into the scene like a superhero, flying around with a bright blue glow surrounding him.

Bill stopped in his movements, his eye widening at the sight of Pinetree. "WHAT?!" He was stunned. Who told Dipper that everything is possible in the mind?

"Nice bow tie!" The boy made a hole in Bill with lasers from his eyes, causing him to scream in a panic.

"Dipper!" Mabel exclaimed in joy.

Dipper grinned back. "Guys! I just learned that you can conjure whatever you can conceive in Grunkle Stan's mindscape!"

Well how about that. Y/n looked excited, while Soos and Mabel remained confused. "Huh?"

"You can do whatever you can imagine!" She looked down at the gaping hole in her chest and when she lifted a finger, she was whole again.

"Woah!" The two gasped. Soos stretched a palm and the British dog man disappeared. "Ha, ha. He's dead now."

"What?!" Bill shouted, "Who told you that?! Don't listen to him!"

"We can do anything?" Mabel asked, a sense of exhilaration coursing through her. She made herself go back to normal. "Like have kittens for fists?" Immediately, her small knuckles turned into precious pink furballs. She began shooting them towards Bill, kitten heads firing from her sleeves.

Bill screamed, either from fear or annoyance- no one could tell- as the kitties bunched up and covered the large triangle area.

"Anything, huh? Soos loves stomach beam stare!!!" Those were all words.

Colorful question marks blasted from Soos' tummy and aimed directly at Bill's face. The being tumbled away.

Y/n bounced into the air freely, before doing a twirl and summoning a large sledgehammer and gracefully slamming it down his eye.

"AHH! Oh, my eye! AH!" Bill writhed in pain, kneeling down.

Mabel lifted her arms. "Rise, Xyler! Rise, Craz!" The two radiant boys emerged behind her back with musical instruments. Xyler played a key-tar while Craz handled the electric drum kit.

"No! Synthesized music! It hurts!"

This powerful being had some weird weaknesses.

"And now to imagine your worst nightmare," Dipper pointed at the triangle. "A portal out of Stan's mind!"

Mabel sang, "Out of Stan's mi-ind~!"

The gang closed their eyes tightly as a portal materialized under Bill's feet, planning to swallow him down. "No, no, no!" Bill wailed before he made everything white. Everyone was floating in nothingness. He became yellow again as he dusted his top hat. "You know, I'm impressed with you guy. You're a lot more clever than you look. Especially the fat one."

Soos leaned down and elbowed Mabel slightly, dropping his voice into a whisper. "He's talking about you!"

Bill spoke again, placing his hands on his side. "So I'm gonna let you kids off the hook. You might come in handy later. BUT KNOW THIS: A darkness approaches. A day will come in the future when everything you care about will change!" A six-fingered hand appeared on top of Bill- like a symbol. A sign. A forewarning.

"Until then I'll be watching you!" He tipped his hat in farewell. "I'll be watching you...!"

A wheel with eleven distinct symbols hovered around Bill, illuminating a bright blue. Y/n wasn't sure if she's seen this exact image before. And if she did, she must've forgotten. Before she knew it, Bill disappeared, his voice echoing. He'll be watching.

Eventually, their bodies began flickering rapidly. "Stan must be waking up."

"Will I ever see you guys again?" Mabel asked the two boys.

"In your dreams."

The group woke up on the living room floor, shouting in surprise. "We did it!" Mabel cheered after a moment of silence.

"What? Did what?" Stan voiced out, scratching his head. "What are you all doing here? And why was I dreaming of two brightly colored and radical young men?"

"Grunkle Stan, you 're okay!" Dipper expressed glee as he went to hug Stan. The older man was frozen in his seat, exchanging glances with Y/n who feigned the same expression.

"What is this, a hug?"

"Nope!" Dipper remained cheerful. "It's a choke hold." He went behind Stan and proceeded to wrap his arms around his neck tightly, making him squirm in his seat. Mabel, Soos, and Y/n laughed at that.

Dipper eventually let go as Stan chuckled. "Not bad, kid. Not bad." They shared a content look.

"I'm just glad Gideon didn't get into the safe. I really love this old shack."

"GROUP HUG!" Soos declared out of nowhere. No one batted an eye. He paused. "No?" He frowned. "I never know the right time!"

"I'll hug you, Soos," Y/n said, enclosing her arms around Soos' stomach. He gladly returned the embrace.

Dipper pouted. "Hey, I want a h-" The Shack began to shake, cutting Dipper off. "Hey, do you guys feel...?"

An explosion blew up and burst through the living room. It came from the office, launching everyone off. The quintet watched Gideon walk out of the destroyed wall. The vault was torn open, the furniture were wrecked, and the deed was in his hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Pines family. Did I wake you?" He asked in feign pity.

"But... we defeated Bill...!" Dipper was confused.

Gideon retaliated, "Bill failed me! So I switched to plan B: dynamite!"

"What? Bill? Who?" Stan was left puzzled. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Spoiler alert, Stanford! I've got the deed! The Mystery Shack belongs to me! So get off my property!" Gideon then brought out a handheld transceiver, striding back. "Daddy? Bring it around the front."

"Don't worry, guys! It's just part of the dream!" Dipper tried to assure, but he wasn't even certain himself. "We're gonna wake up any second now! Right?"

Right?

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 18!

kimmiepines originally published: may 22, 2023 words: 11,003 words

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[gravityfallsrewritten]

Chapter 16: Bros Before Dinos

Working at the Mystery Shack is no laughing matter. At least, that's what Stan says all the time when all they do is make tourist jokes. Y/n was at the museum, finishing up an attraction that will undoubtedly impress the crowd. It was Stan's idea, so she's perplexed as to why she's the one making it rather than him.

So there she was, accompanied by a plethora of bags of corn cobs that she had individually attached to a mesh model of a horse's carcass. She had just finished the 'Cornicorn' (Stan's idea, not hers) hindquarters when she noticed a pig- Mabel's pig- entering from the gift shop. He was wearing a red sweater with the ball of yarn still trailing off behind him.

The hog approached her slowly and sweetly. "Waddles," Y/n said as he moved in front of her. She was curious about Mabel's whereabouts because they are practically attached at the hip all the time. "Want one?" She asked when she noticed Waddles' fixated gaze on the corn in her hands.

Waddles oinked in approval and she tossed the corn to the other direction, preferably away from the Cornicorn if the swine favored the starchy vegetable. Y/n had finished the horn part when she'd turn around and saw Stan coming down. "Are you done?"

"You don't rush an artist," Y/n playfully chided. "But I'm almost done."

Stan hummed, admiring how it was all coming out. "Good thing you didn't run out of corn. I made sure I bought enough bags."

"Too bad. Could've given the rest to good 'ol Waddles over there." Y/n nodded towards the pig at the corner staring at them.

The older man groaned. "Ugh, just as I thought I could escape this pig, he just turns up everywhere I go!"

Y/n was tightening the wires around the cob when she wondered, "What's it doing down here without his best friend, anyway?"

"Eh, Mabel went out to get a huggy tummy or something and wanted me to watch over him. As if! He's a monster to deal with!"

She laughed at his irritability towards innocent little Waddles. "Oh come on, Stan," Y/n cooed, lifting Waddles to her chest. "He's just a pig, but Mabel loves him. If you love your niece, then you have to love things and animals she loves too."

Stan didn't say anything, but she knew that he was internally rolling his eyes in both disgust and annoyance. Eventually, a tour bus honked its horn, announcing its arrival. "Okay, get out of here. I have tourists to tour around."

"Sure you do," she said. She was about to bring Waddles to the ground when Stan stopped her.

"Hey, take the pig with you!"

She stared at him before bringing Waddles back to her arms. The ball of yarn was also tucked in her elbows. "Okay?"

"Don't let it wander around the gift shop or the museum. Understood?"

Y/n rolled her eyes. "Sure, fine."

She took a small flight of stairs from the museum to the gift shop with Waddles in her arms. He was thrashing around a bit before deciding to munch on her daisy necklace. "Hey, hey," she commented. "It's not an edible flower, stop." She brought him back to the floor and he stared at her.

Leaning down in front of Waddles' face, she brought her voice down in a whisper. "As much as you want to eat this, I made this necklace indestructible with a secret recipe," she winked. "You're so cute when you don't have any idea I just said," Y/n pinched Waddles' cheeks before walking away to get herself a drink.

Waddles only blinked before going back to the museum and finishing his business. His corny business.

Stan was showing the tourists around the museum, telling them how all of these are haunted and scary originals, as well as mythical creatures he invented. The group of people blindly followed Stan and believed everything he said, having arrived in this town for the first time and knowing nothing about its history.

"And here, ladies and gentleman, is our final exhibit, the most hideous creatures known to man!" He stood in front of a blanketed stand before removing the covers and revealed a large mirror that fit everybody.

They glared at their own reflection, confused, before bursting into laughter as they realized the joke. "Oh, it's us!"

"Right, right?" Stan raised his eyebrows, chuckling. "We have fun here. But seriously, folks," He walked towards the other covered attraction that was just created an hour ago. "This is something.

"I present to you, a unicorn made out of corn. The 'Cornicorn!'"

He yanked the cloth off, and the tourists made a noise of protest and disappointment. The Cornicorn's skin had been completely ripped away rom its mesh body. All of the cobs had been stripped off of its corn and it was just messy. "What the-?!" Stan exclaimed and saw the culprit of the crime.

Waddles was happily munching on the last of the mesh-bound corn.

"What a rip-off!" The one guy in the crowd complained.

"Kids, we're leaving."

Everyone turned around and walked away towards the exit as Stan wailed, "NOOOO!"

Stan's temper was out of control as the door slammed shut. He growled and turned to face the pig."YOU!"

He carried Waddles and the ball of yarn all the way up to the living room and out to the backyard. As he stomped towards an open space with a rope attached to a large nail hammered into the ground, he looked around for anyone who could catch him. "Just ten minutes without this pig in the house, is that so much to ask?"

He lowered the pig to the ground and wrapped the rope around its neck, tightening the knot before pounding the nail. "If Mabel asks, this never happened." He stood back up and began to walk away, pretending to sound like Mabel. "'Oh, but Grunkle Stan! It's not safe out there! There's predators!' Oh brother."

Suddenly, a loud noise resounded as a huge creature swooped in and captured the poor, unsuspecting pig with its claws and flew away. Stan's fez was blown off as he watched helplessly how a freaking pterodactyl was flying around with Waddles in its grasp. The poor pig was terrified.

Y/n was just listening to good 'ol BABBA in her room when her world just shook. She almost lost her balance in the earthquake and decided to run out to see if everybody was okay. She met Dipper and Soos by the hallway and she was relieved that she wasn't the only one who felt the ground shake.

The three went outside to the back and saw Stan already standing there, frozen. They saw the pterodactyl flying away, weirdly leaving a red string that hung onto some trees. A path.

"Dude, did you see that?" Soos nudged Dipper's shoulder. "That thing was a dinosaur, bro!" He exclaimed with a huge grin.

It was indeed a dinosaur, Y/n deduced. But-

"How is it possible a dinosaur survived 65 million years?" Dipper asked. She was thinking of the same thing.

"Did you see it, Mr. Pines?" They turned to Stan, who was still frozen, his gaze distant.

Y/n raised an eyebrow at the older man's odd behavior. "Are... you okay?" she asked slowly.

"It... it took him," he finally spoke, but he still looked like he was in a trance.

"Took what?"

"The pig," Stan said, "It took Waddles."

"What did you say about Waddles?"Mabel chirped happily as she arrived on her bicycle.

The four people looked at her in an awkward silence as Mabel remained unbelievably joyous, "What's going on? Why are you standing around all awkwardly?" Her smile suddenly disappeared. "And where's Waddles?"

"Uh, uh," Stan stuttered, desperately hiding a nail behind his back. Y/n noticed and immediately got an idea on what happened, and now Stan is outright lying to his niece about his mistake. "The good news is, you're getting a puppy!"

"What happened?" Mabel asked.

Stan fiddled with his fingers. "Well! Uh, you see...-"

"The pig got eaten by a p-terodactyl, bro," Soos spoke up, and Y/n had the urge to elbow him in the belly, but she stopped herself, placing her head on her hand instead.

"WHAT?!" The girl gasped and began calling for her pig. "Waddles? Waddles! Where did he go? How did this happen?!" She was hyperventilating and panicking, so Y/n stepped closer to Mabel and attempted to comfort her through back rubs.

Mabel turned to Stan. "Grunkle Stan, you didn't put him outside?"

"What?! No!" He denied aggressively. If Mabel was as smart as Y/n, she would've figured it out already as Stan is being such a bad liar at the moment. "I didn't put him anywhere! I'm not acting suspicious, you're acting suspicious! What's a pig?!"

"Then, what happened?" Dipper asked, his voice cracking.

Stan then proceeded to tell the most fabricated story imaginable, in which he was the hero who bravely confronted the pterodactyl with his ripped shirt and muscular body. He convinced Mabel of this, as the poor girl gave him a sympathetic hug for attempting to save her pig, despite the fact that he was the reason Waddles was taken in the first place.

Dipper was suspicious. "You punched a pterodactyl in the face?" He pointed at him with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you didn't even believe in the supernatural."

"Dinosaurs aren't magic. They're just big lizards," Stan said while Mabel was still hugging him.

Mabel was tearing up as she caressed a photograph of her and Waddles. "That's it. No pterodactyl messes with my sister," Dipper said, walking over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "We're gonna go out there, catch him, and save your pig! For Mabel, guys!"

"But where do we even start?" Stan asked.

Y/n pointed out the string of red yarn from Waddles' unfinished sweater and everyone was cheering for her ingenuity- except for Stan, who was hesitant about the whole thing.

Dipper and Mabel brought their own luggage for the trip, whereas Stan and Y/n planned to bring nothing. Y/n had never seen a dinosaur before, and she was really excited about it today. It was the same feeling she had whenever she and Ford went on an expedition, except this time she had to be careful not to let loose. After all, she is the only member of the team who is practically invincible.

Soos was preparing his pick-up truck for the adventure. A cage was strapped in the back that would surely not fit a pterodactyl, and the skin of the car had the words 'PTERODACTYL MOBILE' spray-painted on it. He chuckled, facing Dipper, "That p-terodactyl won't know what hit him."

Dipper laughed half-heartedly. "Huh. It's 'pterodactyl', man." He directed, pronouncing the p as silent.

"Actually, nobody knows how to pronounce it because no one was alive back in dinosaur days," Soos said confidently before almost having his head run over by his own pick-up truck.

Dipper walked over to both Y/n and Mabel. "Guys, we've gotta talk." The two faced him. "This is a really high-stakes mission, and I'm a little worried about Soos coming along on this one. I love the guy, but sometimes he... messes stuff up."

"What? Since when?" Mabel asked.

"Well, there was a time where he bumped into a magic crystal and it broke into a million pieces, then he tried to attach a window but it wasn't properly attached so it fell down and the glass broke into a million pieces. Oh! What about that one time when we found a fairy from our bedroom window and Soos killed it with a fly swatter?"

"Yeah, but people make mistakes." Y/n shrugged. "And Soos is a kindhearted guy. He helps when he can."

"I'm just not sure. Maybe we shouldn't bring him today... to keep him safe?"

Y/n shrugged, unsure what to say in this situation. She did agree that he is more... unserious when it comes to these things, but as much as Soos' lightheartedness can do as much harm as it does good, she believed that he can be really intelligent underneath the silliness.

"Let him down easy," Mabel told him, and he strode towards Soos.

His attempts to converse with him were futile as Soos excitedly showed him brand new t-shirts he had made of the two of them as Pterodactyl Bros, and Dipper decided he couldn't do it. He couldn't just dismiss Soos' happiness like that. So he just went along with Soos' enthusiasm and everyone went off to follow the yarn path.

The red string ended up inside of an abandoned building that looked like a church. Everyone got out of the truck and went inside the structure to follow the yarn. They see a man on a rocking chair, yodeling with his banjo.

"Old Man McGucket?" Mabel raised an eyebrow.

He turned around and waved wildly. "Howdy friends!"

"What are you doing out here?"

"You'll never believe me! Now I was doin' my hourly hootenanny- Doodily doo ding dang!" The crazy man did a dance.

"Ugh, this guy," Stan grumbled under his breath.

"When this enormous wing-ly critter stole my musical spoons and flew lickety-split into the abandoned mines down yonder!" He gestured to the punctured hole on the floor that led to the darkness below.

They stared in both amazement and horror at what other creatures were down there. "Looks kinda hairy down there." Stan commented.

"Come on, Grunkle Stan, you can handle it! You punched a pterodactyl in the face, remember?" Mabel smiled up at him.

"Oh, yeah!" He chuckled nervously. "Heh, heh, I did do that, didn't I. Heh... heh, heh, heh..."

"My, what suspicious laughter!" McGucket remarked.

"Guys, we're going in," Mabel said seriously.

"Need someone to tag along and tell weird personal stories?" McGucket grinned.

Y/n deadpanned, staring at him. "Do we have a choice?"

"NOPE!"

Everyone then descended using a single rope. Y/n was astounded at how a single thin piece of rope managed to hold them all together until it broke, exactly as she had predicted. They landed on the largest mushroom cap anyone had ever seen. As soon as she recovered the earliest, Y/n jumped off and began observing their surroundings.

There were various plants and flowers that appeared to be out of place in the era in which they lived. To be honest, it appeared as if they were in a Jurassic world. They discovered a large tunnel and realized it was an abandoned mine.

Dipper was carrying a lantern, which was their only source of light, so he led them through the tunnel until they came across sap-filled walls with dinosaurs inside of them. Everyone dispersed to examine them more closely. Mabel attempted to take a selfie with a Stegosaurus, but she became entangled in a sap and was now struggling to free herself.

It was a cavern full of real-life dinosaurs preserved in tree sap for millions of years. That's how they must have survived. Y/n discovered the exact location of where the pterodactyl used to be, the sap surrounding the hole slowly melting, most likely due to the summer heat.

Y/n saw Dipper quietly sitting on a boulder and writing on Journal 3 with his trusty blue pen. She approached him slowly until she stood behind him. Looking over his shoulder, she saw scribbles and sketches of the various sap-covered dinosaurs that they saw in full detail and she was very impressed with his skill.

He was shading the T-rex's body when she said, "I'm always impressed by your drawings, Dipper."

"Ah!" Dipper jumped, consciously bringing the journal to his chest to hide the pages. He looked in her eyes with a blush appearing on his cheeks. "Oh." He calmed down once he saw her. "... thanks. It's not as good as the author's, though, so..."

"Still..." Y/n said. It looks greater than mine. She almost did say. But when was the last time she drew in the journal?

She clenched her fists when she realized.

"No, I get to draw you this time," she interrupted, taking the pen from his coat pocket and starting to sketch. Ford crossed his arms in disapproval. She had learned the fundamentals by watching Ford draw for years, so she practiced on her own time. Y/n had her tongue out unconsciously as she focused on his features: glasses, a big nose, long and unkempt hair, and a massive chin.

The memory resurfaced in her mind, along with the fact that Ford had drawn her in the book. Did Dipper notice? If that's the case, why didn't he ask her about it? How come he hadn't confronted her about it? Did Ford rip her page from the Journal, which is why Dipper had no idea she was Ford's assistant?

She'd do anything for Dipper to simply turn the page.

Meanwhile, Stan was happily planning to make money off of this place, like he always did. He was thinking of a theme park to establish for everyone to see and pay. "This could be a gold mine! Velvety-rope type deal there, ticket booth here, ha!" He brought his hands together. " I should have put that pig outside ages ago!"

"Wait, what did you just say?" Mabel spoke from behind him.

"Hm? What's that?"

"You said the dinosaur flew into the house." she gasped as she realized.

"I-if you think about-"

Mabel pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You put Waddles outside then you lied to me about it! And now, thanks to you, my pig could be DEAD! Waddles could be dead!" Tears flowed in Mabel's eyes as her lips wobbled.

"Look, he's an animal, he belongs outside!" Stan tried to reason, but his only digging his hole deeper.

"No, that's it! Grunkle Stan, I am never, ever speaking to you again!"

Stan tried to talk to her, but all she did was shut him out and speak over him, pretending she couldn't hear him.

"Guys, guys, don't fight!" Soos said, bringing Dipper close to him. "Why can't you be more like me and Dipper? Look, everything's gonna be cool. All we gotta do to find the pig is follow this here yarn!" He picked up the string and began wrapping the yarn around until it formed a ball.

"Soos, wai-!" Y/n tried to intervene, but it fell on deaf ears.

"Just keep following and following, until we reach the end!" The yarn reached the other end as Soos held it up, speechless. " Oh- uh oh." He stared at the network of mine shafts. "Which- which cave was it again?"

"Agh, Soos! You lost the trail!" Dipper said, exasperated.

"Hey, come on, we'll find our way. Trust me!"

Soos smacked Dipper on the back a little too hard, causing the lantern Dipper was holding to fly out of his hands and break and the light was out.

"Sorry, dude."

"Ugh, that is it!" Dipper exclaimed. "See, this is why I didn't want to bring you along."

"What- what do you mean?"

"I mean, this is really important to Mabel and you keep screwing everything up!" Dipper angrily explained. "You ruined our photograph, and now you've got us hopelessly lost!"

Soos frrowned. "But we're p-terodactyl bros. I made t-shirts!"

"It's pronounced 'pterodactyl'!" the younger man harshly corrected. "And these shirts are useless! They're gigantic!"

"I... have... a different body type, dude!"

As Mabel and Stan began bickering again, the group devolved into an argument. In the midst of the fight, Y/n shook her head helplessly. She and her mentor had never had such a heated argument while out adventuring, and they never argued even with F present.

McGucket walked over to the lantern and began repairing it. She moved closer to him, wanting to assist, but it appeared that he knew what he was doing. She guessed he's not a cuckoo all the time.

But before she could smile at the glowing lantern, she became aware of a shadow looming over them. She felt as if she were frozen by the size of the creature in front of them. McGucket, on the other hand, was completely unaware as he beckoned the group.

"Hey! Cheer up, fellers! I fixed your lantern!"

The group turned to face the old man and screamed in unison when they noticed the pterodactyl standing behind him. McGucket noticed they weren't looking at him and turned around to see the pterodactyl.

"Nobody make any sudden movements or loud noises..." McGucket trailed off.

We're already on it.

It was silent until he jumped in joy. "YEEHAW! We found a pterodactyl!"

The dinosaur screeched as it spread its wings. The group fled in the opposite direction, entering one of the mine shafts until they came to a halt. Because the rails were broken and barely hanging on a cliff, the group turned to the right and found a set of boulders to hide from the dinosaur. Fortunately, the rocks were large enough to hide from the pterodactyl.

The creature flew away, oblivious to them. It's only a matter of time before they're caught.

Dipper informed the group that they needed to devise a strategy to get out of here. Stan proposed an illogical idea that Soos agreed to: have Soos be a human sacrifice. "Whaddya say, Mabel?"

Mabel huffed and turned away from Stan.

"Aw, come on, you can't stop talking to me forever!"

"Yeah, Mabel, we have to work together here!" Dipper agreed.

"Oh what, you want to work with Mabel, but not your buddy Soos?" Soos chimed in angrily, and Y/n huffed as the arguments flared up again. Emotions can cause you to say something you didn't mean and do something reckless.

Speaking of reckless, Mabel heard a distant oink amongst the argument. "Wait! Did you hear that?" She turned to the left and saw a massive nest with a large egg and her soulmate, alive and well, beside it. "Waddles!"

She sprinted off and towards the rails that lead to the giant nest, sounds of protest were coming behind her but she didn't hear a thing. She just needed to go to Waddles.

"Are you nuts?!" Stan exclaimed.

Mabel stopped in her tracks. "Oh, is someone speaking? Because I can't hear anything!" She continued running.

Y/n didn't even let her finish her sentence before she fearlessly crossed the rails too. "Mabel, be careful!"

Dipper followed behind her, voicing his own panic. "Mabel, come back here!"

The other three men followed until they reached Mabel, who was relieved at their happy reunion. She was cradling Waddles in her arms, assuring him that he was safe now, but the gang behind her was staring at the human skeletons surrounding the nest. Who knows when they're next.

Mabel was putting on the Huggy Wuvvy Tummy Bundle that she just bought on Waddles when Dipper came up behind her. "Mabel, great, you got him. Now we gotta get out of here!" He whispered harshly.

From above, Waddles saw the pterodactyl flying around and he was instantly terrified, running off away from Mabel. "Waddles, wait!" She gasped.

Waddles ran as fast as his little legs could take him until he collided with an unwitting Stan who caught him off guard. They landed with a thud on the railings."Get off me, you dumb pig!"

The pterodactyl swooped down towards the two. "Look out!" Dipper and Y/n yelled out.

Its claws kicked the railing, causing the two to sporadically bounce off before Stan screamed and fell with the pig. For a moment, it was silent until the dinosaur dropped something off in its nest. It was Stan's fez. Mabel gasped, grabbing the hat. "Guys, we gotta save them!"

"I'll make a distraction while you guys go," Y/n spoke.

"What? Y/n, it's dangerous!" Mabel exclaimed.

"Yeah, there's gotta be some other way! McGucket," Dipper turned to the older man, "do you have an invention that could distract the pterodactyl?"

"Do I?" McGucket rummaged through his hat before coming up with nothing. "NOPE!"

Y/n groaned in frustration. They just don't understand. She could handle it. "I'll make noises that will attract the pterodactyl and you guys go in the other direction."

"No! I-"

The large egg in front of them suddenly cracked and fell down, the top part of its shell breaking open as a young pterodactyl peered through with its large eyes. It produced a small tweeting noise and the quartet found it oddly adorable.

McGucket had his hands on his hips as he smiled down at the creature. "Well, welcome to the world, little-"

Before he knew it, the pterodactyl devoured him whole, swallowing completely as McGucket's screams were cut off.

The trio shrieked in terror as they witnessed the brutal consumption of Old Man McGucket. Meanwhile the youngling just went along its merry day, continuing eating whatever it could find. "What do we do? What do we do?" Dipper asked, panicked.

Soos' mouth dropped slightly as he got an idea. "We have to get in a straight line."

"What?!"

"A pterodactyl's eyes are so far apart, that if you stand right in front of it, it can't see you."

It sounded like a logical plan, Y/n though, while Dipper was just noticing how Soos correctly pronounced the dinosaur's name this time. "Soos, you've been wrong about stuff all day," he said, "How can we-"

"Dude," Soos placed his hand on Dipper's shoulder. "Look, I- I know I messed up a lot. I could be sorta clumsy, and it's not always as lovable as I think. But please, as my friend, just trust me on this one."

Dipper stared at the handyman thoughtfully before averting his gaze towards the young pterodactyl and how the thing with the prospector can happen to them too, before looking back at his friend. He nodded, trusting him.

"Get behind me, dudes." Soos said, and they all stood up, tiptoeing around the pterodactyl. When it noticed them, they immediately fell in a straight line, with Soos closer to the dinosaur, then Y/n, then Dipper, then Mabel.

They scooted to the side as the dinosaur did nothing. "It's working," Mabel said as they followed the creature's eyes, or in this case, the creature's forehead, because its eyes were on either side of its head. They eventually crossed the railings and arrived on the other side, immediately hiding behind the boulders from earlier.

Screeches from above interrupted their relief sounds. When the group looked up, they saw the pterodactyl flailing around until they could get a better look. Stan was riding the back of the pterodactyl's neck while wearing the bundled up Waddles on his torso. Everyone, including Y/n, smiled as Stan punched the dinosaur in the face.

The creature flew around until Stan brought his fist together and raised them high. "FROM HECK'S HEART I STAB AT THEE!" He declared as he smacked his fists down on the pterodactyl's skull, sending it crashing down until it bumped its head against the cliff. It was unconscious as it fell down while Stan clung onto the edge of the cliff.

He climbed up and stood up, though he was out of breath from all the energy he expended on beating up the pterodactyl. As they surrounded the man, everyone celebrated and cheered him on. Mabel came up to him with a sweet, grateful smile.

"Here's your pig, kiddo," Stan smiled, lifting up Waddles' front leg to signify a wave.

Mabel took the pig from him with glee. "Aw, you saved him for me!"

"Yeah, well," Stan said, "Sometimes you just gotta-"

"Look out!" Y/n yelled out, seeing as the pterodactyl was slowly climbing up and they took off, running back where they came from, this time without McGucket.

Stan led the charge through the mineshaft. Dipper screamed as the pterodactyl chomped on his vest, and he almost tripped, but Y/n slowed to take his hand in hers, and they ran together. The group eventually made it back to the open field from which they came until they realized there was no way up.

"We're trapped!" Stan exclaimed.

Y/n noticed that there were geysers surrounding them, one specific geyser was aiming at the hole from the church. "Come on, the geysers can shoot us back up!" She said as she pointed at one. Everyone followed her and hopped into the fountain, waiting for it to burst.

The pterodactyl was nearing, and Y/n panicked slightly as she realized that they had to pressurize the geyser into blowing up.

Dipper swished his hands around the water for a response "Come on, go! Go!"

The dinosaur opened its mouth and charged at them all, until Soos yelled, "BROS BEFORE DINOS!" " before slamming his fists down the rock, causing the water to sprout up the hole and away from the creature.

Everyone landed safely and okay. Soos brought down Mabel and Waddles hanging on a chandelier, Stan was still breathing heavily as he laid on a wooden casket, Dipper dried up his hat, while Y/n dusted her clothes. "Man, now that's an adventure," Mabel remarked.

Soos chuckled. "Yeah, I honestly don't know if I wanna go through that again."

Dipper approached Y/n, who was standing in the middle of the church. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I should be asking you that question," Y/n replied playfully. "That pterodactyl almost got you, you know."

"Yeah, if it weren't for you saving me back there." Dipper rubbed his arm sheepishly. "Y/n, I-"

The pterodactyl jumped out, catching Y/n's legs in its mouth and attempting to drag her down, but Dipper managed to grab her hand. Mabel, Soos, and Stan followed him and began pulling as well, hoping to free her, but the dinosaur was far stronger than all four of them.

Nonetheless, they refused to give up.

Dipper saw Y/n's contorted face and mistaken it for pain and he gritted his teeth. "Y/n, don't- don't let go, okay?"

In this situation, Y/n was at a loss for words. She was perfectly fine, in no pain, but she was conflicted. She didn't want them to be pulled as well, but she also didn't want to be eaten.

The pterodactyl resisted, pulling harder on her each time. Y/n looked down at Dipper's slipping shoes, which were losing traction. "Don't worry, Dipper," she encouraged him. The two exchanged ferocious stares; Dipper appeared helpless while Y/n appeared assured.

She was yanked one last time, and his grip on her hand slipped, but she didn't fall because Dipper managed to grab the pendant from her necklace. Y/n fixed his gaze on his hands. "Dipper, it's going to snap."

"No! Just- take my hand! " He extended one hand while keeping the other clasped around her necklace.

"No, you're gonna get pulled down, too!" Y/n yelled back. "You need to let go!"

Dipper was unyielding in his refusal to listen to her pleas. Y/n managed to share an unsure look with Stan in the midst of the struggle. They both had no idea what to do.

But at the moment, she does.

Her hands came behind her neck and unhooked her necklace with one swift swipe, and the force was shocking as she was swiftly taken down, her gasp echoing. Dipper screamed into the darkness, calling out her name, but there was no response.

"We have to go after her!" He yelled, stomping his foot. "We- we-"

"Dipper, watch out!" Mabel drew her brother away from the center just as the roof and ceiling collapsed, covering the hole.

As his grip on the necklace tightened, he started pacing back and forth. He clutched it to his chest. Stan approached him calmly, hands outstretched. "Kid, calm down..."

"She could be stuck down there forever. She could be dead!"

Stan was unnerved, but he was still slightly shaken. "We can call the police, Dipper, You know it's too dangerous down there!"

The boy turned to him with seething rage in his eyes. "What happened to the Stan who bravely faced a freaking pterodactyl and punched it in the face? Where did he go?!"

" Dipper, I-"

"Why are you not worried about Y/n?!" Dipper pointed at him accusingly.

"You think I'm not?" Stan's voice raised as he felt offended by Dipper's claim. "What exactly do you want me to do, kid? The hole is blocked and there's no other way down there! I assure you, Y/n will be-" He huffed, the exhaustion from today was finally catching up to him, and on top of that, Y/n was in danger. He calmed down for a moment. "She's as brave and smart as you. If you and your sister can handle those dinosaurs, then you have to trust her that she can handle it, too."

Dipper was hesitant, his brow furrowed. He was on the verge of crying and wiped his tears away harshly. He imagined Y/n in the dark, up against a pterodactyl preying on her and chasing her until she reached a dead end, and...

He shook his head and closed his eyes tightly. No, he refused to believe that. They'd been through adventures together before, and they always find a way to survive them.

"But, Mr. Pines, she's alone," Soos spoke up.

Mabel looked up at him, her face stained with tears, as she hugged Waddles close to her ."Grunkle Stan, can't we do something?"

Stan clenched and unclenched his fist. He truly had no idea what to do. He was irritated by the situation, but he was also concerned for her safety. "Alright, alright." He heaved in a sigh. "I'll stay here and find a way to save Y/n. Soos will drive you kids home. Don't leave the house. I promise you, I'm not going back until I get Y/n safe and unharmed."

When he said this, he didn't feel nervous like a person would before embarking on a rescue mission because they don't know if the person they're saving will be alive or not, but Stan knew Y/n would be alive and well.

The twins didn't say anything, they couldn't say anything. It was a good idea, sure, but they were just incredibly worried.

"Now go home. I'll start searching."

Soos drove the three of them home in the van. Stan stood there watching the sunset's shadow cast over the vehicle until it vanished over the horizon.

Once the truck was gone, he let out a loud groan. "Y/n! Can you hear me?!"

Silence.

He grumbled as he kicked the wooden debris that surrounded the hole. He was unsure if this was a good idea. He was concerned that the dinosaurs would have the chance to escape once the hole was open.

After nearly an hour, the hole reappeared, and Stan needed to lie down due to exhaustion. He breathed heavily. "Y/n, you there?" He heard his voice echo before standing back up.

He took a lighter from one of his coat pockets and walked to the wood pile before lighting one. He hurriedly brought the fiery plank over to the hole and let go, watching the light disappear into the darkness. He caught a glimpse of what lay beneath, but it was nothing but inky black. The plank landed with a loud thud, making him wince.

Stan started pacing, trying to figure out how to get down without hurting himself, but the universe had other ideas. The board he was stepping on next to the hole snapped, causing him to slip and fall. He screamed as he was thrown down until he landed on the same mushroom cap they had earlier.

"Ugh, just take me now," he groaned as he couldn't feel his back. "I'm too old for this."

He got off the mushroom and dusted himself off. "Y/n! Where the heck are you?"

A sudden screech thundered the entire tunnel and Stan could see the shadow of the pterodactyl coming closer. "Here we go," Stan deadpanned, pretty much accepting his fate.

The dinosaur flew around him, encircling him. Stan pointed at the pterodactyl. "Hey, I punched you in the face before, and I'm not afraid to do it again! Come at me!" He took an arrogant stance, challenging the creature.

Stan didn't think the pterodactyl would understand him as it charged at him. Stan shrieked, covering his face in defense. But then the dinosaur came to a halt, and Stan heard boisterous laughter coming from behind the pterodactyl.

"What the-" He noticed Y/n sitting on the neck of the dinosaur. "Y/n?! What- what did you do that for?"

She was coming down from her laughter. "It was a prank. Never heard of a prank before? Even I knew what a prank was and I don't-"

"I know what a prank is!" Stan yelled angrily, and the pterodactyl opened its mouth as if to threaten him, forcing him to take a step back. "I'm just- how? How did this happen?" He gestured to the dinosaur.

Y/n leaped down from its neck as her hands caressed its meaty skin. "Long story. I'll tell you on the way home."

The baby pterodactyl also appeared in the scene, but this time it was being ridden by Old Man McGucket. "WOO WEE!" They landed next to the two and he jumped out. "You're a good dinosaur," he said, petting its head.

The pterodactyls flew the three back to the hole after they said their goodbyes. The mother pterodactyl was grateful for reasons Stan didn't understand, but Y/n did. Stan was desperate to get out of there as the night grew colder. "Let's just go already."

McGucket insisted on taking the other route, claiming that he needed to see his raccoon wife, to which Stan and Y/n had no response.

A moment of silence passed between them until Y/n began with, "Why did you come back for me? You know I'd be perfectly fine."

"Yeah, well, the kids were all worried about you. You'd rather Dipper and Mabel come down to get you instead of me?"

"Of course I don't," she answered without missing a beat, "but hearing them panic about my safety, it's just..."

Stan turned to her with a weird large grin. "Oh you should've seen the look on their face! Dipper was close to crying, and Mabel was already sobbing!"

Y/n chuckled at Stan's expressions. What's so hilarious about that?

"What are we going to tell them?" He asked after a brief pause.

"I'm planning on staying dead, but now that I think about it..."

Stan continued, "I don't think it's a good idea," he said, proceeding to list all the reasons why it was. "If we go along with your plan then you have to always stay downstairs and I have to pretend to be sad, then the kids would have the worst summer of their lives and might not even come here anymore. I don't wanna put that weight on them." He sighed. "Believe it or not, Y/n, you've become their closest friend, and I don't know what I'd do once I tell them that you died."

Y/n breathed out a sigh. "I'll just tell the truth then," she paused before turning to Stan. "Will that be okay with you?"

His gaze was distant, considering the possibilities once Y/n revealed the truth. Will they still trust them?"What will you say?"

"I'll think about it once we get there," she shrugged, causing Stan to smirk.

After what seemed like an eternity, they arrived at the Shack's back door.

Stan peeked inside first. "We're clear. We have to-"

Screams cut him off as footsteps approached them speedily. "Y/n!" Mabel and Dipper dashed to the door, not even allowing Y/n to enter. "You're safe!" The twins engulfed her in a hug, startling Y/n.

She came to a halt as her hands remained in the air, but she quickly recovered and hugged back, closing her eyes. She had grown to value hugs, especially those from the twins.

They parted after a brief moment, and Mabel had tears in her eyes. "We thought you were dead!"

Y/n exchanged glances with Stan before clearing her throat. "Lets- go inside. I'll explain everything."

"You better," Dipper spoke, following them to the living room. "I saw your half get eaten by the pterodactyl!"

The three children* sat on the cold wooden floor of the living room while Stan busied himself in the kitchen- when in reality, he's just getting four glasses of water for each of them.

Y/n began fiddling with her fingers while keeping her gaze fixed on the ground. She had to come up with yet another lie to tell the kids. Her mind was making excuses after excuses, and she was silently thanking Stan for the delay.

He eventually emerged from the kitchen with a tray of glasses of water, and Y/n exhaled heavily.He eventually emerged from the kitchen with a tray of glasses of water, and Y/n exhaled heavily."Okay," she started. "I... have a defect."

"A defect?"

"Yes," she continued, recalling a specific page from one of the books she borrowed from the local library. "Uh, I'm insensitive to pain. I cannot feel pain, and I have quick healing."

She remembered telling Tyrone this after she had recovered from a paper cut. Tyrone's reaction was one of excitement, but Dipper and Mabel had expressions she couldn't read, which scared her a little.

She continued talking to fill the awkward silence. "I'm still human. I have human blood. Human emotions." She omitted the fact that she was born in Gravity Falls. She didn't know why, but she just didn't want to say it. "I can get in accidents or literally get half of my body eaten by a pterodactyl," Y/n said lightheartedly, but the twins winced. "But I won't feel the pain," she quickly reassured. "And as you can see with me still being in one piece, I heal pretty quickly."

Stan observed how the twins processed the information. They remained quiet. Too quiet. He silently thanked Y/n for saving him from having to tell them. He wouldn't even know where to begin.

"Guys?" Y/n said after a moment. "If you have any questions, I'll gladly answer-"

"I can't believe it..." Mabel chimed in, staring at the ground. "I... have a best friend who's invincible!" She screamed in triumph as she stood. She stretched her arms as wide as her grin.

Y/n smiled slightly "I'm not really-"

"That is actually so hardcore, Y/n!" The energetic girl went on. "So that's why you always jump in and save us. I thought you just didn't care for your own safety," she laughed. "But you actually have a secret superpower! Do you go out at night and save kittens stuck in trees?"

"No."

"Do you have a superhero name?"

"No! Mabel, I'm not-"

"Do you wear a cape? I think capes are a lame fashion choice, in my opinion. It could-"

"Alright, Mabel, that's enough." Stan cut off, rolling his eyes. "You kids should get some sleep now."

Y/n cast a glance at Dipper, who appeared to be preoccupied. "Actually, Stan. Dipper and I should talk. Alone," she said, and Stan nodded, bringing a drowsy Mabel with her, who was still raving about superpowers and heroic names to call Y/n.

When the two were out of the room, she turned to face him. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

Dipper nodded meekly.

"Hopefully not about superheroes and stuff?"

"Oh. No. Nothing about that." He spoke for the first time after her confession. "I guess I believe you considering the stuff I've encountered so far."

"We can test it if you're still uncertain. You can plunge a knife on my hand, or hit me with a pan, or-"

"I don't wanna do that, gosh." Dipper quickly shook his head. "I don't want to intentionally hurt you."

Y/n stared at him. "But I can't get hurt, Dipper. That's the thing."

"It doesn't matter. I won't do it."

She laughed. 'Suit yourself."

The two stayed up going back and forth about her ability, Y/n tried to answer as honestly as she could– whatever 'honest' in her dictionary meant.

"It's just so cool. I really thought you died back there, Y/n."

When she heard him say that, she couldn't help but smile, ignoring the change in her heartbeat. So he was concerned about her. That's great to hear.

"Anyway, we should sleep this off, huh?" The both of them stood up. Y/n looked at him. "I hope this doesn't change anything. Do you... still trust me?"

"I trust you," Dipper said without missing a beat, which made her smile even bigger. He took something from his vest pocket, and she noticed his fist clasped until he revealed it to be her daisy necklace. He took a step towards her, and her back was to him. "It will take some getting used to the fact that you are unique. Good unique. In all honesty, this makes you even more awesome than before."

He was relieved she wasn't facing him because she would have noticed his prominent blush. Why did he feel the need to say that? Dipper chastised himself.

"Thank you for keeping this safe," Y/n said, turning back around and touching the pendant.

"You're welcome. Thank you for saving my life."

"No worries," Y/n replied in the same tone. They proceeded to exit out of the living room and walked their separate ways towards their respective rooms.

When Dipper entered his room, he was disappointed to see that his sister had already gone to bed because they didn't have time to discuss Y/n, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He lay on his bed, hands behind his neck, staring at the ceiling. Mabel was right. This explained why, most of the time, Y/n would risk her life and bravely face every adversary. She didn't have to be concerned about being hurt because she can't feel them.

Dipper wondered if he'd come across this so-called defect before. He preferred to read books about documentaries or unsolved mysteries rather than medical topics. Y/n stated that she was still human, the only difference being her aversion to pain.

He looked down at his palm, which he closed and opened several times. He could still feel his hand clasped in hers at the abandoned church, never letting her go. He should feel stupid for crying over her thinking she was dead when she was perfectly fine, but defect or not, he wouldn't hesitate to keep her safe as well.

Because he knew she wouldn't.

***

One night, Y/n was hard at work downstairs, as one of the capacitors was causing havoc yet again. Fortunately, the portal had been relatively stable, to the point where they could only work on it at night and not necessarily during the day. In recent days, they have been dealing with the stress of caring for a baby dinosaur. What was the point of Stan stealing the dinosaur egg in the first place?

As the sun began to rise over a new day, she glanced at the calendar conveniently placed in front of her, next to a framed photo of Dipper and Mabel that Stan had placed. Y/n noticed that it was July 13th, and she wouldn't forget that day.

It was Soos' birthday, but she knew he wouldn't be in the mood to celebrate. She already knew the reason—or rather, her "sister" did, because Soos knowingly revealed his secret to the former Y/n. The Y/n who met him on the day of his 12th birthday.

Y/n attempted to greet him on his birthday a year after they met, but Soos didn't have the same energy as she did. He had the deepest frown she'd ever seen him wear, and she had no idea why, until the next day when they were tasked with fixing the ventilation of the gift shop and 13-year-old Soos decided to coincidentally vent out to Y/n.

"You wanna know why I get sad whenever it's my birthday?" his little voice croaked as he meekly picked up a screwdriver.

Y/n paused her reading from the manual and gave Soos her undivided attention. "Why?"

"Um, you're the only person outside of my family who knows this. Even Mr Pines doesn't know. I'm telling you this because I've come to trust you so much, Y/n."

She stared at him, not knowing what to say. "I'm honored, Soos, but you don't have to tell me if you're uncomfortable."

"No, I want to," he began to fiddle with the tools surrounding them and preferred keeping his gaze down, avoiding hers. "My dad left me when I was like... four years old, and every year I'd always hope that he would go and visit me on my birthday. I've been wishing and wishing on my birthday candle, but he just... doesn't..."

He was cut off by his own tears. When he talked about it, it seemed like it was still a sensitive subject for him. Y/n had no idea what it was like to be a father. But she knew what it was like when someone left her and didn't return. She was still holding out hope that he'd return, but Soos didn't seem to have any hope left in him.

"Thank you for telling me." Y/n gently patted his back. "It's gonna be alright, Soos."

"Please don't tell anyone," that was all he said before the topic was eventually dropped.

A tap on her shoulder cut her train of thought—or, more accurately, her dream. Did she fall asleep by accident and have a dream about a memory she had years ago? Strange, but fascinating.

"Oi, go back to your room. It's sunrise," Stan returned her to the land of the living. Y/n double-checked the capacitors she miraculously repaired the night before. When she saw that it was working properly, she went upstairs and wiggled her way back to her room.

She'd slept for four hours before getting out of bed and getting ready for the day. She is unsure how things will go considering the twins are here this summer.

Everyone was nowhere to be seen, making her confused a bit. She had a bad feeling; do the twins know of Soos' birthday? She caught a glimpse of balloons outside of one of the windows and her hunch had been correct. Yet, the birthday celebrant and his peers didn't seem to present, so where were they?

She went outside and soon enough, she saw Soos sitting on the steps of the porch, staring at the same postcard he had kept for 10 years. The paper was a bit crumpled, but the words written on it were still imprinted on his mind.

Unaware of the multiple pair of eyes staring at her, she walked towards Soos and sat beside him. She didn't say anything at first, and he was grateful for the silence.

"What are they doing?" Wendy asked.

"I have no idea," Stan replied, shaking his head with his arms crossed.

"This is good," Mabel bellowed, jumping out of their peeking spot. "Y/n will be the distraction while we go and make a reservation at Soos' favorite place on Earth!"

Dipper watched how Y/n silently placed her hand on Soos' and admired her golden heart. Although he felt like she knew why Soos was feeling this way so she knew how to approach him.

All of a sudden, Mabel pulled on his arm. "Come on, bro!"

"Ah!"

They soon made a game reservation on the counter before returning to the Shack and finding Soos a little bit better, but he was still frowning.

"Soos!" Mabel ran to him, holding his hands together. "Soos, I need you to please trust me and put on a blindfold! I promise you, this will be the greatest surprise ever!"

Y/n watched as Soos reluctantly allowed Mabel to put a blindfold on him. Before Soos could stand up, Dipper motioned for her to be quiet, and Mabel led the way, taking his hand in his.

Y/n didn't move an inch because she assumed their plan involved taking Soos somewhere. She didn't feel like going to town with her ostensibly hidden identity, but when Dipper took her hand and pulled her up, she couldn't say no.

Everybody walked to town on a cloudy day. Y/n didn't want to be seen as much as possible, so she squeezed herself between Stan and Wendy who were doing a good job hiding her with their tall heights. Mabel guided a blindfolded Soos until they reached an all too familiar establishment that used to be a mattress store.

They entered through sliding doors, and laser zaps could be heard from afar. "Alright, guys," Soos spoke, his voice wavering with hesitance. "Blindfold me once, shame on you. Blindfold me twice- wait a minute." He paused his movements as used his other available senses. "Hot dog smell? Sticky floors? Future sounds?"

He took off his blindfold and saw the signs and saw the large sign of 'BIG GUNZ LASER TAG' "Laser tag? I-I love laser tag." He faced the twins. " How'd you guys know?"

"Um, we definitely didn't rifle through your wallet!" Mabel chuckled nervously.

They wore their target sensors and brought the laser guns close to their chests. "How do you play this game?" Y/n asked while they were preparing, and everyone around her gave her wide-eyed stares. "I'm sorry?"

"You have never played laser tag before?" Dipper exclaimed.

"Dang, you are one weird kid, Y/n," Mabel remarked, but she meant no harm to the statement. "I'm blaming your parents for your sad childhood."

"Just tell me how to play." Y/n rolled her eyes as she ignored Mabel's comments about her parents and childhood, despite the fact that she didn't have either.

"You'll figure it out in the field, don't worry," Dipper said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Soos remained frowning as he looked at his own laser gun. "I- I don't know, guys. I'm not sure I'm up for this today."

The twins looked up to him. "Don't worry, Soos," the boy reassured, "As soon as you start playing with us, you're gonna have a good time."

Mabel grinned beside him. "We promise, no matter what happens, we won't leave your side."

"Well, I guess I could give it a shot." Soos gave a hesitant smile. Everyone waited in line for the lobby to open its doors to the arena. Y/n was standing in front of Dipper, Mabel, and Soos. When the doors finally opened, she dashed to catch up with Stan as the game began.

Y/n guessed she was supposed to shoot because of the gun she was holding, but what was she shooting at?

She looked behind her to see if the twins were there, but all she saw was Soos bending down to tie his shoelaces. He rose and ran back into the arena. "Mabel, Dipper? Dudes?"

"Soos!" Y/n called to him.

"Y/n!" Soos said, "Have you seen Mabel and Dipper? Where did they go?"

Y/n glanced behind him, trying to hide her worry as she pondered the same question. "Uhm, they're already hiding. Come on!" She grabbed his wrist and led the two of them to a nearby hiding place. As she faced him, laser sounds could be heard in the background. "So how do you play this, Soos?" she asked in an attempt to divert his attention.

"Uh, you just point your gun and shoot at the target on each player's suits," Soos answered, but his face looked like he wanted to go home already. "Don't let them shoot you though, or you lose."

"Okay, seems easy," Y/n nodded.

"Yeah, it's fun. I still can't find the twins, though, so I don't have any backup," he said low-spiritedly as he gazed in the colorful room.

She patted his arm comfortingly. "Hey, we can be each other's back-up... even though I might suck at this game. Let's watch each other's backs, yeah?"

Soos smiled. "Okay."

Meanwhile, Dipper and Mabel were fleeing the time police after stealing the time machine from members of the Time Paradox Avoidance Enforcement Squadron, Lolph and Dundgren. Instead of the laser tag game, the twins found themselves entering a box made of solid time-tanium—all because of their former adversary, Blendin Blandin, who had returned to challenge them to a gladiatorial time combat, Globnar.

Dipper used the time machine to return to Soos' birthday, and the two zapped back in time and vanished.

They landed on a soft bed and began to take in their surroundings. Mabel grunted. "Are we back?"

The boy's eyes widened. "Oh no, look!" He pointed to a large sign that said 'Mr. ZZZ Mattresses'. "Mabel! The laser place is a mattress store! We went too far into the past!"

"Time travel, man! Why you gotta be so complicated?!" Mabel started shouting until they heard a burst from behind them and ran to hide under one of the beds. They may have gotten away, but the squadron- and Blendin- were still following them.

The three men rushed out of the mattress store, and the twins crawled out from their hiding place. They intended to return to the present, but the time gadget was broken upon impact. Dipper could fix it; all he needed were the right tools. And he knew exactly where to get some because he saw a sign from outside that said, 'Mystery Shack - 1 mile'.

The twins began their journey towards the tourist trap, passing by people they had seen ten years before. There was Toby Determined, who aspired to do tap dancing on Broadway, a street sign depicting Gideon as a baby (he still looked the same), and finally, young Tambry and Wendy riding their tricycles.

"Woah-"

"Oops, sorry," young Tambry said.

Wendy, the young girl, raised her eyes to the twins before leaning over and whispering something to her friend.

Tambry, on the other hand, immediately smiled and pointed at Dipper. "My friend thinks you're cute."

The redhead's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh! Tambry! Shut up!" She exclaimed, pushing her off the trike.

"Ow! Hey?!"

Dipper was at a loss for words as an awkward laugh escaped him. "Thank you... I mean, you're super young, so this is weird..."

Mabel snorted as she smacked him across the shoulder. "Now you know how she feels, creep."

As the realization hit Dipper, he tried to laugh it off. "Wow..."

They eventually arrived at the Mystery Shack, where Stan is on tour promoting his new wax museum. The twins took advantage of his distraction and jumped in the nearest window.

Dipper landed awkwardly on the ground, but right next to him was an open box with tools strewn inside. Dipper smiled as he saw a red screwdriver lying in the open. "Ha! Bingo."

Mabel followed her brother inside and was watching him work when she heard a small voice from behind her. "Aw, come on, candy! Fall! Fall!" The girl approached the vending machine, employing the secret technique that Soos had taught her to obtain free snacks.

She took the candies from the open glass and went to give them to the child, but she froze when she realized he was no ordinary child. It was Soos, only ten years younger. "Thanks, dawg!" With a smile, he extended his hand. Mabel handed Soos the snacks with a shocked expression. "You must be some kind of genius!" He walked away with a grin.

Mabel dashed to her brother, who excitedly turned his head towards the boy in the party hat as his abuela approached him. "Mi precioso, you keep wandering off! You don't wanna be late for your big day." Young Soos took the old woman's hand and walked home with her.

"Big day? This could be the birthday where that personal biz went down," Mabel said, "We could finally find out why Soos hates his birthday!"

"Alright..." Dipper said slowly, looking at the fixed time machine. "But let's be quick."

Dipper swore he heard something in the kitchen as the two walked out of the Mystery Shack. If Stan was busy dealing with tourists, the other handyman was outside, and Wendy was too young to be the cashier, who was inside? It couldn't possibly be one of the employees.

The twins left with the timepiece and the screwdriver in case they needed to fix it again, not realizing that it would be needed by someone else to repair the broken freezer.

Dipper and Mabel stood on the sidelines as Soos celebrated his birthday. They noticed the young handyman bouncing in anticipation of his father's expected return for his birthday. However, when the mailman knocked on his front door instead of him, giving him a postcard, the twins noticed how the news changed his mood.

"Sorry, Champ. Couldn't make it this year. Real busy again. See you next year for sure. Dad," Young Soos read aloud, and the twins can see how his energy was slowly draining from him. He then went to his room and sulked about his father not caring about him on his special day, preferring to go have fun in New Orleans instead.

Dipper and Mabel had no idea how to deal with this major issue. How can they make his birthday so happy that he forgets about his problem when they don't even know what he truly desired?

Out of nowhere, they heard Blendin's voice and they hid in a nearby tree. Lolph began searching for their chrono signatures as Blendin and Dundgren talked about Globnar and its powerful price. "Man, the sooner I defeat those kids in Globnar, the sooner I can win my time wish," the bald man said.

"Tell you what I'd do if I had a time wish," Dundgren replied, "Retire early. Spend more time with the kids-"

"Nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah with the kids?!" Blendin cut off with an annoying screech. "Don't you know a time wish can literally do anything? Any impossible problem solved-" he snapped his fingers, "--just like that? I mean, imagine the possibilities!"

Dipper, having overheard the conversation, turned to his sister. "Wait. Mabel, that's it! The time wish! If we defeat Blendin in that space battle–"

"--then we can wish Soos' dad came to his 12th birthday!"

"And Soos' birthdays will be fixed forever!" Dipper snapped his fingers. "All of them!"

Mabel raised an eyebrow as she dropped her voice in an unsure whisper. "But do you really think we could win Globnar?"

"It's the only chance we have," he replied instantly. "Besides, it's for Soos. He would do the same for us."

The twins nodded in unison before rising to their feet and putting their hands behind their necks. "Here we are, Blendin, we surrender," Dipper said as the two walked out of the tree.

Lolph and Dundgren threatened them with their blasters, but Dipper assured them that they were not going anywhere and that they accepted Blendin's challenge. The guard zapped them all back to the future, dropping the red screwdriver on the ground.

Dipper and Mabel stood in the middle of the arena, handcuffed like Blendin as a massive baby, (who dubbed himself 'Time Baby'), rose from the ground. The baby had a giant hourglass symbol on its forehead, but it also had a very deep voice and very powerful laser eyes that could kill.

Time Baby explained the instructions and the games began, consisting of all the challenges the arena could think of, ranging from a hotdog-eating contest, to a chess match where a giant 'Cyclocks' is chasing them.

The twins expected the final game to be lethal, but after all the games they've played, they're prepared for anything. The Time Baby announced the final game as Laser Tag, and they knew they were going to win. And after Dipper caught Blendin off guard while ranting, Mabel climbed up that platform and eventually grabbed the orb that was the game's main objective.

Dipper and Mabel won, granting them the time wish and the opportunity to declare the loser's punishment. They were confronted by the Time Baby, who inquired, "What fate do you decide for the loser?"

"DEATH!"

"Mabel!" Dipper hissed from behind her.

"Sorry," Mabel breathed, "Got carried away there."

They didn't punish Blendin in the end because they knew they were the ones who ruined his life in the first place. And if they treat him better now, maybe he'll be a better person subsequently. So they not only had Blendin get his job back, but they also restored his hair, so he was no longer the bald guy.

"Now, children," Time Baby said, as if he wasn't a child himself, "What is it that you want for your time wish?"

A glowing orb floated down between Dipper and Mabel. "Thank you, but the wish... isn't for us." Mabel said, sharing a look with Dipper.

"Not you?" Time Baby questioned. "But then who? Who is worthy to receive such power?!"

Back to the laser tag place, Y/n and Soos were sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall. When Soos decided that he'd rather not play anymore, Y/n stayed with him instead of playing. She was itching to tell him that she knew about the whole dad thing, but she didn't know where to begin. If she said that she knew, then either she admits that her "sister" Y/n told her, or she had been the original Y/n the whole time.

Soos might feel betrayed when he finds out that Y/n told her sister despite him saying that 'she shouldn't tell anyone', and Y/n didn't want Soos to know that she... didn't age throughout the decade.

It was just all confusing.

All of a sudden, Soos stood up with a frown. "I can't see the twins anywhere," he sighed. "Who am I kidding?"

"Soos, wait," Y/n followed. "I'm sorry, I was lying."

"Wait what?"

"Mabel and Dipper aren't actually here. I didn't know where they went and it's actually making me worry," she said, starting to fiddle with her fingers.

"Huh? But where did they go?" Soos asked, which Y/n didn't provide an answer to.

Before Soos could utter a word, everything around him stopped moving, including his friend. "Y/n? Y/n?!" She wasn't speaking nor blinking, and he was getting scared... until there was a burst behind him, blowing away his hat.

He turned around and saw Dipper, Mabel, and a futuristic-looking guy beside them. "Soos!" They exclaimed, running towards him.

"G-guys!" Soos said, surprised to see them. They both look like they've gone through a lot, as their clothes were filthy and their skin and hair were dusty. Just what adventure did they go through?

"We're sorry we left you hanging, dude!" Dipper said. "We got caught up in this... time-travel junk."

"And there was a time-cyclops," Mabel added.

"And don't forget about the-"

"The time race!" The two said in unison and chuckled tiredly.

"But the point is, Soos," Mabel looked to him, "we think we know how to fix your birthday!"

"Oh, really?" Soos said, but then he closed his eyes, placing his fingers on his eyelids. "Wait, you guys did all of that... for me?"

Blendin stepped into the scene, pressing something in his watch before the glowing orb appeared and bobbed between them. It floated down to Soos' as Blendin explained the directives. "The power to alter time paradox free in any way you choose," he said.

It was all down to Soos' decision. He could finally meet his dad after not seeing him for so many years, but looking down at the twins and their dirty clothing and messed up faces, he saw the look of love and care that he could never see in his father. They went through literal life and death just to see the smile on his face but the one person that Soos was looking for is nowhere to be seen.

"What are you waiting for, Soos?" Dipper spoke, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Soos remembered the postcard on the pocket of his cargo pants that was beginning to feel heavy. He threw away the image in his mind before looking at the time orb. "Alright, here goes nothing," He thought of what to wish for and finally touched the orb and it sparked a bright light.

When the light cleared, Dipper and Mabel were cleaned off dirt from their battles. The twins were baffled at this. "Wait what?" Mabel said.

"Bam. Fixed you up. Enjoy, dudes!"

"But, Soos! What about meeting your dad?"

"Well, birthdays are supposed to be spent by the people who care about you. But you know what, that dude didn't care about me enough to visit me once, let alone fight monsters through time and space like you dudes. I mean, you had a gladiator fight, just to make me happy. I've been being ridiculous this whole time. Whoever my dad was, he can take a hike," Soos explained, throwing away the postcard. "I know who my family is now, and it's you dudes." He kneeled down and gave the twins a hug. " Thanks for giving me the best birthday ever." He wanted to say more, but he steeled himself.

"Are you kidding me?!" Blendin screamed. "Do you have any idea what you've just wasted?! Do you know how many have died to get the time wish; the wars that were started?!"

"Oh that's not all dude," Soos assured, now holding up a slice of pizza. "I also wished for thisslice of infinite pizza. Watch." He took a bite and the pizza regenerated. "And it can do that for like...infinity."

Blendin's angry expression was wiped away. "Okay, yeah. Phew. That's a good time wish!"

Soos smiled. "There's still ten minutes before Laser Tag closes. You dudes wanna play?"

"Yeah!"

"Um," Soos turned to Blendin. "Can you unfreeze Y/n?"

Everyone stared at the frozen Y/n who was unblinking.

***

After a fun game of Laser Tag— that Y/n quickly got the hang of, they all went home, tired. But Y/n wasn't done for the day. She quickly walked beside Soos who wore a huge grin. "Soos, I need to talk to you."

"Sure, what is it?"

Y/n let the twins and Stan go inside the Shack as she and Soos stayed in the same porch steps they sat in earlier that morning. "Listen. I... know about your issue."

"Issue?" Soos asked.

"About..." she averted her gaze, "About why you hate your birthday so much."

"Y/n..."

"I... I found it through my sister, and I didn't know how to approach you about it, but I know, and I'm sorry about your dad. I'm sorry that he's the reason why you're sad every birthday. You don't deserve that, you know."

Soos' eyes widened at the mention of her sister as he remembered that exact moment years ago when he told her while they were supposed to fix the vent. But then Soos became slightly amused as he looked at the 'younger sister' Y/n, who appeared to be lost. For a brief moment, he forgot that Y/n had been frozen for the duration of Soos telling the twins that they were enough and that they were now his new family. Despite the fact that Y/n was frozen in that particular conversation, he included her in the confession.

"I've started not to care about my dad since I realize that he doesn't care about me," Soos shrugged. "I should be paying attention to people who reciprocate my respect, you know?"

Y/n nodded in agreement. She was relieved that Soos was no longer bothered by his father. Though she felt she had missed Soos's development. He was just having the worst day ever because of his birthday, but the next thing she knew he was laughing and having fun with her and the twins.

Soos looked down to the ground as he went silent. "Okay, because you told me that you knew about my dad... I guess I should tell you one thing."

"What is it?"

"Although my 12th birthday was the worst, at least one good thing happened that day," Soos smiled as his eyes were distant.

"What happened?"

"I met Y/n," he smiled as he faced her. "Your sister, I mean. She taught me how to fix machines at such a young age. She was so patient with me. Mr. Pines is great, he gave me a job too and he was also welcoming, but Y/n was just the kindest person I've ever met."

Y/n clenched her fist and stared at the handyman. She was fighting back tears as she heard Soos' praise. He says things so naturally, and he always gives credit where credit is due. She was afraid that if she spoke, tears would flow, and she didn't want to add to Soos' burden.

So she looked away and subtly wiped on her eyes. She cleared her throat. "Yeah, uhm... yeah."

"How is she anyway?"

"Hm?"

"Y/n? How is she?"

Her eyes looked into his. Does he not see that they're literally the same person? Stan was right, Soos was dumb enough to pick up clues. She shook her head. She shouldn't mock Soos after hearing him talk about her so highly. "She's doing fine with her research and all..." she said. "I'm sorry for the secret again."

"Eh, it's fine. Really. Honestly, who cares about my dad? He can hit the road," Soos said with a dismissive hand. "You, Dipper, and Mabel turned it all around anyway and I wanna thank you for being my friend."

"I'm glad we're friends too," Y/n smiled, her eyes twinkling. We've been friends for a long time.

Y/n watched Soos grow up and he remained the same goofy, compassionate, and tender-hearted person. Soos deserved all the good things in the world, despite not getting what he wanted those years ago. Yet, looking at himself and the people in his life now, he couldn't ask for anything more.

"Happy birthday, Soos."

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 17!

kimmiepines originally published: february 15, 2023 words: 12015 words

author's note: happy hearts day, yall! hope you like this very wordy chapter, wowie.

but anyway. please request original shorts for me to write!! anything u wanna see while i write the canon shorts of the show. we will get to the shorts first before going to dreamscapers and gideon rises! so request all u can!!

love u guys. im still single but honestly who gives a damn. im still happy and content and free!! dont have to spend money and be insecure n stuff. anyways bye 💗

13-1-14-,-0-9-0-23-9-19-8-0-9-0-8-1-22-5-0-1-14-0-9-14-6-9-14-9-20-25-0-16-9-26-26-1

[gravityfallsrewritten]

Chapter 15: Exchanging Bosses and Bodies

Summerween had passed exactly two weeks before. Things had moved slowly but steadily. Nothing significant had occurred. Stan kept working for the Shack, while Y/n was trapped in the portal room every evening until morning. No one questioned her erratic sleeping schedule, though Y/n appreciated it when Mabel made a plan and informed her ahead of time so she could adjust her time frame.

One morning, Stan was watching his favorite show with the kids, 'Cash Wheel' with his niece and nephew until Soos came and announced that they had a bus full of tourists coming in from different places. Stan made sure that the prices of each merchandise were tripled– no, quadrupled.

He even used Dipper as an attraction, having him dress in a wolf costume, who dances when people throw money at him. Mabel attempted to give one bumper sticker on the house until Stan chastised her for giving away something for free. Mabel told him to use his please and thank you, but Stan argued back that those words never earned him money.

The rest of the day, the employees of the Mystery Shack were ordered to paint the whole sign with pink glitter to attract more tourists before Stan went outside and saw Y/n by the vending machine.

"Oh, my- I thought you were someone else." Y/n jumped as she heard him by the door. She had just exited through the fake door and if someone saw her come out, their whole cover would be blown.

Stan rolled his eyes. "You're lucky the tourists were down at the museum or else you would have ruined everything. Now give me a Pitt Cola."

"Of course I peeked first before coming out. You think I'm an idiot?" Y/n elbowed the glass and the machine automatically spat out two cans of sodas. She took the two, tossed one to Stan, and they opened it at the same time.

Meanwhile, the four people standing on the roof in filthy clothes were now complaining about Stan being the worst boss ever. Soos also shared his own experience with Stan disagreeing with his idea of having a Mystery Shack mascot, which Mabel thought was where Stan crossed the line.

Stan entered after saying his goodbyes to the customers on his porch. When Mabel appeared behind him, he almost dropped the jar full of money. She followed him to his office, complaining that he had gone too far this time. "Did you seriously tell Soos not to follow his hopes and dreams because he 'couldn't handle it'?!"

The older man explained his way of bossing then around but Mabel was just not having it. "No way! I bet you'd make way more money being nice than being a big grumpy grump to everyone all the time!"

He was unimpressed all the same. "Ha! You think you know more about business than I do? You think you could wear this hat?"

Mabel accepted the challenge with glee, proclaiming that she can turn the situation around. Stan mocked her once more, claiming that he could make more money on vacation than Mabel could running the place.

"Then why don't you go on a vacation?"

Her proposition made him raise an eyebrow in interest. He rubbed his chin, thinking of a deal as he is a wagering man. "3 days. 72 hours. You run the Shack, and I'll go on vacation. If you make more money than me, then I guess it means you're right about the way I run my business."

Mabel stayed silent, contemplating his words.

"But if you lose, you- uh..." He picked up a random, dirty shirt from the floor and wrote 'LOSER' in marker. "You gotta wear this LOSER shirt all summer!"

She stared at the shirt in horror, imagining herself in the horrendous shirt, but she's not putting down a fight. "Fine! But if I win, I get to be the boss for the rest of the summer! Plus, you have to sing an apologizing song with lyrics by me! Mabel."

They had themselves a deal.

Stan changed his clothes before packing his belongings. He stuffed his suitcases into the trunk of his car. After closing it, he turned to face his niece. "See you in 72 hours! We'll see who makes more money." He entered his car, but before closing it, he threw his fez, which landed on Mabel's head.

But before he drove away, he returned his gaze to her. "Oh, and don't ask Y/n for help." He was gone before Mabel knew it.

An hour passed when Dipper knocked on Y/n's bedroom door. "Y/n? You there?"

She opened the door after a moment. "What's wrong?"

He shrugged. "Nothing's wrong, it's just that Mabel is calling us from Stan's office,"

"Why would she be–"

"She made a bet with Stan that she runs the Shack for 3 days while Stan is on vacation."

Y/n paused, averting her gaze. Stan? Outside? It was the first time he had been away from the Shack in 30 years. He deserved it because he's been working so hard. "Hm."

"So, are you coming?"

"Alright," she replied, "just give me a moment."

Dipper stood outside the closed door. He'd never been inside her room before and was curious about what it looked like. He never got a good look because the door was always shut.

Y/n walked out again after a full minute. "Okay, let's go."

On the way to Stan's office, they met Soos and Wendy who apparently were also called to meet 'Stan' but when they opened the door and stared at the large office chair, the old man was replaced by a young girl wearing an oversized suit with glasses.

Mabel had already sent a message to Stan that she has a different approach to business, as Y/n could tell. She has no idea how this will go, despite the numerous motivational posters hung on the wall and stickers attached to every tool.

The young boss informed everyone that Stan had gone on vacation and that they had made a bet that she would be the Mystery Shack's temporary show-runner.

So far, Mabel's shower of compliments and positive outlook have stood in stark contrast to Stan's nagging and demanding demeanor, which makes Y/n concerned. She's been in the Mystery Shack business for decades and is well-versed in its operations. She knew how to win over customers and how to attract tourists. She just hoped Mabel's temporary job wouldn't be too stressful.

All previous working conditions have been transformed into a relaxed, yet cooperative environment. Wendy's request to have friends at work was granted, Mabel had Soos' dream costume ready, and Dipper was dispatched to capture the next Shack's attraction.

Naturally, the boy was ecstatic, eager to discover anything that might exist in the journal. Y/n stood there watching as he practically jumped out the window.

"As for you, Y/n..." she heard Mabel say. She turned to the glasses-wearing tween. "How would you like to change the way you move around this establishment?"

Y/n didn't have an answer she could give to Mabel considering Stan really didn't give her a heavy load of work, but she didn't want to look like she wasn't interested with Mabel's changes around the Shack. "Well, if you want, Mabel, I can be your assistant around here. You know, in case things get hectic."

It was a sincere offer. With Stan gone, it was up to Y/n to take care of the Shack. She was a little concerned, but she knew they could handle it. What possibly could go wrong?

To put it mildly, the first 12 hours have been... okay. Mabel was wholeheartedly attempting to be a better boss, but nothing is truly better than before. The tour, led by Mabel and Y/n, was pleasant, and the tourists were satisfied, pouring money into the large jar.

Y/n smiled at Mabel's excited grin when she looked inside the jar filled with dollar bills.

"Guys! I caught something!" Dipper called as he arrived, pulling a large sack behind him. The creature inside was still thrashing around, groaning. "This is gonna blow those tourists away!" He laughed shakily as he couldn't contain his excitement, but it was cut short when the sack suddenly leaped and captured Dipper's arm with its mouth.

Dipper screamed, punching it repeatedly and it let go.

After praising his brother and giving a motivational speech to Soos who felt very unsure about the Questiony the Question Mark mascot, Mabel and Y/n walked inside the Shack and decided to check on the redhead.

"How's my favorite Wendy!" Mabel greeted cheerily but she was greeted back by a trashed gift shop.

Y/n felt frustrated, seeing the broken up merchandise and garbage lying everywhere as Wendy just stood there, doing nothing.

Lee and Nate were playing around with a shriveled goblin skull until the latter had the last kick that was unknowingly aimed at an innocent kid, hitting him directly into his face.

The kid cried aloud, sobbing as his mother frantically ran to him. "Billy, your face! It's ruined!"

Mabel dashed towards the woman while Y/n marched up to Wendy's friends, unafraid.

Unfortunately, they all - except for Wendy - got up and left without receiving much as a bicker from Y/n. She rolled her eyes, beginning to pick up the garbage and placing them on a nearby trash can.

The boss approached Wendy after handling the customer. "Wendy, you got a lot of cleaning up to do. Please?"

"Whoa," Wendy said, "all this rule stuff is starting to make you sound like Stan..."

Y/n stared at the older teen as she couldn't believe the incredulity of Wendy's dupe to make Mabel think that she's becoming like Stan, when she was completely aware that Mabel didn't ever want to be compared to the old man.

"What? No! I'm nothing like Stan!" Mabel hurriedly denied. "In fact, take the rest of the day off...?"

Wendy paused. "With full pay?"

Mabel didn't even hesitate, chuckling nervously. "Of course!"

The redhead gave her a thumbs up before sprinting out the door. Maybe this was her way of getting out of work, but she still took advantage of Mabel and that didn't sit right with Y/n. She shook her head as she felt that her respect for Wendy had decreased significantly.

Mabel was unnerving, even seemingly proud of herself for being such a nice boss. Y/n shook her head slightly. Oh, Mabel...

Dipper finally got the monster he captured inside the cage after nearly being killed. It was now time to show the creature to the two unsuspecting tourists. "Behold, part gremlin, part goblin..." he unveiled the cover, revealing the thrashing monster inside. "The Gremloblin!"

It was shaking the bars, groaning as spit flew everywhere. Alas, even when it spit out a real human skeleton arm, the couple easily dismissed the display as fake, referring to the body hair as strings.

Dipper tried to convince them, but they were more entertained with the other creatures. "Look at this, dear! The 'Six Pack O' Lope!'"

The man chuckled. "Wordplay!"

"No, everything else here is fake!" He pulled the two of them back to the caged monster. "This is a real paranormal beast! Hey! Fun fact about this little guy; if you look into its eyes, you can see your worst nightmare."

And looked into its eyes they did. It was also a fun little fact when its eyes glowed yellow and rendered the couple speechless. It was also quite hilarious when Dipper had to call for the ambulance because they were now permanently scarred, quivering and stammering.

"Thanks again for visiting!" Dipper bid the vehicle away, trying to appear optimistic but quickly abandoning the act when the ambulance was far away.

Mabel, on the other hand, was having a particularly bad day. She was feverishly running around the gift shop, assisting customers with everything. She was frantic as she helped the customers with everything they needed, completely unaware that she was messing things up.

Slumping on the back of the counter, she let out an exhausted sigh. Dipper plopped on the ground next to her. "Welp, I just made two people go insane. How about you?"

"I'm so tired," Mabel breathed, "I gave Wendy the day off so I had to do her job."

"Where's Y/n?"

"She wanted to excuse herself. I figured she was tired, so I let her take some rest..." the girl replied.

Dipper turned to her. "Well, maybe you need to start being a little bit tougher around here. And we need Y//n's help, why are you letting her slack off, too?"

"Being tougher is what Stan would do! No way!" Mabel immediately rejected, "And you know what he said before he left; do not ask Y/n for help."

"But we need all the help we can get!" Dipper argued. "I'm sure Stan didn't mean anything."

The other twin shrugged. "Let's just give her some space, maybe she really needed it. Meanwhile, I just need to think positive, be friendly, and everything will work out fine-""

Suddenly, a roar rang throughout the gift shop and the Gremloblin burst through the wall. Tourists screamed and ran out of the Shack as Mabel and Dipper hid behind the counter.

"What?!" Dipper exclaimed. "How did he get out of his locked cage?"

Mabel was guiltily fiddling with the sleeves of her sweater. "Well... I wanted to give him a 5-minute break so I taped the key on his cage! No big deal..."

"YOU GAVE HIM A BREAK?!"

"He's an employee...! Sort of..." she tried to reason.

He face-palmed, trying to devise a plan. "We gotta round him up. Where's Soos?"

"He was stressed out, so I told him to take a soothing nature walk," Mabel replied.

"Okay, we gotta call for Y/n, then."

"No! But what if she's asleep?"

Dipper's hands were shaking. "She should be awake from the noises right now! I need to go get her!"

The two managed to run out from the counter where the Gremloblin was near. They went through the Employees' Only door next to the broken up wall.

Before they could dash off, Y/n was running out from the hall. "Oh, my– what the heck happened?!"

"Y/n! Shush!" Dipper hissed, pulling her closer to them. They managed to evade the monster's sights. He tried to explain as quickly as possible. "Don't freak out. It was supposed to be a display for the museum, but Mabel accidentally let it out-"

"You captured a Gremloblin?!" Y/n exclaimed in whispers. "How did you even-"

"It doesn't matter," he quickly moved past it, despite being aware of the enraged look in her eyes. "We need to find a way to make it leave."

Mabel, having gotten a quick peek from the door, was pacing. "What do we do? He's awarding himself stickers that he didn't even earn!"

Y/n stared at the ground, knowing exactly what to do with the monster in order to sedate it. She recalled the first time they had an encounter with the Gremloblin, how F was there and that she and Ford saved him... Stupidly, Ford thought that in order to keep it calm, it needed-

"...'water'...'" Dipper was reading from the journal. Y/n's eyes widened when she saw that Mabel wasn't with them, only to be found outside with a glass of water in front of the Gremloblin. Oh, crap. She had to do a flashback that lasted for a whole minute.

"No, don't-!" Y/n tried to stop Mabel, but she already tossed the liquid onto the creature just as Dipper turned to the next page in the journal.

"... 'only as a last resort as water will make him much much scarier'! AH!" He closed the book in a panic. "Who writes sentences like that?!"

Apparently the author. Y/n scoffed internally.

Mabel managed to run away as the Gremloblin transformed into a scarier version of him.

Y/n glanced at the monster, trying to find a way to get on its back and sending a blow on its neck. She needed a distraction, but how?

The Gremloblin spent its hours playing with the knickknacks of the shop, including the Singing Salmon, which it has been pressing for hours now.

"Ugh, why doesn't he just leave?" Mabel said, exasperated.

All of a sudden, the monster seemed to be hungry, catching a whiff of the green dollar bills tucked inside the jar. It sat up and reached for the container, pouring the cash into its mouth.

"Our profits!" Mabel cried, not hesitating to run towards the beast.

"Mabel!" Y/n and Dipper shouted in unison.

"Stop, stop!" Mabel yelled as she flailed her arms, getting the attention of the Gremloblin. The monster grabbed her and lifted her up to its face.

Y/n cupped her hands on the side of her lips. "Mabel, whatever you do, don't look into his eye!"

"It's evil, Mabel!" Dipper shouted too. "You'll see your worst nightmare!"

Mabel was persistent, thrashing around in its grip. "I wish we had an evil eye to show him!" She said to the monster, unfortunately looking into its eyes. "Oh no!" Her eyes glowed yellow, and that made Y/n go forward and to the side of the monster, climbing up the logged walls of the gift shop until she reached a high shelf.

Dipper also had a plan of his own, having thought of the most logical way to beat a creature who has a pair of evil eyes. "Hey, monster!" he called, getting a random mirror off the ground. "Take a look at this!" He showed the reflective glass and it was sent to its own nightmares, making it drop Mabel.

Before the monster could thrash around more, though, it went unconscious when Y/n bashed something hard on the back of its neck. It was probably a stone golem version of Stan as a merchandise.

"Woah!" Dipper exclaimed as the Gremloblin crashed to the ground. "Y/n, that was... amazing! How did you know that?"

Y/n got off of the beast's back. "My mom made me do judo last summer," she quickly came up with an excuse, "and one of the lessons they taught me were pressure points."

"Well, good job, because then the Gremloblin wouldn't have dealt more damage to the Shack."

Suddenly, the Gremloblin woke up with a start, began running in circles before running towards the wall and flying away, but not before breaking off the tall totem pole and setting off a car alarm.

"Oh, boy." Dipper breathed.

"Guys! It's the third day!" Mabel said frantically. "We've only got 7 hours to earn back our profits, or I've got to wear that loser shirt all summer!"

Right at the hole where the monster just burst out of were Wendy and Soos. "Hey, guys!" The redhead greeted the three. "Am I nuts, or does this place look different?"

"Wendy, Soos! Am I glad to see you," Mabel exclaimed in relief. "We've got a lot of work to do, but if we hurry, we can still beat Stan!"

Wendy sheepishly rubbed the top of her hat. "Uh, yeah. I've got a little headache, so maybe I should, like, not work today."

"And I actually just met this pack of wolves, and I think they're gonna, like, raise me as one of their own, so I should really be at the den right now..." Soos followed with his own reason why he shouldn't work today.

"But-but..." Mabel helplessly stuttered, wearing a huge frown.

"But, hey, we'll see ya on Monday." Wendy and Soos didn't even notice Mabel's change in mood as they both walked away.

"Um, guys?" Y/n tried to butt in and explain that they would really need their help. I mean, did they even see the look of the Shack? How insensitive.

Mabel was twitching angrily, holding her purple pen so tightly that it broke in her hand. "ENOUGH!" Her scream was through the roof, stopping both Soos and Wendy from leaving. Dipper and Y/n gasped at her sudden change in tone. She walked to the back of the counter. "I have HAD IT! I fought a monster to save this business, and this is how you repay me?! I'm gonna get an ulcer from your lollygagging!"

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "Lollygagging?"

Soos followed. "Ulcer? You're acting... different."

"You shut your yaps!| Mabel shouted back, making the two gasp. "I've been doing everyone's job while you bums have been bleeding me dry!"

"B-but, I-"

"No buts except yours on the floor cleaning! Now quit loafing and get to work!"

"Yes, Mabel."

Mabel narrowed her eyes. "That's yes, BOSS!" She slammed her hand against the counter, making Stan's fez fall and land on her head. She looked in the nearby mirror and gasped when she saw who she looked like. "Dipper, what have I become?" She wondered aloud.

Dipper appeared beside her and laid a comforting pat on her back. "What you had to, Mabel. What you had to." He nodded.

"We've got 7 hours to turn this around!" She stood on the counter, holding up the money jar. "Let's go, people!"

And they were off to work. Soos had to contact a construction worker with an excavator to fix the totem pole. Wendy was sweeping the floors while Y/n was fixing the broken walls of the gift shop.

Mabel was yelling on the megaphone, still wearing the red fez. "Time is money, hard hat! You got complaints, file them with the complaint department!" She shouted, holding up a trash can. "Ugh, my back." She stretched with a groan.

Then, a tour bus pulled up on the yard, making Mabel yell angrily at her megaphone once more. "Dipper, we've got tourists at 9 o'clock!"

Dipper was in front of her. "But what do I show them? Real magic just freaks people out."

"Figure something out, knucklehead!"

After thinking of numerous ideas, he eventually came up with one. "Soos, c'mere!"

The two quickly came up with the idea of having Soos as one of the attractions, naming him 'The Horrible Giant Question Baby,' with Dipper even dressing up like a mini Mystery Man. Of course, the people were sold, pouring their money into the photographs and the gift shop. Concerning the shop, it was fortunate that it was repaired quickly and that Y/n knew where the other stocks of merchandise were hidden so that they could sell it.

Dipper waved goodbye to the tourists, who were all holding their own Mystery boxes. "We put the 'fun' in 'No Refunds'!" He walked back inside the Shack. "How'd we do?"

Mabel pridefully lifted the container. "We filled the whole jar!"

Everyone in the room cheered and hollered. Guess they had the chance to defeat Stan after all.

Y/n wasn't all that enthusiastic even after the results of today. All that jarful of money would all just go away once they calculated the expenses, then the damages...

Dipper brought out the printing calculator and began counting the bills. She pulled out the amount of cash they needed for the repairs as he was inputting the numbers into the device. They worked flawlessly, whilst the rest of the three watched. "Minus the money to replace all the furniture, supplies to fix the Shack. That leaves us..."

Mabel glanced at the lone buck sitting on the bottom of the jar. "One dollar..." she frowned.

The door was slammed open as Stan walked in with his suitcase and a digital clock that read 00:00. "Tick-tock! Time's up, kids!"

"Oh, no!"

Stan strode to the five of them by the counter. "Nice to see you learned how to dress while I was gone." He said, pointing at Dipper's Mystery Man outfit.

The boy glared at him in reply as Mabel asked, "How much did you beat us by?"

"I won three hundred thousand dollars!" The older man exclaimed. The twins gasped, while Y/n was looking around him for the money or the large check but it was nowhere to be found. Did he leave it in his car? "And then..." he trailed off, telling the story of how he had gotten to the final part of the game where he just needed to guess one more word.

Rich, the host of the show, had said the hint for the final word, "What is the six-letter word you use to ask for something politely? For example, 'May I blank have that'?" Stan had answered wrong the first time, and even when he was given another chance, he was unsurprisingly incorrect again because the word was-

"Please!" Mabel pointed at the sticker with a huge grin on her face, her braces shining.

Stan frowned in defeat. "Apparently that word can make you money."

Y/n couldn't help it. She burst out in laughter. The older man narrowed his eyes on her. "Really rubbing it in, Y/n," he grumbled.

Her laughter dissipated just as Dipper spoke. "So, wait. If you lost everything, then that means... Mabel, you won!" He turned to his sister.

They were overjoyed, but when Stan explained that part of their bet included Mabel becoming the new boss, everyone objected. Stan was perplexed, but Mabel admitted that trying to be boss was difficult. She handed him his fez, which she had been wearing for the entire afternoon. Her grunkle reapplied the hat as he drew the twins in for an embrace. "It's nice to be back, you know?" The three of them smiled.

"Okay, okay, that's enough, get off-a me!" Stan said, playfully pushing the twins away from him. He then turned to his other two employees with a calm smile, holding his hand together. "And Soos, Wendy... get to work!" He cleared his throat. "...please. Ugh, still hurts."

Y/n sighed and rolled her eyes. Stan had good intentions, he truly does, and he has such a kind heart. He just doesn't know how to express his feelings, though he does so through actions.

"Mabel, didn't your agreement say something about Stan having to do some kind of apology dance if he lost?" Dipper spoke after a moment.

Stan became hysterical. "N-no. No, it didn't!"

Mabel nodded with a malicious grin. "Actually, yeah, I think I have it in my notes here."

"No! That never happened!"

Wendy, having overheard the entire conversation, popped in with a laugh. "I'll get the camera!"

"Alright, let me just..." Stan dashed away from the three as far as he could. But he couldn't run away forever.

***

To say the least, the next few days have been eventful. Y/n had fallen back into the bottomless pit after Stan insisted on getting rid of his Mystery Shack suggestion papers despite the strong wind and storm that was approaching. She was now strung along with the twins and Soos, who attempted to save Stan, and they ended up telling stories for twenty one minutes.

The last time she was in the pit was with Ford and it was... an experience. She spent her minutes constantly thinking about her mentor and the feeling of knowing more about him. He tried to tell jokes, and each one was funny (she loved bad jokes), and she'd gotten to know more about him and his life before Gravity Falls.

They told stories with Stan, Dipper, Mabel, and Soos that were entertaining enough to last the entire twenty-one minutes of falling in the pit.

The following day was the hottest day of the summer. Y/n had no idea what 110 degrees hotter felt like because, obviously, she doesn't feel pain. She sat comfortably with her jacket on her study table in her room, while the others were suffering in heat, sweating profusely even with most of their clothes discarded, and laying on the ground.

She refused Stan's invitation to the newly opened pool because she wanted nothing more than silence while reading one of her favorite books. Fortunately, Stan didn't care about her opinion because all he wanted to do was go to the public pool and cool off. She was given command of the entire Shack, so she had the entire house to herself - and Waddles.

The very next day was completely normal. Mabel and Dipper were having fun with their new "Attic Stuff Mini-Golf" game. Their room was filled with props made from items found in the Shack, such as Dipper's old laundry "where man fears to tread," as Mabel put it.

Dipper had just sunken a Stan shot, and they were arguing about whether it was a legal play or not, when Mabel's Meow o'clock began to ring. She handed him her golf club. "Hey, Dipper, I gotta go hang out with Candy and Grenda tonight."

"Aw, again? You can't leave mid-game." Dipper frowned.

"Don't be silly, I'm not leaving," the other twin smiled. "My friends are coming to me!"

"Wait, what?!" The boy's eyes widened, dropping the clubs as he realized... "Oh, no. No no no. Sleeping bags? Rom-coms? Calling All Boys: Preteen Edition?!" He stepped back in fear. "You're not having a..."

The door opened behind him, and there stood Candy and Grenda grinning in the shadows. They jumped in, finishing Dipper's sentence. "Sleepover!"

Dipper screamed in horror that could be heard in the entire house.

The girls had arranged their cushions and pillows, as well as their snacks and essentials, together. They were talking about boys (as usual) when Mabel began screaming, followed by Candy and Grenda, who then began punching the wooden floor.

In the other half of the room, Dipper was losing his mind and hearing.

He tried asking the girls to do this somewhere other than their room because of the noise, but when they retaliated using makeovers, he decided that he shouldn't be here as he's pretty much outnumbered. So he took his pillow and blanket and began to tread through the hallways of the Shack, walking up to Soos who stood in front of a door that says "Break Room".

"Hey, Soos, can I sleep in your break room tonight?" He sighed.

Soos smiled, "Of course, dude." He opened the door to reveal a very cramped up closet with hazardous pipes and steam. When the handyman further explained how to fit inside, Dipper just walked away and found himself going near Y/n's room.

The thought of sleeping in the same room as her was awkward, but he had no choice. So, with all his strength and courage, he lifted his hand and knocked three times on the door. He waited with baited breath, but there was no response after a few seconds. He knocked again, louder and faster this time because he was getting worried about his actions.

It was silent again, making him sigh. Guess she was a heavy sleeper.

After a few minutes of searching for places to sleep in, he finally found the perfect place. He breathed out in relief. "Sleeping under the stars..." He could feel the cold grass under his vest, and the rubble under his pillow, but he couldn't care. "Not bad."

He momentarily closed his eyes, but not before he heard a growling sound. He sat up and saw a wolf biting on his leg. "Ah! Get off! Get away!" He tried to push away the creature, but then he looked up at the window of his room and saw Mabel, Grenda, and Candy jumping up and down, singing very loudly.

Dipper's gaze reverted to the wolf, who was still biting and shaking his ankle. "This is still better," he said, glaring, and laying down again as the wolf gnawed on his leg.

The morning arrived and that's where Mabel bid her friends goodbye and promised a next time. Dipper returned to his room, all beaten up with a black eye and twigs in his hair. He proceeded to lay on his bed. "Mabel, last night an owl tried to eat my tongue."

Mabel only laughed optimistically. "That's great!"

"No, it's not great!" He sat up on his bed. "This is impossible to live with!" He said, gesturing to their messy and wrecked room.

Mabel was trying to cheer him up, but Dipper had had it. He put his foot down and began laying down some ground rules. One of them was prohibiting sleepovers, in which Mabel argued back that he's keeping her up every night with his summer reading.

"Well, at least my braces don't whistle when I breathe."

"At least I wash my clothes once in a while."

"Washing clothes is a waste of time, I'm a busy guy!"

"Meow meow meow meow meow!"

Dipper glared. "Alright, if you meow one more time-!"

"Meow meow meow!"

"Okay! That's it! That's the final straw!" He walked around. "Maybe we shouldn't share a room anymore!"

Mabel was taken aback, lost for words. "Wah, uh... well, maybe we shouldn't!"

"Fine by me!"

"Double fine by me!"

Dipper raised an eyebrow. "Then we need to talk to Grunkle Stan about moving rooms."

After preparing for the day with deep frowns on their faces, the twins ran to the living room where Stan was watching fights on his TV. "Grunkle Stan, we want different rooms!" Dipper demanded.

Stan laughed mockingly. "And I want a pair of magic money pants. It's not gonna happen."

"Magic money pants...?" Mabel questioned under her breath.

"Come on, Grunkle Stan. Can't we work something out?" Dipper begged.

Stan smirked. "Look, kid, there's my room and the attic. That's it."

Dipper's eyes seemed to light up as he came up with an idea. "What about Y/n's room?"

The suggestion wiped the smirk away from the older man's face as he had gotten hesitant. "Eh, I'm not sure she would want that."

"We haven't even seen her room yet, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel agreed to the idea, now feeling excited.

Stan remained silent. He didn't know what to say, but he also didn't want more silence to pass for the kids to suspect that Y/n was hiding something, which Y/n and Stan both didn't want to happen.

While all of this was going on in the living room, Y/n had been cooped up in her bedroom all morning. She had just returned from working underground all night, and she should have been sleeping, but she didn't feel sleepy at all. She suddenly felt reminiscent. She was pacing around her room aimlessly, attempting to fall asleep but failing miserably. She couldn't help herself.

She really missed him.

When was the last time they experimented for fun? Coming up with novel inventions? She took a look at the old calendar on her bedside table. 1982 was in front of it because she never ripped it off or moved it. It was simply there. She had no idea why it was still hanging there, perhaps as a painful reminder that he had been gone for 30 years and that she just liked to torture herself, or perhaps as a motivation that they should keep going or all of this would be for naught.

She began a small quest to look for experiments that she kept in her storage with a small smile, which didn't take long because it was a striking blue that immediately caught her eye. It was rolled up and tucked into a corner. She effortlessly lifted the dusty material and placed it on the ground. She grabbed the end of it and lifted it up as if dusting it, revealing good 'ol Experiment 78.

She was giggling with delight as she noticed the familiar yellow loop in the center of the design. It was laid out on the ground as she felt the material. Very shaggy. She couldn't help but laugh as she started rolling around on the carpet, feeling the electrons on her skin. She was creating carpet angels when she heard a knock on the door all of a sudden.

Opening the door slightly with a creak, Stan was on the other side with Dipper and Mabel. Immediately, she looked up at the older man's eyes that were staring down at her. "Yes?"

"They want to share rooms with you."

Y/n couldn't form a proper response. "Uh..." she then looked across to see the twins who were waiting for their answer. Just what happened that made them decide to switch rooms? "Sure." She opened the door wider for everyone to see. Stan rarely comes here, while it was the siblings' first time seeing everything.

They began listing off things that they could see about her room. "Woah, this is just as big as the one in the attic!" "You have your own toilet?!" "A study table! I would love to read here!"

While they were being excited about her room, Y/n stood beside an unimpressed Stan as she glanced at the rug that they were stepping on. She couldn't help but be worried. "Okaaay, that's enough ogling. What's going on?" She stared up at Stan.

"Well these bozos just randomly come to me demanding that they want separate rooms, don't cha, kids?" The older man said, placing his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, and in my opinion, I should be the one sharing the room with Y/n," Mabel spoke, pointing at herself. "Me and Y/n can bond over girly stuff and actually have fun. She'll have the funnest roommate ever!"

Dipper glared. "Yeah, well, I know that Y/n wouldn't wake up to my night reading because she's a heavy sleeper!"

"Wait, how did you know that?" Y/n chimed in.

He was suddenly flustered, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I was knocking on your door last night, and you didn't answer so I figured you were fast asleep..."

Y/n's eyes widened. "Oh, you were?" She composed herself. She couldn't admit that she wasn't actually in her room last night, and that she was working hard in the portal room downstairs. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't hear you..."

"That's alright," Dipper easily dismissed it. "It's perfect! I can be your perfect roommate!"

"Wait a second," Stan began, walking between both Dipper and Mabel. "So you both want to be Y/n's roommate, huh? Because I own this Shack and specifically, this room, I'll be the one who decides who gets the other half depending on whom I like more." He said so confidently even without asking for Y/n's opinion.

Stan looked around the room until his gaze fell on a random dream catcher hanging on the back of her door. He snatched the item off of the wood that made Y/n yell out in protest. "Hey, put that down! What are you gonna do with that?"

"This is just gonna act like some sort of key. Whoever got this dream catcher in the end gets to be your roommate," Stan easily answered.

"I'm not agreeing to this!"

"Come on, Y/n, how are we supposed to figure out who gets to share the room with ya?" He asked before bending down and pulling his shoelaces loose. "Uh oh, looks like my shoes untied!"

The twins looked at each other for a second before scrambling to the ground and trying to tie Stan's shoe. Stan cackled maniacally. "To the kitchen!"

He ran out of Y/n's room and Dipper and Mabel got up to follow him out the exit.

Y/n was rendered speechless. She didn't know what the heck just happened in the last ten minutes. All she knew was that she had to hide some of her personal belongings from the twins if either of them decided to stay here. While doing so, she tried to figure out Stan's plan without having to ask him directly. Is he doing this for the journal? How will this even go?

And why did the twins even want separate rooms now, anyway? What happened that made them want to do this?

Her beeping watch interrupted her brewing thoughts. She groaned, knowing what she had to do. Glancing quickly around her room, she thought that she had hidden what she needed to hide before leaving her room to tend to the portal. Her watch does the reminder for portal duties during the day.

While walking down the hall and tip-toeing around the gift shop, she kept thinking about her room. She didn't forget anything, did she?

Stan's watch was beeping too, but he quickly turned it off, focusing on his great niece and nephew instead who were busy mowing the lawn in such heat. "Dipper, you're phoning it in!" He called out before drinking lemonade.

They were eventually done with that one chore and they all went inside. "Grunkle Stan, can I go to Y/n's room? I need a little break."

He was aware that Y/n could be downstairs already, meaning that her room would be completely empty. "Sure, but she's not gonna be there."

"Oh? Where is she?"

"She's out, I made her fetch the laundry," Stan quickly came up with an excuse that the twins didn't even question.

Mabel was out and about in the kitchen, throwing in eggs in the pan and garnishes she could find in the cupboards. She wasn't saying anything as she was clearly busy.

"Hey, Dipper, before you go, I need you to fix the door hinges by the toilet. Go get the toolbox on one of those closets on the way." Stan instructed, making Dipper roll his eyes discreetly. "What was that?" Stan still caught it.

"Nothing, nothing!"

"Want me to deduct your suck-up points? You're already at a negative, you know."

"What! No, no, no! I'll do it, I'll do it. Just don't deduct my points!" Dipper begged before walking away towards the hall that leads to the toilet.

It was a fairly quick job, but not for Dipper apparently. For starters, he's too short to reach the top hinges so he had to find a stool. But the tightening part was done quite swiftly. Dipper didn't waste anymore time and made his way to Y/n's room.

Luckily, it was unlocked. It's alright to come inside her room, right? She's not home, and it'll be his room as well eventually, so it's okay, right?

He opened the door and sighed. "I mean, all these chores will be worth it. She even has shag carpeting. Nice." He removed his shoes and began shuffling his sock feet on the carpet as electricity built up around his legs.

Mabel's voice cut off his lounging moment. "Hey, brother. Don't get too comfortable. I just made Stan an omelet shaped like his own face.

Dipper stood up and began pacing around Mabel, building up more electricity.

"Face it. I'm like a suck-up ninja. Half of Y/n's room is as good as mine, and we'll be the best roomies! You might as well give up now. What do you say?" Mabel said, stretching out her hand.

He narrowed his eyes on her. "I say I'm gonna be Y/n's roommate somehow, and when I do, I wouldn't ever have to worry about any of your sleepovers, and we'll never have to share anything ever again!"

Dipper slapped Mabel's hand away, electrocuting her and causing a massive glow between them that knocked them both out.

The girl sat up first, rubbing her head. "Ugh, what happened?"

"Dipper?" The boy said. "Why are you wearing my clothes... and my..." he began to feel his skin. "...face! Am I in your body?"

"Am I in your body?!"

The two began screaming in unison. Mabel in Dipper's body ran to the toilet and threw up while Dipper in Mabel's body was having a meltdown.

After a few moments, Dipper and Mabel stared at their new, swapped bodies in Y/n's tri-fold mirror, pointing out weird things about each other now that they were in each other's bodies. "Great. Just what we need, more Gravity Falls weirdness."

"This is stupid!" Mabel exclaimed. "Sharing a room was bad enough, now we're sharing bodies?"

Dabel (in Mabel's body) walked over to the edge of the carpet and took a look at the tag. "Hey, look. 'Experiment 78'." He flipped the tag over and the back said 'Electron Carpet'. "Electron Carpet. Atoms can swap electrons. This carpet can swap electrons. It must build up a static charge so powerful it can swap minds!"

"But why does Y/n have this?" Mabel asked.

"I have no idea. W-we need to change back and tell Y/n about this."

Mipper (Mabel in Dipper's body) sighed in relief. "Phew! Glad I'm switching back. If I was you I would totally lose the contest."

"And if I was you, which I am, I could sabotage myself! Then Mabel would lose her points and the room would go to Dipper!"

"Wait what?!"

"Oh, Stan!" Dabel yelled out. "I've always hated you!" He chuckled evilly. "See who gives the room to now." He ran out of the room.

Mipper began to chase him but tripped on her feet. "Tie your shoes!"

The two attempted to say and do things that would almost certainly result in them losing points. Dabel poured cereal out of the box everywhere and laughed obnoxiously as Mipper kicked the oven and bottles around. Stan, clearly perplexed, walked out of the kitchen, followed by the twins, who demanded that the points be removed.

Back in Y/n's room, Soos was chasing down Waddles who unknowingly went inside her room because the door was wide open. It was also the handyman's first time seeing the girl's room, while Waddles didn't care as he rolled around in the carpet, loving the way it felt. "Aw Waddles," He cooed, "Nobody thinks it's cute when I lie naked on the living room floor." He began rubbing the pig's head. "I wish I could be a pig."

And, lo and behold, his wish had been granted by the electron carpet, and their bodies were swapped in a snap.

Meanwhile, Dabel was running through the hallway. "Grunkle Stan, come back! I have more terrible things to do!" He turned around. "You're toast, Mabel!" He began to sprint off, only to crash into Grenda.

"There you are, Mabel!" She exclaimed.

"Attack her with love!" Candy followed, hugging Dabel and Grenda close. The two - with Dabel embraced tightly, jumped in unison. "Sleepover!"

"What?!" Dabel thrashed. "No! No, no, no!" He screamed as he was carried up the stairs while Mipper tried to run after them.

Grenda and Candy ran into the twins' room.

"Wait, come back!" Mipper shouted. "Hey, um," she faced Grenda by the door, "can I talk to my... sister, for a sec?"

"This is a sleepover, buddy. No boys allowed!" Grenda emphasized before slamming the door in her face.

Mipper crouched down and peered through the keyhole to see Dabel unsure about the entire situation. Grenda and Candy were giggling and gushing over Grenda's mother's age inappropriate romance novels, which she had brought with her. She had just learned about the book's protagonist, Gerard the werewolf, when someone approached her.

"What's going on, Dipper?"

She gasped and tried to cover the keyhole where she was looking in. Stan glanced at the door and he had the idea on what Mipper was up to. "Ah, you're at that creepy age where you spy on girls, huh? Guess it's time you and I had a man to man talk. About the birds and the bees, you know?"

Mipper frowned deeply as Stan led her to his office. He shuffled around the room until he found just the ideal book for the topic. 'Why Am I Sweaty?' was the book's title.

While all of this was happening above, underground, Y/n was stressing out about the portal. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, staring at the control panel in front of her. Why does she have to keep the portal stable when it's not even running?

They actually needed the three journals as a blueprint for the inter-dimensional portal to work, but they only had one in their possession. Wait a minute, the third one was nearby; they just didn't have the perfect opportunity to grab it.

She shifted her gaze to the journal, which she opened to a specific page. Since when has she been staring at this section of the blueprint? She's been staring at it for three whole decades and it's already imprinted in her mind.

Shaking her head, she stood up. That's enough inquisition for the day. She glanced at the control panel again, giving it a hard punch. Her knuckles slammed against the metal but it didn't hurt one bit. She smacked it in hopes of a functional portal, but alas, no change.

Y/n rode the elevator quietly, walked up the path to the vending machine and took a peek through the glass display. The gift shop seemed to be vacant – even Wendy was out, signaling that the coast was clear. As quickly as possible, she opened the machine and lurked her way out, not forgetting to get herself a can of Pitt Cola to make it look like she was just getting herself a drink and not someone who just got out of a secret door.

Opening the can, she took a sip and exhaled in relief. The drink was always a nice one. She turned around casually and she just realized the chaotic mess of the gift shop. It looked like someone made a breakdown and destroyed everything in their path. The banners were chewed, the signboards were broken in half, and the glass jars were shattered on the ground. Who could have done this?

She heard multiple voices coming from down hall. It sounded like it was coming from her bedroom. She sprinted across, finally arriving at her room just as Dipper and Mabel were dashing out with the dreamcatcher on the boy's hand.

"Dipper, give it back!" Mabel screamed, chasing after him.

Y/n stood there, staring at the numerous unwanted visitors inside her room. She was too afraid to step inside. Clearly, their bodies have been swapped because of their personality changes.

This was her fault and all she blamed was herself for bringing the carpet out again, but she couldn't help but feel mad for the people uninvited who were screaming and laughing from the body switching shenanigan.

"Everybody, stop!" She screamed, and it was silent. "Why are you in my room?!"

Everyone looked at her, speechless as if they were caught red-handed.

"Please, don't move. I demand you all to form a circle, and shuffle your feet against the carpet," she urged them, and thankfully, they granted her request.

Eventually, each one of them had returned to their own bodies and Y/n immediately ushered them outside, one by one.

Once they were out, she was pulling her hair in frustration. What a mess.

While she was cleaning her cluttered room, the twins eventually returned from what seemed to be their feud. They stood from outside of her room, and because the door was opened, Y/n just let the two in.

She resumed her cleaning while the twins were watching her from the door.

"Hey, Y/n, I'm sorry we got inside your room without your permission," Dipper began.

"It's fine," Y/n answered without even looking at him. She was trying to focus on reorganizing the stuff on the shelf.

He stepped forward. "But, I wanted to ask you about the carpet. It was an electron carpet that can swap... well, our electrons."

Y/n almost smiled as she stopped her movements momentarily at Dipper's inquiry. The experiment still works.

Dipper paused in his speech. How does he even ask the question without making her feel bad? "Where... How... Why...?" He stuttered out. That was pathetic.

Finally, Y/n turned around. "I bought it at a yard sale; I didn't expect it to be like that!" Another lie. She couldn't decide whether she should feel bad or proud of herself for thinking of that excuse so quickly.

Before the twins could utter anything in response, she decided to change the subject. "So, who won the uh... contest?"

"Dipper won, but now I understand and won't argue about it anymore," Mabel said with a kind smile as she looked over her brother.

Y/n shrugged. "Alright."

Everyone helped with the moving, but it was mainly his bed. His clothes had a special shelf from one of Y/n's drawers. The room was parted in half, just like the attic used to be. The electron carpet was long gone. Dipper thought it was already thrown out, but it was hidden under her bed.

"Well, this is it," Y/n said, looking at Dipper who was adjusting the mattress. "We can share the study table, but, uh... is it okay if I use my toilet?"

"Uh huh. Sure..." Dipper trailed off, looking down at his pillow. He moved ever so slowly, and she had a feeling he was adorning a frown.

"What's wrong?"

He let out a sigh before turning around and sitting on the edge of his bed. "Nothing, it's..."

"It's what?"

"I thought it would feel more liberating having separated from Mabel, but I had no idea it would be..."

"Would be...?"

"Lonely," he said.

She stared at a random wall, fiddling with her hands. "I'm sorry," seemed like the right thing to say at the moment.

"No, no, don't be," Dipper quickly replied, "It's fine. It's the first time we didn't sleep in the same room, and..."

"Dude, you need to stop letting me finish your sentences."

"I already miss Mabel."

Y/n sat awkwardly on her bed, her interlocked fingers placed on her lap. She didn't like the silence this time as she could practically feel Dipper's depression resonate through the room. "Well," she started slowly, "we could always have a little sleepover?"

A small smile appeared on his face. "I can't believe I would say this but a sleepover sounds like a good idea." He looked at her with hopeful eyes. "Wanna come?"

"Oh," she jumped. "I- I figured this could be between you and your sister...?"

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, you've never been in a sleepover?"

With a solemn smile, she averted her gaze. It was almost comical how she didn't have time for sleepovers or other activities that most kids do. Consciously, she rubbed her baggy eyes. Her exhaustion had only recently caught up with her, and she realized she'd spent the previous thirty years underground. She was extremely fortunate to be unable to feel pain and to heal quickly, or she would have honestly died by now.

He was taken aback by her silence, which made him look at her slightly sad. He got out of bed after grabbing his pillow and did the most spontaneous thing of his day, if not his life. He approached Y/n as she looked at him expectantly.

"What are you doing?"

Dipper grabbed her hand and yanked her off her bed before leading her out of the room. "All right, come on." He was holding her hand in the one hand while still gripping the pillow on the other.

"What?"

"We're doing a sleepover... right now." Dipper smiled at her. Thankfully, Y/n let him lead her upstairs to the attic.

The boy dropped her hand before knocking on the door and a few seconds later, Mabel answered, opening it just a bit so she could only see him.

"Hey, you wanna have a sleepover?" Dipper asked sheepishly.

Mabel glanced at the pillow under his arm and smiled widely.

"Oh, and I brought a friend," he smiled and pushed the door open, allowing Mabel to see Y/n, who was waving shyly.

Her grin widened even more when she saw the two of them and immediately drew them inside. Mabel picked up her mini golf club before giving a spare one to Y/n. "Fore!" She shouted, striking a synthetic eyeball. "Let's play Attic Stuff Mini-Golf!"

Y/n let a smile stretch her lips. "How do you play?"

"Just hit the ball and we'll score the points depending on how awesome it goes!" She explained.

Dipper smiled and encouraged her, placing the eyeball on the ground by Y/n's shoes.

"Okay..." Y/n trailed off, allowing her golf club to kiss the ball for a brief moment before swinging back and swatting the ball too hard, causing it to bounce on various walls and surfaces until it crashed through the window and fell on Stan's head.

"Ah! Why am I even out here at night?!"

Their laughs filled the entire attic as they had fun for the rest of the night until they eventually passed out on the floor, cuddled together.

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 16!

MASTERLIST

RG'H LPZB GL YV GRIVW. BLF XZM GZPV Z YIVZP

author's note: love u guys <3

[gravityfallsrewritten]

Chapter 14: Halloween in June

Stan abruptly stopped the car after it had been carelessly parked. Everyone inside jumped out as the twins gawked at what was in front of them."Here we are," he began. "The Summerween Superstore!"

"A very special store for a very special occasion that only happens once a year," Y/n added sarcastically.

Dipper scratched his head confusedly. "Wait. Summer-what?"

"Summerween!" Stan responded confidently, bringing out a calendar. "The people of this town loved Halloween so much, they celebrate it twice a year! And wouldn't you know it, it's today!"

"Do you always carry that calendar in your pocket?"

"Yes."

Mabel placed a finger on her cheek in curiosity. "Summerween? Something about this feels unnatural."

Soos walked over to the twins and placed his arms around them. "There's free candy~!"

The two of them smiled at one another before sprinting to the entrance. The other three followed suit. Stan noticed Y/n looking mellow, so he nudged her. "Hey, you okay? Did you get enough sleep?"

"I'm not sleepy. It's just... Summerween."

"What about it?"

"Nothing," Y/n dismissed. "I'm sure I'll just sit this one out again, like the last decade."

He raised an eyebrow at her before averting his gaze to the main door of the store. "Well, this is your chance to get a convincing costume so that no one can recognize you. This is the first time we're buying fake blood with the kids! I'm sure they're excited to celebrate Summerween with you."

Stan and Y/n watched as the kids messed around with the items on the shelves before Dipper discovered a wagon. Mabel hopped onto it while wearing a pair of silly glasses. "Come on, Y/n, to the costume aisle!"

"Go nuts, kid," Stan spoke beside her, and with a smile, she followed the twins.

The older man couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He was well aware that Y/n had been suppressed since childhood. Growing up, she didn't really go through all the experiences that a typical kid should have. She had always been out exploring and discovering new things thirty years ago. She was already too preoccupied with building an interdimensional portal that connects to other worlds when she could have been going to school and making friends her age. She should have aged to someone with an older physique but nothing had changed over the last 30 years.

Stan went to the containers of fake blood and began lifting one, not realizing that it was slowly spilling to the floor due to a leak. Mabel had already chosen a costume and decided not to tell both her brother and friend. "You're gonna find out later!" she said.

The three of them continued to goof off, with Y/n not having this much fun in years. She and Dipper were both pushing on the wagon that Mabel was in, turning a sharp right into a pile of Jack O' Melons, crashing and breaking into laughter.

Suddenly, everyone heard a voice on the intercom. "Have the police come and eject the Pines family from the store?"

They quickly gathered everything they could just as Stan threw a smoke bomb right in front of her. "Not today!"

"My eyes!" The smoke was everywhere, and that's when they made their escape. Stan was carrying a gallon of fake blood, while Soos was carrying two more. Y/n had a huge burlap bag filled with knick knacks and other props hauled behind her, and Dipper continued pushing Mabel on the wheelbarrow.

"You paid for the stuff, right?" Mabel asked with a smile.

"Of course!"

He paid it all with a limited edition Stan Bucks (Totally not just drawn on scrap paper). One piece of it already costs 500 dollars. Stan was just that generous to let the store keep the change.

***

***

Soos had already dressed himself in some sort of a mash between a superhero and a wrestler. Perhaps both. The Jack O' Melons were already litt and the decorations were hung up to produce a creepy vibe around it.

"I'm so excited!" Mabel exclaimed, sitting on the ground beside her brother.

Dipper matched her energy. "We're gonna have the best costumes, get the most candy..."

"And have the biggest stomachaches ever!"

"Yeah!"

"Haha, yeah!" The two high-fived.

The handyman sat on the yellow couch before them. "Dude, I've never seen you guys so pumped."

Y/n had just returned after helping Stan with his costume. He had difficulty with adjusting the girdle sometimes. She entered the room silently, leaning on the arm of the chair as she took a candy from the bowl that Soos was holding.

Mabel chuckled. "Well, back at home, me and Dipper were kind of the kings of trick-or-treating," she said just as Dipper brought up a scrapbook. She took it and began flipping through it. "Twins in costumes! The people eat it up." They dressed as cats, salt and pepper shakers, and zombies. It was, without a doubt, adorable.

"Well, you dudes better be careful out there. It's a night of ghouls and goblins. Not to mention..." he patted Y/n as a signal. She walked over to the light switch and turned it off just as Soos shined a flashlight on his face. "...the Summerween Trickster!"

They could've sworn there was dramatic music playing somewhere.

"The Summer-what- what-what?"

He continued his story as the twins listened very intently. "The Trickster goes door to door, so the legend goes, eating children who lack the Summerween spirit."

Dipper raised an eyebrow. "Well, you don't have to worry about us." He proceeded to eat a candy from the same bowl Y/n took from. "We've got spirit to go around." He began coughing violently at the taste. Y/n turned the lights back on. "Ugh, what is this stuff?! I've never even heard of these brands!"

He picked up each candy as he named them, "Sand Pop? Gummy chairs? Mr. Adequate-Bar?"

"This is all cheap-o loser candy!" Mabel added.

"I- I like them..." Y/n quietly admitted, slightly confused at their distaste. She didn't know what Dipper was fussing about. Homework the Candy has a unique taste.

Mabel faced her. "Well, then, you must have low standards, Y/n. There are plenty of candy more delicious than these tacky ones, blegh."

Soos stood, picking up a lip gummy. "Quiet your discomfort, children," he scolded, "lest the Trickster overhear."

"Your cape is caught in your fly, Soos." Dipper said, walking away with the candy bowl and the scrapbook.

"Touchè."

Y/n watched as Dipper threw handfuls of candy out the window. "Goodbye, loser candy!"

"No, don't waste them! We could give them to trick-or-treaters," Y/n stopped him from continuing.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. "Trick-or-treaters!" Stan shouted from the other room. "Quick, give 'em that terrible candy!"

"See?" she gestured to the door. "Now give them the candy."

Dipper's eyes rolled playfully, carrying both the scrapbook and bowl in his hands as he trudged to the door. Mabel suddenly grabbed the girl's arm. "That reminds me, Y/n! We have to wear the costumes we bought! Let's go!"

"Wah!" Y/n yelped as she felt herself being dragged upstairs to Mabel's room.

Meanwhile, Dipper opened the door as he said, "Happy Summerw- AHH!" His greeting was interrupted by his own scream as he saw who was at the door.

"'Sup, squirt," Robbie said, his arm around the redhead.

"Hey, Dipper."

"WENDY!" The greeting was very enthusiastic. "Wh-what's up, guys?"

She groaned. "I left my jacket here. Again."

Robbie scoffed, glancing at what Dipper was holding. "What's with the candy? You're goin' trick-or-treating or something?"

"Well, actually I- uh-" I am, in fact, trick-or-treating with my friends and sister, getting every candy of this town and eat them until we have stomach aches-

Wendy grinned as she put on the jacket. "Shut up, Robbie, of course he's not going trick-or-treating."

"No! Yeah," Dipper was agreeing before him realizing, noticing the book he was holding before hiding it and laughing nervously. "Trick-or-treating is for babies! Heh... I guess."

Wendy smiled and invited the boy to Tambry's party which sounded very promising. Robbie- although he didn't want to- handed Dipper a flier. The details were there, including the time of the party, which was supposed to be at 9PM.

Dipper told them that he probably might come before the couple eventually drove off and he was left by the porch. When they were gone, he looked at the two options literally placed on his hands. The flier on his left, and the trick-or-treat memory book on the other. He sighed. "How am I gonna tell Mabel?" He walked back inside, contemplating his future decisions.

Time passed shortly before the bell rang again. Mabel dashed down the stairs, Y/n in tow. Mabel was dressed as a jar of strawberry jam. Y/n lagged behind due to her adjusting the big beige coat hung around her shoulders. The overly excited twin opened the door just as Stan walked to the lobby dressed as a vampire– with the fangs and everything.

He laughed when he saw Y/n's costume. She donned a white shirt paired with a black tie underneath a tan coat that reached her knee. She also wore tan pants and black shoes that Mabel found which was surprisingly a nice fit. Square-framed glasses sat atop her nose (a/n: let's pretend that you don't have glasses in this au hahaha), and a tan press hat to top it all off.

Now that he realized it, Stan looked at her amusingly. "Aw, you looked just like him-"

"Stop it," Y/n cut him off before he could say another word. She tightened the tie around her neck. "By the way, I need some of that fake blood you have to complete the costume. Mabel had this whole backstory for me."

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel said. "These are my best friends, Candy and Grenda!"

Candy Chiu and Grenda (last name unknown) smiled at him, dressed as a candy and witch respectively. "I am so sweet I could eat myself."

"Hello, Mr. Pines!" Grenda greeted with her usual voice that would have normally belonged to a wrestler. But they still loved her nonetheless– manly voice or not.

Stan raised an eyebrow. "You got a cold, honey? Something wrong with your voice there?"

She frowned. "What do you mean? Why would you say that?"

Y/n glared at him. "Just get the blood."

He looked down at her. "What are you supposed to be again? A hotdog sandwich?"

Mabel answered the question for her, materializing on Y/n's side. "She's a horror fiction writer whose stories came to life and are out to get her!"

"She always has the best stories!" Y/n squeaked as she shrugged with the half-sarcastic comment. "So I need the blood. Get it for me, you vampire man."

Stan dramatically waved his cape before making his exit. Candy, Mabel, and Grenda were gushing over Waddle's office costume when he returned with a cup of red liquid. She took it before he left again. "Welp, here goes." She dipped her fingers into the liquid and began patting herself. "Oh, nooo. Ahhhh. Blood."

She had the thick substance all over her clothes and hat, and even had one splashed on the lens of her glasses for extra effect. Internally, she thought how she could have just used her own blood for a more scary prop– but she thought it might freak them out. She's not ready to see her differently just yet.

"Looking great, Y/n!" Mabel pointed out. "Oh man, guys, just wait until you see Dipper's costume! It's amazing!" She exclaimed. Everyone heard sounds of taps as they turned to the stairs. "Here he comes now!"

But Dipper wasn't wearing a costume. He had his pockets inside his vest as he walked down the stairs, dressing normally.

The four of them stared at him in silence before Candy spoke. "That is a very good Dipper costume."

Mabel walked over to him. "What the hey-hey, bro-bro. Where's your costume?"

"Look, I can't go trick-or-treating. I'm uh... really sick." He coughed right on cue. "M-must've been that bad candy!" He fell to the floor, clutching his stomach. "Go on without me!"

"Fight through it, man!" Mabel persuaded. "Where's your Summerween spirit?"

Y/n remained silent while setting the now-empty cup down on a nearby surface. Dipper's illness came out of nowhere. He couldn't have gotten sick from the candy, she was certain. His actions were extremely suspicious.

Instead of the usual door bell, someone knocked. Dipper stood up to his feet and opened it.

"Trick-or-treat."

A husky voice spoke. Dipper looked up to see a tall creature with a raggedy costume and a smiley face as their mask.

"Dude, really? You're a little old for this, man. Sorry."

"But, wait, I-" He was cut off by the slamming of the door.

Mabel had her hands on her hips. "Why'd you close the door?"

"I told you, Mabel, I'm just not feeling it tonight." He coughed again after his sentence.

"I think a little trick-or-treating will make you feel better," the other twin replied, nudging her brother.

Dipper glared. "I'm not trick-or treating!"

"Sounds a little weird coming from the so-called 'King of Trick-or-Treating'," Y/n noted, wanting to speak her mind. Her arms were crossed, her face contorted to a confused and doubtful expression.

Before he could utter a reply, there was a knock on the door again.

He opened it to see the same person. "Look, man, just go to another house!" He shut him out again.

"Dipper! Where's your Summerween hospitality?" Mabel shouted.

The door was knocked upon once more. "I'm not getting that." Dipper glowered.

"Well, I am!" She took over his place and opened the door this time, greeting the stranger with a happy face. "I apologize for my brother. He came down with a case of the grumpy-grumps-"

"SILENCE!"

Wind came over and leaves were flying around. The person made a dramatic stance and pointed at Mabel accusingly. "You have insulted me! For this you must pay... with your lives." He leaned closer.

"Ohhh, what a cute little mask!" Mabel placed her hands on her hips. "You're a funny guy, aren't you?"

The creature entered the Shack, and Y/n was immediately posed as if she's ready for a fight. She stood in front of the other girls as they shivered in fear. "Funny, am I?" He said with his raspy voice.

"Twik-ow-tweet!" A little boy walked by wearing a pirate costume. "My name is Gorney!" He said enthusiastically before he was being grabbed by the monster and devoured him whole as he screamed, "Remember me!"

Everyone in the room was hysterical. "Gorney!" Grenda shouted.

"There's only one way for you to avoid his fate." His slender finger poked Candy on the head, and it made her grab onto Y/n in fright as she glared at the creature. "I need a treat. If you can collect 500 pieces of candy, and bring it to me before the last Jack O' Melon goes out," He conveniently brought out a melon from nowhere and lit it up with his magic fingers before blowing it out. "I will let you live."

Dipper panicked. "Five hundred treats in one night? That's impossible!"

"The choice is yours, children." It began retreating its way outside. " You must trick-or-treat... or DIE!" The monster laughed maniacally before making its way to the Shack's roof and out of sight.

"Oh my gosh, Mabel. Do you know what this means?" Dipper frowned.

She was frowning as well, wearing a serious look. "I do... It means you have to come trick-or-treating! Yay!" She shook her brother in excitement.

Candy was still trembling slightly. "Who was that guy?"

"Was that the Summerween Trickster that Soos was telling us about?" Y/n wondered aloud.

"I can't believe it's true!" Mabel added.

"I can't believe he has a super hot, raspy voice!" Grenda chimed in, only to receive weird stares. "Just me? Okay."

Soos walked out of the Shack. "What's going out here, dudes? I heard a ruckus. Heh, funny word. Ruckus."

The kids told him about the monster that was threatening to eat them unless they gave him candy, confirming his legend. "You guys are in crazy bonkers trouble, dude."

Dipper began pacing around. "How are we gonna get so much candy in one night? There's no way!"

Mabel clapped from a random haystack she was standing on. Everybody crowded around her. "Listen up, people. Now some might say that being cursed by a blood-thirsty holiday monster is a bad thing, but that monster messed with the wrong crew. With everybody's own assets joining forces, we'll get 500 pieces of candy and have fun doing it, too, even if it takes all night!"

Everyone took off, Dipper trundling a wheelbarrow until they reached the streets of Gravity Falls. "How do you even do this anyway..." Y/n muttered, holding her own burlap sack.

Mabel gasped beside her. "Y/n, you've never trick-or-treated before?!"

She shook her head no. "I never had anyone to go out with, sadly," she confessed. All those years being sheltered down the portal room with Stan had been a result to her lack of social skills. Good thing she was a quick learner.

"Well, consider yourself lucky!" She hugged her side. "With us, you'll have so much fun with this being your first time!"

"I just don't understand why we can't just buy our candy and be done with it," Dipper spoke up, wiping the smile from her sister's face. Mabel removed her arm around Y/n's shoulders.

"That sorta takes the fun out of trick-or-treat-or-die, Dipper."

"I'm trying to take the die out of trick-or-treat-or-die!"

They all walked to the first house, which belonged to Lazy Susan. Another group of trick-or-treaters just received a bagful, so that means she's generous with her candy.

"Just say trick-or-treat, Y/n," Mabel said, facing her. "You need to be adorable, which you really don't have to do anything. Right, Dipper?" she nudged him casually, making him blush for a brief moment before looking away.

The team walked up to Lazy Susan and shouted in unison, "Trick-or-treat!"

"And is everybody in costume?" She began pointing them out one by one, naming them. "Chimney sweep (Grenda), elephant man (Soos), squeegee (Candy), ant farm (Mabel), hotdog sandwich! (Y/n)" She stopped at Dipper. "Oh, and what are you supposed to be?"

"Uh, actually, I'm not dressed up as anything. We're, we're kinda in a hurry here."

"Oh. I see."That made Susan frown as she began giving everyone except Dipper one piece of candy. "Enjoy!" She screamed with a smile before slamming the door shut.

"One piece of black licorice?!" Grenda complained.

Candy brought up her own lousy reward. "Circus peanut! This is loser candy."

"Five pieces of candy?! This is gonna take forever!"

"We've gotta up our game, Dipper. You gotta put on your costume," Mabel advised.

Dipper stubbornly declined. "I told you, I'm not up to it, Mabel!" He coughed in perfect timing again.

"Oh, really?" The Trickster appeared on top of a street light before climbing down onto Soos and picking up a candy from his bag. He inspected the piece as he hummed. Soos was quivering in fear. "I've seen better."

"Get off of him!" Y/n demanded, unafraid.

The Trickster jumped away and flipped onto a roof as he grabbed a lit Jack O' Melon. "Tick-tock..." he blew the candle out before jumping behind the house.

"That monster is seriously so dramatic..." Y/n muttered under her breath.

Mabel turned to Dipper. "So, what was that about being too sick to wear a costume?"

He sighed defeatedly as he kicked a rock.

***

A few minutes after coming back to the Shack and getting the costume before regrouping in the street and Dipper hiding later, Mabel finally welcomed her brother to the gang. "Introducing, for the first time in public..." Dipper walked out, shamefully wearing his costume. "TADA! Peanut Butter and Jelly!"

Everybody aww'ed in unison at the sight. Y/n couldn't help but smile at them. It was indeed a precious moment.

Dipper groaned. "Let's just get this over with, okay?"

The group lined towards the next street, splitting up to different houses. The peanut butter boy reached up and pressed the doorbell before facing the jelly girl. "Do you really think this will make a difference?"

A biker opened the door, grunting and holding a bowl of candy. The pair began dancing together before exclaiming, "TWINS!" with a broad grin. The biker stared at them before looking up, his eyes welling up with tears of joy. He threw the entire candy bowl into their bag, and the twins ran away in delight.

Grenda, Candy, Soos, Y/n had just returned from their respective homes they just trick-or-treated in, meeting in the middle to unload their earned candy. "Let's get that candy guys!"

More trick-or-treating ensued with Dipper and Mabel using their twin powers to charm the residents and making them give all the candy they had left. The notepad and pen that was inside Y/n's trench coat that was supposed to be a harmless prop came in handy as they used it to list the number of candies that they have.

The more candy they have in their wheelbarrow, the less time they have left until the last Jack O' Melon was blown out. A couple of ringing and dinging bells later, Mabel had just upturned her bag and a few more candy spilled out into the wagon. "499! We did it!" The group cheered. "All we need is one more piece of candy!"

"And it's only 8:30," Dipper said, looking at his watch. "Perfect timing!"

Perfect timing for what? Y/n wondered.

Mabel hugged him tightly. "Ah, and your cough went away, too!"

"Dude, I'm gonna go around and grab the truck. Soos, away!" Soos ran off with his cape wavering behind.

The ecstatic girl turned to Grenda, Candy, and Y/n. "Last one to the last house is a pair of wax lips!" The three giggled as they sprinted while Grenda screamed that she wasn't a wax lip.

The four girls arrived at the supposed last house by the corner of the street. "So, how was your first time trick-or-treating with us, Y/n?" Mabel asked, nudging her slightly.

"It was so fun! I didn't know it was fun," Y/n admitted with a huge smile on her face. "I can't believe a bunch of kids dressed up as various things get rewards from grown adults just because they have to!" The other three laughed at Y/n, making her confused. "Am I wrong?"

Mabel stopped chuckling first. She rang the doorbell and the girls greeted with "Trick-or-treat!" The woman sadly motioned to her hands that held a single piece of candy. "It's perfect, ma'am! Thank you!" They all began to walk back but Y/n spoke again.

"Wait, why did you guys laugh at me?"

"Oh, Y/n, you are such a nerd– and I don't mean that in a bad way, no. You know you don't have to spout out smart stuff all the time, right? Dipper's already impressed with you."

That only added to her confusedness. "...what?"

The trio giggled to one another. "He is... wait for it... nuts about you!" Everyone except Y/n burst into laughter again. "HAH, get it? Because he's a-" Mabel was cut off by her own laughter. "He's peanut butter! HAHAHA!"

Y/n shook her head. "You guys are hard to decipher."

Mabel slung her arm around her shoulders, not caring about the fake blood stain that might dirty her costume. "Don't worry your pretty little head, Y/n. You can talk to him about it later. Speaking of Dipper, let's–!"

Her words died in her throat as the four of them watched Dipper conversed with Wendy without his costume. "...party?" was the last part of Wendy's sentence.

Dipper was chuckling. "Yeah, yeah, I'm definitely coming." He nodded.

The van eventually speeded off as he waved them away. "Later, guys!"

Mabel stood there, frozen. "You're going to a party?"

His eyes widened as he turned around and saw their disappointed faces, his sister having the deepest frown. "Well, hey, I-"

He was cut off by the last piece of candy thrown directly at his face. "That's why you were acting so weird and trying to hurry us!" Mabel exclaimed. "You're not sick at all! So if it wasn't for this crazy monster, you were gonna ditch me! On our favorite holiday!" Her lip wobbled as she spoke.

Candy and Grenda said, "Ooooh" in unison, while Y/n remained silent.

"What happened to the DIpper who used to love Halloween?!" Mabel looked away as he remained silent. She looked around. "And where's all the candy?!"

"Relax, relax!" Dipper tried to ease her worries with a relieved grin. "I left it right here. Behind this bush." He walked over to the shrubs and pushed away the leaves before looking over. "Oh no."

The candy-filled wheelbarrow had fallen into a creek gorge, and the majority of the candy was floating downstream.

"What did you do?!" Mabel yelled further as they felt a pit to their stomachs. All their hard work was gone, down the drain. There was no way they could get another 500 pieces of candy with almost all the Jack O' Melons out.

Everybody looked around and they saw the houses all dark with no signs of light in them. "Oh no, all the Jack O' Melons are out!" Panicked Mabel.

"Look!" Dipper pointed down the road where the last melon was still lit. Old Man McGucket stood beside it with a large unknowing smile. "Hehe! Good night!" He inhaled his breath, ready to blow.

"Stop!" They got to him and tried to explain that he shouldn't blow out the candle.

"What?!" He had to pull out a horn to his ear.

"Don't blow out that candle!" Dipper shouted.

The man threw away the horn carelessly as he jollied, "I'm Old Man McGucket!" He inhaled again.

"Wait-!"

Grenda rammed into the old man and got a hold of the Jack O' Melon. "Sorry."

McGucket crawled away, producing sounds from an animal they couldn't identify. Finally, he was gone, and the melon was still lit. "Phew, that was close." The group sighed in relief, but the air from the mouths caused the candle to go out. Very unfortunate.

"Uh oh."

As if on cue, the Trickster appeared from under a lone streetlight, stepping into view. "Knock knock." He continued walking forward, and the team walked back. "So, children. Where's my candy?"

The three girls hugged each other in fright. Y/n was trying to devise a plan to escape from this monster, while Dipper was trying to reason. "I swear, we had all 500 pieces. Look! It's down there somewhere, we can still get it!"

The monster's limbs suddenly stretched him to a much taller height. "I'm afraid it's too late!" His back popped from behind, ripping away his sort of clothing. He leaned towards Dipper, mocking him with his slender fingers. "That was your last chance!"

Dipper took out the last candy he got from Mabel and attempted to attack him with it, flinging it towards the monster, but they watched as it only got absorbed with its flesh. The Trickster laughed maniacally. Okay, so it probably absorbs anything it hurls at him so they shouldn't go near it.

Y/n grabbed Mabel's hand, making her hold onto Grenda, who clasped her arm with Candy. "Let's go!"

Everyone ran around the Trickster, who followed them. The group suddenly collapsed and was being captured one by one by its morphing arms. "What are you made of?!" Y/n shouted, thrashing around in its hold. Surely he has a weakness once she finds out what he is.

It took hold of everyone, swinging them around as if it won a prize, until a van crashed into the monster, causing it to explode. The children went flying. The van stopped and Soos looked out the window. "Woah."

"Soos!" They were glad he was there to save the day, perfect timing and all.

"That wasn't like a regular pedestrian, was it?" He asked.

"It was the monster!"

"Thanks, Soos," Dipper said, turning to Mabel. "I'm just glad it's over, right?" He asked, only to receive no answers from her. She walked away towards the truck and hopped inside.

Once everyone was in the car, Soos asked the group, "Did everyone remember to put on their seatbelts?"

"Yes." Everyone except Mabel and Y/n – who just hummed – said. Mabel nodded without saying a word.

The truck drove off. Dipper and Mabel sat up front, while Y/n was in between Candy and Grenda. Mabel rubbed her slowly bruising elbow under her sleeve, not saying a word. "Hey, are you okay?" Dipper noticed. She turned away, giving him a cold shoulder. "There are probably some bandages back at the Shack..." he tried to reassure but all he received was nothing. He breathed a sigh.

Mabel was gazing outside the car's window when all of a sudden, particles of what looked like mush were taken by wind, moving quickly past her. "Uh... guys?" She said, looking back at the road to see the Trickster's body slowly being reassembled.

The smiley face mask was still there, and his limbs grew back, but he didn't even finish his transformation when he jumped into the air and crashed onto the car's roof, making Soos swerve as everybody screamed.

Soos managed to get the Trickster to release its grip, but the vehicle was still zigzagging. The van made an unsuspecting turn towards the Summerween store. "Hit the brakes, Soos!" Y/n shouted over the commotion.

The handyman stomped on the pedal and the tires screeched against the pavement until it eventually rammed into the sliding doors, smashing the glass. The car was now inside, dashing through shelves and merchandise before stopping.

Everyone managed to get out of their seats and into the store. Dust littered the room as Y/n checked if no one got hurt. The Trickster appeared in the giant hole the car made, crawling on the ground. "We have to hide!" Dipper yelled and the group hid behind the shelves.

The Trickster was getting more bloodthirsty by the second, destroying everything in its path. "He's blocking the only exit..."

Mabel and Dipper decided to hide on one of the lower shelves as well as Grenda, Candy, and Y/n. Soos was standing with the hung up costumes.

"Everyone, stay quiet!" Dipper whispered to the other four.

Y/n tapped her fingers against a surface as she thought of a plan. They can't be stuck here forever. It's only a matter of time until the Trickster finds them and devours them. She couldn't just sit here and wait. She had to do something.

So she crouched out of the shelf and looked around to see if the creature was nearby. "Y/n, what are you doing?"

"I'm finding another way out," she told them.She scouted the area as thoroughly as she could before proceeding to the other side of the aisle. A grip on her wrist stopped her, and she faced Dipper standing up from behind the shelf.

His brow furrowed in concern. "Stay! The monster might see you!" He hissed.

Mabel couldn't help it, she was angry. "Oh, now you're worried about the monster. I thought all you cared about was the party!"

Dipper still had Y/n in his grip, turning to his sister as he crouched back down with her. "Mabel, you know that's not true."

The two sensed that the Trickster was coming their way so they fit inside the shelf with Mabel. They stopped breathing for a bit until the monster passed by completely. Now, the three were squished together in a tight space. "I just..." Dipper continued in whispers, "I felt like I was getting a little too old for trick-or-treating."

"That's exactly why we need to go trick-or-treating, Dipper! We're getting older, there's not that many Halloween's left!" She turned away with a sigh. "I guess I didn't realize it was already our last one."

Dipper's eyes widened. As if he had only realized that this meant so much to Mabel. He looked down to the patterned floor and remained quiet. If only Y/n could reach over and give her a comforting hug, but she's afraid that there are more important things to take care of at the moment. |

"We have to find a way to not let him see us," Y/n told the group, thinking of a plan.

Soos stood still by the costume rack "If only there were something we could use to cover our bodies and faces with. You know, like a disguise of some kind..." he trailed off, placing fingers under his chin.

Mabel, Dipper, and Y/n looked at one another, having the same idea.

The group managed to find identical capes with skull masks – except for Soos, who donned a gorilla outfit. They tip-toed around the monster, stopping moving when it was near. Good thing the Trickster didn't have good senses. Does he even have a proper face with ears and a nose?

"Almost there!" Dipper said, leading the line.

Y/n paused in her movements, noticing that one person wasn't with them. "Wait-" she turned around and saw Soos by the shelves of cackling skulls again. "Soos!" she whisper-shouted towards the man, alerting everyone else as they stared at him in panic.

"Soos, don't you dare!" Mabel warned, pointing at him.

Soos held his hands together. "Sorry, dude, today's been way stressful. I need some levity. He pressed one of the skulls— but nothing happened.

Mabel smiled in relief as she faced the group. "Oh, thank goodness. It was out of batteries."

Unfortunately, Soos found a package of batteries, and was now struggling to open it.

"Soos, no!"

He eventually put the batteries inside of the toy but before he pushed down the head again, he was tackled to the ground. Y/n climbed on top of his belly. "Cut it out, man! The monster will hear you!" She snarled.

"No, let me hear it!" No matter how Y/n tried to push him down, Soos just easily managed to get up because of his height against her. "I... want... the... jokes!" He bumped the toy skulls and it turned on.

"No matter the score, I'm always a-head! Nyahaha! Nyahaha!"

Soos laughed as well, slapping his leg. "I'm sorry, Y/n, but this cackling head's the voice of a generation!"

Y/n's eyes widened, completely ignoring what he said as the Trickster was coming up behind them as its mouth opened. Soos turned around as well and the monster finally made its move, widening its mouth and leaning down. Y/n got into a fighting stance, but before the monster reached them, Soos pushed her away, sending her back to the group, before he was eaten.

She stared in shock. Why did he have to sacrifice himself for her?! Before she could call herself all the ugly names, Dipper's voice echoed through the hallway. "Hey, monster!" Y/n averted her gaze to the group pulling out toy weapons and began charging towards the Trickster. Mabel tossed her a plastic spear and they were all attacking the large being.

Grenda leaped into the air and swung her ax and it was effective, cutting off one of the Trickster's limbs. As they bash their weapons into its limbs, some particles were flying out, and poor Grenda had a taste of them. Her brows furrowed as she found the taste familiar. "Saltwater taffy? Gross!"

Dipper hacked at a leg, and the same itty bits came at him. "What are you–?!" He tasted a piece. "Wait, it is!" He confirmed Grenda's suspicions.

"You really haven't figured it out yet?" The Trickster said, picking everyone up as he brought them closer. "Don't you recognize me? Look at my face! Look closely." He pulled the smiley mask off to reveal that he was an amalgamation of various candy pieces. Cherry swirlies for his eyes, pepper sticks for his brows, apple licorice for his lips, and worst of all, candy corn for his teeth. The rest of his so-called flesh was just littered with-

"Loser candy!" Mabel shouted.

"That's right!" The Trickster said, proceeding to tell his backstory– how he was rejected so he sought revenge on the picky children. "No one would eat me. But now, I'm going to eat you." The twins screamed, holding each other. They hear something grumbling, making the Trickster struggle to speak. "What is that?!" He screamed in pain as his body was growling and moving around.

Suddenly, Soos tore through the Trickster's chest, screeching. The creature dropped the group as he fell to the ground, vomiting jelly beans. Soos sat atop of the monster comfortably, basically eating his insides with a smile. "You guys want some of this?"

Everyone shook their heads. Y/n grimaced, feeling like Mabel after eating those expired Smile Dips. "I don't wanna eat any candy ever again," she said after seeing this horrifying view.

"Wait! You actually think I taste... good?"

Soos shrugged. "Uh, sure! You know."

The Trickster smiled. "All I've ever wanted is for someone to say that I was... good!" He began sobbing as candy corn came out of his eyes, "I'm so happy!"

Gorney was also safe inside of the Trickster's stomach, screaming happily, "I've bween twaumatized!"

Eventually, everyone decided that it was time to go home. The Trickster was gone because his unfinished business was finally, well, finished. Luckily, the truck was still working after the crash. After removing all the debris, they finally got in and drove back to the Shack.

The moon was still high up in the sky as the group entered through the living room. They greeted Stan by the door who was watching a horror movie.

"Hey, Dipper!" Wendy chimed in as she had been sitting from the chair on the left of them. She was carving a watermelon.

"Wendy!" He was surprised to see her here, especially now where she could see him in his peanut butter costume with Mabel.

The redhead frowned. "I didn't see you at the party. Where were you?" She asked.

Dipper began stuttering, stalling for a cool excuse to somewhat impress her as she waited with an eyebrow raised. He stopped and decided that he shouldn't lie anymore and he shouldn't be ashamed of it. So with a proud grin, he told her. "I was trick-or-treating. With my sister." He brought her in for a side-hug, making Mabel smile.

Wendy turned to Y/n who was looking at the now cracked fake glasses. "Wait, you went trick-or-treating too, Y/n?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

The older teen smiled. "Well, I gotta say, I like your hotdog costume."

"It's not a hotdog costume! Why do people keep saying that?!"

"Maybe because of your beige coat, beige pants, and beige hat that looked like a hotdog bun," Mabel happily pointed out.

Dipper agreed. "Mm, and the fake blood honestly looked like ketchup."

Y/n sighed in defeat, deciding that denying the hotdog theory would be pointless anyway.

Wendy was telling them that the party was lame and that Robbie ate a lollipop stick first and had to go home sick, making Dipper stifle a laugh.

"Aw man," Mabel said, frowning, "we went to every single house, and we didn't even get to eat any candy!"

"Candy?" Stan asked from the yellow chair before bringing out two large sacks. "How's that for candy?"

The trio grinned at each other. Everyone got out of their costumes except for Soos (who stupidly didn't bring his clothes) as Stan turned the bags upside down, letting all the candy fall to the ground. The TV had just announced that the movie is coming back from a commercial break. Y/n turned off the lights as everyone settled around the pile of candy.

Dipper returned from upstairs and silently entered the room, sitting on the steps. He carefully attached a bandage on Mabel's sore arm and they smiled at each other.

They were quietly munching on candies as they intently watched the supposed horror movie until Soos broke the silence.

"I ate a man alive tonight."

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 15!

MASTERLIST

KRPHZRUN: WKH FDQGB LV DFWXDOOB WDVWB - B/Q

[gravityfallsrewritten]

Chapter 13: Through Fears and Insecurities

"So how do you play this game?"

Dipper looked at Y/n, offended. "Seriously? You've never heard of this game before?"

She rolled her eyes. The two of them stood in front of a worn arcade machine with Fight Fighters in big, bold letters on the side of it. "I have, I just never had the time to play it." She crossed her arms.

"Well, you pick a character first," Dipper said, stepping forward and moving the joystick. "My favorite one's Rumble McSkirmish." He pressed a button and the character was chosen. "Your turn."

Y/n scoured through the list of fighters until she finally stopped on her chosen character. "This one looks promising." A ginger woman with two buns in her hair, and the name 'Suggessica' above her.

"Okay," Dipper nodded, smiling. The announcer shouted that the fight had begun and the two fighters faced each other with a referee in the middle. He felt excited as he taught her the basics of the game. "First things first, you use the joystick to move your character."

He moved left and right, Y/n following after him.

"Okay. Four buttons. This one is jumping, this one is punch, this is for kicking, and this is for your ultimate attack. You wait until the blue bar is full then you can use it."

Anyone who could be listening in to their conversation would deem this the nerdiest thing, but Y/n understood it easily. She nodded, and began pressing the buttons.

Suggessica moved forward, while Rumble stepped back. Y/n and Dipper began fighting momentarily. It was clear to her that he was taking it easy since she's only a beginner– which she appreciated, but Dipper shouldn't underestimate her.

Dipper was mashing the buttons and she picked up the strategy, because doing that can do some combos. Y/n pressed the kick button repeatedly, making Suggessica jump and kick Rumble a few times while in the air.

"Woah," Dipper muttered under his breath, beginning to fasten the pace, doing a counterattack of his own.

A couple of rounds later and the score was tied. "Wow, I didn't think you could beat me at my own game!" He spoke, staring at the screen.

"What can I say, I learned from the best." Y/n winked, nudging Dipper playfully. The two of them laughed. "One more game to break the tie?"

He grinned. "Game on."

"Fight!" The announcer declared.

Y/n and Dipper focused their attention on the match, pressing buttons. Dipper had his power meter almost full when someone pushed them both away.

"You kids have been playing the game since this morning. How about you two sit this one out?" Robbie came out from nowhere and immediately, Dipper felt annoyed. His presence alone made his blood boil. More than anything, he just wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his face.

Dipper boldly retorted, "But we just started this round."

"Whoa, whoa, hey! Relax man, I'm just trying to spend a little time with my girlfriend, alright?" Robbie was defensive. "You and your own girlfriend can play some other game for now."

"She's not my-"

"Couldn't you have asked a bit friendlier?" Another voice cut him off and Dipper only noticed that Robbie was with-

"Wendy! Hi," the boy greeted albeit awkwardly. She always seemed to have this effect on him.

The redhead smiled apologetically at the two. "Sorry for Robbie's behavior. He's just a bit nervous for his upcoming gig," she said, waving her hand dismissively.

"Come on, babe! Let's play!"

With that, Wendy excitedly accompanied Robbie, the game's music being mixed with their laughter.

As they played, Robbie put his arm over Wendy's shoulder, subtly glaring at Dipper.

Y/n watched Dipper with mild bitterness as he stared back at the couple with the same level of animosity.

***

***

Eventually, the two went back to the Shack. Soos invited everyone to play cards, and as much as Y/n wanted to join, she had to go down and diagnose the portal as per usual.

She must've been down there for quite some time because the moment she went back up, Dipper and Soos were gone, Stan had his back on the ground hysterically sobbing, while Mabel was on her way upstairs with Waddles in tow.

"Um... did I come at the wrong time?" she spoke.

"Y/n! Perfect timing!" Mabel exclaimed with her hands together. She sprinted towards her, literally ignoring her great uncle sprawled on the floor having fallen from fear from seeing a skydiving commercial. "I need your help."

"Woah!" Y/n yelped from the force that was Mabel Pines. She pulled her upstairs to her shared bedroom and began pacing around. Y/n dusted her clothes from being dragged. "Mabel, what is wrong? Why is Stan crying?"

She continued marching in circles. "Did you know that he secretly has a fear of heights?"

Y/n stared at the twin. She did have a hunch that he may have a phobia, but Mabel just confirmed it. All the hints that the old man didn't know he dropped, she picked it up. "What about it?" She asked instead.

"How am I gonna get Grunkle Stan over his fear?"

"What are you planning?"

Before Mabel could reply, the bedroom door opened and entered Dipper with an entire new character – literally.

"Hey, Mabel. Hey, Y/n. This is Rumble, my new bodyguard."

"The child gave me a taco!" Rumble responded with the same monotone voice and stoic expression.

Y/n wasn't able to speak as Mabel just gawked at the tall guy in interest. "Wow! He's got a crazy voice! Here, say these words," she said, writing something on a blank sheet of paper before handing it to Rumble.

"Effer...vescent! Apple..fritter! RIBOFLAVIN!"

"Mabel, he's not a toy, he's a fighting machine. I'm gonna get him to defend me from Robbie."

"Isn't that like cheating?" Y/n pointed out as she stared disapprovingly at Dipper's choices.

He simply shrugged. "I guess so." He continued to smile and a brief silence passed by. "Well, I'll see you after the fight."

The door closed. It was quiet until Y/n spoke. "I'm just as unsure as you, Mabel," she reassured the twin. "But if his plan backfires, then he has himself to blame."

"I'm not as worried for him as you do, Y/n," Mabel smirked.

"I-"

"Come on, Y/n! I have an idea on how we can help Stan overcome his fear!"

And when Mabel managed to convince Stan to walk him out while wearing a blindfold, Y/n knew she was up to no good.

She got herself another can of Pitt Cola before the three left for Mabel's adventure.

"Mabel, are you sure about this?" Y/n asked as she stared up at the water tower with a muffin spray-painted on it.

"100% sure! Grunkle Stan," she turned to him, "you have nothing to worry about! We just have to climb on a... something." If she said the word 'ladder' it would've been a dealbreaker.

Stan grunted, trying to grasp what was in front of him considering that all he saw was black. "What? Climb? You're not talking about a ladder, right?"

"No!" she giggled 'reassuringly'. "You can trust me, beloved great uncle!" She patted, slightly pushing him.

He slightly hesitated. "Alright, fine."

"I don't think he can still trust you after this," Y/n muttered under her breath, but followed after Mabel.

After a moment, the three eventually reached the top, the wind washing over their faces as their hair flew. "Take off your blindfolds now!" Mabel exclaimed.

Stan did as he was told and immediately saw the great height before him. The same feeling of anxiety returned before he could think. "Yep, that's pretty much what I was expecting," he said monotonously.

"You're doing better than I thought!" Mabel cheered. "Now let go of the handrail..."

Y/n could feel Stan shaking beside her, his knuckles were turning white from the vice grip he had on the rails. "Nope!"

All of a sudden, a teen with a scent of anger and hormones climb up the same stilted structure, gasping for air. Y/n had to step back from the stench that was Robbie.

"Hey, Robbie! Get your own water tower!" Mabel demanded.

Robbie looked uneasy and scared. Y/n's eyebrow raised in suspicion. What was he running from?

"CHALLENGER SIGHTED!"

She looked down and saw Rumble on the ground, clearly aiming for Robbie. Dipper's plan to destroy him seemed to be working.

Rumble screamed something else before attacking the water tower, kicking one of the stilts, making it lean.

Mabel panicked, shaking as she grasped the handrails. "What's happening?"

Stan's arms were shaking. "Oh, boy..."

"We're safe, right?"

Y/n held on to Stan and Mabel tightly as the older man panicked and screamed. The stilts of the water tower were punched until it weakened, and the whole thing wobbled. Y/n pushed the two to the other side of the tower to balance it, but Robbie unfortunately fell to his demise.

He was caught by none other than Rumble, who was prepared to finish the teen. But all of a sudden, Dipper stopped him with a single pebble. The fighter was perplexed, confused as to why the boy interrupted. Dipper admitted his faults, his lies– that Robbie didn't actually kill his father.

Rumble felt utterly betrayed. He let go of Robbie and began to summon the wind as he closed his eyes. He was thinking very deeply as he felt his soul get corrupted once he realized that he has been manipulated by this kid.

"If Robbie V is not the last stage..." the character began, "then it must be... YOU!"

He pointed directly at Dipper as he jumped into the air to emphasize his seething anger. A floating 'START' button appeared at his side. He stared at it before Soos came running beside him.

"Dude! Don't fight him, man. That dude's got like a black belt wrapped around his black belt! You could get killed!"

"I have to," Dipper replied, already feeling defeated. "I started all this and I got to at least try to stop it."

He looked at him, uncertain. "You sure you wouldn't rather hide like a wimp?"

Wordlessly, he punched on the 'START' button, and it vanished, signifying his agreement.

Soos crossed his arms as he looked proud. "Fight like a man it is."

The round began, and just like a video game, Rumble's stance was bouncing on his heels. Dipper attempted to follow his movement but it just looked awkward.

He fought with all of his might, but in the end he just accepted his fate– as well as Rumble's Super Power Ninja Turbo Neo Ultra Hyper Mega Multi Alpha Meta Extra Uber Prefix COMBO– leaving him bruised and beaten up.

The round ended, and as much as Rumble was very confident in winning, he just didn't know that arcade games will always have a 'GAME OVER'. Rumble screamed as he disappeared pixel by pixel.

Meanwhile, Y/n watched from the water tower, and now that the fight was over, she urged the other two to go home. "Come on, guys, let's go."

"I'm sorry, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel exclaimed over the wind. "I thought this would help, but I was wrong! So wrong!"

Stan began patting himself. "I... I survived! I survived and I feel great! Wait, let me do a cocky dance just to be sure." He placed his hands on his hips as he moved it back and forth with a huge smile on his face. He cackled. "Deal with it, world! Stan Pines has cured his fear of heights!"

Y/n rolled her eyes, but there was a twinge of amusement in them. "Alright, after you, old man."

He climbed down. "You coming, kid?" He said to Mabel. She shook her head, fearfully looking down. "What, you have a fear of heights now?"

She didn't say anything. It was quiet, and he only realized. "Uh oh." He and Y/n shared a worried glance.

"Come on, Mabel," Y/n cooed as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll help you get down." She took Mabel's hand and led her towards the ladder.

She was shaking, closing her eyes as tight as her grip on Y/n's palm. Gently, they climbed down as silence washed over them. The moment they touched the ground, Mabel immediately reached for Y/n's hand, holding it tightly that would have hurt, but it was never an issue for her.

While walking away from the water tower, Stan was telling the story about how he bravely faced his fear and eventually overcame it. Mabel was spacing out so clearly she wasn't listening, while Y/n was watching over the ruined park where Wendy had just arrived from her trip and was now talking to both Dipper and Robbie until she kissed her boyfriend and pushed down the boy's hat before walking back to her family.

The two boys talked briefly for a moment, agreeing on Dipper's offer of having a cold war with each other instead of fighting and risking Wendy seeing them. Robbie walked away with a scoff as Dipper stood there. Soos offered to walk him home seeing that he was still injured.

Everybody arrived home. Y/n already had the first aid kit out since she saw how bruised Dipper was. She waited until the door opened to the living room from the gift shop, and it didn't last long when it did open to reveal Dipper limping inside. "Ow, ow, ow," he muttered under his breath.

"Are you okay?" Y/n asked. Of course he wasn't, but she didn't know how else to open up the conversation without him overthinking the fact that she waited with the kit. "You should sit down."

Dipper obliged, sitting on Stan's yellow recliner. He closed his eyes but winced as he felt his black eye swelling again. "Ow."

Y/n ran to the cooler for ice and quickly handed it to him as he immediately placed it on his eye. He hissed as the cold, cold temperature met the bruise.. She began tending to his other wounds and it was quiet. The type of quiet where they could hear just their breathing. The type of quiet where you cringe when something rustles in the background. But it was the type of quiet where it was comfortable, calm, pleasant.

He closed his eyes as he breathed out, "Thank you, Y/n."

"You're welcome," she replied without missing a beat but she was still looking at his wounds.

Dipper had to admit, he felt guilty. He didn't know why. Maybe because she's always been helping him without expecting something in return. She had always been kind hearted and selfless, often seeming to be looking out for him and his sister.

He was brought out of his stupor when he felt her hand brush against his cheek. She was cleaning the scratch with wet cotton. He gulped at the proximity. What is happening?

Y/n was very gentle with every wipe. Every time her hand caressed against his skin, he felt warmth, but her stare could be so cold. She looked very determined to clean away his gashes. Dipper noticed the way she stopped moving. Her eyes shifted to meet his, and the two remained staring. Can you stop looking at me?

He had to back away. "Okay, I think I feel a little bit better. I can– handle it."

"Alright," she said after a brief moment and began cleaning up the dirty wipes and cottons. Dipper breathed what he didn't know if it was a sigh of relief. Y/n stood up. "I'll be in my room. Good night, Dipper."

"Good night."

***

It was one peaceful morning. Stan and the twins were watching another episode of Ducktective, when all of a sudden they heard a knock on the door.

With all of his might, Stan trudged towards it, opening it to reveal a suited man with a stern face. "Stan Pines..."

"Oh, no," Stan sweat-dropped upon a cold realization. "The tax collector! You've found me!" He threw a smoke bomb to the ground that effectively temporarily blinded the man and that was Stan's cue to take his bag of money hidden inside the walls of the living room and escape while he still could. He was looking desperately for a fake opening. "Which one of these is the trap door?!"

"Mr. Pines," the man spoke again, now inside of their living room. "I'm from the Winninghouse Coupons Savers contest, and you are our big winner!"

A cameraman, along with two women carrying a large check of ten million dollars, came in. Confettis were thrown around as Stan was shocked. "My one and only dream, to possess money, has come true!"

"We're rich!" Dipper exclaimed. "I'm gonna get a butler!"

Mabel punched the air. "I'm gonna buy a talking horse."

The man brought out papers. "Just sign here for the money."

"You bet!" Stan wrote into the paper without hesitation.

Only, it was all a lie when Gideon tore through the large check, exclaiming. "Stanford, you fool! You just signed over the Mystery Shack to lil 'ol me!" He began to do a little celebratory dancing jig.

Dipper and Mabel gasped in horror, but Stan was unperturbed. "Uh, you might wanna take another look there!"

Gideon raised the papers to his line of sight and began reading. "The Shack is hereby signed over to..." he saw the signature, 'SUCK A LEMON LITTLE MAN'?!"

Stan bellowed as he took pride in humiliating Gideon. The twins laughed as well to see the priceless look on his face.

The little boy tore the paper violently. "How dare you! I am not a threat to be taken lightly." He reached for the guy he hired to be the fake host. "Come here, I need your arms."

The unnamed lawyer followed his order and lifted Gideon before backing away slowly.

"I"ll get you, Stanford Pines! I'll get you all!"

First, get the name right.

Stan shook him off. He shouldn't dwell his attention on kids such as Lil Gideon. He had bigger matters in his hands. One of them was getting the cooler fixed– and another was setting up the gift shop. He was too lazy to do any of those, that's why he hired people for a reason. Soos will handle one of those tasks, though it was quite unfortunate that Wendy didn't work today...

He excused himself to the kids, telling them that he's going to go to the restroom. Boy, he's slowly running out of excuses and it's not even the half of the summer. He stood in front of the vending machine, surveying the closed shop before forcing it open and quickly shutting it once he got in. He meandered down the ramp that led to the elevator, punching the level's number, and waited until it took him there.

The elevator opened with a ding, and he walked to the pathway that showed the portal. "What are you doing here," deadpanned the girl who was casually working on the portal. She was typing the data that was coming out of the old-timey processing unit that Ford had designed for this portal. It was always ciphers– classic Ford– that Y/n had learned to decode. So far, the results have been... neutral.

"I should be asking you that question. You should be out there."

"I have nothing else to do."

"Then I'll give you something to do, fix the cooler."

Y/n groaned. "What? Have Soos fix it. I taught him how."

"I already assigned him other duties. Do you want to rearrange the shelves in the gift shop?" Stan asked. He waited, and when he heard nothing from her, he smirked as he felt cheeky. "I thought so. Now get off your butt and go upstairs!"

She punched down the table in defeat as she stood up, letting out an annoyed huff. "I hate you,"

"I love you, too. I'll take care of these while you're gone." He dismissed her, taking the seat she was previously in.

She rolled her eyes. As if he could understand a single symbol plastered there. Surely, he'd just take a nap.

Reaching the top level of the Shack, she took a peek on an opening from the vending machine. The gift shop was vacant, and no one seemed to be wandering around. So as quickly as she could, she slotted herself out of the machine, punching it shut for a Pitt Cola to fall off. She took it out and opened it like nothing had happened for the last ten seconds.

The universe was on her side when Soos had just opened the shop's door. "Sup, dude."

"Hey, Soos," Y/n said with her lips on the tip of the can. The two met in the middle of the room to give each other fist bumps. "You're on shelving duty right?"

"Yep, one of my favorite pastimes," he chuckled. "I just like looking at neatly arranged items that are all identical and stuff. Pretty satisfying."

She nodded, "Well, you get on that. I have to repair the cooler– again. Did you know why it broke?" The girl walked towards the cooler and circled around it, examining it from afar.

"I have no idea." Soos spotted the cardboard box from a corner and began inspecting it. It was a couple of Mystery Shack bumper stickers and other merchandise. "Maybe it was the heat of summer that's causing it to like– overheat. Or something."

Y/n couldn't help but smile. "You are exactly right, Soos. How did you figure that one out?"

"Well, the first thing I fixed was a cooler– uh, that cooler specifically. I helped Y/n – wait, not you you, but the you who was older... who was also named Y/n... She helped me fix the cooler. Your older sister."

She almost snorted in laughter. Stan was right, Soos was never going to pick up the clues. "Yeah? What did she teach you?" She already had the back of the cooler facing her, with the panel being opened. The toolbox was ajar, but she hadn't started yet.

"Everything I know," Soos answered. "She's the smartest person I know. Ten-year old me would have probably freaked out if it wasn't for your sister. Which is why..."

Soos trailed off. Y/n poked her head out the side of the freezer to look at him. "Which is why..." she repeated, wanting him to continue.

He smiled sheepishly. "Which is why... I'm kinda grateful that you're here, Y/n. The younger sister Y/n. It's like– you're continuing your sister's legacy. I don't know, I say dumb things."

There it is again, what Ford referred to as tears. It was simply there. To a normal person, it would feel like it was pricking the corner of their eye and about to come out, but to Y/n, it was just an inconvenience.

But what she felt inside after Soos said such a heartwarming statement... was enough to make her cry.

She quickly wiped it away. "I didn't think it was dumb..." she muttered.

It was times like these where she just wanted to tell the truth. "I was the same Y/n from ten years ago. I never grew up, never had a sister, and had been residing in this Shack for more than 30 years."

She wished it were that easy. Despite her desire to tell the truth, she would rather be selfish for a moment and let Soos talk about her nonexistent older sister with her than tell everything. The truth would eventually come out, and she had no idea what would happen or how he would react.

The twins entered the room before her mind could conjure up any more depressing scenarios. Dipper held a chessboard in his hands. "We need a table!"

"Hey, Dipper, what about this one?" Mabel pointed at a green, fake turtle shell with a random skeleton inside. "This seemed sturdy enough."

"Sure." The two brought the shell meters from the counter as well as dragged two tall wooden logs for chairs.

Mabel sat down, her legs swinging around because she couldn't touch the ground. Dipper crossed his legs as he brought out the chess pieces from the board. "What are we playing?" Mabel asked.

"Chess."

"Ooh, I love chess!" she expressed her excitement.

The two set everything up– well, Dipper did since Mabel doesn't know where to put the pieces– before they began the game.

Soos was on his way to reorganize a collection of Stan bobbleheads on a high shelf. Y/n was quietly turning a screw as she listened to the twins argue about the game. The game was full of commentary and Mabel impersonating a horse sound every now and then. Dipper was becoming increasingly enraged by his sister's casual approach to chess. This sport should be taken seriously.

After a few hours, Y/n had completed the cooler repair and was confident that it would work again. She connected the plug into a nearby wall outlet before switching it on. It hummed back to life as a single light turned on. She smiled proudly, her hands on her hips.

"Little guy to black space 9!" Mabel announced knowingly.

"It's a pawn, that's not your color, and stop stealing the tiny horses!" He pointed at her with an exasperated look.

Mabel smiled carelessly, cuddling the pieces close to her as it snuggled inside her sweater's pocket. "They like it better here!" She leaned closer to the black and white. "Don't you, babies?" Once again, she neighed in response to herself.

Dipper ignored her and lifted a bishop piece. He toppled Mabel's king with a big grin. "And checkmate."

"What? Booo!" Mabel shouted.

The boy took out his trusty notepad and pen, turning to the page that listed his victories in chess against his sister. He just got his 85th win. "OHHH! Dipper wins again!" He exclaimed. Mabel glared at him, annoyed.

Soos cast a glance to his right, where he noticed a brain in a jar wearing a tall hat and another brain in a jar wearing a blonde wig. He intended to replace the jars behind the bobbleheads, but he couldn't go down the step-ladder without letting go of the falling lantern beside him. He will have to fix that later, too.

He turned further to his right to go look for Y/n, but it seemed that she walked out of the room already. She was the tallest one out of the three preteens. She was taller than the twins by approximately four inches. Guess he had to go for the second tallest person in the room who could help him.

Still holding the lantern, he called, "Yo, Mabel, could you pass me that brain in the jar? The lady one?"

Dipper was already standing up. "I got it."

"Thanks, but Mabel's taller."

"What?!" Dipper reeled, "No she's not! We're the same height! We've always been."

Soos let the lantern fall, placing his fingers under his chin as he examined the two. "Better check again, dude."

He hopped down the stepladder, pushed them together back-to-back as Dipper removed his hat. Soos brought out a measuring tape he conveniently had in his pocket and began measuring. "Yep. She's got exactly one millimeter on you."

"What?!" Dipper was perturbed.

Mabel was amazed. "Woah, don't you see what's happening, Dipper? This millimeter is just the beginning. I'm evolving into the superior sibling! Bigger! Stronger!"

"Like some kinda alpha-twin!" Soos happily pointed out.

"Alpha-twin! Alpha-twin!"

Dipper crossed his arms, exhausted. "C'mon, guys, nobody even uses millimeters. It only makes you taller than me in Canada."

Mabel wondered aloud, completely ignoring her brother's complaints. "Y'know Dipper, I've always wanted a little brother. Who knew I already had one?" She laughed at her own joke.

Stan walked inside the gift shop, rubbing his eyes. "I was awoken by the sound of mockery." When actually, he was woken up by Y/n herself, telling him that she'd just finished the repair. "Where is it? Show me the object of ridicule!"

"I'm taller than Dipper!" The girl exclaimed.

"By one millimeter," the boy emphasized.

"Hey, hey," Stan warned, "don't get... short with your sister." He laughed uncontrollably. Dipper deadpanned.

Mabel put her hands together. "Now Grunkle Stan, I hope you don't think little of him."

He remained bemused while Stan laughed some more. "Yeah! And, and uh... he's short!" He and Mabel laughed in unison as Dipper began to think about his life choices.

Soos felt bad. He thought he had some kind of liability as he started all this height comparison thing. "Dude, maybe you should lay off a tiny bit."

Stan guffawed. "HA! Tiny! Soos is in on it now!" The two cackled hysterically, watching as Dipper finally stomped away.

"N-n-no, I didn't mean that!" Soos clarified.

Mabel placed her hands on her hips, walking towards her grunkle. "Dipper will forget. He's got a 3... 2... 1..."

"SHORT-TERM MEMORY!"

Y/n was about to return to the gift shop to see what Stan had to say when she ran into Dipper in the hallway. She chose not to say anything because she noticed he had a deep frown on his face and his brows were furrowed, indicating he was stressed.

She opened the door and saw Stan in tears because he couldn't stop laughing. Mabel, too, was howling with uncontrollable laughter. "What happened just now?"

"Oh, Y/n! There you are! Can you believe that I'm actually taller than Dipper? This is the best day of my life!"

"Congratulations?" She didn't know what to say to that trivial news.

Stan pulled Y/n to his side and playfully gave her a noogie. "Oh, come on, Y/n. Why don't you give Dipper some of your height? He could use it!" Once more it was followed by rounds of laughter.

She withdrew herself from the older man. "I didn't come here to make fun of Dipper. Have you seen the fixed cooler yet?"

"Eh, I trust you enough to know that you did a good job." The way he said it felt so dismissive, but she still felt pride when she heard that. Stan's compliments are a rarity. "Welp! I'm off to go back to my office. Waking up to this was better than some cup of coffee." He chuckled as he walked away.

Soos went back to the counter and got the jar of brain himself, while Mabel sat on the barrel chair beside it. Y/n bought herself a nice can of Pitt Cola before retreating towards the living room.She plopped on the yellow chair rather ungracefully, the content inside of the soda sloshing around as she did so. Sipping slowly, she stared at a random spot on a ceiling.

This was the same couch that Dipper had sat on as she had tended to his wounds. That felt like so long ago when it was actually just last night. What was she thinking?

This is just a ploy to get closer to them. The more you do something nice for him, the more he trusts you that he'll eventually lend you the journal.

He shouldn't even be lending it in the first place. It belonged to her first!

Another reminder that she's doing this for Stan as well. He was desperate to redeem himself and change. To show the kids that he wasn't just the stupid older brother. He wanted to be a good role model (though he wasn't really living up to that), but most of all, he wanted to protect them and keep them safe. And, as much as possible, they should avoid doing anything that will raise their suspicions.

Slowly, but surely.

She rose from her seat. It's pointless to dwell on these thoughts. She was drinking the last of her Pitt Cola when Dipper marched into the living room, almost making her spit it out as she noticed something different about him.

Dipper came to a halt, feeling unwell as he realized he no longer looked slightly upwards whenever he spoke with Y/n. He's looking directly into conniving eyes. They were the same height this time, and she noticed it right away.

"When did you get so tall, Dipper?"

He laughed quite nervously. "Oh, you know... puberty and stuff."

"Hm..." She'd read a few medical books about the topic because she hadn't got a personal experience, but she didn't realize that going through puberty also meant having your clothes enlarged...? It was too convenient to consider.

Dipper clenched his knuckles, looking like he was about to break. "Okay, I give up! Y/n follow me," he said, taking the lead and marching up the stairs.

Y/n watched as Dipper approached the shelves and reached for a seemingly ordinary flashlight—except it wasn't. It had a crystal taped to the spot where the light was supposed to shine.

"Wait, where did you get that?" Y/n pointed out as she realized something.

His eyes briefly widened. "Do you know this?"

"I see these exact things from time to time whenever I take walks. I thought they were just shiny rocks..." Gosh was it hard to act dumb.

He almost had a smirk on his face. "Well, you thought wrong because they were actually height-altering crystals. I read it in the journal. For example, this knight is tiny. I just shine a light at it and–" he presented like it was show and tell. "--BOOM! It's bigger now. But it can also be reversible. Just flip the crystal over and it'll shrink." He pointed the flashlight towards the knight and turned it on, this time the light was pink.

"That's interesting! But...why did you need it, Dipper?" She just had to question it out loud. Though Tall Dipper was a sight, she had to know what his intentions were.

"I... I'm just sick of my sister teasing me, and I have a habit of proving people wrong, so..."

When she said nothing else, he stepped forward and gave her the flashlight.

"Here, just aim it at me and turn it on then off. Do it quickly so I won't turn into a giant."

She nodded. following his instructions. He had his arms out as if embracing it. and that was her cue to turn it on. It was only a millisecond of the blue light washing over him and he grew in an instant.

Y/n stepped closer just to compare. This time, he was so tall that she had to look up slightly to meet his brown eyes. Woah.

Dipper's thoughts were racing. It was as if he had been slouching his entire life, and stretching his back changed his entire perspective. She was looking up at him. She had considered it before, and she had considered it again. Tall Dipper was a sight.

He couldn't help but smile at Y/n's stunned expression. He wanted to treasure this priceless reaction for the rest of his life. Surely he can keep being taller than her forever.

What was he saying?

All of a sudden, Mabel opened the door. "Give it up, Dipper!" she declared as she entered. As if they were electrocuted, the two hopped away from each other. Mabel marched up to them. Either she didn't see or she did but was too distracted by her frustration to notice.

As quickly as she could, Y/n turned around and made her exit. Only then did she notice an enlarged pawn literally behind them that went through the ceiling. How could she have missed it the first time she walked into the room? Her guard had been completely lowered.

The more Mabel trudged closer, the more she realized that her height couldn't compare to Dipper's right now. She gasped and instantly glanced down on the ground to see that he wasn't standing on anything. "What happened?!"

Dipper shrugged casually with a smirk. "I told you, sis. I just had a growth spurt. No big deal."

"This doesn't make any sense! Just a second ago you were– WAIT A MINUTE!" Mabel yelled. "This is some kinda magic-y thing, isn't it? Was it a wizard or something? There's a wizard in this closet, isn't there? ISN'T THERE?" Mabel strode to the closet.

"What? NO!" Dipper shouted back.

"You're telling me that there is not a wizard in this closet. You're telling me that if I open this door right now-"

"Fine! Open it."

She did, revealing a flannel shirt, a tee, and a pair of boots clearly too big to fit for either of the twins. Whose clothes are these?

Mabel remained unfazed, looking completely disappointed. "An invisible wizard! Really, Dipper?"

Meanwhile, Y/n had just run down the stairs. She could feel her very normal heart pounding in her chest. What the heck is happening?

"Woah, you alright?" Stan asked the moment he saw her.

She began walking away. "I'm fine. I just need... some space."

"Maybe you need some free entertainment," he suggested, on the brink of laughter. "Look out the window if you want a laugh."

She raised an eyebrow, but did what he said. She leaned on a nearby window and saw Gideon running around wildly as he smacked his hair repeatedly. He was screaming the words 'TERMITES!' over and over.

Stan was laughing beside her. "Come on, you gotta admit. It's hilarious."

"It's quite amusing."

"Boo, you're not even laughing." He glared.

Y/n looked at the clock and she suddenly looked surprised. "Oh, my! Is that the time? I have to do something really important! In the meantime, don't you have to be ready for your tour? The people would be waiting! Welp, ta ta!" She rambled before dashing away without giving him a chance to speak.

"Stop changing the subject!" Stan burst out as he watched her down the hall.

Upon entering her room, Y/n clenched her fists. Her plan to get closer to Dipper appeared to be working, but why did she feel so differently? She experienced emotions she had never encountered before. Is this normal? To be fair, she wasn't even normal to begin with. She punched a nearby wall until it was literally smashed to smithereens. It didn't hurt her hand in the least. Yep, definitely not normal.

She wasn't having the best day.

Dipper wasn't feeling well either, having been shrunken down by Gideon himself using the same magical flashlight he'd created. Now he and Mabel are trapped inside the jar as the boy takes them home. When Gideon arrived in his dark room, he opened the container and shook the twins out, causing them to fall to their butts on the wooden drawer.

"You two!"

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

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

"We live in a democracy! And never!" She pushed his finger away from her hair.

"Maybe you'll change your mind after this!" He picked her up by the collar of her sweater, bringing her to a pack of her favorite snack.

"Gummy Koalas!" Mabel gushed after threatening to fight Gideon until the day she died. That would keep her suppressed.

"As for you, boy," Gideon continued, facing Dipper. "Tell me, how exactly did you come upon this magic item? Hmm? Did somebody tell you about it? Did you.... read about it somewhere?"

Dipper raised his gaze to the pale child. His vest pocket became noticeably heavier as he realized the implication of his question. He remembered the journal tucked inside as the words 'TRUST NO ONE' flashed across his mind. He took a look around and noticed an air horn nearby. "Lean closer and I'll tell you!"

"Well don't mind if I-"

He sounded the air horn right in his face, making Gideon scream. He cupped his ringing ears as his face turned red from anger. He was breathing heavily before turning back around pushing away the lamp. "I COULD SQUASH YOU RIGHT NOW!"

Dipper stepped back in slight fear.

But Gideon stopped himself. "Steel yourself, Gideon. You could use them." His voice dropped into a whisper. "You could use them."

The ringing of the Shack's main telephone echoed throughout the house. Y/n's eyes opened for a brief moment. She laid on her bed with her hands on top of her stomach. She was waiting for Stan's order to answer the call, but nothing came and the ringing already stopped. He must've been nearby. After a long silence, it was cut off by his obnoxious laughter.

"Y/n, can you come down here!"

She blinked. She may not have been called to answer the phone, she was still ordered to come down nonetheless. What did he need this time?

Leaving her room, she trudged down the hallway. But before she could take a turn towards the parlor, she took a detour to the gift shop. She needed that soda intake before dealing with anything. Gideon Gleeful busted open the main door to the shop before her hand could reach the employees' only door. "The Shack is mine, Stanford Pines!" She heard, and that's when she took a peek at the slightly ajar door.

She saw Mabel's eccentric pink sweater and the blazing blue vest that Dipper wears by Gideon's grasp. In his other hand, the magic flashlight that he blatantly stole, with the pink light shining towards a direction.

Y/n followed the light, and that's where she noticed Stan's fez on the ground. She clenched her fists so tightly as she feared that Gideon may have won the battle– until he lifted the hat revealing a green speck. Gideon had shrunken Soos instead. "What?!"

The boy captured little Soos and took a random jar lying on the counter. He opened it and carelessly tossed the trio inside, even shaking them for a little bit of torture. "Tell me where Stan is!" Gideon yelled onto the jar.

Y/n observed him as he suddenly had a huge grin on his face, indicating that he had figured it out. He moved towards the door where she was hiding. She exited the living room as quickly as she could and headed straight for the kitchen."Stanford! I'm coming for ya!"

She peeked from the kitchen as Gideon turned to the direction where the parlor was located. Come on, think! She needed to tell Stan about Gideon's attempt to shrink him, but she had no idea where he was. He could be in the mirror maze that he was talking so proudly about, but Gideon could be ahead of her already.

Even after a few unsuccessful attempts to smack the glass, the twins and Soos remained helplessly trapped. As he felt guilty, Soos placed his hands on his head. "Guess I kinda 'Soos'ed that one up, didn't I?"

"It's not your fault, Soos," Dipper said," I"m the one who put together that shrinking device. I guess it's just..." he turned to Mabel, "... you kept teasing me, Mabel, like, all day! What was that all about?"

Mabel frowned, feeling bad. She tossed Dipper the notepad with the list of their games. He glanced at the paper cluelessly. "I guess it's that... you're better at me at, like, everything! And you always rubbed it in my face. Chess, checkers, ping pong..." Even croquet. "I guess I finally felt like I was winning at something for once."

Dipper felt bad as well. He lightly smacked the notepad against his head. "Aw, man. Now I feel like a big jerk."

"Don't you mean, a little jerk?"

"Oh!" The two of them chuckled at the lighthearted joke. "Alright, I walked into that one. Are we cool?" He stretched his arm for a fist bump.

"We're cool."

"Am I cool?" Soos spoke, presenting his fist as well.

"You're cool, Soos."

"Yes!"

Dipper smacked his hands together. "Alright, let's find a way to get out of this jar. We can't break it, so let's just open it the old-fashioned way. Soos! Carry me on your shoulders."

The handyman raised him until he was sitting comfortably on the back of his neck. He then raised Mabel, and Dipper grabbed her until she could step on his shoulder and sit on it, forming a tower. Mabel twisted the cover until it was loose, and a hard push was all it took. Soos stood on his tiptoes until she was able to lift the cover. The container had finally been opened.

"Let's get that flashlight before Gideon gets Stan!"

Y/n stalked after Gideon as he walked down the steps and into the mirror maze. It indeed looked like a maze made out of mirrors. Now how much did this cost Stan? "Ew, termites!" Gideon suddenly exclaimed, slapping the back of his neck. He continued walking until he saw Stan looking down on him.

He jumped, instantly reaching for the flashlight and turned it on. The light bounced off the various mirrors until it landed on the wall mount of a moose head. Unsurprisingly, it shrank.

Stan was laughing at him, causing Gideon to become enraged and throw the flashlight at him. "No!"

The flashlight broke one of the mirrors, shattering it into a million pieces. "Hey, watch the merchandise!" Gideon picked up the device, and with a devilish smirk, he had the perfect plan. He began smashing the mirrors with his flashlight one by one, not caring if it would prick him. He broke about 10 mirrors until Stan finally showed up, his hands on his hips. "You little troll! These mirrors caused me 10- I-I mean, uh 20- 5, 500... 500 dollars each! And you're paying for all of them!"

Gideon imitated his pose. "Au contraire! It will be you who pays!"

Y/n burst into the scene and tackled Gideon to the ground, reaching for the flashlight and attempting to apprehend him by pushing down his wrist, but he was quick, withdrawing his hand and pointing the flashlight at her. But before he could turn it back on, Y/n slapped his hand, causing him to drop the flashlight, which rolled to the ground.

"Ah! No!" Gideon screamed, thrashing around like a toddler. With the way he smacked his fist down her cheek, he wasn't exactly throwing back punches. Y/n didn't even flinch as she grabbed his wrist. She steeled herself against punching him back as much as she wanted to. All she has to do is keep him away from the flashlight.

"What is happening out there?!" Mabel exclaimed as her grip on Gideon's pocket tightened.

Dipper felt dizzy. "Y/n must be helping us by stopping Gideon from shrinking Stan! We gotta help her!"

"Wait, she knows about the magic flashlight-?"

"It doesn't matter, to his armpit!"

"Uh-uh!" Mabel grimaced.

"Just- just go! Come on!" He pushed her down until they were both crawling on his skin.

Gideon smacked Y/n several times, but she didn't budge. "Ugh, let go, you fool! Give me back my flashlight!"

"That's not yours to begin with!"

"You will rue the day you cut off my vengeance against Stanford." Gideon glared, pointing at her. "I wasn't going to include a nobody like you in my schemes, but now you've made a grave mistake messing with me! You and the rest of the Pines family will feel the wrath of Gideon Glee-"

He began giggling.

Y/n and Stan stared at him confusedly.

"Gideon Glee-!" He was laughing uncontrollably on the floor.

"I don't even know how to respond to this," Stan spoke aloud.

He was chortling before stopping himself. "No-!" Then he's back to laughing. Stan looked at him as if he were insane. He looked to Y/n for assistance.

Y/n stood up and began kicking Gideon, causing him to roll on the ground. She took up the flashlight as Stan took over the punting this time. The two rolled a laughing Gideon until they reached the front door, where Gideon landed on the ground with one last kick.

He finally stopped laughing. Gideon clutched his pockets and yelled, "My light!"

"You're the light of my life, too, pal," Stan replied before closing the door. "Phew! Freak show, am I right?"

He left without saying anything else. Y/n stood there motionless as she watched him walk away. "Dipper? Mabel?" she whispered after a moment.

"We're here! Y/n, we're here!"

Two little dots were jumping on the ground below her. She smiled and pointed the flashlight at them after flipping the crystal. She turned it on and the light was back to blue. The twins had all returned to their normal height, but they still needed to measure for... good measure.

"Hey! You're letting me keep my extra millimeter?" Mabel said.

"Oh," Y/n said, facing Dipper. "Do you want me to...?"

"Nope, she earned it." He brought his hand up, though he really missed the feeling of being taller.

"Aw, thanks! Little brothe-"

"Stop it."

The night had ended. Of course, they didn't forget about Soos and bringing him back to his normal height, too, before destroying the crystal completely.

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 14!

MASTERLIST

author's note: i planned to include a scene where dipper comforts mabel after having a newfound fear of heights (it was already written out and everything), but i scrapped it since it would really cause major plot holes. let's just say that mabel's fear of heights wasn't perman64ent.

anyway-

23-8-1-20-0-9-19-0-20-8-9-19-0-6-5-5-12-9-14-7- -19-15-0-19-21-4-4-5-14-0-1-14-4-0-14-5-23-?

[gravityfallsrewritten]

Chapter 12: Sacrifices for Your Sibling

"Whoa, what happened to you?"

Y/n let out a huge yawn as she trudged towards the living room. Even a single cup of coffee was useless to the hours of sleep she lost, so now she was on her 8th one. She faced Stan who was giving her a concerned look. "I had to stay up."

"And do what?" He raised an eyebrow at that.

"I was trying to come up with plans– you know, we really shouldn't talk about this in plain sight. Someone might hear," she said, lying on the yellow recliner as she closed her eyes. She placed the white mug on her lap, the heat not even affecting her. It was already 12 noon because she fell asleep at 7am.

Stan gave up. "Alright, fine. We'll talk about it later. Just look alive, your old man's trying to run a carnival around here."

Oh, yeah. The Mystery Fair.

A week after Pioneer Day, Stan realized that throwing a party wasn't enough. He needed more money, and what better way to get it than to entertain the locals with an amusement park? Not only were half of the games rigged, but the majority of the rides were rickety and scuffed, so Stan is taking a risk here because an accident could result in someone suing him, causing him to lose a lot of money.

Speaking of Pioneer Day, the event was excruciatingly painful for both Stan and Y/n, but the twins kept it interesting. Dipper was determined to humble Pacifica's entire family after she made fun of Mabel in front of everyone.

It was difficult to remain clueless, and Y/n had no idea how she managed to do so in the first place. She accompanied them as they investigated the clues and deciphered the codes that Mabel's silliness had unintentionally solved. It eventually led them underground, where they discovered Quentin Trembley, the 8th and 12th President of the United States.

The bunker held secrets that Y/n had never known about. After years of being uncrackable, the historical document was cracked thanks to the twins, until they were pursued by cops. Y/n was terrified by the sight of the police. She doesn't want anyone, especially the government, interfering with her portal plans.

"Oh, Y/n," Stan spoke, taking her out of the flashback. He took out a clipboard of papers before tossing it in her direction. "I almost forgot, go slap these certificates on the structures outside at the fair. The twins are already doing that."

"If they're already on it, why do I need to do it."

"Because they might suspect that you get a free pass at everything. Act like you work with them."

Y/n grumbled something under her breath as she used the clipboard to cover half of her face. She closed her eyes for a brief moment once Stan left the room. She let out a deep sigh as she mustered the strength to follow through Stan's advice. With one final exhale, she stood up and walked outside the backdoor to see the ferris wheel. Now where did he get the budget to get that? She thought they were out of money.

"Y/n, hey! Did you just wake up?" Mabel ran towards her with a huge smile on her face.

"Can you tell?" she answered. She had already washed her face and all, but it all really fell into the deep bags under her eyes. She yawned. "What's happening?"

Mabel gleamed. "Oh, well the fair is about to open! Wanna come with me and buy some cotton candy?"

"Sure. Where's Dipper?" she asked while the two were on their way at a cotton candy stand.

"Oh, you know. He's with Wendy, getting all romantic at the fair," she replied, wiggling her shoulders.

As if on cue, Y/n saw Dipper and Wendy talking with mystery dogs in hand. The way they laughed and enjoyed each other's company made her feel something she's never felt before.

"Could you be any more obvious?!"

Y/n snapped out of her thoughts, face turned to Mabel who was giving her a look. "What?"

Mabel didn't even pause or hesitate. "You have a crush on my dorky brother over there!"

"I don't think he's dorky. I actually think he's really intelligent," she noted, not even noticing the way she's speaking or acting right now.

"Oh, Y/n. You're head over heels in love with him!"

"What does that even mean?" Y/n asked, "I just said that he's smart. It's not like I spend most of my time thinking about him! and his eyes... his unkempt hair... and his... unwashed clothes...."

Mabel laughed uncontrollably, wiping the tears that were coming out of her eyes. "Oh, you're too sweet, Y/n! And for the record, Dipper is a dork! He's as dense as a rock for not even seeing the way you look at him."

She felt her knees going jelly. Slight panic went over her. "It really is obvious, huh."

Reassuringly, the other twin draped her arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, but not to him! Guess he's obsessing over someone else for him to notice."

The two watched as Dipper and Wendy laughed at another joke, making Y/n hum.

Mabel frowned. "I'm... I'm sorry, Y/n," she said dejectedly, patting her back. "It's gonna be alright, but cheer up!" She leaned down and brought her voice into a low whisper. "Don't tell anyone this, but you and Dipper are a more perfect match than him and Wendy anyway! You both share the same nerdy interests!"

Y/n wanted to shake away Mabel's futile attempts of trying to cheer her up. She doesn't like this emotion that felt so foreign to her. "Thank you, Mabel, but it's fine. It's just a silly summer crush. I'm sure I'll get over it soon."

She didn't believe that statement for one second. "Don't worry, Y/n. Whatever happens, I'll be right here, supporting you every step of the – OH MY GOSH, A PIG!" Mabel screamed in delight, quickly sprinting towards the sign and following its arrow, leaving Y/n in the dust.

"But what about the-?!" Y/n called out to her, but she was long gone.

"Your cotton candy, miss." The man handed her two orders, but the other was supposed to be for Mabel who has since disappeared. She can't eat all of these by herself, not when she hasn't even had a proper breakfast yet.

Her feet led her to Dipper, who, after dealing with Robbie's annoying attitude, was feeling a little bit shaken. "What was that about?" Y/n asked after Robbie made his leave. Wendy was nowhere to be seen.

"Ugh, it's Robbie," he spat out his name like it was venom. "He kept blabbering about his new ripped jeans like it's worth a Nobel prize. I got to get him away from Wendy somehow."

Y/n pondered. "Well, I'll leave you to it then." She handed him the other cotton candy. "Good luck, Dipper."

She left him alone after that. After walking a few steps, she saw a toddler walking around and decided to give him the other stick that she had. Her appetite wasn't in the mood for sugary sweets anyways.

Meanwhile, Wendy finally returned from cleaning the mustard stain off her sleeve. The two walked around the fair, until the redhead noticed a huge stuffed toy by one of the game stands. It was one of those hit the bottles kind of games, but Wendy was more interested in the prize. "I don't know if it's a duck or a panda, but I want one."

Dipper's brain geared at the sound of that. The thought of him getting Wendy something would sound as sweet as the cotton candy that he just ate. That really gave him such a rush. He brought out a ticket and gave it to the man. "One ball please."

"You only get one chance."

He turned to Wendy, who gave him a thumbs up, and that's all he needed to want to win this game. He couldn't wait to see her smile after he got this prize. "And a-one, and a-two, and a-" he threw the ball with all his might.

It didn't hit any of the bottles. Instead it bounced off the wooden table and flew towards Wendy, hitting her right eye.

"OW! My eye!"

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Wendy, are you okay?"

She breathed. "Does it look swollen?"

Her eyelids were closed as it formed a bruise, giving it a painful dark purple hue. Dipper tensed up, panicked. "Everything's going to be fine!" He didn't know whether he was assuring Wendy or himself. "Don't worry, I'll– I'll go get some ice!"

Dipper ran in the other direction, going to where he knew there would be ice, which was at the entrance of the gift shop where there was a cooler beside the door. He quickly opened it, taking a bag of ice and was back to running again.

He glided around the crowd. "Where is she, where is she?" He muttered under his breath. He finally saw her within meters, until he suddenly bumped into a rather large man wearing a gray jumpsuit. The two collided against each other, making Dipper drop the bag. Ice scattered all around as he scurried to pick them up. He glared annoyingly at the man he bumped into. "Hey- watch where you're going, man!"

The guy didn't say anything, just picked something up before dashing away.

It took a moment for Dipper to pick all the ice back into the bag before lifting it up and carrying it towards Wendy, but she wasn't alone anymore.

"Alright, ease your eyeball into that freezy cone."

Robbie's voice filled Dipper's ears, making him freeze.

Wendy smiled gratefully. "Robbie, thanks. It's really sweet; the gesture, and the flavored syrup."

"Yeah, I was just here in the right place and the right time."

Dipper felt immense guilt upon hearing that, and he clutched the ice bag tightly.

Robbie began fiddling with the string of his hoodie. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you. We've been spending a lot of time together, and I was wondering if...maybe... you wanna go out with me?"

The boy was trickling with anxiety. He felt cold; not just from the ice bag close to his chest, but also the nervousness that coursed through his veins.

Wendy contemplated for a bit before answering with a, "Yeah, I guess so."

"Sweet!"

Dipper was frozen in horror as he felt his heart-shaped balloon pop, which was the game behind him. "One more balloon, miss!" Someone said, but Dipper couldn't hear anything. It was deafening silence as his pupils dilated and his mouth was agape.

"Look, Dipper, I won my pet pig!" Mabel arrived with the chubby mammal in her arms. "His name is Waddles. I call him that because he waddles! Waaaaddlesss!"

"Everything is different now."

Mabel, who was always unconscious to what else is happening around her, asked, "What are you looking at?"

Dipper weakly pointed at the new couple who were on their way to the Tunnel of Love and Corndogs.

"Oh..." she trailed off. She looked at Dipper to see if he was okay. He was pretty much still out of it. It felt pretty devastating to watch your crush accept your rival's halfhearted confession.

He had laid at a slopey toss game for the whole afternoon, sighing defeatingly every once in a while. Mabel was the opposite, raving to her brother how she was so lucky to have won her new playmate (and soulmate) Waddles.

"I mean Wendy only went out with Robbie because he was there with the ice," he began to ramble, "and she only needed ice because of the baseball, and I would've had the ice if it wasn't for..." he gasped once he saw the familiar guy from earlier, "that guy!" He walked towards him. "Hey, you! Toolbelt! You ruined my life!"

"Huh?" the man turned around, acting confused.

Dipper pointed an accusatory finger. "Don't 'huh' me! I've seen you before! What's your deal? Are you following us around?"

"And why are you bald? What's that all about?" Mabel asked, following suit.

The gray jumpsuit-wearing man was startled, panic settling in his veins. He screamed momentarily. "My position has been compromised! Assuming stealth mode-" he started pressing buttons on his watch, making his suit change into different backgrounds. "Color match! Initiating color match!" His suit glitched, and couldn't seem to follow what he wanted. "Come on, dang it!" He gave up, taking out a red screwdriver, and tried to fix it.

"That's amazing!" Mabel said with a large grin. "Are you from the future or something?"

The guy introduced himself as Blendin Blandin, Time Anomaly Removal Crew year twenty sñeventy-twelve. He was here for the mission to stop a series of time anomalies that are supposed to happen at this very location, but he couldn't seem to find it.

Dipper eyed the tape measure looking device that was supposed to be Blendin's time traveling mechanism. He wanted to borrow it, but he had been rejected, so he had to find another way.

He watched as Blendin tiredly wiped the sweat off of his bald head. His hair was burned off from traveling through time too much.

"You know, you sound like you could use a break," Dipper suggested.

Thankfully, Mabel understood what her brother was trying to do. "Definitely, definitely. Might we recommend one of the various attractions at the Mystery Fair?" She presented two tickets.

After much contemplation, Blendin stood up with pride. "You know what? What the heck! I'm worth it!" He was still eerily suspicious of the twins knowing that they're after the time tape.

He approached one of the rides. Rusty Barrel Rodeo. Blendin gave his ticket to Soos, but Soos stopped him from going. "Uh, sorry dude, but you're gonna have to take your belt off for the ride. One of your tools might fly off and accidentally fix something."

Blendin felt slightly aggravated having to leave his utility belt to this random guy, but he really wanted to ride this so he took it off and placed it on the barrel. "Guard it with your life."

"I will watch it like a hawk, dude."

Blendin got on the ride, having the time of life, while the belt that Soos was supposed to be guarding had disappeared.

Meanwhile, Dipper and Mabel were at the dining table, gazing at the gadget laid on it.

All the possibilities lie on this very simple accessory. If they change the past, they can change the future. Even the slightest amount of revision can result in a disaster– or a good thing. Is it a risk that they're willing to take?

For Dipper, his sole focus was to prevent Wendy from going out with Robbie. Mabel, however, plans to spend more time with Waddles, and if possible, string Y/n with her.

It was easy operating the gadget. You just pull the tape to a number of hours you prefer, and let it go– like a common measuring tape. Dipper did exactly that, and the two were sent back to 6 hours ago, when the carnival was recently opened.

The two blinked their eyes, adjusting to their surroundings. Nothing changed. They strided to the door and opened it, the sun shining on their faces. Stan had just announced over the megaphone that it's 12 o'clock. Dipper and Mabel looked at each other with knowing grins.

"Do over?"

"Do over!"

They both ran off to their respective goals; Dipper's being wanting to win the game for Wendy, and Mabel's being wanting to win Waddles.

Meanwhile, Y/n glanced around her surroundings, trying not to appear suspicious. She's been winning games easily, giving away the prizes to little children. She had been eyeing a particular stuffed animal for a while now, but she's saving it for later.

The coast was clear, and she made her move. As casual as possible, she walked back to the Shack. She could still hear Stan's mocking laughter echoing in her ears when she entered through the back door.

Her eyes wandered around the rooms. No one had an appropriate reason to be here anyway, so she nimbly tip-toed up the stairs until she reached the second level. She gazed at the wooden door that led to the attic, her palm wrapped around the knob.

Opening it, her look immediately fell on the twin's bed. Naturally, it should be lying there, specifically on Dipper's bed, but it wasn't. Y/n stepped inside completely, closing the door. She glanced back briefly, hoping that no one barged in.

That would be embarrassing.

She quickly scanned the entire bedroom, careful not to touch anything. Mabel could care less if her side was messy, but Dipper could be different. He could be very observant, he could notice the slightest change.

Y/n crouched down, peeking under the bed. She wondered if it was there. If she was Dipper, where would she hide it?

After minutes of searching, she figured she should make her escape before someone would notice her. Before leaving, she looked around one last time.

She closed the door with a sigh. The journal wasn't there, her search was thorough. Unless there was a secret hatch in this house that she doesn't know– which is unlikely. She's the only one who knows the insides of this Shack.

Dipper's heart soared as he and Wendy laughed, having finished another round of The Tunnel of Love and Corndogs. "That was even more awesome the third time around!" She gasped and pointed at a random stall. "Funnel cake! Let's go get some, Dipper!" She ran off. Dipper began to follow until he heard screaming from a distance.

"AAAAAAA!" Mabel frantically waved her hands.

He paused. "What's wr-"

"AAAAAAAAAA!"

"Mabel, wha-"

"AAAAAAAAAA!"

"I'll just wait until you're done."

"I'm done." Mabel frowned.

"Okay," Dipper started, "what is wrong?"

"We messed up the timeline! Pacifica saw the flier and won Waddles before I did!" the other twin rambled, "she took Waddles, Dipper!"

"Oh, Mabel, I'm sorry." Dipper genuinely felt bad. It's a rare occasion to see her sister getting sad as she always managed to fix everything with a scratch-n-sniff. But this is something even a sticker couldn't fix.

Mabel sighed, feeling tense. "It's okay. We just need to go back-" she grabbed the time device from Dipper's hands, "-and do things differently."

"Mabel! Wait," Dipper snatched the time machine back. "Look. I did the math. In any other timeline, Wendy ends up going out with Robbie. I can't mess up this day again!"

"But if we don't go, then I'll lose Waddles forever!"

The twins fought for the time gadget, trying to pull it apart, causing the tape measure to fall and get caught inside the moving corndog car. The tape was pulled a long way before it was withdrawn back to Dipper and Mabel who fell on the ground.

It brought them back to the early times, approximately 150 years, and the next destination was an even earlier time when dinosaurs were still alive. Still fighting for the time machine, the two accidentally sent themselves to the future where there was this great apocalypse. Mabel got a hold of the time gadget, finally, and tried to run away from Dipper.

She pressed the buttons and it only sent them back to previous occasions in the summer. One was when they went fishing, the next was the wax museum, and the next was the gnome tragedy. The same shack with snow falling around it was the last place they landed in when the time device was overheating.Mabel juggled it around like it was a hot potato.

"What did you do?!" Dipper accused.

"I don't know!" Mabel answered honestly. The tape measure emitted sounds like it was about to explode, and suddenly bright blue electricity had burst, zapping the two back.

Someone went to his front door after turning on the lights. He opened it to find nothing but the same expanses of snow that covered the woods. He took another look around before closing the door completely.

The twins found themselves in a very dark place. All they saw was black. They began screaming, panicking because they thought they were transported to the end of time.

"Wait, why does it smell so bad in here?" Mabel asked out loud.

She reached in front of her and felt something. She pushed the wall and it opened. Turns out, the twins were inside a porta-potty all this time.

They adjusted their eyes to the bright sun. "Hey, look, we're back in the present!" Mabel said.

"But which present?"

Looking around, they saw Wendy still gushing over the stuffed creature. "This is the best present ever!"

Dipper beamed, "Yes!"

Meanwhile, Pacifica was struggling to pull poor little Waddles by the leash as the pig squealed and thrashed around.

"No!' Mabel exclaimed before attempting to get the time machine back. The two ran around until Dipper stood on top of the porta-potty and Mabel was unable to reach him. "Give it back, Dipper!"

"It's over, Mabel! Give it up! I've worked too hard to lose this!"

"But what about Waddles? He was my soulmate!"

Dipper pulled his brown hair in frustration. "You said that about a ball of yarn once! Do you really want Wendy to date Robbie?"

Mabel looked up at him with a conflicted expression, her eyes brimming with tears. "I don't know," she muttered weakly. Shakily, she brought up the polaroid of her and Waddles before silently walking over to the giant totem and placed her forehead against it.

"You're not guilt tripping me, Mabel. Not this time."

She didn't pay no heed, just continued banging her head against the wooden pole.

Dipper tried to pull her out of it, tried to coerce her, but nothing had work. Even if it took a day, a week, an entire month! (He used the time machine to prove it.) Mabel was still found standing there as her body was slowly getting crawled with weeds and vines.

He watched with furrowed eyebrows. The pig really means this much to her. He could stand missing this chance with his crush but not so much seeing his sister get depressed for the rest of the summer.

So with a defeated sigh, Dipper pulled back the tape, stopping at the specific time before letting go.

Dipper and Wendy walked towards the fated game.

"I don't know if it's a duck or a panda, but I want one!"

He sighed, anticipating the expected outcome. "Wendy, I just wanted to say that," he began. He wanted to utter his final words before he lost her, "well I just wanted to say that people make mistakes, and when they do, you should forgive them. And also that tight pants are overrated."

"Dude, you lost me."

"I know," Dipper sighed out again. He turned to the carnie and presented his ticket. "One ball, please."

"You only get one chance."

This time, Dipper lamely tossed the ball without any effort. Because no matter how many tries, it always ended in the same result.

Wendy yelped again, the ball having hit the same right eye. "Ow, my eye!"

And right on cue, Robbie the disease entered the scene. "Hey, Wendy, are you okay? You know this is the perfect time for me to ask you something..."

Dipper looked away. He couldn't bear to watch. "It is done."

Someone cleared his throat behind him. He turned around and saw Y/n with her hands behind her back. "Hey," she said, smiling.

"Hey," Dipper replied, trying to mimic her smile, but with the heartbreak, he just couldn't have the strength. "How's it going?"

"I won you something."

She brought her hands from behind and tossed a stuffed animal his way. He caught it with ease and gazed at the creature. "A stuffed owl? I- I love owls." He looked up at her. "Y/n, you shouldn't have."

"Well, considering I've been winning the rigged games for the sad kids who couldn't win... you don't have to thank me."

She had seen this exact scenario in her mind. Her giving this stuffed owl specially for Dipper In fact, she's imagined it over and over. She always meant to give the toy.

All of a sudden, Dipper was tackled by his twin's brutal hug. "Dipper! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" Waddles was sitting beside them, letting out a happy sound. "He's saying thank you in pig! Aren't you, Waddles?" Waddles repeated the same noise.

Y/n watched with an amused grin. They could be so silly sometimes, but no one could mistake that they are the sweetest pair.

"I couldn't break your heart, Mabel," Dipper said. He kept the owl from touching the dusty ground. "Besides, there's no way Wendy can date Robbie all summer, right?"

"YOU TWO!"

The trio looked at the bald guy who was pointing an accusatory finger specifically at Dipper and Mabel. His yell was so deafening that it made them scream in fear. He snatched the time machine back.

"Do you have any idea how many rules you just broke?! I'm asking; I wasn't there with you... it was probably a lot, right?"

"Blendin Blandin..."

Two men appeared behind him in a flash. Their outfits looked high-tech, like they were from the future.

Blendin let out a hysterical shriek. "The Time Paradox Avoidant Enforcement Squadron!"

"That's right, and our phones have been ringing off the hook! There were settlers high-fiving in the 1800's and calculators littered through eight centuries!" The guy, whose name was Lolph, scolded.

Dundgren spoke next. "You're under arrest for violation of the Time Traveler's Code of Conduct."

The two grabbed Blendin, who was scrambling for an explanation. He shakily yelled, "I-It was those kids! And their leader, Waddles!"

"That's a pig, Blendin."

Blendin turned to the twins with vengeance in his eyes. "I'll get you for this! I'll go back in time and make sure your parents never meet!"

Dipper clutched the owl closer to his chest as he grinned to his sister. "Well, we're still here."

Mabel smiled back. "Guess he forgot to go back. Aww, look, Dipper! I'm booping Waddles' nose to your owl's nose!"

"Hey!" He pulled back, wiping the residue off the felted toy. "Aw, man. Now his nose is wet."

Mabel narrowed her eyes. "Wow, this stuffed animal really means a lot to you, brother," she said, raising her eyebrows knowingly at the person behind him, who was slowly getting flushed.

Y/n repeatedly made a 'cut it out' motion as her gaze was tense.

Dipper ignored Mabel's teasing as he gazed at the owl's purple eyes, a dorky grin on his face. It was such a rare occurrence that he received a gift, yet his heart skipped a beat at the thought. He'll cherish this gift forever.

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 13!

MASTERLIST

BLF NZWV NV UVVO ORPV Z DRMMVI.

[gravityfallsrewritten]

Chapter 11: I Always Have a Plan

"Guess what, we're broke."

"What?!" Y/n stood, flabbergasted at the way Stan casually dropped the information. She began thinking about the effects of being financially unstable. "What are we gonna do?"

Stan hummed inquisitively. "I have a business proposal."

"Go on."

"I'm thinking of catering to the kids. What do they like? Socializing and friendships. So the Shack is throwing a...?"

Y/n raised an eyebrow. "A party?"

"Yes, a party!" He exclaimed. "Thought it might be a good way for kids to spend money at the Shack."

Stan had already gathered his employees and assisted in converting the parlor area into a party area without even consulting with her. The twins had already purchased the decorations, Soos had acquired inexpensive cups and plates, and Wendy had obtained food. Perhaps it was the first time they complied with Stan's orders.

Y/n helped with setting up the chairs and the stage, while the twins and Wendy were goofing off. She was so busy adjusting a spotlight that she didn't hear Stan instructing the kids to use the copier machine in his office to copy the fliers.

Stan meant well, but he should have been communicating with Y/n about the Shack's items since she was the one who lived here first. He may have repaired the machine, but this was no ordinary copy machine. It's only a matter of time before the twins realize it's a cloning experiment.

Ford had tested it on Y/n because the machine could only copy that size, and it had worked. They'd taken advantage of it, using copies of Y/n as they helped around the house, whether cleaning, researching, or going to the store. Although it was painful to watch them disintegrate after the job was completed.

The twins came back with multiple copies of the fliers, making Y/n hum. Maybe it didn't work this time because it was so busted and broken? Maybe it worked as a normal copier machine now.

Stan had everyone lined up to assign them their duties. He held a clipboard as he read the names and their responsibilities for the party tonight. He let Soos be the DJ and the guy was ecstatic because it had been his dream to be the DJ.

"Wendy, you and Mabel are working on the ticket stand."

"What?" Mabel objected. "But Grunkle Stan, this party is my chance to make new friends!"

"I... I can work with Wendy," Dipper spoke, raising his hand.

Everyone went silent as they stared at him. Stan rolled his eyes. "You realize if you do, you gotta commit to staying at the ticket stand with Wendy. No getting out of it, just the two of you, alone, all night."

Dipper watched Wendy, Soos, and Mabel goofing off as they laughed without a care in the world, making him blush. "I promise."

Stan turned to Y/n. "How about you, you wanna work?"

"Is this a rhetorical question?" She replied with a small smirk.

"I'm letting you be the supervisor, I guess. Be the all-around person." Stan glanced at his clipboard again before walking off.

***

***

The night had finally arrived. Stan came out of the room, dressed differently from his work clothes. "Woah, you're really looking forward to this," Y/n noted once they met at the hallway. She was wearing a jean jacket with a graphic shirt underneath.

"Of course. I haven't been partying since I met Carla! This is the Shack's first party, and uh-" he shoved her shoulder playfully, "why don't you loosen up a bit?"

"I think I'm pretty relaxed," she retorted, stretching her arms a bit. "This party would benefit us. What a good idea, Stan."

"Oh, I'm full of good ideas, sweetheart," he replied without missing a beat. "Now why don't we go out there and let's have some fun for once, huh?"

Leading themselves to the party area, Soos was playing energizing music. Many people were already here, some were chilling around, some were already eating, and some were actually dancing. The two of them met Mabel at the top landing of the staircase where she was gazing at the crowd. She was wearing a loose hot pink shirt with an orange skirt, complemented by an orange bowtie on top of her hair.

"Can your uncle throw a party or what?" Stan said to Mabel. She smiled at him. "And if anyone wants to leave, I'm charging an exit fee for 15 bucks!"

Y/n chuckled. "Nice."

The music picked up its pace, and Mabel excitedly let out a squeal. "I gotta get myself on there! Come on, Y/n! Join me!" She grabbed her wrist without hesitation and they sprinted to the dance floor.

People should really start conferring to her first.

She did not, in fact, dance with Mabel. She only knows how to stomp her feet and bop her head to the music. Is that considered dancing? Just as the Northwest kin made her entrance and strutted up to the stage the moment Soos announced a party crown, Y/n decided to go to the refreshments table and get a cup of punch.

The Northwest family wields tremendous power in this town, owning nearly everything. Their power is undeniable, but they have a deeper history that no one knows about except Y/n and Ford. They discovered an enclosed document containing a code that they have yet to crack during their investigations.

She had two other girls on her tail, both wearing the same amount of make-up that was clearly illegal to put on a child's face.

Mabel walked up to the stage, too, and it looked like she made new friends. At least Mabel had that kind of power. She was so easygoing. It appeared that the competition was between Mabel and Pacifica and Y/n knew that this is where their rivalry would begin.

Soos announced the beginning of the party contest, playing a very lively song. Everybody hollered as the two dance-battled to the death. Pacifica looked practiced, scripted, as if she trained her whole life for this while Mabel's dance was spontaneous and carefree.

Y/n sipped from her paper cup, amused at the dances. So interesting that people can express their feelings through dancing. Stan's words echoed in her mind, "loosen up". She shook her head. She can loosen up in other ways than partying.

She scanned the crowd and noticed that Wendy was jumping up and down, dancing. Y/n tilted her head as she wondered who was with Dipper in the ticket stand since she was here. She walked outside after getting another fill of cranberry juice just as Stan reprimanded Dipper for trying to escape.

Dipper glumly walked back to the table, looking like he didn't wanna be there. She watched as he handled the tickets one by one, and as much as she wanted to help, she just didn't want to, seeing the line of people.

But alas, she can't get anything she wants, does she? Dipper noticed her and his eyes lit up. "Y/n! I need your help. Can you cover for me? I have to do something important real fast. I'll be back before you know it!"

He sprinted inside the Mystery Shack without saying another word. Y/n wanted to call him but her words died in her mouth. He left her with this line of kids. "Hey, you! Let us in!"

With a grumble, Y/n obliged albeit grimly, and began taking their money and putting it into the box. The kids were happy as they were being let in. The group walked inside, excited to party all night.

Meanwhile, Dipper stared at an entirely new clone of himself. "I have a really big head."

He climbed down from the copier machine, and his clone gazed back at him. "So... uh-" the two said in unison, making them laugh at the same time. "Sorry, you first." They echoed again. "Stop copying me!" They both burst in laughter at the cliche line. Original Dipper slapped his knee, and Dipper 2 wanted to follow until his elbow hit the corner of the box.

"AH! Ow, ow, funny bone." He hissed in pain just as Dipper wrote number 2 on his hat.

"I will call you Number 2!"

"Definitely not," Number 2 opposed, placing his fingers on his chin. "You know the name I've always wanted."

The two Dippers crossed their arms and smirked at one another. "Tyrone?"

With an enthusiastic smile, Classic Dipper began, "Okay, Tyrone, let's get down to business. You cover me at the ticket stand, while I ask Wendy to dance."

"I know the plan, buddy!" Tyrone said, just as spirited as Classic Dipper. Both at the same time, the two pulled out their long list of steps in order to spend the night with Wendy.

But as they were reading the plan, Dipper narrowed his eyes as he stepped back a bit. "Hey, we're not gonna get jealous and turn on each other like the clones in the movies, are we?" he asked, feeling slightly nervous.

"Dipper, please," Tyrone assured, smug, "this is you you're talking about. Plus, hey," he snapped his fingers, "you can always just disintegrate me with water." The two let out impressed sounds, tapping their temples.

Before the two could make their leave and go to their respective places, Classic Dipper pulled Tyrone back. "Oh, by the way, if Y/n is still there, she can help you with the ticket stand."

"Okay," Tyrone replied, feeling slightly worrisome. "But what if she gets suspicious of me?"

"Then, you can tell her. She's one of the few people who we can trust."

Tyrone strode out of the Shack and Dipper proceeded towards Wendy. He found Y/n accepting cash now that the line has calmed down a bit. There were still people, and she was ripping off a ticket just as Tyrone walked up to her. He cleared his throat and Y/n smiled up to him.

"You're back!" she smiled. "So what important stuff did you do?"

"Um, I just had to go to the bathroom, that's all," he replied, taking over the ticket ripping and handing it to her.

She took a good look at him. He was paler than usual, and instead of a pinetree on his hat, it was the number two. Inquisitively raising an eyebrow, she smiled. "Dipper, are you okay? You seem paler than when I last saw you."

He stuttered out a reply. "Uh, I just ran all the way here. I guess this is a sign that I'm... dehydrated?"

Y/n took another kid's money and placed it inside the box. Tyrone tore apart the next ticket and handed it to him. He glanced behind him to see Classic Dipper on the dancefloor, heading his way towards Wendy. He subtly gave him a thumbs up to which Dipper replicated the pose.

"So," Y/n spoke slowly, "what should I call you?"

Tyrone snapped his head towards her in shock. "I... what do you mean?"

"You don't think I'm that dumb to believe you're Dipper, are you?" she said, grinning. He was tripping over his words. "So, is it Clone Dipper? Dipper 2? Double Dipper?"

He chuckled, "No, Classic Dipper and I had this name that we always wanted. Call me Tyrone."

"Tyrone," she nodded as she smiled. "Nice name."

Suddenly, Tyrone's walkie-talkie rang and he picked up the call. Dipper was talking in the other line. "Tyrone! Robbie is here. We gotta get rid of him if I ever want to dance with Wendy!"

Y/n continued giving out the tickets while Tyrone was spacing out. "Hey," she bumped her elbow against his to wake him up. "Tyrone, you okay?"

He shook his head awake. "I just got a jealousy fantasy." He stood and faced the stained window where he got a glimpse of inside.

"I know-! Wait, did she just call you Tyrone-?"

"Do you have a plan?"

Dipper looked around the party until he saw Robbie's dirt bike on a kickstand. "I have an idea."

"I have the same one," Tyrone said, "but we're gonna need some help."

Y/n watched Tyrone as he dropped the device. "Are you gonna leave again?"

"Yeah, we have a plan to get rid of Robbie so he won't get in the way of Dipper wanting to dance with Wendy."

"What an elaborate plan for a sure-fire goal you got there, Tyrone."

He smiled, before taking off. He walked back inside while Y/n tended to the remaining customers. The last bunch of tickets were sold and the metal case sure was full of money. She held it up by its handle and decided to bring it to Stan's office since the boss himself was busy clapping for his great-niece.

Just as she opened the door, Dipper 3 and 4, along with the Original Dipper stood there. Tyrone was still sitting on Stan's desk.

The two of them shared eye-contact. "I can explain," Dipper said.

"I already know. Tyrone told me."

Her gaze averted to the second Dipper who was suddenly caught off-guard that he almost slipped.

Classic Dipper was slightly flustered. "Oh, so... are you not weirded out by any of this?"

"I've seen weirder stuff every day. Anyway, I just came here to drop this box of cash here in Stan's office," Y/n said, walking inside and placing the box beside Tyrone. "And I promise not to tell anyone."

Dipper smiled. "Thanks, Y/n. We're off to do the plan!" He, 3, and 4 all sprinted out of the office.

Y/n was standing there idly when she spoke, "Are you and Dipper any different? Like, do you share the same IQ, same EQ, same memories?"

He stared at her, speechless at first. "Um. Well, I don't know. We share the same hopes and dreams– and nightmares. I am literally a copy of him from this machine. I don't know how to figure out the difference."

"Your names are different."

Tyrone laughed, before it died down. He fiddled with his fingers as he remained seated. "Why aren't you out there, you know, partying?"

"Growing up, I was never really used to large crowds," Y/n replied, walking towards the copier machine, examining it. It looked so busted, but apparently it still worked. She turned to Tyrone. "Bright lights and slow dances with people... I just never got to experience it all my life. I have never been asked by anyone to go and dance."

Tyrone looked at her somberly. "Well, there's a first time for everything," he saw the way her lips pursed in hesitance, and her distant gaze was very prominent in her look. "Wait, I see what's happening here."

"What?" She was confused at his sudden inspection. "What's happening?'

He narrowed his eyes, and a grin slowly erupted. He pointed at her. "You want Dipper to ask you to dance!"

"What?! NO!" Flabbergasted, she stepped back. "I mean, getting asked to dance is an honor and all, but why specifically Dipper?"

Tyrone smiled widely. "I don't know, it's the way you got sad whenever Dipper and I talked about Wendy." He still had that smirk plastered on his paper face.

Y/n deadpanned. "So you and Dipper do have a difference," she said, deciding to leave the room.

"No, wait, wait!" Tyrone was giggling as he chased after her. He grabbed her shoulder. "You gotta help me first."

She turned around, raising an eyebrow. "With what?"

"You need to help me find more paper just in case we need more back-up..."

"Well, if you just used your eyes, you would have found them in a box here, Tyrone," Y/n chided playfully, going over to Stan's older desks. The box was beside the drawer. She lifted the lid and sarcastically presented him with a stack of old papers dusted with soot and cinders.

Tyrone rolled his eyes. "Okay, smartypants, I get it. Now, I need some assistance in loading the machine up with these papers...," he said slowly, probably feeling a bit bad about asking her too many favors.

But Y/n obliged. She collected half a stack of papers, went over to the copier and arranged them neatly inside the canister, but as she let go, her finger got caught by the sharp corners of the paper.

She pulled back to see that it was quickly spurting blood. "Hm," she hummed briefly.

"Oh no! Papercut!" Tyrone exclaimed and hurried beside her. "I gotta go get a med kit!"

"No need," she told him before he could leave. Tyrone couldn't stay still, watching her neutral expression. How is she so calm? Papercuts really sting! "Look," she said, and he gazed back at her bloodied finger. With a quick swipe on her denim jacket, she showed the finger again, and it was... "See? Nothing to worry about."

"It's... it's clean. H-how?"

Y/n looked at him seriously. "Promise not to tell anyone this?" Tyrone nodded. "Not even Dipper?" He nodded. "Well, I happen to not feel pain and have quick healing. That's it."

"That's it?!" He dared to mock. "Seriously, invulnerability? So you don't feel pain and can heal quickly?! That's so cool! But why are you keeping it a secret?"

"I..." how is she supposed to tell him without possibly hurting him? It's quite difficult spelling the words, 'she doesn't trust them... yet.' "I have to leave."

"Wait, don't go yet!"

Y/n shrugged. "I've made a mistake in telling you this, and now I'm disappointed."

"Don't leave! You haven't met my favorite Dipper yet!" Tyrone said.

"Huh?"

An unusual-looking paper Dipper crawled into the scene as Tyrone introduced him, "This is Paper Jam Dipper. The paper got jammed when trying to create Quattro, but I'm slowly growing on him."

Y/n stared at Paper Jam Dipper before he charged towards her. "NYANYANYANYA!" his voice was scratchy and screechy. He was clinging onto her, wrapping his arms around. "NYAAAA!"

Tyrone chuckled, crossing his arms. "Seems that he likes you."

Y/n wobbled, trying to carry around Paper-Jam Dipper. She grabbed its waist and pulled it off of her. This version of Dipper was very disoriented and discolored, and some parts were wrinkled and creased. It truly captured the look of a paper jam.

"Yeah, well, I like him too."

"Aw, but what about Dipper?" Tyrone teased, his hands held together as he pouted.

Y/n glared although there was a glint of playfulness in them. "You're seriously getting on my nerves, Tyrone."

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?"

"Nothing," she said, "which is why I'm walking out on you."

Tyrone laughed. "Hey, I still wanna see you later!" He promised. "Y/n, wait." his smile disappeared a bit. Y/n waited for what he wanted to say. "I'm not going to tell anyone. I'll take your secret to my grave."

"Thank you," she said. It was genuine gratitude.

"And," he followed, "if Dipper's plan to ask Wendy to dance is a success, we can show up as, you know, back-up. Just- just in case anything goes wrong."

Smooth.

Y/n was left speechless. Where did this sudden boost of confidence come from? Tyrone is truly different from Dipper. "But I can't dance."

"I don't know anything about dancing either, but can we still try?" Tyrone smiled.

She stared up at him. Why is her heart suddenly reeling? Why is her mind going bonkers over this boy? Yet despite her mind telling her that she would just embarrass herself, her heart compelled her to say- "Okay."

"Okay? Woo! I never thought it would work. I didn't need that stupid overcomplicated list after all!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Stupid overcomplicated list?"

"Yeah. Classic Dipper has this elaborate plan to impress Wendy. Honestly hope it's going well for him."

As if on cue, Dipper slammed open the door. "Tyrone! Where were you, man? I need some help!"

Y/n decided to leave the room without even saying a word. He looked pretty out of his mind, so Y/n figured that she shouldn't even bother and let Tyrone console him. After all, the only person who can understand you is yourself.

Y/n realized that all those talking and giving out tickets had her thirsty therefore eyeing the punch bowl and getting herself another cup.

Meanwhile, Dipper stared at 7 mirror images of himself. Tracey and Quattro have yet to return. He was relieved to have so much assistance from people who shared his viewpoint. Of course, dancing with Wendy will necessitate careful consideration of the circumstances. There were numerous factors to consider, but thanks to the swarm of Dippers, everything had been taken care of.

"Now is the time," Classic Dipper said once they were all gathered. "Y'all are clear on what to do?"

They all nodded in unison. Everyone except for Classic Dipper and Tyrone marched out of the room and proceeded to the party area to do their roles.

Y/n watched from her chair as Dipper 10 flashed a dot on the wall, making Soos distracted. Then, her gaze shifted to numerous other Dippers around the room. She was confused, wondering if she was the only one seeing this.

The scene was set, the only thing missing were the dancers. Wendy was nowhere to be found, and Dipper has yet to make his entrance. When was his cue?

It had been a few minutes, and she could tell Dipper 10 was getting impatient. Soos was still having a good time, proclaiming that he will never get tired of dot, until Dipper 10 picked up his walkie-talkie and responded before returning upstairs.

Is Dipper going to be okay?

Yet instead of following him upstairs, Y/n averted her stare as she sipped from her drink albeit gloomily. Let him handle his own problems this time. She decided to just look forward to the dance that Tyrone promised her.

After being confronted by the clones and imprisoning him inside the closet, Dipper already wanted to escape and get to Wendy. The clones were arguing about who gets to dance with Wendy, and Classic Dipper took his chance and broke out silently until he was in the hall towards the party area where Wendy was standing.

"Wend-!" His words were cut off when pairs of hands covered his mouth and pulled him back inside where the clones were looking unimpressed.

"Come on, man. Give it up. You're overpowered," Tyrone said, crossing his arms.

Dipper flailed his arms frantically. "Hold on, guys, think about it. We're exact equals mentally and physically. If we start fighting, it'll just go on for infinity!"

As the clones agreed amongst each other, Dipper suddenly punched Tyrone in the face. Everyone stared at him in awkward silence.

Until someone from the crowd burst out, "CLONE FIGHT!" And they commenced, proceeding to brawl with each other. As the fighting lingered, Dipper crawled through the swarm and nearly got away. Unfortunately for him, someone noticed. "Hey! Classic Dipper's getting away!"

With a faux gentle aura surrounding him, he faced them as they saw the number 7 on his hat. Dipper softly reassured them. "No, friends. It's me, number 7."

They narrowed their eyes at him before reverting to the real number 7 who was pinned on the ground. He was thrashing around when he said, "That's not me, guys! That's not me!"

Another misfortune befell Dipper when the hat's plastered number 7 became unstuck, revealing the iconic blue pinetree. His pupils dilated as number 9 pointed at him. "Go get him!"

One by one, they all marched towards him. Dipper retreated further away. "Stay back," he said, rummaging through his pockets. He felt the party poppers inside and pulled it out. The clones had no signs of stopping so he figured he'd just scared them with the loud noises.

"Stay back!" He said it once more before pulling the string on the party poppers. It exploded with a loud POP and confetti fell out. The small explosion sent a waft of smoke up to the ceiling, setting off the smoke alarms, which led to the clones' demise.

The alarm rang loudly, triggering the sprinklers to release water hysterically. The Dipper copies expressed noises of disgruntlement and annoyance at this turn of events. Dipper watched as everyone– including Paper Jam Dipper– melted and died in front of him in relief.

"Huh, how about that." He casually placed his hands on his waist.

It wasn't over though when Tyrone was behind him all this time. "You!"

"Uh-oh."

The two went and engaged into a fight, determining who gets to dance with Wendy. But all their efforts seemed to be fruitless when they heard Wendy laughing loudly from across the room. Dipper and Tyrone stopped fighting and walked out to see what was going on. "Wendy?" they said in unison.

On the side of the dance floor, Wendy and Robbie were talking very discreetly, exchanging jokes that few shouldn't hear, but it made her laugh anyway.

Seeing as they will never have a slight probability now, the two Dippers let out a beaten sigh. "We blew it, man." They turned around and slid towards the floor.

They let a couple of silence pass, until Tyrone broke it. "I don't know, you wanna go grab a couple sodas or something?"

Dipper smiled, because that's exactly what he needed right now.

And ironically so, he knew the perfect spot.

Tyrone and Dipper were sitting on the edge of the roof, probably at the precise moment of realization. Wendy was a cool girl, and the way he was doing the overcomplicated list didn't help him make any progress with her.

Knowing that this is the only chance he can talk to himself without looking weird, he voiced out his thoughts. "Do you really think we'd have a chance on Wendy?"

"I don't know, man," Tyrone replied truthfully.. "Honestly the only time you didn't trip up over Wendy was when you didn't do anything in those list stuff."

"I know," Classic Dipper agreed. "Mabel was right, I do get in my own way."

"Literally!"

With that lesson learned, the two celebrated it over a sip of cola.

"Oh, boy," Tyrone said as he just realized. It was such an idiotic and depressing death as his body slowly melted from his stomach. "Don't look now..."

"Tyrone!" Dipper exclaimed, standing up.

"It's okay, dude. I had a good run," he replied rather somberly. He was looking forward to seeing her again, but it looked like he wouldn't have another chance. He's just going to leave it all to Dipper. "Hey, Dipper..." he called as his lower body disintegrated into liquid. "Y/n is a really cool person. I... I promised her... I promised her a dance..." His chin was now on the roof's shingles as his speech patterns sounded more slow and lazy. "Keep my promise, Dipper! For my sake..."

Tyrone completely perished, the only remains were liquid as it fell from the roof. The author felt a little bit of deja vu from this.

"Tyrone!" Dipper shouted again. With furrowed brows, he raised his own can. "You were the only one who understood."

***

Going down from the roof, he stood in front of the door. He peeked inside of the window, and there were Soos, Stan, Mabel dancing with her two new friends, Wendy, and Y/n. It seemed that Robbie the pest had finally flown away.

Dipper reached for the doorknob, but before he could grab it, he remembered the list from his pockets. He stared at it, with the huge text of Wendy Plan B in it. Finally, Dipper tore it apart and let it fall to the ground, dusting his hands. And all of a sudden, his pocket didn't feel as heavy anymore.

He opened the door, and was immediately greeted by his sister. "Dipper! Where have you been?! Meet my girlfriends!" She screamed on top of her lungs and she was surely louder than the music.

The two introduced themselves as Candy and Grenda, and only from that moment and his observation, Dipper already knew that they're a perfect trio.

He walked away and let them continue with the obnoxious dancing. He ventured to the side of the dance floor and glanced at Wendy who was just vibing with the music. Y/n was laying very comfortably on the couch, reading, and Dipper had to smile. How could she even concentrate with the loudspeakers?

She was very good at multitasking, he already knew that. While the music was blaring, she was comfortably reading with a bowl of marshmallows on her lap. Yet instead of using her fingers, she was using a fork to eat. What an etiquette.

Dipper cleared his throat loudly for her to hear. Y/n glanced up and scooted a space even before he got to ask if the seat beside him was taken.

He smiled a bit, eyes scanning throughout the parlor. Not even five minutes have passed and he already missed Tyrone.

The boy glanced to his left to see that Wendy was already gone from beside him. Did she go to the bathroom? Meanwhile, glancing to his right, Y/n was silently reading.

He really didn't want to disturb her. If it were him, he would be annoyed too if someone interrupted his summer reading. He cleared his throat again, and this time his voice cracked. "Uhm..." why does everything feel so itchy now? Did Tyrone unintentionally make things awkward? Or was it Dipper?

"Want a marsh?" His thoughts were awoken by Y/n's voice. It was a simple offer. A yes or no question.

"S-sometimes," Dipper wanted to smack himself in the head. "I mean, no thank you."

She shrugged, flipping a page and continued reading.

"What's that book you're reading?"

"Huh? Oh, just this random mystery book I picked from the local library," she replied, showing the cover. The Sunken Secret of the Spherical Spiral Staircase. "Have you read this before?"

"I... actually haven't," Dipper answered honestly. "

"Where did Tyrone go?" Y/n asked, her brows slightly furrowed. She thought he might've been hiding since clearly Dipper was here

He looked down on the ground. "He's..." he sighed. "He's gone."

"Oh," she muttered, mumbling. She adjusted her position so she was sitting more upright as she closed the book. "That's... very sad."

"Yeah," he sighed again. Suddenly he remembered Tyrone's last words. "You know, he said something before he- you know."

Y/n's eyes widened. "He didn't tell you about-?"

"He promised to dance with you?"

She wanted to smack herself right in the face (which was useless) for almost forgetting the promise. She completely thought that Tyrone spilled her secret about being invulnerable. Her cheeks suddenly flushed in embarrassment. "We're dancing now?"

"If you're okay with it."

Y/n looked at everything else except for Dipper. She then realized that they were being watched by Mabel, who was squealing with joy around her newfound friends.

"But I can't dance."

"Me neither, but we can try?" As he smiled at her, she couldn't help but smile back. Tyrone and Dipper were alike after all.

So she took his offered hand and they strutted to the dancefloor albeit awkwardly. Dipper pursed his lips and took her hand, just as everybody around them gasped, including Stan. Soos quickly changed the music into a slow-paced one.

Y/n literally have never danced with anyone before. This activity was foreign to her that she didn't know where to start. She might have seen glimpses of dancing when Stan was switching between channels on his TV, but she has never experienced it first-hand.

Yet, here she is.

She was a fast learner, that was one of her quirks. So when Dipper stepped forward, she stepped back, and vice versa. All the time, they were looking at their feet and how they moved in sync. They were unaware of the huge smiles growing on their faces.

"Woo! Go Dipper!" Wendy cheered from the side.

"You're such a natural, Y/n!" Mabel followed.

Somewhere up in paper heaven, Tyrone was proud.. Because not only did Dipper keep his promise to dance with Y/n, he also managed to do it without the help from his list. If he was still alive, he would tell him, "I told you so," with a huge grin.

***

"Dang, Y/n. Didn't know you had it in ya," Stan remarked, grinning.

"Please stop talking about it," Y/n deadpanned, slouching over the control board. "I don't wanna hear about it."

He sang a tune, dancing around like a madman. "Lalalala~" he spun throughout the room, eyes closed as he imitated the steps, until-

"OW!"

Stan rubbed the spot in his head where it was hit by a metal bolt. "Oops," Y/n chuckled. "Forgot you're not as invulnerable as me." She turned back to her desk. "Now can we please just focus? It was just a dance. Nothing else."

He didn't say anything else, but he knew. He recognized the expression and was at a loss for words. He had no idea what would happen, which made him nervous. "If you say so."

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 12!

MASTERLIST

RG RH LMOB Z NZGGVI LU GRNV FMGRO SVI SVZIG UVVOH HFYORNV

GSRH ZFGSLI WLVH MLG PMLD SLD GL ISBNV DSZG GSV SVXP RH HFYORNV

[gravityfallsrewritten]

Chapter 10: Real Man Or Real Dead?

Y/n stared at the virtual graph inside the monitor, the ling going up before descending slightly, and then it's getting high again, but it completely dropped very low.

"So the kid has powers. No big deal."

"I just have no idea how he got a hold of it," she replied.

"Maybe he just found it on a random spot of dirt or something," Stan said, swigging the last gulp of his one bottle of beer, which he shouldn't do because he still have work tomorrow, and not only that, but the kids can find out, but he's Stan and he can do whatever he wants.

"Ford said he buried it where nobody can find it."

Stan chuckled. "Well, my brother's either-" he presented his digits. "-suck at hiding, a terrible liar, or... yeah that's it."

Y/n laughed with him before trailing off, a far look on her face. "I'm kinda worried, though."

He made a dismissive tone, waving his hand. "Eh, don't worry about that rapscallion Gideon. What's he gonna do; nibble on my ankles? His hair is bigger than his entire body!"

It made her smile a bit, but she couldn't help but wonder. Is it possible that Gideon has the second Journal?

"Hey, quit it with the silence.. I swear, you look like you're about to explode with your thinking gears smoking. Tell me about what happened today while I was out."

"Well," she began. She was slightly annoyed when Stan interrupted her train of thought. She doesn't like it when she's disrupted whenever she thinks. "The moment you left, Wendy invited the twins to the roof and tried to hit the attached target on the totem with pinecones. Dipper hit a van, though."

"And did you compensate for the damage?"

"Of course I didn't. Owner didn't hear it anyway. And even if he did complain, I would insist that it was a wild animal or something,"

Stan grinned proudly. "Ah, I taught you well." He stood up and messed with her hair a bit before slowly making his exit. "Well, I'm off to bed. I'm drunk."

"What, you only had like- one beer. Not that I'm encouraging you to drink more because then you'd smell like a drunk."

"Okay, maybe I'm just sleepy. Good night, kid."

"Good night."

***

***

The next day, Y/n was outside tending to Gompers, the Shack's pet goat. It was now part of the ambience ever since it showed up and ate most of the grass from around the Shack. Stan thought that it would be a good idea to keep it so that he wouldn't do any more mowing.

Now, Y/n is treating its wounds after she found a red spot on one of its knees. He was whimpering like crazy, trying to lick it. She got to the bathroom and grabbed the gauzes before sprinting outside before the goat could escape.

She already got it cleaned from the blood and was now wrapping bandages around its ankle. It calmed down, basically just staring right at her, or was it behind her? She wasn't sure. Its pupils were lopsided, after all.

Y/n crumpled a handful of weed growing near her and fed it to Gompers which he happily munched on. She petted its head, thinking deeply.

She could really see herself building a clinic in the middle of the forest, catered specifically for the creatures and monsters of Gravity Falls. She's invulnerable and has fast healing (meaning any effect marks would disappear immediately), but not everyone in Gravity Falls does.

She already knows how to clean a wound, she'd read enough books about mythical creatures- even got to observe them closer with Ford- so she knows how to be delicate.

Her train of thought was cut off by a sudden horn and tires screeching against the dirt.

Wendy's friends poured out of the blue van. She knew all of them as she was with them once only because Stan wanted her to inspect them if they were secretly agents who were after the portal- which was dang impossible.

Thompson was being made fun of again by Nate and Lee, and honestly, poor guy. Y/n didn't have to check her watch to know that Wendy's shift will soon end and she'd go hang out with her friends doing who knows what in a place of who knows where.

Out of all the activities, of course it's the one where Thompson is getting tortured. He was held upside down by Lee and Nate– shirtless– as Robbie stood a few meters from him, holding a bag of candy pebbles.

Tambry began recording as Robbie started throwing them. Nate and Lee were chanting "IN THE BELLY".

Y/n stood there, unimpressed yet slightly confused. Is this supposed to be fun?

"Me-e-e!"

"Oh," she mumbled, turning around. It seemed that Gompers wanted more grass to eat. "You lazy goat, it's right beside you."

"Me-e-e."

"Okay, I'll do it. Not because you're cute... but because I'm a good person." She crouched down and pulled apart a patch of grass. Gompers happily– or not, she couldn't tell– chewed.

"OHHH!" The group cheered. A green jelly bean was inside the belly button, accurately shot by none other than Wendy.

Y/n saw the twins walking beside Wendy. What were they doing?

Wendy introduced the two to her friends, giving them all brief introductions. Robbie asked if she was supposed to babysit the twins, only for Wendy to playfully berate him.

And that's when Y/n made the mistake of watching them for too long. She didn't look away quick enough for Nate to catch her gaze.

"Hey, Wendy, ain't that one of your co-workers?" he asked as he pointed at her.

Wendy glanced at her friend and smiled. "Oh, yeah! Y/n! You've hung out with us before, right?"

Suddenly having many eyes on her, she tried to make a move to leave, but Mabel stopped her.

"Wait, Y/n! Aren't you coming?"

"Uhm..." she trailed off. "I'm sorta busy."

"We're gonna go to this abandoned store and have some fun!" Mabel pleaded, "Please go!"

Y/n hummed hesitantly. If she leaves, Stan's going to be alone, stuck watching TV with the Black and White Period Piece Old Lady Boring Movie channel because he's too lazy to get up and find the remote.

Which he should do since she's been wanting to watch the show with him.

With a small smile at her set-up, Y/n walked closer to the gang. "Alright, I'll join. I'm sure it will be fun."

Dipper's smile widened, Mabel's eyes sparkled, while half of the gang cheered. Everyone got inside Thompson's van as he started the ignition. Y/n and the twins were situated at the very back. They all wore their seatbelts and punched the roof while everyone chanted Thompson's name.

On the way there, Dipper was hyping himself up to be the coolest kid in the group. Mabel just vandalized the car with bright red marker, feeling silly, while Y/n was looking outside the window and watching the trees run past them and finally, they were out of the forest.

After what seemingly was a long ride, when it was actually rather short, everyone got out of the vehicle and gazed through the chain fence. Most of the group were wearing excited grins and mischievous smirks. "There it is, fellas. The condemned Dusk 2 Dawn," Wendy spoke.

The crowd gasped and let out amazed sounds. Dipper asked for the reason why it was shut down, and Nate said that the owners were murdered. Y/n wracked her brain for any news of the closing of the shop. She didn't hear anything from Stan. Were the couple really killed?

"A-are you serious?" Dipper nervously asked.

"Yeah! We're all gonna die!" Wendy mocked. "Chill out, man" she playfully punched him in the shoulder, "It's not as bad as it looks."

The twins glanced at the boarded sign which read, "NO TRESPASSING VIOLATORS WILL BE DEAD!" and from that moment, it was now or never. They should just suck it up and join their shenanigans so that they can be cool.

Everyone proceeded to jump over the fence– with a little bit of struggling from Dipper– but eventually, they were all heading towards the entrance of the store.

"Aren't you a bit creeped out about this, Y/n?" he elbowed her a bit, and she paused for a moment, "I mean, an abandoned building, the owners being murdered. Isn't this all one big trap?"

"I'm not sure," was her only reply to that. She wasn't really sure, although she had to admit, she felt a little excited for what's to come. "Do you believe in ghosts?" she said with a small grin.

Dipper was caught a bit flustered at the question. "Wh-why, are there ghosts? I- I don't know. I've read about it in the journal, but I've never seen one before."

She kept a chuckle inside and kept walking. The two saw Robbie grappling to force the door open, but it just wouldn't budge. "I think it's stuck."

"Let me take a crack at it," Dipper suddenly said, walking confidently ahead of Y/n. He pulled his sleeve up as if he's preparing.

Robbie glared. "Oh, yeah, I can't get in, but I'm sure uh- junior here is gonna break it down like Hercules."

"Come on, leave him alone!" Wendy chided, "He's just a little kid."

Dipper frowned at the word, but with a new surge of courage, he was determined to debunk Robbie's words. He marched towards the side of the building where there was a dumpster and he jumped on it before climbing onto the roof. Dipper wasn't fazed at all as he easily hoisted himself up and walked through the shingles.

Sounds of protests were heard from the crowd, but Y/n was looking confused and impressed at the same time.

He found a vent but the cover was screwed closed, but he was still not giving up. He pulled on it, pushed it with his body until finally, he punched it with all his might. The case was destroyed and he eventually got inside the duct.

Everyone looked concerned, but Y/n had to laugh. All this just to prove someone wrong. It was really admirable.

"Who wants to bet he doesn't make it?" Robbie crossed his arms with a smirk.

But Dipper walked out of the door, unharmed and gestured to everyone to go inside.

Everyone left comments as they entered the store. Y/n and Dipper exchanged smiles as they walked in last.

"Do you guys really think it's haunted?"

"Psh, nah! Thompson, are you kidding me?"

"Woah, man, it's even creepier than I imagined!"

The group walked around the dim room. It was dark, but the moon and the outside posts provided a bit of light. They were blindly looking for the power switch until Wendy had found it.

Miraculously, there was still enough power to light up the entire store. The freezers were still working smoothly.

"So, what do we do now?"

"Anything we want."

And anything they wanted, they did. From food fights to food experiments, it was guaranteed a great night. Y/n haven't felt this fun in decades.

She found herself sitting on one of the aisles with Dipper and Wendy, eating ice cream. She was sure that every food in this store expired since the owners died in 1995 (she saw the newspapers), but what does she know about the effects of expired food anyways? She doesn't get sick.

Dipper and Wendy sat upright, talking about how fun this night is going so far, while Y/n was laying on the aisle. She raised her ice cream above her face and watched as it melted and dripped on her tongue. She was only half listening to the conversation until she heard someone shouting, "Hey, guys! We need more ice!"

"I'm on it!" Dipper announced, jumping off the aisle and running off.

Y/n finally sat upright and faced Wendy who was clearly enjoying her ice cream.

"You know, Y/n, I've been working on the Mystery Shack for like a year now, but I know nothing about you."

"Well, I don't think there's anything cool for you to know about."

"Oh, come on. Any scars? Tattoos? Stitches?"

"Wha- Wendy? How old do you think I am?"

Wendy laughed. "I'm just kidding." She glanced to the side. "Dipper's a cool kid."

"Yeah?"

"I mean, he's really trying to be a part of this crew. Do you think he's actually thirteen?"

Y/n didn't say anything else before looking down. No, in fact, he and his twin aren't thirteen. They just lied to get to hang out around them.

Their attention was caught by a scream coming from the freezers. Everyone was slightly alarmed and weirded out by the sound so they huddled up and investigated. The group found Dipper with a bag of ice spread out by his feet.

"What was that?" Lee asked, approaching closer. "Thought I heard some lady screaming back here."

"You freaking out, kid?" Nate teased.

Dipper stammered, "Uh, no! No, I'm cool! Everything's cool!"

"Then, what's all this about?" Robbie pointed to the spilled ice.

"That's uh, um, huh... hey, look! Dancy Pants Revolution! The game that tricks people into exercising!"

Everyone sprinted to the arcade with mumbles of agreement. Dipper voiced his own weak cheers and thought he could feel relieved, until he realized that Y/n was left standing there with her eyebrow raised. "Y/n!"

"What's wrong?"

"Um, it was nothing!"

"What did you see in the cooler?"

Dipper looked back and eventually, he sighed in defeat. "I might be feeling delusional, but I swear I saw this floating ghost brain. It had eyes and a mouth, and it was staring at me, Y/n. Creepily staring."

She hummed in response. She tried to recall encountering that kind of creature, but her brain didn't supply much. "It does sound creepy," was what she only said before someone from the group called them over. Probably Wendy.

"Coming!" Dipper enthusiastically replied, before dropping his voice into a whisper. "But when I opened the fridge again, it was gone! Do I look crazy? I feel like I'm losing my mind the longer we're in this place."

"I believe you, Dipper, you don't have to convince me," Y/n reassured. "I know you don't want me to tell them, so we can just keep this between us, okay?"

He gratefully smiled. "Thank you, Y/n. It really means a lot."

She could tell that he was beginning to get nervous, and when she tried to touch his hand, it was cold. Where did she have the gut to hold his hand? "Don't worry, Dipper, as much as I believe in the supernatural, I don't think this building is haunted. And if it was, wouldn't it be cool to show these suckers that the ghosts are real?"

Dipper chuckled. "Oh, that would be priceless."

The two laughed among themselves as they walked to where Thompson was currently trying to beat the high score, but with his unathletic body, he was struggling to keep up with the pace.

Nate and Lee were cheering him on, while Wendy, Robbie, and Tambry, Dipper, and Y/n were behind. "Woah!" Wendy spoke, elbowing Dipper. "He's really terrible at this."

He chuckled nervously. "Heh, yeah, that's – that's great." His words died in his throat as he looked at the glass door, seeing their reflections. Their skin, however, is replaced by bones. Dipper frantically rubbed his eyes and everything went back to normal.

"Hey," Y/n bumped her shoulder against his, "you okay? What happened?"

"Uh..." he began. "I'll be right back."

Her eyes didn't leave his figure as he made his way to the wall telephone. She made an educated guess that he was probably trying to call Stan, and that made her stifle a chuckle. She doesn't think Stan would pick up any moment as he's busy crying to the telenovelas.

She couldn't watch Thompson be horrible at DPR anymore so she wandered around the store with her hand against the pockets of her jacket. Her feet lead her to the corner of the store by the window and that's where she discovered traces of two bodies that belonged to Ma and Pa Duskerton.

Y/n's brow furrowed. She couldn't believe that they actually died. They seemed to be a lovely couple based on Stan's gossip. She guessed the good thing was that they died side by side.

"Awesome, Y/n, you found the jackpot!" Robbie was thrilled behind her. "Hey, guys, take a look at this."

Everyone gathered together closer, and Y/n stepped back, slightly annoyed.

"Then the rumors are true..." Lee commented. Dipper gulped.

"Dude, I dare you to lie down in it," Robbie taunted.

"Good idea!" Lee said, before turning to Nate. "Go lie down in it!"

"Heh, I'm a dead body, look!" He walked over to the marking, about to step on the lines, until Dipper intervened.

"Wait!" He turned to the group. "Maybe let's not do that."

"This guy's scared!" Lee said in a sing-song way.

"All I'm saying is, why tempt the fates? I mean... What if this place really is... haunted?"

Everyone shouted 'boo's at him as Y/n rolled her eyes. "Come on, guys, I think Dipper has a point," she said. "We were already having fun without any of this. We can just go and play on a different spot and leave this couple alone. In peace."

Robbie groaned. "Ugh, I knew we shouldn't have brought these kids. They're acting like a major buzzkill right now, right?"

The group nodded in unison. Wendy was hesitant, but it was clear that she was upset. "Yeah. Little bit."

Dipper frowned while Y/n felt a little bit annoyed. Why does she need approval from them?

Tambry sighed, typing on her phone. "Status update; trapped in store with insane 9-year old."

"I'm not a 9-year old!" Dipper protested, angrily laying on the tape markings. Y/n gasped softly, trying to stop him. "I'm thirteen! Technically a teen!"

The traced figure surrounding him lit up and the lights went off. Everybody looked around in worry, until Tambry dissolved right in front of them, leaving her cellphone. Dipper picked up the phone and read aloud, "Status update; AAAAAHHH!!" Suddenly the security camera screen switched on and Tambry stood there, trapped. She banged on the screen but she couldn't get out.

"Tambry! Tambry!" Wendy screamed.

"Can you hear us?!" Dipper followed with his own shouts, but Tambry didn't respond, still looking lost.

Nate panicked. "What are we supposed to do?!"

"I don't know, man," Lee answered. "I don't know!"

"Let's just go already!"

Wendy tried to call for Thompson, but he was still adamant about beating the high score. He was dancing, until he, too, dissolved and was transferred inside the video game itself. The game began attacking him with the arrows. Robbie wanted to flee for his life before the door got shut and locked. Wendy tried pushing and pulling, but it wouldn't budge. Robbie tried destroying it with the cash register, but it only vanished and a green light erupted.

"Guys!" Y/n called for their attention. "Haven't you watched enough ghost movies? Ghosts don't just haunt because they want to."

"Yeah, whatever's doing this has to have some kind of reason," Dipper chimed in, taking out the journal. "Maybe if we could just figure out what it is, then they'll let us out of here!"

But Robbie wasn't listening, not believing a word from two children younger than him. Wendy wanted to give it a chance and sided Dipper this time, and when Lee mocked the ghost, the next thing he knew was that he was floating and appeared on the cover a cereal box.

"Welcome."

"AHH!" Everybody screamed.

"They got Mabel!" Dipper screeched. Mabel was floating in the air with her hand raised to the side and her eyes were glowing blue with no pupils. She had a deep and menacing voice.

Ghost Mabel cackled as she introduced them to their deaths. They began apologizing and begging for the ghost to let them go, and at first, she complied. But before they completely left, it offered hotdogs, but Nate was stubborn and didn't like hotdogs so Ghost Mabel became enraged once more. Nate dematerialized, and this time, he turned into a hotdog.

"It begins."

The room turned upside down and the objects that were on the ground were now on the ceiling. "Quick! In there!" Wendy pointed at the nearby soda machine and the three wasted no time hopping inside and closing the hatch.

"What could be the reason the ghost is doing this?" Y/n asked once they fit inside.

"Okay, let's try to figure out the pattern here; Tambry was texting, Thompson was playing a video game, and Lee is being sarcastic, it doesn't make any sense!"

I think it makes perfect sense.

"Yeah! I mean, those are just normal teenage things!" Wendy responded, making Dipper's eyes light up in realization.

"Wendy, say that last part again."

"'Normal teenage things'?"

"Of course!" He turned to Y/n, who was already looking at him. "I know what I'm gonna do."

"I'll cover you," she replied, nodding.

He nodded back. "We go in three. One, two, three!" On cue, the two jumped out before Wendy could have stopped them.

"Wait! Guys, what are you doing?!" She called out, but was too afraid to follow.

Y/n watched out for the floating chips and appliances that might terrorize them. The two marched towards Ghost Mabel with a stern look on his face. "Hey, ghost!" Dipper shouted, catching their attention. "I've got something to tell you!" they grinned maliciously as they let out an ecstatic sound.

Dipper and Y/n were now floating, surrounded by blue auras. Talk about deja vu. Dipper swallowed nervously, hoping it would work. It's now or never. "I'm not a teenager!"

Mabel's eyes stopped glowing and everything stopped floating. Even Y/n and Dipper fell to the ground with a thud, but Mabel stayed afloat with her hair pulled up by the spirit of Pa Duskerton. Ma Duskerton was beside him, and it was the first time that Y/n saw them again.

They were smiling. "Oh, why didn't you say so?" Pa chuckled, letting Mabel fall into a pile of junk. "How old did you say you were?"

"I'm..." Dipper paused, looking over at Wendy who was listening. With a hesitant stance, he finally told them the truth. "I'm twelve... technically not a teen."

The couple turned their heads to Y/n, who was standing there a bit awkwardly. She felt a bit nervous as their eyes sparked with curiosity. "How long have we been dead, dear?" Ma asked.

"Must have not been long if..."

Ma looked at her. "How old are you?"

"I'm thirteen..." she hesitantly answered, her brows furrowed in confusion and slight fright. Ma narrowed her eyes as it shifted into disdain. Y/n guessed that the hint of familiarity was gone now as the couple remembered a horrifying reminder.

The ghosts began telling them about their loathing for stubborn teenagers. Teens have caused them their double heart attacks. That's how they died.

"That's why we hate teenagers so much!" Ma said rather enthusiastically, bumping her nose against Pa.

"But they're my friends, isn't there anything I can do to help them?" Dipper reasoned.

Pa grinned playfully. "There is one thing. Do you know any funny little dances?" He wiggled his fingers.

"Uhhhh. Is there anything else I can do-?"

"NOOOO!" Pa screeched, his pupils rolling to the back of his head, fire surrounding him.

Dipper nervously shook his hands. "Okay, okay, okay!" He looked to the side. "Um, well. I do know the... Lamby Lamby Dance, but, uh- I can't really do it without a lamb costume!" He thought he had found a loophole, but the ghost had better ideas, and with a snap of his fingers, Dipper was dressed in a cute lamb onesie.

"Oh. Well. There it is." Dipper awkwardly stood, taking a deep breath to conjure up enough confidence to perform.

Well, who wants a lamby, lamby, lamby?

I do! I do!

So go up and greet your mammy, mammy, mammy

Hi there! Hi there!

So march, march, march around the daisies!

Don't, don't, don't you forget about the baby!

Dipper ended with a finger to his cheek and a wide, humiliated smile.

Y/n was blushing from the second-hand embarrassment, yet at the same time, she found it excessively adorable. She didn't know he had it in him, and her heart was beating crazier. Was it because she witnessed the cute performance right in front of her?

Rest in peace to Dipper's dignity and self-respect.

Of course, the ghosts have let them go and immediately disappeared without another word. The store turned right side up again, and everyone came back. Everything was a mess.

"What happened after everything went crazy?" Lee asked.

Wendy was excited as her friends crowded around her. "You are not going to believe it! The ghost appeared and Dipper had to-" she stopped when she noticed his nervous state. "Uh, Dipper just grabbed the bat and beat ghosts down, left and right! Then the ghosts got all scared and ran away like a couple of little girls. It was insane!"

Dipper sent an appreciative smile in her way, and Wendy had her thumbs up.

Everyone tiredly walked to the van like a group of zombies. Y/n supported Mabel on her way back as she clutched her sick stomach. Dipper climbed in first before Y/n and Mabel followed, Y/n sitting in between the twins.

She had her arm wrapped around Mabel who was leaning on her. She groaned in despair. "Ugh... I'm never gonna eat or do anything ever again."

The van drove off, until they dropped off the three in the Shack. Walking closer, the window was suddenly shattered by the TV.

Stan popped his head out of the window. "Uh. Couldn't find the remote."

Y/n chuckled, walking inside the gift shop and heading to the living room where Stan was cleaning the ice cream tubs. "What episode?"

"I don't know, I lost count," he said, sounding seriously upset. "The wedding could have been so great if it wasn't for-"

"Uhp!" she berated. "I'm not on that episode yet!"

"Yeah, well. You'll have to fix the TV before watching. Looks like it's broken."

"What?! Why me! You're the one who threw it out of the window!"

Stan left without another word, grumbling about how Count Lionel had his chance. Out of all the days, why on the day of the wedding? Y/n grunted, annoyed at Stan. She glanced at the broken glass with a piece still hanging on its frame. "Soos will fix it," she said before retreating to her bedroom to get some rest.

***

"Disco girl, so wild and true, that girl is you~ ooh, ooh-ooh! Ooh, ooh-ooh!"

"Ugh, can you stop that? I'm so tired of hearing that song the whole day," Stan complained, banging his head against the control panel.

Y/n raised an eyebrow. "I've only been singing this tonight." She continued typing on the built-in keyboard. She rolled her eyes. He shouldn't really be whining when she's heard of the same sailor song that he's been singing.

"Yeah, well guess who else is singing that earworm song?"

"Who?"

Stan grunted. "I heard him screaming the lyrics and checked out if it's true. Sounded like the entire 70s was happening there."

"...So you walked in on Dipper singing BABBA?" She shouldn't even be smiling. He just happened to like the same group as her. And listen to the song almost daily. "Wait. Why did you even walk in the bathroom when you know it's occupied?"

"Don't make it weird."

He was always so confusing to Y/n. But as the night turned into day, she still couldn't get the thought out of her mind, as well as the song. It kept looping in her mind, from the woahs to the oohs. She even mumbled the lyrics without knowing. Her obsession with the Icelandic pop sensation had ignited more when she found out that she was not alone.

The next week, it was a normal day at the Shack. Stan was managing the register, while Y/n was reading from the counter. Tyler Cutebiker was wandering around the gift shop, analyzing everything with enthusiasm, when all of a sudden, the twins entered. "Grunkle Stan?"

"Can we go to the diner?" Mabel asked. "We're hungryyyyy."

"Hungryyy." The two began hitting their stomachs against each other.

"Yeah sure. As soon as this yahoo makes up his mind." Stan pointed to Tyler who kept asking questions.

Y/n stood up and stopped her reading. "You know what? You guys can go. I'll stay and help this poor man out. If he doesn't make up his mind, I'll just lock him inside."

The Pines chuckled. "Alright." Stan grinned. "Come on, kids. To the diner!" They made their escape, their footsteps slowly deafening as they made their way to the car and drove off.

She stared at Tyler holding up two hangers of clothes. "Puma shirt, Panther shirt? Puma shirt? Panther shirt? Puma shirt... Panther shirt?"

"Dude, make up your mind already."

Tyler turned to her. "Do you have this shirt in my size?"

"That's the only size left," she replied, placing her head against her palm.

"I just can't pick! Tyler exclaimed, holding the shirts close to him. "I want to wear both at the same time!"

Y/n narrowed her eyes as an idea came to her mind. "We can make an adjustment."

Half an hour later, Tyler was clapping with joy as he gazed at the sewn clothing. The half was a puma shirt, while the other half was a panther shirt. "Amazing work, dear!" He said, "I didn't know this shop offers extra services!"

"Well, it also comes with extra charges," she said without missing a beat. The sewing doesn't come free considering she's never sewn clothes before. She figured it was going to be the same as sewing Ford's wounds, so she just guessed and went with it as it goes.

"How much?"

Even with additional pay, Tyler paid just as happily and went his merry way. More people came into the gift shop and looked around, bought something, and left. Not another hour later when Stan's car pulled up in the parking lot.

"Back so early?" Y/n asked once Mabel and Stan entered, but Dipper was nowhere to be found. "And where's Dipper?"

"Can't talk right now, Y/n! We have a love emergency!" Mabel pushed Stan towards the Employees Only door, opening it before closing. Wendy and Soos followed inside.

"Aren't you guys supposed to be working here instead of me?" Y/n said.

"Mabel needs some help." Wendy replied, walking forward.

Soos nodded, "And Mabel wanted me to act as Lazy Susan."

Question marks sprouted on Y/n's head. What the heck is happening?

Knowing that there weren't any customers right now, she figured she'd take a little peek inside the living room. She heard Mabel's voice and knew that they were in there, so she stood up and walked out of the counter and into the door.

Soos was wearing thick make-up and a uniform that looked exactly like Susan's. It was surreal. Does her eyes deceive her? Is Mabel actually teaching Stan how to flirt with a woman? She just had to laugh.

For the whole day, it was Mabel exercising Stan to basically become a better person, but Y/n knew that it just would not ever work. He doesn't try when it comes to romance. Clearly, he's stressing too much about the portal to care about love.

He has gone through extensive training, mastering the art of not slouching your back, or not scratching your body so indecently, yet he had just become worse. The before and after are vastly different from each other. Y/n entered the room, laughing uncontrollably. She dramatically wiped a tear under her eye as Stan gave her an unimpressed look. "Face it, Mabel, your uncle's unfixable!"

No one told her otherwise because it was true.

"Yeah," Wendy said, placing a hand on Mabel's shoulder. "Just like that spinning pie trolley thing at the diner."

At that, Mabel's face glowed like the sun. "Grunkle Stan, come with me! And leave your pants at home."

"With pleasure!" Stan immediately followed.

Before Mabel completely left, she returned. "Y/n, you're coming too!"

"I'd rather not-"

"You have to because I said so. Come on!"

Y/n let out a huff of air. Wendy and Soos were now left in charge of the Shack or they would be fired. The three headed to the diner as Mabel now had her hand on Stan's wrist. Y/n looked up at the big sign that said 'Greasy's Diner'. Boy, did she miss the food. Was there still a delivery service? She clutched her daisy necklace as another memory came to her. She had never worn the accessory off, nor forgotten who gave it to her.

The three entered and saw Lazy Susan punching the pie machine. Mabel tried all her might to convince the woman to accept Stan for who he really is, flaws and all. And after she was done, Stan stepped forward and gave out his hand. "So, uh, Lazy Susan. What do you say?"

Did he really forget he's the reason she got the lazy eye in the first place? Now he has some sort of a crush on her. Stan must've just wanted free food.

But Lazy Susan just spectated him up and down before turning around and leaving, making Stan frown. He let out a sigh in defeat, making his exit, not until someone shouted, "Hey!" Susan returned with a slip of paper. "Here's my number. Why don't you give me a call sometime?"

"Really?"

"Really!" Susan chuckled. "Also, here's some pie. On the house. For you!"

Y/n was sure that her mind was boggled from what just happened. Mabel squealed in excitement, scooting inside the booth, with Stan sitting beside her, looking hungrily at the scrumptious pie. Y/n sat across from them.

With a smile, Stan devoured the pie as Mabel rambled about getting a phone to call with Lazy Susan. Y/n had her head in her hands, contemplating about life... contemplating about how Stan scored a date with Susan.

"Dipper!" Mabel suddenly exclaimed, jumping up to the window and banging her fist against it. "It's me, Mabel! I'm looking at you through the glass! Right here! This is my voice! I'm talking to you from inside!" Dipper was weirded out by her sister's shenanigan and calmed her down before going inside the diner and sitting next to Y/n, who was looking at him in slight concern. "Did you see me through the-"

"Yes," he said rather glumly.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," he said.

"Good." Stan raised his fork.

"It's just these half man, half bull humanoids were hanging out with me-"

Stan deadpanned. "Here we go."

"-but then they wanted me to do this... really tough, horrible thing but it just wasn't right. So I said no."

"You were your own man and you stood up for yourself," Stan said with his mouth still full.

"Huh?"

"Well, you did what was right even though no one agreed with ya. Sounds pretty manly to me, but what do I know?"

Dipper smiled. Y/n couldn't help but appreciate Stan's words. He was right. Doing the right thing makes you strong.

"Wait a minute, do my eyes deceive me?" Mabel leaned forward to have a closer inspection. " You have chest hair!"

He checked his chest and gasped. "You're right! I do! Ha ha, this is amazing! I really do! Take that, man tester! Take that, Pituitor!"

"Pituitor?"

"This guy has chest hair!" Dipper celebrated, but it was finished too soon as Mabel plucked it out and put it in her journal.

"Scrap-bookortunity!"

He looked devastated as he looked at his now bare chest.

Stan grinned. "Don't worry, kid, if you're anything like me, there's more where that came from!" He ripped open his shirt, cackling like a maniac. Y/n looked away in disgust as everyone laughed.

The four eventually went home on foot (since the Stanmobile was left at home). Stan went and 'cleaned himself up' or whatever that means, while Mabel straightforwardly went upstairs to add more designs to her scrapbook. While waiting for Dipper's turn in the bathroom, Y/n interrogated him a bit. "What did you say you encountered?"

"Manotaurs. Basically half man, half... minotaur– bull? They have a group where they test how manly they are. I wanted to join just to prove that I'm manly enough, but I guess I was out of their league.They wanted me to kill the multi-bear."

"The multi-bear?" Y/n hummed. She had never heard of such a creature before. Maybe it coincides somewhere they haven't explored before. She's guessing that the multi-bear has multiple heads. "What did the multi-bear do?"

Dipper blushed, too shy to answer the question. He knew where the question leads. "Promise me you won't laugh?"

"I promise," she said without missing a beat. She probably had all her laughter out anyway, so the possibility of laughing right now is slim.

"Well, the manotaurs didn't like the multi-bear because... he knew all the words to... Disco Girl."

"By Icelandic pop group BABBA?" Y/n couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"Wait," Dipper said, his face enlightening. "You know them?"

She scoffed. "Duh? I have been a fan since..." Oh no, you can't say 20 years ago. "Since... since the day I was born!"

"No way!" he let out a laugh in disbelief. "So you must have listened to their albums, right?"

"Every. Single. One. What's your favorite?"

Dipper gazed in the distance as he thought. "Honestly... it might just be Emergence since Disco Girl is there."

"Disco Girl is one of my favorites," she said with a smile.

It became silent. The two avoided eye-contact, wondering who gets to say the next word or rather, the next lyric. Y/n pursed her lips before singing very quietly, fiddling with her fingers. "Saturday night is a night alright~"

Dipper slowly smiled. "Time to groove till the morning light."

"Your bell bottoms on!"

"Your hair unfurls!"

"Youuuu are the Disco Girl~"

They kept singing until they were standing up and grabbing the nearest microphone. Y/n had a brush, while Dipper got the broom. They were freely dancing around the living room, singing their hearts out until Dipper had the last note. "The girl is youuuuu~!"

The two high-fived. "You have a nice singing voice!" Y/n commented once they were relaxed from the rush.

"So do you?!" Dipper said, smiling widely. "That was so much fun!"

Stan got out of the bathroom. "Will it kill you guys to not talk about that song, ever?"

Y/n rolled her eyes as Stan began complaining about his old ears. He's so dramatic.

"I guess that's my cue," Dipper said, walking backwards towards the bathroom.

"I'll go to bed now, too. Good night, Dipper."

"Good night!"

Dipper spent his time singing in the shower. It was one of his favorite times of the week– day. Because he totally showers daily. He's been singing a different BABBA song this time, and this time, he locked the door in case someone enters his private space again.

After drying his hair, he went and wore his classic orange shirt and gray shorts. He discarded his navy blue vest and hat. He refused to wash his hat for some time now since it was supposed to be a symbol for all the adventures he'd been through.

He went upstairs and straight to the attic where his room was. Of course, it was being shared with his twin sister, and there she was on the floor with stickers and glitter surrounding her. Marker caps were open and the toxic smell lingered around the room.

Clearly, she was busy with the scrapbook to make conversations. She really tends to focus on the task so passionately that she disregards everything else. Much like him, he supposed.

Dipper was about to hop onto his bed, when he just noticed an old shoebox. He opened it and all he saw were cassette tapes, and on top of the pile was a tape player. He was confused at first when he picked up the cassette, but a surge of happiness washed over him when he realized that these are all BABBA's albums! He had a feeling who gave it.

On one of the tapes, there was a note attached to it.

Play this album first!

He chose the specific album and placed the cassette inside the cartridge, pushing it close, and pressing the play button. He wore the headphones that came with the tapes. A smile appeared on his lips as he knew the song. Of all the songs, she just had to pick this one. He carried the box to the floor and let himself lay on the bed. He stared at the ceiling as he mumbled the lyrics. Listening to this song made him feel like a winner.

Y/n was down in the basement. Instead of shouting the lyrics out loud, she was whispering the words she knew that Dipper was listening to. She was smiling as she took down the notes of the results from the tests. Stan was looking at her weirdly.

That girl is you~

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 11!

MASTERLIST

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