Aw yeah, here it is, my first multi-chapter fic. I'll be cross-posting this to both FF and AO3 (same pen name) so you can read on whichever you prefer. This fic will be a conglomerate of any and all Reverse Pines elements from the same tag on tumblr - with a whole lot of my own thrown in. Hope you guys enjoy~
Disclaimer: Gravity Falls isn't mine.
Pairing: None planned.
Against the Mirror - Prologue
The spell didn't seem that complicated. At least, not considering what he wanted to accomplish with it. He'd seen his fair share of spells, and probably a lot of other folk's share of spells. Heck, he'd definitely cast his fair share of spells. He knew a complicated conjuring when he saw one.
Looking over the laundry list of ingredients, incantations, and instructions that had to be followed precisely, however, had him grudgingly admitting that maybe the spell he'd scrounged up did fall a fair throw short of 'simple'. It would be tricky to pull off, even for him, but the promised outcome was well worth the effort. When he considered the result, the spellwork seemed almost easy in comparison. Surely it wasn't anything he couldn't perform if he put his mind to it.
Gideon Gleeful reclined in his office chair with a smug smile stretched across his face. Handwritten notes littered his desk. The flow of words across the many pages was interrupted by the occasional diagram, each one more complex than the last. In the center of the information hurricane sat a battered maroon book, closed.
The second journal - his secret weapon. The journal had made him privy to plenty of the magical mysteries of Gravity Falls. From it, he'd learned of the amulet that had granted him telekinetic powers (that is, until Mabel Pines smashed it to pieces). He'd read every guide it offered on creatures of fantasy. He'd heard of mystical trinkets carrying both curses and blessings. There were seemingly endless, untold secrets hidden around the town, even summoning rituals for spirits and demons of unimaginable power. The journal held enough arcane knowledge to keep him busy for months.
Still, the journal didn't know everything.
Gideon ran a chubby finger along the cover of the journal, tracing the thick line of the emblazoned digit. This journal was only the second in a set. How many there were in total, he had no idea. As far as he knew, there could be dozens - though he doubted it. He'd combed through the pages of his treasured book enough times to have whole sections memorized. He knew well enough what the pages did and did not contain.
For example, the journal hadn't told him anything about the strange size-altering crystals of the forest (although the Pines twins had shown him their effects well enough on their own - not that it had helped him get the upper hand in the end). Certainly there were creatures around Gravity Falls that the book hadn't spoken of as well; he was sure he'd seen a gnome on the front lawn weeks ago. Additionally, some of the secrets of the book were encrypted in various codes, woven into the entries amidst the plain English text. He hadn't had too much trouble cracking the simpler ones. Of course, even with all his searching through the journal, he hadn't found the one secret he wanted most: the location of the first journal.
Sure, book two had a few clues on where to look for the first book tucked away in its pages - all of which pointed to the property the Mystery Shack rested on. If there had been an exact location mentioned, it would be less of an ordeal to try and sneak around and unearth it. Of course, that was assuming no one else had gotten to it first. He needed that first journal. The second on its own wasn't enough - there was a bigger secret he couldn't unveil without the complete set. Even Gideon wasn't sure what uniting the journals could unleash. It was something unimaginably powerful. Something the author of the journals was reluctant to explain.
It was too tempting to ignore. If there was one thing that Gideon Gleeful wanted his hands on, it was power. Especially of the unimaginable calibre.
And so began his many attempts to wrestle the Mystery Shack from that charlatan, Stanford Pines. He needed to look over the grounds at his leisure if he hoped to find the elusive first journal.
Plan after plan had crumbled like walls of sand against the sea. Nothing he tried proved fruitful. The Mystery Shack remained just beyond his grasp. Stan Pines was tenacious: a lying, thieving, tenacious, con man. Somehow Gideon always ended up bested by that crook.
This time would be different. This time there was no way Stanford Pines could stop Gideon from infiltrating the Mystery Shack, and it was all thanks to this spell. If he could successfully cast it, he wouldn't need to worry about having to out-con Stanford.
It hadn't been easy to find. The spell had only been alluded to in the journal. Apparently the author hadn't been interested in casting it himself - though Gideon couldn't blame him for his lack of curiosity. Gideon wasn't sure if he'd be up to the task if he didn't have a good reason to try his hand at this spell. He supposed it would be interesting, though a lot of effort for a lark. It was a curious spell.
The journal had explained the spell's function just well enough to pique his interest. Hunting down the rest was up to him. Outside sources weren't always as reliable as the journal, he'd found before, but he was determined. With enough searching, he'd unearthed instructions that matched up with the vague explanation offered by the journal. He had double- and triple-checked his sources to ensure the spells were indeed a match. He was certain of it. The strangely specific terms describing the spell were consistent. It could only be the spell the journal mentioned; all his research had finally borne fruit.
It was a "switching" spell, so to speak. Not in a literal sense - he might have been less tempted to try the spell if it meant ending up in someone else's body. No, this spell was a little different, judging by the careful terms both the journal and spell used. This spell talked about "roles" and "rewriting" - about taking someone else's place for yourself in exchange for your own. How easy would it be to slip into the Mystery Shack as a Pines instead of a Gleeful?
Gideon had carefully looked over the spell to ensure he wasn't misunderstanding the premise. But no, it had been clear: you took the life of someone else and, in turn, they took on yours.
He'd spent some time considering how to go about this switch. His first intended victim had been obvious. If he swapped lives with Stanford Pines, he would be the proprietor of the Mystery Shack. That would be the simplest way to land the deed to the shack in his hands. However, after a bit more cautious thinking, he shied away from that idea. The spell might swap their ages too, and precious Lil Gideon had no interest in a first-class ticket to senior citizenship.
Of course, there was more than one way into the Mystery Shack - in fact, the next two he thought of seemed perfect for the task at hand. There didn't appear to be anything saying you couldn't swap places with two people. Quite conveniently, both twins shared the "role" he had in mind. He could become Gideon Pines, great-nephew to his great enemy, Stanford Pines. He'd be right under the old fool's nose and the con man would be none the wiser as he rooted around for the hidden first journal. It was perfect.
With his great plan finally formed, Gideon had gathered the necessary components for the spell and set about starting up the ritual. His office was stocked full of various candles and herbs, which seemed to be a staple of most magic rituals. There were a few other things that he gathered for the specific spell - a few different types of stones, two plain, full length mirrors, and some chalk for drawing connections between the components in certain ways. Most importantly - and with great difficulty - he obtained some personal items of the twins'. To represent Mabel, he'd managed to snag one of her stuffed animals. And as for Dipper, he'd taken one of his mystery novels practically from under his nose.
All that was left to do now was to perform the spell.
Gideon pushed his chair from his desk, standing to survey the carefully crafted casting circle he'd created. The candles were lit and the herbs had been crumbled in their precise places. Within the midst of everything, the two mirrors stood, backs flush to one another. On the side that faced himself, he'd placed the Tent of Telepathy's star symbol, sure that the symbol would represent himself well enough. On the opposite side of the mirror, Dipper's book and Mabel's plushie sat. Everything was ready. He was ready.
From his pocket he pulled a folded sheet of paper. He'd written out the words needed for the spell, and filled in the places he needed to specify names. Once he recited this, the little town of Gravity Falls would be "rewritten", casting himself as the charming Gideon Pines, the young hero who always seemed to outfox the Gleeful twins, even when they had greater power and certainly greater charisma in their court. He scoffed at the thought.
He flexed his fingers and stretched, steeling himself for the spell. As he focused on his reflection in the mirror, he spoke:
"Accipe sui. Abrogare vita mea. Rescribo mea personam. Gideon Gleeful. Creare novum hominem mea. Gideon Pines. Reponi pro his populo. Dipper and Mabel Pines. Eorum novum creare ipsum. Dipper and Mabel Gleeful. Recreare Gravity Falls. Perficere transitum. Rescribo Gravity Falls cum haec nova munera."
As he was speaking, the room seemed to darken around him. His reflection in the mirror seemed to darken as well. His suit was fading, shifting, rearranging itself. The pale blue polyester twisted, the arms darkening into a black sweater. A light blue vest (much like the one Dipper himself wore) wove itself into existence. His suit pants became shorts, and his finely styled hair sprung away from its gelled confines and fluffed out messily. A baseball cap appeared on his reflection's head, nearly identical to Dipper Pines' hat, save for the lighter shade of blue. The spell was working - he was taking Dipper's place!
Still, something seemed… off. His head felt heavy - his mind, dark. Just as the blackness seemed to be spreading throughout the room, so too did it seem to spread through his body. Perhaps this was just the spell taking effect, he thought, churning the words out again with a clumsier tongue. The notes he'd found in various old occult books didn't describe the experience of the spell taking hold.
The air in the room grew heavier still as he repeated the spell for the third and final time. His mind was foggy - was he still in his office? Did he have an office? The strange smell of herbs and candles was comforting - though it was unusually dark in this apparently candlelit room.
His tongue almost tripped on the final few syllables of the spell, but he managed to get them out without slipping up. He felt a smile twitch at his lips once he'd finished. That was it, now he just had to wait for the spell to take complete effect.
Gideon blinked, his eyelids growing ever more heavy. The mirror in front of him seemed to flicker for a moment. His head drooped and he barely managed to catch himself before he stumbled. Someone's plushie and mystery book were at his sneakered feet - he didn't think they were his. He couldn't quite remember where they'd come from or to whom they belonged. Names of people he knew or used to know - they were on the tip of his tongue.
His head was so heavy, when had he last slept? He toyed with the zipper of his vest and forced his gaze back up to his reflection.
The room around him - was he still in a room? - had gone completely dark. The only thing he could see now was the mirror he'd set up. His reflection was strangely unfamiliar. It was him, but… he was wearing a suit he'd never seen before. And that hair - he'd never comb it up like that, would he?
All at once, the weight on his mind became too much. Consciousness was swept away from him, and Gideon fell forward to crash silently through his strange reflection in the mirror.