AU Fanfic where Gravity falls takes place in California, in a Los Angeles type city called Gravity Central, and Dipper and Mabel come from (Ironically enough) Boring Oregon. Gonna have the same heart as GF but just takes place in a more urban environment. Diclaimer: I do not own Gravity Falls and am not associated with Disney.
Just another day in the Mystery Shop, and upstairs, it's two new residents were getting settled and unpacked. While Mabel started playing with the dangerous, touchy fixtures protruding from the peeling walls, Dipper wasn't exactly comfortable with his new surroundings. The apartment he shared with his sister, Mabel, seemed to have a more safety hazards than actual safety, and he wasn't used to city life. Or sleeping with sounds of what was probably gunshots.
How did i end up here? He thought as he began to think about the recent change in his life, and the beginning of his summer.
Dipper and Mabel Pines came from a quiet town named Boring, Oregon. However, this summer their parents decided they needed to see the world. So, they sent them down south to a shifty city named Gravity Central in California.
Their great uncle, Stanford Pines managed a pawn shop on the border between the rest of the town, and a desolate district that supposedly had people living in it but no one ever came in or out. He made a living from selling possibly stolen items and scamming city folk with cheap, and possibly illegal means and.
"In this alley, you can watch two homeless people fight for money."
"On your left, you can see this completely fake chalk outline where someone was chocked to death. Hey, hey I said no cameras!"
"If you follow me down this abandoned alley, you can see the area where tour guides pickpocket tourists. Now everyone look at that real attraction scribbled on the wall in blood."
Dipper shuddered at the thought of being a tourist at his shop without knowing what really went on as he polished a crystal ball.
Meanwhile, His sister was trying to hit on another city boy.
"uhhhh" The clueless city boy said as he looked at the note written by Mabel.
" Do you like me? Yes. No. 42 bludgeon street." He suddenly looked up and around as he realized that was his home address.
Mabel looked from behind the soda machine like a shark. "I did my homework" she said with a grin.
"Maybe you should stop stalking the boys. Apparently, you can actually get arrested for it" Dipper told Mabel while he put back a monkeys paw a now-foaming-at-the-mouth boy tried to steal.
'What? Pshhh. Grunkle Stan's been teaching me to get away with it. Its a lot easier than at home."
Speaking of whom, Stan had entered the room.
"Alright people. I'm trying to reach out to different types of people so I need someone to put up flyers in the desolate, creepy part of the neighborhood."
"Not it" Both Mabel and Dipper said at once.
"I'd like to reach different types of people Mr. Pines" answered Soos, the plumber who was peering out from behind a broken toilet.
"I don't want to give a weird impression, Soos. Wendy, go do it" Stan grunted
"I would, but this magazine weighs way too much to get off my chest. It's uh too heavy" came the response from the redhead behind the counter. She was the daughter of a local construction worker, and worked as a clerk for the Mystery Shop.
"I'd fire you if you weren't blackmailing me. Okay, eenie meenie miny, you." Stan pointed at Dipper.
"Grunkle Stan, i feel like someones always watching me there and it makes me uncomfortable."
"You make me uncomfortable, kid. Now hurry up before it gets dark. I need your help to rob some muggers." Stan handed him the flyers and a staple gun.
And so, Dipper was stuck stapling papers to lampposts to promote scamming people in a neighborhood whose existance was probably a legal issue.
"Grunkle Stan, there's something definitely suspicious here. Why won't you beleive m-ow!" He was suddenly cut short by tripping over a small brick protruding from a wall that seemed like it had no right to be there, without any rhyme or reason. Just a wall with one side on the side of the sidewalk.
He took a closer look at the cavity where the brick fell out, and saw a glimmering object. It was a gold key, that seemed to have an emblem of a hand on it. He took it out and examined when someone approached him from behind.
"From where did you first see me?" a tall thin African american boy asked him.
"Um just now. Didn't see you coming towards me" Dipper replied, nervously backing away.
"What because Im short?! Huh?!" The stranger suddenly became very angry and approached Dipper much quicker.
"Ahhhhh!" Dipper screamed as he ran from the now pursuing teenager.
Finally, after a couple sharp turns down a dark street, He lost him. Unfortunately, he might be lost too.
Leaning against a chain link fence to catch his breath, Dipper noticed something odd. The post he was leaning on had a hole on it, and above it was the emblem of the hand.
He had an idea, and took out the key. He inserted it into the hole, and turned. For a second, nothing happened. But then, a trap door opened behind him.
Under it was a book with the emblem on it as well. Only now, he noticed the hand had 6 fingers.
"That's weird" Dipper remarked, as he began to read through the book.
"It's hard to believe it's been 6 years since i started to research the mysteries behind Gravity Central, California." He flipped through the pages some more, seeing some entries and drawings; Bat people, tiny men, leprecon artists who stole money.
"My suspicions have been confirmed. I'm being watched. remember, in Gravity central, there is no one you can trust: Trust no one."
He shut the book and said to himself, "Trust no one".
"Heya Dipper!" came the voice behind him.
"Ahhhh!" Dipper, startled fumbled with the book.
"Watcha reading, Dipper?" Mabel asked, who had apparently found him while wandering the streets.
"Uhhhh..." He tried to hide the book behind him. "Maybe we should go somewhere private".
Back at the Shop, Dipper was explaining his new book to his sister.
"It's amazing Mabel! Gravity central has some kind of dark side to it, and the guy who wrote the journal was investigating it."
"No way!" She gasped in excitement.
"And get this. Halfway through, the pages just stop, like he just vanished. Hey whose that?" Dipper asked when the doorbell rang.
"Time to let the cat outa the bag" she said as she literally let a small orange kitten out of a plastic bag, and it went bounding out the window.
"How did you-"
"This girls got a date!" Mabel went to the door and let in the same teenager Dipper encountered earlier.
"Wha-" Dipper fell back seeing him. Just then Stan came into the room.
"Hey kids. Whose that? And why is Dipper afraid of him?" asked Stan in his underwear.
"This is Anthony. We met on the street. He's really nice"
"Hey" said the visitor not seeming to notice Dipper, who still seemed in shock.
"Well, see you guys later! Were going to one of those inner city dance classes, then dinner. Bye!" and the duo left through the door.
"Sheesh, whats your problem" Stan asked Dipper.
"I met him on the street earlier, grunkle Stan. He makes me uncomfortable"
Stan looked at him quizzically. "Look kid, I don't judge but theres a word for people like you. I'm not allowed to say it because the chanell we're on doesn't allow it, but it starts with R and ends with ascist" Stan told him as he left.
"I swear Mabel, I'm going to get to the bottom of this." Dipper monologued as he grabbed his jacket. "And I'm not rascist" he muttered to himself while opening the journal.
He flipped through the pages and his eyes widened when he stopped at an entry.
"Lurking the streets, and always seeking young prey. Prone to anger when someone remarks on a physical feature. Often passes off disguised as dark skin teenagers (Or superheroes), beware of Gravity Central's" he gasped. "Bat people!"
Stan was upstairs in the bathroom, when he heard something that suspiciously sounded like "black people".
"That boy had better not just said that. I should fire him but free labor's more important than promoting diversity"
So, Dipper followed his sister and her boyfriend around town. He was defnitely strange, he was really sensitive about his height despite being relatively tall and his hand eye coordination was a bit odd. But nothing unusual.
He even tried to confront Mabel about it in the pawn shop.
"Mabel, we need to talk. I think your boyfriend might not be who you think he is."
"I know, isn't he great!" she happily replied putting on a new sweatshirt.
"No i think he might be..." He paused as he went through the journals pages for effect. "A bat person!" He finished, holding the journal.
"What you mean like a superhero?"
"Mabel! I'm not joking. It all makes sense. His coordination, how he never takes off his hoodie; he never blinks! Have you noticed that?"
"Dipper. I've been waiting for a guy like him for a long time, and I'm not going to let you ruin this for me. Were going to the abandoned rec center to hang out and have. A good. Time!" She yelled at him while slamming the door in his face.
Finally, Dipper resigned himself to his room above the Shop.
"It's hopeless. Maybe i am just racist" he pondered himself, while going through the footage he took.
"After all, what are the chances he' actually a-" He stopped when he looked at a clip during dinner when Mabel went to the bathroom. He saw fangs come out of his mouth, and the steak juice sucked out.
"Oh my gosh, I was right! He's a bat person!" Dipper ran down the stairs past Stan and his next group of victims. As he went outside, he ran into Wendy.
"Wendy, I need to borrow the tour cart to save my sister because her boyfriend is a bat person and it turns out I'm not racially discriminatory!"
She just smiled and gave him the keys.
"Don't hit any pedestrians" As she walked away.
Dipper started up the car and Soos stopped him.
"Dude, take this for the bat people" As he handed him a small axe.
Dipper smiled as he backed up the golf cart and went off to the abandoned rec center where Anthony and Mabel would have their next date.
Meanwhile, Mabel was with Anthony. They were alone in the disparate building and Anthony was standing just a short distance away, looking away from Mabel.
"Mabel, we've been going out for a while, and well... I've got to tell you something. Just promise to be cool with it" He told her.
"Oh Anthony, you can tell me anything." Please be a bat themed superhero, please be a bat themed superhero.
"Ok just... Don't freak out" he said as he removed his hoodie... and his face also fell off, revealing to be a mask. His body melted into black particles the size of ants and he turned out to be,
"The mighty ant riders, the Abatwa" the leader of the ant people said to her.
"Uhhhh" She sat down. Mabel had not time to react in any other way than weirded out and confused.
"Ok, so i guess this is a hard transition, so first things first. We're ant people from Africa. We migrated here on a boat and took resident in this town. Since then, we have been looking for a new woman to call our queen." He said as his followers cheered.
Mabel sharply inhaled. "Look, guys. I don't think its going to work out." She told the thousands of hopeful faces. "I'm a human girl, and you guys are a bunch of small war-"
"What did you call us?!"
"Huh? Wait what?"
"We are massive! We tower over buildings and step on mountains!" as his tribe members nodded in angry agreement.
"But your so.. widdle" she said trying to keep a straight face.
"Ok, that's a deal breaker. Get her!" and all the Abatwa swarmed her, clearly offended.
Just then Dipper arrived. "Mabel, I'm here to save- what is happening?"
"Dipper! Anthony turned out to be a tribe of ant people who are super sensitive about their size and their jerks and it has nothing to do with race!"
"Ant people? I was way off." He muttered to himself as he cut Mabel free from them.
She got into the cart and they drove off. "Safety first" He said while backing out of the building.
"You will regret this Dipper Pines. We are not one to be underestimated. Insect people, assemble!" he shouted as millions of insects flew out of all crevices and came together.
Dipper and Mabel drove off. "Hurry, their gonna catch us!" Mabel told him urgently.
"Don't worry about it" He chuckled. "little ants, cant go anywhere". Unfortunately, it was at that moment a massive figure loomed behind him.
"You will pay for calling us small, mini humans!" Anthony yelled at them from atop what seemed to be a giant composed of insects.
"Aaaaahhh!" They screamed as the mass chased after them.
It tore a lamppost out of the ground and threw it at them, and Dipper swerved to avoid it.
Coming back to the Shop, Dipper and Mabel were overturned by a pothole and tumbled in front of the entrance.
"Ugh" Mabel rubbed her head and was sudden seized by a large hand.
"You have insulted our people, and for that, you must pay!" Dipper panicked and looked around.
"Grunkle Stan, help!"
Stan was busy giving a tour. "If you look here folks, you'll see the alley where if you park your car here, it'll be dismantled and it's tires replaced with cinderblocks. Look! A fascinating object in the opposite direction of your car" He pointed in astonishment while Soos took four cinderblocks and a car jack and began working while everyone was looking away. "That's right, keep looking folks, You'll definitely see something".
Dipper looked around and saw the bottle he was using to polish the crystal ball. "Bug spray? Huh. Thats oddly convenient. Mabel, Catch!" he threw the bottle towards his sister.
Narrowly catching it, she took aim at the monster's arm. "Die, you gross monster whose name was just a really bad pun on the word 'ant'!". She broke free as the Abatwa fell to the ground and their ant mounts died.
"Nooo! Antonio! He was my best man at my wedding... we grew up together and he gave up his dream college so he could support-aghghhghhhhh" a random ant rider screamed as Mabel shot him with the spray.
"That's for the unnecessary ant pun!" She held up the bottle, threatening any who got close.
"Anyone else want some?" Dipper smiled as the Ant riders retreated back into the street cracks.
With the most difficult part over, the twins headed back into the shop, exhausted.
"Dipper, hold on. I'm sorry for ignoring you. You were just looking our for me"
"Aww, don't mention it. I'm sorry he turned out to be a bunch of ants. Maybe the next one will be a superhero."
She slightly held out her arms. "Awkward sibling hug?"
He gave a small smile. "Akward sibling hug."
"Pat pat" They said in unison.
The bell rang as they entered the shop
"Yeesh did you two get mugged? Ahhahahaha, ahahahahaha!" Stan laughed as they just walked by, dispirited.
Stan sobered up a little to cheer them up.
"Uhh hey. I lifted a lot off those tourists,and I got some things you might like."
"What's the catch?" Dipper asked suspiciously.
"Catch is, you take what im offering. Now here" He handed Dipper a black baseball hat with a pine tree on the front and back so it can be worn either way.
"huh. Not bad" He thought as he tried on the different ways to wear his new cap.
"And here ya go kiddo." He gave Mabel a packet of smile dip.
"Ooohhh" she said as she opened it up and tried it.
"Umm Grunkle Stan, is that safe?" He asked as Mabel started running around with her pupils enlarged.
"I think she'll be fine"
Later that evening, Mabel's sugar high had worn off and they were getting settled into bed. Dipper was making an entry into the insect page of the journal, adding in the Abatwa.
Indigenous to Africa, they are mostly harmless, Never remark on small size. Weakness: Bug spray
In Gravity central, there was supposedly no one i could trust. But after a few life threatening events with someone, I think it's safe to say that i trust them.
"Night Mabel"
"Night Dippingsauce. Don't let the bed bugs bite"
They laughed at Mabel's perfect choice of words to end off the day. But below, Stan was still awake. He walked to the door to the living room but stopped next to the soda machine. He typed in a set of familiar numbers and the machine swung open like a door. He entered and looked around before closing it behind him. the light flickered and then shut off.
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Hoped you all liked it, it's my first fanfiction! Rate and review, i'd love to know what you think of my AU. The next chapters might not be as long/detailed as this, gonna try to deviate from the episode plot lines a bit more. Gonna try to update soon. Bye!