A/N: First time writing a Rev Pines fic. Kind of excited, hope I can pull through and find motivation to finish chapter 2!
This has been buried in my documents and I've been picking at it since September, enjoy!
o~ Chapter 1: Let it Begin ~o
If someone were to ask Mabel Gleeful what she thought of her hometown, she'd reply that it was "tiny, boring, and a waste of space."
Compared to the flashing lights of The Big Orange, the Risqué partying scene of the City of Sin, and the exhilarating ventures in the City that Never Sleeps, Gravity Falls was nothing special.
In fact, it was a backwater town in Oregon that wasn't completely invisible because of her family.
Mabel wasn't one to brag (often), but her family was well-known around the country. Hell, she'd go as far as saying the world.
Ever since they were children, she and Dipper had been doing work on mysticism and the likes. Nothing like the crap that the con man up the mountain tried to sell at the ratty old building he dubbed the "Mystery Shack".
Currently, Mabel was in her room unpacking from their latest venture. They'd been on a rather interesting adventure in Hawaii. There'd been so many unsuspecting locals and tourists that it'd been child's play to milk money from them. Hawaii also had its own share of occult secrets hiding in the forests so that had made the trip all the more worthwhile.
Mabel tossed another bundle of clothes onto her bed as the door slammed open. Dipper's teal eyes scanned the room until they met her own.
"Why are you unpacking? We have people for that," he said and then poked his head out into the hallway.
Mabel stared down at the items on her bed and frowned. The only reason she'd bothered with doing it herself was because she wanted open these parcels up. There was no way filthy hands were touching them before she did.
One of the maids cautiously filed into the room, her eyes were fixated on the ground in an attempt to avoid looking at either of them. When Mabel saw noticed the fear on her face, she made a quick decision. As long as the packages weren't opened that'd technically be fine, right? Her mouth curved into a small smirk and she looked at what she had already taken out.
"I guess you're right, Dipper. How silly of me," she answered with slight distaste.
In one fell swoop, she pushed what she had already unpacked back into her bag, leaving it messier than it had been before.
She basked in the sight of watching the maid's face fall before she noticed her brother gesturing for her to follow. Mabel happily complied and stretched her arms as she took off after him. Constantly traveling was a lot of fun, but she was just seventeen and it took its toll.
"We need to go to the broadcasting station to make sure they start airing our commercials for the Tent ASAP. Wendy said that they were being difficult so we need to persuade them a little to make sure it goes smoothly," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, but the mischievous gleam in his eyes indicated otherwise.
The Tent of Telepathy was where they performed their "tricks". If there was one thing that Mabel took pride in, it was the tent that held their deepest secrets. It was the one place where she could truly be herself, well, most of the time.
A knowing smirk made its way onto the brunette's lips before she then followed Dipper down the stairs and to the front door. The mansion that had housed them for years was pretty spacious, but since they rarely spent time in it anymore, it just felt like a place to stay.
They were descended from the founder of Gravity Falls and their inheritance had increased over the years leaving them filthy rich.
Not only that, but compared to the rest of their family, the twins were almost like idols and were considered to be extremely attractive, brilliant, and gifted.
Save for Dipper's reddish nose and her rosy cheeks, the two were almost identical and it wasn't until Mabel grew her hair out so it reached down to her waist and puberty started to work its magic that the differences between the two became prominent. Her brother who used to cover his birthmark (which was the reason for his nickname) now openly exposed it by slicking his bangs to the side.
Mabel adjusted her headband which had a gleaming teal amulet on it and saw that her brother was sporting his own around his neck. They weren't wearing their performing clothes, but Mabel had them all ironed out and ready to go for whenever her brother decided to practice.
Sometimes it's a wonder that we get our powers from this little trinket. She thought to herself while fiddling with the ribbon that was attached to the jewel.
When they were younger and more innocent, they had struck a deal with a demon to allow them to activate their powers without touching the amulets. One of the consequences from wearing them was that their eyes were a bright shade of teal, but it helped distinguish them from common folk, so they preferred to keep them on.
Appearances mean everything after all. Mabel thought and took the time glance down at her manicured nails only to pick at the ones with chipped polish. She'd have to ask Grenda and Candy to go with her to the mall sometime soon.
"Ah if it isn't my two favorite people! The Telepathy Twins."
The brunette's head turned to the side when she heard a raspy chuckle only to wrinkle her nose in distaste as she watched two people approach. By looking at their clothes, she assumed that they had returned from their daily business dealings.
"Hello...Stan," Mabel curtly replied; her eyes then flickered over to the other man, who nodded his greeting. "Soos."
"Wow, the sun did wonders for you two. Yeesh, I'm glad to know I'm not looking at two pasty ghosts anymore," Stan laughed as he walked over to Dipper and placed a hand on his head in order to ruffle his hair. "You've developed nice tans."
As he spoke, Mabel took note that Stan was wearing a pink tropical shirt with yellow flowers with khakis and socks with sandals. It took everything in her being to keep her from visibly cringing.
Sure, Stanford 'Stan' Gleeful was their great-uncle and the one who played the role of guardian because their parents were always out and about doing whatever is that they did to help boast and glorify the Gleeful name, but wow, sometimes she was embarrassed to be related to him.
Besides being their sort of manager (that was actually Wendy's job), he owned a factory that made merchandise and a used car dealership on the side.
Soos, who lived with them, was an employee at the factory and the tent of telepathy. Unlike Stan, he was dressed in a teal suit and had his hair neatly slicked back.
Mabel bet that if someone were to put the two men side by side and compare them, there'd be no doubt in her mind that they'd think Soos was the business owner. Sometimes she wondered how her Grunkle could run a business when he couldn't even dress himself.
"Hey Stan, we're gonna head over to Medford to clear up some issues. Now that we're back in town we want everyone to know that the Tent of Telepathy will start up again soon for the summer," Dipper stated; he glanced down in an attempt to hide his reddening cheeks." Wendy said there were some problems or something and we're running late. We'll see you later."
Mabel watched him move to open the limo door and silently laughed to herself. She knew that Dipper was anxious to get to the station because he was excited to see Wendy. They'd been separated for a good month and she knew he had been preparing himself to resume his "not failing as badly as he used to" courting.
Well, he has"been in love" with her since he was twelve. She thought to herself and followed her brother into the vehicle.
"Will you two be back for dinner? Soos is making his world famous mystery meat tacos!" Stan heartily chuckled.
"You don't have to be so kind, sir. It's my job to cook for the family on allocated family nights and special events," Soos dutifully replied.
"I've already told you many times, boy, call me Stan."
Soos looked rather taken back and loosened up his stiff form. He cleared his throat, a light blush dusted his cheeks.
"A-alright then Si- Stan."
"That's the spirit! You're one step closer to-"
Mabel rolled her eyes and slammed the limo door shut. Stan had been trying to get the man to not be so strict with his duties for the longest time, it'd be cute if it was anyone but her annoying relative.
The second that the two were alone, Dipper began his rant.
"I forgot how irritating our dear great-uncle can be. We're going to have to deal with him for the rest of the summer," he groaned as he used his phone's camera to try to fix up his hair.
Mabel reached over and opened one of the coolers. She grabbed a bottle of water and made herself comfortable in her seat.
"Well, he is family. Sometimes you just have to deal with them… no matter how annoying they are," she coolly replied and stared out the window.
Mabel took a sip of her drink, her eyes not leaving their home until it faded into the scenery as they entered the mountainous region of Gravity Falls. There was a moment of silence until she heard Dipper snicker.
"Yeah, you're right, I have to put up with you all the time."
Mabel didn't hesitate in uncapping her bottle and pouring half of its content on her brother's lap. Dipper paused his hair grooming, glanced down at the wet mess, and then looked over at her with a shocked expression.
"Oops, looks like you peed yourself bro, I'd go change pants if I were you," she sneered.
"Why I oughta-"
Dipper's face went from surprised to mischievous as he stole the water bottle from her hands. Mabel grasped her brother's arm in an attempt to prevent him from dousing her with water.
"Haha, Dipper, stop!" She laughed, her arms pushed against his, but she felt a few drops trickle down her arm.
Little did she know that the amulet around Dipper's neck had started to glow. She didn't notice her brother was using his powers for a sneak attack until she felt something wet drip onto her hair and felt rivulets of cool water stream down her face.
Mabel squealed and pushed her brother's hand enough to have the water bottle tip back onto him.
"Two can play at that game, dear brother," she grinned and focused all her energy to summon the water bottles on her side of the vehicle.
The limousine was filled with the sound of laughter and splashing as the two continued uncapping bottles and flinging water at each other. The chauffeur merely closed up the window that separated him from them and prayed that they'd reach the station soon.
o~ The World We're From ~o
Meanwhile…
A bus packed to the brim with tourists pulled up to an old log cabin that was at least twenty minutes away from the rest of the town. A large mass of people scrambled out of the bus, leaving a rather tiny thirteen year old to be the last one out.
Gideon Pines looked around at the vast expanse of forest around him and kicked a pebble on the ground in frustration.
His parents had gotten a divorce a few years ago and his mom had forced him to leave Texas and do "something more productive with his life than sit around and play video games all summer".
So here he was, in his father's home town, looking forward to spending all summer working in the shop that had catalyzed the divorce.
Gideon tugged his ratty brown cap over his bushy white hair and sighed. He figured that he might as well get this over with and go see his dad.
God knows he'd need company if this was the only house for miles.
Gideon made his way to the entrance of the Mystery Shack and surveyed its interior. The shelves were full of merchandise and various doohickeys tagged with prices that looked way higher than they were worth.
How people could be so stupid as to believe that the three-eyed deer on the pedestal was real, he'd never know. You could clearly see that the third eye was glued on!
"Hey you, shorty with the freckles, are you gonna buy something or just stand there gawking like an idiot."
Gideon turned at the sound of the voice and found himself staring at a pair of blue jeans. He glanced up and found himself looking at a tall man with neatly combed black hair.
"I-I'm sorry, I was just looking for my Pa," he stammered as the boy's beady black eyes scrutinized him.
He had always been short for his age, but right now the height difference between them was making him uncomfortable. On further examination, Gideon saw that the boy's name tag read 'Robbie'.
"Oh, you must be the kid that's supposed to be coming in today," Robbie said and jabbed his thumb in the direction of a staircase, "Bud's upstairs putting on a show for these tourists."
"T-thank you, I appreciate your help. Wow, maybe y'all up here aren't as stupid as I thought you'd be seeing that you're living in the middle of nowhere and all," Gideon twanged.
He quickly placed his hands over his mouth when he realized what he had said could be taken as an insult and was shocked to find that instead of looking angry, Robbie looked mildly pleased.
"Well, so far you're exceeding my expectations, country boy. Try not to get on my bad side though, got it?" Robbie replied with a half-threat.
Gideon nodded and watched him walk behind the counter. He decided not to embarrass himself further and quickly made his way upstairs. Once he was up there, he found that his dad had attracted a lot of people and that he couldn't even see the man in front of the crowd that had gathered. Though there was a really loud voice booming that Gideon assumed was his.
"And now you've seen her folks, the legendary weregirl! Half-wolf, half-human, she's one of the rarest of her species since she has yellow fur!"
The crowd ooh'd and ahh'd as the sound of cameras shutters clicking filled the vicinity. Gideon tried to squeeze through gaps and get to the front. When he got close enough, he saw his dad dressed in a black suit with a red fez. Beside him was the "weregirl" and Gideon once again found himself wondering how gullible these people were to believe that this girl was really half-wolf.
"Well, that's all I have for you today folks, but if you come again tomorrow you might see the legendary albino merman that's being reeled in!" Bud laughed while holding out a tip jar that was nearly filled to the brim.
As the crowd cleared up, Gideon walked up to his father and smiled nervously. When Bud's eyes finally met his, he walked over and gave him a rather hard pat on the back.
"Ah, if it isn't my boy, Lil Giddy! You're an hour late," Bud said as he wagged an accusing finger.
"I'm sorry Pa'. The bus ran late and then there was waay too much traffic 'cause people were stoppin' to gawk at a passin' limo," Gideon apologized while trying not to let his embarrassment at the nickname show.
"Well, you start officially working tomorrow. Once Tambry gets back with those cleaning supplies, you can help Pacifica over there clean up the mess she made," Bud stated.
It was then that Gideon took notice of the "weregirl" again. She had left sometime after the crowd scattered and changed into a purple knit sweater that was a bit too big for her and a pair of black leggings. The blonde girl was at least a foot taller than him, but something about her just seemed comforting and friendly.
He was so busy scrutinizing her that he didn't notice she had squealed and ran over to tackle him in a hug.
"Oh my gosh, you're the new worker? You're so adorably short! How's your hair so white? Is it natural? Wow, I can't believe we're gonna work together at the shack! Trust me, it's going to be grea-" The blonde girl babbled away.
"Calm down there, Pacifica, you don't want to scare him," Bud interrupted.
The girl, Pacifica, pulled away and flashed Gideon a sorry smile before bouncing excitedly in her place.
Bud smiled at the gesture and continued, "She just moved into town a few months ago. She spent so much time up at the shack that I figured 'Why not let her volunteer? A sixteen year old has to make an impact on society somehow, so why not start by aiding a helpless old man'."
Bud began to raucously laugh at his own joke," Aw, that was classic. Helpless old man, haha, good one, Bud."
When neither of the teens said anything, he cleared his throat and his face became serious again.
"I'm going to head downstairs. You two do whatever it is that kids do, but try not to break anything. I'll see you two later."
Gideon watched the dressed up man approach the stairs; he then returned his attention to the girl next to him.
"So...uh, Bud said you've been here for a few months... How was the move?" He said as slowly as he could, but felt stupid for how awkward it sounded. His squeaky accented voice didn't help his raging nerves.
Pacifica seemed not to notice because she merely chuckled and crossed her arms.
"Well, coming from San Francisco, it's kind of hard to adjust to such a small town, especially when you move in at the end of the school year, but Gravity Falls has been great so far. There are so many weird things happening that I feel like I'm in some sort of fairy tale," she answered in a dreamy tone.
Gideon noticed that the girl had light blue eyes. He smiled timidly and fiddled with his fingers. Well, if he was going to be here all summer, then he figured she'd be a good person to befriend. She seemed nice enough at least.
It's now or never, Gideon. He told himself as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Well, I'm -"
"Lil Giddy, huh? Cute name," Pacifica interrupted in a teasing tone.
Gideon felt blood rush to his cheeks in embarrassment. Darn, his father and his silly nickname.
"N-NO! My name is P-Pines. Gideon Pines!" He half-shouted as he waved his fists around.
"Haha I was just joking!" the blonde girl laughed, "well, like Bud said, I'm Pacifica, Pacifica Southwest, but you can just call me 'Cifica or something since it's a mouthful."
It was when he saw her grin widen that Gideon noticed that she had braces. He also felt the contagiousness of her laugh and couldn't help but laugh along.
It felt nice, like they'd been friends for longer than two minutes.
"How about Pazzy? I like the sound of that!" he suggested.
Pacifica remained silent for a few seconds as she seemed to ponder it and then shrugged.
"Mmm, it could work, I guess. Where did you come from?" She asked with a curious look on her face. "You have a pretty thick accent."
"Well, I'm from Texas. My ma' figured that it'd be better for me to leave home and do something productive. She said it'd help me 'be the man I'm meant to be' or something like that," Gideon stated.
"Well, good thing you came, Giddy, summer's just begun and there's adventures to be had! I can feel it in my bones!"
At the sight of her excitement, Gideon felt like he would do anything to keep her happy. Her attitude was infectious and he was positive it'd help combat the negativity that had possessed him on the way to Gravity Falls.
"Well, maybe we could explore toda-" He began, but stopped himself when he heard his name being shouted.
"HEY COUNTRY BOY, YOU'RE WANTED DOWN HERE."
"W-well, that's Robbie, we should um.. Go downstairs now," Gideon nervously chuckled.
"If Tambry's back that means we have to go clean that mess. Ugh, I just dropped a ball, I don't understand how it made the awning collapse," Pacifica groaned while she trudged toward the stairs.
After the two of them made their way down, Gideon felt a heavy bag thrust into his hands. He glanced up to find himself facing a magenta-haired woman.
"Got the stuff? Good. Nice to meet you, name's Tambry, I'm the 'manager' technically," she said and rapidly shook his hand. "Don't talk to me unless you need something."
Gideon opened his mouth to speak, but Tambry pulled out her phone, put a headpiece in her ear, and walked away before he could get a word out. He could hear her starting a conversation with someone on the other end regarding a lot of business mumbo jumbo.
As soon as she exited the room, Bud walked in holding a stack of papers.
"Hm, while you're out there make yourself useful and put these up, boy. The more business we attract the more money we get," Bud gruffly said.
"Well, who's gonna see these in a forest? The squirrels and the garden gnomes?" He sarcastically grumbled to himself when Bud turned away.
"Just follow me, Giddy. It's right outside," Pacifica said.
The two of them walked out of the Mystery Shack and around to the back. As they made their way past the building, Gideon couldn't help his puzzlement. If the awning fell, why weren't they checking the shack itself? Where were they going?
Now finding himself in the forest following a girl he just met, Gideon began to grow a bit worried even if she did seem friendly.
"U-um, Pazzy, I don't mean to be a bother, but where exactly is this awning?" He asked.
The blonde stopped walking and scratched her head. She turned around to face Gideon and smiled.
"It's in the middle of the forest. I don't know why Bud stores things this far out, but he does and well, yeah."
"Oh... I see," Gideon said, not fully convinced.
True to her word, the two of them found a run-down shack in the next two minutes. The awning had indeed collapsed, but it looked like it had happened because of the dented golf cart nearby had collided into it, not a ball like the blonde had said.
"Pazzy, was this really caused by a golf ball?" Gideon asked.
Pacifica sighed and fiddled with her hair.
"Careful where you step. I was out here early this morning and well, let's just say that there's more in this wood than animals," she said in a low voice. Her eyes darted about before she added, "They might be watching us after all."
"The animals watching us? Well, there's trees too. I'm pretty sure that there also rocks. What, do you think Big Foot is in these woods? Is that what did this?" Gideon said as he burst into laughter.
"Gideon, keep it down!" Pacifica hissed as she quickly scanned the area.
"Oh my god, you're serious about this. Listen Pazzy, I may not be from around here but even I know that we're good," He examined a small garden gnome and picked it up. "It's just us and this lil' old thang, we're perfectly fi- AGHHH!"
Gideon staggered backwards as something small collided against his face.
"Get it off of me! Get it off!" He furiously shouted.
What is this thing? A squirrel?!
He heard angry shouting in the distance and finally pried the creature's paws off of his face. When he went to look at what he was holding, he felt his blood run cold when he saw that it wasn't a squirrel like he had thought.
In his hands was a short white bearded little man. He paused when he realized that he was holding a living breathing garden gnome. It took everything he had to not panic and faint. Instead he threw the little man as far away as possible and looked back up at Pacifica who was surrounded by what seemed to be a mob of them.
It was then that the unintelligible shouting became clear.
"THE FUTURE QUEEN IS BACK! YOUR HIGHNESS YOU HAVE TO MARRY US NOW OR WE'LL DESTROY ALL OF THE SHACK THIS TIME!"
Gideon froze into his place and stared blankly at the scene in front of him.
"Just what the sam-heck is goin' on here?!"
o~ The World We're From ~o
"Would you two like to explain why you look like you showered with your clothes on?"
Wendy's irritated tone, her tightly crossed arms, and impatiently tapping foot were signs that they hadn't impressed her one bit.
Dipper swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and shifted his gaze over to Mabel who had gone deathly quiet. One long glance at her and he could tell that she knew they were both screwed.
He let out a deep sigh and scratched the back of his sopping wet hair.
"Well, we got a bit too excited about being back in town and well, there might have been a water bottle fight in the limo," Dipper replied, he bit his lip to keep his mask from slipping.
Their redheaded manager let out an exasperated groan and ran a hand through her short red hair. She walked over to the back of her silver BMW and popped open its trunk.
"You guys are lucky that I keep a stock of clothes in here. Ever since that incident where Soos nearly burnt the tent down, you can never be sure," Wendy said and picked out two bundles.
Dipper staggered backward when Wendy pressed his bundle against his chest. He tried not to let his stomach sink at how disappointed she looked. The redhead turned away and then handed his sister her clothes.
"You two go change in the forest or something. I'll go stall these guys and see what I can do about the advertising. Apparently Bud's trying to do the same. He somehow knew you two were coming back this week," Wendy stated.
"What? How's that even possible?" Mabel quickly replied and frowned, "We didn't even tell Stan that we were coming back."
"Well, what matters is that he's trying to take potential commercial time. Whether he knew you two were coming back or not isn't the concern here," Wendy said, she met Dipper's eyes momentarily before she gave them both a weak smile. "Welcome back, you two always make this hellhole more interesting,"
Dipper watched her turn around and head into the building. His eyes didn't leave her form until she disappeared around the corner.
"Well, you really blew it this time, brother."
Dipper glared at his sister who was smiling innocently (though he knew it was fake) and grumbled, "This is all your fault. Let's go change. The faster we do this, the faster I can make it up to her."
Mabel shrugged in response, but he could hear her soft footsteps behind him as he walked away. They didn't go too deep into the forest, but they branched out enough that they had room to change. Dipper unwound the amulet from around his neck and unbuttoned his shirt. While he did this, he basked in the sounds of nature. His eyebrows furrowed when he heard how silent it was.
"Hey, Mabel?" He called out.
Somewhere behind a tree, he heard his sister's voice chirp back.
"What's up? Having hard time getting your head through the sleeve hole again?"
Dipper flushed a dark red and snarled back.
"THAT WAS ONE TIME!"
He let out an irritated sigh and continued to strip down to his underwear. The teen leaned down to pick up the new shirt Wendy had given him, but paused when he heard something in the distance.
He quickly slipped his new shirt over his head and pulled on a pair of shorts. Without wasting any time, he wrapped the amulet around his wrist and a familiar surge of power re-enter his body.
Dipper backed away from the tree and turned to see his sister standing in the center of the clearing gazing at something in the distance. Her eyebrows were narrowed and her jaw was clenched.
"What's happening, Mabel? See anything?" Dipper asked, his eyes roaming over the direction hers were looking.
Mabel's teal eyes widened and she shook her head.
"There's no way," she muttered.
Dipper gave her a confused look in hopes of an explanation, but instead watched her push past him and toward a cliff. With a frown on his face at being ignored, Dipper stalked after her. He peered down the edge of the cliff and examine the area.
"What the hell, Dipper. I thought we took care of them already," Mabel angrily stated.
Dipper looked over at his sister and saw the frustration in her eyes. He weaved a hand through his bangs in an attempt to try to understand their current situation.
For whatever reason, his sister was upset and whatever was the cause was down the cliff. Teal eyes flickered over to the area from where they had come and then back down to the bottom of the cliff. He wasn't sure what exactly was bothering Mabel, but if they didn't resolve it before they went in, she'd probably be highly annoyed.
"Well, lead the way. Let's wrap up this up quickly. Wendy's already upset with us, don't see how it could get any worse," he sighed.
Mabel gave him a glance that seemed to question if he was okay with the decision. Dipper shrugged and smiled before gesturing at the slope of the cliff.
"After you."
His sister offered him a supportive smile before she faced the cliff. She slowly inhaled and reached her arms out in front of her. A faint teal aura enveloped her body as she placed a foot over the edge of the cliff. She looked back hesitantly over at him and he nodded.
Dipper watched Mabel take the first step forward and immediately start plummeting down. He then made sure his own amulet was fastened around his wrist. Taking in a deep breath and facing the cliff, he took a step off and waited for gravity to work its magic.
A familiar rush of energy surged through his body as his body rapidly descended. As he neared the ground, he closed his eyes and felt a wave of power mesh with the adrenaline that had rushed through his nerves. Dipper felt his body gradually slow down and when he opened his eyes again, he was hovering at least ten feet off of the ground.
"Always the show-off, huh, brother?"
His teal eyes opened and peered down at his sister. Dipper allowed his body to gracefully land beside her and brushed his arms of nonexistent dirt.
"Well, whatever could you be talking about, Mabel?" He nonchalantly asked, though he knew what she was going to address.
"I know it feels great, but next time you do that you should at least open your eyes. A Dipper pancake wouldn't be of any use to anyone, especially Wendy," she scolded.
Dipper rolled his eyes and folded his arms. He looked around the forest floor and frowned. After straining his ears to hear any sort of sound, he was still disappointed to find that it was oddly devoid of any.
"So what exactly are we doing down here?" he asked.
Mabel turned her head to the side and stared off into a gap between the trees.
"We're taking care of a pesky gnome problem that we should have dealt with ages ago."