Author's Note: Greetings, all. This is my first fanfiction on this site, and I hope you like it, whoever you may be. This is my take on the Reverse Pines AU of the Gravity Falls Fandom. At the moment, it's just the second half of "Gideon Rises" (I'm splitting this into parts due to the length), but it may grow to be more depending on inspiration.
Just a heads up that there will be violence and hints of violence, but no gore of course. And if some characters meet implied ends...bear in mind that nothing is truly as it seems.
I do not own Gravity Falls, and did not originate the Reverse Pines AU. Enjoy!
Pacifica could only glance in awe of the giant robot that was rushing toward the bus that Gideon and she were on. Her gut wrenched. The robot was a 50-foot tall replica of the Pines Twins, its' face split down the middle to give each sibling half of the robot's face.
And it was gaining on them.
She turned to Gideon, who looked equally horrified.
"What do we do?" he asked in a panicked tone.
"I don't know!" Pacifica yelled. "What could they possibly want? They got your journal, and we're heading out of town. They won! What would they still want with us?"
"STOP!" the automaton yelled, its voice a combination of Dipper's and Mabel's. "STOP THE BUS RIGHT NOW OR ELSE!"
Pacifica and Gideon turned to the front of the bus. "Hey!" she yelled to the bus driver. "Floor it! Floor it as fast as you can!"
A familiar teenager glanced back at them, pulling a stray black hair from his eyes and giving them a small finger salute.
"You got it!" Robbie Valentino called from the driver's seat of the bus.
"Robbie!" Pacifica and Gideon exclaimed in unison.
"It's good to see you dorks!" Robbie called back affectionately. Pacifica had never been so glad to have been called a dork in all 12 years of her life.
"What're you doin' drivin' the bus?" Gideon asked.
"When the Murder Hut closed, I was left without a job." The teen said. "Got to pay for gas somehow."
Their conversation was cut short by a pine tree crashing just ahead of them. Robbie swerved the bus to avoid the projectile, throwing the preteens in the back against each other. Another pine tree smashed down in front of the bus, and as Robbie continued to take evasive maneuvers Pacifica looked out the back once more. The robot loomed in the distance, uprooting trees and tossing them towards the moving vehicle. She turned to Gideon, who seemed to be nursing a bruise.
"Are you okay, Gid?" she asked. Gideon nodded, taking a look back at the robot himself.
"D'ya think we can get away, Pacifica?" The fear was evident in his voice. She put her hand on his shoulder.
"Gideon, I want you to listen to me." She began. "No matter what, I'm going to keep you safe. Dipper and Mabel aren't going to take you away, because I'm with you and we'll figure this out together like we always do. Understand?"
Gideon seemed to be on the verge of tears, and it hurt Pacifica to see her friend like this. She swore to herself that she'd make good on that promise. Gideon sniffed, and nodded at her. Pacifica smiled.
"Brace yourselves!" Robbie screamed, slamming on the brakes. Gideon and Pacifica were slightly knocked forward, hitting the seats in front of them in the process. The bus hit something, and a tremor passed through it as it screeched to a halt.
Pacifica was aching, but she willed herself off the floor. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Gideon reach for something in his pocket, but then retract his hand.
"Are you guys okay back there?" Robbie called.
Before Pacifica could answer, the bus rocked, and she could've sworn they were getting picked up. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a giant arm out the window, pulling them close to the Pines Twins' shared robotic face.
"WHERE IS THE JOURNAL?" came Dipper's voice from inside the robot. "TALK!"
"Th' journal?" Gideon said. "You have m' only journal!"
"Yeah, so let us go!" Pacifica demanded.
"WRONG. ANSWER." The Pines Twins said in unison. The robot brought the bus down on one of its knees in a sudden movement, snapping the bus in half.
Pacifica and Gideon could barely hear Robbie calling out for them over their combined screams and the air rushing around them as they plummeted to their certain doom in their half of the bus. They fell in the steel trap past the feet of the robot, past some rock, then-
CRASH!
Pacifica looked around in a daze. Miraculously, both Gideon and she were still alive. Their portion of the bus seemed to have fallen on some sort of train track. One that fed into rock faces on both ends…
Pacifica's eyes widened, realizing they were on the railroad tracks overlooking Gravity Falls' famous Hanging Cliffs. She shook Gideon, who stirred and began to help himself up.
"Gid," she said, getting to her feet. "We need to get out of here." He fully rose, nodding along. Pacifica and Gideon exited the enormous hole in the bus and walked onto the tracks. Pacifica, against her better judgement, looked down. It was a long way to the ground.
"'Cifica!" Gideon cried, pointing to a spot above them. Pacifica whirled around just in time to see the Pines Twins' robot leap from the cliff above them and land on the other side of the downed bus. The railroad tracks shook, and Pacifica grabbed Gideon to make sure he stayed steady. The robot advanced, bashing the bus off the tracks and into the abyss below. Pacifica and Gideon turned and ran, only to find themselves at a dead end. They looked back at the robot in terror.
"OHH, GIIIDDDEEOONNNN!" came Mabel's voice from the robot, drawing ever closer to them. "COME HERE, MY DASHING PRINCE!"
"Leave him alone!" Pacifica shouted. The bot looked at her, and she swore she could see its' brow crease.
"I DON'T LIKE YOUR TONE, PACIFICA." Mabel said. The robot leaned forward, and despite their best efforts, it grabbed Pacifica in one hand and Gideon in the other. The sweat and tears were all too visible on Gideon's face, and it broke Pacifica' s heart.
"Let us go! LET US GO!" she pleaded, pounding on the robot's thick titanium hand. The robot glanced at her for a moment. Then, as if she was yesterday's garbage, tossed her behind itself. She screamed, flying through the air before landing with a solid thud on the cliff above. She could feel cuts and bruises all around, and the pain was agonizing. Something wet started to trickle down her nose, and when she touched it, a red liquid became visible on her fingers. Her eyes began to moisten. Then she heard a desperate cry; turning, she saw the robot walking away, Gideon still in its clutches.
"WE'LL GET THE LOCATION OF THE JOURNAL FROM YOU, BOY." Dipper's voice said from within the robot. "AND WHEN WE DO, GRAVITY FALLS WILL BOW BEFORE US."
"AND I'LL HAVE YOU ALL TO MYSELF, MY LITTLE PRINCE." Mabel's voice said. "THINK OF ALL WE'LL DO, GIDEON! TOGETHER! FOREVER."
"AND NO ONE WILL EVER DISRESPECT THE PINES FAMILY NAME EVER AGAIN!" Dipper's voice exclaimed. The Twins' combined laughter echoed from the robot.
Pacifica felt the strength and determination drain out of her, replaced with guilt and defeat. She could hear Dippers' and Mabels' voices in her head, telling her she wasn't good enough, pretty enough, or smart enough to ever measure up to them. Just another face in the crowd, with nothing to make her special. She thought of her parents, and how they'd look at her once they heard what happened. She thought about her Graunty Susan, and how ashamed she must being her caretaker for the summer. But most of all, she thought about Gideon. Her best friend. Her confidant. He depended on her, and she had made him a promise.
She got up, dusted herself off, and ran. Ran as fast as her legs could carry her, stopping only when she had enough distance.
She had made Gideon a promise.
And it was a promise she was going to keep.
Pacifica shot forward like a bullet, going as fast as her legs could carry her. Wind whipped around her as she made her way to the cliff face, uttering a silent prayer in her head that this would work. As she planted her foot on the edge of the cliff, she let out a desperate battle cry and leapt. Wind screamed past her ears, and for a slit second Pacifica thought to herself, this is the worst idea I have ever had! She plummeted, the back of the robot's head becoming larger and larger. She was going to splatter against pound upon pound of solid titanium any second now.
Then, a miracle. The robot's head turned, and Pacifica crashed through the glass eye belonging to the Dipper side of the head. Pacifica suddenly found herself flinging through a dark control room, with Dipper and Mabel Pines in the center with odd lightbulb suits on. The Pines Twins barely had time to register what was happening before Pacifica slammed into Dipper Pines at full force, catapulting the two across the room and causing a tremor through the robot. For a split second Dipper glared at her, then slammed headfirst into the side of the robot, his head giving off a sickening Thwack! They fell to the ground, and Pacifica saw Dipper's eyes turn glassy before the 12-year-old boy fell forward, unconscious before he even hit the floor. Pacifica's gut churned. Had she-
"What have you done?" Pacifica heard from behind her. She turned to see an enraged Mabel Pines barreling towards her. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Mabel screamed, punching Pacifica straight in the gut. Pacifica balked, and Mabel through a punch that connected with Pacifica's face, causing her to spin backwards. She grabbed at the wall, attempting to regain balance. Mabel, not letting up, lashed out a kick, which Pacifica caught. Pacifica tossed Mabel's leg to the side, throwing the twin off-balance. Pacifica threw a punch of her own, catching Mabel in the shoulder. Mabel growled, once again kicking out. This one caught Pacifica in the leg, and she cried out in pain. Mabel threw a punch, and Pacifica ducked out of the way, causing Mabel's fist to slam against solid metal. Mabel shouted, throwing another punch at Pacifica. Pacifica again ducked out of the way, only to get caught in the downed Dipper's legs. She tripped, hitting the ground hard. As Pacifica tried to get up, Mabel slammed into her from behind, causing her to once again hit the floor. Her whole front side was aching, but she fought through the pain, trying to crawl out from under Mabel. Mabel grabbed one of her arms, pinning it behind her. With her other arm, Mabel gripped Pacifica's neck.
Pacifica tried to squirm, but Mabel's lock was too strong. She could feel Mabel sneering from behind her, maintaining a firm grip on her arm.
"You know," Mabel said from behind Pacifica. "The thing about having Dipper for a brother, I know about all the locks…" she paused for a second, as if savoring the moment. "…and the sweet spots. Where they are, how to find them… and how hard to push."
Mabel suddenly tugged Pacifica's arm behind her in one clean movement, it being followed with a sickening and all-too audible crack. Pain, more pain than Pacifica had ever felt before, shot through her arm and she cried, her eyes getting blurry with tears. Mabel released her from the lock, but the reprieve was short lived. Mabel brought down her elbow on Pacifica's arm, and Pacifica's vision swam.
She couldn't do this. She couldn't…
She felt a pull on her hair, and screamed as Mabel pulled her forward by the hair. She tried to struggle, but the brunette's grip was too strong, and Pacifica was running on fumes. Her arm was on fire, and it was all she could do to stay conscious. She noticed where Mabel was dragging her – the broken eye she had entered the robot from.
She's going to throw me out, Pacifica realized. Painfully looking up, she could see the grin of triumph on Mabel's face.
"You don't look too good, Pacifica." Mabel said maliciously. "Maybe you could use some fresh air."
This was no longer a fight for Gideon's freedom. Or for her own importance in the universe. It was a fight just to stay alive – for both her and Gideon. Newfound energy and purpose filled Pacifica, and her eyes filled with pure determination.
"Let go of me," she mumbled.
Mabel stopped, looking Pacifica straight in the face. "I'm sorry," she inquired smugly. "What?"
"I said," Pacifica declared, grabbing Mabel's hand and digging her fingernails into Mabel's skin. Mabel's grip began to falter. Pacifica lashed out a kick, catching Mabel in the gut and ridding her of air. "Let." Pacifica pulled Mabel's hand from her head. A few hairs followed, but Pacifica was unfazed. "Go." Before Mabel could react, Pacifica brought her into a head-butt, throwing the brunette off-balance. "Of." Gathering the rest of her strength, she spun, whirling Mabel around with her.
"ME!" she screamed, hurling Mabel into the wall. Her suit shattered, causing the robot to spin around. Pacifica and Mabel struggled around the head for balance, the spinning only increasing. From outside, Pacifica could hear Gideon shout "Be careful in there!"
Pacifica collapsed to the ground, scratching for a handhold with her good arm. She found a chink in the floor, and held on for dear life. Looking up, she saw Mabel grabbing for a handhold herself, finally settling on the cavity where the robot's nose was located. The brunette locked eyes with her, promptly narrowing them. Mabel glanced at her own side, where Pacifica could make out Mabel's signature harpoon gun. The two locked eyes again, and this time Mabel smiled.
"Mabel, don't!" Pacifica called, but it was too late. Mabel let go of the cavity with one of her arms and reached for her harpoon gun. Suddenly, the robot jerked, and Mabel was thrown from the cavity…and straight out the human-sized hole in the robot's eye.
Pacifica could hear the twin's screams slowly fade into the distance, and cringed when she couldn't hear them anymore.
The robot began to shake increasingly out of balance. Pacifica's stomach began to turn, but she held back the sickness she could feel building in her throat. She attempted to spot Gideon on the outside, but she could barely make out his form from her position. He turned to her, and shouted
"'Cifica! We're going over! We're-"
The robot fell off the railroad track, thousands of pounds of metal hurtling towards the solid ground below.
Author's Note: Well, that was painful to write! I'll attempt to get more typed up and published soon.
Till next time!