Hey everyone! So, this is the first multi-chap fic I've done in a while, so I hope it works out! It's based on the Timeshift AU by artsycrapfromsai on Tumblr. Go check out her blog, she's literally the best artist ever. Anyway, this will have Dipifica. If you want updates on it( Like when it'll be updated) check out my Tumblr. I have a link on my profile.
Anyway, I'll try to update every Monday, but if life intervenes then it'll be by Wednesday every week. Hope you enjoy!
The rain wasn't ever going to let up, or at least that's what it seemed like. The dark gray clouds covered the sky, and seemed to go on for miles.
Dipper jammed the button for the windshield wipers again, annoyed that the automatic version had gone out literally a day before they left. He had to hit it manually every so often, and it was getting really annoying.
The car slowed to a halt at a red light, and Dipper glanced into the backseat for the hundredth time to check on Mabel.
Her eyes were closed and her breathing was even, but Dipper couldn't tell if she was asleep or just intently focused on the audiobook she had loaded onto her iPod that morning. He could just see her purple ear-buds sticking out among her short brown hair, and the blue iPod that was connected to them via a purple and blue cord was lit up, indicating that it was on.
He turned back towards the road as the light turned green, and eased the car forward. Drives like theses always worried him, especially during the rain. He had inherited his Dad's old car, and, while it was an impressive car, and he was having fun restoring it, it didn't work too well. He was always worried that it would slip off of the road during a rainstorm.
"You are now entering Oregon." A sign came out of the fog, and he smiled. They had been driving for a long time now, but that sign meant that it was almost over.
He glanced back at Mabel again, and rolled his eyes. She had promised to take half of the driving, but after she had put in her earbuds she knew that she wouldn't. She didn't really like driving anyway, but it was still annoying that Dipper had to take the entire drive to himself. He didn't even have her to talk to, because she was so determined to finish her audio-book.
He sighed as he took the exit that would eventually bring them to their destination. A small, sleepy town called Gravity Falls.
Dipper hadn't seen Gravity Falls since he was 12, mostly because he was a bit scared. Sure, he kept in touch with his friends and his great-uncles, but he had no desire to go back.
Now, though, his great-uncle Stanford was founding a college there, and he wanted Dipper to help him set it up, and maybe even teach there. Dipper had been intrigued. Aside from being a popular ghost-hunter with his own TV show, being a teacher was also one of his great dreams. So, after telling Mabel to pack her bags, the two set off to Oregon.
Dipper had been surprised when Ford had sent him the email, saying that he wanted Dipper to teach there. Dipper was barely out of college himself. He was only 17, but he had breezed through high-school so quickly that he went to college early, majoring in media production. He went back again for photography, too.
Mabel, on the other hand, had just graduated high school with honors. She was really smart, but, due to the fact that she had a big group of friends in the school, she wanted to take her time with her education. Now that she was done, though, she was designing her own line of designer sweaters.
"Mabel." Dipper called as they approached the Mystery Shack. "Mabel! Wake up..." He grabbed the wrapper from the burger they had stopped for and threw it at her.
Her eyes flew open, and she hit the pause button on her iPod before sticking her tongue out at her brother. "They were just about to kiss!" She complained, throwing it back at him.
He grinned. "Good. Too mushy." He replied playfully. "We're almost there. Start putting your stuff away." He told her, pulling a hard left as the next exit suddenly appeared out of the fog.
Mabel yelped as she fell to the right. "Be careful where you drive that thing, bro-bro!" She yelled as she righted herself.
"Sorry," He said. "the fog's so thick I can barely see." He slowed down the car so he could be more careful. "Is that better?"
"Yes. Thank you." She pushed her hair back and put in into place with a headband, and then pulled out two sweaters. "Which one should I wear? The green or the blue?"
"What about the pink?" He suggested, and Mabel's face lit up. She dove back into her bag and pulled out a pink sweater with a shooting star emblem on the front.
"A classic!" She held it out in front of her and gazed at it with starry eyes. "Nice choice, bro. Maybe you do have some fashion sense!"
"Yeah, yeah, maybe..." He waved her off as they pulled up in front of the old house. "Put your stuff away. We're here."
"Oooh!" Mabel squealed. "Finally!" She pulled on the pink sweater and stuffed her iPod into her purse, then jumped out as the car slowed to a complete stop.
"Mabel, wait up!" Dipper yelled, grunting as he yanked all of the bags from the back of the car and then ran to catch up to her.
"Okay, here goes!" Mabel took a deep breath, smoothed down her hair, and then knocked on the door. They heard a creak from inside, and grinned as a gruff voice called out from inside.
"Who's there?"
"It's us, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel cried cheerfully, grinning at the peephole.
The door opened, and they were gathered up into a huge hug. Dipper dropped his bags as all of the air was squeezed out of him.
Stan finally let them go after he realized they were wheezing, and he grinned at them as they caught their breath.
His hair was grayer than it had been, although it had a silvery gleam. He was a bit more wrinkly, too, but other than that time had been good to Stan. He looked relatively the same as he had five years before.
"It's so good to see you kids!" His grin nearly split his face in two as he stepped to the left. "Come inside! Ford will want to see you kids too."
Dipper nodded, and picked up the bags again as they walked inside. Well, he walked. Mabel bounced happily, ever the source of energy.
"Ford!" Stan called loudly. A muffled reply came from upstairs, and he pushed them up the stairs.
"You kids can stay in the attic again, if ya want." Stan offered as he led them to their old room. "It's a bit dusty, but I sent point-dexter up there to clean earlier so it should be okay."
They rounded the corner, and suddenly Dipper felt 12 again. The hallway looked exactly the same as it had five years ago, and the same poster that Mabel had put up on the door was still there. Ford stood in the doorway, smiling happily.
Mabel jumped forward and hugged him. He patted her on the head, and grinned at Dipper.
He looked almost exactly the same as they remembered him, except for a streak of gold that went through his hair. It was a side effect of being turned into a gold statue by Bill, and, despite that fact that it was linked with bad memories, everyone loved how it looked.
Mabel let him go, and pulled off her headband to show off the yellow highlight that she had put in that morning. She had started highlighting her hair when she had been 14, and the color changed every week.
"We match!" She laughed. Ford nodded, grinning.
"That's very cool, Mabel." He said. "How've you guys been?" He asked. "I cleaned up your old room for you, so you can put the bags in there if you want to stay here."
"Sure." Dipper nodded and picked up the bags to bring them into the room. On his way in, Ford patted his shoulder.
"It's good to see you, Dipper." He said, smiling. Dipper smiled.
"Good to see you too, Grunkle Ford. Nice hair." He commented as he put the bags down on the attic floor.
Just like the hallway, the attic room seemed completely untouched. It was almost exactly the same as it had been, save for the lack of their things. The only other thing missing was the Bill window, which had shattered when they landed the finishing blow on him.
"So, how long will you kids be staying?" Stan asked, leaning against the doorframe as Dipper pulled out his shirts and began hanging them in the closet.
"We're not sure, actually." He handed Mabel her purse. "Go put your stuff away, Mab." He told her, then he sat down on the edge of the bed.
"Grunkle Ford said he wanted me to help out with the college, so I'll be here for a while. Mabel, on the other hand..." He shrugged. "She was looking at a fashion designing college in Florida, so I don't know how long she'll be staying."
"Florida?" Ford raised an eyebrow as Mabel popped out of the closet.
"Yep! It's called the Art Institute. It's in Tampa." She pulled out one of her sweaters, a skintight one that kept in body-heat to keep you warm. It was decorated with a diamond pattern. "I design sweaters."
"I should have known you'd end up making those things." Stan chuckled. "It suits you."
"Thanks! Although, I probably won't need any sweaters in Florida..." She muttered, running a hand through her hair.
"Nah, it gets pretty cold there." Dipper commented, pulling out his phone. "See? 'In Florida, it can get down to the forties during the winter, and sometimes colder. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Florida is negative two.'" He quoted from his phone. "Besides, people in Florida are weak. They get cold when it's sixty degrees out."
Mabel beamed. "Thanks, bro." She ducked back into the closet.
"So, anyway, Grunkle Ford, where are you building the college?" Dipper asked, folding his pants and putting them away.
"Over where the Northwest mansion used to be." He said. "Pacifica let me use the property."
Dipper felt himself blush. "O-Oh. Where is Pacifica?" He asked. "Does she even still live here?"
As if she was summoned by his question, a woman appeared in the doorway, holding a package. Her long, bright blonde hair fell down to her waist even though it was put up in a braid, and her pretty blue eyes shined with kindness.
"Mr. Pines, I brought a package for you from the mailman." She said. Her eyes widened when she noticed Dipper, and she gazed at him for a moment.
"Dipper?" She asked, crossing her arms after Stan took the box. She gave him the once-over, and found herself blushing.
The last time she had seen Dipper Pines, he had been a scrawny little twelve year old covered in scars and celebrating the victory over the weird triangle guy. Now, though, he was... Wow. He had gotten much taller, and also stronger. He was sill a bit wiry, but his arms were laced with muscles. He held more confidence, too, as if all he needed was to defeat an immortal dream demon to boost his ego.
"Pacifica?" She turned at the new voice, and took in the newcomer. She had short brown hair with a blue streak, and a kind face. Her brown eyes shined with determination and childlike joy. She was much taller too, and she had definitely grown up. Pacifica couldn't help but admire the skin-tight sweater she was wearing, and the way that it accentuated her curves in a very beautiful way.
"No way!" The girl, who Pacifica assumed was Mabel, jumped forward and hugged her around the neck. "I thought you left Gravity Falls..."
"M-Mabel?" Pacifica stuttered, her eyes wide. She wasn't exactly used to hugs, after all.
"Yeah, it's Mabel! You look great!" Mabel let her go and did a once-over, grinning. "So many old friends in one place!"
Pacifica decided to not point out that they hadn't exactly been "friends" as kids. Dipper stood up, his arms crossed, and raised his eyebrows.
"What, no designer jeans today?" He asked, a wry, amused smile on his face. "You've changed."
"So have you. No longer Mr. Noodle-arms, huh?" She countered. Mabel and Stan gasped at the same time, and Dipper and Ford, who realized what was happening, gazed at them in horror.
"New ship!" They cried together as Dipper began blushing furiously. A few days before they left Gravity Falls the first time, Mabel had explained the concept of "shipping" to Stan, and he had surprisingly taken to it, which was bad news for any of the people in the ships.
"What?" Pacifica asked. "What are you talking about?" She was very confused.
"Just promise you won't slack off when you two start dating." Stan smirked. "Or I'll have to fire you."
"Stanley, you wouldn't fire her no matter what she did. She's more helpful than you ever have been." Ford sighed, then grabbed his brother's arm. "We'll let you three catch up. When you're ready, come downstairs, Dipper. I have some things to show you."
Dipper nodded. "Alright, Grunkle Ford." He said as they left. "So, you work here?"
Pacifica looked away. "Yeah, so? I wanted to actually start working in my life." She crossed her arms. "I didn't want to end up as lazy as my parents."
"That's cool! You've become a better person!" Mabel went back to packing, but she poked her head out of the closet almost every minute to listen in on the conversation.
"What about you? What do you do?" Pacifica asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed and watching as Dipper rummaged around in his bag.
"Oh! Right now, I work at an auto-repair place. My dad taught me a ton about fixing cars." He explained, pulling out a lava lamp and putting it on the desk next to his bed. "I'm going to start my own paranormal investigation show eventually, once I obtain the money to actually do it..." He frowned, then shook his head. "Me and Mabel are raising money, though, so I'll get it eventually."
"Not eventually!" Mabel called from the closet. "Very soon!"
"Huh. Interesting." She glanced towards the closet, where Mabel was humming her favorite Melena Snowmez song. "What about you?" She called.
"Oh! I design clothes." She called back, pulling out the same diamond sweater she showed their Grunkles earlier. "I make sweaters that look super good, but are functional at the same time." She explained, pulling off her pink sweater and pulling the diamond one on. "See? This one holds in your body temperature, so it can keep you super warm during the winter, and it also breathes, so you stay cool during the summer." She struck some poses to model it.
Pacifica raised her eyebrows. "Not bad." She admitted, standing up. "Maybe I'll buy some."
Mabel's eyes widened, and her face lit up as Pacifica walked out. "I guess I'll see you guys around the town, then?"
"Yeah, I guess." Dipper replied, watching her as she left. He turned to Mabel, about to say something, when she ran back inside.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot! I wanted to give this to you years ago, but I forgot." She reached into her purse and drew out a bundle of white and blue. "I was actually going to give it to your great uncles today, but I forgot."
She handed it to Dipper, and he unfolded it, then gasped, his eyes widening as a wave of nostalgia washed over him.
"My hat!" He smiled as he put it on. "Thanks, Pacifica." He grinned at her. "I thought I lost this... How did you ever find it, though?" He remembered the day he had lost it, when he had jumped onto a spaceship, clinging to a magnet gun to save Ford, and the hat had fallen off of his head.
"It just... Appeared in my yard one day. It was actually pretty weird." She shrugged. "Whatever. I should probably get-"
"Dipper!" Mabel crashed out of the closet, her hands glowing a strange bright blue. Dipper caught her and steadied her before she fell, and some of the weird blueness fell off onto him and Pacifica.
"What happened?" Dipper asked, looking at his sister in concern.
"What did you do?" Pacifica cried at the same time, looking in horror at the blue glow seeping from the closet and into the room, turning everything it touched black-and-white.
"There was a weird... Thing and I accidentally knocked it over and it spilled this blue stuff on me and I don't know what happened but stuff started turning black and white!" She rambled.
"Dipper..." Pacifica called softly, staring out the window. A bird sat in the air, completely still, its wings still in mid-flap.
"Omygosh..." Mabel panicked. "This is like when Gideon summoned Bill!"
Dipper froze. "But... Bill's dead! There's no way he's back, right?"
"It can't be! Grunkle Ford killed him! We saw it, right!" Mabel sounded scared. Dipper put his arm around her neck to comfort her as he gazed at the bird, which began to move again.
"Is it going... Backwards?" Pacifica asked, looking at it with narrowed eyes. "How come weird things always happen when I'm with Pines?" She cried.
"How is it my... Fault..." He trailed off as exact copies of them appeared in the room, doing everything they had done since they'd gotten there in reverse.
"Are we going back in time?" Mabel asked, looking with fearful eyes as increasingly younger versions of their Grunkles entered the room every so often.
"Oh, no way..." Dipper breathed, watching as a twelve year old Mabel ran into the room in reverse, wiping away tears. He watched his twelve year old self comfort her, and then walk away backwards.
"No denying it now." Mabel said, sounding surprisingly calm. "We're going back in time."
"But... How?" Dipper sat down on the edge of the bed and held his head. "How is this possible?"
"Maybe that was one of Grunkle Ford's inventions? From a way long time ago?" Mabel suggested. "Or maybe that time guy, Blendin?"
"M-Maybe..." Dipper said, gasping as a way younger Ford walked into the room and put down a notebook. "Is that one of the journals?"
"How far back are we going?" Pacifica asked softly. "Will we even be able to get back once we're there?"
Dipper shook his head. "I dunno." He sighed. "At least we're all together."
He grabbed Mabel's hand softly to comfort her, and then, after a few seconds of arguing with himself, grabbed Pacifica's too. They watched in silence as the Ford that kept coming in got younger and younger, until finally the entire room flashed white, and they all passed out.