This story is dedicated to Alex Hirsch and the rest of the Gravity Falls team in honor of the first anniversary of the finale. Thank you all for an amazing show.
Urban Legend
"Hey, Dipper! Mabel!" a voice called. The 16-year-old twins turned to see Bradley, a guy who was an acquaintance, if not a friend, of theirs. The twins walked over to him.
"What's up?" Mabel asked, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.
"We were just talking about those urban legends about that one little town in Oregon, Gravity Falls, from back in 2012. You two were there, right? What went down?"
The twins looked to see about half-a-dozen interested faces turned toward them, all anticipating the twins' response. "Oh, you know," Mabel started casually, "just some weird storms making everything act up."
"Some lightning knocked out the town's one cell tower," Dipper supplied, "as well as some of the power lines and all cable and internet, so we were left without any communication to the outside world. Mudslides covered all of the roads out of town, and the most major highway had a sink-in large enough that people trying to get to town couldn't see the road on the other side, making them think that the road just mysteriously vanished, which is how the rumors got started."
"Every time the storm let up and we started cleanup and repairs, it started back up again," Mabel added. "It was pretty annoying. We just waited it out until it finally cleared up so that we could clean off the roads and get the power lines and cell tower back up again."
"So, what'd you do that whole time?" another kid, Kyle, asked.
"Oh, just the usual stuff when there's a storm," Mabel said evasively.
"We, uh, had to hide out from it whenever we went outside…
(Eyeball bats with Medusa-like petrifying gazes, demons running around)
"…since there were so many mudslides and so much rain," Dipper said.
Mabel nodded. "We mostly hid out in the Shack."
(A magic barrier, their only protection against the monstrosities just outside)
"The Shack?" a third person, Lacey, queried.
"That's the name for our great-uncle's house," Dipper explained.
(Building the additions to the Shack, hoping against hope that they would all work)
"It's not in great shape."
(Left in ruins with holes from where various mechanical additions broke off)
Again, Mabel nodded to add credibility to Dipper's story. "We spent a lot of time playing games like hide-and-seek and some imagination games, since we were going kind of stir-crazy without anything else to do."
(Her letting her imagination run wild in the Bubble, him looking for her for days on end)
"She's good at all that," Dipper corroborated. "We also spent some time learning survival skills from our friend Wendy."
(Eating roasted bat meat because there was nothing else, using dollar bills as napkins)
"Well," Mabel interjected, "he spent time with Wendy because he liked her."
"Mabel!"
"Come on, it was almost four years ago! You were a little kid just entering puberty and she was a hot teenage girl! What else could anyone expect?"
Dipper grumbled, and the teens at the table snickered a little but without malice. Most had been in similar situations when they were twelve years old.
Mabel continued, "Mainly, though, we spent time with friends…
(Making the additions to the Shack, gathering around the campfire, standing in the Bill-Wheel)
"…and family.
(Rescuing Great-Uncle Ford, reading the scrapbook to Grunkle Stan)
"It was really a bonding experience."
(The birthday party, saying goodbye at the bus)
Dipper looked thoughtful as he nodded in confirmation of this. "It wasn't the best of times, but…
(The court case in the Bubble, trying to win Mabel back)
"…I think we grew closer because of it, and we certainly grew closer to our great-uncles."
"Sounds like you had fun," Lacey said.
Both twins shrugged. Dipper said, "It was mostly just a slow week."
"It was pretty boring," Mabel added. "Not having internet sucks, and the TV only had news…
(The reporter sneaking into Bill's "Fearamid" and getting turned to stone on live TV)
"…which, you know, is always boring."
(Seeing the images of the chair made out of the frozen, stone people)
Dipper grimaced. "To be honest…
(Running for their lives from Bill, held in his grasp, about to die…!)
"…I wouldn't want to repeat it."
"But…" Bradley looked confused. "Don't you two go back every summer?"
Mabel smiled. "Well yeah! We have some great friends there…
(Soos and Wendy, Candy and Grenda, Pacifica, the teens, even Gideon to some extent now)
"…and we like seeing our great-uncles again, so of course we go back!"
"It's usually a lot of fun…
(Exploring the woods, watching Duck-tective, playing DD&MD, going to Pioneer Day and Summerween, visiting all of their supernatural creature friends)
"…and we haven't had an incidence like that since," Dipper said.
(An innocuous-looking statue in the woods, possibly just waiting for someone to free him…)
"Gravity Falls will always hold a special place in our hearts," Mabel declared.
"I'm planning to move there after college to become the apprentice of Great-Uncle Ford," Dipper added. "He has twelve PhDs and does scientific research on the indigenous species of plants and animals in central Oregon. He also invents in his spare time as a hobby."
"I'll probably end up living there too," Mabel agreed. "It's just so nice and peaceful."
(Chaos, the world burning … but, the rest of the time, the greenest woods, the prettiest lake, the nicest people)
Dipper smiled. "Even if we don't end up moving there permanently, we'll always have fond memories."
(The summer of 2012, the best summer ever)
"We could never possibly forget it," Mabel added.
(Mabel smashing the memory ray. "Now, I'll never forget you guys!")
The other kids were quiet for a moment before Kyle said, "Well, I'm glad you guys have a place like that. It truly sounds like something special."
(Leaving the bus stop, waving goodbye to their family and friends)
Both twins smiled and said in unison, "It is."
("In memories, the Pines still play on a sunny summer's day.")
("Goodbye, Gravity Falls.")
(We miss you, and we love you. You'll always hold a special place in our hearts.)