Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Gravity Falls, nor do I own any of the characters from Scooby Doo.
Author's Note: The following story is dedicated to Porygon Boy Bryon. This is my first time publishing, and he has been both encouraging and helpful in his feedback. Please let me know if you see any grammatical or canonical errors. The story is set during the first season of Gravity Falls.
"Say, gang," asked Fred, as he rested his head on the steering wheel of the Mystery Machine, "don't you think it's weird that we haven't run into any mysteries lately?"
"Like, what do you mwhean?", wondered Shaggy through a mouthful of a meatball and chocolate chip sub.
Velma suddenly looked up from what she was reading and explained: "What Fred means is; paranormal activity seems to find us no matter where we travel."
"It's so unfair," agreed Daphne, "I mean, we always try to have nice vacations, and then all of a sudden there's a ghost or a goblin or a curse or a chupacabra. I just want to relax in a luxurious resort somewhere and get my nails done without having to worry about monsters or magic for once!"
Fred immediately disagreed with his on-again off-again girlfriend.
"What are you talking about, Daphne? We are mystery solvers. It's what we do! We even named our van the Mystery Machine. We are specialists. I say we embrace it! I say we travel somewhere in need of our skill set!"
"You mean, your van. You named your van the Mystery Machine. The fact that you named your vehicle suggests an emotional attachment that is, quite frankly, unhealthy."
"No, the Mystery Kids did, remember? I just decided to keep it, because a cool van deserves an equally cool name, right?"
"This big, hulking thing is cool to you? Only if cool is meant to describe gas guzzlers that are twenty years out of style."
Fred looked as hurt as if Daphne had just insulted his newborn son.
Truthfully, Daphne loved the Mystery Machine. It had something for everyone. High-tech gadgets lining the walls for Velma, a long bench for Shaggy and Scooby to nap on, and plenty of space in the back for her and Fred to store their respective equipment. The trunk was filled with ropes, nets, and pulleys for Fred's traps, along with multiple cameras that Daphne used back when she was a photojournalist. She just wished that Fred would spend some of the time he spent waxing and buffing the Mystery Machine every weekend talking to her. Her nails weren't really the reason she wanted a vacation. With the Mystery Gang running into ghosts at every corner, she and Fred spent all of their time together working, always with Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma close behind. Not that she didn't love the gang or mystery-solving. It just felt like she and Fred never had time to themselves anymore, and Daphne really, really wanted things to work out this time around.
"Well," Velma interrupted, "I've been reading a guidebook called Strange and Unusual Places, and there's this place in Oregon called Gravity Falls. It's located right on top of the Oregon Vortex, which is famous for a noted increase paranormal activity. In the last year alone, Gravity Falls has seen vampires, gnome attacks, and even a merman. No one can seem to figure out the cause of all these strange occurrences, and they just keep coming. I'd say this place needs our help, if anyplace does! "
A nervous-looking Shaggy gulped down the last bite of his oddly-flavored sandwich.
"Uhh, guys? I don't think we should go to a place known for its monsters, but m-m-maybe that's just me."
Shaggy clung tightly to his best furry friend, Scooby, who agreed, "It does round rary, Raggy!"
Daphne was beginning to look forlorn.
"We just sit around in a van all day, and now we're actually discussing traveling to some hick town in Oregon. My friends, I ask you; I implore you: What does a girl have to do for manicure?!"
Velma rolled her eyes. She liked Daphne, but sometimes she just couldn't stand all the melodrama.
"Gravity Falls has a mall, Daphne. I imagine that there's a salon within said mall at which you could get a manicure, while Fred and I deal with the mysteries.
"You're going off with Fred? Alone?"
Velma rolled her eyes again, mentally this time. How could someone as beautiful as Daphne be so insecure? And how could Daphne think that someone as intelligent as her could be interested in someone like Fred? He was just so one-dimensional. Traps, traps, traps, all the time.
"Yes, Daphne. Just so you can relax and enjoy yourself. Think of it as a working vacation, except not everyone will be working."
"Alright, I'll go, just as long as no one and nothing interrupts my Mani Pedi."
Velma had only read a few pages, but already she was excited about the idea of going to Gravity Falls. But she knew that in order to get the Mystery Machine rolling, she had to convince Shaggy and Scooby to come along.
"Well, here's an interesting tidbit from Strange and Unusual Places. Apparently, Gravity Falls has a world-famous buffet."
Okay, so it wasn't exactly world-famous, but it was significant enough to be mentioned in the book.
"I say we hit the road. I mean, Zoinks! World-famous and all-you-can-eat is, like, a dream come true for me and Scoob!"
Velma felt a little bit guilty about her lie, but she couldn't help but smile to herself a little when Fred pulled out a map and said:
"Gang, since we're all in agreement, we might as well head to Gravity Falls. It sounds like an intriguing place. In fact, it sounds perfect for all of us! And, guess what? It's only twelve hours away by car!"
The gang buckled in for the long drive, and soon they were off to Gravity Falls.