Dipper made his way towards the entrance of the diner. He could hear voices coming from inside, and they were yelling. He hesitated. Was he about to interrupt something important? Maybe he should just wait, or try somewhere else? An image of his sister suddenly flashed through his mind. No, he needed to find answers as soon as possible. The sooner he did, the sooner he found his sister.

He pushed his way past the doors and saw a group of teens sitting at a table. "We can't just stop looking for him! Do you have any idea what those things could do to him! We have to save him!" A girl with purple hair argued.

A blonde boy stood up. "We KNOW what they're doing to him! What they've probably already done to him! We need to face it, he's gone."

Another boy wearing a cap nodded. "I hate to say it, but if he wasn't gone already, he's gone now." He said sadly. "You know how those things work."

The purple haired girl shook her head. "You guys can't be serious! He's our friend! We can't just give up on him! If it were any of you, then he'd come after us in a heartbeat!"

A red headed girl slammed her cup down of water down and glared. "She's right." She said simply. "He'd come for us, and we should to the same for him. We made a pact remember? No one gets abandoned. I don't know about you guys, but I'm sticking to that pact."

"We're not breaking the pact! He's gone!" The blond boy argued. "You guys want us to risk our necks! To risk the mission just to save someone who's already gone! We've been searching for three days now! We need to just accept that he's gone!"

The capped boy sighed. "Alright. So half of us want to go look for him, the other half say give up. Thompson, looks like you're the tie breaker." He said turning to the last boy.

The last boy, a rather large individual, looked nervous. He poked his fingers together and stared down at the ground. "Well, I guess…" He took a deep breath and then grew a determined look. "I think we should keep looking. He'd never stop looking for us. I think we can at least give him another day or two."

The girls both smiled while the two other boys sighed and shook their heads. "Fine, we'll give him another day. But that's it. We can't keep putting off plans just to find someone who's already… dead." The blonde boy said looking down sorrowfully.

Dipper looked nervous. He had definitely walked in on something personal. He needed to get out of here before- "Hey! Who's there?!" Dipper jumped as they turned their gazes towards him. Before he could answer, they all got up and raised their hands. Weapons suddenly appeared in their grasps. The blonde and capped boy were holdings swords, the large one a shield, the red head an axe, and the purple haired girl… a cell phone?

Well, no matter how ridiculous that last one was, weapons were weapons, and they were pointing them at him. He turned and ran. He didn't make it ten feet before another group of those creatures spawned in front of him. He slid to a stop and backed away. How many times was he going to have fight these things?

The doors to the dinner slammed open behind him, and the teens came out carrying their weapons. "Hey kid! Don't you run from-! Crap! Heartless!"

In a blur, Dipper saw the figures run past him. The larger boy with the shield charged at the group of creatures. He smashed into them with his shield, sending them scattering. The Red headed girl, along with the two boys with the swords, began tearing into them, slashing them apart with ease. The purple haired girl flicked her phone, and two beams of light shot out and zapped two of them into ashes.

Dipper watched in awe as the group easily tore apart the creatures. They weren't like him. He was just swinging the key around and hoping for the best. But them? They were different. It was obvious they'd been fighting for a while. They were warriors. It wasn't long until the entire group of creatures was wiped out.

The teens put their weapons away. "Weird. That was so random. They usually don't show up in town. And they never attack in such small groups." The blonde boy said.

"Maybe those were just some rogue ones. It's not like they actually have a train of thought." The purple haired girl reasoned.

The larger boy turned towards Dipper. "Or maybe they were after the kid." He reasoned. "Is that what happened? They chased you inside the diner?"

Dipper was about to answer them, but then saw something from the corner of his eyes. A shadow moving against the ground. Another creature jumped out and lunged towards the red headed girl. "No!" Dipper leapt forward and summoned the key into his hand. "Look out!" She turned towards him right as he swung the key.

Dipper slashed the creature in two, and it dispersed into darkness. He landed on the ground and stumbled forward. Just as it looked like he was about to fall on his face, the girl reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt. Dipper balanced himself on his feet before turning towards the girl. "Um… thank you."

The girl just stared at him. Or more specifically his key. "Kid, where did you get that Key?" She asked.

Dipper looked down at the key in his hand. "Uh, I don't really know. It just showed up in my hand when those things attacked me back on my island." He said honestly.

"Your island?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm from Destiny Island." He explained. "Me and my sister got… well, I don't really know what happened. Those things attacked us, then we got swept up by some black wind, and I guess we got washed out to the ocean or something. I'm not sure how I woke up in this town though. Maybe someone pulled me out and brought me here."

The teens all glanced at each other. The red head turned back towards him. "Kid, there isn't any ocean around here to pull you from. Not one close by anyway."

Dipper looked confused. "But… I... there has to be." What else could have happened? He couldn't have been out for that long. He was wearing the exact same clothes as he was when he left the house. Then again, his clothes didn't feel damp or wet. So what was going on?

"He came from a different world." The blond teen said. "He really must be the Key bearer."

Now that got his attention. He looked up at him. "Wait, hold on a sec! Did you say a different world?!" He asked. "T-that's impossible! There's no way this could be a different world! I didn't…" He suddenly froze. You and your sister. You can travel to other worlds now. "Oh… oh man. It is isn't it? I'm really in a different world."

The girl smiled at him. "Yep. Welcome to Gravity Falls."

After some quick introductions, the teens began leading Dipper through the down. The red head, who had introduced herself as Wendy, began explaining. "Gravity Falls is known for its infestation of the Heartless. It's so bad the townspeople barely bother coming outside anymore. They just stay inside and hide."

Nate nodded. "We probably weren't going to be any different if it weren't for Wendy and Robbie. Those two have always been rebels. Always saying how they'd take out the Heartless. Travel to other worlds. The rest of us ended up getting wrapped up with them. And the Gravity Freedom Fighters were formed."

Thompson chuckled. "We've been fighting the Heartless ever since. We've had a little help from some of the local old guys Mr. Stanley and Stanford sometimes. They were the ones who taught us how to fight after they retired. But we've managed to hold our own pretty well too." He said proudly.

Dipper looked back and forth between them. "So this Robbie guy? He's the one you guys were talking about finding? He's the one who was taken by the Heartless?" He asked.

Tambry frowned. "Yeah. A few days ago he a big group of Heartless attacked. One bigger than ever before. We'd never seen any like it. It was like no matter how many we took down, they just kept coming." She said. "As we kept fighting, we noticed something. They were homing in on Robbie. For some reason, they kept going after him."

Lee balled his fist up. "The idiot realized it too, and ran off into the forest before any of us could stop him. The entire horde followed him. An army of Heartless chasing after one guy. Robbie was always the toughest in the group, but not even he could beat those odds. There's no way he…" He looked down sadly. "He's probably been turned into one of those things."

Tambry teared up slightly. "I was right next to him the whole battle. I should have followed after him. Backed him up. But all I could think about was how relieved I was for the Heartless finally leaving." She said wiping her face. "What kind of friend am I? I let fear stop me from saving one of our friends."

Dipper frowned, and Wendy put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "Tambry, we'd been fighting for hours. None of us thought we were going to make it. Even if you had gone with him, it wouldn't have changed anything. We'd just have lost the both of you. Besides, we don't know that he's one of them yet. Robbie was always good at weaseling out of a corner."

From what he'd heard from the story, the boy's odds of survival were slim. But Dipper knew better than to say that out loud. Besides, who was he to dash their hopes? It was hope that allowed him to believe he'd find his sister again after all. "Besides. Now we have the Key Wielder with us."

He tilted his head. "What's with this Key Wielder business?"

Wendy shrugged. "We don't know the specifics, but Ford told us someone would come along with a key, and if we followed him it'd lead to victory. You have a giant key, so you must be the guy he was talking about." She reasoned.

Dipper looked down at the key. He wasn't some Key Wielder or whatever. This thing just appeared in his hand. "This Ford guy. Is he the one who sends out the keys or something?"

"Don't know." Tambry said bluntly. "He's always pretty vague in his messages to us. It's usually just through the mail since he's off on some crazy adventure."

"Even if he isn't here, he probably filled in Stan before he left." Wendy reasoned. Dipper just nodded. It didn't matter who filled him in on this. Just that someone did.

After a few minutes of walking, they approached an old shack. Dipper grimaced. This place looked like it was going to collapse any second. Did someone actually live here? The group made their way to the door, and Wendy banged on it. "Yo, Stan, open up!" She yelled. The next few second were filled with silence. "Stan! It's Wendy! Open up!"

"I heard who it is!" A voice snapped back. It sounded raspy and… old. "Geez, why won't you stupid kids leave me alone already?! What does a guy have to do for some peace and quiet?!"

Wendy sighed. "Would you just open up already old man!? This is kind of important! Like save the world important!" She shouted back.

Dipper could hear more grumbling from behind the door, but then it unlocked. An old man that looked like he was in his sixties appeared. He was wearing a suit, glasses, and a fez. "If you're trying to get me into another one of your hair brained schemes again, forget it! You should have learned your lesson after your stupid little friend got taken!"

The teens all frowned at him. Dipper did as well. How could he take someone's life so lightly? "I didn't come here to argue with you. I came here because we need to see Ford."

"Well too bad. Einstein isn't here. He left a couple days ago, right after the attack." The old man said waving them off. "Now get out of here. I have TV to watch."

"Isn't there any way you can contact him? We need to talk to him like yesterday." Tambry said desperately. "We found the Keyblade Wielder and-"

The old man laughed. "The Keyblade Wielder? You mean you actually let my brother trick you into believing that garbage?" He asked. He then glanced down. "And what, it's supposed to be him? This little runt doesn't look like he could wield a broom stick!"

Dipper frowned. He wasn't exactly thrilled about having this Key, but he didn't like the way this old geezer was brushing them off. He raised his hand and then summoned the key. The old man's laughter stopped, a look of shock taking over his face. "Wha-?! How did you-?!"

"So like I was saying, we found the Keyblade Wielder." Tambry said crossing her arms. "Now you gonna help us talk to Ford or what?"

Stan rubbed his chin and looked down at Dipper curiously. "I didn't think the wielder would… wait a second…" He knelt down until he was eye level with Dipper.

He reached up and brushed some of the hair from his forehead, revealing his birthmark. Dipper quickly brushed his hand away. "Hey!" He snapped.

Stan groaned. "He didn't. He wouldn't. That idiot wouldn't be so reckless as to…" He grumbled under his breath before "What's your name kid?"

"Uh… Dipper."

Stan rolled his eyes. "Now try giving me your real name."

Dipper looked down. He didn't like giving out his real name. It was embarrassing. His nickname wasn't exactly his ideal choice, but it was the lesser of two evils. "Look, just call me Dipper. Dipper Pines."

The teens all grew wide eyed. "He did it!" Stan yelled throwing his fist up into the air. "I don't believe it! Going off and getting himself killed is fine! But dragging family into it! How could he be so-! Gah!"

Dipper looked around confused. "What? What's everybody so surprised about? What's this about family?" He asked looking to the teens for answers.

Stan sighed. "You're Shermie's grandson right?" He asked. Dipper grew wide eyed. He turned back towards Stan. How did… how did he know his grandfather's name? As if reading his mind, Stan straightened his tie and answered. "He probably doesn't talk about us much. Don't blame him. I'm Stanley Pines, his big brother."

"W-wait! You're grandpa Shermie's big brother? So that means… you're my great uncle? We're related?" He said more for himself than anyone else. "B-but how?! I mean, if you're related, then why are you on a different world?! How did any of this-"

A hand covered his mouth. Stan gave him a serious look. "Calm down kid. I'll explain everything, but first we need to get you inside where it's safe. So long as you got that Key with you, the Heartless will be able to track and keep attacking you." He said standing back up. Dipper slowly nodded. This guy seemed a lot more serious now. Stan glanced at the teens. "I guess you guys can come in too."

"You're kindness is truly touching." Nate said sarcastically.

They made their way inside as Stan led them through the Shack. It was just as old and rickety looking as it looked on the outside. Dipper did his best to keep from asking the flurry of questions that were buzzing through his mind. Stan stopped as a snack machine before punching in a code. It slid to the side revealing a staircase.

Dipper's jaw dropped, though the teens seemed unfazed. Stan made his way down the stairs, and after being nudged by Wendy, Dipper shook his head and followed. "My brothers and I used to fight the Heartless in our younger and dumber years. We hadn't realized just how useless it was to try and stop them yet."

"With the years that went by, it finally started to click that… we just weren't doing anything. For every Heartless we destroyed, a hundred rose in its place. Eventually your grandfather and I wised up and gave up the fight. Shermie went off to another world. A world so tiny and insignificant that darkness wouldn't even bother with it."

"I ended up staying here since that idiot Ford wasn't willing to pack it in. I may not have agreed with him, but that didn't mean I was just going to leave him here to get himself killed." Stan explained. "I can't believe that after everything Shermie did to get away from this, Ford would go and drag one of his grandkids in."

Well, that answered some of his questions. "So… um… Grunkle Stan do you think your brother Ford might be with my sister?" He asked.

The old man looked at him confused for a moment. Where had that Grunkle thing come from? Then he thought about something. "Wait, sister? What happened to your sister?"

"I don't know. She got swept up the same way I did, but she's not here." Dipper said as they reached the bottom of the stairs. They were in a large room filled with multiple computers, cases with weapons on them, and strange contraptions. The real eye catcher though was the enormous circular device in the back of the room.

What was this place? Some type of laboratory?

"Both of you. He got both of you involved? Of course he did." He said pinching the bridge of his nose. Dang it. It would have been one thing to just send Dipper home, but if his sister was missing too then… "Alright kid. Here's what we're going to do. Since there isn't any way to contact my brother right now, I'm going to send you home, and then go find-"

"I'm not going home without my sister." Dipper said glaring.

"Look kid, I know how you must feel. If there's one thing I'm about, it's family. But it's too dangerous. Even if I just met you, you're my nephew. I'm not going to drag you along on some adventure that you could be killed on. How would I be able to face my brother if I went and got his grandson consumed by darkness?"

Dipper kept up his glare. "Yeah, we'll I'm about family too, and Mabel is my sister. I NOT going home without her. You either bring me along with you, or I'll go find her on my own."

Stan knew that look. It was a look he'd seen on both his brothers faces. Every time he'd tell them to go on without him, or that he'd catch up when he never really intended too, they got that look on their face. "Ugh, you really are a part of the family." He said running a hand over his face.

"You might as well take him along Stan. He is the Key Wielder." Nate reasoned.

Stan glared at him. "I don't care. All I see him as is a nephew going down the same stupid path his grandad and uncles did." He said before walking over towards to one of the weapon racks. He reached out and grabbed a cane with an eight ball for the handle. He cracked his neck. "Either way, none of us is going anywhere right now."

"The best chance we have at finding your sister would be my brother. He's much better at navigating different world's than I am. But I don't know what world my nerd of a brother is at right now. He left without telling me anything. Even if I did know, I couldn't go there. The only method we have for traveling to other world's in the portal." He said pointing to the large device.

Dipper stared at it in awe. So that was how they moved from world to world? Amazing. "Well, crank the thing up and let's get going!" Wendy said.

Stan grunted. "It needs a power source. Diamonds. And I don't mean those cheap knock offs I get from down the street, I mean real, large chunks of diamonds. And the only place we could get enough of them to power this bad boy is…" He scowled, as did the rest of the teens.

"The Northwests." Lee said bitterly.

"Who are the Northwests?" Dipper asked.

Thompson scoffed. "The richest family in town. They have more money than you could throw a stick at. And they're not big on sharing." He explained.

Dipper frowned. "I don't care. If they have what we need to go and find my sister, then I'll just have to convince them to lend it to us. Like I said before, I'm not going back without her."

Stan chuckled. "Well, look at the guts on this one. Don't worry kid, they'll lend it to us. They owe me and Ford a few favors for keeping the Heartless off their greedy necks. And if they're not feeling up to repaying their debt…" He spun the can in his hand before slinging it over his shoulder. "Then we're just gonna have to… relieve them of it."

A/N: Second chapter! This is where the story is going to start differing from the game's story line. Instead of Gummi ships, they're using the portal to get around. Dipper is starting to learn what the Keyblade is, and is going to confront the Northwest next chapter. Wonder what will happen?

Keep reading to find out.