Chapter 3: Elder Pines' POV

A/N: shout out to Furious Pines for solving the last code!

In case you missed it, check the reviews. It'll be posted there.

Here's her page link u/8403799/Furious-Pines

Ford paced the docks. He flipped through his notes that he had collected and glared at the pages while Stan tried to reassure him.

"Don't worry, man, Gravity Falls will be okay!" he insisted.

"No. Not if what Dipper mentioned about the falls means what I think it means." Ford snapped. He flipped to a page about the zodiac.

Stan hesitated. He looked at his brother with a glint of worry in his eyes. "And… what would that be?" He asked, not sure he wanted an answer.

Ford stopped in his tracks and turned, giving him that serious look of his. The look that he used to warn Stan of something serious and potentially life-threatening that he didn't want to know about.

"Right." Said Stan. He sat on a nearby bench and sighed. Ford knew he should tell someone of his worries, and Stanley of all people would be best, but…

"Listen, if I'm correct, Dipper has discovered something of a rare occurrence. A rip that appears in a seemingly random pattern throughout history. I found it when I was studying Gravity Falls myself, and it never brings good things. There is a curse that hangs over this discovery that may have something to do with Bill, and if this thing has appeared to him, it means Bill may still be out there. But if we can get there and stop the curse in time, maybe we can keep from a second Weirdmaggedon." Ford explained. "Satisfied?" he asked.

Stan considered this. "Is that a trick question?" He finally replied. This time it was Ford's turn to sigh. He wasn't sure if it was or not, to be completely honest.

"That's beside the point, Stanley. There is a threat being made to the saneness and stability of Gravity Falls, and if the town crumbles, so will the world as we know it." He stated grimly as he went back to pacing and reading over his notes.

"Gee, thanks for the confidence boost. You're a real ray of sunshine, you know that?" Stan said sarcastically. Ford opened his mouth for a stinging retort, but Stan spoke first. "So, are we going to the airport or not?"

Ford hesitated. "Eh, not." He said.

"What? Why not?" Stan whined.

"I may or may not be on the no-fly list." He admitted.

Stan groaned and pinched the bride of his nose. "What did you do?"

"I got aggravated with an annoying passenger and while I was putting away a ray gun experiment, he bumped into me, making my finger slipped on the trigger. Yeah, it was a defective thing I was trying to fix so it would make food grow faster, but at the time it only made people throw up…" Ford rubbed the back of his neck and glanced away, a look of embarrassment on his face.

Stan burst out laughing at this. "I can't believe it! Ford Pines, my dorky brother, made a puke ray! Gosh, you're one stupid genius sometimes, you know that Ford-sy?" He snorted. Ford's eye twitched. "If we can't fly 'cause of you, at least it was for that reason, eh? Alright. Now, let's go rent a car and take a road trip from Florida to Oregon!"

A/N: figured I would add a chapter with Ford and Stan's progress. Did you like my puke ray touch? I figured it would be a good way to lighten the mood. A food grower ray makes someone barf… that's kinda scientific right? Makes some sense? Anyway, I wanted to add a more suspenseful hint to the theme of the Monster Falls AU. That's why I have all this mysterious deeper-meaning junk in there. As usual, first to crack the code gets a shout out!

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