A Bit About Fusion
Pacifica Northwest was a member of the elite Gems in Gravity Falls, and she acted like it. She was critical of everything that wasn't fashionable, wealthy, or in good social standing, and that of course included Dipper and Mabel.
There was the biggest instance during a town festival of some sort that everyone got stuck in, and decided to make the best of things by participating in the cheesiness. Mabel bought at least one food item from every stand and was taking mixed bites out of all of it, hopping over puddles left from last night's rain when Pacifica walked up with her entourage and started up with her elitist talk.
Dipper was starting to get resistant to the whole 'defect' slur flung his way, especially when it was such a superficial brat saying it. Mabel, ever the silver lining, was always nice to her as much as she could be, but an accident where Mabel splashed mud on Pacifica's suede boots, and Pacifica just lost it at her.
"I CANT BELIEVE YOU!" she screamed, looking two seconds away from throwing a tantrum like a two-year-old. "YOU STUPID, OVERCOOKED DEFECT! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THESE BOOTS COST!?"
Dipper would have rolled his eyes at how bratty she was, but the look of pain on Mabel's face was something he just couldn't let go of. He stalked up, his gem shard glowing on his head. "Hey, Pacifica!" he shouted, thrusting out his hand and knocking her back into the mud pile with his pink shield. "You've got a little something on your pants there."
He didn't even take the time to properly enjoy his one-upsmanship, grabbing Mabel's hand and pulling her away from everyone to Stanford's car, just sitting with her while she tried to keep her tears back. She laid back on the seat and just said she wanted to go home.
Dipper left her in the car and headed back to pick up the souvenirs she dropped, pausing when he saw Pacifica standing next to her parents' limo, pleading with them to let her in.
Her father told her that he couldn't have her muddy clothing ruining the leather seats, and that they would have a car sent over to pick her up, driving off. Pacifica's snobbish façade cracked, and all Dipper saw was just a hurt, abandoned girl.
As much as he had enjoyed his brief stint of revenge, he still felt horrible that her own parents would be so cruel, and suddenly saw that there was a huge price to being a part of the elite. If she didn't have that elite image all the time, she was just another peon in her parents' eyes.
Dipper sighed, grabbing up Mabel's things and walking over to Pacifica, speaking up before she had a chance to. "I'm not gonna apologize for why I did it," he said, scowling. "Mabel's my sister. My TWIN. You wouldn't understand what those things you said means to us. To HER." He let out a whoosh of breath.
"But it's really, really crappy that your parents would leave you here just because you have dirty clothes. That's the ONLY reason I'm sorry for pushing you into the mud. And…since the traffic's clearing up, I can ask Grunkle Stanford if we can take you home."
Pacifica's teary eyes glowered at him, her arms crossed over herself defensively, looking torn between telling him where he could stick it, and considering the offer. Dipper made the decision easier.
"If you come with us, less people will see you all dirty."
Pacifica practically sprinted off in the direction of Stanford's car.
The ride to Northwest Manor was awkward; not just because Dipper was seated between Mabel and Pacifica and could feel the tension reach critical levels, but also because Stanford was (badly) singing along to his 8-track mix tape, not really caring that there were three 12-year-olds in the backseat internally cringing.
He pulled up in front of the large gate. "Here we are," he said, not even turning the music down. Pacifica got out of the car, dug into her purse, and pushed a wad of $20s at him.
"I will pay you to run over that tape," she said seriously, turning to leave. "…thanks." She hurried up to the gate and was promptly let in, not looking back as it closed again.
Stanford counted out the cash and tucked the wad into his pocket. "Nice kid," he said, driving off. "Needs a real attitude adjustment, though."
Mabel hummed assent, looking out the window, tuckered out from the day. Dipper glanced back at the Manor, sighing, thinking that Pacifica could use something better than an attitude adjustment.
Things were a little weird between Dipper and Pacifica. Not that he wasn't used to weird by this point, but this was definitely out of his element.
He didn't know if it would be classified as a friendship, but sometimes Pacifica would show up near the Shack and she and Dipper would just sit in silence, like they had an unspoken bond forged from Dipper's act of understanding. Sure, she was still pretty snotty when her entourage was around, but Dipper found another side of Pacifica, the one that only showed up when the elite world wasn't watching.
The 'real' Pacifica was quiet, always looking like a lost child when no one was around to tell her what to do or how to act. Unlike the 'social' Pacifica, the 'real' Pacifica liked to just sit outside in nature, sometimes becoming so still a bird would fly down and rest on her shoulder.
It was honestly a little heartbreaking for Dipper to see. It was like she was a doll that was only made to be dressed up and shown off, only to be put away when nobody was playing with her.
The odd arrangement went on for a couple of weeks, and one day Dipper and Pacifica were sitting on a cliff that overlooked all of Gravity Falls and the adjacent Floating Cliffs, the sun close to setting and making everything look calm and serene.
Dipper glanced over at Pacifica, frowning when he saw that her eyes were teared up, her arms around her knees. "…Are you alright?" he asked, breaking their almost sacred silence. Pacifica was still for a few long moments before she wiped her eyes.
"…You're so lucky," she finally said, her lip trembling. "…you and Mabel are…" She didn't say 'defects', but Dipper knew the word was there. "…but people like you. You have people that like you and love you and don't care how you're made."
Dipper chewed his lip. "…Well…Mabel and I were born….we weren't made." He paused when he heard Pacifica let out a soft, choked sob. "…Pacifica, what's wrong?"
Pacifica wiped at her eyes before hugging her knees tighter. "…I was."
Dipper blinked. "…you were what?"
"….I was made." She looked at him, her tears flowing freely down her face. "I was made in a Kindergarten." She shifted her gaze over to the sunset, sniffling. "…Mom couldn't have kids…and you can imagine the scandal. So I was made in a Kindergarten set aside for high society Gems who couldn't procreate." She rested her head on her knees.
"…I'm just a little wind-up doll that they dress up and parade out to show off," she continued. "They make me take a ton of extra classes and extracurricular activities, like it'll make up for the fact that I'm a Kindergarten Gem. But as soon as the doors shut, they ignore me, like I'm a piece of furniture."
She paused, pulling her hair to the side and off her neck, showing off an ovular-shaped gem just under the back of her neck. "…It's not even a diamond like theirs," she said bitterly. "It's just a common quartz crystal. Just another reason for them to resent me."
Dipper sat back thoughtfully, feeling a bit floored with the confession she had just unloaded on him. "…wow," he said quietly. He looked over at her, glancing at her gem. "…you know what?" he said, getting her attention. "…I think it's nicer than a diamond."
Pacifica scoffed, putting her hair down. "Yeah, right," she muttered.
"No, really!" Dipper said, reaching over and hesitating for a moment before pushing her hair aside again. "….I've been reading up on Gem Lore…and quartz has so many properties and uses. I think it literally means you're capable of anything and everything you want." He gave her a smile. "…and in any case, diamonds cant absorb the color of the sunset and make it glow. Your quartz can."
Pacifica's cheeks went pink, the corners of her mouth twitching back into a smile. "…thank you," she said, flattening her hair back against her neck anyway. Dipper leaned back, staring out at the town.
"…At least you know what your gem is," he said. "I don't even know what mine is." He reached up and took off his hat, brushing his bangs to the side to show her his shard of a gem, almost flinching when he heard her gasp. "I know, its…"
"…it's sparkling…" Pacifica said, her eyes shining with interest. "…that's amazing, how does it do that?" She reached out her hand to touch his forehead, pitching forward when she lost her balance.
Dipper yelped, instinctively reaching out and catching her before she fell over his lap, blinking and blushing hard. Pacifica blushed too, then let out a giggle before bursting into laughter. Dipper took note of the silly awkwardness of the situation, laughing along with her until he was almost crying.
Neither noticed the soft glows from their respective gems until the light was almost blinding, feeling a gentle warmth envelop them both before it faded.
In the place of the two of them was a young teenager with mid-length wavy brown hair with pale blonde streaks and hazel-colored eyes. They were wearing a dark pink t-shirt, a leather vest, denim shorts with black leggings underneath, and a pair of boots with a tuft of fur around the top edges.
They shook off the initial leftover tingling warmth, looking over their clothes and at their hands, which were elegant yet slightly calloused, the fingernails short, but well-manicured. They ran their hands over their skin and up to their face, getting a sudden realization.
"Oh…SHI—"
Stanford was closing up the Shack, about to send Wendy and Soos home when a teenager barreled through the door, almost knocking Soos over, a look of panic on their face. Stanford gave them an annoyed look.
"Look, kid, we're closing up for the night, you'll have to come back tomorrow—"
"GRUNKLE STANFORD—MR. PINES—SOMETHING HAPPENED—FREAKING OUT—!" The teenager started flailing, looking out of sorts in their own body. It was then Stanford noticed the pink shard-shaped gem on their forehead, his eyes widening.
"Dipper, is that you?" Wendy said, rushing up and looking them over front and back. "Whoa, did you FUSE with someone?!"
"Wendy, Soos, OUT!" Stanford barked, grabbing them both up by the backs of the shirts and practically shoving them out the door, locking it behind them and turning the OPEN sign to CLOSED before turning back to the Fusion. "Alright, what the actual heck happened here?!"
"I don't KNOW!" they replied, tugging handfuls of their own hair. "We….we were just there…and it just HAPPENED!" They started to hyperventilate, and Stanford practically dragged them back to the living room and sat them down.
"Calm down, calm down!" he said, resting his hand on their shoulder. "Deep breaths, Dipper…Pacifica….Dipifica, I don't know…"
They snorted through their panic, wiping their eyes. "…Dipifica…" they muttered. "Dipifica would work right now." They managed to steady their breathing before looking up. "…How…did you know it was Pacifica…?"
Stanford rolled his eyes. "Kid, I've noticed her coming here for a while now. I figured it was none of my business, but I'm guessing that if THIS happened, it wasn't secret underground fighting you were getting up to." He gave them a smile. "But it's alright, really."
Dipifica let out a shaky sigh, rubbing their arms. "…This is just too weird," they said, shifting around. "I…I mean, I'm ME, but…am I a ME or a WE?"
Stanford sighed, signaling for them to stay there, leaving and coming back with a can of soda for them, cracking his own open and taking a sip.
"If people would get their heads out of their backsides about Fusion, they'd understand that it's MORE than just a 'me' or 'we'," he said. "You aren't Dipper, and you aren't Pacifica. Not two people, or one person. You're…an experience. And that experience is different for everyone."
Dipifica sipped their own drink, looking thoughtful. "…but where does the experience come from?"
Stanford smiled. "Anything," he said. "It's more than a Fusion of bodies. It's a Fusion of MINDS. Of emotions and needs." He gave them a knowing look. "The two of you were on the same wavelength…and that's something that even the closest of friends are hard-pressed to achieve. What Dipper and Pacifica have is something good, and you are greater than the sum of their parts. You are the embodiment of their relationship. One that I'd say is pretty darn good."
Dipifica blushed hard, chewing their lip. "…..Dad is going to be SO mad…." they said, looking worried, only for the expression to turn almost angry. "It shouldn't MATTER to him. I'm TWICE the Gem he is!"
Stanford blinked. "Uh…"
"I cant go home like this—" "—I AM home!—" "—I cant—" "—we—"
There was a brief flash of light, and Dipper and Mabel were flung back to opposite ends of the couch. Dipper blinked hard, staring up at the ceiling, and Pacifica sat up, looking panicked.
"Mr. Pines, PLEASE don't tell Dad about this!" she pleaded, looking panicked. "He would KILL me if he knew I Fused with someone—!"
"Calm down, it's okay!" Stanford assured placatingly. "I wont say anything, Pacifica, you don't have to worry."
Pacifica sniffled, hugging herself. Dipper sat up, scooting over and patting her shoulder. "…I wont say anything either," he said. "Not even to Mabel. About ANYTHING." Pacifica nodded, giving him a thankful look.
Stanford sighed, looking out the window. "…It's getting late," he said, turning back to Pacifica. "You need a ride home, sweetie?"
Pacifica nodded, rubbing her eyes. "…yeah," she replied.
The ride to Northwest Manor was quiet, and Stanford didn't even turn on the radio. Dipper kept giving Pacifica encouraging looks, and she slowly calmed down. Stanford stopped in front of the gate, and she slipped out of the car.
"Thanks," she said, smiling. "Both of you." She shut the car door, heading through the gate, this time looking back and waving.
Stanford drove off back for the Shack, glancing in his rearview mirror at Dipper. "…you alright there, Dipper?" he asked quietly. Dipper was staring at his hands quietly, deftly remembering how different they felt just a couple of hours ago.
"…yeah," he said, looking out the window. "…Grunkle Stanford? ….Don't tell Mabel. Please."
Stanford nodded, knowing that it wasn't just for Pacifica's sake. If Mabel knew Dipper was able to Fuse with Pacifica but not HER….
….well, he didn't want to find out.