Chapter Four

They crashed into the muddy ground, landing in an uncoordinated pile. They groaned as they slowly got to their feet. Dipper raised his eyebrow.
"Um, did we just teleport outside the Mystery Shack?" he asked. The others turned and saw their familiar shack rising from the ground several yards away. Ford frowned.

"We should have passed into a new dimension." They stood up and began to tentatively wander. Ford bent down, eyeing some deer tracks in the soft dirt.

"I don't think these were here before." He stood up as a large shadow passed overhead. "But this definitely isn't dimension 52." He took a second glance at the portal gun, eyeing it before groaning. "That idiot! He gave me the prototype!" Great, Dipper thought.

"HELLO!" Mabel shouted into the seemingly empty woods. "Anyone here?"
"Mabel - shut up! We don't know what could be out here!" Dipper hissed. She rolled her eyes. The shadow passed by again. Ford suddenly collapsed to the dirt. A single dart protruded from his back. Before Dipper or Mabel could react - they were struck from the sky. They joined Ford on the dirt. Behind them, a huge winged creature landed. He hooked them in his sharp claws and took off into the sky.

. . .

The Pines woke up some hours later. Dipper groaned as he registered the pounding in his head. He slowly sat up, blinking before he registered his surroundings. He frantically nudged Mabel, who groaned as her eyes fluttered.

"What happened?" she muttered, rubbing her eyes as she sat up. Her eyes widened as she took in their surroundings. The Pines had awakened in a huge steel cage. Tufts of stale hay covered the concrete floor. The cage seemed to be in the middle of the Gravity Falls square. There was no one in sight. Vehicles littered the sides of the road - looking like they hadn't been used in years.

"Are you two okay?" The twins turned around to see Ford already conscious and standing on the other side of the cage. He was staring up intently at the top of the cage.

"We're fine. Just a headache. Any idea of what's going on?" Dipper asked, stumbling slightly as he rose to his feet.

"No. But whoever put us in here took all of our stuff." Dipper realized the crossbow was gone from Ford's back. His backpack and journal were MIA as well.

"Mabel - do you have any bobby pins in your hair?" Ford asked. "I see the lock. If we stand on each other's shoulders we should be able to reach it and pick it." Mabel triumphantly pulled one from her hair.

"Perfect! Okay Dipper, get on my shoulders, and Mabel you get on Dipper."

"Um . . . Grunkle Ford? You're not twenty anymore. Are you sure that's a good idea? I don't want to paralyze you." Ford rolled his eyes. Dipper sighed. "Just as stubborn as Grunkle Stan," Dipper muttered as he carefully climbed on Ford's shoulders, locking his legs around Ford's midsection. Mabel held the pin in her teeth as she climbed less gracefully on Dipper's shoulders.

"What was that?" Ford asked.

"Nothing."

"I can reach it!" The odd stack wobbled slightly as Mabel reached up and started tinkering with the lock. Sweat began to roll down Dipper's face. It certainly wasn't any cooler in this dimension.

"Hurry up Mabel!"

"Patience is a virtue!" she shot back. "Almost got . . . ahh!" Their stack slowly fell backwards as Mabel's body lurched away from the lock. They landed hard on the concrete floor.

The reason for Mabel's scream jumped down from the roof of the cage, standing on its' hind legs and folding its' arms. It glared at them with a slightly disapproving, slightly impressed gaze. Dipper's mouth fell open. For all intents and purposes - he would've assumed a gargoyle had unhinged its form from the nearby church and was now standing in front of them. It had dark grey skin and its' wings were flared out, the wingspan almost as long as the cage was. Its' eyes glowed a soft orange - no pupils to be seen.

"That was close. Kudos to you guys." Ford stood back up and grabbed the bars, clenching his teeth.

"Let us out of here and give us back our things this instant!" The gargoyle chuckled, waving Ford's crossbow in front of Ford like a cat toy.

"Not until you explain why you showed up here with this. What are you supposed to be? Poachers? Huh? Don't you try to lie to me." The eyes glowed brighter. Ford raised his eyebrow.

"Poachers? Why do you think we would be poachers?" Behind him, Mabel gasped and yanked on Dipper's sleeve. He turned around and gasped. All around them, other creatures had started oozing from the stores and buildings. There was not a single human in sight. Everyone was a sort of mythical creature straight out of one of Ford's journals.

"Yeah, poacher!" Ford frowned.

"We're not here hunting anything! That bow is for protection . . ." Ford looked around at the other townspeople. "Wait a minute . . ." He looked back at the gargoyle. Something about his facial expression and dress seemed familiar. He wore a slightly battered suit and a red fez.

"Stanley?" Ford whispered, blinking owlishly. "Is that you?" Another shape descended from the sky and landed beside the gargoyle. This one resembled more a lion. Yellow, orange, and blue striped wings grew from his shoulder blades. This one remained on all fours as he peered through his horn-rimmed glasses at the humans. Ford's jaw went slack.

"Dipper . . . it's us! I mean not us . . . but like . . ."

"They're all monsters," Dipper breathed. Every single person they saw was a citizen they knew from their home dimension - only having been transformed into some type of magical creature. Lazy Susan was some sort of cat lady . . . go figure. Manly Dan was now a manataur . . . again go figure. Robbie now sported black vulture wings. Soos appeared to be some sort of groundhog.

"What dimension did we land in?" Dipper sputtered. The sphinx cocked his head at Dipper's outburst.

"Did you say dimension? Is that was this is?" He held up Rick's portal gun. Ford's eyes widened as he saw it.

"Give me that!" He reached through the bars only to be growled at.

"That's why they're worried about poachers!" Mabel exclaimed. "They're all animals now! Or . . . we're all animals now."

"Who're you callin' an animal!" Cat Lazy Susan shouted, tail flicking in irritation. Dipper noticed her right eye wasn't shut.

"H-how did this happen?" Dipper whispered. The gargoyle folded his arms.

"You talk first." Ford crossed his arms.

"We're from dimension 46'\. We don't want to cause any trouble. We're just looking for information for where to find the Axolotl." Whispering spread through the crowd. The gargoyle leaned forward, staring at Ford, his eyes glowing brighter for a few moments before fizzling back out.

"He's telling the truth," he grumbled. He took a key out of his suit and flew up to the top of the cage. He unlocked it. The Pines carefully walked out, cautiously eyeing the creatures around them, many of which were beasts of prey. Dipper shivered in spite of the head and wedged himself between Mabel and Ford, feeling more susceptible to the glares of the creatures around them than Mabel or Ford.

"Calm down kid, nothing's here gonna eat you. Well . . . maybe one or two things." The sphinx glared at the gargoyle.

"Ignore him. Come with us." The Pines followed the odd pair as they walked down the street. They eventually reached the Mystery Shack. Sphinx Ford pulled on a rope attached to the handle with his teeth and pulled it open, beckoning with his wings for the humans to enter first. They entered the Mystery Shack to find that it was basically the same as the one in their dimension, only with a few modifications. The remote was about three times its normal size. Additional cushions that reminded Dipper of oversized dog beds, note to self, do not compare them to normal animals, littered the floor. The smell of various animal furs now mixed with the normal ones. The Pines sat in front of the TV as Gargoyle Stan settled himself on his chair, letting his wings drip over the sides. Sphinx Ford sat down beside the chair, curling his tail around them.

"So - I'm sure you all have some questions. This might be easiest if you describe your dimension to us first," Sphinx Ford said. The human Pines exchanged glances and tried to summarize the history of their odd town in a concise manner. The monster Pines tensed whenever Bill's name was mentioned. Sphinx Ford pursed his lips as they finished.

"I see." Human Ford crossed his arms.

"Your turn."

"Well - though our dimensions are similar - we do not have the same history. I would say that everything was the same up until my graduation from Backupsmore. I came here to investigate anomalies, but never attempted to build a portal. I invited Stanley here in an attempt to patch up old wounds, and he ended up staying here to help me with my research. Years later, Dipper and Mabel's parents sent them here for the summer to stay with us only for the Fluvius Cantatis to flood . . . do you guys have the Fluvius Cantatis in your dimension?" he asked.

"Not that we've discovered."

"Right. Well the Fluvius Cantatis is a stream that appears randomly in the woods in different places. I had managed to locate it and was studying it when the rains came especially hard. The stream overflowed . . . drenching the entire town. It was the stream that turned us all into magical creatures, each person morphing into a form that suited their personality. By the time we had made sure no one was injured or freaking out too badly . . . the stream had disappeared again. To this day I have not been able to locate it," Sphinx Ford said ruefully, bowing his head, his ears drooping to the side.

"How long?" human Ford asked.

"Eh . . . about three years."

"What do you guys do when you go out in public?" Dipper asked.

"Well, everyone in town was transformed, save for Pacifica's parents and any servants in the mansion during the flood. Pacifica was hanging out with your magical counterparts when it happened," Ford said, smiling slight. "Going out in town isn't much of a problem. But outside . . . well that can't really happen anymore." Ford's eyes widened.

"Because of Gravity Fall's Law of . . ."

"Weirdness Magnetism," Sphinx Ford finished. "Yes. I'm afraid we are more or less trapped here - although tourists still come and go. We make it work."

"What about our parents?" Dipper asked. "How did you explain all this to them?"

"Well . . . I'm sure you can guess how your parents would react to such a thing," Sphinx Ford said slowly. "So we . . . never really did. In this dimension, your parents think you perished in the flood. They've never come down to visit, so they remain ignorant of the truth." Mabel's hands went to her mouth.

"That's so sad!" she murmured. Dipper ignored the uncomfortable knot in his stomach.

"It's how things had to be. But on a more important note - you said you were looking for the Axolotl." Human Ford nodded.

"What do you know about him?" Sphinx Ford blinked.

"Not much. No one really does - unless you've dealt with him personally."

"Is he good or evil?"

"It's difficult to classify things as purely 'good' or 'evil'. I would say he's mostly good. All I can really tell you is that he is a power of regeneration." That makes sense, Dipper thought. They can regenerate their limbs. Although there's lots of animals that can do that. Why not a starfish? Or salamander? I guess axolotls are salamanders.

"Where do we find him?" Ford asked.

"No idea. I've heard a lot of interesting stories about the multiverse, but never one where someone encountered the Axolotl. Although . . . I think I may know a person who can put you on the right path."

"Who?"

"The Oracle. You heard of her?" Human Ford lit up.

"Of course! She's the one who installed the metal plate in my head to keep me safe from Bill reading my thoughts!" Ford banged on his metal head. Sphinx Ford smiled as much as a Sphinx could smile. "In fact - we were originally trying to go to dimension 52, but my portal gun malfunctioned."

"Good. She is definitely linked to the Axolotl. She may be able to help you in your journey. If there is anyone in the multiverse I would classify as 'good' - she would be it."

"Fantastic! I knew I was on the right track!" Human Ford looked like a kid on Christmas. Gargoyle Stan looked outside.

"You guys aren't planning on leaving now? It's getting kinda dark. You humans can't really see in the dark." Sphinx Ford rolled his eyes.

"I understand if you all are crunched for time. But if you would like to stay the night - you are more than welcome to." Mabel smiled.

"I want to meet my magical version of myself! Where is she?"

"Probably trotting around the woods with Dipper," Gargoyle Stan answered. He whistled through his fingers. Mabel dragged Dipper off the carpet as she ran out the door. Human Ford stayed behind.

"Can I see your lab?"

"Of course! I bet we can fix the calibration issue on your gun as well!" Mabel looked around the trees as a large shape materialized from between the trees. Mabel squealed in such a high pitch Dipper had to cover his ears.

"I'M A UNICORN!"

"They're from another dimension, Sweetheart!" Gargoyle Stan yelled out the window. This was all that was needed to wipe the confused look off of Unicorn Mabel's face.

"COOL!" she squealed, trotting up to the two. Mabel stared unabashedly at her counterpart. She was half unicorn half human . . . whatever word you used to describe such a creature. Was there? Her horse half was pure white. Her tail glittered with every swish. She still wore a bright sweater on her human half, and her long hair was artfully braided to the side.

"Oh my gosh, you are so pretty!" human Mabel squealed. "Can I pet you!"

"Of course!" The two girls gushed over each other as Dipper looked out into the woods, hands shoved in his pockets. He wondered with slight worry as to what his counterpart was. Surely twins would morph into similar creatures - right? Grunkle Stan and Ford were kinda similar. They were cool, whatever they were. Was Dipper's counterpart cool? He was too afraid to ask.

"How old are you?" human Mabel asked.

"Fifteen. You?"

"Same! Ahh - this is so cool!"

"Do you know where my counterpart is?" he asked Unicorn Mabel.

"Nope. Probably out in the woods doing some nerd thing. He should be back soon though. Maybe." He nodded and plopped down on the porch, letting the girls have their fun fangirling over each other. After a while they decided to go inside so Unicorn Mabel could show Mabel her version of their scrapbook. They returned inside to see human Ford in deep conversation with his counterpart, his brow crease getting deeper and deeper. The improved portal gun lay on the carpet. Sphinx Ford turned around as they entered.

"Where is Dipper? The other one?" Sphinx Ford asked. Unicorn Mabel shrugged and looked at the clock.

"Oh - it's getting kinda late. Should I go call for him?"

"What moon phase is it?" Sphinx Ford asked. Mabel's eyes widened.

"Oh no!"

"You forgot to remind him!" Ford growled. Mabel's ears drew back in guilt.

"I'm sorry!"

"Wait - why does the full moon matter?" human Dipper asked. The creatures exchanged glances.

"I'm sure you know Wendy Corduroy in your dimension. She's a werewolf here. I'm sure you can imagine her state during a full moon. She doesn't exactly have control over their hunting urges when she transforms. Mabel was supposed to remind Dipper not to stay out late tonight," Ford said pointedly.

"Dipper's smart!" Mabel protested. "I shouldn't have to remind him of anything!" Dipper began to sweat.
"Why would my counterpart have to worry about werewolves being about?" he asked. Please don't tell me I'm a bunny or anything wimpy like that! The others ignored his question. Grunkle Stan lurched to his feet.

"Whelp - I'll go look for the little devil before he gets his little rump eaten." Little rump? Oh no - I am a bunny - aren't I? Dipper thought with dread.

"You're not going out there by yourself!" Sphinx Ford protested. Stan rolled his eyes.

"No offense, Sixer, but you can't see in the dark as well as I can. And your skin isn't made of stone. You stay here with the others and if I'm not back in a few hours - then start breaking out the silver crossbow." He has a silver crossbow? Dipper thought. Of course he does. Stan disappeared out the door. Dipper spied the crossbow hanging on the wall the same place it normally did in their dimension. The Fords sighed.

"Well while we're waiting - I might as well tell you what we've been talking about. Dipper, Mabel, are you two listening?" By the time human Ford turned around, Dipper had taken the silver crossbow off the wall and disappeared out into the night.

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