AN/ Hey guys! Here's an update!
To my Anon's:
April: No! You don't need to apologize for anything- I thought it was lovely :D
Lebam Sennip: It would be amazing if you made anything, and I would be flattered! My only two request are that credit me and send me a link if you decide to do anything- I'd love to see it!
Crystal Hutson: Thank you!
Clara: Don't worry about it! I know you were just passing some advice (thank you, btw)
Pacifica jumped into the van and scrunched her nose in disgust.
"It smells like popcorn butter and teenage angst in here. under her breath to Mabel.
"You should ask Thompson about that." Robbie butted in, pushing Mabel and Pacifica aside as he stepped forward over their seat to the front. Mabel let herself fall over while pacifica stayed stiff, crossing her arms defiantly. Several strands of her hair hissed at Robbie's bony hand Thompson appeared from the front as it passed by her face.
"Please don't walk on the seats." Thompson murmured from the front. "My mom hates the footprints." Robbie swatted him in the back of the head and continued to crawl over to the front passenger seat.
"Man, your van's already trashed enough." Robbie reasoned. "Besides, I don't think a pair of footprints are going to make a difference when she sees the three foot dent in your front bender."
Thompson whinned something incomparable and sunk deeper into his seat. Robbie chuckled darkly.
Pulling himself from his seat, Thompson started the ignition and stirred the van to life. A series of lights on the dash flashed and Thompson shifted the vehicle into gear. He began to pull out of the pool parking lot before turning around in the front seat.
"Where I am taking you guys anyway?" He asked.
"Let's try the Mystery Shack first." Mabel answered. She sat among a pile of water bottles that the temporary pool staff had been kind enough to help load into the van.
"Try?" Thompson asked, raising both eyebrows. Mabel smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Oh," Thompson mumbled. "I'm chauffeuring a guessing game. "
"Aw, come on Thompson." Robbie grinned, leaning closer to Thompson and throwing an arm around his shoulder.. "You get to hang out with me so more!" Robbie laughed and elbowed Thompson playfully in the side.
"Ha ha, yeah..." Thompson laughed nervously. "Fantastic."
Thompson turned on the road and began to make his way through town. After a couple minutes, Pacifica nodded off and had started to snore softly.
Mabel pressed her face against the window, watching the all the townspeople as they slowly passed by. She recognized a handful of faces mixed with new features, ranging anywhere from scaly to feathered to furry. She even spotted a figure flashing in a out of existence as they stepped in and out of the sun.
The sound of yelling jostled Mabel's attention to the other side of the road. She nudged Pacifica's sleeping form away from the window and watched as a store clerk ran out of her business's doors, waving a wooden broom above her head. Several feline looking kids ran out, holding assorting candies in their mouths. They ran out onto the sidewalk and rushed by McGucket, who clung onto a stack of colored papers he held close to his rag doll chest. He looked up as the van passed and smiled, taking his hat off and waving it as the van passed. Mabel smiled and waved back.
Mabel continued to people watch as they drove, watching the town melt back into its normal routine. Mabel ducked as they passed the library, where a wooden figure was hanging out in the front, reading a large book to a group of extremely diverse small children. She was pretty certain it was Gabe.
"Hey guys?" She announced after they passed.
"Yeah Kid?" Robbie asked, setting down the book of CD's he was flipping through. It was a strange mix of pastel bible albums and dark red, purple, and black punk rock collections. Mabel continued to stare outside the window.
"Is the entire town like this?"
"As far as I know." Robbie answered. "Thompson?"
"I dunno." He shrugged. "I've seen maybe three people that still look normal. I think one of them could walk through walls through."
"Huh." Mabel shrugged. "Does that mean you changed too?"
"Yeah?" Thompson squeaked with a slight crack. "I mean, yeah." He repeated in a lower voice.
The group sat in silence for a minute.
"Into what?" Mabel asked slowly.
"Oh, um, a..." Thompson mumbled. "A Satyr, I think…" He trailed off quietly.
"You know the name?!" Robbie snorted. "What a dork!"
"You mean like from Percy Jackson?" Mabel replied excitedly, turning away from the window.
"Yeah!" Thompson grinned. He turned and smiled smugly at Robbie. "See? She gets it."
"Congratulations Thompson. You're at the same reading level as a middle school student."
"So? She still read it." Thompson muttered, sinking deeper into his seat.
"Robbie, you haven't Percy Jackson? I thought you had a boat load of books at your house." Mabel chortled. She crawled forward, poking her head between the two front seats. From this angle, she was able to spot the dark brown fur that covered Thompson's legs underneath his shorts.
"Those are for aesthetic." Robbie stated, matter-of-factly. He spun around to face the fishy preteen. "Besides, who actually has time to read? I only listen to audio books."
"How is listening to audio books any better than reading the actual thing?" Thompson quized. "If anything, they take longer to get through."
"Yeah, but you can get through more than one thing when you listen to it."
Thompson turned and poked Robbie's side accusingly. "That's a little hypocritical if you ask me."
"Yeah, maybe." Robbie pushed Thompson's index finger away with his boney hand. "Maybe you should keep your eyes on the road before you hit anybody else, you kamikazi."
"Fine." Thompson coincided.
"Whatever." Robbie shrugged. He turned away and continued flipping through his CD book.
Mabel leaned forward and rested her chin on Robbie's shoulder.
"You got any audiobooks in there?"
"Would you get back into your seat?" Robbie swung around and swatted at her halfheartedly. Mabel let go of his seat and let her seat belt snap her back into place. She made a small puff with her tongue as she hit the seat.
"God, you're weird." Robbie muttered.
The van rumbled unhappily as the group pulled onto the Mystery Shack's driveway.
"It's a little bumpy." Thompson noted as he twisted the steering wheel around the gravel piles scattered across the road.
Robbie dug his nails into the top of his seat as his thin body was thrown about.
"Uh-huh." He muttered.
Mabel turned around in her seat and grabbed Dipper by the shoulder.
"Dipper!" She called, shaking him back and forth. "We're here!"
"Nhmmm…" Dipper mumbled, turning away from her.
"Dipper, come on." Mabel tried again. She started to shake him violently, then let him go. The van justled forward as she did this, and Dipper fell to the floor.
"Whoops."
Robbie glanced back and grimaced.
"I knew I forgot to buckle him in."
Thompson turned around and gawked at Robbie in horror.
"You didn't buckle the kid in?"
"Road!" Robbie yelled. Thompson jumped and turned his head back towards the front. "Jesus!" Robbie muttered. "Get off my case dude. It's not like it's illegal."
"But that's completely illegal..." Thompson whined softly.
Dipper lifted his head and looked up at Mabel, blinking slowly. Mabel unbuckled her seat so she could slide down onto the floor beside him. Thompson looked back and gave her a disapproving stare before Robbie swatted his attention back towards the driveway.
"Hey buddy," Mabel soothed. "How are you feeling?"
"My head hurts." Dipper murmured to her. He began to pick himself up, slowly crawling up the side of the van seat. The van hit another pothole and Dipper slid back down the seat, landing hard on the floor.
"Mhhmm," Dipper moaned.
"Dude, watch where you're going." Robbie announced from the front. Thompson muttered something softly as the van began to slow to a crawl. Robie then turned around to the back of the van. "Everybody's alright, right?"
"Yeah, we're fine." Mabel called back.
"Cool."
Dipper blinked in confusion.
"Mabel?"
"Yeah Dipper?"
Dipper paused and made a pointing motion with his thumb.
"When did Robbie get here?" He whispered.
Mabel's face twisted in confusion. "Like twenty minutes ago, Dip."
Robbie turned from the front and raised an eyebrow skeptically.
"I carried you into the van, stupid."
"Really?" Dipper awed.
"We told you about this at the swimming pool, remember? You were up for like, ten minutes." Mabel explained as she helped pull him back into his seat.
"When were we at the pool?"
"Oh my god," Robbie muttered. "You must have completely clocked out." He turned towards Thompson and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Steady the van, will yeah? I'm going to make sure animorph didn't crack his head open or some shit."
"Dude, language! There's kids in the van." Thompson hissed.
"Aw, don't be such a baby. It's not like they've never heard it before." Robbie consoled him. He turned and unclasped his seat belt before beginning to climb out of his seat.
"Don't unbuckle Robbie," Thompson tried. "Just wait till we stop."
"And have their weird old uncle kick my ass for not checking on his kids? No thanks."
"Fine." Thompson conceded.
"Really?" Robbie grinned. He stopped mid step between the seats. "I'm glad you're seeing it my way Thomps-"
The van shuddered violently as Thompson directed the van over an open pothole. Robbie lurched forward, grabbing wildly for the seats around him but ultimately crashing into the floor.
"Oh geez, did I do that?" Thompson wondered aloud with fake innocence.
"Dude, what the hell?!" Robbie shouted, picking himself up from off the floor. He held his face in his hands, covering the visible portion of his jawbone.
"Sorry dude." Thompson clicked his tongue apologetically. "But it probably wouldn't have happened if you wore your seatbelt."
"You salty motherf-"
"WE'RE HERE!" Thompson shouted loudly.
"Yay!" Mabel grinned. "Let's go Dipper."
"Give me a second," Dipper answered. He slid his torso over the seat in front of him and let his legs slid behind him.
The side door slid open and Thompson picked Mabel up by the arm pits. He swung her around so that she rested in a piggyback position on his back.
"Hey, I can carry her." Dipper complained. He jumped out of the van on landed on wobby hooves. Thompson readjusted his leg to give Dipper something to lean against as he stumbled over.
"Let's get you rested up first." Thompson told him. "We can't have you falling over anymore and screwing up the rest of your head."
Dipper pushed away from Thompson's leg and regained his stance.
"But carrying Mabel is my thing," Dipper whispered.
"Aw, come on Dip," Mabel soothed. "We're just about home anyhow." She held her hand out and Dipper took it. Mabel turn towards Thompson and leaned close to his year. "Dipper gets clingy when he doesn't feel good." She explained. Thompson nodded in understanding.
"My brother's the same way."
"You have a brother? I didn't know that."
"Oh yeah," Thompson went on as he walked forward towards the shack's front door. "Gorney's one of the weirdest kids man. Let me tell you…"
Stan laid out with his stomach against the patio wood.
"Uh," Stan moaned. He readjusted his legs and winced as a surge of pain ached throughout his muscles. The sun coming onto the porch helped soothe his worn muscles, but he couldn't help but feel drowsy. He had been searching non stop since Dipper and Mabel had disappeared, and he had only called it a day after the muscles in his wings and legs had started to burn with aches.
"What am I going to tell their parents." Stan wondered aloud. His voice was muffled as he didn't bother to move his mouth away from the floor.
Waddles, who sat on the center on Stan's back, snorted in a pleasent reply.
"Thanks pig. It's good to know I didn't scare off all my family."
"Jesus, Mr. Pines," Came Wendy's voice. Stan lifted his head as the teenage werewolf appeared in the doorway of the shack. She carried a tall glass of water in each long, clawed hand. "You're acting like you killed the twins, not scared them off."
"I might as well have killed off one of them based off how they both looked at me." Stan placed his face back against the wooden floorboards. "They think I'm a monster."
"We all are Mr. Pines." Wendy answered. She stepped over his body sat down on the patio steps, mindfully avoiding her tail as she stepped. "Besides, the twins are smart. I'm sure by now they've figured out what you were doing. I mean, they saw me and my brother on the hunt."
"You tried to eat them."
Wendy winced.
"Well, yeah, but you didn't try too. You only tried to eat squirrel! And you even stopped yourself." Wendy playfully punched Stan in the arm. "That's better than what both me and my brother could do! Heck, you even tried to eat Mabel's fat pig, and he forgave you!" Wendy picked Waddles up and placed him next to Stan's head. Stan looked up long enough for waddles to lick his glasses off the bridge of his nose.
"See!" Wendy grinned. "I'm sure Dipper and Mabel will come back before you know it."
Stan smiled and patted Waddles between the ears.
"Thanks kid," Stan turned towards Wendy. She shrugged and lifted a glass of water to her mouth.
"Don't mention it."
Stan smiled before reaching for the other glass of water. He took a long sip, then paused.
"You can't get your license till you're sixteen, right?"
Wendy's eyebrows rose inquisitively.
"Yeah?"
"Then why do I smell gasoline?"
Wendy pulled the glass away from her face and sniffed at the air. She immediately pulled her muzzle back and covered her nose.
"That has got to be Thompson's old clunker." Wender muttered through her paws. Stan exhaled, then pushed himself off the ground.
"Better go see what your friend wants." Stan grumbled. He held a hand out for Wendy and she took it, and with a quick pull, he helped her to her feet.
By now, a series of voices could be heard from around the corner of the building. Thompson appeared first around the corner, with Mabel clinging tightly to his neck. Dipper followed a second later, holding a light hand on Mabel's tail.
"Kids?" Stan perked. He rushed over to the trio and quickly scooped Mabel away from Thompson.
"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel shrieked. She threw her hands around his neck pulled tightly into his embrace. Dipper teetered on his hooves before Stan scooped him up with his wings.
"Whoa, easy there bud," Stan reached out and helped steady the deer child with one of his hands. "What happened to you?"
"He might have a concussion." Thompson explained, stepping forward timidly. Stan picked Dipper up from below the legs and carried him in one arm.
"How'd that happen?" Stan asked, stepping forward to meet the satyr.
"Uh," Thompson stumbled back a few steps. "He, uh…"
"Dipper tried to bust down a door." Mabel answered. Stan pulled back, almost with a motion of shock.
"With his little noodle arms?"
"Hey!" Dipper protested. Stan quickly covered Dipper's protest with a covering by his wing.
"Anyway, thanks for driving them over." Stan returned his attention to Thompson. "I'd shake your hand, but…" Stan gestured towards the kids in his hands.
"Yeah… Yeah, don't worry about it. The drive was really a little bit of normal I needed." Thompson stuttered out.
"Do you want to come in and come grab something before you hit the road?" Stan offered.
"Oh, no, no, no." Thompson waved off the request nervously. "I gotta drop of Robbie and that snake girl off at the Valentino's, cause she's not staying at my place, and I gotta go, cause I think of made more of his skin fall of when I made him fall over in the van-"
"You made his what fall off?"
Thompson nodded nervously.
"Yeah, I think I gotta go right now. I'll see you kids around." He waved in goodbye before scanning the yard once more. "Do you need a ride too Wendy?" Thompson yelled across the yard.
"Naw, I'm good." Wendy called back.
"Cool!"
Stanford turned back towards the kids, who he held both of close to his chest.
"I'm glad you two are back," He smiled, pulling the twins back into a hug as he walked towards the house.
"Aw, we're glad to see you too Stan." Mabel hugged back.
"It's good to be back." Dipper said quietly. Wendy held the door open as the trio was carried inside.
"Come on, Pines, I'm sure you all have some catching up to do." Wendy smiled. She turned to enter the house once more, but paused before closing the door.
"Do you guys smell something?" She asked.
"Do I what?" Stan called from inside.
"Aw, never mind." Wendy called. "It's probably nothing." She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
There was a soft rustling in the bushes as the door clicked shut. A moment later, a man popped out of the bushes, unhooking a walkie talkie from his belt.
"This is Agent Trigger to Agent Powers." He moved through the bushes, moving closer to the window of the Mystery Shack. "You will not believe what I just found."