A hush of wind brushed the leaves in the forest. This deep in the woods no one would be able to tell that only a few minutes ago, nearly everything had been turned upside down. Except for the fact that squirrels actually seemed more intent with rubbing their heads (they were very human-like squirrels) and curling their bushy tails around themselves. And that the birds all huddled themselves in the holes of the trees, afraid to even announce the fact that it was nearly twilight.
At that last anomaly, the Government agents had decided to come back to the Mystery Shack. Any person with any semblance of sanity would go back to their own home after an event like that. This town was definitely the oddest one Powers and Trigger had ever been to in their lives.
Gravity Falls. A place that had literally been taken off of standard maps thirty years ago. Rumors had been told that if you went there, you came back with a piece of you missing. Most often your sanity. And it almost seemed to be true.
A light that shone like the sun had come out of the cracks in the old tourist trap, and it disoriented the agents long enough for them to try to just restart the search for Stanford Pines.
Little did they know that the man was right underneath their feet. Back in his own dimension for the first time in thirty years. And he wasn't alone.
Stan thought he was seeing double.
That was something people had thought about him and Ford back when they still did everything together. There were two Stan Pines' (though one of them hated being called that), and they had gotten into quite a number of name-based mishaps in their childhood.
But Stan was never confused about that. Ford was the only other person who looked exactly like him. But now... There was another? How? Where had he come from?
Before Stan could voice his questions, the one on the left dashed towards him, and planted his fist in the side of Stan's face. This one was probably Ford. "Hey!" The other one yelled a moment after the shock had set in, moving to stand next to the man who had punched their lookalike. "Only I get to beat up my brother! Leave him alone!"
"Your brother?" The man on the left asked, glaring over at the other portal man. "Stan is my brother. What in the Multiverse are you talking about?"
The two of them began to feud, Stan could almost swear he could see smoke billowing from both of them. He felt very awkward, each of them was claiming him as their own, like he was a shoe or something. Stan looked between the two of them, their angry faces making them resemble himself when he had saved the kids from those zombies.
Stan just hoped that the two of them were smart enough to not use those giant guns the two of them had tied to their backs. He suddenly thought about the words they were practically screaming at each other. The two of them were fighting over him.
"Stan is my twin!"
"No, he's mine!"
"Mine!"
"This is sooo mature!"
"Agreed."
Stan held his hands up at the two of them, who were standing with their arms folded, twin glares sent at each other. "Uh... I'm like... Super flattered," Stan said, rubbing the back of his neck. The two Ford lookalikes turned their heads quickly, turning their eyes on Stan. "But... Uh, let's try to settle this like adults..."
His 'twins' nodded, and sent another death stare between the two of them. Stan sighed and then began to try to think of proper questions to ask to figure out who was Ford.
Ford. That's where he should start.
"Alright," He said, folding his arm, completing the set. "Raise your hand if your name's Ford." Stan prepared for two identical six-fingered hands to shoot up, but was sort of stunned to only see one.
The Ford on the left had his hand held up, his fingers almost resting on his chin. The other one looked super confused, and Stan was sort of grateful that it didn't take as long as he'd been expecting. Thank goodness.
"But..." Not-Ford mumbled, his eyes flicking between Ford and Stan. "But... How? What... Wait." His eyes widened, and he ran a hand through his short-ish fluffy hair. "That would mean... I'm in an alternate universe."
Thirteen-year-old Stanford Pines clung on to the shaft of the portal's shut down button. A gravity anomaly tugged him and his clothes up. His Grunkle yelled at him for him not to press the button... But could Ford trust him? After Grunkle Mason had lied to them? After finding out that Mason probably wasn't Mason at all? After finding out that this portal could destroy the universe!?
"Stanford! Stanford! Wait! I can explain! Just don't press that button!" Ford looked up at his 'Grunkle' and the sad look on 'Mason's' face brought a wave of anger and bitterness crashing down on him. Mason was floating towards him, and his hands flailed out towards the young boy.
Ford drew himself up, gave the man floating in front of him a hard, piercing look. And he slammed his hand down on the button.
A loud buzz echoed around the room, and Mason let out an awful cry, that was nearly a scream but not quite. Gravity kicked in again, and the four occupants of the room fell back to the floor. Ford landing the softest, as he was the closest to the ground anyway.
"I was so close..." He heard Mason mutter, but Ford had no pity for that man at that moment. He dashed past him and helped Mabel to her feet, tears filling her eyes. Ford pulled her into a hug, and whispered, "It's okay... It'll all be okay..." Mabel nodded and returned his embrace. The two of them squeezing each other like at any moment the world might end.
"I almost got him back... Oh Dipper... Oh, oh Dipper." Stan mumbled, actual tears trailing themselves down his cheeks. "I should have told them... I shoulda told him... You would've liked Ford... I'm so, so, so sorry."
"What?" Ford asked, releasing his sister and spinning around to stare at the man kneeling on the ground between him and the portal. "Who are you talking to? How dare you talk about me! You have no right..." Ford's sentence trailed off when Mason looked back at him, a look of pure misery on his face. Ford was still very upset, but there was just something about Mason that... What was wrong?
"Ford... Do you know who was on the other side?" Mason whispered, and Ford crossed his arms.
"I don't know, and I don't care. The Author said that..."
Mason squeezed his eyes shut, and Ford stopped talking again. Mason stood up and turned completely around, his back to the portal. "The Author. I know who the Author of the Journals is."
Ford's eyes widened and flicked between the portal and Mason. "You... You do? Wait. Of course you do! You stole his Journals!"
Mason's eyes trailed down to the ground, a sniff escaping him. "No. He gave me one of them. But I was stupid. We're all stupid. Dipper, me, you... We're all the stupidest people ever..." He clenched his hands into fists, and he pointed at the first blue Journal, lying with its silver pine tree facing up. "This entire family is stupid. I was too stupid to listen to him thirty years ago, and I didn't have the guts to tell you about him this morning. And..." Mason's breath hitched in his throat, and Ford had to work really hard to not start feeling sorry for him.
He felt Mabel's hand land on the shoulder of his brown jacket, but neither of them made a sound.
"And I should have... I shoulda told you. The..." Mason breathed in deeply and he blinked long and hard. "The Author of the Journals was on the other side. Dipper Pines. My brother."
"So if you're my brother, at least, in this dimension. Who are you?"
Stan pointed at Ford, who nodded, then the mystery triplet. The third older man didn't respond for a moment, his mind somewhere far, far away. "Oh. You're talking to me..." He said, his head shaking a bit once he registered what Stan had said. "I'm Dipper. Dipper Pines."
Stan's mouth dropped. Alright. This was strange. Dipper thought he could be Stan's twin? What had happened to his Mabel? And Stanford? Why was... Unless Ford had been born with Dipper's defect, and his full name was Stanford after all! Hadn't Dipper (Stan's Dipper, the twelve-year-old) said something about how Dipper wasn't his real name?
"So... Is Dipper short for Diptholomew or something?" Stan asked, not paying Ford's somewhat worried face any attention. Old-Dipper shook his head. "I got it because of... Well... My birthmark. My real name is Mason." He sighed, then pushed his hair back with his left hand, revealing the same Big Dipper birthmark that Stan's Dipper had. Mason, huh?
"Alright..." Stan said, and he was just about to ask something else when Mabel called out, "What on Earth is going on here?!"
"Stan..." Old-Dipper, Mason, said at the same time as Ford. "You didn't tell me..." "You didn't tell me there were children here..." Ford and Mason shared a look, and a knowing nod. It was almost impossible to believe that they had been fighting only a few moments before.
"They're... They're your family Poindexter." Stan said, waving a hand towards Dipper and Mabel. "Shermie's grandkids."
The look that passed over Ford's face gave Stan life. It was a mixture of shock, wonder, and overall enthusiasm. Ford gaped for a second at the two children standing in front of him. Then he breathed, "I have a niece..? And nephew?"
He dashed up to Mabel, kneeling in front of the small girl and holding a hand out for her to shake. "Greetings. Do children still say 'greetings'? I haven't been in this dimension for a... really long time." Mabel shook his hand, and a metallic smile greeted her uncle. "Wow. A six-fingered handshake. That's a full finger friendlier than normal!"
Ford's already happy face exploded into a grin. "I like this kid." He said matter-of-factly, he squeezed her hand slightly then added, "She's weird!"
Mabel was just about to say something else, when Dipper chimed in, "I... I... Don't... Believe it! You're the Author of the Journals!" Ford's smile stayed as he looked over to the boy, who was trying his hardest not to hyperventilate. "You read my Journals?"
Dipper's mouth flopped like a fish for a moment, then he exclaimed, "I didn't just read them. I've lived them! I have so many questions... I don't know what to say... Oh man... I'm messing this up, aren't I? Hi I'm Dopper... Dipper! I'm Dipper Pines!"
Ford released Mabel's hand, who he'd been holding. He straightened and glanced between the sixty-year-old Mason, and the twelve-year-old Dipper. "And... Wait! Dipper, listen, go to the back wall, and don't leave until I tell you to." Dipper's eyes widened at Ford's sharp command, but he did what his uncle said, practically pressing himself against the wall, wondering what Ford had planned.
"Now Mason, have you ever visited... A dimension that has interdimensional travel?" Ford asked, glancing between the two versions of Dipper/Mason. The older man shrugged, "Not really, not one that I stayed in." He admitted, and Ford nodded.
"Well, I did." Ford said, his eyes now looking at Stan. "I learned something... Something I'd never encounter after I left." He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair and Mason nodded, his eyes wide, ready to learn. Ford braced himself for a moment, then explained. "You see, once, an alternate version of one of my friends, one who lived in a universe where... Where they... Got the portal to actually work, without the risk..." His eyes rested again on his brother, a hard look in them, causing Stan to shrink back slightly, like he knew how this was his fault.
"Well, one time, he and a small team of researchers were in a particular dimension," Ford continued, and he glanced at the kids, whose eyes were wide. "And one of them came across an alternate version of themselves. Once the two of them touched..." Ford's sentence trailed off, and he snapped his fingers, causing Dipper, Mabel, and Soos to all gasp. "That universe was never seen or heard of after that. It had ceased to exist."
"And that's why we can't touch." Mason said, holding a hand up to his chin. "But shouldn't us being in the same room..." He received a shrug in reply, and he sighed. "Sometimes I don't know anything."
"So... As I said; What on Earth is going on?!"
"Alright Stan, Mason and I have been talking..." Ford tried his best to ignore Stan's glare at the word 'Mason', he shook his head slightly then continued, "And here's the deal. You can stay here for the rest of the summer to watch the kids. But," Ford's face grew harder as he stared at the wooden floor underneath their feet. His hands curled into fists, and he looked up to watch the reflection of Stan in the mirror in front of them.
"Once the summer's over, you give me my house back, you give me my name back, and this whole 'Mystery Shack' junk is over forever! Got it?" A moment after he had said it Ford knew he sounded a bit too harsh, but he felt like Stan deserved it. He looked back at the ground and waited a moment for Stan to speak.
"Oh, I get it. Because I'm not as smart and nerdy as you and Mason, it means you don't want me in your life!" Stan's voice was loud, and his arms were folded. "Why don't you ask Mason to be your twin. Since you obviously don't want me!"
Ford jerked slightly, from the small private conversation he and Mason had shared earlier it was clear that both of them missed Stan, no matter how irrational it may be. The very thought of replacing Stanley with an 'alternate' version of yourself... Was tantalizing to say the least, but Ford knew his internal code of honor would never allow it.
"Stanley..."
"No. I'm done. I just have one thing for you." Stan hissed jerking a finger in Ford's face, making him lean back. "You stay away from the kids! I don't want them in danger!" Stan's angry face glared down at Ford, but he didn't exactly care at that moment. "Because as far as I'm concerned..."
The next words Stan said nearly shook Ford to the core. His twin turned away from him, ready to head upstairs to his room. "They're the only family I have left."
"Dipper! What did I say about coming down here?" Ford took a step towards his nephew, who had apparently thought that just because Ford hadn't allowed him to come down with him that meant that he could come without permission. Well, admittedly Dipper had fallen, so his being down here was more gravity's fault. But still! The boy shouldn't have been spying on Ford's activities.
"Our work is far too dangerous for another single living soul to spend even one second..." Ford was ready to rant to the young boy about how 'dangerous' what he and Mason were working on was. But he was distracted by a small object in his nephew's hand.
"Wait! Is that a thirty-eight sided die, from Dungeons Dungeons and More Dungeons?" Ford's whole demeanor changed, and Dipper's terrified eyes suddenly filled with excitement. "Uh... Yeah! It is! You... You know that game?"
It took a lot of Ford's acting training not to start fanboying out. Instead, he quoted in a serious tone, "With pen and paper, shield and sword..."
"Our quest will be our sweet reward!" The two of them finished, and Ford and Dipper chuckled. A slight tinge of awkwardness fell over Ford, but he tried to push that aside. "This is my favorite game in the whole Multiverse!" Ford exclaimed, grabbing the die from his nephew. "I didn't know they still made it!"
Dipper's eyes were brighter than Ford had ever seen, "They do! And I've been looking everywhere for someone to play it with me!"
Ford smiled down at the boy and asked, "How about two people?" Dipper was about to respond, but Ford had crossed the room, stuck his head out of the open doorway, and called out "Mason! Come see what Dipper has!"
Those three nerds.
"We have another Grunkle?"
Mabel held her brother's hand. It had taken a few minutes for Ford to be convinced that Mason was telling the truth, or, at least, to have him entertain the possibility that he wasn't lying. The two kids sat down on one of the portal's parts, and Ford got the chance to see how that first screen on McGucket's computer definitely made more sense now.
Mason nodded, and Ford watched him quietly. "Yes. My brother. Dipper."
"Mason and Dipper." Mabel mumbled under her breath, "Those are nice names." She kicked her feet against the metal they were sitting on, and Mason gulped. He had apparently heard her. He glanced between Ford, Mabel, and Soos. "Actually... It's Stanley and Dipper. Well, Stanley and Mason. Dipper's just a nickname."
Ford was confused. Angry and confused and hungry and tired and... Maybe this should wait until tomorrow. But he wanted to find out now. "What do you mean?"
Mason sighed and then hung his head. "Kid... My real name's not Mason. That's my brother's name. I'm actually Stan. Stanley Pines." He bit his lip, and hoped that Ford would be able to understand. "You see... The Shack... It's actually his house." He curled his hands into fists, and he blinked down at the ground. "It's a long story... And I'm afraid I can't explain everything. You see... It all began when we were kids. Back in 1960-something..."
Ford had sent Dipper off to bed. It was around ten...ish, and the boy needed to sleep. Time for more 'research'. Ford didn't really know why he just had the urge to always be reading, or writing, or just doing something. It was like he always had something else on his mind... Maybe he should get tested for ADD...
He stepped into the portal room, where Mason was double-checking some calculations for moving some of the larger pieces of the dismantled portal. Ford suddenly had Fiddleford deja-vu, he suddenly felt young again. But this time he was doing the right thing. The fresh memory of Dipper's slightly terrified look when he saw the rift fresh in his mind.
"By my calculations..." Mason said, shuffling a few papers with a lot of math on them into a seemingly random order. "We should be able to tear the larger pieces down to an actual moveable pile within the week. It'll take about a month or two to get all the pieces out of here. Unless we turn the house into a giant robot or something." Ford smiled and nodded. "You spent a lot of time with Fiddleford didn't you?"
"Lot's." Mason replied, straightening the papers and tucking them under his left arm. He was still in his portal gear, although it was washed. He said something about how 'Ford's style' was different from his, but Ford knew it was just so people could differentiate the two of them. "Is it that obvious?"
Ford shrugged, and he glanced over at the giant metal pieces leaning against the wall. "Just don't go making a pair of robotic legs. Or some kind of memory ray. We have enough of those."
"One. We have one." Mason said, folding his arms and muttering "Hot Belgian waffles, not again." His papers had all dropped in a messy pile on the floor, and Ford chuckled. "And this is how we know that you're definitely an alternate version of my nephew. Congratulations."
Mason smiled, "Yup. That's me. The sixty-year-old who acts like I'm still twelve."
"Twelve?" Ford asked, kneeling down to help Mason pick up the papers. "I thought he was ten." He pulled the papers into a messy pile, but it was smaller and straighter. Mason kneeled down next to him and held his hand out to take the papers. There was only about ten or eleven, so Mason got them back in order within a minute.
The two of them straightened, and Mason rolled his eyes. "No. Dipper's twelve. Mabel is too."
"Well, now I have to update my entries on them..." Ford muttered to himself and Mason laughed. "You already wrote journal entries on them?" he asked, and Ford shrugged, then nodded. "Almost as soon as I got here. After meeting Zeu- Soos, and Wendy."
Mason nodded, and the two of them crossed over to a desk sitting on the other side of the room. Mason plopped the papers down and smiled at Ford, "Don't worry, we'll figure this all out. Who knows. Maybe we'll all be fine." His tone was sad, and Ford knew why.
"Yeah, it'll all be fine."
Say that after Weirdmageddon.
"Okay. What's wrong with the portal?"
Ford stood in front of his sister, Maso- Stan, Soos, Wendy, and Fiddleford for good measure. Mabel raised her hand, her black star-swirl sweater sleeve falling down to show off her pale arm. "It makes gravity go cray-cray!"
Ford nodded, then wrote his sister's answer in his neat cursive in the top left corner of a blackboard, not really caring that he was lightly dusting his hands with white chalk. "Anything else?"
"Someone turned it off..." Stan muttered under his breath, and he was sent a glare from his nephew. "Besides that." Ford snapped, folding his arms. McGucket raised his hand and Ford nodded to him.
"It'll bring the end of the world!" was the answer the hillbilly gave him, and Ford and Stan winced. Ford reached into his jacket and pulled out the blue Journal. "And... We've officially pulled out the Journal people!" Mabel said, watching her brother flick through the old pages. "Come on Ford, you've looked at Grunkle Dipper's Journal a billion times. It's not it's suddenly going to..."
"What if..." Ford muttered to himself, staring at the portal instructions. "What if we could stabilize the portal. I don't know much about theoretical physics... But if we could figure out a way to make sure that the world could stay safe..."
"And... He's gone into nerd-mode." Mabel said, folding her arms. "I'm not saving him again. You guys are on your own."
"And it says here that you took fifth-dimensional calculus!" Ford said, turning the Journal around to show Fiddleford. "And you worked on the portal in the first place! I bet that if we started working together we could figure this out! We could save the Author! I could save the Author!"
"Yup. Full nerd mode. I'm gonna go make him some coffee." Mabel said, sighing and standing up. Ford's hands were curling and uncurling, and he was muttering "I can save the Author..." over and over again to himself. "I'll be right back."
And I'm here! Yay!
This was inspired (or rather, requested) by TFD. Yay! I can see Ford and Relavity Falls Mason being like BFFs if they were stuck in the same dimension, and I see Stan getting really jealous. And how Mason ends up in that universe is because he was almost to his own universe, but it was Ford who had to choose between trusting Stan or his brain. And, Ford is Ford. But don't worry, they'll eventually get Mason back.
Happy July 4th!
There's not really that much to say I guess. Oh! Yeah, I got a new computer! (thanks dad!) So my chapters will probably start getting a lot longer (because it's a whole lot easier to use a computer keyboard than a phone's). Thanks for all the love! I can't believe this story has over 10,000 views! Ahh! All the happiness!
Stay happy healthy, safe and weird!
-BrilliantLight