Despite having met up in the standup comedy car, things weren't all jokes and laughs between the Pines men. The tension between Stan and Ford was so intense, Dipper could have sworn it was a physical thing. Of course this left Dipper in the awkward position of either choosing a side or being a mediator between the two. Dipper did attempt to do the latter, trying to make small talk about the cars they've traveled through and speculating how long it would take to find Mabel.

Talking about finding Mabel was something the older Pines twins could agree on, but as they could only guess at what they might encounter and how long it would take, they couldn't really plan. This lead them to talking in circles and nearly devolving into a full-blown argument before Dipper interrupted by making a loud observation about a random rock in the path. They traveled the rest of the day in silence after that.

The next morning was better, though it did make Dipper feel frustrated. It seemed Stan and Ford had both decided to ignore their problems in favor of acting normal for Dipper. Ford would make observations about the cars they went through and sharing some of his theories with Dipper. Stan would make the occasional sarcastic comment or grumble about he was too old for this, but mostly told random jokes whenever he was getting bored or annoyed by all the scientific talk. Dipper knew this wasn't what was needed if they wanted to get their numbers down, but he also knew pointing that out wouldn't help. Pines were stubborn by nature and they would have to come around on their own.

"Hmm… we should probably split up to make this task go faster," Ford commented as he looked around the latest car they found themselves in. It seemed the whole car was dedicated to being one giant word search with the list of words on a large plaque in the middle. There were even a couple of vehicles that would allow passengers to get words high up on the wall and ceiling.

"I'll take one of the strange contraptions and start on the left side while you do the same to the right," Ford concluded, nodding to Dipper before heading off to do as he said.

"Come on Grunkle Stan," Dipper said, turning to the other vehicle. "You can ride with me."

"Sure kid," Stan agreed.

They both ignored the fact that Ford had forgotten about Stan.

They worked well together, with Dipper figuring out the strange controls and Stan pointing out the words.

"You're really good at this," Dipper complemented once Stan pointed out several words that Dipper had missed completely.

"Used to be even better at it as a kid," Stan replied, directing Dipper towards the next word. "Me and Ford were given a huge book of math and word puzzles to share for one birthday. Word searches were pretty much the only ones I was good at. You didn't have to understand what all the big fancy words meant in order to find them."

"Why didn't Grunkle Ford as you for help?" Dipper wonder with a slight frown. "Especially if you had really been so good at it as a kid."

"It was a long time ago so he probably just forgot," Stan said with a shrug. "Besides, he knows you're a nerd like him and I'm the dumb twin so your probably the better choice anyway."

That statement didn't sit right with Dipper but he kept quiet for now. He didn't like where his thoughts were going and he wanted to make sure he was right before he said anything.

As Dipper observed Stan and Ford more carefully through the next few cars, a disturbing pattern began to emerge. Ford was dismissive of Stan, ignoring Stan's suggestions and only looking to Dipper for help when it came to solving puzzles. The worst part was that Ford wasn't doing it out of spite. He just truly believed that when it came to puzzles, Stand had nothing to contribute and Stan just seemed to accept it. Dipper did not like it at all.

It finally exploded when they were in the spaceship car. To get through they had to fly the ship and repair the engine. Ford had immediately headed for the engine room while giving Dipper instructions on what to do with the controls. Dipper had tried to protest, but Ford waved off his concerns and assured him that he would be fine. Not long after Ford had disappeared, things started flashing on the control panel and Dipper had panicked. He tried to logic his way through it when Stan came and gently pushed Dipper over. Stan, with a surprising amount of confidence, managed to figure out all the right buttons to press and they safely arrived at the next door.

"Well done Dipper," Ford praised as he came back up to the bridge. "I told you you didn't need to worry. You did a great job."

"Actually Grunkle Stan did most of it," Dipper protested weakly.

"There's no need to be modest," Ford assured, putting a hand on Dipper's shoulder. "I'm sure Stan helped where he could, but I know you did most of it, and…"

"STOP!" Dipper snapped, pushing Ford's hand away and stepping closer to Stan. "Just stop! You always act like Stan isn't smart but he is!"

"Whoa it's okay kid," Stan said, kneeling down and wiping away Dipper's tears. Dipper didn't even realize he was crying until then. "It's okay. After all, Ford's the genius and I'm just the dumb tw…"

"Don't say that," Dipper protested, flinging his arms around Stan. "You're not the dumb twin. Yeah… you don't have as many PhDs as Grunkle Ford but you're not dumb. You've run a business for years, something Mabel and I learned was not easy. You rebuilt an inter-dimensional portal without the instructions or Bill's help. You might not be a genius, but you're still smart. I'm smarter than Mabel and someways but I would never call her the dumb twin. Please don't call yourself dumb… It's not right…"

"Sure kid, I'm not dumb," Stan said, not sure if he believed that but knowing Dipper needed to hear it. "It's alright…"

As Stan continued to comfort Dipper, Ford just stood there frozen. He was shocked by Dipper's outburst and the things he said rocked Ford to his very core. When he came back through the portal, he had assumed that it had taken Stan so long because he couldn't figure out to work it. But now Dipper's words made him think of that in a different light. All the little alterations and weird repairs he had noticed and dismissed as he dismantled the portal suddenly had a whole different meaning.

Ford had always been the genius and had long since accepted that his twin would never be as smart as him, but he didn't always think of Stand as the dumb twin. Stan had been full of creative energy when they had been younger and while he hadn't always understood what Ford was saying, he had still been able to help bounce ideas for Ford's projects. When had Ford stopped defending his brother's positive traits? When had he stopped trying to help Stan understand things and just ignored him? When had he started dismissing Stan's ideas as having any value? When had started believing everyone else that Stan wasn't good for anything and only a burden?

Ford didn't know the answers to those questions and a part of him was afraid to find out. But he had to admit, at least to himself, that he didn't know anything about his brother and hasn't for a long time, even before the wholes science fair mess. He couldn't change the past and there was a lot about it he wasn't ready to face yet, but right here and now, he could try to be a bit better and get to know who his brother was now.

Ford - 2315