The Northwest Manor; the pinnacle of the Northwest family's wealth and power. It was a gigantic house that was two stories tall on the top of a mountain. Surrounding the manor was a wall, with a deer statue placed atop each corner. The front yard of the Northwest Manor had water fountains, peacocks, and a statue that resembled Pacifica behind a large metal gate. Two patches of hedges were cut to spell the letters "N" and "W."
Built 150 years ago, after the town's founding, it remains the most lavish and largest building in Gravity Falls. However, it also played host to an annual party known as the Northwest Fest. A legendary party, one that's carried a very high reputation that extended far beyond the borders of the town. And now, the time has come for this year's party.
It was noon, and the weather was thunder storming all day, but inside the extravagant mansion was bustling with activity as the various staff and servants bustled about. Preparing for the celebration that promised to be even more posh and elegant than the last. These rumors were circulated from both Preston Northwest and his trophy wife, Priscilla.
They were in the dining room, overseeing the preparations for the event. Priscilla was reading her husband's guest list and was pleased with what she saw. "Preston, I must say, the guestlist for this year's party has so much diversity!"
"Yes, a nice mix of millionaires and billionaires," Priston said proudly as one of his servants handed him the day's newspaper. But when he saw one of his servants incorrectly setting down a fork on the table, the billionaire swatted the servant's hand with the paper. "Put the oyster fork at an angle! We're not animals, man!"
"Now where the devil is—?" Priscilla cut her sentence short when she turned her head to the doorway to see Pacifica making her appearance in a lake foam green dress. Her mother gasped. "Pacifica!" Pacifica curtsied, smiling brightly as she walked into the room. She was excited to wear this type of dress for the party. However, her mother was far from pleased with her. "What did I tell you about that dress? The theme is seafoam green, not lake foam green! Go change!"
"But, I- I kinda like it," Pacifica said with a frown. She had hoped that her mother wouldn't have noticed but Priscilla's sharp eye for fashion beat her own taste in this case.
"Mind your mother, Pacifica," Preston warned, giving his daughter a critical glance
"But-" Preston silenced her when he pulled out a small bell and rang it. Pacifica winced when it rang and solemnly nodded. Knowing she had no choice but to obey. "Yes, father..." she muttered meekly, glancing down.
But then the entire dining room floor began shaking as if it was being rattled by a major earthquake. And yet, this was no ordinary tremor, as the table, plates, and utensils clatter, before everything on the table started rising into the air by an unseen force. The Northwests and their staff stared and gasped in terror when they witnessed this.
"Oh no!" Preston exclaimed fearfully, knowing exactly what was going on. "It's... happening."
Suddenly, the furniture and dinnerware were sent flying everywhere at the unfortunate individuals present. Many of the servants fled together to escape the dangerous barrage of inanimate objects. Some weren't so lucky, with one of the servants getting stabbed in the shoulder by one of the knives. Everyone else ducked or hid underneath tables for cover.
Preston did his best to fend off the attacking objects, to little avail. "You are my possessions!" He yelled, swatting a plate away. "Obey me!"
More things zoomed at his head. He let out a frightened scream as he ducked underneath the table. Joining his wife and daughter. Other servants were there too. With some pulling injured coworkers into cover from the deadly objects.
"This is a disaster! The party's in just 24 hours!" Priscilla cried in a panic as the chaos continued.
"Surely there's someone who can handle this sort of nonsense!" Preston lamented, only for his cry for help to receive a timely answer. The newspaper he had before landed right in front of him. It's the headlining article featuring a picture of Dipper and Patrick warding off a giant vampire bat from Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland up in the town's bell tower.
"And I think I know just the two for the job…"
{Play Stranger Things theme by Kyle Dixon Michael Stein}
The intro begins by fading in a scene of the road sign that said: "Welcome to Gravity Falls, Oregon."
We then see a view of the town of Gravity Falls, with the strangely shaped canyons in the background, and the sun going down between the two land formations. As the sun was setting, the day turns to a blue night. However, a sinister red light comes from over the horizon. Shining between the canyon.
The next scene is of a large, dinosaur footprint in the ground. It then changed to show the trees of the forest at night, and a pair of glowing eyes staring at the viewer, before the camera switched to a wider shot and showed many more eyes staring at the viewer. The next scene was a far back show of two men dumping a body into the lake, and as that body sank down it was swallowed by a massive creature.
PATRICK
The teenage Pines is shown in a freeze shot of him walking in the woods with a lantern and his crowbar in hand. Behind him, Bill's eye in the sky looked down at him.
DIPPER
The male twin is looking down at the journal with a flashlight. Not noticing that there was a Pteranodon staring down at him, ready to eat him.
MABEL
The female twin is the final one to be seen, and it showed her wearing a sweater that lit up because it was plugged into an outlet. But in another, farther away shot show's Gideon's hand controlling her like she was a marionette.
The finale of the intro shows the Mystery Shack as the sun goes down behind it and the trees of the forest. When the sun went down and the night came, and just like the beginning, the red light appeared, but then a blue light shined from inside the Mystery Shack.
Then the screen went black and the title of the story appeared in a flash of light.
WEIRDER THINGS
It then disappeared, before the chapter title appeared.
Chapter Thirty:
The Haunting of Northwest Manor
Things were rather uneventful around the Mystery Shack as of late. Not that Patrick didn't mind. After fighting off a giant vampire bat to save Blubs and Durland, he was exhausted. However, he was also excited because he was going to be spending the whole day with his girlfriend.
Or so he thought.
"Ah, what? But we were gonna hang out today," he said on the phone to Wendy. He was in the kitchen popping popcorn when she called to tell him the bad news. She had to cancel their plans. "I even rented that movie you wanted to watch. Revenge of the Chicken from Outer Space!"
"I know, I know. I'm sorry, but I totally forgot that today was the Northwest Fest and all of my family is here," Wendy said apologetically. She was outside of the Northwest Manor with everyone from her extended family, which included her family, cousins, uncles, and grandparents. All of them were jeering and throwing things at the wall and vandalizing the Northwest family crest.
"Wait, Northwest? I thought your family hated them," Patrick said, confused as to why her family was there in the first place.
"We do, and that's why we're here. Every year, they throw this big-ass party for all their rich friends to show off how rich they are. So, every year, my family gathers together to protest them for what they did to my family," Wendy explained.
"In your face!" Her father yelled, punching the wall with his bare fist. Cracking the wall.
Wendy sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Leave it to her dad to break everything in sight. "I'm really sorry, Patrick. I'll make it up to you, I promise," she told him.
Patrick sighed. "Alright. Love you, lumberjack girl," he said with a gloomy smile.
"Love you too, Pattycakes," Wendy said, kissing into the phone before ending the call. She signed sadly, hating to have stood up her boyfriend. Looking back at her family, she started to panic. "No! Grandma, put that hammer down! You're gonna kill someone! And possibly hurt your back."
Back at the Mystery Shack, Patrick put his phone in his pocket and grabbed his bowl of popcorn. "Man, this sucks," he groaned as he walked out of the kitchen and entered the living room. Dipper was already sitting in the chair in front of the TV. The boy had already set up shop in the den, surrounded by a large number of snacks and sodas. "Hey, man. What's going on?"
"Just watching a show marathon. What about you?" Dipper asked. "Aren't you supposed to hang out with Wendy?"
"I would, but her family's in town to harass the Northwests. Mind if I watch TV with you?" Patrick asked, walking over to sit on the floor.
"Sure. The marathon's just starting," Dipper said with a shrug.
"You asked for it, you got it!" the TV blared excitedly. "An entire 48-hour marathon of Ghost Harassers on the 'Used to Be About History Channel!'"
"Be strong, bladder," Dipper said, patting his stomach. "We're not gonna move till sunset."
"Not even to use the bathroom?" Patrick asked.
Before Dipper could answer, Toby Determined's voice came on the TV. Commandeering the broadcast of ghost hunting. "We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news!"
"Aww, what?" Dipper frowned.
Suddenly, Mabel came bursting into the living room and hopped onto the armchair beside her brother. "It's starting!" She squealed.
Candy came into the room and jumped to Dipper's other side. "Turn it up!" she exclaimed, sandwiching the young boy between herself and Mabel.
"Make room for Grenda!" Grenada shouted as she jumped in front of all three, recklessly breaking a lamp in the process. Wondering just what they were so excited about, Patrick turned back to the screen.
As the news story began, Toby Determined was seen outside Northwest Manor, standing amongst an already very large, very eager crowd of townsfolk. "Well tonight's the night, but I've been out here for days!" The reporter exclaimed, as the camera zoomed out to reveal his tattered and filthy clothes. "The Northwest family's annual high-society-shindig-ball-soiree is here! And even though common folk aren't let in, that doesn't stop us from camping out for a peek at the fanciness!"
"Oooooooooh!" all three girls mused with amazement in their eyes. Enthralled as they stared at the screen. Patrick wasn't all too impressed. Dipper even more so.
"Okay, can someone please explain why people care about this?" Dipper asked, rolling his eyes in annoyance.
"It's pretty much the best party of all time. Rich food, richer boys!" Grenda explained.
"They say each gift basket has a live quail inside!" Mabel added, just as enthusiastic.
Candy pawed at the TV screen as it showed a clip of Pacifica. "Give me your life, Pacifica."
"Please stop touching our TV," Patrick said, pulling her back to the carpet, away from the slightly smudged screen.
Dipper scoffed. "Guys, in case you've already forgotten, that blonde bitch has been nothing but a complete jerk to us all summer," he said with disdain for the young heiress.
"Ah, come on, Dipper. That's no way to talk about your crush," Patrick said with a smirk.
Mabel's friends gasped and looked at her brother with wonder and amazement. "You have a crush on Pacifica!?" squealed Candy and Grenda.
"I do not have a crush! Haven't you forgotten that Pacifica Northwest is the worst!" Dipper insisted before being interrupted by knocking at the door. With a sour attitude towards the heiress, Dipper got up to answer it. "And that's not just jealousy talking. I'd say that to her face."
Ironically enough, however, when he opened the door, Dipper came face to face with none other than Pacifica herself, dressed in an outfit that was to hide her identity, including a scarf over her hair and sunglasses over her eyes. "I need your cousin's help," she said, getting to the point.
"...You're the worst," Dipper said after a brief pause before slamming the door on her.
The trio of girls gasped in horror, while Patrick just stared at his cousin with a mouth full of popcorn.
"See?" Dipper said, hardly caring with his arms crossed and a caustic expression. Unfortunately for him, Pacifica knocked at the door. This time banging harder on it. The others looked at him expectantly, but the boy wasn't having any of it. "I'm not answering that."
In the end, it was Patrick that walked over to the door and opened it. Knowing that Pacifica wasn't going to leave until they heard her out. "You know we have a perfectly good doorbell, right?" he asked, crossing his arms and leaning on the doorframe.
"Look. You think it's easy for me to come here? I don't want to be seen in this hovel," she said, swatting away at some flies.
"Goodbye." Patrick grabbed the doorknob. She wanted to act like an entitled brat, fine, but he wasn't going to stand there and take it.
"No! Wait, please! You have to help me!" Pacifica quickly begged the teenager. Giving her a look that warned her to watch her mouth, Patrick released the doorknob and crossed his arms again while leaning against the door frame. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't an emergency. There's something haunting Northwest Manor." At this, the heiress removed her sunglasses, showing the two Pines her desperate expression. "If you don't help me, the party could be ruined!"
"And why should we trust you?" Dipper asked, walking back over to join his cousin. "All you've ever done is try to humiliate me and my family and friends."
"It's not my fault you're all easy target," Pacifica scowled, every bit as bitter over this exchange as Dipper was.
"Goodbye." Patrick grabbed the doorknob.
"Wait! Just name your price, okay!? I'll give you anything!" Pacifica pleaded.
Mabel then came over to the doorway. "Hi, Pacifica! Excuse us!" At this, she dragged Dipper and Patrick away by their arms, despite their confused protest. She then whispered fervently. "Dipper! Patrick! Don't you see what this means? If you help Pacifica, you could get us invited to the greatest party of all time!"
"What?" Dipper asked incredulously. "Mabel, this is Pacifica we're talking about!"
"But it's Candy and Grenda's dream!" Mabel countered, gesturing to her friends.
"Dreeeaaaaaaam." Candy and Grenda said with starry-eyes, miming rainbows.
Dipper looked to Patrick for his input. The teenager looked back at Pacifica, who was waiting for their answer. "It really sounds like they really need our help," he said, shrugging his shoulders. He didn't like the Northwests any more than Dipper did, but he wasn't above helping them with a potentially dangerous poltergeist.
"Ugh. Fine!" Dipper groaned as begrudgingly turned to address Pacifica again. "We'll bust your ghost. But, in exchange, I'll need three tickets to the party."
Pacifica gave a disgruntled expression but relented. "Fine."
"And the $39,960 your family still owes us for the fireworks run," Patrick said with a smirk. He may not have been above leaving the Northwest family to be haunted, but he wasn't above some payback.
"What! No way!" Pacifica shouted.
"Would you rather bust the ghost yourself?" Patrick asked with narrowed eyes
The heiress let out a frustrated growl at this, but nonetheless, she conceded. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out the tickets. "You're just lucky I'm desperate," Pacifica said, handing over the shiny tickets to Dipper.
"Wooo!" Mabel, Candy, and Grenda celebrated before chanting. "Des-perate! Des-perate! Des-perate!"
"Grenda, get the glue gun. We're making dresses!" Mabel commanded with a huge grin.
The Northwest Fest was set to start in roughly an hour by the time the limo carrying the kids arrived on Northwest Hill. There was a massive crowd of spectators at the sides of the gates, and were only kept away from the limo by the mansion's security. But that didn't stop them from cheering and flashing pictures.
"Wow, there's a lot of people here just to look at the fanciness!" Patrick said, looking at the crowd behind the metal barriers. He was wearing the same suit he used for his date with Wendy, as it was the only nice thing he had to wear.
"In your face!" Manly Dan yelled as he and his family chucked rocks at the car. Patrick quickly ducked down, but the rocks didn't even crack the diamond windows.
"And my girlfriend's crazy angry family." He said with a startled look.
As the limo pulled up to the entrance, a butler inside the mansion pulled a lever to open the main gates. The same ones that were meant to keep the common folks out while their rich guests enjoyed the finery inside. The limo pulled into the garden and parked in front of the building.
Two servants opened the doors to the house, letting in Patrick, Dipper, Mabel, Pacifica, Candy, and Grenda. "Welcome to Northwest Manor, dorks. Try not to touch anything," the heiress announced dryly as they got their first real glimpse of inside the manor.
Patrick walked into the grand hall with the kids, staring in total wonder at the scenery. The manor was quite a spectacle to behold. High vaulted ceilings, expertly crafted woodwork, and spotless marble floors. The house was filled with various luxury decorations and appliances made from animals. This included a wall of taxidermy animals and a chandelier made from buck antlers. In the main hall over the fireplace on the stairwell was a portrait of the family, flanked on either side by images of fish drawn in the style of the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest. Servants worked around the clock to get everything ready for the party. Filling up a cider fountain, spreading out food on a buffet table, crafting an ice sculpture of Pacifica as a mermaid.
The girls in flashy homemade dresses could hardly contain their wonder, ignoring Pacifica's warning about touching things.
"Everything's so fancy!" Mabel exclaimed as she wore a pink fluffy dress that had a glue gun stuck to it. "Fancy floors, fancy plants-" she gasped and ran over to rub the face of a nearby butler. "Fancy man!"
"Mm, yes. Very good miss," the butler said.
"Mabel, stop bothering the nice man," Patrick said, pulling her away from the butler, who walked away.
"The rumors were true!" Candy came back, holding up a gift bag. From it, a live quail popped out, followed by its three quail chicks. Mabel and Grenda joined their friend as they ran off giggling. Rushing past Preston and his wife.
The parents looked at the girls with scornful expressions before turning towards Patrick and Dipper. "Ah, if it isn't the men of the hour!" Preston addressed the two boys. "Hopefully you can help us with our little... situation, before the guests arrive in an hour."
"Of course. But first, there's the matter of our payment from last time," Patrick said, with a firm expression.
"Yes. You'll be paid at the end of the job." Preston said, waving him off and trying to change the subject.
"Then make the check and keep it in your pocket until we're done," Patrick demanded, not wanting to go any further until the Northwest had what he owed him and Stan. They tricked them before, he wasn't going to let them do it again.
Preston narrowed his eyes at the young man before pulling out his checkbook. "Very well," he said, writing on the check before ripping it out, closing the book, and placing the check in his pocket.
"We'll do our best," Dipper said once it was done.
"Splendid! Pacifica, take our guests to the 'problem room,'" the billionaire said to his daughter before leaning down to his daughter. "And, uh... he's not wearing that, is he?" He pointed to Dipper, who was cleaning his teeth with his finger and with his shirt partially in his pants. Patrick was texting on his phone when he noticed the two looking at him and his cousin.
"What?"
"I'm on it." Pacifica nodded.
The heiress wasted no time in dragging Dipper off the mansion's quite extensive dressing room with Patrick following them. Despite his protests, Pacifica managed to convince him to put on an appropriately formal suit that fit him. So, while he was in a dressing room putting on the outfit, Patrick was waiting with the blonde rich girl.
The young man bit into an apple, he looked to his right and examined three paintings hanging on the wall. Over them was a banner that said "the Northwest Family Success". The first painting was of a farmer-looking man holding up two sacks of apples, with everyone cheering. The next was of a Northwest man shaking hands with a native American chief of some kind. And the last showed what appeared to be an explorer.
"So, mind filling in the blanks for me?" he asked the girl. "Why is it that this ghost is haunting such a lovely little family like yours?"
"What's that supposed to mean? On second thought, never mind. You're just lucky I need you and your cousin for this job, or else you'd be outside the gates like everyone else," Pacifica said, glaring up at him.
Patrick shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just saying, hauntings normally happen because of someone dying in a tragic way and their souls aren't able to move on. Seems to me that this ghost, whoever it is, died in these halls...or has some unfinished business with your family," Patrick said, looking down at Pacifica with a smirk.
Pacifica's eyes widened with a sense of anxiousness before she quickly scoffed and rolled her eyes. "That's ridiculous. Everyone in this stupid town loves us and would never want to hurt my family."
"I wouldn't call it love when what they actually love your money," Patrick said, taking another bite of his apple.
"You're right. It's called respect," the heiress pointed out with a snobbish smile.
"Something you clearly don't have," Patrick deadpanned. Before the conversation could continue, Dipper emerged from a dressing room in a tuxedo. Looking very uncomfortable and stiff with the thing on.
"Ugh, it's like this collar is strangling me. Who do you guys think you're impressing with this stuff?" He complained, pulling on the collar of the dress shirt.
"Um, everyone," Pacifica retorted as she tied Dipper's bow tie. "You and your family wouldn't understand. High standards are what make the Northwest family great." She gestured to the family portraits and started walking away.
"Funny, I thought it was lying about founding the town," Dipper remarked with a knowing smirk as he fiddled with a picture frame's tassel.
"Don't touch that!" Pacifica snapped. Patrick and Dipper followed her for what was possibly going to be a long, long night.
Just as instructed, Pacifica led the two boys to the "problem room". The room with the heaviest account of paranormal activity. Patrick opened the door slowly, causing it to creak as it swung open. The room was exactly what he would have expected it to be. A large lounging room made with the finest handcrafted wood, with dead stuffed animal heads on the walls, paintings, a fireplace, and lots of dark wooden furniture. The whole room is lit by the fireplace and gives it a dark reddish light.
"Whoa," said Patrick. Feeling more than a little anxious as he walked into the room.
"This is the main room where it's been happening," Pacifica informed the boys, her usually confident personality somewhat diminishing.
Patrick tested that by letting out a breath of air. Just like in the winter, his breath became visible in the form of a puff of smoke. "Yep, there's something haunting this room, all right," he stated.
"I wouldn't worry about it, though," Dipper said, pulling out the journal and turning it to a section that had extensive knowledge of spirits. "Ghosts fall on a ten-category scale. Floating plates sound like a Category 1."
"So what? Are you gonna bore him back into the afterlife by reading from this book?" Pacifica asked, amused by the thought of it.
"Just gotta splash this sucker with some anointed water," Dipper said, holding up a small, round bottle of water, "and he should be out of your probably-fake blonde hair."
"What was that about my hair?!"
"Quiet, you two! I'm picking something up," Patrick said, taking out an EMF detector. It's a device that detects fields emitted by moving electrically charged objects. Electromagnetic fields are commonly given off by spirits, making the device ideal for hunting ghosts.
Patrick cautiously walked further into the room as the EMF detector started making a similar noise as a Geiger counter. He waved the detector to the right, but picked up nothing on the device. But then as the young man waved it to the left towards the fireplace, the readings started drastically changing and the noise intensified. Patrick stopped in front of it, and raised the device up. Aiming it up towards a tall painting of a lumberjack over the fireplace.
The device growled at its absolute maximum for a split second before it lost its signal. "C'mon, stupid thing," Patrick said in annoyance as Dipper walked over to him.
"Here let me." Dipper took the device. He taped it on the side, and the signal returned. However, it was no longer picking up any readings. "There we go," he said, both looking back up at the painting.
The lumberjack inside the painting disappeared!
"I've got a real bad feeling about this," Patrick said.
"Aah!" Pacifica let out a frightened scream for where she was standing. Her scream was caused by a pool of blood dripping down onto the floor near her feet. Both she and the two cousins gasped in shock as they looked up.
The blood was swelling from the mouth of a taxidermied bear head on the wall. It and every single one of the stuffed animal heads on the walls leaked blood from their mouths. Pacifica backed up to Patrick and Dipper when a sudden burst of fire came out of the fireplace. Latching out at the three kids as they backed away to the center of the room. The haunting would intensify as the eyes of all the animal heads started glowing red, with blood now pouring out of their eyes like tears. Together they started to chant in a deep and ominous voice.
"ANCIENT SINS! ANCIENT SINS! ANCIENT SINS!"
As they continued to chant, books, furniture, and antique weapons all raised into the air and flew around Patrick, Dipper, and Pacifica. Overhead, the chandelier above crackled dangerously as clouds appeared around it.
"Dipper, what is this?!" Pacifica cried in fear.
"It's a Category 10," Dipper replied, completely shaken. The bottle of anointed water shattered in his hand, and they all screamed in terror. Pacifica latched onto Dipper's arm in a panic as Patrick pulled them both behind him.
"ANCIENT BLOOD AND BLACKENED SKIES," the animal heads said with a dark and sinister tone. "THE FOREST DARK SHALL ONCE MORE RISE!"
"What do we do, what do we do?!" Pacifica screamed at Dipper as she grabbed him by the collar and shook him desperately.
"Don't worry. It can't get worse than this!" Dipper assured as evenly as he could to hide his fear. This was something they've never faced before and were quite frankly unprepared to face something of this caliber.
He was proven wrong when the fire flamed up again, and a giant black skeleton arm emerged from the fire, still completely consumed in them as it slammed onto the ground. Another joined it, pulling out the rest of the charred skeleton from the fire. With a blacked axe lodged in its head, the skull was thrown back and its mouth opened as it let out a gasp for air.
"It just did!" Patrick yelled as skin started to form on its arms. He grabbed the kids and dove under the table. From there, they watched as a body and clothes formed around the skeleton, transforming it into an enormous, burly man that had a similar appearance to the one from the painting. However, his skin was rotting, with a hole in his chest showing his ribs. He was missing his right eye and still had the ax in his head.
The ghost of Northwest Manor would utter his first words in a deep, rumbling voice. "I smell... A NORTHWEST!" He bellowed, as blue flames shoot out from his head to form a beard and hair. A double-bladed ax materialized in his hand and the ghost began dragging it along the floor. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
"Hurry!" Pacifica whispered sharply to Dipper. "Read through your dumb book already!"
"I'm looking!" Dipper whispered harshly back at her as he pulled out the journal and flipped through the pages. "And it's not dumb, okay? This book is gonna save our lives! Alright, here we go. Advice." He reached the page about category 10 ghosts and pulled out his portable black light. Holding it over the book, Dipper shined the black light on the page and revealed the only message the author had for them.
PRAY FOR MERCY!
"I hate this book," Patrick deadpanned. But things went from bad to worse when the table floated out from over them, revealing them to the ghost, much to their shared horror.
Patrick quickly pulled out a cross and held it up at the ghost. "The power of Christ compels you!" He yelled. But the cross was instantly set on fire, making him drop it to the floor. "Uh...came you let us go?"
"YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE COME HERE!" The Ghost yelled as he raised up his ax. Patrick grabbed the kids' arms and pulled them out of the way as the ax smashed into the floor.
"This way! Hurry!" Pacifica shouted, picking up her dress as she led the Pines out of the room. The three ran as fast as they could, fleeing down the halls of the massive mansion while being pursued by the ghost. The three ran down a decorated hallway as the ghost laughed behind them, chasing them towards a courtyard. "Hurry! Through the garden!"
They ran through a garden that had marble pillars, with vines growing upwards on them, purple flowers scattered everywhere, and a cobblestone walkway that led to a set of doors leading back into the house.
"Watch out for peacocks!" Pacifica said, just as Patrick was hit by a peacock as they went.
"Ah! My face!" He yelled, throwing the bird to the side as they rushed back into the home. However, the walkway was still muddy from the earlier rain showers, which covered the bottom of the shoes left treks as the three ran. "We've got to take this guy down!"
"I know, I know…" Dipper muttered, frantically flipping through the journal desperately until he finally found what he was looking for. "I got it! Haunted paintings can only be trapped in a silver mirror."
"There! Up ahead! There's a silver mirror right there!" Patrick exclaimed, pointing ahead at a pristine white room, where a large, rectangular mirror hangs on the rear wall. They all ran towards the white room.
"Wait!" Just as they were about to enter, Pacifica suddenly grabbed their arm and pulled them back, stopping them just before they could enter. "Don't go in there! This room has my parents' favorite carpet pattern! They'll lose it if we track mud in there!"
"You're kidding me right?!" Patrick scoffed, pulling his hand away from her. "We don't have time for this!"
He tried to force his way into the room, but Pacifica quickly ran in front of him with her arms out.. "We'll find another way!" She retorted, her eyes wide with fear.
"Come out!" Dipper and Patrick looked over their shoulders and heard the ghost laughing from a distance around the corner. He was getting closer.
"Pacifica, he's getting closer! Let us through!" Dipper argued crossly, trying to walk in, but Pacifica stood in his way and grabbed the journal.
"No, my parents will kill me!" She yelled back, grabbing the journal from Dipper's hands and tried to take it, but he kept a firm grip on it.
"I think the ghost will take care of that!" Patrick retorted.
"Why are you so afraid of your parents?!" Dipper asked.
"You wouldn't understand!" Pacifica shouted back. She pulled ever harder on Dipper's journal, tripping them both and causing them to fall towards a nearby painting of a skeleton in a crown and robe. Or rather, fall right through it.
"Dipper!" Patrick exclaimed worriedly, before hearing the ghost laughing as he got closer. He quickly jumped through the painting well. Fortunately, the ghost didn't see this as he glided straight on past it in the opposite direction.
Opening his eyes, Patrick looked around and saw he and the two kids were now inside a dark, dusty, cobwebbed room that appeared to be used for storage. Piled inside were boxes covered by tarps and paintings covered by sheets. Getting the two kids up off the ground, Patrick glanced around at the collection. "Where are we?"
"That's weird. I don't even know where this room is," Pacifica admitted in confusion.
"Hopefully the ghost doesn't either," Dipper reassured them as Patrick took a peek back into the hallway.
"Yeah, maybe we're safe," the heiress said, letting out a relieved breath. However, she didn't notice the large sheet covering the painting behind her seeming to come to life, reaching out to swallow her.
Dipper was looking around the room when he caught sight of the sheet and quickly warned her. "Pacifica, watch out!"
Pacifica let out a frightened gasp as the ghost tossed the sheet away and pursued her. "YOUR FATE IS SEALED!"
Patrick was about to rush in to defend her and Dipper when he noticed a box of silver dishes, utensils, and other antique objects. But most importantly, he saw a distinct-looking handle sticking out of the box. Grabbing it, he pulled out a small, pure silver mirror.
"A silver mirror!" he gasped.
Pacifica and Dipper ran from the ghost, only for the heiress to trip over a loose floorboard and land on the ground. The young boy tried to help her up when he found himself face to face with the massive ax wielded by the ghost.
"Dipper, caught!" Patrick yelled, throwing his cousin the mirror.
"PREPARE TO DIE, NORTHWEST!" the ghost shouted, raising his ax and charged at the kids to deliver the final blow. Pacifica quickly braced herself for the end of her rich life, but Dipper was able to catch the silver mirror and held it up to the ghost as his weapon made contact with it.
There was a sudden bright flash of light as the moment of the spirit entering the mirror knocked Dipper back into Pacifica. Together, they were knocked out of a low window on the first floor, becoming entangled in the window's drape and rolling down a short hill. Tumbling down to the bottom of it and stopping in another garden.
Patrick jumped out the broken window and rushed over to them. "You guys okay?!" He asked worriedly. Luckily they were okay. Breathless and rattled, but largely unharmed.
The kids pulled themselves up before Pacifica asked, "Did you get him?"
They looked at the mirror Dipper was still holding, and saw what they were hoping to see. The ghost was inside the mirror and was pounding angrily on it's interior. "NO! FREE ME!"
"Haha! Yes!" Dipper cheered with satisfaction.
"We did it!" Pacifica cheered with a big smile as she threw her arms around Dipper in a tight hug. Completely caught off guard by the hug, Dipper blushed brightly as he looked at Patrick with shocked eyes. Pacifica's eyes snapped wide open when she realized what she's doing. Blushing even brighter than Dipper as she quickly backed off awkwardly. The two averted their gaze as she cleared her throat, trying to ease her heart and confused, flustering thoughts as she helds out a dollar while still avoiding eye contact with Dipper. "Can I...pay you to pretend that never happened?"
"You can pay him, but this…" Patrick smirked as he held up his phone, showing that he snapped a pic of the two. "This is priceless."
The two blushed again.
With the ghost finally busted, Patrick and Dipper stood in the manor's garden where Preston and Priscilla Northwest were meeting them, while Pacifica and a waiter stood nearby. While the two weren't openly elated or excited, they were nonetheless pleased that the haunting was finally at an end.
"Well, Pacifica, you really found the right men for the job," Preston said, snapping his fingers to signal the butler to shake Patrick's and Dipper's hand in his place.
"We can't thank you enough," said Priscilla with a glass of wine. There was a brief pause as the butler continued to shake their hands. "That's enough." Butler stopped and walked away.
"Hey, just holding up our end of the deal," Dipper said with a grin.
"Speaking of which." Patrick held out his hand to Preston with a mischievous smirk on his face. "Time for your end of the deal."
Preston narrowed his eyes at the young man, before begrudgingly pulling out the check and handed it to him. Patrick took the check and looked it over to make sure it was real and that it had the right price on it. Right off the bat, he knew it was the real thing. Why? Because he saw that it was real and it still had that expensive cologne Preston was wearing.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Mrs. Northwest," Patrick said with a friendly smile as he and Dipper turned to leave.
"Wait, leaving already?" Pacifica asked Dipper. The two cousins turned to face her. "You're at the world's best party, dummy."
"Heh, I'd love to stay, but we've got a Category 10 ghost to dispose of," Dipper said with a playful smile.
Glancing between the two, Patrick got an idea in his head that made him smirk. "Actually, I'll take care of Mister Category 10," he said, grabbing the mirror and the journal from Dipper. "You go enjoy the party. "I'll come get you and the girls after I'm done."
"But…" Dipper tried to protest.
Patrick sighed, kneeling down to Dipper's level and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Dipper, a beautiful girl is asking you to stay for a party. Most guys rarely ever get a chance like that. Got for it, man."
This made Dipper blush again as he looked back at Pacifica, who looked away, a bit flustered. Patrick patted him on the shoulder, before standing up and walking away. Looking over his shoulder, Patrick saw Dipper walking up to Pacifica and talking to her. He had to admit that the time they were with Pacifica wasn't all that bad. Sure, she was still that same snobbish girl they all loved to hate, but she showed that maybe there was a completely different side to her. And it looked like Dipper was taking a genuine liking to that side of the heiress.
He chuckled and started walking away again. Exiting through one of the garden walls to give them some privacy. "You know, maybe she's not that bad after all," he remarked to himself. However, the mood was cut short when the ghost started mockingly laughing at him from the mirror. Annoyed, Patrick looked at the trapped ghost. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Spooky, because you're going back into the afterlife."
"You've been had, boy," the ghost said with a bitter tone. "The Northwests lied and used you, just like they did me and my kin one hundred and fifty years ago."
"Right, like I'm gonna believe you after you tried to hack the three of us to pieces?" Patrick retorted and started walking away again.
"My target was the Northwest girl and her family. As revenge for what they did!" The ghost roared in fury. "And I will have vengeance! Or my name isn't Archibald Corduroy!"
Patrick froze at that moment. What did he just say? Patrick was more than certain he heard him correctly, but was still shocked to have learned of the ghost's real name. Looking back at the ghost in the mirror, Patrick stared at him with wide eyes and asked, "Did you just say...your name was...Archibald Corduroy?"
"You know me, child?" The ghost asked, surprised.
"Kind of. My girlfriend is one of your descendants," Patrick said, walking over to one of the benches in the garden and sat down. "She and her family are actually outside protesting this party."
"I see. It is good to hear that my family has passed on my hatred for the Northwests," the ghost said with a satisfied smile.
"So, what happened? How did this family feud thing start?" Patrick asked, genuinely curious as the ghost recounted his story.
"Our feud started one hundred and fifty years ago to this day, when the Northwests asked us lumber-folk to build them a mansion atop the hill. We were told it would be a service to the town, that once a year they would throw a grand party for the people of Gravity Falls, and all would share in the bounty of their wealth! It took years of backbreaking labor and sacrifice, with many committing their sons and fathers to the earth, but the promise of the luxurious feast drove us to push onward until it was finally completed. But when it was time for the grand party they promised the common folk of the town, they refused to let us in."
"That's why you started the feud," Patrick whispered with wide eyes.
"They promised us! So many of us gave our lives for this damn house! No father should have to bury his own sons!" the ghost cried out, looking like he was holding back ghostly tears before recomposing him. "And with the trees gone, the mudslides began. While they partied and laughed, I was swept away by the storm! My life ended by the very ax I used to build the undeserved castle. And so I said with final breath, "One-fifty years I'll return from death, and if the gate's still closed to town, wealthy blood will stain the ground!" A curse passed from generation to generation of the Northwest bloodline. Down to this very day."
When Archibald was done, Patrick was stunned to say the least. However, he was far from happy with this revelation. He was pissed. "So, let me get this straight. The Northwests knew this haunting was going to happen, and they tricked me and Dipper into helping them to avoid ghostly justice? Just so they didn't have to let the townsfolk in and keep the party all to themselves!?" He shouted in anger as he clenched his fist. "...I'll be right back."
The party was everything that it lived up to be. Preston and his wife had invited all their rich and famous guests to enjoy a night of fine-tasting and snooty laughter. Even the 102-year-old manor of Gravity Falls was there to have fun. And as her parents talked with the manor, Pacifica spent time talking with Dipper. Listening as he talked about some of his adventures, which he enjoyed doing. It was strange for the two of them. Only a few hours ago, they wouldn't have wanted to spend 2 minutes in the same room together, let alone together to bust a ghost from her house. They were like two opposing forces, yet after everything that happened, they couldn't help but smile around one another as they hung out. And deep within one another was an unknown yet brimming longing to hang out all night. Maybe even longer.
However, that would soon come to an end. As the Northwests were in the midst of entertaining their guests, the front doors of the mansion were suddenly kicked by a very angry Patrick Pines. "Northwests!" He shouted as he marched on in, mirror still in hand. Patrick pointed at Preston accusingly. "You've got some explaining to do!"
"Patrick! What are you doing?" Dipper asked as he and Pacifica rushed over. "I thought you were going to exorcise the ghost."
"You mean the ghost your girlfriend and her family lied to us about?!" Patrick shouted furiously, addressing Pacifica and the entire family. This surprised Dipper as Preston and Priscilla walked over to him.
"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about, boy," Preston said with an amused smirk on his face, picking up a drink from a silver platter that a butler was holding.
"Why don't you tell that to my little friend here." Patrick pulled out the mirror and showed Archibald to the parents. Preston let out a startled gasp while Priscilla screamed and dropped her glass of wine as the ghost in the mirror glared hatefully at them. "Archibald told me everything. He told me about the curse, how all you had to do was let the townsfolk into the party and you would have broken it! But you made me and my cousin do your dirty work instead!"
Patrick turned to Dipper, who looked at his cousin with wide, shock-filled eyes. "You don't believe me? Ask her," Patrick said, nodding to Dipper's crush.
Dipper turned to Pacifica. The moment he made eye contact with her, her mouth felt dry and she tried to talk to him. "Dipper…"
"No, no…" Dipper shook his head in disbelief, backing away from her.
"Dipper, please listen to me," Pacifica said desperately as she stepped towards him. "This was my parents' idea. They made me do it! I should've told you, but-"
Dipper suddenly pushed her back. "Why should I believe you!" He yelled. The young boy was about to speak again, but just turned away from her. Shutting his eyes tightly with fists clenched as harm as they could.
Pacifica frowned and her eyes started to glisten with tears. "Dipper, I'm sorry-" She was cut off when Preston rang the bell. Blushing, Pacifica stepped back and remained silent. Ashamed of her own inability to resist it. Ashamed of everything that happened, and most of all, ashamed of herself.
Preston put away the bell and placed his drink down. He then leaned down threateningly to Patrick's level. Unfazed, Patrick glared at him. "Look at who you're talking to, boy. I'm hosting a party for the most powerful people in the world. You think they'd come here if they had to rub elbows with your kind?"
"You wanna test that statement?" Patrick challenged the rich man, turning to walk toward the lever to open the gate to the town. Preston snapped his fingers. On command, three large servants marched in front of Patrick, blocking his way. The young man looked ready to fight, but was stopped when Dipper spoke up.
"Come on, Patrick. Let's just go," Dipper said, glaring down at the ground. He would have wanted nothing more than to ruin the Northwest's party, but at the moment, he didn't want to spend another moment in the house. Not with Pacifica, who for the first time, Dipper actually started to believe that there was a side to a rich girl that he really did like. But it was nothing more than a lie.
As Patrick backed down, Dipper looked up at Pacifica and glared bitterly at her. "I was right about you all along. You're just as bad as your parents. Another link in the world's worst chain!"
Pacifica looked away with a genuinely distraught expression. Her heart aching even more than ever.
"Enjoy the party!" Preston remarked mockingly at Patrick and Dipper as the two turned and walked towards the open doors. "It's the last time you and your kind will ever come."
Patrick grabbed several candlesticks and started setting them up in a circle around the tree stump the mirror was placed on. While he was outraged with the Northwest and their despicable actions, Patrick knew there was little they could do to get back at them. So, he and Dipper went out into the giant backyard of the mansion to help the ancestor of his girlfriend leave this mortal world.
"Stupid Northwests, making us do their exorcism for them," he grumbled to himself as he lit each candle. A small sniffle made him look up at his cousin. Dipper was sitting on the ground, looking at the exorcism page with a pouting frown.
"Hey, you okay?" Patrick asked.
"Yeah…" Dipper mumbled, wiping away at his nose.
Patrick knew he was lying. Waving out the flame of the match he was holding, Patrick walked over and sat down next to him. "I'm sorry about Pacifica," he said, patting him on the back.
"Let's just get this over with," Dipper said, wanting to get away from the topic of Pacifica. Holding up the journal, he started reading the exorcism. "Hullabaloo, howdy doo! Musty prawns and timbuktu! Yeltzy bye, hippity-"
"Dipper, Patrick!" Archibald called from within the mirror. "Please let me get my vengeance on the Northwests! You two hate them as much as I."
"Hey, I feel you," Dipper said with a bitter frown. "It's just, my sister's in there, and you seem a little unstable, man."
"Very well, boy," Archibald said somberly, hanging his head in defeat. "Then... before you banish my soul, may these tired lumber eyes gaze upon the trees one final time?"
Patrick and Dipper glanced at one another. "We are going to be sending him to the afterlife. It's the least we can do," the older boy said with a shrug. He grabbed the mirror and held it up to the forest. "Here you go."
This would prove to be a grave mistake.
Empowered by the sight of the forest, the ghost started cackling madly and ignited his fiery bread even brighter and hotter. That heat rapidly spread to the mirror, turning it red-hot. Patrick didn't have time to react to what was happening and dropped the mirror as it burned his hand. The silver mirror fell to the ground and instantly shattered on impact. Patrick and Dipper watched in growing horror as Archibald's spirit rose up from the ruined shards and reformed above them.
"Yes! VENGEANCE!" the ghost yelled in triumph when he set his sights on the mansion, speeding towards it. Intent on finishing his unfinished business.
"Oh no! Mabel!" Dipper exclaimed.
"We have to stop him now!" Patrick yelled as the two cousins got up and rushed back towards the mansion.
Back in the mansion, the party was coming to an end as the rain started to roll in outside. Standing at the top of the stairway and standing in front of large barrels of wine, Preston tapped on a pyramid of glass cups with a spoon. The ringing of the glass gained the attention of everyone in the room.
"Thank you all for coming! I think we can all say this party was a rousing success," he said with a smile.
"I guess you could say it was a slam dunk, Presto," said one of the basketball players attending the party.
"Yes, yes, I guess, sure," Preston said unenthusiastically before changing his tone back to happy as he grabbed the top glass and raised it up. "A toast! To our family name-" He was cut off when the glass shattered in his hand. Cutting it up as the sound of laughter filled the ballroom. "What?!"
All of the party guests let out collective gasps as their gasp cups shattered in their hands. Their fear grew as the room's large fireplace swelled, before the ghost of the lumberjack emerged from the flames. Laughing maniacally, he floated high above the crowd of rich and powerful, who were now cowering under him.
"FOR GENERATIONS, I'VE BEEN LOCKED AWAY! BUT NOW MY REVENGE SHALL HAVE ITS DAY!" Archibald shouted as he blasted a blowing beam from his palms.
"Ah, the grim reaper!" Mayor Befufftlefumpter said in his wheelchair. "I'd been wondering when you would arri- Aaah!" He was cut off when one of the beams hit him. The beam froze his body before slowly being turned into wood.
His body fell over as the entire ballroom erupted into complete and utter chaos. Guests began running and screaming in every direction as the ghost blasted his petrifying beams at them. But the horror only intensified as he breathed life back into the dead taxidermy animals. The animals let out their cries as they advanced on the guests, chasing them around. Then nature started to overtake the hall, as vines and tree trucks burst from the floor. Blocking the windows and preventing the guess from leaving.
As for the Northwest, they quickly ran away from the sight of the ghost. They could only watch as their once elegant party and mansion crumbled before their eyes. "Preston, what are we going to do?" Priscilla cried mournfully.
"Prepare the panic room," Preston said coldly like the coward he was, punching a stuffed squirrel off of his shoulder.
When Patrick kicked the front doors open, he and Dipper were breathless and soaking wet from the thunderstorm outside. They stopped immediately within the doorframe and were in shock at the pandemonium and chaos. The horror show was truly unlike anything they'd ever seen before.
One of the guests crawled up to them and reached out towards the boys, begging for help. "Please, help me!" It was too late for the poor soul as his body was transformed into solid wood.
Patrick quickly pushed Dipper back. "Whoa, that is messed up!" The young boy exclaimed, pointing at the man as Archibald laughed.
Running up to him, Patrick called out to lumberjack. "Archibald! You have to stop!"
For a moment, Archibald stopped his attack and turned to face Patrick with a furious expression. "Stop? I've waited one-fifty years for vengeance! Anyone who stands in my way will be SILENCED!" The ghost remorselessly fired a beam at the young man.
Patrick quickly tried jumping out of the way. However, he did not dodge the attack as the beam hit his leg. When Patrick landed on the ground, he looked down and gasped in horror when he saw the wooden curse take effect. As it climbed up his body, Patrick started to panic as he felt his body transforming into hollow, unfeeling wood. "Oh no! No no no no no!" He tried to push against the wood, but it didn't stop.
"Patrick!" Dipper yelled, running over to his cousin. All the while the ghost laughed as he diverted his attention away from the two.
"JUST ONE WAY TO CHANGE YOUR FATES: A NORTHWEST MUST OPEN THE PARTY GATES!" The spector shouted amidst the screams of the terrified guests in the ballroom.
Even as he felt his chest turning into wood, Patrick heard this. "A Northwest?" he asked before gasping in the realization that there might just be hope after all. "...Pacifica! Dipper, you have to get Pacifica to open the gates!"
"But I can't just leave you!" Dipper said as the wood curse spread to Patrick's neck and arms.
"Do it! Before it's too LaaaaaaAAAAAAHHH!" Patrick let his final, agonizing words as the bark spread to his face, completely turning him into wood. Trapping him in an eternal pose of stricken terror.
Dipper stared at his cousin's face as tears welled up in his eyes. "No…" He quivered. The laughter of Archibald snapped him out of it and he looked around desperately for Pacifica. Knowing his cousin was right, Dipper took off to find the blonde girl. Hoping that she'd be the key to turning this whole mess around.
His search would lead him back to the secret room they'd discovered. The room where they caught the ghost the first time. Pacifica was sitting alone in the dark, knees pulled to her chest as she messed with a flashlight. Flicking it on and off with her head bowed low in shame.
"Pacifica!" Dipper shouted, bursting into the room before looking to his right to see the heiress. The blonde girl seemed to pay him no mind whatsoever as he ran over and leaned down right next to her. She did, however, turn the flashlight back on and left it like that. "There you are! The ghost is turning everyone to wood, and he just started rhyming, for some reason?" He questioned that last part, but quickly grabbed her hand and attempted to tug Pacifica up. "He got Patrick! I need your help!" Pacifica pulled her hand away bitterly. "Pacifica?"
"You wanna know why this room was locked up?" Pacifica began, still averting his gaze as she shined the flashlight up to a set of paintings a few feet away from them. "This is what I found in here."
They were the same painting Dipper saw in the hallway, but now they showed the truth. Depicting the Northwests of old taking part in terrible, cruel, and downright despicable acts against humanity and nature. Tricking natives off their land, robbing people, and massive killing animals for their fur. There were many more horrible acts too numerous to list across the family's history.
Dipper looked at it all with wide eyes filled with dread. "Is this…"
"A painted record of every horrible thing that my family's ever done. Lying, cheating, killing...and then there's me." She shined the flashlight on herself, showing her guilt and shame to Dipper before turning off the light. "I lied to you and your cousin just because I'm too scared to talk back to my stupid parents!" In a fit of rage, the blonde heiress took off her diamond earrings and threw them at a painting of Preston and Priscilla Northwest. Letting out a sigh of defeat, she looked at Dipper with tears welling in her eyes. "You were right about me. I am just another link in the world's worst chain."
As she tried to hold back the sobs in her throat, Dipper looked at Pacifica and started to feel bad for her. Now that he knew she was only following her parents' rigid orders into tricking him, he couldn't help but feel bad for his harshness towards her.
The young girl let out a small, tearful breath as she felt Dipper grab her hand and gently hold it. Looking into her eyes with a sincerely sympathetic expression. "Pacifica, I'm sorry about what I said earlier. But just because you're your parents' daughter doesn't mean you have to be like them," he said, trying to help her and encourage her to be better. For this, Pacifica couldn't help but smile at him. "It's not too late."
"IT'S TOO LATE!" The ghost's shouted triumphantly could be heard from the ballroom, startling the pair out of their tender moment.
"Oh no!" Still holding hands, Dipper and Pacifica ran out of the room and hurried back into the main hall. Only for them to let out a horrified gasp.
"You are all wood!" Archibald proclaimed victoriously from his spot at the top of the stairs, overlooking his work. Just like Patrick, Candy, Mabel, and Grenda had become wooden statues. Stuck in angry, arguing poses. The entire ballroom had become a forest of death, as it looked like the forest had completely reclaimed the inside of the mansion. All of the party guests were turned into wooden statues, frozen in terror.
Turning away from the Pompeii-like scene, Dipper looked at Pacifica with pleading eyes. "Pacifica, the curse can be broken if the gates to the town are opened, but it has to be a Northwest who does it."
"But...But what about my parents?" Pacifica asked fearfully, looking around to find them. However, they were nowhere to be found. "They'd…"
Dipper comforted her by placing his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Patrick once told me that courage is doing what you're afraid to do. I know you're afraid of disobeying your parents, but you can only be you who saves everyone."
Pacifica stared at Dipper for a moment with wide eyes, however, she knew that he was right. Right now, she was the only one that could save everyone. She nodded and ran towards the lever.
The grandfather clock struck midnight. "A forest of death, a lesson learned. And now the Northwest Manor will BURN!" Archibald used his ghostly powers to set the manor on fire. He laughed as he started with the portrait of Preston, Priscilla, and a young Pacifica that hung over the fireplace. And once the fire spreads, it'll burn down the mansion he and his kin built, along with everyone inside.
His vengeance would be completed.
"Hey, ugly! Over here!" Pacifica shouted. She stood before the front doors of the mansion. Archibald turned to glare at her as she glared back at him with determination and resolve. "You want me to let in the townsfolk? 'Cause I'll do it! Just change everyone back!
"YOU WISH TO PROVE YOURSELF?" The ancient Corduroy challenged the young girl. "PULL THAT LEVER AND OPEN THE GRAND GATE TO THE TOWN! FULFILL YOUR ANCESTORS' PROMISE!"
With her expression hardened, Pacifica reached out to grab the lever when a noise stopped her. A few feet away from her, an underground hatch opened from the floor with Preston and Priscilla Northwest and a butler sticking their heads out. "Pacifica Elise Northwest, stop this instant!" Her father ordered her in a harsh tone. "We can't let the town see us like this! We have a reputation to uphold!"
"Reputation?" Dipper asked, completely appalled as he walked out of his hiding spot. "Your mansion is about to burn to the ground! Everyone that's been turned to wood is going to die and you're worried about your family's reputation?!"
"Yes, I am!" Preston proclaimed adamantly as he scowled at Dipper. "Our family name was built on power and position! But you wouldn't understand, seeing how you're not rich!" He then turned back to his daughter. "Now, Pacifica, come into the panic room. There's enough mini-sandwiches and oxygen to last you, me, and a butler a full week." He quickly whispered to her as he pointed to the servant. "We'll eat the butler!"
"Don't listen to him, Pacifica! Pull the lever!" Dipper exclaimed.
As her former fears of disobeying her parents quickly faded, Pacifica looked back at the level and reached for it. Leaving Preston in disbelief. "You dare to disobey us?" He then pulled out that dreaded bell from his suit's pocket and started ringing.
The sound of the ring made Pacifica flinch as she nervously reached for the lever as he continued to ring it. Her instincts told her to obey. To be submissive to her family's wishes.
"Pacifica," Dipper said, gaining her attention. "You can do it."
Pacifica stared at him for a moment as her resolve started to return. For as long as she could remember, she was always told to place her family's name on a pedestal as the shining example of greatness. But now her eyes were opened to all of her family's terrible acts. Pacifica was a part of this family, but thanks to Dipper, she wasn't going to continue the cycle. She was finished with that damn bell. Done with her parents treating her like a dog and trying to mold her into someone she didn't want to be. Pacifica didn't want to be like her parents. She didn't want to continue the Northwest legacy of cheating and dishonesty. She wanted to do the right thing. She wanted to change. She wanted to be free.
And she'll start by fixing her family's first great sin.
"Dingly, dingly!" Preston growled in frustration as he rang the bell harder when Pacifica didn't listen to him. "Is this fucking bell broken?"
"Our family name is broken!" Pacifica shouted, stomping foot. With determination, the Northwest girl grabbed the lever. "And I'm gonna fix it!"
With all her strength Pacifica pulled the lever. Archibald gasped and the mechanism activated.
Outside, at long last, the main gate swung open to the common townsfolk. Wendy was still with her family, bored of protesting when the gates opened. She and the rest of her family stopped their shouting, as they and the citizens of Gravity Falls gasped in shock and amazement at this unexpected turn of events.
"Git it! Git it!" Tyler said with stars in his eyes.
With a smile growing on her family, Wendy was one of the first to run forward. She would be followed by members of her family and then everyone that was waiting outside of the gate. All of them were delighted to finally be allowed inside the legendary Northwest Fest for the first time.
"YES, YES, IT'S HAPPENING!" Archibald happily cried as his descendants and the townsfolk excitedly ran up to the Mansion. "MY HEART, ONCE HARD AS OAK, now grows soft like more of a... birch, or something."
As a result of the ghost's satisfaction and the promise made long ago being fulfilled, the curse placed on the mansion was finally lifted. The taxidermied animals reverted back to being still as the plant life that had taken over the ballroom disappeared back into the ground. At the same time, all the petrified party guests were turned back to normal, including Patrick. When he turned back to normal, he let out a startled gasp and glanced around the hall. Dipper walked over and helped him stand up.
Dipper then looked over at Pacifica, who was still standing near the lever. She smiled warmly at him before the ghost addressed her. "Pacifica, you are not like the other Northwests," Archibald said with a proud smile. "I feel... lumber justice…" Having finally found peace, the ghost of Archibald Corduroy faded into nothing. Leaving the world of the living while leaving behind the ax in his head, which fell to the floor slammed its blade into the ground. Remaining the only remaining sign of the destruction he caused.
A moment later, and the sound of rumbling could be heard coming from outside. The doors of the manor burst open as the people of Gravity Falls entered the party. The common folk of the town ran about as they stuffed their faces at the buffet tables, lept into the cider fountains, and touched just about every expensive object they could find. They were having the time of their lives and their arrival brought a level of reckless fun and freedom to the party. The only ones not enjoying this sudden change in the party were Preston and Priscilla, who were appalled and helpless to stop what their own daughter just did.
"Good God, the riffraff! They're everywhere!" The billionaire cried and saw Tyler giggling as he picked up a fork and placed it down again. "That's not how the fork should be placed!"
Patrick laughed at his distress before noticing a familiar figure running towards him. "Patrick!" Wendy exclaimed, throwing her arms around him and he spun her around.
"Whoa! Wendy!" Patrick laughed and placed her back on the ground. Still feeling stiff from being turned into wood.
"What in the world are you doing here? Are you wearing a suit?" She asked, noticing Patrick's nice clothes that he wore for their date. "Did you get invited to the party?"
"It's a long story," Patrick said.
"Pacifica Elise Northwest!" Preston shouted angrily, catching the attention of Patrick and Wendy. The head of the Northwest family marched up to Pacifica. "You little brat!" He slapped her hard across the face.
"Hey! Hey!" Patrick yelled, moving past his girlfriend and dashing over to the two. He roughly pushed Preston back away from his daughter and put himself between him and Pacifica as everyone stopped what they were doing to watch. "What the hell are you doing?!"
"How dare you touch me! I am the wealthiest and most powerful man in this backwater town! I could make your life a living hell if I wanted to!" Preston growled angrily at the teenage boy that pushed him before turning his attention to Pacifica, who was rubbing her cheek. "And as for you, young lady. You brought shame to our family!"
"I brought shame to the family?" Pacifica asked, appalled. "You were the one who left everyone to die. I'm done being your puppet. I'm going to fix our family name and make things right again!"
"Oh yeah? You and what army?" Preston asked with a smug look on his face.
Patrick stood with Pacifica as the two glared at him, before Dipper, Mabel, Candy, Grenda joined them along with Grenda's new boyfriend, Marius. "Well…" Dipper began, pausing when more joined them. And they were all most of the party guests that Preston and Priscilla had invited. People who they saw as their friends and equals due to their money, fame, and positions now turned their backs on the man who left them to die just to save himself and stood behind Pacifica, who was shocked, but grateful nonetheless. "...just some people she saved tonight. Aka, the most powerful people in the world."
Seeing the group opposing him, Preston nervously laughed as he took a step back. Backing up in Manly Dan. The billionaire whipped around to see Manly Dan with his arms crossed and glaring down at him, along with every one of the Corduroy family. Including Wendy, who walked over to be at her boyfriend's side.
Quickly stepping away from both them and the guests, Preston glanced between the two before glaring at Patrick. "This isn't over." He hissed threateningly.
"Oh, I believe it is," Patrick said with a smirk. He grabbed a glass of apple cider and raised it mockingly. "Enjoy the party, old sport. It'll be the last time you ever keep it away from the rest of the town."
Preston turned and walked away in a huff with his wife as everyone cheered and happily returned to enjoying the party. The group that stood up for Pacifica did just that, leaving her and Dipper alone together. Both are more than happy with how things ended and to see justice being served.
"Man, your family are a bunch of idiots for hating this," Dipper remarked with a small laugh. "This is great."
"Enjoy it while it lasts. Next year I'm sure they'll find a way to lock everyone out again" Pacifica huffed, crossing her arms. But then she turned to give a small smile to Dipper. "But thanks...for everything. It felt...kind of nice...to do something good for a change."
"Well, if you run into any more trouble with your parents, the Mystery Shack is always open to you," Dipper offered with a slight blush and a shrug. The blush was mimicked by Pacifica.
"T-Thanks," she said sheepishly before giving him a flirtatious grin. "But it'll take more than my parents to ever make me go back to that dumpster."
Dipper couldn't help but laugh at that. Knowing that she was joking. He then noticed something that made his smile grow. "Hey. Guess what we're standing on," he said, looking down.
Pacifica glanced down and gasped. She was standing on her parents' favorite white carpet pattern with shoes still covered in mud. Dipper cleared his throat. Looking back at him, Pacifica saw he had his eyes closed, stood up straight, and had one hand behind his back.
"May I have this day?" Dipper asked while holding out his hand to her. He was trying to act charming, but it was cheer he was nervous.
Pacifica laughed and placed her hand on his, which he grasped. "I'd be honored," she said, trying to sound all formal. Together, the pair started to slow dance on the carpet. Both of them dragged the mud on their feet across the fabric. From that point, neither of them was really able to hold in their laughter as they tarnished the carpet without a care in the world. Their feelings for one another secretly growing inside of them.
Watching the two was Patrick, and he too had a big smile on his face. Happy to see his cousin having a good time. And with a girl nonetheless. Standing next to him, Wendy also watched with a smile. "They really are cute together, aren't they?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said with a nod.
Placing her soda down, Wendy nodded her head to the side in a gesture to follow her. "Come on. I wanna introduce you to the family," she said, pointing with her thumb to the Corduroy clan a few feet away from them.
"Uh, really?" Patrick asked, surprised and a little nervous. "W-Well I'm not really ready. Are you sure they'll like me?"
Wendy playfully punched him in the arm. "Come on, man. You and Dipper ended the feud and helped our ancestors find peace. Trust me, they'll love you. Just wait right here," she said, walking over to her family. Truthfully Wendy didn't know how they'll react to her boyfriend. Making it a habit of never introducing her past boyfriends to her dad or extended family. But with Patrick being the guy she knew and loved, the lumberjack girl was more than confident they'd like him.
Patrick quickly tried to wipe off his clothes and comb his hair to make himself more presentable. While he was able to clean up his red shirt and dress vest, his hair turned back into its messy state. Before he could attempt to do it again, Patrick was approached by Old Man McGucket. "Woo! Scobbity-doo! Hornswaggle m' goat knees!" He exclaimed, hopping up and down in his usual zany way.
"Whoa-ho-ho, hey, McGucket!" Patrick greeted with a bright smile. He was surprised to see the old man back to his happy self in the aftermath of recovering his lost memories. "How's it going-Whoa!" He was cut off when McGucket dropped the act and suddenly pulled him aside.
They dashed around a corner to speak in private. "Patrick! I've been lookin' for ya," said the hillbilly as he put on his glass and plucked the laptop from his beard, which now looked much better than it had been before. "I fixed the laptop. I've been doin' calculations, and I think something terrible is comin'! The apocalypse! The End Times!"
Patrick looked down at the laptop and reached for it. However, he paused for a moment when he remembered just how much trouble that device brought him and his family. He glanced up and saw Wendy talking with her grandparents about her new boyfriend. They appear to be more than happy to meet Patrick, while Manly Dan isn't all that happy. Mabel and Candy were busy eating sweets at the buffet table, while Grenda talked to her new boyfriend. Dipper and Pacifica were running around laughing and having a food fight. While he was concerned about the hillbilly's frantic warnings, Patrick didn't want to spend the rest of the night worrying about something that might not really be as big of a threat at all.
That's why when he placed his hand on the laptop, he gently pushed it back to McGucket. "You know what, McGucket? How about we talk about this stuff tomorrow?"
"Eh?" McGucket looked at him with confusion.
"Patrick!" Wendy called from where she was standing with her family. Smiling brightly as she beckoned him to join her.
"I'll be right over!" Patrick called back to her, before turning back to hillbilly with a smile and a shrug. "It's a party. Let's have some fun for once, huh?"
"But-!" McgGucket exclaimed, trying to stop him to no avail. Patrick walked away with a smile and went over to finally introduce himself to Wendy's family.
However, in doing so, Patrick would remain unaware of the crucial information McGucket had just uncovered. Information that would prove to be critically important for Patrick and the Mystery Team. The hillbilly opened the laptop, its screen blaring the words "IMMINENT THREAT" in bright red, with what appeared to be a countdown steadily blinking on it, showing that whatever he was afraid of, it was going to happen in less than twenty-four hours.
"Oh, this is bad! Something's coming! Something big!" He said nervously. As the hillbilly continued to freak out over his finding, he remained completely unaware of a tapestry behind him. One that foretold the very cataclysmic event he feared was coming. It depicted a triangle eye of the one and only Bill Cipher in the sky above a burning landscape and cowering figures. Below the worshippers were skulls and bones lying on the ground. It could only mean one thing.
The world was going to end within 24 hours.
AU: And here we are. Another much-anticipated chapter. This one was one I've been looking forward to doing for a while now as it's one of my favorite episodes of Gravity Falls.
I know that a lot of you wanted to see Wendy go to the party, but I already had plans for her in this chapter. She was going to be in the chapter, but her role wasn't as big, which makes sense if you think about it. Since this party was the reason her family started the feud with the Northwest, it would make sense that they would protest it every year. Gathered together by their hatred for the family and what they did to their family all those years ago. At least she would be able to enjoy the party with her boyfriend and introduce him to her family.
Most of the story plays out the same, with some key elements being changed. For instance, the ghost is introduced as Archibald Corduroy, the ancestor of Wendy Corduroy. And Patrick was the one that got turned into wood instead of Dipper.
And speaking of Dipper, we get to see him and Pacifica become close in this chapter, with them even dancing together. Also, Patrick kind of tries to be like Dipper's wingman. Wingman! Flying with the eagles! Wingman! Lol props to anyone who knows where that came from.
Patrick also gets the money the Northwests owed him and Stan for the firework run.
And we get to see Pacifica stand up to her father again after letting in the townsfolk. This was heavily inspired by Moringmark's comic strip "A.K.A the most powerful people in the world".
Next up is the moment we've all been waiting for. We're SO close to the end, I'm so excited! But for now, I'm going to go back and work on "Gem of War." I think what I'll do is zigzag between my other stories and "Weirder Things", seeing as I'm able to make the chapters for this story much faster than the others and bringing us much closer to the end a little faster.
Thank you very much for reading. "Weirder Things" will return. Please be sure to Favorite and Follow if you like the story and review it so that I know that I'm doing good and what to improve. If you have any questions or discussions, you'd have for me, then please in a Review or a PM me.
Thank you for reading and, in parting, I wish you all love, peace, health, God's blessing, and to have a wonderful day.