It took Soos a long moment to process what just had happened.

Around him, people kept screaming. Someone was shaking him, but Soos couldn't even start to understand who it could be. His eyes were fixed on the spot where the Pines family were sitting not even a minute ago.

"Soos!" someone yelled in his ears. "Snap out of it!"

"Huh?" He shook his head. "W-What's going on? What just happened?"

"That's what I'm wondering too!" Wendy shouted.

It was this—the hint of panic in Wendy's voice—that finally snapped Soos out of his stupor.

"Mr. Pines!" Soos cried, running toward where the man had been moments prior. "Dipper, Mabel!" Of course, screaming their names was useless.

They were gone.

He stumbled backward, nearly falling from his feet. That couldn't be true, it had to be a nightmare. He pinched the skin of his arm, wincing at the sharp sting of pain. "Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no…"

"Soos!" said a familiar voice. Melody was supporting Abuelita, who was trembling from head to toe. "What's happening?!"

"Y-You guys!" Soos blubbered, rushing to his girlfriend and his grandmother. "Are you alright, are you—"

"I-I am fine, m'ijo," Abuelita managed, while Melody put a hand to his cheek, saying, "I'm alright too. But what was that thing?"

"It's just like how Weirdmaggedon started," Pacifica said, face drained of all blood. "That hole above us, it looked just the same as that thing in the sky back then."

"Do you think he's back?" Candy said. "Dipper and Mabel said their uncles had killed him!"

"Stan was supposed to have lost all of his memories too!" Pacifica interjected.

"He can't be back, we beat him!" Grenda said. "We beat him, we did!"

"Everyone, calm down!" Melody said. "We won't be of any help if we just start panicking, right?"

Soos turned grateful, tear-filled eyes toward her. He never loved her more than he did at that moment.

"She's right," Wendy said, having regained a bit of her usual composure. "Flailing around won't help us find out what happened. We need to focus."

"Hey," said Pacifica, "where's McGucket?"

Everyone shared the same look of horror.

"I saw him running," Abuelita said. "Away from here. Toward the forest."

"Wait, he was Dr. Pines' assistant back in the day, that means—" The gears started to turn in Soos' head, and he finally understood. "Oh, no! He must have been scared 'cause it reminded him of Dr. Pines' portal!"

"What do you mean?" Candy said.

"There's no time!" Pacifica said. "Let's go after him!"

Soos squeezed Melody's hands. "Watch over Abuelita for me, please!" In response, she kissed him on the cheek.

They rushed into the woods, calling McGucket's name as loudly as they could. It was dark, and the glow from their cellphones was barely enough to light the way. Finally, Soos saw a figure cowering beside a tree. McGucket was holding his head in his hands, muttering something over and over.

"Mr. McGucket?" Soos asked, as nicely as he could. "Are you alright, dude?"

"When Gravity Falls, when Earth Becomes Sky," the old man kept repeating. "The Beast with One Eye, the Beast, the Beast…"

Soos slowly approached him. "It's alright, Mr. McGucket. There's no danger, we're alright, dude."

"The Beast with One Eye," Pacifica said. "You don't think he means…"

"He's gone," said Soos. "Bill's gone, y'know?"

McGucket jumped at the sound of that name. "B-But gravity fell. Stanferd and the others, they're…"

"We'll get them back," Wendy said, putting a hand over his shoulder. "We'll find a way to open another of those dimensional portals and—"

"NO!" McGucket slapped her hand away.

"What's the other option?" Wendy said, in half a growl. "Just letting them die in some freak dimension? No effin' way!"

McGucket tugged at his beard, eyes wide, pupils dilating. For a moment, he looked quite like his past, nuttier self. "Open 'nother portal? An' let all manners of demons and nasty beasties pour through?" He threw back his head, laughing.

"U-Um," Candy said, "that's not a very reassuring possibility…"

"Who cares?" Grenda said, pounding one fist in her open palm. "We'll just kick their butts again, just like we did with the jerks from last summer!"

"My point exactly," said Wendy. "Gravity Falls is still standing because of the twins and Stan. If not for them, we'd already be demon chow."

"What about Dr. Pines?" said Soos. "We've got to save him too!"

"Stanferd?" McGucket said, with another bark of demented laughter. "Pro'bly in a hell of his own makin'! Tha's how it always goes, anyway!"

Soos' heart broke in two. He thought McGucket had already forgiven Dr. Pines…

The old man stopped laughing, however, when Pacifica marched up to him, giving him a slap behind the head. "Get it together, McGucket! You won't let a petty grudge get in the way of saving Dipper and Mabel, will you? I know what they did for you! What they did for us!" She sighed, eventually putting a hand over his arm. "And you don't hate Stan's brother that much, do you? He's your friend, isn't he?"

McGucket looked at her, and for a moment Soos could not read his expression. Finally, he straightened his spine and adjusted his spectacles. "Yer right. Good kiddies, gave me my m'mories back. A'ight. 'mma do it fer them." After an instant, he added, "Fer Stanferd, too. He's good people."

"Finally!" Pacifica said, rolling her eyes, while Candy went to hug McGucket, saying, "Thank you, thank you!"

Soos let out the breath he hadn't known he had been holding. Wendy patted him on the back.

"See?" she said. "We've got this figured out. We'll get them back in time for your birthday, I swear."

Soos swallowed back one last sob and only nodded, throat too tight to let out any words.

Ford clung to his brother as they surged through a swirling vortex of colours and formless shapes. He knew perfectly well where he'd ended up: the inside of a dimensional wormhole, a sight that he had seen hundreds of times before.

A sight he had hoped to never see again.

Ford's stomach gave a painful lurch as they were ejected out of the other end of the wormhole. It took several precious seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dark purple sky and its lack of light. An alien sky, with two moons hanging above their heads. Not home, Ford instinctively knew.

His heart leaped in his throat when he realized he'd released his hold on Stanley.

Ford screamed his brother's name as the pull of gravity began to drag him downward. Fear shot through him when he saw two other small figures falling alongside him and Stan. Much like Ford's brother, the children were silent, their eyes closed, their bodies limp.

The ground came faster than he would have thought, and the air was knocked out of Ford's lungs as he hit the dirt. Apparently, they had not fallen from a great height; it was a small consolation, but one he welcomed nonetheless. Despite the pain flaring everywhere in his body, Ford forced himself to his feet, nearly tumbling back to the ground in the process.

"Stan! KIDS!" Ford shouted, limping toward where the man and the two children had landed. "Oh god, please, no, please, please…"

He made a strangled little noise when one of them groaned. Mabel was sitting up, her head lolling a bit. Her brother tugged on her arm to get himself off the ground. Finally, Stan let out a series of mumbled curses, rolling onto his back as his eyes opened.

It took all of Ford's willpower to not lock them into a hug and never let go.

Instead, he crouched at their sides, saying, "Are you alright? Any injuries, any lingering nausea?"

"Ugh," said Mabel. "Eating so much at supper was a bad idea…"

"You're too young to have regrets, sweetie," Stan muttered. There was a flash of lucidity in his eyes, and he abruptly sat up. "Wait, what? What the hell happened? Where are we?"

Dipper was rubbing his head. His arm dropped limply to his side when he caught sight of the purple horizon peering from behind the jagged mountain peaks. "Oh. Oh man. That doesn't look like, uh, anything back home…"

"We were sucked in a dimensional vortex," Ford said. "Where we are… well, your guess is as good as mine."

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on," said Stan. "Whaddaya mean, dimensional vortex? Are you sayin' we're in…"

"Another world," Dipper said, in half a squeak.

Ignoring Ford's protests, Stan got up on wobbly feet. "That doesn't make any sense!" he shouted. "Ford destroyed that stupid portal. And that rift thing is gone too!"

"Sometimes dimensional tears do end up forming by accident," Ford said, quietly. "It's very rare, but it's possible. It's how… well, how I travelled for thirty years, after all."

Three pairs of eyes fell on him, and Ford winced, uncomfortable with the scrutiny. Eventually, Stan dropped to his knees, face bone white. The twins clung to each other in silence, sharing the same miserable look.

"What's that over you?" Stan said, voice slightly hoarse. He dusted off his brother in an absentminded manner. "Is that glitter?"

"Well, thanks to Fiddleford and his—" Ford hit his forehead with his palm. "Fiddleford! And the others! Are they alright?"

"Whoa, easy there, pal," said Stan. "I'm sure your hillbilly pal is fine. He's made of strong stuff, nothing can put him down. He's like, a cockroach or somethin'."

"Stanley!" Ford said, outraged.

"Hey, I know he's your best buddy forever or whatever it is kids say nowadays, but I've known the guy longer than you. He's resilient, y'know." Stan gave a pause. "Like a cockroach."

"Grunkle Stan!" the twins said simultaneously.

"I meant it as a compliment!"

"What about my friends?" Mabel said. "And Soos, and Wendy, and Waddles—"

"I'm sure they're alright," Dipper said, only sounding halfway convinced himself. "Candy and Grenda will keep an eye on Waddles, don't you worry."

"Yeah, as for Soos an' Wendy…" This time, a hint of worry did show on Stan's face. "Wendy's more a force of nature than, y'know, a normal human being. An' Soos is…" Again, Stan faltered. "Well, he's a crybaby, but…"

"You guys!" Dipper suddenly cried out, jumping to his feet. "Do you hear that? I think someone's coming!"

Indeed, a strange whirring was coming from somewhere over the hill. Ford tensed as he realized what it sounded like.

The engine of a hovercraft.

"Everyone," he said through grit teeth, "run!"

They headed downhill, stumbling in the purple gloom. Ford saw the outline of what seemed to be a large stony outcropping. He gestured at Stan and the children to hide under it, before taking his gun from its holster.

"Wait, did you have a gun under your coat all this time?" Stan wheezed. "We were at a birthday party! A birthday party with children!"

Ford ignored him, only aiming in the direction opposite of where the vehicle was going. The flare left the barrel of the gun in near perfect silence, describing a long arc before disintegrating in a loud explosion far away from their position. Voices erupted from the hovercraft, and Ford let out a sigh of relief when he heard it speeding away.

"So cool…" Dipper said in an awed whisper.

"Let's go!" Ford told Stan and the children. "That won't hold their attention for long."

"It'd be easier if we could just see where the hell we're going," Stan hissed back.

"I think I've seen some lights down the valley," Dipper said. "Do you think it could be a city?"

"It might be," Ford said. "For now, it's our best bet. I'll take the lead, Stan, you close the rear."

Thankfully, neither Stan nor the children thought to oppose Ford's instructions. The twins held hands as they followed Ford like two tiny shadows. Mabel was babbling, but Ford didn't have the heart to tell her to keep quiet.

"It'll be like going camping with Mom and Dad," she told Dipper, probably more for her own benefit than for her brother's sake. "We just need to take it like an adventure, you'll see…"

"An adventure," Dipper mumbled. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Right? It's, like, a family road trip or something!"

"Mabel, it's not a road trip if we haven't got a car."

"Well, I'm sure Grunkle Stan will fix that. Won't you, Grunkle Stan?"

"Wait, you actually want me to steal one?" Stan replied. "And here I thought you kids disapproved of that kind of stuff."

After a while, Ford tuned out their chatter. He didn't know how long they walked. The sky stayed in a perpetual state of twilight, offering no indication of the passage of time. Still, he pushed forward, ignoring the pain and the fatigue settling in his aging bones.

At least the hill was not very steep. The ground was covered by pale tufts of a grass-like plant that swayed as if caught in a breeze. Here and there, they found a few trees with crooked, leafless branches. Their bone-white bark emitted a soft glow, and upon closer inspection, Ford realized that the herb at their feet shimmered faintly as well. Sometimes, Ford spied some movement out the corner of his eye; luminous insects buzzed in the air, looking more like motes of light than living beings.

For a moment, Ford was struck with nostalgia, and his pace slowed. A part of him wanted nothing more than to sit down and describe these new wonders in written form. It took the sound of the kids' footsteps to snap him out of his daze. Ford allowed himself one glance behind, and they stared back at him, little faces filled with curiosity and concern. He inhaled sharply as he pressed on. More was at stake than his own sorry skin right now.

Eventually, they saw a glow coming from downhill. There was a city nestled in the valley, one that bustled with light and life. The bigger buildings were pyramidal in nature, and canals crisscrossed the outermost districts. Ford frowned; was it just him or did the place feel familiar?

Stan was looking at the distant buildings with a strange expression. He did not move, did not say anything, he simply… stared, mouth slightly open. His gaze seemed to be fixed on the largest pyramidal structure that could be seen below. In a flat voice, he muttered, so softly that Ford wasn't sure he'd heard correctly, "That temple…"

Ford went to grab his brother's arm. "Stanley?" he said, trying to hide the worry from his voice. "Stan, can you hear me?"

Stan's eyes were as empty of life as they had been when Ford had shattered his mind. Mabel let out a little whine that broke Ford's heart in two, while Dipper froze, his face going pale.

For nearly a minute, Stan didn't say anything. Then, his eyebrows furrowed.

"Wha…?" he said. "Yeah, I can hear you, what's the problem?"

"Are you alright?"

"Of course I am." Stan snorted. "You've become worse than Ma with your fussin', y'know? It'd be funny if it wasn't so annoying."

Ford exhaled loudly, unable to say more.

"You okay there, bro?" Stan asked. "You're not firing those witty comebacks as fast as usual."

"Just tired. We should be moving, anyway. We need to find information about our, uh, new vacation spot."

"'kay," Stan said. He dropped his voice to add, "Jus' so we clear something up…"

"Our priority is to get the children home, yes," Ford replied in a mutter.

Stan nodded. "Good. Glad we're on the same wavelength. I don't care about the rest. We gotta get these kids back where they belong, no matter what."

"No matter what," Ford repeated, treating it almost like an oath.

"Hey!" said Mabel. "What are you two whispering about?"

Stan went to ruffle her hair. "Nothing that should worry you, cupcake. What's that you were sayin' about you and your folks going camping?"

As they walked away, Mabel excitedly told him about some time she had gone on a vacation with her parents. Ford sighed again, removing his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose.

"Does it happen often? Him acting like that?"

Ford noticed Dipper standing by his side. "More often than I would wish," he admitted quietly. So far, Stan's memory lapses had been short and easily dispelled, but each of these episodes had hit Ford worse than a punch in the guts.

There was something accusing in his nephew's eyes. "You should have told us."

"I know," said Ford. "I'm sorry, my boy."

"I get it that you want to protect us or whatever, but we're not little kids anymore. I'd rather know what's happening even if it makes me sad or scared. Mabel feels the same."

"Alright," Ford said. "I won't let you in the dark in the future."

"Thanks, Great Uncle Ford," Dipper said, before running to join his sister and uncle.

Ford wondered how long it would take him to break that promise.

They continued their trek downhill, Ford's pace now slowed down by the children and Stan's increasing exhaustion. As they approached the city, they came upon several derelict buildings. The ruins of a farming village, most likely.

Ford tried not to see it as a bad omen.

"Oh man," Dipper said. "place looks almost haunted…" Ford was amused to realize the boy was more curious than scared.

"Oooh, spooky!" Mabel said, making wiggly motions with her fingers. "Wonder what happened? Do you think it was bloody?"

"Who cares?" said Stan. "We could get some rest here. And hide from those guys and their sci-fi thingamajig."

"Good idea," said Ford.

He inspected the different buildings, trying to find one that seemed sturdy enough to serve as shelter. In the end, they headed toward the ruined structure of a barn. The walls were still standing, and most of the roof was intact. It also wasn't built in a pyramidal shape, and while Ford knew it was only his paranoia talking, he didn't want his family to spend the night in anything with fewer than four sides. A bit of straw (or this dimension's equivalent, thereof) was piled up in a corner. This place hadn't been abandoned as long as Ford had thought, then.

Mabel let herself fall on the straw with a contented sigh. Her brother sat beside her, fidgeting with his hat. Ford could hear his teeth chattering.

Eventually, Stan gave his coat to Dipper. "Here. I know it's got this gross old man smell and whatnot, but at least ya won't freeze to death."

"What about you?" Dipper said. "Won't you get cold?"

"Meh, I'll be fine," Stan said with a shrug. "Got a ton of, uh, reserves from eating so much junk. It'll keep me warm. Jus' go to sleep, kid."

"Sure," Dipper said with a frown. "It is kinda smelly, though…"

"Shut it before I take it back."

Ford handed his coat to his niece. "Stanley's got the right idea. Take my coat, Mabel."

"But you don't have enough body fat to keep you warm!" Mabel protested.

Stan's eye twitched. "Oy. If this keeps up, I'll just let some local wildlife take a chomp outta you brats."

The kids laughed weakly. To Ford's relief, it did not take long for them to fall asleep. Dipper used Stan's bomber jacket much like a sleeping bag, only a bit of brown hair sticking out. His sister was snoring softly, looking especially tiny wearing Ford's coat.

For his part, Ford remained on his feet, and it took him every ounce of willpower he had to stop himself from pacing.

"Hey," Stan said. "You alright, Poindexter?"

"As much as I could be in the current situation," Ford said wearily. "You should sleep too. I'll take it from here."

"Nah, I'll be fine. You're the one who should get some rest. You sleep, what, an average of three hours at night?" He snorted when Ford threw him an annoyed glance. "Not to mention, I don't see a coffee machine anywhere. Running on caffeine like you always do is not an option right now."

For a moment, Ford just scowled at him. Finally, he sat beside his brother. "Wake me up in a few hours," he said, voice gruffer than he intended. "So I can take over."

"Can do." There was a lengthy silence, before Stan added, "It's a shame, though. The kids spent so much time preparing that party, and now the whole thing's just…" He sighed, shaking his head. "Never mind. Should just let you sleep."

Ford managed a smile. "That's okay. I can understand your disappointment. I was looking forward to eating that cake, actually."

"Yeah," Stan said with a weak chuckle. "Me too. Anyway, g'night, bro."

"Good night, Stanley."