It wasn't until a newspaper blew in her face that Pacifica realized she'd gone back a day early.

Good. That meant she had more time to come up with an actual plan.

Gravity Falls in the 1850s wasn't that much different from the one she remembered. There was the weird farmer guy's ancestor on the hunt for witches, and a dead ringer for Tyler Cutebiker was betting on a hog fight. And just off the hill sat a...herd? Gaggle? Forest?-

A group of lumberjacks who's leader looked very familiar.

"I've got to get onto the construction site." Pacifica thought. "Alright, be casual."

"Wat'cha doin'"

"Not that casual!"

"Oh, hello little girl." Archibald said, somewhat confused. "I don't think I've seen you in town before."

"Oh, I'm just visiting." "Technically not a lie, actually." "This construction site sure looks interesting. I always kind of wanted to be a lumber worker."

"Totally a lie."

"Well, I suppose I could give you a tour, just don't tell your uncle."

"Wha-I…"

"Oh come on, it's obvious you're related to him. Frankly I'm surprised he let you out of the house."

"And here we are." Archibald bellowed, sounding like a game show host despite those not being invented yet. "The finest mansion wood can create, and your future home, Northwest Manor!"

"It's taken years of backbreaking labor, but by tomorrow, the mansion will be complete, and we'll all receive first class tickets to the world's greatest party!"

It's not really possible to describe the sound of 30ish extremely athletic men cheering in anticipation of a night they will never see. You kind of have to be there.

"I heard they have an entire fountain made of cider!"

"I heard there's a live quail in every gift bag!"

"I probably won't even be able to pronounce half of the food I'll eat there!"

"Uh, about the party." Pacifica confided in her tour guide. "My uncle is kind of a tool. I doubt he'll let anyone but his rich friends past the front gates."

"A contract is a contract." Archibald insisted. "Nathanial may be standoffish, but he wouldn't risk alienating his entire workforce! Believe me, there is nothing scarier than an angry lumberjack."

"Oh, I believe it."

Pacifica didn't get much sleep that night, and not for the reasons she would have hoped.

She had spent the entire day trying to convince Archibald to give up on the party, to get himself and his coworkers somewhere safe before the flood hit. But apparently, short of literally screaming the truth at him mid rainstorm, there was nothing she could do to sway him.

Nothing except-

No. No way. That was unquestionably the worst plan in the history of stupid plans. It was reckless, dangerous, completely overkill-

And exactly what the Pines would probably do.

"Dangit."

It was shockingly easy to break out of her chintzy inn room. It was even more easy to climb over the still unfinished fence of Northwest manor. The hard part was making a fire.

"Lighters haven't been invented yet, that rock trick has literally never worked once-aha!

Apparently one of the workers had been careless with his matches and, this being the 1800s there was plenty of kerosene on site for the lanterns.

The fact that Pacifica didn't have second thoughts until after she had doused most of the manor roof in kerosene probably said something about her commitment.

Or your complete insanity! Her increasingly vocal brain spoke up. "You don't know what your life will be like without the manor. You don't even know if you'll still exist!

"Shut up, me." Pacifica thought one last time as she scaled the dangerously flimsy ladder, makeshift torch in hand. She didn't know if this would permanently destroy her home, or simply delay it's completion and buy her some time, but she was certain this was the moonshot she had been looking for, probably because she was no longer fighting fate.

After all, fate had decreed that Northwest Manor would burn.

Abruptly, Pacifica realized she had reached the roof. At her feet was a very familiar looking tape measure.

"No way."

A quick inspection revealed that the ID number on the two tapes was identical.

Understanding flashed through Pacifica's brain in that peculiar way that only time travellers can experience. Thinking quickly, she threw her torch as far as she could, watching as the far section of roof caught fire. Then, blindly pulling at the time tape, she jumped.