Ugh. Never submit anything by iPad, guys, it's just not worth it.
GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL
by E350
Nobody ever visited the Mystery Shack anymore - not since Stan Pines had disappeared.
It was the subject of local rumour, Stan's vanishing. Some said he had been arrested by the FBI, past misdeeds finally catching up to him. Some said he had taken his money and fled to Canada to live in comfort under an assumed name. Still others guessed that the old man had simply died, alone and unloved, and been quietly buried in the forest nearby.
In all honesty, most didn't care. Few had particularly liked Stan.
One of the only people left in Gravity Falls who truly knew the truth was the faithful caretaker and now proprietor of the building - the hulking but eternally friendly Soos Ramirez. Each and every Thursday, the former handyman would make his way into town, collect groceries and supplies, and then vanish back into the Shack for another week. He was never antisocial, mind you - he held conversations with those he encountered, he hummed and sang to himself and he never held a grudge, especially against children - but there was a sadness in his eyes.
The good people of Gravity Falls learnt quickly never to ask him what happened to Stan.
It was one such Thursday, a wet spring day, that Soos returned to the Shack in his pickup, groceries in hand. He whistled as he walked over to the gift shop door, unlocking it and stepping inside. The gift shop was as it had always been - cheaply made wares were arranged neatly on shelves and racks, marked with exuberantly high prices. The vending machine and the ice cooler both remained stocked, as if waiting for a customer that was never coming back. Keeping this place intact was pointless, but it was a hobby that kept Soos' mind from wandering.
The only thing out of place was a fez, placed lovingly on a cushion on the register table. It had once belonged to Stan, but had been passed on to Soos. The handyman had once dreamed of being able to wear this fez - but now that the day had come, he founded he no longer wanted it. It just wasn't his.
Soos walked through the 'employees only' door and into the family room. There, the other occupant of the room - a young woman, weary faced and with dull blonde hair that had once been vibrant - looked up from the worn old couch.
"Did you get 'em?" she asked, her voice low and flat.
"Sure did, Paz dude," nodded Soos, "Now all we gotta do is wait."
Pacifica - formerly but now never referred to as Pacifica Northwest - nodded, rubbing her knew she hated this time of year. She had for almost ten years now. It was a time of rebirth, they claimed, but for her, it represented loss and pain. Just as it did to Soos, in a way.
The handyman offered Pacifica a smile, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, you don't have to do this if you don't want to," he reassured, "I can just tell Dipper..."
"I have to come," replied Pacifica, her tone forceful, "My family caused this. It's my fault."
"No, your family didn't cause this, Paz," said Soos, "Preston Northwest caused this. Lil' Gideon caused this. Bill Cipher caused this. You, dude? You're not one of them. You're a Pines, dude."
"I can't be," scoffed Pacifica, "Not after what my blood did to her..."
The doorbell rang, and Pacifica winced slightly. Soos nodded understandingly and headed to the front door.
Dipper Pines and Wendy Corduroy stood on the front step, the former's expression grim. He held an old leather journal under his arm - the infamous Journal 3.
"Hey, dudes," said Soos, "Holding up okay?"
"This never gets any easier, Soos," replied Dipper, running his hand through his hair, "But I'll manage."
"How's work?" asked Soos, letting the two inside as he tried to lighten the mood.
"Ain't bad," shrugged Wendy, "We had to cure a werebear in BC last week. That was 'fun.'"
"Werewolves and bears," muttered Dipper, "Worst combination ever."
They walked back into the family room. Dipper glanced over to Pacifica and offered a sympathetic smile.
"You up for this, Pacifica?" he asked, "Because me and Wendy can do this alone, if..."
"I want to do this, Dipper," snapped Pacifica, "I already had this talk with Soos, so can we please just go?"
Dipper nodded.
"Soos, grab the bag."
The grove in the forest was almost as ancient as time.
The small group had ventured out here, sheltered under umbrellas against the rain. Now they stood amongst the trees, looking over strange, sparkling rocks and almost pastel coloured flowers. It was like nothing on earth. In the middle of the grove, set apart from its surroundings by it's dull brown, moss-covered texture, was a small wooden grave marker.
Silently, Soos walked up to it, leaning in front of it and laying a single white flower in front of it. He looked back up at the inscription.
HERE LIES STANFORD PINES
LOVING GRUNKLE
WISE MENTOR
SHREWD BUSINESSMAN
REST IN PEACE
1942-2012
Soos blinked away tears as he got up. He looked back to Dipper - the two shared a nod, the latter's eyes sparkling.
"Well," said Dipper, his voice shaking a little, "Here we go."
He turned to Wendy, who was carrying a small paper bag in her other hand. She turned it over, pouring pure sugar into the mud below her. As the powder made contact with the ground, it began to glow a vibrant pink. Dipper opened the journal.
"By the power of my offering," he read, "I implore ye come, creature of the woods. Appear to me, faekind! APPE-"
"What up, Dip-dop?"
Dipper screamed and almost dropped the journal.
A tiny winged pixie, perhaps four inches tall, floated amongst them. She appeared to be a child, perhaps twelve years old, clad in a pink sweater and with long, brown hair.
"We talked about this, Dipper, remember?" said the pixie, "Pixies aren't fae, they're sprites!"
Her face crumpled in deep thought.
"Or maybe I told you that next year," she mused, "Hold on. Wendy, has he popped the question yet?"
"Popped the...what?" exclaimed Wendy, tilting her head.
"Ooooh, awkward!" giggled the pixie.
She turned to Dipper, who was grinning despite the tears forming in his eyes.
"Mabel," he breathed, "I-I've missed you so much..."
"Aw, come on Dipping Sauce," beamed Mabel, "You're doing okay without me! You've got your own mystery solving thing, right? You're going places! So, tell me what..."
She trailed off as she noticed Pacifica. "Pacifica!" she exclaimed, "You came! You weren't here last time...which may or may not have been next year, I can't tell..."
"Mabel, I-I come every year," replied Pacifica, "I...I..."
Mabel smiled sweetly and fluttered over to her.
"Come on, Pacifica, don't be sad!" she implored her friend, "What happened wasn't your fault. Everybody knew what we were getting into - I don't regret it, and Grunkle Stan wouldn't either."
"But my father nearly killed you!" exclaimed Pacifica.
"He's not your dad, Paz," shrugged Mabel, "He doesn't deserve someone as special as you. Now let's put a smile on that face!"
She snapped her fingers. The corners of Pacifica's mouth were lifted up, clearly unwillingly given the wide-eyed look on Pacifica's face. Mabel laughed - her laughter proved contagious, and soon Dipper, Wendy, Soos and even Pacifica joined in.
And that was how it was for the next four hours. Mabel regaled the group with tales of life as a pixie, and all the misadventures it involved ("I nearly got eaten by an elephant!"), Dipper and Wendy told stories of their lives as paranormal investigators, and Soos just listened and interjected now and then, simply happy to be there. Only Pacifica remained quiet - she seemed deep on thought.
Eventually the sun began to dip behind the horizon. It was nearly time to leave.
Dipper was right, Soos thought as he prepared to say goodbye - it never got easier.
"I wish we could do this more often," sighed Wendy, "Damn cryptic pixie rules."
"Sorry, Wendy," replied Mabel, " Once a year's all I get. Admittedly feels quicker on my end, though - pixie time perception is whacked, bro."
"Guess so," sighed Dipper, rubbing his sleeve over his eyes, "I love you, Mabel."
Mabel smiled and hugged Dipper's head.
"I love you, bro-bro," she replied, "I'll see you next year."
"Mabel?"
All eyes fell on Pacifica.
"Paz?" replied Mabel.
Pacifica sighed.
"I don't wanna go back," she said, "I want to stay here."
There was a long silence.
"But..." replied Mabel, "You'd have to be like me, Pacifica. You'd have to become a pixie, and you can't turn back from that..."
"I don't care," replied Pacifica, "I'm sick of my life, and I wanna go somewhere my fath...where Preston Northwest will never find me, and...and I've missed you, Mabel. Can't believe I'm saying it, but it's true."
There was another long silence.
"Well, okay then!" said Mabel, clapping her hands together, "We gonna do this, Paz! You and me, we gonna be the Pixie Chicks! I've waited so long to use that pun!"
She turned to Dipper, Soos and Wendy.
"I...uh...I can't do this while you're watching," she admitted, "It's memetic."
"Memetic?" quizzed Soos.
"If we watch the spell, we turn into pixies too," explained Wendy.
"Oh, right," nodded Soos, "No offence Mabel, but I might pass on that."
"And I got something important to do," added Dipper, "Albeit something that is no longer a secret, thank you Mabel..."
Mabel giggled. Wendy raised an eyebrow.
"Well, good luck," sighed Dipper, "Both of you. And...goodbye."
He turned and walked briskly away, hoping to be far away before he broke into tears.
Soos and Wendy followed after him, the former wiping his own eyes. He wondered what Stan would make of their situation - the two children Soos had been left to raise, one not even a Pines by blood; the yearly meetings with the prodigal daughter; the earnest if misguided attempts to understand and improve Dipper and Pacifica's situations.
He wondered if Stan would be proud of him.
"Looking good, Paz," complimented Mabel.
The revitalised Pacifica, who now appeared to be Mabel's age and height, smirked back at her friend as she inspected her new wings.
"Difference between you and me, Mabes," she said, "I make these look good. So how long 'till I'm physically twenty-two again?"
"Let's see," mused Mabel, "Pixies age fifty times slower them humans..five hundred times ten...five hundred years? Give or take?"
"Great," replied Pacifica, rolling her eyes. She still smiled as she did so.
She sat down on a leaf, which felt surprisingly solid - probably due to her lighter weight.
"So, you know the future, Mabel?" she asked.
"Eh, pixies go through time out of order," shrugged Mabel, "You get used to it. Besides, I got to see Dipping Sauce and Wenders in the future! The real far future! You'll love it, they ended up becoming..."
She paused and smiled coyly.
"You know what," she said, "I'll let you find that out for yourself. Now come on! I gotta introduce you to the other pixies!"
She flew off into the bushes. Pacifica shook her head and flew after her. After all these years, Mabel Pines still acted like the bubbly child she remembered.
And yet, among the pixies, growing up was optional.
End.
I'll admit, that whole story was written completely on impulse. I'm being deliberately coy on the backstory - leaving that up to you. Anyway, thanks very much for reading!