Alexander lightly tapped the spoon he was holding against the top glass in a pyramid of wine glasses. "Thank you all for coming! I believe we can say this year's party was a rousing success."
The famous basketballer mimed throwing a basketball in a hoop. "I guess you could say it was a slam dunk, Alex."
"Absolutely! But don't call me that." He agreed enthusiastically. "A toast! To our family name-" The wine glass he was holding suddenly shattered, as did the rest of the delicate pyramid. The wine glasses of everyone else in the crowd followed suit. "What the?!"
The flames in the fireplace behind him flared out, and everyone backed away. The lumberjack ghost glided out of the flames, still laughing. "GENERATIONS LOCKED AWAY, MY REVENGE SHALL HAVE ITS DAY!"
Fiery blue energy (like his beard) coated his fists and a glowing beam shot from his arm at the crowd.
Mayor Befufftlefumpter squinted up at the ghost. "Ah, the grim reaper! I'd been wondering when you would arri- Aaah!" The beam hit him and he was surrounded in the same light for a few moments before it cleared and the rest of the gathered crowd could see that both he and his chair were quickly turning into wood.
They screamed as he finished woodifying (What do you mean it's not a word? Where's your proof, huh? Oh...there it is...welp, it's a word now!) and he and his wooden chair fell over. The crowd rapidly dispersed, running off in every direction.
The ghost shot more of the beams at all of the guests he could see, also turning them into wood. Suddenly, a large stuffed bear behind the guests came to life, roaring and trying to chase the people despite the pedestal it was on. The other taxidermy animals also came to life and went after the guests, some having more luck at chasing the humans than others.
"Alexander, what are we going to do?!" Sandra asked hysterically, grabbing at her hair.
Alexander grabbed the stuffed squirrel on his shoulder and threw it into a plant pot about seventy feet away. He narrowed his eyes. "Prepare the panic room." He ordered.
Gideon and Pacifica kicked open the large double-doors as lightning flashed behind them, soaked from the rain. They looked around the room, discombobulated and extremely weirded out. Stuffed animals were attacking the remaining guests as trees burst through the floor and the ghost laughed in the middle of it all.
A terrified man crawled up to them and desperately reached for them. "Please, help me!" He cried, before turning into wood in front of their very eyes. Pacifica and Gideon gasped and jumped back, and Pacifica looked a little green as her horrified eyes completely comprehended the sight.
"Whoa!" Pacifica exclaimed in shock.
Gideon narrowed his eyes in disgust, "Tha's just messed up!"
The siblings looked back up at the crowing ghost as he shouted, "JUST ONE WAY TO CHANGE YOUR FATES: A GLEEFUL MUST OPEN THE PARTY GATES!"
"A Gleeful?" Gideon muttered.
"...Dipper!" Pacifica yelled, realising that he was their only hope. The Pines kids quickly glanced in synchronisation at the skeleton king painting that led to the secret room from before. They could see flashes of light coming from behind the canvas.
Dipper was sitting against an old piece of furniture with his legs drawn to his chest, holding a flashlight. He kept flicking it on and off, facing the ground miserably.
The Pines siblings burst through the hidden doorway, and saw him at the same time. "Dipper!" They yelled, running up to him. They knelt down next to him.
"Dipper, there ya are!" Gideon wheezed, clutching a stitch in his side. "The ghost is turnin' everyone to wood!"
"And he just started rhyming, for some reason?" Pacifica cut in, remembering the ghost's words and feeling thoroughly confused by the whole situation.
Gideon finally caught his breath. "We need yer help!" He tugged on one of Dipper's hands. Dipper pulled his hand away, and Pacifica finally noticed his expression.
"Dipper?" She gently asked, not wanting to upset him further.
Dipper's voice was shaky as he questioned, "You wanna know why this room was locked up?" He turned the beam of the flashlight upwards, revealing several pictures. They were all different versions of the paintings that showed the best deeds of the Gleeful family they saw earlier, but now showing horrible deeds. "This is what I found in here. Painted records of every horrible thing my family has ever done. Lying, cheating, and then there's me."
Dipper shown the flashlight on his own face before turning it off and grabbing the psychic amulet from around his neck. He stared at it for a for moments before saying, "I lied to you just because I'm too scared to stand up to my stupid father! And all this hatred and revenge...it's just causing more pain to the people I actually care about." He threw the amulet at the picture of Alexander and Sandra and watched it connect before safely falling to the ground.
Gideon knew he shouldn't pry, but Dipper's wording had been so precise that he needed to ask about it. "Why did yah only mention yer father? What about yer mother?" Pacifica elbowed Gideon and glared at him for the personal question, before letting her curiosity get the best of her and turning to gaze at him as well.
Dipper looked at them in surprise. "Didn't you guys know? Mine and Mabel's real mother died when we were little. Sandra is only our stepmother."
"Huh." Pacifica and Gideon processed this knew information.
"I'm sorry for your loss." Pacifica consoled after a few moments.
Dipper smiled a little ruefully at her apology, but it faded as fast as it appeared. "Don't be. I barely remember her, and it's not like it was your fault."
His eyes squeezed shut in pain for a moment before he opened them and spoke again. "Anyway, you were both right about me. I am just another link in the world's worst chain." They were horrified to see that his eyes were glistening with tears. Dipper Gleeful never cried. Not a living person (besides Mabel, who would die before revealing this to anyone) had ever even seen him close to tears. To think that they had such an impact on him was both terrifying and humbling.
Gideon sighed, wincing, while Pacifica let out an extremely shaky breath and blinked away her own tears from the corners of her eyes. There wasn't time for her to cry.
Gideon started, "Dipper, a-ah'm sorry about what ah said earlier. It wasn't fair for me to take out all mah frustration and anger on you. It wasn't yer fault."
Pacifica's lip trembled. It was much harder to block the years this time, because Gideon rarely ever apologised, and when he did (unless it was sarcastic) it was only to family and close friends. That showed that he was really, really sorry and wanted to be good friends with Dipper, which warmed her heart.
She took a deep breath before starting her own apology. "Dipper, what I said to you was horrible, mean and cruel, and I'm so, so sorry. If there was anyway to turn back time so that I could stop myself from saying that, I would do it in an instant. It was terrible of me to say those things about you without hearing your side of the story, and I should have listened to you and given you a chance before saying something that I could never take back. It is definitely not your fault that your parents forced you to lie to us, and if you could find it in your heart to forgive me- us, then we would do everything in our power to earn back your friendship and trust."
Gideon nodded along with Pacifica's words, and added in one last thing, "Just because you're yer parents' son doesn't mean yah have to be like them. It's not too late." Dipper's eyes shone at their apologies, and when Gideon finished speaking he hesitantly smiled a small, watery smile with so much meaning behind it.
Suddenly, the voice of the ghost cut through the air. "IT'S TOO LATE!"
"Oh, no!" Pacifica gasped, and all three of them scrambled up and ran out of the hidden room. They skidded to a halt just inside the main hall in horror.
There were gigantic, thick trees and underbrush all around the room, living taxidermy animals running around, and all of the people were wooden statues. "You are all wood!" The ghost crowed, floating in front of the blazing fireplace with his back to the room. Pacifica, Dipper and Gideon screamed.
The two Pines kids glanced around at all of the wooden statues that used to be living people, and their faces shifted into identical looks of determination. They started running through the forest of a room towards the ghost. "Pacifica, Gideon, wait!" Dipper cried out, reaching towards them as they ran.
They crawl on top of a ginormous tree trunk in the centre of the room, and Gideon picked up a silver platter lying next to him.
"Alright ghost, prepare to get-" One of the ghost's energy beams knocked Journal 3 out of Gideon's hands, and they gasped. "-ah! No, wait!" The ghost fires another energy burst and hits Gideon. "No no no! HHHEEEEEEELLLLLP...!" Gideon froze with his arms clawing the air, his eyes wide with terror and his mouth frozen in a scream.
"No, Gideon!" Pacifica cried in despair, but the ghost fired another blast at her. It hit its mark, and Pacifica also started turning into wood. "Ah! Please, no! Someone help! DIPPER, HELP ME! AAAAHHHHHHHH...!" She was frozen with her eyes screwed shut, her arms clenched in front of her and the two locks of hair framing her face lashing out. Her mouth was also open in an endless scream, and she looked like a typical girly-girl screaming in a horror movie.
"Gideon! Pacifica!" Dipper gasped in horror as the clock struck midnight.
"A FOREST OF DEATH, A LESSON LEARNED, AND NOW THE GLEEFUL MANOR WILL BURN!" The ghost laughed as he made the fire in the grate spread. The flames quickly burnt the picture above the fireplace which depicted Alexander and Sandra with a smiling Dipper and Mabel when they were little.
"Hey, stupid!" Dipper's voice interrupted the ghost's mad laughter, and he turned to glare at the young Gleeful who defiantly glared back. "You want me to let in the townsfolk? 'Cause I'll meet your demands if you release everyone!"
"YOU WISH TO PROVE YOURSELF? PULL THAT LEVER AND OPEN THE GRAND GATE TO THE TOWN! FULFIL YOUR ANCESTORS' PROMISE!" The ghost demanded.
Dipper reached behind himself and grabbed the lever. But before he could pull it, a trapdoor next to him lifted up to reveal his parents and a butler.
"Dipper Cedric Northwest! Stop this instant!" Alexander ordered. "We can't let the town see us like this! We have an already blemished (thanks to your sister) reputation to uphold! Now come into the panic room. We have enough mini-sandwiches and oxygen to last you, me, and a butler for a full week. We'll eat the butler if we have to!" He whispered the last part, pointing at the butler.
Dipper stared at Alexander for a few moments, and then he glanced at all of the wooden guests, his gaze lingering on Pacifica and Gideon. He narrowed his eyes in determination and grabbed for the lever again.
"You dare to disobey us?" Alexander was genuinely shocked, "Dipper, come on!" he held up the bell and started ringing it continuously, and Dipper winced. He kept reaching out for the lever, but his arm was shaking and the part of him that was scared of his parents was nervously trying to pull him back.
Alexander rung the bell even more furiously and loudly, and Dipper screwed his face up at the internal conflict. He reopened his eyes and set his face in determination.
"Dingally-dingally! Is this bell broken?" Alexander sarcastically asked, emphasising the bell imitation.
Dipper stomped his foot on the ground hard and glared at him venomously, his eyes glowing turquoise. Alexander jumped in shock, banging his head against the bottom of the trapdoor. The bell he was holding glowed the same colour as Dipper's eyes and was forcibly yanked from his hand. Alexander and Sandra stared in shock.
"Our family name is broken! And I'm gonna fix it!" Dipper announced, and the glowing bell floating in between himself and his parents scrunched up into a small metal ball as if it were paper and tossed itself at Alexander's head, losing its glow.
Dipper grabbed the lever as Alexander spluttered in shock and pulled it down with a flourish. the ghost gasped as the gates opened to the town.
Outside, the townsfolk gasped in awe at the sight of the open gates to the party. Tyler the cute biker's eyes were starry as he used his signature catchphrase, "Git it! Git it!" They all cheered as they all ran through the gate and into the courtyard, massing towards the manor.
The ghost watched from a window in pure glee. "YES, YES, IT'S HAPPENING! MY HEART, ONCE AS HARD AS OAK, now grows soft, like more of a...birch, or something."
All of the statuesque guests dewoodified (Yes, that is now a word as well. So says I!), muttering in confusion and relief. Pacifica and Gideon changed back as well, and both took deep breaths as soon as they were free. They looked over and patted themselves down to make sure they were completely human again.
The ghost turned to Dipper, and spoke in a much gentler voice than he had used all night, "Dipper, you are not like the other Gleefuls." Dipper smiled, and the lumberjack ghost floated up into the light as he said his final words, "I feel...lumber justice."
The ghost sighed in content as he faded away, and the axe that had been sticking out of his skull fell to the ground and embedded itself in the wood as Dipper watched, smiling. Suddenly, Dipper felt the ground shaking and he turned his gaze to the door as the townsfolk stampeded in.
Some of the 'common folk' (including Tyler, Sheriff Blubs and Lazy Susan) ran over to the buffet table and started eating. Manly Dan jumped into the cider fountain as other people ran up and started scooping it to their mouths with their hands.
Alexander looked around the main hall, scandalised. "Good lord, the riff-raff! They're everywhere!" Tyler picked up a fork, admired it while giggling, and placed it back on the table differently than before. "That's not how the forks should be placed!" Alexander ran over to the table hysterically.
Dipper had a split second to smirk at this before Gideon and Pacifica charged at him, enveloping him in a massive hug.
"YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT!" Pacifica squealed so loudly that only dogs and bats should have been able to hear her.
"You defeated the ghost!" Gideon yelled excitedly.
They were squeezing Dipper so tight that he was having trouble breathing. "I-I...can't...breath!" His voice rose a little at the end.
The adopted siblings let go of him sheepishly. "Heh heh, sorry." Gideon chuckled.
It took a few more moments for them to all calm down, but they finally did and Pacifica smiled warmly at him. "I knew you'd save us."
Dipper's cheeks pinked a little - but it wasn't noticeable - as he stammered, "Th-thanks. That makes one of us."
"Two actualleh." Gideon raised an eyebrow in amusement.
Dipper half-smiled until a wave of dizziness suddenly hit him. He held a hand to his head as he leant against the closest wall, feeling the effects of the adrenaline wearing off.
He knew that he'd spent a lot of energy to use his psychic powers like that. What he and Mabel hadn't told anyone else in the world was that they weren't actually frauds. Sure, they had the amulets (well, just one recently), but they didn't give them any powers. They only enhanced their already existing powers. See, twins are actually more susceptible to the powers of the mind, but it normally doesn't range past twin telepathy. Dipper and Mabel were just lucky to have more power than that, but without the amulets they were still pretty weak, and Dipper had left his amulet in the secret room.
"Are you okay?" Pacifica's eyes widened, "The ghost didn't hurt you, right?" The Pines siblings eyed Dipper in concern.
"I'm fine, just a little dizzy." He waved off their worries, "It's been a long day, and I'm exhausted." Dipper admitted, pushing off the wall and stumbling a little before Pacifica and Gideon helped steady him.
Dipper eventually regained his balance and they moved into the crowd.
"Man, if yer family hates yah for this than they're idiots." Gideon offhandedly remarked.
Pacifica had a silly grin on her face and she shook a little in excitement. "Yeah, this is great! This is what a party should really be like!"
Dipper smiled a little but then looked down as another thought occurred to him. "Enjoy it while it lasts. Next year I'm sure they're just gonna lock everyone out again." He glumly crossed his arms.
"Not everyone." Pacifica started, and Dipper looked at her with a raised brow. "We still have invites to next year's party, remember? It was part of our deal!" All three of them smirked evilly as they imagined Alexander's face when he heard about this.
Gideon looked down at the floor and his evil smirk turned into an evil grin. "Hey, guess what we're standin' on?" Dipper and Pacifica looked down, and while Pacifica looked confused at first, Dipper got what he was talking about straight away. It was his parents favourite carpet pattern, and there was mud under their shoes.
Pacifica made a noise of understanding and Dipper gasped, but then he grinned rebelliously as well. "Take that!" He stomped down, spreading the mud and laughing along with Gideon and Pacifica.
Pacifica knocked a tray out of a nearby butler's hands and the wooden mugs (that strangely resembled mini barrels) broke, spilling rum everywhere. "Release the inner kid!" She screamed, cheering them on. Gideon grabbed a bowl of punch and dropped that while Dipper threw a gravy boat onto the carpet. They all laughed even harder.
They found each other again after Dipper had gone to get someone to clean up the mess they made and Pacifica and Gideon had been dragged aside by Old Man McGucket.
"So...what should we do now?" Dipper asked them uncertainly.
Music suddenly started playing, but it was upbeat and fun instead of the classical music from earlier that day. Gideon looked around and saw Robbie (the handyman from the Telepathy Shack and one of the Pines kids best friends) had set up a DJ booth like the one he had at the Telepathy Shack's party almost a month ago.
"Let's dance!" Pacifica exclaimed, dragging Dipper and Gideon into the middle of the room.
She grabbed their hands, told them to grab each other's hands (despite Dipper and Gideon's bemused looks) and started pumping their arms backwards and forwards. When the other two got the hang of that she started spinning them in a circle, and they spun faster and faster until Gideon said that he was going to be sick.
He walked away to have a little rest, and Dipper and Pacifica finally looked around to see there was a small crowd gathered around them, cheering them on. They grinned and continued the dance, this time including the spins where someone holds their linked arms up and the other person twirls under the linked hands (you know, like in waltzes and junk). They kept dancing until the song changed, so they moved off the dance floor for a breather.
"You're not that bad, Miss Pines." Dipper complimented her, smiling.
Pacifica smiled as well, "Aww, you too." He's really cute when he smiles, Pacifica randomly thought, and she blushed a little. Huh, I asked if there were gonna be any cute boys earlier, but it turns out my host is probably the cutest one here. His smile is adorable, and his eyes are a really pretty colour...wait...where're these thoughts even coming from?
Dipper rose an eyebrow at Pacifica's reddening face but didn't question it as he led her through the crowd towards Gideon.
"Having fun?" Gideon asked, referring to the dancing.
"Yeah! This is...this is amazing." Dipper's voice was filled with awe.
Pacifica seemed to regain the ability to speak, "Well, duh! This is probably the best party ever!"
"Definitely." Gideon agreed.
The party went for a few more hours until the sun started to rise. Before it ended Dipper and Pacifica (and sometimes Gideon) went back to the dance floor and partied, the teens played pranks on some of the snobbish fancy people, and Alexander almost crashed from anxiety. It was awesome.
The party had to end sometime though, so Dipper offered to drop Gideon and Pacifica back home with his limo. They chatted about the party the whole drive back to the Telepathy Shack.
The drive ended a lot sooner than any of them would've liked. They hopped out of the limo and Dipper walked them to the door. "I really enjoyed tonight, and I don't think I've ever had so much fun in my life." Dipper announced.
"Agreed." Pacifica grinned toothily, her neon braces shining.
"Ditto, except for the whole, you know, 'turned into wood' thing." Gideon said.
"Ha ha ha, yeah." Pacifica conceded.
Dipper grinned, but it faded a little, "Well...I guess I have to go. You can keep the fancy clothes."
Pacifica and Gideon sobered a little as well, but Pacifica brightened up almost immediately, "Hey Dipper, d'you wanna come adventuring with us tomorrow?"
"Really?!" Dipper perked up as well, "Of course!"
"Just...make sure to wear some casual clothes tomorrow. Lose the cape, it'll just get in the way, and comfy, casual clothes will be better suited for it. Like our clothes." Gideon advised.
"Noted, but don't worry, I get what you mean." Dipper held his arms up in mock surrender, and Pacifica used the opportunity to hug him.
"Let me keep you." She pleaded. Dipper raised an eyebrow in confusion but Gideon frowned.
"No way. Pacifica, you already know that you can't keep people."
"Yeah, yeah," She sighed overdramatically.
"I'll see you tomorrow." Dipper promised, gently prying Pacifica's hands away from his neck. He then smirked, "Bye Gidiot, bye Pacifairhead!"
He ran back into his limo and the chauffeur quickly started driving back to the manor. He lowered one of the windows and leant out, laughing, a mischievous glint in his eyes, and merrily waved to them.
They smirked back and stuck their tongues out at him. He reciprocated. When he was out of sight they started making their way back inside the shack. "Some things never change." Pacifica grinned nostalgically and Gideon nodded in agreement.
Gideon started running. "Dibs on the TV!" Gideon shouted over his shoulder at Pacifica, and she raced after him.
"No fair! You cheated!" She yelled back, and they ran into the tourist trap where they lived, yelling, giggling, and fighting over the remote. Most of all though, they were looking forwards to tomorrow's adventure with Dipper, which promised to be one to remember.
...Did I just create an awesome opening for a sequel?
Thus ends our beloved two-part Reverse Pines special. I- I think I'm gonna cry. Yeah, no. Not really.
First off; I based this off of RakkiAnkh's pictures on DeviantArt and Tumblr. They're freakin' awesome and were my main source of inspiration for this. RakkiAnkh, if you're reading this, then you should definitely do more! I love your art!
Next, I agree with RakkiAnkh on many of their points about this AU that they posted on Tumblr. Dipper probably would be smart enough to stay well away from Mabel's crazy crush on Gideon (and the consequences) and would at least have telepathic abilities with Mabel, if not basic psychic abilities without the amulet. He'd be more like Original Pacifica then Original Gideon.
Just my thoughts and some rightful credit. Ciao!