IMPORTANT NOTE BELOW
So, I know I've fallen behind on updating and I'm trying to get WitD out by Monday because I just know I'm going to forget about it otherwise. This means I've had to make a (sort of) hard decision (for me, anyways) on this story. No, I am not abandoning it, I love writing these requests and one-shots too much to do that. Plus I really don't have a reason to just stop writing Introverted.
Instead, I'm going to ask that you guys do NOT send in anymore requests until I tell you it's okay. Reviews are great and perfectly fine, but I have over 5 pages of requests in the reviews section and I really want to crack out more without feeling stressed. I love that everyone has such great ideas, but please hold off until I say it is okay to start sending them again. It'll only make it harder for me to write them all. Right now, requests are being written after coming in in February, and it is almost May. All of you are beautiful people so I hope you will understand. Thank you.
From Aqua Girl 007: "For another request, one idea I have is can you write a reverse Dippica one shot during the Northwest Mytrey mansion. If you don't feel comfortable writing pairings, that's fine and you don't have too. I am just curious about your take on that."
I don't mind pairings. It's just a bit hard to write them. But I will definitely try! (Pacifica still asks Dipper for help in the Rev!Northwest Mansion in this one-shot, and her house is... certainly not a mansion by Dip's standards. Also, Dipper is a bit of an ass, sorry)
Day and Night
Asking Dipper Gleeful, the most popular boy in town, to fix her family's ghost problem had been embarrassing, to say the least. For one, they both disliked each other quite a lot (and Pacifica didn't usually hate anybody) and neither were subtle about it. Secondly, Gideon had warned her multiple times that "the twins can't be trusted! They're both evil and while they know a good deal about the supernatural here, they'll use it on you in a heartbeat!" and here she was asking them for help.
Mabel was at some party, from what the brunette had told her in the car ride to her house, so it would just be him helping her out tonight. Pacifica's stomach churned at the thought; at least the girl was somewhat easier to tolerate.
Dipper said nothing else to her once they arrived at her home. She could see him wrinkling his nose in disgust at the odd color scheme of the exterior and a snort escaped his lips once he saw the interior's walls were similar. She tried not to let him see how her face was burning in embarrassment as she led the preteen to her parents. The blonde knew the rainbow colors were bright and startling to guests (Gideon had stood still for a good minute when she had invited him over and then proceeded to just smile and shake his head at the inside of the house) but his reaction was a little harsh. Pacifica had grown used to her parents' odd ways but she knew the town still thought of them as oddballs.
Her father thanked the boy for coming and explained the situation to him briefly as Pacifica's mother glanced around nervously, as if expecting that ghost to appear at any moment. Dipper listened politely and merely said that he'd "handle the ghost in a manner of hours, probably less."
Pacifica rolled her eyes and thought of some rude responses to that inside her head.
The two left her parents in the living room and headed upstairs to the room where they had last seen the ghost. She shivered as the temperature dropped and hoped Dipper didn't think she was scared (which she totally was, to be honest).
"We last spotted it in here," she explained, turning to him as he stepped into the room. He looked out of place in his nice blue suit and gelled hair, standing in the room with baby blue walls.
He withdrew a thick book from inside his suit pocket and just nodded as he flipped through the pages. Her curiosity got the better of her as she inched towards him to look at it.
"What's that? Is it going to help?"
"None of your business," he muttered, "and yes, it will."
"If it's going to help get rid of the ghost, I think I have the right to see it too," Pacifica pointed out. He moved farther away when she tried to look again.
"No, because I just told you it's none of your business, Northwest."
She sighed loudly and felt like she had gained a small victory when she spotted the boy clench the book tighter, gritting his teeth.
"You know, you could be less rude."
"And you could but your nose out of what isn't yours to snoop in."
Pacifica glared at him when he glanced up to do the same. "I'm just saying. After all, this is my house, and technically you are a guest."
"So you should be nicer to your guests."
"And you should be nicer to your host," she replied angrily.
Dipper looked up again, eyes narrowed as he made to snap at her once more, and that's when she noticed a specter - the same lumberjack from before - flying through the wall towards the boy. Her eyes grew wide and she shrieked, "MOVE!" before grabbing his arm and yanking him out of the room.
The boy protested at first but once he heard the ghost's yells, he grew strangely quiet and began flipping through the tome with one hand. Pacifica dragged him down the hall and pulled him into one of their hallway closets. They both panted and waited as the ghost flew by before his voice faded away.
"If you hadn't done that, I could have gotten him," hissed Dipper. They were squished uncomfortably close in the near darkness, crouching on boxes her parents had shoved in carelessly only to forget about them entirely within a month. Pacifica could see his constellation birthmark clearly from the small distance between them.
"No, you would have been dead or hurt or who-knows-what! That thing was going to get you, the least you could do is say 'thank you'."
Dipper rolled his eyes. "Thank you for saving me only so you could shove me in a dusty closet! Seriously, when was the last time you cleaned this place out?"
She gritted her teeth together, wishing she could punch him in the eye. "You're unbelievable."
"Thanks," he said sarcastically.
She would have continued arguing with him if a loud scream from her mother hadn't caused her to freeze. "Oh, no."
Dipper muttered something unkind under his breath and the two lunged for the door at the same time, colliding as they fell on top of each other as the door opened. Despite the terrible circumstances, Pacifica couldn't stop herself from blushing when she realized he was on top of her. Oddly enough, his face was rather pink too before he shot up and ran toward the living room. She shook herself and hurried after the boy, more than a little confused.
They arrived on the scene to find that her mother was on top of the coffee table, shaking as the lumberjack specter raised its axe towards her. Her father was off to the side, looking around anxiously for something to defend them with.
"The Northwests shall pay!" the ghost roared, his beard of flames swirling about his skeletal face.
Just as Pacifica was about to run to them (what exactly she was planning on doing to help, she had no idea) Dipper hissed, "Of course! A silver mirror!"
"Huh?"
He rolled his eyes for the hundredth time that day, looking up from where he had been searching in the book again. "It will contain the ghost. Just get it into the mirror and I can exorcise him later, since clearly you have no idea how to."
It took a lot out of her to bite back the insult on her tongue. "There's one in the drawers in that cabinet," she told him as she pointed to the very one sitting behind the coffee table.
Dipper ran for it and the ghost immediately took notice of the movement, growling. He flew towards the boy, who rolled out of reach, and started swinging the axe at him, driving him back from the cabinet. Pacifica's mother hopped off the coffee table and began to inch toward the kitchen. Her father ran out of the way as Dipper moved closer to him, and grabbed his wife's hand tightly.
"ENOUGH!" The ghost waved his arms and vines crept up out of the ground, curling around the walls as dirt began to form on the ground. Pacifica watched in horror as her house was slowly transformed into a sort of forest. She inched toward the cabinet, heart pounding faster as the supernatural being turned to her parents.
"GENERATIONS LOCKED AWAY, MY REVENGE SHALL HAVE IT'S DAY!"
Her voice, rising to a scream before, seemed to be unable to work as she watched a beam of light shoot out of the ghost's hand, enveloping her family. No. They cried out, clutching each other as they slowly turned to wood before her eyes.
"No," she choked out, pressing her hand to her mouth as she felt her arm tremble.
Thankfully Dipper didn't seem to be frozen in place like her. He surged forward, ready to read from his magic book (or whatever it was). "Alright ghost, prepare to get - !" A beam of light struck the book out of his hands in moments and before he could run for it, the boy was soon enveloped in the same energy beam that turned her parents to wood.
"No!" For the first time ever, Pacifica saw true fear and panic on the preteen boy's face. The spell slowly crept up his body and he looked at her pleadingly. She barely recognized Dipper Gleeful with that expression. "Pacifica! Help! The mirror! You have to - !" And then the wood consumed his body, his terrified expression staring back at her.
"A FOREST OF DEATH, A LESSON LEARNED, AND NOW THE NORTHWEST HOUSE WILL BURN!" the ghost bellowed, fire spreading from the curtains upward. There was no doubt that it would consume the whole house. Suddenly the lumberjack turned to her, his expression cold. Her heart hammered in her chest as she back up against the cabinet. "YOU!"
Blindly, Pacifica reached into the drawer and closed her hand around the silver mirror. She hoped she didn't look absolutely terrified of the specter when she spoke shakily.
"Hey, ugly! You mess with my f-family, you mess with me! Get out of my h-house!"
The ghost merely laughed. The fire was quickly spreading, almost to where the Dipper wood statue stood. "NEVER! THE ONLY WAY TO CHANGE YOUR FATES: A NORTHWEST MUST RECONCILE!"
Okay, that made no sense. Pacifica frowned, wondering if just trying to catch the specter in the mirror would be easier than figuring out that cryptic warning. Her eyes drifted to where her guest stood, the terror written blatantly on his wooden face. Would catching the ghost stop the fire and change them all back?
Something inside of her told her that wasn't likely.
She remembered something her parents had once told her, something about ancestors having built their home where many trees once rested, and her eyes grew wide. Was that what he meant? It seemed like something a lumberjack would do, getting mad about trees being destroyed.
"Look, I... I'm sorry about what my ancestors did," she said hesitantly. Judging by the ghost's reaction, she had guessed right. Pacifica proceeded on with more confidence, still gripping the mirror tight. "That wasn't okay, even though I don't know why - "
"They demolished land belonging to my forefathers!" shouted the lumberjack ghost. He didn't seem quite as angry now, more sad. She took it as a good sign.
"Right. That wasn't right, and I'm sorry. I would never do that. I actually like nature a lot. I go out in the forest with my friend Gideon a lot." She didn't say that it was to explore and track monsters.
"Him?" The ghost gestured to Dipper and she felt her cheeks burn.
"Uh, no. W-we're not friends."
The ghost seemed confused now. "If he is not your friend, why do you want to save him?"
Because it's the right thing to do, and I am not just going to leave a wooden statue in here forever? "Because he didn't do anything wrong. He was just trying to help me and...I dragged him into this mess."
The lumberjack seemed to accept this. "I see. You are not like the other Northwests..." He floated toward the ceiling as the fire was magically snuffed out, shutting his eyes. "I feel... lumber justice." He vanished and an axe fell to the floor, startling the blonde.
Instantaneously, the house transformed back to normal, the wooden people becoming themselves once more before falling to the ground gasping for air. Her parents hugged her once they caught their breath, laughing happily. "That's my girl!" her dad cried, making her turn pink. "You saved us!"
"Y-Yeah." She left them to head over to Dipper, who was eyeing her warily as he stuffed his book back into his suit pocket. "Uh, you alright?"
"Fine." He seemed to be debating asking something before he just sighed and adopted that cold mask again. She found that she was unhappy to see it return. "Did you trap him in the mirror?"
"Nope," Pacifica said as she held out the mirror for him to see. Seeing the insults forming on his tongue, she quickly explained what the ghost had wanted and how it had simply left upon hearing the apology.
He snorted, although she could sense his surprise at her actions. "Funny, the one terrible thing you Northwests do for the town on purpose, and it ends up haunting you until you apologize."
A smirk crept onto her lips as she processed his words. "I knew you didn't think we were losers."
Dipper's eyes widened slightly as he too realized what he had said and he began to protest, "Well, I - !"
"Don't even try," she told him, giggling. "I knew you weren't shallow."
He glared at her weakly, crossing his arms over his chest. Strands of his gelled hair fell into his face, ruining whatever menacing effect he had been going for. To her surprise, she actually thought it was... kind of cute.
Brushing these thoughts out of her head, Pacifica said awkwardly, "So... do you need a ride home? I'm sure my mom and dad won't mind."
Dipper waved away her offer. "Stan is coming to pick me up. I'll call him outside."
The two stood silently, awkwardness increasing before Dipper headed for the door. She turned away and bit her lip. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to say goodbye or not, given the circumstances. What should she say?
"Uh, Pacifica?" Her eyes widened at the usage of her name, not her surname, and she turned around again. Dipper shifted his weight as he opened the front door. He let his guard drop for a moment, embarrassment evident in his posture.
"I...I can't believe I'm saying this but... you're not the worst. I kind of had fun...I guess."
She barely got out the word "goodbye" before Dipper Gleeful hurried out the door. As it shut, she found herself smiling. Maybe Gideon was wrong. Maybe the Gleeful weren't so awful and "evil" after all.
This is the longest one-shot I've written ever. 2713 words! The idea kind of got away from me and I ended up rewriting the episode, sorry. It all ended up being one headcanon after another being strung together as I made up the whole ghost bit. Nevertheless, I hope you like the one-shot!