I admit, it fell apart just a little bit at the end for this one, but that is just because I really wanted to post this. Next chapter will be better. Start the fic.
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Baba Yaga crawled through the vent, Dipper traveling close behind her.
"Are you still hemming and hawing back there?!"
"Yes, Ma'am. I'm just thinking about those two other guys... I liked them... Pacifica... Especially Pacifica."
"Yesh! The puppy love is strong in this one! Well get them out of your head, those two are the enemy! Why else would be traveling through a vent?"
"Because you're disgusting?"
"...No! So we can move undetected! Mamma wants her babyback ribs!"
"But it takes so long, if we didn't bother this route in the first place we probably would have already gotten the kid by now!"
"...Don't question my methods slave!"
Meanwhile...
"DIPPER! DIPPER! DIPPER!" Pacifica shouted as she looked frantically around the room for Dipper.
"Pacifica, calm down!"
"Do NOT tell me that its alright! Dipper is missing! He doesn't know who he is and with that witch on the loose..."
"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down!" Artie grabbed her hands. "Think. We've already been searching the train for the Baba Yaga, and on our search we didn't see Dipper, right? So that means he must be in the one place we didn't search. The caboose!"
"That... makes sense!"
"Right then, let's go get our friend!"
Heading out they didn't have to walk far to reach the hole in the train.
"Okay, so if we can't walk on the force field then how are we suppose to cross this hole?" asked Pacifica.
"I think I have the answer to this one, see that expose pipe up there?" Artie pointed to piece of pipe sticking out of the roof in the hole. "That looks sturdy enough for us to swing across, I'll go first to test it then you can go if it is safe!"
Pacifica was about to ask 'how' when Artie took off his necktie and lassoed the loop around the pipe. With a mighty jump he leapt across and much to Pacifica's surprise the necktie stretched allowing Artie to reach the other side.
"I know you're worried about Dipper, but have a little faith in him. I've known him for years, and while he isn't always the most sensible when it comes to the fairer sex, the one thing you can count on is his ability to get out of a tight jam."
Artie tossed the necktie back to Pacifica.
His words sunk in and Pacifica calmed down a little. Holding the necktie, Pacifica walked back a little before getting a running start for her jump. The swing was a little easier than she was expecting so figured maybe now was a time to strike up a little conversation.
"You know, it actually took a few adventures for Dipper to tell me his real name is Mason?"
"DIPPER'S REAL NAME IS MASON?!"
Artie's sudden exclamation wouldn't have been anything to write home about if it wasn't for the fact he shouted it as he caught her. In other words, he did it right in her ear.
"...Sorry. That one caught me by surprise." apologized Artie. "You did good with the swing though, you didn't even need to say 'Ha!'."
He put her down and they headed towards the caboose.
"Seriously though, I've known Dipper for years and he's still never told me something like that. He must think a whole lot about you!"
"Well," Pacifica humbly began. "To be fair, I have known him a lot longer than you."
"Fair enough."
Artie entered the caboose but whispered under his breath "But seriously, Mason?! What the f***?!"
Meanwhile...
"Okay, we get out here!" announced Baba Yaga.
She kicked a grate out and dropped down to the floor below; Dipper soon followed.
"Why here of all places?"
"Simple, slave. End of the car!"
To their right was the door leading to the next car.
"So this is how we're gonna be moving up the car? Traveling in the vents until we reach the door?"
"Of course! Each car, has their own ventilation system and since none of them are connected this is the best way to do it!"
"Elaborate way to do it!" Dipper grumbled.
"Oh wait! You have amnesia right? Okay, so this thing here is called a 'doooooooooorknob'!"
"I know what a doorknob is! I only can't remember my past I still remember everything else!" Dipper snapped.
Pacifica was absolutely frantic. Dipper was nowhere to be found, he wasn't in the RV or in any of the surrounding area inside the caboose.
"Dipper! Dipper!"
Of course this didn't stop Pacifica from having a panic attack.
"DIPPER!"
"Oh geez, how am I supposed to bring her back down to Earth for this one? Time to wing it I guess... Pacifica!"
He grabbed her by the shoulders to calm her down but when he looked her in the face she looked about ready to slap him.
"Don't tell me to calm down! We already searched the searched the rest of the train and he isn't anywhere!"
"You're right! Okay? This is bad; but because we haven't seen him we can assume our worst fears are accurate! He's probably with Baba Yaga!"
"And exactly how is that supposed to make me feel better?!"
"It isn't! But this tells us two things! One.) He's safe. If Baba Yaga was going to hurt or kill him she would have let us know somehow. And Two.) If we find her, then we find Dipper!"
"And what if he isn't with her?"
Artie took a step back. "...He'll be with her!" He adjusted his tie and headed to the door. "He has to be..."
Dipper and the Baba Yaga were traveling in yet another vent but one of these two was starting to feel fed up with the lengthy journey.
"Why are there so many cars?!" Baba Yaga snapped.
"I don't know. It's almost as if some higher force was extremely vague about the exact number of cars for the sole purpose of there being as many as needed for the sake of purely fictional works."
Baba Yaga turned to Dipper with a raised eyebrow. "My, didn't you get awfully specific there?"
"Yeah, sorry. I think that explosion took more out of me than I thought."
"I'll allow it this time. Just be sure there are no more concussions in the future... or else! Now let's keep it moving, I'm hungry!"
"Your teeth are made of glass! How do you even 'eat' kids?"
"Well to actually munch and crunch them I need my cauldron and special recipe. Eating them raw however is different. You see, I place them inside my mouth, then when I close my glass teeth cut and pierce their body letting their blood flow down in to my mouth."
"That sounds horrible!"
"Oh yes. I assure you, it is a very slow and painful death."
Baba Yaga didn't slow for even a moment but Dipper had stopped moving.
"...Oh my God. Is this really my life?"
Dipper dropped through the vent where Baba Yaga was waiting for him next to the door.
"Ready for the next car?"
"I guess..."
Baba Yaga opened the door and she and Dipper entered the rare space in between the cars.
The speed of the train blew Dipper's hat off sending it flying away.
"Oh no..." Dipper whispered with mock urgency. "My gay hat... Come back."
Dipper started to smile at the lost of his hat when Baba Yaga suddenly pulled him in to the next car.
Pacifica came out of yet another compartment.
"He's not in that one either."
"To the next car then. I know you're worried; I am too, but to take you mind at ease why don't I tell you about the first time I met Dipper."
"... Alright. Fair enough."
"When I first met Dipper, we didn't like each other at all. I was tracking down a Kappa who was stalking a Japanese family who moved to America. Dipper was hired by the town to solve the problem as well so like it or not we had to work together. And trust me we didn't."
"What do you mean?"
Artie opened the door for Pacifica and she lead the way to the next car.
"We both felt like we weren't getting the proper respect from the other so we started bitterly compete on capturing the creature instead of teaming up right away."
"That sounds like it was counter productive."
"Oh it was. Because of all of our bickering that thing got the better of us more times then I would care to admit. Eventually we agreed to just team up to get it over with, it was a very labored collaboration but it worked."
"And then you were friends?"
"Nope. The Kappa was all dried out and then when I was loading it up in to my trunk it started to rain and escaped. It took shelter in this lake away from the town and Dipper just so happened to have taken up camp next to it. So we teamed up a second time!"
"And that's what got you to be friends?"
"Yes actually. After our first team up, we understood each other a little better and halted whatever bitterness we felt towards each other. This second one, however, showed us how well we worked together and complimented our strengths. So, with Dipper's help, we beat the Kappa a second time and I got it shipped on the first cargo flight back to Japan. Then we hit the town, and had a proper guys night out; we even sung Collision of Worlds at a karaoke bar. And then, he offered me a job as his partner."
"Wait! You were Dipper's first pick after Mabel?"
Artie stood proud as Pacifica gaped in shock.
"That's right! I turned him down because I thought he should come with me instead! Oh we bickered about it like children but we ultimately decided to agree to disagree and respect the other person's decision."
"...Wow."
"You know what? I just got an idea, we should split up. You should head back to Dipper's compartment and look for clues while I continue our search! I have this nagging suspicion that we missed something important."
Pacifica scowled. "Why do I have to be the one to go back?!"
"Your eye is sharper. Even Dipper admits that."
"Fine! I'll go but if I find out Dipper got into even more trouble while I was gone then it is going to be on your head!"
"... Fair enough."
Omake
Dipper traveled out to the last space between the cars, the engine car was finally next. The space was narrower though, and the wind that much harsher than in the others. There was something banging his leg in his trench coat pocket though, he dug it out held up a key.
"I wonder what this is supposed to go to?"
"AHA!"
At Baba Yaga's sudden exclamation Dipper accidentally flung the key out of his hands and down to the speeding rails below.
"I hope that wasn't something important. Meh. I'll probably be better off without it." Dipper mused.
"This is definitely where the child is." Baba Yaga jiggled the handle. "The door is locked..." She turned to Dipper. "You wouldn't happen to have a key would you?"
"...Well not anymore."
That's it for now. Now I wanted to take this time to address something with you readers. Some of you have been bringing a little too much logic in to this story. "That's not how citizenship works." "The traveling time is unrealistic." "Explosives don't work like that." To that I say: This is a GRAVITY FALLS fanfic! For pity's sake a MINOR was sent to ADULT PRISON! Given the world of this fic a little SLACK would be much appreciated! Now that this is out of the way, I got rid of Dipper's hat because the dot was annoying me and as far as the key goes I think it made things a little too easy for Dipper so I got rid of it so he can have a bigger hill to climb. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I also hope you enjoyed the look back on Artie and Dipper's first team up.