[author's note]: thank you for waiting patiently! i lo—

▽

Inside the basement, darkness prevailed, with electricity strained through decade-old engines attempting to power the gateway to interdimensional worlds. The sole illumination in the space emanated from the pulsing glow of the large portal and the faint light of green fluids gradually filling glass tanks. Stan took off his fez, unintentionally smearing toxic waste on his forehead. "Whew. Can't be too careful with this stuff."

"And that's why you have me on the job," Y/n remarked, standing by the control panel. The tanks were filled to its capacity, and the red lights flashed as a buzzer went off. The screen on top of them appeared a green text that said, 'Event Initialized', and an eighteen-hour countdown began.

Stan stood before the first journal, his hands skimming through warnings. He read them in such an aloof way. "Blah, blah blah. 'Extreme usage could result in minor gravity anomalies–' Can it, Poindexter!" he said as he slammed the book shut. "We've come this far. We ain't givin' up now!"

He opened up a hatch, revealing a red button to which he pushed it down. The portal began to spin, and the cylinders began to emit blue light. The two watched as the swirling continued. "Yes, this is it!" Stan urged, overlooking his floating hat. Y/n's daisy necklace was also levitating, and she had a sense of déjà vu.

"ꟻɘɒɿ ɟ⑁ɘ dɘɒƨɟ wiɟ⑁ ᒑuƨɟ onɘ ɘγɘ"

She recoiled from the memory, repeatedly shaking her head. Stan noticed, and he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Kid, you okay?" She was terribly silent. His tone suddenly increased in a panic. "Why are you bleeding?!"

Y/n blinked herself awake and only felt warm liquid dripping down her nose. "Oh," she uttered, barely a whisper. She brought a hand to her face and rubbed the blood off sporadically. "I'm sorry."

"Are you okay?" he asked again, it was the first time she was this vulnerable in front of him. He realized that it wasn't a good feeling to see her hurt. "What happened?"

"I think it was the effects of the portal," she quickly explained before waving a dismissive hand. "Just go on, it doesn't hurt."

"It's gonna be a bumpy ride, but it'll all be worth it," the older man reassured. He handed her a watch identical to his and they simultaneously wore it on their wrists, pressing a button to the side of the device to sync their watches to the countdown. 3... 2... 1... 0...

"18 more hours," she noted. 18 more hours until they find out Ford's exact coordinates. 18 more hours until he goes through the portal and comes home. 18 more hours until everyone else finds out about their secrets. 18 more hours until everything changes.

***

https://youtu.be/C1ABrDQdTfc

***

"Are you sure you're okay?" Stan asked in a serious tone, right before they parted ways in the hall.

Nodding, she said, "I'm fine," before yawning. It was nearing 5am, such a usual time for the two when working on the portal. Although there was nothing else to modify as the contraption was already up and running, it was still crucial to keep an eye on the generators just in case something might malfunction.

And even when Y/n laid on her bed, she found herself staring up at her dusty ceiling, contemplating her actions. The rest of the morning consisted of her deepest thoughts, her hopes and dreams— if she still even had any.

Her fantasies of owning a clinic were interrupted by Mabel's noises down the hallway, raving to Dipper about what she found in a closet. And Y/n realized, by taking a quick glance at her bedside clock, that she spent 2 hours daydreaming and it was already 7 AM. She blinked herself awake as if she had been sleeping for six hours when she didn't even take a little nap.

She didn't find a good reason to sleep anyway. It was supposed to be a big day, so she had to stay alert to witness it. The watch stated the exact time, but an anxious yet excited part of her plagued the thought of him arriving at an earlier date.

Taking a deep breath, she sat upwards, rubbing her eyes awake. She stood up minutes later, getting herself ready for the day while cracking her knuckles casually. After a few minutes, she trudged outside her room, anticipating a joyous greeting from Mabel.

But what she got was an enthusiastic pat on the back by Stan, already dressed. "Good, you're awake. Come on, let's go to the rooftop." He didn't explain anything further.

"Wha–?!" She felt her whole body getting dragged over to the ladder, where Dipper and Mabel were already waiting.

"Y/n, you're awake!" Mabel shouted when she saw her.

Dipper was just as excited, a grin on his face. Though it was unusual seeing it in such an early morning, Y/n welcomed it nonetheless. "Just in time, too! Mabel found these fireworks—"

"And we're gonna make everything explode!" the other twin finished the sentence, urging her to come with them

The fireworks celebration began, with Stan relaxing on a reclined chair and Dipper already arranging sparklers. He offered one to Y/n, and they exchanged smiles. The Pines Family laughed joyously as they watched the colorful display from a Roman candle firework. Dipper grabbed an icy pop, while Mabel excitedly stood next to Stan, holding a skyrocket.

Stan leaned forward and brought the sparkler closer to the wick of the skyrocket. "Here you go, sweetie," he told Mabel. "Set something on fire for your Grunkle Stan."

She aimed it high in the sky, screaming, "I AM THE GOD OF DESTRUCTION!"

And the firework set off, sounds of awe were heard in sync with the explosion. It bursted out colorful sparks; pink, yellow, purple...

"Hold on a minute," a stern voice from below caught their attention. It was Sheriff Blubs, who had his hands on his hips along with Deputy Durland who was doing the same. Y/n felt some sort of fight-or-flight emotion, the sight of cops really makes her uncomfortable. "Do you have a permit for those?" he motioned towards the box of very illegal fireworks.

"Uh..." Dipper began, trying to come up with a rational explanation.

But Stan beat him to it, "Uhhh. You have a permit for being totally lame?

The quartet laughed in unison, though in different volumes. Stan was cackling, Mabel was hollering, Dipper was chuckling, while Y/n was snickering.

Lucky for them, the cops were stupid, having fun with them. "Well, I can't argue with that!" Blubs said in a hearty tone. It sounded like there was nothing else he could do, and the two began to walk off like nothing illegal happened. "Carry on," he added, and they were eventually out of sight.

Stan let out a short laugh before sighing, his stance suddenly genuine. "But seriously though, we should probably clean this mess up." They all looked around the Shack to see small fires gradually building up around the forest. Y/n winced at the sight.

"With water balloons?" Mabel suggested slowly, gauging her great uncle's reaction.

The older man shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't see why not!" he replied, making the twins grin widely.

Without delay, they collected all the available balloons, filling them up with water from the outdoor faucet. Creating a mound in the center of the yard, Y/n, Dipper, and Mabel organized into teams.

Engaged in a 2v1 showdown, the twins faced off against Y/n in the yard. They each claimed an end of the area as their battlefield. Mabel and Dipper launched a barrage of water balloons at Y/n, but she skillfully evaded them, countering with well-aimed throws that hit the twins.

With a sudden change in allegiance, Mabel joined forces with Y/n, making it a two-against-one situation with Dipper as the target. Dipper, caught in the crossfire, attempted to escape the onslaught of water balloon attacks. Laughter filled the air, with Dipper's infectious chuckles blending with Mabel's howls and shrieks. Y/n found the entire spectacle highly amusing.

Dipper tried to fight back, but failed, the balloon not getting far. "Oh, man..!"

He was hit square in the face with a water balloon from Mabel, who was running around and screaming about her victory.

Stan, who was watching from the porch, let out a hearty chuckle. "Ah, this is what Saturdays are for. Doing dumb things forever!"

In a synchronized leap, the trio linked arms, awaiting Mabel's countdown. As she reached zero, they collectively jumped onto the pile of water balloons, shouting, "DUMB THINGS FOREVER!" The burst of water from the popped balloons created a lively splash, decorating a section of the porch.

"Whoa there!" Stan recoiled from the water, laughing shortly.

Mabel held up her ice popsicle. "To Grunkle Stan!" she declared loudly. "Not just a great uncle..."

"The greatest uncle!" Dipper continued the sentence in the same tone as her.

Turning towards the third participant, Y/n raised a water balloon and declared, "The best elderly we've ever encountered!" Her words elicited laughter from the twins, and together, they started bombarding Stan with water balloons.

He laughed. "Alright, alright," he simmered as he stood up. "I tell you it's unnatural for siblings to get along as well as you do."

Stan ignored the way Y/n looked at him, who knew what he meant. Mabel and Dipper do get along well for being the Pines twins.

Mabel waved a hand dismissively. "Ha-ha! Don't worry. We've still got plenty of summer left to drive each other crazy!" She playfully attacked Dipper with hugs until he pushed her away, accidentally hitting her face with a water balloon.

The older man laughed nervously as he frowned. His tone suddenly shifted. "Yeah. Plenty of summer left..." he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as Mabel and Dipper noticed, approaching him with concern.

Y/n's brows furrowed in anticipation. What was he about to do?

"Kids, there's something I, uh, something I should tell you," Stan began, scratching all over his face. He does that when he's nervous. "Well it's complicated."

She let out a huff. How does he even start the explanation? Hey, kids. I've actually been lying to you guys for the whole summer! I'm not Stanford because the real Stanford was stuck through an interdimensional portal to who knows where, and Y/n and I are trying to get him back for 30 years. Haha, also Y/n is not actually 13.

Cheese and crackers..

Stan sputtered a lame excuse, sweat dripping. "I... I'm gonna go refresh my soda."

He left the scene without a word— not inside through the kitchen, but towards the side of the Shack.

The trio exchanged glances, until Y/n had the itch to follow him. "I gotta go check on him," she said. No one protested against it, and they let her go.

"What was that back there?" she said once she found Stan standing idly behind the bushes.

He scratched his chin. "I don't know, okay?! I panicked."

"When did you get to decide you're telling the twins? You could've warned me! We were having fun with water balloons," she huffed in reply, crossing her arms.

Stan muttered in reply, "They'll find out sooner or later." The two gave each other grave looks, trying to imagine what their reactions would be. "Today's the day."

Dipper, I'm not who you think you are. You shouldn't trust me.

"Uh, what's that?"

Stan pointed at her shirt. She looked down to see a red dot painting her chest. Her eyes looked up to see a red dot also displayed on his fez hat. "You have one too! Is it a ladybug?"

More dots popped up, targeting his face and chest. "Oh no!" Stan shouted in realization, and from behind he was suddenly tackled by a masked agent to the ground, startling Y/n. Another agent swiftly approached, securing her tightly by the arms, hindering any attempt to escape.

"Hey, let me go!" she demanded, thrashing around the man's vice grip. She looked up and saw the same agent that visited the Shack, and she went pale.

Agent Trigger spoke into his comms. "Targets secured. Take the house!"

Out of nowhere, several helicopters materialized, hovering above the Shack. A wave of agents swarmed the vicinity, encircling the twins and initiating the destruction of the building. Police caution tape was wound around the Shack. Y/n's worst fears were unfolding.

She and Stan were forcefully brought into the open, led by the agent towards the government vehicle. Stan, in a state of confusion, shouted out bewildered statements, while Y/n remained frozen and horrified. "Hey, hands off her, she's just a kid!" Stan pleaded, noticing the fear on her face.

Trigger didn't listen, of course he wouldn't, as his hold remained tight. "Way to throw us off by using a child to your misdeeds then, Pines."

"I- I don't understand!" Stan stuttered, trying to sound innocent, as if he didn't commit any other crimes. "What did I do that warrants this much arresting?"

Y/n remained silent, her gaze shifting between the older man and the emerging Powers from the shadows. Powers wore a bemused expression, directing his attention to the girl. She swallowed her nerves consciously, realizing she needed to maintain her act. Even though they might be onto them, she was determined not to let the government unravel their plans and secrets, especially not in front of the twins.

"The government guys?" Dipper gasped in disbelief. "I thought you got eaten by zombies!"

"We survived," Trigger replied. "Barely."

"I used Trigger as a human shield. He cried like a baby."

"Wha— h-hey! Not in front of the special-ops guys!"

Powers approached Stan, who he suspected was the culprit. He raised a digital tablet, displaying a video. "This is security footage from a government waste facility. At 0400 hours last night, someone stole three hundred gallons of hazardous waste." He paused, and the footage on the screen confirmed his words. Powers then turned his attention to Y/n. "What are your thoughts on this information?"

Y/n stared at him, her face unreadable. "I think it's not good to steal," she wanted to curse herself for sounding completely dumb in front of everyone, but she had to look naive. "But..." she continued, "Stan is a good person. He would never do that."

Powers leaned closer to her, his voice suddenly dropping to a whisper. One that only the two of them could hear. "I'm not talking about him."

It was suddenly cold.

He straightened up. "As you're thirteen, you're of legal age to be arrested. Take them away," he commanded, and the agents escorted them toward the government vehicle. Y/n glanced back, meeting Dipper's eyes, silently apologizing for the predicament they were about to face.

"B-but I didn't do it!" Stan tried to convince them while he was being whisked away. "Last night I was restocking the gift shop, I swear!"

Mabel tried to reach out for her grunkle and friend. "Wait! Y/n! Grunkle Stan! You've got the wrong people! Our Grunkle Stan might shoplift the occasional tangerine, but he's not some evil super villain!"

"And we know that Y/n wouldn't do something like that!" Dipper added his own sentiment, but their attempt of persuading failed as it fell on deaf ears.

Powers bent down to get at eye-level with the twins, trying to talk some sense into these gullible children. "Listen, kids. We've been watching your family all summer and we've seen some disturbing things. But nothing is as dangerous as what your friend and uncle is hiding. Somewhere hidden in this Shack is a doomsday device!"

The twins exchanged a shocked expression, not believing what they were hearing at the moment. Powers got back up and faced his partner, handing him the tablet. "Trigger, you take the children. I'll talk to the suspect."

He turned to make his exit, but not before leaving a final word. "Sorry to break it to you, kids, but you don't know those people at all."

Trigger snapped his fingers, and two agents approached them. One confiscated Mabel's icy popsicle, while the other guided them toward a police car, closing the door behind them. Glancing out the window, the twins observed Stan and Y/n in the adjacent vehicle.

Stan saw them from the other side, and he began banging the window with his cuffed hands. "Kids, you gotta believe us! The government got it all wrong! We're innocent!" The car eventually drove off, and the twins looked at each other with concern.

They reached the local police station, still surrounded by teams of agents scanning the surroundings for unknown threats. It seemed a bit excessive, but if the government believed a local crook had stolen their property, they would undoubtedly take extensive measures. Stan and Y/n underwent the process of having their mugshots and fingerprints taken, followed by an interrogation.

They were confined to separate rooms, hands still shackled, with no apparent means of escape. Powers entered Stan's room first, discovering him seated in front of a bulletin board adorned with evidence connected by strings. "Alright, Pines," he started, rousing the man from his thoughts. "It's time to talk. I'm no scientist, but there are only two things you do with hazardous waste: store it in barrels near poor people or build a doomsday device. What are you hiding?!"

He squinted at Stan, who remained nonchalant amid the interrogation. Stan countered with a smirk, propping his feet up on the table and reclining. "Heh. You ain't got nothin' on me, and you know it," he said smugly. "I've been in cuffs so many times my wrists have tan lines. I'll get out of here. I'll be looking forward to seeing you come up empty-handed."

Powers stared at him, undeterred. "And what about your accomplice, Y/n? Why did you have to string a 13 year old into your crimes?"

Stan's front was suddenly destroyed, and his smirk was washed away, immediately replaced by a haunted one. "Hey, you can do anything you want to me, but don't go near her. She has nothing to do with this. We had nothing to do with this!"

"Suit yourself," Powers concluded when he knew he was getting nowhere with this guy. He turned away and walked towards the door. "We'll find the device. It's only a matter of time. And speaking of which, yours is running out." He left him to his devices.

Speaking of devices, once the agent exited the room, Stan promptly checked his digital watch, still attached to him. The time counted down to nine hours. Only nine hours left until it happens. He had to be there. They both had to be there.

Stan glanced around the room, searching for a potential means of escape. His eyes landed on a table with a radio placed on it, sparking an idea. Waddling over to his right, he tried to move discreetly, but the incessant squeaking of the chair betrayed his attempts at stealth. With his hands bound, he resorted to using his feet to scroll through the dial. In the process, he accidentally kicked the receiver, causing it to fall, and he followed suit, tumbling to the ground.

He screamed into the receiver, contacting someone. "Big Boy! Come in, Big Boy!"

***

The sound of her own pulse echoed in Y/n's ears, the unsettling quiet pushing her towards the brink of insanity. A beep from her watch served as a reminder that another hour had passed, leaving only nine hours remaining. Curiosity getting the better of her, she turned her head to see a bulletin board adorned with photos. Among them were snapshots of her mall adventure with the twins and Soos, as well as a picture of her sharing a laugh with Mabel after successfully swapping the potion with the Love God.

Unbeknownst to her, the agents had been covertly observing their every move from a distance.

They could've attached bugs all around the Shacks, and she failed to notice. They could've heard them talking about the portal so openly, thinking that they were alone. Maybe the agents already knew where it was located, they were just playing with them and trying to get them to admit to their crimes.

Her train of thought was abruptly halted as Powers swung the door open, causing her to pivot around to face him. His demeanor was stern, unwavering, and imposing. Y/n mentally urged herself once more to maintain her facade of innocence, hoping that, by some stroke of luck, they might be persuaded to release them. However, the uncertainty of whether their act was convincing enough lingered in her mind.

"Y/n," Powers began, his hands behind his back. "Why are you in Gravity Falls?"

She opened her mouth and started reciting the same script she and Stan made up whenever someone would ask her this particular question. "My mom was close friends with Stan. She sent me to Gravity Falls under his supervision." She leaned forward, her tone persuading. "I'm telling you, Stan is a good man. He's innocent!"

"Not to our signals he isn't," Powers retaliated, his posture straightened. "It's been going over the bar for the last 30 years. Do you even know Stanford Pines and the things he might be doing right under your nose?"

Well for one, he isn't actually Stanford.🗝

***

Dipper and Mabel were allocated to an old, abandoned schoolhouse in the woods, 'Government-Owned Historical Learning Institution.'

The boy looked up at Trigger, who decided to put them there. "You're just gonna lock us up in here?"

"This is to keep you safe until child protective services can pick you up," Trigger replied, standing by the door. "Plus, there's toys to keep you entertained."

Dipper ignored his offer and asked the agent instead, "Where's Y/n? Where did your guys take her?"

"That's classified," he answered shortly before leaning down. "She's your friend, isn't she? You could make her time in jail easier if you tell me what she's hiding." His facade became friendly all of a sudden, and it wasn't a good look.

Mabel pointed a finger at him. "We'd rather die than dish out to you stuffed suits!" she then drew back, turning to Dipper. "...Right?"

He nodded.

"We'd rather die!" she concluded, crossing her arms.

Trigger gave up, standing. "Suit yourselves," he began to walk away. "This building pre-dates insulation, so it's going to get cold tonight."

The agent slammed the door shut, and sounds of multiple locks were heard from the other side.

Mabel's act deflated, looking at her brother. "Dipper, you don't think they're right, do you? About Stan? About Y/n?"

"No way," Dipper emphasized, stepping back and making his way to a window. "Stan may be a small-time crook, but this is the guy who takes care of us, who saved your pig, who tries. And Y/n..." he faltered, but carried on. "Y/n has been a great friend to me— to us! She's always been there for us and protected us against danger. They gave us the best summer ever.

There's no way they got a doomsday device, and we're gonna prove it!"

Mabel noticed an old TV that schools would often use. She turned it on and it was the news, covering Stan and Y/n's arrest. Shandra noted that the government refused to disclose the crimes they committed before they went to a commercial where local celebrity Justin was doing a classic KerPrank. Mabel turned the TV off. "We need to prove that Y/n and Grunkle Stan are not guilty, but how? They think they were robbing that waste plant! "

Dipper was pacing around the room, his finger on his chin, trying to remember some clues. "Didn't Stan say he was restocking the gift shop last night?" He ended up in front of the TV, and below it was a tape player. He saw them and suddenly had an idea. "The security tapes! Grunkle Stan has surveillance in the gift shop 24/7! If we can get back to the Shack and find those tapes, we can prove Stan and Y/n were innocent last night!" He rambled all to Mabel, who totally understood the plan.

"But we're locked in, remember?" she said, jiggling the doorknob. "Those settlers really knew how to trap their children." She motioned to the one chair in the far corner of the classroom, a big label that said 'Ye Tyme Oute' plastered on top. But the desk had a pillory attached to it.

***

Powers sighed and sat on the chair in front of Y/n, trying to level with her. "Look, kid. You may not know this, but I'm on your side on this one. Just tell me the truth, and I might let you go and you can do anything you want. How's that sound?"

She could almost barf. His tone sounded like he was talking to a gullible baby, which she was anything but. "Nice try," she said, her eyes glinting a bit with mischief. "But I'm innocent."

He brought out another digital tablet, showing her the same video from earlier. It was of a figure in a haz-mat suit wheeling barrels of radioactive waste. "At 0400 hours last night, someone robbed three hundred gallons of dangerous waste," he repeated, but this time it was slow.

They held eye contact, and without looking back, Powers fast-forwarded to 30 minutes later. "At 4300, another person comes to 'help'."

Y/n cast a fleeting glance at the footage, spotting the individual in question. They lacked any protective gear, except for a gas mask obscuring their face. Her breath hitched, and she clenched her restrained hands, struggling to maintain composure. Despite her internal turmoil, she remained silent, enduring Powers' scrutinizing gaze. His eyes probed for any hint of a reaction, a twitch, or the slightest wrinkle, all of which she skillfully concealed.

Externally, her eyes maintained an unreadable facade, projecting a calm demeanor. However, within, she felt like she was on the verge of combustion, ready to shatter into a million pieces.

Powers decided to speak, searching for a reaction. "Any idea who this person is, Y/n?"

She shook her head. No.

"Not a guess?"

Another shake. No.

"Are you certain?"

A nod. Yes.

He huffed as he stood up. He won't get anywhere with the two of them. They may be stubbornly persistent, but he won't stop until he finds the weapon. "I'll leave you to your thoughts then. It's no use when none of you cooperate." Powers grumbled, walking away and out of the room.

Y/n let out air she didn't know she was holding. She tried to regain her breathing, inhaling and exhaling. Her watch beeped just in time, and she bent over to sneak a glance at its screen, displaying the countdown and a warning; ANOMALY IN PROGRESS. And as if on cue, the desk in front of her began floating before falling back to the ground in a loud bang!

It's getting stronger...

***

The twins found themselves trying to figure out a way to get out of the abandoned classrooms. There were no tools at their disposal, nothing to pick the lock of the door. Dipper was back to pacing on the tiles again, while Mabel's body was splayed on one of the desks, her limbs dangling on the edge. She sighed forlornly, looking up at the upside down rows of portraits of presidents hanging on the wall.

"Oh, President Van Durren, what would you do in this situation?" Mabel asked randomly, voicing her concern.

Dipper snapped his fingers when he heard the word. "President!" His eyes lit up and a grin made its way to his lips. "Mabel, that's it!"

"That's what?"

From the corner of her vision, she watched as her brother rummaged through his vest pockets, until he pulled out a tool she thought he would never use. "Remember this?" she gawked at the sight. "It's the President's key!"

"The President's key!" Mabel echoed with the same grin.

It was a golden, slender key, given to them by the eight-and-a-halfth president, Quentin Trembley (from many episodes ago!).

"Dipper, your brain is a genius!" she cheered, and the two went over to the door, inserting the key to the lock. He just hoped it would work. The key was completely turned, and there was an audible 'click!' and the door magically opened.

The twins gave each other a mischievous smirk, devising a plan to completely outsmart these agents and get away from them as far as possible.

Meanwhile, Trigger and another agent were having another conversation about conspiracy theories when they heard the main door open. Trigger looked behind him and saw the empty corridor. "What was that?!" He and the second agent entered the classroom which was void of a pair of twins.

He heard someone clearing their throat and he looked up to see the twins on the ceiling, holding a school bell. "BELL DROP ON YOUR HEAD NOW!" Mabel declared before she and Dipper let go, the instrument hitting the second agent, making them topple over Trigger and they were both unconscious in a matter of seconds. For a bunch of government workforce, they were very unprepared.

Dipper and Mabel zipped down from the ceiling with the use of her grappling hook, and managed to tie the two agents together with the American flag. Trigger eventually woke up and assessed the situation before him. Two twelve year-olds managed to outsmart him, how unlucky.

Mabel smugly placed her hands on his hips. "Enjoy a room full of outdated knowledge, dweebs! We're gonna go clear our grunkle's and our friend's names!" She walked out of the room.

Dipper was just finishing restricting them when Trigger attempted to talk through his comms. "Backup! Requesting backup—"

He removed the agent's earpiece before throwing it to the ground and stepped on it, smashing it to pieces. The brunette walked away, knowing that the agents were now helplessly bound. But Trigger's words made him stop. "Oh, you poor kids. You really think they're innocent? What do you know about your uncle's past, huh? Name one concrete thing. And what about your friend which you just met this summer. Do you really know who she is?"

Dipper remained silent, trying not to show his emotions in front of this man. But Trigger kept going, rambling about Stan.

"I've seen it before, kid; false names, double lives... one minute they're playing with water balloons, the next they got a whole new life behind your back. Those two scammed the whole world, kid. Are you really gonna let them scam you too?"

Dipper looked tormented, he was preoccupied with thoughts swirling in his head as his hand was frozen on the doorknob. Y/n wouldn't do that to him, would she?

"You..." he faltered. "You don't know what you're talking about."

Does he?

He closed the door on them, just as Trigger yelled his last words, "You're gonna regret this!"

Rattled, he started to question his trust in both Stan and Y/n, as memories from the summer began to resurface, now with added context. Puzzle pieces were falling into place, answering the questions that had been lingering in his mind.

Mabel was already outside, and Dipper decided to keep the information to himself for a while.

The twins managed to hitch a ride on the trunk of an incoming government vehicle as it drove its way back to the Shack where it was still buzzing with police sirens and barked orders. With an elaborate plan, they grappled towards their shared bedroom and snuck past the guards without a noise, finally arriving in Stan's office where the security tapes were supposed to be.

They scoured through the room, pretending to be Stan and looking where he would hide it. Mabel found the tapes through the 'antelabbit' as she had coined it. After pushing it upwards, a section of the wall turned 180 degrees to reveal two old-looking TV monitors and a tape player, making the twins celebrate.

Mabel pushed up the tape labeled Tuesday into the player, and the video played, showing the happenings inside the gift shop. They fast-forwarded to several hours later, 6:45, where Stan was placing various merchandise on the counter. Dipper giddily pointed at the screen."There it is! Stan restocking like he said!"

"And the date shows it was last night. It's proof!" he added, turning to Mabel.

"Y/n is not even in the footage so she's innocent too! They both are!" she cheered.

But five minutes later, Stan stepped off from his spot in the register, and made his way to the door. He looked around to see if the coast was clear before walking out. Dipper fast-forwarded and the older man still hasn't come back. "Uh, oh..." he murmured, having a bad feeling about all of this.

Mabel shrugged, attempting to provide reassurance. "Uh, maybe he's just going to the bathroom outdoors. The way nature intended!" Despite her effort to remain cheerful, a sense of dread started to creep in. The screen displayed 5 am, and at that very moment, a figure in a hazmat suit casually walked into the gift shop, wheeling a barrel of hazardous waste.

The twins gasped, leaning in to see a closer look. They were still in a state of shock, denial, and confusion. "Oh, no, Stan you didn't." They let out an even bigger gasp when they saw a girl familiar to them. "Y/n? What were they doing?" Dipper mumbled under his breath.

Mabel laughed nervously, torn between comforting her brother and her friend. "Don't panic," she said, waving her arms. She gestured towards the two individuals they believed they could trust, even though they were now clad in protective gear. The person in the video wore a surgical mask, making it uncertain if it was their friend, despite the absence of gloves and a rubber suit. "They could be anyone."

The girl in the footage suddenly spoke. It was in a whisper, but the video still picked it up. "Be careful with that stuff! You're gonna spill it all over the floorboards!"

The person in the hazmat suddenly dropped the barrel on their toes, and they jumped in pain. "Ah! Son of a—!"

Dipper immediately fast-forwarded, choosing not to hear the man's colorful vocabulary. That was him alright.

Mabel was on the brink of breaking down, "Okay, okay, so maybe Grunkle Stan and Y/n stole some toxic waste. That doesn't mean they're leading a nefarious double life! I mean, Y/n's just thirteen, why couldn't she just have fun with coloring books and catching butterflies– not being a criminal!"

While she rambled, Dipper found a box of belongings right under the tape player. He opened the flaps and looked over to see a bunch of incriminating stuff. He turned to her. "I'm not so sure about that, Mabel."

They turned on a desk lamp, the light helping them see a box full of fake IDs and passports."What?" Mabel muttered as they rummaged through the pile. "Stetson Pinefield?" She read one of Stan's identities.

"Hal Forrester? Andrew '8-Ball' Alcatraz?" Dipper found some more identities. "You wouldn't need fake IDs unless you were trying to hide your real identity!"

"But why would Stan do that?" Mabel wondered aloud, searching for answers within the box. She came across a folded newspaper clipping and took it, reading the headline. Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach when she saw the big, bold letters.

STAN PINES DEAD.

For two people thirty years ago, they were casual about it. They were happy that they got rid of his identity, but thirty years later, two other people were horrified and panic-stricken.

"What?!" Dipper's eyes were wide as saucers. Their Grunkle Stan was supposed to be dead?! Fiery car crash, brakes cut but by whom?!

The atmosphere had grown more tense, anxiety looming around them. Did this mean that the Stan they had trusted, the one their parents had entrusted them to, wasn't actually their great uncle? They had only heard of him once through their father, and now all their memories from this summer were tainted by the possibility that the old man running a tourist trap might not be their relative after all.

Y/n's information was nowhere to be found. The only thing they knew about her was that she was also sent by her 'aunt' to spend the summer with Stan. Maybe she also didn't know Stan's secret? Perhaps she was also a victim, unknowingly helping Stan with the doomsday device. He knew about her invulnerability, so he might have thought he could use her to handle the toxic waste.

Somewhere deep down in Dipper's soul, there was an urge to save her from whatever exploitation was going on. He still didn't believe that she could have a hand in this.

The twins spent their time thinking and wondering. It still didn't make sense for the both of them. They needed an explanation about all of this. They needed answers.

Dipper was exasperated, panting in regret. "I can't believe it. This whole summer I've been looking for answers and the biggest mystery was right under our nose."

Mabel shook the box upside down, looking for more clues. She discovered a piece of paper, letters and numbers written on it. "What the..? This looks like Y/n's handwriting!"

"Let me see that," he urged, taking the paper. "'Secret code to hideout?'" He then took out the journal and flipped over to the page of ciphers, turning on the portable black light. "A1, B, C3... I've never seen a code like this." But he'd seen her handwriting before, and it was exactly that. Could it be a lock located in her room?

What was she hiding?

"Wait! I've seen this pattern of numbers before!" Mabel suddenly burst out, turning to him. "Dipper, it's the vending machine!"

And that was exactly where they were going.

***

Only thirteen minutes left until the portal opens to the assigned coordinates. Y/n tried to think of a way out, but there weren't any tools to her advantage. In the last few hours, every 12 minutes, the anomalies would return, and they were stronger each time. The table must've been crooked by now from how many times it slammed back to the ground.

All of a sudden, the door opened, and three agents walked inside. "Alright, kid. We're putting you away now."

"Where's Powers?" she meekly asked them. Maybe stalling them would be a good idea.

"Doesn't matter. Come with us," the agent sternly replied. One of them went behind her to unlock her cuffs. "Don't even think about fighting back. You're no match against government employees."

She fought the urge to narrow her eyes at them. She heard a click and her wrists were free from the binds, and on cue, her watch began to beep. Anomaly in progress!

Everything around them floated, and she headbutted the agent from behind, rendering him unconscious. The man in front of her was perplexed, the sudden shift of gravity catching him off-guard. Y/n took the chance to leap towards him and kicked him in the face. The third guard brought out a rubber baton and pointed it at her.

"Don't make me hit you with this, little girl!"

"I'd like to see you try!" she retorted as he swung the weapon at her. Grabbing the chair behind her, Y/n struck him with it, shattering the furniture into a million pieces. Hastily, she reached the door, opened it, leaving the three floating men to their confusion. She closed the door just as her watch beeped again, and gravity returned to normal.

Stan concluded dealing with his own set of goons, hand on the doorknob after slamming the door in Powers' face, securely locking it. He scanned the area. "Y/n? Y/n, where are you?" He searched for any other rooms where she might be located.

"Stan! Stan!" He heard from the other corridor. He saw her turn the corner and stood at the end of the hallway.

"Y/n," he huffed in relief, and she wrapped her arms around him. He placed his hands on her shoulder, rubbing her hair affectionately. "Let's go. We don't have much time!"

The two sprinted out of the police station to find a taxi in the middle of a street. Stan was breathless when he approached the driver. "You know where the Mystery Shack is?"

The man in the car responded, "Uh, yeah?"

Stan retrieved a wallet from his coat. "Okay, here's a hundred bucks," he told the driver. Y/n was ready to hop inside the vehicle but his hand shot out to stop her. "Drive as far away from the Shack as possible, and don't stop when the cops start chasing you!" He ordered.

She looked up at him with wide eyes. That was such a smart move...

The driver was nonchalant, accepting the instructions as he shrugged. He drove off quickly, and that was their cue to hide just as the cops burst out the front doors. "They're getting away!" The two heard Powers' voice from behind a flipped car. "Obviously, follow that cab!" He pointed at the yellow car, ordering them to go in pursuit.

Y/n and Stan ran in the other direction. It was a long way to the Shack, but they had no other choice. They had to be there. They had to.

The two of them were breathless, and they weren't even halfway there. They were bombarded with branches and stones trying to trip their feet, but they were driven by sheer determination that nothing could stop them.

Meanwhile, the twins successfully persuaded Soos, who was assigned by Stan to guard the vending machine with his life. Mabel and Dipper teamed up against him and managed to get past, with Dipper successfully entering the code into the vending machine. It hissed open, revealing a secret passage.

The trio ventured forward, their bodies trembling slightly. They followed the path that led them to a lone elevator, which automatically descended to the deepest level of the basement. As the double doors opened, they found themselves in an observation room filled with computers and control panels. A large screen displayed a countdown in red numbers, indicating 5 minutes and 30 seconds... but to what? What was it counting down to?

Their jaws hung open as they gawked at the scene before them. The idea of Stan being capable of operating something as complex as this was beyond their wildest imagination. After all, he struggled with even the simplest of phones. The realization that Y/n might have collaborated on this left Dipper utterly confused and lost.

All three of them were flooded with questions, the situation making no sense at all. They were desperate to unravel the meaning behind all of this. What purpose did it serve beneath the Mystery Shack?

Mabel was trying to be positive, but it seemed to be out of place. The probability of it all being a doomsday device was slowly coming true. This was the sole proof of it. "Okay, okay, so Grunkle Stan's got a huge gigantic lab and Y/n might be an assistant. That doesn't mean anything bad! Everyone's got secrets!"

On top of the table, she saw a framed photo of her and Dipper and picked it up. "It's still them, guys. Stan and Y/n! They care for us, they love us! And we love them." She turned to him. "Right, Dipper?" she trailed off, watching his reaction shift for a moment.

Dipper noticed something on the table in front of him. His heart skipped a painful beat, not liking what he was saying. "It can't be..." his voice was barely a whisper. "That's impossible."

In his hands was the third journal, but the other two were located right in front of him, in this very room, all in Stan's possessions, all this time. Dipper pulled his hair in different directions. "I can't believe it! Was anything he said to us real?! Why would he have those journals?"

Amidst the surge of rage within him, Dipper harbored other questions in his mind at that very moment. Despite the turmoil, he refrained from vocalizing them, fearing the potential answers: Did Y/n assist Stan in locating all the journals? Was their friendship merely a ploy to gain his trust and ultimately obtain the journal willingly?

"Maybe he's the author," Soos offered, referring to Stan. But Dipper refused to believe that someone as dumb and stubborn as Stan would care about the mysteries of Gravity Falls let alone write about them.

"Or maybe he stole them from the author!" He rejected the idea, standing his ground. "Maybe the reason he has all those fake IDs is because he is a master criminal, and this machine is his master plan!" And maybe... he only had used Y/n to his advantage and she was actually innocent in all of this. His mind and heart were at crossroads, but deep down he hoped, wished, prayed that she had nothing to do with this.

Dipper opened the journal to a page marked by a bookmark, signifying its significance. As he delved into the contents, he also explored the other book, revealing an array of writings that seemed to form a puzzle. Laying them out, he noticed a striking resemblance to the portal situated before them.

He turned on his portable black light, and the three gasped, the light revealing frazzled writings around the drawing. It was the author's warnings, written in full caps, and Dipper read them aloud, "I was wrong the whole time. The machine was meant to create knowledge but it is too powerful. I was deceived, I hurt other people, and now it is too late. The device, if fully operational, could tear our universe apart! It must not fall into the wrong hands. If the clock ever reaches zero, our universe is doomed!"

And suddenly, they were thrust back into the harsh reality where the giant countdown before them finally made sense. Only one minute and thirty seconds remained until total destruction, as the author had warned. Soos pointed at the screen, fear evident in his voice. "It's the final countdown! Just like they always sang about!"

The ground rumbled as Dipper hurriedly flipped through the journal to a page reading, 'MANUAL OVERRIDE'. "The agents were right! We have to shut it down!"

She arrived at the gift shop to see the vending machine had already opened. Stan grumbled aloud, "Man, I thought I could trust him!"

"Who?!" Y/n said in the same tone, as they ran their way towards the elevator.

"Soos! I gave him an order!"

The elevator remained silent and suffocating. No words were exchanged as the floor continued to shake beneath them, but they paid it no mind. As the doors opened, a loud buzzer echoed in the distance, indicating that Dipper, Soos, and Mabel had activated the override sequence and were en route to press the red button.

Dipper positioned himself in front of the button, blinking in a pattern as if anticipating someone to press it. He was on the verge of doing so himself. Regardless of whatever scheme Stan might be plotting, Dipper was resolute in bringing an end to his misdeeds. With determination, he raised his hand, hovering just inches away from the button. "This all stops... Now!"

"DON'T TOUCH THAT BUTTON!"

Stan stumbled into the doorway, panting, his usual conman facade replaced by an air of desperation. Dipper, Mabel, and Soos turned their attention to him, struck silent. Moving slowly toward the group, Stan pleaded, "Please don't press that shutdown button."

Y/n followed behind him, also breathless, on the verge of collapsing. Panic consumed her as the culmination of their life's work, sacrifices, and atonements hung in the balance with the press of a button. Looking up at Dipper, who met her with a cold glare, she whispered desperately, "Dipper, please." Turning to Mabel and Soos, she pleaded, "We worked so hard for this."

That left a bitter taste in his mouth. We? We?!

So she did have a part in the plan.

"You have to trust us."

Dipper's anger settled in his veins, his hand still outstretched towards the button. "And we should trust you, why exactly? After you stole radioactive waste? After you lied to us all summer?! Heck, I don't even know who you are! We thought you were our friend, Y/n!"

Trust no one. He remembered the journal's words, screaming back at him. That was the number one rule of Gravity Falls, yet he believed that his family and friends were to be trusted... only to find out that this was very wrong.

"I am, Dipper, I am still your friend!" she insisted, stepping forward. But the longer they screamed at each other, it felt like the connection between them was breaking. "I promise you, this is the last secret I haven't told you yet. There aren't any more! Please, we'll explain everything after this. Just let the machine stay on—"

Stan and Y/n's wrist devices beeped in unison, and there were tremors again. "Oh no," Stan said, looking at them. "Brace yourselves!"

The gravity around them shifted and they all started to levitate in the air, floating towards the portal. The portal grew bigger, circling around in multiple colors while it produced lightning. "T-minus thirty-five seconds."

The group scattered in various directions, each floating helplessly. Y/n noticed Mabel's ankle entangled in a wire near the stand with the button, perilously close to the portal. An instinct to save her surged within Y/n, while Dipper, hearing his sister's plea, implored her to press the button.

Mabel swam her way to the stand while Stan panicked, making his way towards her in mid-air. "Mabel, Mabel, wait! Stop!"

Soos suddenly came down and knocked Stan away from the tween. "Soos, what're you doing?!" the older man furiously hit his employee on the head multiple times. "I gave you an order, you halfwit!"

"Sorry, Mr. Pines– if that is your real name– but I have a new mission now! Protecting these kids!"

"Soos, let me go!"

"Mabel, please don't!" Y/n called out to her and was almost at arm's length, until Dipper pushed himself off the support beam and crashed towards Y/n to shove her away from the button.

Entwined in mid-air, their arms struggled against each other. Dipper recognized that he was no match for Y/n, but he was determined to do whatever it took to keep her away from the button. She, on the other hand, avoided laying a hand on him, opting instead to find a way for him to detach from her body.

"Mabel, shut it down!" Dipper screamed.

"You gotta trust me!" Stan shouted too.

A surge of emotions overwhelmed Mabel—confusion, disbelief, turmoil, and hesitancy plagued her mind. The weight of it all felt so crushing that the only response she could muster was to cry. "Grunkle Stan... I don't even know... if you're my grunkle!" She sobbed, tears floating in the air, making all of them stop fighting each other. "And Y/n, I thought you were my best friend!" Her voice cracked as she wailed. "I wanna believe you guys, but..."

"Then listen to me," Stan appealed, his wretched voice trying to reach out to his niece. "Remember this morning when I said I wanted to tell you guys something?"

"T-minus twenty seconds."

Amidst the chaos and screams, the portal flared up, sending everyone crashing against the wall. The situation was spiraling out of control, and Mabel found herself standing in front of the button, the one that could potentially set things right. The portal, a looming danger, demanded her attention. Ready to press the button, she hesitated as Stan's voice cut through the noise.

"I wanted to say that you're gonna hear some bad things about me, and some of them are true. But trust me. Trust Y/n. Everything we've worked for, everything we care about. It's all for this family!"

Dipper refused to listen, yelling at Mabel. He acted as a counterpart to Stan, trying so hard to convince his sister. "Mabel, what if he's lying? This thing could destroy the universe, listen to your head!"

Their dynamic had always been like this—Dipper relying on his logical thinking, and Mabel following her heart. As the fate of the world hung in the balance, Mabel stood before the button, torn between the pressing need to act and the emotional tug from Stan. Trust, a heavy word with even weightier consequences, echoed in her mind. Yet, for Mabel, love held the power to overcome all challenges. After all, Stan loved her, didn't he?

"Look into my eyes, Mabel!" the older man pleaded. "Do you really think I'm a bad guy?"

Is Stan truly a villain? Yes, he may be foolish, driven by greed, and a habitual liar... but was he ever truly malevolent? Did he harbor sinister intentions? Despite his flaws, this was the man who looked out for her, brought joy into her life, and rescued her pet pig. This was the person who endeavored to provide her with the most memorable summer. She understood that beneath it all, he cared.

"He's lying!" Dipper beseeched. "Shut it down, now!"

Stan's lied a ton. Deception's practically his middle name. Mabel even tried gifting him some fake golden teeth once, hoping it'd make him spill the truth. And now, looking at him, he seemed kinda desperate. It was entirely possible that he was lying at this very moment. He could fabricate another falsehood tomorrow, just as he did yesterday when he claimed to have ironed his pants. He never irons his pants...

"Mabel, please!"

Please. The word Stan rarely ever uttered until today. It was a plea, a desperate attempt to convey the gravity of the situation. He believed, perhaps naively, that if "please" had any magic to it, now would be the time. So, he implored Mabel, begged her silently, not to press the red button.

Y/n waited with bated breath. She hoped Stan managed to convince her just enough for the countdown to be completed. 10, 9, 8, 7...

Mabel averted her gaze from them, slowly lowering her hand towards the button. Meanwhile, Y/n sensed warmth trickling down her nose. As she instinctively reached up, her fingers revealed the telltale sign: blood.

6, 5, 4...

"Grunkle Stan?" Mabel said. She called out to him, if that was even his real name.

3, 2...

"I trust you."

Raising her hand, she allowed herself to ascend, eyes shut in what seemed like surrender. The act was complete, and she braced herself for the impending repercussions. If this became her final recollection of her family, of Stan, of Y/n, then she wanted to hold onto the belief that they were fundamentally good people.

Dipper's scream was guttural. "Mabel, are you crazy?! We're all gonna—!!!"

1.

The portal became increasingly unstable, pulsating erratically. Then, with a deafening explosion, the machine ruptured, and a collective scream echoed as they were engulfed in the blinding light.

The blinding radiance swallowed Gravity Falls whole, and, for the first time in 30 years, Y/n was unconscious. Their bodies hung in mid-air, suspended until reality crashed back down. Dipper awoke with a desperate hope that it had all been a terrible dream. Massaging his head, he surveyed the aftermath: the once-mighty portal now reduced to a chaotic tangle of wires and twisted metal, still emanating a brilliant blue glow.

Mabel's decision didn't result in the destruction of the universe. Instead, a figure emerged from the portal as the blue light gradually faded, sealing his passage. He was adorned in dark protective gear, his cape billowing in the wind. A hood concealed his face, and a visor shadowed his eyes, while a dark cloth covered his nose and mouth. He certainly succeeded in maintaining an air of mystery.

Y/n, now awake, observed the man's actions intently. She couldn't discern if it was indeed him, the genuine article. Her heart raced at the prospect that they might have miscalculated the coordinates and ended up with the wrong individual. The realization that all their efforts could be in vain weighed heavily on her.

Advancing, the man reached down and placed his hand on the cover of a fallen journal. Y/n noted the distinctive feature of six fingers on his hand.

Six fingers.

Her eyes widened as she held her breath. He took the journal and tucked it into the inside pocket of his long, dark coat.

Dipper gasped, "W-what?" He was in a state of shock, puzzlement, and fluster. "Who is that?"

Stan looked up to see the man. He knew him too well. He confirmed it, "The author of the journals"

My teacher, my greatest motivation.

He pulled off his goggles, revealing his face. He looked rugged, intimidating, and worn, like he had been through a lot. He even grew himself a beard. But after everything, it was still him.

"My brother."

***

"Is this the part where one of us faints?"

"Oh, I am so on it, dudes."

VXCBIS KKW KIQIZV, WZX AAXKVU AL NRFF,
🗝: ???

The man from the portal, a mystery untold,
Shack's secrets resurface, a tale to unfold.
With six-fingered touch and an otherworldly sight,
Ominous changes, casting shadows in the night.

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 26?

[REAL AUTHOR'S NOTE:]
THANKS, DAISY!

kimmiepines
9688 words