Chapter 2

Date: February 12th, 2020

20 year old Mason "Dipper" Pines had high expectations when he signed up for Portland Community College. It was one of only three colleges in the country where you could be eligible to enter a two-year transfer program to get to West Coast Tech, the place where his Grunkle Ford had attended. I could be up there with all the greats who went there including Grunkle Ford! He thought, or it'd be nice to at least be part of an invention to change the world. At the same time, he's realistic that he could potentially be turned down. Even if you attended Portland Community College, the chances of transferring to West Coast Tech was very difficult since a lot of students who tried the two-year transfer program did not live up to the expectations of the faculty members as they were looking for very specific students to enter.

He covered all his basic important curriculum courses such as Math, English, and History in the first three semesters. It was grueling, but he got it out of the way. His science classes was where he really worked hard to prepare himself for WCT. Currently, he was working on two projects. One was from a humanities class regarding presentations and the project was about convincing people to visit their favorite places in great detail and he got that covered with Gravity Falls, a place near and dear to his heart, almost like his true home instead of his real one. The other was an applied sciences writing assignment that dealt with the sound barrier. He was hoping for a field demonstration. It doesn't necessarily mean he couldn't ace this assignment, but he was hoping more for a hands on approach. These days, it felt like more risky endeavors on projects were dissuaded altogether.

But as he sat driving his Silver 2018 Toyota Corolla south on a nearly empty Interstate 5 in Oregon in the afternoon towards Gravity Falls, he wondered if the real excitement was no longer going to be at universities. It is now at a tipping point where the real innovation is starting to creep out from the internet and the 2020's could very well be the decade for i—

"Whoa there."

He pushed the brakes just enough to pull on the side of the street. "Hey buddy ol' pal, but where's the fire?" He called out the window. "There are kids playing all sorts of crazy hijinks in these parts of the highway! I might even make a citizen's arrest just to prove it!" Right on the street, a fat green turtle shrugged his way across the gravel, unimpressed by the human. "Sorry, fella" Dipper said in mock distress. The turtle still didn't care. "I thought it was a little funny… but can I make it out of the interstate before rush hour?"

There was also two other reasons he attended PCC (we'll get to the last one soon.) Even though the other two entry points were in his home state of California and Washington State, he chose Portland as it was the place closest to Gravity Falls. With him attending PCC, not only could he do his studies, but also enjoy the nostalgia of his favorite town. It took six years since that fateful summer in 2012, but it was well worth it. Soos, his wife Melody, and even their five-year old adorable daughter Maria helped accommodate the upstairs room where Dipper and Mabel used to live in.

Mi casa es tu casa. As only Soos would say it.

Dipper's daily mornings consisted of getting up at 6am, preparing himself breakfast at the Mystery Shack (oatmeal on Mondays, bacon or hot dogs with eggs & toast on Tuesday, cereal on Wednesday, a box of donuts from the local donut shop called The Donut Lord on Thursday, and French toast Friday's), and then running with his suitcase to the car as fast as possible to avoid the early morning rush hour. Sometimes it didn't go as always as planned for either duck crossings and/or turtle crossings caused traffic jams.

Yup, Gravity Falls was home. Dipper knew every picket fence, public park, and lemonade stand in it. The town had all kinds of people living in its limits, and Dipper treated all of them with the same respect they had given him when he, along with his sister Mabel, and his Grunkles saved the town from Weirdmageddon. He also still wore the same outfits more or less, along with the addition of longer pants and Wendy's bomber hat that she gave him, which he imprinted the Pine Tree logo on this time.

Right now, he was sitting in his car by the side of the road enjoying the beautiful scenery of the crisp air and the pine trees. Perhaps he was enjoying this a little too much. But he needed it to get a breather from all the work he's been doing in college. But I can get that at home though. He better get a move on before the five o'clock rush hour begins. "All right Bert Whoo," Dipper said, eyeing the green owl toy cartoon character that includes a mini-chef hat on the head that he put on the dashboard. "If you can guarantee I won't lose my mind from boredom with this writing assignment, I'll buy more donuts at your shop."

Bert Whoo just stood there, inert.

"I'll take your word for it, Bert Whoo. Put er' there!" said Dipper giving a soft pinkie high five to the green owl.

Beep-beep!

All of a sudden he felt a strange, but extremely fast gust of air blow south in his direction. It felt completely unnatural, as if traveling faster than all of the fastest cars combined. "What the hell?" He then got a notification on his phone from an app called Speedy. He used it to make sure he didn't go overboard on the highway, avoiding state troopers and all. It was also useful in determining speed from other vehicles as well.

He checked the screen of his phone and could not believe it. "Two hundred and sixty-nine miles per hour?" Dipper asked while checking his rearview mirror to see exactly zero jet planes speeding down the road. "No way. This thing has to be broken."

Beep-beep! Speed at approximately 296 miles per hour.

There it was again! This time it blew off his bomber hat. "No! My hat!" Dipper grabbed his hat quickly before it fly out the window and then gripped his steering wheel as if somehow Tornado Alley from Oklahoma just dropped into Oregon. He waited… and waited… and waited.

Absolutely nothing happened.

Suddenly, a shadow zipped across the rearview mirror. But it wasn't on the road. Something was lurking around him. Maybe it was some prankster out to toy with him, trying to get him stuck at rush hour. Dipper then spun around like some cowboy in the Wild Wild West taking out his gun but instead of the old Clint Eastwood movies, he was acting more like an extra from a bad Will Smith film instead with his dumb phone. He pointed his phone where he thought he saw the shadow.

Beep-beep! Speed at approximately 300 miles per hour.

Dipper was starting to get a little unnerved, but he couldn't let this get to him.

"I'm gonna check this out, Bert Whoo. I'll be right back." Dipper said as he opened the cruiser door and stepped out. "Don't worry, I'll be alright." Then, in a flash, a swirling dust could kicked up around Dipper.

Beep-beep! Beep-beep! BEEP-BEEP! Critical overload. Speed reaching 325 miles per hour. Speed reaching 350 miles per hour. Speed reaching 375 miles per ho-

Suddenly… WOOOOOOSSHHH!

The wind was so fast, it blew Dipper back and onto the street ground. When he hit the ground, he tried to reach for his phone but noticed the beeps had a different tone.

BEEP-BOPP!

BOOM!

The phone then exploded. Dipper yelped and quickly ducked his head down on the gravel and shielded his eyes. He only got minor cuts on his left arm and one near his eyebrows. After it was over he looked at the smoke coming from the phone. Usually people get in a frenzy if they either lost their phone or their phone is broken.

Dipper only had five words instead: "Pacifica is gonna kill me."

He couldn't believe that the speed of whatever it was sent his phone into a blitz. It didn't even register any number. Too fast to clock. It'd rather blow itself up then figure it out. He then lifted himself up and got back into his car. "I should head down to a pharmacy quickly to stop the bleeding. Okay, where's the napkins, Bert Whoo? Bert Whoo?" Dipper said as just noticed that his toy friend was more absent than usual. Bert Whoo just disappeared into thin air. "Ugh, I'll have to get another one."

Dipper then got out and crept around his car. The gust of wind that knocked him down had blown away from the road like the smoke trail of a burning rocket. An eerie calm hung over the scene as he stepped up the slope away from the road. He saw that the grass was flattened down, making a trail up and into the woods. Slowly, Dipper walked up the path until it stopped in the middle of the hillside. There was a circular divot there, like a launching pad. The ground was warm, and sitting in the middle of the flattened blades of grass was something glowing—something blue. Dipper picked it up slowly. It shimmered in his hand, 100% made out of electricity, and yet it couldn't hurt him. It looked like a long, bendy needle, about as long as his forearm. What on Earth was this? Some sort of… quill?

"For some reason, I feel kind of nostalgic." He said to himself, and then paused realizing the implication. "Uh-oh, I've probably caught the case of "If you don't leave this town soon, you never will" -ITIS that affects many. I know I want the West Coast Tech gig, but—oh I don't know what to think."

He was finally back at Gravity Falls after a long day's work, just quick enough to avoid rush hour. Of course, he's going to have to prepare again for another day with that writing paper. Before heading back to the Mystery Shack, he went to the local pharmacy for bandages and peroxide to take care of the cuts he had, and then to the market to get some eggs and orange juice. He put his groceries in the car and just as he was about to start the ignition, he heard the sounds of a frail old man rambling nearby Schlepps' Beer, about a block away from the market.

"I've seen it folks, I've seen it!"

Oh no…

He groaned when he saw the one guy he didn't want to meet. A kooky, crazed old nut that made Ol' Man McGucket look sane. He saw his face and his antics on TV and hoped he never set foot in this town, but here he is and now he's rambling on kooky tall tales with the townsfolk. He went inside Schlepps' to avoid him and sat by the far back of the counter. "Oh great, out of all the towns in America, he had to choose us? Crazy Carl?!" Dipper said to himself.

"Well, it's Gravity Falls, Dipper. It attracts all sorts of crazies. No way of getting around it."

Dipper heard a deep voice on the other side of the counter and it was none other than Marcus, one of Wendy Corduroy's brothers. He became the new bartender of Schlepps' after the other dropped out.

"Hey Marcus! How's the bar business going?" asked Dipper.

"Eh not much in the New Year, but Valentine's Day is coming right up. Hopefully business should be booming." Marcus said as finished up cleaning some glass cups.

"How's Wendy doing?" Dipper said, curious as to his good friend was doing.

"Wendy's doing great! She and her friend Arby Velvet are gonna start this restaurant called Wendy and Arby here at Gravity Falls pretty soon. Heck, if it's successful, it might go nationwide." Marcus said with excitement.

"That's great, Marcus! I'm so happy for her." Dipper said smiling to know that Wendy is in good spirits. But then he felt someone lightly grabbed his shirt.

"Are you THE Dipper Pines?!" It was Crazy Carl.

"Maybe." Dipper said, already with mild irritation on his face.

"Oh thank goodness you're here! You gotta convince your townsfolk of the danger that's around these parts!" Carl then leapt onto a chair to tell his tall tale with shaking, flapping hands trying to warn the bar patrons. "You got to understand folks! There's a phenomenon going around America, and I'm telling ya that it's here in Gravity Falls! It's a blur. Haunting houses in town after town, making mischief; disappearing baked cookies, disappearing apple pies, disappearing chili dogs, and TP-ing homes at night. He's a blue devil! And he's here to terrorize your town! Lock your doors, protect your families! This is what he looks like!" He then showed a picture drawing of what the thing looked like.

And that's when everybody figured out that this guy was a total amateur compared to what they've experienced. They laughed so hard at a picture of a badly drawn blue cartoon hedgehog. Even Dipper threw in some laughs.

"Oh man, that was the dumbest thing I've heard in my life!" Marcus said with a gut laugh.

"Oh Crazy Carl, you know *snickers* when you get out of prison. I'll *snickering a lot more* make you some pancakes on the house! Oh ho ho you are a riot!" Lazy Susan from Greasey's Diner said with such hearty laughter.

"Don't laugh at me folks! I seen it. I seen it clearer than anybody ever has!" Crazy Carl pleaded to everyone, including Dipper.

Just then, the front door opens and in came Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland. "What's going on here fellas?" said Blubs.

"Officers, he's all yours!" Marcus said.

"Whaa?" Crazy Carl squeaked.

"You're coming with us bub!" shouted Deputy Durland.

Blubs and Durland handcuffed Carl and forced him into the cop car. "Please, you have to believe me! I saw it!" Carl continued to plead.

"I'm sure you saw it, Carl." Said Blubs.

"Really?" Carl said hoping the sheriff believed him.

"NOPE!" Blubs then shut the door in his face and both officers drove him to the police station.

Later, Dipper pulled into the Mystery Shack driveway as dusk fell. He heard a scratching behind the trash cans again. He got out of the car and tried to shoo them away. "Oh come on, get out of there! Get out of there!" The raccoons then popped up from the trash cans looking at Dipper… and then resumed back to eating inside.

"Ugh, get out of there, you trash pandas!" Dipper yelled waving his arms. It was no use. He got his groceries out of the car and had his keys on his right hand to open the door. "I'm gonna use that tranquilizer gun on you guys one of these days." Dipper muttered to the raccoons.

He got inside and noticed the Shack was a little darker than usual. "Soos! Melody! Maria! You guys home?" yelled Dipper. Maybe they went out? He went to the kitchen to put the eggs and orange juice in the fridge and just noticed a little note posted on the door.

"Hey Dipper! We tried to call your phone, but you probably made up some big story to cover up the fact that you probably lost your phone for some mundane reason. That's ok though. Anyways, Melody and I are driving to San Francisco for Valentine's Day! We dropped off Maria with Mabel at your old place in Piedmont. Don't worry dude, I trust you as Man of the Shack.

Take care!

Soos.

Then he just remembered. "Oh no! I gotta call Pacifica!" He got out of the kitchen quickly to get to the computer only to stop suddenly in the middle of the living room. There stood the third, and not only final reason, but the most important reason he attended PCC. His one and only sweetheart, Pacifica Northwest. She lived in Gravity Falls all her life and despite the successes that she's achieved, moving out of town was something she never considered. She still wore the same outfit back when they were kids and right now she was not in a good mood.

"Mason Pines… let me guess, another broken phone?" Pacifica said with arms crossed, left part of the body resting on a branch of the Shack, with black leggings crossed and the pointer of her right UGG boot pressing the floor.

"Look I know this sounds crazy, but there was a" He looked at Pacifica and realized he couldn't do it anymore. He just wanted to hold her tightly for all the times he worried her about getting into mishaps. "Actually you know what, I'm not gonna lie this time, the phone flew out the window. I hit a bump and it flew out. I should've immediately gotten a pre-paid phone to contact you. I'm sorry, Pacifica." Dipper said with a sigh.

"Well that was quick, usually you'd invent some sort of wacky story by now. But you should be lucky mister. I'm still doing preparations for the bar exam so I didn't have time to call." Pacifica said being haughty and all.

For the many years he has known Pacifica, even if she can be a little arrogant and condescending (she's still a Northwest), he knew she loved him with all her heart and worked hard to get to where she was. He would also be absolutely lying if he said he didn't enjoy her sassy attitude. He loved it. "You're getting ready to be a lawyer; you revamped the Chrysler Pacifica… Pacifica."

"And I have stocks in Chrysler, honey…"

"I mean, you're being pretty ambitious there, Darlie." Dipper said with a cheeky grin.

Pacifica then got a little mock-offended. "Dipper, you should know by now that Darlie is the most beautiful and successful woman ever. She did everything!" She said with such sass.

"Pacifica, YOU should know by now that she's a plastic toy! A fictional character! No woman like that exists in real life or ever will!" He then paused a bit, and then added with a genuine smile. "But to me, you're as close as you can get. You're the best, Pacifica. I mean that from my heart."

Pacifica had her face flush such a bright pink that she forgot the phone conversation. She by quickness gave him a long and heartfelt hug, followed by a big wet kiss. "I missed you too, dork. Now come into the kitchen, because I've got something to show you." She power walked into the kitchen, motioning him to follow her with her hips.

To the kitchen? What did she have for him? He followed her to the kitchen and saw that she had his old Pine Tree hat on her head and she held up an envelope from one of the kitchen drawers. "Looks like you've got some big fish to fry, Dipper Pines." Pacifica said with grinning excitement.

"No way, is that…" Dipper rushed to snatch the envelope out of her hand.

"Unless someone is hitting you up for cash, it looks like the real thing."

Dipper hesitated. "It's small. Is it that bad? That shouldn't be bad, right? It can't be bad. Maybe it's something else."

"Ugh, again with the doubting Dipper." Pacifica said as she rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you're the worst when it comes to this. This shouldn't be anywhere near as bad as my bar exam. Just open it!" Dipper slowly opened the envelope, then read the letter aloud:

Dear Mason Pines.

We have reviewed your application and pending intra-departmental review and background check…

Pacifica could see it in him now, the doubt is starting to disappear and his mouth was evidence. She squeezed her own hands tight for his reaction. Dipper himself squeezed the paper.

We are happy to inform you that you have been accepted to West Coast Technologies starting in the Fall of 2020.

"YES! YES! I got it!" Dipper yelled with so much happiness flowing through him. Pacifica joined him jumping up and up with glee. She then paused. "Oh wait wait wait! I have another surprise for you!"

Pacifica then opened another kitchen drawer and revealed a nice cake box for the two of them. She opened it and Dipper had a chuckle. "What's wrong with the cake?" Pacifica asked. "It's a nice cake, Paz. But it says "West Coast Tech can suck it!" said Dipper.

Pacifica, with her teeth grittened, then kicked herself a little, took back the cake and replaced it with another. "This is the one. West Coast Tech rocks baby!"

After eating portions of the cake, they kissed and danced the night away around the entire Mystery Shack to the tune of "Disco Girl" and other romance songs. Pacifica never doubted her little sweetie Dipper. It didn't matter if they were miles apart, or in separate cages at different warehouses. She always backed him 100 tenfold, just as Dipper did for her. But this one might be a little different, because West Coast Technologies was located in San Francisco. It's true that Dipper could return to his old place, and he would absolutely love for her to come with him. But the town of Gravity Falls was dear and special to her that she was unsure. She developed her personality over the years working at Greasey's Diners going from rude/mean to a genuinely nice person. She can never truly get rid of the Northwest within her, but she's content with it. Dipper certainly doesn't mind during their "happy" times.

There's probably others who can help take care of the town. At the very least, she can stay away from her parents. But right now is not the time to worry.

With the full moon in view, Dipper took a shower and brushed his teeth after a long day. But before getting ready to hit the hay, he saw Pacifica lying down on his bed, strapped only with purple lingerie, flowing soft blonde hair, and eyelashes signaling him to come to her.

"Hey Dipper…"

And that's all you need to know. It's best ya'll leave the lovely couple to themselves. As some of you noticed, Darlie is a parody of Barbie, and the Bert Whoo character was from Sonic's first show The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. There's a couple of more references that you'll get in there.

Rest assured we will see Sonic in the next chapter!

Please review!