Chapter Text
Arriving in the early evening, the pink Mini drove along pleasant, tree-lined avenues. The houses and barns the car passed were invariably wooden, either surviving examples of the town’s earliest history or built in imitation of such.
Pumpkins carved with leering smiles lined the fences all along the roadside. Crossing a covered bridge, the car pulled to a stop in a parking lot on the edge of the forest. In the crystal clear sunset light, the leaves were a gorgeous swirl of orange. Set between the road and the woods was a collection of huge red tents, the tops swaying gently in the breeze.
Merrise Pines stepped out of the car and tightened her fur lumberjack hat and oversized jacket around herself, trying to stifle a shiver. “How do you two handle this? Seasons are such a scam.”
“I sympathise with you there, Sixer,” Dipper said, coming to join his daughter on the asphalt expanse. He was similarly wrapped up in several layers.
Turning off the engine, the last to emerge from the car was Pacifica, shaking her head at the pair of them. “You guys are such wimps. California, desert planets; neither of you know what a real Fall chill is like.”
“Looks like this place is all geared up for the season,” Dipper said, gesturing at the pumpkins. “Glad we made it a few days before the big tourist rush.” Even so, they’d been lucky to find a space in the crowded parking lot. Across the metal roofs of the cars a distant chattering wafted out from the central tent.
“So this is ‘New England’?” Merrise asked, looking quizzically at the forest. The trees were much smaller than the examples she was used to back home in Oregon, though they still formed an impenetrable wall of darkness, even to her wide eyes. “When was the old one destroyed?”
“Oh no, it’s still there,” Dipper stammered. “See, a lot of places in this part of America are named after ones in England. It’s across the ocean, you remember what those are?”
“Duh, of course I do,” Merrise sighed, as if the knowledge was plainly obvious. “It’s that giant lake thingy that covers most of the planet.”
“Good one, you catch on quick,” Dipper said, trying to reassure his daughter that he wasn’t criticising her. “The towns around here were settled by the English about 350 years ago.”
“The colonists clearly weren’t very imaginative folk,” Pacifica observed. “New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey. That’s Puritans for you.” Merrise cocked her head, seemingly completely lost due to her parent’s words. “Forget it Merrise, I doubt it’ll be important. We’re just here to meet-”
“Guys!” Across the parking lot, an arm appeared from behind the closest tent flap, waving at them non-stop. A second later, Mabel Pines burst out and came running to greet the family. Bear hugs ensued for her brother and sister-in-law, wrapping them in tight. “Welcome to Salem!”
The Pines family had received Mabel’s cryptic invitation a few days ago, requesting their presence in Massachusetts as soon as they could make the journey. Not doubting her intentions, Dipper and Pacifica had immediately agreed to the trip. Due to the brevity of her message, neither had any clue what to expect on arrival, only that if Mabel deemed it serious business then they needed to be here to see it through.
But whatever mission had brought them could wait for later. Right now they had an excited Mabel bouncing up and down and grinning madly at them. “I can’t believe you came all this way to see me. I need someone to pinch me, it’s still kinda surreal.”
“I’ll do it,” Pacifica said with a menacing smirk.
“Me too,” Merrise added, joining in with her mother’s little joke. When Mabel finally noticed the small girl she did a double-take and wiped her eyes.
“Woah, nearly didn’t recognise you there, kiddo. That perception filter must be working overtime.”
Reaching up to her neck, Merrise pulled the gold medallion over her neck, past a thick turtleneck. The sweater was itself a gift from Mabel to keep her from getting too cold on a planet that was a few degrees less comfortable than she was used to. With the filter removed, Merrise’s human disguise flickered away to reveal her true form.
When the device was active, Merrise appeared to be human, However, she didn’t closely match the appearances of her adopted parents. Somehow the psychic link retained the fact everyone who looked at her would be aware she was adopted. So Merrise’s gloriously pink alien skin textures had been translated into a much darker hue compared to Dipper and Pacifica. No-one was about to mistake her for their biological child anytime soon, but the filter at least made her seem like an average ten year-old, rather than an exotic creature born on another world.
To her parents’ eyes of course she appeared as she’d always done. Aware of the effect, they automatically saw past it to the real Merrise. Mabel had spent too much time away for that to be instantaneous, she had to really focus to push past the illusory disguise.
Merrise delighted at Mabel’s attempts to squint through the filter as she slipped the medallion back on. “I told the other girls at school that I’m originally from a place called On-tar-ee-oh.”
“Well whatever form you wear, you still look cute as a button.” Mabel booped her niece on the nose, eliciting a giggle.
“Thanks again for all the adoption papers,” Dipper said to his sister. “Even I couldn’t tell that the birth certificate was a complete forgery. Your arts and craft work continues to impress.”
“Pshaww, it was nothing bro. How about you though! Get a load of this.” She lightly bopped his loose and tangled hair. ”A ponytail, really?”
“I’ve been saying the same thing for months,” Pacifica whispered conspiratorially. “Whether it’s a beard or a ponytail, your brother is always too shaggy.”
“Yeah yeah,” Dipper said, not letting the girls get to him. “I’m embracing a little more chaos in my life, thank you. That and the fact I haven’t found the time to get a haircut in the last year. I’d like to see you try raising two girls, Mabel.”
The group shared a laugh, happy to be in each others’ presence again in a non-life-threatening situation. There’d been vanishingly few of these moments in the last couple of years. Merrise too was at ease in the group, re-learning what it was like to have a real family bond like the one the twins shared.
Although Mabel hadn’t said anything about it out loud, Dipper had noticed her choice of outfit. She wore a bright yellow ribbon in her hair, which at some point in the last few weeks she’d dyed pastel pink. Denim cut-offs and a red t-shirt with her classic rainbow star pattern splayed on the chest completed the look. It also showed off the tattoos she bore from her teenage dalliance with being a goth. In the last year or two Dipper had gotten used to his sister general favouring more practical outfits, fit for the kind of mischief and adventures she’d find herself falling into as a world-renowned political agitator. Her new attire was a small sign that perhaps she was loosening up.
“That reminds me, how is little Wendy Jr?” Mabel asked, bringing Dipper out of his overly analytical mode and reminding him of his baby daughter back home.
“Soos is looking after her,” Pacifica said, shrugging. “The guy’s got two kids already, I’m sure he can handle the terrifying chaotic hybrid of Northwest and Pines.”
“We sound like a law firm when you say it like that,” Dipper said, grimacing. “Our little lamb’ll be fine at home. Better there than on a potentially dangerous adventure.”
“This is way more fun though,” Merrise said, and Dipper couldn’t disagree.
“Man, I still can’t believe we’re all together in one place again!” Mabel was buzzing with energy, practically jumping up and down on the spot.
“Yeah, Dipper said, equally glad of the reunion. “Feels like years, with all that’s happened lately.” Even though brother and sister had met up together a few months prior, it had been even longer since the entire Mystery Trio had been united.
“It was when I gave birth to Wendy,” Pacifica stated matter-of-factly. “My body was going through hell, Mason here was totally useless, and you could hardly contain yourself.”
“That was just a flying visit,” Mabel said dismissively. “Before then, when did we last spend some quality time together as a family?”
The twins thought on the matter, before Pacifica again put them out of their misery. “That’d be a year then. It was last October, when you and Zera left Gravity Falls to go do whatever it is you normally do.”
“Wow, yeah!” Mabel said. “That means this is the first time we’re all back together since we got back from our crazy epic trip through the multiverse.”
Dipper nudged Mabel playfully with his elbow “Video calling on our birthday at the end of summer really doesn’t match up, does it? It’s kinda weird being back on the East Coast, we haven’t left home much since handling our move.”
“Is Zera here, by the way?” Pacifica asked. Mabel’s interstellar girlfriend was hardly easy to miss, especially since she sported fins and scaly skin.
“You’ll see,” Mabel said with an over-exaggerated wink.
“Well, much as I’d love to spend all evening out here reminiscing, do you have somewhere we can sit that’s out of the cold? I might be more resistant than these two,” Pacifica pointed to her family, and continued despite their protests, “but it really is getting cold. The sun’s almost set already.”
Mabel nodded at the tent. “Sure thing, I’ll show you inside. It won’t take long and everything’ll become clear.”
“You know, tents aren’t really known for their heat insulation capabilities,” Pacifica wryly noted as she followed Mabel’s lead.
Before they walked over with the others, Merrise tugged on Dipper’s jacket and he went back to the car. “Wait, hold on a sec. Need to get one more thing.”
Opening up the trunk, Dipper rummaged past the family’s clothes bags. He’d brought some basic mystery hunting equipment - his journal, of course, various energy detectors, ward runes, and Pacifica’s old axe and crossbow - but without more specific information from Mabel he hadn’t packed anything too outlandish. Apart from one item.
Reaching to the back, he retrieved a bone white cage containing a hunk of dark igneous rock. Setting it down on the asphalt, he unlatched it and took a quick step back. Mabel knelt down to look at the odd rock. Her eyes widened as cracks in the rock began emitting a red glow. The surface crackled and stretched, before a hawk-like beak appeared. Spreading its wings, the firebird flew out of the cage. Merrise gave a whistle and the creature landed on her outstretched arm.
“What the frickety frack is that?!” Mabel said, in awe of the creature.
“This is Dee,” Merrise explained while feeding a pebble to the bird. He took off again and landed on a patch of bare ground. The earth instantly caught aflame at the creature’s touch. “He likes to burn things.”
“Woah, not good!” Mabel ran over and damped down the fire, shooing Dee away until he landed again on Merrise. “Back up: You own a pet demon bird?”
“Alien probe bird, more like,” Merrise said, proudly smiling. Dee harmlessly nuzzled her cheek. “He’s from space.”
“Wanna explain?” Mabel addressed to Dipper.
“Maybe later. Paz is right, let’s get inside first. And Merrise, make sure Dee doesn’t torch anything he’s not supposed to. Tents tend to be flammable.”
Merrise saluted and headed after her mother. Dee flapped his wings and glided slightly behind. Mabel shook her head. “Wow, two kids, a pet. You’ve really been domesticated, Dip.”
“If you can call a flaming terror bird ‘domestic’, then sure.”
“Don’t worry, we won’t need that kind of firepower to keep us safe.” Mabel jumped into an action ready stance, before spinning around in the air. “Hee yah!” Her spin kick brought applause from Merrise, but Dipper shoved her towards the awaiting tent flap.
“Yeah yeah, you’re a badass protester and I’m a suburban dad. Enough pleasantries. You know I can’t stand a mystery, however small.” Dipper stared up the billowing tent. “Can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store for us in here.”
In a tight corridor a short way into the tent, Pacifica was holding up her necklace to show to the others. “May, care to explain why my enchanted, weirdness detecting pendant has been spinning like crazy ever since we entered this tent?”
Dipper cradled the Pine Tree shaped piece of jewellery and felt the magical tug on the silver. He’d enchanted it himself some 12 or so years prior, to alert Pacifica whenever paranormal effects were nearby. Merrise watched it with wide eyes, not yet accustomed to its self-propelled spinning.
Mabel, a cryptic smile on her lips, patted her old friend on the shoulder. “It’ll be super clear, any second now. You guys go on ahead, down this corridor and then find some seats. See you after the show.” With that, she sauntered off down a side passage, leaving the family to find their own way forward.
As they neared another tent flap, the din of murmured voices grew louder. Dipper and Pacifica already suspected what they were about to uncover, but Merrise, none the wiser, crept cautiously forwards. Poking her head through the flap she saw a vast arena of seats within the largest central area of the tent. There was an empty sawdust covered ring in the middle. Above them speakers piped in jaunty music, and the audience were happily chatting or munching on popcorn.
Remembering Mabel’s instruction, Merrise dutifully sat on the nearest wooden bench and waited for the promised event to start. Her parents came to sit on either side, already excitedly looking around the large space.
The lights dimmed, casting the whole tent into shadow. The chatter of voices diminished, and Merrise strained forwards to look at the stage. Even with her extra-sensitive Tengosan eyes she could barely make anything out.
A single spotlight shone down from above, highlighting a small besuited man standing in the ring. He wore an eyepatch and a maroon fez, which bore a golden sigil Merrise didn’t understand the significance of.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” The man’s voice rang out clearly through the whole space, but Merrise frowned. It sounded just like her father’s voice. She looked at Dipper, but he was focused on the stage.
The small man brandished a ball-topped cane and waved it around the arena. “Welcome to Mr Alcor’s Constellation of Amazements! I am your host, Mr Alcor himself!” He slammed the end of the cane on the sawdust, causing a burst of sparks that made the audience coo and sent out small ripples of applause. All that was needed to silence them was a raise of his hand, commanding all attention to remain on himself.
For Merrise, finally adjusting her eyes to the dimmer levels, everything had clicked. She panned from Dipper to the man on stage. No, not a man. A boy, shorter even than she was. Behind all the surface trappings of the suit and eyepatch, Merrise recognised his face as the same as Dipper’s, only much younger.
The person on stage speaking to the enraptured audience was named Quattro. Merrise had met him only briefly before, in a situation that nearly led to the destruction of reality. An exact replica of Dipper Pines, Quattro had been created over a decade and a half ago. Born from an overachieving copier machine that could duplicate people as easily as documents, he’d been crafted by Dipper among several others in a misguided attempt at courting his friend, Wendy Corduroy. Quattro had lived a nomadic life since that night. Merrise only knew this from being told a slim explanation by Dipper. In all the chaos of their previous meeting, she’d barely had time to get to know the long-lived paper clone in detail.
From his expression, easily confident now he had the audience’s full attention, it seemed he was having a whale of a time. “Tonight’s proceedings will be filled with wonder, daring, and mystery. And no end of frights.” He let out an energetic chuckle, then slammed his cane down again and vanished in an explosive flash.
In the centre of the stage, a bonfire began to glow with a flickering light. Dipper and Pacifica strained to see through the darkness, looking for whatever was coming next. Merrise saw it first and felt her blood run cold. Fading in above the sparkling embers, a bone white face materialised in the air. Several gasps came from the audience before the skull face disappeared as abruptly as it had arrived.
“Who dares indulge our show this fine night?” The voice reverberated, even clearer than Quattro’s assertive speech.
Unsure what in the world was going on, Merrise clutched one of her parent’s arms in the dark, Pacifica’s as it turned out. She felt a reciprocating hug from her mother, but it did little to shake her fear. None of the strange Earth creatures Dipper had shown her were anything as terrifying as this.
“Nothing is what it seems.” The suspended face of death reappeared in the shadows at the edge of the stage, near to the closest members of the public watching. It vanished again, leaving Merrise on edge as to where it might show up next. “Whatever might occur in a town of witches and injustice?”
A scream rang out. The skull was floating in the stands, delighting as it spooked a random woman. It kept fading and coalescing out of the darkness to strike fear into the hearts of the audience. Each time it moved, coming closer and closer to where the Pines were seated. The booming voice echoed around from unknown corners. “My hour is almost come, when I to sulphurous and tormenting flames must render up myself.”
Having nearly reached them, the skull vanished one last time. Merrise sat petrified in her mother’s grip, afraid to even breathe. The silent tension stretched and stretched. Merrise almost dared to think it was all over and she looked around to confirm her suspicions.
The skull face, hovering right behind her, flashed a devilish grin. “Something wicked this way comes.”
Merrise gave a high-pitched scream, which only grew in volume when the skull was enveloped in a whirlwind of fire. Consumed in the flames, the spectre reappeared in a matching column on stage, to rapturous applause.
Merrise tried to drown out the noise and the terrifying images, wrapping herself into a tight ball. Dipper and Pacifica quickly noticed her reaction and rushed to comfort her. Pacifica hugged her snugly and stroked her head. “Hey hey baby. This must be confusing.”
“It’s not really a ghost,” Dipper whispered, trying to calm her nerves with rationality. “This is all an illusion, a show. A fake.” Dee also fluttered down beside her, lightly singeing the wooden bench and offering his neck for her to scratch.
Peeking through her fingers, the tears of fright faded as Merrise set eyes on another familiar face. Now illuminated by the bonfire, both Quattro and the skull face were proudly bowing. Only, the skull was clearly attached to a man, who removed a dark cloak that hid elaborate flowing robes of white and purple. What had seemed like real bone was in fact facepaint, covering a face with pitch-black skin and a complex net of dreadlocks tied together in a loose ponytail.
Bokamoso was his name, though Merrise was even less acquainted with him than Quattro. He was a compatriot of sorts to her parents and Mabel, part of their union of travellers who had been exploring the multiverse during the same adventure that had brought them into her life. All she really knew about him was an aptitude for magic spells, something that made sense as an inherent asset in this kind of performance.
Now understanding that there was no real danger, Merrise straightened up. Nodding quietly to her parents, she started to watch the show, no longer scared. If it was nothing but an illusion, she could be brave enough to not hide away. Dipper and Pacifica relaxed too, glad she was getting into the spectacle of the thing.
“My illustrious co-host everybody!” Quattro said, pointing to Bokamoso with exaggerated flair as he took another bow.
“That was only the start of our offerings tonight,” Bo said, toothily grinning. He bulged his eyes out, then blinked them shut. When he reopened them, revealing an extra third eye on his forehead, the audience cheered in shock and delight. Merrise already had him sussed from the start though, and smugly crossed her arms. “Let the games begin, my friends!”
Bo’s eye drifted back to the Pines, and Merrise detected the slightest wink aimed in their direction. She smiled. Even if she’d been scared before, she knew these two performers. This was going to be fun.
“Believe me,” Quattro said, “you ‘aint seen nothing yet!”