Universe Falls

Chapter 21: Irrational Treasure

Well, I'm back and with the first chapter of arc 3! I gotta say this one took a while, but I did have a fairly fun time writing it! Not only is it based on Irrational Treasure, but I threw in several Steven Universe episodes into mix as well, so see if you can spot all the references! Enjoy! (Hint: arc 3 uses A1Z26!)

Chapter 21: Irrational Treasure

17-21-9-14-20-5-14 20-18-5-13-2-12-25 7-15-20 11-9-3-11-5-4 15-21-20
15-6 20-8-5 23-8-9-20-5 8-15-21-19-5-19 8-1-12-12-19
18-15-4-5 8-9-19 8-15-18-19-5 9-14-20-15 1 22-1-12-5
1-14-4 3-1-12-12-5-4 9-20 7-18-1-22-9-20-25 6-1-12-12-19

Downtown Gravity Falls didn't often receive high volumes of traffic, given that the town itself was rather small. However, today seemed to be an exception to the norm, which was something the Pines family was discovering as they headed to town to run some errands. Stan growled in exasperation as he hit the breaks of his car for what seemed like the tenth time in a row, begrudging the fact that they had left the Mystery Shack almost a half an hour ago now. Still, the twins hardly noticed this as they passed the time by sharing a helping of nachos in the back seat. Mabel helped herself to two of them, artistically inspired as she often was, and carefully fixed them to the studs on her ears, effectively inventing an entirely new type of jewelry.

"Nacho earrings!" she proclaimed in a laugh. "I'm hilarious!"

"That's debatable," Stan deadpanned before turning back to the cluttered streets and honking his horn. "Come on, what's with all this traffic?! And why is it all... covered wagons?" He paused, staring incredulously at the genuine horse-drawn wagons passing in front of the car, watching them in confusion for a moment before coming to a startling realization. "Oh no," he gasped, already throwing the car into reverse. "No! No! Not today!"

"Grunkle Stan, what's going on?" Dipper asked in alarm, gripping the seat tightly to steady himself against the conman's frantic driving.

Stan didn't provide much of an answer as he glanced out the back window, hoping to make it out of town as soon as possible. "We gotta get out of here before it's too late!" His attempted escape was quickly halted, however, as soon as another covered wagon rolled into the empty space behind the car, blocking the road. "They've circled the wagons! We're trapped! Nooooo!"

Indeed, the car was completely surrounded by wagons and their riders, all of whom were clad in 19th century fashions. The twins both looked out the car window, bewildered by such the sight that was strange enough to make them feel as though they had stepped back into another era entirely. Still, Mabel couldn't help but grin cheerfully as she took a glance out the window to see a cow standing only inches away from it. "I have a good feeling about today!"

Since they were getting nowhere in the car, Stan and the twins got out and started heading down Main Street on foot, allowing them to see the extent of its old-fashioned facelift. All signs of modernity had been hidden away by facets of the mid-1800s, from covered wagons, to merchant stalls, to Indian teepees to even the old fashion clothing the townsfolk wore as they milled about and took place in various activities. There was a certain feeling of festivity in the air as banners and flags hung across the town square and various activities and events unfolded across different booths and stalls. It was certainly a change from the usual humdrum hustle and bustle of downtown and while this wasn't lost on Dipper or Mabel, Stan was far from enthusiastic about it.

"Ugh, it's Pioneer Day," Stan remarked, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Every year these yahoos dress up like idiots to celebrate the day Gravity Falls was founded."

"Welcome to 1863!" Toby Determine exclaimed as he walked past the conman.

"I will break you, little man!" Stan threatened harshly, frightening Toby enough to easily chase him off.