Hello, and welcome to my brand-new Gravity Falls fan-fic.

This story is set before Not What He Seems.

All characters belong to Alex Hirsch/ Disney
Story belongs to me

Young Grunkle

It was a quiet afternoon in the Mystery Shack. Wendy was chatting with Mabel and Dipper while Soos and Stan were busy glueing a new attraction together. It was a strange combination of a tiger's legs, a badger's body, a moose's antlers, a bear's head, a mermaid's tail and a duck's wings. Waddles was quite fascinated with the attraction until he got bored and decided to sit by Mabel's feet.

"There, that outta do it." Stan stated as he took a step back to marvel and his and Soos' new attraction.
"Grunkle Stan, what's that supposed to be?" Dipper queried the moment his mind tried to register what he was seeing. Wendy shook her head when she noticed the weird combination.
"This is the Mystery Shack's newest attraction. Behold, the unicorn mermaid." the man of mystery grinned in pride. His grin turned upside down when one of the antlers fell off. He bend down to pick it up; something he regretted seconds later.

"Hot Belgian Waffles, my back!" Stan hissed when pain shot through his entire body the moment he straightened his back.
"Grunkle Stan?" Mabel and Dipper gasped as they rushed towards their great uncle.
"Mr. Pines?" Soos rushed to the Mystery Man's side, ready to help in any way he can.
"I'll get the chiro pillow! " Wendy rushed into the house to find the pillow.

"Soos, help me to my chair. We'll close the Shack early today." Stan gritted his teeth from the intense pain.
"Will do, Mr. Pines." Soos nodded vigorously before he gently aided the elder Pines to the living room. The Pine twins were left alone in the Shack.
"Do you think Grunkle Stan will be okay?" Mabel asked anxiously as she cuddled Waddles close to her chest.
"...I think he should be fine?"
"Dipper..."
"I guess it's something that happens when you're as old as Grunkle Stan. Remember when it was so cold that other night that Grunkle Stan complained about his shoulder and back aching?"
"Yeah. Poor Grunkle Stan." Mabel sighed, her face filled with worry.
They sat quietly in the Shack, deep in thought. They didn't even hear Soos or Wendy approach them from behind.
"Hey dudes, Mr. Pines just wanted me to tell ya that he's fine. He just needs to rest for the rest of the day."
"Yeah, just keep an eye on him and make sure he rests. We'll see ya tomorrow, 'kay?"
"Bye, see you tomorrow!" Dipper smiled, while Mabel made Waddles wave goodbye.

"Hey kids, I can't find the remote!" Grunkle Stan's shouted from the living room.
"Coming, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel jumped to her feet and scurried towards the living room, a confused Waddles trying to keep up with her. When Dipper entered the living room after his twin, he noticed an odd expression on his great uncle's face before he noticed his sister. It was almost as if he was longing for something?

"Grunkle Stan, are you feeling better now?" Mabel asked as she sat on the arm-rest. Her great-uncle ruffled her hair in response.
"Sweetie, I am perfectly fine. It's just my body's not being co-operative with me. It happens when you're getting old."
"Are you saying that if you're young again, you wouldn't have all those aches and pains anymore?" Dipper pondered out loud.
"What are ya getting at, kid?"
"Well...there's a...natural remedy I ...read...that mentions you'll feel quite young. I can get it for you, if you want, Grunkle Stan. You'll feel as if you had shed several decades off you age."
"Dipper, it better not be something supernatural."
"No, no. It's not that at all, Grunkle Stan. It's a natural remedy I heard from Wendy."
"If it helps me with my back, I'll take it."
"Great. I'll go and get some of that 'remedy'. Mabel, you stay here to look after Grunkle Stan."

"Dipper, can I talk to you for a sec?" Mabel asked as she slip off the arm-rest before she approached her twin.
"Yeah, okay. What's up?" Dipper smiled, trying to hide his nervousness. Mabel grabbed her twin by his wrist to lead him towards the kitchen.
"Dipper, are going to get something that was mentioned from the Journal?"
"Um, yeah...?"
"Dipper! That's dangerous! Who knows what it could do to our Grunkle-"
"Wait, wait. Mabel, What I'm looking for is called a Youthshroom.", Dipper opened the journal to the page that had the illustration of the mushroom. It looked normal, expect it was shaped to resemble an hourglass, "It's a temporary change and will last for only a few days. Grunkle Stan must simply remember the best days of his life and he will have the same energy as when he was that age."
"Dip-dip, is there another reason why you want to help Grunkle Stan so badly?"
"Um...I assumed that if I were to give him an example how the supernatural helped him, he wouldn't complain if I were searching for the weird and strange anymore...and maybe Grunkle Stan will like me a bit more?"
"Oh, Dip. Grunkle Stan likes you; he simply enjoys teasing you for being too serious and a nerd." Mabel giggled before she patted her twin on the back.
"Hmph. Okay, I'm going to get that Youthshroom. The journal mentioned it would be nearby gigantic trees, so I'll be back within ten minutes." Dipper gave his sister a thumbs-up before he left.

It didn't take Dipper long before he found a Youthshroom. He was about to pick it, when he noticed something was off.
"Waitaminute...", Dipper quickly glanced at the Youthshroom page before he glanced back at the mushroom that was in front of him, "This Youthshroom looks a bit smaller; but the journal didn't mention anything about what could happen if someone consumes a smaller mushroom. Oh well." Dipper shrugged before he picked the Youthshroom. He wished he brought his black light with. He noticed earlier in the morning that it didn't want to work for some reason; and Soos agreed to try and get it fixed.

The pre-teen boy tip-toed as quietly as he could when he came back the Mystery Shack. He didn't want Grunkle Stan to notice the Youthshroom yet. He entered the kitchen and placed the Youthshroom gently on the table. He opened the journal.
"Okay, I must simply ask Grunkle Stan to remember the best days of his life while he's chewing it? Sounds simple enough." Dipper raced towards the living room, ignoring the confused look Grunkle Stan wore. Mabel sat on the floor, scribbling something.

"Kid, why are looking so nervous?"
"No reason, no reason. Grunkle Stan, umm, here's the remedy I spoke about earlier." Dipper offered the Youthsroom to his great-uncle.
"A mushroom? Are you kidding?"
"It's a special mushroom, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel bubbled before she sat on the arm-rest.
"Oh, really?"
"They say that you must think about the best days of your life while you chew the mushroom." Dipper explained.
"-And this should cure me of my aching back?" Grunkle Stan was still skeptic.
"Well, it doesn't hurt to try, Grunkle Stan. You want your back to get better, right?" Mabel pointed out.
"Oh, what the heck." the man of mystery shrugged before he shoved the Youthshroom in his mouth.

"Remember, happy thoughts! The best days of your life!" Mabel cheered.

"Hey, chin up, buddy. Look. One of these days, you and me are gonna sail away from this dumb town. We'll hunt for treasure, get all the girls, and be an unstoppable team of adventurers."
"You really mean it?"
"High six?"
"High six."

"Oh no, Dipper! Look, Grunkle Stan's becoming younger!" Mabel panicked as she and Dipper noticed how their great-uncle's hair became darker and he started to shrink.
"I don't understand, he's only supposed to feel youthful." Dipper felt his heart race.

To be continued...

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