What If Dipper Stayed?

The scene of the crime

Five days after Dipper was poisoned, he decided to go back to where he was attacked and try to figure out what happened. Ford agreed, but only on the condition that Mabel went with him. He was still very weak from the poison, but he was strong enough to walk around and lift light objects, so Mabel guessed he was okay. Either that, or just incredibly bored. They were currently walking through the forest, travelling slowly for Dipper's sake. He looked very pale, even for his post-poisoned self. "Dipper, are you sure you're okay? You don't look too good." Mabel asked. 

He grinned softly, although it didn't convince her. "Yeah. It's not my first time being poisoned." 

"That's not concerning, or anything." 

"True. But don't worry. As long as I can figure out what happened, I'll be fine." 

"And if you can't?" 

"Then I'll keep looking until I do. That's what I did with the author, and we found Grunkle Ford." 

"Yeah." Mabel had to admit, Dipper was right. Even when she thought it was hopeless, Dipper had pushed on and found the author.

"Besides, all of that would've gone much faster if Grunkle Stan told us about Ford." 

"True, but still. He did it to protect us. It's probably better that we didn't know, since he got arrested and all that. I'm still surprised none of those government guys came back." 

"None of them remember it." 

"Stop being smart." 

"Can't help it. I guess I'm just intellectually superior." 

"Yeah, but I've got all the fun genes." 

"Nope. I've actually been invited to a lot of parties around town. Pacifica likes to hold them at her family's house, especially since they managed to get an upgrade. Looks like the Northwests are getting rich again." Dipper smiled softly. Things were starting to return to normal.

Mabel pulled a map out of her pocket, and eventually stopped. "Okay. This is where Grunkle Ford and I found you." 

Dipper looked around for a second, but started moving deeper into the forest. "I don't remember this part. I remember being back here. I was walking home when something landed on my back. Right about...here." Dipper pointed to a spot between trees. The ground was messed up, like there was a fight. some of the grass was burned away in tiny circles, like some sort of acid had been spilled. 

"Wow. You really didn't like something here, huh?" Mabel asked. 

"Well, I'm not a big fan of being poisoned. But this doesn't look like Chormina poison. The way the grass was effected isn't right. This looks more like..." Dipper trailed off. 

"Dipper? You okay?" Mabel asked. 

"Hmm? Yeah, sorry. Just reminds me of something else I've seen." 

"Do you want to share? I'm not as knowledgeable as you." 

"Something I encountered about two years ago. Grunkle Ford called it a Pinstile. It's very poisonous." 

"Dipper, how much do you remember about that night?" Mabel asked, worried about what Dipper might say.

Dipper shrugged, sitting down. "Not much. I remember something attacking me, but I don't think it was a Chormina. Besides, I know the creatures in these woods. I haven't done anything to aggravate it." Dipper frowned. 

"Maybe they got tired of listening to you blabber. Hey yo!" Mabel joked. 

"Mabel." 

"Okay, Okay. Come on, we should hurry up. We only have so much daylight, and Grunkle Ford wants you back before dark." Mabel offered Dipper her hand, helping him stand up.

Dipper hummed. Grunkle Ford always worried so much, especially when Dipper was hurt. "Hey, Mabel?"

"Yeah?"

"Why would the Pinstile be back? It ran out of its food source here years ago, and Grunkle Ford seemed to have scared it off back then. What would bring it here now?" Dipper was frowning, pulling out his journal again. He was flipping through the pages like he was looking for something.

"Maybe something changed. I mean, a lot's been different since I got back. Grunkle Ford's experimenting with new technology, you go to parties, and Candy's taller than me now! I mean, Gravity Falls changes every time I come back. Maybe the Pinstile came back because something changed for it, too." Mabel suggested.

Dipper finally stopped on an unfinished page, a half-sketched creature staring back at Mabel. It was long and lanky, sitting on all four legs. It looked like it was made of wood, with little bits of fur here and there. It also had giant fangs, which was one of the more detailed parts of the sketch. "What happened when it came to Gravity Falls the first time? When you encountered the Pinstile the first time."

Dipper sighed. "Ford had been careless that night. We never expected anything like the Pinstile where we were searching, so we weren't concerned. The Pinstile snuck up on him, and bit him. I managed to catch it, but...it was touch and go for a while. I barely managed to make the antivenom for Ford before he died, but the Pinstile escaped. Ford told me not to worry about it, but I couldn't get it out of my mind. I tracked it down to the edge of the woods, almost out of town, and nearly caught it again. It got away again, but I think I always knew it would come back for me one day. I guess it finally decided to get me."

They finally came up on the Mystery Shack, where Grunkle Stan's last tour group was leaving. Mabel brought Dipper in through the back door, right into the living room. Grunkle Ford was waiting in the chair. "Any luck finding what happened?" He asked, leaning back in the chair.

Dipper sat on the armrest of the chair, relaxing slightly. "I think the Pinstile is back."

Ford paled. "You're positive?"

"The grass near where I was found was affected by Pinstile poison, nor Chormina poison. I don't think the Chormina was trying to hurt me that night. We both know the two species don't get along, and we're on friendly terms with Chormina."

"Which means it would try to protect you. The poison must've been an accident. It was probably trying to poison the Pinstile, and hit you by mistake!"

"We need to find the Pinstile, and quick."

Mabel interrupted. "I'm sorry, but you just got poisoned a few days ago. You could barely make it to the forest just walking. You're still weak, and you wouldn't be able to chase the Pinstile if it came to that. I'm not saying stop going after the Pinstile, but you should come up with the strategies while Ford and I do the physical work." She crossed her arms, glaring at Dipper.

"That's not happening. The Pinstile went after me. It's got a grudge against me. It's going to come for me again, and I'm not going to sit on the sidelines while you and Grunkle Ford get yourselves killed! You've never dealt with it, and it nearly killed Ford last time!"

"No, she hasn't. But we may still be able to use the Pinstile's grudge against you." Ford grinned at Dipper.

"You mean set my brother up as bait so it can kill him instead of us." Mabel rolled her eyes.

"Close. We're going to use him as bait so we can catch it. Nothing will happen to Dipper. That being said, we need to start planning for it. Dipper, I need you to rest as much as you can. If something happens, I want you to be ready to move. Mabel, I want you to go to town with me to get some supplies. We'll meet back here in a few hours. Everyone clear?" Ford instructed, pulling out a small notepad. Mabel nodded, and Dipper begrudgingly nodded. He hated being benched. "Good. Let's move out. We need to hurry up and catch it before it catches us."