-Dipper's POV, 1st-

It felt good to be back at the Mystery Shack. Ever since the summer of 2013, when me and Mabel had first come to Gravity Falls, Oregon, a remote tourist trap of a town with weird natural phenomena occurring left and right, we had come back every summer since. This year, me and Mabel would be turning 20 years old. As 19-year-olds, we both had cars, good jobs, phones, the natural stuff that any college student would have. Mabel still loved most of the things she had seven years ago, such as unicorns, boy bands, and the colour pink. I hadn't changed that much either. I was still vastly intrigued by the strange occurances in this town, though my knowledge of it had grown quite a bit. There were still many things I didn't know, of course, but nobody can know everything, not even Bill Cipher. That's how we beat him before. On another topic, we were back! Maybe it wasn't the best thing to be happy about, since the shack was still a bit... Rundown, so to speak. Our bus had just dropped us off. Since it cost less to take a bus than buy three tanks of gas for my truck, we tended to take it instead. As it pulled into the big, worn down clearing in front of the shack, I could smell the faint scent of pine that always hung in the air around here.

Mabel took a big whiff of the air as we got off the bus, dragging her bags behind her. She had packed a million bags, or so it seemed, and was somehow not struggling under the tonnage of it all. I had packed about four bags, at most, each one packed full of their designated items. Clothes were necessary, of course, and then I had all my research materials packed up and ready to go, just in case. I also had my own set of journals in there, kind of like Uncle Ford's old ones, but the difference between mine and his, is that his are gone, sadly. I thanked the driver, and walked up to the door, knocking on it briefly. It took a minute, but Great Uncle Ford showed up at the door, welcoming us. Mabel nearly tackled him into a hug, as I stood there, laughing. It felt just like home. She let go, and I too gave him a hug. "You've grown since the last time I saw you, you're taller than me now," He commented. I nodded, giving a small chuckle. "I guess so," I replied, walking up the steps to put down my stuff. Mabel too put her stuff upstairs quickly, before rushing back down to go chat with Stan and Ford about what she'd missed, and so on. I, on the other hand, took my time to unpack my stuff into the dresser near my bed.

It looked as if either Soos or Ford had renovated the room, because there was brand new flooring, roofing, and furniture. Most of it was the same style as before, but some things were new. There was a new bedside table for each of us, as well as dresser and sheets. It was amazing, and just like I remembered it, though newer, and with less mess. I was really eager to start a new adventure, but I knew that I probably wouldn't get the chance for it today. I walked back downstairs, only to find Mabel dragging Grunkle Ford to the door. "Come on, come on!! We have the chance to see a unicorn again, and you're saying you'd rather be sitting around doing boring research?" Mabel griped, and Ford sighed. "Dipper, thank God. Please tell your sister that I can not go with her into the forest because my research is awaiting me. I'd tell her myself, but I already have, and she won't listen." I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. "I'll go with Mabel so long as I don't have to be on dish duty tonight." Uncle Ford looked grateful. "Okay, thank you Dipper." He patted me on the back, heading downstairs to his lab. "Come on Dipper, we've got a unicorn to see!" Mabel said, dragging me outside.

I was a bit tired compared to her. She was jumping up and down, pulling on my arm, and basically forcing me to walk deeper into the forest with her. We arrived at a clearing not long after we started the trek through the woods, and in the center was a pure white tree. The bark, the leaves, the flowers, the vines, even the mossy grass surrounding it was a frosty white colour. "It's so blanddddddd-" Mabel whined, pulling on my arm, but I didn't move. The tree was just too intriguing. I walked closer, reaching out, and putting my hand on the trunk. "Mabel, come over and feel this, it's so weird-" I said, jotting down some scribbled notes in my journal as I continued moving my hand around the bark. It looked like any normal tree, but it was soft to the touch, and, admittedly, very pretty. I stared at it.

Mabel walked over, looking at me like I had three heads, and it was obvious she thought I was some form of crazy. "I'm telling you Mabel, just touch it, and then you can call me crazy or stupid all you want." She hesitantly reached out a hand, running it over the bark's weird, almost silky texture. "Huh, it's really... Soft?" She said, ending in question. It was obvious she hadn't expected it either. Suddenly, the tree shook, and it started raining white. It was so familiar, almost like- "Snow?" Mabel had said it for me. "Why- how is it- what??" I asked, absolutely flabbergasted. It was impossible for any tree to snow, and yet, here we were. "Uh, Dipper, what's wrong with it? It's beautiful, but, like, why in the mother of peanut butter is it raining snow?" Mabel said questioningly. "I- why do you think I would know?" Mabel shrugs. "You're smart?" "You sound unsure." "Shush!" The playful banter continued as they sat there, admiring the tree. Gravity Falls truly was one of the weirdest places ever.