Wrote some more Horse Boy Stan AU stuff this weekend! Here's Stan and his family moving to Gravity Falls to take care of Ford after he's been cursed to be a pony and only be human four times a year.
(Side note: I changed my mind from something I previously posted. I've decided that Ford did in fact still do research in Gravity Falls, and Stan and his family are just moving into Ford's place. As for where pony Ford is living, well...)
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The trailer finally stopped moving. Ford sighed in relief. Traveling via horse trailer was incredibly unpleasant, particularly for such a long journey. But he could tell from the familiar scents blowing in from outside. They had finally arrived in Gravity Falls.
“All right, Biscuit, time to unload,” Stan’s voice said. The door to the trailer opened, revealing Stan. He was holding his two-year-old son Junior propped on one hip. Ford waited patiently for Stan to set up the ramp out of the trailer and clip a lead onto his halter.
After all, they had to keep up appearances in front of the movers.
“C’mon, Biscuit,” Stan said. He clicked his tongue. Ford obediently walked down the ramp. Junior clapped his hands.
“Bikit!” he squealed happily. Even under the current circumstances, Ford couldn’t help but feel a surge of warmth for his nephew. He snorted at Junior, making the boy giggle. “Like Bikit!”
“I like Biscuit too, bud,” Stan said. “Let’s get him settled in his new home, okay?” Junior nodded. Before they started walking, Ford quickly looked over his shoulder to see his sister-in-law Angie having a conversation with one of the movers by the large moving truck. Angie glanced in his direction, winked, then continued talking to the mover.
“Bikit! Bikit! Bikit home!” Junior chanted eagerly as Stan led Ford away from the trailer and other vehicles. Stan chuckled.
“We’re all home, bud.”
“Home!” Junior shouted. They came to a stop in front of a stable. A much larger stable than Ford was expecting. He looked up at Stan, shocked.
“Stanley, this is more than a little pony such as myself needs,” he neighed. Stan looked down at him.
“Well, yeah, but you’re not the only one that’s gonna be here,” he said. “Fidds is coming up later in the week with Daisy, Beans, and a couple other horses. And you’re not that small of a pony. I’ve seen smaller.” Ford chose to focus on the first half of what Stan said.
“I understand why Daisy and Beans would be joining us,” he replied. Daisy and Beans were Angie and Stan’s personal riding horses. “But others?”
“Yeah, it’s-” Stan paused. His eyes darted to the side, watching the mover chaos. “Let’s finish this conversation inside.” Stan handed Ford’s lead to Junior, who immediately began to chew on it, so that he could open the door. With the door opened, he took the lead back from Junior and brought Ford into the stable. He closed the door behind him, leaving them in darkness.
“Dark!” Junior squawked.
“I’m on it, I’m on it,” Stan said. He flicked a nearby switch. Overhead lights flickered on, revealing a row of stalls on either side and in the back, a large riding ring. “Ta-da! Welcome home, Ford!” Ford looked around.
“Again, this seems like too much for me,” he said. Stan rolled his eyes. He set Junior down to remove Ford’s halter and lead.
“I already told you, you’re not the only one that’s gonna be staying here,” he said. “Daisy, Beans-”
“Yes, yes, and some others,” Ford said impatiently. “Could you elaborate on that?”
“Well, we need more than two horses and a pony to run a riding school,” Stan said. Ford stared at him. “…No one told you we were gonna start a riding school.”
“No!” Ford whinnied.
“Whoops.” Stan rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh. We’re starting a riding school! And boarding stables. And Angie’s gonna provide vet services. It’s gonna be a whole horse services…thing.”
“Have you thought this through?” Ford asked. Stan crossed his arms. Ford felt a brief twinge of sadness that he couldn’t do so as well.
“Look, I’ll admit, in the past I’ve jumped the gun a lot. But I’ve got a wife and kid now. I need to be responsible. Angie and I talked about this. We looked into what places in the area might be providing similar services, and there really aren’t any. The closest public stable is over an hour away. So if someone in Gravity Falls or Beaver Stump or any of the other nearby towns wants to rent a pony for their daughter’s birthday, they’d have to go way outta their way for it.” Stan grinned. “Not anymore!”
“I see…”
“Angie already talked to a coupla rich families in the area,” Stan continued. “They’re interested in their kids getting private lessons from award-winning equestrians. And once we’ve got enough cash to expand, we can do horse camps in the summer and…” Stan trailed off, frowning at Ford. “What’s with that expression?”
“You said something about renting ponies for parties,” Ford said bluntly. Stan’s eyes widened.
“Not you! No, Ford, you’re off-limits. Unless you get bored and decide you wanna get involved with stuff, you don’t need to go to parties or have a rider or anything like that.”
“Good,” Ford muttered. He raised his voice. “Junior!” Junior, who had wandered out of view into an empty horse stall, came toddling back. He collapsed against Ford.
“Uncle Bikit!” Junior squealed. Ford reached around to nuzzle his nephew. Junior giggled. “Love you Uncle Bikit.”
“I love you, too,” Ford said gently. He looked at Stan again. “I wouldn’t be opposed to being ridden in competitions. Or for Junior to get his riding lessons with me.” Stan grinned.
“Good. You’re the only one I’d trust for Junior’s first pony ride.” He scooped Junior into his arms. “Your stall is in the back so that people don’t see you as easy. C’mon.” Ford followed Stan past the rows of stalls. Tucked away at the very end of the row to the left was a Ford-sized pony stall, the nameplate on the front door already reading Ford’s pony name. “We made it a bit bigger so it’s extra comfy. It’s got one of those secret compartments in the wall for clothes in case the curse wears off randomly or something. And Fidds designed the latch for the door himself so that you can open the door in horse form. You can come and go as you want.”
Stan nervously watched Ford walk up to his stall and inspect it. It took a couple tries, but Ford figured out how to open the door and trotted into the stall.
“Where is the clothes compartment?” Ford asked. Stan pointed it out. Ford kicked it with a hoof. A wood panel popped open, revealing neatly folded clothes. “I suppose this will also be useful during the solstices and equinoxes.”
“Yeah!” Stan bounced Junior in his arms, his face creased with anxiety. “So, uh…whattaya think?” Ford closed the clothing compartment and turned in a small circle.
“Once we get some straw on the floor and my food and water receptacles filled, I think I will be quite comfortable,” he said. Stan sighed in relief. “This really is quite nice. How did you and Angie scrape together the funds for all of this?”
“Oh, uh…” Stan grinned weakly. “Um, we didn’t just use our money.”
“Then whose…” Ford scowled at Stan’s slightly guilty expression. “Did you use mine?!”
“It’s not like you can use it right now!” Stan snapped.
“I- I suppose you’re right,” Ford mumbled. Stan groaned.
“I didn’t mean to-”
“No, you’re under significant stress right now. Your tone slipping is perfectly understandable,” Ford said. “But if you do feel that bad, perhaps some extra molasses in my feed?”
“You got it, Sixer,” Stan said. “I’ll go grab you some food and water. And on my way, I can make sure Angie hasn’t picked any fights with the movers.” Ford chuckled. “We’re not planning on doing too much to your house except for baby-proofing it, by the way.”
“Honestly? Do whatever you want with it.” Ford lowered himself to the ground, tucking his legs underneath himself. “After all, I can’t even go inside.” He pretended to not notice the way Stan winced.
“Yeah…” Stan set Junior on the ground. “Junior, why don’t you play with Uncle Biscuit for a bit?”
“Uncle Bikit!” Junior squeaked. He toddled over to Ford and threw his arms around Ford’s neck. “Love you Uncle Bikit.” He looked back at Stan. “Right?” Stan managed a smile that was only slightly pained.
Owner: @vulpixen
Age: 41
Parents: TBA
Siblings: TBA
Spouse: Jessie Pines (ot: @vulpixen)
Children: Tanya (21), Stanley Jr Pines (16) and Tyrone Pines (14)
My Imagined Voice: T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh
Whoa! Two OCs in two nights in a row! Yeah, here is Lillian Prescott Pines. I hope you enjoy her! Next up and the last of the OCs for a while is Marcus Valdez Pines.