Hey everyone! Like so many of you, i also watched the end of Gravity Falls, and I must that I adored it. It gave us that warm feeling of closure, while also leaving a small window opened for a possible return, whether is soon or a couple of years from now. I must say, that I doubted why the creator of the series wanted to end it, but after watching the series finale, I totally get it why he did it. Still, the ending could have been better in a few ways, and so, I decided to rewrite it a little bit to include a couple of charcters that I felt should have been there to say goodbye to Mabel and Dipper. And with that said, on with the show, everyone.
Gravity Falls: See You Next Summer
It was hard to believe summer went by so fast… at least, for Dipper and Mabel Pines it was. If anyone had told them when they arrived in Gravity Falls that that particular summer would be one of the best, if not the best summer of their young lives, they would probably say they were kidding them. And yet, it was. It was a summer where they had done just about anything. From time travelling and capturing supernatural creatures to fighting an inter-dimensional demon who had plans to bring forth the Apocalypse, they had the time of their lives. And now it was over. They had packed all of their things, and left. Their room on the Mystery Shack was now empty, and it would stay that way.
Standing outside near the bus stop, the twins were joined by some of the town's residents who came to say goodbye to them. Among them were their two great uncles Stanley and Stanford Pines, or as they liked to be called Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford, their good friends Soos Ramirez and Wendy Corduroy from the Mystery Shack, Mabel's best friends Candy and Grenda, crazy scientist and town's former hillbilly coot Fiddleford Hadron "Old Man" McGucket, the richest girl in town and Mabel's former archrival Pacifica Northwest, Emo-Goth rocker and Wendy's former boyfriend Robbie Stacy Valentino, and last but not least, the kid's former nemesis, Gideon Charles Gleeful, better known as Li'l Gideon. To say that the twins were the only ones who were sad about leaving would be the biggest of lies. Every single one of them felt sad to see the twins having to go back to Piedmont, California.
"Do you really have to go? There's still so much we haven't done together." –Candy asks Mabel, as she hugs her.
"Summer's over, Candy. It's time for us to grow up." –Mabel sighed.
"But not too much." –Dipper adds.
"Aah! I hate my dumb heart for making me feel things!" –Grenda exclaims, punching her torso. –"Cut. It. Out. Heart! Cut. It. Out!"
"Hey, can you punch my heart too?" –Soos asks her.
Hearing this, Mabel just jumps and hugs both her two friends as hard as she could. Sobbing lightly, she lets the two of them break the hug. The two of them also have tears in their eyes and that only makes it even harder to them to say goodbye.
"Candy and Grenda, thank you for being my people. You'll always be my best friends." –Mabel said, putting a big smile on the two girls' faces. She then turned to Pacifica who had not say a word since arriving. –"And… I would be lying if I said I wasn't going to miss you too, Pacifica. Thanks for coming and say goodbye to Dipper and me."
"Whatever… it's the least I could do after what we went through." –Pacifica said, pretending she did not care.
But all that pretending was just a façade. Deep down, she was heartbroken to see the twins go. Their relationship had been incredibly bumpy throughout the whole summer to say the least, but she had grown to like them. Not being able to hold her true feelings regarding the situation, she just launched herself onto Mabel's arms, and began to cry.
"Oh, who am I kidding? I'm going to miss you and your brother so much!" –Pacifica exclaimed, as tears of sadness ran down her face. –"You guys are probably the best friends I've ever had…"
Mabel held her in her arms, feeling her sobbing almost uncontrollably. When they met at the beginning of summer, Mabel and Pacifica hated the guts out of each other and that hatred for one another would only disappear after Mabel saved the blonde from the Lilliputians who lived in the mini-golf court. After that, they became acquainted and what one would consider a friend, and the same could be said about Dipper, who got to know her better after what happened in the Northwest Annual Ball. On top of that, Weirdmageddon made their friendship bond stronger. It was then that Mabel and Pacifica had truly become friends, and now, they both felt sad about not having more time to get to know each other better.
"There, there, don't cry like that. You'll ruin your make-up, Pacifica." –Mabel told her, trying to cheer her up a little, at the same time she tried not to cry.
Finally, the blonde released Mabel from that hug, still sniffling.
"I just wished we had more time… I can't believe I spent half of the summer hating you."
"It's okay, believe me. Sometimes friendships take longer to develop, and you know what? This way ours will be even stronger, even after I'm gone." –Mabel told her, always smiling with her goofy smile. This made Pacifica smile. –"Besides, we got each other's cell numbers and emails. We'll be talking every day, and the same goes for you two, Candy and Grenda."
That made her three friends smile. Then, Mabel approached Li'l Gideon. The little guy was wearing his usual baby-blue suit, and as always, he did not have a single hair out of place. Looking at him, Mabel remembered why she had a crush on him a couple of months before. Smiling at him she said:
"And you… for all that you put us through I don't know if I should slap you or hug you, you know?" –Mabel told him with her joyful voice. –"So, I'm gonna do both."
With that, she slapped Gideon on the face and then gave him a big hug.
"You promise me something?" –Mabel asked him.
"I-I c-can try." –he stuttered.
"Promise me that from now on you'll try to be good all the time. You think you can do that?"
"I'll do my best." –Li'l Gideon smiled.
"You better, because the next time I hear about you, I don't want to hear that you've been playing with people's feelings and emotions." –she winked an eye at him.
"I promise." –Li'l Gideon told her.
At the same time, just a few feet from Mabel, her twin brother Dipper was also saying goodbye to some of the folks. The first one was his summer crush, Wendy Corduroy, the toughest and coolest 15 year-old chick he had ever met.
"Hey, you mean a lot to me, man." –she says kneeling in front of him.
"You too." –Dipper tells her, as he fist-bumps her.
"I learned so much with you this summer you know?"
"Did you?"
"Of course. And I bet you also learned a couple of things with me too, Dipper." –Wendy told him. –"Plus, I'm gonna miss our crazy afternoons looking for mysteries with you and your sister… and that crush of yours on me, bro."
"Come on, Wendy, don't tell him that. Don't you see you're making Dr. Spectacular blush?" –Robbie said, addressing Dipper with the nickname Wendy's friends had given him the first time Mabel and Dipper went out with them. This made Dipper laugh a little.
"You're right, sorry." –Wendy winked her eye at Dipper.
"It's okay." –Dipper laughed a little unease about it.
"I'll be honest with you. I'm gonna miss having your sister and you around here." –Robbie told him. –"It was an honour to have you as a rival for Wendy's affections." –he said, as he saluted him.
"Well, it was also… nice… to have you as a rival." –Dipper said, being honest about it. His relation with Robbie had always been extremely unstable, but in the end, even though they had not become the best of friends, they ended up having a grudging respect for one another.
It was then that Mabel said something that they had all heard for the last hour or so, but it was never too much to remember them about it, not in her book at least.
"Dipper and I can't thank you enough for everything. I just want you to know that, even though most of you don't share any blood ties with us, we consider you part of your family by blood." –Mabel declared it, as a tear rolled down her face. –"And, Grunkle Stan, thanks for wearing my goodbye sweater."
Stan almost blushed when he heard that last part. He was wearing the last sweater Mabel had made. It was a red sweater and it had the words "Goodbye Stan" written on it.
"Ah, it's cold out. I had to." –he lied, much to Ford's amusement. He was practically cooking inside that sweater. He had never figured how her niece could wear those sweaters during the hottest season in the year, but he figured that it was just one of those mysteries that was best left unsolved.
"What? But it's like eighty-something degrees out today." –Soos pointed out.
"Can it, Soos!" –Stan and Ford told their former employer.
"It ain't gonna be the same around here, without you two meddling kids around these parts." –Old Man McGucket told the Pines twins, as a tear ran down his bearded face.
"I really wish there was way for us to stay, but…you know." –Dipper said.
"We know, Dipper." –Ford told his nephew, smiling.
"And that's why we decided that in order for you to not feel so bad about it, we're going to give you kids something to remember us by." –Stan said. –"Here kids, this is my gift for you."
Both Mabel and Dipper looked to one another, and asked themselves why Grunkle Stan had given them a duffle bag.
"It's… great…" –Mabel giggled nervously. –"It's a really nice bag, Grunkle Stan."
"It's not the bag, it's what's inside the bag!" –he told them.
Opening it, they saw their uncle's infamous 8-Ball cane, which he used when putting his Mister Mystery persona on, in order to conduct the visits on the mystery Shack.
"Grunkle Stan… I don't know what to say." –Dipper said.
"Hey, it's not much, I know, but I couldn't find anything else. And who knows? Maybe it will come in handy to you kids." –Stan told them.
Hearing that, the kids both hugged their uncle. The cane was probably the oddest thing Stan had offered them, but they did not care. Every time they would look at it, they would remember the crazy things they did with their uncle during those three months.
"We love it, Grunkle Stan: Thank you." –Mabel said, as she did her best not to start crying again.
"Well, that means it's my turn now, dudes." –Soos said. Approaching them, he grabbed something he had on one of his pockets and showed it to them. –"I want you to have this."
In Soos's hand was his lucky screwdriver. With its red handle, it was Soos's most precious object. The kids did not even believe that their friend was actually giving them his most prized possession.
"Soos… but that's your lucky screwdriver." –Mabel said.
"No, dude, it's yours now. Besides, I can always get a new one." –Soos laughed.
This made the twins hug him. Soos was their first friend in Gravity Falls, and acted to them like an older, somehow wiser brother to them. And just like them, he also shared their enthusiasm for finding out how many strange things there were in that town. Without him ny their side, they would've probably never accomplished half the things they did.
"We'll treasure it. Soos." –Dipper told him. –"Thanks, man."
"Don't mention it, dude." –Soos said, giving Dipper a thumbs up.
Next, it was McGucket. The kids actually asked themselves what the local hillbilly would give them. Knowing him, it would probably be something incredibly crazy. Even after he regained his sanity, the crazy old man still acted a little like his old self.
"If anyone had told me that you kids would help me get my life back, I would have probably say a bunch of crazy nonsense, and then try to eat yet another raccoon." –the old man said. –"Still, I… I… I… I want you kids to have this." –he said, pulling his hat out of his head and putting it on Mabel's hands. –"That way, you'll remember me, and it will also protect your head from the boiling Sun."
Like they said, it would be something incredibly crazy… still, it was sweet, and they both hugged him, which proved to be quite the challenge because he stank to dead animals and old socks. Mabel felt tempted to unpack one of her bottles of perfume in dump it on him in order to smell a little better, but decided not to, so as to not hurt his feelings.
Next, it was Robbie. His present was more for Dipper than for both of them. He took off his infamous hoodie, and gave it to him.
"It's yours now, kid." –Robbie told him.
"But why?" –Dipper asked him, puzzled.
"What can I say? It's my destiny hoodie, and let's face it, if you and your sister hadn't done what you did, I would still be a statue on that crazy triangle demon's throne, and I wouldn't have been able to fulfill my so called destiny, as your uncle there said. It's only fit that you get to have it." –Robbie told him. –"Besides, when you're older, you'll get to wear it in all its awesomeness."
"Well… thanks, Robbie." –Dipper said, as they shook hands.
As Dipper and Robbie shook hands, Candy and Grenda also gave Mabel a present. A scrapbook of their own, with dozens of photos featuring Mabel with them.
"Oh, you girls… you shouldn't have."
"Of course we had to." –Grenda told her.
"You deserve it, Mabel." –Candy said, as the girls gathered for a group hug.
Then, came Gideon's turn. His present was more to Mabel than to Dipper… a stuffed puppet of himself. Most of them had been burned by his father during Weirdmageddon, but that particular one survived, and he wanted Mabel to have it.
"It's not much, I know, but, at least you'll remember how I look." –he said, as Mabel hugged him once more.
Then, it was Ford's turn. Approaching his two nephews, he pulled something from beneath his coat and handed to them. It was a journal, similar to the ones he had wrote, but this one was slightly different. Its cover was a little more detailed than the ones he had written more than 3 decades before, the hand stamped on it only had five fingers, and it had golden letters which said "Pines Journal".
"I know just how much my old journals helped you and your sister in your adventures, and I felt that maybe it's time for you two to also have one of your own, so you can write your own findings for many years to come." –Ford told them.
A journal… the most fitting gift the old researcher could give his nephews, so they would remember him.
"Thanks, Grunkle Ford." –Dipper said, as he and Mabel hugged him.
"It's perfect." –Mabel smiled.
"I'm glad you kids like it." –Ford told them.
As they broke the hug, they both saw Pacifica approaching them. Smiling, she hugged them both once more and then she took her purple hoop earrings, extending them to Mabel.
"Let's trade them. I'll give you my hoop earrings, and you give me those green pine-shaped earrings of yours." –Pacifica told Mabel. Mabel of course noticed that Pacifica's earrings had a tiny diamond embedded on them.
"P-Pacifica… I can't take those…"
"Sure you can. Besides, it's not like I have a few other pairs of earrings like these." –Pacifica winked her eye at Mabel.
Smiling, the girls made the exchange and immediately put on their new earrings.
"You look fabulous with my earrings." –Mabel said.
"Well, you don't look half-ad yourself." –Pacifica shot back at her.
And last, but not least, it was Wendy's turn. Approaching Dipper, she switches hats with him. As she put on Dipper's cap, she smiled at him.
"Something to remember me by… oh, and this here is for you and Mabel. Open it only after you leave, and the next time you miss Gravity Falls, okay?"
Dipper just smiled at his friend, as he placed the letter on his pocket.
Those had been some of the sweetest and weirdest presents anyone had ever given them, and the twins would treasure them with all their heart and soul. As they all shared one last hug, the bus that was to take the twins back home approached. Its tires screeched as it pulled over. Opening the doors, the bus driver said:
"Last bus leaving Gravity Falls."
"Guess we've said goodbye to everyone except...Waddles. I...I don't know how to explain this but... Mom and dad won't let me bring a pig home to California so...you have to stay here!" –Mabel said, on the brink of tears. She did not want to leave her pet pig behind, because he was so much more than just a pet for her. He was her friend, and it pained her to have to leave him behind.
Hearing that, the little pig squealed and ran towards Mabel, pulling her skirt. The scene looked like something taken from one of Lassie's old films, and the worst part was that it was breaking Mabel's heart in the worst possible way. She was already feeling bad about having to leave her friends behind, but having to leave Waddles, her pet pig, the pig that she won countless times by guessing his weight when she and Dipper went back in time using Blendin's time machine; the pig that slept by her feet at night; the pig that had no problem in being Mabel's guinea pig when she wanted to test a different look, in sum, the best pet she had ever had; that made her feel like she was doing something criminal.
"Come on. Come on. I have to go. I'm...I'm sorry Waddles." –Mabel said, as she pushed him away. As she pushed him, she felt like her poor little heart was about to be broken into a million tiny pieces.
Seeing that, Stan felt bad about Mabel and decided that there was only one thing to do. Waddles had to go with them… but of course, he was not going to show his softer side to the kids when it came to that pig, so instead he said:
"Agh! You know what? Forget it! I lived with this pig all summer, now your parents are gonna have to." –Stan said, pretending he did not care about the pig, as he grabbed Waddles, followed by his brother Ford. Stopping in front of the door he set him down on the bus. –"Hey bus guy! This pig is comin' with the kids."
"Now, hold on a second, buddy. Bringing animals aboard a moving vehicle is strictly prohibited by law, and…" –he said, when he was interrupted as Stan pulled his brass knuckles and Ford showed him his gun. The original Mystery twins were not in the mood for arguments and the bus guy immediately saw they would not take a no for an answer. Gulping, he said –"Wah… I mean, welcome aboard. You can sit in the front row if you want to, pig."
With that said, Waddles started to walk inside the bus.
Turning around, Stan just smiled at his nephews.
"Kids, you knuckleheads were nothin' but a nuisance and I'm glad to be rid of ya." –he smiled at them, as they hugged him once more.
"We'll miss you too, Grunkle Stan." –both Mabel and Dipper sniffled.
"I just wish we had a camera right now… this moment is just too magical not to be preserved for posteriority." -Mabel sniffled.
"Holy hootenany! Flapjack and fiddlebanjos, I may have what we need for that!" –McGucket exclaimed, as he searched in his pockets for something. He then pulled out what looked like an old vintage Polaroid. –"I knew I had it here… don't know why I had it, but who cares?! This beauty here can snap multiple copies of the same photo with just the press of a button."
"Alright! Come on, everyone gather over there for the photo… Waddles, come here!" –Mabel exclaimed, as she dropped everything she was holding on her hands. A few seconds later, Waddles got out of the bus and ran towards her. She picked him and let him lick her. –"Cut it out, Waddles." –she giggled.
"But who's going to take the photo?" –Gideon asked.
"Hey, bus guy, do you mind doing us a favor and snap us a photo?" –Stan asked the bus driver.
"O-Of course… but let's be quick about it. I've got a schedule to keep."
Quickly and orderly, they all took their place. The tallest went into the back, while the smallest stood on the front. Mabel and Dipper stood in middle, with Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford behind them. Pacifica and Candy stood to Mabel's left, while Gideon and Grenda stood to Dipper's right. Then, Soos and Wendy placed themselves to Stan's right, and finally McGucket and Robbie stood to Ford's left. As for Waddles, the little pig placed himself between Dipper and Mabel. Smiling or striking a pose, they all waited for the photo to be taken.
"Okay then, say cheese, everyone!"
"Cheese!" –They all exclaimed.
With the press of the button, the Polaroid took the photo, and a few seconds later several copies of it were literally spit out, into the air. The camera made one of each of them. Grabbing them, they were all happy with the result. The perfect way to finish that summer.
Then, once more, there was another round of hugs and goodbyes which would have lasted longer, if the bus driver had not tell them that he was leaving in 30 seconds, with or without the Pines twins and their pet pig.
Grabbing their things, they walked to the bus's door. "Side by side, Mabel and Dipper looked at one another, with Dipper asking Mabel:
"Ready to head into the unknown?"
"Nope." –Mabel chuckled. –"Let's do it. Come on, Waddles."
Getting on the bus, the door closed behind them, and as the bus departed, the twins looked outside and saw their friends waving them goodbye. The bus departs and everyone outside runs after the bus shouting farewells to the Pines twins, who waved back at them.
"Goodbye! Farewell!"
"Don't forget us, dudes!" –Soos exclaimed.
"Have a safe trip back to Cali!" –Pacifica and Robbie exclaimed in chorus.
"Bye! Bye everybody! We'll miss you!" –Mabel shouts at them.
"Bye! I'll miss you guys, too!" –Dipper also shouts.
And with that, they depart. As the bus leaves Gravity Falls behind, the twins take a seat in the back. They keep gazing into the wilderness, trying to memorize every little detail about the forest, so as to not forget what it was like, thinking that if they did that the sadness that was inside them would not be so great. Mabel also looked at the photo they had taken s few minutes before and already did she missed everyone that was on the photo. She felt like crying, but Waddles, sensing her sadness quickly began to lick her face, causing her to start laughing and playing with him.
"You're gonna love your new house, Waddles. You can sleep with me, and I'll even convince mom and dad to let you eat with us at the table." –Mabel told Waddles, who oinked back at her, making her giggle. –"You silly pig, you."
As for Dipper, he lost himself in his own thoughts. Thoughts those that began and ended with Gravity Falls and everything they went through there. Feeling like he had something that needed to be registered in the journal that Ford had given to them, he took it out of the bag where the parting gifts were, opened it and began to write.
"If you've ever taken a road trip through the Pacific northwest, you've probably seen a bumper sticker for a place called Gravity Falls." –Dipper narrated to himself, as he wrote those exact words. –"It's not on any maps, and most people have never heard of it. Some people think it's a myth. But if you're curious, don't wait. Take a trip. Find it. It's somewhere in the woods. Waiting… waiting for it to be discovered. I should know, because my sister and I, we both found it, and it's the most amazing place on Earth, not just because of all the crazy things that happen there, but because of the people that live there."
After he finished writing that, he placed his copy of the group photo between the journal's pages, and closed it. He tried not to think about Gravity Falls, but the more he tried, the harder it was not think of it; and it was then that he remembered about the letter Wendy had given him. Opening it he saw that it had one single message on it, which said "See You Next Summer", along with the signatures from every resident of Gravity Falls; Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford, Lazy-Eye Susan, Robbie, Blubs, Durland, Thompson, Pacifica, Candy and Grenda, Soos, Wendy, Gideon, McGucket, Schmebulock, Nate, Lee, Tyler and many others… all of them had signed it, which made it even more special.
Smiling, he looked at his sister, who had closed her eyes and was sleeping hugged to Waddles. Smiling, he asked himself what the future held for both he and Mabel. He wasn't sure about it, but one thing he was absolutely sure of.
"One thing's for sure… we'll face it together." –Dipper thought to himself, as cuddled next to his sister and closed his eyes.
Dipper shortly fell asleep, as the bus rode down the road, leaving behind that magical place that was Gravity Falls, Oregon
THE END… for now.