Dipper and Mabel were spending their free day with Soos. Strolling by Gravity Falls with nowhere specific to go they decided to enter some of the shops and do silly stuff for the rest of the day. As they passed the arcade, they saw this big poster announcing a new mysterious video game coming to the arcade sometime next week. Without knowing which game would it be but yet incredibly exited to know what it could be about they decided the three of them decided to reserve a chance to play it at least once it was premiered.
The days passed and they totally forgot about their special entrances for the arcade when the day of the great opening, Dipper saw his ticket again on the top of his desk. Assuming he'd see Soos and Mabel there, he changed into his favorite vest, put on his hat and went straight to the arcade to actually find the place deserted, though Dipper still had to make some use out of the actual worthless ticket he paid for the great game. After the man on the counter pointed out the new game he realized it was a racing game. Probably not Dipper's best since he had always been sort of clumsy but he had to try it at least once.
"So... Sugar Rush Speedway" He said out loud while adjusting the seat to make his short legs reach the pedals.
Following the initiation instructions, Dipper finally got to the phase where he had to pick an avatar. Not actually even knowing what he was choosing, Dipper picked Vanellope as his character for the race. He moved on the making kart mini game and finally got to the big race. Once it started the game pretty much did the work. Vanellope was a very fast racer and that helped Dipper get to the very front of the race when the game started glitching. Without thinking at all Dipper started pressing buttons and moving the pedals with no sense at all when he reminded the Fight Fighters code.
"Alright lets see what happens… Back, back, hold, forward, back, forward, down, hold, quarter circle, forward, triple punc-pedal!" and as he talked and tried the ultimate code the game screen started to glitch more and more when it finally turned itself off.
Dipper was disappointed of the new game and asked for a refund on the counter when he heard a voice behind him.
"Excuse me?" he heard without looking back. "How-how did you do that?" the voice asked again.
A little confused, Dipper looked at the man on the counter to see him pointing to the back of the arcade.
"You're not gonna leave your little date all alone there would ya son?" the man said.
Even more confused Dipper quickly turned around to see no more than the girl who looked exactly like his avatar in the game, Vanellope. He wasn't sure at first, but damn she really looked like her. She had the same caramel big eyes, the same chipmunk smile, even the dark brown hair and he even noticed a very sweet smell of peppermint as she walked towards him.
"How did I-I do what?" He asked still a little in shock.
"How did you got me out of the game?" The girl replied nervously.
"I-I.." Dipper couldn't finish his sentence due the whole shock of seeing that girl in real life. It was her, Vanellope, just like when Rumble got out of his game but this time, the racer turned looking just like another human being not a video game version. He shock his head and finally found the words to answer her. "I used the code."
The girl smiled at him and started bouncing up and down. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She said at him. "You have no idea of how much I've wanted to leave at least for once my game to see more games! Master of codes you're the best! From which game are you from?" She titled her head to a side asking curiously.
"Me? Which game? Oh no-no. I'm from the real life. You're the video game." Dipper said with a very serious tone. "Who are you?" He asked.
"My name is Vanellope, Vanellope Von Schweetz. That's German for Sweet" She winked at him after saying that. "And what do you mean with real life... So you're the player?! Sweet mother of monkey milk I just met a real player! I'm probably the luckiest avatar in the whole gaming history! Take that Sonic." She said the last to herself and laughed a little while doing it. "Oh sorry, haven't heard your name yet Stinkbrain! So, who are you?"
"I'm Dipper... Dipper Pines" Dipper had so many questions but it looked like he didn't wanted to talk at all. He was nervous and excited that maybe this time that avatar wouldn't try to kill him. "So... Do you know how to go back?" he asked without attempting to make her feel unwanted there, though that probably came out the wrong way since Vanellope's expression turned a little more serious. "Yeah.. I-I don't know but I guess I could try just literally entering the console or something…" She answered.
"I didn't. Oh I'm so sorry. I didn't meant to make you feel like that, is just that you know some people do things and then BAM! You don't know how to fix them." He rambled a little more trying to explain himself moving his arms everywhere and accidentally making Vanellope laugh a little. "You sound like my uncle Felix" she said smiling again.
"Your uncle Felix?" Dipper asked curiously. "Yeah, he's this cool constructor guy from the game Fix it Felix Jr. He's not my real uncle, but when he married Calhoun, I decided to make them like my cool parents, so uncle and aunt it is." She explained trying to make her words clear and not confuse the new friend. "So tell me Dipper, what can I do around here? I don't know what players do in real life after they play our games"
Dipper saw how naïve and just innocent Vanellope was and he took her for a walk to explain her how the real world worked. He started telling her everything about the birthdays and how people celebrated together when that happened. There he discovered he was actually just a year older than her, because according to his explanation, Vanellope would be turning 12 sometime soon when he turned 13. They continued talking and walking around Gravity Falls. She told him about how glitches can't leave their games and how that was the reason why she was the most surprised for leaving Sugar Rush Speedway, It was practically impossible to make but he did it and Vanellope was very grateful for that even though it was an accident. He showed her the Dinner, the Tent of Telepathy, Barrels and Crates Inc that reminded her of Donkey Kong videogame and so on until they went through the entire town and got to the Mystery Shack. Amazed of how alike they were, a little stubborn, clever and very curious, in matter of hours turned into good friends.
It was already night time when he realized Vanellope had to leave someday to be back at her game, but since she told him that her friends inside the console wouldn't need her in a day or two, especially since the arcade was practically alone every day, he asked her to stay in the real world a little longer. After all, only he knew about her existence in the virtual world and that was their secret to keep. Mabel had been out with her friends that day too so she wasn't around to meet Vanellope, however, in the shack, Dipper introduced her to Soos and then to Grunkle Stan. After begging him a little to make some place for her in the shack and making them think she was a friend from his town in California that came to visit, Dipper finally got to make Stan say yes and get the girl a little room in the other side of the attic.
Vanellope was exhausted, the day had been very long and believe it or not, leaving a video game is actually pretty tiring. It was still early. Not even 9 o'clock yet, but she needed to get some energy back. Dipper saw how her actual being started going more and more slow to the point where she barely moved.
"Do you want something to eat?" he asked her looking through the fridge. "Eh... Do you have any candy?" she answered holding his head with one hand while with the other she tried not to fall asleep giving herself small smacks in her head. "I'm not sure…" Dipper thought of a way to get her candy that late at night. It probably wasn't the healthiest, but she wasn't a real human. In her world she always ate candy so that's what she needed. He remembered he still had some of the Summerween candy Grunkle Stan gave him and Mabel after scaring those kids. He rushed upstairs to his room to get it and came back to the kitchen to find Vanellope completely asleep over the table.
"Hey Vanellope, wake up…" Dipper patted her back a little trying to wake her up lightly. After trying that multiple times and seeing how that didn't worked out, he decided it was time to make plan B take action. Dipper managed to get Vanellope on his back, carrying her all the way to the attic where Grunkle Stan said she could use to sleep. Once he finally got there, since it practically took him like 10 minutes to carry her all the way up there even though she wasn't heavy at all, Dipper lay her down in the bed and tucked her in. He sat on the floor looking through the window and waiting to see if Mabel would come back to tell her of this new discovery and friend he made, after all she was his first sort of real friend in Gravity Falls, but as he waited and waited the sister that would never come back that night because she was doing a sleepover with her friends, Dipper fell asleep next to Vanellope's bed, silently and calmed with a small smile on his face after the good day they both had.