"Hey Grenda!" Mabel leaned over the edge of the armchair as she spoke through the phone. "Listen, we should totally get together at the mall. I heard they're having a sale, and-"
"Oh, I'm sorry Mabel," her low gruff voice came through the speaker, "I got chores to do today! Mom won't let me do anything until they're done."
Mabel sat back up and sighed. "Alright. I was hoping to treat you, but I'll find someone else." She hung up and stared down her contact list. Therein lay her problem: she had already appealed to almost everyone else she had on her phone. She dialed one last number and waited for it to ring.
"Tiffany? Listen Tiffany, want to go with me to - Tiffany's mom?" Mabel listened to her explanation. "Well how long is the root canal going to take?" More blabber. "Okay, okay. Tell her I said I hope she gets better soon." She made sure to hang up before she let out a frustrated growl.
"Someone giving you trouble?" Dipper came in, holding a newspaper in front of him.
"Nah, it's more of a cosmic misalignment kind of thing. NO ONE wants to go out today!"
"Pacifica?"
"She's doing volunteer work, ugh. And I already called Candy, Gideon…"
"What about the Gorney kid, that Pacifica introduced us to?" He pulled a pen from his chest pocket and began to fill in the paper's crossword.
Mabel felt a shudder run down her back. "Dipper, I'm not that desperate for company. Can you really imagine me being seen with him?" The very thought made her shiver again.
"Look, if you really want to go and you don't want to be alone, I'll go with you." He chewed on the pen's cap. "Eight-letter first name of black-and-white movie star?"
"No, you hate shopping." Dipper nodded in confirmation. "Besides, I need to meet more people! By the time school starts, we need to have a solid group together."
"Well then, what do you wanna do?"
"I don't know." Mabel rested her head on her arm. "Oh, movie star, wasn't there a guy, Grampton Rumpterfrabble?"
"It fits!" Dipper eagerly filled it in. Mabel watched with a bored expression.
"Well, what do you wanna do after your puzzle?"
"I dunno. I am kinda hungry, but I don't know if I-"
"Do I hear the sound of boredom?!"
Both of them looked up as Stan came into the room, holding a rolled-up magazine.
"Be bored no longer! We're having Family Fun Day today!"
"A what now?" Mabel eyed him.
"You know, Family Fun Day! Where we bond, and have a good time, and it has some strange science-y effect later in life? I dunno, some nerd was talking about in this magazine." He revealed the title: "Be A Good Parent and Buy This! Weekly".
The twins looked at each other as Stan buried himself in the volume.
"Okay, look, right here: Fun things to do as a family! Apparently my original plans weren't any good, since they're considered 'illegal' and 'inappropriate'. There has to be something in here that's a good idea. 'Read a book together' - yeesh, this really was put together by nerds. Okay, what else: 'Take a trip to the local fire station.' Not with my restraining order, we're not…"
"Actually," Mabel tried to speak up, "we were planning on going to the mall together?"
Stan ignored her. "'Collect rocks' - really? I can't believe I went through the trouble of shoplifting this piece of junk." He threw the magazine on the end table with a scowl and rested his hand on his chin, trying to think. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "I know! Get in the car, kids!"
A few minutes later, Mabel stared up at the rickety old sign that advertised the bowling alley.
"Here it is, kids!" Stan sighed proudly. "This is where dreams of greatness live and die."
As they stepped through the doorway, Mabel glanced at Dipper. The look in his eyes confirmed that he found this just as stupid as she did. Stan led them to the counter where the attendant eyed them carefully.
"Aisle for three, and shoes for all of us." The attendant kept watching them from his left eye as he gathered their footwear. Meanwhile, Dipper tugged on Stan's sleeve to get his attention.
"Great-Uncle Stan? Can I get something from the snack bar?"
"Hm? Huh?" Stan glanced at the menu and grimaced. "Yeesh, you could eat cheaper at the airport!"
Dipper scoffed and grabbed his pair of shoes. Mabel could see Stan watching him closely.
"Here, whaddaya want?"
Dipper looked up in surprise. "Uh...pizza? With cheese?"
"Cheese pizza for the boy," Stan nodded. "Mabel, want anything?"
"I'm fine." She took her shoes, found an open lane, and was about to kick her black slippers off when she recognized a voice behind her:
"Alright, come on now! Nick, you know we have to take turns…"
Mabel whirled around in her seat. "Pacifica!"
Sure enough, she spotted Pacifica herding a small group of eight-year-olds around - her rainbow jacket made her stick out like a sore thumb. "Oh, hey Mabel! Didn't think I'd be running into you here!"
"Neither did I, I thought you were out 'volunteering'." She crossed her arms and watched the little brats run around mindlessly.
"Oh, this is one of the things I do actually. It's a kind of mentor program, where the kids and I go out and do fun things together! And today, they wanted to go bowling, so here we are!" She shrugged and buried her hands in her coat pockets. "So anyways...is Dipper here?"
Mabel jabbed her thumb over her shoulder.
"Oh my gosh!" Her hands flew to her ears. "I forgot, what earrings did I put on today?"
"They're...tiny pink unicorns."
"Agh! I knew I should have worn the Shimmery Twinkleheart ones! The unicorns just look garish!"
"Pacifica, if it makes you feel any better, I don't think Dipper will notice your earrings."
"Really?" She clasped her hands together. "You sure?"
Mabel looked over her boisterously colorful outfit. "I'm positive."
"Oh, I hope so." She took a look back at her group. "Oh no no, Smabble that's not how you use the keypad properly!"
Mabel turned and found Stan hopping around on one foot, trying to slip the footwear on. "Hey, kiddo, get your shoes on and pick a ball!"
A minute later she had selected a bright pink ball, and was watching Stan line up his first throw.
"See kids, it's all in the approach. You hold it up, like this. You imagine where you want it to go. Then you step, roll, and whammo!"
The ball didn't make it halfway down the lane before rolling into the gutter.
"Uh, okay, just warmin' up!"
He crossed his arms and tapped his foot until the ball was returned. Upon his second roll, the ball again fell into the gutter.
"What?! They must have changed the floor or somethin', or it's rigged now! It's impossible to win-"
A bright golden bowling ball sped by on their right, obliterating all of the pins with a perfect strike.
"See, that's how you do it!" Pacifica ruffled a kid's hair. "If you need my help again, just let me know, okay?" She caught sight of the Pines staring at her. "Oh hey guys! Just helping them out, giving a little example."
Mabel could feel her mouth still hanging open. "How did you learn to bowl like that?"
"Oh, when it comes down to it, practice and a bit of dumb luck, really. I guess really good luck - I've been Gravity Falls bowling champion the past two years!"
"Hm," Stan crossed his arms and grumbled, "I bet some shiny golden ball doesn't hurt either."
"Oh, you wanna try it out?" Pacifica picked it up. "If you want me to give you pointers, I'd be happy to! Here, I can even join you-"
"That won't be necessary," Mabel interrupted her. "You see, we already have a bowling champion: me."
"You?" Stan asked.
"You?" Dipper echoed.
"Me," Mabel confirmed. "And I'm calling you out Pacifica!"
"Calling me…" She laughed. "No no, I'm not looking for a challenge, honest! I'm just saying, if you'd like-"
"If you're so good, then you shouldn't be scared of a little challenge, should you?"
Pacifica stared at her with wide eyes. Then she grinned and raised her hands in defeat. "If you insist. I'll get the manager to officiate everything. But Mabel, are you sure you wanna do this?"
Mabel grabbed her pink ball, and with military-like precision turned to face the lane. She took two steps and rolled. The pins at the other end exploded and scattered; none were left standing. When she turned back to Pacifica, she was satisfied to see the insipid grin gone.
"Bring it on."
"Bettin' tickets! Place your bets, right here!"
Stan cackled as he grabbed bills and slips, keeping an eye on the girls' scores. As the match progressed, Mabel and Pacifica stayed neck-to-neck, and the crowd around their lane grew. For every strike Mabel earned, Dipper looked up from his pizza and cheered along with Stan and half the audience. For every strike of Pacifica's, her charges hollered her name in chorus with the other half of the audience. Even when they missed strikes, they rounded out their frames with spares. It was Mabel a few points ahead, then Pacifica, then back again, and yet again.
After an hour, it was the tenth frame. Pacifica had finished her turn, and it was Mabel's.
"I can't believe it," she heard Dipper whisper, "if she gets a strike here, she's gonna win!"
"Whoo! Knock 'er dead, sweetie! Make your Grunkle proud and rich!"
"Shh, Stan!"
"Ah, right, sorry."
Mabel closed her eyes. Took a deep breath. Opened her eyes. Looked at Pacifica, who was nervously scanning the scoreboard. A triumphant feeling rose inside her. Victory was in her reach. She stepped forward, threw her arm back-
"I-I don't understand, where are they at-"
How the man managed to wander through the crowd, Mabel didn't know. All she did know was that he was so focused on his watch that he didn't notice his path led directly into her.
"Bwah!" Her precise throw turned into a ridiculous contortion as the large man collided with her. The ball flew into the air, slammed hard against the wood floor, and dived straight into the gutter.
That alone would have been upsetting enough, if the trespasser had not also been carrying a cup of red punch, and had proceeded to spill that red punch all over Mabel and the floor. She slipped and slammed on her stomach, feeling the cold punch soak through her clothes.
"O-oh, oh no!" The man jumped up and darted away, melting into the crowd, leaving Mabel to pick herself up.
"No, no no!" She looked up at the scoreboard, and the horrifying zero that filled in the frame. "No, no!" Her hands were stained with red punch, and her blazer and undershirt were already hopelessly ruined.
And the laughter.
Everyone was pointing, mocking her. Cameras were out, had they filmed the whole thing? Mabel glanced around and saw enemies in every direction. Her spine shivered, and a treacherous hole had swallowed up her gut. Stan's shocked expression, Dipper already half out of his seat...
"Mabel?"
She turned to face Pacifica, who offered her a hand and a concerned look.
"Mabel, you okay?"
It was even worse than the ridicule.
Mabel sprung to her feet and ran to the restroom, barely able to see with her blurred vision. No, not that. The tears would only make things worse, stop it, fight it off, turn it off-
The moment she locked herself in the stall, she let the emotions overcome her.
It was all ruined. Because she got cocky, because she challenged Pacifica to the game and made a huge show out of it, the whole town would hear about this. She'd be a laughingstock. It'd be just like the old days again.
The bathroom door creaked open. If it was Pacifica…
"Go away!"
"Mabel?"
Her burning rage cooled at the sound of Dipper's voice. "Hey Dip…"
"Hey. Wanna talk?"
"What's there to talk about? You saw everything."
He stepped inside, approaching the stall she had sealed herself in. "Stan and Pacifica are worried about you."
She sniffed at the second name. "Pacifica...if she hadn't been showing off, none of this would have happened."
"Look, it was a setback. We have setbacks, even nowadays. But we'll get through it." He gently rapped on the door with his fingers. "Are you gonna let me in?"
Mabel managed to summon a chuckle. "This is the girls room. You're not even supposed to be in here at all, genius."
"Then why don't you come out, so we can talk? And don't worry, I won't let anyone make fun of you."
"Promise?"
"That's what we do for each other, isn't it?"
Mabel unlocked the door and looked into Dipper's face. He gave her a sad smile and offered her a hug. She gratefully accepted. "Twins forever?"
"Twins forever."
Their hug ended up being interrupted by the door being slammed open.
"Th-that was close! Come on, gotta fix this s-s-stupid thing!"
Mabel recognized the voice, and Dipper recognized his face. "YOU!" They shouted in unison.
"Huh? Ah!" They couldn't see his eyes, which were covered with goggles, but he was still clearly alarmed. "Uh, initiating camouflage!" He began fiddling with his watch, which displayed a variety of backgrounds: a shadowy junkyard, the Museum of History, some multi-colored hellscape. Finally it reverted to a drab gray. "Uh, initiating escape!"
Before he could run out the door, Dipper waved his hand and slammed it shut. "Not so fast! I think you owe my sister an apology!"
"Huh, what?"
"Don't you remember?!" Summoning the power from her headband, she clenched her fist, seizing his body and pulling him forward. "I'm the girl whose life you ruined just a few minutes ago!"
"I-I-I'm sorry, really! I didn't see you, I was tracking down a colony of time fugitives that were supposed to be hiding out here, piloting an illegal mechanical body, and - uh, I mean, nothing!"
"Time fugitives?" Mabel repeated to herself. "Stealth clothing…what's your deal, huh?!" She thrust her fist upwards, making him levitate in the air.
"Alright, alright! Blendin Blandin, of the Time Anomaly Removal Crew. I'm from the year twenty-sñeventy-twelve, and I'm sorry I ruined your bowling game! Now, uh, could you please put me down?"
She kept glaring up at him, dangling in the air, as an idea entered her mind. "If you're from the future...you must have a time machine."
"Yeah, that's right."
"Well, considering how you're the one who messed everything up in the first place, I'm sure you won't mind me borrowing it to put everything right?"
"WHAT?! If you even touched this thing," he held out a tool that looked like a tape measure, "I would be breaking at least seventeen laws! No way!"
Mabel could feel her arm getting tired, and her will drained. However, she managed to keep him aloft. "Hey Dipper?"
"Yeah?"
"You know that old doll that I broke the other day?"
"The one that wouldn't stop saying 'Mama'?"
"Right, the one that wouldn't do what I wanted it to do. The one I smashed against the wall in frustration." She jerked her fist up, and Blendin slammed into the ceiling with a yell. "Do you think Stan would object to me having a whole person as a replacement?"
"How dare you threaten a Time Officer!"
"I dunno, Blendin. If you think about it," Dipper shrugged, "you did interfere with the past by slamming into her. Are there any laws about that?"
"Oh...ohhhh my gosh, ohhh no, Time Baby's going to be furious with me!"
"Look, it's simple. Send us back in time to before the match, that way Mabel can win her competition and I can get some good food."
"What?" Mabel turned to look at him. "But you had pizza!"
"Eh, it wasn't really that good. Gonna try something else. But anyways, if you do that, then we pretend this whole thing never happened. Deal?"
"Uh, uhhh…"
"Or you can come home with me! I'm sure Stan would be thrilled to get me a toy he didn't have to pay for."
"Fine, I'll do it! Just set me down!"
Mabel unclenched her fist, and Blendin fell to the ground with a thud.
"Ow! You could have been gentle!"
"I could have. Now, one hour ago, let's get going!"
"Hold on…" He pulled out a few inches of tape. "No really, hold on to my arms."
The tape slid back into the machine, and there was a flash of light. When Mabel blinked the stars out of her eyes, she found herself with Blendin and Dipper still in the bathroom, the former desperately trying to pat out a lick of flame on his elbow.
"What? Did it work?" Dipper checked his watch. "Oh my gosh, Mabel, look!"
The hands had spun back accordingly.
"Yes, this is perfect! Come on!" She grabbed his hand and yanked him out the door, spotting Stan at the counter.
"They were just here, I swear, they - kids, come outta there!" He gestured for them. "We can't sneak in without paying! Trust me, I've tried, doesn't end well." He coughed. "So anyways, an aisle for three, and shoe rentals for all of us."
Right on cue, Dipper got his attention. "Hey Great-Uncle Stan?" He scanned the menu. "Can I have a burger?"
"Bettin' tickets! Place your bets, right here!"
Round two was working in Mabel's favor. This time her lead was far more comfortable, especially when she realized she could use her amulet to steer both her ball and Pacifica's.
"What?!" Pacifica stared, mouth agape, as she got a fifth gutter ball in a row.
"See, that's what I'm sayin'!" Stan laughed. "But it is funny when it's someone else getting frustrated."
Mabel approached the lane, making sure her attire was in line (and unstained, thank goodness). She glanced at Dipper, who winked at her over his burger.
She guided the ball to a perfect strike yet again - the tenth in a row.
The gathered group went nuts. "A perfect game!" "First time ever in Gravity Falls!" "Wonderful game, how did you do it!" A golden trophy was thrust into her hands, and dozens of hands clapped her shoulders. Amidst the cheers and congratulations, she saw Pacifica quietly give her a thumbs up before leading her mentor group away.
"Mabel, that was amazing!" Stan laughed as he collected handfuls of payouts. "Look at all this cash - we gotta do Family Fun Day more often!"
The flurry of voices eventually died away, and the three of them pulled their shoes off. After dropping them off at the counter - the attendant still only revealing his left eye - they went out the door. Mabel was careful with her new trophy as she got into the back of Stan's car.
"Alright kids! Who had fun?"
"Me!" Mabel raised her hand.
"Me!" Dipper chimed in.
"And me!" Stan laughed. "Sounds like Family Fun Day was a success!" He began to edge into the street. "Y'know Mabel, you really did make me proud today. I've never seen bowling quite like that before. Somethin' remarkable, that's what it was."
"Heh, yeah."
She looked at the golden statuette in her lap, then the back of his red fez. A curious feeling rose up inside of her. An emotion she usually only reserved for Dipper...
"Thanks, Grunkle Stan."