Battle Warriors (Part 3)
(Back with Mabel…)
"Alright Grenda, it's time for Operation: Get Stan Over His Fear of Heights!" She exclaimed. "I came up with that myself."
"It seems a bit wordy." Grenda said.
"Yeah but that's what makes it fun!" Mabel insisted.
"Let's do this!" Grenda exclaimed lifting a chair over her head.
Mabel's eyes widen.
"Too much?" Grenda asked.
"No I just…wow you're strong." Mabel said amazed.
"Yeah I tend to scare all my friends away." She said placing down the chair.
"Hey we both have been out of the game a while." Mabel assured her. "All my friends think I'm too optimistic and childish for my age." She said giving Grenda a pat on the back. "But hey we got each other right?"
"Right." Grenda said.
"And right now a scared preteen needs us to help him get over his fear of heights." Mabel went on.
"Right!" Grenda exclaimed.
"And are we going to let him down?"
"No!" Grenda shouted.
"Then let's do this!" Mabel shouted.
"Yeah!" Grenda roared.
The two ladies raced into the TV room to see Stan trying to fix the antenna.
"Alright Stan are you ready to get over your fear of heights?" Mabel asked.
"What?" Stan asked. "I don't have a fear of heights." He insisted.
Suddenly the TV cuts back on from static to a man Skydiving.
"We now return to the World's Most Terrifying Skydiving!" It said.
"Turn it off!" Stan screams falling back on his butt.
Grenda and Mabel stand over him knowingly.
Stan sighed, knowing he has been caught in a lie. "So I have a fear of Heights." He admitted. "Is that really so Cray-Cray?"
"No of course not." Mabel assured him offering him her hand.
Stan took it, and she helped him up.
"We just wanted you to understand what Ford is going through." Grenda said.
"Oh you mean with not wanting to face Cooper?" Stan asked.
"Yes." Mabel answered. "You avoid Heights, and he's avoiding Cooper, not so different is it?"
"I guess I never thought about it." Stan admitted. "Your right Grauntie Mabel Maybe I should be less hard on him."
Suddenly they all hear the Kitchen door open. "Hey Stan you've got to see this." Fords voice exclaimed.
"Coming." Stan said. He looked to Mabel. "Thanks for helping me see it his way." He told her.
"Any time sport." Mabel said as he left for the Kitchen.
"Well that went well." Grenda praised.
"Now on to phase 2." Mabel added.
"Phase 2?" Grenda asked.
"Ford has to face his fears today, so Stan is too."
Grenda smiled. "I'll get the blind fold." She said running off.
"And I'll get the bait." Mabel said pulling a 10 dollar bill out of her purse. "This should do."
(Back with Stan…)
He should have known Ford would do something crazy, desperate man often do. But this, this was…
"This is insanity!" Stan exclaimed as he took in the sight of the Cat warrior Geldof.
"Thank you!" Fids exclaimed. "At least I can always count on one of you to think logically."
"Yeah we usually balance each other out." Ford told him. He then turned to his brother. "So what do you think!?" He asked.
"I just told you." Stan said "This is insanity what do you think He'll just fight Cooper for you?"
"No I don't need to worry about him at all." Ford said. "Cooper will be so freak out about him he'll just run away."
"Oh so no one's getting a beat down?" Stan asked.
"Nope." Fids told him.
"And it's not going to like stab you in the back?" Stan went on.
"I fight for Honor." Geldof spoke proudly. "I defend the weak and give a healthy dose of justice to all wrong doers."
"Yep sounds like one of your nerd books." Stan said.
"Hey I thought you'd you get it." Ford snapped. "You more than anyone, talking about taping me kicking Cooper's butt to scare all the bullies back home. How is this any different?"
"It's not." Stan said. "It's just…"
"It's just what?" Ford yelled.
"Well I was talking to Grauntie Mabel and I think maybe she's right, avoiding the problem isn't solving anything."
Ford is stunned. "You really think that?"
"Well yeah I mean I'm not saying you have to fight Cooper, cause you're right Heather would kill you, but there's another way to handle it and this isn't it!" he gestured to Geldof.
"Yeah well it's the only answer I've got!" Ford yelled back. "Seriously Stan why do you have to fight me on everything? Can't you be supportive just once?"
Stan sighed. "Okay." He said. "I tried, have at it." He went on. "But don't say I didn't warn you." He stomped out of the kitchen as he spoke.
"Come on Geldof." Ford said. "We have a somewhere to be." He said storming out the door.
Fids bit his lip and decided to follow Ford to make sure everything turned out okay.
(Following Stan…)
Stan stomped into the TV room and sat down angrily.
"Problem champ?" Mabel asked him.
"It's Ford!" Stan shouted.
"What happened now?" Grenda asked.
"He always get mad at me when I don't listen to his advice, even when I know he's right. But get this, he just did the same thing to me!" Stan threw his arms up in rage. "He's such a hypocrite."
"What advice did you give him?" Mabel asked.
"The whole no avoiding things." Stan said. "Ford got this…guy to scare off Cooper for him, and I told him that he's just avoiding the problem and he wouldn't listen."
"Oh Stan." Mabel place a firm hand on his shoulder. "Smart guys like Ford think they are always right." She explained. "And I know you're angry but what happens when Ford is right and you don't listen."
Stan sighed. "Eventually I realized I was wrong."
"And?" Mabel added.
"And I do what he told me to do in the first place." Stan admitted.
"Exactly." Mabel said. "Look sometime people have to learn stuff the hard way. The only thing you can do is be there for him, and not go so hard on him when he tells you how wrong he was."
Stan nodded. "Okay, I guess that's all I can do." He admitted. "I've tried everything else."
"Good now how would you like to take a walk with us?" Mabel asked. "You know to clear your head and clam down."
"Sure." Stan said. "Where to?"
"Nowhere in particular." Grenda said with a sly smile.
Stan shrugged. "Beats just sitting around being angry." He said getting up.
"Good now wear this." Mabel said handing him a blindfold.
Stan took the blindfold with a questioning look. "Wait a minute you're not planning to make me face my fears and trick me into going somewhere super high are you?" he asked as he got up.
"What?" Mabel exclaimed. "After you nearly had a heart attack from the Skydiving, on TV."
"We would never." Grenda assured him.
Stan shrugged. "Okay." As he placed the blind fold on. "Let's go!"
Grenda and Mabel nodded to each other and began to guide Stan out the door.
(Back with Ford…)
This was it…
Fids couldn't help but shake in his boots as he, Ford and Geldof entered Circle Park.
It was almost 3, which meant Cooper would be there any minute, if he wasn't already.
Ford took a deep breath and let it all out, he felt strangely calm with Geldof around.
"Tell me why are we here?" Geldof.
"Well there's this guy name Cooper, and he's kind of treating me like an Arch-enemy." Ford explained.
"Why?" Geldof asked.
"Well we kind of like the same girl, and I broke his phone by accident, and now he wants to fight me." Ford went on.
"So we fight him!" Geldof exclaimed.
"No I'd like to avoid that." Ford told him.
"I do not understand." Geldof looked confused.
"I really like this girl." Ford explained. "And fighting Cooper would make her hate me."
"Basically he wants you to scare him." Fids said to Geldof.
"Like a mock charge." Ford reasoned.
Geldof's eyes widen as he suddenly understands. "Oh I see, we give him warning back down or else."
"Exactly." Ford said. "See he gets it." He said looking to Fids.
"Good, because I don't know what we're going to if this goes south."
"Relax this will be over in seconds." Ford assured him and then…
Diiiiiiiing, diiiiiiiing, diiiiiiiing!
The boys stopped the clock tower struck three. Cooper who sat on a bench near the jungle gym stood up and looked at them hood over his head. "Well, well, well! Look who decided to show up." he stood said crossing his arms. "I thought you'd chicken out. You ready to settle this?" He asked.
"My friend wishes to solve this without Violence." Geldof said.
"Wow whose you're friend? And why is he so… Furry?" he narrowed his eyes at Geldof.
"This happens to be the greatest warrior that has ever lived!" Ford boasted.
"Yeah, right!" Cooper scoffed. "Hey, fluffy! What did the kid promise you? Money?" he was the only one of them to laugh at his joke.
"How can you laugh when you stole the only girl he has ever loved?" Geldof hissed.
Cooper stopped laughing. "What?"
"Look I'm going to give you a chance to back down." Ford said, as Fids back way slowly.
He couldn't explain it, but Cooper didn't look scared, and somehow Fids knew that if the Teen didn't back down Geldof would strike back.
Cooper laughed. "Oh! Is it because you're scared? Well, too bad, kid. You're the one who wanted to fight!" he raised his fist to deliver the first blow.
Upon seeing this, Geldof roared and swung at Cooper. He ducked to avoid being destroyed. "WHAT THE-?!"She yelled and attempted to run but Geldof grabbed him hoodie and picked him up.
"Geldof?! What are you doing?!" Ford hissed.
"I am defending you." Geldof explained. "I fight to protect the weak." Geldof chucked Cooper at the jungle gym, where he landed firmly in the center. Then Geldof crouched and held his hands back. Blue energy sparked and grew in his hands.
Cooper yelped and launched himself away from the equipment as Geldof obliterated it with a lightning strike. Geldof stated, "I will not stop until the person who tried to harm you has seen justice!" he punched a tree with Cooper's band poster nailed to it and chased the teenager out of the park.
"Oh no." Ford gasped.
"I told you I had a bad feeling about this." Fids said.
"What do I do?" Ford asked as they raced after them. "He's only defending me."
"Then we got to get Cooper to admit he's had enough." Fids suggested.
Ford and Fids chased down the two to a large, red brick building labeled "BARRELS & CRATES INCORPORATED". "Something told me this would be their first stop."
A few barrels shattered the window of the very top story. Cooper jumped out of the window and onto a fire exit that zig-zagged down. He did not hesitate to jump onto the ladder. Geldof burst through the brick wall, a barrel in his hands.
"Whoa, chill out, man!" Cooper begged. He ducked and skittered down the ladder as Geldof threw a barrel at him.
Ford jumped back as the same barrel exploded on the ground in front of him. "Geldof! You've got to STOP!"
Geldof ignored him and threw barrels at Cooper as he ran down the zig-zagging slopes to the ground.
"Cooper Just surrender and he'll stop trying to kill you!" Fids reasoned.
"And lose to you dorks?" Cooper yelled. "Never!" as he hopped over each one that came at him until he reached the ground, where he ran off. Geldof leaped off the building and landed on a box of crates, which hardly seemed affected, before following Cooper.
It was madness Ford and Fids had to follow the two through the whole town, yelling at Geldof to stop. And begging Cooper to just say he was sorry. But neither of the two would give.
"This is all my fault." Ford realized. "I should have listen to Stan. I mean I don't like Cooper, but that doesn't mean I wanted him dead! He's going to die and then I'm going to die. Because Heather is going to kill me!"
Come on Ford." Fids yelled. "Stan also said there was another way to fix this." He reminded him. "Maybe you still can."
"How?" Ford yelled.
"I don't know use that big head of yours and try to understand what Stan was trying to tell you!" Fids yelled.
Ford forced himself to think as he kept running. 'What had Stan been saying?'
"Avoiding the problem isn't solving anything." Stan's voice repeated in his mind. "I mean I'm not saying you have to fight Cooper, cause you're right Heather would kill you, but there's another way to handle it and this isn't it!"
Suddenly Geldof's words came flooding back to him. "I defend the weak and give a healthy dose of justice to all wrong doers."
And then it hit him. "I know what I have to do." He exclaimed as they neared the water tower.
"Good." Fids Said. "Because I don't think Cooper gunna last much longer." He said.
(Back with Mabel…)
[Location: Top of Water Tower]
"Okay you can take off you're blindfold now." Mabel said.
Stan obeyed and was not surprised at what he saw. "Yeah this is pretty much what I expected." He admitted.
"But you came anyway." Grenda pointed out.
"Yeah." Mabel praise. "I'm so proud of you. Being a good example to your brother, facing your fears."
"Yeah don't you feel liberated?" Grenda asked.
"I kind of feel like I'm gunna die." Stan admitted. "Maybe I was too hard on him."
"You're doing great." Mabel assured him. "Now take your hands off the rails and show Ford why you're the oldest."
"I lied." Stan shouted. "Ford's fifteen minutes older."
"What?" Mabel gasped.
"I took a peak at our birth Certificate and lied about it." Stan admitted.
"Stan shame on you." Grenda lectured.
"I couldn't help it." Stan yelled. "I mean he already has the brains, and all the talent, I needed it more."
"Oh Stan that's not true." Mabel assured him. "You're an amazing brother to Ford, always standing up for him."
"Yeah well I haven't pretty amazing lately." Stan admitted. "I've been mean to him all day about that fight."
"It's not too late though." Mabel assured him. "Big brother, or little brother you can still be a good example. Just take a deep breath and do the responsible thing."
"Which is?" Stan asked.
"Take your own advice." Grenda said.
"Stop avoiding your fears Stan." Mabel insisted.
"Okay." Stan said with a shaking voice. "For Ford." He said and then with a deep breath he let go.
And nothing bad happened!
"I…I did it!" He exclaimed. "I faced my fears. I am the older brother!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Way to go kid." Grenda said.
Mabel froze. "Hey do you smell Anger and Hormones?" She asked.
Suddenly Cooper appeared racing up the ladder. "Finally I'm safe."
"Hey get your own water tower." Stan argued.
"Shhh keep it down he'll find me." Cooper pleaded.
Fiddleford and Ford stopped. They watched as Cooper scaled the water tower and hid at the top. Geldof stopped at the base of the tower. "CHALLENGER SIGHTED!"
Cooper screamed.
"Time to save the day," Fiddleford stated looking at Ford hopefully.
"More like fix a mistake," Ford agreed and ran forward.
"You can run, but you can't hide from me, Cooper!" Geldof said.
"Geldof! Listen to me!" Ford called. Geldof ignored him and kicked and then punched one leg of the tower until it buckled.
"What was that?" Mabel shouted.
Stan struggled but managed to catch the handle bars. "Oh boy!"
Meanwhile, Geldof continues to hit the water tower causing it to slowly fall apart.
"We're safe right?" Mabel shouted.
"Are you kidding this thing is on stilts made from rotting wood!" Stan reasoned.
"Mabel I'm beginning to think this was a bad idea." Grenda said.
Suddenly Cooper lost his grip and fell as the water tower tilted. Geldof grabbed him by the back of his hoodie and held him a foot up in the air. "Now repent for your actions." He said.
"No you're crazy." Cooper yelled having a nervous break down. "You're all crazy."
Geldof drops him to the ground. "So be it." He moves to deliver a final blow.
Ford sighed and stepped in-between Geldof and Cooper.
Geldof pauses seconds before hitting Ford in the face. "Young one I nearly harmed you." He said.
"Geldof I'm sorry." He said.
Geldof steps back. "Is something wrong?"
Ford nodded, "The truth is I miss lead you." He said. "I'm not weak and defense less I can fight Cooper, I just wanted to avoid it, because I'm scared." He admitted.
Geldof gasped again, his eyes going wide. "Then you… you used me?"
"Yeah. I did." Ford admitted.
"So everyone's good now Right?" Fids asked hopefully. "Ford admitted he was wrong so we can all just forget about this…right?"
"No." Geldof said getting in a fighting stance.
"What is he doing?" Fids asked.
"I dishonored him." Ford explained. "Now I have to face what I've done.
Fids shook his head. "No, no! Don't do it! He's going to literally kill you!"
Ford shut his eyes. "I did this Fids." He opened his eyes. "This is my fault. I need to end this." He nodded to Geldof. "I am ready to face justice Geldof."
"Please be careful." Fiddleford stood back.
"You have a good soul." Geldof told him. "For this I will make your punishment fair, and quick."
Ford nodded and extended his arms out wide to accept it.
Geldof charged before his arm back and then punched Ford Firm and hard.
Ford landed in an injured heap.
Geldof waited before moving to charge again, but to his surprise Ford got to his feet and step forward. "I'm not afraid of you." He told him.
"But you will not fight me?" Geldof asked.
"No." Ford admitted.
"Why not?" Geldof asked. "If not fear than why?"
"Because I have nothing to prove to you." Ford said. "I don't need to fight Cooper for some Girl, and you don't need to fight me just to aid you're wounded pride. It's a waste of energy and in the end no one wins.
A smile found its way to Geldof's face and he lowered his fighting stance. "You learn quickly." He praised. "Remember this lesson young one. Avoiding a fight out of fear of getting hurt is wrong, to trick other to fighting for you is even worse."
"I know that now." Ford said.
Geldof kneeled beside him and place a hand on his shoulder. "And do not forget the lesson you taught me." He added, "Sometimes fighting for ones honor does not have to include fist."
Ford nodded. "Thank you Geldof."
"To you as well." Geldof said.
"So do you like disappear now?" Fids asked.
"Yeah I didn't exactly defeat you so how are you going to get back to the book?" Ford asked holding up the book.
Geldof bowed. "My work here is done." He said. "I surrender."
Fids and Ford gasped as he turned into a white light once more before returning to the book.
"Wow." Fids said. "That was…"
"Insane" Ford admitted.
The two laughed.
"Oh wait Cooper!" Ford suddenly exclaimed to two boys ran where Cooper had managed to get to his feet. He turned his rage on Ford the Moment he saw him. "What?! Who-who was that thing?! ERG! Why is it that whenever you're around there's always some kind of ghost or monster or whatever?!"
Ford shrugged. "I don't know."
"That crazy cat man almost broke my neck!" Cooper ranted. "Do you know how mad I am right now?!"
"So, you and I have to fight now, huh? Just get it over with. Do your worst." Ford shrugged.
Cooper smirked and raised his fist, "Heh. Yeah! I'm… I'm going to enjoy… aren't you going to run?"
"Nope," Ford stated.
Cooper hesitated. "…are you sure?" Ford nodded. Cooper paused and then lowered his hands with a scoff. "It's not even worth it! I… need to save my hands. As lead guitarist."
Ford smiled as he realized the truth. Cooper wasn't going to really hurt him at all. He just wanted to make him scream and run away.
"Yeah you're right." Ford admitted. "Good thing Heather isn't here." He added.
"Yeah she'd go phyco if she saw this." Cooper surprised him by agreeing.
(Meanwhile up on the water tower…)
Stan I am so sorry!" Mabel exclaimed hanging on to the rail for dear life. "I thought this would help, but I was wrong, so very, very wrong."
Stan let go of the handrail in amazement. "I survived!" He exclaimed. "And I feel great!" he froze. "Wait let me do a cocky dance just to be sure." He began to dance around like crazy.
Nothing happened!
"HA! Deal with it World I have been cured of my fear of heights." He yelled. "Thanks Aunt Mabel." He said to her. "Is there any way I can repay you?"
"Yeah you can start by getting me down from here." Mabel said.
Grenda suddenly looked worried. "Oh no Mabel." She gasped.
"No way." Stan muttered. "I don't believe it."
"Yep." Mabel said with an ironic laugh. "I'm afraid of heights now."
"Well considering this thing nearly fell I don't blame you." Stan said giving Grenda the blindfold.
Grenda tied it on Mabel's face. "Okay Now just follow our lead." She said as they began to lead her down the ladder.
(Back with Ford…)
Suddenly Heather with her backpack over her shoulders, strolled up to them. "Hey, guys! We heard some crazy screaming out here."
"Heather?" Ford and Cooper said in unison.
"You're back!" Ford greeted. Oh no.
"Yeah! I- whoa, wait. You two look like he- eck! You guys weren't fighting were you?" Heather looked between them. "I hate it when guys fight!" She said looking angry.
Cooper cut in before Ford could speak, "No! We weren't fighting. Some monster ran through here destroying everything and nearly killed me. Then this little freak fought him! Even saved my life." He admitted.
"Really?" Heather asked astonished.
"Yep." Cooper said giving Ford a wink.
Heather smiled and threw her arms around Ford. "Thanks I just knew you guys would work it out." She said bringing Cooper into the hug too. "It mean so much to me that my boys are getting along."
She pulled away then. "my family and I just got back from my cousins place. They lost their house to some flooding and we brought them some things."
"Wow that's rough." Ford said.
"We managed to find them an apartment for now." Heather said looking worried.
"Hey maybe we could donate some things." Cooper suggested.
"Yeah Susan's cleaning out her garage, I bet they'll have loads of stuff to that can help." Ford agreed as he pulled out his phone to text Susan.
"Ah man you two have no idea how much this means to me. I'm going home to unpack. Text you two later!" With that, she walked off where her mom, Dad, and brother were waiting in the car.
"Did you hear that?" Ford asked. "I'm one of her boys!" He exclaimed happily.
"So why are just you two her boys?" Fids asked.
"Doesn't matter." Cooper said. "She was looking at me when she said it."
Ford laughed. "If you really feel that way then why'd you lie for me?" Ford asked. "I summoned that guy he could have hurt you, and Heather would have hated me forever…so why?"
"Cause I meant it when I said I want to change." Cooper said. "I got anger issues, and Heather left me because of it. I'm still working at it." He admitted. "Besides, Heather really likes you guys so I want to make this work, for her sake."
Ford nodded. "You're right If we stay at each other's throats we'll both lose Heather."
"So what do we do?" Cooper asked.
"You two should do what Susan said." Fids said. "Make a Cold war Pact, Hate each other in silence."
"Like girls?" Cooper asked.
Ford nodded. "Like girls."
"Yeah besides we're all friends with Heather so we might as well get use to hanging out with each other."
"Deal." Cooper agreed holding out his hand.
"Deal." Ford said shaking it."
"See you around Pines." Cooper said. "Maybe you're not as Dorky as I thought." He said before stopping in front of Fids. "But you still are."
"Oh come on!" Fids exclaimed.
Ford laughed. "You know maybe Heather is right." He said. "Cooper isn't so bad."
"So you guys like friends now?" Fids asked.
Ford shrugged. "It's a start." He admitted.
"Hey Pines say Hi to your brother for me." Cooper added as he disappeared.
"Oh no Stan!" Ford realized. "I have to go!" He raced off towards the shack. "I have to go apologies." he called back to Fids.
Fids smiled "Go get him man."
(Moments later at the Shack…)
"It's past three…" Stanford stated as Ford raced through the door huffing and puffing.
Ford stopped in the living room. "I'm I am so sorry I didn't listen to you." He said.
Stan took in his beaten up look and smiled. "So you stood up for yourself after all." He said. "Looks like you did listen to me."
"Yeah only after I royally screwed it up." Ford admitted.
"Umm." Stan said. "Maybe we are related."
Ford laughed.
"Sorry I made you feel worse." Stan said. "I promise to be more supportive in the future."
"Me too." Ford said before noticing Grenda who was dabbing Mabel's head with a wet rag as she leaned back in her chair in the movie room. "Whoa what happened to her?" he asked.
"She accidently became afraid of heights while trying to help me face my fears." Stan explained.
Ford sighed. "I'll go get the glitter filled drama Movie she likes so much." He volunteered.
"And I'll make the Popcorn." Stan added.
Mabel smiled despite her feared state. "See Grenda it all worked out."
Grenda nodded "So how do you want to face this."
"Can we start with some really High heels?" Mabel asked hopefully.
"Baby steps it is." Grenda laughed.
Mabel laughed to, suddenly grateful that she had such a great friend as Grenda.
Moments later the boys joined them for a movie and popcorn and they laughed as they listened to the cheesy lines.
All and all it was just another successful and eventful day in Gravity Falls.
Author's Notes: Tune in next week to find out what happens next!
Thanks again for reading and please review!
Yours Truly, RoxieDivine ;)