Season 2 Episode 4: Stan, the Nice Boss
Episode Summary: After an argument about how best to run a business, Stan and Mabel magically switch personalities with each other. Now the others have to find out how to switch them back, or they're left stuck with a happy-go-lucky Stan and, well... a bossy Mabel.
Author's Note: The idea for the episode was requested by Fanfiction user: Imagaco
Disclaimers: I do not own Gravity Falls or the Relativity Falls AU
Stan, the Nice Boss (Part 1)
It was another flustering hot day, but a gently cooling breeze from the air conditioner made up for it…mostly. The gift shop was littered with people. At the cash register, Dan traded gift shop items for money. He smiled and gave a, "Come back soon!" or "Have a nice day!" to each customer as they left. Ford, after making sure everything on the shelves were nice and noticeable, washed off the mirrors and windows.
Eventually, Grauntie Mabel was done with her tour, so she patrolled the shop, greeting each person as she went.
"Miss Mystery this souvenir bobble head doesn't bobble." A Mother of two stopped as she walked by. She showed a Mabel bobble head doll she had purchased the day before.
"Oh, I see." She inspected the Miss Mystery bobble head and saw that it was defective. "Alright. Here, let's trade one in." She hands the mother a new one. "Free of charge."
"Oh, thank you so much." The mother said as they went to leave.
"That's the Mabel difference." Mabel said. "Have a great day!"
Stan walked up to her amazed. "What are you doing given stuff away?"
"Oh, she bought a defective one by mistake." Mabel explained like it was no big deal. "It happens every now and then."
"You're losing revenue when you give stuff away like that." Stan lectured. "How do you know one of her kids didn't just break it? You could have been swindled just now!"
Mabel gives him a look. "And what do you know about running a business?"
"I watch my Pa run the pawn shop all the time." Stan reminded her.
Mabel laughed. "No offensive to your Pa, but I run my business with kindness and hospitality in mind."
"Pa says if you do that people will take advantage of you." Stan argued.
Mabel huffed. "Well, I like to think that if you give a little kindness, it will always come back to you."
"Or they'll swindle you!" Stan yelled. "Tell her Ford!"
Ford sighed; he had been hoping that they wouldn't drag him into this argument. Which was silly since he was always dragged into their squabbles. As always, he tried to take the mediating approach. "Well, you both have a point." He reasoned. "You should treat people kindly, but there is such a thing as being…too nice?" He added the last part with a little less confidence.
"Hey guys I have to use the can." Dan said and raced off to avoid the situation. As he did an elderly woman walked up to the counter. She is moving slowly and looks a little on the fragile side. "Ma'am, can I get some help please?" her voice is soft and low.
Unfortunately, no one hears her over Stan's and Mabel's loud arguing.
"See you can be too nice." Stan argued.
"My kindness hasn't ruined business yet!" Mabel yelled.
"Yeah? So? My bro and I help at Pa's shop all the time! We're practically experts!" Stan yelled back.
"Are you saying you can run a business better than me?" Mabel yelled.
"I could do it and make more profit than you do!" Stan shouted.
"Please I would like to buy this." The elderly woman held up a question Mark T-shirt. "It will make my Jimmy so happy."
No one pays her any mind, even Ford has gotten sucked up into the argument by now. "How about this." He says. "Stan will run the shop for three days while you take a vacation. After three days, He can show you how much he's made, and we'll compare it to how much the Shack usually makes in the same amount of time?"
"Are you kidding the place will be up in flames in an hour!" Mabel yelled.
"Then let him be the assistant manager for three days? At the end we'll see if his efforts helped or harmed the Shack's profits." Ford reasoned. "If he loses…he, uh, apologizes in any form you like."
"Aw, Ford!" Stan complained.
"But if he wins Stan gets to run the shack for the rest of the summer." Ford went on.
"Deal!" Mabel agreed.
"Yes!" Stan shouted.
Feeling greatly ignored the old lady dropped the shirt and turned to walk away, grumbling under her breath.
"Oh, ma'am can I help you?" Ford asked suddenly noticing her.
"Those who ignore the wise shall burn." She said. "But…" She smiles suddenly, her face twisting into one of pure glee. "I offer this gift in return; What's hers is his and what's his is hers. I switch them now, and like this their destiny will churn until thy lesson they learn."
And with those final words the world began to shake around them.
People screamed as items fell off shelves and racks of clothes fell over.
"Holy cow what's going on?" Dan asked as he came running in, only for the shaking to knock him over.
"I think it's an earthquake." Mabel yelled. "Kid's, everyone, find something to hide under."
Everyone obeyed all but Ford whose eyes were locked with the old lady's before him.
Then it stopped.
"Oh man that was intense." Stan said.
"Is everyone…o…k." Mabel stuttered, only to fall over herself.
"Grauntie Mabel what's...going …on?" Stan asked as the world began to spin around him until he too fell over.
"Guys!" Dan ran to their aid.
But Ford, Ford's eyes only narrowed at the old hag before him. "What did you do?" He growled knowingly.
The lady cackled mischievously and ran out of the store.
Ford raced after her but as he burst through the door he realized it was far too late.
The woman was gone.
"Who was she?" Ford asked out loud. He wanted to investigate, but he needed to check on his family first. He raced back inside to see both Stan and Mabel still on the ground.
Dan was tending Mabel, so Ford raced to Stan.
"Stanley!" Ford shouted, shaking him softly. "Wake up."
"What's wrong with them?" Dan asked.
"I…I don't know." Ford answered. "But I think that lady did something to them."
"You mean…like drugged them?" Dan asked. "Maybe we should call the cops?"
"No" Ford said, remembering just how helpful the authorities were around here. "Just get them in bed." He ordered. "I'll get some help."
Dan nodded and did as he was told haling both Mabel and Stan each over one of his shoulders.
Ford walked over to the phone and dialed a number.
""Mcgucket residents." Fids answered. "Fiddleford speaking.
"Fids it's me." Ford said, turning to look at Danny. "We got a situation here."
"A supernatural one I figure?" Fids asked.
"Yeah." Ford answered. "Just tell your dad you'll be spending the night."
"Roger." Fids answered and hung up.
"You really think this is one of those things?" Dan asked Ford.
"What she said." Ford said. "The lady…it sounded like a curse to me."
"A witch hu?" Dan laughed. "Why not, we already have a haunted convenience store."
"Was haunted." Ford corrected him. "We handled that, and we can handle this too."
Dan nodded and carried Mabel to her room and Stan to the Attic.
"If Ford wasn't so busy he'd admire his friend's strength, but instead he pulled out his journal. He searched and searched but found nothing much about witches.
Fids came over soon after he gave up and together with Dan they cleaned up the gift shop and watched after Mabel and Stan throughout the night, but nothing out of the ordinary happened.
That is until the next morning.
Heather and Cooper had arrived early upon Ford's request.
Okay so he had asked Heather to join, but Cooper was becoming a common factor as far as she was concerned and honestly as much as he hated the fact that the two were growing closer. He had to admit, Cooper was a pretty cool guy, and after the battle warrior incident he had a feeling the two of them understood each other better.
"So, they just…fainted after some crazy hag said some spell?" Cooper asked after Ford brought them up to speed.
"Yep." Ford answered.
Cooper rolls his eyes looking unconvinced. "Look I'll admit we have seen some weird thigs, but a witch?" He asked.
"I know what I saw." Ford insisted. "She was casting a spell I am sure of it."
"But what did the spell do?" Heather asked.
"Not sure, all their doing is sleeping." Fids sighed.
"Good morning everyone!" Stan said suddenly from the top of the stairs.
"Stan you're up!?" Ford looks both relieved and shocked.
That shock turns to concern as Stan skips down the stairs like…a happy school girl.
"Come on bro times a wasting we have to get the shop ready for costumers." He exclaimed.
"Customers?" Cooper asked.
Stan looks confused. "You guys aren't here to help me win my bet with Aunt Mabel?"
Ford had indeed told Heather, Cooper, and Fids every detail of what happened, they just really didn't expect that to be Stan's main focus. It was almost like Stan didn't remember passing out at all.
"Stan do you remember what happened after the bet?" Ford asked.
"There was that weird earthquake." Stan said. "And then…" He looks lost.
"You passed out." Ford told him.
"Oh, must have been from shock, never been in a quake before." Stan brushed it off.
It's then that Ford realizes the truth. Stan has no idea what really happened.
But had something happened? Ford had to admit he wasn't sure, what the lady said sounded like a curse, but besides the fainting and his weird behavior; Stan seemed fine.
Maybe Ford had miss read the situation.
Suddenly Mabel comes into the room, already Ford is confused. She's still in her PJs, her hair a mess, she never leaves her room in the morning until she is ready for the day.
"Good morning miss Pines." Heather says cheerfully.
"Yeah, what's so great about it?" she grumbled.
It was as if Heather was hit by a truck, and she wasn't the only one that felt it. Since when was Mabel the grumpy one? Stan was always the one you didn't want to mess with in the morning, unless of course in one of those rare instances when he rose earlier than the rest of them.
"Are you sore from the quake?" Ford asked fearing her mood was due to some kind of injury sustained to her fall. Perhaps they should have called a doctor. "You know from your fall?"
"Fall?" Mabel asked as she headed for the gift shop.
"You and Stan fainted after the quake." Dan informed her as he entered the room. He had stepped out to make coffee just moments after Cooper and Heather arrived.
"Oh…" She's just as shock as Stan was to hear the news. "Well, I'm fine now, and I got a bet to win." She declared as she marched off.
Stan races after Aunt Mabel then. "Yeah, let the best Salesperson win."
Ford and their friends are stunned.
"Did he say let the best one win, or the better?" Cooper asked.
"Best." Heather answered shakenly.
"Stan would have said better." Ford realized.
The gang headed over to the giftshop to see the two already working fast.
It was strange, the quake hadn't detoured any of the usual costumers, in fact there was more than usual.
"A quake here in Gravity Falls." A woman was saying. "Hadn't had any of those in 30 odd years."
Stan stood in the middle of the giftshop. He was suddenly wearing a black suit, now with a grand smile and bright eyes. He had found the suit on the old costume rack in the employ office. "Everyone may have your attention due to yesterday's quake everything here is potentially damaged goods and will now be half off."
"Half off?" Ford felt sick to his stomach. Since when was Stan generous enough to give people a fair deal?"
Mabel, who was already behind the register, looks at him crossly. "Additionally, a no-refund policy starts today."
"Ford this is scary." Heather squeaked.
"Scary?" Cooper asked. "Try down-right creepy."
"I don't get it." Fids said. "It's almost like they've turned into each other."
Ford looked thoughtful. "Maybe they have." He muttered.
"What?" Dan asked.
"What's his is hers, and what's hers is his." Ford whispered.
"You kids, I'm not paying you to stand around and do nothing!" Mabel yelled at them. "Stop wasting money."
"Oh, my word." Ford realized. "She switched their personalities!" He exclaimed.
Heather wanted to argue, say he was crazy, but even Copper could deny the truth no longer.
"Seriously every time I come over." Cooper groaned. "Every single time!"
"I'm docking your pay every second you stand their doing nothing!" Mabel yelled once more from the cash register.
"I don't even work here!" Cooper yelled.
"You do today." Ford whispered.
"What?" Cooper asked.
"Look I have to find that witch and get answers." Ford explained. "Cover for me."
"Why can't he do it?" Cooper complained pointing to Fids.
"I need back up." Ford explained.
"We got this." Heather assured him.
"We do?" Cooper asked.
Heather nodded. "This is what friends do for each other." She told Cooper.
Coper sighed. "Okay." He reasoned.
"I'll call Buddy for back up." Fids said as he raced for the phone and dialed it.
"Hello?" Buddy answered.
"Hey Bud, we need your help." Fids whispered.
"I'd love to but…" Buddy's voice sounds shaken.
"You've ben distance since Summerween." Fids whispered.
"I know." Buddy whined. "Granddaddy isn't too happy with me. Bonnie told him everything…"
"Who are you on the phone with Boy?!" A voice exclaimed.
"No one Granddaddy." Buddy yelled. "I got to go." He whispered and hung up.
Fids sigh end hung up as well.
"Buddy?" Ford asked hopefully.
"Not a good time." Fids answered.
Ford nodded "We'll deal with that later, right now, we got a witch to find!"
"We'll hold the fort." Cooper assured him, "But it will cost you today's pay."
"Deal." Ford agreed.
"We got this, go!" Heather exclaimed.
Ford and Fids set off as she instructed, they had no idea where to begin, but they were determined to try. After all, Stan's and Mabel's wellbeing could very well depend on it!
-To Be Continued