"Hngh! Hnnnngh!"
"What are you doing?" Asked Dipper in confusion as he stared at his sister with her fingers on her temples as he cleaned the gift shop.
"Trying to awaken my latent psychic powers." Joked a short puffy ended haired Mabel wearing a long sleeved navy blue shirt, black leggings and a shooting star necklace.
"Alright, what number am I thinking of right now?" Asked Dipper with a cheerful smile.
Mabel paused before she approached Dipper with her eyes closed. She put her hand on his head and said the first number that came to her head.
"Negative 8!"
"Not even close." Deadpanned Dipper before the twins laughed in union. "Okay, okay, what were you actually doing?"
Mabel frowned upon hearing the question, not wanting to lie to her brother, but not wanting to tell him the full truth.
"Well... there's this specific set of memories that I can't remember since that headache on the bus." Said Mabel rubbing her arm anxiously. "I'm trying to see if I can recall anything about them."
"What were those memories about?" Asked Dipper curiously.
Mabel sweat dropped. "Uhh, I can't remember."
This reply seemed to satisfy Dipper for now, which caused Mabel to internally sigh in relief.
"Well, I'm sure you'll remember eventually. It's not like you're as old as Stan." Said Dipper with a chuckle.
"Aw, c'mon. Grunkle Stan is still in his haydays." Said Mabel with a smile. "I can even hear those firm footsteps reaching us right now."
Not a moment later, Stan entered the gift shop with a burp and arrow shaped signs in hand looking like a homeless man in a suit.
"Argh, ugh, not good." Said Stan hitting his chest a couple times.
Dipper immediately burst into laughter causing Mabel to pout.
"Aaaand I don't even know why I try to back him up."
"Back up who? Doesn't matter. Look alive people!" Stan yelled calmly. "I need someone to hammer up these signs in the spooky part of the forest."
"Not it!" "Not it!" Exclaimed the twins in union.
"Uhh, also not it." Added Soos from atop a ladder.
"Nobody asked you, Soos."
"I know, and I'm comfortable with that." Replied Soos calmly.
Stan ignored him and turned to his other worker, Wendy.
"Wendy! I need you to hang up these signs!" Exclaimed Stan.
"Egh, I would, but I can't...reach it." Said Wendy as she pretended to reach for the signs.
"I'd fire you all if I could." Deadpanned Stan. "Okay. Eenie meenie miney...you." He finished pointing at Dipper.
"Ahh, what?" Said Dipper with a frown. "Grunkle Stan, whenever I'm in those woods, I feel like I'm being watched."
Stan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ugh, this again."
"I'm telling you, something weird is going on in this town. Just today, my mosquito bites spelled out 'BEWARE'." Said Dipper showing his arm which had 'bewarb' written on it in mosquito bites.
"That says bewarb." Replied Stan calmly before Dipper quickly hid the bites. "Look, kid. The whole 'monsters in the forest' thing is just local legend, drummed up by guys like me to sell merch to guys like that." He continued pointing at a guy laughing at a bobbing head Stan toy. "So quit being so paranoid."
Mabel saw this and wanted to go help her brother. She always tried to be the best, most dependable sister possible. She was older mentally and...could've taken away Dipper's real sister after all. She HAD to be responsible.
"Hey, wait up." Said Mabel cheerfully. "I'm coming with-"
Mabel couldn't finish her sentence before Stan stood in her way.
"Nope! I need you to...uhh...lure in customers with music. You know how to play a ukulele, right?" Asked Stan with a smile. "Don't lie, I've seen you play the guitar."
"Just because I can play the guitar, doesn't mean I can play the ukulele." Mabel replied only for Stan to raise a brow. "But yes...I can play the ukulel-"
At that moment, Mabel realized that Dipper was gone. She turned to Stan with a deep frown and spoke.
"Grunkle Stan! Why did you do that?! I should've gone with him!"
"Ugh, look, kid," said Stan crouching to Mabel's height. "I know you're trying to be the 'kind older sibling', but the kid needs to learn how to act on his own. You can't expect to be with him forever."
Mabel frowned as she realized that Stan was right. Even if she couldn't remember the plot of the show at the moment, she knew that Dipper would have to do some crazy stuff in the future.
All she could do is sigh and go for walk.
xxXxx
The cemetery, probably not the best place to recollect your thoughts. Yet, it was the place Mabel chose.
With a guitar she brought from Piedmont in hand and music to practice to keep herself busy. She sat down, closed her eyes and played.
As she played, she didn't notice a person staring at her from inside one of the graves. Only when she finished did she see him.
A teenager wearing a black hoodie with a face that looks like a zombie's. The teen was covered in dirt and worms.
Mabel's eyes widened as she continued to stare at the teen. He was important in the show in some way, she knew that. There was also a "J" on the tip of her tongue.
She was so distracted by her mind thinking about who this character is that she didn't notice him approach her.
"Sup."
Mabel instantly jumped back in disgust as she covered her mouth and nose. "Ugh, look, I live with people with not so good hygiene. But THIS-" Mabel gestured towards all of the teen covered in dirt and worms. "-is where I draw the line. Get away from me."
The teen took a step back and Mabel stared at him disapprovingly as she put a hand on her chin.
"Now, who are you and what do you want?" She asked putting her guard up.
"Uhh, Normal...man!"
"Answer the second question." Replied Mabel readying her guitar for an attack.
"Uhh, do you wanna hang out...or something."
"Oh. You're one of the failed romances. No thanks." Deadpanned Mabel before running back to the mystery shack at full speed, leaving the teen alone but a rejection.
But that wasn't gonna stop them, for they found the perfect queen.
xxXxx
"-in gravity falls, there's no one you can trust." Said Dipper as he read the words inside Journal number 3. "No one you can trust."
"But you can trust meeeee." Dipper heard a creepy voice whisper in his ear, causing him to jump and let out a girly scream.
He turned around to see...Mabel laughing out loud at his scream.
"Sorry, sorry. I couldn't resist. So, what are you doing here?" Asked Mabel cheerfully.
"Uhh, uhh, nothing!" Said Dipper in a panic.
Mabel raised a brow at his attitude before Dipper spoke.
"Let's go somewhere more private."
xxXxx
"It's amazing! Grunkle Stan said I was being paranoid, but according to this book, Gravity Falls has this secret dark side." Dipper said showing his sister pages from the journal.
Mabel stared at those pages in silence as if her life would end if she so much as glanced away. Her mind gravitated towards the book. Memories started to open. But before she could actually remember them, Dipper snapped her out of her trance.
"-Mabel, MABEL!!!" Exclaimed Dipper shaking his sister awake.
"Huh? What?" Asked Mabel in confusion. "Aw, dang it! I was just about to remember!" She yelled angrily.
"Remember? Remember what?" Asked Dipper curiously, causing Mabel to sweat drop. "Wait, the memories you lost when we got here?"
Mabel started to panic internally as Dipper put a hand on his chin.
"Do you think that maybe you saw something you weren't supposed to and some supernatural thing erased your memories of it?" Asked Dipper in a serious tone. "This journal is the key to getting back those memories!"
"M-maybe."
Before another word could be said, the doorbell rang and Mabel, desiring to be away from Dipper as he got closer to her secret, decided to answer.
"I'll get it!" Yelled Mabel before running to the door.
She quickly got to it and opened it to see...the teen from the cemetery and this time he brought flowers.
"Oh, if it isn't normal man. Is your superpower being normally this dense?"
Thinking it was a joke, normal man laughed forcefully.
"That was an insult not a joke." Deadpanned Mabel and normal man stopped laughing.
Normal man cleared his throat before presenting the flowers in his hand to Mabel.
Mabel replied by slamming the door in his face so loud that Dipper and Stan both heard it from the living room.
The moment she returned to her brother who immediately asked.
"Who was that?"
"Some creepy lookin guy I met at the cemetery who wants to date me. This is his second rejection."
"Take a picture next time. I'd love to see the look of depression on the face of something rejected by their crush." Said Stan rubbing his hands together like a villain.
Unlike Stan, Dipper was curious about the guy and decided to take a look from the window. And indeed, as his twin said, he looked creepy. Too creepy to be normal.
Dipper decided to consult the journal.
xxXxx
"Known for their pale skin and bad attitudes these creatures are often mistaken for... teenagers?! Beware Gravity Falls's nefarious...ZOMBIE!!!"
"Crombie?" Said Stan from downstairs.
"Dipper, I made pancakes!" Said Mabel cheerfully as she entered the room holding a plate of pancakes.
Before Mabel could react, Dipper rushed at her causing her to drop the plate and by extension the pancakes.
"THE GUY STALKING YOU IS A ZOMBIE!!!!"
"Again? What's this crombie?" Said Stan from downstairs.
"Dipper!" Exclaimed Mabel angrily. "You made me drop the pancakes!"
"Who cares about the pancakes?! There's a zombie stalking you that wants to eat your brain!"
"I do! And did you see him eat or try to eat any brains before? Or do you have any evidence?!" Asked Mabel angrily.
Dipper went silent and winced as he realized he had nothing.
"Then you ruined a perfectly good plate of pancakes for NO reason!"
"I- uh, I can still eat it if you want." Replied Dipper.
"No! That's unhygienic!" Said Mabel angrily. "I'll just get rid of it."
Dipper's shoulders fell as he saw Mabel walk away. "Sorry, I just saw him outside and-"
"Wait, did you say he's outside the shack?" Asked Mabel with a very angry look.
Dipper quickly realized he made a mistake.
Mabel rushed downstairs angrily, ready to beat some sense into an idiot. She didn't care what role he played in the show, but she wasn't gonna let him stay any longer.
Dipper, worried his sister is about to fight a zombie, followed Mabel trying to stop her.
Stan noticed the angry look on Mabel's face and Dipper behind her and followed them. He knew entertainment when he saw it.
"Mabel, stop!" Exclaimed Dipper worriedly only to get a glare from Mabel.
"Fight fight fight." Was all Stan said.
Mabel ignored her uncle and opened the front door to see normal man standing there trying to look fancy.
But that all ended when Mabel delivered an uppercut to his chin, knocking his "head" off.
Dipper immediately believed that the danger wasn't gone as he thought the guy was a zombie.
Stan, however, started to act professionally. "I'll grab the body! Dipper, you grab the head! We'll bury him in the forest at midnight! We take this to our graves! To OUR GRAVES!" He said grabbing Dipper.
But Mabel knew different. She saw the head and quickly, the memories of the gnomes in the show popped into her head. The danger they possessed.
The rest of her family realized the truth a few seconds after, when normal man's hoodie fell to reveal four gnomes.
"What the-" said Dipper in shock.
"Uhh, this just got weird." Said Stan in surprise.
Mabel stared at the gnome who was acting as the head and she remembered who he was.
"Jeff." She whispered before she dashed and grabbed the unconscious gnome.
The other gnomes quickly ran away and the Pines family could do only one thing in this situation.
xxXxx
Later that night
"You dudes kidnapped a gnome?" Asked Soos cheerfully. "Sweet."
"Go home, Soos!" Yelled Stan anxiously before turning to Jeff. "So, uh, is there, like, a gnome prison."
"Oh, yeah. Where do you think we put our criminals?" Replied Jeff calmly who was tied to a chair with duct tape.
"Uh-huh, and what currency do you use?" Asked Stan calmly with a hand on his chin.
"Gold. Why?" Stan's eyes only saw money from that point on.
"That's- uh, whatever." Said Dipper trying to argue with Stan before turning to Jeff. "Why were you guys stalking my sister?" He asked angrily.
"We want to make her our gnome queen for of eternity." Replied Jeff nonchalantly.
"How about queen for every summer?" Asked Stan with money on his mind.
"Grunkle Stan, no." Deadpanned Mabel.
"But wait- why Mabel?" Asked Dipper in confusion.
"We heard her mesmerizing melodies and we just couldn't resist!" Replied Jeff in a panic.
Stan and Dipper turned to Mabel who just shrugged.
But before another word could be said, a knock on the door was heard.
"Gnome police! Come out with your hands in the air!" The Pines heard a voice coming from outside.
"Oh no! It's the cops!" Exclaimed Stan.
"We could give them Je- I mean, the guy we have." Suggested Mabel.
There weren't any better ideas, so they decided to give Jeff up.
xxXxx.
"In hindsight, we should've thought of this." Said Dipper.
The moment the the Pines let Jeff go, he banded with the other gnomes to create a giant gnome monster of unimaginable horror.
"Mabel, marry us before we do something crazy!" Said Jeff in a serious tone.
"Kids! Inside, NOW!" Yelled Stan as he stood between the twins and the gnomes.
"Grunkle Stan-"
"NOW!"
Mabel frowned before grabbing a nearby shovel and giving Dipper a leaf blower.
"Grunkle Stan, if you die, we die. Don't try to be a hero." Said Mabel with a deep frown as she picked up a rock from the ground.
In truth, she was terrified. So terrified, she wanted to run away. But if she did that, people she cared about would die. And as corny as that sounds, she had to be there for her family.
"Kids, I can't let you fight that thing!"
"Then we won't." Said Mabel as she got ready to fire. "Mabel, don't fail me now." She whispered to herself.
She threw the rock up like a ball before hitting it in the air with the shovel.
The rock dashed through the air uninterrupted until it reached its target, Jeff and knocked him out and off the other gnomes.
With their leader gone, the gnomes' formation fell apart quickly, leaving only little for the Pines to fight.
"Does this look winnable, Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asked with a weak smile and a bead of sweat running down her forehead.
Before Stan could reply, the gnomes that were still capable of fighting dashed towards them.
"Watch out!" Said Dipper in a panic as he pushed Mabel out of the way of a rock thrown at her.
With that, the battle began.
And at the end of the clash, the Pines reigned victorious atop a mountain of unconscious gnomes.
"Pines! Pines! Pines!" The three chanted in union.
As the three chanted, Stan and Dipper noticed that Mabel's chants were getting weaker by the second.
And at some point, the three stopped chanting.
"Sorry for starting this mess, guys, and not listening to you, Dipper." Said Mabel dejectedly before she began to tear up. "I- I *sob* put all our lives in danger. And we *sniff* nearly- nearly."
"Hey hey, don't say that. You saved our butts with that shot back there." Said Dipper as he patted Mabel on the back.
"Yeah, and you're not the only one who gets into trouble. Wanna hear how prisons I went to?"
Mabel giggled before turning to Dipper.
"Awkward sibling hug?" He offered opening his arms.
"Awkward sibling hug."
xxXxx
"Alright, since we almost died today. Take one thing from the gift shop, on the house." Said Stan tiredly.
"What's the catch?" Asked Dipper raising a brow.
"The catch is that you don't look for anything weird like gnomes or whatever, got it?" Said Stan sternly.
Dipper looked a bothered that he couldn't go supernatural hunting and Mabel noticed that and turned to Stan.
"But Grunkle Stan, what if something dangerous comes to us? Shouldn't we prepared in that situation by practicing being in danger?" Asked Mabel calmly. "I mean, it's not like I was looking for that gnome."
Stan paused, understanding the logic in the situation before frowning.
"Ugh, fine, you can do go weird hunting. BUT! You two MUST keep something for self defense on you at ALL times and a way to call me in emergencies." Said Stan sternly. "Now go pick out something for yourselves."
The twins smiled before they looked around the shack.
"Hey, I think that hat would look good on you." Said Mabel pointing at Dipper's iconic pinetree hat.
Dipper shrugged and tried it on before liking it too.
As for Mabel, she remembered what the original Mabel went with and knew there was nothing cooler to pick than a... GRAPPLING HOOK!!!
xxXxx
Tell me how I did. Leave a review.
And tell me what you think of the new Mabel. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Toodles.