Dipper was not happy. No, Dipper was exasperated. Of all the stupid crazy ideas that Grunkle Stan had come up with, this had to be the worst. If not for the fact that the holiday was in the wrong month and season, it was the stupid color that now plastered every inch of the Mystery Shack.
"Uh, Grunkle Stan why are we celebrating Valentine's Day in August?" asked Dipper.
"I don't know, we celebrate Christmas in July," grumbled Grunkle Stan.
"I don't think that is relevant," said Dipper.
"C'mon Dipper," said Mabel swinging upside down on a streamer handing from the ceiling. "This will be great! All of the hearts and candy and pink! Pink like Mr. Waddles!" Mabel jumped down and hugged her pink pig. Mr. Waddles snorted in happiness.
"Well people will come for the novelty," said Grunkle Stan. "It's six months until the real Valentine's Day and romantic saps need some love in the center of it. Whatever brings in the customers. Soos, I need you to put out these fliers."
"On it," said Soos hopping down from the ladder he was on. "I think I got the twinkle lights just right."
"Good, make sure lots of people see them. Remember we want romance, whatever that is. Wendy, get those streamers up."
"Oooooh, no sorry can't reach," Wendy stayed seated at the front desk with her feet propped up on the counter.
"Fine," said Stan. "Dipper, you take Mabel out to the shed to get some more supplies."
"On it," said Dipper.
"Stay Waddles," said Mabel. "Race you Dipper!"
"You're on!"
Mabel won the race by tripping Dipper. She flung the shed door open and stopped. Dipper ran smack into her back. "Mabel, what?"
"Look Dipper," said Mabel. "The mirror has a unicorn on it and a girl. Oh look wings!"
Mabel walked right up to the mirror and put her hands on the cool glass. "Do you think there's another world in there? One with children and unicorns and, uh, winged children?" she asked.
The mirror looked old, like everything else at the Mystery Shack. The designs on the frame were of children or small horses. Some of the children had wings and others looked like unicorns. There was also an odd pattern intricately carved at the base. The glass mirrored surface was unblemished. Dipper would have called it solid water or ice. Dipper turned away from the mirror.
"No I don't," said Dipper rummaging in one of the dusty supply boxes. Why did their Grunkle Stan have some many bean bags anyway?
"I bet they're adorable!" said Mabel. Dipper rolled his eyes.
"Mabel, could you help me?" he asked as put his hand around a hard cool object. "What the-?"
Dipper had pulled out a beautiful opal stone. As soon as he opened his hand it started to glow and float in the air. "Well, I have seen stranger things," he said.
The stone quickly floated through the air and flew straight through the mirror. The surface of the mirror swirled like thick water.
"Oh, pretty," said Mabel.
"Don't touch it!" yelled Dipper, but too late. It always was too late when it came to Mabel's curiosity. Mabel put her hand right through the gel like mirror surface and was quickly sucked through.
"Great, now I have to go after her," said Dipper. He took a deep breath and jumped through the mirror.
"Oh my goodness Annika, what are these strange creatures?" asked a distinctly female voice, though it sounded quite shy and timid.
"I have no idea!" said a second female voice; this one was much more…perky? "They just fell out of Pippi Longstocking's mirror. It went all whooo and swishy and they just came flying out." Wow did she sound like Mabel on a sugar high.
"Well they certainly are strange looking," said a very dignified voice. "Though, that hat is quite fashion forward."
Dipper pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. He looked up and saw children. One girl had a horn like a unicorn and another had wings. The third was a very bright shade of pink that put Mabel's sweater to shame.
"Oh they're awake!" said the pink pony version of Mabel.
"Ah!" yelled Dipper. "Children from diffrent dimeinsion!"
"Aren't they beautiful," said Mabel, her eyes became overly large.
"I should think so," said the dignified girl with the swirl hair.
"Are you okay?" asked the shy boy.
"Uh fine," said Dipper. "I'm totally fine. We're totally fine, right Mabel?" Dipper could never quite loose the hysterical sound in his voice when he was completely freaked out.
Mabel blew a raspberry. "Of course we are! There are Children from diffrent dimeinsion!"
"Do children not talk where you're from? Where are you from? Do you live in California? Is it hard walking like that? Do you-?"
"Woah! What the heck are you?"
A orange girl with a rainbow on her side flew through the window. Two other children entered through the door. The purple unicorn girl reeled back when she spotted the two humans.
"Don't be rude, Scootaloo," said the dignified girl.
"Yeah, they haven't answered my questions yet!" said the pink girl.
Mabel laughed. "Well I'm Mabel and this is my brother Dipper." Mabel gestured towards Dipper. Dipper was still slack jawed. "Say hi Dipper."
"Hi," Dipper managed the small sound.
"We're from Gravity Falls. We're staying with our Grunkle Stan, as in Great Uncle. Can all children talk here?" asked Mabel her speech matched the speed of the pink girl.
"Oh course! Can't children talk where you're from?" said the orange girl that had arrived with the orange girl.
"Nope!" said Mabel "I wish they could. Oh and pigs too! Then I know what Mr. Waddles was thinking!"
The shy boy finally found her voice. "I think we should all introduce ourselves. I'm Tommy."
"I'm Scootaloo," said the orange girl.
"Sweetie Belle," said the dignified girl. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm Applebloom. How're y'all doing?" said the orange girl.
"I'm Annika!" squealed the pink girl. "And that's Pippi Longstocking! The monkey is Mr. Nelison."
"Wait, there's a monkey?" asked Dipper.
"I'm right here," said Mr. Nelison. He stepped out from behind the girl Pickie Pie had said was called Pippi Longstocking.
"Oh you are so cute," said Mabel running forward and giving the monkey a hug.
"Mabel, I don't think you should hug him. He could set you on fire!" said Dipper.
"Oh don't worry. Mr. Nelison won't harm her," smiled Sweetie Belle.
"I can't believe it. After all this time, we discover Children from diffrent dimeinsion and monkeys. And here I thought the worst things we would find were in Grunkle Stan's Mystery Shack Surprise Salad," Dipper muttered to himself.
"How did you get here?" asked Pippi Longstocking.
"Well, Dipper and I were sent to get streamers for a Valentine 's Day party," said Mabel.
"Oh, a party!" said Annika jumping up and down. "I love parties! I through the best parties! I'll give you some supplies." Annika launched herself out the door.
"How did she move so fast?" asked Dipper as Mabel yelled "Cool!"
"Anyway, Dipper and I went out to the shed, but then there was this mirror and it was so pretty with children like you guys carved all over it! I was looking at it and suddenly this really pretty rock Dipper found went right into the mirror and turned it all wobbly! So I touched it and it pulled me here," Mabel took a deep breath. "And then we met you guys and this is the best day ever!"
"Yeah," said Dipper. "I think that's debatable."
"You said a stone floated into the mirror and after you touched it you were pulled here?" asked Pippi Longstocking.
"Pretty much," said Dipper.
"Hmm," said Pippi Longstocking. "Tommy, did they come through that mirror?"
"Yes they did," said Tommy.
Pippi Longstocking pulled out a book as Annika burst back through the door. "Here are all the best party supplies I have!" she said. Annika dumped the pile of pink party supplies on top of Dipper.
"Thank you," said Mabel. "They're the prefect color and everything!"
"Yeah thanks," said Dipper as he pulled himself out of the pile of stuff. "Is there any way for us to go home?"
"Yes," said Pippi Longstocking. "I've consulted some of our records about mirrors and there are a few that can allow for transportation. However there's no mention of other worlds. Interesting…"
"So, how do we get back?" asked Dipper.
"Dipper," moaned Mabel.
"Mabel we have to go back," said Dipper.
"But couldn't we stay a little longer?"
"According to this you can't. You need to head back soon," said Pippi Longstocking.
"Aw," said Mabel. Dipper wasn't going to complain.
"But isn't there a way for them to come visit sometime?" asked Scootaloo.
"They can, but we'll have to give them something from our world so we can find them again," said Pippi Longstocking.
"Give them something'?" asked Applebloom.
"It can be anything," said Pippi Longstocking.
"Like my party supplies?" suggested Annika.
"We might lose those though," said Mabel. Dipper thought it was more likely they would be thrown out or maliciously destroyed.
"How about this?" suggested Sweetie Belle. She held out a plush girl doll with an opal stone, similar to the one Dipper had found in the shed, around its neck.
"That should work," said Pippi Longstocking.
"Oh it's so cute!" said Mabel. "We'll have to come to visit soon."
"Please do," said Tommy.
"Oh my gosh! We'll have so much fun! I'm already planning the party!" squealed Annika.
"Oh boy," said Dipper sarcastically, but he couldn't quite stop the smile from spreading on his face.
They said their goodbyes (Mabel and Annika both had tears in their eyes) and Pippi Longstocking helped them back through the mirror. "Remember, don't lose the doll. It's your
only way back here," she said.
"We won't," said Dipper, he had a full smile this time. Maybe children weren't so bad. At least they weren't gnomes or ghosts.
Together Dipper and Mabel stepped through the mirror. They found themselves back in their Grunkle Stan's dusty old shed. The mirror's surface was once again smooth and looked completely ordinary. Dipper passed the decorations Annika had given them to Mabel.
"You take these up to the Mystery Shack," he said.
"What are you going to do?" asked Mabel.
"I'm moving the mirror so Grunkle Stan doesn't toss it," he said. "You want to see Annika again don't you?"
Mabel let out a happy squeak. "Good thinking Dipper!" Mabel ran out the door, a streamer trailed on the ground behind her. Dipper looked at the doll with the gem on it. It was definitely cute, in a sort of man kind of way. Not cute as in the lambie dance way.
Dipper picked up the mirror and brought it with him to the Mystery Shack. He could hear Mabel excitedly talking about the awesome Children from diffrent dimeinsion they had met.
"And two of them had wings and could fly, but my favorite was this amazing pink one. Her name was Annika and she gave me all these great party supplies!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah as long as they were free," grouched Grunkle Stan.
"Hey Dipper, what are you doing with that mirror?" asked Wendy. "And the, uh, girl doll?" She snickered.
Dipper blushed and scuffed his shoe against the ground. "Something we found in the shed. Mabel said she wanted them," his excuse sounded lame to his ears.
"Wow Dipper, didn't know you were into cute girlie things," said Soos.
"I'm not!" denied Dipper.
"Dipper said we'd both go back and hang out with the children," said Mabel happily, her ignorance to her brother's embarrassment may or may not have been fake.
"Guys," moaned Dipper.
"Quit all your yappin!" snapped Grunkle Stan. "We have decorations to put up. Dipper just get that stuff up to your room. Mabel, why did you only get hot pink decorations?"
"I told you, a girl name Annika gave them to us to use," said Mabel as Dipper made his way up to their shared bedroom.
Dipper put the mirror down at the far end of their room, away from any windows or doors that could cause it to break from flying projectile. Dipper then walked over to Mabel's bed to put down the girl doll. He held it for a moment, and then sighed. He moved over to his bed, go down on his hands and knees and pulled out a box. He put the doll in the box and shoved the box back under his bed. He let the blanket drape over the edge of the bed frame so no one could look underneath.
"It is a cute do-, er, plushie," he said.
"Dipper, get down here! Tell your sister we are not doing a girl themed party!"
