I do not own Gravity Falls.
Prompt: Magic
The Christmas Fairy
Dipper was lost.
He stood in the middle of a clearing, looking through the thick pines and bare branches in hopes of spotting the familiar trench-coated figure of his great-uncle.
There was nothing but sprawling, glittering white landscape. The sky was black, spotted with silver stars and a crescent moon. He was cold and hungry and nervous. He wasn't sure how long he'd been wandering through the trees, shouting for Ford.
"Man, I can't believe I lost him," bemoaned Dipper, sticking his mitten-covered hands under his armpits and reluctantly starting off again, praying that some familiar landmarks would pop up soon.
The day had started out innocently enough. Ford had enlisted him to do some research on a new species of flower that he had discovered. They had trekked through the thick snow, deep into the forest, and found a shining red and blue flower blooming right in the middle of the frigid forest. It was no flower Dipper had ever seen before. Ford had plucked it from the ground, stem and all, and watched as golden pollen fell from the center of the flower.
They went searching for more of the strange flowers, but after a few hours they still only had the one. Ford decided they should head home, as it was getting dark. And that was about the time Dipper strayed away from his great-uncle, following a trail of golden glitter that had caught his attention.
So here he was, in a foreign part of the woods, trying to find his way back home.
"Grunkle Ford!" he shouted. "Where are you?"
There was only silence.
Sighing softly, Dipper continued on his way. After a bit of walking, he suddenly spotted the glittering golden light again, and after a beat of hesitation he rushed after it. It flitted amongst the trees, bright against the night sky.
"Hey! Wait!"
Whomp!
Dipper's eyes grew wide when the shimmering light slammed into a tree trunk and fell gently to the ground. When he reached the fallen light, he gaped in surprise.
A tiny, delicate fairy was laying in the snow, staring up dazedly with deep golden eyes. Long red hair was fastened into a bun, and she wore a green long-sleeved dress hemmed with silver snowflakes with red mittens and a scarf. Surrounding her was an aura of golden light, bright and beautiful.
Snapping out of his awe, Dipper hastily bent down, using two fingers to help the fairy up. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to make you crash."
The fairy huffed and glared up at him, flexing her silvery wings. "You should be," she said furiously. "When there's someone trying to get away from you, you should take the hint!"
Dipper flinched. "Right. Sorry, again. I was just curious."
"You know what they say about curiosity," she scolded. "I'm very busy, and I'm not even supposed to be seen by mortals in the first place!"
The thirteen-year-old had a flashback to when his sister told him all about her encounter with Jack Frost. He couldn't wait to tell her about this. "I've never seen a fairy before," he said softly.
"There's a good reason for that," she muttered.
"I'm Dipper."
She studied him for a moment before heaving a resigned sigh. "I suppose the barrier has been shattered enough, anyway. I'm Noelle. And I'm incredibly behind, thanks to you. I needed that flower."
Dipper dug it out of his pocket, where Ford had told him to put it for safe keeping. The flower was still shiny, but the pollen seemed to dazzle now they were in close proximity with the fairy. "What did you need it for?"
"That's the Christmas flower," said Noelle, attempting to sound patient rather than annoyed. "It blooms amongst the snow once every year, in certain parts of the world. We Christmas fairies use the powdered magic within the core to help us spread Christmas cheer where it's needed the most. You and that guy took the last flower of the season, and I don't think I'm going to be able to do my job in time for Christmas."
Feeling extremely guilty, Dipper extended the flower. "We didn't know these were so important. Will you still be able to use it?"
Surprised by the quick surrender of the rare, precious flower, Noelle tilted her head to the side. "Seriously? You're giving it up just like that?"
"You need it. It's not ours. We were just going to do research on it, but I've already got enough information based off what you told me."
A curious smile on her lips, Noelle accepted the flower, fingers dipping into the magic in the core. Her body illuminated a bright gold and Dipper felt a surge of warmth and happiness through his stomach.
"Thanks," she said gratefully, using her power to shrink the plant. She slipped it into the red satchel hanging from her shoulder. "Sorry for being snappy with you. This is a busy season for us. Sometimes it gets me stressed out."
"It's okay. I understand. Wait until Grunkle Ford hears about this."
"Grunkle?" she asked in bemusement.
"Yeah. It's short for great-uncle." His face fell and he stared at the snow. "I've been looking for him for the past hour. I lost him when I was chasing after you."
"Ah. Well…I'm sure you'll find him soon."
"Not in this forest," he sighed.
Noelle smiled a secret smile. "Do you wish that he'll find you soon?"
"Very much so."
"It is the Christmas season. If there's ever a time a wish will come true, it's during this month." She winked. "Thanks for the help. Who knows? I might see you around. Goodbye, Dipper. And Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas!" said Dipper, watching as Noelle flew off, glitter trailing behind her. After a moment of standing still, he let out a reluctant sigh and once more started off in search for a familiar path home.
"Dipper!"
Hope bubbling in his chest, Dipper whirled around. He spotted Ford on the other side of the trees, his face creased in worry and anxiousness, hands cupped around his mouth as his shouted his nephew's name. "Dipper!"
Delighted, Dipper rushed towards him. "Grunkle Ford!"
Snapping his head around, Ford's expression filled with intense relief. "Dipper, my boy!" he exclaimed, catching the child as he jumped into his arms. "You need to stop frightening me like that."
"Sorry," said Dipper, sagging happily against the man's shoulder. "I didn't mean to wander off."
"We can talk about that later. Right now, I think you need warmth and a nice meal."
"Uh-huh." Nibbling on his bottom lip, he admitted, "I'm really sorry, but I don't have the flower anymore."
Though disappointed, Ford made sure it didn't show in his tone. "Don't worry about it, Dipper. I'm just glad you're safe."
"I gave it to the Christmas fairy," the boy continued. "Her name's Noelle."
Ford's eyebrow flew up. "Noelle the Christmas fairy, eh? Any connections to Jack Frost?"
Dipper smacked him lightly on the back. "You don't believe us."
The man chuckled at his accusatory tone. "If you two say you saw what you saw, then I have no reason not to believe you. I'm sure your sister will be very interested to hear your story, as am I."
Dipper smiled against Ford's shoulder. It was no coincidence that Ford had found him when he did. His wish had come true.
Thanks, Noelle.
