Yeah, I haven't updated this for three months. Also, this chapter is a little short compared to the last three chapters (this one is 8,000 words). Oh well.
gamelover41592: I wanted to try and play off the Gideon chapter a bit more differently because while I did enjoy the original episode, I felt like having Gideon only like Mabel won't play out as well in this crossover. I hope this chapter makes Mabel's and Gideon's relationship a bit more interesting.
Theyomamajokester: I hope you didn't forget about me :P
It started on an ordinary day at the Mystery Shack. Stan was outside ripping people off, while Dipper, Mabel, Lincoln, and Lynn slacked off in the living room, watching TV. As expected, the former Pines twin was concentrating more on reading the mysterious journal that they found nearby.
"The tiger was badly injured in the explosion, but we repaired him with a fist," the show narrator said, while a Tiger Fist logo appeared on the screen for a brief second. It disappeared just as fast as the television jumped to a tiger with a giant arm in a hospital room that began punching itself.
Not long after, the scene froze as the same narrator spoke again, "Tiger Fist will return after these messages."
A commercial with a pair of hands throwing doves into the air appeared on the screen.
"Hey, guys!" Lincoln pointed out, "It's that commercial that I was talking about earlier."
Dipper paused and looked up from the journal he was reading. The next scene changed to a shot of a majestic mountain view.
"Are you completely miserable?" a Southern voice asked.
The commercial played a scene of a man weeping in his bedroom, "YESS!" cried the man.
"Then you need to meet..." the voice whispered the next part, "Gideon!"
"Gideon?" Dipper questioned.
"What makes him so special?" Mabel asked.
"He's a psychic," the voice seemingly answered her question.
Mabel tilted her head to the side, "Aroo?"
"So don't waste your time with the other so-called Man of Mystery," the voice continued. The screen flashed to footage of Stan coming out of an outhouse before the word 'fraud' was stamped on the screen, "Learn about it tonight at Gideon's Tent of Telepathy."
Mabel smiled, "Wow, I'm getting all curiously inside!"
"Well, don't get too curious," Stan warned, walking inside, "Even since that monster Gideon rolled into town, I've had nothing but trouble. I prohibit anyone that works under my roof to pay to see Gideon."
"C'mon Mr Pines!" Lincoln countered, "We have two extra tickets, and I was kinda hoping to take Dipper and Mabel with us."
"Why do you even buy them in the first place?" Dipper questioned.
"I didn't. My younger sister Lucy had a crush on him and she pleaded my parents into going," Lincoln explained, "So our Pop-Pop bought us fourteen tickets to Gideon's show; one for me, my sisters, my parents and Pop-Pop himself. Our parents couldn't come tonight though because they had already booked a place at a fancy restaurant on the same day."
"And it's a bummer because I was going to spend my time doing this sick workout routine!" Lynn exclaimed.
"So please come with us," Lincoln pleaded, "We're being forced to go by my parents!"
Dipper paused for a moment before turning back to the two Loud siblings, "We didn't technically pay for it," he mischievously smiled, thinking back to Grunkle Stan's exact words, "So, yeah, we're technically allowed to accept these."
"I think we just found our loop hole... literally!" Mabel held up a string with a loop in it, "Mwop, mwop!"
"So come down soon, folks," the same voice from the Gideon commercial called out through the television, "Gideon is expectin' ya!"
*Cue Gravity Falls Theme Song*
That very evening, many of the Gravity Falls citizens and visitors (including the Loud family plus Dipper and Mabel) came by to the Tent of Telepathy to see what marvels awaited inside. Standing near the entry way was a slightly chubby man who served as the announcer promoting Gideon.
"Step right up there, folks," he greeted, "Before you can walk in, you gotta hand me your tickets!"
The ticket-holders lined up in front of the entrance, slowly moving forward as Bud happily collected the pieces of paper from their hands, allowing them entry. Somewhere along the queue, Dipper and Mabel stayed close to Lincoln and Lynn while holding onto their tickets. Earlier in the day, Lincoln decided to let Dipper and Mabel stay at their place so they could carpool in his dad's van.
"I'm getting nervous already," Mabel blurted out quietly, 'What if he's secretly a werewolf?"
"Don't worry Mabel!" Dipper calmed down his sister, "For all we know, he could be a huge sham like Grunkle Stan," he turned to the only other boy in his vicinity, "Lincoln, you said your younger sister had a crush on him. You know what he looks like?"
"I wish I did," Lincoln admitted, "But she was very secretive about it and I couldn't find any images of people that might look like him."
"I willing to bet that he's a goth just like her," Lynn stated, "All of her crushes were all the gloomy type."
It didn't take long for the line to move along and after a minute, they were at the front with the other Loud siblings, holding their tickets. They were granted entry and soon found themselves in a large tent that was barely even decorated; instead, a couple of benches occupied the majority of the space, with a tiny empty red stage made of wood at the front. Above it was a colourful wooden pentagram with an eye plastered in the middle. Dipper and Mabel choose to sit between Lincoln and Lynn near the front row.
"Whoa, this is like a bizarre version of the Mystery Shack," Dipper pointed out, "They even have their own Soos!"
Lincoln, Lynn and Mabel turned their attention to a man who looks suspiciously close to the likeable man working at the real Shack. Before they could discuss further what other similarities the place had, the lights slowly dimmed and the curtains were rolling.
"It's starting! It's starting!" Mabel gasped in excitement.
"Time to reveal who you really are," Lincoln crossed his arms, curious to see who is behind Lucy's crush.
A spotlight focused into the centre of the stage, where the blue curtains were. In the spotlight, a dark and menacing silhouette appeared in the centre. The curtains parted however only to reveal a short, cute and freckly boy with a baby blue suit.
Lincoln did not look happy, "Someone's gotta be messing with me. He almost looks like my long lost twin brother."
"But creepier," Lynn muttered under her breath, "I mean just look at his hair. It's like a puffed out soccer ball!"
In an effort to dissociate any other similarities between himself and the boy on stage, Lincoln paid closer attention, attempting to spot any additional details in his appearance. His eyes caught the boy's blue cape behind him, a badge in the shape of an American flag on his suit, a shiny jade amulet with an image of a feather in the middle of it hanging around his neck and his short height.
"Hello, America!" the child greeted the audience with a Southern accent, "My name is Li'l Gideon!"
He clapped twice before four doves flew out of his hair above the audience.
"That's Stan's mortal enemy?" Dipper said in disbelief.
"But he's so wittle!" Mabel responded, sharing the same thought as her brother.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is such a gift to have you here tonight!" Gideon spoke to the crowd again, "Such a gift. I have a vision. I predict that you will soon all say 'aww'."
Almost instantly, he turned around and posed in a cute manner which caused whatever Gideon predicted to come true.
"It came true," Mabel said in amazement.
"What? Anyone could've predicted that!" Dipper retorted, crossing his arms.
"Well he got most of my sisters in his trance," Lincoln replied, looking over at his siblings. Almost all of them were busy staring at Gideon with compassionate eyes, caught in his cuteness. In fact, only Lynn seemed immune to the look.
Back on stage, the boy called out to his dad to press something before a piano started playing in the background. Smiling, he started his musical number;
"Oh, I can see, what others can't see,
It ain't some sideshow trick, it's innate ability,
Where others are blind, I am futurely inclined,
And you too could see, if you were widdle ol' me!"
He finished the verse with a chuckle, before he looked at the audience, "Come on everybody, rise up! I want y'all to keep it going!"
As if on cue, the whole audience suddenly stood up, including Dipper and the others.
"What-? How did he-?" Dipper stuttered. It felt strange; it was like something compelled him to stand up.
"Keep it going!" Gideon encouraged eagerly. He danced around on the stage while he looked around in the audience. He winked and pointed at an old lady holding a cat.
"You wish your son would call you more."
"I'm leaving everything to my cats!" the old woman chanted with a fist. Gideon pointed to a chubby black sheriff wearing a shirt with Gideon's face on it while holding Gideon dolls, lunchboxes and other merchandise.
"I sense that you've been here before."
"Oh, what gave it away?" the sheriff asked, impressed.
"Really?" Lincoln complained, annoyed at his obliviousness.
Gideon walked off the stage towards Mabel as he continued to sing.
"I'll read your mind if I'm able,
Something tells me you're named Mabel."
He winked at her before returning to the main stage. However, it left an impression on the young girl.
"How did he know that?" Mabel asked in shock.
"You're wearing a sweater with your name on it," Lynn deadpanned, her eyes nudging to her clothing.
"He's still dreamy..." Mabel admitted to her, causing the older girl to roll her eyes.
"So welcome all ye... to the Tent of Telepathy."
"And thanks for visiting me... widdle ol' me!" Gideon finished, ending his little song with a pose. As he said his last word, a giant neon sign spelling his name hung down from the top. By the time it was finished, he was a sweaty mess, panting and trying to catch his breath while the audience clapped and cheered.
The boy grabbed a water bottle hidden underneath his suit and drunk from it before turning back to the crowd.
"Thank you! You people are the real miracles!" he thanked out loud. A barrage of applause was received as a response to the show.
"Woo! Yeah!" cheered Mabel along with the crowd.
After another thirty minutes of Gideon's 'magic tricks' and 'fortune tellings', everyone left the tent happy and satisfied with the show. While most of Lincoln's other siblings stayed around to buy some merchandise, Lincoln walked out with Lynn and the Pine twins towards the van,
"Man," Dipper started, "That kid is an even bigger fraud than Stan! No wonder he's jealous."
Lynn laughed and nodded in agreement, "Yeah, imagine all the money he makes for making all those 'predictions'!"
"Oh come on," Mabel playfully disagreed, "His dance moves were adorable. And did you see his hair? It was like... whoosh!"
"You're too easily impressed," Lincoln pointed out, letting out a small laugh.
"Yeah, yeah," Mabel jokingly agreed, punching the white-haired boys' shoulder lightly.
The next day on their lunch break, the four of them were relaxing in the living room when Mabel came into the room, her face covered in sequins.
"Hey guys, look!" Mabel got everyone's attention, "I successfully bezazzled my face! Blink!"
She blinked in correlation, a few of the sequins falling off in the process, "Ow!"
"But why?" Lincoln asked in confusion. They were only five minutes into their lunch break.
"Because it's fun!" she replied, sprinkling spare unused sequins into the air, "I'm unappreciated in my time!"
Before any of them could get any more questions, the doorbell rang.
"Somebody answer the door!" Stan ordered from beneath the walls.
"I'll get it!" Mabel replied, rubbing off the gems on her face as she ran towards the front door. She opened it, and for a brief moment, a wave of confusion hit her when she saw Gideon from yesterday.
"Howdy!" Gideon Gleeful greeted.
Her confusion quickly turned into excitement and happiness, "It's widdle ol' you!"
"Heh, heh, yeah," Gideon let out an awkward laugh, "My song's quite catchy. I know we haven't formally met, but after yesterday's performance, I just couldn't get your laugh out of my head."
"You mean this one?" Mabel asked before letting out a nervous laugh that was clearly forced. Thinking she embarrassed herself in front of him, she blushed an intense shade of red.
"Oh, what a delight! Now, when I saw you in the audience, I said to myself, 'Now there's a kindred spirit! Someone who appreciates the sparkly things in life'."
"Yeah, that's totally me!" Mabel laughed along, unintentionally coughing out some sequins onto Gideon's suit, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sor-"
"Enchanting. Utterly enchanting."
"Who's at the door?" Mabel could hear Stan call out from the shack.
"No one, Grunkle Stan!" she yelled back before turning her head to Gideon.
"I appreciate your discretion," the child psychic said politely, "Now; Stan's no fan of mine. I don't know how a lemon so sour could be related to a peach so sweet."
Mabel laughed in response, waving her hand playfully, "Oh Gideon..."
"What do you say we step away from here, and chat a bit more?" Gideon offered, "Perhaps, in my dressing room?"
"Wait really?" Mabel asked with excitement, "I mean, I would love to! Right now?"
Gideon just nodded in response which was immediately followed by Mabel joyfully cheering and poking him in the stomach.
"Ouch."
A couple of hours passed by before Mabel came back to the Mystery Shack after a successful day with Gideon. As she entered, she saw Dipper, Lincoln and Lynn still in the living room, pre-occupied with their activities. She attempted to get into the living room without anyone noticing when Lincoln spotted her almost immediately.
"Hey Mabel," Lincoln waved, "Where have you been?"
The rest of the kids paused and looked at Mabel. Dipper put his book down and eyed Mabel's change in appearance, noting her new makeup on her cheeks and her braided hairstyle, "And what's with your face? Did you have a makeover?"
"Yes Dipper, I did have a makeover," Mabel deadpanned to her brother.
"Those fingernails are kind of cool though," Lynn complimented, "You can scratch the eyeballs off your opponents in a game of rugby!"
"I know right?" Mabel roared cheerfully, pretending to attack her brother Dipper.
"But seriously," Lincoln interrupted her moment, "Where were you? All of us had to cover for you today. Without any overtime pay."
"I was hanging out with my new pal Gideon," Mabel stated, "He is one dapper little man!"
Dipper still had his suspicions, "Mabel, I don't trust anyone who's hair is bigger than their head."
"Oh, leave him alone will you?" Mabel defended him, "You never want to do girly stuff with me, and you and Soos get to do boy stuff all the time."
"How come this is the first time I've heard about this?" Lincoln crossed his arms, feeling slightly betrayed.
"What are you guys talking about?" Dipper asked, pretending to not know what he does on a Thursday afternoon. Before anyone could further question Dipper, the man popped his head into the living room with a packet of hotdogs in his right hand and a lighter in his left.
"Hey Dipper," he called out to him excitedly, "You ready to set fire to these hot dogs outside one by one?"
"Am I!" Dipper eagerly replied, before running off. Despite this, he felt Lincoln's and Lynn's glares directed at him, catching him in a lie. He paused halfway, hoping to make things a bit more clear, "I swear I'll explain all this later."
He ran off to the front, before completely disappearing out of everyone's view.
"Jerk," Lynn mumbled.
"Aww," Lincoln complained, "I wanted to set fire to some hot dogs as well."
The next day, Mabel and Gideon were sitting on the roof of a warehouse, high on a hill that overlooked the entire town of Gravity Falls.
"Whoa!" Mabel gasped, "The view from your family's factory is nuts! Good thing we both brought our..." she quickly grabbed something from her pocket.
"Opera glasses!" Mabel and Gideon cheered in unison.
Gideon glanced at her with a smile, "Mabel, when I'm up here looking at all these people, I feel like I'm the king of all that I survey. I guess that makes you my queen."
Mabel awkwardly laughed, "What? You're being so nice to me. Quit it," she shoved him playfully.
"Sorry but I can't quit it," Gideon replied, "I am speaking from the heart!"
Mabel blinked, "From the where now?"
"Mabel, I've never felt this close with anyone before. So close," He extended his hand into her hair, stroking it while giggling.
Mabel blushed and laughed as she gently brushed off his hand, "That tickles!"
"Sorry Mabel. Was that too close?"
"It's okay Gideon," Mabel reassured, shifting her head on Gideon's lap until she was in a comfortable position, "Just warn me next time."
Gideon nodded as he tried to touch Mabel's hair again but at a slower pace. Feeling at ease, Mabel smiled and closed his eyes.
"I, um..." Mabel's eyes drifted, "Can I ask you something?"
Gideon continued stroking her hair, "Anything."
Mabel took a deep breath before continuing, "I like you a lot Gideon, and I was wondering if..."
"You would like to go on a date with me?"
Mabel could see Gideon glaring at him. She was starting to feel sick, but she continued on strongly, "Yeah... but I'm not sure if you feel the same way?"
"What are you talking about Mabel?" Gideon exclaimed, "You have made me the happiest boy in the world! Of course I would go on a date with you! How about tomorrow?"
"Thanks Gideon!" Mabel leapt onto Gideon with a hug, accidentally knocking him to the ground in the process, "Oops sorry."
The next day in the afternoon, the four youngest employees of the Mystery Shack were again hanging out in the living room, this time playing some random fighting video game on the TV while also discussing Mabel's relationship with the psychic boy. Naturally, this led to Dipper and Lincoln reacting with shock.
"You're going on a date?"
"With Gideon?"
"Boys," Mabel shushed them, "Me and Gideon have this connection."
"You've only known him for three days," Lincoln pointed out.
"Lynn, back me up here," Mabel pleaded.
"No can do Mabel," Lynn shrugged, focusing on the video game they were playing rather than her situation, "I gotta beat these nerds at their own game."
"Who are you calling nerd?" Lincoln said in an annoyed tone.
"I still don't trust this Gideon person," Dipper voiced his opinions, before pressing the same button on his controller several times in a row.
"It's not a date-date. It's just, you know, a play date," defended Mabel, "Besides, I was the one who asked him first. I'll figure it will only be some silly small date. We won't be smooching on a table while taki-"
"Okay, firstly, gross," Dipper replied to his sister in disgust, "Secondly, you probably shouldn't have asked him. What if Grunkle Stan finds out about it?"
"Come on, none of you are going tell him right?" she asked, almost pleadingly. She looked and saw the two Loud siblings shake their heads.
Dipper rolled his eyes, and went with the rest of the group, "Fine, but you gotta know that guys will do anything to impress their first date."
"Yeah right! He's not that into me," Mabel scoffed her brother. She looked at the television screen and saw an opening. Smirking, she unleashed a surprise attack, sending Dipper, Lincoln and Lynn's characters to their deaths.
"Kaboom! I win again!" Mabel cheered, pumping up her fist in the air.
Lynn was in shock over her loss, "Wait, how?"
"Down plus B! Down plus B!" Mabel answered smugly.
"I hate it when you play as Kirby,"
Before Mabel was about to come up with a snappy comeback to Lincoln's statement, the doorbell rang. Guessing it was Gideon, she ran and went to answer the door, "My date awaits!"
The door wasn't even fully open when Dipper and the others heard a loud squeal from the front. They decided to take a peek at the front, wondering what has gotten Mabel all excited. However, they didn't expect to see Gideon on the saddle of a white horse in the doorway, looking down at Mabel with lovesick eyes.
"A night of enchantment awaits, m'lady!" he said, smiling elegantly.
"Oh boy," Lincoln muttered under his breath as she saw Gideon and Mabel go out of the Shack together.
The aquatic-themed restaurant that Gideon had chosen for their date was spectacular, to say the least. In fact, it seemed that time flew by during the two hours that they were there. It was after 8:30, just almost at the end of the date as they were eating their last meal.
"I still can't believe they let us bring a horse in here!" Mabel laughed, finishing off her chocolate cake slice that she had ordered for dessert.
"Well, people have a hard time saying no to me," he stated, as he rested his shoes on the table. A waiter walked by and stopped at their table, holding a jug of sparkling water.
"Ah, Monsieur Gideon," he addressed in a French accent, picking up the tableware from the two kids, "Ze feet on ze table. An excellent choice!"
"Jean-Luc," addressed Gideon, "What did we discuss about eye contact?"
The waiter then rolled his eyes before proceeding to walk away backwards, "Yes, yes, understood!"
"I've never eaten lobster with so many forks! And water with bubbles in it," Mabel squeaked in delight, referring to the aquarium next to them, "Ooh la la! Oui Oui!"
"Oh! Parlez vous francais?!"
Mabel froze for a second before she blushed, "...I have absolutely no idea what you just said."
Gideon laughed as he began to speak English again, "Mabel, I have got to say that tonight's date was a complete success. However, tomorrow's date will top this one in every way!"
Mabel was surprised, almost spitting out her water onto Gideon's face, "Whoa, whoa, are you taking me for another date?"
Oops, I guess I forgot to ask you," Gideon laughed innocently. He clapped his hands twice before a blue and gold macaw flew into the restaurant and landed on his arm, taking aback Mabel a bit.
The bird started to open its mouth quite abruptly, "WILL- YOU- TAKE- GIDEON- TO- THE- BALLROOM- DANCE- THIS- THIRSTDAY?"
Gideon coughed.
"THURSDAY!" the bird repeated with proper pronunciation.
"Sorry about that," Gideon apologised, "My pet is still learning how to say more sophisticated words."
During this turn of events, a crowd of people have gathered around Gideon and Mabel's table.
"Oh, so adorable!" a woman exclaimed.
"Gideon's got ze girlfriend on ze menu!" the French waiter smiled.
"I'm on the edge of my seat!" said one of the sheriffs eating there.
"They're expecting us. Please say you'll go!" Gideon subtly pleaded.
Mabel expressed a little discomfort, but that didn't stop her from saying how she actually felt...
"You said yes?" Dipper asked again with shock and anger on his face.
"Yeah!" Mabel stated the facts, "And I'll be seeing him today at the ballroom dance!"
"The more you hang out with Gideon, the more I'm starting to suspect he's up to no good," Lincoln confessed, frowning, "He's starting to get clingy!"
"You gotta break up with him," Dipper urged, "It's starting to get out of hand."
Mabel rolled her eyes, "How is my relationship with Gideon getting out of hand?"
Lincoln grabbed a newspaper of the Gravity Falls Gossiper from underneath a couch pillow, showing the two smiling and holding hands at the restaurant, "You're lucky that our boss didn't see this."
"Didn't see what?"
Lincoln turned around and saw Stan behind him, a menacing look on his face, "Hi Mr Pines! We were just talking about video games."
Stan didn't buy it for one second. Instinctively, he grabbed the newspaper off the white-haired boy and took a glance at the front page. Expectedly, it only took that much for the old man to realise what was going on, "Hey, hey! What the jackal are you doing next to that crazy pickpocket Gideon?"
"Oh yeah," Mabel nervously chuckled, "We're just becoming great friends."
"Great friends that are dating," Lynn casually added.
"WHAT?! That little shyster is dating my great niece!"
"He's not a bad person Grunkle Stan! " Mabel tried to defend her date, "Once you get to know him, he's actually a sweet and loveable guy."
"You don't know him like I do," Stan grumbled, "Either way, this ends tonight! I'm going to that little skunks' house!"
Stan pointed his finger at Mabel, "This stops right now! Mabel, you're forbidden from seeing Gideon ever again!"
"Wait what?"
"You heard me!" her Grunkle Stan groaned in frustration as he walked away. Once Mabel was certain he was out of the room, her worried eyes darted to her friends.
"Uh, Mabel," Lincoln placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright?"
Mabel gently shook her shoulder with a small smile, "Yeah, i'm okay. This just means I need to be a lot stealthier when I go out tonight."
Dipper raised an eyebrow, "You're still going to the ballroom dance with Gideon?"
"Why not? I promised him that I would come dancing with him."
Her brother questioned her logic, "He's still going to find that you're not at the house."
"Which is why I'll be staying with Lincoln and Lynn over at their place; right?" She winked as she said the word 'stay', hoping that her friends would get the hint.
"I dunno Mabel," Lincoln started to back away, "I don't really feel comfortable getting involved in any of this."
"Please?" Mabel was practically begging at this point, using her puppy-dog eyes to lure Lincoln and Lynn in.
Lincoln sighed and gave in, "Okay Mabel. But you owe me one."
"And me too!" Lynn chimed in.
"Thanks you two!" Mabel smiled as she tightly hugged the both of them. A second later, a strange odour of sweat got into Mabel's nostrils, "Lynn, were you working out just before?"
A couple of hours later, Gideon had brought Mabel down to the lake after dancing. Currently, McGucket was rowing the boat they were in.
"Boat in the night! Boat in the night!" McGucket cackled.
"Hah, you know I thought dancing was gonna be the end of the evening, right?" Mabel let out a nervous laugh.
Gideon held on to Mabel's hand calmly and asked softly, "Don't you want this evenin' to last?"
"Not really," Mabel blurted out before immediately correcting himself, "I mean of course I do! I'm just worried about getting my friends into trouble."
"How so?"
Mabel sighed, "Grunkle Stan doesn't want me to be seen with you anymore, and I kinda owe them for covering for me... again."
Gideon grinned evilly, Mabel being completely oblivious about that, "Oh don't worry about your great uncle, Mabel. I'm sure by tomorrow, he will completely understand that there's nothing to worry about," he subtly tensed up as he said those words.
The young psychic boy wasn't the only one who was affected by those words as Mabel started to develop a small sense of discomfort for the first time in days. She was going to ask Gideon to deliberate when fireworks flared up into the sky, spelling out Mabel's name with an outline of a heart surrounding it.
"Maybe I'm just paranoid," she thought to herself. After all, why would Gideon hide something from her if they both in love?
Fortunately for Mabel, the words that Gideon said before their night ended left her brain the next day after, brushing it off as paranoia. Instead, she thought about when Gideon's next date is going to be. During her scheduled lunch break in the living room with Lincoln and her brother Dipper, Mabel started to pace herself around the room, excited at the prospect. Dipper was the first to notice his sister's erratic behaviour.
"Is something wrong Mabel?" Dipper asked with concern, putting the journal down.
"Sorry Dipper, I'm just over-thinking today."
Lynn walked in, sweating from a recent workout, "Is this all about another date with Gideon?"
"Maybe, okay yes I am," Mabel was getting stressed out with all these questions getting fired at her, "It's just... Gideon is just so sweet, and now... I'm thinking I'm going crazy for him."
"Did anything unusual happen on your last date?" Lincoln asked.
"We just went ballroom dancing before Gideon took us to a lake. The only thing strange about the boat ride was what he said at the end," Mabel recalled, "Something about making Grunkle Stan understand or something. It sounded a bit ominous, but maybe I'm being paranoid."
"That is suspicious," Dipper muttered to himself, taking a mental note.
"However, I am looking on the bright side," Mabel remained optimistic, "I may still be in the dating stage of the relationship, but I have a good feeling that I'm going to marry him soon."
As if on cue, Stan entered at the exact moment, wearing a white shirt with the words 'TEAM GIDEON' written on the front, "Great news Mabel. You're going to have to marry Gideon!" he shouted happily.
"What?!" everyone yelled out, mostly in shock
"It's all part of my long term deal with Buddy Gleeful," he explained, unaware of what some of the kids really felt about the matter, "There's a lot of cash tied up to this thing. Plus I got this shirt."
Stan looked down at his protruding stomach for a second, making a sound of disgust, "Ugh, I am fat."
Mabel screamed in delight and jumped up and down, much to the surprise of her brother and her friends. She leapt onto her Grunkle Stan, engaging onto a full-on hug, "I'm so happy you support us now!"
Stan playfully gave Mabel a noogie, "Gideon is busy making preparations for the wedding right now so you won't be able to see him today. However, you can help me decorate the Shack with Gideon merchandise."
The two of them walked away until only the three kids were left in the room. Unfortunately for her brother, Dipper couldn't understand how this was even possible. Frustrated, he ran out to his bedroom, leaving Lincoln and Lynn alone in the living room together.
"I better go talk to Dipper," Lincoln said to Lynn before walking away.
Lincoln opened the Pine twins' bedroom door and saw Dipper lying on his old bed, his body laid on top of the blanket.
"Dipper?"
Dipper got up from lying down and sat down, "Hi Lincoln."
"Anything wrong?"
"Yeah, there's plenty of things wrong!" Dipper snapped at him only to immediately calm down, "Sorry, I'm just wrapping my head around it."
Dipper walked back and forth, "It's just so fast. One day Mabel's got a date with Grunkle Stan's biggest nemesis and the next day, they're getting married."
"Maybe you're just jealous?"
"What?" Dipper replied flabbergasted, "No way! Okay, maybe a little but doesn't it bother you that Mabel has only known Gideon for a week and they're now getting married."
"Now that you say it like that, yeah it's a bit fast," Lincoln was starting to understand Dipper's point.
"Remember when my sister's first boyfriend turned out to be a bunch of gnomes?" Dipper asked, getting his friend to recall that series of events.
"Yeah," Lincoln let out a little laugh, "But I'm sure that Mabel isn't dating three gnomes in a trenchcoat. Well, I hope not anyway."
Dipper took out the journal and flipped to a page that outlined some hypnotic charm, a pair of green earrings that used the power of suggestion to persuade their targets, "I have a theory that Gideon is hypnotising my sister in loving him."
Lincoln took a closer look at the page, skimming through the text, "Maybe that's not it. I have never seen Gideon wear something like that."
"Both of us may have never seen it, but it doesn't rule out the possibility that Gideon wears them when only Mabel is around."
Dipper smiled.
"Are you suggesting something Dipper?" Lincoln raised an eyebrow.
"How about we sneak into the factory that Gideon owns tonight?" Dipper spoke up, "He must have that charm somewhere hidden."
Lincoln could only roll his eyes in disbelief as Dipper went on about Gideon and what potential artefacts or powers he might possess, "How would you know he has a factory?"
"Mabel told me when she was constantly talking about her dates with Gideon," Dipper explained. He brought out a large map, with a drawing of a building and a large X circled in red ink, "Luckily, we can find out what sort of little secrets Gideon is hiding."
"Isn't that in the middle of the woods? At night?" Lincoln paused to consider why he was going along with Dipper's idea in the first place, "I'm sure my parents wouldn't allow me to do that."
"Just tell them you're having a sleepover with Mabel and me," Dipper answered, "Can you do this for me please?"
The only boy in the Loud family looked closely at Dipper. From the look he was giving, Lincoln felt that he was Dipper's only friend here. He sighed, not wanting to feel guilty, "Okay, I'll help."
At sunset, using one of the property-owned Mystery Shack carts, the two boys drove themselves into the woods, following the roads that took them to the warehouse. The drive there was moderately smooth and short for the most part, but with only a dirt road in front of them and trees to their left and right, it was easy to understand why Lincoln's parents (and even possibly Dipper's Grunkle) might worry about them getting lost. Eventually, after many twists and turns, they finally reached a dead end, leading directly to the secret factory, which was situated on top of a steep hill. Not wanting to be seen, the two of them parked the golf cart behind a nearby tree, before jumping off their vehicle to explore.
With a flashlight in his right hand and the map in his left, Dipper carefully looked at the parched up paper, comparing the drawing of the building to the real thing in front of them.
"This is it," Dipper told Lincoln, giving him a spare flashlight and a disposable camera, "We better sneak around the back in case Gideon is here."
"Good thinking."
They started to move by walking around the edge of the area, being extra careful to make sure that no-one noticed them. Stealthily, Dipper and Lincoln reached the back side of the warehouse, where they encountered a wooden door that was strangely unlocked.
"It's like we're in the start of some horror movie," Dipper nervously chuckled, trying to ease both his and Dipper's fears of being in a dark forest at sunset.
"Who knows, maybe it is," Lincoln joked, as he slowly pushed the door open, making a loud creaking noise in the process. Once enough space had been created, the two squeezed through the gap and entered the pitch black building.
Turning on the flashlights and staying close together, the two used their lights to find anything supernatural or out of the ordinary. Unfortunately for them, as they looked around further and longer, shining their flashlights on almost everything, they only found normal things that one would expect to find in a warehouse such as cardboard boxes, discarded merchandise and piles of papers detailing the shipments for each month.
Realising how much time they spent searching and estimating that his flashlight battery is going to run out, Lincoln decided to give up and call off the search, "We've searched everywhere! I don't think there's anything remotely weird other than his creepy desire for himself. Let's just go."
Defeated, Dipper sighed, "Yeah, I guess we just wasted our time here."
They retraced their steps and attempted to exit the building, but when they got to the door, they found it to be slammed shut.
"I swear that door wasn't locked before," Lincoln mumbled out of frustration, trying to jiggle at the doorknob but to no avail.
"Yeah, I think we might be slowly losing our minds," Dipper muttered.
Before any of the two boys could try another exit, some of the lights suddenly turned on one by one, laying out a path further into the building. With no other option, they reluctantly followed the chain of lights, unaware that they were walking right into a trap. After a minute of blindly walking on the path, they soon found themselves in a long, almost empty corridor where they saw a single pink swivel chair facing backwards standing ominously at the end.
"Why do I have a feeling that someone was watching us the whole time?" Dipper murmured.
"That's because there was."
Even though Gideon's distinct southern accent killed the suspense of the situation, it didn't stop the psychic boy from turning around in his chair dramatically, "What a surprise to see you two here trespassing!"
"I thought you were back in town already," said Dipper.
"Did you really think I would be stupid enough to leave this factory unattended, unlocked, potentially allowing two small boys to sneak in and ruin my secret and elaborate plan to take ownership to the Mystery Shack?!" Gideon asked condescendingly.
"Wait," Lincoln was piecing together the new information he just heard, "Secret plan? Ownership? Mystery Shack?"
Dipper was almost at a loss for words, "You... never really liked Mabel... did you?"
Gideon laughed maniacally, "Couldn't you tell? Who would want to go out with an annoying and stupid girl who is always sickeningly happy to the point where it makes me want to puke?"
Lincoln could see Dipper's face turn red in anger as he ran towards Gideon with a closed fist, "Mabel is not just some stupid girl!"
Seeing Dipper angry only entertained the psychic boy, "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he warned before immediately putting his hand on his amulet, causing a greenish glow to envelop him.
Dipper noticed the faint light from his body, but it didn't slow down his path. Gideon casually shrugged before raising his free hand up, causing Dipper's body to be pushed back into a pile of his merchandise, "How long have you two been living in this town? A week? Two? You like it here? Enjoying the scenery?"
"What do you want from us, Gideon?" Lincoln called out.
"Listen carefully. This town has secrets, some that neither of you could even begin to comprehend!" He said sinisterly, "It's a real darn shame that your little adventures end here."
"Wh-what are you talking about?" Lincoln asked, stuttering a little in fear.
"You're a decent fellow Lincoln, but you've heard too much," Gideon replied honestly, with a tinge of coldness in his voice, "I just can't risk you blabbering about my tiny little plot."
Scared out of his mind, Lincoln immediately attempted to run away but didn't even get a single step when he was caught by Gideon's levitation, "Nice try."
Nearby, an almost defeated Dipper got up from his fall and attempted to fight him again, unintentionally becoming clumsy with his attack. Gideon chuckled and levitated Dipper as well.
"Grunkle Stan was right about you; you ARE a monster!" Dipper yelled at the top of his voice.
Gideon just rolled his eyes, "Yeah, tell me something I don't know already. I think I'll start with you first."
Using the power of the amulet, the young psychic lifted a pair of lamb shears dangerously close to him, his intention made very clear. However, before Dipper final moment came out, he heard a female voice from the other room.
"Gideon! I've heard enough!"
Gideon lost concentration when he heard Mabel's voice, causing the amulet to lose a little bit of its magic, dropping the lamb shears to the ground, "Mabel, what are you doing here?"
"I'm sorry Gideon," said Mabel, "But after everything you said, it's clear that you were just using me."
Gideon was going to speak up, but Mabel beat him to it, "That's why I'm breaking it off. Gideon, I won't marry you anymore."
The psychic boy gave a menacing grin, "Maybe you won't now... but you should really reconsider," he squeezed his amulet a little tighter, making the flow of magic stronger, suffocating the two boys.
"Uh, Mabel," Dipper choked, gasping for air, "That probably wasn't the time to be brutally honest with him!"
"We're... slowly losing... air here," Lincoln gasped, "Help us... please!"
"How about a little proposal," Gideon was negotiating, walking closer to Mabel, "If you agree to marry me, I'll let go of one of them!"
"What sort of sadistic choice is that?" Mabel whined, shocked that the boy she once knew was now shown as a cruel monster.
Gideon held out his hand, hoping that his plans could still go further, "You can go with the other option and save none of them. It's up to you."
From her perspective, she was faced with a harsh decision that would have undesirable consequences either way she chooses. Dipper was her brother who was always by her side and would always comfort her whenever she would be feeling down, but on the other hand, Lincoln was one of the only friends she had made during the time she spent in Gravity Falls. She needed to find a third option to take and fast.
"Your friends are waiting," Gideon taunted.
Mabel sighed, seemingly defeated, "Okay you win, I'll marry you," she reached her hand towards Gideon.
"Wait, really?" Gideon said surprised, expecting it to bit more difficult.
However, his underestimation was his downfall as Mabel's hand was actually reaching towards the amulet, ripping it from his neck and setting her friends free, "No not really! You really thought I would be dumb enough to let you get away with this? What the heck?"
Gideon was in a state of anger and panic, "Give it back," he demanded, aiming to take the medallion back from her.
Mabel had other ideas as he tossed the tie to Lincoln who was nearby a window. He caught it and took a glance at it.
"Hey, this looks like the amulet I got at the Mystery Shac-" Lincoln commented before being cut short by Gideon who tackled him out the window, leaving the two of them falling down outside.
"Lincoln!" Dipper screamed in horror.
Currently in freefall, Gideon and Lincoln were fighting each other, eager to get the last hit on the other boy. The two of them could tell that they're both approaching the ground at a rapidly accelerating rate, but it still didn't stop them from resorting to petty slaps.
Strangely, before they hit the ground, Gideon and Lincoln were stopped by an invisible force. Noticing that they were still alive, they saw their bodies be surrounded the same glow that Gideon used with the amulet. Wondering who had control of the amulet at the time, they looked around for the current user of the magical item. Two sets of eyes turned to Mabel, who was floating in the air, clutching onto the amulet with her hand. To the left of her, was her fainted brother also enveloped in a greenish glow.
"Listen Gideon, it's over! I will never, ever, marry you!" declared Mabel, turning to Gideon with a stern and angry look on her face.
"Yeah!" Lincoln chimed in before he was gently lifted onto the ground by Mabel with everyone else. Knowing that such an item could be easily exploited, Mabel immediately threw it at a nearby sharp looking rock, shattering it into pieces and disappearing into green smoke.
"My POWERS!" Gideon yelled in horror upon the realisation of Mabel's intentions. He glared back at her coldly, "Oh this isn't over. This isn't the last you'll see of wittle... ol' me!"
Almost every single word in that sentence chilled her to the bone for some reason, as if he had more plots and schemes hidden. Maybe it was the way he had said it? Perhaps it was because he was walking backwards into the dark forest without taking a single eye of her? Those thoughts were replaced with comfort when he felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
"Sorry about Gideon..."
She smiled back at Lincoln, "It's alright; you guys were just protecting me."
"Thankfully, it wasn't mind-controlling earrings that Gideon was using."
Mabel looked at Lincoln confusingly which he noticed straight away.
"I'll explain tomorrow," Lincoln assured.
Mabel spoke again, "I'm just bummed out that my second boyfriend turned out to someone else entirely."
Lincoln was the one that smiled back, "We're still at the beginning of summer vacation. Maybe you'll get lucky on your third try."
Mabel laughed, "Yeah, maybe..."
Before the two of them could share anymore alone time, Mabel's brother regained consciousness, "What just happened?"
"Hey, you're back!" Mabel cheered, helping Dipper get back on his feet, "Gideon turned out to be a big meanie, and now without his magical amulet, he's powerless now! I'm just happy that you showed up here at the right time!"
"Speaking of which," Lincoln started pondering, "How did you actually get here?"
"I asked Wendy to drive me there," Mabel explained, pointing at a golf-cart where Wendy was sitting down, wearing headphones. Her eyes were fixated on the smartphone, texting and messaging her friends on the screen.
Thankfully, Wendy looked up when she saw the three kids walk up towards her, all of them looking worn out and bruised. Pulling her headphones out of her ears, she looked at them with confusion, "What happened to you three?"
"Gideon."
"Gideon."
"Yep, definitely Gideon."
"Gideon," Wendy repeated, with a lax voice, "Yeah, I never really got why people were into him in the first place. He definitively has that petty vibe to him. At least you three are still alright... mostly."
"Yeah, I'm just relieved that it's finally over," Lincoln yawned, "What is he going to now? Use his little fingers to try and tickle us to death?"
Dipper shared a laughed with Lincoln, "Oh yeah, he's powerless now! Is he going to try and guess what number we're thinking of?"
"He'll never guess what number I'm thinking of," Mabel boasted, "Negative eight! No-one will guess a negative number!"
Wendy decided to join in the kids' laughter. "Uh oh, he's planning on destruction right now," she joked, playfully tackling the three to the dirt. They toppled down to the ground but were still laughing in the midst of it, knowing that they had snatched victory once again.
Inside a dark room, Gideon was making to his replica model of the Mystery Shack, which would have looked impressive as a school art project. Next to the replica, he slowly painted each of the employees over some miniature wood dolls, making sure that he can distinguish their faces from another. It only took around an hour but by the time he was done his art was complete as he took a look at all the dolls.
Gideon grabbed the Mabel doll and spoke as if she was actually speaking, "Oh Gideon, I will never ever marry you!"
He picked up the Stan doll next, "Look at me! I'm old and smelly!"
Putting down the Stan doll, he picked up the Lincoln doll last, mocking the young boy's voice, "What are you gonna do without your amulet?!"
Gideon put the dolls down and placed them all in the Shack, except Lincoln's, which he put on a photo of a younger girl with her black hair covering her eyes and her face showing indifference. There was a red circle marked around the picture of the girl, "You'll see boy..."
He reached over and grabbed another book, which was currently open to the page that showed the amulet he lost. Gideon closed the book, revealing a yellow six-fingered hand symbol and the number two on the cover.
"You'll see..."
Author's Note: I said earlier that "The Hand That Rocks the Mabel" was a good episode but I felt if I went with the original store elements with Mabel slowly not liking Gideon and Gideon having a deep obsession with her, it would feel uninspired and lazy. That's why I went offroads a little, making Gideon more of a manipulative character with a clear motive that he wants to take the Mystery Shack from Stan. Unlike in the series where Gideon still has some sort of creepy obsession with Mabel, Gideon was clearly using her to get to the Shack. Mainly, the main plot elements of the episode hasn't changed and the outcome is still the same but the way they got to those elements were different.
Next up on the list is The Inconveniencing. I won't spoil much but the core four team of Mabel, Dipper, Lincoln and Lynn will temporarily shrink into a trio.