Thanks to those of you who read the last chapter. I love writing this story, and adding Willow (and Alex) is so much fun, and I'm glad I get to share my creation with you. Now; SHOUT OUTS!
Gamelover41592- I was trying to hit people's feels, and apparently it worked. And that was one of my fav episodes as well, so aside from the time travel technicalities, it was easy to write.
Lula Bear- Thank you, and I love it too.
Disclaimer: I only own Willow, her comments, and the adjustments to the crossbow. Everything else came from the mind of Alex Hirsch.
Mabel's POV (June 27th)
"What are we doing here?" Willow complained. She needed some parts for the crossbow, so the five of us (Her, Grunkle Stan, Soos, Dipper and I) had gone into town. Soos had brought us all to the arcade, despite Willow's complaints. "If I had known it would take this long, I would have gotten the parts myself."
"Kid, you were up until two working on that thing, then you passed out on the table," Grunkle Stan said. Willow rubbed the side of her face where she had table marks on it.
"You needed a break and this is my favorite place in Gravity Falls. Everything I know, I learned right here," Soos said, showing the three of us around. (Wendy was here so Dipper had run off with her.) "A frog taught me how to cross the street. When my house was haunted, I learned how to eat ghosts. And this thing taught me how to dance," He said, pointing at an old dancing machine.
"I been jiggin' for seven days straight!" Old Man McGucket yelled, dancing even though the machine was out of order. Willow picked up the plug and arched her eyebrow.
"Soos, really?"
"Just let him have this," Soos said, us walking around. I saw a game that had 'Insert Token' on the screen. I shrugged and put one in the machine.
"Congratulations! You win!" The machine said. I could do this all day! I thought, putting another coin in.
Dipper's POV
"DR. KARATE! YOU KILLED MY FATHER AGAIN!" My character yelled. Wendy and I were playing a game called Fight Fighters. It was pretty standard game; you controlled your character and they fought either another player or the game. But Wendy and I were having fun together and after yesterday, I wanted to have as much time with her as possible.
"HHNNGHHHH!" Wendy's character, Dr. Karate replied.
"YOU WILL TAKE THAT BAAACKKK!" My character, Rumble McSkirmish yelled, our fight beginning. We were both pretty good, but eventually I overpowered Wendy knocked out her character. "WINNERS DON'T LOSE!"
"What? You cheated!" Wendy said, glaring at me playfully.
"YOU WILL TAKE THAT BAAACK!" I said, imitating Rumble. During two player, it was best 2 out of 3, so the second round started automatically.
"I'm gonna punch the ref," Wendy said, making her character move but not hit me.
"Let's gang up on him," I said, doing moves of my own, looking as if we were really punching the ref. Eventually, she won the round with an insane combo, causing us both to laugh.
"Wendy! What's up babe?" Robbie asked us before round three could start. Come on! Every time Wendy and I hang out, he shows up! I swear, that guy is stalking her! "Yeah, just putting up some flyers for my band. I'm playing lead guitar. No biggie," he said, showing us the flyers he was hanging up.
"Are you wearing mascara?" I asked.
"It's eye paint for men," he said, putting the flyers in his hoodie. Sure…
"Hey Robbie. Dipper was showing me this great game," Wendy said excitedly.
"Yeah, yeah, sweet, sweet. How's about you sit this one out, 'kay champ?" Robbie said, taking my place at the game.
"But we just started this round," I said, trying to get in front of him.
"Whoa, hey man, relax! I'm just trying to spend a little time with my girlfriend, alright?"
"It'll just be one round," Wendy said, the two of them starting their game. A few seconds in Wendy started talking to Robbie. "So I'm going camping tomorrow with my dad and brothers so I won't be around."
"Cool, cool, WATCH OUT!" Robbie said, continuing with the game, wrapping his arm over Wendy's shoulders, glaring at me in the process. I glared back at him, then the game said exactly what I was thinking.
"Opponent sighted! Fight!"
GFF (June 28th)
"King me!" Mabel said excitedly. Her, Stan, Soos and I were playing poker and right now, Mabel was kicking our butts. She held out her cards, revealing two kings.
"Come on! She doesn't even know what we're playing!" Stan said, throwing his cards on the floor.
"Go fish?" Mabel guessed.
"It's your fault. She stinks at most games, but cards are like second nature to her," I said, shuffling the deck.
"Grunkle Stan," Willow said, walking into the room. "Do you have any small metal pieces around here? Also, can I use the blowtorch?"
"Maybe, and yes," Stan said, opening his supply cabinet. After a few seconds, he gave Willow a few metal wall hooks. "Blowtorch is in the closet in your workshop. But if you end up losing a finger, as far as your parents are concerned, I never gave you permission to use that thing."
"Got it," She said, walking back towards her workshop. She stopped in the doorway and turned back around. "Do you guys here that?" It sounded like a rock concert was being played right outside the shack.
"I think I'm picking up a radio station inside my head," Soos said confused.
"Try blinking to see if you can change the channel," Mabel said. Soos did that but we could still hear the music.
"WEEEEENDY!" Someone yelled from outside.
"Ugh, sounds like Robbie," I complained, standing up.
"He called me 'Big Dude' once. I know I'm a big dude but it kinda hurt," Soos said, rubbing his stomach.
"Robbie? Is he that jerky twerp I see making goo-goo eyes at Wendy all the time?" Stan asked us.
"That's the one. How mad would you be if I used the blowtorch to burn off his-"
"OR, I could just sic Waddles on him again!" Mabel said, interrupting Willow.
"Don't worry, I'll handle this," I said, walking outside. Robbie was in the driveway and had his guitar plugged into an amp.
"Wendy! Wendy! C'mon out girl! C'mon down!" He said, stopping when he noticed me.
"You realize she's not here right?" I asked him, crossing my arms.
"Yes!... What?" He asked, putting his guitar down.
"She's out camping with her family today. And if you listened to her for once you'd know that," I whispered the last bit, but he still heard me.
"What was that?" He growled.
"I just said she's not here," I said, backing up.
"No, no, no! You want to get into it, huh? Let's get into it, kid! You think I don't know what's been going on, huh? It's obvious you've got a thing for my girlfriend, don't you? Don't you?!"
"What? No! C'mon man!"
"Yeah, I'm sure she's just DYING to ask out a 12-year old kid who wears the exact same shorts every day. Hey, here's an idea," He pulled out his phone. "Why don't I call her right now and see if she wants to go out on a date with you?"
"Hey! Look man! Don't! You don't have to-!"
"Oh! Don't! Please man! What're you gonna do, huh? What, huh?" Just then Wendy's voice came on over his phone. I panicked and slapped the phone out of Robbie's hand, breaking it. "My phone!"
"I-I'll buy you a new one!" I offered. He grabbed my collar and lifted me up.
"You're not getting off the hook that easy!" He said, pulling his fist back.
"HEY!" Stan yelled, his head poking out of the window. "I know a fight when I see one! Stay right there!" He went back in the shack and Robbie threw me on the ground.
"You. Me. Circle Park. 3 o'clock. We finish this," Robbie said, walking away from me. I stood up and dusted off, then went back inside.
"He left! I was gonna call the boys over to place a few bets. Smart money is on skinny jeans," Stan said as I walked in, a bucket of popcorn in his arms. I started pacing back and forth, talking to myself.
"What was I thinking?! I can't fight! I've never been in a fight before! Look at these noodle arms!" I said, waving my arms around.
"Just take a frying pan and bonk him over the head! It's nature's snooze button!" Stan said.
"Boys! Why can't you just learn to hate each other in secret? Like girls do!" Mabel told me, making Stan laugh.
"Sure listen to your sister! Maybe you can share dresses too! BOOM!"
"Mabel, tell that 'hate each other in secret' thing to Pacifica and let me know how that goes," Willow said, walking into the room. "Dipper, you could just use the blowtorch."
"No way. I don't want to hurt him. Maybe he'll just forget about it. Maybe it'll all blow over," I said, calming down a bit, until Soos jumped into the conversation.
"I don't know dude. Teens are dangerous. Those hormones turn them into killing machines!" He said, me backing up.
"Really?"
"Oh yeah, dude. My cousin Reggie's friend got in a fight with a teen once. The guy broke like, all his arms, all his legs, and I think, killed him or something, I don't know. Me and Reggie were just talking about it," he said, me backing into a corner.
"I can't stay here! What if Robbie comes back?! I gotta hide!" I decided, but Stan made me think for a second.
"Look, kid. You got yourself a choice here. You can either go face him like a man, or you can hide indoors like a wimp. What'll it be?"
GFF
"Wimp it is," Soos said. He had given me a ride to the arcade. Right now he was playing a pinball game and I was hiding under it.
"C'mon Soos, Robbie's like twice my size," I said, getting up and walking around. "I mean, what will me getting myself killed accomplish? I just need to hide here until 3 o'clock passes." I looked at my watch, which read 11:30. "Ugggh, this day will never end."
"Relax dude. Just try not to think about Robbie," Soos said, walking to a different game. I nodded, then screamed when I saw a bunch of Robbie's posters on the wall. I sighed and went to the back room to play Fight Fighters.
"Stupid Robbie. Such a jerk!" I said, playing the first round. Since I was worried about Robbie, I lost the round pretty fast.
"A WINNER NEVER RUNS AWAY FROM A FIGHT!" Rumble said when the game offered me to continue.
"That's easy for you to say, you have more than one life. I wish one of these guys could fight Robbie for me," I said, about to put another coin in. I dropped it and it rolled towards the back of the machine. When I bent down to pick it up, I noticed some writing on the side of the game. I rubbed the dust off and saw that the writing was a series of moves on the game. "'To unleash ultimate power?' I do like thing that are ultimate," I said, doing the moves. "Back, back, hold, forward, back, forward, down, hold, quarter circle, forward, triple punch!" The machine shut down. "I guess that didn't work," I said, the machine coming back to life, the light ten times brighter.
"SELECT YOUR CHARACTER!" The game said, all of the characters appearing.
"Umm, Rumble McSkirmish?" I said. The screen flared and Rumble came out of the game. "Whoa! Your real? HIGH FIVE!" I said, him giving me one. I pulled my hand back fast and started rubbing it. "Dude, your pixels are really sharp! Ow!"
"GREETINGS, CHILD-BOY! I AM RUMBLE MCSKIRMISH, FROM THE U.S.A! PUNCH! KICK! PUNCH! KICK!" He said, kicking my cheek the second time.
"Ow! Coool!" I said, rubbing my cheek, Rumble looking around.
"CHANGE MACHINE! CHANGE ME INTO A POWERFUL WOLF!" Rumble said, smashing the machine.
"With Rumble around, Robbie will be so scared, I won't even need to fight him. I've got the world's greatest fighter to be my bodyguard!" I said to myself. Rumble flashed red twice.
"I need power ups!" He said, looking around.
"This is so amazing! I gotta show Soos!" I said, leading Rumble into the main room. "Soos?" I called, not seeing him. "Looks like we're walking," I told Rumble, leading him back to the shack. Surprisingly, no one said anything to us the entire way back. When we got back, Mabel was doing something with Stan and Willow was in her workshop, so I was able to get Rumble in no problem. I lead him to the kitchen and started looking through the fridge.
"We don't have any traditional power ups: turkey legs, pizza boxes or gold rings," I called over my shoulder. "How about half a taco?" I said, pulling it out and showing him.
"Place it on the floor," he said. I did and he made it disappear then reappear in his power up menu.
"I wish I could do that!" I said excitedly.
"Now I must defeat the world's greatest fight-fighters. Take me to the Soviet Union!" How old is Rumble's game?
"That's gonna be tough… for a number of reasons," I said, pulling out one of Robbie's flyers. "But I do know a fighter here in Gravity Falls."
"Maximum power?"
"His name is Robbie V. and he's kinda like my arch enemy."
"Did he kill you father?" Okay…
"He's dating the girl I like and he posts a really annoying amount of status updates."
"And then he killed your father!" Rumble said, crumpling the flyer.
"Yeah, sure. I was hoping you could scare him off for me so I don't have to fight him." Rumble started laughing.
"Your question makes my shoulders bounce! Fire ball! Uppercut! Downer-cut!" He said, doing the moves, then reaching into the fridge and pulling out a bowl of punch from the party last week. "Bowl of PUNCH!" He yelled, drinking the rest of it then breaking the bowl.
"So you'll protect me from Robbie?"
"Challenge accepted! Press start!" He said, making a start button appear. I shrugged and pushed the button, then heard footsteps.
"I think I hear my uncle. Stay perfectly still!" I told Rumble. He got in a fighting stance, but then started rocking back and forth. "I said stay still."
"This is as still as I can stay!" He replied. I lead him into the hallway, past Willow's workshop.
"HEY DIPPER!" She yelled, turning off the blowtorch and putting her goggles on her forehead. "Who's you friend?" She asked.
"Willow, Rumble McSkirmish, my new bodyguard. Rumble, this is my sister Willow."
"I'm not even gonna ask," She said, turning the blowtorch back on. I lead Rumble up to the attic, where Mabel was pacing back and forth.
"Hey Mabel. Have you met Rumble yet? He's my new bodyguard. Rumble, this is my other sister Mabel."
"The child gave me a taco!" Rumble said. Mabel grinned and started writing on a piece of paper.
"He's got a crazy voice! Say these words," she said, giving him the paper.
"Effer-vescent! Apple fritter! RIBOFLAVIN!" He said, reading the words.
"Mabel, he's not a toy. He's a fighting machine. I'm gonna get him to defend me from Robbie," I told her.
"Isn't that kinda like cheating?" She asked.
"I guess so," I said, then shrugged. "Well, I'll see you after the fight!"
"POOP! POOP AND BUTTS!" Rumble said as I lead him outside and back into town. We were walking on Main Street when Rumble started asking me questions about Robbie.
"Tell me my opponent's special moves," he said, punching the air.
"Don't worry. As soon as he sees you, he's gonna wet his pants," I replied.
"His wet pants will be no match FOR THIS!" Rumble said, waving a metal pipe around.
"Whoa! Where did you get that?"
"I punched an oil drum!"
"Trust me, you won't need that. Just give him a good scare."
"Yes…" Rumble tossed the pipe behind him and picked up a sword, swinging it around. "WITH THIS!"
"This street has really dangerous litter," I commented to myself. I looked at my watch again and saw that we still had twenty minutes until the fight was supposed to start. I lead Rumble to the park and had him punch a few trees to get warmed up. At 2:55 I took him to Circle Park and had him hide under a tree. Robbie was already there, walking back and forth. "When I snap, come out, got it?"
"I got this!" Rumble replied, cracking his knuckles. I nodded, then walked towards Robbie, the clock tower ringing three times.
"Well, well, well! Look who decided to show up! I thought you chickened out. You ready to settle this like men?" He asked me, getting into a fighting pose, his fists up.
"Look dude, I don't think you want to fight me. Let's just call this thing off before someone gets hurt," I told him, holding my hands up.
"You scared huh? Is that it?" Robbie asked me. I shrugged; I had given him a chance.
"Okay dude, you asked for it!" I said, snapping. Rumble came out and stood between me and Robbie, his fists up.
"Who's your friend? And why is he blurry?" Robbie asked, putting his fists down.
"This happens to be the greatest warrior that ever lived!" I replied cockily. Robbie just laughed.
"Yeah, right! Hey Eye Patch, what did the kid promise you? More tape for your forearms?"
"HOW CAN YOU LAUGH, WHEN YOU KILLED THIS BOY'S FATHER?!" Rumble asked him.
"Wait, what?"
"I'm giving you one last chance, back down, or this guy's gonna go nuts."
"How 'bout YOU back down kid?" Robbie said, holding his fists up again.
"You asked for it. Rumble, go ahead!" I said, backing up. Robbie laughed, then ducked, avoiding Rumble's punch by a few inches. He tried to run away but Rumble grabbed the back of his collar and lifted him in the air. "I warned you man. I didn't wanna have to do this, but you gave me no choice. Maybe now you-"
"HA HA!" Rumble laughed, throwing Robbie on the ground. I heard a very loud, very painful-sounding pop.
"Whoa! Rumble, you can stop! Robbie's had-"
"RUMBLE THROW!" Rumble said, picking Robbie up and throwing him a good twenty feet onto the metal bars.
"THAT GUY'S CRAZY!" Robbie yelled, jumping down and landing on the ground, his hands grabbing his ankle.
"FIREBALL!" Rumble yelled, shooting a fireball at Robbie. Thank God, he missed. He did hit the metal bars, but Robbie didn't get torched. Probably would have been better off to bring the blowtorch I thought, watching Robbie run away limping.
"Rumble, what the heck was that? I told you to scare him, not kill him!" I told Rumble. The anger was coming off of him so clearly a blind man could see it.
"I WILL NOT REST UNTIL THE MAN WHO DISHONORED YOU IS DESTROYED!" Rumble yelled, punching a phone pole with Robbie's poster on it. He growled and took off after Robbie.
"This isn't good," I said, running after them. I kept track of Rumble through the park, but once he got into town, I lost him. I decided to go to the most likely place he would be; Barrels and Crates Inc. Sure enough, I could see flashes and hear cracking wood coming from inside.
"Chill out man! Just chill out!" Robbie yelled, climbing out of a broken window and starting down a fire escape. Rumble followed him out and grabbed a barrel, throwing it at him. It missed and splintered into pieces right in front of me.
"Rumble, you've gotta stop!" I yelled up. He started throwing barrels down the fire escape, Robbie jumping over them like Donkey Kong. Robbie got down and ran past me, looking behind him.
"CONTROL YOU'RE FRIEND!" Robbie yelled as Rumble got down and started chasing him.
"Rumble wait!" I yelled, taking off. "You don't have to do this! At least pace yourself…" I stopped when I got a cramp, the took off again. I'm a pretty good runner when I can pace myself, but sprinting over long distances makes me get tired fast. I was able to keep up with them for a bit, but eventually I started losing ground.
"ALL YOU CAN EAT!" I heard Rumble yell. I saw a bunch of people getting barbecue, but the grill had been smashed. I grabbed a water from someone's hand, drank half then poured the rest on my head. I got caught back up, but then had to stop on the corner. I was about to start running again, but stopped when I heard a car honking.
"Hey Dipper!" Soos said, pulling up in in his pick-up.
"Soos, where've you been?" I asked him, leaning into the truck.
"Long story dude!" Soos said pointing at the game frame around his neck. Then he pointed down the street in the direction Rumble went. "Dude, did you see that video game guy tearing up everything in sight?"
"Yeah, I sorta kinda brought him to life to be my bodyguard. But now I have to stop him before he kills Robbie!" I told Soos, knowing he would help me. Soos reached over and opened the door.
"You need an amiable sidekick with a pickup truck?" He asked.
"You know I do," I said, getting into the truck. Soos started driving, border-line getting pulled over. Good news was that it was easy to follow them. Rumble had destroyed most of everything he passed, so we were able to easily follow them to the water tower.
"Time to save the day dude," Soos told me as I jumped out of his truck. I nodded and ran over to Rumble who was standing under the water tower, which was where Robbie had 'hidden.'
"YOU CAN HIDE BUT YOU CANNOT HIDE!" Rumble yelled, kicking the water tower.
"Of course not! This thing is on stilts!" I heard Stan yell. I looked up and saw him and Mabel on the balcony, both holding onto the railing in a death grip. The tower started rocking even harder, making Robbie fall off the tower. Just before he hit the ground, Rumble grabbed his hoodie, holding him off the ground.
"FINISH HIM!" Someone said. Rumble started making a fireball. I looked on the ground and picked up a coin, throwing it at Rumble's head. He vaporized his fireball and turned around.
"RUMBLE!" I yelled, throwing the two planks I made a cut scene with behind me. "Rumble, I have something to tell you! Robbie… Robbie didn't kill my father."
"HUUUUUUUUUUH? Then who did?" He asked me.
"What? No! No one! I-I lied to you," I said, knowing this was going to go south.
"Well then you're actually a BAD GUY!"
"I guess I kinda am…" I trailed off and got myself ready to fight. Rumble hung Robbie's hood on a tree branch, then hung his head, his voice coming from somewhere.
My entire journey, a lie! My honor has been disgraced! Sensei warned me not to join the path of evil... the boy has led me astray! Rumble lifted his head up and glared at me. "If Robbie V. is not the last stage then it must be YYYYYOOOOOUUUUU!" He yelled, making a start button appear next to me.
"Don't fight him dude!" Soos yelled, running up to me. "That's guys got a black belt wrapped around his black belt. You could get killed!"
"I have to. I started all this and I've got to at least try to stop it," I said, my head hanging down. I had decided I would do whatever it takes to defeat Rumble after he took things too far in the park. Was I going to die? Probably, but I knew as soon as he won, the game would be over.
"You sure you don't wanna hide like a wimp?" Soos asked. I punched out my fist and hit the start button, simultaneously signing my death warrant. "Fight like a man it is."
I looked up and saw health bars fill up above us. I held up my fists, then matched Rumble's fighting pose. "FIGHT!" The announcer said, the two of us charging at each other.
Rumble conjured up a fireball and threw it at me. I stepped to the side and didn't get scorched. Rumble and I were within arm's length when he shot out his foot, kicking me in the chest. I collapsed on the ground, my health bar going down at least 20%.
"YOU FIGHT LIKE A GIRL WHO IS ALSO A BABY!" Rumble said, laughing. I stood up and ran at him, giving him an uppercut to the jaw.
"Yes!" I said, shaking my hand and watching his health bar. I thought it would go down a lot, but it only went half a percent. "Oh no," I said, running away. I turned around and saw Soos climbing a tree, trying to make Rumble's health go down more. That guy is so… oh shit! I realized Rumble was coming after me, a fireball ready to throw. I turned back around and started climbing a tree, the fireball barley missing me. I sat on a branch and looked down to see Rumble pacing around below me.
"I HAVE NO LOOKING UP ANIMATION!" He exclaimed, trying to look up. After a few seconds, he fell backwards and landed flat on the ground.
"Dude, that was awesome!" Soos said, holding his arms up to help me down. I jumped off and Soos put me down right next to Rumble, who was trying to punch our legs.
"Thanks man. You think I should roll him up and out him on my wall?"
"Dude, we should rock paper scissors for him!" Soos said, holding his hand out. We were about to, but then Rumble started making it rain fists. Soos ran for cover, but I stayed to see this fight through to the end.
"NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THAT I HAVE PUNCHES!" Rumble yelled, standing up and lighting himself on fire, punching me repeatedly. "SUPER POWER NINJA TURBO NEO ULTRA HYPER MEGA MULTI ALPHA META EXTRA UBER PREFIX... COMBO!" He yelled, making my health bar go down all the way.
"You sir, truly are the greatest fighter ever," I mumbled, curled up on the ground. I sat up, which hurt A LOT, and Rumble held out his hand in a peace sign.
"WINNERS DON'T LOSE!" He said, excitedly. I stood up and smirked at his back.
"Wouldn't be too sure about that man," I said. The announcer ended the game, making Rumble disintegrate into pixels. "Game over, old friend," I said, dusting off. Somehow, I don't think I broke anything. Aside from bruises and my already black eye, I don't think there was any major damage.
I looked up and saw a score entry bar in the air. I spun the letter entry to spell out DIP. "Nice one dude!" Soos said, running up to me.
"Thanks man," I said, starting to walk to Robbie. I had to stop when my ankle gave out.
"You good dude?" Soos asked me, helping me stand up.
"I-I think so," I said, trying to walk again. I was able to take three steps before I had to stop. Soos lifted me up and put me on his back, carrying me over to Robbie. I got down and limped over to Robbie, who had gotten his hood off the tree.
"What was that? Who was that guy?! Why is it that whenever your around there's always ghosts or monsters or whatever?!" Robbie yelled at me.
"I don't know man," I replied, getting ready to fight again.
"That guy almost broke my neck! You know how mad I am right now?!" He yelled. I shook my head, then got ready for what was coming.
"So I guess you and I have to fight now, huh? Go ahead, man. Do your worse. I just want to get this over with," I said. Anything he did wouldn't be worse than Rumble, and I was already beaten up anyway.
"Oh man, I am so going to enjoy this!" Robbie said, raising his fist. He didn't hit me yet, lowering his fist a few inches. "Aren't you gonna run?"
"Nope," I replied. Not like I could run even if I wanted to.
"Are you sure?" He asked. I nodded, then he put his fist down. "It's not even worth it! I play lead guitar so I gotta save my hands."
"Hey guys!" Someone yelled from behind me. I turned around and saw Wendy walking up to us, a camping pack on her shoulders. "I heard some crazy screaming back here."
"You're back already?" I asked. I honestly thought she would have been gone longer.
"Yeah man. Now what the heck happened here? Freak tornado or something?" She asked. I turned back around and saw that there were at least three fires and the water tower was leaning more than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
"Um, sure! Tornado!" Robbie and I said, both thinking it was easier then telling her the truth.
"And why are your faces all jacked up? You guys weren't fighting each other, were you? I hate it when guys fight," Wendy said, glaring at us questioningly.
"Fighting, us? No! Why would we be fighting? Never!" Robbie exclaimed, trying to cover for us. Wendy still looked unconvinced, so I said the first thing that came to my mind.
"We actually got this beaten up trying to stop two other guys from fighting each other," I said, looking at Robbie to tell him to keep it quiet. He nodded and smiled, Wendy looking like she finally believed us.
"Cool! It really makes me happy to see my two boys hanging out. I got some unpacking to do. I'll text you guys later," She said, kissing Robbie and rubbing my head, then walking back to her dad's truck.
"She called me one of her two boys!" I said excitedly.
"She was looking at me though," Robbie growled at me. I sighed, wanting to end this.
"Look, Robbie, if we stay at each other's throats, we're both gonna lose Wendy. We need to make a cold war pact," I told him, crossing my arms.
"Okay, what's that?" He asked me, a confused look on his face, but honestly, I didn't blame him.
"We need to learn to hate each other in silence," I elaborated. His face cleared for a few seconds, but then I different look came over.
"You mean, like what girls do?" He asked me. I nodded, glad we were making some progress with our rivalry.
"Yeah, what girls do."
GFF
That afternoon, Wendy, Robbie and I were hanging out in the gift shop. Wendy was brushing her hair and telling us about her camping trip.
"…So then I told my brother, 'Hey, save some for the rest of us!'" She said, Robbie and I laughing. We stopped when she dropped her brush. "Aw man. Just a sec."
As soon as she couldn't see us, Robbie and I started glaring at each other. He mimicked cutting my head off, and I gestured 'You're going down.'
"So as I was saying…" Wendy said, standing back up. Robbie and I started acting like nothing was happening. Yeah, this could work I thought, smiling to myself. "I told him to save some for us, but then he started-"
"I GOT IT! I GOT IT! IT WORKS! Guys, come check this out!" Willow yelled from outside. She had started testing her crossbow about a half hour ago, and by the sound of it, she got everything figured out.
"What's she talking about?" Robbie asked us, standing up.
"She's been adjusting a crossbow for a few days," I told him.
"She gets really into this stuff, so it should be epic," Mabel added, Stan following behind her.
"Dibs on using it first!" Wendy said, running outside, the rest of us following her.
Willow's POV
"Okay kid, how's this gonna work?" Stan asked me. I had three targets set up at 30, 50, and 70 yards away. I was impressed with everything I had done, and it all worked perfectly.
"So, this part here," I said, pointing to the compartment I had added next to the trigger. "Right now, I only have five in there, but it can hold up to seven bolts at once."
"Okay, that'll be useful," Wendy said, looking at it closer. I pulled the string back and got it set up at the latch, loading a bolt I had in my hand.
"Now watch the compartment," I said, pulling the trigger and letting the bolt fly. The bolt went in the bullseye of the closest target, but that was normal for me. A small pusher knocked the next bolt onto a shelf attached to the crossbow.
"Okay, that was pretty cool kid," Stan said, smiling a bit.
"You ain't seen nothin' yet. Give me three numbers between one and ten."
"Six!" Dipper called out.
"One!" Mabel added.
"Eight," Robbie finished.
"Got it. 618 in 30, 50 and 70."
"Hold up kid. That thing only fires 40 yards max," Stan told me. I smirked at him.
"Used to. Watch," I said, firing the bolt that had come out into ring 6 of the closest target, the next bolt coming out.
"I extended each limb and moved the latch to fit it. As far as possible, this thing can go to almost 80 yards easily," I told them, pulling the string back and loading the bolt. I got the original sight lined up, then fired the bolt into ring 1 on the middle target.
"Willow, you are really good at this," Mabel told me.
"Last number was eight, right?" I asked, getting to crossbow adjusted to fire at the farthest target. They nodded and I fired, everything going off exactly how I planned. They all started applauding, but I stopped them. "Hold up! I still have two bolts. See that branch with only one leaf?" I asked them. They nodded and I made the other sight pop up.
"I added another sight to make more accurate shots," I told them, getting the bolt loaded. I got both sights lined up, aiming at the leaf. I fired and tore the leaf off the branch, the bolt landing in the tree behind it.
"What's the last bolt for?" Dipper asked me. I smiled because this was my favorite change I had made. I have never tried what I was about to do, but I had complete confidence in myself.
"This!" I told him, making a small mirror pop up. I loaded my final bolt, then started getting everything lined up. "Triangle of the A on the sign."
The triangle was about three feet per side, which would be easy firing facing it. But I was aiming backwards. I got everything lined up, held my breath, and fired.
"Whoa!" "Hot Belgian Waffles!" "How'd you do that?" "Willow, you're amazing at this!" "Can I try?" They said clapping, looks of awe on their face. I spun around and did a small bow, letting out the breath I hadn't realized I was still holding.
"Merci, instinct, I know, and yes," I said, handing the crossbow to Wendy and showing her how everything worked.
For the next hour, each of them took turns using the crossbow. Wendy and Stan picked it up fast, Robbie and Dipper had small troubles but were pretty good, and Mabel… Let's just say she should continue with her grappling hook training. Wendy and Robbie left, then Dipper, Mabel, Stan and I went back inside, going to bed early. It had been a long day for all of us.
"Wills, you okay?" Dipper asked me as I got in bed.
"Yeah, why?" I replied, confused about what he was talking about.
"I thought the crossbow thing was a distraction from…" He trailed off, not wanting to upset me.
"Okay, yeah, sorta. It started out as a distraction, but I had a lot of fun with it. I like doing that kind of thing. I'm thinking about fixing up some of Stan's old exhibits."
"So you're good?" Mabel asked, walking into the room. I nodded.
"I still miss him, but I'm better now, and I'm gonna be fine," I told them. Mabel nodded and jumped in bed, Dipper turning out the light. I laid there for a few seconds, thinking everything over. Just to show them I was okay, I whispered, "I'm armed now, so watch your back."
"Sure thing, creepy," Dipper replied. I fell asleep with a smile on my face, glad things were getting back to what passes for normal in this town.
I know Willow wasn't in this chapter much, but I'm proud of the part I added at the end. And it definitely helped me get a few things set up for future chapters. The hardest part about adding Willow is making sure Alex Hirsch's plotline still fits with three people instead of two. Anyway, please leave a review, tell me what you thought, and I promise, Willow will be back to her old creepy self in the next chapter.