All characters from Disney and other properties are owned by their respectful owners. The OCs made here are written entirely for the story. Enjoy the fic.
Chapter 97: Those Gravity Falls Kids
Years ago…
Inside the Mystery Shack, Stan Pines was showing some tourists around.
"And over here is a model of a mysterious creature that may or may not exist," Stan said, showing a stitched up unicorn with a turtle shell.
The tourists were wowed by the display, while one particular redhead in a green hoodie and jeans was amongst the crowd.
"What's that? I hear the spirits are calling… from the gift shop!" Stan pointed to the gift shop.
The tourists headed for the gift shop, saved for the one red head girl, who walked up to Stan. "E-Excuse me, Mr. Mystery."
"Huh? Oh what do you need, kid?" Stan asked her. "The tour's over, so why don't you go find your parents in the gift shop… have your dad buy you a doll or something."
"Oh, um… my dad isn't here," she responded. "And… my mom…" She looked down sadly, shifting her eyes. Stan noticed this. "Everyone in town says you're some kind of weird, magic guy. You wouldn't happen to have a crystal ball, or something like that would you… please?"
"Oh…" Stan realized what this girl meant. "Um… look kid, I don't think I can help you with something like that… but, I think I do know what can cheer you up… be right back!"
As the young girl waited, Stan came back with a bag of popsicles. "Here, one of the kind Pinecicles! Good when kept refrigerated."
"These look like the on-brand ones…" she said while looking closely. "How much do I owe you?"
"It's on the house, kid," Stan reassured her.
Later, Stan and the girl were enjoying their pinesicles outside.
"So you got a name, kid?" Stan asked.
"Wendy Corduroy," she responded.
"Corduroy? Oh, you're Manly Dan's kid." Stan realized.
"Yeah, I got my mom's looks," Wendy confirmed.
"So uh, what was your mom like, kid?" Stan asked her.
"Well… she wasn't a redhead like my dad and brothers, she was a brunette," Wendy described. "She was kind and gentle, but also very tough. She once challenged dad to see who can chop down the most firewood!"
Stan just nodded and let the girl talk about her mother for a bit while he listened. And after being allowed to just talk about her mother and all the good memories she had of her, Wendy felt… better.
After their talk, little Mason showed up. "Hey Grunkle Stan, we made a lot at the Shack today," he said before he noticed Wendy. "Who's this?"
"Oh, Mason, this is Wendy Corduroy," Stan introduced. "Wendy, meet my grandnephew, Mason Pines."
"Hi," Mason greeted her.
"Hey," Wendy replied. "Whoa, is your birthmark the shape of the Big Dipper?"
"Uh, yeah…" Mason replied shyly.
"That is so cool!" Wendy commented, which made Mason look surprised.
"You think it's cool and not… weird?" Mason asked her.
"Weird? I'm the tallest girl in class and people think I'm weird," Wendy states while handing him a pinesicle. "Pinesicle?"
"Sure," Mason responded as he joined Wendy and Stan for a Pinesicle.
And that was how they met.
Years later, Wendy had become a teenager and was given a dilemma by her dad.
"Come on, dad, I don't want to go to lumber camp!" Wendy complained to her father, who was chopping down a tree.
"You're leaving tomorrow," Manly Dan responded firmly.
"Why?" she asked him.
"Because I don't want you to go hanging around with those teenagers all day!" he told her.
"But I don't wanna work at Steve's Logging Camp, that place is freaking creepy," Wendy pointed out. "Do you really want me to cut down trees all summer?"
As Manly Dan stopped chopping, he grabbed the tree with his gloved hands. "Fine, you can stay but only if you can get a job by tomorrow."
"But that's impossible!" Wendy responded. "I already got fired by, like, half of the stores in town stores."
"That's your problem," Dan told her while carrying the large tree. "Either get a job or spend the whole summer at the logging camp."
Wendy frowned, wondering how she was ever gonna get a job at the last minute. There was no way she could find a job by tomorrow… unless…
"So you wanna work here?" Stan asked Wendy when she came to him for a job. "Well, I have been looking for a new cashier for the summer, since I can't use free child labor anymore from Mason…"
"So I got the job?" Wendy asked him.
"Sure, why not," Stan said with a shrug.
"Alright! Thanks, Stan!" Wendy fist pumped as she rushed out of his office. "Yo, Little Dip! Soos! I got the job!"
"Awesome/That's great, Wendy!" Mason and Soos congratulated while Stan just shrugged some more.
"I hope I don't regret this…" Stan said.
Sometime later, Wendy was enjoying working at the Shack. But then her rebel streak caught up with her after she had her talk with her dad.
"Wendy, I don't know what I'm gonna do with you," Manly Dan said while Wendy just sat back without looking into his eyes. "You keep getting into trouble, you keep breaking into places, and you keep hanging out with these hoodlums! Unless you set yourself straight, you're grounded!"
Wendy gave her dad a scowl, ticked off as she left. "I'm going to work."
While at the Mystery Shack, Wendy tried to look discreet. She knew it was wrong, but she still wanted to take a few items from the Shack for herself. So she snuck some chocolate bars and snow globes into her jacket…
"Hey Wendy," spoke up Stan, which caused her to get startled. "Come to my office…"
Wendy realized that she was in deep trouble now…
Wendy sat in Stan's office.
"Wendy, we gotta talk," Stan told her. "I saw you… shoplifting. I see you stealing candy bars, and snow globes from the shack-"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Pines! I'm so, so sorry!" Wendy exclaimed in a panic. "I know that I'm in a lot of trouble, but please don't fire me-"
"Fire you? No, no, you got a gift, Wendy!" Stan pointed out. "You're one of the best lifters I've ever seen!"
"Wait, what?" Wendy asked in shock.
"You and me… all my life, I've been waiting to find someone who's as good at pick-pocketing as I am! Don't you realize that with your talents, we can go out there, knocking down banks or something? But you're not ready just yet, no I gotta train your gift!"
"A… wow, thanks, Mr. Pines! I didn't think this would turn out like this," Wendy replied.
And so, Stan trained Wendy in all the stuff she needed to know in the arts of small-time crookery. Such as having her learn how to snatch a purse, break the locks out of her own bike, hot-wiring a car, cracking a case, and stealing hot dogs on a stick at the mall, with Stan distracting the shop owner while Wendy snuck in to hit up on the hot dogs.
It was up to the point where Wendy was able to show how good she was getting by stealing Stan's hat from him.
"Well Wendy, I think all this training is really paying off," Stan declared. "You're becoming a real small-time crook."
"Yeah, thanks to you, Mr. Pines!" Wendy shouted, feeling ambitious. "But enough of all of that small-time crook stuff, I say we should go do something big!"
"Big? What do you have in mind?" Stan asked while Wendy slapped a map down.
"I say, we pull out the biggest heist in our crooked career," Wendy said while all determined. "We're going to steal the diamond from the Gravity Falls History Museum! Think about it, Stan, once we have this shiny baby, we're going to split the pieces and wear it around our necks to look like we own the boats!"
"Whoa, Wendy, I think you're starting to scare me a little!" Stan shifted his hands in worry. "Are you crazy?"
"Oh you think I'm crazy? But are you in?" Wendy asked.
"Well… I'm in for the money, yes I'm in!" Stan declared.
Soon at the Gravity Falls History Museum, Stan and Wendy were doing their heist. However, due to Stan's age, things didn't go so well. He ended up falling and throwing out his back.
"Stan!" Wendy rushed to his aid. "Are you okay?"
"Wendy, you gotta steal that diamond for me!" Stan told her while hearing security coming in.
Wendy went through the red security lights to get to that diamond. She wasn't going to give up on the heist. However, she then saw that Blubs and Durland had shown up, spotting her when she was about to get the diamond.
"Freeze or we'll be forced to tase you!" Blubs declared.
"Zap, zap! We're mad with power!" Durland said while raising his tasers.
Wendy saw them coming to her, but she managed to jump over them and knock them down, using a tapestry to wrap them up. She then swooped in and grabbed the diamond.
"Ha!" she declared, raising the diamond. "Heist succes-"
ZAAP!
Wendy got tased by another member of security and a volunteer, Toby Determined.
"Ms. Corduroy, come with me," Toby said.
Later on, Wendy was sitting behind bars at the Gravity Falls police station. Blubs was in front of the holding cell.
"Well Corduroy, you've outdone yourself," Blubs said. "We're gonna call your dad about this."
"What?! No, please don't call my dad!" Wendy begged. "He can't find out about this!" She then noticed Stan coming in, walking up to Blubs and Durland.
"Hey cops, um, listen, there's something you should know," Stan spoke up. "See, this girl? She was actually working for me this whole time. This wasn't her idea, I'm the mastermind okay? I'm the guy who wanted to steal that diamond!" He raised his hands up. "Now take me away, she wishes that she was a master thief like me."
The two cops looked at each other and shrugged. "Well, I guess we'll just switch prisoners," Blubs said.
"Yup. Wendy Corduroy, you're free to go," Durland replied before turning to Stan. "Stan Pines, you're under arrest for trying to steal from the Gravity Falls Historical Museum… again."
And so Wendy was out, while Stan took her place in the cell.. She turned to him with a confused look.
"Wait… why did you do that for me?" Wendy asked him. "You'd have to be here for, like, days?"
Stan looked at Wendy and sighed. "Look, I've come to basically realize that… well, I'm old, like, I-I-I already had a life. But you, you can still make a choice to not be an idiot like me! Okay, you got quick fingers, but use it to play an instrument or something. Stop stealing or else you'll get trapped. You have a whole life ahead. Don't ruin it like I have."
Wendy listened and took a good look at her own hands. She then looked up at Stan with a smile and raised her fist up. "Fist bump?"
Stan smiled as he reached out to bump fists with Wendy.
Wendy was on the couch, talking to her therapist, Dr. Andrews.
"Me and Stan sometimes didn't always see eye to eye, but he was still looking out for me," Wendy admitted while looking down. "When I was a kid, he listened to me when I needed someone to talk to and my dad had closed himself off to me because of his grief. And if it weren't for Stan, I'd have ended up being so much worse. I decided to use my fast fingers to play the banjo once in a while, channel my stress and whenever my dad annoys me… I have Stan to thank for." She sighed. "I… I miss him… I may not show it like Dipper and Soos, but I really do miss him."
"I don't doubt that, Wendy." spoke Dr. Pamela Andrews, a woman with fair skin, black hair tied to a bun, blue piercing eyes, and red lips. She wore a red blazer jacket with a maroon shirt, a teal gemstone around her neck, red suit pants, and black heel boots. Next to her chair was an umbrella with a parrot at the end of the handle. "But we all have different ways of showing it, since loss is something we all process differently."
"It's not just Stan that I'm concerned about," Wendy admitted. "Soos has been coping… in his own way. Like, he actually saved as many of the Mystery Shack's attractions as he could. I have no idea what he intends to do with them all though. And Dipper… god, ever since Mabel was forced to leave, he has been devastated. Yeah, he has Ford to watch over him, but he's still a complete stranger to him… a stranger to us."
Dr. Andrews nodded. "In regards to Mabel, how do you feel about her leaving?"
"Bummed out," Wendy responded sadly, though her sadness quickly morphed into anger. "I'm just so… bummed while at the same time mad about how awful her parents are not just to her, but to Mason, their son, who they refused to acknowledge! Like, crap, how the hell does Mabel put up with them?" She looked down again. "Her and Dipper deserve so much better than this… I wish I could do something…" she said while rustling her hair.
"But you can," Dr. Andrews pointed out. "Just by being there in the lives of Dipper, Soos, and those you care about can make a difference. Rather than feel helpless, think about what you can do for your friends. I think you may surprise yourself."
Wendy gave thought to this while looking at her own hands.
After her session, Wendy walked out of Dr. Andrews' office and gave a sigh. She turned around and her eyes widened in shock. "You've gotta be kidding me…"
"Hello Wendy, have we formally met?" asked the familiar, white haired young boy known as Gideon Gleeful, who appeared in his orange jumpsuit uniform and handcuffs. Accompanying him was a guard.
"Gideon Gleeful," Wendy said. "I'm surprised to see you… shouldn't you be still in juvie?"
"Oh this is just a regular thing," Gideon responded. "I'm forced to attend these mandatory therapy sessions with good ol' Dr. Andrews." He looked up to Wendy with a smile. "But don't you worry about wittle ol' me, Wendy, I don't have much of conflict with you."
Wendy gave him a suspicious look. "We'll see about that," she said while hearing Dr. Andrews.
"Gideon Gleeful, you may enter."
"See ya, Wendy!" Gideon said as he entered the office. Wendy gave him a look before she turned around and left.
At Northwest Manor, in Pacifica's room, she was shown texting Mabel with a secret phone while hugging her llama sweater.
Paz: Hey, how's California?
Mabs: Still grounded.
Mabs: I miss you. 3.
Paz: Corny, but cute.
Mabs: LOL! 3!
Seeing these texts made Pacifica smile. Even though they were far apart, she and Mabel still made time to text each other as much as they could. She then heard footsteps, which caused her to text Mabel that she had to go. She hid both the phone and the sweater in her bed before she heard a knock on the door.
"Pacifica?"
"Yes, Chapman?" Pacifica asked as the door opened, revealing her butler.
"Your father is waiting for you in the dining room," Chapman responded, causing Pacifica to frown.
"I'll be down," Pacifica replied before she left her room and headed for the dining hall.
Once she made it there, Preston along with Priscilla looked at her. "Ah, Pacifica… sit down and eat," he told her harshly. The young blonde girl did as she was told and she started to eat.
She looked up as she noticed the awkward tension hovering over the table as they all ate together in silence. Pacifica looked sternly at her father before turning to her mother, who had also noticed the tension.
"So… I have looked at my stories today and you wouldn't believe what the Skardavian sisters did that caused their father to get mad at them," Priscilla joked, but Preston wasn't in the mood. She looked down in silence as she continued to eat.
It had been like this since the party. After Preston recovered from the scare Amity pulled on him, the man had become more distant. His silence kinda terrified Pacifica as she found him more unpredictable now. She feared retaliation. Suddenly, Preston stopped eating and spoke up.
"Pacifica," he spoke to her. "There may be a chance for you to redeem yourself for the party."
Pacifica looked up at her dad. "Um… what do you need, dad?"
Preston began to explain. "The mayor of Gravity Falls as we know has recently passed away… so now it appears that the town needs a new mayor…"
Meanwhile, at Soos's residence, Dipper was working on a new dungeon.
"Alright, maybe a little of here, and… oh, maybe this!" Dipper said while making a few notes and occasionally petting Waddles, who sat next to him.
"Dipper, your friends are here!" Abuelita announced.
Dipper looked up, taking a break from his dungeon math homework. Heading into the living room, he was surprised to see who was here. "Candy? Grenda?"
"Hey Dipper!" Grenda greeted as Candy waved to him.
"We're here to check up on how you're doing," Candy explained.
"Oh, I'm doing great. I'm actually planning on making a dungeon for me and Ford's next game," Dipper responded before realizing what he had said. "I-I-I mean, I've been doing… engineering with Ford to do some… cool science… stuff." He looked embarrassed of himself as he turned around to reprimand himself in a whisper. "Engineering? Seriously Mason?!"
"Um… okay, me and Grenda came over to ask you if you'd like to hang out with us in town for the day," Candy told him.
"You two want to hang out with me?" Dipper asked them, looking unsure. "I-I don't know, we never hung out without Mabel before…"
"We know that it won't be the same without Mabel, but it doesn't mean we can't still be friends," Candy pointed out, walking over to him and patting his shoulder.
"Yeah, and Mabel wouldn't want her gal pals to leave her twin brother alone, would she?" Grenda asked while Dipper looked at the two.
"Yeah, Mabel wouldn't want us to not hang out just because she is no longer around," Dipper admitted before giving a smile. "I guess I could use an outing, don't know how long I've been cooped up in here…"
"Then it's settled," Candy nodded. "Let's go out and see if we can solve any more mysteries in this town!"
"Yeah! And possibly rewrite history!" Grenda cheered.
"Yeah, woo-hoo!" Dipper said, awkwardly while near Candy. He then whispered to himself. "Why did I say that?!"
"Are you okay, Dipper?" Candy asked him.
"Oh um… just um… let's head into town!" Dipper said.
Vee was in her human form as she looked at herself in the mirror, trying different colors while her dads gave her some input.
"I was thinking of going green," Vee said as she changed her hair to green. "But then I thought of purple." Her hair changed purple. "And then I wondered if I could change into a redhead like Wendy." She shifted her hair to red. "I just want to try something different. What do you guys think?"
"Well, pick whatever you think suits you, Vee," Blubs encouraged.
"That's right, like back when I was young I used to have a blond mullet," Durland explained. "I was a real bad boy with that hair."
"Blond…" Vee turned to look at herself in the mirror, changing her hair into blonde. "Wow, I think I could look good as one. Although…" She added some blue tips to her blond hair, reminiscent of her Basilisk look. "What do you think?"
"Perfect!" they declared.
"Blond with blue tips, now that's a good combo," Blubs told her.
"Yeah, you got the look better than I could, Vee!" Durland encouraged.
"Thanks, dads!" Vee replied as she hugged them. "Oh, I should get going. My friends are waiting for me at the pool"
"Have fun, me and Durland will be heading for city hall," Blubs said as they all started to leave.
"Good luck!" Vee told them as she headed for the pool.
Over at the public pool, the Gatesfield teens, along with Abigail and Nora, had made it there and saw a banned poster with an image of Luz on the fence.
"Man, is there no place this girl has never been banned from around here?" asked Masha, who was wearing a black swim top with transparent sleeves, black swim shorts, and sandals.
"Yeah, sometimes I worry about that," Clara said while in a pink one piece with a butterfly on it. She was carrying a beach towel and was wearing pink sandals.
"… I don't know if I should blame Eda for this," Abigail said while in her blue one piece with a white jacket, a sunhat, sunglasses, and green sandals.
"Where's Vee? She's supposed to meet up with us," Gus G. asked while in a white short-sleeve jacket with black trunks and sandals.
"I'm sure she's coming," Nora assured him while in a black two piece with sunglasses, blue jacket, and black sandals.
"Over here, guys!" Vee shouted as she rushed over after having shifted into a yellow swim top and swim shorts with sandals while carrying her beach towel.
"Vee! Nice dye job, you look good as a blond," Masha complimented..
"Thanks, I've been meaning to try something new," Vee responded.
Clara just gave an envious look, which Gus noticed. "Wait, are you jealous?"
"Shut up, Gus," Clara seethed at him, causing Gus to back away.
"We will have the pool to ourselves for the day, thanks to Poolcheck," Vee explained.
"Poolcheck?" Dana and Rudo asked. Dana was in a white shirt with blue jean shorts and sandals, while Rudo wore a towel around his neck and purple trunks and sandals.
"Vee!" spoke up Poolcheck, who opened the pool gate. "I'm going ahead to head out to City Hall, so you'll be in charge around here. If there's any sign of trouble, just blow this whistle and I'll be on my way. I will hear it, no matter where I am."
"You can count on me, sir!" Vee said as she saluted him.
"Excellent," Poolcheck said with a smile as he saluted back to her. Before he was off, he gave an intense glare towards the Gatesfield teens, which startled the five of them.
"Um hey, I'm Nora and this is Abigail, we're the chaperones here and it's nice to meet you, sir." Nora greeted him. "We'll make sure they stay out of trouble."
"They better…" he declared with an intense look, before heading out at high speeds.
"That guy's in charge here?" Dana asked with a little fear.
"Is he a Marine or something?" Gus asked.
"Poolcheck can be a little intense, but he is just looking out for everyone's safety," Vee replied, "But now, let's go in and have some fun!"
"Yeah!" they all cheered.
"After we go over the pool rules!" Vee added.
"Aww…" they all groaned.
After going over the pool rules, Vee, the Gatesfield teens, and the moms enjoyed their time at the pool. Abigail and Nora sat in pool chairs, watching the kids play and hang out.
"Careful Gus! Remember your swimming lessons!" Nora said with worry while Gus just splashed around.
"I'm doing fine, mom! Sheesh," he said while Rudo did a cannonball near him. "Ah! Rudo!"
Hanging at the side of the pool, Vee chatted with Masha, with Clara joining in. "So how do you know that guy?" Masha asked her.
"Well, around the time I first came here, I lived with the Multi-Bear," Vee explained. "After I got a human disguise, I started sneaking in here at night to cool off in the summer heat and I found and befriended a mermaid named Mermando."
"Mermando? That kinda sounds a little on the nose…" Clara pointed out.
"Yeah, he says it's a family name," Vee replied. "He was trapped here, so I helped him get back to the water and since then I've occasionally received messages from him, letting me know that he made it back to his family and that he is doing alright. Last I hear, he's getting married." She pulled out a photo of Mermando getting married to the Queen of the Manatees. "They look so beautiful, don't you think?"
Masha and Clara looked at the photo, then shared an odd look.
"Anyway, Poolcheck caught me after that, but he let me work here to make up for the equipment I damaged," Vee continued to explain. "I think he kinda has a soft spot for me…"
Later, Dana closed her eyes while swimming around trying to catch the others with her eyes shut, even Nora and Abigail joining in. "Marco…"
"Polo!" Gus called out.
"Marco?" Dana reached around.
"Polo!" Nora called out while avoiding Dana.
"Marco?" Dana asked as she felt some bars.
"Polo…" said a voice she didn't recognize.
Dana opened her eyes and saw a young boy behind bars in the side of the pool. Everyone turned to see the Pool Jail Kid.
"Uh… why are you in there?" Gus questioned.
"I'm in solitary," Pool Jail kid explained. "I use a skewer to operate the nearby vending machine. The nights are the hardest…"
Nora looked at the boy in concern. "Where are your parents…?!"
"This town really is something…" Abigail said with a tired sigh.
Later at the vending machine, Vee handed Masha some drinks. "Here you go."
"Thanks," Masha responded. "You know, I like blondes and I think you are really pulling off that look, especially the blue tips."
"Thanks, I just wanted to try something new with my shape-shifting abilities," Vee replied.
Masha smiled, then looked at her own soda. "It must be really cool… getting to change into anything or anyone you like to be. Any… person that makes you feel more comfortable in your own skin."
"Uh, yeah, that's pretty much the gist of it," Vee nodded, looking at Masha and noticing her look. "Are you alright?"
"Oh, I'm fine! Don't worry about me," Masha responded before a question popped into her head. "So… Basilisks can change into any form they like, right?"
"Yeah," Vee replied.
"Can they also change… gender?" Masha asked her.
"Oh, um… well, we can change into people of the opposite gender," Vee said as she changed into Gus G. "I can even change my voice to the person I'm disguising myself as." She then changed back. "But it's not that often that I do it."
"So… do you ever feel different when disguising yourself as a boy instead of a girl?" Masha asked her. "Or, if you feel like you have to conform to a specific gender?"
"Not really," Vee answered. "No matter what I look like, it doesn't really change who I am and I simply choose the form that I feel the most comfortable with that represents me."
"Oh, that does make sense." Masha replied while looking at her own reflection on the puddle, thinking…
At the Gravity Falls City Hall, a town meeting was being held. Dipper had come along with Candy and Grenda. Wendy also showed up, sitting next to them along with Soos. Dipper also noticed Pacifica being dragged into city hall by her father with her mother accompanying them. Everyone was chatting since the news of the mayor's death was still fresh.
"Alright, order!" Blubs demanded while hitting the gavel. "Order everyone! Calm down now!" Everyone fell silent as Blubs continued. "Now then, we're all here to choose a mayor for the first time in almost a century. According to the town charter-" He brought up an old scroll. As he unrolled it, a bat flew out. "A worthy candidate is defined as anyone who can cast a shadow, count to ten, and throw their hat into the provided ring."
As he said this, Durland placed a hoop on the floor. A hat was immediately thrown in by Bud Gleeful.
"Well now I do believe I fulfill all the requirements!" Bud declared.
"Wait, Bud Gleeful?" Dipper questioned.
"Man, he looks in top shape, considering that the last time we saw him he was a member of a memory-erasing cult," Wendy whispered.
"Now folks, I know our family's had its fair share of whoopsie daisies in the past, but I'd like to make up for it by formally announcing my candidacy for the mayor of Gravity Falls! Any questions?" Bud asked.
"Yes, are you still in contact with Lil' Gideon?" Toby Determined asked.
"That's a great question, I'm giving you fifty percent off a used car!" Bud declared.
"Fifty percent? FIFTY PERCENT?!" Toby cried out in excitement, ripping his notepad in half.
"In fact, everyone look under your seats!" Bud shouted as they all looked under their seats. "You get half off a used car! You get half off a used car!"
"Whoa, a colorful piece of paper? He's got my vote!" Grenda declared.
"Um guys, I've got a really bad feeling about Bud Gleeful as mayor," Dipper pointed out. "Don't worry about the whole him being part of a cult thing."
"I dunno, dude," Soos spoke up. "It's not like we have a lot of good mayor options. Everyone in this town is a tad strange. Except, ironically, Tad Strange."
Tad Strange waved at them upon hearing his name called. "Hi guys. Tad's the name, and being normal's my game, and I love bread!"
"It's a shame that Ford isn't here, he'd run," Dipper said. "He'd be a great mayor, but I doubt those agents would allow it…"
"So since everyone's happy, I'll just take the oath of office now, sound good, gavel up?" Bud asked, only for another hat thrown into the ring, which caused everyone to look and see who threw it.
"Hold it right there, Bud." spoke Preston Northwest as he stood up, dragging his daughter along with him up front. "I believe that I should be mayor of Gravity Falls, considering that my ancestors founded this town."
"Allegedly…" Dipper whispered, glaring at Preston.
"Why Preston? Hehe, no o-ffence, but I didn't think you rich folk would want to get yourselves involved in local politics," Bud said while Preston walked up to him.
"Well now, Bud, I believe that with the mayor gone, I think it's only right that a Northwest should run this town. This town could use a reminder of who the Northwests are. So why don't you step aside and let me take the oath and office." Preston told him. "Because if it comes down to an election, you will lose. Pacifica." He nudged her.
Pacifica sighed while putting on a fake smile as she held up a button. "Vote for my dad, Preston, for mayor! Northwest is Best!" she said while throwing out the buttons that read 'Northwest is Best'.
"Wow, a button!" Tyler Cutebiker said.
"He's got my vote!" a civilian responded.
Dipper frowned, not liking either of their current options for mayor. "This is bad… nothing good would come from either Bud or Preston becoming mayor. We have to stop this."
"What do you suggest?" Candy asked him.
"Easy," Dipper said as he stood up. "Say, why should Bud and Preston be the only ones who think they can be mayor? I say let everyone run for mayor and make this a real election! Those with a hat, throw it in the ring!"
"Yeah/Yeah-hoo/Imma throw mah hat in!" everyone cheered as they all threw their hats in the ring. Bud and Preston turn to Dipper, sending glares at the boy who just shrugged innocently.
"Heh, let the madness begin!" Blubs declared as he fired a confetti cannon.
While Pacifica continued to pass around buttons, she was met with Candy and Grenda. "Candy, Grenda, hey. Here, take the button."
"Thanks," Grenda responded.
"We haven't seen you lately, Pacifica. How are you feeling since, well…" Candy asked in concern.
Pacifica sighed. "Right now, things are a little tense at home. They have been since the party," she said while her voice became a whisper. "But I did manage to get in contact with Mabel. She's doing fine. Grounded, but fine." She shook her head. "Still can't believe how much of an asshole her parents are… how's Dipper, by the way?"
"Well, we think Dipper is feeling a bit better, especially since Ford has promised to spend more time with him," Candy replied.
"That's good," Pacifica said, nodding.
"Pacifica! We're leaving!" Preston called out to her.
Pacifica looked down before she started to walk over to her dad. "Bye, guys," she said as she rejoined her parents, leaving Candy and Grenda to look concerned.
Later, everyone had gathered in Soos's house, where Dipper had called an emergency meeting. This included Wendy, Candy, Grenda, Ford, Vee, the Gatesfield teens, Nora and Abigail.
"Alright, many of you are probably wondering why I called this meeting," Dipper told them all. "It is because thanks to the mayor's passing, we are looking at the first ever election in Gravity Falls in almost a century."
"A century?" Nora raised her hand. "Wait, how old was the mayor here?"
"Over a hundred, apparently," Masha replied after looking it up.
"Right now, three candidates are now running for mayor: Preston Northwest, Bud Gleeful, and Tyler Cutebiker," Candy said while displaying the board.
"As you can see, two out of the three are not the most ideal," Dipper explained. "For those who don't know, Bud Gleeful is the father of Gideon Gleeful, aka Lil' Gideon, who was considered a child psychic until he was busted for being a fraud and spying on everyone." He showed a picture of Gideon Gleeful. "From my experience, he's dangerous, he even attacked me and Mabel with a giant robot."
"I'm sorry… that little guy? Giant robot?" Clara asked in disbelief. "But he's a kid."
"A kid who had one of the journals," Dipper pointed out, which surprised Ford.
"What?!" Ford exclaimed. "He had one of my journals?"
"Yes, and he attempted to get the others as well, but ultimately failed," Dipper explained. "We believe that if Bud wins the election, he'll possibly bust his son from juvie and Gideon is plotting to have his revenge by ruling the town through his father."
"Eh, an evil child genius is nothing new from my experience," Abigail admitted..
"Of course it isn't…" Nora said.
"And then there's Preston Northwest," Dipper said while pointing to the image of Preston on the board. "His whole family line are basically frauds and are, save for Pacifica, the worst. His ancestor, Nathaniel Northwest, did not found this town like he claimed, rather it was founded by an obscure and forgotten president, Quentin Trembley. Whatever Preston is planning, it cannot be good."
"So what do we do to prevent those two from being mayor?" Dana asked.
"Well, I've looked into the rules for the Gravity Falls elections which are… ancient," Dipper said while he rolled out a long scroll, coughing from the dust. "Okay, the elections here are based on two events. The Wednesday Stump Speech, held on an actual… stump, and the Friday Debate wherein townsfolk throw birdseed at the candidate they like most. At the end, they release a freedom eagle who will fly to the candidate covered in more seed and bestow a birdly kiss upon him anointing him mayor… I couldn't make this up if I wanted to…"
"This has got to be the weirdest election process I have ever seen," Vee commented while looking at the parchment. "And I'm from the Demon Realm."
"Dipper is right," Abigail mentioned. "I wouldn't vote for Preston Northwest, I know from experience that someone with that much power being mayor leads to nothing but trouble. He'll warp this town in his own image… just like the Gates family did to Gatesfield."
"Then we better figure out how to stop this election!" Gus G. declared.
"Which is why we're going to sabotage both Bud and Preston's elections," Dipper told them.
"Yeah! Fight the power!" Rudo shouted, raising his fist up.
"You know, I do have a mind control tie that I made for Ronald Reagan's masters," Ford pointed out, causing Nora to give him a look. "We can use it to control either of them to drop out of the election."
"Ronald Reagan's masters…?" Nora questioned, wondering how much of the Reagan era was built on a lie…
"No," Abigail voiced. "We're not using something as unethical as a mind-controlling tie."
"Yeah, even if it's against some bad guys, I don't think we should use it," Vee agreed.
"So we'll just have to use legitimate means," Dipper decided.
"I'll help Tyler with his election," Wendy volunteered. "I've seen him hang around with my dad a lot, so he's pretty much like a family friend."
"Alright, Wendy, you'll be Tyler's election manager," Dipper said. "We're gonna promote Tyler Cutebiker while trying to find out why Bud and Preston are really running for mayor… maybe we can ask Pacifica if she knows anything or can find out."
Abuelita showed up. "Anyone would like some dinosaur cookies?"
"Oh yeah/Sure/We could use some!" everyone agreed.
Wendy headed over to Greasy's Diner, where she spotted Tyler Cutebiker putting up a sign as he practiced his slogan.
"Vote for Tyler and he'll come and get it!… No, no, that's not right," he said as he tried out this slogan. "If you give a hoot, a vote for Tyler will get you a… scoot? Oh fishcakes, that's not it!"
"Hey, Tyler," Wendy waved to him, getting his attention.
"Wendy! Oh how great to see you!" Tyler shouted.
"And hey… dad?" Wendy asked, surprised to see her father here.
"Wendy!" Manly Dan rose up. "I'm just helping out Tyler with his election, glad to see you here!"
"Well, I'm also here to help out Tyler with his election as well," Wendy responded, still surprised to see her dad also helping Tyler out. Of course, she already knew that Tyler tended to hang out with her dad and it had been that way for some time…
"Ain't that a hoot, I've been meaning to get to spend time with Manly Dandy's daughter and get to know her more!" Tyler said while patting Wendy's back.
"Yeah… Manly Dandy?" Wendy asked while Manly Dan just hid his blush.
And so, the campaign race began, with each of the candidates competing with each other for votes.
Preston had a camera ready while he skydived out of a plane. The crowd were awed when they saw him free fall to his target, leaving a colorful explosion behind him. What the crowd didn't see was that 'Preston' was actually a stuntman who switched out with the real Preston while in the same suit.
"A vote Northwest will make Gravity Falls the best!" Preston declared as the crowd cheered as Toby snapped some photos.
Signs were hammered down in yards, each by neighbors who glared at one another. They appear to be voting for either Preston or Bud.
"I can't believe that I'm next door to some Buddy," one neighbor said.
"I ain't your buddy, friend!" the other responded.
"I ain't your friend, guy!" he retorted.
"I ain't your guy, buddy!" he countered.
"As a show of my appreciation, I humbly donate to the Gravity Falls Library!" Preston declared while displaying a check to the librarian, which pleased the crowd.
As he handed the check to the librarian, he whispered to her. "This should cover for more votes, won't it?"
The librarian nodded while accepting the bribe from the Northwest man.
"Northwests are the best!" Pacifica declared while dressed as Lady Liberty.
"Northwest are the best! Northwest are the best!"
Many posters were plastered around town by the Gatesfield teens while Wendy helped Tyler practice his slogan.
"Education?" Wendy asked him.
"Get it," Tyler said.
"Prosperity?" Wendy also asked.
"Get it!" Tyler shouted.
"A Gravity Falls that we can be proud of?" Wendy recited.
"Get it….!" Tyler declared.
"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Wendy said as she and Tyler high fived each other.
Masha sat behind a table handing out buttons while Dana and Rudo handed out pamphlets. "Vote for Tyler, he supports more funding for public education!"
"He'll get you prosperity!" Dana cheered.
"And get you a better Gravity Falls future!" Rudo declared while Clara walked around.
"Excuse me, sir," Clara called for Tats. "Have you considered voting Tyler Cutebiker for Gravity Falls mayor? After all, what's a better mayor than the one that's a member of the common folk?"
"Hmm, you do have a point. But Bud promises seventy half-off on a new used car…" Tats pointed out.
Clara looked in disbelief. "Come on, has Bud ever mentioned what he'll do for education? The taxes and how to help business? He just dances around!"
Pacifica, while dressed as Susan B. Anthony, held up some pamphlets. "A Northwest is the Best!" she shouted while looking tired as her father went around to shake hands.
"You have my vote!" spoke a local yokel, holding up his dirty hand.
Preston winced, but he made sure to shake it for the cameras. They snapped photos while he did his best to not twitch…
"Kiss my baby!" spoke one mom, holding up a snot bubbled baby.
"Yeah…" Preston said while he hesitantly kissed the baby's head.
Nora handed out pamphlets and buttons along with Gus and Abigail in another part of town. "Vote for Tyler! He'll make sure you keep your jobs!"
"Excuse me," said a voice. Nora turned and saw Poolcheck.
"Oh, Mr. Poolcheck… um, would you like a button?" Nora asked him. "It's to support Tyler."
"Vee has told me about supporting Tyler Cutebiker. I remember him declaring that all drinks were on him during mechanical bull night and how he comforted me when I lost my right hand in an incident with a pool filter. Yes, I believe he'll make a good mayor of Gravity Falls, unlike the rich boy Preston and the car salesman, they don't have what it takes to be leaders," he said as he pinned the button on his shirt.
"Why thank you, Mr. Poolcheck," Nora responded as she shook his right hand, realizing that it was a prosthetic. "Oh, um, sorry…"
"It's fine, um… I didn't get your name," Poolcheck told her.
"I'm Leonora Gordon, I'm a superintendent from out of town, I'm staying here with my son and his friends," she explained.
"Ian," Poolcheck explained. "And welcome to Gravity Falls, Leonora." He started to walk away.
"Thank you!" Leonora waved to him before looking at Abigail and Gus. "He seems nice."
"That's… nice?" Gus asked in confusion.
Dipper, Candy, and Grenda set up posters for Tyler while handing out buttons and pamphlets.
"Be sure to vote for Tyler, or he's gonna get it!" Grenda declared.
"Get what?" asked one voter.
"She means, he's gonna get you a better Gravity Falls!" Candy corrected, while handing them a button as they left. She turned to Grenda. "We have got to work on your wording, Grenda."
Dipper noticed a rally of Preston's voters while Pacifica, now dressed as Betty Ross, is forced to hold up the Preston flag. "Pacifica?" he asked.
'Help me,' Pacifica mouthed to them while Preston made a speech.
"And I promise you townsfolk that Gravity Falls will become a better place than it ever was before. To give you a taste, I have rebuilt this satellite tower the mayor had knocked over when reconstructing during that earthquake," Preston said as he showed them the new satellite tower has been raised up. Flashing lights blared as it read Northwest is Best!
Dipper looked up at it, his expression deadpan. "You'd think he's compensating for something…"
It was the Wednesday Stump Speech, where everyone had gathered to hear the speeches from the candidates, up on stage on an… actual large stump.
"That has to be the largest stump this town has," Masha said while looking at Clara, who was checking on the phone. "Doing okay?"
"Yeah, just got an update from Luz," Clara replied. "Apparently, she and Amity are dealing with a… Green Goblin knock-off."
"Sounds like just another one of her adventures," Masha replied.
"And now first up is Tyler Cutebiker!" declared the moderator as Tyler walked up to the podium.
"Howdy, my fellow Gravity Fallies!" Tyler waved to the crowd as he heard some cheers. "You know, I'm just a simple folk. Been living in this town for my whole life, my mama always say to get out, get out there and make yer dreams come true! While I say, I'll get that dream, since it is right here! To make this town a better, beautiful place to live!"
"Alright, he's doing good," Dipper said while behind the curtains with Wendy.
"Yeah, he's a natural," Wendy nodded.
"Since I was a little boy, I've seen A Chorus Line, where all them folks are hoping they can get it! And I'm here to get it for you! What is it you asked? Better education, get it. Good prosperity, get it. A Gravity Falls that we can all be proud of, get iiit!" Tyler declared as everyone clapped, the 'I Hope I Get It' song playing after.
"Alright, good song choice," Dipper commented.
"Yeah, everyone loves showtunes," Gus G. agreed.
"Well done, Tyler!" Blubs commented as he clapped. "Now then, Preston Northwest, care to give your speech?"
Preston walked up to give his speech next.
"My fellow Gravity Falls townsies, I just want to say… I'm just a man with a lot of wealth to his name," Preston started. "Being the richest man in Gravity Falls may have its perks, but it also has a lot of responsibility. I have a vision of what we can do to make Gravity Falls better and bigger than the small town it currently is. Why, ever since that earthquake, we have had a golden opportunity for improvement. Which is why, once I become mayor, I'm gonna initiate a plan to make more neighborhoods, homes and apartment buildings!"
Pacifica, who was brought on stage, pulled up a board with Preston's plans for Gravity Falls.
"And those houses and apartments would be filled with employees to work on my new initiative plan to turn this town… into a theme park! Which means lots of tourists and new jobs!"
A theme park plan was displayed, causing everyone to be wowed at that idea.
"Gravity Falls will host this theme park that will soon be built over the forest land," Preston declared. "Sure, the forest critters will have to get out of the way, but it's all in the name of progress, people! So who wants to make Gravity Falls the best town there is in the northwest?"
"Northwest the Best! Northwest the Best!" the crowd cheered. except for the heroes.
"Wait, don't those magical creatures live in the forest?" Gus asked.
"Yeah, this is not good…" Vee responded. "The magical inhabitants in the forest will not like this…"
"It's practically gentrification," Masha states with narrowed eyes.
"This is real bad," Dipper responded while looking at Preston waving at the crowd as he got off stage, Pacifica looking down sadly as she followed him.
"Alright, now Bud Gleeful, you're up!" Blubs announced as Bud headed over to the stump.
"Now I am a man who, like the rest of you, just wants to make Gravity Falls a better future," Bud declared. "So if you vote for me, I'll be sure to slash all your taxes off! Fifty percent sounds good? Or sixty? I'll go down all the way to eighty percent off!"
"I love slashing taxes!" shouted a yokel as the crowd cheered, Bud finishing off with his banjo playing.
"And the first ten voters who vote for me will receive free used cars!" Bud declared, which caused everyone to cheer.
A bus had pulled into Gravity Falls. On it was only one passenger.
"Well, here's your stop, ma'am," spoke the bus driver as the young blond woman walked off.
"Thank you," she replied as she stepped off and looked around. This place was unfamiliar to Rose, but she knew she needed to be here.
There was someone she wanted to see.
In her motel room, Abigail was helping to put together campaign signs when she heard someone knocking on the door. Curious, she walked over to the door and opened it to see Rose.
"How can I help you?" Abigail asked her.
"Hey, um… are you Abigail Gates by any chance?" Rose asked her.
Abigail narrowed her eyes. "Who wants to know…"
"Don't worry, I'm not here to do anything, I just want to talk," Rose reassured her. "One Huntsgirl to another."
"Rose?" spoke up Clara as she came over. "Whoa, what brings you here?"
"Hey Clara," Rose waved to her. "How's Willow doing?"
"Haven't heard from her yet, but Luz mentioned that she successfully started her Flyer Derby team! I have no idea what that is, but it sounds good," Clara responded.
"That's good! Glad she's doing well," Rose responded before Abigail spoke up.
"Clara, why don't you find some of your friends and let me talk to Rose," Abigail told her.
"Okay, mom!" Clara responded as she rushed past Rose.
Abigail let Rose in and she served tea as they chatted on the patio.
"So how long will you be staying?" Abigail asked her.
"A few days at least," Rose said while taking a sip of her drink. "I don't really have anywhere else to be right now."
"So… you were a Huntsgirl," Abigail commented. "How were you not wiped out with the rest of the Huntsclan?"
Rose started to explain. "After I wished for the Hunstclan to be destroyed, Jake made a wish so that I had never been taken from my family, which completely altered my life and my memories. At first, my old memories were just… fuzzy dreams, but then when Jake came back into my life, a photo he had of me and him helped trigger my memories. I… like to think that what happened to me happened to the other Huntsclan members as well, that they too are living out their lives as if they had never been taken by the Huntsclan at all, though that may just be wishful thinking."
"You think they might remember who they were?" Abigail asked her.
"If they are still alive, no," Rose responded. "If they have nothing that would remind them of their old lives, they would just be living completely normal existences. There were the Huntsboys… but I don't think they were really real members of the Huntsclan, they were most likely just dumb teenagers faking it just to look cool. Last I heard of them, they made another attempt to stay relevant… and they died in a household related incident."
"Yikes," Abigail replied.
"When Jake got back from helping Willow, he told me about you being here and, well, I knew I just had to meet you," Rose added while looking at Abigail. "So… what got you to stop hunting?"
Abigail sighed. "I was raised to be a witch hunter and they wanted to weaponize my desire for vengeance against one witch that I still despise… but when I was instructed to kill an innocent unicorn… I just couldn't bring myself to do it. And that unicorn… comforted me as well when I was having a moment. After that, it took a while, but eventually I realized that none of this was right. The Archangels, the Huntsclan, all of it is just really messed up."
"Yeah, I can relate," Rose said with a nod. "My assignment was to slay the American Dragon… who turned out to be my boyfriend. I was shocked, confused, and wondered just what I was thinking and… I realized that what we were doing was wrong. So I decided to be a spy who would sabotage Huntsclan's plans and their attempts to exterminate magical beings… even if it meant having to sacrifice myself to ensure that the Huntsclan was gone."
"And yet, you are here," Abigail said while patting Rose's shoulder. "It's great that you're living the life that was taken from you, Rose. From many in the Huntsclan, they never escape. I'm sure you know what happens to the weakest ones…"
Rose gave her a nod. "Yeah, it's… not pretty." She then remembered something. "Did you know Jeff? He was the last Huntsman who led the Huntsclan and… I remember him mentioning about the Gates family being one of their benefactors."
"Jeff… I do know him," Abigail admitted. "Back when I was in the Huntsclan, he was just some bumbling goofball that the other Huntsteens used to pick on. He was… awkward in our youths, he used to have such a nasally voice before it cracked. But after his voice changed, we actually did date and he was even my first kiss… I have terrible taste in men."
Rose looked at Abigail in disbelief. "Seriously? That's… hard to imagine, the Huntsman being an awkward teenager. The man practically raised me, though he was nothing short of a monster. I do wonder what became of him, if it's possible that he could still be around…"
Abigail looked off into the distance and sighed. "Honestly, in spite of everything he might have done… I feel sorry for Jeff, because unlike me he never got out."
"And I… feel bad for the lives I may have erased," Rose replied, looking down sadly. "It is why I hope there is a chance they were given the same fate as me. Because they were all just like me… like us, they didn't ask to be a part of something so…"
"Meaningless?" Abigail finished while sipping her drink. "Yeah, the likes of the Huntsmen and the Archangels are ultimately meaningless. All they do is teach how to hurt and to hate… it's not worth it." She held onto her collar bone, which showed a scar hidden under her shirt.
Clara went outside to find Gus and Nora, who were loading up signs.
"Hey, mom sent me down here while she's talking with Rose who just showed up," Clara revealed, which surprised them.
"Rose? That's a surprise," Nora commented.
"How is she?" Gus asked.
"Oh she's fine, she and my mom are probably just talking about Huntsclan stuff," Clara said before glancing away. "It's… a side of my mom is something I'm still getting used to. Though I am glad that she still seems to be doing better."
Gus nodded and was quiet for a moment. "Has your mom… told you about what happened to your uncle?"
Clara shook her head. "No, she doesn't like talking about it."
Gus turned to his mom, who gave him a nod before he turned back to Clara. "Um… well, there's something you should know."
"And it's not just what happened to your uncle, but to Luz's dad and my husband as well…" Nora said as the two proceeded to tell her about what happened on the day of the Department A fire that killed her uncle, Nora's husband, and Luz's dad, including how they were working on a portal project that caused the deaths of many workers. Clara was shocked.
"Oh my… I'm so sorry, Gus," Clara told him before looking at Nora. "And I'm sorry for what happened to Luke… I know that all of this is my family's fault and-"
"No, we don't blame you or your mom," Gus reassured her. "So you don't have to say anything."
"Oh… well, how are you holding up?" Clara asked him.
Gus sighed. "Honestly? I do feel better knowing more about how he died. It kinda gives me a feeling of closure."
Clara nodded and hesitated before speaking again. "Gus, are we… cool?"
"Yeah, we're cool," Gus confirmed with a smile.
"Great, cause I know that I said this before but I'm really sorry for picking on you in school and I-" Clara started to apologize, but Gus interjected.
"Hey, you don't have to keep apologizing," Gus assured her. "It's all behind us now."
When Clara later headed back up to their motel room, she saw Rose exiting.
"Hey, your mom's waiting for you," Rose told her.
"Thanks," Clara responded as she headed inside and saw her mom. "Hey mom, how was your talk with Rose?"
"Great, though this won't be the only time we'll be seeing her, since she says she'll be staying around for a few days," Abigail replied. She was quiet for a moment. "Clara… would you like to call your father again?"
Clara gave a nod and Abigail pulled up her phone to dial her husband's number. She put it on speaker as her husband picked it up.
"Hello? Abigail?" he spoke up.
"Hey Frank," Abigail responded.
"Hi dad," Clara said. "Good to hear from you again."
"Oh you too, sweetie," Frank responded over the phone. "So are you two alright?"
"Oh, we're doing good," Clara responded. "Gravity Falls has been treating us well. But, uh, how have you been doing? How is home?"
"Well, I'm doing fine. But Gatesfield is still being swarmed by these government agents," Frank explained. "They keep taking people away for questioning and it is getting the neighbors all worked up. They have started talking…"
"Any arrests?" Abigail asked.
"No, not yet," Frank confirmed. "Apparently everyone involved with Department A skipped town before the agents arrived. Nobody is allowed to leave Gatesfield and they may be held for questioning, but so far it doesn't look like they will be able to hold anyone responsible for what Department A was doing… whatever that was."
"We told you dad, Department A has been hunting down and imprisoning magical creatures!" Clara told him. "Including an innocent witch girl that they were holding prisoner under the Historical Society!"
"Right… honestly, all of this is still a lot to process," Frank said, sounding a little skeptical. "But, uh, do you know when you guys will be allowed to come back to Connecticut?"
Clara and Abigail looked at each other before Abigail spoke. "We're still not sure…"
After their call, Abigail and Clara sat side by side together, Clara fidgeting with her thumbs. Sometimes it was still hard for them to talk to each other, despite both of them wanting to make an effort.
"Is there anything on your mind, Clara?" Abigail asked, noticing her daughter's nervousness.
"Um… I'm fine, just…" Clara said before she shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "Just… out of curiosity, what do you think… of… Luz dating a girl?"
"Oh, well… I don't mind," Abigail responded, a bit surprised by the question. "I care far more about her being alive and safe, so I am fine with her dating someone that makes her happy. Maybe we can ask if Amity can come when Luz visits and then we can get to know her more. Camila said that she is a very nice girl and I am sure that she is."
"Yeah, I bet she is," Clara replied. She was quiet for a moment, building up her courage to finally say something. It was now or never. "Mom… I think… I've realized… that I like girls."
Abigail looked surprised. "Oh… you do?"
Clara looked scared and she shut her eyes. "I-I don't know when I realized this, but… I thought I was straight, but now I'm not sure if I even like boys. But I do like girls and I wasn't sure how you would respond since I know we're both Christians and-"
"Stop," Abigail said as she reached out and grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently, getting her daughter to open her eyes. "Clara, thank you for telling me. I know that I wasn't always here for you, because I was dealing with my own problems. And I want that to change, so I really appreciate that you feel comfortable enough to open up to me about this."
"Y-You do?" Clara asked while Abigail went to hug her.
"I love you no matter what, Clara," she told her. "You liking girls is not going to change the fact that you're my daughter, even if I haven't been knowing my daughter lately. I know how hard it is to open up about this kind of stuff… but is there any… specific girl you like? If you don't mind telling me."
Clara smiled, relieved that she doesn't have to be afraid anymore. "Well… I do have a crush… on Masha…"
At the Northwest Mansion, Pacifica looked tired. She walked into her room, taking off the American top hat she was wearing for her American flag suit. She slumped onto her bed, letting out a groan.
"Goooosh, when will this end…?" Pacifica groaned while looking at her phone. She saw a picture of her and Mabel together, which made her smile. She really did miss Mabel a lot…
It was then she heard someone knocking on the door. She hid her phone while hearing her mom's voice. "Pacifica, darling?"
"Mom?" Pacifica asked as opening the door was Priscilla, who came in.
"I just came to check up on you," she said while sitting beside her daughter. "I know that you did a lot for your father today… are you okay?"
"Yeah, just… tired," Pacifica admitted while straightening herself up for appearance.
"I have noticed how you… seem more depressed than usual," Priscilla admitted. "And it is not a good look for you, Pacifica… do you want to talk about it?"
The blond girl shifted away from her mom. "No, I don't."
Priscilla frowned. "Is it because of your father?" Pacifica tried not to flinch as her mother continued. "I know that things have been tense between you and him since the party incident, but I promise that as soon as this election is over, the party will be forgotten and things can go back to how they were before. Like the party had never even happened…"
"But… it can't go back to the way they were before," Pacifica pointed out.
This confused Priscilla. "Why do you think so?" she asked her daughter.
Pacifica hesitated briefly before she looked up to her mom. "Mom… were you ever… scared of dad?"
"Scared? What do you mean?" Priscilla asked, both confused… and concerned.
Pacifica shut her eyes and turned away. "Nevermind. Forget I said anything…"
Meanwhile, Bud Gleeful was not being very gleeful today as he slammed the newspaper on the table while with his campaign team. The headline on the papers showed Preston leading the race.
"Doggone it!" Bud cried out in anger. "Gosh heck huckleberry honey suckle darn it!" He looked at his shocked team and calmed down. "Um, excuse my language, I'm so sorry," he said while wiping his forehead. "Oh, this is bad! This is really bad! I need to speak with my… campaign manager, please excuse me for a moment… please excuse me for the moment."
He went to another room, a darkly lit room. He took his hat off and looked to his campaign manager…
"Look, I'm sorry about all of this. This is a minor setback, but… we'll win. I'm sure of it."
He was facing a screen with a camera hooked up to it, the camera aiming right at him. "Minor setback?" asked a familiar, Southern-sounding voice. On the screen was none other than… Gideon. "Minor setback?!" he shouted angrily. "You listen here, daddy, and you listen good! Juvie is a nightmare! I eat the same slop everyday! They have no hair products in here! I can't sleep because my cellmate took my pillow for a girlfriend! You think I've been having fun in here?!"
"Hey, best friend!" spoke one teenage punk-looking boy with blank eyes and a red mullet, who came up with another teenager.
"Don't forget to be on time for friendship bracelet class!" the other teenager said.
"I have finger painting at the same time!" Gideon yelled at them, slamming his fist on the desk. "Whew! That mayor dying is my one way ticket out of here. Which is why you're gonna win this election, get me out of juvie, and we're not gonna let the Pines get in my way again!"
"Well, you don't have to worry about that Gideon," Bud said. "Stanford is in prison while Mabel was sent away. It is just Mason now."
"I know that," Gideon responded. "And without his family to support him, Dipper is no threat… but then again, there's that step-sister of hers, Luz Clawthorne. Sooner or later, she'll come back to town, so we'll just have to figure out how to handle her later…"
"The bigger threat right now is Preston, Gideon. It won't be long before he's got almost everyone in town in his pocket!" Bud exclaimed.
"Yes, of course the Northwest wants in on being mayor," Gideon said, sounding unsurprised as he pulled out a page. "Which is why it's time I take matters into my own hands…"
"Boy, now, we've discussed this, no more spooky spells…" Bud said while backing away slowly.
"Well daddy, maybe you just need to have more… of an open mind. Lleps live ykoops, lleps live ykoops, live ykoops…" As he chanted, the light started to flicker and his eyes began to glow. The light bulbs exploded violently as he continued chanting the same words.
"Oh, boy, stop that!" Bud begged as he fell back, grabbing his head as he felt the spell surging through his mind. "Anything but that!" he cried as his eyes started to glow white. "AAAAAHHH!"
It is the day of the final debate, which was being held in front of where the memorial head statue of late Mayor Befufftlefumpter was being built. All of Gravity Falls had shown up.
"Seed here! Support your favorite candidate by throwing election seed!" said the American Dude while a man put the mayor picking eagle in the cage.
Shandra Ramirez was hosting the debate. "Welcome all, to the final debate in what's sure to be, on a cosmic scale, a forgettable blip in human history… and here come the three most popular candidates!"
Bud, Preston, and Tyler walked up on stage, Bud greeting Preston. "Oh, hello there, Bud! Long time, no see! Tee-hee! Woohoohoo!" he excitedly said while nudging Preston with his hips.
"Ugh, the sooner this is over the better," Preston told him.
"Yep, especially since I have a widdle twick up my sweevie-weeves!" Bud declared while skipping along.
Preston looked at Bud with a weirded out look. "Have some dignity, Gleeful…"
"Hiya, Preston! Bud!" Tyler waved to them. "Now no matter how much this election turns out, let's make sure that the best man wins!" He extends his hand to them.
"Yessiree-bob! No hard feelings!" Bud declared while shaking Tyler's hand.
"Yes, no hard feelings…" Preston replied while shaking his hand.
"Let the debate begin!" Shandra declared while ringing the bell.
Manly Dan stood up. "First question. What's your position on axes! Wait, I mean… taxes!"
"Well now I suppose that with my new theme park plan, we will have to raise our taxes by only, let's say, twelve percent? To pay for food, rides, and parking lots," Preston said, lying through his teeth.
"My position on taxes is that the wealthy should not be exempt from paying them!" Tyler declared, which irritated Preston. "Everyone's gotta pay their taxes, no matter how wealthy you are!"
This got the crowd excited, agreeing with Tyler's statement. Preston gripped his podium while sending Tyler a glare.
Next Bud spoke. "Friends, friends, now you don't need me to dance around issues like taxes. So why don't I sing to you about it!" He ripped off his clothes, revealing that he was wearing a blue tank top, red sparkly pants, and a belt with a small screen on it. He caught a guitar and began to sing. "Oh crime is bad! Crime is on-so bad! Vote for Bud and there ain't gonna be no crime! Crime's bad. Vote Bud!" He winked at the crowd and Tyler clapped.
"...What the hell?" Clara asked while watching along with her friends.
"This really is the weirdest town…" Gus said.
"You may now throw your bird seed!" Shandra announced while the crowd threw their bird seed at the boxes of their chosen candidate. "And now a quick intermission!"
While Dipper watched from the bleachers with Candy and Grenda, he heard a whisper. Turning around, he saw Pacifica in a trenchcoat, hat and sunglasses. She gestured to him.
"I'm gonna be right back," Dipper told them while going to meet with Pacifica backstage. "Pacifica… haven't heard from you in a while… are you alright?"
"What do you think?" Pacifica asked harshly. She sighed. "Sorry. Listen, I don't have much time, so here." She handed him a memory tube.
He looked at the tube and saw the name on it. "Wait, this is-"
"Shh," she hushed him. "Look, I can agree that having my dad for mayor is bad news for this town, so this has to be done. I really don't really want the attention, but I would rather you expose Preston Northwest for the monster he is by showing everyone what he did to me."
Dipper nodded. "Thanks, Paz. I know this must be hard… but I know Mabel must be proud of you."
"J-Just go expose my dad already!" Pacifica told him before sneaking away.
Dipper turned and spotted the others and he was about to meet up with them… only for someone to grab him.
Meanwhile, Wendy had finished talking to Tyler and was going to rejoin the others, only to notice that Dipper was nowhere in sight. "Hey guys, where's Dipper?" she asked everyone.
"He said that he was gonna be right back, but he hasn't," Grenda replied.
"You think something happened to him?" Rudo asked.
"I hope not," Vee responded as Candy pulled out her phone.
"He hasn't responded to my texts…" Candy said with a worried look.
"Come on, let's go look for him," Soos said as everyone got up to look around for Dipper.
"Dipper? Dipper, where are you?" Wendy asked as she walked behind the stage. "Dipper?"
"Why hello again, Wendy…"
Wendy stopped, hearing a familiar voice as she turned around. She saw Bud walking up but his head was slumped over and he didn't seem conscious. The screen on his belt was turned on and on screen was Gideon. "Funny seeing you for a second time this week. Don't mind the puppet, he suits my purposes."
"Gideon? I should've known!" Wendy shouted, pointing to him. "What did you do with Dipper?!"
Gideon looked confused. "Wait, what? What are you talking about?"
"Oh don't try to fake it, Gideon! You probably took him somewhere, didn't you?!" Wendy accused.
"Wendy, I've been on stage the entire time. If something has happened to Dipper, I had nothing to do with it, honest!" Gideon told her. "I mean, I know I am not the most trustworthy kid, but he's not a threat to my- I mean, my daddy's campaign right now!"
"But if you didn't do anything to him… then where is he?" Wendy asked.
Inside the monument of the former Mayor's head, Dipper was being tied by one of his captors near some boxes of dynamite.
"I should've known you'd try to pull something like this off. After all, nothing is too low for you… Preston," Dipper said with a glare at the Northwest Patriarch. "Ow! Not so tight!" he told the butler.
"Make it as tight as possible, Chapman," Preston ordered while holding the capsule. "What were you thinking, boy? Expose me in front of the whole town? I don't even know how Pacifica managed to get her hands on it… but I will make sure she never gets it back. For the sake of the town. As someone who grew up here, I thought you would understand that…"
"You don't care about the town! You just care about yourself and your reputation!" Dipper told Preston while giving him a glare. "Let me guess, this is all because your ego got hurt…"
"The Northwests built this town, boy!" Preston told him. "I am simply making sure that it is kept that way. History will remember the Northwests, unlike you. Because once I'm mayor of this town, I'll make sure the Pines family are erased from town's history and that Luz Clawthorne and her crazy mother are outlawed from stepping foot in my town again!"
"This is about that party, isn't it?" Dipper asked.
"Uh yeah, of course it is!" Preston told him. "It's bad enough that Luz Clawthorne kept crashing into my parties every year, but then you and your friends influenced my daughter into opening the gates and letting the common folk come in! Your family humiliated me. I am doing this to remind the common folk who the Northwests are. But since you know too much and the Blind Eye Society is out of commission, you are a risk that I cannot afford. So you'll have to die…"
"They'll look for me, you know? And they will trace back to you!" Dipper declared.
"But I'll make sure it won't!" Preston told him while holding up the plunger. "Once I win, I'm gonna hit this plunger for the fireworks display, finishing the mountain's construction, trapping you inside! A tragic accident caused by your own curiosity. Come Chapman, I have an election to win."
Preston and Chapman headed to the elevator while Dipper struggled with his ropes. "Help! Someone!"
Dipper's cry for help reaches the ears of Wendy. "Dipper?" She turned around, looking for him. "Dipper, where are you?"
"You have some mighty fine hearing, Corduroy," Gideon commented. "Cause I don't hear a thing… of course, I'm all the way here in juvie."
Wendy walked around as she heard Dipper's cries before she noticed Preston and Chapman coming back to the stage. "What the…" she said, noticing Chapman holding a plunger. "What are they doing with the plunger?"
"It may have to do with the fireworks display," Gideon mentioned. "You know, like after the election, they'll use the plunger to set off the fireworks. You know, I actually had a plan that involved that…"
"What do you mean?" Wendy asked.
"Well, originally I was gonna kidnap Preston and tie him up in the monument so I'd have less competition," Gideon admitted before his eyes widened. "Wait, you don't think…?"
In the monument, Dipper managed to move himself over to the entrance of one of the nostrils. He cried out. "Help! I'm tied to a bunch of fireworks!" he shouted before the rock broke beneath him, causing him to be dangled out of the nostril while screaming. "AAAHH!"
Everyone noticed Dipper hanging from the nose as he cried out. "HELP!"
"Dipper!" Wendy, Candy, Vee and Pacifica shouted as everyone gasped.
"Oh my god!" Nora cried out in shock while Tyler screamed and pointed up.
"Oh my stars!" Gideon cried out before he saw Wendy rushing away. "Wendy, where are you going?!"
"To save him, obviously!" Wendy shouted as she rushed over to Preston and Chapman, grabbing the plunger from the butler. "Keep away!"
"Hey!" Preston shouted as he and Chapman chased after her.
"What's going on?" Vee asked as Wendy came over to her and the Gatesfield teens.
"Take this, and keep it away from Preston and his butler! I'm going up to save Dipper!" Wendy told them as she took her flannel shirt off, exposing her tank top and her muscular arms as she headed for the monument.
Seeing Preston and Chapman heading their way, the teens fled with the plunger. "Get back here!" Preston shouted.
"Come on, everyone! Let's help him!" Tyler shouted as everyone got out of their seats to do their part to make sure Dipper was safe.
Wendy climbed up the scaffolding near the memorial. Manly Dan saw her. "That's my Wendy!"
"Come on, Wendy! Get him!" Tyler declared before he turned to the townsfolk. "We need to make a soft landing zone in case they fall!"
"In a shocking turn of events, a child appears to be in danger and it appears that Wendy Corduroy, the daughter of a local lumberjack, is climbing up to save him!"
Her rock climbing lessons had paid as Wendy managed to climb all the way to the top of the scaffolding. She then jumped over to the nose. "Hang on, Dipper!"
Dipper saw the rope about to snap. "I don't think I have a choice, Wendy!"
She climbed inside the monument and grabbed the rope just as it snapped. "Gotcha!" she shouted as she pulled him up.
Meanwhile, Vee threw the plunger to Gus, who he ran under the bleachers as he saw Chapman trying to block his way. He saw Dana above him and he threw the plunger up to her. "Keep away!" he shouted as Dana caught it. Preston rushed over to her, but Masha managed to the plunger from Dana
"Keep away!" Masha shouted while Preston chased after her.
"Come back here with that!" He felt someone grabbing him. "Hey!"
"Stop this, dad!" Pacifica demanded, pulling on his pants. "This has to stop!"
WRACK!
"AH!" Pacifica shouted as she was punched.
"Pacifica!" Candy and Grenda shouted as they went over to her aid while glaring at Preston.
"I have had enough of your foolishness, Pacifica!" Preston shouted in anger, his face red. "What you did at the party was bad enough, but now you're rubbing elbows with these… these… urchins?!"
Pacifica sniffed and looked up at her father, her cheek bruised. "Because they are my friends, dad. Why are you doing this?"
"Why? Why?! I AM A NORTHWEST!" Preston shouted in anger. "Ever since my great-great grandpappy stole the deed to this backwater town, ruling this town has been my birthright! Once I win this election, I'm gonna make sure you're severely punished for your disobedience and your little friends will be punished as well while I lord over these idiots! I will see to it, no matter how many bribes and lies I have to make in the process!"
"Uh, sir," Chapman said, pointing over his shoulder.
"WHAT, CHAPMAN!?" Preston shouted at his butler.
"You're… live," Chapman pointed out.
"What?" Preston asked, turning around and noticing a camera filming him, with Rudo holding it and a shocked Shandra and Toby near him.
"Um… you didn't get all of that, did you?" Preston asked.
"This just in, Preston Northwest has exposed his true colors!" Shandra declared while Blubs and Durland marched up.
"Whelp, as the town's election officials, you are under arrest," Blubs told him.
"You daughter-hitting bastard," Durland added, both of them holding up their tasers.
"No… this can't end this!" Preston shouted while looking for a way out. He then spotted Masha and he rushed over to her, grabbing the plunger and shoving her aside. "If I'm going down, SO WILL THAT PINES BOY!"
"NO!" everyone shouted as Preston pushed down on the plunger.
While up the nose, Dipper and Wendy saw what Preston just did. "We need to get out of here!"
"Come on!" Wendy shouted as she picked up Dipper and saw the townsies holding up a large blanket beneath them. "If I die, make sure they make a wooden statue of me."
"Let's hope it won't come to this!" He shouted as Wendy ran down the nose and jumped off, just as an explosion occurred within the monument as they screamed. "YAAAAHH!"
Flaming debris was falling around them and it looked like they actually were not going to land on the blanket. But then a girl in a red ninja-like outfit appeared, jumping up pieces of debris and grabbing the two mid-air, pushing them closer to where the blanket was.
"Hang on!" Rose shouted as the townsfolk ran away from the explosion except those holding the blanket: Tyler, Manly Dan, Abigail, Soos, Tats, Robbie, and Lazy Susan. The three managed to land on the blanket safely, causing everyone to cheer.
Abigail nodded at Rose. "Thanks for the help," she whispered.
"You're welcome," Rose replied while turning to Wendy and Dipper. "Are you two alright?"
"I think I just had a head rush," Wendy said while holding her head.
"But glad we're safe," Dipper respond3e.
Preston saw they had survived and he backed away. He then noticed that everyone was currently distracted. "I'm getting out of here!" he shouted as he made his escape...
PUNCH!
Only to get clocked across the face… by Nora Gordon. He fell to the ground while Nora stood over him.
"Yeah, can't take a punch , rich boy? That's how we do it in Maine!" Nora shouted, a little excited. "Whoa… that felt so much better than I was expecting."
"Whoa mom, where did you learn to punch like that?" Gordon asked, impressed after he saw his mom's right hook.
"Well, when you grow up in Maine with a military dad, you learn some useful skills," Nora replied while rubbing her fist. "I hope I didn't break anything…"
Blubs and Durland grabbed Preston and handcuffed him. "Come on, you, you're going to the station," Blubs said as a capsule fell out of Preston's suit.
"Let go of me!" Preston shouted while he and his butler were escorted to the police car, his nose broken. "I would've gotten away with this, if it weren't for the Pines boy, the lumberjack's daughter, and those meddling liberals!" he shouted as he was thrown into the car and the door was slammed against his face.
Pacifica grabbed the capsule with her memories, looking at it.
"You got the capsule," Candy noted.
"Now we can expose Preston with it!" Grenda added.
"I… don't think there's a need for it anymore," Pacifica said while placing it under her coat. She rubbed her cheek. "I think the town has already seen what it needs to see…"
In the aftermath, blankets were placed over Dipper and Wendy. "Man, this turns out to be some election, doesn't it?" Wendy asked.
"Yeah, I think I'm just gonna keep my feet on the ground for a while after this," Dipper replied while looking up at the monument of the previous mayor with half of his face now looking melted. "At least it is one more adventure to tell Luz about…"
Wendy nodded before she saw her dad coming towards her. "Wendy Corduroy!" he shouted while Wendy just sighed. "What you just did…"
"I know, I was reckless…" Wendy admitted.
"Yes, you were reckless!" Manly Dan agreed. "But… it was also very brave of you. And sometimes, in the heat of the moment, you have to act quickly. I'm proud of you and… I think this is the kind of thing that your mother would have been proud of as well."
Wendy looked up to her father. "Oh… wow, that's… thanks dad. That's… the first time you've mentioned mom in a while."
Manly Dan looked away. "I… know we don't talk about her much. But that doesn't mean I don't miss her."
Wendy continued to look at her father in surprise. She knew that he was usually someone who kept his emotions to himself. After her mother died, he closed himself off while dealing with his grief. It had not been a good time for any of them.
"I… miss her too, dad," Wendy admitted, looking down.
"Your father said that you are so much like her," Tyler said while patting Manly Dan's arm. "Though I think she takes after you a lot too, right Dandy?"
"Oh, come on, Tyler, not in front of her!" Manly Dan chuckled with a small smile.
Wendy looked between Tyler and her father, a suspicion growing inside her, though she wasn't completely sure.
"Um, Tyler," Wendy spoke to him. "Maybe after this, you could join us for family dinner. I think that would be nice, to have you over."
"Really? Why, I would be honored, Wendy!" Tyler said excitedly. "That would be the perfect chance for me to get to know you and your brothers more! But wait, I got an election to win and-"
"Hey, just keep having a cool head, man," Wendy reassured him, while noticing Gideon, who was still possessing Bud and preparing to get on stage. "Um, excuse me."
"Alright, so Preston is out of the way, all I need to do is wow the audience and I get more birdseed! Nobody's gonna stop me now!" Gideon declared.
"Gideon," said the voice of Dipper. The Gideon-possessed Bud turned around to see Wendy and Dipper coming over to him.
"Dipper and Wendy? Here to stop me, are you?" Gideon asked.
"No, we're just here to talk," Dipper told him.
"Talk?" Gideon asked as Wendy marched up.
"Look Gideon, do you really want to rule this town through your dad? Cause even if you can get your dad to pardon you, it's not going to change what you've done. The whole town's not going to forget that," Wendy told him. "And that you got off because of your dad, not because you learned your lesson or anything like that."
"So? It won't stop me from ruling this town, since I have a few tricks and-"
"And then what?" Dipper asked him. "Get back the journals? Guess what? I don't have them anymore. Get revenge on Stan or Mabel? They are both gone. Destroy the Mystery Shack? It has already been closed down by the government and they will probably do worse to you than send you to juvie."
"Listen Gideon, it's not too late for you," Wendy told him. "For crying out loud, you're ten and got arrested for fraud. You have your whole life ahead of you, you can still make a choice to not be an idiot like Preston, because you saw how things went for him! Sure, you're an evil maniacal kid, but look where it got you! It ruined your friendship with Dipper and your reputation with the town!"
"Why… why are you saying all of this? Is this a trick?" Gideon asked her.
"No, because at the end of the day, you're just a kid who… is trapped, but can still escape," Wendy told him sincerely. "I mean, you must have talked about stuff like this with Dr. Andrews. What did she tell you?"
Gideon paused, thinking about his sessions. "Well… I… we talked about how my actions got me in juvie in the first place… boy if it weren't for her, I'd have ended up in an actual adult prison. But… she mentioned that the power I craved would never be enough and…" He seemed uncertain.
"Please, Gideon," Dipper said, walking up to him. "Look inside. What is this all for, really?"
Gideon looked down, but didn't say anything as he turned around and headed back onto the stage.
"After that bizarre turn of events, we're back to the debate, which is now just between Bud and Tyler!" Shandra reported while Bud and Tyler took their places.
Back in juvie, Gideon thought about Wendy's words and what Dr. Andrews had said to him.
"You wanna know a story, Gideon?" Dr. Andrews once asked him.
"Well, I am a fan of story time, so do tell, Dr. A," Gideon responded.
"You remind me of someone," she admitted. "Someone whose thirst for power caused him to lose everything that he cared about. Because he could not look past that thirst for power, he no longer has a home or a family to go back to, despite how much he misses both. But despite everything that it cost him, he continues with his pursuit for power, believing it will make him happy. But it won't," she explained to him. "Unfortunately, It may be too late for him, but it does not have to be too late for you."
Gideon looked curious. "Who was… this guy?"
"Can't say, patient confidentiality," she admitted. "But that is not the point of the story and how it relates to your own situation, Gideon. Surely you understand… it will never be enough. You have to ask yourself: when you finally get the ultimate prevention, when you've made the ultimate purchase and climb the ladder of success to the highest rung you can possibly climb it… and the thrill wears off. And it will wear off. Then what? How far do you have to walk down that road, before you see where it leads… So you have to ask yourself the question: what matters?"
Gideon sighed before he spoke through Bud. A decision was made. "Now everyone, listen here…"
"...listen here and look at me for a second!" Bud declared as all eyes turned to him. "I just want to announce something."
"What do you have to say, Mr. Gleeful? Especially since you are now in the lead?" Toby asked.
Bud looked at the polls and shut his eyes. "Listen y'all… I've come to conclude that despite me winning right now-" He spotted Dipper and Wendy in the crowd, along with their friends. "I've decided… to drop out of the race."
"Care to explain?" Shandra asked as everyone gasped.
"Well it's just… I've learned something today," Bud said. "Now this whole wittle election, it's not about who put on the best show… this election should be based on voting for the right person who can do the job to make Gravity Falls better! Truthfully, I was using this campaign for personal benefit, but… being in office isn't going to make me happy. It's hard work, probably a level of responsibility that I am not ready for or deserve. Which is why-" He picked up his bowl of birdseed, handing it over to Tyler. "We should all give our birdseed to the one who deserves to be mayor, Tyler Cutebiker!"
After the eagle was let out of its cage, the crowd watched as it flew over to Tyler and gave him a kiss on the head. This caused the crowd to cheer for Tyler's victory.
"Mayor Cutebiker! Mayor Cutebiker! Mayor Cutebiker!"
Blubs gave Tyler the mayor satchel while Durland handed him a rose. Tyler looked a bit taken aback for a moment. "I got it," he whispers to himself while being picked up and placed on Manly Dan's shoulder.
"He's got it!" Manly Dan declared as the crowd cheered.
Gravity Falls had a new mayor.
"Pacifica? Where are you?" Priscilla asked, looking for her daughter through the crowd.
"Mom," Pacifica spoke up from where she sat near the stage. She was placing some ice on her cheek.
"Pacifica, what happened?" Priscilla asked, confronting her daughter. "I heard your father got arrested and-"
"There's something you should know… about dad," Pacifica said while glancing at Candy and Grenda, who stood nearby encouraging her. She sighed and looked up at her mom. "Do you remember the… pony incident?"
Priscilla nodded. "What about it?"
Pacifica held up the capsule with her memories, confusing her mother. "That was a lie, a cover up by dad," she explained. "Turns out, today wasn't the first time that he physically hurt me. Because it wasn't a pony that broke my arm… it was him."
Priscilla looked shocked and horrified. "What?! But… your father-"
"He along with Chapman were in league with some… secret society that erased the minds of the Gravity Falls denizens," Pacifica told her. "They erased my mind and the minds of anyone else who knew the truth, yourself included. If you don't believe me, we can head down to the museum and visit their former base, then you'll see what a monster Preston is." She shook slightly. "He deserved to be arrested and I… I'm glad that he's going to rot in prison!"
Priscilla was quiet for a moment, realizing that her daughter was telling the truth. "Oh Pacifica," Priscilla said as she knelt down, hugging her daughter. "I believe you. And I am so sorry for not doing anything about this. I thought I knew your father but… I am so sorry."
Pacifica stood up, getting out from her mom's hug. "It's going to take more than an apology to make up for being a lousy mother in general, mom," she admitted as she started to walk away to meet up with her friends. "But I'll… see you at home."
Priscilla watched as her daughter walked away, her own expression pained with guilt.
"Well, that was eventful," Nora said while walking alongside Abigail. "But at the very least, this town's got a new mayor now."
"Yeah, I may not live here, but I am glad that Tyler won," Abigail replied. "This place could use a mayor who's part of the community and doesn't come from big money."
"Hey, Leonora." spoke Poolcheck as he walked up to her. "I saw how you punched that rich boy and I have to say that was quite the right hook."
"Oh, thanks, Ian," Nora said to the head lifeguard.
"I salute you, Nora," Poolcheck said as he did just that. "I should probably check to see how the pool is doing. I'll um… see you around. Have a good day." He then turned and marched away.
"Alright, I will!" Nora replied while noticing Abigail giving her a look. "What?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Abigail said while Vee walked up.
"Wow, I think that is the least tense I have ever seen Poolcheck be," Vee commented. "And he's always intense to everyone."
"Really?" Nora asked in surprise. "I don't know, he seems nice… militant, but nice."
"Whoa, so Ms. Gordon sucker punched him?"
"Yeah, she totally did!" Dipper replied while talking to Mabel over the phone once he was back at Soos's residence. "And with Tyler Cutebiker as mayor, I think Gravity Falls is going to be a-okay."
"That's great to hear," Mabel responded. "But man, I'm glad that Pacifica's free from her garbage dad, and that Gideon came around. I would have never seen that coming."
"Yeah, after he dropped out of the election he stopped possessing his dad in order to reflect. I think whatever Dr. Andrews told him, he took it to heart. Though time will tell, but… maybe he can change."
"So how are Luz and Waddles doing?" Mabel asked.
"Well, Waddles is… he misses you, obviously," Dipper admitted. "And Luz visited last weekend and got to spend more time with her godfamily. She's doing fine, last I heard she apparently fought the Boiling Isles version of the Green Goblin."
"Seriously? Man, Luz is always having one wild adventure after another…" Mabel commented.
Ford then came in and spoke up. "Hey Dipper, you calling Mabel? Tell her I said hi!"
"Alright, Grunkle Ford," Dipper responded before going back to the call. "Ford says hi, by the way."
"Oh, I heard," Mabel replied. "Glad that you two are getting along."
"Yeah, me too," Dipper said. "But anyway, I should get going. It was great to talk to you again, Mabel."
"Likewise," Mabel replied. "Bye Dipper. Hear from you soon, right?"
"Definitely," Dipper promised before they ended the call.
Afterward, Dipper followed Ford outside, where their friends were waiting. They consisted of the former Gatesfield residents, Vee, Soos, Rose, Candy, Grenda, and Pacifica.
"Starting a movie marathon was a great idea, Dipper," Ford complimented. "I haven't seen a movie in this dimension for three decades, so it's about time to catch up on what I missed. I think the last movie I saw was Raiders of the Lost Ark, which I heard had several sequels, including one with Sean Connery in it!"
"Oh you're gonna love it, Mr. Pines," Soos told him. "Though, it's weird to call you that. Do I call you Dr. Pines, or professor?"
"Dr. Pines is good," Ford confirmed.
"We got enough movies for more than just this weekend: we got the Back to the Future trilogy, Terminator and Terminator: Judgment Day, Batman, Top Gun, Aliens, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Lethal Weapon…" Dana listed off. "Even the Star Wars prequels."
"Wait, prequels?" Ford asked.
"You know, this is nice, with the election over, we could use a movie night," Masha said while sitting between Vee and Clara, touching both of their hands. The former didn't seem to notice, while the latter was pretending not to notice.
"Yeah, even those two agents wanted to join," Clara pointed out, spotting Trigger and Powers also there.
"We are merely here to observe," Powers said while Trigger ate some popcorn.
"Mmm, observe," Trigger agreed through a mouthful of popcorn.
"Alright everyone, time to watch our feature presentation!" Soos declared while setting up the projector and getting it running.
Gus looked around. "Thought Wendy would be here?" he whispered to Dipper.
"Oh, Wendy's got other plans," Dipper responded before they turned their attention toward the movie being played.
At the Corduroy residence, Wendy was having dinner with her family and Mayor Tyler, their guest.
Wendy had finished washing up and was about to head over to the dinner table, but she paused when she saw a photo of her mom. She smiled.
"Wendy, come on! Your steak's getting cold!" her father shouted.
"Coming dad!" Wendy replied as she hurried over to the table, where her father, her brothers and Tyler awaited. "It's great to have you here, Tyler. Or is it, Mayor Tyler?"
"Oh you can call me whatever you like, Wendy," Tyler replied and the two shared a smile.
Whatever the future held, Wendy knew that she would treasure moments like this. Sure, it wasn't perfect. Stan was still in prison and she still missed him. But she was still happy as she sat here with her family and Tyler, sharing a meal with them.
Things were looking up for the Corduroys.
Well, this is more uplifting than the last chapter.
We do apologize for the frustration and stress we gave you guys. I know that no one likes to see the bad guys win, but in a sense of storytelling… they have to. Because the heroes can't always win, sometimes the bad guys just has to get away with and win the day, so that we can root the heroes even more during their despair, and then it'll be satisfying to see them fall soon. Which is why this chapter has Preston going to jail for all of his comeuppance. So this chapter is more cathartic.
This chapter is an adaptation of the Stanchurian Candidate, which originally was going to have Stan as the candidate like in canon, and be the one to punch Preston who would also be running. But we've changed a lot of that but we still have Preston gain a well deserved punch.
And for something fun, we've included having the Gatesfield residence and Vee in swimwear while going on a trip to the pool. Which also leads to some ship tease between Nora… and Poolcheck. Yeah, this is the most weird but fun ship we've done, just thought it'll be fun. Will there be something between them? Well, they're on the first name basics.
Also to talk about Wendy, as this is considered her own chapter in a starring role. The flashbacks are based off of comics from ChadRocco, Moring Mark, and an originally planned Stan and Wendy b-plot that involves them on a diamond heist. We feel like we should dive into Wendy's character more, especially since we've never seen her get any development from her in the show. And to grant what her relationship with Stan is as the two would bond.
In Pacifica's subplot, we've also have developed Priscilla's character as we believed that she was underused. So this chapter can show what her relationship with Pacifica is like compared to hers with her shitty dad.
And we've decided to have Rose thrown in to come here in Gravity Falls, cause it would be interesting to see her meeting Abigail, since both were Huntsgirls in the Huntsclan. And I know that one of you would ask why Rose didn't used the portal spell? Well, let me tell you… it's way more easier to have a travel agency than going around to find a snake-scorpion for it's venom for ingredients. I mean, if the Krybar venom is that hard to get to make a portal, than air travel is the better option for Willow and the Gatesfield teens than going through a portal.
Now for the reviews:
BlueKnight-X2: Not yet.
OMAC001: Yeah, but don't worry, they'll get their just deserts soon…
Crosshot: No, it's not a sidetrack. In fact, this is a full chapter this time. And yeah, the karma houdini is meant to be used on purpose for this chapter, that way when the villains thinks they have the cards on the table, it's more easier for them to fall eventually. Sometimes the bad guys have to win in order for the readers to root for the heroes to dethrone them. And no, this isn't where Ed and Em argued.
Matteso585: 1) Actually, we've already thought of who should sing that song. 2) Maybe. 3) They talked about it off screen, Luz didn't really expected much from it since she hardly knew Nina and isn't surprised, nor have time to care. 4) Okay.
The Great Fossil King: Yeah, it would.
Franco Almiron: Nope, nothing dark happening in this one this time.
Ultimate-drax: Yeah, Nicole's become like The Shredder from TMNT2012, who blames Splinter for everything.
61394: That is, if Luz realizes who Mel is. Right now she has no idea that Mel is related to Hades. And yeah, hamsters are more marketable. Ever heard of Hamtaro?
Shuffollower: Honestly, Ms. Traveler can't really do anything or interfere what goes on, the same reason why she didn't help out to save Luz and her family from the petrification ceremony. She's a counselor, she has no time to be a deux ex machina 1) This chapter takes place within a week during the events of the previous chapters. 2) Ford not becoming mayor is shown why. 3) At least, three of those add-ons happened.
RJWritingInk: Well, congrats, bud, you've reached the finish latest chapter. And yeah, I know of the "Cancelled Krab" video. And yes, Mel's dad is still Hades, and Luz isn't aware of what Mel and her gang are doing so there's no way she could know who her dad is right now. What, why does everyone assumes the main character knows everything?
Alamout: I don't know…
Next chapter, some backstories...
