Mabel was ready. After a whole year of waiting, she would see her brother again!
She couldn't wait!
There was cake and her parents bought them amazing presents, and there were cookies shaped like dinosaurs, and, and, and—!
She couldn't wait! Seriously! Couldn't! She's been doing this waiting stuff since the morning! Actually, since the previous year!
Any moment now. Aaaaaaaany moment now.
Suddenly a knock sounded at the door, she ran up to it excited to see—!
…a mailman…?
"This is for you," the man said, handing her a postcard. He turned around and left.
Mabel felt something indescribable in her chest unravel as she looked down at the postcard and saw Gravity Falls written on it. She turned it around. In Dipper's chicken scratch it said: "Sorry Mabel, Couldn't make it to the birthday party. I'll be there next year. -Dipper"
She could hear her heart break in a million pieces.
However, before the first tear could fall from her eyes, she heard a zapping sound behind her. If the previous year has taught her anything it was that any weird sound needed investigating, and fast.
She turned around and— There he was. Dipper. In flesh.
She rubbed at her eyes, blinked, rubbed her eyes again.
Dipper stepped out of a big zapping blue portal, from behind him came Stand and Ford and Soos and Wendy and Candy and Grenda—
Dipper spread his arms. "Come on Mab, did you really think I would miss our birthday? Not in the world!"
Before she registered his words she was really already running towards his open arms and hugging him as tight as possible, tears running freely from her eyes.
"Dipper! Everyone!" she cried out, voice thick with tears.
"We missed you," Candy and Grenda join the hug. "We knew you couldn't come to Gravity Falls because you were ill, so we decided to come to you!"
"It took us the entire summer to get this portal working," Grunkle Ford said, proud of himself.
"Sure, we could have used the bus, but think long term, now we can visit each other whenever we want! All the time, not just during summer!" Grunkle Stan says, equally proudly.
Mabel detached herself from Dipper and her best friends briefly to go hug her grunkles.
Behind her, her father clears his throat. "Sorry for hiding it for so long, but Dipper swore us to secrecy." He winks.
"The parts to the portal got mailed to us a week ago, but it took us until today to put it together, even with the instruction for dummies," her mother laughs.
She couldn't help but send them a betrayed look, but soon she joined the laughter.
This is gonna be the best birthday ever.