Dipper Pines' journal, February 14th, 2020. It has been two days since Hunter and Willow first arrived and so far…Well, is it always easy to handle people from another world? Handling them hasn't been extremely difficult. There were the odd moments where it were but for the most part, they do some odd things. Just yesterday, Willow was having a conversation with a gnome. Not the ones that are alive, I mean the kind you'd see on a garden. Hunter hadn't seen a microwave and he tried cooking a full turkey in it so….He's buying a new microwave. The two have been working at the Shack as a means to do something useful according to my Grunkle, janitorial job since he wanted their job to be easy and not something that would be hard for them like working a register. Plus, I told him 'no' to turning them into an attraction. Oh and speaking of Shack, they're been getting along well with Soos, Melody, Ford and Wendy, they've been helping them with their Human Realm stuff. They haven't seen any of the weirdness of Gravity Falls yet but I believe that will inevitably come. But as for me, well, I haven't been having some sleep for a good while so fourgive me if my righting has a few erors. I still haven't gotten over Pacifica's death and I don't know if I will for a while. Mabel has been living with me as a means to keep me company plus I inadvertently caused her home to get ransacked by the FBI. She's been trying to get me to accept that she was gone. I guess she wants me to skip a few of the seven stages of grief. But, I can't. It's just hard. Not to sound emo-ish, but I just want to be released from this world. I don't know if I can get used to a world without her. Anyway, this has been my journal entry from Dipper Pines.
Dipper sighed as he closed his journal shut. He looked at a picture frame of the side of his book and saw that it was a picture of him and Pacifica. He was struggling to lift her while she had her arms wrapped around his chest and pressed her body against his back. He misses that smile, her pretty blonde hair, her laugh, her smart mouthed remarks and everything that made her so amazing to him.
He eventually got off his chair and tried to walk to the door but accidentally walked into a wall before he found the door. He entered the kitchen where he saw that his sister was preparing some breakfast for the two of them.
"Good morning bro!" She noted the heavy bags under his eyes and how unkempt his shirt looked on him. "You don't look good."
"I haven't slept for two nights." Dipper said.
"Do you want some Mabel juice?" Mabel asked.
"My nightmares and coffee having a baby? No thanks."
"Well, more for me!" Mabel drank the juice filled with glitter and dinosaur toys before coughing out one of the dinosaurs. "Oh! Anyway, here's some breakfast." She handed her brother some food which happened to be a smiley face with the bacon made of a smile, a tomato as the nose and two fried eggs for eyes. Plus, there was a message written in brown sauce that said 'You'll be Yolk Kay.'
Dipper sighed with sadness before he began eating his breakfast. "I appreciate you trying Mabel, but….I just need to focus on protecting Hunter." He got off his chair and exited the house while Mabel just stayed back to deal with the dishes. She sighed in sadness over what her brother was doing and got to cleaning the dishes.
Ever since returning from L.A, he was depressed and seemed more focused on protecting Hunter instead of fixing himself and protecting Hunter.
Then, as she cleaned the dishes, she noticed a shadow covering her. When she looked up to see what it was, she screamed in horror.
At the Shack, Hunter and Willow, dressed in the signature Mystery Shack employee uniform of a dark green shirt with a question mark in the middle, were both cleaning the glass on the vending machine with Willow spraying and Hunter cleaning with a rag.
Hunter also wore a cap to hide his pointy ears while Willow still kept her hair down so that way they won't freak out people from out of town.
"Hard to believe that humans would trap candy in this containment only for humans to free them and then devour them." Hunter remarked.
"Sounds barbaric but at least they aren't alive." Willow remarked.
"Least they aren't this time." Wendy said from behind the counter.
"This time?" Hunter asked.
"Long story." Wendy replied.
Then, a tired Dipper entered the shack with a cup of coffee in his hand and a missing shoe. "Morning kids." Dipper yawned.
"Dipper, are you okay?" Willow asked as she turned around to face him.
"I haven't slept." Dipper replied.
"And you're not wearing your shoe." Wendy pointed out.
Then Flapjack landed on Hunter's shoulder and began tweeting. "Yeah, he's not handling it whatsoever." Falpjack tweeted again. "Give him time? You sure he'll recover?" Flapjack shrugged his feathers. "I hope he will be."
Then Stan walked in and noted his nephew not wearing his shoe. "What is it? Opposite Day for you?" Stan nudged Dipper on his shoulder to try and lighten the mood but saw that his face wasn't giving out a smile or any kind of facial movement. Stan knew that him joking wasn't gonna brighten his mood so he just walked beside Wendy and began to drink his soda.
"Dipper, you really don't look so good, you should get some sleep." Wendy said.
"Relax, I'm fine….I…..I….I just have to….Watch out for Hunter and…." Dipper yawned. "….And Willow.
"Are you okay?" Willow asked. "How are you handling….You know."
"I'm fine." Dipper assured them. "I mean, I've accepted Pacifica has gone. Nothing I can do about it, it happened."
Then, Soos burst in dressed in his Mr Mystery outfit with the added addition of a heart shaped eyepatch and cherub wings. "Who's ready for love?! Because you know what Mr Mystery loves?! Money on Valentines Day! And Valentines Day with Mrs Mystery!"
When Dipper saw Soos in his Valentines Day getup, he just walked away sadly and into the house outback. Soos then frowned at Dipper's sadness and removed the heart shaped patch from his face.
"Nice going, Soos!" Stan scolded his successor. "You've made him more depressed!"
"Aww dude, sorry, I was just trying to spread a little Valentines Day cheer." Soos explained.
"What?" Willow and Hunter reacted.
"Wait, you two don't have Valentines Day?" Wendy asked.
"Wendy, explain later, I have important jobs for all of you." Soos declared. "While Melody deals with the tourists which I will soon join, I want you man the register Wendy."
"That's like 80% of my actual job." Wendy said.
"Stan, either you stand here an interact with our guests or go and talk to Dipper." Soos commanded. "Little dude needs cheering up badly."
"I'll do my best but don't expect me to be perfect at it." Stan retorted before going to follow Dipper.
Then Ford entered with a fly swatter and a can of bug spray. "Ford, keep an eye on my Abuelita!"
"Yeah, I hope the fly hasn't gotten to her." Ford said as he walked to the living room area to deal with the fly.
"Willow, think you can hang out these signs out in the forest that lead to the Shack?" Soos asked Willow as he handed her some signs for her to hang up.
"Of course." Willow replied.
"And if you could try, try and not show off your magic to the tourists." Soos suggested. "Might creep them out. And Hunter, stay here and janitor my dude and don't forget to put some juice in the leaf blower! Tourists a' calling!" Soos ran out of the Shack to deal with tourists.
Willow struggled to hold all the signs but she then used her magic to make them levitate to make carrying them a lot easier.
"Woah! Woah! No magic!" Wendy reminded her. "We don't want to freak them out."
"Sorry." Willow said as she put the signs under her arms and putting a hammer and a pack of nails in her pocket.
"You sure you don't want help?" Hunter asked. "I could help."
"I've got it, Hunter." Willow assured him. "You got a job to do. And I honestly don't want you to get lost in the woods."
"I'm honestly worried about you." Hunter said. "You don't know what could be out there. Dipper warned us about the zombies, the Manotaurs or worst, gnomes!"
Willow patted his shoulder, causing him to blush. "Don't you worry about me. I've took on a monster with a few scratches. Besides…" She used her magic to make a one of the nearby plants expand.
Wendy then aggressively tapped on the cash register to get her to stop. "Hey! No magic!"
Willow sheepishly chuckled. "Sorry. See you soon Hunter." Willow walked out of the Shack with her Palisman following while Hunter blushed at her.
Wendy took note of the blushing on his face and grinned. "Ooooh, I hope Mabel doesn't find out."
Meanwhile, out on the porch, Dipper was sitting on the couch staring off into the distance, still feeling the loss of Pacifica.
Whereas Hunter seemed to have accepted the fact, Dipper was still mourning and grieving. He hadn't slept for two nights due to all the crying and reminiscing he was doing. In that moment, he began to reminisce about the first time he met Pacifica.
It was the first summer of Gravity Falls and the night after the Mystery Shack party. The then twelve year old Dipper had just been out in the woods that morning looking for his two remaining paper clones and was walking back to the shack while reading Journal number 3.
"Okay, after eight hours, this hunt was a complete dud." Young Dipper sighed. "Well, least I don't have to see Wendy and Robbie being all mushy with each other or possibly worst, that jerk. What was her name? Atlantica? Arctica? Indianica?" Then, Dipper accidentally bumped into a person with possibly fake blonde hair.
The two landed on the ground together and groaned. "Uh, watch where you're going!" The girl said rudely.
Dipper stood up and dusted himself off. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that."
The girl narrowed her eyes at Dipper and made a scoffing noise. "Uh, it's you."
Dipper stared at her in confusion. "Uh….Do I know you?"
Pacifica scoffed as she stood up. "Do you know me? Come on….Mabel! You should recognise the person who whooped your stupid butt! And what's with the outfit? Too ashamed to show your face in public you disguise yourself as a boy? I'll give credit where credit's due, I do admire you cutting your hair. But why are you wearing clothes that smell like they haven't been washed and what's with the red blush on your nose? Is that makeup?" She licked her thumb and tried to clean the confused Dipper's nose but it didn't come off.
"Hey!" Dipper exclaimed. "What's your problem with my sister?!"
It didn't take long for Pacifica to put the pieces together and gagged. "Gross! I can't believe I had to wet my thumb in drool to touch your nose! And you're Mabel's brother?"
"And I assume you're Oceania?" Dipper retorted.
"Pacifica!"
"Whatever." Dipper said. "So, you're the jerk who cheated her way through my sister's win?"
Pacifica just grinned as she flicked her hair. "Cheated? More like pushed my way."
"Why are you here?" Dipper asked. "Here to gloat your undeserved win?"
"No, I think I dropped a jewel here and I came to retrieve it." Pacifica replied. "And I don't feel like pointing out the truth about her."
"Well, I don't wish you luck on your quest." Dipper retorted as he began walking back to the Shack while reading the journal.
"And what's with that nerd journal?" Pacifica asked. "Trying to learn how to make pretty girls like you."
"No, I'm trying to find a spell to make you pretty likeable." Dipper retorted.
"Hey!" Pacifica exclaimed while Dipper ran back inside.
"You're a jerk and anyone who would be in a relationship with you is absolutely insane and is only in it for the money!"
"Well…..One of those is right!" Pacifica retorted before groaning. "That wasn't a good insult!"
Dipper chuckled as he reminisced his first meeting with the person he had no idea would have been his girlfriend at that point.
Meanwhile in the forest, Willow was busy hanging up some signs which she find difficult without using her magic since she wasn't allowed. She looked around the forest she was in to see if there was anyone around.
"I mean, I am on my own." Willow pointed out. "I could just…..Although, it could help me work on my arm muscle."
She continued to hang up the signs while unbeknownst to her someone was watching her. Something small to be precise.
The young witch moved on to the next tree where Clover held the sign by their skinny legs which made Willow narrow their eyes at their Palisman in disappointment. "Really? Now you want to help?" Clover buzzed. "Aww, I can't stay mad at you."
The unknown creature began to sneak up closer on Willow as it suddenly got bigger. Much bigger than her in feet.
Clover buzzed to their owner. "Oh I'm fine Clover. I just gotta fixate on Hunter and this job." Clover buzzed, causing Willow to blush. "It's nothing like that! I just want to protect him because….He means a lot to me." She argued. Clover gave a Willow a knowing look which made the plant Coven student annoyed. "Shut up. It's not like that."
Suddenly, she noticed a huge shadow in front and froze. She looked to Clover whom had a terrified look on their face. She turned around and screamed in terror at the monster in front of her.
In the Mystery Shack, Wendy was selling a Valentines Day themed Mr Mystery and Mrs Mystery figurine to a man and his girlfriend whom were being rather mushy.
Whereas Wendy was looking annoyed at the couple being affectionate while Hunter was staring at them with curiosity as he cleaned the window.
"I'm already loving this Valentine's Day." The woman said to her boyfriend.
"I know." The man agreed. "Hey, do you think we should go to that romantic restaurant after?"
"Which one?"
"The one where it's the most romantic. I mean, who knows what restaurants are romantic."
"They won't be as romantic as you, babe."
"And they won't be as beautiful as you sweetie."
"Oh my gosh!" Wendy exclaimed. "Just take the product and leave!"
The man and his girlfriend were shocked by Wendy's outburst and then pulled an annoyed look. "Uh, okay. Rude."
"Maybe I wouldn't have been if you weren't being all loving like that!" Wendy argued as the couple walked out.
"Hey Wendy, what was that?" Hunter asked.
"Uh, I just got annoyed by an affectionate couple on Valentines Day." Wendy replied grumpily.
"What's Valentines Day?" Hunter asked.
"A horrible day to remind single people that they're lonely."
"That's a cruel holiday." Hunter remarked.
Stan then walked in. "Nah. Valentines Day is a holiday designed by card and chocolate companies to make more money off of people. I'm honestly surprised I haven't had the idea for a Valentines Day themed attraction at the Mystery Shack."
"Weren't you meant to be checking on Dipper?" Wendy asked.
Stan then snapped his fingers. "Oh, that's what I was meant to be doing before my back caved in!" Stan then walked through the door that lead to the front porch just as Ford entered the gift shop still with a fly swatter and a can of bug spray in his hands.
"Oh and Hunter, I couldn't help but overhear these two questioning what Valentines Day was." Ford said. "The special day of love is celebrated in honour of one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world. By the way, has a fly been around here?" Ford walked into the door that lead to the living area in order to find the zombified fly.
"Huh, all your reasons sound contradicting." Hunter remarked as he jumped on the desk Wendy was working on.
Then Soos entered, wiping some sweat off his brow after dealing with tourists. "Oh dude, you don't know what Valentines Day is?"
"I heard it was a day to remind single people that they're lonely or a day that the card and chocolate companies use to make money and….Something about a Marty?" Hunter replied.
"Nah, it's none of those, dude." Soos replied. "Valentines Day is a day that comes once a year where you celebrate love. Usually with a significant other who are usually referred to as your Valentine. My Valentine is Melody but she isn't here because she had to go the hospital for a checkup. Though it'll be a while because some poor souls have broken hearts that they wish to get mended by the doctor."
At the hospital, Doctor Terrace was examining a patient. "Dr Terrace, my girlfriend dumped me and my heart is broken."
Doctor Terrace groaned. "Why do I get idiots like you every year?"
Back at the Shack, Wendy was showing concern for Melody. "Is she okay?"
"She says she's been feeling sick, having strange hormonal changes and eating cantaloupe. And she doesn't like cantaloupe." Soos' train of thought was interrupted when a bus parked outside. "Oooh, that's my next batch of tourists!" Soos ran out but then suddenly tripped before instantly standing up.
Wendy gasped at what Soos said about Melody's condition and smiled. "Way to go, Soos."
"So Wendy, do you have a Valentine?" Hunter asked.
Wendy sighed. "I did. But she thought we needed space. That's why I'm kind of moody when people mention Valentines Day."
Then, a man walked in. "Hey, do you have anything for my husband for Valentines Day?"
"Have a snow globe!" Wendy exclaimed before throwing a snow globe right to the man's face.
"Ow!" The man cried. "Thanks." The man payed Wendy for the snow globe and placed his money in the register.
"Uh, chump."
"Sorry you don't have one." Hunter said.
"Eh, it's fine." Wendy said. "Some people are happy being single. I can be happy being single on Valentines Day but not if the breakup is recent."
"I mean, I'd like to give it a try." Hunter said. "It's shame I don't have a Valentine."
But Wendy however, grinned at Hunter's comment. "Oh, I believe you have someone in mind."
"Uh…..Soos?"
"No, you fool!" Wendy exclaimed. "Willow!"
Hunter laughed. "Yeah right! I told Pacifica already that I'm not in love with Willow." Flapjack tweeted in Hunter's ear. "Come on Flap! Don't take her side!"
Wendy smiled. "Okay, if you're not in love then how does Willow make you feel?"
"Okay, how do I explain it?" Hunter asked himself. "Okay, every time she touches me, like my hand for example, I feel my stomach turn. Or, when I look in the bathroom mirror and think of her, I see my cheeks turn red. Plus, I sometimes stay awake and think about her. Though I don't know what this feeling is…." It was at this moment, Hunter began to ponder if what he was feeling for Willow was really love. "….Oh. I guess it could be….Love. It is love right."
Wendy reached for a six pack of Pitt cola and placed them on the desk. "Yup, you're in love my dude." She handed him the soda. "Have a soda."
Hunter instead dropped the soda as he was still shocked about his realisation. "Uh…."
"Huh, good thing Mabel isn't here." Wendy remarked. "But speaking of, where is she?"
Meanwhile, Willow was tied to some rope that was wrapped around her body, including her hands so using her magic would have been fruitless. While Clover was tied in a smaller patch of rope that they were trying to escape out of.
"Help!" Willow cried. "Somebody!"
"No!" Said a deep and booming voice. "Nobody's going to hear you! Scream as loud as you like!"
"You got it!" Willow retorted. "HELP!" Willow tried crying louder but no one was coming.
"Oh believe me, I tried." Said a voice that made Willow surprised. She slightly to her right and saw Mabel, whom was tied up as well. "I don't know why they can't hear us. Must be some kind of supernatural spell."
"No, they just can't hear you because you're in the deepest part of the forest." The voice boomed.
"Mabel, why have they captured us?" Willow asked.
"I know why they captured me but I don't know why they captured you." Mabel said.
"You are to be decided." The voice replied.
"Oh! Decided! Oh you're taking this too far!" Mabel exclaimed. "Think you can use that old witch magic to free us?"
"I can't…." Willow struggled to move her hand. "….I…Can't move my hands."
"Uh! Dipper must know I haven't arrived at the Shack by now!" Mabel said. "Or at least anyone!"
But in actuality, instead of looking for his sister, Dipper was looking at some old social media posts that his girlfriend had posted throughout the years. The first one was of her around 16 years old wearing a bright purple dress, posing in front of a mirror. The caption read 'Going to boyfriend's summer prom. His jaw is going to drop.'
Then the next post was of him at 15 years and dressed in a fancy suit though with an untied bow tie; His mouth wide open as he was stunned by her. The caption read 'Told ya.'
Then, the next one was one where the two were dressed as zombies with Dipper screaming while his zombie girlfriend eating his fake zombie guts. The caption read 'Summerween winners for sure.'
The next page had Grenda and her Austrian boyfriend, Marius winning the costume contest while an annoyed Pacifica took a selfie. The caption read 'They weren't even wearing costumes.'
Then the next post had a picture of Dipper aged 17 kissing his girlfriend on the cheek with a GIF of the straight ally flag on his cheeks while a GIF of the bisexual flag were on Pacifica's cheeks. The caption read 'So supportive.'
Then the next post was just a simple image of her standing on the edge of a cliff right behind the setting sun. Tears fell from his eyes and they landed on his screen.
He put his phone back in his pocket when his two uncles arrived. "Hey Dipper, you okay?" Stan asked.
"Is it okay if we sit down?" Ford asked his nephew gently.
"Be my guest." Dipper replied.
The two Grunkles sat next to their nephew, with sympathetic glances. The two of them might not have understood what it was like to lose a girlfriend like that, but they were willing to comfort him.
"So, you gonna try and get some sleep?" Stan asked.
"Believe me, I've been trying." Dipper replied. "But I can't get her out of my head. I just can't stop grieving."
"Dipper, I know what it's like to grieve." Stan said. "When my parents died, I was sad yes, but….Since I hadn't seen them for that long and since they threw me out, I guess I didn't miss them that much."
"Thanks for your Grunkle advice." Dipper remarked sarcastically. "Got any for me Ford?"
"Well, losing a loved one is hard." Ford replied. "Uh…..Like, when I lost my Great uncle Henry to the tragedy that was the hippie movement. He was one of the oldest hippies and he had a heart attack after so much excitement. Anyway, me and your uncle were sad but Dad told us to quit crying or else I'll cut your allowance. You want be a man? Then stop crying!"
Dipper had no idea what to say about their advice but was kind of grateful that they were trying in some capacity. "Uh….Thanks."
"Anyway Dipper, have you seen a fly anywhere?" Ford asked as he stood up with his practical weapons at the ready.
"Not recently." Dipper replied.
"Okay, I'm going back inside." Ford declared before walking back inside the hut to find the fly.
"Sooooo….Do you want me to continue sitting here or do you want me to leave?" Stan asked.
"I think the latter would be a perfect idea, Stan." Dipper replied.
Stan stood up. "Sorry if my advice wasn't perfect but she's still with you. I know it sounds generic but you can always remember her and she'll still be alive." Stan walked back into the Shack where he saw Hunter pacing around the gift shop while Wendy watched on in amusement.
"I can't believe it." Hunter said as he continued to pace around the shop with Flapjack on his shoulder.
"What's his problem?" Stan asked.
"He just figured out he's in love with Willow." Wendy replied.
Stan smiled. "Ooooh. You're in love with your lady roommate?"
"I think so." Hunter replied. "I just….Don't know what to do next."
"Simple, you should ask her out." Wendy suggested.
"But how do I do it?!" Hunter asked.
Stan grinned. "I have the perfect idea. If there's one thing I know about women, they love pick-up lines."
"No they don't." Wendy argued.
"Okay, not every women likes pick-up lines." Stan said. "But here's a book of the best pick-up lines from 1955. It's how my uncle picked up a lot of ladies back in the day."
Hunter was about to take the book but Wendy took it off of him and began to read them with disgust. "You look like the kind of woman who wouldn't wash anyone's dishes. You look like the kind of woman who'd wash…." Wendy froze. "….No, I am not reading the rest of that! Mr Pines! This book is already a no, no."
"Yeah to be fair, that book did get me into a lot of trouble." Stan said. "I was just waiting for the right woman who'd actually like it. Anyway, here's one that's really popular. Okay, so when you see this pretty lady again, go up to her show her a smile. Go on, give me a smile." Hunter smiled at Stan, but it was a very ugly one. "Uh…..Maybe less teeth." But somehow, it looked way worse. "Okay. Practise on that smile. Okay, when you go up to your lady roommate go up to her and ask 'Are you from Tennessee?'
"But Willow's not from Tennessee." Hunter pointed out.
"Okay, maybe go up to her and give her flowers." Stan suggested.
"No Stan, that is too forward." Wendy said. "And being in a relationship that started off too forward ends in disaster. Just ask my exes. Rus Thorum, Mike Hurley, Britney Heather, Becky Schultz, Lucille….Uh….Uh…..Uh…..Oh man, what was the name of my French ex. Hunter, you should just be straight and gentle with her to ask her out."
"But how do I do it?" Hunter asked. "I've never been in a relationship."
"Hunter, women like it when you take an interest in what they like." Stan said. "She likes plants, right? Read a book about botany."
"Honestly, I'm more interested in Cosmic Frontiers." Hunter pulled the book known as Cosmic frontiers from a nearby shelf and showed Stan the front cover which looked very sci-fi. "Do you think she could like this stuff?"
"Wait, you're into that nerd crap?" Stan asked. "Yeah, I doubt that."
"Stan, you know a lot of people are attracted to geek nowadays?" Wendy asked.
"Well Sixer's going to be lucky." Stan remarked.
"Look Hunter, you should ask her out when it feels right." Wendy said. "It doesn't need to be perfect but just don't let it be late. That's the only advice I can give out."
"But I'll still need help." Hunter said. "Maybe I could ask Luz on those….Phoon things."
"I have Vee's phone number." Wendy reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone which she handed to Hunter and had already called Vee. "She can pass it on to Luz."
Hunter places the device on his ear. "Hey Vee, could you put Luz…."
"Hunter, I'm a little busy right now! My Valentines Day has been ruined and Vee is in trouble!" Luz called on the other end. "Look, I'd love to talk to you but….Uh oh! Amity! I'm coming Sweet Potato!"
The phone went silent as Hunter stared at the device in confusion. He looked to Wendy with a blank expression. "Could I practice with you?"
Wendy shrugged her shoulders. "The master's in da house."
Meanwhile, Willow and Mabel were still being dragged by the unknown creature as they struggled to escape their bonds.
"Come on, you've like…Been trying and you keep failing." The beast said.
"How many times do I need to say no to you?!" Mabel exclaimed.
"You can't escape me this time, Mabel." The beast said. "But now, your fate will be decided."
"Up yours!" Mabel exclaimed.
"What will it do to us when we get there?" Willow asked.
"I don't even have a clue." She replied. "Ooooh, I hope it's nothing bad."
"Oh, it's something bad." The beast said.
Then, Clover managed to cut their way out of their ropes and then flew to Willow and began to cut her ropes. But their owner stopped them.
"No." Willow whispered. "Clover, go get help." Clover was hesitant to leave their owner but then they nodded their head and flew off to find some help at the Shack.
Back at the Shack's gift shop, Hunter was taking deep breaths while Wendy was patting his back and Flapjack was massaging his shoulder with their his feathers. "You got this." Wendy said. "You got this, kid."
"I don't know." Hunter looked skeptical. "Is he really the best you got?"
Stan was standing in for Willow. He was wearing a black braided wig, circular glasses and fake pointy ears.
A fly flew on his face and then Ford came out of nowhere and swatted it with his fly swatter. "Ow!"
Ford looked at the dead fly and groaned. "Uh, that's not it." He then continued running to search for the fly.
"Wendy, I don't see the point in this." Stan replied.
"Look, you were the best model by default." Wendy said. "Abuelita just looked dead, Ford's fly hunting, Melody's still getting checked up, Dipper's still depressed, Soos is busy with tourists and I'm here to motivate Hunter. Okay Hunter, go ahead. Pretend this old man is the pretty girl you wanna ask out."
Hunter approached Stan with a nervous look and took a deep breath. "Willow, I…"
"Pass." Stan interjected.
"Stan!" Wendy chided. "Going too hard on him."
"Alright fine. Go ahead, kid." Stan said.
Hunter took a deep breath. "Willow Park, ever since I've known you, I have been feeling something I have never felt before and it's to do with you. What I'm saying is, I like you."
"Well I don't." Stan said.
"Stan!" Wendy chided.
"Come on Wendy!" Stan argued. "Using me isn't gonna help."
"Actually it isn't." Wendy agreed. "I guess I'll have to wait till we find a better actor. Asking out class dismissed. You do what you want Stan."
Stan took off his costume and sighed with relief. "Finally! I can have an old man nap!" He walks away to have a nap. "Oh and Hunter, clean up the Shack. I'm not the owner but I was for 30 years."
And so, the employees got back to work with Hunter sweeping the floor, Flapjack deciding to help by rubbing their body all over the windows while Wendy was reading a magazine about the Twenty-Three Year Old Lifestyle.
Hunter was still pondering about Willow as he continued to sweep the floor. "Do you think Willow might like Cosmic Frontier?"
"She doesn't seem like the kind of person." Wendy replied. "I mean, you can talk to her about it but not too much because that would make them really bored."
"By the way, are you having a Valentines Day?" Hunter asked.
Wendy sighed. "I was meant to have one. Until a few days earlier, Anna Amea dumped me. I had plans with her that day! We were supposed to have a nice little day to ourselves but then from out of the blue she dumped me because she was attracted to one of my best friends, Thompson! Thompson!"
"That sucks." Hunter remarked.
"Yeah, so I've been pretty sour to couples on V-Day." Wendy explained.
Then, two men and a woman entered. "Excuse me, my partners are looking for Valentines Day deals."
Wendy groaned. "Quit rubbing your happiness in my face and buy something!"
The polyamorous couple froze before they began looking around the Shack for merchandise to buy for themselves.
"And worst of all, Anna was like my…..Huh, I have had so many boyfriends and girlfriends that I lost count on how many I actually had." Wendy replied.
"Oh." Hunter continued to sweep until something suddenly came to his head about Willow. "Do you think Willow might share the same feelings?"
"Well, wouldn't be surprised if she did." Wendy replied.
"You wouldn't?" Hunter asked as his cheeks turned red.
"Yeah. You're loyal to people you care about, you're nice and you're caring." Wendy replied. "Why wouldn't she be attracted to you?"
"It's just…Well, you know I'm a clone right?" Hunter's question got the polyamorous couple to look at him with confusion.
"It's a metaphor." Wendy lied, in order to keep his identity a secret. "He has a lot of insecurities."
"Ah, that's understandable." Said one of the customers.
"Why would that be an issue?" Wendy asked him. "I mean, Luz and Amity are dating and they're an entirely different species."
"Well, I'm a Grimwalker and I remember how Butcher reacted when he found out." Hunter said. "Willow knows about me being a Grimwalker but I don't know if she'll date one."
"I mean, Luz and Amity." Wendy pointed out. "Human and witch, Grimwalker and witch. Sounds like witches can be attracted to anything."
Hunter thought about but he still had doubts. Flapjack tweeted on his shoulder which made the Grimwalker smile. "Thanks for the confidence, Flap."
Soos then walked back in with plunger bullets on his face. "Some kids brought a Narf gun." He tore one of them off and threw it on the floor. "Hey has Dipper come back yet?"
"No, he's still in the back." Wendy said. "Was it best to get Stan?"
"I thought….Ya know, he might have some uncle wisdom." Soos said.
"Stan has literally about 35% of wisdom that is good." Wendy argued.
"Well, I don't like seeing Dipper bummed out." Soos said. "He seems more bummed out than when you rejected him."
"Well, there's a difference between rejection and losing someone you love." Wendy pointed out.
"Still a heartbreaking scene." Soos said. "Hey Wendy, do you wanna try and cheer him up?"
"You sure?" Wendy asked.
"I'll keep watch of the register." Soos responded. "But you have ten minutes. Still gotta abide by Mr Pines' rules."
"Understandable." Wendy left the register to go check on Dipper.
Once Wendy went on to check on Dipper, Hunter began cleaning the desk. "So, to give reassurance to Willow, do you trap tourists?"
Back outside, Dipper was busy still mourning Pacifica's loss. He still hadn't had the thought of her death out of his mind. He remembered how much it hurt when Luz told him the heartbreaking truth.
His emptiness was consuming, every time he thought of her, it hurt. Every time her death was in his mind, he felt guilty for not being there for her.
Then, he felt the feeling of a cold can on his cheek. "Ow!"
He looked and saw that Wendy was beside him, holding a can of Pitt cola in her hand. "Hey. Thirsty?"
Dipper took the can out of his former crush's hand and smiled at her generosity. "Thanks." He opened the can and took a sip.
"How are you doing?" Wendy asked.
"How would you feel if is the one person, the first and the most successful relationship you've ever been in is gone? And it wasn't through a breakup."
"I unfortunately have never lost a partner." Wendy replied. "So, you're kind of asking the wrong person. No offence to your grief."
"None taken." Dipper assured her. "But, what should I do now? I mean, I'm supposed to be taking care of Hunter but I was just too busy grieving. I mean, how can I keep going on if all I can do is grieve?"
Wendy gave her best friend a sympathetic stare as she began to think of some advice she can give him. Thankfully, she found something.
"You know Dipper, I haven't told you this." Wendy said. "About my mom."
Dipper looked at Wendy with a sad yet sympathetic stare. "I might have assumed. I just didn't want to say it."
"Hey, you assumed right, dude." Wendy said. "My mom, she was amazing. Whereas my brothers went on to act like dad, my mom was my source of inspiration. Actually, both she and my mom. Whereas you know my dad for being wild and angry and I was like that, but my mom was very chilled and encouraged me to be more chill and suppress it. I know it sounds weird to how someone as chill as my mom could end up with someone as wild like my dad, but they made it work. When my Mom died, I was devastated. I was hopeless and sad, I couldn't even leave my room due to my grief. But then, my Dad said something wise that stuck with me." Dipper looked surprise. "I know! I know! But he did. He said to me, 'Your mom would want you to grieve but she'd also want you to live. Because if you keep living grieving then you're not really living. You're just shutting yourself off from the world and everyone else. Your Mom would be heartbroken to see you throw your life away.' And that's what I did. It was hard, but I continued living and I grieved. It was like a fine balance."
Dipper had listened to what Wendy said. Every word and every syllable it got him thinking about the advice. He began to realise that Pacifica would want him to live and to not spend the rest of his days grieving for her. Plus, there was the promise he had to keep about protecting Hunter. He looked at Wendy and gave her a small smile.
Suddenly, Clover flew in front of them and began making buzzing noises. "Ah! Giant bee!" Wendy screamed.
"No wait, I think that's Willow's Palisman." Dipper said. "What is it? Where's your owner?" Clover buzzed and buzzed again but unfortunately, the two don't understand what they were saying.
"Uh…..What?" Wendy asked.
The bee Palisman groaned and flew inside the Shack where Soos was teaching Hunter the vending machine trick that Mabel taught him which he then taught to Mabel.
"So wait, Mabel taught you this trick when you were 12 and then 10 years later you taught her that same trick so she can go back in time to teach you that same trick which you would teach to her to ensure that you know the trick so she would know in the future?" Hunter asked as he went cross eyed due to all the thinking he was doing.
"Yeah dude, it sounds pretty complicated." Soos said. "But ya know, time travel."
Then Clover flew in and began to talk to Flapjack who looked shocked by what the bee Palisman was telling him.
Wendy and Dipper had followed Willow's Palisman and began to watch them chat with Flapjack. "What's going on?" Wendy asked.
Flapjack flew on Hunter's shoulder and began tweeting to what info Clover gave to him. "Flapjack's telling me that Clover said that Willow and Mabel have been taken."
"What?!" Dipper and Wendy exclaimed.
"By whom?" The worried Dipper asked.
Flapjack tweeted. "He says they were taken by someone named Jeff."
Dipper's worried face turned to annoyance as he figured out who had captured his sister and Willow. "Oh no. Not again."
"What captured Willow?!" Hunter asked with worry.
"Someone who wouldn't know what no meant even if you showed him the definition." Dipper replied.
Meanwhile in the forest, Willow and Mabel were being untied in a small arena like location with a lot of people in attendance.
Willow and Mabel looked around the arena as they got a look at the creatures that captured them. Turns out it was the gnomes that had captured. Specifically, the same kind that captured and tricked Mabel during her first month in Gravity Falls when she was 12.
"How many times do I need to tell you Jeff?!" Mabel exclaimed.
On a special VIP seat, the gnome leader known as Jeff was seated as he ate some grapes that were being fed to him by Shmebulock.
"This could be the last time if you win or lose." Jeff assured her. "All you two have to do is fight to the death. If one of you wins then you'll be married to me in a hastily rushed ceremony! But if one of you loses, we will have to kill you because we are really psychotic."
Willow looked terrified by the predicament she was in that some plants began to grow beneath her feet. "Why do you wanna marry me? I'm 15, I'm too young for marriage."
"Because I'm 14 years old and really young!" Jeff replied.
Mabel stared at her gnome ex boyfriend in confusion. "Whaaa?"
"Look, I know it's been like 8 years since we first met but us gnomes age really slow." Jeff replied. "Like for example, Shmebulock just turned 23 this year."
"Schmebulock!" Shmebulock said.
"I was very busy that day!" Jeff said.
Mabel moved close to Willow and began whispering to her. "Don't worry, we will get out of here." She whispered. "I have a plan. Just follow my lead." Willow gave her a nod.
"You can try and escape my arena of death all you like but you can not!" But in actuality, the arena the two were in was really small. It only went up to Willow's neck and Mabel's chest in lengthways while the width was really wide. So the two just stepped over it and got out easily. "Or you can."
"Goodbye Jeff!" Mabel said before she and Willow began to walk away out of the gnome village.
"No! I will not be refused!" Jeff exclaimed. "Gnomes! Combine!" The gnomes got out of their seats and together, they began to stick to each other to turn into the monster gnome.
The two would-be-brides turned around to see the giant gnome monster. They stared at it with fear. "Oh yeah, they do that." Mabel said.
"What do we do?" Willow asked.
"Run and think of a plan!" Mabel replied before the two began to run.
Then, the gnome monster performed a mighty jump and landed in front of them. It roared at them which caused Mabel to scream while Willow prepared her magic to stop them.
As the gnome monster was about to grab them, Hunter suddenly appeared and decapitated the gnome monster's head off with his Palisman, scattering the gnomes all over.
Hunter then teleported in-between Mabel and Willow. "You two okay?"
"I got captured by gnomes." Willow replied as Clover returned to her.
"Good thing we don't have them in the Demon Realm." Hunter said.
The gnome monster reformed and gave a loud roar. Wendy appeared in front of the gnome with her axe in hand. "Keep away from them you little freaks!" Wendy demanded.
"Oh, an axe!" The gnome gasped. "I guess we'll…." Then the gnome monster's hand turned into an axe causing everyone to back off in fear and worry.
"Wendy, did you have a plan B?" Mabel asked.
Then, Dipper appeared with a leaf blower in hand, ready to use against them. "Hey Jeff! Remember this?!" He turned it on to blow and aimed it at the gnomes.
The gnome monster panicked and began to back away in fear. "No! No!" Jeff cried. "Not the leaf blower!"
"That's right, your weakness." Dipper said.
The gnome monster continued to back away in fear at the sight of the gardening tool. "No! No!"
"Go on gnomes, try and catch them." Hunter said. "You can't."
"Hey Hunter, how much fuel did you add?" Dipper asked.
"Huh?"
"To the leaf blower. How much power is in it?"
In that moment, Hunter knew, he messed up. He forgot one task to do today. "Uh….."
Then, the leaf blower powered down causing Dipper to narrow his eyes at Hunter. "You…."
"Yeah, I was busy with…" He noticed Willow and coughed. "….Other things."
The gnome monster grinned and began to walk towards them in an attempt to grab their to-be-brides. "Come on Willow, Mabel, just fight to the death."
"Dipper, did you have a plan B?" Mabel asked.
"Not really." Dipper yawned. "I would have remembered my tech but….I'm just tired."
In that moment, Hunter thought of a good idea to deal with the gnome monster. "Guys, I might have an idea."
"Spill it Hunter!" Wendy yelled.
A few moments later, the gnome monster began to charge towards them while Willow got on Clover and began to fly around the gnome monster.
"Hey jerk, catch us if you can!" Mabel began running around the gnome monster causing them to grin.
"All too easy." They remarked before Hunter hit them in the head with his staff. "Hey!" He tried grabbing Hunter but unfortunately, he teleported off his shoulder and on his nose.
He grabbed one of the gnomes that formed the nose and grinned. "Got ya nose!" He tossed the gnome aside before teleporting.
The gnome monster tried to look for Hunter but then heard a voice. "Hey ugly!" He looked to the right and saw Wendy. "You're so ugly that the dictionary is planning to make you the physical definition!" It tried to crush Wendy but she dodged it.
It then saw Mabel and tried to grab her, which they succeeded at. But when they saw who they actually got, they became disappointed.
Dipper grinned in the grasp of the gnomes. "Wrong twin."
It tossed Dipper aside, who quickly landed on his feet despite his tiredness and began running towards Wendy whom was giving him a head signal.
"Hey Jeff!" The gnome monster looked behind them and saw the witch and his first love standing far from them. "If you want us, get us!"
It smiled as it began walking towards them. But then froze once they realised that there was a long and huge vine wrapped around their ankles. But it was unfortunately too late to try anything and fell on their front, causing them to scatter into gnomes.
The gnomes groaned in pain as they stood up. Jeff narrowed his eyes at the group in anger and with vengeance. "This isn't over Mabel and Willow! One of you shall be my queens!"
"In your dreams, Jeff!" Mabel screamed. "You're too shot and young for me!"
"Okay fair point!" Jeff agreed. "But this still isn't over!" The gnomes soon ran away while accidentally bumping into each other.
"This will never be over won't it?" Hunter asked.
"Not really." Mabel replied.
A bit later, the group were walking back to the Shack after defeating a monster gnome. Mabel noted that her brother was still tired yet he looked somewhat better.
"You look 5% better." Mabel remarked.
"Well, I had an epiphany." Dipper replied. "Pacifica wouldn't want me grieving forever, she'd want me to continue living. I can't continue grieving. I need to take care of Hunter and work on my comeback which will come last."
"And…seeing other people?" Mabel suggested.
"Probably." Dipper replied. "But I'd like to hold off from seeing other people until I'm ready, so no matchmaking."
"I can't make promises." Mabel said. "By the way, where did you learn that? It sounded wise."
"The wisest person I ever met." Dipper and Wendy gave each other small smiles with the author feeling grateful for his former crush bringing him out of the dumps.
An impressed looking Willow nudged Hunter's shoulder as they walked. "Where did you learn that trick?"
"You probably haven't read this or probably won't be interested, but it was chapter 16 of Cosmic Frontiers." Hunter replied. "Captain Avery commands O'Bailey…."
"….To fly around the Walkers of Mellas which would tie a rope around their ankles causing them to trip!" Willow interjected with excitement. "You read Cosmic Frontiers?!"
"You read Cosmic Frontiers?!" Exclaimed a surprised Hunter.
"Heck yeah!" Willow replied. "It's amazing! I wanted to read a book about botany but I saw the cover of Cosmic Frontiers and became more interested."
"I only wanted to read it because I needed sleep." Hunter replied. "But unfortunately I ended up reading 12 chapters in one night."
Willow chuckled. "Do you have a favourite character so far?"
"I really like O'Bailey." Hunter replied. "The cyborg. He's kind of a character I can relate to."
"Well, my favourite is Lieutenant Bexley." Willow replied. "She strong and confident and is loyal to her crew. Plus, I really like her relationship with O'Bailey. I like that she loves him regardless of what he looks like. She's more attracted to who he is." She gave Hunter a smile which made Hunter blush and question what Willow's reasoning meant.
Was this her way of telling him that she felt the same for him and doesn't care about him being a Grimwalker? But instead of questioning, he smiled back. "Yeah, I like her for that very reason as well."
When they arrived at the Shack, Soos had finished boarding up the shack by nailing planks of wood on the door.
"Soos? What happened?" Mabel asked.
"Racoon infestation?" Wendy asked.
"What's a racoon?!" Hunter asked. "Are they dangerous?!"
Soos turned to face everyone. "Okay, so I have good news and bad news. Who wants good news first?"
"Yes!" Everyone replied.
"Good news is, Melody's pregnant." Soos exclaimed happily. "I'm going to be a dad, dudes!"
Everyone cheered happily about the news. "I knew it!" Wendy exclaimed happily.
"And what's the bad news?" Mabel asked.
"The shack is boarded up because Abuelita turned to a zombie." Soos replied. "Turns out the fly Ford was after was a zombie fly he resurrected and now she wants his brains."
Inside the Shack, Ford was fighting off the zombie Abuelita while trying to administer the cure and fight her back.
"Brains please." Said the zombified old lady.
"Abuelita!" Ford yelled. "I'm younger than you but I get back pains! Please let me administer the cure! Stanley, aren't you gonna help?!"
"I would but my back problems are worst than yours!" Stan replied. "Work faster Chyro!" Stan said to his personal chiropractor who tried to crack his back.
"I just took down a gnome monster today." Dipper remarked before he picked up a nearby shovel. "Anyone wanna help me stop an old people zombie apocalypse?"
"Eh, why not?" Wendy replied.
And so, they burst through the boarded door to stop the zombie virus from spreading any further.