AN: And like a horror villain…I return…MUHAHAH!
Thank you for all your support, again! To answer the question of Skyrah the Crazy Fangirl, I'm planning on updating "Dearest" soon. Obviously, it isn't as well written as I'd like it to be, but I think I can make it work, Feb. 15 I think, so you can look forward to that!
Now, I hope you enjoy! Oh, and question, readers, what's your favorite OC of mine?
…A-X-O-L-O-T-L…
Chapter Twenty: A Twist in Time
"Alright, I now have a sure-fire way of getting Wendy that stuffed animal, and making sure she doesn't go out with Robbie—or anyone else for that matter," Dipper said giving his brother a significant scowl which Matthew returned. Mabel looked between her two brother and hissed at the realization of what was wrong.
"Alright, Mabel, I need you and Matthew to take care of something for me," Dipper said, then told them everything he wanted them to do.
"But…but what about Waddles?" Mabel asked uncertainly.
"It'll only take a few minutes!" Dipper insisted. "I need you both on the roof."
"Yes, sir!" Mabel said cheerfully.
Matthew just grunted. After all, this was for Dipper. He wasn't about to back out now over a silly argument over a girl.
While Dipper went to Wendy, Matthew and Mabel went back into the shack, went into the attic and up the window, before scaled the roof of the shack. Mabel positioned by the drain pipe and Matthew with the bat he had taken from Stan's room. While Mabel waited, she could see her brother looking at Dipper and Wendy with a tiny frown on his face.
"Um…you guys aren't going to go all Hamlet on each other…right?" Mabel asked.
"What?" Matthew blinked twice and turned to Mabel as if coming from a daze. "Go all Hamlet—oh! Mabel no…it's—it's nothing, really I—." Matthew went back to looking at the two, Dipper now testing the wind. "I'm fine."
"No, you aren't," Mabel said quietly. "I can tell, your eyes get all cloudy when you sad or upset…right now you're both."
"They do?" Matthew asked in surprise. He had never noticed that.
Mabel nodded, "Ever since I could remember—Oh! Here it comes!"
Mabel caught the ball in the drain pipe while Matthew hit it hard with his bat, making the ball soar through the sky.
"You think it worked?" Mabel asked.
"Well, if the wind velocity was right and I hit with just enough momentum…yes," Matthew said turning to his sister, who was wearing a blank smile.
"I don't know what you just said," she said.
Matthew laughed lightly before the two slid down the roof and walked off, just in time to see Wendy walking off with Dipper, who turned around and gave his siblings two thumbs up.
Matthew forced a smile while Mabel grinned. "We got your back, broseph!"
While Matthew watched frozen as Dipper watched he and Wendy walked into the tunnel of love—and corn-dogs.
That's when he heard Mabel scream.
"Mabel?!" Matthew asked in panic as the girl ran up to him and screamed hysterically. "Mabel? What's wrong?" He put his hands on his sister's shoulders and scanned her for injuries.
"Waddles! Pacifica took him!" Mabel cried. "Because I took too long, I didn't get him in time! And now he's gone and AHHHH!"
"Okay, okay, calm down," Matthew said, relieved that Mabel hadn't been attacked by something. "I'll, um, go talk to her."
Matthew went over to Pacifica who was sitting on a bench and was feeding Waddles a carrot.
"Oh, hey, Matthew," Pacifica said.
"Hey, Pacifica, uh, yeah, my sister is kind of head over heels for that pig," Matthew said.
Pacifica rose and eyebrow. "So?"
"Do you mind giving it to her and making her feel better?" Mathew asked.
"Look, you guys are cool and all, but I want this pig. I need someone to hang out with when I'm not with Mabel and Candy and Grenda," Pacifica said as Waddles poked his snout on her jean pocket for more carrots.
Matthew hissed and looked back at Mabel who had a horrified look in her eyes. Then he looked back at the pig and the blonde. Waddles didn't look too upset, in fact he looked happy, and so was Pacifica. Was it fair to take a chance of companionship from her?
"Uh…all right then," Matthew muttered, "You have fun."
"Thanks for understanding," Pacifica said with a smile as she walked off with Waddles.
"Matt! What do I do?!" Mabel cried. "Waddles is my soul-mate!"
"Hey, you once said that over a ball of yarn, I-I'll figure something else out, okay?" Matthew said.
"How? Pacifica wants Waddles, and Waddles wants Pacifica! And I'm left heart-broken!" Mabel said as tears lined her eyes.
Then, an idea came to the teen.
"Hey Mab— "
Matthew didn't finish because the brunette ran off screaming and knocking people out of the way. Matthew sighed and jogged to catch up to her. He reached the girl at the same time she and Dipper were fighting for the tape.
"Hey, hey!" Matthew exclaimed. "Look, calm down, I got an idea, okay?"
The twins stopped fighting and looked up at their brother curiously.
"Um, here's what's going to happen," Matthew said.
"We're going to go back, again, and Dipper's going to do the ball toss the normal way while Mabel gets her pig," Matthew said.
Mabel beamed and Dipper opened his mouth to protest when Matthew held up his hands. "Wait, wait. I'm not done."
Dipper closed his mouth.
"Once Mabel wins her pig, we go back again. But, Mabel brings Waddles with us, that way, when we help Dipper win the boll toss, the pig will already belong to Mabel and we'll have nothing to worry about, sound good?"
The twins looked confused for a second before they grinned.
"That actually might work!" Dipper said excitedly.
"Alright, ready?" Matthew asked.
"Ready!" Dipper and Mabel said in unison as the held on to each other, the tape taking them back in time.
…A-X-O-L-O-T-L…
"You only get one chance," the man warned.
"Uh, sorry Wendy," Dipper mumbled.
"Sorry?" Wendy asked in bewilderment.
Dipper took a deep breath and carelessly threw the ball, like expected, the ball hit Wendy in the eye and Robbie whisked her away on a date.
Meanwhile, Mabel and Matthew hurried to the pig pen.
"That pig's fifteen pounds!" Mabel said pointing at Waddles. "And, yes! I'm a witch!"
Matthew clamped a hand on her mouth. "NO! No, she's not, my sister just has this imagination—."
"Aren't you the Furious Fire Boy?" The man asked with narrowed eyes. "You are, aren't you? Well, time to round up a mob!" The man lit a torch and Mabel yelped as Matthew quickly pulled her away from the crazy man.
"Okay, you ready, Dipper?" Matthew asked his brother as Dipper took out the tape. "Yup!" He said and the once more held on to each other and warped through time, this time, Mabel making sure to hold on to Waddles.
Stan once more opened the dunking tank with his megaphone when the trio plus the pig reappeared.
"Alright, like last time?" Matthew asked his brother.
"Like last time," Dipper said with a nod.
Mabel gave Waddles a hug. "Be right back!" She promised as she and her elder brother ran up on to the roof of the Mystery Shack, once more taking their positions.
Mabel helped the ball go through the drain pipe while Matthew whacked the ball with the bat. And to their relief, once they got down, Robbie was hidden under his hoodie and Wendy was hugging her plushy of undetermined species.
"I definitely went to the fair with the right guy," Wendy said with a smile. Dipper grinned in return. "Wanna ride the tunnel of love?" He suggested.
"Yeah, totally!" Wendy smiled and walked towards the ride. "Uh, wait," Dipper stopped before turning around and giving Mabel a hug. She yelped in surprise before laughing before Dipper hugged Matthew's waist.
"Thanks, both of you." Dipper smiled. "You didn't have to…but you did, thanks."
"We're the Mysterious Three, Dipper; we gotta look out for each other, no matter what," Matthew said with a smile.
Dipper grinned before running after Wendy, just as Pacifica walked by with a chicken she was talking to.
"You're a genius, Matt!" Mabel said happily. "You found a way to make everyone happy!"
"Yeah," Matthew said staring after Dipper and Wendy. "Everyone…"
"…except you," Mabel finished, her happiness deflating.
"Hey, hey," Matthew kneeled next to his sister and put his hands on her shoulders. "Don't let me ruin this for you. Go have fun with Waddles."
"But, you aren't happy, how can I have fun?" Mabel asked with a sad frown.
"Part of being apart of a team, and especially an older sibling, is removing yourself from the equation, you know?" Matthew smiled.
"But, that isn't really fair."
"Nothing is really fair, you just gotta role with it, you know?"
Matthew ruffled Mabel's hair. "Don't let me ruin your day."
"Okay!" Mabel said cheerfully. And she ran off with her beloved pig.
Matthew smiled after her before it slowly faded as he sat on one of the benches. It was just a kiss on the cheek, nothing more.
But it was, wasn't it?
Matthew closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, and sat for while, when he smelled someone covered in perfume. The blonde opened his eyes to find a caramel apple being shoved in front of his face.
"Here," a voice said.
Matthew turned and scowled when he saw the grey eyes and black ringlets of Penelope Evergreen—if that even was her real name.
"No thank you," Matthew said pushing the treat away.
"Why not?" She asked with a frown.
"You could've poisoned it," Matthew responded.
"I wouldn't poison you, handsome," Penelope said with a smile.
Matthew gave the girl a calculating look before taking the caramel apple and eating a tiny chunk.
"So, rejected, I see?" Penelope asked slyly, eating her own caramel apple.
"No," Matthew said as Wendy and Dipper went for funnel cake. "Just…removing myself from the equation."
Penelope laughed. "And why should you do that?"
"To make my siblings happy."
Penelope laughed so hard she choked on her candy.
Matthew rolled his eyes as the girl cleared her throat before laughing again.
"What's so funny?" Matthew demanded.
"Dearie, why 'remove yourself from the equation?' you don't owe those pipsqueaks anything. All you wanted was a fleeting chance—a different flavour of love…but they couldn't even give you that, could they?" Penelope said as she bit into her caramel apple again. "You had to be the sacrificial lamb, why so? Why couldn't they do something for you for a change?"
"It's my job— "
"Blah, blah, blah, duty, blah, blah blah!" Penelope said. "That, dearie, is a stupid excuse people make when they do things and don't get rewarded for it! Did you know that?"
Matthew didn't respond so Penelope continued.
"But don't worry, I appreciate you…" Matthew tensed as Penelope slid her finger down his lower lip and picked up a piece of stray caramel. "…even if Red over there doesn't." She licked the caramel off her finger slowly and smirked.
"Tell you what, how about, you and I enjoy the fair? Together?" Penelope suggested.
"Why would I do that?" Matthew demanded.
Penelope leaned forward and whispered, "Because you're not happy."
"Why would you care?" Matthew asked.
Penelope grabbed Matthew's chin and forced him to look at her. "Because you need to fix me."
"What?"
"Come on! Everyone else is having fun!" Penelope gestured to Dipper who was laughing with Wendy, and Mabel who was chatting with Pacifica about pets.
What's the big deal? A voice in Matthew's head asked.
"Yeah, okay."
"Lovely!" Penelope said grabbing Matthew's arm and dragging him to the Ferris Wheel. She handed the man her tickets, though as soon he saw Matthew he whimpered in fear and said, "Y-you can go on! Just don't hurt me!"
Matthew rolled his eyes as Penelope and he sat in one of the cars. As the gate closed and the wheel began to rise, Matthew sighed as the wins ruffled his hair and caressed his face.
"You know," Penelope said straightening out her sundress. "We demons, we need to stick together in this world."
Matthew furrowed his brow and looked at the raven-haired girl. "You're a demon?"
"What'd you think I was?"
"A witch."
Penelope hummed and shrugged. "Well, a female demon and a witch aren't too far off."
Matthew nodded. "So, why are you telling me this?"
"I know what you're going through, Matthew, it's hard being a powerful demon one minute and a human the next."
"Ah," Matthew smirked. "You're one of the Axolotl's little redemption projects too?"
"Quite so."
"Who'd you used to be?"
Penelope smiled mysteriously. "I want you to figure it out."
Matthew was about to open his mouth to respond when the ride stopped, and the duo got out.
"I realized your powers are sealed," Penelope said as they walked over to a balloon popping game. "I can…probably fix it."
Matthew looked at the girl. "Can you?"
Penelope nodded and hummed. "If you want me to…"
"Of course, I do!" Matthew exclaimed. "I hate being…so, so human,"
"Understandable," Penelope said giving her ticket to the person manning the booth. She took up a dart and closed one eye.
"Friday is a full moon," Penelope said. "Meet me at the edge of the woods then, and I'll be able to help you." Penelope tossed the dart at a blue balloon and it popped. The man gave Penelope a stuffed wolf which she gave to Matthew.
"I think, given the chance, we can be friends…maybe even more," Penelope said with a smile.
"Don't count on it," Matthew said.
"Unfortunately, I do, it's the only way you can fix me."
Matthew gave Penelope a dark look before she gave him a piece of paper and said, "My great-uncle won't like me here, says I'll be patronizing the competition. Call me?"
"Why?"
"In case you're alone again," Penelope said casually before walking off. "Friday? Okay?"
Matthew said nothing, just stuffed the paper in his pocket and shook his head. He didn't even know why he bothered keeping the piece of paper.
"Hey, dude, there you are!" Matthew turned to find Wendy and Dipper, both eating candy apples. "Who's the girl?"
"Eh, acquaintance," Matthew said carelessly.
"Hey, sis, can we borrow some tickets from you?" a young red-head boy asked, followed by two others.
"Oh, guys, these are my brothers, Walter…" she pointed at the oldest who waved. "…Wyatt…" she pointed at the middle boy. "…and Will," she said pointing at the youngest who looked up at Matthew curiously.
"You're the Furious Fire Boy, aren't you?" he asked.
"Um, yeah."
"So, can you like, make flames appear?" Wyatt asked excitedly.
"Uh, I can, not right now though…" Matthew said.
"You're the grandnephews of Mr. Pines," Walter said. "Which one of you is Matthew? You?" he pointed at Dipper.
"What? Oh, no, I'm Dipper, my brother is Matthew," Dipper responded.
"My sister always talks about you," Walter said.
"All she ever talks about," Wyatt added.
"She liiiiiikes you!" Will smirked.
"What?" Dipper asked in surprise.
"I—who told you that?! Because it isn't true!" Wendy snapped as her brothers began to make out with the air, complete with kissing sounds.
"No tickets for any of you!" Wendy said.
"If you don't give us any tickets we'll tell them both what you said about Matthew in your diary," Walter said.
Wendy's eye twitched before giving her brothers a few tickets, they cheered and ran off, though Will stopped by Matthew and whispered, "You're totally my idol! Also, Wendy thinks your butt's cute!" Before running off with his brothers.
"Ugh, sorry about that, guys," Wendy moaned. "So, embarrassing."
"The price of having little siblings, right?" Matthew asked with a smile.
"Totally," Wendy laughed though Dipper looked between the two with a tiny frown.
"You like my brother?" Dipper asked Wendy.
"What? Oh! No, of course not! What made you think that? Don't listen to them," Wendy waved a dismissive hand. "Um, that rollercoaster looks cool."
Dipper, looking relived, smiled. "Yeah, okay. Matt, you wanna join us?"
"Sure, why not?" Matthew said as the wind blew Dipper's hat off his head. "Oh, geez! Be right back!" Dipper ran after the cap, bumping into Wendy and making her drop her animal of undetermined species.
"Um, here," Matthew knelt and picked up the plushy before handing it to Wendy.
"That was sweet," Wendy said, much like the other timeline, and much like it, she kissed him on the cheek. When she pulled away Matthew once more felt that electric feeling in the pit of his gut.
"I'm back!" Dipper said cheerfully, once more, like last time breaking the tiny trance between the two.
"Um, yeah, let's—let's go," Matthew murmured as the three of them walked towards the rollercoaster.
…A-X-O-L-O-T-L…
AN: This is PROBABLY the shortest chapter yet (unless you count Swelling Heart) but here it is! The conclusion.
It was just a bit of fluff, shedding some light on Penelope and what not…
Hope you enjoyed!
Fantasy Freak OUT!