Meagan P.O.V
The next day, Dipper, Mabel and I were outside the now fenced off Mystery Shack. "Alright, the bus to take us out of Gravity Falls comes at sundown. If we wanna stay in town we've got to get past those guards, make it through the fence, and get Gideon to hand over that deed," Dipper said.
"Leave that to Mabel. Wa-chaw!" Mabel said as she fired her grappling hook. It hit a tree branch then ricocheted at Dipper, hitting him in the face. I cringed.
"Ah!" he cried out.
"Now will you admit the grappling hook is useless?!" I asked her.
"Nope!"
"Ok," Dipper said, getting our attention. "What can we use to defeat Gideon? Let's see..." He opened up the journal, flipping to random pages. "...Barf fairy?"
"Yeah!" Mabel said.
"Nope," I said.
"Butternut Squash with a Human Face and Emotions?" Dipper asked.
"Yeah!" Mabel said.
"Nope," I said.
Dipper flipped to the next page and Mabel stopped him from flipping again. "Whoa, what's this?" she asked, pointing to the page. I looked and it was the page that we thought was a super-weapon.
"We've stared at this page for hours. It seems like a blueprint to build some kind of strange futuristic super-weapon—"
"BORING!" Mabel cut Dipper off. "To defeat those guards we need some kind of army."
Hmm... An army... I then got an idea. "...Wait a minute! An army! Mabel, that's it! The gnomes!" I said.
"Uhh..." She tugged on her sweater collar nervously.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We were walking through the forest, trying to find the gnome hideout. "I think this is their hiding spot," Dipper said, leading us.
"I wonder what gnomes do out here all alone in the forest," Mabel said.
"Something tells me I don't wanna know," I remarked.
That 'something' was right because what we saw when we pulled apart some bushes was terrifying. "Aaah!" we screamed.
Before us was Jeff the Gnome bathing in a tub of squirrels. "Do do do.." he sang then saw us. "Aah! This...this is normal. This is normal for gnomes. Scrub scrub," he said as he scrubbed his armpit with a squirrel. Dipper, Mabel and I looked at each other disgusted, then back at Jeff. "Well, well, well. Look who came crawlin' back. Take five, Chris," he said and a squirrel jumped out of the tub. "You guys keep doin' what you're doin'. So, changed your mind about marryin' me, did ya Mabel?" he asked, smirking.
Mabel cringed. "Ew, hardly. We need your help. And seriously, ew!" she said.
"You want our help? After you left me at the alter? No dice!" he snapped.
"But what if we were able to get you a new queen? One even more beautiful than Mabel," I said.
"Like you?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Back off, she's mine," Dipper said. "No, her name's Gideon, and she has lovely white hair," he said.
"Whoa. Mature woman, huh?" Jeff asked. "Hey Shmebulock, get my cologne!"
Shmebulock then came out of a bush with a bottle of cologne. "Shmebulock!" he said.
"Is Shmebulock all you can say?" Jeff asked.
"Shmebulock..." Shmebulock replied almost as if to say 'yeah...'
"It's a deal!" Jeff said and shook hands with Dipper.
~~~~~~~~~
We were at the Shack with the gnome army ready at our side. Bud Gleeful saw us standing at the chain link fence and got Gideon's attention. "Boy, I hate to interrupt you, but you have some guests," he said.
"What?" Gideon asked and came over to us with three body guards.
"Give us the deed to the shack, Gideon, or else," Dipper threatened.
"Am I supposed to say, 'Or else what'?" Gideon asked us mockingly.
"Yes, you are supposed to say that," Mabel said. "Now!" she yelled.
The body guards around Gideon then collapsed from being shot in the back with gnomes. The gnomes then broke down the fence and surrounded Gideon. We walked forward to where Gideon was. "You're surrounded by an unstoppable gnome army, now give us back our deed and get off our property!" Dipper demanded.
"And let the marriage ceremony begin!" Jeff said.
Gideon sighed. "Very well. I suppose this deed belongs to—" he stopped himself short by blowing on a whistle. It was very high pitched so it made all the gnomes covered their ears and I cringed. Dang superhearing. "Ha! What do you know! Works on gnomes too!" He blew the whistle again.
"Stop! We'll do anything! How can we serve you your majesty?" Jeff asked as he bowed. "The most beautiful girl we've ever seen!"
"I am not a girl!" Gideon snapped
"Really? But your skin is so soft," Jeff said, feeling Gideon's hand. "You moisturize, or..."
Gideon pointed at me, Dipper and Mabel. "Subdue them!"
The gnomes grunted and charged at us. "I have to admit, kids, I am impressed by your creativity!" Gideon said. "How did you ever..."
"Let go!" Dipper demanded. The journal then fell out of Dipper's jacket. "Oh no!"
"No! Could it be? Is it?" Gideon as he ran up to us and grabbed the journal. He started laughing and flipping through the journal. "Of course! It all makes sense!" Dipper and I struggled to break free from the gnomes to get the book. "The one place I'd never think to look! You had it the whole time! And to think I actually considered you two threats!" he said as he flicked both Dipper and I on the nose.
"No! Give it back!" I said as Dipper and I tried to grab at it.
"Every victory you had was because of your precious book!" Gideon said.
"Give it back or I'll—"
"Or you'll what, boy? You'll what? Huh? Huh?" Gideon cut Dipper off, getting right in his face. "No muscles. No brain. Face it! You're nothin' without this!" Gideon pointed to the journal. "Bye bye forever, y'all!" He waved and blew his whistle, making all the gnomes drag us away.
"NOOOOOO!" Dipper and I yelled as we were carried away.
The gnomes set us down a little ways away from the Mystery Shack. Dipper sat down while Mabel and I were pacing. Jeff came up to us. "Next time, do your own dirty work!" he said. "Come on boys!" A few squirrels jumped into his pants and he scurried off.
Dipper sighed "Well, that's it. Guess the bus should be here soon," Dipper said in defeat.
Mabel and I looked at him. "What?" Mabel said. We knelt down next to him. "Dipper, don't give up! You always have a plan!"
"No! The journal always has a plan! Think about it, guys, Gideon was right. The only courageous or cool things I've ever done have been because of that journal. Without it, I can't help you, or Stan, or anyone," Dipper said.
"There's gotta be something we can do," I said.
"What can we do?" Dipper asked me. My face fell as I looked him in the eye.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Warning: Prepare to have your feelings completely messed with
It was close to sunset and Wendy, Candy, Grenda, Mr. Pines and I all came to say our goodbyes to Dipper and Mabel. The twins had said goodbye to everyone so while Mabel was spending her last few minutes with Candy and Grenda, Dipper pulled me off to the side.
Hold me, even though I know you're leaving. And show me all the reasons you would stay. It's just enough to feel your breath on mine to warm my soul and ease my mind. You've got to hold me and show me now.
"So I guess this is it," I said, tears in my eyes.
"Yeah, I guess so," Dipper agreed.
Give me just one part of you to cling to. And keep me everywhere you are. It's just enough to steal my heart and run. And fade out with the falling sun.
Dipper took my hands in his. "Meg, this summer has been the best time of my life. Spending it with you, and I've never had a better time in my life. I'm so glad that I met you and that I was able to get the chance to have you as my girlfriend," he said, looking me right in the eye.
Oh, please don't go. Let me have you just one moment more. Oh, all I need. All I want is just one moment more. You've got to hold me and keep me.
"Dipper, I feel the exact same way. I'm so glad that you accept me as me and the fact that you have been there for me this whole summer has been amazing. I'm going to miss you so much," I said, tears running down my face.
Tell me that someday you'll be returning and maybe, maybe I'll believe. It's just enough to see a shooting star. To know you're never really far. It's just enough to see a shooting star. To know you're never really gone.
Dipper took me in a tight hug. "I know Meg, I'll miss you so much," he whispered in my ear. "So, so much."
Oh, please don't go. Let me have you just one moment more. Oh, all I need. All I want is just one moment more.
"Oh, please don't go. Let me have you just one moment more. Oh, all I need. All I want is just one moment more. You've got to hold me and maybe I'll believe. So hold me, even though I know you're leaving," I sang softly in his ear.
Dipper pulled away from the hug. He wiped away my tears. "Don't cry, Meg. I'll be back someday. And until then I'll call as often as I can," he said. "I promise." I nodded.
I took the chain holding my guitar picks off my neck and took off the guitar pick with the gothic letter M on it. I picked up Dipper's hand and placed it in his hand. "Keep it, and always remember me," I said.
Mabel then came over to us. "Dipper, the bus is here," she said sadly.
Dipper nodded. He turned to me and kissed me one last time before leaving with Mabel to their suitcases. I walked over to where Wendy was and she held my shoulders in comfort. Candy and Grenda were holding each other. "Bus fifty0two, departing Gravity Falls, all aboard," the bus driver said.
They got on the bus and showed up in the back window. "Sorry, kids. It's for the best," Mr. Pines said. We waved as the bus started. Dipper caught my eye and mouthed something that I couldn't see because the bus was already driving away.
"I'm gonna take a walk, Wendy," I said and started walking through the forest.
I can't believe they're really gone. I'm gonna kill Gideon. He did this. I'm so gonna give him what he deserves. I'm gonna send him to—"Meagan!" Wait Dipper? "Meagan!" I heard his voice say my name again. I flew up above the trees to look around and I saw Dipper and Mabel's bus on the mountain being chased by a...Gideon bot! I flew over the trees and flew toward the bus. I took hold of the side of the bus and knocked on the bus door.
"Guys, it's Meagan!" I shouted over the wind. The door opened up and a hand pulled me into the bus.
"Meagan! You heard me calling!" Dipper said as he hugged me.
"Of course I did," I said. "Now, Gideon already won. What does he want from us?" I asked.
"I got you in my sight!" I heard Gideon shout.
"Soos, cliff!" Dipper shouted, pointing out the window.
Soos hit the brakes just before we fell off the cliff. The front wheels were hanging off the cliff, though so the bus couldn't move. I took the twins by the arms and rushed out the door. "Down to the bridge," I said. They nodded and together we went down before we started running on it. Sadly, it ended in a dead end.
The bridge shook as the Gideon bot landed on the bridge. "Tell me! Where is journal #1?!" Gideon asked us.
"Journal #1?" we all asked. There were other journals here?
"Don't play games with me, boy!" Gideon said as he pushed us up to the dead end. He punched the cliff above us which made rocks fall toward us. Dipper pulled me and Mabel out of the way for a rock that was about to crush.
"I don't know what you're talking about! You took the only journal I ever had! What do you even want with these journals anyway?" Dipper asked. The Gideon bot picked us up, me and Mabel in one hand and Dipper in the other. Mabel and I struggled against the Gideon bot's grip while Dipper started hitting the hand that he was being held in. "Let go of them!" he demanded.
"Ha ha ha, you still think you're some kind of hero?" Gideon asked Dipper mockingly. He threw Dipper away making him land on the cliff. The Gideon bot started walking away with us. "Once I find the final journal, I'll rule this town! With you as my queen!" Gideon said to Mabel and laughed. "And to you Ms. Corduroy, you will be the first one I execute."
"Dipper! Help us! HELP!" Mabel and I cried. We watched as Dipper turn away from us, sulking into the woods. He's not giving up, is he? All of a sudden, Dipper ran off the cliff, yelling. The Gideon bot turned its head and Dipper broke through one of the eyes of the Gideon bot. He must have tackled Gideon because the Gideon bot fell over.
"Let go of my sister and girlfriend!" Dipper demanded. The Gideon bot's head started moving back and forth.
"Never! I finally won this time!" Gideon exclaimed. The bot started fighting so I knew that Dipper and Gideon were fighting. The bot kept almost dropping me and Mabel a couple times until we were hanging on by the thumb of the hand. The bot's spun around completely, sending me and Mabel flailing.
"Careful in there!" Mabel cried. The bot then staggered and fell off the bridge, making me, Mabel and Dipper fly off screaming.
"Dudes! Nooooooooooo!" I heard Soos shout. I flew over to Dipper and Mabel and held them close as we fell. Suddenly, we started slowing down and I saw Mabel holding her grappling hook, which was latched onto the cliff.
"GRAPPLING HOOK!!" she shouted and Dipper and I grinned. "Told you it would come in handy!" she said to us.
Once we landed on the ground, she unlatched the grappling hook. "Mabel, that was amazing!" I said.
"Not as amazing as you defeating that robot!" Mabel remarked to Dipper as she playfully shoved him.
He kicked over a scrap metal piece and journal #3 was underneath it. "Hey! My journal!" Dipper said and he picked it up. All of a sudden, sirens went off, the cops showed up and people started gathering.
"Is this the thing that exploded?" "What's going on?" "What is that? It's over here!" People started commenting.
Gideon then came out of the Gideon bot. Deputy Durland ran over to him with Sheriff Blubs and they helped Gideon down. "Gideon! Oh, good heavens! What on earth happened here?" Durland asked.
Gideon hugged Blubs. "It was the Pines twins and that Corduroy girl! They attacked me and blew up my statue with dynamite! Arrest 'em!" he demanded pointing at us.
"What?" Dipper, Mabel and I asked.
"Officers, he's lying!" I exclaimed.
"Meagan? How could you!?" I heard my dad ask.
"He's lying!" I exclaimed again.
Blubs got out handcuffs. "Sorry, kids, but we trust Gideon. And nothing short of a miracle would ever change our-"
A car cut Blubs off. It was Mr. Pines! Once he stopped, he quickly stuck his head out his window. "Wait! Wait! Stop everything! I've got somethin' to say!" he exclaimed.
"Not this guy again," Blubs said and rolled his eyes.
Mr. Pines got out of his car and stood in front of the crashed Gideon bot. "Just wait! Look! You guys all think Gideon is so perfect and honest," Mr. Pines said. "'Oh! I could never tell a lie! I'm Gideon!'" he mocked.
"He's more honest than you!" Blubs said.
"Yeah! And he's psychic too!" Durland added.
"How's this for psychic? Bam!" Mr. Pines kicked a panel of the Gideon bot to reveal a panel of computer screens. "Take a good look!" The computer screens showed security footage of everyone in town!
"Wait a minute, is that ME?" Lazy Susan asked. "The secret ingredient to my coffee omelet is coffee!" she said on the TV.
"And me!" Toby Determind said.
"I can verify that that birth mark is indeed disgusting," the doctor on the TV said.
"Hooray!" Toby on the TV replied.
"That's me!" "That's me!" People started saying and pointing at the screen.
"That's right, these pins are hidden cameras! And my hearing aid was picking up the feedback! Who's the fraud now?" Mr. Pines asked. He crushed the pin in his hand, revealing a camera in the eye of it. So that's what I was hearing earlier.
Everyone threw their pins down on the ground and looked at Gideon scornfully. "Gideon, we gave you our trust..." Durland said, upset.
"You LIED to us!" Dad said, angry.
"Please, I... It's not what it looks like... What are you gonna do with me?" Gideon asked as he backed up to the Gideon bot. The crowd walked toward him.
"Tyler?" Durland asked.
Tyler was standing next to Gideon. "Get 'im," he wiped tears away, "Get 'im!" he said.
"Lil' Gideon, you are under arrest for conspiracy, fraud, and breaking our hearts," Blubs said as he wiped off his glasses. "Durland, the tiny handcuffs." Durland took out a small pair of handcuffs and put them on Gideon. Dipper, Mabel and I grinned at each other.
Mr. Pines opened the police door for Gideon, but before he went into the car, Mr. Pines picked him up. "Just one more thing," he said and started shaking Gideon.
"Wha- no! Let go of me! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Gideon cried as things fell out of his jacket including another journal, a picture of Mabel, one of our axes, his wallet and the deed to the shack.
Mr. Pines set Gideon down and picked up the deed. "I believe this belongs to me," he said before smiling for the cameras.
Blubs and Durland then shoved Gideon into the cop car. "No! No! Watch the hair!" he said. The car started driving away. "You can't do this to me! Y'all are sheep! You need me! I'll be back! You'll hear from my lawyers!" he shouted. Dipper, Mabel and I walked over to Mr. Pines. He picked up Mabel and put her on his shoulder and he put his hand on Dipper's head. Dipper wrapped his arm around my waist.
Shandra Jimenez had been putting the whole scene on TV. "There you have it. Local hero Stanford Pines has just exposed Lil' Gideon as a fraud. Anything you have to say to the town, Stanford?" she asked Mr. Pines.
"The Mystery Shack is back, baby!" Mr. Pines said and we started laughing. Finally, the worst so far is over.
~~~~~~~~~~
We finally got the Shack up and running again. After restoring the roof and the signs, the S still fell off, but, business was booming again. And the best part? Wendy and I don't have to move upstate! I was upstairs in the attic helping the twins move back in. "Hey Grunkle Stan!" Mabel said, making Dipper and I looked up at the door.
"Uh, you kiddos settlin' back in okay?" he asked us as he sat next to Dipper and I on his bed.
"Yep! All of my favorite moldy spots on the ceiling are still there!" Mabel said and pointed at the ceiling. "Even you, Daryl."
"Everything is going well Mr. Pines," I said. "And thanks for letting me keep the cot in here."
"Kid you know you can call me Stan right? You're basically part of the family," Mr. Pines said.
"Alright, Stan," I said and he gave me a noogie.
"Hey, Grunkle Stan? Me, Mabel and Meagan have been talking, and I think there's something we should finally tell you," Dipper said. He held up the journal. "This is a journal Meg and I found in the woods," he said and handed it to Stan.
"It talks about all the crazy stuff that goes on in Gravity Falls. Gideon nearly destroyed the whole town trying to find it. We don't know what if means, or who wrote it," I continued as Stan flipped through it.
"But, after all we've been through, maybe you should finally know about it," Dipper finished.
"I'm glad you showed me this, kids..." Stan said and closed the book. "AHAHAHA! Now I know where you two've been getting it all from! Spookums and monsters. This spooky book has been filling your heads with crazy conspiracies!" Stan said as he nudged our heads.
"But it's all real!" Dipper exclaimed.
"Haha. You gotta quit readin' this fantasy nonsense for your own good. Although some of these would make great attractions! Can't come up with this stuff! Mind if I borrow this?" he asked. He stood up and started leaving with the book.
"Wait, no! Stan!" I said, trying to stop him.
"'Magic book,'" he laughed. "Ridiculous!" he said and walked away.
"Stan, I need it!" Dipper exclaimed.
"Dipper, you don't need that book! Don't you see? On your own you defeated a giant robot with nothing but your bare hands! You're a hero whether you've got that journal or not!" Mabel said. I smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Whoa. Thanks, Mabel. I still want it back though," Dipper said.
"I'm sure you'll get it back. What would a boring old man like Stan want with that book anyway?" Mabel asked.
All of a sudden we got pelted with water. We looked at where it came from, and Soos popped out of a cardboard box yelling, "Soos!" We laughed and chased after Soos.
Eventually I hid in the gift shop waiting for Soos so I could jump him. But as I was hiding behind the counter, Stan came in holding the journal. What the...? He looked my way and I turned invisible so he wouldn't see me. He punched something into the vending machine and it opened up to a door. What the..?! After he was gone I stood up. What on earth was that?!
I headed back up to the attic where the twins were waiting. "Hey, where were you?" Dipper asked me.
"Uh, you guys were supposed to be looking for me," I said and smirked. I decided not to mention what I saw.
They both looked at me sheepishly. "Well I think I'm going to bed," Mabel said as she got into her bed.
"Night Mabel," Dipper and I said.
"Night, guys," she said and faced the wall.
I sat on Dipper's bed and laid my head on his shoulder. "Oh! Before I forget," Dipper said and he dug something out of his pocket. "Here's your pick, Meg," he said and handed it to me. "I figured you'd want it back since I'm staying," he said.
I smiled and took it. "Thanks Dip. And I'm glad you're staying," I said. Dipper put his arm around my shoulders, rubbed my arm and kissed my temple.
"I'm glad, too. Which means I get to spend the rest of my summer with you," he said and leaned us back onto his bed. I hugged him and snuggled into his side. Finally. Peace.