Gideon Gleeful came waltzing out into the kitchen, skateboard in hand. "Where you off to this mornin', Gideon?" his father, Bud, asked him.
"Well I was thinkin' the arcade or the skatepark," the boy shrugged, grabbing a glass of milk from the fridge. "Or maybe the Mystery Shack."
His mother then joined in on the conversation. "I heard that place is hopping now that the Pines have returned," she smiled, sitting at the kitchen table.
Bud then said, "well why don't we all go pay a visit? Or is this another attempt at proving your worth to miss Mabel?"
Gideon shook his head. "Father, don't insult me. I merely plan on saying hello. Besides, the place is closed today anyway. It's Saturday."
"Alright. Be careful now, y'hear?"
"Please. I'm eleven now, I can handle myself." Gideon finished his drink and left the house, hopping on his skateboard and zipping off towards the Mystery Shack.
Wendy had come over because of the previous snow day, and she planned on hanging out until the sun went down. The Pines and Soos lazily sat around in the empty gift shop, Dipper playing a game on his handheld device and Mabel knitting a new sweater. Yes, she still loved doing that. Meanwhile, Wendy, Stan, and Ford were playing a board game. There was a knock at the door, and the sixteen year old offered to answer it. "I got it," she announced, getting up from her crisscross position on the floor.
She opened the door to see Gideon. "Hello!" he smiled, while she responded with a fake one.
"Oh, um, hey Gideon."
THEME SONG
COMMERCIAL
"What's up, dude?" Wendy said, standing aside so that the Pines could see who it was at the door.
"Just checkin' in on everyone," Gideon replied. "How y'all doin' this fine morning? Also, sorry to barge in on you, I hope this is okay."
Wendy glanced back at Dipper and Mabel, who were both shaking their heads. She turned back to face Gideon. "It's fine, come on in." Dipper and Mabel both groaned.
"Thank you." Gideon did just that, propping his wheels up against the wall.
Mabel leaned over to her brother and whispered, "at least he's improved his manners."
"Yeah, he's pretty cool now. But that doesn't mean this won't be awkward," her brother said, subtly nodding. "Maybe you two could actually..."
"NO."
Dipper rolled his eyes. He and Mabel then got to their feet and approached Gideon. Stan and Ford awkwardly remained on the floor, watching the scene before them unfold.
"Hey Gideon," Dipper greeted him. "So uh...how's life?"
"Great, actually! Being normal is awesome! Sorta wish I'd done it sooner," Gideon blinked, staring at the ground. His expression then lightened. "Mabel! And Dipper...how about you? How was your school year?"
Mabel coughed. "Boring. Exciting at times. Though math killed me."
"Yeah, nobody likes math." Gideon and Mabel laughed together.
Dipper then snapped, "hey, I like math."
"I second that!" Ford added, raising his hand and waving it around.
"It's been what, nine months?"
The twins nodded.
"So, you two maybe wanna head on over to the arcade or skatepark with me?" Gideon asked, happily pressing his hands together in a prayer sort of way.
Mabel placed a hand on the back of her neck and sighed. "Look, Gideon, we've had a long first week back. We were really hoping we could just relax for a little while."
"Oh, I see." Gideon gave her a sad look. He then shook it off and said, "well then, maybe some other time?"
Dipper and Mabel exchanged glances, nodding. "Sure, that sounds good."
"Okeedokee, Pines twins." Gideon turned around and grabbed ahold of his board, Wendy holding the door open for him. He gazed up at her. "Maybe you'd wanna--"
"You know what I haven't done in a while?" Wendy interrupted him.
Gideon shook his head.
"Drop kick you." The kid widened his eyes and lowered his head, leaving.
"Phew!" Stan sighed a sigh of relief. "I thought he'd never leave."
Mabel's eyebrows angled downward so that she appeared upset. "I feel kinda bad now."
Dipper patted her on the back. "No, don't feel bad. He gets it, our reason for backing out was valid."
"I guess. You think he's moved on?"
"Moved on?"
Wendy laughed, looking down at Dipper and Mabel. "Mabel, he's a changed kid now, but he's not that changed."
Mabel tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"He never shuts up about you, dude. Of course he says all nice things, and he isn't anywhere near creepy anymore, let alone evil."
"Well we know that," Dipper cut in. "We're still just getting used to him."
Soos then added, "he even thought about inviting you two to his birthday party once upon a time."
Mabel glanced over at Dipper. "I think we misjudged him just now."
"Eh, don't worry about it."
Later in the day, Dipper and Mabel sat around in their room together. He was working on a big summer homework assignment while she was finishing up with a couple of sweaters. "There!" she declared, holding up a sweater. "All done with my new flower sweater!"
"Argh," Dipper groaned, catching her attention. "Eighth grade homework is so annoying."
Mabel agreed with a nod, sitting comfortably on top of her bed. "Hey, that reminds me. Have you decided whether or not you'll do my summer assignment as well?"
He dropped his pencil as glanced up at her from the floor. "What?"
"Remember when I asked if you could--"
"No Mabel, I'm not doing your homework for you."
"Aw, but you have before." Mabel took off her sweater and tried on the new one.
"That was one time!" Dipper barked. "And only because you were sick with the flu."
"Come on, pretty please, Dipping Sauce!" she begged, hopping off her bed and kneeling down beside him. He grabbed his papers and slid them under his own bed, standing up.
"Ugh, why do you have to be so obnoxious all the time?"
Mabel got up as well and stared her brother in the eye. "Wait, obnoxious?! Oh, so you want me to be obnoxious, do ya?!"
"Well that's not what I--"
"Cuz you know what? Since being obnoxious comes so naturally to me, I'll just have to start being that way on purpose! Then you'll know what obnoxious really is!"
Dipper's straight, irritated face transformed into a full out grimace. "Mabel, knock it off--"
"Nope! Boop!" the girl poked him in the nose.
"Seriously--"
"LA-LALALA-LAAAH!" Mabel screamed, running around the room and jumping across the gap between their beds.
"You're thirteen, start acting like it."
She then screamed again, this time three inches from his face.
"THAT'S IT," Dipper exclaimed, stomping out of the room. Mabel followed him.
For the next couple of hours, Mabel kept pestering her brother about her assignment; and basically being flat out snarky. Around Wendy, Soos, Stan and Ford, she was normal. But around Dipper, she was rude and ridiculous. It got even worse when she invited Candy and Grenda over for a sleepover.
"I'm so excited!" Grenda boomed, standing opposite Mabel and adjacent to Candy.
"Yeah," Candy added. "It's been a while since our last sleepover, hasn't it?"
Mabel nodded, inviting her friends deeper into the house. Dipper was alone, watching TV. Mabel stole the remote from him, standing between her twin and the television.
He noticed Candy and Grenda, rolling his eyes. "You're not gonna make me sleep outside again, are you?" Dipper snarled, getting off the chair.
"What? No, we would never! Besides, you did that yourself," Mabel replied. "But we do get control of the TV, so upstairs you go!"
"What? But--"
Mabel then pushed him towards the stairs. "Up-up-up!"
Dipper muttered some words to himself and stomped up the stairs. On his bed, he flipped through a couple of books and quickly became bored. Though luckily, Mabel and her friends hadn't bothered to bug him at all. He had a staring contest with the clock, waiting for a single minute to pass. Felt like a long time. "This is so stupid!" He finally sat up on his bed and stormed downstairs. "Mabel Pines, this needs to stop!"
Mabel, Candy, and Grenda hadn't moved since he'd last seen them. They all watched Dipper enter the room, their eyes glued on his. "Oh I'm sorry," Mabel began. "Did you hear something, girls?"
Dipper approached his sister and glared at her. "Don't be a Pacifica, Mabel! You're seriously gonna treat me like this because I don't want to do your darn homework for you?! Why can't you get Candy or Grenda to help you? Or I dunno, there's also the SMARTEST guy in the world, cough-cough, uncle Ford, cough-cough, just inches away that you could ask for help from!"
Mabel sighed and snorted, "that's not why I'm acting like this, Dipper."
Dipper's face softened. "Then why?"
"Because you called me obnoxious."
"Because it's true! And this little act you're putting on isn't helping you any!"
Candy and Grenda exchanged several awkward glanced, anxiously watching the two Pines. Mabel then barked, "there you go again. You do realize that if you said sorry, this would all be over."
Dipper folded his arms. "Oh no, don't play that card with me, sis. We both know that your dumb homework is your responsibility, not mine."
"Back to the homework again. Look, I'll do it! I was going to anyway. It's not like it's hard or anything."
"Great, that solves my problems. Nonetheless, you're still being rude and, I'm gonna say it: ANNOYING." Dipper spun around and, just before heading out the door, said, "and Mabeland was a nightmare! Glad we ventured into Stan's mind and not yours!"
He then left, slamming the door shut.
"Well," Grenda blinked, awestruck. "That was...actually entertaining. AGAIN, AGAIN!"
COMMERCIAL
The stars were starting to show in the now darkened sky. Dipper sat on the porch, watching cute animal videos on his cellphone to make him feel better about himself. That's when an ad popped up.
"Hellooooo viewers! Sorry to interrupt your video, but I have some very important questions to ask you!" the commercial abruptly said to him. Dipper nearly dropped his phone. "Feel like you're stuck between a rock and a hard place?"
He then rapidly tapped the screen. "Skip! Skip!" he snapped. The countdown to skip the advertisement drove him nuts. He managed to skip the ad, but his app then crashed. The kid lowered his phone and looked up at the night sky. "She's just overreacting," Dipper sighed. He locked his eyes on a single star. "This is so dumb. I just wish Mabel...would just quit acting so ridiculous. Because I'm sick of it." Dipper fell on his back, his legs hanging off the porch. "Maybe she'll realize how stupid this all is and we'll both just move on. Is that so much to ask?" For a short moment, Dipper fixed his gaze on that same star again. Then he groaned and shut his eyes.
Opening them one last time, he'd noticed that the star had gotten brighter. He sat up and narrowed his eyes, hoping for a clearer view of the thing. "Is that star getting bigger or flying straight towards me?"
That's when a low rumbling got Dipper to jump to his feet. The star grew larger, nearly blinding the kid. And then, CRASH. Out in the forest, Dipper saw smoke rising. He instantly began running to where the star had crash landed.
Once there, the burning grass just about melted through the soles of Dipper's shoes. "What the...?" Dipper blinked, suddenly hopping on one foot. Sweat slid down his forehead. The heat in the area abruptly died off, cooling back down to its normal temperature. Tree trunks were damaged and a small crater-like opening now sat in the ground. Before Dipper was a bright, glowing, colorful little creature, no larger than Waddles. Its face was pressed into the ground.
"Um...hello?" Dipper peeped, cautiously stepping towards the little thing.
It stuck it's index finger in the air, signaling Dipper to be quiet. He assumed that was its index finger. It only had three, and any thumbs it may have had seemed to be absent. Using its legs, which apparently couldn't bend, it stood up, cracking its back. It resembled a star; a pentagram, really. It turned around, giving Dipper a long, awkward look.
"So," it said, blinking its one eye. "Your sister's being a butt, huh?" It had a thick New Yorker accent.
Dipper hesitantly nodded.
"Oh! So you are the guy then! Alright, I can work with this," it snapped, cracking his knuckles. "Way to go, kid. You visited the last resort: wishing on the Wishing Star. That's me, by the way."
Dipper noticed that this so-called Wishing Star very much resembled a familiar logo. "You look like the Tent--"
"Yeah, yeah, I know I do. So," the Wishing Star waddled his way out of the hole he was trapped in and faced Dipper. "I got rules, aight?"
Dipper crossed his arms. "Okay, shoot."
"Let's say a little idiot like yourself is stuck between a rock and a hard place. He resorts to wishing on a stupid star. If he's lucky enough, he'll find me!" The Wishing Star then gestured to himself. "I show up, grant his wish, and poof, all done."
"Wait, so you can get my sister to start thinking straight?"
"Looks to me like she already is. But yes, I can change that for you."
Dipper nodded, quite eagerly. "Yes please! Just fix her for me, will ya? That's all I'm asking!"
"Done," the pentagram replied, slightly bending at his "waist" in the form of a nod. In a flash, the Wishing Star vanished.
Dipper rubbed his eyes and looked around the forest. The woods were back to normal. He raced home to see Mabel, praying that she was as the star had told him.
He cooly walked into the house, though was jumpscared by Candy and Grenda. "You gotta help us!" they both cried.
Dipper cocked his head in confusion. "What? What's wrong?"
"It's Mabel!" Grenda said in Dipper's face. "Candy and I wanna go home because of her!"
Candy then grimaced. "She's gone bananas, Dipper!"
"What do you mean?" he asked, his heart still racing after getting frightened.
"Exactly that," Candy retorted, grabbing her things and walking past Dipper. Grenda followed her. "We'll be at our homes if you need us." They both opened the door and left, leaving Dipper alone in the doorway.
The house was quiet. Too quiet. He snuck upstairs and peeked in his room. Mabel sat on her bed, surrounded by sweaters and knitting supplies. He stuck one foot in the room, opening the door just a little more. It creaked, nabbing Mabel's attention like how bacon would attract a dog. A smile gradually grew on her face...and it was the biggest smile Dipper had ever seen on her.
"DIPPER!" she literally wailed, leaping off the bed and running to hug him. "Ohmigawsh, where have you been, Broski?! You had me worried sick!"
She was still hugging him. "I did?" he asked, barely able to breathe.
"Of course! Who do you think I am, Godzilla?!"
"Yelling like you are, I'd say yes." He tried prying her off of him, but to no avail. She then squeezed him tighter, though seemingly impossible, and lifted him into the air, swinging him around. "Mabel, quit it! What the heck is wrong with you?!"
She finally released him and raced to the wall. "Nothing! I'm fine!" She then energetically ran from that wall to the one across from it.
"No you are definitely not! How many glasses of Mabel juice did you--"
"ZERO!" Mabel exclaimed, cutting him off.
"Smile Dip?"
"NOPE!" Mabel was practically bouncing off the walls. "Ooh, ooh! Let's play video games, huh? Huh?" Mabel yelled, skipping over to her sibling.
"Hold on," Dipper snapped, holding her in place. "Seriously, calm down."
"That word isn't in my dictionary, Broski!"
"Well at least stop shouting."
"WHY? DOES IT BOTHER YOU?" Mabel screamed.
Dipper cringed and released her, backing away. "Nope, I'm done! I'll be downstairs if you need me."
Dipper spun around and rushed downstairs, though Mabel was on her toes and right behind him. "Hey, hey! Dipper! Look! Listen, stop! Hey!" Mabel kept blabbering on and on, though Dipper tried to ignore her.
"This doesn't make any sense," Dipper whispered to himself.
"What doesn't?!" Mabel barked, scaring him.
"Can you just back off for one second, Mabel?"
"Oh no-no-no! I cannot, dear brother," Mabel retorted, shutting her eyes and nodding. Noticing the closing of her eyes, Dipper seized the moment and sprinted away from her. Catching his breath, he hid behind a corner in the house.
"Dipper?" she called out. "Where'd you go? I thought you loved me!"
Dipper shivered, peeking around the corner and watching her scamper off. He could still hear her yelling his name off in the distance. "That stupid star! He told me he would fix Mabel, but he hasn't done that. If anything, she's ten times as worse now. At least I don't think she's angry at me." Dipper thought for a moment. "Maybe she'll be fine in the morning. I could try waiting it out..."
So he did. He made his way upstairs and crawled into bed, hoping he could sleep. Luckily, she still hadn't found him. Next thing he knew, it was just past six a.m. and he was shaken awake.
"Wake up, Brochacho!" It was Mabel; no surprise there. "Brand new day ahead of us! Rise and shine!"
"Oh, come on! It's six in the morning," Dipper growled, rolling away from her. She eagerly rolled him back.
"I made everyone breakfast! With extra glitter!"
Internally, Dipper was screaming like a little girl. He shot up and stared his sibling in the eye. "Let's get one thing straight. Who are you what have you done with my sister?"
"Don't be silly, Broseph. It's me, it's good old Mabel!"
"No, it's certainly not! You're driving me crazy." Okay, so this clearly hadn't worn off overnight; and it was time for Dipper to take action. Though Mabel forced him into the kitchen. It was a complete mess; sparkles were everywhere. Dipper stood in the kitchen's doorway and gave Mabel an angry glare. "Okay, I'm taking you to the doctor."
"Wait!" Mabel dashed to the table. A plate of spaghetti sat in front of her. She drenched it in syrup and sprinkles. "Breakfast!"
Dipper blinked, instantly racing outside; practically leaving a puff of dust where he'd previously been standing. If he was going to find this star, he'd have to wait for night to roll around.
"Oh, Dipper!" Mabel shouted.
Though he wasn't sure he'd survive until then.
Mabel ran to his side and grabbed his wrist. "Come on now, aren't cha hungry?"
"N-no, I'm fine," Dipper replied, yanking his arm away from her. "I was actually just heading out."
"Ooh! I'm coming with!"
"You sure?" Dipper smirked. "Because I am going to see Gideon."
"Even better!" Dipper's jaw dropped. Though Mabel just skipped off, leaving him on the porch. "Come on, slowpoke!"
Dipper rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could handle.
Once they'd reached Gideon's home, Mabel eccentrically rang the doorbell. Bud opened it up. "Why, it's the Pines!"
"Not now, Bud," Dipper snarled, putting his hand up. "I'm looking for Gideon."
Mabel rudely invited herself in, squeezing her way past Bud. "Nice place you got!" she exclaimed, jumping onto the couch. Dipper stood next to Bud, the two of them watching wide-eyed.
"I'll go get Gideon," Bud mumbled, wandering off.
"Yeah, you go do that," Dipper said in response.
Mabel stared at a painting in awe for a solid two minutes. "I wanna touch it!" she blurted, pointing a finger at it. Dipper got between her and the art, preventing her from doing so.
"Okay Mabes," he said, awkwardly trying to smile. "Let's not break anything, alright?"
"Alright, break everything!" Mabel then jumped to her feet and tried flipping the coffee table, though Dipper held her in place.
"No, no!"
"Oh!" a cheerful voice suddenly said. "It really is you two!" It was Gideon. "I thought my father might've been bluffin'."
"Gideon, I have to talk to you. Right now," Dipper urgently snapped, approaching the kid.
"I'm assuming it's about...that," Gideon replied, gesturing to Mabel; who was sitting on the ground eating a pillow. Gideon led Dipper to the backyard, Mabel following closely. Once there, she chased some butterflies around while Dipper and Gideon spoke on the back porch.
"For starters, what did you do to her?" Gideon grimly asked, rolling his eyes at Dipper.
"One second: I'm wishing on a star for her to be normal. And the next: she's acting like this," Dipper replied with a grunt.
"Hold it, Pines. What do you mean, 'be normal'?"
"She and I had gotten in a stupid argument. She decided to treat me like dirt to teach me a lesson, I guess. I didn't like it one bit. So, I snuck outside and wished on a star for her to treat me like she normally did. Then I was greeted by a walking, talking, living, breathing, one-eyed pentagram."
"The Wishing Star," Gideon grumbled embarrassingly.
"So you know of him? I was gonna say, he was pretty much an exact replica of the Tent of Telepathy logo."
"Yes, I know the Wishing Star. He's bad news, Dipper Pines. Bad news."
"Okay, so...go on."
"You wish on him, you're trapped in a cage of darkness, death, and despair for the rest of your miserable life."
Dipper fearfully narrowed his eyes, obviously bewildered. "What do you mean?"
"Look, whatever you ask of him, he does or gives the opposite. So when you asked for Mabel to go back to treating you normally, he most likely worked his magic and did the opposite."
"Okay, how do I undo..." Dipper glanced forward and saw Mabel laying on the ground, eating individual blades of grass. "That?"
"You can't."
"What?"
"You can't take back wishes. I would know. I got help from the Wishing Star once. He got me something good...but not what I was after."
COMMERCIAL
"There's gotta be someway we can fix this!" Dipper gasped, standing up.
"Don't cha wanna know what the Wishing Star has to do with me?" Gideon anxiously asked. "Besides, we can't consult him until nighttime anyway. So explaining backstories may help time flow by like...like water in a stream."
"Fair enough. What does this Wishing Star have to do with you?"
"Dipper, I didn't ask for anything crazy. I asked to be normal; your everyday, average joe. But what did I get? Fame. Popularity. Power."
"Okay. What's wrong with all that?"
"It's not what I wished for. My father was a good man. He ran a nice little car gimmick, and my mother was a stay-at-home kind of lady who loved me. But I don't remember having many friends."
Gideon remembered it like it was yesterday. He was six years old, running around on the Gravity Falls Elementary playground. He had slid down the slide...to face three, terrifying fourth graders all twice his size. Well, terrifying to him. They were your average bullies; all tough and intimidating.
"Good day," young Gideon said, trying to walk away from them. Though he was grabbed by the collar of his turtleneck and yanked back towards the bottom of the slide. "What's up, fellas?" he squeaked nervously.
"Nice hair, freak!" one of the boys, brown-haired and dressed in a striped, navy-blue T-shirt, chuckled, pushing Gideon back onto the slide. "What's its name?"
"My hair doesn't have a name, don't be ridiculous!"
"What about your chins? Have you named any of them?" another one of the kids scoffed. Gideon rolled off the slide and hid under the playground.
"Come on out, Gideon!"
"We aren't gonna hurt ya. Well, at least not physically. I don't think."
Gideon darted out from under the thing and raced into the woods, hiding there all day. He was curled beside a tree trunk, uncontrollably sobbing. Night had rolled around, and his parents were getting worried; though he hadn't known that. The stars were brighter than ever, and Gideon used that to his advantage. He locked his eyes on a blue star and whispered, "I wish I wasn't so different."
BOOM. The star flashed and came flying down towards earth. It crash landed far from Gideon, though he was curious enough to go out and search for it. The boy found it, just as Dipper had in the present.
"H-hello?" Gideon stuttered, making his way towards the motionless, smoking pentagram. It finally sat up, scanning Gideon.
"Hiya, kid!" it snickered, appearing beside Gideon and speaking with a Southern accent. "Well aren't you just adorable?"
"Whoa," Gideon gasped, his eyes wider than ever. He reached out to shake the star's hand. "Oh my golly! You're a star! Are you here to grant my wish?"
"You bet, kiddo!" the Wishing Star responded, pulling away. "Normal life, huh? That's what you're dreaming of?"
"Absolutely!"
Dipper blinked, interrupting Gideon's flashback. "I'm guessing things didn't turn out the way you wanted them to," he sighed.
"No, they did not. I woke up the next morning to find a contractor just outside my front door. I became the stage performer known as Lil'Gideon Gleeful, thus ruining my life."
"Ruining your life?"
In the flashback, Gideon recalled the moment in which he found a very suspicious amulet on the playground; which he later turned into a bolo tie. "I found that thing too. Once I discovered its powers, I used it to prove my identity as a psychic," Gideon explained to Dipper. "That's where I got my fame and fortune from. Though its...power took ahold of me. Even as a kid. I wanted more of it. I became pretty possessive."
"YEAH YOU DID!" Mabel cut in, yelling from across the lawn.
Dipper and Gideon ignored her. "Anyways, that lil' Wishing Star is capable of many things, Dipper Pines. To this day, I'm still the complete contrary of normal."
The boy slightly tilted his head in confusion. "But I thought you were a regular old kid now."
"Oh I am, but it still ain't much different. I'm still teased and made fun of. But now I have former prisoners to protect me from those wretched little imbeciles, so it's all good."
"Although you are still saying there's no way to cure Mabel, aren't you?"
"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do, boy. I only know the Wishing Star. Even to this day, I dunno how to reverse its effects."
"You're saying all this like it took place twenty years ago. Gideon, it all happened no more than a few years back. Look, I'm gonna wish on that star tonight, and you're gonna help me. If he does the opposite of what we wish, then we'll just have to be smart about what we're asking for."
Gideon agreed with a nod, just before being spontaneously pounced on by Mabel. "I-I'm okay," he sputtered.
Later that evening, after enduring hours of Mabel's insubordinate behavior (and locking her in a closet), Dipper and Gideon searched the night sky for the star. Mabel sat nearby, hardly able to sleep and acting as if she were running on only caffeine and sugar.
On the roof of the Mystery Shack, which in retrospect was a horrible place for Mabel to be, the three kids all sat around; minus Mabel. Gideon was starting to think she wasn't worth dating. Ever. "Okay, we're looking for the brightest, bluest star up there, Dipper." Gideon scanned the sky, narrowing his eyes. Dipper did the same.
"That one?" Dipper finally asked, pointing to a vivid star above them.
Gideon nodded. "Has to be."
"So what do we do?"
"Well, wish on it!" Gideon abruptly snapped.
That's when Mabel leapt in-between the two boys, screaming, "I wish I had two pigs instead of just one! I love Waddles but he needs a buddy! Haha!"
Dipper and Gideon both gasped, trying to stop her. "Mabel, no!" But it was too late.
The star above them flashed, zooming towards earth. The process of the Wishing Star's arrival repeated itself, the Pines and Gideon heading out to locate it. Once they had, it immediately recognized them.
"Oi!" the little pentagram jumped, narrowing its eye. "Look who it is! Did I leave you unsatisfied with your care?" It was now speaking with a British accent.
"Very much so!" Gideon curtly replied, gesturing to Mabel; who was running circles around them and the Wishing Star.
"Ah, you're that little twerp I dealt with years ago," the star growled, hands on his "hips". He then looked over at Dipper. "And didn't I see you yesterday?"
"Yes! I was going to use reverse psychology just now and ask for Mabel to be the opposite of her normal self," Dipper snarled. "Now that I know the truth about you."
The star would've been grinning if he could've. "Yes, yes, but something's telling me she decided to waste your wish. And let's see, what was it she wanted? Oh! A second little piggy!"
"But that means..." Gideon murmured, his voice trailing off.
"Here, piggy-piggy-piggy!" the Wishing Star called out, hunting for Waddles.
Dipper grabbed ahold of Mabel and held her still. "Mabel! He's gonna...kill Waddles! You have to do something!"
Mabel gave him a funny look. "Ha, you're funny, Dipper."
Gideon then interrupted. "He's not lying, Mabel!"
Her joyful face faded into a frown. "What?"
"You have to snap out of it," Dipper snapped. He even considered slapping her across the face.
Gideon darted off, following the Wishing Star.
"Hold up!" he wailed, catching up to the guy. Though unfortunately, the Wishing Star had located Waddles munching on a newspaper just inside the Mystery Shack. Gideon sprinted as fast as his legs would allow it, reaching the star and spinning it around to face him. "Please, I'll do anything!"
"Like I've said before, I'm just following the rules. Someone wishes on me, I do my job."
"Why can't I wish on you now?"
"One wish per night, kid!" the star snapped his fingers, causing Waddles to collapse.
"No!" Gideon cried. Mabel and Dipper soon joined them, approaching cautiously. Mabel, fearful but clearly hyper, left her brother and ran into the house. That's when she saw Waddles. She blinked, tears falling from her eyes.
The star was just about to take off, but both Dipper and Gideon picked him up by the legs and held him upside down. "Hey! Stop! Put me down! You're jeopardizing my protocol!"
"Undo mine and Mabel's wishes!" Dipper demanded. "Or we tear your legs off!"
"Whoa, slow down, hotshot," Gideon said in response, loosening his grip on the pentagram.
"I can't, alright? Undoing any mistakes you make is completely up to you! Come back tomorrow night, kids!" the Wishing Star exclaimed.
Mabel came walking out of the house, Waddles in her arms. The girl set him on the porch. "I'm sorry," she said. "This feud between us, Dipper...it's not worth all this."
"Mabel?" Dipper replied, leaving the Wishing Star to Gideon and approaching his sibling. "Are you...?"
"I'm okay now. I'm back. I think."
"Thank gosh," the Wishing Star snickered. "I thought you'd never figure it out. You learn your lesson, your wish can be undone. Those are the rules."
Mabel wiped the tears from her eyes, while Gideon gave the star an angry look. "Are you serious? I learned my lesson nine months ago!"
"Indeed you did!"
"But...I haven't changed."
"Everyone gets bullied, kid. That doesn't make you abnormal. After several years, you've done it! Tell me, Gideon. Are you a celebrity anymore?"
Gideon hesitantly shook his head. "No."
"A power-thirsty, competitive idiot?"
"Of course not!"
"See, Dipper and Mabel over there are no more normal than you are."
Waddles came back to life with a wave of the Wishing Star's three-fingered hand. He jumped on Mabel, licking her like crazy.
"Waddles!" she smiled, jubilant.
"Phew," the Wishing Star sneered. "You three are nuts, you know that?"
Dipper got up and shooed the pentagram away. "Get out of here! You've done enough!"
"Fine! But if you ever do need me--"
"Just go!" all the kids yelled. Even Waddles aggressively squealed. The star rolled his eye and instantly disappeared.
"Welp," Gideon shrugged. "I guess I should head on home now. Glad I could help y'all. The school year was boring without you two."
Mabel exchanged glances with her brother, then looked over at Gideon. He was sulking off, though Dipper and Mabel wouldn't accept it. "Wait!" the girl shouted, running over to Gideon. She gave him a quick, very awkward hug. "This doesn't mean ANYTHING, so don't get any ideas. I'm just thanking you."
"Okay, okay." Gideon smiled, waving a subtle goodbye and walking off.
"Thanks again, Gideon," Dipper added. "We'll never forget this." The two Pines sighed and meandered inside, Mabel clinging to Waddles. "You're sure it didn't mean anything? Anything at all? No sparks, whatsoever?"
"Shut up."
CREDITS
Mayor Tyler Cutebiker was happily cleaning his mansion, dusting shelves and sweeping floors; mainly because he felt like doing it.
The doorbell rang, catching the man's attention. "Gotta go git'it!" he enthusiastically said to himself, approaching the front door. Once opened, he saw a tall, strange man in a suit staring him down. "Oh! Hello, sir. What can I do for ya?"
Though for Tyler, everything suddenly went black.