"That's perfect!"

The day had begun like any other during that fateful summer. The Pines twins, Dipper and Mabel, had snuck away from their chores at their great uncle's Mystery Shack tourist trap to downtown Gravity Falls to pick up a frozen treat to beat the summertime heat.

They walked in tandem, each licking a differently flavored ice-cream cone as they crossed the intersection leading into another cluster of mom-and-pop retail stores. All of a sudden, Dipper froze in mid –step as something particular caught his eye. Gasping aloud, he let the soft-serve carelessly slip from his fingertips as he darted instead of his sister.

"Huh? Hey, Dipper?!"

Mabel followed along, making sure to avoid having her snack plummet to the hard, filthy cement ground. When she finally caught up with her twin, his pie face and palms were plastered against the glass window of a nearby shop.

"There is it, Mabel! I can't believe it…"

"Believe what?" The girl took another lick of her ice cream as she rejoined Dipper. He was staring at a collection of various objects and items carefully placed on three wooden shelves mounted against the windowsill. After scanning the compilation for a few moments, Mabel spotted what had captured her sibling's attention.

On the middle of the second shelf, a seemingly-mint-conditioned purple plushie sat amongst the rows of knick-knacks and refuse. Its sad, round eyes stared back with lifeless, black pupils. The mat of violet hair stapled on top of its head was tangled with a layer of dust. The crooked, yellowed beak that made up the majority of its face was pointed downwards as its entire furry, fluff-filled body was positioned in almost-depressed slump.

"I know that guy!" Mabel exclaimed as she pointed out with her free hand, "That's the panda-duck from Grunkle Stan's Mystery Fair!"

"Correction," Dipper noted, his face still pressed against the see-through pane, "That's a stuffed creature of indeterminate species - and the one thing that Wendy wants more than anything in the world."

"Oy!" Mabel placed her palm against her face as she groaned, "Really, Dipper?"

"Well," he turned away from the sight and gave a modest grin, "That's what she said, at least…"

It has been nearly a week since the Mystery Fair ended, but to Dipper Pines, the effects felt on that day seemed to last an eternity. Not only did the small sleuth manage to injure his lumberjane crush while trying to obtain the same type of toy for her, but said instance allowed his newly made rival, Robbie V., to swoop in to the rescue, and ask the redhead to go steady.

Even when given the advantage of reversing time, Dipper found himself dumbstruck as fate refused to change no matter he did – with the sole exception of making a choice that would leave his twin broken and miserable.

But with this discovery, things could be different. There would be no boundaries limited to time and space and destiny. At long last, he would get a second chance to make things right.

With his mind set, Dipper stepped away from the display and moved towards the shop's entrance.

"Where are you going now?" Mabel asked.

"Where do you think?" He answered with confidence. "I'm going to buy that thing for Wendy!"

"But, Dipper," she argued back, "Do you really think this will change anything with her?"

He paused for a moment, "Maybe it will. Maybe it won't. Knowing my luck, it probably won't. But at the same time, I kinda do owe her something, especially after everything that happened…"

"I forget," Mabel placed a finger against a rosy cheek as she contemplated, "Which timeline is this one? The one where you tried to talk your way out of playing the game, or where the bag of balls exploded on her?"

Dipper replied with a hint of regret in his voice, "The one where I walked away with you and Waddles without saying a single word to her…"

"Oh…" Mabel glanced towards the ground with guilt, remembering the sacrifice Dipper had made for her. When she looked back up, he was already gone. The door in front of her swung back and forth before coming to a gentle halt.

"Dipper! Wait!" The tiny pixie quickly scarfed down the remainder of her sweet delicacy before following him into the mysterious store.

"Whoa…" Mabel looked around her new surrounding, seeing that the inside of the shop was completely different from what the small display led on. Various ancient texts and tomes were tucked away against countless library cases placed against the walls. Unidentified supplies and ingredients were kept in crystal-clear bottles and containers tightly corked. The twelve year old wondered if the spider-webs that decorated the room were real or merely for display purposes.

Oddly enough, in spite of its mostly arcane appearance, the rest of the retailer's wares simply consisted of pure junk. Broken electronics were scattered along a wobbly-broken wooden table. Worn out, archaic clothing was hung by rusty hangars on a chipped railing mounted into a nearby wall. A box at Mabel's feet, placed next to the check-out counter, contained moldy and torn toys that admitted a stench that almost made her want to vomit.

Mabel was perplexed. She couldn't tell if this unholy marriage was supposed to be a magical place of mystique and ancient artifacts or a thrown-together thrift shop. Suddenly, her great-uncle's Mystery Shack didn't see so terrible after all.

When she finally found her brother, Dipper was already trying to capture the attention of the clerk sitting on the other side of the counter.

"Excuse me? Excuse me!"

The thin, middle-aged man sat on a stool with his nose buried in a book. He looked up, his unnaturally pale skin matching the aging of his inventory, with yellow, cat-like eyes at the tiny brown-haired speck before him. With a dejected sigh, he gazed back into his novel and answered in a monotonous tone, "Yes?"

Dipper threw his arm back excitedly, "I wanna buy that doll! The purple one in the window?"

The clerk raised an eyebrow, "You…want to buy that?"

Dipper nodded, "Uh-huh."

Letting out another grunt, the man placed his book on the countertop and promptly dusted off his black dress shirt and pants. He lowered his loafers to the floor and came out from behind the counter. As the attendant passed Mabel, a strange shiver traveled down her spine.

She pulled on her brother's vest, "Uh, Dipper?"

"Hmm?"

"Doesn't this store seem…strange to you? I mean, more than usual? Isn't this the kind of place you'd see in the Journal?"

"Oh, come on, Mabel!"

"I'm being serious! How do you know that thing's not cursed or haunted or something?"

"Ah, you are wise to question, young one…" The man came back with the panda-duck in hand, "But let me assure you, this toy isn't cursed in the slightest. Like all things in this world, rather we be living or inanimate, it does require a certain something in order to function properly…"

"And that is…?" Mabel pried suspiciously.

"To be loved, my dear," the man replied. "Just like any other doll, all this article wants is to be treasured and appreciated…"

"No problem!" Dipper hastily swiped the doll from the clerk's clutches. "I can definitely promise it will be! My girl – err- my friend would just die if she was given this little guy…"

The elder rubbed his goatee with great interest, "So I see…"

Dipper tucked the panda-duck under his left arm as he reached into his front pocket with his free hand, "How much do I owe you for it?"

Much to Dipper's surprise, the man held out his hand to stop him, "No need. Call me an old fool, but I am a great believer in the delight of young love."

"Really?" Dipper's eyes lit up in gratitude. "Thank you! Thank you so, so much!"

With toy in hand, Dipper bolted from the scene, eager to present the gift to his treasured crush. Mabel slowly trailed behind, taking one last glance at the mystifying clerk, whom nodded respectfully and went back to his station.

She left the store and jogged until she reached her twin's side. Dipper was busy holding the panda-duck outwards, blissfully examining it from every possible angle.

"Well?"

"Well, what?" Mabel asked while trying to catch her breath.

"If some random guy thinks I have a shot – "

"Oh, get real, Dipper!" Mabel bickered back, "That old guy just wanted to ditch that ghostly dollie on you!" She crossed her sweater-covered arms and pouted. "Besides, I thought you said this was all about making Wendy feel better for giving her a black eye?"

Dipper shrugged, "Let's say it's a bit of column A and some of column B…"

"So, this has nothing to do with Robbie taking off for the weekend with his crappy poser band? Quite a coincidence if you ask me…"

"Pfft!" He scoffed at her suggestion, "If that jerk thinks that Wendy isn't cool enough to go with him, that's his problem. Did you know she didn't get as much as an invitation? Besides…" The boy's smile grew as he went over every fine detail of the panda-duck for the umpteenth time, "A girl has a right to change her mind about "certain things" if she wants to…"

Mabel could do nothing but heave in disbelief…

A short time later, the Pines returned back to their summer residence deep in the Oregon wilderness just outside of the small mountain town. Dipper could barely wait for Mabel to park their "borrowed" Mystery Cart on the side of the roadside attraction before hopping out in anxious excitement.

"Careful there, Casanova," the slightly-elder Pines twin mocked, "You don't want to get yourself run over, do you?"

But Dipper didn't even notice. Holding the panda-duck behind his back, he coughed into his other palm and took a brief sniff, ensuring that his breath didn't reek.

"You know," Mabel added as she opened her driver-side door, "You probably didn't need to do this. I'm sure Wendy's gotten over the whole "black-eye" thing…"

His world seemed to slow to a crawl as he gripped the entrance's handle. His heart pounded like a jackhammer, occasionally making it up to his throat. Dipper started to get second thoughts; doubts ran endlessly through his mind. Why didn't this seem so hard before?

However, his feet were already in motion. It was too late to go back. Before he knew it, Dipper was already through the doorway, and a split second later, his breath was taken away again, for he was standing before the object of his affections.

His secret crush, Wendy Corduroy, sat at her cashier station in the Gift Shop. She leaned over on her stool, her nose buried in the latest teenage trash magazine. The girl silently chewed her bubble gum and flicked a few loose red hairs away from her freckled face, unaware that she was now joined by company.

"Hi, Wendy, I…" Dipper's voice came out as a near-silent whisper. With each passing second, he found himself mesmerized by the high-schooler's smallest action. He added her every finest detail to memory. Dipper could have stood frozen in that spot forever, if not for his sister's inference.

"Uh, Dipper?" Mabel nudged him with her elbow. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"Huh?" He shook himself awake. Dipper knew it was now or never. He took a deep gasp, and greeted his main squeeze, "Hey, Wendy! I…"

"BAH!"

To his horror, Wendy nearly jumped out of her seat. The magazine slipped out of her hands as if by reflex, she protectively covered the left side of her face; most noticeably the green eye that still had some slight red swelling to it.

Dipper shrunk back at Wendy's reaction, as he grew ashamed. He never imagined things would be so tense. To make matters worse, he could hear Mabel trying to stifle ever-growing giggles stemming from the scene unfolding before them.

Wendy looked down at her heartbroken admirer, realizing that she had messed up badly. She lowered her stance and apologized, "Sorry about that, Dipper…" The redhead broke eye contact as she grew embarrassed. "It's just…I'm a little gun-shy about that whole experience…"

"It's cool, it's cool," Dipper tried his best to maintain composure, not letting the horrid memory – the cruel twist of fate gain the upper hand. He forced a smirk, "Maybe I have something that might help you forget all about that…"

As Wendy became confused by the cryptic comment, Dipper pulled the present out from behind his back.

"WHOA!"

Wendy's emerald eyes grew wide as she spotted the panda-duck. Without warning, she lowered her booted feet to the floor and leapt over the counter, making Dipper flinch slightly. She plucked the stuffed creature of indeterminate species from his noodle arms and held it out in front of her.

"No…way…"

The ginger clutched the doll tightly while laughing out loud joyfully. The purple figure swung freely from her arms as she rocked back and forth on her heels.

Dipper's grin grew deeper as he happily watched his cool-natured sweetheart revert to a girlish-giddiness over her new toy. It was exactly the same response he had received in the alternative timeline at the Mystery Fair – to him, the way things were supposed to be.

"So, does that mean you like it?"

Wendy stopped, "Do I like it? Dude, I love it! It's perfect!" She bent down to meet Dipper eye-to eye. "How – They haven't made this guy in years! Where did you find this?"

"Oh," Dipper hinted, "I have my ways…"

She gave him a suspicious glare, placing a hand against her flannelled hip, "Kiddo, you didn't steal this from that carny, did you? I appreciate it, Dip. I really do, but I don't want you to get in trouble for – "

"No! No!" Dipper waved his hands wildly, "I bought it fair and square! It's legal!" He scratched the back of his brown-covered head, "I…just…figured with everything that happened, this is the least I can do for you…"

"Dipper…" Wendy dropped the doll, and to his surprise, swept his tiny form up in her arms. "Thank you so much! It's so awesome! I still can't believe you did this!"

The twelve-year-old was blown away by the simple hug. He found himself surrounded by an endless amount of copper-colored hair, mixed amid a sweet-smelling perfume blend.

*FLASH!*

Out of the corner of his eye, Dipper seen that Mabel had snuck a quick snapshot with her handheld instant camera. She chuckled as she glanced at the newly-formed photo, "Ah, first hug…definitely going in the ol' scrapbook…"

Wendy let go of the blushing boy and reclaimed her gift. Her spotted-dimples popped out as she smiled. "Looks like I have a new boyfriend now…"

Dipper's heart stopped. He stared up at her with starry eyes, "Really?"

"You bet!" She squeezed the panda-duck even harder, "I love this little guy to death!"

"Oh…" His innards sunk back into his feet.

With doll in arm, the fifteen-year-old went back behind the wooden desk, setting the plushie on the countertop. She pulled her flip-phone out of her pocket and started to take numerous pictures of her present. "I can't wait to show this baby off! Social media, here you come!"

Dipper stepped away from the scene, feeling somewhat pleased and yet dejected by the outcome. Mabel crept besides her brother, "So, is it too early to send out the wedding invitations, or…"

"Not funny, Mabel…"

"Oh, relax, Dipper," Mabel eased him. "I'm just kidding. Besides…" She placed a loving hand around his back, leading him back towards Wendy, "Just look at how happy she is! Isn't that what you really wanted in the first place?"

"Yeah," Dipper started to come around, "You're right. I mean, she's ecstatic. And I guess that what's really important, right?"

"And you got a hug outta it, so it's not all bad, right?"

"True, true…"

As the Pines twins went to take their leave, their super-tall co-worker called out, "Hey, guys? Who do you think I should send first pics to?"

Before Mabel could make a suggestion, Dipper chimed in with a deceitful beam. "I'd say send them to Robbie. I'd really love to see what he'd think about it…"

Nightfall came later in the day, but by then, Wendy had already returned home to her secluded cabin deep in the Gravity Falls woods. She kicked off her mud-stained boots and crept into the house. Loud, rambunctious laughter could be heard coming from the living room, meaning that her father and younger brothers were already home.

"Perfect," Wendy noted as she passed through the hallway undetected. "They're too busy staring at the ol' boob-tube…"

For once, she was thankful that her family were often easily distracted, leading to her inadvertently being ignored. She looked down at the adorable doll in her arms. This was one of the plights of living with a male-dominated household. This was something that they couldn't understand. It wasn't that she was embarrassed by the gift – heaven only knew what that poor kid that to do to get this for her.

But in this place, such a thing would bring nothing but ridicule if Wendy was seen with the toy. Even worse, she would be seen as soft, losing her edge, having every "girlie" stereotype thrown at her within a matter of seconds.

Wendy closed her bedroom door behind her as quietly as possible. She held her lanky body against the entry, taking a minute to catch her breath. Now that the teen was inside of her safe haven within this house of chaos, she could be herself without fear of being judged.

"Phew!"

The exhausted cashier collapsed face-first onto her bed with a gentle bounce. Her trusty brown flapper hat draped down from her crown of red hair into the floor. The day had been truly trying for her. Mr. Pines had been on one of his rampages, forcing her to inventory and re-price every single item in the Gift Shop. Wendy let out another gripe into her pillow as every possible joint, from her tips of her fingers to the bases of her toes, ached painfully.

Wendy lifted her head up to see her panda-duck looking down at her with soft, beady eyes, almost as it could sense her pain. She smiled at it, remembering how Dipper's present was easily the highlight of her week, yet alone that day.

"I hear you, buddy…"

With a tender hand, Wendy grabbed the plaything and carefully placed it on a nearby empty chair. Her bed was already covered with a various amount of different cuddlies. To her, this special gift deserved to be treated a little nicer than most. She let out a deep yawn and stretched her long arms over her head. It was getting late, and no amount of caffeine and sugar would keep her going.

She unbuttoned her green-flannel shirt and threw it against her left bed-post. Sitting back on the bed, Wendy used her big toes to pull her off her socks before yanking back her comforter. She chose to leave her jeans on due to pure laziness. Now snuggled within her blankets, Wendy reached over and turned her desk lamp off, only to drift into slumber seconds later…

*HUFF-HUFF!*

Wendy ran endlessly through the spiral hallway; her world was nothing but a blur of psychedelic colors flashing before her eyes. She twisted her head around, looking for any sign of trouble. The young adult couldn't remember how she got here or how she ended up in this situation.

All Wendy knew at that moment was that she was in extreme danger.

"Mama…"

As the horrid sound echoed through her head, Wendy took off again, sprinting hard on the balls of her bare feet. Her lungs burned as much as her legs throbbed. Even though she didn't know her current location, it was almost like Wendy's body knew how to respond to every obstacle before her, hurdling and dashing through everything standing in her way.

"Mama…"

All of a sudden, Wendy couldn't feel the hard floor beneath her soles. She glimpsed down to see that she was now running through mid-air! The vague structure containing her had instantly vanished!

"What in the h – "

Suddenly, gravity took hold, having Wendy freefall through the ether. She screamed aloud, and yet, could not make out her own voice in the distance.

"Mama..."

As she plunged further into the darkness, Wendy looked over her shoulder to see two gigantic red eyes staring back at her. The demonic peepers narrowed further as the deep tone shouted at the confused and frightened ginger one last time, shaking her to her very soul.

"MAMA!"

*KRAK!*

*GASP!*

Wendy sat up in bed as another lightning bolt shot through the night sky. A heavy downpour drenched the outside world as countless raindrops splattered against her window. Her breaths grew slower and calmer as her mind came back down to reality.

She ran a hand across her forehead and wiped away a large amount of sweat. Her dark hair was soaked with the remainder of the perspiration. Wendy pulled her locks back as she asked, "What in the heck was that about?"

"Mama…"

Every strand on the back of Wendy's neck stood upright as she could have sworn to hear the horrific voice from her nightmare. She squinted her eyes, glaring ahead to find the source of the sound.

Within the beam of moonlight providing the lone source of light inside of the room, Dipper's panda-duck sat in the same place Wendy had left it. Its lumpy body made it lean over the edge of the given seat. The black-colored eyes seemed to follow Wendy's every moment. The forced smile formed into its bent beak seemed to take pleasure at her panic.

Wendy wiped her face repeatedly with her thumbs. "Get a grip, Wendy-girl," she told herself. "It's just your mind playing tricks on you. Too many crappy horror movies at night…"

She removed her hands to see that the doll was still giving off an ominous stare. The sense of dread just couldn't be shaken away. Without thinking twice, Wendy grabbed her flannel from the bedpost and tossed it over the doll, covering its nasty glance from her sights.

"No offense, little guy," Wendy explained as she nettled back into bed, pulling her pine-tree blanket up to her head, "But I'm already creeped-out as it is tonight…"

Wendy turned onto her side, facing away from both the thunderstorm and plushie. She closed her eyes, hoping to make it back to sleep without encountering the sinister presence that had invaded her dreams earlier…