Getting your Goat

(Between episodes 9 and 12)

A brown haired child, a pair of goat like creatures, gold flowers, sadness, angry people, pain, a laughing flower, the cruel eyes of the child and a brief glimpse of something shaped like a triangle…

The boy woke up sweating. He leapt out of bed and ran into the bathroom turning on the lights. He was comforted to see his usual self in the mirror as he turned on the faucet to wash his sweat stained face.

I don't know where these dreams come from and I probably never will. I'm just a normal kid with a mom and dad who care about me and a house in a town in Oregon that most folks probably never heard of and will never visit. Except for these bad dreams I don't expect much of my life. After all I'm not special and nothing interesting ever happens in Gravity Falls.

The Pines Twins were spending a day in town. Having stopped in front a store labeled "Shepard's Books, new and antique" Mabel put her hand on Dipper's shoulder, today she was wearing a blue sweater with a white bunny rabbit.

"Ok bro, I'm getting a mani/petti with the girls and we're going to look awesome! Have fun with looking for new nerd books!"

Dipper removed the journal from his vest. "First Mabel they are not nerd books, they're preteen mystery novels. Second I'm here to look for clues on the mysteries of Gravity Falls. The library has nothing even remotely connected to the strange things in town or any clues on who wrote the journal. This shop may have old manuscripts or something that could lead us one step closer to solving these mysteries."

Mabel sighed. "Dipper, you can't just keep looking for weird stuff by yourself all summer. Why don't you make new friends like I did with Waddles, Candy and Grenda?"

Dipper turned to enter the shop. "Mabel I trust you but whoever wrote this journal was being watched. Anyone else in town could be after it for something bad. Remember what the journal said, trust no one."

As Dipper opened the door Mabel went down the street. Inside he was greeted by a man with short reddish brown hear and prominent chin wearing a pink polo and khakis. "Welcome to Shepard's, how may I help you today?"

Dipper turned to the counter. "I'm looking for some books on the history of Gravity Falls, or anything about monsters or magic."

"I think I know what you want." The man took a book from behind the counter and gave it to Dipper, the cover and the image of a gothic building and a girl riding a magic carpet. "The Figswick Academy series, my son's favorite. It's about some children around your age who go to a school for wizards."

"Uh, actually I was looking for something not quite as recent. Maybe thirty to a hundred and fifty years ago?"

"We might have something in the back but I wouldn't get my hopes up."

"Thanks anyway."

Dipper weaved in and out of the shelves. "Oliver Twist, 2nd edition. How to Polish Your Hitching Post. Looks like I'm not going to find anything here…"

Dipper was still examining the books when he suddenly crashed into someone as he turned a blind corner. Dipper dropped the journal as a number of cards were spread across the floor.

Dipper looked up and saw a platinum blonde haired boy wearing a green and yellow striped long sleeve shirt with black pants rubbing his head.

"I'm so sorry!" the boy said. "I didn't mean to knock you down!"

Dipper laughed a little as he put his journal back in his vest. "It's ok, I was the one who wasn't looking where he was going."

The boy had started to pick up the cards he dropped. As Dipper knelt down to help him he noticed the designs on the cards. "Whoa, you play the Magi Clash TCG?!"

The boy blushed and tried to look away. "Just a little at the comic book store, usually I don't have someone to play with. Do you play?"

"Yes, but I haven't had anyone to play it with all summer!"

The boy smiled. "Something tells me that isn't what brought you here."

Dipper began to get a little sweaty. "Well to tell the truth I was looking for books on monsters, magic and other weird things. Something in non-fiction."

"Sorry but the only stuff like that I've seen like that are the Figswick books. It'd be cool if any of that was real, but even if it was it'd be far away from a boring town like Gravity Falls."

Dipper laughed nervously. "Yeah, far away." He reached out his hand. "My name's Mason Pines, but everyone calls me Dipper."

The boy slowly took Dipper's hand. "Howdy, I'm Asriel Shepard, my dad owns the store."

"Hey, maybe a little later we could play a couple games of Magi Clash?"

"Ok, let me ask Dad first."

The two boys came back to the front counter where Asriel's father was talking to a woman with to a woman with shoulder-length reddish-brown hair and olive-colored skin wearing a blue collared blouse, dark turquoise pants with a blue headband and gold-colored stud earrings.

"Mom, Dad," said Asriel. "This is Dipper, can he come over so we can play cards?"

The woman knelt down and put her hand on Asriel's shoulder. "Oh sorry sweetie, your Father and I have book club tonight."

Asriel looked down at his feet. "I know, no guests in the house while you're out."

Dipper then looked at the two adults. "Why not have Asriel come to my place instead? I'm staying at the Mystery Shack over on Gopher Road."

"Stan Pine's place?" said Asriel's dad. "I suppose it's ok as long as you're back before dark, and you don't buy anything Mr. Pines is selling until we have good look at it."

Asriel's face beamed with excitement. "Mom, Dad you're the best! I'm going home to bring some snacks and a book, see you later Dipper!"

After Asriel left Mrs. Shepard smiled. "You know Dipper we'd like to thank you inviting Asriel over. He's really shy and has a hard time sticking up for himself. It means a lot to us that you're letting him come out of his shell."

Dipper blushed a bit. "No problem, it wouldn't be the hardest thing I've done this summer. I better get home and get things ready, nice meeting you!"

Dipper went outside running into the shop door in the process, after shaking the embarrassment off he left.

A couple hours later back at the Mystery Shack Dipper was arranging a play mat on the floor of his and Mabel's attic room. Mabel was reading an issue of Pre-Teen Beat magazine. "I'd play with you Dipper, but you didn't like me trying to put glitter on your cards."

Dipper continued by putting a deck on the mat and then moving on to arranging a large bottle of Pitt cola next to it. "That guy I told you about, Asriel, is coming over and I want to make a prefect first impression. Should the soda be a foot away or a yard? Better make it a yard in case of spillage."

"Dipper I'm glad you're making a new friend here, but take a page from the book of Mabel. Just make him feel welcome, going all crazy about details will just make you seem like an obsessive weirdo."

Dipper however was still setting things up. "Should we dive right into the game or do I ask him about his opinion on Bigfoot first?" The sound of a bicycle bell came from out the window. "That must him!"

Mabel followed Dipper to window just in time to see Asriel take off his bike helmet.

"Dipper, you never said he was a hottie!"

Dipper tuned to Mabel. "No way! You're not ruining this by making him one of your summer romance disasters!"

"Disasters?! Sure I may not have found 'the one' yet but I wouldn't say they were disasters."

"What about the guy who turned out to be a bunch of Gnomes or the one who nearly killed me with a magic amulet?!"

"Oh sure bring up Gideon!"

"All I'm saying is that you come on strong and Asriel is a bit sensitive. So please dial your personality back until he's comfortable."

"Sensitive?" Mabel said whispering to herself. "He's perfect."

For the first time in his life Asriel stepped into the local tourist trap known as the Mystery Shack. Entering the gift shop his curiosity was spiked by the door marked "museum" and found himself wandering through a hallway of oddities. "Man this stuff would be so cool if it wasn't fake."

Rounding a corner Asriel found a tour group being led by an old man in a fez that Asriel assumed was Dipper's great uncle Stan that his parent's warned him about.

"And now for the Mystery Shack's newest attraction!" said Stan. "I have filled this shack with oddities and wonderments from all around the world, but none come close to this next exhibit! At severe risk to life and limb I have managed to obtain this one of a kind specimen, proof to the urban legend! Ladies and Gentlemen I give you the remains of El Chupacabra!"

Stan pulled a sheet off of a reptilian looking creature with spines along it's back.

"So terrifying!"

"No it's not," said Asriel. "It's just a stuffed Doberman with alligator skin and porcupine quills stuck on its back."

The gathered crowd started to mutter and Stan was sweating. "Tell you folks what, we have a special today in the gift shop! Buy one, get one!"

The tourists seemed pleased and continued down the hall. "But that just means…"

Stan clasped his hand around Asriel's mouth until the crowd was out of sight then fixed him with a stern glare. "Are you trying to put me out of business?! I don't recall you paying for the tour so you have three seconds before I call the cops!"

Asriel teared up. "I'm sorry! I just wanted to see Dipper, then I saw you had a museum…"

"Whoa kid, turn down the water works! Just take the next door on the left and head up the stairs twice, you can't miss it!"

Asriel rubbed the tears from his eyes. "Thank you Mister Pines."

"Just know when to shut your yap from now on. Also try not be the world's doormat, maybe throw a cheap shot when nobody's looking."

"Ok, I'll be going now."

Asriel followed Stan's directions and on climbing the second set of stairs came face to face with a girl wearing a bunny sweater.

"Ah!"

"Hi, I'm Mabel! Do you like puppies and kittens?! I have them on my nails!"

Mable put her nails painted to look like cute animals extremely close to Asriel's face.

"I-I-I…"

Dipper came in from a door on the other side of the room. "Hey Asriel! I see you met Mable, but she has to go now!" Dipper pulled Asriel thought the door then closed and locked it. "Sorry about that, I'm afraid Mabel has picked you out as her latest crush."

"Your family is… a little intense," said Asriel. "Maybe this was a mistake."

"Hey, man we'll take it nice and easy from here on out. How about we start with a friendly game of Magi Clash?"

Asriel smiled.

A short time later the two boys were deep into their game.

"Ok, my turn again," said Dipper. "I draw and send a card in my hand to the energy zone so I can draw again. Now I'll summon Dragon Lancer and tap four cards in my energy zone to cast Electro Orb defeating your Burly Troll. Since Dragon Lancer has summoning sickness my Shield Swordsman attacks you directly."

Asriel removed a chip from his side of the mat. "I take damage knocking out my third vitality point," said Asriel. "You're halfway to winning."

Dipper leaned back against his bed. "You're not making easy for me, ok my turn's over show me what you got."

Asriel put his hand down however. "You know you're pretty lucky Dipper, having a twin and a great uncle. Makes me wish I knew more about my birth family."

Dipper put down his hand as well. "You were adopted? I mean we don't have to talk about it if it makes you uncomfortable."

"No it's fine right now, you feel more approachable to me for some reason." Asriel gave a sigh. "Truth is my mom and dad found me out in the woods about five years ago. I had no memory, no I.D., only the clothes on my back and this." Asriel took out a heart shaped pendant that had his name engraved on it. "I've never taken it off since, I'll probably never know who my birth parents were but at least I'll always have something of them." Asriel started to blush. "Not that Mom and Dad aren't great! It's just…"

"It's mystery you can't help but try to solve," said Dipper. "I know how that feels."

"What do you mean?"

Dipper started to sweat. "Well, it's nothing really…"

"Come on, I showed you my big secret. Only fair you tell me yours."

Dipper looked around. "Ok, but promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise."

Dipper took the journal from his vest and gently handed it Asriel. "I found this journal in the woods around here. It details a whole lot of strange things and creatures right here in Gravity Falls. I've seen magic and monsters with my own eyes and I've been trying to get to the bottom of the mystery of this town, that's why I was in the shop today. I must sound like a nutcase huh?"

Asriel looked through a few pages. "I want to believe all this stuff is true, but in Gravity Falls? I admit some of the folks here can be odd, but you just notice the eccentrics more in small towns. Still if you wanted to lie to me, you'd have come up with a better one than this."

"So we're friends? Even with my sister crushing on you?"

Asriel blushed. "If you want to be. As for Mabel she seems nice, but a little…forward. As a friend of course she's your sister. But there's someone else I like, even if she doesn't know I exist."

"Been there, but we're making progress."

The window opened from the outside as Mabel came in surprising the two boys. "If you call getting sweaty when you're near Wendy progress."

Dipper stood up. "There's this wonderful new thing Mabel, it's called 'knocking on the door and coming in like a normal person'!"

Mabel walked over to Asriel. "Normal is overrated. So Asriel I hear you're sensitive, want to talk about feelings? Do you like eighties songs? Arts and crafts? How about Duck-tective? Want to meet my pig?!"

Mabel lifted Waddles up to Asriel's face which the pig immediately began licking. "Hey, cut it out!"

Dipper came between the two. "Mabel you're going to freak him out!"

Mabel put Waddles down on the floor. "Hey you don't have the monopoly on Asriel!"

"You told me to make friends with people our age in this town!"

"There's nothing saying he can't be your friend and my boyfriend!"

"Yes there is! He said he's not interested in you!"

"Well not if you don't get him to know me!"

Mabel pushed Dipper who dragged her to the floor with him. The two started rolling around wrestling with each other.

Asriel was visibly upset. "Guys please stop fighting!"

Asriel slowly moved a little closer when Mabel unknowingly grabbed Asriel's pendant. The struggle undid the pendant's clasp. As the pendant came away in Mabel's hand Asriel gave a subtle glow.

On seeing the glow, the Pines twin stopped their fight and stared at Asriel. When the glow faded Asriel's skin was completely covered in soft white fur, his shoes vanished as his feet and hands now resembled large paws. But what changed the most was his face and head now looking like a Nubian goat with fangs and stubby little horns.

Asriel stared at his now unfamiliar hands. "I…I…" As his breathing sharpened and eyes widened he and the Pines Twins gave the obvious reaction.

"AHHHHH!"

"AHHHHH!"

"AHHHHH!"

"Could you kids keep it down up there?!" Stan yelled from the floor below. "I'm trying to trim my ear hair!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Looking into Mabel's hand mirror the full weight of Asriel's transformation set in. "What, what did you two do to me?!"

"Ok don't panic," said Dipper as he started turning pages in the journal. "I might be able to find a cure."

"In the meantime why don't you calm down with some music from public access radio?" Mabel turned on a boombox.

"Your life's in ruins!" Robbie Valentino sang from the boombox. "You're at the end of your rope!" Mabel turned the radio off.

"Calm down!?" said Asriel. "Calm down?! I'm a freak! I can never show my face in town or see my mom and dad ever again!"

"It's not that bad, I'm sure they'll love you no matter what!"

"And then what?! Hide in our basement for the rest of my life?!"

"Dipper have you found anything yet?"

"Let's see fairies, mole people, exorcisms, the secret language of beavers?"

"Oh yeah like beavers are going to get me out of this!" said Asriel. The tears were now running freely down his face. "I should have known, every time I open up to someone I get hurt or laughed at! All right world I can take a hint! I'm going to be alone for the rest of my life!"

Asriel then ran out of the room as fast as his new legs could carry him.

"Asriel come back!" yelled Dipper.

The twins ran down the stairs in pursuit and found Soos cleaning a mirror. "Hey dudes," said the handyman. "I saw this goat kid run out of the shack and into the woods like his psyche was broken by the thoughtlessness of a couple of jerks."

The twins looked at the ground. "That'd be us," said Dipper. "We we're fighting over this kid we've just met, somehow turned him into what you saw and scared him off."

Mabel picked up the heart pendant that Asriel dropped. "And the only thing we have left of Asriel is this necklace." Mabel put the pendant around her neck and a soft glow lit the room for a few moments.

Dipper and Soos stared at Mabel. "What's with that look guys?"

"Oh, nothing Mabel," Dipper said with a nervous laugh. "I'm sure everything will turn out fine…"

"Just look in the mirror," said Soos.

Mabel turned saw her reflection had shown she had undergone the same transformation Asriel had.

"Waaaaah!"

"Soos!" Dipper yelled.

"Sorry dude, I thought this called for reverse psychology."

Mabel gave an angry glare at the pendant. "This all your fault! Die, Die!"

As Mabel took the pendant off the transformation reversed itself. "Hey…"

Mabel's mood did a complete one eighty as she began taking the pendant on and off while looking in the mirror. "Mabel, Goat Mabel. Mabel, Goat Mabel."

Dipper began turning the pages of the journal. "Wait, this seems familiar…got it!"

Dipper had opened the journal to a pair of pages under the heading "Glamour Charm". The illustration on the first page showed an ugly rat like creature followed by an arrow pointing to an ordinary looking wristwatch followed by another arrow pointing to an average looking man in the same pose as the monster while wearing the watch. The entire lower half of the second page was taken by a large bolded text that simply read "THEY WALK AMONG US!".

"I have noted during my investigations occasionally supernatural creatures can appear human by using an object enchanted to change the form of the wearer." Dipper quoted from the journal. "The glamour is attuned to the user and if anyone else wears the charm they would take on the form of the creature the glamour was made for."

"So if we get that thing to the kid, he'll go back to being normal?" Soos asked.

"Mabel changed when she put the pendant on, but Asriel changed when it was taken off. What he is right now IS his true form!"

"But he was scared," said Mabel. "Why would he be scared if he was already a monster kid?

"He told me he was found in the woods with amnesia, and if he was wearing the charm he might have forgotten what he was."

"So what do we do now?"

Dipper put the journal in his vest and grabbed a camera. "I'm going out there and saving my friend!"

"Count me in bro!" said Mabel as she grabbed a pouch full of glitter.

"And I'm coming with you guys!" said Soos.

The three ran out of the Mystery Shack as the sun began its final descent toward the horizon. Mabel however ran back in for a moment with the charm. "Mabel, Goat Mabel."

After running deep into the forest Asriel sat back against a tree. "Guess I'm going spend my life out here eating mushrooms, nuts and berries. Great, now I've started talking to myself."

A hissing growl came from a nearby cluster of trees. As Asriel looked in that direction he saw a reptilian humanoid with leathery skin, huge eyes, pointy ears, wing-like flaps stretched between its wrists and waist, a whip like tail and a back covered with spines.

"Whoa, a real chupacabra, the stories about the goat sucker were true." Asriel then lost whatever color he had left in his face. "And I'm kind of a goat now…"

The chupacabra then opened its mouth lashing out a tongue that opened a smaller mouth with three fang like teeth. Asriel ducked just in time as the tongue bit into the tree behind him a ripped out a piece of it.

Asriel tried to run when two more of the creatures leapt down from the trees. Surrounded Asriel prepared for the worst.

But the two new chupacabra were knocked out of the way by a speeding golf cart. As the cart swung around Asriel saw Dipper and Mabel standing in the back holding a baseball bat and a golf club. Dipper ran towards him.

"Asriel are you ok?!"

"You came for me?"

Dipper smiled. "Of course we're friends aren't we?"

Asriel got a sacred look on his face. "Unfortunately so are they."

About a dozen more chupacabra came out of the woods.

Soos got between the kids and the monsters. "Don't worry dudes I'll protect you!" Two of the chupacabra launched spines from their back hitting Soos on the back of the neck. "Well there's the paralysis kicking in." Soos then fell flat on his stomach.

The three kids grouped together Dipper and Mabel brandishing their weapons. They swung at the reptilian beasts until one managed to swipe the bat and club out of their hands.

"Say Cheese!" Dipper yelled pulling out a camera. The camera's flash stunned several of the creatures.

Mabel opened a pouch. "Here's glitter in your eye!" Mabel blew the glitter into the eyes of more the beasts.

A couple of tongues lashed out smashing the camera and ripping the pouch open.

The chupacabra had started to surround the children. Dipper quickly turned to a page in the journal. "Except for bright lights these things don't have any weaknesses!"

"It was nice knowing you Dipper!" said Mabel.

Asriel the spoke in a strangely cold voice. "No…"

"Uh, Asriel?" asked Dipper.

The goat creature turned up his palm and a fireball suddenly appeared in his hand, his pupils became cat like slits that were glowing red. "I'm going to enjoy this…" Asriel then gave a very creepy laugh.

"Asriel this isn't like you!"

Asriel shook his head and his eyes went back to normal. "Leave my friends ALONE!"

Asriel threw the fireball at the feet of the cupracabra. The creatures leapt back at the fire burning where they stood not a second ago. Asriel prepared another fireball and the lizard things spread their wing like flaps and flew off into the forest.

The fireball and the flames died and the twins turned back to Asriel. "That was amazing!" said Dipper.

"I didn't like the part where you went all scary," said Mabel. "But other than that you were totally rocking that magic or whatever it was you were doing."

Asriel gazed at his hands. "I guess if I'm stuck like this, there would be some upsides."

"Oh yeah, with the abject terror I almost forgot!" said Mabel. "We still have your pendant thingy!"

Asriel's eyes brightened. "Does that mean you figured out how to make me human again?!"

Dipper took out the journal. "Yeah, it's a good news/bad news deal with that. The good news is that your pendant can make you look human again."

Asriel felt his heart fall into the pit of his stomach. "Look human?"

"That's the bad news, I found out what your pendant was in the journal. It's a glamour charm, it's enchanted to make the wearer it was made for blend in among people. It can't make you human again because well… you never were one to begin with." Asriel sat down on the forest floor. "Asriel I'm sorry."

"It's not that. I can accept what I am, it's just I don't KNOW what I am. As far as I can remember I wanted to know how I got here, where I came from and now I finally answered one question a hundred more take its place."

"Asriel I'm going to help you get the answers you're looking for, even if it takes all summer."

Asriel turned back to Dipper. "You'd do that for me?"

"I've been spending the summer trying to uncover the mysteries of this town, what's one more?"

Asriel started to tear up but was smiling at the same time. "Thank you."

Asriel put the pendant back on and turned back into the boy Dipper met back at the bookstore.

"A happy ending all around," said Mabel. "Except for Soos what with him being paralyzed and everything."

Dipper began turning pages in the journal. "I have the cure for chupacabra venom here but we'll need to get the ingredients back at the Mystery Shack. Can you help lift Soos into the golf cart?"

The three kids each grabbed a part of the big man. "I really appreciate you doing this," said Soos. "It's good to have friends."

Asriel's face was turning blue. "Seriously you should consider losing a few pounds, I think I starting to feel my back cracking."

"Lift with your legs dude."

The next day Dipper and Mabel were walking through town with Asriel. "Ok so I'm not girlfriend material for you," said Mabel. "But whoever this girl you like is I can totally help you get together."

As the trio came to a corner a blonde girl ran into Asriel. "Out of my way dork!"

Mabel narrowed her eyes. "Pacifica!"

Dipper however was staring at Asriel who just kept looking at Pacifica. "Asriel?"

"She…" Asriel then clasped his hands in front of his heart. "SHE REMEMBERS ME!"

Mabel and Dipper groaned. "This is going to a whole thing isn't it?"

Mld rm yllphglivh: Urthdrxp Zxzwvnb zmw gsv Zixzmv Zxmv.