Mabel wasn't sure how far she ran before she collapsed at the base of a tree. Her back pressed against its rough bark as she pulled her knees up tightly against her chest. She rocked a little, trying to sooth her turbulent emotions, before reaching into her backpack.

"Only party chocolate can cheer me up now," She mumbled.

Instead of what she was expecting her fingertips brushed a smooth glass shape. Puzzled, Mabel reached in a little farther and pulled it out. It was some sort of sci-fi snow globe.

I must have grabbed Dipper's pack, She realized.

It was beautiful. Instead of fake snow drifting in water, in the center of the globe was what looked like a miniature galaxy. It swirled and danced before her eyes, rebounding off the glass of the container. It changed colors as it moved, pulsing like a tiny heart. It was hypnotizing and she couldn't bring herself to look away, her fight with Dipper forgotten for a moment. Mabel noticed a little crack in the glass. Slowly she reached out and touched it. As soon as her finger made contact, the crack spread, branching out like a spider web from where she touched it. The star-speckled darkness began to move rapidly like an angry swarm of bees.

Mabel let out a yelp of surprise and dropped the globe. Before she could let go, the dark mass moved up her arm. Mabel screamed. Her heart beat frantically in her ears. She tried to shake it off, but it didn't work, it seemed to be soaking into her skin. Pain lanced through her body and she screamed again. A hum filled her ears and the world blurred around her. There was a lurch in her gut like an elevator moving. Everything spun and then…

The little clearing in the woods was empty of life.

With a heavy heart Dipper walked into the lab.

"Let me guess: Mabel didn't take it well?" Great uncle Ford asked. His brows wrinkled as he studied Dipper's expression. A sympathetic frown appeared on his face.

Dipper sighed and rubbed his head.

"I don't know, maybe I'm making the wrong decision," Dipper said, All he could think of was the Mabel's tears before she threw his hand off and ran away. They had fought before, but this was different. "I need to think about this."

Great Uncle Stanford nodded in understanding.

"Dipper, right now we need to focus on the mission," He pulled the piece alien tech they had found out of his pocket, gave Dipper a smile, and said, "Now come on, I've got the glue; hand me the rift and let's make history."

Dipper smiled a little at Ford's dramatic speech. He reached into the bag and pulled out…

A birthday flier?

"What? Oh no! The RIFT!" Dipper yelled.

This was Mabel's backpack. If he had hers that meant that she had the rift. His heart twinged painfully as adrenaline and fear coursed through him. He grabbed the walkie talkie out of the pack and started fiddling with it as he bolted up the stairs. He could hear Ford's heavy footsteps trailing behind him.

When they made it out of the house Dipper started calling Mabel frantically with the walkie talkie. There was no answer, only static.

Faintly he heard Stanford calling his name, but he didn't pay any attention. He ran down the road in the direction Mabel had gone.

The sky was turning an ominous red as the sun dipped behind the cliffs. Goose bumps appeared on Dipper's arms even as he panted for breath from his exertion. The forest was a blur around him. He had to find Mabel. Before something happened.

He was going so fast that he didn't notice the glass shards on the ground until his foot hit one. At the sound of the glass crunching, Dipper skidded to a halt, almost falling over. He spun around and felt his breath catch in his throat.

The shattered rift was lying on the ground and beside it was Mabel's headband. With shaking hands Dipper picked it up, then turned to look at Great Uncle Ford who was just coming to a halt beside him.

"What happened?" He whispered, for once not caring that his voice cracked.

When he had rescued Ford from the UFO he had felt like a hero, like he could take on the world and come out on top, but now he felt like a small child again; helpless, waiting for the grownups to swoop in and fix things. He just wanted his sister back safe. He had a bad feeling about this.

Ford knelt down beside him and examined the shattered globe. Carefully he turned it over in his large six fingered hands. His brow furrowed and he adjusted his glasses slightly. After a moment he shoved it into one of his trench coat's pockets and sighed. The sun vanished completely and the world fell into twilight.

"I don't know, Dipper," He said finally. His face was difficult to make out in the darkness. "It appears the rift shattered, but for some reason Weirdmaggedon did not happen. It is most likely that the rift used its energy to…"

Stanford cut off midsentence at Dipper's stricken expression. Gently he rested a hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"We'll find Mabel," Great Uncle Ford said firmly.

Dipper took a step forward. He wrapped his arms around his uncle's waist and started crying. The summer wasn't supposed to end like this. Mabel was supposed to be safe and happy. Not… Not…

Ford wrapped his arms around him and held him firmly as he shook like a leaf. The only thing Dipper was truly aware of was his sister's headband held tightly in his hand.