'DON'T TOUCH THAT BUTTON!'.

Grunkle Stan – Mabel widened eyes opening mouth staring at the flashing red button hearing him panting, and she turned around to the door – Grunkle Stan standing with his own mouth opened, his left hand held out toward them as if to hold them off, his right gripping the side of the door as he looked to them. She closed her mouth – eyes unmoved, no one saying a word. Grunkle Stan broke the silence as he said walking through letting go of the door, '…Dipper, just back away…'

Mabel glanced to Dipper – himself glancing to the button, and back to Grunkle Stan – before she came back to Stan now holding both hands out. 'Please don't press that shutdown button' Stan said turning hands downward, 'you gotta trust me'. 'And I should trust you why?!' Dipper said – Stan letting hands fall to his side - 'After you stole radioactive waste? After lying to us all summer?!' – Stan then stopped himself and raised left hand again to Dipper – 'I don't even know who you are!'

Mabel lowered eyebrows frowning as Stan said closing eyes raising right hand and shook them 'Look…I know this all seems nuts, but I need that machine to stay on' – opening eyes to Dipper, and turned hands upside down as he continued 'If you'd just let me explain-' The room began to shake gently as something bleeped on Stan's wrist, and he looked down quickly. 'Uh-oh' Stan said raising his head, the shaking becoming harder – Mabel raising eyebrows taking a few steps to come behind Dipper – 'Oh no'. She looked up to him as he turned quickly back to them and said 'Brace yourselves!'

Oh no – Mabel twisted fast behind to the portal beginning to open mouth again. The centre quickly erupted fast to reveal an open black space – with white dots spread out close together - as three blue forked sparks of lightning began to strike out over them onto the wall behind - the rainbow lights spinning faster and faster becoming a blur of orange, purple and blue – and they rose fast screaming out from the ground, feeling her hair and arms pulling forcibly but gently upwards.

Another lightning bolt struck out and she said screaming with the others, 'Ahh' - the bolts beginning to move up and back down. Something snagged on the top of her foot, and pulled stopping her moving upwards. She looked down as Soos said, 'Hold on dude' – a cable holding her – and looked back up to see Dipper spinning to the side wall, Stan spinning himself towards the back in the corner of her eye – as a computer voice said at the back of the room: "T-minus thirty-five seconds".

A plank of wood broke loose and fell forward toward Dipper – Mabel opening mouth – and passed his head by some inches, as he came toward another plank and gripped hard. 'Dipper!', Mabel said loudly – Dipper spinning immediately to see her shifting feet onto the plank, then said raising a hand to his mouth, 'Mabel, hurry!' – then pointed to the button – 'Shut it down!'

Mabel looked down quickly to the lever, closed her mouth, and shifted forward to the cable, grunting as she grabbed it, and gripped hard striding down fast. 'No!' Stan's voice said ringing out by the side. Mabel pressed teeth together as she crawled, then pushed herself toward the lever, and gripped it hard, before letting feet lift up a moment raising hand over the button. Stan said – Mabel twisting fast to him swimming toward her – 'Mabel, Mabel, wait! Stop!'

Soos immediately came right into her eyeline tackling Stan away – Stan said screaming 'Aah'. Mabel opened mouth again staring as Stan said beginning to hit Soos on the head, 'Soos what're you doing? I gave you an order!' The third time he did, Soos lifted his legs to wrap around Stan and held him as he said spinning anti-clockwise, 'I'm sorry Mr Pines, if that is your real name, but I have a new mission now! Protecting these kids!' 'Soos, you idiot, let me go!' Stan said.

Dipper came right into eyeline on her left charging into Stan – 'Urgh!' Stan said - shoving him and Soos someway before slowing in front of her. Mabel stared at the struggle - Stan placing right hand on Dipper's head squeezing left hand out from underneath Soos's grip, and held him by the side. 'Let me go', Dipper said coming to Stan and pushing a hand into his face, Stan said in reply left eye closed, 'Come on'. Dipper said twisting back to Mabel, 'Mabel' – pointing down again - 'press the red button! Shut it down!' 'No you can't!' Stan said pushing Dipper down and held hands out again eyes widened – 'You gotta trust me!'

'Grunkle Stan…' Mabel said – voice beginning to crack, her eyes filling quickly - and closed her eyes – '…I don't even know…' - twisting away left - 'if you're my Grunkle!'. She pressed her lips together sniffing hard - a few tears came away from her eyes, and rose away. She said squeakily, 'I wanna believe you…' - opening her eyes, 'but-' 'Then listen to me', Stan said.

Mabel turned to him – Dipper and Soos now holding their grip hard – right hand raised a little as he said, 'Remember this morning when I said I wanted to tell you guys something?' – then the computer said ringing out behind them – Grunkle Stan and Soos glancing to the timer - "T-minus twenty seconds".

A white light flashed brightly behind her, and Mabel said screaming twisting to the portal, 'Waah!' – the others screaming as well. A quick wave blast brushed over her head, and she twisted back seeing them thrown towards the wall – Soos spinning sideways turning up-side down. Mabel widened eyes and mouth fully as Dipper and Soos slammed into it, Grunkle Stan hitting a lined pipe – letting her legs go once more.

She clenched teeth curling down looking to the button as she clenched her fist raising It – hair flying sideways to her head – and lowered it quickly. Then Grunkle Stan said - Mabel raising eyes back to him with lowered face with closed eyes 'I wanted to say that you're gonna hear some bad things about me' – opening them glancing to the ground - 'and some of them are true…'. He twisted gaze to Mabel – bringing her legs back to hold onto the lever – and said continuing, 'but trust me, everything I've worked for, everything I care about, it's all for this family'.

Dipper said – Mabel turning to him, his Big Dipper birthmark slightly visible underneath his bangs 'Mabel, what if he's lying?' – Sparks sounded out again behind her, and she twisted to see more bolts forking out once more, the portal colours continuing to spin now flashing red, yellow and blue, mouth opened slightly – 'This thing could destroy the universe, listen to your head!'

Stan said, 'Look into my eyes Mabel' – Mabel twisting back to Stan raising his head a little – 'You really think I'm a bad guy?' 'He's lying!' Dipper said – she twisted back – 'Shut it down NOW!' 'Mabel, please!' – twisting back to Stan opening her mouth a little wider. The computer said, "Ten. Nine." – and she turned away left closing her eyes - hand beginning to rise over the button as the light flashed red against her eyelids quickly, and took a deep breath.

She lowered hand slowly over it – Grunkle Stan… - and opened eyes to see him frowning, eyes widened to her. She took another breath - Ok… - and said turning away closing eyes again, 'Grunkle Stan…'. The computer said, 'Six. Five', and she raised away from the button, let go of the lever, then raised both hands as high as she could – floating upwards and backwards, the rainbow colours flashing around her eyelids. '…I trust you'.

Dipper said screaming out, 'MABEL ARE YOU CRAZY?! WE'RE ALL GONNA-'. But the computer said, "One". The room shook hard again, then the bright white light flashed filling the room fast – the light brightening behind her eyelids. Dipper said crying out, 'NOOO-' – Stan and Soos themselves said screaming, 'AAAA-' – and Mabel opened her eyes quickly – the light filling eyes, and she lowered her arms before something blasted over her – and she said screaming, 'WAAAAAAAAAAA'. Something covered her fast from behind squelching. She twisted behind quickly – nothing appearing – then back and said screaming throwing a hand forward in front of her, 'DIPPER, HELP ME! DIPPERRRRRRRRRRR…'.

Dipper floated high in the room – the light flashing back and forth into darkness before it faded completely - then dropped quickly, and landed fast on the ground as he said, 'Ugh' - Stan and Soos grunting close by to his side. He brought himself up to knees and raised a hand to head, rubbed gently, and opened his eyes – smoke fading away to reveal the portal shining a blue light in the centre smashed into pieces all around the room, bar the main centre remaining somewhat intact on the ground –, with few of those symbols circling around still brightened a moment - missing its top left piece, the bottom point lain before it, cables hanging from the top of the room, and a plank of wood falling just before him, as electricity sparked around the centre once more.

'Mabel?', Dipper said. No reply called back, and he raised his voice loudly and squeaking, '…Where are you?!' No reply again. No, no, no, no - Dipper widened eyes lifting himself slowly to his feet fixed on the portal – some of the lights switching off, and the blue light faded slightly to reveal the wall it had hung against. 'MABELLLLLLLLLLLLLL!' Dipper said screaming.

'MABEL!' Stan said screaming next to him. 'MABEL?' Soos said crying out. Nothing sounded out to them. Dipper clenched hands into fists growling, and twisted to see Stan as well on his knees, then brought himself to his feet and said screaming again stepping to him, 'YOU!' – Stan turning to him down-curled – and pulled his fist back far as he could, then launched it into Stan's face. But Stan lifted his own hand and grabbed it quick, then moved to take his arm – Dipper pulling his other fist back, and he grabbed it too – and gripped them gently. 'LET ME GO!' Dipper said crying out struggling against him. Stan said, 'She's gone…I lost them both!'

'WHAT…BOTH?!' Dipper said still struggling, 'WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?' 'Mabel…' Stan said – tears beginning to form at the ends of his eyes - '…and my brother'.

No mistaking this dreadful place – Stanford Pines looked behind goggles and hooded-wrapped face twisting gaze around the shifting mixture of blue to black to green colours – the asteroid field far off in the distance – as he moved hand over to the Quantum Destablizer on his back. A high-pitched laugh filled the space. Bill – he narrowed his eyes taking the gun around and twisted a dial near the top of the barrel, as the demonic creature said behind him, 'Well, well, well, if it isn't old Sixer!'

Stanford spun around – the barrel flashing as it emitted a blue arrowed light. Bill Cipher- the yellow triangle with one eye - was sitting on his optical illusion throne flanked by those demonic goons of his, the 'Henchmaniacs' - All of them cackling loudly - and then he said, 'Get him boys!'

Stanford pointed the gun on his right toward one - head-shaped like a baseball with a screw through it - and pulled fast on the trigger. The blue light turned into a streaking ray shining towards the abomination – few of his goons just getting out of the way – and it tried to swim above, but was caught in its beam screaming 'Aah!'. A bright blue circle exploded outwards from his position – catching those close off-guard, and knocking them out quickly.

Take the biggest one out – as he turned to the others coming closer - the biggest being multi-eyed with two big arms and a reptilian body. The blue light sparked again, and he raised to it closing left eye looking down the triangular sight as it charged. He fired again, and the blue streak flashed towards it – the others crying out moving out of the way fast as they could – and struck it by the side of his mouth as it too screamed, 'Aah!'. The blue circle exploded outwards again consuming it – the rest of the wretched beasts taking the blast, and simply floated around unmoving.

'Seriously?' Bill said – Stanford turning to him – and lifted himself from his throne waving a hand. Stanford gritted teeth as he raised gun again, but Bill said quickly, 'Catch me if you can!' – turning to float away as a circular black spot approached him on the right-hand side – 'In the Quadrangle of Qonfusion!' – and quickly entered through.

Heck! – Stanford gasped, and shifted one arm to front-crawl – bringing a hand onto the dial and twisted it down, the blue light disappearing back into the barrel, then he placed the Destablizer back behind him. He then breast-stroked pushing towards the black spot. As he approached, a set of stairs appeared on the right-hand side, and he opened his mouth before closing it again and twisted himself to match up properly, then pushed himself through the spot – an archway appearing down the bottom left – brought himself onto the stairs, and ran.

At the archway, he twisted left entering through – a mash of Romanesque pillars, stairs, a chessboard in left eyeline, all mixed over the place before him – and he gasped again. Where are you Bill? – twisting left to right, then looked up - Bill cackling at the top of a board section standing next to a pillar, 'Hahahahaha!'

Stanford opened mouth curling down – Those beasts will be down here any – Wait a minute… – he widened eyes – …Yes! – then narrowed them closing mouth, and pushed off the ground flying towards Bill. Bill simply looked at him continuing cackling as he charged, immediately bringing hand back to the Destablizer – the shouts of the Henchmanics sounding behind him. He landed onto the board pulling it over, when the board began to shudder slowly, then shake harder – 'Whoa-ah!' Stanford said crying out - a bright white circular light appearing in the distance behind Bill.

The portal! – Stanford gasped, and he ran straight past Bill along the board. The Henchmanics appeared floating before the edge, and he frowned, then placed a hand into the top pocket on the left side of his trenchcoat, grabbing a concussion grenade, pulled it out approaching the edge, yanked the pin off, and jumped throwing it over his shoulder watching the Henchmanics laughing. A second later, the grenade exploded, and the blast wave pushed him fast passed Bill's demonic group.

He twisted to see them staring – beginning to swim towards him – and he smiled, and began to turn back – 'Urgh!' he said – 'Urgh!' said a voice before him at the same time – something knocking into him hard, and he glanced noticing a mesh of hair as he was pushed floating back towards the Henchmanics.

What the…? – he fixed on the creature before him as it turned around. Oh no – Stanford opened mouth – a small girl before him, wearing a pink sweater with a gold key on the front and a blue skirt with simple black shoes and white socks, widening her eyes and said 'What the heck?!' Stanford widened his own – the bright light of the portal disappearing sparking behind her. 'Hey guys!' Bill said – Stanford turning around to the Henchmanics edging closer, Bill beginning to float towards them – 'Look who's dropped in. Shooting Star!'.

No, you don't! – Stanford closed mouth turning back to the girl as she said loudly looking in front of her, 'Bill?!', and said loudly breast-stroking towards her, 'Hold onto me' – the girl twisted to him – 'don't let go!'. She said, 'Huh?' 'I will get us out of here, trust me' he said, and held a hand out to her. The girl looked to him with opened mouth, and raised her hand then placed it in his own.

He brought her closer to his chest, and she wrapped arms around his neck placing head against his own – Stanford twisting left - a light blue portal somewhat close by shining outwards. He pushed breast-stroke again – as Bill said crying out, 'Don't let them escape!'. 'Where are we going?' the girl said. 'Into another dimension', Stanford said, 'Hold on'. 'WHAT?!' the girl said as they edged closer, and Stanford's eyes filled with the blue light, then his arms were pulled dragging through – the girl screaming out filling his ears, 'WAAAA-'

Perfect – Stanley smiled watching the sun rising away from the drifting ocean tides of the East Coast, the swing squeaking loudly against the calling seagulls and the brushing waves on the beach – Could spend all day here. A ship's horn sounded in the distance, though no ship spoiled the view coming passed in eyeline. Bells rang out behind them, but he didn't turn staying fixed. We'll get to church soon enough – he blinked – Ma and Pa won't mind much. Just perfect.

10-22-25

15-12-21-23-21-16-3-18

17-5-11-10-25-12-5

10-7-21-16-11

A/N:

For those who have read this before: So yes...you're not seeing things or Grunkle Stan stealing fanfiction again, this is still the same story I put up a couple weeks ago.

Honestly, I was uncertain if the beginning felt right to read, because the way I had wrote it with having as many words as it did, made it more telling - and not showing. So what I decided was restart and cut down a bit to simplify it so it would come across as better-reading without unnecessary fluff. However I will be uploading the next part of this chapter soon - 'A Tale of Two Stans' with the consideration of it being a two-parter - the first being Dipper's POV, and the second - Mabel's POV - to be started soon, just to keep things simple. I may do that in future, but I'll see how I go.

If this is your first time reading this:

Hello! I was inspired to do this fanfiction from reading various other fanfictions - the first being Keleficent's 'A Shooting Star May Fall', then The Mab Queen's 'Ad Astra', and The Subpar Ghost's fanfiction on AOOO, 'Drifting Stars' - all I have found interesting to read up on.

What I want to do with this fanfiction in particular is keep it in line with the show, so there will be a few elements coming into play. But updates on this will not have a set time, since I'm currently writing my first novel.

If you do enjoy reading this, please do leave a review or message - I would appreciate it very much!

The first part of 'A Tale of Two Stans' will be uploaded soon, after a few tweaks!

See you all soon!