He walked into the cluttered attic room where they both slept, throwing his bag right next to his sister's, a crazed smile on his face. "Mabel! I just had the best day of my life! UFOs are real, and there's one under the town, and I just saved Great Uncle Ford's life, and… and…" The late afternoon sunlight filtered through the old window, casting just enough light to see her. She was curled up on her bed, her hair twisted around her body like ivy, not speaking, or even looking at him. Worries began to blossom inside his head. The last time she looked this depressed, she had lost Waddles, her pet pig, to Pacifica due to time travel complications. What had happened to make his sister, one of the most bubbly, energetic people he knew, become so sad all of a sudden? "Hey, are you okay?"

"Tell me it's not true, Dipper. Tell me you were joking!" She sat up and held out her walkie-talkie to him, like a piece of incriminating evidence. He could still hear the static emanating from the device. He gasped and turned to look at his, still in his bag, as it dawned on him, what must have happened. "Ford's apprentice? Seriously?"

"Look, I was thinking, and it's a huge opportunity for me." She clapped her hands over her ears and looked pained, but he kept going. She needed to hear the truth. She deserved the truth, and he was going to give it to her, whether she liked it or not.

But then she started crying. He felt a pang. He didn't know that he was going to make her cry, but if that's what it took to make her listen to reason, then so be it. His confidence was shaken, however, when she started to speak. "Well, it's a horrible opportunity for me!" She got off the bed and started walking. "I had the worst day of my life! When we turn thirteen, the summer ends and I have to leave everything behind. You're the only person I could count on, and now you're leaving me too?!"

He saw how deep this had shaken her by the pain in her eyes, and decided to try and lessen the blow as she walked over to her scrapbook. "Look, I've been thinking about it. I won't be gone forever, okay? I'll still visit you at home, and we'll chat online… We'll make it work!"

"I don't want it to work! I just wish summer could last forever."

He sighed and came over to her. "But it can't, Mabel. Look, things aren't going to stay frozen this way. It's part of growing up. Things change." He didn't want to say the next part, but he felt like he needed to, to get her to really understand. "Summer ends." He gazed at her sympathetically, a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him for a moment, eyes full of hurt.

Suddenly, she burst away from him. He tried to grab her, but he fell flat on his face. Ignoring his stinging face, he called out to her. "Mabel! Wait! I didn't mean it like that!" She rushed out of the room, head in her hands. "Mabel, come back!" He could hear her sniffling as she ran all the way down the stairs and out the door. He leapt downstairs and headed towards the front door, where he could see her pink birthday sweater disappearing into the forest. He tried to run after her, but something was holding him back, a mysterious force that kept him pinned. The trees groaned and began to twist around where she had entered the forest, blocking the path. She wouldn't be able to come back now, even if she wanted to. He squirmed and tried to escape, but it was no use. She was gone. "MABEL! I'M SORRY! COME BACK!"

"MAAABBBEEELLL!"

He awoke with a start, sweating from the stress of his nightmare. Groaning, he held a hand to his forehead. That dream again. He had been relieving that day in his sleep ever since it had happened.

Ever since that fateful day, the last day he had seen his sister.

He sniffled a few times, took a deep breath, and swung his legs to get out of bed.

Once Mabel had not come back after a few hours, the Pines family started to look for her. Soon, almost the entire town was doing something to help find the missing girl. Even Pacifica Northwest, who still hated Mabel, donated some of her family fortune to search-and-rescue efforts. She was made an official case, and the big guys started pulling in to Gravity Falls. They even called in the FBI at some point. But she was still missing. Nobody said it out loud, but Dipper knew most of the townspeople considered her dead. This fiasco had gone on for two weeks. Eventually, his parents decided it wasn't doing him any good being so close to where he had last seen her, and got him on a bus to Piedmont, where he started attending the new private school they had gotten him into. Normally, he would have been really excited about attending such a high-ranked school. Not that he didn't appreciate the vast amount of knowledge there, ripe for the picking. He did. He hadn't completely shut down, after all. But the euphoria was extremely dulled.

It had almost been a month since he left that accursed town. He hadn't responded to any calls, letters, or emails from there. It was childish, and he knew it. But these days, he found himself doing things that his twin would normally do. Like putting stickers on his walls, or sleeping with his old stuffed animals huddled around him, or (he was particularly embarrassed about this one) practicing kissing with a leaf blower. His parents thought he was going through an identity crisis, and they were kind of right. By doing things that she would do, he felt like she was closer to him, in a way. It comforted him. And cutting off all communications with Gravity Falls in this situation was something that Mabel would surely do. Yawning and stretching, he started the mundane process of getting ready for school: putting on his crisp uniform (a white collared shirt, blue jacket, and blue slacks), brushing his hair and teeth, taking extra care to say goodbye to each of his stuffed animals, then Mabel's, picking up his bag, then heading downstairs for breakfast.

Sitting down at the table and putting his bag down, Dipper started to consume the bowl of steaming hot oatmeal, after blowing on it to cool it down some. He could see part of the TV in the living room from the kitchen, and watched whatever boring program was on from his seat. When his parents came in from outside, he didn't look at them. He wasn't mad at them, just indifferent, like he was with everyone else. It was only when they sat across from him, looks of worry plastered on their faces, did he divert his gaze. His father, a rather tall man with hair the same shade of brown as his and a small mustache, put his hand over his, eyes showing pure sympathy. His mother, with more of a chestnut shade in her hair and a face shaped like a heart, was giving off the same vibes. The silence was deafening. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "What is it?"

They looked at each other and nodded before speaking. "Well… it's about Gravity Falls." Said his father.

That was all he needed to hear. "Not interested." He said flatly before picking up his backpack and heading towards the front door. It wasn't nearly time to go and wait for the school bus yet, but frankly, he didn't care. He was just about to leave when his mother put her hand on his shoulder.

He turned to see her eyes tearing up. His father kneeled down and spoke. "We just found out today. A letter."

Dipper's eyes widened. He was almost afraid to ask, but he had to. "…Is it M-Mabel?"

This time, his mom delivered the words to his ears. "…No. Last night, y-your great uncle Stan disappeared." She began to weep, holding her head in her hands. His father hung his head in sorrow.

Once, when he and Mabel were in elementary school, Mabel had climbed very high in a tree. She had somehow persuaded him to climb up to her, talking about being one with the birds or something like that. About eight feet off the ground, the branch he had been using as a foothold snapped, sending him careening towards the ground. On impact, all of the air had been knocked out of his body. As Mabel had run off for help, he had lied there, struggling to breathe, to think, to do anything.

That was how he felt now, the words bouncing around in his skull. He suddenly found himself in his mother's arms. A small part of his mind, the part that could still think logical thoughts, hypothesized that he must have started to fall and she had caught him. He remained in shock as he was picked up and carried to his room, laid on his bed. Somewhere, far away, his parents were speaking words; saying things like he didn't need to go to school today and that it would be alright. They didn't reach his brain, however. Somehow, they trickled into one ear and out the other.

For the next few days, he laid there, afflicted with shock and grief. His schedule, once jam-packed with catching up on all the schoolwork he missed while looking for Mabel, was now very simple:

Stare at walls or ceiling.

Hug stuffed animals.

Force down food or drink.

Stare some more.

Use the bathroom.

Sleep.

Be woken up by nightmares.

Repeat.

But somewhere along the line, amidst the vast dust clouds of depression clogging up his head, a new emotion surfaced. Shame. How could he just sit here, wallowing in his own misery while Grunkle Stan (or Ford. His parents thought he was dead, so there was no way to tell who was really missing) and Mabel could be hurt, or worse? How dare he! He had to do something. Whatever he could do.

With that, for the first time in three days, he got out of bed. Then he began to pack. Halfway through, he came across something that he was surprised to see, even though there was no logical reason why. That hat that he had gotten at the Mystery Shack, the one with the pine tree on it. He dared to place it one his head, then, with a deep breath, turned and looked in the mirror. It felt so… right that it was a little eerie. He stared at the mirror for a little while before shaking himself out of his trance and continuing to pack.

Once he was done, he climbed downstairs, his duffel bag banging against the stairs, drawing attention to his presence. The eyes of his parents widened when they saw him. After a few seconds of awkward silence, his dad coughed and asked where he was going.

Standing up tall, ready to take on the world again, he addressed him directly, and with a confidence he didn't know he had.

"I'm heading to Gravity Falls."

Hello, people! I'm back! Finally!

So, this is a crossover. Yeah. Keep in mind, Weirdmageddon, and everything that happened during it, never happened in this AU. So if something seems off about the characters, it's because they are missing some character development.

Anyways, on to pairings! The only ones from Gravity Falls will be canon ships, like Soos+Melody, Robbie+Tambrie, and Blubs+Durland (the cops). As for Don't Starve, it will be Maxwell+Charlie and a Wes/Wolfgang/Wigfrid love triangle (with some homosexuality in there). Nothing else will be appearing. If it sounds like I am implying a ship not listed on here, let me know and I'll try and fix it.

Remember…

REALITY IS AN ILLUSION, THE UNIVERSE IS A HOLOGRAM, BUY GOLD BYE! *is shot*