To avoid confusion (again), the first half of Dipper's section takes place shortly after Chapter 2, while the second half takes place much later, even later than the Mabels' section. I'm starting to think I should include timestamps.
Also, since I couldn't think of a way to establish this in-story; here, Dipper and Mabel's mom's name is Louise Agatha Pines (and she was the baby who showed up in A Tale of Two Stans - because sometimes kids take their mom's name, it happens), while their dad's name is Emile Pines-Sauvageon, hence the 'Sauvageon' mention. Don't ask me why I gave him that name, I don't know.
"Om nom nom…" Future Mabel chowed down on the last of her fries, as she spoke, "and then I cried 'DYNAMIC ENTRY!' and punched that evil nacho right in hish shtupid meat-puppet fache! And then… well, you know the resht."
Mabel had been absorbed in her future self's recounting of how she arrived in 2012; she heard all the highlights, from stealing McGucket's prototype time thingy, the battery melting into goop, pretending to be her aunt, and finally pulling off that epic drop-punch at the last second. Mabel had to admit, she hadn't lost her captivating edge at the ripe old age of 22. It was enough to perk her up and get her to start eating her previously-untouched food, like she was watching a movie.
As she was about to eat the mobius chicken strip she'd noticed earlier, however, she realized something - her future self had explained how she got here, but there was something missing.
"Heh, yeah, that was pretty super-bonkers-cool…" Mabel said, her bright expression darkening, "but… you didn't really answer my question. Like, why did you go back in the first place? If it wasn't to stop you- uh, me - from goofing it up and starting the apocalypse, why?"
Future Mabel swallowed and went silent again. Just like last time, she started nervously drumming on the table before staring out the window, at the dark street outside.
With each passing second, the younger Mabel looked increasingly worried, then scared.
Before the silence could be prolonged any further, the younger Mabel spoke up first. She had a horrible hunch that she desperately didn't want to be true.
"Is it… is it something to do with Dipper?"
Future Mabel froze again.
"I… I, um…"
"Did we get all stupid? ...We got all stupid, didn't we?"
"W-well, I… no, no, of course we didn't get all stupid! Dipper just…"
Future Mabel sighed, sounding defeated as she glanced back at the floor.
"...He had an accident. He… he could be hurt. I kinda… wasn't thinking straight, I thought maybe I could stop it by jumping back a short time, before the timeline had really… like, settled. I guess. I-if anything, it was just me who was stupid. But… I might not have meant to come back here, but… I don't regret stopping Weirdmageddon. Even if it's not gonna change anything for me. I j-just… I just couldn't… I couldn't sit there and watch as y- I made everyone suffer just 'cause I was afraid…"
Mabel could see her future self's eyes beginning to water; people always said her moods are infectious, and she was learning that first hand, because now her eyes were starting to water, too. She wasn't sure what to make of this. Both now and in 10 years, she'd do anything for her bro-bro, including go back in time, but… there was still something missing, she was sure of it, and that emptiness, that lingering unanswered question, weighed down on her like that stupid rift.
'Are we still the Mystery Twins?' she wanted to ask, but she didn't, because she was afraid she wouldn't like the answer. Perhaps some mysteries are better left unsolved.
There was another question, though; a much bigger question, one that most of her various fears and worries she'd had over the past few hours would eventually boil down to. Learning that she'd almost caused the end of the world for a selfish reason. Worrying that her future would still end up bad, or worse. Desperately wanting reassurance that her brother was still there for her.
"Um… can I ask you something, Future Me?"
"Sure…" she responded, dabbing her eyes with a disposable napkin.
"Am I… am I a bad person?"
Future Mabel sunk back into her seat at those words, as though she felt her heart twist beneath her chest.
"What do you mean?"
"Like… not only do I almost cause the end of the world because I'm afraid of growing up, but then when you come in and stop it, I start… like, 'which future was better'? The town isn't suffering and all I can think about is how it affects me. That feels like how a bad person would think. And, like… when you blew up at me earlier, I thought you were being a jerk, but maybe… maybe I deserved to be put in the hospital for that…"
Future Mabel cleared her throat and sat forward, gently clasping her past self's hands within her own. The size difference was striking. She stared right into her younger self's eyes.
"Mabel, please, please don't blame yourself for this, and don't apologize for being scared. You're only 12, it's natural to be scared of your future at that age; Dipper might hide it better, but I bet you a bajillion dollars, he's scared, too, deep down; just 'cause he has plans, doesn't mean he knows they'll work. ...A-and besides, I blamed myself for 10 years, and it didn't fix anything, all it did was make me feel all gross and useless and… Bill tricked us, like he tricked everyone else. He caught us with our pants down, when we were scared, when we were angry, and he promised us a quick fix. But life doesn't work that way; there's no quick fixes. Sometimes you… y-you can't just hug it out. You can't get a do-over. And yeah, that's scary. I wanted to tell you you shouldn't be afraid of growing up, but… I can't, I just can't. I'd be lying to you. ...I'm still growing up and I'm afraid…"
Both Mabels could feel tears run down their eyes yet again, almost in sync, but the younger Mabel, at least, couldn't tell why. Was she sad? Happy? Both? Maybe she was happy but her older self was sad? Or visor-versa?
"S-so… no, you're not a bad person - if you worry about being a bad person every now and then, that's not bad, that's normal. You're a human being, with all the icky make-no-sense caveman feelings that come with it. The only people who never worry about being a bad person are the most likely to actually be bad people."
Future Mabel stopped to clear her tears again, sniffling, and she slurped up the last of her milkshake.
"Sweet Moses, I can't believe I just called myself 'normal'. If anyone else called me normal, I'd make them a hard batch of New Mabel-Juice, see who's 'normal' then!" she exclaimed, slamming a palm down on the table. "The secret ingredient is… uh, something you're not old enough to drink yet!"
"...Vodka?" Mabel asked.
"Uh… yeah. How'd you know that?"
Mabel chuckled a little, wiping away her own tears. "Haha… I may be 12, but I'm not stupid. I know what booze is!"
Future Mabel raised a finger as if to retort, but stopped before she could. "...Okay, I guess that was a dumb question."
After a pause, they both laughed.
"HAHAHAHA! Aheh… heh… yeah… sooo, um…" Mabel said after calming down, "whaddya gonna do now?"
Future Mabel slouched in her seat again, scratching the back of her head. "Well, I… I s'pose I should probably take you back to the Shack, the others must be worried about you. Then I'll be on my way to the UFO crash site to find some more Dork Matter. I know my way around UFOs…" she said, briefly holding up a hand near her mouth to whisper, "I actually got abducted by aliens once. They put a chip in my brain! And not the potato kind, alas."
"Woah…" Mabel went, mouth wide, before snapping to a look of disappointment. "Do I have to go back to the Shack so soon? I-I know I really should, but… you're acting like the cool auntie I never had, and I wanna spend more time with you! Could you at least stick around at the Shack for a bit before going? Pleeeease?"
"W-well…" Future Mabel began to answer, fidgeting about uneasily. "I s'pose I'm already breaking all the time-laws, and that's a bad example to set for my kid self… aw, to heck with it!" she finally said, slamming the table again. "Good thing I'm your fake auntie, not your fake mom!"
Dipper sat at the back of the Speedy Beaver bus, staring out the window, at the evening treeline that had become so familiar to him over this summer.
He felt a weight bounce against his foot, dangling from the seat. Glancing down, someone had left an old baseball on the floor, and it'd been rolling around the bus for the last ten minutes.
He yawned. Today had been exhausting, but it wasn't done yet. He felt his brain urging to think about something, to keep him awake - in lieu of chewing on a pen, he picked up the baseball and began tossing it up and down in his palm.
He hadn't really had much time to do any real thinking that day. Between looking after the rift, getting the adhesive to seal it up, rescuing Great-Uncle Ford from that prison drone, and recovering the rift from Mabel's backpack, there'd been a sense of urgency all day. When he accepted Ford's offer to become his apprentice, he was in the midst of an adrenaline rush, and his excitement at the possibility of staying in Gravity Falls forever; the one place he felt he could really fit in, learning from the one man he could really relate to; had been clouding his thoughts.
Now that he had some time to himself on this quiet bus, he'd been reconsidering his decision.
When Mabel blew up at him earlier, he honestly couldn't comprehend why. This is a huge opportunity for him, one he might not get ever again. It certainly beats going back to Piedmont, unchallenged by anything, surrounded by small-minded bullies. That was his knee-jerk reaction.
But it was obvious in hindsight - Mabel was afraid of growing up without him. She's always been more of a 'kid' than him. She embraced being cute, while Dipper had always hated being called cute, being underestimated because he's 'just a kid'. But he had to admit to himself, though he's not afraid of growing up, he had reasons to be afraid of his future.
Like his plans not working out. This summer has taught him that even the best-laid plans can go wrong. All his attempts to win over Wendy failed. Using the Gnomes against Gideon failed. Getting the eye of those government agents backfired on him twice over.
Then there was the ever-crushing pressure to conform to society's narrow view of what's acceptable… he's always sought validation and acceptance, but this summer has also taught him he could stand to be himself a bit more. What's the point of being accepted if you have to turn into a different person in the process?
Maybe he jumped at the chance to stay with Ford because he was afraid of having to leave Gravity Falls behind for a boring, humdrum existence in copy-pasted suburbia. But that had only been bearable to start with because he had Mabel with him. She can be kind of annoying and selfish sometimes, but she's always been there for him.
He smiled and chuckled a little - guess he and Mabel really aren't so different, in that respect.
He put the baseball down for a bit and brought up his backpack. He opened it up, taking out Mabel's phone - he'd brought it along with him because he didn't have one of his own. He considered calling Ford and talking about the details of his apprenticeship.
Maybe he could let Mabel stay here with him, too? She'd like that. Right? ...But then again, there's the matter of their parents, and her friends back home… and that's assuming if Ford would even accept. Dipper hadn't really thought much about it - one of several things blocked out by excitement and adrenaline - but the way Ford had talked about her...
'And isn't it suffocating? Dipper, can you honestly tell me you never felt like you were meant for something more?'
'Let me guess: Mabel didn't take it well?'
'It's safer to assume it's a matter of 'when' she breaks it, not 'if'.'
'We can worry about her later!'
'I presume you're off chasing your sister on your own, then?'
Dipper tried to shake off those thoughts. Great-Uncle Ford likes her, too, right? He entrusted her with the Unicorn hair, at least. Besides, surely he was just talking about giving him room to grow on his own. Yeah. That had to be it. He can grow a bit on his own, Mabel can grow a bit on her own. It's a win-win. Ford must have thought of that. He's not cruel, he's just… pragmatic.
Dipper decided then that he wanted to distract himself. With Mabel's phone still in his hand, he tried calling Wendy again. He'd been trying on and off for the past ten minutes. He wanted to meet with her at the hospital in town, in case Mabel had gone somewhere else and they needed to find her; but for some reason, she wasn't picking up.
"Come on, come on, Wendy… where are you…?"
"Hey, uh… leave me a message or whatever, unless your name's Mark Epstein," her pre-recorded voicemail message spoke up yet again.
"Ugh…" Dipper grunted in annoyance. He put the phone away and started tossing the baseball up and down again.
Something else occurred to him; he'd thought of his parents. Would they even be okay with this? Ford had said they'd be fine, but he didn't really know them. He'd been on the other side of the portal for thirty years. There's no telling how they'd react to this new uncle that appeared out of nowhere and wanted their son to move in with him. What if mom and dad put their foot down and said 'no'? Then he'd have to go back home anyway, and he'd have put his sister through all that pain for nothing.
That's just the thing - Gravity Falls isn't home, not really. It's exciting, it's different, it's a place where he can be who he truly is, but a home is a place where you can relax, and live in peace, and not have to deal with Weird horrors every other day. Besides, if he lived here doing lab work with Ford, who's to say it wouldn't get old? Then it'd just be a town no different from any other town, and that would suck. Ford himself said it earlier, at the crash site - the existence of alien life was 'meh' to him now. Gravity Falls was an escape from normality; living there with Ford would probably defeat the point.
Like it or not, he's gonna have to stare down normality someday. So would Mabel. She wanted to delay it, he wanted to fast-forward past it, but it made no difference. The chance of staying with Ford was his own way of making summer last forever.
'Things change. Summer ends.'
He was right. That's why he couldn't stay.
I can't stay here. I have to go back home. I have to go back to my old life, he kept thinking, but he still wasn't sure he was ready to let go. He had the phone in front of him, he could call Ford at any time, tell him 'sorry, I've thought about it, and I'm grateful, but I can't be your apprentice'.
But… but this was all so much bigger than him and Mabel and everyone else. Ford couldn't handle his responsibilities by himself, he was way too old. Right? He had to accept it.
Before he could think about it even more, he felt the bus lurch beneath him as it braked hard, almost knocking him from his seat. He scooted towards the middle of the back seat, getting a look at the front of the bus. At this time of evening - almost nighttime, with the sky outside becoming darker by the second - he was the only one on the bus besides the driver. They'd stopped because a giant tree trunk had fallen onto the road.
Dipper grumbled to himself; isn't this just typical? He's in a rush to make sure his sister is okay, and then this happens.
"Uhh… 'old up there, kiddo," the sunglasses-wearing bus driver said, looking back at him. "There's a tree blockin' us up ahead."
"You don't say?" Dipper replied, rolling his eyes.
The bus driver apparently didn't pick up on his sarcasm. He got out of his seat and headed outside, presumably to call someone about getting the tree out the way.
Dipper didn't pay him any mind; he sat back and took Mabel's phone out again. Then he just… stared at it. For a good thirty seconds, if not more. He didn't know what to do. Felt like both options available to him were simultaneously the best and worst ones. ...Maybe it'd be best if he thought about this logically. Think, Dipper. He can make lists, graphs, diagrams. Perhaps if he drew himself a good ol' fashioned flowchart, he could work this out. He put the phone down next to him and started rummaging around in his backpack for one of his notepads.
He yawned again, feeling his eyelids getting heavier. All this thinking appeared to have backfired on him, overtaxing his brain. He wished he was old enough to drink coffee. That's one thing he's gonna look forward to in his future; the ability to pull epic all-nighters like Great-Uncle Ford does.
He put the backpack down. Maybe he ought to have a lie down, he thinks. Just a quick rest. He's not going to fall asleep, of course, then he'd miss his stop. Just… recover some energy. Not like he's got much else to do besides think about stuff, and if he thinks about stuff for much longer he'll doze off anyway.
He put the baseball in his backpack and placed it against the window like a pillow, leaning up against it. Yep, this is comfy. Very comfy. Perfect, optimal position for recovering energy. Not sleeping. Just recovering. His eyelids were getting heavier and heavier, and soon he could barely keep them open, but that's what… he was… intending… it's just… letting them… recover… energy…
Not… falling…asleep… too much… to… do… tonight…
He drifted off.
'HOOOOOOOONK'
Dipper's eyes steadily opened, as a… noise blared in his ears. Instinctively, he huddled up, clutching his hands against them.
"Ugghhh, not now, Mabel…" he muttered to himself, yawning, waving his hand at nothing in particular. "You're not even allowed to use the air horn in here…"
'HOOOOOOOONK'
Ten more minutes. He wants ten more minutes. That honking noise can go away. So can that… clattering noise against the windows.
He tried to turn over, spreading the drool his mouth had been seeping across his face. Gross, yes, but he didn't care.
He closed his eyes again. They were still heavy. He could still recover some of that energy. He wasn't sleeping. ...Wait, wasn't he?
Unfortunately, his plans were halted far too soon. Dipper's whole world began to shake, as some inconsiderate person began unsubtly stomping their way down the bus, making a beeline straight for him, accompanied by a female voice cheerfully humming along some old tune he didn't recognize. Was it Mabel? Nah, not even she can stomp that loudly, and she doesn't even own any boots.
"Dude, Dipper, wake the hell up!" the figure said, grabbing him by the shoulder and vigorously shaking him.
"Uggghhh, will you cut it out!" he snapped, finally turning around.
He was greeted by a familiar face. A red-headed, freckled one, smiling at him.
"W...W-Wendy?" he said, finally sitting up, rubbing his bleary eyes.
Yep, that was definitely Wendy. She looked a little different - she was dripping water, her hair looked more like a mass of orange seaweed, and over her usual clothes she was wearing her old, ragged bomber jacket and a pair of sunglasses.
"Dipper, what the hell?! We've been lookin' all over the place for you, man!" she said, throwing her arms wide.
"You have…?" he croaked out. Then he shot up to attention, like he'd felt a lightning bolt surge through him.
"Oh no… I fell asleep, didn't I? Augh, idiot, idiot, I wasn't supposed to fall asleep!" he lamented, slapping himself on his hat-bearing head. "Mabel could be anywhere by now, and I…"
He sharply inhaled in an attempt to get his bearings. Okay. No use complaining, it's better to assess the situation logically. He was still on the bus. He looked around Wendy to ascertain what time it was- oh God, it was pitch-black outside! And raining, too! That must have been that clattering sound.
He got down from the seat and began pacing up and down, hyperventilating. He'd messed up big time. For all he knew, his sister had been kidnapped or something.
"Dipper, my main man, my ace in the hole…" Wendy said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "calm your horses or whatever."
Though he'd long since gotten over his Wendy obsession, feeling her hand on him still had a certain soothing effect. Still, he couldn't stop himself from shaking - and not just because the cool rainfall air was seeping in from outside.
"Wendy, how can you be so casual about this?! I-I-it's… I don't even know what time it is, a-and Mabel… she could be anywhere!"
"Relax, geez. Look. Soos called me earlier. He told me you went out to the hospital to find your sister or whatever, but you never called him back to say you arrived, so I went out to find you and… yeah. Now c'mon, let's gooooooo!" she said, impatiently tugging him along by the arm.
Dipper didn't see any point arguing with her, and besides, he had more pressing issues - especially since he was about to walk around outside in the rain. Stepping outside, he instinctively quickened his pace, holding his arms over his head, even though he knew full well it wouldn't do him any good - like those old PSAs from the 50s, telling kids to 'duck and cover' if a nuke went off. Or was it the 40s? He can't remember, the needle-sharp raindrops kept throwing off his thoughts.
Soon, he and Wendy turned the corner, and he saw Soos' truck parked up behind the bus - so that's what the honking noise was - but Soos himself was nowhere to be seen. So Wendy must have driven herself here, despite being only fifteen.
"Um, did you get a driver's license?" he asked her.
"Nope! No need, doofus!" she answered, as though he was an idiot for asking. Well, that did sound like a suitably Wendy thing to do. She is the same girl who told him that things that get you in trouble are fun.
Soon, they'd clambered inside the truck, and off they went. Dipper saw no sign of the bus driver, but Wendy assumed he was off taking a leak or something. She had no issue driving around the tree in their path. Knowing that he was looking for Mabel, he didn't even need to ask for a lift into town. He was about to check Mabel's phone again to see if maybe she'd already gone back to the Shack, but it had gone dead while he was asleep. Typical. Wendy said she still wasn't there, anyway, so it would have been pointless.
He looked back at her; she was currently operating the steering wheel with one hand, the other arm resting against the door, her face bearing a pursed lip of indifference. Combined with her jacket and sunglasses, if Dipper didn't know any better, he'd think she was trying too hard to look cool. Which was unnecessary, because again, she's Wendy.
"Uh… Wendy, why are you wearing sunglasses at night?" he asked, scratching behind his ear.
"Glare of the headlights. An' also 'cause they're cool. Duh," she answered without looking at him. Or maybe she did. It was impossible to tell with the damn sunglasses.
Dipper shrugged it off. Maybe she was going through a phase or something. She was halfway through high school.
"So anyway," she said, actually turning to face him, "what was up between you and Mabel, dude? I thought you were, like, 'Mystery Twins' or somethin'."
Dipper sighed and stared out the window, resting his head on his hand. "I got into a fight with her. Great-Uncle Ford asked me to be his apprentice once the summer was over. But that would mean I wouldn't go back home. It would mean growing up without Mabel… she didn't take it well and she ran off into the forest. She couldn't even look me in the eye."
"Aw, man. That's a bummer," Wendy said. "So, uh… you gonna do it?"
"I dunno… it seemed pretty cool at first, like a dream come true, but… I've been thinking, and… I know my sister wants summer to last forever, but I think I realized me accepting the offer… I'm no different. I also want summer to last forever. You know, no more school, no more bullies, no more strict bedtimes or parental curfews. Fighting monsters by day, solving all the world's riddles by night. But… that's all it is, it's just a dream. Besides, I don't think I can leave Mabel behind. Surely you'd know, these awkward teenage years are when we need support more than ever. We've only made it this far because we've had each other. She's not… she's not 'suffocating…'"
He repeated that last sentence with a tinge of venom. Saying it out loud, he realized how heartless Great-Uncle Ford had been, to say something like that about her. Did he not even care that she probably risked her life to get that Unicorn hair for him? Never mind the fact that if it weren't for her, he'd still be trapped on the other side of the portal, while Dipper was the one screaming at her to shut it down.
He probably meant well, but… damn.
"Well…" Wendy said, leaning in closer, "between you an' me, I think you should totally go for it."
Dipper looked back at her, surprised. "Wait… really?"
"Yeah, duderino! I mean, most people would kill to get that kind of opportunity. Always follow your dreams, man! Don't let anyone get you down!"
"I-I guess, but-"
"Besides, ya gotta admit, your sister has been kinda… yanno," she said, making a sort of see-saw gesture with her palm. "I mean, just think about that whole sock opera beeswax. She didn't have any problem takin' your journal for her play, or ditchin' you when you needed her! Maybe she needs a lesson in not takin' you for granted. An' you've worked hard to earn your Great-Uncle's respect, man. I mean, who'd sacrifice everythin' they worked for just for their dumb sister? I know I wouldn't, my brothers are all testosterone-poisoned apes. But hey! That's just my two cents, take 'em or leave 'em" she finished, holding up her hands.
Dipper's mouth hung open as she finished ranting at him. This… was not a side of Wendy he'd seen before.
"Wh-… seriously? I thought you liked her!"
"C'mon, man, I just didn't wanna hurt her feelings. You know she can be kind of a crybaby, too. Besides, there's lots o' stuff I don't tell ya. Like all my gross hormone problems. I just wanted to get it off my chest before summer's over. But like I said, that's just my opinion! Doesn't count for much. I'm still gonna help you find her, don't you worry yo'self."
Dipper stared at her. He wasn't sure whether to be shocked, angry, or confused. Was she joking? Because even if she was, it wasn't very funny. She did say she had some hormone problems, but… was this a girl thing he didn't understand? It didn't make any sense.
He decided to slouch into his seat, fiddling with that old baseball he'd found on the bus (turned out it was a more than acceptable substitute for chewing on a pen, and less chance of ink poisoning, to boot). He could puzzle this out later, right now he needed to focus on finding Mabel. Then maybe he'd tell her about this sudden shift in Wendy's opinion - or perhaps she'd thought this way all along. He wasn't sure which option was worse.
Maybe she was just having a bad day. Yeah, that was probably it. She did kinda lose it back when Tambry and Robbie first got together. Plus, High school is starting up again, and from what he understood, it's a pretty nasty time all around for teens - all the more reason for him and Mabel to face it together, he supposed. Tomorrow, she'll say sorry she was a jerk, Mabel will forgive her - because that's just how she is - and they'll hug it out.
