From Wild card in the deck: "I have a thought...Dipper was willing to jump off a cliff and almost die for Mabel...How far would he be willing to go? A one-shot, if you are up to it. And, not that you don't know it, great work so far."
Oh god. I'm so sorry for this, it turned out way darker than I imagined initially. This is set after A Tale of Two Stans and everything that happened there. If the apocalypse does come, then this prompt will be my take on it, I suppose. (I'm sorry in advance, so if you don't like violence or death DON'T READ THIS ONE-SHOT)
Duality
He shouldn't have done it. He really shouldn't have.
She stared uncomprehendingly at where he was, her hands unusually still. For someone usually so talkative and bubbly, she was dangerously silent right now. She couldn't find it in herself to say anything. Tears ran down her face but no sound came out.
She had seen the fireball coming, what with Bill burning down the town and the flames spreading everywhere. She had been prepared to jump out of the way. But unlike her brother, she hadn't seen the edge of the cliff behind her when she tried to move. The earth had been crumbling under her feet and before she could scream, someone shielded her with their body, slamming her facedown into the ground. How they managed to grab her before she fell, she didn't know.
The only thing that she registered was the agonized screams that she would know anywhere and that was when she began to scream as well, struggling to turn around as the pressure on her back was released. She turned around just in time, screaming his name, to see him staring at her, eyes wide.
There was a brief moment where their brown eyes met and she could see everything in them that he wanted to say but couldn't. They momentarily stopped screaming at the same time as he silently mouthed the words, I'm sorry. That was right when the tears began to stream down her cheeks, her head shaking slowly in disbelief and horror.
No.
No, please.
He hadn't listened when she screamed at him a second later. He had lost his footing and, wreathed in flames, tumbled backwards. The air didn't catch his fall and she rushed to the edge as familiar voices in the distance shouted her name, asking where she was. They never saw how she clung to the end of the cliff, sobs wracking her body as she stared down at the brunette.
Memories flashed through her head as she continued to stare, starting to tremble. Memories of a preteen boy jumping off a cliff for her, of him yelling at a pudgy white-haired kid to Let go of my sister! She shook more violently as arms wrapped around her, strong and firm. Someone was asking where her twin was and she couldn't find the strength to tell them. They would understand in a minute anyway.
There was no doubt in her mind that they would be able to see the faintly burning body at the bottom of the cliff.
Promise me you won't get stupid?
Someone screamed next to her - probably Wendy - and that was when everyone began to either shout or run off to get help. The person holding onto her tried to drag her away from the edge but she clung on, unable to pull herself away.
The town was burning and everyone was likely going to die, yet she didn't care. How many times had her brother sacrificed everything for her?
How could she have been so selfish?
Goodnight, stupid, his voice whispered softly in her head.
"Goodnight, stupid," she choked out before shutting her eyes and sinking into Grunkle Stan's firm chest with a loud heart-wrenching sob.
...I am so sorry.