He Never Left (An Alternate Ending to Sock Opera)

Your Not My Twin, Mabel

Whole thing in Dipper's POV

"Look, Mabel! I need help getting upstairs! My leg is STILL broken, you know!" I screamed at her.

Mabel wasn't getting it. I couldn't get to our shared room on my own. She said that she "didn't think I needed help" and called me a wuss, for "not being able to do a simple task."

"I'm not helping you do this, Dipper!" I heard from upstairs, "You're being weak and useless!"

I had had it.

"WHAT DID YOU DARE TO CALL ME?" I shouted.

"Weak, useless, brat! You can do it on your OWN!"

...Flashback...

"Hey, Mabel? Can you help me get the wheelchair out of the car and set up?" I had asked her.

"Okay Bro-Bro!"

She put my wheelchair in a position so I could get into it.

I attempted to wheel myself towards the shack, but the rocks in the dirt were too big for my noodle arms to push past.

"Uh...Mabel?"

"Yeah?" She asked, already at the door.

"A...a little help? I can't seem to get to the door..."

She seemed slightly annoyed that I constantly needed help, but she quickly wiped away the look on her face, smiled, and came over to help me.

We had hung out watching Ducktective, she had to get the remote on the top shelf, but we still watched a marathon.

That leads us up to now.

She didn't get it. She wouldn't understand.

She's only ever broken her pinkie finger, well in my entire life I've broken so many bones I couldn't even count anymore.

"Mabel! Why? Why don't you understand how difficult it is to get around for me?" I shouted angrily up, tears forming in my eyes.

She just peaked down the stairs, so I hid my tears.

She spoke softer down to me, still keeping anger in her voice, it gradually rising, "You're right. I don't understand! Only because if I broke a leg, I'd be able to get the wheelchair out of the car myself, and I'd find a way to get over to the door! It wasn't that rocky! I would find a way to get the remote if it was my turn to get the remote! I WOULDN'T BE ASKING FOR HELP ALL THE TIME! I WOULDN'T NEED YOU!"

I was stricken with a feeling of grief.

She never...

Mabel never really needed me? To help her?

I was expendable? Only to be used then abandoned?

"You're," I started, my voice weak, tears I hadn't noticed streaming down my face, "you're not the Mabel I know and love. You're not my quirky, fun sister... YOU ARE NOT MY TWIN!"

I wheeled backwards and turned towards the door, grabbing a bag I had pre-packed in case I had to go on an emergency Mystery Hunt.

I wheeled myself towards the stairs, then down them, almost falling.

With an act of strength fueled by anger, sadness, and grief, I hefted myself across the rocky driveway to the Shack,  and onto the path in the woods.

I went down the path and trailed off a bit, finding myself in the clearing where the shape-shifter incident had yet to happen-and would never happen in the future.