If a Pine Tree Falls in a Forest...

Shooting Stars

Mabel all but collapsed from the weight of her guilt. She caused this. She made this happen. It was her fault.

"How could you let him go, Stanley?" Gruncle Ford ranted, as he had for the past several minutes. "He could be harboring Bill!"

"He's your nephew, you bastard! I shouldn't 've had to let him go in the first place!" Gruncle Stan yelled back, stepping into his twin's personal space. "Did you lose your sense of family when you were hopping between dimensions? You were torturing your own flesh and blood! Your own sixteen year old nephew!"

"That wasn't my nephew, and he wasn't yours either! Bill was clearly possessing him!"

"It was Dipper." Mabel interrupted their shouting, her quiet, mournful voice carrying to the two older men.

"Mabel, I know that he looked like Dipper, but Bill, he was-"

"No he wasn't," Mabel's voice rose slightly, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Bill possessed him earlier this summer. That was Dipper, Gruncle Ford!" Mabel was sobbing now. "You tortured my twin! And I let you!" Mabel's knees finally buckled beneath the weight of her guilt. Gruncle Stan kneeled beside her, muttering comforting words. His already intense glare increased tenfold at Mabel's wails; a feat he thought impossible.

"No, the stone wouldn't have affected Dipper, unless of course, demonic energy resided within him. He must have been possessed!" Gruncle Ford sounded almost frantic now, desperately reaching for some reason, any reason for what he'd done.

Mabel looked up, seeing an absolutely horrified look cross her great uncle's face.

"He was possessed before," he muttered. "If he had been possessed before, then perhaps some of Bill's essence remained trapped within Dipper..." A pause. "But no, that couldn't be. The stone shouldn't have affected him..."

"But it did!" Mabel shouted out between sobs. She got to her feet, pushing past her Gruncle slightly. "There was blood... he was bleeding! And you didn't stop!" More tears fell from her eyes. Mabel suddenly couldn't stand to be in the same room as her Gruncle; the reason for her twin's pain. So she ran, she ran from him, and Gruncle Stan. She ran from the Mystery Shack, running into the woods until she could barely breathe.

Mabel could barely hold herself up, weighed down with regret. So she allowed her legs to give out. And as she kneeled there, a steady flow of tears dripping onto her lap, she made her decision. No matter what it took she would find Dipper. And, no matter what, she would fix things, even if she had to sacrifice the very world itself.

~~~~~~~~~Line~Break~~~~~~~~~

It had been over a week. Over a week since Dipper had run into the forest, and since Mabel had seen him.

She'd been venturing into the forest daily, and even sometimes going into the town itself in hopes of finding him. She'd spoken to Wendy, Soos, and even Lee and Nate. Though speaking to them had been by far the most painful. They'd explained how Gruncle Ford had gone about getting Dipper, and Mabel hated it. People simply brushed it off as normal Pines' family quirks, but Lee and Nate had said how scared and horrified Dipper had looked.

Though, hearing about it gave Mabel even more drive to find her twin.

It was day nine, and Mabel was farther into the forest than she had ever been, let alone on her own.

She'd been searching when the sound of an explosion made her nearly jump out of her skin. Her teeth were on edge, but something drew her towards it. It may have been her natural born curiosity, or could have been the odd sense of familiarity she felt. It was as if she was being drawn towards the noise, despite her instincts screaming at her to turn in the other direction and run.

After several minutes of walking, she was finally met with the sight of a clearing. Aside from the foliage, only two things occupied it. The first was an ancient looking stump, moss and mushrooms decorating it. The other, however, made Mabel's breath catch in her throat.

"D-Dipper?" She eventually managed to choke out. Said boy whipped around, hands lifted in defense. His hazel eyes widened, fear spreading throughout his stature. After several beats of tense silence, Dipper whipped around, clearly intent on disappearing into the surrounding forest. "Dipper! Wait!" She cried, remorse filling her very being.

Dipper froze, not turning around, but no longer running away.

"Dipper..."

"Where are they?" His voice was hard, almost cold.

"W-what?" Mabel asked, barely keeping her tears from spilling.

"Where are they?" His tone was demanding now, though he still refused to face her. "The old man, and that bastard he calls a twin?"

"They... They aren't here, Dipper. It's just me." Dipper's body relaxed, ever so slightly, but Mabel still took it as a win.

"Fine. Go away," spoke Dipper. If Mabel hadn't heard it, she'd swear that she had been slapped across the face.

"Dipper, please, I just want to talk." Mabel didn't care that she was begging. She had finally found her brother, she refused to let him go so easily.

"Go away, Mabel."

"No! Dipper, please!" She felt her traitorous tears fall from her eyes, and she knew that she must have looked awful, having not slept much in over a week. But, of course, Dipper would have to turn around to see that.

"What could there be to talk about Mabel?!" He did turn towards her now, eyes blazing in a way she'd never seen before. "You sat there as he put that stone to my forehead, as I screamed in pain! You fucking sat back and watched as our ever-so-great-uncle tortured me, insisting that I was possessed! What could you possibly say after that?!" The nearby stump erupted into glowing green flames.

Mabel was truly shocked by the color, she was, but the fire was quickly put out, leading her to be shocked far more. Dipper had put out that fire. Without touching it.

"Dipper?" She couldn't hold back the fear in her voice. Her thoughts were running rampant with what might have happened to her twin. "What- I-"

"Listen Mabel, I'm not going back and I can't forgive what he did. I don't think I can forgive you, Mabel. So just leave." His harsh words snapped Mabel back to the situation at hand, panic overtaking her heart.

"No! Dipper, I'm so, so sorry! Please, I'm begging you! There has to be something I can do to make it up to you! Please." A sigh escaped from Dipper's lips, the sight so very familiar it hurt.

"I don't think you can be forgiven this time." His words sounded final, but Mabel was never one to give up.

"Let me try, Dipper. Please." Another sigh, this time followed by a long pause.

"Fine. But right now, I have to go." He didn't meet her eyes, though she could tell that the flames dwelling within his gaze were far from extinguished. "I... I will contact you another time. Goodbye Mabel."

Little did they know, that he would be contacting her far sooner than he thought. And what he would ask may be far too much, but only time would tell.