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"No no no no no I-I didn't mean too"
Mabel looked down at her hands. They were covered in a blue, sparkly substance that looked like the broken rift below her. She didn't mean to break it. She just wanted a little more summer.
The rift grew bigger and bigger until Bill Cipher crawled out of it, towering above her and cackling.
Nice doing business with you Shooting Star!
Mabel looked around and realized her friends and family were all around her, turned to stone as they looked at her with horror. Dipper, her grunckles, everyone she cared about. There was nothing she could do. They were trapped and even if they weren't they would never forgive her.
Now let me hold up my end of the deal! Here's your endless summer, just like you wanted!
Suddenly she was floating in a ball, about to be put back in her bubble. About to be taken from everyone she loved.
"NO! No please I'm sorry just don't do this don't hurt them" she cried, banging on the ball trapping her. It was no use, she was about to lose them all and it was her fault. She was horrible. She was a monster. She-
She woke up, breathing heavily and shaking.
Mabel was safe in her bed. Dipper was asleep on the other side of the room with some kind of book, perfectly fine. Her grunkles were downstairs somewhere. Bill was dead.
You're fine she told herself it was just a dream. Just calm down and go back to sleep.
She tried, but every time she closed her eyes she saw the broken rift and her family turned to stone.
Maybe some water will help. It'll clear my head or something.
As quietly as Mabel could she went downstairs. Her grunckles were sleeping on the couch after working all day to get Stans memories back, Stan snoring like an overheated laptop. She was so grateful that they were able to get his memories back. She didn't know what she would do if she lost him.
And who's fault is it that he was gone in the first place?
Mabel tried to push that thought away and went to the kitchen. The water didn't do much but it was all she could think of doing without waking someone up and she wanted to let them have some peace after everything. She would figure this out on her own. Mabel left the kitchen and got to the stairs when
"Mabel, what are you doing up?" her grunkle Ford asked. She was surprised to see him.
"Oh, I was just getting some water, sorry if I woke you"
"It's alright" Ford replied. "I was only half asleep anyway. Stanley still snores louder than an airplane engine. Are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Wouldn't be my first" Mabel replied with a small chuckle. "I'll be ok. I just had a nightmare".
"Would you like to talk about it?" Ford asked.
Mabel thought for a moment. "I guess talking about it might help" She sat of the bottom of the stairs where Ford joined her.
"So what happened?" Ford inquired.
"Well...Bill was there."
"I see" her grunkle said. "I'm sorry you children had to face him. He's haunted my own nightmares for years and I didn't even meet him until I was an adult. I can't imagine how frightening it must be for someone as young as you and your brother to face something like that, multiple times no less. But he's gone now, Stanley made sure of it. You're safe."
"He wasn't the only bad thing about my nightmare..." Mabel said. "I-I think I'm a bad person Grunkle Ford"
"What?!" he replied, shocked his niece would say such a thing. "Mabel you're one of the kindest, sweetest, and most wonderful people I've ever had the pleasure to meet. Why on earth would you think you're a bad person?"
Mabel was quiet for a few seconds. "It's my fault the rift broke and Bill came to our dimension".
"The rift breaking in Dipper's backpack isn't your fault. It was an accident".
"It-it didn't break in Dipper's backpack. And... it wasn't an accident"
"When I heard about Dipper's apprenticeship, I ran out of the shack." Mabel explained. "Then I ran into a friend of mine, Blendin Blanden. He's a time traveler from the future and ha said that he could put Gravity Falls in a time bubble that wouldn't let summer end so that I could stay here for as long as I wanted. All he would need is the rift so I gave it to him. I didn't realize he was being possessed by Bill until it was too late. He tricked me, put me in Mabeland, and started Weirdmageddon. And then I just stayed there and did nothing while he turned everyone I love into statues, including you! What kind of person does that?"
"Mabel I... ok, so you made some mistakes. So does everyone else. And you did so much good during that time too. You escaped Bill's prison, you helped fight him with the Shack-O-Ton, heck the Shack wouldn't have even been protected in the first place if you didn't get the unicorn hair. Without you none of us would be here."
"But if I wasn't for me then Stan wouldn't have lost his memories! If we weren't able to get them back then he would've been gone forever and it would've been all my fault! I'm a stupid an-and selfish and horrible person!" She cried.
"What! Mabel-Mabel listen to me!" Ford said, pulling her closer to him. "You are not stupid for falling for Bill's tricks. Anyone would if they were in your state of mind in that moment and met with a master manipulator like him. Sometimes we can all be selfish but that does not make you a selfish person. You are not a terrible person for trusting Bill. He is for taking advantage of a sweet girl like you when she's vulnerable".
Ford pulled her into a hug and all Mabel could do for a second was sit there. He didn't hate her. After everything she did he didn't think she was a horrible person. She hugged him back and cried.
"If anything Weirdmageddon is my fault. I should've trusted you and told you about the rift, then you would've been able to protect it. I should've never proposed the apprenticeship to Dipper, I see now how badly it would've hurt you both and it gave Bill the opportunity to manipulate you. I should've listened to McGucket all those years ago and shut down the portal, then the rift never would've been made in the first place."
"Weirdmageddon isn't your fault Grunkle Ford". Mabel said. "You worked so hard to stop it. Just because you made some mistakes doesn't mean-"
Mabel stopped talking for a second, and then continued.
"All right, Weirdmageddon isn't my fault. But it isn't yours either. Maybe it doesn't have to be someone Bill tricked's fault. What if...we just promise to agree that it's just Bills fault?"
Ford thought for a moment. "That sounds like an excellent idea. I promise."
"Me too." Mabel pulled Ford into another hug. They sat there in silence for a few moments. Just enjoying each others company.
"You feeling better starlight?" Ford asked
"A lot better" Mabel yawned.
Ford smiled. "You want to go back to bed?".
"Yeah. I think I'm ready to try to go back to sleep". She went up a few steps before she said "I love you Grunkle Ford".
"I love you too starlight. Goodnight."
"Goodnight"
Mabel went back to her room and crawled into bed. She was met with only sweet dreams, not a single nightmare in the bunch.
The End
If you're seeing this anywhere other than Ao3 it has been stolen