What just happened..?

Right, I just let Bill break the rift.

Now Grunkle Ford will truly hate me. Along with everyone else.

I had one job. And I ruined it. The entire universe is going to end because of this stupid, useless little kid.

And where am I now? Everything around was black. Did I die? It's better if that's the case. Nobody would ever want me. Even if I somehow make it back, everybody would want to kill me by themselves for letting creating the mess.

My eyes went watery again, but there wasn't anyone to see it anyways.

I just wish Mabel was here.

But recalling what she said to me before, chances are she won't even care. Neither should I. I had to be independent. But why did I act like that? Why did I run into woods like a silly child? Because I'm that kind of sucker, nothing else could explain. I had no one to blame. It was perfectly logical, that this was all my fault.

...

Everything was still black, that there was no difference between closing eyes or not. I knew I deserved this, but this everlasting darkness was just depressive.

I just want to stay at gravity falls. I just miss simple days, where I could just investigate some gnomes or strange mailbox. I just miss times when someone actually cared if I survived, or more than that, if I were okay..

"Wish granted."

Then a mysterious voice spoke.

"-Oof!" I dropped to solid ground. It felt like gravity suddenly appeared again. I slowly opened my eyes, to see green woods and grasses covering the entire forest.

Then I smelt it. The mystic fumes, and overwhelming forest perfume. I instantly knew where it was.

Gravity falls.

No - this was impossible. The birds were still chirping, and the forest was still green, despite the weirdmageddon I just let happen. Most of all, it was night when Bill knocked him out. But daylight was soaking my messed blue vest through the thick woods.

"This isn't real." I just muttered. But everything seemed so real. Maybe I fell asleep?

Then I heard it.

"Dipper!" It was an awfully familiar voice. Soon, I realized a girl with pink sweater was coming to me.

"Where were you? I was worried if you got eaten by a monster!" She spoke as she swayed her arms in the air.

No - this was obviously not real Mabel. She wouldn't care about me. Even if she did care, she'd have looked for me at night, not now.

Now I can clearly see this is not real, this was illusion. And there was only one thing that could do this to me.

"Stay away from me, Bill!"

I said, as the fake Mabel tried to come to me with her arms wide open. I backed off and pushed her away.

"Dipper, what's wrong with you?" She sounded so realistic. "Do you think I'm some kind of disguised waffle monster?"

"You're not real! I know you're playing trick on me, Bill!"

However, she still remained that disgustingly innocent face. She talked in her squishy, mabel-y voice. "What are you talking about? Did I miss you something?"

I didn't know what plan Bill has planned. But stop playing like my sister, was all I thought.

She approached closer to me. My heart was pounding as if a she was a killer. But strangely, other parts of my body were incredibly relaxed. As her hand touched to my hand, the warmth seemed to spread to the entire body. No, don't let it fool you... I tried to get off this place. But my leg didn't move. I tried to shove her away. But my arms didn't move.

"I know exactly what to do in times like this. Awkward sibling hug?"

No, this was not real...

"Nah, I'll just do it!" Then she threw her body against mine.

I tried to do something, but I couldn't move anything. Leaving me immobilized, all she did was hugging me. My entire body felt like burning. What was Bill possibly planning from this? My mind was a fuzzy mess.

It had been such a long time since I had this much warmth exchange, since he said he would do the favor of breaking up with Gideon instead of Mabel, like 3 weeks ago. I wanted one after the sock opera incident, but she turned it down.

To be honest, it's kinda cringy to be depressed at facts like that, since some people live entire life without hugging. Yet it felt so long to me.

As the burn slowly cooled off, only the sweater's warmth only remained. Mabel's sweater was one of the coziest thing ever. It always made me feel as if I'm in a little home. Even if it was fake.

This wasn't Mabel. But my entire body was saying differently.

"Pat, pat." She then gently patted my back, as if I were a baby. I didn't know what to say now. She wasn't obviously real, but what would I get from telling her that? If she's treating you better than actual sister, what's wrong with it not real-

No don't fall for it! Almost lost to the illusion there. This was Bill. I always had to remind that. Even if she's treating you like actual brother, she's an illusion still...

However, she didn't seem to care. After several seconds, she released me. "What, do you believe I'm not a monster now?"

I remained silent. I didn't want to start another unnecessary controversy.

"Well actually I'm a monster... called tickle monster!" All of a sudden, she started tickling him. I laughed, and rolled on the grass. "S-Stop it!" Unlike real Mabel, she stopped as soon as I said that.

"Okay, bro. But seriously, there's a thing called tickle monster there in the journal!"

"Wait, what?"

"The journals! You were reading them all the time, so I gave it a try!" She said, then she pulled out a backpack that she wasn't even originally holding. "Here! I brought them!"

"The journals!" I yelled, as she pulled out the book with 3 on it. I discovered there was journal 1 and 2 also on her backpack. "How did you get the others?"

"I persuaded grunkle Ford. If we add new informations about these, he'll like them more!"

I couldn't believe it. Mabel wants to go to mystery hunting? Actively? But again, I reminded she was an illusion. She's maybe saying what I like because it's like my dream or something.

"Come on, bro. Are you gonna stand there all day like a statue? Adventure is waiting us!"

I hesitated. What did Bill truly want from this? Is this fake Mabel hiding knife behind her back or not? But if she did, she would stabbed him when they were hugging.

Besides, I couldn't stand here all day, denying everything around. I had to study this illusion to get out of the illusion. My mind was slowly convinced. I grabbed Mabel's hand.

"Okay."

"Woo!"

"That was awesome!"

Hours later, we returned with a new cotent filled in journal 2. The strange monster that had one eye and shapeshifting to props. We revealed it with water. I almost got caught to it, but fake Mabel laid quite a punch on it.

"Now let's head back to mystery shack!"

"wait, is there mystery shack in here?"

"Are you drunk? It always was!" said fake Mabel, leading the way while sticking close to me.

We arrived at the mystery shack. Everything seemed so real, again. And there was the guy greeting us.

"Hey, kids! Been busy hunting?"

"Y-Yes. We actually met a weird monster." I replied, still awkward at the fact he's just illusion. He would be never that kind to me, or anyone.

"Cool! If you could, we could really catch those monsters and use attractions at the shack. In that way, you could be famous..."

"What did you say?"

"I mean, keep your good work, kiddo!" Stan said, then went back to his work.

It was really weird to see people suddenly 100% supportive about me. I knew this wasn't real. But my mouth was smiling. No matter how I tried to erase it, it was smiling. As if a butterfly was flying in my stomach and I can't control it.

"What's next, Dipper?" said fake Mabel, who was standing next to me. Turns out I was standing there for a while. She made eye contact with me. "Work on some decipher?"

"No. I mean... Can I see Grunkle Ford?"

"Of course! He's in his underground lab."

Mabel opened the door behind the vending machine, and we both went in. My body was little shivering.

In elevator, I slowly started to regret it. I reminded how grunkle Ford rejected me. Even in the illusion, thinking about him made me feel like carrying a heavy weight in my heart.

As the elevator opened, I hid behind Mabel. Fake Mabel seemed to know I wanted to hide, so she gave a wink to me. Soon I could see the perfect man in front of me.

"Grunkle Ford!" Mabel called. "Dipper wants to see you!"

"Oh. There you are, Dipper."

"And we found strange creatures in the wood together! Here, Dipper filled in these parts!"

Mabel proceeded to point that page and hand the journal to Ford. He just stood there and reviewed it. I could feel my face burn.

Then after a moment, he finally talked.

"Incredible, Dipper! I take back what I said before. You should take my apprenticeship!"

"R-Really? But I made mistakes..."

"Hoho, I also made a lot of mistake when I first came here. But look at you, you've been around only this summer and already doing everything at twelve!"

"Heh, thanks..."

"So tell me, do you wanna stay here and be my apprentice to solve mysteries of world?"

Grunkle Ford then gave me a hand. He was smiling like my father. I didn't see him smile this contently. He wanted me. I wasn't good at many things, but this one was what I deserved. Unlike before, I can have another chance...

-I almost forgot this was my illusion again.

I paused before I was about to shake his hand. This was illusion, right? My brain reminded this again and again like an impaled nail in my wall of mind.

In reality, no one really loves me. This is just my dream, a hopeless illusion.

As this thought pierced my head, it started to ache. I grabbed my head, trying not to be serious. But apparently they noticed.

"Dipper, what's wrong? It's your chance!" said fake Mabel.

That's another illusion. I thought. If I give up to those, I may not be able to escape this place forever.

But more and more, my body was getting used to this fake world. Only my head was resisting to it as if this was a bad... thing.

Why do all illusions have to be bad?

Why should I call this bad where everything is better than reality?

Why should I try to go back to reality? They won't even need me anymore.

And suddenly, it made perfect sense. I was abandoned in reality. I don't know if I have to stay here permanently, but if there's no way out, I don't have to go out. That doesn't make me a bad guy.

Even in the illusion, I'm still me. I can stay here. I felt the warmth in my heart again, the same warmth when I went out with Grunkle Ford. I made a choice.

I shook hands with him.

"Thanks, Grunkle Ford." I spoke. "But I have one condition."

"What's it, Dipper?"

"I want Mabel to also stay."

"Of course I will!" She said. "Now ready to hunt mysteries, bro bro?"

"Just make sure we don't leave this place."

I said.