The End is Just the Beginning (a Bad End Friends story)

Chapter 16

Finn walked around the brightly colored town as dozens of people milled around, laughing with their friends, eating food from street vendors, and having a good time.

A good month has passed since Mabel's party fiasco, and a lot had happened since then. Lots of people had moved in, Bipper had been in an annoyingly good mood all the time (and if Finn thought it was annoying, it was overzealous), and Mabel had been barking orders to make her Welcoming Block Party perfect.

It was a stressful week preparing for the town-wide festivity, but Finn thought it was worth it as he watched kids with colorful face paint run around, playing and laughing.

Finn occasionally saw the others: Bipper doing magic tricks for a group of excited kids, Morty somehow in a food truck, cooking, and Mabel on a stage talking about nonsense and hyping up a main attraction set for later that day. But those were seldom as he walked around, enjoying the event alone.

Not long after, he heard Mabel's voice over speakers say for everyone to make their way towards the stage set up next to the large statue on Main Street.

Finn went with the small crowd gathering and watched as Mabel walked onto the stage and stopped in front of a microphone.

"Good afternoon, Gravity Falls!" Mabel yelled. The people gave a halfhearted cheer. "I can't hear you!" They cheered louder.

Finn looked around him at the happy faces. Mabel sure knew how to throw a party.

"That's more like it!" Mabel said. "It is getting closer to our main event, but before we get to that, I would like to say thank you to every one of you for coming out here after moving into this lovely town!" She paused for a second. "But enough of that. It is time for the long-awaited moment that all of you amazing people helped out with: the first ever Gravity Falls Talent Show!"

The crowd cheered as Finn laughed a little. Somehow, he managed to never find out or think to ask what the main event was going to be.

"For all those who didn't quite make sign ups, come talk to me, but right now I am pleased to introduce our first contestants, and my good friend: Frisk!" Mabel said and the people cheered again.

When Mabel walked off the stage and disappeared into the masses, Frisk walked on confidently carrying a bundle in their hands.

"Hi," they said simply into the microphone. They opened the bundle and pulled out four sharp knives.

While the crowd started to whisper among themselves about why and how the small child got a hold of the weapons, Frisk started to toss them in the air, ignoring the town folk's startled cries.

Frisk caught the first knife by the handle then threw it back in the air then caught the next and then threw it back up, over and over again.

They were juggling the knives.

The crowd watched in anticipation. Frisk tossed the sharp objects with an almost board look.

Soon, Frisk caught the knives without throwing them back in the air, and the act was over, bringing with it loud applause from the people, including Finn.

Mabel came back on stage and smiled. "What an act to start off, folks! Give Frisk another hand!" she said. The crowd clapped once more, and Frisk left the stage. "But we have lots more, so next up is Summer Stevenson!"

A young girl walked on to the stage as Mabel again left. She sang the national anthem with mediocrity and left. Then the next person came up and then the next and then the next.

Finn thought they were all good, but his friends had the most interesting acts (except Wirt, who just played the clarinet awkwardly.)

Bipper went first out of them. He assuredly marched onto the stage with a charming smile. "I am going to need help for my act," he said to the crowd. "So can I have the delightful hostess come on up. Give her a hand!"