Drifting Stars

Chapter One - Mabel's Awakening

Mabel blinked, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.

"That Stanley. I knew he'd never be able to pull something like that off. He doesn't have the brains for it. Even 30 years of study wouldn't be able to get him to my own years of hard work."

Mabel sat up, the voice was distinctively similar to her Grunkle Stan and she gasped when she saw his face.

"Grunkle... Stan? You look different. Where's Dipper? What are we doing here? I don't... I don't understand." Mabel said.

She inspected the man in front of her. He had grey hair and the same matching green eyes as her Grunkle Stan, his face was the same too!

He seemed different somehow, however - in fact for starters he was slimmer than her Grunkle Stan. He also wore glasses - and he was dressed in a strange outfit.

Suddenly, she had the distinct urge to look up as well - and when she did she gasped. The sky seemed to swim with strange creatures, barrelling through it, almost hiding the stars.

"I must be dreaming... Of course Grunkle Stan would never hide a crazy portal from us. That's why you look so weird! My silly brain is making Grunkle Stan look all weird." She laughed.

The man seemed to freeze in place for a moment, before going over to her. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Whoa! And six fingers! Of course I'd give him a dozen after that hands story we heard a few weeks ago.

I can't wait to tell Dipper about this when I wake up! He'll love a silly story like this. Maybe I can make some puppets to describe it too! Wait no... Maybe a storyboard instead."

"You said... Grunkle Stan. Would you mind introducing yourself young lady?" The man that was not her Grunkle Stan said.

"Sure! Wow this dream gets weirder! I'd think you would remember me! I'm Mabel, your great-Neice dream Grunkle Stan! And I turn 13 soon! We've spent the summer with you." She beamed at him.

"And... This... Dipper?"

"Oh Dipper is my brother. I'm a twin! Weird he's not here. He's always in my dreams somewhere." She said, looking around.

"Right. Mabel, I... I hate to tell you this but you're not dreaming. I have a brother, a brother called Stanley. My name is Stanford, and it appears I am your other Great Uncle.

You see, a long time ago, I created a portal and got trapped here. My brother knocked one of the mechanisms that got me stuck here.

I believe he was trying to bring me back, but he didn't do it quite right, which somehow led to you being trapped here instead with me." He said.

Mabel's smile slowly began to falter.

"No." She whispered.

"It was... It wasn't a dream? But... Dipper told me to press the button... Dipper told me to trust him..."

Suddenly, the weight of the hands on her felt as though they were too much and she sank to her knees.

Stanford slowly took his hands off of her, pressing his lips together as if debating how to console her.

To his suprise, she rolled up the colourful sweater she was wearing and hid her face in it.

"No. Dipper wouldn't lie to me like that. He wouldn't leave me stranded. He's Dipper! He's like the smartest person in the world."

Her sobs began to grow louder and louder. Stanford shifted uncomfortably, before looking up to the sky.

"I appreciate you need time to process this, but we need to move. This is what's called a temporary dimension, it only appears if there is a portal to a certain realm. We need to move."

"Sweatertown is not taking new requests right now." She mumbled.

Stanford rubbed his hands over his face . Out of everything my brother could have done to get me back. He risked a CHILDS life!? And of course she doesn't want to listen to me.

"Right. Well. Regardless, we're leaving." He said.

Suddenly, he grabbed Mabel, and headed her over his shoulder. She kept her head, buried in her sweater, but he could feel her sobs through his jacket.

Whatever happened before didn't matter now, he would take her to his resident dimension for awhile and help her process this. After all, even he had trouble adjusting when he got here.

The ground began to split and the creatures above started to screech. Stanford quickly started to run.

The girl was suprisingly light, much lighter than his usual pack. He managed to race across the crackling ground with ease. Then the beasts began to pour from the sky.

They were mighty, terrible and deformed and flew to the ground attempting to snap at the two. Stanford quickly brought his flare from his picked at fired twice at them. They screeched and flew away.

Infused with natural, real sunlight they'll always be unsettled by it. He thought.

He continued to race towards the edge of the dimension, and took one last look at where his exit should've finally been.

"You better get the next one right Stanley." He grumbled, before finally jumping over the edge.