"Mabel, I still don't understand why we left in such a hurry."

Mabel had gotten them away from the fortune teller's tent as quickly as possible before deciding they were far enough to put Waddles down and continued to simply walk.

"Wadd- er, I mean," she couldn't think of what to call him and sighed, "I'm sorry. I know a lot just happened right now and you're probably confused, but all I can start with is that I didn't tell you everything about the place I was going to for the summer."

Hearing that only raised more questions. "What's that supposed to mean? Are you talking about your town, Gravy Rises?"

"Gravity Falls," she corrected, "But, yeah. I wasn't being completely honest that the only thing strange about the place is the creatures living there."

"I don't understand."

Mabel gripped the shoulder straps of her backpack, trying to stop herself from shaking. "I... I'll explain when we go to the next car."

Waddles looked up at her with much concern, but he figured it would be best not to bring the topic back up till she was ready to talk. Mabel was staring at her right hand with the glowing number as they continued walking, seeming wholly distracted by it; not saying a single word. He had never seen her like this before, never this quiet or reserved. He wished he could help, but without knowing what was wrong, he was of no use.

They eventually found the door out of the car, spotting it inside one of the market stalls that was selling carpets. Just before they had passed by it, Waddles caught the red door out of the corner of his eye, noticing it hiding behind one of the carpets being displayed. After much convincing to get to the door, the two just gave the shopkeeper some money to allow them to pass through.

They exited the car, a huge sigh of relief coming from Mabel once they were out. Hearing it only brought Waddles more concern. He couldn't let this slide, not when they couldn't know what the next train car would bring them. He walked quickly and stopped in front of Mabel, making her halt.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"That's what I'd like to know," Waddles responded firmly, "I know you said we would talk in the next car, but there could be a swarm of bees or falling pianos or worse in there! I think it would be best to just stop here for a bit and talk about what's bothering you."

Mabel frowned, not expecting Waddles to stop her to talk about this. She didn't feel ready to tell him the truth about what happened last summer, but perhaps some help would lead her to what she needed.

She looked, once again, at the bright, green "22" on her hand and sighed, "I... I need to get off this train and get home. Like, now."

Waddles frowned. "I know you want to go home, Mabel, almost everyone on this train does. But you have to be patient to find what you-"

"You don't understand!" she pulled her hair and shouted, not meaning to be so loud. She noticed the scared face on her friend, realizing she startled him with her outburst, and covered her face while slowly crouching down on the floor. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just that," she sighed, "I don't have time."

"What?" Waddles questioned, "Of course you do. I mean, yeah, I'm sure you miss your family. But it's not like the world is going to end without you." he joked.

Hearing that, Mabel tugged her hair harder and lowered her head more. "It might..." she mumbled quietly.

Waddles tilted his head, "Excuse me?"

"What the fortune teller told me," she mumbled a little louder, "She was talking about a demon that attacked my friends and family last summer."

"A demon...? Why would she talk about that?"

"I don't know, that's what I was wondering," she replied, "But I think now, maybe it's a warning. It was my fault the demon almost took over the world last summer, but now I can stop him from coming back. Except... I'm not at home to warn anyone."

Waddles frowned, trying to think of what to say but his thoughts were blank. He thought that she was just feeling homesick again, nothing like this. He wasn't even sure if what she said was the truth, but after knowing her for so long it just might.

"I need to get home," Mabel said shakily while uncovering her face, "I need to save my family."

"But Mabel, we don't know what you need to get your number down to zero."

Mabel brushed her hair away from her face and stood back up on her feet, ignoring Waddles. She started to approach the door.

"Mabel, wait," Waddles called out for her, "Just give me a moment, I'm sure we can think of something to do!"

She simply shook her head and turned the knobs of the door, opening it.

"Mabel!"

She ran through the door and was brought into an endless, pitch-black car. Mabel felt no ground as if she was floating mid-air, except she could walk. She felt around for anything but found nothing.

"HELLO?" she called out, "This better not be that dumb game show car again."

At the moment she finished her sentence, she blinked and an entirely new setting was in front of her. She found herself sitting in a chair with what looked like a desk in front of her. She rubbed her eyes and looked up, finding herself in a courtroom filled with stuffed animals, cute, and some creepy, creatures, and her friends, Wendy and Soos, and...

"Dipper?" she mumbled quietly to herself.

He did not hear her, only continuing with what he was saying before. "Mabel, I thought you were living a fantasy, but look at me! I actually thought I was gonna stay here and be Ford's apprentice! Spend my entire teens cooped up in a basement with a lab coat? How ridiculous is that?"

Mabel furrowed her eyebrows, confused why the words he said sounded so familiar. She looked around to get a better look at her surroundings, seeing Judge Kitty Kitty Meow Meow Face-Shwartstein high up on her left, Xyler and Craz dressed in suits with the sleeves cut off, acting as her lawyers, and six duplicates of her acting as the jury.

This place and exact time had happened before. She was in Mabeland, the prison that Bill had put her in last summer during Weirdmageddon. This was where Dipper convinced her to go home with him to stop Bill and save everyone. Only, why was she here?

"When did I...? How-?" Mabel questioned as she attempted to stand up from her chair, only feeling a strong force pulling her down to keep her on her seat at the witness stand.

"I don't know what's gonna happen in the future, but whatever it is, you don't have to fear because we'll do it together." Dipper continued his speech.

"Dipper, you don't understand! You're not real, none of this is! I think." Mabel exclaimed from her seat, "Of course, I want to go home, but I don't know how-!"

"I'm not taking Ford's apprenticeship." Dipper replied, completely ignoring her, "We've traveled to Heck and back to get you and we're goin' back together. Leave this fantasy world. Let's beat Bill and grow up together."

The crowd started muttering about Dipper's speech. Judge Kitty Kitty Meow Meow Face-Shwartstein banged his rubber mallet on the bench in front of him. "ORDER! ORDER IN THE COURT!" he exclaimed furiously, "DANG IT! Why is this hammer squeaky?!"

"So," Dipper held his hand out for her to take, "What do you say, Mabel?"

Mabel stared at him, trying to process everything happening. Of course, she wanted to go home, of course, she wanted to be with her brother, and of course, she wanted to defeat Bill. But what were the chances she'd actually ever get out of this train to do all those things?

She had been on this train for who knows how long. Bill might've even already come back and started whatever plan he has next. What use would she be if she arrived late to the party?

But here, here she's back in a place where she never felt better. This world she made, Mabeland, was pure happiness and joy. She wouldn't have to worry about any more life-threatening cars or what was going on in the real world because she would be safe here. Why would anyone want to leave?

"Mabel?" Dipper called out to get her attention, his hand still waiting for her.

She woke up from her thoughts and looked at the hand he was offering for her to shake. Then she looked down at her hand, finding no green, glowing number. Mabel smiled to herself and got up from her seat, starting to walk towards her brother. "You mean it? You're really coming home with me?"

Dipper smiled and nodded. "Yes. Definitely. Absolutely."

Mabel grinned at his response, but instead of taking Dipper's hand, she slapped it away, the scene causing everyone in the courtroom to gasp.

"Your plan is stupid, Dipper," she scoffed at him with a snicker, "Did you really think I'd want to leave a paradise like this?"

Dipper blinked and stared at the hand she had just slapped. "Mabel, what-?" he slowly stepped away from her, becoming scared, "No! We need to go save everyone!"

"Fine." Mabel said coldly, "Let's start with you. Guards!"

The two waffle guards rushed to each of her side and halted. "Yes, Mabel?" one asked with a salute.

"Seize my brother," she ordered while pointing at Dipper, "Take him to his room where he'll realize what he truly needs."

"Yes, Mabel!" they both exclaimed, and each grabbed ahold of Dipper's arms, dragging him out of the courtroom.

Dipper struggled to get out of their grasp, Soos, and Wendy watching him with concerned looks.

"Mabel, what are you doing?" Wendy asked after standing up and walking up to Mabel, "This isn't like you at all."

"Yeah, dude," Soos nodded as he stood next to Wendy, "Maybe you should take a moment to think about-"

"I know what I'm doing!" Mabel shouted, sounding frustrated, and pointed at Wendy and Soos, "Guards! Take them too!"

The two waffle guards nodded and dragged Wendy, Soos, and Dipper out of the courtroom; their repeated cries for help and desperate pleas were gone the moment the doors were slammed shut and the whole room was silenced.

Mabel stared at the door for a moment before the familiar sound of a number change awoke her. She blinked and looked down at her hand, only finding that the number on her hand was still absent, only, she had had a bad feeling that it had gone up.

She shook her head and turned around from the door. "Wait- what just happened? Why did I do that?" she questioned herself, "This isn't what happened..."

A bad feeling grew in her stomach, getting the feeling something wasn't right, but before she could move or say anything, all the members of Mabeland rushed over and lifted their mayor in their arms with glee. Mabel yelped and tried to get them to stop, only, her voice was shunned by the loud cheers of the citizens shouting, "HIP HIP HOORAY!"

Mabel was more confused than ever, but at the same time, this felt nice. With all the love and praise in a place that was basically heaven, she wondered why she was questioning things. Nothing could ever be better than this.

She took a deep breath and clapped her hands loudly to get everyone's attention. "Thank you, thank you all," she smiled at them, "I am proud that I won, but I need a moment for myself if that's okay."

"Oh, of course, Mabel!" one of the citizens replied as they all nodded, carefully letting Mabel down back on her feet.

They all exited the room, some waving and congratulating Mabel as they left. Once they were all gone, Mabel sighed and looked back down at her hand. For a moment she swore she saw her number but it vanished in a wink. Seeing it only brought her worry and made her question what she just said about feeling proud of herself.

This wasn't how she remembered the case ending. And if she didn't leave Mabeland with Dipper and their friends, what happened to them?

Suddenly, the doors of the room burst open; the waffle guards came back. "We fixed the troublemakers as you ordered!" one of the guards informed at a salute. The two moved out of the doorway to each end, allowing the three "troublemakers" to walk into the room.

Dipper, Wendy, and Soos entered the room, except they did not look like themselves. They had big smiles on their faces, really big smiles that looked more forced than happy. The brightness and any hope in their eyes looked faded and drained as if all of their motivation was taken from them. Lastly, the aura that they brought into the room felt more unpleasant than cheerful. Whatever "lesson" they were taught was not taken so keenly.

Mabel flinched at the sight of them, in shock at how they appeared to be. "G- guys...?" she asked for them nervously.

"Yes, Mabel?" the three answered in unison, keeping their smiles big and wide.

Mabel took a step back, frightened by what she saw in front of her. "No, no, this isn't right..." she shook her head with disappointment and looked up at her brother, "Dipper... this isn't you!"

"This is the new me, the better me!" Dipper exclaimed with his arms wide open, taking a step forward toward her, "Now we won't ever argue again and we can be happy here together, forever!"

Mabel continued to step away, while her friends attempted to get close to her. "I- I didn't mean to force you guys to be happy like this," she spoke aloud to herself, "This isn't happy... You all are happy in your own, different ways, including me. I wouldn't do this to you guys if equally being happy meant you'd end up like this..."

"We are happy, Mabel!" they all cheered together as they got closer to her with their arms wide open for her, "Let's have a big group hug and get ice cream together!"

Mabel shook her head at them, frightened. She tried to get away from them but only ended up hitting a wall behind her. Cornered, her friends all surrounded her in a tight, massive group hug. Except, instead of a celebratory hug of embracement, it felt more like a chokehold that she couldn't get out of.

Mabel struggled, trying to push them away while gasping for air. "No! I don't want this!" she cried out in between deep breaths. She pushed Soos's face out of the way, only for Wendy to get a tighter grip on him.

At another attempt to be freed, her eyes met with her brother. Seeing his large, unnatural grin up close revealed that he looked like he was in pain. His dead, faded eyes didn't seem to even let him blink; drips of tears slowly started to fall down his face.

Mabel closed her eyes and turned away, trying not to cry at the sight of her brother like this. "I really don't want this!" she cried, almost breaking down, "I want to be with my real friends and my real family and my real brother! I want to go home!"

After her last word was spoken, a familiar sound came: the sound of her number change. She opened her eyes to see her hand that showed the bright green light again. The only difference was that her number went down, reading "0".

The green light shone brighter than ever, making her close her eyes to not get blinded. In a moment that felt like a blink of an eye, she felt the tight grasp around her leave, allowing her to breathe again. She slowly opened her eyes, only to be welcomed by darkness once again.