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Dipper was past his breaking point. Mabel wouldn't talk to him, no matter how he tried to apologize and reconcile. A week had passed since he accepted Ford's apprenticeship. Dipper and Mabel's birthday had come and gone, but for the first time he could remember, there had been no laughter, no... Mabel. All because he had decided to stay. Dipper had only one more night to decide if he was really sticking with this. If it was worth ending up just like Ford and Stan. It was tearing him up; he was barely sleeping, spending hours in his room agonizing over whether he was making the right choice. The backpack containing the rift sat alone on the floor, though Ford had asked for it a few times while checking in on him. Dipper didn't see the harm in keeping it a bit longer, and had way too much else on his mind. In the meantime, Mabel had actually moved into Ford's old room. Ford mostly fell asleep in the lab, so he hardly noticed. Dipper couldn't avoid it. Waking up without Mabel bouncing off the walls nearby everyday, without her smile in the mornings...He told himself he was just getting an early start on having a room to himself. He'd have to get used to it eventually.
On the morning that Mabel left, Dipper didn't so much wake up as not sleep. He had to decide today, no matter what. He'd either stick with it or cave. As he sat up, rubbing his eyes, he stared at Mabel's empty bed, just like every morning, but with even more trepidation, if possible. He got dressed and headed downstairs slowly, dreading the goodbyes. Would she even say goodbye? When he got there, Mabel was packed, sitting in the kitchen, just staring down at the tabletop. The bus wouldn't leave for another ten minutes. "How long have you been up?" Dipper asked. No response. He had to be a bit impressed: he'd never seen Mabel so quiet for so long. They'd never had a fight like this. "Look, I know you're mad at me. And you're gonna be mad for a while, and I get it. Change is hard. But this isn't the end, Mabel. You can still visit in the summers, and we can email each other, and... It doesn't have to be like this." He glanced at her for a moment, then wordlessly started making some cereal.
Mabel looked up, a few strands of hair in her face, and spoke. "You're right. It doesn't. Come back to Piedmont, and I won't have to be mad anymore." Mabel offered, her voice cracking with her desperate last offer. Dipper stared at her, then down at the floor. This was the moment, the last chance to change his mind. It wasn't too late. He could pack up, say goodbye to the Grunkles, promise to send them a postcard. He could hop on the bus with Mabel and go home. He thought of the time he'd have with Mabel, the adventures... But Dipper knew it wouldn't be the same. Here, he'd made a couple friends, and for once, he wasn't the freakiest thing around. In fact, for the first time in his life, Dipper fit in somewhere. Gravity Falls was his home, he could feel it in his bones. He couldn't just throw that away. Ford was right, Mabel would be fine by herself. She'd be so popular in high school, she'd barely have time to miss Dipper. She belonged in Piedmont. "You know why I can't do that." Dipper said, quietly but definitively. Silence fell again. He lost his appetite. Dipper got up and rinsed the rest of his cereal down the sink. Mabel checked the time, then stood, grabbing her bag. "...I'm gonna miss you," Dipper said quietly. He wanted to go in for a sibling hug, but the look on her face discouraged him before he'd even taken a step. "Bye, then," He mumbled, looking at the ground. "I'll take care of Waddles for you." When Dipper looked back up, she was gone.
He shook his head, and made his way down to the lab, sure that Ford would already be there. He'd know what to say to make Dipper feel better about his decision. Sure enough, there he was, and a sleep-deprived Dipper ended up venting all his anxiety and confusion from the last couple days, relying entirely on Ford to comfort him, to help alleviate this dread confusing everything. Ford finally spoke, putting a hand on Dipper's shoulder and saying just what he wanted to hear. "You did the right thing, kid. Here, you can keep the rift safe and protect Gravity Falls, right alongside me. Doesn't that matter more than spending some amount of formative years with your sister? Now, just give me the rift, and we'll glue it up and begin our work." Ford smiled encouragingly.
Dipper looked up at him and nodded. "I'll go get it," He replied, heading back to his room. He grabbed the orb, very carefully holding onto it as he descended the two sets of stairs back to the lab. Even with what Ford had said, something seemed off. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had made a horrible mistake, something he'd never be able to fix. But he didn't want to anguish over it anymore! It was too late to fix, so there was no point. He'd made his choice and he'd stick with it. After a couple weeks, it wouldn't even be a thing. He could just move on. And this was the first step. All he had to do was hand over the rift, and everything would be fine. As Dipper handed the orb over, something seemed wrong. The air was charged strangely, and Ford began to laugh. "What--What's so funny?" Dipper looked up, bewildered and alarmed, into two yellow slitted eyes, and heard the sound of glass shattering at his feet.