+-=CAESER^0^=CIPHER-+
"4…3…2…ONE!" Dipper turned away from the tree and removed his hands from in front of his face. Glancing around the forest clearing for any glimpse of his sister. Smiling, the young boy dashed in the direction of a large, slightly triangular, stone, which sat in the center of the clearing. "Ready-or-not, here I come!" He shouted the proclamation as fast as possible, not wanting to give her time to process it. Creeping up upon the side of the strangely shaped stone, Dipper bit his lip, listening to the sounds of heavy breathing on the other side. Gotcha!
Jerking his head around the side of the stone, he yelled "BOO!" only to be shocked by the sight before him.
His sister, tiny and frail, lay on the ground, her scalp covered in blood. The brunette's chest had been torn open, and her lungs were revealed to the world, along with some shattered ribs. Her lifeless body lay against the stone, her arms bent in unnatural ways. That would have been startling enough for the poor boy, but even more disturbing, even more soul grippingly terrifying, was that another him, an older, disturbed looking him stood right next to the corpse. The doppelganger's hands were covered in gore, and a piercingly sharp blade in his left hand. He wore a black coat, with a glowing blue stone in the center of his necklace, and grinned nauseatingly. The twisted reflection had yellow eyes, with pupils that were serpentine in nature.
He darted forward, pressing his blood soaked blade against his younger counterpart's neck. Grinning wider, he spoke threw his teeth, bits of flesh which he had chewed on landing on Dippers face, and mixing with saliva to create a toxic concoction. His voice was somehow both deep and ominous, while also being shrill and disturbing. "YOUR NEXT MOUTH-BREATHER!"
Dipper sat up with a scream, so startled by his gory vision that he fell back in his chair, and slammed to the ground. Extremely jittery, Dipper pushed himself to his feet, and sat the chair up, pushing it up against the work table which he had been fallen asleep at. Rubbing his eyes, he realized that, once again, he had lost track of time, and fallen asleep while researching with Robert. The last thing he remembered was Robert telling him to get some sleep before going upstairs to sleep on the couch. Then he had told the teen he would only stay up another five minutes.
Oh geeze, how late is it?
He switched off the lamp which stood on the table covered in notes and maps, and glanced over to the two sleeping bags not too far away, making sure that he hadn't awoken Gideon and Pacifica. Other Gideon, and Other Pacifica. He corrected himself, despite not really caring. With no source of movement, the detective moved towards the staircase. He preferred to think of Gideon as a stalwart ally who was quite sensitive and methodical, rather than think of him as a homicidal enemy who was out for revenge.
Trust no one.
Dipper ignored the mantra, and ascended the stairs, doing so as quietly as possible. The images of his brutal nightmare returned, and Dipper shivered, getting gooseflesh at just the thought of his insane counterpart.
What the hell is wrong with that guy? I mean, I know that he had it pretty rough, but how could I ever become THAT? Dipper sighed in frustration, and rubbed the bags beneath his eyes. I suppose if Gideon and Robbie can be good people then I can be…that. Dipper knew that his clone had never committed something resembling what he had dreamed about (to the best of his knowledge) but he didn't understand how he could become a person capable of destroying the world for his own personal gain. At least he cares about his Mabel. The young investigator took a moment to catch his breath, before beginning the second flight of stairs, and correcting himself. At least he CARED for Mabel. The magician's twin had unfortunately (fortunately? Dipper didn't know what to think about the other Mabel, she had saved him, but also tortured his best friend, Wendy) been killed as a result of Bill's rampage, and when Dipper's magic wielding equivalent had attempted to "even the score" via killing this world's Mabel.
Dipper wasn't sure what he would have done had Pacifica not been there to prevent the psychotic twelve year old from succeeding, and it reminded him further of his awful dream. Gazing down at the elevator shaft which ran along the third flight of hastily arranged stairs, Dipper wondered why Stan had ever owned one. A morbid thought struck the tween, and he envisioned Gideon or Pacifica getting up in the morning, and being too groggy and tired to see where they were going. Then he saw them topple down the shaft in his mind's eye, gulping as the sounds of bones breaking and necks snapping filled his feverish imagination.
GODDAMMIT BILL!
Dipper felt justified in blaming the demon for his morbid thoughts as he opened the door which led to the hall way, which connected to the back room. Why does Stna have the basement so hidden away? The nightmares had begun shortly after Bill's agonizing promise (the end is the never the end), one which the demon had given shortly after being defeated. Dipper had fallen asleep in the hospital, so tired that even the uncomfortableness of the chair had not deterred him. He had been shown a vison of the whole valley burning, bodies lying everywhere, and Bill, laughing in the sky cackling, and tearing at himself as he flashed between colors.
Mabel had shook him awake, and Soos had drove him, her, and their inter-dimensional allies to his grandmother's house, where they stayed for the night. The next day had been a blur, Stan appearing at the door with briefcase of insurance money, and an eye patch (over his eye not his glasses). Then Stan had shoved them all in the back of his in the rental, and brought them to the crappy motel they would stay at until the Shack was repaired.
Then they had to help come up with an alibi for Soos, who it seemed, had stolen a firetruck. After that the two agents who he had taken for dead, had showed up looking for a Stan Pines, and the old man had created a false persona for himself to. Dipper knew this was necessary since people would be shocked to find out that Stan Pines survived such a huge explosion, and the government thought he had caused the explosion (something about nuclear waste), but the name "Liam Szyfr" didn't real roll of the tongue well. Mabel had also enlisted him in helping create personas and disguises for Robert, Gideon, and Pacifica. "If they are gonna be living here, then the townsfolk are gonna need something to call them!" those had been her words. And Dipper had no problem with helping his sister, but did she need to create such off the wall names? Let's face it, this town had enough of those.
Regardless of his protests however, Pacifica had become Adda Trèigte, who was a Scottish exchange student who had come at the wrong time, and had brilliant red hair. Once Mabel had dyed her hair, she had given her boots and a rain coat (Stan had quite a lot of material for disguises it seemed), and placed large spectacles on the bridge of her nose. To complete the picture she had dotted the blonde's cheeks with dimples. Robert had become Biblio Convoquer, a French professor. They got him a bunch of fancy clothes, which was similar to what he usually wore, covered his blatant acne with cream, and made him grow out a mustache. Then, much to his discomfort, they gave him a haircut.
Gideon had become Condenado "Coney" Tranquillo, who was a Mexican lake surfer. Dipper didn't want to know where Mabel was getting these ideas, but he didn't really want to either. They didn't have to change Gideon's appearance as much as the others, mostly because he was taller and thinner than the Gideon of their world. They merely gave him a spray on tan, and dyed his hair black. "Don't worry," Mabel had reassured them, "You'll only have to dress this way in public." Gideon and Pacifica had not been happy about the transformation, but Robert seemed to take a liking to his new mustache and goatee.
Of course that hadn't been the end to the day either, because Soos and Wendy came over for a more complete version of the truth (Dipper had only been able to tell them the gist of it on the car ride to the hospital). By the time he was done with the story, he was exhausted. But there was still work to be done. The townsfolk needed reassurance that the world had not ended/was not ending, and Dipper had to explain the situation to an incredibly confused McGucket, who thought they had gone insane. When he was finally allowed rest, the twelve year old flopped down on the bed, and fell into a deep sleep.
Only to be woken up at midnight by another nightmare. This time he had watched Mabel turn into energy and explode, destroying the whole world in the process. Entering the back room, Dipper glanced around, wanting to make sure that his great uncle wasn't "sleepwalking" again. It would be awkward to bump into him once again in the dark. Now it was one thing for Bill to spam him with nightmares so that he could barely get a good night's rest. But it was quite another when the demon was corrupting his memories.
Dipper entered the kitchen, opening the fridge and pulling out some orange juice. From now on whenever the young detective thought about the time he and Mabel had played hide-an-seek in the forest behind their house, he would think about that nightmare. Drinking his full, he slammed the cup down on the counter, almost breaking it with the force of his frustration.
"Are you okay?" Startled by the voice, he moved his gaze in the direction of the voice, and saw Pacifica sitting at the kitchen table. Oh god, I really am tired. "I uh, I'm fine. I just um," Dipper had not told anyone about is problem yet, hoping to figure it out for himself, he knew that Stan was swamped trying to make ends meat, Mabel had enough to worry about (psychopathic twin on the loose), and their inter-dimensional friends were busy researching how to return to their world. He decided however, to be honest. "I just had a nightmare."
It felt good to be able to confide in someone, and if he was going to tell anyone, then it may as well be the person who saved him and his sister from a lunatic.
Not your sister, tell the girl you barely know. Sometimes Dipper whished his mind would shut up. Glancing over at the digital clock on the oven, his eyes widened. "It's 3:00 in the morning, what are you doing up?" The blonde moved her gaze to the floor as he opened the fridge and returned the orange juice to its proper location. "I uh…I have trouble going to sleep…" Turning back to her he rubbed a swollen eye, and sat down beside her. "Insomnia?"
She shook her head, "I just, I see things…in the dark, patterns and stuff, I guess I have an overactive imagination, and when I'm alone I tend to focus on those things." Dipper raised an eyebrow, surprised by this problem, "Do you want to take some medicine?" She shook her head, "I'm just gonna stay up here until I become too tired." The investigator frowned, "That's not healthy, I mean, surely there's something we can do to get you to sleep." He could barely make out her blush in the dim lighting, but he could tell she was embarrassed by how she avoided his gaze, "Well, my parents…they always used to let me sleep with them, I know it sounds really childish, but umm, being close to someone let me sleep easier."
Understanding crossed Dipper's face, "That's why back in your dimension, you'd always show up at the library late. It was because you couldn't get a goodnight's sleep." She nodded, looking ashamed of her problem. He placed a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, it's okay. Once we get you back to your world we'll help you find your parents. It'll be fine okay?" She looked up at him, her eyes slightly wet. "Really?" Dipper remembered bumping into the grieving Pacifica of his world the day after they built the disguises, she had been unaware he was alive, and had hugged him tightly, before demanding to know what had happened. No matter what world she's from, she relies on me for comfort. "I promise." A hissing voice entered his mind as soon as the words left his mouth, and he tried to hold back cringing.
{Don't make promises you can't keep PineTree.} Ignoring the infuriating words of his enemy, he led Pacifica upstairs, and surprised her by offering to sleep beside her in his bed. She looked shocked, and was unable to speak for a moment. Not wanting to embarrass her, he waited until she had regained her composure to speak. "Listen, I promise I won't do anything creepy I just…I've been having nightmares for a while, and I'm kinda scared of going to sleep on my own. This just seems like the best way to solve both our problems." The platinum blonde bit her lip, before nodding in consent.
He got in first, allowing her to exit the bed first, and scooted to the far side of the mattress so that they were touching, but just barely. "Are you good?" He glanced over and found her staring at the sleeping Mabel.
Turning back, she replied, but he strained to hear her. "C-could you move a little closer?" The tween nodded, scooting over, and finding the smell of her perfume entering his nose. "Better?" She rolled over, her light blue eyes meeting his dark brown. Nodding she thanked him, before breaking their locked gaze, and turning away.
Dipper stared up at the rafters above, trying to calm his beating heart. It didn't matter though, because soon exhaustion had overcome him.
-+=Khb^0^qrz=+-
(In Reverse Falls)
"Alright, that's the last of them…now give me my memories back!" Fiddleford glared up at the sky, the memory wiping device which he held fell loose from his hands, and he glanced around, trying to see if the demon was nearby. A light rain pelted his brow, and for a moment he wondered if the creature had tricked him, and had no intention of returning what was lost.
Then a flash of gold fire filled the air, and the amnesiac had to cover his eyes for fear of being blinded. #Well, well, well, you certainly held up your side of the bargain ScarEye, I'm impressed.# The demon flew behind him, and placed an ashen hand on his shoulder, #Of course any old man with a memory wiping device could do so. So I guess I lied when I said I was impressed.# The inventor ignored his benefactor, and spoke in a trembling voice. "Ju-just give me b-back m-my memories!" The rectangle turned back to him, #Oh right, about that…# The cycloptic demon reached forward, and grabbed his victim by the throat. #Sorry boyo, I need this meat sack more than you do.#
Fiddleford felt his whole body go numb, and then he felt the weight of holding himself up disappear as he was pulled out of the body. Looking down at himself, the mad inventor watched as his dead body was given new life, and the eyes of his body opened, revealing two slit pupils and slightly blue eyes with bags beneath them. Picking up the amnesia gun, the possessed man gave the soul a smile. #Welcome to the Mindscape ScarEye. Say goodbye to such labors like breathing, sleeping and eating!#
Fiddleford stuck a hand through his on chest, mesmerized by the translucence of his own form. "Why would you do this? We had a deal!" Bill rolled his new set of eyes, "Sorry Fiddy, but you have to pay for your transgressions, and I have a dimension to get to." Smiling, the lying demon trotted off in the direction of town, his shoes squelching in the muck. Fiddleford watched him leave with a sinking feeling. Transgressions? Dimension? What the hell was he talking about?
-+=edfn^0^djdlq=+-
"Wake up ya' nerd! I've got something to show you!" Stan banged on the sheet of metal which his elderly college used as a door. There was grumbling, and muttering, but finally the door was flung open, and the homeless resident glared back at him. "For Pete's sake Stanford, it's three in the morning!" Stan glanced at his watch and corrected the reclusive genius, "Actually it's three-thirty…" Groaning, the amnesiac slammed the door closed, and stalked back to his mattress.
"C'mon Fiddleford, I've got something to show you!" There was more muttering, and finally, the door flung open again and the bum held his shotgun at the ready. "Alright you lollygagger, show me…" Smiling the lollygagger in question gestured for his aged companion to follow. Leading the tired genius through the woods, Stan came to a stop in front of a cave. Stopping to catch his breath, the eye patch wearer beckoned Fiddleford inside, while he caught his breath. "Inside…*pant* there's something you need to see inside…"
The sleep deprived hobo raised an eyebrow, before sighing and obeying the shyster's wishes. Hobbling inside, he was stunned by the sight before him.
A giant metal triangle sat in the back of the cavern, it was hooked up to two massive cylinders, which were filled with green glowing ooze. Chunks were missing from the device, as though it was a chip and something had been eating it. The sound of footsteps was followed by that of Stan's voice, hesitant yet determined. "The Author is on the other side of this portal. If you help me repair this machine, then we can get him back, and he'll be able to fill in all the blanks." McGucket turned back to the shop owner, and stared at him in amazement. "Di-di you build this thing?"
Stan shook his head, "You made it. A long, long time ago. You and The Author. I tried to use it a while ago, but Bi-The Triangle man, trapped me inside the portal, and I just managed to escape and destroy his avatar." He pointed to his eyepatch, "My eye got scratched as I escaped." He leaned against the wall slightly for support and spoke. "Fiddleford, this…this is our chance to save his life, to make things right." Still the shorter of the two remained silent, "Without the help of the Author, I don't think we'll be able to defeat Bi-The Triangle man when he returns. And he will return."
The inventor's shoulders sagged and he stroked his brow with his good hand. "Fine, but we you have to let me get a goodnight's sleep, you fopdoodle of man." The beardless conspirator nodded and chuckled at the prospector's insult. "You always had a way with words Fiddleford…" McGucket smiled slightly, and told Stan to cover up the cave, and then get inside.
"It's stormin' somethin' fierce out here…and you need rest." Then the mad genius turned and disappeared into the thick blackness of the wood.
-+=Brx^0^kdyhq'w phw=+-
Mabel felt herself wake as her pig began to lap at her chin, and her eyes opened and were enveloped by the light of early morning. Smiling, she stroked Waddles' head, and sat up, causing the pig to fall into her lap and for her to gain a better view of the world. Looking around the room she wondered why Stan liked triangular windows so much, but that thought vanished when she caught sight of who was sleeping in her brother's bed.
Hopping out of bed, she sped over to the opposing mattress, and was going to rouse the blonde and ask her why she was sleeping in Dipper's bed. Then she realized that Dipper was also sleeping next to her, and, for the first time in quite a while, he didn't look tired. Her eyes widened and she started coming to some excessively quick conclusions. Smiling, she ran over to her bed, and reached her underneath for her camera. Perfect scrap-book opportunity!
Just as she touched it however, a blast of static struck her, and she was sent spiraling backwards, slamming into the ceiling and falling to the floor in a heap. She moaned and tried to right herself, with bruises all across her side, and a particularly nasty lump on her head. Waddles was startled by the crackling energy, and ran up to his master, licking her burnt hand. She smiled at the beast's compassion, and was surprised that neither Dipper nor Pacifica had been awakened by the sound of the mini explosion.
^Well they would but, sadly, there both exhausted. Probably from the smooching they did last night!^ Mabel stood, just realizing that the color had been sapped from the room. Groaning, she turned around, and glared at the triangle who had appeared in front of the bedroom window. The only colorful thing in the room now (with the exception of Waddles), Bill hovered over to her with a giggle. "Just leave me alone you stupid triangle." As an afterthought, she turned back to him and began making further demands, "Leave everyone alone! Go find someone else to torment." The demon snickered, and floated over to the trembling pig, ^When hell freezes over sugar pop, I'm basically an over protective mother who monitors her child's search history and Big Brother rolled into one. HA! Now that's a dysfunctional family!^ Flipping sides of her, he placed a hand on Waddles' head. ^now what say you give me your pig and I'll explain what just happened to you?^ Mabel scrunched up her face in horror at the suggestion, and she picked up the terrified pig, taking a step away from the deal maker. "Not in a million years you isosceles, now you leave, and stop creepily watching people! What Dipper and Pacifica do is up to them!"
The cyclops rolled his eye, words started to inscribe themselves on his chest, ^Semper vigilantes my little star, semper vigilantes! It's my job to watch you guys, every waking moment…that way I'm here when something like THIS happens. I'm like your floating, golden babysitter really.^ Those same words, meaningless to the injured pre-teen appeared on Bill's chest, and flashed brightly.
Her head spinning, Mabel sat down on her bed, clutching her hog tightly and trying to ignore the demon as he explained that he had lied about Dipper and Pacific kissing. ^I just wanted to see your reaction, not your actual reaction, you mental reaction. THOSE ARE THE BEST! PineTree sure is a charmer though, he's got lady's lining up around the cycopede to be with him.^ Mabel clutched her head, and spoke through gritted teeth, "Go away, go away NOW!" She stopped herself from yelling too loudly, with the realization that the situation could only get worse if Dipper and Pacifica woke up to find Bill leering at them.
^Relax kid, you're in the Mindscape, you can yell and scream as much as you like, and no one will hear you. But don'tcha wanna find out why when you touched the camera everything went BOOM?^ The bruised twelve year old turned away, "No, Dipper will help me figure it out, besides I can't trust a word that comes out of your mouth…or lack of mouth, or whatever." Bill sighed and spun around to face her, then he moved his gaze down to the quivering Waddles. ^It's the pig isn't it?^ He snapped his fingers and Waddles disappeared with a cry.
Mabel swiped at the triangle, her fist going straight through him. "What did you do to Waddles?! TELL ME!" She was on the verge of tears, and her fist flew through his flaxen form. He raised his ebony arms and motioned for her to calm, ^Relax kid, I just sent him back to your world, right now he's trying to wake you up. Now let me-^ "NO! Let me out of here, I hate you!" He rolled his eye, ^No you don't, now ConstellationHead, he hates me. I've been in his mind. He wants to tear me apart, obliterate me, and destroy me. Now THAT ShootingStar, that is hatred…you merely "dislike" me^ She fumed, ready to call him the worst things she could think of (Her vocabulary of profanities was somewhat lacking however) "I don't care, let me out!" Sighing, the demon snapped his fingers, and there was a flash of light. ^Fine, but you'll come running to me for answers when the time comes…^
Mabel opened her eyes to find the camera in her hands, and Waddles next to her. Glancing around the room she saw that all evidence of her explosion was gone. With the unfortunate and painful exception of her bruises. Sighing, she hopped off the bed, and pointed the camera at her brother's bed, snapping a quick photo of the couple, before placing the photo in her scrapbook, and dressing in the bathroom. Once she had slipped a sweater on which concealed all her bruises, she took her prized hog downstairs. "Don't worry Waddles, we're not gonna let Bill ruin our day…"
-+=Brx kdyhq'w phw^0^doo ri rxu iuhqgv=+-
"3…2…ONE! Ready or not here I come!" Dipper turned away from the tree and removed his hands from in front of his face. Glancing around the forest clearing for any glimpse of his sister, he smiled when he caught sight of the large boulder which resided in the center of the clearing. He crept forward, careful to be as quiet as possible as his sneakers pressed against the soft grass. When he reached the stone he grinned like a lunatic, and stuck his head around the other side as he yelled "GOTCHA!" His face fell and his joy was replaced by shock as he stared at the body of his sister. Her head was bashed in, and blood spilled all over her summer dress. "No…no…no this isn't how it happened…" Stepping backwards, he stared at his blood covered hands in frustration. "NO…THIS ISN'T HOW IT HAPPENED…"
Mocking laughter echoed through the woods, and the wind blew hard enough to break of tree branches, and to raise Dipper slightly into the air. The sky started to turn green and Dipper watched an immense hand reach down his way, casting a shadow over him and his sister. "NO! YOU CAN'T TAKE ME FROM HER!" He swam through the air, trying to return to the ground. But the hand close on his legs, and tears were brought to his eyes as he heard a booming voice, one which echoed upon itself told him. {[Sorry little pal. You did that to yourself…]} Pulled into a black portal, the magician screamed as magic tore through his physical form.
His eyes flickered open, and he stared at the stalactites overhead. He could feel tears coming to his eyes, and had to brush them aside and ignore the soul crushing pain in his chest. Rolling over, he spotted the corpse of his sister, wrapped in bandages and preserved to survive the power of rot. Standing, Dipper Gleeful stumbled over to the entrance of the cave, and stared out at the sky in hatred. The sun was shining, the rain was gone, and the forest was alive with movement and change.
It sickened him.
"Sorry sister dear…I…" He turned back to the myriad of stolen books which he had been reading late into the night. "I must have nodded off…" Picking up his amulet, he used it to raise all the books into the air and toss them into the fire at the back of the cave. Useless. Obsolete. Nothing he hadn't heard before.
Sitting down beside his sister, he smiled. "Don't worry sister-dear, I'm going to make them pay, all of them. The moment that backstabbing demon sets foot in another body…I'll burn him alive and scatter the ashes…and as for those pesky twins…" He picked up one of her throwing knives, examining it for a moment before hurling it towards the dart board. It landed smack dab in the center, penetrating the photo of the Pines twins which he had stolen from the wreckage of the Mystery Shack.
"…I'm going to show them the kind of pain which they can't comprehend…" He giggled at the imaginary response his sister gave, and picked up another knife.
-+=Exw wklv^0^lv qrz=+-
(In reverse falls)
Opening the door, the old man stepped out onto the porch of his lake house. There was a smile of his face as he watched mayflies zip over the lake, never truly aware of the creature's which lurked just below its surface. Just like human beings.
He grabbed his fishing rod, and returned inside, eating the last of his putrid oatmeal, before tossing the bowl in the sink. Walking down the back hallway, he caught a glimpse of his brother thrashing against his restraints as the TV played program after program. Stubborn bastard.
Ignoring the sounds of his twin's incomprehensible screams and grunts, he descended the stairs. The sight of the portal never ceased to amaze him, its rabid colors swirling and twisting with unbridled passion. Reeling up, he cast his line, watching as the enchanted hook pierced the portal. It took him a moment, but he grinned cruelly as he caught something, and pulled back on the line, dragging an interdimensional monster into his reality. The creature had no eyes, ears, or nose. It did however, have a huge mouth, filled with jagged razor teeth, which encircled its entire mouth and throat, like a worm.
The creature leapt towards him, but he sent it sprawling with one blow, his brass knuckles slamming into the boneless creature with a squishing sound. The creature whimpered and he picked it up. "You know where the Heart of a Thousand is, go get it, and I'll let you return to your world…" The creature nodded, an apparently universal gesture. Then Stan threw it up the staircase, watching as it half-slithered, half-crawled up the splintery steps.
Nearly thirty years, and it's all finally coming together.
-+=dqg wkdw^0^zdv wkhq.=+-
I hope this was a good first chapter, I know my writing quality has improved since "Reversed Situations" I just hope that it is a noticeable improvement.
I apologize in case I didn't do the code correctly, just tell me if it doesn't make sense with the Caeser cipher and I will do better next chapter. If it does make sense and you decipher it, feel free to post in the review section. I want these to be as good as possible, so you'll probably only receive one a week (two occasionally).
