AN: Minor edit, fixed a few typos.
This is it. One last chance. I'm coming, Bill.
Dipper Pines, 18 years old. 6 years ago, he, alongside his twin sister Mabel, and their Great-Uncles, Grunkles Stanley and Stanford, fought the Dream Demon Bill Cipher when he broke into the physical world and initiated Weirdmaggedon, in the town of Gravity Falls. They thought they destroyed him: Erased him, along with Stanley's mind; a sacrifice for his family, and the world.
Looking back, Grunkle Stan's memory coming back so easily should have raised some red flags.
1 year ago, Grunkle Ford called them back to Gravity Falls, warning them that Bill was returning. 9 months ago, they started training themselves, Wendy, Soos, Gideon, Pacifica, and Fiddleford McGucket for the day he'd arrive. 3 months ago, Cipher arrived. And he brought an army.
... they never had a chance. Even with all their training, even with the aid and enlistment of the townsfolk, Bill and his army were unstoppable. They'd tried everything they could think of, every tactic imaginable, just trying to slow them down. Nothing worked.
"The barrier around Gravity Falls still holds. The longer we can keep Bill from crossing it, the better a chance everyone outside has of beatin' 'im."
Fiddleford was the first to die. After his son got killed, he just, broke. He ran out right into the enemy's line of fire, shooting anything that looked like it could move. He managed to take down a quarter of their front line before finally succumbing to his wounds.
"Our family name was broken, until you all came along and showed me a better way. If I'm to be the last Northwest, I'll make it a name worth remembering."
Pacifica went next. To think, when they'd first met, she was a sissy stuck-up rich girl that thought she was better than everyone else. He'd doubted she'd ever done anything in the way of physical labor. In their last days, however, she'd proven to be one of the fiercest fighters they had. She'd managed to hold off Bill's army long enough for the rest of them to evacuate their base... on her own.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Pine Tree!" Bill said, having snuck up on Dipper somehow. He didn't show any surprise, though, not even a hint of fear. He wouldn't let that beast have that much.
"Never let them see you cry. Never let them see you afraid. This is the final act: as the curtains fall, show them your best. Give them nothing: Make them work for it."
Gideon... he had hated the boy, once. He'd obsessed over his sister Mabel even after they'd both made it clear she wasn't interested in him. He'd summoned Bill to break invade Grunkle Stan's Mind, he stolen the deed to the Mystery Shack, he'd even been the warden to his sister's prison when Cipher first invaded. But when the Dream Demon came back with an army, Gideon was one of the first to start fighting back. He'd done everything he could to keep the others safe, often being the first to throw himself into danger if it meant someone else might be spared. In the end, he'd taken a killing blow meant for him and Mabel... both of them cried hard that night.
"Bill," Dipper responded. "I think we both knew this was how it'd end."
"If that stupid Triangle wants you all so badly, he'll have to get by me first. I'm a fucking Corduroy, and that means that so long as I draw breath, nobody hurts the ones I care for!"
Wendy was always the coolest. Her attitude, her lumberjack skills, her hair, the way she acted, how she talked... he thought he'd managed to move on, after realizing his crush on her would only lead to heartache. But then... their last day together, she confessed. She'd always loved him, but was too afraid to admit it, afraid of what her family would think, what their friends would think, what Stan would think, what Mabel would think, for having a crush on someone that wasn't even a teen yet. Their last day, she'd finally overcame her fears and poured her heart out. Their last day, they truly enjoyed each other's company, enjoyed the love they could finally share... then she faced Bill's Army alone give him and the others time to reinforce the barrier around Gravity Falls. She'd done too good a job. Bill himself had to come and be the one to put her down.
"Ha ha, you're really serious about this, aren't you? It's funny how stupid you are!"
"I know I don't take many things seriously. I know a lot of people think I'm stupid, that I'm just a child and a man's body. And you know what, they're right. But now it's time for this boy to become a man!"
Soos, well, what was there to say? Nothing brought that manchild down, not even the end of the world. No matter how serious things got or how dire the situation, he, along with Mabel, always kept a positive attitude, constantly looking towards the bright side. Even as he marched off to certain death, buying time for the Pines and a handful of remaining townsfolk time to run from the last safe place in Gravity Falls, he joked that he'd see them all "on the fun side of the other side!"
"Enough joking around, Bill," Dipper said, adopting a fighting stance and readying his last few intact weapons. "By day's end, one of us will die. That's a promise."
For a brief moment, he could see the surprise on the Dream Demon's face... or what passed for it. Dipper was serious. He wouldn't run, he wouldn't surrender, and he wouldn't let Bill do either of those. The way he said it, it wasn't a statement: it was a fact.
"Heh... well then, kid..." Bill raised the ground they were standing on, thousands of feet into the air. Up here, they'd be alone. Up here, neither of them had reason to hold anything back. Up here, it would end.
"You know, I'd almost managed to break through the barrier before I sensed you coming," he said. "I can't send any of my henchmaniacs out, and I can't really send enough power to do anything fun, but..."
A snap of his fingers, and dozens of screens and cameras filled the sky, watching them from all angles. "I gotta admit, Pine Tree, you gave me more trouble than anyone else I've dealt with in my entire lifetimes. But now, I'm gonna take you down, and the whole world is going to watch!"
For a moment, Dipper froze up, hesitated. Everyone... everyone would be watching. Mom, Dad, his friends from back in Piedmont, his second crush, Machael, they'd all be watching him fight... a fight he had no chance of winning. No, he couldn't think about that now. Everyone was counting on him. Win or lose, he would not go without a fight. For everyone he cared for... everyone that cared for him... everyone that died so he could reach this moment...
"So be it, Cipher," Dipper said, finally letting emotion, anger, hatred, show on his face and voice. "Let's finish this!"
Dipper wasted no time, whipping out a magnetic hand cannon and firing at Bill's eye. The Dream Demon contented himself with just dodging his attacks for now, silently goading him own, trying to get him angry enough to make a mistake, most likely. Dipper wouldn't. He had too much riding on this to get angry and stupid. If he could get at least one good, clean hit...
... was Bill humming?
"This is the end of
The world you know,
Thought you could save them, thought you could be their hero,
Time to put on a show,
It's over now, we both know,"
By the second half of the third line, Bill started fighting back... or rather, put on a show of fighting back. Even with him barely putting any effort into it, Dipper was already hard pressed dodging his attacks while still maintaining an offensive.
"Those silly books won't help you no more,
They're burnt to dust, just like that family of yours
So here we go, try and take on the real me
Come on, let's fight, Pine Tree"
They're burnt to dust, just like that family of yours.
"Maybe we don't have a chance. Maybe everything we've done to fight Bill is in vain. But being a hero means fighting on, even when you know you cannot win. It means fighting to protect those that matter to you, and those that can't fight for themselves."
Even as a stray shot destroyed Dipper's magnetic hand cannon, he looked back and remembered Grunkle Ford. Bill Cipher's first victim. Some 46 years ago, he appeared in Ford's dreams, starting a chain of events that would lead to the construction of an interdimensional portal. Even when they destroyed it, back in Dipper's first Summer in Gravity Falls, the rift it created eventually allowed Bill to cross over into the physical realm the first time. While he was defeated, Ford took it hard, blaming himself for allowing Bill to get a foothold on their reality. When he learned Cipher was going to return, he threw himself into his research, looking for ways to kill the Dream Demon, weapons that could harm him and his henchmaniacs. When he arrived with his army, Ford wasted no time making it clear they'd oppose him to the last. Even as it became clear that they would ultimately lose, he never stopped fighting, finding ways to sustain and strengthen the barrier keeping Bill trapped here. Even when Dipper, Mabel, Grunkle Stan and himself were surrounded, Ford cleared them a path, stopping Bill's army from pursuing them and taking nearly a quarter of them with him before he fell.
"You want a fight, you stupid triangle? You got one!" Dipper brought Ford's Quantum Destabilizer to bear. Modified by Ford since he'd last used it on Bill 6 years ago, and further upgraded by Dipper himself, it had a massive increase in charge time and fire speed, with minimal loss of destructive power. He'd almost managed to catch Cipher by surprise: instead of a shot through the eye, however, he shot through his hat.
"... huh, deja vu much?" Bill said, rapidly regenerating the hat that was actually part of his body. "Well, back to the fight!"
"Go ahead and try to beat me if you're able,
You're no man and it makes you feel unstable,
You dare defy the power of my being,
When I brought your town down to its knees?
Everything you love has turned to ashes,
I'm in control, and I'll strike the matches.
This world of yours is crumbling, don't you miss it?
Pretty soon you'll go down with it."
Everything you love has turned to ashes... this world... is crumbling, don't you miss it?
"Kids, looking back, my life was rather miserable until you two showed up. In the course of one summer, you saved my mind from Bill, stopped Gideon from taking the Mystery Shack, brought my brother back, and even brought our hearts back together. Dipper, Mabel, you made sure to fill this tired old man's last days with happiness. Well, no more running for me! I'm not going to hide and let that triangle take the future from you kids! Bill Cipher! I'm coming for you!"
Grunkle Stan. For Dipper and Mabel, he was the best thing to ever come from their trip to Gravity Falls. He was as close to them as their own mom and dad (arguably closer), and even if he rarely liked to show it, the two of them knew he felt much the same way behind his gruff exterior. He'd been willing to have his mind erased with Bill trapped inside, if it meant he couldn't threaten them any more. Even if Bill did save much of Stan's mind in order to save himself, it was the Twin's recollections of the times they've spent together that brought his memory back. When Cipher made his return, Grunkle Stan's mission, first and foremost, before everything else, was keeping Dipper and Mabel safe. He'd had plenty of close calls, and plenty of scars to show for it, but because of him, Bill and his army were never able to seriously hurt the two of them. He always knew just the route to take to avoid detection, and even on the rare occasion that the three of them were spotted, Stan lead them back into hiding, evading capture and surefire death. The two of them had actually believed he could keep them hidden forever, before Stan made the decision to stop running and fight for their future a week ago. They haven't' heard from him since, and they knew that the worst had befallen him.
Dipper grunted as an attack from a now slightly-serious Bill Cipher clipped his arm, knocking the Quantum Destabilizer from his reach. Bill wasted no time destroying it: Dipper had actually managed to land a few hits with it, and Cipher didn't like that. Dipper didn't have much left in working condition with that gone: he had to fall back to a bog standard .44 Magnum, slightly modified for improved ammo capacity and reload speed. While it was still good against Bill's army and lieutenants, it might as well be a peashooter against the Dream Demon himself, and they both knew it.
On the other hand, even a peashooter can hurt like hell if it hits in the right spot. Dipper knew that from experience, and it looks like Bill's about to find that out the hard way.
"Face it, kid, you've lost! Look if you surrender and pledge your loyalty to me now, I promise I'll— GAH! MY EYE! ALWAYS THE EYE WITH YOU PEOPLE! SON OF A BITCH, THAT STINGS!"
Of course, a peashooter is still just a peashooter. He could hurt Cipher, if he had good aim and good luck, but actually harming him? Not a chance.
Still, he had landed one shoot at Bill's eye. His only weak point, and with all the world watching, everyone would know about it. Even if its not enough to stop him, Bill would have to really work for it now.
Dipper's lucky shot only brought him two seconds of breathing time, however, before Bill got angry. And serious. Suddenly, Dipper was left entirely on the defensive, Cipher trying to grab him while shooting eye blasts and throwing debris at him. But through it all, even with the comedic tint behind it gone, Bill kept up his song.
"I know who you are,
I'll put you in your place,
And the next time that you stand up,
It will be your final day.
Where did your sister go?
I killed her yesterday!
Even you can't bring her back and
Even you can't save the day!"
...
...
Mabel.
Mabel. His Twin Sister. His all time best friend. The one person he could always count on. The most important person in his life. Even since they were little, the two of them would always look after each other. They'd be there to stop the other's tears, make them smile, defend them from the occasional bully. They were never truly happy when separated, and they would do whatever it took to keep the other safe and happy.
Their first summer here, Dipper made a mistake. He decided to take Grunkle Ford's offer to become his apprentice, even though he knew it would mean leaving Mabel behind, in his excitement to learn the secrets of Gravity Falls. Bill Cipher had used that against them, trapping Mabel in a prison bubble based on her idea of a perfect world, and leaving her in there while Wierdmaggedon raged on. When Ford got turned into a golden backscratcher and Bill burned the Journals, the first thing he decided he needed to do before ending the Oddpocalypse was to find her, and fix his mistake.
Dipper managed to break her out of the prison bubble, promising that no matter what the future throwed at them, they'd face it together. Working together with their Grunkles, they were able to defeat Bill the very next day. Even since, Dipper and Mabel were inseperable, more so than before. They'd go to the same parties together, or neither would go if only one of them was invited. They went to the same high school, shared almost all of their classes, and were even planning to attend the same college before they heard Bill was coming back.
Going into it, they believed all they'd really need was each other. Heck, even after Bill brought his army through, even as they suffered loss after loss, as long as they could keep the other safe, that was all that mattered to them. When their friends started dying off, one by one, the two of them would still be there to comfort each other. When it came down to just them and their Grunkles, well, by then, they knew they'd never be able to beat Bill this time around, but the four of them could still stay together, hide from Bill and his army while they did what they could to delay the destruction of the barrier surrounding Gravity Falls. They still had each other, after all. The four of them could do just about anything they set their minds to.
Then they fell into a trap. Ford had sacrificed himself, clearing Stan, Dipper, and Mabel a path back to safety and keeping Bill and his army from chasing after them. The three of them cried themselves to sleep that night: Stan didn't even bother trying to hide his grief for their sake, and, in an odd sort of way, that helped them feel better. Still, the three of them had had plenty of fun times even before Grunkle Ford came into the picture. Sure, it'd wouldn't be the same, knowing he was gone, but the three of them could move on, one day at a time...
Before the week was up, Stan announced his decision to fight Bill himself. Dipper and Mabel had tried to persuade him otherwise, of course, but they knew it was of no use. Stan would do just about anything for the two of them. He'd long since made sure they knew how to take care of each other on their own, and with Ford gone, there was no reason to keep himself from doing what he felt was best: Taking care of the threat to the kids.
And just like that, it was the two of them on their own once again. It was... difficult to keep on going, after everything they had lost. Honestly, if it wasn't for the need to look after each other, they'd have likely thrown their lives away, or taken it. But they had each other: They'd take care of their twin, do whatever it took to keep the other safe and happy, and stay together. It had work out well enough, until yesterday...
Dipper was just getting over a minor cough, and Mabel had insisted he stay in bed while she foraged for food. Don't worry, she'd said, she wouldn't let the entrance to their hideaway out of her sight, she'd head right back inside if she even thought Bill or his minions were somewhere nearby, and they still had their walkie-talkies if they needed to talk for whatever reason. He couldn't keep himself from worrying, of course, but Mabel could be very persuasive when she thought she knew best how to keep them safe. Then again, Dipper could too.
She couldn't have been outside for longer than ten minutes when she'd radioed him, telling him to get into the secret hidden crawlspace, she saw some Eyeballs flying by and there was a slight chance they saw her. She assured him it wasn't likely, that she was being her absolute sneakiest and it was probably just herself being paranoid with him still recovering, but get in there anyways and I'll be there shortly, alright? Well, of course he got in the crawlspace, still watching the entrance, waiting for any sign of Mabel getting closer. When she came running in though, out of breath, she didn't need to tell him that she'd definitely been sighted. Well, while he might have only just recovered from his cough, he could still fight, and there was no way in hell he'd let Bill or his freaks lay a finger on his sister!
One quick "I'm sorry" was all the warning Dipper had. They still had many of Ford's experiments and inventions, and there was no telling what they all did. Well, Mabel had found out a use for one of them, at least: A temporary, fast-acting paralytic agent to keep him from fighting alongside her.
Even with his face frozen in an expression between relieved and confused, the betrayal he felt must have been visible in his eyes. Mabel looked like she'd down the most despicable deed of all time, and was probably about to stammer out apologies and explanations if they didn't hear Bill's forces coming in first. At least she covered his eyes and ears as he stuffed him in the crawlspace, returning the makeshift bed to its position above it. Even if you knew to look for hidden compartments in the like, unless you knew to look for that entrance in particular, you'd never be able to find it.
The sounds of fighting, it felt like it lasted an eternity. Mabel had fought like a cornered bear protecting her cubs: Even when Bill eventually came in, she managed to land more than a few good hits on him before falling. And even then, she'd managed to hold on to life long enough to make sure they didn't discover Dipper's hiding place. Dragging herself over to the air holes with one good arm, she somehow looked right through the wall to stare him in the eyes to mutter one last apology before she passed on, a smile on her face, just happy that he'd be safe for even a little while longer.
Mabel... why... why did you...
Bill.
He was the one responsible for all this. He was the reason he'd lost all his friends, he's the reason he lost everyone he cared for, he's the reason his Grunkles are dead, he's the reason his sister's dead, he's why she gave her life to...
Dipper wasn't even aware he'd dropped his Magnum and drew his survival knife: the one with his and Mabel's initials etched on the blade. He'd lost all awareness of the world around him. He couldn't even feel the pain anymore. All he saw was the being responsible for his twin being dead, and a weapon he could use to make them dead.
"GOD DAMN YOU BILL!" he shouted, stabbing into him repeatedly, not bothering to aim, but a good amount of his hits going into the eye. "WHY COULDN'T YOU STAY DEAD? WOULD COULDN'T YOU JUST LEAVE US ALONE?! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO COME BACK HERE! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DO ALL THIS! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KILL EVERYONE!? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO... I'MMA FUCKING MURDER YOU, BITCH! YOU'RE DEAD, YOU HEAR ME? DEAD!"
Dipper must have caught Bill off guard with his rage. Honestly, he'd caught himself off guard as well, but the floodgates were open, and there was no holding it back. Part of him knew Mabel wouldn't want him to react like this to her death, but that only served to remind him she was dead, which further increased his rage. As for Bill, he actually showed what appeared to be fear while Dipper was right on top of him, stabbing him over and over again. He knew it must have really been hurting him. Good.
Eventually, however, Cipher got his wits back together again. He blasted Dipper right off of him, but the boy barely felt a thing in his rage. Still, it gave the Dream Demon time to get back up and ready.
"Alright, Pine Tree," he said, making his voice sounds demonic in what would be a vain attempt to scare him. "You want to finish things here? Fine! Let's finish this!"
"Go ahead and try and beat me if you are able," Bill was back to singing, but he was being more cautious than before.
"I'M GOING TO END YOU, CIPHER!" Dipper rushed at him, moving with speed you'd never guess he'd be capable of, given his stature. Even Cipher was caught off guard by it.
"I'm a mystery that you can't unravel," He still managed to avoid most of the attack, suffering a nasty cut on his left arm in the process, however.
"I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID!" He didn't bother using tactics or his brains. All he could think about was making Bill suffer.
"Did your books tell you can defeat me?" He was done toying with Pine Tree. He'd finish this with one final blow.
"I'LL JUST RIP YOUR FUCKING EYE OUT AND STUFF A BOMB IN THE SOCKET!" He just laughed when he saw Bill cringe at that, rushing towards him once more.
"All alone we both know you're a weakling!" One well-aimed blast, and the kid was knocked to his knees, where he belonged. From the looks of it, he might have broke a few ribs as well, but oh well.
"ARRRGGH!... GRR... THIS... THIS ISN'T OVER, CIPHER!" Even in his rage, the pain was nearly unbearable. But it'd take more than pain to make him give up. He'd drag his body to Bill if that was what it took to get his knife in that Triangle's eye again...
Alright, then, TWO final blows, Bill decided, watching him force himself to his feet and limp towards him. Gotta admire the kid's determination, though.
"Our fight is nearly over," Bill summoned up his power once again, sending a final blast at Dipper. At last, his broken body could take no more abuse. Dipper collapsed to the ground, barely able to lift his head. But no matter how much he shouted at his body to get back up and fight, it would not obey.
"It is done."
Dipper just glared at Cipher as he floated over to him, even as he tried and failed to make his arms and legs rise. As if to make sure we really was done, he poked his cane into him several times, hard. When he winced and held back a scream of pain, but did not rise, the Triangle went into victory mode.
"It's funny how you think you could have won!"
I don't play nicer,
I am a Cipher,"
Dipper just shut him out, focusing all his willpower on forcing his noncomplying body to rise. But it was no use. There was a limit to how much the body could take before it just shut down. Even willpower could only drag it on a bit further. Frankly, he thought it was only said willpower that kept him conscious. With the rage gone, the pain came back with a vengeance. His body was screaming at him, telling him to just lie there and rest, escape the pain. But he refused to listen to it.
"Guys..." Dipper managed to force out his throat. It hurt to speak, hurt to even breath, but this was something he had to do. "I'm... I'm sorry. I couldn't beat him... now there's no one to keep him from breaking through... Everyone..."
Fiddleford, Pacifica, Gideon, Wendy, Soos...
Grunkle Stan... Grunkle Ford...
Mabel...
"I'm... sorry..."
"Want to strike one last deal with me?"
Dipper couldn't believe his ears. After all this, Bill was... he wanted to...
"Pine Tree, I know what's going through your mind right now," Cipher said, "And yes, I'm being serious for once. You put up a good fight there, kid. You knew what you wanted, and you were willing to do anything to get it, I can respect that. But more than that, you've been more fun to deal with than anyone else I've encountered in my lifetimes, and that's saying something! It'd be a shame to just let you go after all that, so, I'm willing to make a deal with you!"
"I... no... I'm not falling for that..." Dipper said, giving Bill a death glare. "I made a deal with you once before... and that's a mistake I'm never going to repeat!"
"Hey, hey, at least hear me out, kiddo! Look, I even turned off the cameras for this!" He was telling the truth: the sky was once again clear around them. "Listen, it's not like you have anything left to lose anyways."
"... fine." Bill was right about that, at least: It was only sheer willpower (and possibly Bill's influence) that kept Dipper alive at this point, and his soul was pretty much his once his body passed on anyways.
"Hey, great! Now, here's goes: You remember the prison bubble I put Mabel in last time I was in town?" A nod. "Well, I can whip up another one of those, just for you! A little tweaking, and it can keep you alive indefinitely, even! Heck, if you want, I can even alter your memories and set the bubble so that you'd permanently beat me, either here with none of your friends dead, or all the way back in Weirdmaggedon 1.0!"
"Bill... that sounds too good to be true. What's the catch?"
"Straight to the point, eh? I can get behind that! See, like I said, I had a lot of fun toying with you since Round Two started. And the last fight we just had? If I had a heart, it would still be pounding from the rush back there! So, in return, I'll come by every now and again to replay the last three months. After it's over, you'll go back to your dream life before we started again, with no memory of what had happened. And, just to sweeten the deal a little bit, I'll let a few things change every time we have that do over! You could win a few battles, bring help from the outside..."
Part of Dipper wanted to say no. That he'd rather face death with dignity than surrender and live a constant lie. That he'd rather join his friends and family on "the fun side of the other side", as a good, no, a great friend, had put it. He was just about to say as much...
"... maybe even save someone important to you, perhaps?"
When Bill's words made his mind freeze and his mouth snap shut.
"... Mabel? Are... are you saying...?"
"Ah ha, I see I caught your interest! Now, I'm not going to make it easy for you: If you and Shooting Star just hide together all the time, it'd get pretty boring, pretty fast. But, if you really work for it in return, I can work the settings a bit to allow you to save her!"
Mabel... she was dead, gone, but, if he listened, if he made this one last deal with Bill... even if it was a fake, a duplicate, if Bill really could make him believe she was the real deal... of course, he'd do whatever it took to save her! And during the time between games, they could move on together, finally go to the same collage like they'd planned, take that trip to Paris Mabel was always daydreaming about...
"It's a deal," Dipper said, stopping himself before he let his mind go wild with the possibilities. "If I can save Mabel, every time, mind you, during our... games... and you don't do anything to mess with her, well, me, in between games..."
"Sure thing, Pine Tree!" Bill reached his hand towards Dipper, his palm igniting in blue fire in preparation. "Honestly, you deserve it at this point. Also, don't worry about anyone out here finding out: I promise I won't tell anyone, and I can place the bubble just about anywhere in the universe, far away from prying eyes!"
Dipper felt a modicum of life return to his body. Definitely Bill: he still had to be the one to grab his hand in order for the deal to be valid. He reached out to him...
No, Dipper, stop! What do you think you're doing? It's a trick, it's gotta be a trick!
Maybe...
But, even if it is a trick of some sort...
"If it means I can see Mabel again... if it means I can save her..."
His hand gripped Bill's. The blue fire expanded to engulf both of them, but he didn't feel a thing.
"It's a deal!"