AN: Guys. I'm gonna be level with you. This story is really hard to write. I have been avoiding it for a reason. BUT! I will finish it. I will never abandon one of my stories. Unless I die or something I guess… Fingers crossed that doesn't happen!
ANYWAY! I may have definitely overloaded myself by attempting to write four different stories at the same time, but I will rise to the occasion! Don't worry my 23 followers! I've got this!
I don't own Danny Phantom, Alex Rider, Young Justice or Gravity Falls. Oof. I'd forgotten how much that was to type.
Dipper stared out the window, ignoring the quiet conversation that was happening in the background. He was nervous. Not like that was anything new, but at least he had a reason to be nervous this time.
Demon energy. They were hunting down demmon energy. Dipper chewed on the inside of his cheek. If whoever had caused this signal was really the one who had attacked them, than there was only one real candidate for who it could be.
Dipper closed his eyes, taking in a shuddering breath. Maybe it wasn't her. Maybe this had nothing to do with them. It could just be a huge coincidence…
Right?
He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Danny's laughter. Dipper's frown deepened. Danny laughing was very rarely a good sign. Danny doing anything was rarely a good sign.
Dipper wasn't an idiot. He knew that Danny still hurt himself. Of course he did. He only acted oblivious because that was the best way to reign Danny in. Danny very rarely showed any real emotion or connections to anything, but Dipper knew that he liked him and Alex and that he would do anything to protect them. The only times that Danny seemed really 'there' was when he was trying to help either Dipper or Alex.
Dipper felt a little bad for manipulating Danny's feelings like that, but he would never stop. Those moments were the only time when the real Danny came out, and Dipper would never give them up.
"We're here."
Dipper looked up when Robin spoke, tuning back into his surroundings. He waited quietly as the others discussed tactics. That wasn't really his thing. Dipper didn't like fighting, especially not with his unstable magic. It would be better for everyone if he stayed in the background if it came to a fight.
"Dipper."
Startled, Dipper shrank back. He relaxed when he realized it was just Alex. Apparently they were done discussing their course of action. Dipper wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, but it became apparent when Alex gestured for Dipper to follow him.
They emerged into an empty field. Dipper couldn't see anything in any direction. He frowned, confused.
"Why do you have a zeta tube here? There isn't anything here." Alex asked, apparently thinking the same thing. Nightwing and Aqualad exchanged a look.
"There used to be." Nightwing said quietly. He didn't seem inclined to explain further.
"Welp!" Danny said cheerfully. "That was ominous. Anyway, where's this big energy source? I wanna poke it!"
"Oh! So forward! Well, I suppose I wouldn't be completely opposed."
The entire group flinched at the unexpected voice. Even Danny looked surprised.
Dipper paled rapidly. No, it couldn't be. She couldn't be here, please.
"Show yourself." Aqualad yelled, pulling out his water bearers. Nightwing and Robin followed his lead, getting into offensive positions.
"Aw. You guys are so cute, thinking you can threaten me. But, I did come here to talk, so why not?"
Dipper covered his ears, trying to block out the voice. Maybe if he couldn't hear it, it would go away. He felt a bright light shine on his closed eyelids. He hadn't even realised that he had closed his eyes until that moment. Still, now that he thought about it, it seemed like a good idea. See no evil, hear no evil…
"Come on bro bro. Haven't you missed me?"
Dipper gasped, his eyes flying open in shock. The voice had sounded inside his head, bypassing his ears entirely. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he finally saw the source of energy signal.
His sister.
Time hadn't been good to her. She was pale, practically white. Dipper could see her veins running through her body, glowing gold with pure magic. She was much taller now, taller than he was, but it looked strange, unnatural. It was as if her body had been twisted by the sheer power contained within it, trying to escape itself in a self defeating cycle of pain. Her hair was long and tangled, constantly blowing in some unseen wind. Despite her growth, she was still wearing her old sweater, the one with the shooting star on it. It was dirty, unraveling in places, but still recognizable.
Still his sister.
"Pinetree!" She said with a manic grin. Her eyes were solid gold. "I've missed you!"
Dipper swallowed, trying to keep down bile. The last time he had seen his sister, she had been spiralling, but she had still looked human at least. This… thing wearing his sister's skin was not her. It wasn't the girl he had grown up with.
"Leave him alone." Alex growled, stepping in front of Dipper. "Explain yourself. What are you doing here?"
The girl huffed.
"I just wanted to see my little brother again," she whined, crossing her arms. The grin returned abruptly and she began to laugh. "Ha! Little! Pinetree really is little now, isn't he? I guess I really was the alpha twin in the end!"
She stifled her giggles, covering her mouth with her hands. She got a mischievous look on her face.
"Of course, that's not the only thing I ended up being better at."
She winked at Dipper. "How's the magic going bro bro? Good to see that you're still standing. I always knew that we were better than those fakes."
Dipper felt a flash of anger go through him. He shoved his way best Alex, ignoring his friend's attempts to stop him.
"How dare you." He hissed, clenching his hands into fists. "How dare you talk about them that way?"
The girl shrugged, looking unconcerned. "They were weak."
"They were our friends." Dipper's eyes stung as he tried to hold back his tears. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
The girl seemed to think about it.
"Nope!" She said with a grin. Dipper felt a part of him that he hadn't even realised he had shatter. Despite everything his sister had done, despite all the pain and suffering she had caused, he had always hoped that she could be saved. That his best friend was still in there somewhere. That hope was gone now.
Dipper's face smoothed out, his tears gone. This wasn't his sister. This was a monster, and he would treat it as such.
"What do you want Shooting Star?"
Alex shot him a concerned look. His voice had flattened out, all emotion gone. Shooting Star noticed the change as well.
"Aw, don't be like that Pinetree," she pouted. "It's nothing personal. I mean, if they hadn't insisted on sticking their nose into things that didn't concern them, I would have left them alone. But they just had to go and threaten my boyfriend!"
Dipper felt cold. No. No, stop it, don't say it.
"Boyfriend?" That was Danny. Shooting Star grinned at him.
"Bill of course! I miss him so much. I haven't seen him since the army dragged us out of his paradise. I wish I could go back, I really do, but then I'd be stuck too. Bill told me to go so I could find a way to break him out, and I will! Nothing can keep us apart!"
The words were reaching Dipper through a veil of static. With each word out of Shooting Star's mouth, his carefully crafted story was falling apart. Lies that he had told for years were unravelling.
"Bill… told you to go?" Nightwing straightened slightly, falling out of his ready stance in his surprise. He glanced at Dipper, confusion written all over his features. "But… that doesn't make sense. You went insane in the government lab. Why would you…"
"Oh, is that what my dear brother told you?" Shooting Star said. Her smile was so wide it looked like her face was splitting in half. "That's so sweet! You can tell he's a good brother because he's trying to protect my reputation."
Alex looked shattered. He stared at Dipper with wide eyes. Dipper refused to meet his gaze, focussing on the creature in front of him.
"What. Do. You. Want?" He spat out, ignoring his friends questioning looks.
Shooting Star tsked.
"So impatient." She said, shaking a finger at him. "This is why you never had any friends when we were growing up. All work and no play. Don't you want to catch up with your twin sister?"
Dipper refused to respond, only glaring. After a long moment, Shooting Star sighed.
"Oh alright. I need your help."
Dipper blinked. He… hadn't been expecting that.
"I've been trying to get Bill out for years now," she continued, not noticing the look of dawning horror on Dipper's face, "but nothing's worked! I mean, even when I got rid of the other Cypher members, the extra magic wasn't enough. I can't break through the barrier, no matter what I try."
Shooting Star focussed in on Dipper again, her eyes shining madly.
"But together! Together, we wield the full might of the Cypher Wheel! We could do it! We could let Bill out! We would take over the entire world, spread Bill's paradise to whole universe! Bill would welcome you back, I know it! He was always talking about you, you know. I let him use my body, but it was never enough for him. He wants you. It's always been you."
Dipper swayed slightly on his feet. Bill wanted him? He remembered what it was like to have Bill inside him. He would never let that happen again.
Shooting Star held out a hand to him. It caught on fire with that familiar blue light, so much like Bill that it hurt. She smiled at Dipper, not one of her crazed smiles, but one that reminded him of better days.
"What do you say bro bro? Mystery twins?"
Dipper stared at her hand for a long moment. Slowly, he shook his head.
Shooting Star's face twisted.
"You would betray your sister?" She asked in a harsh voice, the flames around her hand burning brighter.
Dipper took a step back.
"My sister died a long time ago." He whispered.
Shooting Star froze. Her hair stopped waving and the flames around her hand stopped flickering. She looked like a photograph of herself, completely still.
"I see."
She slowly started moving again. The wind in her hair started up, gentle at first but building in speed, getting harsher and harsher until it looked like she was standing in the middle of a storm. The flames around her hand traveled up her arm and covered her entire body, turning red.
"If that's how you really feel." Her voice started to distort, becoming a deep roar. "Then I guess I'll just have to TAKE IT!"
Dipper barely moved fast enough. On Shooting Star's last word, a wave of pure force slammed into their group. Dipper erected a shield just before the force hit, pouring everything he had into it. Even so, he was pushed back several feet by the initial blow.
"REaLlY?" Shooting Star's voice was inhuman, a twisting shriek. "YoU stIlL WoN'T uSe iT? ThOsE LiTtLe TriCks wOn'T StOP mE!"
Dipper cried out as the magic attacking them got even stronger. He felt blood begin to drip from his nose. She was right. He couldn't hold her using the magic his uncles had taught him. But he couldn't use the magic of the Cypher Wheel. He couldn't. He wouldn't.
"Dipper!"
Dipper barely heard the voice over the roar of magic. He turned to see Alex staring at him.
"It's okay. You can do this."
Dipper couldn't hear the words, but he could tell what Alex was saying. Dipper felt a tear go down his cheek. He had lied to Alex. He had lied about his sister, about Bill, about the events that had led to Gravity Fall's destruction, but Alex still believed in him.
Magic burst out of him without his conscious thought. It slammed through Shooting Star's, blasting her away. She went flying, landing several meters away and rolling a few more feet before finally stopping.
Dipper staggered and fell, shaking violently. He shuddered, trying desperately to reign his magic in. It swirled around him, aching to lash out, to destroy, but he refused to let that happen. He realized the wild magic in bit by bit, ignoring the painful burning that filled his body as he fought with a power too great for him to ever fully control.
Laughter distracted him from his task. He looked up to see Shooting Star sitting up, laughing the entire time. The red flames had faded, leaving her looking almost normal in comparison.
"Yes!" She gasped through her laughter. "Oh yes! That was beautiful Pinetree. You used it! You really used it! And so much too! Maybe you really are better at magic than me!"
She stood up, clearly unsteady. Dipper felt his stomach twist looking at her. She had blood dripping down her forehead from a cut. One of her arms was limp, clearly broken from the fall. She limped heavily when she walked toward him. Despite all that, her smile never wavered.
"I knew you had it in you Pinetree!" She said with a beaming smile. She paused a few feet away, suddenly noticing her sorry state.
"Aw man. I can't fight you right now. I'm all broken."
She brightened quickly.
"But don't worry! I'll be back bro bro. And next time, I won't underestimate you! We'll see who's really better at magic!"
Before any of them could react, Shooting Star was gone. Dipper stared at the spot where she had been, his mind empty. A sudden surge of magic brought him back to the present and he stamped the power down fiercely. More blood poured from his nose, and he was pretty sure his ears were bleeding as well, but he finally managed to wrangle his magic back into a semi-stable state.
"Are you okay?"
Dipper smiled weakly at Alex. He was sure it wasn't very reassuring, what with all the blood on his face, but oh well. It was the best he could do at the moment.
Alex hesitated, looking torn.
"Dipper… some of the things she said… were they true?"
Dipper sucked in a sharp breath. He had almost forgotten about that. He wanted to deny it, to say that she had been lying, but he couldn't. His friends didn't deserve that.
He took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts. Finally, he began to speak.
"Guys. There's something I need to tell you."
AN: AHAHAHAH! CLIFF HANGER! YEAH!
Idk, maybe ending on a cliff hanger will get me to update sooner next time. Who knows?
Well there you have it. Crazy Mabel, the villain of our story. I hope she seemed crazy enough to you guys! Next time we get the real story of what happened to her, along with the rest of the town! So get hyped! It should be fun.
Anyway, bye bye for now! Love y'all!
