Oh. My. Gosh. OHMIGOSH! My comets, we have hit, I repeat, we have hit OVER 20 REVIEWS! OHMIGOSHOHMIGOSHOHMIGOSH! Thank you so much comets! You have no idea how much this means to me. And on top of that, the 20th review coincided with the 10th chapter! HOW COOL IS THAT?! In honor of this groundbreaking achievement (at least for me) I will create a bit of a backstory for Mr. Stanford and you will get a HUGE hint for a certain lineage… I will not names names (but you'll all see)
Dipper: First, there are the reviews
Well duh, I was gonna get to that! What do you think I am, some kind of clutz who would forget to post if it weren't for her sister bugging her all the time about it?
All muses:... *cricket noises*
Don't answer that. Now gimme! *sticks out arm and takes list* ahem.
EMObillcipher89: I like this…
I knew Birch was ***** I could tell by his fake name. In a chose your own venture book (A/N those things are BOSS!), the AXOLOTL said a poam and one of the lines said something about birch trees...
Looking forword for the chapter…
Classic *****... I should've known he was tricking us. I saw a meme where Mabel and Dipper was using Bill as a pinana. The perfect punishment…*evil smirk* *pulls out a baseball bat*
Anyways, until next time!
-(Former)EMObillcipher89 (I try to label my reveiws, but fanfiction just changes to guest.)
P.S. don't buy gold. It's a waste of time and money. Look up that username, my account still exists!
Phew! That was long. Wait… YOU'RE NIKKI FANG?! I love you so much! That was an excellent punch. Seriously. I really hope that Fantasy Fan 833 reads this, just because I want to see what one of my fav authors thinks of my writing. Anyways, like I tell everyone else, PLEASE DON'T USE THAT NAME IN YOUR REVIEWS! There might be (I seriously doubt it, but I'm doing this just in case) some people who don't know who Birch is. Besides, I have to tell you guys that he's Not What He Seems… sort of. (hope you like that little reference) And I think that Bill being a piñata… Onwards!
EMObillcipher89 (Part Deux): I just read your profile...I found that you like Ninjago...HOLY ****! (A/N please don't use curse words, they burn my soul)
I'm so happy! I'm a HUGE fan of it too. But don't be emmbarrised about it...just remember your bullying statement. There are people in collage who love Ninjago, too…
Anyways, i'm liking this…(at least Tad isn't telling her to kill Bill…) I always thought that Pyronica was Bill's exe…
Meh...i'm bored…
Bye…
-(Former)EMObillcipher89
Oh my gosh, that's so sweet! I do NOT endorse bullying, stand up for others comets! Okay, you are a pretty bright comet for your excitement, so I will overlook the curse word… for now… Also, if you're bored, check out my other stories. They're pretty good (that's just me) but please don't read I Feel Like A Monster, it's badly written and I'm working on making it better… pretty much failing so if any of you comets want to adopt it, go right ahead. Well, not that last bit connecting the story to Portal Madness, just because that's my series. Continuing on.
JokersDaughterOfChaos: I love this story! Keep up the good work!
Oh, thank you so much! It warms my heart that you were able to take the time to write a review. And I will try my darndest to continue writing this story!
Evermore101: Cool! I've never read a fic that involved Tad making a bet. Please post more! Will she win the bet? Or lose? What will the favor be? I have so many questions!
Whoah nelly, slow down my curious friend! I can't tell you the information on public space, but I can PM you, so be prepared for a message soon.
Nightfall100: So, I read the name Birch Elpil.
I stare at it for a few seconds.
I rearrange the letters.
*slowly closes computer*
Tee hee hee! You didn't write the name! Yay! Okay, that review made me smile, I almost laughed out loud, but I didn't due to the fact that I was in class when I wrote this (I do have class, but I feel an obligation to write this you crazy cooks!)
Nightfall100: Wait, Tad Strange!
(I thought he was normal. I guess his name suits him now)
I absolutely LOVE dream chapters.
(is this a reverse cipher thing? I mean, he is a shape, with a hat, and a stick-like thing. what's it called?)
next. chapter. NOW! (please)
Okay, first off, there's a weird theory out there that Tad Strange is actually a dream demon (maybe Bill's brother as he said that his brother was a real SQUARE). I have chosen to take a spin off of that idea. Don't look at me like that, its perfectly legal (in the realm of fanfiction tee hee). Second off, I like drea chapters too, anything can happen and because its only a dream, nothing in the canon realm is really messed up. Third off, Tad is NOT a reverse Cipher thing… its a special thing that will be revealed after a certain talisman is found (won't come in until at least next chapter though), and that stick-like thing is called a cane, but Tad has an umbrella (look him up comets, it'll make your lives a whole lot easier). Fourth off, this is the next chapter, so no need to be pushy.
All righty then, I think that's it.
Mabel: So are you going to introduce her now?
-_-' What did I tell you about spoilers? Now I can't bring her in, they'll be expecting it.
Dipper: Um, but isn't that the point? It'll give them a chance to prepare.
… You have a point… but no, I have to confirm the design with the real person to make sure she doesn't hate me.
I opened my eyes to Dipper's smile right next to my face, a slight swish of his breath tickling my face and tufts of brown hair falling into his. I smiled softly and looked around, the grass below was bouncy and fresh, the flowers barely opening and wearing dewdrop hair snoods, the trees rustling in the slight autumn wind. I closed my eyes and leaned into Dipper, a sigh teasing at my lips and my heart fluttering in excitement.
Dipper shifted, allowing me to lay my head on his chest, and allowing me to listen to the wind; do not forget our bet. I looked up and nodded, the dream of the previous night flooding my mind and pouring adrenaline into my body.
Well great, I thought as I shifted again to look to the side, now I won't get back to sleep. As I thought this, the gray light of the almost-morning was penetrated by the light of the sun. I blinked as golden-pink coloring seeped into the sky to push away the gloom of pre-dawn and the last remaining stars in the sky. I looked back up to Dipper to meet his mocha eyes in surprise, I guess it doesn't matter now.
Dipper smiled at me, "Good morning."
I smiled back, "Same to you."
Dipper stretched, "Alright, we should probably get back before someone notices that we were gone, don't want Mabel going crazy."
I chuckled, "Yeah, who knows what that girl would do. I just hope Stan doesn't freak out once he realizes we're both out at the same time when we could have been working at the shack."
Dipper stood up and held out his hand, teeth shining in a smile and eyes glittering with mischief, "I wonder what would happen if we played a prank on Grunkle Stan."
I shook my head as I took his hand and pulled myself up, "He'd probably stick us with bathroom cleanup duty, we probably shouldn't… but it would be so fun!" I was about to say more but caught Dipper's horrified expression and whipped around. I held in a scream of terror as I realized that just above where our heads had previously been was a large stone triangle with a glowing golden crack down it and a hand sticking out towards us, almost as though reaching to pull us into whatever dark cesspool it came from.
I backed up a step, "What. The heck. Is that?!"
Dipper tensed, "Bill."
I looked back at him, "I thought he was gone, this does not look like he's gone!"
Dipper looked around and grabbed my wrist, "C'mon, we've got to tell Ford." As Dipper pulled me away from the clearing, I remembered something.
"Hold on a sec, I have to put something back!" I slipped my hand out of his and ran back to the clearing, sliding my hand into my pocket and coming back out with the ring. With jolts of fear coursing through me, I moved slowly towards the statue and laid the ring back down in front of it.
"Sorry about that, this is probably yours." As I set it down, the feeling of warm breath spread across my neck, raising the hair along it and making me release a small "eep". I whipped around to find no one there and raced out of the clearing to meet Dipper who was looking at me like I was insane. I grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the quickly darkening place, calming down with every step I took.
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~v~
When we reached the shack, Mabel, Stan, and Ford were already awake and cooking pancakes.
"Hey Arylia, hey Dip Dop! Where were you? You almost missed Stancakes!"
My eyes were wide as I shut the door with a slam, "Uh, Great Uncle Ford? We need to talk." Dipper's voice broke and I turned to look at him. His hair was tousled by the wind from rushing through the woods, a couple pine needles were stuck in his clothes, and his eyes were wide with terror.
What's he so scared of? I thought as Ford looked up from his coffee.
"What is it Dipper? Did something happen?" I closed my eyes at the barrage of questions directed at Dipper and walked over to sit at the table.
Mabel looked at me with worry, "Hey, you okay Ary?"
I looked up at her, "Uh, not really. Dipper and I were out at this clearing and there was this stone triangle thing at one of the edges, really creepy, and Dipper freaked out so we left." I cringed inside, not wanting to tell her about us sleeping out there. Stan did a spit take and Mabel's jaw dropped, "What? Okay, I know it's Bill's statue, but is it really that bad?"
"It is." I turned around to look at Ford who had a mask of worry on his face. "Arylia, Dipper, could you come down to my office please?" I bit my lip and nodded, getting up to follow the man.
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~v~
As we reached the room below the shack, Ford turned around and rubbed his forehead, "Alright, out with it. What happened, and I don't mean the version that has been censored. Arylia, I assume you're the one behind this. Tell me what on earth possessed you to bring Dipper to the clearing that has been holding Bill's shell."
Dipper and I looked at eachother and back at Ford, "Um, well… I finished my homework and was just sitting in my room…
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~v~
I sat in my room, exhaustion from my math and the work of the day finally setting in. I laid my head down and closed my eyes, ready to fall asleep, but something felt off. I opened my eyes to see the world in tones of green and a note on my bedside, so I read it.
Hi, this is your subconscious speaking.
Because you are way too adamant about
keeping your emotions on lockdown, I have
opted to give you this message in the hopes
that you won't be stupid anymore. Bring
the boy to the clearing, you know who I'm talking
about. Trust me, you won't regret it. One
more thing, don't put on anymore jewelry
but your conscious mind already figured
that out. Good luck!
I blinked and let out a low whistle, then looked around a bit more. The room seemed all the same as it was in reality, albeit all in green, except for a diamond in the window that was shifting colors in a mélange of silver, white, blue, and black. I walked over to the glass and peered at the shape, biting my lip in concentration. Suddenly, the center of the diamond opened into an eye and I screamed.
I had sat up, gasping without breath and shaking with fear. For some reason, the diamond's eye instilled fear in my heart and my body was shot through with adrenaline ice. As I sat there, catching my breath, I thought about the note my subconscious had left me. What is she, erm, am I talking about? I thought as I pulled my knees up to my chest. I closed my eyes and huffed, I hated cryptic messages, and now that I was giving them to myself I was frustrated to the point of screaming.
I looked over at the window, diamondless once again, and I bit my lip. Why do I do this to myself? I shifted a bit, causing pins and needles to strike my side and eliciting a hiss from my mouth. I cringed and looked out the window at the pine forest in the sunset, the dark trees stained with a bleeding light. I gasped as I realized what my dream had meant, and jumping up and switching out my pj's for my clothes of the day I prepared for my trip.
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~v~
By the time I finished with the beginning, Ford had gone a full shade paler than he had been before.
Dipper furrowed his brow in concern, "Um, Great Uncle Ford? Are you okay?"
Ford blinked and nodded, "Yes, yes, continue please."
I blushed a bit and nodded, "Well, I ran up to Dipper's room and woke him up, then I took him to this clearing Birch had shown me. We stayed there for a while and fell asleep, we woke up, saw that statue of Bill, I put a ring Birch had found there the other night back on the ground, and we got the heck out of there." Now Ford was almost as white as the sheets on the walls, "Um, are you sure you're okay? You're really pale."
Ford rubbed his hand over his face and started pacing, "The coloring of the dream that set you on this path means either one of two things; that you have an ability to dreamwalk, or that you were visited by an angel named Jace Viridis."
Dipper cocked an eyebrow, "What?"
Ford looked at a machine behind him, "I suppose it would be easiest to show you the memory, I've gotten the machine back up and running after our little… incident last year Dipper."
I turned to look at Dipper in shock, bubbles of excitement popping to see him blushing in embarrassment, "I said I was sorry."
Ford laughed, "I know Dipper, I was only teasing. Now, could you two help me? Unfortunately, the lever had to be turned into a dead-man's switch, so one of you is going to have to hold it. Any takers?"
I rolled my eyes, "Sure, why not." I walked over to the lever in question as Ford put on what appeared to be some kind of colander hat and pushed a button in the back, causing six ribcage-like metal bars to encircle his head. When he nodded, I pushed down on the lever and the screens turned on to show Ford stepping out of a glowing, blue, circular hole.
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~v~
Ford looked around as he exited the portal, disappointment piercing his heart when he realized that he wasn't back in Gravity Falls. Everything was a dark wasteland, black rocks poking out of a bleak landscape of gray-brown earth and orange-hot lava. Sharp pricks of worry began tapping him all over as he noticed the tavern-like building nearby, just far enough away from the lava river so as not to burn down. He shuddered and looked around, annoyance at the portal gun's inaccuracy seeping into his being.
Ford took a deep breath to calm himself and almost threw up at the stench of sulfur and brimstone around him. He quickly pulled up his mask to cover his mouth and nose, breathing easier once they started the air filtration process. Ford started walking towards the building despite his wariness, knowing full well that it was unlikely that he would find who he was looking for in there.
As Ford opened the door, lightning bolts of adrenaline coursed through him as he realized that there were two-dimensional demons sitting, floating, and fighting all around the room. As he backed out the door, something slammed into him from behind and he fell prone on the ground.
"Well, well, well. Look what we got here boys! It's a fleshbag!" Ford rolled over, stifling a groan, and stared up at a navy blue hexagon with an eye in the center of it. Its head held an ascot cap, just barely darker than its skin, and it held a cigar in its hand.
Ford gritted his teeth and stood up, "Excuse me."
The demon laughed, "Where are you going Fleshbag? I didn't even get to slip in for a moment."
Ford let out a dead laugh, "And you aren't going to."
The demon looked at Ford for a moment, "We'll see about that." With that, the demon began glowing a deep blue and the other demons in the room backed up. Ford gritted his teeth, this demon must have been powerful to have been feared by a roomful of other demons. He looked the hexagon over; it was an isosceles, convex hexagon, so it was a mind demon. The fact that it was wearing a hat and was carrying an item added on the fact that it was very powerful, but Ford let out a sigh of relief as he noticed small nebulas of black along the demon's body. With a flash of blue light, Ford and the demon were both thrown in opposite directions, Ford to the bar where he knocked over several glasses and the demon onto a stage where instruments banged and clashed to the ground.
Ford sat up with a groan, "Ow." As Ford made his way to the open door, it slammed shut and clicked.
"What did you do?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Ford turned around to see the hexagon rising from the ground with gray flames licking his hands.
Ford smirked and banged on his head, "I had a metal plate implanted."
The demon just floated there for a second, "AHAHAHAHAHA! What'd you do that for? It's not like you-" The demon cut itself off as it narrowed its eye and looked at Ford's hands. "Wait a sec… you're Sixer!"
Ford's face twisted into a snarl, "How do you know that name?"
The hexagon laughed, "How do I know it? I worked for Bill for a few years, got kicked out because Pyronica and I got a little heated." The demon narrowed its eye and if it could, Ford swore it would have been smiling, "I bet if I take you in he'll take me back." Ford's eyes widened and he backed up slowly, subtley checking his portal gun for recharge time. Five minutes. Ford looked back up at the hexagon who had calmed down and was flying over to Ford.
"C'mon Sixer." Ford was back at the bar and the hexagon was almost directly in front of him when a flash of emerald light eliminated his vision. When he could finally see again, a man with green tipped black hair was standing in front of him. The man was wearing a pale green robe and sandals, and behind him were five-foot long, lime green wings extended to their full capacity. The demons in the room all backed away with a gasp, all except for the hexagon.
"Hey! What are you doing here? This is an angel free zone!" Ford looked from the hexagon back to the man whose forest green eyes sparkled with kindness and joy.
The angel turned to the demon and snarled, "This is my guardian charge, I assume you know what that means."
The hexagon looked puzzled and the angel rolled its eyes, "Of course not, you wouldn't know about that. If my guardian charge is in danger, I am permitted to go wherever, whenever, to do whatever is needed to bring him to safety. Since I am feeling generous, I will not decimate this entire building and all of you in it, but I will take my charge out." The angel turned back to Ford and was about to speak to him when a bolt of gray flames hit the angel in the back. Ford's eyes widened and he looked back to the hexagon in surprise. Everything seemed to freeze, then all the demons clapped their hands or snapped or whistled or clicked or hummed their way out of the building, all except for the hexagon.
The angel chuckled, "You shouldn't have done that." Ford blinked as the angel placed a finger on his head and he was transported to a strange place colored only in shades of green. He looked around to see earth, flowers, trees, and bushes around him, as well as a small spring near the edge. The place was about the size of a football field, and it was silent aside from the bubbling of the brook. As Ford walked around, he felt much calmer and he lowered his mask. When he breathed in, the fresh air seemed to heal every ache and pain in his body and Ford smiled. With another flash of green light, the angel appeared before Ford.
"I'm sorry if the magic startled you, I sent you to my garden in order to keep you safe from the destruction I was about to wreak."
Ford narrowed his eyes, "Who are you."
The angel smiled, "I am Jace Viribus, your guardian angel. I sincerely hope you do not plan on going back in there, why did you enter that tavern anyway?"
Ford looked away at a small patch of flowers, "That's none of your business."
Jace sighed, "I know you are looking for her, but she certainly was not in that place, so why did you put yourself in unnecessary danger?"
Ford looked back up at Jace with tears in his eyes, "Because I had to see. I've been looking for over a year and I still haven't found her." Jace closed his eyes and began to murmur, "What are you doing?" Jace opened his eyes and a green glow shone onto the grass, showing the image of a woman and two children, one a boy and the other a girl, both with six fingers and all with grime on their clothes.
"They are who you are looking for, yes?" Ford's eyes widened and he could only nod.
Jace closed his eyes and the image winked out, "Don't worry, you'll find them. I cannot take you directly to them, but I can tell you where you will meet them again. If you find Diamond Pine, they will lead you to them. I know not when this shall be, but I know that it will come to pass… only after your heart turns to gold." Ford cocked an eyebrow but said nothing, "When you find Diamonds, tell her that I trust Tad, and that she should as well, if only for her lineage. Farewell Stanford Pines, we shall meet again."
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~v~
I smiled as the images on the screen went black, hiding the shock and worry that was coursing through me from his message, "He seems like a cool guy."
Ford nodded, "He was, but the fact that he may have visited you disturbs me. If I remember correctly, angels only visit those who are their kin or are their guardian charges, and angels each have only one guardian charge."
Dipper blinked, "So that means…"
Ford sighed, "Yes. Arylia, I sincerely hope you have the power to dreamwalk, or you are in more danger than you could ever fathom."
Oooh, I'm getting chills! I told you comets there would be something about lineage in this chapter, so don't call me a liar. So do you all think this is a good chapter?
All muses: *Huddle in corner*
*cocks eyebrow* Okay, sheesh, I know it wasn't my best work, but still!
Dipper: *points behind Arylia*
*turns around* SWEET MOTHER OF SARSAPARILLA! *runs away*
Bill: *crawls out of hidey-hole* Uh, don't forget to FFR (FollowFavoriteReview).
Stan: Okay, that's it. I'm out. *runs away in opposite direction*
Dipper: Hey guys? If she dies, what happens to us?
All muses:... SAVE HER!
Mabel: I don't think she'll escape for a while. Ciao for now!