Well, this is the part of the story I'm least certain of going forwards. It means there will be somewhat less Filler with them not really working towards a goal, however it also means time will change speeds randomly. Up until now I've been keeping things within the summer, now however I need to age characters up for the story to work, so, that means there are going to be larger time gaps with little information given in that region.
But whatever. This chapter is marking not just the End of Summer, but I'd say the end of Childhood entirely for Mabel and Dipper. This is where the world gets truly dangerous, and things around them truly begin to twist. Also their world loses its sense of modern civilization, as things begin to go back to an era of chaos.
It's always helpful when you guys review, so please do that.
Twilight Falls:
The last month had been passed in anticipation, Pacifica and Dipper had gone on some adventures, they'd even fought a Lake Monster with Mabel. However nothing else had happened. Nothing more had appeared, the entire time felt slow. Especially for Dipper who spent the first week waiting for his leg to heal from the gunshot. When he was able to walk again he instantly spent that time trying to look for a Cure, for a way to break the Curse around Gravity Falls. He found none of course, his quest seemed at this point in vain.
Melody had returned, and the moment had been a bright one for everybody. Despite the Curse she had chosen to stay with Soos and had fully embraced the fact of the matter. Their wedding was quiet, a small service. Nothing fancy or large, just friends and family were there, which with Soos actually was a few people. The moment was a joyful part of an otherwise bleak summer.
As the last week of Summer fell Dipper and Mabel had been forced to call their parents, they hadn't explained the situation, instead they had simply called them and asked them to come to Gravity Falls, they figured it would need to be explained in person. Their parents arrived on the last day, the Day of Mabel and Dipper's Birthday.
Mabel, ever cheerful even in the face of an eternity in a lake or fish tank had been planning out the party, seeing as they were going into High School she was trying to make it big, inviting all her friends, and she figured that this time everybody, excluding her Gruncles could make it. There was hope in her actions, it actually helped Dipper, because they all needed hope, hope for a cure, hope for a future beyond Gravity Falls.
Hope is not a solid thing to stand on, sometimes it gives way beneath you. It is like sand, easy to shape, but also easy to wash away. Relying on hope alone brings only deep despair. It is unwise, and self-destructive.
This is why things shattered so badly, why the future broke, and why most of those involved went insane, or ran away. It is why the world was torn apart, why the heroes fell, and the villains rose. It is what twisted the sky and killed the stars. So, let it be told from the important part, the Last Day of Summer. The Morning, the day before the Wall rises. That is where they were when it began.
Across the world, far from their Great Niece and Nephew, two old men sailed upon a ship titled The Stan O' War II, "Are you sure this is where the anomaly is coming from? I don't see any signs of mystical interference here.
"I can read a map Pointdexter. Anyway how do you know that this whatsit isn't invisible." Stan replied to his twin brothers remark.
Ford sighed looking around, "I'm beginning to think that the anomaly wouldn't even need to be invisible with this mist rolling in."
"Eh, it's just mist whats the harm in some Mist." Stan said looking around.
"I'm not so sure, this mist could be some sort of Cover for this anomaly, or it could be the anomaly itself. Whatever it is, I suggest we move out of it as fast as we can." Ford said, looking out at the now thick mist hanging in the air around them.
"One problem with that Pointdexter, which way is out?" Stan said looking around.
"Oh, well then, I suppose the best choice is to go forwards." Ford said, noticing for the first time how thick the mist around them truly was, making it almost impossible to see.
The boat moved slowly through the mists, cautiously across the waters, which became colder by the second, the water lapped against the boat. And silence hung in the air. Not true silence, it was not soundless, it was the sort of silent that truly exists, the low audio of wind and water dancing across the world, the distant calling of birds, and dancing of fish. That is the silence that danced around the boat, the wordless hanging silence, the silence of the world.
Dipper paced nervously across the ground, scanning the distance for a car, he continued to whisper to himself, speaking in a hushed tone as he walked across the ground, "Where are they? They should be here. Why aren't they here?"
"Calm Down Bro-Bro, they're probably just running a little late, your panicking too much." Mabel said swishing around in her fish tank.
"Yep, right, I'm being paranoid, they'll be here in a couple of minutes, but what if they're not. What if they don't make it before the spell goes up? What if we never see them again? What if they crashed? What if a monster killed them, all of these are possibilities, why aren't you worried." Dipper said, looking at Mabel.
"I'm just hopeful Dipper, I know they'll show up they always do. Anyway there's no way a monster attacked them." Mabel said smiling.
"Sure, your right, but I want to check, maybe I can get further up the road through the woods, that seems reasonable right? I just want to make sure they're here, I can come back the moment I spot them." Dipper said, before Mabel could respond Dipper rushed off into the woods. Pacifica emerged from the shack a minute or two later, she looked at Mabel and then at the quickly disappearing Dipper.
"Should I go get him?" Pacifica asked looking to Mabel for an answer.
"Probably, he's panicking about our parents, he's worried about them." Mabel said.
"That's got to be great, having parents you worry about, and who worry about you in return." Pacifica said, her smile was bitter and sad.
"Paz, you've got us, isn't that enough?" Mabel asked.
"I'm going to save you from my opinions on that by rushing off to find your dorky brother." Pacifica said moving across the forest after Dipper's tracks.
Wendy was curled up in a ball in the forest. It had been the Full Moon the night before, she had been terrified when she awoke. She always was, and when she saw them all she felt was pain. She had broken something, and she would break everything if she didn't leave, if she didn't run. She didn't want to hurt anyone, or break anything, all she wanted was to be normal again. But Hope was lost, it lay in the clutches of a monster, and Wendy highly doubted she would get anything from that particular monster.
There was no hope. Only Despair. Only Pain. Only Fear. The light died. The sun was crushed under the weight of the darkness pushed beyond the horizon. All was lost.
Dipper raced across the forest, reaching the edge of Gravity Falls he saw it, a single car, a car he recognized, his family car, it was broken down at a weird angle, ignoring his safety he rushed towards it, and he broke. Every part of his heart shattered, all the hope that seeing his family car had given him was gone. The window was shattered, his parents lay broken, bleeding out and dead. They looked cold and pale, lost, not peaceful though, tired, so very tired. As if all they wanted was to sleep. They lay there quietly, and the world was broken.
It was not silent. The sky did not tear itself open, the forest did not blaze around Dipper. That is why it was so awful. To know that his parents had died and the world didn't care, that was the greatest cruelty of the world. It had broken him, and it did not even pause, it would be better if it had taunted him, laughed at him as he stood there shocked, as he felt the tears role down his face. As he heard a voice calling his name, but nothing happened. Then he saw it, carved crudely into the metal of the car, a Willow Tree in a circle, the marks were like claws as if some creature or monster had drawn the mark on. Dipper looked to see who called his name.
"Dipper, we need to go, I'm sorry, and I can't possibly understand, but we need to be back at the shack, we need to tell Soos, and your sister, and then we can give them a funeral. Come on Dipper." Pacifica said, her voice was trying to be gentle, but Dipper's mind could not understand the words.
As she spoke he stood there wide eyed, lost, and then he ran, ran as fast as he could, away, away from the world around him, fleeing everything that had broken, fleeing the crashing weight of failure, because deep in his heart Dipper knew it was his fault, everything was his fault, the world was broken because of him, and he could do nothing. So he ran, he ran as fast as he could, disappearing into the forest, Pacifica tried to follow but failed as he ran, wild, and broken away from her. Leaving Pacifica standing alone at the edge of the road.
Wendy looked up at the new figure, whose eyes were everchanging, who was like sunlight intangible, and beautiful. The figure smiled, her gentle yet cruel smile as she looked at Wendy.
"Hello Ice." Willow said calmly, her melodic voice dancing across each syllable.
"YOU!" Wendy moved her hands tightening around Willow's throat, but she was thrown back, sent flying by the waving of Willow's hand. Willow simply smiled at Wendy, her eyes flashing as she moved.
"Ice, I've come to offer you an escape." Willow said calmly.
"An escape? What do you mean?" Wendy said snarling at the woman.
"A way out. A way to free yourself from the curse of the Full Moon."
"And you can do that?"
"I can, but not in the way you think. There is a long and winding road you can take, it would take years, and it would bring pain, and death, but it would save you Wendy. It would help save everybody. It is however your choice." Willow spoke with her smile in place, but the cruelty faded from it, now it was gentle, and persuasive.
"Explain Quickly."
Mabel sat in her bubble, swimming around excitedly, waiting for her brother, but Pacifica emerged without him, her eyes flashed with a hint of tears, but her face was straight, and she was composed. She sighed when she saw Mabel, a look of deep regret in her eyes, then fear. Mabel was tired of waiting so she spoke, "Where's Dipper?"
"He ran. I'm sorry Mabel, but he ran. I'm apparently the barer of bad news today. There was a car, it was broken and, I think it was your parents, from Dipper's reaction I'm almost certain, and I'm sorry, and I can't understand this, but... I'm not good at this, and I wish I knew where Dipper was because he probably needs you as much as you need him." Pacifica said, and she spoke the truth.
"No. No, Dipper will be back, he's my Brother, he'd never just leave me, He'll be back, I'm certain he will. Everything will be okay soon." Mabel said rocking back at forth inside her bubble.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure if he is. I'm so sorry Mabel, I really am, but I think Dipper's broken, I saw it in his eyes the anger and fear, and I'm sorry." Pacifica said.
Mabel frowned shaking her head, swimming around her Fishtank. She sat there for hours waiting for Dipper, waiting for him on the day they turned fourteen, waiting alone at her own Birthday Party, waiting for a brother who never came back, for a brother who she lost forever and she cried, because she was alone, she was abandoned by someone who promised to always be there for her, and it broke her, because nothing could heal her then.
Dipper sat alone, he was alone now. He had to be, because it was all his fault, he had brought the curse down on them, he had broken their futures, he had caused his parents death, so he needed to be alone, because Gideon was right when he accused Dipper of causing all the towns problems, Dipper did cause all their problems, he broke his world, he was responsible for everything, and Gravity Falls was better off without him, especially Mabel.
Mabel would be fine, Dipper convinced himself, she had friends, she had Wendy and Pacifica, and everybody else, and she was always the hopeful one, the strong one, without him she would prosper, and Dipper would have all the time he needed to focus on finding a cure, because that was his job, his purpose, and he couldn't fail like he had that summer. He couldn't give up. He needed to find the cure because otherwise he was nothing.
Wendy looked at Willow their eyes locking, and then she sighed, "And you promise you're not lying, you swear that this will help everybody?"
Willow nodded at Wendy, "I swear upon my blood, upon the Earth, and the Sun that I am not lying to you Ice. And you know I speak only truths, I have yet to lie to you."
"Fine, I'll do it then, I'll do what you want." Wendy said looking Willow over.
"Good, then I open the doorway, I am glad you've chosen this Ice." Willow's hand stood outstretched an the forest spun changing, before a strange gateway appeared between the trees, Wendy nodded, her expression was tired and lost, as she stepped through the gateway, disappearing from the World Entirely.
There was one creature that had gone unnoticed in the wreckage of the crash, it was small and pink, a pig clambered from the car, sniffed the air and then started off after its friend, its only friend. Wandering through the forests it moved across the familiar ground of its home. Heading back to the being it new, the being it was loyal to. So Waddles went looking for Mabel, crossing the forests to find her.
The boat crashed upon a shore of Ice, Ford looked up in surprise looking to his brother, "But this makes no sense, there aren't supposed to be icebergs anywhere near here, and certainly none this big. This is ridiculous."
"Eh, whatever, you said this was an anomaly this is probably just part of it, now lets go see what we need to punch." Stan said stepping off onto the icy shore.
Fudge. Well, that too lots of my energy away, I liked it, I'm just a bit tired now, after all that was one of the darkest chapters I've written. Also I wanted to not mess up too badly on the transition.
Basically this is the end of the First Part of this story really, up until now the story has been relatively light hearted, and now we're going down a darker path, the tone of the rest of this will be much less light funny moments, and much more serious, it will also be where we actually get Dipper and Pacifica together so yay for that, but as always in love stories obstacles shall be numerous.
Anyway, I'm hoping I set up the next part decently, Wendy is gone, Dipper is hiding away somewhere, Mabel feels abandoned by her brother, and Pacifica's regretting not telling Dipper how she felt. So we start on part two, out of... well, I'd say part two is beginning only ish? I mean there is sort of a time gap, probably about a year long one, so that they're fifteen at the start, which would make things more reasonable, still not reasonable, just less unreasonable. Also I'd say this is most definitely the part where the world changes around them, previously the world they've been living in is Gravity Falls but everyone is a monster, going forwards the civilized and democratic parts will start to decay, and society will fall apart.
Anyway please Review and I hope you enjoyed the Chapter, you probably didn't though because it was mostly me sitting there asking how to cause pain in the best way.