The Rainbow Basher inched cautiously through the thick woods. Technically, they'd made the Basher to withstand anything that could be thrown at it.

Problem was, one of the things that might be thrown at it in here was Dipper, and it was his power that helped make the Basher so impenetrable. Sure, there was way more than just demon power layered on the car – armor plating and spells from every species the Pines had made friends with were nothing to sneeze at – but in here, something just didn't feel right.

So while normally they would plow through the woods, lights blazing and speakers blaring, this time they took it inch by inch, with the humans and one aspect in the cab while the other aspects and nightmares took the bed of the truck. Vivienne had been in the bed of the truck along with Childishness and Pettiness, but Horror and the nightmares inside had insisted upon switching after a few miles, the better to protect the humans. It went against every nightmare instinct, but it was what the Master would want, and, if he should come through this whole and sane, he would help them heal if they were wounded, the nightmares were sure of it.

But there was something out there. Something that was making the trees groan and threaten to fall, making them reach out branches like limbs to slow them. Glimpses of something in the woods, a shadow with blazing gold eyes, and most of them were starting to have an idea of what it could be, but were hoping they were wrong. If they didn't say it out loud, if they didn't acknowledge it, then it wasn't true.

And slowly, piece by piece, dodging ruts that appeared in front of them and branches that tried to fall on the Basher, they made their way towards the Shack.

But all of them kept their weapons at the ready, and hoped that this wasn't something they needed out there.

Ford was still quiet as they walked, lost in thought. That could be a good thing, or a very bad thing...with Ford it was sometimes hard to tell what you were going to get.

Henry just hoped his grunkle-in-law was finally getting it. He knew Ford loved Dipper, and Dipper both looked up to and loved Ford, and he knew why everything was so strained between Stan and Ford and Dipper, but...it hurt to see them hurting.

Then again, they were all stubborn, and it could take awhile to get them to agree to something new.

Love had moved on to Acacia when Ford's mood had darkened, though every so often he would glance back at Ford before burying his face back into Acacia's arms, as though unsure of his reception if he should try and show affection toward Ford again.

Which was obviously not helping Ford's mood or dark thoughts.

Something in the darkness ahead growled, and they all froze. Golden eyes blinked open in the darkness, followed by another set, and another, until they were surrounded, some of the eyes in sets as though whatever looked at them had three or four or more.

Then, as one, they all blinked out again.

Darkness floated forward again, until he was between Henry and Ford. "That's the part you were afraid of," he hissed, loud enough for everyone to hear. "That's what we got from him. That's the demon in me."

Ford's hand went for his gun, and Darkness barked out a short, humorless laugh. "He's like me," he said, floating towards Acacia and Wendy, who had taken up positions behind Stan. "No matter how much you want rid of him, you can't get Dipper back without him. At least, probably not. He's the part that means we had to power to make this happen," he gestured around them at the forest. "As much as Dipper, as I, would like rid of everything that comes with being a demon, save the power, we can't."

Ford's hand continued to hover over his gun for a moment before it dropped. He sighed, heavily. "If that's how it has to be," he finally said, meeting Stan's eyes when his twin turned to look at him. "Whatever it takes to get our nephew back and save our family."

Stan stared back at his twin for what felt like an eternity before he nodded, sharply.

Ford began to plan, out loud, mostly to himself. "Most ways of capturing a demon likely won't work, since this is our nephew," he said first.

"Maybe not so much," Bloodlust said, speaking up for the first time since Acacia had found her father. He shrugged when everyone turned to look at him. "Before I recognized Acacia, I was just Bloodlust. I'm still Bloodlust, but I remember more now. Maybe..."

"Maybe Dipper's demon is currently vulnerable to demonic deterrents currently!" Ford finished triumphantly.

Instantly a wind kicked up around them, howling angrily with screaming like a wild, enraged animal, sending tree branches whipping at the group, small rocks and sticks and more thrown up at them.

"I think he heard you!" Stan snapped as they all tried to shield themselves from debris. "Everyone, run for the Shack!"

With that, they all set off, Darcrack the Dreamer's Bane in the lead, using his bulk to clear a path and lead the way to the Shack as the debris continued to pelt them.

They could have been running for miles, or running a few feet, it was hard to tell in this world where nothing was quite as it seemed, but abruptly the wind picked up sharper than ever before dying, as swiftly as it had sprung up. Something in the woods snarled angrily, a sound low and menacing that continued even as the group slowed and stopped.

They didn't really have a choice. No matter how much ground they had covered, Stan and Ford were still older than they'd been during the last big adventure, and they couldn't run for long.

"I'm too old for this," Stan groaned again, bracing himself on his knees. "Henry, check on the gloomy one, would ya? I think I hear him blaming himself again."

Henry nodded and went to talk with Remorse, quietly bending over the aspect, who was still curled into a tiny ball wrapped in arms and wings. At least Remorse had stopped clawing at himself awhile back, though it looked like he was considering it again and Henry was the only thing stopping him.

Henry could handle it better than he could, Stan figured. Henry was better at the whole comforting thing, despite having parents even worse at the whole parenting thing than Stan's had been. Funny how that worked.

He felt someone come up beside him and saw the bottom of Ford's ridiculous coat at the edge of his vision. Groaning, he straightened, taking a little consolation in the fact that Ford looked as bad as he did, maybe even a little worse. He took less in the guilt in Ford's eyes, since Ford was one to deny his mistakes unless he was martyring himself for it.

"So, got any ideas for fixin' this?" Stan asked bluntly.

"Actually, I..." Ford swallowed, harshly, before continuing. "I was hoping maybe you did, Stanley. You know Dipper better than I do. I thought I did, but I was wrong."

"Eh, not that far off," Stan grunted. "Dipper would do anything fer family. So if it were a choice between him and the family..."

"But this is Dipper's demon we have to find," Ford said, fingers tapping together in an unsteady staccato. "He'll know us, and how we think. If his demon side is trying to keep us away from the Shack, then...what if he doesn't want put together? Or that part doesn't, at least? We need a plan, Stanley."

"I mean it," Ford said when Stan hesitated. "I...I want our family back." The twins smiled at each other, hesitant, the bond they had nearly re-formed right after the Transcendence slowly trying to be fixed.

Then there was a noise and Ford's hand shot to his gun as he and Stan spun to face it, only for Stan to be tackled yet again by a bundle of color and brown hair and a squeal of "Grunkle Stan!"

"Ugh, Mabel sweetie, your grunkle can't breathe," Stan grunted, though he patted her hair fondly as she squeezed one more before scrambling to her feet. Mabel hesitated for barely a split second before throwing her arms around Ford, giving him one of her patented rib-cracker hugs, and for a moment Ford allowed himself to hug back.

Then he gave in and pulled her off her feet into a proper hug, and Mabel squeaked before squeezing back, grinning hugely.

From behind her came Hank and Soos, followed by a group of aspects...two of which, to Ford's great confusion, were on child leashes being held by seemingly thin air.

Stan noticed it too, especially when the two aspects began pulling at the leashes, trying to see what was going on.

"Hank, mind explaining why parts of your uncle are on leashes?" he asked before Ford could. "And who's holding them?" He squinted, looking at the space holding the leashes closer. "Ugh. Are my cataracts getting worse? 's like I can almost see somebody there."

Hank perked a little at that from his perch atop one of the nightmares – and despite the nightmare having grown to accommodate him, he still looked faintly silly perched atop the sheep while also the slightest bit intimating, with all the spikes and teeth. "It's Gravity Falls," he said. "The genius loci of the town. They're here because this is hurting them, too. And those two are on leashes because they're Uncle Dipper's Curiosity and Adventurer aspects, and if I didn't have those they'd have been gone hours ago."

Ford blinked a few times, looking at Curiosity with an expression Stan and Hank couldn't quite read, but that seemed softer than they'd expected.

Finally Ford huffed and turned back to watch the others. "Who else did you find?" he asked. "We need to get moving soon, Dipper's demon aspect is making things difficult and we have to get out of here before he comes back. Wait, nevermind, you can tell us at the Shack. Everyone! We need to keep moving!"

"Oh yeah, something was chasing us out there," Soos said, as if he'd forgotten for the moment. "Guess we'd better hurry."

"The Shack's this way!" Mabel announced, pointing in the direction they'd all been heading in. "Come on, let's move!"

Stan groaned but started running again.

The Rainbow Basher eased its way through a particularly tough patch, and Grenda winced at the noise of branches against the sides of the truck.

The Basher was tough, but the way they were going, even she might need a touch up on her paint job after this was all over.

Then again, maybe Dipper would feel guilty enough to do it for cheap.

There had been a lot of crashing and noise from the woods, growling and glowing eyes threatening from the shadows, but it had felt as if whatever was threatening them was distracted by something else.

That was fine with pretty much everyone in the Basher, though they did worry about whoever did have the attention of whatever it was.

They had to get to safety, then they could worry properly. For now, it looked like the woods might finally be clearing, and they were seeing landmarks again, things they recognized.

There was a faint halloo from outside, and Grenda slowed the Basher. In the front passenger seat, Candy hefted her laser blaster, on edge and waiting.

"Over there!" Melody said, pointing at the forms of four of Dipper's nightmares.

Someone tiny was riding the closest, and Vivi squinted out the window, adding, "It's Lucy Ann!"

"Who votes we believe it's her?" Candy asked as the nightmare trotted closer, though it kept enough distance that if they weren't who they appeared to be, there would be time to get away. "We've been right each time so far."

"Looks like you've got a lot of the dork with you," Lucy Ann said, gesturing at the back of the Basher with a thumb. "I found Vanity and Arrogance, plus Reina and Pacifica along with the bits of the dork they found. They're up ahead."

The aspect that had come to float next to Lucy Ann crossed his arms huffily, muttering, " 'm not a dork."

Lucy Ann looked up at him flatly. "Pacifica literally found the part of you that was playing Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons and is happy to be labeled as 'Dork'. You. Are. A. Dork."

"It's them," Vivi said flatly, watching Lucy Ann and Dipper's Vanity bicker. "Do you need a ride?" she called to them.

"The others went ahead, they could see the Shack," Lucy Ann said, breaking off her staring contest with Vanity. "We're almost there."

"Oh thank goodness," Melody muttered. "What? I was starting to worry about the gas in this thing, who knows when Mabel last topped it off," she added when eyes turned to look at her.

Grenda shrugged. "Fair enough. Lead the way?"

Lucy Ann shrugged and nudged the nightmare she was riding, who rolled his eyes but started moving, Vanity trailing alongside them while the Rainbow Basher followed, the path suspiciously clear.

There was a group of nightmares, aspects, Reina and Pacifica on the porch of the Shack when the Rainbow Basher pulled up.

"It sounds like someone's inside," Pacifica said when everyone began to pile out of the truck. "We were waiting to go in together."

"I thought this place would be safe?" Reina said as everyone pulled out their weapons.

A collective shrug met the half question. "Should be," Candy agreed. "But might not be. Best to search and be sure."

"This is Dipper's sanctuary," the aspect that looked like Mabel piped up. "Someone else probably just got here first."

"Let's find out," Lucy Ann declared, and everyone braced themselves.

Willow had explained as much as she dared to this little Dipper. He sat and listened, though she could see he was bursting with questions, now that whatever was outside had stopped...though to be fair, he'd bee full of questions then, too.

"But that doesn't make sense!" he burst once she was finished, beginning to pace the small attic room. "A human and a demon can't merge like that!"

Privately, Willow was glad she hadn't told him everything just yet – like how they were related. Out loud, she said, "I didn't tell you everything, I just got a few main points..."

"Why? Why aren't you telling me everything? What aren't you telling me?"

"Things you're supposed to already know," Willow said, barely keeping her temper in check.

"Like what? What am I supposed to know?" Dipper demanded, throwing his arms up in frustration. "There's a demon outside, Mabel and Stan are gone, and I have no idea what's going on except what you told me, which doesn't sound plausible!"

"I don't even know who you are, why should I trust you?" Dipper asked, suddenly panicked, when Willow tried to speak. He backed away towards the door, clutching the Journal to his chest. The colors surrounding her uncle's Innocence were swirling so brightly he was almost difficult to look at, like the portal that sometimes haunted her nightmares.

"I'm your niece!" Willow broke, and Innocence froze. "I didn't want to tell you because I wasn't sure you'd believe me, but this is a combination of your mindscape and Gravity Falls."

"But...you're an adult," Innocence said faintly. "That means...Mabel..."

"You're the part of Uncle Dipper from before it all happened," Willow said as Innocence sat down on the bed, stumbling over to it with his head in his hands. "I wasn't sure what you remembered, but I didn't want to ruin anything."

"If...if this is my mindscape, then I probably would have had to remember sooner or later," he said slowly.

Willow finally gave in and hugged her uncle. He gave a surprised squawk, going stiff, before hugging back.

And they both froze.

"You heard that too, right?" Innocence said, and Willow nodded.

Someone was trying to get into the Shack.

The pair tumbled off the bed, and Willow snatched the fire pots Aunt Candy had given her, while Innocence grabbed a golf club.

They crept down the stairs, laying in wait. The knob rattled again and Willow nodded to Innocence, both hefting their weapons higher and waiting as the door creaked open.