StarCre8tion: Oh my oh my oh my you just added to my grinning. Thank you soo much!
Matt(Guest): Exactly my objective, happy to see it's working :D
KittyCat151: Glad you enjoyed that part, I know I did xD
SeoulXTusta: Welcome welcome welcome! Thank you, I try!
hijackforever: OH HELLO THERE, THANK YOU!
Guest: I appreciate the support :3
maranoismylife: Oh, you, you made me have the aasdfgghjkl so thank you for that.
Aqua Burst 07: I always love some gooood action. I wonder indeed, shall we find out?
Domination(Guest): You can say it a thousand times and I'll always smile for that, thank you! Delighted that you enjoyed that part, and I do love gradual love that isn't super rushed, there's more depth.
ssnnooppyy(Guest): Yes, writing out fight scenes do take some thought, I try to make it all connected and effective. Pleased that you enjoyed that part too, oh my! :o thank you!
NickStriker: It's a lot more interesting than how it's supposed to go, my cup of tea :P
I know, I literally just replied to all the reviews of and after chapter 24 was posted, when I usually select a few. I couldn't help myself, all of you were so kind, you deserved to have some recognition! But thank you all! All of you, all of you, everyone that cracks even the slightest smile when you're reading my story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls.
What an unbelievable sight to behold. It was so unbelievable, Ford believed that he wasn't seeing things straight. Had Stan done something to his glasses when he wasn't looking? Or perhaps this entire night was just a terrible nightmare, probably gifted to him by Bill.
Speaking of which, the extremely annoying, infamous dream-demon was casually holding onto his beloved grandniece's pure, dainty hand. And she didn't even seem to care, waving around her other hand as Ford strode towards the pair, hollering for him.
Ford hoped that she didn't really like her hand—her right hand, to be specific—because he'd have to amputate it and send it off into the hottest sun known to man while drenched in bleach and nuclear waste.
Bill instantly frowned at the approaching older man. Since Ford did live in Gravity Falls almost his entire life, the blonde had run in with him a few times, and none of them were remotely good. He wasn't exactly the bane of his existence. In fact, he was very fun to mess around with. But the scientist was more like the impossible-to-kill mosquito of his existence that kept coming back to try and kill him with his petty attacks, and it only added to the amusement of his somber immortal life.
"Grunkle Ford! What's up?" Mabel greeted once her great uncle was standing in front of them. However, he didn't answer. And suddenly, the atmosphere was so intense, the observing bystanders turned away. She looked between the two males that held burning glares at each other, seeing who would break away first. Mabel grimaced, another Dipper? Or was Dipper another Ford?
"Sixer."
"Cipher."
Those were the only words uttered. Mabel pursed her lips and awkwardly fiddled with her fingers. She never was good with this kind of thing. Perhaps she should break the silence? The female twin opened her mouth, prepared to say something, anything.
"Sixeeer," Bill drawled obnoxiously. Mabel shut her mouth, anticipating some more dialogue to come forth. But Ford only replied, snidely stretching his voice, "Cipheeer."
"And Mabeeel!" She quietly sang, trying to diminish some of the tension. She liked to think that it worked because Ford had hissed angrily, "You want to die, don't you?"
Okay, maybe it didn't work. Bill created a perfect arch of his brow, "What brought this on?"
Ford sneered, "Don't play stupid. Your hands are out in the open for everyone to see."
Bill and Mabel both looked down to see that they were indeed comfortably holding each other's hands. Pink dusted her cheeks, and she refused to look up. The dream-demon released her in a millisecond, and crossed his arms, "You should be thanking me for saving her."
"She wouldn't have been here in the first place if it wasn't for you," Ford declared crossly. Bill rolled his eye, "She's the one who wanted to pull me along."
"Hey!" Mabel pouted at being dragged into the argument. Bill shrugged, "It's true."
"Your entire existence is despicable," Ford spat, while Bill scoffed, "What have I ever done to you?"
"Taken my experiments, filled my sleep with nightmares, set the shack on fire more than once—"
"Untrue! That one time I was trying to aim for the invisible apple on your head. It was just a game!"
Ford huffed, "That one time you were hit by my tranquilizer on accident and tried to hit me again, the other time where you were trying to kill Bigfoot, the time where that mermaid tried to take you—"
"She was asking for it," Bill mumbled, and Mabel furrowed her eyebrows, "Why would she try to take you?"
"My powerful being allured her, plus a few others, and they tried to eat me."
"Powerful my a—" Mabel shot Ford a glare, and he quickly corrected himself, "—ccentuated bottom."
She smiled approvingly, but then scrunched her nose, "Mermaids don't eat people, they're nice!"
"One, I am not a person, I am a dream-demon," Bill listed, "Two, mermaids are blood-hungry, seducing beasts."
Mabel puffed her cheeks, "I don't believe you!"
"Clearly, you've never met a mermaid before."
"I'd love to!" Mabel gasped, "Would you take me?!"
"Wha—"
Ford cut in, "No! Mabel, sweetie, as much as I'd hate to admit, but mermaids aren't as friendly as you think, and I don't want to have you hang around this guy anymore."
She looked away adamantly, "I'm still going."
Mabel grabbed Bill's arm, jerking him towards her, "And he'll go with me. Why don't you come, too?"
Ford chuckled nervously, "That's an experience I wouldn't like to repeat. But, dear—"
She stubbornly gazed at her great uncle, and he knew that he had lost. Ford sighed and pinched his nose bridge, one big problem wasn't solved yet, and was still raging in front of them. Now they'd have to deal with another one upcoming in the future?
"If this means to prove you wrong, I'm all for it," Bill grinned cockily at her, to which she gave back a challenging look. Ford clicked his tongue, "You're pretentious."
The dream-demon shot him a curl of the lip, "And you're senile."
The denoted pretentious blonde and the assumed senile old man ended up glaring at each other again, and Mabel sighed.
The crowds of citizens were observing the situation of the fair, wondering when they would be able to go back inside, if it was still in one piece. Two others walked out from the huddled up people. Candy and Grenda excitedly went up to the female twin. The bespectacled girl smiled cheekily, "So that's your Valentine?"
"In the flesh," Mabel confirmed with a nod. Grenda squeaked, "Ooh, he's pretty easy on the eyes."
"Grenda!" The brunette flushed a pretty crimson. Candy wiggled her eyebrows, "She's not wrong."
"Candy! You guys!" Mabel shouted at her friends that were too busy staring at the dream-demon. She frantically thought up of something to say to lose their interest, "You know he's a demon? I may die!"
"A demon? Is that Bill Cipher?!" Grenda gasped, earning Mabel to profusely nod. But the bigger girl only gave her a suggestive look, "That's quite scandalous of you, Mabel."
"Isn't that so romantic? The super bad guy doesn't harm the sweet, lovely girl," Candy whispered as she leaned against Grenda. They both squealed at the thought. Even though it didn't seem humanly possible, the poor brunette's face became even redder. Candy looked at her slyly, "Of course, if you don't want him, we won't mind."
The two swooned at Bill, who was still glaring at her great uncle. His eye was intense, his jaw was taut, and the blonde hair that stuck out from his top hat grazed his face. The suit was all too appealing on him as well.
Mabel shook out of her reverie. No way, her friends would not do this right in front of her! She ran in their view and cried out, "Stop staring at him!"
The outburst caused a few bystanders to turn their heads, especially Ford and Bill. The older man was wide-eyed, placing a hand over his chest, "I'm flattered, but I'm way too old."
Candy and Grenda snapped from their daze to stick their tongues out in disgust. Before leaving, Grenda called out with a wink, "He's a keeper!"
"Jerks!" She called back, covering her burning ears.
She looked towards the powerless fair, seeing the fierce illumination that produced violent winds and booming thunder. Lightning bolts sprung here and there, flashing the scene. It was as if a cloudless storm resided inside the fair, angrily ripping away at it slowly until nothing was left. Mabel hoped that Dipper and Pacifica would be able to stop it before that happened, and that her other friends would make it out safely.
She narrowed her eyes, "Is that… smoke?"
True enough, there was now growing flames that were reaching for the night sky that created large puffs of smoke. The fair was sure to be impossible to play in after this. Mabel dropped her head in disappointment.
"Oh, look what you did!" Ford threw his arms up, and Bill looked at him incredulously, "I'm innocent!"
A small lie never hurt anyone, but Ford looked as if he was struck by a bolt of lightning, "You? Innocent?"
The scientist guffawed relentlessly, clutching his stomach with one hand as he held himself up with the other. He took a few breaths to steady himself, but one look at the unimpressed dream-demon drove him into another fit of uncontrollable laughter.
As Ford was currently writhing on the grassy ground, Bill flew over to Mabel, "What is it now, Shooting Star?"
She looked at her hands, "I lost my bag of toys… and the fair is on fire now."
They both looked up to see the red and orange that burned beautifully, but ominously. Bill smirked, "You gotta love fire."
"Not really," Mabel shrugged sheepishly.
The boisterous bellowing stopped. Mabel and Bill turned around to find Ford lying silently, having passed out from laughing too hard. She creeped over and picked up a stick, before kneeling down beside the body. Poking her great uncle tentatively, Mabel pouted as Bill held in the urge to chuckle. There was no response.
Mabel blew a raspberry, "This is officially the weirdest Valentine's Day ever."
Pacifica slapped Soos right in his chubby cheek, much to the couple's confusion. She stated matter-of-factly, "That's for all the trouble you've caused so far."
She leaped away before they could react, over the fire that ate away at the tents and left behind charred cloth. The electricity would strike their hiding spots, forcing them to move to different positions. Almost all of them would hit the tents, setting them aflame, leaving smoke to rise up and a foul stench to disperse throughout the area. Pacifica hopped away from one of the fair games to hurl her sword at the metal fork. It collided with a resounding ding, not giving any effect.
As she recovered behind another booth, Pacifica shouted to the couple that were being targeted the most, "Make a run for it!"
"I won't! I'll help!" Soos shouted back, seemingly recovered from the slap he received. Melody declared, "I'm staying with him."
Pacifica groaned at their defiance, and she turned to McGucket, "Thought up of anything yet?!"
"Still thinking!" The engineer was jotting down scribbles on a small notepad, making sure not to get noticed. Pacifica scanned for Dipper through the fire and smoke, along with the blinding radiance that came from the glowing red metal fork in the center.
Flames were taking down the tents, leaving ash to be carried around by the vicious winds. It was hot, it made them sweat, and it brought bad memories to arise in Dipper's mind. Fire was something he preferred to not be surrounded by, not anymore. Everytime Melody or Soos shrieked in surprise, more voices seemed to ring in his ears. Like ghosts calling him out, trying to drag him back down the lane of trauma.
He swung his sword at another bolt that aimed for him, but for some reason, his sword had seemed a bit heavier than usual at the moment. Dipper used his weapon to defend himself, but the bolt ended up knocking him off his feet and behind a booth.
The sword clattered to the ground, before vanishing. He clutched his head as his face contorted in pain. This shouldn't affect him anymore, the past was the past. But why was it? Why did it keep screaming at him, telling him that he hadn't remembered clear enough?
Remember what?
Someone grabbed him by the shoulders, calling his name. Was that… Mabel? She wasn't supposed to be here!
Dipper snapped his eyes open to meet Pacifica's worried ones. They were both hiding behind a booth, and the tinnitus was fading away from his ears. She subconsciously cupped his face, "Are you hurt?!"
He didn't respond. The male twin was like a frightened child that had seen a ghost. She tried to shout urgently, but desperation clung to her voice, "Dipper, please, we need you to be okay! I don't have anymore potions, so we have to be extra cautious!"
He gulped down all of the anxiety that clawed at his throat. That's right, his parents died for their children, for him and Mabel. He couldn't leave that to waste, he couldn't dread about it right now, whatever it was. Dipper blinked rapidly, collecting his thoughts. He lowered her hands and nodded with a small smile, "Didn't I tell you not to worry?"
He stood up dramatically with newfound confidence, but swiftly dodged the lightning strike that flew over his head, leaving his hat a tiny flame of it's own. Dipper yelped and patted it down, before fixing it onto his head again. He questioningly stared at Pacifica, "Before we jump in, do you have a plan?"
"I had hoped you had one," She gritted her teeth. Dipper pursed his lips, before peering over the booth. Giffany was remarkably powerful now, and was overflowing with electrical power. It was actually worse because she was converting it into dark energy. They had to remove her power somehow, and leave behind just her.
"I got it, but it's a bit risky." Dipper stated after a moment, and Pacifica asked, "Doesn't matter, what do you have?"
"If we can just take away a majority or even all of her electrical power, than we can get close enough to destroy just her. But I'm not sure how."
Just then, McGucket rolled in, holding two lengthy metal rods that were from one of the fallen tents. He smirked, "Way ahead of you, kid."
He placed them down so it wouldn't accidentally collect a bolt of electricity, and began explaining to the pair, "She's shooting at Soos and Melody. Giffany is using her power out of envy and fury, so if you both can defend them while leading her closer to Giffany, drawing all of her attention, then I'll sneak behind and redirect her power."
"Won't you be electrocuted?" Pacifica frowned. McGucket waved her off, "Perhaps a slight permanent burn inside my body, but we have to stop her no matter the cost, and soon."
A bolt of lightning struck another tent just far in front of them, causing more damage. They had to solve this quickly.
However, her duty was to protect all of the citizens of Gravity Falls, and that included him as well. Was he insane to have that much electricity pass through his aged body? Could she really let him?
Suddenly, he was calling for Soos and Melody, and they were already dashing to their spot. McGucket informed the two about his plan, earning another frown from Soos, "Sir, that's insane and dangerous!"
They yelped at another bolt of lightning, one that was closer than the last.
"Got any other plans?" His mentor inquired, and Soos found that he did not. Dipper and Melody also felt queasy that he was sacrificing himself like this, but how else could they redirect her power without having a human being in the middle? The male twin sat back, pondering. He surveyed the area, and any resources they could also use. His squinted eyes darted to the materials, recognizing there were still lights hanging around and more metal rods scattered on the ground.
Yet another bolt of lightning struck, even closer to where they were hiding. In the midst of all the chaos, they could hear her voice, adding to it, "WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Giffany had obtained all of her electricity from the fair, so what if they just give it all back? Dipper abruptly questioned, "Where's the generator located?"
The other four looked at him weirdly, before McGucket answered, "Somewhere outside the perimeter of the fair, why?"
"I have a plan, one that doesn't need you to potentially die," Dipper stated, before elaborating, "McGucket can lead me to the generator, while we set up metal rods in the ground strung with the wires of lights. Then, once that's all set, we can send the last metal rod towards Giffany so that it will attract the electricity and keep the current moving until it reaches the generator. Soos and Melody can stay here to keep her attention while Pacifica keeps watch."
Pacifica's eyes widened in amazement while McGucket dropped his jaw in awe, and he gave an impressed laugh, "You really are Ford's grandnephew."
Dipper smiled at the compliment, but another thunder reverberated throughout the vicinity and now the tent was dropping flaming pieces of cloth on their heads. He commanded, "Let's get to it!"
Dipper and McGucket fled the burning area, gathering the metal rods and wires of lights once they were far enough. The brunette stuck his tongue out as he tied the lights to each rod, making sure he had enough. He quickly stuck one rod in the battleground to start off, leaving behind another one next to it to prepare for when they came back, before fleeing again. McGucket ran in front while Dipper hastily followed behind, often leaving a metal rod tucked in the ground as far as it could go while it was still connected. It would take a little bit until they'd reach the generator.
Pacifica did her part of Dipper's plan. She twirled her sword around, deftly moving to deflect every bolt that came her way. She had to keep Giffany's concentration on them to make sure that the software didn't realize that two of the original five were missing. Which meant the blonde would pop up from her hiding places a little more than before.
Soos gripped Melody's hand tightly, ensuring that they would be okay. They gazed at each other affectionately, but hers seemed almost sad. He reassured, "We'll win!"
"It's not that," Melody wiped her brow of sweat and looked up at her boyfriend. They barely knew each other, but they were still learning. Yet, they were already going through a lot together, and she believed that they'd be able to get through a lot more. So she had to tell him, "I've been meaning to tell you that I'm going to be leaving Gravity Falls tomorrow."
Even when they were surrounded by roaring fire and rushing winds, Soos felt his heart sink with dejection, along with his face, "You are?"
"Yes," Melody held her hair from blowing in front of her face, "but I don't want to break up with you, Soos. I really, really like you."
The dreading feeling in his chest disappeared in an instant. He felt ecstatic, and smiled widely, "Ditto."
This would've been a perfect moment to kiss, right? After the confession and in the light hearted moment. Well, maybe he would have if it wasn't for the fact that everything around them was burning to the ground and filling his lungs with smoke, but that didn't stop Melody. Maybe it was romantic to her.
Their dry lips met in a chaste, abrupt kiss, before she pulled away. He licked his lips, although that didn't really work either, because his tongue was also dry. He snorted, "We should do that again when our lips aren't numb with heat."
"Agreed," She nodded. The two ran to yet another spot to hide as their previous one was struck and collapsing.
Pacifica breathed deeply, trying to catch some fresh air. But there was barely any, the increasing fire produced more smoke. It pricked her pale skin and forced sweat to run down. Her hair was slightly frizzled, letting a few blonde strands out of its usual straightness. She was losing poise, but it didn't mean much to her since she had been fighting for a while in these conditions.
The headmistress coughed into her hand, doubling over. Her vision was becoming blurrier every minute, and she couldn't tell if her eyes were watering or dried up. She refrained from leaning against one of the poles, since her back was still bare from her first battle with Giffany. She didn't need to have it scorching with pain again.
Pacifica firmly clutched her handle, seeing her reflection in the pure white blade. What would her parents think if they saw her this messy? She could laugh right now at the fear she felt of her parents' opinion instead of Giffany's rampaging strength. Regaining her balance and mustering up her own strength, she leaped out into the open again.
The night was actually chilly. It was weird to transition from furious heated winds to a serene breeze. Dipper had to stop again, tying more wires of lights to more metal rods. The fair was bigger than he had thought, but the generator should be close by. McGucket pointed, "Just up ahead!"
Dipper thrusted more metal rods in the dirt, stretching the wires of lights as far as it could go without breaking them. He recognized the fence that caged the fair, and the a backdoor that led to the outside.
McGucket attempted to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. The male twin wasted no time in summoning his weapon and cutting through the metal. They saw the white truck with the supposed generator, along with another door that was probably locked as well. Dipper darted forward and sliced off the lock without hesitation. McGucket whistled, "That sword can cut through some solid steel."
"Happy to be of service," The brunette replied as they went inside the truck.
Dipper held the wire of lights in his hand as he looked around the room. It wasn't very large, but it had just enough room to fit the generator along with some wide panels and circuits. McGucket took out a screwdriver and moved next to the panel on the generator. Opening it quickly, they saw the variety of wires with sophisticated positioning in the circuit board. This must be it.
Dipper took the end of the wire of lights and tied to to one of the wires on the circuit board, hoping that would be enough. McGucket placed his tool back in its place on his tool belt, "This should be good, let's head back and finish this."
The two ran as fast as they could. It wasn't very hard finding the battleground, seeing that it had become even larger. Dipper cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes, "There! I see the last metal rod!"
It was lying next to the first one they planted down, right where they left it. Dipper picked it up and turned to Fiddleford, "I'll jump up above her and shoot it to the ground next to her."
"I'll find Pacifica and set up a distraction."
They had split up to fulfill their goals. Dipper slid on the ground as he turned the corners, heavily breathing as the weight of the air seemed to increase, as well as the heat. Taking cover behind the blazing booths, he spotted the hovering metal fork. The brunette looked to the metal rod in his hands, contemplating if he should wait for the distraction or to just get it done with.
Pacifica flinched at the sudden touch on her shoulder, only to see McGucket. She questioned, "Where's Dipper?!"
"He's about to send the final rod," The engineer proclaimed, "We need to make a distraction."
"Consider it done," Pacifica bursted from her spot and landed where the couple was, startling them both. She waved her hand, "No hard feelings."
With a rough shove to the two, they landed out in the open. Immediately, a barrage of bolts were fired at the couple, but all of them seemed to be directed at Melody. Pacifica had anticipated this, and protected them with her sword, gracefully and skillfully twirling her sword in front of them.
Dipper noticed that the resonating thunder had stopped, and only loud crackles constantly came one after the other. That must've been their doing.
He launched from his spot behind the booth, into the night sky. It seemed that everyone had recognized him in front of the moonlight, because Giffany stopped as well. Arching his arm back, Dipper prepared to hurl the metal rod. However, Giffany anticipated an attack, so she charged up all of her electrical power into one attack and fired it at Dipper. It was as if an explosion had taken place, it vibrated the ground and some of the objects wobbled and dropped to the ground. An overwhelming light flashed everyone's eyes, one that made their heads ache for a split second.
McGucket yelped and fell to his knees while Melody and Soos tried not to roll away from each other. Pacifica almost lost her balance, but she kept herself steady. She didn't want to take her eyes off of what would happen next, what would happen to Dipper.
But she couldn't see him behind the disorienting brilliance from the lightning bolt. She shielded her eyes, trying to discern at least a figure of the male twin. Her breath caught in her throat as she realized that the light wasn't going farther from the ground, but actually closer now. Giffany's screech blended with the crackling of electricity as the metal rod was thrusted into the ground. The electricity ran through from the metal rod in the direction of the wires of lights until it wasn't visible anymore.
The metal fork plopped from its position in the air, and clattered to the ground.
Dipper landed on the ground, heaving breaths. He didn't appear harmed in any way, a successful smile was apparent on his face. Pacifica couldn't stop herself from smiling back.
Soos, Melody, and McGucket strolled over to the metal fork. There was no screaming, no vociferating voice that dripped with hate and jealousy. It was just an inanimate object. Soos picked it up with one hand, flipping it over for inspection; it was lukewarm.
There was a faint tingle in his fingers that coursed through his arm until it couldn't run any farther. Giffany's weak voice whimpered, "I loved you, and this happened to me. Is love wrong?"
"No," Soos immediately answered. Everyone watched as he clarified, "But it isn't always right. Love is love… I think."
His last part caused a giggle to produce from Melody. There was no response that came after that, just ghastly tranquility. McGucket took the other end of the fork and looked to Dipper, "Will you do the honor?"
He didn't reply. Summoning his sword once again. In the blink of an eye, the metal fork divided in half, sealing her fate.
It was silent. No booming thunder, no flashing lights, no blinding illumination. There was still smoke rising to the sky, however. Everyone looked towards the fair, expecting the worst or hoping for the best. Mabel tensed up, subconsciously leaning closer to Bill, who noticed but didn't say anything. Unlike everyone else, he wasn't dying from suspense because he already knew who won.
The susurrus of grass and dirt reached their ears. Shadowed figures exited the fair and kept walking until they stepped into the moonlight.
Soos rose the broken metal fork victoriously, "Let Valentine's Day continue!"
A roar of applauding erupted. Everyone cheered and whooped, celebrating the moment.
"After we put the fire out," Melody added as the fire department rushed inside the fair carrying the large hose. Soos put Dipper on his shoulder, "It's thanks to this guy!"
Bill didn't budge an inch, but his eyes did have a twinkle of amusement or of being slightly impressed. Mabel also clapped and hollered while Ford smiled up to his grandnephew, "Good job."
Dipper smiled back as the crowd continued to chatter loudly. They asked how they did it, who they were, and every other question to keep the hype going.
Pacifica crossed her arms as she stood back with McGucket, her tone was earnest, "I'm surprised that you were willing to sacrifice yourself like that."
"It was a bit out of the box, but in a bad way," He rubbed the back of his head, "I was prepared to do anything to stop her, so I thought up of the riskiest one."
McGucket grinned wholeheartedly at the male twin that was receiving multiple to borderline excessive pats on the backs, "If it wasn't for him, I'd probably be dead."
The engineer placed his hands on his hips, "He's quite something, you know? I think he has some potential."
Pacifica didn't respond for a moment, until she said, "I think so too."
An idea popped up in her mind. One that would surely cause a ruckus among her students and astonishment across the town. Her parents would probably hate it the most, but it's not like she wasn't use to all of that. Dipper was quite a good Soul Fighter, and amazingly smart as well. It wasn't a bad idea, just a very unexpected one. The headmistress almost felt giddy for going through with it.
One of the fire department men came out, and took a megaphone from the fair's lead supervisor. He announced, "Except for a certain, large part of the fair, the fair is now available for re-entering!"
Not a few moments later, the lights were brought back to life, it's same radiance piercing the night sky. The swarm of people rushed inside. The groups of people who were working behind booths and minigames went back to work, making sure their money was still intact. The ones who had theirs burnt down decided to go home or roam the rest of the fair.
Dipper watched as his grunkle walked away towards the shack and as McGucket went home after bidding goodbye to the couple. Soos and Melody made sure that they would use this last night together well and unforgettable. The male twin kicked a pebble or two, before walking away himself.
Someone stopped him as he distanced himself enough, "Where are you going?"
Dipper already knew who it was, and turned around to take a glimpse of the fair one last time. Wendy and Robbie, along with the other group of teens were making their way back inside. The brunette shrugged, "Home."
"Why?" Pacifica began walking next to him, making no move to turn him around, "I heard the fair's pretty fun."
"If it's so fun, why don't you go back?" Dipper suggested. The headmistress shook her head, "I'd rather not. Today was busy enough as it is."
"So now you know why I'm going," He told her, and she gave a nod of acknowledgement. The two kept walking with comfortable silence. The day was replaying in their heads to remind them of how terribly unfortunate it was. They both sighed, and said simultaneously, "I hate Valentine's Day."
A beat. Then they looked at each other with disbelief. Dipper snorted, "Uh, what?"
"I hate Valentine's Day," Pacifica repeated, and he inquired, "So do I, but why?"
"A story for a story?" She prompted. Dipper chuckled as they passed by the riverbank now, farther away from the fair, "Alright. In fourth grade, my sister got a ton of Valentine's Day cards and stuff, while I got none. Some kid made me feel like a big loser."
"Bigger than how you already are?" She teased, and he scowled playfully, "Fine then, what about you?"
"Oh, long story short, this kid had enough guts to give me some "peasant chocolate," as my parents had said, and they totally ruined him by dousing him in chocolate," Pacifica snickered, "Next thing you know, everyone avoided me on Valentine's Day."
"Weird, I get all the attention while you're neglected," Dipper remarked, "Two ways that are completely opposite, while they come to the same conclusion."
"Stop being such a nerd," Pacifica mocked. He stuck her tongue out at her, and she did the same. The two paused, before breaking out into giggles, with Pacifica trying to stifle hers. She brushed her hair behind her ear, "You know, that was pretty… intelligent of you today."
"Are you talking about my plan?" Dipper questioned awkwardly, and she nodded. He laughed nervously, "Oh, that was nothing. Just luck."
"Really? That's too bad," Pacifica crossed her arms and stopped, causing Dipper to stop too. She articulated with gaiety, "I was thinking of offering you a job."
He stopped completely, frozen as a statue. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly at his stillness, and she nearly winced as he bursted into a coughing fit. He choked out, "A job?"
"Yes, a job," She eyed him warily, before smiling triumphantly, "I'm proposing you the honor of being my strategist. It pays well, gives you good recognition, and will be effective on your experience."
Dipper breathed, "That's amazing… but why?"
Pacifica looked away, "Nothing personal, just strictly under business."
She turned to him again, her expression was sincerely curious, "Well?"
"Well?" Dipper grinned from ear to ear, "Of course!"
He paused, "I don't have to wear the uniform do I?"
"I suppose not, but you do need something to distinguish yourself," Pacifica glanced at him, "And don't get used to me being like… this."
"I wouldn't have anyways," Dipper gave her a boyish grin, and she stuck her hand out, "Welcome and not welcome to the Gravity Falls Soul Fighters Academy, Dipper Pines."
He took it and shook it firmly, "It is a pleasure and not a pleasure to work with you, Pacifica Northwest."
They parted ways right after with no heavy feelings. Pacifica couldn't tell if she was sick to her stomach or overflowing with merriment that he would be working with her now. She made it back to the mansion without a single sound. But her parents were still waiting in the grand room.
"Good grief, you're a mess!" Her father bellowed. Her mother ran towards the blonde and examined her with pity on her face. Pacifica swatted her hand away from her hair, "It's part of my job, father, mother."
She stood straighter, a smirk on her face, "And I'd also like to inform you that I will have a new colleague."
She emphasized, "Dipper Pines."
"Nonsense!" Preston stomped his foot down, and for a split second, Pacifica felt her resolve waver. But she remained defiant, "It makes all the sense! You haven't seen him like I have!"
"You are making a mistake," Her mother warned, but Pacifica countered, "How would you know?! You don't!"
"Pacifica, that is enough!" Preston yelled, pushing his graying hair back in place. The headmistress could see the bags weighing under his eyes, and the unwanted wrinkles that were forming. He rubbed his face and sighed, "I don't know where we went wrong with you, but I don't want to know now."
Pacifica's face was horrified and pained. As her mother soothingly rubbed his back, Preston pointed upstairs, "Sleep, now. We don't have to talk about this in the morning, we don't have to talk about this ever."
As he went to his own room, her mother turned to her, with melancholy and dread in her eyes, "We just wanted to set your life to the path of success and ease."
They… did? Pacifica watched as her mother now exited the room. Well, how was she supposed to know? They never told her anything except how to step all over people! All she wanted was to prove her worth! Reaching her own bedroom, she slammed the door behind her.
Meanwhile, in the fair, Bill and Mabel stood in front of the open ferris wheel cart. Thrilled, she bounced up and down, "Are you ready to go inside?"
"I'll just be leaving," Bill affirmed, ripping his hand out of Mabel's for what seemed like the millionth time. He turned away as her smile drooped. But suddenly, the two were shoved into the container and the door shut to a close. They sat up with a bewildered expression, and Candy evilly smiled at them through the window, "Have fun!"
As the cart was lifted further and further up, Mabel banged on the window and cried, "JERKS!"
Was this a good thing, or a bad thing? She was stuck with a really hot but dangerous guy who had the emotional range of a teaspoon. Yet, it was more than that, honestly. Mabel knew that he was nice, in his own way. He was more than what people saw him as.
Abruptly, the inside of the cart was brighter. Mabel turned around to find Bill was vividly aflame. His eye was narrowed down and his nose was scrunched so tight, it looked as though it may go higher than his ear. He rose a hand and growled, "I'll burn this to the ground."
Mabel peeped in distraught, "No, don't!"
She unexpectedly gripped onto his hand once again, and he was taken aback, "Let go!"
The female twin didn't let go. Bill waited for her to retract her hand with a shout of pain, or jump back with a new injury for Ford or Dipper to yell at him for. But none came, and he was stumped. Why was it always this girl that astounded him? That always gave him more questions than answers?
She was grabbing his hand through the fire that coated his body. But to her, it felt like thin, warm strands were tickling her flesh. It was hard to say who was more surprised. They both blinked owlishly at each other as the cart made its stop at the top of the ferris wheel. Mabel said slowly, "You can't burn this down, I won't let you."
Her eyes flickered with something he didn't recognize, "I wouldn't let anything ruin tonight. Not Giffany, not Dipper, not Grunkle Ford."
Bill's fire died down, leaving the cart to be dark, only lightened up by the gleam outside. He could barely see her now, but her voice was clear.
"Not even you."
He wouldn't dare describe himself as speechless. But she didn't give him the chance to say anything at all, pulling him to the edge of the cart and looking out as if nothing happened. Bill looked down at the brunette. She was a skittish, odd little thing. Nothing like he's ever seen before, ever met before. It gave him a warm feeling that resided in his chest, one that he couldn't recognize. It was like something was disappearing while another was being revealed.
How confusing. Everything was so confusing with her. It was so, so irritating.
And also, very interesting. He was too intrigued to let her slip by. How could he let her slip by?
A sharp gasp came from her, "Look! A shooting star!"
Bill broke from his stupor to look up. A stream of light vanished as quickly as it came. It was… fitting, to say the least, in this strange situation. He thought that he had already gone crazy, and now he was going even crazier, or maybe he was just too sane. Because this time, their fingers were interlocked quite nicely.
Too nicely, he grimaced. Mabel brought something into his life that he didn't know he needed. It didn't feel very bad, actually. It felt pretty… good…?
With all the peace that he was used to destroying, it was weird having it stick around for once.
But only just this once.
Right?
Aaaaaaaand done? Done!
As things are done, more things are to become done! I feel as though I foreshadowed the next chapter quite enough. But this entire chapter took quite a lot of effort to complete, if I do say so myself.
I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!
Bye bye!