I'm so behind on updates... I'm sorry to all you people, life is just not cooperating with me right now.

[Insert exhausted sigh]

Also, in this beginning scene, I was contemplating just making Mason run around trying not to, um, die from an axe... But I thought that would be boring as heck to read about, so we have a kind of fight scene! I tried to make it realistic, but if there's anything you should know about me by now, it's that I'm... not realistic. Heh. I did search up "how not to die from an axe" for this, though. Surprisingly, not much came up... but, uh... Research... And I guess it won't be totally unbelievable if Mason puts up a fight. I mean, he is literally training to fight some random monsters and stuff, soooooooo...

Yeah...

And just a warning, the second part of this chapter might be... confusing... at one part. It's supposed to be confusing, though. I mean, everyone in the story is also confused, so...

Still don't own Gravity Falls.

Chapter Fifteen: Latin

Mason forced himself to move. As Wendy came charging towards him, swinging the axe, he ducked and dodged to the side, skidding on the pavement. Her axe struck the floor where he had been before, chipping at the road and scattering a bit of debris. Mason watched as she lifted her axe again and came at him again. He felt a rush of adrenaline.

Wendy widened her stance and raised her axe over her head before she brought it down. Mason darted forwards between her legs, before whipping around and ramming into her back with his shoulder. She stumbled forwards for a moment, before turning around to face him with fire in her eyes.

As she swung her axe in a sideways movement, Mason reached out to wrap his hands around its hilt. The two grappled with it, both trying not to lose their grip and risk being struck with it now. Mason's expression was strained as he pushed against the force of Wendy shoving against the axe as well. Mason realized his own strength was faltering, and he ducked as the axe slipped from his hands and came towards him.

He stumbled backwards, panting. He was only vaguely aware of Soos begging the two to stop, but his heart was pounding so hard that he himself could hear it. He swallowed the bile that rose up in his throat with his head swimming. Don't have a panic attack, he told himself, now is the worst time for that...

Mason was dragged out of his thoughts as the axe came down again. He dodged to the side, but too late to avoid the blade.

The axe's blade sliced his shoulder, cutting across his skin. As the pain coursed through him, Mason stumbled, falling to the ground with a cry. His eyes blurred over as he lay breathing heavily on his back. His gaze travelled to his shoulder, where he could see the bleeding gash. Even with a single glance, he could tell it was deep. He tore his gaze from himself to Wendy, who towered over him.

With blood seeping out of his flesh, the pounding of his hammering heart, and his shortness of breath, Mason's vision faded to black as he passed out, but only after muttering a quick word.

"S-stop..."

•••

Mabel felt... overwhelmed... to say the least, as she listened to what Pine Tree was telling her. Apparently, she had started Weirdmageddon in his world. And because she wanted more summer. Pine Tree was defensive of his sister, saying that she didn't mean to, but Mabel still felt a little angry at this other Mabel.

"So, you stopped Bill by erasing him from your Stanley's mind?" Mabel asked for confirmation. Pine Tree nodded. "Why can't we do that again?"

"I doubt he'd fall for it again," he muttered. He paused for a moment, his expression unreadable, before opening his mouth again.

"Look, I do know of another way to stop Bill, and I know I probably should have told you all sooner, but it, uh, kind of slipped my mind."

Mabel rolled her eyes with a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest. "Really? A way to stop the apocalypse just 'slipped your mind'?"

Pine Tree scowled at her, his eyes flashing red for a moment, to Mabel's confusion. She didn't dwell on it, though. "I don't have to tell you, you know," he snapped. "And plus, we can't do it now, anyways."

Mabel unfurled her arms, lifting a brow. "Why?" she questioned. Pine Tree's gaze flickered away from her for a moment to look at her great-uncles, before returning to her.

"I can explain, but I'd rather only do it once." He gestured to Stan and Ford, who were still looking around for a car. Mabel nodded to him.

"Alright, fine," she agreed. "But before that, I have one more question."

Pine Tree frowned, but nodded nonetheless.

"Why... why do you hate the name 'Pine Tree' so much? You didn't tell us before, and..." she trailed off, rubbing her arm with her hand. Pine Tree tensed for a moment, before he loosened his muscles with a drawn-out sigh.

"It... it kind of goes with the thing that would defeat Bill. In short, there's a Zodiac with many different symbols, and each symbol represents a person. You're the shooting star, Soos is the question mark, etcetera."

"Okay, but that still doesn't explain it," Mabel interrupted.

"Well, Bill would call everyone by their Zodiac names... To him, your name is 'Shooting Star', because that's your symbol on the Zodiac," he explained. He reached up with one hand to remove his hat from his head, gesturing towards the pine tree on it. "My Zodiac name is 'Pine Tree'. So that's what Bill calls me. I-it just brings up some bad memories..." He trailed off, placing his hat back on his head, before drawing in a breath. "And I know you aren't actually my family, but just... hearing you all call me the same name that he did, the same name that the sadistic demon who has done nothing b-but torture my family, and my friends, is just..."

Suddenly, he froze, his arms locked at his side, his eyes wide, and his mouth slightly agape. Mabel blinked in shock, waving her hand in front of his face. He didn't respond. His blue pupils started flashing yellow, and Mabel felt worry growing inside of her. Even more when he started muttering under his breath, staring off into space.

"Et luscus daemonium..." he murmured, his voice sounding hollow and his whole body still stiff. Mabel recoiled slightly with alarm. What was he even saying?

"Uh, Grunkle Stan, Grunkle Ford?" she called to them. It was only a matter of time before they stood besides her, each of them about as confused as she was. Pine Tree continued muttering what Mabel thought to be gibberish, but at the same time might've been a language.

"Expergiscimini semper. Semper vigilo..."

"What's going on?" she asked Ford with confusion and fear. He shook his head.

"I-I don't know," he stammered.

"What's he saying?" Mabel asked. "W-what language is that?"

Ford shrugged softly. "I'm not completely sure. I-it might be Latin...?"

"But why?" she cried. "What is even happening!?"

Ford didn't respond at all to this, all three of them watching Pine Tree, who kept muttering to himself, still stiffened and tensed.

"Et ego daemonium occidere nos..."

"Anyone have a translator?" Stan questioned, lifting a brow. Ford shook his head, but Mabel's eyes lit up. She reached into her pocket and dug out her phone.

"I think I have one... Here, I got it!" she exclaimed. She let the translator listen to what Pine Tree was saying.

"Et custodiet omnia..."

All three of them peered at the phone screen and what his words translated to.

He watches everything...

"Et daemonium veniet..."

The demon will come...

"Semper, transcurrentibus stellis incidere."

Always, shooting stars fall.

"Abietes in altari semper ardebit."

Pine trees will always burn.

Mabel felt a jolt as she remembered what he had said about the Zodiac and their symbols. She looked up from the phone screen to look at Pine Tree. His eyes flashed from yellow, to blue, to red, and back to yellow.

"Nos omnes sicut mortui sunt sicut bonum."

We all are as good as dead.

He shut his mouth for a moment, his eyes now only flashing between yellow and red. Slowly, they stopped on a bright yellow as he spoke his next words with his voice echoing slightly and his tone as cold as ice.

"Vos should omnia cedere.

You should all give up.

His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and with a shudder, he fell backwards onto the ground, before blacking out. Mabel exchanged concerned, worried, and fearful glances with her great-uncles.

"W-what was that?" she asked nobody in particular, her gaze locked onto Pine Tree's unconscious form. Unsurprisingly, nobody had an answer to her. Mabel tried to force away her shock and slowly approached Pine Tree. There was something... off... about how still he was.

Mabel tentatively drew herself towards him. She kneeled besides him and placed her hand on his chest. After a moment, her eyes widened with alarm. She retracted her arm, before placing two fingers on his wrist, feeling for a pulse. Her breath caught in her throat and the color drained from her face.

"He's not breathing."

And I'm sorry that this chapter is again shorter than usual. I really wanted to be evil and end it on two cliffhangers.

I can't believe I knocked out two of the Dippers in one chapter. What can I say?

See you next time! I'll try to explain what happened in the second part of this chapter in the next chapter.