3 years ago...
Ford groaned, starting to gain consciousness. He sat up and rubbed his head, trying to remember everything that had happened.
Stan. Stan had shoved him through the portal and now...
Ford's eyes shot open, it all coming back to him. Gaping, he took in his surroundings. Purple fire and hard orange dirt surrounded him. The sky was a mix of all sorts of colors. Strange creatures flew overhead, giant eyes with bat wings along with some beasts that had the head of a shark and the pancreas of a lizard.
Stumbling to his feet, he raised an eyebrow at the sights. "Weird." That was the only word he could use to describe it. Nothing else quite fit.
He gasped to himself as he remembered something. "Dipper!" Ford slapped his forehead. "I have to get back! I have to warn him about-"
"About what, Sixer?" an all to familiar voice said from behind the man.
Ford spun around, glaring. "Bill."
The yellow triangle spun his cane. "The one and only." Bill floated circles around Ford, and if he had a mouth, he would certainly be smirking.
Ford stomped forward, stopping the triangle. "What do you want!" Ford narrowed his eyes and adjusted his glasses.
Bill rolled his eye. "Relax, Sixer! Loosen up a bit! Would it really hurt you to smile?" The two stared at each other. Bill shrugged. "Ugh, hope the Pine Tree isn't as stiff as you Fordsy."
Hands balled into fists, Ford burst, "Don't you dare touch my son!"
Bill let out a chuckle. "Who's going to stop me? You?" The demon put his arm around the man's shoulder, making him flinch. Bill put a finger on Ford's chest. "Look, Fordsy, you're on my turf now. And without you to protect the kid, he's all mine. So you still want to pick a fight with me?"
The triangle then floated ahead of the man, Ford trying to keep up. "What do you plan to do with him?"
Without so much as a glance back, Bill explained, "You know. Just slowly crush his soul and anything else he loves and holds dear. Might use him as a tool a bit. Depends how I feel by that time."
Ford's eyes widened and he ran quicker after the demon. "Bill! Wait! Tell me what you want! Just leave Dipper alone."
Bill spun around, stopping the man in his tracks. "A deal, eh? Well, you know how much I love those... but nah. I think I'll just stick with my original plan. It's more fun."
Ford balled his hands into fists. "You're terrible!"
"Eh, I prefer the term 'visionary psychopath'."
Ford shut his eyes, trying to think of something. "I-I'll stop you! I'll fight anything you've got to stop you!" He pointed a finger at him, but Bill just chuckled.
"Oh, come on Fordsy. I thought you were supposed to be smart!" He wiped tears of laughter from his eye. "You. Are. Stuck. Here." He let the words sink in.
Ford took a step back and looked around at the horrible land he was in. It was complete chaos. "No," he said under his breath.
The triangle did his form of a nod and smiled with his eye. "And with you trapped in this dimension, I can roam the mind space without you 'warning' anybody. Guess you should've told the kid sooner." Bill shrugged, in a joyful mood.
Ford bit his lip, the gravity of the situation weighing down on him. He had to get home. He had to get back to his own dimension and as soon as possible. Before Bill could do anything to Dipper. Before it was too late.
As if Bill read his mind, he said, "And I doubt you could get back to your dimension. I mean, how could you if you could barely survive this one?"
Before Ford had a chance to ask what he meant, the floor opened up beneath him. He fell for what seemed like forever, letting out a yell. Without thinking, he grabbed for something, anything. His hand caught on a ledge, and the man was yanked by his arm socket. He winced in pain.
He panted, out of breath from screaming. When he looked up, he was surprised to find that he was right back at the top of the ravine. He climbed back onto level ground, where Bill was waiting. "What the heck?" Ford said, glancing back at the hole.
"Weird, right? Welcome to my dimension Fordsy. First lesson, weird is the new normal!" Bill let out a laugh before disappearing in a glitchy way.
Ford frowned , staring off at the fiery horizon. "Don't worry Dipper. I'm coming."
Present...
Mabel woke up to the sweet smell of syrup and bread. She sat up, eyes still closed and mouth drooling. "Mmmm, pancakes," she said smiling. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and let out a loud yawn.
She got up and brushed her teeth and hair, Waddles trailing behind. She could hear laughter from downstairs, which only made her smile more. Were Dipper and Stan really getting along? It was like the events of last night's story had never happened.
Sporting her pajamas, Mabel skipped down the stairs and made her way to the kitchen. There she found Dipper at the table and Stan at the stove.
"Good morning pumpkin!" Stan greeting, coming to the table with the pan. He set a plate with pancakes and gestured for her to sit.
"Hey Mabel! Want to go on a hike later?" Dipper asked, cutting his pancakes with a fork.
Mabel sat down, grinning. "Yeah, actually! That sounds great!" Then she turned to Stan. "Thanks for the pancakes uncle Stan!"
"They're not just pancakes! They're Stan-cakes!" he said, smirking.
As Mabel took a bite, she thought the play on words made them even more delicious. Sure, everyone was seeming really uncharacteristic this morning, but it was perfect. They were all happier. Mabel could ask questions after pancakes. Correction, Stan-cakes.
Mabel's eyes wandered to Waddles. She was pretty sure she caught Stan giving him a piece of bacon, but Dipper drew her attention back.
"Uh Mabel? You've got a little... something on your nose," he chuckled.
She tried to glance at her nose, only making herself look cross eyed. It was a bit of syrup. She stuck out her tongue, trying to reach it. Dipper laughed at her attempts.
Finally, she just settled to wipe it with her sleeve. She let out a laugh in chorus with Dipper's. And for the first time since coming here, it didn't seem like she was walking on eggshells around the two.
She glanced up from her nose, but to her surprise, they were gone. She stopped laughing. "Guys?" she asked the air. Even Waddles was gone.
The happiness in her gut sank and she unsteadily rose from her chair. "Dipper? Uncle Stan?" she called. The happiness in the air was replaced with an empty echo that sent chills down her spine.
She walked out to the porch, in case they had gone outside. Instead of the warm summer sun, a crisp wind blew her hair in her face. She shivered and pushed it back over her ear.
"Where did everyone go?"
"I often ask myself that," a voice came from behind.
Mabel flinched. On reflex, she spun around and swung a fist for whoever was there. Luckily they ducked before she landed the punch. "Woah there, kid!"
"Sorry! I... I..." Mabel's eyes widened as she looked over the person talking to her. A yellow, one eyed triangle with a top hat and bow tie. Well then. She wasn't crazy, was she?
"Howdy! Name's Bill Cipher!" the triangle said. He tipped off his hat to her, and along with the ground. She stumbled, almost falling over when the world shifted. He put his hat back on, and the earth beneath her feet went level.
She shook herself. "What is going on!?"
"Oh, this is a dream," Bill said, as if it were obvious.
She stared at the ground. She guessed that made sense. "Oh."
"But I'm real."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Then how are you in my dream?"
"I'm a dream demon. A demon that can go in dreams. Anymore questions?"
"I guess not."
Bill circled her, and Mabel tried to make heads or tails of what he was doing. After what she had heard, a dream demon didn't sound so far fetched.
"So, you're Shooting Star?"
Mabel squinted at him. "What's that mean?"
He ignored her question. "I figured you'd be, well, happier."
"Well, I usually am. It's just lately my family has been acting crazy."
"Yeah, that scene back there looked pretty perfect. Too bad it wasn't real." Bill looked off in the distance like he was thinking of something. "Unless..."
She tilted her head curious. "Unless?"
"Unless you were somehow able to fix things between your uncle and your cousin. Who knows?" The triangle shrugged and squinted his eye optimistically.
"Really? Do you think I could do that?" A smile crossed Mabel's face, hope filling inside of her.
"Yeah, totally kid!" He extended his arms excitedly and tapping her on the nose with his cane.
"How?" She bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to let her hopes get too high. A newfound joy came over her.
"Oh, I'm sure Dippy just needs to forgive Stanley for what he did. I'm sure he didn't mean to push his dad through the portal. Maybe even set up a little heart to heart between them!"
She bounced on her heels and shook her fists excitedly. "You think that'll work?"
He smirked with his eye. "Kid, I know that'll work. Trust me."
He spun around her and Mabel followed with her eyes. "Wow! Bill that's great! Thank you so much!"
"Eh, no problem Star."
After the words left his mouth, Mabel woke up from her dream. A smile was plastered on his face. "Oh boy! This is going to be great!"
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