Tales Of The Flame The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Part Thirty-Six: Doors To Our Past

Wendy opened her eyes to see a familiar setting; a featureless white room. "DAMN IT!" she screamed in frustration as she had begun to fear that victory over the Magic Killers was a mere illusion. "Ugh... Wah?" the voice of Mabel groaned as she awoke from her slumber. Rubbing her eyes, she soon saw why her mother reacted the way that she had. "SERIOUSLY?!" was all she could reply with. "No..." Pacifica added in a defeated tone. "This isn't right. This isn't right at all. W-We won. I saw you... I saw you bury that chainsaw straight into her heart. Fuck..." Dipper commented in disbelief as he too tried to figure out what was going on. All four members of the family stood up and began to explore the seemingly endless void. "There's no door this time..." Mabel mentioned as she tried to walk towards the wall, only to have it stay the same distance away no matter how far she walked. "Yeah... Something about this feels different..." Wendy agreed. Just as soon as she had finished her observation a blinding flash filled the room and all four members of the Pines family lost consciousness.

Dipper opened his eyes to see that he was behind the wheel of his beloved 1969 Fjord Stallion GT350 Fastback. Glancing over, he spied his lover still asleep; her hand laying on the windowsill and her head on top of it as the car drove down a desolate two-lane desert highway. The chestnut haired man looked into the rearview mirror to see his daughters were also resting comfortably. After driving for a few miles, an abandoned service station appeared on his left. In the parking lot stood a door frame with a weathered door inside of it. The thirty-three year old man's curiosity got the better of him and he decided to investigate. Pulling off the road, his wife began to stir beside him. "Where are we?" she asked in a groggy voice as she observed her surroundings. "I... I'm not too sure to be honest. I just kinda came to behind the wheel" Dipper explained. "So... That room was real?" Mabel asked before letting out a yawn. "Who knows what's real anymore..." Pacifica responded to her sister as she too had awoken. "Yeah. I mean, what's the deal with that door? There's no way that's real..." Mabel agreed as the attention of the family turned to the mysterious portal.

The doors of the classic car creaked open as the Pines family began to exit it. A slight breeze helped to temper the heat of the barren wilderness that surrounded them. Walking up to the door, fear pulsed through the veins of Dipper Pines. He was well aware of the consequences that could result from opening an unknown entrance. Still, he was intrigued by it and placed his clammy hand on the tarnished brass knob. "Dip..." Wendy said in a worried tone. "I know, Wendy... But if those demons are still alive, we have to stop them" the chestnut haired man said as he turned the knob and pushed forward. Mabel and Pacifica stepped behind their mother and held onto her as their father opened the door. Much to Dipper's surprise, it led to what appeared to be a forest. In fact, he was fairly certain that he knew exactly where it was. "Hey guys... I think it's safe" the thirty-three year old man called back from the threshold of the portal. "You think? Or do you know?" his wife asked as she wanted clarification from him. Dipper stepped through the door frame and walked around the woods for about a minute. "Welp... If something was gonna attack me, it'd have done it by now..." he thought to himself before walking back to the doorway. "I know it's safe. C'mon guys!" he said while poking his head through the opening. The trio of Pines women soon crossed through the door frame and found themselves in a familiar setting.

"So... We're home?" Pacifica asked as she began to walk around. "I-I'm not sure. I mea-" Dipper began before a loud rumbling tore through the trees. The Pines family headed towards the disturbance. In the distance, they could see a break in the woods, where a dirt road cut through them. A silver Speedy Beaver bus idled for a moment before pulling away. Dipper and Wendy could not believe their eyes. Mere feet away from them stood the twelve year old versions of Mabel and Dipper Pines. "What the?" Wendy whispered to her husband. "It's the first time we came to Gravity Falls..." he replied in a hushed voice. Although he was fairly certain that they would not be heard by the pair of preteens, he still did not want to risk a potential time space continuum rift. A puff of smoke appeared in front of the twelve year olds and Mr. Mystery himself appeared in front of the duo. He motioned to the Mystery Shack, which promptly shed the letter 'S' from its marquee. He soon introduced himself as Stan Pines and welcomed the children to the Mystery Shack. After they entered the structure, the family stepped out into the roadway. "Jeez... That brings back some memories..." Dipper commented. "HEY! Look over there!" Mabel Elise shouted as she pointed to yet another mysterious doorway on the opposite side of the road. "Well... Let's see where this leads..." Wendy said as she headed towards it.

She walked up to the door and placed her hand on the knob; her palms drenched in sweat as she worried what may await her on the other side. While she hoped for a pleasant memory like the one her husband had just experienced, she knew just as well that it could be one that she'd much sooner not relive. Opening the door, she was met by the dark of night and loud music. Stepping through, she realized just where she was. It was the night that a lot of things changed in both her and her husband's life. "Is this what I think it is?" Dipper asked as he and his daughters joined Wendy in the next memory. "Yup. Fuckin' great..." the auburn haired woman remarked in an unenthusiastic tone. "Sweet! A house party! Count me in!" Mabel exclaimed before taking off for the two story home. "Mabel, wait!" her mother shouted before giving chase to the spirited teenager. "Well, I guess we should follow them. Just remember that whatever you see us doing in there was a long time ago and doe-" the chestnut haired man began to explain before being cut off. "You were kids... No need to apologize for living a little..." Pacifica reassured her father as they towards the house.

It was just as Wendy had remembered it. The music was blasting and the drinks were plentiful as she made her way through her best friend's house. She saw a blonde sprint past her towards the exit of the home. "Was that Pacifica?" she thought to herself as she turned around just in time to see the teen girl tumble down the concrete stoop and land on the damp front lawn. Dipper and his daughter had the distraught young woman practically land at their feet; her vodka bottle somehow surviving the tumble as well. Pacifica quickly got back up, grabbed the full container of liquor and sprinted towards her muscle car that was parked on the curb. "Was that Aunt Pacifica?" the silver haired fifteen year old asked. "Yeah... That was her..." Dipper replied in a sullen voice as he watched the car speed off into the night; aware of the fate that awaited the blonde girl. "Let's find Mabel and get outta here..." Pacifica said as she picked up on the fact that her father really didn't want to relive this night again. They entered the house to find Wendy waiting for them. "There's two places she could have gone if I know her. The living room where the dance floor is or... the deck..." the redhead remarked; her tone dropping as she mentioned the second location. She heard a bit of a commotion coming from the back of the house and had a feeling that's where they would find Mabel. They made their way outside just in time to see Chloe Price land her first strike on the eighteen year old version of Wendy Corduroy. "So that's what it's like to watch you getting your own ass kicked... Weird" the thirty-six year old said to herself. "MOM!" Mabel called out from the other side of the crowd. "Jeez..." Pacifica commented as she watched the younger version of her mother get assaulted.

The fight eventually ended and the crowd dispersed, allowing the family to reunite as the watched the teenage woman sit in agony on a deck chair. "She was such a dumbass..." Wendy said as she looked over to the auburn haired eighteen year old. She was soon joined by a disheveled looking Tambry, who insisted that she receive medical attention. "You got jumped... What could you do about it?" Dipper remarked before kissing his wife. "Yeah. I guess that's true. I gotta call Tambers when we get outta whatever the hell this is. I would've died if she hadn't forced me to go to the hospital" Wendy pointed out to her family. "She's a good friend..." Mabel agreed. Walking back into the house, they observed that the party appeared to be winding down. In the living room another door appeared and the quartet prepared themselves for what would be next on their journey through the lives of Dipper and Wendy. "I'll do it this time..." Pacifica said as she grasped the doorknob and pushed the door open. An alleyway between two brick buildings awaited the Pines family on the other side. Dipper reached out and grasped the hand of his lover. This would be the most difficult memory yet on their path through the mindscape. Part of him wondered if this was a form a psychological torture being dealt out by the Magic Killers.

Dipper, Wendy, Mabel and Pacifica stepped through the threshold to enter the next memory. Mabel and Pacifica could sense that this would be extraordinarily difficult for their parents to witness once again and grasped the hands of them in support. Just as they reached the end of the alleyway, the shots rang out. Although she tried to fight it with all her might, tears had breached the eyelids of Wendy and began to cascade down her cheeks. She squeezed the hand of her husband as tight as she could; fearing that she may break it with the force she exuded. Mason knew he had to hold strong for the family, but he too began to tear up at the traumatic experience. For Mabel Elise and Pacifica Kathleen this was the first time they had seen the horrid acts of the day and they too began to cry as they realized just what it was that they were witnessing. Mabel turned and hugged her father; burying her face into his midsection as she tried to block out the horror. He placed his free hand on her upper back and tried to soothe his child as best he could. Pacifica had an almost opposite reaction, as she had frozen in place. She wanted to echo the sentiments of her twin sister, but found herself unable to do so. Instead, she saw her namesake fall to the granite steps below her and tumble a bit. She witnessed her Aunt get caught in the crossfire a few moments later as she tried to craft an escape from the situation and instead join the blonde on the staircase of the bank. The call of 'OFFICER DOWN!' broke the quartet from their emotions and they headed over towards the police line; Dipper wanting to spare Wendy, Mabel and Pacifica from witnessing the final moments of the teen girls' lives.

They rounded the front fender of a police cruiser to see a familiar ginger woman on the concrete sidewalk; a pool of blood forming under her head as the graze wound to her temple continued to bleed. "Holy shit..." Pacifica commented as she watched a fellow officer respond. "I think she took one in the head!" he called out to another officer who was putting on a pair of black rubber gloves. "C'MON!, stay with me Corduroy..." he said while taking a knee to attend to the injured officer. "Mason..." Wendy said as she continued to hold the hand of her lover. "I know honey, I know..." the chestnut haired man said as he continued to look for the door that would allow them to leave. A few minutes later, Officer Corduroy had come to and was seated on the curb as EMT's attended to her and stitched her wound shut. "Mom, Dad... Look..." Pacifica said as they turned to see the younger version of Dipper approach the seated redhead; his hand bloodied and broken from punching the asphalt in frustration. A silver space blanket concealed her identity from the teenage boy. She turned to see a familiar face. Dipper Pines soon joined the uniformed woman and wrapped her up in a hug. "Aww..." Mabel said as she watched the pair embrace. After watching the two commiserate about the events of the day, Mabel was first to notice a door at the top of the stairs. "Let's get outta here..." Wendy said as she climbed the marble staircase. "I'm so sorry Dad..." Pacifica said to her father before giving him a hug. "Thanks..." was all he could respond with as he tried to hold back his emotions. Although time had passed since the deaths of both his twin sister and his girlfriend, it did little to ease the wounds they had caused. Still, looking up at his wife and daughters at the top of the staircase, he knew that while he had lost so much, he had gained plenty as well in the aftermath of such a terrible day in Gravity Falls, Oregon.

Author's Note: I really wanted to do this all in one chapter, but realized that it was important for Mabel and Pacifica to understand what had transpired in the past. What is behind the next door in the mindscape? Are the Magic Killers truly dead and gone? Why are the Pines family reliving their past? Just what are Stan and Ford up to? What else awaits our heroes as we close in on the end of the Shooting Star Falls saga? Answers to all this and more in the next installment of Tales of the Flame The Ax. Until then, I'll be watching you... - iKLOT

Playlist for this chapter:

All Time Low - "Once In A Lifetime"

Mike Shinoda / iann dlor / UPSAHL - "Happy Endings"

Royal The Serpent - "Overwhelmed"

Sir Sly - "Welcomes The Pressure"

Beartooth - "The Past Is Dead"

Twenty One Pilots - "Heathens"

Absofacto - "Dissolve"

Twin XL - "Slow Heart"

MGMT - "Electric Feel"

Briston Maroney - "Bottle Rocket"

Portugal. The Man - "Tidal Wave"

Saint Motel - "It's All Happening"

spill tab - "Anyone Else"