Eventually, the hug came to an end and Stan ushered them inside. The group was surprised to find the shack was actually full of all sorts of people and creatures.

"So...what's everyone doing here?" Dipper asked as he looked around.

"Yeah, there's like monsters and gnomes, and is Pacifica wearing a potato sack?" Mabel added pointing at said girl.

"Hey! Even in a sack I still look better than you." Pacifica immediately defended.

"It's...it's a long story," Multi-bear said. Before he could elaborate any further, everyone had to take defensive positions because there was an eye-bat passing by.

Once the danger had passed, Stan gave a brief summary of how he had been out looking for Mike and Mabel when the end of the word started and being protected by the Shack's barrier. Then how McGucket eventually came with a bunch of refugees, declaring himself the leader, and saying how their current plan was just to stay hiding out forever. Dipper immediately argued against it, and after a rousing speech by him and Mabel, the others got pumped up to fight back. Stan was against the whole, but the others made plans to turn the Shack into a fighting robot despite all his protests. As Dipper and Mabel started organizing groups to gather the things McGucket needed, Mike pulled Stan aside to talk in private.

"What's going on Stan?" Mike asked in concern. "And don't use being angry at Ford as an excuse."

"Why shouldn't I be angry at him," Stan snapped back. "He knew that this could happen and instead of telling us, he tried to solve it himself. Because he couldn't trust me enough to help, he's in trouble and nearly dragged the kids down with him!"

"Stan, I'm worried about the twins too," Mike assured, realizing the real issue.

"Why should I be worried about them?" Stan denied it, crossing his arms. "It's not like I've spent a week not knowing whether or not they were still alive. And now that they're in a place I can finally keep them safe, they want to go fight an all-powerful monster that literally brought about the end of the world!"

"Stan… keeping them here isn't going to make them safe," Mike said realistically. "You know it's only going to be a matter of time before we run out of supplies, hiding isn't a viable solution. And Bill seems to have it out personally of those kids. Look at me, that stupid triangle fused me with an evil animatronic and sent me to hunt down and kill Dipper. Mabel was in a prison Bill personally designed to make sure she never wanted to leave. As long as Bill has control of this world, the twins will never be safe. The only option is to fight back and make sure Bill can never harm them again."

"I know…" Stan sighed sadly, slumping down to sit on the nearest surface. "I know it's the only choice, but it's just so dangerous. It's an all-powerful chaos god that they want to go up against. How am I supposed to protect them from that?"

"By fighting right there by their side," Mike said with confidence. "Remember when you guys first invited me to move into the Shack and you told me those kids are impossible to say no to? Well, that still hasn't changed. As much as we may want to, we can't stop them, so instead of trying to hold them back we need to be there to watch their backs instead."

"There really is no stopping them is there," Stan agreed with a fond smile. "Heck, if anyone can go up against a demon like that and win, it'll be those two."

"That's the spirit," Mike grinned, helping Stan back up onto his feet. "Come on, let's go see what we can do to help."

"Alright," Stan nodded, grim determination. "I owe that triangle a good punch for everything he put you, kids, through anyway. Speaking of… do we need to be worried about the whole 'fused with an evil animatronic' thing? Because that seems like something we might need to worry about."

"It's been taken care of," Mike assured with a chuckle. "Mostly thanks to Dipper and the magic barrier."

"At least there's that," Stan sighed, cracking his back. "I'll need the full story later, but for now… let's go see how we can help."

The next few days..? Weeks..? (Time was pretty much meaningless still) passed by in a chaotic hive of activity. Resources had to be gathered, machines constructed and attached, and the house needed to be modified for the new additions without breaking the barrier. Mike helped go on a few supply runs in the beginning before he had to put all his engineering skills and robotics knowledge to use in helping construct the various limbs. Stan himself ended up helping build the robot as well, as he couldn't spend thirty years rebuilding a trans-dimensional portal without picking up a few engineering skills along the way.

Finally, construction was finished the house was ready for the big battle. After all the work, they decided to spend an evening resting and recovering, so they could all be at their best for the big shown down. The refugees were gathered around various campfires, joking and laughing with each other. Mabel had even made sweaters for everyone in the celebration.

"This is the best day of the end of the world," Mabel said cheerfully as she took her place between Dipper and Mike. "I think we actually have a chance to beat Bill and win back our future."

"Yeah," Dipper agreed solemnly. "Getting to actually live to see our 13th birthday party is the only birthday present I want right now."

"Don't worry kid, I'll make sure you do," Mike promised. "That goes for you too Mabel."

"Hey, if we're lucky enough to get there, I guarantee this whole town is gonna throw you the best birthday party you've ever seen," Soos added cheerfully.

"Thanks, Soos. Thanks, Mike," Dipper said, feeling a little better.

"Yeah that triangle won't know what hit him tomorrow," Stan grinned, throwing a fake punch. "We'll get my brother back and save the world. Then I can hold it over Ford's head that I saved him again. And it wasn't even my fault this time!"

Everyone laughed at that statement, getting an even bigger grin from Stan.

"Trust me, tomorrow's gonna be great!" Mabel cheered, throwing her arms around Dipper and Mike's shoulders and pulling them close. "I believe in us!"

Everyone gave their own cheer as well before falling back into casual conversations. By the time everyone went to bed, everyone was filled with hope and excitement about what they were going to do.

"Alright, fellas," McGucket said as he did some last-minute checks. "Let's hope this turns out better than my other inventions."

"Everybody ready?" Mabel asked, getting firm nods in return. "Dipper, now!"

Dipper pulled down a lever, making machinery kick into action. The house rumbles and begins to rise, making everyone stumble as they tried to keep their footing. Soon the machine rose to full height and everyone went to their stations.

"This is it, everyone," Dipper said as he took the wheel. "It's time to put an end to Bill Cipher's reign!"

"Let's show him what happens when he messes with the Pines family!" Stan cried, getting cheers in return.

It was time to take back Gravity Falls.