/AN: I usually don't do authors' notes, but WOW. You guys were absolutely screaming at me to continue this one! I'm sorry it took so long, I blame limited computer time and massive writer's block. But oh man, your reviews did wonders for my motivation! It means so much to me that you guys care. And to say thanks, I've got an extra-long chapter for you! Enjoy!

Mabel surfaced at the edge of the lake, sweeping her wet hair back. Candy and Grenda came up next to her. They had been out swimming all day, and were exhausted.

Mabel looked up at the sky, which was slowly turning a deep blue as the sun set. "I should probably get back," She said. "It's getting late."

"Yes, we should all go home now," Candy said, wading to the edge of the lake and climbing out. Grenda followed, moving awkwardly on land as she maneuvered her tentacles. Grenda pulled Mabel out of the water and put her back in her hamster ball as Candy picked up the lid and handed it to her.

"See you again soon!" Mabel said as she screwed the lid onto her ball. Candy and Grenda waved goodbye as they made their way back towards town. Mabel flicked her tail and rolled back to the Shack.

When she reached the Shack, she knocked the ball against the kitchen window to let Stan know she was there. Stan came out and rolled the ball inside through the specially enlarged door Ford had installed.

Once in the living room, Mabel opened her lid and popped her head out to talk to Stan. "Where's Dipper?" she asked.

"Don't know," Stan replied. "I haven't seen him since earlier today. He came racing into the house calling for Ford."

"Do you know why?" Mabel asked in concern.

Stan shrugged. "Ask my brother. It must have something to do with his science junk."

Mabel glared at him. "Or he could have found a lead on turning back!" she said.

Stan ruffled her wet hair affectionately. "Yeah, maybe. Sorry, Mabel, I've just had a lot on my mind lately." He smiled at her and walked out of the room.

"Haven't we all…" Mabel muttered as she put the lid back on her hamster ball and curled up at the bottom.

Dipper was wandering the woods again. Though he knew it would be best to heed Ford and stay in the Shack, he didn't want to be around anyone right now.

He tried not to think about Bill as he trotted through the trees. However, when he did manage to get his mind off the demon, his thoughts turned instead to the whole "monster self reflection" predicament.

He settled on a soft patch of ground well hidden by trees. He tucked his legs beneath him awkwardly and took off his hat, staring at it. The pine tree symbol on the front reminded him of Bill, but it reminded him even more of his humanity. In so many ways, the hat had become his sense of self. Was it possible that, even with this altered form, he was still the same? That's what Ford had said. That fundamentally, they hadn't really changed. That they were simply… what was it? Manifesting themselves in a new way?

Dipper tried to comprehend it. It wasn't as though he'd always been a deer. But maybe it was more metaphorical than that. He had always been paranoid, but also curious. And yeah, maybe kind of jumpy. So now he just had a few physical traits to match his personality. He shook his head. Even if that was true, it was a huge thing to get used to. He'd been changed before anyone else in Gravity Falls. He should be the first to accept it, right?

But Mabel seemed to be fine with it. Ford and Soos and Wendy seemed fine with it. Even Stan wasn't having too hard a time.

Dipper ripped out a clump of grass at his side. It wasn't fair. It seemed like everyone had some cool new advantage over being human. Why wasn't he the same way? He absentmindedly shredded the handful of grass as his thoughts swirled darkly. He didn't deserve this. Even if it was just a manifestation of his personality, it seemed to make everything more intense. He had been even more paranoid lately, more jumpy and nervous. This stupid deer body amplified those instincts.

Come to think of it, he'd never even heard of a cervitaur before. He'd heard of mermaids and sphinxes and gargoyles, but who ever had the idea of a deer person? Why was he the one who stood out, even when everyone was different?

He ripped out another tuft of grass in anger. He gripped it tightly, as though he could squeeze the emotions out of himself and into the grass.

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that at first he didn't hear the rustling. It was only when the noise was accompanied by a soft hiss that he snapped out of it.

His head jerked around toward the sound. He held very still, with his ears pricked up. There it was again- a faint rustle, coming towards him. His tail twitched when he heard another hiss.

It sounded like a snake. A big one. Were large snakes native to Oregon? Dipper considered running, but he wasn't sure he could get up and going fast enough to outdistance it. It sounded close, and he still wasn't used to his legs.

He held perfectly still, hoping the trees and underbrush concealed him enough that the thing would pass him by. He trembled slightly as he heard it approaching.

Listening closely, he heard several small hisses in quick succession. Was there more than one? The hissing grew in volume and intensity. Dipper felt his muscles tense in anticipation.

As the sound became one long unending hiss, a sudden familiar voice rang out through the trees.

"Oh, will you just shut up?!"

Dipper jumped in surprise. Was that… Pacifica?

He poked his head up from behind the bush, staring at the figure silhouetted before him in the darkness.

It looked like Pacifica, all right. Until strands of her hair started moving away from her head, as if they had minds of their own.

Pacifica's head turned towards Dipper. "Who's there?"

Dipper stared at her eyes. They looked strangely bright and colorful, and the more he looked at them the less he could focus on anything else. He stood up in a daze. "It's Dipper," he said vaguely.

"D-Dipper?" Pacifica asked, her eyes dimming. She shook her head. "Agh, I did it again!"

Dipper started, as if waking from a trance. "What? Pacifica? Where did you- Did what again?" He blinked rapidly, trying to regain his composure.

"I-" Pacifica started, but she shut her mouth and turned away. "Nothing. What are you doing out here, anyway?" She tried to say it in her usual condescending way, but she didn't quite succeed.

"What are you doing out here?" Dipper asked pointedly. He looked her over. She had tiny yellow snakes for hair, and instead of legs a long serpent tail flowed from under her skirt. Dipper concluded that she had become a gorgon- a snake creature from Greek mythology, similar to Medusa. But less lethal.

She bit her lip, looking down. "Nothing."

Dipper raised an eyebrow. Pacifica blanched, apparently trying to decide whether or not to tell him.

"I've run away," She said in a rush, turning her back on Dipper.

"You what?" Dipper asked, astonished.

"I ran away, okay?!" She said.

"But… why?" Dipper asked, confused. Pacifica had a perfect life- anything she could ask for she could have. Why on earth would she leave?"

"It's this stupid monster thing," Pacifica said. "My parents are… well, they don't like me much anymore. If they ever did." She muttered resentfully.

"But what about them? What did they change into?" Dipper asked, still confused.

"They didn't change." Pacifica said darkly. "I'm the only one."

"What?" Dipper's eyes went wide. "How is that possible?"

Pacifica looked away. "Well, it's stupid, really. The curse spread through the water, right?" She looked at Dipper, who nodded. Pacifica groaned. "Of course. My parents are too wealthy to drink tap water. They only drink the highest quality bottled water, imported from the Swiss Alps."

Dipper looked at her in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Do you honestly think they'd drink dirty tap water?" Pacifica said condescendingly.

"Well what about you?" Dipper said, raising an eyebrow. "Obviously you drank the 'dirty tap water' or you wouldn't be like this."

As if to prove his point, a few of the snakes protruding from Pacifica's head hissed softly. She blushed and looked away again. "I didn't care."

"Didn't care about what?" Dipper asked.

"I didn't care about what my parents wanted. I mean, ever since the ball a few weeks ago…"

Dipper nodded. He remembered how Pacifica had defied her parents, declaring that she would fix the family name. "So did you drink tap water to annoy them, or…?"

Pacifica shrugged. "I mean, sort of. I'm not exactly forbidden to drink tap water, but I knew they wouldn't like it if I did. Lately I've been doing little things, trying not to let them control me so much. Drinking tap water, coming home with muddy shoes… I even helped one of the servants clean up dinner the other night."

"Wow, Pacifica, that's…" Dipper hesitated. "That's great! I know that's a big deal for you." He smiled, if slightly sardonically.

Pacifica smiled shyly. "So, what about you?"

"Me?"

"What are you doing out here so late? I explained myself, now it's your turn."

"Oh…" Dipper looked away, his fluffy ears pulling down. "It's nothing. Nothing important."

Pacifica gave him a skeptical look. "I know you're weird, Dipper, but you've got to have some reason for being in the middle of the woods after dark."

Dipper sighed in resignation. She had spilled her guts to him, after all. "Just thinking, really. About this whole monster thing."

Pacifica looked down. "I guess that makes sense. Isn't your uncle working on how to change back?"

"He's trying…" Dipper bit his lip, but couldn't stop the words from pouring out of him. He couldn't keep it bottled up anymore. "But, Pacifica, it doesn't make any sense! I mean, Ford says that we can change back if we 'accept who we are' or some junk. What does that have to do with being monsters? It's not like I was a jumpy little deer before a week ago! It's not me! This-" he gestured to his elongated body and skinny legs- "this will never be who I am!" He stomped a front hoof emphatically.

Pacifica was silent. "Dipper…" she paused. "I know how it is to feel out of place in your own body." She said softly. "I don't mean this," she waved a hand at her snake tail, "I mean… with my parents. Always forcing me to act the way they want me to. I could never really… be myself." She sighed. "Now that I'm, well, a monster, I almost feel like it's a new beginning. Like I can finally be me. Without caring what my parents or anyone else thinks!" She raised her head defiantly.

Dipper smiled softly. "Well, I'm glad it works for you. I was getting really sick of the pretentious rich girl." He nudged her.

She laughed. "Me too." Then she blushed, seeming to realize what that implied. "Um… I'm…" She took a deep breath, then said in a rush, "I'm sorry for how I treated you and Mabel." She looked down, as if she couldn't believe what she had said.

Dipper's smile was wider now. More genuine. "Thanks, Pacifica."