A slight warning. This chapter does have battle and a lot of blood. Thanks for all the feedback and support so far. It is so greatly appreciated!
The twins had no idea what to think. Their hands lowered as the bright yellow light dimmed. There was a liquid lob of shining gold where the statue used to be, the creature still forming.
Mabel trembled on the floor, her mind gone blank. Dipper pulled her to her feet as they both backed away against a tree to avoid themselves being flanked.
This was bad. This was very, very bad.
"Oh! OH! Gravity Falls it is good to be back!" came the unique voice of Bill Cipher, the golden creature stepping up onto two legs to stand before the two children. Was it just them, or was Bill bigger and less triangular? "I have to admit, I didn't think you were that stupid, Shooting Star."
The creature threw a hand up into the air, shattering through his glowing gold exterior to reveal the creature beneath.
The boy was about the size of Wendy Corduroy, standing only about a head taller than the twins. His bright golden hair resembled that of the Mad Hatter, the tall black top-hat sitting neatly on his head. The black bow tie was still tied around his neck, the ridiculous golden tailcoat flowing along in the breeze. His eyes were closed, a toothed grin spread wide across his face.
"How... strange..." His eyes snapped open. They had no white, just gold like the late summer sun, vertical cat-like slits for pupils stared. The eyes... they seemed more alive than any of the boy ever was, Dipper was reflected in one, Mabel in the other, so detailed that they seemed to be mirrors themselves. "Why am I... human?" He inspected his hand, apparently finding the skin horrifying. Subtly steadying himself, his brilliant golden gaze fixed onto the twins. "Well hello there," he greeted them with a tip of his black top-hat. His voice was cold and without affection, just like it was a year ago. "Look at you two, grown over the year. Looks like I'm not the only good-looking one in this town anymore."
"Why... how- how are you here?" Dipper gasped, trembling from head to toe. He had subconsciously took a step forward to separate Mabel from the threat. "You died!"
"Oh I did, didn't I?" Bill shrugged, stretching out his hand. A bright flash flickered to reveal a long, crooked black cane. The boy leaned on it to make himself more comfortable. "But thanks to Shooting Star here, I'm back." He smiled creepily, but then it faded. "Though I must ask, why wasn't it you?"
His question set upon the brown-haired boy like a die in the sun. He could feel Mabel shaking behind him, so he stood his ground. He was the only thing standing between Bill and his sister.
"What in the world are you talking about?" he gasped, desperately fighting any urge to run from him and back to the shack. It would be better to have the threat on watch. He'd dealt with him before, he could deal with him again.
Thankfully Mabel had gotten over her shock to come to his rescue.
"What do you want from us you isosceles monster?" She sounded a lot braver than Dipper knew she was feeling. His sister was always better at covering up her fear than he was. "And why are you human? What's that about?"
Cocking his head to the side, Bill gave her a look, but then his mouth crooked in that horrifying smile again as he detected the fear that laced each and every word. "Aww, are you scared of me? I thought there was no point on being scared of someone who's dead." Those last few words were echoed by the overly familiar demonic miasma voice that was able to strike fear into anyone. That voice... Bill had used it before... it sounded so creepy, like it belonged to Satan himself.
She yelped and ducked behind Dipper as she recognised her own words.
Bill had been listening the entire time.
He was never dead. Only trapped behind stone.
"Though I must thank you Shooting Star," Bill continued, throwing his cane up and catching it effortlessly. "You can't imagine how incredibly boring it is to stay stuck, in your own thoughts."
Mabel made an undecipherable noise of protest, finally stepping out from behind her brother to stand side by side with him.
"Is there a way to make him a statue again?" she whispered to Dipper, who had no idea how to answer any of the question he had been asked.
"It really is a shame though," said he, his fingers subtly tightening round his cane. "I can't imagine what everyone would say when the one and only Shooting Star set him free. Will they ever forgive you? Will you be able to live with the knowledge than you are the one who set me free?"
Mabel had enough. "You leave us alone!" she shrieked and ran at him. Bill swung his cane round, aiming to tare it right through her. Dipper gasped and acted without thinking. He leapt up and pushed Mabel out of the way. However Bill was faster.
The sharp cane tore through Mabel's right shoulder and Dipper's left shoulder, scarlet blood splattering out, pain taring through the open wounds. The twins yelped in pain as they both fell backwards onto the grass with a thud, blood splattering everywhere.
Dipper writhed in pain next to her, pressing his good hand to stop the bleeding. However seeing him hurt like this made Mabel even more angry. Ignoring Bill's terrifying laughter and her own pain, Mabel stood up and gave Bill a dark and dangerous glare. If looks could kill, Bill would've been deader than dead. Boy was she mad.
"Nobody messes with my brother!" Mabel roared, leaping at the golden eyed boy again.
However Bill once again was faster. He swung his cane round with only one arm, just like swinging a baseball bat.
Pain seared at the side of Mabel's head, another wound bursting open with bright scarlet blood. Mabel gave a shriek of agony, feeling herself being blasting back. She hit the trunk of a tree with a loud thud. She was knocked out cold before she hit the ground.
Dipper gasped as he saw Mabel's limp, bleeding body on the ground, the blood very red against the green grass. The monster in his chest erupted with anger as the boy subconsciously stood up, shaking not from fear but from fury.
"Touched a nerve there, didn't I?" Bill chuckled, wiping the human blood off his cane with his yellow sleeve, clearly caring for that cane more than his suit. "Knew your sister could always be used against you and-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence. In the short silence between words, Dipper focused and sprang.
Bill's eyes widened as the thirteen-year-old crashed into him, knocking them completely off balance.
There was no rules of punching or kicking in this fight. The two boys were locked in a writhing tussle that flipped round the empty patch of ground, aiming to tare each other apart, Bill's black cane laying forgotten on the ground. Both boys fought for the offensive side, but for once, Dipper got a good grip on his enemy. He had the advantage...
...for a split second. Bill punched his open wound with all his might, causing Dipper to cry out in pain and release his grip on the demon, allowing him to slither out of his grasp.
"Finally!" Bill sneered, taking a few deep breaths while trying to ignore his bleeding nose where Dipper had punched him. "A challenge."
It is always gratifying when your mortal enemy, an all-powerful demon no less, notifies you as a worthy opponent.
This round was even less clean than the first one, combined with fury and exhaustion from both sides. This was something Dipper had never experienced before. His piddly match with Gideon Gleeful was nothing compared to this. Both sides had underestimated their opponents. Dipper didn't think Bill possessed that kind of muscle strength, but Bill was surprised how fast and agile Dipper turned out to be.
The boys took no notice of the rain that had started to fall from the sky, and the wind that had started to wail at them, tugging at their blood-matted clothes and trying to blow their hats off their heads. Only one thought ran through Dipper's numb mind.
He hurt Mabel. He hurt Mabel.
This was the red line, and it was crossed long ago. And Dipper had a reputation to do some incredibly brave and stupid things when he was angry. Thank goodness for all the fighting experience he'd gained, and also a few pointers from Gruncle Stan.
His eyes caught onto the sharp cane that lay on the ground. A weapon! Time was running out. His wound was now burning with agony from blood loss and the force of being punched a few times. Bill was smart; he was going for his disadvantage.
Blood roaring in his ears, Dipper gasped for air that Bill had knocked out of his lungs and managed to wrap his fingers round the black cane. The opponent was closing in, covered in blood- none of it his own.
It was now or never. Life or death.
Mustering up his remaining strength, Dipper swung the sharp-ended cane at him, and felt the friction as he struck gold.
A loud scream rose from Bill's throat as he fell back onto the ground with a thud. The cane had torn diagonally across his chest, beginning to leak a bright red. It was not a deep wound, but a wound nonetheless.
Before the golden demon could scramble to his feet, Dipper pressed the sharp end of the cane under his chin, towering over his age old enemy.
He had won.
Dipper pushed the cane further, poking at the neck. Bill whimpered, realising that he was beaten. He wasn't used to being beaten, especially in a one on one match with a kid. It was unlike Bill to whimper, but right now Dipper couldn't care less. The demon was at his mercy. His heart thumped as he took two deep breaths.
"Nobody will ever be hurt again because of you," Dipper snapped, his brown eyes boring into Bill's golden eyes.
This was the creature that hurt his sister, him, his family and friends. He constantly put them at risk and had nearly destroyed the world. This was the monster that possessed him and nearly killed him and his sister. This was a monster, one that couldn't be talked sense into. He deserved to die. He needed to die.
All he had to do was thrust the cane through Bill's throat, and everything would finally be over.
Bill realised his intention and his eyes widened, the strange cat-like slits widening into oval shapes. For the first time, there was no glee, no anger and no evil. For the first time, genuine terror consumed them and showed Dipper's reflection once more.
The brown-haired boy stopped. He saw his own reflection in those bright golden eyes. Was Dipper really about to end someone's life? Seeing Bill so frightened and so helpless... it ignited something inside him.
Dipper growled and dropped the cane to the blood-soaked ground in a clatter. Bill gave him a look of confusion as his pupils started to resume to their thin shape.
When you're about to hurt someone all you see is yourself, becoming the thing you've always hated.
"I'm not like you Bill," Dipper said, just now becoming aware of the pelting rain that had soaked through his clothes, through his blood and through his skin. "I might be making a mistake on letting you live, but I'm not like you."
Bill looked at him in a way which Dipper had never seen anyone look at anyone before. Like his gaze could bore right through his spirit and see everything. For that moment, Dipper could swear that he saw something flash in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but a loud crash of thunder cut across him.
Dipper had forgotten all about the thunderstorm. His eyes turned upward to face the dark clouds. The dark thunderstorm clouds began to swirl round above them, lightening flashes lighting up the angry clouds for fractions of seconds.
"Oh no," Bill's gasp turned Dipper's attention back to him. "Not now!"
Now it was Dipper who gave him a confused glare.
"Pine Tree get out of here!" Bill turned to him, his golden eyes full of fear.
"What?" Dipper blurted out, not understanding anything that happened in the last few seconds.
"Pine Tree listen to me!" Bill yelled at him. Dipper shivered when he heard the desperation in his voice. Why was Bill suddenly behaving like this? "Take Shooting Star and get as far away from here as possible!" He bore his teeth when Dipper didn't move. "NOW!"
Dipper flinched and turned to get away, but he barely got five steps away when he felt pain sear through his whole body. He roared out as the electric shock caused him to fall to the ground, his limbs paralysed.
The boy reached out his hand, fighting to keep awake. Mabel was still lying there, motionless and bleeding in the rain.
"Ma... bel..." Dipper managed to say before everything went black.
