ADipper yawned as he rolled out of bed. He stretched his arms above his head and flinched as his fingers slammed into the bunk above him. Oh yeah. Dipper thought. I slept over at the Grunkle's house. He slipped out of bed and headed to the next room. He didn't want to wake Mabel up where she slept on the top bunk. He grabbed his notebook and the tablet pieces before heading to the kitchen. He set the two on the table and then sat down and started to work on his translating again. It was going slowly, way too slowly.
T"Hey there kiddo."
BDipper almost jumped but he had gained a familiarity with Grunkle Stan's voice. He turned and did jump. "You look awful."
A"Eh." Stan shrugged and sipped at his coffee. "I feel awful."
S"Why?" Dipper frowned.
H"I just…" Stan sighed and sat down. "I haven't been sleeping so great these last couple days." He rubbed his neck and sighed. "Nightmares… Way too many nightmares."
"ABout what?" They both looked over to see Ford walking in. He took a mug out of the counter and poured himself some coffee before sitting down next to Dipper and Stan.
"Thing is I can't even remember." Stan sighed and rubbed his face. "All I know is I haven't been able to sleep for the past couple days, no matter how much I tried to." he took another sip of coffee and sighed. "Everytime I close my eyes and try to sleep…. Ugh is this some kind of demon cursing me or something?"
Dipper and Ford looked at each other. They both frowned. "Grunkle Stan did you do something to trigger this?"
"I don't know." Stan rubbed his face. "I just want to sleep."
"Then why don't you go to bed?" Mabel asked walking in.
"He can't." Dipper looked at his twin. "He seems to think it is a demon or something."
"What?" Mabel gasped. "Grunkle Stan what's wrong?!"
"Maybe we should test it out." Ford stood up. "Come on I have an idea." They all looked at him and then followed him down towards his lab. Ford began to pull things out of different boxes and random shaped containers. "Here we go!" He set what looked like candles and odd shaped bowls and other plants. "Let's go." He said.
"Where?" Dipper asked picking up what looked like seaweed, only blue.
"Back upstairs. Dipper Mabel helped me bring all this up."
Stan sighed and headed back towards the living room. "You're crazy poindexter."
A few minutes later they were all sitting in the living room while Ford mixed the ingredients together. He set the bowls out around them. "Alright lay down Stan."
"What are we doing now?" Stan asked.
"Going into your mind." Ford said.
"What?" They all looked at the genius. "How are we going to do that?"
"An old recipe." Ford chuckled. "Drink this Stan." Ford handed the first bowl to Stan. "This will allow you to be conscious and walk us through your mind and memories. We'll follow you through."
"How?" Mabel asked.
"I've got it." Ford smiled. "Now come on."
"Alright, I guess if it helps." Stan sighed and took the bowl. He took a deep swing and then started to cough. "That tastes-." He yawned and then laid down on the couch.
"Now then." Ford pulled out a match and lit the candles. "He set the candles in front of them. "Okay kids get ready."
Dipper looked at Mabel and then nodded. The two watched the flames of the candles. They sparked for a moment and then glowed blue. Dipper was beginning to wonder what the plan was and what to expect when he felt a buzz in his chest and then everything glowed bright and he was standing in the middle of the forest. Stan, Ford, and Mabel stood next to him.
"What is going on?" Mabel asked looking around.
"It worked." Ford grinned. "Now then, let's see… Stanley this is your mind so you'll have to lead the way."
"Right…" Stan looked around. "This way." He started walking and a moment later they were standing in front of a door. It had a black frame with pink highlights twirling throughout it. Strange symbols were etched into the door's wood. Dipper didn't recognize any of them… No wait yes he did. They were the same kinds of symbols as the tablet. "What is this?"
"No idea kid." Stan reached out and opened the door. "But this feels familiar." Inside the door was a black shadowy haze. Stan led the way in.
A moment later they found themselves staring at an old village, like way old beginning of human history old. Dipper glanced around. "It looks like we're still in Gravity-." He was cut off as a boy ran past. The boy appeared to be about thirteen and he wore animal skin clothing. "-falls."
"Yeah, maybe back before all the good stuff." Stan grumbled.
"Come on let's follow him." Mabel started to run after the boy.
"Alright." Ford sighed but they all followed. They watched as the boy gathered up some flowers and approached a girl. He began to speak in a language Dipper didn't recognize. But even as he started to get annoyed the boy's voice changed. He slowly started to speak in english, or more specifically Dipper began to hear the boy's voice in english.
"⍈⇎⇚↗↟↳↹⇖ lake with me."
"I already have plans Little Sparrow." The girl barely glanced at him. "Strong Deer is going to show me his latest kill. He does so much for the village."
"I see." The boy, Little Sparrow, watched her leave and seemed to slump in a sulk.
"Why are we watching this kid get rejected?" Stan grumbled.
"These are your dreams." Ford pointed out. "Are these your feelings?"
"Ah shut up Poindexter." Stan moved to follow Little Sparrow. The young man walked through the forest slowly.
"Is it just me or is there no strange things in this forest?" Dipper asked.
"You're right." Ford glanced around. "How strange."
"Talk about strange the kids heading into a cave up there." Stan pointed.
"Come on." Mabel jogged ahead after Little Sparrow.
"She's way to energetic." She sighed but followed. They walked into the save and followed Little Sparrow, who began to paint on the wall. They were simple pictures of people but for some reason Dipper felt the style was familiar. After a few minutes Little Sparrow yelled out and threw his paint brush across the way. It slammed into the wall and then rolled away into the darkness.
"Poor kid." Stan whispered as they watched the boy walk towards the paint brush.
Dipper and the others froze as they ehad a hiss and then a soft voice. "Is someone there?"
"What?" Little Sparrow jumped slightly and then inched forward. "Hello?"
"Finally." The soft voice continued. A small red light glowed from the wall highlighted a crack. "Please help. We're trapped in here."
"Who are you?" Little Sparrow moved closer.
"A friend. Please you need to widen the crack."
"Why should I?" LIttle Sparrow asked.
It was silent for a moment and then the voice spoke. "I can give you a reward. I'll give you the power to impress others."
Little Sparrow's eyes widened. "Deal!" He began to scratch at the wall using a stone from the ground. Slowly the crack widened and the red light glowed stronger. After the crack widened to the size of a soccer ball the light flickered and something fell out. Little Sparrow stumbled back and then looked down at the gnome. "What are you?" Little Sparrow asked.
"Shmebulock the second." The gnome said.
Dipper looked at his family in shock.
"Ignore the gnome, you are almost there." The voice said, sounding harsher… and kind of familiar. "You're almost there."
Little Sparrow looked at Shmebulock the second and then began to scrap at the growing hole again. It slowly got bigger and then Little Sparrow stumbled back again as the light flared. And then Bill was standing there.
"Bill!" Ford glared.
"Thanks there buddie." Bill laughed and held out his hand. "Now for your reward!"
Little Sparrow held out his hand hesitantly and shook. As Bill's hand lit up with blue flames Little Sparrow's eyes flashed multiple colors. As his eyes flashed the hole grow bigger and a flood of creatures seemed to stumble out.
"This is the beginning of the weirdness." Little Sparrow whispered. "I see more coming into this world in the future…"
And then everything went dark. "What was that?" Dipper gasped.
"It seems like Bill was the true start of the weirdness of Gravity Falls." Ford looked at Stan. "Why are you dreaming about all this?"
"No idea." Stan frowned. "Hang on… This looks familiar." Their surroundings slowly came into focus."
Dipper looked around. "There are a bunch of machines."
"Is this…" Stand whispered and then a person came into view. A younger version of Stan. He was eating a bag of chips.
The younger Stan walked up to a machine and dropped his bag of chips. "This is all your fault you dumb machine!" He slammed his fist down on the table with the machine. It started to smoke and a small grate on it fell off. "Oh no. No No No. What did I do?" Stan picked up the small grate and stuck it back in place. It stopped smoking and began to move again. "Alright there. Good as new." He relaxed and stood up straight again. "Probably." He picked up a curtain and placed it over the machine so no one could see it and then tip toed out.
The four Pines stared at the working machine. Ford took a step towards it but then there was a noise. They turned as the door opened and Blendin walked in. Dipper and Mabel were the only two who knew him so Dipper spoke up. "Blendin? He's a time traveler, what is he doing here?"
"Time traveler?" Ford whispered.
"Let's see." Blendin pulled out a piece of folded up paper. "I need to break the machine called… Perpetual motion…"
"What?" Stan yelled.
Blending looked over the machines and then walked up to the machine Stan had just fixed. He reached out and tried to pull the machine apart but struggled. He tried to hold the parts to keep them from moving. "Darn it." Blendin cursed. "That Little Sparrow could have left a note on how to break this contraption if he wanted it broken correctly!" Blending kicked the table leg and the machine rattled. The little grate shook slightly and Blending grinned. He tugged the grate off and the machine stopped moving and collapsed, smoking slightly. "There!" Blendin nodded. "I really don't know why that old prophet wants all this done, but whatever." He turned and left the room as well.
Ford looked at the machine he had made so long ago. "Stan-." The ground shook and they were back in the cave. Ford gasped. A man was looking at the wheel for defeating Bill. As Dipper looked closer he realized that the man was Little Sparrow. He appeared to be in his early forties now.
"Little Sparrow!" A girl came running in. "Little Sparrow! The villagers need your wisdom"
"So does the world." Little Sparrow's voice was so much deeper. "I can only hope that the future I see can be changed."
The girl looked at the wheel. "Didn't you draw this many moons ago?"
"I drew this shortly after I got my gift. It was the only message I could think of to save the valley."
"Did i work?" The girl asked.
"From what I could see yes. The future is constantly changing. There are so many paths. I have left clues and messages and so far I can see it worked, but now there is something worse coming. It is my fault." He whispered the last line.
"Little Sparrow?"
"I released the crack and now there is no way to seal it back up."
"So what are we going to do?" The girl asked.
"I'll leave another code."
Dipper froze as he watched Little Sparrow held up a stone tablet with symbols and signs covering it. He tried to get a good look but he couldn't.
"Is that wise?" The girl asked.
"It is all I can do." He sighed and then touched a stone on the wall. A crack appeared near by them and then a door opened in the wall.
The girl gasped. "How… What kind of magic?!"
"No future technology." Little Sparrow laughed. His eyes flashed with multiple colors and he gasped, leaning against the wall. He groaned.
"Little Sparrow?"
"I'm fine." He gasped. "Just another vision… I need to… I need to make sure a boy ends up in our valley…"
"What?"
"A young man… He will be key to all this… He is needed… but without the right push…" Little Sparrow sighed. "I feel sorry for him and the one who shares his face… But they are needed…. For both darknesses." He rubbed his face. "I am a horrible person." LIttle Sparrow started to walk towards the door with the tablet. A wind blew through and a moment later things seemed to change.
"What is going on?" Mabel asked.
"Another dream…" Ford whispered. "Watch." A moment later an old man, somewhere in his eighties, came walking in. He collapsed against the wall and groaned.
"All for nothing." He groaned. He weakly chuckled. "All for nothing…"
"Hello there Prophet." They all looked over with the old man as a large lizard like creature came into the cave.
"What are…" The old man stopped and smiled. "Wait I've seen you before... Axolotal."
"Hello Prophet." The lizard said in a soft voice. "I've come to tell you that everything will work out. I will watch this place."
"Of course you will." The prophet chuckled weakly. "None of the weirdness can leave the bubble anymore." He coughed weakly. "I put up a barrier as soon as that demon came back in… But I see it breaking… All because of that…" He shook his head. "And now the tablet is broken so not even that can help. That child… He choose to break it and scatter it… If only I had been younger."
"Don't worry about that." The Axolotal came closer. "Just rest. Your work is done."
"I can rest?" The prophet closed his eyes.
"Rest Little Sparrow, and don't worry your mess will be cleaned."
The prophet, Little Sparrow, let out a soft sigh and then faded.
"He saw many paths, but things have changed." Axolotal turned and looked at them.
"You can see us?" Ford asked.
"I thought this was a dream?" Mabel asked.
"It is. A dream I gave to you Stanley Pines. A warning. That tablet you need to find it so you can solve the darkness that is coming."
"Can't you just tell us?" Dipper asked.
"No. Only humans can read the tablet. That is part of why it was split… But you already have two pieces… You must find the rest…. If you don't it will all turn into dust."
"How can we?" Ford stepped forward. "And why are you showing this to my brother?"
"Because he and I are connected." Axolotal looked at Stan. "You took care of one of my offspring for many years. Thank you for that… You must lead the rest of your family to success." Everything began to fuzz. "And don't worry. You will be able to sleep again."
THey all jolted awake.
"So…" Stan whispered. "Are we going to talk about this?"
"Maybe we should go check the cave." Dipper said. He stood up.
It took them a while but soon they were at the cave. The wheel meant to defeat Bill was still on the wall, a little more faded than last time, but still there. "Where was that key hole?" San muttered and began to feel along the wall. He pushed and the door slid open.
"There we go." Ford walked in first and they found a small pedestal with a piece of the stone tablet on it.
"Another piece!" Dipper rushed up and grabbed it. "This is great… Though I'm not sure how it connects to the others."
"Hang on." Ford took the tablet from Dipper. "I know this word." He pointed to the first line of the stone tablet. "Axolotals."
"What?" Dipper took the tablet back. "This says Axolotals?"
"Yes. I saw it once before while traveling through the dimension."
"So we're one step closer to translating it all." Mabel looked over Dipper's shoulder.
"Right! Let's go home!" Dipper grinned. "I need to get started on this now."
"So Stan…" Ford said as he walked up to his brother. It was now just the two of them at the house. The kids had left already. "We need to talk."
"What about?" Stan asked from where he was cooking dinner. "Anything to do with that Axolotal?"
"No." Ford sighed. "I'm sorry Stan."
Stanley Pines froze as he heard his brother say some words that he almost never did. "What?"
"I'm sorry Stan. It wasn't your fault with everything that happened… I'm sorry."
"Well finally Poindexter." Stan laughed and shoved at his twin's shoulder. "But don't worry… It was apparently needed so I don't blame you. Now come on let's eat… Oh and I'm glad we're together in this."
"Yeah… Me too." Ford smiled. "Me too Stanley."
"High six?" Stan smiled.
Ford chuckled. "High six." The two high fived.
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