The Cipher Fighters
Chapter 8:
A week later, Mabel's funeral took place. Everybody who knew her gathered around her coffin, except for Dipper and the grunkles. They were still inside the El Diablo. Stan and Ford were sitting in the front seats, while Dipper sat in the back.
" Listen, Kid," Stan started. " If you want to say goodbye to her, you better do it now. I know it's not easy to lose a twin, but it'll be easier once you get the closure out of the way."
" It was my job to protect her," Dipper whimpered. " I was the brother. I should've been able to get her out of Bill's clutches no matter what. Instead, I dove off the edge of a cliff to find out I was too late to save her."
" Ugh, Bill," Ford groaned as he rolled his eyes. " Look, Dipper. You did whatever you could. Bill was very powerful and very tricky. We were lucky any of us came out alive."
"I wish I was the one who didn't make it," Dipper muttered. " Mabel didn't deserve to go the way she did."
" Kid, life isn't fair," Stan uttered. " Death isn't, either. Trust me. You gave it your all and apparently the man upstairs needed her back. It was her time to go."
" How can you say that," Dipper raised his voice." You spent 30 years getting your twin back, regardless of whether he was dead or alive. You expect me to stop grieving, just like that?"
" I'm saying to stop beating yourself up over something you couldn't have prevented, Dipper," Stan placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. " Sure, you're going to miss your sister, every day until you die. That pain will always be there. But, would your sister want you to go on being unhappy for the rest of your life? Would she want you to do nothing but bundle up in bed and cry over her all day, every day? No."
Dipper nodded his head then exited the car. He approached the coffin and placed his hand on top of it, bowing his head. The group stood in silence, gazing at him.
" I'm sorry I couldn't save you from Bill, Mabel," Dipper's eyes began filling up with tears. " I did everything I could, but I was too late. Looks like it was your time to go…G-goodbye, Mabel."
Candy and Grenda were hugging each other, bawling. They bided their farewells, too. Pacifica observed the scene in front of her, frowning while resting her head on her chin. Gideon was hugging the coffin, sobbing and shouting questions toward the sky. Wendy was patting Soos, who was in a wheel chair, on the back, while trying to stay balanced on her crutches. Waddles licked the giant portrait of Mabel, which was standing next to her grave. Ford and Stan picked up the coffin and set it on the ropes, so it could be lowered into the ground. Soon, the funeral was over and everybody left, except for Dipper, Stan, Ford, and Pacifica. They were back in the car, staring at the gravestone.
"It's not going to be the same without her," Stan sighed.
"I miss her already," Ford uttered. " And I didn't even know her for that long."
" Probably not as much as Dipper does," Pacifica whispered as she looked over at Dipper, who decided not to speak.
" You ready to go, Sport," Stan asked as he turned to the boy. " Or would you like to stay a little longer?"
" Let's just go home," Dipper moaned. " Get away from here."
Stan started up the car and began driving back toward the shack. Ford pulled the rift out of his coat and stared at it, smiling. Stan raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you smiling," Stan questioned. " It's supposed to be a sad day. A member of our family just died. Now, stop smiling."
" I just thought of a way we could contact her," Ford uttered. " And, no it's not through a Ouija board. With this rift, I can locate the afterlife dimension. I went there once during my travels. Did you know we look like our great-great-great-great-great-great Grandma Fran?"
" No," Dipper snapped. " As much as I want to, it would be too painful."
" I was just trying to help," Ford muttered. " At least think about…"
" No," Dipper yelled, glaring at Ford. " I am done with the supernatural. Because of it, I lost my sister. Wish I never found that stupid journal."
" Dipper, you're hurting," Stan stepped in. " I feel ya all too well. I blamed myself and everything and everybody."
" And I, too, blame myself," Ford said. " I shouldn't have meddled in the supernatural, either. I am one of the reasons the world almost ended."
" You're right," Dipper shouted. " It was you. All you. You invented the dumb machine in the first place. You were the one who summoned Bill. This is all your fault. I hate you."
" Dipper, you don't mean," Stan sighed, but was cut off.
" Yes, I do mean it," Dipper bellowed. " I will never forgive Great Uncle Ford. Ever."
" Dipper, I," Ford started.
" Don't even bother, Sixer," Stan stated. " He is just hurting right now. The boy doesn't mean it."
Dipper folded his arms and glowered at the window. He began weeping, again. Soon, the group arrived at the Shack. Dipper ran straight up to his room, slamming the door behind him. Stan and Ford sat down at the kitchen table. Pacifica leaned against the frame of the doorway, looking up the stairs.
" He's taking it pretty hard," Pacifica uttered.
" He and Mabel were very, very close," Stan said as he opened up a can of Pit Cola. " I can relate to that, considering my brother and I were the same way and he was lost in a portal for thirty years. Thought he was dead, but I kept fighting to get him back. Turned out he was alive, but that's beside the point. Let me tell you, losing a twin is extremely painful to deal with. Just give him space and leave him be. He'll come around."
Meanwhile, up in the attic, Dipper was picking up anything that was related to the supernatural and stuffing it into a garbage sack. After he was done, he tied up the bag and began heading downstairs. He bumped into Ford and fell to the floor. Dipper scoffed, stood up, and went to grab the sack, but Ford latched onto it first.
" I'll take that," Ford grinned. " You could use some rest."
" I don't need it and I certainly don't need your help," Dipper snarled as he snatched the bag back.
" Look, Dipper," Ford scratched the back of his head. " If I had known all of this was going to happen, I would have never gone the route that I did."
" Whatever," Dipper rolled his eyes and headed outside.
"I'm so sorry about all this, Dipper," Ford mumbled, tears forming in his eyes.
A few hours later, the group sat down for dinner in the kitchen. Everybody ate slowly, except Dipper, who was poking at his plate with the fork. He shoved the plate forward and stood up.
" Oh, no," Stan argued with a mouth full of food. "You're not going back up there until you eat your dinner, young man."
" It's your favorite," Pacifica chimed.
" Since when do you know what my favorite food is," Dipper asked, raising an eyebrow. " The only people who could possibly know that are my parents and my sister. My parents aren't here and my sister is dead."
" Ford told us," Pacifica uttered. " Thought it would cheer you up."
" Now I am definitely not hungry," Dipper stormed upstairs.
" That's it," Stan growled and followed him.
Dipper was just about to slam the door when Stan caught it in his grip. The boy glared at Stan. Stan glared back.
" Grunkle Stan, for the last time, I'm not hungry," Dipper snapped.
" Alright, Kid," Stan snarled. " This time you've gone too far. All Ford is doing is trying to apologize and you keep turning your nose up at him. Look, he was young and foolish back then. He honestly didn't expect any of this to happen nor did he want it to. If anything, it's partly my fault, too. And yours. I brought him back and you kept poking your nose into those journals of his."
" Grunkle Stan, please," Dipper groaned, his voice cracking.
" It's the truth, Dipper," Stan stated, sternly. " Besides, the way I look at it, even if all of this didn't happen, something else would've killed her. It would've been her time no matter what."
" Could we not talk about this," Dipper moaned as he turned around, blinking back tears.
" No, not until I finish what I have to say," Stan grunted as he knelt down, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. " Dipper, look. If there is a heaven, do you think Mabel would want to see you like this? Moping around in your room? Pushing everybody else away? Skipping meals and showers? Do you think she would want you to do that? What if it were the other way around? Do you think she would do any of the stuff you're doing right now?"
Dipper remained quiet, except for the sniffling. He reached up and wiped a tear away. Stan nodded his head then left the room. He went back to the kitchen. It was empty. Stan went into the living room. Pacifica was sitting on the floor, watching TV. Ford was sitting in the chair, reading a book. Stan cleared his throat. They both turned to him.
" So, how is he," Pacifica asked.
"I would give it a minute," Stan uttered. " That speech I gave him really made an impact."
Stan jumped as he felt something tug at his sleeve. He looked down to find Dipper standing behind him. Stan stepped aside and let Dipper through. Dipper stood in front of Ford. He took a deep breath.
" Great Uncle Ford, I am so sorry," Dipper grabbed his arm, rubbing it. " Mabel…Mabel meant a lot to me and I am really saddened she is gone, but that is no excuse for the way I have been acting toward you."
" It's okay, Dipper," Ford grinned.
Dipper smiled back then gazed at his feet, frowning. Ford bent down and wrapped his arms around Dipper. Pacifica and Stan joined in, too.
Meanwhile, in the dream realm, a circle shaped demon floated into a dark room. It approached a credenza with a large, leather chair on wheels.
" Boss, I have some heartbreaking news," the circle shivered, sweating. " It appears that Bill and his army have been defeated. No survivors reported.
" What," a sharp, female voice spat. " That can't be. That's impossible."
" I'm afraid it is, Madame," the circle squeaked. " I am terribly sorry about your husband. Should I inform the children?"
" No," Bill Cipher's wife's voice snapped. " Bring them to me and I'll tell them myself."
" As you wish, Amelia," the circle bowed and exited the room.
A few minutes later, two small floating triangles entered the room. One was pink and the other was blue.
" You wanted to see us, Mother," the pink triangle asked.
"Yes," the chair spun around, revealing a purple triangle who was glaring. " Your father was killed in the war between our world and the human world. I need your help in seeking revenge against those who have destroyed him."
" What can we do, Mother," the blue triangle questioned.
" You'll find out tomorrow," Amelia scolded. " Right now, I need you two to finish up your demon school work and get some sleep."
" Yes, Mother," the two triangles retorted and left the room.
Amelia turned her chair back around, tapping her face in thought as she stared at the wall with a huge tapestry of Bill on it.
" Don't worry, Firecrumb," Amelia whispered with venom in her voice. " I'll make sure you don't perish in vain."