Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Part Forty: Dreaming In Reality With No Save Point

Wendy Corduroy's eyes fluttered open as her alarm rang out on the nightstand beside her bed. '5:55am' the display read as she rolled over and silenced it in hopes that it hadn't woken Dipper up. "Morning, babe..." he groaned while rolling over to look at his lover. "It's too early... Go back to bed, honey..." Wendy replied before letting out a yawn. "Well, that was a pretty wild night, huh?" Dipper asked. "Yeah. I still can't believe it was real. I mean, we all experienced it, so I know it was..." the auburn haired woman said as she threw the covers off and swung her slender legs over the side of the bed. "I get what you're saying. I couldn't imagine what it was like to see your mother again after all those years. For what it's worth, she seemed really proud of you" the thirty-three year old man said as he arose from the mattress himself and headed over to a shelf that contained his journals. "Dude, go back to sleep. For real..." Wendy said with a chuckle as she flung her black tank top at her husband. "I told ya I would, but first I have to write all this down while it's still fresh in my mind" Dipper explained as he removed the tome his late sister had gifted him on his eighteenth birthday and took a seat at his desk; turning on a lamp so that he could see. "Nerd" Wendy playfully said to him while she walked to the master bathroom. "Dweeb..." he shot back. "Whatever, dude... I'm gonna go scrub my ass and get ready for work" Wendy replied. "Need some help?" Dipper asked in a hopeful manner. "Horndog... Yeah... I do..." she admitted with a sigh; turning to look at him while biting her lower lip. She knew it would likely make her late for work, but she'd worry about that after she'd had her fun.

Pacifica Pines was the first of the twins to wake up as she heard the front door of their house close; no doubt her mother leaving for work. Her sister continued to sleep on the floor beside her bed, as the Gleeful children had taken Mabel's room for the night. "I can't believe it's real..." she said to herself in an astonished tone while she wiggled her fingers in front of her face; fearing that she would awake to find this was nothing more than a cruel dream. Tears formed in her eyes as she got out of bed, carefully stepped over her sibling and walked over to the vanity desk that her mother had hand-made for her a few years prior. The girl in the mirror seemed like an entirely different person than the one she had grown used to seeing as the summer progressed. She ran her fingers through her chestnut mane as she continued to be astounded by the fact that one simple wish from her twin sister had changed her life forever. "Thank you, Mabel. You could have had anything your heart desired, but you gave this to me" she remarked in a hushed tone as her emotions finally managed to get the best of her and tears streamed down her reddened cheeks. She eventually composed herself and began to write in her journal as the early morning sunlight filled her room in an almost heavenly glow.

Mabel Pines awoke to her alarm, which she set daily for eight in the morning. She was anxious to see if what she had experienced in the mindscape had manifested itself in the real world. She rolled over to see her sister seated at her vanity and wondered when she had woken up. "I still can't wrap my head around this. It doesn't seem real, you know?" the chestnut haired teen remarked as she continued to take in her new appearance in the reflective surface. Mabel Pines took a seat next to her sister on the bench that their mother had crafted with her own hands. "It is real. You're back to your old self" she said to Pacifica while placing her hand on the upper back of the young woman. Judging by the pair of puffy and reddened eyes she saw in the mirror she could tell that her twin had been crying. "You don't know how much this means to me. I-I..." Pacifica began before once again breaking down. "It's okay. You're okay now..." Mabel said as she continued to soothe her sibling. As much as Pacifica Pines tried to act like a typical apathetic teenage girl, deep down inside of her soul she was anything but. In light of recent events, she resolved to be a more genuine version of herself; even if it terrified her to have people see the real Pacifica Pines in all of her emotional and awkward glory. "Thanks, Mabes... I know that I can always count on you. No matter what happens in life, I'll always have my best friend right beside me through heaven and hell. Sometimes literally" the hazel eyed girl said with a chuckle as she wiped the tears from her eyes and flashed her twin a grin. "I'm so glad that my wish could bring you this happiness" Mabel replied. "Yeah, for the first time in a while, I'm actually happy. It's not fake or forced or anything. I just feel good, you know?" Pacifica replied. "I hope that you feel that way from now on" her sister remarked as a rumble was heard from her stomach. "Let's grab a bite to eat, get dressed and go make the most of these last few weeks of summer break..." Pacifica said in a determined voice as Mabel nodded in agreement.

After the romantic interlude between he and his wife in the shower, Dipper returned to his desk to transcribe what had transpired inside the mindscape the previous night. It was easy for the thirty-three year old man, as he had a nearly photographic memory. It was both a blessing and a curse at times, but he wouldn't trade it for the world. Opening the book to the next blank page, he was floored by what he found. It was a small piece of scrap paper with a set of coordinates written on it. The purple ink and handwriting left little doubt as to who had authored the note. '45.1087° N, 121.3637° W' it read, which piqued the interest of Dipper even further. "That's somewhere here in town..." the chestnut haired man said to himself as he pulled out his phone and typed them into a map application. "Of course!" he remarked as the satellite image revealed the location to be on the vast property of the Northwest Estate. He took the paper and placed it to the side of the journal as he began to write down all that he could remember about the events of the previous night; deciding that his next mystery could wait until later in the day when his wife returned home from work.

Ariel Gleeful woke up to a dark room and for a moment she wasn't sure where she was. Fear pulsed through her veins as tried to recognize her surroundings. She was in a bed, but it wasn't her own. The sound of her brother's snoring assured her that at least she wasn't alone. "Hey Baron! Wake up!" she shouted to the ten year old boy, who lay next to her. "Huh? What?" he asked in a weary voice; his eyes opening to see a concerned look on his older sister's face. "Where are we?!" she asked. "We're at the Pines house, remember?" Baron replied before letting out a yawn. "The Pines... Oh yeah... Heh... Of course..." she said in a relieved tone. The white haired girl had felt off for the past few days, but had kept it to herself as she was certain that it was nothing major and didn't want to bring any more attention her way. "What time is it?" Baron asked as he sat up and pulled the covers back. "I'm not sure. Let's see if anyone else is awake yet" Ariel suggested. They stepped out into the hallway and heard some noise coming from downstairs. After making their way to the lower level of the house, they walked into the kitchen and found the Pines twins making pancakes. "Morning, you two!" Mabel said in a cheerful tone as she turned away from the griddle. "Good morning" Ariel responded as she and her brother took a seat at the kitchen island. "So, we're gonna eat up and then head to the mall to buy some clothes... Okay?" Pacifica said to the white haired siblings. "That sounds good to me" Baron remarked as their hosts placed a large stack of golden brown flapjacks in front of them. "Hope you brought your appetites down those stairs with you. Mabes kinda went nuts with the mix and made way too many..." Pacifica said. "I think we worked up quite the appetite last night, so I'm sure we could eat a few..." Ariel said as she grabbed a plate and took a couple from the pile.

After breakfast, the quartet made their way to downtown Gravity Falls. The walk took about half an hour, which gave them plenty of time to talk about their plans for the day. First on their agenda was to pick up some basics for Baron and Ariel, who had literally arrived at the Pines residence with the clothes on their back. Mabel and Pacifica had lent Ariel some clothes, but Baron was forced to wear his clothes from the day before, as nothing had fit the ten year old boy. "Hey guys!" Courtney Corduroy called from a bench in the town square, where she had awaited their arrival along with Grendy, Mateo, Lucas and Alessandra. "Hey!" Pacifica replied to her cousin. Along the way, Courtney had grasped the hand of her girlfriend. Although it had been a few weeks, Mateo still hadn't gotten over the fact that Grendy had broken up with him in favor of an exclusive relationship with Courtney. Still, he valued his friendship with her way too much to make a big deal of it. Instead, he would do his best to support the girl he had known for almost his entire life. Lost in thought, he had failed to realize that Lucas had been talking his ear off about a video game the entire time. "So I think that's what I'm gonna buy. What do you think?" the spikey-haired boy asked his slightly older friend. "I... Uh... Yeah! I think that's a good idea!" he replied; unsure of what he had been asked.

Once at the mall, Pacifica pulled Mateo aside and explained Baron's situation to him. He agreed to help the clearly sheltered boy purchase all the things he would need for not only the rest of the summer, but the start of the school year as well. The girls split off from the boys and began their trek around the sprawling two floor shopping center. Pacifica, Mabel, Courtney and Grendy had been discussing a reality dating show when Ariel felt an odd sensation coming from her left hand. Looking down, she was horrified by what she saw. Her skin had become almost translucent in nature and she could see the many bones that resided inside of it. "What the?" she thought to herself as she cautiously touched it with her other hand, which appeared to be normal. Her skin was tacky and seemed to be barely hanging on. Tears filled the eyes of the white haired girl as she sprinted for a nearby restroom; her heart pounding out of her chest as she wondered what was wrong with her. Much to her relief, she appeared to be the only person in the bathroom. Spreading and closing her fingers resulted in her skin stretching out like chewing gum between them. "WATER! Maybe some water will help?!" she said to herself in a frantic voice as she turned on the faucet with her good hand and placed her odd digits at the brink of the stream. Taking a deep breath, she stuck them under the cascade of water. Her flesh washed off her bones and ran into the basin before disappearing down the drain. She yanked her hand back and backed up into the tan tiled wall as she began to hyperventilate; frozen in terror at what had just transpired.

The quartet of girls had walked into Atlantic Sun and were looking at shorts when Mabel noticed they were missing a member of their group. "Hey... Where's Ariel?" she asked the rest of the girls. "She's right her-" she began in a confident tone before quickly realizing that the girl was not among them. "Maybe she had to go to the restroom..." Courtney suggested. "Yeah! She's hella shy, so she probably didn't say anything to us... I'll go check on her just to make sure that's the case..." Pacifica said as she began to walk towards the exit of the store. The bathrooms were located directly across from the surf lifestyle store, so it took almost no time at all for the brunette to make her way there. She heard sobbing from the entrance and turned the corner to find the white haired girl seated against the wall; her knees to her chest. "ARIEL! WHAT HAPPENED?! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" the teen girl asked with concern as she took a knee in front of the hysterical girl. Without saying a word, the young woman removed what remained of her hand from her sleeve. Pacifica recoiled at the sight. "HOLY FUCK! You need an ambulance! Stay here! I'll go get help!" the slightly older girl instructed. Ariel raised her head and wiped the tears from her right cheek; a piece of it coming off as she did so. "Please don't leave me. P-Pacifica... What's happening to me?!" the white haired girl asked in a frightened tone. Pacifica swept some of Ariel's hair out of her face, only for it to fall out. "I-I don't know... But hang in there. I'm gonna get you some help" the equally scared girl replied on what had become a terrifying afternoon in Gravity Falls, Oregon.

Author's Note: So, only a few chapters left to go here. Thanks for the reviews, follows, favorites, fanart and everything else. This whole saga has been a wild ride, but it still has a few more twists and turns before we reach the end. What do the coordinates that Dipper lead to exactly? Will Wendy have a normal day at work? What is going on with Ariel? Answers to all these questions and more as we head towards the conclusion of Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story. - iKLOT

Playlist:

The Band CAMINO - "1 Last Cigarette"

Wavves - "Sinking Feeling" (Makes me think of Dipper's mindset most of the time)

Bloc Party - "Banquet"

M83 - "Midnight City"

The Voidz - "Leave It In My Dreams"

Taking Back Sunday - "What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?"

Atlas Genius - "Elegant Strangers"

Thursday - "Signals Over The Air"

Violet Grohl / Dave Grohl - "Nausea"

Twin Shadow - "Get Closer"

The Neighbourhood - "Stargazing"

Afterlife - "Part Of Me"

Wendy's Hella Awesome Driving Mix Vol. 6:

Foster The People - "Helena Beat" (The song that Wendy was listening to on the drive to work. It just seems like such a good driving song and is totally something that she'd listen too)

Good Charlotte - "Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous"

Sleater – Kinney - "Dig Me Out"

Sleeping With Sirens - "Bloody Knuckles"

KALI - "I Just Wanna"

Japanese Breakfast - "Be Sweet"

My Chemical Romance - "Mama"

Disturbed - "The Vengeful One"

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - "Talking Straight"

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Maps"

Bastille - "Give Me The Future"

Pop Evil - "Survivor" (Instantly made me think of Wendy and all she's been through over the years. She is definitely a survivor)