Stanford Pines was walking through an interdimensional bar. He'd been in hundreds before, though he didn't quite remember how he got here. It was swanky, solemn, and sullied. Customer service was really more of an Earth thing.
It felt all too natural to pass through ice demons chatting up sphinxes. Ford took a seat at the bar, and looked curiously at the bartender.
"The usual?" The bartender turned to face Ford. He had a wicked grin. "Though, you should probably go easy on them. Dream hangovers are worse than regular hangovers." He wiped a glass and poured Ford liquid that looked like stars.
Ford took the glass half-heartedly, staring down at it. "Right. A dream. I suppose I should have realized that when I saw the sign. Pixie Lounge was shut down years ago."
"Eh, you're only human. And an old one now! But you're still sharp, Sixer."
Stanford's head shot up. He adjusted his glasses and stared at the bartender. Ford frowned deeply. He stood from his seat. "Bill. What kind of dark magic is this?"
Ford couldn't make out a single distinguishable feature about the bartender, save for a single yellow eye on the right side of his face. And of course, glaring white teeth from a mouth with no lips. The rest of his form was shrouded in shadows. Like his body was just a void.
"What, blaming me already Sixer? Maybe you miss me. Admit it, you dream about me all the time."
"Not like this. Normally I've a gun and fantastic aim."
Bill smiled wider. And poured himself a glass. The occupants of the bar dissolved into nothingness. All that was left was the front bar and its stools, and the great universe beyond surrounding the pair.
Bill brought a hand up, and then lowered it. Ford was sat back onto his stool. He wriggled, but his lower half wouldn't budge. The world of dreams would always always be Bill's domain.
"Whatever game you're playing isn't going to work. We defeated you once, and we'll do it as many times as necessary."
"Sheesh, Sixer. Dramatic, aren't we? You don't even know if I'm real, or just your mind decaying into insanity." Bill paused, placing his elbows on the bar. He interlocked his fingers, and rested his chin on top of his hands. "Which one do you think would be more fun? I know I have a preference!"
"I know a demon when I see one." Ford stared hard into the void-being, searching his luminous, yellow eye. "I don't know why you've bothered taking a new form, your ugliness can be seen from every dimension."
Bill Cipher placed a hand to his chest. "Now that's just rude." He grinned. "I'd like to hear what else you have to call me."
Stanford opened his mouth to mutter an angry reply, but quickly closed it. He glared at Bill. Then, he took a sip of his drink. Ah, the familiar taste of space alcohol. Both relaxing and unsettling.
"What're you doing here, Cipher?"
"Same thing I'm always doing." Bill took a drink of his own cup.
"You're not going to find a home here on Earth."
"Things are different this time, Sixer. And I just had to see the look on your face before your family gets torn apart again." Bill reached across the table with one of his inky hands. He gripped Stanford's jaw, who was leaning backward to avoid the contact.
"This time, you won't even know I'm there till it's too late."
The bar disappeared, and so did Bill. Ford found himself suddenly freefalling through space, at what felt like a hundred miles per second. He yelled, trying to slow his descent, reaching and grabbing for anything–anything–!
Stanford woke up yelling, twisting on his couch and falling onto the floor. He lay there for a moment, before sighing and sitting upright. He rubbed his forehead, and looked down at his six-fingered hand.
His first reaction was to tell the rest of the family. But then again, he had no true proof that this dream was anything but the usual nightmares he'd faced for the past three years.
Still, it seemed so real.
Ford shook his head. He stood and put on his glasses. He'd give it the day. A day to decide whether his family was in absolute danger, or if he was simply losing his own mind.
Ford stretched and moved towards his closet. A few moths drifted out as he opened the doors. He paused and looked at the nearby standing mirror next to the closet. The white tarp covering it had slipped. Ford looked hard at himself. He looked at the evidence that Bill had once had complete control over his body.
"Just one regular day. Then I'll know what to do." The grimace never left his face.
Mabel and Dipper Pines were having their first-full-day-back-breakfast at Lazy Susan's Diner. It was a tradition. This was the first year they'd gone without their Grunkles, which had been a bribe on Mabel's part. She had already spoken to Stan–who immediately understood after seeing her matchmaking chart–and Ford had slept in for probably the first time in his life. It must have been fate.
The twins were entering the diner now. They seated themselves, glancing at the menu despite knowing the items by heart.
"Dipper? Mabel?"
Dipper turned to look at the waitress. He promptly turned bright red.
"Pacifica! I-I didn't think you'd still work here!"
The pretty blonde teen smiled. "I think you've said that every summer, now."
Mabel smiled ominously, clasping her hands together in ominous delight. She spoke, "Hey Pacifica! You're looking good! I've gotta go to the bathroom, but you already know what I want!"
Pacifica sighed. She didn't need to write down Mabel's order. "Right. Three stacks of pancakes with a bottle of maple syrup on the side. And a hot chocolate."
"Don't forget the extra whipped cream! I'll be right back–" As Mabel got out of the booth, she turned to face Dipper, and winked non discreetly, before pointing to Pacifica's turned back and giving a thumbs up. Dipper felt like puking.
"How about you, Dipper?" Pacifica smiled.
"Uh, coffee? It still feels weird giving you a food order."
Pacifica laughed. She took a seat in the booth, in front of the teenage boy. "Sometimes it still feels weird working here. But when I look at my parents I feel better about the whole thing."
"They're still not…?" Dipper asked. Pacifica shook her head and looked out the window. Dipper placed a hand over hers, in a comforting gesture.
The NorthWests had sold their mansion in an attempt to maintain their family fortune but refused to get jobs in the town. They'd decided to leave the town altogether, and when Pacifica tried to convince them of normalcy, they'd up and left, leaving Pacifica in Gravity Falls.
"But it's not so bad. Wendy's a fantastic roommate. She was wicked excited to move out. I think she secretly likes it when I make us do girly things."
Dipper thought about Wendy's masculine family, and nodded with a chuckle. He smiled at Pacifica. It was nice to hear her talk like a regular teen.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, hehe, wink, wink." Mabel had returned, and was gushing over Dipper's hand, still gently placed on Pacifica's. The boy turned bright red, coughed, and ripped his hand away, placing it underneath the table.
Pacifica grew pink as well, and she quickly stood. "I should probably put in those orders. Uh, Dipper?"
"Yes?" Dipper squeaked out. Mabel reclaimed her seat at the booth.
"Do you…want any food with your coffee?"
Letting out a sigh of relief, Dipper ordered some eggs and bacon, and glared at his sister as Pacifica left the table. He kicked his sister, who dodged with a laugh. "Come on, bro," Mabel said. "You've had a big fat crush on her for a while now. You know you still murmur your crushes' names at night?"
Dipper put his red face in his hands. "Mabel. Just let me survive breakfast."
Pacifica brought them their breakfasts fifteen minutes later, and before she hurriedly left, she invited the pair out to the graveyard to hang out. She and Wendy would both be there, along with a few others from the local scene. Dipper, surprisingly, said yes before Mabel could. They'd be there just before sunset.
Mabel put on a dark blue sweater with a black cat on it. She paired it with a denim skirt and sneakers. "Whaddya think? I bet I'll have some vampires chasing me by the end of the night!"
"I think we should be more worried about zombies," Dipper responded, not giving his sister a glance. He was preoccupied writing in his own journal. It had a pine tree symbol on it.
Mabel shrugged. "We've dealt with zombies more than enough. Plus, check this out!" She reached into her purse and pulled out a shiny pair of brass knuckles. "Grunkle Stan gave these to me yesterday!"
"Aw, what? Why do you get all the cool gifts?" Dipper said. He thought about the new vest Ford had gotten him. Though, he was pretty excited about the vest. It had fifteen hidden pockets.
"I'm the badass twin, that's why." Mabel put her hair into a ponytail. "Also, go put on deodorant. We haven't seen Wendy in forever and you're not going to show up stinky." Dipper groaned, but was still grateful for his twin for keeping him in reality. This town had a way of making him forget about everything.
Wendy waved them over with a smile and a laugh. She was a girl who got prettier every year. Mabel and Dipper bounced over to her and Pacifica, as well as a few more familiar faces. They were all sitting in a semi-circle in Gravity Falls' graveyard, watching clouds. Candy and Grenda ran to greet the twins, who eagerly grabbed Mabel's hand when she arrived. Grenada playful punched Dipper's arm when she saw him. Dipper tried to play it cool. He knew it would bruise.
"Hey dudes! Welcome back! Awe, you just missed the guys. Lee and Nate had some dead raccoon to poke. And you know Robbie can't resist new taxidermy pieces." Wendy stood, hugging the twins. It was one of those friendships that felt like it never changed. Like they hadn't spent a year apart.
"Your hair! You look so beautiful!" Mabel cried out, her fists curling into excitement balls. All the teenagers were now sitting on a blanket in the cemetery.
"Haha, you like it? I just trimmed it up this morning." Wendy's words were casual, but it was obvious she was proud. Her once-long hair was cut short to a pixie. Free of the weight, it now had small curls that tucked around her ears.
Dipper sat next to Pacifica, who smiled. She was out of her work uniform, and wearing overalls. There was noticeable dirt on her shoes.
"So, uh, how have things been?" Dipper asked her.
"Since you last saw me, eight hours ago?"
Dipper coughed. "Yes?"
Pacifica laughed. Then she paused. "Things have been…alright. Uhm, how about you?"
"Wow, Gravity Falls managed to go eight hours without something unsettling happening? That's a first." Dipper joked. Suddenly, Pacifica looked away, uncomfortable.
"Oh, woah, I didn't mean…wait, did something actually happen?"
"Uhm, well, I don't think it's a big deal. But you know, it's Gravity Falls! Weird stuff happens all the time!" Pacifica shrugged, trying to change the conversation.
Her voice got the attention of the other girls on the blanket, who had been catching up as well. It was Wendy who spoke.
"Are you talking about that weird dude who grabbed your hair?"
Dipper sat upright. "What?" Mabel joined him in an auditory gasp. "I thought Gravity Falls managed to be free of regular creeps!" She yelled with a glare.
Pacifica waved her hands in front of her. "That's the thing. I don't want to sound crazy. But I swear he wasn't…regular. And he didn't grab me! He…saved me. I think. Maybe?"
Pacifica recounted the tale. She'd been staring at her phone and hadn't seen the bus coming when she was crossing the street. Suddenly, someone yanked her ponytail and hauled her out of the crosswalk. It'd been a man, who'd seemed incredibly cross. But not at her. With himself.
"At first I thought," Pacifica explained. "Great, now I have to deal with some lunatic. But it just didn't feel normal. You guys know what I mean. That feeling that comes with the supernatural."
The group nodded cautiously. They'd been through enough adventures to know what she meant. Supernatural things had a certain aura to them. It made your neck hair stand up, or a shudder passing through your spine. Like your nervous system just knew something was off. A primal sense.
Wendy put her soda down. "Wait, describe this guy. You said he was blonde."
Pacifica let out a yuck type of groan. "Yeah, but like he didn't know toner was a thing. I get it, some people like yellow hair. I, for one, will never let go of my purple shampoo." Pacifica thought for a bit more. "He was pretty tall, too. I only saw one of his eyes. Super constricted pupils. I figured he was on something."
"And you couldn't really make out his facial features either, am I right?" Candy inquired. Pacifica turned, surprised. "Yeah, I guess now that I'm thinking about it. I swear I got a good look at him…" She said, putting a finger to her chin.
"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Mabel asked. Grenada responded. "I actually think I know who you guys are talking about. This total weirdo angrily dropped off Grenda Jr. Jr. in a box to my door after he was lost. I guess I just didn't think about it till now."
Dipper blinked. "So you've all just noticed some new guy in Gravity Falls…upset and performing good deeds?"
Mabel frowned. "That seems like the best-worst-problem to deal with."
Dipper brought out his journal. The Pine Tree symbol on it had a single 1 drawn on it. "Well, I've been waiting to fill this with real anomalies. Sounds like maybe…a ghost with unfinished business, one that's taken physical form. Or maybe an upset nymph. How's the forest pollution been recently?"
Wendy laughed. "The mystery twins are on the case! You guys will figure it out in no time. I'll keep an eye out for uh, a nondescript nice angry person too."
The conversation changed smoothly afterward, and the group enjoyed watching the last glimmers of sunlight fade into orange, then purple, then the twilight hues of night. They parted ways around eleven p.m. Pacifica gave Dipper a small kiss on the cheek, and he was essentially nonverbal on the walk back to the Mystery Shack. Mabel, however, was still concerned about the stranger in town. Something about it didn't sit right with her. She slipped her hand into the brass knuckles in her purse, thinking.
When they made it home, Dipper and Mabel returned to the attic of their childhood. It was Dipper who fell asleep first, excited at the prospect of new mysteries, and exhausted from the onslaught of emotions. Mabel stayed awake. When she heard snoring, she snuck out of the room.
The hardest part would be sneaking past Grunkle Ford. She prayed he was simply in his laboratory, doing God knows what. Luckily for her, she could see mysterious lights underneath the vending machine. He was preoccupied. Her other Grunkle was asleep in front of the television–a soap opera playing dimly in the background.
Mabel went out through the front door. She slipped on her sneakers, and put her hair into a bun. She was equipped with the essentials: brass knuckles, grappling hook, and pepper spray. Waddles, who was too big to go up and down the stairs of the house, eagerly honked at her as she passed by. She opened his mini barn gate, and the two ventured into the forest.
She knew the trail by heart.
The trail to Bill's statue.