Author's Notes: Okay guys we have about 6 more chapters until we have covered all of season one of Star Vs The Forces Of Evil. After which we will take a long break to plan out the next phase of this amazing adventure.
At Mademoiselle-Star2018 request all four seasons will be covered in this one fanfic! With all that said thanks for reading and please enjoy.
(Back with Dipper…)
He had never been more thankful for a Saturday in his life. After the whole-time freeze incident a few days ago, things had become strangely calm. Something Dipper should have been grateful for; however, the lack of monster attacks was just making Dipper nervous. Of course, the reason for Tad's absents could very well be that Stan and Ford had been home none stop the past few days. Of Course, this did little to calm his fears, Tad had been relentless in his efforts to get to Bill when the Grunkles were gone. But now that he was conveniently absent at the moment, they decided to stick around it only confirmed Dipper's fears. Fears that Tad was somehow watching them!
Dipper yawned as he made it out of bed and left the safety of his room. It was a nice, sunny morning at the Shack, but Dipper knew that the warm weather would soon break way to fall. Said change in the weather also was cause for concern. Bill had warned Dipper that his father, Hannibal had ordered for an evaluator to inspect his son's progress by the start of next summer. Naturally Bill was a mess with worry. Most heirs to the throne are not evaluated until their at least 18! Meaning Hannibal was forcing an evaluation on his son four years early for reasons unknown.
Actually, Dipper was sure it was due to the fact that Bill did not take his studies seriously. He preferred to use his own spells rather than study the ones in the spell book. No doubt Ford had also clued Bill's parents in on his lack of enthusiasm during his lessons with the twins. It wasn't Bill's fault; real spells were just more difficult for him to master.
Dipper knew it was because of the dream demon's love for chaos. Proven spells from a spell book had to be executed with focus and a sense of order and grace. Bill's spells, however, were spontaneous, wild, and free. So, it was obvious to Dipper what the problem was, still progress was slow.
Dipper yawned again as he made it to the stairs. He was usually an early riser, but had decided to sleep in. Already he could hear the usual commotions downstairs. He just hoped Mabel didn't eat all the cereal. The floor creaks as he makes his way to the stairs.
"Hey, Dip, you up?" Mabel asked from down below.
"Yeah." Dipper said.
"Bout time." Bill exclaimed. "You're missing all the fun!"
And, of course, Mr. No Responsibilities was at it again! He could only imagine what shenanigans Bill had already gotten them into. But before he could speak, he takes another step forward, only to suddenly trip.
"AHHHHHHHHH!" Dipper screamed as he found himself sliding down a massive waterslide instead of stairs. As the slide began to twist and turn in every direction, Dipper's screams of terror turned into those of excitement and laughter. At last, He reached the bottom of the slide, which opened to reveal a giant swimming pool in what was once the living room. After diving feet-first into the water, Dipper opened his eyes and kicked for the surface, now fully awake.
"WASN'T THAT AWESOME!" Mabel shouted in enjoyment.
"Yeah." Dipper admitted. "What an interesting way to wake up." He said getting out of the pool.
The two followed him into the kitchen.
"I know, right?" Bill said. "Stairs are just so boring! Water slides are way more fun!"
Dipper cracked a smile, part of him wanted to be annoyed, but he knew Bill was just trying to blow off steam. His nerves about the past few days must be just as fried as his were. Bill just had a different way of handling difficult situations. Plus, he also knew that Bill was still worried about the supposed 'tough year' ahead of them that Blendin had warned them about.
"Well, I just hope the Grunkles don't flip when they see what you did with the place, Bill." Dipper began.
"Relax, Ford left a note on the table." Mabel explained. "Said they went to pick up herbs for a potions lesson tomorrow."
Dipper sighed in relief. "Still, we should probably clean up before they get back."
"Oh, come on Pine Tree." Bill Insisted. "At least enjoy it a little longer with us."
"Yeah, you barely got in." Mabel complained.
Dipper looked back to the water and then to his sister and best friend.
"Please." They begged in unison.
"Oh fine." Dipper sighed caving in, besides he knew they needed this. Being in constant danger was overflowing them with stress, and school life with Bill's secret out had not been any better. Sure no one tried to hurt them but being ignored by the students that once adored him was making Bill more than a little bummed out. Not to mention Mina's little group of supporters kept growing with every passing day.
Top all that together and it was obvious that some emergency fun was in order.
"Cannon ball!" Mabel shouted as she proceeded to do a front flip into the pool, splashing everyone in sight. Dipper and Bill soon followed unable to contain their excitement any longer, the laser puppies proceeded to jump into the pool one after the other. Much to Mabel's amusement, she noticed that Bill had given each of the puppy's cute little floaties to keep them safe, which only made them even more adorable. One of the puppies wound up barking happily as Dipper sprang up from underwater and yelled. "Boo!"
The pup licked him as he picked it up. This puppy was slightly different from the other two headed puppies around them having one white spot on the tip of his tail. Dipper had affectionally called him Spot and secretly dubbed him as the favorite.
His siblings also had names mostly thanks to Mabel, but Spot was the only one that Dipper took a liking to.
"I love this, Bill. Now we don't have to go to the beach to go swimming!" Mabel exclaimed. "This is the perfect getaway without actually having to get away!"
"It's nice." Dipper agreed. "But we should probably clean up now."
"Awe man." Mabel wined, but Bill nodded.
"Pine Tree's right Shooting Star, Sixer will freak if he sees this."
Sixer was Bill's nickname for Ford a name he gave him once he noticed the man had an extra finger on each hand. He looks to Dipper as the teen starts to get out. "Sorry." He said.
"What for?" Dipper asked helping him out.
"I know you're having fun, but I can also tell you're a little annoyed." Bill admitted.
"It's not like I don't like this." Dipper said. "It would just be nice if I had a little heads up. I'm constantly getting you out of trouble Bill, and one of these days…" He stops realizing he's about to start lecturing his friend. Something the demon is already getting enough of. "Besides, wet socks are considered a form of torture in some countries." He added.
"Relax, I can dry you off no sweat!" Bill told him as he raised his cane. "Instant Dry Clean Heat Ray!"
Before Dipper or Mabel could react, they were blasted by a beam of energy, but felt no pain. When the beam had subsided, they discovered that all of their clothes were now completely dry and warm. Like, fresh out of the dryer-dry!
"Wow. You are getting better with your magic, Bill!" Mabel told him, impressed by how practical that spell was.
Dipper however was about to point out that said spell was made up, and that while impressive Bill was supposed to be practicing real spells, but they were interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell.
"Oh! I'll get it!" Bill said as he rushed to the front door, opening it to quite a sight.
"William, son you're looking well." Hannibal said as he stood before him.
"Oh, hello, father...FATHER!?" Bill gasped in shock catching everyone's attention. Sure enough, standing in the front doorway was Hannibal Cipher and worse he was not alone.
"Bill, I hope you and the twins are ready for your studies." Ford said giving the young demon a look. The look spoke Volumes, about how there better be no shenanigans awaiting them beyond that door.
Stan is also there holding several bags, no doubt the supplies the Stan twins had left to go pick up.
"What a surprise!" Bill exclaimed "Just…uh give us a moment." Bill quickly shut the door on them and then looked around the living room in a panic. "GUYS, MY FATHER IS HERE!" He whispered harshly.
"What!" Dipper exclaimed.
"And worse Ford and Stan are out there with him." Bill exclaimed. "I GOTTA HIDE EVERYTHING!" As he looked around the living room, he began scanning for anything even remotely out of place that needed to be hidden. That meant the water slide, the pool, and the giant yellow submarine in the middle of said pool.
Dipper sees the train wreck coming from a mile away and takes charge. "Mabel put the pups upstairs."
"Okay let's go guys!" Mabel exclaimed. The puppies followed her at once up the stairs.
"Bill, I'll get the lesson ready and you-."
Bill began busily zapping away at the house, getting rid of the pool, the slide, the water, everything! Thankfully, it all disappeared without any trouble.
Dipper pulled out Bill's spell book and opened it to the Axolotl.
"Engaging in more tomfoolery, are we?" The all-knowing guide asked.
"Look if you want to lecture us then do it on today's lesson!" Dipper whispered harshly as Mabel came running back down the stairs.
"Puppies secured." Mabel whispered sitting down beside him at the table.
"Bill let us in right now!" Stan yelled.
Bill ran back to the door, using one last spell to change into his regular clothes before hastily opening it.
"Father! What a pleasant surprise!" Bill said as he desperately tried to hide how nervous he was. "What, uh, what brings you here?"
"Well, I decided to check on your progress in person instead of calling" Hannibal explained looking around expectantly. "Actually, your mother suggested I come instead; you know how she is." He sees Dipper and Mabel at the table with Axolotl and smiles. "Ah Mason, it's good to see you taking the initiative!"
"Yes, well we thought it would be a nice break if we led our own lesson today." Dipper said, lying with ease.
"Yeah, you guys have a lot of potions to sort through for tomorrow." Mabel added.
"Well, if you insist." Ford said as he and Stan walked in.
"You kids have fun." Stan said with a smile, he's no doubt happy that he will not have to spend the day with the demon king.
"Thanks for the solid Dipper." Ford praised his great nephew. "I know I can always count on you." He added heading to the vending machine. "We'll be in the storage room if you need anything." He said before they disappeared through the secret door.
Dipper nodded as they disappeared, secretly dreading the lesson ahead. If they were alone Dipper would take Bill out and do something fun while incorporating their daily magic lesson with it. After all he knew Bill did much better when he got hands on experience.
Learning from a book wasn't his thing but going on an adventure or helping him fend off monsters always helped him learn faster. However, having Bill's Father here meant they would be expected to do things his way, at least while he was here.
"Excellent!" Hannibal said taking a seat at the table much to his son's horror. "I'm eager to see how my son has progressed. Please tell me you've made some progress."
Dipper bit his lip. "Well Bill is very good at creating his own spells." He said, deciding it was best to lead on a positive note. "Show him Bill."
"Oh right." Bill cleared his throat and waved his cane. "Rain of Fire!" Bill exclaimed.
Dipper noticeably cringed as fire began to rain down on them, but to his surprise the blue balls of fire did not burn them.
"William…" Hannibal looks amazed.
"Pretty cool hu?" Bill asked. "I can control if they burn things are not." He explained. "See it's all about intent.-"
"Marvelous." Hannibal said, picking up a handful of the flames. "This unique spell will have many uses for the kingdom." He began to lecture. "You could protect your subjects with it will simultaneously harming the enemy." He breathed a sigh of relief as Bill made the fire go away.
Dipper also allowed himself to relax a little, maybe he had been too hard on Bill in thinking their progress had been slow. Bill was showing great strides in improvement and had even created a spell that his father deemed very useful.
Bill was grinning ear to ear. It wasn't often he managed to impress his father. It wasn't that they didn't love each other, Hannibal was simply stern and serious. While Bill was wild, reckless, and carefree. And unfortunately, these two opposites tend to clash more often than not, still Bill welcomed the praise whenever he got it.
Suddenly a floating eye enters the shack through the window.
"Marvelous truly, I can't wait to see what else you've mastered." Hannibal was stating.
"Uh sorry-" Mabel cut in pointing to the floating eye. "But this thing is giving me the creeps. What is it?"
"Oh, that's The All-seeing Eye." Axolotl told her. "It's purpose is to follow the king when he travels, it allows our queen to watch over him."
"It puts her at ease to know I'm safe." Hannibal explained. "It'll follow me around all day. Wave to your mother William."
"Hi mom." Bill waved to the eye.
"It's staring is really making me uncomfortable." Mabel said.
"Mabel its fine." Dipper whispered as the eyes suddenly focused on him. "Oh, Hi Queen Luisa." He said.
However, Queen Luisa isn't the only one watching.
"This is amazing!" Tad says as he watches the screen before them. "Hacking into the All-seeing Eye so we can spy on our enemies." He laughed. "And all without being seen. It's genius!"
"It's the most efficient way to spy on your enemies." Toffee agreed, he is currently reading a book titled: History of the Realms. He looks up as he realizes the eye's focus has shifted to Dipper, and just as before he seems more interested in the boy than his actual target.
"Still, it's too bad we can't use this when my brother isn't around." Tad was saying.
"I'm sorry master, but don't you think it strange our new…friend knew how to hack the eye." Buff Frog asked.
All the monsters in the room froze looking to the new comer expectantly.
Toffee looks thoughtful, his eyes never leaving Dipper. "Hacking is one of my many skills." He revealed. "I practice hacking the eye for days before we made our attempt." He added. "If I had messed up on the real thing it could have tipped the enemy off."
"See a logical explanation." Tad said. "Now behave Buff frog, you're just angry that this eye takes away your job as my spy."
"But how do we spy on them when the king is not around?" Buff frog asked. He was indeed upset that this eye took his most important task away. He felt like this Toffee was taking over the group, and what was his obsession with the human boy anyway?
Toffee notices his hostility, but chooses to ignore it, looking to Tad instead. He wonders how much of the truth Hannibal's younger brother knows. Surely Tad must know the truth about the Cipher family, or at least he must know some of it. He pushes the thought away and finally answers. "Now that we have hacked this one, we can easily make another. A fake one to spy on the kids, no doubt they have told the adults about your constant attacks. They'll assume it's there to watch over them."
"See it's all well thought out by our newest member." Tad assured Buff Frog. "Now we don't have to risk you getting caught and tipping off my brother."
Buff frog clenches his fist before stomping away.
Toffee watches him go. 'I'll have to get rid of that one eventually.' He thinks to himself. 'These other idiots can be turned, but this one is too loyal to Tad.' He smiles. 'So, I'll make him his master's own undoing.'
"He doesn't even know we're watching!" Tad said looking back at the screen.
"Yes, sometimes your biggest threat is right under your nose." Toffee mused.
Meanwhile, at the shack the attention has left the eye and returned to Bill's studies.
"Now how many of your spells have been added to the book?" Hannibal turns through the pages to see..."Nothing." It's true while there are many entries in Bill's chapter of the book, none really explain his spells.
"Look I know what you're going to say." Bill began, trying to explain. "But I'm not really at the stage of specific steps."
"William it's a magical book, you don't even have to physically write in it, it records everything itself." Hannibal said looking confused. "And yet still nothing, how is this possible?"
"Father, my spells are spontaneous." Bill revealed. "I doubt I even perform the spell the same way every time."
"Precision and consistency is key." Hannibal lectured. "Eventually you must commit to a method otherwise your spells will never make it on paper. How will the next generation know how to perform this amazing fire rain spell if it's not recorded in the spell book?"
Bill goes to argue, but Dipper gives him a look. "Right, of course." Bill said deciding to let his father win. "I'll get right on that."
"Outstanding." Hannibal smiled. "Now how is your basic magic coming along? Hmm? With all your time here you must at least be done with chapters 1-8."
Dipper openly winced, truth was they weren't even done with chapter one.
The silence around Hannibal was telling, he sighed. "I'm guessing progress is slow."
"Bill is an amazing spell caster." Dipper told him. "But he has an easier time making his own spells then performing others."
Bill turned away, a bit angry that Dipper ratted him out, and embarrassed that he can't even handle the basics. "I guess you'll be sending me to St. H's now hu?" he grumbled bitterly.
"William," Hannibal sternly said his name. "If the Magic High Commission knew that you were using your magic so chaotically, they would do worse then send you to some reform school." And then to their surprise he softened. "However, I won't overlook that you have shown progress, basic magic or not your skill level is a lot higher than it should be for your first year."
Bill found a smile slipping on his face. "So, no St. H?"
Hannibal stood placing his hand on his son's shoulder. "A dream demon like you needs that creative spark in order to be a formidable force. As trying as your antics are I have heard little to no complaints while you've been here." He looked to Dipper and Mabel. "I think your new friends have had a positive influence on you."
Bill's eyes met with Dipper's; they share a smile. "Yeah, they're pretty great."
"Well, enough prying, let's take today's lesson from the top." Hannibal looks to Axolotl. "Begin where my son last left off if you would."
Axolotl looked to Dipper, and Dipper looked to Mabel, who looked to Bill, yep, the gig was up now. Hannibal was about to see just how bad the situation was.
"Very well you're Highness." Axolotl began. "Chapter one, lesson one…"
"William Cipher!" Hannibal began.
"In my defense Dipper says I'm better at the complex stuff so we've kind of been skipping around." Bill revealed.
"This is true." Axolotl agreed. "But without a foundation your magic is sloppy."
"What's past is past." Hannibal told them. "I promised your mother I would stay positive and supportive so let's begin."
"Levitato." Axolotl began to lecture. "Is a spell that allows one to move objects without physically touching them."
Bill groans openly, he's already heard this lecture before.
Thankfully Axolotl skips the lecture and begins to dive right in. "Mabel you will go first."
Mabel looks unsure but agrees. "Levitato." She says with ease.
"Very good, now let's make an attempt." Axolotl prompts.
Mabel stands up and chooses an object to cast the spell on. Knowing she's not good on focus, she chooses something light and plastic. "Levitato." She repeats pointing at a nearby cup.
The red plastic cup knocks over and rolls. Mabel can't stop it's descent completely, but she manages to slow it down. The cup hovers over the floor for a brief moment before clattering against the wood. She tries her best not to be discourage and tries again. "Levitato." She repeats, once more pointing at the cup. She feels silly pointing, but it helps her focus, and is not that much different from waving a wand.
This time the cup lifts in the air, and Mabel manages to urge it towards her. It's not at all graceful, the cup wobbles and nearly falls several more times; but at last, it reaches her hand where she grabs it.
"Mabel that was awesome!" Dipper praised her. He could tell she had been practicing, and her efforts had created sweat along her brow.
"Thanks Dip." Mabel rasped. Magic was always so much harder for her than her twin. Still at least she was progressing. For a long time, she had thought she didn't have any magic to speak of, and Dipper's immediate success was discouraging at times.
"Yes, very nice." Axolotl echoed Dipper's praise. "Young Mason?" He looked to Dipper expectantly.
Dipper looked at the magical guide before him and tried his best not to roll his eyes. Ford had been teaching the Twins about magic for years, but it wasn't until they turned 14 this past summer that casting spells had even been possible. In the past few months since then Dipper had mastered the basics in what Ford called a miraculous speed.
Even Mina, who was a whole year older didn't finish the basics in such record timing. Yes, Ford had called her the most powerful spell caster he had ever seen, but Dipper was slowly closing the gap between him and her.
In short, practicing the basics was pointless for Dipper, but he knew this wasn't for him. Mabel and Bill needed to see what the spell should look like.
"Levitato!" He said, and Mabel's cup soared through the air, performing several loops around them before resting up right on the table.
Hannibal looks somewhat impress, alright make that very impressed. "Magnificent, I don't think I've ever seen such mastery at a human's level."
Dipper wanted to appreciate the compliment, but he really hated showing up Bill and Mabel, especially Bill. Besides, Dipper didn't care for magic to begin with. "Thanks, Magic is good to know in my families' line of work but, I am not a fan." He admitted.
"Awe yes." Hannibal nods. "Your great uncles have both shared this opinion of magic with me." He assured the teen. "I believe Stanley's words were: 'magic causes nothing but trouble.' An opinion that I can support to a point." He reasoned. "In the wrong hands magic is trouble, but when used properly it can save time, and even lives."
Of course, Dipper knew all this; magic just never settled right with him. Sure, Mabel said it was because Dipper saw it as a shortcut. However, it was more complicated than that. When Dipper used magic, even something as harmless as the Levitato spell, he felt…wrong!
It was like something in the back of his mind told him that using magic was bad! It was silly, he knew that, but it was like something dark inside of him stirred. Of course, the final words of the monster arm did little to quiet those fears.
"Now William." Hannibal said, breaking Dipper from his thoughts.
Axolotl nodded and turned to Bill. "Levitato!" he said.
Bill took a deep breath and lift his cane before giving it a wave and repeating. "Levitato!"
Every object, every person, everything in the room became weightless!
"Who turned off the gravity?" Stan yelled from down below.
"Bill!" Dipper began as he realized the entire house was defying gravity.
"I-I Don't know what happened." Bill stammered. "I said it correctly."
"William, you need to focus!" Hannibal insisted.
"I was!" Bill screamed. "Honest! I was focusing on making the cup defy gravity and float to me."
"Bill an anti-gravity spell and a levitation spell are two different things!" Mabel cried, she was trying to be calm, really, but the entire shack was no doubt several feet off the ground at the moment, and it kept getting higher.
"But I did the correct spell!" Bill yelled.
"You're a dream demon William!" Hannibal yelled. "Saying the right spell isn't enough!"
Bill knew he was right, after all Bill just admitted he could perform is raining fire spell perfectly regardless of whether he performed it the same way every time. Still, he wasn't appreciating his father's tone.
"William!" Hannibal insisted once more.
Dipper tried a softer approach. "Bill just will us to go down, slowly."
Bill swings his cane up to make a downward motion only for the shack to shoot up several feet more at an alarming rate.
"Son, focus!" Hannibal lectured.
"Bill! Knock it off!" Stan screamed.
"Stanley, your yelling is not helping!" Ford's voice rose as well.
"I'd like to get down now." Mabel cried. "PLEASE!"
"Bill just breathe and…" Dipper began.
It was all too much everyone was talking to him at once, and his previous failures had made him even less confident than before. Bill covered his ears and screamed. "ENOUGH!"
And to his horror the shack began to fall, they had to be over a hundred feet in the air by now. If they hit the ground now there would be nothing left!
Everyone screamed around him, and Bill was at a loss on what to do.
Luckily, someone was accustomed to taking action.
"Duratus!" Hannibal shouted with precision and poise.
Dipper recognized this spell, it was a freeze spell, but not the turn everything into ice kind of freeze. No, it was the stop all motion kind of freeze! A spell, that the shack responded to at once, in seconds it had stopped falling, suspended in air.
Hannibal took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he said. "Decens…" It was the spell for something to descend. By letting his breath out slowly Hannibal was controlling the Shack's fall allowing it to slowly lower back down in its place on solid ground.
Everything in the shack, also floated back down in its original place slowly.
"Oh, thank goodness." Mabel sighed as she floated back into her seat before it touched the ground.
"Kids!" Stan yelled as he raced back upstairs.
"Is everyone alright? Ford asked as they ran into the kitchen.
"We're fine." Dipper answered, gasping for breath.
"I'm sorry." Bill mumbled. "I…I didn't mean for…"
"You have got to be more careful William." Hannibal said firmly. "Someone could have gotten hurt or killed."
The king doesn't raise his voice, but Bill still flinches.
"I said I was sorry." Bill said, snapping.
"Sorry doesn't fix things." Hannibal yelled. "If you would just focus-"
"I AM FOCUSING!" Bill screamed. "GODS! I am sick and tired of you controlling my life!"
"You will not use that tone with me!" Hannibal yelled.
"You are such a pain!" Bill screamed. "And I for one have taken all that I can take!" He stomps out of the kitchen and through the back door.
"Unbelievable." Hannibal shook his head. "The easiest spell in the book and he manages this."
"He just got to eager." Mabel said. "It happens to the best of us, this one time…" She began.
"Eagerness is no excuse for nearly getting us all killed." Hannibal interrupted.
"Yeah, well whose fault is that!" Dipper snapped.
"Excuse me?" Hannibal asked.
"Dipper!" Ford warned.
"No!" Dipper said, not backing down. "All you did was ridicule him, you pressuring Bill to be perfect all the time is why he messed up!" He hadn't meant to be yelling in the king's face, but he was. And now that he was, he really didn't care. "Even when you praise him you have to criticize him too! No one performs a spell perfectly on the first try. Mabel took months to get as good as she is now, and not everyone learns by sitting in front of some dusty old book. If you knew your son at all, you'd know that Bill learns better when it's fun or exciting! No wonder he can't learn anything with you constantly breathing down his back about 'A prince doesn't do this; a future king shouldn't do that!' Your suffocating need for control could make even the greatest spell casters experience performance anxiety! You don't yell or criticize someone when they try their best!"
"Dipper…" Mabel was floored, her soft-spoken brother never yelled at an adult, EVER!
Again, Dipper wasn't sure what had come over him, he just knew he was angry. "No! Bill has enough on his plate as it is. He already has an evaluation that's four years ahead of schedule. The kids at school thinks he's a freak now! And Tad and his goons have attacked us several times-"
"Wait, what!?" Hannibal asked sounding worried.
"Yeah, that's right!" Dipper snapped. "Your brother has tried to kill us like several times!" He made his way for the door. "But what do you care? Just as long as Bill is perfect!" He left the shack with a slam of the door.
Leaving Mabel in a room full of sharks.
Okay there weren't actual sharks, but it sure felt like it.
"Mabel, is this true?" Ford asked softly. "Has being around Bill put you in danger?"
"Not really." Mabel said, trying to play it down. "I mean, Tad and his goons do show up…a lot, but they're really just a nuisance. None of us have ever actually gotten hurt."
"But they have tried…" Hannibal said softly.
"Yes…" Mabel whispered.
"He must have figured out the cane is like a wand." Ford reasoned. "He must know that taking it will give him all of Bill's power."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Stan exclaimed.
"We handle our own all the time." Mabel reasoned. "You guys didn't freak out when gnomes tried to kidnap me and marry me!"
"That's different Mabel." Ford said. "You being kidnapped, while terrifying and awful only affected you. If Tad gets that wand, he could lay waste to every realm across the multiverse!"
"I'm sorry." Mabel sniffled.
"It's alright, we are to blame too." Ford assured her. "We should have paid more attention. We never thought Tad would think to look here, so we didn't bother to take precaution."
"I have to find my son." Hannibal said going for the door. His anger was long gone and replaced by fear for Bill's well being.
The rest of the Pines family followed his lead.
(Back with Dipper…)
It didn't take him long to catch up to his friend.
Bill was currently in the woods sitting by the tree that marked the entrance to the bunker.
"Room for one more?" Dipper asked hopefully.
"Stupid Sixer changed the code again." Was the only response.
Dipper sighed and sat down beside him. "I'm sorry Bill." He told him.
"Sorry?" Bill asked. "Why are you sorry?"
"I should have known better." Dipper said. "I knew that sitting down and trying to learn a spell wasn't going to work for you. You've gotten better at magic because of all the trouble we've gotten into."
Bill nodded, knowing Dipper was right, whether it be the monster arm, or Tad's efforts to steal his powers. Bill, had really only learned anything when the odds were stacked against them.
"I knew that, but because your dad was here, and Ford and Stan, I did the lesson the way they expected us to. When I should have been thinking about what was best for you." Dipper continued.
Bill smiled, the truth was he didn't blame Dipper at all. Trying to appease his father had always been the norm. So naturally trying to do the lesson the way he expected it to be done felt well…natural.
"I promise to be a better teacher in the future." Dipper assured him.
"You are already a good teacher." Bill told him. "I just wish my father would lighten up. I know he's getting a lot of pressure from the Magic High Commission, but it's not helping…"
"William!"
The teens turn at the sound of Hannibal's urgent voice.
"Well, it looks like it's time for round two." Bill joked halfheartedly.
"Actually, in a fit of rage, I may have let it slip about Tad's antics." Dipper admitted.
"Pine Tree!" Bill exclaimed. "Are you nuts? The only reason why my parents sent me here was because they thought it was well hidden."
"I know, I just couldn't let him yell at you like that." Dipper admitted.
Bill smiled, he knew his father was well feared, for someone to stand up to him took guts, and to do it for him… "Thanks." He said.
"Anytime." Dipper promised.
"William there you are!" Hannibal raced into the small clearing.
Bill waits for the inevitable lecture, but to his surprise, Hannibal embraces him.
"Don't scare me like that." He said.
"Sorry…" Bill stutters obviously shocked.
"Why didn't you tell your mother and I that Tad was causing you trouble?" Hannibal asked, pulling away.
"I thought you'd make me leave." Bill answered honestly. "I know I was bummed about coming here at first." He admitted. "But I've come to like it." He said smiling over at Dipper.
The smile made Dipper's heart flutter, though he wasn't sure why.
"Dipper, there you are!" Ford and the others burst into the clearing. "What were you and Bill thinking running off like that? If Tad knew you were out here-"
"I know." Dipper said. "I…wasn't thinking." He mumbled. He looked to his sister apologetically, but she waved it off like it wasn't a big deal.
"We should head back." Stan insisted.
"Give us a minute." Hannibal said, stopping his son.
"Right." Ford ushered the twins forward.
"You too, Mason." Hannibal added.
Dread filled Dipper as he stopped in his tracks…great.
Ford looks unsure, but he and the rest of the Pines family start their walk back to the shack.
It's quiet between the two teens and Hannibal for a long moment. As if none of them know how to break the tension.
Finally, Hannibal sighs. "You know when I was learning how to teleport objects from one room to another, I accidentally switched the head on Seth's grand statue with the head of the Warnicorn Statue in the courtyard." He revealed.
"You didn't…" Bill said, trying to contain his laughter.
"Unfortunately, yes." Hannibal admitted sheepishly. "It's common for things to get jumbled when an inexperience spell caster uses the teleportation spell. This is why we practice on inanimate objects first, better for a statue to lose a head then you, yourself. My point is I am not perfect William." Hannibal went on. "And I know I am hard on you, but with powers as chaotic as yours, and with your history of starting trouble…" He shook his head deciding not to go there. "I just fear the Magic High Commission will take away your powers. We already have one bad egg haunting our history and Tad isn't making things better. I wanted to put that behind us so badly; that I never really put any thought on how much pressure I was putting you in." He explained. "Your mother sent me here to be supportive, and I have failed."
"I wouldn't say it's a total fail." Bill assured him. "I mean look at us, we're bonding. Mother would be proud."
"I suppose we have Mason to thank for that." Hannibal said looking to Dipper who was building up quite a sweat.
"I'm sorry I blew up like that." Dipper told him.
Hannibal smiled. "Perhaps in my youth I would have decapitated a human for such boldness." He admitted. "But I'm just glad my son has someone looking out for him. Will you continue to look after him for Luisa and I."
"Of course." Dipper said.
"Excellent." Hannibal said as he started to lead them back.
"So does this mean I can stay?" Bill asked. "As long as Tad doesn't cause more trouble?"
"I had hoped Tad would not find you." Hannibal admitted. "With your powers no longer safe inside of you, stealing your birthright is actually a lot easier. However, now that the threat is known by the rest of us, I am willing to take the risk. I meant it when I said you have made great progress here, learning control is more important. As long as you continue at an appropriate rate a few shenanigans from Tad can be tolerated." He assured them. "But you have got to be honest with us when he tries something for now on." He added.
"Then you probably want to know about his timing." Dipper said without missing a beat. "Somehow he always knows when to attack. When he does, we're always alone, no Stan, no Ford. I'm afraid he might be spying on us somehow."
"I'll have another All-Seeing Eye put on watch for you at once." Hannibal said as the shack came into view. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention." He said as the royal carriage arrives for his departure. "Well, it would appear it is time for my return. Don't be surprised if your mother calls."
Bill laughed. "Already looking forward to it." He joked.
"Be safe son." Hannibal urged as he got into the carriage. "And keep practicing." He added as the carriage took off. "And I know you're spontaneous but please try to commit to the same steps. Otherwise your spells will never be added. Which would be a shame!" He shouted out the window just before they disappeared in the awaiting portal.
"And we're back." Bill laughed.
"Well change does come hard to most people." Dipper told him. "Give it time."
"Did you really yell at my dad?" Bill asked.
Dipper bit his lip. "Yeah…"
"Gutsy move Pines." Bill teased as they went inside.
"You yell at him!" Dipper pointed out.
"I'm his kid." Bill reasoned. "He can't kill the heir to his throne, but you…" He smiled. "He must really like you."
Dipper shook the complement off, he still wasn't sure why he got so defensive over Bill like that, but he was glad. He was also glad that Bill would be staying despite Tad's efforts.
Unfortunately, Tad's mood mirrors his own.
"We practically got the green light to attack them as many times as we want!" Tad exclaimed. "And they're even providing another All-Seeing Eye. Now we don't have to make one. How convenient is that?"
"Very." Toffee agreed with a sneaky smile. 'Very convenient indeed!'
-To Be Continued
