Author's Notes: Hey guys I know it's been touch and go, but here we are again with another story update. Thanks for reading and please review.
Normal,
It was an adjective that felt weird on his tongue, but Dipper Pines could say without a doubt that he was in for a very normal night. Which felt pretty good when he thought about it. At the moment he was in his room with his laptop at the ready; tonight the local theater was playing a movie marathon of his all-time favorite movie series: Back to the Future. The movie itself was pretty old, put Dipper liked the classics and once a month The Gravity Falls theater would do a showing of outdated films. The only downside of course was that the theater was small, too small! So he'd have to buy tickets, hints why he was on the computer.
A loud banging come from his bedroom door before it opens and in popped Bill's head.
"Bill, why knock if you're not going to wait for me to answer?" Dipper scowled.
Bill looks thoughtful as he let's himself in, like he really needs to think about the answer. He shrugs, "Formality I guess."
"Fair enough." Dipper shrugs. "What's up?"
"Nothing, that's the problem Pines, tonight is officially the most boring night ever!"
"Well you can still go to the theater with me." Dipper offered. "I'm buying the tickets now."
"I would Pine Tree but Shooting Star told me the movies are old and dull." Bill said, making a face.
"They are old." Dipper admitted. "But they are cool."
"Dorky cool or actually cool?" Bill asked with a sly grin.
"Shut up." Dipper answered giving him a playful punch.
"And Dorky cool it is." Bill teased.
"Fine, I didn't want to waste money on a second ticket any way." Dipper grumbled half-heartedly. His eyes widen at the computer. "No way," Dipper groaned, "Come on, come on, come on. Ooh!" Dipper stopped typing then slammed his face into the keyboard. He groans loudly before lifting his head to close the laptop in defeat.
"Let me guess. Sold out?" Bill asked.
"Yes…WHY!" Dipper sulked.
"What a shame, I mean it's not like you own the movies." Bill said sarcastically as he waved the Back to the Future VCR tape in front of him.
"It was going to be showing on the big screen!" Dipper growled. "Probably for the last time EVER! It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Dipper tried to explain.
"Well at least now we can be bored together." Bill suggested.
"Where's Mabes?" Dipper asked.
"A study- sleepover." Bill said using quotations. "Seriously I thought sleep overs were supposed to be fun."
"They are, but it's a school night so Mable uses "Studying" as an excuse to bend the rules." Dipper explained.
"I knew I liked her." Bill laughed.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a giant blast of pink fire erupts out of Dipper's desk causing him to shriek and fall back into Bill. The two boys sit up as they watched the flames die down. Once the small inferno is gone standing on Dipper's desk, was Pyronica, eating a snow cone.
"Hey. What's up?" Pyronica casually greeted.
"Pyronica?" Dipper and Bill questioned confused at the demon's sudden arrival.
"Py I thought we agreed, space." Bill says, looking ready to dish out the usual argument.
"Actually," Pyronica coughed into her hand looking anywhere but at Dipper, "I'm here to ask Dipper if we could hang out."
"Wait…what?" Bill asked.
"Why me?" Dipper looks like he's cornered prey in a lion's den.
"I'm showing a none possessive interest in Billy's Friends." Pyronica explained.
"Py!" Bill warned.
"No I'm serious, it's for my Therapy, my life coach suggested it." Pyronica continues.
"Well in that case, NO." Dipper answers bluntly.
"Oh. Okay then. Guess I'll just find somebody else to go with to the Back to the future movie marathon," Pyronica offhandedly said holding up some tickets.
Dipper gets starry-eyed at the tickets.
"Wait a minute, since when do you watch old movies?" Bill asked.
"I picked something I thought he would like; guess I guessed right." Pyronica says proudly.
"So this is just for therapy?" Bill asked. "No underline scheme, like the Mr. Candle incident?"
"Billy, I'm really trying here." Pyronica says, actually sounding hurt. "I want to show you that I can be excepting of the people you choose to be around with. I want to move past this so we can be a part of each other's lives again, I miss the gang, I miss having fun with you guys. Kelly always talks about how Dipper is the "life of the group" now."
Bill snickers. "Life of the group hu? OH yeah he's a real party animal this guy."
Dipper would usually make him pay for that comment, but he's still thinking about the movie, heck he's practically drooling.
"So are we going or what?" Pyronica asked.
"Yeah just give me a sec Kay?" Bill asked, pulling Dipper away.
"She's up to something, isn't she?" Dipper asked as he started to break out of the daze.
"Maybe, but I also think she's being honest, to an extent." Bill explained. "Since she's a fire demon you can tell when she's lying, or emotional cause it makes her flames act up." He explained.
"Wait, why does it sound like you want me to go?" Dipper asked.
"I think you should." Bill agreed.
"She kidnapped me, and that counselor dude really messed you up." Dipper reminded him.
"True, but my other friends got you locked up in a suicidal game of truth or punishment, and almost got you arrested in another dimension. Not to mention we influenced you to go on the lamb-"
"Okay, okay." Dipper stopped him. "Stop reminding me just how bad of an influence you and your friends are. I'll go." He says loud enough for Pyronica to hear. "But you get one chance and that's it!"
"Super, let's go!" She grabs Dipper's arm in a death grip and pulls him away. "Goodbye Billy."
"I changed my mind, Bill save me!" Dipper screams.
Bill doubled over laughing. "Good luck Pines, you're going to need it!"
Moments later Dipper found himself outside standing before Pyronica's carriage.
Pyronica opens the door and ominous music flows out. Dipper steps up taking a peek inside.
"Whoa!" Dipper gasped, "Medieval Gothic design. Nice."
"Let me just give you a tour," Pyronica allows Dipper in first then follows her closing the door. "Giddy up, skeleton horse!"
The skeleton horse neighs before taking off down the street.
Pyronica walked around the carriage giving Dipper a tour. "So here it is. We got six flat-screen TVs, a photo booth, karaoke machine."
"Is that a white tiger?" Dipper gaped pointing at a tiger that was lounging on a couch licking itself.
"And up here is the lounge. Here. Have a seat in the throne," Pyronica pulled out a chair for Dipper, and she sits down. "Are you comfortable? Can I get you anything? Some cereal perhaps?"
Dipper is rather confused by the onset of hospitality. He's even more surprised when a tray of cereal appears before him. "Look, you're being super nice to me right now, and you're never nice to me? In fact, it's weirding me out. What's this really all about?"
"I told you, It's an exercise from my life coach." Pyronica insisted.
Dipper raises a brow not believing him. "Uh-Huh…and you picked me because?"
"Billy seems to really like you." Pyronica insisted.
"Why are you so hung up on him anyway?" Dipper asked.
"Why are you so hung up on the Wendy girl?" Pyronica countered.
"Wait how do you know about that?" Dipper asked.
"Kelly is a gossip girl." Pyronica explained. "Poured your heart out in truth or punishment? EPIC, me I would have just taken the punishment."
"Stupid Kelly, spilling my secrets, what friend spills secrets?" Dipper stomped his foot.
"All friends spill, you should hear the dirt I have on Billy." Pyronica said with a sly smile.
Dipper shakes his head. "Nope, if Bill wants me to know, he'll tell me."
Pyronica smiles and it looks a bit sadden. "I guess you do care about him."
"Of course I do, that's why I'm so hard on you." Dipper admitted. "Every time you show up you cause trouble, but I guess it was wrong of me to assume…" Dipper tries to find the right word for it, "… stuff. I'm sorry."
"No, no, no, I get it, I get it. It can be hard to break through people's preconceptions of me. That's why I don't have many friends. I actually have none now thanks to the break up."
"But you and Kelly, talk." Dipper insisted.
"Oh yeah we 'talk' but that's it, it's just not the same as hanging with the gang."
Dipper appeared a bit sad by that statement and was about to say something but was stopped by the sound of a loud engine revving.
A convertible car pulled up beside the carriage as they both stopped at a red light.
The passenger of the convertible stands up pointing at the carriage.
"Hey, where did you pick up your sweet ride? At a funeral home? Are you gonna go pick up someone's dead grandpa and hold a respectful service for him?"
Pyronica growls at the two guys from the window. Dipper got a tad worried as Pyronica clenched her teeth and fist started shaking in anger. "Care to say that to my face?" She growls as she pops her head out the window.
"Well, it looks like that ride has got one sweet thing in it." The driver winks. "Why don't you ditch that loser and his crappy ride and go cruising with us?"
"How dare…" Pyronica is spitting lava at this point.
"She'd love to." Dipper cut in causing Pyronica to whip her head quickly to look at him. "Of course you'd have to win first."
"Win what?" The driver asked.
"A little race. If you guys win, then she will dump me and my loser car." He nudges Pyronica who finally seems to catch on.
"Yeah. I only ride with the fastest." She sneered.
"You're on, punk. Say goodbye to your lady!" The driver shouted to Dipper.
The light turns green and the car speeds off.
"Grrrr, I'll show them!" Pyronica growled Dipper smirked putting a hand on Pyronica's shoulder, "Wait for it…."
Pyronica's perplexed expression quickly turns into a smile when a loud siren sounded followed by a flash of red and blue lights.
"Those guys are going to jail," Dipper sung out.
Pyronica's carriage trotted by the convertible that had been pulled over.
Dipper and Pyronica both smile innocently as the guys from the convertible were loaded into the back of the cop car.
Pyronica and Dipper laugh as they high five one another.
"Oh, that was so much more fun than obliterating people," Pyronica laughed. "No wonder Billy likes you, you're a lot more mischievous than you let on."
"Uhhhh. Yeah?" Dipper agreed uncertainty. "So about the Marathon."
"Don't worry we have plenty of time." Pyronica assures him. "Hey why don't we have a mini dance party?" She asked.
"Why?" Dipper asked.
"For fun, we got time to kill before the marathon starts and Kelly tells me you're a wicked dancer." Pyronica says with a teasing smile as she moves awkwardly, in what Dipper can only assume is her way of copying his lousy dancing." She says the bounce lounge went wild at your performance, said you even took a nose dive into the spikes."
"Okay first, I wasn't dancing, I was being slanged around by Paci-fire and 2. He threw me to my death, I did not nose dive and finally, I'm never trusting Kelly again, man seriously, you think you know someone."
Pyronica laughs as the surround sound speakers begin to play Awesome Feeling by Love sentence.
"You listen to Love Sentence?" Dipper asked.
"Yeah your sister Mabel lent Kelly a CD and Kelly was like, "You got to hear this human band" And I was like "Wow, you know."
Dipper smiled. "Yeah they're pretty good, my favorite song is Just Friends." Dipper admitted as Pyronica rocks to the beat.
"Come on sing with me!" She insisted.
"No, I'm pretty sure I'd cause an avalanche…and there is now a microphone in my hand." Dipper sighed as Pyronica hands him a microphone before grabbing a second. He shrugs, and decides to play along, after all Pyronica was taking him to see the marathon. Besides, Bill was right, all his demon friends took some time to grow on him.
They sung threw a couple songs all by Love Sentence and Several Times finally Dipper turned off the music.
"Hey what gives?" Pyronica asked.
"Oh I was just thinking we should be at the theater by now." Dipper says.
"Oh relax we have plenty of time." She assures him.
"But it starts in…" He checks his watch. "Ten minutes?!" He exclaims heading towards the door, but magical chains appear and block the exit. "What the heck?" He grabs the lock and tries to pry it open. He quickly gives up and turns to Pyronica "Hey, can you unlock the door?"
"Actually, I can't let you leave yet." Pyronica says, trying to sound sweet.
"What? Why? We'll be late." Dipper asked.
"Couldn't we just chill here for, like, another four-and-a-half minutes?" Pyronica asked hopefully.
"Seriously Pyronica, you're starting to scare me, you…you're up to something aren't you? I knew it!"
"No, Please Just wait a little longer." Pyronica is begging now.
"No! You said you were doing this for Bill, you said you changed, but you're just as possessive as ever!" Dipper yelled. "NOW LET ME GO!"
"I said wait!" Pyronica screamed her eyes glow pink as she levitates and fire surrounds them. Suddenly the sound of a whistle blowing stops her in her tracks. She lands back on her feet, flames gone. "No please that didn't count."
The white tiger, with a whistle in its mouth, gets off the seat and opens the mouth to take off its skin, revealing it to be her life coach Brian in a costume.
"Sorry, Pyronica." He said "That's an instant fail for you. But, hey, you almost made it this time."
"No, no! Wait, wait! You gotta give me a second chance." Pyronica begged. "I was so close!"
"Okay, seriously, what is going on here?" Dipper asked.
Well, Pyronica here was just about to earn her anger management graduation badge. All she had to do was spend an hour alone with the person she hated the most without blowing up." Brian answered.
It took far too long for Dipper to connect the dots in his head. "Me?! Why Am I the most hated, I have done nothing to you! You kidnapped me, threatened me, tried to trick Bill into eternal soul binding and I'm the most hated?!"
"You, are the most selfish human I ever met!" Pyronica growled. "You couldn't wait another four minutes and fifteen seconds! All you care about are your precious movie tickets. Well, guess what." She tears up the tickets and sets the scraps on fire. "Human movies are garbage."
"Are you kidding me?" Dipper spat. "You lied to me, manipulated me, pretended to be my friend, and you still think this is about some stupid movie tickets? Don't you see? You haven't changed, you're still obsessive about him."
"I'm trying, don't you dare tell him otherwise." Pyronica growled, marching up to get in his face. "I'm trying to be a better person for him."
"And that's the problem!" Dipper yelled. "You shouldn't be doing this for him!"
"Then who should I be doing it for?" Pyronica cried.
"YOU!" Dipper screamed. "You should be doing this for you, so you can be the best version of yourself. If you're not doing this for you than you are wasting everyone's time. My time, your time, Mr. Brian's time."
"He's right Pyronica, you're obsessive, and aggressive personality is dysfunctional, not just in relationships, but in every aspect of life. " Brian cut in. "Your main focus should be getting better, for your benefit, not in hopes that you and Bill will get back together."
"But I want us to." Pyronica deflates.
"And it's okay to have that goal." Dipper assured her. "But Bill has to want this too and right now he doesn't."
A silence fills the air, and for a moment Dipper thinks it will continue and he will be forced to break it.
Finally, Pyronica spoke. "So I guess you're going to go home and tell Billy I haven't changed hu?"
Dipper shook his head. "No I knew that from the beginning."
"So why did you come?" Pyronica snapped. "If you knew I was up to something and you knew I hadn't changed. Why come at all?"
"Because I know people can change, and I know it's not as easy as flipping a switch. Self-improvement takes time and practice. Besides, I promised Bill I would give you this chance." Dipper added. "Which is why I am willing to give you a chance to make this right."
"How? I just ripped the tickets." Pyronica reminded him.
Dipper couldn't help but grin. "Well not to quote a certain know it all, but the movies are super old."
"So?" Pyronica asked, not getting it.
"Got a VCR?" Dipper asked.
Pyronica smiled. "As a matter of fact I do."
And just like that the two not friends, not enemies found them self-sitting in front of the large TV inside the carriage munching on popcorn and watching Back to the Future.
"You were right, this movie is actually pretty good." Pyronica said. "Well actually the movie sucks, but I like the concept. Time travel sounds cool, and complicated."
Dipper smiled. "I still think it would have been cooler on the big screen." He admitted.
"So ungrateful." Pyronica teased.
"Yeah, I still don't like you." Dipper admitted bluntly.
"Well good." Pyronica said. "I still don't like you, too, Pines."
Dipper couldn't help but laugh, all in all it turned out to be a pretty great day.
-To Be Continued