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Stars and Pyramids AU

We are back!… Kind of…

For had never thought a trip on a bus could be this exhausting. He had entered different methods of transport in his life; many of them possessed technology that could make Earth pale in comparison. Cataloging them as spaceships or space cars was a disservice to the knowledge and systems integral to the creation of such wonders of transportation; however, with tech as ‘playful’, for lack of a better term, people here couldn’t give it a more worthy name.

However, the adjective ‘playful’ seemed pretty silly to describe the machinery, inventions, and weaponry of different dimensions. He might have been absent for 30 years but his home’s tech was still a plaything compared to the complexities other worlds showcased.

Anyway, the seats on this bus were exhausting. Not comfortable enough to sleep through the journey. Regardless of knowing this wasn’t a VIP bus or whatever kind of bus for expensive travels, he was glad Dipper had a good night's sleep. A wave of fondness and pride emanated from within him when he remembered all the times they went into the forest to investigate anomalies, catalog new creatures in the journals, talk about the high volume of weirdness in Gravity Falls, and even play DD&MD felt amazing. It reminded him a lot of those special times when he and Fiddleford had fun.

The slight smile on his lips melted into a frown. While visiting Dipper’s former home sounded good, both knew this was for precautions only. The lack of activity from Bill Cipher and this sudden supernatural phenomenon couldn’t be a coincidence. The radar might have not said it came from the demon, but what if they were connected? But California of all places? Who would be messing with the supernatural in a place as normal as California?

Maybe things had changed much more outside Gravity Falls since the last time he was on Earth.

“Great Uncle Ford, look! We’re getting close!” Dipper pointed at the mix of urbanization and vegetation a few kilometers from them. He straightened his back a little wondering what he would say to his nephew’s parents or Shermie if he was also paying a visit. None of them knew that Stanley had pretended to be him for 30 years. And from Dipper’s parents, it was clear a storm had been brewing, a conflict in their marriage that was unfixable as the boy explained sadly. He could relate to that. Even when his own parents had never separated, their marriage was less than ideal. Thankfully, Dipper’s parents cared enough for his education to let him stay in Gravity Falls.

Golden opportunities like the apprenticeship didn’t come just like that which delighted him so much because history didn’t repeat itself this time. Despite Mabel’s first reaction, she showed much more maturity and consideration for Dipper’s future instead of clinging to him as Stanley did him.

He felt sour at that but honestly, coming from someone like Stanley, what was new? 63 years and he still was a spoiled toddler in the body of a man. Ludicrous to believe that their 12-year-old grandniece demonstrated a better attitude at the fact that she and her brother wouldn’t be glued to each other’s hip forever than he did when Ford caught the attention of the best college in the country! And if that wasn’t proof enough of his immaturity and selfishness, he had the nerve to waste his and Dipper’s time with multiple letters and calls to the shack!

And then Stan whined about how he had it all: a house, one of the kids, while he got nothing from all his ‘sacrifices’ and could barely communicate with the children! What a childish worldview! Maybe if Stanley had worked harder on his future instead of suffocating him, he wouldn’t be scamming people and running away from the authorities; and maybe if he hadn’t been so dramatic when he asked him to hide one of the journals, Ford wouldn’t have been trapped in the multiverse and wouldn’t have dealt with another of Stanley’s screwups after he messed with the portal.

As much it embittered him thinking of the past tainted by his twin’s idiocy, he was relieved the present and future were different and his grand-niblings weren’t making the same mistakes. What they needed to do now was track the anomaly, figure out if the source was related to Bill in any aspect, and destroy it if it was.

He hoped it was the other way. He would like to catalog a weird occurrence that is outside the town, such an event is quite rare. As he stated earlier, golden opportunities didn’t arrive just like that.

**************

This was bad! This was so so bad!

Hey Mabel, guess what? We are going to California!

I should keep it as a surprise but I didn’t want you to freak out and try to make a party at the last moment. Don’t worry about it, we can think of other stuff to do together while we’re here.

How long are we going to stay? Great Uncle Ford doesn’t know, to be honest. He told me about a phenomenon in California that needed to be investigated. Its nature is unknown but we know it appeared here. Isn’t that amazing? And I thought weird stuff only happened in Gravity Falls.

So, maybe we’ll stay a whole week or a few days. Depending on what we find. Hey, have you talked with Grunkle Stan? The last call I got from him was two months ago. Say hi from my part if he calls you today or tomorrow. Who knows, he’s always moving.

Oh, Soos and Wendy are doing fine, by the way. Soos has told me Abuelita is much better but he still keeps an eye on her. Wendy is super bored with the logging camp.

Anyway, hope to see you soon!

Love,

Dipper

“For real?! Of all the times for a trip and it had to be now?!” Bill’s plushie hands grabbed Mabel’s cell phone but his attempt at throwing it to the wall was halted when she snatched the device from him.

“Less destruction, more escape plans! I could hide you in a dumpster far away from here but I don’t know if Grunkle Ford or Dipper are bringing a scienc-y thingamajig to locate bizarre stuff. If they do, there won’t be a single place to hide!”

“Unless I tie myself to the next plane we see which is a no-no. This body could be destroyed during the journey or when someone finds me walking.”

“We have to destroy this plushie then.”

“WHAT?!!!” He roared. “You kidding, right?! Even if you do, it’ll take another ritual and Spell Core to have me here again which will attract Ford’s attention. AGAIN! We would be walking in circles!”

“What do we do then?” Wait, that’s it! “I could be the spy! I can pretend I don’t know anything and ask them lots of questions!”

“Oh, kid, your naivety is hilarious!” She glared at him for that insult. “Don’t give me that look. If it weren’t for me, ME, you would have never known about the Rift. A dangerous device that Fordsy kept a secret from you and Stanley. A powerful artifact he told your own brother to never mention to anyone. You really think he will be honest in answering your questions? Or that Pine Tree will open his mouth behind his back? As if! There are more probabilities of the sky turning yellow than of Sixer spilling the beans.”

“…Then what do you propose?”

Bill paced back and forth cursing mentally for not taking into consideration that Ford’s annoying paranoia would extend to places beyond Gravity Falls. He could hide very far away but Shooting Star had a good point about whatever invention they might be bringing that would lead them to his hideout. If they were found out, obviously all the fault would fall on him. Sixer and Pine Tree would think he manipulated Shooting Star, then shoot the Quantum Destabilizer!

“Ugh! Ok, let’s go with your idea. I hate to run away but in this condition, I’m…useless… Yuck, that word worked more with Stanley.”

“Hey!!”

“I’m parroting Ford’s description of him, kid. Blame him. Anyway, how much time do we have until they arrive?”

“Maybe half an hour.”

“Then let’s not waste time. What’s the best place to hide in this city?”

**************

“Mabel!” He ran ecstatic, hugging his sister tightly. A bigger, more robust Waddles ran in circles around them, sniffing the boy and recognizing his essence. “Hey, Waddles! Look at you! My sister has treated you like a king, uh?” He joked while scratching the head of the pet pig.

“Hello, Mabel. It’s good to see you. You’ve grown a lot.” Ford greeted awkwardly, hugging her more softly than her brother with an arm. She returned the gesture much more vigorously, hiding the emotional turmoil that churned in her stomach.

“You two haven’t stayed behind either. So, what brings you here?”

“Oh… Uh, I thought Dipper had been explanatory enough.” He shared a confused look with his nephew and he confirmed he had delivered the news.

“I thought weird stuff only happened in Gravity Falls.” She reasoned.

Ford chuckled. “A common assumption. I don’t blame you. It is filled with lots of wonderful, unexpected phenomena but Gravity Falls isn’t the whole world which makes this case so special.”

“You could help us find it. If that’s ok for you, Great Uncle Ford.” Dipper suggested hoping for a yes. It could be like the old times, back in their first summer as the Mystery Twins!

Ford looked away, pensively. He didn’t want to ruin the touching sibling moment between them but this search was essential to rid the world of anything Bill-related or of Bill himself. Besides, only Dipper and he knew about it, well, suspected that is. “Tomorrow would be a better day for our schedule, don’t you think, kids? What if we just settle for now and catch up? I bet you have a lot of stories to tell, eh, Mabel?”

She faked a grin. Although she didn’t hear a no the negative was implicit. It stung her in so many ways. All of them were hiding stuff from each other, juicy secrets as explosive as dynamite.

‘Stop feeling bad, Shooting Star. It’s getting boring.’ Bill’s voice echoed in her head. ‘And it’s not like you started the trend of secrecy. Have you forgotten the Rift again?’

‘They think I don’t know anything and I don’t know what they have brought. Like when Grunkle Stan kept the portal and his mission to save Grunkle Ford a secret from us, but worse!’

‘Keep it together, kid!’ Bill admonished harshly. ‘We can’t let them find me. Use whatever messy teenage tricks you have and distract them!’

Distract them. Sure. How?

“…What if I invite you something? Are you hungry? We could catch up with some ice cream or a sandwich.”

“That would be great, Mabel. I’ve been missing the food of Earth since I started traveling the multiverse.” Ford commented

The most common distraction is the best distraction. Well done, Mabel, for mentioning food.

“Where is Dad by the way?” Dipper asked as he observed one of the walls where the family pictures are usually hung. Half of them were taken away and replaced by paintings. He unconsciously flinched at the lack of presence his mom had now that the pictures with her were gone. The divorce was messy, there was no doubt, but at this level seemed too much.

“He’s working. He’s been too engrossed in his job lately.” Dipper hummed, his brow wrinkling in worry.

“…Has…Has Mom called you these days?”

Mabel almost dropped the ham and cheese packages at that question. Her attempt at shrugging wouldn’t be enough and it’s not like they were distant but their mother has been more into a “checklist” mindset which made her wonder about the relevance of their relationship at this point.

“Yeah… Too busy to do it more often than before but it’s not that bad. Her stories are always interesting.” ‘Especially if someone lives in Massachusetts.’ “Hasn’t she called you?”

“A few times but it’s always rushed. So it must be true she’s getting as overworked as Dad.”

“What about Grunkle Stan, Wendy, and Soos?” None of them noticed Ford’s eyes hardening at the mention of his brother.

“Grunkle Stan sometimes calls but you know how it is with him. Being a nomad is kind of hard.” ‘Pffft, nomad! Hahahahaha! Oh wow, Shooting Star! I didn’t know your brother could gaslight himself so hard! I mean if being homeless, banned in most of the states of the country, and having nothing on your name because you faked your death is being a nomad then why not just call it NEVER EXISTING then?! Hahahahahahahahahaha!!’, ‘Shut up, Bill!’ “Soos is doing better with Abuelita like I told you in my message, but I think he told me of a new job. He has too many; it’s a bit concerning. And Wendy doesn’t stop complaining about the logging camp. You know, I bet she would escape and try to find a job in Gravity Falls one of these days.”

“That would get her into a lot of trouble.”

“She’d rather be in trouble than stay one more day in her family business. But apart from that, she’s ok. The three are ok. What about you? Any new romances in school? New friends?”

“Not really,” she said as she filled a plate with some ham-cheese sandwiches and a bowl with KitKats. “I mean, no romances. There’s Josh but he’s more of a friend.”

Dipper snorted teasingly. “Sure, a ‘friend’.”

‘Says it the guy that chased a teenager and wanted her to sacrifice her social reputation to accept a date with a child’ Bill’s snarky comment got Mabel into a coughing fit while she was drinking a soda can.

“Careful, sweetheart. Careful. Don’t cough so hard or you might hurt your throat.” Stanford filled a glass with water and she took it gratefully. Dipper rubbed circles on her back.

“Sorry… Just… Me being clumsy again.” ‘Bill, what the heck?!’, ‘What? It’s true. No wonder his love life is so pitiful. He couldn’t be more narrow-minded if he tried.’ Mabel controlled her urge to groan and insult him. She swallowed the last bit of water, sighing in relief for the coughing fit was over.

“Much better.” Ford smiled.

**************

The rest of the day, they spent sharing the latest discoveries in Gravity Falls -those ‘highly edited’ by Ford according to Bill because of his paranoia-, Dipper’s encounters with their friends, even with Candy and Grenda on some occasions, Mabel’s ‘new project’ for an online business which consisted in the same lie she told Josh about making plushies.

The distractions were doing great. They have been more focused on catching up with her than looking for the anomaly AKA Bill but whether they suspected his return or not, it’d only take a seemingly curious question and innocent eyes to find out. Of course, what the demon told her about Ford’s paranoia and his orders to keep secrecy at all costs to Dipper complicated her plan a lot. Stanford could either suspect her or become more closed off with the information he had, asking Dipper to remain silent.

At this point, though, there was no choice. Taking risks was necessary. “So… You think a weird creature might have left Gravity Falls and settled here? Maybe that’s why something strange is happening.”

Ford and Dipper shared a bewildered look. For a moment, Mabel feared her ‘innocent’ question had revealed a lot of what she was hiding until her uncle spoke. “That’s an odd question; regardless, we can’t discard it. Gravity Falls isn’t the only place where the supernatural happens. It has way too many phenomena but there are other places with their own fair share of rarities. However, this case is more about a sudden wave of supernatural energy. Maybe a ritual, a spell, summoning a monster. As cliche as it sounds, Dipper told me messing with the occult for fun or because it ‘looks cool’ is not unheard of although it doesn’t happen often.”

“Rituals…” She murmured. She swallowed the flood of guilt before continuing. “And what if…someone has managed to summon Bill?” ‘Kid, what the fuck are you doing?!’

Dipper paled, faked a cough, and answered. “The only way to do it is by using one of the journals like Gideon did.” ‘And Great Uncle Ford with the cave paintings’ he added mentally. “But nah, I don’t think there is a way beyond what I said, that could help someone to summon him.”

“Of course, being too careful is not an exaggeration, especially when dealing with monsters like Bill. And… Well…” For some reason, Ford trailed off, doubting whether to keep going with whatever he was going to say. In a matter of seconds, he grabbed Dipper by the shoulders and pushed him to a corner of the living room adjacent to the kitchen.

“Great Uncle Ford, what—?”

“Ssshhh! Not so loud,” He whispered. “Look, I don’t think it’s wise to tell Mabel about the Weirdness Barrier surrounding Gravity Falls.”

“Is it because of her question if a supernatural creature escaped the forest?”

“Yes. Most importantly, this is a highly confidential and important detail. Who knows who might be listening.”

“It’s just Mabel, you, and me. I don’t think there is a way for Bill to listen to any of us. And without the journals, no one can summon him.”

“We must be cautious, though. It’s still unknown if the anomaly in California has anything to do with Bill.”

“If we make it vague enough?” Dipper suggested. “Like an allegory or something. Listen, Great Uncle Ford, I get it. The Rift, the Weirdness Barrier around Gravity Falls, the defenses against Bill, Bill in general, all of that is a high priority but I trust Mabel. She and I fought him inside Grunkle Stan’s mind, she helped me get him out of my body when he possessed me, she obtained the unicorn hair to protect the shack, and she knows how dangerous he is. Maybe letting her in on some stuff might help us too.”

A storm could be seen in Ford’s coffee eyes. Trusting had always been a double-edged sword for him. He trusted Bill and he was used and tormented; he trusted Stanley and he was pushed to the portal; he trusted Fiddleford but he had no spine and left. Mabel? He didn’t see what she’d done but if it weren’t for her the shack wouldn’t be safe from Bill. She was tough to deal with the insufferable unicorns which added points to her performance. And coming from Dipper whom he found reliable and resourceful, that Mabel is described as trustworthy…

Perhaps a little bit…

“Just a little bit,” Ford replied. Dipper grinned.

As they entered the kitchen, Mabel changed from strangely melancholic to her usual cheerfulness. They sat and Ford coughed softly to start, “Listen, Mabel, your question about a possible escape of one of the many creatures of Gravity Falls from the forest reminded me of a part of my research. Now, before I tell you, you must promise me that no matter the circumstances, this information will stay between us. No one must know.”

“No one,” her voice trembled a bit. ‘Keep it together, kid!’ Bill demanded impatiently.

“Exactly, no one.”

“I… It’s better if you two keep it for yourselves.”

‘WHAT?!!’

“Uh… Ok? This was unexpected.” Ford mumbled the last thing to himself.

“Mabel, are you sure? I mean, I know mysteries and adventures aren’t so much your thing but you could help us. Mystery Twins, remember?” Dipper raised his fist for a fist bump.

‘Come on, kid! Just take it! Don’t leave him hanging!’

“That sounds great, Dipper, but you know I’m kind of clumsy, and get distracted lots of times, and if locating this anomaly is important in the long term, then it’s better that the experts take care of it. I mean, remember what happened when we went to save Waddles? Soos wasn’t being careful or thoughtful enough during the mission.”

“I-I mean, it makes sense…” ‘And this mission is high-stakes too’

“Well,” Ford intervened to dissipate the awkwardness. “Your arguments are quite sound, Mabel, but don’t be too harsh on yourself. You’ve been a huge help in protecting the shack from Bill. Still, if this is your decision we will respect it.”

‘NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!’ Mabel had to disguise her flinch with a fake sneeze. Seriously, for someone who has no lungs as far as she is concerned, Bill really shouted too loud.

***********

9:30 pm

Stupid, stupid, stupid! So fucking stupid!

How the hell did this plan go off the rails?! How?! The best chance to defend himself against Ford, a piece of information that could be the difference between living and execution, AND SHOOTING STAR RUINED IT!!!

What the fuck was he thinking?! He couldn’t trust her! It was a miracle that she hasn’t told those idiots about their deal and his situation but it’d be a matter of time before she reconsidered keeping her part of the deal and then bam! She would betray him and hand his head on a silver platter to Sixer!!

Oh, and the cherry on the cake would be much worse. Maybe after betraying him, the brat will have the nerve, the disgusting nerve, to lie to them saying that she planned on lowering his guard all along and everyone would applaud her for being so heroic, so brave, so intelligent, and…and…

‘AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!’

‘Bill, shut up! I want to sleep!’

Great. Brilliant even. Now she believed herself superior to him to boss him around!!

‘That’s it! Fuck you, Mabel Pines! Fuck you and your good-for-nothing, unremarkable, low-than-average, insufferably annoying family!! Fuck your nonexistent future! Fuck your filthy pig! Fuck your—‘

‘Bill, I swear, if you don’t shut up, I’ll sleep by listening to synthesized music.’

He halted. She wouldn’t dare, would she? Not after failing him so big. ‘You wouldn’t.’

‘Watch me!’ She got up and searched through her drawers for the earphones.

‘Ok, ok! You win!’

‘Good! Now, let me sleep!’

2 hours later, Bill cursed lowly. The failure on purpose was one thing but torturing him with that pitiful excuse of music?

‘You forgot something crucial about me, you brat. I always have a triumph card under my sleeve.’ He sentenced and began chanting.

‘Mens deprauata

Mens amissa

mens corrupta

Nulla memoria, non imperium

Ad vocem meam inclinabis’

Not even the Joker could rival Bill’s grin as his voice got wrapped during the spell.

‘Oh, Shooting Star… Always so naive…’

#gravity falls #gravity falls au #gravity falls prompt #bill cipher #mabel pines #dipper pines #ford pines #dipper and mabel vs the future au #mulan reference #Why there is no yellow in the color font pallete?