The Grave Situation of Gravity Falls

Bill Cipher is back, babes, and he's better (or worse) than ever, taking interest in a particular little Pinetree. But a new threat has arrived, one bigger than Bill himself.

      16. The year that was supposed to be the prime of your teenage years, according to Mabel’s cheesy teenage rom-coms. Dipper hoped it had a lot less singing. This year, in approximately 2 months, Dipper would reach that wondrous age, and instead of reviewing video after video of his Grunkles amazing paranormal footage, he would get a real internship at a local news station in Piedmont.

      Dipper loved Gravity Falls for the 2 months he spent there, the mystery, the strange floral and fauna, but after destroying a giant Li’l Gideon robot, saving his Great Uncle Ford from alien surveillance, and kicking 2D triangular butt all while figuring out he had one hell of a left hook, the excitement began to wear off, and it turned into straight-up fear. Nightmares plagued his dreams, everything made him jump, which in turn caused him to give a couple of pranksters in his freshman year of high school a couple of bloody noses; he often woke up screaming, only to be comforted by the warmth of his sister’s hugs, which he took advantage of, hugging her tight and whispering apologies in her ear through sobs.

      Adjusting to high school was hard- but his sister thrived, reassuring Dipper that nothing here was going to hurt him, minus a couple of school bullies that quickly got lost when Dipper punched them in the face (hence the pranksters with bloody noses); reassuring him that there was no gnomes in the trash cans, no Manotaurs in the woods behind the school, only squirrels and birds with pretty songs. Mabel was in art club, theater, and softball, thriving in the high school environment, while Dipper was left nervously walking in her shadow.

      Now, in the confines of the disgusting bus ride back to Gravity Falls, he was left alone to his thoughts and anxieties as Mabel drooled away on his shoulder, blue vest becoming darker with her spit. The bus screeched to a halt at the bus stop, and Dipper gently shook his twin awake, ignoring her grumbles of protest and she squeezed poor sleeping Waddles closer to her fuzzy sweater, something she never grew tired of. Eventually, he managed to get her off the bus, ignoring the creepy whisper of good luck that seemed to blow in the wind. 

When they arrived at the Mystery Shack, both Dipper and Mabel burst into laughter, as Soos and Wendy were holding up a patterned sign, which read “Welcome Back, Mystery Twins!” Dipper was slugged on the arm by Wendy and Soos, and Mabel hugged Candy and Greta, who burst into tears as they hugged each other, jumping around. Dipper ignored the sinking feeling in his stomach, something that said that things would be quite strange in the next couple months.

      “Dip-Dop! We’re going to have a get-together at the Greasy Diner! Get readyyyy~” She called through the door, having already gotten dressed earlier. Dipper grumbled out a small, “Whatever,” from through the door of the secret room. They had agreed that Dipper could get the room from the get go, knowing full well that they were much too old to share a room anymore. He hastily covered up mystery boards, pulling curtains over them and hiding evidence. As soon as he arrived, he began pulling together things that proved, just maybe, Bill was still alive. If Stan regained his memory, Bill might have come along with it. Call it an obsession, a crazed panic, whatever, but Dipper couldn’t ease his mind. Everything at Gravity Falls reminded him of Weirdmaggedon, the strange trees, the whispering wind, the broken Li’l Gideon signs…
Dipper shuddered at the thought of Gideon, and quickly pulled on his clean vest, neatly packing away the rest of his clothes before making his way out of the room, yawning as if he just woke up from a nap. “Ready,” he said, and Mabel grinned. “All right! Get together, here we come!” Mabel was wearing her usual shooting star sweater, having made a new one because she grew, not to mention the nasty burns and stains Weirdmaggedon caused. She had on a pale blue skirt and her usual flats, long white socks covering the majority of her legs. “Aw, come on, Dipper! That’s all you're wearing?”

      Dipper looked down at his usual clothes, something he wore ever since he was twelve. The only difference now is that his shirt exclaimed “D*MN” in a black box, the base of the shirt being his usual faded red. “Yeah?” He asked quizzically, and Mabel sighed. “Fiiiiine,” she drawled out, and they headed together into the Mystery Shack’s golf cart, driving to the Greasy Diner, Mabel asking questions all the while.

      "Finally," Dipper groaned, and Mabel frowned, beginning to speak, but Dipper had already hopped down, walking inside. The Greasy Diner was an old place, even older now that Dipper and Mabel had grown some, but the interior was the same; beavers and woodpeckers flying and waddling around, looking for a better spot of the half rotted wood to eat. Dipper sighed, looking at the machine that granted the gift of free pancakes. Haven't tried that in a while, He thought, getting up as soon as his sister sat down. "Dipper, wha-" She began, before noticing where he was headed. "Remember the last time you tried that, bro-bro?" She laughed, the memory appearing in her head as she sighed fondly. "Regrettably," Dipper chuckled, before grabbing the hammer, swinging it around a couple of times carefully. Suddenly, he brought the hammer down onto the rubber platform, and the bell at the top rang loudly. Dipper looked up in disbelief. He had joined track-and-field, but he hadn't really kept up with his upper body strength... must've been the Weirdmaggedon, again. 

      He frowned at the memory, looking around cautiously, but all he saw was people clapping politely, and he smiled awkwardly at them, before rushing to sit down with his twin. Mabel looked at him in shock. "Don't look so surprised," he said teasingly, and Mabel closed her mouth, forming it into a grin. "That was great! Pancakes for me, pancakes for me~!" She sang, and dug in as soon as Lazy Susan put the plate down. Dipper apologized for her, and Mabel nodded, eyes shining, before the friendly light in them dimmed.

      "Ugh, don't look now, but there's Pacifica. Looks like she found a new boyfriend when we were gone." 

      Dipper, against his sister's wishes, turned around obviously, and panic flooded his senses. There, by Pacifica (who had an arm hooked though the other person's arm, all clingy, much to Mabel's disappointment.), was a tall man in yellow that complimented his tan skin more than Dipper would have like, and a piercing one-eyed gaze, as his other was hidden by a triangular eye patch. He had on a top hat and a bow tie, each the same jet black that made the yellow of his blazer and pants stand out brighter. But that wasn't the point, Dipper chided himself, the point was that he resembled someone that Dipper tried so hard to forget, someone that haunted Dipper's dreams and turned them into nightmares. 

    "Cipher," he whispered, far too low for Mabel to register.

     As if hearing his name, Cipher turned to look at Dipper, a wide smile on his face, mouthing words that Dipper could make out even from here.

     "Hello, Pinetree."

Honestly, Dipper wasn’t 100% sure that it really was Cipher, but after hearing that name flow past perfect lips (shut up Dipper, he chided again), he knew for a fact that the man in the yellow suit was Bill Cipher, and Dipper practically fell off his seat. “Mabel, we need to go. Now.” He said noticably ten times more tense than before. Mabel looked up, mouth full of fluffy pancakes, curious, but it was too late, and Pacifica and Cipher were heading towards the twins.

“Heyo! Shooting Star…..” Cipher paused for a moment, looking at the female twin, and then turned to Dipper, narrowing his eyes and looking down at the male. “Pinetree~” He purred, and Dipper snapped out of whatever daze he was in.

“No. Way. No f*****g way-” Mabel started, and Bill gave her a playful glare, mischief in his eyes. “Language!” He scolded, and Mabel shrunk under his gaze, sinking down into her seat. Dipper glared at Cipher. 

“The hell do you want?”

“Now now, Pinetree! Let's relax, we’re all old friends here! I’m merrily here as a favor to your sad human race! I mean, come on, fleshbags don’t get hotter than this!”

He posed for Dipper, before looking serious. “But in all seriousness, I’m here on… business. Obviously, I didn’t bring myself back, but I need he- hel- er… what’s the word again?”

Mabel sat up in her seat, eyes wide. “Help?” She supplied, and Bill snapped his fingers, making Dipper flinch. “Bingo! That's the thing!”

“Why should we help you, Cipher?” Dipper spat, and Pacifica, who seemed to come to her senses, looked at Bill, who she previously hung over like she had no mind of her own. “Who are you? Why am I in this hell-hole?” She said, looking disgusted as she unraveled herself from Bill’s arms. She looked at Mabel, a little too long in Dipper’s opinion, before looking at Dipper in disgust as well. 

“What? Someone explain what the hell is going on!” She snapped, and Mabel sighed in disappointment. “Bill, Pacifica. Pacifica, Bill Cipher. If you had a brain you would recognize that.” She said sweetly, and Pacifica wrinkled her nose, ready to fire another comeback, but Bill stopped her. “Well then!” He said with a loud clap, “Should we get this show on the road?”

“I never agreed to help you, Bill.” Dipper warned. “I can beat your a*s in that form.” 

Dipper doesn’t know what makes him say it, but it seems to give Bill some ideas, none which Dipper had the intention of.

“You can beat my a*s anytime, Pinetree,” he smirked, before turning with a twirl of his blazer. “Let’s go, my friends!” Bill exclaimed loudly, and Dipper sighed. Bill Cipher was back, and he was not taking no for an answer. But he was doing something to Dipper’s brain, teasing him and testing out flirting, of all things. Dipper would not let Bill play his emotions like this, this was cruel, and he was determined not to give in. No matter what.

�"-------------------------------------------------------------

Dipper was about to give in. Honestly, this man (demon?) was going to be the death of him, quite literally, if Bill got what he wanted. Dipper followed him through the woods, annoyed beyond belief. “Where exactly are you leading us?” Dipper asked, and Bill grinned widely. “Why, my lovely memorial, of course!”

“Memorial? The hell are you talking about?”

Bill looked at Dipper almost quizzically. “The one in the woods, obviously.” He responded, as if it was the most known thing in the world.

 "That's not a memorial, douchebag, it's just some lame statue you got banished in." Dipper said warily, and he can feel his interest growing. Pacifica cowered and squeaked in fear as a mouse ran by, clutching Mabel's hand like a lifeline. Mabel looked pleased and pissed off at the same time, her face slightly red as Pacifica hangs all over her. Dipper rolls his eyes, but can’t say anything, as he was currently pressed up against Cipher, who had his arm around Dipper’s shoulders firmly, preventing him from moving. Dipper honestly didn’t mind, but some personal space would’ve been nice.

You idiot, you should mind… He started Weirdmaggedon! Dipper’s brain protests, but his body is leaning in towards the touch, and Bill looks down at him, a small smile playing on his lips, which causes Dipper to blush bright red, heart fluttering. 

Just because he’s human now doesn’t mean anything- Dipper scolded himself, and turned his face away, peeking behind him to where Pacifica and Mabel were bickering, no point in sight, just eager to scream at each other for the slightest of reasons. Dipper snorted, and turned, where Bill was staring at him curiously. 

“What’s so funny?”

“Nunya.”

“What’s that?”

“Nunya business.”

Bill looked annoyed, frowning with a pout on his face, and Dipper snickered, looking away. He doesn’t know what makes him say it, but he turns back to Cipher. “Speed up and I’ll tell you. We need some distance from Mabel.”

Interest piqued, Bill obeyed, and Mabel and Pacifica were too wrapped up in each other’s argument to notice. Dipper stumbled slightly, and Bill moved his arm to Dipper’s to steady him, causing Dipper’s heart to speed up. He realized he could feel Bill’s breath in his ear, and he shuddered. “Find something you like, Pinetree?” Bill teased, voice barely above a whisper. 

“I-I don’t know what you're talking about.” He responded, shuddering once more. He hated Bill, and Bill hated him. Hell, he terrorized Dipper for two months, kidnapping his sister and literally destroying the town under his tyrannical reign. Why would he feel anything but hate towards this man?

“Hm.” Was he just paranoid, or was that disappointment in the dream demon’s eyes? “Well then, if that’s all…” He trailed off, and Dipper huffed, looking away, only to realize that they had arrived. There, where Bill’s stone statue sat, was something that looked suspiciously like claw marks, and the statue was broken in half, leading into a deep hole. 

“Did you… claw your way out of there?” Mabel asked, a look of horror on her face, which mimicked Pacifica’s perfectly. 

“Absolutely!” Bill said happily, humming a strange twisted tune as he crouched down by the grave-type hole in the ground. Dipper’s brain flashed images of himself buried deep below, gasping for air only to be met with the taste of dirt, eyes exposed to darkness. He shuttered, and shook his head, trying to dislodge the thought from his brain. Bill was looking at him strangely, eyes curiously analyzing Dipper. Dipper made a childish move, choosing to shoot back an insult.

“You’re weird.”

“Well, that’s the idea, Pine Tree.” He chuckled, and Mable crouched next to him, pulling Pacifica down with her to examine the statue. “What happened, Bill?” Mabel asked curiously, fingers barely brushing the statue with a feather-light touch. 

Bill looked irritated for a moment, deep in thought. “I was in the Mindscape- except for it wasn’t my mindscape.” He said, deep in thought, voice oddly serious. “Then I woke up, clawed my way out of the hole, and put our lovely Llama over here into a trance for a bit�" I figured you’d appreciate a more subtle approach, Pinetree.” Bill winked at Dipper, who rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms with a huff. 

“Well, I sure as hell didn’t appreciate it.” Pacifica snapped. “And I have a name you outdated nacho-”

Mabel put a finger over Pacifica’s lips, effectively silencing her mid-rant. Pacifica’s face turned red, and swatted Mabel’s arm away from her mouth. “And I walked into the diner.” Cipher finished lamely, and Dipper blinked. “How long ago?” Dipper asked, voice urgent. 

“Maybe… I dunno, human times are so weird! An hour ago?” Bill mused, and a shudder ran down his spine. 

“Isn’t that the time we arrived?” Mabel said, mouth open with shock, and Dipper nodded grimly. “Whatever ‘woke up’ Bill was waiting for us. Or it was triggered by our arrival.” Dipper wished, for a fleeting moment, that he had Grunkle Ford’s journals, but shook the thought out of his head. He was better off without them, hell, he practically memorized them. He could figure this out. 

“That’s… weird. Even for you, Bill.” Mabel said, wrinkling her nose in an expression that let Dipper know she was thinking, without success in an answer. Pacifica huffed, but nodded, and Dipper looked at Bill expectantly.

“Hey! It wasn’t me-”

“This time,” Dipper added dryly, and Bill let out a gleeful laugh. “Yes, Pinetree. This time. Could’ve been something more powerful than me, which is just a depressing thought, but I can’t transform back into my favorite, more comfortable form-”

Pacifica bristled. “More powerful than you?” Dipper’s heart sank. 

“Yes, as strange as it may be, there are… superior beings.” Bill said this with annoyance, as if the word was bitter in his mouth. Poor Bill Cipher, Dipper thought without humor or sympathy. Bill turned his head sharply, as if he heard Dipper, and Dipper cringed on instinct. 

"Well then, Pine tree, what else is going on in that pretty little head of yours?"