Little Dipper

The Crack

Dipper came down the stairs to find Mabel had mixed up three pitchers of Mabel Juice and had a calendar and notepad on the table, with home-made party decorations set up around the kitchen. "Mabel?"

"Morning, sleepy-head!" Mabel greeted. "I'm making pancakes, what do you want in yours?"

"Heeey, isn't it Blendin's turn to cook?" Bill stepped into the kitchen. "And by 'cook' I mean stand by and watch me cook because he can't cook his way out of a paper bag?"

"Well, I'm cooking. We've got a big week ahead of us!" Mabel grinned.

"What? Why? What's going on?" Ford asked, poking his head into the kitchen.

"Ford, did you shower yet? You smell like those chemicals you were playing with earlier." Bill looked at him.

"I'll shower in a bit. What's going on this week?" Ford asked.

"Cosmos, Ford, don't be in the kitchen with that smell. Come on, out. We'll question Shooting Star on the week's activities later. Don't make me scrub you down." Bill grabbed his coat and pulled him towards the bathroom.

"I can clean myself!" Ford insisted.

Mabel giggled and went back to cooking. "Are you excited, Dipper? You're going to be turning eight soon!"

"Oh! My birthday's coming! Really? Wow, that was fast!" Dipper climbed on his chair to look at the calendar.

"I know, this summer has just been flying by!" Mabel nodded. "So, I was thinking, big year, we should throw a big party to celebrate with everyone here before we go home!"

"Yeah!" Dipper nodded, smiling at her.

Stan came into the room. "Hey, where's Bill and Ford?"

"They're in the shower." Dipper said, distracted by reading over Mabel's notes.

"T-They're WHAT?!" Stan looked taken aback.

"Bill dragged Ford off to take a shower because he was smelly." Mabel explained.

"Oh, okay. Well, uh, they might want to get down to the basement. I heard something that sounded like glass cracking when I was down there just now." Stan headed for the bathroom.

"Glass? Cracking?" Dipper looked up and gasped. "The snowglobe!"

Mabel turned off the stove and hurried to the basement with Dipper. They reached the safe it was kept in and tried to open it, only to find it was securely locked.

"Move aside!" Ford came up behind them, his hair dripping and his clothes looking like he'd put the on while still damp. Bill and Stan came into the basement as he opened the safe and took it out. "Oh no...ohh, this is bad..."

A large crack had formed in the glass of the casing, and they could see the rift inside squirming to get out.

"What are we gonna do?" Stan asked.

"Super glue!" Mabel suggested.

"Duct-tape!" Dipper suggested.

"No, we need something stronger. Something that can withstand space itself." Bill shook his head.

Ford looked at the rift anxiously and then put it back into the safe. "We'll have to think about what will work. For now, nobody get near that thing, got it?"

"Right." Bill looked at his hand, which was glowing a bit more than before. "...Shit..." He muttered.

"Bill?" Mabel looked at him.

"We have GOT to get that thing closed up, and quickly." He showed them his hand. "So, better think of something quick, Sixer. You've spent more time in the Multiverse than I have. I've literally seen, like, two worlds. Maybe three."

Ford looked thoughtful. "Maybe if we had something from a...spaceship..."

"Spaceship?" Stan laughed. "Where are we gonna get THAT?!"

A glint appeared in Ford's eye and he looked at him. "I know EXACTLY where." He went to his journal and pulled out it, showing them a page. "Long ago, a UFO arrived in Gravity Falls, crashing through the cliff-side and creating THIS strange-looking setup." He tapped the page. "Fiddleford and I went into the UFO to get parts for the portal thirty years ago. If were to go there again..."

"I doubt McGucket will do it, but maybe you could take someone else?" Mabel suggested.

Ford nodded. "That's true, he's been pushing it with having the shapeshifter at his home. Stan, perhaps you could--"

"Stan's gonna help me with setting up for the party this weekend! Why not take Bill?" Mabel suggested before Stan could say anything.

"Bill?" Ford looked at him.

"Uh....sure, why not?" Bill shrugged.

"Can I come?" Dipper asked.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, though?" Ford frowned a bit. "That UFO may react to your presence..."

"No more than yours. Actually, my not really being here might work in my favor." Bill shrugged.

"Pleeeease?" Dipper looked at Mabel.

"Oh...alright. Just don't get in their way, okay? And I'm going to give you a radio to take with you so we can keep in contact. I don't know if cell-phones work down there." Mabel hugged him.

"Alright. Let's go pack a couple bags. We'll need a magnet-gun..." Ford went to the elevator. "We should bring the rift along, too, to monitor it. And gloves! Thick gloves!"

–

"Alright, that should be enough snacks and water. I also packed a camera, binoculars, and here's the radio." Mabel clipped the radio to the front strap of his backpack.

"Do we have room for the rift in there?" Bill laughed. "Sixer's is full of weapons."

"Let's find out." Mabel walked over to the safe. "The rift, please."

Ford opened the safe and took out the rift, carefully putting it in where it nestled snugly among all the snacks. "Is Dipper ready?"

"I'm here!" Dipper stepped out of the elevator, wearing a blue and tan outfit that resembled the Boy Scout uniform. "I am ready for adventuring!"

"So you are." Bill grinned and walked over to adjust Dipper's hat.

"Should I have packed sunscreen?" Mabel looked thoughtful.

"He won't need it." Ford assured her.

"Alright. I'm trusting you two to keep my brother safe. If he gets hurt, I'm smacking you both." Mabel said sternly.

"Yes, ma'am." Bill and Ford said in unison.

"Good. Good luck." Mabel saluted them, then turned to the elevator. "Now, off to our respective duties!"

Dipper giggled and followed her, Ford and Bill right behind. As they reached the gift shop, they saw Stan, Gideon and Wendy talking by the counter.

"Heeey, Dip, Bill, Stan 2, what's the get-up for?" Wendy asked.

"We're off to save the world!" Dipper said dramatically.

"The snowglobe is cracked, we're going to get something to fix it." Bill explained.

"Be careful." Gideon nodded. "I'll be on standby to evacuate people at the first sign of trouble."

"Here's a hint: If you see a big X in the sky, RUN." Ford said firmly.

"Noted. Good luck." Gideon nodded.

"We mean it about the 'be careful' part." Stan said, walking over and hugging each of them one after the other, starting with Ford and ending with holding Dipper in a tight embrace. "I'm gonna be so worried about you guys."

"We'll keep in contact." Bill promised him, heading for the door. "We gotta go, now. The longer that crack is there, the more I can feel myself growing more powerful and that's a bad sign."

Stan reluctantly released Dipper and watched them leave, Ford being the last one out the door. "Hey, uh, L-Lee?"

Ford paused. "Yes, Stan?"

"...Make sure to come back this time, you hear? No more being kidnapped into space." Stan nodded firmly.

Ford chuckled. "I'll try." He shut the door and walked out.

Stan turned to Mabel ."Alright...what's on your list?"

Mabel grinned, holding up the notepad. "We have sooooo much to do!"