Little Dipper

A Close Call

"I need a big place to have a party." Mabel said thoughtfully, looking over her list. So far, they'd bought presents for Dipper – Stan got Mabel presents while she wasn't looking – and collected party supplies, now they just needed a place, and to send out invitations.

"Well, we've got loads of big spaces in town." Stan shrugged. "Take your pick."

"Gideon, where do you think I should have it?" Mabel asked.

"The weather's nice, why not just have it outside?" Gideon suggested. "I'm worried that party set-up might affect the efforts to prepare for the apocalypse."

"Oh...that's true." Mabel nodded. "Well, we'll figure that part out later, I guess. Time to go around and make sure people can come! We'll worry about size after that."

Gideon nodded and smiled. "Shall we take my horse?"

Mabel smiled brightly. "Yes!"

--

"Okay...I don't think it saw us come in here." Ford said, the trio having ducked into a side-room and hiding behind a container of some kind.

"How's the rift? We've been doing a lot of jostling around." Bill opened Dipper's backpack and took out the snow-globe. "Okay, it's still the same as before. Let's hurry back, grab what we need, and get out of here." He put the rift back into the backpack, making sure it was safe, before closing the pack again.

"Pine Tree, I want you to stand back while we get the stuff, okay? This stuff is dangerous." Bill said as they left the room and headed back to the octagons.

"I'm lookout?" Dipper asked.

"Yeah, you're lookout. Good idea. Good boy." Ford said as they re-entered that room and approached the octagons.

"Couldn't we apply it now?" Bill asked.

"No, it's too dark for that. One wrong move and we could break it open." Ford said, shaking his head. "Besides, we don't have time. That drone could come back any moment."

"You're right." Bill powered up the magnet gun.

Ford powered his gun up and started to collect the octagons, putting them into an empty pack he'd packed in his weapons bag.

"Guys, I think I hear it." Dipper said nervously.

"Hang on, Pine Tree, we're almost done." Bill told him as they worked.

"Guys!" Dipper shrieked as another drone came from where they'd entered. "There's TWO of them!"

"What?! Shit!" Bill fired the magnet gun at one of the drones, but ended up taking down the doorway instead. Bill looked towards the other doorway. "Can we get out that way?"

"Maybe if we could find an escape pod?" Ford asked, then gasped and shoved Bill out of the way as an arm extended from the drone as it broke in through the damaged doorway.

"Stanford!" Bill cried as Ford was hauled inside the drone and rolled away with it. "Get back here, you stupid thing!" He ran after it, Dipper following right behind.

"Bill! Can't we use fire on it?" Dipper asked.

"No, probably not." Bill turned and fired the magnet gun at the one coming up behind them. "This might work, though!" He said as the drone stopped short and collapsed. "Assuming I can HIT it this time." He turned and ran after Ford again.

"Where...is it...taking him?" Dipper asked, quickly running out of breath from all the running.

Bill stopped, picked up Dipper, then flew after it. "Sorry, kid. I don't know, but...what in the Cosmos?!"

Ford was being dragged into some kind of little ship, and then they were seeing what looked like coordinates being displayed on a screen. "Uh...Bill?" Dipper looked at him.

"Bill, just forget about me! You have to make sure the rift doesn't open!" Ford yelled from the ship.

"Oh, hell no. You are NOT taking him away from Stan again!" Bill ran after the ship as it started to take off, the ceiling opening up as he did.

"Bill!" Dipper cried out in worry.

"Hang on, kid! Ugh, I need something better." Bill looked at his glowing hand and then gripped the magnet gun, focusing his energy on it. The magnet gun changed into a laser-sword and he flew after the departing ship. "I'm taking this thing DOWN!"

"Bill! How did you do that?" Dipper asked.

"I told you, I'm a bit more powerful now. Not really a good thing, but I'm taking advantage of it!" Bill said, flying up so he was alongside the ship. "Stanford! Move to one side!"

"Right!" Ford moved to the far left, gasping as Bill swung the sword down and the laser-blade sliced through the machine. Then he was falling, and Bill quickly flew after him. He clung to the half of the ship he was falling in and looked around anxiously. Was this it for him?

"Hang on, kid!" Bill held out his free hand and a yellow glow appeared around Ford and the half-ship, slowing its descent. "Damn, I need both hands! Unh!" He threw the laser-sword to the side and it changed back into the magnet gun as soon as it left his glowing hand. Then he held out both hands towards Ford, making his descent even slower until he finally stopped on the ground.

"Whoa..." Ford looked around as he crawled out of the ship. "That was...thrilling."

Bill landed in front of him and set Dipper down before extending a hand to Ford. "Need help up?"

Ford took his hand and stood up. "Thanks."

Bill grinned. "Aw, what are friends for?"

"Guys?!" Dipper set down his backpack and pulled out the snowglobe, the sound of glass cracking filling the air as he did.

"No!" Bill ran over to take the rift from Dipper before the glass broke, but it burst open and threw both of them backwards.

Ford watched in horror as it fell to the ground and fired a bright, white laser into the sky. "We're too late.."

Above them, a large X had broken open. It swirled red and orange and blue like fire and the sky around it was turning red and spreading out like blood. The wind felt cold and the air felt thick and heavy.

"Ngh..." Bill held his head as his form fizzled from colors to monochrome to colors again and then he was covered in pink organic-looking stuff before it disappeared and he had returned to normal. "No..."

"Bill...are you okay?" Dipper asked, noticing that Bill's voice didn't echo like it usually did.

"No, no, no!" Bill looked up at the X forming in the sky. "Hide. Hide, hide!" He got up and grabbed Dipper and Ford, pulling them behind a boulder and shaping the rock so it was over them a little bit. "Stay here. Please. Just stay. I promise, I'll be back."

"Bill?" Dipper looked out at the large X in the sky. "That's...her, isn't it?"

Bill looked up at the X and nodded before standing up, adjusting his bowtie and hat, and then walking over to where the giant strangers were landing. Dipper recognized Pyronica, Keyhole, and Pacifier from Tad Strange's descriptions, but he wasn't sure about the rest.

"We failed..." Ford breathed next to him, clenching his fists.