Little Dipper

What Makes You Weak?

"This maze has been going on forEVER..." Stan groaned.

"At least we haven't seen anything TOO horrifying." Ford offered.

"Speak for yourself." Bill commented.

"The hallway of ladders freaked me out. Especially when we had to go UNDER one." Stan shuddered.

"Look, there's a door." Bill opened it, but all they saw on the other side was more maze. "...I guess we keep going."

"This is like a really twisted Mindscape." Ford commented.

"Well, Keyhole works with the mind, just as I do. He's just, uh, naturally able to do it, and I...was given power. Which makes him more powerful than me and why has me not beaten me up for bossing him around up until now? Does he like being bossed around? Does he get off on it?" Bill shrugged. "I honestly don't know what's in this guy's mind."

"Well, we went through a door. That means there's new stuff here, right?" Stan asked.

"Yeah...probably. No point in a door if it's the same thing." Bill shrugged.

They saw a figure up ahead and Stan and Ford both tensed up when they recognized the man in a suit and hat, sunglasses glinting in a sinister way. "Okay...what exactly are we dealing with here?"

"Who are you trying to fool?" The man asked gruffly. "You think that you can save anyone? You're weak, you've always been weak. And you drag everyone down with your weakness."

"What is this?" Ford frowned. "Why would you say that? You're our father, you're supposed to support us!"

"Support you?" The man laughed coldly. "I didn't even WANT you!"

"Ouch." Bill cringed.

"You're both mistakes, and you've made mistakes of your lives since the moment you were born! You threw away a perfectly good education on supernatural rubbish! And you! You're just relying on everyone else to let you ride through life, aren't you? If I hadn't thrown you out, you'd still be clinging to your brother, riding on his coattails, or leading him off into a disastrous future!" Their father continued, ignoring Stan's winces and Ford's cringes.

"That's not true! I would've been great! Y-You all were the ones who said I was good for nothing, and I was stupid enough to believe it!" Stan stepped forward. "If you and the the school faculty hadn't--"

"THERE YOU GO AGAIN, BLAMING OTHERS FOR YOUR PROBLEMS!" Their father roared. "And don't you DARE talk back to me again, you pathetic waste of air!"

"D-Dad..." Stan stammered.

"Leave him alone!" Ford moved between them. "How could you say all those things? Didn't you love us at all?"

"Love a freak like you, and a pathetic waste of space like him? Hah! You two were just mouths to feed that I had to deal with! Your mother and older brother were the only reasons I didn't throw you both out on the streets sooner!"

"I don't think this is worst fears." Bill frowned. "You never had any fear of your father not loving you, either of you. I've been in both your minds."

"Then, what IS this?" Stan asked.

"...I'm not sure..." Bill shook his head. "Let's move on. It's just an illusion, he can't do anything to us besides talk. Shake it off."

"Yeah..." Stan stepped to the side, Ford walking with him.

"Yeah, that's all you've ever been able to do. Run away and cry." Their father jabbed at them. "You're weak! You've always been weak! And you're incapable of doing anything by yourselves!"

"Let's just keep walking." Bill told them.

"You can't save anyone!" The illusion yelled after them as they walked away.

"That was unpleasant." Ford cringed.

"And we're just getting started." Bill sighed.

They walked on through the maze, but they didn't see anything else after Stan and Ford's father. Then, after a while of walking, they saw a trail of books on the ground.

"What the?" Stan picked one of the books up. "Uh...I can't read this."

Bill picked a book up and gasped, dropping it. "It's..from MY world..."

"Weird. So, this is your whatever-this-is?" Stan asked.

Bill nodded. "I guess so. But...what does Keyhole have planned for me?" He walked on, following the trail of books, until he stopped short. There, mangled and bruised, was a gray lopsided triangle with one eye, two arms and two legs. Bill gasped in horror and ran over to it, kneeling beside the poor shape. "Oh no..."

"Billy...?" The triangle said weakly.

"Liam..." Bill looked at him, tears slipping down his cheeks. "Oh, Liam..I'm so sorry, I failed to stop them...I failed to come back in time, and they...they took you away..."

"You...were never very...punctual." The triangle chuckled sadly. "You've...grown."

"Liam?" Stan frowned.

"Didn't he name one of the dinosaurs that?" Ford asked him.

"Billy...I...will always love you." Liam reached up to touch Bill's cheek. "But, I gotta...I gotta go..."

"No..no!" Bill held onto him tighter. "No, Liam, stay with me! Stay with me, damn it! Liam! Liam, please!"

"Bill...we have to go." Stan walked over to him.

"No! I won't leave Liam!" Bill shoved him back, tears slipping down his cheeks and onto the silent triangle. "I'm not going anywhere!"

Ford walked over and moved in front of him, grabbing onto his shoulders. "Dipper could DIE if you don't!"

Bill gasped, his eyes widening. "Pine Tree..." He looked down at the illusion in his arms and slowly set him down. "Y-You're right...this is just...just an illusion. Pine Tree is in real danger. Liam is...is gone..." He started to sob. "He's gone, and I couldn't do anything! I couldn't do anything!" He clung to Ford, sobbing into his chest.

"Who...Who was Liam?" Stan asked as Ford attempted to comfort Bill like he had seen Stan do.

"Liam...was my older brother. An Irregular...he was taken away by the government of my world and...killed. That's what inspired me to study hard, become a revolutionary, and...see the Colors he dreamed so much to see. Which led to me going to Space Prison but, hey, I SAW them. And then...I never left them." Bill looked at the mangled body. "...I just...wish Liam had seen them, too."

"So, what were we dealing with here? Because there's the next door." Stan pointed to it.

"Uhm...I'm...not sure." Bill admitted. "Let's just...go on." He walked to the door, rubbing at his eye.

"Are you sure?" Ford asked. "The next section might be worse."

"I can't fail Pine Tree like I failed Liam." Bill said firmly. "No more being late."

"Alright. Onwards." Stan nodded, opening the door and stepping inside.