Gravity Falls: How to Burn a Pine Tree

Part 14: Pacifcia

Being in charge wasn't as exciting or as fun as I thought it would be. The townsfolk (that weren't captured by Bill, or turned to stone) didn't like to be told what to do, so Wendy, Mabel, Soos and I stayed upstairs in the attic.

Ford returned to the Shack about three hours later, just as the sun was beginning to set, but oddly enough, Stan wasn't with him. Instead, it was just McGucket. "Grunkle Ford, you're back!" Mabel exclaimed as she embraced Ford in a hug. Ford knelt down to hug her back. "Yes Mabel I'm back. Say, have any of you seen Stan?"

Ford questioned, after he and Mabel broke apart from their hug. Everyone shook their head, and Waddles oinked. No one understood what that meant, but we took it as a, 'no'. Ford groaned. "Stan, what did you do?" He grumbled as he tiredly rubbed his face. Mabel frowned, worry flashing across her eyes and curiosity boiling up inside of me.

"Grunkle Ford, what happened? Where's Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asked nervously. Ford sighed and glanced over at Old Man McGucket. "McGucket, I'll take you to the lab in a minute. I just gotta talk to the kids first. Alright?" Ford asked. McGucket did some weird movements with his hands, and I assumed it was sign language or something.

Ford frowned but seemed to take it as a sign that McGucket understood.

"Right...well, anyways, kids...on our way to find McGucket, Stan and I got into an argument. I wanted to know why he was so mad at me, when it's me who has every right to be mad with him. He got defensive. We yelled at each other and he stormed off. I had assumed he had just came back here to cool off, but I guess not. He's smart enough to know that it's dangerous outside of the Shack, but I have no idea as to where he went."

Ford admitted sheepishly.

Mabel gasped in horror. "We have to go and find him, Grunkle Ford! He could be in danger! Bill could've gotten him! Let's start a search party! Let's begin planning an attack! Let's-" Mabel started to run out the door when Ford caught her by the waist and held her back.

"Mabel, no. It's dark out and who knows what crazy schemes Bill has set up for dusk. It's way to dangerous and we're just going to have to hope that Stan knows what he's doing. We can't risk going out there, during this time. Does everyone understand? No leaving the Shack after sunset."

Ford warned. He eyed each of us threateningly and I felt my body tense up like a solider when his eyes met mine. "Hey, um, dudes, since when has there been a big, blue, bubble with a chain and lock around it with a blue pine tree, next to the Fearamid?" Soos's voice asked from behind us.

Ford frowned and released Mabel, walking past us and towards the triangular window between Mabel and Dipper's beds. We all turned around and followed his lead. "No...this can't be..." Ford murmured in shock under his breath. I frowned, not understanding what was so bad about a big, blue, chained up bubble, Mabel furrowed her eyebrows, trying to figure out what Ford was so startled about.

Then she gasped and her eyes got big.

"Dipper!" She breathed. "It's Dipper's bubble, Grunkle Ford! Wendy, Soos, Bill made Dipper a bubble to keep him trapped there like he did with me! We have to find the key, go into the bubble and bust Dipper out!" She made a fist with her hand and pounded it into the palm of her other hand.

Ford placed a hand on Mabel's shoulder.

"Let's not be rash about this Mabel. We need to think logically. We have four things we have to do. One, find Stan. Two, find Gideon because we can't complete the Zodiacs without him. Three, rescue Dipper. And four, stop Bill and save the world. We have to do this carefully, and thoughtfully. We can't just jump to conclusions."