Never Trust Your Demons

65

"Dipper, the pine tree. Mabel, the shooting star," Ford says and my cousins step into their respective spots.
"The question mark," Soos muses. "This one's unsolvable!"
Smiling, I tap the question mark on his chest.
"Oh wait," He laughs. "It's me."
"That one's easy," Wendy shoves Robbie onto the broken heart symbol that matches his sweater. "You've been rockin' that dumb hoodie since the seventh grade!"
"Whoa. Destiny hoodie!"
"The Tent of Telepathy sign!" Dipper points to the spot next to Mabel. "That must be Gideon!"
"Whoo!" Gideon cheera. "An excuse to stand next to Mabel."
"Don't... turn this into a big deal," Mabel grimaces.
"Oh, I won't!" He says innocently.
"Hold hands, everyone," Ford instructs. "This is a mystical human energy circuit."
"Ice?" I look at the remaining symbols.
"Who's ice?" Dipper looks to Ford.
"The symbols needn't all be literally. It just has to be someone cool in the face of danger."
Instantly, there comes achanging. "Wendy! Wendy!"
"Heheh. Shut up, you guys," She grins as she stands between Dipper and Soos.
"Looks like the spectacles need to be someone scholarly..."
"Heeheh!" McGucket cackles as he steps of the symbol.
"This is freaky," Pacifica stares at her llama sweater as she stands on the matching symbol.
"Now hold hands, everyone!"
Everyone does as Ford instructs-even if somewhat begrudgingly.
As they all join hands, the circle begins to glow and an unnatural wind sweeps through it.
"Great Uncle Ford! It think it's working!"
"Yes! This is it! The rest of you get out," He turns to us outside the circle. "It's too dangerous!"
Most every one does as he says, but I'm hesitant. I can't just leave them!
"We just need one more person..." I look at the remaining spot.
"Stan!"
"Stanley, get over here. You're the only one left!"
"You realize this is a bunch of hogwash, right?" Stan huffs from his spot near the opening. "You really think some caveman graffiti is gonna stop that monster?"
I am about to protest with the rest, but stop as I watch the Bill vs. Shacktron fight outside. He does have a point. What if this doesn't work?
"Hey. I'm not the enemy here, people," Stan walks closer to the circle. "Don't forget who literally created the end of the world!"
"I'm sorry, Stanley. I know," Ford pleads. "Just help me fix it. Please."
"Fine. Just do one thing. Say 'thank you.'"
"What?"
"I spent thirty years trying to bring you back into this dimension and you still haven't thanked me! You want me to shake your hand? Say 'thank you.'"
"Fine. Thank you," It doesn't sound very sincere, but it's thankfully enough for Stan.
"Now, see," Stan steps into his spot, holding hands with Soos and Ford. "Between me and him, I'm not always the bad twin."
The circle glows brighter.
"Between 'him and me," Wait what. "Grammar, Stanley."
Ford, correct grammar and annoy the heck out of your brother later, save universe now.
"I'll 'grammar Stanley' you!" He drops Soos' hand and shoves Ford back, causing him to drop Robbie's. "You stuck up son of a gun! I mean come on!"
"Don't jeopardize this, you idiot!" Ford hits him back. "Everything's on the line!" The glow dims as they shout at each other.
"Guys, stop it!" Mabel, Dipper, and I run up to them, trying to stop them
"Join hands!"
"What are you, five?!"
I stop as I hear a shout outside. Looking down, Bill's managed to defeat the shack.
"Guys..." I try to alert the others
They continue to fight, ignoring me.
"Guys," I turn back to them.
More fighting.
"Guys!" I shout, and they finally turn around and stop fighting.
"Bill is-"
"Oh no, it's Bill," I gasp, turning quickly to see the giant triangle in front of us. "Right? Isn't that what you're all thinking?" He twirls his cane. "Hey, Gideon, why aren't you dancing? Chop chop, huh?"

"Ha ha ha ho!" Bill cackles. "This is just too perfect! Didn't you brainiacs know the zodiac doesn't work if you don't all hold hands? And what's better, you've brought every threat to my power together in one easy-to-destroy CIRCLE!"
I gasp as I narrowly dodge a blast of fire that sets the whole circle ablaze.
"Oh no!"
"Ah! My hair!"
"Ah! My hair also!" Robbie and Pacifica pat down their heads.
"Bill I swear," I growl, feeling my hands bursts into flames. I can't tell if it's from fear or anger. Probably both, I mean, I'm trying to stand between my friends and a chaos demon I'm a just a bit ticked off at. "If you touch any of them, I-"
"Oh, come on, Police Box," I gasp as my flames extinguish and I'm lifted into the air. "What are you going to do? Your powers are getting stronger, but you wouldn't hurt the guy you like, would you?"
My face flushes bright red yet again. "No, but I'm okay with hurting you," I snap in response "Now put me down!"
"Fine, suit yourself."
"Ah!" I fall back to the ground, hitting my head again. "Ugh..." I rub my head, looking up as flaming dark red ropes snake around Ford and Stan.
"You guys wanna see what happens to your friends when you can't get along?"
"Hey! You give them back!" McGucket holds up his banjo like a sword.
"You've gone too far, Cipher!"
"Yeah! We're not scared of you!" Wendy brandishes her ax.
"Oh, but you should be," Bill's voice turns menacing as he snaps. I watch in horror as everyone but my cousins, my uncles, and I is lifted into the air, their eyes rolling back.
"Ah!" Mabel screams.
"Oh no!" Dipper gasps.
"You know, this castle could really use some decorations!" They vanish  then reappear seconds later, frozen screaming in tapestries that also display their symbols. "Looks like it's too late for your friends, Stanford."
Dipper and Mabel scream, tearing me away from my frozen stare at the tapestries.
"No!" I scream as a cage closes around the three of us.
"Ah! Kids!" Stan gasps.
"But you can still save your family. Last chance:" Bill threatens Ford. "Tell me how to take Weirdmageddon global and I'll spare the kids!"
"Bill, don't you dare hurt them!" It sounds more like a desperate plead than a demand.
"No! Don't do it!" Dipper prostests Ford's hesitance.
"Yeah! Bill makes bad deals!"
"Don't you toy with me, Shooting Star," I move protectively in front of my cousin as he comes closer. "I see EVERYTHI-!" He's cut off as Mabel takes the spray can and shoves past me, spraying it in his eye. "Ow! Not again! Why?! Every time!"
"Nice shot, pumpkin!" Stan cheers as he and Ford are released and drop to the ground.
"I just regenerated that eye!" Bill grumbles.
"I know that hurts because I've accidentally done it to myself! Multiple times!" I laugh, ruffling her hair as Dipper pulls out a flashlight that enlarges their cage when he shines the light on it.
"Save yourselves. Run!" Dipper tells Ford, Stan and I as we jump out. "We'll take care of Bill!"
"What?!"
"That's a suicide mission!" Ford protests.
"Trust us. We've beat him before..."
"...And we'll beat him again!"  Mabel fist bumps Dipper as she finishes his sentence. "Hey! Bill! Come and get us, you pointy jerk!"
Bill growls as Dipper and Mabel run off into the Fearamid. Before leaving, Mabel blows a raspberry, then disappears.
"What? No! It's too dangerous!" Ford, Stan and I run after them, but a cage encloses around them.
"Not so fast!" His eye snaps open and I freeze in terror. "You wait here!" A cage closes around me as well and I watch in horror as he turns red and grows six arms, as well as splitting into three pieces, jagged teeth and a tongue between each layer. "I've got some children I need to make into corpses. See ya real soon!" His voice gets Dipper as he goes after the twins.
"No!"
"No! Wait! No! No! Oh, what do we do? What do we do?!"
"Kids!"