My Name is Bill Cipher

Make Amends

     This is it. Perhaps my last few moments of life. This is what everything has led up from the moment I arrived in Gravity Falls. I will die at the hands of my enemies, and yet, they're my friends now.
Ford walks up to me and says, "Bill, Mabel and Fiddleford explained to me that they believe we cannot fully eliminate your chaos without it at its peak. So if you could do that for us...?"
I nod. "I'll do what I can." So I need to peak my chaos levels. I need to feel... angry? Passionate? Distressed? I believe I do feel all of those things, but I need to embrace them for this to really work. To be honest, I don't think I've ever embraced these emotions more. I'm pouring out my trust freely. I'm giving love to Mabel. I'm afraid of the events that are to come. And, yes, I'm still angry that there is no other way to do this, to cure me. All of these emotions bubble up inside of me.
     Ford quickly uses spray paint to stain the grass with the picture of the wheel. Each person stands in their space with their designated symbol, their hands grasped. They all begin to glow a soft blue hue, which is slowly getting brighter. I am standing on a crudely painted picture of demon Bill.
     The steady breeze of the day turns into a rough wind as dark clouds crowd the sky. A sudden pain worse than anything I've experienced tears through my body. I double over, then crumble to my knees with a cry. I hear another person cry out as well. Mabel? I have no strength to look up as a burning sensation takes hold of me, inside and out. It feels as if a fire has been started in my gut and is spreading to the rest of my body. I scream in agony, shaking, fully sprawled out on the ground.
     The longer the zodiac lasts, the worse my pain gets. I suddenly feel like every part of my body is being ripped apart, limb by limb. An inhuman wail escapes my lips. My body is involuntarily shaking uncontrollably; I feel as if pressure is being applied to every point of my body. I cry for them to stop. This isn't worth it! But even I can make out the words I try to scream.
     Just let me die, I want to die... The unimaginable pain never eases. Faintly to my side I hear the stone figure begin to crumble. I feel as if I am the one falling apart.
     I black out from the unbearable agony.
                    :::::::::::::::::::
     I wake up and find myself in the dreamscape. And I am not alone. I am surrounded by the zodiac members. They are no longer glowing or holding hands. They are simply floating in darkness, just as I am.
     "Is this real?" I ask to no one in particular. I can't imagine it is.
     The others look just as surprised as I do. "It's alright, everyone. This is what's supposed to happen. Our bodies are on a sort of autopilot, per sé, and we have joined Bill in the dreamscape. Don't worry. This should only last a few minutes."
     A few minutes. "Mab-" before I can even finish her name, Mabel has her arms wrapped around me. "Is this goodbye?" I ask quietly.
     "No. Not goodbye." Mabel pulls away. "If you do live, Bill, what are you going to do? You'll have an entire life to live. You will stay with us, won't you?"
     "I haven't thought of anything past now," I admit. "I don't think you want me to stay with you, though. Well, I don't think anybody else would, at least."
     "You're not such a bad guy anymore," Dipper tells me sincerely. "We'd be happy to keep you around."
     "From the little I've seen," Pacifica says, "you've learned to put your trust where you need to. I think putting it in us and in Mabel was a good decision," she smiles.
     "Yeah, dude. You're cool," Wendy puts in. "You've got a lot to learn still, so it'd be pretty awesome if you wanted to be friends with us."
     "Yeah, man," Robbie adds. "There's always room for one more."
     "I'm glad you've been able to stay here for the summer," Gideon tells me. "I sure hope it doesn't have to end here."
      "Dude, you have been, like, the most exciting part of the summer!" Soos exclaims. "You mean more to us than you think."
     "You've been a real pain in the butt," Stanley huffs. "But I'm a pain, too, so I really do hope you live to stay with us, kiddo."
     "You've done a lot... good things and bad," states Ford, "and I apologize that I don't do well getting along with you. I hope that we can make amends in the future." I nod in agreement.
     "I reckon' you've done a lot for these here people," McGucket tells me. "Yer still a-learnin' though, so take some advice e'ry now an' then, okay?"
     "Yeah, I'll try."
     "Hey," Mabel turns to me. "Stay alive, okay? We've got a lot of life left to live."
     "I'll do my best," I reply.
     That's when we are whisked back to the horrors of the present.