If a Pine Tree Falls in a Forest...

White Class A

Dipper woke slowly, attempting to blink away the haziness that seemed to permanently obstruct his vision. Eventually giving up and keeping his eyes closed, he attempted to move.

Attempted.

Pain shot through his stomach, his head, everywhere.

He couldn't help but cry out, his body feeling like it was burning from the inside out.

"Shh, Pine Tree, don't move." A warbled voice broke through his pain filled haze. He knew that voice.

"Bill..? What- What happened?" Dipper's voice was surprisingly clear, even to his own ears. Though, the constant ringing in them made it waver. His vision slowly came back into focus, bits of static clinging to the edges. Dipper could vaguely see Bill's face, a smile that put the Cheshire Cat to shame stretched across it.

"Pine Tree," if Dipper didn't know any better, he'd say that Bill sounded almost breathless, "you're glowing." Dipper wrinkled his brow in confusion, but... something felt off? A weight rested on his head that hadn't been there before. It wasn't the ponding in his temples, but rather felt as if something was literally resting there. What?

Slowly, showing Dipper exactly what he was doing, Bill moved his hand to rest just above his hair. A burst of a tingling sensation surged through Dipper's body.

"What-" Dipper couldn't finish the sentence, his brain desperately trying to work through the haziness that had taken over. Smile seeming to grow even wider, Bill swiftly picked him up, setting him on his feet. Dipper braced himself, but surprisingly, there was no searing pain.

He looked up just as Bill conjured a mirror.

Any function of his brain that he'd regained, immediately went away when he saw what was reflected back at him.

Despite the fact that his overall stature had remained mostly the same, there was no mistaking how different he looked. His hair looked softer, sleeker. Fangs peeked out from his upper lip. His eyes, they were gold, and, when he looked a bit more closely, he could see green flecks throughout his iris. And horns. There were horns. Curled up, and back from his head. Glittering green, with the tips just as golden as his eyes. (The small part of his brain still functioning deduced that this was why his head felt so heavy.) His clothes were in tatters, the bottom half of his shirt entirely gone. But what it revealed made Dipper feel lightheaded. There was a seam. From the center of his torso down, there was a seam. He slowly brought a shaking hand to it, finding he could pry it open. And, as it opened, it revealed a few shiny, white, sharp teeth. Coming from each side. But, what made him gasp, was the fact that Bill was right. He was glowing. Dots of green were scattered across his body, forming constellations. His own Big Dipper shining bright from behind his hair.

Dipper blinked a few times, thinking that perhaps he was hallucinating. After all, weirder things have happened.

But his reflection didn't change.

Mind still reeling, he turned to Bill. The dream demon was standing just behind him, grin still very present on his face.

"You're one of us Pine Tree."

Dipper still had so many questions. So few answers. Yes, he could make certain assumptions, but there was nothing concrete. How did this happen? What was he? Should he assume dream demon? Was the gold Bill's influence?

He looked back at Bill.

Suddenly, his racing mind slowed. The questions seemed to evaporate. They didn't matter, not really. Bill was here. He would guide Dipper through whatever he'd become. He trusted Bill. He'd never lead Dipper astray.

He trusted Bill.

~~~~~~~~~~Line~Break~~~~~~~~

Wendy wasn't sure how she'd done it, but somehow, she convinced the others to help her. Including Mabel. Which, really, was the real miracle here. It probably had something to do with the final broadcast that had come through a few days before. The news anchor clearly had seen better days, but hey, it was the apocalypse, Wendy wouldn't judge. She'd somehow managed to get to the floating pyramid, and even got to what everyone assumed was a throne room.

The throne was what got people pissed off. It was made of petrified people. Everyone who'd been taken by those flying eyeballs, stacked to make a damn chair. But, what had everyone, including Mabel, get up and shout, was after the anchor and cameraman had been petrified. The camera fell, revealing what looked like a party straight out of a stoner's hallucinations. Lights, demons, and weirdly glowing punch. But that wasn't what made everyone yell.

Bill sat on the throne. Not just that, but he sat there alone.

Dipper wasn't there.

Stan had nearly punched the screen of the television, before sitting right back down in his recliner.

He refused to help with their plan, unsurprisingly. But everyone else was on board.

They had a plan to take down Bill. To get Dipper and Ford back. To get their town back. They had already risked a few trips to the dump, somehow running into Soos along the way. ( He'd said something about being a guide in the desert? Wendy assumed he was hallucinating. Dehydration could do some insane stuff.) In order for their plan to work, they needed a couple more weeks. But they were almost there.

It would work. It had to work.

Wendy had never been one to back down. And she didn't plan on changing that anytime soon.

A/n: Hi guys! Thank you so much for reading this story! Make sure to leave your thoughts in the comments, and I hope you like this story thus far. We're closing in on the ending, so don't give up on me!!
(Also, did anyone get the title of the chapter?? *-* )