Whatever tension still remained was lost on Mabel as she dragged Steven and Connie off to her dressing room. She was practically running on adrenaline as she took a short breather before the next act. One that she hoped would be every bit as much of a successful spectacle as the first had been.
"Ok, you guys," she began pacing back and forth. "The first act was a lot, but we're already halfway there! Only 36 more musical numbers, and then it'll be a wrap, and then Gabe will fall in love with me, and then we'll get married, and then we'll have a bunch of beautiful puppet babies, and it'll be great!"
"Uh, sure, Mabel…" Connie frowned. At the very least, she was acting normal, even if the boys certainly weren't. "But in the meantime, have you noticed anything… strange about Dipper today?"
"Strange?" Mabel took pause. "Well, now that you mention it, he has been a lot more cheerful and smiley than he usually is… But I just chalked that up to him finally stepping away from the laptop for a bit to take a nap."
"Y-yeah! You're probably right, Mabel!" Steven quickly chimed in. "I'm sure Dipper's just feeling better because he got some rest! Which means nothing weird or unnatural or scary is going on at all!"
"Sorry, Steven, but I really don't think you're one to talk," Connie shook her head. "You've been acting so nervous and jumpy lately. Seriously, what's been going on with you and Dipper? I'm really starting to worry about you guys…"
"W-worry? Why would you be worried?"
"Oh, well, how could I not be after spotting Dipper talking to you with a knife in his hand. Not to mention the fact that his shoulder was bleeding."
"A knife?" Mabel asked, concerned. "What was he doing with a knife? D-did he cut himself on accident? Is that why he was bleeding?"
"That's what I'd like to know…" Connie looked to Steven for answers. Answers he couldn't provide, no matter how much he might've wanted to.
"Connie, no, you don't–" he cut himself off, struggling to come up with something, anything to get her off his case. "He wasn't–We were just–Look, I know some weird stuff's been happening today, but you guys have to trust me when I say that you have nothing to worry about-"
"Ugh, yes, we do!" Connie exclaimed, frustrated. "I'm not stupid, Steven! I can tell that something is wrong here, and it's something we all deserve to know about! You said you weren't going to shut us out anymore, so why are you doing it again now? What are you hiding from us!?"
"I'm not hiding anything!" Steven argued against his growing guilt. "Please, just… believe me; there isn't anything-"
"I don't believe you!" Connie harshly snapped. "Just admit it already, Steven! There's something wrong with you and Dipper!"
"No, there isn't!" Steven protested, fighting back tears.
"Yes, there is!"
"No, there isn't!"
"Yes, there is!"
All three kids gasped, startled, when Dipper's voice unexpectedly cut into the argument. They were even more surprised yet to look behind them to see exactly where that voice was coming from: a sock puppet, hanging in the air entirely on its own.
"Ah!" Mabel squealed as she took cover behind Steven and Connie. "It's come to life! The puppet books didn't warn me about this!"
She hurled a nearby fork at the puppet, though that did nothing to stop it from speaking, seemingly without any hand to bring it to life. Guys, calm down. It's me: Dipper! You three have to help me!"
"Wait…" Mabel took another look at the puppet she'd made to resemble her brother. Sure enough, the voice coming out of it was his. "…Dipper?"
"D-Dipper!" Steven's eyes were still wet with tears as he took a step closer to the puppet. "Is that really you in there?"
Dipper sighed, both relieved and ashamed as he made his new "vessel" nod. It wasn't much, but it sure was better than nothing at all. "Yes, Steven, it's really me…" He was caught off guard when Steven, without warning, wrapped the puppet into a tight, happy hug. "Hey!" he protested, struggling to cling onto the sock. "S-Steven, what-"
"I can't believe it!" Steven cried between joyful sobs. "It really is you! Bill said you were still around, a-and I didn't know whether to believe him or not, but it's true! You're still ok! Well, uh… mostly ok, given the whole no-body thing, but-"
"Ok, hold up," Connie cut in, bewildered. "Can somebody please explain what in the world is going on here?!"
"Yeah, seriously…" Mabel agreed, frowning. "Steven, what's all this about Bill? And Dipper, why are you so much more of a… sock than usual?"
"Mabel, Connie, listen carefully," Dipper began, more than ready to finally fill somebody in on the truth "Bill tricked me! He said he was going to help me with the laptop, but instead, he stole my body and now he's after the journal! You guys have to get it and keep it away from Bill before he destroys it! It's the only hope of getting me back into my body!"
"Whoa, what?!" Connie asked, alarmed. "So, that means… the you that's been around all day… isn't actually you?"
"No, that's Bill!" Dipper clarified. "Honestly, I'm kind of surprised that neither of you noticed that. I mean, did you see the way my eyes look or listen to his voice coming out of my mouth? Like seriously, come on, you guys! Were you just not paying attention or something?"
"Uh, I dunno, bro-bro, your body looked and sounded pretty normal to me," Mabel shrugged, frowning.
"But I could tell the difference!" Steven contested. "I wonder why… Maybe it's because I was actually there when Bill took over your body, but no one else was…?"
"That doesn't matter right now," Connie shook her head with a growing smile. "What matters is that I was right! I knew something weird was going on, but even I could have never guessed that it was something this weird! Speaking of which… Steven, if you knew about all this from the beginning, then why didn't you tell anyone? If you had, then we all could have helped Dipper out a lot sooner!"
"I really, really wanted to tell you guys…" Steven sighed, rubbing his arm. "But I-"
"It's not his fault!" Dipper firmly cut in. "Bill blackmailed him into not telling anyone, or else he'd–H-he'd, um…"
"H-he said he'd hurt Dipper!" Steven finished where Dipper couldn't. Tears were still streaming down his cheeks as he finally told all. He thought it would have made feel good; but instead, facing the awful reality of it all only made his heart ache even more. "A-and he did! I tried to protect him, I really did, but I couldn't… I-I couldn't even heal him… And the worst part is Bill might hurt him even more if we don't hurry and stop him!"
"Well, then we'd better come up with a way to do that," Connie said, resolved.
"But what about the puppet show?" Mabel asked. "My cue's coming up any minute now!"
Dipper, Connie, and Steven were all ready to argue with her, but before they could, a sudden knock on the dressing room door cut through the conversation. "Hey, Mabel?" Gabe leaned into the room with a bouquet in hand. "Do you have a moment?"
"Gabe!" Mabel quickly grabbed Dipper's puppet to hide it behind her back.
"Ow! Mabel! Let go!" Dipper protested, unable to free the puppet–or his hand from her hold.
"S-so, Gabe!" Mabel flashed her crush an adoring smile. "How are you liking the show so far?"
"Simply put, it… is… phenomenal!" Gabe praised, raising both of his puppets into the air. "It's clear to me now that you really love puppets. I mean, you went whole hog! And if you stick the ending, well… maybe later you could join me for a biscotti?"
"You drive a biscotti?" Mabel asked, stunned by how sophisticated he was. She didn't get a chance to press him for more details before the house lights flickered. As sure a sign as any that the second act was almost here.
"I'll be waiting for you…" Gabe winked at Mabel as he took his leave.
"I-I'll be there…" she sighed, blushing. She was only brought back to reality when she caught the critical looks Connie and Steven were sending her way. "Did you guys hear that? He loves it! This play has to be flawless!"
"B-but what about stopping Bill?" Steven asked.
"Aw, can't it wait until after the show?"
"No!" Dipper, Steven, and Connie sternly agreed.
"Mabel, are you serious?!" Dipper angrily exclaimed. Still, he was hardly surprised at Mabel's stance after what she'd said earlier. She didn't think saving Lapis was important, and clearly, she didn't think saving her own brother was all that important either. "Do you want me to be a sock puppet forever?!"
"Dipper's right," Connie nodded. "We don't have any time to waste, Mabel! Who knows what Bill might do if he really does get the journal? He needs to be stopped!"
"H-he really does," Steven said, uneasy. "I, um… I had a plan about how to stop him, but…" He trailed off when he caught the curious looks they were all sending his way. He couldn't bear to tell them about what had almost happened, what he'd almost done. It didn't matter now anyway; he wasn't alone in this fight anymore. He didn't need to resort to such drastic measures–or at least, he hoped he didn't. "N-nevermind. It wasn't a very good one. Together we can come up with something much better, I'm sure."
Mabel sighed, knowing she didn't have much of a choice as she looked at the puppet her brother was piloting. She might not have done much to help him before, but she could only hope she could find a way to help him now. "Right," she finally agreed. "Well then, Dipper, I'll need you to cover for me with the show until we get back. Steven, Connie, you guys are coming with me. We have a journal to get."
While Dipper wasn't too keen on taking the reins on his sister's gaudy show, he knew he couldn't exactly refuse. Still, he hovered by for a beat as the girls filed out first, waiting until Steven was the only one left. There was so much he wanted to tell him, and so little time to say it. But for now, this would just have to suffice.
"Steven, wait." He nearly caved when Steven turned back to face him with a faint, but genuine smile on his face. A smile he knew, after all of the trouble he'd caused today, he didn't deserve. "I-I just… I don't know if I'll get this chance again if… if anything goes wrong out there, so… I just want you to know I'm so sorry."
"Sorry?" Steven frowned. "For what?"
"For everything!" Dipper exclaimed, distraught. "This whole mess is my fault, a-and you never should have been dragged into any of it! Bill's been making you miserable, all because you want to protect me, but you shouldn't even have to worry about that in the first place! I was stupid, I made a terrible mistake, and you're the one who's had to pay for it!"
"Pay for what? Wanting to help you?" Steven asked. "Dipper, I would want to do that no matter what. In fact… Um…" He stole a glance back at the door to confirm the girls were gone. "Can I tell you something? That plan I mentioned… I was… I almost traded my body to Bill to set yours free."
"You what?!" Dipper started, aghast. "Steven, what were you thinking?! You saw what he's already done to me; if he got ahold of you, he'd-"
"It'd be much better than him hurting you!" Steven protested, his hands in tight fists at his sides. "I'm sorry, I-I just–I didn't know how else to help you! You're so important to me, Dipper! A-and I can't stand to watch him do this to you, just because he thinks it's funny. It's not–it's awful, a-and I can't… I-I couldn't even heal–I just feel so… so useless!"
For a long moment, only the sound of Steven's soft sobbing echoed through the room. Until Dipper reached out to him in the only way he could. With the sock puppet still on his hand, he finally managed to take one of Steven's, holding on tight. Aside from the puppet, it was the first thing he'd been able to actually touch since this disaster began. And when Steven squeezed his hand back, he savored the sensation for all it was worth.
"You're not useless," he solemnly assured. "If anyone's useless, it's me. At least you tried doing something to help. What have I done other than make everything so much worse?"
"It's not your fault," Steven sniffled as he clung onto Dipper's hand. "He tricked you, just like you said. "
"And he blackmailed you. So it's not your fault either."
"It still feels like it is," Steven sighed sadly. "But… I guess that doesn't matter now. What matters is that we're going to stop him. We're going to save you, no matter what it takes."
"I know you will," Dipper smiled, fully believing him. "Just… be careful, ok? He may have already hurt me, but if he hurt you, I'd-"
"Don't worry," Steven squeezed his hand again. "He can't do anything worse to me than he already has."
Dipper didn't need to ask what he meant by that. He didn't know what to say to it either. Instead, he slowly, hesitantly pulled his hand away from Steven, sighing the second he could no longer feel it against his. "Right. Well then… good luck. I have a feeling we'll all be needing it," he said just as the show's music began to swell outside. All too quickly, their time together had run out–
And the final act was about to begin.
True to his word, Dipper covered for Mabel as the puppet show's second half started. He wasn't all too familiar with her zany script, and even more than that, he struggled to keep her countless puppets straight. But even without a body, he did the best he could, even if most of his line reads were half-hearted at best.
"Gabe! You're back from the war!" puppet Mabel cried as puppet Gabe rolled in on a wheelchair, damaged from battle.
"Yes, I am! Wanna kiss and sing at the same time?"
"Ok!"
"Ugh, seriously, Mabel?" Dipper groaned to himself as he made the puppets "kiss". Still, the audience ate the romance up as they eagerly applauded, hardly noticing the trio climbing up to the catwalk above the stage.
"Ok, so the journal should still be in the wedding cake for the big finale," Mabel told Steven and Connie. "You know, unless Bill already got to it first."
"Looks like he didn't!" Steven smiled as he spotted the journal safely resting inside of the large wooden prop. "Thank goodness! We still have a chance to save Dipper!"
"Then let's hurry and grab it," Connie glanced over her shoulder for any sign of Bill. "The sooner we get Dipper his body back, the better off we'll all be."
Steven and Mabel couldn't argue with that. All three of the kids tried leaning over the catwalk to reach the journal, though they found it was just out of their reach. As brittle as the old catwalk railing was, it quickly caved under their combined weight, sending them all tumbling into the cake. From there, the prop began to plummet toward the stage with them in tow, only to suddenly, miraculously grind to a stop.
"Phew!" Steven heaved a sigh of relief as someone started to pull the cake back up to the rafters. "That was too close…"
"Tell me about it," Mabel quickly grabbed the journal to begin her search. "Come on… come on… There's gotta be something in here that can help Dipper get his body back!"
"Oh, but why would you want to do that?"
The kids froze as they glanced up to find exactly who had "saved" them. Bill stood on the catwalk, manically beaming down at the four of them as the lights behind him shrouded him in shadow. Only now could Mabel and Connie see and hear what Steven already had–his piercing golden eyes, his pitchy, unmistakable voice. All on a body that wasn't even his to begin with; a body they had to get back to who it truly belonged to.
Mabel broke their stunned silence first, clinging onto the journal as she scowled up at him. "Bill-Dipper! Bipper!"
"Shh!" Bill quieted her. "You wouldn't wanna ruin the show, would you?" He nodded down to the crowd below, all unaware of what was happening above them. Among them, Mabel spotted Gabe, captivated by the parade of puppets, one that could so easily go wrong at any second.
"Who cares about the show?!" Connie brazenly countered. "We're here to stop you and get Dipper his body back, and that's exactly what we're going to do!"
"Oh, Sword Swinger," Bill sneered out a laugh. "Just as annoyingly plucky as ever, huh? You know, I had Rosebud right where I wanted him earlier, until you came along. Just like how you ruined my deal with Gideon too. You just love sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, don't ya?"
"You bet I do if it means messing up your sick and twisted plans!" Connie fiercely shot back.
"Ugh," Bill rolled his eyes. "Remind me to never strike a bargain with you, Sword Swinger. Listening to you run your yap like that wouldn't be worth the aggravation. Oh, and speaking of running yaps, let's talk about you, Rosebud," he fixed Steven with a piercing glare. "I really thought you had learned your lesson after the knife incident, but then you go and blab everything to everyone! Then again, I'm hardly surprised; after all, your mom did the exact same thing back in the day. Before she went and made everyone forget about it all!"
"She… wait, huh?" Steven asked, completely confused. But as usual, Bill offered him no clear answers when it came to his mother.
"So, since our deal's clearly off," he continued nonetheless. "I guess that means that after I get that journal, Pine Tree's body here will just have to take a little fall right over that railing, aaaaall the way down onto the stage. What a grand finale that'll be, huh?"
"It won't be any kind of finale, because it's not happening!" Mabel protested, appalled.
"Are you sure about that, Shooting Star?" Bill loosened his grip holding all of the kids up. They yelped as the cake fell a bit before he caught it once more. "Oh no, looks like it's slipping! How's about you hand that book over and I can 'help' you three out of there?"
"No way!" Mabel hugged the journal close to her chest. "This is Dipper's! I'd never give it away!"
"Funny, you didn't seem to have a problem taking it for your own play or ditching him when he needed you," Bill mused with a knowing smirk. "Seems to me that's just what you always do, Shooting Star: let your brother take the brunt of things while you come out on top. It's safe, it's easy, and best of all, it's profitable! So why let this time be any different? Come to your senses; give me the journal or your show is ruined!"
"Forget it!" Connie sternly refused in Mabel's place. "You're never getting your hands on this journal as long as we're around! Right, you guys?"
"Right!" Steven firmly agreed. Mabel, on the other hand, hesitated, something that wasn't lost on the other two. Especially not when she cast a worried glance down at the ongoing play below. She'd poured her heart and soul into making this happen; how could she possibly give all of that up now, when she was so close to the end?
"Come on, Shooting Star, I don't have all day," Bill urged once more. "You know what you've gotta do. After all, who would sacrifice everything they've worked for just for their dumb sibling?"
Indeed, who would sacrifice everything they wanted, everything they dreamed of, all for the flighty whims of their ungrateful sibling? Who would sacrifice their time and energy any time that sibling asked, even when her asks were senseless and stupid and selfish? Who would sacrifice, not just for that sibling, but for so many others, from a Gem trapped in a hostile fusion to a friend forced to suffer in silence? Who would sacrifice so much for others and so little for himself that it ended up costing him a price that was far more than he'd ever been willing to pay?
Mabel knew exactly who. Just as much as she knew exactly what she had to do to finally repay him in full. "Dipper would."
By now, Bill had a hand on the journal, but before he could yank it from her, Mabel yanked on him instead. He stumbled forward, letting go of the rope to keep his balance and his hold on the journal. As the cake began to fall, Mabel's grip on the book slipped–though that was the least of her worries right now.
"Jump!" Steven called before they could fall too far. The girls did exactly that; by some miracle Connie caught Mabel and Steven caught Connie as he clung onto the edge of the catwalk. All three of them were essentially dangling from it as Bill still stood tall above them–with the journal securely in his hand.
At the same time, the cake continued its descent toward the stage, unbeknownst to the audience and even to Dipper as the play took a ridiculous turn. "I'm giving you away, you are a woman now!" puppet Stan proclaimed. "Waddles, the rings!" Right on cue, puppet Waddles popped up with two rings in tow.
However, before the wedding could go on, a sharp snap sounded from somewhere up above. Dipper glanced up to find the cake prop falling straight toward him. Even if he was in no risk of being harmed by it, he still dove out of the way before it crashed hard into the stage, destroying much of the set in the process. A confused murmur rose up from the audience at this twist, but Dipper paid them no mind. Instead, he kept his sights up on the cakewalk, freezing in fear at who he saw hanging from it. Fear that only worsened when he noticed who was standing over them.
"Whoo boy, that was a close one!" Bill grinned down at the group dangling below him. "You kids nearly had me going for a minute, especially you, Shooting Star. But in the end, I still win, just like I always do! Honestly, it's kind of a shame; I was actually thinking about letting you three walk away from this whole thing alive and with most of your limbs intact to boot. But since you all seem to have such a death wish, then who am to disappoint?!"
Steven barely stifled a pained cry as Bill slammed his foot down onto his hand. Still, he refused to let go of the edge of the catwalk. Even if keeping all three of them tethered to it was turning into more of a struggle with each passing second. "S-stop!" Steven cried as Bill pressed down harder on his straining hand. "Please!"
"Oh, come on, Rosebud," Bill's grin turned even crueler. "When are you finally gonna get that the whole begging for mercy thing doesn't work on me?"
As she heard Bill let out another smug laugh, something inside of Mabel snapped. What he'd done to Dipper was bad enough, but now, here he was, poised and eager to send all three of them plummeting to their doom. Her ruined show was all but forgotten as she reached into her sweater, hoping to find something that could help. And as she pulled out a bundle of unfinished sock puppets, she realized she had just what she needed to turn the tides back in their favor.
"The crowd's already gotten one bang down there." By now, Steven was barely hanging on by his fingertips and Bill was more than happy to begin prying them off. "And it's their lucky day; they're about to get three for the price of one!"
"Think again, you triangular jerk!" Mabel shouted as she lobbed the ball of puppets up at Bill with as much force as she could muster. While she didn't strike him, she did hit the journal, knocking it clean out of his hand and over the edge of the catwalk behind him.
"No!" Without hesitation, Bill dove over the railing after his prize. The others weren't far behind him either. Mere seconds after Bill took his deadly plunge, Steven's hand slipped from the railing–
And just like that, all of them were falling to the stage far below.
Time seemed to crawl as Dipper watched their descent from the sidelines. He froze mid-air, desperate to do something to save his friends, his sister, his own body. But as he drifted forward to try, he all too quickly realized just how helpless he really was to stop this.
He realized just how helpless he'd truly been all along.
Fortunately, Steven snapped to his senses just in time. He spread his arms out, begging his gem to do what he wanted. Sure enough, it sparked with light as a bright pink bubble blossomed from it, wide enough to capture him, Mabel, Connie, and even Bill only seconds before they hit the stage. The bubble crashed straight into it, cushioning what would have otherwise been a deadly fall just in the nick of time.
Needless to say, alarm rang out from the audience over such a sudden, dramatic impact. Still, some were more excited about it than others. "Whoa, mama!" Amethyst grinned at the wreckage. "Looks like this show just got way more interesting! This is what I've been waiting to see!
"W-what's going on?!" Pearl exclaimed as the lasers and smoke machine obscured the kids from view. "There's no way this can be part of the show, can it?"
"Who cares?" Stan scoffed, smirking. "I'm with Amethyst; this is exactly the kind of unexpected action that lovey-dovey fluff fest needed!"
The audience was the last thing on the kids' minds as they gathered their bearings after the fall. As the bubble vanished, Mabel was the first to pick herself up. She froze, however, when she noticed Bill lying face down nearby, a pool of blood spilling from his body. From Dipper's body, Mabel reminded herself as panic pounded through her chest. She raced over to him, hoping it wasn't too serious, hoping that it had been enough to knock Bill out of him, hoping that he was somehow ok after–
Those hopes were all dashed when Bill darted upright, fury written all over his face. Mabel stumbled back, frightened, as he fixed all that fury solely on her. Soon enough, Steven and Connie were by her side to watch him stumble to his feet, glaring hatefully at them all the while. Only now were they able to see the knife sticking straight out of his side. He barely skipped a beat as he ripped it out and tossed it aside, ignoring the fresh blood pouring out of the wound as stormed toward the terrified trio.
"You three!" he snarled, his eyes flashing with violence. "I'm gonna make you wish you were never even brought into existence for getting in my way! You'll regret so much as even thinking about trying to stop me when I'm through with-"
He cut himself off, his anger fizzling out when he glanced over to find the journal lying on the ground a few short feet away. The kids noticed it too; they only exchanged the briefest glances with Bill before they all leapt for the coveted book at once.
By now, the fog covering the stage began to clear, allowing the audience to see the all-out brawl unfolding upon it. Bill and Mabel reached the journal at the same time, fiercely grappling for it all the while.
"Get out of my brother's body, you evil triangle!" Mabel slammed the journal down hard onto Bill's face. Steven gasped when he noticed the nasty black eye the blow left behind.
"Ah!" he cried, alarmed. "Could we maybe do this without hurting Dipper?!"
"Whoa, children fighting!" Stan exclaimed down in the audience. He didn't hesitate to pull out his camera and begin recording. "I can sell this!"
"Oh, for crying out loud, Stan!" Pearl scolded. "The kids are up there beating each other senseless for some reason! We have to stop them!"
"Aw, come on, Pearl!" Amethyst protested. "It's probably all just part of the show! Right, Garnet?"
Garnet stayed silent for a moment as she leaned on her future vision for an answer. Yet, as more fog rolled over the stage, the same seemed to be happening to her foresight. And the more that fog started to settle, the more unnerved she became. "I-I… I don't know…"
"What?" Pearl asked, perplexed. After all, Garnet always knew-
"I don't know!" she admitted as she desperately searched for the future–
Only to find nothing in its place.
Back up on the stage, Mabel finally managed to pry the journal away from Bill, in no small part thanks to Steven and Connie. They hurried to put some distance between themselves and the demon, though it was clear he wasn't about to give up on his sinister plans so easily.
"You can't stop me! I'm a being of pure energy with no weaknesses!" Bill boasted as he lunged at Mabel. He managed to shove her to the ground, trying all he could to pry the journal from her hands as she used it as a shield against him.
"True, but you're in Dipper's body," Mabel pointed out. She grinned as a plan suddenly struck her, one that she desperately hoped would end up working. "And I know all his weaknesses!"
"What do you mean his-" Bill cut himself off with a sudden laugh, one that he was powerless to stop as Mabel reached up to tickle his underarm. It gave Connie the opening she needed to shove him away from Mabel, who quickly hopped to her feet with the journal in tow.
"Guys, split up!" she called to Steven and Connie. "I have an idea!"
They found they had plenty of time to put that plan into action as Bill stayed on the floor, lost to a fit of uncontrollable laughter. He wildly jerked about, barely unable to control his vessel's involuntary reactions. "Ah! Body spasms!" he cried in shocked confusion as he weakly rose to stand. "What are these?!"
"Fun fact about the human body," Mabel grinned as Bill tried to stumble her way. "You haven't slept in over 24 hours! Meanwhile, I got a full night's sleep and I'm on four mega-shots of Mabel Juice! Connie, catch!"
Just before Bill could make it to her, she tossed the journal over to Connie. She and Steven quickly realized what the plan was here, one that they were more than ready to go along with as Bill clumsily reeled backward to face them.
"Sword Swinger!" Bill charged for her, wheezing all the while.
"Oh, what's the matter, Bill?" Connie taunted as she held the journal high. "Can't keep up? Maybe you should take a little break!"
From there, she passed the journal off to Steven. He tensed up when he saw Bill storming over to him, his feet dragging across the stage. "H-hand it over, Rosebud," he breathlessly demanded. "Or else."
Steven hugged the journal close, fear filling his face until, all at once, it faded into something else entirely. Something driven by anger, by resolve, and most of all, by the promise he'd made to Dipper. A promise he was determined to fulfill.
"No."
"What did you say?" Bill hatefully hissed.
"I said no," Steven firmly reiterated. "Enough is enough, Bill. I'm done standing by and letting you get away with this! I won't let you hurt any of my friends ever again. After all, you said so yourself: our deal is over."
With that, Steven threw the journal back over to Mabel, who in turn, tossed it over to Connie. Things were quickly turning into a game of keep-away, one that Bill found himself stuck in the middle of as he frantically tried and failed to claim the journal for himself. But with his vessel quickly starting to reach its limits, it was becoming clear he wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.
"Augh! W-what is this feeling?!" Bill shouted as he struggled to keep going. All the while, the journal kept flying over his head, ever out of reach as his stolen body began to fail around him. "My body is burning! I can't move these stupid noodle legs! Curse you, useless flesh sticks! B-body… shutting down… Must… s-scratch… mosquito bites…"
Just as Bill began to sway, Mabel put their game on pause. She clung onto the journal, holding her breath as she watched whatever was about to unfold. In the end, Bill slowly fell forward, without a single ounce of energy to spare. The second he hit the ground, his vessel outright forced him out of it. He was flung from the body, back into the mindscape in his usual triangular form–
And just like that, his stolen puppet was finally free.
Dipper didn't waste any time. The second he saw Bill leave his body, he lunged for it, lest he lose it all over again. Slipping back into his skin was surprisingly easy–
But nothing could have prepared him for what was to follow when he finally settled back into it.
Mabel, Steven, and Connie took a cautious step forward, not wanting to risk what could happen if Bill was still possessing his vessel. Their worries were soon put to rest, however, when he slowly opened his eyes. Steven was nearly driven to tears when he saw them–no longer yellow and slitted, but normal and brown, just like they should be. So was his voice as he let out a quiet, exhausted groan.
"Dipper!" Steven cried, overwhelmed with relief. "Y-you're back! W-well, I mean, you were never really gone, but still, you're back to the way you're supposed to be!"
Dipper hardly heard him. Instead, he lay where he was, wordlessly staring at his own outstretched hand. Faint traces of blood still stained it–likely left over from Bill punching the mirror earlier. Strangely though, he still couldn't feel the pain from that. In fact, he still couldn't feel much of anything at all. Even breathing was something he found he had to remember to do instead of it coming as easily as it should have. He would have thought that reclaiming his body would feel welcome and comforting, like returning home a long and perilous journey. But instead, it only felt odd, foreign, unnatural–
Almost as if he didn't even belong inside his own body anymore at all.
"Uh… Dipper?" Mabel frowned down at him. "Y-you… you ok, bro-bro?"
"H-huh?" he finally spoke up, though he flinched at the sound of his own voice. Somehow, he managed to move when he took the hands Steven and Connie offered to help him up. He all but leaned against them both for support as they slowly helped him stand–something far more easily said than done.
"O-oh… uh, no, I-I'm fine—Augh!" The first wave of pain struck him suddenly, first in his shoulder, before it splintered down to most of his other wounds–save for one. "Ok, nevermind, I take it back! Ugh, everything hurts…"
None of the others had a chance to help him as a chilling, twisted laugh rang through the air. One they'd all gotten all too used to hearing over the course of the day. They turned to find Dipper's puppet crawling its way toward them as Bill used it as a mouthpiece for his furious final threats. "This isn't the last you'll see of me! If any of you think that this is anywhere close to over, then you can just forget it! Big things are coming, and not just from me either! I'll make you twerps pay for all of this, you'll see! You can't stop me! Nobody ca-"
"Ok, ok, we get it!" Connie cut him off. "You're gonna try and get your 'revenge' or whatever. Can we speed this along already?"
Mabel let out a long sigh as she pulled out her "big finish" button. "I'm sorry, Gabe…" she muttered, just shy of pressing it.
Bill was more than ready to keep screaming at the kids, only to realize his puppet was sitting squarely on top of a box of explosives. With the single press of a button, the pyrotechnics all went off at once, rocking the theater as fireworks went haywire. The audience screamed in terror as plenty of them exploded high above their heads. Still, there were some among them that were more than happy to take in such a bombastic finale.
"Whoo!" Amethyst cheered as she jumped onto her seat. "Now this is what I'm talking about!"
"I'm still so confused about what's happening here…" Pearl shook her head, bewildered.
"So am I…" Garnet muttered as her future vision finally began to clear. Almost as if that faintly familiar fog was finally lifting at last.
It wasn't long before puppets were added to the fiery mix as the pyrotechnics set almost all of them ablaze. Candy began to play a rendition of Ave Maria to accompany the rain of destruction, one that Gabe watched from his seat, utterly horrified. His expression alone was enough to tell Mabel that she'd all but lost him–
Though that hardly seemed to matter compared to who she could have lost instead.
As the last of the fireworks went off, they took the rest of the puppets out with them. One of them happened to land, still smoldering, on the stage right in front of Dipper. He glared down at his puppet and all it represented was nearly enough to make him sick. Maybe that was why he slammed his foot down onto it as hard as he could, just in case Bill was still controlling it. Sure enough, the demon finally seemed to be gone–
But what he'd done today would remain, like a shadow none of them would be able to shake off so easily.
As the explosions died down and the smoke started to clear, the kids turned to face the stunned audience before them. Their shocked expressions were telling enough, but Mabel still tried to look on the bright side nonetheless. "Don't worry. I've seen enough movies to know that this is the part where the audience thinks it was all just part of the show and loves it. Cue applause!"
Of course, the audience did the exact opposite, erupting into a round of disappointed boos and jeers. As they began to hurry out, plenty had complaints about the bizarre plot and over-explosive finale. Among the last to leave was Gabe, who was already fixing Mabel with a cold, disapproving glare.
"G-Gabe!" she offered him a forced smile. "Stick around for the wrap party? W-we've got mini-quiches!"
"Don't speak to me, Mabel," he turned his nose (and his puppets' noses) up at her. "You've made a complete mockery of my art form! Let's go, my loves." With that, Gabe turned on his heels, exchanging kisses between his puppets as he stormed out, stewing with anger.
"Did he just make out with his puppets?" Dipper raised an eyebrow.
"I… might have dodged a bullet there…" Mabel frowned, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Kinda hard to believe that this whole mess started because of him, huh?" Connie said, smirking.
"Gaeibeu'i jamkkan! Kaendi na ajikdo neol saranghae!" Candy cried as she desperately ran after him anyway.
"So, that was some show, huh?" Amethyst piped up as she plopped back down into her seat. With everyone else gone, Stan and the Gems were the only ones left behind to offer the kids any sort of praise. "Steven, I loved what you did with that whole bubble stunt. That was so hardcore!"
"Uh, yeah…" Steven exchanged a nervous glance with the others. "Stunt…"
"Yes, your play was very… interesting, Mabel…" Pearl said. "Though I'm still not sure if I understood the part where you kids started fighting each other…"
"What's there to understand?" Stan shrugged. "It was just a bunch of good, clean, slapstick humor. It's not like it's supposed to be 'high brow' or anything. Either way, ya did great, pumpkin."
"Heh, thanks, Grunkle Stan…" Mabel smiled, though it soon fell when she glanced over at Dipper–and the very obvious way he was still wincing in barely-concealed pain. "Uh, actually… Do you guys mind giving the four of us a minute?"
The adults backed off to give them the space they needed. Mabel was more than ready to offer up as many apologies as she needed to, anything to ease the guilt that was slowly starting to suffocate her. But to her surprise, Dipper beat her to it.
"Mabel, I'm sorry about all of this," he began with a remorseful sigh. "It's my fault all of your puppets got ruined, and your show… I was just so obsessed with that dumb laptop, that I didn't even-"
"Dipper, no," Mabel quickly cut him off. Her eyes were already watering with oncoming tears; she couldn't keep them from coming when she noticed the scratches on his face and the black eye she had given him. "Please, please don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong."
"But I made a deal with-"
"I don't care about that! All you wanted to do was find a way to save Lapis, and what did I do to help you? Nothing! If I had given you just a little of my time instead of putting it all into this stupid show, then maybe… maybe you wouldn't have gotten so… I-I didn't think–How was I supposed to know that–t-that this would-"
She cut herself off with a harsh, heartbroken sob. Dipper already felt bad enough, but seeing his sister reduced to tears like this, all because of what he did, only made him feel so much worse. "Oh, Mabel…" He tried reaching out to her, but he found he couldn't even do that. Not with his shoulder searing to the point he was honestly surprised his entire arm hadn't fallen off yet.
Mabel only choked up all over again when she heard him let out a small, pained hiss. Still, she dried her tears enough to say what she knew she needed to. She owed him this much, after everything. "I just… I want you to know I'm so, so sorry, Dipper. I spent all week obsessing over some dumb guy, when the dumb guy I should have cared about is you."
Dipper smiled, though he didn't get a chance to say much else beyond the sharp gasp that suddenly slipped out of him. His eyes widened as his hand flew down to his side as it pounded with raw, white-hot agony. When he pulled his trembling hand away, he found it was covered in the same bright red blood coating most of his torso. Try as he might, he couldn't remember watching Bill do that much damage.
The high-pitched, worried whine Mabel let out was barely drowned out by Connie's shocked gasp. "Dipper…" she muttered, her face awash in alarm. "Y-you're not ok…"
No, I'm not, he wanted to agree, but the words caught in his throat. The pain only seemed to worsen with each passing second, hitting him from everywhere, all at once. Without warning, his legs began to shake as he stumbled and swayed. The world blurred into a mix of dulling colors and shapes, alongside the muted sound of several voices shouting what he thought was his name. One rose above them all as he drifted backwards, finally coming to rest slack in a pair of steady arms.
Steven's tear-streaked face was the last thing Dipper saw before everything went back. And strangely, as the pain began to fade along with everything else, for the first time in a long time, he finally felt safe.
The trip back to the shack was a hasty, chaotic one. They'd all left the theater behind mere moments after Dipper had fainted, and the adults had plenty of panicked questions on the way out. Questions that the kids had no clue how to answer after everything they'd been through today.
Still, if there was one thing everyone could agree on, it was that Dipper needed help and fast. Stan had taken charge, scooping his unconscious nephew up to take him to the car and back to the shack. The Gems, Steven, and Connie promised to meet them there, though Stan was bound to make it first with how he was shattering the speed limit. All the while, he bombarded Mabel with plenty more questions about exactly what had happened to Dipper. But in the end, he got no answers as she sat, sad and silent, with her bleeding brother lying listless against her.
For the entire ride, she barely took her eyes off of him, terrified of what might happen if her focus ever drifted too far from him again. Ever since the invasion, she'd tried so hard to distract herself from it all. At the end of the day, her momentary obsession with Gabe and her puppet show had just been exactly that–a distraction. But as distracted as she'd been, she hadn't been able to see what was right in front of her: Dipper, crushed by guilt, desperate to save a lost friend no matter the cost.
She hadn't seen much of anything as she sailed with her head in the clouds, just like she always did. All while her brother was dragged so far beneath them, all because she hadn't helped him when he'd needed her most.
She didn't notice it until they were almost back to the shack. A small, clinkled sheet of paper lying on the floorboard in front of her. Curious, she reached for it, flipping it over to find a message sloppily scrawled onto the page. She only had to read the first few lines of it to know exactly who this was from. And reading the rest of it only made her even sicker to her stomach than she already was.
Mabel barely finished it before she swiftly folded the letter up and shoved it into her sweater. Dipper shouldn't have to see it, not after everything he'd been through. Not after all of the pain he was so very clearly in. Not after what that despicable demon had done to nearly destroy them all. No, he shouldn't see it, Mabel firmly decided, and she'd make sure he'd never have to.
After all, it was the least she could do to set this right after how much she'd wronged him.
When Dipper awakened sometime later, it happened far more slowly and far less pleasantly than he would have liked. His hand, shoulder, and head were all still throbbing in pain, and yet, strangely, the wound in his side was starting to dull into a faint ache. As he finally found the energy to open his eyes, he quickly realized why.
Steven hovered over him, deep worry written all over his face. That worry only eased a little when he noticed Dipper was awake. He stepped back a bit, allowing him to see he was lying on his bed in the attic back at the shack. At some point, someone must have changed him out of that awful blood-soaked clergyman costume back into his usual clothes; he was more than grateful for that, if nothing else. Aside from that, not much else registered–aside from Steven's hand, lightly pressed against his side and sparkling with healing spit.
"S-sorry," Steven pulled back when the wound finally finished sealing itself up. It still hurt, but far less than it had back at the theater. Probably thanks to some sort of lasting internal injury, if Dipper had to guess. "I wanted to wait until you were awake, but… I-I mean, it just wouldn't stop b-bleeding and I-"
Steven cut himself off with a shudder, opting to distract himself by wiping his hands clean with a rag. Only now did Dipper realize just how solemnly quiet the room was–in no small part because the two of them were alone. "Where's everyone else?"
"Downstairs," Steven glanced toward the door.
"Do they know about… w-what really happened?" Dipper ventured, almost too afraid to ask.
Steven shook his head. "Mabel and Connie came up with something to tell the Gems and Mr. Pines, for now anyway. Something about a stunt gone wrong during the show, I think? W-we didn't want you to get in trouble if they knew about, um… yeah."
Dipper silently nodded his thanks, though his brow furrowed as he watched Steven lick his hand again. When he reached for his shoulder, his uninjured hand shot up to catch his wrist just before his healing magic could so much as skim it. "D-don't," he whispered, sharply, tensely.
"What?" Steven frowned, confused. "Why not?"
"Because-" Dipper made a point of trying to sit up on his own, though it wasn't easy. He winced from the ache still lingering in his side, from the pressure he was putting on his hand and shoulder. Steven moved to help him, only to stop short when Dipper put up his hand and shook his head. He'd been helpless all day–he had to at least be able to do something this small for himself.
By the time he finally managed to prop himself up against the headboard, he was breathless, a thin sheen of sweat coating his forehead. Steven could only stand by and watch, awash in worry. Just like he'd been doing all day. "Dipper…"
"I'm ok, Steven," he lied, closing his eyes as fought a losing battle against his persistent headache. "I'm fine."
"You're not-"
"I'm FINE!" Dipper snapped, loud and sudden enough to make Steven stumble back. By now, tears were already rushing to the surface, but he didn't dare let them fall. He wasn't going to fall apart, not in front of Steven. Not in front of anyone.
"W-why… why won't you let me heal you?" Steven pressed far more gently. "You need help, Dipper. I want to help you. So please, just let me-"
"Stop it already!" Dipper pushed his hand away when he tried to reach for his shoulder again. His voice shook with shame as he forced his gaze away from Steven, as he softly admitted the truth. "Today's already been bad enough for you. I… I can't ask you to do any more for me than you already have."
"But… y-you don't have to-"
"Please, Steven, just go," Dipper pulled his knees to his chest. And with them, he pulled his arm, his injuries, himself out of Steven's reach. "I really just want to be alone right now, ok?"
Leaving Dipper alone like this was just about the last thing Steven wanted to do. His remaining wounds aside, he clearly needed someone to stay with him right now, someone to console and comfort him after going through something so unspeakably awful. But try as he might to convince him otherwise, Steven knew he had no real right to anyway. After all, how could he help Dipper after he'd failed to keep him from getting so badly hurt in the first place?
How could he heal someone he wasn't even strong enough to protect?
"O-ok…" Steven relented, his voice barely audible. He headed for the door, stopping short at it to glance back over his shoulder and quietly began with, "Dipper-"
"I'm sorry I couldn't stop this.", "I'm so glad that you're alive.", "I'll make sure nothing like this never happens to you again." None of what he actually wanted to say managed to come out. Instead, all he was able to say was a short, simple, shallow, "G-get some rest."
Dipper didn't bother responding. Instead, he simply sat, still and silent, waiting for the door to click shut. And the second it did, he threw himself back into motion.
He shoved himself out of bed, nearly falling straight to the floor as soon as he did. His shoulder and side screamed in protest, but he ignored them. He had to go see it, he had to know. He barely managed to steady himself enough to make it to the door, creaking it open to make sure Steven wasn't still waiting outside. The coast was clear enough for him to slip over to the other attic room. And there it was, lying on the floor, right where Bill had left it–
The laptop. Or at least, what little was left of it now.
It was thoroughly wrecked, a mess of shattered glass and broken circuitry. It all seemed like such a waste, really. So many untapped answers, so many possible leads, so many potential clues–all lost forever. Whatever might've been on that laptop, it was irreplaceable; almost as irreplaceable as the scattered scraps of photos littered in the spaces between.
Slowly, Dipper lowered himself to his knees to scoop up what pieces of the pictures he could. Most of them were unrecognizable, but he could still just make out the pine tree on his hat here or a piece of Lapis' hand there. Despite his careful efforts, none of the pieces seemed to fit together the way they should have. None of those precious memories stood a chance against the way they were so viciously torn apart.
Just like he and Lapis had been.
The photo scraps slipped out of his hands just as the first tear hit the floor. He couldn't hold them back anymore; with no one around to see them, he saw no use in even trying to. His entire frame shook with sobs to the point that he could barely even breathe between them. Whatever pain his wounds were still bringing him felt like nothing compared to this.
In many ways, he felt just like the laptop and the photos; broken and battered, far too badly to ever be repaired. He'd given so much and lost even more, and for what? To be right back where he started. No answers, no clues, no hope, nothing. He hadn't helped Lapis–he hadn't even come close. If anything, he'd done the exact opposite. He'd put his friends in such grave danger, nearly losing all of them along with his own body, all in one day. He thought he was making a noble sacrifice when he took Bill's hand, just like Lapis had when she took Jasper's. But in the end, Lapis had saved so many and Dipper? Dipper hadn't even been able to save himself.
His tears didn't stop as he doubled over the laptop's remains, practically sick with grief and guilt. And all the while, the crimson glow of the triangular window behind him blanketed his back as its single eye soullessly stared straight down at him.
An eye that had always been watching and always would.