Cost You to Keep Me Quiet

(Reverse Falls One-Shot)

Pacifica wasn't exactly thrilled when her parents decided to send her away to her Great Uncle Bud for the entire summer. It was a bit difficult for her to adjust for the first few days; living in a shabby museum in the middle of a forest with a man who barely knew how to take care of children was very different from her usual city life. It was also odd to suddenly be sharing a room with her cousin Gideon, whom she had just met. She immediately discovered that he was a rather mousy boy with a skittish attitude, not to mention that he was also very nerdy.

However, Pacifica wouldn't let any of these things get her down. She was a bright-spirited girl that always tried to look at the better side of things.

So when she first met her cousin, she was sure to be kind and welcoming. When Gideon found a mysterious journal one day in the forest, she gladly joined him on numerous mystical adventures. And when she had received a flyer for a popular magic show, she cheerfully dragged him along.

"C'mon, Giddy, it'll be fun!" Pacifica pleaded, shoving the paper towards him.

The white-haired boy glanced down at the flyer skeptically. The words 'Pines' Tent of Telepathy' shone at him with glowy blue font. The picture displayed two twins in fancy blue costumes, their arms linked.

Looking back at his cousin, Gideon protested, "But we were going to go on another monster hunt tonight! The journal says that we can only find Black Shucks at night, and I wanted to-"

"Oh, we can go monster hunting anytime!" Pacifica said, waving a hand, "We have all the nights in the summer to go looking for Black Chucks-"

"Shucks," Gideon corrected.

"-Black Shucks, but the Pines twins are doing their show tonight," Pacifica continued, "Come on, we've been here for a week already and we haven't gone to any social events. We can finally see what this town's all about! Besides, you like magic!"

"Real magic," Gideon pressed. Gesturing to the flyer, he said, "Those guys probably just pull a bunch of tricks to make it look like magic."

"Well, you won't know for sure until you see!" Pacifica pointed out. Then, she tilted her head and gave him puppy-dog eyes, "Pleeeease?"

Gideon sighed, knowing that he won't be able to resist her puppy eyes. He glanced longingly at the journal on his bed, but eventually gave in.

"Alright, you win."

"Yes!" Pacifica beamed at him, practically vibrating with excitement. Gideon smiled a bit. "Well, come on, we've gotta get changed if we're gonna make it on time," the female blonde said, running across the room and grabbing some clothes. She soon disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Gideon alone.

The pale boy looked down at the flyer in his hand once more. Wrinkling his nose, he scoffed, "'Wonderful display of magic'. Yeah right," before putting the paper down and searching for his clothes.

The Pines' Tent of Telepathy wasn't very far away, much to the cousins' surprise. They had expected such a grand show to be deep in the town, but turns out the place was at the edge of the forest, just a little ways down the road from the Mystery Shack.

Since it was so close, Grunkle Bud let the two go alone, only giving them some money for entrance. They walked for about twenty minutes before seeing the area of the main event, but they had seen the cars lining the streets about ten minutes after leaving the Shack.

"They must be pretty famous," Gideon commented, eyeing the people walking a distance ahead of them.

Pacifica squealed, "Oh, I can't wait to see the show!"

Gideon stayed quiet, glancing at the forest beside them.

When they reached the Tent of Telepathy, they were a bit bewildered by its appearance. It really was a tent, albeit a large one, with four large poles making it into a square and supporting the dark blue roof above. The sheets of the tent were a lighter blue and appeared to be nailed down to the ground. A small crescent moon symbol was on the roof, and above the roof was a more noticeable, strange-looking, multicolored star with an eyeball in the center.

People milled about the entrance and the two cousins soon joined the crowd. It took a while for them to get in and even longer for them to be seated. Gideon was surprised at how big the Tent was on the inside. He mildly wondered if there was a spell in the journal that made small things bigger on the inside.

Finally, the twosome sat down in one of the side rows and gazed up at the stage, which was covered by midnight-blue curtains.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" A shrill female voice called out on a microphone and everybody fell silent, "Prepare to be swept away…" As she spoke, the curtains were dragged to the side in one big swoop, revealing a smoke-filled stage. The fog was a greenish blue color and it glowed, rising up to form the image of a brain.

The girl's voice continued, "Prepare to have your minds blown!" At the end of the sentence, the fog-brain exploded, sending little trails of smoke everywhere. The crowd 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed. Pacifica was grinning and but Gideon was still skeptical.

"And most of all, prepare-" The girl suddenly let out an 'oomph' and abruptly a boy's voice replaced hers, "I think that's enough preparation, Mabel. What, you wanna keep the crowd waiting?"

At this, the people started shouting and calling out, clearly excited.

"Oh, I don't know, Dipper," Mabel's voice returns with fake hesitation, "I mean, I don't want to give them too much of a- SHOCK!"

Suddenly, Gideon felt the sting of electricity and he yelped, whirling around. Unfortunately, the movement caused him to fall out of his seat and he landed flat on his back on the ground. Groaning, he rubbed his head and pushed himself up, slowly opening his eyes.

His gaze was filled with two glowing eyes.

Yelping again, he scrambled backwards and realized that the glowing eyes belonged to one of the twins he'd seen on the flyer, Mabel. She tilted her head back and let out a shrill laugh, soon followed by the rest of the crowd. Pacifica was clapping her hands, her eyes bright.

"Hey there, sugar cube," Mabel said to Gideon, grinning widely. One leg was on the chair he fell out of while the other was beside his leg so that he was nearly beneath her as she loomed over him.

As Gideon spluttered nervously, Mabel held a hand out to him and said sweetly, "Name's Mabel Pines. What's yours, snowflake?"

"U-uh, Gideon," the boy replied warily, taking her hand and letting her pull him to his feet. She didn't let go of his hand and pulled him just a bit too close for his comfort.

Her eyes glowed turquoise as she said, "Wonderful to see a couple of new faces in the crowd!" She glanced briefly at Pacifica before returning her gaze to Gideon, "Tonight's going to be fun!"

Letting go of him, she snapped her fingers and disappeared in a poof of green clouds. She soon reappeared amongst the fog on stage, earning a loud applause from the crowd.

Gideon let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding and sat back down. Pacifica smiled and squeezed his arm.

"Heh heh heh," Dipper's laughter filled the room, the boy still having not appeared, "Don't worry, folks. I'll be sure you'll get to see some real magic tonight!"

Before Mabel could retort, a bunch of ravens suddenly flew into the room. They were illuminated by the same glow that Mabel had in her eyes. The crowd squealed and Gideon lowered his hat to keep his head safe from the ravens' claws. Of course, Pacifica was trying to reach up and pet the birds above her.

Then, one large raven in particular flew in, a boy hanging from its talons. Pacifica's eyes widened in awe and the crowd gasped. Gideon was stunned; yes, the bird was big, but how could it possibly carry a human being? He mildly noted that both the boy and the bird had a blue-green glow around them. Perhaps it was just the lighting, Gideon thought.

When the large raven set the boy down beside Mabel on the stage, he snapped his fingers and the black bird disintegrated in a flare of turquoise flames. The crowd went wild while the teenage boy bowed, a smug look on his face.

Once the clapping died down, Mabel nudged him with her elbow and said loudly, "Well, now you all know how much of a showoff my brother, Dipper, is."

Pacifica laughed along with the others while Dipper scowled at his sister. As the show began, the blonde watched with wonder-filled eyes. Some of their tricks were simple, but others were so extravagant that they seemed like real magic. She especially liked the twins' outfits; Mabel wore a blue crop jacket with a black leotard, gray tights, and blue heels while Dipper wore a blue button-up shirt, a belt, gray pants, and a black cape. His hair was slicked back too, which she found attractive. She also noticed how both twins had the same pretty turquoise stones on them. Dipper had it in his collar and Mabel had it in her hairband.

Funny, Pacifica thought, the stones are the same color as the glowy stuff. Must be an inside joke or something.

She glanced at Gideon, smiling. She hoped they could have an inside joke like these twins someday.

"And now, for the main event!" Mabel finally called out, about an hour after the show started. Dipper, who had just finished putting away the stuff from the last trick, strided up to stand beside his sister.

"Time to show you guys that it's not called the 'Tent of Telepathy' for nothing!" Dipper announced. His blue gaze ran over the crowd before stopping at Pacifica and Gideon. A smirk grew on his face as he said, "How 'bout we have one of the newbies come up? You!" He pointed at Pacifica, who squealed, "Come on up here, blondie."

Pacifica eagerly got out of her seat and scrambled up to the stage, Gideon watching anxiously from the seats. Dipper grabbed Pacifica's hand and pulled her to the center of the stage before letting go.

"Now, you may be new in town…" He said.

"... but there's no stopping the power of telepathy!" Mabel finished.

The two twins then circled her while the crowd waited with held breath. Pacifica shifted her weight nervously, eyeing the twins each time they came into view. Their eyes still glowed, but now that she got to see them up close, they're rather eerie. Their gazes were icy and hard and she suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if she was being analyzed.

Of course you're being analyzed, Pacifica mentally scolded, they're trying to figure out information about you.

Finally, Dipper stopped and said loudly, "Your name is Pacifica Northwest, born in 1999."

Pacifica gasped, grinning. A look flashed across Dipper's face, almost as if he was relieved, but it disappeared the next moment.

"You live in the Mystery Shack, at least for the summer," Mabel added on, looking proud.

"You have an obsession with making vibrant sweaters," Dipper said, glancing down at the hot pink sweater she was wearing currently.

Mabel turned her eerie gaze towards Gideon. If it was possible, her eyes glowed even brighter. "And that little cutie over there is your cousin, Gideon!" She called out, making Gideon blush under all of the attention. Mabel then nudged Pacifica and said in a loud, obvious whisper, "You'll have to set me up with him sometime."

At this, the crowd laughed and Gideon blushed even more. Mabel laughed and cooed, "Aww."

"And your favorite flowers," Dipper said, grabbing everyone's attention again. He reached behind Pacifica's head and pulled a rose out of her hair, "Are roses."

Gasping again, Pacifica took the offered rose and sniffed it gratefully.

"Well?" Mabel asked.

"Were we right?" Dipper asked.

Pacifica nodded eagerly, too stunned and happy to speak. The twins smiled as the crowd cheered. Pacifica soon went back down to her seat.

As she sat down next to her cousin and the clapping died down, Gideon asked, "I thought your favorite flowers were poppies?"

"What?" Pacifica asked, too busy sniffing her rose to pay attention.

Gideon shuffled closer, "Yesterday, when we went into the forest, we passed through a patch of poppy flowers and you mentioned that they were your favorite type of flower. But that boy just pulled out a rose…"

Pacifica paused, but then shrugged absentmindedly, "I guess I was wrong, then."

"How could you be wrong ab-"

"That's a wrap, folks!" Dipper's voice interrupted. The two cousins looked up to see the twins linking their arms and bowing.

"Come see us again next week!" Mabel called out, waving and grinning. Dipper beamed beside her, but if his smile looked a bit forced, nobody mentioned it. Soon, the cheering died down and the crowd started to disperse.

As soon as the curtains closed, Dipper dropped his smile and scowled.

"Drat!" He spat, turning away angrily, "That dumb triangle was wrong!" He kicked one of the props while Mabel watched him casually.

"What's up with you?" She asked, idly unbuttoning her crop jacket.

"Will gave me the wrong information!" Dipper retorted, glaring, "He told me that girl's favorite flowers were roses but they were poppies! Stupid, stupid! His slip-up could have ruined the whole trick!"

"Good thing she was too busy fawning over you to care," Mabel sneered, walking towards the stairs. Dipper rolled his eyes and walked after her.

"I'm going to summon him once we get back home," he said, stomping down the stairs.

Mabel winced and took off the star pin on her collar, "Ah, it's too late to summon him. Just deal with the blue dorito in the morning. The show was a success, and I found my soulmate."

"Your what?" Dipper asked sharply, frowning.

"My soulmate," Mabel repeated, leading them out the back of the Tent, "Gideon, obviously."

"Oh, great," Dipper said, rolling his eyes again. His sister's obsession with boys is what he disliked most about her. "You barely talked to him for a minute," he pointed out.

"You're just jealous," she replied, touching the amulet on her headband. With a wisp of green magic, she tripped Dipper and he fell flat on his face. In return, he used his magic to shove her forward roughly.

"Hey!" Mabel snapped, whirling around to face her brother. Magic swirled around the two as they glared at each other.

Little did they know that they were being watched by a certain blonde-haired girl.

Gideon's soft snores filled the room, faintly echoed by Bud's. Pacifica laid flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling. It wasn't the snores that were keeping her wide awake. It was what she had seen barely an hour ago.

Pacifica may not be the smartest girl in town, but she's not dumb either. She knew what she had seen. She knew she had seen the two Pines twins surrounded by magic that looked like it belonged in Gideon's journal.

She also knew that she probably wasn't supposed to see that.

Gideon had wanted to try searching for Black Shucks on the way back to the Shack, so they went through the forest along the road. Pacifica had only glanced back once and saw the twins with their magic through a gap in the trees.

Were all their magic tricks real magic then? Pacifica wondered. Is that how they knew all that stuff about her? Well, spare the flowers.

It may have just been her imagination, but Pacifica suddenly felt as if she was being watched.

It was in the morning that Pacifica decided to tell Gideon about what she had seen. They were eating breakfast while Bud and Deuce were out getting the shop ready for customers. As she told Gideon, the spoon in his hand dropped and his eyes widened.

"I knew there was something off with those twins!" He exclaimed when she had finished.

Pacifica shushed him, glancing around nervously. "What should we do?"

"Let's go back and spy on them!" Gideon replied immediately, "I'll go get my journal. Maybe we can find something about their magic in it." He leapt off his seat and hurried upstairs. Meanwhile, Pacifica came up with an excuse for Bud to let her and Gideon out for a little while.

Then, the two cousins ran out of the Shack and rushed over to the Tent of Telepathy. They slowed down about five minutes away and Gideon took out his journal, flipping through the pages.

A couple of minutes later, he sighs, "I can't find anything about magic. Just monsters…" He suddenly frowned, turning to look at Pacifica, "You don't think…?"

"No," she said, "That's impossible. It's probably just in the first or second journal."

"Right," Gideon nodded, looking back at his book.

Soon, they reached the Tent of Telepathy. Cautiously, the two padded inside, finding the place empty. Even the backstage area was vacant.

"Where are they?" Gideon whispered.

Pacifica warily opened a door, revealing the outside world. The vast forest stared back at them. She noticed a house that was mostly concealed by trees and undergrowth at the end of a narrow dirt road. It didn't look very promising, but Pacifica nodded to her cousin.

"How 'bout you check out that place?" She suggested, "I'll check out the rest of the forest. Meet back here in ten minutes."

"Okay," Gideon said, looking nervous. He warily started down the dirt road while Pacifica padded into the undergrowth.

Since it was early morning, there were birds chirping in the trees above her. Butterflies and other insects flew around, but that did nothing to lighten her mood. Nervousness pooled in her belly as she trekked through the forest, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Stop being so nervous, Pacifica thought. They seemed pretty nice at the show last night.

Memories of the turquoise magic flashed across her mind. She wished she had been close enough to hear what Mabel and Dipper had been talking about after the show. Maybe they could have given her a clue or-

She suddenly froze at the sound of rustling undergrowth. The bushes in front of her shook violently before something exploded out of them. Pacifica let out a squeal and jumped to the side, barely dodging the thing. Gasping, she glanced back to see that it was a deer that had just burst from the undergrowth.

The large animal looks startled and frantically scrambles away from whatever scared it. Pacifica could feel the beating of its hooves on the ground.

Once the deer is gone, she glances back at where it came from. She didn't want to go there…

But what if one of the twins had startled it? Pacifica wondered.

Even more cautiously than before, the blonde teen picked herself up and pushed through the bushes. The deer had crashed through them so hard that it created a small path that made it easier for her to get through the branches.

When she got out of the bushes, she found herself in front of a fairly large river. There were a few boulders in the water, as well as many on the bank. She also spotted a big moss-covered log on the other riverbank that was partially in and partially out of the water.

Pacifica sighed. She didn't want to get wet, but it didn't look like she had much of a choice at the moment. So, she took off her shoes, rolled up her pants, and began wading into the river. The water was pretty shallow at first, but it got deeper in the middle of the river, so she stepped onto a boulder and hopped from rock to rock the rest of the way. The surface was dangerously slippery, smoothened by years of water rushing over it, and Pacifica was relieved when she got to the other side of the river. The bank sloped upwards and was full of wet mud, so she put on her shoes before she began climbing.

When clambered over the edge, she found herself amongst a sea of bracken. Looking up, she saw a clearing not too far away. More importantly, she heard voices coming from the clearing.

The surrounding trees and bushes prevented her from seeing who it was, so she quietly crawled over. Gently pulling aside some bush branches, she peered into the clearing-

-and nearly screamed!

Dipper Pines was standing in the middle of the clearing, magic swirling at his fingertips. The kind expression he had at the show was gone without a trace, instead replaced by one full of anger and hatred. His icy blue eyes glowed as they glared up at something even more strange.

Pacifica blinked and shook her head. It was a triangle. A blue floating triangle with black arms and legs, a top hat, a cane, a brick pattern, and one single eye. And that one single eye was currently filling up with tears.

"Don't you realize what your mistake could have cost me!?" Dipper snarled, the small pebbles around him levitating with his magic.

The blue triangle cowered in fear, even though he was floating above Dipper. "I-I'm s-s-sorry!" He rambled nervously, "I'm so so so sorry it was an accident it'll never happen again I'm sorry I didn't know I just assumed that they were roses- ahh!"

Suddenly, Dipper grabbed his amulet in one hand and lashed out with his magic. In a split second, a turquoise tendril wrapped around the triangle and slammed him into the ground. Pacifica barely stifled a gasp, feeling pity for this odd blue creature. Nobody deserved to be treated so harshly.

Dipper was so different from last night, Pacifica thought. He… he was a bully.

"You assumed?!" The magical teen spat, enraged, "You guessed? You didn't take the time to make sure that her favorite flowers were roses, not poppies!?" The blue triangle burst into a blubbering mess of tears, shaking with fear.

Favorite flowers? Pacifica wondered. That's what they were arguing about? Dipper was telepathic, he should have known-

Unless…

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The triangle cried, "I must have been watching Bud when she said that- uhh!"

Once again, Dipper wrapped his magic around the triangle. Instead of throwing him, he lifted the demon up and started squeezing.

With a tight voice, the teenage boy said lowly, "You had one very simple job, Will. Spy on the wretched people of Gravity Falls and report back to me."

Pacifica's eyes widened in shock.

Dipper continued, "But it seems that even a pathetic demon like you can't handle that task. Still," he drew Will closer, his icy eyes glowing, "A fault like that can't go unpunished. You're only lucky that girl wasn't smart enough to see your mistake and ruin everything. Otherwise, the consequences would be much more dire." Dipper began squeezing the tendrils of magic harder, making the demon whimper. "Now," the boy growled with pleasure, "Where to begin?"

Pacifica winced, not wanting to watch Dipper torture poor Will.

I think I've seen enough, she thought, I better get back to Gideon.

Just as she thought this, a familiar cry rang throughout the forest. Gasping, Pacifica jumped to her feet and shrieked without thinking, "GIDEON!"

She immediately slammed her hands over her mouth, disbelief in her eyes. There was no way Dipper hadn't heard that! A second later, the bushes beside her are pulled apart, revealing the teenage boy. His eyes flashed at the sight of her and he snarled, "You!"

Shrieking, Pacifica whirled around and began to flee. Dipper lunged after her, snaking his arm around her waist and yanking her backwards towards him. Her back slammed into his chest and he quickly wrapped his other arm around her, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Not so fast, princess," he growled next to her ear.

She wiggled and squirmed in his grasp, desperate to escape. "Let me go! Let me go!" She yelped.

Dipper grunted as she continued to thrash and buck. He felt his amulet, trapped between them, digging into his chest. Getting another idea, he used his weight to drag the girl to the ground. Flipping her onto her back, he struggled to pin her hands down as she tried to hit him repeatedly.

What he didn't realize was that her knees were in between his legs.

"Agh!" Dipper howled when Pacifica jammed her knee into his crotch. He squeezed his eyes shut and put his hands on either side of her head, hissing in pain. Pacifica seized her opportunity and scrambled out from underneath him.

Seeing his prey getting away, Dipper pushed through the pain and ran after her. She was running towards the river. Muttering one of the many spells he had read from the journal, he summoned a tendril of magic and swiped at her feet, causing her to stumble. The brief pause was enough for him to catch up to her.

Pacifica shrieked as he rammed into her, sending them both tumbling into the river. The current unbalanced them and almost started sweeping them away. Pacifica felt her back slam against a boulder and she let out an 'oomph'.

Groaning, she opened her blue eyes and met Dipper's icy ones. He had her trapped against the rock. Of course, she still tried to escape, but he quickly pinned her hands to the boulder.

The two gazed at each other in silence, each catching their breath. Pacifica's chest heaved up and down as she stared at her attacker in panic. Dipper's glowing eyes were baring into hers so intensely she wanted to look away. Fear kept her gaze locked with his.

Then, a smug, mischievous smirk slowly grew on the magician's face. Pacifica shrank beneath him, suddenly realizing that he was straddling her hips.

"Well, well, well," he practically purred, "Look who it is. Pacifica Northwest-"

Another shriek rang through the forest, followed by eerie feminine laughter. Pacifica tried to see her cousin, but Dipper never removed his gaze from her.

"And that pudgy little boy- what was his name again?" He tilted his head, pretending to think.

"Gideon!" Pacifica spat.

"Ah, yes. Gideon," he sneered down at her, "Well, sounds like my sister found him."

"You leave us alone!" Pacifica shouted bravely, trying to wiggle out of his grasp once more.

Dipper easily held her down. "Or what?" He taunted, "You'll strangle me with one of your sweaters?" He laughed at this.

Pacifica flushed in embarrassment and anger. "I'll-I'll," she stammered, "Y-you just-" She struggled to find something to say. Dipper's unnerving gaze was throwing her off. His smug smirk wasn't helping.

Gritting her teeth, she tried to pull her wrists out of his hands, to no avail. Moving her hips was out of the question. He was practically a dead weight on her.

Wiggling, she grunted, "Get off me!"

To her surprise, Dipper's hands vanished from her wrists. Suddenly free, she surged upwards and tried to push him off her lap, but Dipper muttered a spell before she could. A moment later, her hands were hanging above her head, shackled in turquoise handcuffs.

Dipper laughed chillingly at her frustrated expression. Wrapping an arm around the small of her back so that she wouldn't lean against the rock, he leered down at her.

"You don't tell me what to do," he sneered, "But, in this case, you get your wish. Only because I don't fancy getting my trousers any more soaked than they already are."

With that said, he stood up off of her and turned around. Grabbing his amulet, he levitated both himself and Pacifica onto dry land.

Whirling around, he grabbed the girl and dragged her over to a tree. Pacifica squeaked as turquoise chains wrapped around her legs, stomach, and hands (which were still handcuffed above her) and pinned her against the tree trunk.

Then suddenly Dipper's face was mere inches from hers. He put his hands on either side of her head, caging her in. Pacifica shrank at the sight of his glowing eyes.

"Enough games," he growled, "Tell me why you were spying on me."

"I-I wasn't!" Pacifica stuttered.

"Liar!" Dipper snarled, "Tell me the truth!"

"That was the truth!" Pacifica lied, "Now please- just let me and my cousin go!"

Dipper suddenly put one hand on her throat. Pacifica squeaked, trying once again to wiggle out of his grasp, but he tightened his grip and tilted her chin upwards.

"Now," he said softly, his voice dangerously quiet, "You're going to tell me the truth- or I'll make you."

He felt Pacifica gulp nervously under his hand. He smirked, rubbing his thumb along the side of her neck.

"Tick tock, blondie," he hissed.

Pacifica shuddered, the other teen way too close for comfort. She could feel his hot breath on her chin as his icy eyes bore into hers. Anxiety pooled in her belly and she reluctantly told the truth.

"Okay, okay," she said breathily, "I was spying on you. After the show last night, I spotted you and Mabel using your magic."

Dipper mentally cursed himself for being so careless.

Pacifica swallowed again, her eyes flitting around uneasily. "I…" She hesitated, "I won't tell anyone, if that's what you're scared of."

"I'm not scared!" Dipper spat instantly, tightening his grip a bit. Pacifica gasped and instinctively tugged on her chains. Regaining his cool composure, Dipper leaned close and whispered in her ear, "And I'm going to make sure you won't tell anyone." A shiver ran down Pacifica's spine. Dipper smirked.

"What are you going to do to me?" Pacifica asked, her voice quivering. Dipper pulled his head back, eyes baring into hers. He had a few ideas…

"Hey, Dipping sauce!" Mabel's shrill voice rang out.

He glanced over his shoulder to see his twin sister flying over to them using her amulet. A shackled Gideon floated after her.

"Look who I found!" Mabel said as she landed. Spotting Pacifica, she giggled, "Ooh, looks like you got one of your own, too!"

"Pacifica!" Gideon cried out, "Get away from her, you beast!"

"Gideon!" Pacifica called. Dipper glanced back at her, eyes narrowed.

Mabel was currently fawning over Gideon, but she still maintained her evil grin that looked similar to Dipper's.

"I think we should keep them," she said, twirling a strand of Gideon's white hair in her finger, "What do you say, Dipper?"

"Let us go!" Gideon protested.

"Nah, you'd miss me, my little sugar cube," Mabel cooed, planting a kiss on his cheek. The boy groaned. Giggling, Mabel looked up at her brother and said in a more serious tone, "They've seen too much, broseph."

"We won't tell anyone, I swear!" Pacifica said.

Dipper turned to her, his hand still on her throat. "As long as I'm alive, you won't even think about coming back here. If I find out that you told anyone, you'll never see the light of another day. Got it?"

Pacifica nodded feverishly.

Dipper held her gaze for a few more moments before taking his hand off of her neck. At the same time, the chains restricting her vanished and she stumbled away from the tree.

She straightened up and looked at Dipper, surprised. He scowled and snarled, "Get out of here!"

Stifling a yelp, she dashed over to Gideon, who was also free of chains, and grabbed his hand. "Come on!" She urged, dragging him along as they ran off into the forest.

Mabel frowned and walked over to her brother. "Why are we letting them go?"

Dipper slowly smirked and glanced at his sister, replying, "We wouldn't want to break our new toys after the first game, now would we?"

Mabel grinned and said, "No. We'll be playing many more games with them before we're done."

Dipper chuckled and gazed at the forest, watching the blob of blonde hair grow smaller and smaller until it vanished.