Little Dipper

Unicorn

"I don't think we could sustain a barrier around the buildings to protect them even if I got all the wizards in Gravity Falls together." Gideon said, sighing as he set down his pencil. "But it'd be ideal if we could just protect the buildings and keep people inside."

"Well, maybe Lee's got some suggestions." Bill offered. "Lee?" He looked at Ford.

"Hm?" Ford looked up.

"We want to protect the buildings from evil, any suggestions?" Bill asked.

"Unicorn hair." Lee glanced at him. "But it might keep you out, too."

"I'm willing to take that chance." Bill said firmly. "How do we get unicorn hair?" He looked at Gideon. "Is that a common ingredient?"

"Uh, no. Unicorn anything is a really difficult ingredient to get." Gideon shook his head. "I don't even know where the unicorns are, I've only seen them at the waterfall once. They fled once they realized I wasn't a maiden, though."

"Pretentious pricks." Ford huffed. "I know how to get to them. But, as you said, only maidens will be allowed."

"Did I hear something about unicorns?" Mabel poked her head into the room.

"Yes, you did. Where have you been?" Gideon asked, getting up as she came further into the room.

"I was playing with Dipper and Tyrone outside. It's a gorgeous day out." Mabel smiled and hugged him. "Wanna join us?"

"Actually, we need to look for the unicorns." Gideon admitted. "But, they won't come out for males..."

Mabel gasped. "Oh. My. Goshness. I can look for the unicorns with the girls! Let me go look for them, please!"

"Well, I don't see much other choice." Bill shrugged and looked at Ford. "Lee?"

Ford stood up. "I'll get my Journal." He headed for the basement.

"I'll go contact the other wizards and witches in town. The more protective charms we can place, the better. Might be good to plan a few hexes, too." Gideon grinned a bit and kissed Mabel's cheek before walking out of the room past her.

Dipper came into the room. "What's going on?"

"I'm going to find unicorns!" Mabel smiled. "Wish me luck!"

"Okay! Good luck!" Dipper hugged her.

Ford came back in and handed Mabel the book. "There you go. Do you need me to show you the page?"

"Nah, I'll find it." Mabel pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Grenda, oh my god, you have got to come to the Mystery Shack! Get Pacifica and Candy, too!" She ran out of the room.

"So...what will we do?" Bill asked.

"I think we need to have a talk." Ford said firmly. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Dipper asked.

"The basement." He headed for it.

Bill shrugged and followed him. Ford waited for them to catch up and then pulled out a keycard from his pocket to access a secret basement floor. "We're going to where we can be alone."

They arrived at the secret floor and Ford stepped out, Bill and Dipper following. The room had curtains all over covering things up and then Ford turned to them. "Alright, Bill. It's time to confess. What's your game? Why are you posing as a good guy? We all know you're laughing behind our backs."

"But, he--" Dipper started to speak up and Bill held out a hand to stop him.

"Why do you say that?" Bill asked.

"Because I know your game. You're conspiring with Pyronica whenever we turn our backs!" Ford snapped.

Bill sighed and shook his head. "No, I haven't."

"Lies!" Ford ripped down one of the curtains, showing a statue of Bill with multiple arms and different artifacts. "You're a deceiver! A trickster! You're toying with us!"

"I haven't talked to Pyronica in 30 years!" Bill snapped. "Not since you sealed me away!"

"All that did was keep you from getting into our heads!" Ford snapped back.

Dipper went over to pull more curtains aside curiously. More images of Bill, almost enough to fill a museum. "Grunkle Lee?"

"No, it did much more than that. While you were having fun in the multiverse, I was staring at wooden planks!" Bill said firmly. "I couldn't use my Sight, I couldn't use any powers and I was completely helpless and lost in my own mind for 30 years! Until Pine Tree found me, I couldn't even change my shape! You completely incapacitated me!"

"That's not what I've heard. I've heard you're still calling the shots, ruling from the castle!" Ford said firmly.

"Do you honestly think that they would tell people I was vulnerable?" Bill asked, looking annoyed. "I've been a stone statue for 30 years! Pyronica's the one calling the shots and protecting me until I wake up again! And I'm giving up ever waking up if it means that this town will be safe!"

Ford frowned. What Bill was saying made some sort of sense. But the spell was only supposed to block him from possessing anyone, why would it completely remove his powers? Maybe he'd misread something...

"Grunkle Lee, why do you have so many pictures of Bill? You must've really loved him." Dipper said, looking at the pictures.

Ford sputtered and Bill looked around at everything in surprise. "Well, I--"

"You didn't destroy all these?" Bill asked in disbelief. "You said you hated me, why wouldn't you destroy all of these?"

Ford glanced to the side, blushing. "I still...admire you."

"I'm getting hungry looking at all these Doritos." Dipper said, rubbing his stomach.

"Don't eat it." Bill playfully bopped his head.

Ford sighed. "So...if what you're saying is true...then all of the violence, the destruction, the orders to the other criminals outside the Nightmare Realm...that was all her?"

"Hey, I honestly can't lead a whole group of criminals. I was a figurehead, she's the real criminal leader." Bill shrugged. "I got them out of jail and then took revenge on my own world. That's it. And then my task was to get them out of the Nightmare Realm."

"So, she's been using you this whole time?" Ford frowned. "Using your name, your power, and for what? Chaos?"

"Honestly, I don't know much about her from before we met in prison." Bill admitted. "But, yeah. And I've washed my hands of the whole thing and would like to protect this world from her, so if you would stop wasting time trying to find reasons to blame me, that would be awesome." He looked at the statues and pictures. "And, uh, can we destroy these? Please? It's very stalker vibe."

"We'll...worry about that later. I have to show you something." Ford said, looking at Bill. "Let's go to my lab in the basement."

"What is it?" Bill asked.

Ford sighed and went to the elevator. "I'm honestly not sure if I can trust you still...so it'll stay in my locked safe. But I...I found the rift already."

"You what?" Bill walked over with Dipper.

"It's secure, don't worry." Ford said, opening the elevator. "But, you understand why I still don't fully trust you, right? I mean, the things you did to me..."

Bill sighed. "I guess I was a bit harsh."

"And I still don't trust you. Even if what you say is true, I have no proof you won't betray us at your first chance." They got in and headed down.

"That's true. Or when she gets here. You have no idea how persuasive she can be." Bill shrugged. "So, that's fair. Might've been a good idea to tell Gideon you found it, though, Poor kid is tearing his hair out looking."

"I didn't know who was your ally and who wasn't." Ford said defensively as they stepped out into the lab. "Even Tad Strange wasn't to be trusted. But, if what you're saying is true, then these past 30 years you haven't been doing anything wrong."

"Unless you call counting the wooden planks of the closet 'wrong'." Bill said dryly.

"This doesn't mean things are better between us, though." Ford walked over and typed in something, a small compartment opening and revealing a snowglobe-like object. He took it out and showed it to Bill. "See? It's safe. No way they're getting through."

Bill tapped the glass, looking at the swirling blob of universe inside. "Looks safe. Still, better safe than sorry. If Gideon saw it in a vision, it's going to happen sometime. And soon."

Ford put it back inside and closed the compartment. "Naturally, only I can open this. So, in case you decide to turn against us, you can't touch it."

"Yeah, I know. You still don't trust me. That's okay, I don't trust you either." Bill adjusted his coat around himself a bit tighter. "For all I know, you'll side with her in the end."

Dipper looked at the two of them one after the other and sighed. At least they weren't fighting...

–

"I can't believe her." Mabel despaired. "I'm not pure of heart? Me?"

"She doesn't know what she's talking about, you're the purest." Wendy said, holding Mabel close. "Come on, let's go tell her she's wrong. And if she doesn't help us, well, we'll let the demons eat her first."

"I'm not sure if threatening her is a good idea." Pacifica commented.

"Hey, whatever works." Grenda shrugged.

"I was going to suggest we beat her up, but threatening to let the demons eat her will probably work." Candy said, shrugging.

"No, I have to prove I'm pure of heart." Mabel stood up. "I have to."

"You'd be wasting your time."

Mabel gasped and looked around until she saw a small glowing girl with wings sitting on a mushroom. "Are you...a fairy?"

"Gideon wanted me to make sure you were okay, this whole vision thing has him on-edge. Anyways, those unicorns are idiots. Pretty sure they're the abandoned offspring of a unicorn and a horse. They aren't actually seeing into your heart." The fairy said casually.

"So, they lied? Why?" Mabel asked, clenching her fists.

"Probably because they're greedy." The fairy shrugged. "I'd go with the threatening to let them get eaten, personally."

"Can you talk to them?" Mabel asked.

"I'm going out of my way just to watch you, you really think I want to talk to those pathetic excuses for supernaturals?" The fairy crossed her arms over her chest. Mabel wished she could see more of the creature's features, but the glow was almost blinding. "Ugh, fine. But only because you're Gideon's girl. Plus, it would get you finished with this quicker. How much hair do you need, anyway?"

"Enough to protect every building in town." Mabel nodded firmly.

"Girl, you could take all the hair from mane to tail of those three and you wouldn't be able to do that. Pick a few places and sacrifice the rest." She grinned a bit, her teeth visible and sharp. "We could watch the children for you."

"Uh, no." Mabel shook her head. "I've heard the stories."

"Pity. Well, was worth a shot. Alright, let me in there." She got up and flew past them. "Wait out here. And, seriously, you have to pick and choose, you can't protect every single one."

Mabel nodded, glancing to the side. Which of these beautiful buildings would they have to sacrifice to Pyronica's flames?

They heard arguing inside and Mabel looked in curiously. To her shock, the fairy was actually attacking the unicorns, her glow a dangerous red color and her expression crazed. The unicorns were backed into the wall as the fairy came at them with claws extending from her hands.

"H-Help! Somebody, help! We'll do anything!" The unicorns cried out.

"Stop!" Mabel ran in. "Don't hurt them!"

"Oh, thank goodness! Please, help us! We'll give you our hair if you can get her away from us!" The unicorns begged.

Mabel moved in front of the fairy, blocking the way protectively. "Leave them alone!"

The fairy retracted her claws, her colors returning to normal. "Oh, darn, I can't hurt Gideon's girlfriend, the Queen would be furious! What an inconvenience. I guess I'll just go now." She flew off.

"Thank you." The head unicorn breathed a sigh of relief. "Uh, I guess we did promise you...how much do you need?"

–

"Mission accomplished!" Mabel cheered. "Grunkle Lee will be so happy!"

"Let's get back. Hey, where's that fairy?" Wendy looked around.

"She's gone." Pacifica shrugged.

"Probably a good thing." Grenda nodded. "I'm glad we didn't have to beat up the unicorns, though."

"Yeah. I mean, they've already been abandoned by their parents!" Mabel nodded.

"Hey, what's wrong with that fairy? It looks different, and it won't stop throwing up." Candy pointed to a fairy nearby.

"...I don't know." Mabel admitted. "Let's ask Gideon sometime. For now, we have to get back to the Mystery Shack!"