If a Pine Tree Falls in a Forest...

A Lesson in Humanity

Wendy heaved out a breath, effectively flopping onto her bed. (Or, at least, what was close enough to a bed. In reality it was a cot they'd found in a corner of the shack.)

She and everyone else who'd taken residence in the Mystery Shack had been working themselves to the bone trying to pull off their plan. It was only by shear luck that they'd found Old Man McGuckget, and that he'd been lucid. Though, it was always a fun day when Wendy got to work next to him all day, kept things interesting at least.

Wendy couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. Before all of this started, she'd never even wanted to be within 10 feet of the hillbilly. The apocalypse can really change a person.

She sighed, turning onto her side. It was crazy to think that it had been at least a few months since this mess started, (it was hard to tell time when Gravity Falls was constantly at dusk.) Since who they thought was the most average man in Gravity Falls turned out to be an unexpected ally. But, no matter what, Wendy made sure she and everyone else kept going. If they stopped, if they gave up, there was no more hope. In all of the trips they'd risked into town, they'd found only a few people. Other than that, Gravity Falls had been overrun by everything not human.

They were all the humanity that was left.

In a few hours, that would change.

Not hopefully, it would change. Wendy would make sure of it. It didn't matter what got in their way, it didn't matter who got in their way. The plan would succeed.

It had to.

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

Despite everything, Dipper couldn't help but feel the slightest of nerves. He stood in front of the room Bill had put Sixer, the door firmly closed until he chose to walk through. But he couldn't help but hesitate. Things were so much different. He was stronger than he'd ever been, certainly stronger than Sixer could ever hope to be. But, at the end of the day, no matter the horns or the second mouth, he was still Dipper. No matter what had happened this summer, he was still the teenager who'd been a bit too curious for his own good. The teenager who just wanted his family to trust him. At the end of the day, the man beyond this door had been the catalyst that proved to him how little family actually meant. But it was this same man who'd ultimately led him to the dream demon that changed things for the better.

Maybe he was reading too far into things. He didn't owe Sixer a damn thing.

With a deep breath, he opened the door.

He wasn't surprised to find Sixer chained to a couch that seemed to be made of human skin, and Bill standing with a glass in hand. The dream demon turned with a wide smile when he heard the door open.

"Pine Tree! Thought you'd burn the door down with how long you stared at it!" Dipper smiled at the teasing, silently reminding himself the importance of what he was about to do. Because he would succeed. He had to, for Bill.

"Dipper?!" He frowned, confused why Bill would give Sixer back his tongue. He didn't need it for the spell, after all. When he turned to Bill to ask, the dream demon was already ahead of him, almost smiling sheepishly.

"It's no fun if he can't scream Pine Tree!"

"No, it can't be. That isn't my nephew! What the hell is your angle Bill?" Sixer was screaming, eyes wide with disbelief. Dipper could practically see the cogs whirring in his head, amused by his desperate attempts at understanding what was happening. Of course he refused to believe in what Dipper had become, he'd never believed his nephew anyway.

"You really can't see it? You should be proud Sixer! Look at him! Look at the power, he's glowing!"

"My nephew is human." Dipper rolled his eyes, amusement quickly turning to irritation. Stubbornness was never a good look.

"I thought I already told you, Sixer. Your nephew is dead. He died in that goddamn chair." Any hesitation he had left dissipated, determination filling its place. Sixer's defiance only spurred on his own desire to help Bill. With a wave of his hand, Sixer was forced onto his knees in front of the couch, Dipper kneeling in front of him.

"Let's get this show on the road, Sixer! After all, I've got a dimension to conquer. Now, I'll give you one chance; how do I take down that barrier?"

Sixer's only response was an angry sputter.

"You never were one to make things easy, were you? Well, can't say I didn't try!" Bill grinned, gesturing for Dipper to begin.

Dipper nodded, one hand reaching for the center of Sixer's chest, ignoring the man's squirming. His other hand touched his own forehead, feeling the warmth emanating from his Big Dipper, the constellations steadily growing brighter, brighter, brighter-

And the room exploded.