From Sweethearts to Soulmates [A Stanford Pines x Reader]

Chapter 20

I woke to Mabel shaking me frantically. "Grauntie Y/n, you gotta wake up." My eyes snapped open and I threw my arms around her, tears forming in my eyes. "I-I thought I lost you..." She hugged me back, before taking my hand and leading me to the edge of the throne. We slowly descended toward everyone at the bottom, Mabel holding my waist and the grappling hook, while I tried not to look down, clutching at her desperately.

"Mabel, sweetheart. Where's your Grunkle Ford?" She smiled.

"He's fine, he's down with everyone else. We just need to pull out the Mayor from the throne so we can set everyone free!" Now it was my turn to beam. She nodded earnestly. When we got to the bottom, I thanked her for saving my ass and took her small hand, leading her towards the group as the throne fell behind me, people tumbling down. Everyone was reuniting with their loved ones; it was heart-warming to see.

When the last human fell, Ford unfroze from his golden tomb. "Kids! Ah, you did it! I knew I could count on you two." He spotted Fiddleford and a look of regret shadowed his features as he turned towards him. "Fiddleford. I-I haven't seen you since we parted ways. You must hate me." He looked down in shame as Fidds let a small smile slip across his features.

"I've tried forgettin'. Maybe I should try forgiving. Come here, old friend." They embraced each other, two friends reuniting after years apart. Stan rolled his eyes.

"Hey, good to see you too, bro. Now let's get outta here, huh?" Dipper's mind was ticking over as he said,

"Listen, Uncle Ford, we don't have a lot of time. Remember how you told me right before you were frozen that you knew Bill's weakness?" His eyes sparkled in remembrance.

"I-I do!" He plucked a pair of six-fingered gloves from his pocket, slipping them over his calloused hands almost effortlessly. "Now, does anyone have a pen? Pencil? Anything?" I didn't bother pointing out the pen in his pocket as he spotted Robbie's spray paint lying on the floor and snatched it up. "Ah, perfect." He began drawing with it as Dipper became increasingly anxious, fidgeting more and more by the second.

"Uh, we've got Bill outside, but I don't know how long we can keep him occupied." Ford just half hummed a distracted,

"Yes, yes. Good, good." Stan rolled his eyes again. I swear if he keeps doing that his eyes are gonna be stuck like that.

"Drawing a circle on the floor. Well, he's lost his mind." Ford shook his head.

"My mind is fine. And there is a way to beat him. With this." Despite myself, a small gasp passed my lips.

"The world's most confusing game of hopscotch?" Pacifica said in clear confusion.

"No, a prophecy. Although it would be a pretty fun game of hopscotch."

"The zodiac." I whispered.

"Precisely."

"Many years ago, I found ten symbols in a cave. Some I recognized then; some I only recognize now. The native people of Gravity Falls prophesied that these symbols could create a force strong enough to vanquish Bill. With Bill defeated, his weirdness would be reversed, and the town could be saved. This whole time I thought it was just superstition. But seeing you all here now, I finally understand that it's destiny. Dipper, the pine tree. Mabel, the shooting star." The kids seemed to understand, nodding, and stepping into their respective spots. "The question mark. This one's unsolvable." Soos said, contemplating it before stepping into his spot. Wendy pushed Robbie, sending him stumbling into his spot.

"That one's easy. You've been rockin' that dumb hoodie since the seventh grade." He looked down at his hoodie in wonder.

"Whoa. Destiny hoodie."

"The Tent of Telepathy sign! That must be Gideon." He moved to stand next to Mabel.

"Whoo! An excuse to stand next to Mabel." Mabel looked away.

"Don't turn this into a big deal."

"Oh, I won't!" He turned, whispering to himself. "I will."

Ford turned to everyone, already positioned on his symbol; the six-fingered hand. "Hold hands, everyone. This is a mystical human energy circuit." Dipper seemed to panic slightly.

"Ice? Who's ice?" "The symbols needn't all be literal, Dipper. It just has to be someone cool in the face of danger." All the teens started chanting.

"Wendy! Wendy!" She stepped onto her symbol, beside Dipper.

"Shut up, you guys." She laughed.

"Much like the spectacles need to be someone scholarly." Fiddleford moved onto his symbol, with a happy laugh. Pacifica looked down at her sweater, stepping onto the llama symbol.

"This is freaky."

"Now hold hands, everyone." Fiddleford held out his hand to Pacifica, flies buzzing around it. "Ew! I'm not touching that." She scoffed. Her father put a hand on her shoulder.

"Do it, sweetie. Do the one thing no one in our family has ever done: touch the hillbilly." She shuddered, but complied, placing her hand in Fiddleford's. The circle began to glow, bathing the room in a soft blue light.

"Great Uncle Ford! I think it's working!" Ford's smile grew. "Yes! This is it!" He turned to all of us outside the circle.

"The rest of you get out. It's too dangerous! And yes, that includes you Y/n." How did he know I was gonna ask? I bowed to all of them, kissing Stanford's cheek before backing towards the door.

"Best of luck to you all. You'd better be home for dinner, or I'll kick all of your butts myself. Stanley, get your ass in this circle, this instant." I paused, face sobering. "I love you all, see you on the other side." With a final wave, I left the room behind, trying not to let anxiety take a hold of me.

I can't lose him again.