Mabel's breath caught in her throat as her hands lit up. Dark blue light suddenly encased her hands from the wrist down. On her right, she gripped Ford's hand, which glowed gold. Robbie's hand, which she held on her left, glowed white.

Everyone had a different color. But all the colors blended together to create a bright and beautiful symphony. Dipper, whose hands glowed a pinkish orange, grinned at Mabel; and though she was a bit scared, she found herself excited enough to grin back at him.

"It worked!" said Andrew. "The magic accepts you, Lee."

Grunkle Lee breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." It was strange seeing him in Greg's body, but his voice was his own, as were his eyes.

"What now?" Ford asked.

"Well," Andrew said, "the prophecies refer to the Cipher Wheel as a single entity. The Symbols are talked about only until they form the Cipher Wheel, after which the Wheel is treated almost as its own person. There are ten of you, but the magic requires you all to be unified. Not just by physically touching, but by becoming one mind."

Mabel's eyes widened.

"What?" said Wendy. She let go of Pacifica's and Fidds' hands and stepped back. "No. No way."

The glow around the Symbols' hands disappeared as soon as Wendy let go. "What's the problem?" asked Andrew.

"'Becoming one mind'?" Wendy repeated. "I'm not giving up my mind. You're crazy."

Andrew let out a long breath, then reached up and tugged on one of his horns. Mabel wondered if that was his way of showing exasperation. "You're not going to lose your mind," he said. "It's not a permanent thing. But while you're standing in the Cipher Wheel, the ten of you have to work together to defeat Cipher. You have to — temporarily — let the magic unify your minds into one."

"How do we do that?" Gideon asked, shooting a glare at Wendy.

Mabel didn't think his glare was called for. Wendy had a legitimate concern. The thought of losing her identity. . . well, to Mabel, it was almost scarier than dying.

Still, even after Andrew's assurances that no identities would be lost, Wendy didn't seem thrilled to rejoin the Cipher Wheel. She folded her arms across her chest and glared at Andrew.

"Wendy," Ford said tersely, "this isn't about you. This is about getting rid of Bill Cipher. This is about getting Lee his body back, about getting this town back to its dimension where it belongs. Where we all belong."

"Please, Wen," said Robbie. He tried to meet her eyes from across the circle. "My dad let himself get possessed for this. We have to follow through with it."

Wendy didn't say anything for a long moment. Then, "Fine," she muttered. She took Pacifica's and Fidds' hands again.

The Symbols stood hand-in-hand once more, but the glow didn't come back right away. "So how do we unify our minds?" Gideon repeated.

"I'm not sure," Andrew admitted. "But if you all think about Bill Cipher and focus on how much you want to defeat him, maybe that'll do it."

"If you're not sure about that, then how can you be sure that we won't become brainless zombies after this?" Wendy demanded.

"The ancients wouldn't have made the spell like that," Gideon said, annoyance thick in his voice. "They did something to the township so that Mabel wouldn't lose too much of her life force, even after nine days of being up in her moon. If they were thinking ahead that far, I highly doubt they'd let the ten of us get hurt when activating the Cipher Wheel."

"He's right," Andrew said.

Wendy looked away, muttering something under her breath. Mabel took that to mean she had no comeback.

Without warning, the multicolored glow appeared around the Cipher Wheel again. Wendy's hands lit up with a bright red, Pacifica's with a soft purple, and Lee's with a deep maroon. Mabel could see her own dark blue glow in her periphery.

"Can you feel the magic connecting you?" asked Andrew. Mabel wasn't sure what he meant, but she closed her eyes and tried to feel. . . something.

She couldn't, not really. She could feel Ford's and Robbie's hands in hers, and she could imagine the other Symbols in her mind's eye, but she couldn't sense anything more than that.

"I don't feel anything," Dipper said. The others murmured their agreement.

"Try thinking about Cipher," Andrew directed.

Mabel certainly didn't like thinking about Bill, but she did as Andrew said. She imagined Bill and his hateful yellow glow, his mocking laughter. She imagined what it would be like once he was gone, how peaceful it would be.

"Nothing," said Ford. "I don't feel any connection."

"Nothing?" said Andrew. Mabel opened her eyes and saw him rubbing his bovine face. "Maybe if you keeping trying. . ."

"Maybe you don't know what you're talking about," Wendy muttered.

"Is it me?" Grunkle Lee asked. "Is it not working because of me?"

"No, you're fine, because the magic accepts you," Andrew said. "It needed to identify your souls — or your spirit, Lee, in your case — but it's already done that. Now you need to join together in the mindscape."

"Oh," said Ford in a sudden realization. "My metal plate. I'm cut off from the mindscape."

Everyone was quiet.

"So. . . that's it?" said Robbie. "We can't do it?"

"I'm sure it'll be fine," said Andrew. "We just have to ask the hamadryads if they can take it out."

"That sounds dangerous," Melody said immediately.

Ford shook his head. "Taking it out can't be any more dangerous than putting it in was," he said.

"You were gone for about almost a full day last time," Fidds said. "We'll probably be set back until tomorrow."

"There's nothing to be done about that," Ford said. He let go of Gideon's and Mabel's hands. The Cipher Wheel's colorful glow disappeared.

Mabel couldn't ignore the disappointment that rushed through her. All that preparation, all that excitement, for nothing? They had to wait?

She frowned as another idea occurred to her. "Wait, Grunkle Ford," she said, "isn't it a bad idea to take out your metal plate? Then you won't be able to keep secrets from Bill anymore."

Ford considered this. "That's true," he said, "but he can't see us right now. Since he's inside Lee's body, he can't see into the mindscape and read our thoughts like he normally does."

"He can't?" asked Mabel.

"No, he hasn't been able to since you went up into the moon," Gideon told her.

"The way I see it," Ford said, "it doesn't matter anymore whether or not Bill can see into my mind, because he can't see into anyone's mind at the moment. And I'm certainly hopeful that we'll fulfill the Cipher Wheel prophecy and get rid of him before he has the chance to spy on anyone again."

Mabel thought about this. That made sense. And if they didn't fulfill the prophecy, well. . . it still wouldn't really matter if Bill could see into Ford's mind. They'd all be as good as dead anyway.

Don't think like that, Mabel, she chided herself. They were all here, weren't they? Grunkle Lee was successful in possessing Greg, wasn't he? Yes, this metal plate thing was a snag, but it was one they could resolve. They could still — they would still — form the Cipher Wheel again and stop Bill.

"Let's go talk to Ivy, then," said Dipper. "She's still outside, isn't she? C'mon, Grunkle Ford."

With that, the Symbols disbanded. Ford, Dipper, and Andrew went outside, and Robbie and Janice approached Lee. "Does this mean you'll stay in Greg's body until Stanford comes back?" Janice asked.

Lee shrugged. "It depends on whether Gideon is willing to help us switch back and forth, or if he thinks we should stay like this until we can form the Wheel again."

Gideon crossed the room to join their conversation. Mabel stayed where she was, by the stairs, watching the others and wondering, What now? This would be a good time to get that rest June had talked about, but she couldn't just go back to sleep. She was way too keyed up for that.

"Dad, can we get back to our game?" said one of the Valentino boys, looking up at Danny.

"I don't see why not," Danny said.

"Sweet!" The boy pulled some cards from his pocket, and his brothers followed him to the middle of the living room, not far from Mabel. They sat on the floor and started shuffling the cards.

The oldest Valentino boy looked up. "Do you want to join us, Mabel?"

Mabel blinked. "Oh, um, sure." She sat down, feeling self-conscious. What were the boys' names, again? They'd come outside to welcome her back last night, and she'd even hugged them in the excitement, but she wasn't sure she knew their names. She hadn't really interacted with them much.

Well, it'd be too awkward to ask now. "What are you playing?" she asked instead.

The boys taught Mabel a game that involved slapping piles of cards (and occasionally, in the case of the younger two boys, slapping each other). Mabel learned as they played that the oldest boy was named Emmett, his next younger brother was named Jaxon, and the youngest boy was named Nate. Waddles was sitting next to Nate, and the pig squealed in excitement every time someone slapped the pile. Mabel didn't think she'd be able to handle that sound for too long, but she was having fun for now.

She kept an eye on Lee, Gideon, and the Corduroys as she played. From what she overheard, it sounded like Gideon didn't want to force Lee out of Greg's body — or force Greg out when Lee needed it again — without Andrew's help. And even with Andrew's help, Gideon didn't want to run the risk of failure. So it was decided that Lee would stay in Greg's body until Ford got back and they could reform the Cipher Wheel.

It was good that Lee had a body again, but Mabel felt bad for Greg. She still remembered, from when Bill had possessed her, how scary it was to be a ghost. Greg wouldn't have the same fear that she did — he didn't have to worry about Lee doing something terrible — but he was probably still uncomfortable. And he'd have to stay as a ghost all day. Not fun.

Dipper didn't come back inside for a while. Mabel played cards with the Valentinos and repeatedly glanced at the door. Just as she was about to get up and go find Dipper herself, he came back inside. "Ford went with Ivy," he announced. "Andrew went with them, just in case."

"Did Ford or Ivy say how long it would take?" asked Lee.

"They'll be back by tonight," Dipper said. "It takes less time to take the metal plate out than it did to put it in."

"So we'll form the Cipher Wheel again tonight?" Mabel asked.

"Probably."

Well, that was better than waiting for tomorrow, at least.

"Guess what else?" said Dipper. He came over to sit by Mabel and the Valentino boys. "They found the servants and the Order members in the library and people's houses. They're going to watch the servants and make sure they don't try anything. But some of the Order members asked for help. Like Tyler Whittaker — his house is in another part of town, and he asked the perytons to take him home. The hamadryads are busy organizing that; that's why it took a while for them to help Ford. But anyway, the Order members are realizing that they don't want Bill to win. They just want to go home. And the supernatural creatures are helping them. Isn't that great?"

They finished their round of cards; Jaxon started dealing Dipper in for the next round. Mabel bit her lip. "What if they're just trying to get over to the Northwest Manor to help Bill?"

Dipper shrugged. "The hamadryads and perytons thought of that, too. The perytons aren't going to land on the island with the Manor. If an Order member lives in that area, they'll have to stay here. But Tyler's house isn't near there. I saw him just before he left, and he's really happy to go home."

Mabel smiled. "That's good, then."

The next round of cards started, and it was fun to have Dipper join, but it only took a few more rounds before Mabel got bored of cards (and annoyed by Waddles' continued squeals). So she went upstairs and sat on her bed, grabbing her sketchbook. She sketched herself, Ford, and Gideon standing beside each other in the Cipher Wheel, and she colored in the glows around each of their hands: dark blue for herself, golden for Ford, teal blue for Gideon. Mabel hadn't felt anything magical when they'd first formed the Wheel, but the glowing hands had been cool. And tonight, when Ford returned without his metal plate, was when the magic could really start.

What would the magic be like, though? How exactly would they "defeat" Bill? That was the word everyone used, but did they really mean "kill"? Mabel wanted the demon gone, but she certainly didn't want to become a murderer.

She closed her sketchbook, went back downstairs, and asked Lee about it. He'd spent thirty years as the leader of the Order, after all. He was bound to know something about what it meant to defeat Bill Cipher. "Well, I'm not certain what it means," Lee admitted. "The prophecies are vague. We won't kill him, though. We can't do that; he's an immortal demon. I imagine we'll be strengthening his prison somehow, setting him back for thousands of years before he can try escaping again."

That was good enough for Mabel. She couldn't imagine what the world would be like in a couple more millennia; certainly she wouldn't be in it. So to her, Bill would be as good as dead, without her feeling like she had killed him.

The rest of the day passed slowly. Mabel spent some of her time with Lee, some with Dipper, some with Gideon, some on her own. The day was full of rest, as June had suggested. But it was also full of boredom. Mabel's patience was stretched to capacity as she waited for Ford to return. She was annoyed that he hadn't thought to get his metal plate removed before they tried forming the Cipher Wheel.

But the evening came eventually. Mabel was eating dinner when the door opened. "I'm back," Ford called. He and Andrew entered the Museum.

Finally! Mabel jumped to her feet, abandoning her half-finished plate of food, and hurried to her grunkle's side. "The metal plate is gone? We can form the Cipher Wheel now?"

"Yes," he said, smiling at her eagerness. "Melody, would you mind gathering everyone again?"

Melody only went after she was certain Ford was all right. Ford seemed annoyed by her concern — "the hamadryads know what they're doing, Melody" — but she was pacified eventually, and she left to gather the others. Mabel followed Ford into the living room and asked him more questions about what his day was like.

"I was unconscious for most of it," Ford said, "and I don't feel a difference now that the plate is gone. That's it, really. They didn't take me somewhere special, like they did when they put it in. Ivy just took me into her tree, and the next thing I knew, I was back here, and Ivy was telling me she'd been successful."

Interesting. Mabel hadn't been unconscious last night, when June had taken her into her tree to heal her. But Mabel had only had an injured hand and a lack of energy; Ford, on the other hand, likely had to get his head split open to get the metal plate out.

Thank goodness for the hamadryads and their magical healing abilities.

In the next few minutes, everyone gathered in the living room. Andrew instructed the Symbols to circle up again. They each remembered where to stand, so it wasn't long before they were once again holding hands, waiting for the Cipher Wheel's magic to start. It almost felt like the intervening hours hadn't happened.

"Okay," Andrew said, "let's try this again. Once the glow appears, I want you all to think about Cipher and try to merge your thoughts."

That didn't sound easy, but Mabel was certain it would work this time. She kept her eyes on Dipper (it was uncomfortable to face Pacifica, who was directly opposite her) and waited for the Wheel to activate and the multicolored glow to reappear.

The Symbols' hands lit up. Mabel's heart rate increased.

She took a deep breath. Focus on Bill. Focus on what you're trying to do here. You're trying to stop Bill. You're trying to get back home. You want to see your parents again, and you have to get rid of Bill first. Mabel imagined Bill in her mind's eye, then put him behind prison bars. Then she imagined those prison bars behind more prison bars, over and over until Bill was stuck in a metaphorical prison many layers deep. That's what we're going to do. We're going to push him so far deep into his prison that it'll take him millennia to come back out.

So far deep that I'll never have to see him again.

Mabel closed her eyes as she thought of all this, and she tried to feel the thoughts of the Symbols around her. Nothing seemed to happen at first, but gradually, she began to sense them. She could feel nine other threads of thought, all connected by the magic of the Cipher Wheel. Everyone was thinking about Bill, about stopping Bill, although Mabel could also sense other thoughts beneath the main ones. Wendy was thinking about how stupid this would make her look if it turned out to be a hoax; Gideon was wondering how he and his mother could escape Gaston after all this; Dipper was imagining his and Mabel's parents' faces. Both Fidds and Pacifica had thoughts about redeeming themselves by participating in the Cipher Wheel.

It was strange to sense Pacifica's thoughts like this, not to mention everyone else's. Who was Mabel to read people's minds? It was wrong; she didn't know how to handle all these thoughts at once. She felt overwhelmed. Panic crept in; she wanted to escape the others' minds. She didn't want to be so close to them.

But the magic soothed Mabel's fears; the panic melted away. It suddenly felt right to be connected to everyone like this. It was only temporary. They would do what they needed to do, and then Mabel would be back. It would be okay. This was meant to be. This magic was made for the Symbols.

Mabel calmed down as the magic swirled around the Cipher Wheel. She could feel it binding them together, combining their thoughts, uniting their minds. All Mabel had to do was give in and let the magic take over.

So she did.