Dipper didn't sleep that night. He tried to think of ways that he could kill Bill Cipher himself. It would be saving the world...right?

Right! He urged his mind when his mind rejected him, a doubtful spark at the back of his head. It would be saving the world. And his family.

Turning 13 wasn't as exciting as he thought it would be. He used to be so excited of all the possibilities of this age. Of growing up. Growing up was just the way of life and he learned that he didn't actually have to grow up but now...he didn't have a choice.

It was Weirdmageddon. The apocalypse. Bill Cipher ripped his family out of his hands and imprisoned him in his pyramid. Dipper was now a demon. Everything was either life or death at this point. He shouldn't be thinking about this at 13. He should be thinking about girls or homework or how to hide a certain treacherous thing during class.

That was gone. His life was changed forever.

He replayed memories of his family in his head. Mabel being happy and covered and glitter and bright colors, dragging him around everywhere to help her get a date for a boy that she was crushing on (and Dipper reluctantly admits to himself that even he thinks they're cute too). Stan in his undershorts and boxers, lounging around on the faded and ripped orange sofa, lazily holding out the remote to change the channels on the TV. Ford showing him a mechanism that he invented that could do cool things like mind-control and all that. He even missed Waddles, that stupid pig who always licked him like an excited dog. He was adorable. He missed them. He was supposed to betray and trick them.

But doing it would keep his family and friends safe. All of them. It would also—

There was that doubtful spark again! He groaned and flopped onto the cold floor. He then weighed the possibilities in his head.

Don't trick and betray them: Bill probably could enter his mind. That would be the last time he'd spend with them ever if Bill finds out that he won't do it. Do trick and betray them: they'll be kept from harm, like Bill had promised him. The world will end and erupt into unending chaos.

Wait.

His head shot up from the floor. Maybe if he could trick Bill into thinking he could trust Dipper, then Dipper would be able to learn some of Bill's secrets and weaknesses and to let him visit his family. Ford and Dipper could come up with a plan to destroy Bill!

Then he would have to penetrate his family's mind for his plan to work. He would have to tell his family about his plan if it does actually kick off.

His head hit the floor again with a thud. He didn't care for the pain—but Bill could step into Dipper's mind at any given moment. Maybe if there were a way to shield his mind, like Ford did, with not metal but magic.

Dipper immediately sat up, getting a head rush and he blinked his eyes vigorously to get rid of the dizziness, and he sat against his bed. The metal plate. Maybe he could imagine a metal plate around his mind and it would happen!

Phew. Here goes nothing.

He inhaled and exhaled slowly. Now, he envisioned a metal plate forming around his mind, bolting and melding together to make a strong and thick forcefield. This would stop anyone from getting inside his head. He felt it. It was actually working!

Then there was a moon. And stars. And planets. Only did he then realize that his metal shield was accompanied by them. They were...all around it. The metal was forged with them and all around. Space. The Big Dipper sat above it all.

He opened his eyes. Yeah, he could definitely feel the shield. It was real. It was real.

His mood immediately darkened when he thought, like everything else. Weirdmageddon.

Before he could finish his thought, he felt Bill outside his door. He opened it before the demon could say anything or knock, if he was going to.

"We're going to teleport today."

Teleport. Teleporting. Right...he was going to learn how to teleport. He had to get used to that soon.

When Bill took his arm, Dipper knew when to close his eyes when Bill teleported them outside under the Fearamid again. Dipper did his best to block out the noises of the world.

Keep the barrier up, Dipper reminded himself.

Bill never turned to him, only put his hands behind his back and sighed contently at the broken and burning town. Dipper still didn't look past the ground or Bill.

"So," Bill said, making Dipper jump in surprise. "Tomorrow is the day where you are going to be going back to your family." Dipper's heart jumped. "You remember your mission, don't you?" His one eye turned to look into Dipper's eyes that would have made Dipper scared to the bone, but somehow, it didn't.

Dipper nodded.

"Good. So, you'll get the formula—"

Never.

Bill's eye widened and Dipper saw the powerful demon's corners get red—only a bit. Oh no...he'd accidentally let that thought over his barrier. He quickly made sure the confines were sealed up strong and tight in there. Dipper's plans were probably ruined.

"Did you say that you would never do it?" Bill's voice had gone uncharacteristically soft.

Dipper said nothing.

The demon glared flaming daggers at the boy. "If you don't do it, then I'll have to persuade someone else in the shack to do it once they step outside. I'll make sure you never see your family again."

Dipper felt that twinge of fear for the first time ever since he had been turned into an evil creature.

"It's the only way!" Bill roared. Dipper jumped, heart spiking. "You don't have the guts to do it, kid, don't you? You do realize that this is for your family's likelihood of being safe!" Bill scoffed, looking away. His red aura calmed into his normal yellow. "You have no brains, you don't even know what you're doing."

No brains. Bill had no idea that that sentence had gotten into Dipper when Gideon sneered those words at him. Face it, kid. You're nothing without these journals. And the journals were burned and gone forever. He was nothing.

Bill must have seemed to notice how his words bothered him. If Bill had a human body, he would be smirking right now. He floated closer until he was a few inches away from Dipper's face. "That bothers you, huh?"

Nothing.

No. He was something. He would save the world. Dipper dared to meet Bill's eye.

"Oh ho, so you don't?" Bill teleported a couple of feet away. "No brains. You don't think things through." He teleported in another direction. "Oh, so clueless!"

Nothing.

Teleported behind him. "So foolish. You don't think things through when you get into action."

Right in front of him. "No muscles. You get beat up by everything you try to figh—"

Dipper started. He lunged for the eye, trying to punch that mocking snarky face off. "No," Dipper breathed. "I am something."

Bill teleported away again. Where the hell was he?

"Boo." Dipper threw a punch at him again, but Bill was too fast.

Too fast.

Where was he—there he is! Dipper sprinted for that stupid triangle, but before they could touch, he punched air for what seemed to be the hundredth time.

Dipper was breathing hard. He turned this way and that, trying to pinpoint Bill's location. He finally found him and half a second later—punch!

Bill beamed (but with his eye...if he was a human, Bill would be grinning. Dipper's head hurt). Dipper frowned. What happened?

"You teleported!" Bill exclaimed.

Dipper's face fell, but his heart lifted a bit. What?

"Come on, let's lead you back to the castle. Nice work today." A compliment by Bill? That's weird...

Bill teleported them back inside the castle. What Bill said next made Dipper's heart suddenly drop to the floor. "I know that you have your mind barrier up."

Dipper couldn't breathe. Bill was mad, Bill was—

"Good job," he said to him, and disappeared.

So...he wasn't mad?

Then another thought came to him. Tomorrow. Tomorrow, he was going to penetrate his family's minds and he had no say in the matter. Oh, this was going to kill him...