PART 1
It is the day before the twins leave, and Dipper is sitting on his bed, staring at his phone, waiting for the people from Town Hall to call and tell them the demographic info he requested is in. A very bored Mabel says they should have supplies ready for when the info comes back, both of them feeling like things are going to get very intense very soon. Dipper agrees and the two go downstairs.
In the gift shop, the twins recruit Wendy and Soos for their mission. Wendy pulls out rulers, a compass, a scale and markers from her bag. Dipper asks Soos where the maps are, but Soos tells him he would have to ask Stan about that. Dipper goes to find Stan as the other three head upstairs.
Dipper asks Stan where the maps are, and is informed they are in a closet by Stan's room. Stan gives him permission to use the maps, with the instructions that anything Dipper touches in the closet he has to clean up.
The closet looks like Stan's personal dumping ground, a million random things in the room. Dipper is able to find the maps, but when he grabs them, the dust makes him sneeze, causing an avalanche of stuff in the closet and out into the hallway. Stan yells at Dipper to clean it up, and he obeys.
After moving several items but making almost no progress in cleaning up, Dipper notices an old game on the ground. Inspecting it, Dipper's inner nerd comes out in full force. Grabbing the maps and the game, he abandons the mess and heads upstairs, where his friends and sister are waiting.
He drops the maps and reveals the game to be a first edition Strongholds and Serpents game. He and Soos start pulling out the game pieces, intending to play immediately. Mabel and Wendy are wary, Mabel saying girls don't play nerd games. After explaining that, while there are a lot of rules, Dipper will referee and help everyone out, Wendy and Mabel agree to play.
Dipper starts explaining the complicated game to his friends. While they compare notes, Dipper writes a story about three kingdoms, one lead by a cruel king, on the brink of war, and it is up to his friend to decide the winner and end the conflict.
The game begins. Soos' character is a paladin mechanic named Soos, Wendy's character is the half-elf Red Phantom, a wanted criminal, and Mabel's character is the druid Magnanimously Magnificent Masterfully Malleably Mendable Mabel IV, Esq. The three of them meet on a road going to a village, and as they walk along, Dipper rolls three dice to figure out how the game really begins.
All three 20-sided-dice land on one, meaning the village will hate them, and they wouldn't be able to do much. Dipper says it's just a game and that he can re-roll. He reaches for the dice and they slide away from his hand. He reaches again and they move again, clustering together.
The four players move closer to one another as the dice begins to shake, a blue light surrounding the now floating dice. The dice spin, a whirring sound coming from them rubbing against each other as they spin faster and faster. The dice begin to separate, one moving up, the others moving down at angles, black lines connecting them.
Someone somewhere starts laughing maniacally, the triangle the dice made turning yellow. The triangle opens its eye, arms, legs, a top hat and bow tie appearing. As he said himself, "BILL'S BACK BABY!"
Everyone stands up in the now-greyscale attic. Bill looks at all of them, noting the passage of time in the twins' ages and Wendy seeming different. Dipper asks why Bill is there, and Bill explains the game he found is cursed, and it decided to break Bill out of wherever he was trapped because he is the worst thing the players would have to deal with.
Bill says its time to get the fun started, and says that he knows about Dipper wanting to figure out what the blue charges are. As the game decided Bill would be the biggest threat, Bill lights his hand on fire with blue flames and offers everyone a deal- if they beat him, he helps them with the mystery and lets them go. If he wins, he gets to possess one of their bodies and come back into the real world.
No one wants to make any type of deal with Bill, but they don't have much choice. Dipper shakes Bill's blue flaming hand, and the game begins. Bill flies away with Dipper in tow, not wanting his friends to have a helper, as the attic falls apart in a blaze of blinding light.
When Mabel, Soos and Wendy open their eyes, they discover that they have become their characters. A line of soldiers go past, heading toward a local village. Mabel moves to follow them, but trips and hurts her nose. She uses her staff to heal herself, Soos using his hands to make light.
The three of them follow the road to the village, where they are greeted less than warmly. Soos, as a paladin, takes the lead and quickly makes friends with a street vendor. The vendor explains that the new King is racist against non-humans, causing strife between his kingdom and the neighboring Orc kingdom. He also says that the king has a team of spellcasters lead by Dipperthur the Wise who provide the king's soldiers with magic weapons.
A group of people run past. The vendor calls to one of his friends who explains Dipperthur refuses to cast spells anymore, and is about to be executed. Mabel, Soos and Wendy follow the crowd to the stage with the executioner's block on it, Dipper being lead out. Mabel is able to get his attention, but the man holding him pushes him down in front of the executioner's block.
Mabel and Soos start trying to figure out a plan, but Wendy has already disappeared. Two arrows come out of nowhere, one hitting the executioner, the other striking down the guard holding Dipper. Wendy flies off a roof and starts trying to make her way to Dipper, who is quickly being surrounded by more guards.
Soos charges into the fray, light surrounding him, knocking down anyone in his path. Mabel conjures birds and directs them to attack the guards surrounding Dipper. Soos and Wendy are able to get Dipper away, and the four of them head towards the stables to get horses. Dipper casts a spell and unlocks the stables, and the four of them continue their escape on horseback.
Dipper explains that Bill disappeared after dropping Dipper off, but also says the triangle will still be around. He explains that the goal of the game is to make peace between the kingdoms and help one side win the war, and they come to the decision to head to the Orc kingdom and ally themselves with the Orcs. Soos asks if the Orcs will accept them, and Dipper says they will, as long as they make it to the kingdom and explain themselves before the Orcs go berserk.
As they ride, Mabel hears something. They stop their horses as a loud dust cloud comes into view. The dust cloud and noise is from berserker Orcish soldiers. The war Dipper wrote about has begun.
PART 2
The group turns around, intending to ride past the village they just came from. On their way, they warn the people they pass about the incoming Orc army. Unfortunately, just as they are about to escape the village, the third Kingdom of Rebels arrives, surrounding them in the village.
The four dismount their horses in an alley, planning to fight it out. Dipper informs Mabel that she can summon something that is on their side, as nothing has been so far. Mabel begins working on the summoning spell, putting her into a trace. Wendy and Soos defend either end of the alley while Dipper protects Mabel from debris falling off the destroyed buildings around them.
A flaming cannon ball crashes into one of the buildings, taking Wendy down. The two armies seize the opportunity, moving in. Dipper uses the flames from the burning building to defeat the incoming soldiers, destroying the two buildings they have been using for cover in the process. The castle now in view, they all decide to stay put to see what's coming at them, Dipper saying the battle is crazier than anything he had planned.
Something at the castle explodes, and a figure falls towards the group. The figure, dressed as a knight in armor, proclaims himself the King, However, his eyes are yellow and have slits for pupils. Bill has taken over the body of the king.
Bill pulls out a high-powered laser gun and starts shooting at everyone. Soos' shield is able to deflect the lasers, which ricochet and destroy whatever they hit. Bill turns his attention to mid-trance Mabel, and Soos moves to defend her, leaving Wendy and Dipper exposed.
Dipper runs into a house to think of a plan while Wendy and Soos fight Bill. They are able to land several hits, but nothing does any permanent damage. Soos tries casting a spell to break Bill's laser gun, but it is blocked just as Dipper comes outside. Dipper explains that because Bill is a demon, he is able to block powerful spells. Dipper puts a power-enhancing spell on Soos, who is able to then temporarily disable Bill.
Dipper puts a spell on one of Wendy's arrows and tells her to wait for his signal to shoot Bill. He also asks Soos to attempt the weapon-breaking spell from before again. Once the first spell wears off of Bill, Soos casts his spell. Dipper casts his own spell, intercepting Soos' and sending it to the still-enchanted arrow Wendy has waiting. Wendy fires the arrow, hitting the gun, causing the weapon to explode and throwing Bill backwards.
Bill stands up, burned and bleeding, and Dipper tells him to surrender. Bill points out that everything is far from over and tells them that he changed Mabel's spell just before she comes out of her trance. Bill tells him the spell Mabel was using to summon allies was changed to summon a dragon, and he disappears to the underworld just as said dragon arrives.
The dragon starts breathing green flame, destroying everything in sight as the four of them try to come up with a plan. Dipper says that while the dragon's scales make it near-invulnerable, it doesn't have scales in its mouth. Soos points out that to do any damage, the dragon would have to be facing them. Dipper says he has a spell called Force of Will that, once cast on the dragon, won't allow it to move unless Dipper says it can. Dipper casts a spell on one of Wendy's arrows that will explode when it catches fire, before going into a trance to work on the Force of Will spell.
Mabel, Soos and Wendy begin fighting the three armies yet again, defending Dipper all the while. Spells soar, arrows fly, Mabel becomes a cat, and they seem to be doing well. Then the dragon comes back into play, sending a fireball crashing down, knocking Soos and Wendy out cold.
Now alone, Mabel debates her options. Coming to what must be her worse decision in all her life, she takes the exploding arrow and summons two giant eagles, who carry her into the sky. Casting another spell, she gives herself wings, just as Wendy begins to wake up and Dipper finishes his Force of Will spell. The two on the ground watch helplessly as the dragon turns its focus to Mabel, green fire ready to roast her alive. Mabel casts one last spell and sends the arrow flying into the dragon's open mouth, causing the dragon to explode.
Half of the dragon has been blown to bits, the other half falling to earth, an unconscious Mabel among the debris. Dipper desperately tries to use a spell to slow Mabel's fall, but she falls faster than the spell can get to her, and she crashes to the ground.
The three of them rush over to Mabel's body, Soos trying to cast spells to bring her back to life as Dipper begs her to come back to him, Wendy trying and failing to comfort him and make him realize his sister is gone. Sitting in the ruins of the village, no one left in sight, the three of them stop trying to help Mabel, knowing she is dead. Dipper buries himself in Wendy's embrace, grieving his lost half.
A portal appears, leading back into the attic. Dipper realizes that having no one left to fight the war, in a twisted way, they have established peace and 'won' the game. A now determined Dipper casts a spell on the portal, turning it into a way for them to literally go into hell to get his sister back.
In hell itself, they see Bill with Mabel attached to strings like a puppet. Wendy shoots the strings, freeing Mabel, and Dipper goes to check on her while Soos and Wendy try to attack Bill, who disappears. Mabel wakes up, relieving Dipper, who explains that she actually died and didn't just get knocked out like she said. Mabel apologizes for scaring Dipper before she blacks out again.
She wakes back up, her eyes yellow. Bill has taken over her body, and he pushes Dipper away. Soos tries to distract him, Wendy joining in, but Dipper warns them not to hurt his sister. Wendy lands a kick, and Bill leaves Mabel's body, sending her slumping to the ground.
Bill takes over Soos' body and attacks Dipper. Wendy shoots an arrow into his arm, drawing his attention. Bill pulls the arrow out and attacks Wendy, saying that he is practically a god when in his home turf. Dipper casts a spell, making Soos' armor extra heavy, causing him to fall. Bill leaves Soos' body, knocking him out as well.
Bill takes over Wendy's body as Dipper casts a spell on himself. Dipper asks Bill why he took Wendy and not him, and Bill says it would be a worse pain this way. He shoots an arrow into Dipper's leg. Dipper breaks the shaft of the arrow and tells Bill to take him instead. Bill punches Dipper a bit before leaving Wendy's body, Dipper casting a spell at her just in time to keep her from being knocked out.
Bill enters Dipper's body but is unable to possess him. Dipper tells him that he was never able to use the Force of Will spell on the dragon, so he put it on himself. Bill can't possess him or escape Dipper's body unless Dipper says he can. Bill fights the spell, slowly gaining control, Dipper's insides on fire as he tries to resist.
Wendy comes over and Dipper quickly explains what is happening, and that he thinks they can actually kill Cipher here and now. Unfortunately, that also means killing Dipper. Wendy begs him to come up with something else, but Bill starts to get control, and she accepts that she has to do it. Dipper tells her to tell Mabel he's sorry, and informs her about his newly returned feelings. Wendy raises her weapon for the killing blow, but before it can it home, Bill calls it quits.
Bill returns everyone to their human state, completely free of injuries, Dipper upset they didn't get to kill him, but happy he himself is still alive. Dipper demands the answers that were promised if they won the game. Bill tells them that no one in town is who they seem before being surrounded by nine symbols. Symbols
Bill disappears, and the four of them return to the attic, almost no time having passed. Soos and Mabel head downstairs, leaving Wendy and Dipper alone. Dipper tries pretending he was lying about his feelings, but Wendy doesn't fall for it. He asks if they can still be friends. Wendy says that if they find a version of the game that isn't cursed, she would like playing it again, before leaving Dipper alone. Eventually, Dipper's brain realizes that Wendy didn't reject him in any way, and that, just maybe, there is a chance.
Mabel comes in, revealing that she just heard their entire conversation. She asks what Dipper told Wendy, but before Dipper has a chance to respond, his phone vibrates. He opens it to find a voice mail from Town Hall. The data is in. Before she can protest, Dipper grabs Mabel and leads her out of the attic.
Cryptograms:
Ollph orpv Yroo iloovw z mzgfizo lmv uli srh 'ozhg olmtvi gszm z hrmtov vkrhlwv' iloo. Dszg z olhvi.
Looks like Bill rolled a natural one for his 'last longer than a single episode' roll. What a loser.
GSRMP ZTZRM, WFNNB. R'OO YV YZXP! R'OO YV DZGXSRMT!
THINK AGAIN, DUMMY. I'LL BE BACK! I'LL BE WATCHING!
