Characters:

The colors indicate who is who.

Orion (@siro-cyll) and Stella (@junodabeach)

Dame Celestia Briarwood

Me

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦ ✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

“You sure you don’t want to come with?”

“I can’t. We’ve already discussed this. I can’t cross open water.”

“Not without a coffin! We could-”

“Leave me in the cargo hold because I won’t be able to exit my coffin until we dock? Come on, Stella. Hard pass.”

“But-!”

“You heard Ford’s plan. Gear up now so they can spend as much time at sea as possible looking for the next whatever the hell he’s looking for. The only time you’d see me is whenever we port. We wouldn’t be able to hang out or do anything on the boat.”

“The trip is going to last at least two years… What are you going to do when we’re gone?”

“I’ll figure something out. It’s not like I didn’t spend the last one hundred plus years on my own.”

“But-But you’re going to be all alone.”

“If I ever get lonely, I’ll give you a call. Soos updated the Stan-o-War II with everything needed to keep up to date with the rest of the world. Either that or I’ll incite another barfight and see if Manly Dan maintains his title.”

“You know, we can stay-”

“No, no. You guys should take this opportunity. It’s not every day you get to go on an adventure like this. I’ll be fine.”

The Stan-o-War II’s horn sounded, catching everyone’s attention, and a familiar voice calling out about leaving made Orion sigh.

“Looks like we’re ready to go.”

“... Yeah… Ya’ll be safe.”

“Dammit, I’m going to call you in like… five minutes cuz I already miss you!”

“Wait until I at least get back to Gravity Falls. I don’t want to scare the cab driver when he hears hysterical crying on the other end of my phone. Now go. Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Well, that’s a short list…”

“Oh shut up!”

I stood there, watching the Stan-o-War II sail off into the sunset, my final face-to-face conversation with my only friends until who knows when replaying in my head over and over again. I was actually grateful that they waited to leave when the sun was just below the horizon with enough light for the departure. I would have to thank Ford for that considering Stan wanted to leave in the morning. At least Ford understood that it would have been easier for me to say goodbye in the evening hours. It was probably also his way of a peace offering since I had cornered him hours before and threatened to tear him apart and scatter his limbs to the wind if anything happened to Stella or Orion during the trip. I had expected him to fight me with the look in his eyes but he relented and swore to me that he would personally deliver them safely back to Gravity Falls, back to me, once the trip was done.

“They’ll be back…” I whispered to myself, closing my eyes. “Just stay safe…”

“It is going to be hard, is it not?” a familiar stuffy British voice called out, one that would rival the Queen of England. “Returning to Gravity Falls alone? Back to an empty home? Your mortal friends are not going to return for quite some time.”

With a sigh, I turned with a slight glare. There, standing feet away was the older red-and-silver-haired woman known as Celestia Briarwood, still in her dark blue and gold regal attire. Her skin was pale, nearly rivaling mine as if she had not seen the sun in quite a while. Gold stars littered the gown she wore with a matching cape draped over her shoulders elegantly. A large oval sapphire held it together. She looked as if she had walked out of a fairy tale. Her posture was immaculate and her hands were folded neatly over her stomach. She was the definition of lady-like. The way she spoke without consonants made her sound more royal. Her deep blue eyes peered at me over her gold pince-nez glasses with concern.

Dame Celestia Briarwood. A knighted sorceress who showed up one day out of the blue and claimed to be the “Mayor’s Aid” fifty years ago and does so currently. There were two problems with this. I was here fifty years ago, she was nowhere to be found and she looks not a day over forty, thirty if I’m being generous. The silver in her hair suggested that she may be much older than I give her credit for but hey, humans age weird.

Turns out she needed a cover since she’s chosen to retire in Gravity Falls after she takes care of a few things, one being the erasure of the damage and trauma Bill Cipher had caused during Weirdmaggedon. She somehow doctored every photo of the last mayor to include her so people wouldn’t be suspicious. She considers this her “Swan Song” since the whole “never you mind all that” approach the town took didn’t sit well with her when she first arrived and noticed the damage. She also came to look for a replacement for her last job and guess in whose direction she looked. Mine.

“It will take some doing to return to a life of solitude. Especially after so long.”

“I’ll manage,” I scoffed, slipping my hands into the pockets of my coat and walking past her toward the cab.

“I will bet,” she sighed. “Though, you know, it does not have to be this way. My offer still stands.”

“What? Being stuck in a stuffy room, surrounded by mountains of books? How will that be any better? I’ll still be alone,” I threw a look back over my shoulder. “I know what an archivist is. Don’t try to make it sound more glamorous than what it is.”

I thought by entering the cab that would be the end of the conversation. However, when I glanced beside me, there the woman sat. There was no sound of the opposite door opening or closing. She just appeared there.

“How did you-?!” I gaped, looking back toward the dock.

“Where to?” the cab driver glanced in the rearview mirror at Celestia, reminding me that I was alone now. He wouldn’t have seen me in the mirror. We, as in Stella, Orion, and I, had already established that my reflection, for whatever reason, would not show up in any part of an automotive. Not even the windshield. It dawned on me that the driver may not have even realized that there were two people in the car.

“My friend and I will be returning to Gravity Falls, my good man,” Celestia motioned to you. “No rush.”

The man nodded and the car took off. I growled under my breath and put my head in my hands. I wished with my entire being that Stella and Orion had decided to stay at that moment.

“What are you even doing here?”

“Is it not obvious? I wanted to make sure you were handling the separation okay. You three have been together for quite a while. Nearly a decade, am I correct? I know this was not easy for you.”

“I’m fine!”

“You say that, but do you believe it?”

The cab fell silent as I glared at the back of the seat. Celestia cleared her throat and placed her hands on her lap.

“I am afraid that I did not make myself clear when I offered you the position,” the sorceress continued, waving a hand over the gap between us and the driver. An iridescent barrier appeared. “There. Now we can talk in peace. Where was I? Oh, yes. While, yes, you will be gathering and preserving stories, you will be surrounded by many people who would love nothing more than to spend time with someone outside of their realm.”

I furrowed my brow and glanced at her.

“What…? Realm?”

“Each book is its own world, its own realm. The Archivist’s Tower is a realm of its own as well,” she explained. I stared at her.

“What of this world then?”

She gave a nod.

“This world is no different, though what we are doing now will not show up on any pages. This is Dipper’s and Mabel’s world. Stanley’s and Stanford’s. They are the ones who will have their fates written on the pages. We are merely background characters, destined to serve as scenery and to make the world feel alive.”

“So, Stella and Orion-”

“They may show up. They may not. It is up to the world to decide. Though, now that the summer is over, however, I believe this world will split itself into two, one following the first set of twins and the other following the second. Not to mention the infinite possibilities of alternate universes.”

“You talk about it as if it’s a living being.”

“In a way it is. The magic breathed into these worlds can give them a life of their own if enough care is put into their creation,” she gazed out of the window next to her. “And this world has been crafted with the utmost care and love. It is as if it is reliving a fond memory from long ago.”

I watched her, trying to wrap my head around what she just said.

“This is crazy,” I threw my hands up then crossed my arms, glaring out of my own window.

“As crazy as you being a vampire with a conscience?” Celestia leaned forward in her seat to look at me. “Or, say, a triangle demon trying to take charge of this world? Or the fact that magic does exist here, as well as creatures that would not exist in a sensical world?”

My shoulders flinched. She had me there.

“All right then. Why choose me? Out of all the people out there, why me?” I watched her out of the corner of my eye. “As you said, vampire.”

I motioned to myself as a whole then crossed my arms again, this time with my legs.

“I said a vampire with a conscience.”

“What difference does that make?”

“All the difference. Think about what you are and how that separates you from other vampires. You do not harbor evil or darkness in your heart,” she explained. “You are a special case. If one were to push past the sarcasm, the stubbornness, the intimidating demeanor and empty threats as Stella and Orion have, they would find someone trustworthy and protective. Hardly something a creature of the night is known for. You, my friend, know love.”

I didn’t react past staring at the back at the seat in front of me. My face felt hot for a moment from the compliment.

“The compassion you display toward what most evil beings would deem “lesser beings”, the urge to do what is right when faced with a difficult decision, the ability to be able to see the bigger picture… Just now, you were able to let two people who mean the world to you go for a long trip without you. You did not try to stop them or talk them out of it. You are able to let go when time commands it, to control yourself in ways most beings cannot. This is what I need in a replacement. The immortality would only be a welcomed perk.”

Silence fell between us. The more I thought about it, the better the offer sounded. Granted, I would have had to step out of my comfort zone to meet new people, but it would be better than being alone and craving that kind of attention. I did have a hard time clicking with people in Gravity Falls before Orion and Stella came into my life. In our first conversation on the topic, Celestia had promised that I would be able to return to Gravity Falls any time I wished. I just didn’t think much about it since Orion and Stella were still with me. Now that they were gone…

“You are trapped in Gravity Falls, Thorne,” Celestia finally sighed. My head snapped in her direction.

“Um, clearly I’m not!” I pointed out the window. “We’re not even there yet! We still have-!”

“You cannot deny that the further you travel away from Gravity Falls, the more danger you are in,” Celestia pressed. “The rest of this world will only hunt you down for the monster they think you are. You have only survived this long because those in Gravity Falls have had their minds altered.”

I went to argue but stopped when what she said clicked.

“... Didn’t… Didn’t you say that you were here to “heal” that sort of thing?”

“I did. I am here to heal the aftermath of Weirdmageddon before I retire. However, that work may also undo other damage caused by one Fiddleford Hadron McGucket.”

I tensed up at this.

“That means…”

“That means there is a chance that Gravity Falls might not be as safe for you anymore once I am finished,” Celestia bowed her head. “People will start to notice that you are not normal. And with how frightened they get with the supernatural, I am afraid that is going to end up with you having to go into hiding.”

I stared at her for a moment before slumping back in my seat.

“So, is this the ace up your sleeve to get me to agree to replace you? By revealing that your work is going to force me to leave my hometown?” I rubbed my temples in irritation.

“That was not my intention. This came as a surprise to me as well. I did not mean for this to happen,” she shook her head. “I… became conflicted when I saw what I had done with the first couple of people I healed, the mayor included. At first, I did consider trying to separate the traumas, leaving the older and only removing the newest in order to protect your way of life, but…”

“You couldn’t.”

“No. It did not feel right. Take away what Cipher did but leave the mass manmade trauma? I understood what McGucket and his -ahem-”

“Cult,” I said bluntly.

“-Organization! I was going to say organization!” she exclaimed and put her hands up in defense.

“Pretty sure it was a cult.”

Celestia inhaled sharply and clapped her hands together.

“Anyway! I understand what they were trying to achieve, but it did a lot of damage to the psyches of the townsfolk,” the woman explained then clutched her hands together pleadingly. “Please, understand that I would never have done this to make you agree to take my place. I am only warning you that if you decline and stay, your life may become a trial. The last thing I want is for you to go out among the townspeople believing that you were still safe only for one of them to raise an alarm and attack you. Mister Sprott had gathered an angry mob in less than ten minutes when Mabel messed with him about being a witch!”

I gave her a strange look.

“When?”

“Different timeline, worry not about that. My point is that without the trauma these people currently have, you will be hunted down. They are not going to listen to the fact that you are different, not for a long while. Not until they come to terms with where they live, if they decide to stay at all after finding out.”

With a heavy sigh, I leaned my cheek against my fist which was propped up on the car door.

“I… do have a confession to make,” she continued, turning her gaze to the floor.

“Great. Here it comes,” I rolled my eyes.

“I… I knew that Orion and Stella were leaving. I knew before they even met Stanley and Stanford. I have been watching this world for some time, mainly to find a place to finally lay my staff. I realized that you would be lonely without them.”

“Okay?” I raised a brow.

“Well, I, too, know immense loneliness and the struggles of a prolonged life. Before I became the Archivist, I was a World Guardian. It was a terribly lonely title as I could not trust anyone with the secrets I held. What I knew could have ended various worlds if I let even one soul in. It caused me to be paranoid, bitter. Darkness nearly consumed me because of the impact I let it have on my heart,” she went on, placing a hand over her heart, but then turned her blue eyes to me, moistened with tears. “I… am deathly afraid of that happening to someone like you, especially once my work is completed. Until Orion and Stella return, IF they return, you will be placed in a similar situation, not knowing who you can trust. You do not deserve that. No one does.”

An uneasy silence fell between us. IF they returned…? What did that mean? I knew that they wouldn’t just forget about me.

“Becoming the Archivist gave me access to various worlds and people who longed for companionship of their own. I have created many friends through that position. I would like for you, too, to have that option. You will have access to this world as well as many others.”

“Hm... What is the difference between a World Guardian and an Archivist if the worlds reside in books?”

“A World Guardian protects each world within the books. The Archivist preserves the books and stories themselves from the outside, able to make changes where necessary if something goes wrong. If the Archivist fails in their duties, it is up to the World Guardian to take over. If the World Guardian fails instead, all the Archivist can do is helplessly watch the book burn. However, the World Guardian will not know about the Archivist unless it is absolutely necessary. They are considered a background character until needed.”

“This is… a lot to take in,” I muttered, head slightly hurting from trying to understand.

“I know. Trust me. I have been through it. But, also know that I will be here if you ever need any help, that is if you decide to take the job.”

“... Who’s the World Guardian of this world?”

“Mister Tad Strange.”

“Are you serious?!”

“Completely. The World Guardian is the one you least suspect. It helps keep secret exposure to a minimum.”

“The one I would have least suspected would have been Toby Determined but this is fine too, I guess,” I flicked a hand which made Celestia laugh.

“Well, there is a reason why it was not Toby but we are not going to get into that. I would like you to consider what we’ve talked about here. No pressure at all, but-”

I let out a hard sigh and shifted in my seat.

“Honestly, you’ve kind of twisted my arm with the side-effects of your work.”

“I did not mean to-”

“I know. I really do believe you. Sometimes doing the good thing means negative consequences for some involved. You’re not doing it on purpose and that trauma does need to be reversed. And if I stick around, I may only add on new trauma that will take a while to process through.”

“At least it would not be done by a machine…”

“Yeah. The human psyche is already so fragile…”

I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees, bringing my fingers together.

“If I took your position, what would you do? After the whole “fixing trauma” thing is done?” I glanced at her. Celestia blinked, looking surprised for a moment.

“Oh. Well, as you know, I came here to retire. I will probably explore the area before settling in, probably take up an apprentice. If the girl is interested, that is. That way I can pass on my knowledge of magic to the next generation.”

My eyebrows flashed.

“An apprentice? You’ve already chosen someone?”

“It was more of an accident, really.”

“Who?”

“Wendy McCormick. She has a lot of traits that would make a great sorcerer.”

I stared at her a moment then nodded.

“Yeah, I could see that. For a moment I was going to accuse you of having a preference for redheads,” I smirked which made the woman roll her eyes.

“Really now.”

“No, no, I get it. The girl can handle herself. I heard she was pretty badass during Weirdmaggedon.”

“Heard? You weren’t there?”

I shook my head.

“Oh, I was there, all right. I was one of the first ones taken out of commission apparently.”

Celestia gasped in shock, covering her mouth.

“Oh my…”

“This floating golden ranch Dorito cyclops with a top hat and cane appears to me, offers me all of this power including blocking out the sun and a never-ending supply of blood if I joined him and expects me to abandoned my friends because I was quote-unquote “Not Normal”, a “freak” compared to the rest of the town,” I did the quotation motion then threw a hand out. “Of course, he does this right in front of Stella, causing her to freak out that I would betray her with how he’s talking about it-”

“You refused.”

I set my jaw and stared at her intensely.

“I told him he could shove it sideways up whatever hole he had for even suggesting it. My mind was on finding Orion and getting both of them to safety since the world was falling apart before figuring out what to do next. I couldn’t be bothered by him or his offer.”

“I see.”

“Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to. I made sure Stella got away before… well, everything went dark after that,” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I was told later that I had been turned into stone and added to a massive throne with almost everyone else in Gravity Falls, specifically somewhere on the left armrest. Wasn’t too fond of being referred to as a “freak”, if I’m honest. Or the comment about how I already looked like one of his lackeys because of my eyes.”

Celestia gave a soft hum, following a chuckle. I raised a brow in her direction. Her eyes held a warm glow.

“What?”

“You remind me of someone. Values their friends over all else, regardless of what is offered in exchange. Would never trade them for the world and would suffer any consequences for keeping them, come what may. Their heart is strong, just like yours.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t. They’re precious to me. I can’t replace them if I lose them.”

Celestia nodded.

“I understand. Now, tell me, Thorne. What does your heart say about all of this?”

I watched as she raised a hand to the gem around her neck and, in a gentle flash of sparkling light, her regal attire changed to her normal Mary Poppins-esque attire. Beyond her, I could see the entrance to City Hall, indicating that we had entered Gravity Falls some time ago. Reality started to set in again that I would be going back to solitude. Stella and Orion weren’t going to be back home for a long time. Mabel and Dipper were gone, as well as their Grunkles, Fiddleford had reunited with his son and the two had left for some trip, and it seemed Wendy was going to have her schedule full, not only with school but with sorcerer studies when she accepted. There was no if. There really would have been no one else to talk to. With the threat of losing my freedom looming overhead with the erased trauma, there really wasn’t much else I could do if I was honest. I crossed my arms with a hum and gave her a playful smirk.

“What am I going to say? No?”

Celestia laughed.

“Oh, one day that sarcasm is going to get you into trouble. So, it has been decided.”

I pulled my foot up onto the seat under me.