Chapter Text
Prologue
Since Bill's defeat and un-corruption, he'd returned to the Shack to make amends, with limited powers and in his natural, non-triangular form; a lanky satyr demon, with golden hair, pale yellow horns and goat ears, black digitigrade legs with hooves, and a long tufted tail. One eye shut by a glowing blue triangle birthmark, his other a bright yellow with a slit pupil.
It was about a month after the events of Weirdmageddon. The Pines family were reluctantly giving Bill a second chance, although Mabel a bit more enthusiastic, as always. They're still wary of him, but willing to give him a shot at making things better after learning the circumstances behind his actions.
Meanwhile, in the woods behind the Shack rested a statue; a large rabbit, reaching for the sky with a four leaf clover in its mouth - the Hare's Luck statue. In it, Bill's twin brother laid asleep and dormant. The town had moved on without him, all but forgetting his existence as they began reparations. Polybius' mental connection to Bill was faint but still present.
Then one morning, the connection stirred.
Chapter 1: The Return
The stamping of hooves echoed through the forest as Bill sprinted from the Shack towards the woods, where the statue sat. The tug on the edge of his consciousness drew him, the path to the statue ingrained in his mind like a vein from all the days he’d sit and talk to it. Was it a false alarm, or was it finally happening? He couldn’t help the small bubble of hope appearing in his chest, despite how hard he tried to push it aside.
It wasn’t long before he reached the statue, a large stone hare reaching to the sky, with a clover in his mouth like an offering to the heavens. The thick stone base, engraved with “The Hare’s Luck” in swirly elegant script, seemed almost mocking of the statue’s sinister purpose. Vines twined around it, botanical bindings across the rock. The binding sigil on the forehead of the rabbit glowed faintly in the early morning light. Bill stared up at it with both anxiety and contempt, the spite for that tiny symbol remaining in his heart despite the growing hope that maybe, just maybe, he would receive a response to his musings today.
After a moment of contemplation - was it simply his imagination? Or was it really the connection rekindling? - he spoke, his voice quiet and hesitant, as if speaking too loud would pop the bubble of hope in his chest.
“...Poly?”
The woods rustled around him like the whispering ghosts of their past mischiefs, when things seemed perfect. The statue remained silent, the stone hare unresponsive. Bill slowly stepped forward and placed a shaky hand on the rabbit’s side.
“Poly. Are you… are you there?”
Still nothing. His heart sank. He sighed and sat down in the grass next to the statue, ignoring the dew soaking into his fur and shorts. He leaned against the statue’s base, mentally chastising himself for getting his hopes up so quickly. It’s 6:30 AM; he must simply be overly tired. A trick of the mind.
…Then, there was a soft tk sound. His head flew up, ears perked as he looked up to find the source of it. A bird, perhaps? Simply his mind being cruel? But no, there along the binding sigil, was a small crack.
Tk. Tk. Tk.
The crack grew, spiderwebbing across the forehead of the statue like a lightning bolt. His heart began to race as he slowly stood back up. He put his palm on the statue, as if willing it to crack further. It continued to spread with a soft crackling sound, until a smokey purple essence began to leak from the cracks, pooling in front of the statue like liquid. Once it all flowed out, it swirled around, soon coalescing into a sight Bill thought he’d never see again;
Polybius Cipher, covered in stone dust and dirt, unconscious in the grass but alive.
A gasp stuck in Bill’s throat as he rushed forward, pulling Polybius close and cradling his head in his lap. He could hardly believe it. He was here. He was back. But Bill is pulled from his relieved staring by a familiar voice, sounding both tired and baffled.
“Bill? What in the blazes is going on out here?”
Ford stood a few feet away, just staring at the Cipher twins. He’d woken up upon hearing the door slam when Bill had rushed off, and had just caught up with him. He wasn’t sure what all was happening, only that Polybius, one of the scourges of Gravity Falls other than Bill himself, was free and unconscious in Bill’s arms. Bill looked up, face a mix of relief and shock.
“...Ford, he’s… he’s free. He’s here. I… I felt him waking up this morning through our connection, but I… I didn’t think…” Bill trailed off, still grappling with the fact that his twin, who he’d thought was sealed away for good, was back after only a month. Was this the Axolotl’s doing? Has Polybius been uncorrupted? It was too soon to tell. Ford analyzed the situation with a wary, critical eye, then sighs.
“Let’s get him back to the Shack; we can’t just leave him out here. We’ll figure out what to do from there.” Ford said, hesitantly. Bill nodded, hoisting Polybius into his arms in a bridal-style carry with only a little difficulty, and they began the trek back to the Shack.