It was midnight, and everything appeared peaceful in Zero Gravity Town. Until a faint blue glow admitted from a particular shack.

Deep inside the building, standing in it's basement, was Bill Cipher.

His hands glided cautiously over the control panel, as he read the blueprints carefully.

"Where the hell am I suppose to find radioactive waste?" Bill muttered.

"We'll figure it out."

The blond glowered at the other across the room, a brown goat. "If I'm going to work with you, can you at least tell me your real name?"

"You know me as Gompers, so for now I am Gompers," The animal replied, telepathically without moving his mouth.

"What about this machine, huh?" Bill demanded, tired of the secretive goat. "How exactly is it going to help us?"

"It's better if I show you," Gompers insisted. "And that requires us finishing this little project of ours."

Bill gritted his teeth. It had been a few days since he discovered this basement, and that Gompers was actually this weird godlike creature. For days, Bill had been sneaking down here, and reading instructions with the animal. He had been sworn to secrecy, which meant he didn't tell Will any of this, which only made him feel like the worst person on earth. Why was he even doing this? Gompers had promised to teach him how to control his powers, but the two barely even trained yet. So, what was the point of helping Gompers, when he wasn't getting anything in return?

At that point, Bill decided to not let a freaking farm animal boss him around.

Bill turned away from the control panel, and glared at Gompers. "Look, I didn't drag my butt down here every night, just for you to spout ominous stuff. What am I even doing here, if you're not making an effort to actually help me control my powers?"

Gompers stared back at him, and Bill half expected to be blasted with some imperial goat magic. Despite everything he'd been through, being blown to a crisp by Gompers would've been the worst way to go.

Instead, Gompers spoke. "Oh yeah, I'm supposed to teach you magic. My bad, I forgot."

"You forgot!?" Bill snapped.

"Oopsie."

The blond stopped himself from almost strangling the goat, and watched as Gompers trotted towards him. The animal regarded him calmly.

"If we want, we can start lessons now," Gompers said. "Just sit down."

Bill grimaced, but otherwise, obliged. He sat crosslegged in front of the goat. He felt uncomfortable, as Gompers's eyes bore into him.

"Let's start," Gompers spoke. "First off: You say it hurts you every time you try to use your powers?"

Bill nodded.

"Well, you can't force it out," The goat told him. "Magic is an extension of your body, and must be used as such. You must trust in it, that it'll protect you in dire situations."

"OK, how am I supposed to do that?" Bill asked.

"Like this."

Gompers produced a column of fire in thin air, that shot towards Bill. The blond screamed, and shielded his head instinctively. He expected to be hit, when out of nowhere, blue flames emitted from his arms, and crashed into Gompers's flames. This caused both to distinguish.

"What was that!?" Bill shouted, angrily.

"Your powers protected you," Gompers pointed out. "From now on, you need to rely on them, like you would with any other body part."

"But, that's insane," The blond responded.

"The definition of insanity is repeating something, and expecting a different result. If you continue to force out your powers, you might not have arms anymore," Gompers deadpanned.

Bill rolled his eyes. "Alright, you got me there. But, how else am I suppose to turn on my powers at will if I'm relying on pure instinct?"

"That requires emotional control," Gompers replied. "You have to believe that your powers will work, without feeling any doubt. Your emotions play a strong part in this, so how about you try it out?"

Bill frowned, and gingerly raised his hand. He felt a surge of heat, and it rippled through his arm like needles. He cried out.

"No, don't force it," The goat said, firmly. "Let it flow. Relax your arm, take deep breaths, and believe you can do it."

Bill hesitated, then inhaled and exhaled deeply. He felt heat in his veins, but he took the goat's advice, and let the heat flow through instead of trying to draw it out. He was amazed, when a small of blue flame appeared in his palm, and it didn't hurt. Before he could feel some sort of triumph, the fire died out as soon as it came.

"That's a good start," Gompers said, approvingly. "But, it seems like something is holding you back. What are you afraid of, Bill?"

The blond was unresponsive at first. He didn't feel like confiding his feelings, especially to a magic goat, but a bigger part of him wanted to get this off his chest.

"If I do manage to control my powers, there's no guarantee I won't hurt anyone with them," Bill admitted. "I want to use them to protect everyone I care for, but at the same time, I resent them for existing. They remind me of who I used to be...of what I might be now."

Gompers regarded him with sympathy. "Bill, these powers are yours. It doesn't matter what they were used for, or who they belonged to, they belong to you now. So, make them your own, and use them in a way that you want to."

Bill looked at him incredulously, not expecting a pep talk. "Uh, I'll try, I guess."

The goat made a curt nod. "That's good to hear. Now, I think it's about time we be off to bed."

Bill nodded in agreement, and followed the goat out of the basement. They climbed the stairs, until reaching the hallway, and closing the secret doorway behind them. Bill watched as it slid shut with uncertainty.

"Hey, goat," Bill started. "When we started working on that machine, you said you built it with some colleagues?"

Gompers hesitated, before saying. "That is correct. There were two of them, and they were my closest friends."

"What happened to them?" The blond asked, gingerly.

"Sometimes, friends drift apart," The animal replied, sadly. "Even though they're gone, I'm still fond of the memories I had with them."

Bill must have been more crazy than he thought, but he began to feel sympathy towards the creature.

"I hope you see your friends one day," He said, genuinely.

"Yes. One day."

❇❇❇

The next morning, the Pine twins joined the Cipher brothers for breakfast. Bill was serving eggs and bacon he just cooked up, before sitting at the table.

"I didn't know you could cook," Dipper said, as the blond sat beside him.

"My parents used us as glorified housemaids," Bill explained. "I cooked, while Will cleaned. They're probably mostly responsible for him turning into a neat freak."

"OK, let's see who washes your dirty laundry next time," Will remarked.

"You probably had a hard life with those kinds of parents," Dipper said, in sympathy. "I kinda wish I was there to protect you."

"I don't need protection, Pine Tree," Bill said, blushing. "Besides, Will and I made it out okay. C'mon, it's about time we have a normal carefree morning."

"I was hoping Wendy would join us," Mabel said.

"Wendy has work, Mabel," Dipper pointed out. "She's on an important mission right now."

"What kind of mission?" Will asked, spreading butter on a slice of toast.

"Something about picking giant leeches off Multi-Bear."

"And I wish I never asked."

Mabel stifled a laugh, before picking up a magazine. She turned a page, and her face immediately lit up.

"Ooh, look at this!" She beamed, showing them a page, which had an ad for a karaoke machine. "It has all my favorite songs! Don't you think it would be cool if we start a singing group?"

"Shooting Star, whatever is happening in that sparkle fest you call a brain, I'm not doing it," Bill remarked.

"Come on, we'd be like total stars," Mabel insisted.

"I'm not really good at singing," Will said, sheepishly.

"Will, karaoke isn't about sounding good," Mabel said. "It's about sounding terrible together. So, how about it? Karaoke party?"

"It'll seem meaningless without it being a special occasion," Dipper pointed out.

"Why does it need a special occasion?" She remarked. "It can just be for fun."

Dipper shrugged. "I'm just saying."

Mabel rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, if you say so," She said, then turned to the Cipher twins. "What about you two, is your birthday nearby?"

Both brothers looked back in hesitation. Will rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually...it's tomorrow."

Mabel stared. "Wait what?"

"Yeah, tomorrow, we're turning 16," Bill said.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Dipper asked, in confusion.

"It's not a big deal to us," Bill replied, matter-of-factly. "We never bothered to celebrate it."

Like that, Mabel stood up from her seat. "I will not allow this! You two are going to have the greatest birthday in the history of birthdays."

Bill dismissed this at the wave of his hand. "Shooting Star, it's really not--"

"This supposed to be your big day," She insisted. "It'll be against my nature to not throw you two the best party ever."

"What's so great about birthdays, anyway?" Bill said. "It's just a big reminder of being one year closer to death."

"Thank you for that dark input, Bill," Will sighed, then said. "And if Mabel wants to throw us a birthday party, I don't see any harm in it."

"Yes!" Mabel exclaimed. "I'm going invite everyone we know, add lots of lights, and the first ever performance of our new karaoke group called Love Patrol Alpha!"

Bill glared at Will. "You doomed us all."

"I know," Will said.

Knock! Knock!

The group at the table perked, at the sound of the front door being knocked.

"Could that be Wendy?" Will questioned.

"Well, she used the door instead of our kitchen window, so I doubt it," Bill said, standing up from the table. "I'll go check who it is."

No one protested, so the blond headed towards the front door. But, once he opened it, he was given a surprise. Two men in black stood on the porch.

Bill blinked. "What the--"

The two abruptly pulled out government I.D cards.

"Good morning, I am Agent Powers, and this is my partner Agent Trigger," The older man said. "We're here to investigate some reports of abnormal activity coming from this exact location."

"Activity," Trigger repeated, pointing at the blond.

Bill immediately felt a flood of anxiety. The machine couldn't have done that...who was he kidding, of course it did!

Yet, he attempted to keep a cool head. "Abnormal activity? Here? You must be joking."

"I assure you, I am not," Powers said, blankly. "I've been born with a rare disorder that makes me physically incapable of experiencing humor."

Bill laughed nervously. "Good one."

"I don't understand that sound you're making with your mouth," He replied. "Will you allow us inside to conduct an investigation?"

"Investigation," Trigger repeated.

"Trigger, we talked about this," Powers said.

"Sorry."

At that moment, Will peered through the doorway. He looked sheepishly at the two men. "Uh, hey there."

Powers looked between the two brothers in calculation. "Do you two kids live alone?"

"Our parents are at the store," Bill lied, earning a confused look from Will. "They'll be back soon, and I don't think they'll appreciate two strange men picking around our house."

Powers narrowed his eyes, but said calmly. "Very well." He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a business card, before handing it to Bill. "If you see anything, give us a call."

"Of course," Bill said, with no intention to call.

"Wait, are you guys from the government?" Will asked, in awe.

"Yes, we are," Powers answered, looking at the blue haired boy. "Between you and me, I believe there is a conspiracy of paranormal origin all connected to this town. We're a small lead away from blowing the lid off this entire mystery."

Will looked at him curiously, but Bill interrupted. "Thank you for coming, and goodbye," The blond said, before slamming the door in their faces.

"Bill, that was impolite" Will chastised.

"Their fault for snooping around," Bill remarked.

Will looked back at the hesitantly. "You think we should ask them for help?"

Bill stared at him. "Help for what?"

Will shrugged. "I dunno, help with Kill and Jill? They seemed experienced enough."

"We already have powerful Guardians at our sides, why would we need two men in suits?" Bill noted.

"The more help, the better," Will replied.

Bill sighed. "Trust me, those guys can deal with their own problems, and we can deal with ours."

"I guess so," Will sighed.

"Besides, we should have a chance to have a normal summer," Bill pointed out. "No life threatening adventures or raising the dead."

"We've never raised the dead," Will said.

"Nope, but it would be cool."

Will chuckled. "You would think that."

The blond looked at him, and all the guilt from keeping secrets whirled within him. He couldn't take it. Bill promised his brother to tell him everything.

"Will, there's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" He asked.

Bill breathed deeply. "Well, I'm--AH! MOTHER OF HOLY!"

He didn't notice Gompers sneak up behind him, until the goat bit him in the ankle.

"Gompers, bad boy!" Will told him, picking the animal up. "What's gotten into you?"

Bill rubbed his ankle, and glared at Gompers. "You little cretin."

"As the old saying goes, snitches get stitches," Gompers said. "Seriously, I think I bit you harder than intended, you might need stitches."

Bill gritted his teeth, and pondered whether to punch the goat in the face, but decided against it, since Will was near.

He will punch Gompers once Will leaves.

Just then, Mabel stepped in with a big smile on her face and glitter streamers in her arms. "Who's ready for the biggest party of the summer?"