The woods were usually quiet, eerie, but peaceful. Things never stayed that way, though. Especially when the Pines Twins were around.
The Mystery Trio had their fair share of monstrous run-ins but no creature was ever more dangerous than Bill Cipher. The mind was powerful on its own but a demon who had the power to live within it, causing or creating nightmares and conjuring up any devastation he so pleased, was power unlike any other.
They had made the mistake of trusting the dream demon once before but when they learned his true plan it was nearly too late. It wasn't, however, and the trio managed to send him back into the dimensional world of the subconscious from which he came. Still, it wasn't enough. Even the possibility of Bill Cipher coming back was deadly.
So they did what anyone else would have done. They tried to destroy him.
Killing a dream demon is no easy task, in fact, it's nearly impossible without the right tools. Stanley and Fiddleford had been up for the past week trying to find a strong enough weakness but they could never find the perfect mark. They came close enough, however, and with the right incantations they were sure they could destroy him... or at least close off his ability to ever come back into the world.
They were wrong.
The portal caught fire with a ring of blue flames, shadowing its light onto the three men who stood before it. The winds kicked up ruffling the hair on their heads and the fabrics of their shirts. From deep within the portal there was a faint echoing laughter, twisted and sadistic. Something was coming.
"Brace yourselves!" Stanford yelled.
Stanley and Fiddleford stood shoulder to shoulder with the muscle of their group. Even though Ford followed them into the realm of monsters he never seemed to be as frightened as the rest of the trio was. But when this beast jumped through the portal you can bet that Stanford Pines gulped.
Nearly twice their size, jagged claws, and as hairy as ever was the werewolf that nearly killed Stanley those couple months ago. They were never able to kill it and each of them had at least one nightmare about the ordeal. So what a better nightmare to conjure up than that!
The three of them stepped back, distancing themselves from the monster who drew closer.
"Ford," his brother called quietly, tightening his grip on the journal he had at hand, "don't do anything stupid."
Stan put his hands up, prepared to take on the beast for another round. Fiddleford looked at his friend unsure that any of this was a good idea. Surely he couldn't take on the werewolf by himself! Oh but he was going to try...
The monster snarled at them, showing off its gooey, ravenous fangs, its ears pinned back and its muscles preparing to jump them. The portal still glowered above them, the blue light making the werewolf's haunches even thicker than they were.
Stan Pines wasn't one for waiting , so right before the monster could attack he jumped into action. The first throw was his and it was a solid left hook that caught the creature off guard, sending him to tumble on his paws.
"Go!" he yelled at the nerds. "Run while you still can!" He gave the beast a couple more blows before he checked back to see that Fiddle and Stanley were still standing around. "I said go!" But while Stan had his back turned the werewolf saw its opportunity and took it, beating Ford down and cutting his right arm.
"Ford!" Stanley called after him, stepping forward. Stan got up and retorted the beast's hit with more of his own, making the thing whimper at least once. He wasn't going to tell his brother again and Fiddleford knew it. He was way too invested in the moment to warn them a third time.
Fiddleford grabbed hold of Lee's arm, ushering the both of them to get out of there.
"Lee, come on," Fiddleford nearly begged. Stanley couldn't take his eyes off his twin, sure he was winning but he couldn't imagine leaving his brother behind. "He needs us to go!"
Snapping out of his trance, Stanley heard the voice of his partner and understood that Ford didn't want their help this time, even if they could give it. Stan was hardheaded and stubborn but he knew which fights he could win and which ones he needed his team to help with. So with a final glance, the werewolf getting in another swoop, the scientists ran away from the portal in hopes of making it back to the shack.
With his brother and Fiddle out of the way Stan didn't have to worry about them getting hurt. Now he could put everything he had into defeating that smelly-ass beast.
It was larger than he remembered, and it was more ravaging, playing dirty, and surprisingly getting him square in the face, making his nose bleed and drip onto his white shirt. The fight went on for not much longer as the beast seemed to loose stamina. Coincidentally, the portal began to spin faster, closing up it seemed, and the closer it was to releasing the true nightmare the easier it was for Stan to combat the one in front of him.
And just as he expected, the thirty-some year old Stanford Pines defeated the werewolf that had threaten to kill his brother and his friend just months ago. The beast let out a final whimper, followed by a lowly growl. But before Stan's very eyes it vanished into a poof of smoke.
"Well that can't be good..." Stan muttered to himself.
His full attention was back to the portal. The blue ring of fire shed the only light found in the forest that night, and the faster it spun to a close the brighter it illuminated. Stan took a step back as the floating vortex that was finally using itself up. There was a moment, a split second before the portal gave out, where there a single eye shone through the darkness.
Everything slowed. The sounds of the portal vanished as did the wind it emitted. The forest sounds and the nocturnal animals that scurried about hushed in a matter of seconds. Life as Standford knew it stopped and suddenly he was alone with the most dangerous creature in existence.
Out of the blue haze floated the isosceles shape that the Mystery Trio had come to terms with destroying. He wore his usual gear, the long top hat that floated above the crown of his head, and the black bowtie that was plastered against his yellow body. He floated into this realm with his arms and legs dragging under him, the fire from the portal latching onto his triangular form.
Stan put his hands up again, prepared to go one on one with the dream demon. Ford didn't even get to take a swing before Bill raised his arm and sent the fearless fighter skidding on his bum. He tried to get back to his feet but everything that involving Bill Cipher happened too quickly.
Stan couldn't move. He was stuck on the ground and the demon crept closer to him.
"Stanford..." Bill greeted lowly, smiling darkly through his voice.
Ford was shocked to see him again, more worried than fearful, but seeing as he couldn't move and the Mystery Trio just tried to kill him, it was understandable. Ford knew trying to kill him was a bad idea. He should have convinced his brother to let it go before it got out of hand.
"You and your little gang just tried to put me out of business," Bill tells him. "When I got the call that someone was trying to summon me... I was surprised to learn that it was the Pines again. Haven't you learned that you shouldn't mess with things you don't understand?"
"We're going to stop you, Bill," Stanford convinced him, staring him dead in the eye.
"Stop me? You can't even move!" he laughed.
"We never should have trusted you," Stan snarled.
"Your mistake, not mine," the demon chuckles before getting as serious as he could get. "Just like when your brother thought it was a good idea to kill me."
"Let me go," Stan demanded. "Fight me like a man."
"After what your brother just tried? You're going to be hurting a lot worse than if you were to throw your fists at me," Bill prepped.
Cipher slid closer to him now, his eye narrowing. Stan watched, fearful of the demon's latest ploy and how he would fit into it.
"Lee and Fiddle'll stop you," he promised, trying to make his voice steady.
"Do you want to wager on it?" Bill proposed.
"Won't have to, you isosceles scum."
"Oh we'll about that, Stanford!"
And before Stan could adjust himself or prepare for the shit storm that was about to invade his body, Bill flew forward, absorbing into Stanford and wracking his body with spasms.
He could move again, that was for sure, but it wasn't worth it. He twisted onto his side, his fingers digging into the palms of his hands as to compensate for the pain. His eyes locked closed and his teeth clenched while his insides tightened and felt as though they caught fire. He screamed from the depths of his throat and tried to fight against the new body within him but it was no use.
GET OUT OF MY BODY! he demanded internally.
"NOT A CHANCE, BUCKO," Cipher assured him. "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MESS WITH THE WRONG MONSTER! YOUR BROTHER THINKS HE'S ONTO SOMETHING AND BOY IS HE EVER."
Stan's head flinched back as his body pulsated with jolts.
"HE TRIED TO KILL ME!" he remembers for the both of them. "SO AFTER I GET THOSE JOURNALS I'M GONIG TO HAVE YOU KILL HIM FOR ME. AHH HA HA HA HAH HAH!"
"No..." Stan whimpered, feeling the full defeat of his mind and body. He was thrown into the dark world that only the possessed inhabit. Unable to find control but having enough power to know exactly what their body was doing. It was purgatory of the mind, and as soon as Bill settled into his latest body, the sounds of the world spoke up again, the movements of the night creatures stirred among the dense trees, and Stanford Pines had no recollection of what had just happened.