Mabel found herself amongst the stars once more. A large smile grew across her face when she took in the sites around her. This place was quickly becoming her favorite little secret.

"Speaking of secrets…" Bill laughed, coming to float next to the girl.

He noticed the smile that was plastered on her face managed to get bigger as she spun around to grab him into a hug. The dream demon was trapped in a rather squishy prison and he was helpless to escape, not that he wanted to. The little human that had fascinated him still managed to surprise him with her rather sudden displays of well, everything. He couldn't describe the feeling he felt around the human, he was certain he had never felt it before. The one that made him lose his bearings and made his imaginative heart beat at a million miles a second. The fluttering in his abdomen and the heat that filled his body when she laughed or smiled. Oh the way her eyes lit up when she was happy had him nearly to his knees. He was smitten with the girl, he knew it.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't afraid of his new found emotions towards the girl. It terrified him. He, Bill Cipher, the most powerful dream demon this dimension along with every other dimension has ever seen, was enchanted by a mere human. His feelings got in the way of his plans, one second he'd be contemplating mass genocide of a race and the next he'd be wondering what Shooting Star was doing about now. It was totally out of character for someone like him, but he couldn't get rid of this feeling. The more he fought it the harder it became to focus on anything other than her. It was as if she was algae and he was still water, she was everywhere. He hadn't meant to run into her in her dreamscape, he wasn't even aware she could enter it on her own. He happened to be in the neighborhood and decided to stop in for a quick visit before he was on his way.

Of course he wouldn't want to change what had happened, in all honesty he was glad that had happened. Not her falling and getting herself hurt, no that wasn't what he was happy about (and he'd be visiting a certain gnome he knew was responsible for the whole ordeal). He was happy he got to speak with her, his little Shooting Star. For once in his eternal life, he was actually happy.

"So I was thinking, instead of this kind of scenery, why not mix it up a bit?" Mabel drawled, a wicked grin growing along her face.

Within seconds, the calming night sky became a bright fiery red, the ground they stood on melted into a large pool of lava. In the sky flew massive creatures, ones he was sure was purely thought up for this situation. Their large clawed paws swooped down to grasp at them as they stare up into the chaos reigning above. Meanwhile the same crazed grin never left the small girl's face. Where the beast was taking them, he had no idea, but the look on Mabel's face had him captivated. If he thought her smiles and giggly nature was adorable, this wild side to her had to be the most thrilling thing he'd ever bear witness too.

There in the horizon was a large rather familiar shaped castle. It reminded Bill exactly of his Fearamid. The beast carrying them flew through the large hole in the side of the building, landing on the ground softly to place the two down. Mabel patted the beast on his snout before he took off again, out the hole he came in. Bill took in the sites of the new pyramid. Instead of the large throne of solidified bodies, stood two large cats which sat side by side, their backs making up the seat for one to sit on. Mabel waved her hand, the cats bending down to accommodate her height. Once perched on top of the cats, Mabel waved her hand once more, another thrown appearing within the blink of an eye. This one was made out of statues of nothing in particular.

Bill glanced up at Mabel, watching how she nodded to him before staring straight ahead, waiting for him to take his seat. Bill floated up to the top of his chair, settling down on the surprisingly warm stone. The floor beneath the chairs disappeared to reveal the large pool of lava beneath them. Now above it, Bill could see there was monsters swimming amongst the fiery depths as well. Long serpents slithering through the sea, their slim bodies easily passing through the thick liquid. Glancing back at Mabel, he noticed a small glint in her eye, one that wasn't there before as she watched the serpents swim about. Mabel got off her chair, standing in air as she walked about the pyramid. Her eyes never leaving the blazing waters below, she summoned one of her winged creatures.

Bill could only watch as she climbed atop the beast's head, grasping reigns that weren't there before. With a flick of her wrist, the monster took off, speeding away from the throne room. Bill made an effort to stand, but a hiss from the cats had him stilling. He only watched as a bright flash of light flooded the endless landscape. He heard the cackle before he saw what had happened. Mabel stood above her creatures, a large grin on her face as she wreaked havoc on her creation. Bill could hardly believe what he was seeing, the same girl that beat herself up for a month straight over a pig was massacring every living being in sight. Her large form swung her hands around, grasping at monsters in the air and sea alike, crushing them with the force of her grip.

The screams and cries of foreign beings filled the air, the smell of blood fresh as he watched Mabel go nuts. Her cackles ringing out clearly, Bill simply sat in his seat, watching as Mabel slowly killed off every creature except for one, her winged beast she rode. Mabel came back, her normal size once more, covered head to toe in blood as she once again sat on her cats.

"How'd you like this change? I thought you'd enjoy a bit of chaos before I woke back up, surprised you didn't join in though." Mabel chided, wagging her finger in his direction.

Bill was awestruck, he had never seen such a change of character from one being. Going from one of crazed rampage to joking and laughing within a minute. This girl was going to be the one to make him sane. Bill simply laughed, a deep hearty howl that left Mabel's bones rattling, even as she awoke from her strange dreamscape. The sudden change of scenery had her blinking in surprise as she sat up, groaning as her head pounded furiously. She was back in that plain boring hospital room, with her Great Uncle Ford staring at her. He seemed lost in thought as he gazed at her necklace that was still placed around her neck. The star pulsed with warmth against her chest, reminding her of the bouts of insanity she caused in her dream. She had no idea what drove her to commit such a foul act of aggression, maybe Bill was rubbing off on her.

"Mabel, how are you feeling?" Ford spoke up, shaking out of his stupor as he noticed his great niece sit up.

"I'm feeling better than I did before, that nap really left me feeling refreshed." Perhaps I shouldn't have done that to those poor creatures, but it was a bit fun to watch Bill react to it.

"That's good. The doctor said you could go home come early evening, Stan's back at home whipping up something for your return home." Ford grinned, motioning for Mabel to stand up.

The I.V. that was placed in her arm was removed and bandaged over, hiding the small hole that was beneath. For some reason, that bothered the young girl. Mabel followed Ford out of the hospital room, picking at the bandage covering her arm. As she passed, a few nurses gave her really strange stares, ones that dug under her skin and chilled her blood. Passing by a few mirrors had Mabel reeling. Her skin was stark pale, save for the dark circles underneath her eyes. The bandage wrapped around her head hid her hair from view and a cast that was placed over her foot was soaked with blood. The once white material stained a dark pink, something that was leaving footprints behind her. She couldn't feel the pain that she was sure was supposed to be there. The one she felt when she awoke the last time. In fact she couldn't feel her foot at all. Glancing up from her leg, she didn't see Ford walking ahead anymore.

Frowning, she looked around, taking notice of the stares she was receiving from the nurses were even more chilling than before. They made no move to reach for her, but their eyes were dead, lifeless as they continued on with their work without looking away from her. It seemed as if they were puppets, stuck in a repetitive routine. Their bodies carrying them where they need to go, yet they weren't really there. Mabel couldn't help the shiver that wracked her body as she turned around to continue out the door of the hospital into the outdoors. Pushing past the glass doors she was cast into darkness surrounding her completely.

It was as if she was drowning, her lungs couldn't take in the necessary oxygen needed to perform her normal tasks. Her body went numb as she gasped for air she wasn't receiving. Her head began to pound as she felt her conscience fading. Before she could succumb to the darkness around her, she felt a hand grasp her ankle, yanking her backwards and back into the hospital. Air filled her lungs as she coughed, the black fading from her vision and the white once again took its spot. The nurses were no longer to be seen and the hand that grasped at her ankle was still gripping on tightly. The white walls of the hospital were a duller shade and the lights flickered overhead occasionally. It was like a scene straight out of a horror movie. Wrapping her arms around her body she trudged forward in hopes of finding her grunkle once again. The long corridor seemed to stretch on forever as Mabel kept trudging on, the air around her growing crisp and stale.

Mabel spared a glance behind her and nearly cried, she wasn't getting anywhere. The glass doors leading out into the darkness were still right behind her. She could still feel the tight grip from the hand holding her in place. Maybe that was the problem she was having. Bending down, she poked the hand, watching how its grip only tightened on her. Sighing, she stood back up crossing her arms in thought. She knew she wasn't awake anymore, there was no way that out those doors was nothing but darkness. The hand on her ankle began to pull her leg again, leading her down the hall in the direction of its choosing. Mabel followed obediently, watching as the white walls slowly faded from existence and taking their place was the same darkness that the walls kept out. Instead of choking on nothing, the air around her grew warm, heating up her cold limbs.

"This way, Mabel." A voice echoed throughout the darkness, the hand on her leg easing its grip and fading away entirely.

Mabel followed the voice, noticing how the air kept getting warmer the closer she got to the source of its call. She couldn't make out who it was calling her, but the soft tone it used made her feel safe. Just as she was about to reach whoever it was that was leading her, the voice stopped and everything went cold. From within the darkness, Mabel could see shadows shifting about, forming silhouettes of monsters. Mabel could barely make out a singular eye that was staring dead at her, not blinking. The stare left a feeling of dread imbed itself right in her gut. It was the same look Bill gave her the first time he saw her, one of a predator watching its prey.

A large hand stretched out from the darkness, wrapping itself around her body, squeezing her tightly. The hand made it harder for her to breath, nearly suffocating her. Mabel made an attempt to escape the clutches of whatever held her captive, to no avail. The hand had a firm grip on her body, there was no getting out of its hold. A bone chilling cackle broke her out of her stupor. It reminded her so much of Bill's. What was happening? It couldn't have been him, he was just giving her a necklace and talking to her like they were best friends.

"Oh you young, naive, girl. Thinking that demon was your friend? He doesn't care for you, it's all a ruse to let him in. He wants to use you." A sultry voice spoke, making Mabel's head spin.

"W-what are you talking about? Bill gave me this necklace, he's been so kind and caring. What could he possibly gain from using me?" Mabel retorted, her voice weak and shaky.

That same cackle erupted from nowhere, ringing in Mabel's ears and driving her mad. The being's hold on her loosened enough for Mabel to gulp down much needed air she wasn't getting. She felt herself being pulled up in the air, perhaps right in front of what was holding her. Mabel could feel the breath of the being fan across her face. A small chuckle filtered through the air as another monster joined this one. It's voice sounding more hoarse and rough than the first.

"What do we have here? A small girl, she looks so scared." The second cooed, it's breath running down Mabel's neck leaving chills down her spine.

"Indeed she does, we should give her a reason to be scared." The first one hissed, her grip on Mabel tightening.

The poor girl was being crushed, she could feel her bones creaking in response to the tight hold on her, as if ready to snap. Just as Mabel thought she would pass out from the death grip on her, it was gone entirely, letting her fall to the hard ground below. Hitting the ground with a hard thud, Mabel felt her arm snap from landing on it, causing a scream to burst from her mouth. The two monsters cackled, taking some sick pleasure in the pain they were causing her. Her anger flared up momentarily, they were mocking her. She attempted to stand up on her legs, but was shoved back down by one of the two others. Mabel could feel a hand grab at her hair, hoisting her up into the air. The strain on her scalp was painful, but not unbearingly so. Mabel could feel their breath on her skin again, she was right by one of their mouths.

"A bite wouldn't hurt, would it?" One of them inquired, biting down into Mabel's arm.

She felt the sharp teeth pierce her skin and sink deeply in. Crying out in pain, they tore their head away, dragging bits of her arm with them. The sickening crunch of them chewing on bone had Mabel gagging. Oddly enough, it was as if they tore her nerves along with them, instead of feeling pain she couldn't feel anything. It was as if her arm wasn't even there, and now that she thought about it, it probably wasn't. She heard the beast swallow, letting out a soft sigh as they threw Mabel to the ground. Landing on the hard surface once more, Mabel felt her body protest to the harsh treatment.

"That was good eats, maybe you should try some." The deeper voice spoke, laughing like a madman.

"Maybe I will." The other responded, and Mabel felt herself being lifted up once more, by her foot this time.

"Bottoms up." The other laughed, dropping Mabel into her mouth.

Just as the monster began to chew, tearing Mabel apart she woke up. Her whole body was caked in sweat and she was shaking. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes, and they began to fall. In her hospital room alone, she could cry about everything. The wounds she got for trying to be the hero, meeting that damned demon and actually thinking he was a friend, the horrifying dream she bore witness to. It was all too much. Mabel poured her heart out to no one, simply finding solace in the way her fears seemed to wash away along with her tears. She could still feel the star pulse on her chest, and instead of finding peace in that, it made her mad. Yanking off the necklace, she threw it at the wall, watching how the rock seemed to turn to dust as soon as it hit the hard surface.

That didn't make her feel better, in fact it only made it worse. That was the prettiest thing someone had ever given her, and in her blind fit of rage she destroyed it, like she does to everything else. Her brother's mentorship with Ford, his hunts for the supernatural, everything. She was so selfish, expecting so much from everyone else, yet not doing a thing in return. She wished she could have a perfect world, one where everyone did what they wanted and didn't hurt others in the process. She just wanted her brother back. Being Ford's apprentice meant they wouldn't get to hang out as often and Mabel didn't want that. She wanted to stay the Mystery Twins forever.

"Ya know, Shooting Star. I could strike you up a deal. Make your brother stay with you forever, in return you just gotta help me out." A voice spoke up, a small chuckle ending his sentence.

"I don't know, Bill. You'll probably just trick me and use me to start up Weirdmageddon again." Mabel cried, glaring up at the yellow triangle floating above her.

"I just want you to help me out, not start another apocalypse, I'm not yet ready for that again." Bill said, holding his hand out which erupted in blue flames. "What'll it be Shooting Star? Your brother's attention in exchange for helping me?"

"What am I helping you with?" Mabel asked, eying Bill as he shrugged.

"A little bit of this and that, nothing too major." He simply stated, his outstretched hand still open.

"...Fine, it's a deal." Mabel muttered, grabbing ahold of Bill's hand, shaking it.

Bill's one eye opened wide, a deep cackle echoing around them as he grabbed Mabel's wrist and hoisted her up onto her legs. Mabel panicked as Bill gave her a sideways stare, that same glint in his eye as before.

"Well then, care to help me?" He growled, snapping his fingers.

Within seconds, they were no longer in the hospital room, instead they were in a large bedroom. The color scheme was rather dull, made up entirely of gray. The only color in the room was herself and Bill. the only piece of furniture being a triangular shaped bed.

"Wow Bill, this place could use some more color." Mabel spoke aloud, wrenching her hand away from his. "Oh and, what the heck man?! Where did you take me?!"

"Calm down Shooting Star, you're fine. We are in my dreamscape. I told you I needed help, and this is helping." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"What did you want my help for?" Mabel whispered, suddenly afraid of the look in the triangle's eye.

"You're helping me by staying out of my way." He simply said, spinning around and floating out a door.

"You can't just keep me here Bill! What about my end of the deal?!" Mabel shouted, pounding on the door.

"Oh you'll be getting your brother's attention, he's gonna be thinking about you all the time now!" He said cryptically before his voice faded from existence entirely.

Mabel sunk down to the ground in defeat. Tears fell from her eyes as she curled up in a ball right by the door.

'That demon is the worst. I can't believe he'd just leave me here! I mean what if I get hungry or sick? It's not like he'll be willing to help me.' Mabel sniffled, her cries subsiding into soft sniffles.

"I hate you, Bill Cipher!" Mabel cursed, rising to her feet to punch the door he left.

When her fist met with the wood on the door, pain exploded in her hand, but she was so upset she didn't notice. Rubbing a hand down the side of her face she slumped over to a corner in the bedroom, tucking her knees to her chest as she sat there, staring off into space.

It felt like days before Bill came back, Mabel was famished and her throat was so dry it made it impossible to speak, but she didn't need to. Bill could tell how mad she was at him by the look she gave him as he came inside the room, placing a tray of food and water on the edge of the bed. He said not a word to the girl in the corner as he came in, put the tray down, and left. Mabel glanced at the tray of food, her mouth salivating at the thought of eating; however, she didn't want to seem like she was caving. Scoffing, she turned around, facing the corner as she sat, rocking herself slowly.

Bill sighed as he watched Mabel deteriorate right before his eyes. He didn't mean to make her upset, and he certainly didn't want her starving herself just because she wasn't willing to accept anything from him. Bill knew he messed up, but he couldn't do a thing to fix it, she wouldn't hear him out anyway. He had tricked her, he didn't need her help with anything, he just wanted an excuse to have her closer to him. He used her anxieties against her to make a deal, a selfish one that was backfiring quickly. He didn't want to see her destroy herself over this, but he wasn't willing to give her up. This was the only way to keep her with him and he knew it. Maybe if he changed up the deal a bit, wreaked a bit of havoc to make her stay with him in exchange for something else, but what?

That's when it hit him, her brother. If he could stage an accident, let her try to help then swoop in and seal a deal, he'd have her in the palm of his hand. With the snap of his fingers, Mabel was back in the Mystery Shack, her wounds healed and no memory of anything that happened today, much like everyone else. Grunkle Stan was in the kitchen making some of his Stancakes, Great Uncle Ford was sitting at the table reading over something he deemed important, and Dipper was right there with him. Mabel came up from behind her brother, scaring the bejesus out of him.

"Hey bro-bro! Wanna go out and look for some kind of mysterious being? I was thinking we could go look for pixies or something." Mabel clapped Dipper on the shoulder, pushing him towards the door.

"But Mabel, I can't do that today. Grunkle Ford and I were watching these readings, they're off the charts!" Dipper fussed, pulling out of Mabel's hold and going to stand back by Ford.

Mabel pouted, but otherwise left the dweebs to themselves. She knew how important this was to her brother, his studies were always more important. Mabel slumped down into a seat by her Grunkle Stan, sighing as she did so.

"What's got you so down, Kiddo?" Stan asked, glancing at the depressed girl.

"It's Dipper! He never wants to do things with me anymore! It's all about Great Uncle Ford and their readings on a stinking chart!" Mabel whined, crossing her arms when Dipper turned to give her a look.

"Mabel, we'll hang out later after Grunkle Ford and I figure out what these readings are about." Dipper chided, giving his sister a dull stare before he and Ford went back to what they were doing.

"Actually Dipper, I think you should go and hang out with your sister. These readings aren't that important right now, I'll keep monitoring them and let you know if I need your help." Ford retorted, giving the younger twin a small smile before sending him on his way.

The set of twins grinned at one another and were off without so much of a goodbye. Stan couldn't help but shake his head.

"Those kids'll get themselves in so much trouble one day with their snooping." He chuckled, earning a grunt from Ford.

Mabel was running through the forest, her brother on her heels as they began their search. Pixies weren't very dangerous, but they were elusive. It would take awhile for either of them to even find clues as two where they would be. Mabel could tell there were gnomes watching from the trees, their beady eyes staring into both of them as they laughed with one another. Their happiness was short lived however, when a loud roar shook the trees around them.

Both siblings froze when they heard that, it sounded so close to them. Slowly they turned their heads to stare into what seemed to be a large tree monster.

"Dipper, it's Steve!" Mabel squeaked, her eyes opened wide as she tried to back away from the beast slowly.

"Mabel no! Don't move, it can't see you. Steve relies on his sense of smell to find trespassers." Dipper reasoned, raising a hand up to still his sister.

"Shouldn't that mean we should be in even more danger? He could probably smell us right now!"

"Not if he doesn't think anything's amiss, now calm down!" Dipper grabbed ahold of Mabel's hand, slowly leading her away from the tree monster.

Just as they were about to pass through the trees, a large gust of wind blew past the twins. Dipper froze up once more, a growl reaching their ears as Steve turned towards them. Mabel screamed as the tree monster charged the two, grabbing Dipper away from his twin. With Dipper in Steve's branches, Mabel began to panic. She didn't know how to beat this guy, there wasn't any weaknesses listed in the journals. Mabel heard her brother's cry of pain.

"Dipper! Hang on, I'll think of something!" Mabel shouted, hands bunched into fists by her sides as she struggled to think of a plan.

"No Mabel! You need to get out of here, Steve will only get more riled up with both of us here!" Dipper called back, his voice coming out in squeaks as Steve squeezed his ribs.

Said tree monster roared once more, reeling his branch back that held Dipper trapped and flung him forward, crashing into another tree. Mabel heard the sickening crunch of his ribs as he hit the tree. Tears sprung up, threatening to fall as she stared at the fallen form of her brother.

"Dipper!" Mabel wailed, rushing forward to crouch down by her fallen brother.

"M-Mabel, you n-need to get out o-of here." Dipper whispered, his eyes slowly sliding closed as his breathing slowed.

"Dipper no! S-stay with me bro-bro! I'll get us o-out of this!" Mabel whimpered, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks as her brother's hand went limp in hers.

Mabel clutched Dipper's fallen form to her body, her cries going unheard by all. Her shoulders shook as sobs racked her body, her breathing uneven and quick. Her brother's breathing had ceased a while ago, his body growing colder by the second. Mabel couldn't find it in her to stop crying, her other half was torn away from her forever. Letting loose a loud howl to the heavens she fell to the ground, her entire body shaking from her grief.

"Looks like you could use a bit of help, eh Shooting Star?" A chipper voice broke through Mabel's lamenting, causing her to let out a soft whine.

She glanced up to see that damned triangular demon floating above her with a cheerful look in his eye.

"I can get your brother back, free of charge! After all, you managed to beat me and all. That should be rewarded tenfold." Bill drawled, floating closer down to Mabel.

"N-no catch?" Mabel asked, rubbing a hand over her eyes to clear her vision from the blur of tears.

"No catch, just your brother back." Bill sung, holding his hand out for her. "Do we have a deal?"

"Yes! It's a deal!" Mabel nearly jumped out of her skin to shake Bill's hand.

"Good, now keep an open mind." Bill snapped his fingers, and with that he was gone.

Mabel looked down to see Dipper's eyes fly open as he sputtered, coughing. Mabel nearly cried from relief, crushing her brother in a hug.

"Oh God Dipper, you're alright! I was so worried!...thank you." Mabel cried, opening her eyes and giving the spot Bill had just been a grateful look.

"Woah calm down Mabel! I'm fine!" Dipper laughed, reaching up a hand to pat his sister on the head.

"Let's head back yeah? It's been a long day." Mabel said suddenly tired from the day's events.

"Yeah let's go back, maybe Grunkle Stan's made something to eat, I'm famished!" Dipper laughed, standing up to brush off the dirt on his shirt.

The two twins slowly made their way back to the shack, one of them distracted by the things that had just transpired.