Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Part Thirty-Three: Claim Your Fate

Wendy arrived at the Gravity Falls water tower as the last of the sun's rays disappeared beneath the horizon, making it appear that the earth was being consumed by a brilliant orange blaze. The sight actually reminded her of a haunting nightmare she once had, but brushed it off as sheer happenstance. "Hey Tambers! Where are you?!" she shouted towards the base of the nearly two hundred foot tall structure. She didn't hear a response and began to wonder if she had been stood up by the violet haired woman. Still, something inside her told her to keep pressing on and soon she emerged from the forest to see her best friend tied to one of the wooden legs of the tower; appearing to be unconscious. "TAMBRY! WHAT HAPPENED?! A-ARE YOU OKAY?!" the ginger woman said in a worried tone as she sprinted over to her. The hazel eyes of the reporter fluttered open to see that she was being untied by Wendy. "Y-You have to... ugh. You have to get outta here, Wendy. It's a trap..." Tambry said in a groggy tone. "Just one more knot and you'll be free..." the thirty-six year old woman said as she struggled with the thick rope. "NO! You have to go NOW! Leave me! They're gonna kill ya!" Tambry pleaded with her best friend as she observed the pair of demonic children approaching. "I'd never leave you behind. Besides, I'm ready for the-" she began to reply before being thrown backwards by some sort of force. "UGH!" the voice of Baron Gleeful called out as he hunched over in pain. "MASON! Are you alright?!" asked the possessed body of Ariel Gleeful; a rare show of compassion by the otherworldly demon towards her sibling. "Yeah... I think so. That was weird though" he replied.

Wendy groaned in pain as her body ached from her rough landing on the ground below. She sat up and saw the pair approaching her. "Leave my friend alone!" the auburn haired woman growled as she rose to her feet and wiped the blood from her lip; a scowl on her face that few had ever seen before. "Don't worry. Your friend won't suffer much. We merely used her as bait to draw you in. Kind of ironic that the descendant of trappers has found herself drawn into a trap" Ariel said before chortling. Wendy ran towards the teen girl while reaching into her ranger jacket. "Fuck this! I'm wasting this bitch!" she thought to herself as she prepared to draw her weapon. Before she could do so, however, she felt a sensation similar to the one that preceded her being thrown through the air. Her body fell limp to the ground and she passed out. "AHH!" Ariel exclaimed as she fell to her knees and clutched her head. "MABEL!" Baron shouted as he tried to figure out what had happened to his sibling; the young woman beginning to recover as she rose to her feet and walked over to Wendy. "It's nothing! I'll be fine!" she barked at the white haired boy before pointing to the redhead that lay at her feet. Tambry watched as her best friend arose and began to walk towards the ladder that was attached to the water tower. "Wendy! What are you doing?" she asked the redhead. A blank look adorned the freckled face of her best friend as her inquiry went unanswered. She grasped a well-worn wooden rung of the ladder just above her head and began her ascent. Baron looked on as Ariel guided the unconscious body of Wendy Pines towards the top of the water tower and her ultimate demise.

Dipper ripped down the winding rural roads of Gravity Falls as the sun continued to set over the horizon. Pacifica had called shotgun and Mabel rode in the back of the classic muscle car. It was a quiet ride, as all three worried about Wendy. While they hoped that it was nothing, the trio were also ready for the inevitable battle against the greatest threat to the town in nearly two decades. After about twenty minutes, they turned onto the dirt road that led to the water tower; the headlights of the onyx-colored vehicle cutting through the ever-encroaching darkness. Arriving at the end of the road, they saw the familiar sport utility that belonged to Wendy. "You guys ready?" Dipper asked his daughters as he got out of the car. "Yup!" Pacifica excitedly said as she pulled the plastic weapon from the holster on her hip. "Ready to kick some demon butt!" Mabel said as she slung the rifle across her back. "Well, let's just hope that's not the case..." Dipper said as he tried his best to reign in the girl's eagerness. "But if it is, we'll be ready!" Mabel added. "Just remember your training and that these weapons are only to be used as a last resort. If you kill the demons with those weapons, you'll kill the bodies they're inhabiting as well. Ariel and Baron would be trapped in the mindscape forever" the chestnut haired man reminded them in a sobering tone.

The trio reached the edge of the woods and were met with a haunting sight. Tambry was tied to one of the wooden legs of the water tower and Wendy had climbed about halfway up the ladder attached to it. "MOM!" Pacifica and Mabel shouted in unison as they took off towards the structure. Dipper wasn't far behind, as he worried his daughters would run right into some kind of setup the demons had planned for them. "WENDY! WENDY! C'MON! YOU GOTTA STOP!" a hysterical Tambry tried to plead with her best friend as tears streamed from her hazel eyes. "Ugh! What the fuck happened?" the redhead thought to herself as her eyes opened. She could see that she was on a ladder, but had no idea how she had gotten there. She tried to turn her head to get a better look at things, but couldn't. It was as if she were only a passenger in her own body. That was when it hit her that the nightmare she had suffered many years ago was in fact a premonition that was finally coming to fruition. The ginger woman knew this would end with her demise after jumping from the tower. "NO! I've gotta figure out how to stop this!" she thought to herself as she felt her arm raise above her head and grab yet another rung. "I-I can't die like this! If I do, then what the fuck was all this for?" her internal monologue continued as her body continued to ascend the ladder; the top platform coming into view.

"Hang on girls! I forgot something in the car!" Dipper said as he turned and sprinted back towards it. "Can you remember any of those spells from your book?" Mabel asked in a desperate tone. "Let me think a sec..." Pacifica said in an annoyed tone as she tried to wrack her brain for any kind of spell she could recall that might be helpful at this particular moment in time. "We don't have much time! I thought you said you were good at this dark magic thing!" Mabel shouted to her twin sister with a mix of desperation and frustration. Dipper had returned from the car with small rubber cube when a sense of déjà vu came over him. "Why does this all seem so damn familiar..." he thought to himself as he watched his daughters continue to quarrel amongst one another. Meanwhile, Wendy had reached the well-worn wooden observation deck that surrounded the upper portion of the water tower. The wind blew her auburn hair back as she peered over the rickety railing to see the possessed bodies of Ariel and Baron Gleeful. "And now the real fun begins..." Ariel said as a wicked smile formed on her face. Wendy felt her hands reach for the railing and soon she found herself standing on the thin piece of wood. Although she couldn't show it, the thirty-six year old woman was in the midst of a full-on panic attack. "I don't wanna die! I-I can't! Not yet, please!" she plead inside her mind.

With a guide of Ariel's index finger, Wendy leapt from the two hundred foot tall structure and began her plummet towards the ground. "WENDY! NO!" Dipper shouted as he sprinted towards his wife. He pulled a chord attached to the orange rubber cube and threw it with all his might towards where he thought his wife would land. Just as he did so, the chestnut haired man was thrown back with great force; only stopping when his body collided with a tree. "DAD!" Pacifica called out as she ran over to check on him. "STOP!" Mabel shouted at the top of her lungs while she closed her eyes. She was certain that she'd hear the thud of her mother's body impacting the ground at any moment, but much to her surprise she was met by complete silence. Her hazel eyes opened to find a truly astonishing sight before her. It was as though time itself had come to a halt. She took a look around and saw that everything and everyone had been frozen in place. "What the fuck?" she asked herself in a bewildered tone as she walked towards her mother, who was suspended in the air about six feet off the ground. Beneath her was an orange inflatable raft that Mabel recognized from a camping trip the family had taken the previous fall. Kicking it out of the way, she jumped up and grabbed her mother by the arms. The next thing she knew, the two of them crashed to the ground with a thud. "UGH!" Mabel groaned as she opened her eyes to see her mother laying on top of her. "MOM! Are you okay?!" she inquired. "Mabel? Yeah... I'm alright. What happened?" the thirty-six year old asked in a shaky voice as she tried to assess the situation. "The Magic Killers happened..." the teen girl replied as the pair continued to collect themselves.

Wendy and Mabel stood up to find that the world remained in a state of suspended animation. "What in the?" Wendy asked as she took a look around with absolute astonishment. "I... I think I know what happened..." Mabel said in a shallow voice before continuing. "When I had the seizure... Aunt Mabel and Aunt Pacifica said that the Oracle would help me out, but couldn't say how. Just that time would be on my side... That must be what they meant! That I could, like, stop time or something to save you!" the ginger fifteen year old said in an excited tone. Just as she had come to the realization, she felt a great pain radiate throughout her head; falling face first to the ground below and beginning to convulse. "MABEL!" Wendy shouted in a horrified tone as she fell to her knees and checked on her daughter. Rolling her over, she saw that dark streams of blood ran from her nose, ears, mouth and eyes while the young woman groaned in agony. Looking around, Wendy observed that things had begun to move once more, albeit slowly. After about a minute or so, the fifteen year old stopped seizing and began to come to. "Well, that didn't feel good at all..." Mabel said as she raised her hand to wipe her eyes. "You alright there, babygirl?" Wendy asked as she began to assist her daughter in wiping away the blood on her face; relief washing over her as she did so. "Yeah... It just felt like I got a really bad migraine all of a sudden, but I feel so much better now" the teen girl explained to her mother. "I think whatever you did might be wearing off" Wendy said as she pointed up to a flock of birds that seemed to be resuming their journey through the darkening sky.

The pair made their way over to Dipper, who was still being tended to by Pacifica after being launched into a tree by some sort blast wave the otherworldly demon had managed to produce. "Wen... Wendy. I was so afraid I was gonna lose you there..." the thirty-three year old man said between labored breaths; each one causing pain to radiate throughout his body. "I thought I was a goner for a sec too. I like how you thought that raft was gonna save me, by the way..." the freckled woman replied to her lover as she began to laugh. "Hey! It was better than nothing!" Dipper shot back in a playful manner. "Umm... Guys, I hate to break up this little thing y'all have going on, but I think we might have a problem here" Pacifica said as she pointed towards Ariel and Baron Gleeful, who had been watching the family. "Impressive... I don't know how you did what you did, but no matter... In fact, you've made it much easier on us to eliminate you..." Ariel said in a cruel tone as her eyes began to glow in a sky blue tone and she levitated off the ground; her sibling soon joining her. A brilliant blue light enveloped the pair as it seemed the duo were preparing to attack. "Uh, Dad..." Pacifica said in a nervous tone. "Don't worry, sweetheart. The key is to let them think that they have the upper hand..." the chestnut haired man reassured his daughter. It seemed as though everything not nailed down in the forest was being absorbed into the light as it began to rotate and become a powerful cyclone. "You sure about this, Dip? I mean, I have a clean shot..." Wendy asked her husband as she aimed her futuristic handgun at Ariel's forehead. He noticed that a white glowing ring had formed around the possessed bodies of Ariel and Baron Gleeful. "I'd bet my life on it..." Dipper replied in a confident tone.

Ariel Gleeful seemed to unleash the attack, only for nothing to happen. The whirlwind of light and debris began to lose its intensity. "What? NO!" the white haired teen shouted in a bewildered tone as she came to the realization that the family of four were somehow thwarting her plans. The two fell back to the ground as the blue light seemed to be sucked from their bodies, which appeared to cause them a great deal of pain. Ariel Gleeful cried out in agony as she felt a great pain unlike that which she had ever suffered before. Her sibling mirrored her actions, as he too was stricken with an almost unbearable pain; the blue light being absorbed by the white ring which appeared to be about one hundred feet wide. "But how did Ford know to place the ring around the water tower?" Dipper asked aloud. "Easy. I loaned him my Journal a few weeks ago. He must have read about that one nightmare I had about jumping off the tower..." Wendy remarked. "Oh yeah! I was wondering why I was having a major case of déjà vu this whole time..." Dipper said as he smacked his forehead with his palm. Wendy sprinted over to the base of the tower, where Tambry remained bound to the thick wooden support post. "I've seen some freaky ass shit before, but this might just take the cake..." the violet haired reporter remarked as her best friend offered her hand to help her up. "Tell me about it..." Wendy agreed as she felt Tambry wrap her up in a tight hug. "Don't you ever fuckin' scare me like that again, alright?!" the mocha skinned woman said with tears in her eyes. The auburn haired woman simply returned the embrace as her way of concurring with her.

Unknown to the Pines family, the Magic Killers had one last trick up their sleeve. Ariel removed a folded piece of yellowed paper from her pocket and opened it up. Keeping it close to her so that it wouldn't draw attention, she began to recite the incantation it contained in a whispered tone. Having completed it, she looked around to see if her last ditch effort had worked. At first it appeared to have been a failure, as nothing had changed. Then, she spied Dipper, Mabel and Pacifica fall to the ground with a collective thud. She closed her eyes and knew they would open to find the family of four and herself on the field of battle where victory would mean life or death. Tambry held the seemingly lifeless body of her best friend in her arms as she wondered what had happened to the ginger woman. Gently laying her on the ground, the violet haired reporter felt for a pulse, but found none. Pulling her cellphone out, she placed a call not to emergency services, but Stan Pines as the air began to take on a chill in Gravity Falls, Oregon.

Author's Note: Thanks for sticking with me and the story. I know I'm not cranking out chapters like I used to, but things have been absolutely chaotic in my life over the past few months to put it lightly. I'm taking more of a quality over quantity approach with the last few chapters of this story. It might take a little time, but there will be an end to both this story and the Shooting Star Falls AU that I am very excited to share with you all. - iKLOT

Playlist for this chapter:

OK Go - "Here It Goes Again"

Death Cab For Cutie - "Soul Meets Body"

SHAED - "No Other Way"

Twenty One Pilots - "Heavydirtysoul"

Foo Fighters - "Waiting On A War"

Young The Giant - "Superposition"

Sum 41 - "We're All To Blame"

BENEE - "Happen To Me" (Reminded me of Wendy as she fell from the tower)

Skillet - "Hero"

Bad Omens - "Limits"

Love And Death - "Down"

The 1975 - "Love It If We Made It"

Medicine - "Tiny Moving Parts"

Simple Plan - "Welcome To My Life"

All-American Rejects - "Send Her To Heaven"

All Time Low - "Lost In Stereo"

Underoath - "Rapture" (Reminded me of Mabel/Ariel)

Starset - "Halo"

A Day To Remember - "Mindreader"

Hostage - "Don't Let Me Down"

Seether - "Nobody Praying For Me"

Fall Out Boy - "Dead On Arrival"