A/N: Almost 4,000 words. Get the popcorn.
Mabel felt awful. Physically and mentally. Hell, even socially. And there was not a single thing she could do.
Nothing at all.
Now she sits there, restricted once more by chains, next to her great uncle Stanley, as they hopelessly watch the battle between their brothers and Bill. They were forced to watch every single blow, all the blood, and hear the wet sounds of what Bill does to Dipper and Ford.
And there was nothing she could do about it.
Mabel and Stan continued to struggle with the chains, trying to find some way to break free, though they have already tried a numerous amount of times.
She winced at every individual blow that Dipper and Ford took, each time her heart dropped. She had never seen Dipper in so much pain before. Not when he came to rescue her from Bill's bubble during Weirdmageddon. Not when she had to beat Bill out of him. Not when he came to rescue her right before Bill became human once more. Not even when he helped her up after temporarily blinding Bill. Every single time she's seen him hurt was when he was standing up for her or rescuing her. This thought that surfaced in her head made her sick to her stomach.
What Bill had told Dipper three years ago before possessing him was true.
What had Mabel done for Dipper? He's always been sacrificing his research and investigations with the journal, and even at times he's risked his life for her. And what had she done to return the favor?
She had done little to nothing.
These thoughts that are recurring through her head made her tear up. All the stress, all the emotion of the last few days that has been building up in her, all of that exploded.
She wailed with both self pity and anger st herself.
No. she thought to herself after letting it all out. I'm not going to submit to Sweatertown this time. Dipper needs me, especially now. I'll finally put him in front of myself this time. I'm gonna be the hero this time. Her little pep talk with herself gave her a rush of confidence and comfort. Maybe everything will be alright. But she's got to act now if everything will be alright.
It's now or never.
Never or now.
(It's clear that the author's stalling the time.)
. . . . (Further proof that the author is stalling)
With a great struggle, she managed to take out her grappling hook.
"What're ya doing pumpkin?" Whispered Stanley as he winced after a loud crunch came from the direction of Dipper.
"I think I have an idea. Don't put too much attention on me."
Stan nodded.
Mabel scooched over right next to a tree, which was only ten feet away from them. Then she used her grappling hook to get up to a branch of the tree.
So far so good. She thought to herself. She then quietly scooches to the end of the branch and put her chained arms around the branch.
Here goes.
She yanked both of her hands upwards, but the chain stayed strong. She grunted in pain from the shock of the impact as the chains dug into her wrist. This is going to take a few tries.
Eventually, her plan had worked, and the chain between her hands broke. Mabel gasped as the pressure from the cuffs ceased, dissolving into dust. Her wrists bore messy looking cuts and burns from trying so many times. She immediately got back to work.
Not a moment to waste.
"Grunkle Stan!" Called Mabel. "I'm going to get you free."
"How?"
Mabel spotted a rather large rock not too far away.
"I've got an idea and it's gonna rock!"
Mabel crawled down the tree and hurried to the rock.
It was much larger than she had first seen it.
She had taken a few tries before lifting the rock.
"Ugh," she panted while carrying the rock. It's gotta be at least 75 pounds. "Grunkle Stan, put the chains on that stump there." She gestured her head to the stump fifteen feet away from Stan.
She waddled over to Stan, still carrying the large rock. She almost lost her grip, and the rough texture of the rock scraped her palms. Stan opened up his arms and made the chain link right on top of the stump. Then, mustering all of her strength, Mabel lifted the rock above her head and smashed it down on the chain. It didn't work the first time, but after about ten tries, the chain broke free, liberating Stan, and turned to dust.
"Thanks, pumpkin!" Beamed Stan, proud of his great niece.
"We got no time to lose. We need to help Dipper and Ford! Now, do you remember where we put all of the weapons? I kinda hit my head and forgot where it went."
"The weapons?" Stan pondered for a minute. "Oh yeah, it's out by the bush we hid behind not too long ago."
"And why didn't we use them again?"
Stan shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe a hole in the story by the author."
"Maybe. Let's get those weapons." Said Mabel.
Quick time out… shoot. I need to fill in some holes in this story. Please review or PM me if you noticed any plot holes in this story so I know what I missed and I can fix it. Gentle reminder that this is my first fanfic and honestly I don't think I'm doing bad at all.
They snuck around the fighting as quickly as possible. Sure enough, the weapons were all there.
Stan equipped the 12 gauge and latched the broadsword to his belt. Mabel grabbed Dipper's crossbow and smiled in determination.
They were ready.
Just as they were ready to head out and join the battle, a flash of pink went into Mabel's vision. She turned around to see her favorite pig in the world, Waddles. (I am a man of my word.)
"What are you doing out here?" Asked Mabel, rubbing Waddles's head. "Go back home Waddles, it's not safe here."
Waddles stayed still, and sneezed. During the fraction of the second that Waddles sneezed, he suddenly turned a sickly green, and became just slightly malformed. Then it suddenly returned back to its rosy pink and milled about as if nothing happened.
Mabel had not noticed it, but Stan had.
"Uh, Mabel, I wouldn't be so near that pig if I were you." He started backing up from Waddles. "It just sneezed and turned green." Ford had warned Stan that there was a breach in his bunker the night before and to take all precautions.
"What're you talking about? Waddles is fine." Said Mabel, looking at Stan. Once more, the pic sneezed and turned the same sickly green and became slightly malformed. The pig turned pink once more when Mabel turned around. "Now, let's go help Dipper and Ford. Waddles, please go back to the Shack."
The pig slowly obliged, and started trotting in the direction of the Shack.
"See, Grunkle Stan? What's making you so paranoid?" Asked Mabel, once again facing Stan.
Stan looked up at something about three to four feet above Mabel's head, similar to when Mabel and Soos saw the Gobblewonker behind Dipper at Scuttlebutt Island.
"Now what's wrong?" Started Mabel, rotating around to look at what Stan was looking at. "I don't see - UHN!" She grunted from the blow of a shadowy creature. She landed a few feet away, her head spinning. She heard Stan fire his 12-gauge, the beast's roar in pain, then heard Stan shriek in pain. Mabel noticed that the beast's screams were familiar. She looked at her wounds on her upper stomach and lower torso. Three claw marks were apparent, and they ripped right through her sweater. That's two ruined sweaters already. Thin red lines of blood appeared on her undershirt.
Mabel turned around and faced the creature. Except, the creature was no longer there. Where the shadowy figure once stood was Waddles. What the hell? She contemplated to herself. This time, she pieced it together quickly. Mabel instinctively grabbed Dipper's crossbow and aimed it at Waddles.
"I know it's you, Shapeshifter! I'm not afraid of you!"
Waddles convulsed, and there stood the Shapeshifter. He focused his eyes on Mabel's wound. He licked his lips in his new craving for blood. After all, he hasn't tasted human blood in about 33-34 years. Mabel covered up her wounds with her arms, still aiming the crossbow at the Shapeshifter.
"Pervert." She said absentmindedly. After all, the wounds were near her chest. She kept her aim on the Shapeshifter's skull. "What the fuck do you want?" She said very impatiently.
"I want to kill you." Said the Shapeshifter very plainly.
Mabel groaned. "Ugh, this bullshit again. Can you kill me later? I gotta help my brother, so go away."
"I don't take orders from a teenage girl."
"But you do take orders from a flying Dorito who's now a teenage boy. Wow. Sexist."
The Shapeshifter flustered. "Well, I didn't mean that. I just said -"
"Yeah, you just said my ass, you sexist, perverted creep."
The Shapeshifter blushed in embarrassment. "Look, I didn't mean to be sexist or anything, I just have my orders."
Mabel smiled, but only for a second. She had the Shapeshifter off guard, and Stan had come back behind the Shapeshifter, with his broadsword unsheathed, ready to attack. She nodded to Stan.
"And we have orders too. Now, Grunkle Stan!" She boomed. Stan obviously obeyed Mabel and leaped in to attack.
With a very clean swipe, Stan's broadsword had met its destination and made its mark. The sword cut through the Shapeshifter's arm like a hot knife through butter. The dismembered arm landed on the forest ground with a wet thud, lime-green blood gushing from the laceration, almost as viscous as tar.
For a few seconds, the three just stood there, staring at the arm. Then the Shapeshifter, as expected, boomed a blood-curdling cry, staggering backwards, his intact hand covering up the stump where his other arm's humerus would have been located. He then fell on his back, going limp.
Stan laughed. "Ha ha! We did it, pumpkin! Cmon!" He said, waving for her to come. "Dipper and Ford aren't gonna save themselves!"
"Yeah, I'll be...right...there…." said Mabel, slurring the words. Suddenly she didn't feel so good. She went down on one knee, and felt incredibly light-headed.
"Mabel? Mabel, come on, get up, sweetie." Said Stan very nervously.
"Yeah...just….gimme…..a…sec. Uhn." Said Mabel. Her head was spinning. She looked back down at the shreds of her sweater which was revealing her undershirt. However, those thin red lines have evolved into giant, messy crimson splotches, providing a nice contrast against the white undershirt, which isn't so white anymore from the grime and dirt taken from the tumbling today.
"Oh, no." Said Stan aloud to himself. That's never good. Especially now. He knows that Dipper and Ford need help now, but he can't leave Mabel alone. But then again, it's not like she's gonna go anywhere. Then again, Stan knows he's been wrong before. "Hang on, pumpkin! I'll get you!" And with that, Stan started heading towards her.
And of course, that's when trouble hits poor Stanley Pines.
Literally.
As Stan rushed over to Mabel's side, his movement caught the attention of Bill Cipher. Both Dipper and Ford were down at the moment.
"Well well well, if it isn't Stanley Pines! Why don't you join the party?" Said Bill, who was breathing rather heavily. After all, Dipper and Ford were tough to bring down. Bill used telekinesis and lifted Stan in the air. Stan quick-drew his 12-gauge and fired at Bill, who ducked and let go of Stan in the process. Before Stan could fire again, Bill used his telekinesis once more, this time on the 12-gauge. It shook violently in Stan's hand before it blew up, burning his hand and part of his face.
"Auuugh!" Screamed Stan in pain, shaking his hand as if the burn were a bug. "You son of a bitch! Why I oughta-"
"Shut up, old man. Weapons are for the cowardly."
"You're using telekinesis as a weapon. Cheater."
"No, that's different. Also, you cheat almost as much as me."
"Yeah. Almost."
"Don't you smart mouth me, Fez. I've become the ultimate life form"
"And yet you're still a teenage boy."
"Ok, you got me there. I have yet to become the ultimate life form."
"And what's stopping you?"
"For now, only time and you four pests. Which reminds me, I need to kill you."
"Kill me my ass. We don't give up easy, mister."
"But some give up easier than others." Said Bill. Stan realized that the statement was true, and flashed a slightly suspicious look.
What is Bill up to?
"That may be true," he started, "but we're the best when we're together. Shit." Stan face palmed after he realized what he had just said. He just gave Bill an idea.
"Then I guess I'll just have to separate you all and pick you off one by one. Thanks for the idea, Stanley."
"Well, SHIT." Muttered Stan. He needed Mabel to come out and help him now, because Dipper and Ford are still knocked out, though it looks like Dipper may be starting to stir. Stan approximated about five to ten minutes until Dipper gets back up. Great. Five to ten minutes of play-time with triangle boy. All by himself. Fantastic.
Stan unsheathed his broadsword. "I may be cowardly at some times, but I'm not a complete dumbass either. But you mess with my family, you're taking the full brunt of me."
Bill sighed. "Ooh, I'm shaking in my boots."
"You don't have any boots dumbass."
"That was a figure of speech. Now, try me, Pines."
The two stared down each other for a couple of seconds.
Stan knew that as of that moment, the entire dimension's fate rests in his hands. His trusty, pick pocketing hands, Shaky and Scratchy.
We're fucked. Stan thought, but he nagged it away. For everyone he cares about, for the entire universe, he's got to put him away while he can.
Instinctively, Stan charged for Bill, his broadsword at the ready. Bill started charging too, flakes of fire leaving a smoky trail from where he had started.
He needed to fend him off for just ten minutes.
The battle had begun.
. . . .
Fog.
Fog everywhere.
Clouding her vision.
She stands there, not knowing where she is, or what she's even doing here. But she does remember one thing.
Her name was Mabel Pines, and she was exhausted.
Suddenly, her head throbbed in pain, making a ringing voice that filled her head.
Other than that, it was dead silent.
Mabel blinked a few times, still adjusting to the new environment. It was very humid, making it harder for her to breathe.
Mabel knew she wasn't a meteorologist, but she knows that usually fog doesn't roll in in the middle of the afternoon. Like everything else that has happened in her first week of summer, something was wrong. The environment was extremely ominous.
It was quite odd. The atmosphere was strangely a little cheerful, with birds tweeting and woodpeckers pecking away despite the fog, but Mabel still had an ominous hunch in her stomach. A squirrel ran up to her leg, and stared at Mabel. Instinctively, Mabel went down and petted the squirrel, who was obviously satisfied by the petting. The squirrel then stopped and scurried off in a hurry, but why?
Mabel wondered why the squirrel ran off like that. There was no noise or flash of light or anything, but she now notices that the temperature dropped at least ten degrees in the last few seconds.
She shivered from the drastic climate change. Her eyes shifted to a figure, only a silhouette in the fog.
"Mabel!"
Oh thank God. Thought Mabel. It's Dipper.
Dipper called her name again, but this time there was a distressed strain on his voice.
"Dipper?"
"Mabel!"
His voice echoed through her head, getting more distressed after each echo in her head.
Almost silently, but plenty audible, was the sound like the sharpening of a knife.
"MABEL!"
"Dipper!"
Her headache doubled in pain, making her clutch her head and fall to the ground. The headache triggers flashbacks.
. . . .
Three years ago. July 9th, 2012. Dipper laying on the ground. Blood seeping out of his head. Mabel standing there. Speechless. Frozen in shock and fear. He was groaning in pain. Mabel tried to scream but she was unable to. The Hide-Behind. It did this. Thick slices through his skin, almost making him look like a tiger with his bloody stripes. Calling for someone, but too deep in the forest. She can't do anything.
. . . .
July 24th. After putting Gideon away in prison.
"Haha!" Said Stan triumphantly. "The Mystery Shack is back baby!"
"Mr. Pines! Mr. Pines! May I ask a few questions on how you uncovered this conspiracy?" Asked Shandra Jimenez.
"Of course. Dipper. Mabel. This might take a while. Go back to the Shack and celebrate, will ya? I got some TV crap to do."
"Sure thing, Grunkle Stan!" Replied Dipper.
"Yeah, just don't trash the place."
"Alright. See ya, Grunkle Stan!" Said Mabel.
They were walking back to the Shack.
"And then you jumped from twenty feet high and socked the sucker right in the face! You were amazing back there!" Said Mabel proudly, pretending to punch the air.
"Eh, it was nothing." Said Dipper. "Nobody touches my sister."
"Yeah. Thanks, Dip." Said Mabel, hugging her brother.
"Yeah…. no… problem." Dipper coughed, and over her shoulder Mabel felt something splatter on her shoulder. She stopped hugging and looked at Dipper.
She gasped.
It looked almost as if he was from a horror movie.
Dipper coughed once again, and another round of blood, coming out almost like vomit, protruding from his mouth, and onto the forest floor. Mabel looked at her shoulder, soaked in crimson.
"Oh my God, Dipper!" Said Mabel, staring down at her brother's stomach.
Alas, the boy's valiant jump and crash through the robot's glass eye did not go unpunished. Many glass shards stuck out of his gut like ornaments on a Christmas tree. Out oozed the blood slowly.
"Uhn." Said Dipper as he took a knee down. "I feel pretty dizzy."
Mabel carried him to the Shack, where luckily she had found Soos in time to fix things up before things got serious.
But she'll never forget seeing Dipper's face as she was carrying him. He looked pale as a ghost, his eyes dark and sunken in, like an old man. His face was expressionless, like he had died.
Mabel never forgot that moment. Luckily, from the blood loss, Dipper had forgotten about that traumatic moment, but Mabel would never forget that moment until she dies.
. . . .
"AAAAUGH!" Screamed Mabel. It was almost too much for her head. It felt as if her head will split in half any second.
"Nnng." She said, still struggling with the excruciating pain.
This ain't no migraine.
She stands there in the fog, still clutching her head. A ringing filled her ears, making her scream in pain.
Eventually she had gotten used to the pain, and rose her head. The silhouette was still there, Dipper's voice still calling her name.
"Mabel…"
His voice was very mysterious. Almost too mysterious for Dipper. He sounded somewhat like a ghost.
Millions of thoughts raced through her mind at once. What should I do? That's obviously Dipper, but why is he so much like Ford right now? And what the hell's up with this fog?
"Mabel…"
The silhouette of Dipper grew nearer.
"Mabel!"
The voice became more desperate again. Deja vu? Mabel had thought.
"MABEL!" Dipper screamed furiously.
Mabel now could see the silhouette through the fog.
Nightmare.
That's a good word to describe it.
Dipper was gnarled and twisted and had the shit beaten out of him. Deep cuts cover him like his own skin. Crimson tar gushed out of every open hole in his skin.
That wasn't even the worst of it.
No. Mabel gasped and started bawling when she saw his arm.
It was a bloody stump.
About fifteen feet to her left she had seen the dismembered arm.
She managed to control her sniffeling. "Dipper, what happened to you?"
"You did this." Said Dipper, almost interrupting her last word. "You brought him into this world and now your family pays the price."
"I don't understand… Dipper,"
"You have failed me as a sister and Ford as a niece."
Those words broke Mabel psychologically. It was crushing to hear her own brother say that in cold blood.
The sobbings acted up once more.
"But, you may have a chance."
Mabel looked back up at Dipper.
"P-please. I'll do anything."
"Get the hell out of this dream and help your dying uncles and brother will you? Or this will be their fate."
Dipper's eyes flashed a brilliant white, changing the scenery.
. . . .
She gasped once more.
Exactly the same as Dipper's dream. The seven wounds in Dipper's torso. The fourth journal, in his bloody hands. His face, clearly embraced by Death.
More tears when her eyes set on Ford.
Same piercing in his gut. Same claw marks on his face, legs, and arms. His face expressionless. Death's newest victim.
But wait.
There's more.
(Like that Billy Mays reference? RIP Billy.)
Levitating over the scene was Bill.
He cackled in laughter as fiery blue lightning zapped around on his fingertips.
"You will suffer, Shooting Star, and watch Fez die." Bill snapped his fingers and Stan rose.
Mabel watched in horror as Stan was being telekinetically and literally ripped apart limb by limb. Blood rained on the corpses and the dream/hallucination Mabel.
A truly traumatic experience.
Then Bill raised the dream Mabel up and summoned his iconic cane. Sharpening his fingernails, he sliced at her belly, claw marks visible in thick red lines.
"When you meet your family, tell them I said hi."
Mabel watched as her nightmare counterpart was stabbed in the throat by the cane, which was sharpened.
Dream Mabel struggled to breathe, choking on her own blood, before, like the rest, was welcomed by Death.
"That was undeniably satisfying." Murmured Bill to himself, summoning a cloth, wiping blood off of his cane. "Now, to the rest of the universe."
. . . .
Mabel was speechless.
"What… how… how can I possibly do this?" She asked Dipper.
"Well you can start by waking the hell up and help me and Grunkle Stan out. Go now, before this nightmare becomes reality."
Dipper walked back into the fog
An ear-piercing noise protrudes the silence.
Mabel crouched over, covering her ears.
"Uhhhhhhhhnnnnnnn!" She grimaced, feeling the blood gush out of her nose. The pain tripled and tripled, until everything stopped once again.
. . . .
Mabel groaned. Her eyesight was blurry, and a very high pitched ringing echoed in her ears.
She looked down on the forest ground. Soaked in crimson from her wounds, leading to attention to her nosebleed. And a pretty severe one too. She wiped her nose; a poor choice. Now the drippy liquid lurks down her hand, leaving a red residue in its blazed path.
"Ew." Said Mabel, wiping her hand with a leaf she found on the ground. Blood is a rather disgusting fluid.
She groaned in pain once more as she struggled to get up. Headrush. This one hurts like hell.
Mabel came back to her senses.
She gasped.
"Dipper."
She prayed that she had not been unconscious for so long.
Mabel sprinted out into the clearing to see something she never thought she would ever see.
"GRUNKLE STAN!"
A/N: Ok I anticipated this chapter and the next chapter to become one, but the chapter would've been way too big, so I decided to split them up. Sorry for such a big delay in this chapter. School, ya know? I'm hoping to have this fanfic done by New Years so I can unleash my new au idea.