A/N: Again, decided to be early with this update. This chapter was SO long that I decided to cut it into a part two. As a result, the next chapter will be shorter... and as a result, I'll upload the next one two days from now instead of a week from now. Seems fairer that way, doesn't it? Now, enough of my chatter. Lemme just give you the roles and a few warnings, and then you can start reading.

Depression Trigger Warnings Possible
Two Curse Words are Present
Prepare Tissues

Roles
Dipper Pines: Ace
Bill Cipher and Mabel Pines: Me

Darkening Souls
Chapter Two (Part One): Nightmare in Reality

Dipper was walking around the forest, sighing.

"She doesn't realize how serious this all is. I sold my soul to a demon and all it's gotten done is made her awkward around me!" he said to nobody in particular, kicking a stone.

The wind cropped up a few times, whipping his hair around. His hat almost got blown off. Dipper held onto his hat tightly and sighed.

"I know you're there, listening to me. Laughing at me. Stop laughing at me!" he yelled to the wind.

The wind only began to blow even harder in seeming reply.

Dipper groaned, "I'm losing it. Just like the guy who wrote this book." He pulled out journal three and sighed, "Maybe he made a couple bad deals with Bill, too." Dipper sat on a log.

It was silent throughout the forest. Dipper realized he didn't recognize this part of the forest. Lost. Again.

"And so I hid all this from you guys so you two wouldn't mess with my progress," finished Stan. "So we have only eighteen hours and boom, he's back... Mabel, I need you to keep this secret. And if something happens to me, I need you to make sure the portal opens."

Mabel promptly saluted, "You can count on me, Grunkle Stan!"

"Here, you'll need this," he shoved the paper with the code on it into her hands. "You got any questions, kiddo?" Stan raised an eyebrow.

Mabel read over it, and shook her head, smiling, "Nope!"

Stan frowned, "Alright, then. Let me show you the thing." He walked away to the vending machine, entered the code and began down the stairs. Mabel got up and followed him, awed.

She's not taking this seriously... Stan noted, or she's thinking about something else... he reached the elevator, entered in the symbols, and stepped in. She also stepped in, bouncing on her heels. He was right. She was focused on something else. Or, rather, someone else. She was still worried about Dipper, but refused to let it show. After a few seconds, they were standing in front of the portal, the countdown timer running, "And so my brother will return when that timer runs out."

"I see... wow.. this is amazing.." she began to explore a little bit.

"Don't touch anything. I don't understand it much better than you."

"Aww! fine..." she was inches away from touching something, and she then pulled her hand back from whatever it was.

Stan sighed, glancing at the timer, "You should probably go check on your brother," and then he hesitated, thinking better of what he said earlier, "and don't tell him about all this. I don't think he's ready to hear the truth."

"Alright..." the worry about her brother was brought back to the front of her mind, "and I won't. I Mabel Promise!" and she did the gestures, walking backwards out the lab. Stan chuckled slightly, shaking his head.

Meanwhile, Dipper was stumbling around, fighting the wind, uncertain if he was even going the right direction. Suddenly, he began to hear laughter. Familiar laughter. Dipper rolled his eyes. "Really? can't you just appear? your theatrics are hardly entertaining!" he shouted to the wind, still struggling to get any farther.

The world started turning gray, and Bill kept laughing, ignoring Dipper's request. He sighed, and took a deep breath, Just deal with it, Dipper.

"Yeah! hehe! deal with it!" and then he appeared, one brick at a time. He smirked once he was fully formed. "Good to see you're still in one piece, Pine Tree!"

Dipper rolled his eyes and kept on walking. Ignore him. Just ignore him and get home.

Bill teleported in front of him, still grinning, "Now, hold up, Pine Tree! you really think simply walking away is gonna work? heh! you're in my domain now!"

"Oh, right," Dipper pinched his arm, wincing.

It didn't work, as Bill was still levitating in front of him, arms crossed with that smug smirk on his eye.

Dipper sighed, "Do you wanna play a game?" and shrugged, staring at Bill.

"A game, eh? what do you figure?" the triangle seemed interested.

"I don't know. Chess, maybe? seems like you'll keep me here a while," he looked at Bill with some slick confidence. The kind of smirk Bill would have was present on his face.

Bill smirked as well, recognizing this. His corruption was working... this was excellent...

"Ah, yes... let's play some chess," and then he snapped his fingers and a chessboard appeared before the both of them.

Of course, Dipper took the first move. Just keep it cool, Dipper. All I have to do is wait for someone to find me and wake me up. Shouldn't take too long. He looked up at Bill, smiling softly, "Your turn."

And then Bill made his move, concentrating intensely on the game. Dipper moved again, "So, uh, why do you keep visiting me?"

"For fun. Sometimes it gets lonesome. That and it's funny to see you suffer," the demon placed a piece.

He hesitated, and slid a piece across the board, "I'm not suffering and I'm hardly fun. Mabel tells me all the time."

Bill then smirked, "She does, doesn't she? maybe because she thinks you're worthless..."

She's not found me yet... but I know she's looking. Right? wouldn't she be looking? he thought silently, and then sighed, "Uh, I think it's your turn..." he looked conflicted.

Bill slid his piece across the platform, "Heh, just face it, kid! she only sees you as the weakest link. Why would she ever come looking for you?"

"You might be onto something there. I am weak... I didn't even try to fight you," he tapped his chin, staring at the pieces. He tipped his king over, forfeiting. From there, he began to reset the board manually.

"Yeah! definitely!" the demon smirked, and then took to watching him set the board back up, propping his feet up on it. He summoned two mugs, and poured some hot chocolate into each of them, "Would you like a spot of hot chocolate, Pine Tree?"

"Why not?" he took one and took a sip. He's not wrong... Mabel hardly seemed to care about this whole thing. I mean, yeah, she cared, but she was probably just acting... wait, no, that doesn't sound like Mabel. He finished with the board, frowning, "Uh, you go first this time."

Bill also took a sip, and then placed a piece without even looking. He sensed his hesitation, and gave him a little mental pinch in the right direction.

Dipper frowned, "How do you do that?" his mind was completely taken off Mabel, "you seem to know any move I'll make before I even make it... and it's freaky! ...or I'm really paranoid." Dipper sighed and picked up a piece, hesitated, and then decided to put it back.

"Precognition, kid..." he answered, and waited a while.

"There's no point in playing a game you'll always win. It just boosts your ego and it's boring for me!" he said, swiping all the pieces off the board angrily. "It's like playing chess with Mabel, but completely the opposite way!"

"Hehe, yeah. Mabel's always beaten you at every other game, hasn't she?"

"No, it's the other way around. I always beat her at everything... I think she's actually jealous of me, to be honest. I've been an amazing brother and she's done next to nothing to help me!" he sighed, "eh, I'm being a bit dramatic. She has done things for me in the past... little things..."

Bill grinned, "Exactly..."

"Ah, who am I kidding? she's my twin sister. I sold my soul for her. I wouldn't have it any other way," he patted his chest.

The mental twinge came up again. He frowned, Really? a big speech formed in his head, listing ever time he had sacrificed for her and she hadn't returned the favor. She's done nothing after all that. Even after I've sold my fuckin' soul to a demon for her, nothing in return!

Bill smirked subtly, sipping at his mug again.

"Yeah, but really, she's done nothing for me, while I've done everything for her. I don't even know why..."

The demon chuckled slightly, and then vanished, taking the chessboard and mugs with him. The world was back to color, and Dipper started hearing a voice on the wind. Mabel's voice. Dipper stood up, Oh, she was looking for me. Color me surprised.

Anyone except the blind would have noticed his soft yellow eyes by now. He saw Mabel and sighed, "I'm over here, Mabel," and turned away from her.

Mabel soon appeared out of the trees, gasping for air. She smiled brightly when she saw him, "Oh my god, I was worried something happened to you!"

He rolled his eyes, "Aren't we all?"

It all seemed so clear now. How had he been lost? was he just tired? he didn't care. He just walked towards the Mystery Shack. Mabel's bright smile slowly faded from her face, and she was now wondering what's wrong, as he brushed past her. However, she also saw something wrong with his eyes, and her own eyes widened. She didn't call attention to this, choosing instead to follow her brother silently to the Shack, deflated once more.

He could sorta... sense her emotions. It was strange. He ignored it though, for now, concentrating on getting to the Shack without stopping. He arrived and turned to Mabel, about to say something. He thought better of it and stepped inside. Mabel then grabbed his arm and pulled him back outside. He sighed.

"What do you want?" he asked gruffly, boring into her with those horrible eyes.

She merely pointed at his eyes, "Y..your eyes..."

He rolled them.

"Really, Mabel? my eyes? okay, what's wrong with my eyes? or are you telling me you're in love with me or something?" he was fed up with Mabel's bullshit.

Mabel uncharacteristically frowned, angry and frustrated, and then shoved a mirror into his face. She then brushed past him, entering the Shack. He looked at it, frowning too. Because he saw nothing wrong in the mirror with his eyes. They were as white as ever. But he did notice the bags.

"Heh. I guess she means she wants me to get some sleep... MABEL! SLEEP DEPRIVATION DOES NOT EQUAL BEING GRUMPY!" he yelled, walking in and dropping the mirror on a table.

She didn't even reply, too angry and upset. She bored literal holes into the wall from where she was sitting at the table. She grabbed at her camera sweater, frowning still. He found in his other hand, the knife. It had appeared in his hand sometime in the forest. He frowned, glancing at it.

She had an idea on how she could use her sweater, and it brightened her mood. However, she had to wait a while for Dipper to sit down. She thought that, maybe, just maybe.. the eyes would show up on film.

Dipper decided to get some much needed rest. Those bags had to go away. He headed up the stairs. You know what? I don't think I need a dreamcatcher, after all.

Mabel scratched her head, reworking the idea in her head. Maybe she could plant the camera in the room? Dipper sat down on his bed, sighing, and found he couldn't sleep. He felt miserable. I'm being a jerk to Mabel. She's just trying to look out for me.

He felt another twinge.

Mabel worked on building a small camera. Turns out she had been paying attention to when Stan was teaching the siblings how to make mini-cameras. Dipper stood up. He picked up his knife, and had a singular thought on his mind. He began out the door and down the stairs, to where Mabel was working. Mabel was almost done with the camera, when she sensed her brother come out. She greeted him without looking, "Hey, bro-bro! how was your nap?"

His hand clenched around the handle. Wait. WHAT AM I DOING? Terrified, he stepped back into the little room with the stairs as quickly as he could. Bill chuckled, still in his dimension. He would make this process go as long and as slowly as possible. For now, a break was needed. He laughed even more, still watching Dipper's graying soul.

Mabel became worried when Dipper didn't answer, "Bro-bro?"

He dropped the knife. Didn't hear it land. Only heard Mabel.

"Y-yes?" he asked hesitantly. There's something wrong with me...

"Are you okay?"

He forced a smile, "I'm fine, Mabel. I'm just... tired."

It wasn't a lie. But it wasn't the truth either. He entered the room again, staring at the ground.

"Oh.. I would say rest, but I have this small feeling that it's making something worse... I... I just don't know..." she finished making the camera, but discarded that idea. She pocketed it, and then focused on her sweater.

Dipper nodded, "I think I've made a mistake."

"Yeah... I think we both did... now, hold still..." and she got up and aimed her camera at him.

He looked up and frowned at her, "Mabel, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to see something..." and then she took a picture of his face. The photo soon was fed out of the hole in her sweater, and she grabbed it up carefully and looked at it, inspecting the eyes. Sure enough, they were on there, those horrible yellow eyes. And something she didn't notice before: they seemed to be growing longer, his pupils.

"Well? what do you see? actually, what were you looking for?"

Mabel only stood there, shocked. She couldn't say a thing. Soon, she simply held it out for Dipper to look at for himself. He laughed at it, "God, I look even worse on camera!"

He was staring at all the wrinkles and bags under his eyes. How could he so completely miss the yellow? Mabel frowned even more, and then quietly exploded, "Oh my god, how can you not see it?! your eyes, Dipper! they're yellow and cat-like!"

He looked again and gasped, "You're right! but.. it keeps switching back and forth..." his own eyes were switching back and forth, opposite to the photo's.

She calmed herself down, and began to think, "Huh... strange... I wonder if the switching is a good thing...?"

His eyes settled on yellow and he sighed, "It's back to normal..." he frowned. "This is freaky..."

"Back to normal...?" Mabel pulled a face, "and you're darn right it's freaky..."

"I looked like Bipper... I think this is because of the whole selling soul thing with Bill. Maybe I've put you in even greater peril..." he looked at her with fear. Even now, he was wondering why he was talking to her. Wondering why he cared about her.

Mabel whimpered, pocketing the picture, "I'm sorry I was ever in danger in the first place... bro-bro... you shouldn't be going through this..."

He looked down, and looked back up at her. Directly at her.

"Shut up! you don't know what this is like! you don't have a clue! just... leave me alone, I don't wanna hurt you!" he screamed at her.

Mabel looked hurt and pitiful, "Of course I don't... but I... I just wanna help... bro-bro..."

"The best way for you to help me is for you to stay away from me! you're a useless little brat with no regard for all the things I've done for you! I swear, I'd kill you if I could!" his eyes turned red. Then back to normal. They widened as he realized what he said, and he tried to rectify it, "Mabel, I didn't mean any of that..."

Mabel felt her whole world crash and burn. Silent tears began to drip from her wide eyes. She couldn't do anything but just stand there and cry, her thoughts also having ground to a halt. Dipper did the only thing he could do, the only thing his sides agreed on—making his way to the attic, opening the window and running. He slid down a tree, ran into the forest, tripped over a root, and decided not to get up.

Mabel frowned once again, and went upstairs to sit on her bed, tears still flowing. She curled up in a fetal position and pulled her sweater over her face. She didn't even bother to go look for him. All that played in her mind were those words... over and over again... slowly tearing her heart apart even more.

A/N: I would like to say right now that Dipper and Bill will be roleplayed by Ace and me respectively throughout this entire story. Other characters will be bounced around from time to time. Now that I've got that down, I hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review if you can. I'm well aware I'd uploaded this on a school night as well as on the day Steven Universe comes back, but please, even if it's short. I'd REALLY appreciate it. Thank you.
And while I'm still talking about SU, HOORAY! I'm going to have fun watching it, and possibly die from feels. Hopefully dying won't happen. XP
But I digressed. Again, I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you two days from now with another chapter! Ta ta!