AN: I'm back! Happy Friday!
So, I'm going to try updating every Friday, gives me time to plan the next story and write and what not.
Anyway, I have picked out five names I thought would best suit the baby!
-Asuna
• Thank you EpicFangirling for the name! Though I don't particularly like SAO, I DO like Asuna. The name is pretty and Asuna is a strong capable girl, THAT'S a daughter Matt and Wendy would be proud of! But by GOD do they mess her up in Season 2! I had to drop the whole show...*grumbles stupid edge lord Kirito and his stupid edge and overpowered-ness trying to be a hero and making Asuna look weak and pathetic*
-Lily
• MLGBilchipher89 suggested I use the name of a Harry Potter character, and my sister instantly suggested Lily Potter! And I was like YUS I love that name! :3
-Alium
• I really liked the name Arylia Scry suggested because not only is the name pretty, the flower of it is GORGEOUS and the name meaning? Lovely and fitting to Matthew's predicament.
-Allison
• Yet another name from EpicFangirling, the name just sang of beauty, respect, and mystery. Also, it's a nice callback to Allison from Pretty Little Liars, her being a very mysterious character and all that. It may be a problem with Allison Gumballs being there, but I can call her Alice. It was one of the names I planned.
-Luna
• What's more mysterious than Allison? Luna of course, suggested by Roxanna Rose! There is nothing more eerie and unsettling than a full moon at night. I just LOVE this name it's gorgeous! And a nice callback to Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter! Or...say it with me fellow Potter fans...Loony Lovegood. All the best people are quirky :3.
If your name wasn't picked, don't worry! There's plenty of characters I can use it for! After all, there's also the baby's appearance to pick. I have an idea already, but your input is nice too!
Onward…
Chapter Forty-Three: Darkening Souls
"We have to do something!" Dipper announced finally in the attic room. "We can't just leave him there!"
"No, we can't," Matthew whispered. "But I just don't know what to do anymore."
"You said that you think Bill shattered Grunkle Stan's mind," Mabel said quickly. "And you're technically Bill too, so, you can fix him, right?"
"I don't know how," Matthew repeated weakly.
"Matt, you can't keep beating yourself up like this! It seriously isn't healthy," Dipper said firmly.
"How would you feel if someone you grew to care about got hurt and it was all your fault?" Matthew demanded, he looked out the window and sighed. "What's worse is that my pride won't let me give in to him."
"But that's good, right?" Mabel pressed. "Demon King sounds...creepy."
"I guess..." Matthew said. But should he be so stubborn? Was he being selfish? "But how much longer before he hurts Wendy and the baby? Or Mom and Dad or..." Matthew looked at his siblings and swallowed thickly. "Or you two?"
Dipper and Mabel exchanged a glance before turning to their brother.
"Do whatever you think is right," Dipper said. "I trust you, Mattie."
"So, do me and Waddles!" Mabel said holding up mentioned pig who snorted in response.
"Thanks," Matthew said. At that moment, he swore to himself that Damion and his little minions weren't laying so much as a finger on his siblings.
Just then in the distance, Matthew could make out a tiny dot...growing closer, and closer...
"What is that?" Dipper asked curiously, raising on his toes to get a better view.
Seconds later, the...thing...was only a few meters away from the window.
"Wait," Matthew said. "Is that...?"
"ARGH!" Dipper and Mabel screamed as they ran away from the window. Waddles squealing and galloping down the stairs, Matthew quickly following and running outside just as, what appeared to be a space ship, crashed into the house, wood splintering in every direction.
The three siblings stared with dropped jaws as Ford ran outside.
"What the heck?!" Matthew shrieked as an astronaut stepped out, removing his helmet.
"Sup!" The guy said. "Did I come too early for the party or...?"
"Joe!" Mabel cried in realization, clapping gleefully. "You made it!"
"Mabel, do you know him?" Dipper demanded.
"Oh yeah, I invited him to Matt's baby-shower!" Mabel grinned.
"You invited an astronaut to a party?" Ford demanded, Matthew couldn't tell if the scientist was shocked or angry or trying to comprehend what was going on.
"He was following Matthew on Snapchat," Mabel said. "I had to invite him!"
"Okay, you invited an astronaut, cool, but can we please talk about the fact that he PLOWED A HOLE THROUGH THE SHACK?!" Matthew yelled dramatically gesturing to the broken old shack. As if on cue, a wooden beam fell.
"No, no, no, no," Ford said stepping in front of Joe. "What we should really be talking about is how hard I'm going sue you for almost murdering us all young man!" Ford jabbed a thumb on Joe's chest.
"Don't worry, dude! I can pay...oh, is that a phone?" Joe picked up a charred cell phone.
"Whoa, sorry, dude," Joe showed it to Matthew whose eye was twitching.
"I just downloaded 30 songs on that..." Matthew hissed.
"Uh...I can pay for that too..." Joe murmured. Matthew whacked the damaged cellphone out of Joe's hand and gave him the middle finger with both hands before storming off.
"He'll like you when he's less stressed," Mabel assured the astronaut.
"And you better pay for all this," Dipper added with a scowl.
"Okay...and the party?"
"Saturday!" Mabel said. "Don't forget! Oh look, there's the news!"
…C-I-P-H-E-R…
"And you can't fix your phone because...?" Dipper asked in the Snow Globe Season Fort Matthew had made for them.
"Its electric," Matthew muttered, playing Glitter Magic with Mabel. "I cast...Pink Sugar Heart-attack..."
He then rolled the dice, it landed on six and he grinned. "...with a critical hit from..." Matthew took a card from the top deck and smiled. "Mini Luna."
"Gah! Why does this keep happening?! You keep getting the strongest unicorns!" Mabel exclaimed, crossing out ten life points from her character. "Are you using magic?"
"Nooooooo," Matthew smiled slyly.
"Matthew!" Mabel complained.
"Sorry, okay, no more cheating."
"What about the house?" Dipper continued.
"Eh, too much plumbing and stuff, takes too much energy, also again, I can't make electricity," Matthew said.
The siblings currently sat in the spring edge of their fort, cherry blossom petals falling from the trees.
"Then...how'd you make the trees...?"
"They're not real trees; they'd have died if they were. But my powers are coming back, soon I'll be able to create galaxies...! ARGH darn it!"
Mabel laughed happily as she pulled ahead in the game. "This is why I gotta cheat!" Matthew snapped.
Matthew already felt at ease sitting alone with the twins, it almost made his fears and unease go away.
Almost.
Stan was still prominent in his mind. Not to mention the future for his loved ones. He'd be a liar to say he didn't feel helpless and afraid.
He could barely go a day without his thoughts going back to the old green book in his book bag.
The feeling of it was dull and maddening and he was tempted to pull it out every time it banged lightly against his thigh.
And although every fiber of his body was telling him to take the thing and read it, he just wasn't sure.
Again, his brain went back to The same argument; if Paige wanted him to have it, was good to have?
"Matt? You okay?" Mabel asked. "You kinda...stopped for a sec."
"Wha-? Oh, yeah." Matthew forced a smile. "I'm just fine..."
…C-I-P-H-E-R…
Paige walked purposely through the auditorium during Arnold Evergreen's lesson.
"Who. The heck. Is bothering me...!?" Arnold spun around and he instantly paled when he saw who he was screaming at.
"I am," Paige sneered.
"I... please, leave, everyone, we're wrapping up early," Arnold said quickly.
"Mr. Evergreen, what's going on?" Quinn asked worriedly.
"Yeah, Mr. E, who's this kid joker?" Janus, the cellist demanded.
"Don't worry about it," Mr. Evergreen said as Paige's eyes flashed dangerously.
Once the students were out, Arnold turned to Paige nervously.
"Sir?"
"Do I look like a 'sir?!'" Paige demanded loudly.
"No! Of course, not m'lady! When Lord Damion said, he'd be coming I thought he'd come himself-I-I'm sorry...!"
"You're aware of my little dilemma?" Paige drawled, cutting Arnold off and trailing her hand on the piano keys.
"Damion's nephew," Arnold said wringing his hands.
"Indeed," Paige said pounding the piano keys in frustration. A discord sounded through the auditorium and Arnold flinched.
"It's my business to believe that you have a connection with the Unseelie Court," Paige continued.
Arnold nodded.
"Here's what's going to happen..."
Arnold listened to the plan and swallowed.
"I don't want you to fail me love. While you do that I'll be screwing someone else."
"Right, right, of course."
…C-I-P-H-E-R…
Matthew woke up with a yawn, blinking twice as he readjusted to the roof of the Fort.
Dipper and Mabel lay nearby, sleeping soundly as something poked his ribs.
The Emerald Chronicle.
Matthew picked it up with shaking hands and opened it to the first yellowed page.
"Matthew?" Came a groggy Dipper's voice as he woke up.
"Dipper!" Matthew said in a somewhat alarmed voice. "You're...awake."
"Something wrong?" Mabel yawned as she too woke up.
"No," Matthew slammed the book closed. Inwardly, he chuckled darkly, I'm fine, lie of the century.
"Do you think we should talk to Grunkle Ford? He doesn't know where we are," Dipper said.
"Yeah, maybe we should do that." Matthew got up and stretched. "C'mon."
The siblings left the snow globe fort behind.
"I destroyed Mattie at Glitter Magic!" Mabel boasted.
"That's because it's a girl game! I'm not compatible with that stuff!" Matthew moaned.
Dipper smiled as the two continued to playfully bicker, his hand scratching the bruise on his chest before his smile faded, his brain going fuzzy.
"Who wants to bet that Ford will skin us alive when we find him?" Matthew said.
"I bet ten bucks that he won't!" Mabel said.
"How about you...Dipper?" Matthew watched confused as his younger brother ran off ahead of them.
"Dipper!" Mabel called. Dipper just ran faster.
"Something tells me this isn't normal," Mabel murmured worriedly.
"Glad I'm not the only one getting bad vibes," Matthew muttered as the two ran to keep up with their brother.
They made it to the town, Dipper still running as he turned a corner into an alleyway.
"He went into an alleyway!" Mabel said in panic. "Alleyways are always bad!"
Matthew gritted his teeth and picked up speed, a hand shooting from the darkness and grabbing Mabel.
Matthew dashed in as well only to be hit hard in the head with something. He collapsed against the wall, ready to use his magic, only for a noose to be tied tightly around his throat and tugging him to his feet.
Matthew staggered into his captor who pinned his arms while another held the tight noose secure on his neck.
Yet another one covered his mouth with a meaty palm, cancelling out all of Matthew's screams of rage and dark promises.
Mabel was held in a similar fashion, minus the noose, as was Dipper who appeared to have gotten a hold of himself and was struggling as well.
"This was as easy as the little girl promised!" The man holding Matthew laughed, the other man tightened his noose and Matthew gasped in both pain and need for oxygen.
"Stop it! You're hurting him!" Mabel screamed loudly against her captor's palm. She was rewarded with a slap in the face by another.
Matthew counted at least ten of them, all laughing as both Dipper and he struggled with renewed rage at having their sister touched.
"Is she coming soon?" The guy holding Dipper said. "The brat keeps kicking me in the shin; it's annoying."
"He's a kid, slap him like the girl he'll behave then."
Matthew angrily slammed his elbow into his captor's ribs. His hold on him relinquished slightly but just enough for Matthew to free his arms and twist the man's wrist before kicking another in the stomach and punching the last one in the face.
One other pointed a pistol at him, Matthew ducked as another man tried to punch him and ended up hitting the guy with the pistol instead. The gun skidding across the ground.
The ones holding Dipper and Mabel didn't know whether to help their teammates or keep the other two hostages at bay.
Matthew was tugging off his noose when he felt a paralyzing pain streak through his body. He collapsed gasping for breath, his face a few centimeters away from a pair of fancy heels.
"Paige..." Matthew ground out.
"Hello, Matthew," Paige said sweetly. "Dipper, Mabel."
"We got what you wanted," the guy holding Dipper said. "What now?"
"Let the twins go," Paige drawled.
The men complied, Dipper instantly punching his captor in the stomach.
"Why you little...!"
"Don't retaliate." Paige looked down at Matthew and flicked her wrist. Matthew's body hovered in front of the sadistic child's face.
"Matthew!" Dipper and Mabel both exclaimed only to be shoved away with an invisible force by another flick of Paige's wrist.
"This is about that jerk, isn't it?" Matthew growled.
"Your uncle? Yes."
Matthew's thoughts went to Stan's broken mind and he felt rage course through his veins.
"You both can burn in hell," Matthew hissed.
Paige grinned. "Be that way. Boys?"
The men reached to grab Mabel and Dipper again though they dodged their lunge. Trying to run out of the alleyway.
"Oh, for the love of..." Matthew was thrown to the floor with a grunt. Paige nodded to a man and he straddled Matthew, grabbing his neck and choking him.
"I'll take you to a more convenient place, you just need to be less conscious," Paige smiled.
"No!" Dipper lunged forward but was finally caught and was slammed to the ground by a foot, same as Mabel, watching in horror.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw the discarded pistol and at that moment, she had the most horrific desperate plan.
Matthew felt his vision giving up. He could remember multiple times this had happened, though nothing could stop him from fainting this time and he knew it.
He could barely hear the several dull bangs. Seconds later, he could breathe again and the man above him collapsed gasping in pain as what Matthew could now tell was a gun-shot cracked through the air.
Matthew rolled away as the man was shot repeatedly, turning, the teen saw a sight he was sure would haunt him forever.
Mabel pulled the trigger again and again and again, her teeth gritted her eyes full of anger and craze.
Paige watched, a smile spreading on her face as Mabel continued.
"Mabel!" Dipper screamed, like Matthew, snapping out of his shock. "Mabel, stop it!"
Mabel didn't stop until Dipper grabbed her from behind, ripping the gun from her grasp and throwing it away.
"Why did you do that?!" Mabel shrieked. "I wanted to kill him!"
"Mabel, calm down!" Matthew grabbed his squirming sister's shoulders. And she panted heavily. Her eyes losing that sadistic look.
She looked around at the limp men, her breathing once more, heavy.
"I-I just murdered...I just killed...I...I..." Mabel began to hyperventilate.
"Mabel, calm down...calm down," Dipper whispered. Mabel's knees buckled and she collapsed against Matthew's chest, sobbing loudly.
"It's okay, it's okay," Matthew whispered tenderly, raking his fingers through her brown hair.
"It's okay."
"No! No, it's not! I'm a horrible person!" Mabel cried.
"Shh," Matthew whispered.
"It's okay Mabel," Dipper said. "You were trying to protect us."
Mabel shook her head as she sobbed. "It's alright. It's alright," Matthew murmured.
Paige watched on top a house, wearing a large grin.
…C-I-P-H-E-R…
AN: Okay, admit, when you saw the chapter title "Darkening Souls" you thought Matthew would become Demon King or become a jerk like in Neat Burn right?
WRONG.
Mabel's the victim this time! Tee hee!
Hope you enjoyed! (Also, the numbering is confusing, I'm going to merge Chapter nine and the bonus chapter together)
Fantasy Fan OUT!