The End is Just the Beginning (a Bad End Friends story)

Chapter 15

It had been a few weeks, but the people living at the Attack Shack were finally getting used to each other and the new people.

Mabel had also gotten used to it. She liked having the others around. She liked having Frisk to knit sweaters and liked having Finn as a friend/little sister. She thought Wirt and Morty were cute, though Bipper said she couldn't go all "boy-crazy" on them. Whatever that meant.

Mabel liked it, and she loved their little family.

She was knitting one day when her brother came into their room and happily threw himself on his bed, laughing into his mattress.

"What's up, bro?" Mabel asked as she set her half-made sweater.

Bipper looked at his sister with an ecstatic grin. "It's all coming together. Our plan is working."

Mabel smiled back at him. "That is amazing!" she said, but she paused, thinking for a second. "We should celebrate!"

Bipper sat up. "What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

"We should throw a party!" Mabel exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "We can have cake and Mabel Juice to celebrate people moving in."

"Aren't we doing that Block Party thing next month?" Bipper asked. "Y'know for when more people come here?"

Mabel nodded. "Yes, but we should do something with just us, the gang, before it gets super crazy."

Bipper leaned against the wall. "I like the idea," he said, grinning. "When will you do it?"

"Why not today?" Mabel asked. "I can't wait any longer than that!"

Bipper's smile wavered. "I can't tonight."

Mabel's face fell. "Why not?"

"I have... business," Bipper told her. "But, hey, you can still do it. You'll have Frisk and Finn and Wirt and Morty to entertain."

Mabel didn't say anything for a second. On one hand, she really wanted her brother to be there, almost to make up for their missed parties over the past three years. On the other hand, it wasn't like it was another Birthday Party he was missing, and she really wanted to throw the party.

"Okay," Mabel finally agreed.

"Okay," Bipper repeated cheerfully, and Mabel got to work planning the celebration.

___

Wirt was pacing the hallway, bored out of his mind, when he heard a clanging coming from the kitchen.

At first, he dismissed it as Morty making something as he usually was, though he was normally in his basement, or Frisk rummaging for a knife sharpener, or maybe Bipper messing around with the forks again.

Soon, though, there was a clatter of pans and a strangely girly, "Dang it!"

More curiously than concerned, Wirt went to check in the kitchen to find Mabel with her head stuck in a cabinet. On the counter, bags of flour and sugar and cartons of eggs littered the space along with bowls and measuring cups.

On the table where they usually ate, bottles of soda and containers of edible (or at least Wirt hoped edible) glitter sat.

"What are you doing?" Wirt asked.

Mabel jumped, banging her head on the inside of the cabinet. She slowly backed out and turned around with a dinged-up cake pan in her hands.

"I am throwing a party, so I need cake," Mabel said cheerfully, throwing Wirt a bright smile.

"A party?" Wirt asked.

Mabel set the pan on the table and waved the question away. "Don't worry. It'll just be us, minus Bipper."

Wirt nodded and backed out of the room without a word to let the girl do her thing.

Not long after though, Wirt was startled by a knock on his door. He went to open it and was surprised to see Finn standing almost awkwardly at the threshold.

Wirt just looked at him a second before he started to talk. "Mabel is throwing a party for some reason," Finn said. "Are you coming?"

"Are you?" Wirt asked. When Finn nodded, Wirt did as well. They headed down the hall, following the sound of music.

They got to what used to be the gift shop in the former tourist trap. It was brightly decorated with streamers and colored paper Mabel must've found somewhere or maybe Bipper magicked it up even though he was nowhere to be seen.

Wirt and Finn sat at the flimsy card table covered in bright yellow plastic set up in the middle of the room along with Frisk and Morty.

Frisk was contently munching away on a suspiciously blue piece of cake, but Morty was sitting unhappily in his chair with a frankly child-like pout on his face.

"W-what are you doing here, Morty?" Finn asked, addressing the annoyance radiation from the grumpy teen.

"I heard music from the basement, so I came to investigate," Morty said. "But when I came out, Mabel locked me out of my room, and forced me to stay!"

Mabel walked behind him with a pitcher of red liquid. "Oh, lighten up. I am trying to get us a sense of comradery and teamly togetherness," she said with a smile. She started to pour the liquid into cups on the table.

"Those words don't even make sense," Morty muttered. He picked up a full cup and took a sip, but he gagged and made a face as soon as he did.

"What is this stuff?" Frisk asked, also picking up a cup.

"I realized that you lot have never had the pleasure of trying my famous Mabel Juice," Mabel responded, pouring her own cup with a flourish and taking a long drink.

"I wouldn't say it's pleasurable to drink," Morty said, setting down the cup.

Mabel set her cup down as well, obviously offended, but she plastered an easy grin on her face. "Didn't your mother raise you better than to say stuff like that?" Mabel asked. "Oh, wait. You were raised by that creepy grandfather of yours, weren't you?" She let out a short laugh. "Well, no wonder you're like this."

Wirt took a sip of his heavily die-flavored drink as he watched Morty's usually so controlled face flash blistering anger over the rim of the cup.

Morty's expression turned into a mask of cool rage as he spoke, "At least I am not some little girl who is so desperate for attention that I throw some last-ditch effort to get your God-awful brother, who has no capacity nor want to love or care for you, to notice your pitiful existence. And look around, he isn't even here."

Mabel blinked as she took in his words.

"Also your sweaters are hideous," Morty added as an afterthought.

The room exploded into chaos as Mabel lunged for Morty, her hands closing around his throat. The folding chair came out from under the two, which sent them tumbling to the floor as Mabel continued to choke Morty.

The others just watched, frozen, as Mabel started to claw at the boy, who struggled but couldn't get her off him.

Finally, Wirt blindly handed Finn his cup as he reached to pull Mabel away from Morty. She fought against his grip, but Wirt held her away from Morty scrambled from the floor, coughing.

He dusted himself off as dignified as he could, but with bloody claw marks raking his neck and chest and bruises forming where Mabel had strangled him, it didn't work very well.

"Mabel," Wirt said calmly, half-dragging, half-pushing her to the door to the basement. "Open the door."

Grumbling, Mabel pulled a key out and unlocked the door.

"Morty," Wirt said. "Just go."

Morty made his way to the door and disappeared without another word.

Suddenly the door to the former gift shop opened, letting in a warm breeze and Bipper.

He looked around at the colorful mess. "What did I miss?"