Fallen Gods

A Tempting Offer

Mabel crept downstairs, not wanting to wake Grunkle Stan or Dipper. She rubbed her tired eyes. She waited until Dipper had fallen asleep to get the journal. Knowing how curious Dipper was, if he hadn't known where she'd gone, he would go and try and find her, and probably discover what she was doing.

What am I even going to do? She wondered with a sigh. Pick-pocketing the journal, she ran upstairs and hid it in her drawer, underneath her undergarments, knowing Dipper would never look there. Sighing, she crawled back into bed, her stomach filled with dread, knowing nothing good could come out of what she had just done...

But it was for the best. It was to repair the rift between them. And besides, it's not like anything good could come out of a relationship with Bill. He was a demon, after all. At the very least, Dipper would get his heart broken, or worse...

Mabel hugged her pig tightly as Waddles squirmed, letting out an oink of protest. She loosened her arms, and the pig snuggled up close to her, his wet nose against Mabel's cheek. Mabel's eyes began to close as she sank into a dream...

Mabel's feet crunched against the forest floor. Looking up, she saw nothing. An empty sky devoid of stars. She shivered, unsure how she could see where she was going. What kind of place didn't have stars? The trees swayed in an imaginary breeze, and Mabel paused, looking closer at the trees.

They weren't trees... They were some kind of plant, it's strange "branches" covered in some kind of slime. Mabel reached out tentatively and touched it, and the goo glowed fluorescent colors, each one more beautiful than the last. Mabel gasped in surprise as the branch became a strange skin texture, the branches turning into tentacles that grabbed her arms, pulling her towards a clearing in the woods.

"Hello," a voice said, a tall figure coming out of the woods. "So glad you could make it..." He stepped into the light of the plants, or maybe monsters. Mabel wasn't sure. Either way, it had sentience. She took a good look at the man in front of her. He wore a tailcoat, similar to Bill's but it was green, covered in writing. Peering closer, the strange, unfamiliar language morphed into English words. One of them said, Mabel gasped, amazed. Mabel gasped, amazed at the strange words that formed on his tailcoat, each one writing out what Mabel was going to say and do before she did it. 

She looked away, her eyes drawn to the man's face. He was a good-looking black man, except for his eyes. The brunette shuddered. His eyes were unnerving. Cold and flat, glowing eerily in the darkness, a strange kind of sick glee shining in them.

"Who are you?" The mystery twin spat. "Let me go!" She had a feeling she had seen the man before, but how could she have? She never would've forgotten this man. 

"You haven't guessed?" He said, raising an eyebrow, his voice deep, but soft like silk. "I still can't believe Bill was bested by you..." He snorted. "Pathetic."

The pines twin's eyes grew wide. "You're one of the henchmaniacs," she said, shocked. 

The demon looked peeved. "I was," he snarled. "But when Bill failed so miserably, I realized we were never going to get anywhere following an imbecile like him. So I became a leader for the henchmaniacs, who were lost without someone barking orders at them." He scoffed. 

"The name's 8-ball," the well-dressed demon said, pulling a magic 8-ball from out of his vest. He glanced at it, unimpressed.

"Why'd you bring me here!? Just to brag about your newfound leadership!?" The brunette glared at him.

"Of course not," he replied with a smile. "That's something Bill would do." His smile disappeared, and his eyes glowed dangerously. "But you'll find I'm nothing like Bill," he said, his eyes dimming.

Mabel tried not to let her voice shake. "You don't scare me," she retorted, her voice stronger than she would've thought. 

"Oh really?" 8-ball said, glancing at the cheap fortune-teller in his hand. "Because you seem to be a pretty good liar," he commented, his knowing smile appearing on his face again.

"I want to make a trade," he began.

"Never!" Mabel spat at him, her cheeks still red from when he called her bluff.

The demon waved his hand dismissively at her, the tentacles closing over her mouth. "Now, now, hear me out," he said disapprovingly, a mocking glint in his eyes.

"Bill is lying."

"About what?" The brunette replied, rolling her eyes. "Half of the time you have no idea."

"He's lying about being able to save Ford. Only we can do that. If you give us the memory gun, we'll prove to Dipper that Bill lied, and ta-da, you can have your brother back," he said with a smile.

The brunette stared at him incredulously. "You think I'd ever agree to that!? I'd be putting my whole family in danger! No way! How dare you even think for a second I would say yes! I'll just tell Dipper!" She spat at him, but doubt crept into her mind like a disease.

"No matter," the demon said, seemingly calm. "You'll change your mind and come back. They always do..." His smile grew. His form began to flicker, and he glanced at his watch on his arm. "I must go, but when you're ready, contact me on this," he held up a small magic 8-ball, tossing it to the Pines twin, whose restrains loosened enough for her to grab it.

"Don't lose it," the demon said with a smile. "See you around..." The tentacles began squeezing her until her vision was beginning to blur at the edges. Mabel screamed, her vision turning to a pinpoint as she stared up at the sky with no stars...

"Gah!" Mabel woke up in a cold sweat. She clutched her pig, seeing shadows creep towards her, like tentacles. She thought she saw the glint of menacing green eyes, looking at her, but it was just the alarm clock. Burrowing under the covers and squeezing her eyes shut, Mabel didn't sleep for a very long time that night.

8-ball smiled, handing the strange-looking device to Kryptos, who in turn stuffed it in his briefcase. "What'd she say, boss?" Teeth asked curiously. 

"Exactly what I knew she'd say," he said with a grin. "She's going to help us get rid of Bill."

A/N: Hi, this chapter is making up for the short one before it! This one isn't my longest chapter, but I also edited the other chapter to make it longer. So yeah guys, if you've read the previous chapter before this, check it out and see what you missed. Thank you so much for reading! Please, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Is Mabel too mean to feel like the real Mabel? Or is it understandable why she would be jealous of Bill? Tell me in the comments below! If you liked this chapter, please consider giving it a vote. Thank you so much for reading! Have a happy holiday!

Thanks, a geek.