Fallen Gods

A Trade Gone Wrong

"Mabel! Mabel, oh no... Mabel, why? What happened...!? What did I do!?" Dipper said, leaning over his unconscious sister, half-crazy with fear and guilt.

Bill looked at him, concerned. "Sit down, kid. You're pacing is making me dizzy."

"This is all my fault..." Dipper paced, ignoring Bill. "If I hadn't yelled at her, we wouldn't be in this mess... Oh God, what have I done???" A pile of chewed, broken pens lay in the trash can, and even as Dipper talked, he chewed. He tossed another broken one out, his breathing getting faster and faster as he worked himself into a frenzy until he was practically hyperventilating.

"What did I do... what did I do... what did I do...!?" Bill glanced over at Dipper's Grunkle, worry evident on his face.

"Should I...?" Grunkle Stan nodded behind Dipper's back.

"Sorry, Pine Tree," the demon said, his voice filled with regret. "This is for your own good."

"What're you...?" Bill snapped his fingers and caught Dipper as he fell asleep, mid-pace. "He really cares about her, doesn't he?" Bill asked, his face a mixture of so many emotions it was hard to read.

"Yeah, kid," Grunkle Stan said, looking older than he ever had before. "They do everything together. Oh yeah, and Bill? There's something you should see..."

Bill followed Grunkle Stan downstairs, confused and unsure of what he would find. Bill's eyes turned wide with alarm as he picked up the broken pieces of the magic 8-ball. "That ******* bastard," Bill spat out, crushing a shard of the 8-ball in his hand. It fell to the ground, covered in Bill's blood. 

"You know who did this!?" Grunkle Stan asked.

Bill just nodded, so angry he could barely speak. "8-ball. The 8-ball's his signature for pretty much everything he does. He must've tricked Mabel into doing something..." He stared at the ransacked room. "She was clearly looking for something, do you know if anything's missing?"

Grunkle Stan shrugged. "I wish I did, but Ford kept an inventory of everything, I just punched the punched any monsters down here."

Bill picked up a list. "So, if we search through all this stuff, we'll find it?"

Grunkle Stan's face looked uncertain. "Probably," he said, picking up a list. "Let's get searching."

Mabel stood in the clearing with the memory gun, trembling so hard she could barely stand. Was she making the right choice...? What if this was all a trick?

"I assure you, you're making the right choice," 8-ball said, appearing out of the woods, his green eyes glowing so eerily Mabel couldn't find a word he said comforting.

"Don't do that," Mabel said, jumping.

"Do what?" The demon asked, seeming genuinely confused.

"Read my mind. It's creepy." The brunette stared at him defiantly, trying to stop her legs from trembling in front of him.

"My apologies," 8-ball said, a small smile spreading across his features. "So, you're ready to accept?"

"Y-Yes...?" Mabel said, more of a question than a statement.

"How exactly are you going to prove Bill's lying, anyway?"

"Easy. We force him to try." He said, looking slightly amused that Mabel even had to ask.

"And how're you gonna do that?" Mabel pressed.

The demon huffed. "Are all humans as annoying as you are? It's quite simple, really. We throw you into the portal, too."

"WHAT!?" But it was too late. The demon had grabbed the memory gun. 

"Bill will come after me. With no one to protect you except for a Grandpa and a scrawny kid, it's going to be easy to throw you in the portal. In fact, I think I'll make your family watch when I throw you in, another member of the world's most annoying family gone, forever."

Mabel stood, rooted in place with shock until she finally came to her senses and ran, back through the strange forest, the tentacles tripping her, tearing at her sweater, slowing her down.

A demon's mocking laughter echoed through the trees as she ran blindly, her breath sobbing, and her heart pounding in her ears. The last time she'd been so terrified had been at Weirdmaggedon. She ran, each time somehow coming back to the same clearing in the woods while all the while, his laughter rang in her ears until she crashed into him, and he looked at her, grabbing her shoulders and staring at her with those unnatural eyes. "Night night, fool," he spat, and she fell limp to the ground, which turned soft and fleshy, pulling her down, down, down...

"No," Mabel said, struggling feebly as the monster pulled her under. "No, no, no, no, no..." she said, tears rolling down her face. "I'm sorry, Dipper..." Then she closed her eyes and sank into the ground, a strange sense of relief coming with letting go... 

The demon flicked an imaginary speck of his flawless outfit, handing the device to Cryptos. "It's done. She'll be trapped in the Mindscape until we want her out. Then, we can finally rule our own way..." He smiled, his eyes filled with a strange, mad light. "My way."

A/N: Yes yes, I know, another short chapter. Didn't want to make it seem like Mabel was dead, because I know any book that killed off Mabel I would immediately hate, hehe. Don't worry, even though this chapter is short, I think I'll actually make another one tonight! ...that is, if my Chromebook doesn't die before then, hehe. Thank you so much for reading! Every vote, every comment, every follower really makes my day! If you liked this chapter, please consider giving it a vote. Have a wonderful holiday!

Thanks, a geek.