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Chapter Text

Summer Continues - Art by Aionarap

Stanford Pines last seen headed on zzzzz Stanley Pines and terrorists Pacifica Northwest and Wendy Corduroy disappeared during zzzzz The terrorist group known as the Pinesfield Operations cshhhhh

“Turn that damn thing off. I’m trying to sleep.” 

“... Mason?” Stanford is surprised to hear his nephew’s voice. He thought he was sleeping. Ever since they left the Oracle’s place, Mason has kept his eyes closed. But Stanford realizes he hasn’t been asleep. How could he, with what’s happened? His nephew has a second self, a demon by the name of Alcor. He is the reincarnation of Alcor’s first self. And Mabel is… Stanford cannot even begin to wrap his mind around it. He only knows that he won’t be able to sleep well either. Not for a long time. 

Mabel is restless as well. She stares out onto the open road with tired, sunken eyes. Her heart is shattered with the death of her companion, Waddles. And worse still, that death is on Alcor’s head. Mason’s head… he risked all their lives to escape a terrible outcome. But it cost the twins’ everything. Their world has ended. The truth is out and it’s only a matter of time before she has to address the issue at hand. The truth about Mason. The truth about Alcor. And the ties that bind them together. Love.

Heading west in a desperate desire to reach safety, they’ve been staying away from the cities and main highways, keeping to local roads and sleepy old towns to keep the government’s eye off of them. The closer to civilization they are, the greater the number of cameras, cell phones, and eyes. All it would take is a glance from a bystander to call about the so called “terrorists” and that would be it. The entire U.S. Army would be on them. So for now, they’re stuck in the boonies, driving without a destination. 

They have no means of reaching the rest of their family and friends to put together a plan or even figure out if they are alive. Bill is back. And there are many of them now. Rather than resurrect their god outright, his cult had another purpose in mind. To divy up the powers held within his statue for themselves through cannibalistic ritual sacrifice. All of them led by Wendy’s own mother, Pennelope Patterson. And Stanford has no idea how many of them have taken pieces of Bill’s power for themselves, nor how much power they’ve gained. If they’ve each taken their pound of flesh, then the world may have no choice but to submit to the whims of chaos. And whatever Bill was, or is, it has claimed part of Dipper, and maybe even Stanford too. He doesn’t know if his mind is truly safe from Bill’s reach anymore. He can only be thankful for every second that the god of chaos doesn’t have control over his thoughts.

But those who wish for chaos pale in comparison to the chief evil in the world. Tezcatlipoca is his name. He is a deranged, maniacal god who seeks to install a supreme, endless mechanical order over all that exists. An order that crushes free will until the universe is naught but a mindless puppet giving endless praise to its cruel master. It almost seems better to bring back the god of chaos instead of being lorded over by that spherical burning black eye. Almost, for Stanford’s anger at the god is still fresh even after all these years. And now he fears he may come to despise the nephew who brought him back. 

Mason stole the relationship between Stanford and his brother. Broke his perpetual motion machine, knowing the rift it would cause. And Stanford feels a sick, hateful sensation bubbling up from somewhere inside. Mason knew exactly what to do to press his buttons. ‘No, not Mason. Alcor… it was only Alcor.’

That’s what Stanford keeps telling himself. Otherwise, he might start to believe it was… someone he deeply loves that scarred him so. Stanford can only wonder what Mabel is thinking of all of this. What the twins’ parents think of all of it. For the first time in his life, he simply doesn’t have an answer. He can only keep his eyes on the open road as they pass down a rural interstate away from Washington DC, heading for parts’ unknown. 

‘What a clusterfuck,’ Mabel thinks. Her brother can’t sleep, she can’t sleep. Their parents have been forced into the world of the weird and are now tagging along after nearly being killed in a ritual sacrifice by her brother’s- no, not her brother’s- Alcor’s siblings. She’s so tired she can’t even summon up her other Mabel voices. And Alcor… it’s his fault that things have gone down like this. His fault that Mason is like the way he is. And his fault that Waddles… Waddles is gone. He’s gone .

Oh god, she’ll never see that happy smile of his again. Never hear his morning greeting of oinks and kisses. She’ll never… and yet Mason gets to keep Liam?! He gets to hear that squeak of joy and feel his friendly lizard run up the side of his head and sit in his hair like they’re the best of friends?!?!? She should crush that lizard between her hands and toss it out the window just to…

No. If she did that, she’d be even worse than Alcor. Alcor didn’t kill Waddles. Mason didn’t kill Waddles. Waddles saved her from Merak. That’s what she tells herself to not feel such boiling hatred inside. It’s just too much right now. And every time Mason tries to comfort her, she shrinks away as if his skin is boiling hot. She’s afraid of him- no, what lies inside him. And at the same time, she hates- hates that devil that corrupted her brother. 

What a fucking disaster. She’d rather go back to sleep. So she closes her eyes, shutting them tight and hoping her dreams might bring her the happiness that’s vanished from her life. As she slowly drifts to sleep, her head falls to the side, leaning onto Mason’s shoulder. She’s left him alone in the waking world. 

Mason knows how far he has fallen. How much he failed. He leans back in his seat. He has no idea what his sister is thinking. Does she hate him? Fear him? Love him? Or does she simply not have anything left of him in her heart? He hasn’t the strength to ask. A few hours ago, he was ready to stand at Bill’s side and conquer reality, creating a world without limits, a world without judgement. A world where he could be free of any consequence or prejudice.

And it felt like the most logical decision in the world. It felt right. He doesn't know how much of that can be blamed on Alcor. Maybe it was always his choice. The very thought of that is enough to make him revolted. He has no idea how many of his friends and family have perished due to his gamble. The guilt is overwhelming. Waddles is gone now. And the others might be dead too. He closes his eyes, attempting to shut out the world… but all he sees is an ocean of blood. He’s drowning in it. All those who are about to die because he shook the hand of Bill. 

Soos, Melody, Wendy, Stanley, Pacifica, and so many others lie in the empty expanse. God, they could all be- and it would be his fault! He’s a monster. A complete fucking monster! God… no He can’t dwell on that now. And he needs to come to terms with… with the truth. With the reason that he went so far. The love for his twin that is more than what a brother should feel. He tried so hard to suppress and bury those feelings within himself until it turned to poison. A poison that rose up under the name of Alcor, willing to risk the lives of their friends to save Mabel.

And now they need to find safety in a world that is out to get them. At the very least Mason has banished that remnant of Alcor deep inside his mind, unable to possess him again. But he can still hear him. Alcor’s voice is like Mason’s own, yet distorted and sinister. Calm, like a silent lake. Yet deep and commanding like the god of the seas himself. And now he’s reduced to a whiny toddler.

‘Hey. Hey Mason. Hey. Let me out.’

‘No.’

‘Come on. Just let me out. Promise I’ll behave.’

‘No. You’re a part of me, which means you aren’t real. You’re just my internalized desire to go nuts mixed in with tainted memories left over by Bill as a joke or Plan B.’

‘Is that a plan B for Bill?’

‘It’s for Buttface, shut up.’

‘ Fuck you… but let me out. Pretty please? I like you. I’ll bake a cake. King George the First’s old family recipe. I’m sure Mabel will-’

“Quiet!” he whispers loudly. He covers his mouth moments after, hoping no one heard him talking to himself. In most cases, that would be a simple human quirk. For him, it is quite literal. He leans back, trying not to focus on how his parents’ eyes are now on him, making sure his inner demon isn’t trying to take control again. Stanford keeps glancing at him. “Keep quiet everyone. Mabel’s sleeping.”

That alleviates Stanford’s fears, though his parents’ both keep their eye on him. Mason tries to sleep himself. He’s so very tired. But sleep never comes. The roads are too rough, he thinks. His father keeps checking local police frequencies. And Stanford has put the radio back on, but quieter this time. All to try and stay ahead of the Consortium. 

But the Consortium is powerful. It has eyes and ears everywhere. And even far out in this rural landscape, with hardly any sign of human life, they have people. As the sedan comes up to a stop in the road, Mason spots a government checkpoint straight ahead. And worse, someone else has rolled to a stop behind them. They’re stuck in traffic, slowly rolling towards their doom. 

“What now?” Mason asks. Ford looks around, looking for some way to escape the mess. There are a few buildings in the distance they could try and make a run for it. No, they’ll just get caught or killed right then and there. The reptilians, or what remains of them, would be on the lookout for anyone connected to Bill Cipher, and desperate to neutralize said threat as quickly as possible. There weren’t any of their usual tools in the van. The only thing they can do is… ah fuck. 

“Uh, they’re looking for twins, right? They have our faces… but they might not recognize us if we… I mean if you two. Like, pretend to make out.” Stanford is deeply ashamed of his suggestion. Mabel and Mason are now blushing a deep red and their parents are glaring at Stanford as if he might be completely insane. But that’s the best he can come up with on such short notice. 

And as their vehicle comes to the checkpoint, the Pines parents are making out, Mabel and Mason are (hopefully) pretending to make out, and Stanford is wearing the grooviest, dumbest expression on his face that he can muster. He’s playing up being a hippie, since that's who he borrowed his clothes from. As the government agent steps up to their vehicle, he looks upon the debased desires of those within the car with a dull disdain for it.

“May I see some I.D.” the guard asks with a pronounced drawl. 

“Woah, what? Sorry, dude. Far out man. Totally radical."

"Please stop that," the guard grunts, referring to Stanford's rather subpar hippie behavior. He coughs a few times before speaking again.

"We were just chillaxing, relaxing, and making our way smooth through the countryside. Is there a problem, officer?”

“I need some I.D.”

Stanford’s smile fades as he retrieves a card from the sun visor, handing it over to the cops. He hates that they stole a car from such a kind old man. But that old man looked close enough to Stanford that they chose him as their mark. And as the secret agent hands the I.D. back to him, Stanford is waved through, with Mabel and Mason having never revealed their faces. As they pass through the checkpoint, the twins move apart from each other, shifting to the opposite sides of the back seat while their parents separate from each other in the front. They made it past the checkpoint. But they may not make it past the next one. “That was too close.”

“Agreed, Stanford. We need to figure out a better way to travel. And we need a place to rest after all this as well.” Aaron is right. They’ve been up for nearly two days now. Stanford is exhausted, mentally and physically. He has seen things he wishes he could blast away with McGucket’s memory gun. He has born witness to great evils, both from those who serve chaos and those who wish to bring their order down on all life, with one of the most grievous, personal ones coming from his own great nephew.

Stanford pulls off the highway after seeing a sign for a city called Templeton. For miles and miles, they’ve seen nothing but trees and prairies, yet now they’ve come upon a small pocket of civilization hidden within the green. At first, merely a dozen or so houses interspersed with the woods, then some proper streetlights, and then finally a small city with sprawling streets, clustered high rises, big business and fancy shops, but then just as quickly the wilderness returns. On the northern outskirts sits the perfect place for them to lie and wait. The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Motel. It’s a grungy, rundown sort of place, the kind where one might encounter roaches in the dark or junkies meandering the halls. But such a grungy motel is unlikely to have the best security. They won’t find a better place to hide than this.

Stanford pulls into the parking lot, dropping off Aaron and Jessica. He still feels guilty for stealing their ride from someone who can’t afford much more than the busted-up sedan. But if his family is to survive, he will need to forgo his conscience. Become the monster he once was when scouring the multiverse in search of ways to defeat Bill Cipher. He has kept many of his darker adventures to himself, not recording them in his first three sets of journals or even his new one. He hasn’t told a soul since he’s returned but the memories of those days still live with him. War, devastation, harsh choices that sacrificed a great many lives for the greater good of defeating the god of chaos. 

“I’m going to ditch this car now. You two should get inside. Try to get some sleep. We’ll talk things over in the morning.” Stanford waits for the twins to exit the vehicle before driving away, trapped with his thoughts just as Mason is trapped with his. 

The young Mason feels so withered now. As if he has lived a life age of the cosmos. And in some respect, he has. But that future is gone now. He destroyed it when he brought back Bill Cipher- no, Nyarlathotep. That’s his name. His true self. Bill is but a mask of the god with many shapes. And he could be anywhere, in any form, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. The twins follow their parents, not wishing to confront the now sizable gap between their love for one another. 

Mason stumbles, nearly dropping Liam as he does. He has to remember how gravity works again, it seems. His dad steps over to help him regain his footing, but Mabel, his precious sister, simply walks away. He gave everything to prevent the wheel of fate from crushing him under its spokes. And it seems he also gave away their own bond in doing so. As he thanks his father, Mason steps into the seedy motel lobby. The exhausted and disheveled Mason finds a seat with an irritating loose spring digging into his back. Liam remains curled up in his arms, the one creature that still seems to love him. His mother pays for their stay and then the four of them make their way past the office, entering a shabby, worn down yellow hallway with flickering lights and the faint smell of mildew. 

The Pines reach their rooms at the end, with Mason stepping into the musty smelling room first. He sets Liam down on the desk before falling onto his bed, not even caring to check for bed bugs. He notices a few roaches on the wall, which quickly scurry away into small cracks once Mabel flicks the lights on. He rests his head on the flattened, overused pillow, contemplating the foolish choices he’s made. ‘I was a fool… A pathetic fool conquered by my dreams of another life.’ 

… But I’m still here, Mason Pines. I am a part of you. Forever.

Chapter Text

It was nearly an hour before Stanford made it back to them. Mason had begun to fear the worst had happened. He found himself pacing back and forth, hands behind his back as he struggled against his inner darkness. The demon Alcor was wide awake. It wants many things. Vengeance, power, love. And it would go to any length to attain it, no matter the cost to Mason’s sanity or Mabel’s heart. 

“Reports are coming in from all over D.C. of encounters with the terrorist threat. An old, custom-made camper was found exploded outside the capitol building. Sources confirm the bomb was set off prematurely. However, several private security guards from the firm Big Bear Security were found dead at the scene.”

Aaron has turned the television on. Whenever a horrific event happened, he would be lost in a dark place, watching the news replay over and over again. But this time he laughs. The irony of now being the cause of that event has not eluded him. He shakes his head, completely dumbfounded at how their life has turned out. One day they knew nothing except what the world wanted them to know. The next they realize they’re the descendants of lizard people who lord over the earth. Funny, in a twisted way. 

“This just in, we have word that Mabel Pines is in actuality the notorious thief, Shooting Star. The name may not mean much to the layman, but for those in the art world, the name of the thief is infamous. From an attempt on the Mona Lisa to the recent theft of a prized work from the William Perch collection, Mabel Pines has an international record for playing loose with the law. The lead detective on this case, Beauregard Dermont of Interpol, has been on the hunt for the past five years.”

“Well now this is just silly,” Aaron says. “Mabel? An art thief? These psychos are just making shit up now.” Aaron shuts the television off just as Mabel’s ex steps on stage to address the growing crowd outside the capital. It seems like it was only yesterday that they were enjoying their time at that art exhibit… but Penny had laid her trap perfectly. And now everything is different.

Mason rests on the bed, turning over. This is his lot in life. Seems he deserves it for what he did. With a tired yawn, he tries to fall asleep. But sleep never comes. No matter how tired he is, no matter how desperate he wishes to enter the dreaming world, his mind remains on full alert. He turns over. And he hitches a breath, meeting the sorrowful eyes of his sister. Mabel. My Jezebel. His eyes are loCked with hers, looking at one another silently as the clock ticks. Mason dares to reach out a hand, desperate for forgiveness. But Mabel simply turns around, facing away from the brother who has fallen so far. And so he waits as day turns to dusk, searching his mind for a way to forgive himself. But all he finds is the darkness left by Alcor’s rampage. The lives he ended, the horror he caused. All because of that mad demon locked away in his subconscious.

To think this entire journey started with fighting a vampiric named Wonky Willy. He’d laugh if he had the energy. Instead, he simply lies there, trapped in his own misery. Except for the occasional joke told by Alcor to try and cheer him up. ‘What did the Jew say when he got free train tickets? “Aw shits! A free train ride!”... no? How about this one? So a leper, a cancer patient, and a horse walk into a bar… nothing? Really? Come on, guy, I’m trying to cheer us up here. How about you let me out.’ 

‘Not going to happen, Alcor. You just stay there in my subconscious like you always have. I can figure this stuff out on my own, got it? Now fuck off.’ As Mason stirs in his own thoughts, Aaron asks the group what they’re going to do for food. They have very little money now, only what they had on their person when they escaped and a couple of singles from the old man’s wallet.

“Well, how about that cheap pizza place across the street?” Stanford offers. “It’s cheap enough for us to afford it, and close enough to minimize contact with the outside world.” 

Aaron agrees with a gentle nod. But Jessica is lost in thought, likely realizing just how fucked up their situation really is. How little they can show their faces, how paranoid they’ll be about a single security camera or someone on their cell phone. Always wondering just who will recognize them, even from a glance. And then the whole force of the government will be upon them. Helicopters, tanks, super soldiers, and all sorts of abominations weaponized by the Consortium. 

Mason remains trapped in his dark thoughts as Aaron steps outside, heading for the pizza joint. He lays on the bed, almost motionless as the time ticks on by. Soon Aaron returns with the food, and the family of four sits down to eat. Liam nibbles away on a piece of sausage pizza before going after some bugs while Mason sits in silence across from Mabel. He cannot even begin to find the strength to forgive himself, and he doubts she feels any different. She has lost one of her closest companions in a gamble by Alcor to steal the power of Bill Cipher for himself. He thought that he could defeat the tyrant Smoking Mirror by resurrecting chaos. And in his madness, he destroyed all that Mabel loved about her brother. She says nothing to him, and he has no idea how to tell her how sorry he is for what he’s done. So instead their grievances go unsaid, and they awkwardly ignore one another as they nibble away at their stale pizza. Mason doesn’t have the appetite to eat any more than a few bites.

When the time comes, Mabel steps away, going to the next room over with her mother and Stanford, leaving her brother alone with their father. She collapses onto the bed. And suddenly… it’s all too much. She cries. First a whimper, then growing into a deafening roar of agony, the sound of which she hopes to snuff out with her pillow. But he can still hear her. And her pain tears him apart, for the guilt is still too great. 

He simply prays that once she passes out, she can find peace in her dreams. That she can remember the joys of Waddles’ oinking, his gentle, blubbery face, and his unending loyalty. He hopes her dreams are gentler than Mason’s waking nightmare. He can hear Waddles scream in agony, hear Stanley, Pacifica, and Wendy crying out to him, wondering why he went through with this insane scheme. Simply wondering why he went down this dark path.

He can’t shut it out. The nightmare is never ending, always present, refusing to let him rest his weary head and simply forget what he’s done. Mason stays up long after Mabel and Ford have gone to sleep. His parents keep watch for any sign of the cops or government agents, but there’s no one. They’ve escaped for now. But Mason is worried. It’s been days since he’s seen Pacifica, Wendy, and Stanley. Days since he’s seen Soos and Melody. They could be dead, or worse. ‘Maybe… maybe just… maybe astral projection for a bit.’ He has to contact Pacifica one way or another. And astral projection was his best bet. 

When the night has come, and the moon reigns over the inky blackness, Mason sits on his bed and prepares to commune across the astral plains. One leg crosses under the other, his hands lay on his knees, and Mason meditates in the half lotus. He stretches out with his unconscious thoughts, searching for the shining spark of love that lets him bridge the gap between his and Pacifica’s mind. But that love is no longer there. All that remains is darkness. And so darkness is where he looks next. A place of anguish, of guilt, and anger. A place of desperate desire to be whole again. And at last he finds her. Time seems to slow, and every tick of the old clock is slower and louder. He drifts through faded memories and the world itself, focusing ever closer on her position until he at last finds her doing the same as him, stretching out with her feelings.

The two meet as one again. But there is no happiness in their encounter. Her form is cloudy and out of focus, with her right leg appearing in shadow. Something has happened. Her dream form, her spirit, is weak. She releases a sigh, realizing he’s alive, but not caring much beyond that. “You’re alive,” she whispers. “How’s Mabel? Is Stanford with you?”

“They’re alive,” he says gently, fearing he may cast her fragile form aside in the dreamscape. “We escaped from the Consortium… but Bill is back. He’s out there somewhere but I haven’t the faintest clue where to begin searching. And worse still, we have to fight… him. Our enemy … Smoking Mirror.”

“What?” she says, with a shiver in her voice. Mason clasps his hands over his mouth, realizing that in the dream, Alcor can speak as freely as Mason can. He has to make this short. Once Alcor realizes that, he could try and dominate Mason’s mind again. Become a monster to try and tear down the natural order of the world. 

“Sorry. Our new enemy, I mean. Smoking Mirror. Also called Tezcatlipoca. The Aztec god of fate. I, uh…” he laughs. “I honestly don’t know where to begin. Those psychos… they tried to sacrifice us. All of us. They took my mom and dad from Piedmont. But we’re all fine. My parents, Mabel and Ford are fine. And Liam.”

“And Waddles?” she asks, almost accusingly. His face says enough, the guilty feelings emerging into this dreaming world. Waddles is dead. And Pacifica can hardly believe the disheveled, pitiful state of Mason’s unconscious self. Gone is the proud, boastful Pines nerd she came to love. All that remains is a shell of a man with an ever-growing shadow behind him.

“Is Wendy okay?” Mason dares to ask. “And Soos? Melody?”

“No,” Pacifica says sternly. “Wendy is here, but Soos and Melody… they were killed by the Consortium. The same ones you called to try and take down Pennelope Patterson. You knew how dangerous they were and you still summoned them!”

“I had no choice!” he yells. “I had to… I had to avert our doom. Survive the curse and our preordained end… We were captured. And my parents were going to be sacrificed. And I…” He realizes now the entirety of what he had done. He shook Bill’s hand. It was to save himself, it was the only way out of that impossible situation. But he shook his hand. And he had awakened the demon within him, and within an unknown number of other people. Everything that happens next is on his head and yet he still doesn’t know if it was the wrong choice because Mabel is alive!... she’s alive… 

“Dipper!” Pacifica shouts. He stirs from dark thoughts. And he realizes what form he’s taken now. The dread king Alcor is what Pacifica sees before her. Black eyes like coal with slivers of yellow, rows of fangs like a vampire and a burning, hateful aura. “Those horrible yellow eyes… I tried to see you before and all I saw was those eyes… What the hell are you?”

“You can hear me? Heh… well then, Pacifica Northwest, allow me to introduce myself. I am Alcor the Dreambender. That is my true name, my true self.” Mason’s eyes open wide with horror. He clasps his hands over his mouth, trying to stop the words but the words continue to pour out even as he cries out. “I am who you know as Mason Pines. And it is I who returned Bill -N̵̛͎̮̜̪̍̒̓̀̐́̇̏͆͒͐͝͝ȯ̷̡̪͎̮̠̫̼̪̻͈̞͓̘͋̀͋͛̈́̾̄̒̆̈̽͝ͅI brought him back so I could eat his heart, his eye, his skin ̷̧̛̻̲̩͇̭̖̦̺̲̈̎͒̄͛̐͗̀͗̋̚͜N̷̢͍̗͚͈̥̖̞̹̩̹̮͙̖͛̽͝Ǫ̶̛̬̜̬̭̖͉̀́͐̆̋͋̏̀͌́!̸̹̲͕͇͉͎͍̗̆̈́̉͋̓̋͋̋ Find Penny. Find the statue- Enough!”

Mason regains control of his dreaming self, but not before Pacifica has been awakened from her nightmare. She vanishes from the dreamscape, returned to her living self, and Mason can only cry out for her, desperate for some semblance of comfort in this new, twisted reality. But there’s nothing. Only a darkened room with Aaron and Stanford in it. 

It isn’t safe for him to be using the dreamscape for anything. And that might only delay turning into a demented copy of Bill Cipher. He stays up long into the night, alert as he’s ever been, and when that grows to be too much for him to deal with, he steps outside onto the patio some hours before dawn. He needs to focus on something other than his own mistakes. He just needs something else. A mystery to bite his teeth into, or a plan on how he’s going to beat both Bill Cipher and Smoking Mirror, without one or the other assuming the throne of creation after the first’s death. That was his mistake when Bill was destroyed the first time. 

With the death of the god of chaos, Tezcatlipoca had nothing left to oppose him, allowing the twisted god to take over the cosmos. As Mason paces back and forth, he wonders what more he could have done, what steps he could have taken to ensure the safety of his loved ones… how to not sacrifice his friends’ lives. All for the sake of a freedom he doesn’t even know exists. Which is when he hears the door to the second room open up. He hitches a breath, finding himself facing his sister. Her eyes are… familiar, yet alien. And he realizes she’s missing that spark.

That little joy that could outlast even the strongest storms. She gives a wave, but doesn’t really pay much attention to him, simply lost in thought, the same as he is. She can see the pain on his face, wanting to know if she’s okay, if she still… loves him. But for her, she honestly doesn’t know. Part of her understands why he committed to resurrecting Bill Cipher and deep down she realizes she would do the same to save him… but she can’t forgive him. Not yet, if ever, for the risk he took and the lives that were ended because of his scheme. The only thing she can do now is give a gentle wave and hope he doesn’t crumble inside and let that thing take control again. Alcor… if he is the original Dipper, then she would be Jezebel. And it stands that she would remember, in part, some of her old life. But as far as she realizes, she doesn’t. So maybe Alcor is a liar. Maybe he isn’t. 

It doesn’t matter anymore. They simply need to find a way back to their other friends and family. They can figure the rest out later. Mabel turns her attention to her brother, asking “did you get in contact with Pacifica?”

He nods, though his face is full of shame. “I did. We talked for a bit. Wendy and Stanley made it.” 

Mabel releases a slow, hitched breath before her chest raises again. And her wandering eyes attempt to pierce the veil of truth around her brother. “... but Soos and Melody are gone. The Consortium… they killed them.”

There it is. The ugly truth. Mabel takes a deep breath, trying and failing to contain her sorrow. Everything’s gone… crooked. The story that should have had a happy ending has plunged into catastrophe. But she starts to realize that it had to happen. It was meant to happen. Mason predicted him killing her on that stone altar. And instead of fighting that prophecy, he walked right into it, all to resurrect chaos. 

And all this evil that has been wrought was so they could survive. Maybe one day she’ll come to terms with that fact. But for now, she can only focus on the present moment and their imminent survival. “You should eat, Dipper. You haven’t eaten right in days.” 

“I haven’t… I haven’t had anything to eat in days,” he realizes. “Or water. Or taken a breath. Or dreamed…” He’s fully and utterly anomalous. And the realization hurts. It feels like being punched with an anvil. He doesn’t know if he’Ll ever be human ever again. He laughs. He honestly laughs. Everything is all too much for him now. And so he has his bitter laugh to himself as Mabel returns to her mother, shutting the door with a noticeable thud. Life has become far too complicated for him now. So he lets his sick cackle echo into the night, transforming into bitter tears. Only to be joined by another, far higher pitched giggle from the woods behind the motel. 

He wipes the tears from his eyes, stepping away from the light of the lamps overhead and approaching the forest. But something instinctual takes over, forcing him to stop in his path. He doesn’t know why, but he feels something watching him from the trees. Something pale, red, and dark. Something with a grin. Something holding a red balloon, looking down at him as if it had all the time in the world to wait. And then nothing. No fear, no instincts. Alcor must be screwing with him again, playing little tricks on Mason to make him lose even more of his sanity. But the demon denies it. ‘Trust me, if I wanted to annoy you to madness, I’d have done so already. Actually, it might be a good idea, all things considered.’ Mason doesn’t bother to check what’s there, he simply steps back towards the hotel and heads inside, where he waits for morning and the welcoming light of the sun.

Mabel awakens sometime in the day. She could barely sleep on the old, funky mattress. The smell, the gurgling in her stomach, the cramps. Everything sucked. Her mother is next to her, having wrapped her arms around her in the night. And Mabel remembers her mother’s gentle lullaby… ‘Don’t take my sunshine away.’ It’s the song Jessica would sing to Mabel when she was young. And only now does Mabel grasp the full, bittersweet meaning of it. 

Her brother stole her sunshine. Worse, she doesn’t even know if Mason should even be considered her brother anymore. If his memories were true, then he and Mabel are reincarnated lovers from another life. She … she just can’t bear to even think about how fucked up their world has become. So she doesn’t. She turns away from her thoughts, focusing on the musty smell of the room, or the gross, brownish water dripping from the sink. She focuses on the TV hanging on the wall, on the rising sun, and anything else to distract her until she’s strong enough to move out of bed, shifting out of her mother’s arms. Then she suddenly hears a knock at the door that makes her jump. But she soon recognizes the familiar tufts of hair of Grunkle Ford beyond the curtains. As she opens the door, greeting Stanford and Aaron, she can tell that the two are now seriously worried. And she knows why. She heard Mason even as she shut the door. Laughing like everything was just a big joke. Letting a little bit of that Bill in him out. He stopped after a while, but they must have heard him as well. 

“We need to talk,” Stanford says.

“Later,” Mabel replies, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “We need to find some breakfast. And more money. Figure out how we’re going to fight back against Bill. I can pickpocket some people in town, maybe find another vehicle to steal.” Mabel feels so weak now, barely able to keep herself going. But she has to stay alive, for her family’s sake. She won’t allow her brother’s evil to affect her. And speaking of the devil, he joins them, frighteningly casual about his burst of madness the night before. 

But she can still see the haunting look in his eyes. “We should split up,” he says. “Make it more difficult for people to identify us. We’ll need some disguises too, maybe dye our hair. I can find the disguise material while you three go for-”

“It would be best if you and I stayed in the hotel,” Stanford says with a raspy voice. He’s clearly trying to be as gentle as possible with his words. Both to stop Alcor from waking up… and to hide how angry he is at his nephew. Mason stares into space for a few moments, as if he doesn’t comprehend his great uncle’s suggestion, but then he agrees with a quick nod. The two stay behind while Mabel and her parents head out to gather what they need. As the three step through the parking lot, Mabel looks back one last time, seeing her brother step into their motel room, quietly accepting his fate. She releases a deep sigh, knowing that her brother’s fear will feed Alcor’s obsessions but right now she just needs to be away from him for a while. 

As her parents and her step away from the motel, she releases a deep breath, feeling the heavy weight upon her shOulders shift away. She needs to focus on something else for a while. Anything else besides what’s currently happening. So she decides that spending a little while with her parents will be worth it. She hasn’t seen them in a peaceful setting for nearly two months and right now she just wants to walk, talk, and figure out just what she needs in life. And as the three leave the lot, stepping out onto the sidewalk, she can finally let go of everything that’s happened, if just for a little while. 

The sun is shining brightly in the morning sky, the birds are whispering in the trees, and a popped red balloon lies on the sidewalk. It’s as if the world has simply moved on from the tragedy of the last few days. As if Waddles never even… mattered. The sudden despair nearly breaks her there and then. She loses her balance, only avoiding the ground because her father has caught her in his arms. Great. Now all three of them are in tears and attracting attention. Mabel quickly dries her tears while quickening her pace. Her parents quickly catch on to avoid detection, but with the looks sent their way it may already be too late. Mabel eyes the people who saw them, watching for any sign of them recognizing her and her parents. The names and faces of the Pines are on every news channel, website, and blog by now. Their friends from the Falls and Piedmont are likely being harassed for interviews and being watched by the shadow government. 

Lucky for them, no one seems to have noticed who they are. But that doesn’t mean they won’t recognize them later. All it takes is one sense of deja vu from the news about the so-called terrorists and the Pines will be swarmed on all sides. There will be no escape for them. But they’re starving, and so they continue moving towards the small outcrop of civilization. “Some life lessons for you, Mom and Dad. Keep your head low, a smile on your face, and walk fast. But not too fast.”

“How fast is too fast?” Jessica asks.

“Just walk casually. But don't stop for anyone. We’re going to need some money and another car. And hopefully we can find a place to get some clothes, or even a hobby store. Just stay close to me. We’ll look less suspicious if we pretend we belong.” Mabel hopes her quick lesson will help. Amidst the puttering of car engines, the occasional horn being honked, and the everyday rush of workers on their way to their job, Mabel finds a nice, quiet street where she can find some decent cash for them. She’s picked pockets before, but she hasn’t the mastery of her grunkle. Stanley is an artist at petty theft. There isn’t a wallet that’s safe when he’s around, but now she’ll have to figure it out herself. And with little choice, she begins searching for a mark. Open purses are easy enough, but anyone that clueless is rare. Snatching it will just lead to someone calling the cops, which is something none of them want. A few blue-collar workers step past her, none of them worth the risk. But then they encounter a lady wearing a vibrant, sparkling red dress, high heels, and an alligator skin purse. Aaron mentions her as a potential choice, but Mabel shakes her head. The lady in the red dress seems like a decent bet to rob, but only to an amateur. Her heels are a knockoff of an expensive designer brand, her red dress can be bought cheap from any online store, and her alligator leather purse is a knockoff. The lady momentarily meets Mabel’s eyes, who casually looks away. 

And then out from one of the storefronts comes a worthy mark. He’s wearing a custom cashmere pinstripe, displays a shining gold Rolex on his wrist, and is currently placing a black line credit card in his wallet. He’s also carrying a rather pricey gift in a bag. With one swift motion, Mabel slips his wallet out of his back pocket, retrieves the card, and places the wallet back in his pocket. But her thumb brushes against his back and in an instant, he turns around, looking straight ahead and asking for Mabel’s attention. “Um, excuse me, miss?”

Mabel forces herself to keep walking, not looking back for even a second. And she prays her parents are smart enough to do the same. She senses that he’s reaching for his wallet now. He’ll check to make sure it’s still there, hopefully without checking inside. She hears him release a relieved sigh before confronting Mabel again. But there’s something missing… her parents. Mabel looks out of the corner of her eye, cursing under her breath at her father looking straight back before turning to face Mabel again, rapidly chasing after her as he realizes he should have simply continued moving. So Mabel decides to improvise. When the rich jerk steps closer, he places a hand on Mabel’s shoulder. She turns around and jumps in place, laughing awkwardly as she meets the questioning gaze of her mark. “When someone’s asking you something, you reply!”

Mabel makes her left hand into a fist and begins rubbing it circularly across her chest. When he seems clueless, she begins signing other apologies. The man’s irritation soon dissipates, now buying that Mabel is simply deaf and didn’t hear him, and he awkwardly accepts her apology before moving on. But before Mabel has time to leave, she realizes that someone else is looking at her. That woman from before is staring straight at her, using the phone to record the family. She recognizes her. ‘Fuck.’

Mabel quickly turns back around, dragging her parents away and down an alley, breaking out in a run to get as far away from that woman as possible. Even if she doesn’t recognize them straight away, the chances are that she’ll figure it out soon enough. Mabel quickens her pace as her mother asks what’s wrong. “We were just spotted. Keep up, guys.”

“Oh my god, what do we do?!”

“Quiet!” Mabel whispers. “As soon as anyone finds out who we are, we’re dead! It may already be too late but I’m not going down without a fight.” Mabel continues down the streets, keeping her head low as she guides her parents to safety. From out of the corner of her eye, she can see that woman approaching the alley, following the Pines. Mabel speeds up before sidestepping into a takeout restaurant, finding a place to sit before ordering a soda. She encourages her parents to do the same, making sure to blend in while Mabel lays her head against the wall, watching the reflection of a shiny metal pole for any sign of that snooping lady. A brow of sweat is dripping down her face. Her finger is twitching as the anxiety rolls over her. Her father is on the verge of passing out while Jessica’s eyes are wide with terror. Her hands are trembling under the pressure, barely containing her fear. 

It takes a gentle hand from Mabel on her mother’s shoulder to calm her. When Mabel is certain that they aren’t being followed, she steps out of the chair, pays for her parents’ drinks, and heads outside with her parents. She made a mistake taking them with, not realizing just how quickly they could be discovered. 

But there’s still time to… no. No time at all. Mabel hears sirens in the distance and realizes that the bitch in the red dress called the police. ‘Okay, don’t panic. Nobody panic. All Mabel voices, stay calm.’ We’re boned. WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE! Every Mabel for herself! 

Oh shit she’s panicking. She hurries down the road, all but breaking out in a dash, and her parents chase after her before she spots a narrow alley. She instantly takes a hard turn, breaking into a dash as she cowers in the grimy alley behind a storefront with her parents. And not a moment too soon. Mabel sees a police car coming onto the road where they just were, just barely missing them. But there will undoubtedly be more. She can hear a helicopter coming overhead when she takes her parents through another alley. 

Mabel zig zags through the city streets as more and more sirens blare in the distance. They’re about to be encircled and Mabel doesn’t know what to do! She’s not used to the heat being this bad. She’s beginning to panic and that means her family will start panicking as well. As they head through another alley, Mabel realizes that they’ll have to do something drastic if they want to escape. 

They’re going to need to split up. The cops will be looking for three of them. And right now, the safest route for her family is the one right below them. There’s a manhole cover nearby. And Mabel remembers that her strength is greater than that of a normal human’s. She has the blood of Alcor’s people flowing through her veins. And so she grabs the manhole cover and begins to pull. And her father gasps, realizing what she’s about to do.

“What? Are you crazy? We can’t go down there!”

“We can and we have to!” Her father has always had a fear of dark, tight spaces. And he’s always been disgusted when someone forgets to flush the toilet. His worst fears lie beneath and he’s going to have to walk through miles of the filth before he’s safe. He brushes his fingers through his hair, taking a deep breath as he tries to calm his nerves. Mabel continues to struggle as the sirens grow closer and closer. She needs something to push her forward, give her the strength that she knows lies deep in her soul. She’s survived worse than this, she’s been beaten, bruised, shot at, imprisoned, and tortured. So she just needs to fucking do it!

The instinctual, primal rage begins to flow through her. Three hundred pounds of solid metal lifts up by her fingertips and with her mother’s help, she is able to force the cover aside. The smell is… awful. It’s enough to make Aaron begin vomiting. But he needs to go down there. As Jessica begins the slow descent, Aaron quivers and shakes, heaving last night’s dinner out onto the pavement. But with no other choice, he begins to climb down into his own worst nightmare. 

And Mabel starts to push the manhole cover back onto them. “Mabel, no!” her mother protests, nearly climbing back up to drag Mabel along. But Mabel manages to force the cover over the open entrance, saving her parents from the far more dangerous task of gathering supplies and making it back to the hotel.

“Sorry, Mom. They’re looking for three people. If I’m by myself, I can blend in better. I’ll fetch the supplies we need. Just get down and start heading back south to the motel. I’ll catch up later.” Her mother is yelling at her now. Aaron is begging Mabel to come down, to take the safer path. But she can’t. She just can’t. She has to be strong now, to learn to rely on her own strength. She’s always had Stanley, Waddles, and her brother. But no more. She’s on her own now. So with a heavy heart, she bids them goodbye, stepping out of the alley and meandering down the street as if she belongs just as a cop car rolls past. She keeps her head bowed, her pace slow, and her face calm. She can hear the police vehicle come to a stop, likely wondering if she’s the one they’re after. 

‘Please work. Please work!’ 

The moment seems to stretch on forever. The measured steps of her feet, the police sirens, the roar of the helicopters overhead. But then she hears the engine of the cop car roar back to life and continue onWard. She’s safe, for now. And as she quickens her pace, she sets out on her quest to find what she needs. Taking a deep breath, she embraces the open air, the empty streets, the roar of cars on the road. She can make it. She only hopes her parents can find their way back.

The stench in the air is horrid. The putrid, decaying smell of excrement is everywhere. Rats and roaches cover every inch of this underworld. And the sloshing of their feet through raw sewage is revolting. Jessica can hardly believe what has happened to her life. Five days back, she was sipping tea, reading the morning news on her phone before her husband showed her a video of their daughter at an art museum, during the unveiling of a piece of artistic history. Then the next thing they knew, a swarm of swat officers had burst through their doors, ransacked their home, and dragged them away with black bags over their heads. They were chained for a day upon the cold, harsh stone beneath a never-ending storm as they were forcefully thrust into a world they didn’t understand. 

But a world that their children, Mason and Mabel, have been accustomed to for ten long years. They are now the learners and their children, their teachers. And they’ll have to learn fast. The whole wide world believes them to be monstrous terrorists because the reptilians are real and the shadow government actively wants them dead.

It’s insane. But the gross, gooey thing she just stepped on takes her out of it. They’ve walked at least a mile now, in the vague direction that leads back to the motel. Occasionally they’ll hear the sound of cops, or the rumbling of a car overhead, but for most of their journey, the only companion is the sound of wet shoes stomping through filth and the flow of running water. Their march through the undercity soon takes them to a split in the path. Two routes lead down and away from the city sewer system. 

“Which way do we go?” she asks.

“I don’t know. I just need to get out of- oh god!” Aaron is dry heaving again. He’s long since evacuated last night’s dinner but the foul aroma is suffocating. Jessica doesn’t know what has given her the strength to push forward into the dark abyss. She only knows that they have to keep going. She decides to take the left path, pressing ever onward into the dark. They must have walked at least a mile, likely two, and they walk many more down into the dark, following the sound of water as they slip away from the manhunt the woman in the red leather dress unleashed on them. “This sucks. This really sucks.”

“It does. But we can’t mope around. We need to- wait, what is that?” Jessica pauses in her stride, and Aaron bumps into her, nearly sending her over into the stream of human waste. 

“Ugh, what the hell! Why’d you stop?”

“There’s a face in the dark.” Jessica points a trembling hand forward, where the vague shape of a man sits before them, hunched over with leathery, dead skin. But his face… his pale white, smiling face. He looks so thrilled to see them. His pearly whites shine bright even in the dark. And then he rises, finding his footing as thin, crackling legs bend into place. With his bulb shaped head, his rictus grin, and his shiny red balloon, that thing, It begins to speak. 

“I’ve been waiting for so long in the dark. So long in the cold undeath underneath existence. But now I’m back. And I’m so happy to finally meet you two. The parents of Pine Tree and Shooting Star. Do you want a red balloon? It floats nice and pretty-like. Everything floats down here. W̶͙̯̦̠̖̒͋̾͊é̶̢̨̦̯̹̰̜͕̹̰̮̰͑̋ ̵̨͓̘̘͉̞̹̄̾͌̈́͋͒̾͜͝͠ḁ̵̱̼̠̯̠̎̔͒̄ľ̷̼͚̘̪̈̄͌͊̈́̋̓̀͌l̴̡̩̞̹̖̯͇̞̤͋̐̇͌̔͗̓͐͘͝ ̶̩͙̙̥̗̗͎͎̜̹͋͊̅̽͝f̷̢͊̅̓̆̑͑l̷̪̙̜̼̤͙͍̠͉̙͊̃̆̅̉̐̔̎ͅo̷͎̙̰̒̓̎̐̔̌͊́͌a̴̛̞̺̭̝̳͓̹̺̞͗̋̓̀̀͌̓̀͒̓͜͠t̷͈̺̬̦͑̾̇̈́̍̄̋̍͂͗ ̶̡͙̥͎̩̪͉͎̜̩̹̜̄̓͗̔͐̐̌d̵̡̛̞͍̑̽̆͊̃̎̈́̀͜o̷̢̰͉̫͈̺̜͓̖̥͙̒͛́̏̌̽̒̿͌͝w̷̝̞̳͖̹͂̄͒̀̉̆̇̑̂̕n̶̢̢͎̯̗̘͔͍̼͆́̐̾̌̈̊̈͊͜͜ͅ ̵̟͈̖̈̕ͅẖ̵̡̘̼̥̤̭̳̺͑̐͐͌́̐̉̕̚̕͝͝e̶̻͙̋̐r̶̡̨̪̙̩̗̘̝̗͍̹͒̅̓͋̈́́͒̐̕͜ȩ̶̡̹͇̫̠̺͉̦̺́́̄͆̆̏͂̆̒͠!̸̣͍͇̘̟̏͋̄̌̍̃̑͘”

Jessica screams. As she turns back, her husband is already running back the way they came. And Jessica flees after him. Something has been lurking underneath this world. The two brave the endless dark as the haunting specter of Hell is behind them. Jessica doesn’t know what that thing wants. She doesn’t know what It even is. She only knows that she has to keep running. Running through the cold, harsh maze beneath the city, with a demon beyond imagination in pursuit.

Chapter Text

‘It’s strange, having memories that aren’t one’s own, flowing through the mind until it is utterly overwhelmed. A few days ago, I was a man called Peter. Peter was such a dull sort of fellow. Peter could have sworn he was a follower of someone named Penny Corduroy. He wasn’t the strongest of her followers, or the bravest. His will was weaker than most of her number and he definitely didn’t have their aptitude for magic. But he was loyal. Far more loyal than the rest, for he saw in her the capacity to bring about a new age. 

‘But none of that matters now. As I, or rather he, partook of the flesh of the god of chaos, so many more feelings began rushing through his mind. But not just feelings. Memories. So many wonderful, delicious, insane memories. He had memories that weren’t his own. My memories. And unlike Luthor Malford, Gerald Hapsburg, and Penny Corduroy, Peter did not have the strength to resist the memories. He has been devoured, giving way to a new incarnation of chaos. An avatar of Nyarlathotep reborn.

‘I’ve been observing this world through my one yellow eye for countless eons. I watched the first bacteria form out of the primordial ooze, skittering about in their tiny world. I saw as these little things spread across their tiny, blue globe in numbers near uncountable. Breeding and eating each other, expanding at an ever-increasing rate until life itself had seeded this dull, blue rock. And then I bore witness to the first calamity. A rise in temperature, a torrent of fire and water, and through this chaos came further creation. I saw the single and double celled organisms joined. They were small, at first. No bigger than a flea. They survived the first catastrophe and thrived off it. 

‘With another million years, these tiny beings had become great indeed. Well, relative to their ancestors. They were just as insignificant back then as they are now. But what was important, what is important, is that they changed. They evolved. And for many millions of years, they ruled their little world. Until another great catastrophe. The little things died and were reborn again as something new. Eventually, life moved beyond the vast waters that the ooze had become and stepped onto land. The green heralded the coming of life into the world above and for many more millions of years, this insectoid and reptilian populace thrived. Until the storms came. An endless torrent of rain which drowned the world. 

‘And that gave birth to the dinosaurs. Again and again, the same process, the same results. Something new, something better appeared. And it is during that time that I, the many-faced god, began to move against the world. I influenced evolution to its highest peaks, seeded the cosmos with beings of chaos unto myself, and prepared for the day I would become material. I made a bargain with a shapeshifter to free him from his stasis pod aboard an enemy ship. Ironically, I didn’t need to act at all. A human appeared just before I was able to destroy the ship. Instead, the ship crashed into that beautiful blue marble, and change happened again. From that wound in time and space, I spread myself over the earth that intrigued me so greatly. I came to realize that to achieve my dream, I would have to evolve as well. And so I did. Whereas once I was but a singular voice, I became many. Where I once held only two or three forms, I created a thousand more. 

‘And this body, this face, was one of them. A clown, but not really. A spider, of sorts. And the form was weak enough to slip through the iron bars of unreality and emerge into the physical realm. So I did what any of my other minds would do. I had fun. The goal was freedom, and I was free! And in this form, I sought people to play with. Funny, really, their fears. They fear the dark but there are so many wonderful things in it!

‘I had to show them! I had to make them see that I was right! I was better than the other gods! And that my world would be a world without death, without time, without cause and effect! And so I did. Sure, some would call me a hypocrite because my clowny self tormented and ate the hearts of wayward children every once and a while, but to that I say; so what?! Everyone’s a hypocrite. Every human has rules they tell others not to cross but would do so themselves. Every person has both big and little things they are hypocritical about. A priest who enjoys porno mags, a drug dealer telling their kids to not do drugs, a deity who wants to free people from their fears of death while also causing them to fear their death.

‘We all have our little justifications! And I had mine. It. was. fun. At least until those brats came along. No, not Pine Tree and Shooting Star. The other ones. William “Bill” Denbrough, no relation. Then there was Ben, Beverly, Richie, Eddie, and two others. The losers, as they so aptly named themselves. But they had a bond that gave them strength I couldn’t contend with, at least not in my current form as the clown of Maine. And even as I toyed with them and showed them their greatest fears made manifest, they still resolved to challenge me. Long and dark was the winding road down to Its lair, whereupon the children had endeavored to end It which is me. And to Its amazement, they succeeded. Twice! First they wounded me, then they broke me utterly, all because that blasted giant turtle at the center of the universe helped them.

‘Now, since It was but one part of the greater whole, one might ask; why not just come back? You are an avatar of ultimate chaos! Why not become a monstrous, unstoppable creature of chaos? But where’s the fun in that? That would break the rules of the game. And I was honestly thrilled that these fools had bested me. It’s not something any normal adult could do and these ones bested me as children! I gave them a second scare and they fought me again! So I bowed out of the game, and abandoned my own avatar, the monster clown. Besides, it’s not like these kids had done anything to stop the long game. They would be powerless when I had come down from my throne of chaos upon all of existence and ended the current cosmos. 

‘And as before, following the great calamity, there would be change. There would be evolution. And life would reach its most perfect, freest form in the world. But then I died. And all was but darkness, without thought or form. I was adrift in the great nothing between normal existence. Until now. I have returned in this weakened vessel, but it is a vessel nonetheless. I can feel the ebb and flow of others like myself. Avatars that have emerged all at once. And one of them is lit up like a radioactive beacon, visible for hundreds of miles around. I am the first to reach him, that thing called Alcor. And I’m going to have fun. This world desperately needs more fun. And I, with my happy face, my trickster glee, and my lethal pranks, am all too happy to oblige.’

It has beguN the chase. With the form of a wriggling worm, the creature senses the presence of those who gave renewed life to Pine Tree and Shooting Star. They have entered the sewers out of desperation but in doing so they have come into his new lair beneath the stars. A tentacle lashes out at the man, who yelps with fright as he continues onward. His wife, who he calls out as Jessica, cries out in terror, so helpless against even the weakest of Bill’s avatars. It reaches out with a corpse-like hand, grabbing at the leg of the woman and dragging her down into the muck. And then that man, the frightened, horrified man surprises It. He comes running to Jessica’s aid, kicking and punching the spindly tentacle. The pain is… exhilarating. And then he bites down hard on Its hand, compelled by a savage instinct to protect what he loves. And so It lets him go, for the pain is proof of existence. Of being part of material reality. And those two, frightened humans continue to run, fleeing up a ladder at the end of the dark, murky tunnel.

The two lift up the manhole cover, stepping back out into the light, near the edge of a church. And there they find sanctuary against the reaches of It, for he will not risk the world above just yet. Only during the cover of darkness will he find his way there. And then, he shall partake of the flesh as he has done since time immemorial. 

Jessica can hardly contain her fear, screaming as she lifts up the manhole cover and rushes up to the world above. Mabel was wrong. The sewers are worse than dealing with the government. Far worse than she could have ever imagined. But she’s safe. She made it out, along with her husband, Aaron, who is now just dragging himself out of that sewer hole and onto the street. Several cars rush past, but no one seems to have noticed them just yet. Good. They have to escape this damn city, somehow. “What do we do now?” 

“I don’t know, Aaron. I simply have no idea where to begin. Let's just try and… try to find a place to hide for a moment.” Jessica begins walking away from the sewer entrance. That thing is still down there, waiting for them or anyone else who gets close enough to fall into its web. But now that they’re back in the waking world, Jessica quickly realizes that Consortium poses just as much of a danger as the demon. There are at least a dozen helicopters circling the city, hunting for the Pines. They need to find somewhere to hunker down and hide.

“We should see where the local homeless population is,” he says. “Maybe we can blend in or something.”

“That’s fucked up,” she chokes out.

“It is. But I don’t know where else to go. Especially now that we’re covered in… in this crap. But we can’t go back down there. That monster… that evil bastard is waiting for us! That must be one of Bill’s friends. That demon the kids talked about.”

“I know,” she sighs. “We just… I don’t know what to do! It’s too much all at once. These monsters, the Consortium, everything. But we have to keep going. For our kids’ sake. For Stanley and Ford. And for anyone else wrapped up in this insane world. We should be close enough to the motel to reach it before anyone realizes who we are. Let’s keep going. We’ll warn Stanford and Mason about the demon. Then we can figure out a way to get away from here.”

Aaron swallows his fears as the two limp away. They’ve been running so much the past few days, their bodies are aching and their spirits exhausted. They just barely manage the strength to head down the streets back towards the motel, taking care not to gain too much attention. Luckily, with their current attire and stench, the world seems happy to ignore them, treating the two with disgust and pity. They’re now far below the eyes of the Consortium, too pathetic for the average person to consider them a threat or even give them the time of day. Except one.

As Jessica and Aaron pass by a simple church, a priest who was setting up a sign notices the pair. He gives a wave, but they ignore him. They’ve seen enough to be suspicious of anyone who takes notice of them. But he persists, annoyingly. “Uh, hello. If you two need some new clothes and a fresh shower, I don’t mind. Promise I won’t start babbling about God and stuff, unless you want to pray with me.”

“Who are you?!” Aaron shouts. The priest raises his hands up in mock surrender. 

“Sorry to bother you. Just seemed like you might need some help is all.” Jessica questions if this stranger is truly as helpful as he seems. He appears innocent, but he could be part of the Consortium or working with that demon. Or- hell, he could be the demon! Jessica glares at him, attempting to suss out the threat. But desperation soon overcomes her suspicious nature, and drives her to agree with him, if only to escape the manhunt for a little while. She beckons Aaron forward and the two are met not with mockery, but a sincere effort to help them. Surprising, considering the last few days. 

The priest takes them up the long, steep steps of his rickety old church. This is a place of sanctuary for those who believe in such a thing. And right now, that’s exactly what Jessica needs. The priest pushes open the great oak doors of his parish, allowing the Pines to step into the foyer. The voices of prayer and choir practice echoes all around as the priest takes Aaron and Jessica through the doors and into the cathedral proper. The ancient architecture reveals this church to be older than the surrounding town, likely one of the first buildings ever constructed here. The rest of the city has grown and evolved around it but here, there’s a little piece of the past kept untouched by the rest of the world, maintained and restored over the many years of its service. The great, looming figures on the stained-glass windows look down at Jessica.

And she instantly feels cold, alienated, and alone. As if it’s somehow her fault that all this darkness has happened. But a side door halfway through the open cathedral opens into a far more comfortable, modern part of the building, and it is here they find what they were looking for. 

“There’s a shower to your left, and there should be some fresh clothes for you to put on afterwards. If not, come and get me. My name is Timothy, by the way. Hope you feel better after you get comfortable.” 

“Th… thank you,” Aaron whispers. The priest gives a nod before returning outside, allowing Jessica and Aaron to step through the locker room before finding the showers. The pair are able to truly relax for the first time, but the guilt remains. Jessica and Aaron are abusing a system meant to help the homeless. The logical side of her tells her that they are indeed homeless. No food, no home, no life savings. But her guilty conscience reminds her that they have enough money to afford a few nights at the roach motel. But she stifles that guilty conscience before stepping into the shower, knowing that right now, the most important thing is to survive. And right now, surviving means getting clean clothes and finding something to eat. She scrubs off the dried muck before rinsing herself with soap and moisturizer. Then she breathes sweet relief as she allows the calm, warm water to wash away her guilt. 

And yet, her eyes never leave the drain. The drain that leads down into the sewer. The draIn that leads towards that thing. That… creature. IT. When Jessica finishes cleaning, she tiptoes around the drain before letting Aaron inside. They’ll likely be smelling of that raw, plague-ridden place for days, but at least she feels relatively clean. She puts on her fresh clothes, a rather simple white shirt and a pair of grey pants. Once Aaron is finished, he puts on a matching pair of clothes. They’re done. They’re safe. But Mabel should be getting back to the hotel by now. Jessica needs to continue telling herself that Mabel is safe. That she’ll be fine without any problem. Because she’s going to lose her mind from sheer worry if she lets her fears get the better of her. So she takes a deep breath, reassures herself, and joins Aaron as they prepare to leave the church and head back to the hotel. Only for them to come face to face with the priest the second they open the door. No judgement, no questions. 

“Uh, sorry, but I forgot to mention that we have some open seats in the parish if you wish to rest, and we also have a small kitchen just a little further down this hallway to the right, near our Sunday school classroom. You don’t have to leave just yet.”

“I… we’re fine, thanks.” Jessica’s words ring hollow. They should leave, but they haven’t eaten anything besides bad pizza in days. Jessica’s hunger pangs are nearly overwhelming, and when she sees the needy, hopeful look on Aaron’s face, she relents. Timothy is kind enough to escort them to the kitchen, which is… cluttered, to say the least. It’s been turned into an impromptu storage closet for the summer classes. School desks are piled up in the corner while paint supplies have been left scattered about the rest of the kitchen, including unwashed brushes, still open paint bottles, and large pads of drawing paper, with the refrigerator and a small table being the only empty surfaces in the whole kitchen.

“It’s a bit crowded right now. Summer art classes are always hectic. But there’s still room enough for you. Let me know if you need anything.” 

“Thank you,” Aaron whispers. When they take their seats, Aaron gets up to raid the refrigerator.  He grabs several wrapped sandwiches, a few Lunchables, a cup of pudding, and even a bag of chips. Jessica and Aaron greedily devour what is offered and when none is left, the concerned priest gives them his own lunch before heading back to the main part of the church. Jessica takes the opportunity to check the drawers and cabinets, finding several empty jars. She quickly begins filling them with water from the sink. She doesn’t know when the next time will be that they’ll have access to clean drinking water. With the way Stanford and Mason talk, they’re going to be living entirely off the grid for the foreseeable future. 

And with what little she knows, that means staying as far away from the cities as possible after today. Jessica sighs, feeling guilty for stealing from someone so generous. Her eyes wander, taking in the world around her. This priest is… too kind. Children’s paintings are set up on the wall side by side with some of the most serenely beautiful landscapes by the members of the parish. Innocence. All the images are innocent. They depict naive love for their parents, or God, or family, and all are oblivious to the true nature of the world. Just like Jessica and Aaron were, not even three days ago.

All they can do is move forward. The two attempt to slink out the back exit. But something catches Jessica’s eye. There’s an odd, old photograph hanging up in the church’s kitchen. Twelve boys, along with an old pastor, stand in a field amidst grey grass. The pastor is smiling. Smiling all too brightly compared to the children. They are… angry, or sad. But the Smiling Man is happy amongst them. And he tells Jessica that she too can be happy. So long as she lets him eat her son’s heart and bathe in the powers of the black sun. He has a red balloon in his hands. His eyes are red too. They’re… bleeding. The children are screaming now. They just won’t stop screaming.

Jessica rips the picture off the wall and throws it across the room. The glass picture frame shatters, against the side of one of the desks. When the priest returns, he finds he has a knife to his neck. He begins to whimper, but Jessica isn’t buying it. 

“Who are you?!” she barks.

“I’m- I’m just the local priest Please don’t hurt me! Or the people in the main section! We aren’t a threat!”

“Then what is this?!” Aaron shouts. He retrieves the broken picture, but the faces have returned to normal. “This… What the hell is happening here?”

“It’s just the softball game my dad was in! I had it to remember him by! Please, I don’t want to die!” Timothy is clearly panicking. His face is pale with fear as tears begin to pour down his cheeks. Jessica lowers her blade, only for an old lady to wander inside, asking them if everything’s okay. “Yes, Betsy. Everything’s fine! I’ll be with you shortly for confession. I’m just hanging out with my new friends here.” 

Timothy is desperate for her to leave, but the woman senses something wrong. Jessica hides the knife behind her back, realizing just how much they’ve fucked up this situation. That monster is screwing with their heads, trying to make them crazy and setting them up to fall. Aaron quickly takes the knife from her, making sure that the old woman doesn’t see it before setting it down in the sink. “Are you sure everything is good, Pastor? Things are getting mighty tense around town. The cops have been on the news, telling everyone to stay indoors. Terrorists out of Washington were spotted. And what surprised me the most is they were white!”

“Okay, racism noted,” the priest says with an awkward laugh. “But I’m perfectly safe! Trust me, these two just needed help getting back on their feet. I’m sure they’ll leave soon.” 

“Well, if you say so. You won’t be long, will you? We still have the baptism scheduled and I don’t want my grandkids growing up as heathens.” Betsy leaves after another nod, which is when Jessica lets Timothy go. But he stays in place, begging them not to hurt him or his parish. He really is brave. Foolish and naive, but brave. She really messed up- god, and after he just got done saving their asses too! Jessica apologizes profusely, doing her best in this absurd situation.

“Sorry, just… that was scary. Sorry. You probably think we’re crazy now. Heh, maybe we are. But again, sorry. Uh, we should go.” Jessica doesn’t know how to tell him what they’re going through, nor does she think he’d be able to handle it. For now, the best thing for them to do is to gather their supplies and thank him for his help despite him clearly being terrified. “Thank you for your hospitality. For what it’s worth, we didn’t mean it.”

“Why?” he asks.

“Let’s just say we may be in Revelations,” Aaron replies. “So make some holy water, pray to God, and hope we don’t meet again.  Also, swear to God you won’t call the police for ten minutes.”

“Uh, why?”

“Just do it!” 

“Okay! Okay. I swear I won’t call the cops for ten minutes.” 

“To! God!”

“I swear to God, to Jesus, my lord and savior not to call the cops for ten whole minutes!” Timothy is clearly panicking. And Jessica realizes just how much damage they’ve done. Hopefully he’s faithful in his honesty. With that, Aaron and Jessica hurry away, heading in the direction of the motel. Hopefully Mabel has had better luck than they’ve had. 

Mabel hopes her parents have been having better luck than she has. She had to walk out of several stores just because they had a television on, which means they likely had her face fresh in their minds. Gathering enough material for a proper disguise is difficult on its own. But when the whole world is watching you, it's nearly impossible. But before long, she finally finds a decent place. No television, the owner is squinting from poor eyesight, and there is hardly anyone else shopping. First, she finds a good raven black wig for herself, then grabs another for her brother or whatever the hell he is now. She chooses a dirty blonde for her mother and a deep red for her dad. Next she finds some decent facial cream and makeup to give them a paler or more flush complexion as needed. Some Vaseline, with which she can mix some flour to create fake scars, different noses, larger ears, or anything else to change their appearances. And the pièce de résistance, a small shaver for their eyebrows. Perfect. 

Mabel gathers her things and approaches the counter, giving a warm hello to the kind, old lady attending it. She gives Mabel a friendly wave back as she begins ringing up the items. But she feels that something in the store is amiss. A strange sound, of scampering feet and low growling, moves up through the ceiling before landing somewhere beyond the next aisle. She slowly approaches the corner of the aisle. Slowly turning towards the noise, she waits for the worst. Something in her tells her that she’s being watched. By what? She doesn’t know. Only that… it’s there. And it jumps right at her face. Mabel lets out a shriek as she deflects a black blur with horrible fangs and a twisted hiss…only to realize that it’s merely a cat. It lands perfectly on its feet before tiptoeing away. She breathes sweat relief, assuring herself of the truth.

“Just a cat, Mabes. Just a cat.”

“No I’m not,” the cat says. Mabel blinks. What… what? She could have sworn she heard the cat talk. But it just meows. And then she feels it. The absolute worst time for her body to do this. Cramps. Fucking cramps. She knew she was late but she had to risk it anyways, what with everyone being homeless. But for the next few days this shit’s going to be happening. Not the best situation for when you’re fleeing from the shadow governmeNt and losing your mind.

“Uh, do you mind if I use the bathroom?” Mabel asks.

“No, not a problem! It’s in the back. Have fun!” 

“Weird,” Mabel mutters under her breath. That old lady is definitely off her rocker. Mabel steps away from the counter with her things, heading towards the grimy back office. The lights are flickering, and the faint smell of ammonia is in the air. A broken television is perched on a pile of papers. She’s starting to wonder if she should leave and find somewhere else. But a sudden, painful cramp forces that idea out of her head. She needs to sit down for a moment. Mabel pushes open the bathroom door, finding the grimy toilet to be less than welcoming. But she has no other choice, pulling her pants down and falling onto the porcelain throne. With the door closed, she leans back, trying desperately to relax the painful waves going throughout her body, turning to an oddly placed ham radio left inside. “Ugh, this sucks. Worst time to bleed. Hopefully I’m not too long… ugh, shit.”

Mabel stretches her back, trying to make the coming pain as tolerable as possible. She waits as the minutes tick by, twiddling her thumbs, humming along to a beat in her head, and trying to get the radio to work, but the only thing she hears is static. Static, and static, and more static. Then finally, she hears a broadcast coming through. “Hello, listeners! Welcome back to Pennywise the Radio Show! Featuring everyone’s favorite clown next to that guy from Gotham, Pennywise! First up, we have all the letters of the alphabet! And to make this more fun for boys and girls of all ages, we’ll make all the sounds that animals make! Do you know what sound an animal makes? An albatross goes caw! Caw! A bear goes grrr! Grrr!”

Some terrible show tunes play in the background as Mabel reaches for some toilet paper, only to find a smidge of blood on it. Of course. “For crying out loud! I need some pads.” Mabel tears off the bad part, only to find the stain is even deeper on the pieces below. She tears off another layer of the roll, and is met with more blood. What… what the fuck? God damn it, this is weird and so sucky! And all the while that bizarre, children’s radio host keeps blabbering. 

“And the cow goes moo! Moo! And the duck goes quack! Quack!”

“Well, guess this is my lot in life. Thanks, Alcor. Really needed to be on the run from Bill demons and reptilians. Couldn’t have let me take the easy way out! Sure, we’d be dead and Dipper would be enslaved… yeah, I couldn’t do that to him. Oh look! I’m starting to care about him again! Progress! That’s good, mental progress. Completely ignore that he didn’t tell me about his mind going all koo koo banana pants. Or that our fates ended with him ripping out my heart. So to avoid it he played right into the hands of Big Brother in both a metaphorical and literal sense, what with the reptilians being Alcor’s, and by default Mason’s, siblings!! Ugh!… back to square one.”

Mabel leans back, tuning out the inane babble as she tries again for toilet paper. She rolls and rolls, finding ever more bloody paper. Which is when she realizes what Pennywise has been saying for the past few seconds. “And the pig goes waddle! Waddle! And the pig screams squeal! Squeal! And the pig goes dead Dead DEAD! DEAD!” 

Mabel bashes in the radio without a moment’s hesitation. But that terrible, shrill voice is still coming over the other end, slowly transforming into the squealing agony of a pig as blood squeezes out from the speaker. More and more, the blood gushes out in slow, bubbling bursts before the squeals are overwhelmed by a chorus of sick laughter. The twisted, gurgling laughter becomes a deafening cacophony of sheer madness before the voices all of a sudden stop as the radio finally dies. Mabel takes a shivering hand to her face to wipe her tears, looking down and at the sink, barely able to think from such maddening horror. That terrible screaming sounded exactly like her lost friend. It was Waddles… it was Waddles screaming in agony. But it can’t be real. Waddles had his soul shattered by Alcor’s brother, Merak.

It couldn’t be real.

No logical way Waddles was on the other end… but she’s not dealing with a logical world anymore. The world has gone mad and that madness has followed her here. “Shit.” Mabel gathers her things and opens the door, suddenly finding that the ceiling lights have all been broken. She’s in the dark now, surrounded by shadows, and that thing, that psycho monster is watching her, waiting for her to make a mistake… 

She runs out, locking the door behind her, and dashes for the exit. But the exit is beyond her grasp. Forever beyond her grasp. Even as she reaches a breakneck pace, she cannot escape, utterly helpless as the hallway begins to fill with blood. It pours out from the ceiling tiles, oozes out from the vents, and seeps up from the cracks in the floor. The hallway itself is lengthening out and no matter how fast she is, the door out is just beyond her reach as the bloody path is stretching out into eternity. “Ugh, damn you! Where are you?!”

The broken television suddenly bursts to life. And behind the cloud of static, Mabel begins to make out the image of the demon haunting her every step. His unnatural, bulbous forehead. His ruby lips and makeup. And auburn hair like fire, with a toothy grin that seems to distort and stretch wider and wider the longer she’s in this twisted place. “You don’t frighten me, you monster! I’ve faced far worse than you!”

“Oh, you have, have you? Then let's dispense with the subtleties and eat THE FLESH FROM YOUR FACE!” The demon clown emerges from the cracked television, crawling on all fours as his teeth extend out of his gaping maw, ready to devour her whole. So she does what any sensible Pines would do. She kicks him in the face and throws the used toilet paper in his mouth. The shock is enough to break the spell, causing It to lose control, which lets Mabel escape. 

As she breaks through the back exit, she doubles back around the entrance, never letting her eyes leave the building. There’s something in there. Something so fucking horrible that it’s brought Mabel to tears. But she’s out. She escaped… only then she gasps, remembering that someone else was in the building too. She attempts to open the door again, hoping to rescue the cashier. But the flickering lights from within briefly reveal the haunting, ruined visage of the old lady. Her empty, charcoal black eyes are looking right at Mabel. As if her very soul was burned out and It was simply hiding in the empty cinders left behind.

Mabel doesn’t stay there a moment longer. She has what she needs, the stuff in her bag is real enough, and there doesn’t seem to be any sign of the clown’s dark magic. So she runs, becoming one with the wind as she fights through the pain of her cramps, through the pain in her heart, and against the sheer exhaustion that’s weighing down on her like a mountain. She moves onto the streets before heading out into the city again. But as she gazes back inside the empty windows of the store she found, she knows that It is still there, waiting for the right moment to strike again. 

Mason has been pacing back and forth for the past two hours, ever since a fleet of choppers began circling the city. And that’s all he’s been doing. Back and forth, back and forth. For two hours, without any need for rest or to catch his breath. Stanford would know. The clock in their room was nearly ten when Mason began his pacing. And now it's noon. He likely doesn’t even realize how long he’s been doing it. Stanford isn’t even sure if Mason is breathing. His human body is locked in a loop, barely containing the demonic energy he received from Bill Cipher’s statue. 

But whenever Mason suggests heading out to help them, Stanford tells him that they can handle themselves. It’s not that he’s callous. He’s worried about the others as much as Mason is, but Stanford refuses to let his great nephew release his demon again. Right now, all they can do is wait, and pray they make it out of the city alive. While Mason continues pacing, Stanford instead focuses his anxiety on the news. The report on the television is still reporting the Pines' supposed terrorist attack, but no mention has been made of Mabel’s or the parents’ capture. So that’s a good thing. Still, the fact remains that they’re stuck. There’s no way Stanford and Mason would be able to help without relying on the power of Alcor. Stanford isn’t sure he could forgive his nephew for making such a stupid, reckless decision like that again. Mason… hurt his great uncle deeply. And so Stanford remains silent.

Mason continues pacing. Lost, worried, and desperately struggling not to give into his inner demons. Only to be suddenly distracted by a worried yelp from Liam, who leaps into Mason’s arms after having awoken from a nap. “Oh, shit. Sorry. Kind of lost track of time there, buddy. Bet you’re starving… I just keep screwing up.” 

Stanford says nothing. Part of him is screaming to help the kid. But he’s not a kid, is he? Not really. He’s a demon. A vessel of chaos. A creature bred to be a slave that rebelled against its siblinGs and has now embraced the darkness they fought so hard to contain. He is… ‘what is wrong with me?’

Stanford shouldn’t be hateful. But he is. He hardly notices the splash of gold falling from Mason’s cheek; a golden tear. And still, Stanford remains silent. He tells himself he’s being stoic. But he knows better. Deep down, he’s always known better. He’s not a hero, or a genius scientist inventor. He’s just an arrogant, broken, bitter old man who can only wallow in self-pity caused by the knowledge that his life was stolen from him by Alcor. He waits for many minutes in the hotel, feeling that sickening sensation in his stomach, caring little as Mason steps outside with Liam. And when the silence becomes too much to bear, Stanford joins Mason and Liam outside, spotting them near a grassy knoll outside the motel. Liam is currently jumping at some grasshoppers while Mason is gazing at the city. The activity from earlier has definitely calmed down by now. And with no mention of the Pines being captured on the television, Stanford figures they must have escaped. And since he can’t think about how rotten he’s becoming inside, he turns his attention to the future. To figure out how to regroup and fight back against Bill Cipher. “How do we beat him? And Smoking Mirror too?”

“We’re going to need to regroup first,” Mason replies, trying to bridge the gap between them. “We won’t be able to take down Bill without the statue.”

“Wouldn’t he have the statue? You basically…. You kind of gave it to him, right?” Stanford asks, trying not to let his anger come through with his words. Mason shakes his head.

“No. If Penny gave Bill back his powers, we’d be destroyed by… no, no even if she did, Bill wouldn’t be able to leave whatever part of Earth he emerged at. The weirdness magnet would kick in. The greater the strength of weirdness, the more force is applied to keep it contained. Bill would be trapped here and if there’s one thing he wants, it's to escape whatever boundaries are placed on him. If we can get the statue back or destroy it, we can neutralize his threat. Then we can focus on fighting back against Tezcatlipoca.” 

Mason continues talking, more to himself than anyone else, but it's good that his head is out of that dark place again. And he’s right. Stanford’s theory of weirdness magnetism was based on the idea that it was a natural “unnatural” law of physics. That the rift beneath Gravity Falls sucked in all that was weird. But how does one define weird? Everyone has a different definition. It was Mason who discovered why. Weirdness is “pushed back” by the combination of the collective unconscious of their species and an unknown energy source that powers said magnetism somewhere nearby. But nearby could mean anywhere from the bottom of the sea to outer space, or even to a parallel dimension. 

All StAnford knows is that Tezcatlipoca and his minions are responsible. For now, their planning will have to wait. He notices two figures approaching out of the corner of his eye. At first he suspects criminals coming to the seedy motel for a meeting.. Or worse, cops. But once the figures are closer to view, he breathes sweet relief. Jessica and Aaron are back, dressed in different clothes and carrying food and water. They look beaten and bruised. And the faint smell of sewage permeates the air around them. Stanford quickly races over to their side, helping the two back to the motel with their things. “What the hell happened? Where’s Mabel? And holy shit, you smell like you’ve been in the sewer!”

“We were,” Aaron says with a shivering voice. “We had to hide down there because of the cops but- this thing- red- a fucking monster down there!”

“Woah, calm down.”

“I can’t calm down! Have you ever calmed down when someone told you to calm down?! It’s a paradox!”

“Enough!” Jessica shouts. “We were sent down into the sewers because some bitch called the cops on us. Mabel thought-”

“So you left her behind?!” Mason shouts.

“She left us! She thought we’d be safe, but we found this… monster down there! And then it attacked us again when we were in this church. It was toying with our minds, making us see things that weren’t there! Shit, we ended up attacking this priest who only wanted to offer us food and clothing.”

“Monster?” Mason asks, hurrying over to help his parents. “What was it?”

“It… changed shape. But it kept smiling. Like some demented clown.”

“And it had a red balloon,” Mason whispers. His face transforms into one of sheer horror as Liam begins yipping loudly in alarm.

“Wait, you know about it?!” Aaron asks.

“I thought Alcor was messing with me again. What else did you see? What did it do?”

“It just… screwed with our heads. Made us see things that weren’t there. I think it was toying with us. Fuck, what the hell is it?”

“I don’t know. And I don’t care. If it attacked you, then it’s bound to have gone after Mabel. And she’s all alone! God damn it!” Mason is enraged again. That guilty conscious of his has instead been overwhelmed by protective worry. In doing so, he is fueling the paranoia that brought about Alcor’s rise. “We have to find her!”

“She’ll be fine!” Stanford says, even though he knows in his heart the dangers of being alone with a demon after you. He hopes he can steady Mason’s fears, but the stubborn kid won’t back down. He’s ready to storm off into the city without a moment’s hesitation. No directions, no plan, no idea where Mabel could even be. He makes it to the edge of the parking lot before realizing how futile it is. He focuses his rage on a garbage can, screaming as he begins kicking it over and over again, beating the metal can until it’s dented all over. But then he finally relents, falling to his knees and pulling them in close. And… God damn it, Stanford can’t just let him wallow in agony. He steps over to Mason, resting a gentle hand on his great nephew’s shoulder. “Dipper, it will be okay. Mabel’s tough. She kicked your ass in the mindscape easy enough. So she can fight whatever this smiling demon is.”

Mason doesn’t give Stanford a response. He pulls away, standing back up and stomping back towards the motel. He all but slams the door shut on the way in. He’s already losing it, allowing Alcor to gain more and more influence over his every waking moment. Damn it, they just got him back! And now Stanford is beginning to feel doubt. Mabel could be anywhere in the city, surrounded by God knows what. She could be captured or worse. Heck, maybe it would- ‘No. I won’t let myself fall into that trap. We aren’t letting Mason use his powers, not even to check up on her. She’s alive. She’s got to be.’

‘You should free me. I can save her in an instant. I can stop the demon and destroy it without any trouble. Just let me out, Mason Pines. Set me free and we can put an end to this devilry. Or all will fall into ruin.’

“SHUT UP!” Mason growls, screaming into his pillow as he pushes back against the darkness inside himself. He knows how capable his sister is. However, his fears concerning her safety are giving new strength to his shadow, the demon prince Alcor. Alcor merely lets loose a mirthless laugh. He’s driving Mason insane. But Mason is stronger. He manages to hold out and resist the corrupting allure of his other half, not letting Alcor gain even the smallest piece of ground mentally while they wait for Mabel to return. It's been nearly three hours since she left with their parents. While Aaron and Jessica have successfully made it back to the motel, Mabel is still out there in that city, surrounded by potential enemies and stalked by a clown-shaped hellbeast. 

He groans, stepping outside to meet the cool breeze. Liam follows, jumping up and onto Mason’s shoulder as Mason gives a wave to his mother. Throughout all of this, he’s hardly had a chance to consider what they’re going through. They’re so brave to face these trials right out of the gate and keep going. A lesser person would have been driven to despair, but Jessica and Aaron are holding together through all of this. 

Mason isn’t sure how much longer he can hold out. He takes a sip of water despite not really needing it anymore, but he craves a distraction from the voice of his devil. So he drinks. And when the jar with water is empty, he fetches another, drinking his fill. And when his parents stop him from drinking away their entire stash, he simply fills the jar up with brownish tap water from the roach motel’s old, rusted pipes, and swallows it all. After placing the bottle back in his coat, he nearly screams. He’s almost ready to listen to that bastard of a demon as he stomps outside once more. And that’s when he sees a stranger approaching them. Mason braces himself for the worst. This could be the demon stalking them or someone who realizes who they are. They might have to run or fight. “Who are you?”

“You don’t see? Then I guess I did a good job.” Mason doesn’t recognize her. Her eyebrows are different; narrower and more upturned. Her hair is a dark raven, and her eyes are a pale shade of blue instead of the usual dark brown. And she cut her hair really short. And if she hadn’t changed anything else, she’d be almost identical to him. But her voice is… something that can’t be put into words. Even if she threw her voice or had an accent, he would know it. Her gaze when transfixed upon him has always been able to heal his tattered soul. But her voice is empty now, and entirely alien. And the look in her eyes makes her near unrecognizable. But… he can’t help himself. He’s been so worried, so utterly consumed with terror and despair, that he runs straight towards her, arms open wide.

Regardless of the gap that’s grown between them, Mason still loves her with all his heart. It’s only himself he doesn’t love anymore. Liam is squeaking with joy, leaping onto Mabel’s head. But then she pushes Mason back, clearly not ready to face her brother again. It nearly breaks him, but he keeps his composure as his sister meets their mother’s eyes. 

“Are you okay?” Jessica asks.

“I’m fine. But we have a problem.”

“We know. It attacked us too.”

“It did? Shit. Why’s it targeting us?”

“I don’t know,” Mason says. “But we should leave soon. How much money did you get?”

“I- Uh,” she stutters, still not really in the mood to speak with him. “Enough for some food and maybe a junker car. But we all need some decent disguises first. We were spotted almost instantly when we went into the city. I’ve got the materials for each of us to have better disguises. Clothes, hair dye, a mix of materials to give us new facial structures. I’m going to get started.” 

“We should leave soon. It won’t be long before the Consortium expands its reach to this motel. I’ll, uh, I’ll sign us out.” Mason gulps, failing to prevent a somber expression from forming on his face. As his sister heads for their room, Liam still nesting in her hair, Mason begins to meander through the lot. He knows his sister needs some time alone right now. But that doesn’t stop the pain from ripping him up inside. As he continues, he’s soon joined by his mother. ‘ But in truth, she is not. She is simply part of the curse on my blood.’ ‘Shut up, Alcor. I’m sick of hearing your voice.’

He desperately needs to keep his demons in check. While the threat from the clown is worrying, the danger from within is far more concerning. He has to keep it in check, or else all he loves will fail and come to ruin. But just when he thinks he’s being buried in his evil thoughts again, his mother elbows him. “So… didn’t think your parents would ever be part of this crazy adventure, did you?”

“No, not really. I guess there was never a good time to tell you about our other lives. Every time the idea came up, Mabel and I… just couldn’t find a way to talk about it without looking like nutjobs. And if you knew the danger, you wouldn’t have let us go on these crazy adventures. But now this is the only life we have. Those reptilian psychos are never going to stop hunting us.”

“All the more reason for us to get out. Once we have our disguises, we’ll find a car and leave. Hopefully before that demon comes back.”

‘... too late, Mason Pines.’  

As Mason and his mother approach the front office, Mason pauses in place. He senses the presence of that dreadful creature again. It’s watching him from nearby, waiting for him to drop his guard. And it’s watching from… ‘The roof!’ ‘ Set me loose. I will deal with this clown.’ ‘I thought I told you to shut up, jerk!’

“Hello, Pine Tree!” There he is. Or she. Or It. Whatever the creature is, It seems to have settled on the form of an old renaissance era clown. Jessica gasps, pointing up at the demon. Mason takes her hand in his own. 

“Who the hell are you?”

“Oh, that’s right! You never met me in this form. I’m Pennywise! The dancing clown!”  the demon announces as it shakes its head playfully. The little bells on its shirt jingle, yet the playful banter cannot hide the hideous, otherworldly nature of the creature. Pennywise laughs again. 

“Yes, that’s right! I am Pennywise! But my friends call me Bill Cipher! Or an avatar of Bill Cipher… It is rather confusing. Anyways, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it! Life’s clearly been good for you, I see! But it hasn’t been for me… I was lost in the darkness for so many years. Trapped by the seven losers, broken into pieces by your grunkle… but now I’m back! Don’t you want to play? Because I do! And I’m sure Mabel does as well!”

“Wait, what are you-? Oh no, no!” Before Mason can race back to their room, he hears his sister scream from the front office, along with Stanford and his father. But they weren’t there a minute ago. They should still be in their rooms! It doesn’t make any… of course. All too late does he realize what the clown is doing. Jessica is running towards the sound of their agonized voices, having fallen for the trap created by the avatar of chaos. Mason runs after her, trying to prevent her falling into Pennywise’s trap, but it is far too late. As she swings open the door, the once mundane, grimy office is replaced with a deep, open pit. Jessica falls down into the unfathomable depths, screaming the entire way until her voice fades into the distance. And Mason knows if he has any chance of saving her, he will have to confront the darkness as well. The demon is toying with his mind. But Mason has faced the kind of creatures who enjoy mind games before. His mother hasn’t. She’s entirely unprepared for dealing with a monster that can alter her perception of reality. With a fearful heart, he leaps into the empty void, falling down into the abyss and joining Jessica in the infinite, inky blackness. 

“Mom? Are you okay?” 

“Dipper? Can you see me?”

“No… no, it's too dark.”

“Come, follow my voice! I need your help!” Mason follows the sound of his mother’s voice, hearing her screaming in agony. But something stops him from pursuing further. There’s a wrongness to his mother’s voice, something he can’t put his finger on. And whereas once he could only vaguely sense the entity, he now feels it emanating from all around him. It's above and below, behind him and in front of him, beyond everything and right inside him. ‘Where is it? Where the hell is it?!’

‘What you sense is merely the power of the clown. If you want to find the clown, follow the path of its power. Find the source of the magic flowing around you. And then take what we desire… to win.’ Alcor is whispering in his head again. That demon was more dangerous than this clown could ever be. But he’s right. Mason realizes that what he senses isn’t the demon itself, but merely the aura of its magic. And all of it is flowing from directly in front of him, where his supposed mother has been crying out to him. And when he focuses on that feeling, he realizes why he can sense this demon. And why the demon could sense him. This incarnation of Nyarlathotep was human once. It was one of Pennelope Corduroy’s followers. But then it ate a piece of the god of chaos. And unlike Mason, they were unable to control it. Now that power has utterly consumed them, reducing them to no more than an avatar of the god of chaos. It’s no more than a deranged, starving monster. 

And It has been using his mother’s voice to trick him. Mason turns back from the aura of the eldritch clown, marching away from its power. He hears a sick laughter echoing all around. “So you saw through the veil of nightmares. Oh well. We’ll play another game! Tag!”

It suddenly appears and claws at Mason’s shoulder, driving out a painful cry. “You’re it! Come and get me! I’m right here… no, I’m over here. NO… I’m over here!” 

‘Damn it, how am I going to get out of this?’ Mason sees nothing but a great, empty void all around. No light, no distance he can make out. There is no up and down, only the dark depths of the underworld. Pennywise gives another playful nibble to Mason’s shoulder, one that is more annoying than anything else. 

But the third attack is far more than a love bite. Pennywise tears out a chunk of Mason’s shoulder, causing him to fall to his knees. ‘Come on, think! Think, Mason! You can fight this!’ Mason ignores the clown’s taunts and treacherous attacks as he focuses all his efforts on deciphering the nature of this dark magic. The place he’s found himself in should be an impossibility. Unless Penny’s follower devoured the entirety of Bill’s statue, the clown should have nowhere near the strength to tear open a hole in reality and drop Mason into an eldritch nightmare… and if the clown was truly this powerful, he would have devoured Mason already. 

But the clown isn’t as powerful as Bill Cipher. Pennywise, rather than finish Mason off, is instead using tricks and illusions to break his will. ‘Which means this impossible space is nothing more than an illusion. He’s weaker than me. He doesn’t know that I’m not using Alcor’s power, so he’s trying to distract me. Weaken me with these sick games instead of ending me with brute strength. Once he thinks I’ve been too damaged to fight back, he’ll want to eat the piece of chaos within me.’ 

‘But we aren’t going to let that happen, are we, Mason Pines?’

As much as Mason despises Alcor, he knows the devil is right. The only thing worse than Alcor is another Bill Cipher, one who Mason cannot suppress inside his own mind. And that’s exactly what this demon wants. Mason calms his mind, searching for the truth amidst the lies of this chaotic being. And before the clown can take another bite out of Mason’s hide, he leaps away, kicking Pennywise square in the teeth. The demon howls in agony before crawling away, which is when Mason hears his real mother crying out in terror as the illusion of fear is banished, returning Mason to the seedy roach motel lobby. The doors to the hallway behind the office have been torn open. And where his mother once stood, Mason can see a trickle of blood leading out and into the hallway seedy motel. He has no choice but to follow the path set out before him. Pennywise won’t kill her, at least not yet. He’ll use her as a hostage as he tries to gain an advantage over Alcor. And that gives Mason a chance to free her before Pennywise can hurt anyone else. 

‘Very well, clown. I’ll play your sick game for now.’ Mason steps out into the hallway. And whereas it once was a grotesque, rundown motel of only a dozen rooms, it now stretches on forever in both directions. The walls are bubbly, with a thick, red substance coating the once yellowed out drywall. And as Mason begins to march into the jaws of the nightmare, the walls begin to bend and warp around him, coiling about like a serpent as Mason is trapped within a labyrinthian nightmare. The power of Pennywise is flowing all about him now. He cannot tell where the illusions stop and reality begins again. He only knows that he will have to follow the aura of chaos to find his mother and beat every trap and game set before him. 

‘We’ll have to be careful with this.’ ‘Every step is a new potential trap.’ ‘Every door could hide another horror.’ ‘And if we aren’t careful, he might try and go after the others.’  ‘I only hope that they’re smart enough to realize the truth as well.’

Stanford can hardly believe the sight of Aaron Pines when he returns. Mabel has completely transformed him, giving him stronger cheeks, red hair, a larger nose, and blue eyes. He’s completely different from his true self. Mabel’s skills are truly a life saver. Without her talent, they would be caught in a matter of days. Now they might just have a chance to survive. As Aaron rests on the bed, Stanford steps into the bathroom, sitting before the mirror on a chair as the amateur barber and disguise expert goes to work. She trims Stanford’s grey hair down, removing the tuft that marked him and his brother as the twin Stans for so long, before she gives him contact lenses that tint his eyes a notable brown. Soon she goes to work on his face, giving him a more flush complexion, powdeRng the red around his nose, giving him a larger cheek structure and bigger nose. He marvels at the complicity of her work, seeing ever more intrinsic layers built upon one another until he’s become a complete stranger to himself. It feels surreal, as if he’s looking at a television, but the person he sees corresponds to his every movement and facial tics. And until they can defeat Smoking Mirror and break his hold over their world, this is who he is from now on. 

“Thanks, Mabel. You really are an artist.”

“It’s what I do,” she says nonchalantly. “Now come on. We need to get out of here.” As Mabel steps away, Stanford looks over his new features in the mirror, having the sudden urge to scratch underneath his false nose. Annoying, but tolerable compared to facing the heralds again. He stands up, only to jump at a sudden a strange moan echoing out from the hallway. Like a zombie, or something else. Something… wrong. There’s something completely and utterly wrong with the nature of things now. Aaron and Mabel can sense it too. Liam quickly hides under the bed, cowering from something beyond the door to their room. Stanford begins backing away from the door, smelling a sick stench permeating from underneath the door. But Mabel gasps, directing Stanford’s attention to the world beyond the glass patio door.

The world that doesn’t exist anymore. The stars have gone out. There’s nothing out there now but the void. No, it can’t be. It isn’t! It’s a trick! Stanford slaps himself silly, trying to banish the horrible image from his mind. But his attention is again shifted, turning back to the door to the inner hallway. He hears Mason screaming from somewhere out in the motel. But there’s something else there. A laugh. A sick, twisted laugh… his laugh. Bill Cipher is here he’s here he’s here! OH NO! It can’t be! Every part of Stanford’s mind is firing off warning signs. They need to leave. They need to pack their bags, get the hell out of this motel, and leave. Run to the very edges of the Earth until this nightmare is no more than a distant memory, abandoning everyone and everything they love.

But then… he’s no better than Alcor… no, he’s even worse. Because in spite of everything, Alcor would never abandon his family. They need to leave, his mind tells him again.

But they can’t. Not with Jessica and Mason crying out amidst a cacophony of laughter, screams, and buzzsaws screeching against metal. The demon has laid his trap, spreading out his web like a spider to ensnare his prey. And it’s up to Mabel, Stanford, and Aaron to best their enemy before he swallows them all.

Chapter Text

Mabel can hardly believe the strange world they step into at the other end of the motel. A grotesque mockery of a festival greets them. A Ferris wheel spinning faster and faster, with terrible screams coming from the carriages. A merry-go-round of broken, flayed ponies and a dunk tank full of floating, bloated bodies. 

“What the hell is this place?” Aaron asks.

“Good question, dad. Some sort of screwed up carnival. But this shouldn’t be here. We were in our rooms a second ago. And now we’re… oh no!” Mabel recognizes this place, at least in part. It’s the source of her greatest fears and most heartfelt love. A place of both wonderful nostalgia and uneasiness. “This is Grunkle Stan’s annual carnival. It’s where I first met Waddles the pig. Ol’ Fifteen Pounder. It’s where I had my first makeout session when I was fifteen. And the year after, it’s when-”

“This is around the time Mason and you got drunk, right?” Stanford asks. Mabel ignores the disappointment on her father’s face, giving a nod. “The Corduroy brothers snuck some beer into the festival. And an hour later, Dipper was raising the dead to go lead a revolution against the senate. Took Pacifica and you forever to calm him down.”

“Yeah,” she mumbles. But what nobody knows is the reason why . Not even Mason himself seems to remember what drove him to such madness. Except her. She remembers it all too well now, in light of her brother’s madness and desire. But Mabel is pulled from her thoughts by a wretched cry. Something… inhuman. An otherworldly pain that sends shivers down her spine echoes from further into the dark, haunted festival amidst the sound of a terrible, screeching saw. Stanford steps forward by himself, with Mabel and Aaron close behind. The scream continues until they approach a dilapidated pig pen. And then, to her horror, Mabel realizes that Aaron is no longer with them. 

“Shit. Dad? Are you still with us?” Mabel whispers.

Of course he doesn’t answer. Mabel backs in close to her grunkle, taking his hand in her own. But something’s wrong… something. Ah, of course. She’s grabbed his hand, but that’s all there is of him. 

Stanford’s hand is dangling in the open air. Mabel lets out a scream, only to be brought back from her nightmare by Stanford being right by her side, attempting to calm her down as he holds her close. Pennywise is still playing tricks on her mind. “Mabel! What’s wrong!”

“It’s screwing with my head. Trying to scare me. Are you alright?”

“Uh, sort of. I just saw my dad. Only he was fifty feet tall and trying to crush me. He kept telling me I would never be impressive. Just like every nightmare I had from middle school through junior college. Why is it doing this? If it has this much power, it should be easy to just end us.”

“It showed me Waddles death, earlier. And then it attacked you with the face of your dad. I think… I think it wants us to be afraid. Or something? Maybe it thinks we’re part of some sick game? I don’t know, I’ve never felt this powerless before. Have you heard about anything like this, Ford?”

“No, I haven’t the faintest idea what this thing is… no, wait. I remember reading in Tobin’s Spirit Guide about a predator that assumes the forms of what its victims fear the most. It had a great weakness, though. What was it? It was… Shit, what was it? There was something about the forms it would take, but I don’t remember the rest. It had been leeching off this town in Maine before it was destroyed in a storm.”

“Well, we know it likes to mess with us. Is it addicted to pulling pranks? Why hasn’t it killed us yet? Unless it wants something else besides our deaths.” Mabel wonders what this creature could want with them besides killing them outright. It’s playing with them, tOrmenting them, driving them into frightened frenzies but it hasn’t yet killed them. Unless it wants something else… “Wait, maybe it needs us to be afraid. Maybe it eats fear. And it wants us to be as scared as possible.”

“That could be. But how do- wait, I hear something.” A pale moan echoes in the pitch-black void. Before Mabel can pursue that line of thinking further, she hears another moan, one much closer this time. The voice is a low and dreadful wail, but it isn’t creepy. It’s… ‘Dad!’

Mabel and Stanford follow Aaron’s voice through the darkness, along a winding path of trampled, wet grass and rusted, broken down carnival rides until they spot a single sliver of light. There, Mabel finds the source of the screams. A pool of blood lies within the pen, the same place where she first encountered Waddles. But there’s no sign of Aaron. Mabel can still hear him, calling out from somewhere far away. Yet he sounds so close as well. She tries to locate the direction his screams are coming from, but his voice is coming from every direction. 

“I hate this! Stop playing stupid games with me, clown!” 

“Very well, how about another game?” it answers. The clown’s voice overcomes the echo of Aaron’s wailing, growing as a cacophony of sick laughter. But Mabel realizes that the sick laughter is coming from a single direction. Coming from Waddles’ pig pen. 

“There!” she shouts. The pool of blood in the pigpen begins to bubble and boil, sending splashes of red all upon the cold ground. As Mabel and Stanford back away from the pit, more and more blood sloshes and flies about until one massive, crimson bubble swells up like a balloon before the terrible flurry ceases moving. “... do you think that’s it?” 

The balloon suddenly bursts, bathing Stanford and Mabel in murky red slush. The blood is screaming with Waddles’ voice. God… god what the fuck!?!! Mabel leaps back. And where the pool of blood once stood, they now find themselves face to face with the demented clown that has imprisoned them within this nightmare world. “Hello, friends!”

“You!” Mabel shouts.

“Yes! Me!” 

“Get him!” Pennywise has hardly the chance to terrorize them before Mabel is punching him in the face. But he manages to slither out of her grasp, snarling angrily before standing before them again. 

“You are very different from the last fools I played with. Ooh, they were so silly! But you just don’t want to play, do you? You don’t like peekaboo! How about another game, then? Truth or dare! Hee hee!” The clown is smiling far too brightly, giggling even as Its skin boils away into a murky, white paste. And from the depths of that glowing, white sludge, Mabel sees a five clawed hand burst forth from the ground. The clown has changed forms again. And she gasps with fright, seeing before her the image of Alcor, pale white and with inky black eyes.

“You wouldn’t want me to pick truth, would you? I know why you hate this night. I know why you fear this place! It is where you first realized his truth . Where Alcor first professed his desire. Where he showed you his heart. And sealed his doom.” The pale, grotesque image of Alcor is ready to reveal the truth of Mason’s madness to her and Stanford. To show her why Mason went mad with power on that fateful day. Mason and she had been drinking. The two of them ended up together, away from the rest of their friends and family. And they began to talk. About the big things, about the little things. About their future and their past. 

And about love. Mabel was jesting when she asked him if he was still lusting after older women, making fun of his first summer crush. He laughed it off, but she could tell that something was troubling him. He seemed tense and closed off, but was playing it off with a smile and awkward laugh. 

He asked her who she loved. She loved plenty of people. Waddles, her family, her school buddies, their friends from the Falls. But he was persistent about her romantic love life. So she told him about her summer crush. She told him about her friend, Aiden, at school. But when the time came for him to tell her, he was hesitant. Too drunk to come up with a decent lie. 

She pushed him, further than she shoUld have, to reveal the truth. So he did… with a kiss. A simple, silly kiss. She could have laughed, playing it off as a joke, and then he could do the same. She could return the kiss, and show him she felt the same way, calming his no doubt panicking mind down until he could fully embrace her without fear, without guilt, without any regrets whatsoever. She could even run away, never looking back. But she didn’t. She just… walked away, and pretended she didn’t remember, but not out of fear or disgust. No, the worst thing was that she could feel her heart soaring. But knowing who he was to her, and her to him, made it impossible for her to confront the truth. She remembers him cursing about stupid laws and how people should be able to love each other. That’s what he wanted to change with his zombie horde. He wanted to make it so they could be free. And then he passed out, waking up none the wiser to how naked and frail he had made himself the day before, how flayed and exposed his soul had been to her. 

It was easy enough to pretend it was nothing more than a bad dream brought on by too much booze, or a bad prank played by him to her. That it was simply him being that brave, brash, trickster nerd who first made her heart skip a beat. Until now. It was real, it is real, and if Stanford finds out he’ll disown her forever. Her family will hate her, or him, that mad brother of hers, and the two will never have a peaceful moment together again. But before It can reveal her greatest fears and regrets, Stanford aims to stop the clown, grabbing the demon and forcing it away from Mabel.  It quickly snaps his head around, taking a bite out of Stanford’s fist. The only thing preventing the demon from eating Stanford’s six fingered hand is his cybernetic implants. He rips his mechanical hand away from the clown, who is now drooling with delirious hunger. 

“It has been so long since I feasted. The fear. The sweet, delicious fear. Too long in the dark. And the cold. And the mush. Too long beneath the world, obliterated yet hungry to exist. And now I’m back. And I-”

“SHUT UP!” Mabel shouts. She grabs a chunk of wood from the pig pen and stabs Pennywise through the throat, driving out an angry groan from the monster. And before he has a chance to retaliate, Mabel hears her brother’s voice echoing from far away. Crying out in desperate rage, screaming that the demon doesn’t make him afraid. Pennywise looks over in the direction of her brother’s voice. The demon snarls, more of a lion than a human, before limping away and leaving Mabel and Stanford in the depths of her despair. The terror is swelling in her now. She doesn’t want Stanford to realize what was going to happen. Luckily, or unluckily, she doesn’t have to worry much longer. She can suddenly see her father nearby, no longer hidden by the clown. She gasps, seeing him right where the clown was mere moments ago, back in the pig pen. He’s gazing down into the pool of blood. Her father is desperately trying to reach into the pool, grasping at something beneath the red tide. It soon becomes obvious that the nightmare affecting him is something else entirely. 

“Jessica! Grab my hand! Please, you have to grab my hand!” Mabel focuses on the blood pool, seeing past the fear in her own mind and gasping at the horror that her father has been broken by. The dreadful specters of her mother and brother, twisted and mangled almost beyond recognition, lie trapped in the swirling waters of a great whirlpool. But they are still alive, letting out a terrible wail as the current pulls them farther and farther into the maelstrom below, before they are sucked away into the underworld. 

“Dad! Don’t look! That’s not them! They’re still alive!”  Mabel doesn’t know if her words are true. But she won’t give into terror and heartache. Her father can’t hear her, leaping into the swirling tide to try and pull his family back out. It takes all of her strength to grab hold of him before he plunges too deep into the spiraling vortex. Stanford takes Aaron’s other leg, but the current is far too strong to remove him. “Dad, don’t look at it! He’s playing tricks on your mind!”

Mabel prays her words can reach her father in his own nightmare, struggling with all her might to rip him from the flow of chaos. But she soon realizes why she can’t take him away. She’s acting on the same fears. She’s allowing herself to be convinced that the vortex is real, at least on some level. And that fear permeates into the mind space, making it all the more difficult for her to rescue her father. “So I have to imagine something else. Quick, imagine the most harmless, silly thing your dad can be doing right now!  Dad isn’t in a swirling maelstrom, he’s in a pool of Kool Aid and Jello! Surrounded by all his family! And the guy who goes ‘Oh yeah!’ breaks through a wall and everything’s fine!”

Mabel opeNs her eyes, seeing her dad now trapped in a whirlpool of blood, where the damned and dying reach out with blood red hands to try and pull him further in. She just made it worse! Mabel is panicking now, shaking her father desperately as she tries to free him from the nightmare! This isn’t like a Bill Cipher dream, where anything you think magically becomes reality! This is a living nightmare, where your thoughts and desires are twisted into mockeries to terrify and break you!  

“Oh god, what do I do, what do I do? Maybe I could build a raft, or maybe I can find an old diving suit! No wait, Stanley always had a snorkel on standby if he ever fell into the dunking pool again! That might be around here! Or maybe I… Wait…  of course.” Such a simple realization allows Mabel to finally break free. This isn’t real. It’s not a dream, and it’s certainly not a nightmare. She’s here, physically and actually here, but nothing she’s seeing is actually happening. Not the park, not the pool, nothing. It's not a spell or a nightmare, it’s just an act. Through slow and steady breaths, she calms the terror in her heart, and it ceases pounding violently in her chest. The ringing in her ears fades, and even Aaron’s cries fall back as she banishes all thought of terror or panic. 

When she finally opens her eyes again, she can see the reality of the situation. Her father has shoved his head into a toilet bowl, drowning in the water with two floaters…. Yuck. She yanks her father out of the still crap water. He gasps for air before recovering from his near fatal swirly. He looks surprised upon meeting Mabel’s gaze. Stanford is still terrified. But a gentle hand on his shoulder eases his terror. He gives her a curious gaze before the same epiphany comes to him.

“Mabel?” Aaron gasps. “We gotta save them. We have to…”

“That’s not them, Dad. They’re safe. Trust me. They’re safe.” 

“Oh god. Ooh god it was so horrible. I couldn’t… I couldn’t save them. I’ve never been strong enough to help them. I’ve-”

“It’s alright,” Stanford says, realizing the truth as he rests a gentle hand on his nephew’s shoulder. “You saw your worst nightmare. That’s how this thing works. You have to control your fear, alright?” Stanford squeezes Aaron’s shoulder. God, this just isn’t fair at all! Mabel’s father has been put against the worst of the supernatural in such a short amount of time. And despite it all, he’s still with them, nodding tearfully as he embraces the two. For a time, all three are huddled there, recovering from the unrelenting horror they’ve been subjected to. It is only when Mabel sees a white, inky substance leading away from the bathroom do they part. Pennywise has left a trail. Mabel leads her family out of the bathroom, but not before Aaron vomits last night’s stale pizza onto the floor once he realizes where he shoved his head. Once he’s finished emptying the contents of his stomach, the three step out into the bedroom, where Liam is hiding under the covers of Mason’s bed. 

That strange lizard has somehow survived encounters with some of the most dangerous monsters in existence unscathed. Mabel knows Waddles was a genius in a pig body. But Liam?... she’s not so sure what he is. She grabs the tiny lizard out from under the sheets. He screams and whines, annoyed at being held by someone other than Mason. “Shush, Liam. We’re trying to save your dork buddy.”

He yipps again, more quietly this time. And it’s odd, but… she almost feels he can understand her. Weird. Really weird. But right now, they have more important things to worry about. Mabel needs to find her brother and mom. So she settles the lizard’s irate behavior, and then steps out into the hallway. And gasps at the horrid sight of it. The entire motel is covered in the white substance. ‘Is that Pennywise’s jizz? Ew, gross! I hope not.’ 

Stanford examines the strange gunk before he rubs his fingers along the walls. “Oh god, don’t touch it, Grunkle Ford!”

“Sorry, Mabel. But I have to know what this… oh god!” Mabel quickly helps wipe the gunk off of her great uncle, which seems to bring him back into reality. The milky, white substance is the power left over by the clown, the source of its nightmare powers. The place is covered in it! And so are they. The only real thing that’s happened is that Pennywise has taken a bite out of Stanford’s hand, revealing the metal beneath. “This is… some psychosomatic ooze. It leeches on your mind to create nightmares. But it feels… chalky? No, that’s not the right word.”

“Paint,” Aaron says. “It’s some sort of living paint. And the trail is leading… up to the second floor.” 

Mabel hears a dreadful scream from far above. Chances are her brother and mom haven’t been able to escape the pull of the nightmare. And so with little choice, she heads off in pursuit of the clown, careful not to touch the paint-like substance left behind by It. She follows the path of its inky seed, which leads them into the room on the opposite end of the hall, and through a massive hole ripped open in the ceiling. Pennywise is on the run. And Mabel is on the hunt

Upon entering the first room available, Mason senses something is wrong. The world beyond the motel is covered in shadows and mist. A faint howl echoes from beyond the glass. Something, or someone, is out there. And they’re in pain. Such horrible, gut-wrenching pain. So clearly not the place Mason should go if he wants to rescue his mother. He shuts the door, continuing onward through the maze of terrors constructed to bring him to despair. 

Mason is checking every door for a way out of this place. But they all lead further into the nightmare, never to his destination. He knows he’s checked far beyond the actual number of rooms now. He can’t tell where the nightmare flows and where reality begins again. So he keeps searching, knowing that his family is in danger if he can’t find a way out. The hallway has been transformed by the hellish clown. Its yellow walls are stained with blood and murky black ooze. There are strands of silk hanging from the ceiling while others are pulled tight, connecting into the strands of a spider web linked along the ceiling. 

This is no longer The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Motel. This is now the lair of a dark and twisted creature. The otherworldly space of a demon from the abyss. This is the web of a spider, and Mason is the fly wiggling around trapped, summoning the predator that he knows is watching him. This is the home of Pennywise. This is the home of It.  

Mason steps beneath a link in the spider threads connecting one motel room to another before he comes to a door with the power of the clown emanating from it. If he ever hopes to find his mother, he’ll need to chase that dangerous creature. He takes a deep breath and summons up the courage to finally open the door. And here he encounters what is perhaps the first real human in this place that isn’t another nightmare. A junkie with dirty brown hair is shaking violently, grabbing their left arm, where Mason can see a needle sticking out of it. “Red… red spiders!... everywhere! All over me!”

He begins digging at his skin, trying to tear away the insects that only exist in his mind. But as Mason soon learns, the living nightmare created by the clown has some strange effects on what he can see as reality. Something pokes through Mason’s skin from beneath. Itchy. Then agony. And he realizes that the nightmare from the junkie has transferred over, so to speak, and the unique pain filling his thoughts is unlike any he’s experienced before. They’re beneath his skin, wriggling and biting at everything that makes him real, slowly breaking down the barriers of his sanity until he slams the door shut. “I never want to take drugs… Shit, I think I just got scared straight!” 

Mason leaves the tortured soul to his torment, still feeling the monster’s power biting at him. Pennywise is trying to weaken him, but he’s faced far worse than this before. He can withstand anything Pennywise throws his way. Although the ocean of blood flowing out of a nearby elevator is certainly going to dampen his day. “Damn it.”

Mason braces as the torrent of blood crashes into him. He slowly pushes forward, keeping himself steadied as the crimson tide washes over him, sending him down, down, down to the bottom of the path he began, as if this grungy, rundown place is trying to swallow him whole. But he refuses to break, marching back up the winding, rising path towards Pennywise’s lair. The world is twisting about this chaotic realm, and Mason has to literally climb the now vertical floor upwards towards the heart of the nightmare. But no matter how far he ascends, he’s always right back to square one. Like Sisyphus, he’s been chained by Fate yet again. ‘No. I will not break!’

“I’m not going to give in like this!” Mason charges up again and again, feeling the same crushing sense of gravity each time. He doesn’t have his journal, his pride is nearly gone, and the knowledge that once swirled inside him is buried with Alcor. But he still has his rage. And his rage is as potent as any spell. He continues climbing, again and again, pushing forward more and more each time until he’s crawling up the side of the now perfectly vertical hallway. 

He continues his climb for hours. Maybe even days. Or even centuries, a thousand years, a million years, on and on without end. His fingers are bleeding, his body is as tired as can be, but that hatred never gives out, and at last it finally overcomes the sheer, overwhelming power of the clown until he finally sees the end of the long, vertical shaft. There’s a light there. A glowing, bright light. ‘Yes, we’re almost there. Almost there!’

He climbs faster and faster, desperate to find his mother, until the white light is all around him. He’s there! He made it! He’s… right back at the start. The light fades, and he’s back where he began, at the door to the lobby. Except he’s not alone this time. His family is there. His friends as well. Wendy, Soos, and Melody. Waddles, Stanley, and Stanford. His mom and dad. And even his sister.

And they’re all laughing at him.

“Wow, bro bro. You’re, like, totally dumb. I can’t believe you fell for that!”

“Yeah. You’re a complete fucking idiot. I can’t believe I ever loved you in the first place!” Pacifica laughs. 

“I know, right?” Wendy replies. “See, this is why I don’t get with boys like this dweeb. Only a real man like Chad or Robbie can be with me.”

“Or with me!” Pacifica laughs.

“Or me,” Mabel whispers coldly. Mason shuts his eyes. This stupid, high school bullying shtick is getting old. Seriously, Robbie? With Wendy?! Ha! It’s as pathetic as Mason was forever feeling so much jealousy, or ever giving a shit what people who treat him poorly think about him. No, he’s done with that, he’s been done with that, and now all he needs to do is calm himself, open his eyes, and figure out how to break free from this mental trap. He takes a deep breath. And when he’s calm enough not to scream or go crying or just burn down this whole nightmare dimension with his family in it, he finally opens his eyes. 

But the vision has changed again. Back to a certain carnival. Back to the one he was at six years ago.

Back to that night. 

When he confessed to Mabel. He sees her there, waiting for him. And there’s another Mason walking up to her. Only… no, not Mason. Alcor. It’s fucking Alcor! God damn it, no! ‘Mabel, don’t trust him! His eyes! His horrible eyes!’

“Dipper?” Mabel whispers. “What are you doing?”

“Showing you,” Alcor says. “Just how I feel about you.” 

“Mabel, stop! You can’t trust him!” He cries out for his sister, but she’s deaf to his pleas. He races after her, but no matter how far he runs, he’s still trapped where he was before. Imprisoned, stifled in place, stationary in life as in everything else. Alcor repeats the words Mason whispered to his sister on their sixteenth birthday. 

“Mabel… I don’t love Stacy. I don’t love Wendy. I… like Pacifica. But Mabel… I…”

“Yeah? Who is it, dork?”

“Damn it,” Alcor whispers, tears streaming down his face. “It’s not fair. None of it is fair…” And then he leans in. Mason’s heart skips a beat. He’s pretty damn sure his sister’s did as well. And now it’s happening again, the worst night of his life, only it’s so much worse now. Mason realizes that other people are watching them. His parents, Aaron and Jessica. His grunkles, Stanley and Stanford. And his friend and ex, Wendy and Pacifica. And they are utterly, absolutely… disgusted.

“Yuck. What kind of loser falls in love with his sister?”

“There’s something wrong with that boy. We didn’t raise no freak!”

“That heartbreaking piece of shit makes a move on my niece! I oughta break his face!”

“I’ll hold him down, Stanley. I don’t know why I ever thought he could be my apprentice.”

No, god no, it’s all too much. But Alcor seals the twins’ shared doom with a kiss. And when he pulls back, Mabel is weak in the knees. And her pink sweater is dampened by an ever-growing stain of red from where Alcor stuck the knife through her heart. No no no nonononononono!

‘No. God damn it, NO!’ 

Í̵͈͚͈̭ ̴͉̪̤͙̳͚̦̟̦̃W̵̙̪͇͓̹͒̓͊̂̔̊̓͑̕ͅI̶̢̻̝͇̝̅̈̂̽̀̅̋̾̈́͜L̸̨̲̞͔̪̔L̸̬͐ ̸̧̣̟̪͙̈́̚N̶̛̲̺͖͎̂̔͛͐͑̇̉̑̚͝Ơ̶̧̰͔̬̱̘̹̯͐̆̈́̎̈́̒̔̃̔̊̋͗̒͜͝͠T̶̨̢̢͓̩͇͙̣͚̳̻̟͔̱̠̲͚̆͆͛̏͌͐̎̊̈̽́̿͑͘ ̴̧̻̹͔̼̝̤̹̰̯̟̮̝̭͉̣̓͂͂̊̋͂̑̔͊̐̈́̃̒̈͂̀͂B̵̡̠͙̼̤̬̬̈́̈̏̈̚̚Ę̷̼̥̱̝̲̫̲̖͕͒̃̊̓̓ ̶̧̣̒̉̎̂͐C̵̡̡̣̳̯̹͈̪̳̪̫̩̼͎̦̐̅̌͑̾̈́A̷̡̭̗̞̲̻͖̤͎͚͖̤̓̾̈́̐̊́̾̚͝Ģ̶̧͖̞̖̤̬͗͌Ẻ̸̼̣̺̰̟͇̃̏̾̾́̍̇͒̎͗̔̚Ď̸̘̞͍͕͔̯̲̬̺̋̿͑̐͋̐̑̆͗͐̔̊̄̎̊̂ ̵͍͉̈́̅Ḃ̷̢͚̟̙̥̫̭͔͖͓̖̞̜̪͑̒̓́͜ͅͅŶ̵̡̡͉̗̮̺̙̳̫͓͈͎͓̱̙̾͒͘ ̴̢̧̱̰̜̪̲̝̩̲͍̭́̓̿̈́̌̓̋͐̅͘̚͝Ạ̷̟̀̃̓̕ ̶̢̨͓̻̬̝̥̠͇̇L̵̡̨͇̦͖̣̟͖̗̲͂͆͌́̒̅̆͌̎͛̚I̵̛̤̽̎̋̒̊̃̐͘̕̚͝͝E̷͔̗̲̦̩̝̜̠͍̘̱͖̰͉͂̈͌̒̿̊̄̾͐͛͒̃͂̓͘

With one final scream, Mason breaks through the barriers surrounding him and sees through the lies constructed by Pennywise to drive him mad. It’s not real. None of it was real. The only thing that’s real is the grotesque psychosomatic goop covering Mason’s body and smeared all over the walls. Those weren’t spider-webs he was seeing; those were puddles of goop. But the damn clown is nowhere to be found. He searches the strange and eerie den of the demon, desperately trying to figure out how to escape this nightmare. The psychosomatic substance coating his body attempts to accost him with further nightmares, attempting to fling the veil of illusion over his eyes. But no more. He’s too damn angry and broken to ever let it affect him again. He instead trusts his instincts and pursues the aura of the demon clown up to the second floor. He hears skittering in the dark, decrepit hallway. Like a bug or insect. Some disgusting, malformed thing . 

But he knows it’s no longer an illusion. He can feel that bastard’s power flowing from wherever the noise comes from. And he soon realizes what the avatar of chaos is doing. Mason can hear screams from each of them. Each room holds another of its prey, tangled in the web of nightmares as It prepares to feed off their misery. And Pennywise is using the vent ducts to move between rooms. And when It skitters over the vent again, Mason jumps up, punching the vent cover and causing the demon insect to screech in shock before fleeing down towards the end of the hallway. It is probably running straight for Jessica Pines, to use her as a hostage to gain leverage over Mason. Good.

That bastard is going to lead Mason right towards his mother. He chases after the sound, hearing the terrible bug scurries through the air vents, heading for the last door on the left. Mason bashed the door open with his shoulder, entering the lair of the clown. The spider webs are everywhere now. And in here, the presence of the demon is felt all over now. The looming threat is hiding amidst the twisted shadows and sprawling webs. The balcony window has been shattered, and the glass is scattered all over the floor. Mason maneuvers through the webbed up, claustrophobic lair, moving ever closer to the presence of the demon clown. 

Until, at last, he finds what he’s looking for. He spots a familiar tuft of brunette hair. Right below the smiling face of the clown called IT. Mason gasps, and runs in closer, seeing Jessica wrapped in a spider’s cocoon as Pennywise taunts her with her own greatest nightmares. He’s wearing the face of Alcor and laughing at Jessica’s misery as she’s subjected to her own worst nightmares. 

But no one else is going to suffer because of this twisted clown. Mason approaches his mother, and the clown locks eyes with him. Mason glares daggers at the demon. But it remains out of reach, observing Mason like a predator waiting to strike. But as Mason reaches out a hand to Jessica, the demon jumps at him, almost taking a bite right out of Mason’s arm. Mason leaps back, barely avoiding becoming lunch for this terrible, giggling nightmare clown. The clown simply laughs, baring a wide grin as it glares down Jessica. “Oh mother! Do you want to play peek a boo again?”

“Oh god, get away from me!” she shouts. And when she turns to see Mason standing before her, she screams again, wiggling in her webbed up cocoon as she desperately backs away from her own son. But she’s moving directly into the arms of Pennywise. He grabs her in his claws, digging into her shoulders as he opens his maw, extending his yellowed teeth into razor sharp fangs to rip flesh from bone. 

“Mom, don’t!” Mason yells. “Please, get away from him!”

But his mother is deaf to his pleas. She’s utterly consumed in the nightmare by the grotesque, protoplasmic drool from the eldritch thing in the shape of Pennywise. It’s going to kill her and then it’s going after Mason. It’s going to kill his family one by one until it gets exactly what it desires. 

So… that is exactly what Mason is going to do. “Dipper, if you’re out there, please get away! It’s too late for me… but you can still escape!”

“I’m not leaving you, mom. No one else is going to die because of my choices!” Mason charges into the fray, desperate to reach his mother, without any care for himself. As those jagged fangs begin to sink down into Jessica’s shoulder, Mason aims his fist for the face of the clown, hoping it takes the bait. And as the yellowed, sick eyes of the clown gaze up at Mason, it throws Jessica aside. Mason is offering the creature exactly what it wants. He’s giving up his own self, praying the demon takes the flesh offered. And it does with delirious hunger, drooling onto the floor before biting down hard on Mason's right arm, devouring flesh, meat, and bone together.

Giving Mason the perfect opportunity to cut Jessica free of the cocoon imprisoning her. Mason leaps back, holding his mother in his remaining hand as the clown realizes Mason has been using none of his power, and in taking Mason’s arm It has received nothing of Alcor’s strength. Jessica is freed and It has gained nothing. They’re alive, but the cost was terrible indeed. Mason’s right arm up to his elbow is gone. And the pain is unlike he’s ever felt before. He’s dripping golden devil blood onto the floor. 

But his mother is safe. And she finally overcomes the nightmares forced upon her by the demon, realizing exactly what her son gave up saving her from the nightmare. 

“Dipper! Oh god, I’m sorry! Please, stay with me! Stay with…” his mother’s voice fades out, replaced by an ever-present ringing in his ears. Pennywise is finished playing. His mouth stretches wide, farther than any human could ever be able to. His jaw snaps open, revealing rows and rows of teeth leading down into the clown’s gullet. As his hand transforms into a large, ogre-like claw, he swipes Jessica aside, preparing to feast on Mason. In his mind, Mason can hear the hungry demon invading his thoughts. 

“No worries. I’ll take good care of your sister. She’ll be at my side when I boil away the fabric of reality. Now, bon appetit. ” Pennywise leaps for Mason, aiming for the kill when Jessica throws herself over her son. But she’s not giving her life for this. No, she instead reaches for the water bottle in his pocket, taking it out and holDing it to the monster’s face. Its teeth break open the bottle, and to Mason’s amazement, the creature’s flesh begins to burn. The demon howls in pain, releasing his grip on the young Pines. The clown is growling like a rabid wolf now as its mouth begins to drip and slough off Its face. Pennywise sinks away into the darkness, fleeing after facing the far more powerful Pines. 

Mason can hardly believe it. His mother saved him from that thing. How? How did she manage the strength to do that? And how did the water damage the horrible demon? It was left moaning in agony, retreating from the sheer strength of will of his mother. She is… she’s where he gets his strength from. Where Mabel gets her strength from. Of course she can do this. She’s part of their family. 

And their family is fucking crazy in the best way possible. Mason laughs, choking up blood as he does so. And he suddenly sees the shape of a person in his fading vision running up to meet him, followed by two others. And before his sight fails him, he can see the tearful eyes of the one he sacrificed everything for. It seems now he is giving his own life to save her and their family. Liam is chirping, but Mason can’t hear his voice beyond the ringing in his ears. He doesn’t want them to leave him here, in this dreadful place, tainted by the power of Nyarlathotep’s avatar. 

His father and sister at least help his wishes. As Stanford helps Jessica up, guarding her escape, Aaron and Mabel carry Mason down and away from the dreadful lair of the clown, stealing a nearby van while Mabel keeps Liam calm with the occasional gentle pet. Somehow, this ordinary lizard has made himself at home with their mad family, leaping into the back of the van before Mabel piles into the back with her brother. Stanford and Jessica jump into the back with him while Aaron takes the driver’s seat. He hitts the gas, tearing through the streets and getting as far away from that horrible clown as possible. Mason is quivering in the back, desperately clinging to life when the ringing in his ears begins to fade. He’s bleeding pure chaos, leaking out the very existence he’s conDemned to. And the first thing he hears is the tearful cries of his sister and the panicked yipping of his companion, Liam. He chokes out a panicked whimper. “Sorry, guys. Looks like I bit off more than I could chew… that’s a bad metaphor.”

“Heal yourself!” Mabel cries. “I don’t care if you have to use your power! Grow your limbs back! Summon up your demon strength! Just don’t die, you idiot!” Heal… He can do it. Use only the smallest spark of his power. And that simple spark seals his open wound with a deadly heat, searing the flesh closed and cauterizing his wound. But in doing so, he can feel Alcor’s influence grow, ever so subtly. ‘ For you sealed the majority of our power away with me. The more you use it, the more strength I will have.’

Mason doesn’t let Alcor’s words dishearten him again. He focuses on his family, bringing them into a tearful embrace and banishing his darker half. They’re safe. Stanford, his great uncle. Mabel, his sister. His parents, Jessica and Aaron. And Liam, his strange, lizard companion. And he’s still alive. 

“You’re safe,” Jessica says. “That’s all that matters.” 

“How did… How did you do it?” he says weakly. “How did you know the water would hurt him?”

“Well, we got the water bottles from a church. So I thought ‘hey, it’s a demon. Maybe holy water will work on him?’ I guess I was right.”

“But… that’s not how holy water works. It has to be blessed by a priest. Water in a church isn’t magically holy.”

“Oh,” she says disappointedly, slightly offended. Even when near mortally wounded, he tends to speak his mind when he shouldn’t. Still, the fact she thought the water would be magic might be why it hurt the clown. “Well, I guess he was just alergic to water then.”

“I know,” Mabel begins. “A clown can’t exist without his makeup. Otherwise he’s just a bad prop comedian. So when you threw the water in his face, it washed away the clown part of him! He couldn’t exist! No wait, that’s stupid. How did it work, then?”

Mason’s only guess is that It might be naturally weak to the substance. But then Stanford speaks up from the front of the truck. “I remember now. The fear eater from the spirit guide. The monster is weak to whatever it is believed to be weak to. If it takes on the form of a werewolf, you could kill it with a silver bullet. If it becomes a vampire, daylight is its weakness. A giant spider? A big can of raid. You thought it was a demon, Jessica. So you used blessed water to hurt it.”

“But it doesn’t work,” she says. “I didn’t have holy water.”

“You thought you did,” Mabel replies, eyes opening wide in realization. “That’s why it worked. Belief will kill this demon. Or faith, whatever you want to call it. We should leave here, though. Dipper, can you move?”

“Barely. I’ll make it… we should head for the church. See if we can’t get some real holy water. Maybe with enough imagination, we can put this monster down. Do you think we can convince the priest?”

“I think we can twist his arm- oh shit, sorry!” Jessica yells.

“Ha. I get it.” Mason’s voice slowly fades out as he rests his head on the cold metal bottom of the truck. Mabel relays the information to their dad, who gives them an odd look. As if they might be crazy for even suggesting the idea. But it’s worth a shot. They’ll have to fight the demon eventually, along with anything else who wants a piece of Alcor’s power. Mason is lit up like a beacon for any and every avatar of chaos that forms from Penny’s warpath, so they’ll need all the help they can get to kill this clown.

Chapter Text

When Aaron pulls onto the street for the church, he suddenly slams on the breaks. Mason lifts his head to see what’s happened, only to rapidly duck back down, seeing a veritable fleet of unmarked, black vans filling the streets. The Consortium has arrived. One of their agents is interrogating the priest while several more are speaking with the churchgoers caught up in whatever happened. “Mom, what exactly happened in the church?”

“Uh, well we kinda… threatened the priest guy with a knife.”

“And you didn’t think to tell us?” Mason asks.

“I was sure the cops would have left by now.”

“The cops are gone. But the psychos who kidnapped you are here now. We can’t get to him yet. We’ll have to try another way. Let’s try and get out of this city before they shut it all down to try and catch us.” 

“Right,” Aaron says. He rolls past the endless rows of black vans, making sure not to make eye contact with any of the government agents nearby. But it soon becomes apparent that the Consortium is doing far more than simple interrogations. They’ve begun locking down city streets, funneling vehicles into checkpoints, and setting up portable camera networks at every corner. All to try and hunt Alcor down and destroy him. With what little Mason knows about facial scanning software, Mabel’s disguises should be able to throw off the trail as long as he and his mother keep their heads down, the only two who still look like themselves. But they can’t stay out in the open like this. They need to escape, and that escape is rapidly being cut off. 

As Aaron turns towards the exit ramp, Mabel points out that it isn’t simply the Consortium after them. They have army grunts, cops, FBI, and even some secret service from the other parts of the world. One of the Consortium agents is commanding people from other agencies. With the windows rolled down, Mason can hear their voices, and more importantly their accents. British, French, a few he doesn’t recognize. But something about them is… familiar. 

“Wait… what kind of secret service are those?” Mason asks.

“Looks like… oh shit. ”

“Interpol,” he whispers. Mabel’s partner in crime, so to speak, was an agent of Interpol tasked with hunting her down under the name Shooting Star. And now that they’re the most wanted people in the country, anyone available is going to be hunting them. And because of his familiarity with the case, that seems to be true for Inspector Dermont as well. 

It took only a moment for Mabel to make eye contact with him. And only a moment for him to hear her voice. That stalwart gaze shifts from the paper he’s looking over to hers, and for a time he’s transfixed on her gaze. It’s only a second before he’s marching off, soon followed by several other agents. Aaron quickly makes a turn on the next block, spotting a gap in the Consortium’s line of defense. There’s an alley just small enough for them to fit through that hasn’t yet been cordoned off. He quickly swerves into the alley, breaking the mirrors on the side of the van. The sound is enough to alert anyone to their presence, with a terrible screech as the doors scrap along the brickwork. But they’re free, heading in the direction of the open woods.

And coming right after them is a black Silverado. 

“Aaron?” 

“Yeah, Mabel?”

“Floor it!” 

“That’s dangerous.”

“Just do it!” 

Aaron screams with fear before slamming on the gas pedal. The old clunker didn’t look much, but it quickly proves to be more than meets the eye. The engine roars and four thousand pounds of metal blast off onto the rural roadway, with Inspector Dermont hot on their tail. The french bastard sticks his head out the window as the van winds a corner, nearly crashing into a parked car on the side of the road before continuing. With a megaphone in hand, he begins barking orders at Aaron to pull over, but the Pines patriarch is far more afraid of Stanford’s ferocity than he is the cops. 

As their busted up van zooms past the last of the houses, Dermont and his team slowly close in behind them, aiming for the flank to pin them down. 

“Right!” Mabel shouts. “Keep him directly behind us, Dad!”

“I can barely focus on the road ahead because of how fast we’re going!”

“Just move right! Only a little! Now a little left, a little right again. Keep him away from our side!”  Too late. Dermont is able to get up beside them. He gives them one last warning to pull over, glaring down at Mabel. When she was an art thief, he treated her as a worthy foe. But now that he believes they tried to blow up the capital building, he’s no longer playing games. She’s his enemy. They all are. 

And with one, single mistake he is able to send them careening out of control, slamming into the guard rail. Glass goes flying everywhere. Mabel and Jessica are knocked out cold. If Mason were still human, he would be unconscious too. Instead, he has just enough strength in his demonic body to kick open the back door, trying to drag his sister and mother out of the vehicle to escape. “Shit. Mom! Mabel! Get up! We have to run! Please!.. Liam?! Liam, are you alright?!”

The lizard is nowhere to be found. He flung. The open window. Mason rushes to the tiny lizard outside, hoping against hope that his companion isn’t dead from the impact. But what he finds is… odd, to say the least. Liam is still in one piece. Somehow the lucky bastard survived being flung from the car, with it almost looking like he used part of Mason’s shirt as a parachute to slow his impact. That’s… that makes no sense. Heh, maybe Mason is still under the effects of the clown. He shakes his head, banishing the insane thoughts as he picks up the lucky lizard. But as Mason limps back to the van, Dermont in his silverado comes screeching to a halt, circling back around and cornering them against the rail. And with him comes one other vehicle. From out of the back comes a battalion of men and women with laser weapons. The Consortium. ‘Let me out, Mason Pines. Let me deal with them.’

Beurugaurd Dermont is aiming right for Mason’s head. For all his life, Dermont has fought on the side of the law. But it was only two weeks ago that he had a glimpse into their world. A world where a headless art director can come back to life, gurgling out the eldritch language of the damned. A world where Mabel melts herself into a pile of goo, having used the copy machine back at the Mystery Shack to create a duplicate of herself. And a world where the simple rules of right and wrong give way to chaos and confusion. When Mabel comes out with her hands up, he aims his pistol at her first and foremost, not willing to let her try and break down his defenses. Drag him into the criminality that he fights again every day. But in a world of gods and devils and mad creatures of Fate who wish to lord over all of them, common morals tend to fall by the wayside. “Dermont, don’t! You can’t trust these people!”

“Enough! Shooting Star, you are under arrest! I’m taking you in!” He aims to capture them alive. With handcuffs in one hand and a gun in the other, he closes in on the Pines as the Consortium soldiers bear their sterilizers against them, whispering into command that they’ve got them. “I want you to put your hands on your head! Now, slowly walk backwards towards me!”

“They’re going to kill us all! We aren’t terrorists! They framed us! Please, you have to trust me!”

“How do I know! How am I supposed to believe that you haven’t gone off the deep end! How am I to know what you say is real?!” Dermont is losing it. And those government agents will have the whole army with them in less than a minute. It’s too much. Let me out, Mason Pines. Too much for one mind to handle. You don’t have to fight anymore. I will take care of things. Too much for his sanity to bear. 

“ Let me out, Mason Pines. Ņ̷̪̥̳̣̫̤͚̫͉̖͑̋̐͐͑̇̾̒͘̚͜Ő̴̢̳̝̯͈̱̹͚̮̦͙͙̣͕̆̕͜͠!̷̼͖̲͎͓̜̂̉̈́͒͂̃́͛͐́̆̃͝ T̵̡̺̦̥̻͎͚͇̝̺̯̋̆̃͝h̴̗̦̖̫̀̈́͒̌̄̀e̵̢̢̪̜̬͉̣̘̹͍̍̈́̈̃̀̓̅͠͠͝r̸̺͎̭̬̜͍͍̈́͊͝ẽ̸̟̲̝̝̓̃̂̾͝ ̴̜͚̤̘̯̜̇̌͆̓͝ï̷̘̬̥͍̘͙̾͝s̵̢̻͔̟̳̆̉̈́͂̽̈́̈̚͝ ̷͓̖̺͇̇͋̑̔̋̕̚͘ņ̸̢̼̟̪̲̦̝͍̅̋̃͊̌͝o̶̢̡̙̜̰͈̜͗̽ͅ ̵̧̯̲̜̺̳̲̟̬̘͐̿̔ͅê̸̞͚̦̮͇̙̦̠̊̀̃̃̀̂̀ͅs̵̡̹̠̝̈́c̸̼̟̯̩̓̌́̉̅̀̾͘͘a̶̛̟͎̦͔̩͙̽̈̔̏̃̅͠p̴̠̑̐̽̓̒͊̇̑̉́̕é̵̹͇̺̙̠͈̬̝͙̘̮̇͆͒ Get out of my head! J̸̤͍̣̄̾͗̐̑͠͠͠ų̸̬͓͓̗̰̦͍̹̙͋̍͒̀̋̈́͒̈͊̈́̈́͝s̵̩̖̳̯͈̣̲̩͈͕͚̫̈́̈́͋̕͠ţ̷̡͕̙̬̰̖͕̠͉̦͊̉͂͗̽ͅ ̴̤͍͍͖̟̻̥͓͒̿̌̂l̸̛̪̱̖̦͇̼͖̥̖͕̜̊̈́͘̕e̸͙͈͈̱̞͇̳͖͖̙͍̾̽͆̐̕t̸̨̙͕̯̗̍̿̓͝ ̶̢̛̥̬̥́̎̅͆͠m̶̝̤͕͕̩̳̼͍̝͎̱͉̅͆̔̽͑̑̓͘̚è̴̛̫̜̞̞̃́͌͗̌̃͘ ̴̬̭̼̼̎́͋̑̾͊̍̄ḩ̶̛̱̤͈̬̫̭̮̀͋̆̇̉̇̌̈̂̄͜͠â̵̛̲̆̐͊̍̐̽̈̃͐̎v̶̢̝͓̭̜͋͝ę̴̧̜͍̲͖̗̙͊ ̴̬͚̬̥̱͖̺̱͇̙̔̉͊̾́̓̇͜͝t̵͖̟̦̞̩̯̳̞̑̈̐̓͛̐̀h̴̡͚̳̱̻͑͆̋͑̑̉̾͊̆́̚ͅẽ̵̡̩̯̻̮͚̦̰̯̯̮̎̎̋̊͆̉́̏̉͆͜ ̵̢̛̻͓͖̣͚̫͂̊͗̈̐̄̂͒͒͛͒r̸̫̘̜̬͍̳̀̿́̌͋̓̍͝e̴̘͓̘̲̻͈͖̥̖͋̋̄͂̉͗̈́̋͗̀i̸̧̡̘̤̩̜̓̇͂̌̓̀̈̒͑͂g̸̨̯͈̃͜n̴͙̥͔̪̬̲͕̫͈̭̟̥͆s̸̼͖̐̒̇̈́̂͌̋́͆̍̕ ̵͙̲̇̈́̾͆̎̇̔̅͛̒̕f̷̫̦͙̌͒̂̈o̶̧̠͈̊͑̉̈́̍̽͆̇͒r̶̛̼̘̺̫͇͇̊́̅͛̀̃̂͗̽͠ ̶̢̧̬̰͉̺͍̦̫̤̪̊̂̆̏̏̐͆ḁ̵̡̧͉̟̗̎͛͐̐́̿́͂̒ ̸̲͓͖̳͍̤̱̠̦͔̪͍̓͊̀̆̆̉̿͋͌̄̌̋ẅ̶̱̹̪́́̔̐͋̈́̀̏̕͠͝h̸̫̙̪̮͉̱͒̓̾̅͆i̴̢̦̪͔̻̺̰̯͕̾͋͑̓͌͂̎̕͜͝͠l̸̅̑̽͒͂̄̅͜e̸̛̗̠̱̙̪̟̲͇͓̟̐̀̋͌̎̈͛͠ͅ ” 

“Get down on the ground, Mason Pines!” 

“Dermont, stop!” Mabel shouts. “They tried to kill us! They tried to kill my mom and dad and they have nothing to do with this! They wanted to rip out my heart because this world is run by demons! Please! I’m not a killer! I don’t want to die!” 

“I’m not!- Mason, down! On the ground!”

Mason isn’t here anymore. He can’t hold back my power. So weak, so worthless. That tiny clown should have been dead by now. The threat he posed only came about from Mason’s weakness. And now this simple, old man is a threat to my family. If he doesn’t back off, I’ll be forced to take drastic measures. He’ll regret it with his- Agh my face!

Mabel smacks him in the face with a board. Where she got it, he has no idea. But it’s enough to cause the fidgety Consortium agents to open fire, nearly killing Mabel where she stands. Mason manages to block their energy bolts, absorbing their destructive power into his body. Alcor is down for the count, but they’re still trapped here. He can hear helicopters roaring overhead. And the Consortium agents are closing in for the kill. “Take them, alive or dead. It doesn’t matter.”

“What?” Dermont says back.

“You’ve done your duty. Now we’re taking them back.”

Dermont looks between the Consortium agents and Mabel. And horrible clarity descends upon him as Mabel glares frightfully at the Consortium agents. Mason struggles to regain his strength, but another blast puts him right back on the ground. “They were going to cut her heart out, Dermont. Not because she stole anything. Not because she was a terrorist. But just because… of who she is…”

Mason’s words fail him. The Consortium agents have their weapons trained on Mabel. They’re going to kill them. Everything Mason has fought for, everything he’s done, is about to be destroyed. He closes his eyes tight as Mabel whimpers out a desperate plea. 

Two shots ring out.

And two agents from an agency that doesn’t technically exist drop dead. Mason opens his eyes, jumping at the sight of the dead Consortium members right next to him. Each has a hole in their heads, gazing out with empty, unmoving eyes. Dermont is holding the smoking gun. His hands are shaking. But then he’s back to being a cop, ordering Mason’s family into the Interpol vehicle. And just in the knick of time. A whole swarm of Consortium and army trucks are pulling up. Dermont fires several rounds into the van and one into the side of his truck. And when the troops stop to survey the scene, he directs them away, claiming they had help from another group and are driving along the highway. Half a dozen squad cars follow the convoy of black vans and army transports on the wild goose chase, giving Dermont and his loyal Interpol agents time to retreat back to the city. 

Whereas before the world was a cacophony of noise, it is now all too quiet for Mason’s liking. For many silent minutes, the lawman is left looking back between Mabel and her brother. He risked it all for her. She tends to make men want to do that. And now he’s contemplating the actions he just took, with a trembling hand over his gun before he tosses it aside. “Mabel… I want you to tell me… why I just had to throw away everything I stand for. We’re going to a hotel in the city. I want the whole story when we get there. From start to finish. I need to know. And I want to hear it from all of you.”

“You will,” she whimpers. “I’ll tell you everything.”

“Good,” Dermont replies. He turns to the two agents in front of him, the ones who are now an accessory to his act of rebellion. “You guys don’t have to stick with us, you know. I know you’re only here out of loyalty.”

“Sorry, Boss. We’re with you to the end. That’s how it's always been. Through the Moriarty the Third case, up against the Yantai triad, and the Shooting Star manhunt and the creepy bullshit that happened at the end of it. Let’s find a decent hotel, see if we can’t get your suspects safely away.” 

“Thanks, boys. There’s no one better to cause an international incident with.” As the car pulls back into the city they just left, Dermont finds a nice hotel in the center of the city. The twins and their family are escorted out of the parking lot and into the hotel elevator up to the rented floor, where Dermont plans to interrogate the two. Mabel and Mason find themselves overlooking the city. Somewhere, between the lights and busy humans, within the dark and creeping shadows, there is a clown. A clown from before clowns were known to humanity. A trickster, a prankster, a troll. 

A demon who eats on fear. And Mason is suddenly aware of how little light there is between the vast swaths of darkness once the sun is set. Somewhere, Pennywise is waiting. Somewhere, Pennelope Patterson is planning. And somewhere, in a deep, dark, and twisted place that no mortal would dare to look, Nyarlathotep is rebuilding himself, one puppet at a time.

Somewhere, in the light, the others are gathering their strength. Alioth and his remaining brother will be gathering those loyal to Smoking Mirror. Somewhere to the north, in a quiet town in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania, Penny will be spreading Bill’s power to her greatest followers. And somewhere, in this beautiful and shining city, Pine Tree is waiting. 

Pennywise has had his feast. He’s devoured the rats and the plague-ridden roaches to rebuild himself. He’s consumed the homeless, a wayward child, and the fools in the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Motel. And as he waits on the precipice of an apartment building, he looks down at an innocent thing. So innocent. An infant. 

He has his limits, as few as they are. The child deserves to live at least some of its life before encountering the cruel nature of the cosmos. And cruel it is. A world of beasts and accidents, big and little mistakes, and despair at the constraining laws of mortal idiots. Fools, the lot of them. If they truly comprehended how useless and miserable their lives were, they’d throw their clothes to the wind and jump into an orgy at a moment’s notice. When IT was part of a greater whole, he once conspired to free them from their self-inflicted constraints. 

But now, all IT wants is to feed. He’ll let Pennelope and Luthor Malford, her prized pupil, deal with the celestial politics. If they want to resurrect Nyarlathotep’s pompous and arrogant form, so be it. He can break the chains on the Devil’s prison, set loose the Jotuns and Titans, and break open the seal guarding the legions of Hell for all he cares. Rather if it is this world or the next, there will always be a dark corner, an empty alley, and a sewer waiting for the unsuspecting masses to step into them, where It will always be to scare and then to eat. But Pennywise senses that Alcor’s power is growing. And if the clown is to truly feast, then It will need help. Luckily, Penny was willing to give him two pebbles from the flesh of chaos. He contemplated eating the second one. But no, simply overpowering Alcor isn’t an option. It didn’t work earlier, and it won’t work later. But there is another option. As Pennywise looks out on the city below, it realizes that the one thing humans need above all else is close by. 

And with a song and a dance, it skips on its merry way towards the city’s water supply, a single water tower just to the north of the city. Climbing up to the very, tippy top, Pennywise breaks open the metal cover. The Pines could deal with one Bill. But now it’s time to see how good they are at dealing with many. He snaps the piece of the dead god’s flesh into tiny crumbles of dust and then gently sprinkles it into the water. By midnight, the whole town is going to learn how to party.

It's gonna be a blast