Mabel, Dipper and Me

Chapter 21: The Fountain Works Too Well

All of us where about halfway up the mountain when it started to skake slightly. "Uh, oh," I said. "This thing won't blow, will it?"

Soos shrugged. "The volcano wasn't our biggest concern last time."

We kept walking on the totally convinent path all the way up to the fountain. Wendy was hesitent to use it, but I couldn't climb up the side of a mountain to save my life!

"How... much farther?" Soos panted. He was tired because he had to climb and carry Dipper. I felt kinda bad for the guy. "Not much longer," I said. "But the sooner we get there, the better."

Dipper's face was started to go a little green. I guessed that this wasn't a good sign. I glanced at Mabel. She was looking at her brother. She would never admit it, but I knew that she was scared. Scared more then the rest of us, even. "Hey," I said putting my hand on her shoulder. "He'll be fine. We'll save him."

She tried to smile, but it was forced. She walked ahead without saying anything. I sighed. Great, her mood was starting to infect me.

We walked up the path for another ten minutes. I could see the fountain. It was glowing with a strangw light, probably from the water. It was a lot bigger then I expected. There was a man sitting on a pedistal where the water was spewing out from his ears. "Who do you suppose the man is?" I asked.

"Probably a mayor," Soos said. "Looks like we have to climb the rest of the way. Do you have any more rope?"

"Well, a little," I said.

"Good, I'm gonna need it." Soos said.

I gave the rest of the rope to Soos. He tied it into a sort of laso and swung it around his head. Then he threw it and it attched to a good sized boulder. "This should hold all of us, but it'd be safer if we went one at a time."

"Okay," Wendy said. "I'll go first."

"Oh, I was going to," Soos said. "But if you insist."

Wendy smiled and grabbed the rope. She pulled herself up little by little.  It took her about five minutes, most likely the least time of all the rest of us. "Who's going to take Dipper?" I asked.

Soos grabbed him and put him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "He'll be safe with me," Soos said. "Don't worry."

He grabbed the rope and tugged. It held. "Here goes nothing." He started to climb, using the rocks as well as the rope. It was panstakingly long work, and I was just watching, but he finally made it up.

"You can go first," I said to Mabel.

"Are you sure you want to be left down here alone?" Mabel asked.

I shrugged. "I'll be fine."

She smiled, then grabbed the rope. She pulled herself up surprisingly fast. Most likely faster then I ever would. Once or twice her foot slipped and I thought she would come plumimting down, but she regained balance before I could finish the thought.

Finally, it was my turn. "Here goes nothing," I said to myself. I grabbed the rope and pulled. It held my weight. I put my foot on a rock and used it as a foothold. I tugged myself up little by little. I wasn't a big fan for gym, but at least this wasn't too hard. In ten minutes or so, I was up.

My eyes got wide when I caught my breath. We where at the edge of the volcano. I could see the boiling lava below. "Woah," I said. I knew it was getting hot, but I was so worried before that I didn't relize it felt like an oven in here.

Then there was the fountain. Soos had set Dipper sitting on the ground with his back to the fountain. I took out the bottle and handed it to Mabel. "Its your brother. You should save him."

Mabel smiled and took the bottle. She dipped it in the Crystal water and knelt next to Dipper. She dipped it slowly into his mouth, making sure none of it dripped out. Dipper's face turned its normal color and he opened his eyes. "W-what-"

"Dipper!" Mabel said, throwing her arms around him. "Your okay!"

"Ow! Mabel! Need... air!" Dipper gasped out.

Mabel losened her grip a little. "I thought I was too late!" She said.

Dipper smiled. "Nope, you where right on time."

"Dude!" Soos said, wrapping Mabel, Dipper and Wendy in a group hug. I hung back, not wanting to ruin this. They where old friends, and I wasn't about to budge in on them.

Suddenly, everything went cold, which I didn't think possible because we where at the mouth of a volcano. I blinked. I tried to say something, but my voice didn't work. I couldn't move. My mouth curled into a smile, but that wasn't my doing. I wanted to cry for help, but only an evil laugh came out. "I knew you'd leave me right to the fountain!"

"Uh,oh," Mabel said. She gripped Dipper's arm. "What do we do? Bill's back!"

"Kayla?" Dipper asked. "Are you in there?"

"So you want to talk to your friend?" Bill asked. "Well, here she is."

I dropped on my hands and knees. "W-what-? Bill?!"

"We'll help you, Kayla," Dipper promised. "Just hold in there."

I nodded, then a shudder went though my body. "Did you really think I was gone?" Bill asked. "I don't give up easily."

"No kidding," Mabel said.

Bill grabbed the bottle at Dipper's feet and dipped it in the crystal water. "I'm an all powerful being," Bill said. "I wonder what this'll do."

"No!" Dipper yelled. We jumped up, still wobbly, but stable and tried to get the bottle away from me, er Bill. Whatever.

With lighning fast refleces, I caught Dipper by the shirt. "You know, Pine Tree," Bill said. "I think its time to get rid of you, once and for all."

"Dipper!" Mabel yelled out. She tackled my legs and sent us both flying to the ground. But Bill still made me push Dipper. He stumbled to the edge of the volcano. He gasped as he started to slip. I felt Bill's... spirt would you call it... leave me. Dipper grabbed onto the edge and let out a yell.