When a Hero Falls Pt. 2: The End of the World?

(WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS)    

    Elsie's eyes shot open. She found herself still in bed. She laid there for the next five minutes, contemplating what had just happened, and if it was even real. She sat up and looked at her clock, knowing that if it was real, some time would have passed since her encounter with Bill.

    5:30 am

    "A dream then," Elsie said, standing up and wandering towards her closet, "Just a dream. I mean, why would I even believe a floating one-eyed triangle in the first-"

    She was cut off when she noticed something on the mirror. Walking over to it revealed that someone--or something--had fogged up the mirror and written this:

    THAT DREAM ACTUALLY HAPPENED, JUST SO YOU KNOW. -BILL

    Elsie stepped back, "Real? It was...real?! Then that means... I just made a deal with..." the realization hit her like a ton of bricks, "Oh... Oh no..." She then spotted another small message at the bottom of the mirror:

    PS- CHECK OUT WHAT I DID ON YOUR HAND!

    "What the...my hand?" Elsie lifted her left hand, and noticed a line tracing her palm and fingers, with a small face on the thumb. There was, yet again, writing on the inside.

    LOOK! A TURKEY!

    Elsie sighed. There were so many things that didn't make sense here that it was making her head hurt. She suddenly remembered that she had a task to complete, as well; backing out of the deal now would most likely not be a wise choice. But at least it would keep her sister safe in the end...right? There was just so much to do...And the sun wasn't even up yet.

_ _ _

    Carole was sleeping, or trying to, at least. Like her sister, she'd been having reoccurring nightmares for a while now. And after what had happened just a few days ago with the journal... They had been getting worse, to say the least. Carole awoke from another nightmare, shaking slightly from fear. She was definitely going to ask Aria to help her with this in the morning. As she rolled over and closed her eyes again, she thought she heard the door open...

    BAM!

    Carole's eyes shot open as she hit the floor. She groaned and looked at her clock.

    5:56 am

    It had been almost a half an hour since Carole had last fallen asleep. Sighing, Carole was about to go back to bed when she realized the room was shaking slightly. Anyone could've brushed it off as an earthquake, but Carole, being a witch, was able to feel that there was a magical presence behind it. She opened her door, and looked down the hallway. There seemed to be light coming from that direction. Nervous but curious all the same, she went to investigate. She wandered until she got to a door: Elsie's bedroom.

    Carole looked at the crack beneath the door. Oh yeah, there was definitely some magic going on in there. Carole was about to open the door when--

    FWOOSH!

    --A huge burst of magic pushed the door open and threw Carole back a few feet. She got up, and noticed Elsie had been hit as well. However she also noticed something else...

    "My spell-book!" Carole ran into her sister's bedroom and picked it up off the floor. She noticed it was open to the page on rifts and dimensions... and how to open portals between them.

    "Oh..." Elsie stood up, and walked over to Carole, "Sorry...I know I should've asked for it first, but... there was this evil guy, and I needed to stop him, and-"

    "Elsie," Carole said, sounding very frightened, "Did someone...tell you to take this?"

    Elsie blinked, somewhat confused, "Um, yeah. Why?"

    Carole whirled around suddenly and grabbed part of Elsie's sweater, "What did they look like?!"

    "H-hey, w-what's wrong? All I did was-"

    "Tell me what they looked like!" Carole sounded panicked, as if the world was about to explode unless Elsie answered her question.

    "W-well," Elsie started, sort of scared and very surprised; Carole didn't shout a lot, and was not usually so loud, "He was... a yellow triangle, and he only had one eye..."

    Carole let go of her sister, still obviously terrified, and walked back to pick up her book. Once she did, she flipped through the open pages again, pacing around the room, "Oh, no... No no no this isn't happening... This can't be happening!"

    "What? What can't be happening?" Elsie asked, even more confused. She then realized the moon light reflecting off the floor from the window behind her was gone. For a few seconds, it seemed like it was just the sun coming up, but Elsie realized it was much too red...

    Elsie whirled around and stared out the window at the blood red sky. There was no sun, moon, or even stars. Her expression went from confused to shocked. She turned and noticed her sister, just a few steps behind her, also staring shocked at the window "Carole, what's going on? What's happening to the sky?!"

    "I-I..."

    Ahahaha, AHAHAHA, AHAHAHA!

    They turned at the same, both recognizing the laughter. As the figure revealed himself, Carole was the first to speak.

    "Bill..." she muttered. Elsie, standing right next to her, looked at her even more confused, "Wait, you know him too?!"

    The triangular being floated triumphantly in front of them, "OF COURSE SHE DOES! SHE WAS THE ONE WHO SUMMONED ME IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

    "What?! Why didn't you tell me!" Elsie yelled at Carole, who looked really guilty.

    "I-I meant to! But..."

    "IT DOESN'T MATTER NOW!" Bill interrupted, "YOU TWO BOTH CONTRIBUTED TO THIS MOMENT! ONE BROUGHT ME BACK, AND THE OTHER RE-OPENED THE LONG-SEALED RIFT!" he began to glow suddenly, then started to change shape, "YES! IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING! NEW PHYSICAL FORM, DON'T MIND IF I DO!"

    Elsie and Carole stared as his triangular body grew and stretched. A real head formed on top, and his legs and arms grew more proportionate to his new form. Muscle formed on top of this new shape, then in a huge flash Bill stood levitating before them in a new form. A human form. He had blonde shaggy hair that partially covered the eyepatch on his face. He wore a collared shirt, black dress pants, brown dress shoes and a yellow tailcoat that still carried the brick-like pattern. His top hat and bowtie remained as well. He smiled with pointed teeth and one un-covered yellow eye.

    Elsie and Carole stood there shocked. Suddenly, Elsie pulled out her crystal sword defensively.

    "I don't know what that rift-opening thing means, or how Carole even summoned you, or why you changed so much right now, but I do know that you tricked me! There isn't an evil magician, and even if there was you wouldn't help us get rid of it, would you?!"

    "WELL, ISN'T THIS INTERESTING?" Bill scanned the half-fairy's defensive position with amusement, "YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ME NOW?"

    "I'm not sure, but we can try!" Carole yelled back, also ready to fight if needed. Bill simply chuckled.

    "WELL, I GUESS YOU COULD, BUT I HAVE A BETTER IDEA!" he snapped his fingers, and suddenly Elsie lost her wings. her sword turned back into a crystal and went grey. Carole tried to counter-attack but found her powers had...disappeared.

    "What the--Give us back our magic!" Elsie yelled, trying to sound a lot more courageous than she actually was at the moment.

    "OH, SURE. JUST GIVE ME A SECOND... OOPS!" Bill snapped his fingers again, and this time, Elsie and Carole began to de-materialize. Panicking, they tried to call out for help, but disappeared in a matter of seconds. Bill started to laugh again.

    "AHAHA, OH THIS HAS BEEN TO EASY! I SHOULD'VE DONE IT THIS WAY THE FIRST TIME!" he flew out of the treehouse and high into the sky, "BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER NOW!"

    As he levitated there, he saw people staring at him, confused and scared. Rodney, the Prince of Electros, was already standing in the streets, sword in hand. Aria and Rita had also made it outside, and now stared at the red sky and strange being floating in it. Bill watched them all and laughed even more. Finally, it was his turn to have some fun.