The Little Mermaid pt.1
Once upon a time, in a kingdom under the sea, there lived two young merpeople. One was Mabel and the other was her brother, Dipper. They were prince and princess of a fair kingdom under the rule of their uncle, Stanford. Their parents had died soon after their birth, killed during a battle between Stanford and an evil sea-warlock. For killing the children's parents, he was exiled to a cave far away from the kingdom for it was punishment enough to live outside the safety of the area. He still plots in ways to take over the kingdom, and he thinks he may have his best plan yet.
---
"Dipper, c'mon! I want to go see what's up there!" Mabel called, swimming quickly to the surface of the water. Her pink tail shimmered as it went up toward the moonlit night.
"Mabel, we shouldn't be going up there! You know what Stanford said." Dipper swam after her, trying his best to keep up. His sister always said how she was the "alpha-twin" because she was born five minutes before him, and in situations like this it made sense. The two were now eighteen years of age and quite charming in looks.
The girl had beautiful brown hair and dark eyes. It meshed perfectly with her tail as she swam the sea looking for treasures. Dipper had become less lanky over the years, finally growing into his body. After years of swimming his tail and arms had increased greatly in strength, which he needed. His hair matched his mocha eyes and his blue tail somehow always stood out in the sea.
"Stanford won't care, Dipper!" She said, her tone playful.
"Last time he found out we went up we had to clean every room in the castle," he said, a bit of annoyance creeping into his voice.
"Then what he doesn't know won't hurt him! And anyways, look what's up there!" She said, stopping right before she reached the surface. She pointed as Dipper swam next to her and the boys eyes widened. It was the bottom of a ship, definitely with humans on it. "Let's go check it out!" She exclaimed.
He grabbed her arm before she could swim up. "Do you know what they'll do to us if they see us?" He questioned, tone completely serious.
Mabel paused for a second and thought of what might happen. "Nope!" She said as she swam to the surface. Dipper just slumped in his spot, waiting until she came to her senses and came back down.
But Mabel was lost in something, or someone rather. On the ship she saw a beautiful girl, from the looks of it she was a princess. She had golden blonde hair and wore a simple dress. The girl walked over to the railing of the ship, then examined Mabel who had her head and upper body sticking out of the water. They looked at each other for a split second, but that was enough to tell them something. They were meant for each other. Just as the girl was about to speak, someone called her name.
"Pacifica!" Called her advisor, Stanley. "I want you to meet someone!"
"One moment!" She called and turned around. Mabel put her head under the water again, and when Pacifica looked back she was gone.
Mabel swam to Dipper, hugging him tightly and telling him about what just happened. "There was this girl on the ship, and she came and looked at me! But it wasn't like a regular look Dip, we shared something!"
"Mabel, that was a human. You can never have anything with a human," he said, taking her hand and guiding her back to the kingdom.
"But Dipper!!!" She cried like a little child. Just as he was about to respond a large crack went off. They both gave each other a look then swam to the surface. What they saw was fireworks going off in the sky, beautiful colors being painted on the dark canvas of night.
They both looked up in awe as they continued. But then, something happened on the ship. A scream was heard and then smoke was seen rising. They both swam below again, starting back towards the kingdom. But Mabel stopped and looked back. She saw the bottoms of little boats being lowered into the water. 'Those must be what people get on when something bad happens to the ship,' she thought to herself.
Then, a lone figure broke the surface of the water. It was Pacifica, and from the looks of it she was unconscious. Mabel dashed towards her, Dipper screaming for her to come back and her not listening. The wreckage of the ship became denser and before Dipper could go help her, Mabel was blocked off.
He panicked, not knowing what to do in a situation like this. So he swam back to the palace at full speed, going to find his uncle. He burst into Stanford's study, the man had been doing some work.
"Dipper!" Stanford said as he turned towards the boy. "What's wrong, why did you rush here?" He picked up his trident, his symbol of authority and source of magical powers.
"Me and Mabel went to the surface-" he was shortly interrupted after this.
"What?! I've told you both hundreds of times not to go up there!" Stanford was furious, but in his anger there was also a hint of concern for his only family.
"I know, I tried to get her to stop, but then there was this ship! And then it caught on fire, and Mabel got stuck between the wreckage and I didn't know what to do!" He cried, tears blending into the water. He thought it best to leave the part about the girl out, not wanting Stanford to know her and a human shared something.
Stanford brought the boy into his arms, trying to comfort him. "Listen, I'm sure she's fine. And you did the right thing to try and stop her. Come on, we better go find her now before it gets too late." Dipper nodded, feeling encouraged by his uncle's words. In all honesty, Stanford didn't know what happened. He could only pray that his niece was okay.
---
Mabel had finally made it to shore with Pacifica in her arms and she laid the girl on the sand. She tried finding a heartbeat, and was relieved by the steady sound. Mabel lightly played with the girls hair, singing a little song as she did so. Pacifica began opening her eyes, seeing that face she now had ingrained in her memory. Mabel heard someone else approaching and realized she had to go. She inched her way back into the water and slide under the covers of the ocean.
She swam on her way back to the kingdom when she saw two figures; as she got closer she realized who they were. "Dipper, Uncle Stanford!" She called as she swam up and put her arms around them. The two men did the same, relieved she was safe.
After Ford pulled away, his sweet smile was replaced with a serious look. "Mabel, I know that the surface world fascinates you, but you can not go up there anymore."
"Uncle Ford, before you continue, I have to tell you something amazing! I found this human-" but she was abruptly cut off.
"Mabel, I don't want to hear talk of how humans are so spectacular! They have done horrible things and cannot be trusted!"
"But Uncle Ford-" she cried.
"No! No more of this. We are going back to the kingdom." Before Ford could take her hand she swam as fast as she could in the other direction, not wanting to be near anyone.
"I'll go get her and bring her back," Dipper said. "You go back to the kingdom."
"Dipper, you shouldn't-" this time Ford was the one being cut off.
"Uncle Ford, she won't listen to you. Just let me do this, please," he insisted. Ford thought for a moment, then nodded his head. Dipper gave a small smile then swam off in the same direction Mabel did.
Through a crystal ball, Mabel is seen swimming away as Dipper chases her. "Oh, look who's coming this way. The little prince and princess. I think I can make this work." The high pitched voice was followed by a sinister laugh.
---
"Mabel!" Dipper said, finally catching up to her and grabbing her arm. "Come on, we have to go back."
"No, I don't ever want to go back!" she yelled, going limp in his grip. Dipper lowered them onto the seafloor and Mabel laid on a rock. "I want to be with Pacifica."
"I know Mabel, but it just can't be," he consoled her as he put his hand on her shoulder.
"Maybe it can be," said two voices in unison. Mabel and Dipper looked up to see two eels, both a dull silver, swimming toward them.
"Who are you?" Dipper questioned. "What are you doing here?"
"We work for the sea-warlock, Bill Cipher," said the first.
"We've come to tell the little mermaid he wants to help her," the second continued.
"She just has to come with us."
"Mabel, don't listen to them. Whoever this warlock is, he can't help you. Let's just go home," Dipper said, or more pleaded Mabel.
Mabel thought long and hard, something she never really did. "I'm sorry Dipper, but this is the only way me and Pacifica can be together. Take me to him," she said to the eels.
They turned and swam off, Mabel following. Dipper watched for a moment, still shocked for what his sister just did. Then he began to follow too, needing to be with his sister.
---
They arrived at the cave in which the warlock resided, both unsure if they wanted to go in. Mabel looked inside, then convinced herself just to enter. She grabbed for Dipper's hand and he gave it to her, slowly swimming into the room. There was a large crystal ball in the center of the room that glowed a dark yellow. As they approached it a figure came into being from the shadows.
"Why hello. Come in, don't stay so close to the door," said the being, motioning for them to come closer. He was handsome to say the least. He had a light brown skin that glowed in the darkness and his hair was golden with hints of black. His eyes were a sharp blue, brimming with magical energy. His lower body was another story, his eight octopus legs taking up a good amount of the floor and shining a dangerous gold.
"Thank you," Mabel said, trying to be polite to this new person. "I am Mabel, Princess of the sea." She did a little curtsy and as the being approached he bowed.
"Bill Cipher, Sea-Warlock," he said as he took her hand and placed a kiss on it. Mabel giggled and blushed a bit, but Dipper had a disgusted look on his face. "And this strapping young man would be?" Said the warlock, putting Dipper into a bit of shock.
"I am Dipper, her brother," he bit out. "So why do you want to see my sister? We don't have a lot of time." He didn't like this man, he seemed so off to him. Dipper and Mabel had no idea this was the same being who killed their parents, their uncle had never told them who had done it. Which worked perfectly to the man's advantage.
"Well, since you're in such a rush, I'll get to the point." Out of thin water a scroll and a quill appeared. "I want to help you my dear. I know you and that princess have something special and I want to see your dreams come true. I can switch out your tail for a pair of legs, so you can go be with your beloved." He gave the quill to her expecting it to be that easy. "All you have to do is sign here."
"Mabel, you can't be thinking about doing this! He's a warlock, they can't be trusted," Dipper said, trying to persuade his sister.
"What else am I supposed to do Dipper? Stanford doesn't understand." She was begging him to see it her way, and the warlock was enjoying every minute of it.
"Well, what's the price?" Dipper asked looking to the being who gave him a crooked smile. "Things like this always have a price."
"You'd be right there, prince," he said, giving a chuckle to Dipper. Then he turned to Mabel and began, "My dear I'll need something from you to make this deal happen."
"What?" Mabel questioned. She didn't know how to feel about this, it was moving so fast.
"Your voice," Bill said. Mabel went silent and Dipper gave him a horrified look. "All I need is your voice, and then you've got yourself a pair of legs. Then all you have to do is kiss the girl before three sunsets are up and you can keep them forever. How does that sound?"
"What happens if we don't kiss?" She asked, eyes wide.
"I wouldn't worry too much about that, usually whenever I make deals people can follow through. On rare occasions, some people just aren't able to and that happens." He motioned to a shelf in the back, filled with golden trophies of people he's dealt with before. "But if it's really true love, then you'll definitely get her to kiss you. What do you say?" Bill knew this would work, it always did.
Mabel looked to Dipper, not knowing what to do. Dipper knew whatever he said wouldn't work, so he just shrugged. Mabel held the quill and saw in the crystal ball an image of Pacifica. She made her decision by signing the paper. Bill rolled it up and it disappeared in some golden sparks.
"Now let's begin, shall we?" He made his way over to a cabinet and began pulling out ingredients, throwing some of each into a little pot in the center of the room. "Now, my dear, you'll have to sing." He held a shell in his hands that seemed to be connected to a necklace, and Mabel began.
Dipper watched in amazement as the room got even darker, little flashes of lightning coming from the pot. His sister began, and he could see her voice actually coming out of her. He looked over at Bill who was watching him, eyes staring deep into his. He looked away just as Mabel stopped. Bill took some of the mixture from the pot in a glass and handed it to her. "Drink this, and you'll have a pair of legs to call your own."
Mabel took it and downed the whole thing in one go. Slowly, a golden light overtook her and her tail began changing. Dipper was watching, and once it was done he realized she probably couldn't breath under the water. He grabbed her by the waist and tugged her up through a little sky-light in the cave.
"Good luck little princess, you're going to need it." He gave a laugh then placed the necklace around his neck. "And I think this little souvenir should come in handy with that prince."
---
Dipper pulled Mabel to dry land and they both rested there for a while. "Mabel, are you okay?" She nodded a bit, voice no longer there to answer her brother. "Thank Poseidon. Can you stand?"
Mabel perked up, realizing she now had legs. She played with her toes, then slowly tried to stand. She wobbled a bit, then fell right into her brother. He giggled, but when she tried all that happened was her mouth moving. "I'm sure you'll get used to it, you learn fast." She began to cry, not being able to hear her voice was horrible. "Hey, it will be fine. You guys have something, and she'll love you."
Mabel gave a small smile, slowly starting to stand. She walked over to some wreckage which she assumed was from the ship. She picked up the sail and tried to work it around her body. She came out, posing for her brother. "See, you're already getting used to it. I think I see someone coming," Dipper said as he looked around the corner of a rock. He inched his way back into the water just as the person approached.
It was none other than Pacifica on her walk with her advisor. "But Stanley, I don't want to marry him! I love someone... else..." Pacifica stopped in her tracks, seeing Mabel. She picked up her dress and ran to the girl, enveloping Mabel in her arms. "How did you get here?"
Mabel tried speaking, but no words came out. "Why can't you speak girl?" Stanley asked.
"Stan, this is the girl who saved me. Be nice to her!" She said as she put her hand to his chest.
"My apologies, miss! Thank you for saving the princess. But why can you not speak?"
"Not the point Stanley. Now you're here, and we can be together!" She said as she hugged Mabel. "Let's go to the palace, there's so much I want to show you."
She guided Mabel along, she occasionally stumbled along the way but Pacifica made sure she wouldn't fall. Stanley followed behind, thinking of how to tell Pacifica the news. Dipper watched from the water, happy for his sister. Bill laughed, pleased with how his plan was going.