(Fight!Dipper and Zero!Dipper don't really meet yet. I just thought the picture was cute👆)

---------------------------------------------------------------

The four paused in front of a house, and the Oak twins were explaining the plan to the Cipher twins.

"Remind me why we have to do this?" Bill asked.

"Because we all know nothing gets people's fancy than twins in matching costumes!" Mabel smiled.

The blond glared. "So, why don't you two do it, then?"

"Cuz' we won at rock paper scissors," Dipper reminded. "Don't be a sore loser."

Bill grumbled under his breath, and Will nudged him towards the door. Meanwhile, Mabel Oak was softly encouraging them from behind.

"Remember what we rehearsed," She said.

Bill rolled his eyes at her, then turned back to the door. He knocked it, and a moment later, a huge man answered it. The Cipher twins looked up at him fearfully, then they took a deep breath, before doing a frenzied tap dance.

"TWIIINNNS!" They sang, while posing at the end of the dance. The man stared, before tearing up and smiling.

The brothers returned to the Oak twins after receiving their candy. "At this rate, I don't need a hell," Bill muttered. "Because, I'm already here."

"Quit complaining," Red Pine snapped. "We still have a lot of houses to go."

"Let's do this!" Mabel cheered.

"OK, just don't eat any of the candy, Falling Star," Bill chided.

The female brunette pouted. "Fine..."

For the past half an hour, the group has been collecting candy left from right. Anxiety rose to their peeks, each time they noticed less and less lights covering the streets. Fortunately, by the time they reached the center of the street, they gathered a total of 499 pieces of candy in a wheelbarrow, which meant they only had one more to go.

"Finally," Bill breathed in relief.

"We might pull this off," Will smiled.

Mabel tugged at Will's arm eagerly. "Race you to the last house."

"You're on," He challenged, then turned to Bill and Dipper. "Take care of the candy while we're gone!"

Both nodded, and watched them walk off. There was a bit of silence between them, until Red Pine chuckled softly.

"Something on your mind?" The blond asked.

Dipper shrugged, a soft smile on his face. "I never expected to have fun tonight, especially with my life being threatened."

"Stick with us, then," Bill grinned. "I guarantee that you'll be facing life threatening situations every day, the rush will have you ecstatic."

Red Pine released a small laugh, a bright expression on his face. It was the first that Bill saw him like this, he looked softer, warmer. The blond thought back to Pine Tree, wondering if the Guardian would have this much warmth directed towards him. The thought immediately made him flush, and Bill pushed it away, not knowing why it occurred to him in the first place.

"You're a dork," Dipper said, teasingly.

Bill smirked. "Perhaps, a handsome dork."

Red Pine gave him a lopsided smile. But then, it slowly wavered, and he bowed his head.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Bill asked, a little concerned.

"I have a very important question for you..."

Bill didn't know why, but he felt a little nervous. "And, that being?"

Dipper gave him a sideways glance. "By any chance....are you and your brother related to Kill?"

It was like time froze. Bill stood there, staring at the boy before him, as every sound became mute around him. How? How could he have figured that out?

"That's crazy," Bill said, his gaze drifting away.

"Then, why won't you look in my direction?" Red Pine interrogated. "Are you hiding something?"

"Red Pine, I meant what I said," The blond insisted. "How can I be related to that monster? I'm human, I swear."

Dipper looked at him for a while, then abruptly turned away. "I'm sorry," He said. "You and Will look so much like him. And, you...you remind me so much of him.""

Bill frowned. He didn't like being compared to the murderous Demon, but at the same time, he couldn't deny they both were bit sociopathic. Bill noticed Red Pine's embarrassed look, and felt the urge to tell him the truth. Thankfully, he kept his mouth shut in the end.

"It's quite a coincidence," Bill started, hoping to stir up another topic. "You remind me a lot of someone I know. Though, he's way taller, and much more on the nerdy spectrum."

"Who's says I'm not a nerd?" Dipper pointed out.

"If you're are, I feel sorry for anyone unfortunate enough to decide to bully you."

The brunette rolled his eyes. "They were fine, at least they gave out lollipops in the nurse's office."

"You're one scary shortcake, you know that?" Bill chuckled.

"All my rage is pent up in my little form, so it makes sense," Red Pine remarked, tossing him a smirk.

The blond laughed in return. He began to feel a strange affection towards this boy, a thing that rarely happened when he meant new people. Red Pine was like a perfect copy of Pine Tree, with the added sass. Plus, the boy in the red jacket was cute as hell. Red Pine was as cute as Pine Tree was handsome.

What?, Bill paused. Did that thought just entered my mind?

"Bill?" Dipper questioned, tapping his shoulder. "You're staring off into space."

Bill shook off his confusion, then said. "I'm fine...how's the candy doing?"

"I think, it's okay," He replied. "I mean, it's right--"

Dipper stopped mid-sentence, face painted in horror. Bill made the same expression, as it was revealed that the wheelbarrow was gone.

"Where is it!?" Bill gasped.

"How should I know?" Red Pine snapped, looking around furiously. "Some snot nosed kids must've snatched it when we weren't looking!"

Bill ran his fingers through his hair, creating little grooves in his blond locks. "This can't be happening..."

"Hey, guys!"

The two turned, seeing Will and Falling Star return with two bags filled with candy. They stopped in their tracks, when they realized the wheelbarrow was missing.

"W-what happened to the candy?" Will breathed, in disbelief.

Before either Bill or Dipper could explain the situation, another sound pierced through the cold dead night. A shrill laughter, that made the group tremble to the bone. Their eyes darted around, as all the jack-o-melons went out in a flash. The only light came from a single lamppost, and under it's beam was the Summerween Trickster himself.

"Knock knock," He laughed, in his ever raspy voice. "Where's my candy?"

With the rest of the group frozen in fear, Bill answered. "It's...gone."

"Gone?"

"Please, give us more time," Mabel pleaded. "I'm sure there's still houses left, if--"

"TOO LATE!" The Trickster roared, silencing her. He breathed heavily, filling the air with his sweet stench. "Now, you must pay with your lives..."

To their terror, the monster grew extra legs. It protruded out of his trenchcoat, and made him look like a giant intimidating spider. The Trickster roared, revealing his gapping jaws. The kids screamed in return, and quickly retreated the other way. Their footsteps were drown out by the approaching heavy stomps of the Trickster's feet.

"Ah!" Mabel yelped, as she tripped, falling behind the rest of the group.

Dipper tossed her a distressed look, stopping in his tracks. "Mabel!"

But, before the girl could respond, the monster loomed over her. Mabel tried to escape, but in the end, the attempt was fruitless. Her shrieks filled the air, until they were silenced, as the Summerween Trickster ate her whole.

"NO!" Red Pine screamed.

Tears streaked down the boy's face, then his eyes lit with rage. He hoisted up his shovel, and was about to charge at the monster, but was grabbed by the Cipher twins.

"Let me go!" He yelled at them.

Bill held on harder. "Like hell I will! You can't compete with that thing!"

Dipper growled deeply, bowing his head. "You have no idea what I'm capable of..."

"This is not the time to be cocky!" Bill snapped. "Last I checked, you're just a normal kid--"

At that time, he paused, because Dipper turned to him. Bill's eyes widened in shock. The brunette's eyes were a blazing red, and his birthmark glowed with the same crimson colour, like it was burning from the inside.

"I said: let me go," Dipper hissed.

This time, the brothers obeyed. They released Red Pine, and the boy calmly approached the Trickster. They watched with immersed focus, as the monster turned his attention on the brunette. But, before the Trickster could attack, Dipper did the unimaginable. The boy released a battle cry, before swinging his shovel like a baseball bat. It hit the Trickster squarely in the face, and as result, cracks traveled throughout it's whole body. And like that, it exploded into a millions chunks.

The Cipher twins shielded themselves, as the pieces rained down. After that, they directed their stares towards Red Pine, who was helping his sister to her feet. Thankfully, Mabel looked unharmed, though her white shirt was stained with greyish substance. It was also noticed, that the red glow that inhabited Dipper's eyes and birthmark, had vanished.

Bill blinked a few times, before running up to the twins. "What just happened here!?"

Before Red Pine could respond, the chunks on the ground started floating towards one spot. They watched, as the pieces began to form.

"He's regenerating!" Dipper yelled. "Run!"

With not a moment to lose, the group bolted off. The monster's roar followed closely behind.

❇❇❇

Finally, the four reached a hiding place, in a Summerween themed store. Will and Mabel were huddled inside the racks, while Bill and Dipper hid in some bottom shelves.

The boys sat in silence, as their shoulders brushed together. Finally, Bill had the courage to speak. "Red Pine--"

"No."

Bill glared at him. "Let me finish!"

"I don't need to," The brunette snapped. "I already know what you're going to ask."

"Can you blame me? Since when, have you been able to do something like that?"

"It's none of your business," Dipper remarked. "So please, drop it already."

The blond regarded him in frustration, and was about to press him further. However, that plan was put to a halt, when he heard the ding of the bell at the sliding doors. The group tensed, as the Trickster passed them, his looming shadow crawling over them, before disappearing.

Bill waited for him to be out of earshot, then turned back to Red Pine. "Whatever you did back there, can you do it again? Because, we really need it."

Dipper frowned. "I can't..."

"You what?" The blond snapped.

"I can't do it on command," The brunette replied, bitterly.

"What even is it?"

The boy sighed, a dark veil crossed his hazel eyes. "A curse."

Bill's eyes widened, and he looked at the other intently, hoping Dipper would continue.

Eventually, he did. "Last summer...Kill put a curse on me," He choked out. "He said something about finally releasing my inner warrior. At first, I didn't understand, but then..." He paused, and had to regain his composure. "I realized that whenever I get really angry, I...I..."

"Completely fly off the rails like a maniac?"

"Yeah," Dipper sighed. "I learnt to control it, but I'll never forget about all the horrible things the curse made me do. It was me, but at the same time, it wasn't..."

Bill was discouraged to see that the boy was shaking a bit. Hesitantly, he placed a hand on Red Pine's shoulder, and surprisingly, that calmed him down.

"It wasn't your fault," The blond insisted. "If Kill hadn't been such a jerk, you would've never done the things that you did."

"Still...I wish I can control my anger more."

"Dude, your anger saved your sister's life," Bill reminded. "Quit dwelling on the past, it doesn't help. Trust me, I would know."

The brunette took this in, then his shoulders slumped as though released from some kind of pressure. "Thanks for the talk, Goldilocks."

"No problem, Red Pine," Bill grinned. "If you ever need anything, you can always come to me and my brother. But first, let's figure out how to escape--"

"MABEL POWER!"

"Oh no," Dipper said.

Before they could comprehend it, Mabel jumped from the racks, with her chainsaw, Will followed close behind. The Trickster immediately turned to them, and roared loudly.

"They're idiots," Bill said.

Red Pine huffed. "Yeah, so am I."

Bill stared, when the brunette fled from his hiding place, and ran at the monster with his shovel. The blond hesitated, before following him. Together, the group attempted to take down the monster. Will and Bill held onto it's legs to trap it in place, while the Oak twins released their fury on the Trickster. Unfortunately, their weapons barely a scratch. Dipper slammed his shovel repeatedly into the monster's leg, showering some white powder over his face.

He tasted it curiously. "Saltwater taffy?" Dipper said, then cringed. "Gross."

"What do you--?" Mabel paused, when she tasted the powder too. "Wait, it is. What's going on here?"

The Summer Trickster laughed menacingly. "Haven't you figured it out yet?"

The kids screamed, when the monster grabbed them one by one, and lifted them in the air. With one of his hands, the Trickster removed his mask, revealing mix of candy forming a face.

"Loser candy," Bill gasped.

"That's right," The Trickster sneered. "Do you ever wonder about the candy at the bottom of the bag, that no one likes? Every year, the petty children of this town cast me aside. Since no one will eat me, I come back every year to eat the same people who rejected me."

"Wait!" Will squeaked. "We didn't mean to hurt your feelings, surely, you don't have to do this."

"Trust me, there are much better prey out there," The monster hissed. "I was told to go after you."

"Told?" Bill repeated. "By who?"

"You'll never know," The Trickster said. "Now, die."

The monster opened his mouth, and was about to bite their heads off. The group braced themselves, but then something happened. The Trickster cried out, in what was close to pain. Then, his neck was split open, causing a flood of jellybeans to pour out onto the floor. The more monster screamed, before collapsing. The group were released from the beast's grip, and they stared as a form crawled out of the motionless body.

Gourny climbed out, smiling. "I've been twaumatized!"

"Well done, Gourny!" Mabel cheered.

Bill moved over to the Trickster's corpse, examining it. "Yep, he's done for."

"What do we do now?"" Will asked.

"Wanna leave him here and go home?" Dipper suggested.

The others murmured in agreement.

❇❇❇

Later, the four walked back to the shack. As soon as they reached the front porch, they began to say their goodbyes.

"Despite the weird candy monster, this has been great," Mabel smiled.

"If you want us, we don't live far," Dipper said. "See you later."

The two walked off. Bill smiled, before calling. "Red Pine, remember what we talked about!"

Red Pine looked over his shoulder, giving the blond one last smile, before turning away. After they left, the Cipher twins entered the shack. However, as soon as they did, two figures in masks jumped out of nowhere.

"ARRGH!" They roared.

"Hey Wendy. Hey, Mabel," Bill said, walking past them.

Mabel removed the mask. "Aw, man...at least, Will was scared."

Will was yet again curled on the ground. "I hate this holiday..."

Wendy knelt down, and nudged Will gently. "C'mon, there's still candy left in the kitchen that Mabel and I didn't eat yet."

Will nodded, then slowly stood up, and walked with Mabel to the kitchen. Wendy turned to Bill. "You coming?"

"I'll be right there," Bill reassured.

Wendy nodded, and followed the others. Meanwhile, Bill moved towards the living room, where he saw a familiar sight. Dipper Pines was still sleeping on the sofa.

"Still unconscious, I see," He chuckled.

Bill gazed absentmindedly at the Guardian's soft features, leaning in curiously. Dipper's brown hair swept over his forehead, and the blond boy couldn't help himself. He reached out, and gently brushed the Guardian's fringe back. With his forehead exposed, it revealed Big Dipper shaped birthmark. It appeared that Bill's assumption was right.

Bill didn't notice that Dipper had shifted in his sleep, and was shocked out of his mind, when a hand grabbed him and dragged him down. Bill fell onto Dipper's chest, arms wrapped tightly around him. He looked up, and saw that the Guardian was still fast asleep. Bill tried to get up, but Dipper only held him tighter.

Bill sighed, embarrassment swelled inside him, and it was noted by his deep blush. In the end, he accepted defeat. Fighting his pride, he leaned against Dipper's warm chest, suddenly very tired.

"Don't get mad at me once you wake up," Bill whispered to the Guardian. "This is your fault."

Dipper breathed softly, resting his chin on the top of Bill's head. Bill sighed, and closed his eyes. Eventually, he had fallen into a deep sleep.

❇❇❇

He watched them.

Two teenagers walked through the forest, and a pair of red eyes watched them from behind the trees. Kill Cipher trained in his gaze on one of them, a brunette boy wearing a red jacket.

"Master."

Kill turned around, facing Robbie. The Cupid was standing beside a wheelbarrow filled with candy.

"Ah, you're back," Kill smirked. "And, I see you did what I asked."

"Who were you looking at?" Robbie asked, in a monotone voice.

"Don't worry about it, Cupid," The Demon said. "I spotted a familiar face, that's all..."

"A friend or enemy?"

Kill hesitated at the question. "To him, I am the enemy. And, I don't blame him."

"Should I dispose of him?" The Cupid asked.

"No," He said. "He's not the target...but, he will be useful later on." Kill gave Robbie a serious look. "Do me a favour, and don't tell Jill about any of this."

Robbie nodded, and Kill turned back to the Oak twins. He smiled wickedly, upon seeing Red Pine.

"Welcome back," Kill whispered, under his breath. "You

were always a warrior."