Chapter Text
Breathe. Breathe.
A young man stood in a dark tunnel facing the gate towards whatever awaited him on the other side. The only light was what came through it.
And that light terrified him, making the darkness of the tunnel feel safe in comparison.
A glare hit his vision and he looked down to see it shining from his sword. The young man sighed.
I can’t run from this. I know that. So, I can either be a coward, or fight like a man.
“Citizens of Newtopia! Albus Duckweed here! Introducing a rising star in our glorious Colosseum… Dipper the Destructor~!”
The gate opened and Dipper walked through into the sand filled arena with his sword and shield ready. The audience cheered as he entered the ring.
All he could do was glower at the sight.
What kind of person calls this entertainment? Other than Stan. And maybe Mabel. Or Candace… Yeah, okay, a lot of people.
“You’ve seen him fight humans, frogs, toads, newts, witches and demons of all manner unimaginable!” the newt announcer began. “Now you will see him fight the strangest monster yet! The Multibear!”
“What is a Multipbear?”
A gate on the other side opened and out charged a bear who was covered in heads. He roared loudly before pounding his front paws on the ground before standing upright with growls.
“Oh. Now that’s a Multibear,” Dipper blinked.
“Bear heads, silence!” a head at the top ordered, slapping one of others. “Human, we need not do this.”
“You’re right,” he sighed and bowed his head. Then he looked up at him darkly. “But I’ve got a sister to find. And you’re in my way.”
“So be it.”
All of his heads roared and he charged at Dipper. The young man ran to the side and up a nearby wall. He landed on the ground once the Multibear was far enough away.
The crowd cheered at the action. And in one particular booth, a young woman tilted her head in intrigue. She was garbed in a purple toga and had long blonde hair styled in a high ponytail and bell shaped bangs.
“Duckweed?” she addressed the announcer, but her eyes never left Dipper as he continued to dodge the Multibear.
“Yes, Lady Pacifica?”
“What do you know of this man?”
“The Destructor? Well, he is a slave of the empire.”
“Reason?”
“Treason, my lady. He was a part of the Resistance.”
“Is that so?” she asked, lightly tapping her armrest.
Multibear backhanded a pile of bones in the sand and flew towards Dipper like arrows. The young man sprinted with the bones hitting the wall, each one right where he was a second earlier. When they started to hit his shield he dived to the ground, grunting in pain.
The human’s opponent moved to claw at him when he swiped some sand into the closest head’s face, causing Multibear to stumble back. Dipper swung his sword at the beast only for it to deflect it with his claws. The bear tried to strike but was met with the man’s shield.
It went back and forth like this until Multibear knocked the shield off Dipper’s arm. He couldn’t block and attack at the same time, so the young man was now in a bit of a pickle. He had to quickly swing his blade just to prevent either paw from hitting him.
That was when one of the heads took hold of the sword by the hilt, pulled it out of the Destructor’s hand and tossed it to the side.
No longer wielding his weapon, Dipper had to think fast. So, he slid underneath the Multibear and hopped atop his back. He climbed up and wrapped his arms around the lead head’s neck and squeezed. The beast staggered as he was choked. Then with a strangled roar, he fell to the ground, exhausted.
Seeing his moment, the gladiator picked up his sword and put it to the Multibear’s throat.
“It’s over, Multibear.”
“Very well, warrior. I accept my fate,” he said, closing his eyes and resting his head.
“It appears that the Multibear has surrendered!” Duckweed announced, making the crowd cheer. “Now the master of the arena shall decide his fate. Everyone turn your eyes to the leader of the Manotaurs, Leaderaur!”
Everyone turned to the booth just above the arena wall. There sat in his giant throne, the hulking beast Leaderaur. The giant warrior breathed heavily, smoke coming out of his nostrils. He extended his arm and had his thumb pointing to the side.
“Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!” the audience cheered.
Leaderaur grinned and gave the thumbs down.
Dipper looked down at the Multibear in sympathy.
“Do it, Destructor,” he said, resigned.
Dipper nodded and raised his sword high. Everyone leaned forward in their seats. Pacifica sighed and looked away.
The gladiator brought his blade down…
…and stuck it in the sand.
Multibear opened his eyes to see Dipper offering a hand with a smile.
“Why?”
“You seem like a cool guy. Plus, I never said I had to kill you,” the young man shrugged before helping him up.
The crowd gasped in shock and Pacifica sat up straighter.
“Oh… it appears that the Destructor has chosen to spare the Multibear… despite Leaderaur’s orders… oh dear,” Duckweed spoke nervously.
The entire Colosseum heard a loud growl from the Manotaur. The dark furred monster stood up, showing his gigantic height, and jumped into the ring. The ground shook and sent sand flying all around.
The gates opened and out marched several more manotaurs. They then surrounded the three in a circle.
“You shouldn’t have done that. Now you both might perish,” one of them spoke nervously.
“We’ll see, Chutzpaur.”
Leaderaur marched over to them, fuming.
“You were supposed to take his head!”
“I don’t like to play by the rules,” Dipper glared up at him.
Leaderaur got in his face.
“Kill the Multibear or you will die!” the Manotaur roared, his breath sending the gladiator’s helmet off his head and blowing his hair.
Dipper didn’t even flinch.
“No,” he said simply.
“Then you will die!” Leaderaur yelled and swung his fist down to crush the human.
Dipper dived out of the way and picked up his sword, facing the beast with a glare.
“Single combat!” Chutzpaur shouted.
“Single combat!” the others reappeared and stepped forward, locking their arms together a d forming a wall around the two. Multi bear and the audience watched on in silence.
Leaderaur suddenly did the unexpected and reached into his own chest and pulled out a spear.
Dipper just blinked for a few seconds.
“What the fuck?”
The manotaur roared and tried to skewer the human with his spear. Dipper rolled to the side and retrieved his shield. He raised it up to block another attack.
It went like this for a while with everyone continuing to watch in silence.
“Does he have any family?” Pacifica asked the newt.
“What? Oh, sorry. Yes, he has a sister that was sold to the Colosseum. She’s actually the server over there.”
Duckweed pointed to the box right next to them and she saw a young woman in a pink toga with long brown hair. Her eyes were focused on her brother as he fought for his life in the arena.
And she was terrified.
The large beast’s spear went straight through Dipper’s shield.
“Uh oh.”
Leaderaur pulled it back and sent the human’s greatest defense flying.
“Crap!” Dipper screamed before he rolled to the side to avoid the spear.
The young man got up and blinked when his eyes landed on Leaderaur’s chest. The spot where he had pulled the spear from his chest had left an open wound. Dipper looked down at his sword, then back up at the wound and grinned.
Leaderaur roared again and thrust his spear down at Dipper. The human stepped back and it hit the ground right in front of him. Then he ran up it towards the beast’s arm and leapt off it at the mantoar’s chest. With a loud yell Dipper held his sword in both hands above his head, and plunged it into Leaderaur’s chest.
The audience gasped at the same time as the manotaur did.
It didn’t end there though. Gravity did its work and the Destructor slid down as his blade did too and gutted the beast.
Everyone stared in silence while Leaderaur fell to his side as the sand greedily drank his blood. Dipper climbed off and stepped back with a glare.
“Ah!” Leaderaur coughed, blood coming out. “Seal me up!” he struggled to command the other manotaurs.
“No one help him,” Chutzpaur said.
Leaderaur’s eyes widened, fear setting in. Then he slumped in the sand and released his last breath. The crowd had slacked jaws at the sight.
All but one.
“Yeah! Woo! That’s my bro!” Mabel clapped and cheered.
That got the rest of the audience to do the same.
“Destructor! Destructor! Destructor!” Chutzpaur started, to which everyone else followed.
Pacifica smirked in her seat.
“Duckweed,” she said.
“Y-yes, my lady?”
“I’ll buy him.” She turned to the cheering girl in a pink toga. “Her too.”
Sasha stood at the bridge of her warship with Grime right beside her. The two looked across the constantly moving waves to their approaching destination.
“So that’s Titan Trapper Island? Have to say, that skull looks cooler than the one at the Boiling Isles,” she nodded.
“And our spies say that there’s not even a hundred men there. Looks like we didn’t need to bring the whole army,” Grime noted, gesturing to the several other ships sailing beside them.
“And leave everyone else out? Come on, Grimesy,” Sasha smirked.
“Yes, yes. We all know you love each and every one of our soldiers,” he smiled.
“Besides, these guys are no slouches. We need the overwhelming firepower,” she add, getting serious.
“Generals!” The two turned to see it was Percy. “The wind has changed course.”
“Tell the fleet to close the sails and switch to oars,” Grime ordered.
“Switch to oars!” Percy repeated.
Across all the ships, the soldiers closed the sails and oars stuck out of the sides, and they began to row.
On the island, the trappers glared at the approaching Newtopian army.
“Titan Trapper!” Tarak began. “We must not let the empire take the Huntsman’s relic. To arms!”
“Soldiers of our empire!” Grime began. “Once I was a bully in a tower commanding toads alone. But now I am a General leading all peoples across the Great Newtopian Army! And that is because of each and every one of you! Frogs, Newts, Toads, Humans, Witches and Demons!”
“You are the empire!” Sasha continued. “You are the absolute best there is! And just like every other time we’ve fought together, we are going to win!”
The army cheered at their General’s orders.
“Now who’s ready to take these murderers out?!” the pair questioned.
“We are!” everyone cheered, but no one was louder than the Witches and Demons. They had a personal reason for their enthusiasm.
“Open fire!” Tarak ordered and the Trappers cast spell circles and sent blasts of blue fire upon the ships.
“Shields up!” Sasha shouted. All soldiers on the decks got in a phalanx formation and hid under their shields. The blasts struck and left burn marks. A few of the ships caught on fire and their crews moved to quickly put them out.
“Braddock! Catapults!” Grime commanded.
“Yes, sir!” she saluted and turned to the others. “Catapults!”
On each vessel, soldiers came up from below deck carrying a folded catapult. They unfolded it, cranked the arm back, and loaded the rocks covered in oil. One of them then put a torch to it and lit the boulder on fire.
“Fire!” Sasha ordered.
A soldier on each ship pulled the lever and the flaming rocks soared to the cliffs above.
“Raise the shield!” Tarak commanded.
Each Titan Trapper cast spell circles with each hand before merging them together and using their combined efforts to form one large magic shield.
The burning rocks hit the defense, exploding on impact. They had little effect at first, but as more kept coming one after another, the shield began to crack. The Trappers groaned as they struggled.
With one final wave of catapults, the shield collapsed.
“Take cover!” Tarak shouted at the top of his lungs.
The Trappers did their best to scatter as the Newtopian army rained down fire from above. They screamed in terror. All of them ran for their lives, some because they caught on fire.
“We’re close enough now,” Grime informed Sasha, who nodded.
“Drop anchors and raise the siege towers!” Waybright commanded.
The soldiers threw the anchors into the water and cranked up the siege towers until they rose to the top of the cliffs. Sasha and Grime stood with their helmets on and swords drawn at the top of their tower.
“Alright, people, this is it!” she said.
“Men and women of Newtopia! Attack!” Grime shouted.
The army roared as the doors came down and they charged towards the enemy. The Titan Trappers fired fireball after fireball but nothing could stop the marching phalanxes. Trapper after Trapper fell to the ground. It wasn’t long before panic swelled into Tarak’s heart and he threw down his spear.
“Alright! Alright! We surrender!” His comrades turned to him in confusion. “Drop your weapons, now!”
They did as they were told, dropped their weapons and put their hands up.
“Restrain them,” Grime ordered before he and Sasha marched over to Tarak and raised their swords at him.
“Now, where is your leader?” Sasha questioned.
After a few minutes of walking they came to a shrine with a single Titan Trapper standing in front of it with a knife drawn.
“Tarak, you fool! You failed to stop them!”
“This can end nice and quietly if you just give us the relic… what’s his name?” Grime asked.
“He is the wisest of us. Bill!” he answered.
“Is that short for something or…?” Sasha added.
“No, just Bill.”
“Enough of this! I will never surrender my ticket to power and glory from the Huntsman!”
“You mean our ticket. You promised the Huntsman would grant us all glory,” Tarak frowned.
Bill was just silent.
“Looks like your wise leader is nothing but a liar,” Sasha smirked. “Did you ever even trap a Titan?”
“Of course I did!” he shouted, earning growls from the many of the soldiers, even ones that weren’t Witches and Demons. “You think you’ve seen evil? Just wait until you see a live Titan. You know nothing of their ravenous appetites. Even their babies act like little monarchs. And that roar. The last one blew out my eardrums. How did it go? Weh!”
“Aren’t Titan’s extinct?”
“No! The Huntsman says one remains. Only its power can free him from his prison. Which is why you can’t take it!”
“Well, our King wants that thing, and my more religious soldiers are itching to take care of you. So…”
“General?” a Witch soldier asked. “Permission to silence him?”
“Permission granted.”
The Witch made a finger gun and shot the old Titan Trapper with a spell circle. Bill let out a weak cry before falling to the ground, revealing the split in half crystal disc with a moon.
“Bingo,” Sasha grinned.
Percy and Braddock then handed Grime a flag and he thrust it into the ground.
“I claim this island for the glory of Newtopia!” Then he let out a thunderous roar, causing the massive army to cheer.
Sasha smiled at the sight. That fell however when she turned to the Titan Trappers. The grief and sadness they felt was radiating off them like a wave. She wretched as the children clung to their parents as tears fell down their faces.
“It was all for nothing,” she heard Tarak say.
Sasha sighed and looked down at her feet. This was a familiar feeling for the General. It was the same thing that happened over and over again in every campaign. And she’d seen many.
Waybright then felt a hand pat her on the back and looked up to see it was Grime.
“Chin up, Lieutenant,” he said, using the old nickname. “We won’t be doing this forever.”
“Let’s just hope it won’t be long before we’re ready,” was all Sasha said.
In the bustling city of Newtopia, the great capital of the Newtopian empire, a room filled with two dozen men and women sat as they heard one of their own speak to the assembly. King Andrias sat on the throne reserved for him with his head resting on his hand.
“Distinguished Senators of Newtopia,” Heinz Doofenshmirtz began “As you know, our empire is a conglomeration of all different manners of beings. The people of this empire must be fed the best so that we may prosper and profit. But a massive disservice has been done! And by approving the policy brought to you by me, Dr. Senator Heinz Doofenshmirtz! We can-”
“We’re not outlawing hotdogs so you can sell your bratwurst,” Andrias deadpanned.
“Oh, come on! Why not?! My bratwurst is better!”
“Your bratwurst is atrocious!” Rodney cut in. “I would rather eat hotdogs than your slop!”
“That is a lie! I’ll have you know that bratwurst has a lot of flavor while hotdogs are benign at best!”
“I like hotdogs,” Yunan said.
“Do… do not agree with him in front of me,” Heinz warned, pointing at her in anger.
“Don’t we have more important things to discuss,” Darius spoke flatly.
“We do,” Olivia nodded.
“All in favor of outlawing hotdogs?” Andrias asked.
Heinz raised his hand.
“All opposed?”
Literally everyone else voted no.
“Curse you, Senators!” Heinz yelled.
“Just get back to your desk, Heinz.”
Doofenshmirtz climbed up the stairs and sat down at his elevated desk. Every Senator had one with a good view of the speaking area down below.
“What’s the next item on the agenda?” the King asked.
“It appears Esmerelda Poofenplotz has applied for membership in the Senate. Again,” Darius read tiredly and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Everyone just groaned.
“You can tell her ‘no’ for a fourth time. Next,” Andrias said dismissively. A raven suddenly flew in through the window and landed on the giant Newt’s shoulder. “Yes…? Ah ha! That’s wonderful news! Well done, Generals! Leave the occupation force to do their thing and bring your troops home.” The raven then flew away and the King turned to the Senate with a grin. “It was Generals Grime and Waybright. They’ve conquered Titan Trapper Island!”
“Why, that means the empire’s resources have now been doubled! This is terrific news,” Toadstool smiled.
“King Andrias, with this new information, I believe we must go over the state budget once again,” Monogram spoke.
“I agree,” the King nodded.
“We need to establish what we will be using these new resources for. Our current budget has so much of our revenue going to the military. This new budget will have twice the revenue now, so I recommend putting these new funds to urban development.”
“Major Senator Monogram is correct,” Raine nodded. “We’ve been so focused on expanding our territory that we’ve neglected our own cities. So many of our citizens now live in buildings that have been falling apart for years.”
“It’s time we expand farm subsidies too. So, I say we get it! Get it!” Tyler added enthusiastically.
“We cannot speak on the new budget without deciding how we are to collect these new resources first,” Senator and Head Witch Mason of the Construction Coven pointed out, to which the others nodded in agreement.
“Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate,” Lady Olivia began, stepping down into the center. “With these new resources comes new opportunities for the less fortunate in our empire. New jobs to be made and businesses to thrive. This is exactly what our economy needs. Therefore, I propose that we open Titan Trapper Island to a free market.”
“We could do that, Lady Olivia,” a new voice spoke from his seat. The newt frowned as she realized who it was. “We could allow a messy scramble of the commoners to mine and farm the island. Allow their inexperience and inadequacies to plague our new lands. Or we could put Titan Trapper Island in the hands of a well established enterprise,” Preston Northwest smirked. “And as the owner of the largest mining and property conglomerate in Newtopia, I’d be happy to volunteer.”
“Oh, no you don’t!” Yunan shouted. “You Northwests already have enough wealth as it is!”
“Now hang on, the Northwest's have the most experience in this field,” Gideon Gleeful smiled with false sweetness.
“Experience in exploitation,” Raine flatly stated.
“Come now, Little Sprout,” Terra Snapdragon chided with that terrifying grin. “Let’s not be too harsh.”
“Well, I would be happy to provide the mining equipment,” Rodney began to boast. “Afterall, mine is far superior to other scientists in the room.”
“That’s it! AHHHHHH!” Heinz screamed in rage as he tackled his bald rival to the floor and fought him.
“Get ‘em! Get ‘em!” Cutebiker cheered.
Eberwolf growled gleefully.
“Yes, and I think we should also expand the military budget,” Odalia Blight started. “This will allow us at Blight Industries to develop newer and better weapons for the empire.”
“Expand it?!” Monogram exclaimed. “Great googily moogily, you can’t be serious! Isn’t there more to your life than greed?!”
“Hush, old man.”
“These new funds should definitely be used to aid in our hunt of Wild Witches,” Adrian Graye Vernworth smirked.
“Yes, and–wait. Where is Lilith?” Dr. Senator Bloodpudding questioned.
Everyone turned to see that Lilith Clawthorne’s desk was empty.
“Oh, our dear religious leader Belos has assigned her to capture the Owl Lady,” Andrias said, completely uninterested. “She has her hands full.”
“Ah ha! We cannot vote without her! Therefore you guys don’t get your new contracts!” Yunan smirked victoriously at Preston and Odalia, who glowered where they stood.
“Guess we’ll have to settle this at the next meeting,” the King shrugged and clapped his hands. “Session’s adjourned! Time for lunch.”
“Lunch?” Doof perked up, getting off Rodney. “Sweet! I’m gonna get a muffin!”
“And I’m off to play flipwart with Marcy. Good day, everyone,” Andrias waved and left.
The Senators began to leave in their various groups. Once they were out in the hall, Olivia turned to the rest of her crew.
“We have been given time, but not much. We need to ensure that our cause is successful.”
“There’s only seven of us in the Reformist faction, however,” Darius noted. “The Imperialists have a plurality of eleven. If our vision is to pass, then we’ll need to persuade at least five of the six ambiguous ones.”
“The other Coven Heads are fiercely loyal to the Coven system. If the Imperialists take advantage of that, we are doomed,” Raine said.
“Then we’ll just have to do the same, unfortunately.”
Eberwolf whimpered reluctantly.
“We might be able to persuade Toadstool,” Yunan said. “He may not act like it, but he’s grown fond of the townies.”
“Well, I know who our first recruit will be,” Monogram looked ahead to see Heinz munching on a muffin.
“Huh? Oh. What do you all want?” the scientist asked.
“Side with us on the new issues,” Olivia went straight to the point.
“You could gain-” Darius began.
“Say no more. I’m in.”
“What?” the others questioned.
“I’ll do anything to one up Rodney,” he rolled his eyes.
“Good. That’s one. The real problem is Lilith,” Raine frowned.
“What are the chances we can persuade her to our side?” Yunan asked.
“I’m not sure,” Darius sighed. “We’ve known her ever since Hexside. She’s always believed in the empire and the Covens. But in recent years she’s become… reluctant.”
“Why?” Cutebiker inquired.
“A few years ago, her two top students went ahead and joined the Resistance,” Yunan answered.
“Really?” Doof asked.
“Yes. She’s been a lot more… well, sad comes to mind.”
“So, there’s a chance?” Monogram went.
“Let’s hope so,” Olivia sighed. “I grow increasingly worried with what Andrias is putting into the military.”
“I’ve heard rumors that they’re working on a new secret project with Blight Industries,” Yunan mentioned. “And no one has any idea what it is.”
“Then we better see Lilith.”
Tyler then went to the side and pulled out a crystal ball.
“It’s me,” he whispered.
“Who were her students anyway?” Heinz asked.
Candace looked at the room full of the people she was supposed to lead. Well, her first officers anyway.
“Alright people, listen up. We just got a call from our man on the inside.”
“Is it good news or bad news?” Stan asked.
“What do you think?” she responded flatly.
“Bad news. Got it.”
“The empire has claimed Titan Trapper Island. They now have twice the resources to fund the war machine.”
The room let out groans of frustration.
“Were Sasha and Grime the ones to do it,” Anne asked with a sad frown.
“They were,” the redhead nodded, making the teen sigh. “We’ve also learned of a secret project the military is working on with Blight Industries. Whatever it is, they’re keeping it under wraps with a tight lid. Ford? Any ideas?”
“It could be anything,” the old twin shrugged. “I could figure it out, but I need more information on what they’re collecting from the island.”
“We could also rob the Blights to see what they’re workin’ on,” Stan grinned as he rubbed his hands together.
“Of course you’d say that,” Anne rolled her eyes fondly.
“It won’t be you though, Stanley,” Ford frowned at his brother. “It can’t be anyone from the Resistance.”
“Yes. Someone without any direct ties to us, that’s also inside the capitol,” Candace mused.
“Who do we know that fits that description,” Anne questioned.
The group thought it over for a moment before they answered at the same time.
“Eda.”
“I can be out the door to meet her in no time,” Stan grinned, getting up from his seat and heading for the door. He stopped upon noticing their unimpressed glares.
“What?”
“You just want to flirt with her, don’t you?” Anne deadpanned.
“Can you blame me for trying?”
“I guess not,” she sighed.
“Stanley, didn’t she rob you once?” Stanford questioned incredulously.
“Yep! Ah. What a woman,” he said in a bit of a daze.
“Eh, can’t say I blame him. That woman is Hot with a capital H,” Anne added.
Stan was about to open the door when he suddenly stopped and turned to Candace.
“Any word on Dipper and Mabel?”
A sad frown spread across her face.
“No. Not yet.”
“I’ll see what Eda knows,” he said and opened the door.
“Stan?” she spoke up and he once again turned to face her. She seemed to be holding back tears. “I’m sorry. I really tried to keep them safe… but there were just too many soldiers. I didn’t want to leave them, but…”
The young woman was immediately pulled into a hug by Ford. Stan and Anne walked over and joined in.
“There was nothing you could have done, Candace,” Ford said softly.
“You did the best you could, Kid,” Stan added.
“We’re gonna get them back. I know it,"Anne affirmed.
“Yeah! If there’s anything I know about those two gremlins, it’s that they’ll beat down whatever comes at ‘em,” Stan smiled.
“You’re right,” Candace smiled after a minute and whipped away her tears. “Thanks guys. I needed that.”
They broke apart and the twins started walking off.
“I may as well come with you. Someone needs to make sure you don’t give all your savings to that woman,” Ford scoffed.
“It was one time!”
Once the door closed, Anne turned to Candace.
“Dipper and Mabel getting captured isn’t the only thing bothering you, is it?” Boonchuy asked, making the redhead sigh.
“No. There’s something else going on too.”
“Tell me all about it.” The teen took the older woman’s hands and sat them both down. “What’s going on, Can?”
“My husband and I… are having a disagreement.”
“What? Since when have you and Jeremy had a fight?”
“It wasn’t a fight,” Candace countered. “It was a disagreement.”
“Okay. What was this disagreement?”
The redhead was silent for a moment.
“A few days ago, he and I were scouting the woods outside Newtopia and he asked me about the future. He wanted to know if we ever planned on… having kids.”
Anne stared at her friend in silence. It went on for so long that Candace started to get nervous.
“Anne?”
“Eeeeeeeeeeeee!” Boonchuy squealed.
“Oh no.”
“EEEEEEEEEEEE!” she squealed louder. “That’s amazing Candace! You two are planning on having a baby!” Then she gasped. “Are you pregnant right now?! Oh my gosh, this is incredible! A Canderemy baby!”
“Anne!” Candace cut in with a blush and shook her friend. “I’m not pregnant!”
“Aw, man. Why?”
“Because… okay, this is where we get into what happened. Jeremy said he wants kids and I… I panicked.”
“Wha? But you love kids. Plus, I could have sworn you once said that you had a dream about having an Xavier and Amanda.”
“How do you know about that?” she quickly asked, her blush deepening.
“It was when you got injured and sent to the med bay. You talk in your sleep.”
Candace just blinked and sighed.
“I know. It’s true. I do want kids, Anne. But… look around. We’re fighting in a revolution. And we’re losing. I don’t want to bring children into a world like this. It’s not good enough.” She then looked away shamefully. “I’m not good enough.”
“Excuse me? What makes you think a stupid thing like that?” Anne practically glared at her.
“Anne, I know I look tough and strong, and capable, but the truth is I’m barely holding it together right now,” Candace admitted. “I’m not winning against the empire, two of my friends got captured, and I have no idea if we’ll even be still alive by next year!” she started to cry. “I feel like such a failure. And what kind of a mom is that?”
The redhead found herself getting pulled into a second hug that day as Anne embraced her. They stayed like that for a few minutes until the teen pulled away with a determined look.
“Well, guess that means the troops and I better fight harder.”
“Huh?”
“Come on, you really think I’m gonna let one of my favorite ships go through something like this? Heck no. I will not rest until you and the love of your life have all the happiness you deserve.”
This time Candace was the one to initiate the hug.
“Thank you, Anne. I’m really lucky to have a friend like you.”
“You're welcome. Hey, do your brothers know about this?”
“Haven’t gotten the chance to tell them. They’re busy with the mission in Danville.”
“Well, I’m sure they’d love to be uncles.”
“Yeah. You know, I’d sing a song right now, but I’m emotionally drained.”
The pair walked out the room and into the main area of the hideout. All the troops of the Resistance bustling around. They kept walking until they were outside on a balcony overlooking a large forest. They could see Newtopia in the distance.
“How’d you meet Dipper and Mabel anyway?”
“Dipper and I were in Newtopia’s law enforcement for a while. We became close and introduced each other to our families. We actually had the same mentor,” she smiled. That then turned into a sad frown. “I wish things could have ended better with her. I get why she remained loyal to Andrias and Belos, but Dipper was more than angry with her. I don’t know all the details of what happened between them, but I think they both felt betrayed. They always had this special bond. Sometimes I miss those days. It was easier back then. But that doesn't mean it was better.”
“Yeah, I get that,” Anne said. “Before I joined up with you guys, I was spending my days with Sasha and Marcy. They were… nice,” she smiled. “But then Sasha joined the military, Marcy the Rangers and later an advisor, and I moved to Wartwood.” The girl then frowned. “But then one day some tax collectors came in and I saw the empire at its worst. I refused to stand for it, so cut ties with my friends and joined the Resistance.”
“Do they know?”
“I don’t think so.”
Candace leaned against the railing and sighed.
“I hope our friends are okay.”
Dipper sat in his cell while Mabel stitched up a cut on his arm.
“That was amazing, Bro Bro! But do me a favor and try to be more careful. You almost died,” his sister said.
“Mabel, I always almost die.”
“You can still at least try to not get hurt. Promise?”
“That’s not gonna be easy. Can you promise not to flirt with the next guy you see?”
Mabel turned for a moment to look at a buff gladiator passing by.
“No.”
The twins just laughed for a bit, enjoying the moment while they could. Mabel finished stitching him up and cut the line with a pair of scissors.
“Any chance of finding a way out of here?” Mabel asked.
“Afraid not. Security’s too tight,” he shook his head.
“Maybe we could send a message to Candace? Or Stan and Ford?”
“If anyone from the Resistance tries to rescue us they’ll be caught. We’re on our own,” he sighed.
“Well, there has to be something we can do to get out of here!” she nearly screamed. “We’re slaves, Dipper! Gideon is a Senator. He’ll buy us if he finds out we’re here!”
“I won’t let him touch you,” he vowed then and there. “If that creep goes anywhere near you, I don’t care what happens, I’ll kill him myself.”
“That can be arranged,” a new voice said.
The pair turned to see a young blonde woman walk into the cell with a guard by her side.
“Who the hell are you?” Dipper questioned with narrowed eyes.
“That’s no way to talk to your new master, slave,” she boasted.
The gate opened and she walked in with one of her men. Mabel’s eyes lit up once she got a good look at him. He was strong looking young man with a nice face and a horn.
“Ye hunk! Hi, I’m Mabel! What’s your name?” she greeted cheerily, but not without a bit of charm as she batted her eyelashes.
“Steve Tholemule,” he smiled.
“Steve, take this one to the carriage. I’d like to have a word with the gladiator,” the blonde ordered.
“Yes, Lady Pacifica,” he nodded. “Come along now.”
“OH MY GOSH! THE HEAT!” Mabel wailed, put the back of her hand to her forehead and fell backwards into Steve’s arms. “It’s too exhausting. I need you to carry me.”
The guard just shrugged, hefted her up, and carried her bridal style. As they left, Mabel smirked to her brother and mouthed “Strength check passed.” Dipper just groaned and facepalmed at his twin’s antics.
I wish I could say I was surprised. But I’m not.
That was when he noticed that Mabel had left the scissors on the bed. He looked to see that the blonde was watching her guard leave with his sister, and discreetly grabbed them.
“That sister of yours is bold. I can work with that.” The young woman then found herself in danger as Dipper now stood inches apart from her and held the scissors to her throat. “Looks like you are too,” she noted.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now?”
“I’ll give you three,” she smirked. “One, you’ll have the blood of a Newtopian noble on your hands, which means that you will be executed. Two, if I die without an heir, then my possessions will be auctioned off, and that now includes your sister. Meaning she could be purchased by Senator Gideon Gleeful.” Dipper’s eyes widened at that. “Three, this.”
Dipper felt something press against his left thigh and looked down to see that she put a small knife there. Whatever confidence he had left faded away then and there.
“It’s funny, everyone is always so focused on the neck that they forget about the arteries between their legs,” she noted.
“Alright,” he put the scissors down. “You win.”
“Good,” Pacifica smirked, and took the scissors and put the knife away.
“What do you want with me and my sister?”
“Well, your sister looks like a capable servant.” She looked down the hall before turning back to him. “You, however, are the real prize.”
“Really?” he questioned flatly.
“Yes. That was an impressive display in the Colosseum just now.”
“Which part? When I beat Multibear or killed Leaderaur?”
“When you spared him, actually,” she said, almost uninterestedly.
Again, she surprised him. The noble then looked him in the eye in absolute seriousness.
“You showed that you’re more than just a warrior. And that is why I want you.”
“…So what do you want me for?” he asked in confusion.
“You were in the Resistance, right?”
“Yes,” he answered after a moment.
“Then you must remember that the fight against the empire is a constant uphill battle,” Pacifica began, walking around him as she spoke. “No matter how many times or places your friends strike, it’s never enough. How would you like to hit them where it hurts?”
“Where?”
“Oh, only…” she ran a finger from his shoulder to under his chin and leaned in. “The Senate itself.”
“Go on.”
“The Senate is controlled by Imperialists. But if they were to perhaps meet unfortunate accidents, there could be change.”
“Wait a second, you want me… to kill Newtopian Senators?”
“Only the bad ones,” she clarified. “The Reformists are to remain unharmed. I am the daughter of Senator Preston Northwest, which puts me inside his inner circle. Giving you the proper opportunity to strike.”
“And if I get caught?” he glared, and she pulled away with a ‘hmph.’
“Then only you get blamed. I’ll be perfectly fine, meaning your sister will be safe.” That gave him pause. “You’d be putting your life on the line to take them down, which is something you’ve done before. The question is, are you willing to do it again?”
“As your personal assassin?”
“Yes. Of course, you’ll also be my gladiator. Need to keep that as your cover. But that’s pretty much it.”
Dipper thought about it for as much time as he could. He looked around his cell, then back to the Northwest.
“Do I have a choice?”
“No. But if you comply… you’ll be treated fairly. And you can do some good. For Newtopia. For yourself. And for your sister.”
Dipper was silent for a minute. Then he sighed.
“Fuck it. Let’s do it.”
“That’s what I like to hear!” she grinned and went for the door. “Oh, what’s your full name?”
“My full name?”
“Well, I’m not going to call you Dipper the Destrcutor all the time, so I insist on learning your proper name.”
“…Pines. My name is Dipper Pines.”