[I think I'm going to start waiting for 50 reads between each chapter...]

Dipper's grip tightened. His hands squeezed around Mabel desperately. He was soo sorry. He was so confused. Bill was helping him. Bill was his friend. Bill was supposed to undetstand... Bill was a liar.

He almost attacked- killed his sister! The conversation around him was no more than background static for his ruminations.

Dipper didn't want to be helpless. He didn't want Mabel to eventually abandon him because he's not a good enough brother. He wanted to train so he could come back a hero... come back useful.

Now here he was. Sniveling. Weak. Pathetic. Holding his sister like a lifeline. He really was useless as dirt... wasn't he?

He didn't register her talking.

He didn't register the usually strong Sodalite unravel and begin to sob.

He didn't register trees falling nor Bill's crazed laughter. Getting closer and closer.

He didn't register his sister's screams when she-...

He registered her hold and he hugged her back as the world began to bleed back into his consciousness.

"Dipper! How do we stop that?!" Mabel screamed.

On all fours Bill lead the charge of mutations. The arrow still stuck in his chest. Animals stampeding away, trees falling in their wake.

Bill laughed maniacally as his claws penetrated Ariel's physical form. His sythe was brought out and with a swipe of it, the tame mutation poofed into it's gem.

...it was a part of the scythe's power. Able to destroy the physical being in a single swipe if he willed it.

The trio let out oofs as they fell to the forest floor, the shore and other side of the lake was visible.

Dipper gapsed as he felt points dig into his wrist and forehead. Around his gem.

His hold was ripped away from his sister's and he whimpered.

He was on the tips of his toes. He felt a painful tug at his chest. His body expanded alarmingly before calming. He thrashed and tried to get away from the claws. Away from Bill.

"Dipper!"

"Mabel!"

Bill had him. The mutations were stalled and Dipper was grabbed. He felt himself expand again, this time with a flickering white light.

He seen his sister. With determination, she drew her bow. His surprise was unable to show when he seen Sodalite backed away from them, almost hiding behind Mabel.

Even when he was on the brink of- what was his body doing? Was it trying to explode?- whatever it was doing, he questioned his trust in her.

As Mabel drew back further, the claws got worse and Bill's grip tightened. "Ah ah ah, you big bright star. Don't want to see him crack, do you?"

His grip on Dipper's gem tightened as he pulled him closer, against his physical form. For a beat all that could be heard was the breathing of the surrounding army and the haunting quiet of the forest.

He grinned as Mabel's weapon disappeared. An almost incoherent mumble came from her lips. "Don't hurt him."

"D'aww how cute. She thinks she can save her quote unquote brother." Bill teased. By now the furious red had faded back to yellow. With a small whistle and tilt of his head, the monsters inched closer to Mabel and Sodalite.

"Mabel!" Dipper cried. "I'm so soo sorry! None of this would have happened if I just-" he let a strangled noise as Bill tightened his hold.

Any more and he was sure his gem would shatter. It felt like Bill held his entire being and was slowly trying to conpress it into nothing.

"Don't blame yourself, Dipper!" Mabel backed away from the mutations, jumping a bit when her back touched Sodalite. "Bill would have said anything to get what he couldn't have!"

Him and his trust. He would've said-

The words rang in his head.
"Give me a call if you ever need help with anything, I'll know where to get you. I'm very helpful, and if you need... I could be you and your sister's saviour."

"Bill, can I use that free save now?"

Bill turned his head and smiled. "First, I want a dance."

"Dance with me." Dipper said.

Bill let Dipper go and waved his hand, the mutations stopped. They had only started yanking Mabel and Sodalite apart. "Stop." He said. "I think my-" He held Dipper's hand and pulled him close. "Partner, has something to say."

Dipper let out a shuddering breath. "In exchange for saving my sister, and by extent, Sodalite, I will dance with you and let us become one."

"No!" Mabel cried.

Sodalite gasped. "Chysoberyl! No. You can't do this! You'll lose yourselves! You'll overpower eachother."

Bill made a disgustingly pleased noise as he let Dipper stand on his own. "Start, Looney."

Dipper trembled. He can't dance. He's never actually danced. "H-how? What do- How's I supposed to do this?"

"Just dance. Here. Look. I can't make it easier than this." He grabbed Dipper and spun him around, he held his hands in a tango position and rocked side to side. He spun Dipper again, this time away from himself.

Despite himself, Dipper smiled. He didn't want to and it wasn't because of the demon of a rock that held his sister captive.

The air brushing his face, the movement in general. It felt almost natural. It felt happy.

He danced. He ran his hands down his body and held himself in a spin. His feet moved on their own, doing stars know what, as he waved an arm in a circle and brought it back in, doing it with the other. His hips started their own beat as the world disappeared from him. He swayed and he swung his arms. He laughed. He laughed.

It felt like it was just him... floating, almost. He even closed his eyes to strengthen the effect.

Bill kept predatory eyes on Dipper the entire time. His dance was choppy and powerful. He started with a stong step forward, then a skip step. His other foot dragged ahead and in a circle, returning back to the other. Both right limbs flung over and directed towards Dipper as the boy did his gentle steps and swung his arms in big circles.

Bill dragged himself with his right foot and tucked his arm in. He turned with a strong step, his arms wide as he caught Dipper. The moonstone was laughing.

There was a blue and grey puff of smoke. The mutations cowered.

Mabel and Sodalite grabbed onto eachother. The shadow under the smoke was huge. As big as the shack, at least.

"D-Dipper?"

"Lune, do not allow Chysoberyl to take over. Be one!" Sodalite shouted. This experience was not good for any of them psychologically.

A low laugh as Bill's gem glimmered through the smoke. An eye blinked open, yellow, giant, and glowing.

Dipper's gem flickered on, glowing as well. The other eyes snapped open, glowing. All of them focused on the pair on the ground.

With a wave from four arms, the chimeric creature was revealed.

A vest- like cape, a plush sweater-like shirt with an eye on it, shorts. Bill's straight, spiked hair mixed with Dipper's hair length.

With a blue puff of flame, a giant trucker's hat appeared in their hands. They- He grinned. He put on the hat with a hand, then flipped it backwards with another.

He sat back in the air and gave the most terrifying smile Mabel's ever seen. A pair of arms sat in in his lap and he lounged his head in his other.

With a flick of one of his wrists, the army backed off. He twiddled with the fingers that that in his lap.

"So... my name is Pyrite." His blue eyes were glowing. His almost nervous expression darkened as his yellow eye flashed. "and I'm here to make your world a living nightmare."

Pyrite smiled before standing straight and straightening his cape. His blue eyes glew more than his yellow. "Not before making sure you guys are safe first, duh."

Sodalite looked at Mabel with horror. Mabel stared at Pyrite. She half forced a smile.

He swiped them up. Mabel was held by her sweater and Sodalite by her stupid, beautiful, traitorous, blue hair.

Mabel took a deep breath and gulped, seeing the fire Pyrite left in his path.

This.

THIS is the fool's gold.