Stan abruptly stopped the car after it had been carelessly parked. Everyone inside jumped out as the twins gawked at what was in front of them."Here we are," he began. "The Summerween Superstore!"

"A very special store for a very special occasion that only happens once a year," Y/n added sarcastically.

Dipper scratched his head confusedly. "Wait. Summer-what?"

"Summerween!" Stan responded confidently, bringing out a calendar. "The people of this town loved Halloween so much, they celebrate it twice a year! And wouldn't you know it, it's today!"

"Do you always carry that calendar in your pocket?"

"Yes."

Mabel placed a finger on her cheek in curiosity. "Summerween? Something about this feels unnatural."

Soos walked over to the twins and placed his arms around them. "There's free candy~!"

The two of them smiled at one another before sprinting to the entrance. The other three followed suit. Stan noticed Y/n looking mellow, so he nudged her. "Hey, you okay? Did you get enough sleep?"

"I'm not sleepy. It's just... Summerween."

"What about it?"

"Nothing," Y/n dismissed. "I'm sure I'll just sit this one out again, like the last decade."

He raised an eyebrow at her before averting his gaze to the main door of the store. "Well, this is your chance to get a convincing costume so that no one can recognize you. This is the first time we're buying fake blood with the kids! I'm sure they're excited to celebrate Summerween with you."

Stan and Y/n watched as the kids messed around with the items on the shelves before Dipper discovered a wagon. Mabel hopped onto it while wearing a pair of silly glasses. "Come on, Y/n, to the costume aisle!"

"Go nuts, kid," Stan spoke beside her, and with a smile, she followed the twins.

The older man couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He was well aware that Y/n had been suppressed since childhood. Growing up, she didn't really go through all the experiences that a typical kid should have. She had always been out exploring and discovering new things thirty years ago. She was already too preoccupied with building an interdimensional portal that connects to other worlds when she could have been going to school and making friends her age. She should have aged to someone with an older physique but nothing had changed over the last 30 years.

Stan went to the containers of fake blood and began lifting one, not realizing that it was slowly spilling to the floor due to a leak. Mabel had already chosen a costume and decided not to tell both her brother and friend. "You're gonna find out later!" she said.

The three of them continued to goof off, with Y/n not having this much fun in years. She and Dipper were both pushing on the wagon that Mabel was in, turning a sharp right into a pile of Jack O' Melons, crashing and breaking into laughter.

Suddenly, everyone heard a voice on the intercom. "Have the police come and eject the Pines family from the store?"

They quickly gathered everything they could just as Stan threw a smoke bomb right in front of her. "Not today!"

"My eyes!" The smoke was everywhere, and that's when they made their escape. Stan was carrying a gallon of fake blood, while Soos was carrying two more. Y/n had a huge burlap bag filled with knick knacks and other props hauled behind her, and Dipper continued pushing Mabel on the wheelbarrow.

"You paid for the stuff, right?" Mabel asked with a smile.

"Of course!"

He paid it all with a limited edition Stan Bucks (Totally not just drawn on scrap paper). One piece of it already costs 500 dollars. Stan was just that generous to let the store keep the change.

**

https://youtu.be/X2DUpDxFJyg

**

Soos had already dressed himself in some sort of a mash between a superhero and a wrestler. Perhaps both. The Jack O' Melons were already litt and the decorations were hung up to produce a creepy vibe around it.

"I'm so excited!" Mabel exclaimed, sitting on the ground beside her brother.

Dipper matched her energy. "We're gonna have the best costumes, get the most candy..."

"And have the biggest stomachaches ever!"

"Yeah!"

"Haha, yeah!" The two high-fived.

The handyman sat on the yellow couch before them. "Dude, I've never seen you guys so pumped."

Y/n had just returned after helping Stan with his costume. He had difficulty with adjusting the girdle sometimes. She entered the room silently, leaning on the arm of the chair as she took a candy from the bowl that Soos was holding.

Mabel chuckled. "Well, back at home, me and Dipper were kind of the kings of trick-or-treating," she said just as Dipper brought up a scrapbook. She took it and began flipping through it. "Twins in costumes! The people eat it up." They dressed as cats, salt and pepper shakers, and zombies. It was, without a doubt, adorable.

"Well, you dudes better be careful out there. It's a night of ghouls and goblins. Not to mention..." he patted Y/n as a signal. She walked over to the light switch and turned it off just as Soos shined a flashlight on his face. "...the Summerween Trickster!"

They could've sworn there was dramatic music playing somewhere.

"The Summer-what- what-what?"

He continued his story as the twins listened very intently. "The Trickster goes door to door, so the legend goes, eating children who lack the Summerween spirit."

Dipper raised an eyebrow. "Well, you don't have to worry about us." He proceeded to eat a candy from the same bowl Y/n took from. "We've got spirit to go around." He began coughing violently at the taste. Y/n turned the lights back on. "Ugh, what is this stuff?! I've never even heard of these brands!"

He picked up each candy as he named them, "Sand Pop? Gummy chairs? Mr. Adequate-Bar?"

"This is all cheap-o loser candy!" Mabel added.

"I- I like them..." Y/n quietly admitted, slightly confused at their distaste. She didn't know what Dipper was fussing about. Homework the Candy has a unique taste.

Mabel faced her. "Well, then, you must have low standards, Y/n. There are plenty of candy more delicious than these tacky ones, blegh."

Soos stood, picking up a lip gummy. "Quiet your discomfort, children," he scolded, "lest the Trickster overhear."

"Your cape is caught in your fly, Soos." Dipper said, walking away with the candy bowl and the scrapbook.

"Touchè."

Y/n watched as Dipper threw handfuls of candy out the window. "Goodbye, loser candy!"

"No, don't waste them! We could give them to trick-or-treaters," Y/n stopped him from continuing.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. "Trick-or-treaters!" Stan shouted from the other room. "Quick, give 'em that terrible candy!"

"See?" she gestured to the door. "Now give them the candy."

Dipper's eyes rolled playfully, carrying both the scrapbook and bowl in his hands as he trudged to the door. Mabel suddenly grabbed the girl's arm. "That reminds me, Y/n! We have to wear the costumes we bought! Let's go!"

"Wah!" Y/n yelped as she felt herself being dragged upstairs to Mabel's room.

Meanwhile, Dipper opened the door as he said, "Happy Summerw- AHH!" His greeting was interrupted by his own scream as he saw who was at the door.

"'Sup, squirt," Robbie said, his arm around the redhead.

"Hey, Dipper."

"WENDY!" The greeting was very enthusiastic. "Wh-what's up, guys?"

She groaned. "I left my jacket here. Again."

Robbie scoffed, glancing at what Dipper was holding. "What's with the candy? You're goin' trick-or-treating or something?"

"Well, actually I- uh-" I am, in fact, trick-or-treating with my friends and sister, getting every candy of this town and eat them until we have stomach aches-

Wendy grinned as she put on the jacket. "Shut up, Robbie, of course he's not going trick-or-treating."

"No! Yeah," Dipper was agreeing before him realizing, noticing the book he was holding before hiding it and laughing nervously. "Trick-or-treating is for babies! Heh... I guess."

Wendy smiled and invited the boy to Tambry's party which sounded very promising. Robbie- although he didn't want to- handed Dipper a flier. The details were there, including the time of the party, which was supposed to be at 9PM.

Dipper told them that he probably might come before the couple eventually drove off and he was left by the porch. When they were gone, he looked at the two options literally placed on his hands. The flier on his left, and the trick-or-treat memory book on the other. He sighed. "How am I gonna tell Mabel?" He walked back inside, contemplating his future decisions.

Time passed shortly before the bell rang again. Mabel dashed down the stairs, Y/n in tow. Mabel was dressed as a jar of strawberry jam. Y/n lagged behind due to her adjusting the big beige coat hung around her shoulders. The overly excited twin opened the door just as Stan walked to the lobby dressed as a vampire– with the fangs and everything.

He laughed when he saw Y/n's costume. She donned a white shirt paired with a black tie underneath a tan coat that reached her knee. She also wore tan pants and black shoes that Mabel found which was surprisingly a nice fit. Square-framed glasses sat atop her nose (a/n: let's pretend that you don't have glasses in this au hahaha), and a tan press hat to top it all off.

Now that he realized it, Stan looked at her amusingly. "Aw, you looked just like him-"

"Stop it," Y/n cut him off before he could say another word. She tightened the tie around her neck. "By the way, I need some of that fake blood you have to complete the costume. Mabel had this whole backstory for me."

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel said. "These are my best friends, Candy and Grenda!"

Candy Chiu and Grenda (last name unknown) smiled at him, dressed as a candy and witch respectively. "I am so sweet I could eat myself."

"Hello, Mr. Pines!" Grenda greeted with her usual voice that would have normally belonged to a wrestler. But they still loved her nonetheless– manly voice or not.

Stan raised an eyebrow. "You got a cold, honey? Something wrong with your voice there?"

She frowned. "What do you mean? Why would you say that?"

Y/n glared at him. "Just get the blood."

He looked down at her. "What are you supposed to be again? A hotdog sandwich?"

Mabel answered the question for her, materializing on Y/n's side. "She's a horror fiction writer whose stories came to life and are out to get her!"

"She always has the best stories!" Y/n squeaked as she shrugged with the half-sarcastic comment. "So I need the blood. Get it for me, you vampire man."

Stan dramatically waved his cape before making his exit. Candy, Mabel, and Grenda were gushing over Waddle's office costume when he returned with a cup of red liquid. She took it before he left again. "Welp, here goes." She dipped her fingers into the liquid and began patting herself. "Oh, nooo. Ahhhh. Blood."

She had the thick substance all over her clothes and hat, and even had one splashed on the lens of her glasses for extra effect. Internally, she thought how she could have just used her own blood for a more scary prop– but she thought it might freak them out. She's not ready to see her differently just yet.

"Looking great, Y/n!" Mabel pointed out. "Oh man, guys, just wait until you see Dipper's costume! It's amazing!" She exclaimed. Everyone heard sounds of taps as they turned to the stairs. "Here he comes now!"

But Dipper wasn't wearing a costume. He had his pockets inside his vest as he walked down the stairs, dressing normally.

The four of them stared at him in silence before Candy spoke. "That is a very good Dipper costume."

Mabel walked over to him. "What the hey-hey, bro-bro. Where's your costume?"

"Look, I can't go trick-or-treating. I'm uh... really sick." He coughed right on cue. "M-must've been that bad candy!" He fell to the floor, clutching his stomach. "Go on without me!"

"Fight through it, man!" Mabel persuaded. "Where's your Summerween spirit?"

Y/n remained silent while setting the now-empty cup down on a nearby surface. Dipper's illness came out of nowhere. He couldn't have gotten sick from the candy, she was certain. His actions were extremely suspicious.

Instead of the usual door bell, someone knocked. Dipper stood up to his feet and opened it.

"Trick-or-treat."

A husky voice spoke. Dipper looked up to see a tall creature with a raggedy costume and a smiley face as their mask.

"Dude, really? You're a little old for this, man. Sorry."

"But, wait, I-" He was cut off by the slamming of the door.

Mabel had her hands on her hips. "Why'd you close the door?"

"I told you, Mabel, I'm just not feeling it tonight." He coughed again after his sentence.

"I think a little trick-or-treating will make you feel better," the other twin replied, nudging her brother.

Dipper glared. "I'm not trick-or treating!"

"Sounds a little weird coming from the so-called 'King of Trick-or-Treating'," Y/n noted, wanting to speak her mind. Her arms were crossed, her face contorted to a confused and doubtful expression.

Before he could utter a reply, there was a knock on the door again.

He opened it to see the same person. "Look, man, just go to another house!" He shut him out again.

"Dipper! Where's your Summerween hospitality?" Mabel shouted.

The door was knocked upon once more. "I'm not getting that." Dipper glowered.

"Well, I am!" She took over his place and opened the door this time, greeting the stranger with a happy face. "I apologize for my brother. He came down with a case of the grumpy-grumps-"

"SILENCE!"

Wind came over and leaves were flying around. The person made a dramatic stance and pointed at Mabel accusingly. "You have insulted me! For this you must pay... with your lives." He leaned closer.

"Ohhh, what a cute little mask!" Mabel placed her hands on her hips. "You're a funny guy, aren't you?"

The creature entered the Shack, and Y/n was immediately posed as if she's ready for a fight. She stood in front of the other girls as they shivered in fear. "Funny, am I?" He said with his raspy voice.

"Twik-ow-tweet!" A little boy walked by wearing a pirate costume. "My name is Gorney!" He said enthusiastically before he was being grabbed by the monster and devoured him whole as he screamed, "Remember me!"

Everyone in the room was hysterical. "Gorney!" Grenda shouted.

"There's only one way for you to avoid his fate." His slender finger poked Candy on the head, and it made her grab onto Y/n in fright as she glared at the creature. "I need a treat. If you can collect 500 pieces of candy, and bring it to me before the last Jack O' Melon goes out," He conveniently brought out a melon from nowhere and lit it up with his magic fingers before blowing it out. "I will let you live."

Dipper panicked. "Five hundred treats in one night? That's impossible!"

"The choice is yours, children." It began retreating its way outside. " You must trick-or-treat... or DIE!" The monster laughed maniacally before making its way to the Shack's roof and out of sight.

"Oh my gosh, Mabel. Do you know what this means?" Dipper frowned.

She was frowning as well, wearing a serious look. "I do... It means you have to come trick-or-treating! Yay!" She shook her brother in excitement.

Candy was still trembling slightly. "Who was that guy?"

"Was that the Summerween Trickster that Soos was telling us about?" Y/n wondered aloud.

"I can't believe it's true!" Mabel added.

"I can't believe he has a super hot, raspy voice!" Grenda chimed in, only to receive weird stares. "Just me? Okay."

Soos walked out of the Shack. "What's going out here, dudes? I heard a ruckus. Heh, funny word. Ruckus."

The kids told him about the monster that was threatening to eat them unless they gave him candy, confirming his legend. "You guys are in crazy bonkers trouble, dude."

Dipper began pacing around. "How are we gonna get so much candy in one night? There's no way!"

Mabel clapped from a random haystack she was standing on. Everybody crowded around her. "Listen up, people. Now some might say that being cursed by a blood-thirsty holiday monster is a bad thing, but that monster messed with the wrong crew. With everybody's own assets joining forces, we'll get 500 pieces of candy and have fun doing it, too, even if it takes all night!"

Everyone took off, Dipper trundling a wheelbarrow until they reached the streets of Gravity Falls. "How do you even do this anyway..." Y/n muttered, holding her own burlap sack.

Mabel gasped beside her. "Y/n, you've never trick-or-treated before?!"

She shook her head no. "I never had anyone to go out with, sadly," she confessed. All those years being sheltered down the portal room with Stan had been a result to her lack of social skills. Good thing she was a quick learner.

"Well, consider yourself lucky!" She hugged her side. "With us, you'll have so much fun with this being your first time!"

"I just don't understand why we can't just buy our candy and be done with it," Dipper spoke up, wiping the smile from her sister's face. Mabel removed her arm around Y/n's shoulders.

"That sorta takes the fun out of trick-or-treat-or-die, Dipper."

"I'm trying to take the die out of trick-or-treat-or-die!"

They all walked to the first house, which belonged to Lazy Susan. Another group of trick-or-treaters just received a bagful, so that means she's generous with her candy.

"Just say trick-or-treat, Y/n," Mabel said, facing her. "You need to be adorable, which you really don't have to do anything. Right, Dipper?" she nudged him casually, making him blush for a brief moment before looking away.

The team walked up to Lazy Susan and shouted in unison, "Trick-or-treat!"

"And is everybody in costume?" She began pointing them out one by one, naming them. "Chimney sweep (Grenda), elephant man (Soos), squeegee (Candy), ant farm (Mabel), hotdog sandwich! (Y/n)" She stopped at Dipper. "Oh, and what are you supposed to be?"

"Uh, actually, I'm not dressed up as anything. We're, we're kinda in a hurry here."

"Oh. I see."That made Susan frown as she began giving everyone except Dipper one piece of candy. "Enjoy!" She screamed with a smile before slamming the door shut.

"One piece of black licorice?!" Grenda complained.

Candy brought up her own lousy reward. "Circus peanut! This is loser candy."

"Five pieces of candy?! This is gonna take forever!"

"We've gotta up our game, Dipper. You gotta put on your costume," Mabel advised.

Dipper stubbornly declined. "I told you, I'm not up to it, Mabel!" He coughed in perfect timing again.

"Oh, really?" The Trickster appeared on top of a street light before climbing down onto Soos and picking up a candy from his bag. He inspected the piece as he hummed. Soos was quivering in fear. "I've seen better."

"Get off of him!" Y/n demanded, unafraid.

The Trickster jumped away and flipped onto a roof as he grabbed a lit Jack O' Melon. "Tick-tock..." he blew the candle out before jumping behind the house.

"That monster is seriously so dramatic..." Y/n muttered under her breath.

Mabel turned to Dipper. "So, what was that about being too sick to wear a costume?"

He sighed defeatedly as he kicked a rock.

***

A few minutes after coming back to the Shack and getting the costume before regrouping in the street and Dipper hiding later, Mabel finally welcomed her brother to the gang. "Introducing, for the first time in public..." Dipper walked out, shamefully wearing his costume. "TADA! Peanut Butter and Jelly!"

Everybody aww'ed in unison at the sight. Y/n couldn't help but smile at them. It was indeed a precious moment.

Dipper groaned. "Let's just get this over with, okay?"

The group lined towards the next street, splitting up to different houses. The peanut butter boy reached up and pressed the doorbell before facing the jelly girl. "Do you really think this will make a difference?"

A biker opened the door, grunting and holding a bowl of candy. The pair began dancing together before exclaiming, "TWINS!" with a broad grin. The biker stared at them before looking up, his eyes welling up with tears of joy. He threw the entire candy bowl into their bag, and the twins ran away in delight.

Grenda, Candy, Soos, Y/n had just returned from their respective homes they just trick-or-treated in, meeting in the middle to unload their earned candy. "Let's get that candy guys!"

More trick-or-treating ensued with Dipper and Mabel using their twin powers to charm the residents and making them give all the candy they had left. The notepad and pen that was inside Y/n's trench coat that was supposed to be a harmless prop came in handy as they used it to list the number of candies that they have.

The more candy they have in their wheelbarrow, the less time they have left until the last Jack O' Melon was blown out. A couple of ringing and dinging bells later, Mabel had just upturned her bag and a few more candy spilled out into the wagon. "499! We did it!" The group cheered. "All we need is one more piece of candy!"

"And it's only 8:30," Dipper said, looking at his watch. "Perfect timing!"

Perfect timing for what? Y/n wondered.

Mabel hugged him tightly. "Ah, and your cough went away, too!"

"Dude, I'm gonna go around and grab the truck. Soos, away!" Soos ran off with his cape wavering behind.

The ecstatic girl turned to Grenda, Candy, and Y/n. "Last one to the last house is a pair of wax lips!" The three giggled as they sprinted while Grenda screamed that she wasn't a wax lip.

The four girls arrived at the supposed last house by the corner of the street. "So, how was your first time trick-or-treating with us, Y/n?" Mabel asked, nudging her slightly.

"It was so fun! I didn't know it was fun," Y/n admitted with a huge smile on her face. "I can't believe a bunch of kids dressed up as various things get rewards from grown adults just because they have to!" The other three laughed at Y/n, making her confused. "Am I wrong?"

Mabel stopped chuckling first. She rang the doorbell and the girls greeted with "Trick-or-treat!" The woman sadly motioned to her hands that held a single piece of candy. "It's perfect, ma'am! Thank you!" They all began to walk back but Y/n spoke again.

"Wait, why did you guys laugh at me?"

"Oh, Y/n, you are such a nerd– and I don't mean that in a bad way, no. You know you don't have to spout out smart stuff all the time, right? Dipper's already impressed with you."

That only added to her confusedness. "...what?"

The trio giggled to one another. "He is... wait for it... nuts about you!" Everyone except Y/n burst into laughter again. "HAH, get it? Because he's a-" Mabel was cut off by her own laughter. "He's peanut butter! HAHAHA!"

Y/n shook her head. "You guys are hard to decipher."

Mabel slung her arm around her shoulders, not caring about the fake blood stain that might dirty her costume. "Don't worry your pretty little head, Y/n. You can talk to him about it later. Speaking of Dipper, let's–!"

Her words died in her throat as the four of them watched Dipper conversed with Wendy without his costume. "...party?" was the last part of Wendy's sentence.

Dipper was chuckling. "Yeah, yeah, I'm definitely coming." He nodded.

The van eventually speeded off as he waved them away. "Later, guys!"

Mabel stood there, frozen. "You're going to a party?"

His eyes widened as he turned around and saw their disappointed faces, his sister having the deepest frown. "Well, hey, I-"

He was cut off by the last piece of candy thrown directly at his face. "That's why you were acting so weird and trying to hurry us!" Mabel exclaimed. "You're not sick at all! So if it wasn't for this crazy monster, you were gonna ditch me! On our favorite holiday!" Her lip wobbled as she spoke.

Candy and Grenda said, "Ooooh" in unison, while Y/n remained silent.

"What happened to the DIpper who used to love Halloween?!" Mabel looked away as he remained silent. She looked around. "And where's all the candy?!"

"Relax, relax!" Dipper tried to ease her worries with a relieved grin. "I left it right here. Behind this bush." He walked over to the shrubs and pushed away the leaves before looking over. "Oh no."

The candy-filled wheelbarrow had fallen into a creek gorge, and the majority of the candy was floating downstream.

"What did you do?!" Mabel yelled further as they felt a pit to their stomachs. All their hard work was gone, down the drain. There was no way they could get another 500 pieces of candy with almost all the Jack O' Melons out.

Everybody looked around and they saw the houses all dark with no signs of light in them. "Oh no, all the Jack O' Melons are out!" Panicked Mabel.

"Look!" Dipper pointed down the road where the last melon was still lit. Old Man McGucket stood beside it with a large unknowing smile. "Hehe! Good night!" He inhaled his breath, ready to blow.

"Stop!" They got to him and tried to explain that he shouldn't blow out the candle.

"What?!" He had to pull out a horn to his ear.

"Don't blow out that candle!" Dipper shouted.

The man threw away the horn carelessly as he jollied, "I'm Old Man McGucket!" He inhaled again.

"Wait-!"

Grenda rammed into the old man and got a hold of the Jack O' Melon. "Sorry."

McGucket crawled away, producing sounds from an animal they couldn't identify. Finally, he was gone, and the melon was still lit. "Phew, that was close." The group sighed in relief, but the air from the mouths caused the candle to go out. Very unfortunate.

"Uh oh."

As if on cue, the Trickster appeared from under a lone streetlight, stepping into view. "Knock knock." He continued walking forward, and the team walked back. "So, children. Where's my candy?"

The three girls hugged each other in fright. Y/n was trying to devise a plan to escape from this monster, while Dipper was trying to reason. "I swear, we had all 500 pieces. Look! It's down there somewhere, we can still get it!"

The monster's limbs suddenly stretched him to a much taller height. "I'm afraid it's too late!" His back popped from behind, ripping away his sort of clothing. He leaned towards Dipper, mocking him with his slender fingers. "That was your last chance!"

Dipper took out the last candy he got from Mabel and attempted to attack him with it, flinging it towards the monster, but they watched as it only got absorbed with its flesh. The Trickster laughed maniacally. Okay, so it probably absorbs anything it hurls at him so they shouldn't go near it.

Y/n grabbed Mabel's hand, making her hold onto Grenda, who clasped her arm with Candy. "Let's go!"

Everyone ran around the Trickster, who followed them. The group suddenly collapsed and was being captured one by one by its morphing arms. "What are you made of?!" Y/n shouted, thrashing around in its hold. Surely he has a weakness once she finds out what he is.

It took hold of everyone, swinging them around as if it won a prize, until a van crashed into the monster, causing it to explode. The children went flying. The van stopped and Soos looked out the window. "Woah."

"Soos!" They were glad he was there to save the day, perfect timing and all.

"That wasn't like a regular pedestrian, was it?" He asked.

"It was the monster!"

"Thanks, Soos," Dipper said, turning to Mabel. "I'm just glad it's over, right?" He asked, only to receive no answers from her. She walked away towards the truck and hopped inside.

Once everyone was in the car, Soos asked the group, "Did everyone remember to put on their seatbelts?"

"Yes." Everyone except Mabel and Y/n – who just hummed – said. Mabel nodded without saying a word.

The truck drove off. Dipper and Mabel sat up front, while Y/n was in between Candy and Grenda. Mabel rubbed her slowly bruising elbow under her sleeve, not saying a word. "Hey, are you okay?" Dipper noticed. She turned away, giving him a cold shoulder. "There are probably some bandages back at the Shack..." he tried to reassure but all he received was nothing. He breathed a sigh.

Mabel was gazing outside the car's window when all of a sudden, particles of what looked like mush were taken by wind, moving quickly past her. "Uh... guys?" She said, looking back at the road to see the Trickster's body slowly being reassembled.

The smiley face mask was still there, and his limbs grew back, but he didn't even finish his transformation when he jumped into the air and crashed onto the car's roof, making Soos swerve as everybody screamed.

Soos managed to get the Trickster to release its grip, but the vehicle was still zigzagging. The van made an unsuspecting turn towards the Summerween store. "Hit the brakes, Soos!" Y/n shouted over the commotion.

The handyman stomped on the pedal and the tires screeched against the pavement until it eventually rammed into the sliding doors, smashing the glass. The car was now inside, dashing through shelves and merchandise before stopping.

Everyone managed to get out of their seats and into the store. Dust littered the room as Y/n checked if no one got hurt. The Trickster appeared in the giant hole the car made, crawling on the ground. "We have to hide!" Dipper yelled and the group hid behind the shelves.

The Trickster was getting more bloodthirsty by the second, destroying everything in its path. "He's blocking the only exit..."

Mabel and Dipper decided to hide on one of the lower shelves as well as Grenda, Candy, and Y/n. Soos was standing with the hung up costumes.

"Everyone, stay quiet!" Dipper whispered to the other four.

Y/n tapped her fingers against a surface as she thought of a plan. They can't be stuck here forever. It's only a matter of time until the Trickster finds them and devours them. She couldn't just sit here and wait. She had to do something.

So she crouched out of the shelf and looked around to see if the creature was nearby. "Y/n, what are you doing?"

"I'm finding another way out," she told them.She scouted the area as thoroughly as she could before proceeding to the other side of the aisle. A grip on her wrist stopped her, and she faced Dipper standing up from behind the shelf.

His brow furrowed in concern. "Stay! The monster might see you!" He hissed.

Mabel couldn't help it, she was angry. "Oh, now you're worried about the monster. I thought all you cared about was the party!"

Dipper still had Y/n in his grip, turning to his sister as he crouched back down with her. "Mabel, you know that's not true."

The two sensed that the Trickster was coming their way so they fit inside the shelf with Mabel. They stopped breathing for a bit until the monster passed by completely. Now, the three were squished together in a tight space. "I just..." Dipper continued in whispers, "I felt like I was getting a little too old for trick-or-treating."

"That's exactly why we need to go trick-or-treating, Dipper! We're getting older, there's not that many Halloween's left!" She turned away with a sigh. "I guess I didn't realize it was already our last one."

Dipper's eyes widened. As if he had only realized that this meant so much to Mabel. He looked down to the patterned floor and remained quiet. If only Y/n could reach over and give her a comforting hug, but she's afraid that there are more important things to take care of at the moment. |

"We have to find a way to not let him see us," Y/n told the group, thinking of a plan.

Soos stood still by the costume rack "If only there were something we could use to cover our bodies and faces with. You know, like a disguise of some kind..." he trailed off, placing fingers under his chin.

Mabel, Dipper, and Y/n looked at one another, having the same idea.

The group managed to find identical capes with skull masks – except for Soos, who donned a gorilla outfit. They tip-toed around the monster, stopping moving when it was near. Good thing the Trickster didn't have good senses. Does he even have a proper face with ears and a nose?

"Almost there!" Dipper said, leading the line.

Y/n paused in her movements, noticing that one person wasn't with them. "Wait-" she turned around and saw Soos by the shelves of cackling skulls again. "Soos!" she whisper-shouted towards the man, alerting everyone else as they stared at him in panic.

"Soos, don't you dare!" Mabel warned, pointing at him.

Soos held his hands together. "Sorry, dude, today's been way stressful. I need some levity. He pressed one of the skulls— but nothing happened.

Mabel smiled in relief as she faced the group. "Oh, thank goodness. It was out of batteries."

Unfortunately, Soos found a package of batteries, and was now struggling to open it.

"Soos, no!"

He eventually put the batteries inside of the toy but before he pushed down the head again, he was tackled to the ground. Y/n climbed on top of his belly. "Cut it out, man! The monster will hear you!" She snarled.

"No, let me hear it!" No matter how Y/n tried to push him down, Soos just easily managed to get up because of his height against her. "I... want... the... jokes!" He bumped the toy skulls and it turned on.

"No matter the score, I'm always a-head! Nyahaha! Nyahaha!"

Soos laughed as well, slapping his leg. "I'm sorry, Y/n, but this cackling head's the voice of a generation!"

Y/n's eyes widened, completely ignoring what he said as the Trickster was coming up behind them as its mouth opened. Soos turned around as well and the monster finally made its move, widening its mouth and leaning down. Y/n got into a fighting stance, but before the monster reached them, Soos pushed her away, sending her back to the group, before he was eaten.

She stared in shock. Why did he have to sacrifice himself for her?! Before she could call herself all the ugly names, Dipper's voice echoed through the hallway. "Hey, monster!" Y/n averted her gaze to the group pulling out toy weapons and began charging towards the Trickster. Mabel tossed her a plastic spear and they were all attacking the large being.

Grenda leaped into the air and swung her ax and it was effective, cutting off one of the Trickster's limbs. As they bash their weapons into its limbs, some particles were flying out, and poor Grenda had a taste of them. Her brows furrowed as she found the taste familiar. "Saltwater taffy? Gross!"

Dipper hacked at a leg, and the same itty bits came at him. "What are you–?!" He tasted a piece. "Wait, it is!" He confirmed Grenda's suspicions.

"You really haven't figured it out yet?" The Trickster said, picking everyone up as he brought them closer. "Don't you recognize me? Look at my face! Look closely." He pulled the smiley mask off to reveal that he was an amalgamation of various candy pieces. Cherry swirlies for his eyes, pepper sticks for his brows, apple licorice for his lips, and worst of all, candy corn for his teeth. The rest of his so-called flesh was just littered with-

"Loser candy!" Mabel shouted.

"That's right!" The Trickster said, proceeding to tell his backstory– how he was rejected so he sought revenge on the picky children. "No one would eat me. But now, I'm going to eat you." The twins screamed, holding each other. They hear something grumbling, making the Trickster struggle to speak. "What is that?!" He screamed in pain as his body was growling and moving around.

Suddenly, Soos tore through the Trickster's chest, screeching. The creature dropped the group as he fell to the ground, vomiting jelly beans. Soos sat atop of the monster comfortably, basically eating his insides with a smile. "You guys want some of this?"

Everyone shook their heads. Y/n grimaced, feeling like Mabel after eating those expired Smile Dips. "I don't wanna eat any candy ever again," she said after seeing this horrifying view.

"Wait! You actually think I taste... good?"

Soos shrugged. "Uh, sure! You know."

The Trickster smiled. "All I've ever wanted is for someone to say that I was... good!" He began sobbing as candy corn came out of his eyes, "I'm so happy!"

Gorney was also safe inside of the Trickster's stomach, screaming happily, "I've bween twaumatized!"

Eventually, everyone decided that it was time to go home. The Trickster was gone because his unfinished business was finally, well, finished. Luckily, the truck was still working after the crash. After removing all the debris, they finally got in and drove back to the Shack.

The moon was still high up in the sky as the group entered through the living room. They greeted Stan by the door who was watching a horror movie.

"Hey, Dipper!" Wendy chimed in as she had been sitting from the chair on the left of them. She was carving a watermelon.

"Wendy!" He was surprised to see her here, especially now where she could see him in his peanut butter costume with Mabel.

The redhead frowned. "I didn't see you at the party. Where were you?" She asked.

Dipper began stuttering, stalling for a cool excuse to somewhat impress her as she waited with an eyebrow raised. He stopped and decided that he shouldn't lie anymore and he shouldn't be ashamed of it. So with a proud grin, he told her. "I was trick-or-treating. With my sister." He brought her in for a side-hug, making Mabel smile.

Wendy turned to Y/n who was looking at the now cracked fake glasses. "Wait, you went trick-or-treating too, Y/n?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

The older teen smiled. "Well, I gotta say, I like your hotdog costume."

"It's not a hotdog costume! Why do people keep saying that?!"

"Maybe because of your beige coat, beige pants, and beige hat that looked like a hotdog bun," Mabel happily pointed out.

Dipper agreed. "Mm, and the fake blood honestly looked like ketchup."

Y/n sighed in defeat, deciding that denying the hotdog theory would be pointless anyway.

Wendy was telling them that the party was lame and that Robbie ate a lollipop stick first and had to go home sick, making Dipper stifle a laugh.

"Aw man," Mabel said, frowning, "we went to every single house, and we didn't even get to eat any candy!"

"Candy?" Stan asked from the yellow chair before bringing out two large sacks. "How's that for candy?"

The trio grinned at each other. Everyone got out of their costumes except for Soos (who stupidly didn't bring his clothes) as Stan turned the bags upside down, letting all the candy fall to the ground. The TV had just announced that the movie is coming back from a commercial break. Y/n turned off the lights as everyone settled around the pile of candy.

Dipper returned from upstairs and silently entered the room, sitting on the steps. He carefully attached a bandage on Mabel's sore arm and they smiled at each other.

They were quietly munching on candies as they intently watched the supposed horror movie until Soos broke the silence.

"I ate a man alive tonight."

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 15!

kimmiepines
originally published: january 21, 2023
6574 words

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