The End is Just the Beginning (a Bad End Friends story)

Chapter 2

Wirt was again waiting in the darkness of his forest watching a path he knew a lost soul would stumble unto. His oil supply was growing sparse, and he needed an Edelwood gravelly.

Finally, a boy came walking down the snow-covered path, but Wirt could tell something was off about him. He looked normal enough: about 15 with a reverend's suit and thick leather shoes. The clothing was a bit strange but not unreasonable.

The boy also had a grin from one ear to the other, though. Even though it was snowing, the boy looked happy, jaunty even, which confused Wirt.

The boy stopped suddenly a few feet from where Wirt was hiding.

"Playing hide-and-seek, are we?" he said, turning his head to look exactly where Wirt was concealed. "'Cause I found you, Beasty. You can come out now"

Wirt stepped on to the path. "Who are you?"

The boy laughed. "Bill Cipher, but you can call me Bipper," he said as he brushed a few melting snowflakes off of his suit.

"Why Bipper?" Wirt asked in a monotone voice.

"Bill! Dipper!" The boy gasped. "Bipper!" he said, mocking a high-pitched voice, presumably a girl.

"What do you want?" Wirt asked.

"So pushy!" Bipper exclaimed. "But no, it's not what I want. It's more so what you need."

"I don't need anything," Wirt told him and started to walk away, unamused with the conversation and the boy's obvious con.

"I can make sure you don't ever have to make an Edelwood ever again to light that lantern of yours," Bipper said almost playfully.

Wirt stopped walking. He didn't know how Bipper knew about the lantern since it was skillfully hidden in the folds of his cloak.

"I can fill that light of yours indefinitely. You could be free from the responsibility," Bipper said. "You could save your brother."

Wirt turned to face the mysterious boy again. "And what do you want from me then?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just for you to come with me," Bipper told him.

Wirt narrowed his strangely colored eyes. "Why would I ever do that?"

"Sheesh, you ask a lot of questions," Bipper griped. "But if it makes you come with me." He shrugged. "I am making the dream team, a nightmare team more accurately. An unholy trinity of chaos and bloodshed. If we join forces, we will be unstoppable throughout the multiverse!"

"Who is the third?" Wirt asked, unimpressed with Bipper's speech. "You said 'trinity', so who is the third?"

Bipper rolled his eyes. "I should be calling you Question Mark; you asked way more questions than that idiot ever did," he said. "But to answer your question: you'll see if you come join me."

Wirt thought the deal through a moment. "If you are true to your word, and only if you keep my lantern lit, I will join your little world conquering Champaign."

"Give me your lantern," Bipper said, holding out his hand impatiently.

Wirt's grip tightened in his lamp.

"C'mon, I won't steal it. That would be boring and not to mention needless," Bipper said.

Wirt finally hesitantly handed the suited boy his lantern.

As soon as Bipper took it in both of his hands, it glowed, flashing glaringly in the cold darkness of the forest. It was brighter than it ever had been.

"So, do we have a deal?" Bipper asked after he handed the lantern back. He stuck out his thin fingered hand.

Wirt shook it, and their hands were encased in blue flames that were not hot and glowed more intense than the lantern had. The two pulled apart, and their deal was bound.