A few centuries ago...

"Stan!"

In a colossal city, with buildings raising from the ground, streets paved with gold, and surrounded by a celestial night sky. A young man with brown hair and glasses, was meeting up with his twin brother.

"Stan!" Stanford Pines called again.

Stanley Pines, his brother, turned to him. He smiled as the young Night Guardian approached him. "Sixer, what's the hurry? Did something happen?"

"Yes," Ford smiled. "Dipper and Mabel just got their human forms!"

Stan's eyes widened. "Already? And at the same time?"

"Affirmative," His brother replied. "I predict they'll be very powerful Guardians in the future."

"I, for one, am proud of those two knuckleheads," Stan said. "We should celebrate! How about we take them on a trip around the galaxy. You know, meet new people, probably commit some kind of tax fraud."

"Even though, I would've enjoyed bailing you out of jail the fifteenth time in a row," Ford said, sarcastically. "I think we should have our celebration here. After all, we don't know what dangers are outside the Dreamscape..."

Stan looked at him seriously. "Ford, the war is over," He insisted. "Demons are no longer our enemies."

"But, there are rogues out there," Ford reminded. "Remember, the Ciphers and what they did to us?"

The Day Guardian paused, a wave of sadness in his eyes. "How can I forget? I miss Shermy..."

"I miss him, too," Ford said, sorrowfully. "Hopefully, we won't have the repeat of that day, since the Ciphers are gone for good--"

"Sir!"

Both turned, seeing a guard in uniform rushing towards them, with an urgent expression.

"What's wrong?" Ford asked.

The guard stared. "There are intruders! By the entrance!"

The Pine twins were shocked. That was impossible. What could have been strong enough to breach the realm's defenses? Unless...

Without a second to lose, both Guardians rushed in the direction of the realm's gate. They sped past confused pedestrians, before finally reaching their destination. There, they saw a group of guards, with their weapons pointed.

"Stand back!" Ford commanded.

The guards obeyed, and moved aside, revealing the intruders. There were five of them, the oldest one being a young man in a hood, while the rest couldn't be any younger than Dipper and Mabel. Stan looked at the children shielded by the hooded man's arms, and they looked all too familiar.

Before he could utter a gasp, Ford stepped threateningly towards the hooded man. "Who are you?"

"Please, I only ask for help," The man replied.

"First, answer my question."

The man sighed. "Do you remember the war? Your kind killed two powerful overlords. They were our parents."

The Ciphers had kids!?, Stan thought.

Ford looked equally shocked, but the expression melted away to be replaced by a much angrier one. "What do want from us? And what is your name?"

"My name is Tad," He answered, quickly. "And my younger siblings and I only seek refuge. We were lost in space for days."

"I don't know," Ford said, honestly. "How can I trust you? What if you're out for revenge?"

"Quite the opposite, actually," Tad said. "I want redemption for my family name. If you're still unconvinced, you can check me for signs of lying, I guarantee you won't find anything."

Ford narrowed his silver eyes suspiciously. "You think I'm that dense? I've been deceived by Demons before, so I won't fall for your games."

Tad stepped forward, grabbing Ford desperately by his forearm. "They're not games! I'm telling the truth!" He yelled. "Please, don't make us go back, my siblings won't survive. You can leave me, but please, save my family."

Stan felt his chest clench a little upon seeing the broken man. He never liked Demons, but this one seemed genuine. He looked over at his brother, hoping to find a shed of sympathy in his gaze. Unfortunately, all Stan could see was cold distrust.

"I'm sorry," Ford spoke, seriously. "But the answer is--"

"You can stay."

Ford spun around, staring at his brother. Stan ignored him, looking blankly at Tad. "If we can prove you're not lying, you and your family can stay here from now on."

"Thank you," Tad whispered, gratefully.

"Secure them," Stan ordered the guards.

They nodded in return, before escorting the Cipher family away from the gate. Before they left, one of the Demons, a small boy with blond hair, turned to glance at Stan. The Day Guardian didn't know why, but he felt a chill run up his spine, when seeing those golden eyes.

After that, Stan turned back to his brother, where unsurprisingly, Ford was giving him a hard look. "I did the right thing," He insisted.

"Really?" Ford snapped. "Because from my perspective, you invited the spawn of pure evil into our home!"

"He has kids with him, Poindexter," Stan shot back. "You were about to banish kids into the cold dead space!"

Realization flooded over the Night Guardian's features, and his expression softened. "You're right," He admitted. "I may have been too harsh. Still, would Shermy really approve of us letting the Ciphers live in the same place as his grandkids?"

"He would've understood the circumstances," Stan reassured. "It's going to be alright, Ford. You just gotta trust me."

Ford smiled softly at him. "Of course, I trust you."

"C'mon, we should start interrogating that Tad guy."

So, the two walked off in the same direction the guards took. There was an obvious tension in the air, and Stan could feel it radiating from Ford. Even though his twin pretended to be alright about this, there was no denying...

...Everything was different now.

❇❇❇
Present Day:

Will was awoken by a loud noise.

It came from downstairs, and it was a heavy thud. Will shot upright in his bed, looking fearfully at the door. The noise came again, and Will gingerly made his way towards his brother's bed.

Bill was sleeping soundly, and Will gently nudged him. "Bill, I think someone's downstairs," He said.

Bill groaned softly, and Will nudged him a little more desperately. "C'mon, please wake."

Bill held onto his pillow. "Dipper..." He mumbled, sweetly.

Will's face lit up in confusion. "No, it's Will."

Going for the last resort, he reached out and pinched Bill's nose. Immediately, the blond's eyes shot open, and he jolted out of his sleep.

"Ah! What is wrong with you?" Bill snapped, rubbing his nose.

"Someone's downstairs," Will explained.

"So? It's probably Wendy or the Pines."

"Still, can you please help me check?"

Bill yawned, then climbed out of bed. "Fine, as long as I can go back to sleep after."

"By the way, you were talking in your sleep a moment ago," Will said. "It sounded like Dipper was in your dream."

"Dipper?" Bill said, blushing madly. Then, he stuttered. "I-I don't know what you're talking about! C'mon, let's go."

With that, the two climbed downstairs. Upon doing that, they were met with a familiar face.

"Stan?" Will gasped.

The Day Guardian turned to them with a bright look. "Heya, kids! Seems like morning hasn't been treating you well."

"What are you doing?" Bill snapped.

"Well, I recently broke into your house with a crowbar--"

"Not that!" The blond yelled. "I'm talking about all this junk!"

The whole living room was filled to the brim, with all sorts of cheap artifacts, most looked poorly handmade.

"They're my exhibits, of course," Stan smiled. "Can't have a gift shop without them."

"And where is this gift shop of yours, old man?" Bill asked.

"You're standing in it, kid."

Will's eyes widened. "What? You've mistaken, this is our house."

"And it's also gonna be the biggest tourist trap in town," Stan grinned. "The Mystery Shack! With amazement and overpriced merchandise in every corner."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Bill remarked. "What makes you think you can come in here and claim our property?"

"Uh, you did."

Then blond blinked. "What?"

"Last night," The man started. "We played poker, and placed our bets. Your bet was that if you lose, you'll share custody of the shack with me. And in the end, I won."

"Oh..." Bill murmured, in realization.

Will turned to his brother furiously. "What were you thinking!?"

Bill turned to him. "I drank a lot of Kool-Aid that night..."

Will facepalmed, while Stan said. "If you excuse me, I have a shop to open." Then, he walked off.

At that moment, more people entered the shack. It was Wendy, and the Pine twins.

"Hey--" Wendy paused at her greeting, when she saw the stuff filling the living room. "Uh, what's happening here?"

"It's Bill's fault," Will said.

"Ah, makes sense"