A/N: I don't own Gravity Falls or anything else mentioned. Also, this is the start of an anthology series that will be written by myself and few friends of mine. I won't be taking requests simply on the grounds I'm bad of keeping track of multiple requests. This first story will be a Gravity Falls/Penn-Zero: Part-Time Hero crossover written by me. I hope you all enjoy the start of the series and the stories following.
A Mirror Broken: Part One
"Hey, don't go to sleep on me now"
Mason's eyes slowly reopened when he heard Wendy's voice. He looked back to see his girlfriend face looking back down at with a warm smile across her face. He had been resting his head on the ginger's lap was as the young couple laid under a tree nearby the Mystery Shack. For it being the middle of the summer, it was rare cool day, so the two teens decided to just spend the day enjoying one another company out in the open. The two teens had been just sitting under the tree four a good hour or so simply talking about nothing of real importance and merely enjoying one another's company after being kept apart for so long.
"What I can I say? I've got a pretty good seat" Dipper replied with a small chuckle
Wendy couldn't help but chuckle as well at that. The two may have started their relationship via long distance, but their bond was strong enough to see that they could reunite this summer as actual lovers. It wasn't just Dipper and Wendy's status changing as friends to lovers changing, but several other things had changed in the strange little town since last year as well. Ever since Mason and his twin sister, Mabel, had returned to Gravity Falls, they had gone from a pair weird with a con-artist for a great-uncle to being the town heroes with a former con-artist for a great-uncle. Dipper enjoyed the celebrity status, but his girlfriend made sure that it didn't totality go to his head.
Soos still ran the Mystery Shack as he had when Stan turn over ownership to it last year. He had kept the tourist trap the same as it ever was, the only differences being the staff. While Wendy was still employed there, Soos's girlfriend Melody had been given work there as well while Soos's grandmother had taken residence in the gift shop and had moved into Stan's old bedroom and made it as her own while Soos had redone his breakroom into a bedroom for him and Melody. The Pines twins still made the Mystery Shack their summer home, but now they had to share it with permanent residents—one of whom had a tendency to sleep walk in the nude.
Dipper and Mabel weren't the only returning heroes to Gravity Falls. When they heard that their grandniece and nephew were returning to the small Oregon town, they decided to take a little break from their global mission to investigate all things paranormal and rejoin with the now teens twins in Gravity Falls. Besides, it wasn't like there wasn't an abundance of mysteries still within the small town to keep the group occupied. Since there was hardly any room for them at the Mystery Shack, the two brothers instead took up residence with Fiddleford Mcguket at his newly owned mansion where Ford and his old friend spent countless hours working on several different projects with Stand at their side.
Among the other changes for Mason and Mabel, puberty had hit the twins like a sledgehammer. For starters, they had hit a major growth spurt over the timespan between last summer and this summer. Granted, they still weren't as tall as the other teens in the town—only coming up to chest level at best—but still it was a vast improvement over their previous heights. Dipper's new height had forced him switch to out his vest and shorts for a brown jacket and blue jeans, but he still wore his classic cap after his beloved redhead gave it back to him, telling that people would recognize him more with it on. Mabel's hair had grown out to the point to where she had to put her hair in a ponytail. She still wore her sweaters, but her braces had since been removed and her skirt had been replaced by a pair of shorts.
"So, what's on the agenda today?" Wendy asked as "Finding lost gold? Monster hunting? Ghost catching?"
Despite Bill being defeated, there was still plenty of mysteries and paranormal occurrences throughout Gravity Falls for the group to investigate. However, rather than just simply go out and search for themselves, they instead made a business out of it. Not only would they investigate paranormal activity on their time, but the group would take on cases given to them by the people and even the supernatural residences of the town for a price. Admittedly, Dipper and his sister felt a little guilty for taking money from their case, however, they got over it rather quickly once they saw the number of zeroes there were on the check they had given for their services. Candi once made a passing joke that the Pines had become Sam and Dean Winchester for hire, to which they agreed with wholeheartedly, only they sometimes took jobs that didn't require them being put in harm's way without first checking to make sure their client had the money for it.
"Nah, it's a free day" her lover answered "which gives us time to— "
"Hey guys!" came Mabel's voice
"…have my sister kill the mood" the paranormal investigator finished irritability before looking up to face his sister "what do you want, Mabel? We're kinda in the middle of something here"
"Like what, trying to it get on under a tree?" his twin retorted "you guys would probably be better off making out behind the dumpster like you two normally do"
"Again, I ask: what do you want?" her sibling demanded
"Lazy Susan just came into the Mystery Shack, she says that she needs our help with an important case" the hyperactive girl informed them
"I guess our free day just ended then" Wendy said with a sigh "Oh well, it was fun while it lasted"
"I'll see you guys inside" Mabel said before walking back to the gift shop
With a collective, irate sigh, the couple picked themselves up off the ground and began to walk toward the Mystery Shack hand in hand before Wendy noticed that her lover was removing an article of clothing from his person
"You're not going to wear your hat? "she noted
"Meh, I didn't feel like wearing for a case interview with Lazy Susan" he explained
"Your Mason Pines, wear the damn hat" his girlfriend ordered playfully
Needless to say, Dipper did as he was told. Just as he placed his signature cap atop his head once more, he felt a cold chill run up his spine. it wasn't from the cool summer breeze, but from a strange feeling that began to resonate deep at the pit of his stomach. It was a feeling foreboding, one he had not felt since the time Bill Cipher haunted his family. But Mason shrugged off the feeling and continued to head toward the Mystery Shack with his lover at his side, all the while wondering if that feeling of dread was a fluke or not.
Meanwhile, several states away from Gravity Falls, there was another town by the name of Middleburg. Now at first glance, Middleburg was vastly different from Gravity Falls. It was a basic suburban town that was surrounded by steel and concrete instead of wilderness and hadn't the slightest trace of paranormal within it. By all accounts, Middleburg had nothing in common with the strange little town, at least, that's what appeared on the surface that is. For in this town there was a rundown theater that no one really paid attention. But while it appeared dilapidated on the outside, on the inside however, it was different story.
Within the Odyssey Theater, there was a machine unlike any other on earth. It was called the Trans-Dimensional Projector, a machine capable allowing someone the ability to traverse the Multiverse and temporarily assume the lives of others within those worlds. This device was used as method of transpiration for three young heroes named Sashi Kobayashi, Boone Wiseman, and their leader Penn Zero. Together, the three teens protected the Multiverse from the forces of evil such as their art teacher, Rippin, who was a part-time villain, and his minion, Larry, who was also school's principal. The two teams fought over the fate of the Multiverse day in and day out with Penn's team coming out on top. At this point, Penn knew that to expect when it came to his occupation, but this day was going to throw him a major curve ball.
When Penn entered the Odyssey Theater today, he expected to something out of the ordinary, he did travel to alternate realities after all. However, as he and his friends entered the theater, they found their boss, Phyllis, was at the control center of the Trans-Dimensional Projector, frantically pressing buttons and pulling levels as she did. The trio of heroes were a bit perplexed by their normally, calm and emotionless boss acting as if she was almost in a state of panic, that was, until they saw the portal. The portal that allowed Penn and his friends to traverse the multiverse was flaring out of control, sparks flew from the portal and the screen flashed an array of colors and glimpses of other universes. Needless to say, the redhead and his friends were shocked by the sight before them.
"Phyllis, what the hell is going on?!" Penn shouted up to his boss
"Is nothing to worry about, Penn Zero" she assured them in her usually stoic Slavic voice as she continued to man the controls "Is only possible invasion from alternate reality"
It took a moment for the words to mentally register with Penn's brain before he spoke.
"I'm sorry, but I could've sworn you just said: invasion from an alternate reality!" the part-time hero declared, now panicking
"No, I said possible invasion from alternate reality" Phyllis corrected dryly "There is difference"
"But you said this couldn't happen" Sashi pointed out
"Not unless someone or something has big enough power to punch hole in reality itself and use Trans-Dimensional Projector as doorway to our universe" the Slavic woman replied, "Only something with near god-like abilities can do such a thing"
"Oh great, so we're being attacked by God" Penn mentioned "I knew being an Agnostic would come back to haunt me"
"I don't know, maybe it's pixie hitchhiker" Boone theorized "Oh! Maybe he'll have presents!"
"Boone, if I wasn't afraid of whatever was about to come through that portal, I'd smack you" his ginger friend said
"Can't you stop it, Phyllis?" the part-time sidekick asked
"What do you think I am doing? having tea party up here?" her boss answered, "whatever is trying come through is fighting hard to come through!"
Penn and his friends could only look on at the chaotic portal continued to spiral out of control with a growing apprehension and even fear in their hearts. None of the young heroes knew they hadn't faced anything like this before and were unsure of themselves if they could hold back whatever or whoever was about to enter their world, but they silently agreed to stand their ground and face whatever around make its arrival into their universe together as team like they always had done. Sashi stepped closer to Penn and placed her hand on his, putting slight pressure on her grip as she did. The young hero glanced over to his sidekick and could see the growing fear in her eyes.
Sashi wasn't the type of person to be afraid of the unknown, or anything else to be honest. If anything, the unknown was more afraid of the violent teen than she was of it, but this time it was different, the young girl could feel it in her very soul like Penn and Boone could. Penn gave her hand a soft squeeze in reassurance, wordlessly telling that he wouldn't leave her side. Boone took a few steps behind his young leader, he wasn't running, but he wasn't in a hurry to be the first in line to be beaten senseless by whatever enter this universe either. As the trio awaited the coming of unknown threat, Phyllis continued to try every trick she could think of to keep mysterious invader from entering her world, but no matter she did, nothing seemed to slow the strange force from coming through the portal.
Just then, the group of heroes heard the doors fly open to reveal their enemies, Rippin, Larry and Phil entering the theater. Acting on instinct alone, Penn, Sashi and Boone spun around and readied themselves for a fight, thinking that the part-time villains were behind this mess in the first place. Penn wouldn't put it past Rippin to pull something like this, this was the same man who trapped his parents in the most dangerous world after all. Not only had he separated the part-time hero from his parents, but he had also nearly trapped Penn in an endless black void that he barely escaped from and nearly destroyed the Multiverse in the process.
"I should've guessed you'd be behind this, Rippin!" Penn declared
"What the bloody hell are you talking about, boy?" his art teacher/arch-villain replied in confusion "Phyllis called us!"
"Is true, Penn Zero, if whatever is trying to break into our world gets through, then we need all help we can get!" his boss confirmed "Even if help comes from bad guys"
Penn was about to express his contempt for sudden this alliance, the portal began to flare out of control even more than it had done so before. Phil quickly darted up the ladder and rushed to Phyllis's aide in keeping the mysterious assailant's arrival at bay for long as they could. But try as they might, the interdimensional traveler was still forcing their way through. Penn was forced to accept this uneasy alliance and stand at the ready for whatever was about to come through the portal.
Suddenly, a blinding flash of light engulfed the entire interior of the theater, blinding everyone in the vicinity in doing so. Seconds later, the light faded to reveal to the united group that the stranger they were trying to keep had arrived. The unwanted newcomer was tall and had a slender body-type and was dressed from head to toe in a black hooded robe, and while the group was still unsure as to who even what was under the hood, they could see that the stranger was wearing a pair black gloves and boots to cover her hands and feet. The stranger looked around their new surroundings, clearly disregarding Penn and others in the process as they approached the traveler.
"Uh, excuse me" Penn spoke up to get the newcomer's attention "yeah, hi, I'm Penn Zero and my friends and I wanna know why decided to break into our universe? Are you lost?"
The stranger ignored Penn's questions. Instead, the traveler continued to look around the theater in curiosity.
"It worked…" came a female voice from under the hood "I made it…."
"Uh, hello?" the part-time hero addressed "are you even listening to me?"
"Let's just snap her neck and get it over with, PZ!" Sashi demanded
"I agree with your psychotic girlfriend, Zero" Rippin added on "Let's just kill this woman and be done with it!"
"Now would killing someone from another universe count as murder?" Larry asked the others "Because if she's not from here then maybe the law pertain to her. So, maybe we could get away with this one if we say she trespassed on our earth and it was in an act of self-defense. I can't tell you guys how many hit-and-run charges I've dodged by claiming it was in self-defense— "
"You, stop talking" the stranger commanded sternly, pointing to the part-time minion as she did before pointing to Penn "you, tell me, is this Gravity Falls?"
"Gravity Falls?" the ginger repeated in confusion "Is that the name of the universe you're from?"
"No silly, that's the name of a town in Oregon. I've got a time-share there" Larry corrected "They've got some great maple syrup, and I'm not even a syrup kinda guy, I'm more of a butter and jam type of guy, but I've been known to make a few excep— "
"So, this is the right universe, but the wrong town" the woman mused to herself before looking back at Larry "you will take me there at once"
"Hold it right there, lady" Sashi ordered in a sharp tone "You're not going anywhere until we get some answers"
The traveler from beyond perk her head up slightly to show her cold, almost ice-like, eyes to the united team of part-time heroes and villains. And just from the glower in her eyes, Penn and the others could tell right away that this woman did not like to be given orders.
"If you must know child, my name is Tala" the newcomer replied in an annoyed tone "and you're in my way!"
From under the hood, the stranger's cold blue eyes suddenly began to shine a bright azure color before the mysterious woman unleashed a powerful telekinetic shockwave from her mind that sent the group flying all across the theater. Thinking that her opposition had been defeated, the newcomer who called herself Tala stepped down from the platform and began to walk down the theater aisle and toward the door. However, Phyllis had no intention of letting this woman get away that easily. With the flick of a few switches, the Salvic woman activated the theater's security system.
Turrets descended downward from the ceiling and locked on to Tala. One of the walls opened up to allow a trio of security robots to roll out while Phyllis's pet bear, Karen, emerged from her kennel so that she could disembowel the intruder before her. However, rather than be intimated by the all the weapons and wildlife surrounding her, Tala grimaced under her hood, clearly not amused by the thought of wasting anymore time here than she already had.
"You have no idea who you're dealing with, do you?" she asked the older woman "Well let me show you!"
Just as the turrets fired a volley of lasers down toward the intruder in unison, Tala created a barrier of psychic energy around herself. The mental shield she had created absorbed the turret's lasers much to the shock of both Phyllis and Phil. Tala then waved her hand at the turrets, causing them to explode from the simply gesture. Tala did away with her mental barrier just the robots began toward their enemy. However, Tala levitated the machines off the ground and began to telekinetically dissemble them with a simple thought before launching the parts up toward Phyllis, who managed to jump out of the way while Phil was unfortunately pinned up the wall as the metal wrapped around him like a snare.
Karen let out a roar and lunged toward Tala, only to be picked up via the mental mistress's psychic powers and chucked across the theater like a ragdoll. Seeing that she had easily crushed what little resistance was left to stand in her way, Tala once again headed for the door. Sashi had since recoiled from the initial hit and was charging toward her opponent at full speed before leaping into the air with a flying kick that was meant to break the villain's back. However, Tala merely stopped the part-time sidekick in mid-air without so much as even making eye contact with the teen before sending her flying backwards into a wall. Penn attempted to also rush toward the woman, but Tala turned to face the part-time hero with her eyes flaring with energy again.
Penn's mind was instantly struck by an intense pain that made him scream in agony as he fell to his knees. He clutched his head as the pain continued to rack his mind. It felt as though someone had set the inside of his brain ablaze with no chance of putting out the fire. Boone rushed to his friend's side and tried to help him, but could only keep the redhead from flaying about on the ground. While the heroes were in a state of total disarray, Rippin and Larry had since abandoned this fool's errand and were attempting to make their exit out the door. Tala used her mental abilities to snatch the two part-time villains and yank them back to her.
"You said you know the way to Gravity Falls, correct?" she questioned Larry
"Oh yeah, I got there all the time" the minion answered, "though only when my time-share allows"
"Then you take me there at once" the mental mistress commanded before looking at Rippin "and you will assist me in my endeavor, or else"
"Uh—yes, of course! I'll help in any way I can1" the art teacher fearfully compiled "always good to work with proper villains I always say and all that! Now could you please let me down?"
"Not just yet" Tala answered
With that, the villainess began to rise off of the group and levitate herself and her new cohorts into the air. She then looked up at the ceiling focused her mental energy toward it before blowing a massive whole through the roof. Tala then rocketed through the hole she had made and flew through it with while mentally Rippin and Larry behind her. Once the interdimensional villain had departed, the agony that besieged Penn's mind stopped, giving him a chance to stand up. Sashi and Phyllis had also recovered from the attack as well and regrouped with the part-time hero.
"We…we gotta stop her" Penna said, still reeling from the pain he was previously in as he did
"Stop her? dude, we couldn't even touch her!" Boone exclaimed "she mopped the floor with us in under two minutes!"
"You don't understand, Boone" his friend began "when Tala was attacking my mind, I could see glimpses of her mind in return. She's like some kind of interdimensional parasite, always looking for the same people in each universe so that she could feed on them"
"Feed on them?" Sashi repeated in the form of a question "But how, and why for that matter?"
"I don't know, Sash" the redhead replied "All I know is that she's going to kill a lot of people to get what she wants. And we're the only ones who can stop her!"
"But how do we even catch her?" the part-time Wiseman addressed "she flew out of the roof!"
"I may have solution" Phyllis said, "I can use Trans-Dimensional Projector to teleport you there before she can reach Gravity Falls"
"But we still down know how to stop her even if we beat her there" Sashi pointed out
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there" Penn answered "Right now we have to focus on getting to the people Tala wants to feed on before she does. When our minds were connected I saw the name of one of them, maybe if we get to him first we can find and save the others before Tala can get them"
"But we won't have any powers when we run into her" Boone reasoned
"That doesn't matter Boone" Penn argued "Even without any powers or weapons to help us, we're still heroes. And right now, we have a villain to stop. So, you all I have to ask is: are you guys with me?"
"Count me in, PZ" Sashi said confidently "I'm gonna crack that bitch's skull open the next time I see her!"
"Dude, after that speech I'd follow you to hell and back!" Boone informed "Let's do this!"
Phyllis could only give a small smile at Penn's words. However, the smile quickly vanished when she remembered that she had a job to do. As the teen's stop on the platform, their boss rushed back up to the projector's controls. After making a few small adjustments, Phyllis sent the trio through the portal, all the while saying a small prayer for them as she did.
"You know I am still pinned to wall, right?" Phil mentioned
"I know, but don't care" his opposite replied
"Thank you coming Lazy Susan" Mason said as he let the waitress out the door "We'll see what we can do about your missing cats"
After closing the door behind the woman, Dipper blew a haggard sigh. This the sixth time this week Susan had hired the Pines Twins services in order to find her missing felines, and more after than not, they were always hiding under her house. Mason almost felt guilty that the waitress paid them up front—keyword in that sentence being almost.
"Well that's another easy hundred" he informed the rest of the group "how about mini-golf and dinner, my treat"
"We should at least get Susan's cats out from under her house first" his girlfriend mentioned "It's the least we could do for her"
"Aw, but the twenty-percent discount at the golf course ends at noon, dude!" Soos whined
"Besides, I'm the one who always has to get the cats because I'm the only who can squeeze under there" Mabel furthered "Can't we just wait until we're all done having fun?"
"Fine" Wendy conceded "But you're getting every single cat out from under that house"
A collective 'yay!' rang out throughout the Mystery Shack group. The only thing that would've this moment better was if Stan and Ford were joining in on the festivities, but the older twins were currently busy helping Mcguket with his latest experiment. It was probably for the better, considering that Stan had a tendency to pick a fight with the machines at the golf course. Besides, Mason and Wendy had make-out spot inside the giant windmill that they hadn't visited lately—something that the paranormal investigator was going to correct as of tonight.
Suddenly, a bright flash of light suddenly consumed the Mystery Shack's living room, blinding everyone within it for several seconds. When the light dissipated, the group found a trio of teenagers standing before them. The teens appeared as though they were just as shocked of suddenly being inside the Mystery Shack as Dipper and his friends were of their arrival. Dipper and the others readied themselves for a fight, knowing that nothing good came from three teenagers appearing out of a flash of light. Obviously knowing that their sudden intrusion, the boy with red curly hair stepped forward.
"Uh…Hi" he awkwardly greeted the group "I'm Penn Zero, and these are my friends Boone and Sashi. Odd question: Is this Gravity Falls?"
"It would" Dipper answered slowly, still stunned by the trio
"Oh great, now all we need is to find Dipper Pines and we'll in the money" Penn replied, "You wouldn't happen to know where he is right now, would you?"
"You're looking at him" Mason deadpanned
"Really?" Penn said in a bewildered tone as he looked over the other teen from head to toe "But your so much older than the one I saw in the vision"
"Whoa, back up, vision?" Wendy questioned as she put herself between the strangers and her lover "Just who are you people and what do you want with my boyfriend"
"That's on a need to know basis, and you don't need know, lady" the girl named Sashi denied as she marched up to face Wendy
The two women faced off with one another with a look of hostility in their eyes. Both Wendy and Sashi were the strongest members of their respective groups and would no doubt rip each other apart if given the chance to fight. Not wanting things to start off like some bad team-up comic book, Penn quickly took control of the situation.
"Whoa, take it easy, Sash" he soothed his sidekick "we came here to help these people, not start a fist fight with them"
"Help us?" Mason repeated "Help us with what? And again: who the hell are you guys?"
"Maybe it's best if I give you the full rundown of who we are" the part-time hero offered
And so, Penn proceeded to tell the Mystery Shack group about who he and his friends were and what they did. He told them of the multiverse and his and his friends role within it and of his rivalry with Rippin and Larry. Normally, when someone met a group of teenagers that appeared out of a flash of light and were told by said teens that they the protectors of the entire multiverse, they would either think these kids were crazy or in turn go mad themselves. However, Mason Pines and his friends were no strangers to such things and took everything in perfect stride.
"So, just to clarify: you three are heroes who protect the multiverse from falling to a villain whose also your art teacher" Dipper gathered "Is that about right?"
"That's about the long and short of it, yeah" Penn confirmed "you guys are taking this very well"
"Trust us, this doesn't even rank in the top ten weirdest things we've heard" Wendy added
"You could say that we live very interesting lives" Mabel furthered
"Well your lives are lives are about to go from interesting to in danger" the part-time hero warned
"And why's that, dude?" Soos asked
"There's a pyscho calling herself Tala on her way to your town right now with our villains Rippin and Larry backing her up" Penn answered, "and she wants Dipper and by my guess the rest of you as well"
"But why does she want us?" Mason's lover questioned
"I don't know why she does. All I know is what she has planned for you isn't going to be pretty" Penn replied, "we need to get you guys out of here before Tala arrives"
"Quick question, dude: is this Tala lady dressed in a robe and has a hood on?" Soos pondered as he peaked out the window
"That's oddly specific, but yeah, that's her" Boone answered, "Why do you ask?"
"Because she's standing right outside the Mystery Shack with a little nerd and a dude with a skunk on his head" the owner of the tourist trap informed everyone
The united group darted the front door and faced the hooded villainess named Tala with her new henchmen standing on each side of her. While Dipper and others couldn't quite exactly make out any of their still unknown adversary's facial features, they felt almost a sense familiarity from just looking to her cold blue eyes.
"So, your right where I thought you'd be" Tala began with a dark chuckle "even in this your universe your all so predictable"
"Who are you and what do you want with us?' Mason demanded
"I see the boy has told you about me" the hooded villain responded, "but he didn't tell you the whole story"
Every time Tala spoke, the more the feeling familiarity grew inside Dipper and his group. It was like they had met this stranger before, but yet this was their first time they had ever crossed paths. Something felt wrong about this whole and the sooner they got the truth of this the better.
"Judging by your height and new attire, I assume you managed to stop the Weirdmageddon from happening" Tala surmised "sadly, that is not the same case where I come from. In my universe, the Bill of my earth has unleashed Weirdmageddon and has killed everything and everyone I have ever cared for"
"We're…we're to hear that" Dipper sympathized "But what does this have to do with us?"
"You represent the Cipher Wheel, the only thing that can stop Bill" Tala explained as she pointed a gloved finger at them "I require your help in ridding me of this demon so that I may return to my earth a hero!"
"Don't give that bullshit, Tala!" Penn shot back "You don't want their help, you just want to feed on them just like you did the others!"
Just when Dipper's group felt some sort of sympathy for Tala, it instantly turned to anger. Rather than try to deny this fact, the hooded villain only let out a wicked cackle in response, clearly not caring that she had been found out.
"It true! I don't need you, only your souls matter to me!" she admitted with a dark laugh "I've traveled from one universe to another, killing and absorbing the souls of the different versions of you all in order to boost my own powers so that I can return to my earth and kill Bill myself and rule over the ruins as empress!"
"Dude, you are seriously messed up" Soos noted
"we're not going to let you get away with this!" the part-time hero declared
"That's what you've told me at least thirty-three different times, Penn Zero" Tala informed the teen
Penn, Boone and Sashi were visibly shocked by that sudden revelation. When they first faced Tala, they had no idea that she had done battle with different versions of them before, but looking back on how fast she had reacted to their attacks back at the theater mad them realize that she had no doubt done this dance before. As for Dipper's group, it only further showed that this woman was a forced to truly feared.
"How do you think I've been hopping from one universe to another?" she asked "I've using the Trans-Dimensional Projector of the different realities to make the trip. And every time I do, I've killed more than my fair share of Penn Zero's to do so. The only reason I left you three alive this time was because I figured you'd stay at the theater and wait to make a final stand there. I must say I'm impressed that you decided to chase me unlike the others did"
"So, wait, does that mean you've killed us before to?" Rippin asked
"Here's a hint, you fool!" his new boss answered
Tala abruptly hoisted up Rippin and Larry into the air and made the face her. The villainess's cold blue eyes suddenly changed into a dark green as she opened her mouth. As she did, Rippin and Larry's eyes also changed to the same color of green as their mouths were forced open. Once their mouths were fully opened, a small stream of smoke that were obviously were their souls flew from them and into Tala's mouth. The team of heroes could only look on in sheer horror as they watched the two part-time villains' bodies began to wither away. Within mere seconds, Rippin and Larry had been turned into a pair dried husks of soulless corpses.
"Dude…" Boone gasped "I know they were our enemies, but they didn't deserve that"
Penn couldn't help but agree with that. Despite all the hell Rippin had put him through, no one deserved to be killed in that horrific manner.
"They fall for it every time" Tala mentioned with a chuckle "Now whose next?"
"You're not getting our souls, Tala!" Mason proclaimed, "We'd rather die than be taken by you!"
"Ah Dipper, I can't tell you how many times you've told me that line before" the villain retorted "You even told me that pathetic line the first time I consumed your soul"
"And that's the other thing, I'm not fully convinced you are who you say you are" the Pines boy continued "The only way you could know about the Cipher Wheel was if you've read the journals, and I doubt any version of myself just handed it over to you"
"Not unless you knew me, that is" Tala retorted as she began to reach upward toward her hood "And trust me, I know you better than you know yourself"
With that, the woman pulled back her hood to reveal her true face, instantly making everyone gasp in shock at the sight of Tala's true identity
"After all, it's always the ones you love that end up hurting you the most" the alternate version of Wendy said before letting out an evil cackle