Scott hadn't known what to expect upon falling out of that portal, but he never thought it would be quite as strange as what he'd somehow stumbled into. He concluded that he had landed in some kind of parallel universe where somehow all of the characters on 'dot net' were completely the opposite of their counterparts on 'dot com.' After talking with AntiHomestar, he'd come to discover that in this universe Homestar had been the reigning leader of what he called "The Independent Empire" for almost eight years. So far, corniness seemed to be the only common trait between FCUSA and the IE.

"Lately the Rebels haven't been putting up as much of a fight as they used to, so it's been getting sort of boring around here until you showed up." AntiHomestar remarked sadly. "But now you say that you discovered a way to cross universes… which I would probably have discredited right away and thrown you in the dungeon to rot, if it hadn't been for the information I recently received from my top informant."

Scott didn't really know how to react to that. Should he be grateful for not getting thrown in the dungeon? "Well... thanks, I guess. That would have been unpleasant."

"For you…" AntiHomestar smirked. "Anyway, tell me about this other universe you speak of."

"Well, there are two actually. The one I come from, which is the real world. It's completely different than anything here or in Free Co- I mean, 'dot com.' It's pretty much where everything in these… or at least, the dot com universe- comes from. People think it up." Scott thought angrily of the two animators that had thwarted his plans and something in the depths of his mind stirred. It was a dark idea, and it thrilled him a bit. He wasn't out of this battle just yet. He looked at AntiHomestar and grinned. "Perhaps you'd like to help me with something."

"What's in it for me?" AntiHomestar inquired.

"A whole other universe under your rule." Scott offered smugly. "I can make you a device to travel between dimensions."

AntiHomestar did not enjoy Scott's smugness at all, but he tolerated it for the moment. He'd take what he needed from this loser and get rid of him soon enough. He was patient. "Why would you do that, there's no gain for you. You're hiding something."

"I want revenge for those idiots dumping me here! Anything you do to them that makes them suffer is my reward." Scott replied.

AntiHomestar regarded Scott. He was interesting, even had potential… but he didn't have vision. He was trapped in a cliché vendetta scenario and couldn't see past his own selfishness to the bigger picture. The idiot didn't realize he could have had so much more if he'd just bargained a little… but AntiHomestar didn't mind. It was Scott's loss. "I'd take you up on that offer… if we didn't already have an inter-dimensional device."

Scott was stunned. "You- ...what?"

"As I alluded to before, Agent Z recently learned of the existence of a device currently in the possession of the Rebels. He was to infiltrate their base today and attempt to confiscate it. I was awaiting his return when you showed up."

Scott absorbed this information. "Well, where is he then?"

AntiHomestar looked a little annoyed. "He's late. I've been here for a half an hour longer than I should have been made to wait. He'd better have a good excuse."

"Homestar…" A voice interrupted. Scott and AntiHomestar turned to face its source. Homsar was standing there- or at least his counterpart. He was also dressed oddly. His bowler hat was dark blue, and he wore some kind of uniform. His name was emblazoned discreetly on the left side of his shirt.

"What is it?" AntiHomestar inquired.

"They have disappeared!" AntiHomsar replied, perfectly fluent and understandable.

"The Rebels escaped?"

"No, everyone… they've all just vanished. I can't find any of the Rebels anywhere. I've lost radio contact with Agent Z… and even Strong Bad is gone!" AntiHomsar explained.

"What does this mean…" AntiHomestar pondered.

Scott knew what it meant. "It means they're in the other universe. They must have used the device."


And with that, we have a plot complication. FUN!