Author's Note: This one would've come out sooner, but, well, my family recently lost a loved one, and I just wasn't in the writing mood for awhile. Every time I tried to sit down and do it, I just couldn't, and I second guessed everything. Thankfully, I've since regained my enthusiasm for this, and was able to write the story i wanted to write. It's shorter than the last few chapters of Glimpses, but don't let that make you think it doesn't have a lot to add to the series. So please enjoy!

Earth-467

Piedmont, California

When someone pictures a Californian beach in their mind, it usually tends to be a sunny and vibrant place where crowds would form in search of fun on a hot day. In reality though, no beach can always be like that. Some days are gray and cold ones where very few people would even want to go to the beach. For one small, obscure beach in Piedmont, it was one of those kinds of murky days. Patches of fog were present in the area, especially out on the sea itself. The middling gray clouds covered up the sky and the light, infrequent breeze brought chills to the only human beings there. They were two light skinned, brown haired youths, no older than fourteen at most. The two looked very similar, so much so that even a stranger could tell that they were brother and sister. The girl was wearing a colorful homemade sweater, a skirt, and black shoes, while the boy was dressed in t-shirt with a vest over it, cargo shorts, sneakers, and a faded, faux fur lined bomber hat. They were sitting on a large, flat rock and looking out towards the vast ocean. Well, the sister was anyway. Her brother was looking down at a computer tablet he was holding, which had a strangely bulky case that looked to be made of a solid metal of some kind.

"I can't believe I let you drag me out of bed on a Saturday for this, Mabel." he complained.

The sister, named Mabel, frowned at her brother in response. This revealed the fact that had braces on her teeth.

"You know how much I want to see him again, Dipper! Can't you be more supportive?" Mabel asked.

Dipper simply sighed.

"Mabel, I get that you and him had a thing, but it's not going to work out. The guy can't even walk on land." Dipper said to her.

"Well what are you looking at it so much more important anyway?" Mabel asked.

Dipper shrugged as he looked back down at the computer tablet.

"Well, isn't it obvious? Weird stuff." Dipper answered.

"Like what?" Mabel inquired.

"Well, there's been some unexplained phenomena in Los Angeles that I've been reading about. There have been weird robots popping up there." Dipper explained. "There are only a few clear pictures, but they look…otherworldly."

"You mean like aliens?" Mabel asked.

"Could be, but it may be something else." Dipper responded.

Just as Mabel was about to say something else, a large splash could be heard from the water. Dipper and Mabel both turned to see a figure in the sea swimming towards the beach. He was a brown skinned young man around the siblings' age, with long dark hair, a long nose, and a noticeable gap where one of his front teeth should've been. Dipper's jaw dropped and Mabel's eyes lit up in joy. She ran forward to get closer to the water and waved her arms over her head, with her large sweater and skirt getting wet. She didn't mind.

"I can't believe it. He really showed up." Dipper gasped.

"Mermando! Over here!" Mabel called out.

Mermando came to a stop once he came to where the water came up to his waist. He flashed a smile at the two as Dipper walked up to stand to Mabel's side. He had left his computer tablet back on the rock.

"Greetings, Mabel and Dipper! I am so very glad my last letter made it to you in time." Mermando hailed them.

"So you really have been writing to Mabel? How?" Dipper asked.

"In bottles." Mermando simply answered.

Dipper paused for a moment, looking confused.

"That…that doesn't really…doesn't really answer my question," Dipper stammered. "Uhm…actually forget it. I'll just accept this."

Mabel and Mermando ignored Dipper, with the former jumping into the water to pull the latter into a big hug. Mabel seemed to be moving to give him a smooch, but then she frowned and pulled herself away, walking backward up onto the sand.

"Mermando, does your wife know about this?" Mabel asked.

"Oh yeah. I forgot that you were forced to get married to the Queen of the Manatees, Mermando," Dipper commented. "…Wow. That…really says a lot about how crazy the world we live in actually is."

Mermando sighed sadly and looked down at the water. From it emerged the end of the scaly and finned green tail that made up his lower body. A dark metal ring with a glowing red light on the side was attached to it.

"You both deserve to know the truth; I have been forced to abandon my home," Mermando revealed. "So have many other mermen and mermaids. There is an evil man who has been hunting us for sport. He forces these rings onto our tails and uses them to track us around the world."

The twins gasped.

"Holy Moses." Mabel let out.

"That horrible." Dipper said in disgust.

"Yes, it truly is. That's why I wanted to see Mabel," Mermando stated. "I wanted to see you one last time."

The teenage merman sadly looked back towards the sea. It was impossible to not see the fear in his soulful brown eyes.

"To heck with that! Tell me who did this to you, my most beauteous sea dweller! Tell me so I can shove my grappling hook up his nose!" Mabel shouted with an equal blend of gusto and confidence.

Dipper rubbed his brow. Something was on his mind.

"No, sweet Mabel! You cannot fight this man. He is far too dangerous. I saw him single-handedly defeat several of the strongest mermen and mermaids. He cannot be stopped." Mermando lamented.

Mabel grabbed Mermando by the wrist and pulled him closer to the sand, while still not being so careless as to remove him from the water.

"Don't talk like that, Mermando!" Mabel insisted.

Dipper then snapped his fingers, which caused both his sister and the merman to turn to look at him.

"I just had a brilliant idea!" Dipper exclaimed.

"I think I know exactly what you're thinking, Dipper! We can hide Mermando in our bathtub!" Mabel excitedly proposed.

Dipper and Mermando stared blankly at her in response, resulting in a moment of awkward silence that felt much longer than it actually was.

"You mean…like in Splash?" Dipper asked.

Mabel nodded yes and then rubbed the back of her head.

"Splash? What's that?" Mermando asked.

"It's an 80s movie. Tom Hanks was in it." Dipper explained.

"I'm afraid I've never heard of this 'Tom Hanks' man," Mermando said. "Is he, by any chance, related to Colin Hanks?"

"He actually is. He's his dad," Dipper answered. "…wait, so you know about Colin Hanks but not Tom Hanks? That's kind of weird."

Mermando crossed his arms and appeared to be a tad offended. In the distance, a large dark shape could be seen in the water, but none of the three noticed it due to the fog.

"We only interact with humans so much, Dipper. That I know about any of your film actors to begin with is a small miracle." the teen merman huffed.

"Guys, just stop! We can settle this later!" Mabel yelled at them. "Dipper, right now we've got to get Mermando into our bathtub and hide him from our parents, resulting in a series of wacky, tacky hijinks! Possibly with a laugh track!"

Dipper blinked at Mabel. He then looked at Mermando, who just shrugged at him.

"Mabel, that wasn't even remotely what I was suggesting we do. There's no way that would work." Dipper groaned.

"Then what do you wish to try, Dipper?" Mermando questioned. "Because the longer I stay here, the sooner it will be that my enemy finds me, and I do not want Mabel to have to witness what he does to those like me."

Mabel then recoiled at the mere idea. The shape in the distance began to inch closer towards them, but they still failed to notice it.

"Isn't it obvious? I think we should let the world at large know that mermaids and mermen exist." Dipper announced.

Mabel grabbed Dipper by his shirt and started shaking him around.

"Are you nuttier than a fruitcake?!" she shouted in her brother's face. "That wouldn't help!"

Dipper yanked Mabel's hands off of him.

"Yes it would! Think about it, Mabel; Mermando would be a celebrity. Just look at the guy. The camera would love him." Dipper said, motioning to Mermando.

Mermando blushed intensely.

"Oh…I did not realize you saw me in that light." Mermando bashfully giggled.

Dipper then blushed as well. Mabel smirked at him.

"I…um…well…Look, I'm just stating the facts to help my case." Dipper asserted, regaining his composure.

The sound of a loud horn could then be heard. The shape emerged from the patch of fog that had been hiding it, revealing a large, black painted wooden boat that was covered in nets, harpoons, and strung up bones of mermaids and mermen. It flew a black flag with a stylized red B painted on it.

"Oh no! That's the hunter's ship! It's him! I stayed here too long! You should have let me just say my goodbyes while I had the chance!" Mermando shrieked.

The intimidating sea vessel then smashed partially into the shore just to the left of the spot where Dipper and Mabel were standing. Send flew into the air and the siblings fell back onto the ground, while the boat itself didn't gain even a scratch. Mabel quickly got back on her feet.

"Mermando, swim away as fast as you can!" Mabel cried out.

The metal band around Mermando's tail then zapped him with red jolts of electricity.

"Gaaaaaaaauuuugh! The pain!" Mermando yowled.

Mabel and Dipper both tried to run out to the water to try to aid their friend, but a tall figure then emerged from the inside of the boat and onto its deck. He backflipped off of the deck and landed right in front of the two before they could reach the water. The two fell back back down and looked up at the figure. He was an African American adult male who stood just over six feet high. He had sharp features, a closely shaved head of black hair, and wore black sunglasses. He was wearing an open black fisherman's coat over a pair of black overalls over a black flannel shirt. He also wore large black gloves and boots. He held a small, curved metal knife in his right hand. He removed his sunglasses and stared down at the two intensely with his cold, striking eyes.

"The merman is not your friend. He is my prey. Do not try to stand in my way. If you do, I will do what has to be done to continue my great hunt." the menacing man spoke over Mermando's screams.

Dipper jumped up and formed a fist. Something had come over him. Even he wasn't sure what.

"You think I'm scared of you? Well think again! I've survived monsters and beaten them too! I'm Dipper Pines!" Dipper exclaimed.

Mabel stood up and formed into a horse stance to try and look tough.

"Yeah, and I'm Mabel Pines! Our pal Soos calls us the Mystery Twins, and we can do anything!" Mabel boomed.

The man simply chuckled.

"Am I supposed to be impressed? How adorable," the tall, black clad man mocked them. "Well, I'll humor you children; I am Eric Brooks, better known as Blade the Mermaid Hunter. I'm the best there is at what I do, and that's doing backflips off of my boat, chugging down strawberry egg creams, watch Friends reruns, and killing mermaids…and also mermen, but I only figured out they weren't all ladies until after I trademarked the name."

"You leave Mermando alone, you Weirdosaurus Rex!" Mabel demanded.

She punched and kicked at Blade's right leg, only for the man to drop one of his weapons and pluck her up by her saltwater soaked sweater with his freed hand.

"Do my arms look that tiny to you?" Blade sarcastically asked.

Mabel then sprung her arms forward and latched them around Blade's head.

"Go, Dipper! Help Mermando!" Mabel cried out.

Dipper quickly picked up the small curved knife that Blade had dropped and ran out into the water where the teen merman continued to howl in pain due to the electric shocks coming from the glowing band around his tail. With all the strength he could muster, Dipper held Mermando's tail in place and began to strike at the awful device with Blade's own weapon. Wow it wasn't enough to destroy yet, it did result in the red colored electricity stopping, likely due to it interfering with the inner circuitry. Mermando smiled, collapsed into Dipper's arms, and stroked his face.

"Mi apuesto campeón…" Mermando sighed.

"I like girls." Dipper reaffirmed.

"Yes, as do I. Like your sister," Mermando weakly responded, pointing back towards the beach. "You must help her stand against Blade. She needs you. Hurry. "

Dipper looked to see that Blade was now looming over his twin sister and pinning her down against the large flat rock they had been sitting on with one hand and raising his second metal dagger in the air with the other. Dipper ran up onto the sand as fast as he possibly could.

"You're gonna regret this! I'm the founder of Love Patrol Alpha!" Mabel shouted up at him.

"I have no idea what that means, you little brat! Now stand still while I remove those braces of yours! Painfully!" Blade snarled, his true unhinged nature surfacing.

"Hey, Mermaid Hunter!" Dipper hollered.

Blade glanced over his shoulder to look at Dipper, who was holding up his weapon that he had snatched.

"I've got something of yours! Let my sister go and you can have it back!" Dipper attempted to bargain.

Blade looked at the boy flatly and then threw his head back laughing.

"Are you serious? I have at least seven more of those on my boat, fool!" Blade snorted. "Did you seriously expect that to work?"

Dipper crossed his arms and smugly smiled at his latest enemy.

"Nope," Dipper admitted. "Mabel, use my tablet!"

A now grinning Mabel grabbed her brother's tablet computer and swung it as hard at Blade, hitting him right in his butt.

"Gaaaah! Ooooww!" Blade screeched.

He fell down face first into the sand. The Pines twins were on him in no time flat. Mabel pulled out some yarn she stored in a secret pocket inside of her sweater and used it to bind Blade's wrists and ankles together. Dipper grabbed Blade's other knife and rushed over to Mermando, who was watching the things out with great excitement.

"Hold still for me." Dipper requested.

Mermando obliged and allowed Dipper to hack at Blade's band once again. This time, thanks to using more than one this time, the device broke off.

"Is…is it truly over?" Mermando asked.

Dipper presented the broken pieces to him.

"It's over." Dipper confirmed.

Mabel ran back out to the water and pulled both of them into a group hug.

"It's over!" the three cheered altogether.

"No it ain't!" the currently restrained Blade shouted at them. "Once I break this stupid yarn, I'll backflip back onto my boat and go kill as many of you ocean dwelling freaks as I can!"

The three looked at one another. Unlike before, they all had the same idea at once, and could convey it to each other with a mere exchange of looks. Dipper handed the two curved knives to Mermando, who in turn gave the broken bits of the tracking and torture device to Mabel. Having regained some of his Strank's, the teenage merman swam up to Blade's unsightly sea vessel and slashed at it with the knives. He created a massive hole in the ship, which quickly filled with water. This caused the electronics stored inside of the boat to glitch out and catch on fire. Blade watched in horror as his beloved boat became consumed by the growing flames. Wow this was going on, Dipper and Mabel got back onto the land.

"I shall now return to my people and use these weapons, the very ones that once belonged to our tormentor, to free them from their binds! Such delicious irony!" Mermando proudly announced to them. "Goodbye, dear friends! Both of you shall have my kind's gratitude! Farewell, and expect to hear from me soon!"

He blew Mabel a kiss and then swam away into the distant fog as the Pines twins waved goodbye. The two walked right past the mortified Blade. Dipper picked his tablet computer up from the ground where Mabel had left it.

"I'm gonna have to call Ford and thank him again for this new case he made for me," Dipper expounded as they strode away. "I don't even want to think of what would've happened if I hadn't brought it along!"

"You better, because that stuff it's made of is uber crazy strong!" Mabel commented. "What did his note say it was made of again?"

"It said he made it out of this rare metal he bought at a market in…Indonesia, I think. It's called adamantium." Dipper answered.

"Cool." Mabel chuckled.

"Make sure to hold onto those broken pieces too. Ford may want to get a look at them sometime." Dipper said.

The two then exited the small beach to go home, lick their wounds, and enjoy the rest of their Saturday. Back on the beach, after the twins were out of sight, Blade continued to silently watch as his boat burned up before his eyes. After several moments of this, a colorful portal suddenly opened before his eyes. It's strange womanly figure came out of it. She was a short humanoid creature with truly white skin, arms with spikes, insanely voluminous red hair tied back in a black spiked hair tie, orange eyes, little fangs, nicked yellow-orange horns, and pointed ears. She was dressed in a poofy yellow-orange gown, high-heeled boots that were brown, and a small black tiara. A small orange flame hovered above her head. In her hands were a pair of strange scissors that gleamed with magical energy. She looked down at Blade and smirked.

"Well what do you know? A version of Eric Brooks. Looks like you've had a rough day so far." she observed.

"My god…," Blade gasped. "…what are you supposed to be?"

"A woman who shouldn't exist anymore, but cheated destruction." the being answered.

The scissors then stopped glowing and they crumbled into soot in her hand. She shrugged.

"Well, I knew they would break eventually. At least I'm in the universe I want to be now," she said to herself. "Glad I'm not stuck in that world where a misogynist government sends teens to die fighting hunduns in big robots. I did not fit in well in that setting at all."

"What are you even talking about, lady? Who are you and what are you here to do?" Blade questioned as she started to walk away from him.

She stopped just long enough to answer his latter two queries;

"The name is Hekapoo, and I'm here to see what happens to this world. You see, nefarious rulers from two separate universes both have plans for this world. The king of the newts just calls it 'the Invasion', the emperor in the mask calls it 'The Day of Unity'. I'm here to see which side wins out."

With that, she left the vile mermaid hunter to his own devices. For while Hekapoo was certainly not a Watcher, she had much she needed to go and see.

That's right, I decided to bring in none other than Gravity Falls! Or, more specifically, I've introduced Earth-467, which is not only the Earth of that show, but also that of Star vs The Forces of Evil, The Owl House, and Amphibia! Now how's that for exciting? Now the stage is set for myself or any other writer to create Infinity Crisis crossovers for those shows and tie them into the series whenever we want. While I know it would've been great to include Ford investigating the Snap/Blip, I figured that somebody else could probably do better with that material than I could myself. Feel free to consider that to be an invitation ;)

Some Notes:

- Earth-467's numbering is a reference to a line from the Gravity Falls episode "Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons", where the villain referred to Earth as being in "Dimension 46 Apostrophe Backslash".

- I figured it'd make some strange sort of sense to have a twisted up version of a Marvel hero exist in the world of some of Disney Channel's animated shows. Same case with the existence of Adamantium in this universe.

- The strange robots in said to be in Los Angeles are the ones King Andrias is sending after Anne and the Plantars in Season 2 of Amphibia. You see, the events of that shows still happened as they did in them for the most part. The exception is (obviously) with the end of Star Vs the Forces of Evil, since Hekapoo has survived the destruction of all of Mewni's magic and it's fusing to Earth-467

- No, Earth-467's Blade isn't secretly half merman. He isn't even half vampire. Also, just picture him as looking like Mahershala Ali dressed sort of like the Fisherman from I Know What You Did Last Summer. That's what I was initially going for.

- Dipper would be especially flustered if Pacifica were to see Mabel's photo of him giving Mermando mouth to mouth. Just saying.

- I hope you liked the mention of the world of Xiran Jay Zhao's Iron Widow. Just thought I'd give it a nod, as I really enjoyed reading it. No real plans to follow up on that. Just thought I'd reference it for fun.

Well, I think that should be it for now. Not 100% certain what I'll be writing next, but I'll figure it out. I hope I managed to not have Dipper and Mabel act too out of character. Please let me know if you liked this. Any feedback is very much appreciated.

ELOO-GZHOOV-LQ-WKH-YRLG