A day late this week, buuuut that's mostly because I was adjusting to my new work schedule! If I forget to post next Friday, then I'll just adjust my schedule to posting on Saturdays.

Aaaanyway, new week, new chapter! And we've got an old, familiar face showing up here!

Chapter 12 – Crossing Timelines

"Lush jungle. That means we still have time." Maria looked around at the tall trees above their heads. "There must be civilization nearby, or at the very least people. My portals never drop me far from people."

Sixer's ears flicked as he looked around at the tall trees. A frown slowly started to form on his face. "Do you know what dimension we are in?"

"I'll know when we hit civilization," Maria replied. "But so far, this doesn't look like a dimension I've visited before, why?"

Maria looked over at Sixer and noticed that he was staring at the trees with an odd expression. His eyes almost flickered from branch to branch, like he was looking for something.

"I can almost see the blue flowers," Sixer muttered.

"Blue flowers?" Maria frowned. "What are you—"

A tree groaned, then crashed to the ground somewhere nearby.

Maria held up a hand while Sixer's ears swiveled in the direction of the sound.

Sixer frowned as he strained his ears. "That's…I hear voices. Fighting."

"Sounds like we've found civilization. Come on!" Maria took off at a run into the foliage. Sixer took off right after her, tails catching in bushes as he went.

He would ignore the discomfort for now.

It didn't take them too long to find a large, fallen tree, with an even cut at its base. The surrounding area had similar cuts and burns in the wood and grass.

"Get him, Fiora!" a voice cried from further down the fallen trunk. A young man's. "Try stunning him again!"

"I'll try!" a young woman called back. "But I don't know how well it's going to – aah!"

"He's runnin'! After him!" called another young man's voice.

Sixer heard the sound of whirring gears and something stabbing into the bark of the tree. He turned his head and sucked in a breath.

There was a man coming towards them – but he wasn't normal. Metal plates covered his legs and parts of his arms, neck, and head, revealing a half metal scalp where long dark hair no longer grew. And the man dangled from four large mechanical legs that were sharp blades all the way down, colored a dull brown – rust? Or something else?

Sixer wasn't about to guess, but judging from the way the man glared at Sixer and Maria with his one red, cybernetic eye and his steely human one, he was out for blood.

Maria moved forward, her clothes already shifting to her armor as she leapt forward. "Hey, ugly! Follow me!" She threw a pair of fireballs at his mechanical blades, then dashed off into the trees on the other side of the trunk.

Immediately, the man changed course, his organic body swinging from the box fused to his back where the mechanical blades were connected.

Sixer jumped onto the fallen trunk and was about to follow when something hit the tree trunk in front of him, leaving a burn mark in the bark.

"Don't move, or I'm taking your head off!" barked a woman's voice.

Sixer turned his head to look in the direction of the voice and met the gaze of a dark-haired woman with a rifle pointed at his face. He looked back in the direction Maria had gone, but there was no sign of her or the man she'd gotten the attention of.

He looked back at the woman with the gun and watched as three other figures ran up and joined her: a young man with blond hair, a young man with short red hair, and a young, blond-haired woman wearing strange armor. Except for the woman with the gun, all their weapons had blades of light – the blond woman had a pair of daggers, the redhead had what looked like a combination between a sword and a shield, and the blond young man had a gray sword with a circle of glass near the top of the hilt.

"I remember you," the redhead said with narrow eyes. "Yer one of those guys that monster brought here with him!" He pointed his sword at Sixer. "Aren't you supposed to be his pet or something?"

"Not anymore, I'm not," Sixer replied.

"Like I'm going to believe that." The woman with the rifle rested a finger on the trigger. "That other one certainly liked to pretend he was friendly, before he'd take out entire groups of our defense force."

Sixer raised his hands as his tails collapsed completely. "I mean you no harm here. Not this time."

"We'll be the judge a' that." The redhead moved forward. "Shulk you got anythin' that'll keep this guy from meltin' our stuff?"

"Let me see if I—"

"Let me." The blond woman raised one of her daggers. "He's the reason that my brother is turned into that thing."

"Fiora, wait." Shulk put a hand on her shoulder. "Something seems different this time."

"He's the reason that Dunban is suffering in his body!" Fiora argued. "If he hadn't come here, then Dickson wouldn't have shaken that – that thing's hand and –" She shook her head.

Dickson and Dunban. Fiora and Shulk. Something about those names was familiar. Sixer couldn't quite remember from where, other than that they were connected to Maria's vision somehow.

This world must have been far back in his memory, from earlier on in Cipher's attempted takeovers of multiple dimensions. But this world didn't look like it was falling apart.

"Cipher's dead," Sixer blurted, causing the four to look back at him sharply.

"Dead?" the redhead repeated. "How can that be possible? He said it himself – there's no way that anyone could have killed him."

"Because my family and I were a part of what was supposed to end him," Sixer replied. "We were given that chance, and we succeeded. That's why your dimension is no longer under a Weirdmageddon."

"How do you expect us to believe that?" The redhead strode forward, sword at his side. Sixer was sure he was ready to swing it at a moment's notice.

Fiora looked at Sixer strangely. "How? You looked like you were serving him willingly before."

A dull ache entered Sixer's chest, and he shuddered. "We were not." His ears tilted back as he looked at the four of them. "Please, I'm telling the truth. Let me help you recover and rebuild, that's what—"

The woman with the rifle fired. Sixer felt something hit him in the chest, and the world went sideways and turned dark.

Time Break

Sixer felt awareness come back to him – surprisingly.

Wasn't I just shot?

He opened his eyes and found himself looking up at a dimly-lit, gray metal ceiling. He was lying on something hard, with a thin blanket underneath.

And there was a dull throbbing in his chest, at the point where he'd been hit.

Sixer moved one arm underneath him and pushed himself up onto his elbow before looking down to see where the pain was coming from.

A bullet cartridge was stuck to his sweater.

"Hm." Sixer frowned and plucked the cartridge, wincing at the sharp pain that resulted. He frowned at the needle that was on the other side. "Tranquilizer? Or poison?" He sighed and shook his head before tossing it aside, then pushed himself up into a sitting position to get a proper look around.

He was in a cell. Bed – more like a cot – pushed against the back wall, toilet in one corner, and bars blocking exit.

And on the other side of those bars was the woman with the rifle and an orange fluffball of a creature, with a pair of large ears(?) resting curled around its upper half.

Sixer leaned against the back wall and sighed as his tails spilled over the bed – three on either side. "I am going to be used for target practice, I imagine?"

"What gave you that idea?" the woman replied.

"I know my reputation isn't the best here, and I know that you people would just as well shoot me if you couldn't get to the demon who almost caused your dimension to end." Sixer closed his eyes and sighed again. "Just as he caused my dimension to end."

"Furry Hom Hom seem different."

Sixer opened an eye and looked at the fluffball creature. He raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Is Furry Hom Hom on our side?" the fluffball asked.

Sixer's ear flicked when the creature rolled the r's. "That depends on whether or not you upset the Guildmaster by doing anything to me she won't like."

"Guildmaster?" the woman repeated. "What Guildmaster?"

Sixer shrugged. "She took me from Cipher. I work for a World Jumper now."

The two exchanged looks, then looked back at Sixer.

"Give us a moment," the woman said. "Come on, Riki." She turned and walked down the hall.

The fluffball – Riki – looked between the woman and Sixer for a moment before following after her.

Sixer waited a moment, then closed his eye and breathed in again.

He didn't know what to expect from the people here, but he knew that they didn't like him very much. And that meant that, if they were looking to get answers from him, it was likely they were going to think torture was the way to go.

Cipher has thrown everything at me because he thought it was entertaining. I might not be able to come back from the dead at the will of my captors, but that doesn't mean I need to react to everything. If they decide they want to harm me, then so be it – Maria will find me and deal with the problem as it comes.

Sixer leaned his head back against the wall behind him, folded his arms across his chest, and waited.

Either they were going to start with torture, or just straight-up kill him. Either way, it was going to cause a reaction from Maria.

Something that sounded like metal-on-metal came from somewhere down the corridor. Sixer's ears flicked at the sound and followed it until it came to a stop in front of his cell. He kept his eyes closed. If they were going to start with torture now, he would prefer not to know what they were going to use on him yet.

"Stanford Pines. I didn't think that you and your family would be willing to cause an inter-dimensional Weirdmageddon."

A young man's voice, but it didn't sound like the two boys from the forest.

Sixer gritted his teeth at the dull ache in his chest. "I wasn't."

So, this was how they began.

"Do you mean you weren't until a certain point, or was Cipher holding something over you, like a deal?"

"I never liked the idea of what he forced us to do, and I never shook his hand." Sixer's ear flicked. "Nor did anyone within Gravity Falls."

"He changed you by force, then. Did he do anything to keep you under his control?"

"Yes."

"Why did Weirdmageddon stop in this dimension?"

"Cipher died. Without him maintaining it, the weirdness retreated from the dimensions that were still whole to an extent. Mine was destroyed, because of how long it was exposed to his power."

There was a long pause. Sixer's tails flicked as he waited for a blast to hit near his head.

"How did he die, as he is a being of pure energy rather than matter?" the young man asked slowly. "I was under the impression that he could not be ended because he had stopped your attempt in your home dimension."

"He racked up a debt with us as a result of our forced transformation and enslavement. We were given a chance to collect when we were rescued from his control."

"Who freed you?"

Sixer paused. Frowned. "We aren't that yet – not completely. But the one who took me from Cipher and currently has me under her control is the World Jumper Maria Carlsdale."

Another silence – this one longer than the last. Sixer's tails flicked and twitched. Why weren't they prepping weapons or the like?

"Maria did what?"

Sixer frowned at the surprise in the young man's voice, and finally opened his eyes to see who he was talking to.

A young man, just on the cusp of adulthood, with brown hair and indigo eyes, and dressed in a green shirt and cobalt jacket. Not familiar to Sixer, but….

"Why is it that Maria doing such a thing surprises you?" Sixer's ears leaned forward as he tilted his head slightly.

"Because the last time I saw her, her parents were murdered and she was kidnapped by aliens who were likely seeking to use her," the young man replied. "And she wasn't prepared for them. How could she be prepared for Cipher? Do you know how she managed to get away from them?"

Sixer's eyebrows rose. "That was centuries before she found me. I saw the Continuum Shift from my dying dimension, when I only had two tails."

"A Continuum Shift? I hadn't imagined – centuries?" The young man stared. "That can't…how is that possible? Time doesn't pass that quickly between dimensions."

Sixer shrugged one shoulder. "You would be surprised at what can and cannot happen between dimensions in the multiverse. It seems you have not traveled enough to see such things."

The young man gripped at his hair with one hand and shook his head. "That's far too much time, though…that can't be…" He frowned. "You mentioned she has control over your actions?"

"Correct."

"How?"

"Maria and I agreed to keep that to ourselves unless necessary. We don't like the idea of me being passed between people like a hot potato. The same for my family."

"Does Maria control them?"

"No. Counterparts of myself and my family rescued the others."

The young man let go of his hair and put a hand to his chin in thought, frowning. "Can you sense your connection to her? Is she in this dimension?"

Sixer frowned. "We haven't tried, but yes, she is in this dimension. We arrived here together."

"Would it be possible for you to sense that connection and tell me where she is right now?"

Sixer frowned at the request. "…possibly."

"Try it. Please. I need to know where she is."

Sixer's frown deepened, but he closed his eyes and focused, reaching out for Maria's familiar, grounding presence.

A picture came back almost immediately as Sixer found his heart filling with a warm fire.

"She is in a city-like area, walking towards a tall building with guards standing at the entrance. There is a man with her, lying on her hoverboard with two glowing blue rings – one at his chest, the other at his knees. He's unconscious. The metal blades are melted off his back, but it's the same man we saw when we arrived here. She's—"

Something poked Sixer back, with a gentle, confused warmth. "Sixer?"

Sixer exhaled and relaxed. "I'm here, Maria."

"Where are you? I can tell you're close."

"I am in a holding cell. The people here…they know me. And not in a kind way."

"I guessed that from the way he acted when he realized Cipher wasn't backing me, you, or some monster named Dickson, who I plan to wring the neck of. He's probably the giant who turned this guy into a cyborg – no deals involved. I can reverse the programming, but his body is another matter."

Sixer sighed. "It is good that you can help him. The name Dickson is familiar, but I'm not sure if he'll be reachable at the moment, considering he is a Henchmaniac."

"Mmmrgggghh."

The boy cleared his throat. Sixer's ear flicked.

"Maria, there's…also someone here who knows you."

"…what?" Maria's movement on the city street slowed. Sixer could see the gates of the building ahead through her eyes, and that a crowd was starting to gather to stare at her and the unconscious figure with her. "Who is it?"

"A young man with dark hair and dark blue eyes."

"Is he wearing blue and green?"

"…yes." Sixer frowned as Maria started to pick up her pace. "And he said he knows you from before the Dark Arms found you. He was there when your parents were killed."

Maria inhaled sharply. "Sixer, can I see him through your eyes?"

"I am prepared for that."

"Then let me have a look."

Sixer opened his eyes and looked at the young man, who was watching with a guarded expression. Something in his eyes suggested he was surprised about what was happening.

The edges of Sixer's vision started glowing blue, and Maria inhaled sharply. "Joshua!"

Sixer blinked. "That's Joshua?"

The boy's – Joshua's – eyes widened.

"Yes, that's – holy scrap I was not expecting this. I'm honed in on your position. If anyone moves to hurt you before I get there, they're getting a White Flare to the face. Tell Joshua that. I'll see you soon."

The blue in his vision faded, and Sixer shook his head to clear it out completely. "Maria says she'll White Flare anyone who harms me between now and her arrival. She should be here shortly."

Joshua blinked, then sighed and shook his head. "She hasn't changed. That's good. I'll go ahead and release you and meet her in the hall. If she's coming here with who I think she is, she is going to want to head to the Machina lab immediately."

Sixer frowned.

"That description you gave of the unconscious man with her – as well as the name Dickson – suggests that she's subdued Dunban, an old war veteran who was captured during Weirdmageddon and turned into a mindless war machine. I assume Maria knows how to handle mind control programming, if she beat those monsters with a Continuum Shift."

"More than you know," Sixer replied.

Joshua moved to the door and pressed his hand against the wall. "Did you guys get all that?"

There was a crackle of static, and then the voice of the redhead from the forest. "His story checks out so far – there's a girl comin' this way wit' Dunban in a couple of yer stasis rings – how'd she get her hands on those if you're still workin' on 'em?"

"That is a question I intend to ask her when she gets here," Joshua replied. "It's not as relevant as the fact that Cipher is dead and Stanford Pines no longer serves the demon or anyone affiliated with him."

"And are you really sure about that one? What if that girl's workin' for him?"

"Maria would rather stab his eye out than sell her soul to that monster," Sixer spoke up. "She is his opposite in spirit. She cares for my family, unlike Cipher."

"…You've got me on speaker, man?"

"I do, Reyn," Joshua replied. "I'm releasing Sixer so that we can meet Maria. If you want the full story, come down to the Machina labs. I'll be waiting for her there, with Stanford."

"Joshua—"

The sentence cut off abruptly, and Joshua pulled the cell door open. "Come. Let's go meet Maria."

Sixer nodded and rose to his feet. "Why is it that you trust what I say?"

"Because I know my cousin." Joshua looked at Sixer. "And I know your counterparts. You wouldn't server a Cipher unless you were manipulated to do so, and your Cipher simply forced that upon you rather than messing with your mind."

"Maria came to the same conclusion." Sixer paused as he reached the cell's door. "She is your cousin?"

Joshua raised an eyebrow. "Yes, she is. Why?"

"…I think there is more going on here than just a centuries-wide gap between the moment you last saw her and now."

Before Joshua had a chance to continue the conversation, a bellow came from down the hall behind them. Sixer turned at the sound and caught sight of the redhead from before – Reyn, wasn't it? – barreling down the hall towards them with an angered look on his face.

"Don't—"

"Stay back!"

A familiar, red, orange, and gray-armored blur dashed between Joshua and Sixer.

Sixer took a step back as Maria brought up a gloved fist and clocked Reyn in the jaw, sending him flying backwards as she came to a stop.