A/N: I am so sorry for such a long delay. For almost two fukin years, a long delay's an understatement. Don't worry, I didn't forget about this story. Sometimes life happens, ya know? Anyway, I'll be looking to crank out a few more chapters hopefully before year's end, and hopefully end this story as well. As always, review so I get any kind of feedback.
Thank
Dipper's head throbbed. It's been only a couple of days, but it felt like weeks, months, even years. It was an exhausting training session. He had absorbed a lot of information, but Time Baby said that there is still work to do. There was still the physical training.
He had also told Dipper to sleep, mainly for two reasons: he will greatly need the rest, and it also important to check his dreams. "Sometimes the best clues to solving your problems are in your dreams." said the Time Baby.
Now Dipper lays in a bed constructed by Time Baby through mental matter manipulation, still processing how the entire day went. A lot had happened in the last two days. A LOT. He found the statue of Bill with Mabel, she was possessed by Bill, he sprinted nearly a mile on pure adrenaline, sprinted a mile back, jumped over a forest fire with minimal harm, he witnessed Bill's transformation into his original form, he took some of Bill's most powerful blows and survived with the help of that invincibility pill, and he also went into another dimension to avoid the death that haunted his dreams over the last week.
He did what everyone said a kid couldn't do. He made it to Shell City, he beat the Cyclops, he rode the Hasselhoff, and he brought the crown back.
Well, maybe not those last few parts, but he admits that he did lots of what no normal person would even think of doing in his/her lifetime. Dipper concluded that he might need therapy after this mess is over. Of course, if he lives to tell the tale.
He was told that when he wakes, he will meet with the other staple Dippers in order to obtain his "god-destroying power/potential." He was also told that physical training would start immediately, with the help of these other Dippers.
The Time Baby had reminded Dipper that sleep is a very important component in the preparation for the coming battle. But Dipper couldn't sleep. As exhausted as he was, his mind still raced around like Indy Cars, alive as ever. Every night he would worry about the other three and their own battle against Bill, even though Time Baby assured that they are safe. Dipper hoped that he was right; no, Dipper prayed that he was right.
. . . .
They continued struggling, still strapped to a large pine tree.
"It's no use," said Stan. "We've been trying for almost an hour now."
"We've got to do something. We need to stall long enough for Dipper to return." replied Ford.
"Where did he even go? He just vanished into thin air." asked Mabel. "Almost as if time stopped and he was taken away… of course! Time Baby!"
"Bingo, kid." said Ford. "I've had a few run-ins with the time lord myself."
"When was this?" asked Stan.
"In those thirty years that I spent in countless dimensions, I've crossed paths with the Time Baby many times. He was in charge of a totalitarian dictatorship spread over our entire universe. With the power of being in control of time, he was nearly invincible and possessed almost limitless power. I had honestly almost considered him as big of a threat as Bill. That is, until the Great War."
"Wow, what an ambiguous and generic name to a war." said Stan.
Ford scolded at Stan before telling his story. "As I was saying, the Great War was an inter-dimension galactic war involving thousands of dimensions. Luckily, our dimension was not involved, since our world would have been absolutely destroyed. In many of these different dimensions, they were in different timelines. One was in the 1600's. One was in the 30th century. One was yesterday. Anyway, the Time Baby and Bill decided to duke it out to see who becomes the top dog in the multiverse and title as most supreme being in all of existence."
"Blah blah blah," yawned Stan. "Get to the point, poindexter."
"That's what I'm getting to. Anyway, in Dimension 52, I had strung up a group of warriors willing to fight for our freedom, because at that time we were slaves under Time Baby's control. We knew that while Time Baby was away dealing with Bill, the Time Police would be vulnerable. So we went out, had our fun little revolution, and we won our freedom back. In the process we were able to recover a dimensional travelling device. My colleagues and I agreed to find where the Time Baby was to put an end to his tyranny on the multiverse. When we found him in the Omega Dimension, that's when I realized that he was not our enemy, but our ally. We thought that it would be better if Time Baby controlled the Multiverse with order rather than have Bill destroy everything and leave it in chaos. To make a long story short, I, along with the Time Baby, as well as thousands of people from hundreds of other dimensions, managed to stop Bill one more time, blah blah blah, all that crap. After the war, the Time Baby and I agreed that if and when Bill would rise again, we would assemble and put forth the force necessary to stop him, which seems to happen pretty often since it's the third time since the last 30 years. He gave me this watch so that if I ever had Bill trouble, I would activate it and we would work together and put Bill down again."
"So why didn't you use that three years ago?" asked Mabel.
"I did, but I was put in carbonite or whatever while doing it. I guess it delayed his arrival." replied Ford.
"So what does this whole thing have to do with now?" asked Mabel again.
"If the Time Baby is doing what I think he's doing with Dipper, I believe our Earth will be hosting a second Great War." replied Ford with a sense of impending doom in his voice. "And hopefully, they'll bring more help this time."
. . . .
It frustrated Dipper that the Time Baby had woken him up so early. He felt like an exhausted high-school student that has to drag his sorry ass out of bed each morning. (relatable, except college for me now)
"Not that I'm not excited for this second phase of training, why did you have to wake me up so early?"
"We're already late, Pines." bellowed the baby.
"Who in their right mind would be up at like 4 in the morning for this. Plus how are we late? Isn't it you training me?"
"That's the thing, boy. I'm not the only one training you."
"Who else is going to help you train me? Are there even other beings capable of this?" asked Dipper.
"No. Not from your dimension."
"So what do you mean by that?"
"You will know soon enough. Now come, follow me." said the Time Baby.
Dipper stopped in his tracks. "No, I deserve to know now. Who's training me?" he growled, impatient from the Time Baby's secretive nature. "Who's going to give me the power to defeat Bill once and for all?"
"You." boomed Time Baby.
"You mean my alternate me's?" asked Dipper. "How powerful are these guys?"
Time Baby frowned. "There's a reason they are in the staple dimensions, Dipper. Each powerful in their own way. Strength. Alchemy/Sorcery. Endurance. Determination. Each staple dimension provides a different sense of power."
"I guess that means I'm determination, huh?"
"You possess the greatest determination of all the staple dimensions, yes. Anyway, as I was saying, when you combine all these strengths of the staple dimensions, you might actually have a chance. Besides, if that doesn't work, there's always the Omega Matrix."
"The what?"
"We're here." said the Time Baby. He snapped his fingers, and both of them were flying in the middle of space, but not the Mindscape, as Dipper noticed.
"Why'd you take me here? This isn't the Mindscape!" he asked.
"Cipher has completely controlled the Mindscape literally overnight. It's no longer safe to train there."
"Isn't that the only spot where these dimensions can merge without terrible consequences happening?"
"Yes. However, there is a slim chance that nothing will happen if we go to the Omega Dimension. Not to be confused with the Omega Matrix."
"Is it worth the risk?"
"What choice do we have, Pines? It's either there or certain death in the Mindscape."
Dipper gulped. He agreed. This was the only way to go. "Alright," he muttered. "Let's go."
The Time Baby opened up three other portals. A blue, orange, and red portal, each humming to life at different frequencies, making a dissonant sound that pierced Dipper's ears. Lightning cracked everywhere, and the entire atmosphere rumbled in violence.
"Is that supposed to happen?" shouted Dipper.
"Not quite as extreme," started the Time Baby. "Must be the new environment where I've done this." He grunted with much effort, and after a moment or two, everything became completely still and silent. The three portals still swirl around in their brilliant colors of blue, orange, and red.
Soon after, silhouettes appeared in the mouths of each and every single portal. The silhouettes mimicked Dipper's own physique.
"The four staple dimensions, together at last." boomed the Time Baby, almost happy that it's finally happening.
Dipper could do nothing but stare in amazement. Despite all he's been through in his life, the weirdness and all, he's never seen anything even remotely close to that ever.
Suddenly, one by one, the silhouettes stepped out of their respective portals, and took their first steps in the Omega dimension. The first one walked out of the orange portal, and looked almost exactly like Dipper, but he looks older, and more worn out. Various scars cover his body, especially his arms. Are those burn marks? Thought Dipper. He bore sleeveless, military-grade tactical wear, including military boots, worn with age and thorough use, on his chest belts of ammunition, making an X. His face was covered with war paint, and on his left arm he bore a strange-looking scar, almost looking like a burn mark in the shape of a G. The older Dipper took one glance at Dipper and sighed.
"This is the guy that's gonna save the multiverse?" said the older Dipper's much deeper, grittier voice. Dipper felt offended.
"Excuse me, buddy, but I didn't sign up for this." said Dipper. Time Baby shushed him.
"Dipper, this is Dipper 7567." said the Time Baby to our Dipper. Both of them stared at the Time Baby. "What I meant to say is that in this Dipper's universe, the imp Gideon has taken over Gravity Falls and declared your whole family as criminals. Over his last eight years, he's been forced underground, where he runs a rebel group that raids supplies for its supporters and survivors of Gideon's torment, in hopes to overthrow his regime."
"Jeez. That's a wicked backstory." ad libbed our Dipper. The rebel Dipper scowled at him.
"If you've been through what I've been through, you wouldn't take it so lightly." he snarled, sending a chill down our Dipper's spine.
Another Dipper walked out of the red portal. He is almost identical in physique, but a little bit more muscular. His only oddity was what he was wearing. It looks almost identical to the Superman suit in the comic books he read on the way from Piedmont to Gravity Falls.
"Hey there." said the "super" Dipper, reaching out his hand to shake his. "Ready to save the universe?"
"Um, sure." said our Dipper, shaking his hand.
"He has superpowers." said the Time Baby. "He became one of the protectors of the town after interacting with the all-powerful shards. Now he regularly fights foes that would otherwise bring great chaos into his is Dipper 0618."
"I can blow stuff up with my eyes!" cheered the brightly-costumed Dipper. Another bright flash of blue lightning snapped our Dipper out of his trance, and his head whipped over to the blue portal.
Out came the last Dipper, his appearance drastically different from the other three. He was thin and sallow, and stood over six feet tall. On one hand he held his Journal 3, and he used his right hand for what appeared to be telekinesis, holding up a dagger surrounded by a bright blue aura. He wore a sky-blue suit, with small red speckles sprayed at the front, presumably blood. His eyes were different, too; they were also bright blue. He looked like he murdered someone in cold blood, and enjoyed every second of it.
"This is Dipper 6660," said Time Baby. "a Dipper where the roles of you and that child Gideon switched places. He's the best alchemist in his world."
Dipper 7567, the older Dipper, almost immediately lurched at the new blue figure, only to be stopped by the Super Dipper. "How dare you idolize that psychotic son of a bitch tyrant!" He continued struggling, trying to get a cheap hit, but the blue Dipper only scoffed.
"And who the fuck are you?" said the blue-clad Dipper in a distasteful, spiteful tone, as if he was offended that someone as inferior as him even looked in his direction.
The rugged Dipper pushed himself off of Super Dipper. "My name is Dipper Pines, smartass, and I don't care what your name is, you're no Dipper Pines either."
"That's disgusting, both the fact that I share the same last name with you and your overall appearance. Might I suggest wearing a mask? Or at least getting skin grafts for those arms?" replied blue Dipper, his eyes almost, no, they were glowing.
"I should put six rounds in your stupid, perfect little face." said the gritty Dipper. He suddenly pulled out a glock from a holster on his leg and aimed it right between the blue Dipper's eyes.
The blue Dipper was not fazed at all. He simply waved his hand and the gun went flying out of rugged-Dipper's hand. He then nonchalantly brushed the dust off his powder-blue suit jacket. "As much as I'd like to die, I'm afraid it would have to wait until small nuts over there figures out how to beat William."
"If you idiots are done bickering, we have a multiverse to save, countless lives at stake." interrupted the Time Baby. "Set aside your differences and focus on the task at hand."
"Small nuts?" squeaked our Dipper, a little offended at the insult to his adolescent-hood.
Time Baby cleared his throat. "Now, as I have described to you all before, your respective dimensions are staple dimensions, meaning your worlds are the core four in the foundation of this multiverse." then he pointed at our Dipper. "Even though this Dipper may not be the most powerful, his dimension is the staple dimension. If anything catastrophic happens to his reality, would follow in all other realities. However, this must be his fight alone, since interfering with other staple dimensions could also bring dire consequences. None of you three that I've brought here could help him in the final battle in his dimension. Of course, unless he is capable of bringing the upcoming battle to the Omega Matrix."
"Isn't that the watch from Ben 10?" asked our Dipper. Everyone, including Time Baby, just stared at our Dipper.
"Dumbass." said the rugged-Dipper to himself. "The fate of our multiverse is an actual dumbass."
"As I was saying, it is too dangerous for the other three dimensions to intermingle with the staple dimension." said the Time Baby. "This is his fight, and his fight alone, unless he learns how to take Bill to the Omega Matrix. That option is also extremely risky, since the Omega Matrix is always changing, and more unpredictable than Bill himself. So this means that the three of you will help me in training this half-man to defeat the greatest threat the multiverse had ever seen."
"Half-man?" asked our Dipper, offended again. Surely his physique wasn't that much inferior to the other three. He looked at them, and his thoughts were all but confirmed. They were all either taller than him or more muscular.
"Dipper of Earth 7567, you will be in charge of the aspects of toughness and utility with weapons." continued the Time Baby. "It's essential to be versatile and have access to weapons and distractions to throw Cipher off. Dipper of Earth 0618, you will train him regarding speed, agility, and ingenuity. Quick-thinking to counter Bill's attacks is key to success. And finally, Dipper of 6660, you will train him how to use alchemy and sorcery. Teach him everything you know, for I have already mentally trained him. He is capable of even the most physically and mentally taxing tricks and spells.
"Through these three stages of training, and one last test, you will be as prepared as possible, and have at least a minute chance at defeating Bill." explained the Time Baby. "The passage of time is tricky in this realm, since it is extremely difficult to duplicate the laws of the mindscape into another dimension. That means that the passage of time becomes exponential the longer we train. For every extra minute you spend here training could delay to extreme proportions. A second passed now is less than a trillionth of a microsecond, but a second passed three weeks later relative to this realm means an entire week passes. It is key to train as accurately, and efficiently as possible. I know this is a lot of information to process but it is essential that you are aware of this information, Dipper of Earth 0333 [our Dipper]."
"You're kidding, right?" interjected the rugged Dipper. "I really have to train this clown to kill a god?"
"Yes. Pretty much." answered Time Baby. He turned to our Dipper. "You will be trained by each mentor each day, followed by me with a recap of mental training until you master all of these skills at once. This will probably take a bit longer to master, but well-roundedness in each area of expertise is absolutely crucial to your chance of survival. Now then, we've already wasted way too much time explaining this. You need to start training right away. Go. When you're done with your first session of each mentor, come to me and I'll review with you again." And with that, he sent Dipper off to train with his other three selves.
"If I have to train this kid, I'm gonna do it right." said the scarred, rugged Dipper. Already he was observing our Dipper, analyzing which tactics and weapons would best suit our Dipper's physique. It seemed as if he was already computing hundreds of weapon combinations through his head.
"Everything's at stake, so I need to make sure you're able to beat Bill at his own game." reflected Super Dipper.
The sorcerer just chuckled to himself quietly. His hands lit up with similar-looking blue flames, almost exactly like Bill when he was tormenting Dipper the past week or two. "I'm going to have almost too much fun with this."
Our Dipper gulped, and cleared his throat. He never expected this at all. After showing a moment of pure intimidation, he regained his composure, stood straight, and stared stoically at the other three staple Dippers. A wave of confidence and bravery overtook him, almost giving him a nauseating sensation.
"Gentlemen," our Dipper started, "We've got a dream demon to kill. Let's get to work."
. . . .
A/N: This chapter was very long overdue, and my sincerest apologies to any follower/favorite of this story for keeping you guys waiting. Once again, I'd like to emphasize that I did not forget about this story. I've just been a very busy guy and I've been trying to finish the main "storyboard" through my head and make sure all the elements I want in this story is in there. Anyway, enough rambling from me, thank you all so much for taking the time to read this, I appreciate it very much. Hopefully I'll release the next chapter sooner rather than later. Thanks again!