They crouched just inside the tree line and stared at the building in the middle of the clearing. The open area was a major defensive advantage; anyone inside could see an intruder coming from any direction. He had made it that way, and now it was being used against him.

"Come on Ford," Stanley griped, "We've been here for five minutes. How much longer do you expect me to squat like this – I'm an old man now."

"Just a little while longer. There's movement inside, but I haven't been able to make any faces out," He stood up and stretched his legs and Stanley followed suit. Maybe he was getting old as well, "I just don't want us walking into a trap.

"Again."

"Sorry about that," Stanley glanced at his brother's bandaged arm. When the second plane they 'borrowed' was low on fuel, they were forced to land on an airstrip in Idaho. It looked like a private field and there was another plane in a hangar at the other end of the strip. How was he supposed to know that people were waiting for them?

Stanford was shot and Stanley blew up their plane. He'd never seen his brother happier than when things were exploding. It'd distracted their attackers and allowed them to escape. Ford had tried to reprimand his brother for being reckless, but it was half-hearted. Not that he'd ever admit it, but exploding a plane was kind of cool.

From there it was a slow walk until they'd found some bicycles locked in a bike rack at an abandoned high school. The phrase "it's just like riding a bike" was not the case. Stanford hadn't ridden a bicycle since he was a little kid and it did not go smoothly.

He fell more than once. He blamed arthritis; his joints just weren't as flexible as they used to be.

But none of that mattered anymore, because they were at the Mystery Shack. They'd managed to travel across an apocalyptic America and survive. They were so close, and he was not going to rush in just to get shot. They'd come too far.

So, they waited.

After an hour of shadow's moving around inside, the front door suddenly opened. A blonde girl jumped out… followed by a walking slime. Stanley grumbled something about ruined carpets, but Stanford was too busy looking at the blonde girl. He knew her from somewh- The mewman! She was the mewman girl that helped them defeat Bill last summer.

What was her name? It was something celestial. Mercury? Venus? Ganymede, Jupiter's largest moon?

No, it wasn't any of those. It was –

"Star!" Stanley called out. her head whipped around until she spotted two old men coming out of the woods. She gasped before running over to hug them.

"It's so good to see you guys! Dipper and Mabel were sure you'd make it here event-"

"They're here?" Stanley interrupted.

"Yeah," Star nodded, "They've been in the basement for like two days now looking over notes and diaries. They really need some sunlight."

Stanley was in the house before she could finish. Plates shattered and the familiar sound of Soos crying could be heard, followed by the ding of the elevator behind the vending machine.

Stanford looked at Star and shrugged. Those kids meant the world to his brother. He wouldn't shut up about them the entire way here. That wasn't to say that he wasn't excited to see them. They were his family, too, but this thing in front of him piqued his curiosity.

"H-hi, I'm Sime," The gelatinous green humanoid held out something that looked like a hand, "Slime-I mean- my name is Slime."

"Stanford," He looked at the hand, realized that there probably wasn't any hand sanitizer in the Mystery Shack, sighed, and shook it. The creature looked terrified of him and he didn't want to appear threatening, "are you from Mewni as well?"

"Uh, yes!" Slime shook Stanford's hand for longer than was necessary, before dropping it suddenly, "I used to live in Monstertown, and then New Monstertown. Now I live here.

"Well, I don't really live here. It's more like a temporary stay until I can figure out what to do. It's not safe out there for people like me and this place is so I'd really appreciate it if we can stay here a little bit longer just until everything blows over. Mina tried to shove me off a cliff on Mewni and I've already seen some really good people die here and I'm not sur-"

"It's alright," Stanford held up his hand to stop his rambling, "I have no intention of kicking anyone out of this place, but if you'll excuse me, I have some grandchildren to see."

"That went well," he could hear Star say as he opened the door and went inside.

(POV Switch)

"One person more person that doesn't want to kill me," Slime said as they walked into the forest, "that leaves about a million people that still want my head on a spike – if that was possible,"

"Well, it's about eight billion actually," Slime's jaw dropped, "but if we have to convince them one-by-one, then that's what we'll do. I won't stop until everyone is safe."

"That's impossible – eight billion?" How big was this planet? he couldn't even imagine a world with more than a few million people.

"Don't worry, we can do this," Star said, puffing her chest out.

"What exactly are we doing?" Slime looked around them. The Mystery Shack had been replaced with red mushrooms slim green leaves attached to thick brown trunks. Plenty of spaces for enemies to hide, lurking just out of sight. If it were any darker, he would've thought he'd ventured into the Forest of Certain Death back on Mewni.

"Looking for the locals," Star looked completely relaxed in their current situation. It made no sense to Slime. He shouldn't have agreed to do this. He should've kept his head low. Being a hero never ended well. Maybe it wasn't too late to turn around…

A thud echoed through the forest and the ground trembled. It was soon followed by others. For some odd reason, Star smiled and started running in that direction.

"What are you doing?!" he called after her.

"Come on!" Was all she replied, already a hundred yards away.

Every bone in his body was telling him not to go with her, but it was that or be stuck in this forest. Alone. Lost. He had no idea how to get back. Cursing Star in his mind, he ran after her.

She had a good head start and Slime struggled to keep up. He could only get glimpses of her blonde hair through the trees. Within thirty seconds, he had to stop and catch his breath. He was not a fast runner; his body wasn't made for this. For the first time in his life, he envied creatures that had a more… structured form. Muscles could be wounded, sure, but they were powerful.

"Star?" He called out softly, before repeating it a little louder. The thudding had stopped and he wasn't sure to be relieved or scared. What if they came looking for him? Maybe they could smell his fear. Why did Star always manage to drag him into situations that ended badly?

Still, she always did her best to look out for him and his people, and it wasn't all bad. She did introduce him to Spider Bite Princess, after all. That woman was the love of his life. All he wanted to do was see her again – and that meant getting out of this forest alive.

He started running in the direction Star headed. The trees started thinning out, which initially made Slime feel claustrophobic until he realized that it wasn't a natural phenomenon. They had been smashed to pieces by something.

Or somethings.

The forest floor was littered with splinters and broken branches. A new sound could be heard too. Not thuds, but voices. Chanting. In the middle of the clearing, a gaping hole was punched into the side of a hill. It was in the shape of a man, with massive muscles and… horns?

The hole was on the other side of a ravine. It was deep enough that he was sure his body would splatter if he fell. He should leave. This was dangerous. He turned his back and started to walk away until he heard Star's scream. Without thinking, he turned and ran. It wasn't until he was halfway over the gap did his mind register what had happened.

He landed on the other side with a grunt and charged inside, ready to save his friend from certain doom.

The first thing that him him was the stench. It reeked of sweat and unbridled testosterone.

Star was on the shoulders of a beast. The cave was teeming with beings of seven feet of pure muscles with thick sections of hair around the shoulders and face. Their arms were thicker than the trees in the forest, but the most noticeable feature were the horns that protruded from their heads. And Star was using them like handles.

"There you are, Slime!" she waved, "this is Chutzpar. What took you so long?"

"I… I came to save you," the creatures looked at him and laughed.

"This man couldn't save a lollipop from a baby," one of them said and Slime lowered his head. He felt insignificant next to these towering beasts.

"Lay off him," Chutzpar said, letting Star climb down his shoulders. She nodded in agreement.

"Slime may not be the strongest person, but he has a golden heart. I mean, he came in here to save me, and I think that counts for something," She turned to him, "although I didn't need saving. These lovely men are why we came out here. They're called Manotuars and are the kings of this forest."

They punched their chests with pride and Star continued.

"Chutzpar was separated from his pack when Bill took over the city last summer. He was part of the team that defeated him. If anyone can help spread the word of a safe haven, it's them," She pulled Slime closer so that she couldn't be heard by the others, "they aren't the smartest, though. They need someone with brains who can organize an effective sweep for refugees."

Slime's eyes widened and he shook his head violently.

"You can't expect me to stay here!" He whisper-yelled, "They'll eat me alive."

"I personally vouch that they won't harm you. They may seem tough, but are secretly big softies. Besides, this is the best way for you to look for Spider Bite Princess."

Star certainly new how to play her cards, but it was still a low blow, using his love to gain a tactical advantage. It was an offer he couldn't refuse; he would do anything to see his girlfriend. Still, he looked around him. They may be soft towards Star, but most people were. She brought out the best in people. When she left, he was sure that he would be bullied and harassed. It wasn't anything new to him, though.

Steeling himself for the trouble that was sure to come, he nodded.

(Line Break)

"This is getting us nowhere, none of these were written by Ford. None of these people have any experience with the weirdness. We're just wasting our time here," Dipper tossed another scientific book into the pile behind him,

"I'm awake!" Mabel shot up. Despite her best intentions, it was hard not falling asleep when it was soooo boring down here. Just books and books and, you guessed it, more books. When she volunteered, she thought it'd at least be dangerous to get into, like the bunker was.

She'd also wanted to support her lil' brother, but it was so hard whe he was in his 'serious' mood. No fun.

"I have no idea what to do," he started grabbing at his hair and pulling, "All these books are just theories. They have no idea what they're talking about."

Marco looked like he was about ready to throw the book across the room when the elevator dinged.

"Gruncle Stan!" Mabel cried, tackling him in a hug. Dipper wasn't too far behind.

"Oof," The old man grunted. A tear slipped from his eye, but luckily Dipper and Mebel were too burying their faces in his sides to notice, "It's good to see you kids again."

"I knew you'd come back here," Dipper glanced behind Stan and his face fell, "Where's Great Uncle Ford..?"

"He's upstairs talking to that blonde girl and a walking slime," he said, much to Dipper's relief, "You think we could convince him to be an exhibit here? He'd make quite the attraction."

Mabel laughed and it felt good. Really good. It felt like everything was how it should be. Dipper, Mabel, Stanley, Ford, and even Soos all under the same roof once again. The only person stopping it from being a complete family was Wendy.

There was another ding and Great Uncle Ford stepped out of the elevator.

"Ford!" the two kids jumped him as well, bringing him to the floor.

"It's good to see you two," he took a glance at his disheveled office, "you guys have been busy, it seems."

"We've been trying to find anything that will help us with what's going on outside, but we've had no luck so far," Dipper threw his hands up in frustration, "half of the things in here aren't even written by you. They're all just theoretical nonsense."

Stanford let out a little laugh.

"That's because the real work is hidden," he pushed his hand against the wall and one of the bookshelves opened.

"A secret room, in a secrete room, behind a secret elevator," Mabel said in awe.

"I have a hard time trusting people," Stanford admitted, "but it's kept my journals safe."

"The journals were destroyed by Bill…" Dipper said. Stanford smiled before pulling out a tattered blue notebook.

"True, they were, but those ones wouldn't have helped us anyway," Stanford took a seat in one of the chairs and started flipping through the pages, "but this one was made after I went through the portal. It talks about my adventures through the multiverse.

"I knew Bill couldn't get into my mind, so I made sure that it was hidden and that I was the only one that knew of its existence. I didn't mean to hide anything from any of you, but I couldn't let this get destroyed."

"We understand," Dipper said immediately, craning his neck to get a better look at what was written. Every page was filled with words and pictures and diagrams.

"Why make another journal? There's this great invention called the computer where you could write stuff down and then be able to read it anywhere in the world," Stanley said, "plus, with six fingers, you could type faster than anyone else on the planet."

"You can't hack paper, Stan," Ford replied, "And I'm no good with keyboards, anyway. The layout is outdated and not efficient. No, pen and paper is still the best way to go."

Stanley shrugged and soon was playing paddy cake with Mabel. He was more than content to let his brainiac brother do his thing. These kids meant everything to him and were his first priority.

Dipper, on the other hand, was intently watching Stanford's face. He may not be able to get his hand on the journal… yet… but he could read the concern in his knitted eyebrows.

"It's as I thought…" Stanford mumbled. It took all of Dipper's willpower not to pounce him with questions. He'd learned long ago that it was best to let him think everything out in his head first. Otherwise, Stanford would lose his train of thought and blame him for it, "There's nothing we can do."

"What?" Dipper had to make sure he heard him right.

"There's nothing we can do to separate the two worlds," Stanford repeated, "Since it happened through magic, only magic can undo it. Theoretically, I could have modified the portal in the basement in order to reverse the damage, but it tapped into the realm of magic. With that realm gone, there is no way to successfully reverse the process."

"So, we're stuck like this?" Stanley said, braiding Mabel's hair, "A lot of people are going to be unhappy with that," he finished with a grunt.

"They can learn," Mabel chimed in, "they just have to be shown that the monsters aren't… well monsters."

"Because that's worked so well in the past," Dipper rubbed his hand across his face, "It took hundreds of years for the Slavic people to win their independence. In World War II, the Germans referred to the polish people as 'subhuman,' and I don't think I need to remind you about the iron triangle.

"How can we expect to get humans to accept monsters when they can't even accept themselves?"

"That was in the past. We've made a lot of progress since then – and we'll keep making more progress."

"Look," Stanford cut in, "it's getting late and I'm sure dinner is almost ready. We can't do anything about our current situation tonight so let's not get too heated."

"You're right, Great Uncle Ford, I'm starving!" Mabel, Stanley, and Dipper headed towards the elevator, but Dipper caught Ford's look.

"You guys go on ahead," he said, "I'm gonna help Ford clean up the mess we made."

"Don't know where he gets that 'goodie two shoes' gene," Stanley mumbled as the doors closed.

"What is it?" Dipper asked when the two of them were alone.

"You see things more clearly than the rest of our family," Stanford mentioned Dipper to take a seat again, "Stanley has a good heart, but it's tainted with greed. Mabel's naivety is… refreshing, but she can't comprehend that evil exists in our world, even after coming face to face with it.

"But you. You extrapolate the past in order to predict the future. You at least recognize that there is a possibility that humans will never be able to peacefully coincide with the monsters."

Dipper wasn't sure where his great uncle was going with this… He'd already said that he couldn't reverse the collision. Stanford pulled out a gun from his desk drawer. It was rusted and had a triangular barrel.

It was familiar. Dipper remembered Ford using it once or twice last summer. He'd gotten it from…

"The spaceship," he breathed. Stanford nodded.

"There is no way to reverse the collision, that is true. No magic, no fixing," Stanford waved his gun around, "but this isn't magic. This technology was created by a highly advanced society. I've been through the spaceship many times and I believe they have something there that could save the Earth."

Dipper's mouth opened. This was amazing! They could help people – but why didn't Ford say this around the others? Mabel would love to hear it. Unless…

"Oh."

Ford was the smartest man Dipper had ever met. He always chose his words very carefully and there was a big difference between reversing the collision and saving the Earth.

"Now you see why I wanted you to wait behind," he said, "they wouldn't understand. We need to be prepared for anything. Prepared to do anything, and it will take some time to get everything ready."

"What about all the booby traps?"

Stanford shrugged, "We've made it out alive, we can do it again as long as we keep our fear in check."

"And… this is just a precaution, right? We'll use it if we have to, but only as a last resort," Dipper wanted what was best for his people, but that didn't mean he was trigger happy. If it was possible, he would save everyone, just like last summer.

Stanford nodded his head in agreement, but for the first time, Dipper couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or not.

AN: Wow, it has been a while. I haven't uploaded since January! That's way too long and I'm super sorry about it, but college is college. I've also been working on a side project… I got together with a few friends and we made a group blog. It's / and if you're interested in some of my other works, you can find them there under "Chase"! Just a little warning that the others aren't fully on board (yet) and currently don't have anything posted (except for Isaac, who published an amazing poem). I currently have two short stories and a 'historical find' and would love to hear what y'all think about them! I've always wanted a website and I'm sooooo excited that it's finally happening.

But back to the story, what'd y'all think? Is it getting hard to follow? There are so many subplots and I'm trying to weave them all together. What's Marco been up to since his deal with Bill? How will Slime handle working with the manotuars? How long until Cubert/Buff Frog/Pony head arrive at Gravity Falls? When will Mina's army show up? Are we ever going to see Wendy? I have so many questions – and I'm the one writing this!

Have a good week!

(super sorry about the long update time once more)