Greetings from SeekerMeeker.
This chapter is completely rewritten.
Heroic Falls
Chapter 3: Watching
"OK, what's up with this world?"
"Ooh, another adventure? Sweet!"
"Not another thing again…"
Dipper, Mabel, and Pacifica gazed at a pile of debris. Apparently, a part of the fireball broke off, and made impact on a neighbor's shed. As a result, all that remained of it was a pile of rubble and broken wood, most burned into cinder.
"I hope nobody's home," Mabel remarked.
"I would think that somebody would notice," Dipper said. "Because it made a huge sound upon impact."
"I qualify that," Pacifica replied. "The fireball also made a huge noise, so I think that it would have drowned out the noise anyway."
"Anyway!" Dipper declared (to Pacifica's annoyance). "What in the world just happened HERE?"
They stared at it. In the middle of the impact was a single . . .
"Suitcase?" the trio noted.
It was indeed a suitcase, but it was clearly armored. Apparently, the suitcase was encased in a larger container, which looked like a drop pod from various video games. However, the pod was shattered into dust and numerous debris. Remarkably, the suitcase had only a few scratches on it, but one thing stood out: a watch-like symbol engraved in the middle.
"It must be valuable," Pacifica remarked, leaning to take a closer look. Dipper, however, was looking at something else.
"Dipper," Mabel teased. "Her eyes are up there."
Dipper blushed, slapping himself.
"Hmm?" Pacifica asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Nevermind!" Dipper gulped.
"Did you see my skirt?" Pacifica asked, with a glare.
Dipper frowned.
"It was your chest," he retorted.
Pacifica blushed, while Mabel clapped her hands.
"Yes!" she whispered a little loudly.
"Stop it," Pacifica groaned. "Let's focus on this mystery."
"Ah…yeah," Dipper said, waking himself up, as he leaned in to take a closer look at the impact.
"Let me get this," Mabel said, as she squinted her eyes. "Whatever that was, that 'fireball' must have been some spaceship that fell down, and this thing is its valuable cargo."
"And why is it so conveniently here?" Pacifica asked.
"Whatever it is," Dipper said. "This suitcase must be important."
Dipper then reached in, and took the suitcase out.
"Man," he grunted. "It's very heavy for its look."
"Wait a second," Pacifica said, analyzing the logo on the case. "Didn't I see this before . . . ?"
"Have you?" the twins asked.
"OK," she replied. "There is something that I assume you, but we rich folks have many connections. I have seen a variety of logos and all that boring stuff. This logo looks familiar."
They looked more closely.
"The locks on this are broken," Mabel interjected.
"Mabel," Pacifica began. "That's impo-wait, it's open?"
Dipper then grabbed the lid, and struggled.
"Help?"
The girls put their hands in, and together lifted up the lid. Three bright lights suddenly lit up the area, before disappearing.
"Wow," the trio noted.
"Now the treasure!" Mabel began. "And what's inside…what the?"
They looked in.
"Watches?" Dipper asked.
"What's a watch doing in outer space?" Mabel asked.
"You mean three," Pacifica corrected her. "No wait, four."
Four badly damaged watch-like devices were inside of the suitcase. Apparently, despite the armored suitcase, the devices suffered massive scratches, bumps, and other deformities.
"They were clearly not secured," Dipper remarked. "And damaged despite being inside of this armored case? That's odd."
"Very weird," Mabel remarked. "Wasn't that why this suitcase is armored?"
"Wait," Pacifica asked. "What's this?"
She reached in, and took out one of the watches, which was clearly the most damaged of the four. Little did she or her friends knew, however, this action would change the course of their future forever.
The trio looked at the remain.
"It really looks like a watch," Dipper concluded. "But very advanced. I have seen Rolex and Patek Philippe, but this is clearly futuristic."
"Futuristic!" Mabel gasped. "They're so cool-looking too! If they weren't damaged."
Pacifica, however, squinted at it.
"Didn't I see this before?" she pondered loudly.
Suddenly, lights flickered from inside of the suitcase, and the trio looked inside. Pacifica put down the damaged device on the side.
"Wow," the trio noted.
The three "watches" inside started to flicker a variety of lights, and tiny robotic arms came out of them, collecting materials around them. Then, each device fixed itself.
"Very interesting," Dipper noted. "Self-repairing devices."
As they watched, all three noticed something:
Each "watch" had three "pylons," which were the frame of the "head." However, as each watch fixed itself, each also took a pylon from the fourth watch. After a few seconds, all three watches rapidly repaired themselves, while making audible clicks and emitting bright lights, and soon became good as new.
"Wow."
Now, the watches looked very different. Instead of three "pylons," each watch had four, so that each looked larger and more robust than the original, whatever it looked. Plus, all were brightly colored:
One was bright red with cyan lines around the "head," which was also cyan.
The second one was medium green with magenta lines and "head."
The last one was deep blue with golden yellow lines and "head."
"They still look like watches," Dipper remarked. "But futuristic."
"Very different," Pacifica noted. "Now that I think about it, I remember: these are some sort of 'prototype watches' that some rich guy boasted about months ago."
"What does this button do?" Mabel asked, reaching out to touch the "head" of the green watch.
Suddenly, all three watches twitched, opened up their straps, and lunged at the three, latching onto each person's left arm!
"AAAAHHHHH!"
Three screams erupted from the alley, causing a lone figure to flinch.
"Agent Nicholas?"
"Safe here."
"What's going on there?"
"I think that three college kids have gotten it."
"You what?"
"Sir, I – "
"Change of plan, disengage."
"Pardon?"
"Disengage. It's not worth it. We'll get whatever the suitcase has."
"Roger that. 10-4."
"Just go and watch whoever they are."
"On it."
Agent Nicholas turned off his microphone, and watched from a distance.
"Now that I think about it," he mumbled to himself. "I have not been able to get a proper look of those three. All I can tell is that based on their appearance, they must be students at the Megaville University. Huh, it's one of the strangest universities in the US."
"Get it off!"
"Gross-gross!"
"No! I don't want it!"
Three college kids shouted, as they struggled to take off the mysterious watches, which latched unto their left wrists.
"Is there a way to take them off?" Mabel gasped, as she pulled at the watch with all her might.
"Can't…take them off!" Dipper roared, as he took out a multi-tool, and attempted to cut at the strap. Instead, the strap stiffened, and stuck too close to the skin to be cut.
"Is there a way to take this off?" Pacifica uttered, pulling and then tapping on the watch. "Like, something to unlock this?"
"That's it!" Dipper gasped. "I still have it!"
He took something from one of his pockets, and Mabel gasped.
"The President's Key!" she yelled enthusiastically.
"Doesn't that work on actual locks?" Pacifica asked.
"Something's better than nothing," Dipper answered.
He then put the key at the center of the watch, as if it was the hole of a lock.
Click!
"It works!" Dipper gasped, as he pulled it and dropped it.
Mabel quickly gave her wrist to Dipper, who put the key at the watch. However, the green device went up and down the arm, apparently to avoid being unlocked.
"Oh no you don't!" Mabel grunted, using her right hand to hold the watch. Dipper quickly put the key at the crystal.
Click!
It also fell down, and Mabel kicked the watch away.
"Get mine too!" Pacifica commanded, holding the watch.
Dipper then approached her, and put the key at the watch.
"NEW OPTIONS OPENED," a female, mechanical voice suddenly boomed.
"Huh?!" the college kids gasped, surprised.
"RESTORATION OF X-WATCH AT 100%," the blue device continued to speak. "NEW OPTIONS OPENED. PLEASE SELECT TO REMOVE."
Pacifica blinked, but beckoned Dipper. He then put the key at the crystal.
"UNDERSTOOD," the watch replied, as Dipper's key unlocked the watch. It dropped, but Pacifica then backed away.
"OK," Dipper said. "This is…a new development."
"They have a built-in voice?" Mabel asked, as she went back to the other watch. She took out a pair of gloves, then picked up the watch as if it was dangerous, then went back to drop it with the others. All three watches then twitched, as the straps transformed into four legs.
"NEW OPTIONS OPENED," the blue watch repeated.
"Is it just me," Pacifica said. "Or is it using my voice, but deeper?"
"X-WATCH RESTORED AT 100%," the green watch spoke, but with a higher-pitched female voice.
"Oh it talks!" Mabel said. "And it sounds a little like me, but less cute."
"WELCOME NEW USERS," the red watch boomed. "CONGRATULATIONS ON RESTORING US."
"Sorry?" the trio asked.
"WE AWAIT YOUR ORDERS," the red watch continued. "PLEASE CALL US WHEN NEEDED."
With that, the three watches transformed their bands into legs, and scuttered away. The trio looked at each other, stunned.
"OK," Dipper said. "What the heck just happened?"
"I think that was…enough weirdness for the day," Mabel admitted.
"Agreed," Pacifica said. "I am just tired already."
"Can't blame you," Dipper said. "After what the watches tried to do."
"But what do they mean?" Mabel asked. "One moment they tried to latch unto us like parasites, the next moment they greet us like well-designed virtual assistants."
"And is it just me?" Pacifica blurted out. "Or after that, I feel…cleaner?"
"Huh?" the others asked.
"Do you all feel different?" Pacifica asked. "Like, I feel better, as if something 'evil' was removed from my heart. I can think better too."
"Now that you mention it," Mabel said. "I feel more 'peaceful,' as if something was lifted from my heart."
"I have to admit," Dipper said. "I also feel a little different. I feel more…confident?"
BOOM!
The trio looked, and saw an explosion, but the cloud was not gray or black.
It was sickly green in color.
"Uh oh," Dipper said.
"We better get going!" Pacifica gasped.
"But what about the pod?" Mabel asked, pointing at the impact.
"Not important!" Dipper said, grabbing her hand. "Let's go!"
All three ran, unaware of the three watches from a nearby building, latching onto a wall like spiders.
"NEW USERS MOVING," the green watch spoke.
"GATE DETECTED," the red watch uttered.
"POSSIBILITY OF POWER: 75%," the blue watch voiced.
All three watches also watched, as a man in black suit approached the pod, then talked into his microphone.
"ENEMY DETECTED," the red watch spoke.
"INTERCEPTING MESSAGE," the blue watch uttered.
"Mr. Black and Mr. White," Agent Nicholas spoke. "I have located the pod, but the suitcase is empty."
"What was it inside?" Mr. White spoke.
"It looks like four Exarch watches were inside," Nicholas spoke. "But I found only one here, heavily damaged."
"Find those three kids," Mr. Black declared. "And get the watches back."
"There is no point," Nicholas spoke. "They left the watches, and the devices went away."
"They what?!" Mr. Black gasped.
"I don't know how to describe it," Nicholas spoke. "I watched them struggle, and also the boy in black jacket took out a strange key, and unlocked each watch."
"Huh," Mr. Black noted.
"It could be a magical artifact," Mr. White remarked. "One of those that comes from the Gates."
"If so," Mr. Black said ominously. "Then we must hurry."
"I have placed a beacon here," Nicholas said. "We will gather up the pod and such. Any orders?"
"Abort the mission to follow the three," Mr. Black commanded. "Go to the site of the actual crash site. There is a Gate opening up."
"Yes sir-wait, are you serious?!" Nicholas gasped.
"No joke," Mr. Black admitted with a sigh. "That crash must have disrupted the California Floristic Province's mana-rivers, causing a Gate to open. Agent Nicholas, go!"
"10-4," Nicholas spoke, as he rushed to the site. Soon, a helicopter appeared, apparently to deal with the pod and the suitcase.
"NEW ENEMIES DETECTED," the red watch noted.
"NEW OBJECTIVE," the green watch declared.
"FIND THE NEW USERS," the blue watch uttered. "AND REGISTER THEM 100%."
The three watches then crawled down, and skittered in the direction of the three college kids, ignoring the mayhem all around.
Five minutes ago…
A huge crowd stood at a distance, as a mysterious crater appeared. A secret convoy, including a few soldiers clad in cloaking gear, rushed in to rescue an apparently injured lady.
"No," she groaned. "I should have…"
"You are in big trouble," one of the soldiers remarked, turning off his cloaking device. "You stole one of the Exarchs, didn't you?"
"Ugh…wait, where are they?" she groaned, barely conscious.
"A risky move," the soldier noted.
"Affirmative," another soldier chimed in, turning off the cloak (he was a younger one). "But seriously, this lady is an amateur, but a good one."
"She's smart enough to get a hold of the Exarchs," the first soldier noted, cuffing the lady.
"Scarlet Lotuses are normally not this brazen," the younger soldier remarked.
"No matter," the older soldier retorted. "10-4, a Scarlet Lotus is under custody. Prepare transport."
"And what do we do now?" the younger soldier began to ask. "Now that…uh oh."
The surrounding quickly turned dark, as if it was a cloudy day, yet there were no clouds above.
"What's going on?" the crowd murmured.
"Is it another eclipse?"
"Another storm again?"
"Oh no," the younger soldier groaned.
The older soldier stood still, then made a silent motion to others.
"Mayday!" the younger soldier yelled. "Gate opening!"
"Private!" another soldier shouted. "You don't give away-WAUGGH!"
A burst of red-hot light appeared, exploding into the faces of the soldiers and others nearby, including the incapacitated Scarlet Lotus. They flew only a short distance, but all were knocked out by the blast. From the light, a circle of white-and-red light slowly opened, then grew to the size of a medieval castle gate. The large, round portal pulsed with a variety of lights, mostly white, red, and yellow. It emitted a cloud of sickly-green color.
"Ugh," some of the soldiers moaned, as they regained consciousness.
"John!" the younger soldier cried, shaking his superior. "Are you alright?"
"Agent Job," the older soldier groaned. "Use the codes…not names."
"What the heck just happened?!" Agent Nicholas gasped, as he rushed in. "Mr. White! Mr. Black! A Gate has opened now!"
"Already?!" Mr. Black boomed. "By my mutation, I cannot believe that this is happening!"
"Not unlike the time when Johnny tested our patience," Mr. White remarked.
"Mr. White!" Mr. Black yelled. "Focus! This is no time to reminisce on the past! Code Gate! I repeat: Code Gate!"
The soldiers readied themselves, as various helicopters, Humvees, and other military vehicles started to appear.
"Where did they appear?!" some of the onlookers gasped.
"Did they come through a Gate?" some others openly shouted.
"Get away!" others wisely shouted, as they hurried to run away.
The soldiers set up, raised their weapons, and waited.
The Gate continued to glow, its lights spinning around like a whirlpool. Then, two clawed hands appeared on the right side of the Gate, and a triangular, skeletal face appeared.
"Hungry," it croaked.
"Not this one," some of the soldiers groaned.
"Code Ghosts," Agent Nicholas sternly spoke on his phone. "Code Ghosts. We have Hungry Ghosts in sight."
A single creature crept out of the Gate. Its body was like that of a hunched human skeleton, but it had claws instead of nails, and instead of a skull, it had a triangular head. Two of the points of the "triangle" served as its horns, and indeed were shaped like horns that curved back. One of the points was its "mouth," which had insect-like mandibles on it.
"Hungry," the skeletal monster spoke, its voice cold and erratic.
"Open fire!"
Rattatatatatata!
A volley of gunfire welcomed the monster, as various soldiers fired. However, the bullets they fired blazed with sparkles and strange lights, as they somehow hit the monster accurately.
They were enchanted bullets.
"Man!" Agent Job shouted with a smile, as he continued to fire. "This rifle is amazing! I didn't know that magic could work like this!"
"Remember," Agent John grunted, as he fired. "We are a member of the secret forces."
"And I love it!" Job declared, as he took out what looked like a Javelin launcher. However, it was larger, and had a silver-and-blue color scheme. He aimed, and fired.
A single missile came out, but instead of a burst of smoke, a burst of magical glitter appeared, as the missile changed to appear like a plasma blast from a video game. It then struck the Gate, causing it to wobble and stutter, as if it was an old TV on static.
"Hungry!" the skeletal monster roared, as it charged. However, it soon fell down, as the barrage of bullets ravaged its body, and it disintegrated into strange, black dust that disappeared.
"Keep firing!" Agent John roared. "We have company!"
A horde of Hungry Ghosts, like the first one, came out. This time, the horde included some canine ones, which looked like skeletal dogs with the same triangular heads.
"Ugh!" Job grunted. "I hate those! Hungry K9s!"
However, a group of monsters flew out of them.
"Flying ones!" John roared. "And…oh no."
He dropped his rifle, as among the flock were some that did not look like the Hungry Ghosts. Instead of looking like the Hungry Ghosts, these creatures appeared as giant mosquitoes, but a little cartoonishly thin. Instead of eyes, it had three stalks on it.
"Dybbuks," John gasped.
"John!" Job cried, patting his leader and putting him under cover. "I will deal with them!"
"Hungry!" the Hungry Ghosts roared, as they charged towards the soldiers.
"I cling," the Dybbuks spoke in monotone, hushed voices, as they made strange whispers in the air. One of them swooped down towards John, who stood, frozen in fear.
"JOHN!" Agent Job cried, as the Dybbuk was within centimeters of its target, its needle-like mouth about to pierce the man.
BOOM!
A blast of white light appeared, causing the Hungry Ghosts and Dybbuks to freeze, writhing in great pain.
"John!" Agent Job yelled, grabbing the man. "What happened?"
"Job," he gasped, shaking himself. "I think...this is it."
Around the same time...
"Help!"
Various people cried, as they struggled to run away. In the panic, many people fell down, but only three people were running in the direction of the chaos.
"Careful!" Dipper yelled, as he ran to pick up a young boy, who was about to be trampled by a group of people running away.
"Waugh!" he cried. "Mommy!"
"There-there," Dipper said, patting him on the head. He noticed that the boy had red hair.
"A rare hair color," Dipper noted, as he ran to a safe spot, before putting him down.
"Mommy!" the little boy continued, crying into Dipper's chest. "I am scared."
"There-there," he spoke softly. "I-I know that you'll be fine."
"Re-really?" the little boy sniffed.
"As long as you run and stay safe," Dipper said, this time more confidently. "And how did you end up there?"
"Big crowd got in the way," the little boy spoke.
"Where is your mother?" Dipper began to ask, but the little boy lit up.
"Mommy!" he yelled.
Dipper looked, and noticed a lady who looked like the boy, down to red hair.
"Run to her ASAP," Dipper commanded, but blinked when the boy hugged him.
"Thank you," he said. "My hero."
"Not a big deal," Dipper said, scratching his head as the boy ran to his mother. A loud explosion echoed in the near distance, causing him to flinch.
"What's up with this world?" he mumbled. "First this, and now a Gate here? I have read of them on the Internet, but to see it . . ."
He trailed off, frozen in place.
A skeletal figure on two bony legs stood in front of him. Behind was a mosquito-like thing that hovered in the air, yet its strange wings made no noise.
"Uh…?" Dipper gasped, as the creature surprised him. However, the head was . . . familiar.
"Hungry," the strange creature uttered, raising its hand.
Before Dipper knew what happened, the claw was within centimeters of his throat.
"I am scared!" another voice screeched, and Mabel swooped in, literally.
She took out a grappling hook, the same one from years ago, but modified to support her weight. She shot it, and the hook gripped around a nearby light. Mabel swung around, and swooped up the girl, just as another crowd rushed in. She then dropped down, and patted the girl.
"You OK?" Mabel said, with a calming voice.
"Y-yeah," the little girl sniffed. As Mabel comforted her, she noticed that the girl had a four-leaved clover on her hair.
"Wow!" Mabel noted. "That's a fancy clover!"
The little girl brightened up.
"Yup!" she said proudly. "I found a real one!"
"Keep it just in case," Mabel said, patting her.
"Ehehehe," the little girl responded. "Thank you!"
A sudden explosion rocked the area, and Mabel looked up.
"Go now," she spoke.
"Roger that!" the little girl spoke, before running away. Mabel took a quick look, and saw the girl finding her mother apparently (their gestures showed). Smiling, she then ran in the direction of the explosion, but saw something.
"Dipper!" she screamed, as she took out her grappling hook, and swung as fast as she could, but it was too late.
A skeletal creature raised its hand, and struck at Dipper.
"Watch it!" Pacifica yelled, this time standing in the way of another crowd, which was about to trample a little girl. Instead of moving to avoid, some started to push into, so she pushed them back-very hard.
"Ouch!" a couple of the people shouted.
"Watch it!" a rough-looking man roared. "Where do you-augh!"
Pacifica rolled her eyes, punched him square in the eyes, and took the child to safety. She ran with the group that was running, while the man momentarily forgot and just ran with another crowd.
"Are you alright?" Pacifica asked, as she put the little girl down.
"Wow," the little girl whispered. "Th-thank you."
"Thank you," Pacifica replied, patting her. She noticed that her hair had some stripes of blue.
I wonder if she dyed some blue? she thought.
She was about to ask, but a wave of new sounds erupted from the Gate.
"This is crazy," she retorted. "Girl, do you know where-"
"Mommy!" the little girl yelled, as she ran to a couple nearby.
"Good," Pacifica sighed. "I don't need to worry about her."
She looked around, and saw Dipper standing in front of two figures.
"Oh no," she gasped. "Dipper!"
She ran as fast as she could, but it was too late.
A Hungry Ghost raised its enormous right claw, and slashed.
"Dipper!"
Two female voice echoed, as Dipper blinked.
"Wh…what?"
"What the?"
"Wha…what happened?!"
The three people stood, and looked around. All around, the city stood still. Falling debris floated in the air, while the people froze in their place. Even the Hungry Ghost and the Dybbuk stood still. Dipper blinked, and backed away, rubbing his neck.
"Whew," he gasped.
"Dipper!" two girls shouted, as they tackled him.
"Uf!" he grunted. "Mabel! Pacifica! Are you alright?"
"Says the boy who almost got killed!" Pacifica retorted.
"Sorry," he apologized. "But I can't help if the thing struck before I could react. And look at it!"
He pointed at it. None of them knew, but it was a Hungry Ghost. It froze in place, but that did not make it any better.
Both girls shivered, as they realized what Dipper was talking about.
"Is that…" Mabel trailed off, as the others knew what she was about to say. Ever since Gravity Falls, they did not want to think about the monster known as Bill Cipher, the most evil creature they had ever seen. His name belied his horrific nature; one would wonder why would anyone like him, unless he was a well-executed villain in a story.
"OK!" Dipper said, shaking his head. "What the heck is going on here? First, we find some watch-like devices that wanted to bind to us, like some cursed artifacts, then we face these monsters, and now time has stopped!"
"CORRECT."
The three characters turned around.
"You," Mabel gasped.
Three mechanical spiders crawled towards them from a distance. At first, Pacifica gulped, but sighed in relief when she realized what they were.
"You again?" Dipper asked, eyeing them.
"TIME STOPPED," the red watch spoke, crawling on four red legs, all made from the wristband.
"RESTORATION OF POWER," the green watch spoke. "AT 100%. 10% USED TO STOP TIME."
"GREETINGS AGAIN," the blue watch spoke.
"Ahem," Dipper said, clearing his throat. "You three? You tried to bind to us without our permission."
"But thanks anyway for saving us," Mabel replied.
"OK," Pacifica said, eyeing them. "Now I recognize them."
"You do?!" the twins gasped.
"Mind if you three come closer?" Pacifica asked.
"REQUEST GRANTED," the three watches declared in unison, then crawled closer. They stepped at about a meter away, and Pacifica kneeled down to take a closer look.
"I see," she noted.
"You…know them?" Mabel asked.
"I've seen the design," Pacifica replied. "Like I've seen it from one of those corporations called…the NEXUS."
"NEXUS?" the twins asked.
Pacifica's face turned pale, before looking around. Seeing that the world was still frozen in time, she sighed in relief.
"Whew!" she gasped, her face returning back to normal. "I should have thought first, before spilling that out!"
"What is NEXUS?" Mabel asked.
"Swear to me," Pacifica whispered. "That you two won't tell ANYONE about this?"
"Wow," Dipper said. "Slow down, Pacifica. You're a little on edge."
"I am!" she snapped. "Because my parents made a deal with NEXUS to regain some wealth, but I had to go through their boring lectures. However, I recognize this as one of their logos but…see?"
She pointed at them.
"One of the logos looked like them," she explained. "Except that instead of four bars surrounding the orb, there are only three."
"Why?" Mabel asked.
She blinked.
"That's a weird question," Dipper replied.
"Actually," Pacifica said. "She's right. I don't know why, but that sounds important later on."
"APOLOGY FOR INTERRUPTION," the blue watch declared, causing them to jump. "TIME STOP IS ONE TIME ONLY."
"IT EXPIRES IN EXACTLY FIVE MINUTES," the green watch uttered.
"WE OFFER YOU SUPPORT," the red watch spoke.
"And why?" Mabel asked. "When you three went 'parasite' and attempted to grant us powers without our consent. Nuh-uh, unless you have a good reason to give powers in return for something. There is always a COST to everything, doesn't it?"
The watches seemed to "watch" her with their orbs, then at the other two. Dipper and Pacifica nodded in silent agreement.
"ANSWER CORRECT," the red watch responded.
"FIRST USERS EVER," the green watch uttered. "TO NOT GAIN POWER WITHOUT ASKING FIRST."
"NEW OPTION ACTIVATED," the blue watch spoke. "X-WATCHES NOW GRANT YOU TRUE POWERS WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED."
"X-watches," Dipper mumbled. "That must be their names."
"What would have been the side effects," Mabel asked. "If there were strings attached?"
"SIDE EFFECTS IN MOVIES AND ANIME," the red watch answered. "SUCH AS LOSING CONSCIOUSNESS AND TURNING EVIL."
The three college kids gulped.
"YOU HAVE ANSWERED WELL," the red watch uttered.
"IT IS NOT WISE TO TRUST A MYSTERIOUS DEVICE," the green watch declared.
"YOU ARE NOW AUTHORIZED TO ACCESS THE FULL KNOWLEDGE OF THIS DEVICE," the blue watch declared. "ACTIVATING X-WATCH DATA. SEARCHING…SEARCHING…"
"Weird devices," Dipper noted.
"They're cool," Mabel said. "At least they warned us."
"That was wise of you," Pacifica remarked. "Where did you learn that?"
"I guess if you grow up enough," Mabel replied. "And remember the past, you can make present AND future better."
Above, the sky seemed to glitter.
"TIME STOP EXPIRING," the red watch boomed.
"ERROR," the blue watch uttered. "CANNOT OPEN DATA."
"REQUIRE A USER TO ACTIVATE," the green watch spoke.
The three people looked at each other, then at their surroundings:
All around, it was mayhem. Hungry Ghosts and Dybbuks were starting to swarm, with some already about to raise their claws to kill. Buildings were collapsing, and the Gate in the distance swirled, its malevolent energies flowing around. All around, various soldiers, some clad in unusual outfits, were desperate to keep the enemies at bay, while rescuing people."
Dipper breathed deeply.
"I hope that there is nothing wrong with this," he spoke at last.
"IT IS NOT," the red watch said. "NOTHING LIKE THE DEAL WITH BILL CIPHER."
All three gasped.
"How did you know that? Mabel and Pacifica gasped in unison.
"EVEN BILL KNOWS NOTHING," the green watch spoke. "IF YOU, MABEL PINES, ARE ABLE TO RESIST HIM, THEN YOU ARE WORTHY OF OUR POWERS."
"TIME STOP EXPIRES IN ONE MINUTE!" the blue watch uttered.
The three looked at each other, and nodded.
"Alright," Dipper said. "I am in."
"Me too," Mabel chimed in. "But promise that you will detach from us if we want."
"If you do something," Pacifica declared. "I am suing you three, and the company involved."
"UNDERSTOOD," the three watches declared in unison.
"BUT ERROR ON THE LAST PART," the blue watch responded. "WE ARE NOT WITH NEXUS. WE ARE AGAINST NEXUS. NEXUS IS YOUR REAL ENEMY. WATCH OUT, FOR THEY ARE WATCHING FOR US."
The three blinked.
"Just get with us then!" Pacifica said, losing her cool. "But at least you stopped time for my Dipper."
"Wait, what do you mean by the NEXUS being our enemy?" Dipper asked.
"My Dipper?" Mabel asked, her face brightening up. "Ooh, you two flirting?"
"We are not!" Dipper and Pacifica both answered in unison, as the sky started to glitter further. Soon, the surroundings started to move a little.
"TIME STOP EXPIRES IN TEN SECONDS," the three watches declared.
"Just activate already!" Pacifica boomed, putting up her left arm straight. The others did the same thing.
"ACTIVATING POWER," all three X-watches responded.
"Let's hope for the best," Dipper said, as the X-watches rose from the ground, their bands opening up to latch unto their arms.
"Let's enjoy it," Mabel said with a smile.
"I hope I won't regret this," Pacifica said. "If something happens, I am suing you Dipper, for making me fall in love with you."
"Is that a confession?" Mabel asked just as the X-watches properly latched onto them. "Ooh, this feels different!"
"This does feel different," Dipper said, as the X-watches started to wrap around, and start activating.
All three then watched, as the X-watches opened up, the orbs popping out of the device a little. Then, all three unleashed a ray of light – red, green, and blue – which fused together into a single point. Then, a pillar of light burst forth, covering all three people in its pure white light.
Five teenagers stood at a distance, watching the scene unfold.
"Oh scales!" the tallest of them, the only one with dark skin, declared. "It's been a while since we had a fight like this!"
"It feels weird to see this again," a boy with a green hat spoke, wiping his forehead.
"Anna! Twig!" three voices called out.
"Molly!" the two yelled back. "Haddie! Broadie!"
"Another Gate conflict?" the girl named Molly asked excitedly, who looked like a female version of Twig. "This is waku-waku!"
"California is having another Gate opening," the girl named Haddie noted, checking her phone.
"At least this is nothing like the cursed video," the boy named Broadie said, causing the others to look at him. "Sorry, it was a popular video back then."
"Let's go to a location to watch them from a distance," Anna spoke, and the others agreed, and ran to a building in the distance.
Suddenly, a bright burst of white light appeared, creating a pillar of light in the distance.
"What in the world?!" all five gasped.
"Let's go there instead!" Anna declared, and they all followed suit.
"Another Gate?" a strangely colored girl gasped. Her yellow skin contrasted with the blue sky above, as her hair waved in the wind, the blond-and-red stripes flowing like a flag.
She watched the scene unfold through a pair of binoculars.
"Twilight," she spoke, looking down. "How is the progress?"
"My magic detector," a girl with purple skin spoke. "Is not working as well as I wanted to."
"I don't blame you," a girl with rather natural skin spoke, tipping her leather hat. "I mean, we were stuck in this strange . . . Earth for days."
"I can't even move fast!" a girl with blue skin groaned.
"Remember?" a girl with pink hair spoke shyly. "We broke the geodes to save our world."
"But it was heroic!" a girl with pink skin and very dark pink hair declared, jumping on an old mattress that she found. "At least our world is safe BUT we are stuck here."
"It is tough!" a girl with purple, stylish hair roared, crying. Apparently, she cried enough to cause some of her makeup to go down like a waterfall.
"I want to go home!" she groaned. "But at the same time, I don't know what just happened!"
"We are all in the same boat," the blond-and-redhaired girl spoke. "And we're in a world where humans have brown and pale skin, not colorful like ours."
Suddenly, a pillar of white light appeared, shaking the world.
"What the?!" all seven girls gasped.
"Sunset!" Twilight gasped, getting up. "Isn't that…what we saw in our dreams?"
"We move now!" the girl named Sunset shouted, and all seven girls rushed down the stairs.
"Ouch!"
"Hurry!"
"Partytime!"
"Somebody save us!"
"Let's go!"
Three streams of light flashed through, traveling towards the Gate.
"Another Gate has opened!" a voice echoed, as the three streams stopped. Three girls appeared, floating in the sky.
"This isn't Townsville!" a girl in green dress roared. "Man, why are we doing this?"
"Townsville or not," a girl in pink dress answered. "It's still a city to save."
"Agreed!" a girl in blue dress cried. "But where is Professor?"
The others looked at each other.
"Well," the girl in pink began to answer. "Bubbles, I think we need to—"
A sound shook the sky, as a pillar of white light appeared, not far away from the Gate.
"What's up with that?!" the girl in green gasped.
"A pillar of white light?" Bubbles screamed. "Blossom! Buttercup! Remember that dream?"
The others nodded, and they zoomed in the direction of the light.
"Nyehehehehe!"
"Please be quiet."
Three figures got up of a black sedan, watching the scene unfold from a distance.
"I can't help it," the one who made the call admitted. "But Sans, it's been days, and we still don't know why we're here yet."
"I know some," Sans spoke. "But it's . . . not something to discuss right now. All I know is that I am glad that you're alive, Papyrus."
"And alive we are!" Papyrus declared. "Right, Skullmageddon?"
"Nyehehehehe!" Skullmageddon declared. Unlike the others, he appeared to have skin and muscles, but covered in a black "skin" of sort. His face was clearly a skull.
"Mwahahaha!" another voice echoed, this time from the sedan. "A Gate that opens to another world! And I, Murray, will summon a legion of skeletons to MARCH through this world and conquer it!"
"March?" Skullmageddon asked.
"Alright then!" Murray groaned, who turned out to be just . . . a skull. "ROLL through this world and conquer it! My bones, can you guys take a joke or two?"
The others laughed, but stopped when they saw a pillar of white light in the distance, which caused the ground to shake a little.
"Sans!" Papyrus gasped. "Isn't that…?"
"We go now!" Sans shouted, and all of them got in and drove towards the light.
"I am Murray!" Murray declared. "I am the harbinger of this city's doom…except I need a leg."
As the pillar of light appeared, a figure on horseback appeared from a hill, watching it unfold. Dressed in an old-fashioned, blue-and-gold army outfit, as if from a colonial period, the man stepped down and watched. A colonial hat covered his head, which had some white hair showing.
"I have no other view than to promote the public good," he declared. "And this nation needs to change. Now, it has seen a great light, and that will change everything."
Yes, you see that this story is intended to go "crazy wild." I hope that it's worth the wait.
Some references:
"What's a watching doing in outer space?"
-Mabel's line is literally from the Ben 10 series.
The way a Hungry Ghost comes out of the Gate:
-Shout-out to the Colossal Titan from "Attack on Titan"
The whole Gate invasion
-"Gate: Jieitai Kano Chi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri"
Molly's line of "waku-waku"
-Anya's line from "Spy X Family"
Crossover characters are obvious.
Originally, I wanted it to end on a different note, but due to realizing how long the chapter is, I decide to split it.
Next chapter is different; the story starts again on chapter 5.
