Epilogue

The Ciphers and Pines stood at the nexus of the multiverse, looking at one another in a calm, comforting silence, relishing in the last moments of one another's presence.

Their universe had come and gone, torn asunder by Bill pulling that one string loose with the rift. It had taken a very long time—millennia in human terms—but all too soon for the eternal beings they were.

Most of their companions had lived through their lives, choosing to spend what was left of their existences in the dimensions they most loved. The only one remaining was Fiddleford, who chose to remain by Stanford's side and spend all of eternity amassing all the knowledge of the multiverse. He stood quietly by his partner's side, holding a small box and a book, keeping silent in reverence of the situation.

Bill hovered quietly, staring down at the nexus, his hands folded behind his body. He had been unable to fix what he had broken long ago, and now that universe he had belonged to was gone. Only Stanford's relentless work had provided a solution for all of them, at something of a price.

Their universe was gone, but by using Stanford's methods, they would be creating NEW universes, one for each of them, just to guarantee that there would be no territorial pissing matches. However, there would be ways to visit for some extensions of time without the fear of a takeover. Not that it was expected, but it was stipulated, just in case.

Bill glanced around at his family…and that is what he could call it. Grudgingly. But still. You spend several hundred thousand years hearing your adorable descendant call you 'Great-Grandpa', you just answer to it automatically. But there had to be a modicum of fondness, or else he'd be taking this leap by himself rather than allowing the others to partake in it.

Mabel was holding her brother's hand tightly, looking more morose even than when she bid farewell to Candy and Grenda. Dipper squeezed her hand, feeling a likewise emptiness at having left Pacifica in the magical dimension to live out the rest of her existence. Stanley looked just as hard-pressed to leave his world that contained Soos and Wendy behind, warranting a comforting tendril-like hand on his shoulder from Stanford.

"We have to move on," Stanford said quietly, his eyes flickering around at everyone. "The longer we remain here, the more difficult it will be to go through with it." He held a tendril out to Fiddleford, who gave him the box. "So let's just look forward." He opened the box, taking out the Infinity-sided die, looking down at the nexus for a moment. "Ready?"

Stanley nodded. "Ready."

"Ready," Mabel intoned, squeezing Dipper's hand.

"…Ready," Dipper said assent.

"I was ready yesterday," Bill replied, examining his fingertips. "Anytime before next Big Bang, Sixer." He ignored the looks that were given him.

Stanford sighed, dropping the die into the nexus, watching a light flicker and shine brighter than a star. "…This goes without saying," he said, extending his tendrils to curl around everyone in the circle. "I'm going to miss you all."

Mabel curled her arms around his tendril. "It's not forever," she replied. "We've already seen to that!" She reached into her sweater pocket and took out a pink journal that had the seal of the Shooting Star on the front. "The fun part is wondering how it'll happen!" She beamed, dropping the journal into the nexus.

Stanford nodded, taking his own journal from Fiddleford, a rewritten work of his Journal 1, save for the plans for the portal, sealed with the Six-Fingered Hand, and dropped it in after hers. "This is true," he said.

"Bunch o' saps, makin' me wanna cry," Stanley muttered, reaching into his jacket and taking out his own journal, sealed with the Crescent. "Knowin' my luck, it'll land in Stanford's smarty-pants universe." He yelped when Stanford cracked his tendril over his backside like a whip, dropping it right into the nexus.

Dipper let out a teary laugh, tugging out his blue journal with the Pine Tree seal, running his hand over the cover for a moment before letting it drop in. "…It's been a good time," he said, his singular eye closing and his other two opening. "…See you all on the other side." He grinned, taking a running start before jumping right into the nexus.

"Heh, kid's got spunk. Totally gets it from me," Stanley said, jumping in after Dipper. Stanford rolled all eyes in tandem, taking a more dignified drop in with Fiddleford, leaving Mabel and Bill at the nexus.

Mabel smiled at Bill. "You didn't put in YOUR journal," she accused. "Too afraid of where it'll end up?"

Bill rolled his eye, snapping his fingers and forming a black journal with a golden eye in the middle. "Hardly," he replied. "But imagine the fun I'll have wherever it lands!"

"Hopefully not mine," Mabel replied, her hands coyly behind her back. "Pretty sure a single universe cant handle the BOTH of us." She hopped over, giving his front a kiss. "But I'll miss you anyway, Great-Grampa Bill. We all will. And I KNOW you'll miss us." She beamed, taking a backwards dive right into the nexus and vanishing.

Bill glanced around, alone at long last and for the first time TRULY feeling alone. Damn that brat and her ability to be correct in EVERYTHING. He dropped his journal into the nexus before following it, ready and waiting to be there for the birth of his universe.

I'll be posting a couple of little one-shots showing where everyone showed up as bonus chapters, so watch out for them!