I've been excited to write this chapter for so long, but for some reason no matter what I tried, I couldn't seem to get it down exactly how I pictured it in my mind. Despite that, I hope you enjoy!

"So, what exactly is the ride that where hitching?" Wendy wondered, as the group headed towards the stadium exit.

"Oh yes, I haven't introduced any of you yet," Ford remembered. "See, this is a friend of mine that I met during my interdimensional travels. He usually hangs out in the Nightmare Realm, and thankfully he was close by! Just… don't insult his manner of speech." He sent a pointed look towards Stan. "He's incredibly smart and can process things at a very high speed for his species, but he exists on a timescale that moves much slower than ours, so he tends to… take a while, when he talks."

"Is it going to cut into the time we have to find this Jheselbraum person?" Stan asked.

"It shouldn't. Ah, we're here. Hello, Xanthulr!"

Mina blinked. Next to her, Iida blanched slightly.

Turning their way was a massive dragon, one larger than the stadium itself, inky black and constantly shifting, with seventeen eyes, fourteen of which seemed to be focused on each of them.

"Hello… Stanford Pines." The dragon said. "It is… good… to see… you. The… Nightmare Realm… is much… safer, now… that Bill… is gone. It is… good… that you… accomplished… your goal."

Shouto looked away.

Ford smiled. "Ah yes, well, it was actually a group effort. I only played a role in defeating him. But like I mentioned, we're now trying to make sure that the last remnants of him don't make a return. Could you take us to Jheselbraum?"

"I… can," Xanthulr agreed. "She has… set… up shop… here… temporarily. To… clear up… some things. She… would not… be specific. But… she is… expecting you."

Mina did vaguely remember seeing something about Jheselbraum in Ford's journal, when she'd taken a look at it after Weirdmageddon. She was pretty sure she would've remembered seeing anything about Xanthulr, but then again, it made sense - Ford clearly hadn't put every person he'd met or place he'd gone to in the Journal.

"So, are you going to take us to her?" Wendy asked.

"Yes. Climb… aboard."

"No way," Kirishima murmured next to her, awestruck. "This is so cool." Mina couldn't blame him. She'd seen plenty of crazy things, but riding on a dragon was another thing entirely.

Ford stepped onto Xanthulr's back, and then helped each of them aboard. For a moment, Mina felt herself sinking slightly into the inky shadows, before they seemed to stabilize under her feet. When she sat down, the mass below her supported her weight.

"This is crazy," Stan muttered, as he sat down as well. "How are we going to actually stay on this guy?"

"I have a few concerns about that myself," Yaoyorozu admitted wearily.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun!" Oboro insisted. Next to him, Aizawa grimaced, clearly disagreeing.

"Don't worry, Xanthulr won't let us fall off," Ford assured them. Mina felt relieved, but she could see that those who hadn't been in Gravity Falls before weren't quite so certain. Besides Oboro - by now, she was pretty certain the guy could roll with just about anything. He'd probably do great back in Stan and Ford's world.

Izuku held Ochako's hand and smiled. "Kirishima's right. This is pretty cool, isn't it?"

"Definitely," Ochako agreed, smiling back.

"Let's… go, then." With that, Xanthulr took off. Mina felt a small jolt, like the one she always got when a train she was on left the station, but other than that, she stayed perfectly in place.

Slowly but surely, Xanthulr batted his wings, and the scenery around them… changed. Like the dragon was moving space around himself, rather than moving himself through space. Mina could see asteroids and wormholes and galaxies pass them by in less than a blink.

It was incredible.

All of her friends seemed to agree. "This is…" Iida trailed off, watching everything change around them. "This is almost unbelievable. How is this even possible?"

"When it comes to the multiverse, there's no such thing as impossible!" Ford informed him brightly. Aizawa and Stan seemed to share a commiseratingly exasperated look at Ford's enthusiasm, before they both realized what they were doing and immediately turned away. Mina could see Ochako suppressing a giggle. She herself didn't even bother.

"You know," Ojiro said, "If we manage to get everything back to normal, who's going to believe us if we tell them how we rode on a space-bending dragon with a bunch of eyes in order to get to an oracle who can tell us how to meet a cosmically powerful amphibian? It's… this is amazing, but it's all so crazy."

"Welcome to our world," Shouto told him dryly.

"I certainly understand why you were so hesitant to speak up about your experiences now," Yaoyorozu admitted, smiling slightly. "I suspected there was more to things than you were telling us, but I never could've expected this."

"Agreed! With that in mind, I do appreciate how you told us at least something, even if you phrased it as a hypothetical."

"When this is over, we'll try to be more open about these things with you guys," Izuku promised. "It's the least we can do."

A little ways away from them, Aizawa let out a sigh. "Even with Nedzu confirming our story, I'm sure it'll be hard for the other teachers to believe all of this as well."

"Hizashi and Nemuri shouldn't take too much convincing," Oboro pointed out. "I mean, I'm here to convince them, right? Besides, they've seen plenty of weird things. Remember that time when we were in first year, and Aikawa came to class with-"

"Don't. They don't need to know about that story."

"But Shouta! Part of being a teacher is knowing how to be relatable and approachable when it comes to your students! I'm just trying to humanize you a bit!"

"I'm definitely curious as to what this Aikawa guy came to class with," Kirishima added brightly.

Aizawa groaned and buried his face in his scarf, but Mina could see the smile that he was clearly trying to hide.

They slowed, suddenly, and in front of them, three massive figures seemed to appear out of nowhere. One was a gaping mouth with rows and rows of sharp teeth and a dozen clawed hands reaching outwards. Another seemed to be an amalgamation of colored blobs with eyes in them, and the third looked like a very large shrimp - if a five year old had drawn the shrimp without ever actually seeing one.

"Hold!" Mouth said. "Have you paid the toll to pass through this area?"

Ford blinked. "What toll? Since when has there been tolls here in the Nightmare Realm?"

"There… aren't." Xanthulr sighed. "Now that… Bill… is gone… others… are trying… to enforce… their own… rules… here."

"So these are just some thugs," Oboro realized.

Fuyumi winced. "Maybe don't call them that when they're right in front of us?"

"Agreed!" Mouth got closer and closer, until it was looming over them. Mina could almost touch it… "You little things look so delicious, too. If you don't pay up, maybe we'll just eat a few of you-"

"Nope!" Mina shot to her feet, punching upwards and hitting one of Mouth's claws. She'd only meant to give them a little space, but apparently she'd hit harder than she'd intended - Mouth went flying away so fast it almost started to burn up, like some sort of comet.

"Gun it!" Wendy yelled.

Xanthulr didn't need to be told twice. He flapped his wings, and they left the flabbergasted interdimensional thugs behind.

"Nice left hook!" Stan said, grinning. He ruffled Mina's hair. "You really showed that thing!"

"Thanks!"

"We're… approaching… the oracle," Xanthulr told them. There was that jolt again, as space seemed to return to normal. In front of them, there was a mountain, seemingly floating in the middle of the void. On top of that mountain was a cabin, with clouds somehow surrounding it. "This is… your stop. Good… luck… everyone."

"Thank you for your help, Xanthulr," Ford said gratefully, as the inky shadows that made up the dragon deposited all of them on the steps leading up to the cabin. "It was good to see you again."

"You… as well. Can you… find… your own… way back?"

"I've got us covered," Oboro promised, smiling.

With a slow nod, the dragon turned and, with a flap of his wings, vanished.

Shouto's expression didn't change as they all regarded the house, but Mina could see that he was nervous. So could Fuyumi, clearly, because she squeezed his shoulder, and he gave her a reassuring nod. Mina grabbed his hand and grinned at him.

Ford went up and knocked on the door.

The woman that answered, Jheselbraum, apparently, had a lot of eyes. Not as many as Xanthulr, seven instead of seventeen, but still. She looked at all of them, muttered something that sounded like "About time," and ushered them in.

"I've already prepared some refreshments," she told them. "Let me just go get them, and we can talk."

The moment they entered, Shouto's shoulders seemed to loosen, and he looked much more at ease. Mina could see why - the entire home was covered in symbols of the Axolotl. It made sense that being in a place like this would reduce Cipher's influence even more.

The house itself was western style, cozy, but not cramped. Mina and the rest of the Mystery Crew sat themselves on one of the couches, which was extremely comfortable. Yaoyorozu and Iida shared one large chair, while Stan took another. Oboro, Fuyumi, and Kirishima sat down at the wooden table. Ojiro, Ford, and Aizawa decided to remain standing.

Jheselbraum returned, carrying pink drinks and chocolate-looking cookies run through with space. "Pink lemonade and dark chocolate cosmic cookies, if you're interested."

Fuyumi eyed the cookies curiously. "Are they safe for humans to eat?"

Jheselbraum chuckled. "The pink lemonade is just pink lemonade. The cosmic cookies are perfectly safe to eat - in fact, they tend to improve the lifespan of humans."

With that knowledge, Mina decided to grab a couple of drinks and cookies and hand them out to her couch compatriots. The lemonade was excellent, and the cookies were like nothing she'd ever tasted. Apparently dark chocolate tasted fantastic when baked with galaxies.

The oracle brushed her hands off. "Now, down to business. You're here to get rid of the remains of Bill, yes?" She turned to Ford. "It has been a while, but it's good to know your efforts paid off, at least to the extent that we're now dealing with remnants, rather than the actual thing. Although it didn't happen in the way you expected, no?"

"Indeed," Ford chuckled. "All those years ago, when you told me I had the face of a man destined to defeat Cipher - I'd like you to meet my twin brother, Stanley."

Stanley preened a little bit.

"It's good to meet you, Stanley." Then Jheselbraum turned to Shouto. "And you must be the boy with Bill's remnants inside you. If the charm on your neck didn't give it away, then your expression would."

Shouto shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah. I would like to get them out. Preferably before I cause any more damage to my world and the people I care about."

"It wasn't his fault!" Izuku hastened to add. "And he actually managed to fight Cipher off! But we would really like to get rid of Cipher before it gets worse."

"Yes, I can see that." Jheselbraum sighed, and leaned closer to Shouto, all of her eyes focused on him. On instinct, Mina shifted in front of him protectively, and every single eye seemed to widen at once. "Ah, I see. Now it makes sense."

"What does?" Ojiro wondered.

Jheselbraum didn't respond, simply stepping back. "If you wish to find the Axolotl, you will need to travel to the Quadrangle of Qonfusion," She told them, somehow pronouncing "Confusion" with a "Q". "The Axolotl will show himself there."

"That's great!" Ochako encouraged. "How do we get there?"

Jheselbraum waved her hand, and the door to her home seemed to shift, suddenly showing some sort of fortress made with all sorts of weird shapes and patterns. "I will send you there. It is a one way trip, so I hope you are prepared."

They all looked at each other.

"We're as ready as we'll ever be, right?" Wendy said.

Ford nodded. "I entered that fortress once, to fight Cipher. Be careful of your surroundings, but remember that the Nightmare Realm does not play by the laws of physics. You can move wherever you wish to, even if it doesn't seem like there's a true path."

With that fun reminder, he led them through the doorway.

Izuku turned to the rest of them. "You guys ready?"

Mina smiled. "You bet."

"As we'll ever be," Shouto said.

They stepped through.

The Quadrangle of Qonfusion was familiar.

Not exactly in the way Ford described it - it was a fortress, sure, but not one that Bill had spent a lot of time in. Mostly, he'd used it for games, or to force someone who'd pissed him off into a physically impossible mess.

Shouto hated how simple it all seemed to him.

Ford typed something into his translator, and all of theirs lit up and beeped. "Alright everyone, I've synced up our locations. If someone is in trouble, or has found a way to the Axolotl, send out a signal, and Oboro can warp us all to your location. Remember to keep in touch!"

There was a murmuring of agreement, and they all separated.

Shouto found himself walking down a pathway that was narrowing ever so slightly, the walls and floors seeming to blend together. After a moment, a door opened from the ceiling, and Yaoyorozu fell from it.

Shouto instinctively caught her with his flames, before immediately wincing… and then blinking as nothing happened. Apparently using his flames seemed to make things worse while they were in the middle of reality breaking, but not while they were in the Nightmare Realm proper.

It sort of made sense, considering how his flames didn't make things worse before they entered the stadium. Being completely in one realm seemed fine - it was just straddling between realms like that where things got dicey.

Then the charm on his neck flared up, and the flames died out, Yaoyorozu dropping to the ground. Oh, right.

"Sorry," He said, helping her to her feet.

"It's no problem," She assured him. "I… don't suppose you know where we are?"

"Currently heading towards the center of the fortress," Shouto admitted. "It's… not a hundred percent, but I know the layout of this place pretty well. Doesn't mean that the Axolotl will actually be in the center, but it couldn't hurt to check."

"Agreed." She fell into step beside him, the two of them continuing on the path as it turned into a wall, which they walked sideways on. "I've been thinking… you're very strong, Todoroki. For going through all of this."

Shouto blinked, confused. "Really? What makes you say that?"

Yaoyorozu looked away. "From what Ford said, this Cipher thing is a terrifying entity beyond comprehension, from a reality that's now gone because he destroyed it. Having the memories of something like that in your head for so long… I can't imagine it. And you still saved us anyways. I hope you know how impressive that is. And I really wanted you to know how much I appreciate it."

Oh. "Thanks," Shouto muttered awkwardly, and turned away himself, because he still wasn't quite sure what to say to that. "I think we're here."

There was a massive hole in front of them, shaped like a triangle, with an eye symbol in the middle. Bill stuck to his themes, apparently, which matched what Shouto remembered. Even if it was to the point of cliche. He knocked on the eye symbol, and the hole swung open.

Inside was a sort of penthouse suite, like the one he'd made in the pyramid during Weirdmageddon. Shouto immediately turned to Yaoyorozu. "Don't sit on the couch - it's made of living human skin."

Yaoyorozu jumped as the eyes on the couch opened and a tongue lolled out slightly. "N-Noted. We just need to keep an eye out for symbols of the Axolotl, right?"

"I think so." Shouto scanned the walls, seeing nothing but Bill's terrible taste in interior decorating, including that painting that Bill had thought was funny but was really just stupid-

Shouto blinked, and instead of a painting of Bill, there was a painting of a pink Axolotl. It seemed to be smiling, its eyes looking directly at him.

"Yaoyorozu, I think I found-"

Shouto blinked.

He was… somewhere else. Around him was not the inside of Bill's fortress, or the void of the nightmare realm, but a different sort of void, still glittering with stars, but with a backdrop of shimmering light blues and pinks.

He turned, and saw Mina floating next to him, followed shortly by Stan and Ford, then Ochako and Izuku, and then Fuyumi. For everyone, it was as though they weren't there one moment, and were there the next.

"Great," Stan muttered. "Where are we now?"

The voice that answered back was strange and otherworldly, tone seeming to flow ebb like a whale song. You're in the time and space between time and space. Come, sit down. I have beanbag chairs.

There were, in fact, suddenly beanbag chairs behind them. Curious, Shouto sat down, Mina plopping down next to him. The chair was infinitely comfortable.

He looked up, and his breath caught in his throat.

There, floating in front of them, was a massive axolotl.

You've been looking for me for a while now, haven't you? The Axolotl said. Its gaze seemed to focus on Shouto, boring right through him. What a loophole you've tried to create, Bill Cipher. Unfortunately, it won't work.

Next to him, Mina huffed. Shouto cleared his throat. "I'm not him. I'm - I'm not Bill. Cipher. I don't want to be him. My name is Shouto."

Indeed. "If he wants to shirk the blame, he'll have to invoke my name. One way to absolve his crime. A different form, a different time." The Axolotl blinked slowly. A different form and a different time indeed. He thought he could cheat me this way, and reform himself completely with a new base at the center. He underestimated you. And he underestimated me.

"So then… you'll help get rid of Cipher's remnants?" Ochako asked hopefully. "Before Shouto burns out, preferably?"

There is no stopping that. The Axolotl's head tilted, almost seeming… bemused? This is your second form, after all, Pine Tree of the Zodiac. Is another one truly so bad?

Shouto frowned, because that sounded so familiar, and yet- "What do you mean?"

The Would Have Been, before. Why you are here now. Did you not know? Would you like to know?

"I think we're all more than tired of this suspense, salamander," Stan snapped. Ford elbowed him harshly, but the Axolotl didn't seem to mind.

You two. The Axolotl seemed to gesture towards him and Mina without actually moving. Pine Tree and Shooting Star. Mabel and Dipper-Mason. You did not make it to Gravity Falls, as you were supposed to. So we had to improvise, and send you there in your next lives. The Axolotl chuckled. Gravity Falls did not mean to bring two extras along. We had to rearrange things a bit so that they fit as well.

Izuku frowned. "Are you saying that Ochako and I were actually sent to Gravity Falls by complete accident?"

You were welcome additions once you were there. But yes.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Mina held up her hands. "What are you talking about? Next lives? Mabel and Dipper? What?" Over in the Pines' beanbag chairs, Stan and Ford seemed to have grown considerably paler.

But - that made sense. That clicked. That was why they'd been led to that memory of the funeral, why the loci seemed to always show up for the two of them and not Izuku and Ochako.

"This is the first time we've met in this world!" Cipher had said, when they'd first met.

He'd known. And with his memories, Shouto had almost known as well. And now-

"Stan's twin grandniece and nephew," He finally said. "You're saying we're them. Just in another life."

That's exactly what I'm saying.

Distantly, Shouto heard a strangled "Oh my god," from Stan. And Shouto couldn't blame him, because it all seemed almost unbelievable except-

He knew, somehow. And when he looked at Mina, he could tell that despite her words just now, she knew too.

"That… that still doesn't explain why you wouldn't help Shouto with the remnants of Cipher," Ford pointed out, voice shakier than Shouto had ever heard from him. "He clearly doesn't want them there. This is different from… whatever reincarnation you're talking about."

I suppose, the Axolotl said. It cannot be removed entirely. The powers of Chaos are his, now. Eventually, they will burn until he is a true being of chaos. I will have my counterpart again, even if it is not Bill Cipher. But… I also suppose that it can wait. If he wants to experience a longer life than last time.

Shouto let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Yes. Yes, I would like to stay human for as long as possible, please." He hesitated. "And, the thoughts? The memories and knowledge?"

The memories and knowledge can come… slower, the Axolotl permitted. They are yours now. There is no returning them. But if you wish not to contain his thoughts, I can allow that. The Axolotl smiled. I am curious to see what you will eventually become, without them.

And then suddenly everyone was there. Iida, Yaoyorozu, Ojiro, Kirishima, Wendy, Oboro, and Aizawa, but also Soos, All Might, and Nedzu.

"Wow," Kirishima said. "That really is a giant Axolotl."

"It worked, then?" Soos wondered. "Is Shouto good?"

Stan made another strangled noise. "It's a bit more than that, Soos."

And as for your stadium, the Axolotl continued, looking amused, I can certainly return that to its rightful place and time. It was nice to meet you all. I will see some of you again, soon enough.

And then Shouto was back in the stadium, staring at Ochako, who was inside his ice wall. He looked up, and there was only blue skies above them. Something in his chest settled, the feeling of being back in his own world confirming itself inside his mind.

His own world now, at least. The one where he was Shouto, and not Cipher, and not Dipper.

There was a sort of settling inside his thoughts, too. Some of Cipher's memories were still there, but they weren't as pervasive. The weirdness knowledge was still there, but it wasn't as intrusive.

And for the first time in a month, Shouto felt like himself again.

The rest of the stadium looked stunned, bursting into murmurs. It seemed they'd been returned not right after the world broke, but instead after the cracks in reality were healed. No one seemed too alarmed, though, so they probably didn't remember the whole "quantum uncertainty" thing.

One look at Ochako, though, and Shouto could tell she remembered just as much as he did.

Then Ochako smiled, and floated herself out of the rest of the hole. "I got pushed out of bounds!" She yelled to Midnight, as Shouto unfroze his ice walls.

Midnight blinked, clearly perplexed, and Shouto didn't envy Oboro and Aizawa for the conversation they were going to have to have with her. "W-Well, alright then! Uraraka is out of bounds! Todoroki wins the final match of the sports festival!"

After a bit more perplexed murmurs, cheers gradually rose within the audience.

There was a lot Shouto had to think about. Everything the Axolotl had confirmed, with him and Mina… he'd been so certain, when they'd been told about it. And even now, he was sure. But, being more himself, he found he could appreciate how wild that was.

…And it somehow made perfect sense as well, because what else could Mina be but a sister to him?

And there was what he'd said while under the influence of Cipher's thoughts - about Touya. He was going to have to unpack that later too. And literally everything else the Axolotl had talked about.

But for now, Ochako was running up and giving him a congratulatory hug. "Did it work?" She murmured into his chest.

Shouto laughed, slightly, and the laugh, no matter how awkward and stilted, was his. He hugged her back, just as hard. "Yeah. It worked."

They could deal with the rest later.

Kuddos to the few people who guessed it. :)

With that, we're out of the Nightmare Realm. Next chapter will be wrapping up the sports festival arc. I hope you all enjoyed, and please don't forget to leave a review, let me know what you think!