Against all my instincts I have decided to start another story, one that's an anthology. Special thanks to Marcus S Lazarus for helping a bit with the opening.


Earth-231163

Once again a false priest flew too close too the sun. A man dressed as a Mormon missionary with a luxurious mustache was running away, not only from the mess he caused but also an old enemy.

He was a rather strange form that the Doctor took, regenerating into an Ogron. The Monk thought it was hilarious, the Doctor's mind being trapped as one of the Dalek's stupid lumbering pets who struggled to even use proper grammar. Didn't matter in the end, he still ruined everything for the Monk, even using his broken speech to throw off the Monk at times, still very much the Doctor. The Monk entered his TARDIS, exhausted but safe. He walked over the controls, when he heard a click and a powering up noise. "I don't think so."

Behind the Monk was a fox boy with two organic tails and seven mechanical ones that he used to make himself look taller and more imposing. Miles or as he preferred to be called Nine, held the Monk at gunpoint, with an unamused expression Nine pulled the lever to open the TARDIS doors to let the Doctor in.

"Far enough Monk." The Doctor stepped inside. "Already sent the TARDIS home. Set course Nine." Nine entered the special coordinates and made the TARDIS fly.

"Arming early Ockorans with Atlantian weapons from Earth-51, what were you thinking?" The Doctor admonished, managing to speak in proper sentences to show his frustration.

"Well uh…in any case, you got me again Doctor." The Monk smiled nerviously. "How about we just strand me on some backwater (like you often do) and we forget about this until the next time."

"Oh Mortimus," began the Doctor, "haven't you noticed the vortex feels funny? How easy going to different Earth was?"

"Oh, that? It's just some minor damage. Nothing to worry about. hehe I'm sure it's easily fixable."

"Wow," Started an incredulous Nine, "every single time we've done this you say that. No matter how much you change you never learn do you?"

"What? I'm sorry what do you mean every single time? I may have thrown away superfluous parts of my lives, but I think I'd remember a unique species like yours."

"I truly sorry Monk," started the Doctor, ignoring the Monk's confusion. "For safety of multiverse I cannot allow you to wander, any version of you."

The Monk became nervous and started to back away as the Doctor reached into his coat. "Uh, H-Hold on. Let's talk about-GAH!" The Doctor threw a freeze grenade at the Monk, completely covering him in ice.

"Courtesy of Victor Fries of many Earths. Not kill you but hold you until things are stable again." The Doctor walked away to help his companion direct this TARDIS where it needed to be. A special and unique place.


The Grim

"So let me get this right, you want us to take the entire town of New Bedrock and put it back on your Earth? An Earth that need I remind you is no longer there?" In the top level of the expanded citadel in the Grimm was Sylvie Laufeydottir, dress as a fry cook, sitting at a negotiation table. At the other side was a short blue anthropomorphic dog in a red bow tie.

"Well, obviously I don't want you to put them back when it was destroyed but what harm it will do in dropping them off in dinosaur times. Captain Caveman said it was pretty nice this time of year." Mayor Huckleberry Hound tried to convince one of Jellystone's saviors.

Sylvie looked with an unamused expression, no they're obviously not doing that to one of the groups of refugees, even if they were all petty cheating jerks. Thankfully an alert on her smart watch told her of her new family's arrival.

"I don't have time for this idiocy, we'll talk later." Sylvie got up to go to the Garrage. "So, yes on the relocation of New Bedrock?"

With a role of her eyes and a wave of her hands, Sylvie sent Huck back to Jellystone. Catching up with the Doctor and Nine will be a nice refresher.

In the garage the Grimm Robots activated as soon as they sensed the arrival of a new TARDIS. A couple of Knuckles Bots helped carry out the frozen Monk out while the others entered the TARDIS to help Nine catalog it.

Waving goodbye, The Doctor followed the robots and later watched as they placed the Monk in a metal pod, which was basically a man sized freezer. The pod closed and was placed between two others containing other incarnations of the Monk, one that was dressed as an actual Monk and the other a Nun.

And with that they now had all the incarnations of the Monk in custody, safely keep frozen in ice never to be released until all this chaos passed. It had to be done, many of them were taking advantage of all this instability and with their usual carelessness made a delicate situation worse. Even the ones that had no idea what happed with the Dusting were still destabilizing the cosmic fabric just by their shere apathy to the laws of time.

The Doctor walked to a chart board, with pictures of all Thirteen Meddling Monks plus some offshoots, on it. The Doctor stuck a red pushpin on the picture of the mustached incarnation. Yep they had them all, well all except … one, one the Doctor doesn't like to think about, one who brought about so much death and suffering. Even after all this time he still can't forgive him.

Just looking at his picture, a balding older man, made the Doctor's blood boil. "Doctor?" The Doctor turned to see a concerned Sylvie. It was then that he registered an intense pain in his hand, in his anger he crushed the glass of pushpins he was holding. "Oh, s***!" let out Sylvie as she rushed to help her friend.


Later the Doctor and Sylvie plus Miles were sitting in a small living area not too far from the recreated all white Paradox Prism. The Doctor massaged is now sore hand, Nine checked the stability of the Grimm, and Sylvie was making a delicious veggie burger dinner.

This was home for all of them. Nine's old crystalline Tower, it's architecture now mixed with an Asgardian interpretation of a 50s diner, the massive structure covered in a Gallifryan dome. Beneath it all was an underground factory that produced the badnik like robots that acted as their eyes and ears.

Sylvie had no Earth to go back to, Nine hated his own, and while the Doctor still had a soft spot for Earth-231163 (plus the visits from his granddaughter when she picked up and/or dropped off refugees was always welcomed) the Grimm felt more like where he belonged these days.

The Grimm, once an isolated barren world, now a place for those whose worlds were gone thanks to the antimatter waves. Once, the Doctor and Nine would travel the multiverse themselves and save as many as they can, Sylvie soon joining them along the way. There was many success, even managing to save whole towns and land masses such as Jellystone, The Inkwell Isles, Stoker, and even the legendary Sea of Thieves.

But sadly they could only do so much and they found out that constantly transforming the Grimm's landscape put a lot of strain on the prism, even if it was more stable than the original. So now they just go around to Earths on the verge of destruction doing what they can to save as much people as possible while also making the Prism continually summon those from destroyed Earths. The ones that the Prism summoned, some were good, others were morally grey, and few were unfortunately, quite vile.

It was certainly a problem but to turn off the Prism, even for a few moments could mean the deaths of hundreds of innocents. At least the Grimm robots kept things safe enough, but even then The Doctor suspected a few managed to stay under the radar.

Dinner was ready and as the three sat eating they began to talk. "So, I see you caught the last of the Meddling Monks." Sylvie said.

"Yeah, it was typical of the Monk's screams. You know I think the last chronological one the best. Number Thirteen like to alter history because he thought it was fun and he knew it. He's the only one that wasn't a deluded moron who thought he was helping people." Nine vented a bit.

"…I thought, it be easier." The Doctor hardly touched his food. He clenched his hand.

"Still thinking about him, aren't you?" Sylvie looked on sympathicly.

"I tolerate other incarnations, different faces easy to forget. But when I see his face." The Doctor looked down, ashamed at his own thoughts.

"I can't confront him. Can't control myself."

"You stoped me form making the worst mistake of my life. I think you think to little of yourself."

"No," the Doctor shock his head, "too many painful memories. Can't do it, just can't."

"Should we do it instead." Nine offered.

"No, even if you find him good chance he get away. Already have a plan, we must … get help."

"Wait, you don't mean that-"

"No choice I afraid. We contact Death's Head." The Doctor reluctantly declares.

"Oh please not that bounty hunter, oh I'm sorry I meant to say "Freelance Peace-Keeping Agent"." Sylvie rolled her eyes.

"Don't like associating with him, but is good at finding people. As long as have money, could be relied upon." The Doctor declared, knowing that he had to be repaired with all the valuables in the multiverse.

"Well it shouldn't be too difficult to find him, he put his home office somewhere in the Grimm." Nine said. Knowing Death's Head would let potencial clinets know where he was.

The three finished lunch and stood at a balcony to look over this Grimm, their Grimm. It wasn't perfect, in many ways it was too big to keep full track of but it was still theirs. And if it takes a millennium they will fix it. They have to, for the sake of everyone.

*PING* "Found him." Nine called, his M-Electric located Death's Head. "Interesting, he's not in the Grimm. He's … in Earth-924, at that theater." Nine looked a little enthusiastic, who doesn't love the troop that preformed there.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, every frequent multiverse a dimensional traveler knew of Earth-924, it was a very popular destination. It was surprising that Death's Head of all people decided to visit. Maybe he had a target there.

"Earth-924?" Asked Sylvie, who was less familiar with the all of the different Earth numbers. "What's so special about Earth-924?"


Earth-924

"It's The Muppet Show with our very special guest star Death's Head! YAAAAAAAAAAY!"


"It's time to play the music, yes? It's time to light the lights, right?"

So here we are, a new story, with a new setting. Hopefully it's anthology nature won't leave you wanting as much. Inspired a bit by other anthologies like Glimpses and Counterpart Conferences but this time I wanted to mainly focus on one corner of the multiverse and the people who live there.

This wont be the last time we'll see the Doctor, Nine and Sylvie. They'll still show up in brief intervals seen throughout this seris explaining how they meet and the exact origins of certain aspects of the Grimm.

As for the locations mentioned:

Jellystone and New Bedrock from the animated show Jellystone!

The Inkwell Isles is from Netflix's The Cuphead Show. (The Underworld came with the Isles so now the Grimm has its own version of Hell)

Stoker is a town in Maine that is the setting the comic Li'l Vampi

The Sea of Thieves is from the video game of the same name. It's the only real sea that can be found in the Grimm.

Death's Head is an obscure British Marvel character that because of legal shenanigans has ties to both Transformers and Doctor Who. I recommend watching Major Disaster's video on the character to learn more. Why is he on the Muppet Show you may ask? I think it's funnier if we don't know.

Speaking of which Earth-924 is not only the home of the Muppets but all Jim Henson works take place there. From the felt (Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock) to the more realistic (The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Storyteller) I hope to explore more of it someday. Everyone's who's traveled the Multiverse would LOVE to be the Muppet's very special guest star.

Please like and review. Constructive criticism is welcomed, do I use the word 'well' too much?