Stan hit the ground hard. He knew it should have hurt, but he couldn't feel anything more than the screaming pain in his leg. At least Rico had been kind enough, if he could call it that, to drop him off back at his motel.
He painstakingly reached a hand out towards the door and dragged himself closer. The door was still wide open from when Rico and his goons had knocked it down, which was good. He was sure he wouldn't be able to stand in this condition.
He wasn't sure if it was his focus on getting to the phone or the blood loss, but he thought he was doing a pretty great job ignoring the pain. He made it to the phone an indeterminate amount of time later, and dragged himself upright enough to dial.
“Fiddleford McGucket here!” A man answered cheerfully after the second ring.
“Who…? Shit.” Stanley responded, his voice sounding worse than he had expected. “Nevermind, wrong number.”
“Wait jus’ a second, there. Were ya lookin’ for Stanford?” Fiddleford asked.
Stan froze, realizing too late just how unprepared he was to hear his brother's name.
“Ya still there?” Fiddleford asked, sounding less cheerful and more confused.
“Yeah- yeah. Sorry I am- fuck- I am looking for Ford.” Stan struggled to respond as pain shot up from his leg.
“Lemme get em’ for ya. Just a sec.” Fiddleford said.
Stan heard a click as the phone was set down and took a second to wonder who the hell Fiddleford was. Had Ford actually made a friend? Stan felt a jolt of sadness, but pushed it back. He knew why he was calling now, and, if he was being honest, he was happy Ford had someone by his side.
“This is Stanford Pines.” Stan heard, tearing him from his thoughts.
“Ford- hi.” Stan said, then paused to take a breath as another jolt of pain ran up his spine. “I- it's Stan. Please don't hang up.”
“Stanley?” Ford asked, an odd mix of old anger and concern in his voice. “What's wrong with your voice?”
“It's a long story- I- shit- I just needed to let you know I'm sorry.” Stan said, digging his hand into the dirty carpet and trying his best to focus on his words instead of his leg. “I'm sorry for everything. I really didn't mean to fuck up that project- fuck- no, that doesn't matter- I'm just sorry, Ford. I hope you're doin’ alright.”
“Stanley, what are you not telling me?” Ford asked, clever as ever.
“It doesn't matter, Ford. I just needed you to know, alright?”
“Stanley, what did you get yourself into this time?!” Ford practically yelled.
“I fucked up, that's all.” Stan said, with a humorless laugh. “Nothin’ new there, I guess. It doesn't matter though, I probably deserved it. Don't worry about it.”
“That did not answer my question.”
“And I told ya it doesn't matter! I'm calling you to fucking apologize! Did you not get that?” Stan snapped, then immediately regretted it. “Shit, sorry. I just mean to say it doesn't matter, alright?”
“Like hell it doesn't matter, Stanley. You sound terrible. Do you have a car? I can give you my address.”
“I still got the Stanley Mobile, but it would be pretty hard to use the clutch right about now.” Stan responded with another humorless laugh as he tried to look anywhere but his leg. “Anyway, I'm not callin’ you for help. I just couldn't let it end how it did.”
“Stan, what the hell does that mean?!” Ford yelled in earnest.
“It just means what it means, Ford, alright? Can't ya just take me at my word this one time?!”
“This one time?! I took you at your word our whole childhood!”
“Then do it again! One last time, would ya?! Ya stubborn bastard!”
“That makes no sense! If I were a bastard, then you would also be a bastard! We're twins!”
“At least you haven't changed.” Stan mumbled.
“Obviously, neither have you! What did you mean ‘one last time’?!” Ford yelled.
“It doesn't matter! I'm sorry, alright?! That's all you need to know!” Stan yelled back.
“Stanley-” Ford started, but Stan didn't wait, he slammed down the phone as hard as he could from his awkward angle on the floor and groaned at the searing pain that followed.
He finally looked down at what remained of his leg and immediately leaned to the side to vomit.
Rico would be back in three days, and Stan had nowhere, and no way to run.
*****
Well I guess less of where it's going, and more where it started?
Anyways, more to come! I'll be posting it on ao3! And probably drawing more art to go along with it.
This one starts right at the end of the last part, so I'd suggest reading the last few lines of part 16 before diving in here!
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“Would you believe I told ol’ Fordsie here to keep his idiot brother away from his project after what happened last time, yet here you are! HAH!”
“Ford…?” Stan asked, taking a step back.
“Sixer isn't home right now! Please leave a message after the beep! BEEEEEEPPPP!” Ford said before breaking out into laughter.
“Stanford… what in tarnation…” Fiddleford asked.
Stan grabbed Fiddleford's arm and took a step back.
“Didn't I just say he wasn't home?!” Ford said, tilting his head and smiling painfully wide.
“I don't think that's Ford…” Stan said, dragging Fiddleford back another step.
“DING DING! The idiot gets one point! I figured you'd be the one to catch on first, Fiddlesticks! How disappointing! You'd think you'd be better at recognizing the man you left your wife and kid for! Hilarious! How are they, by the way?! Or did you forget them?!”
“What- Stanford…” Fiddleford said, his voice barely a whisper.
“Fidds, something is seriously wrong, that is not my brother!” Stan said.
“‘Fidds?’ Damn, lesser twin, that's cold! Ruin your brother's life then steal his ex boyfriend, too?! Hah! No wonder he hates you!”
“What are you?!” Fiddleford asked, his voice shaking.
“Haven't figured it out, specs?! Hah! I thought you were supposed to be smart! What would Fordsy ever see in you?! You noticed his ‘sleepwalking’ and ‘weird behavior’, but even when I'm right in front of you you still can't put it together!”
“You're the one who came up with the portal idea.” Fiddleford said slowly, dread sitting heavy in his stomach, freezing him in place even as not-Stanford stepped closer to him.
“DING DING! Another winner! The name's Bill! It's a displeasure to finally meet you! You humans are so stupid! Once Fordsy finishes that portal your world will be mine! And another thing-”
Stan didn't wait to hear the rest. He grabbed a wrench from a nearby work table and swung, watching in horror as Ford crumpled to the ground.
“That was still Ford.” Fiddleford said, looking seconds away from passing out.
“What else was I supposed to do?! Let him keep sayin’ nonsense?! I mean-fuck! What the hell have you two been doing?! What is this portal you keep mentioning?!”
“It's a transuniversal metavortex.” Fiddleford said quietly. “A gateway into another dimension.”
“Why in the sci-fi hell would you want to build that?!” Stan asked.
“Because! He asked me to!” Fiddleford suddenly yelled, making Stan jump.
“I thought he forgot about me, Stanley.” Fiddleford said, quieter now. “I couldn't say no ta him after he called. I reckon lookin’ back now, I shoulda said no, but he was so excited-”
“Fidds!” Stan said, drawing Fiddleford from his quiet rambling. “Blaming yourself isn't going to do anything. All three of us have made some fucked up mistakes! Right now we need to find out what the hell that thing using my brother as a puppet is before he tries to turn on that sci-fi death triangle over there!”
“Triangle.” Fiddleford mumbled.
“Yes, a triangle. Glad you caught that part.” Stan deadpanned.
“I hafta dismantle the portal.” Fiddleford said, looking across the room at the machine. “Stan! We gotta stop this! We have to stop that demon!” Fiddleford grabbed Stan's arm and dragged him towards the portal.
“Missing leg, Fidds!” Stan said, trying to keep his balance on the dirt floor as Fiddleford pulled him.
“Right, sorry Stanley. I jus’ need yer help, There’s an emergency shut off. We can shut the whole thing down, but it takes two people!” Fiddleford said quickly, letting go of Stan's arm to rummage in his pockets for a set of keys. “Take this.” he said, pulling a key off the ring and handing it to Stan. “There's a spot in the control panel o’er there. I'll count ta three, then we both gotta turn the keys. Got it?”
“Fiddleford!” They heard Ford yell from behind them.
“Shit.” Stan swore, putting the key in his pocket and turning towards Ford. “Fuck you, you weird ass demon! Leave my brother and Fiddleford alone!”
“Demon?! Stanley, what are you talking about? What the hell happened?! The last thing I remember was you and Fiddleford fighting! Did he use the gun on me?!” Ford asked, panic rising in his voice.
“You happened, asshole! Don't play dumb with me, Bill!” Stan yelled back.
“Bill?! How do you know that name?” Ford asked, dumbfounded.
“Because he possessed ya! He told us his name, Stanford! How could ya trust a demon?! What happened to the idea for this darned portal bein’ ‘hard work’?!” Fiddleford yelled, finally joining in on the fight.
“He's not a demon! He's a higher being! A Muse!” Ford said. “I gave him permission to possess me as he saw fit, I just didn't expect him to do it now!”
“He possessed ya, Ford! That sure as heck sounds like a demon ta me!” Fiddleford responded.
“He- no- he…. he's my friend!” Ford said.
“You have got to be fucking with me!” Stan yelled. “Friends don't let you possess them and then shout insults at your actual friends!”
“Insults? He- he was joking. He loves joking, that's all.” Ford said frantically, taking a few wobbly steps towards Stan.
“Goddammit, Ford. You're too smart for this!” Stan said, turning away. “We're shutting this sci-fi nightmare down.”
“No!” Ford said, running down to meet them. “Stan, you can't!”
“I'm sorry, Ford.” Fiddleford said, making his way back to the machine on the other side of the lab.
Ford grabbed Stan's arm and yanked him backwards, miscalculating the amount of force he used and accidently throwing him against the control panel. Stan glared at him and lunged, grabbing him by the collar and pushing him backwards.
“Goddammit, Sixer! We're trying to help you!” He yelled.
“Help me? You have no idea what you're doing! You know nothing about Bill!” Ford said, sounding a bit unsure and pushing Stan back.
“Uh- fellas, careful ‘round that ‘quipment, there!” Fiddleford said, but the twins ignored him.
“I know enough! I know a con man when I hear one, Ford, and that demon is the ultimate con man!” Stan yelled, trying to walk away from Ford before he hurt him again, but Ford grabbed his arm and tried to drag him away from the control panel.
“How much of a con man can he be?! He was right, after all! I should have done better to keep you away from my project!” Ford snarled.
“Fuck you, Ford. If you want to believe that fucking monster over us, than fine, but we're shutting this down!” Stan said, pushing his brother as hard as he could, sending him falling backwards onto the lever in the middle of the room.
“No!” Fiddleford yelled, but it was too late. The portal crackled to life, filling the dark lab with an eerie blue glow.
“Oh shit.” Stan said, taking a step back.
“It works.” Ford said, smiling up at the light. “It works!”
“That ain't good, Stanford!” Fiddleford said, running over to try and drag Ford away. “We need ta shut it down!”
“We are not shutting it down!” Ford said, pushing Fiddleford away.
Ford tried to pull Stan away from the machine, but forgot, in all the commotion, about Stan's new peg leg. He grew up with Stan. He had seen him stand his ground against bullies twice his size. But that was back when he had two legs to stand on, so he was thrown off guard when Stan didn't stay standing. They both slid across the ground, over the yellow line where the portal could reach, and suddenly started to float.
“What the fuck?!” Stan exclaimed, flailing his arms and looking for anything to grab onto.
“Stanford! Stanley!” Fiddleford screamed, grabbing some spare cable from the ground and running towards them. “Grab on!”
“Tie it down!” Stan yelled, as he caught the cable and grabbed Ford's arm, holding on for dear life.
“I can't!” Fiddleford said as he started to slip.
The twins were much heftier than him and his shoes were not grippy enough to keep him down. He wrapped the cord around his wrist and reached behind him, trying to grab the lever to hold himself back, but his fingers just barely grazed it.
“Do something!” Stan yelled as Ford disappeared through the blue light. “Fiddleford!”
Stan melted into the blue after Ford as Fiddleford's feet lifted from the ground.
“Well, shit.” Fiddleford said, as he fell through the portal after them.
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This feels a bit like a cheesy movie scene. That's all I could think while I was writing it... but hey! We made it to the portal!
There is probably some serious plot issues with this scene, like was the portal even ready? Sure it was! It's January and they were going to test it in the next day or two, so... sure it was!
Would Bill leave Ford's mind if he was unconscious? Probably!?
Does Stan not hit very hard, because Fidds and Ford were both hit, and not out for very long?! Well, he was probably subconsiously holding back a bit- this is his brother and his new friend he met a whole day ago and would fight a literal god for.
Why does Stan immediately trust and want to protect Fidds?! He just be like that, okay? Fidds is someone important to his brother, therefore worth protecting.
Okay, I'll stop now.
I start a new job tomorrow, so the updates on this might slow down a bit... sorry. I need to survive in this failing economy.
It's less of a part, and more of a canonically-au-accurate shit post and a lore drop all at once. You're welcome!
Part 29.5: Actually accurate shit post:
Part 30: Lore Drop! The Intridimensional Universe's Cipher Zodiac:
What do you mean this AU has a zodiac?!
This AU started as a silly thing in my brain, and now it has a goddamn storyline?! Ridiculous.
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I know I uploaded part 29 a few hours ago, but I work the next 6 days in a row, and then my siblings are visiting me this weekend, then I work another 6 days in a row. So I figured it was better to upload this sooner than later.
Also, if you're wondering, the zodiac doesn't become relevant for a while yet, I just wanted to upload it because I finally decided who all would be in it, and who wouldn't. So have fun with that!
Oh! And I know Fidds is taller, but just ignore that. It's for the lols.
