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        "The portal will be ready in a week or so, if my estimates are correct. Finally, my life's ambition has come to fruition." said Stanford Gleeful, closely examining the blueprints.

Will always had a bad feeling about that. From his clairvoyance (or as he called it, his "Ciphervoyance", he knew there were a lot of possibilities for a portal connecting dimensions to go horribly, horribly wrong. But he couldn't bring up his concerns to Stanford. After all, he didn't want to risk creating a fault between him and the only person who had ever really cared for him.

"And of course, I couldn't have done this without your help, my darling muse~" Stanford said, turning to face Will.

Any worries that Will had were pushed to the back of his mind as he heard those words. It didn't matter that there were millions of universes where something like this went wrong, this one had to be different, right? When Stanford looked at him like nothing else in the multiverse mattered, calling him his muse (him, a muse? For the world's most perfect man?), he was sure that nothing could ever go wrong. His starlight was always right, after all.

"N-no problem, Sixer!" said Will. He was sure he was turning pink right now.

Stanford chuckled slightly and smiled, causing Will to feel a bit lightheaded.

"Aren't you just the most precious little thing~" said Stanford in a patronizing tone.

Will chose to look past the way that Stanford seemed to look down on him, the way that every single word he said seemed to have an undercut of malice, the way that upon closer inspection, it was clear that Stanford didn't see him as a person.

He could deal with that, he could ignore Stanford's slightly manipulative tendencies if it meant having someone that understood him, someone who loved him. Will knew it was pathetic, but he didn't think that he deserved to be treated better anyways.

"Well, I guess I'll have to wake up soon. I don't want to delay progress." remarked Stanford.

Once again, Will was alone, stuck in the Dream Realm. He hated being alone with his thoughts more than anything in the multiverse.

"YOU MONSTER. YOU KILLED THEM ALL."

"HOW COULD SOMEONE AS PERFECT AS STANFORD GLEEFUL LOVE SOMEONE AS PATHETIC AS YOU?"

"What if the portal goes wrong?"

Thoughts swirled around his head. To avoid thinking about his own doubts, he peered into Stanford's dimension, hoping to distract himself from his insecurities.

"Sixer, how much longer are you gonna keep this up? I mean, communicating with a weird demonic triangle sounds kind of dangerous." said Stanley.

"Not much longer. Besides, Will is of no danger to us. I have him wrapped around my finger. He'll do anything that I ask of him, it's quite cute. And besides, after the portal is complete, we'll have unlimited power over our entire universe." answered Stanford.

"...You really don't feel guilty for using him like that?" asked Stanley.

"Why would I? One can only feel guilty if one actually cares." answered Stanford.

Will's eye widened in shock. No....It couldn't be.....

And yet it was.

"No...NONONONONO! This can't be real, he'd never..."

"He's going to use the portal to rule the universe? That can't end well..."

"He...He called me his muse . Did all of that mean nothing? Did karaoke night mean nothing to him? Did I mean nothing to him?"

"How the fuck could I be so stupid! I should have known, I should have been able to tell, WHY DIDN'T I NOTICE?"

"Maybe I deserved it for trusting someone so blindly."

Thoughts swirled around his head as he tried to figure out what to do. An interdimensional portal in the hands of a man who wanted to use it for his own selfish reasons, and not to 'help the world' like he told Will was dangerous. Will had to dismantle it, or else this dimension was doomed.

~~Flashback~~

Stanford Gleeful woke up to something... peculiar at his desk. Right on his workspace was a bunch of pink camellia flowers. As he put on his glasses, he realized that they spelled out his name.

"This town really is full of mysteries, huh." he thought, before swiping away the flowers into the nearby trash can, and starting his work. He made a mental note to revise the security layout of his lab space later.

The lab was quiet today. Stanley had gone off to visit an acquaintance, muttering something about "pug trafficking". None of that mattered to Stanford, as he could finish today's work by himself. The flowers were strange, alright, but he was used to that.

Hours passed like seconds, and before he knew it, it was 3:00 AM already. Stanford had almost forgotten that he promised to meet with Will today. He grabbed his tools, and meditated for a bit, clearing his mind so he could commune with Will. He had actually started to look forward to these meetings, despite his insistence to Stanley that he didn't care for the demon.

"Happy birthday, Sixer! D-did you like the flowers I sent you? It took a while, possessing birds to carry in flowers through your window!" exclaimed Will.

Ah. It was his birthday. Stanford had completely forgotten that.

"So the flowers were your idea... that makes sense. I'm not a huge fan of flowers, they don't even live that long." said Stanford in a bored, disapproving voice.

Will looked crestfallen. "Shit, is he mad? I don't want to make him mad, what if he hates me after this? I...I have to make it up somehow." thought Will.

"I-I'm sorry! I'll fix this! Ummm...Uhhhh... D-do you like karaoke?" asked Will nervously.

"...I've never tried that." answered Stanford.

"It'll be fun, I promise!" said Will, a bright look in his eye, already planning where they'd go.

Stanford sighed. "If you say so..." he said.

Will took Stanford by the hand, leading him to a Mindscape bar. There were an assortment of creatures in all shapes, colors, and sizes, the din of the establishment making it hard for the pair to even hear each other.

"Two Myoclonic Jerks please!" said Will to the bartender, who quickly made the drinks and served it to them.

Will sipped some of his drink. "So, uh, what do you normally do for your birthday?" he asked.

"...Nothing, really. At least I haven't for the past few decades or so, ever since I graduated high school." said Stanford. He stared at his drink, slowly bringing it up to his mouth.

"Careful, it's pretty strong." cautioned Will.

Without warning, Stanford immediately downed the drink in one go, the effects setting in fast. He stumbled out of his seat, grabbing onto Will for support.

"Come on my dear, let's get this party started!" proclaimed Stanford. Will felt his heartbeat speed up, the pounding in his chest growing louder as the scientist leaned on him. He really hoped that Stanford didn't notice that he was totally turning pink.

As the hours passed by, the pair spent the night drinking, laughing, and singing. After singing a karaoke of BABBA's 'Disco Girl', the two sat down at one of the bar tables.

"That was actually hic quite fun, my dear muse~" said Stanford, slightly slurring his words. No matter how often the scientist used the nickname 'muse', it never stopped making Will blush.

"See! I told you!" exclaimed Will, his face brightening up. Stanford was far more affectionate when drunk. He genuinely laughed at some of Will's jokes, and stared at him like nothing else in the world mattered.

"I can't believe someone as amazing and smart as Stanford would even like me." thought Will.

Will's heart fluttered under Stanford's intense gaze. This was it. This was his chance to confess.

"Sixer...I..ummm....I think I'm in love with you." confessed Will, hesitating.

By now, Stanford was far from sober. He'd already drank a couple Myoclonic Jerks, plus some other various liquors. In his alcohol-addled state, he could hardly understand what Will was saying.

"Huh? Wha-? I mean uhh- me too?" he slurred, staring blankly at Will. Stanford had been zoned out for the past couple of minutes.

"Wait, really? By the Axolotl, this is the best day of my life! I-I never thought you'd feel the same!" exclaimed Will, starry eyed, kicking his legs in excitement.

Will began to enthusiastically recount all the different times in which he wanted to confess, but was too nervous to, while Stanford nodded along, completely oblivious to what Will was saying.

"-and when you called me your muse for the first time, I almost wanted to ask you to marry me right there!" said Will, right as Stanford collapsed onto him.

"Sixer? A-are you okay?" asked Will nervously, holding Stanford in his arms.

"....must get back to work...[unintelligible]....hangover...." mumbled Stanford.

Stanford slowly woke up to the noise of the generator whirring. The sun was out, the birds were chirping, a lovely day to most.

"Wha...what happened?" wondered the scientist. He grabbed his journal, and began to write whatever he remembered.

'Wow. What a. What a night. Cill Wipher did a dream? Karaoke? He's pretty...coooool....'

'Hangover? From dream drinking? Must inveStgatE lllaterrr.'

'Ad Aspera Asperin'

- Stranford GleeF_____

~End of Flashback~

"Ugh....I can't BELIEVE he just lied to me like that! I really did love him.. I fucked up so bad....." said Will, in between tears to the bartender at O'Sadley's

"Sucks to suck man. But you've gotta stop whatever he's planning." responded the bartender, shaking another drink.

"I know...I'm not going to let him win." answered Will, slamming his hands on the table. He stood up, paid for the drinks, and left the establishment in a rush.

Will rubbed his eye, wiping off his tears. He'd gotten himself into this mess, and now he was going to fix it.

He had a plan now. And he couldn't let himself fail again.

     To fix this mess, Will needed someone in Reverse Falls to help him. Preferably, someone who could actually understand what was going on. Getting Stanley on his side would be ideal, but that would be next to impossible, the man would never betray his own brother.

     'If only there was someone smart enough to know the danger that faces this dimension...' Will thought back to every single resident of the town, desperately trying to figure out which one would assist him in this.

     'Wait a minute, what about that tech CEO who's funding this whole project? He's an intelligent guy, he'd understand... but what if he's in on this? Well, it's worth a shot to contact Fiddleford M. Hadron.' thought Will. The founder of Hadron Enterprises was contacted by Stanford a couple years back when his grant money began to run out, and he had agreed to help fund the construction of the portal. Will hoped that Fiddleford didn't know the true extent of the scientist's plan.

With a snap of his fingers, Will transported himself into the CEO's mind, changing the backdrop so that it resembled the mindscape. In the center stood Fiddleford, looking around confusedly.

     "What in tarnation is this place? Am I in an episode of The Twilight Zone?" asked Fiddleford, scanning the strange environment.

     "This..." Will gestured "is the mindscape. I'm Will Cipher, nice to finally meet you." said Will, holding out his hand for a handshake. Fiddleford squinted his eyes in suspicion, but shook the hand regardless.

     "Anyways, I know you're definitely confused about what just happened, but I need your help. The safety of your dimension is at stake." continued Will.

     "This is a weird dream, but I'll play along. What's this 'threat to my dimension'?" asked Fiddleford, doubting the legitimacy of the scene playing out in front of him.

     "That portal you've been funding is extremely dangerous. Stanford's plan isn't to 'help the world', it's to rule it." stated Will, looking distant.

     "That's... a pretty major accusation to make. How am I supposed to know that this is real and not just another random dream?" asked Fiddleford, crossing his arms. He wasn't a major fan of the scientist, he found Ford to be a bit too egotistical for his liking, but the man didn't seem to be a straight-up supervillain.

Will hesitated, before projecting a hologram of Stanford writing his plans for world domination in a journal, and placing it in a secret compartment inside his desk.

     "The journal should have all the information you need," Will paused, "Why are you working with him anyways?" he asked.

Fiddleford awkwardly shifted his stance. "Well... he told me that by creating a portal to other dimensions, I'd be able to access raw materials for creating new technology. With interdimensional circuits, Hadron Enterprises would dominate the field and push Pear and Minismooth to the sidelines. And, it might be easier to... y'know... outsource labor to other dimensions..." admitted the CEO.

     "You humans are far too concerned with material interests..." muttered Will.

     "Hey, I know this makes me look like another self-absorbed billionaire, but I promise I'm not that corrupt to be willing to sacrifice the safety of my dimension for more money. If this really is true, I'll stop it." responded Fiddleford.

     "Good. We don't have much time left." said Will somberly.

     It was surprisingly easy to arrange a 'progress check' meeting with Stanford. Sitting in the back of the limousine while the chauffeur hit the gas, Fiddleford began to reminisce upon his first meeting with the scientist. The two had met in their first year of college as roommates, and quickly became enemies when Stanford made derogatory remarks at the field of computer science, and stated that business was a major only done by rich kids with no real skills.

"Business and computer science? How about you major in a real science like quantum physics?"

'Well, look who's funding your little project now, Stanford?' thought Fiddleford. Though, a part of him really hoped that the dream was nonsense. Fiddleford would have loved to see the faces of Jeve Stobs and Gill Bates when Hadron Enterprises monopolized the tech industry.

The car stopped right outside the laboratory, and Fiddleford stepped out, suit perfectly tailored and shined as always. Before even knocking at the door, Stanford welcomed him inside.

     “The portal is almost finished. I just have to work out a few minor anomalies in the main structure.” said Stanford, as he led Fiddleford down the stairs to the portal room. The machine was humming with electrical signals, a truly breathtaking sight.

As much as he wanted to just stare at it, Fiddleford had to keep his eyes on the goal, to confirm the message that was sent to him in his dreams. Pretending to excuse himself to the restroom, the CEO made his way to a secret room in the underground laboratory that was clearly the scientist’s private study. Remembering what he saw in his dream, he checked the desk for a secret compartment.

What he found was a simple dark blue journal with a six-fingered hand on it. Fiddleford flipped through its pages, before landing on a detailed description of Stanford’s plans.

     ’With the power of this interdimensional portal, I’ll finally be able to understand the inner workings of what keeps the universe together… and reshape this dimension into whatever I want.’ read the journal.

     “He really is serious about this, huh?” said Fiddleford out loud, eyes widening as he realized the gravity of the situation. With the mechanisms for the portal almost finished, there wasn't much time left. And, without the background in quantum physics or engineering, he couldn't disassemble it by himself.

'Dagnabbit, how on earth am I supposed to end this before it's too late?' thought Fiddleford in a panic. Gripping the journal, he speedwalked back to where Stanford was waiting to confront him.

The scientist turned to face him. "I hope you were able to take care of your... business. I've crafted a report detailing the major parts built since last time, and what still needs to be done. Now-" he began, before being cut off.

     "Explain." hissed Fiddleford harshly, displaying the journal page in his hand. Stanford's expression darkened as he saw the resentment on the CEO's face.

     "That's just a hypothetical, it's nothing to get all worked up over." lied Stanford, as he tried to make up excuses.

     "To think for all these years I'd been spending millions of dollars to fund something that could destroy us all... I want my money back, Stanford. I'll sue you if you don't take apart this portal right this instant." declared Fiddleford. While he didn't have the skills to actually destroy the machine, he could make the scientist's life a courtroom nightmare. With enough money, anything was possible.

Instead of agreeing to the terms, Stanford merely smiled. "Oh, but you've forgotten one important thing. The funds were sent through an untraceable account. For all that your investors know, this money has simply vanished. Can't sue for something that never existed." he said, in an unnaturally calm voice.

Fiddleford stepped back, losing hope as he realized that his strategy was failing. He'd siphoned money out of his company without anyone's knowledge. Technically, he was committing fraud, but it's not like he'd be prosecuted for it unless he made it public by suing Stanford.

     "Besides, you'll still get whatever materials you were promised. I wasn't lying about that." added the scientist, attempting to diffuse the disagreement.

     "That's not the point! I may be a businessman, but there are some lines I won't cross. And, you can't sell products if the market collapses." countered Fiddleford.

     "Don't worry, I'll give you a high ranking position in the new world order. You'd be all-powerful, greater than anything you've ever imagined." replied Stanford.

It was a tempting offer, that was for sure. But a familiar voice in the back of his head urged him to decline.

'Don't trust his words. He only ever does things for his own benefit.' whispered the voice, sounding a lot like the mysterious blue triangle that appeared in Fiddleford's dream last night.

Stanford had tricked him once. Now was the time to give the scientist a taste of his own medicine.

     "...Fair enough." muttered Fiddleford, handing the journal back to its owner. He needed some time to think of a plan, but he wasn't alone.

     "A wise decision. I'm going to test the functionality of the portal tomorrow, and I'd appreciate it if you were there to witness it." said Stanford.

     "Alright." responded the CEO.

     "Good. Now, let's get back to the original topic. As I was saying..." continued the scientist, summarizing the building progress.

     Fiddleford paced around the lavish office inside his mansion, trying to come up with a plan, but to no avail. Sitting down in a chair, he took off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes while yawning. 

'If only that blue triangle were here... he seems like he'd know a thing or two about portals.' thought Fiddleford.

     "You'd be right about that." said a familiar voice, causing the CEO to fall out of his seat. Fiddleford turned around, and was face to face with none other than Will Cipher.

     "Jeez, you scared me for a second there. Let's cut to the chase - how am I supposed to fix this? I'm an entrepreneur, not an engineer for Pete's sake!" exclaimed Fiddleford.

     "The portal is actually pretty easy to dismantle, but there's a lot that could go wrong. I wouldn't usually make this sort of deal, but I fear it may be necessary." sighed Will.

     "...What do you mean?" questioned Fiddleford, crossing his arms.

Will hesitated. "If I... possess you... while you're supposed to go down to the lab again to witness the first tests, I could disassemble the core parts." he said, looking slightly embarrassed.

     "...I've made worse deals in the past. Let's do it." responded Fiddleford, holding out his hand.

Will shook the CEO's hand, and in a flash of light, the surroundings changed instantly. Fiddleford looked down to see that his feet were no longer on the ground, rather, he was floating in the air. He looked to the right, and saw his own body standing up by itself. When it opened its eyes, the pupils were long slits while the whites of the eyes were a light shade of blue.

Will began to stand up, tripping slightly before catching himself. It was always difficult piloting a human vessel, and this would be no different.

     "This is the weirdest thing I've ever experienced." stated Fiddleford.

     "It's not a walk in the park for me either. I can feel these organs moving every time I take a step." replied Will, attempting to balance himself before putting on a pair of sunglasses to hide the dead giveaway that was his eyes.

     When the pair finally arrived at Stanford's lab, "Fiddleford" was once again welcomed in by Stanford.

     "You know, you really did worry me for a second yesterday. I actually believed that you would abandon this project. But I knew you'd come to your senses." said Stanford confidently.

     "Yeah. Of course." said "Fiddleford", looking to the side. Will felt sweat trickling down his forehead, despite the cold temperature of the lab. Being this physically close to the scientist was still nerve-wracking for him, and he inwardly cursed at himself for feeling this way.

     "By the way, why are you wearing sunglasses? We're inside." questioned Stanford.

     "I- well... you never know what's gonna happen with that portal of yours! Better to be safe than sorry..." responded "Fiddleford". He hoped that the scientist wouldn't push further into the matter. Stanford seemed to believe it.

As the scientist started to explain the functions of various parts of the machine, the real Fiddleford floated impatiently around Will.

     "How long is this going to take? I have an important meeting later today." he said.

     "Not much longer. I just have to wait for the perfect moment." responded Will, mouth not even moving.

     "That is seriously creepy," Fiddleford floated closer "but also kind of impressive." he replied.

Eventually, Stanford finally stopped talking, and pressed a couple of buttons on the control panel. The portal came to life, its mechanisms glowing and emitting vibrations.

     "I'll let you do the honors and pull the lever." declared the scientist, and "Fiddleford" obliged.

The world seemed to come to a standstill as the portal fully opened, a rip in the fabric of the space-time continuum. A multitude of colors and shapes beyond human comprehension were visible on the other side. Stanford stood transfixed at the sight.

     "Isn't it just beautiful? My life's greatest achievement... no longer will I be bound by the shackles of this dimension, I'll soon have authority over space, matter, and perhaps even time itself!" declared the scientist.

Will saw his chance, and pushed Stanford into the portal's event horizon, the portal's power pulling him into its center.

     "What the-?" uttered a confused Stanford, bafflement turning into rage as "Fiddleford" took off the sunglasses to reveal two eyeballs with light blue scleras and elongated pupils.

     "You- you BETRAYED ME, my muse! I can't believe you would do this to me-" screamed the scientist, desperately trying to get away from the rift.

     "Well, you did it first. Goodbye, Stanford." said Will with held-back wrath in his voice, as the scientist was devoured by the portal. Soon after, Will quickly hit a bunch of buttons on the control panel, causing the machinery behind it to overheat and melt, closing the rift once and for all.

The portal's humming came to a stop, and the room was silent. Will stared at the dead machine, barely believing what he had done.

     "Whoa... you think fast under pressure. That's quite commendable." remarked Fiddleford, still floating in the air.

Will snapped out of his stupor. "...Thanks. You're not so bad yourself." he said, with a slight smile.

     'He actually seems to be genuinely nice... a far cry from Stanford...' thought Will.

"My work here is done." he declared, exiting out of the human vessel, while Fiddleford re-entered his body.

Fiddleford held on to a workbench as he stabilized himself, and Will started to disappear.

     "You're just going to leave already?" asked Fiddleford, looking disappointed.

     "...Yes? It's not like I have anything of importance to do in your dimension anymore..." said Will.

     "Yeah... but perhaps we could work together. You'd be a valued member of Hadron Enterprises. I mean, we make a pretty good team already." proposed Fiddleford enthusiastically.

Will felt his sides heating up. 'Damn it... I can't just keep falling for anyone that's nice to me. But he doesn't seem to have any ulterior motives.' thought Will.

     "Working with humans is exactly what got me into this mess in the first place." admitted Will. As Fiddleford's facial expression fell, Will felt a pang of regret.

     "I understand. Still, I hope I can at least see you again." said Fiddleford hopefully.

     "...Maybe." responded Will, before leaving for the Nightmare Realm once and for all.