It was odd trying to balance construction of an inter-dimensional portal and dating my partner at the same time, but I made it work. Every week or so, he'd take me out somewhere small, since money was tight, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  He had changed from the nerdy teen I knew in high school to a quieter, more reserved man.

Zap! The wiring I was working on sparked ominously, nearly burning me. I scurried out from under the framework and shook my head. "Son of a bi-"

Fiddleford and Stanford clomped down the steps. I silently cursed myself, Fidds hated it when I swore.

"-scut."

F looked relieved that I didn't cuss.  "What's the problem? I recon the entire forest heard that racket."

I waved my wrench angrily at the parts that were giving me trouble.  "We need a more powerful energy source, any type of engine I use isn't enough to sustain the portal."  I ran a hand through my messy hair.  "We're going to need a hyperdrive."

F's eyebrows knit together.  "That's crazy!  If my predictions are correct, I daresay humanity won't invent one for the next ten thousand years!"

Stanford looked thoughtful.  "Actually, I think I know a place."

I shook my head and smiled.  "Leave it to Stanford Pines to know where an un-invented object is."

His face flushed a bit.  "I call it 'Crash Site Omega,' it should have what we're looking for.  Y/N and I could go get it."

I noticed Fiddleford's face flashed with hurt when he said that last part.  I hadn't thought about it before, but poor Fidds had been pushed to the side a bit since I came.  He needed some attention. 

"Actually, you and Fiddleford should pick it up, you know, sort of a 'guys day out' type of thing.  Besides, the last engine I tried damaged the mainframe, I need some time to fix that, anyways."

Stanford looked a little surprised by my suggestion.  He looked cute when he was surprised.  "Oh, uh, of course!"

F was positively beaming. "I can't wait to see what you've got!"

The two continued talking excitedly to each other as they went back up to ground level. I smiled to myself, it was nice seeing Fidds spending time on something other than the portal.

After taking much too long repairing the damaged metal, I let myself take a break. Passing by Fiddleford's desk, I saw his beloved Cubic's Cube was scrambled up. I mentally facepalmed. Stanford could never resist ruining it when it was solved, and Fidds couldn't stand it being messed up for more than two seconds. It seemed like an endless tug-of-war.

I picked it up and started turning it, absentmindedly attempting to get the colors back in place.  I had only gotten two sides done when I heard an earth shattering crash at the top of the stairs.

Stanford ran ran the steps two at a time, with Fiddleford slung over his shoulder fireman-style.  "F's hurt!"

I sprinted to where he put the injured man down.  Fidds was not looking good.  Odd-looking quills stuck out of his body nearly everywhere, and even worse, his left arm was bending at an unnatural angle. 

"What happened?!"

"Trouble on the way back, ran into a gremlobin!"  Stanford rushed. 

"A what?!"

Stanford let a out an exasperated breath.  "Big gremlin-goblin thing that shows you your worst fear.  F looked into its eyes, he couldn't even move when it charged him."

I looked around frantically for a medical kit, finally locating one under my toolbox.  "I'm just praying we have enough bandages."  I hastily pulled out the sharp quills, wincing with every one.  Fiddleford seemed conscious, but completely out of it, muttering gibberish every few seconds. I turned to Stanford. "I'm gonna need some time to see how bad the damage is."

"Physical, or emotional?"

I rubbed my temples. "Both."

"I see." He shuffled his feet, unsure of what to do. I knew he hated being unhelpful.

"Try and get some sleep, it's already late. I can take care of F till morning."

"Well, if you insist..." He slowly made his way upstairs.

Fiddleford snapped upright.

"Fidds! You scared me there, are you okay?!"

F slowly shook his head. "No."

"What happened back there, Stanford was really vague about that."

Fiddleford buried his face in his hands. "B-Bad m-monster. I-I l-looked into its eyes b-by accident a-and-" He burst into tears. "I s-saw myself, but older. B-But at the same time, I-I was d-different. I was c-crazy. N-Nuttier than a f-fruitcake. N-Natalie had l-left me and t-took T-Tate with her, I w-was all alone, d-didn't even h-have m-my sanity."

I pulled him into a hug. He was like a little brother to me, and I couldn't even imagine how much the vision had scarred him. "It's gonna be okay, Fidds. That's never going to happen to you, you're much too smart for that. Don't let that image hurt you."

"I won't." Ever so slowly, he pulled out a strange-looking gun, made of glass and copper. He turned the knob on it, and shot it at himself.

"FIDDLEFORD!"

F shook his head, as if to clear it. He looked at the gun in wonder. "It works. I can't recall a thing!"

"What do you mean?! Why did you just shoot yourself with that?!"

"It's an invention of mine, it targets brain cells, ones for memory, and erases them."

My mouth opened and closed a few times in shock. Fiddleford had created a dangerous weapon, with darker potential than he realized. No one should have that much power. "Fiddleford, you have to destroy that. It's too powerful for its own good."

F looked at his creation in despair. Suddenly, his face grew hard and stern. "No. It does me good to forget these things. You can't make me destroy it-" He turned the knob and aimed it at me. "If you can't remember it."

The world went bright white as he shot it at my face.