Gravity Falls Phantom

A matter of time

"AHAHAHAHA! Come on out guys! The town is free for the taking," Bill called into the portal. 

"Who'd have guessed it? The ghost boy opening portals into the human world!" A familiar and obnoxious voice called. Technus burst from the rift, black trench coat swirling like smoke. "Just when we were wondering how to bring the fight to you," he sneered, black glasses flashing. 

Bill twisted Danny's face into an unsettling grin. 

"The little Spook isn't in charge here anymore. Don't worry about him! Go nuts old pal,"

Technus paused, squinting at Danny. Then his face split into a grin as he recognized him.

"Well don't mind if I do! There's some old friends of mine hidden in the video games around here. Won't be seeing you around," 

With a laugh, Technus took off into the sky. And behind him a flood of ghosts spilled out. Skullker, Johnny, Spectra, Ember, Youngblood, and countless others gushed form the rip in reality.  They spiraled into the suddenly darkened sky like spectral birds of prey. 

And left behind in the Mystery Shack, Bill began his search. 

........................................................................

"Great Uncle Ford! What just happened?," Dipper panted, struggling to keep up. 

"A rip between dimensions," Ford puffed, still carrying Mabel as they ran. "Bill must have taken control of Danny and used his powers to open a portal to a ghost dimension."

Dipper wanted to tell him it was called the ghost zone, but was too out of breath. 

"I think we're far enough for now," Ford wheezed, finally coming to a halt behind a thick bush. He set Mabel down and looked at her with concern. Her eyes were still glistening with tears and her fist was streaked with dried blood. 

Ford started to say something, but Dipper just hugged Mabel, cutting off his half formed question. Mabel shook with shock and silent sobs. 

"I'm so sorry," Dipper whispered, hugging her tighter. Mabel's silent tears slowly spread across his shoulder. 

"How did you handle it before?" Mabel hiccuped. "How did you recover after... after Bill..."

She shuddered and leaned against him.

"Because you were there for me," Dipper said. He remembered the terror, the helplessness. And he remembered Mabel's care in bringing him back to normal.  

"Now I'm going to take care of you," he promised.

His face hardened. 

"Bill will regret he ever messed with you."

Ford watched the twins hug in silence. Then he turned around and looked back the way they had come. The Mystery Shack was taken, and it would only be a matter of time before Bill realized that Ford had sneaked the rift away inside his coat. 

Only a matter of time.