"So what if one of your fancy alien guns stopped working – maybe the batteries just ran out," Stanley said, lounging back in his chair as if the battle they had just fought meant nothing to him. Without their advanced technology, the mermaids had nearly ripped their ship apart, yet Stanford could almost imagine his brother with an ice cream shake in one hand.

"This gun doesn't work on batteries," he tried to explain, "It gets energy from other dimensions! The only way this gun would stop working is if the rift between dimensions was severed."

"How is that a bad thing?" his brother asked, raising an eyebrow, "Last I checked, those rifts was how Bill and all those other monsters were able to terrorize us last summer. All I'm saying is that it might be a good thing that your ray gun thing doesn't work anymore."

Ford ran his hand down his face and groaned. Stanley always had trouble seeing the bigger picture. There was much more going on than what they saw. Someone – someone very powerful – must've done something.

Stanley turned on the radio and started flipping through the channels. Most of them had Stanley's favorite songs, but Ford didn't recognize any of them.

Breaking News: A city in California has been confirmed as the source of monste-

Stanley switched to the next station.

"Wait!" Ford called out, "go back to the news station." His brother grumbled about how boring he was being, but changed it back.

I still can't believe I'm saying it, but the recent monster attacks seem to be centered around a town called Echo Creek in California. There are even reports of a castle in the center of the town.

Ford looked at Stanley with his mouth agape. Stanley looked back at him with one eyebrow slightly raised.

In this time of crisis, the president has enacted martial law and the national guard has been mobilized. It is recommended that everyone stay inside their home. Do not go out and try and confront any nonhuman creatures. I repeat, do not confront anything that is not human.

The broadcast went on to describe some of the horrors that the country was facing and the Pine twins listened intently. There were reports of strange events all over the country. Massive spiders had laid webs across an entire city, rows upon rows of corn had suddenly appeared in Southern California, and an unusually high amount of pigeons.

"Do you have any idea what any of this means, pointdexter?" Stanley asked.

Ford took a minute to respond, rubbing his stubble. He was deep in thought, going over everything he had seen while he was hopping through dimensions. Then he thought about his battles with Bill, and everyone that helped them in the final battle…

"I don't know how," he started, "but those kids that helped us defeat Bill are involved. I've been to their dimension once before. It was full of corn fields and there were people there that seemed human, but there was also so much more. I saw more monsters walking through a forest there than I ever saw in Gravity Falls. The dimension was infested.

"This is bad, Stanley. Real bad. Somehow, it appears the two worlds have combined."

"So what you're saying is that the Mystery Shack could have some fierce competition?" Stanley rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"What? How can you think about that tourist trap? Do you have any idea what's going to happen in the next week?" They had usually been on the same page since their fight with Bill, but now Ford wanted nothing more than to smack some sense into his younger brother, "Mass paranoia! Riots! Lives will be lost, Stanley! Innocent lives will be lost, and you're worried about some scam!"

"Geez, chill out. I get it," He muttered, "Alright then, genius, what's the plan?"

Ford thought for another minute before responding. They were miles from shore and their vessel wasn't what people considered a speed boat. With their small motor it would take at least two hours to get to land.

But where to go from there? He rubbed his chin, going over all of the possibilities.

"Our top priority should be splitting these worlds up again," Ford concluded, "I have a few theories on how to do it… but I need to go back to Gravity Falls and go through my old papers."

"What about the kids?" Those two kids held a very soft spot in the old man's heart and he thought about them often on their days at sea. There was even a photograph of them on their birthday in his wallet.

"We'll just have to hope that they know to stay inside."

That was not the answer Stanley was hoping to hear.

"Listen here," He stood up and poked his brother in the chest, "I had those kids all summer and I did my best to protect them from Gravity Falls. I called them crazy and tried to make them think it was all in their head.

"Not once did they actually listen. Those two kids are drawn to problems like magnets; you can't really believe that they'd offer to sit this one out!"

"This is unlike anything we've ever dealt with, Stanley!" Ford exploded, "Do you really want to bring them in on this? Right now we're running blind! We know almost nothing about our situation. If you want to keep those kids, then we're going to have to let them fend for themselves for a few days until we can get this whole thing sorted out."

Stanley grunted. It didn't feel right, abandoning those kids, but his brother had a point. There was no telling how much danger they were getting themselves into. The sooner they can reverse whatever happened, the better.

"There's one other problem," Stanley said, "Gravity Falls is on the other side of the country. I doubt you could find anyone willing to fly a plane at the moment."

"We don't need a pilot," Ford winked, "just the plane."

Breaking News: Numerous reports indicate that groups of monsters have taking refuge in the swamps of Louisiana. More at ten.

Black smoke floated over the city when they docked their boat. There were usually a few formalities they had to do to pay for the spot, but there wasn't a soul in sight. The pine twins tied off the boat and walked on land. The keys were left on the driver's seat because they had a sinking feeling they wouldn't be coming back.

Sirens could be heard in the distance. Stanley pulled out a revolver and Ford took out the tactical knife strapped to his leg. There was no way to predict what was waiting for them, or how many obstacles they would have to face on their quest to fix the Earth.

"This is bigger than anything we've ever done," Stanford admitted, "What if we're not ready?"

"Are you kidding?" Stanley laughed, "A genius like yourself combined with someone as tough as myself? They won't know what hit them."

Stanford gave his brother a smile and they nodded at each other.

Things were about to get messy.

(POV Switch)

Dipper couldn't believe it. In the midst of all the chaos happening, Greyhound buses still had trips to Los Angeles. Mabel had been inconsolable the entire bus ride. Even though it was necessary, she hated that they had to leave their parents behind. Dipper prayed that they listened to the news and stayed inside.

"Are we almost there?" Mabel asked quietly. It lacked the blinding cheerfulness that Dipper had grown used to.

Dipper unfolded the map he had taken from the bus center and looked around.

"It looks like we're nearly in Echo Creek. Then once we're there we can figure out what's going on and how to stop it." Dipper put the map back in his backpack and they set off once again.

"Dipper, do you really think this is the best idea?" Mabel asked a few minutes later, "I mean, we almost died from the Ghost of Stow Lake but yet here we are, charging in blindly once again. We even abandoned our parents. Do you even have a plan?"

He didn't. Dipper had no idea what to do. The only thing that he had to go off of was that the portal was set off in Echo Creek. With no word from Stanford, it was up to them to get to the bottom of this mystery. This… collision of worlds had to happen for a reason. So yes, they were risking their lives, but they might just be Earth's best chance. He'd spent a lot of time convincing himself on the bus ride.

"The plan is to gather information," Dipper responded, "We don't do anything until we know exactly what we're dealing with. Does that seem like a good deal to you?"

They were twins, but that didn't mean they always agreed with each other. Dipper didn't want her to commit to something that she didn't want to do, especially when their lives were on the line.

"As long as you know what you're doing."

They wandered through the streets for an hour or two. With the portal nowhere in sight, Dipper and Mabel had no objective anymore. Mabel was lost in her own thoughts, but Dipper was soaking everything in. there was a stark difference in design between the modern American houses and the medieval-esque dwellings of the other world. Many of them had thatched roofs and used pastel pink stones for their walls and foundation. At least there weren't many cases of the two houses physically overlapping, almost as if whatever caused this to happen had a conscience.

Another thing that occurred to Dipper was the lack of movement. He hadn't seen any monsters since they got here, but he hadn't seen any other humans either. There was more though. Something that he was overlooking…

The animals. Dipper looked around and didn't see a single animal. Not a bird or a raccoon or even someone's dog. It was just the two of them here, yet Dipper got the distinct feeling he was being watched.

Why did the houses look so old? They reminded of Dipper of pictures he had seen in school when they were discussing the medieval era. A time when there were princesses in towers and knights in shining armor. Where people had to use chamber pots and plague ran rampant because of the lack of hygienic habits. Back when kings and queens ruled over their citizens from their…

Castle.

There was a castle.

In California.

Mabel was still looking at her feet and Dipper nudged her to get her attention.

"Is that what I think it is?" she cocked her head as if she didn't quite believe what she was seeing.

"It is," Dipper responded with a grin, "It's an objective."

They were a lot farther away from the castle then they originally thought. Dipper couldn't even guess how tall it was, and the architecture! Why did it have those onion bulb things at the top? It didn't seem very structurally sound.

When they were about halfway there, they noticed that it was surrounded by a wall that seemed ablaze in the rays of the setting sun. It was beautiful.

"What's that?" Mabel pointed to a dark mass near one of the entrance gates. Dipper's shoulders sagged when he realized what it was.

"Humans," He said, "And from how much activity we can see, I think it's safe to say that they're not too happy with their new neighbors."

As they got closer and the sun sank lower, they could make out numerous fires around the perimeter. They seemed too organized to be random burning cars and Dipper realized that they must be there to keep the people warm. They were camping out there. Waiting for something.

Dipper and Mable decided to go closer so they could get a better idea of why they were there. they took the long way around, reaching the outer wall to the left of the group. From there, they clung to the shadows as made their way back to the group.

Dipper noticed that parts of the wall were completely covered in spray paint. Phrases like "Get out of here," and, "You're not welcome here," were scattered across much more vulgar messages. Most of them were death threats or xenophobic slurs. He couldn't help but feel ashamed; his people wrote those messages.

"Remember, we need to stay hidden," Mabel whispered. Dipper nodded, but before he could respond, he noticed movement to his left.

Flashlights were shined in their face and Dipper was temporarily blinded.

"They look like humans," someone said in front of him.

"Could be one of them look-a-likes," another muttered. Once Dipper's eyes became adjusted to the light, he saw that several rifles were pointed in their direction, "Do you have any ID?"

Mabel and Dipper checked their pockets and backpack. It wasn't like they carried wallets around like normal adults – they were only thirteen. They weren't even old enough to have a learner's permit!

"Prove to us that you're human," the man said when Dipper and Mabel's hands came up empty, "Tell us some historical fact that."

"Our current president can ride a skateboard!" Mabel blurted out and Dipper prayed those weren't her last words.

"That's just a rumor!" Dipper rushed, "Abraham Lincoln was the president during the American Civil War!"

"And he wore a top hat," Mabel added helpfully, holding her hands around her head in the general form of a top hat.

The men nodded at one another and lowered their weapons.

"Come with us. You're not safe out here," his tone left no room for argument so Dipper and Mabel shrugged and followed them to their encampment. The scattered tents and people huddled around trashcan fires was how Dipper always imagined a Hooverville looked like.

"Do you have any parents?" One of them asked. He was wearing slacks and a red shirt, and even had his nametag still. Evan, it read.

"We haven't seen them since…"

"The collision," the man finished. Dipper nodded.

"I'm sure they're out there somewhere," he continued, "There are people here who can help you track them down once this is all over."

Dipper wanted to ask him what he meant, but he disappeared in the growing crowd. The people here wandered like lost ghosts, wandering from fire to fire with little energy in their bones. Dipper would wander if they were actually dead, if it wasn't for the fear in their eyes. Or how they kept anxiously glancing at the looming castle walls. They were scared.

When looking at a single person, none of them looked threatening to Dipper. Like the man from before, many of them were still wearing nametags from their jobs. Nothing more than memories from the past now. Some were tall and lanky, and others short and chubby. These wasn't the type of people he had been expecting, and somehow that scared Dipper even more. These weren't warriors.

They were a mob. A group of people that would become a hive mind under the right circumstances. Individual thoughts would be replaced by whatever agenda was pushed upon them.

A man climbed up on one of the jeeps near the entrance to the castle.

"If I could have your attention!" His voice was amplified by his mega horn and cut through what little conversation people were having, "Our world has been invaded! They have moved in without warning, and without consequence!"

He paused to let the crowd murmur among themselves before continuing.

"Well I say no more! They appear out of nowhere and terrorize us! Our children! They take over the cities that our forefathers built!"

Dipper watched in horror as the people around him perked up, their anxiety replaced with anger.

"This castle must be their head of operations! We've seen monsters sneaking in and out of secret doors in the wall! Well I say no more! Are we supposed to take a knee as they conquer our home?" No! the crowd roared, and the man up front smiled. He was missing one of his front teeth. Only then did Dipper notice the cameras being directed at the man up front. This was being broadcasted; the whole world would see what happened next.

Dipper grabbed Mabel's hand and yanked here towards the nearest camera crew. He waved his hands all over the place getting their attention. Mabel didn't know what he was planning, but started waving her hands all over the place too.

They tried to get as close to the cameras as possible, but there were too many people in the way. It was like making their way through a room full of punching bags.

"This is wrong!" He started yelling, "This isn't going to solve anything!"

"You haven't even heard their side of the story!" Mabel joined in, "This isn't the right way!"

"We have bided our time, gathering resources!" The leader yelled, "But the time for planning is over! This, this is the time for action!" and with that, the wall exploded behind him.

The mob immediately surged forward and crashed into the opening like a tidal wave. The men in charge of the attack were squealing with delight and firing their rifles into the air. Dipper and Mabel were caught in a sea of people that were trying to force their way into the opening.

Before they knew what had happened, they were inside the castle walls. Dipper grabbed Mabel's hand and pulled her away from the mob. Monsters and people that looked just like humans had set up barricades and were defending themselves. However, they were simply out manned and out gunned.

Dipper could only watch in horror as monster after monster fell. While he didn't like them, watching them be slaughtered without a second thought made him want to puke. He didn't think that humans could even be capable of such malicious acts anymore.

This time it was Mabel who pulled Dipper. She opened one of the side doors to the castle and yanked him with her.

"This is insane!" she whisper-yelled, "We're in a real-life castle!" it was just the thing that Mabel would say and it slapped Dipper back into focus. He took a quick look around; they were in a room.

Not a very helpful observation.

"We need to get out of here," He told Mabel, "Those people out there will tear this castle down brick by brick and we don't want to be anywhere near here when that happens."

They nodded and made their way deeper into the castle, hoping they could find some way out of the unfamiliar territory before it collapsed on them.

AN: Here's chapter 4! I've only recently realized how I can use writing as an escape from reality. I got into this huge ordeal with some old friends and we said some harsh things to one another and I'm pretty sure I've burned some bridges forever. It really cut me deep because I was only trying to look out for one of my friends and it completely backfired. Finishing this chapter up helped calm me down and I'm just grateful that I have this outlet that allows me to peacefully vent my frustrations.

On a side note, I've applied to be a writer's consultant for my college and I really hope I get the job. Not only do I get to help others (and get paid for it) but I get a lot of training that I can apply to this story and I'm super excited!

Let me know what you thought about this chapter and I'll get the next one out as soon as I'm done with it.