Memories through the Mindscape

Part 2

"Bill!"

The mentioned triangle, sitting on his throne of the damned, looked up to see Pyronica fly into the Fearamid. A large, deformed grin was cut across the Henchmaniac's face like a bloody wound. "I found it!"

Clutched in her burning hand was a bubble.

An ectoplasmic bubble.

Bill's cackle was heard all across Gravity Falls.

D/_\P

On occasion there would be little moments where Danny rose to consciousness. They weren't often and she couldn't control them, but even if she could, nothing ever happened. She could see nothing and heard nothing but the tortured screams of the Nightmare realm.

But this time was different. There was still green, but…

She heard singing.

D/_\P

Bill rose from the floor, piano keys giving way under his fingers. "We'll meet again~ Don't know where, don't know when~ Oh, I know we'll meet again some sunny day~!"

Ford looked around the penthouse, taking in the room and the green bubble situated in the corner. Around it was a collar of blue flames that looped around Bill's wrist. "Wh-Where am I?" Ford asked. His head was aching, right under the metal plate in his head.

Bill laughed. "You're in the penthouse suite, kid! The tip of the pyramid. Have a drink." He snapped his fingers and martini glasses appeared in their hands. "Make yourself comfortable." Ford sat down on the couch behind him as Cipher sipped from his drink. "You know that couch is made from living human skin?"

The couch groaned as eyes, a nose, and a mouth appeared. Ford jumped up, a cry on his lips. Anger curdled in his gut as he clenched his fists. "Quit the games, Cipher! If I'm still alive, you must want something from me."

"Ah, sharp as ever, Fordsy. As you may have noticed…I've recently had a MULTI-DIMENSIONAL MAKEOVER!" His voice echoed and everything in the room flouted, including Ford. "I control space, matter, and now that that dumb baby's out of the way, time itself! But I wasn't always this way."

Everything fell to the floor. Ford landed on his front with a heavy thud.

"You think your chains are tight?" Bill continued. "Imagine living in the second dimension, flat minds in a flat world with flat dreams. I liberated my dimension, Stanford, and I'm here to liberate yours." He tugged on the fire-leash, causing the sphere to bob and sizzle. "And once I'm done here, I'll…well. I wouldn't call it liberate. More like destroy the Ghost dimension, isn't that right, Glow Bug?" Bill left a silence, as if something—or someone—was supposed to answer. "There's just one hitch. As it turns out, my weirdness can't escape the magical confines of this town. There's something keeping me in."

"Incredible!" Ford whispered, awe coloring his tone. "Gravity Falls natural law of weirdness magnetism. I studied this years ago."

"And did you find a way to undo it?"

"Of course. There's a simple equation that could collapse the barrier. But I'd never tell you!"

"Listen, Ford, if you just tell me that equation, finally your dimension will be free." Bill eye-projected him drawing a smiley face in the Midwest United States, then taking a bite out of the Earth. He flew past his friends, who were destroying other planets, then to Ford, who was standing in the center of a galaxy. The real Ford couldn't look away. "Anything will be possible. I'll remake a fun world—a better world! A party that never ends with a host that never dies! No more restrictions! No more laws! You'd be one of us. All-powerful. Greater than anything you've imagined! And all I need is your help!"

"You're insane if you think I'll help you!"

The triangle cackled, wiping away a pretend tear. "I'm insane either way, brainic! But have it your way. I'll just fish around and get that equation directly out of your mind!" With that, Bill left his physical body behind and entered the Mindscape.

"Not so fast!" Ford yelled, a smirk on his lips. "You know the rules, Bill. You may be able to haunt my dreams, but you can't enter my mind unless I shake your hand and let you in."

Bill reentered the physical realm and sighed. With another snap, Ford's legs and neck were chained and he was lifted into the air, clutching his neck. Ford glared; no matter what Bill did to him, he'd never say yes. Never.

"You're making this so much harder than it needs to be. Everyone has a weakness, tough guy! I'll make you talk! It's only a matter of time."

And then 500 volts of electricity coursed through Ford's body.

D/_\P

Oh, it looks like the screams were back…

D/_\P

Bill watched gleefully as Ford screamed. His Henchmaniacs were gathered around, laughing at the amusing sight. The Great Stanford Pines, brought so low. The only thing that would make it better was if Glow Bug was awake to party with them. Though Bill doubted she would approve of torturing Sixer… Eh, what she didn't know probably wouldn't cause the sudden implosion of multiple dimensions.

Besides, it was Ford's fault she was still asleep. If he just told him the equation, then Bill could get Danny away from the Rift and the majority of the Nightmare Energy so the bubble would pop.

He let up the electricity, much to his minions' disappointment. "Ready to talk now?"

It took Ford a few seconds to recover before he gasped, "I won't. I won't let you into my mind."

"What do you think, pals? Another 500 volts?" There was a low thudding sound, steadily growing louder. "Hey, do you hear that?"

BOOM!

A t-rex head crashed through the Fearamid's front door and roared. "What!?" Bill raged. "I just fixed that door!" The head pulled back, revealing that it was attached to a robotic arm and that was attached to…

Oh, Shooting Star and Pine Tree…they've gone too far this time.

Bill glared at the Mystery Shack robot. Question Mark was standing on a platform, holding a flag topped with…was that a human head? Were they trying to intimidate him?

Cute.

"It's the Shacktron, dude!"

"So the mortals are trying to fight back, huh?" Bill's eye narrowed. "Adorable! Henchmaniacs, you know what to do! Take them out!"

Relaxing back in his throne, Bill watched his minions grow in size and jump out of the Fearamid to face off against the "Shacktron." This was sure to be amusing—Wait. What were they—What!? How!?

Growing more and more furious as the fight continued, Bill could only stare as his Henchmaniacs—demons, for hell's sake!—were defeated by a bunch of backwater hicks! Hell, they even managed to set Teeth on fire! "Guys, seriously!? You had, like, one job to do here."

"Bravo, Dipper and Mabel!"

His eye narrowing, Bill whirled around to study Ford. "Well, would you look at that. Those kids really care about you. And you care about them…DON'T YOU?"

"What are you…" Ford realized what Bill was talking about and horror crossed his face. "Oh. Oh no."

"Perhaps torturing those kids'll make you talk."

"No. No!" Ford screamed, pulling at his chains in an attempt to get free. It was the biggest reaction Bill'd seen since he started torturing Sixer. Bingo. "Not the kids! You ca—"

Bill snapped his fingers, turning Ford back to gold midsentence. He cracked his knuckles. "Let's get this over with."

D/_\P

There was shouting now, with definite voices. They weren't in pain, or so Danny thought. It was odd. They almost sounded…

"Great Uncle Ford? What is this?"

Human.

"Dipper! Don't touch that!" Another voice—older—called out.

People. There were people out there! Danny had never been so happy before in her life. Was she out of the Nightmare Realm? Had…had Bill gotten her out? She tried to break the bubble, but the ectoplasm only gave a little bit. Damn it! "Ahh! It moved!" the first voice shouted. "There's something inside it! What is it?"

From the sound of their voices, they had to be standing very close to her. "I don't know," said the older voice. "Bill called it Glow Bug. It appears to be made of ectoplasm, but that should be impossible! Look at the way that portion is dissolving! Amazing!"

"So…ectoplasm dissolves?"

"In the presence of demonic energies, yes. And demons are burned by it. I've even heard rumors about it cancelling out their magic! If it were just ectoplasm then we could probably use it to defeat Bill, but since you saw it move…it's likely there's a ghost inside."

"A ghost? Do you think it would help us fight Bill?"

Fight Bill? They were fighting Bill?

What the hell had he done this time!?

He better not be using that Pine Tree kid as a puppet again.

The two voices faded away, leaving Danny desperate to break free. She pushed and pushed but the bubble held, emotionally exhausting her. Would she ever be free? She wanted to be free! She was so, so close…

Oh, God, the screams were starting again. But there were shouts too, and crying, and a loud, familiar laughter. Danny swallowed her dread. It was probably nothing. Bill laughed at weird things, after all. There was no evidence that he was—

"Not so fast! You two wait here! I've got some children I need to make into corpses!"

What.

Wait, WHAT!?

End of Part 2