All characters from Disney and other properties are owned by their respectful owners. The OCs made here are written entirely for the story. Enjoy the fic.
Chapter 86: Closing the Gates
Then.
Arriving at an airfield to meet with Fu Dog was the group of Willow, Jake, Randy, Nora, and the Gatesfield teens.
"Hey, welcome to Fort Grum!" Fu Dog shouted, waving at them.
"Yo, Fu, how's your trip?" Jake asked, giving Fu Dog a fist bump.
"Managed to get that genie away from Yan Yan," Fu Dog explained. "Ain't no way I'm gonna let her take my earnings… though, I did wish her away to Persia." He turned to Willow. "This must be the lost witchling I've heard about."
"Hi, nice to meet you," Willow said to him.
"So… dogs talk now?" Nora asked, turning to her son.
"At this point, mom, I'm not surprised," Gus G. admitted.
"Oh this is so Bruce!" Randy commented while hugging Fu Dog's face. "You know, I've always wanted a talking dog for a sidekick, do you know any talking dogs that could do the job for me?"
"You must be the latest Norrisville Ninja," Fu Dog commented while pulling away from Randy and looking at the others. "So um… they're coming too?"
"We want to see to it that Willow gets home," Masha replied.
"And that I want to see if I'll be able to meet my godsister," Clara admitted. "Her name is Luz Noceda, well Luz Clawthorne now."
"Clawthorne?" Fu Dog asked, pretending to be surprised.
"Eda's kid," Jake clarified.
"Oh, right," Fu Dog said as he led them to a plane. "Follow me, we'll be taking the best way to travel cheap!"
They went up to a red, private plane. They saw some tiny horned creatures fixing it up. They had red noses and some of them had green skin while others had red skin. They were also floating off the ground.
"Are those… gremlins?" Masha pointed out with worry.
"They look different than the ones I fought…" Jake noted.
"Oh don't worry about these guys," Fu Dog reassured them. "These gremlins are from England. I promised them sandwiches and custards in exchange for helping us out."
"Greetings, American Dragon," spoke one flying gremlin dressed in a pilot's outfit. He had a white mustache and he sported an English accent. "I am Gremlin Gus, leader of this tribe of Gremlins."
"Nice to meet you, Double-G," Jake replied, shaking the gremlin's hand.
"You're the third Gus I've met," Willow replied while also shaking Gremlin Gus's hand. "Just how many Guses are around here?"
"Well I do admit, it is a common name." Gremlin Gus replied. "I did know a human named Gus back in World War II…"
"Is this going to be a little confusing?" Dana asked Rudo, who just shrugged his shoulders in a 'I dunno' motion.
"Can this plane take us to Oregon?" Jake asked.
"Of course, my good sir!" Gremlin Gus confirmed. "My crew have fixed apart this extravagant plane to take you across the county! Come in, we will be ready to take off shortly!"
"Well, I'm on board," Randy said while walking up to the plane.
Soon everyone's on board the plane, as Gremlin Gus and his gremlins started it up and left the airfield. As everyone was seated, some gremlins came by to serve them drinks and snacks.
"Hey, is there an in-flight movie we can see?" Dana asked one gremlin.
"Of course, we have a lot of movies you can choose from," the gremlin responded.
"Does that include the movie Gremlin?" Rudo asked, making the gremlin mad.
"That film!?" the gremlin shrieked angrily while being restrained by his friends.
"Yeah, best not to mention that film," the other gremlin said. "It's very offensive."
"Oh, sorry," Rudo apologized.
Nora looked over the choice of drinks. "Okay, I think I'll just have sparkling water," she told the gremlin who was taking her order. She looked at the magazines in front of her and picked one up, looking at the cover of a 'Magic Wall Street' magazine. "'Persephone continues bringing in the Goddess power in the Underworld.'"
"Oh yeah, that's a good issue," Fu Dog replied. "Many magical creatures, from gods, deities, cryptids, have their own magical magazines. Hey Jake, remember your magazine cover back then?"
Jake hid his face. "Don't remind me…"
Soon hours had passed. They were watching 'Ghost Rider' as the in-flight movie.
"It will never not surprise me the amazing things that humans can do without illusions," Willow commented.
"Eh, it is not that impressive. Humans used to rely more on practical effects like make-up and dangerous stunts," Gus G. explained. "But nowadays, everything is CGI."
"I see," Willow responded while looking at Clara before she then turned back to Gus G. "So… I have noticed you and Clara don't seem to get along well…"
"Yeah, we don't," Gus replied awkwardly.
"Is it because of who her family is?" she asked.
Gus G. sighed. "Well, that is part of the reason. The thing is that she and her friends, back in Gatesfield, used to bully me. They always found ways to put me down about my aspiring music career and my love of Iron Weasel, Gorillaz, and Panic! At the Disco… I wasn't one of the popular crowd."
Willow nodded, sympathetic. "I can relate, I used to be bullied a lot as well."
"You were?" he asked in surprise. "But… you're practically the strongest person I know. I saw you go full on force of nature at Department A."
"Well, I wasn't always considered the toughest witch back at my school," Willow replied. "I used to be known as a 'half-a-witch', because back then I couldn't keep up with my classes until I was placed in the Plant Track and I showed my true potential. And the girls who once picked on me, they actually ended up becoming my friends once we really got to know each other more. In fact, one of them even became my girlfriend."
Gus G. looked at Willow. "I don't think I could ever be friends with my bullies…" he admitted.
"Well, if you want my advice, don't hold grudges," Willow suggested. "Bitterness is not healthy and in fact can start affecting the people you care about, which is something the other Gus that I know learned. Also, you might not know what kind of situation your bullies are in. One of my best friends is Amity. As kids we were friends until she ended our friendship during her birthday party and said it was because I was too weak. I used to hate her for that and how she treated me and let others treat me after that, but it turned out that it was her parents that made her end our friendship. That doesn't justify or excuse how she treated me, but she did apologize and I found that I was able to forgive that. And now she is one of my best friends again. It is not exactly the same as we were when we were kids… but I think we are in a better place."
She then continued. "And there's Boscha, she was even meaner than Amity. She was pretty much a jerk jock who liked to pick on me the most." She looked down. "When I look back at it, I do wonder how much of her behavior was because of her mother Nicole. But then, there was this… one moment where she took it too far, and it cost her everything. I think she even realized that she went too far and now she seems to be trying to do better, she even apologized to me, my girlfriend, and Amity. But the last time I heard, she fell victim to a paralysis spell." She sighed. "I don't really know where I stand with Boscha now, but I do hope she is better now or she gets better."
Gus shifted his eyes to his own hands. "Is it hard to forgive them?"
"Sometimes forgiveness comes easily, other times it can be very hard to do," Willow explained while looking at Clara with Masha. "I didn't immediately forgive Amity and I don't know if I forgive Boscha yet… though I should probably talk to her when I get back home. But I do suggest you talk things out with Clara. Be honest with her. Just… think about it."
He nodded while looking at Clara, considering what Willow had told her.
Meanwhile, Jake and Randy talked amongst themselves privately as Randy removed his mask.
"That's better, now I can breathe," Randy said as he sighed.
"You know, there's going to be a point where you have to remove that mask in front of them," Jake pointed out.
"You know how the Nomi is about that?" Jake asked while grabbing a drink. "You know, soon I'll be going into my third year as the Ninja. Not like anything has been going on since I defeated Evil Julian and the Sorcerer, which I don't mind leaving Norrisville for so long." He looked down at his drink with a thoughtful look. "Now that I think about it… no Sorcerer, means no purpose for the Ninja. With him defeated… I could be the last Ninja of Norrisville."
Jake understood what Randy was going through. "Hey, I know the feeling. Honestly, I've figured that I won't be doing the Magical Guardian job for much longer, since my sister's gonna take over soon." He sighed. "But hey, it isn't like we don't have a life outside of our roles."
"Yeah," Randy nodded. "Though maybe we should do this type of thing more often. You know, the team-up thing. Imagine you, me, and Willow fighting magical threats, evil villains, and saving the world!"
Jake thought about it. "Maybe…"
A bit later, everyone was asleep. All except for Clara who had been looking outside the window at the night sky.
"Can't sleep?" asked Masha, who Clara turned to.
"Just… have a lot on my mind," Clara responded.
"It's about… your mom, right?" Masha asked.
Clara nodded while looking down. "I miss her, I really do," she admitted while shedding some light tears. "I'm out here while she has to be worried sick. I have no idea what must be going through her head right now after it seemed like I had run away. Do you… miss your parents?"
Masha thought about it and sighed. "Yeah, I miss them as well, even if we're not on the best of terms right now."
"Same with my dad," Clara said while looking out the window. "Um… I think I should tell you something, I did take a big risk…"
"What do you mean?" Masha asked her.
"I… called my mom," Clara responded. "Before we left. I know that it's risky, but I wanted her to know that I was alright, that I was safe and with friends, that I will come home eventually and that it is not her fault that I left and that I love her." She shut her eyes. "I'm sorry… I… I don't know what was I thinking-"
"Hey, hey, it's alright," Masha assured her, placing her hand over Clara's. "I understand, you didn't want your mom to be more worried than she already is. You're just… you're just scared for her and I know you want to help your mom. And it will be okay."
Clara sniffed while looking at Masha. "Thank you, Masha," she said, as she wrapped her arms around her friend.
Masha looked surprised by this and she smiled. "Yeah, glad to be of help," she said while patting Clara's back. The two leaned against each other until they fell asleep.
And so, the group eventually landed in an Oregon airfield safe and sound. The gremlins were eating their sandwiches while waving goodbye to their passengers.
"Thanks for traveling with Gremlins Airlines!" Gremlin Gus told them as he waved.
"Thanks for the flight!" Willow told him.
"So now what? Is there a way to travel to Gravity Falls from here?" Nora asked as they saw a van driving up.
"Not to worry, one of my contacts is here," Fu Dog said as coming out the fan was a blond woman with tanned skin, a pink top, and black pants. "Hey Darlene, does this baby have enough to get to Gravity Falls?"
"Sure thing, Fu Dog," Darlene replied with a wave. "Just remember to return it when you're done… or else someone gets eaten!"
"Hehe, yeah, don't worry, we'll return it soon." Fu Dog said nervously.
"So what's her deal?" Nora asked Fu Dog.
"Darlene and I… used to date," Fu Dog mentioned.
"Hey, I'm Darlene, I work and run Mystery Mountain down at Redwood Highway," Darlene said/ "If you folks decide to visit while you're in Oregon, I could give you a group discount if you'd like."
"When did you meet her, Fu Dog?" Jake asked as they headed to the van.
"Ah you know, found her on that Cupid-Match App," Fu Dog explained. "It didn't work out, but it could have ended a lot worse…"
On their way to Gravity Falls, Jake was driving while Fu Dog sat next to him, the others sitting in the back.
"So Fu," Jake said to him. "How is it that this town of Gravity Falls has fallen under our radar? From what I've heard, isn't it supposed to be under our jurisdiction?"
"Well normally, yeah, but this town's a special case," Fu explained. "See, while Gravity Falls has a huge concentration of magic and weirdness, its weirdness is more self-contained. The magical creatures of the Falls are far different from the magical creatures we know, and they don't take kindly to outside interference. A number of creatures moved to Gravity Falls for this reason."
"No kidding?" Jake asked.
"Yeah, plus Gravity Falls doesn't really affect much on the rest of the magical community, it just does its own thing," Fu explained. "Basically, it's in its own weirdness bubble.'
"That or Los Angeles," Gus G. quipped.
"Kid, you have no idea who really runs that place…" Fu Dog replied, while the others looked befuddled.
"Do we even want to know?" Nora asked while Fu Dog shrugged.
They eventually passed by the sign for Gravity Falls, Willow and the Gatesfield teens looking out the windows as they drove through town.
"So this is where Luz's step-family lives," Willow commented as they headed down the road.
"Map says the Mystery Shack should be right… there…?" Jake hit the brake when he saw that the road was blocked off. "What the…?"
Blocking the road were men in black, Powers and Trigger's men. The special ops marched up to the van while Jake turned around to Randy.
Randy sighed, spotting the men in black coming up to the van. With no choice, he was forced to remove his mask, which made his ninja suit disappear. Instead he was wearing McFist brand clothing with a red McTop t-shirt, a dark teal McHoodie with wavy sleeves and pockets, black McSkinnies and purple zip-up converse style McKicks shoes.
"Wait, you're a teenager?" Dana asked him.
"Hehe, yeah…" Randy nodded awkwardly.
Once the guard came to Jake's window, Jake rolled it down and spoke up. "Yo, what's going on? Me and my friends were just heading to check out the Mystery Shack."
"Sorry, but you must turn back," the guard told him, "The Mystery Shack's closed."
"Closed? For what?" Jake asked him.
"That's classified," he said. "Now move along, please. No civilians are allowed in this area right now and… why is your dog the one upfront?"
"Um… the front seat's his special seat. Right, Fu?" Jake nudged Fu.
Fu Dog had to adjust himself. "Um… bow-wow, roof! And uh...arf?" he said, hoping the guards would fall for the act.
The guard looked at Fu Dog intensively, making the shi zhu animal guardian nervous. "This dog… what kind of breed is he? Cause I've been thinking of getting one like that for my dad!" He looked down. "He never calls," he said sadly, making everyone feel awkward.
Once Jake drove the van to a safe distance away from where the government guys were, Willow got out along with Jake, Randy, and Fu.
"We have to get to that Shack and find out what happened to my friends," Willow said.
"Is there anything we could help?" Nora asked while she and the Gatesfield teens got out.
"Yeah, stay with the kids," Jake told her. "We can't put you guys in danger, since those guys have guns."
"Yeah, leave it to the professionals," Randy said while putting on his mask, changing into the Ninja.
"We're sorry, but you guys just have to wait in town," Willow told them.
"We understand," Masha said. "You guys have superpowers, we're normal civilians. But we will keep an eye out around here for you."
"Yeah, good call," Clara nodded.
"Just be careful and stay safe," Gus G said while nodding to Willow, who nodded back.
Nora moved to sit in the van's driver seat and they began to drive back to town, leaving Jake, Randy, Willow and Fu Dog.
Once they found a place to park, Nora and the teens got out to take a look around town.
"Alright, so now what?" Rudo asked.
"I think we should just tour around town, do some recon, and grab a bite to eat," Masha suggested.
"Well, I did see a diner earlier," Nora said as she looked around while suddenly floating up.
"Mom! You're floating!" Gus G pointed out as Nora realized this as well.
"What!?" Nora said as she saw the teens floating as well. "Oh god… we're all floating!"
But it wasn't just them that were floating. It appeared that the van and everyone and everything else on the street was floating up as well. A strange gravitational anomaly was happening.
"What is going on here?!" Gus asked in shock.
"I didn't think the name of the town would be literal!" Dana exclaimed while Rudo just swung himself around.
Clara went to hug Masha for safety before they're forced back down. "WAAAH!" they cried out as they landed on the ground.
"Is everyone alright?" Nora turned to the teens. "Gus, are you okay?!"
"I'm fine," Gus said as he got back up.
"We're fine, Mrs. Gordon," Masha assured, while Clara had landed on top of her. "Uh, Clara… you can let go now."
Clara realized how long she had been hanging onto Masha and she immediately got up with a blush. "Uh, yeah, we're fine."
"Did the world just get a hiccup or something?" Rudo asked as he brought himself up.
Gus looked around and saw the townsies were just as surprised and confused as them. "I don't think this is normal to them."
Meanwhile, Jake, Randy, and Willow had managed to take out the guards around the Shack when they also experienced the gravitational anomaly.
"Did we just float up?" Randy asked.
"Fu Dog wasn't kidding about this place," Jake said as they landed on the ground while the guards were tied up in vines.
"But at least we've taken out the guards," Willow said while looking around the area.
"Great Houdini's ghost!" Fazio spoke up as he saw the trio. "A dragon, a ninja and… a witch?!"
"Aw man, we've been seen," Jake said with a grimace while Fu Dog brought over another knocked out guard.
"Aw geez, we're getting a little rusty on the whole keeping it a secret thing, huh?" Fu Dog asked, which surprised Fazio. "Uh I mean, woof."
"Wait," Willow said while looking at Fazio. "How do you know that I'm a witch?"
"Oh actually, I know a witch named Gus, he and his friends were staying here at the Shack before these men in black showed up," Fazio explained. "The name's Fazio, part-time magician! I came here to see the magic around this town."
"Wait," Willow tried to clarify. "Do you mean… Gus Porter?"
"Of course! He's been the greatest assistant I could ask for!" he declared. "Oh, you must be the other friend he was worried about. Willow, right?"
"That means they were here!" Willow said while turning to Jake. "They must've been here, but those government guys must've done something to them."
"Let me handle this," Randy said while grabbing one guard, waking him up. "Hey, Mr. Guard Guy, we have some questions."
"You handle those guards, me, Willow and Fu will look inside," Jake said while the three entered the Shack.
Once they were inside, they saw that it was ransacked. Stuff from the gift shop was toppled over as they went into the other rooms.
"What happened here?" Willow asked while looking around.
"Looks like a raid," Fu suggested. "They were probably looking for something in here."
Jake paused. "I hear something," he said while looking around, slowly heading for the kitchen. He then heard another noise and he turned around to see Ghost under the table. He sighed. "Don't worry, it's just a cat."
"Wait!" spoke up Acorn, who flew up to Jake. "You're the American Dragon, right?"
"Yeah, I am," he replied, understanding her. To Willow and Fu Dog, they could only hear Acorn speaking in bells while Jake nodded along. "Okay, they're what?" he exclaimed.
"He can talk to pixies?" Willow asked Fu.
"Of course, dragons are a few magical creatures that can naturally speak pixie," Fu explained.
"Got it," Jake said when Acorn finished explaining. He turned to Willow. "Willow, your friends were here, since they were staying with the Pines family. But they were all taken by these people in white who drove vehicles with an A symbol with a halo over it."
Willow gasped. "Department A… they're the one who imprisoned me and now they've taken my friends!"
"That does not sound good at all," Fu Dog responded.
"What did you guys find?" Randy asked when he saw them coming out.
"My friends were here, but were captured by Department A!" Willow told him.
"Department A? That's what these government guys mentioned," Randy explained. "They said that their superiors, Agents Powers and Trigger, went with them. But even they don't know where they went."
"That lines up with what Acorn told us," Jake said. "But why were those guys here in the Shack?"
"I've managed to get one of them to spill, they said that the gravity anomaly we felt may have been caused by some kind of machine built underneath the Shack," Randy explained, which shocked them. "That's the reason why these government guys were here, to stop some kind of doomsday device!"
"What is going on with this town…?" Fu questioned.
"We can worry about what's under the Shack later," Jake decided. "Right now, Willow's friends are our top priority. We need to find and save them."
"But how? Where are we going to find them?" Willow asked before they heard a honk. They turned and saw Blubs and Durland coming out of their car.
"Hey, we've been wondering if the Pines are here with Vee's friends!" Blubs called forth.
"Who are you guys?" Durland asked.
"The people here were taken by a group called Department A," Willow explained, which surprised the cops.
"They got them too? Well, luckily we know where they have been taken," Blubs responded, giving the trio a lead. He then paused. "Wait… what exactly are you people? Are you Live Action Roleplayers or something?"
"Not exactly…" Jake said.
After explaining themselves to Blubs and Durland, the trio of Jake, Randy, and Willow began to make their way toward Purgatory with Fazio and the two cops while Fu Dog decided to stay behind to look around the Shack for that possible doomsday device.
"Now where would I keep a doomsday device that's been causing the gravity anomalies?" Fu asked while looking around until he heard someone breaking in. "Oh geez."
"Man, did you see those knocked out government guys?" Wendy mentioned as she came in, followed by Soos.
"Looks like someone beat us here," Soos said as they walked around the Shack. "But we still gotta protect that vending machine, Wendy. Stan told me to defend the vending machine with my life if anything was to happen to him!"
"That… sounds weird," Wendy pointed out before she noticed Fu Dog over there.
"Uh… bow-wow?" Fu spoke, pretending to be a dog again.
"What was that?" Soos asked Wendy.
"I think whoever broke in first left their dog here," Wendy replied. "I don't see Waddles around, but this boy looks to be as big as him." She patted Fu's head. "And he's squishy too! Who's a good, squishy boy?" she asked while rubbing Fu's face.
'Ah… I had to deal with this?!' Fu thought while Wendy kept pressing his face. 'Wait, that gerbil guy mentioned something about guarding a vending machine… hmm.'
Now.
In the back of Fazio's truck, Eda continued to break down while Luz, Lilith and King comforted her. Amity was reunited with Ghost and Acorn, watching Eda in concern while sitting with Eve and Willow, a tied up and knocked out Jenny laying nearby. Jake and Randy sat on the other side of the truck with Dipper, Mabel, Stan and Camila, while McGucket was in the middle.
"There Eda, we're here for you," Lilith reassured her, hugging her sister while Luz patted her hand.
"I-I just…" Eda sniffed, "I just can't believe that she's…" Eda couldn't muster many words.
"I know, mom," Luz replied. "I know."
Camila looked at Eda in concern while turning to Amity. "Amity, what happened?"
Amity looked at Eda before she responded. "When that Director Gates woman showed up at our cells, Eda recognized her," she said with a concerned look. "She called her… Angel."
Camila gasped as she realized that the Director, who stabbed her and exposed Stan's true identity, was the same girl that Abigail claimed was killed by a witch. "What…? She's the Angel girl that…?"
"The same Angel that was Eda's friend," Luz said, nodding in confirmation. "Now she's apparently the leader of some anti-magic organization."
"My god…" Camila looked down in shock, trying to comprehend all of this.
"That's not all we've learned," Dipper spoke up as he turned to Luz. "Apparently, Grunkle Stan isn't really Stanford Pines."
"Dipper…" Mabel patted his shoulder.
"Wait, his name isn't… Stanford?" Luz asked.
Eda sniffed. "Looks like the jig is up, Stanley," she told him.
"I should've told them sooner…" Stan said in guilt.
"Wait, you knew?" Luz asked her mom.
"Yeah, I knew and I agreed to keep it secret until he was ready to come clean about it himself," Eda told Luz. She sighed, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Looks like lady luck's not on our side to this one."
"Um, hey, Eda, right?" Jake said as he changed to his basic form. "Jake Long, American Dragon. I've heard a great deal about you."
Eda looked at Jake, her eyes widening. "Wait… you're Susan's kid?"
Jake nodded. "Yeah, nice to meet you."
"I can't believe it, you're all grown up! I think you've met King before, but you two were babies back then." She pointed to King, then to Luz. "This is Luz, my foster daughter."
"Luz… yeah, I've heard about you from Willow," Jake pointed out as he extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, cuz."
"Yeah, mom has mentioned your folks," Luz replied as she shook his hand. "I've also heard you got a big rep in the magic community around her."
"Hey, I vividly remember wrestling you in a crib," King recalled.
"I did hear that you three visited Sleepy Hollow last year," Jake mentioned. "But as much as I wish to make this a meet and greet, there's something I need to know from Mr. Pines." He, along with Randy and Willow, turned to Stan.
"What?" Stan asked.
"Oh you know what's what!" Randy pointed to Stan. "For one, what's with the doomsday device you have hiding in your Shack!?"
"Yeah, what in the Hex were you using that's causing those gravity anomalies?!" Willow questioned.
"Doomsday device?!" Luz asked while turning to Stan. "Stan, what the fuck were you doing?!"
"It's not a doomsday device!" Stan assured them.
"He's telling the truth," Eda said. "What's underneath the basement of the Shack is an interdimensional portal. Stan asked me if there was anything I could do to get it working, but I couldn't since it's far different from the portal door we have."
"Um, speaking of portals," Eve pointed out. "Now that we're all out of that mountain base, should we be going back to the Isles now? Since we got a way back there."
"Yeah, we should," Eda responded. "But first, we need to make sure that Stan's portal is shut down first." She turned to Stan. "Please, Stan, you heard Willow. That thing is causing gravity anomalies. Who knows what else it could do. Maybe with Jake's help, we could find your brother without putting the town and everyone in it at risk."
"I… but-"
"Please, Stan," Dipper said to his grunkle. "Think about the safety of this family."
Stan looked at his nephew, and then his niece, then at everyone else who looked at him questionably. With some reluctance, he sighed. "Alright… I'm gonna shut the portal down."
Fazio's truck and the police car stopped nearby the Shack, where they saw more of the special ops working for Powers and Trigger standing guard.
"Think they'll move?" Luz asked while they stepped out of the truck.
"Don't move!" one special ops guard declared.
"Nope," Dipper responded.
"Fine by us," Star said as her hand glowed.
"It's showtime!" Randy declared while drawing his sword.
Gus turned to Fazio, Vee, Blubs, and Durland. "You guys should head back to town for your own safety."
"But what about you guys?" Fazio asked.
"Don't worry, we're made of magic," Gus responded while he walked over to join the others.
"Just be careful!" Vee shouted as she followed Blubs and Durland back to the car while Fazio went back to his truck and started to leave.
"Freeze!" one guard shouted, only to be flooded along with his men by abomination goo coming from Amity. She controlled it to bring a group of the men down. Willow used her large vines to strike the guards away from the Shack. Some of the men used their guns to fight back, but Jake flew down to use his wings to deflect the bullets as he breathed fire at them, melting their guns.
One guard tried to grab onto Luz as she flew over in her cambion form, but she just kicked him down. She flashed light spells at some other guards while Lilith flew up in the air with King in her hands so he used his sonic-screech to move the guards aside. "We have to get in the Shack!" Lilith shouted.
"Me, Luz, Cami, the Pines, and McGucket will stop the portal," Eda told her sister, "You and the others stay here to deal with these guys!"
"Awesome plan!" Randy declared while slicing the guns and kicking the guards. He grabbed some dirt and used his Ninja abilities to create Sand Ninjas. "Earth Attack! Take them out, my Sandjas!" he ordered.
One guard aimed his gun, but he was then knocked out by a large tree branch floating around. It turned out to be an invisible Gus as he used his illusions to create monsters, frightening the guards.
"What is this?!" one guard shouted.
"I don't know-"
The two guards were interrupted by Jake's tail, who swatted them away from the spot.
Eve summoned her repaired crystal ball as she charged electricity at the guards, shooting lightning bolts at them. Star kept blasting them around while Randy swung his sword at their guns while using his scarf to swing them around.
Amity had Sam clear a path for Eda's team to the Shack. "Go! We got this!" Amity declared.
Eda and her group charged into the Shack. Once they were inside, they saw Wendy, Soos, and Fu Dog get out from their hiding place.
"Wendy? Soos?" Dipper asked in surprise.
"Guys, you're alright!" Wendy shouted as she ran up to them along with Soos.
"Stan, you're hurt!" Soos realized, pointing to his shoulder.
"Eh, I've been through worse," Stan waved it off.
"Oy, Eda, is that you?" Fu asked as he stood up and talked, surprising Soos, Wendy, and Camila.
"Gah! The dog talked?!" Wendy exclaimed.
"Just like in my dreams!" Soos shouted.
Eda looked down at the dog, her remaining eye widened. "No way… Fu?!"
"Yeah, that's right," Fu said. "You haven't called in twenty years, Susan and John were wonderin' how you've been!"
"Okay, now I've met a talking dog…" Camila said, trying to get over her shock.
"Okay, as much as we're up and atoms about reunions, can we please stop the portal from breaking itself?!" Luz suggested.
"Right," Stan said. "Soos, did you guard that vending machine like I asked?"
"Of course, Mr. Pines," Soos nodded.
"Good, cause I need to see it," Stan told him while leading the others to the vending machine. He began to tap a code in while McGucket was looking very nervous, which Mabel picked up on.
"McGucket, are you alright?" Mabel asked him.
"I-I feel nervous around here…" McGucket said as he shivered.
Once Stan finished putting the code into the vending machine, it moved aside to reveal a secret path. "Follow me to where this all started. Soos, you stay here and do not let anyone get through."
"You got it, Mr. Pines! I'll guard it with my life!" Soos declared.
Meanwhile, the others continued facing the men in black. Helicopters were now appearing as they were starting to shoot at them. Jake flew up along with Amity, who used her abomi-goo to cover the windshields and force the pilots to land while Jake grabbed their tails and forced them down.
"What kind of griffins are these?" Amity asked Jake.
Willow's large vines struck several vehicles as she summoned carnivorous plants to fight off the guards. Randy blocked bullets with his sword as he cut their guns while kicking the guards far from the others.
Amity teleported in front of a guard, shooting abomo-webs to trap him in a tree. She did the same to the other guards any time she teleported around the battlefield. Ghost jumped over to Amity and transformed into her staff, which she used to bring out abomi-hands, intercepting the guards and stopping them from attacking.
Star covered for Eve and Gus while she kept blasting the guards away. Jake used his flames on their guns, which exploded in their hands. And Acorn sprinkled some pixie dust on some guards, causing them to float up.
"There's just too many of them!" King said while backing away.
"We can't give up now, we have to take them down!" Lilith declared while punching another guard.
Meanwhile, the other group descended into the basement, Dipper and Mabel helping to catch Wendy up to speed on what was happening.
"Wait, wait, hold up," Wendy said while trying to figure everything out. "Are you saying Stanford's really Stanley? And his brother's trapped in some kind of another dimension?"
"Yeah, that's the gist of it," Dipper responded, while looking up to Stan. "He had everyone fooled for years. Even his own family."
Stan turned to Dipper and sighed. "Look, Mason, the reason why I didn't tell you was because I couldn't risk you getting involved. This stuff is dangerous and it cost me my brother thirty years ago. I couldn't afford to lose you like I lost him, so I wanted you to have nothing to do with the machine that he built. And the less people who knew, the better." He turned to Eda. "Eda was the only person I ever told."
"But why didn't you tell me about this, mom?" Luz asked Eda. "During our time when we couldn't find the portal, we didn't even know when we would see them again. So… why not tell me then?"
Eda sighed. "Because it was not my secret to tell. I don't always keep secrets for my exes, but Stan was an exception."
It was then they reached the control room. The twins spotted the two other journals on the control panel and everyone saw the large activated portal from the window in the control room.
"Is that… the portal?" Camila asked.
"Looks like it," Fu Dog replied. "Come on, let's find out how to shut this thing down."
Mabel held up her journal, flipping it to a certain page and adding it to the others. "Dipper, lead light."
Dipper held up the lead light, revealing the secret message on the pages of the books. Mabel read it. "'I was wrong the whole time. The machine was meant to create knowledge but it is too powerful! I was deceived, and now it is too late. The device, if fully operational, could tear our universe apart! It must not fall into the wrong hands. If the clock reaches zero, our universe is doomed!'"
Everyone gasped as they looked at the countdown, showing it had five minutes. They then turned to Stan who looked nervous. "Okay, so the portal may also be a doomsday device…"
"Why would you activate something so dangerous?!" Camila called him out. "Especially when you have children living here!"
"Titan's crack, Stan, is your gambling problem so bad that you have to gamble with the safety of the world to look for your brother?!" Eda pointed out. "You're worse than Lily!"
"I'm very stressed enough as it is…!" Wendy said, rustling her hair.
"N-No!" McGucket cried out as he started to break down. "T-The nightmares! D-Don't go in the portal!"
"We have to shut it down now!" Luz shouted. "What else does the journal say?"
Dipper looked through the journals. "According to this page, three keys are needed to activate the shutdown button."
Luz looked at the portal and saw it was getting stronger as the ground started to shake. "Quickly, let's shut it down!"
Luz, Fu Dog, and Eda ran to the portal room and found the manual overdrive panel with three keys. They each turned the three keys and close to the portal a red button came out.
In the control room, Stan noticed something on a monitor. He saw a flashing light, which made him realize something.
Mabel looked up to Stan. "Stan… what is it?"
"The portal," Stan mentioned. "It has a lock to where Ford is…" He looked at the portal. "Since Ford's already gone through there, it left a signature. When I reactivated it, I was looking for that signature and now the portal has a lock onto it! That means I can pull him through!"
"Wait, Stan," Wendy tried to stop him. "I don't think-"
"I changed my mind!" Stan cried out as he rushed into the portal room.
Eda went up to slam the red button, but was knocked away by Stan. She fell, Luz and Fu looking at him.
"What the hell, Stanley?!" Eda shouted.
"Stan, you said we could shut it down!" Luz told him.
"I changed my mind!" Stan shouted while guarding the button. "My brother's about to come out!"
Outside everyone felt the ground shake. Jake looked up at the red sky as static crackled everywhere. "That doesn't look good!"
"What's keeping them so long?!" Star said while blasting another guard. Unknown to everyone, someone had slipped into the Shack.
Soos felt the ground shake as he guarded the vending machine. "What's going on?" he asked before he felt a chop to the back of his neck. "Oh, that stings…" he said before falling down, while the one who knocked him out entered the secret passageway, which was still exposed.
Driving down the road in an armored car at top speed, Powers and Trigger made it to the Shack. They saw their men fighting the magical denizens defending the Shack. They stopped the car and got out as Powers pulled out a megaphone. "Ceasefire!"
The guards stopped along with Willow and friends. They all turned to Powers and Trigger.
"A ceasefire?" Lilith asked in confusion while Powers and Trigger walked up to them.
"Aren't you guys working with that crazy Gates woman?" Amity asked.
"Calm down, we don't mean any harm," Powers explained. "This has all been a misunderstanding."
"When we learned about Director Gates's objective and what she plans to do with you all, we knew we had to do something about her and her organization," Trigger said as Tinker Bell showed up, standing on his shoulder.
Back at the basement, everyone was arguing with Stan. They all came out of the control room to get Stan away from the switch.
"Stan, you have to let us shut down this portal!" Luz shouted at him.
"No! My brother's in there! I can't lose him again, not when I am so close!" Stan cried out as Fu Dog bit him in the pant leg, trying to pull him. "Get off of me!"
"Not until you let go!" Fu Dog shouted only for Stan to kick him away.
"I can't let him go!" Stan cried out while in tears.
"Grunkle Stan," Dipper begged. "You have to shut down the portal! Your brother wouldn't want it to activate it!"
"He's right," Mabel responded. "You can't risk the whole world like this!"
"But he's so close!" Stan said while he continued guarding the switch.
Wendy heard footsteps and she turned around to see someone else coming in. "Guys…"
"Stan, please, don't do this." Eda tried to reach out to Stan.
"Not… another… step." said a voice.
The sound of a gun click was heard from behind her. All turned to see someone behind Eda, aiming a gun at her from the shadows.
"Who let someone in?!" Luz shouted.
"Don't tell me it's that crazy Angel woman again!" Mabel exclaimed.
But it wasn't Angel who stepped out of the shadows holding a gun… it was Abigail Gates.
1982
It was not long after Angel's death. Abigail Gates was on her bed, tears flooding from her eyes as she cried.
"Angelica…" Abigail cried as she sniffed, wiping her tears. "I'm so sorry…"
The door to her room opened as her brother came in. "Hey sis," Joseph spoke to her. "Mom and dad wanted me to get you. There's someone who wishes to see you."
It took a while, but Abigail eventually managed to get out of bed to meet some people her parents wanted her to see.
"Abigail, in light of recent events, we'd like to send you to a… special school," her mom told her.
"These men are from the Huntsclan, one of our business partners," Isaac explained while referring to the men in suits. "And they would be interested in recruiting you to their organization."
"Greetings, Abigail Gates," said one member who extended his hand. "We would love to have you in our ranks…"
Several years later, Abigail was tasked with her final test to prove herself as a true member of the Huntsclan… hunting down and killing a unicorn.
She had it in the bag. She managed to capture it, tie it up. and lay it on the ground. The creature was groaning for mercy while Abigail was in her Huntsgirl uniform, a knife in her hand. She looked down at the unicorn, who looked at her with its pleading eyes. Abigail's hands shook, but she shook her head as she raised the knife over the unicorn. Ready to take it out…
But… she didn't.
She fell on her knees, dropping her knife on the ground. The unicorn looked at her as Abigail removed her mask, tears falling from her eyes. She started to break down, she knew she couldn't do it. She couldn't face Eda, she couldn't kill the unicorn… she couldn't take another life.
"I… just… can't!" Abigail cried.
In an act of compassion, the unicorn lifted its head and rested it on Abigail's lap. This surprised Abigail, who stopped crying. Hesitantly, she started to pet the unicorn as it comforted her.
The Huntsclan leaders stood over at Abigail, throwing a bag of her things in front of her. She had flunked out of the Huntsclan
"You couldn't even kill one magical creature!" the leader told her off, "You are out of the Huntsclan!"
And so, Abigail returned to her home in Gatesfield. She was confronted by her parents, who had learned about her failure in the Huntsclan.
"We are disappointed in you, young lady," said her father. "Your mother and I had expected you to have what it takes after you swore revenge on the witch that killed Angel."
Abigail looked down. "I'm sorry…"
"We had such high hopes for you," her mother said in a disappointed tone. "But in the end, you were weak."
This stung coming from her parents. "I'm going to my room," she said as she walked past them and found her brother talking to someone.
"Oh, hello, sis," Joseph said while he and the girl he was talking with turned to her. "We heard you flunked out."
When Abigail recognized the girl, her eyes widened. "No…" she said, backing away. "Nonononono, you can't be here!"
"What's wrong, Gail?" asked the revived Angel who stood in front of her. "Are you okay?"
Abigail screamed.
In the present year, Abigail was brought to Purgatory after she attempted to reach out to her sister-in-law. Now she had been brought before Director Angel Sinclair-Gates.
"Angelica!" Abigail said while in her office. "We have a situation."
Angel sighed. "I am a very busy woman, Gail. So don't waste my time. What is it?"
"I know you must have heard about the incident in Gatesfield, Angelica. And you have to know that my daughter and your niece, Clara, was one of the kids involved!" she shouted.
"I read the report," Angel confirmed. "Your daughter ran away with a witch."
"Well, I'm worried for my daughter's safety," Abigail explained, remembering a similar incident from the past. "I'm worried that Clara and the kids she is with could get caught in the crossfire if your Archangels engage with the witch she left with. You have to call off whatever plans you have of hunting this witch!"
"Call off?" Angel questioned in a dismissive tone. "Clara is probably going to get hurt anyway regardless of what my people do. It's what happens when you hang around a witch, you put yourself in danger. If something happens to her, it ain't my fault."
"But… she's your niece!" Abigail pointed out.
"And you should have raised her better," Angel countered. "Of course, she does take it too much from her mother." She glanced at Abigail, who looked mad at her. "In any case, that little witch isn't my biggest concern right now anyway."
"What do you mean?" Abigail asked while Angel left her office. "Angelica!" she called out while Angel walked away.
During the chaos of the prison break of Purgatory, Angel found herself caught in the middle of it. She hid while some guards rushed past her.
"What's the status?" one asked.
"We got a dragon, a ninja, and escaped witches causing havoc and freeing the other prisoners!" another responded. "And I just got word about a doomsday device under the Mystery Shack that is apparently causing some gravity anomalies over there."
"Doomsday device?" Abigail whispered. She continued to hide as several escaped magical creatures came in her direction.
She saw one guard being squeezed to death by a Naga, who slithered away. She spotted his gun and went to grab it. She then saw a giraffe coming up to her, splitting its snout as it revealed its monstrous insides. She screamed as she raised the gun up, shooting into her air. "Back off! Back off!" she shouted which caused some of the magical creatures to be scared off.
She ran around looking for an exit. A goblin latched onto her but she punched it away. She also jumped to the side when an orange haired witch in black clothing flew by with her broom.
"Outta my way! The girls in my book club are missing me!" Witch Hazel declared.
Abigail shrugged and went to a vehicle garage where she found a car she could take. She went inside and started the car. She headed for the exit, just as many other magical creatures were. Bouncing off the windshield was a hobgoblin while flying past her were gargoyles, large hornets, and the giraffe. She even saw one guard running past her.
"Out of the way! The Butts are coming!" he shouted as he ran.
Abigail looked into her rear view mirror and to her shock she saw large creatures that resembled butts with legs, with teeth coming out where the crack was. She quickly drove away while the Butts focused on the lone guard that they managed to catch and eat.
Outside she spotted a truck and a police car, with the witches, the dragon, and the ninja loading into the back of the truck. She recognized one of the witches as Eda and her eyes narrowed, but then they widened when she spotted Willow and recognized her as the witch girl that her daughter had been seen with, which meant that she would know where Clara was.
Once they drove away, Abigail started to follow them at a distance back to Gravity Falls...
Now.
"Abigail Gates…" Eda spoke while everyone backed away as Abigail held up her gun.
"Eda," Abigail snarled at her.
"Hey, if you think you could-" Luz tried to step in but Abigail hollered.
"Back off!" she shouted while turning to Stan. "Stay away from the button!" she ordered while Stan backed away with his hands up.
Her gun was still trained to Eda as she moved toward the button. "I'm shutting down this doomsday device, and none of you will interfere!"
All backed away, while looking at the countdown. They didn't have much time left…
"Abigail," spoke Camila, causing Abigail to turn to her. Her eyes widened.
"What… what… Camila?" Abigail gasped as she backed away. "No… no, you're… you're not real!"
"Abigail, it is me!" Camila said as she started to walk toward her. "Just… put the gun down."
Abigail hesitantly did, while her eyes couldn't keep off of Camila. "Oh my god… but… how?"
"I was… revived, though it's hard to explain right now," Camila told her while walking up to her. Eda and Luz looked worried but Camila assured them with a glance. "I know that it's been years, but… I'm here."
"Where… where have you been?" Abigail asked.
"I was in the afterlife, but recently I have been living in the Demon Realm," Camila said while turning to Luz. "Have you met Luz, your goddaughter?"
Abigail turned to where Camila was pointing to. She saw Luz who looked nervous. "Oh my god…" she covered her mouth, realizing who she was. Tears fell from her eyes. "Luz… is that you?"
Luz looked at her mom, then at Abigail. "H-Hey…" she nervously waved to her.
Beep-beep, beep-beep!
"Oh no…" Stan realized as everyone started to float up. "Brace yourselves!"
They were hit by the biggest gravitational anomaly yet as everyone started floating up high. Static was thrown around, while the portal kept opening up.
"We're fucked!" Luz cried out as she went to grab Mabel and then Wendy. "Hang on!"
Eda flew up as well, grabbing Fu Dog, and Stan. Camila ends up embracing Abigail while they floated up in the air. McGucket floated to the ceiling, while Dipper ended up getting his foot caught in a rope that was near the button.
The Mystery Shack's roof was taken apart as the anomaly made everyone float up.
"It's the end of the world!" Eve panicked while she floated up, Randy catching her with his scarf.
"I got you!" Randy told only for him to float up as well. Jake managed to grab them both.
Amity flew up on her staff as she and Sam grabbed Gus, Willow, and Star. Powers, Trigger and their men start floating up along with their vehicles. Acorn and Tink were sent up even if they tried to fly down. Lilith held onto King protectively as they ended up floating.
"What's happening?!" Willow exclaimed.
"Did they shut down the portal?!" Gus asked.
"Obviously not!" Powers cried out as Gompers was seen floating up.
"Baah!" Gompers said as he floated up as well.
The whole town was being affected by the anomaly. The townies, their buildings. Cars, trees, signs, and even the concrete of the street rose off the ground.
"AAAH!" Fazio screamed while in his truck as it floated. "Mother was right, I should've gone to the car salesman academy!"
"AAAH!" Vee, Blubs and Durland hugged each other as they floated. The two cops held Vee protectively while preparing for the worst. "I… I love you, dads," Vee said while in tears.
"We love you too, Vee!" Durland teared up as well.
"I love you guys so much!" Blubs cried as the three kept embracing each other. "You're the best family I could ask for!"
Meanwhile, Nora and the Gatesfield teens floated up as well.
"AAH!" Nora cried as she floated up.
"Mom!" Gus G. floated up, grabbing his mom by her hand. "I got you!" he said as Nora hung on to her son, not letting him go.
"Oh dear god, please have mercy…" Nora prayed while holding on to her son. "Please keep my baby boy safe…" she said while tears leaked from her eyes.
Dana screamed while Rudo just looked dazed.
"Hey look, I'm flying," Rudo said as he floated up.
"Rudo, this is the end of the world!" Dana exclaimed.
"Oh…" Rudo realized before he started screaming.
Clara screamed as she floated up, but Masha floated towards her and reached out to her.
"Hang on!" Masha raised her hand up while Clara reached for hers. They succeeded, the two holding hands as they floated up.
Back in the basement, Dipper crawled down the rope, managing to reach the shutdown button.
"Dipper's near the button!" Wendy pointed out.
"Dipper, you have to press it!" Luz told him.
"Do it, Dipper!" Mabel cried out.
Dipper looked at the button and was about to press it.
"Mason, wait!" Stan shouted, causing Dipper to pause and look up at Stan.
"Don't listen to him, just stop it!" Eda shouted.
"Come on, kid, save the world!" Fu cried out.
"Just put a stop to this, please!" Abigail cried while hanging onto Camila.
"Please, Dipper, think about your family and friends!" Camila told him.
Dipper looked at the button again, then back up at Stan, who took a hard look at his nephew's tearful face… and sighed.
"Look… this is all my fault… I know I screwed up, I know I was never the best guardian even though I tried my best!" His voice started to break as tears flooded from his eyes. "I also know that I was not the best brother either and… I won't ask you not to press the button." He looked down in shame. "I know how this looks and you owe me nothing after all the lies I've told you, which gives you no reason to trust me ever again. So… if you choose to press that button, just know that I won't hold it against you. It's okay. Do what you think is best, kid, because I know I don't deserve you… and I'm sorry, for everything."
Dipper looked back at the button, trying to make a decision. He glanced back up at Stan, then at Mabel. He thought about how he didn't know he had a twin sister for twelve years and that he couldn't possibly imagine what it was like for Stan, who lost his twin thirty years ago and had spent every day since then trying to get him back. He was about to press the button while the countdown reached close to zero… but he didn't, much to Stan's and everyone's shock.
"You… didn't press it?" Stan asked.
Dipper looked up to Stan. "I… I couldn't," he said as the countdown reached zero.
A bright flash dispersed from the portal, causing everyone to scream as they were engulfed by the flash. Luz saw the flash engulfing her and a split second she glimpsed dozens of versions of herself as the flash spread to the rest of the town.
Everyone was floating in the light, passed out.
Heavenly floating…
And soon, the Shack fell to the ground, along with everyone and everything as the gravitational anomaly ended.
Once the light died down, everyone fell to the floor. Luz heard a ringing noise as she picked herself up. She coughed while looking around and spotting Mabel and Wendy also getting up. Followed by Stan, Eda, Fu, Camila, Abigail. and McGucket, who were also all on the floor.
"We aren't dead," she realized. "And the world isn't destroyed…"
She looked to see Dipper rubbing his head while behind him was the destroyed triangular portal as it still glowed. She saw someone's silhouette stepping out of the portal. He was wearing a cape and he had a futuristic-looking gun on his back.
The silhouetted figure walked toward them, stopping at the third journal where it had fallen. He pressed his six-fingered hand on the six-fingered hand on the cover before picking up the journal and placing it in his coat.
Luz immediately went to help Dipper up while Mabel and Wendy walked over.
"Who… who is that?" Mabel asked while Stan got up.
"The author of the journals…" Stan said as the cloaked figure removed his mask and scarf, showing his spiky gray hair, his elderly face that resembles Stan's, glasses included, and a stubbled face. "My brother."
"Stanford…" Dipper said in shock.
"I can't believe it," Stanley said as he walked up to his twin brother. "After all these years… you're finally here!" He raised his arms up happily. "Brother!"
PUNCH!
"Ow!" Stanley had been punched in the face by Stanford. "What the hell was that for!?"
"This is an insanely risky move!" Ford responded. "Restarting the portal! Didn't you read my warnings?!"
"Warnings, schmarnings," Stan dismissed. "How's about maybe a thanks for saving your ass from what appears to be, I don't know, some kind of sci-fi sideburn dimension?"
"Thank you?" Ford asked in disbelief. "You really think I'm gonna 'thank you' after what you did thirty years ago?!"
"What I did? Why, you ungrateful…?!" Stan went to hit his twin brother in anger, but Ford dodged his punches. "Don't expect me to go easier on you-" He tried to punch him again, but Ford grabbed his arm and pinned him down. "-Just because… you're family!"
"Alright, enough!" Camila grabbed her own shoe, hitting Ford and Stan on the backs of their heads.
"OW!" Stan and Ford cried out while turning to an angry Camila.
"Now I don't know what you two's problem with each other is, but that is no way to act in front of children!" Camila scolded them, her accent rising. "We just nearly experienced the end of the world and the first thing you two do is fight like boys?! Act your age, you gringos!" she barked at them in anger, intimidating the two men.
"Sorry, Mrs. Noceda," Stan apologized.
"Stanley, who's this… and who are these people?" Ford asked while looking around. Dipper, Mabel and Luz were in front of them.
"Hi, I'm Mabel," Mabel greeted. "First question… what the heck's going on here?!"
"Yeah, you're Ford, right?" Luz pointed out. "Like, the real Ford? You look more well-shaped than Stan."
"Hey!" Stan said while Ford looked confused.
"So you're the author of the journals," Dipper noted while Eda walked up.
Eda got a good look at Ford. "Stan, do you still have those divorce papers? This guy looks too stiff for me."
"Once again Stanley, who are these people?" Ford questioned while spotting McGucket. "And why is there a hillbilly also here?"
"Yehehe! We've survived!" McGucket cheered.
Stan sighed. "Alright, firstly the twins here, Mason and Mabel, they're Shermie's grandkids. Luz is your step-niece, the woman that scolded us is Camila, Luz's mom, and the pale one's my ex, Eda, also Luz's foster mom."
"I… I have nieces and a nephew?" Ford asked as he turned to them. "Greetings. Do kids still say greetings? I haven't been in this dimension for a really long time."
"So you're the six-finger author of those journals I've been hearing about," Luz said as she shook his hand.
"You kids read my journals?" Ford asked.
"We haven't just read them, we've lived them!" Mabel exclaimed.
"We have so many questions we want to ask you, sir!" Dipper said. "Like, a million of them!"
"As much as I would like to have a meet and greet, there's something I need to ask," Ford said as he turned to his twin brother. "Stan, are there any security breaches? Does anyone else know about this portal?"
"No, just us," Stan said. "… Also maybe the entire U.S. government."
"The what?!" Ford exclaimed.
"Everyone, freeze!"
They all turned to see Powers and Trigger coming in through the secret passage with their guns drawn.
"Ah geez, it's the fuzz!" Fu Dog raised his paws up.
"Did that dog just talk?!" Trigger exclaimed in shock.
"I really hate this town…" Powers grumbled.
Luz flew in front of her family. "Oh no, you two aren't going to hurt us!" she declared while transforming into her cambion form as Eda turned into her Harpy form. This shocked Ford.
"They can do that?!" Ford asked while drawing his own weapon against the agents.
"Yeah, Luz is a cambion, and oh, our Graunty Eda is a literal witch," Mabel pointed out, shocking Ford.
"You married a witch?" Ford asked Stan who just shrugged. He then realized something. "Wait, your last name wouldn't happen to be Clawthorne, would it?"
Everyone was at a standoff. Luz, Eda, and Ford stood up front while the twins, Wendy, Camila, Fu, Abigail, and McGucket stood in the back.
"Wait!" shouted Lilith as she showed up. "It's alright, the agents aren't here to hurt us, they're not with Department A!"
"Say what, Aunt Lilith?" Luz asked while she and Eda lowered their guards.
"Lilith?" Ford asked in shock while Lilith turned to Ford.
She was also shocked when she recognized him. "Ford…" she said as she walked up to him.
"Lilith… I, it's been a while," Ford said while lowering his weapon, looking awkward. "I like what you did to your hair-"
PUNCH!
"Oof!" Ford was punched in the face, shocking everyone.
"You two?" Stan asked him with a chuckle.
"I've been waiting for years to do that!" Lilith told him with an icy glare.
"Dang, I've never seen your aunt this angry," Eda commented.
Ford groaned as he felt his face, McGucket walking up to him. "You alright there, pal?"
"Yeah, I-" Ford looked up at McGucket and narrowed his eyes. "Wait, do I know you?"
"The name's Old Man McGucket, I barely remember anything before 1982!" McGucket admitted.
"McGucket… Fiddleford?!" Ford asked in shock. "What… what happened to you?!"
"He erased his own mind to try to forget the things he had seen," Dipper explained. "It worked too well… he did it a lot to himself."
"Fiddleford…" Ford said in shock.
"Ahem," Powers spoke up and everyone turned back to the agents. "I am sure you have your own drama, but first you all have a lot of explaining to do."
Outside of the wreckage of Purgatory, Angel was looking around and surveying the damage as she waited for the arrival of a white rotorcraft that landed nearby.
She walked over and climbed aboard. "We have to leave this place now before it is swarming with special ops!"
"On it, Director Gates," the pilot said as he took off.
As Angel sat down, across from her was someone hidden in the shadows. "Where are the rest of your agents?" she asked.
"I think Dr. West already evacuated," Angel admitted. "Michael's dead, Raphael probably escaped. As for Frakes… she couldn't even guard the key, she has outlived her usefulness to us." She looked down angrily. "Everything we've worked for… ruined, no thanks to those damn witches."
"Do not fret, Angelica," the figure said. "Purgatory may be lost, but we still have other facilities and resources… including things that the witches have no idea we possess."
Angel looked up at the figure. "You are right, of course," she said while glancing out the window. "But still… this changes everything."
The figure held up a lighter while putting a cigarette in their mouth. As the lighter flicked on, the figure's face was revealed… to belong to an aging blond woman with a bang sticking out, piercing blue eyes, and a beauty mark on her left side of her cheek. "This changes nothing," she said as she started to smoke.
Some time had passed since the last of the gravity anomalies. Tape and barriers established a perimeter around the Mystery Shack. Tents had been set up, paramedics treating the injured guards as well as the children. The Mystery Shack was being guarded, with armed agents patrolling the perimeter. The Pines men and the Clawthorne sisters were talking to Powers, Stan already in handcuffs. Abigail was not with them. She did plan to make a statement to the agents, but she couldn't right now due to Eda being with Powers. Trigger, meanwhile, was seen talking to Jake, Randy, and Fu Dog while Tinker Bell was with him.
Abigail was not alone, since Camila was seated beside her. "Abigail… how are you feeling?" she asked her.
Abigail was silent for a moment before answering. "I think my daughter's around here," she said, which surprised Camila.
"She is?" Camila asks her, "You have a daughter?"
"Clara," Abigail confirmed. "She's close to the same age as Luz, though she was born after her. I think she came here with one of the witchlings, who she helped free when the poor girl was captured by Department A in Gatesfield." She sighed. "If I had known, I would've freed that girl myself. That way, my daughter wouldn't have gotten involved in all of this." She shook her head. "Angel… she didn't care if my daughter got hurt, as long as it furthered the organization's agenda." She then turned to her friend. "Camila… how were you brought back to life? And please don't say it may sound crazy, cause there are a million possible explanations I could think of right now for how you're still alive."
Camila sighed. "Well, I was dead for fourteen years… but not long ago I was brought back to life by this loa named Baron Samedi, who's this death spirit according to Luz," she explained. "He used a shadow of a once dead Fae to bring me back to life, and since then I've been living in the Demon Realm with Luz and the Clawthornes. They took me in and well, I know how you feel about Eda, but she has been pretty good to me and she lets me spend time with Luz." She looked down. "Me and Luz don't see eye to eye on… certain things, but I'm just glad that she had a home and a family who cares about her all this time."
Abigail nodded. "I would have taken her in if I had been able to… but after all these years I had come to believe that she was dead," she said while looking down. "What was it she was called?"
"A cambion," Camila explained. "Her body was apparently infused with magic as a result of growing up in the Demon Realm, so she is a magical hybrid of some kind instead of being fully human. That… that isn't a problem, right?"
Abigail shook her head. "I don't care, I am just relieved that she's alive," she admitted. "And Angel… she knew that Luz was alive, and raised by Eda of all people…"
"What happened to her?" Camila asked her. "What happened to Angel?"
Abigail gave a distant look. "I… don't know if I could…"
"Please, you can tell me, Abby," Camila assured her. "How is Angel alive?"
Abigail hesitated before she started to explain. "After Angel was killed, my parents sent me away for several years. When I returned home, I found out that my family had somehow brought her back to life and altered her memories so that she had no idea she was killed."
"My god…" Camila responded in shock.
Abigail continued. "Angel's death and resurrection were both covered up. Whenever I tried to say otherwise, claiming that Angel had died… I was framed as crazy and delusional. My parents threatened me to not push the issue or else." She hugged her knees close to her chest. "I was afraid of what they could do to me after seeing what they did to Angel, so I complied. But every time… every time I looked at Angel, I was reminded of her death and my role in it." She turned to Camila. "She was also… different after her resurrection. In the years I had been away, my brother, Joseph, was assigned to be her handler by my parents. He kept an eye on her and eventually became close to her… which is very messed up, thinking back to it now." She looked back now at her knees. "Gradually, I became ostracized from my family while Angel was brought into it, and all the while I came to realized how fucked up my awful family really was."
Camila was livid, shocked by everything Abigail had gone through. "My god… Abigail I'm so sorry…"
"You have nothing to be sorry about, Camil," Abigail responded. "And honestly, over the years I also realized that I am just to blame for what happened to Angel as the witch that killed her. I… I wasn't kind to her and I think that was why she ran off with Eda. And I was also the one who tipped off my father about Angel meeting a witch, which led directly to her death. I can't forgive myself for that… but I also can't forgive Eda for what she did." She glared at Eda, who was still talking to Powers. "Unlike the rest of my family, I don't hate witches or resent magical beings. Not anymore. I just hate one witch."
"I actually get it," Camila admitted. "Eda's sister, Lilith, accidentally killed me when she traveled to the human world looking for her sister. When I learned about her role in my death, I wanted nothing to do with her, but Luz still wants her to be a part of her life. And I can't stop her."
Abigail looked distraught. "God… why did it have to be those two witches to be a part of Luz's life? I'm still trying to comprehend that woman raising your daughter…and she… chose to want your murderer to be part of her life?"
"She chose to forgive Lilith, unlike me obviously," Camila said before she realized something. "Wait, how come your parents didn't have your mind erased like they did to Angel? Wouldn't your parents want you to try to forget what you've gone through?"
Angel was silent for a long time. "I think my parents wanted to see if I was strong enough to live with the guilt and trauma, or if I really was a weak disappointment," she said while looking down. "But it got so bad that I actually tried killing myself." This shocked Camila and Abigail's voice broke as she continued. "If there is one thing my parents was right about, it was me. I'm weak. I was too weak to stand up to my sadistic family and too weak to try stopping what they were doing…"
"Don't say that!" Camila told her as she stood up. "Don't say that because it's not true! Maybe you did try to kill yourself… but you're still here now, and you were strong enough to reject your family's beliefs and realize that they were wrong!" She then looked down. "I should have listened to you all those years ago. If I did, Manny might still be alive."
Abigail looked up at Camila before standing up. "That is not your fault, Camil," she said while patting Camila's hand.
"Thank you, Gail," Camila responded as the two sat back down. "So… tell me about your daughter, Clara. What's she like?"
"The United States government has known about the existence of the magical community for a long time," Trigger was explaining to Fu, Jake, and Randy. "We just preferred to cover up its existence while letting other organizations, many operating with government approval and funding, deal with it. But clearly we cannot continue operating like this. Something has to change."
"Well, Lao G's gonna have a hernia on you when he learns about the whole government getting involved," Fu Dog told Jake.
"Yeah…" Jake nodded. "But with the revelation about the Archangels, we're now dealing with a new magical threat, maybe bigger than the Huntsclan." He turned to Trigger. "I suggest a meeting between representatives of the US government and the Dragon Council, it's honestly overdue for the government and the magic community to establish proper communication channels so that groups like the Huntsclan and the Archangels won't rise in the future."
"Good call, Mr. Long," Trigger responded. "Moving forward, this can no longer be the norm. As the Archangels have proven, it is a breeding ground for corruption. We can't just let the magical community be someone else's problem because the government doesn't understand it or want to be bothered by it."
"Yeah, I agree," Jake nodded. "By the way, who is the pixie with you?" Jake pointed to Tinker Bell.
"Her name's Tinker Bell, she was a prisoner in Director Angelica Gates's office," Trigger explained as Tink flew over to Jake. "I do think she is that Tinker Bell, which raises so many other questions. I do wish I can understand her so that I can get a statement."
"Don't worry, I can understand her," Jake nodded while turning to Tink who landed on his finger. "So what can you tell me?"
The children of the Isles along with the Pines twins, Wendy, Soos, Star, and Acorn were waiting in one of the tents. Luz and Amity sat by each other while Amity patted Ghost who laid on her lap. Willow sat beside Gus who was covered in a blanket as she patted him on the back. Eve was sitting beside Star and Wendy, while Dipper and Mabel were seated by Luz and Amity. Soos was eating snacks along with Waddles and King. They had all been waiting anxiously.
Luz turned to Dipper, who was now in his regular clothes while Mabel was in her cupcake sweater. "Hey Mason, how are you holding up?" Luz asked him.
"I'm just… worried," he replied. "Worried about how this changes things."
"Don't worry, Dipper, I am sure that everything is going to be okay," Mabel assured her. "I bet things will return to normal, except maybe we will have Grunkle Ford living in our basement and occasionally joining in on our adventures, bonding with us over the rest of the summer. It'll be great!"
"Yeah, I mean, this isn't even the weirdest day of the summer," Wendy pointed out.
Amity turned to Luz. "How about you, Luz? About everything, especially… with your godmother here?"
Luz looked outside the tent, seeing Abigail talking with Camila. "I… I don't know. I had this image in my head of my godmother being this witch-hunting supervillain, but… turns out my mom's once dead friend is the supervillain and that Camila was right about Abigail. And… I don't know how I should handle this."
"You don't have to rush into anything," Amity suggested while patting Luz's hand. "You can just take all the time you need."
Luz turned to Amity and nodded at her. "Yeah, just… one thing at a time."
"Amity," Sam said to Amity. "The agents are coming over, they just finished talking to the adults."
Powers and Trigger came into the tent to face the children.
"How are you children doing?" Powers asked them.
"Oh you know… traumatized, which is nothing new for us," Luz admitted. "We're a little on edge right now after recent events."
"Basically, a little 'meh,'" Mabel added.
"So what's going to happen now?" Soos asked them. "Is the, uh, Shack going to be alright?"
"And what about us?" Willow inquired.
Powers began. "We will be requesting a team to help Ford Pines safely dismantle the portal. The Archangels will be investigated and dismantled, since we want to know who else was funding them and what exactly they were doing with that money."
"Those of you under the magical category will be free to go," Trigger mentioned. "Magical and supernatural phenomena do not fall under our jurisdiction. We also dismissed the injuries you gave to our men as understandable acts of self-defense."
"Finally, we can go home!" Eve said in excitement.
"Don't mind her, she's had a long week," Luz said.
"Right," Powers nodded. "Me and Trigger will be staying in Gravity Falls to make sure there is no more trouble with the portal… but Stanley Pines will be going away for a very long time."
Silence filled the tent. Dipper, Mabel, Wendy, and Soos all look shocked. "What?!"
"Stan's… going to prison?" Luz asked, also in shock.
"On the account of his theft of radioactive waste and endangering reality by reactivating that machine," Trigger explained.
"Also on account of all the other crimes that have been brought into light, such as identity theft, regular acts of tax fraud, pug smuggling, and so much more," Powers explained.
"And another thing," Trigger said as he turned to Mabel. "Mabel Pines, we have contacted your parents in order to let them know what you have gotten yourself involved in."
Mabel looked even more shocked. "Aw crap…"
"Wait," Gus spoke up. "What's going to happen to them? What's gonna happen to the Mystery Shack? Their home?"
Powers and Trigger looked at each other, Trigger giving a sympathetic look as Powers responded to Gus's question. "The Mystery Shack will be shut down and quarantined off to prevent any danger. As for Mason Pines, Stanford Pines is technically his legal guardian… and for the moment that remains true."
"Even if all these years the man taking care of him wasn't Stanford Pines," Trigger mentioned. "But we will allow anyone who wishes to spend time with Stanley Pines before we take him away."
"Stan's… going away…" Dipper said as he started to hyperventilate.
"Oh man, this can't be happening…!" Soos said in shock, "Mr. Pines and the Shack, gone?!"
"Hey, hey it's going to be alright, you two," Wendy said as she tried to calm the two down.
"Yeah, it's… going to be okay… right?" Mabel turned to Luz, who went up to Dipper.
"Dipper, Dipper calm down," Luz said as she patted his back while her step-brother turned to her.
"L-Luz…" Dipper was stammering, tears falling from his eyes.
"Hey, man, how about you go talk to Stan?" she suggested. "Would you like that?"
Dipper swallowed as he started to calm down. "Y-Yeah… I'm gonna talk to him alone," he said as he turned to Powers and Trigger. "Can I talk to my Grunkle Stan one last time?"
"Of course, son," Powers said as he led Dipper outside of the tent. He soon spotted Stan, who was in handcuffs and being guarded by men in black. When Stan saw his grandnephew, a look of guilt fell onto his face.
Soon coming up the road, being escorted by government vehicles, were three vehicles: Fazio's truck, a van, and a police's car. Coming out were Fazio, Nora, the Gatesfield teens, Vee, Blubs, and Durland. After being cleared by the men in black, they were escorted to where the kids were.
"Guys, you made it!" Willow said as she, Gus, and Star went up to them.
"Star!" Vee shouted as she hugged Star. "Glad you're safe!"
"You too, Vee!" Star replied as she hugged Vee back.
"Are you okay, Faz?" Gus asked him.
"Some tylenol and therapy could definitely help," Fazio said while looking around. "Boy, this place has seen better days."
"Willow, we're glad to see you're alright!" Clara said as she and Willow hugged, Luz and Amity walking up to them.
"Are these the new friends you mentioned?" Luz asked, while Clara noticed Luz.
"Yeah," Willow confirmed. "Meet Clara, Masha, Dana, Rudo, and the Gordons, Nora and her son Gus."
"Wait, you're Gus too?" Gus Porter asked Gus Gordon.
"Yeah," Gus Gordon replied, meeting the other Gus. "That's just wild, meet another Gus."
"Yeah, wild…" Gus said. If it was any other time, he would have been ecstatic. But in light of learning that Vaggie was dead and after his fight with Michael, he really didn't have the energy.
"These guys helped save me from a Department A facility back in Gatesfield," Willow explained. "If it weren't for them, I don't know what would have happened to me."
"Hey, we just happened to be at the right place at the right time," Masha commented while turning to Clara, nudging her.
"Oh um…" Clara turned to Luz, finally meeting her godsister for the first time. "H-Hey, I'm Clara," she said to Luz. "My… mom is… Abigail Gates… I'm your godsister and… it's so nice to finally meet you."
"Oh," Luz replied in surprise. "I have… a godsister," she said, feeling awkward. "Nice to meet you too, um… Clara," she said, sounding unsure.
"I… I know that we've just met, but Willow has told me so much about you, and… I was hoping to get to know you in person," Clara explained. "If that is okay with you, of course."
Luz nodded. "Yeah… um, we can schedule something."
"Clara?"
Clara turned and saw her mother. Shocked, her eyes were flooded with tears. "Mom?!"
"Clara!" Abigail said as her daughter rushed towards her and gave her a hug.
"Mom! Thank god!" Clara said in tears while overjoyed as her mother hugged her back. "I'm… I'm so, so sorry for running away. I was… I just want to-"
"It's alright, Clara, I forgive you," Abigail reassured her daughter. "I promise that we'll talk about all this later, when we have the time."
"What… what about dad?" Clara asked her. "Is he here too?"
"No, but I promise we'll deal with him later," Abigail told her while noticing the look on Clara's face. "What is it?"
"I've… learned about what our family has been doing," she said while looking up at her mother. "You're… not a witch hunter, are you?"
"Of course not," Abigail said, shaking her head. "Your uncle and grandparents were and your aunt is, but I abandoned that career path a long time ago after realizing it was wrong," she said, much to her daughter's relief. Triumphantly, Clara turned to Gus G.
"See, I told you!" she shouted, rubbing it in the boy's face. She then heard Abigail clear her throat and she turned back to her mother.
"Clara, I also want you to meet Luz's mother, and my good friend, Camila Noceda," she explained.
Camila waved to Clara, who looked shocked. "Hi, you must be Gail's daughter."
"You really are alive…" Clara said. "Willow wasn't exaggerating…"
"Far out," Masha commented while turning to Luz. "So is she like, some kind of spirit?"
Abigail then turned to Nora, who walked up to her. "Gail… I know that I have a lot to explain-"
"Nora, I just want to thank you for watching over my daughter," Abigail told her. "You've really done an excellent job to keep her and those kids safe."
"It's no problem," Nora replied before looking down. "Abigail… I just want to say… I'm sorry, for not getting you the help you needed. If I had done something earlier…"
"It's fine, Nora," Abigail reassured her. "Don't worry about it now."
"But still…" Nora said, patting Abigail's hand. "I should have helped you then."
The agents walked towards Abigail and Nora, Powers speaking up. "About the kids, Marsha Moore, Rudo-"
"It's Masha, without the 'r'," Masha clarified.
Powers reiterated. "Masha Moore, Rudo Stewart, and Dana Underwood, your parents will be contacted about your whereabouts. However, due to the current situation, you three will remain here in Gravity Falls for the moment to give your testimonies for the Archangels investigation."
"We also thank you for the photos you took of the Department A facility in Gatesfield," Trigger mentioned. "They will be of big help during this investigation."
"I would like to help as well," Abigail said, stepping up. "I can tell you everything I know about Department A and my family's activities, including my sister-in-law Angelica Sinclair-Gates."
"We thank you for your cooperation, ma'am," Powers replied.
Abigail nodded and the agents went to talk to their men while she turned to Luz, who had finished talking with her mom. "Luz," she said awkwardly. "Um… hi."
"Hey," Luz said just as awkwardly. She didn't know what to say to her and Abigail didn't know what to say to Luz. "So… godmother," she just said. "Okay, this is not going like I thought it would…"
"I get it," Abigail said. "Look, Luz, for years I have been wondering what happened to you after you vanished from your mother's car. For a long time I held onto the hope that you were still alive and that I would be able to find you someday. But now that the day has finally come… I know that I am basically a stranger to you and that I can't expect us to immediately have a relationship, especially after all this time has passed. But I would like to get to know you better, if you would give me the chance." She looked at Luz hopefully.
"Well… maybe when I'm visiting the Falls in the future, we could find a time to meet," Luz suggested. "A time for me to get to know you and Clara more."
Abigail nodded in agreement. "That would be nice."
"Ahem." Abigail turned to Eda, who walked over her. "Hey, Gail… um, this is awkward to me as well," she said while Abigail's eyes widened. "I just want to say-"
PUNCH!
"Weh!" Eda was punched in the face. "Titan's Crack… alright, you know what? That's fair," she accepted, rubbing her bruise. "I probably deserve that."
"You damn well, you do," Abigail told her.
"Whoa, your mom's got a neat hook," Masha commented to Clara, who looked just as shocked.
Meanwhile, Ford had been talking to McGucket, explaining their history. About how in the mid-1970s they attended Backupsmore University together and became friends. About how Ford sought his mechanical genius in constructing a transuniversal poly-dimensional meta vortex. About how Fiddleford acted as Ford's research assistant, aiding him in his studies and in building contraptions such as the portal and some machinery in the underground bunker. About how after he was left deeply scarred by an encounter with a gremlobin, McGucket invented the memory erasing gun to permanently relieve himself of his nightmares. About how the first trial with the portal went awry and Fiddleford briefly saw what was on the other side, enduring horrific visions that caused him to predict that an apocalyptic catastrophe would occur should the portal reach its full potential. After that McGucket quit the project when Ford refused to give up the pinnacle of his life's work.
"And that was the last time I saw you," Ford told him. "Does any of this ring a bell to you?"
McGucket looked down, scratching his bald head. "Well… it does sound vaguely familiar to me, and it is still coming back to me," he said "But… from what I've heard and what I remember, it doesn't seem like you were a very good friend."
Ford was shocked by this and he fell silent, looking down.
Amity looked around and spotted Acorn talking to Tinker Bell.
"Hey Acorn," Amity said, deciding to speak up. "Is she your friend?"
"Actually, she's quite famous among the pixie community," Acorn explained. "Amity, meet Tinker Bell. Tinker Bell, meet my good friend, Amity Goodfellow."
"Tinker Bell…" Amity's eyes widened in realization. "No way… you're friends with Peter Pan, are you?"
"Yes," Tink replied. "I am, or was, Peter's best companion."
"… Okay, I'm a little startled because your voice sounds very similar to mine," Amity realized.
"Really? Huh, what are the chances?" Tink said.
"I have… also met Peter Pan," Amity then admitted, which surprised Tinker Bell.
"You're friends with Peter?" Tink asked and Amity nodded. "Huh, I knew there was something about you that I felt… familiar."
"When I met him, I knew him as Puck Goodfellow," Amity explained. "He would call me Pixie Dust, apparently because I reminded him of you." She looked down. "I thought he died while saving me, my girlfriend, and her family, but it turns out he's still alive."
Tink understood. "That's Peter for you, he always knows when to come back and surprise people," she said. "Do you know where he is now?"
"No," Amity replied. "All I know is that he is longer in the Isles. He did mention that he left Neverland after his friend, Wendy Darling, died."
Tinker Bell sighed. "Of course. There was always something special about Wendy. When Peter left Neverland, I thought he was playing Hide and Seek. But then I realized that he wasn't, so I've been looking for him ever since, up until I was caught."
"Do you know Captain Hook? He's also been looking for Peter and I've met him as well," Amity explained.
"Hook… of course he is," Tinker Bell said.
"Hook also said something about Neverland… what happened there?" Amity asked, while Tinker Bell looked down hesitantly.
"It's… hard to talk about it," she said while patting where her missing eye was.
"Oh," Amity realized. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't wish to."
"Thanks," Tink responded while looking distant. "Peter was a dear friend... when Neverland was attacked, I had hoped that he would return to save it. But he never did come back." She wiped a tear from her eye. " Sometimes I worried that he had moved on, grown up... I feared that he had forgotten about me."
"I don't think he ever did completely forget you, Tink," Amity reassured her. "And wherever he is now, I hope you find him… because I think he needs you now more than ever."
Meanwhile the Gatesfield teens were talking with Luz, Star and Vee.
"So wait, you're actually a Basilisk from the same realm that Willow and her friends are from?" Masha asked Vee.
"Yeah," Vee admitted while changing her face to show her true eyes and ears. "I can shapeshift, but I need to feed off magic to do so. Luckily, there is magic everywhere in this town that I can feed off of."
"Shapeshifter? Interesting…" Masha said with an interested look. This didn't go unnoticed by Clara, who suddenly felt jealous.
"What…" Clara said as she gave a pouted look towards Masha.
"And you're from another dimension as well?" Dana asked Star. "Are you Asgardian? Like from the Thor movie?"
"Um… Mewman, actually," Star clarified. She then turned to Vee. "I just realized that when I go with the others to the Boiling Isles, it is gonna be goodbye. Though maybe I can come and visit. But still, I am gonna miss hanging out with you, Vee."
"Yeah, me too," Vee replied as the two hugged. After that, she then turned to Luz. "But if it's alright, maybe at some point in the future… I might come to visit the Boiling Isles when things aren't complicated."
Luz looked surprised. "Are you sure, Vee? I mean, with what you've been through…"
"I know, but I would like to see how Tres and Megan are doing," Vee explained. "It's been so long since I've seen them and they're the closest thing I have to siblings. I do want to see them again, and if possible Ivy."
"Well, I'll see if I can work something out," Luz promised, while noticing Vee's startled look. "What?" she asked.
"It's me."
Luz turned to Lilith, the Clawthorne aunt walking up to Vee. "I don't mean any harm, Vee," she reassured her. "I'm not the Head Witch of the Emperor's Coven anymore, I left that life a while ago. But… I just want to apologize for how I knew about what was being done to you and the other Basilisks but did nothing to stop it."
"You… left the Emperor's Coven?" Vee asked while still a little scared of Lilith.
"Yes," Lilith confirmed. "Ever since I left, I've been trying to make up for my past sins. Recently, I helped Tres rescue Megan from Hieron Labs with Luz's help." She looked down, the guilt clearly showing on her face. "That's… all I want to say."
Vee looked up at Lilith, some awkward tension radiated. "I do appreciate what you've done to help… but I just can't bring myself to forgive you," she said while looking away from Lilith. Star placed her hand on her shoulder.
"I understand," Lilith accepted.
"Alright, there is something we need to decide on," Eda declared after gathering the other Boiling Isles residents. She pointed inside Fazio's truck at a tied up Jenny. "What to do with her?"
"Obviously we can't take her back to the Isles," Luz commented. "Even if we want to, if we turn her in to the Conformatorium, Belos will find out about us having the key and the new portal door."
"And we can't let her roam around the Human Realm," Amity added.
It was then that Jake walked up. "I can take custody of her," he offered. "As the American Dragon, I can make sure that she stands trial for all the crimes she committed."
"That sounds good to me," Willow said as the other Boiling Isles residents nodded.
"Wait, you can't!" Jenny begged while still tied up. She looked at Gus. "Augustus, you don't have to let them take me away… we can start over! I promise to be with you from now on!"
But Gus just glared at his mother, silent for a moment. He walked up to her. "I don't need you. I needed you then, but not anymore. Because I do have people in my life who actually care about me. A support system that I can depend on. And after coming to terms with how you abandoned me and hurt my dad, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to say to you. But really, I have nothing to say to you except that you don't deserve our name and you don't deserve to call yourself my mother. What you did was creepy and evil. No, we can't start over. You had your chance to be my mother and now I hope that you get punished as you deserve while I go back home with my real family and with some luck, this will be our last meeting."
Jenny looked distraught while Gus turned away, Randy swooping in to gloat at her. "Mic drop, boom!" he declared. "Can't get away now, can she?"
"No she can't," Jake nodded while Eda walked up to him and Fu.
"Well, it's nice to see you two again, especially you, Fu," Eda commented.
"Nice to see you too, Eda," Fu Dog replied.
"It's really nice to meet you, Ms. Clawthorne," Jake commented.
"How's your folks, by the way?" Eda asked.
"Doing good," Jake replied. "They told me all about you, like how you got banned from their high school for smoking in the chemistry lab."
Eda snickered. "Oh yeah, those were the days," she said. "So you're like the sheriff in the magic community now, how's Laos?"
"He's part of the Dragon Council now," he said. "I think he kept tabs on you even after you lost touch with us," he said while bringing up his phone, showing Eda pictures of his family. "I have a sister named Hailey, she's pretty much my sidekick since she got her dragon powers."
Eda looked at the photo. "Dang, Susie and John look good even after all these years, and your little sis looks adorable. She may be around Luz's age."
"You know, you are always welcome to visit," Fu Dog suggested.
"Yeah," Eda nodded in agreement. "We can stop by New York sometime in the future, cause a reunion with your family is long overdue."
"Overdue indeed," Jake said.
Eventually, Powers and Trigger's men started to take Stan away. "Alright, Stan Pines, it's time for you to go," Powers said.
Stan sighed while looking at the twins, Soos, Wendy, Ford, the Clawthornes, and everyone else. "Can I say one last goodbye?" he asked.
"We'll allow it," Trigger replied.
Stan turned to the others and spoke. "I've had a good run," he said, looking at the twins. "Mabel, it's been nice getting to know you this summer." He looked at Dipper and sighed. "Once again, I'm sorry for all the lies I've told you, but… I'm damn lucky to have you as my son."
Dipper wiped away his tears. "Thank you, Grunkle Stan," he said while hugging his grunkle and Mabel did the same.
"It's been nice getting to know you too," Mabel said while in tears. "Thank you for letting me stay with you and Dipper."
Stan sighed. If it weren't for the handcuffs, he would have properly hugged his niece and nephew. "Thanks… you kids know how to make this old man emotional…" He then looked up to Soos. "Soos, you've been the best employee I could have asked for. If it weren't for the Shack being shut down, you would've been the new Mr. Mystery."
Soos was in tears. "You've been the best boss and father-figure I could ask for, Mr. Pines!"
Stan nodded and turned to Wendy. "Take care of yourself and the kids for me, alright?"
"Hey, I got their backs, Stan," Wendy nodded as she went and hugged him. "Good luck in prison."
He chuckled. "Thanks," he said while turning to the Boiling Isles residents. "Eda, Luz, King, it's been swell to have you guys around for visits all these years."
"Well, thanks for being a family friend," Eda said with a nod. "I really do appreciate everything you've done for me and Luz… even if I am still a little mad at you for almost destroying reality."
"Yeah, that's fair," Stan admitted.
"I wish this wasn't our final goodbye," King said sadly.
"Don't talk like it is," Luz declared while she walked up to Stan. "I have put in a lot of thought, and… well, all these years of getting to know you, you're about as close as I have to a father figure since I never knew what it was like to have a dad. I appreciated you for letting me and mom visit you and Dipper from time to time, especially since Dipper has been the best step-brother I could ask for. And you've been a good step-dad. So this ain't the last time we'll see you." She went up and hugged Stan, shedding tears. "Love ya, you old geezer."
Gus did the same as he ran up to hug Stan. "It's been nice knowing you, Stan," he said.
"And we are also grateful to you for letting us stay in the Shack," Amity added while Eve, Star. and Vee also said their goodbyes to Stan.
"Man, you guys really are making me moved," Stan said as was escorted into the back of a truck. He looked toward Ford, who just remained silent. "So you really aren't gonna thank me, are you, Ford?" When Ford did not respond, Stan just sighed. "That's fine if you won't say it, but do me one favor… watch over the kids, especially Dipper. He's now under your care while I'm away. Eda will fill you in on the details."
"I'll keep them safe, Stan," Ford replied, though he was unable to look his brother in the eyes. Luz and Lilith noticed this, which made them frown.
And so, the back of the truck was shut and Stan began his journey to prison. Alone in the back of the vehicle, Stan looked down in silence as tears fell from his eyes.
Later on, Eda prepared to make the trip back home.
"Alright, once you all said your goodbyes, we'll be on our way back to the Isles," Eda announced.
Luz met up with Dipper, Mabel, and Clara. "I promise to visit you guys soon. I'm sorry that I can't stay due to some stuff I have to deal with back home."
"It's fine, Luz," Dipper understood, though his eyes still looked wet. "You just gotta do what you got to do."
"Yeah, be the bad girl the Boiling Isles need," Mabel responded with her fist up, trying to remain positive in spite of everything.
Luz gave her a fist bump. "Yeah, and good luck with Pacifica. Hope she treats you well."
"Yeah, and treat Amity good as well, big sis," Mabel told her back.
Luz chuckled lightly before she then turned to Clara. "So um, I'll be seeing you around then. Maybe get to know my godsister and godmother more. But take care of yourself."
Clara nodded. "You too, Luz."
"And Dipper," Luz said as she turned to him. "Since we have a working portal door now, I will be here to help you when you need me. Just-" She was interrupted by Dipper hugging her.
"It's nice to have you back, Luz," Dipper told her, while Luz hugged him back. Tears fell from both of their eyes.
After the hug, Luz was then confronted by Jake. "Luz, Willow has filled me in about the Belos and his plans about this Day of Unity. If you need any help, the Am-Drag's got your back."
Luz nodded. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Once we learn about his real plans, we'll call you."
Meanwhile, Abigail had walked up to Camila. "I wish you didn't have to go so soon," she confessed. "I've talked to Agent Powers and he has offered to help you out. He can provide you with the means of starting over… and I wish you could stay."
Camila patted her friend's shoulder. "I wish I could, but right now my daughter's home is in the Demon Realm. I can't leave her behind again, but I promise to come and visit, to catch up on old times."
"Yeah, I'd like that," Abigail replied as she and Camila hugged.
Gus was hugging Fazio. "I'll miss you, Fazio."
"Me too, kid," Fazio replied while in tears. "After this I gotta settle things in Vegas and pay for Vaggie's funeral."
"Well, I'll stop by when I can," Gus told him while wiping his tears.
Vee and Star also hugged. "Come back to finish our match in Fight Fighters?"
Star nodded. "I won't lose to you next time." The two laugh while looking at each other. Their shared look lasted a few seconds too long and both girls awkwardly looked away, their faces blushing.
"Thank you guys for helping me reunite with my friends," Willow said to Nora and the Gatesfield teens, giving them each a hug.
"No prob, Willow," Masha responded. "We are just glad you are going home."
"Yeah, and meeting you has been a great adventure," Gus G. said.
"We won't forget you!" Dana promised.
"Yeah, just remember to tell your other friends about us," Rudo said.
"Take care, Willow," Nora said while Willow hugged her next.
"I will," Willow promised before she turned to Randy, Jake, and Fu Dog. "Thanks for helping me out, you guys make good superheroes."
"So do you," Randy mentioned. "I think the three of us make a pretty good team. We should do this kind of thing again sometime."
Willow smiled. "I don't think that would be for me, but I appreciate the offer," she told the boys.
"Willow." The plant witch turned to Clara, who went to hug her. "Be safe," she said as Willow hugged her back.
"Yeah, you too," Willow replied, while turning to her and Gus G. "I hope you talk things out with each other. Remember what I said, Gus?"
Gus G. nodded. "Yeah, I do," he said while facing Clara. "Hey Clara, think we can talk later?"
"Of course," Clara replied, the two being awkward with each other.
Amity then walked up to the two agents. "Excuse me," she spoke to them. "I have a friend back in Echo Creek, California, who's a half-mermaid. We had an encounter with this Mr. X guy and I've been worried about her and her family. Can you help with that?"
"Oh yeah, the Echo Creek incident," Trigger recalled. "But don't worry, it is being taken care of."
Amity sighed in relief. "Thank the gods," she said before spotting Acorn flying by her head. "Oh, I guess I should say goodbye to you too, Acorn."
"No you don't!" Acorn corrected. "Because I'm going with you!"
"Really?" Amity asked in surprise.
"There's nothing really here for me anyway," Acorn said, her eyes shifting slightly. "I would much rather stay with you, if that's okay."
Amity nodded. "Of course if it is okay," she told the pixie.
Lilith was also getting ready to leave when she was confronted by Ford. He looked at her awkwardly.
"Look, Lilith," Ford said. "I know that… what I did was inexcusable." He gulped. "But… I just want to say I'm sorry for running away. You have every right to be angry with me."
She was silent at first, making him even more nervous. "Do you remember what you said to me before you left? That I can't let family hold me back?" She gave him a glare. "You're wrong, very wrong. Family didn't hold me back, I held myself back for believing in a tyrant for years. In fact, I'm better off with my family." She started to walk past him, but she then stopped. "I hope you learn to appreciate your own family before it is too late."
Ford was taken aback and Lilith gave him some advice. "Also, take good care of Dipper. He just lost the closest thing he had to a father, so you better make damn sure that you were worth bringing out of that portal. But if I hear otherwise…" She didn't need to finish her sentence.
"Good luck with your mystery team, Eve," Mabel said to Eve as they finished their goodbyes.
"Thanks," Eve replied. "I cannot wait to get back. No more gnomes and vengeful lumberjack ghosts for this girl!"
And so after saying their goodbyes, Eda, King, Luz, Amity, Lilith, Camila, Willow, Gus, Eve, Star, Ghost, and Acorn gathered as Eda tapped the portal key. Everyone was ready to head back to the Isles…
Inside the Owl House, Owlbert and Edgar were seated at the table playing Hexes Hold'Em. Kitsuni was there meditating.
The portal door then suddenly appeared in the living room. Everyone turned to see it open as the Clawthornes and their friends stepped out.
"We're back!" Luz announced while holding Amity's hand.
"We're home!" Eve, Willow and Gus declared happily.
"Amity! Willow! Lulu! Gus! You're all back!" Hooty declared as he popped up. He then spotted Acorn. "Oh boy, a bug!" he declared while trying to eat the pixie.
"Ack! I'm not a bug, you bird tube!" Acorn flew away, swearing up a storm while she tried to avoid getting eaten by Hooty.
"Where's Kay?!" Amity immediately cried out to Kitsuni.
"Don't worry, she's safe in your room sleeping," Kitsuni assured her as Amity rushed away.
"Kay, I'm home!" Amity shouted.
Kitsuni looked at the others. "Welcome back, hope your trip to the human realm wasn't difficult." She then noticed Eda with bandages wrapped around her eye. "What happened to your eye?"
"Oh, um… I don't like to talk about it," she muttered.
"It's so finally to be back in the Isles again!" Eve declared while summoning her crystal ball. "I should get in contact with my folks-"
"Hold up, hold up!" Eda stopped her. "Everyone, stop and listen right now!" Everyone turned to the Owl Lady. "Now, I know that you all want to see your families right now, but first we need to have a nice, long talk."
"Of course," Luz said. "Now that we have a working portal door, this changes everything."
"That's right, Luz." Lilith said. "Now, Belos can't know about the portal door, which means he can't know that Amity, Gus, Willow and Eve were in the human realm. What we need is to find another way to explain about your disappearances."
"You mean, we have to keep this a secret from our friends and family?" Eve asked.
"Sorry Eve, even the SSE can't know that you were in the Human Realm," Gus told her.
"The ones that do know where you guys have been are our inner circle of friends, Willow's dads, and… Odalia." Luz mentioned, which shocked Willow, Gus, and Amity, who had just come back while carrying Kay.
"Odalia?!" the trio exclaimed.
"Yeah… long story," Eda said. "We should get you guys up to speed about what happened while you're gone… and what we know about Belos."
Luz looked at Ghost, remembering that she was Adam's Palisman. "Yeah, we also need some answers as well," she commented while Ghost looked at her in confusion.
"Hey um, before we do that, can we have something to eat?" King suggested. "I don't think we've eaten anything since yesterday."
"Yeah, I'm getting hungry as well," Star replied, everyone's stomachs started to grumble.
"I can go to the kitchen to see what we have," Camila suggested as Luz went to help her. The others definitely needed food, since they were going to be in the Owl House for a while…
But at the very least, they were home.
Los Angeles, California
Inside one Californian home was a Thai woman with brown skin, big dark brown hair, and black eyes with wrinkles on the side. She was wearing greenish yellow earrings, a purple-blue sweater, a pair of light color jeans, a golden wedding ring, and she appeared to be barefooted. She was in the kitchen mixing up batter in a bowl.
The woman heard a knock on the door. She turned around and walked over to answer it as the frantic knocking continued. Once she reached the door, she opened it. She saw a young teenage girl who she didn't recognize.
"Yes, can I help you?" she asked the girl, whose eyes were filled with tears at the sight of the older woman.
The girl took a deep breath. "Hi mom… it's me, Anne."
The bowl of batter that Oum Boonchuy was carrying hit the ground, spilling everywhere.
Anne was home.
So most of you have made it through, traumatized over the events on what happened in the Human Realm Arc. Man, the witchlings trip there feels like they got out from the Digital World or something(which given the era, it's not that far-fetched that they've experienced a more technological society than the Demon Realm). But let's talk about the references.
First off, the Gremlins. Gremlin Gus and his little gremlin folk are based off of Disney's versions of the Gremlins based off of the Roard Dahl's story. Originally, Disney was going to adapt it into a movie back during it's Golden Age, but it was left unfinished. There was an illustrated book based on the unfinished film in what it could have been at the time. He was later shown in the 2010 video game Epic Mickey as Mickey's sidekick. Here is to show how Willow and the Gatesfield characters along with Jake, Fu Dog and Randy went to Gravity Falls.
And of course there's Darlene who makes an appearance, the arachnimorph who hasn't been revealed to be a serial killer yet…
Also to give a little explanation on why Jake Long has never been to Gravity Falls. It's pretty much like a different environment kind of thing due to how it's more mixture of sci-fi and fantasy. Hence why the Dragon Council doesn't bother around it much, which is a perfect spot for the Archangels to operate there up until now.
And to this one specific reviewer who our of respect will not be named, this is your only explanation as to why Jake never used the portal magic from the "Half Baked" episode to get to Gravity Falls. Sometimes air travel is better.
Okay so let's talk about Powers and Trigger's role in the story. In Gravity Falls, they served as the antagonists because Stan's one of the main characters. As a reminder, being an antagonist doesn't automatically mean they're the bad guys in a natural sense. The agents were being perfectly reasonable and justified in their actions, never once "kicking the dog" (unlike Mr. X who is definitely more of a jerk than Powers and Trigger. Yet, Mr. X ultimately proved himself to be reasonable once he got the full picture). And to be quite honestly, Stan probably should have faced some consequences for his actions, because he did steal dangerous radioactive waste and put the world at risk by reopening the portal. If Powers and Trigger were the main characters, then Stan would absolutely be the bad guy, no matter what the reason he has, he still put the whole world at risk. While him being arrested is sad, it's also perfectly justified. While the government subplot was admittedly wrapped up a bit too conveniently in canon, here it does have greater consequences.
Like in canon Ford showing up changes the status quo for the rest of the series. Here, it pretty much shakes the status quo in the Falls side, with Ford now being Dipper's guardian while Stan's in jail. How this differs from canon will depends…
Also among the prisoners is not just the giraffe, but also The Butts. We've forgot to include them in the previous chapter, but now they're shown up here. For those who don't know, The Butts are these creatures shown in the Doom Patrol series, as these monsters that were locked up in the Ant Farm of the Bereau of Normalcy, which is one of the basic influences of forming Department A aka The Archangels.
The part with Vee and Lilith, originally we were going to have Vee forgiving Lilith during this storyline. However, we realized that it would be more realistic and interesting if Vee doesn't forgive her, which puts her in between her siblings Tres and Megan when it comes to their reactions to Lilith.
Now trying to figure out what will become of Jenny, we've eventually concluded that she will be taken into Jake's custody to stand trial for her crimes in the human realm. Taking her back to the Demon Realm wouldn't have been a good idea anyway, considering that chances are Belos will learn that the heroes have the portal key.
And now to answer reviews:
Matteso585: 1) Yes. 2) Yeah. 3) Depends.
Ultimate-drax: Well, Angel is basically one of the big bads now…
Crosshot: Well, admittedly this was total coincidental. And to give you some notes: Fu Dog sank a different Atlantis. As for Helga, well maybe in canon to the Atlantis movie she may had died, but for LC we've figured that her being alive would be interesting in how she'll affect the aftermath from the two Atlantis movies, which we've never been able to see. Randall was captured pretty much after the events of Monsters Inc. But even if Angel were to try to turn the twins against him, what makes you think she'd keep them alive? The Oracle twins didn't warn Willow about Department A. And yeah, Boscha would be wearing a yellow hoodie like before.
OMAC001: Don't expect a redemption arc.
ReviewerDWJ: Funny you've mentioned Ghost Rider…
Arsenal3.14: I think one of us are too fond of this trope.
61394: I wouldn't say that they're pure evil more than canon Belos, Canon Belos is just as evil as them. Hell, if Department A were to exists in canon, he'd be on board with them.
JTK: Well you just gotta read very slowly to understand if it helps.
Bob: You said it.
Shuffollower: Victor will show up eventually.
OC Contest is still in the go, so if you have some OCs, and we do accept parodies of characters, let us know in the reviews or PM us to see if they'll be able to fit.
Our next update will be quite different, since we're going to be taking our time for a diversion away from the Clawthornes, and the Isles…
