Gravitational Phantoms: After the Storm

Chapter Four: Witch Bottle

The ghosts in Gravity Falls surprised Danny-in a good way.

They were far friendlier than most of the ones in Amity, and they could easily exist with afterlife-sustaining ectoplasm from the Zone.

In fact, most of them were less like ghosts from the Zone, and more like spirits that had "unfinished business" with earth. They had similar powers to most "normal" ghosts, but they tended to keep to themselves.

There was a major difference between ghosts and spirits, one that Ford had explained to him once over cereal. It had become a kind of routine; Danny got a much better education than he would at a normal high school from a normal teacher instead of a literal genius.

It also helped because Ford and Danny kept each other sane.

They both had nightmares (although Ford was much quieter about his than Danny was), whether it was because of that damned portal-or more accurately, what lay on the other side-, the torture, murder, and betrayal.

But because the ghosts of Gravity Falls rarely cared about what the humans that they existed beside did, and because they were so common that his ghost sense went off whenever he stepped outside, Danny wasn't expecting the small concentrated ball of ectoplasm to smack into him.

It exploded along his skin as pain danced through his veins. It sank down through to his core like it was electricity.

Danny's mind went into Panic Mode.

He brought energy to his hands and instantly formed a glowing bubble around himself. The Halfa whipped his head around, searching for the source of the attack so that he could escape escape get out they're coming.

But instead of the dreaded white coats and ectoguns aimed at his heart, Danny saw a ghost with a very poor fashion sense hoving before him with his chest puffed out in pride.

"I, Technus, master of technology, shall take over the world using the wonderful tech in this building!"

Oh. Okay. This... This was better. This Danny could deal with.

He kept the shield up for another second before dropping it and sending a spar of ice towards the enemy ghost. Technus tried to dodge, but the frigid blade spun in the air and coiled around him.

It formed a frosty cage around the insane ghost, one inforced with ectoplasm. Technus wouldn't be able to go intangible and escape from this one.

He was still ranting, but Danny ignored him through months of long practice fighting to protect the town. He had a rather pressing matter on his mind.

Before, he would have just sucked Technus into the thermos and been done with it. But now, he didn't have the thermos, or a portal to the Zone. Danny knew that one day he would be strong enough to create portals at whim, but it would be a long time before that happened.

The ghost boy remembered what the twins had done to the Box Ghost. Maybe he could find another one of those bottles that they used? Hadn't Mabel once said that they were called Witch Bottles? Ford might know where they were.

Danny looked at Technus. He would only have to run quickly into the house to ask. But while Technus was easy enough to beat, he could still cause his own fair share of chaos.

Danny took a deep breath and shouted, "Ford? Could you bring me a Witch Bottle?"

For a moment, there was silence. Then the genius walked out of the house with a book in one hand and a Witch Bottle in the other. He tossed the bottle to Danny, nose still in his book as he turned around and walked back inside.

Danny flipped the bottle in his hands. The Halfa pointed the opening at his enemy, and watched as Technus was sucked in. The smaller version of the other ghost pounded his fists on the glass walls as Danny corked the Witch Bottle with a satisfied look on his face.

Mabel had sucked him in there once, and it hadn't actually been too bad.

At least, not compared to what he and already been through.

Fading back into intangiblity, Danny swooped down to the basement. Ford was already down there, still reading about physics or something from the same thick book as before. The ghost boy held up the container.

"Where should I empty this?" He asked quietly. He knew from experience that you shouldn't interrupt someone while they were reading if you didn't want to face dire consequences.

Not looking up, Ford pointed to a cabinet with a hole in it. "Stick the neck and opening of the bottle in there once you've removed the stopper. Whatever's in there should be sucked back into the Ghost Zone. "

Danny nodded (even though Ford couldn't see it) and did as he said. Technus let out one final scream that sounded like "Curse you!" before he disappeared.

The Halfa studied the bottle for a moment before pocketing it. He never really knew what he would run in to, and it never hurt to have a way to contain ghosts on you at all times.

He flew back out through the roof, making sure that he stayed invisible. Danny had been on his way to meet Wendy for some late-afternoon pancakes at Greasy's (which was somehow the first thing other than the Mystery Shack to be up and running), and he didn't want to be any later than he already was.

Of course, by the time that he arrived, Wendy had already demolished her pancakes. But the redheaded lumberjack still forced him to eat as much food as he could, and not just because she personally knew that Ford was about as competent in the kitchen as a blind vulture.

And, according to Wendy, at least vultures could eat bad food that would normally kill a human.

Danny laughed at that statement. Softly, but it was still a genuine laugh.

Wendy grinned to herself. Mission accomplished. Now to get him a girlfriend.