Gravity Rises (S1)

DRB: Part Nine

That night, Mabel snuck out of the Museum. She'd left a note on the bedside table, so Dipper would know where she was in case something went horribly wrong. She would've invited him to come with her, but. . . well, she hadn't quite forgiven him for roping her into his date earlier. And she doubted he'd approve of what she was doing.

Her feet crunched softly in the snow as she walked up the winding hill that led to the Pleasure warehouse. The night was pitch black; it wasn't too late, but the sun set ridiculously early here in Gravity Rises. A flashlight guided Mabel through the darkness. Even in this poor lighting, she could tell that the landscape before her was beautiful. She wished she could better appreciate it.

But, she wasn't here to appreciate the scenery. She was here to scope out the warehouse and look for clues that might reveal anything suspicious about Pacifica.

The warehouse was a large and formidable building. Mabel crept along the side, looking for the door, and soon found one. Now to see if it was locked.

It wasn't.

A thrill of nervousness shot through her. As much as Mabel wanted to explore this warehouse, she had to admit that she'd expected it to be locked. She'd imagined her trip ending right here. But it wasn't locked — and she came here to investigate, right? She carefully pulled the door open, wincing at the sound of the hinges.

Not that there was anyone around to hear.

Mabel's flashlight shone on the antique furniture inside the warehouse, and she wondered if there were any ghosts in here. It seemed like the perfect place for them. She stepped softly, so that she wouldn't disturb any resting spirits, and frowned at the furniture. Having no idea what she expected to find here, she had no idea where to start looking.

"Welcome, Mabel."

Mabel started and dropped her flashlight. To her right, a single lightbulb flickered to life; a figure stepped into view. Pacifica's face lit up with a triumphant smile as her eyes locked on Mabel's.

It only took a second of frozen panic before Mabel's flight instinct kicked in. She ran for the door, which wasn't too far behind her; but before she could make it two steps, she was frozen. A purple light appeared around her body, stopping her in her tracks. She found herself turning to face Pacifica, even though she hadn't moved of her own accord.

Behind her, the warehouse door slammed shut with an ominous boom.

"P-Pacifica," she said, amazed that she could even speak through her fear, "what's going on?"

"I thought you were smarter than this," Pacifica said. "Perhaps you're just cocky."

"Wh-what?" Mabel struggled against the purple light, but she couldn't move.

"Not as impenetrable as you thought, are you?" said Pacifica. "Don't try to struggle, darling: Nothing can escape my power. Not even you."

Mabel's brain raced to catch up to the situation. Pacifica wasn't a fake after all. Some kind of purple magic was making it impossible for Mabel to move. It reminded her of the blue magic around that Northwest boy, the one she'd seen last week — except his magic had helped him fly. This magic was keeping Mabel trapped.

"You thought you were immune to all of it, didn't you?" Pacifica continued. "You found a way to block your mind, and you thought you had defeated me. Well, you haven't."

"I-I don't know what you mean. Let me go!" The more Mabel thrashed against her magical purple bonds, the tighter they felt: like she was being wrapped in cellophane.

Pacifica's grin widened. "Don't lie to me," she said in a tone that didn't match her smiling face. "At first, I thought it was my amulet that was at fault, but now I know it's you. What I don't know is how you guard your mind against my powers — and neither of us is leaving until I find out. Understood?" The light reached Pacifica's eyes as the girl stepped forward, and Mabel could clearly see a glint of madness shining through.