Greetings from SeekerMeeker.

Finally, the second chapter is up and revised!

I hope it's worth your time.

Let's begin.


Heroic Falls

Chapter 2: The Meeting

"It's been a while."

"I am so HAPPY!"

"Thanks, you two."

Three people sat on a wooden bench together, as they ate various types of food. Above, red birds flew against the bright blue sky. Trees with green crowns swayed in the wind, their various pink blossoms flickering in the sunlight. The blond girl fixed her clothing, her blue dress contrasting with her golden blond hair.

"It's been a long time," Dipper spoke, eyeing her.

"Really?"

Pacifica Elise Northwest was one of their old friends back in Gravity Falls, Oregon. Back then, she was a spoiled, rich girl who got on the nerves of both twins. Now, she was a very different person, and Dipper gazed at her.

"Ahem."

Dipper blushed, as he took a bite out of his hamburger.

"Don't push it," he replied, attempting to glare at Mabel.

"Says the burger biting boy," Mabel teased, with a huge grin smothered onto her face. Her braces sparkled in the sunlight above. Dipper winced, but chuckled.

"So," Pacifica said, pinching Dipper by the cheek. "It's been a while, Lamby boy."

Dipper blinked, then blushed, his whole face red like a ripe tomato.

"Pacifica!" he began. "Why did you-oh no. No-no-no! Mabel!"

Mabel continued to grin widely, as she playfully wrestled against her twin brother. Dipper was more embarrassed than angry, as he figured out that Mabel whispered to Pacifica about that humiliating, cute dance from years ago.

"It's been a while," Mabel said, once Dipper cooled down (which took only a few seconds).

"Indeed," Pacifica admitted. "Although we've seen each other two years ago."

Dipper breathed deeply, cooling down his head.

"Man," Dipper admitted with a blush. "It's been a while."

"Now you admit it," Pacifica noted. "Do you still like big food?"

"I want to be strong," Dipper retorted, biting into his burger. "Man is what he eats, as Ludwig Feurbach said."

"Still your smart self," Pacifica admitted. "Man, it's been a while."

The three stared at each other, then laughed aloud.

"Just like the old times!" Mabel interjected, chewing on a large piece of apple in her mouth.

"Quit it," Pacifica groaned. "You are still your over-sweet, actually cute self."

Mabel grinned, while Pacifica blushed.

"Say," Dipper said. "What have you been doing the whole time?"

Pacifica smirked and explained:

Ever since the summer of 2012 ended, she kept in touch with Dipper and Mabel via the Internet, using a popular social media service called MineSpot. On it, she and the twins chatted about many things: school, food, pop culture, and even some deep topics such as the economy. One thing that popped out frequently concerned Pacifica's family.

"Your family is still rich?" Mabel asked, more teasing than curious.

"We are still rich," Pacifica snapped with a frown on her face. "Look, I think that such stupid rumors still fly around. We still have a rich home, a good ranch, and everything that most kids do not have. However, instead of three ponies, I only get to keep one."

Mabel's eyes sparkled, while Dipper rolled his own.

"Is it pink?" Mabel asked. "Is it a sparkly, like a magical horse?"

"You mean unicorn?" Pacifica asked, with a softer tone.

Mabel pouted, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"I thought you liked unicorns?" she asked.

"I forgot," Mabel admitted. "I forgot to tell you that…I don't like unicorns anymore."
"Really?" Pacifica asked, surprised. "What happened?"

Mabel breathed, and explained about her incident with the unicorns back in Gravity Falls.

"Oh my," Pacifica admitted, hand over her mouth. "I hope you're alright."

"It's OK," she replied. "I am glad to get over that incident. Man, I was so obnoxious back then. Doing the right thing is not always based on what somebody tells you, since we all know right from wrong in the first place. I hope."

Dipper and Pacifica looked at each other.

"But it does feel like a long time," Pacifica admitted. "We've been in contact for years, you all returned for a quick visit, and then…what happened? Other than the Internet, I lost contact with you."

The twins looked at each other, and explained.

"Our parents got promoted very fast," Dipper said. "We moved, our phones got changed, and…things got messy."

"What about the Internet?" Pacifica asked.

"Remember that takeover incident?" Mabel noted.

"Oh," Pacifica remembered. Between now and two years ago, MineSpot suffered a major blow due to a leadership change that did not go well. Long story short, it fell apart, and all MineSpot accounts closed temporarily."

"Sorry to not tell you sooner," Mabel apologized.

"No need to apologize," Pacifica said. "I now understand. Even I did not expect all these events to unfold. Speaking of which, I got Candy and Grenda's numbers."

Mabel screamed with delight, and lunged for her phone.

"Hey!" Pacifica yelled. "Get your own phone!"

Dipper chuckled, as he took out his own smartphone:

It was bright red with a cyan frame. On the back, at the bottom, was a sticker of "Ghost Harassers." In the middle of the phone was a Christmas tree sticker.

He raised an eyebrow at it.

"I wonder why I put that sticker on," he mumbled to himself, while Pacifica successfully pushed Mabel away. Pouting, Mabel took out her own, and the two finally calmed down.

By contrast, Mabel's smartphone was bright green with a magenta frame, and had plenty of stickers all over it, most of them pink flowers and dark green vines. A single shooting star sticker was right in the middle of the phone's back.

"Yours is so fancy," Pacifica remarked.

"I made them myself," she spoke with a grin.

Pacifica checked her smartphone, and the twins noticed it:

It was deep blue with a gilded frame.

"Is that…gold?" Dipper asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes it is," Pacific admitted. "You're the first to realize that it's real gold."

"And an opportunity for thieves to steal," Dipper retorted.

Pacifica looked at him, and rolled her eyes.

Challenge accepted, she thought.

"Says the boy with his own fancy phone case," she remarked.

"Says the girl with real gold on hers," he replied.

"Says the boy with red and cyan for his attire," she said, trying to roast him.

"Says the girl whom we've not seen in years," he retorted.

Mabel giggled.

"But seriously," Pacifica said. "I admit: I liked that last class lecture."

Mabel rolled her eyes, while Dipper blinked.

"The lecture about food and the environment?" Dipper asked.

"Yes?" she asked, confused. "Why? You two seem to have heard deeper things, right?"

"We talked about nature vs. nurture before we met you," Mabel interjected.

Pacifica gasped.

"I've always WANTED to talk about that!" she exclaimed, causing them to jump. "Ah, ahem! Sorry."

"No-no!" both twins reacted, a little taken aback.

"Well," Mabel said with a smile. "We have another club member."

"Club?" the others asked.

"Our own club has increased!" Mabel continued. "To three!"

"Oh my pines," Dipper groaned.

"Huh?" Pacifica asked. "What are you talking about?"

"She means that you are in," Dipper retorted. "We were the 'Mystery Twins.' Now, we are the 'Mystery Three.'"

"You mean Trio," Pacifica articulated.

"Ooh!" the others agreed.

"Mystery Trio then!" Mabel declared.

Pacifica sighed.

"What did I get into?" she retorted. "First, I was a spoiled rich brat. Then, you two help me out. And I like-like you, Dipper."

Mabel grinned wide, while Dipper blinked.

"Like-like?" Dipper asked. "You mean lo-hmm!"

Pacifica lunged at him, much like Dipper did to Mabel, and clapped his mouth shut.

"Not now," she whispered. "We'll take this one step at a time."

"Sure thing," he groaned, as she let go. "Milady."

She blushed.

"Stop calling me that!" she groaned. "I feel more casual and open with you two! But anyway, we went WAY off topic."

"No-no," the twins said, shaking their heads.

"Yeah right," she groaned. "But maybe yeah, we're not far off. But anyway . . . what were we talking about again?"

The trio got back to talking about their discussion. Long story short, the twins updated Pacifica on what they had discussed.

"Huh," Pacifica remarked. "An interesting lecture, but what made you all think about that in the first place?"

"From a class earlier," he responded with a raised eyebrow.

"No-no," Pacifica said with a frown. "I misspoke. Back in Gravity Falls, you were really into solving mysteries and paranormal phenomena. Now, you start to invest in serious issues of life and reality. Did nature get to your head?"

Dipper looked at Mabel, and both sighed.

"To be honest," Dipper said. "It's been so . . . 'un-weird' in this part of the state and time."

"How so?" Pacifica asked with a curious eye.

"There is nothing mysterious to solve here in California," he groaned. "And with the Weirdmageddon gone, even Gravity Falls feels so . . . boring."

"And it feels more so," Mabel joined in the groaning. "Since we have nothing to learn so far. Man, that summer of 2012 really shook me down to the core."

"You mean us," Dipper replied. "I've screwed up big time, such as asking an uncle who's not as prudent as I realized."

"No-no," Mabel said. "I was selfish as well, down to causing Weirdmageddon."

"You did not cause the incident," Pacifica retorted. "You were tricked into it."

"Eh?" the twins reacted, staring at her.

"Wait a second," Mabel spoke. "You . . . know?"

"Oh," Pacifica noted. "You did not know this but . . . OK, by some weird chance, remember when I was turned into a banner by Bill Cipher?"

"Yeah?" both twins responded. They internally shook, as they remembered seeing five of their friends and allies being turned into banners, their faces etched in pain and torment. Dipper especially remembered how pained Pacifica looked on the wall.

"Well . . ." Pacifica then began to explain:

Back when Bill Cipher entered Earth, he stopped the ritual to banish him, and imprisoned her and others into banners. Somehow, due to this, she and the others got a glimpse into Bill's mind.

"How did that happen in the first place?" Dipper asked with a gasp.

Mabel flinched, as she could NOT imagine even taking a peek at the monster's head.

"I have no idea," Pacifica confessed. "All I know is that he felt being 'flat' his whole existence, and wanted to escape or something. Look, I don't remember everything, because his mind was crazy."

"Maybe that's because he was a flat figure," Mabel inferred. "And when he turned you into a banner, that made you 'flat,' and so you learned a little bit of Bill himself."

"Not a pleasant experience," she admitted with a shudder. "His mind was full of madness."

"Wait!" Dipper interjected. "Wendy and no one else even told us this!"

"I guess it's because I was young back then," she retorted. "You know, being children somehow grants you some sort of 'holy immunity'? The other four were in a trance, as if tortured."

"So you saw a little bit of Bill's mind," Dipper remarked. "And learned about a little bit of what happened."

"And I know that he tricked Mabel into the event," she remarked, as she bit her sushi. "Anyway, that reminds of your discussion. Yes, we all made mistakes, but no, we can move on from that, including my family legacy."

The twins nodded in silent agreement.

"You know what's ironic?" Mabel asked, as she devoured her apple, then swallowed (she learned enough manners to not eat with her mouth full). "That when we chose to forge our own paths, we became better people."

"Better humans," Dipper added.

"Better heroes," Pacifica interjected.

"I apologize if I sound weird," Mabel admitted.

"No-no," Dipper and Pacifica both responded.

"But say," Pacifica interjected. "You two did talk about that fable: The Dog and the Wolf. I heard about that fable, but I recently learned about it in high school. Numbered 346 in the Perry Index, it is a moral story about how freedom is worth more than comfort, money, or food."

The others stared at her.

"The Perry Index is an index on classifying the Aesop's Fables," she explained. "It's one of those things we humans do: classifying and categorizing everything in life. We like to keep things consistent, and to understand everything in the universe."

"I like the story for its emphasis on freedom," Mabel spoke. "Being a wolf is actually better than being a dog, literally."

"I like the story for the irony," Dipper joined in. "It's ironic that the so-called 'big bad wolf' is actually better off than the 'man's best friend.'"

"You mean the 'man's best slave,'" Pacifica stated.

Dipper and Mabel looked at each other, their faces showing concern.

"I like that fable," Pacifica said. "Because even an evil creature can do the right thing, because it itself is really not evil in the first place."

"You mean," Dipper said. "Wise enough to NOT be a slave."

"Ah, the topic of slavery," Mabel groaned. "That is one of those things we discussed in class, concerning nature vs. nurture! It led to a fierce debate in class."

"Oh boy," Dipper said. "Yes, it was serious. People were shouting all kinds of opinions."

"What did they talk about?" Pacifica asked. "Maybe I should join this class."

"We had a number of very weird questions," Dipper said. "That actually kept coming back and forth."

"What were they?" Pacifica asked.

"Something about humanity, heroism, food, and the environment," Mabel interjected.

"Vague questions?" Pacifica retorted.

"Some were very specific," Dipper answered. "Let me think . . . oh yeah, three stood ou to me:

Are humans worth saving?

Which is more important: nature or nurture?

Can heroes save everything?

"And all kinds of stuff," Dipper concluded.

Pacifica raised an eyebrow.

"Wow," she noted. "That class sure argued a LOT. I am surprised that you remember three of them."

"They were among the few that kept popping up," Dipper admitted.

"I get them," Pacifica said. "Humans have caused so much harm, both physically and spiritually, to this world at large. Yet can you blame them? We have our nature to deal with, plus how we have been nurtured into such. But I find the 'hero' part a little weird. I feel like sometimes, we humans want our imagination to solve the problems."

"You mean anime to save the day," Mabel replied, causing all three to laugh. Mabel was indeed great at breaking the ice; she could become friends with almost everyone.

"Talk about anime clichés," Pacifica snorted. "But seriously, even I want some anime powers for once."

"Which ones?" Mabel asked.

They rambled on and on, talking about a variety of tropes that they had seen too many times. They also discussed some shows.

"I really like One Point," Pacifica remarked. "It is full of fun moments and epic fights, but the main character is so stupid and childish."

"A common thing in anime," Mabel replied. "I tolerate some sexy stuff, known as fanservice, but anime is infamous for having too much of that thing. My Vigilante Justice is infamous for that one."

"I know that our parents disapprove of us watching anime because of that," Dipper said. "But even I have limits; I actually hate how so many protagonists become overpowered later on, such as Superball."

"So what is your ideal anime concept then?" Mabel asked. "I will answer that too!"

"For me," Dipper replied. "A good anime is one that keeps in mind that real-life boys are not all perverted. Specifically, I want a protagonist who does not start out weak, but who is willing to understand that the role of heroism is being a supreme leader for others to follow."

"Ooh!" Mabel chimed in. "For me, I want a protagonist who is a lot smarter than she looks, and who understands that love and harmony are the greatest powers!"

"Interesting," Pacifica noted. "Well, in my opinion, I want a protagonist who does not believe that bigger is better, but who really seeks to be pure and to purify others."

BOOM!

All three people jumped, as a loud noise radiated out from the sky.

"What in my stars?" Mabel gasped.

"What the pines?!" Dipper hiccupped.

"Look!" Pacifica yelled, pointing at something in the sky.

A fireball streaked through the air, clearly low enough for the university campus to view it. As the trio and other students looked on, it made more loud noises, as if it was a spaceship that was breaking apart. It then crashed into a large hill in the distance, ending in a colossal explosion that rocked the entire area.

"What in the world?"

"What was that?"

"A UFO?!"

Various people screamed, as some of them even ran towards the crash site. Dipper, Mabel, and Pacifica all looked at each other.

"What in the world?!" Pacifica gasped. "Not another anime moment?"

"Another adventure!" Mabel declared, getting up. "Let's go check it out!"

"Hold your horses!" Dipper responded. "We don't know if it's SAAAFE!"

Mabel grabbed him by the collar, and bolted for the crash site. Pacifica rolled her eyes, and followed the duo. At a traffic stop, everybody stopped due to the crash, but Mabel stopped at a red light. Dipper broke off, and dusted himself. Pacifica then watched, as the crowd started to gather towards the crash site.

"We better find another way," Dipper said.

Mabel looked around, and saw a corridor of trees.

"Let's go there!" she exclaimed.

The others agreed, and three college kids ran through the corridor, the trees and shrubs rubbing against their clothing.

"Wow!" Dipper gasped. "I haven't been in an adventure in ages!"

"This feels exhilarating!" Mabel declared.

"Just like the old days!" Pacifica exclaimed. "You all ready for-wow!"

They suddenly stopped, and looked down at something on the ground.

It was clearly a part of the fireball, since the fireball resembled a damaged spaceship. However, it appeared to be a broken container, heavily reinforced to safeguard whatever it was inside.

"Mazel tov," Dipper groaned. "We're in another mystery again."


A tall, teenage girl with light brown hair glanced up at the sky, watching something fall into an area nearby. She gasped at it, as it fell down and shook the ground.

"Wow!" she gasped. "An alien spaceship? Finally, something fun for once!"

"Yo Anna!" a boy shouted, running towards her. He was an average-size boy with light skin.

"You see that?" he gasped. "That looks awesome!"

"What are we waiting for?" the girl named Anna declared. "Let's get our friends and go!"


The two then ran off, unaware that they were not the only ones who witnessed the strange event.

"Mr. Black and Mr. White," a voice echoed. "We have a problem."

A man in black suit and sunglasses watched the fireball blaze through the sky, his black sedan revving up.

"It looks like a Scarlet Lotus has failed to escape," the man in black continued. "However, her vessel has landed somewhere in Megaville University."

"What?!" a voice boomed through an earpiece. "Man, I thought our THAAD II system knocked it out for good!"

"It's an anti-ballistic missile system," the agent groaned. "Not an anti-aircraft system. We had to use that, since it was the only one in service around this area, Mr. Black."

"No matter," the voice of Mr. Black continued. "Report on the witnesses."

"I see three people," the agent spoke, eyeing three individuals entering through a corridor of woods. "In addition to many people in the intersection, three college kids seem to be taking a detour."

"You are in charge of following those three," Mr. Black declared.

"Why those three?" another voice joined in.

"Mr. White," Mr. Black spoke. "They may not look like it, but as you know: anytime a fake spaceship of sort crash-lands into Earth, you know the cliché of a random stranger finding strange technologies. We know that a large fragment of the aircraft detached and fell separately."

"Ten-four," the agent spoke, getting out with a strange gauntlet in his right hand. He clicked a button, and walked towards the corridor of woods.

"And remember," the voices of both Mr. Black and Mr. White spoke. "Be careful out there."

"May God bless you all," the agent answered. "Agent Nicholas, out."

Click.

Agent Nicholas sighed, as he moved his gloved hand. The silver gauntlet looked like a robotic fist, zigzagged with a variety of glowing lines in red, green, and blue.

"I hope nothing will happen," he groaned. "I am tired of adventures for the day."


Finally, the second chapter! I hope that this story is off to a good start.

Feel free to review. I appreciate any feedback.