"Whoa-a-a-a!" Mabel exclaimed as walked through the doorway of the spa. "Just look at this place!"

"Yeah…" Wendy tried to force an excited expression for her friend's sake, "…it's definitely…something…"

The redhead instantly found herself surrounded by the color white. Milk-white concrete steps led from the front door to the check-in desk – the bowl-shaped structure was made with a transparent glass-like substance, allowing the teen to see the thick layer of ivory paneling covered the wall behind it. The same type of material surrounded countless pillars that were placed throughout the lounge, each reaching into the ceiling. In lieu of walls, giant aquariums were built into the sides of the room, filled to the brim with dozens of colorful tropical fish. A thin, wooden floor surrounded by a coy pond on both sides lead into the next corridor. The energy-efficient lighting mounted above head shone down into the freshly waxed linoleum floor.

The ginger looked past her feet to see her reflection staring back at her – a dismayed look plastered across her freckled face. For some reason, Wendy felt on edge. She glanced up to see Mabel continuing to marvel in her new surroundings.

"Everything…is…absolutely perfect here…"

"Perfect." The word lingered in Wendy's mind, as her emerald eyes scanned the unnaturally spotless room. How easily such a phrase was tossed around, especially in a place such as this. Despite her young age, the adolescent knew better than her over-excited co-worker. It was the same thing that her favorite trash magazines did – they purposely chipped away at a person's self-esteem, making them think that there was something wrong with them – that they were far from being perfect in their own special way.

She turned over to see a large cabinet on the south end of the room filled with countless amounts of shampoos, conditioners, skin creams, and other beauty products set at outrageous prices.

"This is what it's truly about…" the crimson lumberjack thought, "Making a quick buck playing with people's emotions – heck, even Stan doesn't sink so low…"

Perhaps that was why seeing the usually self-confident pixie so ecstatic about a business that would have no problem taking full advantage of her bothered Wendy so much. After all, the last thing she would want is for Mabel to end up like that little blonde yuppie girl that strutted around town like she owned the place.

Despite her misgivings, Wendy chose to maintain her silence. After all, she didn't want to hurt Mabel's feelings nor betray Dipper's trust in the slightest.

Mabel bounced towards the desk and repeatedly pressed the silver call bell.

*RING-RING! RING-RING! RING-RING!*

"Ja, Ja," A voice called out from the next room, "I'm coming! I'm coming! You can stop ringing a-ready!"

The swinging door across from the girls opened, revealing a tall, burly man dressed in a white muscle shirt and matching polo pants. His thick bleach-blonde hair slicked back into a ponytail, the chiseled, tanned receptionist walked towards the desk and peered down at the tiny girl before him, lowering his dark sunglasses to reveal his ice-cold blue eyes. A Bluetooth headset was latched onto his right ear.

"Guten tag," he welcomed with a thick German accent, "And what brings you here today, little lady?"

"I – my – oh!" Mabel stammered at the gorgeous sight before her, "Hi! I'm Pabel Mines! I mean, I'm Mabes Pinel!" She slapped her forehead in frustration before turning back towards Wendy. "Is it just me or is it getting hot in here?" She pulled her sweater's neck in an effort to cool herself off.

Luckily, Wendy stepped forward for the save. She placed a hand on Mabel's shoulder, "Chill for a sec, small fry. I got this." The lanky cashier took the award-letter from her cohort's hand and presented it to the receptionist, "This is Mabel Pines, and we're here because she won the contest you guys had with the Gossiper."

The man pulled the correspondence out of Wendy's grip and carefully inspected every line of the note. His eyes slowly pulled up from the sheet towards his guests, "That I see…"

He set the dispatch down on his desk and grasped his huge hands together, "Willkommen to the Gravity Falls Spa and Rejuvenation Center! Here, it is our pleasure to cleanse your body and your spirit!" The host highlighted the name badge on his chest, "My name is Hans, and I am here to serve your every whim! This is good, ja?"

Still star-struck by the hunk in front of her, Mabel was ready to take the man up on his offer. "Marry me…" she whispered under her breath. Wendy could only hold a hand to her face as she grew embarrassed for her buddy.

Hans picked up a clipboard from the counter and began to scribble a few notes on the sheet. "So, we have Fraulein Pines…" He gazed towards Wendy, "And who might you be?"

"Um…" Wendy took a stab at correct pronunciation, using context clues as a guide, "I'm…"Fraud-u-lin" Corduroy…?"

"Danke…" The man went on making notes on his form, "Es freut mich…" He finished his work and brought his full attention to the duo in front of him. "You ladies have an exciting day planned ahead! By the time we are finished today, you will be look and feel like different people!"

"YAY!" They answered; Mabel's outburst was so loud that it overshadowed Wendy's half-hearted, joined response.

"Come this way…" Hans motioned with his tree-trunk arm as he came around the counter, "My associate will guide you to your next destination." He placed a hand against the microphone in his ear, "Klaus! We have guests!"

Heavy footsteps could be heard in the distance coming closer with every passing second. Within a minute, another colossal attendant appeared on the scene. Dressed in the same uniform and equipment as Hans, the employee could pass as his clone, save for his darker hair and lighter skin tone. Mabel's mouth dropped a second time upon setting her sights on the stranger.

"Klaus," Hans began to explain, "These are Frauleins Pines and Corduroy. They are the winners of our contest with the Gossiper…"

The man's expression changed to that of a surprised one, "Is that right…?"

"Ja. Please escort these ladies to the shower room, so we can begin their treatment…"

"Wait, shower room?" Wendy questioned. "I thought the whole point of this was to get us all spruced up?"

Mabel was going to clarify when the instructor went into great detail, "Perhaps I misspoke. This is to rinse away any microbes you might have encountered on the outside – to avoid any chance of soiling the process."

"Oh, okay, then…"

"Super!" Klaus's spirits raised, "Tell me, you little girls have remembered to bring the bathing suits, ja?"

"Yep!"

"Got it on under this junk!"

"Then, let us begin…" He stepped to the side and moved his arms towards a nearby passage, "This way, please…"

Mabel sprinted down the path as fast as her little legs could carry her. A less-than-enthusiastic Wendy trailed after her. The fifteen year old paused for a moment, and looked over her shoulder to see the clerk maintaining his almost-robotic gesture. He raised his head and flashed the girl a plastic smile – an action that made Wendy shudder and resume her direction.

As soon as both girls were well out of sight, Klaus turned around and signaled his counterpart with a nod before disappearing down the same hallway. With the coast cleared, Hans changed the frequency on his headset and reported to the mysterious benefactor in charge of the event.

"They're here, boss…"

"Of course they are, nitwit," the prepubescent criminal mastermind known as Lil' Gideon screeched into the microphone mounted on the security console before him. "It's a foolproof plan! Absolutely no chance of failure – especially with that fool Dipper being on the other side of town!"

In his maniacal ranting, the plump villain had accidentally pushed his roller chair away from his battle station. Whining and grunting, he tip-toed back into position.

"Question for you, boss…" the henchman given the code name Hans asked, finally free of using a forced Germanic dialect. "You said that it was going to be that Mabel girl and either a tiny Asian girl warning glasses or a beefy brunette with a deep voice. Who is this gingered chick?"

"I'm…not too sure," Gideon sat back in confusion. For some reason, he knew that he had seen Mabel's redheaded escort before, but he couldn't recall from where. "But never mind that! The plan doesn't change in the slightest. Remember – pamper those two until they're numb in relaxation, and then, we strike! We'll separate them, and that's when I'll swoop in to whisk precious Mabel away!"

The lackey chuckled, "Good plan, boss…"

"You're darn right it is!" Gideon went on, "Do you know how much it cost to rent this entire place out? We have only one chance to get this right! And if you fail, you won't get a red cent from me, understand?!"

"I get it, boss…"

"Oh! Hang-on!" Gideon switched channels on the monitor, "They're coming out now! Resume positions!"

Wendy and Mabel stepped out of the shower room as a trail of steam escaped into the atmosphere. Each female now sported a complimentary white robe. With their long hair wrapped tightly into a thick white towel, their slippered feet made soft padding sounds on the hardened floor as they made their way to the next stop.

"You see?" Mabel said, still fill of energy, "That wasn't that bad, wasn't it?"

"Dude," Wendy pointed out, "All we did was stand in a shower stall with our bikinis on. It really wasn't anything special…"

Seeing that her last comment wiped the smile away from Mabel's face, Wendy bit her lip and instantly changed her attitude.

"…but still, it beats cashiering at the Shack…"

With that, Mabel's happy-go-lucky nature swiftly returned as Wendy let out a sigh of relief.

"Of course!" Lil' Gideon pounded on his console, "That's where I know her from! She's that lazy sloth of a cashier girl from the Mystery Shack!"

The villainous eight year old could recall sneaking past Wendy's counter several times as she partook in summertime naps when he would plot against the Pines family. He would also take advantage of the situation and "borrow" handfuls of the expensive moisturizer the unaware teen kept on the counter.

"Oh, come on!" Mabel pestered, "You're telling me you don't like this stuff in the slightest?"

Wendy shrugged, "Can't really like something you never had before…"

Mabel gave her friend an encouraging pat on the back, "Well, that's perfect then! There's a first time for everything! And that way, you and I can be spa buddies!"

The high schooler laughed at her co-worker's overexcitement, "We'll see about that, kiddo…"

"I'm serious, Wendy! Believe me, you'll be begging to come back here! They treat you like a goddess, help get rid of all that stress and nervousness, and when the boys see how you look afterwards, you'll have to beat them off with a stick!"

While the thought of having some of the stress of living with a hectic family relieved did sound promising, Wendy shook her head at the rest, "Uhhh…I don't think that's how it works, Mabel. I mean, no one's really going to notice if I look any different."

"Oh, really?" A sly grin slid over Mabel's face, "Well, I can think of one person who would certainly notice." She took a deep breath and began to emulate her twin brother's high-pitched voice, "My name's Dipper and my Wendy doesn't need any of that. I already think she's the most beau-ti-ful girl in the whole wide world!"

"Oh, man…" Wendy instantly covered her mouth to prevent any giggles from flowing out. Part of her felt guilty at laughing at her loyal admirer's expense. Her dimpled cheeks grew a bright red. "Don't do that…"

"What? It's true! You heard him say it." Mabel opened her arms, "But that's what I'm saying: if Dipper's like that with you right now, imagine him seeing you after leaving this here. I guarantee, you're looking at nosebleed-level, bare minimum!"

*HEH-HEH!* "Mabel…"

"Or he'll be so shocked, Dipper might just go into cardiac arrest!" The plucky pre-teen mockingly clutched her heart, and slapped her hands together with a loud smack. "BOOM! He hits the ground like a ton of bricks! You'll have to give him mouth-to-mouth…"

She stopped for a second, falling into deep deliberation, "On second thought, you can't do that. That's what he'll be expecting you to do…"

"Mabes, *HAHA!* Quit it already!"

"Okay, okay," Mabel pledged. "I will." A great silence grew in the hallway as the girls continued to follow their guide into the next section of the spa. Growing uneasy by the complete quiet, Mabel started to whistle a simple tune. Within moments, the whistling became a louder humming. Such evolved into a song:

"Wen-dy and Dip-per, sit-tin' in a tree…"

Wendy shot an annoyed stare down towards her joking friend, "Shush!"

"Mak-ing bab-ies happ-il-y – WHOA!"

The towering young adult gave the sing-songing tween a playful push towards a nearby decorative waterfall display, only to pull her back at the last moment. Mabel looked up sheepishly, "I'll stop now…"

"Good!"

The girls laughed amongst themselves about the lighthearted teasing, totally unaware that their stalker found such information to be extremely valuable.

"Hmm…interesting…" Lil' Gideon fiddled his fingertips together, "So, it appears that ol' Dipper Pines went and got himself a little girlfriend…"

The spiteful boy remembered how Mabel's twin sibling thwarted all of his attempts to woo his slightly-older love; of how much easier his quest for affection would be much easier without Dipper's interference.

And now, the shoe was on the other foot. Not only did Gideon have a chance with some private time with Mabel, but the object of Dipper's affections had walked directly into his clutches! He had the opportunity to give the egghead boy detective a taste of his own medicine!"

"Hans! Klaus! Listen up! There's been a chance of plans!" Gideon narrowed his blue eyes towards the monitor displaying Wendy's image. "See to it that our unexpected guest is "well-taken care of." I repeat, Mabel is to remain unharmed, but I'm counting on you to properly secure our new bargaining chip…"

"And this, my fair ladies, is the mud bath…"

Wendy and Mabel walked past the host and examined the new room. A series of beige above ground bathtubs were mounted against the back wall. Small wooden tables were put next to each tub for an user's valuables and beverages. Numerous shelves holding extra white towels and sheets were placed across from the baths. Several types of fake greenery were stationed around the room to give it a more natural appearance.

While there were no electrical lights within the room, countless glass candles provided the perimeter with a gentle, dimming glow. A purgent aroma appeared to be pumped into the area via the several vents built into the walling.

As Mabel hurried to the leftmost tub, the copper-haired teen found herself with little to complain about.

"Well…at least it's not white…"

She followed suit after her charge and chose the slightly bigger frame right next to Mabel.

"So…what do we do now?"

"You hop in, silly!"

Without hesitation, Mabel let her robe fall off her shoulders and stepped out of her fuzzy slippers. She scaled the tiled wall and slid down into the bath. After taking a second to properly adjust herself, Mabel sprang up, her back firmly against the front edge, and her still-wrapped head settled on the neck-rest.

"Ahhh…" she sighed in relief.

Following Mabel's example, Wendy kicked her slippers off against the side of the bath. She untied the bindings of her robe, allowing it to slide to the ground. It crashed with a loud, echoing "THUNK!"

Mabel sat up, "What was that?"

"What was what?" Wendy avoided the question with an embarrassed tenor.

Mabel beaded her eyes at her friend, "…you smuggled your hatchet inside your robe, didn't you?"

"W-Why would you think that?"

"You totally did, didn't you?"

Wendy lifted a gangly leg into the tub, "So what if I did?"

"Why would you even need it? In case the plastic plants in the corner need trimming?"

"It's not – AAAHH!" Wendy let out a cry as her bare skin touched the cold inner surface of the bathtub. "It's not a big deal," she resumed. "I take it with me everywhere…" She snuggled back until her long neck matched up with the rest on the end of the base.

"Even to school?"

"Well," the lumberjack looked in Mabel's direction, "Maybe not everywhere…"

"Ah, splendid! You two are all situated…" The two guides entered the room, each carrying a duffel bag full of supplies. Hans and Klaus stood beside each teen and enlightened them of what was going to happen next.

"In a minute, we will activate the stream that will pump a fresh batch of our special mud mixture into your respective tubs…"

Klaus continued where his co-worker left off, "From there, you girls will soak at shoulder-length until we are able to strip all of that nastiness from within your bodies…"

"Please do not be alarmed if you perspire more than usual," Hans warned. "I assure you, it is all part of the cleansing process."

The men simultaneously hit a red button on the panel built into the side of each pool. A gentle humming emitted from inside each of the structures. A creamy dark brown liquid started to pour from several open holes around the tub's framing.

"Ohh," Mabel exclaimed. "It's warm!"

"Yeah…kinda weird…" Wendy could feel the slimy texture coating the bottoms of her feet. She hoisted herself upwards by placing her arms on the edge of the bath. However, she remained unimpressed by the new experience.

"…could have played in the dirt back home…" she grumbled under her breath, remembering all of the messy fights she had with her three brothers in the woods surrounding her house.

"Ja," Klaus snuck up on Wendy, making her jump slightly in shock, "But our mixture is so much more than mud. We add in the blend of seaweed, volcanic ash, red clay, and high-quality mineral water..." He reached into his carrier and pulled out a handful of red and pink scraps. The employee sprinkled them into Wendy's bath, "…and lastly, preserved rose petals to give a special fragrance…"

"Oh, um, thanks?" Wendy wondered if the creepy male was making a snide comment towards her natural odor. She looked down to see that the flow was now past her knees. Her emerald eyes looked towards Mabel, who was already living it up fully in her element. A lighter-toned cocoa-colored substance came up to her navel.

"Hey, Klaus?" Wendy found herself confused. "Stupid question for ya, but how comes Mabel's mud a different color than mine?"

"Uh…" The male seemed caught off-guard by her query, "That…is…because…each lot is made fresh for each of the spa's guests. You wouldn't want to use someone else's leftovers, right?"

"'Course not…" Wendy agreed. "But aren't we the only people here anyways?"

"Let's just say," Hans interrupted. "…that this batch is made especially for you, Fraudelin Corduroy…"

Before Wendy had a chance to let his words sink in, he stretched his arm over and presented an open palm with two cucumber slices.

Wendy waved the offer away with her right hand, "No thanks, I'm not hungry."

"Wendy!" Mabel chastised from her bath. "They're not for eating, silly! They're for your eyes!"

"Really?"

The two men nodded in agreement, "It's true. They have a natural healing effect on the eye's skin."

Klaus began to list the numerous benefits to the treatment, "They help get rid of dark circles under the eyes, brings down water retention, reduce swelling and puffiness, and…"

"Alright, you made your sale…" Wendy plucked the vegetables from Hans's hand, and after a moment of deliberation, she placed a slice against each eyelid.

"Oh…wow…"

Despite her entire world going pitch black, a new, cool soothing sensation traveled from her eyes to the tips of her toes. Wendy sat further back and settled her long neck against the provided rest. By now, the mud solution had reached her chest. And as much as the stubborn teenager would hate to admit it, the treatment was starting to take its toll.

"There, now…" Wendy could feel one of the hosts adjusting her towel-turned-turban, so it wouldn't dip into the mud bath. "Doesn't that feel so much better?"

"Yeah…it really, really does…" She didn't have a reason to lie. The mixture was doing wonders for her aching and sore muscles. Just because Wendy wasn't truly active at work didn't mean that she didn't live a physically-active life. Between the rough-housing with her family and the supernatural adventures with the Pines, the redhead would feel strained at times. She lowered her arms into the mud, feeling them sucked into the goo in a vacuum like current.

The hot dirt gave the super-tall youngster the abnormal impression of being weightless; as if there was no longer any pressure found through her body. Now, shoulder deep in the muck, a gentle numbness flowed from Wendy's neck all the way down to her feet.

"It's like I'm having an out-of-body experience or something…"

"Fraulein Pines?" Wendy heard the clerk ask Mabel. "Would you like the headphones containing the most relaxing of instrumental music?"

"Yes, please!"

Wendy noticed footsteps heading in her direction, "And for you, Fraulein Corduroy?"

"Well – "

"Oh, give it to her already!" Mabel insisted. "Before she says otherwise!"

Before Wendy could argue against it, she could feel the foamy touch of headphones being placed against both her ears.

"Eh, watch out for my earrings…"

A serenade of mood-lifting music reverberated through her mind. Within seconds, the once-objective girl found herself at peace, body and soul. As if by hypnosis, Wendy found herself fading in and out of consciousness. And yet, she made no attempt to do otherwise.

"Maybe Mabel is right about all of this spa-stuff. I can't remember when I felt so relaxed…"

As the melody continued on, Wendy instantly lost track of the time. How long had she been in that spot? Twenty minutes? Forty minutes? An hour or two? As Mabel had promised, the whole experience had been completely perfect…

…until something unexpected happened.

From out of nowhere, Wendy's button nose started to twitch wildly.

"Oh, man!" The auburn-haired female thought to herself, "My nose's getting itchy…" She debated for several moments, wondering if it was worth ruining her self-made zen to give her nose a well-needed scratch. As the feeling grew worse, Wendy gave into the infuriating feeling.

"...err…can't take it anymore…"

Wendy went to move her right hand towards her face, only to discover that it refused to obey.

"Huh?"

Baffled, Wendy tried again with her left arm, finding that it, too, couldn't move through the thick sludge completely surrounding her body.

"What in the heck – "

With a sense of panic forming in her chest, the redhead tried to make it back to her feet, learning that her lower limbs could barely sway from side to side. Wiggling her fingers or toes had the tightening pressure within force them back into their former position.

"Ugh!" Wendy groaned as she struggled to break free from the hold the mud had on her. Left without any other option, she called out for some kind of assistance.

"Hey! Mabel! German guys! Something's - Something's wrong! I think I'm stuck! I can't move at all!"

Several seconds had passed without any sort of human contact. Beads of sweat traveled down Wendy's forehead, although she wasn't sure if it was due to the heated slime or her rising nervousness.

"Mabel?! Can you hear me?!"

All Wendy could hear in response was the everlasting flute theme playing through the recording strapped to her head. It was then when she realized what was happening.

"…you can't, can you? Not while you're wearing those headphones. I'm lucky I can even hear me over this music. But why aren't those other guys answering either?"

Refusing to give up, Wendy continued to squirm in place, desperate to gain any form of slack. She attempted to thrust her head forward to try to get those blasted cucumbers off of her eyes. Even if it didn't necessarily help towards her freedom, regaining her vision would definitely help in the long run of things; she would be able to see what was occurring around her.

Instead, all of Wendy's fruitless thrashing resulted in an unexpected action – her body slipped even further into the mud bath.

"Wait! Wait! Oh no! No! No!"

The warm ooze was now at neck-level. Wendy had to hoist her head upwards to avoid having her chin dip into the smooth sludge.

"Crap! Crap! Crap!"

As more time passed, Wendy could feel the goop climb further up her neck. A realization of absolute horror was made more apparent:

"Those two idiots must have forgotten to shut off the pump!" The alarmed teen tilted her head back as much as she was allowed while reviewing her predicament, "This is so messed up! Of all of the stupid things I've done in my life, I can't believe I'm going to go out by drowning in a freak accident at a spa!"

Wendy shook her head, trying to clear her mind of all negativity. She hasn't ready to give into a muddy death without a fight. Once more, she tested her trapped limbs, finding that her shoulders were still held firmly in the mud. She pumped her legs back and forth like two propelling pistons. Nevertheless, the motion simply wasn't enough to escape the brown gelatin's grasp.

"Wait, what was that?"

Amidst her efforts, Wendy felt something hard and slender wrap around the big toe on her right foot, making a sliver of hope rise up in her heart.

"Is that…it's the pull release for the tub's drain!"

Not leaving a second to waste, the lumberjack princess clamped her foot down on the cord as tightly as she could and pulled back.

"C'mon…" Wendy moaned through gritted teeth. "Please!"

Slowly, but surely, she was started to make progress. Her right leg was moving through the muck inch by inch.

Suddenly, the chain began to slip between her toes, forcing Wendy to halt any progress.

"Careful…careful…" she coached herself while tightening her hold. "Gotta take it slower than that…"

Slow place wasn't an available option as the liquid came up to her lips, leaving her nostrils the only available source for air.

Wendy shortly came to an untimely conclusion: she only had enough time for one last tug – if she was to wait any longer, the mud would have covered her head completely.

Biting down on her lip, Wendy curled her toes around the line once more, and yanked back with all her might.

"Almost…there…"

She fought against the hold the mud had over her body, feeling that the flow had now reached her cheekbones."

*POP!*

A loud swooshing sound could be heard just outside the now-annoying melody strapped to Wendy's ears. In a flash, she could feel the muck climb down from her upper body. The layers of mud soon grew thinner. The cashier could sense cool air colliding against her still-mud-caked skin.

Her body was still in a sense of numbness from the overall experience. It felt like her entire frame had drifted to sleep. Wendy slid down the glossy surface of the liner, ending up flat on the tub's bottom. The locks of red hair escaped from its toweled hive, becoming matted in several clumps of sticky mud.

Wendy lied staring up at the ceiling, taking several deep breaths until the feeling started to return to her arms and legs. The heat was starting to finally leave her body. She immediately swiped away the cucumber slices and headphones away from her face, restoring both her sight and hearing.

"M-M-Mabel?"

The weary adolescent pulled herself up with a mud-stained hand. With her vision still a tad blurry, Wendy peered into the next bath to see that Mabel was no longer there. With her cucumber pieces and headphones carefully neatly placed on the table close at hand, there was only a small brown puddle in front of the structure. As her eyesight sharpened, Wendy noticed tiny wet footprints leading out of the room.

"Where – Where did she…"

Sitting on the edge of the tub, Wendy took her half-dirty towel and tried her best to clean off the remaining mud that had stuck to her. Her flannel-colored bikini was now a ruined brown. She reached over and threw on her discarded robe, choosing not to worry about her fuzzy slippers.

"Oof!"

As soon as she took a step towards the exit, Wendy's feet slid out from beneath her, making her come crashing down hard on one knee. The treatment had left her soles incredibly slick. With a grunt, the determined protector regained her balance and set off in search of her friend.

"Mabel?!"

Her heart was in her throat. None of this was making sense. Why would Mabel leave without letting her know? Wendy's thoughts soon focused on the two creepy attendants. What if they had something to do with her disappearance?

"Wait…" she tried to reason. "I'm getting into Dipper-territory here. I mean, what would these guys want with Mabel?"

As Wendy went on with her search, she soon found herself lost in what appeared to be a maze of white-colored hallways. The echoes of her bare feet slapping the hard ground accompanied the haunting song that seemed to follow her everywhere.

"Everything in this place looks the same! I can't tell where it begins or ends!"

"HAHAHA!"

The red-haired clerk skidded to a stop upon hearing a child's laughter. She followed the sound towards a close by door left slightly ajar. She stepped into the lavender-shaded room, only to be shocked by what she saw.

Mabel, still with hair in towel-bun, was positioned in a half-sitting state on an elevated padded lounge chair. Her small body was completed wrapped up tight in what seemed to be a thick green material of some sorts. Only her head and feet stuck out of the man made cocoon.

The guides, Hans and Klaus, sat on each side of her, chuckling alongside their captive guest.

In Wendy's weary eyes, it appeared that the pie-faced sprite was in anything but danger.

"What in the heck is going on here?!"

All three turned to see the mud-soaked teenager calling out towards them. The directors shot each other a surprised look while Mabel was the first to answer:

"Hey, there, sleepyhead! How was your bath?"

"…sleepyhead?"

"Yeah," Mabel nodded in response. "You looked so peaceful that the guys and I went ahead with the seaweed wrap." She wiggled her feet in demonstration, "I was going to check-up on you, but I had a while before I could get up. I'm like a little baby bug all snug in a rug!"

Wendy crossed her arms, "So I see…"

Hans stood up from his chair, "We did not mean to alarm you, but the Fraulein Pines was insistent on leaving you be."

Klaus followed up, "I hope we did not frighten you…"

"Frightened me?" Wendy yelled. "How about leaving me to drown in that slop in the other room?"

"What?" Mabel's face twisted in astonishment.

"It's true! I was like, two seconds away from biting the big one! Luckily, I was able to pull the plug out at the last second!"

Again, the workers shared a silent glance between themselves before addressing Wendy's accusations.

"That…can't be right…"

"All of our methods are perfectly safe." Hans stated with confidence in his voice.

"Well," Wendy pointed towards the direction she came. "See for yourself!"

Hans moved past Wendy, following the trail of muddy footprints she had accidentally left. Mabel hopped off her seat and began to leap to the exit. "Hang on! I'm coming, too!"

"Nein…nein…" Klaus gently halted her, "Let's get you undone first. We wouldn't need you to get yourself hurt…"

As the man started to unwrap Mabel from her seaweed insulation, Wendy chased behind on Hans's heels to the scene of the incident. Just before she made it back to the room, Wendy could hear the pitter-patter of her smaller friend coming up from behind.

The supervisor walked around the various splashes of mud and analyzed the tub where Wendy had bathed. He scooped his index finger into the remnants and bought the sample to his face. He sniffed the sample, and immediately turned his sights towards his partner.

Klaus followed Mabel into the room, his face pointed towards the ground as he loyally cleaned Wendy's tracks with a fresh towel.

"KLAUS!" Hans rushed towards the unsuspecting cleaner and began to angrily shout at him in German. Klaus stood up and returned the favor in the same foreign tongue, leaving both Wendy and Mabel unsure of what was happening at the moment.

After a moment of blaring back and forth, they moved in union towards Wendy. Hans clasped his hands together, "Fraulein Corduroy, we have made such a terrible mistake. For this, we must beg your forgiveness…"

Wendy remained on guard, "I'd say it was a little more than a "mistake." How could you guys leave the flow going like that?"

"I'm afraid you do not understand exactly," he continued. "It wasn't that the pumps were left on. They were closed when we left with Fraulein Pines. The problem is that the mixture used wasn't our spa's special mud blend as originally promised. Instead, you were accidentally given a high-concentrated quicksand compound…"

"Whoa! Hang a sec!" Wendy made a time out motion with her hands. "How- How does one confuse mud with quicksand," she asked with a sense of disbelief in her voice. "And why would your company even use it in the first place?!"

Klaus pushed past his partner, "Perhaps I can try to explain – in the spa business, we – we get several unique requests depending on the needs of our most…peculiar guests."

"And such was the matter in this case," Hans jumped in. "How would one say this; many of our most…um…rounder guests…"

"Buoyant, or more glandular." Klaus added.

"Yes, it is a special treatment for such people, but as for someone with a thinner and more fragile frame like yours…"

"It is like tossing them deep into a ravenous bog…"

"So it wasn't that the flow didn't shut off…" Wendy concluded.

"The sand was pulling you into the bottom to stay…"

The sobering realization struck Wendy like a ton of bricks. Granted, she had been in similar situations in her younger years, occasionally getting her boots trapped while playing in mud patches in the woods (where a getaway was easily made by abandoning her footwear and fleeing home in her stocking feet).

However, this was something of a totally different nature. The spirited girl escaped a literal death's grip by mere inches. And it was going to take more than a simple apology to make it right."

"To make up for the inconvenience," Hans offered an olive branch. "We shall give another unique treatment to your service today. Free of charge, of course!"

Wendy waved her hand, "That's okay. I think we're done for the day – "

Mabel latched onto her buddy's wrist. "Hold on!" She turned towards her new crushes. "Give us a sec?"

She pulled Wendy into the opposite corner of the room and whispered up to her, "What are you doing? You want to go home already? They're even tossing more free stuff at us!"

Wendy bent down so that she would remain out of earshot, "Sorry, Mabel, but that was way too close of a call. Besides, there's some weird about those guys. I don't really trust them…"

"Oh, come on!" Mabel complained. "Where's my Wendy that isn't afraid of anything and ready to jump in, feet first to any challenge out there?"

"I never said I was afraid! You know "Danger's" my middle name."

"I thought Dipper said it was Blerble…"

"WHAT?!" Wendy asked in outrage. "He told you that?!"

"…kinda…" Mabel had no intention on telling Wendy the truth; that she had seen the name "WENDY BLERBLE PINES" written (and promptly scratched out) in several of her brother's notebooks.

"Well, never mind that. I still think it's not a good idea to stick around here…"

"Please, Wendy?" Mabel pleaded. "I swear, if you say "yes," I promise I won't leave your side. That way, I'll make sure nothing bad happens…"

Wendy tried to look away from the beseeching brown eyes staring her down, only to see that the adults across the room gave off similar nervous glares, leaving the ginger to wonder if their jobs may be on the line.

With an overwhelming amount of pressure and guilt being placed on her shoulders, Wendy finally caved in.

"…Yeah…okay, then."

"YES!" Mabel jumped for joy. She pointed towards Hans and Klaus. "Fellas, the pampering is back on! Lead the way to our next step!"

"Of course. Follow us please…" The men headed towards the exit, preparing to lead the girls to their new promised event.

"Let's go, Wendy!" Mabel hauled the doubtful youth along for the ride.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!"

Before being jerked out of the room, Wendy took one last look at the structure that had previously held her prisoner, wondering if she had made the right choice by agreeing to another one of Mabel's whims…