For three days Sue continued to search for answers about Dr. Seifert with Winnie's help, but information was scarce. They didn't dare peel at the fragile band-aid Gravity Falls had put on by poking around and asking people. Whatever the internet offered them was all they got. From this, they knew the man had died seven years ago in prison, but not even the authorities had a full picture of the extent of his crimes.

It left Sue wanting. "Maybe he was just... evil."

Her twin was faring little better, slumped back against the sofa with her eyes hidden. "Thinking about it is exhausting. I want to know why the Mystery Shack feels so similar."

"Hmm. We can't just come out and ask."

Winnie dropped her hand and sighed. "I know. I'm surprised they haven't called us. It's been a while."

"Let them have their space." Sue was now browsing the news – which only succeeded in making her feel even worse. "What awful stories," she pointed out, closing her laptop. "At least we're not across the sea. We'd be getting shot at."

Winnie issued a single nod. "Right. I know about war, but I'd rather you didn't – so we'd better be careful in keeping the peace around these parts while we find out what's going on."

An amused smirk appeared at Winnie's phrasing. "'Around these parts'. Which is what I've been saying all along." Someone's smartphone was ringing; Sue reacted first, raising her hand and allowing it to zip through the air into her open palm. "Hello?"

"Hey! Uh... Sue. I think. Please tell me you're Sue." It was Dipper, and based on his voice the extra days between him and learning the truth about the old hospital seemed to have helped.

"You got it," she confirmed. "Thought you'd forgotten about us."

"Ha! Nah, we've just been busy helping Grunkle Stan prepare for the... I don't know what he's calling it. Some kind of party. I think he might be serious about the free admission this time."

Sue had quietly put him on speaker so Winnie could hear. They shared a curious look. "Is this an invitation?" the blue-eyed woman asked, an eyebrow slightly raised.

"Whoa, hey. Kinda, I mean, we haven't seen you around in a couple of days. Neither has anybody else."

Mabel, from what seemed like Dipper's immediate vicinity, chimed in at full volume. "Yeah, where the heck have you been?"

"Thanks. Now I'm deaf. Any—hey! Give me those chips!" The dulcet tones of sibling combat poured into their living room for a few moments. "You're just as much a pig as Waddles is! That was supposed to be my bag!"

"What did you call me?! I will cut you, boy!"

"Aaaaaah!"

Their faces screwed up again as they were treated to an encore of Dipper and Mabel bickering. "I'm glad we don't fight," Sue sighed with an eye roll.

Winnie's head tilted at the sounds. "Mm. We're theoretically more mature than that.

A victorious Mabel continued the phone call. "Don't pout at me. There are some things you just don't say to a girl." She drew a breath and took on a much happier tone. "Dipstick also wanted to let you know he got the journal back! Wanna read about some flowers that sing opera?"

Now they had the twins' interest. "Hmm," Winnie mused, rubbing her chin. "I certainly would."

"Cool. We'll make sure you get in without any Stan harassment. And please drive. I need money for yarn so I'm thinking I could charge people to sit in your car and get their picture taken."

That was too much for Dipper to take. "Geez! I'm gonna start calling you Grunkle Mabel!"

"Excuse me, do you think these awesome sweaters grow on trees?" A pregnant pause was next. "...can I look at the journal? I wanna see if there's a sweater tree."

"No! Last time I let you we ended up with the truth teeth!"

"Could we come over now? Before the crowd arrives," Winnie butted in, hoping to stop a third round of fighting.

"Of course. Just, uh, expect to get drafted for party prep if you do," Dipper advised.

"And bring your car!" Mabel yelled in addition.

"All right. We're on our way."

"Bye!" Sue added before hanging up. "Looks like you're about to get your wish."

Winnie had already summoned her sneakers in the same way Sue had the phone. She slipped them on and started toward the door. "Oh, yes." They emerged into a gorgeous, sunny day, where the sky was full of cheerful white cotton balls. "Do you want some earplugs?" she inquired as they entered the Lamborghini, a wry smile on her face.

Sue returned her sarcasm with a half-smirk. "Shut up and drive, sister."

They arrived roughly twenty minutes later. Winnie decided to park right out front, where Wendy and Dipper were struggling to hang up some sort of lights above one of the porches.

"Hey," the redhead greeted as they emerged from the car. "Where ya been hidin'?"

"Oh, lounging around and sleeping off the funk," Sue smiled brightly. "Seen anymore dead dinosaurs?"

Wendy's face screwed up. "Nah, thank goodness. I heard they found the head of the one we saw up on Route 33, though."

Dipper, on a ladder and fighting a tangle of cabling, added, "We decided to just take their word for it." He fought on with it, nearly falling off once or twice. "This stuff is worse than Christmas lights!"

"Dude, don't pull! You're just gonna make it tighter." Wendy flashed a hopeful smile as the twins came over. "Could you give us a hand? Mabel and Soos are inside dealin' with the food and stuff. Hope Waddles doesn't eat it all before the party starts."

Grumpiness had already tainted Winnie's expression, thanks to the pervasive sensation that clung to everything in sight. Sue didn't appear to be far behind; both women, however, set aside the burden and put on a happier face. "I suppose," the blue-eyed woman replied. "What do we do?"

"Just hang 'em along the edge of the tin," Dipper instructed, coming down the ladder. He tossed the hopeless bundle to Sue. "Good luck with that." Wendy took up a position by their sports car to watch, which is where he moved to stand as well.

"Ooo, a puzzle." A puzzle at which she immediately and subtly cheated, using her power to trace one end's path through the Gordian knot. While her fingers made a show of untangling, it was her gift that actually did the work. "Finished!" she exclaimed happily, holding it above her head.

"You have got to be kidding me!" a stunned Dipper yelled.

Winnie was already up on the ladder, where she found the nails and hammer the boy had left behind. "That hole is driving me crazy," she grumbled to Sue, figuring there was enough distance to keep the discussion private.

With fluid motions, she fed the strand up so Winnie could nail it to the siding. "Same. What could be going on down there?"

"I don't know, but I have an idea about finding out."

"Oh?" Sue watched her tap the nails into place. "How?"

"In a minute."

Dipper and Wendy approached as she finished up, eying her handiwork. "Nice," the redhead approved. "You wanna do the rest?" Her smile said she was joking, but he urged them via a series of frantic nods and hand gestures to take her up on it.

"We kind of want to go inside," Sue denied gently, a nervous grin on her face.

"...crap," Dipper groaned. "I guess I'll move the ladder. We'll be inside in a minute. I hope. Probably not."

Wendy gave him a pat on the back. "Can't win 'em all. I'll climb up this time."

The Shack offered little relief from the penetrating sting of whatever leaked from the pit, but at least the twins were now alone in the gift shop. Winnie stared at Dipper through the windows until he'd gone out of sight. "We're going to wait until the party's distracted everyone," she stated lowly. "Then we're jumping in that pit."

"Hmm. Okay." Sue beat on the side of her head with the heel of her hand. "Ungh. My brain is starting to hurt. Can we really stay here that long?"

The blue-eyed woman stared at her palms. "We have protection. As long as no one sees us use it." With that out of the way, finding Mabel was their next priority. A check in the living room yielded nothing; the kitchen was equally empty. Before long they realized they were wandering through a layout that made at least one of them suspicious.

"The outside of this place does not fit the inside," Sue determined as they entered the museum area. "It's so big in here. I don't understand."

She was already annoyed enough, but laying eyes on the 'Invisible Man' – string and all – made Winnie glower. "So this is what passes as a museum? Come on, let's go the other way."

At last they stumbled upon a large room with a floor made mostly of enormous, polished checkerboard tile. Mabel and Soos were fussing around a long table dotted with cups, forks, plates, and a large glass bowl.

"What if we put Pitt in the punch?" he asked thoughtfully. "Nobody expects fizzy punch."

"No, no, it'd go flat. You wanna drink flat Pitt, even if it is hidden by punchy goodness?" He shook his head quickly. "Thought so. Keep thinking." Mabel had a list in her hand, boldly titled 'ideas for the best punch in history ever'. "Wait! Jalapeno peppers! A punch with kick!" She attempted a roundhouse for emphasis and nearly fell over. Her spin left her facing the identical twins. "Hey!"

"Hello – and I like peppers," Winnie greeted quietly. A hug from the girl served to take the edge off the invisible prodding from outside. "Nice to see you."

Soos offered a smile and wave. "'Sup, dudes? Wanna help us with the punch?"

Sue laughed a little while shaking her head. "I wouldn't know where to start."

"Dang. Back to the drawing board." Mabel stepped away with a deeply thoughtful look, which burst like a bubble as she realized why they might really be here. "Lookin' for the journal? Ask Dip, he's outside somewhere."

"We saw him." But the awful vapor coming from the pit had caused Winnie to forget to ask about it. She knew then that something was seriously wrong. "...hmm."

Soos cocked an eyebrow at her expression. "You all right? Seem kinda tense. I got some really mellow music you could listen to. You know. Chill beats."

Mabel thought she had the answer. Her demeanor grew timid. "A-are you still mad at me for blurting out your secrets?"

Winnie did her absolute best to put on a smile, though she knew it probably still looked strained. "No, it's okay. Unless you told someone else."

The girl shook her head violently. "Nope. Wendy and Soos are cool, I promise."

"Sister," Sue mumbled, elbowing her gently in the side. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Oh. All right. We'll be right back."

The side entrance took them dangerously close to the object of their misery. Fortunately, they could hear Dipper and Wendy talking from the other side of the building. Sue beckoned her sister to follow and walked toward the woods. "We're not going to last until tonight."

"I know. It's much more volatile than what we felt in the hospital." Winnie came to a halt and leaned on a tree trunk. "What do you think we should do?"

She stared toward the sign marking the pit, just barely visible through the cedars. "Jump in. We definitely do not want to get agitated. Maybe we can find out what's going on and stop it."

"What if jumping in makes it worse?"

The red-eyed woman could produce no rebuttal. "Eh. Good point." They stared at the sign again until her face brightened with an idea. "What if I go alone?"

"Absolutely not, Summer."

Winnie's tone was so potent, so forceful, even Sue had to wince with fear – but she still had the courage to press on. "If something bad happens, you can stop me. You're strong enough. If we're both down there and it goes wrong... who's going to stop us?"

Sue had never seen a look so vulnerable – and at the same time breathtakingly intense – on her sister's face before. "I'd rather burn this planet to cinders than even consider hurting you." Silence made her look up. "Do you feel the same?"

Her idea was dying with every passing second. Part of her tried to brush it off by saying it was stupid anyway, but the truth lay elsewhere. Hurting Winnie was a concept she found equally repulsive. "You know I do." Back to the pit she looked, teeth lightly clenched. "I am so anxious. You're antsy again. We need an answer."

"Yes, we do." They crept back toward the edge of the trees, peering around for any sign of Dipper or Wendy. Faint echoes of a conversation indicated they were still on the other side of the house. "Come on."

"Now? Why are you in such a hu-" Her mouth shut abruptly. Sue already knew why; the same anxiety pulled at her nerves. "The pit. It's calling to us."

Winnie smiled widely – the word had been on the tip of her tongue ever since she had arrived in Gravity Falls. "Exactly. Let's answer."

They dashed through the clearing toward the pit, though the energy pouring from it stabbed harder with every step. While they meant to jump in, they were robbed of their motor skills by sheer sensory overload when they reached the edge, and so fell awkwardly into it instead. Once they were underground, however, the sensation mostly vanished.

"What happened?" Sue called over the noise of the wind. "Why is it so quiet?" And not just quiet. This was like falling through ink; the only way they knew there was anything around them were the echoes of her words.

"I don't know. Hold on." Winnie reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out her phone to light the way. She swept it around and found normal soil made up the walls, which soon became bedrock. "Let's slow down and get our bearings." Instead of falling in a skydiving position, she rotated to a feet-first one, pointed her palms downward, and began to slow. The phone, floating along near her head, matched the reduction in speed until both came to a stop. Sue, on her right, was hovering in a similar fashion. "Do you feel a push on your shoes?"

"A little?" The red-eyed woman fluttered over to the rock and pressed her hands on it. She called off her power and relaxed until she was hanging freely. "Now I definitely feel it." She smiled as Winnie latched to the rock beside her. "Cold, down here, huh?"

She rolled her eyes a bit and smirked. "As if the temperature ever bothered us."

They scaled the endless face, occasionally looking back up to see how tiny the spot of sky that marked their entrance had become. After about ten minutes of descent – according to the phone, at least – it vanished altogether. The farther down they went, the firmer the push became. Soon it was joined by wind that whipped Sue's hair around; instinctively they grabbed the rock with their fingertips, but there was no need. Their palms were fully adhered. "I feel like I want to fall up," she noted. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. "Sister! Sparks! Actual, genuine sparks! Below us!"

Winnie nodded in confirmation. "Weak ones, but... a lot of them. Let's drop and see what happens."

Once more they fell like bricks through the abyss, however this time they used their power to accelerate their descent. An almost equal shove against their travel appeared in seconds, but they had the force to overwhelm it and keep going until their shoes touched down on the rocky bottom of the pit. Scattered around them was trash of all sorts, including a broken box full of letters. Sue walked around the circular area, staring straight up into the darkness. Unlike the lights in the hospital, she understood these invisible voices perfectly. "They're trying to help us up!"

"I believe we've found out why Dipper and Mabel think this pit is bottomless." Enough air was blowing now to make even Winnie's slicked down locks move a bit. "Relax. We understand you. We're alright. We can fly."

The unseen sparks coalesced into a huge rainbow bubble of light, so big it was forced to bounce awkwardly against the rock walls. A tidal wave of soundless questions bombarded the twins' ears. "Okay, okay, one at a time," Sue shouted, hands raised for silence. "Oh, my brain. Seems a lot like home. Huh? We feel like you? Well, you feel like us. Trust me, we're just as confused as you are."

Winnie, arms crossed, took over the conversation. "What are you doing down here?" Her eyebrow cocked. "Trying to go home? I don't understand." She watched the bubble bounce against a certain spot on the rock over and over. "Through there? You can't dig?" Again, it bounced weakly off the stone. "I see. You don't have the strength." Face screwed up in thought, she went over to the spot and drove a fist against it. Cracks raced out and away from her knuckles, but it was the vibrations that attracted her interest. "I don't think this is just rock."

Sue was contemplating something else. "Sister, wait. If they're like us, how did they get here?"

"I..." Her face dropped before she looked back up at the rainbow blob. "That's a good point. How did you get here?" As it spoke, she cocked her head in confusion. "What do you mean this is the way you came in?"

"There's nothing around here but the Mystery Shack." Sue stepped back as the bubble started to gyrate frantically. "That's how you got here? Why can't you just go back that way, then?" Its fluctuations slowed to an odd, rhythmic wobble. "You can't remember how, only that you came from underneath it. Okay."

"What in the world could be under it?" Winnie asked, brow furrowed powerfully. "Ugh, as usual I ask questions and only get more questions."

The bubble was increasing in size from the top down as more sparks joined. "Hey, you're the screamers from the surface," Sue realized. "So that's why we felt you from so far. You really were calling out to us."

"Because we have the same signature and there's hardly any interference. They knew we had come to Gravity Falls and assumed we knew of a way back." Winnie moved closer and poked the blob with a slender finger. "We do, but maybe the way you got here is simpler. Let's try that first." She cracked her knuckles a few times and looked over toward the rock. "I suppose we need to start digging."

Sue denied her with a few points upward. "Later. The kids are going to get suspicious."

"True." Winnie switched to patting the iridescent blob. "We'll help you, but we might need some time. Would you give us a boost back up?"

With a final wobble, the colorful clump broke up and became invisible again. The twins suddenly felt what seemed like thousands of small hands pushing on their bodies, lifting them off the floor and into the abyss. With an assist from their own might, they rocketed up the pit at breakneck speed. "We have to talk to Stan!" Sue shouted.

"You ain't kidding!"

She couldn't stop a giggle. "Pff... ain't."

Ahead of them the small swatch of sky reappeared, then gained size at a remarkable pace. They stopped applying force and let the pit's own power push them the rest of the way, where they were spat out into the air as if bouncing off a trampoline. Winnie came down in a crouch on the grass, while her sister executed a series of somersaults and stuck the landing, arms out and grinning like a gymnast.

"Wow. 9.5!"

They looked over to see Mabel, Dipper, Soos, and Wendy, who applauded as Sue took a little bow. "Yeah, 9.5 seems about right," he added playfully. "Enjoy the pit?"

Winnie shrugged at him. "It was..." Silence derailed her train of thought. No more shrieking angst. No more beckoning. Only the rustling of the leaves and a much duller spark, fluctuating in intensity and coming directly from the house itself. She cocked a brow. "Enlightening."

"I'd ask how you jumped out of there," Wendy smiled lowly, "but at the rate this week's been goin' I think I'll keep my mouth shut."

"We'll explain later," Soos advised. "It's a pretty funny story."

She smirked up at him. "Neat. I could use a laugh. You wanna help me with the signage?"

"I get to use a hammer? Don't have to ask me twice!" They walked away toward the rear of the house.

Mabel giggled. "Poor Wendy. She's been run through the wringer." She giggled again at Dipper's hasty, lovestruck agreement – then loaded up a scold for the other twins. "We were kinda worried! Nearly called the police. You gotta be desperate to call the police around here," she groaned.

"Yeeeaaaah, I wouldn't call the sheriff, uh... effective," Dipper agreed. "Hey, Grunkle Stan called. When I told him you were here he asked if you'd pick up the food tab." He expected their stunned looks and shrugged. "Yeah. I know. He's actually, factually serious. How badly do you want me to tell him off?"

The twins shared an annoyed glance while trying to determine if now was the time to hammer the old man with their new questions. Sue shook her head a few times and smiled. "Let him down easy," Winnie decided.

"I'll do it. I gotta go make sure Waddles isn't pigging out." Mabel snickered to herself while walking back toward the door. "Hee. Pigging out."

Her brother watched her go for a moment before turning back to the twins. "Welp. You guys up for working your light string magic again? There's a bundle as big as Wendy. Totally serious."

The twins glanced around, enjoying the quiet for a moment. As such, they were in much better moods. "Oh," Winnie mused. "I don't see why not."

Professing a need to change clothes, Winnie and Sue had driven home about half an hour before the festivities were due to start. A few people had already shown up when they left. The real reason they departed was to get a new ethereal survey of the area without the magical shrieking from the pit casting a cloud. Their hilltop vantage point offered a vast perspective.

"It's amazing how much we can detect without any background noise," Sue noted, sipping from her mug as they stood on the front porch. "Doesn't it feel like there's something missing, though?"

"Yes." Winnie had her eyes trained on the one completely dark spot in an otherwise well-lit grid of streets: the Dusk 2 Dawn. "Why is there nothing where we know ghosts exist?"

"Hold on." After looking around for witnesses, Sue let her mug float. "We only felt the thing in the hospital after we got really close. If the stone was preventing us from detecting the power trapped in the pit, could the concrete have done the same thing?"

"Hmm. Possibly. It was weak enough, for sure. It wouldn't have needed much help to hide." Winnie paced a bit, arms crossed and staring at her sneakers. "If those were wisps of power we freed, that means they've been there for half a century. How did they get there? Why did they sound like children?"

Sue snatched her mug out of the air and groaned heavily. "Now I know how you feel. Every question splits into two or three. Like... what are they called? Amoeba."

Winnie glanced at her imposing black and silver wristwatch and blinked. "Mm, yes. We'd better get ready for the party, I suppose."

Their outfits didn't change much. Sue went with a deep red dress and heels, topped off by a glittering silver brooch shaped like a bird of some sort that clung to her right shoulder. Winnie, seeing no need for fanciness, simply changed into black jeans, kept her sneakers, and finished with a long-sleeved, light blue tee. Her sister's disapproval was almost palpable as they returned to the car. "Sister, wear a skirt for once. I tried it. You can try it too."

"No. I'm too used to pants," she replied while firing the engine. "Besides, I want to blend in. You know I don't get along well with... social functions."

Sue dismissed her concerns with a dainty wave – an odd motion coming from a woman that looked anything but dainty. "Oh, it'll be fine. I'll be there."

The Lamborghini shot through the evening like a bullet. In ten minutes of spirited driving they were back at the Mystery Shack – and there was a crowd, lined up in front of a table with a sign above it that proclaimed 'Get your picture taken in a car worth more than you!' and '$1' under the sentence. It was clearly Mabel's handwriting. In fact, she was sitting at the table taking bills. "Okay folks, single file!" they heard her yell as they got out of the vehicle. "That's it! Plenty of time. Oh, uh, hi girls!"

"You are..." Winnie's vocabulary failed. She rubbed her eyes and sighed. "Something."

The girl just shrugged and beamed at them. "Hey, mommy needs some new knitting needles. Also I kinda owe Dipper a few bags of chips. Like... seven. Or so."

"Uh huh. They are not sitting in my car, Mabel," Winnie warned her firmly as they walked past to go inside.

Mabel swallowed at her tone and quickly relented. "Whoa! Okay! Uh... well... dang it, I'm already in the hole enough with them. All right, new plan, everybody! Get your picture taken standing appropriately close to a car that's worth more than you! Any takers?" The volume of money coming her way didn't decrease. "Sweet. Waddles, you're gonna be my piggy bank for a – piggy bank! I kill me – for a little while, okay?"

Dipper met the twins just as soon as they'd closed the door behind them. "Hey! Welcome back. And I am so incredibly sorry." He motioned out the window to the crowd. "She's beginning to discover capitalism. I pray for us all."

"Perhaps I should get a less conspicuous vehicle, then," Winnie muttered unhappily. Sue's bright smile only made her glare. "Stop it. Just... stop."

"Yeah, it's the second biggest attraction in town behind this place. I dunno whether that's a bigger insult to Gravity Falls or to Lamborghini. Eh. Anyway, if you wanna see the journal, let me know. I'll be upstairs." He tipped his cap and departed.

They wandered into the floor room, where Wendy greeted them with a wave and smile, but no words due to the interesting music Soos was playing. The place was fairly packed. A lot of the other guests were people they had only seen in passing. Sue realized there weren't just people moving about once she got used to the flashing lights. "Sister...?"

"I know. I see them."

For some time, they disregarded it and tried to act natural by saying hello to people that came up to introduce themselves, milling about, stealing slices of pizza. Manly Dan was the final straw. "Dan Corduroy!" he boomed over the inane rap music, shaking both twins' hands at once. Their ability to return his strength made him hesitate for a split second. "Ooo, strong grip. Like that. Like that power. Welcome to Gravity Falls!"

Wendy, standing nearby, heard his compliment. Her jaw dropped. "Whoa. Did he just say what I think he said?"

The twins ignored her amazement; their focus was on the tiny gold ball of light orbiting her father's head that trailed him as he walked away. He wasn't the only one with a glowing stalker. Lazy Susan had one that hugged the hem of her dress. Bud Gleeful had one tagging along between his shoulder blades. By their count, one out of every six people in the room had a formless firefly hanging around. At Winnie's direction, they retreated to a corner to address the issue.

"Are you hearing what I'm hearing?" Sue asked, barely audible over the dubstep country music.

"Yes. It's quiet enough for them now to say goodbye," Winnie replied. She poked at her ears a few times. "Relatively speaking."

Her ruby eyes traveled over the crowd. "That makes me happy and sad all at once. But I'm confused."

"Same. We'll talk about it later." She motioned at Stan, heading up to the stage.

"Soos, I will pay you to turn that off," he begged gruffly. "Please. I gotta—I gotta address the crowd. Soos. Soos! You're making my hearing aids go deaf! Ple—thank you. Phew. Ladies and gentlemen!"

The rest of his words were lost to the twins, who were too busy tracking the tiny golden twinkle that ran circles around his fez. "Oh... oh my," Sue breathed, her eyes wide. "There's another question for us."

"Yes," Winnie nodded before taking another bite of pizza. "But let's let everyone have tonight. They've earned it."