Trying to look as normal as possible, Pacifica and Gideon make their way to the Gravity Falls Library with an intense speed-walk. Being Pioneer Day, the crowds are thick and pack in the streets, everyone in character to the 1860s and enjoying themselves to the many small shops and pioneer activities.
Many of the towns folk stop and say hi to them, Gideon and Pacifica being as polite as possible. Some of the people question why Gideon's clothes are all muddy, wondering if he is hurt or not. He quickly lies and explains that he has just fallen after not watching where he was going, and that he has yet to find time to change. It is a reasonable answer, and everyone accepts it.
"Do you want to stop by your house so you can change clothes?" Pacifica asks when a group of people pass them. "I'll be fine on my own for a little while."
She can see that the stickiness and stiffness of his clothes makes it very uncomfortable for him. But Gideon simply smiles and shakes his head.
"I'm fine. These are my only pioneer clothes anyway and I want to keep in the spirit of things. It's fine, really."
Pacifica raises an eyebrow, not entirely convince. Just as she is about to press the subject more, from the corner of her eye, she spots someone leaving from the library. She quickly turns to see that they are a pair of brunette twins, and immediately, she figures those two are the Pines Twins.
"Is that them, Gideon?" Pacifica asks, her eyes closely following the twins' movements.
Gideon moves closer to her.
"Y-yes," he answers in a shaky voice. "They must have found what they were looking for in the library."
Even though they are a fair distance away, Pacifica and Gideon can clearly hear Mabel as she exclaims loudly, "Yay! To the museum~ To the museum we go~"
They can also hear Dipper try to keep her down, though he is not as loud as she is. They start to head north, towards the direction of the Gravity Falls Museum of History. Making sure there is a good distance between them, Pacifica and Gideon follow.
"I can see what Bill meant by them having 'personal issues,'" Pacifica comments. "What is she, a two year old?"
She watches Mabel running all over the place, dancing, skipping, and doing anything to get herself attention. It is hard to tell if she knew that this is inappropriate behavior, and is doing it anyway, or is completely oblivious and is stuck in her own little world. Either way, Pacifica feels a great dislike for her, and her brother doesn't seem any much better, with how much pride he seems to have as he walks.
Gideon nods in agreement.
"I don't know. She is the one who tackled me in the first place. Dipper said she just came out of therapy, so I'm afraid to see if what she was like before now..."
He shivers at the thought.
It does not take long for them to arrive at the history museum, which is incredibly packed. With the holiday, there is free admission to the museum, which makes getting in seem easy. But the difficult part will be keeping track with Dipper and Mabel, for they could all be easily lost within the crowd. The twins enter first, both receiving a balloon from the free event. They quickly go inside, Dipper complaining about there being so many people while Mabel is having the time of her life. Pacifica and Gideon enter next, Pacifica refusing to take a balloon while Gideon takes his pink one with a small smile.
The museum is pack, but not too pack to where it is impossible to move around. Interestingly enough, the twins do not go far into the museum, stopping in front of an abstract sculpture. It is of a stone triangle with many lines carved into it, not really having any significant meaning to it. Dipper stands straight in front of it, studying it carefully, while Mabel sits on a bench and sings to herself. Pacifica watches behind a wall, being careful not be seen as Gideon does the same.
From his jacket, Dipper takes out a book with a maroon cover. She can only see the corner of it, but Pacifica has no doubt that it is one of the journals. She tightly grips the edge of the wall, her eyes wide. What is he looking at? Is it about the Northwest Conspiracy, or how to find out more about it? She is desperate for answers, and it kills her inside not to just walk up to him and demand for them. Many theories go through her mind, trying to explain what this conspiracy could mean, when suddenly, she hears a loud cry from Mabel.
The crazy girl is sitting upside down on the bench, pointing at the sculpture like she has solved an extremely hard math problem. Dipper gives his sister a strange look, but then slowly turns back around and cocks his head to the side. He gasps, claiming that Mabel is a genius and forces her to get up. They then quickly head for the exit, Pacifica and Gideon taking cover as the twins dash right pass them.
"What was that about?" Gideon asks puzzled. "I couldn't tell what they were looking at."
"I don't know," Pacifica replies, seeing the twins fade into the crowd. "But I do know I saw Dipper with a journal just like mine. Come on!"
Grabbing Gideon tightly by the wrist, she rushes out of the museum in an effort to catch up with the twins.
"Pacifica, slow down!" Gideon cries, dragging his feet to help prevent them from running into people.
However, it is clear Pacifica does not care, her eyes glaring right in front of her in a desperate search for the Pines Twins. They come running out of the museum and out of the crowd. Pacifica stops where she is, searching wildly in all directions for any hint of the twins. But they are gone from view, no trace of them with so many people scattered all over the place. Gideon pants heavily beside her, claiming her to be crazy.
"...Seriously, Pacifica. You really need to calm down about this." He takes a moment to catch his breath. "I know that what Bill said upset you, but you can't get worked up like this. At this rate, we could accidentally run into someone and get them hurt or..."
He cuts himself off. Pacifica blinks, noticing that his brown eyes seem distant.
"Gideon...?"
She snaps her fingers in front of his face, to where eventually he snaps out of his trance. He blinks a couple of times, getting the sleep out of his eyes before looking up at her.
"Bill just told me where the twins are heading," Gideon explains. "They are heading for the...graveyard. Towards an angel statue."
Pacifica raises an eyebrow. "An angel statute?"
Out of all the places she has been to in Gravity Falls, living here her whole life, she has never been to the local cemetery. She has never had anyone close to her die before, and it always makes her feel uneasy to be in an area with so much death.
Gideon nods his head.
"Yep. Bill's shadow will show us the way."
Looking down on the ground in front of them, they can see Bill's silhouette appear in between their shadows. Seeing that he has both of their attentions, Bill flies off towards the direction of the graveyard, Pacifica and Gideon follow close behind. Going through crowds of people is difficult, but from where the museum is, it does not take long for them to reach the cemetery. The steel gates are already wide open, indicating that someone has already went inside. Pacifica and Gideon stand in front of the gate, a small hint of hesitation from both of them as Bill's shadow goes inside. They turn to each other, sensing the other's uneasiness.
"...I guess we had to expect coming here at some point," Gideon says with a weak smile. "After all, where is the best place to store long lost town secrets? With its past people."
Pacifica nods her head slowly.
"Y-Yeah. And let's...not waste any time."
Once again they both stare at the gate. A moment passes, before they start to take a step into the graveyard.
"Whataya kids think you're doing?"
Icy cold hands touch both Gideon and Pacifica's shoulders. They both scream and jerk away, Gideon looking like he is about to have a heart attack while Pacifica prepares herself for some kind of attack. They both tense up, seeing that the person who spooked them is the crazy, half dressed Old Man McGucket. Cautiously, Pacifica grabs Gideon and pulls him behind her, keeping her cold eyes on the old man. McGucket's eyes move wildly between the two of them, an unnatural look in his dark gaze.
"You kids shouldn't be here," he says. "Cemeteries aren't safe, even in the light."
He takes a moment to study them again, though it is hard to tell what he is looking for exactly. Pacifica narrows her eyes, not sure how to reply, afraid that saying the wrong thing could set the old man off. Gideon clears his throat.
"We're...looking for someone. We think they might have accidentally came in here."
He steps forward, trying to appear as innocent and polite as possible. McGucket blinks, but before he can question anything, Gideon continues.
"We have some new friends here in Gravity Falls and we told them to...meet us at one of the local parks. Me and Pacifica waited there for awhile, and when they didn't come, we think they might have gotten lost here. There is a park here in the cemetery, after all."
His smile grows. There is a small silence, McGucket's expression still firm and stoic. Pacifica fears for the worse, again getting Gideon behind her and taking a step back. McGucket does not react to it, however the look in his eye makes a chill go down her spine. A look of paranoia, a look of fear and survival instinct taking over.
"No... No, people don't just 'get lost' in a cemetery!"
He starts to approach them, like he is ready to attack them. Gideon and Pacifica try to make sure the same amount of space stays between them, but the old man presses on. McGucket rambles on, mentioning something about the undead and other creatures that make their home in cemeteries. Unexpectedly, in the middle of his rant, he stops where he is, his eyes giving a blank stare. Pacifica and Gideon watch, stiff and tense.
"N-no... No!"
With his dark eyes growing wide with terror, McGucket turns around and runs off. He cries and screams like a rabid dog, dashing towards the safety of the town. It does not take long for him to disappear completely from view, Pacifica feeling her heart rate go back to normal.
"What...what just happened?" Gideon asks, mostly as a rhetorical question. "For a second there, I really thought he was going to attack us!"
"Me too," Pacifica replies.
She pauses, thinking about what McGucket said about the undead and how even in the light the cemetery is not safe. Is that the ramblings of a man long past his prime or is there some meaning behind it? Pacifica reminds herself that she will need to look this up in her journal later. But for now...
"Pacifica! Bill has found the statue!"
Shaking herself out her thoughts, she turns around to see that Gideon has already went ahead. Picking up her skirt, she runs after him, seeing that he is standing in front of a statue of an angel pointing towards the right. On the white marble statue, she can see Bill's shadow, him gesturing to the statue's pointing hand. Pacifica blinks while Gideon circles the statue to see if he can find any secrets.
"I don't see anything unusual about this statue..."
She keeps her eyes on the pointer finger, Bill showing some keen interest in it.
"...Is there something we need to trigger, Bill?"
In reply, Bill's silhouette floats back and gives what looks like a nod. Pacifica comes closer to the statue. It is fairly tall, especially with it being set on a large pillar. The pointing hand is far too high for Pacifica to reach by herself, even on her tippy-toes, as she stretches as far as she can. She grunts.
"Grr...crap. It's far too high."
Seeing what she is doing, Gideon comes to her side.
"Hmm," he murmurs, analyzing what Pacifica is trying to do. "...Maybe if you can lift me high enough, like I stand on your back or something, I can reach it. If there is going to be a trigger to unlock a secret door or something, that pointer finger may be the key."
It takes a moment for Pacifica to reply.
"...Okay. Though I can only hold you for a short time."
She gets down on all fours right below the pointing hand, having Gideon climb onto her back. He has taken his shoes off, so the only thing that is hurting her is Gideon's weight. She takes in deep breaths of air, her arms and legs shaking as she struggles to keep him up.
"...D-do you almost have it?" Pacifica asks, her voice shaking.
Gideon stretches as much as he can, him being barely able to reach the pointer finger.
"...Almost..."
He grabs the pointer finger, and at that same moment, Pacifica's back gives in and she falls flat on her stomach. Gideon tries to hold onto the statue, however gravity pulls him back to the ground. The finger breaks off as he falls, him landing right on top of her. Right beside them, a hidden door unlocks itself upon the finger breaking off, the door sliding underneath the statue to reveal a stone stairway going down. Both Pacifica and Gideon stare at this, their eyes wide with awe.
"Wow," Gideon says in amazement. "It's just like something you would see in the movies..."
Pacifica grunts, immediately pushing him off of her and getting onto her feet.
"Ow... For a little guy, you sure are heavy!" she exclaims. "Seriously, how much do you weigh?!"
Gideon's chubby face turns a faint shade of red.
"Err...sorry, Pacifica."
She sighs in reply, her eyes now on the trap door.
"Come on. Who knows if the Pines Twins are already down there."
With no hesitation, she goes inside. Gideon delays himself before following, taking a moment to see if it is safe to go down there. But Pacifica does not wait for him, already being too engrossed with the mystery to care. It does not take long for Gideon to catch up, careful as he takes each dusty step. They are going deep underground, the air around them being very moist and cold compared to the hot and dry summer air. The further they go down, the harder it gets to see in the pure darkness, almost to the point Pacifica can't see her own feet.
"Do you think there is a torch further down?" Gideon questions, feeling the walls. "I didn't see one at the entrance."
"It would have been stupid for the person who made this not to include one," Pacifica answers. "They would need to include one in order to-ack!"
She cuts herself by almost tripping over the last step, it being extremely uneven compared to the others. Gideon almost crashes into her, but he is able to stop himself at the last minute.
"Are you okay?"
Pacifica takes a second to stabilize herself.
"...Yeah. I'm fine. Just watch your step."
She moves to the side, hearing Gideon taking a careful step down.
"So...now what do we do?" he asks. "We got passed the stairs, but there's gotta be some kind of trap down here."
"I agree," Pacifica adds, squinting her eyes in some hopes of being able to see. "Maybe if we keep near the walls we shall be fine..."
She moves to the side so that Gideon can get right next to her. They are about to continue onward, when in the far distance, Pacifica can see a faint light illuminating further down. It starts out as a faint blue light, but then morphs into a red orange flame. Another flame comes up, a little closer and on the opposite wall. And then another, and then another...
Finally, the entire hallway is lit up. Pacifica's eyes widen and Gideon gasps, seeing that there parts of the stone flooring that are uneven and clearly stand out.
"...Floor triggers," Pacifica whispers, seeing that the uneven tiles are scattered all over the way. "We need to be careful. Or we might..."
She can see little holes in the wall, meant to hold darts and shoot them once the trap is triggered. She can feel a cold feeling wash over her, knowing that one wrong move could put her or Gideon in danger. Though the flames gave limited light, she can see Bill's figure on the floor before them.
"...Gideon, follow me very closely," Pacifica orders, her eyes on Bill. "Step only on the places I step on and don't go any other way."
She can hear Gideon's breathing grow heavier, but he says nothing against it. Having Bill's shadow go a step ahead, Pacifica follows, stepping in the exact same place his shadow once was. They do this the entire way through, Pacifica and Gideon holding in their breath they only focus on their next step. After what seems like a century, they finally come across safely. Gideon lets out a heavy sigh of relief, leaning against the wall and taking a moment to compose himself.
"...Gosh! That was scary."
Pacifica nods in agreement, her body becoming less tense. She sees that Bill's silhouette is right next to hers where she gives a weak smile as thanks.
Looking towards her left, a faint amount of sunlight catches Pacifica's eye. Her eyes grow wide, slowly approaching a small room filled with dusty documents and ancient artifacts. The smell of mold and dust swirls pass her nostrils, indicating that no one has been in the room for many, many years. She comes across a dusty wooden desk, one that looks like it was made in the mid 1800s. She touches it gingerly, lifting up the dust and staring at it carefully.
"...Gideon, are you seeing this?" Pacifica asks in awe. "I think...we've just made our made our first major discovery."
She hears Gideon enter the room and gasping at the sight.
"Oh my..."
Pacifica is too much in trance to really pay attention to what Gideon is doing, opening the handcrafted desk's drawer to see if she can find anything else.
"What's this?"
Feeling a lightheadedness come to her, Pacifica leans forward against the desk and Bill because visible to her. He stares curiously inside it, his blue tint somewhat darker.
"I..."
His words trail off.
"...I think that is something important."
Taking his word, Pacifica reaches inside the desk and feels something leathery touch her finger tips. She takes a hold of the object, pulling it out carefully. Both she and Bill study it; seeing that what she picked up is a very old journal of some kind, with a faded leathery cover and aging yellow paper. Pacifica opens the journal, seeing it is filled with sketches and drawings, all of the Gravity Falls wilderness.
"Wow...these drawings are really good."
She is impressed by the incredible detail that is put into the drawings, even recognizing some of the landmarks. This sketchbook could be worth a fortune, a valuable piece of history.
"...I think you should keep a hold of that, Paz," Bill says. "I think it may become important later on."
Pacifica blinks, noticing his dazed look.
"...You okay?" she asks, concerned.
Bill takes a moment to reply, gently moving his finger against the open page.
"...I feel like I'm trying to remember something," he finally confesses. "But...something...is blocking..."
He stops in mid sentence. With his blue glow becoming lighter, he takes out his cane and starts to mess with it.
"Oh well! I'll remember it eventually."
He gives a cheerful look towards Pacifica.
"Just make sure to take it with you, okay? I think you'll like it very much!"
"I..." Pacifica hesitates. "...All right. I'll do that, Bill..."
She avoids eye contact, feeling the words get caught in her throat. Bill lets out a heavy sigh.
"Really? You're still thinking about earlier? Come on, Paz, that was an hour ago!"
He hugs her head, Pacifica stiffening.
"I know you didn't mean it and I forgave you, like, five minutes after it happened. And you should forgive yourself too. No one is perfect, and really, I could have given the news to ya a lot better."
Bill hugs her tighter.
"So, we're good?"
Pacifica tries to meet his gaze. A part of her feels amazed that he can forgive her so quickly for practically threatening him and making it seem like it is no big deal. It is just like Gideon, how he can find sympathy for the worse of people. She can't understand this type of thinking, to be so open and forgiving. But it is very admirable to her as well.
"...Yeah, we're cool," Pacifica finally says with a small smile. "And I-"
"Pacifica you've gotta see this!"
Taking her out of Bill's trance, Pacifica becomes fully awake, shaking her head to get her thoughts straight. She notices that she still has the sketchbook in her hands, holding it close to her chest as she turns to find Gideon.
"What is it, Gideon? What did you find?"
She sees that Gideon is standing on the other side of the room, staring down at a large newspaper article.
"Pacifica, you need to read this," he says in a small voice. "It...might answer your questions about that conspiracy."
He moves to the side, where Pacifica has enough room to see. Holding onto the sketchbook tighter, she walks up to it. She is shocked to see sketches of what looks like her great, great grandfather, two of them right next to the text of the article.
The one on the top looks like the many paintings she has seen of her ancestors, a rough looking man with a long dark hair and beard. He appears dignified, high class, everything that makes a Northwest. The second sketch right below it is of Nathaniel Northwest again, but this one portrays him as an older man with untamed hair and beard with large wrinkles and circles under his eyes. There is a crazed look in his drawing's eyes, a cross eyed look with a grin that does not look natural. Pacifica stares at the two sketches, her eyes moving between the two and comparing them.
"This...this doesn't make any sense," she says, mostly to herself. "According to this article, it says that Nathaniel Northwest was some kind of loon. A man so out of his mind that he couldn't lead a heard of mindless sheep."
Her heart skips a beat as she reads out loud one of the paragraphs.
"'Let it be here recorded that Nathaniel Northwest, one of the famous first people to settle Gravity Falls, has completely lost himself to madness just like almost all of the founding families. It is unknown what has caused this, but the once overly proud, high standing man now speaks in a series of grunts and screams; often now yelling his trademark phrase: 'I am going to eat this entire oak tree because I am a powerful wizard!' He has often labeled himself as the founder of Gravity Falls, but even before his madness, it is misleading. The real founder disappeared months after the town was discovered, and is known as Sir Lord Quentin Trembley III, who Northwest...stole the glory from...'"
There is a long silence, Pacifica's legs shaking as she rereads that paragraph over and over again.
This...this couldn't be true! There is nothing in her family records that suggest her great, great grandfather had gone mad, and is a fraud no less! How can this be possible? How can a piece of history this important have been lost for so long?
"'...Sir Lord Quentin Trembley...'"
Gideon takes a moment to think.
"...I've never heard of that name before. I wonder who this guy is?"
"That's what we would like to know too."
Pacifica and Gideon freeze. They slowly turn around, coming face to face with the brown gazes of Dipper and Mabel Pines.