Well here it is. I hope it was worth the wait. I know it's a little shorter than the others but I'm still proud of it. Start the fic.
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Pacifica was no stranger to flight with magical creatures. When she and Dipper got back home from their time travel adventure their memories from their childhood basically snapped back. Mothman had never taken her this high though. Houses had become dots, people became ants, and clouds... as it turns out clouds are wet. It looked like Pacifica was simply fated to get drenched no matter how much she complained. Anyways, she knew that struggling in the Jersey Devil's grasp would only most likely lead to her plummeting demise so she bit the bullet and allowed it. It was only after they started to soar over the water that Pacifica noticed he was lowering them, slowing down too.
Then she saw it. An ugly square prison sticking out of the water like a stone scab, a watchtower was stationed at each corner. They pierced the skies as if they were needles looking for an excuse to poke. The walls were cracked but sturdy, a large chunk of the front was missing at the top. It was very close to sea level, like at any moment the ocean would open up and swallow it whole.
The Jersey Devil started to lower themselves into the courtyard but instead of landing like Pacifica thought, once they reached a certain height they just sort of hovered in the air for a little bit. The only sound to be heard was the flapping of his own leathery wings. Then... he dropped her.
Pacifica screamed as she hit the ground with a sickening crack, she was pretty sure she broke her leg but she had no way of knowing exactly how bad until she could take a good look at it. A luxury she was certain her host would not allow.
"There. Now you can't run away."
Tears of pain ran down her face but Pacifica refused to sob. She wouldn't give this monster the satisfaction of hearing her cries of pain. She glared up at him and while she wasn't sure, she thought she saw him smirk.
"Is this where you wanted me to be?!" Pacifica spat. "Because let me tell you, I won't be able to get around at all with a leg like this!"
"Hmmm... You have a point." He stomped the ground three times. "ALICE!"
A ghostly woman floated up from the ground. She was a gothy looking teenager with a long bruise mark around her neck.
"Yes Master?" she asked dryly.
"Assemble the ghosts and have our 'guest' taken to her new suite."
"...Fine."
Out from the ground a great number of ghosts materialized. They all looked tortured in some way, each one had a unique brutal feature about them implying the way that they died. Some had holes in their bodies, others had odd injuries like necks so broken that their heads were hanging off of them at awkward angles. None of them were exactly easy to look at. It wasn't as distracting as the sheer size of how many ghosts were there; there was enough for an army.
The ghosts actually picked up her entire body and carried her off like some kind of haunted mosh pit. She knew she should complain, fight back even, but the truth of the matter was her leg simply hurt too much.
"That's it." Alice clapped her hands. "Get her to her cell so we can shackle her up." She let out a depressed sigh. "Not like we got much choice."
Meanwhile...
Dipper paced back and forth impatiently, angrily grumbling to himself. A field on the outskirts of town was the only place Mothman agreed to meet. Cities had become too aware of presence lately and therefore too scary to risk exposure. Dipper chalked it up to bad luck but Mothman was adamant about laying low. As impatient as he was, it was the Jersey Devil that still plagued his mind.
"I swear if that hoofed jerk harms one hair on her head I'm gonna laser cut his horns off!"
The sound of insect wings fluttering alerted him that Mothman had arrived. Mothman hovered in mid-air for a moment, trying for a graceful landing.
"About time you got here! What took you so long?!"
"Hey! I have a life outside of making deliveries for you and your girl!"
It was then he noticed Dipper was all alone. "Wait. Where is Pacifica?"
"That's why I needed you! She's been kidnapped!"
"Oh..." Mothman landed delicately. "Oh no. What happened?"
"Exactly what I was afraid was going to happen! The Jersey Devil took her when we were separated!"
"Oh no. Are-Are you okay?"
"No! I am not okay! That horned jerk is waiting for me and I know that if I go in there without something up my sleeve he will kill me... Or Pacifica! Or both!"
"Okay, I hear the urgency in your voice. How can I help?"
"You're basically our air mail. You zip across the country faster than anything I've ever seen. So I need you to go to one of the approved military bases and bring me back C4!"
"C4?!"
"And detonators! I'll make sure old Goat Breath never knows what hit him!"
Dipper had nearly shouted this and his left eye was beginning to twitch. Mothman tilted his head to the side in concern.
"...You good?"
"NO! As a matter of fact I am NOT! When Pacifica is in danger like this I feel like I'm going to lose my mind! Last time it was because of a blizzard, but THIS time... Oh ho ho ho! This time I actually have a physical opponent to take it out on! I finally found TRUE happiness and I might lose her because of my job history?! I DON'T THINK SO! I'LL..."
Dipper's rant was cut off as Mothman had thrown his arms around him in a hug.
"I... What?"
"You'll have to forgive me, Dipper. I'm still new to this whole hug-ging thing, but it looked like you could use one."
"I..." Dipper's unrelenting fury, at least for the moment, quelled. He found himself hugging back without even realizing it. "Thank you... I... I didn't know I needed this."
The hug broke and Dipper looked at Mothman with a much less insane smile.
"MOOOOO!"
"...Did you just moo at me?"
"Moths don't moo, Stupid! What do you think I am? Some kind of..."
"MOOOOO!"
From out of the bushes emerged a cow.
"Well this is random." observed Mothman. "There isn't even any farms nearby!"
This wasn't any ordinary cow however, it legs sprouting all over its body.
"I know this cow!"
"What?"
"Yeah, when I was a kid the family and I freed this cow from a petting zoo. Look! Ya see? You can tell because of the Mystery Shack sticker Grunkle Stan slapped on it! That was at the opposite side of the country though, guess ol' Octavia has been wondering the country ever since."
"Why does it have multiple legs?"
"Toxic sludge from the Northwest Mud Flap Factory."
"Didn't think nature would allow this!"
"I said the same thing first time I saw her."
'Maybe if I try a Mabel approach, Octavia will help me. She could be a giant help to me against the Jersey Devil.' thought Dipper.
He experimentally gave the cow a small neck cuddle which it gladly welcomed.
"So are like the two of you friends now?" asked Mothman.
"I... think?" Octavia nuzzled her nose into Dipper's chest. "This is usually Mabel's specialty, but it looks like she likes me. Which is good. Mothman, I'm thinking a little clearer now and about that order I wanted you to deliver..."
"You want me to bring you something else?"
"No. I want you to bring me more!"
"What?! Really?"
"Yes. Before I was just thinking about rescuing Pacifica but now that I'm thinking a little clearer I realize I also need to make sure this ends tonight. He needs to be hit so hard he doesn't get back up again."
"Wow!" Mothman rubbed one of his arms awkwardly for a moment, then he flew up into the air. "Okay. I guess I'll get you your explosives then."
"I'll meet you at the shore to the prison island fortress."
"That's specific."
"Just go! We've wasted enough time!"
Mothman darted off into the sky and Dipper decided to try something bold with the cow. He got onto the cow's back and sat on it like it was a horse. To his surprise it didn't kick or buck him off, it didn't resist the action at all.
"I knew we were good but I didn't think you were this grateful!"
"Moo."
"Okay... um... March." Dipper awkwardly pointed back to town. "I guess!"
"Moo!"
"...Fair enough... Please?"
"Moo."
Octavia started moving and Dipper took this moment to do a little self reflecting.
"I'm not sure which is more concerning, that I'm talking to an eight legged cow or that it can understand me."
Prison Island Fortress...
Pacifica was put in a prisoner cell down on the first floor. There wasn't much to the room, there was no toilet or even a bed. What it did have was shackles, shackles which were chained to the wall. A total of four, one for each limb. These shackles found their homes on Pacifica's wrists and elbows, yes even the broken leg found itself shackled. This on its own would have been bad enough, her leg was obviously going to get worse under these conditions, but her wrist shackles had her suspended in the air and with the ones on her ankles... let's just say it wasn't looking good.
On the opposite was a large window leading out into the courtyard. Three iron bars found their homes inside the window from its roof to its floor. They were pretty thick too, even if Pacifica was uninjured and not shackled she doubted if she could fit through them.
The ghost girl from earlier, Alice, finished locking her up and then leaned against the wall to Pacifica's right.
"Now all we got to do is wait for Master to return. Sigh..."
"You know he's evil. So why do you serve him?"
Alice raised an annoyed eyebrow at her. "Why? News flash! We aren't henchmen, we aren't flunkies, we aren't goons, we aren't minions... we're slaves! Each and every last one of us! Make no mistake! We. Have. No. Choice!"
"But how...?"
"We each made our own deal with the Jersey Devil, a creature that powerful could accomplish a lot, but his price is always the same. Our souls. Even without the slavery, every person here regrets the deal they've made with him."
"What was your deal with him?"
"Well... when I was alive I was a goth. Big shocker given my form of dress, I know. My family on the other hand were the exact opposite."
"And let me guess, they wished you weren't. Right?"
"Oh quite the opposite in fact. They loved everything about me, including my gloom. Looking back, I actually had it pretty good... if only I could have recognized it. No such thing as a perfect life though, I still found them insufferable with how much they gushed over me and tried to include me in on all the family activities."
Alice waited for Pacifica to interject or have some kind comment but she was silent. Hearing no objection, Alice continued.
"No matter what, they wouldn't leave me alone. I just needed some kind of break from them! Then I discovered the Jersey Devil was for real, I figured maybe he could use his demonic powers to … I don't know, freeze them in time... Or send them to Bermuda. Something, ANYTHING for me to get a break from them."
"..."
"He killed them. Every last single one of them. Mom, Dad, even my little brother. Their blood stained his claws and I was left with no one. I got my break from them like he promised. He just never bothered to tell me it was going to be a permanent one."
As Alice stared up at the ceiling in sorrowful remembrance Pacifica noticed the bruise mark that circled her neck.
"Your neck..."
"... I couldn't live with what happened, so I took the coward's way out. I thought he wouldn't be able to collect my soul if I already moved on to the next plane of existence but I was wrong. He was waiting for me. Even in death there is no backing out of a deal with the Jersey Devil."
"... Dipper will save me. Maybe he could do something for you too."
"I wouldn't be so sure of that. Nobody beats the Jersey Devil."
Meanwhile at the airport...
Mabel's right eye was twitching in annoyance. She had gotten to the right counter to book a cargo plane, but it was still taking forever.
"Okay Miss Pines, I'm back with the proper paperwork this time." announced the receptionist. "You said you wanted to bring along your pet pig...Woggles?"
"Waddles." Mabel seethed.
"Right, sorry. My bad. Waffles."
"Not! Waffles. Waddles!"
"Well I finally found the correct paperwork!"
"Good!"
"You just need to fill it out in triplicate!"
Mabel's eye twitch, for a moment, switched in triple gear. It was moving so fast that if someone were to see it in person they would swear Mabel was about to leap across the counter and attack the receptionist. Then, it just stopped. All of Mabel's anger, annoyance, and irritation vanished almost by magic.
"That... is it." Mabel's tone was almost shockingly calm.
Then Mabel jumped onto the counter and pulled out her wallet. "BY THE AUTHORITY INVESTED IN MY BY QUENTIN TREMBLEY, OUR EIGHT AND A HALF PRESIDENT OF THESE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, I HEREBY ORDER YOU TO BOARD ME AND MY PIG ON A FLIGHT TO NEW JERSEY!"
"Eighth and a half?" repeated the receptionist in confusion.
"YOU HEARD ME!"
"Ma'am even I believed..."
"Look at my wallet Stuffed Shirt!"
"...You're a congressman?!"
"Technically a congresswoman but the title is absolutely official! And if you ever want the US to bail out airlines again then you are going to make sure that my pig and I get to Jersey! And toot sweet!"
"Y-Yes Ma'am! S-S-Sorry Ma'am! Right away!"
"NEVER MESS WITH THE MIGHTY MABEL!"
Glass Shard Beach, New Jersey...
"This is bad." Dipper and Octavia were on the beach, trying to find a boat to charter. The problem was everything was either closed or the actual owners of the boats were too scared to make the journey. Even those who were ignorant of the Jersey Devil claimed the prison island was haunted.
"We can't save Pacifica if we can't get to her."
"Moooo!"
"You are shockingly good natured for a mutated cow."
A sudden image flashed in his mind of Octavia shooting down an eagle with laser eyes and then eating it.
"Please don't eat me."
"Moo."
"...Fair enough."
They kept trotting along the beach until Dipper noticed some planks being take out to sea by the tide.
"That's odd. I thought driftwood was supposed to wash ashore!"
More 'driftwood' appeared in the water and Dipper saw they were following a current from a small river leading inland. Inland to a little nook of a cave.
"Never could resist a good mystery."
He and Octavia followed the river, the sound of the water and Octavia's hooves in the sand offering only a small amount of comfort. Dipper took notice that the planks were old but not all that waterlogged. The river lead to a cave but it was all boarded up, it looked like the storm from earlier had done some damage to it.
"You stay here, Octavia. I've got to investigate."
He entered in through a hole in the barricade and pulled out a flashlight. The first thing he saw only cemented his need to investigate the cave. On the wall, written in black marker were the words "Stanley Pines".
"Okay, now I gotta know!" He quickly checked his wrist watch. "Better make it quick though!"
Dipper already had his suspicions but were starting to look like they were true as the cave opened up and water was becoming more evident.
"It couldn't be!" Dipper stated to himself as he moved in deeper. "It would have to be sitting here for like...I don't know, fifty years or something!"
Prison Island Fortress...
The Jersey Devil entered Pacifica's cell with what she could only guess was a smile on his face.
"Miss Northwest, I apologize for keeping you waiting. I hope you're comfortable."
"As comfortable as a woman with a broken leg who is being chained to the wall can be."
The Jersey Devil stood up straight almost stretching his neck in what looked like pride. "I offer no apology. If I shackled you unharmed then there was a chance you would escape and reunite with Dipper. I pride myself on my foresight."
"You're a real smart guy but tell me something! The other enemies of Dipper I've faced have all had a motive, some were a little vaguer than others, but it was something I could understand. With you, however, I don't get it."
"Hm. Intriguing. Go on."
"A ghost slave army, a pterodactyl goat pet, a prison island fortress...Impressive but to what end? Exactly what are you after?"
"Heh. The thing to understand about me Miss Northwest is that I've been around an awful long time. From the moment I came into this world I had a taste for blood, Mama had a delicious throat for a witch by the way."
Pacifica face scrunched in disgust.
"I always wanted more but I eventually found out that humanity not only adapts to threats but they also rise in numbers against them. A whole town armed with holy weapons from the church. Yes, I'm afraid the writing was on the wall that I simply couldn't kill as much as I like. So I had to adapt as well."
"Hence the ghosts?"
"Yes, and as the numbers grew I realized I was raising an army. And what's the point of an army if you don't utilize it."
"Wait... You mean..."
"That's right! As cliché as it may seem, I want to take over... well honestly everything. The thing about me you need to understand is I'm not afraid to play the long game. I see the value in waiting and moving slowly but surely. Once I have enough souls I begin my conquest. This is where Dipper comes in, in the battle of good versus evil I'm afraid the detective is infamously impatient."
"No! That's not...okay, well... maybe that's a little true."
"Yes. He is dead bent on being an obstacle for me. All the better to deal with him now, hence your capture."
"...He'll beat you! I'm sure of that."
"Well... We will see. I wouldn't put money on it though."
Meanwhile...Not too far away...
A sail ship crashed through the waves of the Jersey shore. A splash of salt water hit the side of the boat revealing the words "Stan O' War". At the helm of this mighty ship was Dipper, with his destination in sight he made sure to keep the ship fast and steady.
He could have reflected on how Grunkle Stan had stored and boarded up the old ship he and Ford originally started rebuilding together, but no. He only had one thing on his mind.
"I'm coming, Pacifica. I'll save you!"
"Moo!"
"Me and... the cow... I guess." Dipper took a moment and let out a breath. He stared ahead with steely determination. "That horned devil won't know what hit him!"
That's it for now. I hope the cow wasn't too much, if it's a problem I can address it next chapter. If you enjoyed this chapter let me hear it. I want to know if you're hyped for the next chapter, might be looking in on some of the other villains too.