Mabel and Pacifica stood on the edge of the dock, both frantically eyeballing the lake.
"What was that?!" Pacifica asked, confused and terrified.
"I don't know! It happened so fast!" Mabel said. "One second he was there, the next he's wooooosh... splash! Just like that! I mean, you saw what-" She thought for a brief second. "Waaaaaait... you did see what happened!"
"I mean, obviously I saw what happened!"
"Yeah, what happened to going home, Miss I-Totally-Don't-Have-A-Crush-On-Dipper?" Mabel poked with a grin.
"What?!" Pacifica asked, panic converting into irritation as she turned to her. "You're STILL on about that?"
"Hey, you're the one suddenly coming back just to see if he's alright," Mabel defended, raising her arms innocently.
"That doesn't mean anything!"
"Then what does it mean? Because it obviously means you care about him on some level."
Unbeknownst to the two, Dipper found his arm and face poking above the water again as he struggled to swim back up. "G-Guys! Over here!"
"I don't care about him! I don't care about either of you!" Pacifica refuted. "But I'm not such a terrible person to the point where I don't care if someone I know dies!"
"So that means you care enough about him that you don't want him to die?"
"I need help!" Dipper called out again, stretching his arm up as high as he could before he was slowly pulled back underwater.
"What did I just say?" Pacifica asked, eye twitching frustratedly.
"That you care if someone you know dies," Mabel answered. "Which, by extension, means you do care for Dipper, which you said you didn't."
"THAT DOESN'T MEAN I HAVE A CRUSH ON HIM!"
"But it means you cared enough to come back!"
Pacifica clenched her fists tightly. "Do you want me to throw you down there with whatever took him? Because I swear I'll-"
"GIRLS!" Dipper shouted loudly as he used all his strength to pull his body up above the water, only to be suddenly pulled back down.
His scream had finally caught their attention, prompting them to turn back toward the lake just in time to see him splashing and struggling.
"Dipper!" Mabel called out.
His head was visible to the two, though they were also able to see an apparent human arm wrapped around his neck, strangling him. "Hellllp... meeeee!"
Mabel pulled her sweater off from over her undershirt. "I'm coming, bro!" she called out before diving into the water with her sweater in hand.
Pacifica stayed put on the dock, watching from above. "I'm not, but I'll call the paramedics if I need to!"
The person choking Dipper suddenly rose above the water, revealing himself to be a somewhat muscular man with dark skin, long hair tied back in a ponytail, and a deep scar under his right eye. "Stop squirming and yield!"
Suddenly, Mabel popped up from behind the man, throwing her sweater around his neck and pulling hard on the two sleeves. "No! You yield!"
"GAH!" the man shouted as he was suddenly pulled by his neck.
As he began to get strangled by Mabel, he let go of Dipper at the same time, who began gasping for air.
"Are you alright, bro?" Mabel asked as she continued trying to hold the man back. "Does Pacifica need to give you mouth-to-mouth?"
"GAAAAH!" Pacifica screamed from the dock before grabbing one of the lit candles on the edge and pitching it in Mabel's direction.
Rather than hitting Mabel though, she instead hit the man on the forehead. "AH!"
"Hey! You're gonna mess me up!" Mabel called back.
"What do you think I'm trying to do?" Pacifica asked with narrowed eyes as she threw another lit candle, intentionally hitting the man yet again.
"That's enough! Both of you!" Dipper shouted as he rubbed his throat.
"Please!" the man begged through his choking. "Those candles burn too, you know?"
"Quiet, you!" Mabel ordered as she pulled harder on her sweater sleeves, tightening her chokehold on the man.
"Quit it, Mabel!" Dipper ordered.
"But he just tried to drown you!"
"And there must be a reason why. We won't figure that out if you strangle him though."
Though reluctant, Mabel proceeded to loosen her grip on the sweater sleeves to give the man some breathing room.
"Alright, buddy," Dipper said as he swam closer to the man. "What's your deal? Why'd you just attack a second ago?"
"Because you... HHHH... were tracking... HHHH... us!" the man replied in gasps.
"Tracking you?"
"With your... HHHHHHH…" the man began, only to be cut off by his own coughing as he kept trying to gasp for air again.
"Geez, Mabel! Loosen your grip on the guy, would you?" Dipper said as he glared at her.
Mabel raised an eyebrow. "I'm not even holding him that tight!"
Through his gasps, the man pointed at his neck. "My... HHHH... gills!"
"Your gills?" Dipper questioned.
Mabel looked down through the water at that moment, letting out a gasp as her eyes spotted a scaly green tail that made up the man's lower half.
"He's a merman!" she said in disbelief, letting go of her hold of him completely. "Just like Mermando..."
Upon being let go, the revealed merman gasped as his gills were exposed once again. After a bit of coughing, he put himself back together as he rubbed his own neck. "Yes, a mer- wait, you know Mermando?"
"Yeah!" Mabel nodded happily. "Saved him from being stuck in a swimming pool a few summers back! We also kissed once, and it was okay."
The merman stared at her in disbelief. "No... you're Mabel Pines?"
"As Mabel as you can get!"
"¡Increíble! Mermando has spoken much about you!" he said enthusiastically before turning back to Dipper. He looked at him for a moment as if he was trying to recall something. "And you... you must be Dipper."
"Yeah, that's me," Dipper confirmed with a slight smile.
The merman stared at him briefly before suddenly breaking out laughing, much to Dipper's immediate confusion.
"What's so funny?"
"Ah, nothing," the merman said as he wiped a humored tear from his eye. "It's just... Mermando has spoken of you too."
His eyes then darted upward to Pacifica as she continued to watch everything unfold from the dock.
"And who are you?"
"Pacifica Northwest," she simply introduced. "And no, I haven't met any of you fish people before."
The merman's eyes widened. "A Northwest? You mean, in relation to the Northwest Oil Rig?"
"Yeah, my parents own a few of those around the Pacific Ocean."
"Oh, believe me, we know," the merman said with narrowed eyes.
Realizing his harsh tone, she instantly associated it with the info she had presented as she remembered who she was talking to. "Hey, it's not like I'm cool with it! It's my family's business! I'm only sixteen! I have no say in that stuff!"
"Hold up, Pacifica. Let's back up a second," Mabel dismissed as she turned back to the merman. "So wait, you know Mermando?"
"Of course. For I am his cousin, Hermando!" he introduced. "I should probably say that I'm terribly sorry for my initially hostile behavior. If I had known you two were Pines, I wouldn't have engaged the way I had."
"Why engage in the first place though?" Dipper asked as he continued to rub his throat.
"As I was trying to say before, we detected a signal that said we were being tracked," Hermando explained. "Being tracked is usually indicative of the enemy attempting to sneak up on us, and so I decided to trace the signal's source, which led me back to you and your little motion tracker."
"Hang on... We? Us?" Mabel asked.
"The enemy?" Dipper added.
"We being our kind, and our enemy being the manatees," Hermando clarified. "We're currently engaged in a full-fledged civil war."
Mabel's eyes widened at the revelation, recalling the letter Mermando had sent her years ago. "Oh no... but I thought you guys were supposed to have peace after Mermando married their queen!"
"Well, that's the thing... Mermando never married the queen," Hermando revealed.
"What?"
"It was an arranged wedding, and Mermando didn't want to go through with it. He put it off for several years, until a few months ago when the queen had grown too impatient for further delays, so he decided to just call it off altogether. As such, the manatees called for war. And so, here we are, and it hasn't been going well for us."
"You're losing?" Mabel asked.
Hermando sighed. "Badly. They've completely taken over our home."
"Atlantis?" Dipper asked.
"Pffft! No!" Hermando chuckled. "There's no such thing as Atlantis. No, our home is the great city of Sitnalta."
Mabel thought the name over in her head for a moment before glancing over at Dipper. "Isn't that just-"
"Yes."
"We're on the verge of defeat," Hermando continued. "The manatee force is far greater than our own. They've defeated countless numbers of our troops. The ones that weren't killed, they captured. Such as Mermando."
Mabel covered her mouth in shock. "They have Mermando?"
"He's being kept somewhere in Sitnalta, where he's being tortured into agreeing to the marriage again."
"That's horrible!" Mabel shouted, absolutely mortified by the mere thought.
"Indeed," Hermando nodded. "Which is why we must keep fighting. Mermando is family. Even those who aren't directly related are good friends. And so even if the war is unwinnable, we must do whatever we can to free and rescue those prisoners."
The info was a lot for Mabel to take in at once. There she was, interacting with the first merman she had met since Mermando and one who was related to him at that. Additionally, the merpeople had gotten into the civil war that Mermando was trying to avoid through his arranged wedding, which he had also called off. On top of everything, Mermando himself was captured in a war that was apparently being lost.
She didn't know how to react to it all. The thought of Mermando being tortured devastated her inside. They never had a relationship, but as a former crush and her first kiss, she still thought of him closely. She glanced to the side, pondering a growing idea in her head.
"Anyway, it was a pleasure to meet you at last. But I must be heading back," Hermando told the twins as he began turning away.
"Wait!" Mabel called out to him, causing him to stop. She was very hesitant at that moment to suggest what she was thinking, but she couldn't help it. "What if… what if we helped you?"
Hermando raised an eyebrow confused at the offer. "I don't understand."
"With the war," Mabel continued as she swam forward slightly. "What if we helped you rescue Mermando and the others from the manatees?"
"You'd do that for us?" Hermando asked, a smile growing on his face.
"What?! Mabel, are you crazy?" Dipper asked while swimming up to her. "We can't throw ourselves in the middle of an undersea war between two different species!"
"But Dipper, Mermando needs our help!"
"Does he? You had history with him once before but that stuff is over now! Have you forgotten about Ryland?"
"Of course, I haven't!" she assured. "This isn't about love though! Mermando is a friend, history or not. And as his friend, we should be willing to help."
"But I-"
"Count us in, Hermando!" Mabel shouted confidently as she turned right back to Hermando.
"Ugh…" Dipper groaned annoyedly.
"Terrific!" Hermando nodded happily. "We should be on our way at once then!"
Mabel turned around and looked up at Pacifica, who was still just watching everything from above. "Are you coming, Pacifica? We could use all the help we can get."
"After all the time you've already wasted for me? Yeah, no thanks. I have better things to do than swim around with you two in fish pee," she said as she began walking off down the dock.
"Aw, c'mon! Seriously?" Mabel said disappointedly.
"Just leave her be, Mabel," Dipper insisted. "This isn't her kind of thing anyway."
Pacifica's eyes widened at his words, prompting her to walk back. "Hold on... what did you just say?"
"What? Am I wrong?" he asked. "You hate this stuff. You're not cut out for these kinds of adventures."
"Not cut out?" she repeated, taking slight offense. "Are you challenging me?"
"Not really."
"He's totally challenging you!" Mabel interjected, jumping in on the opportunity.
Dipper glanced at her. "What?! I just said-"
"Obviously, he doesn't think you're capable of anything if you're not willing to do something as cool as an underwater adventure!" Mabel continued.
"No, that's not what I-"
"Oh yeah?" Pacifica asked, eyes glaring back at Dipper. "You want to know how capable I am? 'Cause I'll show you capable!"
Dipper had completely given up at that point, however, and just let out a careless sigh. "Be my guest."
"You two just wait here while I get my swimsuit," Pacifica said as she began stomping off down the dock. "If I'm going to do this, I'm NOT going to ruin my expensive wardrobe."
"Gah! I don't have time for this!" Hermando shouted impatiently.
He then raised his arms from the water and made various motions and gestures. As he made the motions, the water from both sides of the dock suddenly rose beside Pacifica, catching her by surprise. With no time to react, the water then came crashing down on her, pushing her back to the end of the dock and into the water. The water came crashing down on everybody else with enough force to propel them further down until everyone was completely submerged.
Underwater, Hermando brushed his hands together happily. "There we go."
However, as he looked ahead of him, he noticed that Dipper, Mabel, and Pacifica were actually drowning at that very moment, kicking around as they appeared to be attempting to swim up, but to little success.
"Oh... right."
He then snapped his fingers once, to which the three teens were suddenly met with the ability to breathe, each of them gasping at once
Pacifica was panicked, as she had just been pushed into the water by a giant wave. "WHAT THE…?!" she questioned as she frantically looked around, only to glance down at herself, realizing she was fully submerged with her outfit on. "MY CLOTHES!"
"What just happened?!" Dipper asked, disturbed by his sudden ability to breathe underwater. "Why does it feel like my insides are drowning?"
On the other hand, Mabel was the least panicked and was able to determine everything that had happened quickly and excitedly. "Woah! Look at us! We can breathe, talk, and see underwater!"
"Indeed!" Hermando nodded.
"H-How is this happening?" Dipper asked as he looked back up at Hermando.
"Us merpeople can give air-breathers like yourselves the ability to breathe underwater like us."
"My neck feels like it's ventilating," Dipper said uncomfortably.
"Probably because you were all given gills to be able to breathe," Hermando pointed out.
The moment they were informed of this, they all put a hand up to their necks, feeling the new set of gills that they had each been given.
Dipper's eyes bulged in horror. "Oh my god."
Pacifica felt her stomach churning as her fingers felt between her gills. "I'm going to be sick."
Yet again, compared to the two, Mabel was absolutely enthralled. "Awesome!"
"Look, I'm gonna go on the record now and say that if you could give us tails like you guys, I would rather go without it," Dipper told Hermando.
"Speak for yourself! Give me a tail!" Mabel begged. "Let me become one with the fish!"
"I'm afraid that goes beyond my capabilities," Hermando said with a chuckle. "I do have a faster method of transportation for you three other than your pathetic swimming, however."
He placed two fingers on each side of his head, shutting his eyes as if he were attempting to focus. The three looked around as nothing appeared to immediately happen compared to Hermando's last two showcases of his powers.
However, within a few moments, distant squeaks were heard. Turning their heads in one direction, the group then noticed what looked to be three dolphins swimming fast toward them.
Mabel's eyes lit up as the dolphins approached them. "Oh my gosh! Dolphins!" she shouted before hugging one. "I'm naming this one Lundgren!"
One of the dolphins then swam up in front of Dipper's face and squeaked enthusiastically.
Dipper looked on at it with uncertainty. "Well... guess it'll be interesting to see if my motion sickness translates underwater."
Pacifica studied the creatures for a moment, scanning their entire appearance. "These aren't dolphins. They're porpoises."
"Indeed," Hermando nodded. "Some of our greatest friends in the Pacific sea."
"Some of these things are in conservation," Pacifica stated as she stroked the side of one. "I didn't think I'd ever see one up close in person in the wild though."
"Savvy with your sea creatures, huh?" Dipper asked as he hopped on the back of his porpoise.
"Pfft, no," Pacifica denied somewhat apprehensively. "Just porpoises. They're actually cool."
"C'mon. We have no more time to waste. We must get moving," Hermando urged the three.
"Where are we going?" Mabel asked as she got on the back of her porpoise.
"The ocean, of course!" he replied. "I've already been away for longer than usual. My people will be getting worried." He then launched himself forward and began swimming fast through the water ahead of the three. "Try to keep up!"
Dipper glanced between the girls, confused. "Wait, is he not gonna teach us how to ride these things or-"
Just as he asked, both of the girls' porpoises suddenly launched forward without warning, swimming after Hermando.
"AAH!" Pacifica shouted as she held on tightly to her porpoise.
"WOOHOOHOOOO!" Mabel exclaimed exuberantly as she followed.
"Oh, okay, I guess they just follow on... " Dipper began before his porpoise suddenly launched without warning as well, following behind everybody else. "...THEIR OOOOOOWN!"
Of all the abilities Hermando had shown, the most impressive one was the showcase of his speed and endurance. He had been swimming nonstop since they had left Lake Gravity Falls, which had been about half an hour ago at that point. And he hadn't slowed down a single bit in that time, zooming past everything with little struggle. What was even more impressive was how the porpoises were able to keep up with him all the way without stopping or slowing either.
Even after that half hour of riding, Mabel was still exhilarated. "WOO! GO LUNDGREN, GO!"
"You know that these aren't dolphins and so that joke doesn't work, right?" Pacifica asked as she rode to her right.
Mabel raised a confused eyebrow. "What joke?"
"Uh... never mind…" Pacifica dismissed, turning away.
Mabel then glanced over to her left. "How are ya doing, Dipper?"
Beside her, Dipper hugged his porpoise weakly, resting his head against its back as he faced away nauseously.
"Not dead... yet."
"How much longer until we get there, Hermando?" Mabel asked as she looked back ahead. "My brother's dangerously close to tossing his cookies here."
"Nearly there!" he called back.
Soon enough, he began leading them down into something of an abyss. With the moonlight poking through the water, they were able to make out certain underwater sights to an extent. As they delved deeper into the abyss, however, the light they had began to fade away little by little.
Eventually, they neared what looked like a cavern, which actually appeared to be illuminated inside. Hermando began to slow down as he approached the entrance, which prompted the porpoises to slow as well until they all reached a full stop.
"We have arrived," Hermando announced.
"Oh, thank god," Dipper said as he threw himself off the porpoise, sinking down to the ground and getting into a fetal position as he held onto his stomach. "I just need a moment of absolute stillness."
"Yeah, just remember that we're underwater, and if you hurl, that stuff is going everywhere," Mabel reminded.
"You're really not helping..." Dipper replied sternly as he tried his hardest to block out the mental image.
"Leave him, Mabel," Pacifica told her. "My clothes are already soaked in enough gross stuff as it is swimming around in open seawater. I don't need nerd puke in it too."
Mabel smirked. "Right, it's the clothes you're worried about."
Pacifica shot a dirty look at Mabel that commanded her to be quiet or else, which admittedly caused her to flinch, but her grin immediately returned.
"Anyway, this is home," Hermando said as he swam into the cavern.
Mabel swam up beside Hermando while Pacifica trailed behind and Dipper slowly got back up from the ground, albeit dizzily. Entering the cavern immediately revealed a plethora of other merfolk swimming around.
However, the cavern itself appeared almost like an underwater bomb shelter.
None of the merfolk appeared happy in the slightest. In fact, the general tone of the cavern was somber, serious, and depressing. Some merpeople lay on the ground in pain as mermaid medics tended to their injuries.
"This is Sitnalta?" Mabel asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, but it's a shelter outside of it," Hermando said. "We do all of our war planning and communications here. It's also the closest thing we have to home since Sitnalta's been taken from us."
"And all of these people are your family?"
"Not all of them. But living under the same kingdom, we've come to know each other like family," Hermando said as he gestured over to another bunch of grouped mermen. "My own family is pretty big and predominantly male. Here are some of my brothers: Fermando, Bermando, Geronimando, Killimajarmando, and Germando."
Germando smiled and waved at the group. "Guten Tag."
"Yes, he's Spanish like the rest of us. No, I don't know how he learned German."
"Es gibt viele Dinge an mir, die du nicht kennst, Bruder," Germando replied.
Hermando stared at him blankly. "I have no idea what you just said."
As she looked around, Mabel's eyes eventually fell upon a small family in a corner. A mother, a father, and a young son. They appeared more saddened than most of the other Merfolk around. However, there was a sort of familiarity that Mabel had gotten from them.
"Hey, I recognize those merpeople," Mabel said as she tapped on Hermando's shoulder, gesturing toward the family. "I think Mermando sent me pictures of them before."
"Ah yes, that's his family," Hermando nodded. "His father, Claudimando, his little brother, Diegomando, and his mother Amanda."
"Why does every guy's name end in -mando?" Dipper asked as he finally swam up beside the others.
"It's a family tradition for the mothers to have their son's name end with -mando."
"And how does one get by with a name like Geronimando?" Pacifica asked.
"Let's just say high school was rough for him."
Mabel looked over at Mermando's younger brother. "I'm not sure Diegomando is gonna have it much better."
"Yes, the tradition can be a very mixed bag..." Hermando agreed as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "But yes, that is Mermando's family. As you would expect, they're not taking too well to Mermando's capture. And with the war looking unfavorably on our side, well, their hopefulness only lowers."
"How awful…" Mabel said sympathetically. "I can't imagine what they must be feeling."
Hermando thought for a moment, eventually coming up with an idea. "Hey, perhaps... you might be able to cheer them up a bit. They know who you are, after all."
"Huh? How is that?" Mabel questioned. "I've never met them before."
"As I mentioned, Mermando talked quite a bit about you. With the family's knowledge of how close you two were, it could bestow some optimism in them and the rest of us."
"Mabel? As the voice of optimism?" Pacifica questioned, unconvinced. "You're kidding, right?"
"Well, you can't spell optimism without I!" Mabel cheerily replied. "I think I could give it a shot."
She swam up to the corner the family sat in. They paid no attention to her approach as they looked down at one of their seashell necklaces glumly. Inside, was a family picture that included Mermando. It was an old one, dating back to when Mermando was still only twelve, but it was still effective in making them emotional.
"Mermando's family?" Mabel asked as she floated in front of them.
They looked up at her, immediately glancing down at her two legs to quickly realize she was a human. With Dipper and Pacifica in the same view behind her, the entire family let out shocked gasps.
"Hi!" she waved cheerily. "My name is Mab-"
"Humans in the hideout!" Claudimando announced, pointing directly at Mabel.
The surrounding merfolk in the cavern suddenly turned to land their eyes on the three. Still and stiff, the teens glanced around at their surroundings cautiously just as the Merfolk engaged. Whipping out their tridents, they pointed them at the three's necks threateningly as they surrounded them.
"Why am I not surprised? This is usually the reaction for these scenarios," Dipper said as he raised his arms up in compliance.
"Why are they reacting now?" Pacifica asked. "Did none of these half-fishes even notice us when we came in? What about that German one?"
"Ich bin kein Schnatz," Germando said from the side.
Mabel stared at the sharp tips of the tridents being pointed at her neck. "Alright, I could see we're doing the whole scream 'human' thing. I got that."
"¡No, mi familia!" Hermando intervened, swimming up above everyone else. "It is alright. I brought them here!"
Claudimando narrowed his eyes at his nephew. "And who told you to come back from a scouting run with three humans, Hermando? Are you trying to expose our location?"
"The girl you see before you is no ordinary human," Hermando said to Claudimando, swimming up to him. "That is Mabel Pines!"
The surrounding merfolk gasped at the revelation. They then began murmuring as several began to retract their tridents away from Mabel.
Amanda swam closer to the commotion curiously. "Mabel Pines? Mi hijo's true love?"
Mabel chuckled awkwardly. "Welllll, not so much true love. More like a really good amigo."
"And who are they?" Claudimando asked as he pointed at Dipper and Pacifica.
"The boy is Mabel's brother, Dipper Pines," Hermando informed.
Dipper awkwardly waved a hand at the surrounding merfolk. "Hey."
They silently stared at him for a brief moment as they scanned his appearance. Then, they all suddenly burst out laughing, much to his confusion yet again.
"Seriously? Why am I such a laughing stock today?" he asked, growing somewhat frustrated.
"You're the kid who tried to save Mermando by kissing him instead of pushing him back into the water right next to you!" Bermando said through his cackling beside his brothers. "¡Tan estúpido!"
Dipper's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"
"Haha! Wie peinlich!" Germando laughed as he pointed at Dipper.
"Wow, so you really have kissed someone," Pacifica said with a smirk as she looked over at him. "Instead of kissing aliens, you were kissing mermen."
"What? No! I didn't kiss Mermando!" Dipper denied through his red-faced embarrassment. "It was reverse CPR! Not a kiss!"
"Hey, I'm not judging," Pacifica said as she turned away. "But I totally called it."
Not taking part in the laughing against Dipper, Amanda's attention was drawn toward Pacifica. "And who's this other girl?"
Hermando's humored smile faded as his focus was drawn back to the matter. "Oh, she's a Northwest girl."
"NORTHWEST?!" shouted several of the merfolk, who immediately ended their amusement and dashed toward Pacifica in anger, surrounding her with pointed tridents.
"Hey! What gives?" Pacifica asked, raising her arms up again.
"What do you know? Even the people of the ocean hate your family," Dipper jabbed.
"Your oil rigs poison our waters, Northwest!" Claudimando shouted furiously as he confronted her. "We've seen your work firsthand and the damage it's brought to our seas."
"I already told one of you! I don't have any say in that stuff!" Pacifica defended. "That's all my parents' business! I'm just their innocent sixteen-year-old daughter!"
"Innocent might be a stretch," Dipper remarked.
His comment prompted the merfolk to point their tridents even closer to her neck, which she did not appreciate. "DIPPER!"
"She's cool, guys!" Mabel intercepted, swimming above the hostile merfolk. "Trust me! She's our friend! Like she said, her parents are mostly behind the oil stuff. You should be hating them! Not her!"
"We don't have respect for anyone related to the Northwest family," Claudimando said before letting out a hesitant sigh. "But, if she's your friend…"
He snapped his fingers, signaling the merfolk to stand down. Still, Pacifica was met with several dirty looks from different mermen and mermaids, which she acknowledged sourly.
"I apologize, Mabel. It's been a stressful few months with this war and our trust hasn't been very accepting to those outside of the family," Claudimando went on. "You and your company are the only exceptions we're willing to make given your connection to our son. Given our current state, it's hard to comply despite that."
Mabel looked around the cavern again as the other merfolk settled down from their moment of defense. Immediately, several put on looks of grief while others remained mellow.
"We're losing this war," Amanda continued from her husband's words. "We've lost our home to the manatees. Several of our troops were either killed or captured." She frowned as she looked down sadly. "And I worry for my son, who is in deeper pain every passing day. I know because I still sense him from afar. His pain hurts me, and I fail to see the light in all of our despair. I fear this war will bode the end for our kind."
Mabel understood her reasons for sorrow. She knew there was a good reason for the emotions everyone was feeling at that moment. Looking around, however, she knew they needed to be uplifted after all they had gone through.
"Well, we can't let it be the end," she said. "We need to have hope."
Bermando scoffed. "Easy for you to say when you haven't been through everything we have."
"Yeah. Losing our home. Losing countless battles. Losing family and friends in the middle of it all," Geronimando listed. "It's hard to have hope for anything when there's little giving us reason to have hope in the first place." He swam up to her in a confronting matter. "In fact, if your only suggestion is to have hope, then I'm going to guess that you've never had someone you care about have their life ripped away from them. You haven't suffered loss the way we have. And I'll tell you now that hope isn't the first thing you feel."
Mabel thought over his blunt words and sighed somewhat guiltily.
"You're right. I haven't really suffered much loss before," she admitted. "So for that reason, I can't say I understand just how all of you feel. All I know is that you guys are going through a tough time right now." She narrowed her eyes. "But if there's anything I've learned, it's that if there's something worth fighting for, you can't ever give up."
Some of the merfolk began looking up at her. Others still looked down, but not without paying a listening ear.
"You can't lose hope. You've all lost so much, sure. But that doesn't mean there's nothing left to lose," she continued. "You said it yourself that those who haven't died are being locked up and... tortured. Obviously, you can't just float around here comfortably with that in mind. If there's a chance you can save the people you love and care for, then you need to take it!"
Geronimando looked up at her, thinking over her words. Looking around, he could see other merfolk growing inspired by her words; many of them smiling and murmuring to each other with a sense of newfound confidence. He then turned over toward Bermando, who looked back at him with a smile and a nod. Geronimando was still unsure how to feel, but nodded back, as there was truth in needing to save those they still care for.
Mabel swam around the room past several merpeople, trying to inspire them all to get up with her. "You have to rise up! Fight for the ones you care about! Not let all those lost lives be in vain! Whatever it takes, you need to fight back! Who's with me?!"
Several Merfolk continued to murmur with one another as they took in her words. Slowly, they began rising with her. Frowns turned into smiles and there was a new wave of energy flowing through the room that wasn't previously there.
"YEAH!" chanted the voices of several merpeople as they floated upward with raised fists.
"Amazing," Hermando said in awe as he floated beside Mabel. "I haven't seen such positivity like this from our people in a long while. Perhaps there is reason to have hope."
"There's always a reason to have hope, Hermando," Mabel told him. "Even if it's not always the clearest."
"I suppose so," Hermando agreed as he thought for a second. "Tell me, Mabel- will you follow us into battle?"
Mabel's eyes bulged hesitantly at the offer. "Uhhh... well... I mean…"
"It's a lot to ask, and I see that," Hermando admitted. "But I believe the hope you've managed to evoke in our people through your words would carry over if you joined us. Especially to Mermando's family."
Mabel was still hesitant at the idea of joining a war. She then looked over at Mermando's family, who grouped together sharing the first smiles she had seen from them since her arrival. Even Diegomando looked to be somewhat uplifted.
Seeing them happy made Mabel smile. It made her feel like she had truly done something and was there for a reason, which perhaps, she was. So as risky as she knew it was to take part in something so dangerous, she knew she couldn't refuse.
"Of course!" Mabel nodded. "We'd be happy to join you!"
"WE?!"
Mabel turned around to see Dipper and Pacifica giving her looks. She then turned back to Hermando with a chuckle.
"Uh, just a sec…" she told him before swimming over to Dipper and Pacifica, leading them outside the cavern to not be overheard by the merfolk. "Guys... what's the problem?"
"What's the problem?" Dipper repeated. "You're trying to drag us along into an undersea war! That's the problem!"
"Yeah!" Pacifica nodded. "I already got dragged into this whole adventure without a chance to put on proper swimwear. Now you're trying to drag me into a war without war clothes?!"
Dipper facepalmed. "Okay, seriously, that is NOT the main issue here."
"To you, it's not," Pacifica said as she swam off to the side with her arms crossed. "Pigs…"
Mabel turned back to Dipper. "Look, I don't understand why it's such an issue to you. We're helping a friend here!"
"Well, he's not my friend. I hardly knew the guy for five minutes."
"Dipper, please!"
"Hey! Tell me if this makes any sense..." Dipper began as he poked a finger at her chest. "This morning, all I wanted to do was get to the bottom of a lake mystery. Then you get involved, trying to set me on a date with Pacifica after I told you not to. Now, I'm suddenly obligated to risk my own life in helping you save your ex-crush - whom I barely even know - from getting killed in an intense underwater civil war?"
"Look around, Dipper!" Mabel said, gesturing back into the cavern. "These people have lost so much! They'll continue to lose more if we don't at least try to help! With my spirit, your smarts, and whatever Pacifica has…"
"Hey!" Pacifica exclaimed unfavorably.
"...we can help turn this war around for them! We can save Mermando and a bunch of other lives!"
"But this isn't our fight, Mabel!" Dipper pushed. "We're intercepting a war in which we don't belong. You don't throw yourself in the middle of a problem that isn't yours. I feel like that's something I've been telling you forever."
Mabel raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? How many wars have I gotten in the middle of?"
"It doesn't just apply to war! You're constantly shoving yourself into problems that aren't yours and don't need you! Like mine, for instance! Who are you to tell me that I need someone to help me get over girl problems? In fact, who are you to involve yourself in anyone's romantic problems?"
"I was just trying to help..." Mabel said, somewhat hurt by his words.
"Well, not every problem needs your help. Some problems you just have to let people solve on their own. Especially when they tell you to stay out of it."
"Well, who's asking me to stay out of this problem?" she told him with narrowed eyes. "These people want our help, Dipper! And that may not matter to you, but it does to me. I thought you guys had my back, but I guess not. So I'll just help them myself, and this time, I won't bring you into it. So if you and Pacifica want to go home, go ahead."
Dipper was fuming, but Pacifica simply shrugged and began swimming off. "Fine by me."
While Dipper wanted to leave Mabel on her own right there, he knew he couldn't. Instead, he let out a sigh, letting go of his anger.
"I'm not going anywhere," he told her calmly, which prompted Pacifica to stop swimming behind them and look back. "You're my sister, and I can't leave you alone within such dangerous circumstances, no matter how capable I think you might be."
Mabel looked at him and smiled gratefully. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped as Dipper shot her a look as he swam up to her.
"But just so you know, I'm not helping them for you. Not this time," he said before swimming past her back into the cavern, not daring to look back at her.
Knowing she didn't want to be the only one to leave, Pacifica groaned at the thought of having to stay.
Mabel paid her no attention though, instead, thinking over her brother's discontent with her, which continued to confuse her. She thought for a moment and glanced over at a merman passing by.
"Hey, you guys wouldn't happen to have some sort of equivalent to a telephone down here, would you?"
Back in Gravity Falls, Wendy stood in her bedroom with an open box on her bed. One by one, she packed supplies from her closet into it while her TV played a horror movie that she paid half her attention to.
Her cell phone eventually rang, drawing her full attention. She glanced at the lack of caller ID before curiously picking up.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Wendy!" Mabel's voice was heard from the speaker.
"Mabel! What's up?" she greeted. "Hey, did you get a new number? The call didn't recognize you."
"Nah, just kind of away from my phone at the moment," she replied.
Wendy raised an eyebrow at Mabel's odd-sounding voice over the phone. "Why do you sound all bubbly?"
"Aw, you know, it's just my natural, bubbly Mabel charm!"
"No, I mean you literally sound bubbly. Are you gargling mouthwash or drowning or what?"
"Well, I guess you can say I'm in a deep place right now. Heheh," she awkwardly replied.
Wendy stared ahead of her silently for a moment in confusion before letting out a chuckle. "I'm not sure I'll ever fully get you, man."
"That's fair. After sixteen years, even Dipper doesn't fully get me!" Mabel replied. "Speaking of Dipper, I was calling to tell you that I decided to help him find someone new."
Wendy's eyes lit up. "That's cool! How's that going?"
"Well, he kind of hates me right now, so that's one thing."
Wendy raised an eyebrow. "Really? What did you do?"
"What you said to do- lead him in the right direction," Mabel replied. "So I set him up on a blind date with someone who I knew he liked and liked him back."
"A blind date?!" Wendy questioned, the revelation even throwing her off from her packing. "Mabel, are you insane?!"
"What? It was someone who liked him! I wasn't getting in the middle of it!" she tried to justify. "I was just putting them together! That way they would let their chemistry do the rest of the work. Isn't that what you said to do?"
"Mabel, I said to give a small nudge! So they can let their chemistry work on its own! Not catapult them into each other's faces hoping that they end up kissing!"
"Oh…" Mabel said, starting to realize her mistakes. "Well, you see, the other thing is that... Dipper didn't really agree to the blind date, so... I kind of led his blind date to him when he wasn't expecting it…"
"Oh, Christ…" Wendy said with a facepalm.
"I knooow! Well... now I do," Mabel admitted. "I thought that because they liked each other, it would go smoothly, but they just kept denying it!"
"Do you actually know for a fact that they like each other?"
"Yeah, I mean, four years ago, there was definitely stuff going on between 'em, and I had proof of it!"
"Four years ago?!" Wendy questioned, unsure her heart could sink any further. "Mabel, you can't depend on that!"
"Why not?"
"Feelings change a lot in four years, Mabel! Especially considering you guys were only kids back then. Just because you like someone years ago doesn't mean you'll like them the same way now or later!"
Mabel thought for a moment as her guilt continued to increase. "I mean, I guess that's true, but I thought there was something actually going on!"
"I'll tell you what. Eighth grade- guy in my class named Charlie. I had a mad crush on this guy. Not sure why, but I did. Fast-forward to eleventh grade, the dude's grown into a major Chad. Handsome, fit, cool, had most girls in the grade wanting him, and I couldn't have been any less interested. And again, it's not that I didn't think he was attractive. It's just that whatever I felt for him before just wasn't there anymore. Also, he was kind of an asshole, but that's after the point. You get what I mean though?"
"Yeah, I understand," Mabel said as she guiltily dragged a hand down her face. "Dipper told me the same thing before, and I didn't listen to him." She sighed. "I really Mabel'd it up this time, didn't I?"
Wendy gave it thought for a second and cooled herself off. "Eh, don't stress it too much. He's your brother. You're both mature enough to move past something as petty as this. Just understand what you've done and apologize. I'm sure he'll at least appreciate that you were trying to help."
"Well, he doesn't so much now, but-"
"He will. Trust me."
Mabel smiled gratefully. "Right. Thanks, Wendy."
"Of course," Wendy replied. "Just... maybe clarify what you plan on doing beforehand next time you take any advice I give you going forward."
"Yeah, if I survive this war, then I promise I'll come to you before going through with any of my potentially crazy plans going forward."
Wendy paused. "Wait... war?"
"Yeah, got caught up in a bit of an undersea civil war. You know how it is. Anyway, I gotta go now! Thanks again, Wendy! You're the best!"
Click-Click.
Wendy stood frozen as she held the phone up to her ear, nothing but the dial tone playing. She pulled it away from her face and just stared at it blankly.
Wendy shook her head as she tossed her phone back onto her bed before resuming her packing. "That kid sometimes…"
Through a back passageway, Dipper was led by a merman to another area of the cavern with an open view of the abyss. A bunch of wires ran about the ground from an offline control panel.
"Here we have it," the merman told him. "Our radar system."
"And what's wrong with it again?" Dipper asked.
"Jammed. After losing Sitnalta, we moved around from hideout to hideout. Once we got settled down here, it just stopped working." The merman explained activated the control panel, causing a screen to light up, but it displayed nothing. "I mean, they're functional, as you can see. But nothing comes up."
Dipper examined the equipment. "And do you know what the problem is exactly?"
"No idea," he admitted. "But hey, you saved one of our lives with a kiss, so I'm sure you can figure this out too, huh?"
The merman proceeded to swim off chuckling, leaving Dipper alone to once again dwell on his past actions.
"It was reverse CPR!" he called out to him as he left. "Ugh…"
Behind him, Pacifica drifted slowly into the room with a smirk. "Might have to speak a bit louder there, fish-kisser."
"Oh, I sure appreciate the input, Miss Oil Spill," Dipper said with an eye roll as he got to work on the control panel.
"Oh, don't you start too," Pacifica struck back with narrowed eyes. "I just got away from a bunch of mermen threatening me again over that with their giant pitchforks."
"Tridents," he corrected. "And for the record, you started it with 'fish-kisser'."
"Fine. I take it back," she claimed. "Fish-CPRman or whatever."
"That's not a word, but I don't care enough to keep this argument going."
"Well, someone's touchy."
Dipper gave an irritated sigh. "Why are you still here? I thought you were leaving."
"Right, like I don't already look bad enough as it is being known as the daughter of the ocean-poisoning family. Imagine how much worse I'd look being the only one walking out on helping."
"So this is just an image thing to you?"
"What's the problem? You're the one who used to go on about trying to be better than my parents," she reminded him.
"No problem," he replied. "I mean, you're here for a reason, at least. Me? I'm just here to make sure Mabel doesn't get herself killed in the middle of all this. Sure, I'm here to help, but this war isn't any of my business. If it had been my call, I would've avoided this whole thing from the start. But, of course, it's not up to me. It's always the word of you know who..."
"God, she's such a psychopath," Pacifica clenched her fists at the mere thought of her. "Trying to force us together, trying to drag us into a civil war... I don't know what's wrong with her. I mean, you're her twin, and you're nothing like her. What happened? Was she born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck or something?"
Dipper sighed. "No, actually, that was me."
Pacifica's eyes widened at his unexpected revelation. "Oh... sorry."
He shrugged. "It's whatever. But hey, if she was right about anything when it came to trying to set us up together, then it's that we do get along over complaining about her."
"I guess it's one way to bond," she said with a smirk. "So what're you working on?"
"Trying to fix the shelter's radar system," he explained as he pulled a panel open. "Apparently, it's a system they brought over from one of their previous shelters, and it got jammed in the process. And without working radars, they're at a disadvantage in battle because they don't know what's going on in their surroundings, which can make them open to surprise attacks and other stuff."
"And you know how to fix this kind of junk?"
Dipper analyzed the wires behind the panel. "I'm not an expert, but the configuration isn't all that complex now that I'm looking at it. It looks like it's just a matter of straightening out some wires and cleaning up some parts."
"Hmph. Sounds like just the right amount of dork work for you."
He shot her an unamused glare. "And I'm guessing they put you in charge of annoying me with wisecracks every chance you get because you're good for nothing else?"
"They didn't put me in charge of anything because I'm good for nothing else," she said as she looked down.
"That's not true."
"You literally just said it."
"Yeah, it was me wisecracking at you for wisecracking at me," he said, looking up at her. "I figured you, of all people, would know that wasn't meant to be taken seriously."
"Wisecrack or not, it's still true," she said as she floated down against a wall gloomily. "I can't do anything useful here. Mabel's hopeful. You're smart. I'm just... here. I'm not good at anything but complaining about getting my clothes wet. That or being yet another Northwest with no real identity otherwise."
"Come on. Don't be like that. You're good at plenty of things."
"Like what?"
"You're a Northwest. Like what it is or not, what haven't you learned to do?"
"Anything meaningful," she said as she curled up, wrapping her arms around her knees.
"Well, what do you want to be in the future then?" he asked as he swam over to her. "A banker? A singer? A pro mini-golf player?"
"Ew. Okay, first off- just because I like money doesn't mean I wanna spend all day counting and touching it for other people. Second, even though my voice is fantastic, I'm not about to go and wreck it by going through the tragic lifestyle of a West Coast musical artist. Last, mini-golfing is, like, the one hobby I was forced to learn that I don't totally hate. I'd rather not ruin it by making it my whole life."
"Well then, what do you want to do?"
Pacifica hesitated to answer. She had already given the answer once to somebody else that day and the reaction wasn't particularly favorable. Not that she had told many people to begin with, but she was never not put down for her aspirations by the people she had told.
Still, Dipper had asked and he asked honestly, which was already a step above most of those who she had told. And so, despite her hesitations, an honest question deserved an honest answer.
"I want to study the ocean…" she quietly replied.
Dipper's expression immediately turned to one of surprise by this answer. He then let out a soft chuckle. "Wow. Really?"
"UGH! Why'd I say that?" Pacifica shouted, immediately embarrassed. "I should've known you'd judge! Everyone always has something to say about it!" She turned away and slumped forward sadly. "Or maybe... it really is a stupid thing to wanna do."
"Woah! What are you talking about?" Dipper asked, floating over in front of her. "I'm not judging! I didn't even say it was stupid!"
"So what? You were probably thinking it."
"Studying the ocean? Stupid? No!" he said, grabbing her attention again. "I was just surprised. I mean... Coming from you, that's not something I would've ever imagined."
Pacifica looked over to the side and thought to herself. "I wouldn't have either. But it just kind of hit me one day a few years ago, back when we didn't have that much money…"
"You mean not as much as you did before and now?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever!" she brushed off. "Anyway, my whole life I've lived in the shadow of my parents. High expectations and goals have always been set for me rather than being set by me. And sometimes it just gets so... suffocating. But back before we lost our money, we sometimes used to take trips to one of our many island resorts."
"As one does…"
She shot him a look for interrupting her again for yet another crack at her rich lifestyle, to which he regretfully raised his hands, allowing her to go on.
"...And honestly, the fondest memories I've ever had were at the beach," she continued. "For so long, I've never really understood why. But then I realized, it was the ocean. Not so much what it was, but what it meant. Some people, my parents included, just look at it as just a bunch of saltwater with dumb fish and sharks. Only a nice backdrop for photos and marketing. But to me... it's life, it's beauty, it's... freedom." She looked up into his eyes. "Freedom, Dipper. I don't get to feel that often."
He thought over everything she said, nodding. "Well, it's definitely a special feeling."
"And so, that's why I want to study the ocean. I mean, I've been taking marine science classes in school, researching marine life, and I've never been interested in anything more. Weirdly, it just feels like... me."
"Researching marine life, eh?" Dipper asked with a smirk. "And so you are savvy with your sea creatures then…"
Pacifica smiled slightly to herself as he caught her earlier lie. "Somewhat."
"Well, whoever judges you for wanting to do that is stupid. I honestly think that's great, Pacifica."
She turned around and looked at him in slight surprise. "Really?"
"Yeah, I mean, the ocean really is amazing," he nodded in agreement. "Just look at us. Look out there."
Pacifica saw him gesturing out behind him, where there was a view over the abyss. Above the darkness of the abyss were several different types of colorful fish swimming around. Around the visible sea floor, several different types of coral and other vibrant ocean plants were also visible. With just the moonlight seaming through the water, it gave a slightly unsettling, yet beautiful view of what the ocean had to offer.
"There's so much life and mystery around the ocean," Dipper continued. "We don't even know everything that's out there. It's terrifying and fascinating all at the same time. It's not something I could've imagined you doing beforehand, but now that you've explained it, I think it suits you perfectly. And as someone who's interested in studying the unknown, then I mean, you'll have no judgment from me. Don't worry about what others say. Studying the ocean is an awesome choice, Pacifica."
Pacifica looked back at him as she thought over his words. The weight of the insecurity she felt beforehand felt like it started to lift the longer she looked into his eyes. At that moment, she wanted to thank him, but the most she could find herself doing was just giving him an earnest smile back as her face flushed pink.
Suddenly, the ground began to rumble. Being underwater and floating around, the rumbling didn't throw them off balance, but it was still felt through the open water. It also had a certain volume to it that caused the two to cover their ears for the few seconds it lasted.
"That rumbling... I never got to the bottom of it," Dipper said as he thought back to the earlier rumbles around Lake Gravity Falls. He glanced to the side and noticed Hermando swim into the room to investigate. "Hermando, what was that?"
"Aye... it's the manatees," he replied, shaking his head. "They're test-firing their greatest weapon."
"Their greatest weapon?"
"I believe it's called a sonic blaster: a powerful device designed to paralyze the senses of us merpeople, instantly weakening us."
Dipper's eyes widened. "I wasn't aware manatees were capable of such weapon designing."
"Oh, they're capable of many things," Hermando nodded as he looked forward. "Many things."
There was a brief moment of silence as Hermando simply stared ahead motionlessly as if he had suddenly blanked out. Dipper and Pacifica exchanged confused looks with one another.
"Is he... having a flashback?" Pacifica asked.
Hermando shook his head, bringing himself back to reality. "¿Qué?" he asked before turning back to the two. "Oh, sorry. Got caught up for a moment. But yes, the weapon is extremely dangerous to our kind."
"And that rumbling is because they're test-firing it?" Dipper asked. "But we felt that same rumbling all the way back at Lake Gravity Falls. We're miles out in the Pacific Ocean now, aren't we?"
"As I said, the sonic blaster is a very powerful weapon. Its blasts come in the form of large underwater sonic booms that spread fast and range over long distances. It is, by far, their greatest advantage over us in battle."
"Sonic booms? Really? How do those paralyze you?"
"A merman's hearing is about as strong as a dolphin's. But the sonic blaster creates sonic booms powerful enough to prove sensitive to our ears. And so, they paralyze us by shooting out our hearing."
"Uh... have you guys tried wearing earmuffs then?" Dipper suggested.
"Ea... Ear-muuuffffffsss?" Hermando attempted to pronounce.
Dipper thought for a moment as he looked around at the ground. Eventually, he noticed some large shells and seaweed. He swam downward and picked some of both before turning toward Pacifica.
"Know anything about fashion designing?"
"To an extent," she answered. "Always been more of a buyer than a maker though."
"Well, you wanna get a headstart on those oceanography skills?" he asked as he handed the shells and seaweed over to her.
Pacifica took the shells and seaweed in her hands and raised an eyebrow. "Is this the type of work oceanographers do?"
"Probably not," he admitted. "But if you ever need to know how to make seashell earmuffs in the future, then today might be a decent learning experience."
She looked at the materials and grinned. "Fashion designing with ocean materials? I think can work with that…"
(Chapter updated as of March 22, 2024)