Riot Rises (Gravity Rises + Fight Falls)

Vacation Vassalage: Part One

It's hard to be a ghost hunter when adults stop you all the time.

Thirteen-year-old Mabel Pines knew this better than anyone. How often had concerned adults — her parents, not really — pulled her away from a perfectly good ghost hunt? Maybe the problem was the fact that she would start a fight if the ghosts were to attack. She wasn't afraid of using her fists, she and her twin brother, Dipper, were taught a great lot of martial arts.

That was their parents's big mistake.

They'd search for a fight no matter where they were, trouble was their middle name. If anyone said a thing they didn't like, the last thing they'd see coming is a fist on your face before you black out! You said something about their appearance? POW! In your face!

Yeah. . . Maybe the adults were more worried for the ghosts than for the children.

Things were meant to be different now. Now, the twins were on the last leg of a bus ride from their home in California to the middle of Oregon. They were headed to a town called Gravity Rises — a town Mabel never heard of before now.

She also never heard of the man they would stay with. But he was family. His name was Stanford, but she'd most likely call him old man if she didn't like him, but Mabel was almost sure she would love him. He's the twins's great uncle. A town local, the owner of the museum and a supernatural researcher.

Her parents tried to warn her. Don't get your hopes up too much, Mabel. His museum is a tourist trap. He just pretends to be a supernatural researcher to attract customers. Surely the displays are all fake.

But Mabel knew better. A supernatural researcher in her family? He had to have the same instincts, the same drive that she had! That was why she was almost sure she'd love him. Maybe he's not a great fighter as she and Dipper are, after all, he's like, sixty years old or something, but still, he was a supernatural researcher regardless. She already imagined how it would be. He would show her what he was studying — he would take her and Dipper on magical adventures — and, for once, he wouldn't be an adult trying to stop her from exploring.

She could hardly wait.

The scenery, drifting by as the bus rumbled down the road, only added to her anticipation. "Dipper, look at all that snow!" she said, pointing out the dingy bus window. "I've never seen that much! What do you think is hiding under there?"

Dipper turned his head to the window, not seeing much. He bounced up and twisted around in his seat, pressing his face to the window and pressing Mabel on the back of her seat. "A fox? A tiny moose?" He gasped. "A hidden civilization of snow mice!"

Mabel raised an eyebrow, looking at her brother. "What are snow mice?"

"Mice made of snow! They melt in your hands, but they're super cute, it's really hard to resist picking them up."

Mabel looked at the side, imagining the mice according to Dipper's description. She let out a hum, that was an interesting idea, even if (as far as she knew) snow mice weren't a thing. Let's be honest, everyone loves the funny ideas Dipper comes up off the top of his head. "You think there's a civilization under there?"

"Yeah," Dipper said. "I mean, there is a lot of snow there! Maybe," he gasped. "There could be an entire nation down there!"

"Hm, sure." Mabel pushed her brother off, giving herself back her space.

"Hey!" Dipper exclaimed, sitting down.

"Don't push me if you don't want to be pushed." Mabel said. She turned to the window again. "Hey, maybe Great Uncle Stanford keeps snow mice as pets,"