Gravity Rises (S2)

BB: Part Eleven

This mission was sand, slipping through Dipper's fingers.

Mabel was sitting with her back against a nearby cryogenic tube, a vacant look in her eyes that meant her brain was going haywire. Grunkle Ford was pointing a gun at Dipper's friend and a shapeshifter that looked like Dipper's friend, and Dipper's friend was, well, fighting a shapeshifter that looked just like her.

And Dipper was just standing there, wondering how everything went so wrong.

Every time the first Candy kicked the second one in the chest, every time the second Candy pulled the first's hair, Dipper winced. Candy fought dirty, and the shapeshifter matched that.

He had no idea which Candy was his friend and which was the shapeshifter, but if he didn't put a stop to this soon, he was afraid that Ford would give up and just shoot both of them. Stun gun or no, Dipper couldn't risk that.

One Candy threw the other off of her, and she landed on her feet, skidding back on the stone floor. The first Candy rushed her, but the second Candy moved out of the way, catching the first Candy by the arm and twisting it before kicking her back. The first Candy hit Ford from the side, knocking him to the ground.

"Grunkle Ford!" Dipper started forward.

Someone grabbed the hem of his shirt.

He looked back. Mabel's knuckles were white where she clutched the fabric of his shirt. "Don't," she said, her voice thin. "I don't want you getting hurt."

"But—"

"Please," she whispered. "Protect the Journal. Protect me."

His eyes flicked from her to the Journal in her lap to the fight in the distance. "Okay," he said, crouching down next to her.

"Thank you," she breathed.

"What happened between you and Shifty earlier? What's wrong?"

He listened to the sounds of Candy and Shifty-Candy fighting and yelling as he waited for her to answer.

"I. . ." She hesitated. "I almost lost the Journal. Again. I just don't want anything to happen."

She glanced over Dipper's shoulder. He turned, but nothing was there. Nothing but the opening to a one of the tunnels.

"Did you see something?"

"N-no."

"Dipper! Mabel! Move!"

It was Candy — or maybe Shifty-Candy. Either way, Dipper just barely pulled Mabel to her feet and got out of the way before one of the Candys flew into the cryogenic tube they'd just been in front of. The glass cracked.

Dipper rushed over to the Candy that had just hit the glass, ignoring Mabel's protests. He grabbed her by the arms. "Quick! Are you the real Candy? Say something to prove it!"

Candy looked wildly from him to Mabel. "I — Mabel and I hate each other!" she blurted.

Dipper turned to check. Mabel looked confused and slowly shook her head.

"Dipper!"

The other Candy came up from behind him and helped him hold the first Candy back. "I'm the real Candy!" she said.

"How do I know?"

The first Candy thrashed against their grip.

"I—"

The first Candy tried to knee Dipper in the groin. He moved so that she hit him in the thigh instead, but it still hurt. "What?" he demanded of the second Candy.