Gravity Rises (S3)

AI: Part Four

JANUARY 17, 2013

Pacifica could hear them. People had just arrived at the Mystery Museum. She could hear Dipper's loud, happy voice. He was back.

Was Mabel with him?

"You'd better stay away from her if she is," commented Shadow Pacifica. The shade was, fittingly, lurking in the shadows of the parlor. "You'll need to apologize to her eventually, but right now I'm sure the sight of your face would give her a panic attack."

"I wasn't planning on going near her," Pacifica retorted. "Leave me alone already."

Shadow Pacifica had first appeared yesterday morning, and she hadn't left Pacifica since. She'd stayed with her, whispering harsh words and commenting on Pacifica's thoughts. Shadow Pacifica was, according to her, a part of Pacifica's mind. Some kind of representation of her subconscious. And Pacifica's subconscious was hateful, condescending, and vehemently opposed to Bill Cipher.

That last part was the hardest to believe. Pacifica's subconscious, opposed to Bill Cipher? No way. Bill had helped Pacifica so much since her amulet was destroyed. In fact, his presence was enough to temporarily get rid of Spirit Mabel — the spirit that Pacifica had thought was Mabel's creation but had actually been Shadow Pacifica all along.

Shadow Pacifica insisted that, despite what Pacifica thought, Mabel had never used magic to haunt her. Pacifica's own mind had done that. Not Mabel. Which meant Pacifica had hurt Mabel — had sent her to her death — for nothing.

Never mind. Pacifica didn't really believe that, no matter how often Shadow Pacifica repeated it. The point was, Bill had done nothing but help Pacifica. How could she secretly want to fight against him? It made no sense.

When Pacifica had first had this thought, Shadow Pacifica had laughed derisively. "As if your mind makes sense."

She had a point. But Pacifica refused to admit as much.

"Pacifica," the shade had said, "I know your thoughts. I am your thoughts — at least some of them. Of course I have a point."

It was awful. Shadow Pacifica had been here for only a day, but she'd already made it clear that not only did she know Pacifica's thoughts, but she would take every opportunity to mock them.

She'd been a lot easier to ignore before she'd manifested as a person — or a spirit, or a shade, or a hallucination, or whatever she was. Pacifica had had self-deprecating thoughts before, but had been very skilled at ignoring them. They were harder to ignore when she could clearly hear Shadow Pacifica.

Which was the point, as Shadow Pacifica had reminded her.

Now, however, Pacifica tried to ignore the shade and went to the door, where she pressed her ear against the wood. The people she was trying to eavesdrop on were at breakfast (which Pacifica had eaten ten minutes before), and the kitchen was across the house, so Pacifica couldn't make out words or tell how many people were talking. She could only hear Dipper's bright voice.

If his voice was this bright, then surely he'd saved his sister. Pacifica's stomach twisted.

"Don't you want him to be happy?" said Shadow Pacifica. "Mabel makes him happy, Pacifica. Not you. Maybe you could, if you stopped making his life miserable; but if you want Dipper to be happy right now, then you should leave him alone with Mabel."

"Stop assuming I want to go out there," Pacifica snapped.

"I know your thoughts. I know you want to go out there."

Well. . . yes, Pacifica had been considering it. Go out there and remind Dipper that she was here, that she would protect him from Mabel. Except. . . if Mabel made him happy. . .