Author's Note:
Hello all my dear readers, I apologize for taking so long to publish a new chapter of my series. But I had some problems created.
On a minor note my life as a gamer has taken a turn for the better.
In FGO (Fate Grand Order) ho finito Subterranean World of Folklore: Agartha.
In Arknights I'm going through the Babel event.
I stopped playing Azur Lane, I got bored eventually, despite the many cute Shipgirls and Fanservice, that game didn't entertain my brain enough.
Finally, I got hooked on HoYoverse, my favorite game is
Honkai: Star Rail.
XXX
Story Arc: Welcome to Gravity Falls
Episode 1: Tourist Trap and New Relatives (II)
Chapter 2: The Owls and Amphibians Find the Mystery Shack
Plot: A Muscle Car is approaching Gravity Falls, bringing its five passengers close to the Mystery. Apparently 1/3 of the Clawthorne-Noceda Family has decided to scout out what Gravity Falls has to offer. Their first stop is the Mystery Shack.
XXX
POV Narrator
Current date June 1, 2015.
On a washed-out road in Oregon, a red car is passing by, specifically a 1970 Plymouth Cuda convertible with a 426 Hemi engine and manual transmission.
The Muscle Car isn't the only vehicle approaching the city of Gravity Falls.
Behind the red car moves a black painted road train pulling three customized semi-trailers.
The first semi-trailer is bright red and golden yellow, with a painting of Iron-Man and War Machine on the sides.
The second semi-trailer is black and white, with a painting of the Punisher symbol (Frank Castle) on both top corners.
The third semi-trailer is blue, white and red, as if it were the flag of the UK (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).
This unique pair of vehicles have just passed a billboard that reads: "Welcome to Gravity Falls."
Both vehicles belong to Bruce Bahamut Belmont, the Muscle Car is his everyday "Batmobile."
Virtually every important person in Boston such as local Politicians, Cops, Members of the Criminal Underworld or the Magecraft World know that the Muscle Car, aka Megas, is Bruce's favorite car and anyone who touches it ends up in the hospital or jail or worse.
The road train is a vehicle used to carry suitcases and the "bare essentials" according to Bruce's standards.
So, the Clawthorne-Noceda Family unwittingly has everything they need to survive a three-month zombie apocalypse or face a Holy Grail War.
XXX
Inside the Muscle Car is a 1/3 Clawthorne-Noceda Family, plus one honorary member.
The group in question is made up of: Bruce, Luz, Marcy, Miyu and Eda.
In the driver's seat is Bruce, one of the few people in the family who can drive a car and holds a legitimate driver's license.
Although how he got a driver's license is a matter of debate, and possibly an internal affairs investigation.
As the Muscle Car passed the Welcome to Gravity Falls billboard, Bruce tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
Sitting to the right of the driver is Luz, she is clutching her smartphone with both hands, the screen shows an image of her fantastic girlfriend, Amity.
Luz is looking at the image as if it were her only lifeline.
Behind Bruce's seat is Eda, she is completely unconscious, but none of the passengers are concerned about this fact.
Behind Luz's seat we find Marcy, who is wearing large gaming headphones and holding a portable console in her hands.
Marcy focuses exclusively on the video game in front of her, as if she wants to forget that she is in a car with Bruce at the wheel.
Miyu stands between the unconscious Eda and the hyper-focused Marcy, her face showing a stoic expression, but her eyes look like they belong to an agitated animal.
To emphasize her state of agitation, Miyu is in her Magic Girl form and is hugging her sentient magic wand, Sapphire, as if it were a stuffed toy.
The cause of these strange behaviors is simple, Bruce is driving the car.
The eldest son of the Clawthorne-Noceda family is not a bad driver, in fact he is one of the best, one of his Alter Egos is the champion of illegal car racing in Boston.
Unfortunately, Bruce learned to drive by watching Fast & Furious, The Transporter, Taxi, Gone in 60 Seconds, NASCAR Racers and playing Grand Theft Auto V.
These foundations and guidelines, combined with his dangerous lifestyle have made Bruce a great driver when it comes to racing, four-wheel combat, escaping the police or crossing a war zone.
But when it comes to driving normally, well, Bruce's passengers end up passing out or getting a little traumatized.
This trait worsened when Bruce became half-blind.
"Girls, great news, we passed the Welcome to Gravity Falls sign, we're almost there." Bruce said out loud, keeping his foot pressed on the accelerator.
"Onii-Sama, if we're almost there, could you slow down?" Miyu asks, wishing the car would at least return to moving at 100 kilometers per hour.
"Driving this way, we were able to cover the 2,933.4 mile distance from Boston to Gravity Falls in four hours and thirty minutes, instead of the 43 hours required by normal driving." Bruce said, boasting about his unique (reckless) driving methods.
"We've also caused about 30 traffic accidents, drawn the ire of traffic police from a dozen states, caused various damages to public property, and ignored every traffic law known to man." Miyu listed everything her half-brother did on this road trip.
"This time I didn't hit any wild animals or humans. I didn't even go through a building to shorten the trip or hit a gas tanker," Bruce said, trying to drive as calmly as possible for him.
"Believe me, Bruce, I appreciate your efforts, and everyone else." Luz said, knowing that despite the thirty or so road disasters left behind, it could have been worse.
This is little, but safe for their family.
Marcy, having defeated the Final Boss of Zone Number Two, closed the portable console and put down her gaming headphones.
"My battery is almost dead, are we there yet or should I plug the charger into Megas' reactor?" Marcy asks, wanting to know what he thinks.
Without a distraction Marcy would have died of boredom or we would have had a little crisis like Miyu or she would have fainted like Eda.
"We just entered Gravity Falls, now we just have to find the house in the forest that the mothers have reserved for the entire summer." Bruce said, not knowing exactly where his destination was.
Gravity Falls being a small unknown town in a wooded area does not have much contact with the outside world.
Few maps and sources directly mention the city, making it difficult to find an exact location in the locality without the help of a local or a map from the area.
"Are we there yet!? Didn't we leave Boston like 280 minutes ago? That's about enough time to watch two great movies." Marcy asks, surprised that they've already arrived at their destination using only a car.
"One of my hobbies is working on my car, under the hood the Megas engine has more in common with Tony Stark's Armor and a SWORD Fighter Plane." Bruce said proudly, while tenderly caressing the steering wheel.
"I would have preferred to come with the rest of the family by plane in the next few days." Miyu comments, no longer able to remember at the moment why she wanted to go to Gravity Falls early with her Onii-Sama.
"The only available air route would be Boston to Portland which would have taken at least 5 hours and 18 minutes, then you would have had to take a bus and travel another 2.5 hours.
In short, with my car and me at the wheel you get there in 4 and a half hours, while with the plane and bus it takes you 8 hours." Bruce said, negotiating the two methods of travel to reach Gravity Falls from Boston.
A car shouldn't move faster than an airplane." Miyu mutters under her breath, feeling unsafe being in this car, especially with the latest revelations.
Magic Girl Sapphire is pretty sure that whatever is under the hood belongs to a nuclear power plant and not a muscle car.
"Miyu, could you hold on a little longer, we're almost there." Luz said, not wanting Miyu to distract the driver's attention with one eye.
"If you guys have so much trouble supporting my driving methods, then why did you insist on coming with me to Gravity Falls before everyone else!?" Bruce asks, raising his voice slightly, starting to tire of the criticism.
Driving is a tiring activity, especially in the long term.
Driving for nearly five hours in a hyper-powered "Batmobile" is even worse.
On a lesser note, Bruce slowed the Muscle Car down, making it go at the speed limit allowed on this road.
When the car slowed down, all the girls sighed with relief, feeling much more at ease.
"Bruce, like it or not, we're good at getting into trouble." Luz said, ceasing to clutch her Smartphone.
"You find dead bodies and occult mysteries to solve on every street corner, I constantly meet people who need help, Miyu attracts people who want to take advantage of her innate power, and Marcy is starting to get her own rogues gallery." Luz lists the kinds of problems the four of them face on a regular basis.
Everyone present remains silent for a moment, unable to refute Luz's statements.
"Allowing you to get in a car and drive 3,000.0 miles by yourself, with a trunk full of weapons and tools is a recipe for disaster. It's better for everyone if you come with a companion." Luz explains why they are him.
"First of all, I'm never alone." Bruce declares, as if it were a law of nature.
As he said this, Bruce's shadow became darker and, for a moment, two bright eyes appeared from it.
Then, a crow's cry was heard coming from outside the Muscle Car.
Finally, three accessories that Bruce carries on his person flashed for a moment.
"Right, but this way you'll have people who can tell you no and stop you from going overboard like you usually do." Luz said, knowing that Bruce's inseparable companions aren't the kind of people who row against him.
"I don't think we did that part well," Miyu comments, pointing to the road train that has followed them since they entered the state of Oregon.
Luz uses the rearview mirror to see the road train, while Marcy turns to see it.
"The mothers asked us to help you with the bags, so you, Bruce, can't bring too many materials, weapons or Mystic Code. All in vain, we should have monitored your calls and emails." Luz comments, shaking her head, slightly surprised at what is happening.
"I like how you painted the road train, especially the painting of Iron-Man and War Machine. Did you do it yourself or did you pay someone else to do it for you." Marcy asks, more focused on the aesthetics than the presence of the road train.
"Luvia Edelfelt is a woman who knows how to keep her employers and business partners close. I asked to receive only materials and put them on a ground vehicle, but she thought to give me a little bonus." Bruce said with a happy tone appreciating Luvia's gestures.
'I have to talk to Onii-Sama about Luvia Edelfelt later, she's getting too close to him.' Miyu thinks, bringing out her clingy and possessive younger sister side.
When it comes to her Half-brothers, Bruce Belmont and Shirou Emiya, Miyu can be quite protective.
When Miyu is around, the girls and some boys have to go through her to get to Bruce or Shirou.
"Aside from my methods of circumventing the rules. Luz, your great idea to avoid disaster is for John Constantine to be accompanied by Atsuko Kagari, Velma, Fate Testarossa, and an unconscious Ursula Callistis?" Bruce asks, giving each person in the car a comparison to a famous fictional character.
"This doesn't sound like a plan to help me feel at peace, it's more like a Scooby-Doo fanfic plot with characters from other shows," Bruce says, sure that putting the troublemakers of the family in a car together won't lead to anything good.
"Why am I Velma, while all the other girls are the protagonists of Magic Girl Anime?" Marcy asks, wanting to know why she has been compared to Velma out of all the smart girls in cartoons.
"Because you're the new kid on the team, and most importantly, you practically live in my house rent-free, you're in love with my twin sister, and if I want, I can push a button and activate Megas' ejector seat with the top up." Bruce explained the many reasons why Marcy doesn't have to make a fuss.
Marcy is silent for a moment and looks up at the ceiling of the Muscle Car.
"I withdraw my objections, Velma is a great character, she is the brains of the team." Marcy said, completely changing her opinion.
Bruce continued driving and noticed a sign with an arrow and a sign saying: The Mystery Shack, the biggest tourist attraction in Gravity Falls.
At that moment, some of Miyu's biological processes kicked into action.
"Onii-Sama, I have to go to the bathroom." Miyu states with a slightly embarrassed tone.
"If it was Luz or Marcy, I would have said no. But you're my little sister." Bruce said, turning the wheel to the left, heading toward the tourist attraction.
XXX
The Mystery Shack is a house and tourist trap located in Gravity Falls, Oregon.
The Mystery Shack has no less than four exits. The main entrance, the porch entrance, a small door that leads directly to the piano room, and the door to the gift shop.
There is also a cellar door under the gift shop window.
One side of the sloping roof is named Mystery Shack.
The Muscle Car pulled into the parking area of this tourist trap.
The same goes for the road train which takes up a good part of the parking lot.
WHACK !
The Muscle Car's horn resounded across the parking lot, waking Eda from her deep sleep.
"You'll never catch me alive!" Eda screams, waking up suddenly, as if she were a puma being awakened by thunder.
When Mrs. Owl stood up, she ended up hitting her head. Then, due to the side effects of her curse, Eda's head separated from her neck, ending up falling into Miyu's lap.
"There was a time when seeing a severed head would have freaked me out, but after meeting the three of you, I barely find it noticeable." Marcy states, showing that she has been completely sucked into Bruce and Luz's world.
The Clawthorne-Noceda family here ignored the comment about how they are a "bad" influence on Marcy, having their own squabbles to resolve.
"Mom Owl, even in your dreams you can't help but commit thefts and scams." Bruce said, sensing what Eda was dreaming about.
"Is this a method to wake up your mother, almost giving her a heart attack!?" Eda's disembodied head asks, looking towards her eldest son.
"First of all, you're my adoptive mother. Second, bad grass never dies." Bruce said, confident that a rude awakening won't put an end to the legend of Lady Owl.
"Aren't you exaggerating a little, I'll be the first to admit that Eda isn't a traditional mother, but isn't comparing her to bad grass a little too much?" Luz said, feeling compelled to protect the honor of her female teacher, who could become her second mother or aunt in the future.
"Luz, I knew there was a reason I took you under my wing." Eda said, appreciating Luz's input.
"Eda, your idea of a family night is to take us to fight club or a black market or illegal flight races." Miyu shares some examples of typical family outings.
"I don't complain about these family outings, I enjoy those activities, especially the post-match brawls against the losers who don't want to accept the loss." Bruce said with a faint smile on his lips, showing that he was influenced by Eda's unique upbringing.
"If we are all alive and the car didn't stop because of a police block, does that mean we have reached our destination?" Eda asks with a relieved tone.
Mrs. Owl probably won't let Bruce ride with her in the car until late summer.
"I almost feel offended. Eda, do you think the police could figure out a way to block my path?" Bruce asks with an ironic tone.
"To stop Megas with me at the wheel, we're going to need SHIELD or the Army." Bruce declares, quite confident that he's a top-level automotive threat.
Eda didn't respond, instead Miyu expressed her opinion on her Onii-Sama's piloting talent.
"Onii-Sama, one day you will become a powerful Servant Rider." Miyu said as if it were a given.
Magic Girl Sapphire wouldn't be surprised, that once she grows old, one of her future grandchildren or great-grandchildren would try to summon Bruce as a Servant and end up taking them one last ride with Megas in the form of Noble Phantasm.
Returning to the real world.
"We arrived in Gravity Falls, Miyu convinced Bruce to stop us at a place called Mystery Shack, a local tourist spot." Marcy explains the situation to Eda.
Hearing the name Mystery Shack, Eda's brain rang a little bell.
'Mystery Shack I'm sure I've heard that name somewhere before. But where and when?' Eda thinks, not quite remembering where she learned the name.
"Eda, if you want to go out, reattach your head. Miyu, you can go out in Magic Girl mode, but I'd prefer you go out as Normal Girl." Bruce said before taking the key out of the ignition and getting out of the car.
"I can finally stretch my legs, if they still remain inside Megas, I will end up evolving from Good Witch to Mummy." Luz jokes, taking off her belt and putting her Smartphone in her jacket pocket.
"I'm coming too." Marcy said, wanting to hang out with her friends.
Miyu presses Eda's head and places it on the headless body, completing it as before.
"Sapphire, off." Miyu said, short and to the point.
In a second, Miyu's Magic Girl uniform disappeared, and in its place appeared a men's outfit consisting of black boots, jeans, a white shirt with a collar, and black gloves.
"I'm going to find a bathroom." Miyu said, quickly getting out of the car, leaving Eda alone.
Mrs. Owl remained in the Muscle Car for a moment, considering whether to stay in or get out.
A sly little voice in his head advises him to stay inside and avoid a potential problem, but a warmer voice suggests he stay close to his children.
"If motherhood and Bruce's high-speed driving didn't kill me, what will happen if I visit a place I barely remember?" Eda said, uttering the famous words.
XXX
In front of the Mystery Shack, a small group of people gathered: an Occult Detective, a Good Witch, a Robin Hood Girl, a Magic Girl, and a Wild Witch.
"Would this place be one of the city's top tourist attractions?" asks Marcy, disappointed by the Mystery Shack's appearance.
The nerdy girl didn't have great expectations, but she imagined something more dignified or colorful.
Clearly, Marcy has been spoiled by the Clawthorne-Noceda family's adventurous lifestyle or Adeline's extravagant dating or the perks that Bruce's bottomless financier brings.
"Gravity Falls is a small town with a small population and resources, I seriously doubt we can expect to find the usual entertainment that Boston has to offer. Well, on the Muggle side." Bruce comments, his voice neutral and his gaze unreadable.
The Occult Detective speculates that he might find entertainment by finding ghosts to exorcise or studying possible paranormal phenomena.
Magic, mystery and creatures of the night, unlike department stores and skyscrapers, are not only found in metropolises, they can also appear in isolated cities.
Indeed, in some cases cities isolated from the rest of the world may hide the lair of a beast that has been dormant for centuries or something else of equal danger.
"If you're thinking about how to find a Phantasmal Beast's lair, don't, we're on vacation." Eda said, crossing her arms.
Just as the son can guess what the mother is thinking, the mother can do the same.
Bruce doesn't answer, he simply remains silent and turns his head so as not to meet Eda's gaze.
Luz giggles at the sight of this scene.
'Sometimes I'm a jealous girl of Bruce and Luz, I wish I had such a close and positive relationship with my mother. But I have to lie about everything other than my school life.' Marcy thinks, wishing her strict mother was more like Eda or Camila.
"In a weird way this Mystery Shack reminds me a little of the Owl House. Maybe the inside will be better than the outside." Luz said, with her usual optimistic attitude, having a good feeling.
"I just want a bathroom to do my business and a sink to wash my hands." Miyu said, more focused on finding a bathroom than criticizing the tourist attraction.
"If you're so desperate, why don't you just go into a bush and get it over with." Eda suggests, giving Miyu a simple solution.
"This is degrading and unhygienic." Miyu said, voicing her disapproval.
"You could do it using your cat form, but when I'm in dog form, I can do things I normally couldn't." Bruce offers a suggestion to Miyu.
'At times like these I wonder why I didn't stay and live with Onii-Chan (Shirou Emiya).' Miyu thinks, sure that her red-haired second Half-brother wouldn't make such proposals.
"If I look closely the Mystery Shack reminds me of the Curiosity Hut." Bruce said, feeling a sense of déjà-vu towards the Mystery Shack.
Bruce's words did not have a good effect on Marcy.
The ex-girlfriend from Los Angeles recalled a rather traumatic experience, regarding her journey with the Plantar Family, Anne, Bruce and Luz to Newtopia.
"From your stories about the trip from Wartwood Swamp to Newtopia, the Curiosity Hut is a tourist trap located in the Stony Gulch village.
At that place, Marcy and Anne were going to become wax figures for a rare creature exhibit?" Miyu asks, recapping Marcy's traumatic event.
"It was one of my worst dates. Anne, she wanted to give me a little gift, a Skip Man.
Instead of a happy moment, we almost drowned in a car that filled up with wax." Marcy said, her face turning slightly pale, placing a hand on her chest, taking heavy breaths.
The nerdy girl's elephant memory can be incredibly useful for learning magic or advanced science. But it becomes a curse when it comes to traumatic experiences.
'One of the reasons for this vacation was to help the children cope with and/or forget the bad experiences of their last big adventure. Not to cause panic attacks!' Eda thinks, cursing her luck.
The first stop after a long drive was in a place quite similar to a place where Marcy had one of her worst experiences.
Eda, putting aside her Bad Girl attitude, prepares to intervene and bring out her Mother Owl side, unfortunately she was anticipated by Luz.
Marcy's best female friend, Luz, has made her move: Warm Hug.
The Good Witch grabbed Marcy in a powerful bear hug, holding her tight.
Warm Hug is super effective.
"Breathe, Mar-Mar, breathe." Said Luz, her green-clad friend, helping her fight her feelings of despair.
"You are among friends, you have nothing to be afraid of." Luz continues, with a gentle voice.
Marcy's panic status has been neutralized.
"I'm better now, Luz." Marcy said, smiling warmly, the power of friendship may sound lame, but it works.
Bruce, not being a person particularly inclined to physical affection, did not run to hug Marcy, the same goes for Miyu and Eda, although to a lesser extent.
"Do you want me to keep you company inside Megas?" Bruce asks, trying to help as best he can.
"It's not necessary, a bad coincidence and some bad memories aren't going to put me out of the game." Marcy said, confident that she was fine now.
"So, let's go inside the Mystery Shack. Maybe if I get a chance I can borrow (steal) a gift for Camila." Eda suggests, wanting to commit some petty thefts so her thieving talents don't get rusty.
"Go ahead without me, I need to take a quick look at the road train." Bruce said, turning and walking towards the road train and its precious/dangerous cargo.
"I'll try not to stay too long, you need to get some souvenirs for your female friends, the Trinity Seven." Luz said, reminding her best friend of his more social commitments.
"The Trinity Seven are not my female friends, they are seven witches who form a Cabal with me." Bruce said, as it was "pathologically" impossible for him to admit to having more than one female friend in the world.
Luz, Eda, Miyu and Marcy started walking towards the Mystery Shack, the girls are ready to see what this tourist trap has to offer.
Bruce approaches the road train, leaning his back against one of the semi-trailers and looks at the Mystery Shack more carefully than before.
'How can they not see or perceive what is so obvious to me?' Bruce thinks, watching as the girls enter the Mystery Shack without noticing what is around them.
Bruce received the blood of Morgan Le Fay and Merlin through his maternal grandmother, the former being a part-Fairy witch, the latter a part-Incubus Wizard.
This lineage has given Bruce many abilities, some good, some annoying. But thanks to his Fairy lineage, Bruce has a unique sensitivity when it comes to magical energy, making him a living radar and tomographic instrument for the walking Leyline.
' As Megas passed the Welcome to Gravity Falls billboard, I sensed a giant invisible barrier around the city, as well as a high quality of Mana in the air and ground. Perhaps the highest quality in all of North America.
How did the Wizards' Association not discover this place?' Bruce thinks, certain that the Clock Tower should have turned Gravity Falls into a research outpost or used it to further the goals of the Wizards' Association.
Bruce removes the eyepatch covering his left eye, revealing a ruby that has been cut to resemble an eye.
This ruby is an Artificial Mystic Eye, one of the first purchases Bruce made through Yvette L. Lehrman, his classmate during his time in the El-Melloi Classroom.
The Artificial Mystic Eye that Bruce holds in his left eye socket is a kind of magnifying glass and a catalyst for his magical sensitivity.
In Bruce's new perspective, the surrounding ground is filled with energy cracks (Leylines) and from them Mana particles that resemble snowflakes fly upwards.
Basically a snowfall that works in reverse, but based on magical energy that is normally invisible and imperceptible.
Basically, a snowfall that works in reverse, but based on normally invisible and imperceptible magical energy instead of water.
'All the Leylines in the area meet here, beneath Mystery Shack, this tourist trap would be worth a fortune to any Magus family.' Bruce thinks, before putting the eyepatch back on, hiding the Artificial Mystic Eye.
"Carmen." Bruce declares in a low voice. As he says this name, a black, blue-eyed crow swoops down from the sky, landing on Bruce's left shoulder.
"Thank you for being my eye in the sky on this trip. But I need you to fly around the city, I want to see what Gravity Falls is really like." Bruce handed the new orders to Carmen.
The female Crow nods, understanding what she has to do, then flaps her wings and takes flight.
'I'll have to write some sealed, coded letters to Trinity Seven, if the mothers want me to spend the summer here, I'll do it my way, with seven witches by my side studying the terrain and more.' Bruce thinks, wanting to inform his Cabal of this discovery, through the safest ways.
"Let's see what the secrets of this Mystery Shack are." Bruce mutters, putting his hands in his pockets and walking toward the tourist trap.
Summer has just begun, but it already promises interesting events.
Continues ...