Part 1:
As the sun rises on August 16th, Mabel is the first awake, feelings of unease having kept her up most of the night. She steps out into the hallway to see Wendy already there, looking out the window at the Mississippi below them. Mabel's manages to get Wendy to cheer up a bit, and even though she still has some bad feelings, mostly due to Zander having not yet caught up, she manages to brush off her rough night as due to the strain of battle.
Wendy pulls out the still collapsed staff Zander gave her the day before, the two of them wondering how it works. Mabel says Wendy can ask Zander when he shows up, Wendy voicing Mabel's fears about Zander's lack of return when they all know he could easily fly faster than they could drive. Mabel guesses he took a snack detour before bringing up her crush on him. Wendy admits that Zander helps her feel better about dealing with her wraith issues and how she feels like he actually understands what she's going through, but she assures Mabel that all Zander does for her is give her hope, everything else being Mabel's territory.
As the two of them attempt to elongate Zander's staff, Ford, Nadan, Rin, and Rushtar appear, breakfast in tow. The six of them go back into Mabel's hotel room, Dipper and Soos now awake themselves. Breakfast is passed around as everyone complains about their lack of rest the night before, Ford the only one who used his insomnia to attempt to plan next steps. Dipper suggests splitting up again, but Rushtar point out that, without their bus, the Paths can't really go anywhere by themselves.
Dipper wonders why they are planning without Zander present, Ford turning on the TV to update everyone. The news shows Powers and Trigger, among others, detaining over 30 Rising Grasp members before cutting to a video of Zander fighting Graupner and his cultists while everyone else was fixing Dipper's car, the video poor enough in quality that no faces could be made out. The video cuts out as everyone leaves the scene, leaving those watching wondering what happened to Zander after they left.
Mabel says he won and is trying to shake the cultists, which is why he hasn't met up with them yet, but Dipper, Ford, and the Paths point out that Zander can fly faster that the speed of sound if he chose to, Mabel having to admit that something must have gone wrong for him to not have caught up with them yet. Ford says their options are to wait for Zander or continue with the plan, everyone going quiet as they debate their options, Mabel trying to read the minds of the others in the group.
After several second of no one saying anything, Mabel says that she thinks they should stay, but she knows Dipper and Ford think they should keep going. No one jumps at either option yet again, so Mabel suggests attempting to figure out what did happen to Zander. Ford says he and the Paths already tried that and turned up nothing, but Mabel point out that Ford probably knows the least about modern technology, and only Rin actually knows what a meme is.
Soos begins to search on his phone, Dipper and Ford pointing out that they can still plan for what to do when they figure it out. However, Rushtar interrupts them and asks everyone to look at reality for a second, pointing out that The Guardsman is essentially a superhero, so why hasn't he ended everything himself? Mabel points out that superheroes need help sometimes, but Rushtar says that the Guardsman neither needs their help, nor has he been looking out for the safety of those present. Wendy asks him who cares, pointing out that she knows the Guardsman cared about saving the world, Rushtar hoping that that fact will be enough for him.
Soos announces that he found something, everyone gathering around him and looking at the video he pulled up on his phone. A young man named Wade appears on the screen, various forms of technology making up the background of his set. Wade says that the government won't show the rest of the video since it shows the Rising Grasp getting away, everyone pausing at this information. After warning people that the video might not be for everyone, Wade shows the rest of the video that the news didn't show; Zander calmly talking to Graupner, Graupner yelling back at Zander, who's quiet, calm response makes Mabel nervous, even though no one can hear what either man is saying.
Then Graupner snaps his fingers, Soos dropping his phone in shock as the sound of laser blasts echo around the room. Mabel scrambles for the bed in shock, Ford quickly stopping Soos' phone from continuing the video as Wendy marches out of the hotel room. Dipper wraps his arms around Mabel as she sobs, Soos unwillingly taking his phone back from Ford, tears in his eyes. Dipper's arms still around her, Mabel glances at everyone else, seeing heartbreak in the eyes of Rin, Nadan, and Rushtar for the first time, all three of them pale and staring at nothing in their grief.
Nadan says he'll tell Drew and Maureen, he, Rin, and Rushtar agreeing that they should have a vigil for their fallen Master at a nearby campsite. The three of them leave, Ford, Soos, and the twins following slowly behind. They join the Students of the Paths outside, Maureen tearful and the injured Drew stunned. With Wendy watching from the edge of the forest, Nadan begins to speak, relating how the Guardsman came to him as a hero when he and his family were struggling most. He says that all the Guardsman's Students have similar stories, and that, regardless of what name they knew his as, all they care about is what he left them with.
Mabel, recalling how happy Zander had appeared to be when she first saw him perform, begins to speak. She says that, while they only knew him for about two months, she knows that he wanted people to be happy, and they have to follow in his mission to help others. Nadan tells Mabel the Guardsman would have been proud of her, Mabel replying that he was proud of all of them before quoting his mantra, "There will always be a new day." Nadan agrees with this sentiment and, knowing that they will continue to mourn no matter how long they stand in front of the fire, says that they need to continue and complete the mission their Master set out for them.
The Students leave to gather their things and book a flight west, Ford, Soos, and the twins staying by the fire for a few more moments. The four of them share a group hug, encouraged by the fact that they still have each other. Dipper then notices that Wendy is no longer at the edge of the forest. Mabel spots her in a wheat field in the distance, Ford suggesting they let her have her moment. Soos, however, is staring at Wendy with as much intensity as ever, a worried look on his face. Soos takes several slow steps forward, telling the twins that he has a bad feeling, like she'll come back, before taking off towards Wendy, leaving the twins and Ford to chase after him, Dipper unsure who Soos is referring to.
In the wheat field with nothing else to distract her, Wendy finally lets herself feel everything she had been trying to ignore. Robbie's lack of progress over three years, Dipper's inability to work on his promise with everything else going on, and now the death of the one person she felt could help her causes her to collapse, guilt swamping her in her grief. Wanting to have gone with Graupner and ensure Zander's survival, wanting to not have been a wraith so she would not have been Graupner's target at all, wanting to have not died three years ago-
A new voice says she would have had a different life had she survived. Wendy reels around to see Kelly Yore floating beside her. Wendy wonders how she can see Kelly if she can literally not dream, Kelly saying that she is a force of nostalgia. Wendy realizes she is facing the same demon Soos faced, Kelly offering her the chance to change her past. Wendy turns her down instantly, Kelly raging for a second before she calms herself. Kelly says that Wendy situation is only going to get worse, and that neither of her brothers will help her, Bill because he can't, and Adam because he won't want to and doesn't have time, meaning Kelly is Wendy's only option.
At Wendy's silence, Kelly conjures a book labeled Wendy Corduroy Memories and begins flipping through the pages. She says that Wendy has spent a sixth of her life as a wraith, but now she has a chance to stop living in pain every day. Kelly morphs into a clone of what Wendy currently looks like before morphing into a version of Wendy that has clean clothes and, most importantly, is smiling and happy. Kelly returns to her original form and begins to float away, wondering if Wendy will somehow be able to learn to live with the constant pain. Wendy tells Kelly to wait and, steeling herself, asks Kelly what she has in mind.
