Evening Approaches, Dawn Awaits

by Rex Ivan

The sun hung low in the early evening sky, casting a brilliant array of colors across Duckburg's skyline. Lena dangled her feet over the edge of the dilapidated amphitheater stage, swinging them back and forth as she stared down into the water, the encroaching tide beginning to lap at the tips of her toes. Webby sat beside her, looking upward into the late summer sky, silently marveling at the sunset display.

"Back at the mansion, I've seen the sunset so many times that I kind of forget how pretty it can be. Having a friend nearby to share it with, to make it special, that really counts for a lot, you know?" Webby turned to look at her friend, her smile fading just a little as she saw that Lena's gaze was still directed down toward the waves. "Hey." Lena looked up. "What's wrong?"

Lena looked up. "Uh, what? Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I'm here with my best friend, sharing a quiet moment while watching a fantastic display of nature's grandeur. What could be wrong?" She chuckled nervously, a wiry smile stretching across her face as she gestured toward the setting sun, which had now began to dip behind the sloping hills on the horizon.

Webby narrowed her eyes a bit. "You!" She shot out a pointed finger at Lena. "You've got a secret! And best friends share secrets. You've got to tell me. You were going to tell me anyway, right? And you were just waiting for the right time to do it, right?" Her eyes bulged wide as her smile grew even wider. She inched closer to her friend, who reflexively leaned backward in response. "Oh boy! What is it? We can strengthen our bond of friendship by sharing knowledge only possessed by the two of us!"

"Uh... Heh... um. You see, uh... Webby." Webby nodded enthusiastically as Lena struggled to respond. "I... don't have a secret?" Lena forced her smile to stretch even wider, little beads of sweat forming on her brow.

Webby's grin faltered as she stared at her friend. "You're," her eyes narrowed once again, before suddenly going wide with loud gasp, "you're lying!" Her hands flew to cover her beak, as her brow creased in distress. She lowered her hands to the creaking wooden floorboards, her posture moving from a sitting position into a crawl. With each ensuing exclamation, she crept closer to her friend, who, in turn, scooted backward across the stage. "Lena! We're best friends in the whole entire world! And you're keeping a secret from me and lying about it! Why?! Was it something I did? Or that you did? Or that we did together? Why would you lie to me?"

Lena's back bumped up against one of the old faux-Roman pillars, trapped. She held her hands up in defense, her arms outstretched. "Now, hold on! Don't get excited or panicky."

"I'm not panicky!" Webby reached out suddenly, grabbing Lena by the shoulders.

"AAH!" Lena crossed her arms in front of her face in response to Webby's erratic movement. After a moment she let out a small nervous chuckle at realizing Webby had not intended to attack. She looked into her friend's eyes, and saw her worried features cast in deepening shadows as the sun continued to drop behind the hills. Her nervous smile faded a bit. Suddenly a faint tinkling sound chimed through the air. Lena looked up at the amphitheater's decorations: glowing tin stars, dancing lightly in the breeze. She pointed upward at them. "Looks like they have enough energy to shine tonight."

Webby's eyes followed her pointing finger. She stared blankly at the aged décor for a few moments. "Yeah. Yeah, they're pretty." She let go of Lena's shoulders, and sat back, giving her friend some space. She looked Lena in the eyes again, the intensity of her expression now dialed back considerably. "You know, if you... if you don't want to tell me, that's okay. I just... you know. I thought it would be a neat thing to share. A special secret." Her right hand went across to her left wrist, rubbing it and adjusting the woven bracelet around it.

Lena sat up straighter, casting a glance down at her own bracelet, her shoulders slumping slightly before she stood up. She held down a hand to pick her friend up off the floorboards. Webby readily accepted, and the two stood together in silence, facing one another. Lena cleared her throat before speaking. "I'm sorry. I guess I got selfish. I wanted just a little more time in that moment together, but I made you worry. I kinda ruined it, and now I have to get to the point sooner than I wanted."

It was Webby's turn to chuckle nervously. "Ahah... heh. Hey. You're talking like something bad is going to happen." Lena remained silent, looking down for a moment before returning eye contact. The nervousness in Webby's voice grew. "Is something bad going to happen?"

Still holding her hand, Lena looked out onto the rising tide, now changed to darkened waves with the final rays of the sun having disappeared over the jagged mountains in the distance. "Look out there, Webby. I want you to look out there and tell me what you see." She pointed out into the oncoming shade.

Webby looked and saw the structure in the distance. She stared silently for several seconds before responding. "What... What happened to Scrooge's money bin? It's... it's opened up like a... like a broken eggshell." With her eyes still transfixed on the sight, she unconsciously took a step closer to Lena.

Lena put an arm around Webby's shoulder, pulling her a little closer. "Do you remember how it got that way?"

"I don't kn-... " Webby's eyes suddenly went wide as she stared out at the bin, her beak beginning to tremble. "We... we fought... Magica." She inched closer to Lena her closest arm reaching shakily to grab onto her friend's sweater.

Lena frowned down at her friend sadly and softly. "And then what happened?"

Webby's knees began to shake, threatening to buckle under her. She finally turned back to look up into her friend's face, tears welling up in her eyes. "You- " Her voice caught in her throat, replaced by a single sob that racked through her entire body. Tears began to slowly trickle down her face, and when Webby spoke again, her voice was a strained whisper. "...oh no... oh no..."

Lena pulled her into a tight hug, which Webby returned with all her strength. The two stood there, on the coast of a now gentler sea, embracing for the length of a lifetime, as the twinkling stars sprouted overhead in the night sky. Lena was the first to pull away, still holding her best friend by the shoulders. "I'm still with you. I always will be, even if I might not be able to in the physical world."

Webby's shoulders jerked with another sob as the tears ran freely down her face. "I know! Oh, I know!" She buried her head in Lena's sweater again, sniffing loudly. "You'll always be a part of me!"

Tearfully, Lena wrapped an arm around Webby again, her form beginning to glow a light shade of blue. "Yeah, in more ways than one."

Webby looked up at her friend. "What? What do you mean by tha- Hey! What's happening?!" Webby's head turned, glancing from side to side in alarm, as tiny streams of blue light began drifting upwards from some unseen source beneath the floorboards. "What's that stuff? Why are you... you're glowing..."

Lena smiled at her friend as her own shining tears fell upward from her eyes, drifting into the sky to add to the starry canopy. The dim blue glow surrounding her slowly increased in intensity. "I'm sorry, Webby. I tried too soon. You're not ready yet. Fighting with dark magics took a lot out of you. You still have to heal before you're ready to know everything."

"Lena, no! I'm ready! I am!" Webby trembled, gushing tears blurring her vision and sobbing coughs threatening to interrupt her words. "Please don't leave! Is that what the blue light means?! Please, stay, and tell me what you needed to tell me! I don't know what it is, but I want to hear you talk and have you just be here! Please!" Her grip on Lena's sweater tightened, and she stepped closer to her. "Is it about bringing you back? There's a way, isn't there?! Tell me, and I'll do it!"

Lena put a hand on Webby's head. "As you are now, the strain would be too much. You need time before we go ahead with a plan. Your mind and your heart need to heal."

"My heart needs you!" Webby once again buried her face in her friend's sweater, wrapping both arms around her tightly. "And I'm not going to let you go. You're staying right here!"

Lena wrapped her arms around Webby's shoulders again. "My friend... my best friend... we'll see each other again. It's time to wake up now."

"Wait! Please, just a bit longer." Even through eyes clenched tightly shut, Webby could see the blue glow, see it growing in intensity. It became so bright it began to hurt. She opened her eyes.

Webby awoke to find herself wrapped in her blankets, clutching them tightly against her chest. Tears streamed down from her eyes. She turned her head toward the sunbeam gently moving its way in from the window. She sat up, furrowing her brow.

"I was... what was it?" She pulled the blankets closer against her. "It was important... I..." She sat for a long moment, staring off at something that wasn't there. Slowly she shook her head, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes with the blanket. "It's gone."

She shakily stood up from her bed, turning awkwardly to climb out of the blanketed mess she had entangled herself in. She walked to the window, opened it, and leaned out to meet the warm breeze against her face. Breathing deeply, she let out a sign and, for the first time in days, she smiled.

Her gaze drifted to the nearby chest of drawers. Opening the top drawer she reached in, rummaging around for a moment. She pulled out the small wooden box that held the bracelet she had made for Lena. For the first time since that night, she took off her own matching bracelet, and placed it side by side with the Lena's. She gave a small nod to the hand-made jewelry, and closed the lid. She whispered as she put it back into the cedar drawer, "I know I'll see you again. We can wear them then, together."

Closing the drawer, she walked toward her closet. "I wonder what Granny is making for breakfast." She began to get changed out of her pajamas, not noticing her own shadow cast down on the floor by the rising sun. The shady shape shifted on it's own a little, a pair of gentle eyes and a kind smile fading into hiding with the start the new day.

Author's Note: In a couple of months this story will no doubt turn out to be entirely wrong, but for the moment, in the short few weeks between the Season One finale' and the Season Two debut, my head-canon is that Lena can and does speak to Webby in her dreams. I hope you've enjoyed my story.