"The Temporal Time Stone!"
A normal Wednesday, then, Louie muses as he leans back in his chair on the plane. Dewey, beside him, bounces eagerly in his seat. Huey pauses from taking notes to raise an eyebrow.
"Uh, 'temporal' and 'time' mean basically the same thing," he says.
"Well, tell that to the lazy bum who named it." Uncle Scrooge shrugs, then grins at them. "Legend has it that the Temporal Time Stone can send a user back in time."
"Uh, can't your cricket friend do that?" Dewey asks.
"Yeah, the Ghost of Christmas Past!" exclaims Huey.
"Wha – yes, he can – would you just listen?" Scrooge rubs his forehead then goes back into storyteller mode. "Now, legend has it that the Temporal Time Stone can send a user back in time to replace their younger self – but, once used, there's no coming back. The original timeline is erased."
"That's so cool!" Dewey hops to his feet and punches a fist into the air. "And we're gonna use it!"
"No!" Huey and Scrooge yell at the same time.
Dewey blinks.
"No," says Scrooge. "We are not using the Temporal Time Stone. End of discussion. It's far too dangerous and unpredictable."
"Aw," mutters Dewey. He sits back down and crosses his arms.
"So how much is it worth?" asks Louie.
"We're not selling it, either," says Scrooge. "Didn't you just hear me say it's dangerous?"
"Everything we find is dangerous," Louie points out.
"And we don't sell it," says Scrooge. He glances out the window, then at Launchpad piloting the plane. "Alright. Buckle up, laddies. As usual, we're in for a rough landing."
Louie buckles his seatbelt. Huey forcefully buckles Dewey in before himself, because knowing Dewey he probably wouldn't have. The landing is as rough as predicted. Louie braces himself with the edges of the seat as they slow to a stop.
They leave the plane and cough at the smoke and dust. Scrooge glances over them all to make sure they're alright, before pulling out a map. Uncle Donald examines them a bit closer until they wave him off. Webby, as usual, looks secretly pleased to be included in the group of children that Scrooge and Donald are worried about. Launchpad, as usual, is unaffected by the crash.
"I should probably fix this up," he says, narrowing his eyes.
"Probably," says Uncle Donald with a glare. He's never happy when they crash.
"Alright, then," says Scrooge. "If this map is correct, we should be pretty close. Let's see… aha! That cave!"
He points delightedly at an ominous-looking cave. Louie sighs. So much for the possibility of a relaxing adventure.
"Alright!" Dewey cheers. "Let's go!"
"Remember, stick together," Uncle Donald reminds them, glaring specifically at Dewey and Webby. Given their tendency to run off on their own, he has a point, but Louie kind of hopes that their running off days are over now that they know what happened to Mom.
"Yes, Uncle Donald," the triplets chorus anyway, with Webby tacking on a slightly late, "Yes, Donald."
They follow the adults into the cave. It looks like every other cave they've explored: dark, gloomy, dangerous. Louie starts absently imagining what today's "Wait, what!?" might be. Maybe the Temporal Time Stone is cursed? Booby-trapped? Does removing it release some ancient evil?
"Isn't this cool!?" Dewey gushes.
"It's just a cave, Dewey," says Louie.
"Okay, but look at these rock formations!" exclaims Huey, pulling out his Junior Woodchuck Guidebook. "Check it out! That's–"
"Forget those rocks," scoffs Dewey. "We're finding a time-travelling rock!"
"That's… not that cool," admits Louie. "Especially since we can't, you know. Use it. Or sell it."
"Time. Travelling. Rock," Dewey stresses.
Scrooge chuckles from up ahead. "That's right, lad, it is pretty cool. I'm glad one of you is excited about this."
"I'm excited!" protests Huey.
"About all the wrong rocks," Dewey teases.
Huey crosses his arms and pouts, but he's quickly distracted by another stalactite or stalagmite or whichever one is on the ground.
"Shouldn't be too far now," mumbles Scrooge.
"That's odd," says Louie. "Where's the booby-traps? The danger?"
"Dude, don't jinx us," says Dewey. Louie holds up his hands in surrender.
The cave really is boring, even if Louie appreciates the lack of potential death. Even Huey, who seemed to think the rocks here were the best in the world, seems to be getting bored the farther they walk. Dewey leans his head back and groans.
"Are we there yet?" he asks.
"No," says Scrooge.
Dewey huffs. A second passes.
"Are we there now?"
"Oh, no," mutters Huey.
Scrooge pauses and glances back. "No."
"Okay, are we there now?"
"Will you – we're no closer than we were two seconds ago!"
Uncle Donald puts a hand on his shoulder and shakes his head. "Just ignore him. He does this."
Dewey makes an indignant noise. "What does that mean?"
"It means you're annoying, shut up," says Louie.
Dewey makes an even more indignant noise and crosses his arms, but he does shut up, so Louie counts it as a win. It's actually not that much farther, as it turns out. It's only a few minutes of Dewey's brooding before Scrooge lets out a loud, "Aha!"
Webby gasps excitedly. "We found it!?"
"That we did, lassie," Scrooge says. "Now, let me go first, just in case–"
"Woah, time-travelling rock!" Dewey shouts, shooting forward into the new room before Scrooge or Uncle Donald can stop him. Huey face-palms.
"Dewey!" Scrooge and Uncle Donald both yell furiously, running in after him. The rest of them follow at a normal pace. Yet again, nothing happens. Dewey is reaching for the stone.
"Don't touch it!" snaps Scrooge, batting his hand away. "Have I taught you nothing?"
Dewey laughs sheepishly. "Sorry, Uncle Scrooge."
Scrooge rolls his eyes, then inspects the pedestal the stone is sitting on. It's a blue-green rock – nothing too spectacular. It isn't large. It's shiny but it's not gold. Really, it just looks like a sparkly rock to Louie.
"Hmm… well, it doesn't look to be booby-trapped," says Scrooge. He picks it up. Louie mentally counts down for the "Wait, what!?" When it doesn't occur for several seconds, he blinks and Scrooge shrugs. "Well, that was easy. Alright, kids, let's go."
He leads them out the door to the room, stone in hand. Louie glares around the room one last time, then follows with his family. The minute they all cross the threshold, the entire cave starts rumbling.
"Oh, no," says Donald.
Ah.
So that's the "Wait, what!?"
It's not uncommon for the cave they're exploring to fall in, so it's almost routine to run screaming from the cave. That doesn't mean Louie doesn't hate running and screaming for his life as debris falls around him and his family.
"You jinxed us!" Dewey complains.
"I did not jinx us!" Louie snaps back.
"No one jinxed us, this always happens!" exclaims Huey in exasperation.
"Exactly!" says Louie. "Like I told you, 'Woah!', 'Wait, what!?', Louie almost dies!"
"We're all almost dying!" Dewey points out, dodging a particularly large falling rock.
"Stop your yapping and keep running!" Scrooge yells to them. Uncle Donald sends them a glare as if to, for once, agree with the old adventurer.
Yeah, it's pretty routine.
What's not routine is for Louie to trip, just short of the exit. He should have been watching where he was going better, but, no, instead he hits a rock and sprawls painfully to the ground, leg twisting with the offending rock.
"Louie!" Dewey cries. The others turn, but Dewey is the one to run back to help Louie to his feet. Louie grimaces and Dewey's face grows concerned. "Are you okay?"
"Kinda have to be," Louie grits out. "Run!"
They aren't fast, with Louie's ankle definitely sprained and Dewey supporting him. They're not going to make it in time. Dewy glances back, and his eyes widen.
"Louie, go!" he shouts, then grabs Louie, and, with strength Louie didn't know his brother had, lifts him up and bodily tosses him forward. Donald catches Louie and pushes him behind him, rushing forward.
He's too late. Louie has barely a glimpse of his brother's face – more serious and resigned than Louie ever imagined seeing it – before Dewey is obscured by rocks and dust.
"No!" shrieks Uncle Donald.
"DEWEY!" Huey and Webby both scream, roughly at the same time.
Uncle Donald lets out a wordless cry and starts digging through the rocks. Scrooge and Huey join them a second later. Huey's crying. Webby's also crying. She shakes her head, eyes wide, and grasps onto Louie's arm. Louie is frozen.
"Lad," he hears Scrooge breathe. A white and blue and red form is pulled away from the debris. Louie gently removed Webby's hands and takes a step forward.
That's not his brother. That can't be his brother. Dewey is always cheerful and lively and moving. He's not still and red and twisted like that.
"Dewey?" he says hesitantly. Uncle Scrooge and Uncle Donald are checking him over. They can fix this. Louie takes another step, then falls to his knees beside Uncle Donald and his brother. "Dewey? Dewey, wake up."
Why is he so still? His chest isn't moving and there's so much red. Red isn't Dewey's colour, it's Huey's, so why is Dewey covered in it?
Uncle Scrooge presses his fingers to Dewey's neck, curses, then starts pressing down on Dewey's chest. Louie starts to crawl closer, but Uncle Donald grabs him and holds him to his side, Huey and Webby on his other. Webby is sobbing into Huey's shoulder. Huey's eyes are wide; it's as if he can't look away. Uncle Scrooge breathes into Dewey's beak, then resumes chest compressions.
What did Huey call it? CPR? But – that's for people who weren't breathing, right? Surely Dewey is at least breathing.
This continues for several minutes. Uncle Scrooge looks more and more desperate. Something in Louie's chest tightens. Finally, Uncle Scrooge leans back, tears dripping down his cheeks. There's something like disbelief in his eyes, and the same expression Scrooge got when talking about their mother taking the Spear of Selene. Louie doesn't want to call it grief. That implies – that implies there's something to grieve for here.
"Why won't Dewey wake up?" Louie asks hesitantly. Uncle Donald's breath catches and tears well in Huey's eyes and he buries his face in Uncle Donald's side, shaking with sobs. "Uncle Donald? Tell Dewey to get up."
"Uncle Scrooge?" Uncle Donald says, not answering Louie.
Uncle Scrooge closes his eyes and shakes his head.
Uncle Donald lets out a rough breath and pulls Louie, Huey, and Webby closer to him. He's shaking too. Louie doesn't understand. He tears away from Uncle Donald and runs to Dewey's side.
"Dewey, wake up," he orders, grasping his older brother by the shoulders. "Wake up so we can go home. Dewey. Wake up!"
Nothing. No response.
"Lad," says Scrooge softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. Louie bats him away, tears blurring his vision.
"Come on, Dewey," he pleads. "Just – wake up. Why aren't you breathing? Come on, you – you stupid-head, wake up!"
"Louie," says Scrooge, pulling him away and turning him to face him. His brow is pulled low and his eyes are bright with tears. "He's gone."
Louie shakes his head. "No – no, no, no – you're lying. He's not – he's not dead. He's Dewey."
Behind him, Huey makes an audible, choking sob. Uncle Donald holds him and Webby tighter. Louie jerks away from Uncle Scrooge to grab his brother again. Dewey still doesn't move. There's so much red, and Louie's beginning to realise that it's blood.
"I'm sorry I called you annoying earlier," he says. "Okay? You're not annoying. Don't shut up. Wake up and – Dewey, come on, this isn't funny!"
Uncle Scrooge pulls him away and into a hug. He's crying – really crying – just as much as Uncle Donald and Huey and Webby, and Louie's realising that this isn't a joke. This is real.
He pulls away again to stare at Dewey. His brother still hasn't moved, and he's not going to. And it's Louie's fault. If he hadn't tripped, Dewey wouldn't have gone back for him, and if Dewey hadn't gone back for him, then Dewey wouldn't be–
Dead. His brother is dead.
The world spins into blackness, and the last thing Louie registers is Scrooge catching him before he passes out.
A/N: Hello! I'm writing a fic when I have other fics I should be working on but I was inspired. And, uh, this wasn't supposed to be anything like this but things spiralled a bit out of my control. Oops. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my first contribution to the DuckTales fandom! This'll be about seven chapters, and this (or next chapter) is probably the angstiest so don't worry. Love you guys!