Notes:
I ship Lena/Webby, which isn't a surprise to anyone who's reading Bad Touch/Synthesis. So Magica's word choice to Webby later? Deliberate. Magica knows Webby has a crush on Lena.
I figured that Scrooge's worst fear would be hearing that Della's demise was his fault (remember that the viewer knows Della's still alive, but not Scrooge). Meanwhile, Webby 1's would be to lose Lena again and Webby 2's would be to be rejected by her family.
I left off with the boys and Scrooge 2 for the time being because this chapter is long as it is.
Chapter Ten
Though she'd never tell the other woman, Magica was grateful for the healing. They were seated in her dining room and she could sit without gritting her teeth in pain. Now that they were together and she wasn't in agony, she tried to see similarities between them. Unconsciously, Magica glanced at her staff, which was almost the same as the other woman's. Physically, though, they looked nothing alike. Their magic seemed to be on a similar wavelength, what little Magica possessed at the moment. Here on Mount Vesuvius, she ought to be able to tap into the ley lines. She hadn't been able to focus long enough to do so before. With the ley lines assistance, she would be able to scrutinize the other woman and refuel.
Duckberg had no ley lines. It was why she didn't spend that much time there unless she was terrorizing McDuck. Or, rather, she hadn't until she'd been sucked into that dime. She bristled, remembering Scrooge's chest's warmth against her face. She wanted to wring his neck too, but he hadn't beaten her as badly as Webby. Therefore, while she resented what he'd done to her, her ire was focused on Webby.
"You have a plan, I assume, beyond telling me something I don't believe and then waving your staff around," Magica sniffed.
"A maze," the other woman replied and waved her staff again. "Full of Scrooge's worst fears, as well as the others. The only way to escape is to use number one dime."
Magica frowned, contemplative. She was soaking up the magic inherent in Mount Vesuvius and her body tingled with it. It was almost like having pins and needles all over her body, except that it was pleasant rather than annoying. It reminded her of the last time she'd met Gladstone. She fought to keep a smirk from her face.
"I'm listening," she said. "But I want Webby for myself. That little brat has it coming."
At the other woman's raised eyebrows, Magica elaborated. "My injuries? She inflicted them. She was so upset over my taking her away from her precious shadow friend, who was my shadow to begin with. Or, at least, I thought she was until she betrayed me too."
"Magical shadows betraying you," the other woman said with a straight face. "I have never had that experience."
"And I'm sure you've never been trapped inside Scrooge's dime for fifteen years, either," Magica snapped. "Bully for you. As I said, you can have the others. Webby is mine."
"What about other Webby? The one from my side of the mirror?" the woman asked.
"I'll kill her too," she said, nonchalant. "Even if she doesn't pose as much of a threat like the one from my universe, the time-space continuum would be better off without her alive."
"She really hurt you?" the other woman asked, mirroring her expression too. "Is harmless in my universe. She just dresses in a pretty pink bow and dress and acts like a typical girl."
"Right," Magica said tightly. She wanted off this conversation topic now. "Are we going to set up the maze yet or are we going to sit here and chew the fat? Because I have revenge I want to be implemented."
"Patience," the other woman counseled her. "Rome was not built in a day."
"That's another thing," Magica retorted. "How do you have a Russian accent? I'm from the UK."
"Different birthplaces? Is not important," she replied. "I will leave both Webbys to you. Now, shall we?"
Magica grinned wickedly. This could be quite enjoyable. She looked forward to wringing Webby's neck and then dangling her in front of Scrooge to see how he'd failed her too. How no matter what he tried, he couldn't protect the ones he loved. It would also force Lena to return to her, where she would punish her and then destroy her for good. Yes, this was a good plan.
She could feel Webby's neck snap between her hands and, unaware of the other woman's thoughts, stepped out from the dining room and toward the staging area of Mount Vesuvius. They moved in concert, both graceful in how they walked as if they owned the place. Then again, they did, didn't they? While Magica wasn't convinced that the other woman was her from another dimension, she was pleased that she had someone who could support her and also bring about her enemies' ends.
And make no mistake about it. They would all suffer for what they'd done to her. It reminded her of a movie she'd seen a long time ago, courtesy of Lena. Magica wouldn't have ordinarily gone for such things, but Lena had grown more difficult to control at that point and Magica had figured it was better to acquiesce to her for now. That didn't mean she'd done it willingly, mind you, but she'd tried to ignore the movie.
The melody of angry growls
A counterpoint of painful howls
A symphony of death, oh my
That's my lullaby
Magica grinned maliciously. Yes, a symphony of death would be her lullaby.
They crash-landed on Mount Vesuvius, to no one's great surprise. Thankfully, although the Sunchaser was damaged, it wasn't enough to prevent it from taking off later. Launchpad promised to stay there and take care of the plane, which was fine by all of them. The red-clad Scrooge, or Scrooge 1 as his grand-nephews insisted on calling him, halted where the summoning circle would've been at the landing base of Mount Vesuvius. Magica had liked to do her magic out in the open air and his feathers vibrated from magic. The whole place resonated with it.
The summoning circle, which Launchpad had used as a landing pad, contained several archaic inscriptions that Scrooge had had occasion to study in the past. The wide, flat surface continued for a mile or so before ending in a steep staircase that led to Magica's home. Magica's lair was constructed from marble and the front door was firmly locked. He caught himself about to reach for his number one dime, which was in lockdown at the money bin and being guarded by Gizmoduck, Lil Bulb, and Gyro. He wasn't taking any chances.
The group fanned out and he glimpsed, for half a second, Lena in Webby's shadow. Webby didn't notice, however. The other Webby, the younger one, was scanning the area nervously, as well she might. He sensed dark magic afoot. Of course, as it was Magica, all magic was bound to be dark, but this felt particularly malicious. His feathers stood on end and he glanced over at the boys; Huey was consulting the JWG and talking to himself. Dewey was consoling Webby and Louie stepped closer to Scrooge. His hands were in his hoodie pocket and his hoodie was up. Everything in his body language bespoke wariness.
"Think she knows we're here?" Webby 2 asked, her tremulous voice nonetheless carrying in the acrid air. Mount Vesuvius hadn't erupted for fifteen years, yet there were ash and soot everywhere, as well as a tainted smell that burned his nostrils.
"Aye, lass," the other Scrooge replied.
"She knows we're here," Scrooge 1 said, keeping the bite out of his voice by extreme effort. "They both do."
He still couldn't believe his counterpart had a soft spot for Magica. Was she not noxious and evil in his world? Besides the fact that he wasn't as wealthy as him, he also seemed more gullible and prone to weakness. Scrooge rolled his eyes at him and then advanced, keeping his eyes peeled for traps. Heading towards her house was too easy. She had to have a trick up her sleeve.
Scrooge knew that the only reason Magica had any juice was that the other Magica had given it to her. Mount Vesuvius was the magical equivalent of a hot spot too, but she wouldn't have been able to avail herself of it given the injuries Webby had inflicted. At the thought, he glanced over at Webbigail, who looked determined but also uneasy. The other Scrooge was holding his Webby's hand and although Scrooge 1's Webby was older and also made of stronger stuff than her counterpart, he wondered how safe she really was in his company. The incident on the Sunchaser with Dewey was still fresh in his mind.
"Anyone else think this is too easy?" Huey asked just as a maze sprang up around them. It was made of gold, probably imitation, but no less solid for that. He whirled around, finding himself in a dead end. The boys, Webby, and the two inhabitants from the other dimension were nowhere to be seen. If this was a trap, as he'd suspected, then the targets would be himself and Webby primarily. His heart jumped into his throat. Webby could protect herself from one enraged sorceress, but two?
And this was different. Magica had only been trying to prevent them from extracting him from the dime and saving him. Now Magica was out for blood. It did unsettle him, though, because she'd been ruthless when it came to defending what was hers before. If she'd been holding back, he hadn't noticed. However, if she had held back or at least been unfocused on who she hurt and how she hurt them, she wouldn't be now.
He advanced out of his cul-de-sac and toward the only route available to him. Standing on the side of the broad alley was a face he'd never expected to see again. His heart lurched and he fell to his knees.
"Della?" he exclaimed.
Della's smile was sad and her eyes were cold. Scrooge's heart clenched; she'd never looked at him like that, like he was the engineer of her fate. She moved away from the wall and approached him. He tensed. Della couldn't be here. Magica wouldn't have kept her secreted away here; Della's disappearance had transpired after Magica's capture. True, Magica would've known, as she would've known everything that had happened while she was imprisoned. For that reason alone, he knew this was an illusion. Magica was playing his strings and he wouldn't permit it. She probably wasn't strong enough to face him on her own again, not yet.
"No, you're not Della," he told her. Seeing her hurt. Regardless of whether it was an illusion, a living, breathing version of his niece after all these years struck a painful blow.
"Don't like being reminded of your mistakes, do you?" Della jeered. She sounded like herself, but there was a mocking edge to her voice. She tilted her head to regard him and her eyes flashed.
"You're the reason my boys grew up without a mother," she said.
"I…" His throat closed up. Sensing weakness, Della/Magica moved closer. She stood not a foot away from him now and poked him in the chest where the dime had dangled. He'd come here expecting a direct assault, not this. Guilt wracked him.
"You're the reason the family fractured," she continued. "And if it hadn't been for outside interference, you would never have been saved. Your pride will be your downfall, old man."
Scrooge waved his cane at the apparition and it went straight through. She could not be fought with, not traditionally. He would have to find a logical way to best her. The problem was that Della/Magica was appealing to his emotions and was entirely too effective at it. After being around him so long, Magica knew how he thought.
"How do you think Donald feels, knowing you caused his sister's death?" Magica continued. Scrooge opened his beak to reply and then shut it. They had no proof Della was dead, but then again, they had no proof to the contrary either.
"You knew better than to build the Spear of Selene," Magica hissed. "You knew she'd leave her eggs behind and that she had no intention of returning. You're the reason she disappeared. Your failure to retrieve her was of your own doing."
She poked him again, harder. "You failed your family, the ones you claim to care about. You drove away the people who love you and lashed out at a little girl, and for what? To feel better about yourself? To protect yourself?"
She sneered. "There's nothing to protect. You're a shell of a man, Scrooge McDuck."
"My family came back," he snapped.
"Della didn't," Magica replied with a nasty smile. "Della's never coming back, is she, Scroogie?"
It would've been bad enough hearing all of this from Magica's lips, but to hear it from Della's was unbearable. There was nowhere to run, however. All the exits had vanished, leaving him trapped in an alley with Della/Magica and no escape. He stood his ground.
"I still have Donald and my grand-nephews," he snapped at her. "They won't leave me again. I shouldn't have kept the secret from Huey, Dewey, and Louie and I'm sorry about that."
"But you're not denying that Della's death is your fault?" Magica said cruelly, digging the proverbial knife in deeper. "That in your lust for adventure, to explore what had never been explored before, you led your niece into danger that she couldn't handle? That you facilitated her demise? That if you hadn't taken all that money and power and influence, she would still be alive today and the triplets wouldn't be orphans?"
"They're not orphans," he said, picking at what he could defend. "Donald is a good uncle to them, almost like a father. And Della...Della had a choice."
It was true, he realized. He didn't like to think about it, because he felt better absorbing the blame on himself. He had loved his niece so much that he hated to think she'd done something wrong. He was the older, more experienced adventurer. He should've stopped her. He'd led her into temptation and she'd disappeared because of it.
"You killed her," Magica hissed. She smiled maliciously. "And you only have yourself to blame for what happened next."
"What's the matter? Can't you fight me fairly?" he sneered, though he heard the hollowness in his tone.
"I don't have to," she said, smug. "You can't fight yourself, can you, McDuck? You've thought these things for years and now your chickens have finally flown home to roost."
She poked him as hard as she could, hard enough to shove him back. "Each and every one of them."
Webby advanced through her hall cautiously. The diffuse light came from everywhere and nowhere at once. She noticed that as it grew darker, her shadow grew bigger. Hoping to glimpse Lena, she spun around. However, what she spied wasn't a shadow. It was Lena in the flesh and Webby sprang at her, knocking her over in her extreme enthusiasm to see her friend again.
"Ow...hey," Lena said.
"How do you have a body again? What's going on? I thought you were my shadow and now you're not and-"
Lena put a finger to Webby's beak to stem the flow of questions. "I don't know, but I'm suspicious. Aunt Magica doesn't do anything without a reason. And if I have a body, then this is a trap, Webby."
"How can it be a trap?" Webby asked after gently pushing Lena's finger away. She hugged her extra tightly and Lena hugged her back. "I finally have you back."
"And that doesn't strike you as odd?" Lena said. "I'm sorry about your wrist, by the way."
"It's fine," Webby said, helping Lena to her feet. She squeezed Lena's hand with her good one. Now that Lena had mentioned it, however, the air temperature seemed to have dropped and chills gave her goosebumps. She and Lena moved, standing back to back. Lena was tense and Webby sensed a threat, but from where, she couldn't tell.
"There are more than a few ways to be cruel," Magica's voice echoed and Lena's hand tightened on Webby's. She could feel her best friend shaking in fear and feel her pulse against her wrist. Pulse? Lena had been a shadow. She couldn't have a pulse, not unless Lena was real now.
Her stomach dropped. She didn't like where this was going.
"You can't take her away from me," Webby snapped.
"Oh, but I can," she said. "Technically, for all that she calls me 'aunt'-" and here Webby could picture her moue of distaste-"she's my offspring. I can do whatever I want to her. As the saying goes, I brought her into this world. I can take her out."
Lena had interlaced their fingers.
"I'm not going to let you hurt her, Aunt Magica," Lena snapped.
"You're a shadow," Magica said and Webby could hear her roll her eyes. "You can't tell me what to do. And for God's sake, stop saying 'Aunt Magica'. I'm no more your aunt than that girl has a family."
Webby flinched but held herself straight and proud. "I do have a family."
Magica appeared in the flesh; she glided down from an unseen ceiling and stood before them. With a swing of her staff, she aimed a magical bolt straight at Lena. Webby grabbed her, flinging her out of the way before the shot connected. Webby stood protectively in front of Lena.
"You're not taking her away from me again," Webby snapped.
"You're pathetic," Magica informed her. "You're mooning over a shadow."
Lena shot her an indecipherable look and Webby shrugged. Another two bolts came, this time aimed at both of them, and Webby tried to dodge one and shield Lena from the other. It didn't work. The second bolt struck home at Lena's ankle and where it had hit, her form grew insubstantial again. Webby's heart was in her throat.
Lena pushed herself to her feet and fell over. The shadow foot would not hold her weight.
"I'm going to make her disappear, bit by bit, while you watch," Magica informed her. "Then I will destroy her again, this time for good."
Webby growled, launching herself at Magica. She dodged another couple bolts; she couldn't protect Lena and attack Magica simultaneously, so she settled for distracting the sorceress. She aimed a kick for Magica's ribs, which she knew must've been recently healed, and feinted left. Magica fell for it and she kicked her in the chest so hard that the older duck fell backward, her next shot going wild and disappearing into the air.
Webby rained kicks and punches down on Magica, who swept at her with her staff but couldn't connect. She couldn't aim properly with Webby on her neck and Lena dove at Magica's stomach. Magica's next attack raked the teenager's back and left her shadowy halfway through her body. Lena could stand, albeit on her right foot, but she was transparent. Despair swamped Webby.
"Leave my best friend alone," she snapped. "Get a life!"
"Lena is a traitor," Magica hissed. "She deserves what she gets. As do you."
Webby had to jump and skidded across the suddenly uneven surface. It appeared that one of Magica's shots hadn't gone wide at all. It'd converted the ground into mush, where it was hard to gain traction. Magica was floating, so she needn't worry about it.
"She's a traitor for wanting her own life? For not wanting to be your shadow?" Webby countered. "For having different ideas and wanting to belong?"
"That's exactly it, yes," she said and slammed her staff down. The ground rose up and latched onto Webby's legs. She tugged them free, but not before Magica's staff hit her in the head. Lena snarled, grabbing the staff from her, and told Magica what exactly she could do to herself.
"Oh, that's polite," Magica sniffed. "Where did you learn such language?"
"From you," Lena said and smirked.
"You look like you could use some help," an unfamiliar voice said and Webby whirled. The movement knocked her off balance and she landed in the mud with her chest stuck. Groaning, she shifted her head so at least she didn't suffocate.
"All right, fine," Magica huffed. "You can take Lena. I want Webby to myself."
She kicked Webby into the mud and Webby managed, with supreme difficulty, to extract an arm to haul Magica down with her. She wasn't going down without a fight.
She tried to remember everything Granny had taught her about escaping quicksand, which was what this appeared to be. The important thing was not to panic. Webby had that down. Of course, in Granny's hypothetical example, Webby hadn't been trying to evade Magica at the same time. She lay back and let herself sink slightly, with the quicksand distributing her weight. Magica snorted and reached into quicksand, all the while avoiding it herself, and extricated Webby. If Webby had thought this was a gesture of kindness on Magica's part, which she wouldn't have anyway, that notion was dispelled by Magica's grip tightening around her throat. She watched Webby squirm with an amused expression on her face.
"Webby!" Lena cried, her voice tinny in Webby's ears. Webby struggled, elbowing Magica in the ribs. Magica growled, but the additional pain added an impetus to Magica's rage and her grip tightened. Webby saw spots before her eyes.
"Well, even if my illusion doesn't break Scrooge, this will," Magica said smugly. "Poor little dead Webbigail."
Webby gritted her teeth and lowered her head. Her kick caught Magica in the chest and she felt something crack. Magica healed herself, however, before any real damage could be done. Hmm...but could she strangle her with only one hand? Of course, that wasn't something she could give much thought to, considering how her vision was flickering in and out.
The grip loosened and Magica stumbled back. Webby's vision filled in enough for her to see Lena had punched Magica in the face. It gave Webby the few seconds she needed to get her good hand up and under Magica and free herself from the chokehold.
She meant to say something pithy, but her throat was raw and she coughed instead. The other Magica aimed a blast for Lena and Lena rolled away from it, although she was more shadow than substance now. Webby dodged the next blast and it struck her Magica right in the chest. Lena disappeared, however, in the aftermath.
"You! Aim for her, not me!" Magica snarled, wiping the blood off her lips. How hard had Lena hit her?
And where had Lena vanished to? Webby swept Magica's feet out from under her and the other Magica countered by shoving her against the wall with the staff glowing against her face.
"You are hard to kill," the other Magica said, sounding impressed. "But everyone dies, sooner or later."
Webby propelled herself up and over both Magicas, bounced off the wall, and then slammed their heads together. She cared more about where Lena had gone, however, than about defeating Magica. She had a horrible sinking sensation that told her Lena might just be gone for good this time. It brought tears to her eyes and bitter rage.
"Where is she?" she demanded. Her free hand trembled and she was swallowing past a lump in her throat.
"She went back to where she belonged," Magica said serenely. "Where all good little traitors go, to the underworld. Why, did you miss her? Did you not get to say your goodbyes? Poor little Webby."
She couldn't believe this. She wouldn't believe this. She had not come so far, lost Lena only to regain her and then possibly lose her again. She wouldn't accept it. Eyes flashing with a look that would've sent the triplets scurrying for cover, she rounded on the two Magicas. Two against one weren't fair odds. But then, Webby wasn't fighting fair anymore.
Webby 2 was alone in a dark room and she hugged herself. She'd experimented with leaving the doll behind, so she had nothing latch onto but her arms. Rubbing them, she ignored the goosebumps and cast a glance around. There was nothing to see. No one else appeared to be here.
"Hello?" she asked. "Magica?"
An odd glow materialized and she saw, to her consternation, the mirror. Framed in it were her triplets, Scrooge, and her grammy. How had this gotten here? At least the mirror appeared whole, but there was something sinister about it. Back at the mansion, the mirror had been an inanimate object and nothing more. Here, it exuded malice.
"Hello?" she ventured again and placed her palm against the glass. It was cold to the touch and impermeable. Unnerved, she stepped back a smidgen but kept her hand in contact with it. The triplets eyed her coldly and Mrs. Beakley and Scrooge looked none too pleased either.
"Uncle Scrooge?" she ventured. "Grammy?"
"I told you if we didn't do something, she'd think she could come back," Louie scoffed.
"Aye, that you did," Scrooge said, glowering at her. Webby, disused to such animosity on his face, faltered. He swung his cane but, before the blow could connect, Webby dashed forward. Rather than colliding with the mirror, she passed through it and into nothingness. She hadn't traveled to the other side. She was trapped in limbo.
Whimpering, she stared at nothing in the pitch dark.
"What's going on?" she demanded.
Nothing. The silence pressed against her ears and it hurt, like someone clapping hands over her head. Webby found she couldn't move and her whole body had gone rigid. Her heart raced.
"Hello?" she called again. "Is anyone here?"
Oh, she didn't like to be alone. She also wasn't a big fan of the dark, but that was beside the point. When she stopped speaking, the silence grew oppressive. She ran through what had just happened. Louie had told her that they didn't want her back and then Uncle Scrooge had broken the mirror, but she'd run through it first. And gone where? That she couldn't answer.
She shivered. Was this what it was like to be a shadow? Only capable of moving her head, she scanned the darkness.
"Uncle Scrooge? Grammy? Huey? Dewey? Louie?" she called and their names fell away into nothingness. "Other me? Anyone?"
It felt like something was slowly crushing her. It was getting harder to breathe and she felt invisible hands on her throat. Webby wanted to claw at them, but she couldn't move her arms. Her whimper sounded only in her head. She was losing her voice, losing her body, and disappearing. Soon it would be like she never existed.
"She was always so annoying," Dewey said. She could hear his voice but see nothing. "I'm so glad she's gone."
"Yeah, she was really cramping our style," Huey added.
"Unca Scrooge doesn't even miss her, do you, Unca?" Louie asked.
"Miss the free labor? I sure do. But miss Webbigail?" he sneered. "Not a chance."
"I'm too old to raise another child," her grandmother said. "Especially such a disobedient one."
Webby tried to reply, but she couldn't think, either. All she could do was stand there in horror as the pressure increased and the ones she cared about and loved from her universe disparaged her.
"You're like her, aren't you?"
That voice was not from her universe and Webby started, discovering she could turn her head again. Her beak opened. Whatever the other girl had done, it had broken the spell Magica must've cast over her.
"You're...you're Lena, right?" she whispered.
"Yeah, you're girly and you're a wimp compared to my Webby," Lena said and there was pride in her voice. "But you have a good heart."
Webby saw a vague outline in the darkness. It was the first thing she'd seen since the mirror deposited her here and she took courage from it. True, it was faintly green and luminescent.
"And I guess if I do this, maybe you can help my Webby find a more permanent way to keep me here," Lena continued. "So don't read too much into it, okay?"
If a shadow could be embarrassed, Lena certainly sounded that way. Maybe Lena didn't want to be seen having a soft spot for someone who wasn't her Webby. Regardless, Webby was grateful and a little guilty. She was having more interaction with Lena than Webby 1, whom Lena actually cared about.
"So, hold on," she advised, as though Webby had something to hold on to. Lena touched her arm and the world around her exploded into light. Lena vanished again, barely perceptible, and returned to Webby's side as her shadow. Had she used her strength to rescue her? Webby was touched.
And about to become a magical pile of ash. She rolled away as one of the Magicas, she couldn't tell which one because she couldn't afford to look up, aimed a blow at her that would've disintegrated her.
"Lena?" Webby 1 asked. Her expression was pinched like she was suppressing tears.
"Later," she promised.
Webby 1's beak was tight, but she nodded. They had more important things to consider right now. For example, both Magicas looked like they were out for blood. Webby 2 might not be capable of the same combat skills, but she could help, she thought. Or, at least, act as bait.
"You only fixed the mirror so you could go through it!" Webby 2 accused.
"To borrow a phrase from my counterpart, 'duh'," she said.
"You betrayed Uncle Scrooge's trust!" she continued.
"You're even dafter than the one who broke my ribs and that's saying something," Magica 1 scoffed. "Did you really expect not to be betrayed?"
"Well, no…" Webby 2 admitted, abashed. Seeing as the attention was on Webby 2, Webby 1 crept around the back of the two Magicas and kicked them both over. They collided, smacking foreheads, and groaned. They rubbed their foreheads and glowered at each other.
"Enough!" Magica 2 snarled and held up her staff. The two Webbys froze like they'd become statues. "That's better. Why didn't you think of that before?"
"I was too busy getting wailed on again," Magica 1 snapped back. "But now…"
She smiled, advancing on Webby 1. "I can finally kill you."