It had taken two days to get there and another full day of searching before Webby stumbled upon a hidden cave in the nearby forest.
What was once a small village had been nestled in a valley and on their second day of searching, they had decided to expand their search to the woods and mountains surrounding the remnants of the village, which was made a bit easier thanks to Launchpad and a rented helicopter from the nearest city. However, it was when they searched on foot that Webby saw the almost completely obscured cave entrance at the base of one of the mountains.
Inside the cave they found a large chamber illuminated by just a few torches and empty aside from a large stone raven in the center, set in the middle of some kind of spell circle.
"What is this?" Dewey asked, looking at Lena for an answer. "How should I know? Just because I'm Magica's shadow doesn't mean I know everything," She balked, looking at the circle with her flashlight, careful not to touch it or step on it. "Just stay away from that thing until we have a better idea of what is because I think is this some kind of magical seal,"
"Hey, I think this might be a clue!" Webby called, motioning for the others to come to where she was.
On the wall of the cave was a plaque with a warning inscribed on it:
"Let none break this seal, lest this evil sorcerer be reawakened and bring ruin upon us once again."
"What do you suppose that means?" Launchpad asked thoughtfully, studying the inscription carefully. "I think it means we've found Poe," Lena said, now very unsure of exactly what to do next. If Poe was sealed in here somehow with magic, then there may not be any way to bring him back since Lena had lost the ability to use magic.
"I'm sorry guys, it looks like this was a waste of time… and now there's only three days left before the eclipse." She sunk down on a nearby rock and slumped her shoulders, eyes cast downward, trying to fight back guilty tears.
"Lena, it's not too late, we can still stop Magica, somehow." Webby tried to encourage her friend not to give up. "Webby's right, we'll figure something out cause that's what we do, just like Uncle Scrooge!" Dewey said cheerfully.
"Hey, why not just break the seal?" Louie asked, looking at the magic circle drawn on the ground around the statue. "What? How? Without magic I can't…" Lena looked at Louie with both sadness and confusion. "No, not with magic, just…" He picked up a nearby stick, "Scratch it out, it's not even etched in the ground, just drawn in the dirt," he said, quickly flicking the stick across the circle, disrupting the pattern. "You get it, literally breaking the seal?" He said as they all looked on.
They sat and waited for a few moments to see if anything would happen and when five minutes had passed with no reaction Louie tossed down the stick and shrugged.
"Eh, it was worth a try." He said, walking away from the statue. "Thanks anyway." Lena responded, walking over and looking more closely at the statue.
"You're almost there, child; All you need to do is recite the proper spell,"
Lena jumped back at the sound of the voice from the statue, so quiet she couldn't tell if she'd really heard it or not. She thought about it and the only spell she knew was the one Magica had taught her in case it was needed to fully release her from the dime during the eclipse. She honestly didn't know if it would work though, she couldn't use magic anymore but she still had to try, and she knew one way it might work.
"Webby, come over here and give me your hand, I wanna try that friendship magic thing again," she motioned for her friend to come closer. "Of course! You were able to do magic with the power of our friendship before so maybe you still can!" Webby squealed excitedly as she took Lena's hand.
"Free this form from the abyss, dormant magic now unchained, this shadow be whole again!" Lena chanted, still uncertain but hopeful as the statue cracked and crumbled and the cave shook, filling with magical smoke.
When the smoke cleared and shaking stopped; they saw a tall, slender man standing where the raven statue once stood. His white feathers looked a bit ruffled and his black hair a bit tousled. He was dressed in black pants, a long black coat and a black vest over a white shirt.
His onyx eyes fell directly on Lena, eyeing her analytically. "And just who might you be?" He asked, his gaze never moving from Lena. "Lena, Lena LeStrange… I uh, I'm the one that freed you… Poe, right?" She asked nervously, something about his cold, studious gaze unsettled her greatly. He nodded. "I see, well you have my thanks; but why did you take such a great risk child?" He questioned, stepping away from the rubble that was once his prison.
"We were hoping you might help us to fight against your sister, Magica…" Webby said, also very unnerved by his gaze on her friend and his cold demeanor.
"Why on earth would I want to fight my dear sister and just exactly has she done to bring the lot of you ask such a thing of me?" He asked, stepping towards the exit. "And do you mind if we take this conversation outside? I have been trapped in this cave for so long I'm simply dying for some fresh air," He said casually and they all just followed him outside.
"Say, if you're really Magica DeSpell's brother then why do you look just like her?" Launchpad couldn't help asking. "Have you ever heard of twins?" Poe quipped back sarcastically. "Oh! So, you're like, identical twins?" Launchpad asked, either ignoring the sarcasm or it just flew right over his head as they stepped out into the sunlight. "Yes, exactly, gods it feels so good to see the sun again!"
Poe stretched his still arms as he marveled at the beautiful day, the first he'd seen in such a long time. Then he finally realized something was different, he didn't see the villages' windmill or clock tower above the trees as he normally would. Without a word he walked off the in the direction of the village and stopped, silently taking in the sight before him when he finally exited the forest and saw what was left of the village.
"I think I'd best hear your story children…" He said, realizing that his sister may desperately need him.
"I see, so she's possessed Scrooge and now they've both gone cuckoo, am I understanding this right?" Poe asked after they had explained everything to him. "Uh, more or less," Lena nodded. "So will you help us?" Poe stood from the tree stump he had sat upon while they told him their tale and once again stretched, he was so stiff from being trapped for so long, he also had a crick in his neck that he was fairly certain wouldn't be going away anytime soon.
"I could, but I'll still need your help, little Lena LeStrange.," He said, that analytical gaze returning, almost boring holes right through her.
Lena hated that cold, calculating look Poe kept giving her, it unsettled her so much but now really wasn't the time to be making enemies. "If it involves me using magic, I can't, I was barely able to release you using mine and Webby's friendship magic but it's nowhere near strong enough to fight her," she explained. Poe scowled. "Oh, really? You don't honestly expect me to believe that do you, little Lena?" "It's true!" Lena snapped, "Ever since Magica left my body to possess Scrooge's I can't use magic anymore, because it was her magic I was using because I'm just her shadow…" Poe just continued to scowl.
"You have no faith in yourself yet you expect so much of me?" He sighed. "You can use magic little Lena; you just have to believe you can. How much time do we have before the eclipse?" He asked. "Just three days," Webby replied, standing beside her friend. "That's more than enough time if you'll just let me work with you, little Lena, what do you say?" He asked, still giving her the same look. "Okay, I'll try…" Lena finally answered, seeing the encouraging looks from her friends and knowing if she didn't Scrooge would be lost forever.
"A day and a half, an entire day and a half that you've wasted," Poe scowled at Lena as she once again failed the simple magic exercise that he tried to teach her. No matter how many times she tried or how simple the spell she just couldn't muster a single spark of magic and Poe was at his wits' end.
"I'm sorry but I tried to tell you, I just can't!" Lena snapped, tired of fighting the losing battle. "and for the hundredth time, it isn't that you can't it's that you won't," Poe continued to scowl, then sighed. "I guess I really do have to take matters into my own hands, don't I?" "If that means you'll help us,"
Lena looked at Poe hopefully before turning to walk to the others and sit down, joining them in the picnic lunch Launchpad had spread out while she was attempting to work with Poe.
Suddenly they heard a rustling noise in the nearby bush and saw a small little rabbit come hopping from behind it.
"Awe, what a cute bunny," Webby said, watching furry little creature wrinkle its little nose. "Yes, cute indeed…" Poe said quietly before muttering a spell under his breath, "With the power of nature itself I turn this creature to my will and my bidding will it do evermore,"
Suddenly the small, adorable rabbit grew large threatening, tiny little buck teeth becoming sharp fangs and innocent little red eyes now glowing with menace and it lunged at Launchpad and the kids.
"Now you have no choice little Lena, you must do something or else you and your friends will become rabbit food," Poe said calmly, conjuring himself a chair to sit in while he watched the chaos he had just unleashed.
"It was a really bad idea to free him!" Dewey cried as he ran away from the rabbit monster. "Yeah, a really, really bad idea!" Louie added, hot on his brother's heels. "Hey, bad bunny! Stop it!" Launchpad yelled as he tackled the rabbit monster, doing little more than riding on its back while it chased the kids.
"Lena, what do we do?" Webby asked as they ran. "I don't know!" Lena cried, frightened and seriously regretting searching out Magica's brother.
"Yes, you do, little Lena," Poe's calm voice called, cold as an autumn wind. "No, I don't!" She cried back.
Lena and Webby climbed a tree and got themselves out of the rabbit monster's reach but Dewey and Louie just couldn't run anymore, they tried to reach the tree but their legs were giving out on them. "Can't… make it…." Dewey panted. "Legs… like… jelly…" Louie panted behind him. "Come on! You guys have to make it!" Webby cried, trying to encourage them. They both fell to the ground, out of breath and out of energy. "Did you ever think it would end like this?" Louie asked, between heaving breaths. "At least my death will be on someone's top ten weirdest ways to die list someday… eaten alive by giant rabbit monster," Dewey replied, trying to think positive as the rabbit monster was almost upon them.
"Forest creature kind, return to thy self, to thine own heart and mind!"
If Lena hadn't jumped down and cast her spell, changing the monster back into its normal self, Poe would have done so himself but he was relieved she'd finally acted, even she had waited until the last blasted second.
Lena saw the boys about to be eaten and just suddenly knew what she had to do, suddenly had the words and conviction that she could do it and as the blue glow of her magic faded from the, once again small, bunny she now held her hands she turned and yelled at Poe.
"What's wrong with you! Why would you do something like that! You could have killed us, not to mention how cruel that was to this poor rabbit!" She barked, releasing the rabbit and then noticing the now smug look on Poe's face when she looked back to him.
"I told you, you could do it, and now I am absolutely certain that the task ahead of us is going to be a very difficult one, though not necessarily impossible…" He trailed off, his voice and face now warmer, a little softer. "I'm truly sorry I pushed you like that, but I had to be sure." He said, dismissing his chair with a wave of his hand.
"'Be sure' of what?" Lena demanded, tired of playing his games. "That you are what I thought you are," He replied, earning confused looks from everyone. "Is that some kind of riddle cause I'm not very good at riddles," Launchpad asked, getting up from the ground where he'd landed when the rabbit was returned to normal.
"No, it's not a riddle you fool," Poe sighed, then turned back to Lena. "You're not Magica's shadow," He said bluntly.
"What? What do you mean I'm not her shadow?" Lena looked beyond confused. Poe just smiled, for once a warm smile on his face.
"Looking at what's left of the village I feared the worst and it would seem I'm correct, you, little Lena, are my dear Magica's ablation," He said, a sad and faraway look in his eyes as he spoke. "She spoke of using the ablation spell and it would seem she did,"
"What's an 'ablation'?" Webby asked, also very confused. "An ablation," Poe began, turning his attention back to the group, "Is a part of oneself severed, and in this case personified, with magic; in other words, Lena is actually a piece of Magica, not just her shadow," he explained.
"What does that mean?" Lena asked, confusion giving way to curiosity and Poe just chuckled.
"I'd best start from the beginning; you see, believe it or not my sister did have kindness in heart, many years ago; as a child she was a regular fairy-tale princess, befriending the local wildlife," Once again Poe looked sort of sad and far away, relieving days of his childhood with his beloved sister.
"However, she was consistently tormented by our peers and elders for her kindness, until she finally began trying to bury her kind heart deep inside and be the wicked witch she was expected to be,"
"Wait, you're trying to me that Magica DeSpell was once a nice person?" Webby asked in disbelief. "Shh, don't interrupt the story, I think he's getting to the good part," Launchpad whispered, wishing he had some popcorn. Poe just chuckled again.
"Something like that, yes. Anyway, to make a long story a little shorter; we eventually came to this village, the goal being to get a certain amount of tribute or something," He shrugged. "I honestly don't remember now, but the point is that Magica was doing everything she could to prove herself evil and cruel, to win the approval of our peers and elders,"
He flicked his wrist and conjured himself a bottle of water so he could take a drink before finishing. "It was at that time she spoke of using the ablation spell to actually rid herself of her kind heart while I had found myself falling for a woman in the village, which ultimately led to my imprisonment,"
"How did falling for a woman lead to your imprisonment?" Webby asked, curiosity peaked. "Yeah, what kind of tragic, forbidden love story was it?" Launchpad was thoroughly invested in Poe's story now, like he was watching a movie.
Poe sighed, his gaze moving off into the distance, somewhere long ago, focused on a face he fondly remembered, before becoming somewhat regretful. "She was easily the most beautiful woman in the village, and believe it or not, she loved me too… but the other villagers didn't care for me or my sister as much… things didn't end well when they tried to separate Lenore and I… but honestly the details aren't really important," He said, dropping the subject right then and there. "Right now, we have other things focus on,"
"Right, so what does Lena being an ab-a-whatsit mean for Uncle Scrooge?" Louie asked. "That helping him may be harder than you realize, since Magica has already used the ablation spell on herself I have no doubt that's what she plans to do to Scrooge, sever his good heart from him," "We can't let her do that!" Dewey cried, now ten times more worried about his uncle.
"Somehow, I don't think you're going to like what has to be done to save him…" Poe started, looking at Lena a bit solemnly. "Why do you say that?" She asked uneasily. "The best solution would be to reunite my sister and her kind heart, to return the ablation from whence she came, only then would my sister return to her senses and hopefully undo whatever harm she has done," He explained, not surprised by the displeased looks he received from them.
"You mean get rid of Lena? We can't do that!" Webby cried, not accepting the idea of losing her best friend. "Yeah, we can't do that to Lena!" Dewey agreed. "Doesn't she have a right to own life?" Louie asked, Launchpad nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she does! Isn't there another way?"
Poe smiled, a bittersweet smile. "As you would like to keep your friend safe and save your Scrooge I too, would prefer to protect and save my sister," He sighed deeply. "Any route that would lead to my sister's demise would also be Lena's demise… destroy the original and the ablation will also be destroyed and I'm not certain I could undo any damage Magica may have already done, many spells can only be undone by whomever cast them," He said, looking sympathetically at all of them.
"So, what can we do?" Webby asked, hoping for some alternative to losing her friend. "There is only one other option that would stop Magica and spare Lena… but it comes at a cost, and if I were to do it I would require a small fee for my services," Poe answered, his tone returning to the icy cold of before.
"Why would you need a fee?" Lena asked, sensing some kind of trickery. "Because, little Lena, if I were to be allowed to help my sister that would be payment enough, as it is all I truly want…" he slowly began to pace around the group. "If she were to meet her end there would be no fortune great enough to asswage my sorrow…" Lena was not liking his sudden turn back to his cold and calculating demeanor. "But for a solution that meets in the middle, I would only ask a paltry token in return for my help if I am not to help my dear sister," He grinned, the kind of grin a charming snake oil salesman uses to peddle his wares.
Lena knew he was holding back on what the catch to this 'plan c' was and she didn't like it at all but before she could voice any concerns Webby spoke up. "What kind of 'paltry token' do you want?" "Webby no-" Lena tried to interject but Poe cut her off. "Merely a small monetary sum, just a few cents are all the payment I require, I assure you, I do not want something exuberant as Scrooge's fortune or something as abstract and intangible as a voice, merely a single coin of petty change," He said soothingly, as soothingly as a serpent to Lena's ears.
"Okay, as long as you promise you'll help us and not hurt Lena," Webby said. Dewey and Louie nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this sounds like a good plan to me," "Yep, better than helping Magica, no offense," "Guys, no, I don't think this is such a good-" Poe interrupted Lena again. "Are you absolutely certain you want me stop my sister without reuniting her with her kind heart? Are certain you want to accept the consequences of such a choice, and mind you, there are consequences for this choice,"
Webby nodded. "Yes," she replied firmly. "No…" Lena tried to interject but it was too late, the deal had been made as the others all agreed.
"Very well then; just remember, what is said is said and cannot be undone," his words had a sense of finality and foreboding about them and Lena somehow knew that they'd just made a terrible mistake.
"Well, time grows short, we should go to Duckburg post-haste if we're to get there before it's too late, provided it isn't already," Poe said solemnly. "Yeah, and we'd better get there quick too, let's hurry back to the plane!" Launchpad said, leading Poe and the children back to the Sunchaser.
Quick note here, the idea of Lena being Magica's ablation was something I had considered when I first watched Ducktales and the ablation idea itself came from the manga sequel to the movie Jim Henson's Labyrinth in which there is a queen who is revealed to have created ablations to rid herself of emotions that she couldn't cope with. Honestly, I always felt that something along those lines just made more sense than Lena simply being a shadow.