A/N: A little heavily implied Magica/Lena shadow ill treatment in this one, but it's fairly mild so it's not as bad as it could be, and it doesn't ACTUALLY happen so there shouldn't be too much of a problem with it.
puppydogs68: Well, Webby gets excited over most things, so her getting pumped up over dynamite isn't really too much of a stretch on her character. And yes, way too much off it actually. But Doofus is a growing boy you know, and even while in the middle of a staggering financial crisis, he still somehow managed to get a hold of some.
GiddyReflections: Honestly, I was a little when I put out Down & Out in Glomburg! back in late January and was met with complete eerie silence from the DuckTales fandom here for a while. It was pretty discouraging that hardly anyone here seemed interested in reading it any further, so I didn't feel like working on Chapter 4 for a while. But I'm back now, sorry it took so long. Thanks for your time.
BEST, DUCKTALES EPISODE, EVER. But I'm still a little freaked out by it though. As besides the whole Webby actually being a (spoilers) thing, I actually accidentally predicted the 3 Webbys and cloning by one of her feathers plot in my Baleful Bewitching story here at least 4 months before the series finale even aired. Except it was (totally-not Bill Cipher locked away in the Other Bin) and not F.O.W.L. who did it instead, so yeah. And I also predicated as a joke that Manny was a horseman of the apocalypse too...
Thanks, I try my best. And at least he tries, that's what's important right? And there's plenty more Scrooge/Lena obsessed ADHD Webby up ahead. Just wanted to be sure to prepare you for that.
"C'mon guys. Fenton's mother said that there were several reports of suspicious shadowy characters hanging around in the abandoned subway tunnels..."
Webby came to a stop and looked back as she led her friends and family behind her through the dim, dank, underground tunnels deep underneath Duckburg. "Who else could be more suspicious and shadowy than Magica De Spell?"
"Three young lasses, a crash prone pilot, an amputate, a sailor, a Man-Horse, and the world's richest person all searching underground for a centuries old vengeful shadow sorceress still out to end them?" Her Uncle Scrooge asked as Donald, Della, Launchpad, the Sabrewing sisters, and Manny trailed close behind
"Uuuuuuhh-" Donald tried to say with a raised finger as the bipedal Headless Man-Horse began to slowly clap aside to him. A towel wrapped around something hung down from his back.
"The man, has, got, a, point."
Violet waited to take in a breath and to be absolutely sure everyone had finished speaking before speaking herself. "Statistically speaking, we are a much rarer common occurrence."
"Oh I don't like this guys," Lena nervously peered around the dark corridors while holding her hands tightly clenched together, "this place brings back horrible memories!"
"I wanted to get as far away from Aunt Magica as possible, not actively TRY to find her! And what if she isn't even down here? What are we supposed to do then?" She asked.
"Don't worry about her." Her best friend Webby was already determined to ease all of her worst of fears.
"Why if she tries to blast you with her magic, I'll throw myself in the way and then at straight her. And with my final dying breath, I would execrate my true feelings for her and then tell the world of your long lasting greatness..."
"Heh-heh." Lena laughed stiffly. "You're always thinking of me Pink."
"Not always. Just when I'm not currently not sleeping." Webby happily replied.
"And then she was like, NO WAY." Launchpad continued to recall the events of yesterday's exciting last adventure to Donald while keeping his hand close and friendly on his shoulder. But judging by the simple, done with everything Uncle Donald expression on his face, it seemed likely that he couldn't care less.
"And then I was like, YES WAY. With Mac and Cheese. And-"
"-Lennnnnnaaaaaa..."
"What the?" Lena quickly spun around in the direction of the voice, but it was almost as if she was the only one there who actually heard it.
Maybe her frazzled poor state of mind was playing tricks on her again. Those countless sleepless nights had really done a number on her. And as if in a trace, Lena slowly wondered off in the complete opposite direction of her friends and family to search out the source of the voice, alone.
"...Lena?" Webby turned back. She was the only one there who noticed her best friend blindly wondering off into the shadows.
"Lennnnnnaaaaaa..."
"Lennnnnnaaaaaa..."
Lena carefully peeked around the corner of the dark dreary cavern hallway, and there it was. Or, SHE was. Some sort of tall, featureless, pitch black figure repeatedly saying her name over and over again like a broken record while facing the wall.
"Lennnnnnaaaaaa..."
"Lennnnnnaaaaaa..."
It appeared to be a living shadow of some sort. Time seemed to slow down in her dreamlike state as her paralyzed muscles just refused to move. Maybe they were just as scared as she was, yet not even her Aunt Magica had ever managed to be this creepy and-
Lena couldn't help it, she let out a audible gasp.
"Lennnn-" The dark shadow suddenly turned around to face her, it's glowing red eyes and fierce gaze pierced her own.
"...Lenaaaahhh!" The shadow held her hands together in joyful delight like an excited overbearing aunt who hadn't seen thier favorite niece or nephew since February or last Christmas. She was so happy to see her.
Lena on the other hand.
"NO! GE-GET, GET AWAY FROM ME! Oh NO, not AGAIN!" Lena clumsily tumbled back in a panic and hit a wall that she was almost certain hadn't been there before, maybe she was just going nuts.
And now with suddenly nowhere else for her to tumble, she huddled helplessly in the corner while breathing heavily and shaking in fear. She was trapped.
Her poor survival instincts kicked in as her Aunt Magica slowly approached her. She didn't even want to look at her, but she had no choice. Maybe it was in poor judgment, or just a sudden burst of foolish courage, she flipped around to face her worst fear come to life quite literally looming tall over her.
"Stay back!" The reckless fool of a teen yelled, trying to sound as big and threatening as possible. "I will fight you!"
Yet her Aunt Magica wasn't the least bit impressed with her. It was hard for her to not even laugh at how pathetic and sad she looked honestly. She was going to very much enjoy this.
"Shhhhhhhh..." The shadow put her finger to her bill and supposedly comforting shoulder on her back. Her hand was cold, and Lena obviously didn't want it anywhere near her.
"Don't- Don't touch me!" Her niece fought to keep her distance as Magica decided to show off to her for a bit.
"What- What are you-"
"Ta da." The shadow did a little twirl with her hand, summoning a small shadowy chain that attached itself to Lena's chest and the magical conflict of interest itself sealed right inside her. Her amulet.
Lena didn't get it. "what?"
Suddenly, she was yanked forward as Magica's sinister smile spread wider and wider across her face. Lena's heart rate shot up to a thousand.
"NOOOOOO! PLEASE- PLEASE Don't do THIS!" She already began to beg as she pulled back with all her might on the chain to try to keep her balance. It had been one of those days, especially in a universe and fandom that just refused to give her peace.
"Without your amulet, I'll- I'll be-"
"-Noootthhhinng..." Her Aunt Magica finished her sentence in an oddly cold but soothing tone and then suddenly decided to let up on her a bit.
"Am I right? Was that what you were going to say? I can't read your own mind you know. Honestly, how could you possibly expect me to read a mind with nothing in it to ever even read in the first place?"
"I'll be nothing right?" She asked with a subtlely amused smirk.
"...GONE." Lena could barely find the strength to speak as she began to breathe and gasp heavily for air again.
"I can't let her down! I can't let Webby lose me again! Not again!" It wasn't like her Aunt Magica was choking her or physically harming her in any way or anything, but her mere presence was still enough to throw her into another fear-included panic atrack.
"Mmm. Such a pity." Magica actually almost felt sorry for her. Almost.
"I mean really. Such a pity you are. Can we all agree with such a pity you are?" She mockingly asked in relaxed conversational tone.
"NoooooOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Lena disagreed as Magica began to pull back on her main source of life again.
"Aunt- Aunt Magica, Please." She tried her best to reason with her, but couldn't quite find the words.
"I- I can't. I can't let-"
"Now REALLY Lena." Her Aunt Magica shook her head sadly at her. "Is this really as hard as you're going to fight for your own pitiFUL little life? I consider myself, disappointed..."
"Web- webb- ugh-" Lena's small world began to fade to black as her consciousness slowly abandoned her.
...
"...Leave my BEST FRIEND ALONE YOU reprehensible RODENT!"
In a instant, Lena suddenly found herself lying flat on her back, very much still alive, with Webby furiously attacking and hitting something small out of view with a stick shaped oddly like a old man's cane.
And Lena's attacker let out another painfilled surprised squeak as her best friend jabbed it once more in the chest. It was, a rat.
"Take that. And that! And don't come back!" Webby chased and swatted it away as it finally accepted his defeat ran off. Confused, Lena just laid there in baffled silence while Webby stood cross beside her with her hands at her hips.
"Little beasts."
"Webby what?!" Lena still had no clear idea what was going. It didn't feel like a dream, she could have sworn it was all real.
"Where's Magica? What happened to-"
"Oohhhh!" Webby suddenly remembered and then helped her best friend up to her feet. "Uncle Scrooge thinks he found her somewhere way back this way. C'mon!"
She took her hand to lead her back to the group, but then stopped before they had made it very far. Lena still had no clear idea what had just happened. It didn't feel like any normal nightmare she had had several times before. She was still so terribly confused.
Maybe, it was-
"I can teach you the art of self defense we when get home later if you want." Webby interrupted her derailed train of thought.
"Would you to start with Krav Maga, or Muay Thai? Krav Maga is only the second deadliest art known to man. I'd say Dewey proved that one pretty well."
"Heh-heh." Lena gave her another dry stifled laugh. "It's a nice thought Pink, but I'm fine thanks."
Webby paused. "Lena, you were being overcome-ed by a rat..."
"Watch your backs kids." Scrooge McDuck and his family stood in front of a suspiciously shaped curtain drawn pathway with a carved out in stone, familiar sorceress' bill and face as the entrance.
"The just may be a very well thought-out trap set by Magica. Try not to lose your heads."
"Ooooh! What kind of real life or magical trap do think it is?!" Webby overly excitedly asked. "A flying guillotine?! I've only ever seen one of those in action before!"
"...Webbigail." Violet began to say.
"And there's only way to find out!" Webby took another bold step forward. "Now all we need is a quirky, easily rememberable team battle cry to announce ourselves with our surprise attack."
"But, doesn't that just render the whole point of an actual surprise attack completely and utterly pointless?" Her Uncle Scrooge asked.
Webby thought it out for a bit. "Not if you yell it loud enough."
"Now, let's see..." She pondered all their best and most obvious possibilities aloud. "For the Moorshire! Uh. This is an invasion! Uh. I like strong healthy girls who eat their veggies!"
Violet paused. "Might I suggest-"
"I LOVE YOU LENNAAAAAH!" Webby burst through the curtain and into the the hidden magical laboratory, much to the surprise of the three clueless Beagle Boys inside.
"Ahhhh! Burglars!" Bouncer jumped back and flinched in surprise. "Thieves!"
"Waaaaaagghh-" The massive Beagle Boy immediately ran for cover, accidentally knocking an oddly familiar looking strange teenage duck underneath a pile of heavy magical artifacts in the process.
Webby was mad. "Ha! Prepare yourself foul hag!" She warned and pulled out a heavy spiked mace ready to attack, completely forgetting their mission and why they had even came down there in the first place.
"Prepare to be cast straight back to the proverbial hole you crawled out of, you belligerent BALEFUL BELDAM- Oh wait it's just you guys." She suddenly realized and let her mace fall, yet Bigtime was still very much terrified of her.
"AAAHHHH!" He stood petrified and pointed at her with shaking trembling finger.
"It's- It's the freakishly strong Scrooge's family wildcard! Hiiiidde!" He ran past his brother Burger and hid in possibly the worst and most obvious hiding spot possible.
Webby already felt sympathy for all of them. "Awww. No need to be afraid guys." She walked forward to try and reassure Bigtime that there was absolutely nothing to be fear.
"I don't bite..."
She paused and then immediately got in his face while grabbing him by the ears. "NOW WHERE ARE YOU HIDING THAT CALAMITOUS CONCEITED CRONE?!"
"Uughh!" The familiar looking strange teenage duck from before sat up from the wreckage and held her head, it was obvious she was still seeing stars.
She kinda looked a whole lot like Lena, expect, somehow darker and a lot more Magica De Spell-ish than usual. She had long black hair and wore a dress like Magica obviously would, yet still retained her pure white feathers instead of her powered up, dark shadow sorceress, vile green shade.
"Oh bless! Ugh, bless me bagpipes." Scrooge sighed in utter disappointed and mild concern.
"You three really aren't back to swindling off the innocent wee waifs are you?" The old duck asked and then looked back down to her in pity. "As innocent and wee as this one looks that is..."
"No! No no no no." Bigtime repeatedly denied it while waving his hands defensively. "Yous- Yous got it all wrong! You've got the wrong idea! We've gone clean really! She's just- She's-"
"Ugh! Now how did that one go?" The strange teenager interrupted in a daze and spoke in Magica De Spell's familiar British voice dispite her childish goth appearance and vauge age.
"Cor duckmey was it? Ugghh! Curse you McDuck." She then fell over flat on her back again on the dirty, cold, stone floor.
"...Wait. Is that." Della paused. "Magica?"
"Wait WHAAATT?!" Webby's eyes widened in reasonably justified shock and disbelief. "She looks an awful lot like- like-"
"Me?" Was all Lena could manage to say.
Magica's suddenly popped open her yellow eyes and quickly hopped up to her feet in a haughty De Spell pose. "Well of COURSE you look like ME. For you are nothing but a SHADOW of my TRUE, FORMER self! For you came from me, and as all shadows return to the darkness lying in wait, it appears you've come quite early..."
"Now," The young shadow sorceress approached Lena and put out a single small gloved hand, "my amulet, my magic. Give it to me." She ordered.
But Lena didn't even react. And as a mother bird protecting it's young, Scrooge stood in front of her and between them.
Magica was furious. "Give me," she breathed, "my AMULEEEEETTT!"
...
"Ugh!" Lena groaned and finally snapped out of her shock, yet she still stood safe behind Scrooge and far enough away from her Aunt Magica for comfort.
"As much as I hate to admit it, it's your- stupid magic that's keeping me tied to this world! And it's a part of me now too. So no," she refused, "I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd just let me keep it for now..."
"Quick guys hurry!" The tech billionaire Mark Beaks of all people suddenly burst into the room in a panic and ran straight smack dab into Launchpad.
"Scrooge and his family have breached-" Thud. He bounced right off the pilot and fell to the floor along with his precious last backup phone screen that shattered to pieces on impact.
"Ow, ow. Owie..." He held his sore aching head.
"Oh hi!" Launchpad politely greeted him and lifted him up by his arms. "Didn't see you there."
"On no. Oh no." Beaks quickly regained his balance and dropped onto his hands and knees to mourn over his poor dead phone.
"Oh no oh no oh no oh no no oh no! Not- Not-"
"Mark Beaks." Webby scowled and glared down at him crossly. She was for some unclear reason not very pleased to see him. "What do you think you're doing here you insufferable indigent ignoramus?"
"Whoa! Pretty strong with the Scroogey alliteration there Webby." Della quickly pointed out. She was most impressed.
"Thanks!" Webby politely thanked her. "It just comes naturally to me for some odd unknown reason."
"...Ahhh! My Queen!" Beaks finally got over his phone and ran up to Magica to scoop her up into a tight constricting protec-hug. "Are you okay Magica babey?" He asked. "Mean ol Scrooge and his mean ol family didn't try to hurt you now did they?"
"N-NO. T-T-THEY, D-Didn't!" Magica struggled to speak and breathe normally as her eyes began to buldge out of their sockets.
"Well don't worry. I won't let them take you away." Beaks shot the confused Duck family standing behind him an ominous dark glare as he gently petted her. "Magica is MY Queen! And Queens deserves to be worshiped. And I would literally give, or do, ANYTHING for her. I would never, NEVER disrespect my Queen."
"T-T-Thanks, uuugghh! My loyal servant, B-Beaks!" The sour squeezed shadow sorceress sputtered.
"Ha-ha! Ha-ha ha-ha! YES!" Beaks suddenly dropped her onto the floor to celebrate his latest greatest achievement. "She said my name she said my name she said my name she said my name! Ha-ha! Ahahahaha! You're killing it today Beaks!"
And at this moment, both Donald and Della had come to the exact same horrible conclusion. They both now knew the horrible truth. "Do you know what I think?" She asked.
"Yeeepp." Donald muttered while letting his arms hang low.
"SIMPing..."
Both Scrooge and Webby were now even more confused, they were somehow both in different and close enough age ranges to have no clear idea. "What's that? What's- simping? Wait WHAT?" They both asked and reacted accordingly to each other at the exact same time.
"Well, a simp is when, well..." Della paused, she wasn't exactly sure how to word this one. "I'll explain it to ya when you're older."
"I'm already OLD!" Her Uncle Scrooge said.
"I meant Webby!"
Webby looked around briefly and then waved to everyone with a innocent friendly smile. "Hi, I'm Webby. I'm twelve, and a leagaly qualified practitioner."
A still awkward silence filled the hidden underground lair as nobody but Della Duck decides to try and continue their cross-conversation. It never stopped her before anyway.
"Uhhh, Uncle Scrooge, what do you think happened to her?" She asked her uncle. "Do you think it's possible she grew so old she then aged backwards? I mean, it's possible."
"Hmmm. Now that DOES sounds plausible." Launchpad aggred while rubbing his chin in deep yet cloudy meticulous inner thought. "Based on our, totally normal, past adventure family experiences I mean." He shrugged.
"Seriously?" Donald quacked.
"WHAT?" His twin sister grew loud and overly defensive all of the sudden. "ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE."
"Apologies Mrs. Duck," Violet quickly apologised, "but that's a load of bull."
"Load of what?"
"...Plain and simple jabberwocky."
Della paused. "...Vi, I don't even know what that is."
"Jabberwocky." She began to explain." The literary art. The- uuugggghhhhh!" Violet cried defeated into her hands.
"The spell was supposed to restore my MAGIC, but instead it restored my youth..." Magica got up off the floor and took in a slow silent breath.
"All because THIS blithering oaf, botched up the SPELL!" She angrily faced Bigtime who was just standing there beside his brothers dumbly.
"He put in the wrong stuff!" Bouncer quickly explained.
"JkKHHheFFeeuHHeeHhh!" Burger tried his very best to explain himself.
Bouncer paused. "He ate the ingredients!"
"Sure did!" Bigtime put a single proud finger in the air. "And I didn't harm me the least little bit. While leaving behind hardly no negative side effects... HiccOOOWW!"
The Beagle Boy let out a big hic-cough of pink magical smoke, which then covered his younger brother Burger's head and face entirely with fluffy white chicken feathers.
"Egads." Violet was both visibly and emotionally disturbed by this.
...
"Ugggghhh. I'm not going to grow up to look and sound exactly like Magica am I?" Lena groaned at the thought.
"Oh sweetie, I don't think you have to worry too much about that." Della was quick to reassure her. "If I know one thing for sure: Evil, makes you ugly. I mean, look what happened to poor ol' Mrs. Twit."
"Wait. Did you," Lena paused and blinked in wide eyed lost disbelief, "really just call me that?"
"I gotta show my great motherly love to some not lost kid in the meantime OKAY?!"
"Umm, seriously?" Webby was for reason especially scroogey and critical right now. "You hired The Beagle Boys, and Mark Beaks to work for you? They're like the worst villains we've ever faced. Worst in the most deficient term I mean." She added.
"Hey! I don't appreciate you bad mounting me and my Queen over here." Mark Beaks began. "Because our team is like totally going to be humiliating and moping the social floor with you after all this is over okay?
"I can see it already." He held up his hands to properly imagine the certain most scathing article on them. "Former trillionaire Scrooge McDuck, assaults and profiles innocent homeless girl in a mad raving delusional pursuit in the Subway."
"...This story and it's accuracy: fact. How to avoid any and all conspiracy theories about story and how debunk them to your friends."
"Ha!" He laughed. "That should be enough to keep YOU, and your family's reputation, cancelled, and financially soiled, for-eveeeer! And then me and my Queen here will be getting together. Just like she promised me."
"Not happening buddy." Della promised. "And please tell me you starting this oh so blooming loving relationship before this happened to her."
Scrooge smiled, suddenly feeling much more content with himself and his enemies' abilities of just completely screwing themselves over for him. Yet he had still forgotten about that ONE particular incident against his favor.
"Well, I guess we can all consider this karmic justice."
Magica was clearly annoyed by her greatest enemy's smart remark, which only made things worse for her in the end and Webby's case. As it turned out, an even more moody looking, grumpy shadow angel Lena was all she had ever wished for, even if it was still all Magica De Spell on the inside.
"Awww. But she's still so cute though." Webby was already completely fawning over her." I just wanna hug her and squeeze her and protect her and punch her and kick her and take her home with me to tell her everything's going to be alright."
The real Lena suddenly got extra emotional all of the sudden. "WEBBY! That's because she is ME! Uh! Because I'm SHE! Uhhhh. Her!" She wasn't sure if she was worried that she was losing the attention of her best friend to her aunt, or she was just jealous of herself.
"FINE! Laugh all you want! But just you wait McDuck." Magica stood up in the most threatening villainous pose she could pull off. Her eyes were crazy, filled with malice to bring forth a dark bitter end.
"After I re-channel my powers I will see to your family's early demise... And I will see your burnt bodies flayed up the core!"
The sorceress ran forward to attack Scrooge with all her strength, but having lost most of her magical powers and all, she wasn't much more than helpless child to a reasoned adventurer like him. He just caught her by the leg and let her dangle there as she swung and cursed fiercely at him.
"Rrwwwwaaarrraagghh! Oi! Go on! Fight me will ya?! Rrrwwwaaaaagghh!"
"...Ugh, I knew this was just a big waste of time." Scrooge sighed.
"C'mon. Let's take this, vexatious vagabond right back were she belongs, in prison." He turned to carry her away. "If we could ever find a cell small enough for her that is."
Magica then slipped loose from his grasp to the floor and crossed her arms while gripping her shoulders. "Sure, lock the wee child up in jail. Let's all take that one up on board... Now, tell me, what business do you have here?" She asked.
"Grown tired of that frail mortal coil you all walk called life? Ready to accept your sealed fates in my final cold perpetual grasp?"
"Of course not you degenerate saucy minx. Manny, the box." Scrooge signaled for him to bring over the item wrapped safely up in the towel. And as ordered, the obedient Headless Man-Horse placed a gaudy golden chest down onto a nearby wooden desk with his hooves.
"Where, do you, want me, to, put, the towel?" He asked with a series of short yet clear intelligible claps.
"Ooooh, what's this? A McDuck attempt of a bargaining chip at mercy it seems." Magica closely examined the chest, her interest had already been peaked.
"Where, do you, want me, to, put, the towel?" Manny asked.
"We found this ancient cryptic chest on a adventure, but my kids got magically caught up in it." Scrooge began to explain.
"We need someone with vast magical know how and knowledge enough to crack the ancient mystical code. Call this a truce. Help me rescue my nephews, and you can keep my Number One Dime. Those three are worth way more than that old dime ever could..."
"WHERE, DO YOU, WANT ME, TO, PUT, THE TOWEL?"
"You too, Headless Man-Horse." Scrooge calmly replied.
"SIGH." Manny clapped sadly.
"...OOOOOOH. Uh huh, uh huh, I see." The sorceress nodded with a slight hint of spite and harsh sinister sarcasm in her voice. "Magica De Spell, the great Sorceress of the Shadows, helps Scrooge McDuck, helps rescue his nephews from peril. The only thing in this world worth more than your old Number One."
"Your," she paused to put heavy emphasis at the end of her dark degrading monologue.
"FAMILY..."