Twisted Strings of Fate

Chapter 17

One of the biggest secrets I've kept from my mother is just how often I would sneak out of the house with Launchpad and go out on our own little adventures. Given our "adventures" were mostly to the arcade, to the park, or a slew of other activities that she would never let me do. Even though there was little chance of me being hurt, my family had to keep up with appearances. Our friends and neighbors knew that I was "ill," so there were many things that I was banned from doing.

But Launchpad, despite thinking I was a sickly, frail girl, sensed that I needed something more to my life than what I had. He knew that I didn't mind the chance of getting hurt. And I'm thankful for that.

"We have a bargain," Charity said, reaching out her hand and shaking it with Zeus. As she did, a wave of power shot across the island, the epicenter directly under her feet. She took a step back, looking nervous. "What was that?"

"A lot of magic is used when someone makes a deal with a god," Scrooge said, coming to her side. "I hope you know what you're doing."

"Did I just sell my soul or something crazy like that?" Charity asked, jumping to conclusions.

"No, lass. The contract is simple. If you beat the challenges, you can see Aphrodite. If you don't, you can't see her," Scrooge said. "The gods will honor the deal. No fine print."

Charity shook her head. "Then why does it feel like I just signed a death wish."

"Because with Zeus, that might be what you've done," Scrooge said. "You can't back out now. Be careful, lass. These challenges won't be easy. And unfortunately, my family can't help you."

Charity looked to Darkwing, Fenton, and Launchpad. "At least I have a great team in my corner."

"What about Negaduck?" Dewey asked.

"Who?" more than one person asked.

Dewey pointed to the prone Jim Starling.

"Yeah, he kept insisting we call him that," Huey said. "Why is that?"

"It's because that's what I named him," Dewey said with a smirk.

"Wait, you're proud that you gave a super villain his name," Louie said, rubbing his chin. "I wonder if we can trademark that."

"He's not a super villain," Charity insisted. She went to the unconscious duck's side and turned him over, hearing him groan.

"Careful," Darkwing said, preparing to leap in and pull them apart.

His eyes opened a little, blood-shot and wild, before closing again.

"What's wrong with him?" Charity asked as Fenton knelt down to take a look.

"By his symptoms, I'd say he's been drugged," Fenton said, checking Starling's pulse.

"The orderlies had to, to get him out of my mansion," Scrooge said.

Charity turned to him. "You had him committed?"

"Yes. Earlier this morning. That is, until Aphrodite yanked him out," Scrooge said, shaking his head.

Charity clenched her jaw. "This is my fault. He could be getting the help he needs, but instead he's here." She tenderly took off the tattered red hat, softly running her hand down his head to flatten the ruffled feathers.

"The first challenge will begin," Zeus boomed.

"Right now?" Charity asked. "But Jim—"

"Our team isn't ready," Darkwing jumped in. "We need some time."

"Then you should have specified that before you made the bargain," Zeus said with a grin. "Your challengers have not yet arrived. You have until then to have your team prepared."

"Challengers? What challengers?" Mrs. Beakley asked.

"The ones who wish to take on the first challenge are my daughters, the Muses," Zeus said, although he didn't look happy about this. "They are…getting ready."

"Oh, of course. I've heard of the Muses. The goddesses of inspiration. Without them, we would be severely limited in science, literature and art," Mrs. Beakley said, her voice turning conversational, as if talking to another parent about their children. As she asked Zeus a question, she gestured behind her back, indicating she was stalling for them.

"Come on, Jim," Charity said, tapping his cheek. "We need you to wake up."

Darkwing pushed her aside, shaking the man's shoulders. "Wake up! Come on. You could perform your own stunts. Darkwing Duck wouldn't let something like drugs keep him down."

Fenton broke in. "He's heavily dosed. He's not going to wake up, not for hours."
"But we need him for the challenges," Darkwing said.

"I think I can help," Selene said, moving through the ducks. She knelt by Starling's head.

"I didn't know you had the power of healing," Della said from behind.

"I don't," Selene said. "Normally. This is a special case." She put both hands on either side of Starling's head and closed her eyes. "He's confused. His confusion is linked to his identity. Oh my. It appears that he has completely remade himself into a person he calls Negaduck."

"Trademark Dewey Duck," the blue-clad triplet said.

"I can remove all traces of the drug from his blood," Selene said. "As for his mental health, there's only so much I can do. He is attached to his new identity. I'll do what I can to help."

"Of course," Huey said, figuring something out. "He's crazy, or also called a lunatic. Derived from the word 'Luna,' meaning moon. Selene has some power over those with mental illnesses."

Selene grimaced. "Yes, although my power in this area isn't strong. If Hermes or Apollo was here, they are much better at healing than I am." She removed her hands and stood up. "He should be able to wake up now."

Charity turned to face Starling, touching his cheek. "Jim? Jim, please wake up."

His blinked several times. Although his eyes were hard and cold, they were no longer wild, but had a clarity in them that hadn't be there before.

"What? Who are?" His eyes widened and he sat up, his head jerking one way then the other. "Get away from me," he snarled, crab-walking on his hands and feet over the sand.

The group did just that, already retreating at the conscious Starling. Darkwing crouched next to Charity protectively.

"Give him some time," Selene said. "Knowing your plight, I wasn't as gentle as I should have been with his mind."

Charity held up her hands in a calming and disarming way. "Jim, do you remember me?"

Negaduck put a hand on his head. It didn't ache, but there was something different about his mind. He locked eyes with the lovebird, his eyes scrutinizing. "Yes…I think I know you. You…you…" His eyes widened, and he clutched his head. "What did you do to me?"

Charity felt a burst of pain in her head, the worst migraine she had ever experienced. She fell to the sand, too much in agony to say anything.

"What's happening to her?" Darkwing shouted, putting a hand on her back.

Selene looked horrified by what was going on. "I don't know. I thought…There was just so much darkness inside him." She rushed back to Starling, clapping her hands over his head. Immediately the duck relaxed although he stayed on his feet. "Darkness and confusion. It's too much for me. I'll try to give him clear thoughts and rational thinking, but there's only so much I can do." When she removed her hands, she gestured for everyone to back away. "I think it would be best if I talk to him for a while. There are…some here that can upset him." Her eyes darted to Darkwing.

The masked hero didn't notice; his attention was all on Charity.

"Are you okay?" he asked, helping the lovebird into a sitting position.

"I…It was like I was in his mind," Charity whispered, rubbing her temple. She looked up into Darkwing's face, and for a second, revulsion cross her face and she flinched away from him. "He…hates you so much. I didn't think anyone could hate that much." She pulled her knees up as close as they could get and hid her face behind crossed arms.

Darkwing felt the double mental blow, first from Charity's reaction to him, and second from knowing what his hero, his idol, thought of him. Starling's feelings toward him since that day at the movie set wasn't anything new, but it was a blow regardless.

"Starling is unwell. Don't let him—"

"Don't call him that!" Charity shouted, a snarl on her face. "His name is Negaduck."

Darkwing jumped back, startled by the ferocity in her voice.

"Oh, dear," Selene said, leaving Starling's side and touching Charity's head. "It seems that more than just the pain made it through the bond," she said. "This curse of yours…It's something."

Charity turned scared eyes on Selene. "Can you tell us anything about my curse?"

Selene shook her head. "Other than that it's older than I am. And that's saying something."

Negaduck walked over to where his hat lay on the sand, picking up and dusting it off before putting it on his head.

Darkwing stepped in front of Charity, his body poised to defend.

"No, it's okay. He understands the situation and is willing to help you," Selene said. "Negaduck has promised to cooperate, haven't you?"

As Negaduck pulled his hat down to shade his eyes, he grinned. "Yeah, but it seems a big waste. After all, you guys have it pretty good." His eyes fell on Charity. "Not you, sweetheart. Sucks to be you right now, but if these idiots want to break your curse, sure, I'll go along."

"Even if it means feeling pain again?" Darkwing asked, suspicious of the man's motives.

Negaduck shrugged. "That's if you can break it. There's no guarantee that will happen." He frowned at Selene. "Besides, she said I wouldn't leave this island if I didn't."

"Well, since we have all that cleared up," Charity said, dusting her pants off of sand, "let's go check out this first challenge." Leading the way, they climbed up the beach only to come across the strangest sight once they reached the rise.

"What is that?" Fenton asked, tilting his head to the side.

Charity's mouth split into a grin. "It's a roller derby arena."

Smooth concrete paved a long, oval ring surrounded by a rail. The curves were banked inward, giving it a three-dimensional effect.

"Roller derby?" Darkwing repeated, confused. "Never heard of it."

"It's so cool," Charity said. "Launchpad dated a girl who was on a team. What was her name?"

"Angela Nightingale," Launchpad supplied. "Man, she was really good."

"Yeah. She was totally cool. She taught me a couple of moves," Charity said.

Darkwing eyed her. "I thought you said you led a sheltered life. You know, pretending to have brittle bones and all that."

Charity grinned. "Launchpad may or may not have sneaked me out a few times to catch a game and go roller skating on the streets late at night."

Launchpad laughed. "Remember that time your mom almost caught us."
"Yes. I told you that we shouldn't climb down a tree with our skates on," Charity chuckled.

Fenton looked at the arena with skepticism. "What are the rules to this game?"

"Okay, so each team can have up to fifteen people, but can only have five skaters in the arena per jam, four blockers and a jammer," Launchpad explained.

"I'm already lost," Fenton said. "What is a jam?"

"It's a period of time within the game," Charity jumped in. "The game is separated into two, thirty-minute long periods. Each jam can last up to two minutes. During each jam, the goal is for the jammer to overlap the blockers of the opposite team to earn points. The blockers help their team's jammer to make points and to stop the other team's jammer from overlapping them."

"So the blockers are both offense and defense," Darkwing said. "All we have to do is skate in a circle as fast as we can. Sounds simple."

Both Launchpad and Charity grimaced.

"Not exactly," Launchpad said. "It's a little more complicated than that."

"Oooooh, that's a bad hit."

"Whoa, that must hurt."

Charity caught sight of the boys watching something on their phone. When she saw what it was, she snatched the cell out of Dewey's hand.

"Hey," the duckling called out.

"Here," Charity said, plunking it into Darkwing's hand. "Educate yourself. But hurry. It looks like our opponents are here."

Both Darkwing and Fenton were engrossed in the video footage with wide eyes and didn't get to see the impressive entrance of the nine women skating through the air as if on an invisible pathway. They curved down toward the arena, setting down on concrete before making one lap and stopping in front of the mortals.

The nine women were all of varying heights and builds, but the shape of their duck bills, their brown hair, and other features were similar. These were the muses, daughters of Zeus and sister patrons of the arts. They all wore black and green spandex pants and tops, each with their own style.

The lead woman, the tallest of the bunch, had one long braid snaking down her back. "Sorry it took so long," she said with a cool smile. She had a touch of a Southern accent, sweet and smooth as honey. "Era had to do her hair."

A slim, petite duck with shimmering, long hair frowned. "Some of us do want to look our best. It's not every day that Daddy lets us mingle with mortals." She cast a sultry look at the group.

"Hey, no flirting with the enemy," a tough-looking duck said, blowing a pink bubble before smacking her beak as she chewed. "At least, not until we pummel them."

The lead woman rolled to Charity and shook her hand. "The name's Clio."

"Clio, the muse of history," Fenton said, his eyes leaving the phone's screen.

"That's right, baby," Clio said with a smile. "At least one of ya'll know your mythology. Is your team ready?"

Before anyone could answer, Darkwing waved his phone at Charity. "This is what we're doing?" he asked. "No, absolutely not. Charity, do you know how violent this sport can get?"

"Uh, yeah. More than you," Charity said with a shrug.

"No, you can't," Darkwing said adamantly.

Charity hissed, "I thought you weren't going to treat me like I was fragile."

"But…" Darkwing tried to find an argument to bypass his earlier words.

"Cool it, DW," Clio said, rolling around the group in a slow circle, her sisters following suit. "Your girl's tough. She can handle it. That is, if you can."

Before Darkwing could answer, Fenton stepped in. "We'll need all the proper safety equipment. Helmets, elbow pads, and knee pads. Oh, and of course, roller skates," he listed.

Darkwing shot him a look.

"Uh, while this sport seems to have more contact than I'm comfortable with, most injuries can be prevented with the proper equipment," Fenton told Darkwing with a guarded smile.

"Right," Clio said with a nod. She passed a hand over the group as if she were gathering them up into her palm.

Immediately, Charity felt the difference in her height as roller skates magically appeared on her feet. There was a tightness around her elbows and knees where the pads appeared, and the heaviness of a helmet strapped around her chin. Clio had even tied her hair back comfortably into a ponytail. Her long sleeve shirt and jeans were replaced with spandex shorts and a t-shirt of dark purple and pink.

"My hat!" Darkwing exclaimed, patting his head where a helmet had appeared. Unused to being on wheels, he slipped, falling down.

"Cool gear," Launchpad said, testing his skates. "But I prefer blades."

"Sorry big guy," one muse with her hair in two tidy pony tales said. "Quads only."

Launchpad did a double take, looking at the muse closer. "Angela?"

Charity rolled over to her friend. "Is that you're ex-girlfriend?"

The muse gave a sheepish grin. "Hey, Launchpad. Long time no see."

Charity shoved Launchpad lightly. "I told you not to break up with her."

"I told you. It was mutual," Launchpad defended. "And then Angela moved away afterward."

"Actually, it's Thalia," the muse correct. "Thalia, the muse of comedy."

"No wonder you two got along," Charity said, taking Thalia's hand. "It's so good to see you. So, does this mean you knew about my curse this whole time?"

"Yep. Which is why I didn't feel too guilty about teaching you those tricks," Thalia said with a wide grin. "I'll have to come to Ducksburg and teach you a few more."

Charity laughed.

"Thalia, dear," Clio said in a warning tone. "No fraternizing with the competition."

"I'll fraternize with who I like," Thalia yelled with sudden ire. "Big sisters. Psh. Sorry, Launchpad. I'll talk to you after the match, okay?"

"Yeah. Okay," Launchpad agreed with a smile.

"Is your team ready now, Charity?" Clio asked

Charity looked to the boys. She knew Launchpad was good to go, but the others she had reservations. Fenton looked steady but cautious to move. Darkwing was getting up from yet another fall. Negaduck, who stood away from the others, also hadn't moved.

"Can we have a minute? To test out the rink?" Charity requested.

"Well…Daddy is looking a little impatient, but I think we can give you a little more prep time. And teach your boys the rules. You don't want to be penalized," Clio said graciously, casting a glance at Negaduck. "Oh, and because I don't want anyone calling foul when we win, I'll even up the odds for you." She grabbed Charity's hands and the glow that surrounded all the gods crept from Clio to Charity.

Bandages fell away, feathers grew back and flesh knit together.

Holding out her arms, Charity laughed. "I can't believe it," she said, looking to Clio. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Amazing," Fenton said, rolling closer.

"It's only fair. Can't be playing with an injured player, now can we honey?" Clio said with amusement.

Charity could cry with relief. It felt so good to be without pain. The bullet wound, the burn, and everything else was gone. She couldn't remember when the last time was that she didn't have a major injury on her body.

Giving a whoop, she sprinted onto the concrete, using the toe of her skate to push her forward before landing on wheels. She pushed, building up speed as she circled the muses and mortals. With a twist, she skated backwards with her hands behind her back. She faced forward again, winding around the ducks as if they were cones.

"Come on, boys. Let's see what ya go," Charity called out. "Launchpad, I'll race ya." She made a sharp turn onto the rink, pumping her arms and legs to go faster.

The large duck followed with a war cry, using the rail to give him a burst of speed to catch up.

"Whoa. They're good," Fenton said. So far, he had kept his rolling to baby steps. After all, if he could balance on one tire, he could cope with eight wheels, right?

Darkwing grunted, struggling to stand up once more, but his legs went in different directions and down he went again. When a hand offered to help him up, he grumblingly accepted.

"Are you two going to stand there like a bunch of wusses?" Negaduck asked. He rolled past, steady and straight. "You're the heroes here." He laughed mockingly, rolling onto the arena.

"At least he's not bad," Fenton said. "If we can trust him, he'll be an asset."

"He's more than not bad," Darkwing said, taking a few unsteady steps forward, feeling like a baby. "Episode fourteen: Smile and Say Freeze. Isis Vanderchill froze all of St. Canard, and he had to ice skate to save the day. Jim Starling studied with figure skaters and hockey players for months for that role."

Fenton looked at Darkwing in amazement. "Do you know everything about that guy?"

"Yes," Darkwing said with a grimace. "Now let's get rolling." He slipped and fell again.

Charity and Launchpad screeched to a halt in front of them.

"Are you coming?" Charity asked, tilting her head.

"Almost there," Darkwing muttered.

Fenton smiled sheepishly. "It's been years since I skated. Let's see if I can remember." He took off, going at a moderate pace, but not bad.

"It looks like you need a little help there, DW," Charity said, squatting down.

Darkwing sighed. "Yes." A hand reached for him, and he took it. Images of him and Charity skating hand in hand came to his mind. It was a scene from dozens of romance movies. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad.

The hand that jerked him up had more strength than he expected. Launchpad set him down, steadying him by holding his shoulders. "Bend your knees, use your arms for balance, and try to look ahead and not down at your feet."

Darkwing sighed and imitated Launchpad. He had never been on skates before. It never interested him. When he was young, he was too involved with the Darkwing Duck TV show and reading comics. Then when he decided to become an actor and follow in Jim Starling's shoes, he was so busy with acting and vocal lessons as well as classes he thought would help him along his career path. Learning how to skate never crossed his mind.

But the more he skated, the easier it became. He was already a master at balance and fighting; it was just a matter of relaxing and not over-thinking it.

"Looking great, Darkwing," Charity called as she rolled by backwards.

Fenton and Negaduck rolled up on either side of him and Launchpad. As Charity skated backwards, she quickly explained a few more rules, strategies, and—most importantly—what could get a skater penalized. Major penalties resulted in the skater going to the penalty box for one minute.

"We also have another disadvantage," Charity told them. "There's nine of them and only five of us. After each jam, they can switch out players, but we have to play the entire time. So save your strength."

Suddenly, there was a roar as the nine muses skated past them. Clio flung something at Charity. "Don't forget your panties. Meet you at the starting line."

When Fenton flushed at the line, Launchpad and Charity laughed.

"Its slang for the helmet covers," Charity explained. She showed them the two pieces of cloth, one with a star and the other with a stripe. "The star represents the jammer, the stripe is the pivot."

"Wait, what's the pivot?" Fenton asked.

"It's a blocker that can become the jammer if they're in a better position," Charity said. "But passing the panties might be too difficult for us at this point. Now, unless anyone objects, I'll be the jammer."

Nobody did. As one of the best skaters on the team, it made sense she should be it.

"Fenton, I think you should be the pivot. I don't think it'll be necessary, but you'll be the best one for the job," Charity said, handing over the cover.

"Why not Launchpad?" Fenton asked. The larger duck was just as good as Charity on wheels.

"He's too big. And he's not going to be aggressive enough," Charity replied. "He couldn't knock down a girl if his life depended on it."

Launchpad shrugged, nodding.

"Then why not Starling?"

Negaduck growled at him.

"Er—I mean, Negaduck?"

"Too aggressive. And we need him as a blocker," Charity countered. "And before you ask, Darkwing is a sucky skater."

"Hey!"

"It's true," Launchpad backed up his friend.

"Just put the panties on," Charity said sternly.

Both Negaduck and Darkwing laughed, but when they saw that the other was laughing, stopped suddenly.

By that time, they came to the line of muses who were waiting for them. Five stood on the rink while the other four were on the sidelines, watching with the other gods and the Duck family.

"We're ready."

"About time, honey," Clio said. She had the pivot helmet cover on. "Let's start."

Thalia grinned at them, wearing the star helmet cover.

In the middle of the rink, on the other side of the rails, Selene skated beautifully, her dress flowing in the breeze. "Take your marks," Selene said, her tone and body stance stated that she was officiating the game.

As the jammers, Charity and Thalia took their places on the first line, the blockers behind them.

"Hey, Charity," Thalia said as Selene started the countdown. "I just want you to know, I'm rooting for you. But I still have to play hard."

"I guess it was too much to hope you'd be on our side," Charity said. "It's bad enough we're against immortals."

"Wrong on that end," Thalia said. "The minute we rolled onto the rink, we gave up our powers. Mortals against mortals right here. Which kind of gives you an advantage." Thalia gave her a wink.

Before Charity could wonder what that could mean, Selene shouted, "Go."

Thalia rocketed forward, slamming her shoulder into Charity and knocking the lovebird onto the concrete before sprinting away.

"Charity!" As Launchpad rolled by, he pulled her to her feet, blocking her from any attacks the other team threw at them. He pushed her forward before blocking another muse from getting ahead of him.

Recovering quickly, Charity charged across the concrete, seeing that Thalia was way ahead, skating for all she was worth to catch up.

It didn't take long for Thalia to complete a lap and come up to Charity's blockers minus Negaduck. They stayed at Darkwing's pace, which wasn't that fast, and formed a wall. The muse slowed down a little bit, but soon wiggled her way around Fenton who was too timid to push her away. Ahead, Negaduck was alone and made an attempt to prevent Thalia from passing him. He slammed into her, but only upset her for a moment before she sped past him.

Charity zoomed by her team, having gained some ground but not much. When she came to the muse blockers, she kept skating back and forth, always blocked and pushed aside whenever she attempted to find an opening. No matter what she did, their defense seemed impenetrable. If only her own blockers were with her.

For the rest of the jam, Charity was stuck behind the muse blockers while Thalia overlapped her team again, earning her team nine points before the jam ended.

Before they lined up for the next jam, Charity gathered her team in a huddle. "I really need you guys to work together. Negaduck, stay with the others. You can't block very well by yourself."

Negaduck grumbled something insulting under his breath and looked away.

"And I really need you to keep up with the muse blockers. I can't get through their wall without help."

"We would but the big guy insisted on sticking with the purple weirdo," Negaduck said with a sneer.

Charity's eyes went to each of the guys before she made a hard decision. "Then leave Darkwing behind. Stay with the other blockers. If I can't make any points, then we're going to lose big." Then she locked eyes with Darkwing Duck. "As for you, learn to skate faster," she said in a hard voice.

Fenton laughed nervously. "You're really competitive, aren't you?"

"It's kind of my life on the line, Fenton," she said seriously before grinning. "But, yeah. I'm a bit competitive. I don't like to lose."

"You should see her play Karaoke Revolution," Darkwing said, earning a wry smile from Charity.

As they broke apart to go to the starting line for the next jam, Darkwing stayed at the back.

As Selene began the jam, Charity was ready this time, moving away from Thalia in anticipation of another attack. Even so, Thalia easily became the lead jammer but no longer with a big lead. Charity stayed on her tail, waiting for a chance to slip ahead.

As they rounded a banked turn, Darkwing came into view. Glancing behind him, he did his best to block Thalia, moving his body directly in front of her. However, she twisted from one side to another, passing him. In the confusion, he tripped over his own skates, landing right in front of Charity.

Reflexes saved her from tripping over her team mate as she jumped in time. It took her only a second to recover before she was off again after Thalia. This time, her team was mixed up with the muse blockers, and they both were part of the scrimmage as they fought to make points and gain the lead. Thalia managed to get past the three other blockers, and was overlapping Darkwing again when the jam ended. Charity with the help of Fenton, Launchpad, and Negaduck gained two points.

During the third jam, Negaduck was penalized for excessive force and was placed in the penalty box for one minute. They were still able to score, but Thalia earned more points.

After a few more jams, Darkwing lay on the concrete, having heard the whistle signal the end of the most recent period. He had been behind the pack the whole time. Again. Not only that, but he had been laid out flat by the muse's jammer easily. Not that he was upset that she was a girl. No, it's because he was sure he could have taken her if they weren't on wheels.

What was he even doing there? He wasn't any use to Charity. Even Negaduck was more use to her than he was.

"Hey, are you going to get up?" Launchpad's face came into view.

"What's the use?" Darkwing asked, pity over-coming him. "Maybe I'll help the team better by lying here and being an obstacle."

Launchpad laughed. "Don't be silly. If you do, you'll be penalized."

"Even as a lump on the ground, I'll hurt the team," Darkwing said, full of self-pity.

The sound of another skater came closer.

"Now I know he's not hurt. What's wrong with him?"

It was Charity, looking strong and determined, just as she did back at the mansion when they were fighting Negaduck. He had been able to match her boldness then, but not right now. If only he could disappear.

"Just put in a rock as a substitute. I'm sure it'll do a better job than I am doing," Darkwing muttered.

Charity sighed, then made a T with her arms. "Time out." She leaned down. "Okay, this better be important. We only have three timeouts, and I just used one. We have one minute for this pep talk, so you better listen."

Darkwing sat up. "Charity, I don't think—"

"Listen," Charity said, her voice as firm as when she was yelling at him. "This game is not about you, so whatever excuses you have ready on your tongue, swallow them."

Darkwing's eyes widened and he gulped as if literally swallowing his excuses.

"I don't expect you to be the best. What I expect is for you to get back up and do your best, even if it means you're at the back for the whole game." Charity pointed to her arm. A bruise was forming. "Do you see this? This is Fenton's when he helped me get past Clio. And these," she pointed to bruises around her knees, "Negaduck took a big hit from a pair of blockers. And I can't show you, but Launchpad's taken several knocks to the ribs that I'll be feeling for days. What have you got to show me?"

Darkwing shook his head.

"Play hard because I'll know if you don't," Charity said. She offered her hand.

Darkwing took it, surprised at her strength when she pulled him onto his feet. He wobbled a little, still not used to being on wheels. "You really are competitive," he said with a wry smile.

"Yeah, and so is Darkwing, remember?" Charity said. "The episode where he gets trapped in a video game?"

Darkwing smiled. "Yeah, I remember that."

"So the question is," Charity said with an easy smile, "is Drake competitive?"
Darkwing wasn't sure. He had never been into sports, having different interests than the jocks in High School. "I'm not sure."

"I know you are," Charity said. "I'm still going to beat you at Karaoke one of these days."

There was a whistle, the signal that their time-out was over and they needed to line up at the starting line.

Charity turned to Darkwing. "You just haven't found the right motivation," she said, then gave him a flirtatious smile. "Catch me if you can." She sprinted away to the jammer line with Thalia.

As Darkwing joined the blockers, taking his usual spot at the end of the line, he looked through the tangle of bodies and limbs, catching glimpses of Charity's unique hair, the curve of her beak and the outline of her body. He blocked out everything else and focused on her. He almost leaped forward at the sound of the jammer whistle before remembering that would be a minor penalty. When the blocker's whistle sounded, he leaped forward, keeping up with the pack.

He tried not to over-think it or congratulate himself on this progress, worried if he did he would mess up. And even when Charity disappeared out of view, he kept the idea of trying to catch her in mind as he skated. It wasn't just the idea of catching up to her physically, but also in skill.

"Darkwing, behind you."

He had been concentrating on this idea and hadn't been listening for the muse jammer that would come from behind. But Launchpad's shout warn him, and together, they created a wall, preventing Thalia from moving forward.

Another skater zipped past him, a blur of blue and white. Charity pulled out in front, becoming the lead jammer for the first time all game. As Lauchpad and Darkwing blocked Thalia, Negaduck and Fenton helped her push through the muse blockers, making four points as lap before Thalia could make a single point.

Charity slapped her hips, and Selene whistled the signal for the end of the jam.

"What happened?" Darkwing asked. The jam didn't even last one minute.

"The lead jammer can end a jam early," Launchpad explained. "By ending it early, she prevented the other team from making any points."

If Charity had explained that rule to him, he had forgotten it.

As they made their way back to the starting line, Charity rolled by, skating backwards. "Looks like you're motivated," she said with a wink.

Darkwing smiled at her. As he prepared for the next jam, he didn't stay on the outskirts of the pack. He muscled his way right up front, in between to muses. They gave him unfriendly smiles.

Now he felt like part of the team.

Webby yelled out, "Block her. Come on, Fenton. Are you blind? She totally faked you out. Darn it, we're getting creamed out there."

The four kids sat on the rail, as close to the action as one could be without being in the rink.

"Webby is really into this Roller Derby," Huey observed.

"Have you ever known Webby not to get into something," Louie said. He was currently filming the entire thing, uploading it directly into the cloud. Strangely, the reception on Ithaquack was outstanding.

"Hey, you. The green one."

Louie froze. Whenever someone referred to him as "the green one," it never turned out to be good. He turned, seeing the four remaining muses in derby gear looking to him.

"We need to talk," a muse with short hair and heavy, dark makeup said.

Louie shook his hand. "I don't know what you think I did, but I didn't do it."

"What?" the muse said, shaking her head. "Look, you the one with the odds on whose gonna end up with Charity?"

All four muses held up gold coins.

"We want in."

Louie had never been so surprised before. And this time, it was a good surprise.

He smiled. "Ladies."

By the end of the first half of the game, Charity's team was down several dozen points, but at least they had made progress since their first jam. On one hand, they still had thirty minutes of jams to close that gap. There was still hope. On the other hand, they still had thirty minutes of jams to skate, block, and fight.

When the halftime whistle sounded, the muses left the rink, still bright and energetic. They had taken the opportunity to switch players between jams several times, staying fresh while Charity's team had powered through each jam.

"You guys are doing great," Webby said, rushing to them with bottles of water in her arms as they skated out of the arena. "Stretch out those muscles. Don't sit down. Stay limber."

But her warnings were unnecessary for the most part. As the guys left the arena, they rolled in just about the same condition as they went in albeit a little more steady on their wheels. Charity wasn't so lucky.

The second she was out of the rink, she plopped down on her butt, moaning. She straightened her legs and pulled them to her chest, stretching her hamstrings. When Webby came near her, she took a bottle of water and guzzled it.

"You look terrible," Webby said without preamble.

"Good. There might be something wrong with me if my outward appearance didn't mirror how I felt on the inside," Charity said sardonically. She was already bruised up and down her legs with several shades of road rash decorating her skin. "How long do we have until the second half begins? Do I have time for a nap?"

"It starts in fifteen minutes," Webby said.

Charity cursed. "Sorry," she said when she remembered there were children nearby. "Okay. I can do this. Just…just let me…" She lay down and closed her eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Launchpad said. "I feel fine."

"It's the curse," Fenton said. "She feels the exhaustion for all of us."

Darkwing stood over Charity. "Perhaps we should have someone else be the jammer."

"I told you. I'm the best one for the job," Charity said although her words didn't have much commitment to them.

"We can switch the jammer between jams, right?" Darkwing asked. "Just keep back for a while, take a break. I'll be the jammer."

Negaduck sneered. "You? You can barely keep up with the rest of us." He held out a hand. "Give it to me. I'll at least stop us from falling even more behind."

Charity breathed out heavily. She was so tired, she couldn't think about making decisions at that moment.

Before she could say anything, all nine muses rolled up, some of them giggling.

"Hey. Some of the girls wanted to come over and say hi," Clio said, although she didn't look too happy. "They're big fans of some of you fellas."

Darkwing puffed out his chest. "Oh, Darkwing Duck fans?"

Several muses giggled.

"It's one of our favorite shows," one said, batting her eye lashes.

Some of them had photos. "Could we get autographs?"

Darkwing smiled. "Well, I guess it would—"

The muses pushed past him, flocking around Negaduck. A couple of them had their feathery tails wagging.

"Make mine out to Callipso."

"Can I have a photo with you?"
"Oh, I love the new look."

Negaduck shirked a little away from the crowd, his face darkening. After a while, he smiled, turning on a charm that seemed to be more of the old Jim Starling than his new non de plume.

Darkwing's shoulders slumped, his ego bruised.

Only one muse had remained behind, a small, thin duck with thick glasses, her hair braided messily. She seemed to be breathing heavily through her mouth.

"Go ahead," Darkwing said, stepping aside. "Get your autograph?"

"Oh, it's not him that I wanted to see," the muse said, adjusting her glasses.

Darkwing perked up.

The muse rolled past Darkwing to Fenton. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I've read all your student papers and all your theories. You have one of the brightest minds of your generation."

Darkwing slapped himself in the face.

Fenton looked surprised. "Thank you? You do realize I'm only an intern."

"Oh, yes. I'm aware of that," the muse said. "But you are also the intern to Gyro Gearloose, the genius. He chose you for a reason, I'm sure, and as I've watched the two of you, I'm certain he did not make a mistake. I sense great things to come from both of you. Mmm-hmm, great things."

"I'm guessing you're Urania, the Muse of Astronomy," Fenton said.

Urania giggled and snorted. "Oh, he knows my name." She blushed.

Clio cleared her throat. "Okay, girls. Half-time is almost over. We must give them some time to strategize. They're going to need all the time they can get."

The only one besides Clio who didn't fawn over Negaduck or Fenton was Thalia, who had stayed behind her sister. At that point, she stepped forward, smirking. "Maybe you should quit now. Even when we have lowered ourselves to your level, you still can't beat us." Her eyes were on Charity, staring at her meaningfully.

The muses skated away.

Charity sat up, her eyes glazed as her mind worked on a problem.

"What?" Launchpad asked, recognizing her facial expression. "Did you just get another good idea for a fanfic?"

"Thalia mentioned something earlier," Charity said, her eyes darting around. "She said that the muses aren't immortal, at least for this game. They don't have their powers. She also said that that could be to our advantage."

"What does that mean?" Launchpad asked rubbing his chin. "Could it mean that we've gained god-like powers?"

"No," Darkwing said. "But it does sound like a hint."

"But how could it be to our advantage?" Fenton asked. "If they're to our level, then we're evenly matched. We wouldn't have an advantage."

"No, we have two," Charity said, her eyes brightening. "First, they're not used to being mortal. They may look as fresh as a daisies because there's more of them, but they won't have the endurance we have. Which means we need to make them work harder."

"How?" Darkwing asked.

"We skate hard," Charity said. "It's not the blocker's goal to skate as fast as they can because they're more interested in taking out the opponent's jammer and helping their own. So if we can make the blockers skate faster, they'll wear out more."

"And so will you," Darkwing added.

"And that's our second advantage," Charity said with a gleam in her eyes. "Launchpad, you are totally right. We do have god-like power. My curse."

Darkwing looked worried. "I don't know about this."

"But I do," Charity said. She pulled the helmet cover off. "You're right, though. I can't be the jammer, at least, not all the time. I'll block for a while. Until then, Negaduck, you're up."

(Author's notes: First off, I forgot to inform everyone that my family is going camping, and that I wouldn't be able to post on Tuesday of this week. So, for that reason, the chapter is posted a day early. I'm sure all of you are disappointed XD.

Second, I planned on their visit to Ithaquack to be only four chapters. Because I'm a terrible judge of chapter length, I had to split this saga into seven chapters. But don't worry, it'll be worth the wait. Next Tuesday, you'll see how the group play the last half of the Roller Derby.

And last, I'm not a sports person. If I was, I think I would be into Roller Derby. It's awesome. Unfortunately, when I went into this chapter, I knew nothing about the sport except what I had seen on an episode of Psyche. I spent several hours watching some games on Youtube as well as researching the rules. If anyone knows more about the game and if I got any of my details wrong, please let me know.

Thank you everyone for reading. I'll see you next Tuesday.)