A/n:
Thank you, Sam, for sharing your lovely story ideas!
The Mark of Zorro and The Mask of Zorro (one was black and white and the other had Antonio Banderas in it) were actually movies I saw and enjoyed as an older kid. (Except for that one 'oh-so-wrong' scene.) I quite liked the swordplay and the whole liberating of the repressed populace from tyranny stuff and of course I was a total fan of the secret identity stuff.
I vaguely remember my dad showing us that old black and white and me saying things like 'He jumped over that wall to disappear! That's Darkwing Duck, but they made this before Darkwing Duck! Why are there so many rose bushes?'
Back in those days, there were only two episodes of DuckTales in existence because that's what our VHS collection said and Darkwing Duck was older than Count Duckula because that's what the TV said. Zorro was the new Darkwing Duck.
Quick, everyone; to freedom!
Mind Warp
73
The Mind's Eye
The classroom dissolved into a basic living room. There was a blue bean bag and a couch with a pretty floral patchwork quilt draped over it. A small TV. A woman, looking like Peru but with her brown hair done up in a high pony tail, headed towards the door with her string bag. 'Hungry Hippo' was embroidered on her light blue polo-shirt.
The little girl, with straight brown hair in a bob and wearing a faded floral dress, raced up to her and gave her a desperate hug. "Mama, please don't leave me!"
"Oh, I have to work, my liebling. You have the TV and the play-station. Why not play Spiderduck? Don't forget The New Adventures of Superpig is on later."
Jon and Julia started discussing the unrealistic cost of childcare versus earnings. Scrooge was asking what had happened to the other adults in Peru's childhood.
Drake felt irked by the needling and went to save Peru. "Peru, you said you have two children, right?"
"Yes." Peru smiled brightly at him, "They are the loves of my life."
The room dissolved.
The new scene was a crowded dining room. Drake watched the family at the table, laughing and enjoying their food and time together in a way that made him feel completely alienated.
"Well, I don't see the trouble with this..." Scrooge scratched his head.
The therapist wasn't a lot of help, standing idly by while the rest of the group tried to understand why a family dinner where everyone was getting along could be bad. Drakona Fell had theoretically studied psychology at university. She should know the answer better than the whole group put together.
Ten years ago, Drake hadn't even thought about stress eating being a thing; some people just really loved their snack food, and that some people wasn't his parents who had taught Drake to value his beans and carrots.
Was Drake seriously going to be the 'know-it-all' of the group today? He looked around at all the puzzling faces. "Stress eating is a learned associative behaviour." Drake sighed, "in your case, Dan, you're unconsciously trying to recreate that 'happy family time' feeling." He gestured to the table, "when you're happy, you cope better."
"Food is only one of the comfort factors in your life, Dan."
"Yes, there is also pillows,"
"Good company,"
"Gracious Amor."
Still feeling isolated, Drake withdrew from the clamouring of suggestions from Donald's spirit guides. The newly expanded Mallard household were as reserved over meal time as they were during sword practice. Catlyn didn't seem to mind the 'peace and quiet' of the manor. Drake wondered how noisy meal times at Gosalyn's house were compared to Dan's house. Herbert wasn't a chatterbox but he certainly had no problems being married to one. Drake made a note to invite them all over in the near future.
"Board games or a deck of cards."
"Start making some new comfort memories."
"That's true."
The room dissolved into a dog training ranch.
"This is quite the dance." Scrooge commented as an un-evolved dog passed his leg.
"Dogs are Gary's self help for his anxiety issues." Drake shrugged.
The room dissolved to a school gym where a science day contest was being held.
Drake blinked, that one resolved way too fast. Even in a daydream, Gary had managed to stay an enigma.
"I've got this!" Dewey stepped out from behind Scrooge and approached Fenton, "Your inventions are great; you know what the real problem here is, Fenton? Them! You've got to just keep putting yourself out there. Eventually you'll meet people who respect you for the truly awesome talent you are!"
The room changed to a studio apartment.
"Yeah?" Dewey exclaimed at the email, "I take your 'not to word length' and raise you a private ebook listing! Howzat!"
The floor suddenly tipped and rocked. There was the sound of water slapping as the paddle wheel turned at the stern and the sound of steam issuing up from the boiler in the middle of the boat.
"Oi, where did that fork come from?" The younger Scrooge grabbed the wheel, "Dewey, hurry; what does the map say; left or right?"
"Um, right?"
Scrooge spun the wheel.
"The boiler's leaking!"
"Well, use chewing gum, Huey!"
The ship swerved to the right of the oncoming overgrown embankment.
"Phew." Scrooge uttered. "That could've been a disaster."
Moment later there was a great eternally long shudder of the boat, a terrible, wrenching ripping sound from the underside of the hull. Everyone tumbled to the deck at the point the steamer pitched to a stop.
Scrooge looked at the shallow rocks wedging the boat tight. "Not again, Dewey!"
"I'm not the map reader, Huey is!"
"A little busy keeping the boiler from exploding!" Huey objected.
Dewey handed the map back, "plus whatever you paid for that thing was way too much."
Younger Scrooge looked at the map. "Aye, you're right. How're we gonna beat Horseshoes Hogg now?" He considered. "Ah, I know," He turned, "We-."
"We could just give up." Louie suggested, leaving Huey's side to join them.
"I didn't make me money giving up the moment the plan sprang a leak!" Scrooge grabbed a lifesaver ring, "never call it over till it's over."
"But it's not money, Uncle Scrooge," Louie folded his arms. "It's just a run down old mansion. It'd cost more to fix and we already spent a load dredging this old barnacle up."
"It doesn't matter what it is, lads." Younger Scrooge insisted, piling more lifesaver rings into their arms, "The biggest point of living is not to give up. Whatever you're going for, you gotta keep battling forward."
The boat dissolved.
They were in a grassy courtyard with a fountain.
"Well, that wasn't as painful as I thought it'd be," Scrooge commented.
Donald barrelled them to the ground as a bright purple streak of light hit the ground where they were standing. "Look out!" Donald exclaimed.
"Is this a personification of your temper, Donald?" Fenton asked.
"No, it is not that." Jose stated, jumping to Donald's side.
"It's Felldrake." Panchito jumped to his other side and pointed.
In place of Drakona stood a male version of her cackling madly away. He paused, "Yes, you thought you'd seen the last of me?"
The world suddenly changed to a jail.
Felldrake continued laughing "I've waited ten years to finally get even with you, Donald Duck! And with your life force now in my power-."
"Blah blah blah." Panchito mocked, making quacking motion with his hand.
"We still will defeat you, no matter what you say!" Jose stated.
"Maybe the three 'real' Caballeros can." Felldrake laughed, "But one caballero and two day dreams? Heh, not on your life, and it quite literally is!" He laughed, "Oh, it feels good to be back to normal."
"That daydream chair hit Glomgold pretty hard." Drake argued back.
"Ach, you noticed?" Glomgold said in an appreciative tone.
"So, why were you hiding as a girl, anyway?" Panchito asked.
"I wasn't hiding! It was that incompetent...!" Felldrake complained, "If only it was 2020. Then I could give that snappy reply that goes: 'that was so-oo last decade'."
"But it's not." Panchito corrected.
"Fine." Felldrake started in a rush, "That's-why-it-took-me-a-decade-to-get-back-to-you. I-needed-to-find-the-Mind's-Eye-and-then-engineer-a-way-to-trick-you-into-helping-me-get-back-to-the-way-I-think-I-am; not-the-way-that-fool-wizard-brought-me-back-as." Felldrake grumbled, "Moving on!"
Drake frowned. So, Felldrake technically had gotten what 'he' wanted out of the group therapy. At least Drake could read him properly now, and this guy was definitely a perfectionist. Felldrake was so happy with his plan succeeding, in fact, that hadn't quite realised he was stuck inside this daydream with the rest of them.
It wasn't going to take him that long, though, Drake decided as he looked around him at his many cellmates. "Donald, you said you have anger management issues?"
"Because nobody understands me when I'm talking." Donald explained, "But that's just a part of life and everyone has their own kind of trouble." He shrugged. "It's easy to know who cares about me, because they're the ones who actually try to understand."
"We're still in the cell." Scrooge noted.
Donald folded his arms, "Oh, no. That guy's for real. Sorry everybody."
"If what you're saying is true, then it isn't your fault, Donald." Fenton offered.
"Wait a minute," Donald blinked, "I didn't say it was 'my fault', I was just saying sorry that you were stuck in this mess with me. It's called 'sympathy'?"
Drake sighed and looked away.
Glomgold went to the bars and shook his fist, "Oi, Felldrake, you're breaking contract!"
"Oh for the love of-." Scrooge winced. "Glomgold, you idiot, don't help him."
"You've got to be joking me, McDuck." Glomgold retorted, "Are we all just gonna be sitting around, stuck in this daydream for the rest of eternity?"
"Oo, we could sing!" Panchito offered in excitement.
"No!" Felldrake responded vehemently. "Oh, fine. Spoilsports. Here!"
The scene shifted to outside.
It was an oil rig. Glomgold was so busy with Scrooge, he didn't notice as Goldie O'Gilt set up the pump and sucked out the molten gold into her own ship rig.
Scrooge folded his arms, "I think this one may be a bit too subtle, Felldrake."
"Aye, I don't see the point 'o this-." Glomgold suddenly tried to push Scrooge over the side, "Ah-ha, take that!" Scrooge moved faster and Glomgold ended up on the wrong side of the rail.
"Are ye' having fun yet?" Scrooge mocked.
"Yes, actually," Glomgold flipped back over the bars and landed ungracefully on the platform, "Knowing that you 'can' be beaten." He pointed to Goldie's ship with a wide smile. Then he turned to Felldrake. "I'm ready to go home now, Mr Wizard man."
"Oh, no." Felldrake laughed, "The party's just getting started. Let's move on..." He looked at Drake with a glimmer in his eyes, "to Mr Trust Issues." He laughed maniacally and raised the glowing purple amulet.
