Last Time…

"Steelbeak, you do realize you can't make us do this?"

"Ya, but can you ignore it?"

Good dreams and bad dreams are ruled by two different Dream Lords, both in conflict with each other…

"I really don't like him." Gary hung his head and sighed. "Something about him doesn't smell right!"

"Do you know what I hate more than people who try to ruin my plans? Its people who spy on my when I am busy with my girl!"

"Morgana…darling." Negaduck slide closer to her. "Perhaps there is something you can do to get rid of these pests? Permanently?"

One of these is the being known as the Sandman…

Bushroot looked down at himself and screamed. His mutation…he was worse!

Dreams that tap into a person's deepest fears…

"I was in love."

"She's better off dead! And I am better off without you!"

Screaming Megavolt plunged headfirst into the black water, and sank like a stone. The cold water rushed over him, filling his mouth ears and nose, but didn't drown him. He fell into the cold, dark depths, unable to save himself.

Silly boy. Dreaming your little dreams. It's because you don't want to see what you've done. What you will do.

No…

You don't have a choice. You belong to me…

Invoking his power can cause the victim to go into an endless sleep of horror…

"Yeti." Gary muttered. "Nuts…"

And now, the Conclusion

Chapter 9

The Witch and the Sandman

Part 2

"…Billlly..."

Quackerjack looked behind him, panting in fear. He could practically feel the other breathing down his neck, even though the long hallway was devoid of life. Indeed, nothing could be hidden in the shadows, as there were no shadows in this brightly lit hospital hallway, a hallway that seemed to stretch for miles. He tried to struggle out of that damn straightjacket, but he couldn't seem to wiggle out. Oh yes, his friendly doctors/friends were no longer there to hold him down, but now he was trapped in an endless hallway.

"I can smell you, Billy. I can smell your fear. Stop running, Billy. It's pointless."

Quackerjack screamed as long, muscular, hairy arms grabbed him from behind and pulled him against their owner. He struggled, but all he could really do was kick, and his captor wouldn't let him get a good angle.

"Relax. I'll make the voices go away, Billy. I'll make you feel so much better…"

"No, please." Quackerjack hated the hint of whine in his voice. "Let go of me!"

"Now, what kind of person would I be…?" Quackerjack gasped as the razor edged blade of a scythe was pulled out and placed lightly against his throat. "If I didn't put you out of your misery…"

"No!"

"Keep him under control! Sedate him!"

Quackerjack opened his eyes and saw the others, Bushroot, the Liquidator and Megavolt, in the guise of the doctors. He shook his head, trying to make this make sense! But it didn't. He gasped as Bushroot pulled out a syringe filled with liquid and injected him with it. His eyelids grew heavy…

"Come on, do your homework."

Quackerjack opened his eyes again and found himself back in his old room. He looked over at his father, who was standing in the doorway with a gentle grin. Quackerjack looked down at the desk he was sitting at, at the normal, average math homework. He could feel his father leave the doorway.

Quackerjack wanted to put his hands over his face, but he found that he was still wearing the straightjacket.

The Liquidator sat in his chair, staring at the television. His hands gripped the arms of the chair, and he stared lifelessly at the screen. The only thing that was playing was those commercials promoting his water. Nothing but commercial after commercial.

He got up and walked to the kitchen. It was cold. Empty. The stove stood unmarked and unused. It perhaps had never been used. He stood in the middle of it, looking around, as if waiting for something. For a brief moment a bright light flashed in his eyes. For a moment he could see Carla and Hank. Carla was frying something one the stove with a happy smile. Hank was drinking a soda from the fridge. The image lasted for only a moment, and then it was gone, replaced by the cold, dark kitchen.

The Liquidator moved to the hall. Once there had been pictures there, pictures of the family. There were pictures here now, but pictures of him. Taking awards, sitting behind a huge desk, at a press conference. He was smiling in the photos, but it didn't seem real. It seemed more like a robot, or an evil clone, like something horrible was wearing his skin. The expressions, the way he stood in the pictures, the way his eyes held that blank, bitter look, it was all just foreign enough to make it horrifying.

The Liquidator slowly moved to his son's room. Again for a brief moment he could actually see his son's room. He could see the boy's video games, action figures, and movies. He could see Hank's tv. He could see the boy's messy bed. He could see that wonderful, warm room. But, no, that wasn't there. It was just a study. A cold, empty, soulless study.

He walked across the hall to his room. There was a single bed there. Not the big mattress he remembered, but a single twin mattress. He knew it was hard as a rock. He also could see in the closet. There was only one set of cloths there.

The Liquidator walked back to his television and sat down. He stared at the commercials with bitter eyes.

Megavolt woke up on a beach. His head felt stuffed and achy. He shook his head and tilted it to the side, dumping a small bucketful of sand on the ground. He felt a little better after that. He pushed himself off the ground and began to walk up the beach towards the city. What was that city's name? He couldn't remember. San Francisco? Dover? London? He couldn't remember. His head felt like it had been stuffed with fluffy pillow stuffing.

He walked down a street, filled with people. To his growing horror as he looked around he saw that these people had no faces. There features were blurred and smudged out, an endless sea of blankness that shocked Megavolt to the core. A few people called out his name and waved at him, but he couldn't make out their features.

Megavolt turned away and once again faced a pile of bones. Sitting on the pile of bones was a strangely dressed duck with glaring eyes and an evil expression. He looked down and Megavolt with a grin.

"Want a job?" The duck asked.

Megavolt stared up at the duck, uncertain. He felt that this duck was familiar, but he couldn't remember why. He knew that he had met this guy before, but the memories wouldn't come to him.

"I can help you with those." The duck pointed behind him, and Megavolt turned around. There was the window to the front of a store, but he couldn't tell what kind of store it was. Megavolt stared at the light bulbs in the window, confused.

Help us! Help us!

"Huh?" Megavolt shook his head.

Help us! Save us, Megavolt!

Megavolt rubbed his forehead, confused. "What is going on?"

Please, we are hurting so much! It hurts!

"You're hurt! How can I help you?" Megavolt frowned in concern. The voices did indeed sound like they were in immense pain. In fact the voices sounded like they were in terrible, heart breaking agony. Megavolt felt his heart go out to the owners of the voices.

Free us from slavery!

"Huh?"

Megavolt felt something coming for his head, and he ducked just in time to miss the bat that mysterious duck wielded. He stared at the duck handed him a light bulb.

Thank you! Thank you!

Deep inside, something told him that this was wrong. That a light bulb didn't talk. That this was stealing. That this was wrong. But his head felt sooo fuzzy, and he could have sworn that he voices of the light bulbs were happy. He felt like he was doing something right and good.
That these poor things were being enslaved, and it was up to him, and only him, to help. Ignoring the fedora wearing duck, Megavolt started to stuff light bulbs into a bag.

"Stop! Stop! What are you doing?"

Megavolt turned to see three figures he could barely remember running up to him, waving and trying to get him to stop. He might have known who they were, but their voices were unimportant in comparison to the poor light bulbs.

One of them, a clown, tried to grab his arm, but Megavolt turned and zapped him. "No! You can't stop me! They will be free!"

Megavolt stood between the three and his precious light bulbs, attacking mercilessly.

"Don't you see what you've done?"

Bushroot shook his head and looked behind him. Oh no, not again. He thought he was through the worst of it! The fire and the windmill and the even the rapid mutating was gone. He was just standing in his greenhouse, finally safe at last.

"Megavolt?" He asked, confused. "Liquidator? Quackerjack?" The three of them were looking at him, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"Look." Quackerjack pointed, his normally cheery voice replaced with the one he normally used in the presence of Negaduck. It was a cold, angry voice that was almost uncharacteristic of Quackerjack.

Bushroot turned and gasped. The city was being torn apart by his plants! All around them were ferns, oaks, shrubs, tubers, and even a few angry looking asparagus, all bouncing around and smashing windows, breaking street lamps, and worse yet, chasing people down and tossing them about like toys.

"Wait! No!" Bushroot shouted. "They would never do this!"

"This is your fault."

"Quackerjack! How can you say that?" Bushroot turned to his friend. "You know I would never tell them to do that!"

"And yet, they are doing it." The Liquidator frowned at him.

"It's not my fault!"

"You're the only one who could do it!"

"You've known me for almost a year, Quackerjack! You know I wouldn't do this! You're my friend! You're all my friends!"

Quackerjack sneered and turned away from him. "You're no friend of mine." He snarled.

"Nor mine." The Liquidator turned away as well.

"Agreed." Megavolt followed the other's example.

"No! You have to believe me! You have to!" Bushroot looked from one to the other, but none of them turned back to him. They were firm, unshakable in their outright rejection of him. He had never felt so alone.

We will be your family again, if you join us.

But…you are hurting people.

You are not a person.

Bushroot turned away from his friends and looked out the window. Slowly, he began to nod.

The yeti roared and swiped at Gary with its long claws, claws that looked like they were about an inch in length and diameter, like the claws of a very big bear. Gary yelped and jumped away, his fur bristling. The yeti's claws swiped at the air, but it came forwards anyway, charging towards Gary with a strange leaping run, similar to a gorilla. Gary leaped, his heart pounding in his chest and fear throbbing through his stomach. Those huge claws were so shiny and white, and so sharp looking! They looked far more dangerous than his own, in comparison, tiny black claws. Gary felt his front claws scrape against the thick fur of the yetis back as he leaped over the monster, but they didn't penetrate the greasy white fur. Gary vaulted from the back to the other side of the beast, hoping to confuse it. He made a break for the door.

He turned his head and gasped as he scrambled to the door. A part of him had hoped the yeti would go over the side, but that hadn't happened. Gary felt his heart sink as the beast whirled and hurtled itself at Gary, huge claws lashing out again. Gary squealed as one of the claws caught his foot. He cried in anguish as the beast threw him upwards. The claw dug into his leg and scraped bone. He landed on the ground, blood freezing on his injured leg. He looked up at the yeti, which was licking its lips. Gary tried to slide away from the beast, but the yeti once again lashed out and grabbed him by the tail, dragging him back. To his horror the yeti started to bat at him, drawing more blood, but not enough to kill him.

It was playing with him.

Gary stared into the beasts unnatural red eyes and snarled. His own yellow eyes flashed, beginning to glow as he felt something stir in his mind. He was no mouse! The world seemed to narrow. All thoughts of Morgana and Negaduck and magic fled.

Gary roared and bit the yeti's paw, growling and snarling. His ears were laid back, and his fur bristled. He sank his claws into the beasts arm. The yeti howled and swung its arm up, shaking Gary around like a toy. Gary shrieked, a strange, primal yell, and leaped from the arm as it arched up and bit the yeti on the nose. The yeti howled and shook his head. A claw came up and the beast battered Gary over the head, four sharp claws digging into the top of his head and scraping down, ripping into Gary's fur like paper and narrowly missing his right ear. Gary screamed and jumped away.

Gary stumbled, the blow to his head slowing him down and halting the strange, primal energy he once had. He shook his head, little freezing drops of blood scattering across the snow. The yellow light faded from his eyes, and all of a sudden he remembered that he knew magic.

"Okay, okay…spell spell…Freeze!" Gary rose on his hind legs and wiggled a hand, small sparkles erupting from his claw tips and scattering towards the yeti. Gary's eyes widened as the yeti's feet were suddenly encased in ice. The yeti roared and swung its claws at the ice.

"Not that kind of freeze!" He had wanted to freeze it in place! That wouldn't slow it down for long. "Wait! Of course!" Gary tapped the side of his head with a paw, which caused him to wince. "Ow…" He lifted a hand and aimed a finger at the yeti. "Freeze!"

The yeti howled as the sparkles hit its right eye. A patch of ice covered the eye, blinding it. It howled and tried to lunge for Gary, who was now limping away on all fours, his injured leg fully lifted off the ground as he hobbled to the door. The injured leg was completely off the ground as he rushed for the door. He could hear the yeti clawing at the ice, and he hobbled faster. He cringed as he heard the ice break, and the huge footsteps of the yeti. Coming for him. Coming to get him. He didn't scream again, as his breath was almost totally gone by now. Air hissed from between his teeth as he felt the hot breath of the yeti, the only heat in this place, wash over his neck. He could see the teeth of the yeti going for his throat as he ran. He jumped, crashing through the door and sliding back into Morgana's mansion with a sudden jolt of welcome warm air and the feeling of carpet instead of snow.

"Raaaar!"

Gary looked up and gasped. The yeti's head was poked through the door, a single claw reaching for him. For a brief moment Gary's eyes began to glow yellow again, and he snarled. He dodged the claw and struck at the yeti's head, his own claws hitting the ice over the monster's eye.

The yeti jerked back as the ice shattered, shards of ice and Gary's claws bursting its eye. The beast reared back, away from the door, and Gary's eyes faded back to normal. He slammed the door in the yeti's face and locked it.

Gary limped to the middle of the room and sat down, the red frost on his head and leg melting and making a pinkish puddle on the ground. He watched the blood and water pool on the floor, totally ruining said floor. He could even start to see himself in the puddle. Did he really look that bad?

He turned his head to look at the mirror on the other side of the room. If anything the clear mirror made him look worse. There were four huge cuts on his head, and his fur looked wet and patchy. His tongue lolled out of his mouth as he panted like a tired dog.

Gary felt something touch his face gently and he jerked. He looked down and stared at Scuttle, who was looking at him with a sad expression. The poor scorpion was cuddled close to his furry cheek, and was trembling. Thankfully Scuttle didn't look hurt. Scared yes, but not hurt.

"Kid, you're bleeding on the hardwood."

Gary raised his head, too tired to even growl at Negaduck and Morgana, who were both staring at him from the top of the stairs. Negaduck glowered at him and turned. "Morgana, come on. I want to talk to you."

Gary stared at his mistress, who was giving him a look of…irritation? She was irritated? At Negaduck? How Gary hoped so. He stepped closer to her, dragging his aching, injured leg. "Miss Morgana?" He looked into her eyes, begging her silently to turn away from Negaduck, to come down here and help him. She would do it! She was a kind person. She always had been a-

"Gary, go clean yourself up." Morgana said her voice strangely cold and dismissive. She turned away with an annoyed snort and followed her boyfriend. She didn't even ask how he felt.

Gary felt his heart break. He stared at the back of his teacher, who had never done anything like this before. His were widened, his ears drooping in depression. His fanged beak hung open in shock.

This stance lasted for about two seconds, then his eyes narrowed, his beak furrowed and he snarled, his long teeth bared. He limped towards his room, his leg aching as he climbed the stairs. He sighed as he opened the door to his room and limped in. He stared at the room as Ed bounced over, his beak clacking in concern. Coral was perched on the book stand, his tongue flicking in and out rapidly. He looked as sad as a snake could be.

Gary leaned against the door, his eyes closed as he breathed. He ignored the blood drying on his fur. He even ignored Ed as the vulture cooed and bobbed in front him. He just closed his eyes.

He stood that way for a very long time.

The Liquidator stared at the television. The commercials were gone.

"Do you like the room I made for you, Buddy?" The man in the mirror, in the television set, grinned at him. "While you were gone I've been cutting down on the competition! I even took care of you friends! Trust me; they won't be bothering us ever again. They hate us."

The Liquidator looked down, and then he laughed. "No."

"Deny it all you like, but you know it's true! You can't hide who you were born to be!"

"No!" The Liquidator stood up; his hand sweeping in a dramatic gesture with decimated a nearby lamp. "I am not you! I refuse to be you!"

"You don't have a choice!"

"I do have a choice! I always have a choice! I refuse to be the kind of person you are! I REFUSE!" The Liquidator raised a hand. "So many people whine and complain about how they were born and raised, I hear it all the time from villains! Oh, poor me, my childhood was miserable! No! I chose who I am, and I will not be you!" Water poured from the Liquidator's hand, flowing over the tv.

The Liquidator stared as, for a brief moment, the face in the mirror shifted from his own smirking face to a creature. A creature with a long, sharp beak and staring black eyes. He had seen this thing before.

"You…this isn't real. Who are you?" The Liquidator asked. The creature in the mirror just smiled, and vanished.

The Liquidator winched as the house suddenly burst into flames. He looked around at the burning place, and to his horror he knew what this was.

"Buddy…" It was Carla's voice. The Liquidator was enraged.

"How dare you! How dare you use her?" The Liquidator roared as he started to flow around the room, putting out the fire, looking for the creature. All of a sudden the bottom dropped from the floor, and he was falling.

Wait…falling!

"This is just a nightmare!" The Liquidator closed his eyes. I will wake up. When I open my eyes here I will open them for real.

I will wake up!

Bushroot watched, both horrified and thrilled, as the plants rampaged. A part of him, a terrible petty part, liked it. Something deep inside him wanted to see these people pay for doing this to him, for making him feel like a monster when all he wanted to do was help people! It wasn't his fault he was this way! He didn't deserve this!

You have suffered at their hands.

That was true.

They are paying now.

Again, true.

Help us get rid of them, make them pay.

Wait…

You are alone. You have no friends.

But…

They rejected you.

Wait…

Embrace the monster.

Bushroot heard a scream. He turned to see the others being lifted into the air by several trees, branches reaching for their throats. One of them was nearly at Megavolt's, and it was clear the branch was going to throttle him. Megavolt roared angrily at Bushroot, obviously blaming him.

Bushroot's eyes widened. "No." He shook his head. "No!" He picked up an axe from somewhere, he wasn't sure where, and rushed for the trees, chopping and cutting until they let go of his friends, who were still calling him names and blaming him. He ignored them as he faced his plants. Plants could not look at you like people could, but he could feel their disappointment and anger. A single tree with a dark knothole in its trunk almost looked like it could be an eye, a totally black eye…

You betray us.

Bushroot felt his heart start to break as the plants once again rejected him, the sounds of his animal friends also screaming and rejecting him. However, as much as he wanted to, he didn't back down. He didn't waver. Not again. He knew that, no matter how much it hurt this was right.

Now there is no one who will stand by you. You are alone.

Bushroot let the axe fall from his leafy hand as the world faded. He was now standing in a void. Devoid of life. Devoid of everything. He knew that he was alone now. Truly alone. No one wanted him around. He was condemned to be alone, neither duck nor plant, accepted by neither and banished to a world that was empty and cold. He was almost ready to despair. How he wished his friends were here! He'd never thought he'd think it, but he missed his friends, including the arguing and petty fighting. In fact, he almost wished he could hear Megavolt arguing with Quackerjack like they had been doing before and…wait! How had he gotten here? And why did nothing make any sense! The out of control mutating, the fact that he kept switching locations, this wasn't natural!

It was more like a dream than anything else. Immediately Bushroot's mind started to analyze what had happened. He knew that this was off. It was more like a dream than anything else. Of course! This was some sort of mystical magic vision thing! That witch must have done something to them!

Now, how did one get out of a magical vision?

Bushroot wasn't afraid anymore.

Quackerjack was free, but his horror was only deepening. He stared at the scene before him, his heart aching and his body trembling. It couldn't be.

His parents, and his brother, they were sitting in the dining room as they had before. But this time…this time…

Quackerjack backed away, out of the room. He turned around till back was at wall near the entrance. He slide to the floor and covered his face with his hands. They felt sticky. He took them away from his face and gasped.

"No…it wasn't me. I didn't…"

Of course you did. The dark, reverberating voice was back. To Quackerjack it was like having someone run a razor through his brain every time that voice spoke. He wanted Headboss back. He wanted Mr. Banana Brain back.

"That's not true!" Quackerjack shouted at the air, as he was pretty sure the voice was in his head. The voice laughed.

You can't help yourself. It's not your fault boy. You have no control. No choice.

"Stop!"

Why? The voice's tone grew annoyed, like a parent scolding a child. You should stop. You won't have to try so hard to be good. It's unnatural for a wretched thing like you.

"I'll stop you." Quackerjack stood up. He clinched his fist and glared around. He couldn't see the creature tormenting him, but he knew it was there.

You stop me and you stop yourself. Don't you understand? I live inside you.

"No! I'm not a killer! I'm not evil."

You're just like those things you build and create. You are one of them. You are my toy, and I can make you do anything I wish. The voice chuckled again, amused. Again it felt like the tone of an adult that has just heard a child say something stupid and funny, a cruel adult that hated children, and got sick pleasure from the child's unhappiness.

"I-"

Oh shut up! It's getting old! Every night we go through this! It's enough to make me sick! The voce was stern, warning, and for a brief moment the pain in Quackerjack's head grew. He wondered if the voice was causing it, using it as a form of punishment.

"…what?"

Ha…

"What are you talking about?"

What? Don't you know? Dreamer… Amusement dripped from the voice.

"I don't understand."

What were you doing last? The voice's tone was no longer mocking or amused. Now it just seemed stern, instructive, as if it was trying to teach its victim something.

"I…Negaduck!"

Yes…You should wake up. As funny as all this is, you should wake up now.

"Why? Are you helping me?"

Merely getting the toy out from behind the couch it fell behind. I still have a use for you. The thing was all business now.

"I won't do what you want me to, I'll fight you!"

Oh enough! I grow bored here! Wake up! Besides, your little playmates will die if one of you does not awaken.

"Let me see you." Quakerjack demanded. "And then I will cooperate, just this once."

Look in the mirror, child.

Quackerjack turned around to look at the hallway mirror, a huge thing made with a shimmering silver frame, decorated like leaves in a forest. There were actually two mirrors, two round mirrors beside each other. They had always scared Quackerjack when he was a child. They looked like two staring eyes. Always staring at him, reflecting the dark wallpaper so they appeared almost pitch black. He stared deeply into the eyes. There was something there…

Quackerjack screamed and looked away.

Now that we are done with that little charade, let's get out of here… The voice laughed.

Megavolt grinned as he shocked the clown till he was down, sparking and twitching on the pavement like a stuck fish. He saw a green duck creature attack, trying to save his friend, but Megavolt's fury at the light bulb enslavers was stronger than anyone would have thought. He gleefully shocked the plant as well, and to his pleasure the thing burst into flames.

"Stop! Please!" A thing made of water said.

But Megavolt was all powerful! His electricity might as well have been coming from the mythical Thor himself! There was nothing he couldn't do! The light bulbs would be free! The water being made Megavolt particularly angry. There was something about it that made Megavolt angry. Water was bad! He turned and zapped the water, a blast so powerful that it literally evaporated the water!

At this point the fuzz in Megavolt's head cleared. He blinked and looked, his eyes widening in horror. Those people! They were his friends! The Liquidator, Quackerjack and Bushroot! But he hadn't remembered them! Hadn't been able to tell they were his friends.

"You can't even tell friend from foe without your memories, can you?" The masked duck chuckled. "You and I are really the same, when you get down to it!"

Megavolt turned and glared at Negaduck. The duck was looking at him with a gloating smile. There was something off about his eyes. They seemed almost black. In fact, they were pitch black. Nothing but black. "No." Megavolt said.

"When you got down it, when you were left with nothing, you reacted with violence, just like me! You were willing to kill to get what you want! Just like me! Hero!" Negaduck scoffed.

Megavolt looked down at the bag of bulbs, then to Negaduck. "No." He said firmly. "You hurt people because you want to gain something. Even when I can't remember who I am, or even if I can't remember who is real and who is just a light bulb…" Megavolt tossed the bag over his shoulder, letting the bulbs shatter. "I am still a hero!" Negaduck recoiled with a shriek. "I fight for what is right! You're not Negaduck either! He wouldn't try to get me on his side, and he'd never compare us! Who are you!" Megavolt punctuated the question with a bolt.

Negaduck seemed to flicker, like a dying light. Underneath the skin was…something. A thing with a long beak and staring, black eyes. It was there only for a few moments, and then it was gone. Megavolt stared at the place where it once was.

"Ha! You think you can play mind games with me! Think again!" Megavolt concentrated, channeling his energy, realizing that here, in this odd mind world thing, he could do anything! So the bird thing thought it could use his insecurities against him? Ha! He'd show it! The energy flowed through him, and he channeled it out, filling everything in this strange world!

He would not be contained!

"I told you that you didn't know the way." Ammonia said with a small huff as she stared at a cobweb in the Macawber house. How she wanted to take a nice vacuum and take care of that! Even a duster! But that would ruin the mission. She hated having to put the mission over her natural desire to clean, but a job was a job.

"Well it's not like we can stop and ask for directions Amy." Steelbeak said wryly.

"I know that!"

"It would have helped if you and your vast researches could have gotten us some sort of map, Federal boy." Bulba growled.

"Hey, that's illegal surveillance!" Steelbeak sounded affronted.

"Does that ever stop you?" Bulba asked.

"Well…"

"Bah!"

"Children." Ammonia rolled her eyes. "Stop arguing or I am turning this rescue mission right around, young men."

"Aww, I thought you liked my age, sweetheart!" Steelbeak wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Focus." Ammonia said. "You can be Mr. Womankiller later."

"You promise?"

"Oh get a room." Bulba sighed. "Honestly, I feel like I just stumbled into an Abbott and Costello movie!"

"You know, none of you are subtle?"

The three whirled around to face their new enemy, or who they assumed would be an enemy. The small wolf creature looked pretty ragged and bloody, but he was looking at them with a mild, almost emotionless expression. It was the expression of one who was very very tired and really should go to bed.

"Great, I know have identified the picture. Abbott and Costello Meet the Wolfman." Bulba grumbled.

"You shouldn't be here. Negaduck could find you." Gary said.

"So he is here?" Steelbeak asked. "What about the Friendly Four?"

Gary's ears twitched. "The who?"

"You can't miss em. One's green, one's electric, one's water and one's a clown." Bulba said.

Gary gently knocked his fist against his head, not hard enough to hurt it again. "Yeah, they were here. Now they aren't." He said.

"Where did they go?" Ammonia asked.

Gary opened his mouth when his ears shot up. "Get in here and keep quiet!" Gary shoved them through a door and into a room. It looked like a large study. There was a set of bookshelves, reaching all the way to the ceiling. There was an ancient, wooden mahogany table, as well as several nice looking chairs. The three were inclined to stop, but Gary kept pushing them until they had come to a wardrobe.

"What's a-"

"Space dimensional portal! Get in and make sure you don't touch any branches! You don't want to get lost in the woods!" Gary shoved them all in the wardrobe and jumped in himself.

"What-"Ammonia was about to say, but Gary shushed her.

"Negaduck and Morgana are coming." He said.

"Wh-"

"Shut up!" Gary hissed. To his relief the three of them shut up just as Negaduck and Morgana walked into the room. They had a stack of papers in their hands. Gary was brisling as his eyes landed on Negaduck. Dully he realized that he didn't feel the same loyalty he had to Morgana as he used to. In fact he felt an instinctive dislike of her, as if he wanted to bite her. That had never happened before.

For a few moments Negaduck and Morgana sat there, cuddling, and looking over the papers. Gary tried to peek through the crack he had left in the wardrobe door to see what they were looking at. He could feel the other three leaning forwards as well, as if trying to see what Negaduck was doing. Gary hissed as Negaduck came a little closer. He realized the damn wardrobe was right next to the liquor cabinet. Nuts…

"Only one of them in the entire world?" Negaduck said as he fiddled around with whatever it was he needed to make his drink. Gary couldn't see unless he opened the door, and he wasn't about to do that. "And it can only be used once? That's…fascinating…" The greedy edge to Negaduck's tone was enough to send Gary bristling again.

All of sudden there was a large banging noise, and Negaduck and Morgana looked to the door.

"What was that?" Negaduck asked.

"I'm sure I didn't leave the mushrooms on." Morgana said with narrowed eyes. "You don't suppose it's more unexpected guests?"

"Either that or it's your brat causing property damage." Negaduck growled. "Let's go check." Gary heard the sound of the crime lord putting a glass down and he walked back into view. Morgana, who looked very irritated, nodded. Gary knew that look. It was a look that usually promised some sort of punishment. Her punishments used to be fair, but now Gary didn't know what she might do as she stood up. He watched as the two of them left, Negaduck slamming the door of the study.

"Okay, wolf boy, I need to get out of here before I have a panic attack." Bulba said.

"Huh?" Gary turned his head.

"I'm claustrophobic, fuzzball, now let me out!" Bulba growled as he shoved Gray out. The werewolf snarled a bit as he jumped to the carpet. He glared at Bulba.

"Keep doing that, Normal, and I feed you to the squid!"

Steelbeak grinned as he exited the wardrobe. "Finally found your weakness!"

"Oh shut up!" Bulba growled. He looked at the papers, particularly an open, old looking scroll in the middle of the table. Negaduck had left and walked over to them. "Let's see what that monster has planned…what the hell is this?" Bulba looked at a page with confusion. "Blod…pigeon?"

"Oh, that's just Old English." Gary walked over and looked down. "The title is Blódþigen Hwyrfling, for your information. A lot of magical books are in Old English."

"Okay, genius, what does it mean?" Bulba asked.

"I haven't the foggiest." Gary shrugged. "I haven't gotten that far."

"It means Orb of Blood, or at least that what those two think it means." Ammonia said.

"How?" Steelbeak asked as Ammonia grinned at him.

"Observe, dears that translated paper under the scroll." Ammonia pointed at the obvious paper that was just lying there, that the men had missed. The males gazed down at the translation and said "Ohhh." almost at the same time. Ammonia smiled fondly and shook her head. She looked at the translated paper and frowned. "I think we found what Negaduck was coming here for. I doubt it can be anything good."

"What makes you so certain?" Asked Bulba.

"It's Negaduck." Ammonia said. "And since when does anything with the word 'blood' in it turn out to be a good thing?"

"How about 'blood transfusion'?" Bulba asked.

"That means there has been a terrible accident and that someone is dying enough to need a blood transfusion." Steelbeak said. While the two nipped at each other Ammonia had taken out a special camera and was taking photocopies of the scroll and the translations.

Gary's ears pricked. "It can't be…" he muttered. He walked over to the door to the hall and placed an ear against it. "I think…I think I can hear your friends! Is one of them named Megavolt?"

"Yes! You can hear them?" Steelbeak asked.

"How…" Bulba looked a Gary curiously.

"I'm a werewolf; I can hear that Negaduck just shouted out either 'It's you Megavolt' or 'shih tzu Megavolt.'" Gary frowned. "I know one of them was a dog, but I don't think he's a shih tzu…"

"Pretty sure the Liquidator is the hound. I really doubt it's the second one." Bulba said. "Let's go get them!"

"No." Steelbeak said.

"What! You'd just leave them! Why you no good little-"Bulba whirled on him with a rage.

"Think, Bulba. We came here to find out what Negaduck was doing, and we have. He's looking for something, this blood thing, and he needed to come to this sorceress to learn about tit…by the way, who are you?" Steelbeak looked at Gary.

"Gary O'Kult." Gary said. "And I used to be Morgana Macawber's apprentice. She's the witch that's dating Negaduck." Gary frowned down at the scroll. "And apparently sweet nothings aren't the only thing she's been whispering in his ear." Gary's ears were laid back on his head, and his eyes were narrowed in anger

Steelbeak nodded."Look, I don't want to abandon them, but we need to take this information back to our headquarters."

"To your headquarters." Bulba grumbled.

"To whoever's headquarters! That doesn't matter, don't you see that?" Steelbeak raised his voice, and for the first time Bulba had known him he seemed…less than in control of the situation. "We have to find out what Negaduck is after so we can stop him!

"you are that set on getting him that you would turn your back on people you call friends?" Bulba snarled.

"Bulba please. I know you don't trust me, but I am telling you the truth! Negaduck is unlike any crime lord we have ever seen! I can't tell you everything right now, but you need to trust me!" Steelbeak put so much emotion in those words that Bulba almost found himself believing him…in fact there was something so almost desperate about the rooster, almost a panic. Bulba took a deep breath and sighed.

"I'll go tell your friends to get out."

All three of them turned to look at Gary, who was standing by the door. "I'll go down there and get them out. You take that stuff back to your lair."

"And we should trust you?" Bulba growled.

Steelbeak turned and studied Gary, who looked at him with a stubborn set to his beak. After a few seconds Steelbeak gave Gary a broad grin. "Ya, he's a good kid. We can trust him!"

"You always sound so certain." Bulba snarled.

"Hey, what can I said, I read people well." Steelbeak said.

Gary nodded. "Go, that window there will lead you outside." Gary pointed to a window across the room, right next to the bookshelves. It's not enchanted so it will be safe. Get out of here." Indeed the window showed the outside world and not anything strange or bizarre.

Steelbeak nodded, and he and Ammonia walked towards the window. Bulba gave Gary one last considering look, before he shrugged and followed. However, before he got out he turned and looked at Gary.

"Those four are the best hope this city has had in a long time, boy. You make sure they get out alive." Bulba turned and glared at the window. It looked…pretty small. "Now how am I going to get past this…?"

Gary didn't wait to see Bulba try to fit himself through the door. He totally and completely missed the sight of Bulba trying to squeeze through a hole half his size and get stuck halfway through; his irritable grumbling directly aimed a very amused Steelbeak. But then again, considering what end Gary would have been faced with, this was probably a good thing.

Megavolt opened his eyes to find himself looking up into darkness. He groaned and sat up, and to his shock he received a leaf over his eyes. "Huh. Wha?" He tried to shake the leaf away, but someone held it firmly against his head.

"It's okay Megs! You don't want to get more sleepy dust in your eyes, do you?"

"Quackerjack? Is this your idea of a joke! I just had the worst…vision…thing." Megavolt said. "And I am not in the mood!"

"We think they were dreams." Said Bushroot's voice from the left of him. "I think that dust that creature threw in our eyes might have done it."

"Are you sure about that?" Megavolt asked.

"Not really, just general deduction." Bushroot said.

"I remember a story my mother told me when I was a child." The Liquidator said thoughtfully. "She said that if you ever failed to go to sleep the Sandman would come and throw sand in your eyes, but they would always be bad dreams to punish you for staying awake and being naughty." Megavolt heard a gentle slosh as the Liquidator shrugged. "I guess she might have been right."

"We can't just sit here with leaves on our faces…why do we have leaves on our faces?" Megavolt asked.

"Because when I woke up I figured that if the creature can't throw the sand in my eyes then it can't put me back to sleep. I just grew one of my tail feathers out and used it. I kind of felt my way around until I found the Liquidator just in time for him to wake up, then we looked together and found you and Quackerjack.

"I woke up before you." Quackerjack.

"Congratulations." Megavolt said with a snort. "But how are we going to get out of here?"

"Technically I don't need my eyes to be outside my body to look around. I'm mostly puddle now. I have a nice shield of water protecting me. No leaves required!" The Liquidator said. "I have a plan. I think we can get that thing. I've seeing that thing that's in here with us. It flits about, and I can't get a good look, but it's been watching us. If we hold on to each other, and if I lured that thing down here with my eyes, we can grab it. Maybe we can question it."

"That sounds risky." Megavolt said.

"Don't worry, my electrical friend. I learned an important lesson in my dreams! There is nothing to fear but fear itself!" The Liquidator said. "As soon as you feel better we can begin!"

Megavolt nodded. "Do it! I'm not scared."

"Me either." Said Bushroot firmly.

"Nor I." Said Quackerjack.

The moment those words left their lips, the void seemed to crack. A single line of light appeared then two small ones below and above. It was like an open door. It was like a door opening, and to the Liquidator's surprise the door opened fully to reveal the room in the Macawber Mansion.

"Is…is it letting us go?" The Liquidator asked.

"It might be. I don't know about you, but the moment I stopped being afraid of what those dreams were showing me, I was able to wake up." Bushroot said. "What about the rest of you?"

"That was how it happened for the Liquidator!" Said the Liquidator.

"Yep." Megavolt said. There was a long pause. "Quackerjack?" Megavolt asked.

"I assume so." Quackerjack said with a shrug.

"You assume?"

"Oh, sometimes I don't remember my dreams." Said Quackerjack.

"Really?" Asked Megavolt.

"Yep." Said Quackerjack.

"I bet the same thing happened to you, Quackerjack." Said Bushroot. "But let's get out before that thing comes back!"

"Agreed, lead the way, Likky." Said Quackerjack.

The Liquidator nodded and grabbed Bushroot by a vine. Bushroot wrapped a vine around Quackerjack, who took Megavolt's hand. They all got to their feet, minus the Liquidator who kind of sloshed, and started towards the door. They walked fast but didn't hurry, to make sure the monster of fear wouldn't pick up on anything that might be construed as fear. Still, they made it to the door without and incidents, for which Megavolt was very relived. He let the leaf slip from his hand and fall to the ground as he approached the door.

For a brief moment he thought he saw the creature standing on one side of his face, the long bill turned up in a terrible rectus of a grin. Megavolt, however, had half been expecting this, and didn't react at all. He just stepped through the doorway, and made sure to slam it behind him.

"Well, what do we do now?" Bushroot asked as he and Quackerjack also let go of their leaves. For a few minutes they stared around the room, wondering how they would get out. The room was filled with doors, and even though none of them was as spooky as the nightmare door, when Megavolt opened one and poked his head out he found himself looking at a jungle. Straight into the eyes of a tiger. He slammed that door and shook his head.

"I don't think we need to try anymore of these doors." Megavolt said.

"We should scoot. I don't think that we are going to find anything today. We can always come back later and snoop." Megavolt said.

"It's you Megavolt! Oh, you aren't going to be snooping anywhere!"

The four turned to find Negaduck and Morgana standing in the doorway to the hall, both of them looked angry.

"How did you get out?" Morgana asked with narrowed eyes. "it should have killed you."

"We don't kill easily." Megavolt said defiantly. "Get them!" Megavolt sparked along his fingers, readying to zap. Bushroot gestured towards some potted plants, which rose up to wiggle at Morgana and Negaduck. Quackerjack and the Liquidator leaped forwards.

Morgana's eyes widened. She had never been attacked by superheroes before, and Negaduck knew it. Knowing that this was the perfect opportunity to get her completely one his side, he grinned. It was true that he had been doing his best to push her towards the dark side of magic, as he knew that this would make her more inclined to help him. Failing that the romance would help to shove her towards sympathizing with him. He was already having an effect on her, and in fact he knew from her erratic behavior these past few days, sometimes being her old nice self and other times acting darker, was an effect of the dark magic. It changed personality as it worked in you, and Morgana tonight was showing signs that she could be pushed towards the darkness. Now was the time to make the final shove, and he would have his magical ally.

Negaduck jumped in front of her, taking out his chainsaw as he lunged. "Stay behind me!" He bellowed, for all the world like a protective and loving friend. He swung the chainsaw at Quackerjack, forcing the Liquidator to block the blow. He leaped and kicked Quackerjack on the face, driving him towards Megavolt. Megavolt leaped away, avoiding bumping into his friend. The Liquidator tried to flow around Negaduck, who kicked at him, stomping into his water and distracting the Liquidator. The Liquidator chuckled and wrapped himself around Negaduck's leg, tripping him.

"Finally! It ends! We have you!" The Liquidator laughed; confident he finally had his long time foe at his mercy.

Negaduck, drawing on the inner campy actor that dwelt within, turned his head and gazed at Morgana. "Run!" He said, putting as much false desperation in his voice as he could muster.

It did the trick.

Morgana roared and seemed to grow, clouds forming around her and swirling like the worst of thunderstorms. She gestured and a black bolt of energy flew from the cloud, zapping Bushroot's allies to dust. Another bolt slammed into Quackerjack, blasting him back to the other end of the room. Fortunately, in a way, he ended up slamming into a wall, but this was better than flying through a door and ending up in Timbuktu or something. Another zapped the Liquidator, and he sizzled and screamed. Only Megavolt was unaffected. He snarled and lunged for her, a bolt of lightning aimed at the witch's chest. Her head turned towards him with a snap. To his horror her eyes had gone from their normal color to pitch black, all black. The same black that had possessed the creature in the void.

"You puny cockroach! You dare attack me!" The woman's voice reverberated through the room, and she sent a bolt of black energy for Megavolt, who ducked just in time. Negaduck slid beside her, a look of victory in his eyes.

"Morgana! No!"

The witch turned her black eyes on Gary, who was standing in the hallway leading up to the room. He had none of his familiars with him, and he looked appalled. "I warn you, dog. Stay out of this." She growled. The gentle tones of the woman who had once been his teacher were gone, as if they had never been.

Gary stared into her black gaze, and his own eyes narrowed and began to glow yellow. He had nothing to say to her. He snarled and rushed her on all fours. She sent bolts of dark energy towards him, but he dodged each one, ducking, then moving to the left, then the right, then finally jumping the last one in a might leap. He almost flew through the air and bowled her over, claws slashing and cutting at her face. His claws landed heavily on her face, and blood flew through the air. She had not been expecting such a savage attack. She screeched and rose off the ground, completely horizontal, and levitated Gary into the air. She readjusted her body until she was vertical once again, and drew the levitated Gary close to her. His eyes had gone back to normal.

"Friendly Four! Run! Get out of here!" He bellowed at the four, who were regrouping. Bushroot was helping Quackerjack stand up, and Megavolt was standing near the Liquidator as he reformed, trying to protect him. Megavolt looked up at the werewolf, and nodded. He turned to the wall and spotted a window. He turned back to Gary.

"Let him go!" Megavolt shouted at Morgana.

"Go! I will let him go! Worthless mutt! Take your claws out of my heart and take yourself out of my home!" She roared and pushed, and Gary was shot towards a window with the force of a thrown baseball. Megavolt turned and blasted the window, shattering the glass, and allowing the werewolf to fly harmlessly past.

"Let's go!" Megavolt nodded at Quackerjack and Bushroot, who leaped out the window, followed by a reformed Liquidator. Megavolt backed away from the explosively angry Morgana, and the strangely serene Negaduck. Indeed, the crime lord seemed very pleased.

"Run, Megavolt. Run like the coward you are." He snarled. Megavolt frowned, and then laughed at him.

"We are so much alike, you must be a coward yourself!" he said. Negaduck roared at him in anger, and Megavolt grinned as he leaped through the window.

That was the Negaduck he knew!

Megavolt and the others didn't stop running until they were across the street. Megavolt turned to count heads and frowned. "Did anyone see that wolf kid?"

Quackerjack shook his head. "We looked, but…" He shrugged.

Megavolt nodded. "Bushroot, keep watch. Let's look for him!"

"You're alright!"

The four turned and relaxed a bit when they saw it was just Bulba, followed by a very smug looking Steelbeak.

"Well, we can now confirm that Negaduck's girlfriend is a crazy witch." Megavotl said as he gave Steelbeak a hard stare.

Steelbeak grinned. "We got something out of it! We found some papers in there! As soon as the boys get to decoding the-"

"Hold it! You went in as well!" Megavolt glared at him. "Ddi you use us as a distraction! We were gone for only a few minutes!"

"Megavolt…you are Megavolt right? You were gone for hours!" Ammonia said.

"Who are you?" Megavolt stared at her.

"Name's Ammonia Pine. Pleased to meet you." She smiled at Megavolt.

"I didn't intend for you to be a distraction. We went in to find you! But we did stumble on something important." Steelbeak said.

"Yeah, we don't need your help unless we ask for it, Steelbeak." Megavolt growled.

"Okay, okay! Chill babe!" Steelbeak held up his hands.

"Okay, so you found something. What is it?" Bushroot asked.

"Not sure yet. But I'll tell you as soon as I find out." Steelbeak smiled at them. "This could be the key to defeating Negaduck!"

"Ummm, guys." The Liquidator said. "Has anyone seen that wolf kid? He kind of flew through that window!"

Bulba's eyes widened. "That boy? We need to look for him!"

They searched for Gary, looking down each block and checking everywhere they could think of, but the werewolf had vanished.

Lloyd had a bad job. A really bad job. He was the local dogcatcher, and while he liked dogs, he didn't like having to chase them around the streets. Especially when they would try to bite. So when he almost ran over the poor thing laying in the road he almost had a heart attack. All he knew was that it was big and furry, and bloody.

Lloyd grabbed his catch pole and flashlight and slipped out of his van. He aimed the flashlight at the thing, which didn't move. He stepped closer and his eyes widened.

"Oh! You poor thing! Who did this to you boy?" He leaned over the pathetic scrap of fur and almost cried when he saw the deep scratches all over the poor things body. The leg and the head looked the worse. In fact it looked like he had been clawed by a bear. He patted what he thought was a dog on the head. It was a strange looking dog, that was for sure, but it was alive. He checked its neck, and didn't see a collar. In a way he was relieved. Anyone who let a dog get in this condition was a monster!

"Come on boy, I'm taking you to a vet. I'll have to take you in to the pound, but I'm sure the doc will patch you up! And maybe we can find a nice home for you!" Gently he picked up Gary and placed him in the back of his dog catching van. Gently he started to drive the car for the pound.

A few minutes later Quackerjack and Bushroot rounded the corner, looking for Gary. But all they saw was a departing van…

Quackerjack collapsed into Bushroot's couch and turned on the tv. Bushroot stared at him and frowned. "Shouldn't you be asleep?"

"I really don't feel like sleeping." Quackerjack said moodily.

"Neither do I." Megavolt said as he plopped down beside Quackerjack. "You guys don't need to sleep. Lucky." He muttered.

The Liquidator and Bushroot looked at each other, frowns on their faces. "I don't know, I sometimes miss sleeping." Said Bushroot. "But…"

"Let's just say I'm not eager to go to sleep anytime soon." Megavolt said. "I…it was bad guys." He shook his head.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Bushroot asked.

"I want to watch mindless television." Said Megavolt.

"Cartoons?" Quackerjack asked.

Megavolt sighed. "If you can find any at this hour. I don't care."

Bushroot and the Liquidator watched over their friends for the rest of the night, though despite their protests both Megavolt and Quackerjack had nodded off within the hour.

If Megavolt had any bad dreams that night, he never said.

If Quackerjack had any, he didn't remember.

A/N: I realized that, for some subconscious reason, the scratches that Gary gets on his head are very similar to the ones gotten by a character called Gin in an old anime called Ginga Nagareboshi Gin, which wasn't released in its completed form in America, though it can be found on Youtube. It's a pretty awesome show. For some reason the yeti loses the same eye that the villain of GNG, a bear named Akakabuto, does. However the way the two characters lose their eyes is different. I didn't really do it intentionally, but it must have snuck in there when I was not looking. Hey, at least I recognized it long enough to give credit to this awesome anime.

I know that most of the nightmares of the Friendly Four ended up being some form of the whole "monster within" story, but when I really got to thinking I had to ask myself "What would their worst fear be?" I thought that for the Friendly Four their worst fears would be for them to be like they are in the normal Darkwing universe, even though they have never met those characters at all, there is still a bit of the originals in the mirrors, with the possible exception of Quackerjack. Guess what his fear really is?

I couldn't help but send Gary to the pound after the throwaway line in the first one. Will he be back"? You'll see.

One of the lines that Morgana says at the end there is a moddifed line from the Raven. I love that poem. The orginal line is: "Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door", which the narrator of the poem says after he finally gets sick of the raven saying 'Nevermore'. Take from that what you will.

The Old English in this it taken directly from the internet, with little knowlege of the actual form and grammer of Old English. Normally I would research such things, but at the same time I really don't have access to anthing that would help with translating Old English besides Google.

Next time: Bushroot has been asked by a friendly colleague to help with a new fertilizer, but when the fiery villain Phyros gets a hold of it he grows to immense size! Can the four beat a lizard the size of a skyscraper that breaths fire? Where have they heard of that plot before? Find out!