Morgana eyed the two children warily. They seemed to have a silent communication, which meant she'd have her hands full trying to apprehend them. If only Negaduck hadn't tied her hands...or just not been a jerk in general. While Morgana pondered this and the strange twists and turns that her life had taken in the last few days, Webby and Gosalyn moved, splitting their attack so that Morgana could apprehend one but not the other. Gosalyn aimed for her midriff and Morgana cast a spell that swept the red-headed girl off her feet. It was only a diversion.
Webby knocked Morgana into a wall and, while the sorceress worked on regaining her focus, she grabbed her hands, removed her bow from her hair, and bound Morgana's hands behind her back. If Morgana had perhaps put up a little less fight than she needed to, well, no one but she would know about it. Let the girls think they had had an easy victory. Morgana didn't want to fight them. She especially didn't want to hurt them.
Without her hands, she couldn't cast spells, though she was surprised Webby had figured that out. She wriggled her wrists, but Webby had bound her tightly. She supposed they would have learned how to tie knots to prevent people from escaping in the orphanage, as it was sponsored by SHUSH. Sighing, Morgana gazed at Webby and Gosalyn, the latter of whom was picking herself up off the floor.
"Do you even know how to get out of here?" Morgana asked.
Webby and Gosalyn exchanged glances and Morgana sighed. That made three of them. She hadn't been conscious when Negaduck had dragged her here the first time. Of course, Dark had Eek and Squeak, so she couldn't send them out to hunt. They wouldn't have let her be captured, anyway. Morgana's throat tightened. She missed her familiars.
"We'll figure it out," Gosalyn huffed.
"Gos, we don't know how far this world extends. For all we know, the entire universe is contained here, except everyone's evil. We could wander out of the Negaverse version of St. Canard and into the Negaverse version of Duckburg and still not find it. We need better information," Webby pointed out.
"We need to call my dad," Gosalyn rejoined. "He has to know what's going on."
"Don't look at me," Morgana said. "I don't have a phone. Even if I did, it wouldn't work with all my magic. Magic makes technology go haywire."
"There has to be a phone here that'll dial out," Gosalyn mused.
"Are you sure about that?" Webby responded. "Because it doesn't seem like that'd be a good thing to do."
"NegaGosalyn," Morgana said and they turned to look at her. "She probably knows how to get a hold of Darkwing Duck or at least how to get out of here."
Gosalyn pulled a face, probably not looking forward to meeting her counterpart. Webby shook her head, not to refute Morgana, but to remind Gosalyn what the stakes were. She took her sister by the shoulders and shook her.
"Negaduck has Morgana, he has us, and Darkwing's in a corner," Webby said. "Granny's been compromised and we have no one else. We have to get a message to Darkwing Duck."
"And then what? Leave him to fix this?" Gosalyn said, scowling.
"He doesn't have to do it alone," Webby replied and Gosalyn brightened.
"All right, let's go find my Negaverse counterpart. Hopefully, she won't be as annoying as I think she will be."
And, like that, they left Morgana alone with her thoughts. Oddly, she found she didn't mind. There were worse places to be and at least she was in a relatively secure location. Besides, she had faith in Gosalyn and Webby. They seemed to know what they were doing. Or, at least, she hoped they did.
"Darkwing Duck's in trouble?" NegaGosalyn asked. As soon as Gosalyn had set eyes on her, she'd hated her. The frilly pink dress, the red curls, and the whole she-bang stung of Shirley Temple and an entirely too cutesy look that was so not her. Webby had to hold her back before she did or said something unhelpful, such as lashing out at the other girl. Webby knew that Gosalyn would hate her upon sight and, to be honest, it gave Webby a moment's pause too. That Gosalyn was so not the real Gosalyn. She was just too sugary sweet and cheerful. It rubbed Webby strangely.
Webby pitied NegaGosalyn. In a world where everyone was evil, she'd been the odd duck out. If they had time, perhaps they could rescue her too. Of course, Gosalyn would hate having her around, but perhaps she could be made to see the necessity. Leaving NegaGosalyn in Negaduck's clutches was a bad idea, even if he seemed to be more of a negligent parent than an abusive one. No, Negaduck only picked on people his own size. While Webby couldn't say that Negaduck liked kids, per se, he didn't aim to attack them rather than adults.
"That's what I said, isn't it?" Gosalyn huffed. "How can you stand looking so frilly, pink, and perfect? It's disgusting."
NegaGosalyn stared at her. "You're not wearing pants or a skirt."
"So?" Gosalyn countered. "I don't have to. I'm a duck. Plenty of ducks walk around without pants."
"Plenty of male ducks," NegaGosalyn countered. "It's not proper or becoming for a young lady."
"If you don't like it, then you don't have to look," Gosalyn countered, gruff. She folded her arms across her chest and glowered at NegaGosalyn. "Are you going to help us or not?"
"I'll help," NegaGosalyn said. "I wish Darkwing Duck were my father instead of my being Negaduck's ward."
Gosalyn's expression shifted, going from irritation to guilt. She might not appreciate NegaGosalyn's primness, but she felt bad for the girl all the same. Webby nudged Gosalyn. NegaGos got a raw deal. When this was over, assuming they could get back...or should they just bring her with them now? They might not be able to get back and they might not want to. Once Negaduck was defeated, he'd be here, most likely, licking his wounds. A cornered, wounded animal was a dangerous one. No, they had better bring NegaGos along.
"Do you know how to get a message to Darkwing?" Webby pressed. "Time's of the essence."
"I know how to get out of here," NegaGosalyn said. "Your dad's on the Bridge, right? Negaduck made multiple portals this time. We should be able to exit on the Bridge and find Darkwing to tell him. We'll come back for Morgana. The spell should be broken by then."
Gosalyn nodded, dropping her gaze. Webby nudged her and Gosalyn's head shot up to give her a dirty look. Webby smirked.
"Negaduck won't want Morgana around once the spell's broken, anyway," NegaGosalyn said. "He doesn't like situations he can't control."
Webby liked to think that Morgana's wrath would be legendary for Negaduck subjecting Morgana to this. She also liked to imagine that once Morgana escaped the Negaverse, she'd be rushing back to Darkwing's arms. It was romantic, provided Darkwing forgave her. Love conquered all, didn't it? They'd be fine.
NegaGos led them to the bridge and the trip was mostly silent. Each girl was lost in her own thoughts and Webby wondered how Mrs. Beakley was faring. She had no idea what had transpired in her absence. She also felt oddly lopsided without her pink bow. Morgana might be able to free herself if she found something sharp to rub against her binding. Should they have left someone here to ensure she didn't escape?
"She won't come after us, will she?" Gosalyn asked, sensing Webby's train of thought. They'd been together for so long that sometimes it felt like they were psychic.
"I don't know," Webby admitted and the thought gave her the chills. They'd given Morgana the slip, but that could change. They didn't stand a chance against a sorceress in her element. They'd have to break her power source and Webby had no idea what that was. It wasn't like sorceresses advertised their weaknesses.
They exited into the real world and Webby felt the difference immediately. For one thing, the air was cleaner and didn't hurt to breathe. For another, traffic was louder and impressions brighter. It was night in St. Canard and car headlights threatened to blind them. For whatever reason, there wasn't much traffic between the Negaverse's St. Canard and Duckburg. Possibly it didn't extend that far. Webby hadn't looked.
They ascended into the lair, where they found Darkwing Duck staring at a map of the city. He hadn't heard their approach. His eyes were redlined and he sniffled, hunched in a miserable heap on a chair while he half-heartedly poked a pencil about the map. He sighed, clearly not in the mood to fight crime or do much of anything. Webby's heart went out to him. Gosalyn approached, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Gosalyn?" Darkwing exclaimed, whirling in his seat. "What are you doing here? You were supposed to be safe in McDuck Manor in Duckburg!"
"Yeah, I was real safe," Gosalyn said sarcastically. "Right up until Negaduck and Morgana kidnapped me and Webby and brought us to the Negaverse."
At her words, Darkwing looked up to spy NegaGosalyn and Webby. NegaGosalyn rushed at Darkwing and hugged him. He hugged her back, though he looked surprised. His gaze roved over the three girls.
"And you're all here because…?"
"Because we know you need us," Gosalyn said.
"And because we need you to know that Morgana is under an enchantment that Negaduck cast," NegaGosalyn said. "She's not doing any of this of her own volition."
"I...I knew that. I totally knew that," Darkwing said.
"You had no friggin' clue, did you?" Gosalyn asked flatly. "You're so oblivious."
"How long has she been under Negaduck's sway?" he asked them.
"I'd guess since she broke up with you," Gosalyn answered. "She didn't want to hurt us. Negaduck compelled her."
"You're hurt?!" Darkwing exclaimed, springing to his feet.
"Dad, we're fine. Chill," Gosalyn said. "Relax. Webby tied her up with her bow."
"That's not gonna hold her for very long," Darkwing pointed out. "In fact, if Negaduck is controlling her and he found out that she's been hoodwinked by three kids, he's not gonna be very happy at all. And an angry Negaduck is nothing to trifle with."
He frowned. "Now, if I were an infuriated megalomaniac who was determined to prove himself and been half thwarted, where would I go?"
"You have half of that already," Gosalyn muttered and Darkwing glared at her.
"Not helping, Gos," he reminded her.
A bright pink light shot over the city, followed by a screech, and then a crash. All four flinched and Darkwing grabbed his hat and cape.
"What was that?" Gosalyn asked.
"Nothing you need to worry about," he said. "If Negaduck knows about McDuck Manor, it's not safe anymore. That means you should all stay here. Including you, Gosalyn."
"But I can help!" Gosalyn protested.
"You'll just get in the way," Darkwing countered. "And who's the adult here?"
"You are," Gosalyn said, sounding resigned.
"Wait, what about my granny?" Webby burst out.
"What does Mrs. Beakley have to do with this?" Darkwing asked, baffled. Another crash sounded and he grimaced. "Never mind. Tell me later. For now...let's get dangerous."
He kissed Gosalyn on the head and Gosalyn rolled her eyes.
"Be good...or whatever passes for that with you. And stay here. All three of you. You can use my phone to call McDuck Manor, but I don't want any of you leaving, not until I know it's safe. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Dad," Gosalyn muttered at the same time that NegaGosalyn and Webby replied, "Yes, Darkwing."
"You three are totally not going to listen to me, are you?" Darkwing said.
Gosalyn smiled innocently and Darkwing sighed. Another crash, this time louder and closer, sounded and Darkwing sprang into action. There wasn't time to worry about what the kids would or wouldn't do. If Darkwing didn't avert this upcoming disaster, there might not be a tower hideout to worry about. He nodded to them and then took off. Webby watched him go.
"Does Morgana know about the tower?" Webby asked Gosalyn.
"Yes," she said and then cursed.
"You shouldn't speak like that!" NegaGosalyn said and then, to Webby's shock, began listing all the curse words that better suited the situation.
"...wait, what?" Webby said, shocked. Gosalyn looked like she'd been struck in the face with a baseball bat.
"Did you really think that I'd never heard cursing when I live in the Negaverse?" NegaGosalyn said innocently. She smiled brightly and then her smile faded. "If Morgana's coming here, then we need to be prepared. Darkwing keeps weapons in here too, doesn't he?"
"Yeah, he does," Gosalyn said, still goggling at her counterpart. She looked faintly impressed.
"Then we'd better gather them up," NegaGosalyn replied. "It looks like we're due for a fight. And this time, for real."
Scrooge rolled to the side and narrowly avoided Magica. The good news, if you could call it that, was that Magica didn't know how to work Mrs. Beakley's body. Lena leapt onto Mrs. Beakley's back and yanked the amulet off her neck. Magica snarled, rounding on her niece. As she did, Scrooge searched for something to knock her out with. He had a large bust of himself that would work nicely.
"You traitorous brat," Magica spat at Lena.
"Takes one to know one," Lena said with a shrug. Magica/Mrs. Beakley charged at her and she sidestepped her with ease.
Scrooge mentally apologized for what he was about to do. He hefted the bust and threw it at Mrs. Beakley's head. It would make an awesome collision and then…
He missed. Instead of striking her, it hit the sofa and Magica whirled, glowering at him. Scrooge smiled sheepishly. That would've been so impressive.
"Do you mind?" she spat.
"Actually, yes, I do. You were supposed to be hit by that," Scrooge said and Lena facepalmed.
"Do you really expect me to stand still and wait while you throw things at me?" she snapped.
"Actually, yes. That'd make this fight a great deal easier."
Magica snarled, charging him, and again, he showed how adroit he was by moving out of the way. Lena hefted the amulet and it glowed in her palms. Mrs. Beakley turned and her eyes narrowed at Lena.
"Give me back the amulet," she spat.
"Nope. Not happening. Not sharing a body with you ever again. I'd rather be dead."
"That can be arranged," Magica snapped. She drew herself up to her full height and then dove. Scrooge threw up his lucky dime and instead of crashing into him and possessing him, which was doubtlessly what she'd hoped by that wild charge, she threw her essence into the dime. Magica's scream of outrage was cut mercifully short.
"That won't hold her for long," Lena warned. "Not without the proper magical charms."
"I can always shove her back into the stasis field," he suggested and Lena shot him a withering look.
"Don't you dare."
Mrs. Beakley groaned, collapsing onto the floor. Their squabbling died as they looked at her. Her eyelids fluttered and he was instantly at her side.
"Bentina? How are ye feeling?" he asked.
"Like an evil sorceress possessed me and then used me like a puppet," Mrs. Beakley retorted. "How do you think I feel, Mr. McDuck?"
Lena snickered.
"We need to come up with a more permanent solution," Scrooge said. "And for that, we'll have to consult my library."
Mrs. Beakley cast her gaze about for Magica and Scrooge produced the dime. In it, Magica was glowering at everyone. She was impotent for the moment, but Scrooge knew that once she figured out how to unleash herself, she would. She couldn't possess a dime, after all. And whatever magic Scrooge possessed was bound up in the dime…
It suddenly seemed like a terrible idea that she'd dove headfirst into it. He wondered whether she'd figure that out and if she'd reasoned it out before he had. It seemed she had because the dime trembled and he saw a black essence escape it.
"She doesn't have the mojo to craft her body back," Lena said. "But that won't stop her from possessing one of us again."
Magica's essence sailed around the room. Scrooge could almost hear his enemy's thought process. She couldn't take Mrs. Beakley again; she couldn't control her. Lena was out on general principle. That left...him.
Lena was casting her gaze around too and then before Magica had a chance to dive on Scrooge, Lena thrust the amulet up. Magica collided with it, hard enough to make it shake in her hand, and then stopped dead.
"There," Lena said. "The amulet is her staff transformed. She can't access her magic without the dime's power. She can't get to the dime while she's trapped in the amulet. This will have to work until we can come up with a more permanent solution."
"Agreed," Mrs. Beakley said and then groaned, stretching. They heard something crack. "What on earth did Magica do to my body?"
"Probably best you don't know," Scrooge said and Mrs. Beakley scowled.
"All I've done is buy you more time," Lena said and then shot Scrooge a cutting look. "Maybe you ought to actually use it instead of stalling like you did last time."
"Aye, I've learned my lesson," he said and then smiled at her. "Thank you, Lena."
"You owe me big," Lena warned. She folded her arms across her chest. She then looked around. "If Magica's not bound to Mrs. Beakley and she's not bound to me anymore, then…"
"She's not bound to anyone. You're free, lass. You have your freedom," he said softly.
Lena looked shell-shocked. "I have my...I have my freedom. I have my freedom!"
"That's very nice and I'm happy for you, Lena, but we still need to figure out where Webbigail and Gosalyn went," Mrs. Beakley pointed out.
Lena's phone buzzed and she took it out of her pocket. "They're at Darkwing Duck's lair. And it looks like things are...oh, I can't believe she said this. They're about to...get dangerous."
"Well, well, well," Negaduck sneered. "I was wondering when you'd show up."
Darkwing glowered back. It had taken him three hours to locate him and it was approaching midnight. Something told him he'd missed an obvious clue, but he didn't care. His chest was tight and he balled his fists. Negaduck had also robbed him of his trademark appearance by popping up behind him on the top of First Bank of St. Canard's roof.
"I am the terror that flaps in the night-" he started, irritated that Negaduck might upstage him.
"You are the spoiled fruit that ruins the whole basket," Negaduck said. "Blah blah blah. No one cares."
"What did you do to Morgana?" Darkwing demanded. "And hey, no one steals my lines!"
"I wondered when you'd notice," Negaduck scoffed. He approached him with a malicious gleam in his eyes. "You really are slow, Darkwing Dunderhead. Morgana's mine by rights. To the victor go the spoils."
"But she's not a spoil. She's a person!" Darkwing protested, appalled that Negaduck would even consider that. Then again, Negaduck was a psychopath. Perhaps he considered everyone pawns on a giant game board. Darkwing stiffened his resolve.
Negaduck shrugged. "She's mine now. It doesn't matter how I got her."
"You reverse whatever you did to her this minute!" he demanded.
"Oh, look, here she comes," Negaduck retorted and Morgana glided toward him. "Where are the brats?"
Morgana was sporting a black eye, a swollen lower lip, and a limp. Darkwing felt awful for her and then realized who had given her said injuries. Pride in Gosalyn flashed through him. She gave as good as she got. His pride vanished; did this mean his little girl was hurt? He didn't want to worry about that. Then he'd be too focused on her to fight.
"They called in reinforcements," Morgana said. "Negaduck, we need to talk."
The four most dangerous words in the English language. And probably in other languages too, although Darkwing didn't speak anything besides English.
"You can't fight this," Negaduck countered. He faltered. "You can't, right?"
Morgana drew a deep breath to brace herself. She balled her fists too and seemed to be readying herself. Whatever it was, it sure was taking a while. What was the hold-up?
"I think we should see other people," Morgana said and caught Darkwing's eye. She winked and all at once, his knees weakened and he nearly fell over. Maybe she was still under Negaduck's spell, but not 100% anymore. That was something to build on if he could exploit it.
"Oh, and…"
She pulled back an arm and punched Negaduck square in the beak. She followed it up with another vicious uppercut and then kneed him in the groin. While he was recovering from that, she kicked him in the back and punted him to the rooftop.
"Morgana?" Darkwing said quietly. "Morg?"
"You creep!" Morgana snapped. She looked up at Darkwing. "Oh, Dark? Did you want a crack at him?"
"Not to be too picky, Morg, but you were on his side the last time I saw you…" he pointed out.
"Oh, that," she said. "We settled that an hour ago."
An hour ago…
"I don't know what I'm doing," Lena protested. Morgana hadn't gone down easily and they'd needed to subdue her in order to facilitate this. "I could make her worse."
"I'll take that chance," Morgana said, restrained again, this time to a chair, as the teenager stared at the amulet. Lena closed her eyes and concentrated. Morgana could help redirect the spell if asked to; with access to magic, she ought to be able to fix the problem herself. All she needed was for someone to nudge the spell aside for a minute so she could breathe.
Tendrils of magic escaped the amulet and slid, welcome, into Morgana's chest. Morgana redirected them and felt the ominous power over her lifting. The weight was disappearing and she felt free, unencumbered, as if she'd been trapped under a heavy weight for days now and it was just lifting. She could cry with happiness.
"Did it work?" Webby asked.
"Yes," Morgana said and grinned at them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a duck to beat senseless."
At their shocked looks, she elaborated. "Negaduck. I mean Negaduck. Not Dark. Never Dark."
"Should one of us go with her?" Webby asked.
"I'll keep an eye on her," Lena promised. "Of course, if she does attack Darkwing, there's not much I can do besides tackle her."
She shrugged.
"That won't be necessary," Morgana promised. "Now, would someone untie me?"
The present…
"Did you want me to save some for you?" Morgana repeated.
"You know, I think I'm good," Darkwing said, afraid to get in between her and Negaduck. Morgana looked positively feral, which was oddly sexy. Perhaps after she'd healed, they could go on another date. Watching her beat the tar out of Negaduck was also attractive.
Morgana shrugged. "Suit yourself."
She set to beating Negaduck with a vengeance.
"That's my girl," Darkwing said. "You are my girl, aren't you?"
"Yes," she said as she pummeled Negaduck. "I'm yours, Dark. I'm sorry."
He watched her beat Negaduck senseless and wished he'd brought popcorn. This was quite a show. Glancing around, he pulled out his phone and set it to record. He wanted to save this moment for prosperity.