This is where whisperwillyou and I seem to separate, plot-wise, in that this plot isn't from the source material that inspired me. That being said, oh boy, am I getting excited for this!

I don't know how long this story will be, I have the next two chapters vaguely planned and there will probably be a couple more after that. I think we'll shoot for 10, but I'll go as long as the story needs.

I rewatched Friendship Hates Magic and McMystery at McDuck McManor for this chapter :D

Scrooge was on deck with the others when the ship crashed.

"What did we hit?" Huey asked, picking himself back up.

"I don't know," Scrooge admitted, looking around, "Is everyone alright?"

"I'm fine," Webby said, and Huey flashed a thumbs up. Della didn't say anything, looking a little freaked out. She'd never been the biggest fan of the ocean, now she had other reasons to feel scared. She hadn't had the best dreams last night either.

"I'm going to check on the boys," Della said, disappearing downstairs towards the kids' bunk.

"Huey, Webby, come with me. I need to speak to the captain."

Huey and Webby nodded, ready to begin a serious investigation, one that was hopefully linked to their ghost hunt, which didn't sound as serious or as real as the fact that the boat had clearly run into something.

"Maybe we ran into a mystical barrier, maybe we'll have to communicate with merpeople again," Webby said excitedly, her eyes full of wonder.

"I hope we didn't hit a reef," Huey fretted, "A ship this size could cause irreversible damage to an entire coral ecosystem."

"I'm sure there's a much simpler, safer explanation," Scrooge said.

"I can't believe no one is freaking out," Huey commented, noticing a lack of crew members screaming about mystical barriers or coral reefs.

"Ah, they've probably dealt with the whole ghost thing so much that they're used to this by now," Webby said. Huey nodded, she was probably right it just made him feel a little uneasy.

"I wish mom hadn't left," Huey admitted. The ship was spooky when it was silent, save for the waves that splashed against the sides.

"Aye," Scrooge agreed, "But she needed to check on the others." It felt like they were looping through the same corridors, searching for the captain. Searching for anyone. They hadn't passed a single soul.

"Something's wrong," Huey said, looking around, "Where is everyone else? We interviewed a lot of people yesterday. They can't all be gone."

"I'm sure they're all around here somewhere," Scrooge said, putting a comforting hand on Huey's shoulder and then reaching for Webby as well. He knew his nephew was right, something was wrong. But right now he had to protect them from that. He had to convince them that everything would be okay.

Webby was getting a little suspicious as well. She wished that Lena and Violet had joined them, Lena had practical magic know-how and Violet was well-versed in everything else. If her girls were here she'd definitely feel a little bit more confident, especially since Louie and Dewey had been out of it the entire trip.

Huey and Webby began to lag behind Scrooge, who definitely noticed and was definitely listening to their conversation.

"Doesn't this freak you out? We've searched the whole ship and we haven't seen a single person."

Webby was careful with her answer, "It's definitely weird, but like Uncle Scrooge said, I'm sure they're around here somewhere."

"Do you really believe that? We're dealing with ghosts, we don't know what they're capable of."

"Well, we know some stuff! We've encountered the spirit world before. Spirits and tulpas, a whole other realm of existence."

Huey let out a shaky sigh. He didn't like all of the unknowns, it was all getting a bit overwhelming.

"I hope the others are okay," Huey said.

"I'm sure they will be," Webby said cheerfully, "We're going to solve this mystery, and then we're basically on vacation."

"That's right," Scrooge agreed, "There's nothing this family can't handle."

Huey bit his lip, thinking about his nightmares from the night before of Uncle Donald drowning in a midnight sea. There were some things that this family couldn't handle. Some things they hadn't recovered from.

Scrooge was getting very worried after they searched the entire ship and still couldn't find any crew members. He was worried that there was dark magic going on here, something far worse than spirits meddling with an unwanted birthday party.

"Kids, stay close to me," Scrooge requested, and Huey and Webby rushed to keep up with them

"I counted the number of lifeboats when we first got on, if anyone got off I'd be able to tell," Huey said.

"Good idea, lad." Scrooge hoped that there could be a logical, non-magical explanation for this but he seriously doubted it. Still, they'd try Huey's idea, then rendezvous with the others and form a game plan.

Huey's theory was immediately disproven. The lifeboats hadn't been touched.

"So, from what we can see, the crew is no longer on board," Scrooge said slowly, "and there doesn't seem to be a logical explanation, so we need to look for a supernatural explanation. This is different from what we were expecting when we took on this mystery but if we stick together, we're going to figure this out and make sure everyone makes it out okay. There's no reason to panic."

Scrooge's stirring speech almost convinced Webby and Huey. This was a setback but they'd get past it and restore the crew to reality. Super easy, barely an inconvenience.

Scrooge knocked on the door to the kids' room, "Della? Boys? Can we talk a moment?" No answer. No sound except the waves lapping against the ship.

"Della? Boys?" Scrooge asked again before heaving the door open, revealing a hauntingly empty room. There was suddenly a reason to panic.