Okay, this chapter took awhile and it is pretty long but I'm happy with how it came out. A combination of writer's block and work is the reason it took so long but it's finally done! Next chapter Della is going to join the fam but for now, enjoy this pain in the keister chapter! Also, I decided to play around with a guest appearance from John D. Rockerduck. (I'm barely familiar with him so if he's not quite right, I do apologize.)
Magica was sitting in the library, reading a new spell book Scrooge picked up for her a few days ago and enjoying her afternoon.
The boys were off with Donald getting things for working on the houseboat and Webby was at Poe's house hanging out with Lena. Scrooge was at his office in the money bin haggling another business deal, leaving just Magica and Mrs. Beakley in the mansion.
It was quiet and peaceful, nothing but the soft sound of the fire in the fireplace crackling and soon enough the sound of popcorn kernels popping would be heard as Magica had just set up her smallest cauldron, about a four-quart size miniature cauldron, over the fire and filled it with popcorn. A benefit of being married to Scrooge McDuck, gourmet popcorn. Rationally Magica knew that it wouldn't be any different from any other popcorn but still, the package had the word 'gourmet' on it and it described the butter that came with it as actual sweet cream butter and the salt as Mediterranean Sea salt; it sounded delicious.
As Magica was imagining her delectable popcorn her peaceful afternoon was disrupted by an unexpected guest.
"Magica! It's been awhile! SOOO… How's married life? Scroogie treating you well, if you know what I mean- ooh, are you wearing his dime now?" Castandra giggled, then noticed the amulet hanging from her sister's neck, startling Magica so much that she almost fell out of her chair. "You could CALL before you just pop up in my face!" She snapped at her sister. Castandra just giggled more. "Sorry." Magica rolled her eyes, then motioned to the other chair positioned by the fireplace. "Sure, you are. Go ahead and sit down." Castandra sat in the other chair.
"Well? Is that the number one you've busted your tail feathers for hanging around your neck?" Castandra asked, eyeing the amulet curiously. Magica nodded. "Yes, Scrooge had Poe help him fix it permanently to the amulet and gave it to me." Castandra giggled some more. "Well, who knew all it would take was getting him in bed to get that coin!" Magica scowled, trying to keep from slapping her upside the beak before finding out why she had shown up. "So, what do you want?" she asked, wanting to get to the point and get her sister out of her house as quickly as possible.
Castandra smiled slyly. "I just came by with a little gift for you and your hubby. Thought you two would find it interesting." Magica quirked an eyebrow and looked at her sister with a curious but uncertain expression. "Do I really want to know what kind of 'gift' you brought?"
Castandra giggled again. "With that reaction you'd think I brought something for the bedroom! I don't think you need any help there!" Magica's face reddened. "If you're just here to make those kinds of jokes then do me a favor and go take a long walk off a short pier." Castandra clicked her tongue. "Tsk, what? You're not going to give me any dirty details? You're no fun Magica." Magica's face turned even brighter red. "What happens between me and Scrooge is NONE of your business!" She snapped. Castandra just continued to laugh.
"Relax Magica dear, if you don't want to tell me how good a lover Scroogie is that's fine." Castandra grinned rather wickedly. "If you're still with him and haven't turned him into a toad or something then he must be keeping you very satisfied." Magica tried to yell at her sister but in her embarrassment the only thing that came out was a mortified squeak. Castandra then burst out laughing.
"G-Get out of my house!" Magica barked once she regained her composure. Castandra's laughing died down and she held up her hands in a surrendering gesture. "Okay, okay. Calm down sister mine, I actually have an appointment I have to get to so I'm just going to give you your gift and be on my way."
Castandra opened her purse and handed Magica a folded piece of old parchment paper, tied with a thin hemp cord. "What is this?" Magica asked.
"It's a map. I got it off of a wealthy collector. He says it shows the way to a legendary city of gold. I'm not really a 'hike in the jungle' kind of person but it sounds like just the thing for you and Scroogie, you two like getting dirty after all!" Castandra laughed at her innuendo and Magica's face, having just started to return to normal color, was going red all over again.
Before Magica could say anything else Castandra spoke again. "Well, I have an appointment for lunch with a rich fellow by the name of Rockerduck. Hopefully I'll get a good score out of this one, I would love to get the gorgeous new Louis Pouffon dress!" Magica rolled her eyes and gave her sister an evil grin. "You realize you're basically a high-class hooker, don't you?" Castandra just literally waived off the comment. "A hooker would actually put out for the money." She giggled. "Well, bye for now Magica! Tell Scroogie I said 'hi'!" And with that Castandra disappeared in her puff of sparkling magenta smoke.
Magica sat, still embarrassed and having to take a moment to calm herself and to feel just a tiny bit bad for John D. Rockerduck. Poor bastard had no idea what was about to hit him.
After her face returned to normal color and her temper stopped flaring, she carefully untied the cord and unfolded the map.
All writing on the map was in Spanish, actual Spanish spoken and written in Spain, not South American dialect. Fortunately for Magica she was fluent in many languages, including Spanish as it was so similar to her own native Italian. Reading the words on the map revealed that it was written by a Spanish explorer in the 18th century. No one famous however, poor chump was probably just known among his peers as crazy for searching for something that most believed didn't exist.
Magica took the map to her lab and studied it for the next two hours, confirming its authenticity, in age and authorship. Whether it truly led to the fabled city of gold was up for debate.
Magica was momentarily startled when she felt a pair of warm arms close around her from behind but quickly eased into Scrooge's embrace when she heard his voice in her ear. "What are you brewing in here love?" He asked as he gently ran his hands over her abdomen and settling them on her hips. She giggled softly as she turned to face him and draped her arms around his neck.
"Castandra came by earlier and brought us a gift. I think she was right, you'll be interested in it." Magica was not about to tell Scrooge that her sister had been questioning her about his prowess in the bedroom. He did not need to know that. Ever.
"Really? Well if you actually think it'll interest me then it must be intriguing." He chuckled and gave her a quick kiss. "Mmm… yes, welcome home Scroogie. You know, this is the only reason I tolerate being apart from you; these moments when you come home and make it up to me." She smiled teasingly at him. She kissed him again, lingering just a bit longer before they broke the kiss and Scrooge stepped away to look at the map on her desk.
"Bless me bagpipes!" He gasped as he read the map. "El Dorado the mythical city of gold! Your sister was right, I'm very intrigued by this!" he poured over the map and Magica just watched in amusement at her love's childish excitement; he was giddy like a kid at Christmas who had just been given the mother of all Christmas presents.
Magica herself was excited as well, partly because she couldn't help being caught up in Scrooge's excitement but mainly because if the city did still stand then there could be fascinating magics at play; a combination that sent thrills through her, mountains of gold and ancient, forgotten magic. Only Scrooge's touches and kisses could thrill her more than the prospect of learning new ancient magic and claiming an obscene amount of gold.
After another hour of discussing the map, the city, and obviously the gold, they made up their minds. When everyone finished their dinner Scrooge carefully placed the map on the table and told Donald, Webby and the boys about the plan.
"A lost city of GOLD? I'm SO down!" Louie exclaimed excitedly. "Our first big adventure with Aunt Magica; oh yeah! This is gonna be so cool!" Dewey raised both fists into the air enthusiastically. "Heck yeah! This will be great and I can try to get my second tier first aid patch if anyone gets bitten by a venomous snake!" Huey added, flipping through his junior woodchuck guide book. "This is gonna be so epic! I can't wait!" Webby squealed with delight.
Donald, who had remained silent and wore a cynical expression finally spoke. "I'm going too." Everyone was surprised by his interest and lack of argument against the idea. "Donald, are you feeling alright? Not that I don't want you coming along but…" Scrooge asked, eyeing his nephew suspiciously then noticing it, Donald's gaze was directed solely at Magica and everything made sense.
Magica rolled her eyes. "What?... You think I'm going to feed Scrooge and the kids to the poisonous snakes, don't you?" She was used to Donald's suspicious nature and it didn't faze her at all. By now, having been married to Scrooge for almost seven months, she had accepted that Donald was never going to trust or accept her so she figured she'd just deal with it. As long as he didn't step out of line, then she may have to do something, lest Scrooge say or do something he might regret.
After the incident with Rochelle giving the doctored interview to a trashy tabloid Magica learned just how protective Scrooge was of her… it didn't take a genius to see his fury was the result of a personal attack on her to try to damage him. No, he didn't want his reputation damaged, but he'd made it clear that no one would get away with going after her like that. Even if it meant having a few rumors spread about what led to the Weekly Quack being bought out, shut down, and then restarted as The Daily Dime with an entirely new staff. Literally everyone from the editor-in-chief to the janitor had been fired and replaced.
Magica had to chuckle to herself as she watched Scrooge clean house as she had suggested but still earned some quiet whispers about his temper and the fact that his actions were still nothing short of revenge for the article and total annihilation of those people's careers.
She felt proud to be held in such high regard by Scrooge now, that he would go to such lengths for her, for their marriage. The article that had ignited such fury fell completely by the wayside in favor of the whispers of what Scrooge might do to anyone who dare bad mouth his wife. Of course, she could easily do far worse to anyone who bad mouthed Scrooge but she wasn't against letting everyone in town know to keep their mouths shut for fear of the wrath of Scrooge McDuck. But the moment someone said the wrong thing about Scrooge, or the family, they would all know what true fear really was.
Just the same, she knew Donald would never do anything to truly cause problems. They had come to an unspoken understanding to stay out of each other's way and had been getting along just fine as a result. He still refused to acknowledge her as his aunt in any way and avoided having to acknowledge that she and Scrooge were married when he could, only referring to her as Magica McDuck when he had to, otherwise he still called her DeSpell.
Donald nodded. "You've tried in the past." Magica scoffed. "Really Donald, one of these days you're going to have to start trusting your new Aunt." She said, more mockingly than reassuring, which obviously didn't help her case. She was clearly trying to annoy him, grin widening a little when he shuddered at the word 'Aunt'. "You're no aunt of mine DeSpell; I'm just going to make sure you behave yourself." Magica laughed. "Of course, I'm going to behave myself Donald; the kids are going so it isn't as though I'd have any opportunity to misbehave." Her smile became briefly suggestive before she laughed at the looks on everyone's faces, even Scrooge didn't look too amused with her sense of humor at the moment.
Huey, Dewey and Louie just shared a grossed-out expression. "Gross!" Louie gagged. "Please, not right after we just ate…" Huey turned away in disgust. "That was so unnecessary!" Dewey shuddered. "Okay then…" Webby just shook her head.
No, she wasn't any less put off than the boys by Magica's remark but she didn't see any need to react so over-dramatically to it. It wasn't exactly a secret that Scrooge and Magica were, well affectionate would be an understatement, it seemed that so many years of repressed feelings for one another had left them unable to keep their hands off each other, always kissing and holding hands, holding on to each other's arm and just generally always touching each other somehow no matter who was watching, although they did have the decency to keep things PG. So, they probably would take advantage of it if they went on the trip alone.
If Webby was totally honest, these two were setting relationship goals for her; she found herself hoping that she and whomever she married when she grew up could be as fearlessly crazy about each other as Scrooge and Magica were. She was sure that the boys, when they got a little older and discovered girls, would feel the same.
Donald just glared even more intently at Magica. "Don't be so inappropriate in front of the boys." He said, trying to remain calm and not start yelling. Magica's grin never faded. "You know, you really should look at my being here as beneficial to them; a few more years and they'll start dating and it will be good for them to have a woman around to talk to about girls." Donald's expression suddenly shifted to amusement. "You're right; you're the perfect example of the kind of girl not to date!" He started laughing and Magica's grin fell a bit, then returned in full force.
"Point taken Donald. I won't deny that I'm not the kind of woman decent men should be involved with." She chuckled, flipping her hair and resting her chin on her hand.
Donald grumbled as she took his jab in stride and seemed to wear it like a badge of honor. It seemed like Magica was harder to insult since she and Scrooge had become a thing. Like she was so secure in herself and everything, having Scrooge at her side, that she just couldn't be bothered by much of anything anymore. Scrooge was much the same, something about having her at his side made him bolder and less concerned with people's opinions, if his reaction to the Weekly Quack interview indicated anything.
Donald was sure he would never really be able to accept the situation but, he was equally sure that he'd never seen his Uncle so content, so full of life, so completed. If it helped to keep everyone's minds from the pains of the past then he would tolerate Magica DeSpell being his uncle's wife. So long as she continued to make him, and even the kids, happy; Donald would tolerate her. Besides, he had to admit, only to himself, that the more time he spent around her the more he started to understand why Scrooge always enjoyed matching wits with her. She was fun to argue with, it actually reminded him of Daisy sometimes… when she wasn't being provocative, suggestive and morbid. It was those moments that made Donald question his Uncle's choices.
After dinner Scrooge and Magica lay in bed, arms wrapped around each other, talking about their plans for the trip. "I'm going to make sure I have a fleet of both cargo ships and cargo planes to haul all that gold back, I might even need another Money bin to hold it all!" Scrooge laughed in excitement at the thought. Magica chuckled, sure she could see dollar signs in his eyes. She sighed contentedly and snuggled against his chest. "Or I could just use a spell to instantly bring it back." She said, tracing little circles on his chest. "True, but if the whole city really is made entirely out of gold that might be a little much for you…" He gently stroked her hair. "I appreciate your concern darling." She purred as she snuggled on him again.
Then she looked up at him, passion flaring in her eyes. "You know, it's obviously going to be a few days before we're alone again…" Her voice trailed off as her hands trailed over him, one sliding lower and lower until he let out a low grunt at her touch. "Scrooge…" She whispered his name as she trailed kisses from his collar bone up to his lips. His hands ran over her as he reciprocated her kiss; letting her know how much he agreed with her about enjoying themselves before being gone with the nephews, Webby and Lena for several days. Even whispering some promises for when they returned.
The next day they all ate a hearty breakfast and met Poe and Lena at the airport where Launchpad was getting the plane ready for flight. Magica wanted to enjoy her first adventure with Scrooge as his wife so to get the full experience she decided not to use magic for transport. The decision was also a practical one since she didn't really know where exactly the city of gold was so having a plane and other non-magical means of transport would be a smart idea; if they got lost and were only relying on her magic to get anywhere that might be more difficult, at least with the plane if she was too tired to transport everyone back she wouldn't have to.
As soon as she saw Lena, Webby tackled her in an excited hug. "This is gonna be so cool, searching for a lost city of gold with all of my best friends!" Lena returned hug with less zeal than it was given with. "I'm excited too Webbs, especially because it'll fun to see what an adventure with Uncle Scrooge is really like." She grinned, an expression filled both with happiness and mischief, at her Aunt and new Uncle.
Scrooge smiled back at his new niece. "Aye, you'll have a blast. Just do as I say and be careful." Lena nodded. "Yes… Uncle Scrooge." Her grin became a full smile as she called him Uncle. Lena was well and truly excited for the adventure, and happy that she and Scrooge were part of the same family now.
"Alright, I'm trusting you with the safety and well being of my little girl Scroogie," Poe said as he prepared to return home. He had decided to stay behind in Duckburg, he figured having both him and Beakley to call in case of emergency would be a good idea; and he also wanted to stay in the luxury and convenience of the city and further enjoy being back to normal rather than traipsing around in a hot, muggy jungle.
"Not to worry Poe. She's perfectly safe with me." Scrooge replied confidently. He narrowed his eyes at Scrooge. "I should hope so… if anything happens to her you'd better hope Magica keeps me away from you." For once Scrooge could see it; the fire that always glowed within Magica's eyes was for once visible within Poe's as he made the not so subtle threat. Scrooge was a little intimidated but more so amused with Poe's protectiveness over his daughter. Scrooge gave Poe a reassuring smile. "I promise, nothing with happen to her. I won't let anything happen to another niece… or any of my nephews." Poe's eyes cooled and his usual warm and pleasant smile returned. "Then I trust you." He bid Lena one last goodbye and left.
"Don't worry too much about my dad Uncle Scrooge, he's just very protective since my mom isn't around anymore." Lena explained. Scrooge nodded, an expression of understanding on his face. "I understand completely." He said, looking at the boys as they all boarded the plane. "You're all he has left of your mother; not only does he want to do a father's sworn duty to protect his child but he also wants to protect the surviving part of someone he cared for very much." Lena nodded and before she could say another word Webby grabbed her hand and dragged her on to the plane.
Scrooge stood for a moment, smiling and thinking about how he knew very well how Poe felt in regards to Lena because he felt the same way about the boys and even Webby. He wanted, if nothing else, to honor Della's memory by helping Donald look after the boys and making sure that he didn't fail them the way he failed their mother.
Suddenly he felt the warmth of another hand on his own. He looked at his hand, then up at Magica, who had been standing beside him as he talked with Poe and Lena; she had taken his hand and was smiling at him. "You're such a softy Scroogie." She teased. "Look who's talking." He teased back, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.
Before long they were all packed in the plane as Launchpad flew toward the South American jungle the map indicated as the location of the lost city of gold.
The boys, Webby and Lena looked out the windows, admiring the view while Donald made sure they were all strapped in before strapping himself in.
Magica sat beside Scrooge, seat belt tightly fastened and gripping his hand tightly in her own.
"Are you nervous? I would think someone who flies on a broom frequently would have no problem with a plane." Scrooge whispered, rubbing her knuckles with his thumb and chuckling softly. "It's not the flying or the plane... It's the pilot that makes me uneasy." She responded dryly. He just chuckled again, raising her hand to gently kiss the knuckles then returning to rubbing them with his thumb. "Everything will be fine; Launchpad is a fine pilot and I trust him implicitly." She just nodded and tried to relax.
Donald held back his snickering as He watched the couple; he found it funny that Magica would be so uncomfortable on the plane, like the witch had a fear of flying which would be a comical contradiction. Of course, he knew exactly why she was nervous, Launchpad had no record of clean landings and Donald often wondered how he'd even gotten a pilot's license.
"Alright, that looks like a good spot to land. Just try to land it gently Launchpad." Scrooge said after several hours, spotting a good-sized clearing by a river. "Sure thing Mr. McDee!" Launchpad said enthusiastically as he started landing procedure.
"You're gonna want to buckle up and hang on to one of these." Webby handed Lena a parachute. Lena looked at the parachute then back up at Webby, an expression of moderate alarm on her face. "Why would I need this…? He knows what he's doing right…?" Webby shrugged in her seatbelt. "Sure, he does, he just usually doesn't do it very gracefully." Lena strapped herself in tightly and held to the parachute with a firm grip; doing her best to not look as scared as she felt.
"All right, let's make sure we're buckled in securely, this will be bumpy." Huey said, encouraging his brothers to make sure their seatbelts were fastened. "Check and double check!" Dewey said, clicking his seatbelt into place. "You don't have to worry about me; NOTHING is getting me out of this seat until we're on the ground." Louie said as he double and triple buckled himself in.
Magica watched the kids prepare for landing and immediately became more ill at ease. She made sure her seatbelt was properly fastened and held Scrooge's hand even tighter, her other hand gripping the armrest so firmly she felt she might break it. Scrooge looked at her and gave a reassuring squeeze to her hand. "Relax, Launchpad has done this literally hundreds of times. We'll be fine." Then Launchpad hit the trees and suddenly they were jerking back and forth, tilting so they were almost completely sideways. Magica quit caring when they hit the first tree, both hands clung tightly to Scrooge's arm and she was screaming. Lena also began screaming at that point, clinging to the parachute for dear life.
The plane tilted, rocked and jerked as it hit trees and ultimately nosedived into the ground before coming to a complete and sudden stop.
They all climbed out of the plane and Lena instantly tumbled to her knees. "Sweet, sweet ground! I'm never getting in a plane again!" she said, relief to be on solid ground and alive flooding though her. "Scrooge, Darling… I'm going to kill your pilot!" Magica growled, still shaking slightly and clinging to Scrooge's arm. Scrooge just snickered a bit. "We're still in one piece, right? Besides this is par for the cause with Launchpad." Magica just glared at him, slowly releasing his arm.
"Well I'd say that's one of my best landings." Launchpad said proudly, looking at the plane, sitting in the middle of the clearing with a few branches still hanging off of it and its nose half buried. Magica directed her glare at him briefly when he spoke then returned it Scrooge. "I am NOT getting back in that plane for the return trip. In fact, I don't think any of us should with him flying it, he's gonna get us all killed!"
Scrooge couldn't help a small chuckle. "I'll fly the plane back if that makes you feel better." Magica cocked an eyebrow at him. "Do you know how to fly a plane?" she asked skeptically. He shrugged. "If Launchpad can do it how hard can it be?" Magica just gaped at him for a moment, dumbstruck by his response. "Oh, hell no." she finally got out. He proceeded to bust a gut at her reaction. "I'm just kidding! Of course, I know how to fly a plane!" Her expression quickly grew angry and she smacked him in the shoulder. "That's not funny Scrooge!" she snapped. "Sorry, couldn't resist a good joke." He said, rubbing his shoulder, teasing grin still plastered on his face.
Scrooge, Magica, Donald and the kids gathered their supplies and left Launchpad to repair the plane while they began their trek through the jungle.
It was a long and perilous trek indeed; following the map, Scrooge's keen instincts as a life-long adventurer and treasure hunter and Magica's magical insights they found every clue and more.
Eventually it started to get dark and they began to set up a camp for the night.
"The Jungle can be even more dangerous at night, we'll set up our camp here and get some rest, then start again bright and early in the morning." Scrooge said, tapping his cane against the rocky ground of the small cliff on which they stood.
The small cliff overlooked a riverbank, only five or six feet above the water and gave a decent vantage point for not only keeping their bearings but keeping a lookout for Jungle predators. The kids all nodded and Scrooge then gave everyone their instructions.
"Magica, take Dewey and Louie to find some food for dinner; Donald Webby and Lena, gather some wood for a fire but stay close and Huey, help me pitch the tents." Everyone nodded and split up to handle their tasks.
Magica took Dewey and Louie to search for food as per instructions since the food supply they had brought had dwindled faster than expected, specifically since Donald had been carrying it and lost some of it when he fell into the river. They found some fruits and berries and Dewey immediately reached for some juicy looking berries.
"These look tasty!" He said, licking his lips. "Stop! Don't touch those." Magica commanded, so harshly it scared Dewey. "W-why not?" "Because, those berries are poisonous. If you eat them, you'll regret it." She said, taking a softer tone to reassure Dewey he wasn't in any trouble. "Oh, thanks for the heads-up Aunt Magica." Dewey smiled at her.
"Aaaand that's why Uncle Scrooge sent you with us Aunt Magica. It's not surprising you would know what's poisonous and what's not." Louie said proudly; he was clearly enjoying working with his new Aunt. Magica felt the same warm, fuzzy feeling from when she had spoken to Dewey about his mom as she listened to the boys call her Aunt and continue collecting the fruits and berries she said were safe.
She could now say she understood why Scrooge always had the kids with him and enjoyed his family's company so much. There was an infectious kind of joy that just practically oozed out of these kids and it was hard not to find herself smiling a little when she was around them these days. She also felt almost honored in a way, that they had so quickly and easily welcomed her into their family despite the past. Donald was still another story but he did seem to be lightening up a little recently as he hadn't been as much of a pain in Magica's tail feathers lately so she kind of hoped that they were finally coming to a truce.
Donald did his best to keep his cool, not being able to keep an eye on Magica whilst she was alone with two of his nephews, focusing on helping the girls find firewood. He told them what would work best and carried most of it. The three of them found plenty of firewood but on the way back Lena tripped over a tree root that was sticking up from the ground. She cried out as she hit the hard ground and rolled a little down the path where it sloped downward slightly.
"Lena! Are you okay?" Webby dropped the firewood she was carrying and rushed to her friend's side. Lena tried to get up but almost fell back down when she tried to put weight on her left leg. She was bleeding, from a cut on her leg and some scrapes on her arms. "I-I'm okay Webbs." She managed with a weak smile, leaning against a tree for support.
"No, you're not. Here, sit down." Donald set the firewood he was carrying down and helped Lena to sit down. "Give me your pack Webby." He instructed and Webby took her backpack off and handed to Donald who laid it on the ground and lined it up with his. He pulled out some rope and tied the backpacks together and then tied some of the firewood to them. "Can you pull this?" He asked Webby "I think so." "Well then pull this while I carry Lena; Uncle Scrooge has the first aid kit." He looked at Lena. "We'll get you patched up back at camp okay?" Lena nodded as Donald knelt down and gently picked her up. "Hold on tight okay?" He said and she did as she was told.
It took a little longer to get back to camp because they moved slowly so Webby could pull the firewood easier and because Lena was a little heavier than Webby or the boys so Donald was trying to be extra careful with her.
When the three returned to camp Magica, Dewey, and Louie had already returned with the fruits and berries and Scrooge and Huey had begun fishing in the river.
"Lena! What happened?" Magica instantly was next to Donald, looking at her bloodied niece in alarm. "She fell and cut her leg. Would you get me the first aid kit from Uncle Scrooge's pack?" Magica nodded and got the first aid kit, then helped Donald treat Lena's wounds. Fortunately, the cut wasn't deep so it only needed a bandage.
"Thanks." Lena thanked Donald and Magica for taking care of her wounds, then Magica and Donald exchanged glares. "Thank you, for looking after her." Magica said cautiously. "Well I wasn't just gonna leave her there like that." He huffed. Magica just nodded and smiled at Donald, who just shivered at the expression while Lena chuckled. "That's creepy." He muttered while Magica chuckled.
After a dinner of the fish Scrooge and Huey caught with sides of the fruits and berries Magica, Dewey and Louie and gathered and they sat around the campfire listening intently to the ghost stories Magica and Lena told.
They spoke lowly and leaned in close, taking turns with their narratives and effectively scaring everyone silly with tales of jungle spirits and haunted houses. "And they say the old woman's ghost still roams the halls of her former home; searching for her lost locket." Lena said, then Magica continued. "Whoo has my locket? Whooo has my looocket?" she chanted in a ghostly tone. "YOU have my locket!" She suddenly shouted and reached out for Donald who fell over backwards screaming. Magica and Lena laughed while Donald recovered himself and started grumbling. The others laughed a bit and then Scrooge stood up. "All right, that's enough of that. Let's get some rest so we can press on in the morning."
The next day they ate the rest of their fish, fruit and berries and continued their trek through the jungle still following the clues on the map until they finally reached a dead end at the base of tall cliff.
The cliff face was nothing less than a sheer drop and at least 100 feet high. There were several cravings and drawings on the cliff face almost all the way up. They all were similar to Aztec and Mayan art yet distinctive from both cultures and the last drawing on the map was one of the drawings on the cliff face; A rendering of a city with three large temples.
"So, the map led to a city alright…" Scrooge grumbled, beginning to think that the whole thing was a wild goose chase and a waste of money. "Well, this is disappointing." Magica deadpanned. "Castandra is so dead when I see her again."
The kids were disappointed but refused to give up just yet.
"Come on guys, maybe there's a clue in these carvings and drawings! We should at least examine them carefully before throwing in the towel!" Webby encouraged. "She's right, even the JWG says that old petroglyphs and hieroglyphs often have special meanings and can be like secret codes." Huey agreed. "Yeah, what they said. Come on Uncle Scrooge, Aunt Magica, you two don't even know the meaning of the words 'give up'! Think about all that gold!" Louie pleaded.
Scrooge and Magica just looked at Louie. "To cease making an effort; resigning oneself to failure…" Scrooge started. "Admit defeat, concede defeat, stop trying, call it a day." Magica finished. Scrooge sighed. "Look, it's not about giving up, it's that I'm pretty certain we've been had. There's nothing here. These carvings and drawings do tell of a civilization that differs from the Mayan and Aztec civilizations but there's nothing else." Magica nodded. "There's no directions, no indication that there's anything left. I mean look at this broken pot shard; it's ancient and- Oh my word!"
As she picked up a broken piece of pottery from the base of the cliff the dirt and debris on it fell loose and it faintly shone and sparkled in the sun. Magica wiped it off further to reveal that it had golden inlay in the remnants of the design.
"Well at least we won't go home empty handed." Scrooge said, taking the pottery piece from Magica. "I will be giving Castandra a good talking to when I see here again for giving us this dud of a map." Magica sighed.
"Hey come on, isn't there some sentimental mushy lesson to be learned here about the real treasure being the journey, time spent with family, blah, blah, blah?" Lena said, looking at Donald and the boys for confirmation. Donald nodded. "She's right! This whole trip is the treasure because we spent time together as a… family." He finished hesitantly, glaring at Magica.
"Yeah, that's cool and all, but I really wanted to see a city made out of gold!" Louie complained, kicking a rock at the cliff face. Suddenly the ground began to shake as part of the cliff face moved, revealing an entrance.
"Told you there was something here!" Webby said as she, Lena and the boys started to dash into the opening.
"Not so fast kids, it could be dangerous." Scrooge said, grabbing Huey and Webby. "Uncle Scrooge is right, let us go first." Donald added, grabbing Louie and Dewey. "I would have to agree. Better to be cautious then to get into too much trouble." Magica agreed as she grabbed hold of Lena.
Then they heard voices in the distance and all three dragged the kids into cover behind some nearby foliage to hide and see who, or what, was approaching.
They watched from their hiding place as a group of five natives appeared from the opening in the cliff. They spoke to each other in language Scrooge and the others didn't quite recognize before they threw spears into all nearby foliage, including everyone's hiding place!
"Yow!" Scrooge yelped as a spear landed near him and fell over on his foot.
When he cried out, he leapt out of hiding and immediately found himself at the business end of the native's spears.
Magica, Donald and the kids ran out to Scrooge's aid and they all stood in a huddle as the natives surrounded them, still pointing spears at them and talking amongst themselves.
Then, out of nowhere, one native began to point furiously to one of the carvings above the opening they came from and all the others looked at the carving he was pointing at then back at Scrooge and Magica, eyeing them carefully for a moment before fear overtook their faces and they suddenly dropped to their knees.
"What's going on?" Scrooge whispered to Magica, suspecting she'd used her magic to do something to the natives. "I really have no idea- look!" She whispered back, eyes darting up to the carving that had caused the reaction.
In the cliff there was a carving depicting two figures that appeared to be deities, one male and the other female and the depiction bore an uncanny resemblance to Scrooge and Magica!
Magica stifled a chuckle. "These simpletons think we're their gods!" she whispered to Scrooge who just stood dumbfounded. "What…?" Magica whispered a quick chant and everyone felt a tingling sensation in their ears and throats for a second.
Suddenly Scrooge could understand the natives as they begged for forgiveness.
"Forgive us for attacking you, great gods of our people!" "We were foolish and acted in haste, bestow upon us the highest of punishments for our insolence great gods!" "We thank you for blessing us with your presence even though we are so unworthy!"
They said as they bowed and practically buried their faces in the ground.
"It's Uh, quite alright, Um-" Scrooge started but Magica cut him off. "It's good you know your place mortals. You are forgiven for this offense… this time. You may stand before your gods." She commanded, easily slipping into the role she'd been given.
Donald rolled his eyes. "Oh, great. This is gonna be a disaster." He muttered under his breath.
The natives trembled a bit as they stood. "Now, we would like to see your city so that we may see with our own eyes if you have honored your gods." She ordered. The natives nodded. "Of course! We will gladly take you to the heart of our city and show you the splendid temples we have built in your honor!" One native said. "If I may be so bold oh mighty gods; who are these others with you?" another asked. Scrooge answered, following Magica's lead. "They are our servants; guardian spirits given physical form to accompany us to your city." Donald scowled but played along with the kids as the natives nodded in understanding and led the way through the cave within the cliff.
Once on the other side they all had to shield their eyes momentarily as the sun reflected off of the golden structures.
They all stared in awe until the natives addressed them. "Are you pleased with the first view great ones?" Scrooge and Magica nodded, both trying not to gawk at the sight before them; more gold in one place than either of them had ever seen in their entire lifetimes!
Every building, every wall, every pillar and every brick were made of solid gold. The natives that were near and those who began to gather fell to their knees and Scrooge and Magica could see that they all wore golden jewelry from necklaces to earrings and bracelets, pins and anklets, every accessory they wore had some amount of gold in it.
"I think we've hit the motherload of jackpots guys!" Louie whispered to his brothers, Lena and Webby. "So much gold… It's amazing!" Webby breathed. "Right? The mythical city of El Dorado is real and it's incredible!" Huey agreed. "Holy cow… okay, if this is normal for this family then I am definitely glad my Aunt married your Uncle." Lena said, amazed at the sight before them.
The natives led them to the city square where the chief approached and bowed. "We are honored the gods would choose to grace us with their presence." He said humbly. "Great god of the sun and goddess of the moon, givers of our bountiful city, we welcome you and servants."
Scrooge and Magica nodded. "You don't have to do that, stand so we may look you in the eye when you speak to us." Scrooge said. The chief stood and looked them in the eye. "Are you pleased with what you've seen thus far?" He asked. "Quite; We are however, very tired from the journey we took to get here, it was a great undertaking to achieve earthly forms for ourselves and our servants so that we could descend from the heavens. Please, show us where we may rest." Magica said, with all the dignity and authority of a queen, or, a goddess. She was clearly enjoying being called such. The chief nodded and commanded to others to guide the gods to the central temple where they could rest and dwell while on earth.
After climbing the very long staircase of the temple and being left alone inside the main chamber at the top Donald and Louie collapsed, wheezing and panting heavily from exhaustion. "Too… many… stairs…. Why do there have to be so many stairs!" Louie wheezed. "My legs are gonna fall off…" Donald said through his panting.
"Guys, look at this…" Lena said in awe, standing at the window opposite the stairs. Scrooge, Magica, Webby, Huey and Dewey looked out the window. It had an absolutely breathtaking view of the city and surrounding jungle. "It's amazing!" Webby and Dewey squealed. "Incredible! Just look at those birds flying over the city!" Huey exclaimed, pulling out his Junior Woodchuck Guide book to note the exotic species on his bird-watching checklist.
"Absolutely spectacular…" Scrooge sighed, a little more focused on the gold than anything else. "It's beautiful…" Magica was also a bit more focused on the gold than the rest of scenery. Then Scrooge took her hand in his. "And we all get to see it together." He said, looking at everyone before his eyes locked with Magica's "Yes," She nodded as she returned his gaze.
"Oh, please don't get all romantic right now." Huey cringed. "I mean, if you're going to that's fine and all but not in front of us okay?" Louie added. "Yeah, maybe you two should go get a room; back in Duckburg." Lena snickered.
Scrooge and Magica turned their attention back to the kids. "Oh, come on now." Scrooge groaned. Magica just grinned slyly. "So, what if we want to have a moment? We're married, it's allowed… Isn't that right Scroogie?" She took a baby talk tone at the end when she said Scrooge's name and proceeded to give him a peck on the cheek. He just laughed with her when everyone else cringed. "Not funny, not funny at all." Lena deadpanned. "I thought the looks on all your faces were quite funny." Magica snickered. "I think I'm gonna be sick." Donald muttered, gagging slightly. Magica just rolled her eyes.
"All right, enough joking around now." Scrooge said, now looking at Magica seriously. "Why are we going along with the notion that we're gods?" He asked. Magica sighed in annoyance. "I would think you of all people would understand why Scroogie. It's better to go along with it lest we anger them… I, for one, would rather not be plucked, stuffed, and roasted." She pointed to some of the murals on the walls depicting brutal sacrifices. Scrooge nodded. "That's a really good point." He said, swallowing hard and putting a hand to his throat as he looked at the murals.
"Of course, you're going to need a quick bit of help to effectively play the part." She said, giving him an amused grin. "What do you mean, why are you looking at me like that?" He asked uncertainly. "If we need to demonstrate our powers to these simpletons, I can do that just fine with a little magic but you… you'll need a little help in that department." She explained. "Okay… what are you going to do?" He asked. "I'll lend you a bit of my magic so you can play your part, sun god Scrooge."
Magica giggled then chanted a spell that caused her body to glow for a moment, then some of the glowing aura left her and settled on Scrooge; he could feel a sensation like static electricity for a few seconds and then the glow faded. "What just happened?" He asked. "I gave you some of my power, it's just temporary so don't worry. Now, on to a quick magical cram session!" She said, then started giving Scrooge a quick run-down of some basic spells that she felt would be enough to make the natives think he had god-like powers if need be.
The people of El Dorado had given them clothing 'fitting of the gods and their servants' and the chief spoke of a great feast in their honor so after enjoying the view and looking around the room they decided to get changed. There was only one area with thick curtains suitable for changing so they all took turns getting changed.
The kids went first; Huey. Dewey and Louie excitedly changing into their waist robes then Webby and Lena took their turns changing into the dresses they were given then Donald put on his waist robe.
Then it was Scrooge's turn to change; he and Magica waited till the others had changed because their outfits were much more elaborate since they were supposed to be gods.
Scrooge came out wearing his waist robe with a sash trimmed with gold and an ornate collar that had gold inlay rings around it, like the grooves of a record. He also sported an equally ornate headless made of several types of feathers with a golden sun ornament in the center in place of his top hat.
"This outfit is a bit drafty…" he said, looking himself over in the mirror. Magica just rolled her eyes and smirked. "Says the Scotsman who has worn a kilt on occasion." He glanced at her through the mirror. "I was referring to the lack of a shirt. Kilts are normally worn with a shirt you know." He couldn't help grinning at her in amusement at the exchange. "I don't know… I think it's a good look for you Scroogie…" she brushed her arm against his as she moved behind the curtain to change, giving him a playful grin before closing the curtain.
"Ugh…" Donald gagged in the corner as he watched the two. The kids just ignored them as they exchanged ideas about the feast.
After several minutes Magica emerged in her outfit. It was two pieces; a golden trimmed skirt with a sash, also trimmed with gold, and a halter-style top adorned with a collar similar to Scrooge's but smaller. She was also given elaborate golden earrings and a headdress similar to Scrooge's although slightly smaller and adorned with a moon ornament in the center. She also wore golden bracelets on each wrist and matching golden anklets on each ankle.
"So? What do you think? I mean silver is usually more appropriate for moon-theming but-" Magica cut herself off when she looked up from adjusting her skirt to see Scrooge's expression. He was clearly trying not stare and keep his reaction at the sight of her to a minimum given that they weren't alone.
Sometimes Magica still felt a rush and tingle up her spine when Scrooge looked at her that way, like she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.
She would have never dared to admit that she often wished he would look at her like that when she used her love spells and potions on him, instead of sporting the same kind of stupid lovestruck grin Rosolio always had. Of course, all that was in the past and once again Magica almost felt the need to pinch herself because sometimes the present still seemed too good to really be true.
In all honesty, something else she would never admit in front of everyone, Magica slipped easily into the role of goddess, yes partly because her own ego definitely appreciated the title, but mostly because being at Scrooge's side and having him at hers, really made her feel like a goddess.
"All right Scroogie, you can pick your jaw up now." She smirked after a moment. Scrooge cleared his throat and composed himself. "O-okay. I guess now we see about this feast." He said, directing his gaze away from his alluring, moon goddess wife and to the window and seeing the last rays of sun light fading out into the tree line of the Jungle. "The chief said the feast would be held at dusk so it's about time now."
As if on cue, one of the chief's servants entered the room. "Begging your pardon great ones; the chief has asked that I inform you that we are ready to begin the feast now." He said, bowing politely. He halted briefly as he started to straighten up again, his eyes fixed on Magica; clearly awestruck by the 'Moon Goddess' and her beauty. Magica was busy trying to get her headdress to sit comfortably and didn't notice. Scrooge on the other hand…
A soft grunt that almost sounded like a growl caught the attention of the servant and Magica. They both looked at Scrooge, her confused and him fervently apologizing.
"Forgive me for staring! I know I'm not worthy, I just couldn't help being transfixed by your beauty goddess!" He bowed, going to his knees and repeated his apologies. Magica now smirked playfully at Scrooge while the servant had his face to the ground. Scrooge just kept scowling at the servant. "Remember your place mortal and leave my sight while I still feel merciful." He said, now completely in-character like Magica.
The servant scrambled to his feet and fled the room; thanking Scrooge for his mercy while Magica called after him. "Let the chief know we be down shortly!"
After a few minutes of teasing Scrooge and adjusting their outfits they left the temple and entered the city square.
The square had festively decorated with flowers and various torches and lanterns. To one side there were tables set almost to over flowing with all sorts of food and drink, some of which none of them had ever seen before but still looked mouth-watering. On the other side there was a small linen canopy and under it was a comfortable looking set of floor chairs surrounded by cushions and servants.
"Ah! Welcome, welcome great ones! Do you approve?" The chief greeted them happily and hopefully. They all nodded.
"This all looks amazing. Well done." Scrooge said. "Yes, well done. You had pleased us greatly." Magica added. The chief smiled wide. "Good, good! Now come, sit, enjoy the great feast we have prepared for you." He directed Scrooge and Magica to the chairs under the canopy.
They took their seats and the servants quickly offered them their choice of any of the foods and drinks from the tables. They made their selections and the servants got what they wanted from the tables and served it to them.
Donald and the kids watched silently for a moment before Huey finally spoke up. "What about us Un-uh great ones?" he asked. Magica looked at the chief while Scrooge was enjoying his food. "Our servants should have whatever they want, let them go eat and drink as they please." She said, before taking a sip of her wine. The chief nodded. "Of course! Servants of the gods, guardian spirits, please partake of whatever you like!" He said, and with that they all charged the table and ate to their heart's content.
"I could get used to this…" Scrooge whispered to Magica while a servant girl rubbed his feet and another was refilling his golden cup. Magica rolled her eyes. "Don't get too comfortable Scrooge." She whispered back, shooting a quick glare at the servant girl rubbing his feet. Scrooge just sighed contentedly and sipped his wine as he settled comfortably in his seat. Magica sighed irritably and then snapped her fingers at another servant. "Some of that lovely fruit juice if you please." She ordered. The servant nodded. "Of course, Goddess!" and quickly fetched Magica her juice.
"Begging your pardon great ones…" Magica and Scrooge looked over at the owner of the meek voice that had spoken. The man wore a ceremonial looking headdress, not nearly as ornate as theirs, and his waist robe was more ornate looking than that of the chief. "I am the high priest of El Dorado and I just wanted to ask… if you truly are our gods." With the last statement the meekness vanished, instead his tone was cold and skeptical. He continued. "Because I don't really think you are. Yes, you look like our gods but I've seen no proof that you truly are."
"Of course, we're your gods you fool!" Magica spat, keeping in character for fear of what might happen if the high priest were to realize he was right. "Yes, and if it's proof you need then just ask us for whatever proof you want." Scrooge added. Magica shot him a quick glare while the high priest's attention was focused on him. Scrooge seemed to getting a little too comfortable in his role here.
"Fine, all I ask is a demonstration of your powers; the Moon Goddess also rules the afterlife, show me you are in fact the goddess of the moon and the afterlife by demonstrating your power over the dead." He said, giving Magica hard look. Then he turned to Scrooge. "Likewise, The Sun God also rules over the realm of the living so then you should be able to demonstrate your life-giving powers." He gave Scrooge the same hard look.
"Very well then." Magica stood, thinking quickly and deciding to take a gamble. "Spirits rise for me and show these the mortals the power of their moon goddess!" She chanted, then proceeded to chant, in Latin, her true spell and the shadows of the citizens began to rise and do her bidding. Sure enough, manipulating their shadows was enough to convince them that Magica was actually raising the spirits of the dead and silenced the high priest, at least where she was concerned.
For Scrooge however… he still had to demonstrate and Magica was worried. What the high priest asked of him was something that nothing she taught him could effectively be used to fake. How on earth was Scrooge supposed do something to prove he had power over life?
The high priest led them to a dead, withered tree. "This tree once produced the sweetest fruit but none have been able to keep it alive. If you truly are our Sun God then reviving it should be easy." He said, glaring at Scrooge. "Of course, this should be mere child's play by my standards." Scrooge said confidently. Magica inwardly groaned and wished she could facepalm. Scrooge was going to blow their cover.
Scrooge wished he could confer with Magica but with all eyes and ears on them it was impossible to do so without raising suspicion so he just had to wing it. Magica had shared her power with him so surely, he would be able to do something with the withered tree right? He just had to think, and think fast.
Scrooge approached the tree and looked it over for a second, desperately trying to think if any of the spells Magica taught him could help but it didn't seem that any of them would be of any use.
He took a deep breath and placed both hands on the tree, leaning against it, trying to look like he was doing something when in reality he was still trying to figure out what to do. Then suddenly it came to him, like a voice in his mind speaking to him, suddenly he knew exactly what to do.
Scrooge rubbed the tree and spoke to it quietly, like he was chanting a spell. "You're not dead yet, wake up and produce your fruit once more." He was so quiet he almost couldn't be heard at all. "What is he doing? He's going to get us all killed…" Magica thought to herself, trying to remain in character despite her fears.
Donald wished he could ask Magica what was going on, as far as he knew his Uncle had no idea what he was doing and was likely going to blow their cover completely out of the stratosphere. If only he knew his thoughts mirrored hers.
The kids all watched Scrooge and glanced at Lena who just gave them a quick "I dunno" look with a shrug. She honestly had no idea what Scrooge was up to but she did know that it wasn't anything Magica mentioned in their magical cram session earlier.
Scrooge started to panic a little, nothing was happening and if he couldn't fix the tree then they were all in deep trouble.
Then, he felt a tingling sensation in his hands, not the static electricity like when Magica shared her power but like a soft, subtle vibration coming from the tree…? No, it was actually coming from his hands and resonating in the tree. Then the tree began to glow with that pale turquoise light from Magica and the amulet.
Everyone watched in awe as the tree began to glow pale turquoise and then the dried and flaking bark returned to strong and healthy, the drooping branches reached to the sky and grew new, bright green leaves and finally, plump, delicious-looking fruit grew from the branches in abundance.
The natives' eyes were wide with both amazement and hunger at the sight of the juicy fruit dangling from the tree.
Magica almost had to physically hold her mouth closed as she watched Scrooge bring the dead tree back to life. There was no way he should have been able to do that; even with the power she shared with him there was just no way he could have been able to do that, not even if she had been able to teach him a spell for it he simply shouldn't have had the power to do it.
She felt under her top and the amulet was still there so she knew he hadn't used it but regardless… a non-magic user, heck practically a magic hater, should not have the power it would take to revive a tree that was clearly beyond resuscitation like this one had been. Something else was going here but now was certainly not the time to bring it up or investigate anything. Magica decided it would be best to keep her beak buttoned for the time being.
The high priest fell to his knees when the glow faded, leaving behind the healthy, green and full branches. "Forgive my insolence! You are our gods and I never should have doubted you!" He pleaded.
Scrooge stood, staring at the tree with a profound sense of awe and confusion; he had no idea just how or what exactly he'd done but it had felt as though he'd had a connection with that tree and it responded to him. After he put his own thoughts aside, he turned around to face the high priest.
"Forgive me! I humbly offer my own life as penance for my insolence!" He continued to plead. "That is not necessary… it's understandable that you might have your doubts, we gods don't appear in mortal form except on rare occasions such as this…" Scrooge started. The high priest looked up shamefully. "But I have insulted you horribly oh great god of the sun and you," He looked at Magica. "great goddess of the moon; I should be thoroughly punished for such actions! I had no right to challenge you." He said, voice trembling and full of shame.
"Just stop it. You've been granted our mercy and pardoned for your discretion… this time. Now shut up before I change my mind." Magica scoffed. The high priest quickly got to his feet. "Thank you for your mercy! Thank you!" He stuttered as he took off in shame.
"Well, if all doubts are alleviated shall we return to the feast?" Scrooge asked, looking at the chief and the natives. The chief, with a huge smile on his face, nodded. "Of course! But first," he turned to some of the others beside him. "Go fetch some of the golden passion fruit and we will add it to the feast!" They nodded and collected armloads of the fruit that now hung from the reinvigorated tree and everyone enjoyed sweet fruit and its juice during the remainder of the feast.
Over the following days Scrooge and Magica played their parts while they tried to figure out how to leave without any trouble. Of course, they also enjoyed all the tributes the citizens of El Dorado gave them, a small mountain of gold had accumulated in their temple as Scrooge had begun encouraging more tributes while Magica tried to figure out a plan of escape.
One day, while Donald took the kids to walk and explore the city Scrooge and Magica discussed their predicament.
"We're practically captives here until we can figure out a good way to get out of here, with all this lovely tribute, and in one piece." Magica sighed, looking at some of the golden jewelry that was part of her tribute.
"Well, I've been in worse captivity situations than this." Scrooge said, lounging on a pile of cushions and enjoying a golden cup of golden passionfruit juice while making estimates of the value of various golden items given to them as tribute. "I'm not going to take all of the gold but this pile of golden tribute will make a nice addition to our money bin."
Magica inwardly beamed at the words "our money bin" but remained focused on the situation at hand. "You don't seem to concerned Scrooge…" "Well we've got them plenty convinced right? I think we're safe for however long it takes to get out of here. Besides, you seemed to be having fun being worshipped and treated like a goddess." He grinned at her. She rolled her eyes. "I'm just playing the part for the sake of all our tail feathers."
"Come on darling, you have to admit… being deities and being worshipped is pretty nice… I could get used to this." He sipped his juice and ate some of the food he also had on a small table beside his cushion pile. Magica sighed in frustration. "Scroogie… Darling… WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY GODS!" She snapped, rubbing her temples. "I love you, but sometimes you can be so aggravating. I do appreciate being waited on hand and foot and all this golden treasure, but if they figure out that we've been fooling them, WE will be the next feast! Please try to keep that in mind."
Scrooge put aside his drink and his food and gave Magica his full attention. "You're right. I have been getting a wee bit carried away, haven't I? I'm sorry." He left his spot on the cushion pile and sat beside her at the table she had been using as a desk and took her hand, gently stroking her knuckles with his thumb and looking into her eyes. She locked her eyes with his and they shared a quick kiss.
"Foolish old miser." She said with a small chuckle when they parted. "I can't even stay angry with you no matter how hard I try." He grinned. "So, do you have any suggestions on how we can make a large enough foof bomb to mask a quick teleportation to the other side of the entrance to the city?" He asked. Magica just looked at him in stunned disbelief for a moment. "Just how long have you had that plan in mind?" "Since yesterday. I just wanted to think it over some more before I brought it up." She sighed. "Well, let's see what we can do for a large foof bomb." He kissed her cheek. "Once we're safely out of the city I'll radio Launchpad to come get us. He said the plane is ready whenever we are."
As they tried to figure out if they had the ingredients for giant foof bomb and discussed the finer details of the plan to make it appear that they're ascending to the heavens they were startled by a voice behind them.
"Ah, I finally found you! And it looks like there really is a city of gold in this disgusting jungle." Magica groaned as she turned to face her sister. "Castandra, why are you here?" Castandra looked past her at Scrooge. "Hi Scroogie! Long time, no see!" Scrooge just rolled his eyes. "Hello, Castandra…" he muttered. "Answer my question you floosy! Why are you here?" Magica demanded again. Castandra sighed and her expression turned sheepish. "I used my magic to track you down so I could give you a heads up." "A heads up about what exactly?" Scrooge asked suspiciously, arms crossed and a look matching his tone directed at her. "Well… I had a date with this Rockerduck fellow and I may have mentioned the map I gave you and well… He might be on his way through the jungle with a small army of machines and diggers to take the gold." She admitted reluctantly, flinching as Scrooge and Magica's expressions became angry.
"Castandra… come here and let me give you a hug!" Magica growled, moving toward her sister, holding out her hands in gesture clearly indicative of a desire to something decidedly more violent than hug her. "N-Now Magica, there's no need for violence!" Castandra backed away from Magica. "You told ROCKERDUCK?" Scrooge snapped. "Well I, Uh… He just um… I'm sorry?" She continued backing away. "Look, I came to tell you, didn't I? I owned up to it and now I'm done here!" with that Castandra cast her spell and vanished in a cloud of sparkling magenta smoke just before Magica could grab her.
"One of these days I'm going to kill her." Magica sighed exasperatedly. "Aunt Magica! Uncle Scrooge!" Suddenly the kids came running into the temple with Donald behind.
"What is it?" Scrooge asked. "Don't tell me you've gone and blown our cover." Magica groaned, her glare directed at Donald who just returned with a scowl. "No. There's smoke getting closer to the city and we can hear the sounds of machinery." "My stupid sister told John Rockerduck about the map and led him out here." Magica explained. "Oh great." Donald groaned.
"Uh, Who's John Rockerduck?" Lena asked. "John D. Rockerduck is the third richest duck in the world and he's an arrogant, stuck up little rookie." Scrooge grumbled. "So, what are we gonna do Scroogie?" Magica asked. "Well, knowing Rockerduck he's going to want to take all the gold in the city for himself." He started. "You mean like you?" Louie asked. "No, not like me; now that I know the people of El Dorado are still thriving here, I can't take their city away from them. Rockerduck doesn't care about such things. He'll decimate the city!"
"He would." Magica nodded. "Though it is a shame we can't take all of the gold ourselves and leave Rockerduck a big fat load of nothing." Scrooge snapped his fingers. "That's it!" "What's 'it'? Didn't you just say you didn't want to take the gold anymore?" Magica asked in confusion. "I don't, but if we can make him think there's nothing here?" Magica grinned with understanding. "Of course, let him find absolutely nothing and he'll feel like a failure… he might even take it out on Castandra. Royal pain in the tail feathers." "You would be okay with him raking your sister over the coals?" Scrooge asked. Magica shrugged. "She's a witch, she'll be fine. Stupid gold digger can take care of herself."
They quickly revised Scrooge's initial plan then went to speak to the chief.
"Oh, great gods, the watchmen say there's a strange army approaching the city, what shall we do?" the chief said worriedly, wringing his hands nervously. "Do not fear, we are aware to the situation and we have a plan, but it will cost a great amount of energy to chase away this army, we will exhaust these physical forms and must return to the heavens." Scrooge explained. "We will be saddened by your departure but we are also grateful for your protection!" The chief said. "Do what you must, our warriors will aid you however necessary." "Have your warriors get the people to safety and leave the rest to us." Magica said confidently.
Scrooge, Magica and the others changed back into their own clothes and stood at the entrance to the city and went over the plan once the citizens were safely in their homes. "So, first we plant Magica's foof bombs in the cavern with some of my dynamite to blow the whole thing to smithereens," Scrooge started. "Then we set up camp in the clearing to make like we've been camping there this whole time." Donald finished. "Exactly. You and the boys go get started while Magica and I plant the bombs and dynamite." Donald and the kids did as they were told and rushed through the exit and Scrooge and Magica began planting the bombs and dynamite.
John D. Rockerduck was eagerly anticipating the sight of the city of gold, following Scrooge McDuck's trail wasn't too terribly difficult, especially since had his family with him, they left more than enough of a trail to follow.
"Thank you, Ms. DeSpell, for tipping me off to this find. It'll boost me right into the position of world's richest duck and get me some good rep for the discovery." Castandra rolled her eyes. "And what if McDuck already found it?" "So, what if he already found it; that won't stop me from taking the gold myself. Even if I have to bury the old coot in this jungle. Imagine the headlines back home…" Castandra shuddered as John continued.
"'Famous millionaire and adventurer, Scrooge McDuck, lost to the south American jungles.' I'll tell them I tried to help him but by the time I found him it was too late." He chuckled to himself. "You wouldn't dare! That's absolutely horrible and besides, you have no qualm with my sister." Castandra hissed, knowing that if anything happened to Scrooge either Magica would go down with him or kill her for leading Rockerduck to the city.
Rockerduck just scoffed. "I didn't, but now that she's married to McDuck that makes her my foe as well. If she tried to stop me, I'd have no other recourse but to deal with her as well; which shouldn't be too difficult as I've come prepared." He snapped his fingers and his butler Jeeves suddenly lassoed Castandra with a rope, which she immediately realized was covered in garlic, preventing her from escaping.
Donald and the kids set up the campsite in the clearing just on the other side of the cliff and Scrooge and Magica blew up the cliff just before Rockerduck's little caravan approached.
"Alright McDuck, let's just get down to business here, where's El Dorado?" Rockerduck said, exiting his luxury, all-terrain, RV. "There's nothing here John. We already turned the place upside down. You know if there was something to find I would have found it. We just decided to enjoy a little down time before heading back to Duckburg." Scrooge shrugged, sipping a cup of tea from his thermos. "Well, that's not entirely accurate Scroogie."
Magica set down her own cup and pulled the pottery shard from her pocket and handed it to Rockerduck. "You really expect me to believe that this is it?" He snapped, tossing the piece to the ground. "Aye, that's it." Scrooge nodded, taking another sip of tea. "Questo è tutto ciò che c'è, ora ronzio." Magica said dryly. Webby, Lena and Scrooge chuckled while Donald and the boys looked confused and Rockerduck looked unamused.
"What did she say?" Louie whispered to the girls. "She told him there wasn't anything else here and to 'buzz off'." Lena responded through giggles. "He doesn't look too thrilled about it either." Webby snickered.
Rockerduck glared at Magica and took a deep breath. "Ms. DeSpell-" "It's Mrs. McDuck." She harshly corrected him. He just ignored her. "I'm sure you'll have something else to say… with the right… incentive." Scrooge shot Rockerduck an icy look. "You'd better not be threating my wife Rockerduck." "Oh, of course not… I'm using your sister-in-law as a bargaining chip. Jeeves!"
Jeeves appeared from the RV pulling Castandra behind him with the garlic rope. "Stupido cercatore d'oro." Magica muttered, slapping her forehead with her hand. Castandra, at this point, was totally out of it from the garlic exposure, sitting helplessly on her tail feathers in a daze.
"Surely you would like your sister to be released yes? Tell me the truth and I'll have Jeeves untie her." Rockerduck said smugly. Magica shrugged. "You really think I would tell you lies just to rescue that moron from her own doings?" "Get it through your thick skull Rockerduck, there's nothing out here!" Scrooge snapped.
Rockerduck sighed. "Fine. Then I guess it's a good thing I have extra rope." He said, quickly pulling out the garlic rope and lassoing Magica. "Ugh! Let go of me you creep!" Magica squirmed while Rockerduck tightened the lasso. "Now, Scrooge; are you going to tell me were El Dorado is?" He asked smugly. "You let her go this instant you fiend!" Scrooge snapped, jumping to his feet.
"Hahaha! Not until you tell me what I want to know McDuck." He stepped back, pulling Magica with him as she started to get dizzy from garlic exposure. "Let her go…" Scrooge growled. Rockerduck laughed again. "Or what McDuck? You can't do anything as long as I have her." He pulled Magica closer. "Coward, using her as a shield. You're pathetic Rockerduck."
Rockerduck kept slowly backing away from Scrooge, repeating his demands, until he tripped over a vine. "Uff, disgusting jungle." He muttered, getting back up and pulling on the rope as Magica attempted to use the momentary distraction to escape. "Tut, tut; not so fast- oof!" he was cut off by his beak making contact with the ground as he tripped over a vine in front of him. "What the h-" Rockerduck got up and fell over another vine.
The ground around him was now littered with vines, all hanging down from a nearby tree. "Stupid, plants!" He snapped, trying to get away from the vines only to find himself becoming entangled until he was helplessly dangling from the tree like a marionette tangled in its own strings.
Magica quickly released herself from the garlic rope and untied Castandra, who was still seeing stars. "That was great Aunt Magica!" The kids cheered. "Very nice plan, using your magic to get him tangled up in those vines. Are you alright love?" Scrooge took her by the hands and pecked her on the cheek. "Yes, I'm fine." Magica responded with a peck to his cheek. "Let's go home now kids." Scrooge let her hands go and started leading the kids toward the plane where Launchpad was waiting.
"You know, it's too bad we didn't get to keep any of that golden treasure." Louie lamented once they were in the air. "Says who?" Magica said, a smug grin on her face as she magically produced a small bag and pulled several golden items from the tribute they had been given. "You didn't really think I'd leave empty-handed, did you?"
"No way! You are the coolest Aunt ever!" Louie's eyes went wide as she just grinned wider while handing him a small pouch of golden coins. "And for Dewey, a golden dagger, be careful and don't cut your fingers off." She handed Dewey a small gold dagger with ornate designs carved in the handle and blade. "Thanks Aunt Magica!" "And I thought you might appreciate this." She handed Huey a small, gold sundial. "Yes! This awesome!" He beamed as he started trying to decide whether or not to put it on a wrist strap. "And for the girls a pair of matching necklaces." She handed Lena and Webby matching golden pendants. "Thank you Aunt Magica." They both said as the put them on.
Donald just scoffed and turned away, muttering something about Magica just trying weasel her way in when he felt something brush against his arm. "Here, this is yours." She gently pressed a golden cup against his arm. "You can pretend you're as obscenely rich as your uncle while enjoying lemonade or something." Donald looked at the cup, then at Magica as he tentatively took the cup. "Thanks."
"These are mine." She said, showing off a pair of golden earrings she had particularly liked. "And for you Scroogie, I thought you might like this." She handed Scrooge a small pair of golden figures of El Dorado's sun god and moon goddess. "Thank you Magica." He gave her another peck on the cheek.
After a while Donald, Scrooge, and the kids fell asleep and Castandra was sleeping off the garlic. Magica however; sat awake, arm locked with the sleeping Scrooge's arm, wondering about what exactly had happened back in the jungle because, contrary to what everyone thought, she hadn't done a thing to those vines but clearly someone had done something because those vines were not hanging down that far from that tree before.
"First that tree, then those vines… What in Circe's name is going on? Is it connected to those nightmares?" She wondered silently, fearing that whatever was happening would be beyond her control just like the events of the nightmares.