The next day they finally arrived at the next checkpoint in India where Scrooge and Magica discovered their passports were missing.
"Did we lose them in that cursed jungle?" Magica questioned as she searched through her purse for the passports. "More likely Goldie's light fingers lifted them." Scrooge grumbled. "She's not going to like me when we see each other again." Magica said, not even trying to hide her anger.
"I'm sorry, without your passports you're disqualified." The man running the checkpoint said sympathetically.
"Hey, look!" Rosolio pointed toward the sky when he saw something coming closer. "I think we somehow beat them here!"
Scrooge, Magica and Brigitta looked up and saw the golden balloon drifting closer and Scrooge came up with an idea.
"Say, I know we can't actually compete but I'm certain they stole our passports, can I get you to at least give us something to prove we were here first?" He asked the man who nodded. "Certainly, I don't condone cheating and I am happy to help you, though I don't know what good it will do." "Oh, it will be plenty helpful." Scrooge said as he pulled a notebook from his pocket and opened it to a blank page for the man to stamp and date.
Once the proof of first arrival had been obtained, they quickly returned to their balloon to make their way to the remaining checkpoints.
"How do you think we're still ahead of them?" Brigitta asked as they floated away from the India checkpoint.
"Apparently even a two-day head start does nothing for Flinty's ability to navigate. He honestly couldn't find his way out of a paper bag!" Scrooge laughed. "Well, I trust whatever plan you have darling so let's keep going!" Magica locked arms with Scrooge as they began to plot their course, and agreeing that she and Rosolio would keep the magic to a minimum for fairness.
Over the next few days, they continued to beat Glomgold and Goldie to the last three checkpoints, even figuring out where the Silver Tongue of Bricriu was hidden but they reluctantly let Glomgold and Goldie claim the prize.
Once the competition was over, they returned home and plotted the next step of Scrooge's plan.
"I still don't know why we didn't just take the silver tongue ourselves, after all they cheated and it was rightfully ours." Magica sighed, still frustrated and angry about the competition and the betrayal of their friend. She crossed her arms as she lay on the couch, her head in Scrooge's lap as they sat in front of the tv.
"Easy love, we just need to get some evidence of their cheating and bring it to Houndsworth, that'll set the record straight." Scrooge soothed, running his fingers through her hair then Beakley came in with the mail.
"You've received something from Glomgold." Beakley handed Scrooge the envelope.
"He's probably going to gloat." Scrooge grumbled, opening the envelope. "We'll just have fun laughing at his spelling mistakes." Magica snickered as she sat up and leaned her head on his shoulder as she looked to see what Glomgold had sent. "At least his victory speech will be in proper order." It was Scrooge's turn to snicker as he teased Magica. "In my defense those index cards weren't pinned or stapled so of course they got mixed up."
They both chuckled until they saw what was in the envelope; an invitation.
"You are cordially invited to attend the engagement celebration of Flintheart Glomgold and Goldie O'Gilt." Was embossed in fine gold lettering on the card inside.
"You've got to be kidding me." Magica deadpanned, staring at the elegant invitation in disbelief. "Well, now we have our opportunity." Scrooge grinned. "What do you mean?" "Simple, we accept their invitation and search for the evidence." He pointed to the rest of the text on the invitation; the date, time and location; the party was to be held at Glomgold's own mansion.
Magica returned her husband's mischievous grin, understanding what he was thinking.
The night of the party they prepared for the festivities.
Scrooge stood in front of his mirror straightening his bow tie and putting on his favorite pair of gold dollar sign cufflinks.
"You look dashing darling." Magica's voice purred behind him and he turned around to see her in an elegant black cocktail dress that hugged her figure and was topped with an illusion neckline. Lacy appliques decorated the right shoulder and the edges of the sheer sleeves and Magica finished the look off with a simple yet elegant swept-up bun and her black pearl earrings.
Scrooge grinned and pulled her into his arms and gave her a quick kiss. "You look stunning love," he said, his eyes locked with hers. "Thank you Scroogie but we should be going soon, you can complement me more later," She grinned playfully and gave him a wink as they parted.
After a quick, thankfully crash-less drive due to Poe doing the driving this time, they arrived at Glomgold's mansion.
Glomgold's mansion was more opulent than Scrooge's, almost to an obnoxious extent with the golden décor, filigrees and inlays as well as the Roman and Greek inspired columns that decorated the front porch, entry and ballroom.
"He's not modest all at, is he?" Scrooge rolled his eyes at the décor. "Waste of good money and beautiful gold."
"I agree mio Amico, it's a little too much,"
They turned to see Rosolio and Brigitta entering behind them. Rosolio was dressed to the nines in a suit that actually fit for once while Brigitta wore a beautiful dress dyed Egyptian blue with a jewel style neck.
"You two got invited too?" Magica asked as she and Brigitta hugged each other. "Yes, we did. So, we came if only to be good sports about everything," Brigitta explained. "Si, we have both learned the importance of taking the high road," Rosolio said with a small smile.
"Hey, this works out really well! You can have them help you with your plan and we can go back home!"
Brigitta and Rosolio looked over and saw Della standing behind Scrooge and Magica in a lovely sky-blue asymmetrical halter dress and standing beside her in a suit with a matching sky-blue bowtie was Launchpad.
"Aww come on, we can't leave before they do the pinata!" Launchpad whined while Della just face-palmed and groaned. "For the last time Launchpad, there is no pinata!" She turned to Scrooge. "Why did you have to stick me with him? I'm totally willing to help but seriously, don't you think Poe would have been a better partner?"
Scrooge chuckled. "The reason we wanted Launchpad is because he's perfect for creating a distraction if worst comes to worst and Poe is going to spy on Flinty from the outside," Magica nodded. "Exactly. As much as you don't like it, we still need your help too. Brigitta and Rosolio don't need to be-"
"Involved in helping you get back at those two… scoundrels?" Brigitta started angrily. "We are most definitely in; if you need us that is." Rosolio finished. Scrooge and Magica turned back to their friends. "Are you sure?" Scrooge asked.
"Of course, I'm sure Scroogie! They shot us out of the sky and they hurt my Rosikins, of course I'm willing to help you get them back!" Brigitta took a deep breath as Rosolio rubbed her back gently. "Easy, Il Mio Amore, I am fine and I don't want you doing anything reckless." He soothed. "You're right, I need to maintain my composure." Brigitta exhaled her deep breath and met Rosolio's eyes for a moment before turning back to Scrooge and Magica. "Well, we appreciate your help," Magica smiled at her friends.
They all entered the ballroom and were greeted with the sight of Goldie, or rather a large white marble statue of her.
The level of detail in the sculpture was incredible, from the strands of her hair to the folds of her dress it looked almost real. The only gold on the statue was the inlay for her jewelry and the patterns on the dress. The base was surrounded by several arrangements of all Goldie's favorite flowers, this was clearly a display meant to impress.
"I think someone's a little obsessed…" Della whispered.
Magica scoffed. "Yes, but which one of them?"
Scrooge just gazed quietly at the display. Yes, it screamed obsession with Goldie but the amount of detail, not just in the sculpture but also the choices of flowers, pink camellias, seemed to speak to something more.
Magica noticed her husband's silent gaze and nudged him with her elbow. "Penny for your thoughts Scroogie?" "It'll cost you nickel love, inflation you know," He chuckled at her scowl. "I'm just kidding!" "Well, I'm not, what has you so entranced, the gold or the subject matter?" she questioned again. "The subject matter, because this looks like something that a lot of thought and care went into… do you suppose he's really serious?" "You mean you really think Flintheart is really in love with her?" She thought about it for moment and sighed. "Regardless, we're here to settle the score." Magica linked her arm with the chuckling Scrooge and pulled him away from the statue.
The three couples then proceeded to mingle with the other guests while they waited for their hosts to make their appearance.
Meanwhile, Poe had turned himself into a raven and flew from one window to the next until he saw Glomgold in his office; he then perched himself on the sill and watched as Glomgold put Scrooge and Magica's passports in his desk drawer and locked the Silver Tongue, which appeared to be some kind of amulet or pendant, in a wall safe behind another obnoxious portrait of himself. As Glomgold left his office Poe grinned to himself, as much as a raven could grin, and flew off to another window.
Goldie silently watched the guests from atop the stairs, then she saw Scrooge and Magica enter, followed by Brigitta, Rosolio, Della and Launchpad. She watched them for a moment and after a quick glance to make sure Glomgold hadn't left his office yet she made her way down to her friends; she needed to talk to Scrooge and Magica, she needed to tell them everything.
After several minutes of mingling Scrooge finally saw Poe's signal and excused himself to the veranda to 'make an important call'.
"Did you see anything interesting?" "You bet I did. Ol' Flinty has your passports in his desk and the tongue in a wall safe. I got the combo if you'd like to get that too," Poe said from his perch on a nearby tree. "I guess I should take that combination; knowing Goldie she'll try to run off with the tongue so securing it would probably be best." Poe nodded. "Left twelve, right fifteen, left eight. Oh, and you might need this for the desk," He said as he dropped a lockpick by Scrooge's foot. Scrooge nodded his appreciation to his brother-in-law as he picked up the lockpick and pocketed it.
Magica stood with Brigitta, Rosolio and Della and watched the crowd, Launchpad had decided to go get food from the buffet table and was attempting to mingle as he filled a small plate with whatever he thought looked appealing. Then she saw a flash of gold from the corner of her eye.
Magica looked over and saw Goldie approaching from the grand staircase in the center of the room. She was wearing a gold dress much like the one the statue of her was wearing, strapless with elegant scroll embroidery on the skirt and a sheer, glittering cape hanging down from the back and elegant white gloves adorning her arms. Her hair and make-up were done to perfection as well, in fact, it almost looked as though she'd had both done professionally.
"I think someone wanted to impress tonight," Magica grumbled under her breath. Then Scrooge re-entered the room and returned to Magica's side just as Goldie began to address the group.
"I'm so glad you all could make it!" She said happily. Scrooge smiled and nodded. "Of course, we want to wish our good friends well and celebrate this engagement," His tone was almost too happy. "Of course, we wouldn't miss it!" Magica added, sounding a little too chipper.
Goldie sighed, unable to look them in the eye. It was only obvious that they were angry with her and they had every right to be. "Look, you don't have to pretend you're not mad at me or that you're happy to be here-" "Good, takes a weight off my shoulders then," Scrooge interrupted her, his tone now as though they were merely discussing a business transaction. Magica laughed a bit. "Who's pretending? I think you know exactly how I feel right now," She said, her smile only hinting at her displeasure.
Goldie sighed, and nodded. She knew that they were angry and she couldn't deny they had every right to be but she just clung to the hope that they would hear her out. "Yes, I do; but I really need to talk to you-" "Sorry but it'll have to wait Goldie. I have to go make an important call about a deal I'm trying to close," Scrooge said, pulling his phone out of his pocket and returning to the veranda. "But Scrooge-" "Oh, and we have a little surprise for you and Flintheart," Goldie was interrupted again by Magica. "Yes, I am bitter and still a little angry but I really did come to wish you a happy engagement," Goldie just sighed again. "Thanks, I know you really don't want to be here though,"
"There you are my little gold nugget!" Glomgold's voice sounded behind Goldie as he walked over and wrapped an arm around her. "Hello everyone, so glad you could make it," He greeted Magica and the others.
"Yes, I'm sure you are; I suppose you're going to gloat about winning the competition as well as your impending nuptials," Magica quipped. "Well of course, after all, I won the silver tongue and got a golden bride." Glomgold grinned happily. "No hard feelings Flintheart. Actually, we planned a little surprise gift for you two," Magica said through her most believable fake smile, then she pulled Della and Brigitta with her toward the stage where the orchestral band Glomgold had hired was playing.
"Aunt Magica what exactly are we doing?" Della asked as they approached the stage. "Distracting them while your uncle gets what we came here for," Magica quietly responded, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Well, this should be interesting…" Brigitta sighed as she followed the Aunt-Niece duo on stage.
Magica spoke with the band leader for a moment and nods were exchanged then Magica pulled her niece and friend to center stage and after some quick instructions they began carrying out Magica's plan and started singing "I Won't Say I'm In Love".
Goldie knew the moment the music began and her friends started to sing that this 'gift' was Magica's way of trying to bug the heck out of her about her 'engagement' to Glomgold, trying to get some level of payback for the betrayal. Much as she knew she deserved whatever kind of payback Scrooge and Magica saw fit, she still hated it and still had every intention to stick to her own plan.
Scrooge quietly slipped back into the ballroom, briefly glancing over at his wife and niece performing and smiled as he made his way to the stairs, taking note that Glomgold was standing with Goldie watching the performance, giving him the opportunity to sneak upstairs into Glomgold's office and set to work picking the lock on the desk drawer.
Once they finished their song Magica realized Scrooge was still absent and was about to get Della and Brigitta to join her in another song but then Launchpad jumped up on stage.
"Ooh! Karaoke! Can I have a turn?" He exclaimed excitedly as he grabbed the mic from Della's hand. "Oh no…" Della groaned, looking to Magica who just told Launchpad he could take the next turn. "Are you serious?" She whispered to her Aunt while Launchpad spoke to the band leader. "Yes, Your Uncle isn't back yet so we need to keep them distracted," Magica whispered back. "You and Brigitta work with Launchpad, I'm going to check on Scrooge," Della glanced at Launchpad and nodded with a resigned sigh. "Okay, but please try to be quick," Magica nodded back with a grin as she left the stage, giving Brigitta the message on the way.
"Hey, where's Mrs. McDee going?" Launchpad asked Della as he came back to centerstage. "She uh, needs to go power her beak," Della responded. "So what song are you gonna sing Launchpad?" she asked, forcing a smile and a cheerful tone.
Della found dealing with Launchpad to be exhausting, although on occasion he could be surprising but this just really wasn't the time in her opinion but, not knowing him too well yet she really had no choice but to trust Magica and just work with whatever curveball he threw. Couldn't be too hard for a mother of three, right? Just like another kid to watch… except her trio of ten-year-olds were smarter than him and had more tact… Then Launchpad started to sing.
"Don't know much about history, don't know much biology, don't know much about a science book, don't know much about the French I took,"
He was a little off key and not quite hitting some of the notes right, but Della was stunned, this was one of the rare times Launchpad was surprisingly on point. This was a perfect song for the distraction; Glomgold's expression of seeming approval and Goldie's uncomfortable shuffling made that abundantly clear, although, Della decided she was going to ignore what could have been interpreted as a glance her way from Launchpad as he continued his song.
"But I do know that I love you and I know that if you love me too, what a wonderful world this would be…"
After several minutes of working the lock Scrooge had finally gotten the drawer open and found more than just his and Magica's competition passports.
In the drawer, under the passports, was a journal that was covered in various doodles, including what Scrooge thought looked like doodles of Glomgold and Goldie getting married. It piqued his curiosity enough that he quickly glanced out the door to double check the coast was still clear before flipping through the pages.
"Well, I'll be…" He said quietly as he took in the journal's contents. Several drawings and writings expected of Flintheart, absurd schemes and plots to take down Scrooge, but as many, if not more pages seemed to be dedicated to Goldie.
Scrooge would have expected it to be equally absurd and mildly disturbing obsession due Glomgold's fixation on beating him at everything, beat him at being rich, being Scottish and beat him by getting his girl; but in reality, it was like a teenager's notebook of doodles and writings about their crush. Doodles of Goldie surrounded by hearts, amusingly absurd schemes to impress her and prove himself the better beau, even comically bad attempts at love poems riddled with misspellings and crossed out words, sentences and paragraphs.
While certainly a bit on the obsessed side it all rang genuine and Scrooge had to hold back the urge to laugh. All of the drawings and writings in the journal along with the detailed statue in the ballroom all struck Scrooge as the signs of man crazy in love, but unfortunately Flintheart Glomgold never did understand things like subtly and tact. The man clearly had no idea how express his feelings without looking just plain crazy and Scrooge actually felt a little sorry for him.
Just as he was about to put the journal back something caught Scrooge's attention, a paragraph of Glomgold's excited handwriting explaining how he was finally going to get Goldie to marry him because she was going to lose their bet. Before he even had time to think Scrooge was almost jumping out of his feathers at the sensation of a hand on his shoulder.
"Damp dollars woman, don't scare me like that!" Scrooge hissed at Magica. He had jumped almost a foot off the floor as he whirled around to see his wife standing behind him. "Sorry darling, I just came to see how you were faring up here; you were taking a while," Magica whispered, her raised eyebrow and unamused scowl expressing her displeasure with his greeting. Scrooge sighed, "I'm sorry, but you did startle me," "Did you find the passports?" Magica looked at the desk drawer and saw the journal. "What's that?" "Glomgold's schemes and plots to win over Goldie; It mentions something about a bet he's won with Goldie, I want to talk to her about that," Scrooge explained as he handed Magica the passports and closed the drawer.
"There's one more thing I want to do before we go back downstairs," Scrooge turned to the portrait of Glomgold on the wall behind him. "Wall safe?" Magica grinned, her eyes following his then looking back at him. "The Silver Tongue. Knowing Goldie, she'll try to abscond with it before the night's over so it might be best to secure it before she does," As he spoke, Scrooge carefully inspected the portrait to see how to remove it to access the safe. His keen eyes spotted the hinges on the right side of the frame and his fingers found the hidden latch on the left side.
Using the combination Poe gave him he had the tongue, sheathed in a black velvet pouch, in his hands. Just as Scrooge was about to open the pouch to confirm its contents, they heard footsteps and Glomgold's voice in the hall!
"Jiminy Crickets!" Scrooge cursed as he quickly closed the safe and the portrait, then scanned the room for a quick exit or hiding place as the footsteps sounded right outside the door.
The only window was both barred and locked so that wouldn't work, leaving the door to the right of the desk as the only hope Scrooge and Magica had. Scrooge grabbed his wife's hand and quietly dashed for the door, hoping it connected to another room only to be greeted by a few coats and some boxes of files. The door had led them into a closet.
Scrooge closed the door and the two sat silently in the closet, hoping that Glomgold wouldn't enter the office but the sound of the door and Glomgold's footsteps dashed those hopes quickly.
"Now where did I leave that bracelet, oh and those earrings," He started rifling though his desk. "I'm sure she'll love them; they match the engagement ring she chose!" He snickered to himself.
Scrooge and Magica quietly sat in the closet while listening to Glomgold talking and snickering to himself about marrying Goldie while he looked for his gifts for his fiancé. "How long do you think he's going to be in there?" Magica whispered. "I don't know, but do you hear him?" Scrooge snickered. "He sounds so smitten, poor fool,"
Suddenly they heard the words they desperately had hoped not to hear. "Maybe I left them in the closet," and footsteps nearing the door.
"Drat, what do we do?" Scrooge whispered, hoping Magica might be abled to magic them out of there. "Just play along," Magica said as she quickly climbed on his lap and started kissing him. Not that Scrooge objected to his wife kissing him but he wasn't sure what her plan was until he felt her take the tongue's pouch from his hand. Then Glomgold opened the door.
"What're ya two doing in my closet?! Never mind don't answer that, just get out so I can have it fumigated!" Glomgold demanded, a look of disgust on his face at the sight that greeted him, Scrooge and Magica making out in his office closet. "When you're married and living in a house full of children and noisy relatives it's hard to get a private moment to yourself." Scrooge shrugged as he and Magica parted. "At least you and Goldie will have blissful privacy," Magica added as she slid off of her husband's lap and fixed her dress. "I don't care what you two do, just for the love of money don't do it in my house!" Glomgold spat as the couple made their way out of the office.
Once they were at the staircase Scrooge asked Magica about her ruse. "Not that I'm complaining dearest but why didn't you just use your magic to get us of there?" Magica smirked. "Oh, I did use my magic Scroogie, our prize is tucked away safely in my purse." She waived her little wristlet purse. "What? But it's too big to fit in that little thing," "Not when I shrink it with magic," Scrooge grinned. "You know I love you right?" She continued to smirk. "Yes, and I love you too, that's why I kissed you in the closet instead of transporting us out," She chuckled at Scrooge's red cheeks as they reentered the ballroom.
Della was finishing a song when they walked in so she left the stage and ran up to them. "Did get what you came for?" She asked. Magica nodded. "Yes, we did." At that moment Brigitta and Rosolio came up with Launchpad right behind.
As they all chatted Goldie came up and tapped Scrooge on the shoulder. "Scrooge, I know you're angry but I need to talk to you," She was surprised by Scrooge's seeming change of attitude when he turned around and smiled. "Of course, actually I want to talk to you about something now that I've handled my business call."
Goldie mentally prepared herself for what she knew was coming as she took a deep breath and spoke. "Great, well just know that I really do value my friendship with you and Magica and I would never do anything to hurt either of you…" "Of course, you wouldn't, but your recent actions don't say that…" Magica jumped in, a skeptical look on her face. Goldie sighed. "I know that, but it wasn't my fault!" "No, Glomgold pressured you based on the bet you two made, am I right?" Scrooge said, crossing his arms and looking very disappointed.
"How could you!" Brigitta gasped. "I thought you were their friend!" Rosolio added. "Eh, I'm not surprised, doesn't sound too out of character for Goldie." Della scoffed. "Yeah, she's not always the best friend to Mr. McDee." Launchpad shrugged.
Goldie gaped in surprise at Scrooge for a moment, then just shot the others a scowl before speaking again. "Give me a little more credit here! I was the one that bet in favor of Scrooge and Magica's marriage lasting!" She defended herself. "Oh yeah? I bet you didn't think it would last very long!" Della snapped. "Not true! Flintheart said he didn't think it would last a year and I told him would last at least five!" "Well, that's reassuring." Scrooge deadpanned. "What, it's not like either of you are that young anymore and with your lifestyle Scroogie it's sometimes surprising that you're still alive." Goldie quipped. "That is entirely beside the point!" Scrooge snapped.
Magica laughed. "Oh, darling don't be so upset, it's actually quite funny," Scrooge looked at his wife in disbelief. "What? But that stupid bet has caused us so much undue trouble," Magica just laughed again. "Not as much as it's caused Goldie; after all, she was the one stupid enough to say she'd marry Glomgold if we didn't last a year. Maybe we should split up until after the wedding." She snickered.
"Oh, please don't, did you see that statue he commissioned? The man is clearly obsessed and it's scary," Goldie pleaded. Now it was Scrooge's turn to laugh. "Oh, he's obsessed alright Goldie, he's a man in love and love does make people do crazy things; combine that with Flinty's mentality and I imagine it could be quite scary!" "In love? Yeah right!" Goldie scoffed. "It's true, I'm pretty certain his affections for you actually have nothing to do with me, aside from this stupid little wager." Scrooge explained what he'd seen in Glomgold's notebook. "Oh no, it's worse than I thought… Please Scrooge you've got to help me get out of this!" Goldie pleaded. "Oh, no honey; you did this to yourself and you have our blessing for your wedding," Magica laughed again.
"Ah, there you are sweetheart!" Goldie jumped at the sound of Glomgold's voice. "What are you two still doing here?" He sneered at Scrooge and Magica. "Just not really looking forward to going home, it's so much easier to tolerate my husband when we have to tolerate each other," Magica deadpanned. "Exactly; by the way congratulations on your engagement," Scrooge added. Goldie just glared at them both. "Uh huh, that's why I have to have my office closet redone." Glomgold shuddered. "We were just trying to rekindle the fire," Magica smirked.
"Your closet?" Goldie questioned. "I found them in there and it looks like their marriage is just fine," Glomgold grumbled. "Oh, well, all the arrangements have already been made so there's no backing out now," He took Goldie's hand and gave her a huge smile. "Right, my little gold nugget?" Goldie sighed. "Look, Flinty clearly you lost the bet so we really should call this whole thing off." "Not a chance! I've already paid for everything!" Glomgold snapped, a hint of desperation in his tone.
"Actually, there is something I want to talk to you about Flinty," Scrooge said, pulling Glomgold aside. "What is he going to do?" Goldie asked nervously, fearing whatever Scrooge was planning to do. Magica just shrugged. "Maybe he's going to give him some advice on marriage, so far he's been pretty good at being married." She laughed at Goldie's cringing.
"Flinty," Scrooge started once they were out of ear short of the others. "Be honest with me, what are your feelings for Goldie?" Scrooge asked, knowing being blunt and to point was the best approach with Glomgold. "That's a stupid question McDuck; of course, I- wait… why are you asking?" He looked at Scrooge suspiciously.
"Well, considering you took the trouble to have this whole place decorated with her favorite colors and flowers I suspect you really are in love with her," Scrooge replied, taking note of the crimson tint now on Glomgold's face. "What does it matter to you!" Glomgold snapped, embarrassment clear in his voice. Scrooge just sighed and patted his shoulder in a friendly gesture. "You don't have to admit it to me but, you might want to think about admitting it to her… and maybe just try to be a less outlandish," He said, giving his rival a friendly smile.
Glomgold was confused… Was Scrooge McDuck seriously giving him advice on how to win over Goldie? "What are you playing at McDuck?" "Absolutely nothing Flinty, yes we are rivals but I have learned in recent times that just being rivals doesn't mean we can't also be friends," He said, his words nothing but sincere.
Scrooge had honestly seen Glomgold as something of a frenemy over the years and while it could be marriage softening him up, he really wanted to maybe, someday, have some kind of cease-fire with Glomgold because there really was great potential for a true friendship, and a financially profitable partnership.
"By the way, Goldie loves Alaskan salmon, you should have that for dinner with her sometime and maybe try letting her get to know Duke Baloney," Scrooge added as he walked away to leave Glomgold to his thoughts and rejoin the others.
"What is he getting me into?" Goldie was still entirely certain Scrooge was setting some horrible payback for her role in recent events. "Oh, I doubt that, it's not like we were shot down in a jungle and he was kidnapped by some rather restless natives," Magica's voice dripped with sarcasm. Goldie gasped, immediately feeling guilty again. "I'm so sorry, I didn't want anyone getting hurt…"
Seeing the genuine remorse in her friend's eyes Magica's anger cooled; maybe marriage had softened her but she just couldn't stay angry with Goldie anymore, although it was a good thing that she wasn't the one alone with Glomgold, she still felt like strangling him.
Magica sighed, "It's okay, your forgiven, just stop looking at me like that," She meant to sound annoyed but couldn't keep from chuckling a bit. Goldie sighed, relief washing over her. "I really am sorry, but thanks for still being my friend," "As long as you're able to keep your fiancé in line from now on!" Magica laughed and Goldie cringed again. "I'm never going to live this down, am I?" she asked, rolling her eyes as she laughed a bit. "Nope," Magica replied, still laughing and glad things were turning out okay, it had been rare for her to have good friends so she cherished each one she did have and Goldie had been one of the few to be granted that status, it was good to see she didn't take that lightly.
"Say, be honest; looking at all the effort Glomgold has gone to for you, do you think it's possible he might actually care about you? I mean winning your affections no longer has anything to do with one-upping Scrooge…" Magica questioned, holding back laughter at the nauseated look on Goldie's face. "Why would you even ask me that? It doesn't matter if he does because I don't!" She snapped, unaware of the redness on her face. Magica smirked. "I can see how he can be obnoxious and overbearing but… aren't you even a little flattered that he clearly knows your favorite flowers?" "He knows my favorite flowers, so what? Who really cares if the lunatic actually pays attention to those types of things," Goldie emphasized her dismissal with a wave of her hand.
Magica just sighed; she was all too familiar with this mindset, Goldie was clearly unsure of exactly how she felt about Glomgold, yes on the one hand he could easily fit the description of a raving lunatic but on the other, he showed the potential to be a decent individual if he'd only calm down and keep his mouth shut more often.
It was still too early to tell with this couple though. Magica knew that anything was possible, after all, she and Scrooge were now happily married and Brigitta and Rosolio were on their way there, but only time would tell if Goldie and Flintheart would truly become a couple.
Scrooge rejoined the group and noticed Goldie's face. "Are you alright? You look a bit flustered, not going to be a runaway bride I hope," He teased. She shot him a warning look. "I know I deserve the ridicule, but would you please stop it already, I'm not marrying him; not now, not ever," "I know," Scrooge replied understandingly. "But you do have to admit, he does seem quite lovesick," He snickered, nodding toward the statue. She shuddered. "More like obsessed," Scrooge and Magica laughed. "Is obsession really that bad?" Magica asked, linking her arm with Scrooge's and leaning her head on his shoulder, giving him an affectionate nuzzle.
Goldie just sighed; those were certainly poster children for obsession. "In any case, I need to go powder my beak…" she excused herself and started to walk away, past Scrooge and Magica. "Oh, Goldie…" Magica turned to look at her friend, "In case you were wondering, the tongue is safe and sound," she said with a smirk. Goldie smirked back. "I know," "Oh really?" "Yep, right here," she patted her hip, indicating a pocket hidden in the folds of dress. "By the way, let Flinty know I did appreciate the flowers," she said, walking off and disappearing up the stairs.
"Criminy, did she switch the tongue before we got up there?" Scrooge whispered, a mixture of shocked, irritated and impressed at her forethought. Magica just smirked. "I'm sure that's what she thinks," she held up her hand, little bits of magic sparkling at her fingertips. Scrooge grinned back at her, understanding exactly what had just happened. "Magica my dear, what would I do without you?" He chuckled as they checked her purse to see the small silver charm sitting safely inside. "So, what exactly did Goldie get?" he asked.
Goldie had booked a flight as part of her escape plan and currently sat in her seat on the small plane, looking out the window as she left Duckburg behind for the time being. She was glad she told Glomgold about the flowers earlier that evening so he would be distracted, ordering new flowers, although she hadn't expected him to order so many of them or to even know her favorites but she brushed off the thought as she pulled out the velvet pouch she'd taken from his safe while he dealt with the flowers.
She gingerly opened the pouch only to find the old bathtub plug she'd left in place of the small silver charm. "Well, this was total loss for me but I guess I should have seen it coming," she laughed to herself, realizing that trying to pull one over on Scrooge like that would be close to impossible now that he had Magica at his side.