Chapter 1: Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Chapter Text
My shadow’s the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart’s the only thing that’s beating
Sometimes, I wish someone out there will find me
‘Til then, I walk alone
The mansion was completely silent, something it hadn’t been ever since the arrival of a certain gaggle of boys and their anger-prone Uncle. Louie stared out the window of his room, trying not to let the isolated feeling get to him. He couldn’t believe his whole family left him here all alone with nothing but a robot who electrocuted him every 5 minutes and his own thoughts to keep him company.
‘Your plans, your schemes, they only lead to bad things for your family. If you want to be a part of this family you got to stop.’
Della’s last message rang in his head over and over again, like a record on repeat. He wanted it to stop but with silence so deafening it was all he could hear. Making plans and schemes was a part of who he was. He was supposed to be the one who was sharper than the sharpies. Someone who saw all the angles. Without them…
“This is the one thing I’m good at. Why can’t you see?” Louie had asked after his latest escape attempt failed. He brought his knees up to his chest and buried his face in them. Part of him wanted to cry but he refused to let himself. He had to be strong and show that her words didn’t affect him, even if there was no one around to prove it too.
He felt so frustrated, everything had been fine until Mom came back! He loved her, after all, she was his mom and he had wanted to meet her since forever but ever since then things had been different. His brother had been distant, opting to spend more time with her than him. He got that they were excited about having Mom back but sometimes they outright ignored him. Dewey in particular had gotten cold, anytime Louie said or did something she didn’t agree with Dewey was the first one to jump to be on her side, even over minor things. Dewey used to be his partner in crime, now he was essentially her guard dog.
Huey was just as guilty but in a different way. He used to be someone Louie could always go to when he was upset. Now anytime he tried he was told by his elder brother that he was too busy hanging out with mom to help. Last time he had caught him in a particularly bad mood and even had a door slamming in his face. Ouch.
It wasn’t just his brothers though! Everybody had been different! Beakley had been more strict in her mission of trying to be a good role model on how parenting works, Scrooge had been less keen on him using his sharpness, even Webby had been more critical of Louie, siding with Dewey and Della most of the time. The only one who hadn’t changed much was Launchpad but he hadn’t been around much as of late either. It was only a matter of time before he too was scolding Louie or slamming doors in his face.
What if they don’t love me anymore?
Louie shook his head furiously in an attempt to rid himself of such a thought. He couldn’t think like that. Family was supposed to love you unconditionally, right? At least that’s what Uncle Donald always said. But Uncle Donald wasn’t here right now, only Louie.
Every bad memory from the past couple of weeks played in his mind like rapid fire. What if they didn’t. What if they never even loved him to begin with? What if Della herself hated him? Sure she saved him once but after getting to know him what if she decided she didn’t want him as a son. He wasn’t adventurous like Dewey or a nerd like Huey. He was himself. Louie was Louie. He made schemes and came up with ideas, and…and…
‘If you want to be a part of this family you gotta stop.’
Despite his best efforts tears poured down Louie's face, landing on his lap. Schemes, plans, they were who he was. If they hated him enough to leave him here isolated for it then…
‘They really don’t love me anymore.’
Phase one of the Glomgold clans invasion was executed perfectly. After making quick work of Scrooge's defenses, and hacking into the telephone system so the McDuck clan couldn’t call for help the makeshift family forced their way into the mansion and marched in.
The family's ghost butler, Duckworth, tried to get them to leave but was no match for Magica’s ghost banishing amulet. He was sent away from the mansion before he could even put up a fight, leaving Louie, the youngest of the McDuck clan, to face these villains alone.
“Oh no! Magica DeSpell!”
Glomgold let out an annoyed grunt. He’d ignore that comment. Besides, he had more important matters to attend to. “We’ve come for Mcduck and family,” He said as he strode up to the child in front of him. Louie flinched at the mention of his family. This confused the older duck. Come to think of it, why hadn’t the others come out of hiding yet? The last time he checked the green, red, and blue nephews were attached at the hip. “So uh, are the others here?”
“No they're all gone,” Louie squeaked, his voice higher than normal due to fear.
“Oh, I see…family meeting!”
“Unbelievable! You didn’t even check they were home?”
“Don’t start with me, Katherine!”
“Dewey’s not even here? But this one means nothing to be.”
Magica had been silently observing the body language of Scrooge's green nephew. Something seemed off and the kid was what, 12? What was he doing in a mansion all by himself? Something had happened, and Magica had a sneaking suspicion she might be able to use it to her advantage.
“Green nephew, what are you doing here alone anyway? Where are the others?”
Louie glared at her definitely, “Why should I tell you?”
Magica motioned towards the Beagle Boys, who began to crack their knuckles menacingly. “Okay, okay, I’ll tell you,” grunted Louie. Amusingly enough he sounded more annoyed than scared, “I was grounded so they left me here to go on a family adventure.”
The sorceress put on a mask of fake sympathy, however, on the inside, she was smirking.
Oh yes. She could definitely use this to her advantage.
She side-eyed the other villains as if to say, ‘follow my lead’ before continuing her charade.
“So they left you here all alone? But your just a child, I mean you can’t be older than 12.”
“I’m 11 actually.”
Magica left out an exaggerated gasp, “What kind of heartless family would leave, their young hatchling to fend for himself?”
Louie crossed his eyes and looked away. Her words were getting to him. By now the others had caught on to what she was doing. They weren't sure what her plan was but decided to play along for now.
“How long have you been alone for?” Don karnage asked.
“All day.”
“It must have been awfully lonely.”
Louie's stoic mask cracked a little, his hands balling up and grabbing fistfuls of his hoodie, “Yeah, well I don’t need them! Why would I need them to keep me company? All they ever do is ignore me, and point out my flaws, and…and…”
“Not accept you,” Glomgold finished.
Louie nodded barely keeping his tears at bay. He used the arm of his hoodie to wipe away unfallen tears. Some of the villains present actually felt pity for the child in front of them. He looked so small, fragile, and broken.
“Family meeting!”
Clan Glomgold turned their attention to Magica who ushered them all the come closer. They all formed a circle and began speaking in hushed whispers.
“Any reason why we’re making a child cry? I know we said we’d get revenge on the McDuck clan but this just seems unnecessary,” said Mark Beaks.
“It seems green nephew had a huge falling out with his family. I’ve seen this kid in action, he’s sharp and a brilliant strategist. He could be of use to us,” Magica explained.
“Are you sure about this? The brat's barely old enough to be in middle school,” Ma Beagle countered.
“Trust me. I’m sure at least some of us have seen this child in action. We’ve seen what this child is capable of.”
“Using Scrooges nephew against him. I like the sound of that! Nothing will hurt him and the family more than having one of their own turn against them.”
Magica smirked, “Then it’s settled. Are all aware of the plan?”
The villains nodded and separated from the circle turning towards where they had last seen Louie standing only to be faced with air.
“Uh, where did he go?” One of the Beagle boys asked.
The group looked around and quickly spotted him edging towards the front door trying to escape.
“Hey! Get back here!”
Louie jumped and began running, however, he didn’t get far before one of the Beagle Boys grabbed him by the back of his hoodie and lifted him off the ground.
“Let me go! Let me go!” He cried out. His eyes were screwed shut as he flailed around wildly in an attempt to hit anyone that got too close to him.
“Oh, pipe down would ya! We're not gonna hurt ya,” Ma Beagle scolded.
“That’s what they all say!”
“We just want to ask you a bit more questions about your situation,” Magica said.
“Why should I tell you anything?!”
“Well if not we could always beat it out of you.”
“Not helping!” Magica hissed at Beaks while the other villains glared daggers at him. The pigeon in response hid his face behind his phone and backed away figuring it was best to let the others handle this.
“What prompted Scrooge and your family to do something so cruel as to leave a wee lad such as yourself to your lonesome.”
“I already told you. I was grounded. This was my punishment.”
“Ay, but to leave you by yourself which no one to talk to or to keep ye company. Why if us villains had been any more evil we could have seriously harmed ye,” Glomgold continued. He motioned for the Beagle Boy holding Louie by the hoodie to put him down, which he did. The duckling stuck his hands in his pocket still refusing to make eye contact.
“It’s not like they’d care anyway.”
“And why do ye say that?”
“Mo- Della said herself that if I wanted to be a part of this family then I had to stop making plans and schemes. But, why can’t she see that my schemes and plans are what makes me, me! Huey has his smarts, Dewey has tough, without my schemes, without my sharpness and ability to see every angle…I’m nothing.”
By this time Louie couldn’t stop the tears from pouring down his face. If you had told him earlier today he’d be comforted by some of his family's greatest adversaries he would have thought you were crazy. Yet here he was blubbering like a baby while people who were supposed to hate him seemed…empathetic about his turmoil?
More than his family was at least.
Before he could stop himself Louie whimpered out in a wavering voice, “I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they said they didn’t love me anymore.”
They were close. They just had to push things a little more and the green nephew would be theirs.
“It must be hard being a part of a family that doesn’t appreciate ye natural-born talents.”
“Well, I don’t need them. Why would I want to be a part of a family who doesn’t care about me anyway.”
“Aye, if you’d like you why don’t you join my family?”
The duckling snorted, “Join the family of my Uncle Scrooges' most evil adversaries, I’ll pass.”
“And why’s that?” asked Magica.
“Because that just sounds like a terrible idea. How do I know you won’t stab me in the back and use me as bait or something?”
“Listen, kid, we may have had our difference but our grievances are with Scrooge, not you. Besides, just because we’re villains doesn't mean we’re heartless.”
“That’s rich coming from the lady who treat her niece Lena as nothing more than a puppet for her to control and then tried to manipulate her to do her bidding.”
Magica froze. Maybe turning this kid wouldn’t be as easy as she had originally thought it would be.
“Forget about Magica. We never really liked her anyways-”
“Hey!”
“-but you are amazing green one! I can see it now…eh…what was your name again?”
“Louie.”
“Ay, thank you. I can see it now! Louie, the amazing apprentice of the great Don Karnage!” He exclaimed, jostling the kid for dramatic effect.
Magica wanted to smack the oaf for his earlier comment but stopped herself when she saw the duckling actually smile. Not one that was forced or anything. A genuine smile. They were back in business.
“I’ll admit I didn’t treat Lena the way I should have but I want to become better. That’s why I joined this family, that’s why we all did and that’s why Glomgold brought us all together. To have a chance at being appreciated for who we are,” Magica paused before putting the finishing touches on her speech, “To have a chance at being loved again.”
They had him now. It wasn’t hard for anyone to see the yearning in the child's eyes, the want to be apart of something and to feel loved again.
“So what do ye say, Lad? Would ye like to be a part of the Glomgold clan?” The elder duck asked. He held his hand out towards the child. Louie stared at the hand for a couple of seconds. Everyone in the room waited with bated breath as Louie Duck inched his hand towards Glomgolds before grabbing it and shaking.
“Welcome to the Glomgold family, lad!”
Louie smiled before getting a curious look on his face, “what was your plan here anyways? To show up and fight?”
“Of course not. I’m sure Flintheart had a perfectly good plan an-” Ma Beagle stopped mid-sentence. What was she saying? This was Flintheart Glomgold she was talking about after all.
“That didn’t really seem to pan out did it?” Louie asked.
“It doesn’t matter anymore! If half an hour Mcducks gonna win the bet and become twice as rich and powerful!” Ma Beagle barked.
“All those resources.”
“All those magical artifacts. None of us will be able to destroy him.”
“He will become untouchable.”
“What do we do now new Pa?”
Glomgold looked around wracking his brain for an idea only to be cut off by Louie.
“I know how you can win the bet.”
The villains turned their attention to Louie as he laid out his plan. They were impressed. Magica was right, this kid was sharp and already made a valuable asset to their team. It's funny how he went from fearing them to actually helping them.
But that’s what family is for, right?
Chapter 2: How to Save a Life
Summary:
“Please.”
Glomgold turned his attention towards the source of the voice. It was Della, she was standing on the steps leading upstairs, her two sons not far behind.
“Please, I’m begging you. Where is he? Where is my son?”
“What did you do to my baby brother?” Dewey asked. He was holding Huey's hand like they had been in the car. The eldest didn’t say anything, keeping his gaze on the floor as Webby had been earlier.
Glomgold didn’t say anything, just smirked.
Notes:
Hey everyone, before I start I just want to say thank you so much for the overwhelming amount of support. When I posted the first chapter I was not expecting it would gain so much attention. What really surprised me is some authors who I’ve read stories of or are in the middle of reading left kudos on this. When I saw that I was like- YO! Anyways enough of my rambling, let’s get started.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Where did I go wrong?
I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
Della Duck was a lot of things but one thing she was not was unsure of herself. She’s been known to act first and think about the consequences later. While her brother Donald was the type of person to second guess himself she was almost always adamant about the choices she made.
Except for this one.
She was still trying to get used to this whole “being a mom” thing. Heck, yesterday was the first time she ever had to actually ground someone, and while she felt it was justified it also felt wrong. And maybe it was that ‘mother’s intuition’ she always heard people in movies and TV talk about but something wasn't sitting right with her but couldn't quite place it. All she knew is that she had a sinking feeling something was wrong.
“I’m gonna head to the mansion to give Louie his hobo souvenir. I’m worried about him.”
“The DT-87 hasn’t reported a single scheme in 24 hours. Everything’s fine,” Said Huey in hopes of quelling his mother's fears. He had known Louie his whole life, he could take care of himself and if he did need something Ducksworth was only a shout away.
He wanted to add that the youngest was probably sulking in their room but was cut off by a familiar look airship landing nearby.
“Not so fast, McDuck!”
Everyone turned their attention to the now docked ship. All of the McDuck family's enemies; Ma Beagle, the Beagle Boys, Magica De Spell, Don Karnage, Mark Beaks, and last but not least, Flintheart Glomgold, all exited the aircraft and made their way towards the McDuck clan.
“I knew this day would come. Magica’s grand revenge,” said Scrooge.
“I’m clearly standing in front!” Glomgold argued. He was offended that not only did green nephew think Magica was the leader of the group but now even his own archnemesis?! He couldn’t wait to see his reaction when he found out he lost the bet.
“Lo, our moment is at hand. For years I schemed alone. Now I’ve added a family’s strength to my grand vision. Scrooge will bow before Clan Glomgold!”
“And then cower before Magica De Spell, whose hatred is unbound by time and space!”
“Your time is up, McDuck!”
The McDuck family waited patiently for each villain to finish off their little declaration of revenge before the fighting finally started. Regardless of her eldest son's reassurance, Della still wanted to get back to Louie as soon as possible.
She hoped this fighting wouldn’t last long.
Luckily for her, the fight did end quickly. Unluckily, it ended with her family on the losing end, cornered by the villains, save Magica and Glomgold who were currently arguing over who got to fight what half of Scrooge.
“Hold on! I have an idea,” Said Glomgold. He motioned for Magica to get closer and began whispering to her. Scrooge strained his ears to hear what they were saying but couldn’t make anything out. Magica suddenly gained a grin that chilled Scrooge to the bone. Whatever they were whispering about it wasn’t good.
“You’re right. Telling him will be the perfect revenge,” The sorceress said.
Scrooge was nervous but refused to show it and put on a brave face. “Tell me what?”
“You’ll find out soon enough. But before I tell you I should let you know that you lost the bet McDuck!”
“You see all us villains after uniting we transferred all our resources to Glomgold,” Said Magica.
“Which combined makes me the richest duck in the world!” Glomgold declared, his arms raised in the air for dramatic effect.
Scrooge's eyes widened, “That means…”
“That’s right Scrooge! I did it! I won the bet and your company!”
“And all your magical artifacts,” said Magica
“And resources,” added Mark Beaks, “Including the McDuck mansion, which after seeing the place I can’t wait to make put my personal touches on!”
Della felt her heart stop, “Wait you went to the mansion?”
The villains didn’t answer. The grin on their faces said enough. Della suddenly surged forward only to be stopped and restrained by two of the Beagle Boys.
“Mom!” Huey and Dewey cried out. They were about to run forward and help her but were stopped by Beakley who placed a hand in front of them and shook her head.
“Where is he?! What did you do to my son?!” Della demanded as she fought against her restrainers. The Beagle Boys struggled to keep hold of her forcing the third one to help.
Magica's smirk only grew, “Please. The green one should be the least of your worries.”
Della stopped fighting against her restraints, a horrified look settling on her face. The Beagle Boys let go of her. Without them supporting her body Della fell to her knees.
Huey let out a small gasp and shared a concerned and scared expression with Dewey. Launchpad, not fully understanding what Magica meant by ‘least of your worries’ looked toward Beakly for answers. The housekeeper had a strained look on her face while Webby asked her in a wavering voice what Magica meant.
Scrooge felt his heart rate pick up but still refused to show it. Instead, he narrowed his eyes.
“Everybody. Get back in the car,” His voice was deathly calm.
Nobody dared question his order. Huey and Dewey ran over to Della and lead her inside. Scrooge kept a firm glare on Glomgold until his family was seated. He gave Glomgold one last death stare before walking toward his Jeep, exclaiming, “Launchpad! Set a course for home!”
The villains watched the McDucks as they sped away. Once they were out of earshot Glomgold spoke,
“Alright, everybody! Back on the ship!” He ordered.
“Are you sure letting him and his family go was a good idea?” Ma Beagle asked.
Glomgold help up a hand, “Patience Katherine. It’ll all be worth it shortly.”
The car ride back to McDuck manor was intense. Della was showing clear signs of distress. Her face was buried in Beaklys shoulder as the housekeeper rubbed her back in an attempt to console her and murmured about how 'everything was going to be alright.'
In the back of them sat Huey, Dewey, and Webby. Huey and Dewey’s hands were clasped together tightly, an action they did anytime they were scared since they were old enough to remember. Webby sat to the left of Dewey and was barely holding herself together. Dewey noticed a slung an arm around her to offer some form of comfort.
In the front seats of the Jeep were Scrooge and Launchpad. Scrooge kept his eyes on the road in front of him while Launchpad drove. The trillionaire was growing more and more impatient as each second that he wasn’t at the manor passed by.
“Can’t this piece of malarkey automobile go any faster!”
“I’m sorry Mr. McDee but I’m already going 50 past the speed limit,” Said Launchpad. He made a sharp left turn as he swerve past another car, earning an angry honk from the driver.
“They were probably just bluffing. They wouldn’t actually do anything to Louie. He's probably safe at home, right?” Webby asked.
Nobody responded.
“Look! I can see the mansion!” Dewey exclaimed while pointing.
“Step on it Launchpad!” ordered Scrooge.
Launchpad didn’t verbally acknowledge him and just did what his boss had ordered. When they arrived on the grounds of the manor they saw something grey laying in front of the house. Upon getting closer they saw it was the scrapped remains of the D-87 robot.
And where the front door of the mansion used to be was replaced with a gaping hole.
Before Launchpad even had the chance to put the car in park everyone had practically leaped out and made a mad dash for the mansion, calling out the youngest triplet's name. Scrooge, Beakley, Webby, and Launchpad decided to check the first level of the house while Della, Dewey, and Huey ran up to stairs to the triplet's shared room.
“Louie?! Where are you, baby?! Louie?!” Della cried out. There was no response.
“Louie?! Where are you?! It’s us, you can come out now!” Huey exclaimed. He was holding onto the hope that his brother was just hiding somewhere scared and waiting for his family to come back.
“This isn’t funny Lou! If you come out now I’ll do all your chores for a month!” Dewey yelled. His hope was that his youngest brother was just pulling some sick, cruel, twisted prank on them for leaving him before.
“Louie?!” Della shouted as she practically tore the triplets bedroom door open. Her hopes that she’d find him lounging on his bed safe and sound were dashed when she was met with an empty room and silence.
The four were searching the first floor of the manor met back up in the foyer.
“He’s not in the TV room or the kitchen,” Beakley reported back to her superior. Webby held onto her grandmother's hand and kept her gaze on the floor. She looked like she was about to cry.
“I didn’t see him in the garage or the bathroom either,” Said Launchpad.
Scrooge didn’t respond. He couldn’t find the green-clothed duckling either. He had even checked his office and safe but still nothing. When he questioned Duckworth he said that Magica used a ghost repelling amulet on him and that by the time he got back the villains had already left and Louie wasn't in the mansion.
The wind suddenly picked up. Don Karnage's airship landed in front of the manor followed by several police cars driving up. Like earlier the villains exited the ship and walked into the manor.
“Oi! What do you think yer doin’ in Glomgold Manor, McDuck!” Questioned Glomgold, though the way he said it sounded more like a statement than a question.
“Where is he?” Scrooge growled.
“I don’t who yer talking about.”
“You know full well who Glomgold! Where is my nephew?! Where is Louie Duck!”
“Oh? Is he not here? What a shame. Maybe he ran away to escape the awful treatment of his family.”
Scrooge had had it. He lunged forward to attack Glomgold. Before he could lay a finger on him however Launchpad stepped forward and restrained him
“Mr. McDee, calm down! You can’t attack him the police will arrest you!”
“I don’t care! You tell me where my nephew is right now you hear?!” Scrooge barked, fighting against his driver's hold.
“Please.”
Glomgold turned his attention towards the source of the voice. It was Della, she was standing on the steps leading upstairs, her two sons not far behind.
“Please, I’m begging you. Where is he? Where is my son?”
“What did you do to my baby brother?” Dewey asked. He was holding Huey's hand like they did in the car. The eldest didn’t say anything, keeping his gaze on the floor as Webby had been earlier.
Glomgold didn’t say anything, just smirked. By now the police officers had made their way into the mansion. They stood behind clan Glomgold waiting for orders.
“Police, remove these trespassers from my property!” Glomgold ordered, pointing at the McDuck family.
“What are ye doing?! This is my manor!” Scrooge exclaimed as the police forcefully dragged him out.
He wasn’t the only one who put up a fight. Della did as well begging the cops to let her go and that she had to find Louie. She had to find her son.
These pleas fell on deaf ears though. The McDuck family was forcefully removed by police from the manor.
Louie was nowhere in sight.
From the window of Don Karnages ship, Louie watched as his old family was dragged off the premises of what was now known as “Glomgold Manor.” He looked on as they struggled, Della, screaming something he couldn’t hear as she was forced to leave.
Louie sneered at this display and rolled his eyes. Glomgold probably told them he was watching and decided to put on a show to try and coax him out so they wouldn’t lose their favorite scapegoat. It was part of the reason he stayed on the ship, he didn’t want to give them that satisfaction of seeing him just so they could chew him out one last time. All the villains transferring their resources to Glomgold had been his idea after all.
Despite his resentment, Louie couldn’t help but feel a small pang of guilt as he watched his ex-family lose everything in the span of less than an hour. Yeah, they were terrible people but did they really deserve this?
‘If you want to be a part of this family…’
Louie squashed any guilt he was feeling. They didn’t get to have his pity.
‘They deserved this.’
Notes:
I know I said updates would be slow but I updated my other story yesterday and my Nintendo Switch died and I needed something to do during my free time at work. The next chapter won’t be uploaded until I finish the other story which I’m hoping to have the last chapter posted sometime by next week but I don’t know because my internship is taking up a lot of my time right now. Anyways please let me know what you think and until next time!
Chapter 3: The Day You Slipped Away
Summary:
“Any sign of him?” Scrooge asked.
Fenton shook his head, “No, sorry. I scoured the city but still no sign of Louie. I’ll keep looking though. I won’t stop until he’s found.”
“We can focus on that in the morning Pollito. It’s past midnight, you should head to bed,” Said María.
As if on cue Fenton yawned, “Will do.” His gaze shifted to the two adults at the kitchen table, “Say, where’s Della? I thought of all people she would have stayed up to hear if I had found him or not.”
Scrooge and Beakley shared a look before Scrooge spoke up, “She’s still awake. She left a little while ago saying she needed some fresh air.”
Notes:
I changed this chapter's name 4 times because every time I thought I found a song that was fitting I found a new song that fit even better. I need to stop being so indecisive. I finished my other fic making this one my new priority (yay). I’ll try to be somewhat consistent with updates but no promises lol.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Now you’re gone, now you’re gone
There you go, there you go
Somewhere I can’t bring you back
Now you’re gone, now you’re gone
There you go, there you go
Somewhere you’re not coming back
“Unhand me, you lackluster law enforcers!” Scrooge demanded as he and his family were dragged away from the home and fortune he had spent his entire life building. He refused to go down without a fight and struggled all the way to the gates where he was literally thrown out of his own home. The rest of the family followed, not being restrained due to not having enough fight in them to resist. Della had to be led out by a police officer as she was too distraught to move on her own. With the McDuck family off the property, the gates closed and locked ensuring that they wouldn’t be able to get back in.
Scrooge ran forward and immediately started shaking the gate bars, “Curse me kilts…Glomgold! Tell me what you did with me nephew you-” Scrooge cut himself off, too angry to think of an insult.
Huey watched as his Great Uncle tried to break into what used to be their home. There was no way they were getting in. The place was still currently swarmed with a police presence. Even if they did get in they’d either be thrown out again or arrested.
His mother was inconsolable. After having the gates to the mansion slammed in her face she broke down. Some may have thought she was like this because of losing her home but Huey knew better. She didn’t care about the manor, but instead the possibility of who could still be inside the manor. Beakley sat next to her, trying to console the poor woman the best she could.
“What are we going to do? We don’t know where or what happened to Louie and we just lost our home and the resources that could have been used to find him!” Dewey asked.
Webby placed a supportive hand on the middle triples shoulder, “It’s going to be okay Dewey. Louie’s resourceful, I’m sure he’s hiding somewhere safe and sound.” Despite her words, the girl sounded like she was trying to convince herself that what she was saying was true.
“I know Louie’s not helpless but he’s up against all of our family's greatest enemies. These people don’t have any qualms about hurting a child,” said Huey. He hated this. He not knowing what had happened to Louie! Invasive thoughts ran rampant through his mind with questions he couldn’t answer.
‘Was he hurt? Was he safe? Was he scared? Is he hiding somewhere in the mansion?...’
‘Is he de-’
Huey shook his head furiously. No, he refused to think that way. It was a reality he just could not accept. Dewey, Louie, and him were triplets, they were supposed to always be together. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing one of them. He was the oldest and most responsible triplet, it was his job to look after them!
By the looks of it, he was doing a pretty crummy job of that!
“It’s just not fair. Why couldn’t it have been me?” Dewey asked no one in particular.
“Dewey, stop it! Don't say that!” Webby gently admonished.
“I should have stayed behind with him. At least then he wouldn’t be alone right now.”
By this point Launchpad had decided to join the conversation, “I’m sure there are a lot of things that could have been done differently but none of that matters now. You can’t change the past. What matters is what you do in the future, using past mistakes to guide your way.”
Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at Launchpad. They had never heard him sound so…wise before. Launchpad noticed everyone staring at him in awe and continued.
“I know. Pretty smart sounding, right? I got it from a fortune cookie.”
The sudden sound of Scrooge snapping a flip phone shut grabbed the attention of the others. “Curse me…I can’t seem to get a hold of any of me business partners that may have been able to help. Word of me losing my fortune must have traveled quick. You lose all yer fortune and suddenly you're not worth the time of day. Bunch of money grubbin'...”
“It’s getting late, what we need right now is a place to say,” Said Beakley.
“But, what about Louie?” Dewey asked. He gave the manor another glance.
Beakley’s face softened. She kneeled down so she could be at eye level with the duckling, “It’s been quite an eventful day. Everyones exhausted both physically and emotionally. What we all need is rest. I’m sure Louie will be fine for the night.”
“But where will we stay? We can’t get into the manor anymore,” Asked Webby.
Huey cleared his throat, “I might have a couple of ideas.”
Louie let out a groan as he laid down on the bed in the guest room. He was so bored! Because of how spacious and luxurious the manor was Glomgold and the others decided to begin living there, making it a headquarters of sorts for their makeshift family. Louie had decided to move to the guest room because he couldn’t stand being in the room he and his brothers used to share.
It brought back too many memories that he felt he was better off forgetting...
Since everyone was busy unpacking or getting their stuff from wherever they lived that meant Louie was alone. Again. Louie got up from where he was laying and decided to head to the TV room. Maybe there was a new episode of Ottoman Empire he could watch. Anything to distract him from the ache he felt in his chest.
When he got to the room he found Don Karnage in there staring curiously at the television.
“Uh, what are you doing?” Louie asked. Don Karage turned to him in surprise, “Ah, green one! Perfect timing! I’m just trying to figure out what this strange contraption does.”
“...You’re joking right?”
Don Karnages blank expression told him everything he needed to know. He had to stop himself from pinching the bridge of his beak. “It’s a TV. Are you telling me you’ve never seen a TV before?”
“This is not a Television! Televisions are large and cubic. This is rectangular and flat.”
“You don’t get out of the sky much do you,” said Louie. He walked over to the device and turned it on. He sat down on the couch and flipped through the channels before he reached the one Ottoman Empire was on. No new episodes. Great. He flipped through the channels for a bit longer before turning the television off and slumping down in his seat. He suddenly didn’t feel like watching TV anymore.
Don Karage noticed this change in demeanor and asked him what was wrong.
“No offense but why do you care? Don’t you hate my fa- my old family or something?”
“Not really. My grudge is with Dewey Duck. Besides, if I remember correctly you and me are family now and family is supposed to help each other out when they’re feeling down, no?”
Louie stared at the sky pirate thoughtfully. He wasn’t expecting him to say something so sincere.
“It’s weird. I thought that by leaving my old family I’d be able to get this lonely feeling in my chest to go away. But even with them gone I still feel just as alone as ever.”
Louie stared at the floor with a glum expression. He was half-expecting Don Karnage to laugh at him for having such a trivial problem. What he wasn’t expecting was for the couch to dip and for Don Karanage to put his arm around his shoulders.
“Then why don’t we do something together? Isn’t that what families do?”
Louie gave him an incredulous look, “But you’re moving into the manor, aren’t you? Don’t you have boxes to unpack or something?”
Don Karage waved him off, “Everything I own is on my ship which is parked outside so there is no rush. So, what do you want to do?”
Louie thought for a moment, “We could play a video game?”
“Video game? What is that?”
“You’ve never heard about video games before? They’re like virtual reality interactive movies kind of or choose your own adventure books. They’re insanely popular and one of the most lucrative kinds of media of all time! How have you never heard of them?”
“As the sky-pirate the great Don Karanage, I spent all of my time stealing and dancing. I had no time for such things. However, Don Karanage is interested. Tell me more about these, video games.”
Louie smiled, “I have much to teach you, my friend. So first there are different genres of games…”
Finally, after hours of calls, texts, and tweets, the moving company had gotten all of the possessions that Mark Beaks felt like moving and were setting them up in his room at the McDuck Glomgold manor. He opened the doors to the mansion to let the moving guys in.
“Alright, my room is on the second floor, 7th door to the left. Oh hey careful with that!”
As the workers left to do their job Mark Beaks could hear yelling coming from another room. Feeling curious he decided to go see what was up. As he got closer he was able to make out distinct voices.
“Nooo! I can’t believe it! I lost!”
“Don’t feel too bad. You were close that time.”
Upon making it to the TV room Beaks saw the pirate, (Don Karnage was it?) and the green kid playing what looked like Mario Kart 8 on a Nintendo Switch.
“What are you guys doing?” Beaks asked.
“Playing Mario kart. We have more controllers. Wanna play?” Louie asked.
“I advise against it if you know what is good for you. He is unnaturally gifted,” Don Karnage warned dramatically.
“Mario Kart? Puh-lease, I play this game all the time with people online. I’d wipe the floor with both of you,” Said Mark Beaks.
Louie held out an extra controller towards him, “Then why don’t you put your controller where your beak is Beak-sy?”
The tech company owner smirked, “Oh, it is on pipsqueak!”
Mark Beaks grabbed the controller and flopped down on the couch next to Louie. As he set up the next race Louie felt something in his chest. It wasn’t the lonely feeling he had had ever since Della came back, no, this was different. It was a warm giddy feeling, the same feeling he used to get whenever he did something fun with his brothers.
“Seriously though, I can’t believe the big bad sky pirate lost in Mario Kart. And to a child!” Mark Beaks teased.
“Just you wait. Once we get started you’ll see. He may be a child but he is a master at the virtual reality kart racing!”
“I’m sorry the what now?”
Louie smiled and selected the course. He had missed this feeling.
Thank you again for allowing us to stay here Ms. Cabrera. We really do appreciate it,” said Mrs. Beakley.
“Please just call me, Ma ría . Would you like some more tea?”
“Please,” Said Beakley, pushing her cup towards the cop. Betina Beakey and Scrooge McDuck were seated at the Cabrera's kitchen table. Fenton had already heard about what had happened by the time Huey got in contact with him asking for a place to stay. He told the duckling he’d have to clear it with his Mama. She allowed it, stating that after all they had done for her son it was the least she could do.
Launchpad and the kids were drained by the time they reached the household and Beakley ordered them to bed, despite Dewey’s protests that he wasn’t tired.
“We’re not much use to your brother in the state we are in right now. Once we’re all recharged we can resume our search for Louie. Right now though you need sleep.”
Knowing it was best not to argue further with the ex-spy Dewey begrudgingly followed his brother and sister to the spare room they would be sleeping in.
Just then Fenton walked through the kitchen door. Scrooge and Beakley's heads snapped up.
“Any sign of him?” Scrooge asked.
Fenton shook his head, “I scoured the city but still no sign of Louie. I’ll keep looking though. I won’t stop until he’s found.”
“We can focus on that in the morning Pollito. It’s past midnight, you should head to bed,” said Ma ría .
As if on cue Fenton yawned, “Will do.” His gaze shifted to the two adults at the kitchen table, “Say, where’s Della? I thought of all people she would have stayed up to hear if I had found him or not.”
Scrooge and Beakley shared a look before Scrooge spoke up, “She’s still awake. She left a little while ago saying she needed some fresh air.”
Scrooge, Beakley, and Ma ría looked out the kitchen window. Fentons eyes followed their gaze. That’s when he noticed the silhouette of somebody with their back to the house sitting in the backyard in a tree.
Every since Della was a child she would look up at the stars and moon whenever she felt down. She had always loved the night sky and the feeling she got whenever she stared at it always brought her comfort.
Tonight was different, however. Tonight she felt no comfort. Only the overbearing pain and sorrow of loss.
Her youngest son, her baby, was missing. She had just gotten her family back and already she had lost one of them. She hated herself. She should have stayed on the moon, she didn’t deserve them. She shouldn’t have grounded him and then left him alone. If she had just stayed with him she could have protected him. Now he was missing and it was all her fault.
‘Things would have been better if I never made it back. None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for me.’
A bitter laugh escaped her beak.
‘Donald was right. I’m such an idiot. Maybe they should start calling me Dumbella.’
Della shifted her gaze back to the stars and stared at them in silence. She wondered where Louie was. Was he safe? Was he hungry? Cold?
Was he still awake?
Not knowing what else to Della began singing, hoping the winds would carry her lullaby to her youngest child.
“Look to the sky, my darling baby boys.
Life is strange and vast
Filled with wonders and joys
Face each new sun with eyes clear and true
Unafraid of the unknown
Because-”
Della stopped, her voice strained and cracked. She couldn’t bring herself to sing the next line. Because she wasn’t facing the unknown with Louie. Her lullaby that she had created for her boys was a lie, and it was all her fault.
Tears cascaded down Della's face and onto her lap.
And for the first time since coming back to Earth, she felt alone.
Notes:
I cannot express how long I’ve wanted to write that scene of Louie playing video games with Mark Beaks and Don Karnage. I was playing with the idea of all the villains joining in but felt that’d be too out of character. Don Karnage and Mark Beaks were picked because out of all the villains they don’t have anything against him personally. One could argue that Mark Beaks might hold a grudge after Doofus Drake's birthday, but to me he seems to have more of a beef with Huey and Dewey. Anyways, let me know what you think and until next time!
Chapter 4: Youth
Summary:
She pulled what looked like a magically enchanted smoke bomb out from behind her back, “Let’s see how your little family fares when split up, shall we?”
Before anyone could react she threw the bomb down, blinding everyone in the foyer with smoke.
“Follow me! This way!” Scrooge yelled. He began running in a random direction hoping his family was following. He ran down a hall and into a nearby room. He felt his heart drop when he saw only Della and Beakley had followed.
“This isn’t going as planne- wait where are the boys?” asked Della. She looked around hoping they’d pop out any minute now. By this time Beakley had noticed the absence of the others as well, “Where is Webby? Where is Launchpad?”
Scrooge remembered before throwing the smoke bomb Magica had said something about splitting the family up.
“Curse me kilts.”
Notes:
I’ve decided I’m going to update once a week. I feel like that's a good pace, right? (Let’s see if I can actually stick to that). If something goes wrong and I need a bit longer I’ll post an update and then delete it once the chapter is released. Anyways, here's your angst.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Well, I’ve lost it all, I’m just a silhouette
A lifeless face that you’ll soon forget
My eyes are damp from the words you left
Ringing in my head, when you broke my chest
Ringing in the head, when you broke my chest…
When he woke up Dewey didn’t feel well rested, he felt exhausted and numb. He figured his nerves were probably fried due to the emotional trauma he had undergone the day prior. He was currently laying between Huey and Webby in the guestroom of Fenton’s house. Both were still fast asleep. He tried to move but Webbys sleeping form was clutching his arm so he was stuck there for the time being. He closed his eyes figuring if he was stuck there he might as well get some more sleep.
“I know you’re awake Dewey.”
Dewey opened his eyes and turned his head towards Webby. She looked even worse than he probably did. She had bags under her eyes and was sporting a weak smile.
“Did you sleep well?”
Dewey sat up, Webby did the same, “Webby, you look…different.”
The young duckling's smile faltered, “I couldn’t sleep last night. You guys are my family and we already lost Louie. I’m scared, I don’t want to lose anyone else…”
Dewey placed a hand on Webbys shoulder, “You won’t. We’re not going anywhere, and we’re going to find Louie. I promise.”
Webby’s began to water. She leaned over and gave Dewey a hug which he returned.
“You guys are the best thing that ever happened to me. I can’t go back to my life before I met you guys,” She sobbed.
“It’s going to be okay Webby. We’ll get him back.”
“Ugh, what’s all this como- wait, Webby, are you crying?” Huey asked. His face went from annoyed he was woken up to concerned.
Webby pulled away from Dewey and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, “I’ll be okay. Let's head downstairs and begin planning how we’re going to find Louie.”
Breakfast was tense, to say the least. By the time the kids made their way downstairs the adults were already discussing options. (with the exception of Launchpad) They had been awake for hours, each with a cup of coffee. The kids ran up to the table all shouting questions at the same time.
“Morning everyone, so what's the plan? Do we have a plan yet?”
“When are we going to execute our rescue mission?”
“How can I help?”
“Alright settle down, one at a time now!” Scrooge scolded. He took another sip of his expresso grimacing at the strong flavor. He was more of a tea drinker, but he was in desperate need of caffeine.
“Sorry, we just want to know what the plan is. How we’re going to rescue our brother,” Huey explained.
Scrooge nodded, “The first step in our plan is to find a way to sneak into the mansion. Once inside we’ll fight my greatest enemies and make them tell us what happened to Louie. Glomgolds hiding something, I can feel it.”
“While we would normally split up to cover more ground this time the plan is to stick together. It hasn’t been long but we don’t know what the villains have done with the place. We’re stronger together than we are apart,” Dell added.
“Mom, you seem better than you did before,” said Dewey. Yesterday she had seemed broken but now she wasn't. It was as if she had changed overnight.
“I’m not sitting out on this mission. I need to find out what they did to my son and where he is. Crying and moping won't do us any good."
“But how are we even going to get into the mansion?” Webby asked.
“The mansion has a secret entrance that was installed when it was first built. Its original purpose was to allow a way to escape discreetly should something happen. The only reason it wasn’t used yesterday was because of the police presence,” Explained Beakley.
“You shouldn't have to worry. All units are gone by now. I wish I could help more but technically you’re breaking a law,” Said Ma ría. As a chief of police, she had a moral obligation to stand by that law and uphold it. She was turning a blind eye but if she did any more she'd lose everything. Sometimes she really hated her job.
“You’ve already done more than enough for us. My family and are eternally grateful,” said Scrooge.
“Mama may not be able to help but I can,” said Fenton. He had just come back from waking up Launchpad. The pilot had taken refuge in the bathroom tub of all places. He winked at Huey, Dewey, and Webby who smiled in return.
“Very well then. Again, once we get inside we stick together. Fenton, I trust yee to be on standby. Should anything go wrong it’ll be up to you to bust us out. Can you handle that?”
“Of course Mr. McDuck. After all, helping others is what being a hero is all about!”
“Good. Our goal is to find anyone who might be able to tell us what has become of Louie. First-person we see we ask questions and if they don’t comply we fight. I’ll go over the plan again on the way there. Any questions?”
Everybody remained silent. Scrooge stood up and banged his cane on the floor as if he were a judge banging a gavel and making a final decision.
“Everybody get ready, we set out as soon as possible.”
Everyone nodded and dispersed. Webby went with her grandmother, probably to grab some cool spy gadgets that would help with the mission. This left Dewey and Huey alone. They didn’t really have anything they could pack that would be useful so they were just waiting now.
“Are you ready?” Dewey asked.
Huey focused his gaze on the floor, “I’m just a little worried. What if Louie isn’t even there? What if we’re too late, or-”
“Relax,” Dewey placed a hand on Huey’s shoulder, “Everything's going to be fine. For now, assume the best and if that’s not what happens...well, we can cross that bridge when we get to it.”
“I’ll try, what do you see as the best outcome?"
“That our little bro is hiding somewhere in the mansion, safe and sound waiting for his heroic brothers to rescue him and messing with Scrooge's enemies to pass the time.”
That got a weak laugh out of Huey, “Knowing Louie his idea of messing with them would be stealing cans of pep when nobody was looking and changing the TV channel so he can watch episodes of Ottoman Empire.”
“Whatever he’s doing he better hold off until we get there.”
Glomgold woke up feeling better than he had in ages. It felt good knowing that he had finally triumphed over his greatest foe and stolen not only his fortune but also the love of one of his great-nephews.
Speaking of said great nephew he hadn't seen him since the night before. Glomgold began looking around for him. He was his business partner and he had a meeting with Owlson coming up. He planned on just having the kid go in his steed while he relished in the enjoyment of finally beating Scrooge McDuck.
He eventually found him in the TV room, along with the sky pirate, and the tech CEO, all passed out on the couch and floor while a video of a man with overalls of a mustache sitting in a spinning go-kart played on the television screen.
Beaks was passed out upside down, lower half on the couch while everything waist up laid on the floor. On the right corner of the couch was Don Karnage sleeping in an upright sitting position, his mouth hanging open as he snored rather loudly and obnoxiously. It was a miracle anyone could sleep with the sheer volume of them. Lastly, next to Don Karnage slept Louie. One hand was holding onto what looked like a video game controller while the other was empty, arm laying carelessly over his stomach. He was slumped against the sky pirates side facing the wall.
Glomgold would have found the scene cute if he actually cared.
“Oi, get up you lazy bunch o layabouts, it’s mornin’!” Glomgold exclaimed while slamming his cane on the wooden floor. He walked over to Mark Beaks and began poking him with it.
“Mmmmm, five more minutes mom,” Beak replied. He grabbed the cane and rolled over. The force caused Glomgold to lose his balance and fall to the floor next to him.
Glomgold was not known for his patience and by now he was seething. After picking himself up he took a big gulp of air and yelled,
“GET UP YOU LAYABOUTS!”
That woke everyone up. Beaks shot up like a rocket and let out a high-pitched scream, holding his smartphone to his chest protectively. Louie yelped in surprise and fell off the couch, meanwhile, Don Karnage leaped to his feet hand on the hilt of his sword.
“Ay, that’s more like it.”
When the three saw who had woken them up they all visibly relaxed.
“Glomgold, what the heck! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Louie complained. He stood up and brushed some non-existent dust off his hoodie. This action was quickly followed by a stretch and a yawn, he looked tired.
“What was goin’ on in here?” Glomgold asked.
“Mario Kart.”
“What?”
“Mmm, I won,” Louie mumbled out rubbing one of his eyes.
“What time did ye all go to bed last night?”
“Hmmm, I think we all passed out at, I dunno, 4 am?” Said Beaks.
Glomgold grunted in annoyance. That put a wrench in his plans. He didn’t count on his business partner to actually stay awake. Now he actually had to go to his meeting.
“Well don’t do it again. And you lad, ye look like death! Go get some rest!”
“Mmmm, whatever,” Louie mumbled as he dragged himself away from the TV area, presumably to go to his room. Once he was gone Glomgold turned his attention back to the turn adults in the room, both of which were beginning to fall back asleep.
“As for you two, De Spell held a briefing last night that you both missed. She charmed the manor so that if Scrooge or his kin set foot in the mansion an alarm will sound and traps will be activated.”
“But won’t they hurt Louie then?” Don Karnage asked.
“He’s the exception. The enchantments shouldn't affect him.”
“Wait, why are you telling just us this? Shouldn't you tell him too?”
“I plan on doing so once he's less tired. Anyways that’s all I wanted to tell you two,” Said Glomgold. And with that, he walked away, begrudgingly going to his next meeting.
A couple hours of preparing and planning later and the McDuck/Duck family was ready. Everyone piled into the mini-van Ma ría has so generously let them borrow with the promise that when Launchpad inevitably crashed it Scrooge would buy her a fancy new Lamborghini. Despite being a van it was still rather cramped with Della and Beakly sitting in the back, the kids sitting on the van floor in the back of them, and Launchpad driving while Scrooge sat in the passenger seat.
When they got close to the mansion Launchpad pulled over and parked about a mile away. He then covered the van with leaves and other various foliage per Scrooges request.
“I’ve known some of my enemies for many years. They all know by now I, Scrooge McDuck, won’t give up so easily. They'll probably be expecting us so be on your guard.”
The family headed into the woods and walked until they were just outside the mansion gates. Scrooge was leading the group, hitting various trees and rocks with his cane.
“Got to be around here somewhere,” He muttered. One of the fallen tree trunks he had hit had made a sound different from the others. He hesitated and then hit it again. The same peculiar sound rang out. Moving his cane to the side Scrooge walked up to the fallen trunk and began trying to move it. The others joined in when they realized he wouldn’t be able to do it alone.
Once the trunk was successfully moved Scrooge began moving the dirt covering the area to the side revealing an old-looking wooden trap door. With little effort, Scrooge opened it revealing ancient-looking stone steps. He walked inside and motioned for the rest of his family to follow. The passage was dark, save for the conveniently lit torches that sported the wall. Scrooge grabbed one and continued walking forward. The hallway was made of concrete and gave off an air of cursed catacombs rather than a secret passage. The journey seemed to span forever but eventually, they reached what looked like a wooden door.
Cautiously Scrooge reached a hand out and opened it. In front of him laid multi-color fabrics of all kinds. The passage led to what seemed like a coat closet. Scrooge put out the torch so he wouldn’t catch anything on fire and accepted the flashlight Webby was offering him. One by one the family members crawled out of the passageway and into the closet. Launchpad was the last one inside and re-covered the door with fabric, hiding it from sight again. Scrooge opened the door a crack and poked his head out. The passage led to a coat closet in the foyer. Not the best design decision if you asked him but at least they were in.
“Alright the coast is clear,” He whispered. As quietly as they could each duck exited the closet, “Remember, we stick together and stay vigilant. This place might be booby-trapped,” Della whispered. Just as the words left her beak an alarm sounded followed by every door and window becoming covered with metal, locking them inside.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Scrooge McDuck and his family.”
Everybody turned their attention toward the top of the stairs. There stood Ma Beagle, looking smug, one of her sons standing behind her sporting a similar smirk. To the left and the right on the ground floor were the remaining members of the Beagle family. Apparently, Ma Beagle had moved her whole family in, and right now they were cornering Scrooge's family. They were trapped.
“Ma Beagle, tell me what you did to Louie!” Scrooge demanded.
“Sorry but that’s classified information,” Said Ma Beagle. Her voice lacked any real sincerity, instead, the tone was a mocking one, “I’ll have to ask you to leave our property before things get messy.”
“I’m not leaving without my son!” Della yelled. She charged forward, ready to punch Ma Beagle in the face. The Beagle Boy standing next to her shielded his beloved ‘Ma’ at the last second, taking the blow to the face.
The remaining beagle boys charged at the McDuck/Duck family ready to avenge their wounded kin. Della was determined to get to Ma Beagle and fought any Beagle Boy that got in her way. Scrooge took on the Beagle Boys coming after him by himself, being a capable fighter and all. Webby and Mrs. Beakley fought back to back putting years of training to use. Launchpad teamed up with both Huey and Dewey for the fight.
The family had taken down about half of the Beagle Boys another presence made herself known.
“Ah Scrooge, how good to see you again!”
It was Magica De Spell.
“De Spell, tell me where my nephew is this instant!”
“I might know where he is, I might not, if I did know I could just tell you and this would all be over but where’s the fun in that, hm? I say we play a little game first," Magica said as s he pulled what looked like a magically enchanted smoke bomb out from behind her back, “Let’s see how your little family fares when split up, shall we?”
Before anyone could react she threw the bomb down, blinding everyone inside the foyer with smoke.
“Follow me! This way!” Scrooge yelled. He began running in a random direction hoping his family was following. He ran down a hall and into a nearby room. He felt his heart drop when he saw only Della and Beakley had followed.
“This isn’t going as planned, wait where are the boys?” asked Della. She looked around hoping they’d pop out or run into the room any minute now. By this time Beakley had noticed the absence of the others as well, “Where is Webby? Where is Launchpad?”
Scrooge remembered before throwing the smoke bomb Magica had said something about splitting the family up.
“Curse me kilts.”
After she threw the smoke bomb Dewey had become blinded by the smoke filling the room. He reached out of grabbed who he thought might have either been Huey or Webby guessing by the size of the wrist. He heard his uncle say something but couldn’t hear him over the sound of the siren.
“Come on!” Yelled the one whose wrist he had grabbed. Yup, definitely Huey.
The two ran into a nearby hallway to get away from the smoke. They turned a corner and almost ran into a Beagle Boy who apparently was late for the welcoming party.
“Hey!” He yelled when he saw the two ducklings. The brothers screamed in fear and turned around taking a different corner in hopes to lose him. Suddenly the floor infront of Dewey disappeared. The duckling in blue stopped fast almost losing his balance in the process. Huey couldn’t stop fast enough and crashed into his immediate younger brother sending both tumbling down.
When the two landed they found themselves in the TV room.
“Huh? How’d we end up in here?” Asked Dewey. They had fallen while on the first floor. Dewey wasn’t the best at physics but they should have landed at the basement level. Instead, they were on the second floor of the house.
“What we fell through must have not been a hole but a portal. That’s why we’re on the second floor,” said Huey. He looked up, hoping to catch a glimpse of what they had just fallen through but it was gone.
“But why? Last time I checked the floors didn’t do that!”
“Magica must have set up magic traps in case we came back. We should be careful, there could be more.”
“Looks like we got separated from the others too,” Said Dewey while looking around.
“That’s okay. We just got to stick together!” Huey exclaimed.
“You’re right! Let’s just focus on finding clues to where Louie might be. Where should we start?
“Hmmm, one of the last places we saw him was our shared room. I doubt he’d still be there but it’s worth a shot.”
“Okay lets go!” Dewey exclaimed as he ran ahead.
“Wait! Be careful of traps!” Huey called out running after him.
Louie was jolted awake by the sound of an alarm. Not a normal alarm clock people use to wake up in the morning. An actual alarm blaring all throughout the manor.
He ran out of the room and down the hall looking for someone to explain to him what the hell was happening. Not long after he ran right into Mark Beaks.
“Beaks! What the heck is going on?”
“I’m not sure. Glomgold said something about an alarm after you left but I was too tired to pay attention. I was going to text the others asking what was happening but none of them accepted my friend request on social media! Magica even blocked me, I can’t believe her!”
Louie rolled his eyes, “We’ll focus on that later! Right now let's split up and figure this out! You scout the first floor, I’ll see what I can find here on the second floor! Let me see your phone, I’ll add you on something.”
“For real?!” Mark Beaks squealed. He handed the duckling his phone. Louie added him on one of the social media platforms he had and handed the phone back to Beaks.
“Text me if you find anything,” Louie went to leave but was stopped by Mark Beaks.
“Wait! Let’s take a selfie to commemorate this occasion!” Before Louie could respond Beaks pulled him close and took a quick selfie, blinding the poor child with the flash, “My followers are going to love this!” He exclaimed while running downstairs. Louie rolled his eyes once more and began searching.
It was weird for Huey and Dewey to walk into their room. It was almost exactly the way they left it. The only person missing was Louie. The last time they had seen him he had been laying on his bottom bunk, sulking about being grounded.
The brothers walked inside and looked around. Dewey walked over to their dresser and moved it aside in hopes that Louie was behind it. When he did so a framed picture that was on top of the dresser fell to the ground, followed by the sound of glass shattering. Dewey winced and picked up the shattered picture frame flipping it over.
It was a picture of Him, Huey, and Louie from about a year ago before they had arrived at the mansion. The photo had been taken by their Uncle Donald as obvious from the thumb that was slightly visible in the frame. In the middle was Dewey, one arm slung over each brother. To his right was Huey giving a smile and waving to the camera, and to his left stood Louie, his usual smirk in place. Behind Dewey’s head he held up two fingers, giving him “bunny ears.”
The glass of the frame didn’t appear to be as badly damaged as he originally thought. Just a long jagged crack in the glass in between him and Louie. Dewey smiled fondly at the photo, placing it back on the dresser.
‘Hold on just a little longer Lou.’
“Did you find anything yet?” Huey asked him.
Dewey shook his head, “How about you?"
“Nothing, come on we got to keep searching,” Said Huey. Just as he and Dewey stepped into the hallway something, or rather someone crashed into them.
“Oof! Hey watc-”
The words died in the other Ducks throat. He stood stock still staring at the two with a surprised expression, something that was mirrored by Huey and Dewey. It was Louie.
Before anyone could breathe Huey and Dewey shot forward capturing the youngest triplet in a bone-crushing hug.
“Louie!”
“Are you okay?”
“You’re not hurt are you?”
Louie stood there in a shocked daze for a moment before seemingly regaining his bearings. “Get off of me!” He shouted, roughly shoving the two away from him. Louie took a couple of steps back putting some distance between himself and his brothers. Both stared at him confused. They thought he’d be happy to see them but instead, he looked just as confused as they were, but also angry...and hurt.
“Louie, what’s wrong?” Huey asked. He took a couple of steps forward.
“Stay away from me!” Louie growled out. Huey stopped in his tracks. He had never seen his brother like this before. What had happened to him?
“Louie, what's going on? We’ve been worried sick about you, did something happen?”
Louie didn’t answer, opting to cross his arms and glare at them. Dewey didn’t get it. Shouldn’t he be happy they were there to rescue him? Why was acting like this? Suddenly Louie spoke again.
“What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean? Saving you obviously, come on,” said Dewey. He made a move to grab Louie's wrist only for the younger to rip it out of his grasp.
“What do you mean saving me? Whoever said I needed to be saved?”
Now Huey and Dewey were even more puzzled, “Weren’t you kidnapped or hiding from Scrooge's enemies?”
Louie stared at them before a realization donned on him, “Glomgold didn’t tell you guys…”
Huey’s eyes-widened. He felt his mouth go dry. Unlucky for him Dewey hadn’t gotten the message and asked the one question he didn’t want the answer to.
“Didn’t tell us what?”
“I wasn’t kidnapped. I joined Glomgold and the others willingly.”
Huey felt his heart shatter.
Notes:
I am stopping it there because this chapter is getting way too long and I still have to edit it. I look forward to reading your agonizing cries in the comments for leaving this on a cliffhanger :). See ya next week!
Chapter 5: Somewhere Only We Know
Summary:
Feeling scared and confused Louie found himself making his way toward Scrooge's office. He was filled with so much relief when he saw the familiar hallway that he didn’t even seem to notice the commotion going on.
When he got closer to the room, he grabbed onto the doorway for support, ignoring the fact that the door was now missing, “Glomgold I-”
“Louie?!”
Louie felt his blood turn ice cold when he heard a familiar voice say his name. In the office were Glomgold and Magica. And accompanying them were Scrooge, Beakley, and Della. From the looks of it, they had been fighting.
“Lad you’re alright!” Scrooge exclaimed with a relieved smile, one shared with Mrs. Beakley. Della rushed forward to scoop her youngest up in a hug only for him and sidestep and avoid her.
“L-Louie?”
Notes:
PLEASE READ: hi everyone, before I begin I have a very important message. So as of late a couple of people have been leaving links to their fanfics in the comments. I’m writing this to ask the people doing that to stop. Not only is it disrespectful because it’s taking away attention from my work which is what the comment section is for but it’s also just really upsetting. I tried deleting the comments that do this hoping the people doing it would get the message but every new chapter I post somebody posts a comment with a link to their fic. I know this might not seem like a big deal to some but it is to me and if it continues I’m going to have to start moderating comments which really isn’t something I want to do because then it means comments won’t appear until I approve them which is just a hassle. So to the people posting links to their fics in my comments please stop. If you want to send me something add me on discord, my username is in my profile. Sorry for the lengthy note, let’s begin.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
And if you have a minute why don’t we go
Talk about it somewhere only we know?
This could be the end of everything
So why don’t we go somewhere only we know?
Somewhere only we know
“Glomgold didn’t tell you guys…”
“Didn’t tell us what?” Dewey asked. His attention was solely on Louie. If he had been more aware he would have noticed the way Huey’s body seemed to stiffen and how his breath hitched after Louie spoke.
“I wasn’t kidnapped. I joined Glomgold and the others willingly.”
Dewey waited for Louie to say he was kidding but that never happened. He searched Louie’s face for any sign of this being a lie. His brother was a good liar but he did have a tell, his eyes. Whenever he lied they seemed to get a mischievous twinkle of some sort. It was barely noticeable to most but they grew up together so he could spot it if he paid really close attention.
There was no twinkle in Louie’s eyes though. All Dewey saw in those eyes was resentment and anger and it was directed towards him and Huey. Dewey didn’t understand, he didn’t even know if he wanted to. Despite this, he still found himself as if on autopilot asking, “What do you mean you joined them willingly?”
Louie rolled his eyes. He looked like he wanted to say something else but instead decided to respond to Dewey’s question. “I mean they broke into the house and offered me a spot in their family since my old one abandoned me.”
Dewey felt a flare of agitation, “We didn’t abandon you, Louie! We were only gone for a couple of hours!”
“You were gone all day! I was left alone while you guys went on your little getaway,” Dewey blinked. It had only felt like a couple of hours. Had they really left Louie alone in the mansion for that long? A look of hurt flashed on the youngest triplet's face, “I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this. You don’t even care.”
Dewey felt like he had just been stabbed in the heart. He was rendered unable to speak. Thankfully Huey had gotten over his initial shock and spoke for him.
“What are you talking about Louie? Of course, we care!” Huey yelled. His voice cracked mid-sentence. His eyes watered. His body language conveyed so much hurt that Louie found himself believing him. “We love you, Louie. Please come back,” Huey held his hand out for him to take. Louie hesitantly began reaching his hand out to grab it-
‘Your plans, your schemes, they only lead to bad things for your family. If you want to be a part of this family you got to stop.’
Louie stopped and then recoiled his hand as if he had just touched fire. No, they were lying to him. They didn’t love him, they wanted him to change and then they’d love him. Della had said it herself. If they couldn't love him for who he is now then it wasn't love. It was control.
“I’m impressed, in such a short amount of time you’ve become quite good at lying, Hubert,” Louie said. His tone was even and his expression unreadable.
“I’m not lying Louie!” Huey all but screeched. Louie felt a pang of guilt and pain in his chest but ignored it.
“Yes you are and you want to know how I can tell? These villains as you so lovingly call them have been nicer to me in the few hours that I’ve known them than you guys have in months! Ever since Della came back you guys have been treating me like the scum she seems to think I am!”
Huey and Dewey didn’t have anything to say, both recoiling slightly at hearing Louie call their mother by her name instead of mom. Louie continued.
“All you guys and anyone else ever saw me as was trouble, no good, the "evil" triplet! Well if the world just wants to view me as a villain then fine! If that's what they want then that's what I'll be!"
“Louie please liste-”
“I’M DONE LISTENING!”
“Louie!” called out a new voice. Suddenly Don Karnage jumped out of god knows where. He stood in between Louie and his biological brothers. The pirate had his sword drawn and pointed it at Huey and Dewey.
“Louie, there you are! Beaks told me I’d find you on the second floor. Looks I got here just in time, did they hurt you?”
Dewey narrowed his eyes at the pirate pointing a sword at him and his elder brother. Who the hell did this guy think he was talking to Louie like that? He looked to Louie half expecting him to look confused but instead, he looked relieved.
“I-I’m fine,” Louie said, his voice shaky. Dewey had always been the one to protect Louie from bullies or bad guys, it was his job. Now Louie was looking at him with the same expression he wore when looking at bullies or bad guys.
Hurt. Afraid.
“Get out of here, I’ll hold them off,” Don Karanage said without taking his eyes off the two ducklings in front of him. Louie seemed to hesitate. He gave Dewey and Huey one last look that conveyed an emotion Dewey couldn't quite place before running down the hall away from them.
Dewey couldn't stop himself. He ran forward, arm stretched out, “Louie wait!”
“Look out!” Huey yelled before diving forward and tackling his brother. Both landed in a heap on the ground. Where Dewey had just been standing was the blad of Don Karnages sword. If Huey hadn’t pushed him out of the way…
“I may have missed. But I won’t miss again!” Don Karnage announced. He began walking towards the two who scrambled to get up before running down the halls away from Karnage. Magica’s Despell’s enchantment was coming into effect again. The mansion’s halls had been rearranged into a maze for them. Their luck ran out when they took a wrong turn and reached a dead end.
“We’re trapped!” Huey exclaimed. They heard the sky pirate slowly advancing towards them. The two spun around and grabbed onto each other in fear. Just as Don Karnage was about to strike a sudden kick to the face sent him careening backward and into the body of Launchpad who delivered a swift chop to the neck, knocking the sky pirate unconscious.
“Did I do it? Did I do that right?” Launchpad asked.
Dewey and Huey didn’t answer, instead watching as Webby dropped down from a vent directly above them, “Yes, great work LP!” She spun around to face her honorary brothers, “Are you guys okay?”
“Webby, great entrance, though it could have used more explosives,” Dewey quipped. Huey rolled his eyes, “We’re fine. What about you and Launchpad? How did you guys find us?”
“Well, when Magica threw the smoke bomb I somehow ended up following Launchpad into another room. We began looking for you guys and the others and eventually saw you two run by followed by Don Karnage. So I devised a plan and taught Launchpad how to chop someone in the neck to knock them. Granny taught me. Speaking of Granny have you seen her?
Both Duck brothers shook their heads. “No, We haven’t found Scrooge or mom yet either,” said Dewey. He opened his beak to say more but paused as if he suddenly lost his voice. Webby waited patiently for him to finish. “But we did find Louie.”
“You did! Where is he?” Webby asked looking around.
Huey took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly as if trying to control his emotions.
“Webby we have something to tell you.”
Scrooge, Beakley, and Della had been walking around for what seemed like ages and had found nothing that would do them any help in finding the others, or Louie. To make matters worse there seemed to be a spell of some kind on the manor causing it to change seemingly at random. Scrooge and Della in particular had to stop themselves from falling into portals that appeared randomly and without warning.
“Bringing the children along was a bad idea. I say once we find the children and Launchpad we call Gizmoduck and leave. We’ll come back another time,” said Mrs. Beakley.
Della shook her head, “I can’t leave without all my boys. I can’t leave without Louie! He’s probably scared and all alone. I just got them back I can’t let him suffer any longer than he has to.”
“I understand that you’re worried about the safety of your child but right now your other children are in great danger as well. So far we have not found anyone or anything that could tell us what happened to Louie. Retreating may be our best option.”
Della was about to respond but was cut off by Scrooge.
“Shhh! Do ye hear that?”
Della and Beakley went quiet. If they listened closely they could hear what sounded like faint arguing coming from somewhere nearby.
The trio followed the sound until they eventually stopped outside the door to what used to be Scrooge's office. The trillionaire felt a flare of irritation at the thought of Glomgold having the nerve to take over his office and claim it as his own.
Scrooge glanced at Della and Beakley and made hand motions signaling to them what he was about to do and what his plan was. The two nodded and got ready. Scrooge then kicked the door in taking it clear off its hinges. Just like he predicted inside was Glomgold and Magica. Both had a deer caught in the headlights-like expression on their face.
After getting over his initial shock Glomgold shouted, “Ay! You’re going to have to pay for that! That door was property of Glo-”
“Can it Glomgold!” Della growled. She marched forward past Scrooge and grabbed Glomgold by the front of his shirt. “My patience has been wearing thin since I entered your little funhouse version of my Uncle’s mansion. I’m to the point where I will not hesitate to beat you within an inch of your life if I have to. So, before I completely lose my cool, I’m only going to ask this once. Where. Is. My. Son.”
Della was suddenly forced to let go of Glomgold as she felt something slam into her, sending her back a couple of feet. “Lass!” She heard Scrooge call out in concern. Della opened her eyes and saw Magica holding a magic scepter Scrooge had collected on one of his many adventures. She had a satisfied look on her face. Della got up and glared at the two.
“Alright. You wanna dance? Fine. Let's dance.”
Louie ran away as fast as he could from his brothers. He wasn’t ready, He couldn’t face his old family. Not here. Not now. Everything hurt too much!
He didn’t want to hear Huey and Dewey try to talk him down. He couldn’t take it out because for a split moment he actually believed them and the realization that what they were saying wasn’t true hurt more than anything in the world.
A small portion of him even felt happy when he saw them and that frustrated him to no end. They were his enemy! He was supposed to hate them! Why did it have to be so hard for him to hate them?!?!
Feeling scared and confused Louie found himself making his way toward Scrooge's office. He was filled with so much relief when he saw the familiar hallway that he didn’t even seem to notice the commotion going on.
When he got closer to the room, he grabbed onto the doorway for support, ignoring the fact that the door was now missing, “Glomgold I-”
“Louie?!”
Louie felt his blood turn ice cold when he heard a familiar voice say his name. In the office were Glomgold and Magica. And accompanying them were Scrooge, Beakley, and Della. From the looks of it, they had been fighting.
“Lad you’re alright!” Scrooge exclaimed with a relieved smile, one shared with Mrs. Beakley. Della rushed forward to scoop her youngest up in a hug only for him and sidestep and avoid her.
“L-Louie?” She asked confusion etched in her face. The duckling in question looked momentarily terrified before seemingly collecting himself and putting on a cold and indifferent mask. He then calmly strode over to where Magica and Glomgold stood before turning around to face her.
“Lad, what are you doin’?” Scrooge asked, although he already had an idea. He just didn’t want to admit it aloud because then that would mean it was real, and this couldn’t be real.
“Isn’t it obvious? Come now, you have eyes don’t you,” Magica said. There was no denying the amount of glee she was getting from this if the tone of her voice was anything to go off of.
“Louie, what are you doing? Get away from them!” Della yelled out in concern. When he didn’t respond she turned her attention to the villains in the room, “What did you do to him?”
“Us? We didn’t do anything. We only allowed a lost little duckling into our little family. Isn’t that right?” Magica cooed. Louie’s looked slightly uncomfortable at Magica speaking to him like that but still made no sign of moving.
“You’re lying!”
“She’s telling the truth,” Louie finally said, gaining the attention of everybody in the room. He looked even more uncomfortable than before but quickly composed himself, “When you guys went on your little vacation Glomgold and his “family” showed up. I joined willingly.”
Della's face was blank. When she spoke however her tone was that of someone heartbroken. She asked one simple question.
“Why?”
Louie could help but feel somewhat angry, “Why? Why?! You should know why! You said it yourself! That to be a part of your family that I need to change! That your love is conditional! If I have to change who I am to be a part of your family then I don’t even want to be a part of it because that's not love! That’s control!”
Everybody was silent. Scrooge and Beakley looked confused, they had no idea what Louie was talking about. But Della knew. She looked confused, then horrified as if realization had finally set in. When nobody spoke Louie took that as his cue to leave.
“I’m done here,” He mumbled. He put his hood on to hide his expression and began walking towards the door. Whatever trance Della had been in was broken by this, “Louie! Wait!” She called out. She tried to get up but couldn’t find the strength in her legs too. She held her hand out towards the duckling watching as he walked away and slowly faded away from view.
Before anyone could react Magica shot a blast of magic energy at Scrooge and Beakley sending them careening towards the wall. When they recovered they tried to move only to find that whatever spell Magica had just cast caused them to be immobilized. Satisfied the sorceress pointed her staff directly at Della's face, who was still on her knees. She lifted her head to look at Magica, who was smiling triumphantly at her. The magical artifact glowed an eerie purple, magical energy ready to be unleashed.
“Don’t worry, I’ll put you out of your misery. Any last words?”
Della felt numb. She could hear Scrooge and Beakley screaming and fighting against their restraints nearby in the room but everything sounded and felt far away. She simply lowered her head ready to accept her fate. She didn’t care anymore.
Right as Magica was going to shoot the magical blast at Della something, or rather someone crashed through the window. Magica spun around. Standing there was none other than Gizmoduck.
“I would say I’ll pay for that but you guys probably make more than I do in a year!”
“What do you think you’re doin’ here?!” Glomgold yelled angrily. First the door and now this!
“Stopping a murder,” Gizmoduck responded. He stuck out his hand and a net shot out. Magica let out a cry of surprise as she was encased in the net and her magic staff flew out of her hand, landing on the floor a couple of feet away from her reach. The magic immobilizing Scrooge and Beakley disappeared.
The Sunchaser suddenly appeared next to the now broken windows. The hatch opened revealing Webby, Dewey, Huey, and Launchpad who were currently holding the plane steady.
“Quick! Hop in!” Dewey called out.
“But-” Della started weakly. She was cut off when Scrooge grabbed her arm, “Theirs no time lass come on!” He said as he practically dragged her on. Once everyone was on the hatch was closed and Launchpad flew away, Gizmo duck following.
Everyone on board watched as McDuck's manor got smaller and smaller before eventually fading from v iew. They tried their best but they couldn't reclaim McDuck manor nor could they save Louie.
They failed.
Notes:
If you’re wondering how they got the Sunchaser that will be explained next chapter but you probably already have an idea. I had to leave it out because I couldn’t find a place to fit it. I noticed an author whose work I read has been commenting on this and I’m just, “AAAAAAAAAAAA!” okay enough of me freaking out, I just thought that was kind of cool. Until next time!
Chapter 6: When Somebody Loved Me
Summary:
“This is all my fault,” Della murmured quietly. She sat on the floor against the wall, a thin blanket loosely wrapped around her shoulders.
“Don’t be so hard of yerself lass-”
“No, this is my fault! If I hadn’t said what I said to Louie…” Della trailed off. Everyone's attention was on her now.
“Mom, what are you talking about?” Dewey asked slowly. His voice held so much uncertainty to it, fearing the answer he might receive.
Notes:
Hello again everyone! Thank you for all the support I received in the last chapter concerning the issue I had going on with the comments. So far no links have been posted so fingers crossed it stays that way. I also now have a beta reader now. Thank you to Contsant_Brainrot for beta-ing (is that a word?) it means a lot! Anyways, angst! Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
When somebody loved me
Everything was beautiful
Every hour we spent together
Lives within my heart
When she loved me
He started out walking but soon became frantic as his emotions took over. Louie tore the door open as soon as he reached his room, then slammed it shut and dived under the covers like a terrified child hiding from monsters.
Unfortunately for him in this case his monsters were real. They weren’t even monsters either. They were his old family.
Upon seeing them so many emotions were unearthed and at an intensity, he had never felt before in his short life. Happiness, anger, sorrow, fear, heartache, confusion, and...love?
He didn’t understand. He should hate them, or at least dislike them. They didn’t even care about him yet they still dared to pretend they loved him! Nevertheless, even though their love for him was fake, the love he felt for them was genuine. Despite everything, he couldn't bring himself to hate them, and he hated himself because of this.
When he got to his room Louie finally broke down and allowed himself to cry. Why couldn’t he hate them? Everything would be so much easier if he did! A small part of him even felt a little happy when he saw his ex-brothers again. It was like a reflex or an instinct to feel happy at seeing them.
But once the initial shock wore off, the happiness he had felt was replaced by anger. The anger he still felt towards them, and a dash of fear. He was terrified of being hurt by them again.
Then there was Della…seeing her hurt the most.
Ever since he had been little he had dreamed of what his mother might be like. Uncle Donald never talked about her much growing up. So he filled in the gaps himself using what snippets of information about her he had and whatever else his imagination supplied him with.
One constant in his fantasies would be that she’d love him and his brothers equally. Because that's what mothers do, right? They’re supposed to love their children unconditionally.
But she wasn’t like that at all. What hurt the most about seeing her was the reminder that he wasn’t good enough and that he never would be. Not good enough for his mother, not good enough for his family.
Why couldn’t she just accept him for who he was?
There was a knock at the door, stopping Louie’s spiral. Not wanting anyone to see him crying he abruptly stopped and wiped his eyes dry before crawling out from under the covers.
“Come in,” He said drawing his knees to his chest. He kept his eyes trained on his webbed feet. Out of the corner of his vision, he could see a blur of black and purple enter the room. Despite himself, he did tense up slightly. They might be on the same side but that didn’t change the fact that now that she had a way to channel magical energy she could turn him into a feather duster if she so pleased.
He still didn’t trust her. Not after what she did to Lena, her own “niece.”
Maybe it was because she could sense his distrust or maybe she didn’t want to get too close to him. Whatever the reason she thankfully didn’t move closer. She instead opted to stand a comfortable distance away.
“Hey Magica,” Louie weakly whispered.
“Hello…Louie, was it?”
She couldn’t even remember his name.
“Is everything alright?”
No.
“Everything great…everything's just fine.”
He might be a great liar, but even Louie didn’t believe himself that time.
“Do you… want to… talk… about it?” Magica asked awkwardly. She clearly was out of her element, but was trying nonetheless.
Louie really did not want to talk about anything, but he wasn’t sure what she was currently capable of. Pissing off a sorceress just didn’t seem like a good idea to him. He decided he would play along…for now. Maybe he could find out what she was getting at. After all, she was Scrooge's greatest enemy and he was still Scrooge's biological nephew. She had to be after something.
“I feel so confused. I’m supposed to hate my old family, right? If so then why did I feel happy when I first ran into Huey and Dewey? And why was I afraid of facing them? I should have been happy seeing how they reacted when I told them I was a part of this family but instead I felt sad. None of this makes any sense!”
Louie laid back on the bed staring at the ceiling. Magica was quiet as she let everything sink in so she could formulate a proper response.
“I assume you cared about them your entire life. It's hard to hate the people you loved who you thought loved you as well overnight. It’ll take some time,” She responded.
“I wish I could just hate them. That would make everything easier,” said Louie. Here he was wishing he could hate a group of people. He would have laughed at the absurdity of such a wish if he didn’t feel so miserable.
“I could always cast a spell on you.”
“I’ll pass,” Louie replied dryly. He had a feeling she might have been joking but he never knew when it came to her.
“I think what I miss most is the way I used to feel. I know I have you guys now but it’s just not the same. I had known Huey, Dewey, and Uncle Donald my entire life. They were my home. Then I met Scrooge, Beakley, Webby, and Launchpad and they became my home as well. They weren’t there from the beginning like the others but I still considered them my family. Then Della came back.”
Louie paused as he prepared himself for the storm of emotions he could already feel brewing in his chest.
“I went 11 years without a mom. I spent 11 years wondering what it would be like to have one. After so much time passed I didn’t know how to have a mom. I needed time before I could see her as family the way I did the others. I guess she didn’t like that because she took my home. Huey, Dewey, Webby, Beakley, Scrooge…I lost everybody. I want to be able to feel like that again. To feel at home.”
When Louie was finished silence hung heavy in the air. Louie had assumed Magica was done with him and would leave without a word. But instead, she spoke.
“I lost my home too. Scrooge turned my darling brother into a bird. He flew away and I never saw him again.”
Louie sat up in shock. Scrooge had done that? Magica might be evil but separating a family like that was just cruel to him. That's when the duckling had a revelation. Just like Della had stolen his family Scrooge had stolen Magica’s.
Scrooge was Magica’s Della.
“I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Louie said, his eyes shining in understanding. Magica had her back to him so he couldn’t see her expression.
“He turned many of my dearest friends against me. Not through magic but by promising them things they themselves couldn’t possess without his help. Love, power, riches. At first, I was devastated, desperate even to reclaim their kinship with me. It took me many years to realize one simple truth.”
Magica paused keeping Louie in suspense.
“If their loyalties could be bought so easily were they ever even worth it at all? Worth my grief? Worthy of my love and companionship? Think about it. If they were so quick to turn their back on me then did they ever really care about me at all?”
Magica got up and began walking towards the door.
“Um, Magica…thanks. I have a lot to think about…” Louie said hesitantly.
Magica waved her hand in the air, “This is what family is for is it not? Good day,” She said before closing the door behind her.
As the sorceress began to walk away a cruel, chilling smirk made its way onto her lips.
That was almost too easy.
It had begun downpouring by the time they got back. Launchpad, Webby, and the boys had stolen the Sunchaser back from Glomgold and while it allowed for a quick getaway they obviously couldn’t park it in the Cabrera’s driveway. They ended up having to park quite a bit away meaning trudging back to the house in the pouring rain.
When they got inside Fenton and his mother grabbed as many blankets as they could for their guests. Everyone was silent as Scrooge filled Mar ía in on what had transpired earlier.
“Louie thinks that you don’t love him anymore so he abandoned the family?” Mar ía asked after Scrooge finished his recounting of the events. The silence that followed spoke volumes.
“This is all my fault,” Della murmured quietly. She sat on the floor against the wall, a thin blanket loosely wrapped around her shoulders.
“Don’t be so hard of yerself lass-”
“No, this is my fault! If I hadn’t said what I said to Louie…” Della trailed off. Everyone's attention was on her now.
“Mom, what are you talking about?” Dewey asked slowly. His voice held so much uncertainty to it, fearing the answer he might receive.
María and Fenton left the room to give the family some privacy. Della took a calming breath before speaking. “After I grounded Louie for the timephoon incident I was so mad at him. His scheme could have gotten everybody killed, so I made a pre-recorded lecture that he’d have to watch if he tried to use the internet while we were gone.”
Della paused, she didn’t want to keep going but they had to know. Her family deserved to know why they had lost their brother, their nephew, and her son.
“I-...I told him that-”
Della abruptly stopped, cut off by her own sobs. Scrooge walked over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“It’s okay lass, you don’t have to finish if you want to.”
“No,” said Huey. This was surprising. He was never the type to disregard the words of an authority figure like that. “Mom, what did you say,” He asked, though it sounded more like a command. He seemed calm but his face was stern as if he were angry. It was hard to tell what was going through his head currently.
“Lad,” Scrooge warned only for his niece to hold up a hand, “It’s okay. They deserve to know. You all do.”
Della took a moment to compose herself before continuing. “I said that his schemes only led to bad things for our family and that if he wanted to keep being a part of it that he had to stop.”
The tension that followed was so thick one could probably cut it with a knife. Nobody said anything, unable to find the words. The first one to break the silence was Dewey.
“How could you?” He asked. “This has to be a mistake!” He exclaimed. When she didn’t answer his eyes began to water.
“How could you say something like that!” Huey yelled out in anger. “You essentially told Louie that if he didn’t stop doing something that he loves, something that makes him Louie, he couldn’t be a part of this family anymore!”
Della didn’t respond nor did she make eye contact. She kept her gaze glued to the floor.
“Lass, why did you say something like that?” Scrooge asked calmly.
“I don’t- I don’t know why I said it! I was just so angry and scared! I almost lost my family again and I just didn’t want to lose you all!” Della pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in her arms.
“Mom, not all of Louie’s schemes are bad. They’ve done a lot of good, this one in particular just got out of hand,” said Dewey. His voice was a lot softer than Huey’s and sadder but still held an underlying tone of anger and hurt.
“He felt really bad about it. Then we just left him home alone by himself,” Webby softly said. She had been quiet until now and her voice was small as if everything that had happened today finally caught up to her. At that moment all of Huey’s anger had been drained from him and replaced with something much more fragile.
“He said that we left him alone all day. Louie hates being alone and we…this is all my fault. I should have stayed home with him. He was grounded but he’s also my little brother I should have known better than to leave him alone like that.”
“If anyone is to blame it’s me. I haven't exactly been the best brother. Ever since Mom got back I’ve been kind of rude to him or ignoring him. He was the one who had the most negative and unsure feelings about her returning and instead of talking them out I got mad at him,” said Dewey.
“Me too, I should have been a better friend,” Said Webby.
Beakley placed a hand on her granddaughter's shoulder, “I believe we’re all partially to blame for what happened. I myself had been harsher than usual on him. The best we can do now is move forward and try to figure out how we can fix this.”
“Hey, where’s Della?” Asked Launchpad. Everyone looked towards where she had been only to find the spot empty. Scrooge looked around the room before sifting his gaze towards the door leading outside.
Della sat on the front steps, not caring that the rain was pelting her with no remorse. She felt as though the cold had seeped through her skin and into her bones. She shivered but made no move to go back inside.
‘I deserve this…’
The door behind her suddenly opened. Her Uncle sat down next to her.
“Not a good night for stargazin’ I must say,” Scrooge quipped lightheartedly. He was hoping to get a laugh, maybe even a grunt out of his niece but she didn’t respond or even acknowledge he had said anything.
“I love Louie, I always will no matter what. I should have made that clear to him. He was scared he was losing his family, just like me,” Della said. Suddenly she couldn’t take it anymore. All the pain and grief she had been feeling bubbled up inside her and began to overflow as she began loudly weeping.
“I screwed up! This is all my fault!” She cried. Scrooge drew her in for a hug. Della buried her face into Scrooge's shoulder.
“It’s gonna be alright,” Scrooge whispered comfortingly.
“I shouldn’t have come back. None of this would have happened if I just stayed on the moon!” Della whimpered, her voice muffled.
“Don’t say that lass.”
“It’s true though. The only reason Louie didn't feel like he was loved is because of me! I’m the one who grounded him! I convinced the family to go on that stupid trip and I’m the one who recorded that message and said all those terrible things to him!”
Della pulled away from Scrooge and hugged herself casting her gaze skyward bound. With the rain in the way, Scrooge couldn’t tell if those were tears or raindrops cascading down her face.
“And now all three of my sons hate me. Some mom I am.”
“They don’t hate you. Huey and Dewey are just upset and worried about Louie.”
“I’m the entire reason their brother abandoned the family though. How can they not hate me? Even I hate me!”
“Just like Beakley said, we’re all partially to blame for Louie’s decision. Not one person is completely free of blame here, well except maybe Launchpad. He crashes regardless of who's in the plane.”
Della let out a humorless laugh. It wasn’t much but it was a start.
“What do we now though? I drove my youngest son away.”
For once Scrooge wasn’t sure. He didn’t know if they even could undo this. He didn’t want to tell his niece that though so he opted to say something different. “We’ll figure something out. If adventuring has taught me anything it’s that sometimes the solution your looking for is completely unexpected.”
The two sat in silence for a bit before Della suddenly stood up.
“I’m going to go for a walk.”
Scrooge nodded, “Do you want me to come with you?”
“No, I just need to be alone for a bit. I’ll be back though, I promise.”
Scrooge was hesitant but nodded. “Just don’t say out too long. The last thing we need is you catchin’ a cold.”
Della flashed him a weak smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“I’ll only be gone for an hour,” was all she said before leaving. Della's walk seemed aimless to anyone watching but she had a destination in mind. She entered a nearby wooded area, tromping through the leaves and mud until reaching the Sunchaser. Opening the door she slipped into the plane and made her way towards a brown box tucked into the corner of the aircraft.
After finding Webby and Launchpad in the mansion, Huey and Dewey went to the Houseboat, grabbing various items from there and their room in the mansion. It was a real possibility they would never be able to go back. They wanted to save what valuables and precious family photos they could.
Della began rummaging through the box, searching for a particular item. When she found it she picked it up gently. It was a photograph of her boys. It didn’t look like it was taken too long ago, maybe a year or so earlier. The picture’s frame had a large crack in the glass. Della sat against the wall staring at Louie in the photo. She wished he was there so she could tell him how sorry she was for everything.
She hadn’t noticed it at first, but there was a low humming emanating from nearby. Broken from her train of thought, Della looked up from the photograph. She quickly scanned the room for the source of the noise. It was then that she noticed the radio. Not just any radio, it was the radio she had been using to try and contact Penny. It had been one of the various things her boys packed. Della had been trying to reach her friends on the moon for a while now with no luck. She picked up the device and decided to give it one last try. Penny was great at giving advice after all and a great friend. Maybe she could help Della figure out what to do now.
After finding an outlet on the Sunchaser Della plugged the ham radio in. Before she could say anything the radio’s sound came to life. At first, Della was ecstatic but what she heard come over the radio waves made her blood turn cold.
“This is Lieutenant Penumbra for her friend Della Duck! All of your defense satellites just went down for some reason. Lunaris is bringing an army to destroy Earth! Della, he’s coming for your family!”
Notes:
Cliffhanger! But wait how did the satellites go down like they did in canon if Louie’s not in complete control of McDuck enterprises? You’ll find out next chapter, though it’s probably fairly obvious what happened, haha! This chapter was hard to write since I had to make it believable but also satisfying for the reader. Please let me know what you all think and until next time!
Chapter 7: Della's Lullaby
Summary:
“Della, why did you say all of that to Louie? Why did you give him any inkling that he couldn’t be a part of this family? Family means we stick together no matter what! And Louie, he’s just a kid! Why would you say that to him? Put yourself in his shoes! How would you feel if someone said that to you!”
Donald was angry but this wasn’t his normal anger. It held a tint of disappointment and that made it all the worse.
“I don’t know! I don’t know why I said what I said!” Della exclaimed, “But I regret every word of it…I was just so afraid of losing my family again. I was alone for 11 years I can’t go through that again.”
Donald paused, “Louies afraid of being alone too. Ever since he was little.”
Notes:
Sorry for the wait on this chapter. School started and I was too busy to edit. Updates will be sporadic since I’ll only be writing when I have time. Thanks for understanding.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Face each new sun with eyes clear and true
Unafraid of the unknown
Because I’ll face it all with you
Della fiddled with her scarf as she made her way toward the room Scrooge was staying in. She had to tell him about the Moon invasion, the “Moonvasion” as she had dubbed it in her head. She considered turning back, she was so drained emotionally and mentally. She just wanted to burrow herself underneath a rock somewhere and never come out.
Della steeled herself. She had to tell him now. She had waited too long by opting to tell him in the morning instead of that night when she got back to the house. The Moon people could already be on their way, he needed to know. She knocked on the door and waited.
Scrooge was already dressed for the day ready to help his family figure out what they were going to do next. He had actually just been about to leave the room when Della knocked.
“Ah, Della what can I do for you this fine morning?” Scrooge asked. He sounded just as drained as she did but regardless tried to keep this air of positivity for their family's sake. That just made her feel even worse for what she was about to tell him.
“Hey, Uncle Scrooge, remember how great you felt when I came back from the Moon after all these years?”
Scrooge seemed confused but smiled, “More than you’ll ever know lass. I’ll remember that feeling always.” As he said this Della could see a golden replica of the Spear of Selene descend and land somewhere in the distance from the window in the room. She began to panic internally. She had waited too long, the invasion was beginning.
“G-great, cause…uh..” She trailed off pointing towards the window. Scrooge turned around to see an army of golden Spear of Selene’s landing in various areas in Duckberg.
“Curse me kilts! Is that the Spear of Selene!”
All the panic Della felt inside broke open like a dam.
“Please don’t be mad!”
Louie had been having a fairly pleasant morning. After all the chaos that had been happening he needed a day to just kick back and relax. So after a breakfast consisting of cereal that probably shouldn’t be given to children Louie grabbed a can of Pep from the fridge and headed over to the TV room. The Beagle boys were already there binging Ottoman Empire. Louie had introduced them to the show and ever since they had been obsessed.
“Hey guys,” Louie said plopping down on the couch next to Big Time. The Beagle Bys grunted in acknowledgment, too focused on the TV to really pay attention. Louie cracked open his Pep and slumped back getting ready to have a nice relaxing day.
But as his luck would have it he would be having anything but a relaxing day.
The broadcast was suddenly interrupted by a special news report followed by a somewhat obnoxious voice that exclaimed, “Breaking News!”
All the occupants in the room groaned in annoyance with the exception of one of the Beagle Boys who seemed more confused than annoyed.
“Is this a part of the episode?” He asked no one in particular.
On-screen was a golden rocket landing near the bridge leading to the Glomgold (or as it had used to be known previously, the McDuck) money bin. Roxanne Featherly's voice began playing over the video on-screen but Louie was too focused on how the rocket looked to pay attention. Something about it looked familiar.
Wait.
“Is that-”
“Shh!” Big Time shushed him before turning the volume up. Louie couldn’t believe it. He knew what the rocket was. He had seen only seen it in old photos but there was no mistaking it.
That was the Spear of Selene! But…why was it golden? Furthermore, he thought it had been destroyed long ago, what was it doing landing on Earth? Who was piloting it?
“-All of Duckberg watches as authorities send in their top men,” Said Roxanne. In the background, Louie could see Gizmoduck rolling up to the rocket. He knocked a couple of times on one of the legs before rolling back.
After a couple of seconds, the door opened revealing a purple being wearing what appeared to be golden armor. Louie recognized the alien too. He didn’t know them personally but their description lined up pretty well with the one Della had told him when recounting her time on the moon. It was one of the Moonlanders!
That explained the rocket modeled after the Spear of Selene. Louie stood up to leave. He already knew what would happen next. The Moon people would ask to speak to Della Duck and then the whole McDuck and Duck family would appear on the screen and take pictures and sing kumbaya. While that was great and all Louie had seen enough of them for one week. Just as he was about to leave he heard something that caught his attention.
“GIZMODUCK, WATCH OUT!”
Louie spun around just in time to see Officer Cabrera push Gizoduck out of the way of a laser beam. The beam hit a police car directly behind them as more moon people exited the rocket carrying weapons.
“We are mighty! We are the moon!”
Complete chaos breaks out on-screen. Louie and the beagle boys watched in horror as footage of people running for their lives flashed on the screen followed by screaming. Eventually, a stray laser beam hit the camera and the broadcasts signal was lost.
“I didn’t like that episode,” One of the Beagle Boys mumbled.
“It wasn’t an episode you dolt! The moon people are invading!”
“What do we do?”
The Beagle Boys turned their attention to Louie. He would have choked if he had been drinking anything. What the hell did they expect him to say?
“Um…I’m gonna go get Magica. You guys look for the others and tell them we have a family meeting at 10 in the dining room. We need to group up and figure out a plan,” He said before leaving. As he did so his mind began racing with questions.
How did this happen? Why did this happen? What do the moon people want? Am I going to be okay?
…Is my old family okay?
Louie shook his head expelling those thoughts. No, there was no use asking questions that nobody had answers to right now. Besides, he had more important things to worry about right now. Like the safety of this family.
With that in mind, Louie quickened his pace. He just hoped he wouldn’t lose this one too.
“We have to go back to Duckberg.”
“The plans not working,”
Della kept her eyes on the skies as the kids slowly began to figure out that their part in the “plan” to stop the “moonvasion” didn’t actually exist. She knew it was wrong to lie to them and hated it but she didn’t have a choice. She tuned back into the conversation just in time to hear Huey say the inevitable.
“The plan isn’t to find help is it?”
Della didn’t get a chance to respond. Dewey beat her to it.
“The plan this whole time. It was to run away!”
Della tightened her grip on the plane's yoke. She had been hoping she could hold off on this until later, at least until they weren’t being chased by a hostile Lunaris ship.
“Lunaris is targeting us. If I told the truth you wouldn’t have come.”
“So we don’t fight back? We leave our friends and family?” Dewey asked. A trace of anger could be heard in his voice. He was still leery of her after learning what had happened between her and his younger brother.
“What about Scrooge? What about Beakley and Launchpad, and..and-”
“What about Louie?”
Della turned around in her chair to face them, “You’re my family too! I can’t lose you again!” During her lapse in focus, the Lunaris ship that was chasing them fired a laser. It was a direct hit. Della tried her best to keep control of the ship but the damage was done and they ended up crashing.
“Is everyone okay?” Della asked. She gave the kids a quick once over. They seemed shaken up but otherwise had no physical injuries.
“I’m fine,” Huey groaned. Dewey and Webby didn’t respond verbally, giving her a thumbs up instead.
After waiting a couple of seconds just in case any Lunarian ships were still around the four exited the now destroyed aircraft.
“We made it. We’re safe!” exclaimed Della.
“And stuck. You have to be pretty unlucky to be stranded here,” Huey added. Suddenly some nearby bushes rustled. Everybody turned their attention towards the forest and saw a disheveled-looking Donald Duck walk out of the island's forest towards them.
“What?!”
“Donald?!”
“Della?!”
Donald and Della stared at each other for a bit. Each walked towards the other. The siblings when they were about 20 feet apart immediately began jumping and shouting at each other.
“Where have you been?!”
“If you were back at home when I got back, you’d know I’ve been stuck on the moon, which by the way is invading us!”
“I know! I warned you!”
The two continued to argue before eventually embracing.
“I missed you but I’m still mad at you,” Della said between tears.
“I missed you too you big dummy,” Said Donald. His gaze shifted towards the kids. Webby, Huey, Dewey, L-
“Wait. Where’s Louie?”
Della tensed up in his embrace. He also noticed the kid's expressions fall. Della pulled away from the hug and looked her twin brother in the eyes.
“I have something I need to tell you.”
Della began to explain everything that had happened concerning Louie up to that point. The Timephoon incident, her grounding, what she had said, Louie leaving the family, everything. Donald was silent the whole time, listening to his sister fill him in on what had transpired during his absence. When she was done he turned his attention to Huey, Dewey, and Webby briefly.
“Kids, would you mind going for a walk? I need to talk to Della alone.”
The children didn’t argue and left so the adults could talk. Once they were out of earshot Donald turned his attention back to his sister.
“Della, why did you say all of that to Louie? Why did you give him any inkling that he couldn’t be a part of this family? Family means we stick together no matter what! And Louie, he’s just a kid! Why would you say that to him? Put yourself in his shoes! How would you feel if someone said that to you!”
Donald was angry but this wasn’t his normal anger. It held a tint of disappointment and that made it all the worse.
“I don’t know! I don’t know why I said what I said!” Della exclaimed, “But I regret every word of it…I was just so afraid of losing my family again. I was alone for 11 years I can’t go through that again.”
Donald paused, “Louies afraid of being alone too. Ever since he was little.” Della’s eyes welled up with tears. Donald began marching towards the crushed Sunchaser.
“Where are you going?”
“What does it look like I’m doing? We have to go back for him Della.”
Della cut Donald off stepping in front of him and blocking his way, “We can’t! We have to keep the kids safe!”
“Lunaris is invading! Uncle Scrooge needs our help!”
“Scrooge is fine he knows what he’s doing!”
“What about Louie!”
“What about Huey, Dewey, and Webby!”
Donald let out a gargled irritated scream. He turned around and began walking away.
“Where are you going?” Della asked.
“I’m going for a walk,” Donald replied curtly before disappearing into the thicket of the forest. Della looked around. She was alone, it was just like the moon all over again. She towards the vast ocean and then the crashed Sunchaser.
It was time.
“Come on! Come on! Work! Work!” Della exclaimed. She pulled on the plane's yoke with all of her might in an attempt to will it back into the air only for the engine to let out a sputter and die. She let out a cry of frustration as she slammed his fists down the control panel.
Why wouldn’t it work? She could rebuild the Spear of Selene why couldn’t she fix one stupid airplane?
“Della?”
The duck in question jumped and spun around. Webby was standing behind her with a confused expression.
“Oh Webby, I uh…I thought you were with the boys.”
“I was but when we got back we saw you and Donald were gone and decided to split up to find you guys. What are you doing on the Sunchaser?”
“Oh! I was uh, just uh checking for any supplies that might help us. Yup, no food in here. Darn!”
Webby didn’t look convinced, “What’s really going on Della?”
Della let out a sigh. She was such a terrible liar, “Keeping your kids safe was only part of the plan. The other part involved me going back so I could find Louie.”
“Wait! You mean you didn’t plan on just leaving him to fend for himself?”
“Of course not! I still love him. He might be mad at me and I know I hurt him but I can’t let him continue to believe that I love him any less than his brothers. That’s why I planned on going back, to protect him just like how I’m trying to protect all of you!”
“But I don’t understand. If that was your plan all along then why not tell us?”
“Because I knew that if I did you’d all want to go back to the mainland. I can’t risk any of you getting killed because of me! It’s okay if something happens to me, I deserve it! I hurt too many people I care about! I refuse to let that happen again if I can prevent it!”
“Don’t say that.”
“And I’m scared. What if I did bring you with me and Lunaris succeeds? What if I lose my family again?” Della leaned against the wall and slid down until she reached the floor. Webby sat down next to her.
“I know what it’s like to be alone. For years my Granny kept me in McDuck manor. Sure I had her but I didn’t have any friends my own age to play with. I was really lonely. Then I met Huey, Dewey, and Louie and suddenly I wasn’t alone anymore. They became my first real friends! If I lost them I’d be devastated but I also know that it wouldn’t be right for me to try and protect them from what-ifs because those what-ifs aren't real. They’re possibilities and if the odds seem to not be in my favor then I do all I can to make them so everybody stays safe.”
Webby paused to let everything she had just said settle. After a beat, she continued, “You know, I spent a lot of times in the air vents back at home. It’s a surprisingly fast way to travel. At one point I heard Louie singing this song,”
“Face each new sun with eyes clear and true. Unafraid of the unknown…”
“Because I’ll face it all with you,” Della finished. She had tears in her eyes and a small smile on her face, “I wrote that song for my boys before I got lost. But, how did he know it?”
“I used to sing it to them when they were little.”
Della and Webby turned their attention towards Donald who was standing in the doorway of the ship with his own smile.
“Donald! How long have you been standing there?” Della asked.
“Long enough,” He said before walking inside towards his sister, “Della I know you’re scared of losing us but the only way we’re going to survive this invasion is if we face this unknown together.”
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry for everything!” Della exclaimed embracing her brother. Donald hugged her back, “It’s okay.” When they pulled away Della had a determined smirk on her face, “No more crying, let’s go get my son back! Let’s face the unknown together!”
“Ahoy there!”
The three ducklings perked up at the unfamiliar voice. They exited the airplane to see what was going on outside. Pulled up to the island were two familiar ducks riding what looked to be a giant sea monster.
“Mitzy?” They heard Huey gasp from somewhere on the beach.
“Cousin Gladstone! Cousin Feathery!”
After some banter, Feathery asked the question everybody had been waiting for, “You guys need a lift?”
Huey and Dewey planned on leaving but looked over at Della to see what she would say.
“Kids, Donald, let's go save our family!”
Notes:
This chapter was so hard to write! I was on the fence about whether or not Webby or Donald should be the one to talk to Della on the ship. I decided on Webby mainly because she’s just been kind of there and I wanted to give her something to do. I also wanted to explain what happened to the satellites in this chapter but I realized that it would mess up the flow and this chapter was getting kind of long so that will be explored in the next one instead. Please let me know what you all think and until next time.
Chapter 8: Thanks for the Memories
Summary:
They were too late. The invaders had arrived.
“We have to leave now! Everybody head to the garage!”
Notes:
Before I begin I have an idea for another Ducktales story and I want your opinions. I was thinking about genderbending one of the triplets. Should I? Would that be something ya’ll would be interested in reading? I already know which triplet I would genderbend and I could probably write it without the gender-bent but I would just have to ax one of the elements (a resemblance to Della). I wish I could give more info but I want to keep things under wraps. Let me know and enjoy this chapter.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
One night and one more time
Thanks for the memories
Even though they weren’t so great
Duckberg was being invaded. It took all day to find a time when they could meet meaning that it was now nighttime. It was only a matter of time before they targeted the manor. Louie knew this and addressed it in the family meeting. Unfortunately for him, nobody listened.
“Nonsense, we’ll be fine! This manor is one of the safest places we could be,” Glomgold reassured nonchalantly. He sounded too relaxed for someone living through an alien invasion.
“You guys got through the manors defenses though!” Louie shot back.
“That’s because we had the greatest power of all. The power of family!”
“...and they have advanced weaponry, I’m pretty sure that beats the power of family,” Louie deadpanned, “If we don’t leave they might vaporize us or worse! And where is Mark Beaks?”
“His last post on social media was a selfie with the aliens,” Said Don Karnage as he scrolled through his feed. Louie facepalmed. Leave it to Beaks to get himself captured within the first hour of the invasion.
“Let’s say we do evacuate, where would we even go?” Ma Beagle asked. Before Louie could answer they heard an explosion from another room, more specifically it sounded like it came from the foyer.
They were too late. The invaders had arrived.
“We have to leave now! Everybody head to the garage!” Louie exclaimed.
The group led by Louie ran through the corridors of the manor. He knew this place better than anyone, or at least the group currently with him. His mind raced as he thought of escape routes he could take that would get them out without being seen. The fastest route would require them to cut through the foyer so that was out of the question. Louie ended up leading his family through a longer route filled with twists and turns. It took a while but eventually, the door to the garage was in sight.
“There’s the exit! Come on, we’re almost there!” Louie exclaimed. Just as he said that a laser beam hit the floor in front of him. The duckling stopped fast and turned his head towards where the laser had come from. To his left stood 10 Moonlanders, their weapons aimed at him and his family. To his right stood 10 more, their guns also aimed and ready.
“Did you really think we’d let you escape so easily? Give up, you’re surrounded!” One of the Moonlanders ordered.
“Hey now, no need for all this. Why won’t just sit down and have a nice cup of- SMOKE BOMB!” Magica exclaimed before throwing one of her homemade creations. Louie heard yelps of surprise as he ran around blindly for a way out of the smoke cloud. Suddenly someone grabbed him by the hood and pulled him into a nearby room. Louie began squirming trying to break free.
“Louie, it’s me!”
The duckling calmed down when he heard that voice. It was Don Karnage. The sky-pirate put the child down on the ground before peeking back out. The room they were in was a bathroom not too far away from the exit they had just been trying to reach. In the room were also Glomgold, Magica, and the beagle boys.
“This is a disaster! How are we going to get out of here now?” Glomgold .exclaimed.
“Keep your voice down! Do you want us to get caught?” Magica hissed.
“Don’t tell me what to do!”
“Hey, where’s Ma?” One of the beagle boys asked.
“Looks like they all got away except for this one,” They heard one of the moon landers say. Don Karange cracked open the door so the group could see what was happening. They could see one of the moonlanders pointing his lasergun at Ma Beagle. Despite being held at gunpoint she had a defiant, almost annoyed expression on her face as she held her hands up.
“They got Ma!” The thinnest beagle boy exclaimed. He tried to run out of their hiding spot only to be held back by the other two. “Keep your voice down! If you lot keep on shouting like you’ve been doing then you’re going to get us all killed!” Magica scolded.
“Spread out and find them, you three stay here, if they show up let us know,” Louie heard one of the aliens say. Don Karnage shut the door before they could be spotted.
“We need a plan if we want to get out of here,” Stated Magica. The Beagle boys looked at the sorceress as if she had just kicked a puppy.
“But what about Ma? We can’t just leave her behind.”
“As much as I hate to admit it as we currently stand we don’t have the manpower to save her,” Said Don Karnage in a sympathetic tone. He was a lot of things but even he hated the thought of having to leave someone behind.
The Beagle Boys looked around before their eyes landed on Louie begging, pleading for him to think of something.
“We’ll come back for her. I promise,” was all he had to offer. He was out of ideas.
The trio looked devastated, the shortest one even started crying. Louie felt awful, he finally had a family again and he was failing them. He shook his head, he had to get the rest out of here no matter what.
“So what do we do? I don’t have access to me sharks right now,” asked Glomgold.
“I might not be able to save Ma Beagle and Beaks right now but I have a plan to get us out of here,” Said Louie. The villains turned their attention towards him, “Right now three guards are blocking the exit. If we run out and take them by surprise then maybe we might be able to distract them long enough to escape.”
“That’s it? Your plan should involve more sharks!” Said Glomgold.
“I think it’s a great plan. Those aliens won’t be able to take their eyes off the great Don Karnage!”
“Beats just staying here waiting to be found,” said Magica.
The beagle boys didn’t say anything, too overcome by grief. They simply nodded their heads in agreement with the plan.
“Alright fine, if taht’s how it’s gonna be, but don’ come crying to me when yor plan fails cus there aren't enough shark-infested waters,” Said Glomgold. That was the closest thing Louie was going to get to an ‘okay’ from the trillionaire.
“On the count of three, we’re gonna all rush out there. When we do cause as much of a scene as you can, Run, scream, try to fight them, whatever it takes. The chaos should put them into a state of shock momentarily. Just remember to make it to the exit no matter what. Ready?” The others nodded. Louie began counting, “One…tw-”
“CHARGE!” Glomgold yelled running out of the room.
“Oh boy, just go! Go! Go!” Louie shouted as he, Don Karnage, Magica, and the Beagle Boys all ran out of hiding.
Don Karnage began running around one of the invaders while screaming a monologue and threateningly pointing his sword at him. Glomgold joined him with his own monologue about how he became the richest duck in the world The beagle boys began chasing one of them while Magica kept teleporting around the last one.
The scene was complete and utter discord, and Louie loved every second of it.
Deciding to Beagle Boys could use a little help the duckling ran in front of the Moonlander they were chasing and kneeled down causing her to trip.
“Let’s go!” Louie yelled. Magica and Glomgold were closest to the garage door and ran out first. Louie, Don Karange, and the Beagle Boys were about to follow but were stopped when more Moonlanders showed up aiming their guns at them. Don Karange stepped in front of Louie ready to defend the unarmed duckling.
Whether they had heard the commotion going on or had been contacted by someone didn’t matter. All the remaining members of the family knew is that the moment they made a move toward the door they would open fire.
Louie shifted his eyes around the room looking for an angle he had missed. Any way to get out of the situation he was currently in. No matter where he looked though he couldn’t find one. He was supposed to be sharp, sharper than the sharpies but he couldn’t find any angles. There were no more angles. And now they only had two options;
They either surrender and leave what happens next up to fate. Or, they fight despite being severely outnumbered.
No matter what way he looked at it both choices left everything up to chance
“You’re surrounded…again. Give up and no harm shall befall you.”
“Louie, I’ll distract them. You make a break for the exit” whispered Don Karnage.
Louie’sblinked hard. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard, nor did he want to.
“What? No, I’m not doing that! I’m not leaving you behind!” He whispered back. He made a promise to himself to get the others out of there. He couldn’t…he wouldn’t…!
“You won’t be, I’ll be right behind you,”
“We’ll help distract them too. They’re gonna pay for what they did to Ma,” The largest Beagle Boy growled.
“Cease your whispering or we will open fire!” A moonlander commanded.
“On the count of three me and the beagles will fight them long enough for you to escape, then we’ll follow,” said the Sky Pirate. Louie didn’t like this plan but they were running out of options. He reluctantly nodded.
“On my mark…one…”
“Silence!”
“Two…”
“I said-”
“Now!”
The Beagle Boys sprinted toward the aliens. Louie ran towards the exit with Don Karnage close behind covering him and using his sword to deflect beams. Louie heard someone yell at him to ‘halt’ but he didn’t listen. He swung the door open and barreled through. Magica and Glomgold surprisingly hadn’t already left and were there waiting for them.
“Come on, hurry up!” Louie called out to the rest of his family. Don Karnage stood in front of the doorway and asked the Beagle Boys if they were coming.
“We’re not leaving without, Ma! Go on without us!” The biggest only replied as he punched an alien in the face. Don Karnage nodded and blocked another laser beam with his sword. The Moonlanders were closing in.
“There are too many of them! Get out of here, I’ll hold them off!”
“What?! That wasn’t part of the plan!” Louie exclaimed.
“Drop your weapon!” One of the moonlanders ordered. Louie began running towards the open door back into the manner.
“I’m sorry,” Was all Don Karange said before slamming the door closed with his foot. Louie ended up running into the door, “No!” He cried. Louie tried to open the door but the door knob refused the turn, it had been locked from the other side.
“Get in the ca’ we ha’ to get’ goin’!” Louie heard Glomgold yell in the background. Louie hesitated but ran towards the jeep and hopped in the back. Glomgold fiddled with the keys trying to start the car.
“What are you waiting for? Drive already!” Magica snapped. The jeep suddenly came to life. Magica hit the garage door button with a magic blast and they drove out.
“What do we do now?” Glomgold asked Magica. “Don’t look at me! You really think I’m here often enough to know good places to hide from alien invaders!”
“I have an idea,” Louie said from the backseat. “The money bin is the most secure place in all of Duckberg. If we can get there we should be safe. At least for now.” Glomgold took a sharp left that almost sent Louie flying out of the Jeep.
“What’s wrong with you?! Don’t you know how to drive!” Magica spat.
“No.”
With Glomgolds erratic driving, it wasn’t long before the trio reached the money bin. Like everything else Scrooge owned it had been acquired by Glomgold ever since winning the bet so he was able to just drive inside the garage. Louie got out of the car trying to hold back vomit. That was the last time they let Glomgold drive.
“We should be safe in here,” Louie said as he led the other two up the stairs and into the main part of the bin. When he opened the door he saw Gyro Gearloose sitting at the table, papers scattered about and his head in his hands.
“Doctor Gearloose?”
“Green nephew? I was wondering where you were earlier, shouldn’t you be with your family?”
Before Louie could answer Magica and Glomgold walked into the room past him. Gyro let out a dramatic squawk and got into a fighting stance, “What are they doing here?!”
“It’s a long story,” said Louie.
“An’ I’m the owner of this money bin so sho’ me some respect!” Glomgold proclaimed.
“I’d ask more about that but right now we have more important issues to take care of! The moonlanders are attacking Earth and Scrooge's plan failed. He’s just given up and I’m stuck trying to come up with a plan but I can’t think of anything!”
“Of course, his plan failed! He’s Scrooge McDuck!” Said Glomgold smugly. Gyro ignored that in favor of continuing to think out loud, “What I still don’t understand is how they were able to take down not only most of our defenses but our communication satellites as well.”
“That was because of me. I cut them out of the budget” said Glomgold. The trillionaire at least had the decency to look somewhat ashamed considering the gravity of the situation but not much. Gyro gawked at him.
“What?! Why would you do that?!”
Whatever humility Golmgold felt disappeared, replaced with a defensive bravado, “To make room in the budget for me shark pits! They’re not goin’ to feed themselves!”
Louie rubbed his temples in annoyance. Despite this, a small part of him knew he probably would have gotten rid of them too if he was in his position. The invasion wasn’t something he expected to happen, nobody did, but even so, it happened.
Louies gaze traveled towards the window. He looked out towards the destruction of the place he called home. Inside of him he could hear a voice.
‘They’re leveling the city home to the richest duck in the world. It would be better for you to just run and hide. After all, your just one duckling you can’t do anything.’
Louie almost listened.
“I’m sorry.”
“No!”
Louie’s eyes widened as his last memory of Don Karnage flashed in his mind. Ma Beagle, the Beagle Boys, Mark Beaks…they had all been captured. And if he left them at the mercy of the moonlanders then….
‘I’ll be just as bad as my old family…’
Louie turned his attention back to the people in the room. There was a very loud and almost unintelligible argument going on between Glomgold and Gyro.
“Hey!” He shouted, getting their attention. He felt his conviction waver slightly. The voice was right, he was just a kid, and he was terrified. But he wouldn’t be like them. He wouldn’t abandon the people who cared about him. So he steeled himself.
“I want to help stop the invasion.”
To his surprise, there were no objections, not even from Gyro who didn’t know as much about Louie's scheming side.
“I should have expected as much from one of the nephews,” Gyro said in an exacerbated voice, “What’s the plan?”
Louie’s eyes shifted around nervously, “I…I don’t have one but…two heads are better than one.”
Gyro narrowed his eyes, “What are you saying?”
‘I might be sharp but even I know I can’t do this alone. If I’m going to come up with a plan I need someone who's just as sharp as I am. I just hope I don’t regret this…’
“Take me to go see Scrooge.”
Notes:
I’m the worst 🙂I can’t say when the next chapter will be but…..college man. If you're curious Scrooge showed up at the mansion shortly after Louie and the others escaped.
Chapter 9: Carry on my Wayward Son Part 1
Summary:
The doors to the board room opening caught Louie's attention. Gyro was standing in the doorway looking more somber than usual.
“Scrooge is back, the plan failed. He’ll be here soon. I don’t know what you’re planning green nephew but it better be good. At this rate, the Earth is doomed,” He breathed deeply to calm himself before continuing. “I let the rest of your group know. They should arrive any second now.”
“Louie?!”
The duck in question turned his attention towards Scrooge. He was standing almost in the doorway, with the only obstacle in his way being the scientist. A mixture of emotions crossed Scrooge's face. Surprise, happiness, regret, and a couple others Louie couldn’t quite identify.
Notes:
Finally reached the beginning of the end. I’m splitting this into two parts for pacing purposes. I gave the chapter a quick once over before posting so if their are any errors that's why,
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Though my eyes could see, I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think, I still was a madman
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming
I can hear them say…
“Ha! I win again!” Louie exclaimed. He raised his joy-con in the air triumphantly, a large grin plastered on his face.
“I can’t believe this! How could I keep losing!” Mark Beaks exclaimed.
“Looks like the king of Mario Kart has been dethroned,” Said Don Karnage. Louie high-fived him.
“That’s what you think! It’s not public so it doesn’t count!”
“Too late, I posted it on social media. All your followers now know you lost a go-kart racing game to a child,” Said Magica.
“Traitors, all of you!” Mark Beaks exclaimed causing everyone to laugh. Louie grabbed his can of Pep and took a sip. He needed it after such a heated match.
“Us traitors? Ha! If anybody is the traitor here it’s Louie!” Glomgold chimed in from the other side of the couch. Louie put his can down ready to respond but before he could he was cut off by Ma Beagle.
“That’s right, after all, he did abandon us.”
Louie choked on his spit. What did she just say? He wanted to inquire further but found himself unable to speak.
“Yeah, if he hadn’t run away we wouldn’t have been captured by the invaders,” One of the Beagle boys said. Everyone in the room turned toward Louie, the once-warm atmosphere dissipated under their icy glares.
Louie felt his heart rate spike and stood up, “No! That’s not true!” He exclaimed, finding his voice, “I wanted to save you, but I had no choice but to run away!”
“Of course, you’d say that, you're always running away from your problems!” said Mark Beaks.
The others in the room began moving closer to Louie as he backed up until his back eventually hit something that definitely didn’t feel like a wall. He turned around and saw Don Karnage glaring down at him.
“I’m sorry, I promise I’ll come back for you guys!” He cried out. Tears were streaming down his face. His new family was turning against him and he didn’t know what to do.
Don Karnage unsheathed his sword and pointed the tip of it at Louie’s beak. He raised the sword up high. Every fiber of Louie's body screamed at him to run but he found himself unable to move his body. As things couldn’t get worse Don Karnages body began to twist and morph. It was no longer Don Karange holding up the sword, it was Della Duck.
“Your plans, your schemes, they only lead to bad things for your family. If you want to be a part of this family you got to stop,” was all she said before swinging the sword down.
Louie let out a strangled yelp upon waking up. He was breathing heavily and had broken out into a cold sweat. He whipped his head around rapidly, taking in his surroundings. He wasn’t in the mansion surrounded by his new family who suddenly hated him. He was alone in the money bins meeting area. Gyro had led him and the other three here while informing them that Scrooge had gone to try and deal with the invasion with a special team. If things went poorly he should be back soon. Magica and Glomgold had grown bored of waiting and decided to go off to do their own things while Louie opted to wait in the room.
‘Must have dozed off…’
As Louie began to calm down he thought about his nightmare. They were right, he did abandon them and he hated himself for it. He should have thought of something and looked for another angle. While the rational part of him reasoned that he did the best he could another part of him hated feeling so powerless.
‘I’ll save them. I promised.’
The doors to the board room opening caught Louie's attention. Gyro was standing in the doorway looking more somber than usual.
“Scrooge is back, the plan failed. He’ll be here soon. I don’t know what you’re planning green nephew but it better be good. At this rate, the Earth is doomed,” He breathed deeply to calm himself before continuing. “I let the rest of your group know. They should arrive any second now.”
“Louie?!”
The duck in question turned his attention towards Scrooge. He was standing almost in the doorway, with the only obstacle in his way being the scientist. A mixture of emotions crossed Scrooge's face. Surprise, happiness, regret, and a couple others Louie couldn’t quite identify.
“Scrooge,” Louie stated coldly. He tried to ignore the discomfort he felt when his ex-great uncle looked at him as if he were wounded.
Feeling the tension the in air Gyro made an excuse to go anywhere else, leaving Louie alone with his ex-family member.
Whatever pain Scrooge had felt, he quickly recovered and smiled, “Bless me bagpipes. Ye have no idea how happy I am to see ye.”
“If you think I’m here to play happy family you're wrong. I’m here to help come up with a plan to stop the invasion.”
Scrooge's smile faded. It looked like he wanted to say something but was cut off by the loud entrance of Louie's family.
“Well well, if it isn’t Scrooge McDuck in MY MONEY BIN!”
“You mean OUR money bin!”
Whatever he wanted to say died on his tongue the moment he saw his worst enemy and Glomgold enter the room. He fixed them with a glare as they made their way to sit at the table.
“Ye brought them along?” He grounded out, not taking his eyes off the two.
“What was I supposed to do? Leave the there to get captured?”
“Do ye really want me to answer that?”
“You two can have your banter later, right now we have more important matters to discuss,” Said Magica.
“What makes ye think I’d work with the likes of you?” Scrooged sneered.
“Trust me, I’m not too happy about it either, but I’m much less happy with aliens taking over the planet, especially when things started getting better for me.”
Scrooge looked annoyed but relented, “Alright, fine but you,” He said turning his attention back to Louie., “You need to get somewhere safe.”
“Not happening.”
“Lad-”
“I’m not leaving. You’re not the boss of me!” Scrooge's hurt look returned. Louie chose to ignore it again, “People I care about got captured to save me. I refuse to run and hide while the adults do all the work. I need to save them.”
“I guess their is nothing I can do to stop you just try to be careful lad,” Scrooge sighed. His eyes shifted to the sorceress, “Louie, Glomgold, would you two mind leaving the room for a moment? I need to have a word with Magica, alone.”
Louie looked over at Magica to see if she was okay with this.
“I’ll be fine. I have access to magic again, remember?”
Louie nodded and walk to leave. Glomgold on the other hand did not.
“You can’t tell me what to do McDuck!”
“Glomgold, come on, I’ll show you where the gold is kept,” said Louie.
That got Glomgold to leave, excitedly babbling about ‘his gold’ on the way out. Now it was just Scrooge and Magica.
“So, what is it you wanted to speak about?” Magica asked. She sounded annoyed but also intrigued as to what Scrooge was so reluctant to say in front of his “nephew.”
“What game are ye playing at?”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean.”
“Look if this is about your ne- sorry, ex-nephew, then you already know he left your family of his own free will.”
“I know but I also know you couldn’t care less about him so why pretend? What do you gain out of this?”
“The answer is simple really. I get to see you hurt just like you hurt me. You took someone away from me, someone I cared about dearly. So now, I’m doing the same to you, Scrooge. How does it feel?” Magica spoke with a smile on her face. As she finished the last part the smile fell, replaced with a cold glare, “Count yourself lucky, at least you know where your dear nephew is.”
With that, Magica left the room to go find the others, leaving Scrooge alone.
By the time everyone had gathered in the meeting room again, Beakley, Manny, and Launchpad had joined Scrooge. When they had arrived back at the money bin and Gyro had told them Louie was there to see Scrooge they had wanted to go with him. The McDuck head declined, saying that he needed to speak to Louie in private and that their being present would most likely do more harm than good. They didn’t like the decision but understood.
“Before we begin are there any questions?” Louie asked, trying to ignore the stares he was receiving from Team McDuck. Launchpad raised his hand. Louie pointed signaling for him to speak.
“Why are Magica and Glomgold here? Aren’t they the bad guys?”
“Any questions not relating to my family?”
Silence.
“Good, then we can begin. The reason I’m here is because we need to come up with a way to beat the Lunarians. With my ability to see all the angles and Scrooges…’Scrooginess,’ I’m sure we can come up with something.”
“We tried everything we can think of but no matter what we do the Moonlanders are one step ahead of us,” said Beakley.
“An’ I know just how we are going to save the planet!” Glomgold exclaimed. Suddenly a projector turned on showcasing multiple pictures of sharks wearing winter coats.
“Are those sharks wearing parkas?” Louie asked.
“They’re called Sharkas!”
“Welp, we’re doomed, I’m going to go make myself some popcorn. Does anybody want some?” said Magica standing up. This caught Launchpad's attention
“Ooo me, I want some.”
Magica smiled sweetly. “Too bad,” she said before leaving the room.
“I’m going to miss being a planet,” Scrooge muttered.
“Wait…” Louie started, “That might actually work.”
“Oh for the love of- don’ tell me you're actually considering his plan!” Exclaimed Scrooge.
“You said yourself the Moonlanders are always one step ahead of you. Well, maybe in order to beat them we need a plan that sounds so crazy that the Moonlanders won’t know how to react or won’t because they won’t see us as a threat!”
“Still, do we really want to leave the fate of the universe up to Glomgold?”
“Do you have any better ideas?”
“He’s got a point you know,” said Beakley.
Scrooge relented with a sigh.
“Alright Glomgold, let’s hear the rest of your plan.”
Notes:
Wow, long time no see huh? You can blame a mixture of college and depression for that one. I can’t say when the next chapter will be out, I just ask that you be patient and understanding. I’m almost done with this story, one more chapter to go. Thank you for your continued support.
Chapter 10: Update (Not a chapter will be deleted eventually)
Summary:
Please read!
Chapter Text
Hello. I've been getting a lot of comments asking when or if the final chapter will be posted. Originally I was going to remain silent on the matter but I'm admittedly starting to feel kind of pressured to say something, if at least so people will stop asking me why chapter 10 is taking so long. There are a couple of reasons that I will list in no particular order as to why the next chapter is taking so long.
1). I graduated. During the course of this past year I graduated college. When I was still a student most chapters where written during breaks or on long nights when I couldn't sleep. As the academic year wore on I got more and more busy with college and graduated related obligations and festivities. Thus, I had little time to write during the school year.
2.) Job hunting. Even since graduating I've been job hunting while also working a temp job over the Summer. Searching, rewriting cover letters, being interviewed, networking, it can all be exhausting and most days all I wanted to do when I got home was collapse on my bed and sleep. While I love writing I also have bills to pay so job hunting and work takes priority.
3). Mental Health. Job hunting can take a toll on peoples mental health, especially when it isn't going well and college debt is looming overhead. Mental health is something I've struggled with for a while and my motivation to really do anything just hasn't been there, much less write. I'm getting help but my motivation fluctuates. This leads into my next and last reason actually...
4). Lack on interest. While Ducktales 2017 does still mean a lot to me my interest in it has decreased tremendously over the course of the year, which also causes a lack of motivation to write for it. I and other authors on this site do not gain anything monetarily when we write. I do it because I find it to be fun and I'm not having fun than what is the point? I still find joy when I write for certain fandoms but DT17 is not one of them right now.
To summarize the four reasons chapter 10 of Wayward Son is taking so long are the following; Graduation, I need money to pay rent, mental health, and no motivation. I think its great so many people want to see how the story ends and I do plan on finishing it but I also want to write something I'm proud of and actually want to write. I'd rather go on hiatus as opposed to rushing the final chapter and have it suck because my heart wasn't in it.
To those of you who have been patient and have been sending me support thank you so so much. You guys are the reason why I want to complete this and I have been thinking about you.
If anyone has any questions comments are open. Have a good one.
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