Screams echoing off the walls, Dewey raced through the tunnels underneath castle McDuck. The boys had split up to escape the monstrous cat. The monster had chosen to chase the blue triplet, the worst runner of the three.

Dewey was nearly out of breath, from both screaming and running. His webbed foot hit a rock, tripping him up. He stumbled to his knees with a yelp. Too many things were racing across his mind. Louie met mom? He met our mother! And he didn't think to tell either of us! Dewey shook himself. He had more threatening things to worry about.

The growl of the cat reached his ear. Dewey jumped to his feet, breath heavy. The beast prowled forward, teeth bared. Spinning on his heals, he turned back down the tunnel. It was blocked with rubble of rocks and wooden beams. He started up the mountain, trying to find some way through. In the back of his mind, he knew the cat was only getting closer. He forced himself not to look back. Finding a crack, he wiggled through. A tight fit, but the boy managed. He could feel the cat's moist breath on his foot just as he pulled it through.

Plummeting off the rubble pile, Dewey landed on his tail feathers. He winced, crawling away. A loud smash, followed by the cat bursting through the pile. Shards of stone and splinters flew from the mess, almost hitting the boy. Leaning forward, he hoisted himself back on his feet. At this rate, the beast would catch him soon.

"Huey! Louie!" he wailed, sliding around a corner. His expression was fear ridden. He had no clue if his brothers could even hear him from where they were. "I'm sorry! Please! Help!" Part of Dewey twanged with bitterness at giving Louie an apology, especially when he kept a bigger secret than Dewey had, but he could worry about that later. For now, he just had to worry about not dying.

Much to his dismay, he found his path at a literal dead end. Dewey began searching for some sort of button or trapped door. (Castles had those, right?) When he turned up unsuccessfully, he frowned. He pressed his back against the wall, watching the cat clumsily charge for him. "Aw, come on!" he shouted to no one in particular. Taking a deep breath, Dewey put on a brave face. If he was gonna die, it wouldn't be as coward. Clenching his fists, he held them up in defense.

"Hey! Bad kitty!" A rock flew from somewhere, hitting the beast in the ear. Distracted, it slowed its pace. It spun around, and there Huey stood. He glared at the cat, raising another rock. The cat snarled, prowling towards the red triplet. Huey threw the rock. "Get back!" Shaking its head, the feline moved backwards, hissing. "No one asked you," he said, as if he were having a conversation with it. Dewey joined his brother, taking a wooden plank and waving it in the monster's direction. The cat gave one last snarl before bounding off.

"Huey!" Dewey swept his brother up in a hug.

Huey did fist pumps in the air. "Yeah! Take that!" Dewey set him down. "Duck is not on the menu today, kitty!"

Footsteps followed by panting. Louie appeared at the end of the tunnel, worry all over his face. "You guys! That thing didn't eat you!" He came to meet them, a relieved smile on his beak. He held out his arms to embrace Dewey, but the green triplet was met with a hard shove.

"What the heck, Louie!"

"I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner, but it's not like I walked slow on purpose!"

Dewey shook his head. "Not that! You met mom?" Huey's attention turned to Louie expectantly.

Frowning, Louie rubbed his arm. "I don't want to talk about it."

Frustration boiled inside Dewey. He had spent the past several months searching for the mom they had lost only for Louie to have known her this whole time. Clenching his fists, Dewey raised his voice at his brother. "No, Louie! Explain yourself!" Huey stiffened, glancing between the two nervously.

Louie's eyes widened at Dewey's harsh tone, then shifted to a glare. "You know what? No. I don't have to tell you anything! I'm the oldest-"

"By three seconds!"

Huey forced a laugh louder than their argument. He stepped between them, splitting them up with his arms. "Come on, guys. Stop fighting. Let's just all agree that both of you are the worst for holding such horrible secrets," he said through gritted teeth. Slight anger rose in his voice, but Dewey could tell Huey was trying not to show it. "Louie, tell us what happened. Please, we need to know."

Louie smacked Huey's hand off of him. "No, you don't." He walked away, his form tense with anger. With his back turned, he said, "And you should stop looking for her too. You're only going to get yourself hurt. Your search for Della Duck is over."

Dewey watched him, tears tugging at his eyes. But he woudn't let them fall. His search was only beginning.

...

Fethry glared across the table at Downy McDuck. She crossed her arms, a scowl on her face. "Aw, come on Downy! Why won't you just give it to me!" They were discussing the object Fethry was after at the long dinner table.

"You haven't even told me why ye want the dang thing anyways." She raised an eyebrow at him, expectantly.

Fethry looked down, nervously. "Well, I don't exactly know, but if Bradford wants the papyrus of binding, it's probably important. So just give me the piece of paper already so I can get out of your house and we'll never have to see each other again until Gladdy makes us do thanksgiving again."

Downy shuddered at the memory. "The answer is still no, because you're not a McDuck."

Fethry was willing to do anything at this point. He was exhausted and ready to go home. "Are you kidding? I'm the most McDuck-ish non-McDuck ever!" Downy gave him a side glance, looking barely even interested in what he had to say. Fethry got up from his seat and began pacing. "I'm loud, obnoxious, rude, don't like anyone who's not like me, hates people who are like me, bad with kids, just a terrible person in general, and yet somehow people still love me. If that's not a McDuck, I don't know what is!"

She waited, smirking at him. He watched her impatiently, certain of what she'd say. No. "Alright fine."

"Ugh, you're so annoying! How-" Fethry stopped. "Wait, what?"

"Fine. If you insulted yourself just so you could insult me, you're clearly desperate."

"Gee, thanks," Fethry said dryly.

"I wasn't planning on actually giving it to you, so I have to go dig it out of Scrooge's old stuff. Just a moment." She arose from her chair and walked out of the room, leaving Fethry dumbfounded.

The succession of three sets of feet entering the room drew his attention. "Boys, good, you're here. We're almost done here, and then we can go."

"Great." Louie had his arms crossed, back turned to his brothers. Dewey glared at the back of Louie's head, and Huey frowned.

Fethry scanned over their body language. "Are you guys okay?"

"Everything's great!" Huey said a little too loud, his smile obviously forced.

Fethry was about to pry more when Downy walked back in. She held out a scroll of paper to him. "Here's the papyrus. Don't end the world with it. You got what you came here for, now get out of my house."

Reading over what was written, Feathry tried to figure out why Bradford would want it. Unsuccessful, he shrugged and shoved it in his coat pocket. "With pleasure, Downy. Come along, boys." He waved for the triplets to follow him, who did so quietly. Fethry couldn't help but sense something was terribly off with them, despite what Huey had said. I'm gonna need a really big knife to cut that tension.

...

Lena's soft breathing echoed off the wall. She spun around, unable to see anything. Nothing but dark void, in front, behind, and to the side of her. "Webby?" She held her hands at the ready, her imagination running wild with whatever could be lurking around.

A swift scratching noise, and small, blue flames appeared before her, lighting the way. She watched them curiously, hesitant. "Hello?" No response but the flicker of fire. She took her first step, wariness in her throat. The shadows created by the light shifted, watching her. Red eyes peered from them. Though her natural response was to shrink from their gaze, she forced herself to keep her head up.

The shadows followed her as she walked. Her eyes moved around the hall, trying to decipher it. "Where am I?" Despite the fires leading her down the path, her arms shivered with cold. The shadows began to whisper at her. Ominous threats and warnings she couldn't quite make out. She walked quicker.

She soon found herself at the end of the hall. It opened up into a room roofed with a dome. A chandelier hung incredibly low from the ceiling, but despite the light, this room was even darker than the hall. Mirrors decorated the walls, showing multiple reflections of the teenage girl. She reached her hand out to touch the chandelier, frowning. The bulb shattered at her touch. She jumped back.

The whispers changed to a form of song, too hushed and distorted for Lena to get any meaning. But she was able to pick up a few lyrics. "Liar, liar... Miss De Spell..." She shuddered before moving on to the mirrors. Pressing her finger against the glass, she turned her head. It rippled out from her finger, showing a new image. A cliff top, a forest just behind. Bright bursts of blue and purple light. Magic, Lena recognized. Blue magic represented everything good about the word, friendships and bonds stronger than death. While purple was for broken pieces, just waiting to be picked up off the floor and thrown away.

Lena rubbed her wrist, surprised to find the bracelet gone. Was this all some strange dream?

Her attention turned back to the mirror. Three figures, battling at the cliff top. It held a familiar air to her. Squinting, she tried to determine who the figures were. Magica, Scrooge, and... someone else. Her eyes widened as it clicked in her head. This was the day that had changed her whole life. She had only been a little under one year old, but this day had set the course for her entire future.

Four more people emerged from the bushes, surprised and confused. They were children, Lena noted. No older than she was. Magica caught attention of them and shouted something to Scrooge. Their fight grew wider, wrapping the kids in it. The third adult found himself at the edge of the cliff side. Without noticing, Lena held her hand over her mouth, watching with anticipation. Her breath, shaky.

Magica launched a blast of blue magic for Scrooge. One kid, almost getting caught in the crossfire, jumped back. He stumbled into the third figure, and together they plummeted into the water below. Magica moved to go after, but Scrooge stopped her with another attack. One of the kids, the girl's eyes widened and she let out a scream. Her feet raced back into the forest. And with that, the mirror melted back into Lena's reflection.

Staring at herself, Lena realized she was crying. She narrowed her eyes and smacked her fist against the wall. "No!" She wanted to see the rest. She wanted to do something about it. She needed to do something about it. "No!" The mirror shattered, just from her piercing glare. In succession, each of the mirrors around her broke into shards. But Lena was unfazed.

She wiped her tears and took in a deep breath. No, she would do something about it.

That was why Lena wanted the penny after all.

Clenching her fists, Lena lit the walls with purple magic. She marched back to the hallway, leaving the room to burn. A soft smile crossed her face. She would take her revenge on everyone who had ruined her life, starting with Fethry and ending with Scrooge. Maybe Magica wouldn't approve, but Magica didn't understand. She had no clue Lena was doing any of this. But once Lena got her hands on that stupid one cent coin that had caused her so much trouble, she would show Magica she was right. She would demand Magica know she was right.

The whispers of shadows grew louder with her rising anger. Lena marched on through the hall, having no clue where she was going.

A familiar shadow grew in front of her, stopping the girl. "Lena, what are you doing?"

Lena smirked, fire in her eyes. "I don't have to answer to you anymore. You're not even real. This is all a dream. But trust me, when I wake up, you'll wish you were dreaming." She shoved past her aunt.

"What will your friends think?" Magica continued to pester Lena.

Letting out a laugh, Lena turned to face her. "My 'friends?' You think they're my friends? You think Webby is my friend? Maybe at first, but once I knew the truth, I was simply using her. She'll suffer, just like the rest of them, the moment I get that penny." Any regrets about the girl had been shoved deep down to the corners of Lena's soul, unreachable by anyone, not even Lena. She had made her choice. Indecisiveness was for the weak.

"And me, Lena?" Lena froze, back turned to the shadow. "The real me. I'm your family. I've always done my best to protect you."

"Family." Lena scoffed. "Sure. Soon, you'll see. My plan will work. I might even forgive you for keeping the truth from me all those years. Just as soon as you admit you were wrong." Light hung at the end of the tunnel. Pushing her hair back, the teen marched towards it. "Good bye, fake Magica."

"Where are you going?"

"I've got nine days to put together a family reunion. Don't worry, you'll be invited." She grinned before stepping through.

...

"Lena! Wake up!" Webby shook Lena violently.

The teen sat up, opening her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, rubbing her head. "Wha...?" Once she got a good look at her surroundings, she remembered she was in the other bin. Webby and Gladdy stood over her.

Gladdy tilted his head, smiling. "Well, she looks fine to me."

Webby helped Lena to her feet. "I think we got the door wrong. There was some weird dream catcher in there and it knocked you out. I got Gladdy because I didn't know what else to do. Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah..." Lena's eyes moved from Gladdy to Webby.

"Great. Alrighty, kids, let's maybe not play in the super secret vault full of dangerous artifacts." Gladdy flashed them a smile before leading them back to the stairs.

Lena frowned, head turned back to the bin. Her search for the penny was still unsuccessful. Maybe she needed a more inside source instead of throwing darts at a map. She could always force Webby to tell her where it was. When Lena looked at Webby's wrist, she was surprised to find the "friendship" bracelet missing. "Webby, what happened to your bracelet?" she asked innocently.

Webby looked to her wrist and smiled nervously. "Oh, Gladdy tripped on the way here and made a very small but noticeable hole in the wall. We thought Fethry would get mad, so we used it as a patch. I hope you don't mind."

Lena sucked up her frustration. "No, not at all." Well, there went that plan. She would have to find another way to get someone to tell her.

They had reached the stairs. Gladdy went up with Webby. Lena tried to follow, but her feet were glued to the floor.

Her eyes darted to her sneakers, spotting two shadow hands holding her down. "Lena." Magica used her stern voice, making Lena stiffen.

"What are you doing?" Lena tried to yank her feet from the concrete ground.

Magica held firm. "Just so you know, that was really me in your dream."

Lena's heart jumped and her eyes widened. "What? How?"

"I sensed something was off, so I used a spell to check on you. Lena, this has to stop. This fantasy you have of getting that penny, it's over. You'll hurt innocent people." Magica crossed her arms.

"Innocent?" Lena glared her shadow. "They're anything but. You can't stop me, anyways." She tugged on her knees, trying to free herself.

"Lena, stop." Magica watched her struggle, pleading. "Please."

Getting frustrated, Lena tried her magic. Magica was right, it was unfocused and raw, but to Lena, that only meant it was stronger. Her eyes glowed a dark purple, and the shadow receded into her slowly. Lena felt drained of energy, but it slowly came back to her. No, not Lena's energy. Magica's. She wouldn't bother Lena anymore, at least not until she let Magica out. Lena hesitated, unable to believe what she had just done. And it felt great.

"Lena, are you coming?" Webby called from up the stairs.

"Coming!" Lena called. She went up the steps, an evil smile spreading across her beak. "You were worried someone would take advantage of the shift of power balance with the eclipse, Magica?" Lena laughed lightly as not to be heard by the Ducks. "Well, I'm making my move. I was right under your beak." She went up with the others, newfound power flowing through her. And no one could stop Miss De Spell.

End of episode 9! So I know y'all probably have a lot of emotions rn, buuuuut, for the sake of parody...

Alrighty, stick around b/c this angsty roller coaster ain't over yet! Thanks for reading and all your support!