NegaTales || Season 1 ||

EW Pt 5

Dewey peeked around the corner of the nearest building. Once he was sure it was clear, he waved for his siblings to follow after. They darted across the street, making their way further up the hill. They could now see the mansion gates at a distance, guarded by a small handful of shadows.

"How are we going to get over there?" Dewey asked.

"We could just charge in and hope for the best!" Huey punched the air, preparing himself.

Shaking his head, Louie moved his brother's arms down. "Hang on. Look!" He pointed upwards. Following his gaze, the kids spotted their cargo plane swooping around the mansion. An army of shadows charged it, collected from the vortex and around the Duck property. "That must be Bradford and Gladdy."

"But what are they doing?" After squinting up at the plane, he turned back down to the mansion gate. The shadows split, heading up and off towards the plane. A smaller group replaced them as guards. "Ha! It's a distraction!" Dewey cheered in a hushed voice.

"Come on, we have to get to Lena and help her see she's being ridiculous." Without waiting for an answer, Webby came from behind their hiding place, charging towards the mansion.

"Webby, wait!"

Slapping down onto the pavement in front of her, a group of shadows put her to a halt. She stepped back, eyes wide with start. The triplets came to back her. The lead shadows stretched its form to stand over them, eyes glowing menacingly red. Its hand twisted into a snarling claw, ready for attack. Dewey moved in front of Webby, readying for a fight. His knees buckled beneath him, but he shook the fear off. He couldn't back down now.

The lead shadow finally made his move, charging at the kids. With a frightened scream, Dewey thrust his fist as hard as he could forward. Like a popped fuse, the shadow snapped and fizzled away. Not hesitating, Dewey took Webby's hand and pulled her through the opening. Louie and Huey tagged closely behind. Moving swiftly, the shadows perused.

Dewey's heart pounded with exhilaration. He just punched a shadow and lived. Now he knew: this was bravery. Standing up against the odds to protect the ones he loved most. He felt like he could take on the world.

The gate was insight. The shadows had been spread even thinner, allowing the perfect opportunity to get past. A new wall of shadows formed between the kids and their destination. Dewey skidded to stop, letting go of Webby. She glared at the shadows, moving to a fighting stance. Though with how cute the duckling was, it wasn't all that threatening. Louie and Huey kept their backs turned, preparing for the attackers behind.

In the blink of an eye, a cluster of shadows disappeared in a white goop. They lowered their guard, suspicious of the goop. The shadows behind them also appeared confused. Huey stepped over, knelt down, swiped up the goop on his finger, and licked it. The others stuck out their tongues in disgust.

"It's just banana cream." Huey shrugged.

Rolling in came Owlson in her suit, along with Mark and the bulbs. She put her hands on her hips heroically. "Don't worry, kids! Nothing to fe-" Before she could get her sentence out, a shadow jumped her, causing her to slip on her wheels. She managed to shake it off quickly, letting out a squeal. The shadows behind the kids swapped back to attack mode. They scattered trying to get rid of them as quickly as possible.

Dewey found himself backed up with CEOs, facing a group of monsters. Raising her arm, Owlson readied to launch another pie. It landed flatly on the ground, and Dewey was pretty sure he heard some shadows laugh.

Mark rolled his eyes at her. "Pies aren't going to be an effective weapon against shadows. Give me that." He undid the gauntlet from her suit, earning a whine from her. "Let me just adjust this..." He stuck out his tongue as he worked. The pie launcher swapped out for a canon. Scooping up the oldest bulb, Mark plugged it in. After slipping the weapon onto his own wrist, he aimed, smirking. The blasts from the gauntlet took out a wide range of shadows. After wiping out enough to clear a new way, Mark gave a victory cheer. "Ha! Take that, Gearloose! Who's the better inventor now!"