//------------------------------//
// Gathering: Take 13 
// Story: Dressed to Steal 
// by Tatsurou 
//------------------------------//

	This is where things got complicated.  See, we didn't have any actual opinion in who won a magic duel in St. Canard.  We had no interests in the city, since it more or less regulated itself.  We normally would have no compunction against going and offering our services to whoever Mrs. Ruby was working for so we could help her like we'd promised Muggshot.  However, the name Magica De Spell wasn't unknown to us.  She was a frequent thorn in the side of Scrooge McDuck...and word of us assisting her in her endeavors making its way back to Duckberg could conceivably skew relations with Uncle Scrooge, and that was the last thing we wanted.

The other issue of importance was that Magica was a known criminal...and more than a criminal, a 'bad guy', as Megraw had so eloquently put it.  Given Muggshot and Mrs. Ruby wanting to go straight, it didn't make sense for her to be assisting Magica in this matter...or even being involved at all.

However...





As everyone began planning the next course of action, Sly noticed that Coco was unusually thoughtful.  "Something bothering you, Coco?" he asked worriedly.

"Well, I was trying to figure out why Mrs. Ruby would be working for Magica De Spell," Coco explained.  "It...it doesn't make sense."

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Bentley pointed out.  "Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get anything from the networks.  They're too compromised just now with all the magic and other traffic."

"Actually, it's something else I thought of when I was following that line of that," Coco explained.  "Muggshot was alone in Holland, and he's still there.  So if Mrs. Ruby has been seen in action here...where's Felicia?"

"Who?" Carmelita asked in confusion.

"Their little girl," Coco pointed out.  "She's just a little kid, too young to be left on her own.  Mrs. Ruby had her when we left for Australia."  She turned to Sly.  "I mentioned her when I passed on Mrs. Ruby's warning about Australia's magic...didn't I?"

Sly rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.  "You did...but in all the excitement and confusion of what happened there and in Holland...it hadn't really come up-"

"Wait!" Penelope suddenly gasped out.  "You think Magica De Spell has Mrs. Ruby's daughter, and that's why she's working for her?  Is that why Muggshot kept talking about having 'command of the skies' before your team showed up?  You think he wanted to beat the Black Baron and enlist his forces to lay siege to St. Canard to rescue his daughter?"

"It's as viable a theory as any," Bentley concluded.  "However, we shouldn't act on it until we're certain...so Sly, Coco, your next task is to secretly infiltrate Magica De Spell's base to see if you can find out where Felicia is."

"Do we know where she's based?" Carmelita asked curiously.

"Already got it," Bentley confirmed as he showed a map of the city.  "She's raised a magical volcano in the harbor.  It's honeycombed with secret passages, though it'll probably be hard to maneuver-"

"Is it actual earth?" Coco asked intently.  "Or pure magical construct?"

"Actual earth," Bentley explained.  "Even with Mrs. Ruby helping her, Magica doesn't have the power to do that much out of pure magic."

"Then if Dad can get me onto it, I should be able to find my way through it no problem," Coco stated firmly.  "Especially if I bring the Mask.  Magica uses Dark Magic, after all."

Sly looked over the map.  "From the looks of things, that volcano has been causing hot spots in the bay.  I should be able to ride the thermals with my paraglider...maybe..."

"I have a better idea," Penelope spoke up.  "I've been looking over Deik-Beck, and I think if he interfaced with one of my RC copters, he could boost its performance to the point it could carry Coco back and forth across the bay.  That should be much safer."

"I want to fly!" Deik-Beck declared happily.

Coco smiled up at Penelope.  "I'm ready to fly when you are."





The plan worked out perfectly.  Since roof hopping would actually draw attention in St. Canard, I instead dressed myself up like a civilian and carried Penelope's RC out to the bay on my back with Deik-Beck already installed.  Walking through the twisting streets was a bit difficult since I had a hard time keeping track of where I was supposed to be going, but Deik-Beck was able to quietly redirect me whenever I took a wrong turn.

Once at the bay, I donned my thief gear and the Mask of Dark Earth before letting Penelope fly me out to the magical volcano that Magica had constructed for her base.  Its magical nature quickly became obvious since the stone of its construction was blood red when there wasn't any red stone anywhere in the area.  As my hooves came in contact with the rock, I felt the fresh Dark magic that had shaped it, giving me an instant mental picture - filtered through the Mask - of the entire structure.  At that point, the only problem was exploring the smaller tunnels until I found my way through to where I wanted to go...and that was much more difficult.  Not only did the tunnels constantly twist, turn, and double back on themselves unlike natural magma tubes, there were dozens of larger chambers that could possibly be what I was looking for, and no way to tell remotely which one I wanted.  Still, I pressed on...