Chapter 15
High Noon
Things seemed pretty bleak for the prisoners. They failed to save their llama friends' home. They failed to defeat the villains who were taking over the town. And now, Donald learned that his closest family member was lost somewhere in that dangerous new world. Upon seeing the wanted poster of the elderly duck on the cork board, Donald began frantically pacing back and forth in his cell.
"Now, calm down, Don. I'm sure if we get outta here quick, we can find somepony who knows if yer uncle's safe or not," Applejack said.
"I'm not worried about his safety. I know Uncle Scrooge, and he's more than a match for most anything that comes his way. What I'm wondering is how the heck he got here, and why he's wanted from the law," Donald answered.
"We could ask somepony who works here..." Fluttershy suggested, before realizing exactly who was on the law enforcement in Santillama. "Oh...N-Nevermind...But, maybe when they let us out?"
"Sugarcube, I don't think they plan on lettin' us outta here," Applejack said.
Slowly, Fluttershy's ears drooped when the terrible truth seeped into her mind.
"Aw, this is becomin' too much! First, we get our friends kicked off their property, then the duck who raised me ends up in this twisted fairy tale world! What other crazy surprises are waitin' for us?" Donald said.
As it always is on such a cue, there came a loud rumbling noise outside. A noise that shook the entire jailhouse, and the occupants within. Fluttershy quickly took cover underneath her cot, while Donald and Applejack held tightly to the bars of their adjoining cells.
"What the hay was that?" Applejack wondered. "Take a look out there, an' see what's what."
Donald's cell was the only one with a window, so he was the one who had to peer outside. What the duck saw shocked him.
There was heavy equipment outside in the streets of the town. There was a crew of workers out there. Donald couldn't see what they were exactly, but they sure weren't ponies or llamas. Each of them was operating some huge, heavy piece of equipment, like what was seen at a construction site. Backhoes, bulldozers, and a crane with a wrecking ball attached to it. It was then that Donald realized that it was not a construction crew, but just the opposite.
"They got demolition gear out there!" Donald said.
Fluttershy 'eeped' loudly, and shivered violently.
"What did you say?!" Applejack said.
"There's all this equipment out there for knocking down buildings!" Donald said, before looking back out the window. "WAK!!?!!?"
A building was knocked down with a thunderous bang. Dust and debris flew about, blowing down the street and right into Donald's face.
"What's happening out there?" Fluttershy squeaked out from under her cot.
The duck wiped his face clean and said to the others, "They just knocked down a building! And the crane's winding up for another swing! They're gonna try and level this whole town!" His eyes popped wide when he noticed a disturbing detail when the crane turned to the side. There, painted on the side of the cab was an emblem of a stylized '$'. The very same emblem of McDuck Industries.
Donald was completely incredulous of the sight. The only time Uncle Scrooge ever put his emblem on anything was property he owned, or projects he funded. This was beyond belief. There was no way that Uncle Scrooge could possibly be involved in something so insidious as this. But, there it was, staring him in the face. Donald clutched the bars of his window, his fingers indenting them deeply.
"Uncle Scrooge, you got some explaining to do...!" Donald said through clenched teeth.
He quickly ducked down, as the building outside was knocked over, and another cloud of dust blew in.
Donald was suddenly aware of a noise at his cell door, and turned around to see the sheriff's turquoise translator standing there.
"WAA-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-AAAAAAAAK!!!!!!!!!" Donald shouted as he ran to the front of his cell.
The llama screamed as Donald's arms reached out and pulled him against the bars of his cell.
"WHAT'S YOUR BUSINESS WITH MY UNCLE!!!!?" the duck demanded.
"Huh?!" the llama meekly answered.
Donald pressed his forehead against the llama's.
"MY UNCLE!! WHY'S HE WORKIN' WITH YOU HOSERS!!!?"
"Somepony help!! I don't understand what he's saying!!"
The llama was suddenly shaken violently.
"WAA-A-A-A-A-AK!!!!"
"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!"
"Donald, stop! Maybe he can tell us what's happening," Fluttershy said.
"That's what I'm tryin' to get from him! But, he won't tell me why my uncle's workin' with them!" Donald replied.
"Your uncle?" the llama asked.
"That's right!" Donald said, planting his palm on the llama's head, and twisting it around to look at the wanted poster. "My uncle! Right there! Scrooge McDuck!"
Donald twisted the llama's head back to face him.
"That guy's your uncle?" the llama said.
"An' they're mighty close too. So, you better start talkin' if ya like yer neck where it is," Applejack said, hoping to get information from the llama as well.
"Waitwaitwait! It's not what you think! That guy's the guy who helped the sheriff foreclose all that property and evict everypony!" the llama said.
"That's a buncha bunk! My uncle wouldn't do anything that cruel!" Donald asserted.
"B-But, he did! Scrooge McDuck was the guy who got everything signed over to the sheriff, and he did it for seventy percent of all the profits!"
Donald's eyes shot red when he heard that. He didn't believe his uncle could ever do something so low, but it sounded like something he would do for the right profit margin. He wound up his fist, all ready to punch out the llama's lights, until Fluttershy spoke up.
"But, if he's been helping the sheriff, how come he's wanted? Wouldn't the sheriff be keeping his business partners close to him?" the pegasus wondered.
"No. Because Scrooge found out what the sheriff was up to!" the llama answered.
There was another thunderous shaking, as another building was demolished.
Now intrigued, Donald put his fist down and continued to grill the llama.
"What? What was the sheriff up to?" Donald asked, deliberately.
"H-He's buying the whole town to have it knocked down. He's supposed to be building something here for his boss! After Scrooge found out it was a scam to evict everypony, he went ballistic. He started threatening the sheriff, and tried to revoke his business with him. But the sheriff said their business was already done. Then he starts shooting at Scrooge and drives him away! And then he puts a bounty out on him! Now don't hurt me! Please!"
Donald slightly loosened his grip on the llama, knowing that was exactly what Uncle Scrooge would do. He had once done a similar dishonest act and had a whole village burned down to gain control of the valuable land it was on, and it nearly cost him his life. Knowing him, he would likely be trying to undo the damage he had done. Now that he knew what was happening, he knew what he had to do.
"Where's my uncle now?" Donald asked.
"The sheriff said he'd be at the groundbreaking ceremony, up at Rancho del Corazón,” the llama said.
Donald's eyes popped. They had his uncle.
"Paya's house!" Fluttershy exclaimed, as she crawled out from underneath the cot in her cell. "We need to get out of here to help her! Applejack, could you buck these doors off?"
"Don't even get me started on that," Applejack grumbled.
"We're gonna need the keys. You," Donald said to the llama, "You know where the keys are in this joint?"
"Yes," the llama answered, just as a loud *ka-thunk* sounded on Donald's cell door.
Donald looked down, and saw the llama had already placed the key in his cell door and had just turned it open.
"Well, whaddaya know about that?" he said.
The ground started shaking again.
Donald looked over his shoulder, and saw a bulldozer coming directly at them through the window on his cell.
"Wak!! Hurry up! Get movin'!! We gotta skedaddle!!!" the duck panicked.
"What's happening now?" Fluttershy said, just as Donald opened her cell and yanked her out.
Applejack was next, and she only just caught a glimpse of the tractor plowing toward them through the window as she was guided by her hoof out the door.
All four of them dove forward, as the building was bulldozed behind them. Once the tractor had passed, the sheriff's translator helped the others up, and guided them away from the rubble.
"Follow me! I'll get you guys out of town," he said.
"Oh no! We're not going anywhere! Not until I get my uncle back!" Donald declared, before rushing toward the direction of Rancho del Corazón with Applejack and Fluttershy in tow.
"Wait! Wait!" the llama called after them.
The sun was high in the sky. High noon. The perfect time for a showdown.
In the time it took for them all to reach Rancho del Corazón, construction had already been underway. They stood on the ridge of the hill, and saw the fields of dragon fruit had been bulldozed away, a foundation had been laid, and girders had been put up. All that needed to happen now for construction to continue was for the house to be demolished.
Before the house were more bulldozers and backhoes, and a gigantic crane. Inside the cab of the crane, Big Bad sat ready at the controls. Standing around the crane were all manner of avian workers. Parrots, pelicans, albatrosses, hawks, buzzards and eagles could all be seen among the ranks of the rough-looking crew. And they were all standing before the crane, where the sheriff stood on one of the treads.
Wasting no more time, they all hurried down the path through the trellis at the front. Even Fluttershy did not hesitate to follow, knowing that they were going to need as much help as they could get for what was about to happen.
"Get a look at this everyone," the sheriff called to the crowd. "Today, we're gubba-gubba-gonna help make history! The boss said he needed a place to put his new castle, and we gave it to him!"
All the workers cheered loudly.
"Just think: because of us, one day he'll get outta that castle he's locked up in, and rule from here as a whole man!"
More cheers came from the crowd.
"'Course, none o' this would've been possible without our generous benefactor. Let's have a big hand for the man himself! The richest duck in the world: Scrooge McDuck!"
A throng of applause thundered as Big Bad operated the mechanisms inside the cab of the crane.
The crane lowered a wrecking ball from the top of its height. Slowly, the wrecking ball turned to reveal an elderly duck in a red coat tied to the front of it.
"Ye can take yer applause an' stuff it, ye bloated poultry!! Get me down from here an' see what's comin' to ye!!!" Uncle Scrooge shouted, as he fought against his ropes.
"What we got comin's a whole lotta pressed duck! Gah-ha-ha-ha!" Big Bad laughed, as he threateningly throttled a lever inside the cab, making the wrecking ball shake violently.
"Ye'll be a fur coat before I give ye the pleasure! And get that hat off yer head!" Uncle Scrooge retaliated.
"An' go back to my ratty ol' hat? Never," Big Bad said, as he threw away his old hat and adjusted Uncle Scrooge's atop his head. He then twirled Uncle Scrooge's cane around in his hand. "Besides, I think this new hat suits my classy new position as deputy--OUCH!!" The glutton said, as he bopped his own nose with the cane.
"Alright. That's enough celebratin'. Let's get that spiffy little casa outta here. Deputy: help Mr. McDuck to break some ground," the sheriff called.
Big Bad rubbed his nose and went to work, first by raising the wrecking ball to an operable height.
As the wrecking ball ascended, the sheriff noticed something pushing through the crowd.
"Hrm..." he grumbled, as he reached for his rifle.
"Step aside! Move it! Move it!" Donald shouted, until he reached the front of the crowd with his friends.
The first thing he noticed was the crane swiveling to the side. The second thing he noticed was the loud string of Scottish-accented curses coming from nearby. Looking up, he saw his uncle tied to the front of the wrecking ball that was aimed at Paya's house.
"Uncle Scrooge!!!!!!"
The familiar squawking voice caught the elderly duck's attention, and his eyes lit up at the sight of his nephew in the crowd.
"Donald!!! Get me down from here!!" Uncle Scrooge called.
Over the clamoring of the working parts of the crane, Donald could hear the familiar clicking noise of the sheriff rocking the lever on his rifle.
Quick as he could, Donald grabbed the others, and pulled them all out of the way just as the shot from the sheriff's rifle missed him, and shot the hat off of one of the workers, making the poor albatross pass out cold from fright.
The sheriff aimed his shots carefully, waiting for the best window when his targets were between his workers. Shot after shot was fired. But his targets were wily, and managed to avoid being hit.
"Don't worry, boss. I'll get 'em!" Big Bad said, as he worked the machinations of the crane.
As the cab turned, there was less space for the sheriff to stand on the treads. With a loud gobble, the sheriff fell off the treads, and into the dirt. Looking up, he saw as the wrecking ball on the crane was swung at the intruders, with Scrooge McDuck shouting all the while.
The three running charged through the crowd of workers, who all started running out of the way when they saw the wrecking ball swinging.
Fluttershy heard the noise from the crane, and looked over her shoulder to see the machine turning its cab. She knew it could only mean one thing, and quickly ran away to the side.
Applejack saw Fluttershy pass by herself. Before she could ask her friend why she was running away, she became aware of the noise of the crane, and looked to see it turning as well. With a shout, she too ran to the side, following Fluttershy.
Donald looked to his left and his right, seeing no sign of his friends. When he looked behind himself, he was horrified to see the wrecking ball with Uncle Scrooge tied to it swinging right toward him.
"WAK!!!" Donald shouted, as he ran faster.
The speed of the duck and the speed of the ball evened out when they were not but three feet from one another.
"Stop runnin' away an' get me offa this thing!!!" Uncle Scrooge shouted.
"How!?" Donald answered.
"Ain't ye never worked a crane before, lad!? Use the release switch in the crane, or climb on the cable an' do it manually!!!"
Donald looked forward, and saw the sheriff aiming his rifle at him. With a squawk, the duck tripped and slid forward, plowing through the ground, and allowing the shot and the wrecking ball to sail over his head.
"An' be quick about it!! I'm gonna be sick if this keeps up!!" Uncle Scrooge shouted, as he swung away over the sheriff.
The sheriff fell backwards as the heavy ball came toward him, dropping his rifle. The oncoming rush of the workers kicked his weapon away from him, forcing him to chase after it.
Donald knew that getting into the crane's cab was going to be a problem, what with that hairy glutton at the controls. That, and the crowd of armed workers in his way. Somehow, he would have to release the wrecking ball manually. Easier said than done.
Somehow, he had to get up high to get on the cable. Climbing Paya's house was out of the question, and Fluttershy was likely too scared to get near the crane to help him fly. But, the nearby construction site may well have proven useful to him.
"Come on! Get the lead out!" Donald called to his friends, as he ran to the construction site.
"Where are we going?" Fluttershy asked, as she ran next to Donald.
"We're gettin' my uncle off that wrecking ball! First, we need to get some height!" Donald said.
Both mares could guess exactly what he was thinking. Fluttershy was hesitant, as always, but Applejack bravely charged ahead.
"I'm-a way ahead o' you, pardner!" the farmpony said.
The workers at the construction site were busy at work. Two of them, a hawk with an armload of I-beams, and a pelican looking over the building plans caught sight of an orange blur, just before they were plowed down by her charge.
The hawk stood up, grabbed one of his I-beams and swung at Applejack.
Applejack ducked, as did the pelican, who was within range of the swing.
The pelican raised his arms to block Applejack's buck, and shoved her forward.
Applejack ended up tumbling onto her back, and bucked her hooves up to block the hawk's I-beam.
The hawk and the pelican both raised their weapons to smash Applejack.
A hammer flew in and hit the pelican, bounced off and hit the hawk.
"And let that be a lesson to ya!" Donald said, slinging his hat around, while Fluttershy shivered behind him. "Come on, toots! We gotta go up now!"
"Up...?" Fluttershy said, looking at the tall building frame.
"I know you're scared, but you're the only one who can help me save my uncle!" Donald said, guiding Fluttershy by her hoof.
Fluttershy didn't know what to do. Heights were always one of her foremost fears. But she had to go with Donald to save his family.
As it was, Donald ended up practically dragging her to the lift at the front of the building structure, where Applejack promptly joined them.
Both Donald and Applejack started pulling the ropes on the sides, raising the platform they were on upwards, while Fluttershy laid flat and tried not to think about how high they were.
Suddenly, the platform started shaking, and Fluttershy clung to Donald's back for security.
Looking up, they saw that one of the workers was sawing through the rope with the beak of a smaller worker he held in his hands.
The rope frayed and started to snap.
In a desperate move, they all leapt from the platform, just as it went crashing down. Donald, with Fluttershy still on his back, took off his hat and slung it around one of the support beams.
Applejack tried to find a hoofhold, but instead went sliding down the beam like a fireman down a pole.
"Applejack!!" Fluttershy called, before she buried her face in Donald's back after seeing how high up they were.
"Don't worry about her. She'll be fine on her own," Donald said, as he shifted his hat up, walked a few steps, and shifted his hat up again.
Down below, Applejack landed hard on her flank back at the foundation.
"AW! Hayseeds! Oooowww! That's a pain that's gonna linger...!" she said to herself. She was already not exactly in top bucking condition, but an achy flank would only exacerbate that. Unfortunately, she was in exactly a situation where bucking was called for.
A number of other workers had gathered at the construction site, and were all armed and ready to beat the intruders to a pulp.
A vulture stepped forward, patting the large pipe in his hands, before winding up for a swing.
Applejack backed away from the reach of the pipe, and bumped into the fat gut of a paunchy parrot, who picked her up and threw her into the nearby stack of rebars.
The rebars clattered around the farmpony, who looked up and saw the cadre of workers advancing to attack.
Applejack quickly threw one long rebar that knocked down the first three workers.
A fourth jumped over his allies as they fell, and swung his fists at Applejack.
Applejack wove around his blows, and was suckerpunched from the side by an albatross, who knocked her hat off her head.
She recoiled from the hit, and retaliated with a buck, only for her legs to stiffen from her aching flank and fall flat.
That was it. No more bucking, until she got her magic back.
She could feel that her back hooves were hooked on another rebar.
Her opponents approached her from behind.
Quick as she could, she pulled her rear hooves forward, tripping the workers with the rebar and springing upright. However, it was a literal pain in her flank to do so.
The pain continued when she clasped the rebar in her hooves and spun around the trip the next wave of attackers. Using her front hoof, she flipped the rebar into her mouth and swung it downward at a vulture's head. Her blow only bounced harmlessly off his hardhat.
"Guhuhuhuh! Ya won't do no good 'gainst my protected noggin. No, no, uh-nope," the vulture said.
Applejack reached up, took off the vulture's hardhat, and knocked him in the head again. This time, the bald bird's eyes lit up and he started tilting over backwards.
"Guhuhuhuhuh! Uh, nice hit...A-yupyupyup...." And the vulture passed out.
It wasn't bucking, but it had worked. An idea occurred to Applejack: even if she wasn't much of a bucker anymore, what about her other skills? The oncoming group of workers would be just the way to test it.
Taking the rebar in her hooves, she planted one end in the ground and bent it into the shape of a giant horseshoe. Taking it by the middle in her teeth, she aimed carefully, and threw with all her might.
The entire group of workers stopped shouting and stopped dead in their tracks, just as the oversized horseshoe dropped on the ground right around them. A perfect ringer, no less.
The workers all resumed shouting, and rushed Applejack again.
She couldn't buck. She couldn't toss horseshoes. Applejack was starting to wonder what she could do against the oncoming onslaught.
There was little that she could do against such a large number of opponents. She was surrounded, and had the apple brown Betty beaten out of her, before she was tossed away from the construction site into the open.
It looked like Applejack would have the advantage in open quarters, until the wrecking ball from Big Bad's crane dropped not three hooves away from her. Facing her was Uncle Scrooge, sick as a dog from being swung about.
"Aw, hog snouts! I missed!" Big Bad said from the crane. He started raising the wrecking ball again.
"Yer a friend o' my nephew's, ain'cha?" Uncle Scrooge asked Applejack. The wrecking ball started pulling away for another swing. "Be a good lass an' BEAT HIM STUPID FER NOT GETTIN' ME DOWN IN A TIMELY MANNER!!!"
Applejack quickly had to duck, as did the workers who were sneaking up on her when the wrecking ball came sailing over them all. Their screams were only just heard above the screams of Uncle Scrooge, as he went careening by.
Quickly, Applejack got to her hooves and started attacking her prone opponents. She knew she had to be quick, before that wrecking ball came back.
High in the distance, back at the construction site, another struggle was taking place.
Donald's progress up the building was slow, especially with Fluttershy's extra weight on his back.
Higher up, some of the workers happened to look in their direction.
"Well, lookee at that. Prob'ly summa those do-gooders what's been helpin' those llamas," one of them said.
"Youse think we oughta get 'em," said another.
"Not us. We don't got th' 'quipment." The first worker thought for a moment, then called over to the steeplejack who was working nearby. "Hey, Rosie! We got another job for ya!"
Fluttershy shivered violently on Donald's back, making the duck shake as well and lose his firm hold on the I-beam he was climbing.
Donald took the two tassels on his hat in one hand and clasped the other over Fluttershy's shaking hooves.
The trembling mare had one last tremor that rippled through her body from her mane to the tip of her tail, before she stopped shaking.
"Stop shakin' so much! You're gonna make us fall!" Donald said.
"I-I-I'm sorry...! B-But, we're j-j-j-j-just so...*ulp*...high up..." Fluttershy said.
"There's nothin' up here that can get us. Quit panicking."
Nearby, a rope lowered and started to wave. Next, a hen who was even fatter than the sheriff slid down with her one bare hand. In her other hand, she held a rivet gun, which was pointed right at Donald and Fluttershy.
"Start panicking!" Donald said.
Both climbers screamed as Donald swung them both around to the lee side of a support beam, just as a hail of rivets was fired at them.
Up above, Rosie's two cohorts pushed the pulley her ropes were attached to along a rail to put her in a more tactical position.
"Y'all ain't hidin' from ol' Rosie!" the hen shouted, as she appeared around the side of the support beam.
Donald screamed and swung around the beam, while Rosie swung after him. After leading her to wind her rope around the beam a few times, Donald used his momentum to swing to the next beam.
"Youse okay down there, Rosie?" one of the workers above called.
Rosie unwound her rope from around the beam and called back, "Right as rain! Now, let's git that quackerjack!!"
The other workers readily agreed, and pushed Rosie's pulley system along its rails.
Donald continued to swing from beam to beam, all the while dodging the rivets that were fired at him by the mad steeplejack. Eventually, he came to the end of the line when he ran out of beams to swing from, and ended up facing a hundred foot drop below.
The duck futilely flailed his arms about, before grabbing Fluttershy's wings again and spreading them wide, allowing them to glide back to the construction site. In seconds, Donald's webbed feet landed back on the girders.
"Thanks, toots," Donald said.
Fluttershy didn't respond much beyond a quiet whimper, which became a full on scream at the sight of Rosie swinging toward them
Donald ran as fast as he could across the girders, but he couldn't outrun Rosie's rivets.
The fat hen took careful aim, and fired a hail of rivets at Donald's posterior, making the duck jump high in the air.
Donald came to a vertical beam and ran straight up the surface, propelled by the attack on his backside.
Rosie herself had her rope hit a horizontal beam, and went swinging around it three times before she ran out of rope and hit her head, denting the beam.
High up, Donald quickly took off his hat, holding the tassels in each hand, and allowed it to catch the air as they fell. The hat bulged wide and allowed them to drift down slowly from their height.
Fluttershy looked up and saw what was happening. She had seen many strange things in her life, but not one of them quite like this.
"Is that...your magic, Donald?" Fluttershy asked.
"I guess so. Turns out this doesn't happen to a lot o' other folks,'' Donald answered. "But, since we're up here: how's about you fly us over to the top of that crane?"
"The crane..." Fluttershy shuddered. The crane was the last place that she wanted to go to, being the territory of the Big Bad Wolf, who was now swinging his wrecking ball at Applejack. "B-B-B-B-But, my wings don't work..."
"They worked just fine for me. Twice. Once during the avalanche, and again just now before we fell off the girders."
"They...They did?" Fluttershy asked, now looking over Donald's shoulder to face him.
"A-yup. I think ya got a bit more magic in ya than ya think ya do."
Fluttershy hadn't thought about it that way. Maybe Donald was right about that. Before she could ask him more about it, they were assaulted by a hail of rivets from below.
Rosie had unwound herself, and was now shooting at her targets once more.
Donald and Fluttershy both screamed as Donald lost control of his hat and dropped out of the air like a dead duck.
Unfortunately, their fall took them right past Rosie, who stopped firing and allowed her opponents to fall until they were eye level with herself. Once they were, Rosie started firing her rivets at them again, blowing them both backwards through thin air.
Donald reached his hat up, and tossed it over a rope. He grabbed the other tassel in his free hand and ziplined across the length of the rope, just ahead of Rosie's assault.
Once he ran out of rope, Donald smacked beak-first into a beam, and slid down to one of the horizontal girders. After shaking the dizziness from his head, he and Fluttershy both saw that they had impacted one of the less secured parts of the construction site.
The beam they hit started to tilt over, and pulled many of the other beams loose as well. Rivets popped out, and Rosie tried frantically to fire some back into their empty slots. But she couldn't keep up. Nuts and bolts came flying loose, and welded seams started to crack.
Up top, the two workers who were helping with Rosie's pulleys started to shake, and they both fell from where they stood, just as the rails holding the pulley broke off. All three workers went falling back to the foundation, while Donald tried his best to stay steady atop the shaking girders.
Fluttershy saw one slot up ahead, where if it had something wedged inside, it may lessen the wobbling of the steel beams. But, what would she use to stop it? The answer was looking her right in the face.
"WAK!!" Donald shouted, when he felt Fluttershy's hoof reach down the back of his shirt. "What's the big idea!? This ain't the time for gettin' fresh!!?"
He stopped talking when he saw Fluttershy aim the popgun that was given to him earlier over his shoulder.
Fluttershy bit off the string that was holding the cork, took aim, and pulled the trigger.
The tiny cork flew through the air, past the flying rivets and through the openings that were left by the jumbles of falling girders. The beam it was aimed for was wobbling back and forth, keeping its intended target moving. The cork flew true, and lodged itself into a tiny gap where a nut and bolt held the beams together.
Now, there was something holding some of the beams together. As if by magic, the beams slowly stopped wobbling so violently, and came to a standstill.
"Nice shootin', toots," Donald said, as he put his hat back on, and put the popgun back into his poncho.
Fluttershy smiled slightly, and even managed a small laugh. But, it didn't last.
Donald started running forward, making the beams beneath him wobble under his weight. Fluttershy clung tighter to Donald when she saw that he was running right toward the edge of the construction site.
"Ya better start workin' that magic of yours!" Donald said, just before they jumped into the air.
Fluttershy felt her wings grabbed and soon they were soaring over the ground, right toward the crane.
Donald had trouble steering, but did his best to remain on target of the crane's cables. He veered to the side, hoping to catch the cable as the wrecking ball swung toward him.
The wrecking ball swung toward Applejack, and the cable went flying toward Donald.
The duck let go of the pegasus's wings, and held his hands out to grab firmly onto the cable.
The momentum of the crane's swing made the two passengers go swinging around and around the cable as they slid down, until Donald landed hard on top of the wrecking ball.
"Well, it's about blasted time ye showed up!!" Uncle Scrooge said from the front of the wrecking ball. "Hurry up, an' get that coupling undone! Before that hairy psychopath swings again!!"
"I'm tryin', Uncle Scrooge!!" Donald said, as he busily tried to unhook the ball from the tether.
For all the movement that was happening, the duck was having the hardest time getting anything done. Soon, the ball was swinging full speed in the other direction.
Donald held tight to the cable. Fluttershy held tight to Donald. Uncle Scrooge tried desperately to loosen himself from the ropes.
"Applejack!!! Duck!!!" Fluttershy shouted.
Applejack did as she was told, and ducked low when the wrecking ball went careening over her head again.
"I gotta lower that ball some," Big Bad said, as he worked the controls some more.
Everyone on the ball felt it lower some feet. They knew the next swing was meant to crush Applejack, no matter how she tried to move.
There had to be something done fast, and Fluttershy could only think of one thing. It had worked before, so why not now?
"Would this help?" the pegasus asked, offering Donald his popgun.
"What kinda help would that be now!?" Donald asked incredulously.
The slowing momentum of the wrecking ball meant that it was ready for another swing. They had to act now to save Applejack, so Donald took the popgun, and started using its barrel to pry the coupling loose.
He strained and struggled as the wrecking ball started to lazily swing back the other way, and rapidly gain momentum.
The coupling was opening. It was working. With one last mighty heave, the couple greatly opened, and the barrel of the popgun broke. But, its sacrifice was not in vain.
The wrecking ball fell loose from its cable, and rolled along the ground. Uncle Scrooge was spun about like a propeller, and was fortunately not squashed under the weight of the ball. Up top, Donald ran as fast as he could across the spinning surface of the iron ball.
Nearby, Applejack continued her fight with the workers, but everything stopped when they all became aware of the rolling ball and scattered. All but one albatross with a bullet hole through his hat who Applejack had just been trampling. The worker looked up and screamed as he saw the ball rolling toward himself.
Slowly, the wrecking ball lost momentum, and stopped just short of the screaming worker's beak.
The albatross kept screaming loudly, until his lungs ran out of air, and he passed out again from sheer terror.
Donald had kept his speed going, and fell off the wrecking ball when it stopped rolling. Now, he and Fluttershy were in the dirt, but were quickly helped up by Applejack.
"Ya alright, sugarcube?" she asked Fluttershy.
"Y-Yes...We're alright..." Fluttershy exhaled.
"Uncle Scrooge!" Donald exclaimed.
"Uuuuughoooghuhhhh...." Uncle Scrooge moaned.
The ride had been nauseating for him, and it wasn't much better that he had ended up upside-down. Through his distorted vision, he saw his nephew and his new friends come running toward him.
"Hang on, Uncle Scrooge! I'll get ya down from there!" Donald said, as he untied the ropes that bound his uncle.
"Donald..." Uncle Scrooge said.
"You don't need to worry about a thing! I'm a sailor! Knots are my specialty!"
"Donald..."
"I'll have ya back on your feet in no time!"
"Donald, I'm--"
Uncle Scrooge didn't get to finish, as Donald loosened the ropes enough to let him fall and land on his head.
"Uncle Scrooge! You're alright!" Donald greeted his uncle.
"Aye...As 'alright' as I can be with an impulsive hothead like ye fer my help..." Uncle Scrooge answered, as he used the wrecking ball to climb to his feet. "Now, since ye're here, be a good lad an' help yer uncle stop this crackpot land developer. Ye remember yer wages, don't ye?"
Donald wanted to say more to his uncle. Namely, ask him how he ended up in this strange world. But, he knew better than to make small talk with his uncle when he had his mind set on something.
"Bu--Yeah. Thirty cents an hour,” he answered.
"Excellent! Now, ye an' the horse feathers get to work stoppin' that demolition! An' ye," he said, pointing to Applejack, "Ye look like stern stuff. Yer comin' with me to try an' hold off this crowd! An' don't worry about yer salary. Ye'll be gettin' paid the same wages as my nephew here. Now, let's be off!"
Uncle Scrooge ran off to stave off the approaching workers, leaving the others behind.
"Don't that beat all!? After rescuin' him from that wreckin' ball, he don't even stop to say 'thank you!'" Applejack said.
"That is how he says 'thank you,'" Donald informed.
"But, what about puttin' us to work for him, without even a 'hello?'"
"That is how he says 'hello.'"
"Maybe he's just under a lot of pressure?" Fluttershy suggested, pointing to Uncle Scrooge, who was now in a headlock from a particularly large pelican.
"Get movin' already! I'm not payin' ye to lollygag around!" Uncle Scrooge shouted, before stomping the pelican's foot and then elbowing his stomach. Once he was released from the thug's grip, he swung both fists hard into his opponent's oversized jaw.
"You heard the man! Get over there and get buckin'!" Donald said.
Applejack sighed and rolled her eyes, before running off to Uncle Scrooge's aid.
"I wonder what he meant by 'stop the demolition,'" Donald said, knowing that the wrecking ball had already been disabled.
The roar of a nearby motor got their attention. It wasn't coming from the crane. Big Bad was seen exiting the cab to do battle with Applejack and Uncle Scrooge.
From behind the crane, a bulldozer commandeered by the sheriff was rolling toward the white adobe house. That, along with other dozers operated by other workers.
Fluttershy trembled at the sight, unsure of how she was going to help stop this advance. But, it seemed that Donald had an idea already. She watched as the duck ran forward and jumped into the cab of a steam shovel.
The steam shovel revved, chugged, and sputtered to life. The jaws of the machine's scoop snapped like a hungry beast, and the exhaust of the machine roared loudly as it spewed a cloud of black smoke into the air.
"What're ya waitin' for? Get in here!" Donald called to Fluttershy.
The point where it had been too much for Fluttershy to handle had been passed a long time ago. Right about when they arrived at the ruined orchard, to be precise. The memory of the orchard made the pegasus think of the friend she had made during her stay in Santillama. And now, that friend's home was in danger. She had already lost a husband, and Fluttershy wasn't about to let her lose anymore.
Rushing as fast as she could, Fluttershy practically leapt into the steam shovel with Donald, just before it zoomed off to battle.
In his bulldozer, the sheriff smiled maliciously. He was close to finishing his mission.
Suddenly, a steam shovel rocketed in from the side and stood stalwart between the house and the approaching workers.
Donald pulled the cord in the cab, making the steam shovel's horn wail loudly.
In response, the other vehicles all revved loudly, and the sheriff took the time to briefly exit his cab to stand on the treads of his bulldozer, aim his rifle, and shoot at Donald.
"WAK!!!" Donald shouted, as he ducked down beneath the control console where Fluttershy was already hiding.
The sheriff thought it looked like this was easier than he thought, even with the duck in his way. With a short whistle, and a wave of his arm, the turkey signaled for the other workers to proceed.
Donald and Fluttershy could hear the approaching vehicles, and knew doing nothing would mean certain failure.
"What do we do...?" Fluttershy squeaked.
"Start workin' this puppy, and hope we don't get shot!" Donald answered, as he reached his hands up from under the console and grasped the controls of the steam shovel.
The duck blindly worked the throttles and levers of the machine, and swung the scoop wildly about, knocking back three oncoming vehicles.
Feeling slightly more confident after hearing the clattering metal, Donald peaked up over the edge of the console to peer out the window. From there, he was shot at again by the sheriff, but was already much too low to be hit.
A tractor with a claw grapple rolled up to attack. It swung its arm at Donald's steam shovel.
Donald worked the controls, and parried with the arm of his own machine.
The two tractors dueled like pugilists, jabbing and hooking, advancing and retreating, until Donald's steam shovel threw a haymaker that toppled the claw grapple.
From the side, there came a backhoe that tried to swipe and topple the steamshovel.
The attack was parried, and the two mechanical arms became engaged in an impromptu arm-wrestling match.
Donald struggled with the levers of his machine.
The parrot in the other machine struggled with his.
The outsides of the two machines started to perspire from exertion.
Fluttershy could feel the stress that their machine was under, and knew she had to do something to help. Slowly, she reached a hoof up, and started feeling for something on the control panel. Anything, really. She accidentally bumped another throttle, and she quickly retracted her hoof.
The throttle she had bumped made the cab of the steam shovel spin, and Donald was able to throw over the opposing machine.
"D...Did we win...?" Fluttershy timidly asked, as she just barely peered up over the console.
The resounding horn of an approaching bulldozer told her that nothing could be further from the truth.
The sheriff plowed toward them, ready to knock them and the house down in one go. In one hand, he held the forward throttle. With the other hand, he aimed his rifle at Donald.
Completely on an impulse, Fluttershy slammed her hooves down on the console and thrusted her head at the throttles, hoping that something she did would help.
The result became that the steam shovel's jaws pressed firmly against the cab of the bulldozer, staving it off momentarily.
Donald worked the controls to turn both machines away from the house, knowing that at any second the sheriff could take another shot at him. And that moment came when the sheriff leaned out of his cab and took aim again.
Both Donald and Fluttershy pulled every throttle at once, resulting in the steam shovel using its arm to vault over the bulldozer, and letting it plow into the other machines.
"Wak-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak! We sure showed those guys!" Donald laughed.
Fluttershy didn't do much beyond a nervous giggle. Her mind was on what she and Donald spoke about earlier. Was this some more of her own magic that she was working? She didn't have much time to think on it, as the sheriff was getting ready to attack again with his bulldozer.
"Hang on! This ain't over yet!" Donald said, revving up his engine and rocketing forward to intercept the fat turkey once more.
The sheriff made a beeline for Donald and Fluttershy's steam shovel. He knew that he was far enough away from them to get enough speed for what he needed to do.
The passengers of the steam shovel lurched as they were rammed by the bulldozer.
Donald struggled with the controls, while Fluttershy tapped each instrument with her hoof, hoping something would happen.
They couldn't vault again. That would rocket the sheriff right toward the house. The house, which Donald saw he was slowly being pushed toward when he looked over his shoulder.
The duck pushed hard against the forward throttle, struggling to resist the push of the bulldozer.
Fluttershy looked out the cab, and saw that they were crushing the bricks of the patio. They were growing closer to failure. Quickly, she leapt up and helped push the throttle, pushing it even further than the groove in the console would allow.
The treads of the steam shovel ground into the patio, sending up dirt and tiles as they spun. Finally, they felt a push.
It was slow, but they were able to push back against the sheriff and get him away from their friend's home.
Once again, they saw the turkey aim his rifle at them.
Fluttershy hit another throttle when she ducked under the console.
The two machines spun around like ballroom dancers tied at the waist. Everyone was screaming loudly as they spun away from the house. Finally, Donald was able to stop them from spinning, and felt once again the push of the sheriff's bulldozer.
The sheriff had dropped his rifle during the spinning, and it landed on the treads of the bulldozer. No matter. As long as he kept pushing forward, he would be able to reach it.
Donald saw the sheriff's ploy, and quickly tried to think of a solution. He acted by throwing his machine into reverse, and ended up jerking the bulldozer forward.
The sheriff's fingertips were just about to grasp his rifle, until it rocketed past him and was crushed under the treads of his own machine.
In the mirror of his steam shovel, Donald saw a view of the construction site behind himself.
"You alright down there, toots?" Donald asked.
"Mm-hm..." Fluttershy nodded.
"I'm askin' because we might have to bail soon!"
To start, Donald made sure the sheriff wouldn't get away so easily by clasping the jaws of his steam shovel onto the sheriff's bulldozer.
Fluttershy didn't know what Donald was up to, but she trusted the duck enough to let him do as he planned. She curled up tightly underneath the console, and prayed for the best.
In the meantime, Applejack and Uncle Scrooge were busy handling the other workers to keep them from assisting with any more construction or demolition.
They were surrounded on all sides by armed opponents. Particularly the Big Bad Wolf, who was trying to bludgeon Uncle Scrooge with his own cane when he wasn't swinging with one of his cleavers.
Applejack had her hooves full trying to come up with other ways to handle her attackers without bucking.
One worker who tried to grab her by her shoulders had his feet stomped, before he threw Applejack to the ground.
Another worker got her in a choke hold, and had his gut elbowed before one of his friends picked up Applejack by her rear legs, and a third worker came in and went to town on the farmpony's middle.
Over and over Applejack was punched, until an uppercut was thrown that knocked her out of the other workers' grip, and flying through the air until she landed on the ground.
"What the hay's wrong with me!?" Applejack wondered.
Her pondering was cut off by a pipe slamming down toward her.
Applejack rolled to the side, and saw the ground deeply indented by the pipe, which was wielded by a muscular eagle.
The eagle took another swing at Applejack, who dodged and allowed at least three other workers to be knocked aside. Another swing and a dodge, and more of the other workers were knocked away.
The workers soon got the idea to avoid their larger associate, while Applejack had already taken the message to heart and hopped up a stack of I-beams.
The eagle pulled each beam out of the stack one by one, leaving Applejack running up a rapidly diminishing pile. Soon, she was pulled backwards toward her opponent, and did the one thing she instinctively knew to do.
Applejack bucked hard, and hit home for the first time in a long while, directly into the eagle's chest. However, she had not gotten the desired result.
Her hooves thudded dully against her opponent's chest, and the eagle glared harshly at her.
"Grrrrr..." the eagle quietly growled, before lifting up Applejack, I-beam and all, and threw her like a javelin across the work area.
Uncle Scrooge also had his hands full with a group of opponents, but was doing noticeably better.
Big Bad took a swing at the elderly tycoon, and missed as his opponent jumped backwards.
When he dodged, Uncle Scrooge bumped into another worker, who grabbed him from behind.
Uncle Scrooge easily flipped the worker over his shoulder, and swung at another who was trying to sneak up on him. Next, the tycoon took the hardhats off his defeated opponents' heads and wore them on his hands as he punched the ever-loving tar out of the other workers.
He quickly put the hat on his head when Big Bad took a swing with his cane, then used the same hat to parry a swing of a cleaver.
Big Bad swung over and over, trying to cut Scrooge down a size, but was constantly thwarted by his opponent's makeshift boxing gloves.
Finally, Uncle Scrooge slammed both hats on either side of Big Bad's head, making the glutton rattle wildly. Quick as a cobra, the tycoon snatched back his cane. He tried reaching for his hat, but before he could even try an I-beam with Applejack clinging to it landed between them both. The beam tilted over and knocked Big Bad square on the head.
"Ha! Now that's earnin' yer pay! Keep this up, and ye might get a raise!" Uncle Scrooge praised.
"Don't rightfully know if I can keep this up," Applejack said, uncharacteristically unsure of herself.
"What kinda talk is that? Quitter talk! That's what! I didn't quit when I was surrounded by a group of prospectin' toughs, and I'm not quittin' against these daisy-sniffin' silk stockings!" Uncle Scrooge answered, as he swung, twirled, thrusted, and parried with his cane against the workers.
Applejack lowered her head, and allowed Uncle Scrooge to vault over herself. The elderly duck kicked one approaching worker, and was punched back over Applejack by a hawk.
"It ain't that I can't handle these guys! I just...don't think I can!" Applejack answered, after thinking for a moment.
From his prone position, Uncle Scrooge reached his cane under Applejack and hooked the hawk's ankles, pulling him off his feet and yanking him under Applejack.
"'Can't handle it,' she says! Listen, lass: ye got every reason to handle these hooligans! Just as I got to undo the very damage I've done here!"
Uncle Scrooge proceeded to step all over the hawk, as he resumed a fight with Big Bad.
Applejack knew that she had a reason to be there. To help Donald rescue his family, and to protect the home of her llama friends, and to give that no good sheriff and that gluttonous wolf what-for. But, how could something that simple help her out? Then she realized it could.
When she was a filly, only the sight of a rainbow leading back to her home was what led to her becoming a professional apple bucker. That was all it took. Surely, something equally small like the desire to help would help her here.
Uncle Scrooge ducked under a scissor cut from Big Bad' s cleavers, and was then faced with the glutton's mouthful of fangs.
Before either of them knew, Applejack vaulted over the crouching tycoon, grasped his hat in her teeth, and bucked Big Bad for all she was worth. All in mid-air.
Big Bad wasn't hit so hard he would fall, but was spun for a loop. When he turned back, Applejack muzzled him with Uncle Scrooge's top hat and proceeded to punch him like a speed bag.
Unfortunately, her final buck knocked the wind out of him, which blew the hat off his face, and sent her, Uncle Scrooge and a dozen other workers tumbling backwards toward the crane.
Big Bad put his new hat back on, looked at the nearby wrecking ball, and saw an opportunity. He wasn't just known for blowing. No sir. He was also known as a world class sucker. With an inhale that would put most industrial vacuums to shame, the wrecking ball slowly started wobbling toward his opponents.
The worker nearest the thunderball noticed it first, and was quickly out of the way. The next worker saw the ball, and followed suit.
Applejack was next, and only noticed the ball as it was upon her. Taking it on instinct, she bucked her hooves against the surface of the ball. She didn't stop it in the slightest, but did manage to push herself slightly further away. When the ball was closer again, she bucked one hoof against it, then bucked the other. Each little buck sent her walking just the teensiest bit backwards, keeping her from harm.
Down the line, Uncle Scrooge saw Applejack bucking toward himself. Leaning forward, he hooked her neck with his cane and pulled her from danger.
Big Bad saw the danger he was putting himself in as he stopped sucking the wrecking ball toward himself, and started huffing and puffing and blowing it back.
"I'll go left! Ye'll go right!" Uncle Scrooge said succinctly to Applejack.
The farmpony didn't even have to ask. She did as the duck instructed and followed behind the ball to keep out of Big Bad's sight, until they knew they were close enough.
Big Bad sighed in relief when the ball stopped just short of himself, but didn't even have time to catch his breath when he was attacked from both sides.
Applejack bucked him forward.
Uncle Scrooge punched him back.
Over and over they went like a violent game of ping pong, until they both unleashed an uppercut that sent the glutton flying.
Big Bad landed on the cables of the crane, just as Uncle Scrooge knocked one of the workers into the crane's cab. The worker threw one of the throttles and the cables started lifting the half-conscious glutton into the air.
Uncle Scrooge wasn't about to let his hat get away, and started beating the snot out of as many workers as he could, piling them up under the crane's cables. Soon, there was a pile high enough for him to quickly run up and grab his hat off of Big Bad's head. Now, he was complete. Well, almost. He was still miles away from his money bin. Still, the Big Bad Wolf and the remaining workers had been defeated, and that was what mattered at the moment.
"Serves ye right, ye fuzzy bumpkin!" Uncle Scrooge said.
"Hey!" Applejack said, having been raised a bumpkin herself.
"Ah, take no offense, lass. I was born an' raised in one of the poorest parts of Scotland. We had to go boggin' fer our own peat, just to survive the winter."
The roar of a nearby engine caught their attention, and they turned to see Donald dragging the sheriff toward the construction site.
Donald fought the controls as the sheriff tried to resist the duck's pull.
The sheriff throttled his lever as hard as he could. So hard that it bent the lever he held, and started to slowly pull them both away from the construction site.
Donald strained hard against his own lever. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't resist the pull of the sheriff.
Fluttershy reached up from below, and tried pulling the lever with Donald. Just as it was before, the lever was pulled far past as much as its groove would allow.
The steam shovel roared loudly, and its treads spun wildly as it rocketed backwards.
Quick as he could, Donald grabbed Fluttershy and jumped free of the steam shovel, just as it crashed into the construction site.
There was a terrible metallic groaning as the beams broke and warped, followed by a loud clattering as they fell apart. Donald and Fluttershy ran as fast as they could to escape the carnage, nearly getting squashed at least twice by the falling metal. Soon, nearly the entire site had fallen apart by the time they had regrouped with Applejack and Uncle Scrooge. Once they had, Fluttershy jumped right into Applejack's hooves like a frightened filly.
"Fluttershy! Yer chokin' me!" Applejack said.
"Donald, ye've done it, lad! Ye've helped your old uncle put things right," Uncle Scrooge congratulated his nephew.
"Not just yet. We still have to take care of the workers in town," Donald said.
"Ah yes. How could I forget, since I only paid for them. Come on, all. We've still got work to do."
They all made their way to the town, while back at the construction site, the sheriff rose from the pile of broken metal. In one hand, he held his flattened rifle and took aim at his opponents.
High above, the cork that Fluttershy had used to pin together the I-beams popped loose and sent an avalanche of metal down on top of the sheriff. The Big Bad Wolf may not have gotten the pressed duck he wanted, but he may have easily been able to settle for rotisserie turkey.
By the time they reached the town it was too late. Every building had been knocked down, and the rubble had been mostly cleared away. What few workers there were that stayed behind were quickly dealt with, and their equipment disabled.
They looked over the destruction, feeling now like they had failed more greatly than they had before. Even though they had saved their friend's home, everpony else's home was nothing but a pile of debris.
"This...This is awful..." Fluttershy said "All those homes. Everypony's businesses..."
Applejack put her hooves around her friends' shoulder when tears started welling up in Fluttershy's eyes.
"Never ye fear lass. Things aren't quite as bad as they seem," Uncle Scrooge said.
"Not as bad as they seem? This is the worst thing that could possibly happen! The only way this could get worse is if we were still in one of those buildings when they were being knocked down!" Donald said.
Donald's eyes crossed when Uncle Scrooge's cane thrusted right in front of his bill
"In all our years together, nephew, haven't ye learned not to doubt me? Scrooge McDuck always pays back what he owes. And he always makes right the messes he makes. Now, if ye'll follow me, I'll show ye what I mean," Uncle Scrooge said, before leading the others away from town.
The tycoon led the others to the path down the mountain. After walking for what felt like a mile, they rounded a bend in the mountain and saw a fantastic sight.
Down the mountain, there was a settlement of llamas. Tents had been set up, along with utilities for water and food. Businesses seemed to be growing from some of the tents. And in the far back, some buildings were being built.
"How the hay did all that get goin' so quick?" Applejack wondered.
"Just a project I started funding after I learned that fat turkey was nothin' but an underhanded crook," Uncle Scrooge answered.
They had already learned that from the sheriff's translator, but they didn't think that he would have done something so completely generous. With a newfound lightheartedness, they quickly ran down the trail to the settlement.
Down in the settlement, Paya was pumping water into a bucket, when she became aware of a presence to her side. When she turned to look, there was her son looking up at her.
The cria had a look of curiosity on his face, as if he wanted to ask what his mother was doing. Paya smiled at her son, picked him up and allowed him to pump the water as best he could.
Frutito pushed against the lever as best as his baby hooves could, only getting tiny spurts of water. With one final hard push, he created a larger spurt that got both him and his mother wet.
Paya had a laugh at the mishap and shook her wool dry, then went about drying off her son's wool.
"Paya!" she heard a voice call.
When she looked to the source, there was Applejack running toward her.
"Applejack!" Paya said, and received the farmpony with a tight hug, followed by Fluttershy. "Cómo has llegado hasta aquí? Pensé que el alguacil te había llevado."
<"We got him, Paya! The sheriff won't be bothering you llamas anymore,"> Donald said.
<"You mean...the sheriff is gone for good?">
<"Yup. That bird's plucked, basted and baked.">
<"This is wonderful! You can't imagine what a service you've done for all of us!">
Paya reached out and grabbed Donald for her group hug, while Frutito tried to nudge his way in.
Nearby, Paya's mother watched the group of friends. She always knew her daughter to be an excellent judge of character, but never imagined that she would choose friends who would end up saving them all. Next to her, the sheriff's translator watched as well.
"You've done well for helping them," Flor said to the turquoise llama.
"Well, I couldn't just sit back and let that turkey win. I owe it to my brother after all," he answered.
"Yes. Nōchtli would be proud of you."
As warm and caring as the group hug was, Uncle Scrooge broke it up by tapping Donald's shoulder with his cane.
"Now, since I'm here: I think we should discuss the budget for the building plans around here," he said.
Donald translated for Paya.
"Sí. Sígueme. Podemos discutirlo con algunos de los otros," Paya answered.
They followed Paya to where she was leading them, but Donald had one more question to ask his uncle. "Uncle Scrooge, I've been wanting to ask: how the heck did you end up here in the first place?"
"Good question, nephew. One moment, I'm gettin' ready for a swim in my money bin, and the next I'm blinded by this twinkling light that drops me off here somehow."
There had been many ups and downs in Santillama as of late. And now it looked like things were only going to go up. It would be difficult, but soon things would be back to normal from the generosity of a few new friends.