-Earth, Duckberg Park, Smolder-
When the blinding light disappeared the sky cleared up near instantly, the sun shined through the clearing clouds as they break apart and I immediately noted that we had several problems.
For one, we had several people down with serious injuries and they weren’t getting up for the rest of this morning. Lena, Pom, Dolly and Fenton were the casualties having put their bodies through a lot of exhausting and bloody fighting. At least Violet and Gandra weren’t too bad off.
“So… what just happened and is that it?” I asked as I didn’t see much aside from the sunlit park and heard some guns firing in the distance.
I got an answer from Violet who was holding a phone to the side of her head.
“No, it’s not over. We still have issues with all the other people running around, Magica has managed to evade Della’s team and it won’t be long before she will come after Dolly. The Phantom Blot is also heading our way. Both want to capture Dolly and steal her magic for differing reasons, after such an impressive showing they definitely won’t stop at nothing to put her down… especially when she’s in no condition to fight back as she is. There’s also the mercenaries that want to kill Pom to think about too.” She could say that again, Dolly looked pretty battered and yet that dog stayed in it to pull off that crazy last attack. It expended whatever Dolly had after she leapt into Lena’s magical beam to do it. If that’s the kind of powerful effect Pom has on a dog, then she’s a terrifying force multiplier for canines. “Ee’re surrounded on all sides by two mercenary groups split up into various smaller teams alongside Blot’s Egghead forces. I may be a senior woodchuck, but I am scrawny, energetically deficient after performing the ritual to open that portal and I am not in the mood for a pitched battle where I’m fighting for my life. If it happens it will likely be fought with me on my back or me being gunned down by heartless mercenaries. Gizmo Gal doesn’t have any weapons other than her shock touch technology and you are our best form of offense at the moment that is currently available.”
Okay… so things are bad.
“What can we look for when it comes to help and support if we’re about to be attacked by all sides?” I asked as I looked about, what happened here was weird and nobody knew what the heck Dolly just did.
“Launchpad could be around in some kind of vehicle, which will probably be wrecked if he attempts to park it anywhere near here. If it’s a mode of transportation in some form or another, then he’s ‘safely’ crashed it. Somehow nobody dies when he’s involved in whatever accident occurs, so it’s logically safer with him around than without him.” Gandra started off as she closed up Gizmo Duck’s suit and started to wheel his unconscious form over to Pom. “Everyone else is likely already entangled in the fighting, with as many mercenaries and eggheads as there probably are in the surrounding area getting any other help isn’t going to be easy. I could call Penumbra.”
“She’s going to be busy dealing with the flamethrower drone squirrels and helicopter laser sharks fighting on Mister McDucks front lawn for the foreseeable future.” It seemed Violet’s words made Gandra pale a bit, Violet hissed slightly she looked away. “I am not about to call my fathers into this mess either. Even if both Lena and I are in serious danger, I would not have them getting hurt on my conscience.”
I started moving Dolly closer to Pom, maybe their familiar bond would speed up their recovery. I wouldn’t know as I’ve never had to deal with a familiar and Pom was our resident expert on the subject.
The poorly breathing Dalmatian smiled faintly and curled up against Pom when I carefully placed her battered body down next to her, I left the skateboard next to them as well. Violet was already carefully dragging Lena over to us.
“Smolder, is everyone alright?!” We turned and saw Ocellus flying down to us and a lightbulb went off in my head.
“Ozzy… you’re perfect!” Having stated this to my changeling friend as she landed, her head was now turning bright red. I wonder if that was a shapeshifting malfunction or if she was just happy to see me after I came here with Violet. “Also no, nobody here is alright Ocellus, but we’re alive.”
“Um… thanks Smol… but what brought that compliment about? I couldn’t even get this close with all that malice around here. Now there’s still a lot of it negative emotions around, but they are not actually nearly close to being debilitating to me.” I loved her a lot, but if she wanted to help then all I needed to do was ask her. I was worried about her safety, but I’m sure she would agree to it. Ugh, why do feelings have to be so hard?! “Smol what’s the matter?”
“Can you do something for me Ocellus? I have an idea, but it might be putting you into quite a bit of danger.” Danger I didn’t want to involve you in, but Pom really couldn’t protect us right now and I didn’t want anyone here to get hurt even worse than they already are. Gone are the days I didn’t care much about others aside from my brother. “It might help us get Pom and the others out of here at least.”
“What do I have to do?” Ocellus stated firmly standing straighter on her hooves. “I can already feel multiple people with negative emotions approaching the park from all sides.”
“Well first, hand me over to Smolder.” Stated a worried Dormarch and she did so, so that I was now holding him. “I’m going to need to be with her if this is going where I think it is.”
“Okay, here’s what you’re going to do.” Once I started explaining my plan, Violet and Gandra Dee in the damaged Gizmo Gal armor both added onto the plan on how we were going to get everyone to safety and how we could possible move them.
-Five minutes later, Magica-
Okay, so I was a little roughed up and managed to escape… er evade them, why would I ever need to escape them I was an all-powerful sorceress who was most certainly not afraid of children! I could even still achieve my plan.
I hovered outside the park when I saw my target rush out of some bushes and looked about while adjusting the helmet on her head warily before spotting me. The dog gave me a slight grin and then ran down the street and had to dodge around a beam of energy. I would take that power from her and I would have my revenge!
Immediately flying over to see who did that. I saw ‘him’ again, the Phantom Blot.
“Magica!” Blot screamed, he pointed his refurbished magic stealing gauntlet at me and I yawned. “Well of course you’d be after the magical dog you mystical menace!”
“Well if it isn’t the little smudge and his broken eggs.” I crossed my arms and tapped my staff against my shoulder preparing to rebuff him after what happened last time we ran afoul of one another.
“Why you… wait we’re getting distracted… where did the mutt go?” At Blot’s musings, I and this fools gaggle of braindead troops took notice of the dog sneaking off to an alleyway. She yelped and hopped when we all noticed her slinking and ran into the alleyway. “After that dog!”
“Right away sir, calling all forces, Caper Canine is on the move and we’re tracking her again!” The peppy Pepper was still being a goon for the idiot that thinks he can destroy all magic. Magic cannot be destroyed, it made up the very fabric of all existence! “Blot is facing Magica, yeah we’re having one of those days aren’t we?”
Speaking of the idiot, I deflect the beam of energy he sent my way with such relative ease, it was basically a parlor trick.
“You will not have the dog before I do!” I raised my staff to this nuisance I’ve had the misfortune to work with for a short time. “After I’m through with her, she’s all yours!”
-Dolly?-
Okay, I’ve taken some pressure off of them, but now I had to keep away from my pursuers.
Luckily for me… stealth is a thing I’m good at. Now just take off the helmet, hide the skateboard and hide them both behind the garbage can and leap on top of it while shapeshifting and…
“Mow?” I mewled cutely from on top of a garbage can as the several thugs after me ran into the alleyway, I got a few pets from the guys in the yellow suits and eggshell helmets. I soaked up the attention and rumbled happily.
“Don’t stop to play with the cat, although it is admittedly a cute cat, we have a job to do and a dog to catch!” The shorter female among the muscle bound guys gave me a few pats on the head and I purred affectionately, she was then quickly on her way none the wiser.
Quickly transforming back into Dolly in a weak flash of green, I grinned as I slapped the helmet back on my head and swung the skateboard around onto my back and snuck my way out the way I came to see Magica and Blot fighting one another with blasts of magic. I quickly ran down the street, only to see another team of those jump suit guys.
I sighed, giving people the run around was hard work. If I see people with guns, I’m going to have to stay out of sight.
-Duckberg Park, Smolder-
“Okay, Magica and those guys took the bait at least, but mercenaries are still coming into the park.” I landed next to a still unconscious pile of friends.
Violet was checking them over with Dormarch’s help and even directing her to do several things to help them further as they were being carefully strapped down to the top of Gizmo Duck’s chest. We were basically going to use him as a wheelbarrow, Gandra said he’d be okay with it and had repositioned him in the armor when she opened it up.
“We still need a better mode of transport to move our injured, I seriously doubt Emergency Services want to deal with being shot at.” Muttered Violet as she worked with what she had from the medical kit to help all of our downed people.
Violet was focusing on her sister Lena first, Pom was mostly stabilized thanks to Gandra aside from irregular heartbeats, next to Lena the most stable was Dolly. Gizmo Duck, the armor and the person underneath were both pretty badly battered by Hollow.
Gizmo Duck, better known as Fenton Crackshell, had taken a real beating and had put up with a lot more than everyone else had. I’m glad to say that I can believe in the heroes of this world… even if one of Gizmo ducks more common weapons was using perfectly good pie, he’s like a genius Power Pony character from Spike’s comic book collection.
We heard a shot and ducked down warily, then more shots firing nearby, but they didn’t seem to be aimed at us. I took to the air and flew around to see what was happening. I eventually spotted a large armored vehicle and a number of people aiming weapons at each other from cover, the guys with the vehicle seemed to have the upper claw here.
I slowly lowered to the ground among the bushes we were taking cover in, making sure to look around everywhere as I did.
“We’re a bit surrounded, but at least we got competing groups of mercenaries that are focusing on each other at the moment.” I was trying to be quiet as possible.
“We really don’t have much time here.” Gandra muttered as she moved close to a tree to look around it and quickly ducked back.
-Sabu Taj-
Scrooge McDuck and Goldie O’ Gilt. I could maybe handle one by themselves, but both at the same time and actually working together? Nope, big nope, definitely not even going to think I had a chance against those two considering Goldie somehow survived my backstabbing of her.
Leap Lamb was at least somehow responsible for the clouds clearing up, but my teams running into the Shred Treads was becoming a major problem.
At least we had them out gunned, but they had us on armor. Apparently they wanted Leap Lamb alive now, we were the ones here to kill her and at a cost to me.
I didn’t think for a second that Scrooge and Goldie weren’t still on my back despite me running and leaving another team to them. We still have three teams aside from my current one and things were devolving into a three ring circus of insanity.
Rev Ocelet was having problems with some idiot running around calling himself Darkwing Duck based on an old television show, despite how dumb he sounded the guy was actually causing Rev some issues and that was to my benefit.
It didn’t help that there was also someone called Quiverwing Quack who was scarily accurate with old weaponry that was mostly soundless. Now there was someone who was doing ridiculous things with crossbow bolts, like taking out the tires on my jeep and somehow knocked out a guy with the same bolt. A trick shot artist running around as a vigilante was something I really didn’t need, much less all the other complications getting in the way.
Out of everything, hearing that Donald Duck was around had me wary. The Duck family was known for dealing with mercenaries, brigands, thieves, thugs and just about any kind of illegal occupation under the sun without permanent injury.
Donald Duck by all appearances was an average duck biped, but even I knew he was probably the most threatening person living in Duckberg and he was sighted as fighting the shell heads with their energy weapons. Mad scientists were backing those guys at the very least.
“Scout teams sit-rep, where’s Donald Duck?” I asked as we were currently in a standoff with the Shred Treads, they wanted to capture the super hero alive.
Do they realize how stupid it sounds to try and captured a super powered individual that has been outrunning me since we’ve first met? Not to mention that she survived near direct hits from rocket trucks? If she chose to, she could be far more dangerous and aggressive than she was and I’ve seen it first hand when she shot down a helicopter with me in it with whatever the strange crap was that she pulled.
Idly sniffing the air, I could smell Leap Lamb as having bled a lot around here. If she was weak enough from blood loss, then it was the perfect opportunity for me to end her life provided I would even get the chance to get close enough to get a bead on her skull.
“We don’t have sight of him ma’am, but he’s with two turned experiments from F.O.W.L. and the Shush agent that helped bring them down.” Did not like hearing that from my scouts in the city. “Ma’am we think that Agent 47 is…”
Hearing those words, I instinctively tried to duck to the right knowing that the guy had a scarily intimidating sense of timing.
I got lucky, the next second I was on the ground and only bleeding a lot.
Feeling an agonizing pain in my left shoulder as I was hit, something just shattered it and I’m pretty sure it was sniper round.
Despite the white hot agony, I rolled towards the nearby tree avoiding a second shot that clipped an artery in my neck, our two mercenary groups started firing on one another and bullets were quickly filling the air.
“Scout team Zeta, do you think?! Get out of there now, he’s definitely here and likely already knows your position, he almost just got me in the heart!” I screamed in rage into my radio, I got up and ran behind at tree narrowly avoiding taking another shot. “Blow the nearest water tower northward of my position, now!”
Everyone heard the explosion in the distance and I grinned, try and take me out when I was distracted huh you bastard? I trapped some of the best high points in the city, you think you were the only one here with a mile long record of killing people?
-Agent 47-
“I don’t say this often but… thank you.” Sabu was craftier then expected, I also did not expect to be rescued in such a fashion. I would have survived the fall and the explosion, but anyone could have come after me if I ended up in the hospital afterwards.
It was curious that someone would rescue an assassin such as me, especially another person who knows what it’s like to be a clone.
“Don’t worry about it, just do me a favor and stay away from attacking anyone in my family so I won’t have to come after you in revenge and we’re golden!” Webbigail Vanderquack McDuck, Scrooge McDuck’s highly unusual clone, quickly pulled out her phone which apparently played some sort pop tune on it. Her eyes widened and she started rappelling down the side of the building using my rope. “Hold on best friends, I’m coming!”
My position was compromised before I ever got into it, so I had better find a different spot to watch things from.
I sighed, pulled out an umbrella and jumped off the other side of the building and opened it on the way down.
-Donald Duck-
This was exasperating, but I was admittedly having some fun despite all the trouble going on in the city right now. Nothing like a good scrap to get the blood pumping, also these eggheads should know by now that Ducks don’t back down.
Fenton’s mother was going to make a lot of arrests today, he finished up with a right hook to the jaw of the last goon in the area and looked to Beakley, Juna and May.
“Are you girls alright?” My voice of course comes out the garbled mess it usually does, probably shouldn’t have sang so much metal when I was younger.
“We’re doing okay!” It was a good day when May could smile brightly in my direction, though she should probably clean off the brass knuckles before she put her arm around her sister.
“Yeah, we’re fine!” June was such a sweetie, she’d be cuter without the baseball bat covered in small amounts of blood she was shouldering.
“I suppose we should find out everyone else’s situation to find out where we’re most needed.” Beakley pulled her glasses from her face and wiped them off using an unconscious persons clothing, she was standing among what was almost a sea of groaning and broken bodies. “Judging by how the sky cleared over the park, they succeeded in dealing with the major problem. The gunshot noises coming from that direction are fairly worrying though.”
Pulling out my phone I called the one likeliest to be closest to the mess, my sister Della. She was always did enjoy a challenge.
“Della, what are you and the boys getting up to?” My sister was quick to respond.
“If I said teaching my boys how to steal a tank… what would you do?” Della sounded fairly strained as she said this, almost as if she was afraid to hear my answer.
“Are you stealing a tank?” I asked while tapping a foot knowing I would not like the answer I was about to get.
“No, no, no, it’s not a tank Don, just an APC, honest! It’s not like the mercenaries need it, we knocked out the crew silently, tied them up and everything. We do have a situation going on in Duckberg Park what with the various mercenaries shooting everywhere, there’s also the situation with both Magica and The Phantom Blot chasing after Dolly for her magic nearby. I’ll have you know that we’re completely fine where we are.” If there was one thing in this hateful world that one had to be afraid of more than anything, it was Della’s driving skills. Sure she could pilot anything that flies, but put her in control of a normal car or a boat and she’s functionally worse than Launchpad. At least she wasn’t as bad with submarines. “Have to get back to you Don, I have to rescue Violet and her group from getting caught in the crossfire. Yeah, cross that wire Huey, that should start the engine. Louie, don’t let your brother Dewey man the gun. Dewey put on a flak vest please, I’d feel better if you did as you’re going to need it.”
“We’ll meet you there Dumbella.” I sighed audibly, slowly dragged my left hand down my beak and stopped the call. I wanted to cry so badly right now. “Della’s hijacking a mercenary APC, we all know she can’t get a driver’s license to save her life. Not with her lead foot syndrome.”
“You do realize her metal leg is not made of actual lead right?” Nodding to May, I patted her on the head and then turned towards the street that led to the park.
Trying to stay calm despite this turn of event. I took a few slow steps and then immediately started running for the park with all I had in a panic, hoping to make it there in time before things got any worse or my sister did something crazy in the tune of massive amounts of collateral damage!
-Equus, World Summit, Fizzle-
“So that almost fixes things, it’s more like a patch job Jade.” I just knew how she was going to respond to what I just said. “We need to fix the economy completely before the patch stops working.”
“Meow.” She’s been meowing at me incessantly and I didn’t know what I did wrong. She’ll talk to everyone else normally, but me she just mewls in an annoying tone. At least she gives snuggles.
“Isn’t it kind of against the Geneighva Convention to have a delegate tied up and gagged like this?” The Griffonstone delegate asked motioning to the lambkin delegate tied to their chair. “Also are you and you’re wife having problems? She’s been meowing at you all meeting.”
“She’ll tell me eventually, but please bear with it for now.” I groaned and rubbed my right hoof against the right side of my forehead in very small and slow circles. “She’s not going to speak to me normally until she’s figures I’ve had enough, we’re still quite happily married despite this issue. Also Jade using a cake or cupcake is now against the Geneva Convention and is both cruel and unusual war crime unless pardoned before hoof or it’s a life and death situation, all for the motion?”
“Agreed!” Everyone stated, even Discord agreed with the motion. You knew it was bad when the most chaotic person in the room agreed to something along with everyone else.
Cakes in Jade’s paws were now to be considering weapons of mass destruction if she were to use them for magical alchemy.
Jaded pouted and wilted in her seat while crossing her arms.
“Now that the floor is open, I would like to discuss the exportation of macramé sculptures of my backside to Yakyakistan and the payments in snow I could expect in return for them.” That Discord could say that with a straight face and with seriousness had me almost breaking my stoic demeanor. What would he need all that snow for anyway? Celestia, Luna and Twilight were fairly suspicious of him. “I would like to ask for a snow yak, sculpted by one of your professional snow sculptors.”
“You ask for much, but yak agree to the trade!” Prince Rutherford of the yaks stated. As far as the yak’s usual strangeness goes, he was doing some fairly bizarre and questionable business with Discord.
"I'll trade you a bowl of banana pudding from my mother for one of those macramé tails if you can talk Discord into enchanting it to act as a third arm for me!" Why Jade, why?!
"I'll try allied friend of yaks!" When did the yaks become friends with Jade and when did they work out a treaty between this morning with the exploding cereal experiment and now? "He is being a very hard bargainer!"
Urge to face hoof rising, do not face hoof Fizzle, resist the temptation...