| One Hour Later...|
"GGRAAH! I can't TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" Della shouts as she tries to tear her own hair out. She turns to the rest of you, who look up at her tiredly. "We can't keep going on like this, guys! At this rate, we're NEVER going to get out of here, with or without these beans!" She says desperately. Suddenly, arrogant laughter echoes all around you, and blue mist rises from the floor, forming into the chef that has done nothing but irk you all day.
"Ah, NOW you understand! I have already seen the end of this game, and I WIN! The best thing you can do right now is just give up while you're still alive!" He tells you all. "What's your PROBLEM, anyway!?" Donald asks angrily. "We only want these things for souvenirs! Why do you even NEED them anymore!? You're already dead!" Nostradogmus scoffs. "SOUVENIRS!?Ridiculous! The only reason you could possibly have for taking my beans is so you can make better cookie recipes than my OWN!" He accuses.
For a long time, everyone stares at the chef in utter disbelief. "...WHAT!?" Scrooge asks, wondering briefly if he needs hearing aids. "THAT'S what you think this is about? Cookies!?" Della questions incredulously. "Why in the WORLD would we use beans that let you TRAVEL BACK IN TIME just to bake good cookies!? Don't look now, oh seer of seers, but I think you've lost a few chips in your mainframe! CHOCOLATE chips, that is!"
"Yeah!" You concur. "And besides, we wouldn't NEED them! I can make better cookies than you ANY day!" Nostradogmus gasps, staring at you with wide eyes. "P-preposterous! I have reversed the course of history COUNTLESS times to create the PERFECT recipe! How could YOU, a vulgar brute who has not traveled through time even once, POSSIBLY manage to bake better cookies than ME!?" This time, it's YOUR turn to scoff.
"Oh, PLEASE! You're one to talk about being vulgar and brutish! All you are is just an arrogant, shallow BULLY who took an incredible gift and used it to make yourself LOOK GOOD! I earned my baking skills the same way YOU did, through trial and error, only I wasn't insecure enough to wipe away the mistakes I made! Perfecting a craft is all about making mistakes, seeing what went wrong, and learning how to do better from those flaws!" You tell him. "A person should be PROUD to learn from their failures, because it shows just how far they've come and reminds them of the potential they still have. But all you care about is your own selfish ego!"
You cross your arms, glaring defiantly up at the ghostly chef. "How many of these jellybeans did you use up to run away from your failures, when they could have been used to help people, or to better your life? I can't help but pity someone like you, because you could never see past your own arrogance long enough to really make something of yourself."
Nostradogmus stares blankly at you, completely shocked. Scrooge smiles proudly down at you, and Della opens her mouth to say something, but...
"BAH! Why should I listen to you!? You're the ones invading MY castle, stealing MY jellybeans, all so you can LEECH off of MY success!!!" Nostradogmus yells, completely enraged. "FINE then! I came here to give you a chance to surrender, but since you CLEARLY have no intention of doing so, I guess I'm left with no choice!"
He puts his fingers to his lips, whistling loudly. Suddenly, a large iron gate at the end of the hall lifts up, and loud barks and snarling come from the shadows. Nostradogmus smirks at you. "Did I forget to mention that this turret of the castle is my kennel?" He asks.
A massive army of rabid ghost dogs comes charging out of the gate, intent on tearing you all limb from limb. "Lassie!" Scrooge calls, and you rush forward, already feeling the change taking place within you.
A dark purple aura surrounds your form.
Black liquid leaks out of your eyes, nose, and mouth, staining your feathers and enveloping your entire body.
Said body grows to the size of a tank, and with an furious roar you charge at the ghost dogs, swinging both fists in a downward arc to smash them into the ground.
However, your fists pass right through them, leaving a large crater in the ground, but having no effect on your enemies, who jump onto you, biting and clawing at the dark membrane that serves as your skin.
"Huh!? How are those things able to withstand her hammering!?" Donald asks in surprise. Della gasps as she realizes the answer to her brother's question. "They don't HAVE to! Being ghosts, they're impervious to any harm!" You roar in anger as you thrash about, failing time and again to land a hit on these undead pets. "It looks as if they can't harm the wee one either! It's like having the unstoppable force meet the immovable object! They're stuck!" Scrooge exclaims.
However, more ghost dogs flood out of the gate, and upon seeing their brethren keeping you occupied, decide to go after the more tender meat instead. "WAUGH!" Donald quacks in fright as he narrowly escapes being chomped on. "They might not be able to hurt Y/N, but they can sure as heck hurt US!" He cries.
As the three run, Scrooge looks at Della, opening his mouth to say something.
"Yeah, yeah, I get the drill!" Della yells before gulping down another bean.
|Six Minutes Earlier...|
"...And so, here we are again." Della finishes, having just explained the events that happen in the future. "Did I really sound THAT COOL?" You ask. Della chuckles. "Yeah. I repeated that one word for word. Nice job, kid."
Scrooge holds his chin, thinking hard. "Well, regardless you were right about one thing, Della. There's no way we can keep going on like this. Even with Y/N's powers, we still won't be able to beat this flea-bitten fortune teller at his own game!" He tells everyone. "Then what do we do, Daddy?" You ask. He raises a brow, smiling at you in amusement. "Why, I should think the answer's OBVIOUS, Y/N. We simply have to CHANGE THE RULES!" He turns, walking back the way you came. "Come on, everyone! I've got a plan, and I'm going to need all hands on deck to make it happen!"
You, Della, and Donald all smile at each other hopefully, before running after him, determined to end this.
|Later...|
"I don't see how this is helping us." Donald states simply. You look around, taking in your new surroundings. "He's right, Daddy. How is a medieval KITCHEN going to be of any use?" You ask.
Scrooge smiles, apparently glad you asked. "Ye see Lassie, it all comes down to Nostradogmus' psychology! He feels like he HAS to be the best, and he's clearly willing to do anything to make sure he is! But, if we manage to completely defeat his ego, he might just let us go!" Della's eyes light up in realization, and she snaps her fingers. "I get it! This whole thing has been about making sure we don't learn how to bake better cookies than him! If we show him we already KNOW, it'll demoralize him!" You tilt your head to the side, a little concerned. "Will that really be enough, though? I think he might just want to trap us here even MORE if we do that." You say.
"Oh, absolutely! The man's completely NUTS! He'll do anything to make sure no one finds out about the whole thing. Which is where YOU come in, Donald." Scrooge replies, looking at his nephew. Donald raises an eyebrow, clearly confused. "Huh? What do you expect ME to do about it? I can't exactly punch out a ghost!"
Scrooge smiles slyly, motioning for Della to get behind her brother. "I don't expect you to do anything, nephew! Well, except for being as BRAVE and RESILIENT as Y/N's always saying you are." As Scrooge is saying this, Della is slowly sneaking up behind her brother, a mischievous grin spread across her face.
"You think I'm brave and resilient?" Donald asks you, eyes shining. "Uuuuhhhh...." You reply uncertainly, giving your father a funny look. He simply winks back at you as he slowly inches his way toward his nephew. Deciding to trust him, you put on a nervous smile. "Y-yeah! I mean, you're always there for all of us, and you never let anything get you down, no matter what, and-and even when you're SCARED, you always manage to, uh...to save the day anyway!"
Donald smiles, eyes now wet with building tears, completely unaware of his sister and uncle about to pounce on him.
| A Short While Later...|
Blue mist rises up from the ground once again, forming into a cackling Nostradogmus. "You've fallen into my FINAL TRAP! Now it's time to..." Nostradogmus pauses, staring at the three of you. "Wait...You HAVEN'T!?" He then starts counting heads, noticing that someone's missing. "And where's that other one, the guy with the WEIRD VOICE?"
Scrooge smirks. "Hah! He's already found the way oot! Didn't predict THAT did ye, ye cold-nosed clairvoyant?" He asks. You walk into the kitchen, coming out with a tray of tasty looking chocolate chip cookies. "He did SO well, we baked cookies to celebrate!" You add.
Nostradogmus pauses, warily reaching down to the tray and picking up one, examining it briefly before taking a small bite.
His eyes widen, and he screams, tossing the partially eaten cookie across the room. "YAAAH! And they're GOOD COOKIES! Even-even better than MINE!" He admits in horror. "That's RI-IGHT! And now that my bro's flown the coop, he's gonna tell the WHOLE WORLD about it!" Della says. "UNLESS you decide to let us go...WITH THE JELLYBEANS!"
Nostradogmus quivers like a leaf in the wind before shouting out in frustration, smashing his fist onto your tray. "NO! You're BLUFFING! He CAN'T have found the way out without using the final jellybeans! He must STILL be around here somewhere, and I'm going to find him!" He proclaims.
"Sure you will! Why don't you bake some fortune cookies, open one up, and GET A CLUE?" Scrooge replies, unfazed. Nostradogmus flies out the door, sticking his tongue out at you three.
Everyone waits for a couple minutes, before Scrooge lifts up his hand, counting down. "And in three, two, one..."
"WHERE IS HE!?!?!" You hear Nostradogmus roar somewhere else in the castle, and try as you might, not even you can resist having a little laugh at his expense.
The ghostly chef floats back in the room, sighing mournfully. "I admit defeat! I can't find him anywhere!" He cries. "I didn't see that coming! But I will remain NOBLE and escort you to the exit!"
"Finally, a show of common courtesy!" You say as pick up the tray of cookies. "Oh, and do you mind if we take these delicious cookies with us for the ride home?"
"Even this big one?" Della asks as she rolls out a massive cookie, which just so happens to have the spitting image of Donald Duck, ah, CARVED into it.
Nostradogmus rolls his eyes as he snaps his fingers, causing everything around to erupt into blue mist.
Suddenly, you are outside the castle of Nostradogmus, only a few yards away from the pickup truck you used to get here. "All I WANT is for you three to leave and tell that INFURIATING sailor to keep quiet about your cookie recipe! I don't care about anything else!" The ghostly chef begins to fade from your sight, leaving you with these last four words: "Au revoir, and GOOD RIDDANCE!"
|And Now, Back To The Present...|
"That experience certainly was incredible, but I still can't understand how we were able to bake Donald into a biscuit without frying him!" You say, perplexed. Scrooge chuckles. "I haven't the slightest idea either Lassie, but as long as I've known the boy, Donald has always been getting into situations that should've killed him, and every time he's come out without a scratch!"
Scrooge points to a parking lot that's already filled with trucks that all come from the same company. "Pull up right around there Della, near the playground!" He tells her.
"Why'd you send for SO MANY, Uncle Scrooge?" The reckless pilot asks as she parks the truck, stepping out along with you and Scrooge to roll Donald out onto the playground. Suddenly, hundreds of kids coming pouring out of the school, rushing toward the giant cookie in the middle of the yard. "I wanted the local kids to break Donald out of the cookie..." Scrooge begins to explain.
"But then a thought struck me. How could I serve these bairns so much COOKIE..." The trucks open, revealing countless cartons of milk, with the drivers handing them out to the kids. "Withoot giving them MILK?" Scrooge finishes. Donald takes in a large gulp of air as his head pops out of the cookie. "Ooog. I'm a kindergarten buffet. No one, and I mean NO ONE, suffers more than I do!" He says. Della elbows you gently, pointing her thumb in the direction of the feast. "You better get in there if you want a piece of that, kiddo. Won't be there long!"
You smile politely, shaking your head. "No thank you, Della! I have all the cookies and milk I need right here." You tell her, lifting up the tray of cookies, and taking a large, well deserved bite.