Work Text:
Webby didn’t have magic. She knew that from the start – she wasn’t like Huey, whose body temperature was always slightly higher than the average person, or Dewey, who buzzed with static electricity even when he wasn’t actively calling for lightning, or Louie, who seemed to already had a nose for gold and riches even before his ability to control them awoke.
But she had also seen how Magica’s magic seemed to only stem from the wand she used, how Lena’s magic seemed to stem from her amulet. She had noticed the numerous books of spells and magic in Scrooge’s library that he collected – just because he didn’t like magic, didn’t mean he didn’t see the benefits of learning about it.
So, the next time they had a girl’s nights, Webby asked Lena point blank about it. “Can you learn magic?”
Lena blinked, clearly surprised. “Gee, Webby, what brought this on?”
“Well, pretty much everyone in the manor have magic,” Webby said. “Well, not everyone. Granny doesn’t have it, I don’t think Scrooge has it either, and neither does Launchpad, I think. But the boys have it and I want to know if I can learn to use it even if I don’t have it.”
Violet, who was with them, tilted her head and nodded. “It would be beneficial if you could learn it. I would also like to learn how to use it, if possible.”
Lena hummed.
“Is it possible at all? I noticed Magica using her staff but Uncle Donald doesn’t seem to need anything as long as he’s near the sea and Huey and Dewey can just make their own things and – “
“Wait, no, shut up,” Lena stopped Webby’s rambles. “I need to think about this, I never had to explain magic to other people before. It’s all instinctual for me.” She frowned, hands wringing, clenching and unclenching her fingers. “Okay. Okay, I think I got it.”
“Do tell,” Webby prodded. Next to her, Violet stared with rapt attention.
“So. Magic.” Lena took a deep breath and paused. “Ugh, this is so hard to explain. Uh, so, with magic… you have people like Huey, and Dewey, and Louie? And also Della and Donald, I guess. Well these people are ones that are born with magical affinities to elements. So their magic is something that’s, like… innate, you can’t take it away from them. It’s part of them.”
“People born with magical affinities that you can’t take away. Got it,” Webby summed up.
“And then you have people who get magic from using magical objects, like Magica’s staff that Webby broke,” Lena continued, and Webby clamped down on a squeal – she finally stopped calling Magica her aunt. That was good, Lena deserved a much better, more awesome aunt that Magica could ever be.
“You also have people who can learn spells.” Lena leaned back, looking up to the ceiling. “So tomes, potions, spellbooks; those are their things. And there are also people who don’t have magic and can’t really use it, but the thing is, what’s most important in magic is intention. So as long as they put strong enough intention to something, it could function more or less like magic.”
“Are these kinds mutually exclusive?” Violet asked. “Or can you be some of them at the same time?”
“You can be some of them,” Lena said. “In fact, people like the Ducks are rare. Usually people’s magic isn’t so powerful they don’t need to get additional training. Meanwhile, the Ducks are just there, running around and oozing enough magic to make weak but sensitive people get a headache.” She rested her chin on a hand. “Sheesh. No wonder Magica was obsessed with Scrooge. Everyone in this family’s a freak of magical nature.”
“Wait, what are you then? I’ve seen you control shadows before,” Webby asked.
“Well, I have super strong affinity with shadows because I used to be one.” Lena wiggled her fingers, and the shadows around them wavered and darkened for a moment. “I can turn into shadow or hide in your shadow again, too, if I want. I just don’t like doing it. But that’s basically all I can do, so if I want to get offensive I have to use this.” She pointed at the amulet around her neck. “That’s what Magica’s wand was for; active magic that you can you offensively. I mean, she had affinity to shadows too, but I think I pretty much stole it from her when I separated.”
“Wait, so, you can learn magic, right?” Webby asked again.
Lena tilted her head, studying her, then grimaced. “I mean, yeah, but no offense, Webby. You don’t feel like the sort of person who can learn to use spells. That’s more Violet’s vibe.”
“Oh, I can learn to use spells?” Violet blinked. “Perhaps I could ask Mr. McDuck if he has some books I can learn from.”
“I’m sure he has something, but, but Lena, are you sure I can’t learn magic?” Webby turned back to Lena, tone pleading.
“Yeah, sorry… I seriously don’t think you can learn,” Lena grimaced. “And using magical objects can be dangerous. You’ve seen what Scrooge has in his arsenal. There’s a reason why he keeps them out of public’s eye.” She leaned forward. “But… you’re definitely the type who can put intention into things.”
“Oh, like the friendship bracelet,” Violet said with a smile, holding up her hand to show off the bracelet Webby wove. “It created a sort of energy that helped us defend against Magica, didn’t it?”
“Oh, that,” Webby laughed weakly, twiddling her thumbs together. “It was nothing, I was just so happy I could have you guys as my friends. The bracelet’s just there so show you guys how much I love you.”
“I’m sure that’s precisely why it was so effective in warding Magica off,” Violet pointed out.
“What? No, no, no, that was nothing! It couldn’t be because of the bracelets!”
“Webby, your bracelet made a shield for you when Magica tried to attack you, back in the Money Bin,” Lena said.
“Wasn’t that you trying to get out of her shadow?”
“The friendship bracelet glowed first. It’s on your intentions warding off her attack, it wasn’t on me.”
“I mean, yeah, but – “
“Oh, for duck’s sake. Webby, you can weave intention into your bracelets and it’s strong enough to ward off magic. You have talent to be a charm weaver!” Lena snapped. “They don’t need to be born with magic or be able to use spells or get artefacts. They can’t use active magic. But they can make impenetrable wards and protections if they can put enough intention into what they make, and I don’t know if you were half asleep when you made us our bracelets, but this,” she shook off her hand that wore Webby’s woven bracelet, “is a charm if I know one. And I know plenty!”
The weight of Lena’s words crashed into Webby’s mind, and she sat unmoving for a moment. “…oh,” was all she said when she found her voice again.
Then the meaning actually hit, which triggered a fifteen minutes long freakout which was equal parts her being extremely excited, grappling with her disbelief, and what does this mean, what do I do next. Because she had figured she’d be spending at least a few months ahead trying to get abracadabra right, not to have Lena told her she could actually do something by wanting it enough.
The next day, she dragged both Violet and Lena to the craft store, and they bought threads of all colors that Webby could use to make more bracelets. She grabbed every color she could think of, ready to make bracelets for everyone in the family and new ones for the ones who already had friendship bracelets.
“Webby, don’t you think you’re going a little overboard?” Lena asked.
“Absolutely not!” Webby answered without missing a beat. “If me knowing nothing can make something like that, just imagine what I can do when I actually know what I’m doing! I’m gonna make sure nobody gets hurt in adventures.”
“Hey, Webby, what do you think about this material?” Violet called over from a row of embroidery threads. Webby bounded over to her, talking excitedly about the colors and how the thread felt in their fingers. Lena followed over, sighing, but Webby was pretty sure she was smiling.
She brought the threads to her bed and cuddled them to sleep, feeling each strand brushing against her feathers as she tried to infuse as much of her love into them as possible. She focused on each thought when she weaved them into bracelets, wishing safety and happiness and protection for whoever the bracelet was gifted to later.
She picked an ocean blue spool specifically and nuzzled it to her cheek. “Luck will come to you,” she said, taking extra care to mean it.
Huey’s new woven bracelet was blazing red and warm orange with slivers of white.
He went camping with other Junior Woodchuck kids, and a shield of sorts manifested itself and kept him safe when Boyd went haywire even though the forest around him fell.
Dewey’s was electric blue and silver brought together by a single white strand.
When he and Launchpad played their game of spies, a mirror-like sheen keep appearing around him. He never found out why – the game must have had some unresolved bugs.
Louie’s was emerald green interwoven by pale gold with white peeking in between.
When it seemed like his scheme was falling apart, something kept him on his toes, whispering encouragement that allowed him to take back control and trusted Dewey to do what he did best.
Lena’s was a soft mauve that matched her fringes paired with metallic black.
She was still restless at night. Magica kept sending her dreams that she couldn’t fully ward off, and no matter how much confidence and reassurance she had gained, the dreams were still bothering her.
The night she forgot to take off the bracelet before sleep was one of the few nights she had without nightmares. She never took the bracelet off anymore.
Violet’s was a shade of iris purple that complimented the color of her feathers well, paired with dark gray, woven into the same pattern as Lena’s – a matching set, for the sisters.
The day Violet competed with Huey for the Senior Woodchuck position, she nearly lost her footing while climbing up a massive tree. The bracelet seemed to gleam as she miraculously found a footing that allowed her to get back to her feet. She let her fingers brush against the strands of threads and marched on.
Donald’s bracelet was sea blue with a single bright white thread making wave-like patterns along its length. He wore it with a smile, and found himself stumbling less on land, noticing the usual scrapes and cuts had slowly started to diminish the longer he wore the bracelet.
Della’s bracelet was bright white with a single sky blue thread making cloud-like patterns along its length. She wore it proudly, and found herself finding encouragement when she needed it most.
Scrooge’s bracelet was perhaps the most elaborate Webby had made. It was strong maroon interwoven with gold that created a pattern of gold coins, bordered with a sliver of white. He wore it, always, even though it was hidden beneath his sleeves, and found himself feeling more secure than ever.
Granny’s was a matching set with hers. They both wore pink-and-turquoise bracelets, Webby’s a little smaller than Granny’s, made in simple stripes pattern. Granny never took it off since she received it from Webby, and it warmed her heart every time she saw it around Granny’s wrist.
“It’s lovely, Webbigail,” Granny had said when she received the bracelet, voice so much warmer than usual. “Thank you so much for making this.”
“It won’t disturb you when you work, right?” Webby asked. “I don’t know how to make it so it won’t catch if you were fighting. Sorry.”
“Oh, Webbigail, that’s not an issue,” Granny said. “You’ve made it well enough to withstand a beating. Don’t worry about it.”
The kids’ new bracelets hung side by side with the old one Webby made for them. The adults wore theirs alone, and somehow none of them looked odd with a woven bracelet, not even Scrooge, when the bracelet peeked from under his sleeves. None of them ever took the bracelet off again, and to Webby’s surprise, even after months of their crazy adventures they never seemed to even fray a little.
“I did tell you that you have a talent to be a charm weaver,” Lena said. “You’re great at putting your well-wishes into objects.”
Webby had just given the bracelets to the Ducks and Scrooge when she realized she hadn’t made Launchpad one.
She wove another simple one, ivory white and green brought together by the Sunchaser’s bold red, wishing precaution and safety to it. Launchpad practically cried when she gave it to him, so touched by the gesture. He scooped her up and hugged her, and she hugged back, happy to gift him with any protection she could give.
She ended up making Boyd one, too, after Huey introduced them to him; soft yellow and red with a thin stripe of deep blue. He smiled wide, wide, wide when he received it, and if everything about him hadn’t convinced Webby that he was a real boy, that smile certainly did.
“Uhhh, don’t magic usually mix badly with tech?” Donald piped up in uncertainty.
“Webby’s charms isn’t like your magic,” Lena said. “Yours is harsh to tech. Webby’s charms are a lot more subtle and she recognizes Boyd as a friend. It’ll be fine.”
“I sure hope so,” Donald muttered, watching as Boyd bounded over excitedly to Gyro to show off the bracelet.
“Look, look, Dr. Gearloose! A friend gave me a gift!”
“That’s nice, Boyd. Did you say thank you?”
“Yes, I did!”
“You know, for someone who kept insisting Boyd was evil at first he’s being a really good father figure right now,” Fenton commented lowly to Donald, who nodded in agreement. Webby glanced at them, thinking.
“Would you like a bracelet too, Mr. Crackshell-Cabrera?” she offered. She had pieced together that he was Gizmoduck, and he would probably do with some warding, as well. Gizmoduck was still new at the whole superhero stuff and still got a lot of injuries, after all.
“Please, call me Fenton!” he said. “And I’ll be fine! I wouldn’t want to take your adventuring time for me.”
She made him a bracelet anyway, purple like his tie and red like Gizmoduck’s G. He grew more confident as Duckburg’s resident hero and the injuries he sustained was reduced in number, little by little. She noticed Gyro glancing at the bracelets Fenton and Boyd both wore, and she made him one, too, green with a splash of red, like his clothes. He fumbled when he received it, clearly not expecting to get one, but like the others, he was never seen without it ever since.
She considered making Manny a bracelet, too.
Manny declined because he didn’t have hands to wear bracelets on.
Launchpad came to her, asking if she could make his friend a bracelet, as well. As scatterbrained as he could be, Launchpad had noticed the effects of the bracelets she made on people who wore it. He requested dark purple with gold accents, and Webby had no reason to refuse, so she agreed. She wove an eggplant purple bracelet, a gold thread running through it to make a zig-zag pattern. She wished protection upon it like the other bracelets she made.
The next time she watched the news, she saw Darkwing Duck, St. Canard’s resident hero, take down the notorious Taurus Bulba. Even from the TV’s grainy footage – the camera was too far away to get a good footage, it seemed – Webby could see the purple and gold around the hero’s wrist, peeking through his sleeve.
She spent that night quietly freaking out to herself when she realized that 1) Launchpad was friends with an actual hero, and 2) She had apparently made bracelets for two heroes.
(Later on, she found out Donald was actually Paperinik, though he had hung the cape when he decided to raise the triplets on his own. She pretty much combusted internally.)
She met Gosalyn Mallard and found herself a fast friend immediately. She made her a bracelet the color of her eyes interwoven with the same red as her hair, weaving it into the same pattern as the one that she apparently made for Darkwing Duck because it felt appropriate, somehow.
Then she saw Gosalyn’s dad wearing the very same bracelet she wove for Darkwing Duck, had a Realization™. That was why it felt appropriate.
When Webby told the triplets that she made Gosalyn a bracelet, Louie laughed and shrugged. “Classic Webby. There our local charms dealer goes, making bracelets for everyone.”
“Charms dealer? But I’m not selling anything,” Webby protested.
“Sure you are. You just don’t have them pay you in money, you have them pay you with friendship,” Louie said. Dewey’s eyes widened when he heard it, mouthing oh my god, you’re right as he stared at nothing in particular, looking as if his mind had been blown.
“Then that’s not a transaction in the first place!”
“It sure is, everything is basically transaction. It’s just that people don’t usually consider it transaction unless you get money involved,” Louie said.
“But I didn’t give you the bracelets because I want your friendship,” Webby argued.
“Oh, wow, Webby, that’s cold,” Louie commented. His tone was teasing though, so he was probably just joking.
“The friendship economy is in shambles. We are all facing bankruptcy,” Huey added solemnly.
“No, I made them because you guys are like family to me and I want you to be safe!” Webby blurted, and felt heat rising in her cheeks.
“Awww, Webby,” Dewey cooed, scooting over to sling his arm around her shoulders. “That’s really sweet of you.”
“I take that back, we’re not facing friendship bankruptcy. We’re all rich,” Huey said, wiping a stray tear out of his eye.
“We shall prosper for all eternity in our Webby-based familial love currency,” Louie added.
“Oh, hey, should we make bracelets for Webby too?” Huey suggested. “I need a craft badge anyway, and it seems like it will be fun.”
“Nooo, that’s boring,” Dewey booed. “Why bother making bracelets when you can have an adventure?”
“You’re only saying that because you know yours won’t look good,” Louie taunted.
Dewey took the bait immediately. “Oh, no you don’t! Just look, I’m going to make a bracelet so amazing everything else in the market looks like they’re garbage!”
“Wait, actually, won’t there be too many bracelets for Webby to wear if we all make her bracelets?” Louie asked, getting a sudden realization.
“That’s okay, I can rotate them!” Webby grinned. “I’ll be happy to wear what you made!”
Webby continued to weave and give bracelets to whoever she felt needed it, and slowly branched out, learning to knit scarves and mittens and making enamel pins of her own.
Her own collection of woven bracelets grew as the people who she gave bracelets to gave her bracelets of their own, woven or braided or bead. She rotated them every day, and reveled in the smiles her friends and family gave her when they saw the bracelets around her wrists.