Disclaimer: Don't own anything, other then some OCs that might make their way in here. Everyone knows that Disney is the company that owns the Mighty Ducks Animated Series!

Chapter 1:

The night was eerily quiet. The howling echoes of stir-crazy fans cheering for their team had died out less than a week ago when the Mighty Ducks lost the Stanley Cup. It had been a vicious final round that kept everyone on the edge of their seats. A battle that raged for a full seven games, ending in an overtime victory for the Detroit Crank Shafts. The only sounds echoing now were that of six ducks playing an uneven game of hockey by themselves in the empty arena.

Phil was taken aback by the sad sight before him. His team had been eager to play and their excitement palpable throughout their run in the playoffs. But now… He sighed to himself as he made his way down to the player's bench. I guess you can't win them all, he thought to himself looking up at the rafters. It would have been nice to add a "Stanley Cup Champions" banner up there alongside the two "Western Conference Division Champions" banners already there.

There was always next year! That's right, he could always cheer them up by talking about how great they'd be next year! They'll practice hard all summer. Analyze their games from this previous season, especially those from the playoff run. They'd be a better prepared team and much more finely tuned this next season.

"Hey guys!" He yelled as he reached for the red trimmed wall separating the bench from the ice. All players slowed to a halt looking over at their hefty manager. "How's about a nice dinner out on the town? On me?"

"What's the catch?" Tanya skated in a small circle, closest to the bench.

Phil was shocked by the accusation. Did they really believe that there'd be a catch to his charitable ways? When had he ever lead them to believe that he only did things for them just to get something in return?! The nerve of these aliens!

"There's always a catch, Phil." Duke skated up to the bench, interrupting the human's mental tirade.

The man paused for a moment, mentally running through a list of times he had-

NO! Now was not the time for such trivial matters. "Nothing", he answered earnestly. He watched as profound skepticism ran through each duck's face, a few brows rising along the way. Phil let his shoulders slump in defeat. Maybe they had gotten to know him better then he would admit to these last two years. "You guys just look so down and out of it," he finally answered. "I thought you might need some cheering up after losing in the final game for the Cup."

The six birds exchanged glances for a brief moment before Nosedive finally spoke up. "It's just a trophy, dude."

"Just a trophy!?" Phil shrieked, startling the players. "Lord Stanley of Preston's Cup is not 'just a trophy'! It is THE TROPHY which every hockey player aspires to have their name engraved on! This means everything to all players around the world!"

"But not all players from around the world get to play for it," Mallory interjected.

Phil looked her over incredulously. Was he really hearing this?

"Yeah," Tanya joined in. "I mean, I understand that many, um, players from the league are from different parts of the world, but that, that doesn't include all of the best players."

He really was hearing this. These birds had finally flown over the cuckoo's nest.

"Wouldn't a more impressive achievement be winning an Olympic Gold Metal?" Wildwing asked. The blank look and lack of response from the human prompted the team captain to continue his train of thought. "It's an achievement given every four years. It's scarce and very difficult to obtain. And the roster for each team includes players from other leagues aside the twenty-something teams playing in the NHL, right?" Silence filled the dead air as some of the others nodded in agreement while a pair of them shrugged, clearly not knowing what their captain was talking about. "Do you suppose we can participate in the next Winter Olympics?" Wildwing looked gleeful, his smile mirroring his brother's goofy trademark feature.

The manager remained flabbergasted. His team didn't care about winning a Stanley Cup?! No. That wasn't quite right. Had they not cared at all they wouldn't have put all that effort into getting to that final game. Maybe he should spend more time explaining the importance of all the trophies and awards that the league presented each year. He smiled to himself. At least they weren't as depressed as he had originally thought them to be. "I guess you can't win them all," he shrugged.

"So, there was talk about dinner," Nosedive leaned onto the short board. "Is that still happening? On the house?!" he wiggled his eyebrows, emphasizing that last part.

"You'd have to cancel your reservations."

The team looked past their manager to see yet another, much shorter human make his way down towards the bench.

"Hey Kleggie, you here to join in on this dinner par-tay?"

The police captain growled at the nickname. But rather than vocalize his disdain, he pulled out a small box from the inside of his coat, casually tossing it towards the group. "I'm actually here to find the owner of this bad boy."

Nosedive caught the box and tore it open like a child with an early Christmas present. The lid haphazardly floated to the floor, quickly followed by the rest of the box as he pulled out its content. "Dude!" he exclaimed holding up the prize. "It looks like Duke's saber!" he held the hilt up briefly before swinging it in the most awkward slashes that would put any swordsman to shame. "Too bad humans don't have the know-how to make one."

A blade materialized as the young duck swung wildly, causing his teammates to fall back.

"Watch where you're swinging that thing!" Mallory had fallen to the ice in lieu of being sliced in half.

"Opps!" Nosedive dropped the offending piece. "That thing is for reals!" he pointed down at the sword, a look of astonishment etched onto his face. "Where did you get it from, Cap?" his voice was in utter disbelief.

Captain Klegghorn crossed his arms. "The scene of a crime," he informed.

"What crime?" Wildwing perked up.

"We've had a few break-ins this last week. One at a jewelry store and two more at research and development facilities. This was left behind just last night, the fourth hit, at some construction site."

The group turned in unison to face Duke.

"Wha'da ya staring at me fo'?" The grey duck was quickly agitated by the implied thought that must have run through everyone's minds. "I 'ave my saber downstairs," he declared. "'sides, we've already been through this last year. I ain't stole a thing since the Invasion."

Tanya picked up the weapon, studying it thoroughly. "I can't imagine it'd be human made. It certainly doesn't look like it. It really resem-, appear-, um, well, ah, looks like yours." She handed it off to the former thief.

The drake's feathers ruffled slightly in annoyance as he reached out for the weapon. "Mine's downstairs an'-" His eyes widened as he took hold of what he thought was a cheap imitation of his trusty sword. "There's no way…" he whispered to himself once he got a better look at the object.

"So, it is yours?" Klegghorn questioned.

"Yeah," he paused for a moment, deep in thought. "But it can't be."

"Which is it L'Orange?"

"It's mine, but it's not da one I've been carrin' 'round," he looked at the police officer, confused about the situation. "This one was left behind on Puckworld…" His mind raced to try to find a viable explanation as to how it got to Earth, but nothing seemed fitting.

Silence once again filled the empty arena. "This has Dragaunus written all over it," Mallory crossed her arms.

"How would that red dino get a hold of it if it's supposed to be on Puckworld? Didn't we destroy his gateway thingie last year?" Nosedive scratched his head.

"It's his technology. Couldn't he build another?" Grin offered a possible solution.

Tanya brought a hand up under her beak. "I suppose he could, but the problem would be how to power it," she was working the problem mentally. They had thought that Dragaunus' flagship had been stranded at the bottom of the ocean the year before. Unfortunately for them, when they did return to look for the Raptor it was once again gone. It didn't matter how out of power that ship was, Dragaunus always managed to find a way to move his aircraft, a small fact that annoyed the avian group to no end.

"It doesn't matter how it got here. I know it wasn't you who did all the stealing," Captain Klegghorn began as he looked up at the grey duck. The group silently waited for the officer's explanation, their breaths held. "Two of the crimes were committed during the last two games you were playing. There's enough video evidence to support that much. Unless, of course, you happen to have a twin we're not aware of."

That last bit seemed to lift Duke out of his reverie, a small smile on his chipped beak. "I don't think he'd be as good lookin' a bird," he joked with the officer.

"Either way, I'm gonna have to take you in, L'Orange."

"What?!"

"It'll be more of a formality," the officer motioned for the alien to follow. "We know it wasn't you, even if it is your weapon that was left behind. We just need to write up the report, take your statement and all that good, fun stuff. You'll be back in an hour or so."

Duke sighed heavily, but did not protest. It could be worse. He could actually be going to jail for a crime he didn't commit.

0-0-0

Wildwing stared at the map displayed on the large screen before him, a hand under his beak as he studied the locations indicated on the massive computer. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the four sites hit. He nodded, silently asking Tanya to change the display to the list of items taken from each location. Large uncut diamonds, varying amounts of chemicals he couldn't pronounce names to even if his life depended on it, and what he guessed were simple building materials.

"Well, I'm stumped," Tanya admitted leaning back in her seat. "Though, I have to admit, he does keep things interesting. Heehee."

Wildwing looked at the engineer dismayed. He hated to admit it, but Dragaunus' way of problem solving was still very much foreign to them, as was his knowledge of the universe they all inhabited. When the Warlord had first appeared on their home world, many everyday objects that Puckworld's population had overlooked had been used with deadly efficiently against them.

"Don't ruffle your tail feathers, bro. Old dino-zoid will screw up soon enough."

"It's scary he went unnoticed before," the older sibling returned his gaze to the giant screen of Drake-One.

Before he had any more time to ponder the thought further, an alarm flashed onscreen, sending the displayed information into the background as a new map with a point bleeped forward. Its flashing red point indicating the location of the Saurian teleportation energy being emitted.

"Told ya!" Nosedive raced towards the elevator, the rest of the flock following suite.

0-0-0

Nosedive turned the corner of another storage unit quietly to be disappointed by a whole lot of nothing. When they had first arrived at the industrial compound, there were no signs of any suspicious activity. Now he wondered if Drake-One had glitched on them, seeing as how they've rarely heard from Dragaunus and gang in the past year.

Mallory paced past him, placing her hands on her hips and sighing heavily. "Nothing!" She was just as upset as the young blond.

"You think they got away?" he holstered his weapon.

"Pfff!" she ran a hand through her short red hair. "Only if the shopping list was tiny. Those dinosaurs like to lumber around. They have no sense of urgency." A quick glance around the area revealed nothing of importance. "Let's get back. This is a waste of time."

"Rightie-O!" the young duck turned on the balls of his heels and was about to leave when he caught something out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, Mal!" he waved at his partner, getting the other's attention. "Lookie here," he pointed down at the ground.

Mallory went over to her teammate and was greeted by what looked like three sets of footprints in the damp dirt. Two of them were dragging something large and bulky behind them while the third, much tinier, was simply following from the looks of things.

"Gotcha!" her grin was maniacal.

The pair followed the trail until they came upon their pray. The small clearing was wedged between two buildings, with a third currently under construction. The scaffolding overhead gave the two ducks cover as they watched the Saurians fumble around. The dark sorcerer shook his head as the bickering between his two companions continued. They were in the process of moving several industrial barrels into a clearing. What they contained, the ducks didn't know. But if the Saurians wanted them, then it was their job to stop them from taking the barrels.

"Long time no see!" Nosedive announced himself to the enemy. Taking quick aim he easily separated Saurian from barrels. Mallory joined in and soon the reptilian warlords found themselves cornered and well out of the reach of their goal. "You guys 'ought to just give up, man! Make it easier for everyone!" he taunted.

"NEVER! Not until the crate drops!" Chameleon responded dramatically, one triumphant arm shooting skyward.

"It's 'Until the curtain drops', pea-brain!" Nosedive corrected. "Or maybe 'Until the fat lady sings'?"

"Watch it!" Mallory took a hold of the younger duck's wrist, yanking him forward as a large crate fell from above.

Nosedive fumbled, tripping and landing awkwardly on the ground as the falling crate smashed into the spot he had been standing in. "He wasn't kidding!"

Hazel-green eyes scanned the scaffolding overhead, but found nothing. Mallory returned her attention to the giant lizards. They had returned to the barrels and where in the process of teleporting away. She aimed her weapon, but held her fire.

"FLY! Fly my pretty! Nyahahaha!" Chameleon's disembodied voice echoed through the now empty lot as he vanished from sight.

A shiver ran down her spine. That Saurian wasn't completely there and it creeped her out. She looked up once more, trying to figure out how that crate had toppled over. The scaffolding held another three large crates, but they looked to be secured in place. Had the Saurians set that up beforehand? A trap? She turned to her partner with that thought coming into focus. "Hey Nose-"

That thought was cut short as she felt something whiz past her arm. Instinctively wincing, she clutched onto the spot. Taking a quick look she saw the small speckle of blood left behind as her arm began to sting. Years of training automatically kicked in. She moved backwards as fast as her feet could carry her, a series of what looked like daggers buried themselves into the ground where she had stood seconds before, following her every step.

Slamming into a wall behind her, she froze for a moment. Two more daggers dug themselves into the wall next to her as she dodged the incoming projectiles. She finally reached relative safety behind a short stack of bricks, one final dagger embedding itself into the ground next to her foot. She watched as this particular weapon was reeled back, attached on a thin cord. "The hell is this?!" She glanced over at Nosedive, who had taken shelter behind an industrial trash bin.

The blond did not respond, instead he had followed the trajectory of the knives and was locked on to his mystery target. Raising from his spot, he shot two rounds from his blaster only to realize that his target was no longer there. He ducked back behind the trash bin, shrugging at the redhead opposite of him.

Mallory scanned the scaffolding once again, searching for any movement and grew anxious as she saw none. They had to move. Their enemy knew where they were, but they had no idea where their enemy was. "Dive, run!" she ordered, getting to her feet and retreating.

Nosedive didn't question the order and followed her out the same way they had entered the little clearing. Halfway down the building, a glint caught his attention from above. He instinctively turned his body, barely being grazed by a dagger as it whizzed down and embedded itself an inch from the tip of his boot. His clear blue eyes followed the thin cord attached to the blade back up in time to see a figure descending on him. He yelped as the body slammed into him, forcing him onto his back. Opening his eyes wide, he found the figure perched on top of him, a blade held high in one hand. His blood ran cold as the sharp object descended and he shut his eyes tightly. "MOM!"

"UFF!"

The weight disappeared and he peeked a nervous look. Mallory stood over him, her blaster drawn and a shot fired. "Got him!" she exclaimed before turning to look down at the younger duck on the floor. "Mom? Seriously?" a wicked smile spread across her bill as she snickered at her macho teammate.

He frowned, clearly embarrassed. "She was a very tough duck," he explained as he turned to look at his assailant laying a few feet away.

The figure was much smaller than he had first though. It was currently slumped over facedown, struggling desperately to get free of the tether binding of a bola-puck, but to no avail. A pair of daggers attached by metallic cords lay slightly out of reach. The weapons reminded him of the Earthling's kunai that he had seen in his comics. And… where those feathered hands? And a beak?!

"Dude," Nosedive rose to his feet, eyes wide while dusting himself off, "Is that… a duck?!"

Mallory growled, holstering her puckblaster with disgust. "Yeah, looks like it," she came up to the downed duck. "Looks like Dragaunus fixed that gateway. I can't believe he would send another duck after us."

"I can't believe anyone would still work for old fossil-breath after all this time," Nosedive added.

The figure continued to struggle, ignoring the pair until Mallory came down, one knee pressing into the downed duck's back as she reached for his hands.

"WAH!" the downed duck exclaimed. "Get off, you fat old hen!"

Mallory's hands halted abruptly. A moment of silence engulfed them as the words registered in her mind. "Why you little!" she steamed, losing her cool and flipping the duck over brusquely. Nosedive intervened before anything could happen and both Mighty Ducks paused.

"Dude! You're just a duckling!" Nosedive exclaimed.

A/N: Please bare with me here, this is an ancient story that I found in an old notebook from back around the times the series first aired. Of course there's had to be some stuff that had to be rewritten in order to make some more sense then that of a babbling 13ish-year-old fan. I hope you guys like it ^_^