This is a sequel to my story, The Tale of the Thief and the Heiress. I recommend reading that one before this. But based upon requests to continue the story, I have this offer you!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Mighty Ducks Animated Series.

Chapter 1

Back into the Shadows

Bitter cold wind slammed against Gwendolyn Fairfeather's limbs as she stepped off the transport just outside the city of Bladeston. Memories started striking her like the rough wind as she recalled the life she once had here …the time she had known Duke in this city.

But this was a different Bladeston. The new elite were not the rich families she had once been surrounded by. Now, those in power here were ducks who found ways to clamber out of the rubble of a Saurian invasion and profit off of the misfortunes of others. Who their families were no longer mattered for the purposes of success.

I would not have come here at all if not for that broadcast, Gwen thought to herself, casting a grim expression towards the city. But just a few days ago, she had seen the Mighty Ducks on the news as Puckworld supposedly celebrated the return of its lost members of the resistance. She doubted if her teammates were really being treated like heroes due to the corruption that had flourished on Puckworld, but she was glad to learn of their location.

As she walked across a bridge leading into the city, Gwen thought of the dimensional gateway that had carried her and the other ducks back to their home planet just a few weeks ago. Dragaunus had engaged the ducks in another battle with his droids and henchmen, but something malfunctioned with his ship. There was an explosion, and then a gateway opened.

If only I had been closer to the other ducks when it opened, she thought, chiding herself. Perhaps then we wouldn't have arrived in separate locations on the planet. But Gwen had agreed to help guide some humans to safety who were too close to Dragaunus' ship during the fighting. When the gateway opened up, it might not have taken her if she hadn't run back towards it in time after seeing the other ducks pulled through.

But instead of dropping her with them, she landed hundreds of miles away from Bladeston. And if she hadn't seen the press release about her teammates, she might have continued to fear that they hadn't ended up on the same planet as her.

Her thoughts kept her distracted as she wandered through much of Bladeston. Some of the ducks around her cast disdainful glares at her dirty clothes and ragged appearance. Without money or resources of her own here, she had just been getting by while trying to find her friends. But she was able to get some information from a few ducks about where Wildwing and Nosedive Flashblade were living.

Despite how exhausted she felt, she hurried to the building and knocked on several of the doors. Many of the residents shouted at her for disturbing them, but finally, she saw a familiar duck open one of them.

"Gwen?"

She hurried to Wildwing and threw her arms around him. They embraced for a moment, and then she stepped back.

"What happened to you?" he asked. "We were afraid you were left behind."

"No, I was pulled into the dimensional gateway too, but separately from you. And when it closed, it dropped me on Puckworld, but I ended up at the base of the southern ice mountains. I've been looking for you ever since."

She walked around him and looked up at the apartments.

"Where's Duke?"

When he didn't answer, Gwen turned back and saw Wildwing drop his gaze.

"He went looking for you. I wasn't sure if you made it into the gateway, but he swore he heard you call out his name."

"But he's here, isn't he?"

Wildwing put his hand on her shoulder and started to guide her inside.

"Yes, he is on Puckworld, but it's complicated, Gwen. Let's go in before we talk about it."

She stared at him as if trying to understand his foreboding tone, but after some hesitation, she remembered how tired and hungry she was.

"Do you have anything to eat?"

Wildwing smiled and nodded.

"Come on, the others will be glad to know you made it."

It wasn't long before Tanya, Mallory, and Grin arrived at Wildwing and Nosedive's place. Gwen was grateful for the steaming bowl of soup that she was offered, and as she ate, the other ducks asked her questions about the past few weeks.

"Hey, does it feel good to be back on Puckworld?" Nosedive asked.

"I would feel better if I knew where Duke was. Why hasn't anyone told me what's going on?"

Nosedive grew quiet, and the other ducks turned their gazes away.

"Have you heard anyone talk about ZYT901?" Tanya asked.

Gwen shook her head as she rose and put her empty bowl in the sink.

"While all of us were on Earth, one of my old colleagues invented a drug to help him cope with his post-traumatic stress from the Saurian invasion. It was an amnesia-inducing drug that allowed ducks to forget events of recent years, including the Saurian invasion."

"He used it on himself?" Gwen asked in surprise.

Tanya nodded.

"But losing so much of his memory made him and his work vulnerable. It wasn't long before someone stole it, and this drug began being sold for profit by less than reputable sources."

"Wait, who would buy it?"

"There were others who wanted to forget the Saurian invasion and the years that followed," Tanya sighed. "Though I doubt they really understood what they were buying. But we also think this drug started being used as a weapon of sorts."

"So someone injected Duke with this drug?"

Tanya nodded.

"Duke was gone a lot after we arrived. He'd go look for you without taking us with him or telling us where he was going. We think someone found and injected him about a week ago."

"But you must have seen him since then," Gwen insisted.

Wildwing nodded.

"We went out looking for him and found him in an alley. He was dazed, and that first night we were able to bring him back with us. Tanya did everything she could for him. But after a few hours, he seemed to wake up, but he wasn't the Duke we knew. And he didn't know any of us."

"He didn't remember Earth …or the Saurian invasion," Mallory said with a shake of her head. "He thought we were trying to lock him away or interrogate him."

Gwen closed her eyes and took a heavy breath.

"So he only remembered his life as a thief, not as a member of the resistance."

"According to Duke, 'What resistance?'" Nosedive said grimly. "He really thought we were trying to trick him with a bogus story."

"We tried to keep him locked up for his own safety, and I hoped I could find a cure," Tanya sighed. "But we underestimated him."

Gwen opened her eyes and looked at them with understanding.

"He escaped?"

Wildwing nodded.

"And have you had any word of him since?" Gwen asked anxiously.

The other ducks looked to Wildwing, who seemed pained to answer her.

"We're pretty sure he's back with the Brotherhood."

Gwen stumbled back against the counter and caught herself on its edge. Grin moved closer to steady her with a sympathetic gaze.

"I thought the Brotherhood faded out of existence when Duke left and the Saurians attacked," she finally said after a few moments.

"They're back," Mallory sighed. "And they have a new leader. Some duck called Madam de Fyre."

"All we know is that she's bad news," Nosedive said. "The Brotherhood's got a new reputation for violence. Something they didn't have so much when Duke was in charge."

"But if we could find Duke, there's more to hope for, since you're back," Wildwing said, and Gwen looked at him with some confusion. "Of course, he doesn't remember us. We only met through the resistance. But he knew you long before the Saurians invaded, Gwen. He would listen to you."

She nodded.

"But how will I find him? Do you know if he's pulled any heists lately?"

"No, that's the thing," Tanya sighed. "We kept trying to wait for him to steal something, thinking we'd capture him and keep working on a cure. But we can't tell that he's left the Brotherhood since he went in."

Gwen looked at her in surprise.

"How do you know?"

Tanya raised a locator device with a map.

"I inserted a tiny chip in his arm while we had him locked up and sedated. And it's only active if he's alive, so we know he hasn't been killed."

"But if you know where he is, why haven't you gone and gotten him yet?"

"Because where he is… is in the heart of the Brotherhood," Mallory said. "And their security is better than most military compounds on Puckworld."

"And they know who we are," Wildwing said. "Our identities have been exposed as members of the resistance. They would never let any of us inside."

Gwen's gaze brightened as she listened to his words.

"True, but they don't know me."

Wildwing's gaze narrowed.

"You want to go in there alone?"

"I can't leave Duke there."

"And just how do you plan to get in?" Mallory asked skeptically.

"I'm sure they're still looking for new recruits."

"This isn't like joining a club," Tanya warned. "They claim their members for life. It's actually been my theory that one of them is responsible for injecting Duke, because they wouldn't just let him walk away."

Gwen's expression softened as she walked forward and looked at all of them.

"I know it's a crazy idea. But I already knew how bad the Brotherhood was before all of this. Or have you forgotten what I told you about how they tried to keep me and Duke apart? But I realize that things are probably even worse now that the world's been turned upside down."

They watched her in silence. Their doubts and reluctance were still clear in their expressions.

"Duke told me things about the Brotherhood that few others would know. And he taught me some skills while we were on Earth. So I'm doing this with or without your help."

"He wouldn't want you going in there," Wildwing cautioned. "And what if you can't get him out once you're inside? What if you both become their prisoners?"

Gwen met his gaze.

"Yes, that might be what happens, and I know you can't help us if things fall apart. But they have my husband, Wildwing. I have to try to get him back."

He studied her face and saw only unshakable resolve in her gaze.

"Then we'll do whatever we can to help."

Gwen used the rest of the night to try to get some sleep in a spare bed, but she found it hard to quiet her thoughts. I haven't slept in a bed without Duke in a year and seven months. Her hand stretched out towards the right side of the mattress. No part of her life seemed so wonderful as those months she spent on Earth with him.

Raising her hand to her eyes, Gwen could see the gleam of the ring on her finger in the dim light. We made a promise to never leave each other, but now we've been pulled apart again. She and Duke were living within the same city, but they might as well be on separate worlds. Finding him means walking into that darkness that he once wished to escape, she thought. But can I do that as Gwendolyn Fairfeather?

There was the risk that someone in the Brotherhood might recognize her as the daughter of an elite Puckworld family. And even if she managed to fool everyone else, did she want Duke to instantly recognize her from his past? He'll try to protect me. And maybe risk getting himself killed like he almost did the last time we were together on Puckworld.

Gwen closed her eyes, but she could still hear the threat delivered by Quinn Jarrow, the leader of the Brotherhood before Duke."…but even if you don't fear for your own life, you will remember what will happen to Duke if he tries to divide his loyalty between you and us."

Opening her eyes, she stared up at the ceiling in the dark room. It might be better if Duke didn't know who she was at first, but she would need to change her appearance to even have a chance at fooling him.

When morning came, Gwen rose without having gained much rest, but she was grateful for breakfast. And it was a relief to see that the other ducks returned to Wildwing and Nosedive's place to see what assistance they could offer. Gwen explained her decision to change her identity, and Mallory and Tanya volunteered their help.

"As a member of Puckworld's Special Forces, I can access their files. How about a record to make your new identity more credible with the Brotherhood?" Mallory asked.

"Great, but nothing too serious. Some small thefts would be more than enough."

Tanya walked around Gwen, gazing at her feathers and hair.

"Changing your hair color is easy, but I'd recommend staining your feathers too. That's the best way to hide your identity as a Fairfeather."

"Won't that wash off though?"

"I can mix up some that will last you for months as long as you aren't splashed with certain chemically-based solutions."

"So what kind of look are you going for?" Mallory asked.

A day later, Tanya and Mallory transformed a bathroom at Wildwing and Nosedive's house into a cramped salon. Mallory dyed and cut Gwen's hair. Then Gwen soaked in a bath full of a feather-staining concoction, while Tanya painted it on her face.

"Keep your eyes tightly closed," she warned. "You won't want this dripping into them, but it will be safe once it dries."

"Careful, Tanya," Mallory warned. "You have to get every single feather to make it look like her real color."

"Yeah, I know, and you standing over me doesn't help!"

Gwen kept her eyes and beak closed and tried not to move. She didn't want to make things harder for Tanya. But after several minutes, she heard Tanya breathe a little easier.

"Okay, just keep your eyes closed for a little longer, but I think I got it. I can do the feathers on your neck when your face dries."

"Hey, how long is this gonna take?!" Nosedive asked, impatiently on the other side of the bathroom door.

"As long as it needs to!" Mallory called back.

After about fifteen minutes, Tanya had Gwen open her eyes as Tanya inspected her face.

"I think this might work," Mallory said, approvingly from behind Tanya.

"Duh, you don't think I would have done this without testing it first?" Tanya huffed as she pushed back her sleeve and showed them a splotch of different color feathers around the middle of her arm. "Okay, Gwen, lean your head back, and let me work on your neck."

Half an hour later, Gwen stepped out of the bath. Tanya wanted the stain to air dry, so Gwen had to stand on some old towels and just drip dry.

"You want to see how you look?" Mallory asked, gesturing to a mirror.

Gwen nodded and walked as close as she could. Mallory was able to adjust the mirror to face her, and Gwen felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of the stranger looking back at her. Black locks, cut to a medium length, hung down around her head. Her body was covered in light brown feathers, no longer the startling white she had grown accustomed to. Looking further at her hair, Gwen noticed a blue streak running through one side.

"What's this?"

"It's popular now among the ducks Nosedive's age or those a little younger. You already look young for your age. I figured we could make your new identity younger to improve the disguise."

Gwen smiled.

"Yes, I like it. Thank you both."

Mallory sighed.

"You still sound like a Fairfeather. I hope you know how to disguise those manners of yours."

Tanya nodded.

"'Course I can," Gwen insisted. "Now get me some clothes. It's freezin' in here."

Mallory smiled.

"Or I could just let Nosedive in and watch how you deal with him."

Gwen cast an impatient look at Mallory, but Tanya nudged Mallory towards the door.

"Go on and at least get her a robe. But don't rush, most of her feathers still have to dry."

It took Wildwing and Nosedive some time to adjust to Gwen's new appearance, but Grin didn't seem to notice the change much.

"I can still tell it's you," he said.

"Not everyone is you, Grin," she sighed. Then thinking it over a while longer, she asked, "Do you think Duke will recognize me?"

"Someone who is lost will look for traces of what is familiar," Grin said with his usual cryptic style. "But it will probably take him time before he knows you."

She nodded.

"Having the freedom to be someone else may make it easier to help him."

"Just don't lose yourself along the way," Grin warned.

A few days later, Gwen found herself saying goodbye to the Mighty Ducks in an abandoned building on the south side of the city. This part of town had never recovered from the Saurian invasion, and it was where she planned to start living the first days of her new life.

"You sure you want us to leave you here?" Mallory asked, looking around at the despondent sight of crumbling buildings and streets of rubble.

"Yes, I can't be seen with you. And we had to be careful enough arriving here. From this point on, I have to make this work on my own. But I couldn't have achieved this without you, so thanks."

Gwen pointed to her new appearance.

"It's probably pointless to tell you to be careful," Wildwing sighed. "But we want both you and Duke to make it out of there, got it?"

She smiled and embraced him. When she stepped back, she drew her ring from her finger and held it out to Wildwing.

"Keep it safe for me, okay?"

Wildwing took it hesitantly.

"You sure you don't want it with you?"

She nodded.

"But I will want it back."

Wildwing smiled and nodded as he tucked the ring safely away, and his brother stepped closer.

"I wish we could go with you," Nosedive said. "I hate sitting on the bench."

Gwen put her hand on his arm.

"Thank you, Dive. But this is something that Duke and I have to face. You watch out for your brother and the others, okay? This isn't the same Puckworld you all knew before."

Nosedive gave her a hug, and Grin didn't say much, but he gave her an encouraging nod.

"Don't forget yourself around those criminals," Mallory urged. "A high-class lady wouldn't last long around them."

"Don't forget that I lived under an alias before," Gwen scoffed. "I ran away from high society and became an average citizen."

Mallory shot her a look.

"That's not the same as becoming part of the Brotherhood. But at least our combat training has improved your fighting skills. You still remember that move I taught you on Earth?"

Gwen nodded before turning to Tanya, who asked.

"You sure you understand how the things I gave you work?"

"Yes, we've been over how to use them multiple times. But thank you for the gadgets."

"I just wish you'd let me track your location too."

With a shake of her head, Gwen clasped Tanya's hand to reassure her.

"They'll be more likely to suspect a newcomer of being a spy. I can't risk being found with something like that inside me."

Gwen stepped back and looked at all of them.

"I hope I get to see you soon, but don't worry if you don't hear from me for a while."

"Like that will be easy," Tanya said scornfully.

"Come on, guys," Wildwing said, looking at the others. "The sun is about to rise. It's time to let her go."

Gwen smiled as she watched them leave, but as they slipped back into their vehicle, she felt some anxiety trouble her confidence. She had known them for less than two years, but already she knew why Duke thought of them as family. Suddenly thinking of Duke, she considered how much he had lost when his memory had been taken from him. He had no idea he had friends like this worrying for him and wishing to help him.

"I'll be there soon, Duke," she said under her breath. "I'll find you."

Thanks again to those of you who read and left reviews for my other stories. Since so many of you liked The Tale of the Thief and the Heiress, I was happy to start writing a sequel to that story. It just took me some time to find out what kind of sequel I was going to write.

Oh, and if you're wanting to know more of what happened between Gwen and Duke on Earth, stay tuned! This story will use flashbacks just like the previous one.