Chapter 0: Of Ducks, Dimes, and Destinies
Released: Denmark -June 1995, United States - April 1996Dates: 1877
The last story Don Rosa completed before the 12-part series proper, later included as a sort of Time Travel prequel. Inspired by hearing Scrooge relate the story of earning his #1 Dime to his grand-nephews while she's spying on him, Magica de Spell uses a Time Travel candle to go back in time to the day Scrooge earned the dime so she can get it before he ever owns it. After some hijinks with Scrooge's father and Howard Rockerduck, she succeeds, and it's while waiting for the return trip to start that she realizes the implications — by preventing Scrooge from ever owning the dime, it's no longer the first coin owned by the richest duck in the world, therefore it's worthless to her, and she's forced to give it back to him and return to the future empty-handed, causing a net difference of zero. Tough luck, but You Can't Fight Fate.
This chapter provides examples of:
- Early-Bird Cameo: Howard Rockerduck, who would return for an important role in "The Robber of the Copper Hill."
- Episode Zero: The Beginning: Made after the series concluded, but given the "Chapter 0" moniker because it was a retelling of the first chapter detailing Magica's involvement during her time travel.
- Generation Xerox: Not only the justifications mentioned in Time-Travel Tense Trouble and Uncanny Family Resemblance but also, Fergus chased Magica for the dime and she admitted she'd feel disappointed if he didn't since he's Scrooge's father.
- No More for Me: In the background, a man with a bottle of beer in hand sees Magica disguising herself with magic, and as she leaves the alley, his arm can be seen pouring his beer on the floor.
- Set Right What Once Went Wrong: According to the
Word of God aversion of Stable Time Loop. Magica does change the original timeline by buying the dime from the ditch digger, but then she undoes the effects by giving Scrooge the dime anyway, therefore undoing all the changes she already made, therefore undoing her Time Travel altogether. Confused? All right — A Witch Did It! - Time-Travel Tense Trouble:Magica: This is like all the times in the past that Scrooge himself has chased me in the future. I mean... What am I talking about?
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: Magica briefly mistakes Scrooge's father Fergus for Scrooge himself.
- Would Hit a Girl: Tired of running away, Magica points out to Fergus she's a woman, (mistakenly) believing that's be enough to keep him from laying hands on her. Fergus just shrugs this off and proceeds to grab her by the ankles, turn her upside down and then shake her into the dime drops out of her pocket. She fail to account for Scrooge's greed being a family trait.
