Jenny felt the onslaught of ecto energy fill her core. Her metal fixing itself faster than Pariah could destroy it.
Pariah kept striking desperately, feeling his advantage suddenly slip away.
"HOW? You are an insignificant metal bug! Why can't I squash you?!?!" He increased his core's output, attempting to retake control of the battle. He finally had everything! The fear and respect of the rulers of the multiverse! Complete control over the Infinite Realms, along with the subjugation of those accursed fairies.
Pariah glanced up to the guilded cage holding his final prize. A wedding gift as it were, from Black Hat, who loved seeing heroes adorned in chains. The last peice of the puzzle that would guarentee he'd never be crossed again as king. The ghost boy's custom prison crown and cuffs leaving him unable to do anything but watch as his future hung in the balance. But those eyes... those weren't the eyes of despair and desperation that he'd held witness to just an hour prior.
While they still held that defiance he come to expect, Pariah, for the first time in millenia felt a chill go down his spine. Those were the eyes of someone who had absolute faith that the outcome was in their favor.
Pariah was pulled back into the fight by a fist smashing across his face.
Jenny saw Pariah's attention waver and used it to intensify her assault. "You thought you would defeat me just because I'm weaker than you?!"
She kicked him square in the jewels, smirking as Pariah let out a grunt. "Because I'm the weaker of our two species, designed by an even weaker one?!"
Jenny blasted the giant, forcing him to dodge and allowing her to slash at him with a ecto infused chainsaw, cutting off his chest armor.
"I've already lost a friend!" Something wet filled the corner of her eyes. "He'd have been here battling in my place if he could have been. HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN!"
Jenny felt a wave of emotions wash over her. Grief and anger mixed together as she felt the FentoNuetronic Ectobank break its limit, as if every ghost in the ghost zone had suddenly given her their prayers. Their hope. No longer just a thought that she COULD win, but that she WOULD win. Her chest burned with emotion.
"But he's NOT!" her voice cracked as she finally felt the finality of her statement fizzle into the air. "You and your buddy Black Hat made sure of it!" Jenny caught the tyrants fist, "I've got to protect what I have left."
The ghost energy flushed through her, her metal skin converged with it and became a beacon of pure light as Pariah and her exchanged blows into the abyss. Neither one backing down.
The Ghost Zone shuddered as if it's heart skipped a beat. The battle for its future, for the fate of its natuarally chosen King, its bridge, teetering in the balance and threatening to tear itself apart.
Pariah finally caught hold of a pigtail, crushing it in his giant hand and using its mangled remains to slam Jenny into the ground.
"You ARE nothing." Pariah panted, clearly exhausted from the onslaught, his hair dangling disheveled around his face as he held her down.
Jenny grabbed his wrist, her glowing gears whirring, her eyes never leaving his. "That's where you got it wrong you creep!" No longer having any limits, she slowly got to her feet. Never letting go of his wrist.
"I am Jenny Wakeman! Daughter of Nora, a HUMAN! Conquerer of Aku! Hero of the Nickeltron Quazar Galaxy! Liberator of Cluster Prime and confidant of its reigning queen! Best friend of Danny Fenton and Manny Rivera!
Pariah attempted to pull his arm away, but she held him firm. "So you can't have him! He's mine! Give him back to me! Give me back my Danny!"
And before Pariah could react, she reached through his spectral form and took hold of his core. She let the hopes and fears of the entire Ghost Zone pour in.
And then, she shattered it.
Danny looked up at the green glow of the spinning zone. The prison crown and cuffs had shorted out, clanging to the ground and he fazed through the cage to float listless above the ground. Jenny had won. He let out a relieved sigh. THAT was close. Also she was going to kill him.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!?" Jenny's fist slammed into the ground next to him, still holding Pariah's shattered core. Her face inches away from Danny's.
The ecto energy had yet to subside, showering her in a glittering light, her eyes burning with the fire of eternity. She was stunning. Danny would have continued to stare had she not grabbed him by the neck with her free hand.
She held the shattered core next to his face, the universe in her eyes slowly leaked out in pearls, glistening like the night sky. "YOU do NOT DO this to ME!"
Danny looked up at her sadly, letting the tears fall onto and slide down his face, but he couldn't meet her gaze. "I'm sorry."
"You leave us a note saying your giving yourself up to Pariah in exchange for a peace treaty and that you've arranged a safe spot for us with Jorgan where Black Hat won't find us!" Jenny chucked the core to the ground, where it faded into dust. "What did you expect me to tell Spongebob!"
Danny still couldn't look, shame growing in his chest as he listened to Jenny sob. He had desperatly wanted to avoid hurting her, he thought... he thought that the peace treaty would work... that Jenny would be safe with Vega... just like Manny's soul was with Django.
She had finally won emancipation... she was supposed to be free!
Danny wracked his brain, desperatly looking for anything he could say to ease her pain, to explain how important it was for her to be safe! For them ALL to be safe.
But he couldn't, so instead, he tried changing the subject to the other issue at hand. "Did Ben get through the reality needlepoint?"
Jenny loosened her grip, letting her anger fade as she thought about her other friend, wrapped in the other battle that was being fought as they sat there. "I don't know. I didn't wait to find out... I left the second I saw your message. I didn't have much time..."
Jenny paused for a moment and waited until Danny finally looked up to let his eyes meet hers. "Why didn't you come to me? We're supposed to be a team..."
Danny sighed, shifting his gaze again. "When Manny... threw himself in front of me that day... I just... I just..."
He looked back up, deep into her eyes. "The thought of what happened to him happening to you... like what happened to Val..."
Danny's face gave way to an agonized grimace, voice cracking. "I can't LOSE another person I love while they're trying to protect me!"
And how could she be mad at that? What a stupid, adorable, and sweet peice of work.
Black Hat was attempting to pick 'Team Possible', the team that defeated Aku, off one by one, using their bonds as a weapon against them. The whole team was hopelessly protective of each other, but she and Danny had become inseperable, relying on each other on the battlefield for almost 10 years now.
She knew that Danny had become lost in his head again, taking responsibility for everything bad that had happened since Black Hat began his assault.
His cold, calculated, and ruthless assault.
"You know Danny..." she let a finger trace his face, "I feel the same about you... so I get it..." she placed a palm gently on his chest, the thrum of his core creating a thumping sound against the metal. "But why did you expect me to just let you go, when you know how much I care?"
Danny stared up at her for a moment before his eyes widened in horror, filling with the realization of what he had done. In an effort to protect everyone, he had inadvertently almost caused the same pain that rang through his tired body two times over.
He quickly flipped upright, letting his knees hit the ground, as he reached to comfort her, "Oh Jen... I... I'm so, SO SORRY."
Jenny flopped to her own knees while facing him as the glowing all but dispersed. She took his hands in hers, "Any other stupid gambles you wanna make?" She shifted her face into an unimpressed pout, "Now would be a good time to tell me"
"No..." Danny rubbed a finger over the screw joint to her thumb, "That's the only one for now."
"Ugh!" Jenny huffed as she reached up to fiddle with her broken pigtail. For some reason it wasn't healing like before. "You're the worst!"
The two sat there for some time, just letting the peaceful quiet wash over them.
Danny looked up into the sky, the Zone had embraced a warmer green color, instead of the errant neon he'd become accustomed. It was beautiful, just like her eyes that were now tinged green with ectoplasm, "Thank you, Jen."
Jenny shrugged, stretching flopping onto her back to also stare listlessly at the sky.
"Eh, he was just another big bully," she flinched as Danny took the broken pigtail in his hands, having pulled a screwdriver from thin air. "Nothing we haven't seen before."
"Not about that..." he rolled his green eyes as he slowly disconnected the busted rocket.
Oh wait, had he thanked her for that yet?!
"I mean yes that! But!" Danny sigh, why was he so bed at this! "Thank you... for always being there."
Jenny's mind flashed back to the day she was set to be dismanteled. How he had grabbed her wrist before taking her on the run. Their wanted posters plastered across multiple dimensions, and how he withstood torture at Walker's hands as Jenny laid in a comfy room filled with all sorts of new knickknacks and upgrades. "... You did the same for me..."
Danny looked up at her, eyes wide, before melting into a smile, "And I'd do it again..." he pulled out another hairpiece from a dimensional pocket and began the process of reattaching it.
He smirked, hearing the echos of Spanish cursing in his mind, "Manny would too."
Both cackled at the memory of El Tigre just cussing them out when Danny chose to turn himself in. Set on telling everyone she had died to end the hunt. They were all so scared, but that didn't stop Manny from attempting dozens of prison breaks, as Jenny stared emptily at the night sky just trying to peice herself back together. "Oh he was mad!"
She sat there with a sad smile as Danny finished with the pigtail. "Not that I blame him." She touched the newly installed hairpiece. She'd need a paint job to match what she knew was a nice and shiny sheen. "Do you think Manny will be okay?"
Danny's face became unreadable as he no longer attempted to hide the sadness in his voice, "Yeah... Django talks a big evil game, but hes really just a big softie." He stared back into the void. "Especially for Manny."
Tears stung at the edge of his eyes as he remembered Django escorting the cat skeleton to their meeting spot. Ears twotching as the glowing eyes looked at Danny with confusion. Memories of his life swept away in his transition to the beyond. No one knew why. He couldn't prevent the tears that escaped.
Jenny saw a tear slide down his face, hugging her knees before hesitantly reaching over and wiping it away. "Yeah," she caught another tear as it fell. "Vega said something similar."
"I miss him." His stare continued to pierce the sky.
"You still love him." It wasn't a question. She knew. Just as she still loved Brad, but realized that it wasn't meant to be as she saw him embrace Melody, swinging her in circles like a princess. She wanted something like that so bad!
Danny turned to smile warmly at her, "Yeah... but... I think I'm okay... with moving on I mean."
Jenny casually punched his shoulder, "I'm not gunna be your sloppy seconds, wait Valerie. Thirds! Oh wait, Sam. Fourths! Tucker? Fifth. Hold up, you slept with Ember. Great gearbombs you sure get around!"
His face got greener and greener as she praddled on. If he were human, steam might have floated off him. Getting flustered at the thought of that night with the pop princess. "What? No! I was drugged with ghost nip and blood blossom wine that night with Ember, even she was horrified! That does NOT count!"
Jenny smirked slyly. He was so freaking adorable when flustered! "I was talking about the second time."
Danny's eyes widened in horror, "THERE WAS A SECOND TIME!!!???"
Jenny bust out laughing, "I'm kidding! It's not a big deal. Honestly I would have dated Vega if she'd have been interested. But it wasn't meant to be." She shook her head, still smiling.
"Jen..." Danny's face was caught between concern and a laugh. "Vega has been pining after you for YEARS."
Jenny's eyes widened in horror, "No."
It was Danny's turn to bust out laughing, "Oh holy clockballs, we're hopeless!"
The two laughed at one another until both settled into a satisfied sigh, the atmosphere buzzing with a positive energy.
The two sat back to back, Jenny smiling listlessly at the ground, while Danny looked once more into the endless swirling abyss.
His eye's shone with contentment as he placed his pinky on hers. "Well, now that I not going to be eternally bound to Pariah. I'm looking forward see what comes next."
Jenny closed her eyes as warmth filled her core. "Me too." She twitched her pinky to be further intertwined with his. "I'd like to see it with you."
Danny shifted so that Jenny was leaning against his shoulder and they once more gaze into each other's eyes.
"I love you." The two said in unison before chuckling at how cringe it was. Not that either cared.
Danny reached up his hand to cup Jenny's snow white face like he'd done hundreds of times since they first met in that Toybot factory at just 14, "Let's explore eternity together."
Jenny lifted her hand to hold his. Pressing it closer before kissing his wrist as he moved his face next to hers.
And the two gently pressed their lips together, before moving back to look at one another.
Danny's eyes warm with adoration for a moment before tilting his head in confusion at Jenny's shocked face. "You okay?"
"Danny," Jenny's eyes remained wide as she reached out to touch his face again. "Danny, I can feel you."
The two stared at each other for a moment before gasping in delight.
"I can feel you!" Jenny yanked Danny into a joyful hug and he scooped her up, swinging her around in his arms, lifting off the ground in circles until they came together again for a much more passionate kiss. Both feeling each other's embrace for the first time. The Ghost Zone itself swirled around them in green and write ribbons, as if wrapping them in a hug of its own.
Landing back on their feet, the two touched foreheads, eyes closed, taking a moment to just enjoy each other's presence."
Well, my King." Jenny's eyes opened into a flirty smoulder. We better get back to the others. You shouldn't keep your subjects waiting.
"You know, my Queen." Danny gave her flirty grin right back. "You're probably, right."
He bowed and offered his hand. She took it and he spun her around like a princess before the two linked arms. Laughing and talking as they walked off to where Clockwork said he'd be waiting."
How do you think Ben's doing against Black Hat?" Jenny asked as the Ancient's Citadel came into sight.
Danny shrugged, waving to Clockwork, Professor Paradox, Dan, Dani, Vlad, Sam, Tucker, Brad, Tuck, Vega, and most importantly, Jazz as they approached. "Eh, I'm sure he's fine. He's Ben Tennyson after all!"
Danny smiled sheepishly at everyone and rubbed the back of his neck, "Hey guys... how's it goin?
Jenny bit back a laugh as Sam decked him.
@howtotrainyournana I MADE THING!
I'll get it up on AO3 eventually. No Beta, we vibin. OH WELL! TIME TO POST!
A/N: BEN WAS NOT FINE! HE WAS VERY VERY NOT FINE! I MEAN HES PROBABLY GOING TO WIN BUT HE'S GOING TO HAVE TO WORK FOR IT! I AINT LETTING HIM ALIEN X THAT SHIT!
