A/N: Due to a lack of Matilda in both When Dragons Dare and Rip-Penn, here's an alternate ending of Rip-Penn.

Penn was trembling. Yesterday was the strangest yet toughest mission he ever faced. Rippen nearly took over his mind and body, and that scared him. He was so terrified that it was on his mind during his classes, especially the very thought of having to go back to that dimension in a future episode.

By the time classes ended, Penn was still worried. He was so distracted that he didn't bothr racing with Boone and Sashi as they headed for the Odyssey. He was in that deep of a funk.

"Penn?"

The red-haired freshman looked up and saw Matilda walking up to him. He recognized her from gym class, art class, and the recent school dance. Wasn't she that girl he briefly danced with?

"Oh hey Matilda," Penn said, not changing his saddened tone of voice.

"What's going on with you?" Matilda asked. "You weren't your usual happy and confident self today. Heck, you didn't respond when Mr. Rippen gave you an F on your newest art project!"

Penn sighed in defeat. "I didn't exactly have a good day," he explained, leaving out the detail of zapping into different dimensions. "I had a bit of a mishap and I nearly died. I'm still uncomfortable about it."

Matilda slightly giggled. "You? A bad day?" she asked. "From what I have seen at school, you rarely have bad days. And when you do, your back to normal the next day."

"It's...kind of complicated," Penn said. He was trying very hard to blurt out his part-time hero job.

"I understand that you don't want to talk about it," Matilda said, reaching for Penn's hand and intertwining her fingers through his. "But this still isn't the Penn Zero I know. You always seem to bounce back and stay positive. Remember when Sashi attacked you with a rapid-fire dodgeball assault a few weeks ago?"

"What about it?" Penn asked. That wasn't one of his best moments.

"You showed up to school the next day and you were alright," Matilda explained. "Trust me on this one. You're bound to get back out there and take on whatever that you do after school."

Feeling slightly better, Penn let go of Matilda's hand so he could give her a hug. "Thanks Matilda," he said. "You really know how to cheer up a person."

"Glad I could help," Matilda replied, hugging back.

A few seconds later, the two friends separated from the hug and went on their separate ways. And as Penn walked through the doors of the Odyssey (only to get a rant from Phyllis about arriving late), he knew that even if mission would get tough, he would make sure he shrugs off the worst of it and find a way to make it through the rest of the day.

The End