Disclaimer: nothing that was on the show belongs to me, it belongs to Butch Hartman.
Before the chapter begins, just to clear up: whatever is not mentioned remains unchanged from the episode, the only events/aspects that change are the ones written in this chapter.
Reign Storm
"That Vlad did what?!"
Danny had barged into the lab that morning while she was doing some tests - having skipped school by pretending to be sick in order to finish them. After the shock of seeing her working there wore off, he started explaining his situation. Long story short, Vlad had freed Pariah Dark, an evil ultra-powerful Ghost King that had kicked all the ghosts (including the ones that hated Danny) out of their lairs, causing them to invade Amity Park - and was going to conquer the Ghost Zone and the Human World unless they stopped him.
"Please, Sabrina, if we don't work together and stop him then who knows how many innocent people are gonna suffer-"
"Daniel, me chupa tres huevos if Amity Park gets burned to the ground. As soon as you go back into the Ghost Zone I'm shutting off the portal and if necessary destroying it so that whatever war is happening in there, doesn't affect me or my city. If Vlad caused it then he can solve it himself!" She sentenced, but Danny continued.
"You are ten times cleverer than me and you know how Vlad thinks - you are the best shot I have at figuring out his plans."
"That's not entirely true - we have very similar modus operandi: "I get what I want by any means necessary and to hell with everyone else". But at least I didn't, I don't know, try to bribe a teenager into killing someone and then kidnap her when she refused." She says the last part sarcastically, baring her teeth at the memory and Daniel.
Now it was his turn to be surprised. "He asked you to do what now?"
"He wanted to me kill Jack Fenton so he could have your mom." Danny backs away, suspicious. "I said no, boludo. I would never murder someone for a ghost portal. There are easier, less bloody ways to get one."
"But you would murder someone if you wanted to?"
Sabrina shrugs. She's never considered it and now isn't really the time to question her morals or level of emotional detachment. "Anyway, back to your problem: since whatever is happening there doesn't concern me, I am not getting involved." Sabrina said, cutting him short and refusing to answer to more. "And if Pariah Dark is really advancing on your beloved hometown, shouldn't you be there, protecting it, instead of here, on the other end of the continent, trying to convince me to fight in a war that's not mine to fight in?"
Reluctantly, Danny decided to leave and Sabrina opened the portal for him. "Will you at least think about it?" He asked one last time, Sabrina just shook her head no. "Please? I thought we were supposed to be allies."
"Remember what we agreed to? I can refuse your calls for help." Sabrina reminded him. Danny was almost in the Ghost Zone when she had an idea and stopped him in his tracks. "If you die in a fight - will your next of kin mind if I perform an autopsy on your dead body?"
"What - no!" Horrified, he flew into the Ghost Zone without looking back - leaving Sabrina to chuckle to herself as she closed the portal behind him. That should keep him away...unless he becomes truly desperate enough to ask for my help again.
But as she went back to work, Sabrina couldn't stop thinking about the situation in the Ghost Zone. Maybe - no. I'm not fighting against the fucking Ghost King: a ghost that could probably reduce me to ashes in a matter of milliseconds. But if he does conquer the Ghost Zone, then how long until he finds out about halfas? What is he going to do? Hunt the three of us down? Kill us? Enslave us? What happens to the human world if he takes power? The Fenton Portal and Vlad's portal are still operational, if he uses them as gateways into the human world then Amity Park, Wisconsin, and most likely everything around it will also be under his rule...this is one of the times in which I really reconsider my ties to the Ghost Zone and its inhabitants.
Sabrina stopped thinking and decided to go downstairs to stretch her legs and breath in some fresh air, preferably one that didn't smell faintly of ectoplasm, bleach, and strong chemicals. She met López with a box of pastries on her way out as she hung her lab coat. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?" He said right before Sabrina used telekinesis to make one of the pastries fly into her hand and took a bite.
"I'm also supposed to be dead, but I guess that didn't go as planned either." Sabrina replied with her mouth full. She held the pastry with her teeth as she put on her coat and scarf, but that didn't stop her from summoning another pastry, eliciting a "hey!" from López. "Thanks! I'll be up in a couple of minutes." She called.
It was late June and so it was cold outside, but that didn't bother her; what did bother Sabrina were her thoughts and newly resurfaced conscience.
People could die.
That's what people do.
Yes, but you could stop a lot of them from happening.
No, that's what? An entire army plus the Ghost King?
It's a town that will suffer from very traumatic events and the aftermath of them.
So will I and they live in a town where the two most competent ghost hunters are two teenagers, they are doomed anyways. They don't need me to intervene.
But what about the - STOP. BASTA. Sabrina silenced her thoughts, this time for good, and took a deep breath. Get back to work, keep your mind out of things that don't concern you. Cool and (somewhat) controlled, Sabrina almost ran back to the lab, where López was now going over some samples and Mandel was working on the designs for an upgraded portal.
"Buenos días. Good morning." She said as she put on her lab coat again and went back to her work. Mandel looked back, surprised to see her there.
"Aren't you supposed to be in-"
"School? Why is it that you are all suddenly concerned about my education? And besides, as far as my parents and my teachers know, I'm sick in bed with a fever. Are you going to call them?" Sabrina said before going closer to the portal and signalling Mandel to pay attention to what she was saying. "We do, however, have a problem with our dearest neighboring dimension and its fucking inhabitants."
"What? A ghost or the Guys in White causing trouble?" López suggested from his worktable, Sabrina gave him an annoyed look and he went back to his work.
"Even worse. There's a war going on in there and ghosts are escaping every way they can. Amity Park has been invaded by ghosts, according to Daniel, so it won't be long until they start crowding at our portal - we need to figure out a way to make this portal impossible to pass through." She explained to Mandel as he went over the key parts of the portal to check they were fine and working.
"Well, I fixed the last malfunction, so that won't be a problem. As long as we keep the portal closed, no ghosts can pass through."
"I hope so. You never know with ghosts." Sabrina admitted, crossing her arms as she examined the portal closely. "You know, sometimes I wonder why the government hasn't come knocking on the door demanding that we shut down or destroy the portal." She thought out loud. At this Mandel gave her a strange look but shrugged his shoulders.
"They have, but then they remember that we are the only Argentine group that is actively studying ghosts - all the others are in the U.S or somewhere else that doesn't give three shits about what happens to us." López said.
"True." Sabrina agreed. "Anyways, back to the civil war that might break out in the Ghost Zone. So - Mandel, anything we can do to reinforce the portal to make sure we don't have to deal with a wave of ghost refugees."
Toledo called in sick and the three remaining members of the Portal Project crew spent the rest of the morning working on the portal.
...
The second time Danny came to the portal he had the decency to knock. A little too loudly.
"SabriNA! SaBRINA! SABRINA!" The three Argentinians were more than unwilling to open the portal after spending nearly three hours working to make it as ghost proof as they could. But seeing that Danny must have been truly desperate to come to ask for her help again, Sabrina growled a string of colorful curses under her breath as she opened the portal and Danny Phantom came flying through.
Before he could open his mouth, she cut him short. "I already told you I'm not fighting, and when I say "NO" it doesn't mean "keep bothering me until I say yes," Daniel." Sabrina stated.
Danny looked tired and defeated, and it almost made Sabrina feel sorry for him. Almost. "Look, I know you're not going to fight the Ghost King, so I'm not gonna ask you to. I need you to lead a ghost army against the Skeleton Army." Danny begged. Como si eso fuera más fácil pendejo concha de tu madre-
"And what makes you think they are going to follow me? If most ghosts are anything like the ones I've encountered - it's every ghost on his own." She reasoned, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.
"You know how to manipulate them. They aren't going to follow me, no matter what I say. They don't know you, and if you prove it to them that you can make sure they win, then they'll follow you." He said. Sabrina considered it.
Yeah, I could do what nearly every revolutionary in human history has done: rally the masses and exploit common weaknesses and fears. Use negative cohesion.
And then what?
After you convince them to follow you, you make a battle plan.
Okay, but what happens if you lose?
Pariah Dark will take over the Ghost Zone and the human world if he can.
What happens to me?
A backup plan just in case he wins: I message Mandel and tell him to destroy the portal...even if I'm inside.
No! If he destroys the portal while I'm still inside then I'm trapped with little to no chance of escaping.
But if they don't destroy it then Pariah Dark could come to Buenos Aires, and I'll be the cause of it.
You spent the last month leaving Buenos Aires at the mercy of ghosts and now you are concerned that something bad will happen?
Because now the danger is imminent and I doubt a fucking ghost invasion will only bring a few murders and robberies.
"Okay okay, let me clear something up first." Sabrina agreed, turning into the Ghost Thief before facing her two co-workers. "If we lose the battle and Pariah Dark takes over, I'll send you a signal and then I want you to destroy the portal, even if I'm still in the Ghost Zone." Sabrina said in all seriousness, and they didn't take it very well.
"¿Pero es que te volviste loca? Have you gone mad? If we destroy the portal..." López said but was cut short by Sabrina's hand.
"Pariah Dark can't enter this world through here and Buenos Aires isn't destroyed and conquered by a very powerful and very evil king. At least, not immediately. Don't worry, I didn't survive getting electrocuted by the portal to die now. But, if you don't hear from me two days after I sent the signal...it means I either can't leave the Ghost Zone or I've been captured and most likely killed."
"And if we do hear from you before two days pass?" Mandel asked.
"Then that means I've managed to escape and currently taking the long route here - that means I'm flying all the way here from Amity Park."
"You are going to fly across the continent non-stop!?"
"I'll make stops in several countries." Sabrina added. They got it, and Sabrina hesitated for a minute before hugging both of them goodbye. "Keep working on my research, will you? And if my parents come asking questions: make something up, I don't want any of you facing jail time for something that's mostly my fault."
Mandel nodded. "Don't die, ratita. The last thing we need is your ghost haunting us."
And then both ghost hybrids went into the portal and, reluctantly, Mandel closed it shut behind them.
...
Danny had gone to set something straight with Vlad, which left Sabrina with Sam, a Goth and an ultra-recyclo-vegetarian (whatever the hell that is), and Tucker, Danny's best friends, in the Fenton Speeder. "So, how are we going to get all the ghosts in one place? I thought they all hated you." She asked them as they surveyed the Ghost Zone area that was closest to the Fenton Portal.
"This speeder has an asset similar to the Fenton Thermos, it sucks ghosts into a chamber they can't escape from." Tucker explained as he and Sam piloted the speeder, collecting ghosts as they went.
A ghost with flaming blue hair and some weird eyeliner came into view and she was sucked in. Same with a white ghost wearing a fedora, a plump one in overalls, the mechanical nightmare, a wimpy nerd, a dragon, and an old lady with a hair net. They were all sucked into the speeder with various shouts of complain and indignation. As they did so, Sam and Tucker filled her in about the Ghost King - how he had ascended to power, how he was defeated long ago, the two artifacts he needed to achieve ultimate power.
"Good luck convincing them." Sam said. The Ghost Thief nodded, took a deep breath to prepare herself and phased through the back of the speeder's cockpit and into the chamber where all the ghosts were being held.
Inside it was a little cramped, but the ghosts didn't seem to mind. It was the first time the halfa had seen so many ghosts in one place, being civil to each other. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The ghosts talked to each other hurriedly, some with worry evident in their tones and others faking confidence.
The Ghost Thief cleared her throat loudly and all eyes were on her. "If I could have your attention please."
"Who are you and what do you want?" The mechanical nightmare (Skulker?) asked.
"I'm just a ghost girl. But I have a plan that will ensure that we win over Pariah Dark." She proposed and that sure got their attention, making them leer closer.
"And why should we trust you?" The ghost girl with the strange eyeliner questioned, giving her a cold look.
Here goes the award-winning Battle Speech that definitely wasn't based on that speech from Braveheart. "You don't have to trust me immediately. But you can trust that with my plan, we'll not only win, but make sure that bastard never wakes up again." Now there were murmurs of agreement and some small cheers. "Pariah Dark has kicked you out of your lairs, your homes, and now he's planning to make you his slaves - but if we fight together, we are going to make Pariah Dark wish he was never released; we are going to show him that this time he will not win! Once the Battle of Ghosts is over, you'll gain back everything that was taken from you! Who's with me?!"
The murmurs turned into cries of war and demands for Pariah Dark to fall down.
...
Sabrina had only been to Amity Park once and during that one time she had only been in the Fenton basement, but right now the town was a war zone.
Many buildings were destroyed, stores were ravaged, and there was chaos all around. Amity Park had been encircled by a green dome of energy - not a ghost shield - that originated from a flaming sword stuck in the American football field where Vlad and Danny were fighting. Danny and Vlad kept shouting at each other as they went on fighting. Fire and dodge and fire some more. Sabrina made it her life goal to not intervene unless necessary, and now she had bigger things to worry about than a squabble between two archenemies. And then Danny decided to retire the sword, triggering a chain of events that Sabrina would most likely hold against him for the rest of their lives.
"Goddammit Daniel." The Ghost Thief changed back to Sabrina Marquez and stayed on the ground. Better to have the Ghost King ignoring my existence by pretending I'm a mere human. The Ghost King and a knight on fire (the sword must belong to him) watched over the scene as Skeleton Soldiers entered the field. The sword flew out of Danny's hand and to its rightful owner.
The dome disintegrated and the green sky and purple doors of the Ghost Zone appeared. Amity Park was in the Ghost Zone now. Well fuck.
Sabrina took a good look at Pariah Dark and swallowed hard. I have to fight against that. Nope. No no no no no no no no no. Terror seized her up and froze her still as she watched. I'm going to have nightmares about this for the rest of my life, aren't I? And to think that I considered my old nightmares scary. Pariah Dark noticed Phantom and Plasmius and shot a giant red ectoplasmic blast out of his hands, hitting both of them and making them fall to the ground. He must have hit them hard, because on the ground Danny Fenton and Vlad Masters were not moving and showing scratches and bruises. Pariah Dark grabbed them both into his hand and laughed. "They are ghosts and humans? Does this day of fun never end?" He mused before being interrupted by a missile.
Sabrina looked up and saw a teenager in a red suit, sliding atop a some sort of hoverboard. Enter the Red Huntress, one of the most capable ghost hunters in this town. And then the Red Huntress slammed into a pole. You know what? This town is doomed...The Red Huntress got up and tried to fire a small missile from her wrist, but it didn't go as planned. The ghost hunter took off her glove and Pariah Dark saw the ring and bellowed. "That's my ring! Hand it over, human." The Red Huntress understood and took the ring off, putting it on the tip of a missile. Please no, for fuck's sake. YOU DON'T HAND THE POWER-ENHANCING RING TO THE KING WHO HAS CONQUERED YOUR GODDAMN HOMETOWN! DOES ANYONE IN THIS FUCKING TOWN HAVE ANY COMMON SENSE?! I swear to God, Vladimir Masters, that you are never going to live this down - ever. The Red Huntress fired the missile with the ring but Sabrina foiled her plans by summoning the ring to her hand before Pariah Dark or the Knight could get it.
Pariah Dark went after the ring but the Knight was determined to keep fighting. He is disobeying his boss - well that's a very obvious weakness to exploit. The Huntress picked up the unconscious halfas by their wrists and hurried to Fenton Works, to the safety of the expanding ghost shield, with Sabrina following close behind. The knight kept hitting the shield with his sword until he finally relented and flew away to join his King, but this time Sabrina heard an angry grunt and an order being given. "We don't need the ring. Come, we have plans to make, for soon this human world will also be mine." Sabrina watched as the Red Huntress went through Danny's window and didn't come out.
The glowing ring in her hand was starting to burn, so Sabrina opened her palm and examined it. It looked simple enough, glowing green metal with a red skull in the center with no recognizable precious stones or metals; it was how it felt that threw her off. She felt powerful and unstoppable, like she could take on every bank in the world and rob it blind and get everything she ever wanted. It enhances your powers, and with them most likely your greed. That huntress had been wearing it and she hadn't acted particularly malicious, and the ring hadn't glowed when it was on her. She's human, maybe the ring only enhances powers that are already there, therefore regular humans wouldn't feel anything.
Dragging her thoughts away from the ring, Sabrina stored it her jean's pocket and turned invisible before she flew to Danny's window and was satisfied to see Danny, Vlad, and an African-American girl who must have been the Red Huntress all in there, unconscious. Vlad was starting to wake up and looked around the room before he realized the ring was gone; with indignation, Vlad turned invisible as well and then he was gone. Must have phased somewhere else, the greedy malicious bastard. Sabrina phased through the floors to the basement, where Sam and Tucker were talking.
"Danny's been gone for hours, do you think he's okay?" Sam asked Tucker and Sabrina turned visible before responding that herself.
"He and the Red Huntress are upstairs in Danny's room, and in no condition to fight a mouse let alone the fucking Ghost King and his army." Sam and Tucker jumped as she appeared but recovered quickly.
"What happened out there?" Suddenly, Sabrina heard somebody going down the stairs and turned invisible out of instinct as two adults clad in HAZMAT suits barged in and said that Danny was upstairs in his room. As the two teenagers rushed upstairs to their friend, Sabrina took advantage of the fact that she was already invisible and flew up and away and headed into the Ghost Zone. She had agreed with the ghosts that had been in the Speeder that they would meet in an unoccupied lair in the depths of the Ghost Zone, where Pariah Dark and his troops hadn't gotten to. Once she was in the Ghost Zone and away from Amity Park, Sabrina turned into the Ghost Thief and picked up speed.
She had a battle to plan.
...
The ghosts were all standing in a semicircle around a hologram map of the area around Pariah's Keep when the Ghost Thief arrived. There were respectful nods as she passed and total silence as she stood in front of them, where she could see and address everyone. The Ghost Thief started muttering to herself as she analyzed what she had seen in Amity Park to asses the strengths and weaknesses of the Skeleton Army and the Knight and Pariah Dark.
"The Skeleton Army, judging from what I saw in Amity Park, are all under a collective hive mind, meaning they are under the control of a higher ranking officer. Probably that knight that is always with Pariah Dark..."
"The Fright Knight." The ghost in the fedora, Walker, clarified. "He's the Ghost King's lieutenant. He is the Army General."
"Which means that the Ghost King, powerful and all, doesn't have the best strategical mind. And from the attack on Amity Park, neither does the Fright Knight. They are both very powerful ghosts that could probably vaporize all of us in seconds with an army of thousands. But the way they attacked the town, disorganized and random, a "barge-in-and-hope-for-the-best" plan that you'd only consider if you knew you were up against cockroaches you knew you could crash. They don't know to properly organize..." The idea clicked in her mind, forming up a plan that would not - could not - fail.
"You are lucky I'm your Army General. So listen up! I know how to defeat them. Get all your weapons and ammunition ready, they are going to pay for what they did to you."
There were cheers and war cries and for the first time in a long time, Sabrina felt something like responsibility pressing on her chest.
...
This time ready and willing, Sam and Tucker sucked all the fully-armed ghosts into the speeder. "Everything ready?" Sabrina asked them as Tucker checked the controls. She was staying in her human form until the battle began to save up her energies - but she took advantage of the time by getting familiar with the ghost weaponry.
"Yup. Those ghosts won't know what hit 'em." He said, signalling to several ecto-guns and Fenton weapons.
It would be nice to have at least one weapon in that can hurt ghosts back at home, I'm sure one gun won't be missed. As if offended that she would choose another weapon over it, the ring in her pocket warmed up in anger. Para de mangear anillo del orto, the minute this whole ordeal is over I'm burying you in deepest, darkest corner of the Ghost Zone where no one will ever find you again. As they approached the Keep, Sabrina saw the legion of soldiers fighting Danny in a mechanical suit; Danny took notice of his best friends in the speeder and told them that it was too dangerous, to which they just shrugged off and let the ghosts loose. Sabrina changed into the Ghost Thief and phased through the Speeder.
"ATTACK!"
To say that it was pandemonium would be an understatement.
The Ghost Thief dodged another skeleton's sword before blasting him and two more besides him up. With every strong blast, she felt weaker and weaker. Sabrina knew she was a weak ghost, but this was ridiculous. Trying to ignore her lack of physical power, Sabrina kept fighting the only way she knew how to: by trickery. She manipulated a Skeleton Warrior's sword to cut down his comrades closest to him and then himself. A skeleton attacked from behind and slashed her back and the Ghost Thief shot it, disintegrating it. Looks like I'll have to fight with strength then. Fuck. It felt like she had been fighting for an eternity - she lost count of the slashes and wounds all over her body, the number of skeletons she'd obliterated, she focused on nothing more than staying alive and in one piece. Keep fighting, keep fighting, keep fighting.
And then an explosion from inside the Keep stopped everything in its tracks.
Simultaneously, all the Skeleton Warriors vanished and the ghosts hurried to the Keep to see what was going down, Sabrina following suit. But first. Just to be sure, Sabrina checked the pouch to make sure the ring was there. If Vlad was so desperate to get it, then he's not having it. The ghosts parted to let her pass as she walked towards the center of the chamber, where Danny looked like he was ready to drop dead. Vlad had a key in his hand, he'd locked the Sarcophagus. Somebody please take the key from him. "How?" Danny weakly asked Vlad.
"Using two fourteen-year-old pawns and a knight to topple a king. It's chess." Vlad answered before Danny passed out from the effort. Ay ay ay, Daniel.
As Sam and Tucker took Danny back to his house, the ghosts stayed behing to discuss what should be done with the key, the ring, and the crown. Vlad stepped forward, but Sabrina cut him off immediately. "Give me three good reasons why we shouldn't vanish you, Plasmius. If you're going to unlock another ancient evil then you'll have to go through me first."
Vlad glared at her and declared, "this isn't over, Miss Marquez" before flying away - probably to his mansion to plot his revenge. There was an agreement that the Crown of Fire would be given to the Ghostfire Spirits - a noble race of military ghosts with fire abilities led by the Ghostfire Queen - and the Skeleton Key and the Ring of Rage (if found) would be given to Clockwork, the Ghost of Time and the most morally righteous ghost in the Ghost Zone.
Ghosts started leaving, going off to celebrate that Pariah Dark was imprisoned and that they would get to terrorize the human world in peace again. The human world...the lab! Quickly, Sabrina took out her cellphone and message López. "We won! I'll be there soon." When the message was sent, Sabrina stored the cellphone back in her pouch with the ring. Her forearm suddenly started burning and Sabrina turned around to see a strange ghost floating still, as if expecting her.
The ghost's appearance constantly shifted, going from a broad-shouldered adult to a wrinkled old man to a chubby toddler - but always with the same blue skin, purple cloak, and scar around his red eyes, and always carrying a staff that looked like it was from a high fantasy movie. "Who are you?" Sabrina asked, going into a defensive stance, just in case.
"I am Clockwork, Ghost of Time." He presented himself with a respectful nod. Sabrina returned the gesture. "And you, General, have something that I should be locking up." Sabrina understood and, with surprising hesitance, handed him the ring. "Yes, the Ring of Rage has that effect on ghosts: once you have it, you become attached to the power, whether you want to or not. But I must say, the leadership and strategic intelligence you showed today will not be forgotten by those you led."
"And to think that I wanted to stay away from all of this."
"Neutrality is all you've ever known, but what you managed today is something very few ghosts have achieved." He is silent for a second, as if considering something. "There will be other catastrophes, other dire situations where the General will have to take the reins again." He turns to leave and delivers one final warning. "There are still things you don't know yet, Sabrina Marquez. Tread carefully." And with that he was gone, leaving a slightly terrified Ghost Thief alone.
Okay then...I'll just head back home and try to hide the more obvious scratches before my parents discover them. She walked to the edge of the island and picked up a helmet from a Skeleton Warrior had been left behind. Maybe this is real ghost bone and we can examine it back at the lab, and if it doesn't hail any useful information then it remains a spoil of war. Relief flooding her senses, the Ghost Thief flew up and away back to her portal, and knocked after seeing it closed. "Mandel! López! Alguien!" She called before the portal opened and she flew in to find the engineer and the biologist waiting for her, clapping and cheering. Doctor Martinez was also there - but he was panicking.
"What were you thinking, Miss Marquez?! Throwing yourself into a war like that?! Look at yourself! You look like you went through a shredder! Ay dios mio. The fact you are somewhat alive is a miracle of science, would staying alive be too much to ask?" Martinez cried out in a desperate tone, mumbling to himself about more terrible things that could have happened.
"Martinez! Martinez!" Finally getting his attention, the Ghost Thief looked him straight in the eye as she changed back into Sabrina Marquez.
Most of the small scratches had downright vanished, and those that were deep enough to draw blood were slightly less deep than they were before. None of them looked or felt infected - so Sabrina figured she could treat them back at her house without any worries besides getting caught. The worn jeans and red long-sleeved t-shirt she'd been wearing under her lab coat were littered with slashes and semi-solid ectoplasm - nothing that a good wash along with a needle, thread, and patches couldn't fix - some of the green goo even finding its way onto her hair.
"I don't think any of these wounds are serious - I can take care of them at home. After that I just need a shower, a lot of food, a shot of vodka, and some good hours of sleep on my bed instead of midair."
"I'm glad you're not dead, ratita." Mandel said before noticing the helmet in her hands and picking it up with interest. "And hello you."
"Me too. And I believe leading a battle against an army of thousands qualifies as a good enough reason to leave early." Sabrina said as she put on her hoodie and pulled the hood up to hide the green substance in her hair. Hopefully semi-solid ectoplasm is not toxic, can be washed off easily and won't damage my hair more than it already is. Sabrina said goodbye and walked out of the Martinez Laboratories, lacking the energy to phase through a wall, let alone fly to her house.
It would have been nice to walk home for once if it hadn't been for the pain that lit up with every step. Bearable, but annoying. It was still cold outside in the streets, but that didn't stop the Friday afternoon mood as children got out of school and some workers managed to get out of their jobs early. Seeing humans after spending the past hours surrounded by ghosts, thinking about ghosts, and being a ghost made the human world with its human quirks and its human flaws so comforting and familiar. She was opening the gate when her cellphone rang and Nico's contact appeared on the screen, making her pick up. "Nico! Que tal la vida sin mi?"
Nico sounded cheerful from the other end of the line, like a little kid on Christmas. He was up to something. "Horrible. How was the lab?"
"Exhausting. Did you all crash and burn without me?"
"Of course we did, we are a bunch of rats in a school uniform. Listen, some guys from fourth year organized a pre and are willing to let us drink if we pay a little extra and get IDs. If you are up to it maybe we can have some drinks and then go to Mandarin."
Sabrina dropped her backpack and coat on a kitchen chair as she gave it some thought and immediately reached the conclusion that she couldn't go. For starters she still had visible and very open wounds and couldn't wear anything remotely appropriate for a night club and she didn't feel like dealing with large groups of people after today. "How about instead of paying extra to some older jerks I get some free Fernet and Vodka from the viejas next door and you bring the snacks?" She moves her shoulder the wrong way and a sharp but short sting makes her hiss. "I'll have to pass on the dancing, though. Sorry."
"Yeesh, that bad? No problem. Is a dozen medialunas enough for both of us?"
"Make it one dozen plus half a dozen of bolas de fraile."
"Done. See you in two hours. Chau."
"Chau." Hanging up, Sabrina took a long shower and took care of the more serious wounds so that they would pass unnoticed.
Only then did she go next door and ask for the alcohol.
This chapter is longer because it's from a Made-for-TV movie, the following chapters will be the normal length.
I know that there are several things that derail from the original story but: A) that's the whole point of fan-fiction, and B) there are scenes that we aren't shown and things we were never told, like what happened to the key, the ring, and the crown after Pariah is defeated, and I refuse to believe that Clockwork wouldn't have at least overseen the battle and where everything of importance (the aforementioned objects) went.
As always: critics, comments, suggestions, and love are welcome either by review or PM.
And the (unusually more colorful) glossary:
Ratita: little (lab) rat
Alguien: somebody
"Ay ay ay": (a string of monosyllables used to express disappointment and/or embarrassment)
"Reverendo hijo de la re mil puta": (a very intense way of saying:) son of a bitch
"Para de mangear anillo del orto": "stop whining you fucking ring"
"Como si eso fuera más fácil pendejo concha de tu madre": "as if that was less complicated you useless son of a bitch"
"Me importa tres carajos": "I truly don't care"
"Que tal la vida sin mi?": "How's life without me?"
medialunas: croissants
bolas de fraile: round pastries filled with dulce de leche
viejas: old ladies
