*Chapter 46*

"Alright, golden curl," Orion grumbled as he largely skid into Game Central Station, "Now that you have me out of the game, and we're all vulnerable, dead pixels, where are we going now?"

"Stop being such a baby," Penny rolled her eyes as she leaned lightly over the top of Orion's head; he heaved a hard, annoyed chuff as she could feel him shift on his feet a little. She lightly pointed in the direction of Dead Zed's outlet and felt her heart race at the speed of light, "Hurry, Dead Zed is over there. We don't have a lot of time!"

"Alright, bear with me," Orion heaved in an annoyed tone as he quickly darted towards Dead Zed's outlet.

Penny raised her eyebrows in surprise and hung onto Orion yet again. She bit her lower lip lightly, in gentle contemplation, as he largely galloped down Dead Zed's wire. She felt her heart race with uncertainty; she was positive she wouldn't even make it this far. She flinched as Orion quickly skid into the rough dirt of Dead Zed's jungle entrance. He exhaled a grumble of a growl and peered down to the dirt his paws were pushed onto.

"Bleh," Orion let his large, chameleon tongue slither out of his mouth a little as he curiously looked down at his paws. He lifted one of his strong paws and looked at his paw pads, "Life-like dirt..."

"You have been so spoiled," Penny uttered in an annoyed tone as she quickly pat his head, yet again, "Come on, just follow the path into town. Zane's loft is at the edge of town, on a hill."

"Just brace yourself, a lot of people are going to probably be extremely terrified," Orion rolled his eyes and quickly lunged forward; he gained speed down the path and dodged low hanging trees as best as he could.

"Considering you're probably the largest creature this game has ever seen," Penny giggled as his strong body effortlessly carried the two at speeds she wasn't certain Orion could ever reach, "We're bound to get weird stares!"

"And just what am I supposed to say to this zaney individual once we're there?" Orion loudly wondered as they pushed into town a lot faster than Penny had imagined.

"Oh, you don't have to say anything," Penny slyly smiled, "You're my back up if he doesn't come out of his home."

"What makes you think he won't come out of his home?" Orion loudly argued as they flew through town and up the winding street; dozens of people emitted loud noises of protest and fear as they dove out of the way. Onlookers pointed to the strange sight that flew by at top speeds, though Orion continued despite all the sudden fear surrounding him, "What makes you think he's going to leave his house once he sees me out the peep hole!"

"Just keep running, I don't have answers for you!" Penny shouted as she pointed, "Hell, I don't even have answers for myself! I'm flying blind here!"

"Well that's just GRAND considering we're both not on our own turf!" Orion growled, though his speed never faltered.

"Nothing could ever kill you, you're practically a bag of skittles!" Penny argued loudly as he wound up the hill, closer to Zane's home. Penny felt her ears try their hardest to decipher the noise coming out of Orion's figure; it sounded like genuine laughter.

"You are definitely you're mother's daughter," Orion heaved with a loud, annoyed laugh of a sigh; Penny beamed a smile of success, though the began to feel her heart throb at the fact that Orion slowly melted into the vicinity of Zane's loft.

"Is this it?" Orion asked, quietly this time as he bowed his body closer to the ground as he finally came to a stop.

"Yep," Penny eased as she slid off of Orion's back. She nervously hung near him and let her hand and arm remain on his massive, lower arm. Orion peered down at her with newfound respect and felt a twinge of endearment come over him.

"You... You okay?" Orion wondered gently, though he flinched once Penny inhaled a sharp breath and began to march over to Zane's front door.

"I'm juuust peachy," Penny dared, she figured if she had enough confidence to bang down Orion's door, she could do it to Zane, no problem. Orion winced in surprise as Penny suddenly, and loudly, banged on Zane's door, "Zane, open up."

"Good, great User in the sky," Orion garbled as he lulled his head up towards Dead Zed's brilliant blue sky. He rolled his eyes and smiled a beam full of fangs, "This kid is going to game jump into oblivion, because of you, Pens."

"Shut up," Penny hissed in annoyance as she largely banged on his door again, "I know you're in there, Zane! Get out here!"

"What exactly do you need me for?" Orion joked as he relaxed his position a little, though he eyed Zane's loft in a curious way, "You look like you have this under control!"

"If you leave, I swear to User, I will skin your sorry ass and wear it as a wedding dress!" Penny hollered as she pointed a finger; Orion flinched and shot her a look of surprise.

"Yes... Taffyta," Orion mumbled.

"Zane, open up! Don't make me un-fix everything we fixed up!" Penny shouted, "I know what your loft looks like vandalized, don't think I don't know how to recreate it! Graffiti included!"

"User, Penny," Orion smiled a proud smile and rolled his eyes, "Remind me to warn any poor guy that gets romantically involved with YOU. And I thought Tessa was savage!"

"Wedding dress!" Penny hollered as she pointed, yet again, though Orion exhaled a hard laugh and shook his head.

"Penny?" Zane suddenly yelled through his closed door; Penny widened her eyes and beamed an excited smile.

"Zane!" Penny said cheerfully, though she immediately furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head, "I-I mean.. ZANE! Get out here! I have a bone to pick with you!"

"Penny," Zane said in an annoyed tone, through his door, "I really don't want to talk right now."

"I don't care what you want, you broke my cousin's heart, now get out here," Penny shouted as she pointed down to the ground, "I WILL use my dragon shout!"

"...Penny, this isn't Skyrim!" Orion barked in annoyance, "And I'm a chameleon!"

"You will FUS ROH DAH," Penny barked as she gave Orion an almost crazed look; he straightened his posture and lightly nodded.

"I-I know some dragon shouts," Orion mumbled.

"Zane, come ON, I need to talk to you," Penny begged, though the other side of Zane's door practically felt vacant. She exhaled a hard breath and quickly turned around to Orion. She largely gestured to Zane's flawless, wall of windows on his beautiful loft, "Alright, Orion. You know what to do."

"I get to wreck it?" Orion beamed a toothy smile as Penny crossed her arms and nodded slightly.

"Make Sugar Rush proud," Penny chimed.

Orion inhaled a deep, though slightly nervous breath and fixed his eyes on Zane's large windows; how fragile and tender they looked. Orion felt a twinge of a smile creep upon his face, though deep down, he could feel a protective rage come over his skin, for his beloved younglings, Tessa and Penny. He chuffed an annoyed breath, and as slowly as he could, he propped himself up on his hind feet. His long tail unraveled, for balance, though he slowly let his large chest cavity expand with a massive inhale. Penny raised her eyebrows in curious surprise, though she finally widened her eyes and realized just what Orion was up to. As quickly as she could, she slapped her hands over her ears and squat down to the ground in a fit of attempting to protect herself. She largely flinched as the whole ground practically turned into savage waves, like a storm on the ocean. Orion exhaled the loudest, ear shattering bellow of a roar straight into Zane's fragile windows. All at once, his massive windows bursted into an explosion of millions of shards that were sent flying all around. Penny exhaled a hard noise of protest and ran around the side of the building.

After the sound and chaos settled, she peered around the corner in nothing short of horrific surprise. She covered her mouth and gazed up at Orion as he proudly, and heavily, slumped back down to his front feet and exhaled a hard chuff of a sigh through his nose. He largely shook his scaly body, like a dog freeing itself of water; only it was flecks of glass. Penny flinched and slowly emerged from the corner of the building and peered up at Orion in renewed respect for him; he slowly peered down at her with the same, almost heart felt feeling and gave her a daring, toothy smile, though they both flinched once Zane barged out of his front door.

"Are you kidding me?" Zane hollered loudly in annoyance, though he exhaled a hard, scared noise and ducked back into his doorway at exactly what was looming behind Penny.

"Get over here," Penny barked as she largely grabbed Zane's arm and dragged him away from his house, "You stay right HERE. I have a bone to pick with you. Now, y-"

"What the hell was that for?" Zane interrupted, though Penny largely hit his arm, which caused him to wobble in surprise.

"Don't interrupt me!" Penny hollered, "I don't know who you think you are, toying with my cousin's emotions like this, but you need to march yourself to Academy right now and tell her your secret!"

"My secret?" Zane bellowed in pure annoyance, though Penny death glared him.

"Stop playing stupid with me, I know the real reason you pushed Tessa away!" Penny shouted, though Zane furrowed his eyebrows and curiously peered into her eyes, "I know you're thinking that keeping something THIS important from her, is going to do her good, but it's not. She's miserable without you!"

Zane let his shoulders drop in defense as his eyebrows furrowed from anger to sadness. He exhaled a few breaths and looked around, though he nervously glanced at Orion. Orion bowed his head and kept his spooky, daring gaze on him, as if he was prepared to throttle him.

"She... She is?" Zane softly wondered, though Penny largely slapped her arms to her sides and gave him a desperately annoyed gape of a look.

"Are you kidding me," Penny barked, "Lickity has practically become her caretaker. I'm surprised that stupid dragon doesn't wipe her butt for her after she uses the User forsaken bathroom."

"I can't tell her," Zane argued quietly to Penny, he felt a sudden camaraderie with her, as if she were the only soul who held the fate of his life in her hands.

"Well, if you're not going to tell her... I will," Penny dared angrily as she clenched her fists to her sides.

"You wouldn't," Zane muttered darkly as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"Believe you me," Orion barked as Zane flinched, though Penny remained solid, "She will."

Zane gazed up at Orion nervously before he peered at his true threat before him; Penny glared at Zane through begrudged eyes, though Zane shook his head lightly.

"I-I don't know what good it will do," Zane said softly.

"A lot more good than any of this nonsense is doing now!" Penny bellowed as she gestured her arm towards Zane's loft, "Tessa can keep secrets, Zane. Haven't you learned this by now? I KNOW you don't want to lose Tessa."

"What if she rejects me?" Zane worried as he continued to let his skin soften.

"She's related to Wreck It Ralph," Orion grumbled as he pushed farther into their spat match, "She'd make a terrible wrecker if she went around rejecting people because they were different... Let alone, a bad guy."

"I'm not a bad guy, why does everyone keep thinking that?" Zane argued, Penny waved her hands lightly.

"She's at Academy, studying," Penny gently grabbed Zane's hands and shook them a little, "Just go... She deserves to know. Trust me, it will make everything better."

"What if it doesn't?" Zane worried lightly as he began to feel his heart pound with newfound purpose.

"I know Tessa," Penny said deeply, her sharp gaze pierced Zane's with pure intention, "She will accept it."

"I don't know," Zane furrowed his eyebrows in gentle grief, though he flinched once Orion took a daring step closer.

"Look, you care about Tessa, right?" Orion argued; Zane raised his eyebrows gently.

"Yes," Zane breathed.

"You need her in your life?" Orion volleyed.

"Yeah," Zane furrowed his eyebrows.

"Didn't mean to cause this mess?" Orion rattled off.

"No," Zane barked.

"You love her more than your beloved secret?" Orion side eyed him with an annoyed smile, as if his patience was being tested, though Zane harshly furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yes!" Zane bashfully admitted as he glanced at Penny, who couldn't help but let a dainty smile sprawl her face.

"Then stop being a coward, get into Game Central Academy, and set this shit right," Orion grumbled as he bowed his head lightly, "I'm tired of being out of Sugar Rush, now can we kiss and make up sometime THIS CENTURY?"