A/N: Wow you guys, thanks for all the requests! I have nearly 10 requests cued, and I'll begin working on them soon! The MOST request scene, thusfar, is when Tessa beats Selka's ass xD I've gotten that request like 4 times now! So you guys will definitely be getting that, apparently xD If you guys still have requests, it's not too late to tell me! I probably won't have it uploaded until after next weekend, because we're strapping down for PHX comicon! EXCITE.

Also, I have the end scene, to this chapter, painted - it's on my DeviantART titled 'Boss Level' - my username is Vyntresser

Song listened to - Forget Forever by Selena Gomez

*Chapter 54*

"So, can you tell me, just when, you're going to tell Selka who you REALLY are?" Tessa urged gently as she smiled in Zed's direction; he was wearing a comfortable, dark grey hoodie with the hood up, to cover his blue hair from Tammy and Emery seeing; they had said their goodbyes, for the day, to Emery, Tammy, Penny and Oliver in Game Central Station not five minutes prior.

"User, I don't know," Zed said through a gentle sigh, as if he didn't have the energy to think about him. The two slowly strolled into the entrance of Dead Zed with Lickity not far behind them. Tessa gently tucked her hands into the front pocket of her dark red hoodie and frowned in his direction, though in a curious way.

"I mean, no pressure or anything," Tessa smiled softly, "It's not dire... I'm just sure it'd get him off of our case."

"I just don't want to make Academy a living hell, for you," Zed eased as the two slowly came to a stop, just outside the gaping hole of Dead Zed's entrance. It was beautifully draped with wet, jungle leaves. It was easy to tell that, far above the canopies, it was drizzling rain.

"I guess I wouldn't have my wrecking powers," Tessa heaved a breath as she gently peered back at Lickity, "It'd definitely help if I could bring this one."

"If he found out I was Zed..." Zed trailed off and looked down, though he inhaled a sharp breath and looked out towards his old town, in the distance. He shook his head and smiled a bashful smile, "Well, let's just say, he'd have a field day, if he found out you and I were together."

"What for?" Tessa furrowed her eyebrows and felt her heart jump in giddy confusion; his eyes glued to hers. It was spooky just how blue they were, even in the dark. Almost as if they were illuminated, a hardly noticeable glow in the dark feature he had on his list of curious abilities.

"Well... You're... You're a self-programmed gamer," Zed eased softly, so not to sound as if he meant anything bad by it, "I'm a User-made gamer."

"I know the difference, but..." Tessa trailed off and wrinkled her nose, bashfully, "What's the difference?" She finished with an annoyed sigh, which caused a gentle smile to sprawl Zed's face.

"I guess it's not really important, right now," Zed shrugged lightly, Tessa side eyed him lightly and was curious to the gentle quiver in his voice as he continued, "Usually the two types of gamers don't run in the same circles, so... There's really not much chance for a User-made gamer and a self-programmed gamer to, uh... Get together."

"Oh, so Selka would just find it strange and insult me to no end?" Tessa wondered, "Are you embarrassed by my faux-code already?" Tessa finished with a playful laugh.

"That is hardly the truth," Zed winked softly, though he took a step or two away from her and approached the wall of the entrance to his game.

He smoothed his palm over the soft metal and, with his surprising glitching abilities, he let the wall come alive with powerful, blue grid lines, as if to show the blueprint of the structure. Behind the sudden transparency of the wall was a box that Zed reached in and grabbed. It was a large box, though he lifted it with some ease. He set it out of the wall and, as easily as the wall became non-tangible, it quickly blobbed back to it's usual, hard state. Tessa gazed at the situation in pure confusion, though she eagerly took a few steps closer to him, as did Lickity.

"What's that for?" Tessa wondered gently as she tucked her hair behind her ears and peered into the box Zed dug into.

"I made this for us," Zed smiled as he easily pulled out a sleek, lightweight, black saddle for Lickity. Tessa's eyes lit up in pure excitement.

"You didn't have to do that!" Tessa smiled as Lickity gently grew closer, as if she knew she was needed in this moment.

"I know, but... I wanted to," Zed cheerfully smiled into her eyes. Tessa took a few steps back as he gently laid the light saddle on Lickity's strong back. He continued on as he began to strap her into it, "I know it looks sort of boring, but I figured you could take it to Sugar Rush and put colors and such on it, to your liking. I just figured I'd give you a proper racing saddle."

"Racing," Tessa eased softly as Lickity nuzzled her snout into her side; she largely pet her dragon's head in a loving manner.

"Yeah," Zed glanced at her, though he ducked down to fasten a strap into place, under Lickity's belly, "You... You DO remember, how fast Lickity can go, yeah? You don't need just any saddle. You need one suited for going high speeds, without hindering Lickity's weight."

"Makes sense," Tessa smiled, "I think I'm too nervous to fly her, by myself."

"Really?" Zed furrowed his eyebrows, "Well, it's relatively easy. You wanna fly her back to my place?"

"Me?" Tessa beamed curiously, though she nervously glanced at Lickity, "I-I... I guess I could! I like going fast. I just hope she responds well, to me."

"She loves you, I know she will," Zed gestured to Lickity, who was easily rubbing her cheeks and jaw against Tessa's sides, like a big, cuddly feline.

"I guess," Tessa giggled as she softly cupped Lickity's jaw in her hands and made her look up at her, "Whatdoyahsay, you ready for some proper, Sugar Rush flyin'?"

"Anything but my boring routines," Zed laughed as Lickity chuffed a few noises of excitement, she opened her wings just barely as her long, sturdy tail flicked about once or twice, "I'll show you the basics for flying. It's easy, actually. C'mon," Zed motioned towards Lickity, who was ready to board.

"What if I accidentally do something that makes her nose dive?" Tessa worried as she gently climbed aboard Lickity's body and took the driver seat. She felt her heart begin to surge with light nervousness.

"Well, the beauty of flying a dragon that has a mutual trust with you, is that if something goes wrong, the dragon won't betray you and let you two go rocketing to the ground," Zed explained as he climbed aboard Lickity as well, though he felt a hard jolt go through his body as he sat close behind Tessa. He exhaled a faltered breath and lightly looked over her shoulder, to try and begin to collect his suddenly scattered thoughts, "Flying a dragon is basically like flying a plane."

"Good thing I specialize in that," Tessa mumbled sarcastically, though she felt her skin lightly crawl as Zed made himself comfortable behind her.

As tenderly as he could, he slipped his hands and arms between her inner arms and her waist. He gently pointed to two, strong handles on either sides of the base of Lickity's neck, just above her shoulder blades.

He softened his voice as his chin hovered just over Tessa's shoulder, "As you ride, you will use those handles to help you steer Lickity. You push and pull in the directions you want her to go. If you want to go fast, you hug your body to hers. Want to slow down? You sit up and pull on the handles."

"So basically, I act as if I were flying myself," Tessa eased, though she turned her head to face Zed purely out of habit, and realized his face was right next to hers. She flinched and breathed an apologetic giggle as he jolted lightly as well. He beamed a bashful smile and kept his eyes glued to the handles he was explaining about.

"Pretty much," Zed eased, "And Lickity is really smart. She recognizes certain verbal commands, like if you urge her to go faster or slow down, take it easy or et-cetera."

"What happens if I want to turn?" Tessa wondered softly as Lickity gently shifted on her feet, as if she was getting mildly impatient.

"Same thing as slowing down or speeding up, you sort of move your body in that way and she'll follow suit," Zed kindly explained, "Wanna go fast and bank left? Lay close to her and push down on the left side of her body. She'll get the idea."

"Makes sense," Tessa nodded softly.

"She won't let you make stupid mistakes," Zed chuckled as he lightly pat the thin flap of her wing, which was only lightly tucked her body, "She'll follow your instructions if you're patient and sort of become one with each other. Show her respect and she will, literally, give you the world."

"You're explaining this like you're scared," Tessa laughed gently, though Zed slumped his shoulders and pushed his palm to his face in a bashful, almost agreeable sense.

"I'm not scared," Zed laughed, "Just take it easy, and, once you're in the sky, there will be a moment where you realize that you were born for this. Trust me."

"I just hope you're not looking for a dainty ride home," Tessa giggled as she lightly reached out and gripped the handles of Lickity's saddle, she gently tugged to her left and gestured for Lickity to turn around, to face the Dead Zed world out of the entrance. Lickity exhaled a gentle breath and kindly followed suit. Tessa quickly reached back and tucked her hair into a low, tight ponytail for the sake of keeping it out of Zed's face. She gently looked over her shoulder, to him, and cocked an eyebrow, "I AM Vanellope Von Schweetz's daughter, y'know."

"Yeahhh," Zed eased as he nervously gazed ahead, "If you think I'm holding onto you for dear life, feel free to just forget it ever happened."

"Not likely," Tessa laughed, though she felt a nervous spill of chills plague her arms as Zed tenderly rested his hands on her hips. She knew this was bound to be a fun ride; she smirked and peered out to Dead Zed's darkened jungle trees. She furrowed her eyebrows and, as lightly as she could, she leaned down and pat Lickity's neck, "Y'ready, girl?"

Lickity lightly perked her ear in the direction of Tessa's voice and turned her head to barely look over at her from atop her back. She bellowed a gentle, assuring noise and bared her teeth, as if to wonder when the fun would begin. Tessa softly encouraged Lickity with a quick tug of the handles that were strapped close to the saddle. She raised her eyebrows in surprise as she could feel Zed's strong, warm arms come around her center. She knew that, eventually, Zed would be on the passenger part of this sticky sweet situation, though she had no idea just how her nervous heart would handle it. She knew this was a test to her knowledge in a situation that was pulling her heart and her brain in a billion different directions. She figured this was her time to show the two just what she was made of. She easily, though gently, hunkered down to Lickity as she took a few gentle, bounding gallops forward and sprawled her wings.

Lickity gently heaved herself off the ground and largely flapped her massive, powerful wings. They whipped the downward wind and made the trees all around rustle. Tessa flinched lightly as Lickity dodged a few branches and found a clearing in the canopy. She slipped through a small hole in the clearing, with wings tucked to her body for a split second, before she darted out of the top of the foliage and sprawled her wings to their full potential. With a few more powerful, downward swipes, Lickity gained altitude. Tessa lightly flinched as the three were rocketed into a very light rainfall. She gazed upwards to the dark sky and noticed angry thunderheads high above that were eager to spill their mess all over the land. Tessa smirked, almost in an annoyed way and knew the game was out to test her knowledge. She inhaled a readied breath and, without seeming too cocky, she lightly leaned closer to Lickity's body and was prepared to see just how capable she was.

Zed held his breath and, as if it were breaking the rules, he gripped his strong arms around Tessa's small waist, just a little tighter. The gentle rain began to grow a bit more aggressive as Tessa picked up speed, though that was the least of his worries. He nervously pushed his mouth and chin to the back of her right shoulder and peered out to his dark world. For once in his life, he felt his stomach dip in pure terror at the fact that he wasn't in control of anything, in this moment; the only thing he knew, was to have full control over anything and everything he had ever done. He raised his eyebrows and felt as if his core was throwing a massive bitch fit over it, though the heat of it all made him forget he was the head of Dead Zed. In the moment of their strong flight, he let his eyes watch Tessa's strong, determined hands and body language, and he knew it was in this moment that anyone who was brave enough to instill the delightfully dreaded feeling of vulnerability in him, was a keeper.

He let a sneaky, though content smile sprawl his face, into Tessa's shoulder as he squeezed her tighter to his body, though he raised his eyebrows in surprise as Tessa suddenly tugged up on Lickity's handles, though not in an action of asking her to slow down. He felt a massive amount of vertigo sweep over him as Lickity largely flapped her wings hard a few times and shifted her weight. He clung onto Tessa's body as the two practically were hunkered down to Lickity's spine, she was nearly vertical in the sky and her snout pointed right to the undersides of the angry clouds. Lickity's powerful wings continued to make the full, flap motion which made her climb the atmosphere at an unbelievable speed. Zed widened his eyes in surprise as Tessa skillfully knew exactly what to do, to make this ride of their's easier.

Zed felt his heart race faster and faster as the two rocketed closer to the aggressive, angry thunderheads that suddenly boomed above them. He squeezed Tessa's center harder and hugged his body into the back of hers in an escalating, confusing dip of nervousness and excitement. His ears pricked as Tessa's voice tenderly called to Lickity, though in a determined sort of tone, as if she knew she was chancing something. Zed scrunched his body as tight to hers, as he possibly could, as he could suddenly feel the tension in Tessa's back switch from their determined climbing, to a naive knowledge on a skill she only dreamed of trying. He furrowed his eyebrows and so badly wanted to shut his eyes, though he knew if he feared this sudden detour of hers, he'd miss a hell of a lot. As if he practically read Tessa's mind, he let his body ease into position with hers. As easily as she could possibly communicate her complicated order, she shifted the whole weight of her body tight to Lickity's right side and pulled hard on her left handle.

Lickity roared a noise of excitement and, as if she was certain of what was wanted of her flyer, she easily slapped her massive wings tight to her sides and cupped them into a hollow cylinder around her body; a tight, strict formation purely to help propel her farther through the sky without having to flap her wings. She harshly angled her tail fins in such a way to give her easier access to the tight, infinite vertical aileron roll Tessa had instructed for. As if gravity wasn't even a part of their existence anymore, Lickity shot through the massive, grumbling thunderclouds like the fastest, sharpest bullet; she pierced the hard fog with definite certainty, her ears lay flat to her skull as her second, protective, transparent eyelids closed for the speed and debris in the air. Zed closed his eyes lightly and felt the dizziness of his world, around him, as if it merely was laughing in his face and boasted just what he had gotten himself into, though in a delightful sense, as if regret wasn't apart of the equation.

Tessa largely squinted and kept her steady hand on the situation. She knew exactly where she was, and how she had to finish this procedure. Their cores rumbled as thunder rolled all around them; flashes of searing lightning clipped their existence in a way as if it begged them to come out and play. Lickity continued her tight, spinning formation and, just as she was about to reach a speed in which all control would be lost, the three shot through the top layer of the thunderhead and rocketed out above the storm, a whole new atmosphere that boasted a billion, twinkling stars against a stark, black sky. From the grey fog of the storm to the crisp, clean air they finally pierced, Lickity finally let her wings catch wind like billowy sails on a ship. They easily evened out and hovered high above the brooding storm underneath; a hard mixture of boasting, cool colors of blues, purples and greys against the harsh, stark white thunder-caps exalted their three rulers.

Zed finally pried his dizzy eyes out from the back of his skull and scoffed a noise of excited surprise, his world practically shone under Tessa's rule, every single last star in the sky shone against the moonlit coated storm clouds they escaped from. Just as Zed was about to beam a curious smile, he jolted once Tessa suddenly sat up and let go of the reigns. She exhaled hard cheer of accomplishment and delight as she threw her head back, spread her arms wide and proclaimed her overflowing joy of pride to the heavens above. Zed raised his eyebrows as Tessa's back was pushed into the warmth of his chest, though he felt his face heat up as, with her sudden change of position, his hands were tenderly wrapped around the middle of her rib cage. Her hair lightly flicked over the backs of hers and Zane's left shoulder; he lightly tucked his chin to her right shoulder and held her tight to his body, in a rush of adrenaline and loss of control over anything and everything. He appreciated every single last ounce of uncertainty he instilled in her, as if the switch up was exactly what he needed. Her fervor and longing eagerness for everything bold and daring had him hanging on every single last thing she did, as if he could hardly get enough.

Tessa finally peered out towards the world around them, it was only then could they barely see the ground through breaks of the puffy storm clouds. Lickity continued on an auto-pilot of sorts. She glided across the sky like a kite on the kindest of winds, which was contrary to what had just happened. Lickity bellowed a noise, as if to acknowledge Tessa's excitement for their successful trick and match it. Tessa finally lowered her arms and let the cold, Dead Zed atmosphere push against her body; she willingly let herself get lost in a game that was soon to be home, a game she was confidently going to be programmed to. She welcomed it into her entire existence, and vice versa, though as if on a cue she wasn't planning, she lightly held her arms outwards, as if Lickity's wings had become her own; as if she finally found exhaustion in her short burst of having full control. Zed easily breathed a scoff of surprise and peered down at Tessa's smiling cheeks. He gently let go of his grip on her and, as tenderly as he could, he slid his curious hands down the length of her arms, to meet the tops of her hands with his. He bravely pushed his face a little closer to the side of hers.

"You make Sugar Rush proud," Zed eased kindly into her ear, Tessa lightly tilted her head and rested the back of it against Zed's opposite shoulder, only barely. She gave him a curious smile as the gentler, calmer winds enveloped them in a bubble that the game was certain would never pop. She raised her eyebrows lightly, as if to wonder if what he was saying were true, though his tender fingers slipped between hers in a sweep of romance that filled their bodies with nervous, rising tension. He raised his eyebrows in mild surprise as he could feel Tessa's grip tighten, as if to express an equal amount of non-verbal want. He continued on softly, near her ear, with eyes only meant for her, "...You make me proud."

"Think my stunt impressed the final boss?" Tessa wondered with a smirk and a teasing, girly smolder; Zed beamed an equally teasing smile and cocked an eyebrow, his blue hair draped before his eyes, a little, with the rushing wind.

"Definitely made him think twice about racing you, that's for sure."