Happy 100th chapter everyone 😍🥰😘🎉🎊
[Third person POV]
"By the way… mind giving me a hand here? I seem to have lost the ability to stand," Danny said with an awkward grin, his voice half-joking but still tinged with exhaustion. He was slouched on the floor, his legs refusing to obey, his shoulders rising and falling with each shallow breath.
Sam looked at him for a moment, shaking her head in disbelief. A faint smile tugged at her lips despite the situation.
She bent slightly and started to help him back up, hooking his arm over her shoulders. With a firm grip around his waist, she hauled him to his feet. Danny swayed a little, leaning into her for balance, the weight of his tired body pressing into her side.
Once he was steady—well, steady enough—Danny cleared his throat and straightened as much as he could, raising one finger toward Aga'po with a serious expression. "Now listen here, Witch—"
"Danny!!" Sam's sharp voice cut through the room, making him stop mid-word. Aga'po's eyes widened, momentarily taken aback by the audacity, while Ghia'ta covered her face with a hand.
"What?" Danny asked, brows furrowing in genuine confusion. He tilted his head toward Sam, wondering what he had done wrong this time.
"Don't start insulting her," Sam whispered harshly, leaning closer so only he could hear. "I think I actually convinced her to let us go. You would be ruining our chances of getting out of here."
Danny blinked, the pieces clicking together. "Wait—seriously? Your plan actually worked? Whoa… I'm impressed." His tone shifted into genuine awe, his gaze on her filled with curiosity. "Okay, now I've gotta know—how'd you pull that off?"
Sam's cheeks warmed faintly. She glanced away, speaking quietly. "I had to say some pretty embarrassing things… but I think I managed okay, I blame where we are. And honestly, the only reason I could even try was because you kept everyone else busy."
Before Danny could reply, Aga'po's voice cut through the air, calm yet sharp. "Before I speak on the decision I have made, I must ask you something, boy…" Her narrowed eyes locked on him, studying every inch of his face as if searching for the truth beneath it. "Just what kind of monster are you?"
Danny raised an eyebrow, caught off guard by the question. Aga'po's tone was laced with suspicion. "I do not know how your race ages," she continued, "but you appear young… far too young to have accomplished what I have seen. And yet, you have taken down over fifty Star Sapphires alone. Never before have I encountered a being like you."
A smirk spread across Danny's face, his eyes flaring a vivid neon green. "That's because I'm one of a kind." He tapped the emblem on his chest, standing taller despite his fatigue. "My name is Danny Phantom—and I'm a ghost."
Aga'po lifted an eyebrow, while Ghia'ta tilted her head, clearly unsure what to make of the statement. "I see…" Aga'po finally said. "Whatever you are, consider yourself fortunate. Most of the Star Sapphires are off-world on their duties. Had they been here, I doubt we would be having this conversation."
Sam's eyes narrowed slightly. "Wait—does that mean you're going to let us go?"
The Queen released a slow, exasperated breath. "Against my better judgment… yes. You have shown me something rare, Samantha Manson. You as well, Danny Phantom. You have demonstrated an aspect of love that is most easily forgotten, and that is dedication. More specifically, dedication to each other. You are both willing to go far beyond reason for the one you love. That is the kind of love the Star Sapphire Corps was formed to protect."
Her gaze swept over them, her voice softening just slightly. "And I understand now that the destruction of the Lantern ring was not an act of malice, but a means to preserve the bond you two share. It was a worthy sacrifice to make"
Then she stood tall, her presence filling the chamber. "As Queen and Leader of the Star Sapphire Corps, I hereby declare you, Samantha Manson, innocent of your crimes. All charges will be dropped."
"Yes!" Danny and Sam exclaimed in unison, grinning as they turned toward each other. The two fist bumping at the side.
Aga'po allowed herself a faint smile at their celebration. Then she cleared her throat, her voice returning to its formal tone. "Before we conclude… there is one more matter." She extended her hand, and a burst of blinding pink light illuminated the chamber.
When the brilliance faded, a single Star Sapphire ring floated gently above her palm, its glow pulsing like a heartbeat. "Ms. Manson," Aga'po said, "as you were once chosen, it is proof that you are worthy of bearing the ring. I ask this of you—will you join us, become a member of the Star Sapphire Corps, and help preserve love throughout the universe?"
Sam's eyes widened in astonishment. She glanced at Danny, whose expression mirrored her surprise. After a long moment, Sam smiled softly. She turned back to Aga'po and said clearly, "I'm sorry… but I decline."
Aga'po released a slow, disappointed breath as she lowered herself back onto her throne, her gaze never leaving Sam. "I expected as much," she admitted, her tone calm but carrying a subtle note of regret. "May I ask… your reasoning?"
"Well, for starters," Sam began with a small shrug, her lips curving into a smug smirk, "pink is really not my color." Her voice carried a light teasing edge, but her eyes softened as she turned toward Danny. Leaning her head toward him, she added with a tender smile, "Not to mention… the only love I want to preserve in this universe is standing right beside me."
A rare chuckle escaped Aga'po, and even Ghia'ta's lips curved upward in amusement. Danny, however, froze mid-breath. His face flushed so quickly it was almost comical, and he stared at her in mock horror. "Who are you, and what have you done with my Sam?! She would never say something like that! You must be an Imposter!"
Sam's cheeks flared with heat as she glared at him in embarrassment. "I told you already—this place is making me say some pretty embarrassing things. This planet is cursed, I just know it."
Danny smirked at her fluster, and for a brief moment, the tension in the room eased. But soon, his expression sobered, and he turned toward Aga'po. "Alright, now that everything's cleared up, can you open a portal and send us back home? I kinda… snuck out. And I'd rather not give my parents a reason to go nuclear."
Aga'po shook her head slowly. "I cannot. The portals do not function in that way. The best I can offer is to assign someone to escort you back on one of our ships. They can deliver you to your world safely. From my estimation… you should arrive in one to two weeks."
Danny blinked. "…In a week or two?" His voice rose, sharp with disbelief. Sam's head snapped toward Aga'po as she and Danny shouted in unison, "WHAT?!"
They both looked at each other with wide, panicked eyes, their voices overlapping. "A week or two?" Danny muttered again, as though saying it out loud might somehow make it less real.
Sam stepped forward, her voice quick and demanding. "Hold on—how does that even make sense? Your teleporters worked fine when you brought me here. Why can't you just send us back the same way?"
Ghia'ta moved forward from her place at Aga'po's side, her tone measured and calm. "Because the portal can only be open to someone who carries true love for them in their heart. That is why we were able to reach you in the first place. And now, with both of you already here, there is no one on your world for the portal to lock onto and bring you home."
Danny's shoulders tensed, his breath catching in his chest. He bit down hard on his lip, his eyes narrowing as an unsteady tremor flickered through them. 'No… This can't be happening…'
'I can't lose a week out here… I need to spend every second I can with them. I can't waste a week—let alone two. There has to be another way…'
An icy grip of fear coiled inside him, twisting tighter and tighter with every beat of his heart.
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