44Epilogue: Dust in the Wind…
A few days later…
Smoke still rose from the ruined section of the city as construction crews worked through the wreckage. Bruja's defeat mean that all the gold and the guitar she created disappeared, however, the damage done without the use of the Gems' powers remained. Thankfully that section of the city had been evacuated when the 'Tower of Brujatality' was formed. The Guys in White, however…suffered significant casualties.
Vlad Masters nearly bankrupted himself trying to rebuild that section of the city following Bruja's 'final performance' as he termed the fight. Of course, that only increased the popularity of 'Amity Park's beloved mayor' allowing him a chance at reelection in the future. Valerie left the scene on good terms with Danny and SheZow left open the possibility of another team-up. As well as a dire warning of things to come…
(Flashback) An hour after the final battle with La Bruja…
The flames were just beginning to die down and Valerie had left to patrol the city while Vlad simply vanish, no doubt hoping to salvage his reputation as mayor of the city of Amity Park. SheZow had asked Danny to stay behind to discuss what had just happened with La Bruja. "Look despite all the evidence against it…Bruja is definitely alive." explained SheZow in a calm tone
Danny took a moment to process this before asking, "So…what happens now?"
"She'll probably leave Amity Park alone until she can get a good handle on her new powers. Maybe a few months. Maybe a year. She will be back though. Which is why I am giving you this." further explained SheZow before handing Danny a Compact Communicator.
Danny gave the Compact a once over before saying, "Well, if nothing else, I can always check my make-up now."
"It's a Communicator, funny guy. More importantly, it links right to my HQ in Megadale. If Bruja shows up, just contact me and I'll come in a snap. Plus given what I've seen, I'll probably be bring extra help." explained SheZow.
Danny, stuck the Compact in his pocket with a nod before flying back home. SheZow stood looking at the ruins for a moment, before summoning the She-C-10 and flying back to Megadale…
Despite SheZow's reassurance of support, Danny could not help feeling dread about the future! Danny turned the Compact over in his hand thinking about what SheZow said…
"Danny?" asked Sam Manson, startling Danny, before he turned around to see his best friend, "You okay. Usually you'd be a little more talkative about the big win you just had."
"I'm just not sure if I really won anything." admitted Danny before continuing, "I mean…Bruja still has the Reality Gems and she got away with what she did to the city. I'm just used to at least 'catching the ghost' or 'foiling the master plan.' You know, something a little more…definitive as a victory."
Sam sat next to Danny and put a hand on his shoulder before saying, "Look, this whole 'Bruja mess' didn't really work out for anyone. Not for, but most especially not for Bruja. Did she look happy with how things turn out?"
"Not really." answered Danny.
"Well I count that as a win for you! I think SheZow can take it from here. Let's focus on some issues closer to home." replied Sam glancing at the news, showing Vlad giving a speech to the citizens of Amity Park. It was then that Danny realized Sam was right: it was time to focus on things like Vlad! Valerie was no longer out to kill him and Vlad was sure to have a scheme in the works by now. But silently, Danny made a vow: if Bruja ever showed her face around Amity Park, he shoved into prison so fast her head would spin!
SHEZOW/DANNY PHANTOM
An hour later at 1313v Dead End Drive Megadale…
In contrast to Danny's lifting spirits (pardon the pun), Bruja's mood was far from pleasant! Bruja was using her four arms to tear apart the room she was currently residing. Watching the carnage was Tara and FAB, silently waiting for the angry harridan to let out her pent up anger. As Bruja finally finished, Tara dared to ask, "What's got you so worked up? The plan worked! Vlad's stock and funds took a major hit, and you got away with the Reality Gems."
"But I can't use them to their fullest ability!" shrieked Bruja before demonstrating her abilities, "Anything I bring to life lasts for a few minutes, the same with anything I try to reshape or bring into being! I have all the Gems so why can't I make anything last!"
"Stabilization." remarked FAB, before explaining to the confused expressions, "It seems the Gauntlets stabilizes the powers, allowing whatever changes are made to be more…long lasting. Without the Gauntlet, it would take a tremendous amount of energy to keep the changes."
"So what now?" asked Bruja in a tired voice.
It was then that FAB displayed several articles on her screen and stated, "I have located several possibly means of stabilizing your new abilities, ranging from increasing you current power levels to creating a stabilizing agent similar to the Gauntlet. It will take time to sort through them but-"
"Stop." interrupted Bruja as a particular page caught her eye. Staring intently at the page, Bruja had an idea…an awful, terrible, wicked idea! "We'll start with this!"
Tara looked over the article, concerned, "Are you sure? It's not gonna be easy to get."
"Oh, my dear Tara," stated Bruja in a playful tone, "some of the best things in life require some effort." With that Bruja began to laugh maniacally, as the page shows…a chubby twelve year old boy, with a rose quartz in his belly-button!
THE END!
To be continued in…"Garden of Shadows"
Disclaimer: I do not own SheZow or Danny Phantom, though they were great shows! I only own the original concepts I came up with. Hope the hint at the end gives you some clue as to the next story in the Bruja series. But now moving on to the Steven Universe only section of my work. So after tallying the votes, the next story I will be writing is…"Project Echidna" of the Forged Warrior storyline. I'll be taking a few days off to collect myself before I start writing. As always, read and review!