Multiverse's Ghost Rider

Not long after the merchant stormed off, a flicker of blue light shimmered in front of Pinocchio's cage.

A soft glow spread, and from within it emerged the elegant figure of a woman.

She looked ethereal, blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, a flowing cerulean dress that shimmered like moonlight, and a pair of delicate butterfly wings spread behind her back. She was like something out of a dream.

Pinocchio's eyes lit up the moment he saw her. "Miss Witch, are you here to finally turn me into a real boy?"

But the fairy's expression was anything but pleased. Her tone, sharp with disapproval, rang out: "Clearly not. I came to ask why you're locked up in this place. Did you follow your father's instructions? Didn't he tell you not to leave the town?"

"Of course I did," Pinocchio said flatly.

But the moment those words left his mouth, his wooden nose began to grow longer.

The fairy narrowed her eyes. "I know you're lying, Pinocchio. Have you forgotten? When I gave you life, I laid down a rule: if you lie, your nose will grow."

"I'm not lying. I'm telling an honest lie," Pinocchio replied stiffly. Apparently, his time spent with Jon had rubbed off on him, especially the habit of never admitting fault.

Unsurprisingly, his nose grew longer again.

The fairy sighed. "Listen to me, Pinocchio. If you want me to help you out of that cage, you must tell me the truth."

"I don't need your help. I don't need anyone's help," Pinocchio said coldly.

And then, with a single mighty kick, he shattered the iron bars of his cage into metal splinters and stepped out.

The sudden noise startled the fairy. Then she remembered: when Geppetto had created Pinocchio, it wasn't just for companionship, it was for protection. Pinocchio had been designed to be a bodyguard. His strength was unmatched.

Clutching her head, the fairy muttered, "Ugh, fine! I came to tell you this: you've been missing for quite a while. Your father was so worried that he went looking for you. But when he reached the sea, a giant whale appeared out of nowhere, and swallowed him whole."

Her voice turned somber. "You know what you have to do."

Click-clack—

Without another word, Pinocchio threw on his leather jacket, snapped on his sunglasses, and grabbed a shotgun. He pumped the weapon with cold precision and said with grim determination:

"It's time to go whale hunting."

"Wait—how did you change clothes so fast?" the fairy blurted, stunned. "And what in the world are you wearing?"

Pinocchio, clad in the Terminator-style outfit that Jon had given him, didn't answer. Instead, he marched home and rolled out a strange-looking vehicle from Geppetto's basement.

The fairy blinked in confusion. "You went all the way home instead of saving your father—just for this thing?"

"It's a motorcycle," Pinocchio replied. "Every successful man has one. Besides, it's faster."

And with that, he mounted the bike, revved the engine, and roared off toward the sea.

"…Okay, I can't deny that's fast," the fairy admitted under her breath. "Still, what is that thing? Some new invention of Geppetto's?"

Pinocchio's high-tech motorcycle, courtesy of Jon's purchases from the Men in Black universe's store on the Universal Emporium, could handle any terrain, even the slippery, shifting interior of a whale's belly.

It didn't take long for him to reach the shore. There, looming in the surf, was the massive whale.

"Come on, beast," Pinocchio challenged. "If you've got guts, swallow me too!"

As if understanding his provocation, the whale opened its gaping jaws. Without hesitation, Pinocchio gunned the throttle and sped straight into its mouth.

The bike soared through the air and vanished into the whale's throat. Inside, Pinocchio navigated the twisting, grotesque terrain of the stomach, searching for Geppetto.

Thanks to the motorcycle's specialized design, he maneuvered easily despite the uneven, grotesque landscape of the creature's insides.

Before long, he found his father.

"Pinocchio?! What are you doing here?" Geppetto asked, wide-eyed.

"Come with me if you want to live," Pinocchio answered, voice flat as steel.

If this had been any normal moment, Geppetto might've scolded him—"Is that how you talk to your father?"—but inside a whale's stomach, survival took priority. Without a word, he jumped on behind him.

Moments later, Pinocchio's motorcycle tore out through the whale's belly in a gory explosion of blood and bile.

"Farewell, little whale," he said coolly, glancing back over his shoulder.

(A/N: I can only imagine him as SpongeBob talking and acting cool)

***

News of Pinocchio's heroic rescue soon reached even Jon, who'd been lounging at the inn. He learned that the boy would be attending a ceremony that afternoon, where the witch would finally grant him humanity.

Geppetto had waited a long time for this moment. He'd organized an elaborate celebration and invited the entire town. Naturally, Jon wasn't about to miss it.

***

At the ceremony, Pinocchio, now wearing the jacket and shades of a full-fledged Terminator, and the graceful fairy stood side by side.

"She's got wings?" Jon mused, curious. "Why didn't Antimora have any?"

But suddenly, he noticed something that made his smile fade.

He remembered what Gaston had once told him: the kingdom had issued an official Witch Hunt Order. Witches were strictly forbidden from appearing in public. So why would this one dare show herself so openly?

The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.

Narrowing his eyes, Jon studied the fairy more closely.

The crowd fell silent as the ceremony began. The fairy stepped forward and spoke in a gentle, melodious voice.

"Pinocchio," she said, "you've saved your father and proven yourself a brave and kind soul. Now, I will grant your wish, and make you a real boy."

She raised her hands and began to cast her spell in front of the entire town.

But before she could complete it—

FWOOOSH!

A fireball streaked through the air and exploded against her back, interrupting the spell with a violent blaze. The fairy let out a startled cry, her face contorted in pain.

"Who did that?!" she cried, looking out over the stunned crowd.

A young man stepped forward from among the townspeople.

"A witch can transform one living thing into another," Jon said calmly. "But a witch can never grant a soul to something that was never alive to begin with."

The fairy's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"

"I've studied with one of your own," Jon replied. He was, of course, referring to Antimora. During the time she was preparing a potion to turn a dragon into a horse, Jon had asked her many questions, including the limitations of a witch's power.

He'd learned that witches could alter living creatures, turn a man into a beast, a dragon into a horse, but they could never breathe life into the inanimate. That kind of power didn't exist, not even in the world of Harry Potter, where transfiguration could mimic intelligence but not create life from nothing.

From the very beginning, Jon had found this fairy suspicious. But he hadn't dared confront her directly. Now, he had his chance.