It looked like Amity Park. Heck, the sign had even said Welcome to Amity Park. But the young dark-haired girl was still nervous. Something felt… wrong. But she couldn't place it, until she got to FentonWorks. Or at least, where FentonWorks was supposed to be. Instead of the odd house belonging to a family of ghost hunters, the building was a sleek, dark, metal tower, with no obvious entrance. The entire block around it was leveled and ruined. What the heck happened here?

The sound of a motorcycle made her turn, and her concerned face lit up at the sight of a blonde haired man in a large coat, with a faint glowing aura around him. "Johnny! Hiya!" she called happily waving at him. The bike stopped right in front of her, and she smiled up at the man for a moment. But at his expression, the smile quickly faded.

"Get out of here, kid. If you know what's good for you."

"W-what? Why? Johnny, what happened here? Where's Danny?"

He scowled at her. "Look, kid. I don't have a clue who you are, or why you know my name. But a bit of friendly advice: if you're in league with Phantom, scram before I hurt you. And if you're not, get out of here before he does. Either way, you'd better start running."

Her blue eyes widened in confusion. "W-what are you talking about? Johnny, it's me! Dani! And… Danny's my cousin. Why would he…?"

The ghost rolled his eyes. "Sorry, kid. Never heard of you. Hey, Shadow!" The huge black ghost rose from the ground, smiling darkly as it loomed over her.

She took at step back, terrified. "P-please… Y-you can't… I don't… w-what's going on?"

"Oh, look who's back in town. Have a nice trip, Thirteen? And… is that Danielle? Where'd you pick her up?" A dark voice from behind her spoke, and she turned in shock, looking up at another ghost. "Danny!" She exclaimed, before noticing his blood red eyes. "W-wait… What… what happened to y-you?"

"And that's my cue to hit the road." The motorcycle revved behind her, and she spun again, just in time to see Johnny drive away, Shadow swooping after him.

Danny laughed, a dark, cruel sound. "I'll deal with him later. But first… to deal with you." She turned again, just in time to see him fire a blast of ecto-energy directly at her. She barely dodged, rolling to the side. The girl's mind was in turmoil. First Johnny, now Danny threatening to hurt her? The changes to FentonWorks and the surrounding neighborhood? What was going on? Her eyes watered as she started to plead with her 'cousin'. "Danny, why are you… what are you doing? I d-don't understand!"

"I thought I'd gotten rid of you ages ago, cousin dear. It's quite a surprise to see you back again. Thought I'd give you a nice homecoming. That's all." He smirked as he fired at her again, this time clipping her arm as she tried to avoid the blast. She screamed in pain, clutching the scorched tissue, before giving him one last terrified look and running as fast as she could in the opposite direction, turning ghost as she did so. She flew off down the street, trying to keep from crying until she was someplace safer. Behind her, Phantom's dark laughter continued, echoing in her mind long after he was out of earshot.

Exhausted, confused, and injured, she finally tumbled in to an alleyway and collapsed to the ground, sobbing. She didn't notice the other person there until a hand reached around her, covering her face with a cloth. She struggled only a moment, before blacking out.

—-

She woke up in a white room, that seemed oddly familiar. She blinked once or twice, trying to place it. Then she sat bolt upright, fist clenched, eyes wide. This was Plasmius's lab.

"Relax, Danielle. I'm not going to hurt you. Frankly, I'm shocked to find you alive. My assistant Skulker brought you directly here when he found you in that alleyway. What were you thinking, going so close to Phantom's tower?" said a man from nearby, as he walked up to her.

She ground her teeth, not relaxing in the slightest. This day just keeps getting better and better. "You. You'd better tell me what's going on right now, or else!"

Vlad Masters sighed, pulling up a chair and sitting down beside her bed. "By your reactions, I'm guessing you're not from this universe. And that you and I have had… disagreements, in the past. Am I correct?"

"You tried to melt me into ectoplasmic goop. 'Disagreements' is an understatement." She said, crossing her arms at him. A different universe? Portals were pretty weird. It might be possible to end up in a different timestream or universe or something. Whether she liked it or not, Vlad was the first person who hadn't threatened to kill her within 2 minutes of seeing her so far. It was at least worth talking to him for a minute.

"Ah. Well. Yes, I suppose that would rather explain your attitude. I apologize, though I have no idea why my alternate self would do such a thing. Yes, I admit, I was a bit perplexed when you were created here, as a female instead of a male. But you were precisely what I needed. If Phantom hadn't stolen you away from me…" He trailed off, a sad expression on his face.

"You mean Danny? What happened to him? Why did he attack me?" She frowned, unconsciously putting her hand on her arm where she'd been hit. It was all bandaged now, but still hurt to touch.

"Oh dear. He's seen you? Then it won't be long before he comes here…" Vlad stood, and began to pace. "I suppose we'll have to be quick then. In this universe, Daniel Fenton was severely injured in a portal accident, and his DNA was somehow infected with ectoplasm. The poor boy went insane shortly afterwards, the ghost that possessed him completely taking control. The Fentons, and everyone around… well. Some things are better left unsaid. He created that monstrosity in Amity Park to tear open a rift to the Ghost Zone, and has gained many allies there, including Clockwork, an extremely powerful time ghost. Meanwhile, I had long ago gained ghost powers of my own through an accident, but had been trying to keep access to the Ghost Zone in check. I employed a few denizens of the region, including Skulker, but most ghosts either detested me, or simply ignored me. When Phantom came to power, however, those that did not ally themselves with him came to me, requesting my help in fighting him. And that is when the cloning project began. I alone was not strong enough to beat him, but I thought, with ghosts and another half-ghost on my side, we could capture the boy and perhaps treat him. And that is where Danielle came in. For a time, she was the perfect daughter, and I was sure we stood a chance. But he… he corrupted her. She told him the entire plan, then helped him destroy all my work. And when they were finished… he destroyed her, as well. If he's seen you, then he must suspect that I've either tried creating another clone, or that I've revived this world's Danielle somehow. Either way, you're not safe. We must get you back to your world."

She stared at him for a moment, hardly believing the tale. But Danny had attacked her back there. And Vlad seemed earnest. "Don't you have a portal? Can't I just… go back to the Ghost Zone through that?"

Vlad shook his head. "I'm afraid not. As far as I can tell, the Ghost Zone is split into universes as well, and so mine may not connect directly with yours. You'll have to use the precise portal you came here through, in order to return."

"But that's back in Amity Park! And it closed, right after I came through!" Her voice rose in pitch, as she started to panic. She couldn't be stuck in this weird backwards world. She had to get home!

"Breathe, my dear. That is a problem, but not an impossible one." He stood, pacing back and forth. "I have been working on a device, to create these sort of universe crossing portals. But I've kept it well hidden, for fear of Phantom discovering it. Who knows what sort of damage he could cause, if permitted to travel freely outside of this world? Thus, I have yet to test it. But given the circumstances, it seems we have no other choice." He stopped, looking directly at her. "Do you remember precisely where the portal you came through formed? It is imperative that he open your return gateway in the same spot."

"Uh huh." She nodded, biting her lip. "But… What about Danny? And you? And the other ghosts? And all the people in Amity Park? If I leave, what happens here?"

He smiled tiredly, walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Things will return to how they were before you arrived. This world has a way of functioning already. There is no need for you to get involved. Phantom is contained well enough, and I have other plans in formation to prevent him from harming anyone else. The best thing you could do, is leave. Go home, and forget all about us."

She crossed her arms, glaring. "You're not the boss of me. What if I want to stay and help? Danny's good, I know he is! I've just got to-"

"No." He cut her off, gripping her shoulder tightly. "You're as stubborn in your universe as you were in mine, it seems. Listen to me, for once. You cannot help. Do you understand? You will get yourself killed. Your Danny may be good, but your Vlad is evil, correct? Here, it's the opposite. Any trace of good from Daniel is long gone in Phantom. Trust me on that. You'll do no good to anyone by getting yourself killed."

"But-"

"Not buts. You are going home. Understood?"

Her defiant blue eyes met his, as she tried to read his expression. He didn't waver at all; he was serious about this. She looked away first, sighing. "Alright. I guess. But I don't like it. And you'd better not be lying to me."

He stood up straight again, going to a cabinet in the lab and starting to pull things out. "Well, you can at least help me with the equipment. We'll need to act rapidly, to avoid being detected by Phantom. As I said, this technology would be quite dangerous in the wrong hands."

—-

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Dani asked, surveying the apparently random setup of metal and wires and panels that Vlad had just finished assembling in the middle of the road.

"Almost certainly. You are quite sure this is the correct spot?"

"Uh huh. That's exactly where it was. Cause that sign was the first thing I saw when I popped out."

"Good. Then we're ready. You will have to jump through as soon as it opens; I cannot guarantee how long it will last. Nor how long we'll have before-"

"Before I turn up, Unkie Vlad?" said a taunting voice said, causing them both to spin. Sure enough, there was Phantom, fists glowing green as he smirked down on them. "What's this, then? You've got your 'little girl' back? And some new device to try and catch me, I presume? What will it take you get you off my back, you fruitloop?"

Danielle stepped forward, preparing to fight him, but Vlad grabbed her arm and held her back. "Daniel. What a surprise. No, this is a perfectly harmless weather experiment. And you should know that this little girl isn't Danielle; you made sure she'd never come back to me a long time ago. We don't want any trouble with you, and will be on our way in just a moment."

"Don't want trouble, huh? Too bad, because I do." He charged the pair, balls of ecto energy forming on both hands.

Vlad slammed a button on one of the panels, and the machine started humming. A swirling green vortex appeared, while the man headed towards the boy flying towards them. "Go! Now! I'll hold him off!"

She hesitated a moment. "No, I can h-"

"JUST. GO."

She flinched, then dove headfirst into the portal. She glanced behind her as she entered the familiar green and purple void of the Ghost Zone, just in time to see a massive explosion. "No!" She started to turn, but the window winked out of existence. "No no no! Vlad!"

But it was too late. The gateway to that world was closed. She would never know what had happened to the man who'd helped her escape.