Chapter 1: Mishap in the Opera House
"Goooood morning Amity Park! It's currently nine a.m. with cloudy skies and a chance for thunderstorms…."
Danny Fenton turned off his alarm radio as he awoke. He stretched his arms up for a few moments as he yawned after a good night's sleep; strangely, he had been given the night off from fighting ghosts of any kind, but that didn't worry him one bit. He was glad that his enemies had taken a break from reeking destruction, allowing him to catch up on some much-needed rest.
Danny sat up in his bed, wearing pale blue pajamas, as he remembered that it was Saturday. No school and no homework meant that there was more time for him to hang out with Sam Manson and Tucker Foley, his two best friends and loyal ghost fighting mates.
"It's Saturday! That means that today's the day that Sam, Tuck, and I get to go check out that old opera house at the edge of town!" Excitement took him over extremely quick, and he soon found himself face to face with the floor.
Even though he was never fond of opera music, he wanted a closer look at the place because of the mysticism that never ceased to surround it. Plus, there was an old legend about a ghostly figure that used to plague the staff and members of the opera house back in the late 1800's.
Danny rose to his feet with ease as he rubbed his aching nose before rapidly changing his clothes. He tossed on his usual pair of white spotted red boxers, his pair of blue jeans, his white socks, his white and red T-shirt, and his red and white sneakers that he had pulled out the night before and left lying on his dresser. He combed through his shiny black hair with much haste, then stormed into the bathroom to brush his teeth. As he was doing so, his sister, Jazz, peered in through the doorway. She was wearing the normal clothes she always did; cerulean blue capris, a black long-sleeved shirt, black shoes, and her usual blue headband that sat in her yellow-orange hair.
"Danny, are you almost ready? Sam and Tucker are almost here… By the way, mom and dad are also coming so…." She gazed up as she said it, being too embarrassed to look her brother in the eyes.
Danny's jaw nearly hit the floor and his tone reached a more tense state. "What do you mean they're coming? Why can't they just stay away for once?" Jazz just shrugged, then left him alone and went downstairs. Danny soon followed, walking into the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat before going out. Just then his parents, Jack and Maddie, raced into the kitchen, taking Danny by surprise and causing him to almost choke on his pancakes.
Jack was very heavy-set, and wore his usual orange and black jumpsuit filled with small hidden ecto-shooting gadgets. His black hair was graying as it reached around his neck, and his deep green eyes gazed upon his son. He held one of his usual inventions in his large hands. Maddie had a blue and black jumpsuit on herself, her brown hair just touching the area where it wrapped around her neck. Her deep blue eyes were on her husband, making sure he didn't do anything unintelligently with the weapon.
"Danny! I hear that you and your friends are going to a haunted opera house. Me and your mom are going to come along with you guys to make sure you kids are safe!" blurted Jack, as he accidentally activated his ecto-gun in excitement. He starred blankly at the new hole in the wall for a second before shouting out again. "We are going to wait in the Fenton Ghost Assault Vehicle for you kids!" He said no more as he glared at his wife who was annoyed with him. A small smirk appeared upon his face, but disappeared as he looked away.
Maddie and Jack stormed out of the house just as Sam and Tucker entered the Fenton household and walked up to Danny in the kitchen, looking back at the open front door. Sam then turned around and looked at him, while crossing her arms and looking a bit annoyed herself. "I can't believe they have to come with us! For once, can't they not get involved in anything that has to do with ghosts?"
Sam was a Goth, so she usually wore some of her hair up in a messy ponytail while the rest hugged her face and fell just above the black choker around her neck. A black tank top rose above her stomach just slightly, exposing her belly button, and a black skirt with green stripes didn't even make its way to her knees. She wore purple tights that disappeared within her black army boots, and a black bracelet on each wrist completed her outfit. Even so, she was Danny's best friend through it all.
Tucker nodded in agreement. "It seems like they are becoming more annoying each time we do something that involves ghosts."
Tucker, on the other hand, was a techno-geek. He would carry around loads of geek gear within his purple backpack; PDA's, beepers, you name it. He wore a yellow long-sleeved shirt, which lay over a black belt that held up his bulky camouflage green pants that had a large pocket sewn onto each leg. Large brown boots finished his everyday attire. Tucker helped Danny out several times during his ghostly battles.
Danny rose from his chair and started to head out, and Sam and Tucker followed. "Well, you know that's… what they do and even though I wish they would lay off…."
He was interrupted by the sound of thunder. As they walked outside, a strange feeling overcame him; a feeling he felt when something horrible was going to occur. He became a bit nervous and unsure about the whole trip all of a sudden, so Sam tried to calm him down by putting her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Danny! Everything will be fine."
Jazz budded in without warning. "By the way, why weren't you out hunting ghosts last night? It's not like you to abandon your duties like that!"
Danny looked at her with a puzzled look. "I don't know why, but none of my enemies were out causing any trouble. Maybe they're… just…taking a break?"
There was no response from anyone as rain began to fall like spears from the heavens. Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Danny hurried inside the Assault Vehicle and soon found themselves 'flying' their way to the abandoned opera house. As Jack drove like a maniac, Danny looked out the window as the rain fell harder. There was a long moment of silence before Jazz spoke up again.
"Why is it that you're going to this place again? I mean, it's old and abandoned, and it's not as if you would be interested in anything opera-related."
Danny immediately rebutted with a ghost hunting adventure tale. "Well, on Sunday when I was chasing after the Box Ghost again, we flew past the opera house. He stopped to turn and stare at it…. I have no clue as to why he would just do that. I could have sworn I heard a ticking clock. Anyway, he looked really upset for whatever reason, and turned back to me and said something along the lines of 'Beware, for this place shall lead to your doooommm!' and then I just sucked him up in the thermos."
There was a short pause before he spoke again. "Maybe I should have told you this before, when you asked for the reason I was so interested…."
Tucker replied, "Well, maybe he knew something about the legend that we clearly don't yet…."
Jazz interrupted again. "What legend?"
Danny was taken back. His sister usually knew anything and everything there was to know, but it now seemed that there was one thing that she lacked the knowledge of. "You mean, you don't know about the legend?" Jazz just shook her head, indicating that she would like to hear more about it. So, Tucker stepped in to explain further.
"It was back in the 1800's sometime, I think around 1881, when the opera house was in its peak performance. Many people had told stories about a phantom that roamed the building, using it as his home, but no one truly believed that. Then, some strange things started to happen; shadowy figures would be seen frequently, a few people were hanged, voices could be heard out of nowhere…."
Jazz became absorbed within the whole thing, listening intently to each word that Tucker was saying. It was truly an intriguing story, but she had her doubts about the authenticity of it.
"…. And the most mysterious of all was the prized chandelier that hung above the stage…. One day it just fell for no reason and crashed onto the stage, breaking in all sorts of pieces, and so the legend goes…."
From up front, Jack had been listening in as well. He almost ran into a fire hydrant because of it. "Legend or not, I am going to find that ghost and capture him, then dissect him… molecule by molecule!"
Out of nowhere, Maddie exclaimed, "We're here!"
Jack chimed in as he brought the 'RV' to a halt. "We're here? We're here!" He became so excited that he shot out of the 'RV' and nearly crashed right into the opera house. Maddie followed, while Sam, Tucker, Jazz, and Danny stepped out and came up from behind. Just as they approached the boarded-up doors that Jack was now breaking down, Danny immediately came to a halt as he glared up at the building, almost in a hypnotized state. The rain was still coming down hard, and the sky became darker.
"Are you all right?" Sam had stopped and turned her head to look at Danny. Tucker came up from behind, his hands shaking just slightly.
"Man, Danny, this place does give me the creeps. Mamamamaaaaybababeeee this isn't such a ga-good idea after all…." He looked blankly at the broken windows for a few seconds before Jack yelled out and took them both out of their trances.
"Let's go kids! I can feel it…. This place is crawling with ghosts!"
"Whatever," Jazz replied, as she followed Maddie into the building. Danny, Sam, and Tucker soon followed. Upon entering the mysterious opera house, they were taken back by the mysticism and eerie beauty the whole place seemed to emit. A large and elegant staircase sat in front of them, marvelous broken and intact statues stood here and there throughout the large entryway. Several small chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, most of them missing crystals and candleholders. Everything had cobwebs and many inches of dust covering them, but the brilliance was all still present.
The whole group then ventured up the grand staircase without speaking a word or making the smallest sounds, except for an occasional 'ooh' or 'ah'. Jack and Maddie had their ghost weapons held tightly, but the amazing sights before them weakened their guard. They all soon found themselves entering the grandest and most spectacular room of all: the theatre. The height of it couldn't be told by just one look for it was hard to see the beautiful and breathtaking dusty-covered and fading art and carvings on the ceiling. The handiwork continued all along the walls and edges of the seating areas, but time had turned them into ghosts of their former selves. More dust and cobwebs nearly hid the seats from view, but the group could tell that they wouldn't hold much weight anymore. High above the still in tact orchestra pit hung a gorgeous, yet simple chandelier that didn't seem to fit the age or the elegance of the opera house. The old stage seemed to tell of magnificent past performances, but also of grave events that haunted the whole decaying structure.
They took a quick look around the area before Danny's attention became centered at a strange room behind the worn out stage. As though being pulled by an invisible rope, he walked slowly over to the stage and climbed on top of it. He began to creep his way along it, as creaking sounds were made each time he stepped on the old floorboards. A few seconds later he was standing in front of the door, budging it slightly ajar, and peering into the dimly lit room. The small amount of light coming in from the flashes of lightning through the cracks in the ceiling revealed some old props, costumes, and sets. They still held their old charm. In the back of the room was a huge object covered in a dusty, deteriorating sheet, next to what seemed like a covered organ of some kind, with a box sitting on the floor next to that. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz soon appeared behind Danny. Jack and Maddie were staking out another portion of the theatre.
They tried to get a glance at what Danny was looking at. Danny didn't even notice that they were behind him at all; he was too awe-struck and curious by the strange objects. He soon opened the door completely, it emitting a loud creak as he did.
"Oh… my…." Sam, Tucker, and Jazz said in unison. They themselves were also speechless.
"I don't like this place…. It's filled with a disturbing vibe… and I'm usually the one who likes this sort of stuff…." Sam rambled on as Danny approached the old organ. He took off the sheet, getting years of built-up dust in his face. As it cleared, he glared at it, keyboard and pipes, as Tucker walked over and pressed a key. It emitted an eerie and almost hypnotic note.
Tucker was amazed and frightened. "Wwooooooe…."
Jazz cautiously made her way over to the large covered object to the left of the old organ. As she did, Danny eyed the box once again, and bent down and picked it up. He observed it and almost immediately took a huge interest. Outside, the lightning began to flash more frequently and the thunder became louder. In the distance the voices of Jack and Maddie could be heard, but barely.
The box was very old and could be made out as foreign. On the top was a monkey dressed in a Persian robe, holding two dusty cymbals. Deep red velvet covered the main body of the box. On the underside was some type of inscription, so Danny read it out loud.
"'The Phantom shall be reborn again, and the same life he shall live. The cycle shall only be broken, when the song at heart he shall give.'" Danny starred at the mysterious riddle for a few seconds before Sam interrupted his concentration.
"That sounds more like a prophecy than anything Danny! I-i-i… I think you should put that down and…." She was interrupted by Jazz's ear piercing shriek. The large sheet was crumpled up on the floor next to the object it had hid. She had been frightened by what she had just discovered.
"Uh… Danny? You might want to check this out!" The dusty, old sheet had just been removed and underneath was a large broken chandelier!
Danny quickly turned to face it, and was astonished by what they were now looking at. He nearly dropped the mysterious box and jumped several feet backwards. "That's the chandelier from the legend!"
Tucker became even more frightened. "You don't think the whole legend is…" He gulped. "… True?"
Danny turned his attention back to the box and flipped it over so it was upright again. He then gazed at it for a few seconds with growing curiosity. Sam looked at it then at Danny. She pointed at it, while she stated, "Are you going to open that?"
Danny hesitated for a moment and took a deep breath before proceeding to lift the hinge and open the box. By now, Jack and Maddie's banter could no longer be heard over the increasing volume and frequency of the thunder.
As he lifted the lid all the way up, a hypnotic type of sweet sounding music began to play. It was a strange music box that apparently still worked.
Jazz cracked a small smile, as the music seemed to be getting to her. "That's such a sweet little tune…. Hey, what's that?" She was pointing at a white object at the bottom of the box. Danny saw it as well, and decided to take it out. "Wow, it looks like some type of mask…."
"That's the same mask as described to have been found after the Phantom 'vanished'!" Sam seemed to now be horrified: something that no one would have guessed that she would get at these types of things. After all, she was a Goth, and was best friends with a ghost boy.
Tucker began to quake where he stood. "Can we please go find your parents and get out of here… Now!?"
Jazz, Tucker, and Sam turned around and began to walk towards the old doorway when a scream reached out from behind them. At once, they all turned around and shouted. "Danny!"
Danny was just standing there with his back towards them as the mask started to glow an eerie green and float in thin air. It was facing him, but then turned around and latched itself onto his face. Danny began to struggle, trying to get the mask off. Sam and Tucker ran up to him, but were thrown back by a force field that had suddenly formed. His screams became so loud that even Jack and Maddie could hear him from the old seats in the theatre. They stopped in their tracks and turned towards the room. Maddie became extremely terrified and upset, and immediately grabbed Jack by the front of his jumpsuit, nearly choking him. "Jack, that sounded like Danny! He's in trouble! We have to help him!"
She let go as Jack gathered his breath back. He couldn't agree more or even be any more worried. "Hang on Danny, we're coming for ya!" They quickly ran towards their son's screams.
Back in the room, the mask wouldn't even budge. Within a minute, Danny's struggling stopped and he could no longer move or scream, nor had any control over his actions. The force field had become more powerful than ever, so Sam, Tucker, and Jazz couldn't do anything to help. They stood in horror as Danny began to float, and turned to face them. They gasped in terror as they saw a changed Danny. The mask was on his face but good, and it began to glow again, this time a frightening white and along with Danny. A bright light filled the room, blinding the other three.
Just then, Jack and Maddie barged into the room, aiming their ghost weapons at the source of the light as it faded. When it had completely diminished, they dropped their weapons in both shock and horror. "Danny!?"
Tucker began explaining, but was barely able to speak. "The mask…it just…attached to his face…and…and…."
He could not say anymore. Along with the others, his jaw dropped as they all starred at a transformed Danny. His clothes had changed; he was now wearing a dark gray suit, with a long black cape around his neck that fell to his feet. His lush blue eyes had turned an angry red, which had caused Maddie to faint, and Sam to start crying. Tucker just stood there in a gaze, while Jack caught Maddie and looked horrified himself. Jazz began to shake a bit, covering her mouth up, afraid that she would let out a blood-curdling scream. A strange voice came from Danny; it seemed more mature and darker.
"The Phantom has been reborn again, and the same life over I shall live. The cycle shall only be broken, when the song at heart I shall give! Aaahahahahaaa…! Aahahahaaa…!"
As he said this he began to transform again, this time into his ghost form. His hair turned snow white, while the suit now lay over his white and black jumpsuit. His eyes stayed the same color, but now they began to glow. He swooped down and picked up the music box and opened it once again, aiming it at the others. This time, the music became more violent and faster, while a strange greenish light appeared within it. It became bigger and soon a portal was opening within the box. It started to suck Jack in first, then an unconscious Maddie, followed by Jazz. Once they had disappeared completely, Tucker became the next victim, with Sam left just standing there alone, filled with horror, shock, worry, disbelief, and confusion. As she began to be pulled in, she snapped back and started to yell.
"Danny! Help!" She looked up into Danny's eyes, but saw nothing but an evil presence. She began to scream again as she disappeared into the portal, her shrieks fading until they could no longer be heard. Danny closed the box, intending to open it one more time.
"Long live Danny Phantom of the Opera!" With those words, he opened the box back up and entered the portal. The box dropped to the floor as the portal vanished, once again playing that sweet melody.
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Oblivious to them all, someone had been watching their every move. Back in the Ghost Zone, Clockwork, the Master of Time, was viewing this whole scene in his time warp. He looked like a young man in his 30's, except with the lower half of a grandfather clock embedded within his chest. He had no legs; a ghostly tail was all that was there. In his hands he held a long purple staff, with a clock on the top. A purple cloak hung from around his neck, and a hood covered his blue face that held a black scar on his left eye.
"This isn't good at all." The Observants were there as well, watching in horror. They were the 'bosses' of Clockwork, able to tell him what to do.
"How is the boy going to escape this one?" said one of the Observants. Another replied, "Clockwork, unless he gains complete control of himself and solves the cursed riddle…. Even you can't interfere this time!"
Clockwork nodded in both agreement and disappointment. "My powers cannot touch that of the mask…. That's why I told the Box Ghost to warn him right then and there, but he didn't heed the warning…. Then I prevented any of his enemies from bothering him by freezing them in time, in order for him to figure out that something about the opera house was amiss… His curiosity just grew with that place ever since he had heard the legend… And now, it just grew to a dangerous level… Unless Danny breaks it himself, his friends, family and he will be trapped within that 1881 cycle… The story of the Phantom of the Opera!"