Author's Note: Just a couple quick notes before we begin. First of all, I own none of the characters, places, situations, ect that you recognize from Danny Phantom. If I did, I wouldn't be writing FanFiction. Secondly, this story will have a sequel (which does not have a title as of now). Now, without further ado, enjoy!
Danny was feeling horribly out of his depth and he didn't like the feeling. Clockwork's medallion was somewhere inside his body, however that worked, and his only help was back in the present while he was still in the future in front of a memorial for his family, who were apparently dead. Worse yet, he was tied up with ropes made a glowing green ectoplasm in front of his evil future self. His evil future self was standing, or rather looming, in front of him with a smirk on his face. His first instinct was to rip the ropes apart, other ghosts had tried to tie him up without lasting success, but an attempt that sent him toppling over on his side told him that wasn't an option. Not good.
The boy watched as his evil future's smirk widened, stomach twisting uncomfortably. This was worse than anything Danny had ever faced before but that didn't mean anything in particular to him. Since he'd developed his ghost powers courtesy of the Fenton Ghost Portal, Danny had ended up in dozens of, at the time, impossible situations and still come out on top. Somehow, this one felt different. It might be because the fourteen year old was facing a totally psychotic future version of himself or it could be because "They're dead?"
"Dead and dust," came the reply, monotone almost shifting into mocking. Danny felt his teeth clench and his eyes water at the thought of his family and friends, his whole world, dead a long gone. His heart clenched painfully as he tried to truly conceive what the death of their friends and family would do to a person. Maybe that was why his future self had gone off the deep end. Would the deaths of his parents, Jazz, Tucker, and Sam really turn Danny into this? It was a horrifying possibility. "But there's nothing you can do to stop it."
"What are you talking about?" Danny demanded, trying to squirm upright but not quite managing it since his arms were pinned to his sides.
"You haven't figured it out yet?" his future self flat out mocked. "Clockwork sent you here to change the future. I'm going to make sure everything stays the same. Because being me? It's great." Danny shuddered at the low growl and made another attempt at ripping free from his bonds, despite knowing that it wasn't going to do any good.
"You can't do this," Danny yelled as the smirking psychopath snatched him up by the ropes.
"Who's going to stop me?" his future self mocked, shaking the struggling boy a little. "You? I don't think so." A glowing green rip that led to the Ghost Zone opened behind Danny's head at a flick of the psycho's free hand and the boy thrashed harder, knowing that if he didn't get free now he might never be able to prevent this future.
"He might not be able to stop you," a familiar defiant voice snapped. "But I can."
Danny didn't have to see the figure speaking to know it was Valerie and the blast of red energy that sliced through the ropes, allowing his battered body to drop to the ground, confirmed his suspicions. "Oh really?" his future self mocked as Danny rolled to his feet and forced the change to rush silently through him. "You've failed so many times already. What makes you think this attempt will be any different?"
"Maybe it won't," Valerie replied, voice grim. "But that isn't gonna stop me from trying." The psychopath laughed and Valerie fired another ray of ecto-energy from her blaster that he simply stepped out of the way of. Danny lifted his own hands a released a blast of green ecto-energy that actually did connect, his future self whirling around to face the boy with a snarl. Danny probably would have been a smudge on the cracked ground had Valerie not landed a direct hit on the psychopath's shoulder followed by one to his chest as he spun. Danny moved as if to help but Valerie's next words froze him in midair. "Run Danny!" she yelled even as the psychopath grabbed her and threw her backwards. He hesitated, torn, as Valerie hit a wall but the ghost hunter was quickly on her feet and he could almost feel the weight of her glare despite the fact that he couldn't see her facial expression through the helmet. "Get outta here!" She emphasized her point by aiming a blast of ecto-energy at him instead of his psychopathic future. That action might cost her the battle but it was also enough to convince Danny to flee. If Valerie was wasting time shooting at him then she could handle his future self. He hoped.
Danny was honest enough with himself to admit that he was terrified. He was trapped in what appeared to be the bleak wasteland of a future with his psychopathic future self out to make sure his friends and family died and that was only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Who knew how many ghosts, ghost hunters, and other assorted things would be out to get him here. The world blurring by below him was a wreck, the kind of thing you saw in those cheesy disaster movies that were supposed to take place during the end of the world. There wasn't a tree of building in sight and the roads had vanished as if the ground they had been resting on had simply eaten them. Danny sure hoped the rest of the world didn't look like this because if it did, it was going to be a lot harder to hide from, well... himself.
Exhaustion quickly lowered both his speed and altitude until he was skimming just above the ground, still moving by sheer will power. At last he hit the ground with a thump, his fear not enough to push his worn body any further. He skidded a little across the dried and pack earth, wincing as the motion opened new scrapes on his skin. Hadn't he suffered enough today? The boy tried to push himself up but his arms gave out and his vision blurred. He struggled to push away the blackness that was threatening but he was just too tired. The last thing he saw before his heavy eyelids drifted shut was the rings of light that signaled his transformation.
Dan Phantom dropped the unconscious body of Valerie Gray to the ground. She'd improved her ghost hunting skills over the years but no one, not even Clockwork, could handle him. Not any more. He'd become too powerful. He'd defeated every enemy in his path, ghost and human. The Guys in White were nothing more than a bad memory and what was left of the Ghost Zone either trembled in fear or bowed at his approach. That his pathetic past self had managed to escape him was a serious dent on his reputation.
Stepping over Valerie's very still body, he scanned the surrounding area, searching for one of Clockwork's medallions. It didn't really matter if his past self was running free so long as he could get to the past and make sure everything went according to plan. Dan scanned his surroundings and then let out a low growl when he noticed that the medallions the past versions of his friends had been wearing had been shattered. Valerie. The ghost hunter had gotten the best of him after all. Now he had to catch up to his past self in order to obtain the final amulet and make his way into the past. That was terribly inconvenient. The dark figure turned a furious gaze on the still form of Valerie, one hand outstretched.
The ghost hunter's green eyes flickered open just as flames engulfed her. Her mouth opened to scream but nothing came out as she turned into nothing more than ash. That was one less problem to deal with when he returned to what was left of Amity Park. That meant there was only one more thing for Dan to do before he left this place behind. There was only one permanent Ghost Portal left on earth and that was in the basement of Fenton Works. Once Dan destroyed that, the only way in and out of the Ghost Zone would be through naturally occurring portals that could throw you who knows where or the ones he could open. Once that was completed his past self wouldn't be able to get into the Ghost Zone and try to appeal to the so called better natures of the ghosts inside.
The Fright Knight was waiting for Dan outside what remained of Fenton Works, purple flames still fluctuating around him. "The city is yours," the Knight said, bowing a little. The Fright Knight didn't necessarily do subservience but he could manage to be respectful when the situation called for it. Dealing with Dan Phantom was always a situation that required respect.
Dan growled in response and shoved by the other ghost, going intangible and passing through the door. His old home was a wreck. Thick coatings of dust covered the raggedy looking furniture. Wooden doors had been swollen and warped over the years and there were spiderwebs almost large and thick enough to trap a human hanging from the ceilings. Valerie Gray and her father hadn't cared for the house, just the supplies in the basement that they needed to keep the ghost shield up, not that it had done them any good in the end. Both the Grays were dead, never able to bother him again.
He'd been in this building earlier, rising from the ground in the basement after destroying the shield with his ghostly wail, but he hadn't paid attention to the condition of the building nor had he bothered to destroy the ghost portal. He'd become complacent after going so long without coming up against someone able to defy him and it had cost him what was supposed to be an easy victory. Instead of ensure that he would still exist in the future, Dan had given his past self a chance to change it. Everything had suddenly gotten much more complicated.
A single blast destroyed the Fenton Ghost Portal and Dan turned to face the Fright Knight who was lingering over the crumbling steps. If the ghost had an expression under that mask, Dan was fairly certain that it was one akin to someone watching a rabid dog. "I have a task for you," the former hero said.
"You want me to track down your past self?" the Fright Knight questioned, trying to fill in the rest of the sentence. Dan resisted the urge to destroy the ghost completely. The Fright Knight might be annoying but he had his uses. At least for now.
"No," he growled. "I want you to find Nocturne. Leave my past self to me."