A/N

(If you do not wish to read this - incredibly long - Author's Note, feel free to skip!)

Hello everyone that just so happened to stumble upon this fanfiction! My name is TacoWritersInk, or Tacos for short, because who doesn't like tacos? For those of you that remember me, I was once a wee lad who joined the fanfiction and Danny Phantom/Phandom community September of 2018. Writing fanfiction was one of the best experiences I've had in a while, from the critiques to the knowledge that I've learned about the craft. Unfortunately, I stopped fanfiction entirely for about five months, almost six. Since then, I've disciplined myself to become a better writer and truly give people a story that was worth their time.

The fanfiction you are about to read is a rewrite of Specter Reset. Be warned, there is a significant change to a character in this story, and there will be OC's (Original Characters, of which there is about four of them) as well. In addition, this is also an Alternate Universe, one of the ideas being explored is Danny not having natural ghost powers. (This idea was inspired by Soulfulbard's The Phantom Reboot, an excellent fanfiction that has unfortunately not been completed).

Specter Reset will not have a set update schedule, as chapter length will fluctuate. However, I've already written several of the early chapters, some finalizing is needed before they are ready too.

Finally, I should also mention that this is a rather slow start to the story, I won't reveal it all, but there is some world building and characters that are in need to be established before the story fully kicks off. I promise you that with a little patience, it'll go a long way!

With that being said, I hope you enjoy the official prologue of Specter Reset's Rewrite. I will respond to any reviews/responses at the top of any and all Author's Note in the next chapter.


The last day of summer vacation. Like a song that would never end, it dragged on at a slow, painful rate. The sky was finally becoming mellow from the sunset, and the best possible way to spend it would have been to see its last, fleeting moments, stargazing. Something Danny hadn't done in a while.

Instead, he had found himself rummaging through inventions with his friend. Inventions his parents, Jack and Maddie Fenton made. Inventions that wouldn't see everyday use because of their absurdity.

"You seriously don't give your parents enough credit man, look at all this tech that they have laying around!"

Danny chuckled, but the corners of his mouth turned down at the mention of his parents. Their legacy to their two children was several hundreds of inventions. He did agree with Tucker, though, the thought process that went into the inventions was incredible.

"Yeah right, like most of their other inventions?" He snatched the ghost alarm prototype, waving the device in the air. "This thing thought Jazz was a ghost. My parents went on a manhunt after her!" He carefully placed the device back on the workbench.

Tucker raised a brow. "Wow, that thing? My PDA actually has an updated version of the software your parents made."

The raven-haired boy snorted. "Well isn't that great." He glanced at the Ghost Tracker, a frown growing on his lips.

"You never know these days. Like that missing family five years ago."

"Okay, now that was creepy. Makes for a better scary story than anything my dad ever came up with." Danny tugged another box from underneath the table, finding several CPU's inside.

"By the way, why did you want to check out my parent's stuff in the first place?" Danny tried to hide the disappointment in his voice. There was so much more to be done on the last day of vacation, but Tucker had dragged him to the lab without a word.

"Well, I've been working on a project recently. I'll tell you more tomorrow, though. I'm not one for spoilers!"

"Alright - Ow! What the-?" Danny's crouched down, his hands comforting his toes. His foot had hit a safe, the heavy metal made up for the small size.

Tucker put a hand on his shoulder. "You okay, dude?"

"Yeah, just stubbed my toes on this thing." Danny tugged the item in question, his muscles tensing as he brought the safe in between him and Tucker. There was a five letter combination lock and from the dust collected, both could tell that it had been lying untouched for months, perhaps even years.

"What do you think is inside?" Tucker asked, rapping his knuckles against the object.

"I highly doubt there's any money in here, maybe some type of prototype my parents left behind?" Danny's fingers instinctively typed out the word 'FUDGE', the safe hissing as the door pneumatically opened.

Tucker looked at Danny, impressed and bewildered as to how he opened it so quickly.

"What? I thought you knew my dad loves- loved fudge." Danny bit his tongue, hoping Tucker hadn't noticed.

"Yeah, but to use it as a pass - you know what, nevermind, let's just see what's inside."

To Danny, his parents had always been crackpots, not in a bad way of course. He loved them despite the rather atypical lifestyle. From his father scaring away children during Halloween or how his mother's food was teeming with ectoplasmic bubbles.

And yet, there was a part of him that thought his parents were doing something else, something more secretive, so classified they wouldn't tell their own kids. He couldn't lie, that's what he thought while opening the safe, but to his dismay what was presented to him was a pair goggles, a hazmat suit, a mask, and a belt.

The belt dangled in his hands, it was quite heavy. The buckle of the belt was also a button, black overlapping its entirety.

"A belt, huh?" It didn't feel right of him to look through his parent's creations, but to know that his parent's most important project was a decaying hazmat suit was slightly disappointing.

Tucker begged to differ. "Say what you want, but these goggles look pretty nice. Look at these instructions your parents made as well." He tossed the makeshift instructions, several passages were scribbled out, the initials of his parents left for each set of instructions. Some of the pages were torn off, but the bulk of the instructions were intact.

"Doesn't really say what this thing does though." Danny turned the instructions upside down, tossing it back to the techno-geek.

"Maybe it's like a combat suit against ghosts!"

"You mean the Ecto-Skeleton? I doubt my parents would make anything like it again!" Danny shivered at the thought of his dad nearly passing out from using the device. It was a good idea to lock it away.

"No, I mean one that actually works! Imagine all the possibilities with this thing." Tucker shoved the hazmat suit towards Danny. The boy always had a strange affinity for FentonWorks and all its technology.

"Woah, woah, woah. Wait a minute. How come I should be the one to wear this? What happens if I get electrocuted or something?"

"Oh relax," Tucker reassured.

Danny felt like there was a lump in his throat. In all honesty, he had nothing to lose trying one of his parent's inventions. He studied the suit, from the faded colors, it seemed like it had gone through some wear and tear.

Tucker gave Danny one of his signature smiles. "You'll be fine!"

Danny's lips raised into a smile, nodding at his friend. "Guess it doesn't hurt to try."

Danny wore the hazmat suit over his regular clothing. Despite its age, it fit quite well on his body. It had an even balance of flexibility and comfort. One hand held the instructions, while the other held a black mask. The other thing was that it slightly altered his voice to sound deeper and slightly metallic.

"Wow, this sounds strange." Danny's hands shot up to the mask, feeling it vibrate every time he made a sound.

"Dude, you're basically Bane from Batman!"

Danny rolled his eyes at the comment and looked down at the instructions. The last step was to synch the Operator Goggles and the belt.

"Okay so…" He gently pressed both respective buttons on the belt and the goggle, a wavelength emblem glowing to life upon being goggles projected several images and sensors, a bar was filling up upon activation.

The following words greeted Danny: "Welcome, System is Loading."

"Woah! There are all these things popping up from the goggles!"

"Wait, you're not kidding, are you? An actual Heads Up Display in those goggles? I heard the military only has those!" Tucker ran up to Danny, his eyes squinting as he too tried to see the contents the goggles displayed.

"Wait a minute, there's one more step." Danny held out a finger, his head dipping to see the final set of instructions. Turns out, the buckle-button combination just needed to be pressed. "Seems simple enough," said Danny, pressing the button.

Upon contact, a small green circle rippled through the black buckle like a pebble disrupting water. Before Danny knew it, something cold was growing on him. On his waist, black started oozing up and down his body, the colors of the jumpsuit becoming inverted; black turned to white, and white to black.

Tucker stood speechless, tearing the instructions from his hand to see if there was a way to stop the device. But before he knew it, the whole jumpsuit was encapsulated in the black-and-white goo, the solidification of the liquid had a finality to it.

"What the-... Tuck, why are you looking at me like that?!" Danny held onto his breath. He wanted to lay down, he wanted to hug something warm. It was like tiny pins and needles were etching his skin with their cold presence.

He hugged himself, his legs shaking like madmen. Tucker finally got ahold of reality before pointing at Danny's face.

"Not that you look bad or anything… But you really need to check a mirror."

Before Danny could take his first step, he slipped. "What in the-" Danny felt as though gravity had been reversed. His head felt like it was being sucked up by some unknown force. He panicked even more as Tucker grew smaller. "Tucker help me!"

The techno-geek's eyes darted through the room, settling on a stool before climbing on top of it. "I've got you!" He shouted back. The attempt was valiant, but it ended with Tucker face planting on the ground.

Danny winced, not only because he had witnessed the techno-geek's epic failure, but also because his insides were beginning to feel like they were being flipped around like pancakes.

"I don't really feel so good." He moaned, clamping a hand on his mouth. Lucky for him, the second his legs became stiff, he landed on the ground. Or more accurately, crashed on top of Tucker.

"I mean… you did break my fall." Danny groaned, scratching his head. While he was trying to understand what had happened, he found a reflection of himself on one of the few clean beakers in the lab. His hair had turned snow white, and his eyes were inexplicably purple.

"What did I… Become?" Danny asked, his hand reaching for the beaker, only for it to be pushed back by a purple beam firing from his hand.

Even though he was crushed by his friend, and had nearly broken his glasses because of the jump, Tucker was surprisingly excited at the sight of Danny shooting lasers from the palm of his hand. "Man, this might be your parent's best invention yet!"

Once again, Danny hadn't realized how dumb it was to look down at the steaming palm that had fired a ray for no particular reason. "Yeah, and probably the most dangerous one at that. We should probably put it back."

"As much as I'd like to argue with you, dude, could I ask one thing?"

"Yeah?"

"Please get off my back."

Danny realized that he had been sitting on top of Tucker's back the whole time.

"Sorry." He meekly responded, scratching the back of his head as his attention was reverted back to the belt. He pressed the button that had activated the powers, and to his pleasure, the black ooze had seeped back to the buckle.

"That's good so far."

Danny then pressed the unlock button on the buckle. The only problem was that it wouldn't budge. He furrowed his brows and grit his teeth, tugging at the belt with all the strength he had. "Tucker, mind helping me with this?"

Tucker adjusted his beanie, stretching his back. "Sure, but you owe me one for breaking my back."

The two teens in their combined strength pulled the buckle. The tug of war lasted for minutes until both collapsed on the metal floor. Danny was given a message from the HUD, reading: "Biometric Lock has been Initiated."

Yeah, this was just getting better.

After several minutes of panicking, Danny had finally regained his composure. Tucker, on the other hand, was happily munching on potato chips next to Danny; his method of coping with a serious situation. He had a comic book in hand, but Danny could have cared less on who the hero was. At the moment, he was trying unconventional means of opening the biometric lock, but Jazz's hair pin had proved ineffective thus far.

"You know if you think about it, you're practically a superhero. Bane doesn't really fit you all that well. Maybe Spider-Man?" Tucker mumbled through a mouthful of chips. Danny shut his eyes, trying to find a way to fix the rapidly declining situation.

"Yeah, me, a superhero, how great would that be." Danny shook his head, cursing as the hairpin snapped in half.

"I'm being serious Danny! Just think about it, doesn't it make you curious that the belt you're using actually works?"

"I mean… So far, everything my parents have said about ghosts and their abilities have been a part of this suit. But it-."

"-Doesn't mean ghosts are real. Yeah, I knew you'd say that. Just think about it though, if this invention worked, maybe their other inventions could work as well! Remember: genius is ninety-nine percent inspiration and one percent perspiration!"

"Tucker I think that's the other way around." Danny corrected. "But I see what you mean."

Tucker looked at him, curiosity growing on his face. "Hold on a minute, if you're a ghost, does that mean you're invincible?"

"I don't really want to test that the-."

Before he could get the words out of his mouth, Tucker had made a beeline for one of the many Fenton Thermoses on the workbench. Danny didn't feel like turning into soup at the moment, especially if the thermos actually worked.

"Wait, Tucker, don't do that! Why don't we use something else?" Danny suggested, his hands in the air. Out of the blue, his skin slowly started to fade, to the point where he couldn't see himself anymore.

"Uh, Tucker?" Danny nearly had a heart attack when he found that his transparent hand could go right through his chest. "Why can I not see myself?!"

Tucker's mouth was agape. He was probably in nerd heaven at the moment, seeing his friend have powers. "Well, maybe you're not invincible, but definitely invisible! Here, catch this!"

He threw the Fenton Thermos - and indeed - it went right through Danny like he wasn't even there.

"Intangibility is what my parents call it, I think ." Danny recalled in a shaky voice. He stared down hard, his eyes focusing on the faint blue trace of his hand. "It's strange how they were able to make something that simulates ghosts… Even if they're not real." He added.

Again with Tucker's blissful ignorance. "This is too awesome! Dude, you're practically a superhero. All you just need is a catchy one-liner, a handsome sidekick, and a villain!"

"A villain? How about school? Tucker, I don't know if you realize this, but I'm stuck with this belt on. I-I mean, how am I going to take a shower in this? What do I wear?"

"Man, you worry too much. You've got me by your side, what else could go wrong?"

If there was something positive Danny could take from this, it was that he could safely say that this was the first invention made by his parents that actually worked.


A Few Hours and A Failed Attempt At Flying Later...

Apparently, things could get even worse, even with the incredible Tucker Foley by your side.

Tucker would always be Danny's best friend, someone Danny could always rely on. The two had met during Kindergarten, where Danny's permanent banishment from the playground had left him all by himself on a rusty swing set. However, the only other student by the swingset was the technology-obsessed Tucker Foley. The two became best friends in an instant. Danny would always think of the silly techno-geek as his brother, but it was without a doubt that Tucker could sometimes get a bit out of hand.

For instance, the attempt at breaking open the belt had been put aside for an indeterminate amount of time. This was mainly due in part by Danny's fear of being hacked open by a buzzsaw in the hands of Tucker.

Of course, that was for another time-

"-Ninety-nine….one hundred! Let's go for another hundred!"

Super strength. Another new power Danny had been given from his suit. Although incredible, the feeling of lifting a couch became a snore, and the suit wasn't really helping him in the muscles department. If anything, it made him look even more scrawny.

Unfortunately, the excitement had completely burned out, leaving Danny with no desire to lift the couch anymore. Tucker had came up with the idea of testing Danny's power for research purposes.

"Actually Tucker, I was thinking maybe we should start heading home." Danny looked up, facing all the cotton lumps and dust bunnies strewn throughout the bottom of the couch.

"Alright, well, it was fun while it lasted." Danny gently rested the couch down, allowing Tucker to stand up. "Hey, if you're stuck with that belt for the rest of your life, you might as well put it to good use! Maybe you can be a professional weightlifter when you're older?"

Danny snorted. "Yeah, and the added challenge of lifting while not trying to float." Danny felt his face, the cold pulsating through his body. The reflection of him showcased the pair of purple eyes that had come with his transformation.

He pressed the middle button, the ectoplasm slowly receding back into the belt, the purple in his eyes slowly washing into blue. Despite the warmth coming back to his body, a chill went down his spine when he looked at his reflection. "Weird…"

"Speaking of which, do you plan on wearing something other than that?" Danny furrowed his brows, wondering what Tucker was talking about until he tilted his head down. The now white hazmat suit protruded from the confines of his white t-shirt, and his hands were still covered by the thick rubber padding of the gloves.

"I give it a solid six out of ten." Tucker rubbed his chin.

"What?"

"You know, those fashion shows that make people wear weird clothes?"

Danny blinked.

"Uh, nevermind. Let's get you into something a little less 'revealing.'"

"I'm starting to think that the cold wasn't such a bad idea after all." Danny wiped a film of sweat off his forehead. He was wearing a blue-and-white checkered business casual shirt, a white tee underneath, and on top (or underneath) of all that, the hazmat suit. Unfortunately, his parents hadn't designed an automated air conditioner in the hazmat, so he was all out of luck in that department.

"Hey, as long as you don't go to gym classes, you're all good!" Tucker slapped Danny on the back, instantly regretting it as his hand was covered in sweat. "Um, yeah, nevermind." Tucker wiped his hand on his cargo pants.

The rest of the walk was in silence. Danny wanted to think that this was Tucker finally having second thoughts on having a symbiotic relationship with a belt. At least on the bright side, this would be the only relationship he'd likely ever have, might as well make it last.

"What do you think is going to be for dinner tonight?" Tucker simply asked, but Danny knew that the boy's meat-grinder of a stomach was aching for food.

Both boys smirked. "Mama's Mystery Meatloaf."


The Foleys, a family who had resided in Amity Park for generations. Mr. and Mrs. Foley had close ties to the Fentons despite their eccentricities. Turns out, the Foleys had their own obsessions. Just like the Fentons were notoriously known for damaging public property and chasing 'ghosts', the Foleys were some of the biggest cooking enthusiasts in the city.

"I don't think I really want to eat. Especially after all the flying," said Danny. He turned around, walking backward, noticing the neon lights of FentonWorks. He snorted, a certain philanthropist coming to his mind. Vlad sure does love this place.

He frowned at the mention of the billionaire. The accident had impacted more people than he thought.

"Dude, you might want to turn around."

"Hm?" Danny was torn away from his thoughts, realizing that he was still walking backward.

"You sure you're okay? I think that belt might have some side effects." joked Tucker.

"Let's hope that's not the case." Danny finished, pushing through the front door of the small house.

The insides of Tucker's home could be described with just one word: cozy.

Everything was in close proximity to each other. The warmth of the digital fireplace emanated throughout the small, yet organized living room. A table was situated in the middle of the room, brimming with food. A candelabra in the shape of an octopus was at the center, its tendrils lit by a small flame. Resting on one of the sofas and ready for a long night's read was Jazz Fenton. Her naturally auburn hair radiated a shade lighter as a result of the pixelated cinders.

"Hey Danny, Tucker! Dinner's on the table." She greeted, her eyes fixated on the book. "Where were you guys anyway?"

Danny wanted to snort at the sight of the book she was reading: Iron Rods and Forever Jung: Psychology Through The Ages. Sounded like a real page turner to him.

"At FentonWorks," Tucker answered. Danny hadn't noticed he was already sitting down at the table.

The answer elicited eye contact from Jazz.

The prolonged silence and unsettling stare was broken by the sound of plates clattering on the table. Tucker now fell victim to the silent stares, his finger pointed upstairs as he gave Danny an apologetic look. "Um, I'll just go upstairs… I'll bring your meatloaf too, Danny." He went up the flight of stairs, plates in hand. The shutting of the heavy attic door prompted both brother and sister to stare at one another again.

"FentonWorks again?" Jazz asked, a sigh gently leaving her lips.

Danny took a seat on the sofa, slightly slouching. "Yeah, Tucker and I were just looking for some spare parts."

"Spare parts? For what?"

"Beats me, he's always working on something. Said it was a surprise this time."

"Him and his surprises, hopefully it's not like that tech convention he went to." Jazz shut her eyes and shivered at the thought of the debacle. "Anyways, are you excited for your first day of high school?"

"In all honesty, I'm terrified. I'm not sure if anything will change from middle school." He nearly choked on the words. Ever since kindergarten, Danny had put up with Dash's incessant bullying, and had refused any help from his sister. He hated the idea of being known as a weak kid who couldn't fight for himself. He didn't care if he looked like one, as long as he wasn't known as one.

"Oh don't be so negative, I'm sure things will go well. High school's a big step up in your social life, so things are bound to change. By the way, I got a call from Vlad today!"

His eyes widened. "You did?"

"Yeah, he said he wouldn't be able to visit for our first day, but he did want to wish you a great first day."

Danny grinned at the mention of the billionaire. A good friend of his parents who had treated Danny and Jazz as if they were his own, always kind, always patient.

And that was when he started to frown. It didn't help that Jazz had taken notice of this.

"Hey, Danny…"

"Yeah?"

"I know you might not like this, but I think it would be nice if you, you know, expanded your friend circle." The fragile smile on Jazz's face was the first thing he noticed, there was careful planning for every subtle movement she made. "It helps you get through school, seeing as high school is when you start finding out who you are and what you want to become."

Danny wasn't having any of it, especially when it was the last day of vacation."Okay… Mind if I go to bed? You know, school and all?" Jazz slowly nodded, her face full of concern as he left for his bedroom.

The small table next to Danny's bed had a plate filled with meatloaf on it. He set the table aside, his hunger slowly diminishing with all the butterflies in his stomach. From across the room, Tucker was fiddling with a circuit board, technological parts scattered about the floor.

The moment his bed creaked when he rested his head was when Tucker had finally taken notice of his arrival.

"Oh! Didn't see you there, man!" He was now fiddling with his thick-rimmed glasses.

"It's okay," Danny said, putting his hands behind his head, the dormant and decaying wooden ceiling above him.

"Lecture, huh?" The techno-geek gave a look of sympathy.

"I thought today was the day she would go on without one." He made a rude noise. "Boy, was I wrong."

"What did she say this time?"

"That I should be making more friends." The response got a laugh out of Tucker, an annoyingly boisterous laugh.

"She's right you know, dude. I'm sure she means well. Maybe you're just mixing things up." Tucker pointed at the leftover meatloaf. "By the way, do you mind?"

Danny nodded in response to Tucker's request. While the geek slowly walked towards the meatloaf, Danny rubbed the back of his neck. His brows furrowing and lips tightening. "No, you're right Tuck. Jazz is probably trying to help, maybe I just don't see it... But I can't shake off the feeling that she's saying something else. Worst thing is that I don't know what she's trying to say, if anything at all..."

Tucker's greasy fingers were just about to reach for the meatloaf, but he slowed and stopped, a frown forming on his lips. He moved back to his bed, but kept his eyes trained on the headboard of the bed, hiding Danny. Silence bestowed upon the room, the quiet sounds of the night taking over.

"So, school, huh?" Tucker randomly asked.

"Yeah, same old same old, right?" Danny's attempt at a 'chuckle' fell short of what Tucker's definition of a 'chuckle' would be.

"Look man, I'm sorry about getting you into this whole mess with that belt your parent's made. I mean, it's cool and all, but you're right about one thing: who would want to wear a Fenton hazmat suit for the rest of their lives?"

Danny broke into a smile. "Well, it just so turned out that Danny Fenton got the freakiest invention of them all. Freaky Fenton, not that bad."

"Heh, better than Bad Luck Tuck if that's what you're asking!" The two boys giggled at the stupid nicknames.

Tucker turned to his side to get a better view of his friend, and almost instinctively, Danny did the same. "I know I haven't been much help-"

"- Not true, Tucker -"

" - Okay, I know I'm pretty amazing, but I just wanted you to know that this year, it's going to change big time. The power vacuum has been opened, and it's all for the taking. It's a new year, and a new year brings a new you, plus you got something that'll rock Dash's world!"

Danny rested his chin against a fist, his eyes scanning the wooden floor as if it held some unknown answer. After a few moments, he finally looked up. "I'm not so sure, Tuck, but I'll see it through."

With the belt bound to his body for an indefinite amount of time coupled with the fact that he was going to see his 'fellow' classmates in high school of all places, Danny couldn't discern which was worse than the other. What he could agree on was that the two of these combined could only be the works of the universe screwing him over again.

There was something though, something more subtle, just like how every cloud has a silver lining. One of his parent's inventions actually did end up working, and Tucker was right about change. Perhaps he could be something other than apart of a family of 'freaks' as everyone called them.

"Like I said, Danny, change is in the air during times like these. It's time for us to be something more than a piece of gum on the side of the road. Big plans ahead of us, right?" Okay, he wasn't expecting the last part.

"You mean passing the CAT exam, homecoming, and college? Sounds terrifying!"

"Hey, we'll get through it, like always." Tucker turned off the lamp on his side of the room, Danny following suit.

Danny looked out the small, hexagonal window near his bed. Pockets of dust and grime covered the archaic glass, but outside, he could hear the sound of the night taking over again. Above Amity Park was what seemed to be hazy clouds, lazily rolling through the dark sky.

However, the sound of sheets ruffling had drawn Danny's attention.

"Hey, Danny?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah?"

"Goodnight, man."

"Goodnight, Tuck."

Maybe things wouldn't be so bad this year.


AN: I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter of this hopefully long-running fanfiction! I understand there are concepts that people will undoubtedly dislike, and I understand that. But for those of you that stick around, thank you!

Also, for any edits that are necessary, I will usually do a hard/soft edit a day after the release of the chapter. Usually most errors are resolved with during the initial release of a chapter, but nobody's perfect!