Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.
"This ends now, Dan."
Danny stood over the fallen form of his evil future self, the Soul Shredder gripped tightly in both hands. The ruins of Walker's ghostly penitentiary lay around them. It had been a long and vicious battle when Dark Dan had finally broken free from the Fenton Thermos and rampaged throughout the Ghost Zone. His time inside the containment unit had not decreased his powers; rather it seemed as if it had actually increased them. The fight had spilled out of the Ghost Zone and into Amity Park, destroying almost half the town before Team Phantom, along with some unlikely allies, managed to push the fight back into the Zone.
Danny raised the Soul Shredder above his head, and stabbed down, impaling Dark Danny with the sword. Instead of vanishing instantly, Dark Dan's form seemed to flicker momentarily before disappearing. Danny let out a sigh of relief. He looked around for the other members of Team Phantom. Dani was helping Jazz up from where she had been knocked down by one of Dark Dan's energy blasts. Over to the left, Ember was standing beside Desiree and examining her guitar, muttering under her breath. Danny caught Desiree's eyes and smirked.
"And that's that."
He had barely uttered those words when the sword in his hands began to shake. He watched in surprise as minute cracks seemed to appear on the blade itself.
"What the-?"
Danny was flung away violently when the sword suddenly emitted a powerful pulse of energy. Struggling to get to his feet, he saw that the Soul Shredder, which was still stuck into the ground, was giving off an ominous glow. Before anyone could react, the glow suddenly intensified and a bright beam of light shot out of the hilt and hit Danny straight in the chest. A thousand images flashed in front of his eyes as his mind was all of a sudden bombarded with memories that weren't his own.
A rather familiar brunette girl holding a guitar with a broken string, smiling at him sheepishly…
Hand-in-hand with another familiar black-haired older girl as they are chased through a palace by a dozen scimitar-wielding Persian guards…
Running through the streets and back alleys with a girl who looked so much like him she could've been his twin, a group of brutish policemen hot on their trail…
Staring into the cerulean eyes of a red-headed girl right before they kiss, the clock chiming twelve midnight in the background…
Trapped within a maelstrom of memories both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, Danny's weary body couldn't handle the strain. As the battle fatigue finally kicked in, his vision slowly went fuzzy, and he felt himself falling backwards. The last thing he saw before everything went black was the sword's pulsing glow throwing off four more beams of light that were heading straight for the girls...
Walker, who had been rendered unconscious in the fracas that ensued when Dark Dan had burst into the prison with Team Phantom hot on his heels, slowly came to. Quickly looking around, he saw no trace of Dark Dan, only the ruins of his compound, which filled him with rage. Seeing the fallen form of Danny Phantom a few feet away, he quickly got up and started moving towards him. Picking up the Ghost Boy by the front of his suit, he lifted him up and was about to start shaking him when he heard four voices say the exact same thing.
"Let Danny go!"
At the same time, two ecto-blasts, one green and one purple, a fist-shaped energy ball, and a shot from the Fenton Ghost Phaser simultaneously connected to his skull and sent Walker straight back into unconsciousness. As both Danny and Walker crumpled to the floor, the four girls rushed over. Moving Walker rather roughly aside, they crowded around Danny, worried expressions on their faces.
"He… He's gonna be alright, isn't he?" Dani ventured.
"He'll be fine." Jazz answered, although it was evident from her tone and expression that she wasn't all that sure either.
Ember turned to Desiree. "Don't you have any healing powers?" she asked the genie ghost.
"My powers are wish-based, Ember. I cannot heal him unless someone wishes it…" Desiree said, looking at Danny's unconscious body. Almost in unison, Dani, Jazz, and Ember spoke up at the same time.
"I wish Danny was healed!"
Desiree's hands glowed white as her powers kicked in. Danny's body was surrounded by a white glow as Desiree strove to make Jazz, Ember, and Dani's wishes come true. After a full minute, her hands dropped to her side as she stared at her palms in puzzlement. Raising her hands again, she looked over at the other three girls.
"Make another wish!"
The three girls repeated their wish. The white glow returned to Desiree's hands, glowing stronger this time as she focused her powers into healing Danny. After another full minute, Desiree's hands dropped and her shoulders slumped in exhaustion.
"It's no use. There's something powerful preventing my magic from working properly. I can't heal him." Her eyes reflected sadness at her failure to grant their wishes. A deep voice spoke from behind her.
"That is not the case, genie."
The four girls whirled around. Two ghosts were standing behind them, dressed in a rather similar fashion. Jazz immediately recognized one of them.
"Clockwork!"
The Ghost of Time inclined his head. He turned back to Desiree.
"As I was saying, your powers are working perfectly. If you will look closer, you will see that all of the wounds and bruises that Danny has sustained have all been healed."
"Then why is Danny still out cold?" Dani asked.
"I believe I can answer that." The other ghost spoke up. He was dressed in a black cloak and had dark yellow eyes. He was carrying a rather ornate trumpet in one hand.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Herald, and I am the Ghost of Space. Danny's physical self may be here, but his spirit is not."
"You mean he's dead?!" Jazz shrieked.
"No, no. He is in what you call a comatose state. His spirit, what makes him alive, is lost in a dimensional crossroads. Come." He raised his trumpet to his lips and blew a mighty blast. A portal opened in front of them.
"Bring him. We shall go to my lair."
The four girls looked uneasily at each other. Clockwork rolled his eyes.
"I wish Daniel was on a stretcher." He muttered. Desiree's powers kicked in and a spectral stretcher formed underneath Danny and lifted him up.
"Now, come."
Somewhat unwillingly, the four girls followed Clockwork and Herald as they entered through the portal.
Danny opened his eyes. He found himself floating in an endlessly black space. Looking around, he saw a golden sphere glowing in the distance. Curious about what it was, he found himself moving forward towards it until he was standing directly in front of the glowing sphere.
He reached out and touched it. There was a sudden whooshing motion, and then the endlessly black space was empty once more.
Author's Note: Here it is, the first chapter of the newly revamped version of Luckiest Man Alive. Enjoy, and tell me what you think. The second chapter should come out sometime this weekend.