Danny Phantom cartoon crossover

Festival of Fright

DISCLAIMER: Any copyrighted characters appearing in this story are the sole property of their owners respectively, and are not being used to gain a profit in any way. Characters not featured in any cartoon or movie are my property, and I would appreciate it if you contact me for their use if you so choose to do so. Thank you.

Author's Notes: Hello, readers new and old alike. I know it's been awhile, but here I am again, ready with another story. I won't be adding notes to every chapter this time, since I would rather focus on the writing rather than the people reading the story. But, I digress, welcome to the first part of the "Hell's Holidays" series, featured in Danny's senior year. They won't be terribly long stories, but they'll be fun, none the less. The introductory and final chapters will also be fairly short. They will feature many different characters from various cartoons, but if you would like to see a particular appearance, please, let me know, and I'll be happy to weave them into my tale. Now, settle in, and I shall tell you the story of the Festival of Fright...

All Hallows Eve

It was the darkness that had accompanied the gatekeeper for those long, silent years. It was the darkness that was his companion, his mate, and his only conversation. Because of the darkness, he'd long since lost track of the years, and they slipped by him in a steady trail like the silent waters of the river that flowed to the gates he guarded so zealously. There were few visitors in the chasm he and his gates occupied. Most of the souls that entered the realm beyond the gates took a different path. The grand necropolis beyond the gates, the city of Erset La Tari, was home to many dead, undead, and unnatural creatures of sorts that weren't fit to live in the mortal world. That gatekeeper's job was to control who went in... and who went out.

But, as mention before, no one had been near for many, many years, and the gatekeeper soon became dreary and bored with the silence and the darkness. That is to say, he had been.

Because that day was different. That day, someone peculiar hobbled up the narrow, poorly-cobbled path to the gates of beyond. The light in the stranger's hand burned the gatekeeper's eyes and his pale flesh that hadn't been touch by the sun for several decades. He squinted and watched, suspicion creeping on the edges of his mind. But, alas, he found no need for his suspicions, as the face approaching him was a familiar one. It was weathered and worn by years of toil and travel, and the eyes had long since been lost. Wispy gray hair fluttered here and there like the snake coils upon the head of a young siren woman, who also happened to be the old woman's niece. Her dress, which might have once been lovely, was tattered and worn, and only bore remnants of the glittered cobwebs that had once adorned it. But her disheveled appearance aside, she was still an imposing figure.

The gatekeeper smiled secretly watched as she slowly drew nearer, until at last he could not sit silently and called out, "Has it truly been a century, my good witch?"

Her head made a motion as if to turn her eyes on him, but he know that this wasn't what she had intended. Because there were no eyes. She had probably done this out of habit, as she had once, like most creatures, had eyes of her own. She nodded slowly and stopped only feet from him, saying, "Aye, it has, my gatekeeper. And the time for the festival is night. Kept the gates well, have you?"

"Of course, mistress. I wouldn't leave them for the end of the world."

She gave him a toothy smile, and he opened the gates. For a long time they walked together down the great hall beyond the gates, the one leading to the doorway of the city, she telling him of the new ways of the world and the plans she had for the necropolis. Through her entire speech he remained silent and attentive. At last, though, she came to the point that interested him most.

The Festival.

"Our guest list has expanded once again. I had been walking through a small park on my way here and discovered a most peculiar breed of humanoid."

"What might that be, my lady?"

"It is difficult to explain, but I shall enlighten you. This humanoid, or several humanoids I had been witnessing were young ones, but did not possess the qualities normal of the average mortal."

"How do you mean?"

"They possessed some of the qualities of other species. I witnessed a young girl exhibit powers common of a demon, a green changeling, and a young woman who had powers I have never seen before... and there were others, though one particular child who was altogether startling."

He cocked his head and a questioning look came over his eyes.

"The boy possessed other-worldly powers."

"You mean a human boy?"

"It is difficult to say. He must have been human, or some part of him, for he was able to remain solid for the better part of my viewing, and he spoke the common tongue fluent and without other-worldly accents. The boy... he was part ghost, I believe."

The gatekeeper stared at her, stunned, and she went on. "I am calling this peculiar breed metahumans, until I can speak with them individually. Each has been added to the list, and the invitations sent out.

The gatekeeper jerked his head in agreement and looked ahead to the inner gates. "Then it has started?"

"Not yet, for there is yet something important I wish to discuss with you."

"And what is that, mistress?"

"I shall reveal all to you in due time, but for now, I am weary, and in need of food and rest. Let us enter Erset La Tari, and begin preparations for the Festival of Fright."

"BEWARE!"

"GET OUT!"

That was the alarm, albeit an annoying one, that awoke the young half-breed ghost child early one October morning. It was a typical morning in Amity Park. People awoke, had a bite to eat, and prepared for the day ahead, not knowing what it would bring but hopeful that it would be good. Things had been rocky in the growing city. A ghost problem had erupted less than a month before, and it left the ghost hunting population of Amity Park thoroughly exhausted. Danny Fenton, for one, had more to deal with than anyone ever realized.

However, Danny's daily ritual was rudely interrupted when he received an odd-looking letter on his bedside, courtesy of a delivery bat. Though perplexed, he wasn't nearly as startled as the moment he opened the invitation. And that was when the screaming started, the blood ran, and Danny felt his life flash before his eyes.