A few notes to get you up to speed, then on with the story of Danny's most incredible adventure ever!

In Real Toons, we take the cartoon characters you see on your TV screen and imagine…

What if they learned they weren't real? How would they act on this knowledge? What would it do to them?

That is...What if Toons got real?

Real Toons is a mega-cartoon crossover, and as such each chapter will appear in the cartoon area of whichever character is narrating.

The Real Toons Story So Far

The tooniverse is in chaos! The perfect worlds of toons are being roiled by widespread mayhem and destruction as reality breaches open up all over the tooniverse. Batman seeks to stop the problem at the source (the real world) and gathers a team to aid him - Duke the soldier; Snake Eyes the ninja; Dustin the former Power Ranger, Stellar the solar-powered Winx girl; Danny the ghost boy; and Joe Kerr, a reformed, sane Joker.

There's just two things you should know -

1) Batman isn't the only one with a plan to 'fix' the reality breaches. And

2) Due to everything his team has gone through, Batman and the others are a bit…off.

Chapters 1 and 2 of Real Toons is in the W.I.T.C.H. area. Chapter 3 is in Teen Titans (both are under Cartoon).

This tale is backstory on Danny, and tells how he became a member of the Real Deal Crew found in Real Toons. As such, it's not a 'Chapter' in the Real Toons saga, but it's still important to know. Future backstories will tell how Stella(r), Dustin, Duke/Snake Eyes, Joker and Batman joined (backstories of the team members are told in reverse chronological order).

Now, to begin the story.

What happens when toons get real?

You're about to find out.

Real Toons

Danny's Story

by Shawn Q. Evans

Starring Danny Phantom

With Guest Appearances by

Duke and Snake Eyes from G.I.Joe,

Dustin the Ninja Storm Yellow Power Ranger,

and Stella from Winx Club.

Danny Phantom copyright Nickelodeon

Duke and Snake Eyes copyright Hasbro

Dustin the Ninja Storm Yellow Ranger copyright BVS Entertainment

Stella from Winx Club copyright Rainbow Srl

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I'm Danny Fenton - Danny Phantom - and I thought having ghost powers was the greatest thing ever.

Then I found something even better.

It was while I was chasing Skulker (yet again) through Amity Park.

"Give it up, Skulker! You can't win!"

"Oh really, ghost boy?"

Then Skulker blasted a wall of a tall building! Huge pieces of it were falling on people!

So I swooped down, grabbed the people in danger, made us all go 'ghost' and the rubble safely passed through.

I continued my chase of Skulker, but then something weird happened.

A hole in the sky opened up, and a chunk of a glowing something fell through.

I instinctively went ghost, but the chunk of rock or whatever still hit me!

But that wasn't the weirdest part.

Where the piece hit me, my arm, it was all bulgy and colored strange, and had so many little marks in it. It's really hard to describe. And the feeling. Pain! But not like any pain I've ever felt before!

I thought it was unreal. But I was wrong.

When I got close to the hole in the sky, which didn't look like a ghost portal at all but something way stranger, it told me (don't ask me how a 'hole' talks, okay? There's only so much weirdness a boy can deal with, alright?), it told me IT was real! It was saying lots of other very strange, messed up things, too.

Then the hole was gone, and I remembered Skulker.

It wasn't long before I had him in a Fenton thermos, bulgy arm pain and all.

Then I found the thing that hit me.

I reached out, grabbed it, and...

Instantly, my whole hand and arm were 'real'!

In shock, I reached for the still-glowing chunk with my other hand, and before you know it, I was all real!

Bizarre, as a word, doesn't do justice to what I felt or looked like!

I somehow was a 'real boy'!

Pinocchio had nothing on me!

I was all bulgy, and the color, hard to describe. But the detail! All those lines! Way cool!

But while I was admiring myself, my enemies had gathered to finish me off!

They were tired of me spoiling all their fun.

Johnny 13, Ember, the Box Ghost...even the Fright Knight!...surrounded me.

Johnny 13 came right at me with his motorcycle!

I tried to go ghost, but nothing happened!

I braced for the impact I knew was coming, but...

I didn't feel a thing! Not even a tickle. (Well, okay, maybe a tickle. But not one of those maddening, annoying tickles. A light tickle).

"Hee. That all you got?"

He was shocked. But I was pretty pleased with myself.

I shouldn't have been, though. Because Ember was revving her sonic guitar!

I hurriedly covered my ears.

Except there was no need to. Her sound didn't bother me at all!

So I casually walked up to her and flicked her guitar strings, breaking them.

She was speechless. Soundless. I almost felt sorry for her.

I was about to say she could screech any bad music she likes - it didn't matter to me.

But the Box Ghost wanted to throw his two cents in.

Can you believe it?

So I crunched his silly box right in front of him!

This is great, I thought. They can't hurt me but I can do anything to them because...I'm real!

I was starting to think about what it all meant, what that 'hole' was saying, when the Fright Knight came at me with his sword!

Ho hum, I thought. Should I pull his silly helmet down around his armor, or...?

Then it happened. I was me again. Regular me! Not real me. And not ghost me!

I went ghost and flew away right before FK would have run me through!

Close. Too close!

I desperately tried to find that chunk of rock, but Fright Knight kept on my tail.

I was so annoyed, I let out a ghostly wail! (Hey, I'm a poet! But did I know it?)

They all ran from that.

I was beat. I should have gone home. But I still needed that rock!

I went back to look for it.

I found it. But...

So tired.

I passed out.

"Danny?"

"You okay, man?"

"T-Tucker? Sam?"

My two best friends.

"What happened to you?"

"We've been looking for you all over! It's almost time for school!"

"Already? Oh, man!"

"Ghost trouble again, eh?"

"Nothing I can't handle. No, I was trying to find this!"

I said, pointing to the rock. Which wasn't glowing anymore, for some reason.

"What is it?"

"It's, it's real."

"Danny, what are you saying?"

"I can't explain it. Here, I'll show you!"

So I touched it, and, presto chango!

I was real again!

The rock, though, started to crumble. No big deal, I thought, so I put it in my pocket.

"What the heck? You're all, popping out or something. And what a strange color!"

"Danny! What, what happened to you?"

"Nice, huh? I'm a real boy!"

"A 'real boy'? What does that mean?"

"I don't like this, Danny! There's something wrong about all this!"

"I can't believe you, of all people, Sam, would get judgmental!"

"I'm not being judgmental! Just cautious!"

"Definitely freaky weird city! But check out the detail!"

"Yeah, I know! Cool, huh? Want to try?"

"Uh uh! Too weird for me!"

"Danny, you're okay with this?"

"This is the greatest! You should have seen it! Those ghosts couldn't touch me!"

"I could..."

Then I stepped on some kid's toy car and smooshed it.

"Nice one, Danny!"

"Heh. Sorry. Don't know my own strength!"

"That's enough of that, don't you think? We have to get to school!"

"Can't it wait? I'm so hungry!"

So I fished around in my pocket for that candy bar I had.

It was real, too.

"Wow. glumph munch. This...crunch...tastes incredible! The flavor...munch crunch...the texture."

"Texture? Now you really are getting freaky!"

"I'm not kidding!"

"Danny..."

Sam put her hand on me.

"...We're almost at school, and..."

Then things really did get freaky.

She felt it, too.

Saw it.

It's like, where her hand touched me, you could see around it.

You could see her hand had 'edges'.

Whereas I was fully 'there'.

Yeah, I know, not the best description. What do you expect? I'm only fourteen!

She pulled away immediately.

"Ah!"

"What was that?"

"I don't know!"

"That is some scary weird stuff, Danny!"

"Look, let's forget it and go in, okay? I'll even stop this whole 'real' thing, alright?"

And just like that, I was regular old Danny again.

Together, we entered the school building.

Pretending everything was still the same.

But I kept that rock in my pocket. Just in case.

At school, all day, all I could think of was the rock. Being real. And the other stuff I heard the 'hole' say.

Finally, at lunch, I couldn't help it anymore! I had to have more real food!

"Danny, what are you doing?"

"Oh, lighten up, Sam! I'm a growing boy, remember? I need food. Real food!"

"But if..."

"Count Chocula and FrankenBerry, people! What's going on with Mr. Fenton?"

"...anyone sees? Oh no."

"Uh, well, Danny got a movie makeup kit for his birthday and couldn't resist using it on himself, Mr. Lancer!"

"I see. Well, then, I expect Mr. Fenton to use his movie makeup magic skills for our next school play! Agreed?"

"Uh, sure! You bet!"

"That was close!"

"Sam, you worry too much! I bet not everyone thinks this is terrible! Heck, Paulina would probably like the muscles on the new Danny!"

"Think so? Then go ahead, Danny! Go right ahead. Make a fool of yourself. Come on, Tucker! Danny can get 'real', and we'll get real gone!"

"But I haven't finished my lentil soup!"

And I was right. I was the toast of Casper High. Everyone wanted to know the 'real me'.

Even Dash was impressed (not that I cared).

Well, everyone except my supposed 'friends'! Jealous, that's what they are.

Then, during English, I had to make some corrections on a test. I used the pencil I had in my pocket.

But when I erased, I erased more than my answer. I erased the whole question!

So I re-wrote the question that was there before. It looked perfect. Like it was there all along.

So I got creative and re-wrote the other parts of the test I wasn't sure about.

I got an A!

The teacher was confused. She thought she gave me the wrong test.

But I knew what was going on.

I somehow had power over reality.

So I decided to do more experimenting.

After school, I showed Sam and Tucker what I could do.

"Watch this!"

I took an old textbook I didn't need anymore and 'drew' a lock on it. And a real lock appeared! Then I erased it.

"Wow. That's..."

"That's not all! Look at this!"

I held out wite-out that I had used the rock on to make real (The rock was getting smaller, but it still worked). Then I poured the 'real' wite-out on the school book. It disappeared! It became white nothingness!

"That is beyond freaky, scary weird stuff, Danny!"

"Danny, this is bad. Real bad. And that's not a pun, either!"

"No, no, you don't get it! It all has to do with what's real or not! See?"

"No. I don't."

"It's, it's hard to explain, but if we're real, they can't hurt us, okay? Because then WE have the power!"

"Who's 'they', Danny?"

"I don't know who 'they' are, Tucker! But they exist, and..."

"Danny, you're scaring me! Please come back."

"But I, I just wanted to protect us. You don't understand the things that..."

No, she didn't understand. But I didn't, either. Not really. The things that 'hole' said couldn't be true could they? That none of this is real. That we're all...what?...figments? Lines on paper? Pixels on a screen? Even though I had the proof right in front of me?

I couldn't deal with it anymore.

And almost immediately, I was back to 'normal'.

A 'normal' I hated.

"Danny!"

Sam hugged me. Oh, she pulled away when she realized what she was doing.

But I was starting to figure things out more and more. About what was really going on. With me. With Sam. With Tucker. With everything. But especially me and Sam.

However, my timing sucked.

"How sweet! Well, nighty-night!"

"Who?"

But I was out like a light as soon as they hit me.

When I awoke, I was in Vlad Master's (who else could it be?) lab. In restraints, including the belt that takes away my ghost powers.

"Hello, Daniel!"

"Well, if it isn't the perennial loser in the Green Bay Packers Sweepstakes!"

"How droll. But quite possibly that can all change, hmmm?"

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"Don't be coy with me, boy! I've been watching you! You have some new reality-altering powers, and..."

"You've been spying on me? What's next, Vlad? Chatrooms? An appearance on 'Dateline'?"

"I'm going to ignore your infantile humor for now, but don't push it! Now, how are you changing reality?"

"I have no idea, and why would I tell you if I did?"

"Oh. I don't know."

He waved his hand and a wall opened. It was my friends! He was holding my friends hostage!

"Sam! Tucker!"

"Don't tell him anything, Danny!"

But what could I do?

"It's, it's this rock I found."

"Danny!"

"This thing? Don't try my patience!"

He had it. Was holding it. But nothing happened. The rock's smaller. Maybe it's out of juice. Or maybe it only works on me? That would make sense, after what that 'hole' said. That I'm the reason all this is here.

"It works. But it must only work for me. Bring it over here and I'll show you."

"You must think me some sort of a fool!"

"Vlad, I'm not going to put my friends in danger!"

"Hmm. I suppose so."

"Now free my arms. I have to hold it to make it work."

"Surely, you're joking!"

"My legs will still be trapped! I'm not going anywhere! Geez, you make it make it impossible to work with you! And my name's not Shirley!"

"No tricks!"

"Honest injun."

"Now get a piece of food to hold up to the rock."

"Food?"

"You don't want me to make some weapon I can use against you, do you? Besides, real food tastes great!"

"Very well."

As he held the Wisconsin sausage up to the rock, he placed the rock in my hand. It was almost out of its charge, or whatever you'd call it. But it should be enough.

I concentrated, made the sausage 'real', and...

...did the same for the school supplies I was holding in my pocket!

Sucker!

"Try the sausage! It'll taste like the best sausage you've ever had!"

So Vlad took the rock back and put the real sausage to his mouth.

And while he does that, I'll use the eraser on my bonds.

"Mmmm! You're right! This is the best-tasting sausage I've ever..."

Almost..there. Now if Mr. Ego-it's all-about-me can just ignore little ol' me for a moment more...

"...What? You're free?"

Uh oh.

"You'll pay for that, Daniel! Or..one of your friends?"

"No!"

"Which shall it be? Your geeky friend? Or..."

He's going ghost! Come on, Danny! Have to

"...the girl?"

Eww! That sick smile of his! Got to, to...

"Danny!"

I can't, can't get this darn belt off fast enough! There's only one thing I can do!

So I threw the bottle of wite-out right at him!

One big splash, and half his ghost body was gone!

"Ahh! What did you? Noooo!"

He just, sunk into the floor.

A head. Half a torso. And an arm.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

"You guys okay?"

I said, as I freed Sam and Tucker.

"I, we're okay. But what about...?"

"Forget him! It doesn't matter! He's not..."

"Real? Is that what you were going to say?"

"I, no! Maybe! I don't know! I had to save you two! Whatever! I can fix it! I can fix everything! If I can just touch the rock again..."

"And you'll do what? 'Draw' Vlad's body?"

"Maybe. Why not?"

"What do you mean - fix everything?"

"This, our whole world, it's being manipulated by other worlds! Real worlds! And if I can become real permanently, I can save us from that!"

"Will you listen to yourself?"

"Seriously, Danny, you sound like a paranoid schizo junkie trying to justify his fix."

"I know what it sounds like, Tuck! You have to trust me! I've never been more serious in my life! And there's other reasons, too."

"Such as..."

But those reasons had to do with me and Sam. How we're supposed to stay apart to create 'sexual tension' and drama. And I couldn't say that.

"It's personal."

As I held the rock (and finally manage to shuffle off the no-ghost belt), I could sense there was only one more charge in it. I changed back before because I doubted myself. I couldn't do that anymore. If I do this, if I'm sure, I can make it permanent. And then I won't even need the rock to change small things like pencils, either.

"Why are you so against this, Sam? You were never this negative about me being a ghost boy!"

"When you were a ghost boy, at least you didn't parade it around! And I've got a bad feeling about this!"

"You're a Goth - you have a bad feeling about everything!"

As we debated, we forgot about Vlad.

We never saw him use his arm, his only arm left, to drag himself across the room towards us.

And as I focused on the rock, with its power of the real world, and what I was about to do, I never considered Vlad.

I thought the wite-out had, well, wiped him out.

So there it was - all that power was in my hand! All I had to do was grab it!

I didn't see Vlad's arm reach for me as I hungrily held the piece of the real world and shouted,

"I want to be real!"

"Oh, you shall!"

Said Vlad, as he touched me, making me go ghost.

It was the strangest feeling ever! Ten times stranger than when I got caught in my parent's machine!

I tried to push Vlad away, but couldn't!

Then I heard them. My friends.

"Danny? Where'd he go?"

"Danny!"

"Guys, I'm right here! Sam? Tucker?"

They couldn't see me. Or hear me.

I frantically tried to get their attention. I flew right through them. I tried to grab objects, to make them float in front of them! Everything! Anything! But…nothing worked.

Then it dawned on me.

I was a ghost. A real ghost!

As my friends shouted for me, even though I was right next to them, the wite-out gradually consumed what was left of Vlad's body, disappearing him bit by bit, but his laugh continued long after he was gone.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!"

I tried using the real world stuff again, but it had crumbled to dust. Not that I could hold it, anyway.

I flew all over, searching for a way back to normal.

But I couldn't touch anything. Talk to anyone. Interact in any way at all.

I searched the Fenton Works lab for anything I could use to help me. But nothing could.

I don't know how long I wandered through town. Weeks? Months? Years?

I watched them all. Sam, Tucker, Mom, Dad, Jazz, Valerie, Paulina, Mr. Lancer, even Dash. Oh, they were sad at first - even Dash (he was bummed he didn't have anyone to pick on). They even had a funeral for me. Not that I went. Going to your own funeral - it's just not done.

But as time passed, they got along great without me.

And every time they would wave to each other, I thought 'This is it! They can see me!'

But no. They couldn't.

Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore. I went to the mountains. The beautiful, untouchable mountains.

I had a lot of time to think in the mountains.

I thought about my parents, and their goofy ghost hunting. God, it was so great, even though I made fun of it (and them) at the time. They really were the best parents ever.

I thought about my sister, Jazz. She was always there for me, even though we would get into it like any brother or sister.

I thought about school, and all the people there. Adults always say school was the best time of their lives. That idea seemed crazy to me, but now I think I understand what they meant.

But most of all, I thought about my friends.

Tucker. I hope you do great things. You certainly have it in you.

Sam. I…I was such a fool. Not just for never realizing how I felt about you, but a double fool, for never noticing you felt the same way about me!

Take care, Sam. I miss you the most. Don't be too sad. It was a good life.

I'm Danny Fenton - Danny Phantom - and I thought having ghost powers was the greatest thing ever. And it was. If only I had been satisfied with that.

Well. I'll only have the rest of my unnatural nonlife to regret it.

My biggest regret is I'll never be able to tell Sam how I feel.

Heck, I can't even leave a note!

And I wondered…if it's stakes for vampires and silver bullets for werewolves, what is it for ghosts?

Then they appeared.

"Having fun, kid?"

What the? Some army guy? With a guy dressed all in black, another guy who looked like I used to and a girl who, well, she seemed to glow, even though she was in a very dark costume, also.

"You, you can see me?"

"Yep. But don't go holding a parade or anything. It's only 'cause we've all been touched by that 'real world' stuff, too!"

"Oh! So no one else can…?"

"Uh uh."

"And here I thought maybe…"

"Sorry, kid. What's your name?"

"Danny."

"Well, Danny, we're looking to stop this 'real world' problem at the source. Want to join us?"

"I, I guess so. Why not? There's nothing here for me anymore."

I'm Danny Fenton - Danny Phantom - and I thought having ghost powers was the greatest thing ever. And it was.

And maybe, one day, it will be again.

But I won't hold my breath waiting for that day.

Not that that would work.

I've already tried.

Next:

The saga of Real Toons continues in the Kim Possible area

as the team seeks more members.

How will they get Kim to join since her world doesn't suffer from a reality breach?

It's a shocker!

And in the next Backstory - Stellar!

How did a silly, vapid fairy become the hardcore survivor, Stellar?

Find out in our humorous, tragic tale as Stella the Winx Club Fairy loses…

Everyone. And everything. Including her whole world. Literally.

Notes

I have no idea who would play the live-action Real Boy Danny.

Real Ghost Boy Danny is photo-realistic CGI.

Dustin the former Power Ranger (who Danny describes as looking like he used to), is also live-action.

As a real ghost, Danny can only operate (and be seen) on worlds where a reality breach is active (like in Chapter 1, in W.I.T.C.H.). And even then, it's hard to see him, as he fades in and out.

The adventure of Danny, our favorite depressed, suicidal real ghost boy, continues in Real Toons. The next few chapters concerns the team's search for new members, then there's a big, big fight with a hero that, let's face it, we always knew would go bad one day even if we didn't want to admit it, and then? How does it all turn out for our favorite ghost boy? As if I'd spill the beans here. But it's good.

Epitaph on Danny's tombstone, placed there by his parents, Jack & Maddie:

Danny Fenton

For the record - he was loved