My Own Worst Enemy
Part 2
"The past is an elaborate record of our mistakes and a gallery of our greatest triumphs…"
Danny flew into the vortex and was sucked into the time stream. If it weren't for the medallion he had stolen from Clockwork's home, he would have been utterly destroyed. After what felt like an eternity in the warping, spiraling tunnel between dimensions and realities, he found himself in what he could only assume was the present… by the looks of things though, it had been about five or six years since he was trapped by his good self. But all that would be fixed soon.
"Dude…" a voice said from behind, "you look awesome man. Are you going to the Halloween party or something?"
Danny spun around and saw a college student looking up at him, clearly not in his sober mind. "What?" he asked incredulously.
"Yeah man…" the stoner replied. "Fenton is having this awesome party. You know who Fenton is right?"
"Better than you know…" Danny replied, smiling viciously as he thought of just how easy it would be to destroy his weaker half. "I wonder though, what year is it?"
"Ha… dude, if you need the year, you're higher than ME!" the stoner laughed, clearly not comprehending how close to death he was. "I'm just messing with you man. It's Unity Year 4"
"What the hell is Unity Year?" Danny asked, stumped by just how different this world was from the one he had ruled over.
"Dude… Are you feeling okay? You look sick man…"
"I'm fine. But if I were you, I'd start talking…" Danny instructed, pushing the boy against a brick wall
"Whoa! What do you want to know uh… sir?"
"Tell me everything that's happened since the Nasty Burger exploded." Danny ordered, since he knew for sure that that actually happened in his AND this timeline.
"Alright man… this kid Danny Fenton saved the world from this huge asteroid and ever since, he's been playing the hero when it comes to fighting ghosts."
"And the rest of the world? You said Unity Year…"
"That's because of Fenton's friends. Everyone knows the story. After we were all saved thanks to him and his friends, the rest of the world signed some pact and united. They even set up a statue in all the capitols and everything. And to top it off, Tucker Foley became the Head Speaker for the world. Every nation's leader answers to him when there's a problem. He's in town for a visit, and Fenton and his girlfriend are throwing a Halloween party."
"Did you forget anything?" Danny asked calmly, holding a fist glowing with energy up to the stoners face.
"AHHH! DUDE! That's all I know I swear!"
"You better be sure of that, or I'll find you and I'll make sure that I'm the last face you ever see…" Danny threatened, releasing the boy and laughing as he watched him run away screaming and wetting himself in terror.
When his informant was out of sight, Danny flew into the sky invisibly and tried to get his bearings on this twisted new world. He had been gone far too long. There were certain things about the horizon that seemed familiar, like the ruins of Plasmius's mansion. Apparently no one liked him no matter what happened.
Then there were all the new things that cluttered his once pristine view of the ruins that should have been the world. Fenton Works for example, had swelled from just that sad little hovel of a home, to a miniature mansion in its own right. Not to mention all the new buildings that seemed to go along with the town's hero… there was the Danny Phantom museum, the Danny Phantom memorial, and most sickeningly of all, the Fenton Hospital… ugh, if he ever hated something about himself, it would have to be what good he was apparently capable of. When he was done checking the damage, he finally found the party that the boy had described. True to word, it was huge and it seemed like everyone was there.
"You dumb bastard…" he muttered, cursing the mental image he had of his good self as he touched down and changed his form to that of a human. "These insignificant specks should be keeling down to you. You are better than them… but you're still not better than me…"
Danny was having the time of his life. Since he came out to the world about his secret life as Danny Phantom, things at his high school had gotten progressively better from the other students. Sam had said yes when he asked her out and though she would never admit it, she loved the attention she received as one of Amity Park's ghost fighting trio. And Tucker, the guy who had once been the school's resident techno geek, had gone farther than anyone had thought was possible, but not so far that he had forgotten about his friends. And that was the very reason Sam and him were having a party. Speaking of Sam…
"Hey Danny," she said, smiling as she walked over to him in her costume.
"Nice look for you Sam." he joked, motioning at her surprisingly bright outfit.
"Don't get too attached to it babe, this is the one night of the year I pretend to be something I'm not."
"Relax Sam, I was joking." He reassured her. "Hey, have you seen Tuck yet?"
"Not recently, actually, the last time I saw him he was over at the food table scoping out the chicken."
"Well, I hope he's having fun."
"I'm sure he's fine. Now get over here and dance with me…" Sam ordered, grabbing is hand and pulling him over to the giant dance floor where the band was hammering out one of Sam's favorite songs.
"What is this?" Danny asked, giving in to his girlfriends' directions and spinning her around in the air. (One of the perks of being part ghost was never having to worry about a crowded dance floor.)
"Don't worry about the music Danny." Sam instructed laughingly, trying to keep her balance on the tops of his feet as he moved for them in the air. "Just think about all the people here to see you. And me…"
"Mmmmm…" he mumbled, moving his head in closer to kiss her softly on the lips.
Suddenly, the music died and a spotlight lit up the air around them and a voice over the loudspeaker called out, "HEY YOU TWO… GET DOWN HERE AND STOP MAKING A SCENE!"
"Ugh… Tucker!" Sam yelled back, looking down over the crowd and picking her friend standing at the microphone stand, "Who gave you the mic?"
"DOESN'T MATTER!" he answered, "JUST GET DOWN HERE SO I CAN SEE YOU BETTER!"
"I'm going to kill him…" Danny muttered jokingly as he flew them down to the main stage over the top of the cheering and whistling crowd.
"No you aren't." Sam answered, smiling up at him, "that's my job…"
When they got to the stage, Danny phased back to his human form and walked over to his friend. "Well well, look who finally decided to say hi."
"You know how it is man, I've been busy since we graduated and I got elected. And let me tell you, the job may be cool for going around the world, but these leaders are fucking nuts." Tucker replied, only half joking.
"So, how's the college life treating you two?"
"It's great!" Danny replied honestly, "I've been having fun. And the classes aren't too bad either."
"Yeah, they definitely improved when your mom gave the art studios that supply of ectoplasm to paint with." Sam agreed. "I finally have a truly haunted painting."
"Wow Sam… and you complain about my jokes?"
"Alright, we'll settle this now, Danny, who's funnier?" Sam asked.
"You are Sam." Danny agreed, pulling her closer, his hand around her waist.
"No fair! That doesn't count… you sleep with him for chrissake."
"All's fair in love and war Tucker…" Sam teased, hugging Danny, "but let's stop fighting and just enjoy the party before you have to go off to…"
"Sweden." Tucker finished proudly, "I have to settle something between a couple of the islands over there first thing."
"WELL ISN'T THAT JUST SO PERFECT…" a voice suddenly boomed from the speakers, a silhouette appearing on the giant screen that was supposed to hold the video feed of the band.
"IT'S SO NICE TO SEE THAT MY ONCE GLORIOUS WASTELAND HAS BEEN RUINED BY YOUR BLUBBERING WEAKNESS AND DISGUSTING HOPE…"
"Who are you?" Danny yelled, phasing into ghost form and flying up to where he was eye level with the image, which had seemingly come from nowhere.
"You mean you don't recognize your own self?" the voice asked, "I am what you should have been… but since you decided to be good and care about others, I see now that I'll have to destroy you and start over in this world."
"You're me?" Danny replied, clearly confused, "But how can you be me?"
"Let me refresh your memory, you would have been me if your friends and family had died. Instead of letting it happen though, you decided to save them and in the process locked me away in a Fenton Thermos in Clockworks tower for over SIX YEARS!"
"You're him…" Danny gasped, "You're the evil me from the future…"
"Give the boy a medal." The evil Danny replied sarcastically, "Now listen closely, I AM going to destroy you Fenton, but not now… right now I am content to watch and wait. But know that your death is at hand."
Danny was so enraged that his eyes glowed and a burst of Ectoplasm shot from them like lasers, utterly destroying the silhouette of the one thing in the world that actually scared him… himself.
Well, I hope that set the mood for the rest of the story. I will try and write the next chapter faster, but I wanted people to realize that the story is not all about Danni, Dan, Danny, or any one character really. This is a story about everyone and for everyone. The next chapter will be about Danny F. and Sam M. and the relationship that they have built since Phantom Planet. I hope you'll look for it. Until then,
Happy Living,
musicalreader
