The Rider

A Danny Phantom Overlord Fanfiction

Author's Note: Welcome, my friends, to chapter three. Here's where things kick off! Here we go!

Last Time

Dr. M. Pheles.

Help for Hire.

The three teens wondered what 'help' meant, as they read the rest of the card.

Need a certain problem taken care of? Dr. Pheles is willing to help…for a price.

Come see me when ready to sign.

Danny looked up at the man with a confused look on his face. The man was smiling, his surprisingly sharp teeth making him look less like a man and more like an insane person, waiting to kill them. Danny was skeptical of this 'offer' this man was proposing.

"What do you get out of this?"

The man's smile didn't waver. "Oh, you need not worry about payment. You'll know when payment is due."

"What do you mean?"

At this question, the man laughed. His laughter sounded soothing, yet oh, so sinister.

"All in due time, young half-ghost. All in due time"

And with that uttered, the man winked out of existence, a plume of red fire following him. Danny sighed, somehow exhausted from everything that just happened. He was about to turn to talk to his friends, and talk about what just happened, when a sinking blackness engulfed his very being.

Danny awoke with a start, in his bed, looked at the clock, and felt his eyes widen.

"I AM GOING TO BE SO LATE!"

He rushed to get up and out of his bed when he noticed something small fall from his covers. In his moment of confusion, Danny bent down to pick it up. It was a small red card, more like a business card, really. It was then he remembered his dream from last night, and with renewed vigor, he ran downstairs to the kitchen, said a quick goodbye to his parents before transforming, and flew out the house to meet up with Sam and Tucker at school.

This time

At school, Danny his friends sat outside underneath their tree in the courtyard, they looked at their cards that had somehow appeared in their hands after the dream they all had together and were discussing their options.

"The card said 'Help' for hire. I'm not sure as to what exactly this "help" is, but I'm not so sure we should accept it." Danny said warily.

Danny was about to say more, but was interrupted by Dash sneaking up on the unsuspecting Fenton and tried to give him a wedgie. Keyword being 'tried', seeing as Danny somehow, by some unknown force, rose from his seat in the grass quickly and twisted the bully's arm behind his back, saying in a low whisper:

"If you EVER come near my friends or me again, I will make sure that you suffer more than a broken arm. Got it?"

Dash was in a state of bewilderment. He honestly couldn't believe that Fenton, FENTON, of all people had managed to do that. To HIM, Dash Baxter! He tried to retake control of the situation, but Fenton's grip was too strong. Huh, funny. Before today, the words Fenton and strong wouldn't and by all accounts within Dash's feeble mind, couldn't, be in the same sentence, unless that sentence was 'Fenton is not, nor will he ever be strong'. As Danny let go of Dash's arm, Dash unknowingly sealed his fate with his next action: turning around and punching Danny in the face. A loud smack was what Dash had heard, but what he saw was a different story. Danny, to Dash's surprise had actually caught the fist, and was slowly squeezing it, causing Dash's ears to pick up the sound of the bones in his hand cracking under the pressure. Dash, fearing for the safety of his hand, struggled to free it. Suddenly, as quickly as it came, the pressure disappeared, causing Dash's momentum to make him fall to the ground. Dash looked up to see Fenton, cross-legged and back turned, not paying attention to him anymore. Dash was planning on making Fenton pay, but the thought of what he just experienced caused him to rethink his decision. He left the trio, muttering a "Got it" in Fenton's direction, whether Fenton heard him or not didn't matter, and didn't bother him or his friends for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, in the Ghost Zone

The Master of Time watched his apprentice and his friends with a rare surprised look. It wasn't often he was surprised by something. Suddenly, a red plume of fire appeared in his tower.

"Who are you?" Clockwork asked.

The being simply gasped in fake shock. "Apparently my reputation has not permeated this world yet. No matter, it will soon enough. Mephistopheles, at your service." At his proclamation, a card appeared in Clockwork's hand, much like the one he'd seen Danny pick up from his sheets on the way to school. He raised a suspicious eyebrow at the red suited man.

"So, what exactly are you? I can sense that you aren't a ghost, or a spirit." At this, the man laughed and grinned, showing his teeth and said:

"I'm a demon."

Author's Note: *laughs* Whoo! That was fun! I thoroughly enjoyed writing that! If you get the reference, you get an internet cookie. See you guys later!