A/N: Not much to say here, let's get going!
Note: I'm going to use one disclaimer to fit all. I do NOT own any songs that are used in this fic. And that includes the one used below.
Chapter 10 – A Secret Exposed
The DP Mansion
"Come on, Ember, roll that three!" Danny shouted as the ghost diva snapped the remote forward. On the TV screen, Koopa jumped up and hit the block, everyone watching tensely as the block slowed and revealed a…
"DAMMIT!" she yelled. "A one! Now instead of getting the jackpot I end up on a freaking BOWSER space!" Ember glared at Shadow. "I blame you!" she snarled as Shadow nervously backed away with hands in the air, his expression clearly screaming "Don't look at me!"
"Tough lucky, Em," Kitty smirked. "Now let's see what he has to say!" When Danny had proposed a round of Mario Party 9 on his new TV, she and Ember had all but leaped at the proposition, followed shortly after by Tucker and Youngblood. The rest of them were watching the contest unfurl from the couches that Danny had organized in front of the TV. As the standings currently displayed, Kitty was in first with 58 stars, Youngblood was in second with 53, Tucker was in third with 44, and Ember brought up the rear with 40.
Everyone watched as Koopa walked up to the Bowser space. The familiar Bowser icon flashed and the screen darkened before shattering apart, revealing the villain himself in all of his glory.
"Yeah, yeah, we know how this goes," Sam rolled her eyes as Bowser gloated in the screen. "Bowser acts like a jerk and then he shows that stupid wheel."
"All right, what do we have here?" Jazz looked at the wheel's options. "Give 10 stars to last place, Everybody loses special dice blocks, Reverse minigame, and lose half your mini stars."
"Great," Ember rolled her eyes, "nothing that can help me get past Kitty. Oh well, it's not like my luck was any better all day. Here goes nothing," she flipped the remote and watched as it slowed for several moments before finally stopping at…Lose half your mini stars.
"OH THAT'S JUST GREAT!" she screamed, eyes flashing red and hair blazing. "OF COURSE I LAND ON THE WORST ONE OF THEM ALL!""
"Hold on, Em!" Danny interrupted. "Maybe it's not over yet! Bowser's generally nice to people in last place, just play it out!"
Neither of them quite knew why, but apparently Danny's words were enough to calm the ghost rocker down. "All right, baby pop," she sighed as she continued the dialogue on the screen.
"Huh!?" Bowser asked on the screen. "You're in last place, aren't you? Here! I'll double your mini stars! Don't say I never did anything for you!"
The entire group's eyes bulged and jaws hit the floor as forty mini stars trickled from the top of the screen down onto a rejoicing Koopa, along with a bright blue +40 indicator. If there was any doubt that Ember's luck had suddenly skyrocketed, it was immediately dispelled by the golden 1st place indicator that was now right next to her character's face.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTT?" It was now Kitty's turn to scream, so loudly that Plasmius probably could have heard it all the way in outer space. "WHAT THE HELL? WHAT IN THE FRIGGING HELL? I WAS FIRST! I WAS FREAKING FIRST!"
"What's that, Kitty?" Ember yelled in victory as she pumped her fist in the air. "Who's at the top of the charts now? That's right, it's me! Ember Mclain! Say my name, cuz I just swooped outta nowhere and took all of the glory!" She whirled around to Danny and the two of them grinned as they exchanged a high five.
Tucker sighed as he realized that now he was dead last. "Oh well," he muttered, "it's not like I ever win these anyway." He flipped the remote, then suddenly realized something. "Hey, wait a minute!" he pointed at Danny. "Why are you rooting for Ember of all people? We're best friends, man! No, not just friends, bros! You're supposed to be cheering me on, man!"
Danny shrugged. "Cuz everyone else already has people getting their back. Kitty's got Johnny, Youngblood's got Dani, you already have Sam AND Jazz, so I'm cheering for Ember. That a problem?"
"Nope!" Tucker said quickly, but Danny could have sworn that Johnny and Kitty had all shared the briefest of glances for the smallest of seconds. However, the arrival of Bowser himself as the final boss interrupted his train of thought. One battle later and one award ceremony later, the game ended with Koopa and Ember as the victors of the round.
"And that's how the rock star of the Ghost Zone takes care of business!" Ember declared as Tucker turned off the game console.
"Yeah, yeah, nobody likes a bragger," Kitty muttered. "So what do we do now?"
Danny thought for a moment. "Well, I got a call from mom and dad a few minutes ago, they said the portal's up and running." He chuckled. "I guess they've gotten smarter about that thing, it used to be that they left that thing open all the time 24/7. And people wondered why Amity was so haunted!"
"Hey, wait a minute!" Sam realized something. "Couldn't Wulf just open up a portal back to Fentonworks? I mean, you're pretty much his master for all intents and purposes!"
Everyone instantly stared at Danny, who all but facepalmed at the realization. "Wow…" he muttered, "no wonder I'm a C student. God I'm stupid…"
"Nah," Sam shrugged. "It wasn't like I was planning on leaving or anything, it was just something I wanted to point out."
Danny sighed. "As much as I want to keep playing around here with you guys, I actually do have a couple of important things I needed to do alone soon. He glanced over at Tucker, Sam, and Jazz. "Will you guys be okay getting back home by yourselves?"
"Yeah, man, with the Specter Speeder's new navigation system, we'll be just fine," Tucker nonchalantly replied.
"Be careful, little bro," Jazz hugged her brother. She'd learned from firsthand experience when Danny needed her and when he could handle things just fine by himself.
The group of friends climbed up the basement stairs and walked out of the mansion together. "If I'm around, you guys, feel free to drop by!" he offered with a grin.
"Will do, little man!" Johnny replied as he and Kitty got on their bike.
"Can't believe I'm saying this, dipstick, but I think I'm gonna enjoy hanging around with you," Ember added with a smirk. "When you finish up the place I bet you're gonna go from the GZ's most wanted to its biggest celebrity."
"So long as that means less ghost attacks on my city, then that's fine by me!"
Johnny and Kitty declared their good-byes as they rode off, while Ember teleported away in a swirl of blue flames.
"See ya around, Dani?" Youngblood asked her with what he hoped was an endearing smile.
"Yep!" she cheerfully replied. The kid ghost grinned as he too floated off.
"This was a really fun afternoon, Danny!" Sam said to her former boyfriend with a smile. "Thanks for the reception!"
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Danny replied as he gave his friends and sister one last hug. The three of them climbed aboard the Specter Speeder as Wulf tore open a portal to the real world large enough for them to fly through, one that would land them just outside Fenton Works.
"All right," the halfa thought as he climbed into his Ecto-Skeleton. "Time to take care of some business for Walker!"
Fenton Works
Jazz parked the Specter Speeder in the garage as she, Tucker, and Sam climbed out and raced towards the entrance to Fenton Works. Jazz rang the doorbell, and seconds later the door swung open.
"Jazzy!" Jack greeted them as he realized who was at the door. "You're home early!" He suddenly noticed the lack of his other child. "Uh…what happened to Danny?"
Jazz looked uncomfortably at him. "He's…still in the Ghost Zone," she admitted. "He told us he had some important errands to run, or something like that."
Jack sighed and rubbed his head with his hands. "If I didn't know for a fact that he's been taking care of himself for years," he muttered in an uncharacteristically serious tone, "I wouldn't let Danny go anywhere near that place, at least not without me or you guys around…"
"He fights ghosts better than you do, dad," Jazz smirked. Jack couldn't help but crack a smile at that.
"He does, doesn't he? Certainly aims better than his old man." He sighed again. "Maddie won't be happy."
"Why not?" Sam asked. "I thought you guys didn't mind Danny hanging out in the Ghost Zone ever since you found out about his secret?"
"We don't," Jack clarified solemnly. "But the thing is…Maddie's started to feel distant from our son again lately. It's something she's felt before, but after she and Danny took that trip of theirs she felt that maybe they were finally reconnecting. Now Danny's in the Ghost Zone all the time and she feels like any connection they had is slipping away all over again."
Tucker gave him a look of sympathy. "Dude, Mr. Fenton, why don't you just talk to him about it? You guys got over his biggest secret without a hitch, with that outta the way I can't think of anything that can stop you from bonding, man!"
Jack smiled at his son's best friend. "Maybe you're right, Tucker, maybe you're right. I think it's time to arrange a Fenton family meeting tonight once Danny gets home."
The Ghost Zone, Walker's Prison
Danny flew up to the entrance to the no-longer hostile prison, thermos in hand with five more criminals ready to serve up for Walker. As he drew level with the prison doors, they suddenly slammed open, revealing the one ghost that Danny had hoped never to see.
"Dan Phantom!" the halfa snarled, all friendliness evaporating in an instant.
Dan all but yawned at the sight of his past self. "Well, if it isn't my own blast from the past," he retorted in a bored tone.
"What are YOU doing at Walker's prison?" Danny growled, ready to fire an ecto-energy attack if Dan even came near him.
The Dark Phantom grinned. "The very same thing that you are, as a matter of fact. I used to think Clockwork was nothing but a meddling old fool, but to his credit he's actually found a way to utilize my power in a way that satisfies both of us."
"You mean you're catching criminals like I am?" Danny asked incredulously. "It's not like any of them can be any worse than you've been!"
"Ha ha ha! That's the beauty of it!" Dan was now outright laughing. "As incredible as it may seem to your feeble teenage mind, the criminals I've been hunting down have managed to be even worse than me in their own way! Don't believe me? Go ahead and ask Clockwork or even Walker exactly what their crimes are, and you'll learn all too well that there are worse monsters than me in the world that exist here and now, parasites that I've enjoyed squashing like flies!"
"You're sick," Danny spat as Dan flew away laughing, back towards Clockwork's tower. The halfa shook his head exasperatedly as he entered the prison in his Ecto-Skeleton. Normally he would have taken it off before going in, but he wasn't about to leave it around for Dan to steal, even if the evil ghost would only get zapped as a punishment for trying to use it.
Inside the prison, Walker was already waiting for him. "I see you've caught some more punks to lock up in my jail," he greeted the hero. The two of them, along with several guards, went through the same process of locking up the criminals and making sure that their names checked out on the wanted list. Walker was seemingly lost in thought and in a grim mood, saying very little throughout the entire process.
"What happened to the criminals Dan brought in?" Danny asked.
"You don't wanna know, kid," one of the guards replied for him. "You don't wanna know."
As he and Walker walked back towards the entrance to the jail, he suddenly stopped the half by putting a hand on his shoulder. "By the way, punk, I think I've got an idea on helping you out on your little bar idea of yours. Keep doing what you're doing and I'll make sure you get your due."
"Sounds good," Danny agreed. He reached the Ecto-Skeleton's hand out to push the door open, only to have it bump into somebody already on the other side.
"Gah!" Spectra yelped as she maneuvered around the door into the prison. "Watch it!"
"Sorry," Danny mumbled. He suddenly shook his head as he realized who he was talking to. "SPECTRA?" he spluttered. "What are YOU doing here?"
Spectra's shocked expression disappeared and was replaced with a disturbingly eager look. "Feasting on the misery of this prison, of course," she explained in a hungry tone. "For some reason, there's been a tremendous amount of agony and pain all but oozing from Walker's jail lately, just the kind of misery that I need!" Spectra licked her lips. "Forget angst-ridden teens and high school brats, I'll be able to keep myself young off of the pain here for years without even needing to lift a finger!"
"It's official," Danny thought as he obeyed his sudden urge to get the hell out of there as soon as possible. "I REALLY don't want to know what Dan did to the criminals he caught!"
Fenton Works
Maddie sighed as she looked at the picture of her and a younger Danny hugging together happily in the park. "What happened to the bond I had with Danny?" she lamented as she reminisced sadly on the good times of the past. "A few years ago he wouldn't have hidden anything from me."
She knew only too well why he had kept his secret as Phantom for so long. Who wouldn't if their own parents were boasting every morning about trying to hunt and kill them on a regular basis? It was a miracle that Danny hadn't decided to just run away from it all and, as she later found out, accepted Vlad's offer to be his son instead of theirs. It truly was sad to think that her own son didn't feel safe with his family because of their intolerant attitude.
The first thing that she'd done after the Disasteroid event was to beg for her son's forgiveness, tears flowing and head bent in shame. Of course Danny had forgiven her, she was his family and it wasn't in his nature to hold a grudge against anyone. But Danny forgiving her was one thing, forgiving herself was another matter entirely. Maddie firmly believed in the philosophy that being honest with oneself was the best way to be happy, and she knew that the only way she could ever forgive herself for hunting her own son was if she went out of her way to make sure that Danny was in a fully supportive and loving family who would not only accept his ghost half, but also help and serve alongside him as his partners and his protectors.
She and Jack had both given their all to make this goal a reality. They'd spent hours dismantling every single Fenton weapon and security system, before rebuilding them so that they not only recognized and ignored Danny's unique ecto-signature, but also did less damage than before to ghosts in general. Maddie could still remember the grateful look on Danny's face knowing that their weapons could still bring on pain, but were no longer capable of destroying ghosts outright except to a prolonged, concentrated attack.
Once Fenton Works had been converted from a hostile environment to a friendly one for Danny, they'd then started developing technology and ecto-products that would directly help Danny in his mission to protect Amity Park. The new and improved Ecto-Skeleton, free of any deadly neural glitches, the Ecto-Amplifier packets that they had produced with a sample of his core ectoplasm, and the stronger and more durable Fenton Thermos had been their greatest developments in this regard, none of which could ever be used against him because of just how carefully they had been designed. But even this was spreading the rift between them in its own way. After all, it had been her experiment this very afternoon that had stopped her and Jack from hanging out with Danny like a proper family should.
"Maddie?" a booming voice called out her name. She looked up to see her loving husband's massive frame shadowing the doorway to their bedroom, concern in his eyes. "You're worried about bonding with Danny again, aren't ya?"
Maddie nodded wordlessly as her husband draped an arm over her shoulder. "Y'know Mads, I think it's probably for the best if we just talk with Danny later tonight, eh? After all, we agreed on no more secrets among us. Right?"
"Right…" she sighed. "I'm still trying to think about how we can help Danny out besides just making more stuff in our lab for him."
Jack shrugged. "Well, it's not like he's helpless on his own, Mads. He's proved that for years. Ever since that accident with the portal, that ghost half of his has really helped him step up to the challenges of the real world!"
Maddie's eyes widened. "Wait a minute…say that again!"
"Uh…." Her husband looked puzzled. "The accident with the portal?"
"No, no, not that! The part after that!"
"Uh…ghost…half?"
"THAT'S IT!" Maddie shouted excitedly. "I know exactly what to do now! Thanks, Jack!" she kissed her husband fervently in the lips before rushing out of the room, all but whooping with joy.
Jack stared after her for several moments, before grinning himself. "Jack, you brilliant man, you've done it again! This calls for some celebratory homemade fudge! Lots and lots of fudge!"
The DP Mansion
"Hi, Danny!" Dani called out as she saw her cousin return from his errands. "Are you done for the day?"
"Yep!" Danny replied as he landed the Ecto-Skeleton suit in front of the DP Mansion. He signaled for Wulf to send the Ecto-Skeleton back to Fenton Works through a portal, before turning his attention over to Dani. "Are you fine staying here for now until you've got a place to go to, Danielle?"
She laughed. "In this awesome mansion? Heck, I wouldn't mind staying here forever!" She suddenly realized something and gave Danny a confused glance. "So why haven't you left for home yet? Didn't your parents say the portal was open again?"
"I'll be going home soon," Danny explained. "I just wanted to take a break and show you a little something first."
The two Phantoms floated into the mansion and locked the door behind them, before making their way up to Danny's room. "I've got a secret that pretty much nobody outside my family knows about. Sam and Tucker know, obviously, but with all the ghost hunting stuff it kinda took a backseat to more important stuff," Danny explained as he opened up the closet. He reached in and, to Dani's amazement, pulled out an electric guitar. The guitar itself was colored pitch black, with a white interior and bright green flames rising from the bottom.
"You play guitar?" Dani asked excitedly.
"Yep!" Danny grinned. "I used to do this all the time before I got my ghost powers. Then high school and ghost attacks started and you don't exactly have much time to do a lot of practicing when you have to save the world on a regular basis. I made this earlier when our friends were waiting for me to finish the mansion and when nobody was looking. Do you want me to play you something?"
"YES!" his cousin all but squealed. Danny nodded and began to sing.
They see you as small and helpless,
They see you as just a child.
Surprise when they find out that a warrior will soon run wild.
Prepare for your greatest moments,
Prepare for your finest hour.
The dream that you've always dreamed is
Suddenly about to flower.
We are lightning.
Straying from the thunder,
Miracles of ancient wonder
This will be the day we've waited for!
This will be the day we open up the door.
I don't wanna hear your absolution,
Hope you're ready for a revolution.
Welcome to a world of new solutions.
Welcome to a world of bloody evolution,
In time…your heart will open minds,
A story will be told,
And victory is in a simple soul.
Your world needs a great defender,
Your world's in the way of harm.
You want a romantic life, a fairytale that's full of charm.
Beware that the light is fading,
Beware as the dark returns
This world's unforgiving,
even brilliant lights will cease to burn.
Legends…scatter…
Day and night will sever!
Hope and peace are lost forever!
This will be the day we've waited for!
This will be the day we open up the door.
I don't wanna hear your absolution,
Hope you're ready for a revolution.
Welcome to a world of new solutions.
Welcome to a world of bloody evolution,
In time…your heart will open minds,
A story will be told,
And victory is in a simple soul!
Danny ended the song with a bow as he finished off the last few lines. Dani was staring at him open-mouthed and speechless, completely blown away.
"Uh, Dani? You there? Earth to Dani?"
Danny was about to think that maybe his singing was maybe just as bad as Tucker's or Jazz's, but then he realized that Dani wasn't ACTUALLY staring at him. The young halfa finally gathered enough of her thoughts together to lift her finger and point at the window behind Danny. He turned his eyes towards the direction she was pointing….and froze.
Ember was staring back at them through the open window, wearing an expression that was even more shocked than Dani's. "What the hell?" Danny thought, his mind completely scrambled. "Ember heard every word, didn't she? Why the heck was she even here to begin with?"
Ember, in the meanwhile, was still trying to get over the shock of seeing her new friend play and sing with a level of skill rivaling that of a rock star. She'd heard how much his geek friend and sister sucked hard at singing, so in the back of her mind she'd always assumed that Danny wouldn't be any better. An assumption that, in the course of a few seconds, Phantom had blasted completely into oblivion.
"Busted…" Dani whispered, giggling nervously despite the awkward situation.
"Uh…"
Ember's eyes narrowed. "You've got some explaining to do…baby pop."
/
I know it's been a while since his death, but RIP Monty Oum. I haven't seen all of RWBY but I like the show a lot from what I've seen.
This probably goes without saying, but "This Will Be the Day" belongs to Rooster Teeth and Jeff Williams. (Yes, I know the song was technically sung by a female singer, but since when has that stopped anybody?)
And it looks like Ember's just found out Danny's Rocker secret! As Dani so eloquently put it, BUSTED!
Read and review please!