Third person POV
Danny woke up around seven a.m. Slowly he remembered the previous day's events. And what awaited him today. Suddenly Danny felt something soft rubbing against him. He looked on his left and smiled at the sight of his sleeping girlfriend. It felt right to wake up to that. Giving a soft kiss on her forehead, Danny got up, dressed and quietly floated out of the room.
The young king went to the dining room to have some breakfast. He was greeted by the sight of his father, eating at the table and smirking.
"So, how did the night with Ms. McLain go?"
The Time Master laughed, when his son blushed brightly in embarassment and grumbled something under his nose. As Danny sat on his place, Clockwork continued.
"You might want to check out your former class and send them back."
"Yeah, I planned to do that after breakfast. Then I will leave Ellie with Johnny and Kitty"
Breakfast was quiet after that. Danny then asked one of the servants to wake up the guests, while he went to get his little daughter. She had a big bedroom, and, as every five years old's room, it was always messy, with toys lying everywhere. Unlike the rest of the palace, Ellie's room was painted in bright colors, blue and white being primary. It took all of Phantom's manly pride to not say 'aww' at the sight. His little girl was sleeping on her big bed, with one leg hanging from the end and gripping Cujo like a Teddy Bear. Danny gently shook her shoulder.
"Ellie, It's time to get up," he said with a smile.
"Hmm," Ellie mumbled and turned on the other side. It was time to use heavy artillery.
"Well, looks like I'll go to Jonny and Kitty alone," Danny started walking away.
"No, no! I'm not sleepin'!" She shouted, suddenly wide awake. These antics caused an amused chuckle from her young father.
"Then dress up and go eat!" With that he walked out of the room.
In less than a minute his little princess opened the door and ran to the dining room to have breakfast. Danny shook his head and followed her. By the time they arrived, students were eating and chatting with each other. Valerie was quiet, she was still thinking about what Phantom had told them. Ellie started eating as well, while Danny sat on his armchair near the fireplace, waiting for the guests to finish their meals. After some time he coughed loudly.
"Okay, people, follow me," Phantom said and the others followed him.
The group went through many coridors, turns and stairs, until they came to the lab. Danny wanted to make his lab look as little as possible like the Fentons'. There weren't any metal walls or weapons hanging on the walls. Unlike his 'parents'', Phantom kept this place clean and sterile. Danny wasn't so concentrated on manufacturing hunting equipment, why would he be? Instead, he tried to create things for civilian needs, because ectoplasm was almost an unlimited source of energy. He obtained it more humanly, simply from the air around.
And, of course, there was the Ghost Portal. Magnificent piece of art and the only way out of their current predicament. Danny started typing something on the panel nearby.
"Mr. Phantom, is that what I think it is?"
"Yep, my very own Ghost Portal. It should take you home," answered Danny as the metal doors opened, revealing a green and black vortex. "One more thing. DO NOT tell anyone about me, get it?" People started to nod rapidly, being slightly afraid of his tone.
"Just remember that Fentons used you as bait for feral ghosts," everyone was shocked and wanted to ask something, but he only gestured to the swirling mass. After that they went inside the portal one by one. Valerie was the last, but when she almost stepped inside, she felt an arm on her shoulder. It was Phantom.
"Hey, Val, may I talk with you about something?"
"What is it?" Danny passed her a pair of familiar looking headphones.
"I wanted to give you these in case of emergency."
"Emergency?"
"Look, I'm just worried about GIW. They may be morons, but they can think logically. And, if you are the only one returning huntress, it will raise some suspicions and put you and your father in danger. If such a thing happens, then just call me. I'm always there for my friends," he said. Valerie was taken aback by such care. But she still took the headphones after thanking him, and then walked inside the Portal.
And now for the hard part.
Observants' Court
"Daniel, is there something that's bothering you?" Clockwork asked his son.
The court was a big gray building, on the outside it looked a bit like the Coliseum with it's circle structure, arcs and columns. Danny moved this construction from its barrens and placed it inside the capital. Currently there was a huge amount of people around, everyone wanted to see what was going to happen there. Many of them lost their friends and family because of these hunters, and they wanted revenge. But Phantom had very conflicted thoughts.
"I don't know, Dad. It's just... for so long I wanted to make them suffer. At first I even wanted to kill them in most cruel ways. Now... I'm not sure if that's what I need. I don't feel any satisfaction in what I'm doing right now"
"There are reasons for that, my son. One year is a long time. Even if you haven't forgiven them, you still remember the good things you have done together. There isn't a worse enemy, than a former friend"
"Don't worry, little brother, we will go through it together," said Jazz, putting a hand on Danny's shoulder. He smiled gratefully.
"Thank you, guys. I mean it"
"One more thing. You will need this," Clockwork put his hand under his cloak and took out a familiar item. The Crown of Fire.
"Why?" Danny asked.
"It will give the effect we need," The Time Master smirked. After that Phantom put on the powerful artifact. Fire on it started to flicker faster. Danny's eyes started glowing brighter, his hair flowing.
With that the group walked inside the main hall. It was a huge round room. On the tribunes were hundreds of Observants. Their appearance was unusual. They were all identical, floating figures with a single big eye, wearing the same white and golden clothes, black cloaks with red inside.
Some things in the hall reminded him of Court House from human world. There were two black tables near each other, and the Judge's seat on front of it. Clockwork floated to his place on the right side of the seat. Jazz stayed with Danny. Not so long after, the Fentons, Sam and Tucker arrived. They were handcuffed and guards were walking beside them. They were throwing the young king fearful and hateful glances. Danny noticed some burns on their faces. 'Ember.' he thought, shaking his head slightly.
"All stand up, the Trial is about to begin!" One of the observants declared.
A second later, the High Inquisitor had arrived. Alexios looked different from the usual Observants, but he was wearing the same attire. The Inquisitor had green skin, two black eyes with green pupils. He looked young, about twenty five years. Alexios and Danny had had a rocky relationship. After all, he was the one who ordered Clockwork to destroy the boy. But Phantom didn't hold a grudge. He knew, that the Ancient tried to do it with good intentions, even if they weren't directed toward him. The Inquisitor started talking with a loud voice, getting to his place.
"Please sit down. Today we are looking into the case of Amity Park hunters: Madeline and Jack Fenton, Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley. They are accused of murder, torture, neglect and abuse. Let the trial begin," He said, narrowing his eyes.
Alexios faced many evil beings, they had executed Vortex not long ago. The weather ghost had committed many things, floods, hurricanes, took the lives of many people. But at least he did it fast. There wasn't any painful torture. But here stood these humans, who had done maybe not as much in numbers, but much more in pain. The Ancient thought about the word 'humanity'. Some people decided that they are human just because they belong to human race. Just like the current accused.
But it was not that. Hardly. Humanity was kindness, care, mercifulness, something that these people didn't have for sure.
"Do the accused have anything to declare?" Silence was his answer, "Then I give the word to King Phantom"
"Thank you, Alexios. All I want to say is that everyone here knows what happened to the ghosts who were captured by these people. Me, sadly, being one of them," Jazz, noticing Danny's discomfort, patted him on the back.
"Do you have anything to prove your words?" Even if the Ancient knew what Phantom has, he still asked. It was protocol, after all.
In response, Danny snapped his fingers, his cape and chest clothing dissappearing, revealing his bruised body. The trial was seen by whole Ghost Zone, and a common gasp was heard through the world. Everyone saw a particular Y-shaped scar in the middle. A second later Phantom snapped his fingers again and hid the bruises.
"That is a strong sentence by itself, but, sadly, young Daniel isn't the only one. Because of these 'hunters', 182 ghosts lost their afterlives," Clockwork declared. It caused wave of angry shouts and horrified murmurs.
"QUIET!" Alexios boomed, causing the entire hall to shut up, "Do the accused have anything to say in their defense?"
"I'm sorry, Danny," said Sam. It caused his eyes to widen at the fact that Sam, of all people said sorry. But it was only for a brief second, before Phantom glared at her.
"Sorry wouldn't fix everything you have done, Samantha. And it's Phantom for you," said the King to his former friend in a tone colder than his core.
"Have the Observants come to a decision?" Alexios asked loudly.
"GUILTY!" was everything they said. The hunters had a feeling that they weren't going to like their sentence.
"Then it is decided. But, by doing damage to the King himself, which makes it a political crime, His Majesty will be the one to decide punishment," Danny didn't know that part. Now, all eyes were glued to him as he started thinking. Choosing between different variants, Phantom picked the best one in his opinion.
"Send them into Realm of Fear." The High Inquisitor nodded and ordered to call for Fright Knight.
Fright Knight was known as the Spirit of Halloween. There were a lot of ancient legends about him. Fright rides on a horse named Nightmare, slaying people with his special sword. The Soul Shredder could make you experience your worst fears by sending you into a place, known as the 'Realm of Fear'. Also, he was a loyal servant of the Ghost King. He served Pariah, his father and even their predecessors. Now, Phantom was his master. And Fright Knight had admitted to himself, that Daniel was the best one so far.
When he arrived and was told what he had to do, the hall became quiet. The whole Ghost Zone watched with attention. Fright took out his wicked sword and in one swift motion it went right through the hunters, leaving nothing, but memories about them.
Outside of the Court
Some time later
Danny came out of the building with conflicted thoughts. On one side, these bastards paid for what they had done. On the other, as his father said, he was reminded about all things they had gone through together, their first ghost fight, how he, Sam and Tucker tried to make a report about the Purple-Back Gorilla. There weren't any moments with Danny's birth parents, because these moments did not exist. Still... He just needed some time to think.
But, again, the universe hated him.
"Ghost Child!" Danny heard a shout. Turning around, he saw Technus.
"What now?" Phantom groaned.
"Don't be so grumpy, because I, Technus, Master of Technology, found something that you might want to look at!"
"And this is..." Technus gave him a hard drive.
"I found this beauty in the wreckage of humans' transport. I looked inside and you need to as well!"
With that they went to the palace immediately.
The duo arrived very fast, and, not losing time, ran down to the lab. Technus then connected thr hard drive to the computer. Danny was shocked at what he saw. GIW data. Disposition of all their bases, information about weaponry, everything.
"Soo, what are we going to do now?" Technology ghost asked.
"We are going to war."
A.N. And here goes so awaited chapter. Hope it lived to your expectations.