Before we get started on the very last installment, I just want to say how grateful I am for all the reviews, followers, and favorite I got for this story. Every time I got new feed back I was wonderfully inspired to complete this story. Thank you all so much I love you all.
I am undecided about a sequel, I have a lot of school work for this quarter, so I'll think about it for a few weeks and wait till summer. So this fic is now complete. If I do go for a sequel I will post an epilogue to this story as a segue, so don't write it off entirely.
Also, for the fight scene, if you want the music- it's great to listen to while you read head on over to youtube the songs are, in order: "It's Me" by TryHardNinja, "Five More Nights" by J.T. Machima, and "Just Gold" by Mandopony.
Thank you so much again, and please enjoy the last chapter of Malevolence!
Malevolence
chp 11- Five Nights at Freddy's
by: TheColorsofSand
It was Monday. The thought was fairly terrible to him. Six am on a Monday. But at least he'd woken fairly well. Sam lay cuddled next to him in her bed. They had enjoyed their time together, but if he wanted to not be dead for real this time, he needed to be back home before his parents discovered he was missing and her parents discovered he was not.
"Sam, I got to go." He whispered. She groaned a little and snuggled closer to him. It didn't make him want to go any more than he already did, but he knew he had to worm his way out of her bed and back to his own.
"Do you have to?" She said, eyes still closed.
"Yeah." He said quietly. "If your parents find me I'll be dead all the way this time." She chuckled a little bit- because she knew it was true.
"See you at school." It sounded a little bit like a question to him.
"Unfortunately." He responded. "I think I could sleep until this time next year."
"Not without me you couldn't." She cracked one eye open to give him a very serious look, but the effect was ruined by her bedraggled hair and smeared makeup. He smiled at her and nodded.
"I'll see you in a couple hours." He said, and teleported back home.
Dani was in his bed, still, but at least awake and dressed this time. She hugged him when he appeared and he was glad to hug her back. It was weird, really weird. But strangely very right. After all, he was a time-travelling half ghost, master of a collection of psychotic murdering ghosts, apprentice to a ghost some people called the time god, and full time superhero, why couldn't he have a daughter that wasn't really young enough to be his actual daughter slash clone that wasn't really technically a clone created by an evil half-ghost super villain who had the hots for his mom?
It made perfect sense.
"Your parents are waiting for you downstairs. I told them you went to see Sam, I just didn't tell them when you were going to be back."
"Thanks. I'm guessing every one's wondering what happened. Do you feel like hearing a long story?" She nodded, and he lifted her and sat her on his shoulder. "Then let's get downstairs, I think this is going to take a while." He carried her down the stairs rather easily, and the rest of the family was already waiting at the kitchen table. They all had a hug for him again. The last couple of days had been stressful for them as well.
"Don't you have classes today?" He asked Jazz, who shook her head.
"Not today I don't." She said. Danny sat Danielle next to her, and Jack and Maddie looked at him with serious expectation.
"So," Jack said finally, "what happened?" Danny sighed. The road ahead was long, but he didn't have to be at school until nine o'clock.
"A lot has happened actually. And, I think a few things have changed. Do you have time to hear the whole story?" Maddie frowned at him.
"What makes you think you can weasel your way out of telling it to us?" She said. He nodded and sighed.
"I remember what happened at the restaurant... when I was little. In fact, I remember pretty much everything about it. Along with some things that you didn't know."
"Danny, who did that to you?" Jack asked immediately. Danny shook his head.
"It doesn't really matter Dad. He's getting what he deserved for it. He can't hurt anybody else." Jack didn't seemed satisfied with the answer. Maddie and Jazz didn't either. Dani pat him on the arm and seemed to understand. Revenge for a ghost was different than a human being. She understood the finality of those words. The others looked at him, hard, expecting the whole story. And after the week they'd just had, it didn't feel right to deny it to them. He took a deep breath.
"Okay- here it is. You couldn't find me that day in the store because I wasn't there." Jack looked ready to open his mouth, but Danny raised a hand to stop him. "The thing is, I didn't really leave either. When I left you, I went to the back room and through a portal." This time Maddie opened her mouth to speak, but it was a look from Jazz that silenced her. "I know, you can't open portals in that restaurant- that's true. But a very powerful ghost, a ghost like Clockwork can open his own portal through time instead of to the ghost zone. And that's what happened to me. Clockwork opened a portal and I went through.
"What happened to me didn't happen that day- it happened years earlier. It needed to happen while the person who did it was still young- otherwise I would have been killed right away. And it turns out the time-stream needed me to almost die in the restaurant, but not actually die. So Clockwork opened a portal to the past, and after five days he opened one back."
"Why?" This time it was Jazz, and the outrage was rather clear on her face. "Why would he ever do that?" Even Dani looked pretty pissed. Danny sighed again. He made a mental note to watch how he worded the story when he told Sam and Tucker. Throwing his mentor under the bus was probably not the way to get on his good side.
"Because I needed to be trapped in that collection, or else no one would have been able to control it. It's really confusing, but he explained it once- a long time ago. They needed me to be a ghost. The portal accident either would have done nothing to me, or killed me, so they needed something to happen to make me a ghost when I started the portal. Which meant I had to live through something terrible, but not die. I'm not sure what it was they needed me for- after that I was more of a liability, that's why the Observants tried to have me killed for the whole 'Dan Phantom' thing. But Clockwork knew that if he made sure there was something else I had to do afterward- like make sure that berserk collection didn't keep killing people, then he'd have an excuse to keep me around long enough that the Observants couldn't just have me executed for things that might happen later." He was pretty proud of himself for putting it all together. His teacher had only given him the basic outline all those years ago, but saying it out loud let all the pieces slide together.
Pariah Dark. He'd defeated him more or less single handedly. It wasn't long after that the Observants tried to have him killed. Clockwork had saved him from that- and his family. He probably told the Observants all about his trick at the restaurant after they had chastised him for going outside of his set duties. It was as close to a threat as he could casually make. If they killed him, they only destroyed part of Phantom, and the other part...
"Part of my soul stuck in that old suit in the original restaurant. That's where he hid me, thinking that I was already dead. Part of my soul stuck there. That's when the collection started. He'd already killed another kid, a little girl. She was his cousin, I think. And she was special. I am a pretty powerful ghost, but she would have been- incredible. When he started killing people, she attracted them, because she was so lonely. By then I wasn't good company. The suit I used to get around was disabled. That's how the collection started. When we moved to the next location- that's when they... when we started killing the night guards. We had to get rid of him, because when I came back, five nights after I went missing, he had to be dead, or he would kill me anyway.
"It took a lot of years, and a lot of people died before we got it right. But I lived through it. But by then she and the others weren't going to stop. I got them started, but until my soul- both my ghost halves- got together, I couldn't get them to stop. When I accidentally teleported that first time, it was because I was maturing, and it was time to get both sides of me back together. I really did get pulled in, and I really can't leave the collection. What I didn't know was that I could master it. I'm the one that controls it, not the other way around." He spared them the details. Dani and Jazz already knew anyway. He didn't think his parents would appreciate the gruesome details of possessed robots trying to kill him. "So basically, in the course of one week I became a completely different kind of ghost than I was before." Danny paused and waited for his family to catch up. Dani and Jazz seemed to be following so far. But his parents were still a little stuck.
"We looked for you for days." Jack said. "Are you telling me that all the things we did didn't matter at all?"
"Dad, I was the one that brought myself into the backroom. The part of me that was stuck in the restaurant. I... did it to myself, because I knew it had to happen." The look he got from his parents were horrible. Even Dani looked like she couldn't possibly understand. He paused for a moment. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell them everything- it was just hard to separate it in his own brain. He'd achieved convergence. The part of him that had existed in that old deactivated suit was now joined so well with the part of him that had escaped it, that it was hard for him to pick out the bits and pieces that they didn't know.
He looked at them all and realized that they just didn't know he'd changed. Danielle had seen it for herself, but she didn't realize the full extent. He didn't just look different, he wasn't just a different kind of ghost. Phantom was now an entirely different person.
So he started from the beginning.
Catching a glimpse of that crumpled yellow robot that turned out to be himself- following it when it seemed to appear just beyond the next corner, just into the next room. He followed himself backstage and through a portal that he wouldn't recognize until much later. He was unaware that anything unusual happened.
Victor Fasbach found him there, not in 1993, but 1974. For reasons he would probably never understand, he was nearly killed and stuffed into the only operating robot at the time. Fredbear, the yellow suit. He survived for a week inside, feeling that something was close, something friendly. Five nights later, and he went through the portal a second time, was pulled from the suit by another robot- the current Freddy- and deposited in the empty office for safekeeping. At exactly six am the day manager found him, almost dead, huddling under the desk.
But that wasn't everything. Part of him couldn't be separated from old Fredbear, and that was the point. When his physical presence went through the portal, the part left behind gained consciousness. Disconnected, he was angry that he was left alone. It was many years before he understood what had happened to him. He met her for real then. A little girl, the cousin of the man who'd hurt him. The older boy, jealous of the kindness with which her father treated her, jealous of her intelligence and talent, and angry at the world in general made her his first conquest. She lingered, lonely, hoping for someone to find her. She had been an unusual girl, and she was an unusual ghost. She carried a grudge and the ability to carry it out, she just needed a little direction. And he was there to give it to her. Together they began their game- and they were so effective together Victor Fasbach had to fight back.
In the daytime, when he felt safe, moving from the old location to the new one, he hobbled him; pulling the pins from the joints so that the robot could not move without a person inside. It was relatively easy for him to do, seeing as how he and his father had designed and built the suit themselves. When everything had been situated again, he couldn't move. And the real frustration began.
It was an intentional affront to him when the Fredbear suit was used to such a despicable end. He watched young children die just the way he almost did, and could do nothing to stop it. He was so distraught, that she used her immense power to make sure the poor little children didn't leave them. They all ended the same way, so they would all stay together.
When they moved again, he gained no movement, but she did. Her father made the marionette in memory of her, an animatronic he knew she would have loved. She did love it, and regarded it as a gift. Together, with her power, he and the children made sure that they would be safe this time. They made the spirits that inhabited the robots to ensure that the game ended in a timely fashion.
But it didn't, not the way they had intended. He watched a second time, unable to save them. But by now, her power, and his, and grown so great the children could not have escaped even if they had tried. But that was alright, because there little family was growing.
The murders slowed to a halt. Victor was getting too old, after all. But they had grown greater with age, and always would. They were just getting started. Those that fell before them, joined them. And that was fine, because he'd grown to love his little family. And when Clockwork came to visit them, he grew desperate. Because he understood now what had happened to him. Victor Fasbach had to die, or he would.
They doubled their efforts. The dead flocked to them when they made the transition. Their power was like a great magnet that drew them in. Every new soul joined the collection and the guardian spirits became greater and greater. Every night the game began again, and mobile or not, he managed to get around. The frustration was consuming, but he didn't lose sight of the goal.
When it was time, he did what he had to do, the job that had been handed to him by someone he would one day call a friend. It was a vague recollection that made him recognize his old form. And the memory told him what he needed to do. He lured his old self back through the portal, though the effort was immense. But he got his revenge. That night, the culmination of his many years of effort and the participation of his entire family paid off. It was euphoric. It was everything. But by then, his focus had shifted. It was not the revenge against Victor Fasbach that drove him. Because he had family now. And he needed to keep them safe and happy. Little boys and girls, and frightened night guards, and even Victor, looked to him for guidance and protection. Exhausted from the effort of the nights before, he didn't have the energy or desire to put an end to their game.
All he had to do was wait.
Ten years later, to the day, something happened. And fours years after that, he walked through the doors again.
The rest would be history.
Jack, Maddie, and Jazz Fenton stared at him with jaws partially open. They all looked too blank to even have questions. Dani was staring at him too, but her expression was a little different. She had been forced to see hi in a different light before- and she seemed to be catching up a little faster. He was older now than any of them had imagined- and changed in a way they had yet to comprehend. Somewhere, other than before their very eyes, Danny had been growing and changing.
Something dawned in Dani's eyes as she gazed at him. His anger had not been irrational, his desire for revenge nothing more than playful and childish, his obligation to his family the most important obsession. The angry part of him had been split away from him so long ago, that the Phantom they knew developed without it. But the ghostly obsession no earthly ghost could resist, developed suddenly and without prompt. Because it had already developed years ago. And he was just catching up. And though all that, her first coherent thought had nothing to do with anything at all.
"So you're going to tell them that you're my dad next, right?" Her smile was wide as she watched the statement take effect exactly the way it was designed to. The Fenton's mouth snapped shut, as one confusion drifted across each of their faces, followed by a frown, then more confusion, and finally a nervous smile.
"Wait, what?" Jack asked, but Jazz had gone from confusion to happiness. She got out of her chair and hugged Dani tightly.
"Well it's about time he figured it out." She said, and it was Danny's turn to frown.
"Okay, here is the new policy; if you want me to figure something out, just tell me what it is, rather than just watching me flail around like an idiot until I get it, okay?" The look on his parent's face was still fairly confused, so he came to their rescue.
"When ghosts have kids, they don't mate and give birth, at least not usually. They take little parts of themselves and actually can grow them into 'children'. When Vlad made Dani, that was what he did. But he used part of me rather than part of him. I was too young to be able to do it myself, which is why Dani is so special. It's also why she was unstable. Immature ghosts aren't stable either- so the other day when she came to see me, I was a little out of it. I reformed her so that she was stable, I just didn't realize that it would take so much out of her. I was kind of preoccupied." A thought struck him and he groaned immediately, slapping his hand over his eyes.
"Holy crap, I forgot about Valerie! She's going to be so pissed!" Dani covered her mouth in surprise.
"Oh no! With everything that happened I forgot to check on her. She probably thinks you did something horrible to me." She paused and looked at her... father, she supposed. "It's been nice knowing you." She said. Which was probably not far off from the truth. He was going to have to apologize to the Red Huntress. It wasn't going to be pretty. But right now, he had other people to worry about. His mother and father were still absorbing everything. He had spared few details- including his changed appearance and the marking of his territory, something he had previously been putting off. And then tossing in his new status as a ghost-father, he was a little bit afraid that he'd broken his parents.
"Wait, what?" His father asked again. Danny took a deep breath again, and tried to organize his thoughts.
"Look, the point is- a lot has happened. I remember all the things that you wanted me to forget. And I understand why you did what you did. I wish that you had just told me, but I get it. But a lot has changed, and I'm one of those things, so it's going to take some getting used to. I'm sorry that I made this whole mess worse. I should have told you everything right away. And I'm sorry that this happened, and I'm sorry that it's something that I'll have to carry around in front of you. But I'm okay. And I'm going to be okay, even if maybe I'm a little less human today than I was last week. And I hope that you're okay with that too."
Jazz hugged him, tightly and awkwardly. He could hear Dani laughing a little at the scene. It seemed to break the tension. He hugged his sister and turned to his parents, who were looking less confused, but still timid.
"We love you too." Maddie said, but she didn't look ready to let it all go. "Let's just give this some time to straighten out. I think you're right, things have changed- and we might have to change too. But we're going to love you anyway, okay?" He hugged them both too. His father looked sad. But they each had a hug for Danielle as well, and he knew what ever change was coming, it would be fine.
So long as he could take care of them, he didn't have to care about anything else.
But of course he was late for school. He promised Jazz he'd talk to her class, promised Danielle he'd be back in a few hours, and promised his parents he would quit his night job, and it was back to the normalcy of high school.
Rather than rush to his first class, he teleported, being able to do so without fear. He arrived with a few seconds to spare. He felt like a real ghost now, through his first class, his girlfriend and best friend waiting there for him, he could see the things that had changed. The math on the board was not so difficult. The ability of the ghost to focus had increased. He looked at each person in the class and could feel their energy and human signature. 'Maturity' was a very hard concept to grasp, but he could feel the change in his own thinking.
He gave them the whole story at lunch. He shortened it a little, just for the time constraint, but was sure to include the bit about Danielle and his promise to quit his job. Their reaction was rather different than his parent's.
"Well, that would actually explain a lot." Tucker said, shrugging a little. Sam shot him terrible glares, and punched his arm harshly.
"Don't ever try to go get yourself killed like that again." She said, then kissed him, well enough to make Tuck blush. His friends were amazing. They didn't care that he had changed, and they didn't care what he'd had to do to make the change. They just cared that he was safe and back with them. Tucker was still his brother. Sam was still his lover. That much wasn't going to change.
"Thanks guys. My parents were a little bit freaked out. Actually, I think I may have freaked them out a little too much." Things really were going to change, and he was on the fence about it. He was a ghost, he had a home and the ability to take care of himself. But he was also a human being, and he wanted to be with his family like any other human being his age. It was foolish to think that he could always have both.
Maybe his father was right. He was going to have to choose. And the choice was becoming more and more obvious with every passing day. But right now, he wasn't going to solve the problem. Right now he was going to enjoy his new normal. And there was something else he had to take care of.
"Hey guys, I have to go find Valerie. I'll catch up with you later. I'm pretty sure she's going to be pissed at me."
He wasn't wrong. He found Valerie outside the gym, sitting on the floor with two friends he didn't immediately recognize. She had gauze taped to her forehead and a brace on her left wrist. He felt like an ass. He approached carefully, looking sheepish, and when her eyes finally drifted to him he waved at her with an apologetic smile. He didn't have time to say 'hello' because she was on her feet. Her right hook took him right on the jaw, and nearly knocked a tooth loose.
"Okay, I kind of deserved that." He said, hand on his face where she had hit him. She swung again, but he ducked back. It didn't help much though, she kicked his feet out from under him and he went down. Before he had much time to think about it she had stepped on his chest with all her weight. He caught her foot in time to save his ribs, but without just tossing her across the room, she wasn't giving up.
"What in the hell was that about!" She demanded. She was only ten seconds from pulling out a very nasty weapon of questionable nature. Her friends had fled, not willing to be collateral damage.
"Trying... to... apologize..." He ground out.
"Oh you're going to give me more than an apology!" Val shouted.
"I'll tell you everything." He gasped. "I was out of it, I really am sorry. But I need to breath." She glared and leaned down, putting even more weight on him.
"No, I don't think you do." She took her foot off him, but got a kick in the head anyway. He took it as a sign of trust for not tossing her across the room.
He and the Red Huntress had come to a sort of working agreement. She was well aware that he could wipe the floor with her, and trusted him not to. He acknowledged that she was a help more than a hindrance and trusted her to stay that way.
Danny sat up, and slowly climbed to his feet, brushing himself off. Red looked pretty damn pissed, and he didn't blame her for it. He never should have acted that way with her.
"I'm sorry Valerie. I really am. I never should have done that." She was still turned away from him. "Red, I mean it. I was out of it. What you saw was... well, it's me now." She looked at him incredulously.
"I knew that thing was you when I saw it. When you knocked me out of the fucking sky I knew that ecto-blast. What in the hell happened to you?" Her interest now was less than homicidal, and he was grateful for it.
"Ghosts mature after five years or so, and it's kind of a long story about how it actually happened, but long story short- ghosts call it transformante and it happened to me. It was really disorienting, and when you attacked me, I was really just trying to get you out of the way. I didn't realize my own strength." She glared at him, forever sore that she wasn't as strong as he was. The reminder didn't make it any better.
"So you just wanted me 'out of the way'." She hissed. He held up his hands.
"No, I just... am really sorry. I shouldn't have acted that way. I wasn't myself, but I am now. It's not going to happen again." She stared for a long time. He really did like Valerie. Somewhere deep down, he knew he was her friend too. He was the only one that got away with calling her 'Red' she was the only one who got away with calling him 'Spook'. They could work together flawlessly when the time came. Fighting between them was useless and stupid, and they both knew it.
"It's done with." She said, it was more like a demand than a question. Danny nodded.
"Absolutely. I had my little freak out and now it's over."
"Okay. It happens again, and I'll put you in the ground permanently and for real." She said firmly. He nodded.
"I'll let you." He said. "I am sorry." Finally she nodded in ascent. "Were you okay?" She shrugged.
"I needed two stitches, sprained my wrist. I survived." Her eyes widened suddenly. "What did you do to Dani?!" She yelled. His hands went up again.
"She fine, she's just fine, I didn't hurt her." She glared at him, but seemed to trust him. "Actually, what I did needed to happen. She was still unstable- I was finally able to stabilize her. I probably should have waited until after I was more lucid though."
"You didn't hurt her?" He shook his head.
"I would never hurt her- not even if I had to. You know that."
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He gave Lancer the short version before class started. The teacher stared at him in amazement, and I finally put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.
"Son, it boggles the mind that you have survived for this long, unscathed." Danny just smiled.
"Yeah, I'm pretty amazing." He chuckled. Both men shared a little laugh. Mr. Lancer had stuck with him a lot longer than any other adult besides his parents. And he was grateful for the support.
When class started, he didn't even get a glare that his homework wasn't done. He figured being nearly killed was a pretty good excuse. Halfway through the lecture, however, a twinge at his senses drew his attention away.
Though his territory had finally been claimed, he'd never felt another ghost enter. The feeling was strangely unpleasant for him, and for just half a second he was angry. But the web of power afforded him some insight. He knew this ghost, and identified her immediately as Box Lunch. She was always drawn to stronger ghosts, and didn't know the etiquette involving someone's territory. Of course, he would have let her in anyway- she was only a baby after all. He sighed anyway, he remembered his promise to look after her himself the next time she came to Amity Park. And he really needed to get to her before Val got irritated and went herself.
He made his excuses with Lancer, and flew off to find the little ghost.
Box Lunch had found the local McDonald's. Fortunately she wasn't quite up to the task of making a mess just yet, but she was certainly working up to it. She circled the dumpster with the curiosity of a toddler, poking her head inside- captured by the shape, but put off by the smell. Thankfully, no one had noticed her yet. He floated down beside her, and tapped her gently, she most likely already knew that he was there.
"What are you doing here, Baby?" She turned around and got a good look at him for the first time in a week- a problem that hadn't occurred to him until just then. She took one good look at him and burst into tears.
"Oh Sweetie, it's okay." He took a hold of her and tried to comfort the screaming toddler. He felt like a terrible person. Of course she'd be scared. He was terrifying. She would know his signature, and when she could sense Phantom, but couldn't see Phantom, it wasn't a surprise that she wouldn't be very happy. He brought her to a secluded park to calm her down.
It took several snowballs shaped like boxes, and fifteen minutes or so, but after a while she looked a little harder, and seemed to understand that he was the same Phantom she knew.
"Hanom!" She said at last, and hugged him.
"That's right, Baby, it's me." He bounced her in his arms, and waited for the Box Ghost to come and claim her.
And waited.
It seemed like a long time to let a baby wander around by herself. Even a ghost baby, surely they had realized that she was missing? Perhaps his claim on the territory was scaring him away? He set a slight disturbance at the border- if the Box Ghost got close enough than he would feel the message Phantom wanted to send. In short; 'please come get your baby'. And he waited some more.
Class had ended, his parents were probably worried, and at the school students and parents were beginning to gather to watch the traditional football game at the end of the year- the seniors leaving the team, verses the new members starting the next year. He had forgotten that he, Sam, and Tucker were going to go to that thing. They were probably just getting there, wondering were he was. Ghost attacks had been non-existent after Skulker showed up a few days ago- and now even the Box Ghost was avoiding Amity Park, which was unheard of. Even little Cujo hadn't been around to see him it was like...
Like all the ghosts were afraid of him,
Phantom hadn't really thought that far ahead. If what Clockwork said was true, and it usually was, and he was going to one day be an ancient ghost legend or something, then ghosts fearing his power was something that he was going to have to get used to. He just didn't think all the ghosts who knew him so well could be afraid of him.
Which meant he would have to return Box Lunch himself. Not something so terrible, but he felt a little put out anyway. If he'd tried to breach his territory at all, Box Ghost would have known he didn't have to be afraid. But he'd been too scared to even try. He wasn't sure if he felt bad because he caused a fear great enough it outweighed the love of a child, or if he was was mad because Box Lunch's parents were more concerned about their own safety than their daughter's.
Box Lunch laughed when he opened the portal, which was apparently very funny- and carried her into the ghost zone with him. He had opened the portal a ways away from his own territory in the ghost zone, close to where the Box Ghost and the Lunch Lady had their home. By the time he got her home, Box Lunch was laughing and gurgling happily. Both her parents were terrified.
It took a little bit of explaining, that no, he was not going to tear them apart, and no, he was not going to punish their daughter for trespassing. By the time he left for home, he was pretty sure that they would be willing to pass on the word that he had no plans to take over the world or enslave weaker ghosts or anything like that.
He stopped back at his own lair before going back to FentonWorks. He didn't realize that he missed it until he went home. Lights came up as he entered, and he spent a few more minutes looking around. It contained all the equipment that he used regularly, as well as some of the equipment he would have liked to have but didn't. Part of his lair resembled the restaurant, including the office with was a fair replica, though much cleaner than the original. The security cameras even worked. It was amazing to him how much the restaurant felt like home. Just as much as FentonWorks did to him.
His lair was not what he would have chosen for himself, but it was exactly what he wanted. He just hadn't realized what that was. The bed was far from the door, but he found it easily, and seriously considered curling up in it and falling asleep. It was exactly the right size for his ghost form, as a matter of fact everything was- if Sam or Tucker had been there, everything would have seemed a bit over sized for them. He did tell them weeks ago he'd be there with them to watch the game. He sighed heavily and opened a portal back to Amity Park.
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Valerie didn't hate Phantom. She didn't hate Danny either. It was still a little hard for her to accept that both of them were actually the same person. And the new Phantom... she had to admit that power like that was pretty amazing. And if she had to chose which ghost got it, Phantom was at the top of the list, but it was still a little bit concerning. She could trust him, as much as she didn't really want to admit it, she could trust him. But that didn't mean things weren't going to change.
After all, they changed the other day, didn't they? When he apologized, she believed that he was sorry. Everything he said was the truth. But she wasn't ready to just forgive him entirely. He was going to have to earn that- she was owed some mornings off, and she was going to collect. He also be carrying her books and doing all her heavy lifting right up until her sprain healed.
Her wrist alarm went off again. She checked it, but wasn't terribly concerned. She hadn't had it calibrated to Phantom's new signature yet. She would have to get on that soon, listening to it go off every time Danny got close was going to get irritating very fast. The signature detected was a powerful one- but not quite at the same level as the one she'd detected the other day. The ghost was very powerful, that was for sure, but it wasn't Phantom.
And his signature was nowhere to be found.
She was really going to get her time off now.
People had already begun gathering in the bleachers around the football field. A rather large crowd had turned out for the traditional last game before the seniors graduated. In fact, most of the town had flocked to the school. Making it the perfect time for a ghost to attack- all of the most vulnerable would be in one location. He brought out her suit and hopped on the sled, tracking the source. At another glance, she saw the second signature pop up- not Phantom, but Dani. And judging by the power readout on her wrist, she was going to need the help.
The sky was beginning to darken. It wasn't so late- the sun was sinking, but the darkness was unnatural. Clouds formed above their heads- not a natural storm but unnatural cover that strangled the light and blocked out the sun. She could see the football field in the distance, and the roiling clouds over it. She was suddenly reminded of what Phantom had told her- that he was never stronger than he was over Casper High. Was it the same for other ghosts too? Because this one didn't need the power boost.
She could hear the noise from the crowd occupying the field. People were murmuring, concerned. Others were shouting, some screaming, but no one had run yet. She couldn't help but spare the thought that they were idiots. Hadn't they learned? Just morons hoping to catch a glimpse of Danny, even though a full half of them saw him every day in the hall or the cafeteria. They had grown so used to Phantom showing up to save them they weren't even trying to save their own skins.
When she arrived, Dani was waiting, the teams had stayed off the field, but the crowd still remained, pointing up and Dani and Val. They couldn't see the other ghost, but he was certainly making an entrance, and when he came, they would be ready.
"What is it?" Val shouted. The wind began picking up, the clouds swirled, in the warm early spring the people shivered. Something was very wrong.
"I don't know!" Dani shouted back, trying to be heard over the increasing winds. "Danny said he had to do something, he's not back yet! He should be able to tell when this happens, this town has been claimed!" Val frowned inside her mask. She didn't like the sound of that, but she'd argue about it later. The alarm on her wrist kicked up a notch. She would have a whole lot of trouble admitting it, but having Phantom around right now would be great.
"We need to get it away from the crowd! Try to push it out over the highway!" Dani gave her the thumbs up and they waited for whatever it was to break through. The power levels were high, but not quite what she'd read two days before when she ran into Danny. If it was less powerful than he was, then of course she could handle it. Her pride wouldn't allow her to lose.
She could see Dani tense, just beside her, and a blinding flash of light nearly knocked her out of the sky. Dani whizzed by, tossed, but not in trouble. Then the screaming started.
"No one's going anywhere." A powerful voice echoed around them. The scattering crowd scrambled, but a shield had formed over the football field, trapping the spectators and team inside. Valerie grit her teeth. She knew that voice. It was a little different, the timbre off just slightly, intonation a little odd, but that was definitely Phantom's voice.
She hit the shield and just barely recovered, but Dani sailed through easily, then entered again. Valerie didn't think ghosts could construct a shield like that, but she had the feeling this ghost didn't follow a lot of the rules other ghosts followed. She retaliated with a volley of shots before she could even see it clearly. She didn't really care who or what it was- just as long as it was far away from Amity Park. Dani was following suit, sending her ecto-blasts up towards the origin of the initial blast. Below, people were screaming and trying to run, but no one was getting far.
They wouldn't be able to drive him anywhere until they got the shield down. If she couldn't follow the ghost out of it, Dani would have to fight it alone, and with Phantom nowhere to be found, she wasn't going to have an easy time. Of course they were all just fish in a barrel now that they were trapped in a crowd of innocent bystanders. The ghost obviously didn't care about the trapped people, he didn't have to be careful where his shots landed.
Two ecto-blasts shot from the smoke and billowing clouds. They impacted eash of them and sent them hurtling towards the ground. This ghost seemed to know exactly how much power would knock her off the sled, exactly where she was going to aim next. And it had his voice.
"Hey Valerie. Long time, no see. Did you miss me?" She turned in mid-air, but it wasn't enough to avoid the blow to her midsection. It hurt like hell, but it slowed her momentum enough that she survived the crash to the ground. Her sled hit just a moment after her. She wasn't in the greatest shape, but at least her jet sled was still working. Dani hit the ground a ways across the field. She was a little more durable though. The ghost laughed was laughing at them, and for the first time they turned to look.
It was the smile she notices first- sharp, sinister, malevolent, more in the human sense than ghost. It was evil whatever it was. The black and white and familiar logo was just a mockery of what they'd come to know. This green- skinned ghost was not the Phantom that they knew. Valerie had known, even two days ago when she looked right into his eyes, that Phantom was still there. The one she knew was still there. They packaging had just changed.
But not so with this thing. They locked eyes and there was nothing there that she knew. She could hear Dani gasp at the sight of him. Surely she could see it too. It had his voice, it had his power, but I wasn't him. The thought jogged a memory. Wasn't there something about that Danny had told her once? Years ago, when she first found out about him, he mentioned something about a ghost that controlled time. One that had saved him from becoming something terrible.
He had warned her not to believe lies, even if he was the one telling them. If it didn't sound like him, then it might not be. He made it sound like the devil would rise out of hell one day, and he'd look just like him. Maybe that wasn't far from the truth.
Just how many Phantoms was she going to have to fight this week?
Dani took to the air again to engage the ghost. It took Val a few seconds to convince her body to move and get back on the sled, but she refused to be left out of the action. If Danny thought this was only his town, then he was wrong, because it was her town too. And she wasn't going to let some asshole do what ever he wanted to it. The crowd was clearing the field, huddling on top of the bleachers and under them. But so far the ghost did not seem to care about them. Val caught the brief sight of the Fentons attempting to break through the shield from the outside, but they weren't having much luck.
Her gun wasn't really enough, and after her injury she was having trouble even holding it properly. But he seemed far more interested in her than Dani, making her a great distraction. Unfortunately, the sled just wasn't as fast as he was. He knocked her off with a well placed kick to the back, and this time the jet sled hit even harder than she did. She wasn't going back into the air again. And from the throbbing pain, she probably wasn't even going back onto her feet again for a while. Dani lasted a few seconds more, but with an overwhelming volley of ecto-blasts she crashed down beside her.
The implications, frankly, sucked. The whole exchange had lasted less than a minute. Less than a minute to get her ass handed to her in front of the whole town. And now she was going to die in front of the whole town too. She looked up at the ghost and had no doubts that he meant to kill them both. And he might not stop there. Everyone was in danger now, and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. Beside her, Danielle struggled to get up, but her energy fizzled out and she changed back to the human girl most were much less used to seeing.
The ghost touched down easily and paced over to them, studying Danielle carefully.
"Well, little Danny has been busy, hasn't he?" He turned to Valerie with those piercing eyes. "I have to say I'm disappointed Valerie. I'd expected a better fight from you. The Valerie I know would never have put up so pathetic a fight." He shrugged casually. "Oh well. Sometimes you just have to accept life's little disappointments. Goodbye Valerie." He raised his hand, and she knew that death glowed between his fingertips. She was strangely not afraid. She had seen the afterlife of those that could not let go- and she had nothing in her life she didn't grasp with everything she had.
Her only regret was poor Dani. She didn't deserve something that cruel. But Dani looked back at her and Val saw the same conviction she had. They did what they needed to do. The thought that she was left with was as odd to her as it was true.
Phantom's going to be pissed.
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Something was wrong. He could feel it. Something hummed in the pit of his stomach, in the back of his throat. A disturbing, angering feeling that he couldn't describe. He closed the portal automatically. He needed to see something first. It felt as though his territory had been breached, but at the same time, it did not feel that way. The feeling disturbed him simply because he didn't know what it meant. But he had the means now to find out.
The scanner in his lair had a range only the size of his territory, by design, but that was all he was concerned about anyway. It took a moment or two to get ready, and another moment to check Amity Park. He could feel it in all his limbs- but he could feel something else too; a calm that he recognized as an old trait. Something he brought from his time not as Phantom, but Golden Freddy. And Freddy knew that charging blindly was more silly than it was brave. Traps were made for those too rash to plan the way- and he set the traps, he didn't fly right into them.
The scanner told him all he needed to know. He didn't recognize the ghost by the readout, but he didn't have to. He knew why he didn't know the feeling. Something had breached his territory, but it felt wrong because it was still part Phantom. His old self was loose. Loose and in his home. Panic rose and then shut down. He wasn't the child that his old self was expecting to fight. He was the elder now, and he was the stronger of the two. His family needed him to protect them.
And no one fucked with his family.
He opened a portal and went through. He recognized the shield below him right away. Not many ghosts could use it, usually most ghosts wouldn't have a reason to. He wouldn't have a problem getting through it. It took half a second to register the situation- the trapped crowed, the utter darkness, the broken jet sled, his friend- valiant but now useless, and his little girl...
'Dan' approached with a blast ready to dissolve them into nothing. Anger like he had never felt before rose and was quashed again. No. That thing wasn't worth hatred and anger so valuable. No, that thing deserved to suffer a different fate, one that he could oversee himself. It was a monster made to destroy, and he already had a monster growing lonely. Those two deserved each other. And Dan would join them like the rest. No one would hurt the ones that were his.
Phantom shrieked.
The sound, half ghostly and half robotic targeted the ghost with a narrow beam of destruction. It tore at the ground and threw Dan across the field. The other ghost hit hard, light dissolving in his hands. The winds died as he impacted, and the crowd gasped.
All heads turned to the now visible ghost hovering just above them. For exactly one second they all seemed to mull it over in their minds, then the crowd divided- half shrieking in fear and half cheering. But Phantom had no doubt that they recognized him. And he also had no doubt the cell phone cameras were already rolling.
The lull was long enough for two figure to dash out onto the field and he recognized Sam and Tucker rushing to help Val and Dani. He touched down and changed back, his human visage a little more comforting to the crowd than his new one. He grasped Dani tightly. She groaned in pain, but hugged him back. Tucker was already helping Valerie up.
"Sam, get Dani out of here. Make sure everyone takes shelter the best they can. He's not going to be out long." Sam nodded curtly.
"I can help." Dani wheezed.
"You've done enough." He said. The yellow jacket appeared in his hands and he wrapped it around Dani quickly. "This will help. You make sure Val and Sam and Tucker stay safe, okay?" She nodded as well. Danny had only a second to glance at each of them, and all that could be said, was said.
It didn't matter how or why. This was the greatest test of all, and he was the only one that could do it. He watched them shuffle off the field and into the crowd again. Only five seconds or so had passed, and Dan was climbing to his feet. He looked less than pleased. For a moment they locked eyes.
It was a new feeling- to stare that kind of power in the face. He'd fought plenty of ghosts, many of them rather powerful. But rarely did he know their power when rushing headlong into the fight. Rarely did he stop to look at them and know what they were. Before, he mustered all his strength and beat at that problem over and over again until he'd given it all he had. Then he gave just a little bit more. He grew with every fight, he learned a little more with every punch thrown. Dan had taught him, once, that decisions mattered. That accepting the pain of life made the joy better. He taught him that all he had to do was give just a little bit more, and he could win.
It was a lesson that was good for children to learn. But neither of them where children anymore, and he knew it now for the very first time, and knew it perfectly. There would come a day when giving that extra little bit wouldn't be enough. Because eventually they would stop treating him like a child and the real fight would begin. He was no longer Danny Phantom.
He was The Phantom. And there was nothing left for him to learn from this thing. It was time that The Phantom got started, and the world got to know him. And his family.
Dan approached and an evil little smile graced his sharp features. He was angry, he was enraged, but that didn't mean he wasn't pleased with what he saw. A blast formed in his hand, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Phantom didn't give him the chance. He approached as well, the crowd gasping again as the rings appeared and the new Phantom stood before them. Exactly seven feet eight inches high, exposed joints, bare clawed feet, steel claws, and that mechanical, dangerous grin. Malevolence had a face. One with sharp teeth and the golden piercing eyes that were both foreign and familiar.
Sam stared, Tucker stared, Jazz, Jack, and Maddie stared, Lancer stared, a hundred strangers stared, and Dan stared.
Phantom's blast caught Dan still gawking at the unexpected change in his younger self. He picked himself up and opened his mouth, but another powerful blast shut him up quickly.
"Shut up." Phantom said. His voice was a hollow, robotic double echo, that only gradually faded into his own voice. It resonated through the whole place as though he were merely speaking into their ears. "There are only two ways this ends for you- you go back to the tower where you belong and spend the rest of time in your little thermos, or I take you down to pieces. And if you're lucky I'll make sure you get a new little box, instead of getting shredded into nothing." Their eyes locked again.
Phantom knew the answer, just like he knew he had to ask. He let his power flare to add to the threat. It was not to make him choose correctly, only intimidate him. Dan would not come quietly. And staring down the thing that had haunted his most terrible nightmares and fears he came to a conclusion that was both warming and frightening in and of itself.
He was going to win.
Phantom would surely reduce Dan to nothing, and his unstable nature made it unlikely that he would even be absorbed into the collection. He would win so dramatically that it would take little effort on his part. Pariah Dark had caused less fear than the thing before him. Dan had destroyed legendary ghosts. His power was the greatest of any ghost he'd ever fought save for the single ghost king, and his friend Clockwork. And he was going to destroy him with only his own power. Could he be trusted with all this power.
He had done terrible things. Hiding in that old suit that he had come to love instead of hate he had dictated the fate of those that were entirely innocent of wrong doing. He could have stopped the injustice, but he did not. He had accepted it of himself that he had murdered just as surely as the one who had caused him so much pain.
But that was not the whole story. The wisdom the years and the frustration had provided did not stand alone, they stood with the nobility and pride that he had learned later in his life. Perhaps he would not be as good as he once was, but neither would he be as evil. Reality tended to demand a mix of both. He could be trusted with such power. And he owed it to his family to let them show it off just a little bit.
He smirked, that slight movement exposing the hinge of his jaw even further. Dan could see the sharp teeth beneath, and the powerful cross-bar that would enable a strong bite. He smirked right back, but Phantom had already seen the fear flash through his eyes.
Phantom raised one hand, and Dan followed it with his eyes, suspicious. His clouds had darkened the area so much, it was hard to see exactly what was happening. But he did not expect a box to rise from the ground. And not just any box.
A large white box with a big red bow on top.
He laughed, he laughed as it swung open, and he laughed when out popped nothing more than a little blonde girl in a black dress.
"I'm certainly scared now!" He chuckled. The huddling crowd deflated just a little. But Phantom was not terribly concerned. The little girl twirled her blond hair around one finger and inspected her surroundings before turning back to him with a silent smile.
"Mary Annette, I'm giving you twenty minutes." Her open-mouth smile seemed to split her face. She turned to Dan and curtsied dramatically, her black Lolita-style dress swinging with her. She cartwheeled away and disappeared. The stadium lights went out, and they were all left in utter darkness, unable to see. Dan frowned to himself. Left confused by the new development, his plan to hang back and assess had backfired. This new version of himself was not like the old, and he feared he'd lost his chance to gain the quick upper-hand. But a simple change of lighting wasn't going to change anything. Then Phantom's voice rang out again.
"This is your last chance." He said. "She enjoys music, it always entertained her, and she's had nothing but time to come up with some music of her own. Mary Annette is very talented. You can give up now, though she would be very disappointed, or you can see what else she has a talent for. I promise that you won't like it."
"I think it's going to take more than a dark night and a little blond girl to intimidate me."
The music began, piped in through the intercom system and enhanced with the power of the marionette. Dan formed a light in his hand, but it pierced only a few feet in either direction. He regretted the change in the weather now- he hadn't expected it to be used against him so easily.
Welcome to your office, settle down and take a seat,
Please pay no attention to the terrifying screams.
You should heed the warning of the voice that's on the phone,
Tonight you might be by yourself, but you are not alone.
Phantom let the spirits out- Freddy, Bonnie, Chica and Foxy had their instructions. He would let the Marionette be as dramatic as she wanted, after all they had been through together she deserved it. It would be the perfect distraction from the real game.
Spot lights flashed on the familiar forms- no longer trapped by the animatronic shells, but free to take a shape a little more intimidating. They had the shapes of animals and robots, exposed joints like himself, metal claws and teeth, and the sinewy movement and piercing eyes of their signature animals. As it turned out, Bonnie and Chica were no less horrifying for being cuddly animals.
His own eyes could see in the dark a little better than Dan's, and he could see him following the animatronics as the lights tracked them for him. They were moving the second the light was off of them, and he knew it. He smirked to himself and teleported- if they were going to play, then he was going to do it right.
Bonnie and Chica were getting closer. He shot at them in the dark, but they were moving quickly. He'd give him the surprise of his life, just like he always did. The music was loud enough to shake the bleachers, in the dark some of the crowd had crawled back up to watch. Phantom wasn't concerned with them at the moment. He'd be keeping his opponent busy. He could feel Mary building up to something, their thoughts were almost connected now, after so long. His smirk became a grin- they thought very much alike.
There's evil that waits inside-
It's Me
The spotlight illuminated Phantom, glowing ecto-blast suddenly in his hand, just behind his opponent. The music blared and shook the ground, the blast connected, but only partially, Dan was moving and retaliating quickly. The lights came up just enough to watch them battle for a few seconds. Dan was in for a nasty surprise; their power was not mismatched any longer, Phantom was just as fast as he was, his blasts just a strong, and the ice was not easy to deal with. To leave the field would be sacrificing a potential upper-hand by giving up vulnerable hostages. But the higher they went, the more room he had to maneuver. Phantom seemed slow to follow.
Dan didn't see the strange shape lurking among the stadium lights until it was right in front of him. He understood why Phantom was so slow to follow him over the lights as the horrific mangle of metal and wire, animated flesh and metal teeth attack. It grabbed at him with sharp claws and strong jaws and pushed him towards the ground again. It took an incredible number of shots to dislodge it. Parts broke off and reformed quickly, he punched desperately at one head, but there were two that he had to worry about. He gave up his flight above, and it finally returned to hiding in the lights. It grumbled and growled at him, as though promising every attempt to escape would end the same way.
The lights went out, but the music didn't stop, the song continued. One light popped on and now that he has taken to the sky the others had too. When the rabbit-thing appeared in front of him he found out each would be as vicious as the last one had. It was strong, and though it did not have the same sort of power he did, it's constant assault was over whelming. It took a few blasts to drive it away.
There's evil that waits inside-
It's me
Dan turned quickly, but Phantom had appeared in front of him this time, and he took the blast full in the back. He could not escape up, so he dove quickly, trying to put distance between them. The two moved almost with the music, and Phantom could practically hear Her giggle in his head. At least they were all having fun. The lights went down for just a second, and Dan lost track of his tail. But the spotlight on Chica went up, and the terrifying bird jumped up and dragged him to the ground.
He hit hard. He could not use his intangibility to escape them, a well placed blast to the chicken-thing's eye pushed her back a few feet. The others were approaching as he clamored to the air. But the song had ended and the lights went out- for five seconds there was silence.
A music box tune shook the ground. The stadium speakers enhanced to handle the sound. There were both chills and excitement in the crowd, and between the two ghosts. Phantom accepted the music as though he knew it- he could feel what she had in mind, and he was thoroughly enjoying the game.
Hi kids, do you like violence?
The other spirits joined them and Dan now had the toys to deal with as well. The spotlights and stadium lights went on and off like a light show. Dan wasn't sure who he should follow, and which lights were important. When they attacked, Phantom hung back to do what he did best; watch.
Dan always hit first. The animatronics were quick, and closed the distance fast. So he used his inability to use intangibility to his advantage and used his fists as his first defense. Once they were far enough back he used his ecto-blasts to drive them away. Feeding on Phantom's power, they reformed the moment they were taken apart. They didn't give him the chance to use the Wail, but he was doing his best to work up to it.
When Foxy attacked he stood his ground before he ran, but always ended up flying away, trying to attack from the rear. He ignored Chica entirely, until she attacked. His left side was unguarded more than his right. He focused his attention on what he couldn't see and ended up at a slight disadvantage to what he could see. The spirits were learning how he fought them. And Phantom was learning even more than that.
When I come to life
You've got no place to hide
Keep an eye on the time and a light by your side
When She appeared, the others cleared the way for her. The music and the lighting never skipped a beat. She gave the two of them a spotlight, but this time Dan wasn't laughing.
You might mistake us for hostile monstrosities
But accidents will happen if you've got a lot of teeth
She would have been more intimidating as the marionette animatronic, but she remained as the little blonde child. She was rather adorable- but no longer non threatening. He shot an impressive volley at her, but she took great pleasure in artfully dodging each. She was fast- faster than anything he'd fought before, and unlike the spirits, she had power of her own.
Her own blasts were both beautiful and impressive. They silently lofted through the air, and Dan had trouble avoiding them. When he took to the air, she followed. Phantom watched, just as fascinated as the crowd, most of which had climbed out to watch. She was just as beautiful as he knew she would be. She turned in the air so well and so quickly, Dan couldn't keep up. She pushed him just so that Phantom could watch. Together they were forming a plan.
Dan was having a hard time. He came with the intention of obliterating everything his 'old' self had become. He didn't know what he had become, and he came to an understanding slowly but surely- he'd fallen into a trap. And not Phantom's trap. Of course Clockwork had meddled again, he never should have believed that he could escape so easily without Clockwork looking the other way. He was a test for whatever the hell his other self had become.
And he wasn't so sure that he could win anymore.
She danced as she fought with him, and he wasn't laughing at the little girl anymore. He wasn't sure what the hell she was, but she was something different. The music ended again, and she drifted down, setting her feet daintily on the ground.
For a moment the lights came on, and everything was silent. The animatronics were still, gazing up at Dan- hovering above them. Even in the crowd, there was silence. Dan wasn't sure what was going on, but he, like Phantom, could feel the static rising. A portal was opening.
Just above them a large portal opened almost silently, and from the depths of the ghost-zone twelve Observants came quietly through. The crowd gasped and murmured, Dan tensed for a fight. The Marionette only giggled. They watched, but did not speak, and Phantom seemed to understand.
They were invested, and it was their job to witness.
The implications were staggering. The power he had, he knew was great, but he didn't know just how great it was. His Mary was grinning proudly. He could almost hear her ask how proud he was to be so important. She made them all as powerful they were, and it was She that should be proud. Phantom made the silent promise to use her power wisely.
But if the Observants had come to watch then it was time to end this. Her time would be cut a little short, but she understood the plan had changed. She turned first to Dan and curtsied, then did the same to the Observants. She disappeared and the lights went out. Someone in the crowd screamed, taken by surprise. The eerie glow of the open portal illuminated the Observants just enough that they stood out in the darkness.
The music began.
Time for the main attraction, the story must be told
Time for a chain reaction that never gets old
Some bots get satisfaction breaking the mold
Some bots are just distractions
Some bots are
Just Gold.
Both Phantom and Dan got a spotlight, and Dan pulled out all the stops, this wasn't going to end the way he wanted, but perhaps it wouldn't end the way Phantom wanted either. But Phantom wasn't alone. The spirits came at him from all directions, and between them all he couldn't keep it straight. When he headed for the portal, the Mangle stopped him cold in the air.
He was getting desperate.
In the beginning I kept a keen eye on the state of affairs with the new guy
Now I've got a new gig...
Foxy came out the darkness and latched on to him. Between the Mangle and Foxy, Phantom had already one. Over the music they could hear the Marionette giggle.
"Pull him apart." The two spirits pulled, and Dan screamed. They dragged the conglomerate ghost apart with a disgusting wet noise. People covered their ears to block out the screaming. Dan gave way and the one ghost pulled apart into two;
a screaming, distorted Phantom in Mangle's jaws, and a twisted Plasmius in Foxy's.
Phantom would have taken them into the collection, but seeing their incomplete state, he knew it would be impossible. They were too unstable. The robots descended on them.
You are the main attraction, your story must be told
You are the chain reaction that never gets old
Some bots get satisfaction breaking the mold
Some bots are just distraction, some bots are
Just Gold
The screaming didn't last long. The spirits, delighted to be useful tore the fractured ghosts apart. Too unstable to be captured in the collection, they dissolved under the strength of the animatronics.
The lights went out, the music stopped.
One by one, the Observants returned through the portal. And in his tower, Clockwork smiled, because the Phantom that he knew had come at last.
The clouds dissolved and whisped away. And in the dim light of the sunset, the collection was gone, and only plain old Danny Fenton remained.
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The town remained divided.
Those that had always known, still thought of him as a hero, but others were swayed by the graphic display of violence. Phantom still had to visit Terry Booker's family- but after the incident, he would give them some time. He took Valerie to the hospital himself, but judging by her mouth, she'd recover quickly. Dani had already recovered. His parents, however, were still having a little trouble. Jazz demanded he speak to her professor. The video of the fifteen or so minute fight as already up on youtube.
And all within twenty minutes of the fight.
But Danny needed to think, and he needed to make sure he hadn't ruined his life over his alternate self. He kissed his girlfriend, and his daughter, and went back to Clockwork's tower.
"It's good to see you looking like yourself, Phantom." Clockwork said. The screens in his room where all displaying various outcomes of the fight he'd just survived. He wasn't even winded. The fight was nothing more than his slow torture of someone he hated- he was both guilty and satisfied over the outcome. Dan deserved what he got, but that didn't mean Phantom was the one that got to punish him.
"I take it I have you to thank for all this." He said, indicating the displaying fight. Clockwork nodded.
"You needed the experience. You needed to see what you had become. All and all, I think you've become exactly what we needed." Phantom looked down at his strange hands and sighed.
"I thought I was getting arrested again. I didn't know I was... important." He scrubbed his face and sat down. Tired more from experience than exertion.
"They will be calling on you again. They are afraid- and it makes them aggressive. But what they'll ask of you is exactly what you need."
"What am I going to do?" Phantom asked suddenly. "Everything was fine before... I just didn't realize I was..."
"Exactly what you were supposed to be?" The thought shut him up. When he was fighting he had no doubts, no thoughts to what anyone would think about what they saw. Everything he did was just how it was supposed to be done.
But his human side was not so sure. They were the same, truly they were, but how could their lives coincide after what he'd just shown the world? Clockwork put a hand on his shoulder, but he was smiling that devious sort of smile that was both comforting and disturbing.
"She doesn't care, Phantom. All of the girls in you life are now more attached to you than they were before." The thought made Phantom smile. On the screens all around him he could see each of them as they watched the fight- and it was not fear on their faces. They saw the new Phantom for exactly what he was.
And not one of them regretted it.
"Thank you. I needed to hear that." For a moment they sat in silence, and Danny knew that it was time to go home, and start over again. His trial was more or less over- now it was time to fit the pieces back together.
The Phantom didn't have a teacher, but a friend, in Clockwork. He trusted every word he spoke as law. This would not be the last time they had words of comfort for one another. Phantom promised to be back soon, and went home.
He'd have more work ahead of him, but for now, he didn't need to know. Clockwork watched him travel back to Amity Park where a short trial would await him. He'd dealt with it all before, and despite some awkward moments, he would recover. Doubters or no, Phantom was good for that place, and people would eventually see it.
The trapped ghost would bide his time. The box that kept him bound would not be enough to hold him forever. The collection was complete, but the Phantom still had one or two lessons to learn from it.
"Be careful my friend. He'll come back, he always does."
~End Malevolence~