CHAPTER 12: ROCK IS DEAD
In the old city of Amity Park, in an alleyway once holding a farmer's market for the people of the old city, there now held an abandoned warzone, holding nothing but demolished fruit carts and numerous other destroyed items. The small area, once home to the battle between Danny Fenton and Dani Phantom facing off against the undead black knight known as The Fright Knight, now simply sat in flames, no one any longer in the area.
Elsewhere, the undead teenage rockstar named Ember McLain flew over the destroyed area, hoping to find a new group of the living to terrorize. Believing herself to have found a new area to destroy, Ember made herself audibly and visibly known, hoping to strike fear into any humans on the street.
"Alright, you stupid meat bags, who's ready to- Huh?" Ember asked.
As her eyes glazed over the area, she found that this area to destroy was already far past destroyed, and all those in the area long gone, leaving her without anyone to attack. Ember, hoping at least one person might have been left to terrorize, landed to the ground and scanned the area carefully, seeking a new victim. Unfortunately for her (and fortunately for anyone who might not have escaped in time), no one was left.
Frustrated, Ember let out an angry groan and kicked a partially destroyed fruit stand, shattering the wood against her foot. Continuing on her immature rampage, Ember began to swing her guitar at numerous remaining objects, venting her frustrations on whatever was left.
Out of the corner of her eye, however, one peculiar sight caught her attention. Standing by itself just inside of an alleyway laid a pumpkin with a sword in it. More interestingly, however, the sword was none other than The Fright Knight's sword, leaving her curious to why it remained in a pumpkin.
Her curiosity being further incited by the rogue pumpkin, Ember decided to remove the sword from the pumpkin to inspect the sword. As she removed the sword, however, the pumpkin began to violently let out a strange purple mist from itself, the pumpkin deteriorating as it did so.
Within minutes, the purple mist began to reform itself as The Fright Knight, now free from his vegetable prison. The Fright Knight, less than impressed by being trapped within a pumpkin yet again, rudely took his sword back from Ember and sheathed it, beginning to walk away.
"Hey, buckethead, you mind explaining how you got yourself stuck in a fruit?" Ember asked.
"I have no reason to answer to you, harlot. Now, I have a personal mission to fulfill, one that does not involve you." The Fright Knight said.
"There is no mission you have that does not involve me." A voice said.
Before Ember or The Fright Knight could question who the voice belonged to, the two immediately noticed that neither of them were in the alleyway, but inside Fenton Tower, facing Demon Phantom, the owner of the voice.
"Dude, how'd we get here?" Ember asked.
"I have brought you here, and since I am the one who granted you your powers and your more attractive body, you would do well not to address me as 'dude'." Demon Phantom said.
"My liege, for what reason have you brought us here? Did you not give us permission to terrorize the mortals?" The Fright Knight asked.
"I have, and I decided to pay a little visit to check on you. As I arrived to see you, however, I had overheard that you were defeated by a mortal, becoming trapped within a pumpkin yet again. Upon hearing this news, I brought you here to discuss this further."
"Wait, wait, you brought us here the instant we talked? But, then, you'd have to be, like, faster than light, wouldn't you?" Ember asked.
"I am flattered that you would think me that fast, but, no, my speed only goes above sound as of yet. However, as flattering as your remark is, it is not enough to excuse the explaining needed about this situation from the two of you."
"Wait, what do I have to explain? I didn't even see this full metal asshole until I pulled the sword out!"
"And why did you not accompany him to ensure he did not step out of line, nor why, Fright Knight, did you not accompany Ember for the same reason?"
"My liege, respectfully, the two of us are not easy to mix with. If I had been in the presence of this harlot any longer, it seems that we would have killed each other rather than any mortals." The Fright Knight said.
"Then perhaps it would have been within your interests to find a middle ground rather than find yourselves at my mercy, wouldn't it?"
Ember and The Fright Knight, not having a good excuse to give to Demon Phantom, sat in uncomfortable silence.
"Now, Fright Knight, how were you defeated by a mortal? In order to be trapped within a pumpkin, one must recite the ancient poem to trap you, but very few know the words. How did they accomplish this without the words?" Demon Phantom asked.
"This one knew the words, my liege. That is how he was able to stop me." The Fright Knight said.
"...Did he, now? Tell me, who was this individual? A history buff with a lucky guess?"
"No, my liege. It was Danny Fenton."
Everyone in the room took The Fright Knight's words with extreme caution, none of them feeling safe from the fact that Danny still lived. Demon Phantom took his warning most of all. While he had suspected that Danny might still be alive earlier, his suspicions being made clear were of no help, even if Danny no longer possessed his powers.
"Danny Fenton, you say? And why is it that, despite that I took away his powers, you were unable to beat him?" Demon Phantom asked.
"It seems that he was assisted by a female doppelganger, almost like some sort of twin sister." The Fright Knight said.
"Danielle?" Vlad asked.
"I take it you know her, Vlad?" Demon Phantom asked.
"She was one of my attempts to create my own version of Danny Phantom, the only successful attempt, I might add. She had betrayed me long ago, and I'd no idea what happened to her since. It seems, perhaps, that she was under our noses the entire time."
"Tell me, then, if she is a clone of Danny Phantom, how powerful is she compared to him?"
"I don't know, I never had a chance to test her of her abilities to the complete. She was only a few years old when she left me, her age accelerated to 12. While not as experienced as Danny in facing all of us, she may very well carry the potential to be as powerful as he is."
"Then that means we have a serious threat on our hands, and it must be dealt with as soon as possible."
"I will face the woman myself and destroy her, my liege." The Fright Knight offered.
"No, you will not."
"...My liege? I thought you wished for her gone?"
"I did, but in failing to defeat Danny without any powers, you have proven yourself useless to me, and I have no need for useless minions."
Demon Phantom raised his hand to The Fright Knight, charging ectoplasmic energy into his hand. The Fright Knight, realizing his coming fate, pleaded for his life as much as he could.
"N-No! My liege, please! I was a humble servant to you!" The Fright Knight said.
"If Oblivion holds any of your past victims, I sincerely hope they give you a nice, warm greeting." Demon Phantom said.
Demon Phantom let loose a huge energy blast from his hand, completely enveloping The Fright Knight. Within mere seconds, the energy blast completely disintegrated The Fright Knight, leaving nothing of him but smoke. Within an instant, the undead knight known as The Fright Knight no longer existed, forever erased into Oblivion.
The other horsemen, not wishing to share The Fright Knight's fate, looked on in horror as the spirit of fear was completely destroyed by Demon Phantom with seemingly little effort. Ember, having been standing next to where The Fright Knight was, was the most frightened, having caught a first-hand glimpse of what may come of her.
Demon Phantom, pointing his finger to Ember, gave her the impression that she was soon to see that fate very soon. Demon Phantom, taking amusement at Ember's expression of fear, gave a smile at her quivers of fear.
"You, on the other hand, have a chance at redemption. I want you to go back into the city, find this female Danny Phantom, and bring her to me, alive." Demon Phantom said.
Demon Phantom threw a Fenton Thermos to Ember, who caught it with care, still shaking from the frightening experience of watching The Fright Knight being destroyed. Upon finally composing herself for the coming mission, Ember tucked the thermos on her belt, preparing to hunt the second Phantom.
"So what if I catch Danny with her? You want him too?" Ember asked.
"I suppose killing him once was enough for me. You may kill him if you wish, but at least bring me his body so I know for sure he is dead this time." Demon Phantom said.
"Sweet. Consider your Danny clone bagged."
Ember, wasting no time to catch Dani Phantom, rushed back out of the hangar, already on her way to capture her, her motivation a mixed mess. While there was nothing more she wanted than to stop any potential threats to her new mission, she also wanted to avoid being obliterated by Demon Phantom if she failed.
Demon Phantom, patiently awaiting his disciple to return with her mission completed, sat in silence, awaiting new updates for the status of Vlad and SkullTech to complete the Ghost Portal. Vlad, too curious to have a few of his own questions answered, approached Demon Phantom to have his questions answered.
"I take it you have something to ask me?" Demon Phantom asked.
"I do. SkullTech told me he is a fusion of two ghosts, and that you are as well. I wanted to see if the two ghosts you are composed of happen to be any I know." Vlad said.
"They are."
"And how do you know that?"
"You know, Vlad, I can see you feel some form of guilt by allowing Danny's family to die by my hand. You question if you are on the right side of history."
Vlad, not appreciating the change in the topic of conversation, decided to entertain the discussion further, despite how much he disliked this particular subject.
"As you well know, the woman I loved most was among Danny's family. You took the woman he loved most as well. As much as I hate the boy, and as much as I hate not having Maddie as my own, I also take no pride in the fact that we have taken his woman and unborn child from him. Believing him dead was at least some relief, knowing that he possibly was with them, but knowing he is alive makes that a tad unpleasant." Vlad replied.
"I once understood that pain. That was before I had you take out my human side in my timeline." Demon Phantom replied.
Vlad, not understanding Demon Phantom's reply, seemed confused at his strange reply.
"What are you talking about?" Vlad asked.
"Danny never told you about me? Who and what I am?" Demon Phantom asked.
"No, and neither did SkullTech. He said that you could tell the story better."
"Of course. Well, then. In another time, Danny's family and friends, including Sam Manson, were killed in an explosion what would have been 10 years ago. Danny survived, staying with you. Not able to withstand the pain of losing his family, he begged you to remove his human side, and you complied to help him. Then, separated from that baggage of flesh, I separated your ghost half from your human half and I merged with your ghost half."
Vlad not expecting such a huge revelation of his new master, was left shocked and surprised at the news.
"You- You mean-?" Vlad began to ask.
"Surprise. I am the offspring of your ghost half and Danny's; your greatest creation. Limitless power flows through me, stemming from both yours and his, and, most importantly, no longer being human, you have successfully taken away all my pain." Demon Phantom said.
Demon Phantom rested his hand on Vlad's shoulder, giving a surprisingly warm smile to accompany it.
"Thank you... ...Daddy." The Demon said.
Vlad felt a small reassurance from Demon Phantom's words, though not completely satisfying his internal struggles. While he did not trust Demon Phantom in full, nor did he appreciate having the love of his life killed, one of his dreams was to have Danny as a son figure. As bizarre as this situation was, this may have been the closest he could come.
"And what kind of son would I be without a gift for my father?" Demon Phantom asked.
Before Vlad could question what he meant, Demon Phantom raised his hand and began rushing energy through Vlad, causing his clothes began to transform. For almost the entirety of his stay on Earth, Vlad was wearing his prison clothes from Carcerem, made of a strange fabric that transformed as he did and functioned like his ghost forms' clothing.
Now, his clothes began to chang into his old white suit and cape, just as it looked all those years ago. Additionally, his beard and hair began to change as well, giving him the same appearance as he did back in the days of his prime. With his changes putting him back to the way he remembered himself, there still remained one last relic. That one remainder was his prison collar from Carcerem.
Demon Phantom, wishing to add the finishing touch, proceeded to take it off. Vlad, however, stopped him from doing so, causing him to raise an eyebrow in curiousity.
"I prefer to keep that, it reminds me of what Danny has put me through for all these years. I was planning to get rid of it earlier, but, knowing he's still alive, I prefer to keep it, at least until he's finished off." Vlad explained.
Upon understanding Vlad's reasoning for keeping such a controlling and humiliating piece forced on him from his captors, Demon Phantom's smile returned.
"Of course. How selfish of me. Now, how ready is the portal?" Demon Phantom asked.
"It'll be done within minutes... ...Son." Vlad replied.
Demon Phantom, both flattered and amused that Vlad referred to him as his son, gave a smile at his reply.
"Thank you, father." The Demon replied.
Walking down the streets of Old Amity Park, Danny Fenton carried his female clone, Dani Phantom, in his arms, as she was far too dismayed and disturbed from her encounter with The Fright Knight to move, other than give fearful shakes.
"Dani, I don't like to complain, but I'm getting a little tired of carrying you. The Fright Knight's far past beaten, why are you still like this?" Danny asked.
Dani did not reply, as she was still in too much a shocked state to speak. Danny, thinking he hurt her feelings further, felt guilty by his choice of words and attempted to give an apology.
"I'm sorry, Dani, I'm not trying to dismiss how you're feeling or anything, but The Fright Knight's gone. He's not coming back. You're safe." Danny said.
Dani, making a quick movement, grabbed onto Danny's shirt, giving him a surprised shock at her unexpected move. Dani, gripping onto Danny tightly, was less than concerned with his words, still caught in the wake of her horrible vision.
"You don't get it... We can't beat Demon Phantom... We're all going to die..." Dani said.
"Come on, just a second ago, you were telling me that I still had it in me to beat him without any powers. If The Fright Knight hadn't gotten you trapped in that 'fear dimension', you would've wiped the floor with him. If you can do that, stopping Demon Phantom'll be easy." Danny said.
"I can't... I just can't... Just leave me here... Save yourself..."
"No way. You didn't give up on me when I was miserable, and I'm not gonna give up on you now. Whatever The Fright Knight put you through, we're gonna get you through it one way or the other."
Before Danny could carry Dani to her apartment to find a way for the two to work through her nightmare together, a loud guitar riff was heard out of the sky, causing him to stop in his tracks in confusion. Upon looking around his surroundings to find there were no possible areas that the sound could be coming from; no radios, no TVs, no street performers; nothing that could play the music.
"Say, Dani, I'm guessing that street performers aren't common around here?" Danny asked.
Before Danny's sarcastic question could be answered, an ectoplasmic energy blast landed straight at the two, knocking Danny on his back and Dani out of his arms, landing against a wall.
As Danny got back up from the ground again, he began to have immediate suspicions about the origin of the blast. Sure enough, within a few seconds, his suspicions were met with the confirmation of the perpetrator. The being who fired the blast was Ember McLain, floating down to the ground as she looked on her handiwork with pleasure.
"Back off, Ember, I might not have my powers, but I'm not going out without a fight!" Danny said.
"Save the macho crap, Danny. I'm gonna kill you soon enough. The reason I'm here is for that clone of yours. Demon Phantom wants her. On second thought, since he said that I can do whatever I want with you, I think maybe I will start with you!" Ember said.
Ember played a heavy riff on her guitar, creating a powerful soundwave blast that knocked Danny on his back, sliding against the concrete ground into a wall. Ember, enjoying the slow treatment of Danny, gave a laugh at his pain, savoring the moment as much as she could.
"You don't know how long I've wanted to finish you off once and for all. I would have loved to have fought you with your powers, have a nice, fair fight; but I kind of like the 'hopeless and powerless' you to fight better. Now I get to make this last better." Ember said.
Ember picked Danny up off the ground, holding him as if he carried no weight, and swung him back and forth between several walls, severely injuring him. Finishing off her attack, Ember threw Danny towards another wall, landing next to Dani, still fearfully laying in shock.
"Dani... You gotta do something... I can't beat her on my own..." Danny said.
"I can't... I just can't... Can't move... So horrible..." Dani said.
"Come on, snap out of it! I need you!"
Danny reached for Dani's hand, trying his best to get Dani out of her state of shock, but, upon reaching her, something completely unexpected happened. Dani, not wanting to be touched, turned back to her ghost form and began to flee. However, her specific route of flight resulted in a new discovery.
"NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Dani yelled.
As Dani began to run away, she phased through Danny, resulting in some new, strange discovery. Instead of phasing through him like any normal object, Dani found herself occupying Danny's body; not fully possessing it, but co-existing with Danny as two entities inside his body. Danny, not realizing what happened at first, got up from the initial surprise.
"Whoa, what just happened?" Danny asked.
You tell me, I don't know. Dani said.
"Whoa! Dani, are you... possessing me?"
No, if I did, you'd be shut off right now.
"So what the hell's going on?"
Before the two could further question the strange phenomenon, Ember McLain began to approach the two, chuckling in anticipation to kill Danny and capture Dani. Dani, recognizing the coming danger, instinctively took control of Danny's body, making him fly straight up in the air.
Obviously, neither Danny nor Dani knew how to take this news.
"Whoa! Am- Am I flying?" Danny asked.
I thought I was flying, but I'm still in your body. How'd I- How'd we do that? Dani asked.
Ember flew back into the air, pursuing the fleeing Danny and Dani, preparing herself to deliver a new attack.
"Running away, huh? I don't know how you can still fly, but you're gonna go down in no time at all!" Ember said.
Taking her pick in hand, Ember played a fast, heavy riff on her guitar, firing several deadly soundwaves straight at Danny.
"Do you love me now? DO YOU LOVE ME NOW?! SAY MY NAME!" Ember shouted.
Danny, not knowing how to defend himself, only watched as the soundwave began to approach him. Dani, again taking control of Danny's body, released an energy blast of her own, negating the soundwaves, protecting the two. Ember, not understanding what was going on, gave a confused look to Danny's seeming return of his powers.
"What the shit?! How do you still have your powers?! That's impossible!" Ember shouted.
Dani, her wits finally returning to her, changed Danny's outer appearance into her ghost form, revealing herself to be the real cause of the sudden return of power. Readying herself to the fight, Dani charged her fists with ectoplasmic energy in preparation.
"Hey, 'EmBitch McLame'! How about we give this a fresh start?" Dani asked.
Ember, preparing herself for a fight with her target, readied her guitar, tuning the strings to a deeper tuning, preparing to deliver heaver soundwaves to her enemy.
"Alright, 'Ditzy Phantom', let's get it on!" Ember shouted.
[Soundtrack Cue: Kittie - Brackish]
Ember rushed straight for Dani and swung her guitar at her, wanting to make a more personal attack, but Dani turned intangible before it struck her, allowing it to harmlessly pass through her. Dani seizing the opportunity for a counter-attack, retaliated with a roundhouse kick to Ember's stomach, knocking her back into a building.
Upon focusing herself back on the fight, Ember caught her balance again, floating back in the air.
"How about some music, dipstick?" Ember said.
Delivering her next attack, Ember played a heavy guitar riff to Dani, firing a soundwave that knocked her back several feet in the air, temporarily disorienting her. Ember, believing herself to be the immediate victor, took a premature celebratory laugh at her opponent's seeming defeat.
Her victory is short-lived, however, Within an instant, Dani appeared behind Ember, giving her just barely enough time to acknowledge the threat behind her. Dani, not pulling any of her punched, delivered a sharp hit right to her face, launching her straight to the concrete ground.
"You call that noise music? You must be tone deaf." Dani taunted.
Ember, beginning to grow angry at her losing status in the fight, retaliated with several swings of her guitar, again resorting to melee attacks. Dani, much more faster than Ember, effortlessly dodged each swing delivered by Ember, smiling as Ember fought poorly.
"I can't believe that Demon Phantom picked you to be part of his little group. I wouldn't pick you if my life depended on it." Dani taunted.
Ember, further angered by Dani's endless taunts and not taking the fight seriously, landed a sharp kick to Dani's face, knocking her to the ground below. Ember, not wanting to waste any more time on her mission, pulled out the Fenton Thermos, preparing to capture her.
"A real comedian, huh? Let's see how far those jokes get you in a soup can!" Ember said.
Ember fired the thermos, aiming it straight for Dani, hoping to capture her and end the fight. However, Ember's poor aim and Dani's fast speeds made it this task far too hard to accomplish, making Ember grow impatient in the fight. With each try to capture Dani within the thermos, Ember's aim began to improve further and further, making Dani's efforts to avoid the beam harder and harder.
Thinking of a way to outsmart Ember, Dani turned invisible, disappearing from Ember's sight and futher provoking her short temper and impatience.
"You can't hide from me! I'm gonna get you, you stupid bitch!" Ember shouted.
Ember, growing more and more impatient by the minute, continued scanning the area for Dani, more than eager to trap her in the Fenton Thermos. Dani, taking notice of a mirror in a shop window, got an idea on how to stop Ember's attack. After positioning herself in front of the mirror, Dani turned herself visible again, preparing to get the attention of Ember.
"By the way, that's a thermos, not a can, you blue-haired bimbo!" Dani shouted.
Ember, taking immediate notice of Dani through her taunt, eagerly fired the thermos at her, believing to finally have the shot to capture her and complete her mission. Dani, her plan coming into effect, dodged the thermos blast, causing its beam to reflect off of the mirror and head straight back at Ember.
Ember, of course, took this surpise deception very heavily and uneasily.
"What?! How did you- NO!" Ember screamed.
[Soundtrack Cue End]
As the beam reached Ember, she immediately began getting pulled in, the beam reflecting back off the mirror and inside thermos, trapping her within. No longer having the thermos in her hands, it fell to the ground, still holding her inside. Dani, having successfully captured her, flew down to the ground and picked it up in victory.
Well, we got Ember, but would you mind explaining just what the hell's going on?! Danny asked.
"Whoa, how did- Oh, right, I'm still in your body, right?" Dani asked.
Yeah, at least I think so. Let me take a look.
Danny took control of his body again, moving to the mirror to better grasp the situation at hand. With his body still in Dani's ghost form, Danny immediatey found himself shocked and confused, not knowing what to make of anything.
What the hell?! I'm- I'm you?! Or are you me?! Danny asked.
"I don't know. I'm definitely inside your body, but I can still take my ghost form. It looks like that we both share control over your body, but you can talk in your form, where I can talk in my form." Dani said.
How does that work?
"I have no idea. The fact that I'm half-ghost and that you used to be half-ghost might have something to do with this."
Weird. So, how do we separate?
Dani tried to separate from Danny's body, struggling to un-possess him, but could not separate into a separate entity again, leaving them stuck in a bizzare situation.
"I can't do it." Dani said.
What?! What do you mean, you can't?! Danny asked.
"Meaning it's too hard to separate, at least right this second. For now, how about we get back to my place before another ghost shows up and tries to kill us?" Dani asked.
You're right. Maybe we can figure out something then.
Before Dani could make her way to her apartment again, continuing their way to safety, Danny took control of his body again one last time, heading back to the mirror.
"What are you doing?" Dani asked.
Just one more thing, even though we're in your ghost form, this is still technically my body, right? Danny asked.
"Yeah, I guess so."
Danny, taking control of his body again, reached his hand down his pants, feeling around to look for something that was formerly resting comfortably in his pants, only to find it was no longer there. Dani, not understanding what he was doing, found herself appalled at his actions.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Dani asked.
My dick's gone! What the hell?! Danny yelled.
"We're still in my ghost form, moron. Once I- we change to human form, your body'll change back to your old self, all hardware included."
Oh, whew. Thanks. Hey, wait, since I'm in a woman's body now...
Danny began to run his hands onto his new breasts, beginning to feel them around, finding himself liking this new situation. Dani, less than impressed by being quasi-fondled, slapped herself in the face, in turn, slapping Danny in the face as well.
"Perv!" Dani said.
What? Technically, it's still my body. Danny said.
"I'm your clone!"
...Like I said, technically still my body.
"If you didn't just snap me out of that nightmare and I could separate from you, I would be kicking your ass right now."
Dani, taking control of his body yet again, continued to make her way to her apartment again, trying to disregard the events of prior. Danny, feeling guilty about his immature actions, tried his best to give an apology.
I'm sorry. This has all just been a lot to take in lately. Danny said.
"It has been for both of us. No excuse to act like a pervert." Dani said.
You know, back in the old days when I'd fight off a ghost, I'd always joke around with 'em a lot, not taking anything seriously, like you.
"Your point?"
I did it because I was scared. I was scared shitless, not knowing whether or not I was gonna make it, scared whether my family was gonna find out what I was and what I was really doing, scared if my life was going to be alright.
"And?"
I'm still scared, Dani.
Upon hearing Danny's confession of fear, Dani stopped walking, taking a moment to fully realize the impact of his words.
That thing killed my whole family, and I don't have anyone else to hang onto but you. I might crack some jokes, but it's only because I'm trying to keep myself on my feet until we beat him. Hell, I'm surprised that I can still make jokes at this point. I guess it's because you picked me up a whole lot. Thank you, Dani. Danny said.
After hearing Danny give his heartfelt moment, knowing he meant everything he said, Dani gave a smile, feeling rewarded for having brought him so far from such a bad place, and perhaps even ready to stand a chance against Demon Phantom.
"You're welcome, Danny. But don't thank me yet. We've still got two more ghosts to go through until Demon Phantom, so just hold on until then." Dani said.
Dani continued to walk back to her apartment, feeling more confident in their mission to defeat Demon Phantom.
"In fairness, if the roles were reversed, I totally would have jerked off." Dani joked.
Danny gave a laugh, knowing that the two were truly very much alike, her being his clone.
"Now who's the pervert?" Danny joked.