Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the characters. Danny Phantom is the sole property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Viacom International.
Resurrected Memories
Chapter 21: The Value of a Life
Ghost Zone
Deep within the Ghost Zone, certain restless spirits were feeling rather excited since the news that the Fenton Ghost Portal had restarted only days ago. While most ghosts chose not to even both using it due to lack of interest or because of respect and/or fear of the person that would likely be waiting for them on the other side.
Danny Phantom.
Ever since the Disasteroid, many ghosts have grown to respect him, given his actions had managed to keep both of their worlds safe, however there were still too many ghosts who were either too stubborn or too arrogant to care and were still willing to cross the only stable access to the human world, despite knowing about the halfa who would try and stop them. In fact, there were actually some ghosts who were going to the human world, solely because they wanted the chance to encounter the world savior, and ultimately conquer him.
Skulker was among one of those ghosts.
"At last!..."The ghostly hunter said with a vicious grin as he kept flying, eager for the chance to continue the hunt.
It's been far too long since he had last faced off against that whelp and he was determined that this time, this time he would emerge victorious and claim his pelt, his prize which would serve as proof that he was and would always be the Ghost Zone's greatest hunter.
"There it is…"Skulker thought wickedly as he reached his destination, wasting no time he passed it and soon found himself phasing through the building.
Once outside, he used his gadgets to check the time and grinned when he saw that it was a little before 3pm. If his memory was correct-and he knew that it was- the whelp was likely still at school and would soon be out.
Suddenly the hunter was startle when he suddenly heard a loud beeping within the laboratory.
"What in Pariah's name?...'Skulker muttered as he readied his weapons just in case. After a few minutes, no one came rushing down and Skulker, not being very patient, didn't think much about it.
"Insolence, what am I wasting my time here…Daylight is burning and there are whelps that need to be hunted…'Skulker growled as he phased through Fenton works and noticed that it was empty completely but he didn't care.
He had more pressing matters that he needed to attend to.
"The hunt is on…'Skulker said eagerly as he jetted across the skies of Amity Park, feeling exhilarated to once again be a part of the hunt.
Meanwhile
At Casper High
"Ugh!...I can't believe this…" A certain auburn hair girl muttered under her breath as she glanced at the test before her that was still not complete yet.
Ember sighed, feeling tired and numb due to all the Advil she had so far today but was grateful that today was Friday and she would soon be able to relax in her realm without any stupid disturbances, but she was bummed that the stupid mermaid test was today.
Thankfully the test wasn't as difficult as she feared it would be and so far she managed understand most of it. As the half human girl kept reading the questions and choosing her answers, she felt a little more confident when she knew she was getting them right.
"When the mermaid's sisters made the deal with the sea witch, what did they give in return for saving their little sister? A) Their voices; B) Their freedom; C) Their hair or D) None of the above…."Ember mentally read and smirked when she knew the correct answer.
"C, obviously…"She thought proudly before going to the next question.
"Upon reuniting with their sister, what object does the mermaid sister's give her in order to help her turn back into a mermaid? A) A dagger, B) A magical shell, C) An enchanted mirror or D) None of the above…'the auburn girl read before choosing "A".
The rest of the test was surprising easy for Ember as she kept getting more and more of the remaining questions and she soon found herself finished, even answering the extra credit question about the author's other books. After double checking her work, she went to Mr. Lancer's desk but was mildly surprised to see most of the other students, Phantom included, were still moaning and struggling to finish it. Ember even glanced at the clock to see that there was still about 5 minutes before the test's deadline.
"My…My… Miss Lain, finished and with 5 minutes to spare, you should feel proud…"Mr. Lancer said kindly as he took the test from the girl who was smirking.
"Eh…After the fifth time of reading that story, it's kind of hard to forget it…"She said with a shrug, as if it was nothing.
'If only the rest of the class had this attitude…"Mr. Lancer thought before smiling at the girl.
"So, since this is the last period and I'm done, is it alright if I leave?...'Ember asked the portly educator who nodded.
Once out of the class, Ember decided to make a quick stop at the bathroom before teleporting home. Once inside the girl's bathroom, the ghostly diva checked her hair and makeup in the mirror, pleased that all seemed to be in place.
As she kept managing her appearance, she had thought to the progress she had made so far. On the one hand her mission was taking much longer than she had hoped for and now she was tangled with a lot of stupid teen drama "cough-Paulina-cough" and she was hanging dangerously close to Phantom and his buddies and she knew that one slipup and it would be game over for her. However, on the other hand, she had to take in that she had somehow found herself being wormed into Phantom's little circle, something she wasn't planning to do but now realized it would benefit her in the long run. She knew that she was gaining his trust and sooner or later, he would reveal to her something very useful, something that would be exactly what she needs to get rid of him once and for all.
That was her plan after all. That was the whole point she was doing this entire charade in the first place.
"Hmm…I can't believe it but I think I'm going to miss those chocolate milkshakes of his after all of this is over…"Ember thought as she recalled the events of yesterday and the last few days.
She didn't understand why or when it happened but lately Phantom and his friends were being so unusually social and chummy, at first she figured it had been because of that stupid mermaid assignment they did and now it was her big bet with Paulina, but even so, she still didn't understand why they seemed so eager to spend time with her outside of class, like lunch and doing homework together.
She didn't count yesterday since it was mostly her and Manson going over their plan to sabotage Paulina in the Prom Queen Contest, however the problem was that they couldn't agree on which strategy to use. Ember wanted to use a flat out smear campaign on the spoiled brat but Sam kept insisting that they were above that and that they should focus their efforts on validating the other contestants-any of them- and making sure Paulina never ends up receiving that stupid crown that symbolized the shallowness of high school popularity contests.
"Ugh…I think I might take back what I said…That Goth girl can be as much of a Goody-Goody as Phantom…"Ember thought frustrated before hearing the final bell.
"I better blow this pop stand before either Phantom or Manson find me and drag me off to who-knows-where…"Ember muttered, leaving the girls bathroom.
As the auburn haired opened the door, she was so eager to hightail it out of their and start her weekend that she had unknowingly collided to another figured, knocking her to the ground.
"OW!...Hey wat-…"She started before realizing it was a teacher, Mrs. Murray to be exact, and she wisely shut up.
"Oh...Uh…Sorry Mrs. Murray…'Ember said quickly to the educator as she helped her up.
"It's alright Ms. Lain, I'm fine…"The female teacher said as she brushed her clothes.
"I see someone is in a hurry to start their weekend…"She said humorously to the girl.
"You have no idea…"She muttered as she crossed her arms … "Anyway Mrs. Murray, I better get going, I kinda have some plans with-
"Amberline!..."Someone's voice broke out and Mrs. Murray could almost swear she saw her student trying hard not to groan as Ms. Manson and the school's only celebrity Danny Fenton approached her.
"Them…"She muttered before faking a smile, one that the teacher saw right through, and addressed the other adolescents.
"Hey…"She addressed her classmates.
"Hey Amberline…Oh, hey Mrs. Murray…"Sam addressed the teacher who waved.
"Hello Ms. Manson…Mr. Fenton, I take it that you both have plans this afternoon?..."Mrs. Murray asked casually to the two youths.
"You know it…"The goth girl said to the educator. Despite being a substitute teacher, Mrs. Murray seemed to be a very casual individual and Sam came to respect her…or at least as much as a student could respect someone who taught a class based on boring classical music anyway.
"Anyway girls, I hope you both remember to listen to list of compositions from Mozart, we will be discussing them on Monday…"The teacher reminded her two students who nodded.
"Yes Mrs. Murray…"Sam and Amberline said in sync to the smiling teacher
"Splendid….Well I best be going now, anyway have a nice weekend Ms. Lain, Ms. Manson and Mr. Fenton…"Mrs. Murray said before leaving the small group of teens.
Ember tried not to groan out loud at being reminded of all the homework she would have to do, especially involving listening to that boring, classical junk Mrs. Murray was piling on them. True, maybe it wasn't that complicated as her other classes but Ember was a rocker at heart and she thrived more from the intensity of rock n roll…classical music was just so…it was too gentle for her but it was her easiest class so she really had no right to whine.
"So how was the test for you? I saw that you left a little early…"Sam asked her, bringing the other girl out of her thoughts.
"Huh?...Oh! Not that bad since it was mostly multiple choice but I'll admit the last one kinda threw me off guard…but it was mostly pretty easy so I think I'll be getting a good grade…'Ember said to the two who were nodding.
"I think you're the only person I've met besides my sister that would call one of Lancer's tests easy…"Danny said sardonically to the purple clad girl who shrugged.
"What about you two?..."Ember asked the ghost boy and goth girl.
"Boring as hell but I'm hoping for a B at least…"Danny said with a sigh, not even hiding his disappointment.
"What's wrong with a B?...'Ember asked in confusion by his tone.
"I was hoping that since the portal was down and no ghosts have been causing trouble, I would have been looking forward to an A…Especially since the portal is back up and I can kiss my vacation goodbye…"He muttered, clearly not looking forward to facing the ghosts again.
Ember raised an eyebrow at that response, if she didn't know any better, she could have sworn that it was almost like Danny didn't even like ghost fight.
"That can't be...If he doesn't even like it, then why he even bother?…"Ember thought in disbelief. Before she could ask, the three students suddenly heard a loud beeping sound and a red light flashing, all coming from Sam's wrist.
"The Fenton Spector Detector…"Sam said as she held out her hand to the others.
"Alert! Alert! A ghost with an entity of scale 2 ectoplasmic power has been detected at exactly 2:57pm today!..." The annoying monotone voice said loudly.
"A ghost? Already?..."Sam said to Danny.
"It's just a scale 2, it's nothing…"He said in a dismissive tone before heading to his locker. He didn't see the surprised look on one auburn haired girls face by his attitude.
"Ugh…Danny…Not that I care or anything, but isn't this the part where you…I dunno…Change forms, fly off and try and capture that ghost in your thermos…"Ember asked in a wary, disbelieving tone by how uncaring Danny was acting.
"It's a scale 2 level ghost, it's relatively weak so it's hardly worth getting worked up about… …It's probably the Box Ghost or whatever and believe me when I say that I am in no hurry to see him again …"Danny said in a no-nonsense tone.
"Point…but still…"Ember thought and was about to ask only for Danny to keep talking.
"Scale 2 ghosts are naturally weak and my parents or Valerie can handle it…"He said with reassuringly as he took his books and walked with the two girls…. "Unless it's something actually dangerous or troublesome, I have no intention of letting them spoil my weekend…" He explained, still oblivious by the gaping expression Amberline had for a brief split second.
"Is this really Phantom?..."Ember thought, feeling very bizarre.
She couldn't believe that Danny Phantom, the biggest ghostly boy scout, hero-wannabe was actually ignoring a ghost. Ember briefly wondered if she was still asleep and dreaming in her realm but she knew better.
As the three students made their way out of the high school, Ember was still reeling from the shock of the previous act and she was unaware that a pair of green eyes had watched her walk out of the classroom.
"Strange….She's solid…she's not cold or anything and Danny Phantom is known to have a ghost sense…I guess that disproves my theory…"Mrs. Murray thought in disappointment and felt some shame with her actions.
It wasn't an accident that she bumped into Ember, she planned it since she wanted to be sure about her theory that had once again been disproven.
"I'm acting like a total loon, if she was a ghost I doubt Mr. Fenton would just let her waltz into here…I gotta let this go…"She muttered under her breath as she made her way to her car.
"Hey AJ, we still up for bridge later tonight?...'Mrs. Tesslaf said as she walked up to the sub.
"Oh definitely Tina….A champ has to protect her title after all…"Mrs. Murray or AJ with a wink to the gym teacher who was smirking.
"Enjoy your winning streak because tonight I'm taking you down…."Mrs. Tesslaf or Tina said with a determined grin.
"We'll see, anyway I gotta run...I'll see you at 7…"AJ Murray said as she got into her car and drove away from the high school
Meanwhile
At Amity Elementary
"Now where is she?...'An impatient, feminine voice said as she walked to the front of the elementary school.
The person was a girl who looked to be in her early teens, she had bright blue highlights in her long blonde hair, brown eyes and she was dressed in a white sweater, a black jacket, a plaid skirt with a matching belt, knee lengths black boots and a black wool cap. Another noticeable feature is that she had triple piercings on her ears and was wearing a black choker around her neck.
This girl waited at the front of the elementary schools entrance, trying hard to avoid all the crazy children running out like animals as she tried to find her little sister amongst the group of hyper active little pre-teens that she has long out grown.
"ZOE!..." A loud, high pitch voice shrieked at the girl, now addressed as Zoe.
The teenage girl turned around to see a child that looked no older than 9 running towards her. She had long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, green eyes and she was wearing a blue jumper over a white t-shirt, white stockings and black Mary Jane shoes.
"Hey squirt…."Zoe said casually to the girl who pouted.
"Don't call me squirt…'She said with her cheeks puffing a bit.
"Whatever….So how was class today Maggie?…" The 14 year old girl asked the younger girl who started smiling.
"It was great! Mrs. Applebee showed a movie in class today and Toby drew a mustache on Timmy's face when he fell asleep during recess, it was really funny…"Maggie said in between her giggles.
"I'm glad you had fun…Come on, let's head out…"Zoe said as she pulled out the tandem bike she used to get here. Maggie hoped on the back and held her sister tight as she rode the bike away from the elementary school.
"So how was school for you?...'Maggie asked her big sister who was still paying attention to her surroundings.
"It was okay, me and Tyler are still working on the orchestra for this year's play but so far, so good…"Zoe said as she rode her bike on the sidewalk, narrowly avoiding civilians as she did so.
"That's good…I know you guys are going to make the best Lays Misery ball show ever..." Maggie said sweetly, accidentally misnaming the play in the process.
It's pronounced as "Les Miserables", not "Lays Misery Ball"…." Zoe corrected her younger sister without taking her eyes off the road.
"Oh…Well, it's still going to be a good show right…"Maggie said encouragingly to her big sister.
"You know it…"The elder girl said with a smirk as the two rode off.
Meanwhile
At the Nasty Burger
Sam and Amberline were enjoying some grub at the Nasty Burger as the two continued to discuss their plans for taking Paulina down and the two were alone. Valerie had something to do with her dad and Danny had left when his fans pestering reached its most annoying point that he had no choice but to hightail out of there, leaving the two teenage girls alone to do their planning.
"I kept telling you that just one video or pic or Paulina's nastiness for the world to see and her lose will be assured…"Amberline insisted to the gothic girl who shook her head.
"And how exactly are we to do that? What? We follow her around all day, spy on her and wait for her to do her usual bitchiness in hopes of something to ruin her?...'Sam asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Duh…'Ember said flatly to the other girl.
"Amberline a smear campaign is the wrong way to go about this…Besides I get sick enough of looking at the pink parasite during school hours and I sure as heck not going to let her be the focus of my free time…"Sam said before taking another bite of her salad.
"And yet here you are, trying to find ideas in order to make her lose and make your little fantasy come true…"Ember said sarcastically to the Goth who gave her a flat look.
"Look, Paulina might have most of the male gender hypnotized and a lot of the girls blinded as well, but between you and me, she's pretty dim and we on the other hand are smart, independent women…."Sam said proudly to her accomplice.
"Well…that is true…"Ember admitted and mentally smirked when the Goth complimented her… "But how will that make sure she becomes my slave?...'She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm saying that Paulina's only strength is her pretty face and the only way to counter that is an even prettier face…"Sam said with her lips forming a smirk.
Ember blinked a bit before seeing Sam's logic. Paulina was a nasty, spoiled harpy and it was obvious that her popularity was based solely on her good looks, along with her money but her beauty was her only true source of power. As degrading as it was, it seemed that the only other way to beat her was to get an even prettier girl to compete against her.
Ember smiled at the thought of having the school called beauty cry and throw a tantrum when the crown was passed to another, even prettier girl who would ensure her wish of making the school's local bitch queen a slave for a month straight.
"I think that could work…" Ember said, considering the possibilities.
"So who's going to be our secret weapon?...'Ember asked before taking a sip of her cola.
"You, obviously…"Sam said and flinched when Amberline suddenly did a spit take.
"Oh, gross…"Sam complained as she cringed at the used liquid that was on their table.
"What? What do you mean me?...'Ember asked in disbelief.
"I'm saying that if you really want to beat Paulina, you actually have to compete against her…'Sam explained.
"Hell no! Why should I do that?..."Amberline demanded.
"Because the bet is that if Paulina loses to any girl from our school, she has to do whatever you say and in case I am wrong but I'm pretty sure you go to our school…"Sam pointed out to the glaring girl.
'And why can't you do it? You go to our school too!…'Ember pointed out but Sam shook her head.
"Even if I wanted to, I can't…I already made a big shtick on the shallowness of that stupid contest and if I participate in it, I'm basically ruining my own credibility as an individual…"Sam said with some smugness while Amberline refused to concede.
"I'm not the prom queen kind of girl Manson! Do you actually expect me to parade around school with a stupid fake grin on my face and suck up and beg people to vote for me?..."She asked and growled when the goth nodded.
"You will if you want that spoiled princess to lose!..." Sam insisted.
"I don't want to risk humiliating myself if I can't beat her….Why does it even have to be me anyway?..."Amberline asked the goth who let out a sigh.
"Amberline, what I was even suggesting goes against a lot of my own ideals but we have to face facts, all of the other relatively attractive girls in school are either too afraid of Paulina or are her brainwashed victims and you actually have the looks….It's time for you to use them for good…"Sam pointed out.
"What do you mean by that?..."Ember asked in confusion.
"Come on Amberline…Don't tell me that you haven't notice the high levels of male attention you've been getting since you got here…Like right now for starters…"Sam said as she pointed behind them, and Ember noticed three around their age that were obviously checking them out.
"Like Paulina, you have looks but unlike Paulina, you actually seem to have a brain and an actual personality…Combine all three of them and we have a guaranteed victory…."Sam said enthusiastically to her accomplice.
"You…You really think I'm pretty?..."Ember asked with some hesitance in her voice, surprising Sam in the process.
'What's with her?...It's like she's not used to compliments or something…"Sam thought before shaking her head… "Amberline, even a blind man could see that you're pretty and Danny also mentioned that you can play a mean guitar…which I think can work in our advantage…'Sam said and noticed the girl's eyes widening.
"He told you about that?...'She asked in disbelief, she couldn't believe the dipstick mentioned that to the goth, true it was with an old guitar and she couldn't risk singing but she really enjoyed the brief time she could play without interference.
"He also said that you sounded awesome….Paulina doesn't have any real talent unless you can't whining but I doubt the school will enjoy listening to it compared to some actually music…"Sam said to the girl and noticed her expression was softening and she looked to be deep in thought.
"She…She thinks I could beat Paulina…and she actually wants to listen to me play…"Ember thought unsure.
She half considered blowing off the Goth's idea and just going back to her plan of overshadowing Paulina into doing something shameful again…but…but she couldn't help but be interested by this idea.
Well…It's not like the Goth was entirely off the mark, Ember knew that she was pretty but she was still surprised that people thought that Amberline was pretty, and she did mention that she wanted her to play guitar in hopes of appealing to the voters, she really liked the idea of being able to perform again, even if she couldn't do it with her regular guitar, the idea of performing, getting people to worship her and later choosing her over that Hispanic bimbo was almost salivating to say the least.
Maybe it was the hard way…but she wanted to do it.
The Goth girl seemed to think she could do it, the dipstick seemed to actually like her music and besides Amberline or not, she was still Ember Mclain on the inside and she was always destined for adoration from a large flock of admirers. She wanted to beat Paulina more than anything right now, she could do it and she will do it. As Manson said, she has the looks, the brains and the style to do it, along with the talent to bring the house down. She was going to make sure that Amberline walks away with the crown this year.
Besides, if worse comes to worse, she could always overshadow the voters and win the easy way, either way she';; end up getting what she wants, but for now maybe it wouldn't hurt trying it the goth girls way. She actually imagined herself being crowned prom queen with Paulina and the entire school being witnesses to her epic fail and her giving her first order which she would do in front of every person she ever seduced, intimidated, annoyed, antagonized, etc.
It made her want to do it all the more.
Before Ember could agree to the goth girls suggestion, the two were startled when they suddenly heard and explosion coming from the outside, scaring the other patrons of the establishment.
"What the heck?! What's going on?..."Ember asked in confusion only to see the goth's attention to the window.
"Trouble…"Sam said and pointed out.
Ember blinked and frowned when she saw what was the cause of all this, she saw Danny Phantom in a fight with her idiotic brute of an ex-boyfriend who was carelessly throwing missiles and missing the ghostly halfa boy each time
"Oh no…Not him…"Ember thought in dismay, she has been dreading this since she learned that the portal was up and running again.
Couldn't Skulker just ease up and hunt that dipstick when she was not doing her uncover work?!
"Obviously he can't…"She thought in annoyance while the Goth girl was rummaging through her purse.
"I gotta get out there, stay here where it's safe Amberline….I'll be back later...'Sam said as she pulled out what looked to be some metallic device from her purse and placed it on her hand.
"What's that?...'She asked in a curious tone to the dark hair girl.
"The Fenton Wrist ray…Anyway, stay safe…"She said dramatically before bolting out of the restaurant to join her ex-boyfriend in battle.
"Ugh…Why am I even here? I got a weekend to start…"Ember though as she realized this was her chance to get out of here.
Knowing that she couldn't risk teleporting in a public place, she ran out the fast food joint, just in time to see Danny fighting Skulker in the air and Sam sending blasts from her wrist ray, just barely hitting Skulker who was carelessly sending ecto-blasts and missiles all willy-nilly.
"Ugh! If that's how that idiot aims, no wonder he hasn't been able to capture the dipstick yet…'Ember thought in annoyance, trying to ignore the explosions as she tried to find an exist and hopefully a place where she could teleport back home.
Suddenly her eyes landed on a nearby alleyway that was far away from Danny, Skulker and Sam's eyes and would be the perfect cover for her to get out of here.
"BINGO!..."Ember thought pleased as she began rushing to that place only to stop when a blast came dangerously close.
'AHHH!...Stupid Skulker…'She muttered and was about to keep running until she heard a loud scream.
"AHHH!..."A loud, child-like voice was echoing and Ember turned around to see some kid on the ground and was obviously terrified by the danger that was happening.
"What?...What's that kid doing in a place like this?...'Ember thought in concern as she noticed more and more blasts were getting closer to her and her cries were getting louder.
The echoes of a child's cries filled her mind…as she recalled only one other time that she heard such loud and distressing sounds.
FLASHBACK: 35 years into the past
During a winter's day
It was a snowy day in the town known as Amity Park. The snow was falling, children were frolicking and enjoying the fun that came with the one snow day where they were free from school and do whatever it was they want .Including one 13 year old girl who was enjoying spending time with her toddler sister at the park of their new town.
This girl was a young Miss Amberline Carol Mclain who was idly watching her three year old baby sister who was making snow angles in the ground and giggling as she did so.
Her parents were nowhere to be found, her dad was at work and her mother was meeting with her book club but she gave her permission to bring Amy to the park since the child kept insisting that she wanted to play outside, leaving Amberline as the only one to bring her to the park and the only one who was more than happy to do so.
She really loved her baby sister and she didn't mind bringing her here.
Especially since it beat being stuck at home doing nothing to do, it's been about a month since her family moved to Amity Park and so far the town was pretty boring as far as she was concern, nothing ever seemed to happen around here that didn't happen anywhere else and her new school wasn't all that great since she has yet to make a friend but aside from that it wasn't all that bad.
"Ambewine~…Ambewine~…Look at me…"The little girl exclaimed as she rolled around in the snow, being protected by her thick pink parka that provided her the warmth needed to have fun on this otherwise cold, icy day.
"Very good Amy...'Amberline giggled as she watched her cute baby sister frolic like the happy child that she was.
Soon Amy insisted that she wanted a snowball fight and Amberline found herself playing with Amy who clumsily mashed the snow in her hand to form a ball which she tried to throw at her sister who even helped her form a proper one. Once done, they were catching snowflakes on their tongues and Amberline and Amy even went sledding on a medium size hill that was in the park, not to big but perfect for Amy who was cheering all the way down.
"Had fune Amy?..."Amberline asked the three year old who nodded.
"Fun! Fun! Let's do it again!...'She said while she clapped.
"Okay okay…but first how about some hot chocolate?..."Ember asked as she noticed a cart not that far from where they were.
"YAY! Chocowate~…'She cheered at the thought of the warm, yummy drink.
"I'll be back in a minute, don't move…"Amberline said as she walked to the cart.
Once there, Amberline was face to face with the vender who was giving her a friendly smile.
"Two hot chocolates please, with extra whip cream and extra marshmallows…'Amberline ordered both her and Amy's favorite to the man who proceeded to make them.
After a few moments, her order was ready…"Here you are little lady…Enjoy…"The vender said kindly as he handed her the hot chocolates. After paying for her drinks, Amberline walked back to the spot, holding the drinks carefully in hopes of not spilling anything either on her snow suit or on the ground.
"Okay Amy, come on…I got your favorite kind of hot choco-…"Amberline was silenced when she had reached the spot where she had previously been with Amy…
Except that there was no Amy now.
Suddenly the two hot chocolates fell to the grounds but were ignored as the carrier was far to frozen to notice and not by the cold. Fear, worry and so many other bad feelings filled her up as realization came in that her baby sister was gone.
"AMY!..."She yelled once she got out of it and immediately ran around the park in hopes of finding the little toddler.
"AMY! AMY! WHERE ARE YOU?!...'She yelled out as she looked behind the trees, under the benches and by the frozen playground equipment in hopes of looking for the rambunctious rugrats but she was nowhere to be found.
Her baby sister was gone!
"AMY!...'She shouted loudly in sadness and fearing the worse.
The thirteen year old was about to run and search for a police officer in hopes of helping her only to suddenly hear some crying from a distance.
"Huh?! Amy?!..."Amberline muttered in hopes as she ran towards the source of the cries, and ran even faster when she started hearing some barking as well.
Running even faster than before, she soon found herself on the other side of the park and to her horror she saw Amy crying as a dog was large dog was barking menacingly at her.
"AMY!..."Amberline shouted as she ran to the scene, feeling very scared that the dog might attack her baby sister.
"BARK! BARK!..."The dog kept barking, , obviously terrifying the poor child was kept crying loudly.
"AHHH! Amberwine!..."Amy said in between her cries as the dog circled her.
"STAY AWAY FROM HER! YOU MANGY MUTT!..."Amberline yelled as she stood in front of the beast, blocking him from Amy but the dog kept barking at her..
Seeing a large stick nearby, Amberline grabbed it and quickly used it like a sword.
"SHOO! GO AWAY! I SAID GO AWAY!..."She shouted as she swung the stick around, even hitting the bad dog at one point, finally ending his barking and causing him to whimper in fear.
"I said beat it!..."Amberline shouted menacingly at the dog at she held the stick up high in preparation of another strike, the dog quickly ran away, finally leaving the two sisters alone.
Amberline soon turned around to the crying three year old girl who was still visibly shaken by the experience. Wasting no time, she quickly kneeled down and wrapped her arms around the frightened child, rubbing her back as she spoke gently to her.
'Shuuush…It's alright now Amy…I'm here now…That mean dog is gone and he can't hurt you now…'She said gently as she rubbed her sisters back, soothing her cries who were no longer loud shrieks but quiet sobs.
"What happened? I went to find you but you weren't there...'Amberline asked softly to the crying girl who still cling to her.
"I-I…I'm sorry…I…I saw a squirrel and I…I followed it as it ran into its tree….I was going to go back but then…then that big dog suddenly started barking and-…and-…"She couldn't continue as she kept crying, still scared by the memory and all her sister could do was comfort her.
"I shouldn't have left you alone…I'm so sorry Amy…but next time when I say to stay put, you have to stay put…please promise me that you won't wonder off alone ever again…"She asked to the girl who nodded.
"I…I pwomise…"She said, finally ending her sobs but she saw still holding onto her big sister.
"And I promise that no matter what, I won't leave you alone again…I'll never let you get hurt…'She whispered to the three year old in her arms, happy that she had stopped crying but they were both still upset.
No matter what Amberline was never going to let this ever happen again, her baby sister was the most important person in her life and she couldn't live without her .Had she been only a little late, that awful dog probably would have bit her or worse! It was huge and Amy was a small, little thing and she didn't even want to think of what might have happened because of her carelessness. Not only that but many other dangerous, awful things could have easily happened as well to the poor thing and she hated the very thought of it.
Not again! She was never going to be stupid and let her out of her sight ever again. She was the big sister and as long as she was alive, Amy's safety and happiness would always be her top priority.
For as long as she would live, she would never let her sister suffer like she had.
"I promise…'She thought as she carried Amy away and was on the way to their home as neither were in the mood to play anymore.
End of Flashback
Ember was brought out of that flashback as her ears kept hearing the child's loud screaming which was almost identical to Amy's had been on that awful, awful day so long ago.
Ember didn't know when it all started but her feet started moving almost on their own, she saw briefly aware of the explosions as she kept dodging the debris as she ran across the battlefield and upon seeing a stray blast getting dangerously closer, her body was basically on auto-pilot as she basically jump the final yard and essentially flung herself to her target, moving the child away just before a large blast would have hit her.
Once it was all done, Ember realized what she had done and soon saw the kid in her arms and realized it wasn't a toddler but a well grown child in her arms but they were none the less scared…She saw that the child was a girl, she was blonde and she was whimpering.
Much like Amy had once done.
"Shush…It's alright…I'm here…I won't let that stupid brute hurt you…'She whispered to the kid who stopped crying and looked at her with some hope in her eyes.
It made her feel less surreal about the whole situation but she would ignore it and blame it on some nonsensical insanity later. Realizing that they were still in a potentially dangerous area, Ember knew that she should get the kid as far away from that idiot Skulker as soon as possible.
"I'll get you out of here…"Ember said as she tried to get up, only to fall back down as she suddenly felt a sharp pain around her ankle.
"W-What the-?..."She exclaimed as she suddenly noticed the condition on her foot.
Her leg was bleeding and she was feeling an excruciating pain in her ankle, likely because she sprained it when she flung to the ground like a maniac. Okay, as a ghost Ember had a higher tolerance for pain and she had a better healing factor that most humans but this was the first time that she had gotten hurt in her new human body…and she was completely frozen when she saw her own blood.
The sticky, red liquid was foreboding to say the least.
"I…its red…I'm bleeding but…"She thought in disbelief but was forced to return to her situation that she was in a dangerous area and with a kid to boot!
"MAYBE YOU CAN AVOID ME WHELP BUT THEY MIGHT NOT!..."She heard Skulker's booming voice say as she looked up to see her ex-boyfriend with a sadistic grin she could see even from way down there and his missiles were pointed at them.
"WHAT?!..."She yelled, the shock and fear of the situation fearing her as saw the missiles were now on their way.
Wasting no time, she immediately pushed the little kid far away from her, making her land a few feet far away from the target area and hopefully out of harms away while Ember knew she wouldn't be so lucky, she couldn't become invisible or intangible with Skulker so close by and even if she wanted to, it was already too late. Ember closed her eyes, hoping that her healing and durability was still available as she was a human.
"NO!...'Was screamed loudly, along with a loud blast but Ember felt no pain at all aside from her sore ankle.
"What?...'She thought as she opened her eyes and her jaw dropped as she witness what has happened.
Right in front of her was Danny Phantom a.k.a. Danny Fenton, standing only a few feet from her and he looked to have been through some major trauma. His clothes were damaged, he was hissing in pain and Ember looked to see green ectoplasm seeping from his side as he was clearly in pain.
It took her only a moment to realize what had happened and she still couldn't believe it.
Phantom took a hit that was meant for her…He saved her again?
"HA HA! You are so predictable you whelp…'Skulker said despicably as he clearly loved that Danny took the bait.
Ember's shock soon melted into anger but not towards the halfa boy but to the robotic hunter for his actions. Ember had been angry at Skulker many times and for many things but never like this. She couldn't explain it but she felt such anger at his methods, he had used her and a child as bait in order to get Danny into a blast.
"YOU….YOU SICK BASTARD!..."She shouted angrily at the brute who only kept grinning menacingly.
Whatever Ember wanted to do or say now was stopped when Danny raised his hand at her, Ember was surprised that he still seemed to have the strength to fight despite the sorry shape he was in but he only gave that determined look she had seen many times when they were battling but she had never seen it so close before.
"Cover your ears and get behind me…I'm ending this clown…"He ordered and Ember didn't even bother fighting back, she just complied.
Danny, though still aching from the blast he received, was done being Mr. Nice Ghost since to him, Skulker crossed a line and he was going to pay for it. Making sure that Amberline was safely behind him and that Sam and the kid that was with Amberline were a safe distance away, he took a deep breath and unleashed his ghostly wail, hitting Skulker straight on, successfully destroying his suit.
"AHHH!...'Skulker yelled as he hit the earth, finally knocked out.
Sam, knowing full well that Danny was out of power, pulled out her extra thermos and quickly sucked the hunter ghost within and soon saw Danny reverting back to his human form and dropping to the ground.
'OH MAN! Danny!...'Sam yelled as she ran across the battlefield to her friends
Ember could only stare in disbelief at what had just happened and at the state of Danny Fenton right now, on the ground and bleeding thought he only had the nerve to give her a grin despite the pain he was in.
"Hey…You alright?...'He asked to the girl who only looked at him in disbelief.
"W-What?! D-Dip-…I mean Danny! W-Why?...How did- What were you-…"She couldn't even form a full sentence at this point as she was still processing the entire thing and the state the ghost boy was in.
Here he was bleeding on the ground and he up and asks her if she was feeling alright?!
"Heh….I take it that this isn't how you expected to spend your Friday huh?..."He joked before hissing once more in pain, getting the auburn haired girls attention.
"Oh man! Danny…"Ember said in dismay as she noticed that he was still bleeding.
Danny soon passed out with both Ember and Sam surrounding him, both worried about the state he was in. Ember was still too shaken by the entire thing but she knew that the ghost boy was right about one thing.
This definitely wasn't how she expected to start her weekend…Definitely not.
-To be continued-
Next time on Resurrected Memories:
Hospital Conversations
A/N: For those who are wondering why Skulker's power scale is so low despite sometimes giving Danny a challenge here, we must remember that Skulker's natural form is a tiny blob and his only true power is his high tech suit, the portal's new upgrade is meant to determine a ghost's "natural power scale", not counting stuff like weapons, just their own natural power.
Skulker depends on his suits and weapons for everything, its artificial power and he doesn't care so long as he can hunt.
I hope that explains everything.
REPLIES
Wiseguy2415: The reason Vlad is blaming Danny is because he's a total narcissist who is too stubborn to accept that it was his own hate and greed that cause his downfall. I know that The Ultimate Enemy shows that Vlad is capable of reforming, but I think it can only happen when he's truly at his lowest point and unable to fight back, kinda like he was when he was separated by his ghost half and forced to wallow in his guilt. Here Vlad is still bad because he still deluded believes he can achieve his goals.
Runeion: I was originally going to call them "power levels" but then I thought it would have been better to stick with the "scale 8" thing.
Invader Johnny: Ember's situation is meant to be more of a parallel to Danny's when he was first starting out, with Danny it was his struggling to master his powers and accepting his destiny as a hero, while for Ember it's struggling to be in sync with her now semi-resurrected body and being forced to recall the humanity she lost a long time ago. The more time she's being half-human, the more she begins to realize just how human she's becoming, especially in the physical sense.
Also I considered making an Irken cameo but I didn't want this story to be a crossover, but I did imply that Vlad came across aliens and it was pure luck he wasn't taken by them yet.
Guest(1), Kosmic and Jenn: Thanks.
Darthdeathpool: The power scale things will be more elaborated as time goes by, but I should point out that ghosts naturally have the capacity of becoming either stronger orweaker, much like with humans, their strength would either increase or diminish depending on how they take care of themselves, or in the ghosts case, train and gain more power by fueling their obsessions.
Example with Danny, in canon it's stated that he's scale 7, while in this fic he has increased to a scale 8 of power because a lot of time has passed since then and he likely gain more power the more he trained.
FeMorgenstern11: I hate them too and I know it really sucks for Ember and the stress of her situation will just be making it worse.
Spectre Kid: I absolutely loved the 10 years later video and my greatest wish is that Butch will be able to make a sequel series, I really want to see Danny as an adult. Also I hope this visit from Skulker will do.
Mighty TAB X: I suppose that only time will tell.
SouthardKyle: As I mentioned in my review to Darthdeathpool, they're strength all depends on how hard they work for it.
DragShot: Trust me when I say that things are only beginning to get more complicated for our favorite ghostly diva.
Guest(2): Hello, and sorry I couldn't answer you sooner but I'm afraid I can't give you a definite answer, I can only write when I have both time and inspiration and I have no control over either, it all is basically random for me, especially since I'm juggling a few other fics along with this one. I can say that I always try and write as soon as possible and I try not to make people wait TOO long if I can help it.
:) Till next time beautiful people and don't forget to review :)