Chapter 25
The arrival of Jack and Maddie Fenton distracted Chernobog long enough for Skulker to swoop down and imprison him within a cube of bluish energy. Chernobog screamed in rage, throwing himself against the walls of his cage and pounding his fists in the hopes of somehow breaking through the energy. Dan watched with a neutral expression as the form of his younger self struggled so desperately against his prison. Without his shadow powers, Chernobog was virtually human, pathetic and weak with no means of escaping from Skulker's cage.
"We should get him back to Vlad," Dash said, flying down on his speed board to hover before the cage. Chernobog twisted Danny's face with his fury, narrowing the bright blue eyes dangerously like he thought if he focused it enough he might manage to make the blond man's head explode from sheer force of effort. That made Dan smirk, to see the stupid shadow that thought it so much better reduced to a powerless human.
"Get him back to Vlad?" Maddie demanded, finally breaking out of her shock. "What do you mean you're taking my son back to Vlad?" Her violet eyes narrowed at ghosts and humans alike, and behind her, her husband followed suit, glaring at those that would dare to take his son away from him.
"It might be wise not to waste time standing around here arguing," Dan suggested in a bored manner as he folded his arms with a look on his face that suggested he didn't care one way or the other. "I'm sure all of you want to return the little hero back to his former self."
"He's right," Sam said, floating down on her speed board to hover before Jack and Maddie. Her tone, though, suggested that she was agreeing begrudgingly and wasn't completely happy with the fact that she actually had to agree with him, a monster in her eyes. Dan snorted, not really caring what the silly Goth thought of him. "We need to get this evil thing out of Danny before anything worse can happen."
They at least seemed to understand the seriousness of the situation, and though their expressions suggested they didn't like what was happening, Jack and Maddie nodded in agreement that they should take their son to Vlad. Dan didn't miss the questioning gleam in their eyes, wondering how their son ended up becoming Danny Phantom and why these ghosts and humans wanted to take him to Vlad of all people. Maddie especially didn't seem to approve of relying on their old college "buddy" to help her son. A smirk threatened to find its way back onto his face as Dan wondered how they would react to discovering Vlad's little secret as well.
With the Fentons' permission given, Skulker raised the glowing cube containing Chernobog into the air as he started to fly off toward Vlad's mansion. The three Ancients followed after him, and Dan sneered as he watched their diminishing purple cloaks as they flew away. He looked forward to those three going back into the far off reaches of the Ghost Zone, disappearing from the public eye to work once again in the shadows like they usually did until some new unstoppable threat made an appearance. That female Ancient's power apparently worked quite well because Dan spotted Paulina up on her speed board again showing no signs of having trouble standing on her left leg. The humans that fought didn't linger around, speeding back to Vlad's mansion along with Ember.
The only ones that remained were Dan, Jack, and Maddie. He turned back to face them and didn't miss the way they flinched back from him.
"I'll give you a lift there," Dan offered, severing a duplicate from his main form. A hint of fear showed in their eyes when Dan and his duplicate grabbed hold of them, lifting them into the air. Maddie was small and light, easy to carry, and Jack would have been a challenge if Dan wasn't as strong as he was. "So," Dan said, dropping his gaze to Jack as a smirk cut across his face, "I've always been curious how you would react to finding out about who Danny Phantom really was."
It was a question that often danced in his mind before the accident that took his family and friends away from him. After that happened, the question became less important, especially with his insatiable thirst for chaos and destruction. He saw little point to dwell on the past, his memories of friends and family, after they were taken from him. But now that they were here in front of him again, the question reared its ugly head again. They knew now, but Dan still couldn't determine whether that was a good fact or not. Time was a funny thing, and where Jack and Maddie might accept Danny at one point in time, they might not at another point. Different situations resulted in different responses. If things had gone slightly different, maybe Dan might not have turned evil after his family and friends died. But that was another train of thought he didn't like to stray down.
"What does it matter to you, freak face?" Jack demanded, narrowing his eyes at the ghost holding him.
Dan burst out laughing at that response. If Jack only knew who exactly he was talking to, but Dan had no intention of revealing that to the man. They arrived quickly at Vlad's mansion, Dan flying at top speed to reach the laboratory at the same time as everyone else. He arrived last but was only seconds behind the rest. Once he set Jack and Maddie down on the floor, his duplicate snapped back into him.
"What are they doing here?" Vlad questioned the moment he spotted his friends from college present in his laboratory.
"This is some setup, Vladdie!" Jack was already poking at some of the inventions within the laboratory, unable to help himself from acting like a child and candy store.
"They arrived on scene when Dan hit Chernobog with that wail thing," Dash explained, his helmet already removed. He stood next to Valerie, keeping a close eye on the woman. "They saw him transform back after the attack wasted his power."
Vlad scowled at that news, clearly not anticipating the presence of Jack and Maddie. Dan rolled his eyes at that idiotic way of thinking because it should have been obvious to Vlad that Jack and Maddie would turn up the moment a ghost started wrecking havoc in town.
"Okay. We're ready to try this," Kwan said as he stepped back from the large device in the center of the laboratory that looked like a giant dream catcher with glowing strings crisscrossing through the hoop.
"Is that our Ghost Catcher?" Maddie demanded, her mouth pursing unhappily as she glared darkly at Vlad.
"It seemed like the best option for removing the evil entity possessing Daniel," Vlad explained stiffly, returning her glare with a flat stare.
"Don't be too hard on him," Dan said, smirking at Maddie, whose left eye twitched slightly. "If anyone hacked into your files to retrieve the blue prints, it was probably the puppy." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at Kwan while he continued smirking like a mad man.
"Did he just call me a puppy?" Kwan asked in utter confusion.
"Dude, I totally don't want to know," Dash replied, sounding rather disturbed and disgusted by the comment.
"Does it matter?" Sam demanded loudly. "Instead of chattering away about meaningless things, can we please fix Danny?" She gestured wildly at the young man still contained within Skulker's glowing cube. "Because while you all might be content to ramble on and complain about inventions, I'd like to get my friend back."
Dan's gaze drifted toward the three Ancients waiting silently lined up against one wall of the laboratory. He wasn't fool enough to believe their intentions were innocent. When the smallest of the Ancients came crying to Clockwork for help with some silly vision it had, Dan was doing his usual lurking in the shadows thing that he tended to do in Clockwork's tower. He didn't have much to do while confined to the tower if he wasn't busy with training. The small Ancient even mentioned that they hoped to bring Phantom back, to make him the dominate personality without any care of what happened to the human half. Some might think that Dan wouldn't care about such things when he killed his human half in his own timeline, but hearing the Ancient mention something like that filled Dan with a rage he couldn't explain. He wasn't going to let the Ancients succeed in snuffing out the human half of this duo.
"Right," Vlad said, frowning down at the young woman. "Then I suppose we should start."
When Vlad nodded to him, Skulker grinned as he lifted the cube into the air. Chernobog sneered at them, too much rage burning through him to bite out any cruel remarks or threats at all those gathered within the laboratory. He settled for a seething glare as Skulker threw the cube containing Chernobog through the Fenton Ghost Catcher. The containment cube faded out when it touched the strings of the device. As he passed through the Ghost Catcher, the single body split into three, each dropping to the floor with grunts upon impact. Raven haired Danny Fenton lay on his back to the left with snowy haired Phantom right beside him. On the right, Chernobog growled as he pushed himself to his hands and knees. His red eyes flashed angrily as he swept his glare all around at them.
"Quick!" Sam shouted as she and Tucker helped Danny and Phantom to their feet then shoved them back toward the Ghost Catcher.
Dan flicked his gaze toward the Ancients as the pair jumped through the merge side of the Ghost Catcher before Chernobog could realize what was happening. The Ancients waited with tense anticipation to see how things would play out, hoping the smallest of them was right in its vision about Phantom assuming control. Dan gritted his teeth as he snapped his attention back to the Ghost Catcher. Chernobog shot to his feet, reaching out to grab the pair before they could pass back through it, but Sam and Tucker stood in his way, holding him back.
When they passed through the net of strings, Danny and Phantom merged back into one, dropping to white booted feet when they came out the other side. He frowned, green eyes staring down at this gloved hands. "I can't use my powers," he announced as he turned his gaze onto Dan. The announcement brought a hushed silence over everyone, and the Ancients radiated with frustration. A cruel grin slipped across Chernobog's black face, his red eyes laughing at the powerless Ancient.
Dan stepped toward the green eyed ghost as he brought the bazooka around again. His red eyes narrowed down at his younger self. "Which one are you?"
Green eyes darted toward the trio of Ancients and narrowed angrily at them. "Phantom," he answered as he turned back to Dan, "but not by choice. I can't do anything without my powers."
Dan glanced toward the Ancients as well, and a slow smirk spread over his face. With a nod, he pressed the end of the bazooka against Phantom's chest and squeezed the trigger. The blast made Phantom stumble back, wincing in pain, but after a moment he was able to float in the air, smiling happily to have his powers back.
"This isn't over!" Chernobog shouted, struggling against the hold Sam and Tucker had on him. His black gloved hands reached out toward Phantom, the claws begging to tear into his enemy.
With a frown, Phantom touched down on the floor again and walked over to him, remaining just out of reach of his hands. "I'm sorry all of this happened to you," he said with regret in his eyes. "I didn't realize what kind of power you had when we met. If I did, maybe I would have acted differently around you."
"Do you think saying sorry fixes anything?" Chernobog growled, fuming in his inability to accomplish his goal.
"Of course not," Phantom agreed, lowering his sad gaze.
"What do you mean?" asked the female Ancient. She stepped forward, lowering her hood to show her face. Her silver eyes watched Phantom with curiosity as she frowned at him. "Why are you apologizing for his cruel acts?"
"Because it was all my fault," Phantom answered bitterly, snapping a glare at her. "He befriended me because he was a nice, gentle ghost, and almost all I ever did was rant at him about my anger with you." He pointed a finger at the three Ancients. "I understood the need for you to have my power when it came to fighting Pariah Dark, but I never got over how angry I was with you all for forcing me into the role of an Ancient. And because of his ability," Phantom gestured with one hand toward Chernobog, "he absorbed that anger into himself and made it his own, and it twisted him into something evil, something with only the vengeance it sought against the Ancients consuming its mind. All my fault because I could never learn to simply let go of that anger toward you. You wanted me as your pawn, but all I've done is make more evil to be cleaned up by innocent people endangering themselves."
"Boohoo for the poor, self centered Ancient," Chernobog growled, red eyes scowling darkly. "But confessing your sins doesn't change anything. I still exist, and my only desire is to finally destroy you all."
"I think not." Dan, without preamble, thrust a fist into Chernobo's chest, burying it deep inside as the black skinned ghost gasped in shock.
Everyone gawked at his action, Tucker and Sam stumbling away as no one was able to comprehend exactly what was going on inside Dan's mind. Chernobog clawed at the arm protruding from his chest, gasping and growling, making all sorts of pained noises in an attempt to break free but unable to while Dan's arm was phased inside him. Phantom remained standing beside Dan with uncertainty in his green eyes. He couldn't puzzle out the meaning behind Dan's actions, but it was obvious he believed the evil future of Danny Phantom had a trick up his sleeve.
"What are you doing to him?" Paulina questioned with some worrying in her voice despite this being the evil creature that tried to keep control over her friend.
Dan ignored the question as he concentrated, brow knitting in deep focus. Chernobog screamed out as he clawed desperately and tried to pull away from Dan before it was too late, but it was already too late the moment Clockwork allowed Dan to leave the tower and join the fight. White flames flickered into life, dancing over Chernobog's body and consuming him in a bright blaze. Paulina gasped in surprise, maybe some others did as well, but Dan couldn't be certain, didn't dare look around at their reactions while he concentrated on what he needed to do. No one stepped forward to stop him, and not simply from fear or because they believed his actions were wrong but because they couldn't puzzle out what exactly Dan was trying to accomplish. His red eyes narrowed and he gritted his teeth until finally Chernobog fell silent, stilling and slumping against his arm. Once the flames faded away, Dan yanked his arm free from the ghost's chest, allowing Chernobog to drop heavily to his knees on the floor.
"What - What happened?" asked the dark skinned ghost as he lifted his head. Confused red eyes flicked about the room before landing on Phantom. "Where are we? What's going on?"
Phantom's eyes grew wide, figuring it out quickly. "You took away the hatred! How can you do that?"
"Ask the annoying dick," Dan muttered, folding his arms. "Clockwork was the one that showed me my flames could be used for more than just destroying things."
"I'm still a little confused," the ghost said, blinking innocently confused eyes at the pair before him. "And why can't I use any of my powers?" He turned his gaze down to his hands, frowning when he couldn't use any sort of ghostly ability.
"I'm sorry, Umbra," Phantom said, using the long forgotten name for the ghost. "My anger turned you into a monster." The misery was back in his eyes as he lowered them to the floor. "I'm sorry I never knew until it was too late."
"We shouldn't have to worry about it now." Dan shrugged as Phantom helped Umbra to his feet. "Even if I hit him again with this," he patted the bazooka, "he'd only have the basic ghost powers. The whole absorbing emotions and infecting others and controlling shadows ability thing is gone for good."
"So I'm just normal now?" Umbra frowned sadly then glanced at Phantom. "Maybe that's for the best."
"Okay, okay," Dash said, pushing through to break Phantom and Umbra apart. "So the big bad is neutralized now. Weird." He pointed at Dan with a look that said he wasn't convinced by anything Dan said or did. "But what about the real Fenton?" He snapped his angry blue eyes on Phantom, glaring darkly at the Ancient.
"Now it's back to Fenton?" Valerie questioned with a snort.
"We all know. He's blind," Kwan said in a not very convincing whisper to her, earning a growl from Dash.
"Things are as they should be," the smallest Ancient spoke up, but the female turned her head to frown at him. "Phantom belongs with us."
"Now just wait one moment there," Jack shouted, crossing the laboratory with fury in his eyes. "That's our son." He pointed at Phantom, who technically wasn't their son at that exact moment. "And I'm not letting some stupid ghost take him away from us." Maddie nodded her agreement as she joined Jack in standing against the Ancient. The show actually impressed Dan, an odd sense of pride rising in him at the fact that they would still call his younger self their son.
"Your son is merely a host," said the taller male Ancient. "Phantom is one of ours."
"And that's exactly what none of you ever understood," Vlad snapped, and Dan merely smirked at the gasps that went around the room by those still in the dark about who Vlad really was.
"I knew it!" Dash shouted as he pointed a finger at Vlad, who now supported black horned hair and red eyes.
Vlad's attention, however, was focused solely on three Ancients across the room from him. "Phantom never wanted to be one of us. He was forced into it. You stole away his freedom to make him a pawn, and his resentment over that created a monster. We're as much to blame for this poor ghost growing into a monster as Phantom is. Our power isn't needed at all times, and the three of you, along with Clockwork, have done well enough without the two of us at your beck and call. If ever an issue arises that requires all of our powers to defeat it for the protection of this world and the Ghost Zone, then you can come to us to ask for our help. But until then, I ask that you leave us to live in peace because we won't return with you without a fight."
"Brothers," the female Ancient turned around fully to face the two cloaked figures, "perhaps it's time we stop trying to force them to return to us. We're only creating a bigger rift among our numbers."
"Finally, a voice of reason," Dan said, though his eyes remained narrowed at the Ancients, hardly trusting them. "Don't let the Portal doors hit you on your way out."
With all others present in the laboratory glaring at them, willing to put up a fight should they try to take Phantom away, the three Ancients were forced to give up their goal of recovering their missing members. Phantom, and now Plamius who finally revealed himself, wasn't about to leave with them under any circumstances. The youngest Ancient might be willing to put aside his anger and resentment, but he wasn't going back to them like a beaten puppy with his tail between his legs. The two male Ancients looked like they were ready to mount another campaign to convince their lost members to return with them, but the female Ancient ushered them toward the open Portal, not allowing them the chance. Dan smirked at that. The Ancients could try again and again, but Phantom and Plasmius would continue fighting them.
"This still doesn't change that Fenton isn't Fenton," Dash pointed out, loud and impatient the moment the Portal doors shut behind the disappointed Ancients.
When he turned back, Dan caught a roll of glowing green eyes before Phantom closed them. In a moment, his white hair faded to raven, his clothes changing back to what his human half wore. Bright blue eyes cracked open then blinked a few times as he took in the world around him.
"That was a really weird experience," Danny said, holding his head like it was pounding with a terrible headache. His body was spotted with bruises and cuts, but nothing that looked serious enough to need immediate medical attention. As soon as they realized he was back to normal, friends and family crowded around him, squeezing Danny in a giant hug in relief to have their Danny back. Dash stood back as the scene took place while Vlad remained leaning against the wall after reverting back from his Plasmius persona. Vlad didn't join in the hug, though he did show relief that the young man was safe and in control of his own body. Skulker and Technus hung back with Ember, though Dan suspected the singer might have wanted to join in on the hug, having grown somewhat attached to the "dipstick" as she liked to call him.
Valerie scowled at the scene, hate and disgust still in her eyes. Frowning, Dan approached her while everyone kept their focus on Danny. When she looked up at him, Valerie narrowed her green eyes. It wasn't a completely unfamiliar expression for him to see on her, and Dan knew he deserved every speck of hatred the woman had in her after everything that he did in his timeline. The strange thing about her expression was that her anger was directed at his younger self.
"What do you want?" Valerie demanded, jaw clenched tightly as she spoke.
Raising a hand between them, Dan let a small flicker of white flames grow within his palm. "I know how much you hate Danny for ruining your life," he said, watching the play of emotions in her eyes. The comment shook something within Valerie, surprising her that he knew anything about what occurred between her and Danny. In his time, Valerie had learned to get over what happened between them. When he first arrived in Amity Park after killing his human half, Valerie tried to talk to him, help him to deal with the loss of family and friends even though it was far too late for him at that point. Or at least, it seemed far too late. Dan now knew that it was never truly too late if someone took the chance to turn their lives around. She gave him more than one second chance, only to have him laugh in her face.
Valerie glanced down at the flame between them. "So what? You're going to do the same to me that you did to that evil ghost?" Her glare returned to piercing into his eyes.
Dan shook his head. "Not exactly the same. But maybe I can help dull some of that anger, lessen it enough to allow you the chance to forgive what happened between the two of you and give you the chance to move away from vengeance. Even if you killed him, it would never sate the rage in you. And I know a lot about insatiable rage. The first step is learning to forgive, but that has to be your choice."
Valerie glanced toward the group still swarmed around Danny, though her gaze fell upon the blond man still standing outside the group. Despite all his comments, Dash's eyes kept finding Danny. At the moment, they seemed to be discussing what to do with Umbra now that he was no longer the evil shadow creature known as Chernobog bent on tearing down the Ancients.
"I suppose if Dash can find a way to stop being a jerk long enough to put aside his anger, I should be able to as well," Valerie said after a while of watching them.
Dan held the flame closer to her. "It won't fix everything right away. Don't expect to be all forgiving to him immediately."
With a roll of her eyes, Valerie nodded as she cupped the flame within her hands. She blinked at it then glanced up at Dan again. "It's warm but doesn't burn."
"Not all fire is meant to burn." Dan ran a gloved hand through his flaming white hair.
After staring at his hair for moment, Valerie shook her head. "You're one weird ghost." She held the flame in her hand close to her chest, pressing it into her body. A soft glow surrounded her briefly before fading away, leaving her looking completely unchanged. The only noticeable difference was that her eyes didn't seem hold as much anger as before.
"Just remember that not all ghosts are evil." Dan nodded his head toward Danny. "His actions may have had poor consequences, but he's always tried to do the right thing. I can't say the same for me though." His shoulders hunched up briefly. His choices in the past had been poor. He didn't need anyone lecturing him about the things he did to hurt others.
"That's enough crowding around him," Vlad said, pushing his way through the group around Danny. At some point, Technus and Skulker decided their presence was no longer necessary and vacated from the laboratory, but Ember remained behind, keeping close to Paulina. "I think the boy has gone through enough for one day and could probably use some time to relax." Vlad laid a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Or at the very least, continue this conversation some place a little more comfortable than standing around in a lab."
Many of the others, being exhausted from the fight, agreed about taking things to a more comfortable location, wanting to get off their feet for a while. They filed out of the laboratory, someone mentioning food which the consensus agreed that they should fix a big meal for everyone. An annoyed look passed through Vlad's eyes at that, probably thinking they would eat everything in the house with the number of mouths to feed. Valerie glanced Dan's way, giving the tiniest hint of a smile before she joined everyone in heading out of the laboratory.
"Does this mean we might get to do some experiments on-" Jack got cut off when Maddie elbowed him hard in the ribs.
"Of course we're not going to experiment on our own son." Maddie shot a glare at Jack, who had enough sense to look sheepish as he scratched the back of his head. "We'll go help the others." Maddie pushed Jack toward the door of the laboratory.
None of them missed Jack asking, "But what about Vladdie? He's not family," after they left, nor did they miss the loud smack of Maddie slapping him on the back of the head for asking it. Then the four of them remained alone in the laboratory with Umbra looking awkward and uncertain about his presence there. The poor ghost lost much of its life to the all consuming rage passed to him through Phantom, and now he stood powerless with only a vague recollection of whom he was.
"How long have you known there was an Ancient inside you?" Danny questioned, turning his gaze onto Vlad.
"He only made his presence known just now." Vlad folded his arms as he frowned. "He has no intention of coming out again unless his power is required, though I suppose now that I know of him, we could work out some power exchange in which he allows me access to using his power when needed."
Danny laughed a little. "Phantom says it's no wonder he chose you. You're apparently a lot alike with the whole fatherly thing. Plamius always treated Phantom like a son, and you always wanted me to think of you like a dad." Danny shrugged then glanced toward Umbra and Dan. "Does Clockwork have any plans for him?" He pointed a thumb at Umbra.
"He didn't tell me anything so I'm figuring no," Dan answered with a shrug. "We can give him his powers back, if you want. He's harmless now. Or if he really wants, he could just stay completely powerless."
Danny's blue eyes lit up suddenly, and he smacked the back of hand against Vlad's chest. "He can stay with you! It's gotta be lonely in the big old castle. You can teach him, mentor him, whatever. You can have that father-son relationship you always wanted. And this way, there's someone keeping an eye on him."
Umbra's uncertain red eyes flicked between them. "If it's all right, can I speak with Phantom sometimes?" Hope shone briefly on his face. "I always liked talking with him."
Danny nodded as he said, "I think we can arrange something like that. Phantom says he'd like to try being a better friend if you still want to be his friend."
Umbra smiled, his head bobbing rapidly as his white hair flopped about. "I want to!"
"I suppose that takes care of those arrangements then. Shall we go join the rest?" Vlad questioned, and the practically twins Danny and Umbra agreed, the raven haired man sounding ravenous after this latest ordeal.
Dan watched them all go, finding himself yet again alone. That seemed to be the ultimate ending to his life: always the one left alone. When Dan returned to Clockwork's tower, the Time Keeper would be present, but it wasn't the same as being part of a family or having friends. Clockwork merely tolerated Dan's presence because it was his duty after making certain that Dan existed outside of time and within this reality. All Dan had to look forward to when he returned was a cold, dark lonely room until it was time to train or some silly errand for him to do arose.
"Hey!" Danny's head appeared back in the doorway of the laboratory. "You're welcomed to join us."
Dan snorted. "Are you sure that's wise?"
"You probably could have destroyed Umbra if you really wanted to, but you didn't." Danny shrugged. "And I saw you talking with Valerie. And anyway, Clockwork would have come for your ass if you were going to pose a threat to anything. So," he looked away, "join or not. Up to you." He disappeared from the doorway.
Dan blinked at the empty space. Then he chuckled and shook his head. He should have known that his younger half still believed in giving people second chances, even if that person was his evil future self. It didn't take long for him to debate the choices in his head: a lonely room or the chance to share a meal with people that actually wanted him there. It wasn't a hard choice. Dan left the laboratory, trailing after Danny.
keshia-515: I debated for a while whether or not to have Jack and Maddie find out about Danny. XD;; And then debated some more about how they should react to it: accept him or reject him. Decided to play nice and have them accept him. XD;; As for Dan's thoughts on Valerie, he was thinking back to his timeline and his experiences with the Valerie of that time.