Mild Warning: Mentions of Character death in this chapter.
The Chapter That Never Was:
"I have terrible news," Mr. Lancer scowled, holding up the opened and empty suitcase handcuffed to his wrist. "The answers to the CAT have been stolen."
The room burst into outbursts and exclamation of anger, filling the room like a swarm of angry wasps. Only a few were able to be heard over the noise.
"Who has done this?" Mrs. Cassie demanded, slamming her mug down. "Who's the cheater? We cannot let them get away with this."
"The guilty party must face punishment," Mr. Smith agreed.
"How were they able to do it?" Mrs. Cygert wondered. "The answers should be impossible to steal."
"You have carried the answers in the suitcase and kept it with you the entire time," Mr. Fulluka added. "There is no sign of forced entry and there is no possible way for someone to have stolen without you noticing. Did you accidently misplace the answers?"
The arguing continued to get louder and become more incoherent, but it was abruptly cut off by the shriek of a whistle. Everyone quickly covered their ears and turned to Mrs. Tetslaff who spit out the whistle and shouted, "Thar's enough all of you. We all want answers and Lancer is the only one that has them. So cease your racket and let him speak!"
"Thank you Mrs. Tetslaff," Mr. Lancer said as he straightened his posture to address everyone. "I don't know how the answers were stolen, only that they were. But I do have a suspect, Daniel Fenton."
"Are you sure?" Mrs. Cygert asked. "He doesn't really seem the type."
"I actually have to agree with her," Mrs. Cassie said. "Daniel may cause a lot of problems but he has never resorted to cheating before."
"But this isn't just a regular assignment," Mr. Smith cut in. "This is a very important test. And with how poorly Danny has been performing, I wouldn't be surprised if he felt the need to cheat."
"Pressure makes the brats do crazy things," Mr. Rainer added.
"But Danny is a good kid," Mrs. Fletcher defended. "I don't think he's a cheater. And you said it yourself; you don't know how the answers were stolen. You have no proof that Danny did it."
"As Ms. Fenton pointed out to me already," Mr. Lancer sighed, running a hand over his head. "I'm giving him until the day of the test to return the answers or he will face the consequences."
(Time Skip)
"Well," Mr. Lancer sighed. "The test has come and went and the answers didn't show. And Mr. Fenton finished the test in record time. There is no doubt in my mind he stole the answers."
"Then he must be punished," Mrs. Cassie declared.
"I know," Mr. Lancer nodded. "I already called his parents and I will be meeting with them and Danny at the Nasty Burger."
"I can't believe Danny did this," Mrs. Fletcher sighed, shaking her head sadly. "He's such a good kid… I don't understand what drove him to this."
"Like I said pressure does crazy things," Mr. Rainer said, not looking up from his computer.
"Don't worry Mrs. Fletcher," Mrs. Cygert comforted, patting Mrs. Fletcher on the shoulder. "Everyone makes mistakes and Danny is no different I'm sure after this he will see the error of his ways and turn himself around."
"I hope so."
(Time Skip)
"I can't believe what happened," Mr. Smith commented sadly, looking at the front page of the newspaper depicting the accident. "Shouldn't there have been some sort of warning? Shouldn't there have been time for them to get away?"
"It just happened so suddenly," Mrs. Cassie sighed. "There was nothing they could have done."
"Poor Danny," Mrs. Fletcher said, wiping a tear away. "He lost so much so fast."
"Maybe if he hadn't cheated…" Mr. Rainer began.
"Don't you dare!" Mrs. Fletcher cut in. "There is no way he could possibly have known any of this would happen! He is not responsible for this! He just lost everyone he cares about and is probably blaming himself for this whole tragedy. He doesn't need your blame as well. If it's anyone's fault it's the Nasty Burger's."
"I agree," Mrs. Cygret said. "What idiots thought it was a good idea to have explosive sauce! The good news is they're being shut down because of this."
"Doesn't change the fact it shouldn't have happened in the first place," Mr. Smith said. "Are you guys going to the funeral?"
"Of course," Mrs. Cassie replied with the other's agreeing as well.
"I've heard the Manson's are paying for a statue to be built," Mrs. Cygert informed. "A kind of monument dedicated to those who were lost. But what's going to happen to Danny now?"
"Apparently Vlad Masters is a friend of the family and he's taking Danny," Mrs. Fletcher said. "I'll miss him but leaving this place is probably what's best for Danny anyway. I just hope Danny is able to find some peace and happiness in his new home."
(Time Skip)
There was a small ceremony when the statue was finished, letting it stand as a reminder that we must always cherish those that we hold close because we never know what may happen. Both the Manson's and the Foley's moved away way soon afterward, neither wanting to stay in the town where their children had been lost. Tragedy struck again a few months later when Vlad Master's mansion exploded and killed the inhabitants. A small service was held to mourn the death of Daniel Fenton by those left in Amity Park who knew him.
Ghosts still attacked Amity Park, but now there were no Fenton's to fight them and Danny Phantom had mysteriously disappeared without a trace. The Red Huntress was left with the sole burden of defending the town. As for the teachers of Casper High, Mrs. Cassie became the new vice principle and a new English teacher was hired. Mr. Rainer soon retired and moved out the town, but other than that life continued on as normal.
It was five years after the Nasty Burger Tragedy that Danny Phantom first made his return appearance. But he was no longer the friendly ghost and hero they remembered. His skin was blue, his eyes a malicious red, his hair flames and a twisted grin on his face. Cackling with insane laughter, the new Dark Phantom began to attack the town he had once protected.
Mrs. Fletcher had been in the crowd when he began his assault and she could watch in shock as the boy who had once saved her and she had defended fired upon the people around her. She was so dazed she didn't notice right away that the building next to her had begun to collapse. Once she did, she attempted to escape but was unable to. She was killed beneath the rumble. Most say that the Dark Phantom seemed to laugh even louder and grow in power on having made his first kill, but a rare few say that for a moment he had looked sad and regretful. Whether the moment occurred or not the Dark Phantom soon continued with his attack.
The Red Huntress arrived shortly after that and engaged the Dark Phantom. The Dark Phantom was powerful and put up an impressive fight, but the Red Huntress had improved greatly in her time as sole protector of Amity Park. She was able to drive the Dark Phantom out of the city, him leaving with curses and vows of revenge in his wake.
Knowing the Dark Phantom would return, the city turned its resources into making ghost hunting weapons and shields. Fentonworks became the base of all ghost operations under the leadership of Damian Grey. Axion Labs became the primary ghost researcher and weapons developer, Mrs. Cygert joining on as a researcher. And as the Dark Phantom began his rampage on the world, Amity Park became the source of the resistance and a safe haven for those driven from their homes. Mrs. Tetslaff became a trainer for soldiers of the resistance.
Despite all the hardships, Amity Park prospered. Technology greatly advanced and its citizens were able to live in peace under the safety of the ghost shield. As years passed, more and more refugees would pour into Amity Park, but there was never any sign of Mr. Rainer. Finally, ten years after the Nasty Burger Tragedy, the unthinkable happened. The Dark Phantom was able to break through the ghost shield.
He had attempted to break through several times over the years, but had always been driven back. Now though, sounds of emergency sirens filled the air and the citizens quickly ran to evacuation points. The Teachers of Casper High quickly ushered their students out as the building began to crumble around them. Mr. Fulluka, because of his age and short stature, was unable to get out in time. Several other teachers lost their lives protecting the teens under their care before they finally reached the underground bunker. Those that were left huddled together as they felt the ground shake around them. All they could do is hope some miracle would save them from this horror.
AN: So I've had these ideas for expanding my She Called herself Acrylic and Late Night Artist one-shots into a longer story. It would follow Acrylic around and be an average life in the ghost zone type of thing that would eventually take place during the same time as the show similar to this story. And I'm just wondering if you guys would be interested in a story like that or if I should just drop the idea.
Be honest, I won't be offended, I just want to know.