(To understand this first scene look up GrimmFall along with its spin-offs. This is a direct reference to GrimmFall: Ice Queen and an upcoming fic.)
"Look, Dani! There it is!"
Danielle followed Kuki's finger to the golden colored Rainbow Monkey in the Prize Grabber machine. "Is that it?"
"Yeah!" Kuki grinned eagerly. "And if we get it do you know what that'll mean?"
"Another one to add to your collection?" This rhetorical question came from none other than Frosta, wearing a dark blue sweater and light blue skirt.
After the experience with the Ice Queen, Danielle had been declared fit to return to the Sanban Estate with Frosta believing she had completely mastered her powers. Of course this meant that Frosta would have to return to Yamanouchi Academy now at her 'assignment' had been completed. She and Danielle made an agreement with stay in touch with each other and perhaps meet outside the Academy since they were now 'honorary' family. Danielle was especially happy to try and help Frosta break out of her shell by helping her to interact with other people instead of just focusing on revenge.
"Not just that one but whoever wins it gets a free tour of the Rainbow Monkey Corporation!" Mushi answered with a big smile.
The other girl with them, Miku sighed. "I thought we were going to have some fun."
"We are. This is an arcade." Kuki gestured to the big arcade they had entered. "So many games to play but that Golden Rainbow Monkey is the ultimate prize."
Danielle sighed as she walked up to the Prize Grabber machine. "Of course it is."
"Are they always like this?" Frosta asked tiredly.
"You mean acting like a pair of fruit loops over these Rainbow Monkeys? Yep." Danielle sighed and nodded.
Kuki and Mushi gasped. "Fruit loops?!"
Kuki then suddenly grabbed Danielle by the shoulders and started shaking her madly. "We're not fruit loops, Dani! Don't you understand the beauty and cheerfulness of the Rainbow Monkeys?!"
Danielle couldn't answer as Kuki was shaking her so bad her eyes were literally spinning. At this point Miku and Frosta were beyond embarrassed to be seen next to Kuki as she continued shaking Danielle back and forth, eventually leaning her against the prize grabber.
"Can you not see it?! The once in a life time opportunity to see the heart of the people who make the Rainbow Monkeys, bringing all that is good and joyful in the entire world?!" Kuki asked, continuing to shake Danielle.
As she was being shaken, Danielle's hand fell on the controllers, operating the prize grabber as it reached down and grabbed onto something. The claw lifted itself up, showing the…
"The Golden Rainbow Monkey!" Mushi shouted and pointed at the prize.
Kuki stopped shaking Danielle and gasped in pure shock before she then pulled the dazed ghost girl into a very tight hug. "WE WON THE GOLDEN MONKEY!"
Danielle gasped, feeling her air supply being cut off as she fell onto the floor. By this point, Miku and Frosta were beyond embarrassed.
"Didn't Danielle win the prize?" Frosta asked, feeling a headache coming. "It was her hand on the controls."
"THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!" Kuki cheered as she kept hugging Danielle.
"Uh…Is that Danielle's ghost half coming out of her nose?" Miku noticed.
Kuki stopped and noticed it as well and then panicked. "Oh no! Go back into Dani, ghosty!"
"Yeah, she needs you to live!" Mushi cried, trying to help push the ghost back up Danielle's nose.
"She might live if you let her go so she can breathe!" Frosta exclaimed.
GRIMMFALL: REIGN OF THE PHANTOM KING
Coming Soon…
Xxx
Jazz's Journal: November 5
It's been nearly three months now since my brother ended his friendship and relationship with Tucker Foley and Samantha Manson. He has seemingly adjusted well in the last few weeks but there is a pattern I have noticed.
Xxx
"You know, I kind of enjoyed being here that one summer."
Wulf sniffed and nuzzled against Danny's hand as they both looked up at the stars.
Danny smiled. "Yeah, with everyone in suspended animation at the time it was relaxing and a lot less stressful."
Danny then frowned, thinking back to how he spent that summer with Sam and Tucker. Even after several months the wounds still stung.
"Amity Park's slowly coming back together now. I don't know who is lining Damon's pockets but he's literally rebuilding the entire city." Danny continued, catching his furry ghost friend on the recent events. "Maybe I should be worried but I just don't care anymore."
Wulf glanced at Danny with a questionable look.
"I mean, if there is trouble I will show up and stop it. But I only really cared about doing anything with my friends…" Danny sighed. "But they didn't want anything to do with me after I gave up my powers. What does that say about me?"
Wulf nuzzled against Danny.
"Thanks buddy."
Several months after his breakup Danny had seemingly adjusted well, despite things barely changing at college or his usual habit of fighting ghosts. With Sam and Tucker gone and the constant attention of his 'fans' Danny found himself hanging out with Wulf and more of his ghost friends. He even began exploring the Ghost Zone more and more on his own. He just found it better to be alone than surrounded by people who idolized him but didn't know or understand him.
And the army of fangirls led by Paulina didn't help either.
Xxx
My brother has been seeking companionship from ghosts instead of humans.
Xxx
Danny grunted as he faced down a twisted reflection of himself that emerged from the funhouse mirror.
Actually his name was Funhouse so it made sense.
Funhouse was a ghost who inhabits mirrors. He was the only ghost ever to bring funhouse reflections to life. He reflected the darkest parts of a person. Funhouse only inhabits mirrors, and has the ability to control the reflections.
The more reflections there are (such as those in a funhouse mirror room) the more forms Funhouse is able to inhabit. As Danny found out in battle against him in a room of mirrors, he would be facing an army of his own dark reflections. The reflections brought to life are horrifying, likely a reflection of the darkest parts of those being reflected.
Xxx
At first it seemed Team Phantom was ready to take on the world, becoming a brand of its own. which comes with fame but also danger.
Xxx
Danny grunted as he blasted a clown toy inhabited by Plaything, a ghost that only had a physical form when he inhabited children's toys.
Xxx
People and ghosts from all over come out to fight and the continuously upgraded Team Phantom take on every challenge that comes their way.
Xxx
Danny grunted as he split into four copies of himself and took down a team of overly eager ghost hunters that wanted to take a shot at him.
Xxx
After saving both the Earth and the Ghost Zone from the Disasteroid, ghosts didn't stop battling Danny. It's likely that the number and frequency of battles increased. Some ghosts attack because they enjoyed the battle, such as Skulker would if he hadn't disappeared. While other ghosts, believe that it was a mistake to save the Earth and so they try to destroy Danny.
Xxx
Danny smiled as he conversed with a ghost in the Ghost Zone. His name was Sojourn who was a bald green ghost. He wore a loose white robe with a hood, with a gold belt and gold trim. He had a gold bracelet on his right arm and wrapped bandages on his left arm.
He carried with him a journal which had an orange cover with an eye on the cover and a green bookmark.
Xxx
And that's not the end of it. Danny is acquiring more abilities as he grows older. For example, his ghost ray didn't appear until a few months after the initial accident.
Xxx
Danny focused his vision as he covered completely in darkness, his glowing brighter than normal...
And then with one ecto-beam he burst free of Johnny 13's Shadow.
Xxx
While some of the new abilities were either dormant such as his ice powers) or learned earlier than the natural progression of his abilities like his Ghostly Wail, Danny gained new powers as time went on because his ghostly DNA matured and so he got new abilities.
Xxx
On a bright, sunny day Danny had a negative reaction to the sun, causing him put on sunglasses and put on lots of sunscreen because he did not want to get sunburned.
At one point he exclaimed "Too much sun!"
Suddenly everything went dark.
At first Danny didn't realize that he caused all light to go away, but even when he realized that he's the reason everything is dark he didn't know how to control it and darkness followed him everywhere he went. Eventually he learned to master this power but was still shaken by its existence.
Xxx
This stands to reason that down the line Danny would gain even more powers and abilities.
Xxx
Danny split himself into four copies each of them unleashed a Ghostly Wail on a group of ghosts attacking Amity.
Xxx
And yet I feel there is something wrong.
Xxx
Danny returned to school after defeating another enemy ghost, ignoring his 'fans' as they took his picture and phased through the crowds, not even glancing at them.
Xxx
Danny's social life, despite his popularity is almost completely non-existent.
Xxx
Danny looked over a photo album, staring at pictures of him, Sam and Tucker in their younger years. The way he stared showed slight depression as he closed the book and tossed it aside.
Xxx
Tucker's term as Mayor of Amity Park literally went down in flames and he was run out of town. As for Sam…She dropped out of college because she couldn't take the fans hating on her for the way she dumped Danny.
Not that I blame or condone them.
They say people change as they grow and I can say there have been a lot of changes. Tucker was always a little arrogant about his technological passion but what he did to the city was perhaps worse than anything, dare I say, Vlad did as mayor and he tried to blackmail the entire world into surrendering to him. He expected my brother to bail him out but Danny refused because this isn't what being a hero was about.
It's not the kind of hero we came to admire from my brother.
Xxx
Nearly at the end of the year and most of Amity Park had been rebuilt following Tucker's disastrous attempt to create the 'City of Tomorrow'.
All thanks to Damon Gray.
Xxx
As for Sam…
Jazz almost broke her pencil when she wrote Sam's name.
When I heard what she did I wanted to take all the weapons my parents had made and track her down and just show her how skilled I am with each one. How dare she break my brother's heart just because she couldn't handle the simple truth of Tucker's corruption or her own inability to recognize her flaws? I once hoped they would get together because I thought her responsible personality would be good for him.
That was a big mistake.
Turns out she had changed for the worse and my brother may have dodged a bullet…But it probably felt like being hit by one.
Xxx
Danny stood at the docks of Amity Harbor, holding up the ring that had Sam's name engraved on it.
He took one last look at it…
And then with all his might threw it, washing as it skidded across the water several times before ending in a splash and sank to the bottom of the sea, never to be found.
Xxx
I have spent the last several years profiling the behavior of ghosts, even diagnosing the criminal Freakshow with Ghost Envy.
But now I fear something is affecting my brother.
Xxx
Despite the attention on him at lunch time Danny just ignored them and when a few students came up to ask him questions he turned invisible, phasing through their bodies as he took his lunch and left to eat in peace.
Xxx
He mentioned to me several times that not all ghosts are evil.
Some just wish to be left alone.
Given their nature, it's safe to say ghosts prefer solitude as a way to reflect on their afterlives and attempt to make peace with themselves.
It's different for my brother.
Xxx
Danny sighed in relief, lounging in his own personal lair in the Ghost Zone and enjoying the peace and quiet as he ate his lunch.
Xxx
He was never the most social boy around. Actually back in high school he was made an outcast by Mom and Dad's ghost hunting activities that caused our family to be seen as…somewhat crazy. He tried his best to fit in and was bullied not just by students but by fellow teachers as well.
Xxx
Danny returned to Earth, just walking around town. He stopped when he noticed his old school. Casper High and saw a pair of jocks picking on some kids.
Actually they were about to give him a wedge up the flag pole.
Danny's eyes flashed green as they narrowed.
Xxx
Casper High may have been the school where my brother began as a hero but it was never a humble place.
Xxx
Just before the jocks could give the kid a wedge, the rope was blasted, freeing the kid and the jocks spun around to face whoever stopped them…
Only to freeze to see it was none other than Danny.
He the knelt down and helped the kid the jocks had been bullying up. The kids stared in awe as he told them to run off and get the teachers while he threw a dirty look at the jocks which terrified them enough that something spilled down their pants.
And it wasn't sweat.
Xxx
In fact my own experiences have me believing the teachers there were not as invested in our education as one would believe.
In fact, I was an outcast myself.
Not like Danny and his friends were. At least he had friends were. Instead the teachers looked on me favorably, making me their literal spokesperson and while my brains and supposed 'sucking up' was good for my education my social life was dead. I had no friends and many times I caught fellow students giving me dirty looks in the hallways.
Danny didn't know.
It wasn't his problem.
We all had our own things to sort out.
Xxx
"Phantom of the Opera, Mr. Fenton. You scared them into peeing their pants!"
Danny crossed his arms, not at all moved by Mr. Lancer's complaining. "They were trying to hang a kid from the top of a flag pole by his underwear. I don't know why you continue to cater to these kinds of idiots but it's not really helping your job in teaching."
Mr. Lancer-make that Principal Lancer sighed and rubbed his head. "The teacher staff were on lunch break at the time. None of us could have known."
"Where have I heard that before?" Danny tapped his chin and then snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, that was the same line you pulled with me when I was student here. Only I had no one to save me and I got a broken arm."
"We did what we cou-"
"No, you didn't." Danny cut off his former teacher. "In fact you turned to a blind eye to most of the bullying when I was here and you still are. You just said go with the flow because jocks like Dash were important."
"Our school funding-"
"Is fine now, thanks to me being the world's greatest hero." Danny snapped as he stood up. "That should be more than enough for you to actually do your job."
"Are questioning my job, Mr. Fenton?" Lancer glared back at his former student.
"Well, have you done it? Caring for the students you are supposed to be teaching?" Danny retorted.
"I don't have to take this. You were given the best we could afford and there is nothing we could have done more. Good day, Mr. Fenton."
Xxx
I'd like to say things are better at home but in truth it is only slightly better.
Xxx
"Get ready to get your minds blown with Fenton Choco-Pancakes!" Jack said, stuffing down an entire breakfast filled with sugar and unhealthy calories.
Jack Fenton had changed very little over the years with the main differences being his long white/gray hair, tied back in a ponytail like a biker, and the DP logo on his jumpsuit.
Danny only had some eggs, bacon and toast.
Jazz looked concerned as her brother was pretty much ignoring everything around him.
Xxx
Dad's been stuffing himself a bit with food from his new invention Food-a-Tron Two Thousand and he's taken every advantage. Actually, he's had so much he was recently diagnosed with diabetes. Mom's tried putting him on a diet but he just doesn't listen.
Speaking of Mom…
Xxx
Maddie Fenton stepped in, pulling in two ghosts she kept on leashes and uses them to help her sense ghosts to give her an advantage and allow her not to be caught off guard by potential sneak attacks. Her outfit was more punk like now and her hair style was now a buzz cut. Her two main pieces of 'equipment' were a ghost/ecto bat, likely an updated, ecto-based version of the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick.
Danny frowned when he looked at the two ghosts his mother was dragging around.
Xxx
She's become one of the top ghost hunters in the world thanks to ten years' experience of actually fighting ghosts.
That's not the problem however.
Xxx
"I just can't explain it, Jazz. I feel like…like it's so hard to actually hold a decent conversation or an interest in anyone these days." Danny sighed, lying down on the couch. "People are just so shallow and selfish and…I feel like I don't understand any of it anymore."
Jazz was sitting in a nearby chair. "You know there's more to everyone than that, Danny. You have shown me that over a dozen times now."
"I know and I remember that but…There's just no one around who seems interested in me as a person. All I am saying is fans, people like Principal Lancer not caring about the students he supposed to look after as well as teaching." Danny rubbed his head. "The only people I seem to ever hold a decent conversation with these days are…ghosts."
"Can you tell me a bit about that?" Jazz carefully asked.
"Well, I was hanging out with Wulf down at the abandoned summer camp we found him at when he escaped Walker. We just sat around a fire and talk a bit. It was so simple, so easy and there was no expectation from it." Danny slowly described. "Sure we speak Esperanto but I learned that language down pretty quickly."
"Any other ghosts?" Jazz asked.
"Well, there's Frostbite. Him and his people are always happy to see me. The Dairy King who hangs out in Vlad's old mansion." Danny described. "He said ghosts like being alone. Like there's some big reason to it."
"Can you think of one?"
Danny shrugged. "Well, maybe because he lived a long time ago and while everyone else has more or less moved on he's still here. Kind of get how that feels."
"What do you mean?"
"All I do is hunt and fight ghosts. I've done it for the last six years now but I am trying to grow, I am trying to move, I'm trying to graduate college so I can grow up and be an astronaut like I always wanted. Haven't we all moved on from the things we used to be?" Danny wondered. "I was an outcast kid, a wanted ghost and now I'm the world's greatest hero. People love me now and I couldn't care less. Well, I used to care but that's when I wasn't alone."
"You mean…" Jazz trailed off.
"Sam and Tucker?" Danny turned over so that his face was now buried in the cushions. "You don't have to tread on eggshells around me, Jazz. This all comes back to them somehow, doesn't it?"
"It doesn't have to." Jazz quickly said.
"But maybe it does. Tucker was always a little kid whenever he got even just a little power and Sam…You know she wanted to get married as soon as we graduated from high school." Danny continued, not looking up.
"She did?"
"Yep but I didn't want to rush things. Maybe she believed with her money she didn't have to worry about any jobs. All she was doing was protecting the environment, ticking off her parents by hanging out with me and acting as my second in command of Team Phantom." Danny continued with a bitter chuckle. "Then they both changed and not for the better."
"Have you tried to patch thing up?" Jazz asked.
"I don't even know where Tucker is. His parents found him and they moved far away, probably to Madagascar. And Sam dropped out of college to join some radical environmentalist group." Danny answered. "I think it's safe to say we're not on speaking terms."
"Danny…" Jazz said sadly. "I'm sorry."
"Why? It's not your fault." Danny slowly rolled over and faced her. "It's me, isn't it? I'm always the one to save the day and when it doesn't work out it's my fault."
"That's not true." Jazz protested.
"Is it?" Danny sat up. "I never wanted these powers in the first place but I worked with them and I did a lot of good. But I care more about my friends and my family and I would give them up for you all. Isn't that supposed to be enough?"
Jazz stood up with a saddened face and reached out to hug her brother. "I'm sorry I didn't support you like you wanted, Danny. It's just…I was proud of things you were doing and…After we drifted away in school, you with your friends and me with my studies, I just felt I was getting to know you and connect with you again. I just felt sad that things were to be like that again."
Danny slowly reached up and hugged his sister back. "…At least you didn't leave."
"And I never will."
Xxx
Clockwork watched this scene between brother and sister, then turned to see the Fenton Thermos start to shake. "It begins."