"It's been so long."
The evil ghost laughed evilly as he flexed his arms and legs, getting some kinks out of them. After spending such a long time in that Thermos as a formless existence he needed a moment get used to being solid again.
"I wonder how long it's been." He held up a hand and curled it into a fist. "No way to tell the time in that Thermos and time stands still around Clockwork's lair."
That's right.
Clockwork.
He should really pay that time ghost a visit one day.
But for now he had other matters to attend to.
"Well, since I am trapped in the past with my weak past self no doubt having turned into me by now I guess I can make do having some fun for a bit before returning to the future." The evil ghost muttered once he was done stretching.
Returning to the ghost portal that led to the Fenton Lab should have been easy…
Except it wasn't.
"Hm?" The evil ghost looked surprised to see the portal was no longer there. "The portal leading to the Fenton Labs was right here. The only reason it wouldn't be here anymore was…if the portal was destroyed."
That's right.
He destroyed the Fenton Portal himself in his timeline. Perhaps his other self had done the same to cut him off if he ever escaped.
"No matter." He waved it off. "There are plenty of other ways to get to Earth."
He took off, holding his hand out and created a portal of his own.
"Look out world, Danny Phantom is back." He laughed as he vanished into his own portal.
Xxx
Things were getting better now.
It had been rocky at first but Danny was slowly getting back to a normal schedule. Wake up in the morning, go to class, have lunch, go to afternoon class, return to his dorm, do any homework he has and then go to bed.
A little stale but he returned home on the weekends to spend time with his family.
He just wished his mom would stop pulling those two ghosts she caught around with dog leashes.
As surprising as it was to admit, him and Jazz had mostly repaired the relationship they once had as kids. With Mom and Dad so obsessed with ghosts it was usually Jazz who looked after Danny but once Jazz got into her studies and Danny found friendship with Sam and Tucker they had drifted apart, not because of any dislike but things just changed for them. Funny thing was things had changed again before they had managed to regain a semblance of the sibling relationship they once had as kids. Jazz was still opting to be a psychologist but in the wake of the tough times her brother had she set them aside when he was home on the weekends and hung out.
Sure she wasn't into video games or movies like he was but spending time with him made it count and Danny had been grateful for that.
BOOM!
Danny was knocked out of his musing by the sound of an explosion and he rushed over to the window in order to see what was going on.
RRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
Off in the distance he could see Prince Aragon flying above Amity Park, laying waste to everything with his fiery breath.
"I'm Going Ghost!"
Danny jumped out the window, changing into his ghost form and headed straight for the dragon. "Hey, Prince Stuck in the Dark Ages!"
Aragon turned around, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the one who deposed him. "You…"
Danny stopped for a second, seeing a crown atop the black dragon's head. It was a flaming crown that he had seen before.
"You got the Crown of Fire?" Danny's eyes widened in recognition. "Where did you find that?"
"Oh, this." Aragon chuckled. "The one called Vlad Plasmius kept it in a secret vault under his former castle that I spent over a year trying to open. I finally succeeded and with the crown's power I will destroy you, this village and take back my kingdom!"
"Good luck with that!" Danny said, releasing an icy blast that covered Aragon head to toe in ice. "Last I checked you still need the Ring of Rage to go with the crown if you want to be king."
That's right.
Pariah Dark became the Ghost King because he was the only ghost to control the combined powers of the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage. Without them, he was formidable and powerful enough to scare every ghost out of the Ghost Zone and into the human world but with them…
He might have taken over both worlds if Danny hadn't stopped him in time.
Aragon easily broke free of the ice, smoke blasting from his nostrils. "Perhaps I will…After I deal with you. You deposed me of my rightful rule and for that I will make sure your death lasts for days!"
With that said Aragon lunged at Danny who flew out of the way.
BOOM!
Xxx
He exited the portal and quickly disguised himself as his former, weak human self.
"Ah, Amity Park. Looks…just like before." He frowned, wondering what had happened. "It should have been destroyed."
BOOM!
He stopped as he looked up, seeing an explosion in the middle of town.
"Perhaps I spoke too soon."
Xxx
"RAGH!"
Prince Aragon had indeed become stronger with the Crown of Fire enhancing his powers. Despite the aid of Technus allowing him to unlock the crown's full power there was one small problem.
Aragon was unable to control it.
The Crown of Fire's power was surging through him, making him lash out wildly as he fought Danny. The ghost boy had years of experience to call on along with his intellect untampered by his power. Aragon was strong but there was a reason why Pariah Dark alone had been strong enough to control the combined might of both the Crown of Fire and the Ring of Rage. Without his medallion to turn him into a dragon Aragon was not much stronger than a ghost at the level of the Box Ghost or Klemper.
When Pariah Dark awoke from his slumber Aragon was not among the ghosts to flee from the Ghost Zone but that was because his curse on his realm protected him, his castle and his former subjects from being sensed by the Ghost King. That was not due to his power but from the amulet he wore to transform into a dragon. Even the Amulet could not help him become strong enough to contain the power of the Crown of Fire and the fire surrounding the crown seemed to go in intensity as Aragon became more and more aggressive.
This allowed Danny to gain the upper hand and work out a plan.
Creating several duplicates of himself, Danny had his copies distract Aragon by any means necessary:
Ghost Ray
Icy Beams
Ghostly Wail
Even making a funny face or two.
This was enough to work Aragon into a total frenzy as he tried to eat, slash or just burn the Danny's attacking him.
Then when he least suspected it…
POW!
A single blow knocked the Crown of fire off Prince Aragon's head and left one of Danny's copies caught it.
Aragon let out a roar as he began to shrink, returning to his human form. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I HAD IT! THE POWER! I HAD IT!"
"Then you lost it." Danny said, hovering in front of the defeated prince with the Crown of Fire in his hands. "You came, you saw, you got your scales kicked."
With that Danny sucked Aragon into a Thermos and sighed, seeing the damage Aragon had caused in his wake.
Xxx
"I don't believe it."
He clenched his fists to see his weaker self had not become him but had remained the same weak hero he once was.
What had happened?
How had he avoided his future?
Why was he still human?
Then he remembered who had been responsible.
"Clockwork…so this was your plan all along. You meddled enough that he would avert his, our future." He snarled.
That wretched time ghost.
However there was a bright side here: he was now immune to the time ghost's powers. He existed outside of time and thus was immune to any form of time manipulation or paradoxes.
He could start over in this new timeline with no Observants or Clockwork to stand in his way.
"Very well, if I am to have no future as what was once Danny Phantom I will create a new future as myself." He vowed with a grin as he watched Phantom flying through the air back to Fenton Works. "But first, I should see what has changed."
And how much has stayed the same.
"Enjoy your time in the light while you can, Danny Phantom. We'll be seeing each other soon enough."
Xxx
"And back into the Ghost Zone you go." Danny sighed as he opened the Thermos and shot Prince Aragon through the ghost portal.
Once the ghost was gone Danny closed the portal and turned to the Crown of Fire which was being examined by Jazz.
"So this is the Crown of Fire?" Jazz asked as she brought out a magnifying glass. "The very crown worn by the Ghost King before you defeated him?"
"Yep. It used to be on the Ghost King's head before I blasted it off. Vlad had hidden in a vault under his old mansion back in Wisconsin and it took this long for someone to find it." Danny answered.
"I have been looking up the legends surrounding it. It and the Ring of Rage are the ultimate symbols of authority in the Ghost Zone. If a ghost is strong enough to master both items they would be officially recognized as the king of all ghosts." Jazz stated.
"That explains how someone like Pariah Dark became king." Danny muttered as he looked down at the Crown. "And why there's no other form of authority in the Ghost Zone aside from Walker and the Observants."
"Right. I read somewhere the Ancient Ghosts tried to create a new form of order but the Ghost Zone fell into complete chaos." Jazz continued.
"We saw that with Misery Vex." Danny frowned. "The Observants only have Clockwork to call on for help and even then he sort of only helps those who help themselves."
"Well, as long as the bad ghosts are kept in the Ghost Zone instead of causing trouble on Earth I guess it doesn't really matter." Jazz put the magnifying glass down on the table. "I can't figure out old this crown might be. The flames leave no markings on it, not even from age."
"Well it is a ghost artifact. Ghosts don't age like humans do." Danny pointed out. "The only one who actually ages is Clockwork and that's more of a time loop thing."
The brought a thoughtful look on Jazz's face. "Say, Danny. Do you think you will still age like a normal human even though you're half ghost?"
That caused Danny to stop and ponder that for a moment. "I…I don't know. I mean, I've grown since I first got my powers."
"Well, there's no way to know for sure until you've aged past your prime." Jazz commented. "You've kept yourself in a shape from all those ghost battles but even then it is hard to tell. You never thought about it before?"
"Honestly no. I mean, sure I focused on fighting ghosts and developing my powers but usually it was because I wanted to get strong enough to take on Vlad when I still had trouble duplicating." Danny answered, looking at the crown now. "It's almost never occurred to me how different I am from a normal person because I kept hanging out with Sam and Tucker doing the normal things we did before I got my powers."
Jazz starred worryingly at her brother. The last few years had been extremely trying for Danny and things only seemed to be slightly better.
"Funny, these powers were what made me a hero but I wasn't ever looking to be one. All I wanted to do was hang out with my friends, somehow get into the cool kid crowd and then become an astronaut." Danny held up his hand. "Well, I could say I've done all of that but what do I left, Jazz? Sam and Tucker are gone and they changed for the worse. I'm only in the cool crowd now because of what I become but not the person I really am and so for being an astronaut I kind of have done that even if I am still studying to be one."
"Danny…" Jazz reached out, grasping her brother's hands. "You still have me, Mom and Dad."
"Even if Mom and Dad lied to us about our missing brother who can't come back because how much he has changed?" Danny asked sadly.
Jazz got up and walked over to Danny, bring him in for a side hug. "We got him back, even if he's not here with us."
Danny didn't say anything but let his sister hug him. Truth be told that was one of the few forms of comfort he has had in a long while.
He just wished for things to get better somehow.
Only they were not getting for him for some reason.
Tucker's idiot policies.
Sam's hypocrisy.
Mom and Dad's secrets.
His fame getting in the way of trying to have a somewhat normal life.
How did it start going so wrong for him?
'Should I have revealed my identity to the world? Or should I have just remained one of the few ghosts out there who was willing to do the right thing?' Danny wondered to himself. 'And then there's Valerie and Dani.'
The two biggest black marks on his record as a hero.
Valerie Gray, his former girlfriend whom he had actually cared for. He regretted how things had turned for her and her father. While Sam and Tucker never saw past the girl who was once on the A-List and then brought to the bottom he had seen the kind girl that she had become once she lost it all and learned to appreciate what she had. He had briefly wondered what would have happened if he had revealed his secret to her when they were together and he had somehow managed to tell her the truth, if and when he had avoided her somehow killing through him it all.
Danielle 'Dani' Phantom, his cousin/clone whom he had cared for like a little sister but always left her to fly off dramatically to who knows where. Only now he had realized he should have tried to get her to stay. Somehow he could have found a place for her to hide from Vlad and kept her safe. One day he'd introduce her to his parents and sister and they would welcome her into the family with the unconditional love she deserved.
Unfortunately it seemed like it was too late for that now.
Why did it happen like this?
He was at the highest point in his life and he was sure things would get better.
What went wrong for him?
And dare he ask what else could go wrong for him?
"Danny! Jazz!" Both siblings perked up as their mother rushed down the stairs. "You have to see what's happening!"
Maddie dragged her children up into the living room to show a live news report on TV.
"This is Lance Thunder, live on the scene as a ghost resembling the world renowned hero Danny Phantom is attacking town mall."
"What?!" Danny and Jazz exclaimed.
At first Danny thought it was another copy like Amorpho or perhaps a left over clone from Vlad's project.
He dared to think it might be Dani, probably under evil mind control and he could rush out and save her.
But then the TV showed exactly who it was and then Danny's heart stopped.
"No…."
On the TV was a muscular ghost in a familiar black jumpsuit with white boots, collar, belt, and gloves, with his logo, a white 'D' with a black 'P' inside it, on his chest. He wore a cape which is white on the outside and black on the inside. He was taller and much more bulky. He had no snow white flaming hair with a pony tail, light turquoise skin, and red eyes with dark lines around them. He ha pointed ears, fangs, and a goatee.
"Danny?" Maddie asked.
"As you can see the ghost has a startling resemblance to our ghost hero but also looks similar to former mayor Vlad Masters, also known as the world's greatest ghost villain Vlad Plasmius."
"No….."
"Hero and old cheesehead is considered the greatest villain?"
Lance Thunder let out a startled cry as the ghost in question appeared behind him with an intrigued look.
"It seems like a lot has changed since I last stretched my legs." The ghost then grinned at the camera, his red eyes piercing Danny who stared back in stunned horror. "You're watching right now, aren't you? Well, I guess it wouldn't be right to right to not make this as dramatic as possible."
He handed held up back of Lance Thunder's shirt. "Mr. Thunder, care to give me a quick interview?"
"Son?" Jack spoke.
"S-S-S-Sure!" Lance squeaked, almost paralyzed with fear. "Huh…I guess the question our viewers want to know is your relation to Danny Phantom."
"Well, this might come as a shock to you but the Danny Phantom you all know was only ever a fill-in guy for the real one." Dark Danny chuckled. "Someone to take the fall if things didn't exactly work out. And now you have the honor of speaking with the real Danny Phantom."
"No!"
"And I so want to thank the stand-in for keeping my legacy and name alive, figuratively speaking of course, in my absence. Well, now the real Danny Phantom is back and he's going to show you a whole new side to your hero." Dark Danny threw a full grin at the camera. "And I can't wait to show you all who we really are."
"Dan-"
"NO!" Danny changed into his ghost form and shot out of the house.
"So go ahead and come on down to the Nasty Burger, Daniel. Let us tell the world who the real Danny Phantom is." Dark Danny then tossed Lance away and aimed a finger at the camera. "It's going to be a real…Bang."
"Danny?!" Jazz and Maddie called out.
A single ecto-beam hit the camera, stopping the live broadcast but by this point no one in the Fenton house was paying attention to the static filled TV.
They were more worried on their dear boy who had just left in a state of pure panic.
Xxx
Danny ignored the cries of his family as he shot out of Fenton Works and headed straight for the Nasty Burger.
Why?
Why?!
WHY?!
Why was this happening?!
He destroyed his evil self during graduation.
Or was it just from another alternate future?
Gah, he was going to have to walk to Clockwork about this. He was supposed to be guarding the damn thermos that he sealed his evil self in.
He reached the Nasty Burger and sure enough Dark Danny was there, facing it and turned to face him with a grin. "So you came. How appropriate that we meet where it all began. Hmm…You look different from before."
"Five years without becoming a jerk will do that." Danny retorted.
"Ah, so it's been that long." Dark Danny mused. "It's hard to tell time in that infernal thermos."
"How did you get out?" Danny snapped.
"Oh please, you think a mere thermos could hold the most powerful ghost in the universe?" Dark Danny asked with a laugh. "I was merely biding my time, waiting until I was strong enough to break free…Then someone let me out."
"Someone…" Danny's eyes widened in shock. "Clockwork."
"Maybe he did, maybe he didn't." Dark Danny shrugged. "Who's to say?"
"Well, I'm saying this. You're going back in the thermos for good." Danny said, getting ready to fight and readied his wrist Thermos. "I'm a lot stronger than the last time you saw me."
Dark Danny grinned, showing off his fangs. "You think that really matters? I still exist, meaning you become me."
"No…I…DON'T!" Danny shouted, unleashing his Ghostly Wail.
Dark Danny frowned as his own attack, the one he spent ten years learning came straight at him but he was not worried. He turned into a mist of green ecto-gas and the wail harmlessly blew him away. Danny stopped his attack, seeing his dark future self had vanished.
BLAST!
BOOM!
Suddenly an ecto-beam blasted up from the ground beneath Danny, catching him off guard and blasting him down the street. Looking up he watched as Dark Danny appeared and created three duplicates of himself.
"You didn't think I wasn't ready this time?" The Dark Dannys asked one.
Danny grunted as he stood up. "You think I'm not ready for this?"
In response Danny split into four duplicates, matching his evil counterparts who looked in on annoyance. "I got this not long after I beat you."
With that it turned into a Phantom free for all as the duplicates all battled each other, blasting, punching and kicking each other. More than once they phased through the ground or a nearby building as they fought but the duplicates were astoundingly durable despite being split off from the original. Danny was struggling to limit collateral damage but Dark Danny was happy to tear everything down around him.
'Okay, I just have to keep him distracted long enough for Clockwork to send me back to graduation. That why we take him out for good.' Danny thought as he dodged another ecto-beam.
Xxx
Clockwork closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Danny. What happened that day was not set in stone. You were shown two futures, the path of a hero and the path of a destroyer but rejecting one path in favor of another is not a guarantee of which future you shall have. Especially in light of the changes that have happened."
Xxx
"Are you getting this?"
Damon nodded, watching the fight between the two Phantoms closely. "Yes, I am. This might be what I need to end the world's reliance on Danny Phantom once and for all. Monitor the fight closely."
"Yes sir."
In the meantime Damon was content to simply watch the fight.
An evil Phantom fighting the good one.
How interesting.