Saturday morning was gloomy. A pall hung over Amity Park, leaving everyone feeling antsy. The four friends were convinced that something was going to happen today. They wandered around town, watchful, but nothing happened. The feeling of impending doom closed in.
They decided to go to the grove for lunch. That way they could keep watch, but still be somewhat concealed.
The grove was quiet. Few people were around, and the birds were silent. They ate lunch saying very little.
They had just finished dropping trash into a nearby can, when suddenly Ember looked around alertly. "Did you hear that?" she asked.
The other three listened. "Hear what?" asked Tucker.
Ember closed the cap on her bottled water and stood up, still listening. Suddenly her face showed fear. "Oh, no..." she whispered.
"What?" asked Danny and Sam at the same time.
"It's HIM! He's CALLING me!" she replied.
"I don't hear..." said Sam.
"It must be a ghost power I don't have yet," Danny said.
"I've got to go to him," said Ember, preparing to fly. Suddenly she stopped and looked at them. "I just realized I'm still his slave," she said, "I'll never be free." Her eyes teared up.
"NO WAY!" said Tucker. "You're a free girl. Um, ghost. Er, ghost girl. Anyway, you don't belong to anyone!"
"You don't have to go," said Sam.
"Yes, I do. The call is getting stronger. I can't resist," said Ember, looking up through the trees.
"Ember, concentrate on staying solid," said Sam, "That way we can keep you here." She grabbed Ember's left arm and took her hand, while Tucker took the other side.
"I- I'll try," said Ember, worriedly, "But it's getting harder not to answer."
Suddenly Danny's Ghost Sense went off. "I'm going ghost!" he shouted, and changed. Danny flew up above the trees and looked around. Nothing. He flew back down to them.
Ember had closed her eyes, and hunched down, trying not to go.
"You can do it. Stay here with us," said Sam.
"Your friends are with you," said Tucker, gripping tighter.
"I- I- I CAN'T!" she shouted. She turned intangible and slipped through Sam and Tucker's hands, flying upwards past Danny.
"EMBER!! NO!" shouted Sam and Tucker together.
Danny followed her through the trees and into the open air where he lost her. "Where'd she go?" he muttered, looking around again. Suddenly a feeling hit him. He looked up. There she was, nearly to someone else... it was Vlad! He took off in that direction as fast as he could fly.
"So, you've failed me again," said Vlad to Ember, "Are you ready for the box?"
"NO!!" shouted Ember, "Please, don't do that to me!" she drifted away from him.
"I always keep my promises, little slave-ghost," he replied, and reached for her.
"Danny, help!" shouted Ember.
"Back off, jerk," said Danny, flying between them, "She's not going anywhere with you."
Ember flew up behind him, and put her hands on his shoulders, peeking at Vlad.
"Ah, Daniel. So nice to see you again," said Vlad. 'Excellent,' he thought.
"Never mind the small talk. You need to back off, now. You've hurt her enough," said Danny, his hands starting to glow green.
"Or what?" asked Vlad, smirking, "You'll blast me with..." A green beam of ectoplasmic energy hit him square in the chest, knocking him away from them.
"Hmm... you've improved. A bit faster, a bit stronger..." said Vlad, brushing himself off. He suddenly found Danny's fist in his face, which flipped him over in midair. He held his nose. That had HURT!
He shot a red beam of energy at Danny, which he deflected with his shield. Ember did her best to stay behind Danny.
"Why are you wasting time protecting her?" asked Vlad, "She and all her kind are nothing but slaves to you and me! Didn't you see how easily I called her to me?"
"Yeah, I saw. And it sickened me. It's just another reason I'll never be your apprentice"
replied Danny.
"Oh, you will be," said Vlad, turning serious, his red eyes glowing brighter, "I'm the only one you can turn to."
Down below, the Ghost Assault Vehicle pulled into the park, stopping below the combatants. Jack Fenton got out, followed by Maddie and Jazz. They looked up at them.
"Great Scott!" said Jack, "The reports were right! There is ghost activity here! We have to protect the people!"
"Wait, Jack," said Maddie, "Let's evaluate the situation first."
The three watched for a minute as two of the ghosts exchanged energy blasts. The third stuck close to one of them.
'That's Danny and Ember,' thought Jazz, 'But who is the other one? And where are Sam and Tuck?' She looked around, and found them standing by a tree, gazing up at the ghosts. She took off in their direction, coming behind them, hoping they wouldn't see her. Her parents never noticed she was gone.
"See, Jack?" said Maddie, "The one with the white hair is protecting the one with blue hair from the big one."
Jack Fenton narrowed his eyes. "Wait a minute! I know that big one!" He grabbed binoculars and took a better look. "I thought so! He was at Vlad's place! He's the one who took me over, and made me into a human meat puppet! Well, mister, here's where Jack Fenton gets his due!"
He ran into the GAV, and came out with a high-tech device looking vaguely like a bazooka. He aimed it at Vlad. "We'll get the two smaller ones later. I want that big one!"
"Well, Daniel, I see you still can't beat me, so I'm going to give you a choice," said Vlad,
"Protect the little ghost girl..." he held up his hand, and created a huge red ball of energy over it. "...or protect your human friends!" He threw the ball down toward Sam and Tucker.
"NO!" yelled Danny.
Ember turned and flew after the ball as fast as she could. "I've got it!" she shouted.
"I'll..." said Danny, balling his fists.
A blast of bright yellow energy hit Vlad, and he screamed. They both looked down.
"Jack? Maddie?" murmured Vlad, smoke drifting from his form.
"Mom? Dad?" said Danny.
Vlad started drifting away from Danny.
"This isn't over," said Danny.
"You're right, it isn't," replied Vlad, "It won't be until I've gotten what I want."
The yellow energy hit him again, shoving him away from Danny. Vlad flew off.
"We've got a runner!" shouted Jack, and dived back into the GAV, followed closely by Maddie. The vehicle revved up, and followed Vlad.
"Whew! Thanks, Mom and Dad!" he said, smiling. Suddenly he remembered Sam, Tucker, and Ember. He turned and flew down to them.
Ember flew as fast as she could after the ball of energy. She pushed herself to the limit to get there first.
Sam and Tucker backed away from the approaching danger, and tripped over the fallen log they had been sitting on. There was no way to avoid being hit by the ball. They closed their eyes and put their arms over their heads.
Jazz had been watching from behind a tree on the other side of the grove. She turned away so the tree was between them and her, and closed her eyes.
Ember passed the ball, and flew into its path just two yards from Sam and Tucker. There was a soundless red explosion, and the ball was gone. So was Ember.
The two humans sat up and looked around. "You okay?" asked Tucker. "Yeah. You?" replied Sam. "Uh huh. What happened?"
"I think Ember saved us," said Sam.
"You guys okay?" asked Danny, landing beside them and returning to human form.
"Seem to be," said Tucker. Sam nodded.
"That's good. Where's Ember?" Danny asked.
They all looked around. No Ember. The three of them broke up to search for her. Jazz took the cue to quickly and quietly leave the grove and the park without being seen by them.
They spent the rest of the afternoon searching for Ember, with no luck. When evening came, they reluctantly called off the search, and made their way home.
When Danny got home he found his parents excitedly discussing the ghost chase. The big one had gotten away, and they had no luck finding the little ones. "But the next time they show up, we'll be ready!" said Jack.
It made Danny sad, and he went up to his room. Jazz's eyes followed him with sympathy, but she didn't say anything.
They resumed the search Sunday morning at first light, and spent another day looking. As the sun drew toward the western horizon, they met back at the grove. "Ember's Grove" Tucker christened it, and the name stuck.
They sat on the fallen log and sighed.
"We've covered the entire park thoroughly," said Sam, "And we should have found her."
"Yeah," added Tucker, I can't imagine what happened to her."
"If she were around, my Ghost Sense would have gone off," said Danny, "But it hasn't."
"Maybe she's back in the Ghost Zone," said Sam.
"Maybe, but I doubt it," said Danny, "There wasn't any sign of a portal."
There was a long silence.
Tears rolled down Sam's cheeks. "I... I think we'd better consider the possibility that she's gone for good."
"I didn't want to say that, but you're right. That was a big ball of energy he sent," said Danny. "Since it didn't get you two, and she had gone after it, it must have gotten her."
"She sacrificed herself for us," said Tucker, softly, and began to cry.
Danny hung his head for a minute, then put his arm around Sam. She leaned to him, and cried on his shoulder. He held her, and cried silently.