There's another picture associated with this chapter, but don't go look at it till you reach that part of the story! And sorry for the cop-out (you'll know it when you see it!) If anyone feels up to drawing the awesomeness, go right ahead!
Chapter 5
The wedding is ruined. Chairs and flowers lie scattered like broken toys, while Maddie, Jack, and Jazz all lie unconscious. Dan stands in the middle of it all, cackling evilly and holding Danny aloft. Danny squirms about in his grip, and then...
"Going ghost!" The familiar rings form and begin sweeping up Danny's body, but they stop suddenly as Danny begins screaming! Dan stops shocking Danny and flings him to the ground like a rag doll. As Danny hits the ground, the rings fade away, and he remains untransformed.
"Oh no you aren't" Dan growls, hovering menacingly over him. His demeanor shifts suddenly, and he smiles malevolently down at Danny, "Oh this looks familiar...This reminds me of when I got rid of my goodly little human side so many years ago."
Danny gawks up at his older evil self, his face filled with the pain of having been slammed into the ground. "But...but you can't kill me..." he stutters.
Dan throws his head back and laughs, a sound devoid of any real humor, then his eyes lock into Danny's, dead serious. "You don't get it, do you? I'M STILL HERE! But since you don't turn into me anymore, that means you're worthless!" He draws back a glowing hand, preparing to strike...
"NO!"
A searing red blast catches Dan in his side, throwing him to the ground away from Danny.
Dan and Danny both turn, startled, to face the awesome spectacle of a VERY...ANGRY... Vlad Plasmius stepping down out of the wedding arch (see image). Normally calm and collected, Plasmius now appears to be, almost literally, burning with rage. Danny gawks wide-eyed as Plasmius stalks purposefully past him, toward Dan.
Never taking his seething gaze from Dan for an instant, Plasmius addresses Danny, "Stand down, Daniel. It's time to let the adults fight." Danny nods mutely and scrambles backwards away from the coming fight. Dan leaps back into the air, hands alight.
"Bring it on, cheesehead!"
The sheer awesomeness of the following fight is too great to be described in mere words. (sorry for the cop-out)
At the very climax of the battle, Plasmius, yelling out in rage, has Dan pinned down to the ground with one hand, the other hand clenched in a burning fist, just about to strike a finishing blow.
"Time out"
Clockwork floats across the frozen scene of devastation over to Danny and hangs a time medallion around his neck. Danny blinks several times in confusion. "Wh...wha...what's going on?" he finally manages, "What are you doing here?"
Clockwork smiles back at him in an unruffled manner, "Just tying up some loose ends."
Danny's brow furrows, trying to take in the hugeness of this tiny bit of information, "You planned all this?"
Clockwork turns away and calmly regards the mayhem on the field for a moment before answering. "The Vlad you knew could never have defeated your older self, and the thermos in which Dan was trapped would not have lasted long enough for you to grow old and strong enough to face him. By influencing certain events, and his dreams, I merely allowed Vlad to see the face of true evil...an evil his former ways helped to make. By giving him a glimpse into what could have been, I have provided him a way to fix what has been done.
Danny frowned indignantly at Clockwork's back, "Was this all just a game to you?"
Still facing the field, Clockwork quietly responds, "Even your perceived arch-enemy can become a much-needed ally when pushed to their limit and fighting for a cause you both believe in. Or do you remember nothing from your experience with Pariah Dark?" At Clockwork's words, Danny's memory suddenly floods with the brief image of all his supposed 'foes' united to help him beat the Ghost King.
As Danny ponders that, Clockwork turns to face him with a slow knowing smile. "And it is never 'just a game' to me Danny."
"Time in."
Danny finds himself staring at an empty space where Clockwork had been. Vlad's yell breaks the momentary silence, followed fast by a shriek from Dan...then everything slowly fades away into the cool early evening air.