Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School. I do not own the original story this is based on.
Danny raced through the corridors of Casper High. The hallway was starting to twist as more floor tiles chased after him. Gripping Sam tightly, the ghost boy took a sharp turn.
The tiles were just as agile and made the same movement, but most weren't fast enough to dodge the shield Danny put up. The floor was being covered in a pile of rubble. The ghost boy would have put the shield down but noticed the remaining slates hovering with a spin.
"Something tells me there's more going on," Danny said, noting the tile behind swirling up. "But I'll have to think about that another time.
Using his shield as a battering ram, he pushed forward and destroyed the tiles in front. Sam watched as she glanced behind them to see the new set.
"Oh come on!" Sam cried out. "This is getting ridiculous! What's next? The walls try to close in?!"
At her words, the lockers were pushed forward. They smashed together, shattering themselves and the tiles. The duo turned to see the shingle carnage unfold as the lockers piled up. Landing, Danny put down Sam. they inspected the mess made, confused by the sudden attack.
"It didn't even hit us..." Sam said softly. "I mean, I was hoping for that to happen, but I didn't think it would happen!"
"Yeah...that's definitely weird," Danny said cautiously. He studied his surroundings for anything else that might happen.
"What IS going on here?" He asked out loud, not getting it.
Unknown to the two teenagers, their audience was still watching a live broadcast of their encounters, including what had just happened, making the third member clench his drink too hard at the unexpected ending.
"Let's just get out of here before anything else happens..."Danny suggested.
Sam nodded, and they tried to do so.
Unfortunately, the school was not letting them do as they pleased as the halls turned and twisted, guiding the duo in an unintended direction. Sam growled as Danny flew slower.
"You gotta be kidding me," Sam snarked. "Can't we take a shortcut or maybe a secret passage behind that wall of lockers?" the girl pointed at the wall, which then turned to reveal a hallway void of lockers or any school details. "Oh, hey...that happened."
"Yeah...like it appeared just because you said so." Danny poked around the current scenery, avoiding the lockers for unnecessary surprises. He glanced at the corners of the ceiling. "Almost like we're being watched."
Sam looked around, fearful about what could happen next. She held onto her friend for dear life, not wanting anything else to happen.
After a few moments, the two flew down the passage with wary expressions. The hallway did not flow with the school setting, unnerving the two significantly.
"I honestly hope who ever is watching this I'll get to punch," Danny remarked.
How right he is, but what the boy did not know was that their audience had moved shortly after the hidden passageway. The third member, having stormed out, was furious as he exited the door.
"It's time for the ghost boy and his friend to know of true nightmares."
Phantasma flew after him quickly as Pointdexter glanced at the monitors with seething eyes before following.
Danny and Sam had exited the secret passage. They looked around to see the same school setting as before, much to their chagrin. The ghost boy landed and settled Sam down as he walked to the walls. Everything was quiet. Too quiet. Something was up, and he could feel it from all his time fighting.
The ghost boy tense as something bothered him, like an itch that just showed up out of nowhere. Maybe it was because the entire school wanted to fight, but this had him on a different edge.
"This is getting crazy. I honestly wish I knew what was going on!" Sam cried out as she watched her best friend fidget.
"You want to know what's going on!?" Pointdexter yelled as his foot hit the ground. "I'll tell you. This guy's gonna give this riffraff a knuckle sandwich." He slammed a fist into his palm in an attempt to look threatening, but the little nerd only hurt himself. If it was not for the fact the halfa and his friend were in a school trying to kill them, they would be laughing right now.
"Pointdexter?! What are you doing here?" Danny asked in aggravation. He rubbed his head in frustration before finding himself soothed by a gentle hand. He turned to see Phantasma, who then gave him a soft hug. The boy melted into it, missing his girlfriend.
"Thanks, Phanty..." Danny blinked like he just woke up. "Wait, Phanty!? What's going on?!"
"Why do you even like this guy!?" Pointdexter yelled.
The banshee ignored the nerdy ghost as her focus was solely on Danny. She placed a hand on his chest, humming in joy everyone was safe, including Sam.
"Pointdexter, I'm only gonna say this once. Whatever you did to the school, change. It. Back. Now!" Danny commanded, holding on to Phantasma as he gestured to the school with his other hand.
"Well, ain't that a bite, but no. Not until she—" the nerdy ghost pointed to Phantasma. "—sees how horrible you are. Just look as your friend, she—"
Any more attempts at talking with the ghost were interrupted, but a swarm of flying, non-spinning tiles knocked the boy into an open locker. It closed shut as the ghost desperately tried to break free.
"I've grown tired of this!" Came a voice from behind.
Danny turned to see one of his most deadly and powerful foes. His body of darkness contorted like a robe in the winds as his red eyes glared at the ghost boy,
"Nocturn!?" Danny got into a stance.
"You think this pathetic geek can conjure up a plan this horrifying?" Nocturn laughed, summoning the nightmares from before. "While I can't do any permanent damage to your body, enough stress can turn any dream deadly."
Nocturne added more to fight when he summoned his signature minions, dream walkers. The green, fat ghosts howled at the teens with their sewn eyes and fangy mouths.
Danny narrowed his eyes at him, charging his ice powers. The two charged at each other as the hallway walls shook with excitement as the lockers opened up to reveal many buzzsaws and scalpels. They danced about, lunging at Danny when there was an opening. The ghost boy had to focus on Nocturn and the walls, challenging endeavor as when one attacked, the other followed like a combo.
Pointdexter broke out of the locker, dusting himself off as he saw the two lock hands under a force field.
"Aw come on, Dreamster, I wanted to rattle with that snake!" Pointdexter exclaimed. He floated over, only to be grabbed by Sam and Phanty, who were glaring at him. "Uh...hey snakes, wanna rattle?" The nerdy ghost said nervously.
"Alright, Pointdexter, what is going on? And speak quickly or I'll make you double dead," Sam commanded with a glare that could curdle milk.
Sydney, at first, stubbornly refused, crossing his arms, but a quick punch to the face from the goth girl, in addition to her stare, made him talk. Not to mention the glowing eyes from the banshee helped too.
"Well, you see...I've been trying to show Phanty here what she's gotten herself into. I mean, the halfa's a bad egg, even her father knows it, yelling throughout the Ghost Zone." Phanty and Sam rolled their eyes, knowing full well about the ghostly father. The current goth girl could recall when Danny mentioned The Phantom trying to hurt him. It was one of the few times she did not feel jealousy but concern. "And that's when I met Nocturn."
"You thought Nocturn could help? Are you mazey!?" Phanty screamed.
"Mazey? What's that mean? I mean, are you kidding me? This was gangbusters!" Pointdexter said triumphantly. "Nocturn did he could help show you Danny's real nature and when he approached me—"
"Wait! You're saying a powerful ghost reached out to you for no reason and you didn't think twice to ask him why?!" Sam said, yelling out the last part.
"Hey? Cut me some slack! I was only trying to show Phanty that Danny doesn't need her," Pointdexter explained.
"Excuse me?" Sam's tone was offended.
But the nerdy ghost did not get a chance to answer as a rogue locker came, chewed him up, and spat him out. The girls glared at him as some of his friends came, all opening up to reveal deadly blades. The banshee had enough of this as her body glowed.
Phantasma's hand enlarged to gigantic proportions before she stretched her arm and grabbed the lockers. She crushed them together like a trash compactor. The pile looked something like modern art as it landed with a thud, relinquished from the banshee's grip.
Sam watched with her slacked jaw, impressed with the display of power.
"You can do that?!" Sam gasped.
"Of corpse, what do you think I've been doing this entire time? Studying?" Phanty boasted. She blinked in embarrassment before adding. "Well, I have been doing that, but I've also been training with my mom."
Phantasma cackled as she enlarged her other hand. The banshee went to work, pummeling the remaining lockers with impressive force, knocking the killer containers into the wall. All that training paid off as the remaining forces jumped away in fear.
"That'll teach ya!" Phanty yelled, dusting off her hands. She seethed, rubbing them together in pain. "Those things are tougher than I thought. How does Danny keep this up?"
"He fights everyday, granted he mainly shots ghost rays, but you get the idea," Sam said, not to be mean but to point out the fact.
"Like the saying goes, with practice makes perfect," A particular squirrel, Foamy said, as he appeared right next to Sam.
"Exctly," Sam said, not noticing the floating grey squirrel till now. The goth girl was shocked, to say the least, by his appearance.
"What the!? How are you here?" Sam screamed.
"Dude! I'm a figment of your imagination!" Foamy floated into Sam's face. "You're in a dream, and not the dream master's dream! You could probably do anything you want!"
"You serious!? So then, the hallway and smashing walls—"
"That was all you!"
The bewildered goth girl blinked and stood still for a few seconds, then slapped her face. It seemed evident that the past events correlated with her desired outcome.
"You gotta be kidding me," Sam snarled.
A pack of lockers came with tile saw blades and even the blue best from earlier. While usually, the girl would find cover, she decided it was time to stop running. Sam put on an ensemble more worthy of her aesthetics using her imagination: a punk rock dress with spikes and metal intertwined. One could call her a gothic princess if they wanted to die, that is.
"Ok, this is awesome," Sam said smiling. She twirled her outfit, admiring the work while showing a feminine side she could barely show.
And she was not the only one to like the outfit.
"OoooH!" Phantasma said in awe. She flew over quickly and circled the girl a few times. "I love it!" She cackled. "Let me try!"
Phanty used her imagination and quickly summoned a similar dress with a spider web pattern with musical notes attached.
"Not bad," Sam had to admit as she eyed the outfit.
"I have gotta get this dress in the real world!" Phantasma cackled, twirling around in admiration. "It's a scream and a half!"
The lockers closed in on the girl as the tiled hovered above. The blue beast pounded his knuckles together as he looked manically ferocious at the girl. But neither of the girls were afraid, more like prepared as Sam summoner a mace that resembled a lantern.
"Now, let's scare some nightmares," Sam said with a wicked grin.
Phanty cackled, eager to get payback, as she enlarged her fists again.
The two girls charged in as they swatted the tiles and smashed the lockers. The goth girl felt so much pleaser in her imaginary act of rebellion. School was so dull and unfair at times.
"I should have this dream more often, well, maybe not the school part, but it would be nice to kick butt," Sam commented, puking her mace out of a locker. She noticed the blue beast coming and raised the weapon high above her head.
"I've always wanted to do this!" Sam smashed the mace against the ground. Its lantern shape glowed as bats exited from the inside. There were all metal and held a horrifying face that scared the beast as they screamed loudly.
Phantasma paused from the ground as it backed up, taking one giant fist and extending her arm. The limb curled into a spring, and the banshee took aim as she punched/catapulted the blue beast into the swarm, where the bats chewed loudly.
With a small burped, the flying rodents dispersed to reveal only a couple of blinking eyeballs.
"Ok, that was l awesome!" Danny commented. He saw the entire thing as he kept up his fight with Nocturn. He had just delivered an axe kick to the ghost's shoulder, almost hitting his head.
"And just wait until we get back home. I'll show you what my mother and I have been working on!" Phanty exclaimed excitingly, blowing a kiss to her boyfriend. The ghost boy blushed for a moment after freezing Nocturn's head.
It was there Pointdexter had enough. He had been watching everything while being ignored as he got hurt as a side effect of doing nothing in these fights.
"Why do you even like this square!?" Pointdexter screamed. "He's already got this goth girl!" He pointed to Sam. "I mean she likes him, for crying out loud!"
Sam gasped with Phantasma as Danny blasted Nocturn, momentarily distracted as he looked to the geeky ghost. He didn't notice the girls' shocked faces.
"This is why you got Nocturn to help? Because Sam likes me?!" Danny yelled. Sam blushed in embarrassment as Phanty did her best to comfort her. "Well, too bad, because she's Amy friend and I like her too."
Pointdexter blinked in surprise as the goth girl slapped her face. Phanty shook her head, wondering why the ghost boy was clueless.
"No, I mean she likes you likes you!" Sydney yelled. He pointed at Sam with an accusing finger. "She's had a crush on you since before you took Phanty."
"WHAT?!" Danny exclaimed.
Sam was mortified and furious as Phantasma gave the nerd a surly look. Even Nocturn was displeased with his actions.
"You jerk! How could you do that?!" Sam yelled at the geeky ghost, who shrank back a bit.
"What the hex!? Pointdexter, you do not expose someone's crush! That is the wrong thing to do!" Phanty screamed.
"B-b-b-but, he's clueless!" Pointdexter yelled, pointing at the ghost boy. "He'd never find out in a million years!"
Is this why everyone calls me that? Danny thought. He turned to his formerly gothic friend. "Sam...is this true?" He asked, wanting to know.
Sam looked guilt-ridden, but she sighed as she let the pain flow through her. She had been holding on to these feelings for so long, without release, it was time to take off the top.
"I-I've...I had this..." The goth girl said, trying to speak through a pained voice. How could she just reveal everything after Pointdexter just ripped out her heart and showed it to her friend like a snack? It was not until she felt the hand of Phantasma on her shoulder did she find courage. "Danny, I've known you since grade school. We've been through so much and part of me...part of me just couldn't see myself without you and—"
Danny put Sam on pause, placing a hand on her shoulder. He looked at the goth girl, his friend, his best friend since childhood. Looking back, pieces came together as he recalled the times they blushed together, but that was it.
"Sam..." Danny spoke in a calm tone. "I guess I can see all that now, but the thing is, I'm with Phanty. Maybe before all this we had a chance, but it's been months."
"Yeah..." Sam said in compliance.
Nocturn could be heard humming, watching from afar. The ghost never moved from his spot at the battle. The ghost of dreams just stood in place with a wicked grin.
"I take it you are done?" Nocturn asked.
Danny separated from Sam and Phantasma and went back to the dream ghost. The two waited behind, having faith in their ghost boy.
"You sure were nice, letting us talk," Danny said, circling the ghost.
"I am the master of dreams, boy. Here I am a god, and it is here where you can not defeat me," Nocturn chuckled darkly. He stood still as his head turned like an owl, constantly staring at the boy. "So consider this a last rite."
"More like your last fright," Danny quipped as he charged forward. He threw an ecto-charged fist, flying as fast as he could, aiming squarely at Nocturn's head. But the punch never made it as the remaining lockers on the walls opened up to have chains spewed forth, binding his arms in a flash. The ghost boy struggled with all his might but could not get out.
"Danny!" Sam cried, running over, but more lockers did the same, capturing the girl in a matter of seconds.
"Perhaps I should have made myself clear. I. Am. The master of dreams. I control anything in this realm better than anyone. And I certainly have the advantage not matter how powerful you are." Nocturn slowly floated over. His imposing form grew until he was a foot away from the chained-up ghost boy. He leaned over with a wicked grin as his red eyes hovered over the boy. "My victory was assured the moment you fell alseep."
Danny, despite his predicament, could not go down without a fight. He did everything to break free but found out that not even his intangibility could save him. Things seemed bleak until a sound grew in the hallway. It started out small, but the noise was pleasant, beautiful even. It was so haunting the lockers relaxed their grip as Nocturn searched for the source.
"What is that enchanting sound?" Nocturn looked away to see Phantasma singing like a siren. While her voice was far from melodic, it was harmonious and drew everything towards her.
The banshee was like a diva on stage, but not an all-star. The master of dreams was drawn, but as soon as he heard Danny getting back up, he forced himself against her control and went back to finish the job. Phanty saw this and sang louder, hoping to draw him back in.
"Must...maintain...control..." Nocturn grunted. He is powerful, but to many ghosts in the Ghost Zone, the banshee song had a haunting melody. One that was breaking his concentration and giving the ghost boy a chance to get up.
"Wow...you know, if I wasn't in danger, I'd totally stop to listen," Danny quipped as he seized the moment, punching Nocturn into the wall before encasing the ghost in ice. But before he froze the dream ghost, he was given a few words.
"You think this is over, but I'll be back. And next time, I'll do this my way."
Nocturn was silent as the ice consumed him. The ghost boy looked at the cold prison before raising a foot and bringing it down hard, shattering the dream master into pieces. As the frost thawed, everyone could hear the sinister laughter of the ghost as he disappeared.
"Wow, that's not creepy," Sam snarked to calm herself.
Phantasma raced to Danny, giving him a kiss on the cheek before nuzzling against his chest.
"That was amazing!" Danny said, grabbing his girlfriend's hand. "I didn't know you could do those things."
"Been practicing on more than just my music, though this banshee voice thing may just be helpful than most." Danny sent her a funny look. "Don't worry, I'll only use in case of emergencies."
After a quick kiss, the ghost boy floated over to his friend, who was still reeling from the forced confession. He tried to speak, but the girl put a hand up with a small, sad smile.
"You know, I've been thinking...and I realize I need to think about thing. My grandma's been a big help with my feelings, but right now, I think I need some space," Sam said apologetically. She glanced at Phantasma, who was wearing a small smile. "But I think it's time I also move on." She walked up to the banshee. "Look, for what it's worth, I'm sorry if I was being mean. I mean..."
"You come back to see your crush taken by a cuter ghost girl," Phanty playfully finished. "Yeah, I'd probably be the same."
Sam smirked as she continued. "Exactly! Plus, well...every to most ghosts we fight don't want to be friends."
"Yeah...we can be like that. You should see how often we can ignore fights. The Box Ghost is a main contender, but he never wins."
Both girls immediately broke out laughing. With Phantasma cackling up a storm, not literally this time, and Sam genuinely laughing alongside the ghost girl. The time for petty jealousy was at a close.
Pranayama yawned as she woke up. She stretched her limbs a good two feet, including her neck, before noticing her mother sitting nearby with a book. The banshee looked around her mother's unliving room as she recalled how Pointdexter knocked on the door with a special amulet in his hands. One that was on the table she had slept on.
"Oh good, you're up." Lady Christine closed her book and floated up. "I'll go grab some tea." She left as the two ghosts got up and stretched.
The banshee's face scowled when she then saw the nerdy ghost now waking up. Pojntdexter's hand was still on the amulet. Picking it up, he woke up and stretched.
"Man, I can't believe how crazy things got!" Pointdexter zipped around as Phantasma dusted herself off. "I never knew dreams could get that crazy! This dream amulet Nocturn gave me is a kick!"
The banshee said not a word, ignoring her admirer as she checked herself. After completing her self-inspection, she turned to him and promptly enlarged her fist, alarming the geeky ghost.
"Uh, Phanty?" Pointdexter backed away in fear. "What are you doing?"
But he never got an answer as a giant punch knocked him out as he smashed against the wall. The ghost nerd fell like a rock, despite his lightweight, and groaned with barely any consciousness.
"Why?" The boy dragged the word with a dry voice.
"Because you put my haunting hunk and his friend in danger." Phantasma's voice was cold. She leaned down, looking imposing as she whispered into his ear. "Do that again, and my dad won't be the only ghost after your hide."
Sidney took this opportunity to run for the hills and get as far away from the terrifying glare in the ghost girl's eyes since he already had too many problems of his own to deal with daily.
Phantasma huffed to signify that she was done with him for good. But once she turned around to face everyone, they all had shocked and slightly disturbed looks on their faces, except for her mother, which was filled with pride in her daughter's one-of-a-kind spank.
"What?"Phanty asked, looking confused and innocently cute as if she had done nothing to warrant such locks.
"Nothing," Lady Christine said, putting down the tray and two cups of tea. "Just a little proud that's all. Now, come enjoy some earl grey."
Phantasma smiled, taking one of the cups as she floated alongside her mother.
When Pointdexter brought that dream medallion, the mother was not sure to trust the boy, but she had faith in her daughter and asked many questions about her daughter's time in the dream world. The woman smiled as she heard Phatny talk about her first fight, granted in the dream world, but a victory there still counts for something.
But as the banshees celebrated a victory, The Phantom was now dealing with a problem of his own. He had just returned to his domain when he saw Plasmius sitting in one of his chairs, looking through photos. The older halfa seemed preoccupied with his little venture into the ghost's memories.
"It seems someone doesn't know when they're overstepping their boundaries," The Phantom said with a menacing voice. He crept up to the chair with glowing hands as his eyes locked onto the halfa. "Perhaps I should give you a lesson."
"Funny. I was going to say the same to you," Vlad said, not intimidated.
The Phantom growled with a foul temper as his eyes glowed red. His body expanded to twice its size and enclosed the halfa, who was still looking at a book. He charged at the halfa, intending to tear him to shreds. Vlad, however, saw this coming a mile away but did nothing.
A pair of hands reached around The Phantom's throat, choking him, before slamming him into the floor hard. The ghost shrank back to his standard size to see another Plasmius floating above him.
"Did you really think I'd play fair? Are you so arrogant?" Vlad sneered, stomping a foot on the ghost's throat, pinning him down. This would have been lethal on an average human, but a ghost could survive such attempts forever, a fact Vlac was knowingly exploiting.
"You'll...ack...pay for this!" The Phantom wheezed in anger.
"I believe it's time you give a reality check." Vlad leaned with wicked eyes and a matching smile. His presence was starting to send a chip down the ghost's spine. "And I know just how to do it. I just need you to do me a little favor."
And I'm back with some ghostly fun. Looks like Dam is putting things behind her now. Good thing, too, cause I am getting tired of the jealousy bit. It's rather annoying, and I'm putting it mildly.
For Pointdexter, let me translate some of the slang he used:
Rattle this snake/hey snakes, wanna rattle: this had two different meanings. When a guy says it to another, it's means to fight. And when it was a guy saying this to a girl, it was to dance.
Kick: fun
Gangbusters: successful
Special Thanks! to Flower Princess11 for all her help!
Special Thanks! to Jay The Average Fanboy for all his help!
Reviews:
61394: Pointdexter thinks because Sam likes Danny, he should be with her. But just having feelings isn't enough. There has to be chemistry.
LockAndKey989: Nah, it was Nocturn. If The Phantom were around, he'd yell at Pointdexter for being near Phantasma.
Jebest4781: Thanks!
RonaldM40196867: Yes, Dark Danny will return. Probably not, though there was talk of a sequel series, I have no clue how that's going. Probably.
danifan3000: Honestly, maybe it was because a ghost was harming a human. Jock status aside, that's a differential in natural strength with ghosts being at an advantage. But, I'm not going into details.
Luiz4200: Good point. I'll have to improvise if I remember. Send a reminder if you want.