Hey everyone. I have some bad news unfortunately; due to my computer not wanting to work anymore, I'm afraid updates in general are going to be slowed down until I can get it working. I can't keep my documents in it and without that I can't upload. I was smart enough to put in one of the chapters here in advanced before it stopped working again. Sorry about this guys, until this technical difficulty gets resolve, updates will be much slower.
Mimi1012: I'm glad you're enjoying this story and the cliffhangers, unfortunately you'll have to start waiting again due to problems with my computer. ^^'
OMNISENSE95: Skulker only saw Andy's ghost form, not his human form, same goes for the other ghosts in the Ghost Zone as well as Ember. And while it's blatantly obvious that Danny Phantom's twin is naturally Andy, you can't expect them to draw that conclusion considering the universe they come from. So do you ship Andy and Valerie? X3
Blue: Yes, Vlad knows. Dustin sure is a mystery, isn't he? And this next chapter should be interesting.
Yeah, the possibility of a sequel is still there, but if my co-writer Key doesn't want to work with me anymore I'm afraid that's not happening any time soon. I'm already backed up with a lot of other stories I have to get finished alone and with my computer not booting up anymore it's definitely going to be a problem with my updates. I apologize about that.
muney73: Sadly I won't be updating as frequent until I can get the computer problem resolved. You sure Dustin didn't start it? After all, what reason would Vlad have to open that sarcophagus in the first place if something or someone didn't manipulate him or something? Andy's playstyle is still under wraps, but you're seeing what his potential style will be later on. As for your theory, you're right about him unlocking a powerful ghost ability like Danny, of course it's different from the Ghostly Wail as I see that power for Danny only. As for what kind of power it would be, I'll let you try to guess what it is, and no it does not relate to his time visions. ^^'
Captivity: Relax, Andy just passed out, it's not like he's going to die or be wiped from existence or something. ^^' Well I hope you survive the drought of updates for a while. And thank you for loving Andy so much, it flatters me to know people love how I portrayed him as an OC who fits perfectly into the canon universe.
anjanishe: Andy's a lot less experienced with his ghost powers than Danny is, so of course he wouldn't last very long against Vlad. Yeah, I try to stick close to the canon and only change what needs to be changed with Andy. This chapter will make you wonder more about Dustin. And thank you for being patient.
Nine-tailed k: Yup, it's fun watching my own character using his own kind of skills to fight Vlad, even if it's not physical.
ZAFT Prime: Vlad already figured there was a second accident. ^^' It's not hard to put two and two together since the Ghost Portal accident is the only legit way to turn half ghost in this universe, anything else would just cause them to melt into real ghosts as you saw in the movie finale of my previous book.
sjsreader: Well... you might have to try to be a little more patient due to reasons above. ^^' But I'll try to find a way to update again even with my computer not wanting to boot up.
CalmTheHydreigon: Well it IS a kid friendly story after all, no actual cussing is allowed. And Vlad knocked him out because he's Vlad. XP
PrincessDragon96: Yeah, quite interesting indeed.
Chapter 23: Dustin; Friend or Foe?
I didn't know where I was. I was just standing in front of a big sarcophagus, but it was open and empty. I didn't know where to go or what to do… so I just sat there… feeling tired. What happened to me? I remember running into Vlad but… then he found out and the jerk decided to knock me out… Then my ears perked up when I heard something being played on an ocarina nearby.
I frowned, turning around to see Dustin, playing that ocarina he had stolen from the store! After a few more moments of playing, he paused, giving me a smirk. "Ah, how wonderful to see you again Andy… I'd say I'm surprised, but we both know the truth."
"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning in confusion. "What happened?"
The ghost just smirked knowingly as he shrugged. "I'm not going to spoil the mystery… If you're awake or asleep, does it matter either way? The information is likely true no matter what…"
"Information? …" I frowned. "Ugh… I think Vlad knocked me out. What are you doing here again, anyways? Do you just like bugging me?"
"Well, it is fun…" Dustin chuckled, leaning back and playing a few more notes on the Ocarina. "Still, this is just a much more secure way of talking- nobody can hear us here."
I looked at the sarcophagus, seeing that it was open and empty. "What was sleeping in here? Was it that ghost king Dora mentioned?"
"Ding ding ding, we have a winner!" He stopped leaning back as he flew over to the sarcophagus, patting it as if it were a prized pet rather than an item. "This is the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep- back when Pariah Dark was in full power, the Ring of Rage was separated from his Crown of Fire, making him much weaker before placing him in here so he couldn't try to regain control over the Ghost Zone. Unfortunately for us… someone decided to wake him up."
"... You seem to know a lot about this Pariah Dark… Why don't you tell me more about him since all the other ghosts were too scared to say anything about him?" I said with my arms crossed. "It's the least you could do after invading my mind every time I sleep!"
Dustin just laughed at that, smirking at me. "Hey, it's a good way to speak with you without a certain twin listening in!" He then shrugged. "Still, I know just as much as anybody else… He used to be a benevolent but weak king, up until he learned about the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire. After he gained both items, he grew power-hungry, destroying any ghost that could possibly stand in his way, so the Ancient Ones decided to stop him."
"Figures." I frowned, crossing my arms and looking at the sarcophagus in irritation.
"Figures what?" Dustin asked, raising an eyebrow at me in bemusement.
"It happens all the time. People who used to be kind hearted, gentle and benevolent easily become twisted, corrupted and let powers go to their head whenever they get them…" I said with a glare as I stared at the empty sarcophagus. "It happened to my brother and it happened to the ghost king. Why is it so easy to influence and corrupt the pure hearted!?"
"..." The black-haired ghost chuckled at that, shrugging as he leaned against the sarcophagus. "Simple- people go for the most pure-hearted first… And if you have enough power to obliterate anybody in your way, why waste time being kind? Now then, I'm assuming you want to know who let this Pariah out of his coffin, right?"
"Why waste time being kind!? Why waste time destroying everything and hurting people? That's what I'd like to know. In the end you'll just be alone for the rest of your miserable life." I hissed sourly before turning to him. "But yes, I would like to know who was crazy enough to let Pariah out like that and why…"
"Well, I won't tell you directly- even this isn't fully safe…" Dustin closed his eyes before he smirked, pointing at me. "But let me ask you this: who is the one person, halfa or ghost, that would learn about Pariah Dark's story, and rather than be terrified of him being let loose, get tempted by the prospect of ultimate power enough to let him out?"
I frowned at that… Ghost or halfa? What's he implying? "Any ghost would be tempted with the promise of ultimate power- humans too. But if you're narrowing it down to halfas, there's only three in existence right now. It could be me, Danny or Vlad, but I don't think any of us would care for ultimate power. Especially not me or Danny after that… incident. Vlad… he didn't seem the type to care for such things, he mostly just wants love… from Mom and Danny." I pointed out, crossing my arms.
Dustin rolled his eyes, looking at me. "Yes, and how likely would that be without forcing them? Hmm? You know how much your brother and mother love your dad- they'd never leave him!"
"... You have a point." I frowned, feeling uncomfortable. "He could've tried mind controlling them, or blackmail, but uh…" I stopped before shaking my head. "I guess ultimate power works too. Wait… are you saying VLAD woke him up? Don't be ridiculous, Vlad's smarter than that… right?"
The ghost chuckled, giving me a knowing grin. "Maybe, maybe not… but I'll say this- keep an eye on Valerie. Vlad's given her more than just equipment for her ghost hunt, he may even have given her a ring…"
"... Okay, you do know what that just implied right?" I almost laughed at that, shaking my head in amusement. "Isn't he a little old for her? I mean, shouldn't he be giving the ring to Mom or someone closer to his own age? That's considered pedophilia. The jokes just go on and on."
Dustin rolled his eyes at that, glaring at me slightly. "You know what I meant- Vlad's given Valerie the Ring of Rage so that Pariah Dark doesn't go after him or anybody in the same house as him! Try to get that ring away from her, and soon, or she'll be ghost bait…"
"... Why are you helping me anyways? And why not tell my brother Danny? You helped us before, right? So why not again?" I asked him, frowning in confusion as I thought of that. "Why just tell me?"
"Well, wouldn't Danny just charge in and demand Vlad to take the ring back?" Dustin deadpanned, giving me another look. "You and I are similar, Andy- I said this already, and I meant it. You and I plan before doing anything… and right now, that's what we need to survive this, not Danny's battle experience."
"Danny's smarter than you give him credit for." I frowned, reluctantly sighing. "But… you might be right on that one. Still… Danny does stand a better chance against the incoming disaster than I do. I can't even fly faster than a car could run, and for speed ghosts that's really slow. You should know, you're a speed ghost too!"
"...Heh- you didn't notice at all, did you?" Dustin chuckled suddenly, making me blink in confusion. "When you were talking to me, you were easily flying just as fast as Danny could."
"What?" I frowned at him, blinking. "... What do you mean? I don't even remember flying that much."
"When you weren't so focused on flying so much you just naturally flew." Dustin shrugged.
"What? It can't be that easy! Flying is just unnatural!" I snapped. "Not to mention I couldn't even outfly Vlad before he knocked me out!"
"Hey, hey, cool down- my point is you likely weren't thinking of actually flying, you just did it!" Dustin quickly said, holding up a hand to stop me from talking so much.
I decided to put the whole Vlad knocking me out incident to the back of my mind for now as I glared at the ghost in front of me. "I don't believe you. There's no way I could've just flown like that so easily, I've been struggling to do that for two months! You don't just suddenly get good because you just do it!"
"Well, believe me or not, but I know what I saw…" He shrugged, lifting the ocarina to his lips once more. "Still, you'd better wake up soon, now won't you?" And before I could respond, he began playing once more, causing everything to grow blurry…
I slowly began opening my eyes to find myself in our room… but something was different. I was on the wrong side of the room… and something or someone's holding me… it sure felt pretty cozy and warm… I haven't felt like this since Danny and I got separated beds when we were eight… I miss those days. I wonder if it's some kind of new blanket…? I just curled up a bit more… maybe school's canceled today due to the insane amount of ghosts… I don't want to move from this spot right now…
Still… I can't rest for too long- if Dustin's right, then Pariah Dark will be invading Amity Park soon… And I think it's going to be even tougher than the 'invasion' yesterday… But I wonder, what can I do about that? Pariah Dark sounds pretty powerful, especially if he was able to chase away all the ghosts from their homes… Maybe Dora could help me out? But I don't even know where she went in all this chaos...
Before I could think anymore, though, I felt my blanket moving a bit… that's weird… and… is that breathing I hear behind me? What kind of blanket is this? I frowned in confusion before freezing as I heard a familiar voice mumbling out something. "Mom… Dad… I dun wanna go to school today… zzz…"
W-wait, is that… Danny!? Am I sleeping with him right next to me!? … Wait… is he… my BLANKET!? I slowly turned my head to see he was indeed there, and he had his arms wrapped around me as if I was a stuffed toy or something! This is… really awkward… We haven't really cuddled like this since we were eight, this is… really embarrassing… why did Danny put me on his bed?
…Come to think of it, was Danny even the one who put me here? I remembered Vlad being the last person, or halfa, I saw before being knocked out- did he bring me up to my bed or something? I doubt he'd exactly know which bed is which… so I guess it'd make sense… But why didn't Danny just move me to my own bed? Why did he sleep next to me? Ugh, so many questions!
I tried to move a bit, but he just squeezed me tighter, nuzzling my back with a sleepy grin. I frowned, it was clear he wasn't going to let me go until he wakes up. I could try going intangible… but that would probably wake him up. What should I do? This is so awkward! I glanced around, looking for a teddy bear or SOMETHING for Danny to snuggle instead of me- if he didn't have something to hold, that'd probably wake him up… Just my luck, though, nothing was around.
I sighed, grumbling under my breath. I guess I could use this time to plan or something- but this is still such a weird way to do it… The other ghosts may have just fled upon hearing that Pariah Dark was awake without learning how tough he was at the time- Dustin said he wasn't really powerful until he wore the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire, so there's that tiny advantage. Still… if Vlad really did take the ring and give it to Valerie, she'll be in a lot of trouble. I can't just ask for her to give it to me or she'll think I'm crazy or on the ghost's side!
I frowned, tapping my forehead in an attempt to think. There's got to be a way to get the ring away from her… If the king is looking for it, it's only a matter of time before he sends in his army to find it, and that could mean big trouble for Amity Park. I wonder if Pariah Dark will use a knight kind of ghost… like maybe the Fright Knight as his servant? That'd be interesting to see… No, no- gotta stay focused.
I guess if Pariah Dark is strong enough to chase away ghosts without the ring, then there's a good chance neither of us could take him on even with our powers combined… The way I see it, the best way to defeat the ghost king is to put him back into that sarcophagus… But even then, that won't exactly be easy, and it'll definitely be impossible if he has both of his artifacts at once. I sighed… In the end, it's like a game of keep-away, since if Pariah Dark gets the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire, almost nothing could stop him… An imagine of lighting struck down and the entire world was obliterated in my mind… No! I can't let that happen! Not after everything I went through to keep this world safe! Calm down, Andy… there's still time…
"Hmm…" I froze when I heard my brother stirring behind me. In my panic from an awkward situation, I quickly shut my eyes and pretended to be asleep. I heard him yawning and felt him stretching a bit. "Oh, man… I definitely needed my rest!" I heard him groan before he turned and glanced at me. "...Still not awake yet, huh…?"
I had to keep my heart rate down and from the blood rushing to my cheeks. This felt awkward… I never had to pretend I was asleep in front of my own brother before! Gotta keep my breathing calm… He still had his arms wrapped around me… Danny then chuckled, nuzzling my cheek! H-huh!? "Well… you get all the sleep you want, bro- you need it…"
What the fudge cake is he doing!? Danny usually doesn't do that… I heard his footsteps moving around the room. I slowly opened my eyes to see what he's doing. Danny was sighing as he was changing out of his pajamas. "Can't believe I have to go searching for every ghost I know- and about a million I don't- and capture them all!"
I slowly lifted my head and decided to speak up, 'yawning' to make it seem like I just woke up. "Maybe you shouldn't… Hey bro, mind telling me why I'm on your bed?"
Danny froze, glancing back at me before smiling sheepishly. "I… aaaah… e-er, that is… I think Vlad mistook my bed for yours? And I didn't wanna move you in case you woke up, s-so… yeah." he finished awkwardly.
"So did you sleep in my bed?" I asked him as I sat up, knowing full well he didn't.
"Er… yeaaaaah, I did…" Danny chuckled even more awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck nervously before he shook his head. "A-anyways, why shouldn't I catch all the ghosts? They're causing a lot of chaos!"
"Well what good would it do you?" I asked him, shrugging. "They've been run out of their homes. If you catch them and try to put them back, they'll just come out again. I think it'd be better if you stop whatever's making them all fleeing their homes like that rather than trying to force them back in one-by-one."
"I guess…" Danny sighed, before he glanced at me, something clearly on his mind. "Er… h-hey bro? You don't… remember anything from last night, do you? I'm just kinda curious, ya know?"
"..." I guessed he would ask me that. I didn't really want to talk about it, especially since it involved him… "It's… well… Do you remember when we talked about how that incident… affected both of us?" We hadn't really touched on it since that night two months ago, we both just kinda forgot about it really. Vlad knocked me out and I guess it's natural Danny would want to know why, but even I don't know why… but this is just as good time as any to bring up that corrupted era again.
My bro hesitated before nodding slowly as he rubbed his arm and glanced away. I quickly spoke up. "B-but it hasn't really bothered me since I've started training with my powers, really!" I just don't know why I keep suffering relapses from time to time, it's gotten better but it still happens.
Danny sighed, glancing at me awkwardly. "I… Andy… you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"
I gave him a lighthearted chuckle, crossing my arms. "Let me guess… Jazz talked to you last night, right?" Danny blinked before giving me a nod, and I smirked, giving a nod of my own. "Yeah, I figured she would. Well, I thought I was getting better so… I didn't want to bring it up again… because I know how guilty you were about it, and I would hate to burden you with something that happened a while back."
"Y-yeah, but…" Danny sighed, looking at me worriedly before he suddenly hugged me! Uh… what's he doing? "I-I don't want you to have to deal with something like this all on your own- not if I can help!"
… You know, sometimes I forget that Danny's just a kid himself and that he's still my brother. I slowly wrapped my arms around him to give him a hug of my own. "Th-thanks Danny… I guess I needed that…"
About an hour later, after Danny and I had gotten dressed and eaten, we were walking to school with Tucker and Sam- apparently we still had school even with a ghost invasion… Tucker seemed to still be himself, unfortunately, as he was laughing at the mention of Danny and I hugging. "W-wow, are you serious you two? You actually HUGGED each other?"
"Not so loud Tucker!" Danny snapped, crossing his arms. "And what's wrong with hugging? We're just showing our brotherly love, that's all!"
"You two haven't hugged since we left elementary school!" Tucker laughed, patting my back in amusement.
"It was an emotional moment!" I grumbled, crossing my arms as well. "I fail to see how that's so funny to you…"
"I-I'm sorry, but it's hilarious! You and Danny cuddling each other in your sleep?" He continued to chuckle, shaking his head with a grin. "Priceless! I wish I had a camera and a time machine just to get that!"
I grabbed his red burnett hat and stuffed it into his laughing mouth, gagging and shutting him up. "Maybe we should get pictures of your private little moments and then scream it out to the entire school! Maybe it'd be funny then, wouldn't it?"
"Come on Andy, you know he's just joking, right?" Sam said to me, gently putting a hand on my shoulder, and I frowned at her.
"Oh, so it's okay for him to joke around with what we do, but if it's you then suddenly it's wrong?" I snapped at her, glaring with a huff.
Sam shrugged, putting her arms behind her head. "Yeah, sure, I'd be a bit mad, but I'd get over it in a bit- that's the thing…" She then glanced ahead of us and winced, frowning. "Oh geez… Andy? You'd better run."
"Uh… why?" I asked, blinking in confusion.
But she didn't even get a chance to tell me before I heard Star's loud voice yelling at me. "FENTON! How dare you walk out on Paulina when she needed your help! I warned you that my fist may get violent if you don't!"
"Oh come on, Star! I'm not the kind of tutor Paulina needs!" I said back to her, waving my hands in front of me. "Seriously, she'd be better off with someone like Dash!"
"Except he's being tutored by you, and you already agreed to!" She growled, shoving her knuckles under my nose. Oooh boy… "Now are you going to keep your promise or do I have to give you a knuckle sandwich?"
"Okay, first of all… put that fist down." I used my hands to gently move her fist down from under my nose. "Second… I'm not the one tutoring Dash, it's my sister Jazz who is, I just happen to live in the same house. And third… I didn't make that promise- my lovesick brother did, but he doesn't speak for me okay? Do you understand my situation now?" I said as calmly and clearly as I possibly could.
Star paused for a moment before nodding. "...Yeah, I understand the situation alright!" She then grabbed the back my shirt, tugging it over my head! "Doesn't mean I'm letting you get out of tutoring Paulina, Fenton!"
I pushed her back quickly and grabbed my shirt away from her. "You really don't like listening to reason." I growled irritably, crossing my arms angrily. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Danny sneaking away while Sam and Tucker were watching this argument in surprise, but I didn't care right then. "I. Can't. Tutor. Her. Get it through your thick skull, Star!"
The blonde glared at me angrily as she moved her fist back for a punch. "Oh, that's it Fenton! You're getting it no-" She suddenly yelped, feeling her feet fly out from under her! Was that a stick? "Whooooooa!" Star fell down, rubbing her sore butt as she glared at me. "T-this isn't over, Fenton!"
I blinked down at the stick, where did this come from? I turned back to see Danny just suddenly appeared and he was laughing. "Well that got her to stop."
"Danny!" Sam scolded him. "I know Star was being a jerk to your brother, but do you really think it's smart to use your powers like that? What if someone saw you?"
"Oh come on Sam, I've gone on this long without anyone discovering anything." Danny said. "Besides, she was going to hurt Andy and I wasn't going to just let that happen."
"Hey." I turned to see Valerie, she was looking in the direction Star just ran off too. "What happened to Star? She sure seemed pretty angry about something."
"She was getting mad that I wouldn't tutor Paulina." I sighed.
"Since when do you tutor?" Valerie chuckled.
"Since Dash started being tutored by Jazz." I rolled my eyes. "Apparently Paulina thinks I'm the one tutoring him. I'm mostly helping him with biology and his self esteem issues. So how are you feeling Val? I heard you were really sick yesterday."
"I was and I heard some pirate ghosts were on the loose. That really makes me mad that I was too sick to do anything. Well not anymore, this time I'm ready to take on any ghost invasion, including those Phantom twins!" Valerie said with determination in her eyes.
I sighed, feeling awkward that she's my friend but she also hates a part of me too. "Look, I'm sure the Phantom twins don't mean any harm. You just misunderstood them…"
"They're ghosts Andy! They don't deserve the benefit of the doubt!" She snapped at me, crossing her arms.
I looked down at her hands, noticing the green and black ring with a skull on it. That must be the Ring of Rage. "Hey Val, where'd you get that ring?"
"Oh this?" She suddenly looked nervous, covering it up with her other hand. "It's just… something in my family- it's important to me."
I was about to say something about that when I felt that familiar and annoying hot feeling coming up my throat. I had to turn away before releasing the mist from my mouth so Valerie wouldn't see it.
"What's wrong, Andy?" She asked me in concern, noticing me turn away.
"Erm… it's nothing, just a bit of heartburn." I said hesitantly. "Listen, I have to go, but I'll talk to you about this later."
"What? Where are you going?" She asked me as I began running down the hall, knowing I needed to find where that ghost was before Valerie did.
"There's… something I need to take care of." I said to her. "Just be careful." I said before turning the corner.
"Wah!?" I quickly slide to a stop when I saw a familiar ghost right in front of me, but I couldn't stop myself before I literally ran into him- and he wasn't intangible either. "Ow!" Both of us bumped into each other, quickly falling to the floor in a pile.
"Ugh…" The ghost groaned before glancing at me and chuckling. "Wow- even when I don't try to get us to meet up, it ends up happening anyways…" He turned intangible to get free of the pile, turning tangible again as he stood up and held out a hand for me to grab. "C'mon up, Andy- I'm sure you're sensing the same thing I am."
"You mean that wasn't you I was sensing?" I frowned but stood up myself, crossing my arms in confusion. "Then who was I sensing…?"
The ghost in front of me just smirked knowingly, tapping his forehead. "Well, let's just say even ancient ghost kings can learn a few tricks when planning an ambush… Say, when the protectors of an area are at school- you sensed him coming into Amity Park."
"Protectors?" I shook my head, frowning. "Where's Danny? I would think he'd be the first to head out to find this ghost king." The ghost shrugged, still looking fairly confident, and I grumbled to himself, glaring at him. "Look Dustin, if you know what's going on, why don't you help me stop it? You helped us before, why not now?"
Dustin, for that's who it was, just kept grinning at me knowingly. He looked surprisingly human- heck, if I didn't know he was a ghost, I would've assumed it was someone else in the area! "Trust me, I'm planning to- but I'm not much of an active fighter if I can help it, plasma weapons aside. No, I'd rather lead you to where your allies in this battle are going to be…"
"Wha-" I suddenly heard a loud explosion outside, making me jump in shock. I turned to the window to see Danny- in his ghost form- tackling Vlad out into the football field. "They're fighting NOW!?"
"Yep." Dustin leaned against the windowsill, glancing out and shaking his head in amusement. "Your brother's quite hotheaded when he wants to be- and it doesn't help that it's in Vlad's nature to taunt him…" He smirked at me, patting my back. "Still, you'd better hurry out there and help them settle their differences before Fright Knight cuts them in two- and we don't want that, now do we?"
"But Vlad knows I'm half ghost…" I frowned hesitantly while looking out the window. "I don't know what I should do- besides, there's no way I can fly to them in time to get them to stop! I'm sure Vlad will have enough sense to stop my brother from fighting him, right?"
"Maybe, maybe not… Do you really want to take that chance, though?" Dustin kept smirking at me, and I couldn't help but frown. Was he right- would Vlad and Danny just keep fighting? "Besides, it's either that or try to get the Ring of Rage away from this area- and quickly, before Pariah Dark's army arrives… Not that you could ever fly fast enough on your own."
"I don't know how I'm going to get the Ring of Rage away from Valerie, but…" I looked out the window, and I saw Vlad grabbing Danny's throat before throwing him down, saying something to him but I can't hear him. I noticed they were being surrounded by those skeleton ghosts and being approached by the Fright Knight himself. "See? They stopped fighting each other!"
"Eh, fair point…" Dustin shrugged before he smirked once more, glancing to something a little ways away from the football field. "Still, it looks as if your friend Valerie's suiting up for battle… and bringing Fright Knight just what he wants."
"What? She's going to go out there too!?" I knew I had to do something, but what can I even do? I frowned worriedly, glancing at the ghost beside me. "Dustin, can't you fly me out there?"
Dustin shrugged, yawning and doing a catlike stretch as he closed his eyes. "Eh, speed may be more my thing than power, but I certainly wouldn't be fast enough to get you there in time." He then paused, opening one eye and smirking confidently at me. "However… I can get you to fly yourself there faster. What do you say?"
"You can? I haven't been able to fly fast even after having these powers for two months- what can you do for me in a minute that I couldn't do in two months? …You're not going to throw me are you?" I frowned, remembering how my brother threw me into a tree. There were more explosions outside, we're wasting time just talking here! "Never mind- whatever it is you're going to do then do it now!"
"Alright, as you wish." Dustin chuckled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his… ocarina? "I'd say get ready, but… Well, I doubt you'd ever be ready for this." With that, he put the flute to his lips and began to play a haunting tune…
Before I could ask why he's playing that ocarina when my brother's out there in trouble, everything around me suddenly began to ripple, like reality's being distorted! I gasped when the entire school around me became a dark inversion of itself, and ghosts began overrunning the place. What's going on? I could see hear the faint haunting tune of the ocarina Dustin was playing, and it seems to have an echo to it now. I could see Corrupted Danny appearing before me again… I took a deep breath to try and calm down… With a clearer mind than I had with Vlad earlier, this all felt way too vivid yet disorientating to be another relapse… is Dustin manipulating what I'm seeing?
Unfortunately I couldn't keep my head clear for long, Corrupted Danny hissed in my ear something that was too hard to ignore. "Fly, bro… give me a bit of a challenge before I make you join me." He laughed cruelly, giving me a fanged smirk.
When I didn't move, he suddenly held out his clawed hand at me. I gasped when I felt my body moving on its own. "Wh-what are you doing!? L-let go!" It felt like my body was nothing more than a puppet with strings! I felt something tugging forcibly against my core… it hurts… I couldn't stop the ring of light that appeared on my torso, changing me into my ghost form. Is this some kind of telekinesis? When did Danny learn how to do that!?
"Now you are like me in every way bro. Time for you to learn how to fly! If not, then you'll be caught~." Corrupted Danny smirked at me evilly.
I gasped and tried to back away, but he froze my body before I could get too far. I groaned and tried to fight against his hold but I fell on my hands and knees… what's he doing to me? "Let… let me… go!"
My 'brother' just chuckled darkly, leaning down and tilting my chin up so I was forced to look into his blood-red eyes… "I could, but it's so much more fun to watch my prey squirm… knowing they can't escape~ Isn't that right, Andy?"
"You… you're not Danny!" I snapped as I curled my hands into fists. "Leave me alone!" I froze, though, when I felt his cold, sharp nails gently stroking my cheek like I'm some kind of amusing pet.
"Heh… you really are stubborn, Andy…" Corrupted Danny's smirk grew as he trailed his clawed finger down around my cheek- what the heck is he even doing!? "It's going to make turning you that much more fun… especially with your screams of mercy…" He reached out his hand towards my chest.
My eyes widened in horror at that, shaking my head in terror. "NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!" I screamed at him before tackling him down. He grinned at me before I quickly turned intangible and flew out the window, not thinking about anything other than to get away from that monster my brother turned into.
Before I even realized what I was doing, I ended up tackling another ghost on a field somewhere, and fell to the ground in pain… Ugh… that hurt… Then I suddenly heard my brother's voice again… oh no… he caught up to me already! "Ow- geez, Andy! Why'd you have to bump into me like that? And it's kind of a bad time!"
...Wait… h-huh!? I looked down, confirming that, somehow, the ghost below me was… my own brother, and not Corrupted Danny or some random ghost! I blinked at him before noticing the area around me wasn't all inverted or distorted… I was on the football field.
"I-I'm sorry Danny… I… I just…" I glared back at the school- I could just imagine that smug look on Dustin's face. So he can manipulate what I can see? This kid's more dangerous than I thought...
"Guess what everyone? Valerie, the greatest ghost hunter of Amity Park is here!" I snapped out of it when I heard Valerie's voice just before she fired a bazooka at us! What the he- WHY IS SHE DOING THAT WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER GHOSTS AROUND!? … Oh right, she has a personal grudge on us.
"She really is quite good at this." I heard Vlad say as he approached us- I see he's in his ghost form too. This is awkward… I guess there's no denying that me and Danny are two separate halfas. "But unfortunately, Valerie, you're shooting at the wrong target!"
"W-wha- what do you mean, ghost!?" Valerie was likely glaring at Vlad while she aimed the bazooka at him, right before a ghost fired off an ecto blast at her, making her swerve to dodge! "Yah! ...Okay, fair point…"
"Look, I know this is going to sound word, but THAT guy-" Danny pointed at a knight-like ghost, which I believe is the Fright Knight. "Is the problem right now. How about we call a temporary truce?"
Valerie didn't seem all that happy at the proposal, but it's hard to tell her expression in that mask. "I dunno- still don't trust you, or your spooky friend… and your twin brother."
I looked away from that harsh remark. But Danny spoke up, shrugging as he tossed an ecto-ray at a ghost getting a bit too close. "You don't have to trust us, just FIGHT with us!"
I looked over to see- to my surprise- she actually shook his hand. I wonder, what made Valerie decide to fight with us? Must be the heat of the moment. Some of the skeleton ghosts came charging at me, but I blasted them away with a ghost ray. I was hesitant on summoning my Plasma Rod with Valerie here, though- what if she recognized my fighting style?
I guess I don't have to worry about that, she's too busy blasting the Fright Knight with her bazooka… Vlad's helping out with his clones, while Danny blasted or punched the other ghosts that came near him. I summoned my ghost ray into my hands before forming them into a ball, then throwing them like baseballs, hitting back the skeleton ghosts into pieces! Now this is what I call a ball game!
"Why aren't you flying?" I heard Valerie suddenly ask from above me. "This would be easier if you weren't on the ground all the time! Most of the fight is in the air!"
"I… can't…" I frowned, rubbing the back of my neck. "I'm not a very good flyer."
"Are you kidding me? You beat me here when you flew past me!" She snapped, slamming her board into a skeletal ghost right below her. "Now stop kidding around and actually help us!"
I flew past her? How did I do that? … I didn't have time to ponder this right now, because the Fright Knight was charging at me with his sword. I quickly hit him in the head with the ghost ray baseball, knocking him back a bit before Valerie joined in with her bazooka, then Danny and Vlad both blasted him with their ghost rays. I'm actually surprised he survived all that onslaught.
"Fools! I had simply wanted to seize the ring and return to Pariah's keep, but now I see you want to do this the hard way. By the power vested in me by my lord and liege…" Fright Knight suddenly raised his sword above his head and slammed it into the ground, causing waves of ghost energy spreading across the land.
Heh... I know, it's another cliffhanger. ^^' Sorry about this guys, but maybe I can find a way to update without relying on the computer that refuses to cooperate. Until then, try to be patient with me guys. I apologize for this and hope to be able to update again soon. I do have other fans waiting too after all and it breaks my heart when I'm unable to update for all of you guys, maybe I can use my Mom's computer for it or something. Until then, I am DarkFoxKit and I look forward to hearing from you.