DISCLAIMER: I own absolutely none of the properties you will see here. All rights go to their respective owners.
Sam Manson: Into The Green
If you were to tell Sam Manson that she'd be dating one of the world's greatest superheroes, she'd tell you that, while that would be a lovely thought, it simply wouldn't happen. That mantra remained for months after her best friend became one of the first metahumans to appear on the planet. However, that thought changed when she and Danny became an item. It was like a dream for the young goth, but she came to quickly understand that there was more to a relationship with a hero than she expected. Because of Danny's status as not only a major hero but also as a leader of the League, it admittedly put a strain on their relationship. Sam wasn't angry with her lover's job, for she knew that the world at large needed him more than she did, but she still wished she could have some small moments with the half-ghost.
The young goth coped with the distance between them through several positive ways for herself and for the community. With Danny now busy with the Infinity League, Amity Park was now in need of protectors should the town's local hero be away. This is where Sam came in. Alongside Danny's parents, they fought against any and all spectral threats to the city in Danny's place. Tucker, who was now mayor of Amity Park, also had a hand in aiding the goth and the ghost hunters by giving them an annual grant that allowed them to acquire and construct new technology to combat the paranormal. Valerie also assisted in protecting Amity Park on occasion, though these days she had taken her ghost hunting career to a more global scale, saying that there were other monsters aside from ghosts that needed to be put down. Danni, the cloned cousin of Danny, also departed from Amity Park as well, not wanting to be in Danny's shadow and wanting to make a name for herself elsewhere.
It wasn't just Danny's close friends and allies that had gone through some changes, for the same could be said about the half-ghost hero's other classmates as well. Since graduating, Dash and Kwan had joined the military. Kwan joined the Navy and was currently aboard a battleship sailing the Atlantic while Dash joined the Army Rangers. Danny's former bully was currently stationed in Afghanistan, and while it was a dangerous job, Dash stated that he wasn't afraid of the risks since his idol, Danny Phantom, wouldn't be either. As for Paulina, she had decided that, rather than stay in her home town and relive the glory days as she grew older, she would go to college and get a higher education. Admittedly, since she got through high school by manipulating others into getting her work done, she was having a difficult time adjusting to doing her own schoolwork. Fortunately for her, the former mean girl found help in the form of her high school bestie, Star, who had joined the same college as her.
Currently, Sam was in her greenhouse preparing for a date with her boyfriend with a vast array of greens for their dinner tonight, assuming of course nothing happens that would cause them to cancel it. While it was a vegetarian dinner, Sam wasn't the type of person to try and change her lover or his meat-heavy diet, but she did get to pick what they'd be dining on tonight as Danny had suggested, saying that he was so hungry that he'd eat anything at this point. If the goth was right, her lover would be getting off his shift in about an hour and a half, giving her more than enough time to prepare an all strew-fry for them to enjoy.
Suddenly, Sam felt a cold hand placed on her shoulder. Acting on instinct alone, Sam quickly reached for her belt and drew a small-arms Ecto-blaster that was strapped to it before spinning around with her weapon raised, ready to blow off the head of whatever ghost had tried to ambush her in her own home. Fortunately, this wasn't a foe, but a friend.
"Whoa, whoa! Easy!" Danny said as he put his hands up. "You might shoot someone's eye out with that thing!"
"Well, you scared the crap out of me!" Sam defended as she put away her weapon before asking "I thought you didn't go off duty until a little later."
"I managed to clock out early," her lover answered. "I wanted to surprise you."
"Well, consider me surprised," Sam said. "And here I was all ready to cook you a big vegetarian dinner."
"After the day I had, I'll eat anything," the half-ghost sighed in exhaustion. "I almost got stabbed by Scorpina today."
Sam flinched slightly upon hearing that. While the goth was supportive of her boyfriend's career as a protector of the world, that didn't mean that she still didn't worry about him. Even before the Infinity League, Sam watched as Danny threw himself into one dangerous situation after another which usually lead him coming home with a few bruises and wounds that she and Tucker would have to tend to so as not to arouse suspicion with his parents, something that, thankfully, was no longer the case since they now knew his secret identity. However, now that Danny was a leader of the Infinity League, it meant that he had to be on the front lines more often now, which lead to him returning home with wounds that made Sam worry to now end. Still, she knew that, despite how hard he was beaten down, Danny would get back up no matter what to protect the world. It as a trait that she truly loved him for.
"So, are your parents joining us?" he inquired as he morphed back into his human self.
"No, they're away on some couples retreat or something this weekend," his girlfriend replied. "Even if they were here, I'd doubt they'd want to join us."
It was no secret that Sam's parents still held a bit of a stigma toward Danny. While they were still in the dark about the young man's superhero persona, they still didn't care much for him regardless. As much as Sam had her disagreements with her mother and father, she still wished that they'd give her a bit more freedom.
"You know..." Danny mentioned as he got close to Sam. "With your parents gone, maybe we can do a bit more than have dinner tonight."
"Like, maybe, have some dessert?" Sam surmised in a smooth voice, already knowing where he was going with this.
"What can I say? I have a sweet tooth," the half-ghost joked as he put his arms around her and pulled her close.
The two lovers embraced one another as the leaned in for a shared kiss. These were the small moments that Sam lived for. No ghosts, no League, no one else but them. As the two continued to kiss, the goth began to feel something slithering up her leg. Before she could break the kiss to see what was crawling on her leg, Sam was suddenly yanked to the floor by a strong force that then began to pull her further into her greenhouse. Shocked by this sudden attack, Danny gave chase as what appeared to be a vine continued to drag his lover across the floor until it reached something that horrified both of them. It was a massive plant pod that was open and ready to envelop the goth. Danny was just about to go ghost, but before he could, another vine whip out of the pod and struck Danny, knocking him back as a result as the vine holding Sam dragged her into the pod before it sealed up.
"Sam! No!" Danny cried out in horror.
Thinking quickly, Danny reached for his communicator and made a direct call to the tower.
"This is Danny, I need an emergency teleport directly to the medical bay now!" he shouted into his COMM.
Grabbing onto the pod, Danny was then teleported back to Skyward Tower, all the while praying that he could save the girl he loved.
After bringing the pod to the medical bay, Danny ordered the scientists out of the lab and to meet him in the medical bay in order to try and figure out what had ensnared his lover, though he already had a good idea as to what, or rather who, was behind this. Hearing all the commotion, Kim, the dragon, and the Ninja also headed into the medical bay to see what exactly had befallen Sam. Everyone gathered to see the green plant pod as the team's brightest minds began to run tests on it. Despite several big brains out for the day, there were still a few that could be more than helpful in this situation, those being Ford, Donatello, Sailor Mercury, Jeremy, and Peridot. Doc and Dr. Ann Possible were also on hand for any medical emergency that might befall Sam.
"Well, it's definitely organic in nature," Sailor Mercury began as she continued her scans with her Mercury Goggles.
"You think it might be alien?" Kim asked.
"No, the elements that make up the pod all originate from plant life here on Earth," the Sailor Senshi replied.
"It's not mutagenic either," Donnie added. "I'm not picking up any traces of Mutagen in this thing."
"What about a paranormal analysis?" Danny inquired.
"We haven't begun our scan for that yet," Ford said. "Unless you think we should start."
"Yes, do it," Danny ordered in a tone harsher than he intended.
The scientists began their next of scans with the tech that had been given to them by the Fentons, despite the fact that Danny already had a sense that they would find what he already suspected. However, when the scans were complete, their collective look of confusion took Danny aback.
"What's wrong?" Kim asked as if she was voicing what Danny was already thinking.
"The scans confirm that the pod is supernatural in origin, but..." Peridot began.
"But what?" Danny questioned sharply as he started to lose his patience.
"But it's not spectral energy that we're picking up," Ford answered "It's something...different. Something magical."
"I don't suppose we have a magic expert on hand, do we?" the Ninja asked the others.
"We definitely need one of those," the Dragon added. "I just fight magical creatures, studying them is my Gramp's job."
"Whatever, can you can get Sam out of there?" Danny demanded.
"In theory, yes, but-" Jeremy attempted to say.
"But nothing!" the half-ghosted shouted. "If you can get her out of there then do it!"
"It's not that we can't get Sam out of the pod, Danny," Peridot answered. "It's more like we shouldn't."
"What do you mean?" Danny questioned sharply.
"Think of this pod as a cocoon for a caterpillar," Mercury explained. "When a caterpillar forms a cocoon, its body breaks down while it's inside it before it's body reforms into a butterfly."
"So, if we crack this thing open now, then we'll end up spilling goth goo everywhere," the Ninja surmised.
"Unfortunately, yes," Donnie confirmed. "We can't run the risk of killing her before the change is complete."
"But Sam's vitals say that she's stable while she's still in there," Dr. Possible pointed out as she gestured to the machines they had hooked her up to.
"True, but that's only because the pod is keeping all of her vital organs functioning during the change," Ford replied. "Her heart, lungs, and even her brain are still intact, but I'm afraid that everything else has been broken down during the change."
"There's no two ways about it. Until she comes out of that pod, it's the only thing keeping her alive right now," Donnie said sadly before looking over to the half-ghost. "I'm sorry, Danny."
Danny was silent at first, only having a deep, pensive look in his eyes. Suddenly, the half-ghost hero lashed out in a fit of fury by letting out a shout before firing a rouge Ecto-blast at some nearby medical tools, spilling them to the floor in the process, making the other heroes jump in the process. Before Danny could do any more damage, Kim and the other two leaders pulled him aside in order to have a word in private.
"I know this is tough for you, but you can't freak out right now," Kim said to him. "The team needs you to keep calm."
"How am I supposed to stay calm, Kim?" Danny replied harshly. "Why are we even doing these scans? We know that it was Undergrowth who did this!"
Undergrowth, a powerful plant-like being whom Danny had done battle with only once before, but it was a fight he wouldn't soon forget. Undergrowth had laid siege to Amity Park and had intended to turn the town into an urban jungle. During that time, he not only had the people of Amity Park under mind control but also turned Sam into his personal gardener and right-hand woman. Fortunately, Danny had managed to slay Undergrowth with a new ice-based power he had acquired. But now it seemed that the plant-based villain not only survived his fight with the half-ghost but had also intended to regain his control over Sam as well.
"You sure it's Undergrowth?" the Ninja chimed in. "I mean the scans did say that the pod didn't come from the Ghost Zone."
"I don't care what those scans say!" Danny snapped. "I know it's Undergrowth and I'm not going to let him get his hands on Sam again!"
Just then, the Tower's A.I materialized in front of the four leaders of the League.
"What's up, Sheila?' the Dragon asked.
"There's an emergency call from Townsville," the A.I began. "The Powerpuff girls are under attack by giant plants!"
That took everyone, except Danny, by surprise. For the spectral hero, it came as no surprise that Undergrowth would launch an attack so soon after trying to bring his 'daughter' back to his side.
"Still think it's not Undergrowth?" Danny inquired to his peers.
"Don't rub it in," Kim remarked before speaking to Sheila. "Tell them that we're sending back-up at once."
Sheila then vanished, allowing Danny to make his way toward the door out of the medical bay.
"And just where do you think you're going?" Kim questioned sharply.
"To give that overgrown weed a piece of my mind!" her teammate called back as he kept heading for the door. "Don't try to stop me."
"I'm not. Your ice powers are the only thing that can hurt Undergrowth," the teen agent replied. "But you need back-up."
"There's no one else aside from Mercury and Blossom who have ice-based abilities," the half-ghost reminded her.
"And I can't leave Sam in this condition," Ami added.
"Yeah, but you can not only freeze a plant," Kim added as she gestured to the Ninja and the Dragon. "You can burn them to."
Quickly understanding what she meant by that, Danny motioned for the two other leaders to follow him out, all the while already thinking of a few other League members who could help them in this situation. However, once they left, Kim immediately turned her attention back to the Pod.
"Okay, the second she steps out of that pod, take her down," she ordered the scientists.
Ami and the other scientists, even Doc and Kim's own mother, stopped what they were doing and stared in shock at the command that was just given to them.
"You must be joking," Peridot said.
"We can't afford to have Undergrowth to attack us in our own base," Kim answered. "I know it's not Sam's fault, but I can't compromise the Tower and everyone in it just for her."
"But what if they can reverse the process?" her mother inquired.
"At this point, I don't think we can," Ford admitted. "Sam's body has been broken down to the point where we couldn't save her"
"But as you said, Kim, it's not her fault," Doc spoke up. "I'm not going to take part in any of this!"
"If you don't want to take my orders, fine, then there's the door!" Kim snapped back as she pointed for the door.
Doc said nothing, only glaring at the League leader as he stormed out of the medical bay. Ann looked upon her daughter in astonishment. Ever since her daughter had become one of the leaders of the Infinity League, the brain surgeon had seen a change in her daughter's behavior. Kim had gone from her usual calm and carefree self to a harsh and fierce commander. Ann and her husband had attempted to soothe their daughter's aggression, but Kim pushed them away. Even Ron was pushed away by Kim as the stresses of her duties made her grow colder to those around her. Once Doc had left, Kim turned her attention back to the scientists.
"Anyone else want to leave?" she chided.
The other scientists looked at one another in silence, unsure as to what they should do next. On one hand, they knew that Sam wasn't responsible for her actions, but they knew that Undergrowth's powers would devastate the Tower should it be unleashed. So, against their better judgment, they stayed and waited for Sam to emerge, all the while wondering what was transpiring within the plant pod.
Though Danny wished to remain at Sam's side, he knew that the only way he'd get any real answers is if he beat them out of Undergrowth, and he assembled the perfect team to do just that. Along with the Ninja and Dragon, he had also brought along the Sailor Guardian of war, Sailor Mars, G.I. Joe's pyrotechnic expert, Blowtorch, and the Dinobots for good measure. The moment the team had teleported into the center of Townsville, the team was surrounded by winding vines that outstretched over the buildings. The streets were covered were a vast array of plants that concealed every inch of steel and concrete.
"Uh, maybe we should've brought some extra help," the Dragon commented.
"And some weed whackers to boot," Blowtorch added. "Big ones."
"Where is everybody?" the Ninja asked.
"My guess is that Undergrowth has them all under his control through the Mind Vine," Danny reasoned. "And since they're not out here tearing the city down, I'd say he's preparing to feed them to his children."
"Me, Grimlock, not scared of puny plants!" the Dinobot leader proclaimed.
"You might be changing your tune about these plants," Blowtorch mentioned.
"Where are the Powerpuff Girls?" the Dragon asked.
It was then that, as if on cue, that two of the three Powerpuff Girls, Blossom and Buttercup, flew down from the sky to meet with their fellow League members.
"About time you showed up!" Buttercup grunted.
"Nice to see you too, Buttercup," Danny answered dryly before asking "Wait, where's Bubbles?"
The two super-powered sisters looked away in shame before answering.
"We were fighting Undergrowth when this vine came up behind her and took over her mind," Blossom explained sadly. "We tried to save her...but the plants took her away."
"The freak's got everybody mind-controlled," Buttercup continued. "The Professor, the Mayor, Ms. Bellum, even the villains are under his control!"
"Don't worry guys, I promise we'll save Bubbles and the others," Danny assured.
"So, what's the plan?" Blowtorch inquired.
"Undergrowth is weak against the cold, so Blossom and I will take the fight directly to his roots," the half-ghost answered. "You guys give us cover and draw away anything Undergrowth throws at us."
"What about Bubbles and the rest of Townsville?" Buttercup demanded. "We can't just leave them behind!"
"We can't directly separate them from the Mind Vine or else it may cause some serious brain damage," Danny reasoned. "Our only option is to stop Undergrowth first. Once he's down, then the connection will be severed."
"Alright guys, so who's up for a little gardening?" the Ninja jokingly asked as he drew his sword, which ignited with flames.
"You may get your chance sooner than you think," Sailor Mars answered. "I'm sensing a strong spiritual aura...and it's coming this way!"
The team instantly braced themselves for the oncoming attack. Moments after Mars had given them their warning ahead of time, massive vines suddenly shot out of the manholes before lunging toward the team like snakes. Using his frost powers, Danny began to freeze several of the vines before shattering them like glass. As more vines shot out, the other heroes jumped into action. With a mighty war cry, Grimlock swung his fire sword as he cut down more vines while the other Dinobots began to lay down a wall of flames to beat back the plant's onslaught. Blowtorch, Mars, and the Ninja joined the inferno by unleashing their own flames. Despite the sea of flames, more plants would replace the old ones as they tried to advance on them.
Danny, Jake, Swoop, Blossom, and Buttercup took the skies to provide air support by reigning an onslaught of fire and ice from above. Suddenly, a massive vine erupted from the street and swiped at the flying heroes, forcing them to quickly separate and break off their attack. The vine reached out and took hold of Buttercup's ankle before it was instantly sliced in half by the Powerpuff's heat vision. However, due to the distraction of fighting that vine, another vine sprouted up behind her and smacked her to the ground with a single blow. Blossom attempted to rush to her sister's aid, only to have another vine shoot up and entangle her in its grip. Danny, Swoop, and Dragon flew over to aid Blossom, but before they could reach her, a massive, fanged venus flytrap arose from the ground in front of them. Swoop let out a screech before transforming into his robot form and tackling the monster plant.
"Go! Help Blossom!" he shouted to his teammates as he wrestled with the flytrap. "Me, Swoop, hold off plant!"
With their path clear, the half-ghost and the mystical protector raced to Blossom, who now being wrapped up in more vines and being dragged away. Luckily, Danny unleashed a blast of ice at the vine before the Dragon smashed it with a swipe of his claws. Back with Swoop, who was in the midst of fighting against the flytrap's jaws, the Dinobot struggled to grab his blaster but was unable to reach it due to the face that, if he tried to grab it, he'd lose his grip on the plant monster's jaws. It was then that something began to violently strike the plant from below. The Autobot glanced down to see Grimlock, chopping away at the base of the flytrap with his sword. With one more swing, the Dinobot cut down the flytrap, which Swoop managed to escape from before dropping along with the rest of the plant as it fell.
"Ha! Me, Grimlock's sword bigger than Ninja's!" he boasted as he looked over to the Ninja, who as busy fighting off some vines.
"It's not the size of the sword that matters, it's how you use it," the hero of Norrisville retorted.
"That what Rena tell you?" the Dinobot mocked before heading off to help fight back more plants.
"And here I thought that the plants were the only thing getting burned," Blowtorch noted.
"Man, fuck you!" the Ninja snapped as he went back to fighting the plants, clearly agitated by the Dinobots words.
Meanwhile, Sailor Mars as beating back more vines that had been trying to ensnare her with her magical flames. As she did, a vine had managed to sneak up behind her and wrap itself around her torso before trying to drag her off. However, a green streak zipped over to her side before ripping the plant in half, freeing her in the process.
"Thanks, Buttercup," Rei said, already knowing who the blur was.
"No, prob," the pint-sized powerhouse replied after stopping.
It was then that the two heroines noticed something emerging from the buildings. They were tall, lanky figures with wood-like bodies and green eyes. As the strange creatures began to emerge from the buildings and advance toward the heroes, Rei instantly realized what these beings truly were.
"It's the Redwoods!" she stated.
"Redwhats?" Buttercup questioned.
"Auger told me about these guys. He said that they're Mutores who moved from underground to commune with nature" Mars explained. "But why are they here?"
"Who cares?!" the Powerpuff Girl stated as she readied herself for a fight. "I'm gonna break 'em into twigs!"
"Wait, you can't!" Mars denied. "The Redwoods are peaceful and friends to the Earth Corps, you can't kill them!"
"So why are they attacking us now?" the Ninja questioned as more Redwoods advanced toward them.
"Why? Because I ordered them to, of course," a voice called out.
No sooner had the voice had spoken did a massive, plant-like figure began to rise from the city. The massive creature was Undergrowth, the mastermind behind Townsville takeover. Danny gritted his teeth as he fists began to charge with energy at the sight of this villain, enraged at what he had done to Sam and everyone in this city.
"Why, if it isn't the half-ghost," Undergrowth noted as he saw Danny. "It's been a while since our last battle."
"Yeah, and it looks like you didn't learn your lesson the last time!" Danny answered harshly. "I'm going to make you undo whatever you did to Sam."
"Sam?" Undergrowth repeated questioningly before realizing "Oh, you must mean my former daughter."
"She's not your daughter!" Danny snapped back. "Now let go of her or so help me-"
"I've done nothing to the girl," the plant master cut him off. "The only beings I have under my power are the Redwoods you see before you."
"And how are you controlling them?" the Dragon demanded.
"Through The Green, of course," Undergrowth answered. "It is the very source of my power that allows me to tap into and control all plant life and bend it to my will. And with my new army, I shall wipe humanity from this world and rebuild it in my beautiful, green image."
"We'll see about that!" Blossom refuted.
"Yeah, and give us back our sister!" Buttercup added.
"As you wish," Undergrowth answered.
With that, the plant master snapped his fingers. No sooner had he done that did a bright blue streak suddenly tackle Blossom and proceed to smash her through several buildings before slamming her down into the pavement. After shaking off the hit she had taken, Blossom realized that what had hit her was her very own sister. However, the Bubbles she knew was gone, now replaced by a mind-altered slave for Undergrowth to control. Before anyone in the air could aid them, several vines suddenly reached up from the ground and snatched everyone but Danny out of the air before hurling them down into the ground. As they recovered, they saw who had ambushed them.
"Tendril AND Snakeweed?!" Jake stated in shock. "Oh, you gotta be trippin, dawg!"
Tendril was a hulking mass of marsh that was one of the Inhumanoids who served Metlar. The brute wasn't the smartest creature among his kind, but what he lacked in intellect he made up for in sheer strength in regenerative powers. The same could be said for Snakeweed, a mutant plant beast that was a throne in the Ninja Turtles' side from time to time. No doubt they were enslaved by the plant ghost's power as well.
"Oh? Did I forget to mention my new acolytes as well?" Undergrowth said in a mocking voice. "Must have slipped my mind."
"And what about me?" Danny questioned. "Got any surprises left to try out on me?"
"No, ghost-child, for your death shall be by my hand alone!" Undergrowth proclaimed.
"I'm gonna make you regret that," Danny threatened. "I'm going to figure out what you did to Sam, even if I have to beat it out of you!"
Danny charged up his frost-beams and shot toward Undergrowth as the plant master charged at him in turn. The protector of Amity Park fired a massive, Ecto-charged ice blast directly at Undergrowth's chest, hoping to end this fight quickly. But just as the ice struck Undergrowth's body, it instantly broke away and regrew from the damage it had taken.
"Your little cold front won't work twice, boy!" the plant ghost said. with a laugh. "My roots have grown stronger since the last time we fought!"
Danny was stunned by that revelation, but he refused to let that stop him from defeating his enemy. He wasn't going to just stand by and let Sam be forever enthralled by this monster again. Steadying his resolve, Danny charged up his ice attack once more and prepared himself for a long battle.
All Sam could see, was darkness.
The last thing she remembered was being pulled into her plants, then the next thing she knew, she was floating in utter blackness. She could feel nothing in the darkness. No pain, no hunger, nothing within this endless void. She had discovered that she had no clothing on either, leaving her to cover her nudity with her hands. She was confused, yet at the same time, she felt almost content as well. It wasn't quite peace, but there was no fear either. The goth girl didn't know how long she had been here, but at the same time, she felt no urgency among this utter blackness that had engulfed her.
"If I wasn't totally confused by what's going on, this would be kinda fun," she said to herself.
Then, a dull green light shined through the darkness. At first, it was nothing more than a tiny spark in the shadow, but soon, it glowed brighter and brighter until it chased the darkness away, leaving only the emerald light in its place. Then, without warning, Sam found herself surrounded by massive trees of all sorts and species in a forest. Sam gasped at the sheer beauty that now stood before, though she was still puzzled by how or why she was here.
"Sam Manson," a deep voice spoke within the forest. "Do not be frightened. We mean you no harm."
Sam began to look around the forest for who had spoken to her.
"Where are you?" she called out.
"We are all around you," another voice answered her.
"Show yourself!" the goth girl demanded.
"You need only look around you," a third voice informed her.
Sam was still unsure as to what the voices meant by that, but as she looked for the source of the voices among the trees, she began that to slowly realize that it wasn't someone in the trees that was talking to her, but the very trees themselves.
"Holy shit..." she gasped as she backed away in fear.
"As I said, do not be frightened of us," the first tree, a Redwood, reassured her.
"What the hell's going on?" the goth girl demanded. "Am I...dead?"
"No, but your body is between the realms of the living and the dead." a nearby Willow answered.
"What did you do to me?" Sam questioned as she tried to hide the panic in her voice. "Who are you?!"
"We are the Parliament of Trees," the Redwood told her. "Keepers of The Green."
"The Green?" Sam repeated, confused
"The Green is the source that binds and controls all plant life on Earth and across the very Multiverse itself," an Oak Tree explained.
"Through The Green, we are connected to everything from the smallest blade of grass to the mightiest jungles of the Amazon," an Elm Tree furthered.
"What do you want with me?" Sam asked, still unsure as to what to make of this.
"You must help us correct a great wrong we have created," the Redwood said. "One that only you can stop."
"What do you mean?" the goth girl asked.
It was then that vines started to slither past her as they began to twist and form before shaping themselves into a sort of screen. The screen then revealed an image of a creature that Sam knew all too well: Undergrowth. Sam felt her skin crawl at the very sight of the plant ghost. While she couldn't remember all of the atrocities she committed while she was under his thrall, she did remember nearly killing Danny, and that frightened her more than anything else. Every so often she would have horrific nightmares of when she was Undergrowth's 'daughter'. It had gotten so bad that she went to visit Jazz in secret for a therapy session.
"How do you know Undergrowth?" she questioned.
"We created him," the Redwood answered. "Eons ago, when the world was still young, and floral life was beginning to blossom upon the earth, we were born unto this planet and became the leaders of its plant life."
"But we needed an avatar to carry out our will," a Pine Tree added. "A champion who would protect The Green."
"So you made a psychopathic plant monster," Sam sarcastically chided. "Great choice."
"You must understand, Undergrowth wasn't born a monster," the Willow Tree explained. "There was a time when he was a gentle soul who guarded the earth against many threats."
"Even siding with humanity to face a monster from the stars that attempted to consume the world," a Spruce Tree commented.
"So, if he was such a 'gentle soul' why is he so hellbent on killing everyone?" Sam inquired.
"As the ages rolled on and the hearts of men filled with greed, Undergrowth grew more extreme in his war to protect The Green," the Redwood replied. "He grew resorted to violence instead of spreading harmony with human life as we intended."
"So, if he's become out of control, why not pull the plug on him?" Sam suggested. "You did create him, didn't you?"
"Undergrowth has grown beyond our control," the Pine Tree informed her. "We tried to stop him, but his power has grown too great."
"We need a new champion," the Willow said. "One who can not only defend The Green but also teach the world of man to be better and live in harmony with the world."
It didn't take long for Sam to figure out what they were insinuating.
"Me?" she said, shocked. "But why?"
"When Undergrowth took control of you, we managed to see into your mind," the Redwood stated. "You, Samantha Manson, are a perfect example of your species. You can be the bridge the gap between our world and yours."
"But you must defeat Undergrowth first," the Spruce Tree warned. "We can give you our power, but only when you defeat him will you become a true avatar of The Green."
"You should also know that, should you accept our offer, you will no longer be human," the Elm Tree advised. "You will become one with The Green."
Sam stood in silence as she weighed her options. Could she really do it? Could she really accept the Parliament's offer to become their new avatar? It was all so much to ask for all at once. Her humanity was something she never gave much thought about, but the idea of losing it was frightening. However, she thought about Danny and how he fought for everyone he loved. She could now do the same for not just him, but the entire planet.
"I'll do it," she confirmed.
"Then let it be done," the Redwood proclaimed. "Become one with The Green!"
With that, the vines that had shown her the images of Undergrowth began to wrap around Sam as felt her whole world turn black again.
"Uh, guys," Donnie as he looked at Sam's vitals. "Something's happening!"
Kim and the other members of the League who were present were instantly put on high alert. The pod that had trapped Danny's lover inside of it had begun to shake as if something inside was trying to get out. Kim and the scientists readied themselves for the fight that was to come, though some of them were still unsure if they should really be attacking the girl, knowing that she wasn't herself. Suddenly, a fist burst through the pod, making everyone jump in surprise as the figure inside the pod began to emerge from it. As it did, Kim and the other heroes lunged forward, ready to stop this monster from getting the chance to rise out of the cocoon.
But before anyone could even touch the chrysalis, several vines shot out of the cocoon, which quickly entangled the heroes as it lifted them high into the air. As Kim and the others struggled in the vine's grip, which felt like steel cables being constricted around them, Sam continued to break her way out of the pod before she was fully free from it. Gone was Sam's gothic attire, now replaced a single green dress that she had worn when she was last under Undergrowth's control. However, that wasn't the only change she had undergone while she was in the pod. Her hair had grown down to her back with a dark green streak on the left side of it. Her skin had now become a pale green while her irises had also changed into a dark shade of green as well. It was also at that moment that the heroes realized that the vines that she was using to hold them were sprouting from her back.
Sam looked around the room as she got her bearings before looking at herself, taking in her new form. When she glanced up, she gasped at the sight of the heroes she had inadvertently captured. She quickly set them back down on the ground before the vines retracted into her back. Kim, Sailor Mercury, and the other heroes remained on guard, still unsure what to make on the clearly altered woman. Seeing that she was scaring the members of the League, she slowly raised her hands up as a gesture to show that she wasn't a threat to them.
"I'm okay..." she said slowly. "I'm okay..."
"She says after having vines come out of her back," Kim pointed out. "How do we know you're not under Undergrowth's control?"
"If I was then you'd already be dead," Sam addressed. "Sorry about that by the way. The vines are a...new development"
"That's not the only thing that's new," Ami said as she scanned her. "I'm not picking up a single human organ in your body. It's like everything that was inside of you has been replaced by plants!"
"Congratulations, you're a walking houseplant," Peridot added.
Sam was taken aback by that statement. When she agreed to become the new avatar of The Green, she knew that she was giving up her humanity, but she thought that she would at least have some parts of what she once was, but to find out that she had been fully changed into a floral lifeform surprised her. However, if this was the price she had to pay to help protect the earth, then she was happy to pay it. It was then that she remembered the reason she had been bestowed this new form and had to get to work right away on stopping her predecessor.
"Where's Danny?" she asked.
"In Townsville fighting Undergrowth with his team," Kim informed her. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
"You have to send me down there now!" the new avatar of The Green. "I'm the only one who can stop Undergrowth!"
"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," Kim refused. "For all we know, you could be working for Undergrowth right now!"
"Kim, let her go," her mother suddenly spoke up.
Kim, as well as everyone else in this room, was surprised by that statement. To be honest, the room was split on what to do with Sam. One half agreed with Kim that putting Sam so close to someone who for all intents and purposes could still be controlling her was dangerous, while the other half where under the impression that Sam was herself, albeit with some vast changes. However, it was only Dr. Possible who was voiced her opinion. Kim glared back at her mom, angry that a member of her own family would be the one to refute her orders.
"...Fine" Kim finally relented. "but the second I see you step out of line, you're done."
"Fair enough," Sam replied sharply, not to happy about the accusations Kim had about her.
"I'll take you to the teleporters," Dr. Possible offered. "I just hope that there's still time."
The moment Sam arrived on the scene, she found herself in the middle of a warzone, and it was a war that the League was losing. The Redwoods had been swarming over the Ninja and the other League members on the ground, who were unable to use harsher take-down methods on the mind-controlled creatures, while Tendril and Snakeweed did battle with the Dinobots. Meanwhile, in the sky, Blossom and Buttercup were trying to subdue their enslaved sibling with Sailor Mars' assistance.
"Evil spirits, begone!" Rei shouted, tossing one of her ofudas towards Bubbles.
Her effort was a futile one, unfortunately, for Bubbles had managed to evade her attack and fly towards the guardian of love and passion, forcing her to veer away from her right before one of her powerful punches could make its mark upon her face.
And there, at the center of this chaos, was Danny, who was locked in combat with Undergrowth. From where Sam was standing, she could see her lover unleash wave after wave of the ice-blasts at Undergrowth, but the mad master of The Green was able to regenerate at a rapid pace. During the fight, the plant master smacked the half-ghost out of the sky and sent him falling toward the ground close to Sam.
Moving quickly, Sam summoned several vines to catch him mid-fall and gently bring him down to her. At first, Danny was confused as to why he was suddenly rescued by the very plants that were just attacking him. It was then that he saw Sam, who was still unsure as to how he would react to her metamorphosis. As the goth girl brought him to her, she felt a deep nervous feeling in her gut, fearing that he would reject her.
"Sam?" he asked, stunned. "Is that..is that you?"
"Yes," Sam confirmed.
"How did...what did...huh?" Danny fumbled with his words. "What happened to you?"
"Let's just say that I've become one with nature," she answered. "But I promise you, Undergrowth has no power over me."
"Well, for what it's worth..." the half-ghost began as he took her hand in his. "I think green is a good color on you."
Sam's cheeks turned a darker shade as she blushed. However, before she could say anything, Undergrowth turned his attention to her.
"Ah, my 'daughter' as returned," he said as he looked her over. "And I see you've gained a green thumb on your own."
"It's over Undergrowth!" Sam proclaimed. "the Parliament of Trees have made me the new avatar of The Green!"
"Those antiquated fools lack the vision for world!" Undergrowth snarled back. "To truly serve The Green is to make sure that mankind is removed from the planet!"
"No, you're wrong," Sam answered sternly. "You've lost your way, Undergrowth, and it's time for you to go."
Sam then raised her hand out to the plant master as she began to tap into the power of The Green. As she channeled the energy through her body, she could feel every form of plant life on the planet course through her like a tsunami. Seeing what she was trying to do, Undergrowth lunged at her with a powerful roar. But before he could stop her, his whole body was suddenly stopped dead in his place. As he was being held by the power of The Green, Undergrowth began to feel himself unraveling, as if he were being unraveled like a ball of yarn. Undergrowth cried out in defeat as his body began to fall apart into a pile of lifeless plants. With their captor gone, the Redwoods, as well as Tendril and Snakeweed, were free from his control. The latter, knowing that they would be captured if they stayed, quickly made their exit while the League was too tired to give chase to them. Bubbles and the rest of the citizens were also freed of the Mind Vine's control over them as well, much to the relief of the other two Powerpuff Girls. With the terror now passed, all eyes fell upon Sam, who had quite a lot to explain.
"So, uh, what's with the new look?" Blowtorch asked.
"Would you believe that a bunch of talking trees turned me into the new avatar of The Green?" Sam asked.
"...Yes, yes I would," Blowtorch answered.
"Wait, The Green?" the Ninja pointed out. "You mean that crazy stuff he used to control the Redwoods?"
"It's not 'stuff', it's an elemental energy that connects all plant life" Sam explained. "A race of beings called the Parliament of Trees created Undergrowth to be its avatar, but as you can see, it didn't go well."
"So, they pick you to be new avatar?" Sludge surmised.
"Yes, I'm now the protector of The Green and emissary of the Parliament of Trees," Sam confirmed.
"And that means what exactly?" Sailor Mars questioned.
"It means that she can join the League," Danny answered for her.
The hero of Amity Park took her hand into his once more as he held her close. In this moment, Sam could not be happier. Now she could finally be with Danny no matter where he was. However, the harsh pang of reality set in. As much as she wished it, she couldn't be with Danny the same way ever again. Knowing that, she gently pulled away from him.
"I'm sorry, but..no," she sadly declined. "I'm walking a different path now. The world needs me in a different way than the League needs you."
"Does this mean that..." Danny began, but couldn't bear to finish his sentence.
"I'll always love you, Danny. Never forget that," she replied gently as she touched his cheek. "And if you need me, I'll be there."
With one final kiss, Sam stepped back as she spread her arms apart as she summoned vines to wrap around her entire body, using The Green to transport her to her new domain, leaving Danny to stand in silence. Seeing his friend in obvious pain, the Dragon and the Ninja approached him.
"You gonna be okay?" the Dragon asked.
"Let's...Let's focus on helping clean up the mess here, okay?" Danny said softly, trying to ignore the question.
The Dragon and the Ninja exchanged a look between one another before giving their fellow leader a nod and walking back to the other heroes to carry out his orders, allowing him to take in what had happened in silence for several moments before joining them.
Two months had passed, and since then, Sam had been living up to the title as the avatar of The Green. From repairing the damage done to various rain forests across the world via wildfires to stopping man's greed from harming The Green, but not going overboard as her predecessor did. She had been living up to being the bridge between the world of plants and the world of humans as the Parliament of Trees had intended. Now, here deep in the Louisiana bayou, she had found a new home among those she would now protect. However, before she could start her new life here, she had to let go of her old life first.
First was telling her parents about her rebirth, which was much easier said than done. Despite telling them that this was her choice, Sam's parents were convinced that this was somehow Danny's fault, spouting off rhetoric for the anti-metahuman Senator Masterson, whom they were major supporters of. After nearly two hours of trying to explain things to them, she finally said her goodbyes and told them that, despite their differences, she still loved them. Her next stop was Tucker and the Fentons, who, though confused and concerned, were much more understanding of Sam's new role than her parents were, even having Jazz offer to give her therapy sessions if she needed them.
And then there was Danny...
In the two months since they had parted ways, they had not been able to see each other again due to their roles as heroes, but that didn't mean that Sam didn't keep her eyes on her lover through the plants she was connected to. She watched as Danny and the other leaders were pummeled by Brightburn, [1] but was unable to aid them due to the fact that she was in the midst of keeping Blackthorne Shore's company from cutting down trees in the Amazon, though she did send the half-ghost a message through her flowers that she was watching over him. She also used her plants to see not only Steven and the other heroes that were benched, but also Blossom and April later on as well. [2] Knowing that the choice to suspend his teammates weighed heavily on him, she sent him another message through her flowers to give him the strength to keep going. Though they were separated by their duties, the love her and Danny shared was beyond compare. However, deep down Sam feared that there may come a day when her duty to The Green could conflict with her love for Danny.
Currently, the guardian of The Green was in the midst of meditating in her hidden garden within the massive swamp, monitoring the world at large through the planet's plant life when she was suddenly struck a by a psychic scream from every form of fauna on Earth, almost as if they were crying out in fear. Sam cried out in agony as she jolted out of her meditation, horrified by what she had felt. As Sam gasped for breath as she tried to reorient herself, a small voice spoke to her.
"Mother?" the voice asked. "Are you alright?"
Sam looked up to see a humanoid plant-like being that looked like a four-year-old toddler. This was a reborn Undergrowth, whom Sam had taken to raising as her child. After the battle, Sam returned to the tattered corpse of the fallen guardian and discovered his seeds. Feeling pity for him, Sam decided to regrow him and raise him as her own, hoping that she could save him from himself this time around. She had hidden her new child from Danny, knowing that he may not approve of the idea of one of his greatest enemies and her former captor as her adopted child, but she knew that, if she nurtured him, that he could be a great guardian like he once was.
"It's...it's nothing, my son," she assured him as she stood back up. "Come, let's take a walk around the garden."
With a warm smile, Sam took her adopted child by the hand and lead him deeper into the swamp, all the while dreading the unknown force that frightened the plants of the world, but determined that she would face this unknown evil and anyone who would stand in her way. She didn't know what exactly was coming to earth, but she knew one thing: The creature would come in a sea of fire.
[1] - As shown in the eleventh Spotlight centered around Brightburn
[2] - As shown in The Dark Phoenix
