Reviews:
Gamelover41592: No Charlie is not in a relationship with Vaggie yet. Thus the reason Lucifer said she is single, because she is single. If I'm not mistaken her and Vaggie's relationship is recent, like it started within the last year or two. However this story takes place four years before the events of Hazbin Hotel. According to the Wiki, Vaggie died in 2014 and while I don't know for certain I'm pretty sure Hazbin Hotel takes place somewhere between 2016 and 2019. So with this story taking place four years before Hazbin Hotel, it's entirely possible Vaggie either just straight up isn't dead yet or that she has only been dead for like a year. Thus logically, it's extremely likely she and Charlie haven't even met yet let alone gotten into a relationship.
Alder Hill: Vaggie died in 2014 and I assume Hazbin Hotel takes place somewhere between 2016 and 2019. This story takes place four years before Hazbin Hotel and Vaggie and Charlie haven't even met yet let alone gotten into a relationship. Anyway, to answer your questions. Yes. Heaven represents order, Hell represents chaos, and the Ghost Zone is supposed to be a state between both. Somewhat anyway. They also sort of represent what they do in Christianity, but good and evil by their very nature are purely subjective so Heaven isn't necessarily 'good'. At least from a certain perspective.
Chaosh.H.A.O.S: I fail to see how Heaven having advanced technology could make both Vlad and Lucifer lose their bet simultaneously. Charlie and Vaggie haven't even met yet, so they aren't in a relationship yet. And yes, she is canonically bi in Hazbin Hotel, she had a boyfriend in the past, Seviathan von Eldritch, but they ended up breaking up for whatever reason. And no, I'm not going to have Desiree go to Hell to let Danny make a wish. I'm not going to give him such a convenient Deus Ex Machina to save his butt as that would be boring from a narrative perspective.
3DJoker: I'll admit, I like the idea. However, the boy got his ass handed to him by a powered up Skulker. So even if I did have him meet other powerful ghosts and learn from them, which I might since it's a cool idea, it would still take him years before he was powerful enough to fight off so many of Heaven's most elite forces all at once. As for the shipping stuff, Charlie is canonically bi in the actual series and she hasn't even met Vaggie yet in this story.
Ace1-captain: It's not bad at all. Ship whoever you want.
BoredKing: Hell is much larger than even China. I would compare it more to the entirety of Earth, and that's just the Pride Ring. That being said, for that city sized Embassy to be a thing, Lucifer would need to be willing to let some of the sinner demons and just demons in general be ruled over by someone other than him, which he obviously wouldn't be willing to do since he is way too prideful for something like that. Besides which, not allowing it works in his favor from a political perspective by forcing Vlad and Danny into negotiations with him.
satoshy12: Probably but it depends on what people want more.
Akakiru: She literally feeds on depression and misery. And depression can very much lead to suicide.
IrishKatana: Why can't you vote? Is there something wrong with the poll?
Danny sat down in a chair across from Charlie and Fright Knight stood just behind him.
"I'm sorry if this is a bit insensitive but what happened to your arm?" Charlie asked, giving Danny a concerned look.
"Heaven sent an old enemy of mine to kill me. He had a powerful demonic artifact that made him too strong for me to beat. I lost my arm fighting him and would have died if Fright Knight hadn't saved me. The skeletal hand on my shoulder is my actual hand, or what's left of it." Danny explained in an almost monotonous tone.
"O-oh… I see… Why is Heaven trying to kill you?" Charlie inquired.
"Ask your dad. It's the same reason he's even aware of my existence to begin with." Danny stated somewhat bitterly. Not that he was annoyed at her, but more so at his entire situation. "Anyway, you wanted to talk about your rehabilitation idea for the prison."
"Oh, right! So, since you said you were willing to hear me out, I took the time to think about how it could work and write up some possible steps that could be implemented!" She then picked up a stack of papers sitting on the table in front of her and passed them over to Danny.
He took the papers and began looking over them. They all seemed to have been handwritten.
"You know, you could have saved yourself a lot of time just typing all this out on a computer and printing it out instead of writing it all by hand." Danny stated.
"I write faster than I type. Anyway, what do you think?" Charlie asked.
"I'm still reading… Wait, art classes?" Danny asked in surprise.
"Yeah! I think the reason some of them act the way they do might be because they don't have any productive outlets to express themselves! So art classes would give them a creative outlet to express themselves without hurting others!" Charlie explained.
"It's a prison. It's supposed to be a punishment. Plus this defeats the entire purpose of the design of the prison that Vlad and Walker worked out, making it as unbearable as possible for the prisoners by not giving them any activities they can do. And I disagree. People have all sorts of outlets to express themselves if they want. The reason they commit crimes can range from mental illness, pure greed or sadism, to not having enough money and lacking the skills or ability to get a job. I know that last one from first hand experience since my entire first month in Hell I had to steal just to survive. Not knowing how to draw pretty pictures isn't a reason someone would mug, steal, deal drugs, assault someone, murder someone, kidnap and torture someone, or commit human trafficking." Danny stated.
"Alright… W-what about the rest of it?" She asked.
"Therapy sessions might be an okay idea for certain prisoners but not all of them. And we would have to have some way of figuring out which of them have mental issues because those are the ones that would need it. And we would need to find licensed psychiatrists and have a way to guarantee they aren't lying just to get hired…" Danny muttered.
The two of them continued discussing everything Charlie had written down for a while. Danny asked for Fright Knight's input on a few points and the ghost gave it. Though his suggestions were generally quite brutal and Charlie disapproved of most of them. Similarly, Danny disapproved of a lot of her ideas as well.
Eventually the door opened. Danny turned and saw Lilith walk in.
"So, this is the half ghost that will be joining the family soon." She said as she walked over and sat down next to Charlie.
"Wait, joining the family? What do you mean by that?" Charlie inquired.
"Well, your father is going to be adopting him soon. You'll have a younger brother, dear." Lilith told her.
"I'm going to have a brother?!" Charlie said excitedly.
"Only if Vlad loses his bet and Heaven sends arch angels to kill me on extermination day." Danny stated.
"Yes, well, considering what Lucifer has told me you can't honestly think Plasmius is going to win his wager." Lilith said.
Danny frowned and looked at Fright Knight before looking back at her. "Vlad is the King of Purgatory. If they're so afraid of me and what I can become in the future that they want me dead, with the Ring of Rage and Crown of Fire Vlad's already that powerful so they aren't going to risk provoking him and starting a war with the Ghost Zone. They might send more ghosts to kill me whenever I don't have one or more of the Ghost King's Knights guarding me, but they aren't going to attack me directly."
Lilith chuckled at that. "You are quite confident about that aren't you? Well, we shall see soon enough."
"Wait… So this is a bet? Why, though? If he already has a dad, then why would we be taking him from his family?" Charlie inquired.
"For his own safety, dear. After all, with Heaven actively trying to kill him, Lucifer is the only one who can guarantee his survival on extermination day." Lilith told her.
Danny rolled his eyes at that and shook his head. "Yeah right… It's about power. Apparently I'm going to grow as powerful as the three kings when I'm older. So you guys just want to use me to overthrow Heaven. Well, I'm not interested. Even if you do win the bet, don't think I'm just going to agree to attack Heaven just because you want me to."
"Well, I won't lie, that's certainly part of it. However, my darling Lucifer is well aware of how reluctant you would be to do such a thing. So it's more of a long term goal as it were. We can be patient when need be. Over time you'll come to agree that Heaven needs to be overthrown, I'm sure. If that takes years, decades, or even a few centuries then so be it." Lilith stated.
"Wait, so you and Dad are planning to go to war with Heaven again?" Charlie inquired, seemingly caught off guard by this.
"Eventually, perhaps. Though with Daniel so against the idea it likely won't be anytime soon. So you don't have to worry, dear." Lilith responded, wrapping a comforting arm around Charlie.
So they didn't plan on trying to force Danny into helping them overthrow Heaven the moment he was powerful enough to do so. That was actually somewhat of a relief. So even if they won the bet, he wouldn't be actively pressured into trying to invade for at least a few decades or maybe longer. Though in the meantime he knew they would be working to indoctrinate him against Heaven to convince him to help them attack later, though he knew they would be doing so either way. Them winning would just make it easier for them in the long run since he would be around them significantly more.
"So, Daniel, seeing as you may be joining our family soon I would like to get to know you a bit better. And I'm sure Charlie would as well. Isn't that right, dear?" Lilith said before looking at Charlie.
"Of course! We were getting close to the end of the list of my ideas for his prison anyway. So, Danny, other than building your city and prison, what do you want to do when you're older?" Charlie inquired.
Danny sighed and leaned back in his seat. He supposed he should at least try to be polite. "Before I became half ghost I wanted to be an astronaut. After the accident in my parents lab I wanted to use my powers and be a hero, which I did back in Amity Park by fighting Ghosts that came through my parents ghost portal. Now? I guess I just want to continue being a hero and the city and prison are just extensions of that. And I want to prove both Heaven and Clockwork wrong."
"Prove them wrong about what?" Charlie inquired.
"In an alternate future after my family died, and I was so sad I had Vlad seperate my human and ghost halves to get rid of my emotions so I wouldn't have to feel the pain of losing them anymore. My ghost half became evil, murdered my human half, and eventually became as powerful as Lucifer, Michael, and the Ghost King. That version of me then single handedly caused the apocalypse. Long story short, my future self ended up coming back to the past and murdered my friends and family infront of me. After that Clockwork sent me here and made sure to make it nearly impossible for me to escape because he thinks I'm going to turn evil again and that Lucifer could keep me in check if I did. Heaven also thinks I'm going to turn evil but disagrees with Clockwork and wants to kill me so I'm no longer a threat. I guess that answers your earlier question about why they want to kill me, huh?" Danny told her.
"Y-yeah… I'm so sorry… I had no idea…" Charlie said in a sympathetic tone.
"It's fine… I… I haven't seen my friends or family here, and I've been pretty public about who and where I am… So, um… I guess they didn't end up in Hell… Or if they have, then they haven't bothered to come and meet me… I hope they're not here…" Danny muttered, looking down at the table in front of him.
"I'm sure they're all in Heaven right now happily living out their afterlives." Charlie told him with a comforting smile.
Danny was silent for a moment before reaching up and clutching the bones of his severed hand on his shoulder. Life wasn't fair, he reminded himself. Like his arm, he would never get them back. He just needed to be strong, accept it, and move on, as much as it hurt to do so. Taking a deep breath he let go of his severed hand and said, "Thanks… Anyway, what about you? What do you do?"
"Me? Well, I mainly try to find ways to improve the lives of all the demons in Hell. I also help mom and dad manage things sometimes or help with paperwork. Basic things for a princess." Charlie explained.
"I'm curious, have you made any friends here in Hell, Daniel?" Lilith inquired.
"One, I guess. Octavia. I guess the gang that Vlad put together to patrol our territory for us and enforce our rules might count, but I only just met them." Danny stated.
"Oh? Octavia? Isn't that Stolas' daughter? I think I remember seeing you talking to her at the ball Stolas held recently, but I wasn't aware you two actually knew each other." Lilith stated.
"Yeah. We go to the same school." Danny explained.
Charlie smiled at him and said, "That's good! I'm glad you were able to make some friends here! So, do you have any hobbies?"
"Hobbies? I guess I'm learning ecto-science and engineering from Vlad. And I'm learning how to use my ghost powers, how to fight, and how to use a sword from Fright Knight. Other than that, not really. I don't have much time for that sort of thing, and even if I did I would rather spend that time patrolling my territory or practicing with my ghost powers." Danny stated.
The three of them continued talking for a while before the conversation started to trail off a bit. At that point Danny decided it was time for him and Fright Knight to leave.
Once the two of them were back at the penthouse, Danny looked at Fright Knight and asked, "Be honest with me, do you think Vlad's going to win his bet?"
"I am unsure… It is in the hands of Heaven now, and I can not predict the will of the angels. So both outcomes seem just as likely to me at this time." Fright Knight stated.
Danny clutched at the bones of his severed hand on his shoulder. Life wasn't fair and it never would be. If Vlad lost he was just going to have to accept it and move on just like he had to accept the loss of his arm.
"We only have a couple months until extermination day… Do you think I can get stronger in that time?"
"Stronger? Yes. Strong enough? Not even close." Fright Knight stated.
"Then… Do you think I could borrow that artifact you took from Skulker? The Devil's Orb? If it can make him that much stronger then…" Danny requested.
"Absolutely not! It corrupts the mind and soul of its wielder! In Lucifer's throne room, you said you did not wish to become like your future self. Well the orb will turn you into him or worse. I'm sure Lord Plasmius will agree with me that you are not to be allowed to wield the orb. Besides which, it's already gone. The Knight who was guarding it has already retrieved it and brought it back to the Ghost Zone where it will be contained for the rest of eternity. And the wards guarding it have been changed so only powerful demons can undo them. A vulnerability in its defense considering the fact demons may seek to acquire it, but a necessary one considering Heaven may try to claim it again to give it to another assassin." Fright Knight stated.
"Are there any artifacts that I can use? I don't want to be completely useless on extermination day, in case heaven does try to kill me." Danny asked.
"Hm… There are none that you would be allowed to use that would make you more powerful than you are currently. There are several with other effects that you may be allowed to borrow, but I doubt they would be of much use in this situation. Your best recourse is to keep up your training and rely on myself and my brothers in arms." Fright Knight stated.
"Great… I'm going to go to my room and practice my control over my ecto-energy…" Danny stated.
"As you wish, Prince Daniel. I will be on guard in case any more assassins arrive." Fright Knight stated.
Danny nodded before going back into his room. He then sat down on his bed, held out his hand and started trying to create ecto constructs. He started with spheres and discs before trying to move on to more complex 3d and 2d geometric shapes, from triangles and pyramids, to squares and cubes, and so on. It was surprisingly difficult for him to get enough fine control to make even basic shapes like this but he had been practicing ever since he had lost his arm in hopes of one day being able to make an ecto-construct to replace it and he was slowly getting better. He could now make three dimensional constructs in the shape of four pointed stars if he tried hard enough, but that was the extent of it and he had to focus extremely hard to do that and it would immediately lose its shape if he ever tried to do anything with it.
He continued practicing until he eventually got tired and decided it was time for bed, skipping both lunch and dinner.
Sorry this chapter is so short and that it's taken an extra day to come out compared to the other chapters. I sort of wanted to write Danny's interaction with Charlie but I had no idea where to take it. And after reading a review suggesting I write something about him meeting Lilith I liked the idea and tried to do so, but I couldn't figure out how to extend it very much.
Anyway, a lot of people seem to be asking for a third option on the poll. A lot of you don't want either Vlad or Lucifer to win. The problem with that is, their bet is pretty binary. Does Heaven send a bunch of arch angels to kill Danny or does it not? Let me preface this by saying I'm already changing the timeline I originally had planned slightly so seasons 1-3 all take place in the same year and "The Fright Before Christmas" happens before "The Ultimate Enemy" and new years happens before Danny ends up being sent to Hell, just to give him some extra time to practice and get stronger. That being said, even with the extra time it's still not going to be enough for him to take on dozens of arch angels even with six Ghost Knights helping him. And even if the yetis came to help, they would be held back by an army of exterminators while the arch angels fought Danny and the Ghost Knights. So they wouldn't be of much help.
I suppose I might be able to have Clockwork and the other ancients who sealed Pariah Dark in the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep intervene. I mean there are six of them, from what it looks like in the pictures on the wiki. So they could take the place of the Ghost Knights. But that would sort of just result in Vlad winning the bet, wouldn't it? That is, if they're even strong enough to fight off over a dozen arch angels all at once. But I guess they did beat Pariah Dark while working together, so maybe? I don't know.
I just don't see a way that neither side would win the bet. I'll keep thinking about it though, I guess, since so many of you want a third option.