Risen from the Ashes

Chapter 1

'I wonder where I should start looking,' Dani thought to herself as she entered the Ghost Zone. 'I wonder if any of the ghosts here are friendly.'

Looking around Dani noticed there wasn't really any way to know where she was going. In the endless expanse of the ghost zone with thousands of doors leading to who knows where she realized a problem. Without anything or anyone to help her she had no idea where to start looking. 'Maybe this was a bad idea after all.'

As she was about to turn around, she saw what looked to be a small child go through one of the doors. 'What harm could it be to ask him for directions?' she thought as she flew to the door. On the other side of the door the small child was sitting in front a TV that showed nothing but static on the screen.

"What are you watching little guy?" she asked. The child ignored her. "Are your Mommy and Daddy here so I can ask them a question?" The child growled but did not turn around. Getting irritated Dani scoffed and asked, "Okay is there anyone else I can talk to?" The child's head turned around like the head of an owl to glare at her. 'Okay I think I've seen too many horror movies because that is just freaking me out.'

The child started to grow but as he did his form started changing. Suddenly Dani was staring up at a giant purple dragon that took up most of the small room. "GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" the dragon bellowed.

Dani screamed on her way to the door only for the dragon to roar, blowing her back through the doorway and through another door in the process.

As Dani lay there on the floor of another ghost's realm, she noticed she was lying in a puddle of what smelled like beer. "Great now I smell like a drunk." Suddenly she noticed she was not alone. As she looked around, she noticed pool tables, dart boards, and a lot of Ghosts. Most only gave her a passing glance. 'Good maybe I can find someone here nice enough to help me.'

"Who's the fresh meat?" Dani heard someone ask. Another ghost yelled out "She looks familiar!" The bar became filled with a quite murmur as everyone tried figuring out who the newcomer was.

"Well-well-well" said a voice said from behind Dani, "If it isn't the clone of the halfa. I heard you were a pool of ectoplasm." 'Dammit' Dani thought.

Dani looked behind her and saw someone she only knew from the ghost files Vlad had on all of Danny's enemies. "Sorry to disappoint Skulker but I am still alive and kickin' and I have a name."

"Like I give a damn about a cheap knock off. Why are you here? Never mind just get lost, you're not even worth hunting," Skulker threatened.

"I was trying to find a place to stay jerk, and I'm not a copy. I am my own person and have a name" Dani replied looking down, her now clenched fists shaking and giving off a faint ghostly aura.

Skulker laughed. "Please, you are nothing more than a failed attempt at cloning the halfa and not even worth my time. Your nothing but a shadow of the whelp back in Amity Park. I don't even consider you worth calling prey. You were a failure, and the only reason Vlad didn't scrap you like he should of is because your original believed you worth saving. Why don't you go crawl back into the test tube you were made in and melt?"

Skulker turn to the other patrons of the bar laughing. The other ghosts laughed right along with him. Suddenly the other ghosts stopped laughing. Stalker still laughing looked at them seeing their scared faces. "Hahaha…. What's wrong with you maggots?"

A skeleton ghost in a biker outfit pointed over his shoulder and quietly replied "That."

Skulker turn and saw a black silhouette surrounded by a dark green ghostly aura. Two green eyes opened and Skulker thought for a moment that he was staring at the grim reaper itself. The figure reached forward and grab Skulker by the neck. Lifting him off the ground it brought him face to face with itself. Growling in voice that was female but also sounded like it was calling to him from the depths of hell, it said "I have a name and if I have to make you fear it so you will remember it so be it."

The figure threw him to the ground. As Skulker looked back up at the figure a green ball of energy appeared in its hands. The ball quickly grew to twice the size of the figure. Then the orb of energy starts to shrink in size but as it does the orb begins to crackle with the energy contained in it until it was the size of a softball.

Skulker was frozen to the spot in fear, pleading for mercy. The figure paused, glaring at Skulker. "What is my name?"

Skulker realizing this was his only chance thought frantically while looking at the other bar ghosts silently pleading for suggestions. Receiving none Skulker turned back to the young halfa. "Dania?" The smirked, "Sooo Close, but no."

Skulker in fear for his afterlife ran for the exit to the bar. Just as he opens the door, he turns to look back, but it was too late. The orb hit Skulker, and his armor shattered sending the real Skulker flying through the ghost zone from the force of the blast.

The figure still standing in the bar slowly loses its green aura and returns to a mostly normal appearance. Turning to glare at the rest of the bar eyes still glowing brighter than normal. In a voice cold as ice, she said "I am Danielle Phantom and anyone who calls me different will get their ass handed to them. Spread the word."

Dani turned and walked back towards the door she had fallen through prior, everyone moved to give to give her plenty of room to leave. Most were still stunned at the way she snapped and took down Skulker. Once on the other side of the door, the door closed. Dani looked to make sure nobody had followed her. After a sigh of relief, she fell, already passed out, and changing back to her human form. Falling through space she soon landed on a small snow-covered chuck of land floating in place.

As Dani lay unconscious a figure with flaming hair stood over the young halfa. "Well looks like there is more to you then meets the eye twerp. Thing just got more interesting around here."


Danny threw himself on his bed in frustration. It had been 3 days since Dani left after being stabilized thank to the Ecto-Dejecto his father had made. Danny's phone rang and he answered it seeing it was Sam. "Hello?" answered Danny in a that betrayed his exhaustion but keep most of his annoyance in check.

"Hey Danny," came Sam's voice, "I got Tucker on the line too."

"Hey man, we are worried about you." came Tucker's voice. "Aside from random ghost attacks and school, we haven't seen you for 3 days, and even then, your mind is elsewhere."

"I'm fine," came Danny's reply, "Just been busy trying to find any leads on where Dani might have flown off to, but I haven't found anything."

"Sorry to hear that dude," Tucker said consolingly.

"Look on the bright side," Sam said to try and lessen Danny's disappointment.

"What bright side?!" replied Danny incredulously.

"She knows how to take care of herself as she has done it before and clearly knows she can come to you if she needs help," said Sam. "She has survived on her own even before she was fully stable and now, she knows she can count on you."

Danny sighed knowing Sam had a point. "Do you always have to be the voice of reason when I want to wallow in self-pity?"

"Did it help?"

"A little," Danny begrudgingly admitted.

"Then yes, I do" said in a voice to made it clear she was smiling.

"Danny! I have asked you to clean that room of yours several times," came Maddie Fenton's voice. "You have 15 minutes to have it cleaned up young man or there will be consequences!"

Danny did a quick look around his room. It was a mess. Between researching for sightings of Dani and eating most meals in his room the last few days there was papers and trash everywhere.

"I'll have to talk to you later guys. If I don't have my room clean in the next 15 minutes, I might not be able to do anything because I will be grounded."

"Later," came the reply of both Sam and Tucker.

Danny hung up the phone and locked his door. 'If I am gonna get this cleaned in time, I'm gonna need a little ghostly assistance,' thought Danny, as a ring of light appeared around his waist and split into two, traveling across his body in opposite directions. As the rings disappeared his eyes flashed a slight brighter green before returning to normal. "No time to waste!"

With this Danny started zooming around his room picking up trash, piling his dirty laundry in his hamper, and putting away his paperwork from the search for Dani.

Thirteen minutes later and several invisible trips to the dumpster outside, Danny stood in his room examining his handy work. Danny reverted to his human and unlocked his door.

"Here I came Danny," came Maddie's voice, "and your room better be spotless."

Danny did a quick once over of his room as he heard his mother starting up the stairs. Just then he noticed a ball of paper sitting on the floor not 2 feet from his waste bin. Apparently, he missed that throw.

Hearing his mother's approach, he quickly aimed his index finger at the paper ball to knock it into the waste bin as he has done many times before. Danny fired an ecto-blast from his finger, but to his surprise, the paper ball disintegrated into ash leaving a scorch mark on the floor.

Danny stared in disbelief and only recovered as his mother appeared.

"Not too shabby, sweety. Now if you would just keep it clean you wouldn't have to rush to get it done at the last minute," exclaimed Maddie.

Danny silently moved to block the scorch mark from her view. "Come on mom, it wasn't that bad."

*Sniff, sniff*

"But what is that smell?" asked Maddie looking to his dirty clothes hamper thinking it might be his clothes.

Danny did a quick sniff and realized it was a slight burning smell. Thinking quickly Danny said, "Did you leave the casserole on too long, mom?"

Maddie's eyes widen for a moment is uncertainty and rushed from the room back to the kitchen.

Danny sighed in relief and collapsed on his bed.


Blackness. This was all Dani saw when she opened her eyes. 'Ah shit. I really overdid it this time didn't I' thought Dani. 'Is something burning?' Dani looked around and saw she was in a bedroom. The walls and ceiling were painted black but there were torches on the walls here and there with aqua green flames.

"Ok, someone needs to hire an interior decorator," Dani said looking around the room. "Oh, I'm sorry would you prefer rainbows and unicorns," asked a voice. Dani turned to see Ember leaning against the doorway to the bedroom arms folded and a smirk on her face.

Dani scowled. "Where am I and what do you want Ember."

Ember stopped smirking and said, "Firstly you're in my personal realm and secondly is that anyway to treat someone who hauled your unconscious ass from the middle of ghost zone and to a safe place?"

Dani cringed. "Sorry," she said looking regretful. "I am just used to having to ghosts attacking first and asking questions never. Thank you for helping me but I must ask. Why?"

"Well, for one it was fun watching you man-handle Skulker like that, especially when he had it coming. Secondly, I was certain if I left you in that snowbank, you would have gotten sick. Lastly, you got spunk, I respect that."

"So basically, because you find me entertaining," Dani said in a deadpan. Dani stood feeling a little stiff. "Well, I am glad you found me so amusing. I again thank you for the help but I'm out of here," Dani said pushing past Ember to leave.

"I heard you say back in the bar you were looking for a place to stay. You are welcome to stay here if you want."

"So, you can get your jollies watching me. I'll pass."

"You're not the only person who has tried to escape the shadow of another and find your own life you know," Ember said watching Dani halt in her advance through the hallway.

"What would you know," Dani asked angrily.

"You wonder if anyone sees you let alone knows your name. You want desperately to be recognized by someone other than the person who's shadow you live in and no matter how many times they tell you otherwise you feel that you will always be in their shadow. This feeling eventually turns into loathing of that person, but you know it is not something they did on purpose, and you turn to loathing yourself instead. Sound familiar?"

Dani glared at her with tears threatening to fall. Looking away from Ember Dani asked in a defeated tone "What am I supposed to do?"

Ember sighed. "I wish I had the answers kid, I really do. The only one who can answer this problem is you. But you can't really do that if you are trying to figure out where you are going to sleep everyday can you?"

Dani gave a small smile "I still think you just want me around for the shits and giggles of it."

"Ha, well it would be a bonus," Ember joked. "Still up to you just know you are welcome if you want to stay."

Dani was quiet for a while, or at least part of her. Her stomach broke the silence.

"One way or the other we might as well get you something to eat. Two days of not eating cannot be good for you," Ember said.

"Two days!? I was out for two days?!"

"Yep, and the neighbors called asking if I was being mauled by bears. You snore BAD," Ember replied laughing at the twerpette's embarrassed face.

2 ½ years later

"You ready imouto?"

Dani smiled from under her cloak. "I should have never brought that anime collection home," Dani said shaking her head.

"Seriously though, are you sure you are ready to go back to that town?"

Dani sighed. "Yeah, it is time I confront my issues. It is time I say hi to my "cousin" and find my place in the human world. I found my home here, but I need at find one there. Are you sure you want to come with me? This is your home."

"Eh," Ember replied. "Wouldn't be the same anymore without my little imouto around," she said smirking as she glanced to the side at Dani.

"Ok then," Dani said, "Next stop Amity Park bitches!"

Ember smirked "Can't wait to see the look on the twerp's face"


"ACHOO!"

"Jeez Danny are you getting sick? Not a good way to start your senior year man."

Danny scoffed "No Tucker I am not getting sick. If I was, I might not be able to smell your new horrible excuse for cologne."

"Hey man, this is the product of 3 months of research. I call it 'Ultimate Desire.' It was made to include not only pheromone inducing chemicals but trace amount of every scent of top-rated cologne. This way no matter who it is there is a smell they will find irresistible."

"Is that what that smell is?" Danny and Tucker turn to see Sam walking towards them. "I thought a French Gigolo moved into to town."

"Ha-ha, very funny Sam," replied Tucker sarcastically.

Sam turned her attention to Danny. "Any luck finding more info on your mystery ghost?"

Danny sighed, "No, everyone is so tight lipped in the ghost zone about her. The most I have gotten all summer is her name, Banshee."