A/N: A continuation from Poisonous. Enjoy!
The next few days left Danny feeling rather... irritated. It reminded him of his first month of using his powers again. They functioned intermittently, and oftentimes beyond his control. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz had to make sure to keep his emotions in check since the 'Scary Eyes' came up more often than any of them would like, and much more often than Danny could control. People who didn't know Danny particularly well (and his parents) might say he's becoming more and more distant and careless, but due to the lack of ghost attacks his grades were higher than ever.
This lead to everyone with the power to confront him simply... leave the situation be. After all, he was coming home with fewer injuries, was more awake in class, and had better grades- so it had to be positive, right?
"UGH, this is the worst!"
Maybe not.
He, Sam, Tucker, and Jazz were all in Danny's room discussing the most recent of events, in particular, the dwindling control Danny had over his abilities and the ghost that his parents ran out to fight right now. (Probably Skulker again, honestly. He's been all over the place lately.) A white light flickers around Danny's chest, and then putters out.
"It's been almost 2 weeks and I still can't go ghost! This is insane!" He cards his hands through his hair and paces about the room.
A shrill beep responds in almost a mocking way to Danny's complaints. He glares at it. "Yeah dude, your parent's thing, the uh... Fenton Ghost Analyzer says you're only a level 2 in human form now. Our last test had you at a level 5."
"Like, seriously?! A level 2? Tuck, the BOX GHOST is a level 3!" He collapses on his bed and holds his head in his hands. "I'm barely an 'ectoplasmic entity' at all anymore. What do I do now?"
Jazz goes to sit beside Danny. "Well, there is always the option of just... stopping the whole ghost fighting thing. Your grades are up and you're not getting beat up anymore, it might be time to finally be a normal teen again. It'll probably be better for your mental health as well." She leans down to try to look him in the eyes and rubs soothing circles into his back. Danny always feels comforted by her familial love. "Right, little brother?"
"I-"
"OR, you could pick up the family business and kick ghost butt with your parents, how cool would that be?" Sam exclaims. "You still have all the skills, knowledge, and experience to fight ghosts better than they do even without your powers. Plus, you've got a kickass ghost-fighting team to work with you too!" She walks over to Danny and puts her hand on his shoulder. There's something about Sam's go-to attitude that really is motivating to him. "There are still people to save, you know?"
"Yeah, I-"
"Another possibility," Tucker muses, spinning around in Danny's computer chair "is to be kind of a diplomat for ghost-relations. You could talk to them, maybe appeal to whatever government system they have, and stuff like that. You do still know ghost-speak, so that would make things easier. Maybe you could get them to stop attacking the town for once, and I could be your manager!"
Danny gives up on trying to speak, looks blankly ahead, and prepares for the ensuing argument.
"Tucker, that's ridiculous, he's not running for president of the ghost zone or something"
There it is.
"What do you mean? Being a diplomatic ambassador for the ghost zone is totally feasible."
They don't get it.
"Guys, it doesn't really seem like you're putting Danny's best interests in mind. He's a growing teen, stability is good for him."
It's not like I should expect them to, not even Jazz knows the intricacy of ghost mentality.
"Danny has a greater responsibility though, there are still people he can protect and save!"
She's right, there are. And I need to protect them.
"But knowing the details of ghost tendencies might leave a greater impact than fighting them as a human."
The elaborate and complex web of ghost culture, ha. Put a drop of blood in the ocean, and that's about how much I know.
"And what if someone like Pariah shows up again? Mom and Dad's weaponry or diplomacy isn't going to work against that, it'd be a death sentence!"
I'd give anything to protect Amity.
"He wouldn't be alone! We can all fight, together. We have the ability to do something, so we should."
No, I can't let you put yourselves in danger like that. It's already been too close, too often.
"He doesn't really have a responsibility to fight more than the average person if he doesn't have his powers though."
"I may not have powers, but I'm still half-ghost."
The arguing teens all fall silent at the voice of the resident ghost boy. He looks up at them and sighs heavily, like he's releasing his very essence into the small room.
"This is way simpler than being a normal kid, or ghost culture, or even fighting ghosts, guys." He rubs the back of his neck and pauses, thinking about how he wants to say this. Do I want to say this? "You know that my mom and dad talk about 'obsessions' all the time with ghosts, right?" The group nods. "Well... I obviously, being a half-ghost, have one too. Or multiple, maybe. I'm not quite sure what it is exactly though." At his friend's blank stares, he taps his foot and tries to continue. "Anyways, when a ghost can't fulfill their obsession regularly, they get restless. There's a growing... need to do whatever it is they're obsessed with. Usually, for me, it doesn't last long since there's plenty of opportunities to fulfill it, but with my ghost powers going haywire... I haven't been able to." He sighs again, turning it into a groan at the end. "It's not a pleasant experience, just saying."
The rest of the group looks to each other, each waiting to ask the inevitable question that none of them wanted to. Jazz was the one to break the silence.
"Danny, what... is your obsession, exactly?"
Danny looks to her and his eyes flash that toxic green, but they glow brighter than they have in a long while. Jazz immediately reels back, removing her hand from his back and putting some distance between them.
Danny notices her adverse reaction and closes his eyes.
Breathe. In, out. You're fine, you're in your room, safe, with the people you trust most. In, out.
When his eyes open, they're their pure, comforting blue again.
"Sorry, when you ask a ghost that it's like asking them how they died or something, it can bring back flashbacks. They generally don't like it." Danny says curtly. After a bit, he calms down.
"It's hard to explain. Like I said, I'm not exactly sure myself."
Trust them. They'll accept you, they always have.
Danny looks up to his ceiling, to the little plastic stars that were stuck up there many years ago. "I think a part of it is space, or freedom, something along the lines of that." He leans back to lie on his bed with his legs hanging off the side and smiles. "Sometimes I just get this urge to go out and fly under the night sky, zoning out into some sort of trance. It's calming and leaves me more rested than I would if I got a full night's sleep. I can even tell which planets are where, even if they're not visible."
He props himself up on his shoulders. "I think the other one... the main one, is protection or saving people or something like that. I can't help seeing people in pain or sadness. I just gotta do something, you know?" Danny smiles even larger, a true, genuine smile. "I'm happy that my obsession became one that I can use to help people instead of hurt them."
Jeez Fenton, really putting your heart out there, huh?
There's a brief silence. "Well," Tucker leans forward to look Danny in the eye. "why can't you fulfill those things without your ghost powers? You could go to the top of the Ops Center to look at stars, and you could fight ghosts with your parents, or even become something more mundane like a police officer if it's just helping people."
Danny furrows his brows and looks back down at the ground. "While I did say it was pretty simple, it kind of isn't at the same time. There's a different feeling that I have when I'm sitting at the observatory than when I'm flying above the clouds. And for the protection thing, it's just not frequent enough, I think. With my ghost sense, I knew that I wasn't missing anything. I knew that if anything got in my territory, I would know and could do something about it. Not knowing if someone can be the victim of an attack at any moment is..." Danny pauses and worries his hands. "it makes me anxious. Even taking out the little, animalistic ones fulfills my obsession enough, but I can't find and catch them without my powers."
There's another, longer silence, and then Danny stands up abruptly. "I'm gonna go see Frostbite."
"We're coming too." Sam, Tucker, and Jazz all stand with him. Danny looks rather surprised at the sudden declaration. Noticing this, Jazz takes Danny's hand.
"It's all about what you want, little brother. If this is something that you feel like you have to do, we'll be behind you one hundred percent." His other two friends nod, and Jazz walks over to open his bedroom door. "And plus, with you out of commission and Valerie on her work shift, Mom and Dad will probably be busy for the rest of the day, so they won't notice the Spectre Speeder missing! So cmon, let's get a move on!" Jazz turns and walks down the stairs, leaving a quick note on the kitchen table if their parents do come home before expected. The trio is quick to follow.
"Wait, so you're coming too?" Danny asks.
"Of course! I can't knowingly leave all of you alone in an entirely different dimension without a guardian. What kind of sister would I be? That, and you've mentioned in the past that Frostbite is someone that I should meet, so I figured now's as good a time as ever." Jazz pauses, and her face falls as she looks towards the ground. "Ah, that is... if you'd be alright with me coming."
Danny again looks surprised and then walks over to his sister with a calm smile on his face. As soon as they make eye contact, the smile turns into a smirk. "Well..." He drops his voice a few octaves. "This is going to be a dangerous mission, Jasmine Fenton. I only want you coming if you can truly handle it." He extends a hand out to her. "Of course I'd be happy if you joined us, Jazz."
Jazz beams, and gladly accepts the handshake. "You dork, I can totally handle it! I'm a Fenton too, after all."
Danny laughs. I... really do have the best people in the world with me.
"Grab your jackets guys, it's about to get chilly."
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Danny steers the Spectre Speeder down into the ice cave, maneuvering around giant shards of ice and sheets of falling snow. The Speeder's form reflects off of the glacial surfaces, making it appear like the entire cave is moving along with its occupants. The three full humans in the cabin shiver, while the halfa sighs contentedly.
"Alright, finally here!" Danny runs out of the Speeder almost before it touches down, hopeful that Frostbite will have something to solve, or at least improve, his situation. He gestures towards his fellow travelers.
"Make sure to stay close, the Far Frozen might be full of friends, but snowstorms and falling ice are still a risk. Oh, and if you see a Yeti, let me know. They know the best ways to get through without flight."
The others nod and chatter their teeth, trying to peer through the stark white landscape for landmarks of any kind, but see none. They follow Danny and make idle conversation as they walk.
"Speaking of dangers- Sam, did you notice the lack of ghosts in the Zone right now?"
Sam nods and pulls back the hood of her fluffy black jacket to get a better look at Tucker. "Yeah, I did. Usually, we encounter a good dozen of them within the first 15 minutes of flying out of the portal, but I think I only saw one or two, and nobody we know."
"Is that bad or something?" Jazz asks. "It made our trip here a lot easier, especially since we don't have Danny to back up the Spectre Speeder's defenses."
"Usually I would say no, but the fact that this has been going on for almost a month is... probably not good." Sam looks towards Danny, who's gotten somewhat farther ahead in his haste. "Should we ask Frostbite about that too, Danny?"
"Hm? What was that? Sorry guys, I'm kinda focused on getting us to the Yeti's kingdom." Danny stops and squints through the snow. "Look! That's it!" and he points.
"Oh wow, I just remembered that we haven't been to the Far Frozen in almost a year now." Sam jogs up to Danny with Tucker in tow.
"Well, that explains the changes, I guess."
As the snowfall starts to thin, the group first sees large ice spires painting jagged lines into the horizon in front of a backdrop of mountain ranges. Into the nearest mountain is carved a large stone door adorned with intricate engravings in a language that none of the humans can recognize or hope to understand. Two yetis guard the large door and more walk around the rest of the city. In front of that lies a circular clearing, and in the center stands a ten-foot-tall ice sculpture of their very own ghost boy in a dramatic battle-pose. As soon as Danny sees it, he rubs the back of his neck and laughs nervously. Jazz stands beside him and smiles, crossing her arms and adopting a sly smirk.
"So, seems you're pretty popular here huh little brother?"
"I- uh- yeah they- uh... oh boy, when did they add that? Cmon, I bet you're cold, let's uh... go inside. Ah yeah, bonus to that plan- there's probably not another statue of me... I hope!" Danny quickly jogs around the statue and approaches the guards, who have already noticed Danny's arrival.
"Mek thog zeg su bulok Forglas, coi norar sen glonque yu moi usograt?"
"Dorar men Phantom, Forglas timi kroas inan su kem."
Danny then nods and bows. "Pogran zu." And as the yetis open the doors, Danny gestures to his friends to follow. A stairway descends down, and the path is lit by glowing shards of ice embedded in the walls.
"What did you say?" Jazz whispers, almost unsure if she should speak.
"I just asked them if Frostbite had time for me, which he does. We're going straight to him right now." Danny laughs. "And don't worry too much about being formal and stuff, Frostbite doesn't mind."
They descend down the stairs to find a room with a high ceiling and a throne, but a large yeti with an arm made of solid ice stands at the foot of the stairs, welcoming the group with a bright, toothy smile.
"Great One and friends! Welcome again to the Far Frozen."
"Hey Frostbite, how have things been here lately?"
Frostbite envelopes Danny in a huge embrace. "Wonderful, peaceful as always! And you, oh Great One?"
Danny smiles softly as he's set down. "About that, you know I usually don't come around with good news. I've been having some issues with my core and powers lately that I think I need you to take a look at, if that's alright?"
"Ah yes, of course we'd be happy to help. Please, come to the laboratory with me." Frostbite walks off through a large corridor to his left. "Do you mind telling me the basics, Great One?"
"Yeah, sure. We're pretty sure it started from when I got hit by an ectoblast by Skulker-"
Meanwhile, Tucker, Sam, and Jazz lag a bit behind to have their own conversation.
"So, Sam, Tucker, why is he calling Danny 'Great One'? I know he's usually pretty powerful and all, but what's the full story?" Jazz pulls down her hood and removes her gloves, it really is warmer in here.
"Ah, that. It's from the Pariah Dark thing. Apparently, when you defeat an ancient, evil king, it tends to give you a few... interesting nicknames."
Tucker scoffs. "Drastic understatement. A few months back we had one ghost come up to Danny in the Zone that kept calling him 'Master of the Ghost Realm', and that made Danny go real awkward. He's used to rabid phans from earth, but when they can fly too, it gets a lot more aggravating a lot faster." Tucker chuckles to himself. "As much as he gives off that confident aura as Phantom, you know how Danny really is. He wouldn't approach a social gathering unless his afterlife was in danger, especially after the experiences he's had with parties and stuff in the past."
Jazz giggles. "Yeah, that definitely sounds like him. I can't say he was necessarily born to be in the spotlight, but I don't think anyone would have it any other way."
They turn into another large, open cavern that looks strikingly similar to their parent's lab at home, sans a giant, glowing green portal embedded into the wall. Another yeti with long white fur and a bright blue tunic stands in the room, scrolling through computer entries. Upon noticing the arriving group, they greet them in the same foreign language that Danny was speaking to the guards. The three humans give their full attention to the ghosts.
"No need for the formalities, sister. I'd like you to meet the fabled Great One, Danny Phantom and his companions. Great One, meet Snowfall. She's the best researcher we have in the Far Frozen, hence her permanent station in my castle."
"Pleased to meet you, young Phantom, friends." She extends her paw in a greeting, and Danny shakes it.
"You too, Snowfall."
"Now, Great One, based on your tellings I do believe I know what ails you, but it does seem to be a concern as to how you got into contact with it. You mentioned an ectoblast sent by Skulker?"
Snowfall pats her paw on an open lab table and Danny jumps up onto it. She starts to run basic tests on his core and human-vitals. "Yeah, he didn't mention anything about it, so I don't know how he got it or anything." Danny lifts his pant leg to let Snowfall see where he got hit.
Frostbite frowns. "I would see if you cannot find out where he got that as soon as possible, Great One." He walks over to a bookshelf and picks one out. "What I believe you got hit with is a poison known as Lunaria Gornosu, which roughly translates to 'Seeping whither' poison." he flips open to a page with what looks like an aquatic animal with delicate, stringy bits hanging off of it, almost like an inside-out jellyfish. "It's harvested from an ancient ghost that lives on the farthest reaches of the Ghost Zone, the Seeping Wisp. With our access to modern technology, flushing this from your system is no large dilemma, but if left unchecked, it can slowly eat away at a ghost's core, eventually causing it to frenzy at the lack of nutrients and unleashing an immense amount of power before destroying the ghost's core completely. Once you get the chance, I would try to figure out how this Skulker got ahold of it, since it would take likely decades in human time to acquire and create this concoction."
Danny looks horrified at what could have happened before Frostbite notices and chuckles. "Luckily for you, you came here in time. There's also the possibility that this outcome would have never occurred due to your strange halfa anatomy. This process is supposed to take months, or even possibly years for a ghost as powerful as you, yet you mentioned this all occurring over the course of two weeks. It's entirely possible that its end could have been different from what should be usual as well."
Frostbite closes the book and hands it to Snowfall who then excuses herself for a moment. "The procedure is rather simple, so I'll leave the rest to Snowfall before I prepare a feast in celebration of your good health." Danny opens his mouth to politely turn down the request before looking at his friends and sighing. "Thank you Frostbite, that would be amazing, I'll see you in a bit!" Frostbite waves a goodbye and heads out of the room.
Sam approaches Danny with an eyebrow raised and Tucker and Jazz in tow. "Really Danny? I was almost sure that you'd say no to dinner- not that I'm complaining, or anything!" she waves her hands in front of her. "I'm just surprised you said yes."
Danny looks at them and smiles. "Yeah well, figured I'd give Jazz a nice taste of the good things the ghost zone has to offer, and give you two a nice night." He rubs the back of his neck. "P-plus, I'm sure my parents haven't come home to make dinner yet, and we didn't grab lunch so... a feast actually sounds pretty good right about now." He looks at each member of Team Phantom and says "Thanks guys, I'm really happy to have you as friends... a-and family! I don't know what I'd do without you."
The three of them blink at Danny blankly before Tucker laughs. "Cmon dude, we didn't do anything special. Ghost Zone trips are always fun!" He rubs his hands together excitingly. "And now, I get a yeti-sized all-you-can-eat buffet of meats fit for a king! Yeah!"
The three laugh at Tucker briefly before Snowfall returns with a few medical instruments. "Young Phantom, are you ready for your treatment?"
The sounds of booming yeti voices are almost completely drowned out by a whooping Phantom zooming along overhead.
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
"Well, he sure is excited." Jazz comments while biting into a strange ghost watermelon.
"Heck yeah I'm excited!" Danny exclaims, echoed voice even more pronounced by the vastness of the ballroom they're in. "Danny Phantom is back guys! Woohoo!"
"I always knew he loved flying, but this is nuts. Sometimes I can only see a blur." Tucker takes a bite out of an odd assortment of meats on a stick, made specifically at his request.
"It's good though, I'm glad he's happy and healthy." Sam partakes in a colorful salad, and the rest of their group makes noises of agreement as they enjoy their meal and the accompanying show.
A/N: And that's it for the first prompt! I wasn't 100% sure how to end this at first, but I think it ended up satisfying enough while still setting up some basic themes. Let me know what you think, reviews are always welcome! (I'm also not a writer whatsoever, so any mistakes or advice you can provide is sooooo helpful, honestly.) Next chapter should be out soon, so stay tuned!