Chapter 11: Dragons and Ghosts
The Titans, minus Danny, got out of the T-Car after a fight with Kardiak, a villain that looked like an oversized human heart with vacuum tubes for veins. Raven ran up to her room as soon as she got out of the car. Beast Boy finally spoke up.
"So, where's Danny? I haven't seen him since breakfast."
"He said he had some business in the Ghost Zone, something about a ghost getting the Crown of Fire." Robin answered. Beast Boy looked at the portal in the wall, which was currently closed by heavy striped doors. The changling shivered slightly at what lay beyond them.
In the Ghost Zone, Danny was currently battling Prince Aragon, ruler of the Kingdom of Aragon. The corrupt prince had somehow gotten his hands on the Crown of Fire, which, coupled with the powers of the Amulet of Aragon, were giving Danny a hard time as his opponent was a dragon the size of an apartment, with his powers boosted by the flaming headgear on his currently horned head. The halfa reeled from the swipe of claws he had just received. Charging his fists with ecto-energy, Danny flew towards Aragon, letting loose a barrage of energy blasts to get the ghost dragon's attention. As the prince was reeling back, Danny shot a ghost ray from his fingertip, striking the Crown of Fire off of his head. The sudden power loss came as a shock, and he could not react in time to avoid the uppercut the halfa delivered. Aragon landed on his back, breaking several of the trees in the withered forest that served as their battleground. Danny Phantom swooped down, and in one motion ripped the amulet off the dragon's neck, causing him to revert to his normal form, a blue-skinned specter with way too many rings on his hands, and purple robes accompanied by a crown of thorns on his blond head. Danny landed on the ground and put the amulet in his Fenton Thermos. He then grabbed Aragon by his collar and carried him back to the castle that stood out in this particular realm of the Ghost Zone.
"Sir Phantom, it is good to see you have 'put my brother in his place'." Princess Dora, the new ruler of Aragon, said, thanking Danny.
"Just making sure we don't have to deal with another Pariah Dark anytime soon. Now, I'll just leave your brother here for you to deal with, and I'll make sure this-" He held up the Crown of Fire, "-is locked away safely in the Far Frozen." Danny said.
"And what of my brother's amulet?" The ghost princess asked.
"I think I'll hold onto it, if it's all the same to you. I have a feeling that it will come in handy very soon." The halfa replied.
"As you wish, Sir Phantom." Dorothea answered. Danny then took off and began heading to the icy realm of the Far Frozen. In the weeks after his return, Danny had been spending a lot of time exploring the Ghost Zone, and he had made several allies, Ghost Writer, Clockwork, Dora, and Frostbite being a few of them. He was still in awe that an entire realm full of Yeti-like ghosts practically worshiped him for his defeat of Pariah Dark. After dropping off the crown to Frostbite, Danny began heading for the familiar green swirls of the Titans Ghost Portal. He exited the portal, and placed the Fenton Thermos containing the Amulet of Aragon in his room before heading to the living room/ops center.
"Hey guys, what'd I miss?" Danny asked when he got there.
"Battle with Kardiak, Raven ripped it apart, and ran to her room as soon as we got back." Beast Boy happily informed their teammate.
"Well, took down a ghost who got the Crown of Fire, and git him off his kingdom's throne." Danny told the team.
"Like the time in which we went to my home planet and I banished my sister?" Starfire asked.
"Yeah, kinda like that, except more dragons. Now if it's all the same to you, I'm turning in for the night." Danny said as he turned human and walked out the door to his room. As he strolled down the hallway, he heard voices coming from Raven's room. Tiptoeing silently to her door, Danny put his ear up to the metal and listened. He had to suppress a gasp when he heard Raven laugh.
""That's funny. You're funny." He heard Raven say.
"And you're the best thing that's happened to me in a thousand years." Danny heard another, male, voice say, sounding like he had come from the last millennium, a lot like the last ghost he fought.
"Then...you don't think I'm...creepy?" Raven asked. Danny was sure Beast Boy had something to do with that comment.
"Certainly not." The male voice said, "You are dark, and darkness is often misunderstood." Danny could relate, being half ghost had that effect. "But I feel I understand you." The voice finished.
"I feel that way way too." Raven said, yawning.
"It's late. You should sleep." The voice said.
"Do you promise you'll be there when I wake up?" Raven asked. Danny heard the sound of paper shifting, like origami.
"I promise." the voice said. Danny could feel something else in those words. Ever since the explosion, the words 'I promise' had become special to him, and he could feel the intentions of words, and while he had felt honesty in the words, he could sense something else. Shaking the thought out of his head, Danny finished his walk to his room, changing into his pajamas and collapsing into his king-size bed, before he closed his eyes, he looked at the picture beside his bed, a photo of his family and friends, his gaze lingered on Sam, and he fell asleep.
Danny was standing in an empty field, he looked around, and saw the grass was blue. Looking up, he saw the familiar green swirls of the Ghost Zone. Danny looked in front of him, and saw someone he did not expect to see alive.
"Sam!?" Danny gasped.
"Danny, it's great to see you again, even if it is just a dream." Danny was slightly disheartened at the realization this was only a dream.
"Sam, I'm...sorry...that I failed you." Danny choked.
"It's all right, Danny. You didn't fail. You didn't become that monster. You didn't break your promise." Danny was uplifted a little by her words.
"But now I just want you to do one thing." Dream Sam said.
"What?" Danny asked.
"Move on." She said.
"Move on?" Danny asked.
"Yes, I knew you were always too scared to admit it, but you loved me. And now I'm asking you to move on." Dream Sam told him.
"But...how?" Danny stuttered.
"Find someone unique like you. You've already met her, and you have more in common than you might think." Dream Sam said, fading away, a smile on her face, until only a pair of amethyst eyes remained, and they too blinked out of existence.
Danny changed to his ghost form, placing a hand over his emblem, the emblem Sam had given him a few months after he got his powers.
"I'll never forget, but I will move on." Danny told himself aloud. The field and sky began to fade into blackness, until only Danny remained. He closed his eyes...
...And opened them in the real world. Danny looked around, and saw the sunlight of the morning streaming through the wall to ceiling window. Danny changed into his normal human clothes before changing into his ghost form. He looked at the time, and saw it was still pretty early.
When Robin entered the kitchen, he saw Danny at work, cooking breakfast.
"Hey bro, what's the occasion?" The Titan leader asked his brother.
"Just got a weight off my chest from the explosion. Might as well have a celebratory breakfast to kick off the new day." Danny said.
Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire then walked, or the latter's case, flew, into the kitchen and were hit full force with the smell of delicious breakfast foods. Danny took notice, and without even turning, said.
"Soy milk's next to the mustard, tofu bacon's on the right, blueberry pancakes coming up." With that, he flipped the pan of pancakes and caught every single one on a plate.
"Eat up." Danny told the rest of the team.
As the team ate their fill, Beast Boy decided to speak up.
"So, what's with the sudden cheeriness today?" He asked the halfa.
"I finally decided to not let my past keep a hold over me. I kept my promise, and now it doesn't hang like a cloud above me." Danny said, causing the Titans to freeze for a moment to think over what he just said. Starfire was the first to speak.
"On my planet, such an event is known as the G'ormax, when warriors let go of past losses to focus on the present." The Tamaranean said.
"Learn something new every day." Danny mumbled to himself. "So...Anyone seen Raven today?" He asked.
"Not since yesterday." Robin replied.
"Friend Raven has not left the room of the bed since we defeated the Kardiak." Starfire said.
"Don't know why she wouldn't be out here by now, she usually gets her herbal tea in the morning." Cyborg told him. Danny picked up a kettle that was sitting on the stove, and walked out the door saying, "Might as well bring her some."
After the door closed, Beast Boy whispered to Cyborg, "Oday ouyay inkthay Annyday avehay a ushcray on Avenray?"
Robin face-palmed. "Really Beast Boy, you know I know Pig Latin, so you're code doesn't work on me, besides, I doubt my brother would have a crush on Raven."
Meanwhile, Danny was knocking on Raven's door.
"Raven." He said. "It's almost noon and you haven't come out of your room. Is everything okay?"
"Perhaps if we're quite, he'll go away" Danny heard the voice he had heard last night say. Raven laughed.
"Raven?" He asked.
The door opened a little, and Raven appeared. "Yes?" She asked.
"I came to bring you your herbal tea, and I heard you laughing. Is someone in there?" Danny asked.
"Just me, and a really good book," She said.
"Oh, well I just wanted to make sure you were okay." the halfa said.
"Better than okay. Way better." the sorceress said, closing the door. Danny put the teapot at the base of the door and his enhanced hearing picked up the conversation inside.
"Sorry, Malchior. He won't bother us again." he heard Raven say.
"Why does that name sound familiar?" Danny asked himself before walking back to the main room, only to bump into Beast Boy.
"What are you doing here?" Danny asked the changling.
"I was just going to apologize to Raven for...some things I said last night." The changling replied, looking sheepish and rubbing one foot into the ground.
"Well right now, I have some research to do." Danny said.
"Can I help?" Beast Boy asked, excitement in his voice.
"You can help by seeing what's going on with this 'Malchior' person Raven is with." The halfa said.
"Sir, yes, sir!" Beast Boy said, making a salute before turning into a fly and buzzing off to Raven's room.
Danny pulled out his communicator as he headed to the garage.
"Robin, I'm going to be in the Ghost Zone doing some research. Raven's been talking to someone named Malchior, and I have Beast Boy keeping an eye on them." Danny told his brother.
"Just be careful, bro. I don't want to loose you a third time." Robin said before turning off the communicator.
Danny opened the portal and flew into the Ghost Zone. He passed Skulker's Island, Pariah's Keep, and Clockwork's Tower before arriving at a large library. "Ghost Writer." He said, "He'll have information on this 'Malchior'."
Quietly, he opened the door and went inside, where his found Ghost Writer typing at his keyboard.
"Ahem." Danny said, getting the purple-clad ghosts' attention.
"Yes Phantom, do you need something?" The ghost asked.
"As a matter of fact, I need any information you have on a 'Malchior'. Possibly in the thousand years old range?" The halfa asked.
"Indeed I do. Third row, second shelf, next to the Amulets of Aragon." The ghost pointed, still typing. Danny took a look at the cover. "Transformation?" He asked, reading the title.
"Yes, my latest gem in regards to you new friends, you'd be surprised at how different your teammates are. An alien, a shape-shifter, a cyborg, a human, and a half-demon. Sorry, spoilers." GW said.
Danny brushed the comment aside, and headed to the section Ghost Writer had indicated. He found a white-clad tome, and sat at a nearby table to read.
Several hours later, Danny's interest was peaked.
'And as the fell beast struck, I summoned the forces of my enchanted book.'
'Aldruon Enlenthra Nalthos Sola Narisnor!'
'And with a curse more ancient than foul Malchior myself, I sealed the beast in my enchanted book. Only a powerful sorcerer could break the spell, and for as long as I have breath, that spell will not be broken.'
Danny gasped. "Malchior is a dragon, and he's going to use Raven to free him!"
Danny rushed out of the library and began flying at high speed towards the portal, only to be blocked by a metal chest-plate, which he ran face first into.
"Whelp! I have finally caught you at last. Now prepare to become a pelt on my wall!" Skulker said triumphantly.
"I don't have time for this!" Danny said as he fired an ecto-blast at the hunter.
When Danny finally came out of the portal, he felt a massive energy surge.
"No!" Danny shouted, flying up to Raven's room, he was knocked back by a wing beat. Raven's room was a mess, there was a gaping hole in the ceiling, and Raven was on the ground, crying. Anger burned in Danny's eyes as he flew to retrieve the one weapon that could stand against Malchior in his room. Phasing into his room, Danny bolted to the desk and grabbed the Fenton Thermos. He uncapped the device and pressed the release button. A blue light came from the thermos, depositing something in the halfa's hand.
A golden amulet with a red gem in the center, a tooth-like design on the necklace. The halfa clasped it around his neck, and his pupils instantly became slits.
/
The Titans were losing badly to Malchior, the dragon was like nothing they had every encountered. The beast stood tall and proud over the Titans' bodies, which were all sprawled over the ground, barely conscious. Only Raven was left standing. The dragon reared up his head to deliver a fiery doom onto the girl who released him...
...Only to be struck by a burst of blue-green fire. The black and purple dragon looked up to see his attacker, only to be knocked back by another dragon.
Raven looked up, and saw that this new combatant was clad in black and white scales. His eyes burned green...
...And on his chest was Danny Phantom's emblem.
"Danny!?" The sorceress gasped. It was then she noticed the golden band around his neck.
An Amulet of Aragon.
The Dragon-Danny turned towards Raven, and then spoke. "Yes, it's me, and don't worry, I'll make that lying lizard pay for tricking you." The Dragon-Danny took off into the air after Malchior. Black, white, and purple collided, Claws raked across each others' chests. Blue-green collided with yellow-orange as the two dragons unleashed their breath weapons. Malchior's fire won out, and Danny was sent stumbling back. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve. Taking a deep breath, filling his now larger lungs, he let loose his Ghostly Wail. Malchior was thrown back, his scales being torn off as thick, dark blood began to drip from his nose, eyes, and ears. Danny fell to the ground, his strength diminished, but not entirely gone. That still wasn't enough to let Danny defend himself from Malchior's retaliation. All Danny could do was try to move to the side. Malchior's jaw missed the halfa's neck, but his teeth dug into Danny's shoulder, puncturing to the bone. One swipe of his claw and Malchior tore the amulet from Danny's neck, causing him to return to his normal ghost form, before the energy drain caused him to become human again.
"So, the legendary halfa, is a mere child. A child defeated Pariah Dark, how hilarious." Malchior said, chuckling.
"Malchior!" Raven shouted, unleashing multiple blasts of magic at the dragon. A claw came up and grabbed her.
"Oh, dear. You're not going to cry now, are you? I know it hurts, but you'll just have to accept the truth. It's over. I got what I wanted, and I don't need you anymore." The dragon said.
"It's not over-not yet." Raven said defiantly.
"Sweet Raven, you can't possibly hope to defeat me. I taught you everything you know." Malchior chuckled derisively.
"You taught me spells, but I just learned a curse." Raven said, the book Malchior had been sealed in landing in her hand.
"NOOOOO!" The dragon screamed, unleashing a torrent of fire at Raven, who held it back with her magic.
"Aldruon Enlenthra Nalthos Sola Narisnor!" Raven cast the enchantment, overwhelming Malchior's fire and drawing him back into the book. Raven landed on the roof of the tower, her white leotard and cloak fading back to black and blue.
Danny slowly got to his feet, clutching his shoulder, which was dripping with blood from Malchior's bite, which had shrunk in proportion when the amulet was removed. "Now it's over." The halfa said weakly. Robin was the first to his side, holding him up.
"Let's get you patched up, bro." Robin said as he led Danny back inside.
/
Raven answered the door, and found Danny standing there, in human form. His muscle shirt showed the bandages wrapped around his left shoulder from where Malchior had bit him. The look in his eyes was one of apology.
"Raven, I'm sorry." Danny said.
"For what? You didn't do anything wrong." Raven replied.
"No, I should have gotten there sooner, I could've warned you. But Skulker attacked me and I was too late." The halfa looked down.
"It's okay Danny." Raven said.
"And I'm sorry that he broke your heart." Danny said.
"I know it was all a lie. But he was the only person who ever made me feel like I wasn't...creepy." Raven said with a sigh.
"It doesn't matter whether or not your 'creepy', what matters is that you're not alone. We're here for you, Raven." Danny told her. Raven's response was to hug him. When she let go they both looked awkward.
"Uh-" Danny began, only to be cut off by a wad of unwashed clothes slamming into him, knocking him to the ground with a groan.
"Whoo-hoo! Stankball!" Cyborg exclaimed. Raven picked the ball of fabric up in one hand, coating in her telekinetic aura, and wearing a mischievous grin on her face.
"Now hold on Raven, don't-oof" Cyborg was struck with the wad of cloth and groaned while Raven laughed.
Next Chapter: The Beast Within.(Cloister bell)