I do not own Danny Phantom.

Educating Teen Minds

Tucker sucked on the straw to his milkshake and ignored the glares Sam sent him. The library may have had a no food or drink rule, but no one had caught him yet. And he was determined to finish his chocolate milkshake.

Sam rolled her violet eyes and her boots clomped softly on the carpet. She inhaled the scent of old and worn-out books resting on mahogany shelves and dismissed the odd looks given to her by her two best friends. They came upon the computer section and Sam settled herself in the plush seat. Danny and Tucker peered over her shoulder as she rapidly typed words into the search bar.

"Would you stop slurping that in my ear?" she hissed at Tucker.

"I don't mean to. It's a milkshake, it happens."

"Well, stop before you wind up wearing it."

"Okay, okay. Sheesh."

Danny glanced at the search results that appeared on the screen and pointed at a website that stood out to him. "History of the Elements. That should be good."

Sam clicked on it and began to read aloud.

"Long ago in history, there was a legend about seven powerful beings that could control the elements to their whim. Water, Fire, Wind, Ice, Earth, Light and Darkness inhabited themselves into seven human beings. There were no explanations why. The seven humans said that it was fate, and that they were the chosen ones. They immediately discovered that the elements were strong powers to control, and extremely dangerous if not handled properly.

"So they decided to work together to bring harmony to all seven elements, and thus create balance within the world. But many people began to get scared and feared these strange abilities. So they cornered the elemental warriors and hung them in the gallows without as much as a fair trial."

Tucker gripped his throat and gulped loudly.

"That explains why they're ghosts," Danny mused. "Destined to control the elements for eternity. But why did Darkness chose now to rebel?"

Sam shrugged. "I guess he finally snapped. I would too if I were hung for no reason other than fear. Not to mention that darkness isn't exactly the most celebrated of the elements."

Tucker stared at his hand for a moment. "But why did Clockwork give the elements to us?"

"Let's be honest. Who else is there?"

Sam and Tucker were stumped. "No clue."

Danny smiled. "And Clockwork can see everything. He must know we'll succeed!"

"Danny, Clockwork has a strange way of doing things," Sam pointed out. "For all we know, one of us could die while the other two save the world."

"I think I want a refund," Tucker muttered.

"I don't think he'd let that happen," said Danny, though he wasn't entirely certain. As much as he trusted and admired Clockwork, he had to admit that the Master of Time was known for being manipulative. His job was to ensure time flowed as it was supposed to-even if that meant sacrificing a few in the process.

Sam sighed. "Okay. Let's think about this for a second. Darkness has corrupted Light, Fire and Ice. But Earth, Wind and Aqua managed to take the elements away and give them to us. That means the only power they have at the moment is to corrupt others to join Darkness' rebellion."

Tucker paled. "But that also means that if Darkness finds out who the elemental powers have been passed on to, he'll come after us!"

Danny scoffed. "Come on, Tuck. Light totally beats darkness! It shouldn't be a problem."

"I don't think it works like that." Sam tapped the screen with a purple-polished fingernail. "The elements work best when they work together. All of them. So it's pretty much fair game if it's one for all."

"We still got Wind, Aqua and Earth," Danny pointed out. "It's still six against one. Technically."

"I'm pretty sure it's not that easy. Nothing is. But I guess we'll have to keep our guard up and keep this a secret. We can confer with the other elemental warriors if need be." Sam closed the screen and stood up and stretched. "I think we should test out our powers."

Danny thought for a moment. "That sounds like a good idea." He turned to Tucker. "I think you should go see Frostbite. He taught me a lot about controlling my ice powers. He can do the same for you."

Tucker hesitated before nodding. "I guess so. But what are you and Sam gonna do?"

"We'll practice in the Ghost Zone," Danny replied simply. "Hardy anything to destroy if things happen to get out of control."

Sam grinned and cracked her knuckles. "This is going to be so cool!"

...

In a dark abandoned castle that overlooked a murky and deep lake stood a ghost in a black robe with purple hooks. His shadowed face stared at the crystal in front of him. Angrily, he banged his fist on the rusted tabletop and growled, "Children have the elements? How idiotic can the other elemental warriors be?"

They still managed to keep hold of three elements.

"No matter," Darkness snapped, ignoring his inner voice. "I shall send you three to claim your elements soon enough," he directed to his corrupted followers. "For now we focus on Earth, Aqua and Wind."

Three figures floated over to meet him in the center of the gloomy and damp room. Moss and mould crept along the stone walls and the window screen was covered in a coat of grim.

One of the figures was cloaked in white, the other in an ice blue, the last in a red. "What do you command, Master?" they questioned in monotone voices.

Darkness stared at the crystal one last time before glowering at his servants. "I order you to seek out the other three elements and bring them to me."

"What about the children?"

"They will be dealt with in time. The elements are strong and powerful. If they survive while controlling them, then we will simply remove it from their systems in the most painful way imaginable."