I do not own Danny Phantom.

A Dan of Dark Proportions

Darkness scowled and glowered at his crystal. It seemed that the humans had found a way to expel the dark energy. They had already freed two out of the three ghosts his minions had corrupted, and the two humans. If they got to the corrupted elemental warriors, then he just might be in trouble.

He held up the dented silver thermos and frowned. "I do not know what you do, but I suppose we shall find out."

His hand glowed and dark energy swarmed its way up the thermos. Pained yelling could be heard before it went silent. Then it spoke. "How may I assist you, Master?"

"Destroy the three teens that wield the elements."

...

Tucker, Danny and Sam stared at Lancer. He stared back. Finally Tucker spoke. "What do you mean?"

"You just covered Phantom's arm with ice!" Lancer exclaimed, the ice pack dropping to the grass.

"No I didn't."

Lancer's eyes flashed. "I know what I saw Mr. Foley."

"Please Mr. Lancer. I think you bumped your head in the fire at some point." Sam tried to make an excuse, fingers twisting behind her back nervously.

"Then I suppose Phantom is just a mirage? With a costume change?" Lancer crossed his arms and glowered.

Sam and Tucker glanced at Danny. There had to be a way to get out of this one! But before they could come up with another excuse there was a bone-chilling, familiar laugh that echoed throughout Amity Park.

Danny froze, glowing green eyes widening in horror. "It can't be..."

"What can't be?" Lancer hissed, tendons popping in his neck. Danny didn't need to deal with this right now, not with his evil future self out of his prison. Danny shot a small beam of light at his middle age teacher. He jolted for a second and then fell to the ground, out cold.

"We'll deal with him later!" Danny snapped. "I got to go-"

Sam latched her hand around Danny's arm and shook her head firmly. "We're coming with you. You had to do this by yourself the first time, and now that Tuck and I have powers we're helping you."

"He'll kill you!" Danny protested.

"We'll take that risk. It's one for all and all for one. Understood?"

"Understood." Tucker grinned easily, but the nerves flickered through his blue-green eyes. Danny hesitated, but nodded.

"Good. Let's do this."

...

Dark Dan floated over the skies of Amity Park, red eyes now glinting black. His hands twitched with the thought of peeling the orbs from three lifeless bodies. It would indeed be sweet.

Danny crouched in an alleyway, watching as his evil future self floated above. He needed a plan. Dark Dan would not be so easy to fight this time. "I am going to kill Clockwork for letting him out of the thermos."

Tucker frowned and squinted. He peered over the top of a rotten dumpster and grinned. "I think I know how. Danny, didn't you say that Wind, Earth and Aqua were taken over?"

"Yeah, so?" Danny questioned, nerves bouncing with fear and uncertainty.

"In order to do that, Darkness would've had to go to Clockworks citadel. And that means there is a good chance he picked up Dark Dan on the way out."

"And that means Dark Dan is being controlled by Darkness," Sam finished with wide eyes.

"I am most definitely going to kill Clockwork," Danny hissed before taking a deep breath. He fixed his eyes on the moving form of Dark Dan. "I want you two to get a Light Belt and bring it to me."

"But Danny-"

"You wanted to help. You're helping. Get the belt and hurry." Sam and Tucker glanced at each other before nodding and slipping off. Danny floated into the air and powered up his gloved hands with sparking golden light.

"Here goes nothing." A golden ball shot out and nailed Dan in the neck. He stumbled off course and righted himself, snapping around in surprise.

A cruel smile spread across his pale green face. "Hello, whelp."

"I'm pretty sure that's Skulker's line." Danny narrowed his green eyes and put up a defensive stance.

"Witty as ever. Been a while. I'm glad to say that this meeting will be our last-for you, anyway."

Danny threw up a shield to block the dark spikes and retaliated with glowing arrows. Dan flicked them away with ghost rays and slammed his own rays into Danny. He crashed to the ground and landed in a flurry of gravel.

He scowled and climbed to his feet. He blocked the ghost rays and sent a wave of light. Dan hurtled backwards and crashed into a building. He crumpled to the ground, bricks raining down on him. His black eyes glinted dangerously.

"I see you got some new powers when I was gone. Light element, correct?" Danny did not answer. "I can't wait to pry that power from your cold body. It'll be the highlight of my life."

Danny went intangible to avoid the dark spikes. "Some life that is."

Dark Dan threw up a shield and the golden arrows fizzled before dissolving. "Do you forget? It is your life too."

"No!" Danny snapped, unleashing a powerful wave of light. Dan slammed his glowing fists to the ground and it split down the middle, creating a large crater in which the light was sucked into. "I will never turn into you. I promised I wouldn't!"

"You are as naive as the first time we battled," Dan hissed, a purple-glowing fist slamming into Danny's torso. The teen went intangible and fell through a billboard. He landed on the other side and moaned softly. He stumbled to his feet and powered up his hands. When Dan phased through the cardboard sign, Danny let loose with golden electricity. The billboard-advertising pain reliever, if you can believe it-exploded into tiny bits of wood and plastic. Dan fell to the cement roof, crackling with gold light

"Aagghh!" Danny yelped as he was thrown over the side of the roof by black ropes of energy. He sailed through the air and smacked into the grass of the park on the other side of town. Exhaustion flowed through him and he shoved himself to his feet.

If my light can mix with my ghost side, then I wonder what will happen if I use my Ghostly Wail...

Danny quickly glanced around the abandoned park. Good thing no one was around. This could get ugly. Dan floated within his Ghostly Wail range, and Danny took a deep breath and let loose with his wail.

Dark Dan narrowed his black eyes as golden light streamed towards him. "I don't think so kid. You may have gotten that power a decade earlier than me, but I still have the most experience." Another Ghostly Wail was sent out, and the dark waves met with the golden waves in the middle, and the very earth shook before them.

...

Sam and Tucker raced through the streets and climbed over overturned cars. Black and gold light was crackling in the distance, and a soft rumbling was making them nervous. Sam clutched the belt between her sweaty hands and her black boots pounded the sidewalk and she skidded around the corner.

"Jeez," Tucker muttered as he hurried beside Sam. His face was red from the constant running, but his harsh panting didn't take Sam's violet eyes from the sight before her.

Danny and Dan were in mid-air, Ghostly Wails colliding with each other and making the earth shake under them. Tucker gripped a lamppost for balance and frowned. "We need to get him down!" he hollered over the noise.

Sam winced as the small kids wading pool cracked in two and a water pipe burst. She sprinted forward and a jolt of the ground sent her tumbling. She scowled and glanced up. "Time for some fire power!"

Her hands flared up and she fired. The flames crashed into Dark Dan and he shouted in pain and shock. The dark waves ceased and a golden wave slammed into Dan. Danny fell to the grass and crumpled, blue rings forming an unconscious Danny Fenton.

Tucker hurried forward pinned down Dan with as much ice as he could. Dark Dan shouted in rage and blasted the ice off of him. Sam got to her feet and held the belt tightly in her hands. She motioned for Tucker to get him down from the air.

"Miss us?" Tucker asked, forming icicles and glowering at Dan.

"Hardly," Dan growled. He slammed dark spikes at Tucker and he tuck-and-rolled. The techgeek got to his feet and fired the icy projectiles.

Dan went intangible and the icicles went through him. Tucker silently created ice steps behind him. Sam rolled her eyes and cautiously climbed the make-shift steps. Dark Dan created a ball of dark energy and grinned evilly.

"Just as pathetic as I remember. I can't wait to-aagghh!"

Sam clapped the belt around his waist and jumped down the steps. She ran to attend to Danny and Tucker watched as Dan crumpled to the ground withering in golden light. He waited until his eyes changed back to red before pulling a new Fenton Thermos from his backpack and sucking a confused and weak Dark Dan back in.

"Hasta la Vista, baby." He capped the Thermos and paused. "I could've come up with something better than that."

"Enough with the stupid cunning farewell lines, Tuck. We need to get Danny back home and then we have to convince Lancer he was hallucinating."

Tucker stuffed the Fenton Thermos in his bag and ran over. He grabbed Danny by the legs and Sam grabbed the arms. Tucker surveyed the tired and pale face of Danny Fenton and sighed.

"Clockwork better be ready. Danny isn't going to be happy when he wakes up."