Disclaimer: I still don't own Danny Phantom as it's the property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Viacom International. I am just a loyal fan and nothing more.

Unshattered Bonds

Chapter 14: Resistance

"Let go of me! You don't understand!..." Ember shouted as she found herself being forced into the ghostly paddy wagon.

"Oh, we understand enough to know your in trouble..."One of the guards said as he slammed the door shut.

"NO!..."Ember shouted as she tried to bang on the door even with her hands still bound.

This was NOT how it was suppose to go. She spent an unknown amount of time screaming and trying to break free from her cuffs but with no luck. This continued for a while, until the frustration and anger soon turned into desperation and woe.

"No...No...No..."Ember banged and banged unit she felt the tears swell in her eyes and found herself sliding to the ground, anguish building within her un-beating heart.

It was all over now!

She didn't understand how it could have turned out like this. She was so close to freeing Aphrodite and saving Danny, but then she stupidly had to let herself get caught and now Vlad knew about her, she was being sentence to ghost jail where she would either be locked up in a dingy cell for the rest of her afterlife or until Vlad shows up to end her misery. Both fates were horrible but it paled in comparison to the fact that Danny was still going to be trapped by those two monsters for the rest of his life and she would never be able to be with him again.

'Danny...'Ember said in between her sobs.

These last eight years with Danny had been the best in both her life and afterlife and she loved him so much. She wanted to marry him, start a family and live out the rest of their existence together. Now that would never happen now that Danny was going to be trapped in a false marriage with Paulina and be Vlad's little evil heir in training while he turned both the earth and the Ghost Zone in a dystopia of his very own design.

It was a nightmare!

"Danny..."She cried his name once more.

She missed him so much in this horrible timeline. She missed feeling his warm lips against her cold ones whenever they kissed, she missed feeling him strong arms around her as they embraced, she missed hearing his hot voice whispering sweet nothings in her ear and she missed the warm, adoring look in his eyes that was reserved for her and no one else!

That brief moment in his arms, with him looking in her eyes. Ember was certain that somewhere, deep down, the man she fell in love with was somehow in that over-dressed prince. She couldn't explain it but she knew he was still inside, she saw it in his eyes...but it didn't matter now. She was being arrested and taken as far away as possible from him while Vlad would no doubt try and keep brainwashing him with lies and manipulating him to be with that lying witch Paulina.

"Paulina..."Ember said that name like it was a curse word.

She briefly imagined the two of them together and screamed blue murder! Paulina was a bigger monster than Vlad was. She stole her place in her beloved's heart and now she was going to steal her place as his bride and it was so wrong! Paulina didn't even really love Danny at all, she was just obsessed with nourishing her broken pride and vanity. Danny didn't deserve that witch, he needed someone who actually cared about his feelings, which the lying bitch clearly didn't in the slightest from what she saw. Danny was just property to her, as he was to Vlad. She saw that he clearly wasn't happy with either of them but they didn't care.

All they cared about was that he broke him and he was going to stay that way now.

This was all her fault for getting caught. Now Danny was lost to her forever, Aphrodite and Clockwork were still being held as prisoners and Vlad was going to continue screwing the world over until he practically turns it into ruins...and it was all her fault for failing to stop it.

"Danny...I'm so sorry...'She whispered bitterly as she continued to be carted off to whatever horrible fate would befall her.

Later

Ember didn't know how long she was stuck in that damned cart, though she suspected she was already in the Ghost Zone. She was just stuck wallowing in her self pity as she kept thinking about her beloved.

"Danny..."She whispered again as she felt another tear fall as she knew the guards were ignoring her, as they were listening to the radio.

'Crank up the radio, her sobbing is getting on my nerves..."One of the ghost guards said insensitively as the music suddenly was blaring.

Ember bit her lip, her misery was now fermenting into anger and she soon found herself getting up.

'What the heck am I doing? I'm Ember Mclain and I don't mope over set backs..."She thought angrily.

She wasn't fixing this mess by crying over it. She might have been caught but she was still existing and she wasn't going to lose her man to those monsters. She had to escape and find a way to fix this whole mess before it was actually too late.

"I got to get out of here and find a way back to Danny, it's my only chance...'She thought as she looked around and glanced at her ecto-proof handcuffs. She recognized them as the model that Mr. and Mrs. Fenton made in other to detain the rogue ghosts in a humane way.

"Figures Vlad would steal Jack's design...'Ember thought in annoyance until she recalled something.

Unless Vlad made some modifications, which she doubted given that these were the same model, she knew that these cuffs can lock onto a ghosts power level and restrain them but they had a small glitch in them. They were still man made devices that can only hold so much of a ghosts power...and Ember had the ability to increase her power either from people chanting her name or...

"That's it..."She thought in eureka.

The only other source of her power was her love for Danny, it had been how she was able to get the upper hand on him 8 years ago when she broke him free from the love arrows affect...Maybe, just maybe...it could help her again.

"Okay Ember...Love...Love...It's your only chance...'She whispered to herself as she tried to think about Danny.

She recalled their first date, their first anniversary, the first time she French kissed him and many other important millstones in they're 8 year long relationship, all to the memory of how he proposed to her.

"I really love you Ember…You are so beautiful, strong, talented, sweet and amazing. I never thought I could ever be this happy with anyone...and I want our love to last for all time too…" Danny said in a loving tone.

"No way…D-Danny, are you-…" Ember said as she watched him get down on his knee and pull out a velvet box with a ring.

'Ember Mclain…Will you marry me?..." Danny asked as he held out the ring to the stunned diva..

"Oh…Oh…Oh YES!..."Ember exclaimed as she pounced him and proceeded to kiss him.

Ember tried to recall the memory in as much detail as possible, as she suddenly felt her hair raise a foot and she grinned widely.

"It's working..."She thought in excitement as she tried to focus on her cuffs, that suddenly sent her a shock.

"Ow!...'She yelped but continued to think about her man, of her love for him and she continued to focus the energy on her horrible cuffs, despite the zaps it was giving her, she could feel that they were beginning to weaken, she knew it.

'OW! Ouch!...Come on Ember...just...a little...more..."Ember hissed in between the pain the zaps where giving her as she tried to focus all of her power on destroying the cuffs around her.

The increasing power and the electric zaps of the cuffs suddenly got the guards attention from the other side of the paddy wagon.

'What the heck is she doing?...'One guard asked as he noticed that Ember was being electrocuted but still generating power.

"ALMOST THERE!...'She shouted as she kept fueling her love for Danny into increasing her power...and suddenly a crack was heard as she saw one of the cuffs was being dented.

"WHAT THE-?..."The other guard suddenly stopped the truck and pulled out his weapon, just in case.

"AHHHHH!..."Ember screamed loudly as her hair raised another foot and the cuffs were finally destroyed by the concentrated energy...the truck itself didn't survive as well since Ember's suddenly burst of power made it burst open, knocking out the two guards in the process.

Ember soon fell to the ground panting. She felt some residual pain from the repeated zaps she received but she was still around. That was enough for her.

"I...I got to get back...I got to...'She said as she ignored the pain and soon found herself flying away before the guards got back on her feet.

She was free now and she had to use her one chance left

At Vlad's castle

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT SHE ESCAPED?!..." Vlad shouted in outrage into his phone.

"According to my guards, the girl somehow generated more power and ended up destroying her handcuffs before she made it to the prison and escaped..."Walked explained, a bitterness evident in his tone.

"You have until morning to find and detain that girl Walker unless you want to face her sentence..."Vlad threatened to the ghostly warden on the other line.

"Rest assure Emperor Plasmius, I already have all of my patrolmen scouting the entire zone for her...She can run but we'll catch her soon...'Walker insisted.

"That better be so, you have until morning to find and capture her. I want to arrive there to destroy her myself for all of her insolence...'Vlad said menacingly.

"Understood Emperor Plasmius...'Walker said before hanging up.

Vlad growled in anger and soon destroyed his phone with his very hand, despite being in his human form. He still could not believe that harpy Ember Mclain somehow escaped the changes he made and she was out there, no doubt trying to ruin everything he worked so hard for.

"Not this time, that girl thinks she's clever but she has no idea who she is up against..."Vlad muttered to himself.

He finally had everything he ever longed for and he was not going to let that smug, ghostly diva ruin his victory. He finally had his perfect wife, his perfect family, his perfect heir, power, riches and absolute control over the entire world. He finally had it and he was not going to part with it ever!

Even if he had to destroy that girl in order to keep it.

"Father...'A voice called out.

Vlad turned to see his step-son and heir Daniel enter his office, clearly nervous about something.

"Oh what is it that you want Daniel? I am very busy with work!...'Vlad barked in annoyance causing the boy to flinch.

"I...I have to talk to you about...the wedding..."Danny said, clearly nervous by the glare his father was sending him.

'What about it? It's tomorrow morning and I told you that everything is all set, I even made sure that the town's bakery worked overtime to prepare the perfect cake by morning..."Vlad said.

"I know but...I was thinking...about that girl with the firey blue hair from the dungeon..."Danny started and Vlad had to hide his panic.

"Oh no!...'The emperor thought horrified but tried to regain control.. ."What about her? That girl was a criminal that broke into our castle to rob us and she's being punished...'Vlad said, using the cover story he gave the boy and Maddie when they questioned him earlier.

"I understand but father, I can't explain it but I feel like that girl is someone I know...'Danny started.

"No! Paulina was right. He's remembering her..."Vlad thought as he tried to fix this... "What do you mean ? That you met her before?...'He accused.

"No, and that's why I am so confused, I know that I have never met her before..." Danny said, while on the inside he thought ..." Except in my dreams...'He thought but wisely kept that part quiet.

"Daniel, that woman is a ghost and a dangerous one as well, she likely tried messing with your mind...'Vlad said quickly.

"But I-..."Danny started but was cut off.

"Look tomorrow is your wedding day and it will be a grand day for our family and the entire world to witness.."Vlad said with a faux smile.

"But father...Maybe the wedding being tomorrow is too soon..." Danny started.

'Daniel, I think your just experiencing wedding jitters, there's nothing to worry about. Just get dressed and marry the woman that's meant for you and everything will be perfect..Now get to bed, you need to be well rested for the most important day of your life...'Vlad said as he patted him on the back.

Danny sighed, realizing that his father was absolutely convinced with having the wedding tomorrow. Danny could only look at him but found himself being cowed yet agan by the look in his eyes.

"Yes father..."Danny said as he found himself leaving the office and heading for his room.

"Good boy..."Vlad said before the fake smile he had on turned into a scowl.

"That Ember..."Vlad said angrily as he went to his desk and pulled out his spare phone and quickly dialed another number.

"Hello...I have a job for you..."Vlad said as he began to give his instructions to the one person he knew could help capture Ember and make sure that this time, she won't be able to escape.

Meanwhile

In the Ghost Zone

Ember was happy that her healing factor finally kicked in. She was back on her feet and was trying to find a way back into the human world. She tried to find the Fenton Work's ghost portal until she realized that it didn't even exist in this timeline. So she had to find another way to get back to the human world. She also had to be careful, since she knew that the ghost zone police department were after her now.

'Be on the lookout for this rogue escaped convict...'She heard some nearby radio said as it gave her description.

"Come on Ember, you can handle this...'She said as she kept sneaking, hiding behind every floating rock and door whenever she saw some cop ghost on the look out.

So far, they didn't see her and she was going to keep it that way.

'I got to get back to earth soon..."She muttered as she kept flying, onto to bump into someone, knocking them down.

"Ow!...'Ember said and panicked when she thought it might been a cop, until she recognized that it was someone else.

'It was Cupid?!

"Ow! Ember Mclain, what are you doing here?...'The former spirit of love spat angrily.

Ember was about to retort, until she registered what he just said.

"Wait? You know who I am?...'Ember said in confusion.

"How can I forget, you were the one who ruined me!...'The cherub shouted angrily at her.

Ember would have smacked him for that but she suddenly found herself smiling and even found herself picking him up.

"YOU RECOGNIZE ME! YOU REMEMBER!...'She cheered, happy to know that someone else in this world wasn't brainwashed by Vlad yet.

"Unhand me at one!...'Cupid demanded.

'Now what's wrong with you?...'The former spirit of love demanded.

'How is it that you recognize me? Plasmius changed the timeline and you are not wearing a medallion..."Ember asked the cherub.

"You're so ignorant, the spirit of time and the spirit of love (even former ones), can't contradict with each others work, and so we are given immunity to whatever changes the master of time does to the timeline. We still retain full memories and powers despite whatever changes have happened..."Cupid explained.

Ember ignored the "ignorant" comment, she was just happy she had someone to talk to now, even if it was this jerk.

"Cupid! I don't know if you noticed but Vlad kidnapped both your mother and Clockwork and now has control over the time line and the love arrows..." Ember said in a panic.

"So?...'Cupid said carelessly as he flew past her.

Ember was stunned, but stun turned to angry and she immediately blocked his path.

"Didn't you hear a word I just said? Vlad has taken over the earth and time itself and he even got you mom locked like a caged animal..."Ember said angrily.

"And how exactly is that my problem?...'The cherub said angrily as he tried to move around her.

"Okay, I just said that Vlad took over the world and is ruining time and you don't even care...Are you really that mad at your mom?..."Ember asked, already figuring out his problem.

"That woman is not my mother!..." Cupid shouted in anger... "She turned me into a slave for 8 years, so why should I bother helping her out because she got careless again..." He spat.

Ember blinked and sent him a dirty look. He was just as bitter and pathetic as he was 8 years ago, maybe even more so now. Ember had hoped that the ego deflating during his time with Pandora might have humbled him...and that humbling might change him. Seems that she was wrong about that.

"That only happened because you were being cruel! Cupid, I know that your pissed off at your mom but the fact remains that she's your mother and she needs you now...'Ember said, reminding him of what he did to her on that day so long ago.

Even if it worked out in the end, the fact remained that Cupid deliberately tried to set her up for heartbreak and no matter the context, that was still a cruel thing to do in general.

"Bah! If you had even the slightest idea of all of the cruel things my mother did over the years without so much as receiving a scolding, you would not be so willing to help her...You only worry for her because she showed you her "nice" side but you have no idea the vain harlot she is inside..."Cupid shouted... "Did she ever tell you that I was born out of wedlock, or of the numerous affairs and half siblings she had while I was growing up or that she would do anything to make sure no one else ended up being prettier than her...'Cupid shouted in anger and shame.

Ember looked unmoved.

"Come off it Cupid. I get it, your mom slept around and clearly did some things that screwed you up while you were growing up, but you can't keep blaming her for all the mistakes you made...She told me about the whole story with Psyche, that the only reason she left you was because she thought you were too cruel to mortals and she couldn't accept that. Your mother also told me that she did try and apologize to you and even tried to search for your wife but you still wouldn't accept her back...'Ember said, recalling the times she hung out with Aphrodite.

"Give me one reason why I should ever forgive her and try to help her?...'Cupid demanded.

"Because she's your mom and unlike my parents, she realized that she made a mistake and wants to make up with you but you wouldn't let her and that turned you into an even bigger jackass!...'Ember shouted.

"Why you...'Cupid growled but didn't try to fight since he was still low in power.

"Listen here Cupid, maybe Aphrodite will never win mother of the year but I talked with her and I know that despite everything, she loves you and is actually sorry about what she did but you always turned your back on her...If you had the slightest idea of what my parents were like...Anyway, what I'm saying is that sure she screwed up but so did you and you can't keep blaming her for every mistake you made in your life... That's what I did with my own parents and I know I was being stupid and immature...but...but I also know that if either my mom or dad...if they at least realized what they did to me...and felt sorry for it...truly sorry and tried to make it up to me...I would have at least given them a chance to earn my forgiveness but you didn't. You keep holding on to your grudge and all it does is make you angry and miserable...'Ember said.

'Leave me alone...'Cupid grumbled, turning away from her.

"Cupid, I know that you don't really hate your mom enough to abandon her in her time in need, you're not that evil...'Ember said.

"You don't know a single thing about me..." Cupid said angrily.

"I know that your miserable and alone and that your going to stay that way unless you grow up and try to fix things with your mom, and saving her and the timeline would be a good start...'Ember said.

Cupid was silent for a moment, but just sent her another glare.

"Leave Ember alone, I think you wasted both of our time..."The former spirit of love said bitterly.

Ember bit back a scream and sent him a harsh glare.

'Fine! Maybe I did waste my time thinking you might have had even the least bit of decenty, but I guess I was wrong!...'Ember yelled before slapping him hard in the face.

The enraged ghostly diva then left that spot. leaving Cupid to hiss in pain all by himself, alone.

Just like he wanted to be...alone.

Elsewhere

Ember continued to search for a natural portal to head back to earth but she couldn't find one. She knew that she would have to find one fast since time was definitely not on her side.

"Come on Ember...Don't give up!...'She said to herself, determined to get out of here before she got caught again.

Suddenly a blast was sent in her direction and she only barely dodged it.

"What the hell?...'Ember shouted and looked up and frowned when she saw that it was Skulker pointing missiles at her.

"Skulker?!...'Ember shouted in anger and flabbergast.

"Ah Ember, long time no see. What has it been, a decade since you dumped me..."Skulker said with venom while he gave a predatory grin.

"What do you want?...'Ember shouted, pulling out her guitar to deck him if she had to.

"You caused quite a bit of trouble and Plasmius is demanding your presence...I'm just here to collect you..."He said with a shrug.

"As if!...'Ember said as she sent an ecto blast at him, which Skulker surprisingly dodged.

"I don't believe that you have a choice...'Skulker said as he sent another blast at her, which Ember was close to avoiding.

"What? Oh man, don't tell me he's gotten an upgrade...'She thought in dismay as she found herself fighting against her ex-boyfriend.

Ember was surprised, usually she had no trouble beating Skulker's ass around but this version of him was a little tougher, no doubt thanks to Vlad's handy work.

"You're only making it worse for yourself..."Skulker said in a cocky tone as he dodged her guitar.

"How can this get worse?...'She screamed as she sent a fist blast at him.

'LIKE THIS!...'Skulker said as he produced what looked like the Maddie modulator and Ember's blast got send back, hitting her instead.

"AHHH!..."Ember said as she found herself on the ground.

"Crap! Vlad stole another gadget..."Ember grumbled as Skulker approached her with a strange cube in his hand.

"Now to capture you and collect my reward, no hard feelings babe, it's business..."Skulker shrugged.

Ember thought she was doomed until something she never would have predicted happened. A blast suddenly hit Skulker, sending him flying several feet away from her.

'AHH!...'Skulker yelled as he fell to the ground.

"What?...'Ember said as she saw what was happening.

Suddenly a group of humans appeared, ally carrying weapons as they surrounded Skulker. She also saw that they all had what looked like Fenton thermoses in their hands.

"Capture him!..."One of them said as they sucked Skulker inside it.

"AHHH!...'Skulker yelled as he was sucked in.

"Target captured Captain Manson...'One of the guys said to who was obviously the leader.

"Excellent, send him to the lab. We need as much data as we can if we want to make it work..."The female leader said.

"Wait! Manson?!As in SAM MANSON?!..."Ember shouted, getting the attention of the ghost hunter and they suddenly pointed weapons at her.

"The name is Sam Manson, Captain of the Earth's Freedom Brigade!...State your business, ghost!...'Sam said as she held out her weapon to the unknown ghost.

Ember could not believe this, she got captured by the ghost zone police, barely managed to escape, ran into a stubborn idiot, nearly got captured by her deranged ex-boyfriend and was unwittingly rescued by Sam who was now about to interrogate her.

This was going to be good.

To be continued-

Next time on Unshattered Bonds

The rebellion

REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewers:

Invader Johnny: Yeah, I thought it was a good way of showing just how spoiled she is, that she even has the nerve to try and boss Vlad around too.

Feurrige: We will see soon enough what fate has in store for them once this fic is over.

Meilstoer: Nice reference.

:) Till next time beautiful people, remember to read and review :)