Disclaimer: I still don't own Danny Phantom. It's the property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Viacom International and it always will be. I am just one of the many fans out there.
Cupid's Wrath
Chapter 12: Bitterness
The next morning was atypical for Kitty, having gotten out of bed after a rather passionate night with her man Johnny who was now eating breakfast. However, Kitty was on cloud nine as she gazed on the ring on her finger.
She couldn't believe that after so long, Johnny finally proposed to her and on Valentine's day no less.
It was such a wonderful moment, Johnny had taken her out on a picnic in a beautiful valley in the human world where they watched the sun set and Johnny gave her the surprise of her after life when he got down on his knees and presented her the diamond ring that now replaced the old class ring he gave her when they were still alive.
"I can't believe that soon I'm finally going to be called Kitty 13..."She thought gleefully as she admired the rock on her finger.
Kitty couldn't wait any longer and soon found her way to Ember's realm to share the good news. She could imagine her best friend was also enjoying cloud nine after her date with Danny last night.
"I can't believe it, I'm getting married and Ember might finally have a boyfriend that's worth it..."She thought happily as she soon arrived at Ember's door. However after several minutes of knocking there was still no answer.
"That's odd...maybe she went out..."Kitty thought, before she noticed the door was slightly ajar...Without thinking twice, she entered and her jaw dropped at the sight before her.
Ember's realm looked like a tornado hit it! There was broken glass everywhere, several empty bags of chips and tubs of ice cream and she even noticed some discarded tissues on the ground.
"What the-..?" Kitty thought and had a bad feeling about this.
"Ember! Where are you?..."Kitty shouted and searched the realm for her gal pal, all the while her concern grew the more she saw the disarray area.
"GET OUT!..."Was shouted loudly and Kitty turned around to see Ember who looked to be in a very bad mood.
Her fire-hair was blazing more than normal and she looked like something really pissed her off...though Kitty couldn't help but notice her were red and not the kind a ghost got when they had a power boost, but the puffy, tired kind…. The kind a person got after crying...
'E-Ember?...'Kitty muttered.
"Oh...It's you..."Ember said solemnly before sitting on her couch, trying to look casual but Kitty wasn't fooled.
"Girl...What on earth happened to you?..."Kitty asked in concern though Ember just had a sour expression.
"Nothin'..."She said nonchalantly but Kitty was getting more worried.
"What do you mean nothing?..This place is a disaster area and you look like I did after Johnny and I went on brief breakup two years ago…."Kitty shouted and noticed Ember was trying hard not to show any emotion.
"Don't you have a boyfriend to tend to or something?...'Ember said in a hostile tone and Kitty was taken back a bit.
Sure Ember could be a hothead but she considered the ghostly diva her friend and she's always been willing to voice her complaints to her whenever she could, whether it was boyfriend trouble or complaining about Phan-
Realization hit Kitty like an oncoming bus. The broken furniture, the large amount of comfort food, the bad attitude, the used tissues and the red eyes all pointed to one direction: She didn't have a good time last night.
And it must have been very bad if she was crying about it….Ember never cried!.
"Ember...Did something happen last night with Danny?..."Kitty asked carefully but was taken back when she saw Ember flinch and looked like she wanted to murder someone.
"Who cares about that dipstick? I sure don't!...'Ember hissed but Kitty knew her theory was true.
Still she was taken back, even with her other exes, while Ember did get angry but she never cried, she mostly just sulked after giving them a good beating before being sour for a while….She got angry, she got violent but as far as Kitty knew….she never cried over a man before.
"Ember, you're scaring me..."Kitty said honestly to the ghostly diva who turned away from her.
"Hmmmp..."Ember only said as she tried to ignore the green biker babe.
"Come on girl, I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened...'Kitty insisted only for Ember to give her a harsh glare.
"There isn't anything you could do to help...It wouldn't matter..."Ember said softly but Kitty could sense the bitterness in her tone.
"What do you me-...Kitty was cut off as Ember suddenly looked like she would explode.
"I wasn't real, okay!..."She shouted loudly, enough for Kitty to take a few steps back.
"What wasn't real?...'Kitty asked to the distressed, angry songstress.
"The thing with Danny...It was nothing but a joke..."Ember said trying to sound angry but Kitty could clearly see the sadness she was trying so desperately to hide.
Kitty only stood there in shock as Ember told her about what happened last night, that her feelings for Danny were just the result of her being under one of Cupid's spells and he fully intended her to be subjected to heartbreak just because she mocked the topic of love.
All the while Kitty didn't know how to react but she could only feel sorry for her friend...She finally felt love but it wasn't real.
"I can't believe it...I'm so sorry Ember..."Kitty said softly but Ember just refused to look at her.
"Whatever..."Ember muttered.
'I can't believe Cupid could be so cruel...I can't believe he put a spell on you just to prove a point..."Kitty said feeling angry at the so called spirit of love. She couldn't believe that he would go out of his way to humiliate and hurt Ember just because he took what she said personally...It was just plain cruelty.
"Believe it girl...'Ember said bitterly, feeling the same kind of anger and humiliation from yesterday swell up again...though she refused to believe she should feel sad.
"What happened between me and Danny...It wasn't real...We were just the butt of a really bad joke..."She muttered trying to keep her angry face and not give into a sad one.
There was absolutely nothing between her and Danny, nothing but hatred and the only reason she went to him in the first place was because she deemed him her worst enemy….There was absolutely nothing between them that would ever resemble love.
Nothing at all….
Casper High, Amity Park
7:50am
Sam Manson had just arrived and was getting her books out of her locker though her mind kept retreating back, she thought about the black rose she received for Valentine's day and the boy who gave it to her.
The dark flower came from a guy named Christopher Morgan, a senior from Elmerton that she met at the park when she was doing one of her pro-environmental protests. Christopher was a 17 year old senior at Elmerton High and an aspiring vet student who was one of the people who sighed up for her protest against cutting down the old oak tree, and sometime after that, he started flirting with her.
Sam honestly tried to ignore him, she was still a bit raw from breaking up with Danny and she tried to ignore the boys gestures but Christopher was persistent and after a while, Sam found herself liking the attention from the older boy.
Christopher was a tall, blonde boy with green eyes and had a rather simple disposition, he wasn't anything like the Gothic boys she occasionally hung out with at the Skulk-n-Lurk, or exotic and mysterious like that phony Gregor/Elliot tried to trick her into thinking he was or even mild mannered, sarcastic but lovable like Danny was. Christopher was….normal, but there was something about him that Sam didn't dislike to be honest.
She could still remember him presenting her the rose and asking her out. She had been taking a stroll around to the park to enjoy herself and try to ignore the blatant commercialism of the holiday that made a profit off a person's insecurities in romance. During her stroll she came across a baby sparrow that fell out of her nest and Sam tried to get it back only to run into Christopher who offered to help her.
Sam was mildly surprised that he offered to give her the boost she needed to reach the branch and they managed to reunite the baby bird with it's family. Once done, they started talking a bit about everything from animals to the latest Dumpty Humpty songs, before she started complaining about the holiday in general.
Christopher however had another view on the topic, he argued that while he didn't approve of the constant merchandizing and people getting depressed over lack of dates on that particular date, he mentioned that it was meant to honor the bonds formed between people, romantic and otherwise.
Before Sam knew it, he handed her the black rose as he said he wanted a bond with her as well, but only if she was willing. He told her that she fascinated him and he thought she was an admirable person, he said he liked her passion for nature, her independence and intelligence and he wanted to get to know her more. She was completely confused by the entire topic, usually she wasn't so hesitant to reject the guys that had been hitting on her since her breakup with Danny...but Christopher was different.
He clearly loved animals and nature and that was a big plus in her opinion, but he wasn't as adventurous or active like she was….though Sam could tell he was smart and didn't seemed to be interested in getting in her pants like most of the other guys who were interested in her solely because she dated Danny.
Sam was still so conflicted, Christopher was a nice guy but she still wasn't ready for a new relationship so soon. He however sensed her hesitation and told her it was alright, that he just wanted to let her know but he would back off if she truly wanted him too.
Sam however only said she was confused and needed time to think his offer over, which he accepted.
"What am I going to do? He's a nice guy but after the thing with Danny...I don't think I'm ready yet..."Sam thought to herself as she walked through the hall, her thoughts on her ex boyfriend/current best friend and her new admirer.
Sam saw so lost in her thoughts, she failed to noticed she ran into someone.
"Ow!...MANSON! If I get a broken nail, it's on your head..."A loud, accented voice shouted and Sam glowered at the person she ran into.
It was Paulina Sanchez and she was clearly not happy about the potential damage to her visage.
"Like I care..."Sam said sharply to her rival.
"Uhg...Look I don't have time to waste on you, I gotta find my Danny..."Paulina said snobbishly and Sam rolled her eyes with her obsession.
Ever since freshman year, it's been the same story with her and her infatuation with her ex, even when they were dating Paulina still blatantly flirted with him, even in front of her eyes.
Needless to say, it ended with more than a broken nail a couple of times.
"Will you just give it up Paulina?! Danny doesn't like you and you can't keep pestering him like this!..."Sam said to the uppity girl who sent her a nasty glare.
"What? Feeling some regret that you managed to let him slip through your badly manicured fingers…."Paulina said mockingly, causing Sam to roll her eyes at the self-centered fan girl.
"No, I'm just a concerned friend who's tired of seeing her best friend being sexually harassed by a spoiled brat who can't tale "no" for an answer..."Sam shot back, and smirked when Paulina's smug smile dropped.
"I am not harassing him!...'Paulina shouted, which unintentionally got attention from some of the students in the hall.
"Oh please! Danny's told you countless time that he's not interested and instead of accepting it and moving on like a normal person, you whine and keep badgering him into changing his mind. Danny's told me about the "presents" you've been sending him, I can't believe you would sink low enough to make your own porn for him..."Sam said disgusted.
"He told you about that?!...'Paulina asked in shock.
"He also told me that his SPAM is almost full, along with his trashcan..."Sam said harshly to the Hispanic beauty queen.
"Danny and I are soul mates and today I'm going to win back his heart!..'Paulina said to the goth who was giving her an incredulous look.
"You really are hopeless, aren't you?..."Sam said, she still couldn't believe that once again, her words entered one ear but came out of the other.
Sam almost enjoyed watching the vain cheerleader almost tremble in anger, her overly make up face in an ugly scowl and her teeth clenching a bit.
I...I don't have time to waste on you Manson but Danny and I are meant for each other and soon he'll be reminded of how much he can't live without me...Paulina said dramatically as she marched away from the Goth girl who only shook her head.
"She's living in a fantasy world….Poor Danny…."Sam thought sympathetically as she knew her friend was going to face another day of harassment from the school princess, not to mention a bunch of other stupid fan girls who were almost as bad.
She soon noticed some loud screams across the hall and she knew what that meant: Danny had arrived.
She saw Danny ignoring his fans like always as he tried to get to his locker...but Sam couldn't help but noticed the frown on his face and it wasn't the usual "I'm annoyed" kinda frown he would get by the press or his friends...It was almost like he had a storm cloud floating on his head.
"Danny…."Sam whispered in concern as she noticed her friends just kept walking, though she knew he was down...and judging from the look on his face...it was bad.
Danny honestly didn't know why he bothered coming in today, his parents were still out of town and he was sure he could easily pulled a sick day, but Jazz wouldn't stop nagging him until he got out of bed and tell her what happened last night with Danielle soon joining in but he didn't want to deal with them and he soon found himself marching to school just to avoid them.
He knew maybe he was acting stubborn but he couldn't help it, last night was probably the one of the most painful and humiliating experiences he could remember andthat was something considering the life he lead.
He finally spent Valentine's day with someone who almost seemed to care about him, only for it to turn out to be a joke from a cruel Cupid. On top it all off, the revelation that Tucker and Jazz were dating and his fan girls were back to bothering him since he confirmted there wasn't a thing with Ember to begin with wasn't helping anything either.
"Danny! I have two tickets to the new Dead Teacher movie you wanted to see...'A pretty blonde girl said as she waved the tickets in front of him and he was creeped out that she even knew he wanted to see the show.
"Who cares! Danny! My uncle owns this great Italian joint down town and we can have a great time there...'A perky brunette with a large bust said as she flashed him a pretty smile that had no effect on him.
"Don't listen to them Danny darling….Let's see a movie after school, grab a bite and then head to my place for some dessert..."A curvacious redhead said seductively and Danny was finally fed up with the attention they were giving him.
They were just a bunch of suck ups who only "love" him for his fame and powers and nothing else! Danny used his powers to escape his small army of fan girls and he was considering just staying that way for the rest of the day.
As he walked through the hall in invisibility, he was forced to witness the girls who weren't part of the barrage of star struck hormonal girls being romantic with their boyfriends. He saw the looks they were giving each other and they reminded him of what he once had with Sam.
He wanted that….He had that and soon lost it, only to briefly regain it last night with the last person he ever would have considered….but it was not real,
What happened with Ember wasn't real, though a part of him kinda wished it was.
"Why? Why am I still upset...It wasn't real...and it's not like I was in love with her or anything…."Danny thought sadly as he kept remembering the events from last night.
He couldn't forget about how she protected him from Skulker when he was without his powers...How she gave him that passionate kiss attack or how soft her lips were and he couldn't stop thinking about their dinner at Styx's Cafe or the fireworks show they watched together.
He couldn't stop thinking about her smile, her cute laughter and her sparkling green eyes that for once didn't have their usual darkness and arrogance but were filled with happiness.
And he couldn't stop thinking about how close he was to kissing her on his own.
"Stop it..."Danny screamed internally, tired with these torturous thoughts about the one he called his enemy.
He wasn't in love with Ember! There were just enemies and she clearly hated him, anything that was between them was just the result of a spell and nothing more.
Ember was his enemy and that's all she'll ever be to him.
"Why...Why does this upset me so much?..."Danny thought to himself as he went on his way to homeroom, trying to ignore his fan girls and his own bitter feelings.
As much as he wanted to forget it, he couldn't….He did have a nice time with Ember but it wasn't real...She was just struck by Cupid's arrow and Cupid only did it to teach her a lesson or whatever. Now he was alone, with no girlfriend, just a hundred wanna-be's that were ogling him, wanting only to be DannyPhantom's new girl….and cared nothing about Danny Fenton.
As he sat at his desk, he was unaware that someone was watching him from a few desks away with desire in their eyes….
"Just you wait Danny darling…."Paulina smirked as she glanced at her backpacked that had some of the arrows she needed before glancing back at the object of her desire.
By the end of the day, he would finally be hers!
Ember's realm, Ghost Zone
Later that day.
Ember was lying on her bed, trying to get over her unhappy feelings but it was hard. After she blew up in front of Kitty, the biker girl spent almost two hours trying to comfort her with no success until Ember finally demanded to be left alone.
And now she was lying on her bed, alone and in the dark with no one but her own bitterness and torturous memories.
"Why am I still like this?...It wasn't real and it's not like I even liked him to start with..."Ember muttered as she tried to forget about what happened to Danny.
As much as she wanted to forget about it, her mind still replayed the "date" from the previous night. As much as she didn't want to admit it, Danny was a gentleman with her, he actually looked her in the eye as he talked to her instead of her chest and she found herself enjoying getting to know him more.
But none of it was real.
"This is all Cupid's fault! If I ever get my hands on him….'Ember growled as she thought about the petty ghost who was the cause of all this.
He humiliated her! He made a fool out of her and he hurt her badly! It's because of him she spent the entire day and the previous night crying her eyes out like she was some weak, heart broken girl. She was Ember Mclain and no one messed with her without facing the consequences.
She still remembered his smug little face and his mocking laughter after he dropped the bombshell on her….He was nothing but a little bastard and Ember wanted to make him pay.
Not just for what happened with Danny but her entire love life in general, her human life sucked and her chances with romance was barely any better as a ghost, sure she managed to finally get some dates but she always ended up with a chump, a cheater or a jerk who just wanted to nail her...and then there was the Skulker story...but last night was the last straw.
"When I find you Cupid, you're as good as gone..."Ember said darkly as she felt nothing but hatred toward the spirit of love who did nothing but hurt her countless time.
"I'm afraid that won't be necessary Ms. Mclain..."Ember's eye shot open as she heard that and she got up to see Clockwork, the Ghost Master of time in her realm.
"C...Clockwork!..."Ember muttered out in shock.
Okay, she never personally met him before but Clockwork was a legend in the ghost zone. He was the time master and most ghosts didn't want to bother him out of fear of the power he possessed.
Clockwork could easily change their past, presents and future with a snap of his fingers...and while he was known as being a "passive" ghost, no one wanted to risk getting him angry.
But why was he here?
"Hello Ms. Mclain, I suppose your wondering why I am here?...'Clockwork said smirking while Ember only nodded dumbly.
"As you already know, I am the time master and I have some rather pressing news that I must inform you of ..."Clockwork said as he addressed the azure haired diva.
"About what?..."Ember asked in concerned, if the time master went out of his way to warn her, then it must be something big.
"Cupid has been captured and the sacred love arrows are now in the wrong hands.."Clockwork told her.
Ember blinked a bit, then looked confused. That little bastard was gone?! How as that bad news?
"He's been kidnapped, then good riddance..."Ember said stubbornly as she turned away from Clockwork, feeling angry he would waste her time like that, no pun intended.
"I understand you dislike him, especially after he placed that awful spell on you but this is a serious matter..."Clockwork said seriously to the ghostly pop princess.
"How did yo-...Oh right, the "all-knowing time master"..."Ember said offhandedly.
"Please listen Ember...Cupid may be a nuisance and a petty prankster but the world can't function without the spirit of love, especially the sacred love arrows that are now in the possession of a mortal..."Clockwork said shocking Ember in the process.
"A mortal? You mean a human kidnapped that little jerk..."Ember asked in disbelief as Clockwork nodded.
He opened time window and Ember started to see various images of couples, humans and ghosts alike, that were suddenly fighting and breaking up, she also saw several people who looked a bit empty.
"The sacred love arrows are one of the most important of ghostly items on par with Pandora's Box and The crown of Fire...They are tools meant to bring love and soul mates together, but in the wrong hands they could cause so much disorder..."Clockwork explained.
"Without the spirit of love to guide them, they could very easily be used to enslave another person, alter the levels of lust and infatuation within them until they can no longer think for themselves..."He said, frightening the ghost diva.
As much as she hated Cupid and thought love was trouble, what Clockwork was telling her didn't sit well with her.
"W-Why are you telling me this?! I'm no hero, I'm a rock star...Why aren't you telling the dipstick this? I'm sure he'd be more than happy to play the hero and get your precious arrows back, along with that bastard Cupid..."Ember said to the time master who only gave her a troubled expression.
"It's because he's going to be targeted!..."Clockwork shouted at her.
Ember only stood there agape….
"W-What?..."Ember mumbled out in disbelief.
"Danny is in trouble now, the person who stole the arrows is after him and will strike him...but only you can save him Ember…."The time master said to the songstress who could only stare in disbelief.
Danny was in trouble and only she could save him?
-To be continued-
Next time on Cupid's Wrath
Trouble
:) I hope you guys loved my early Dannyversary gift! Tomorrow we're celebrating 13 years of our favorite ghost boy and I just couldn't wait :)
A/N:To answer some questions I have been getting lately, this fic has no connection to my other stories "Dani Fenton: School Daze" and "Yandere Simulator: Paulina Edition". I am just using similar elements such as Dani being in the Fenton Family and of course Paulina's obsession with Danny but they are not prequels/sequels or side stories. I hope that clears everything up.
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewers:
For the love of Frisk: That's alright it happens. Also, I got the notification ;)
Invader Johnny: Congrats on guessing right, who Clockwork was referring to.
PokeTennyson25: I hope this answers your question.
Wiseguy2415: Undoubtedly….
Sucide1234: You're Welcome :)
DannyRangerPhantom: I'm pretty sure 99% of the people who read this do as well, along with me!
Guest: I guess we'll find out next chapter.
Guest(2): I've already been considering whether or not to use Aphrodite or some other Greek deity/ghost to knock some sense into Cupid but I'm still working it out as we speak.
MBTRIPPLES: Thank you and patience please, you can't rush art after all.
FeMorgenstern11: Thank you, I try to please ;)
Memmek10k and rebfan90: Thank you both very much.
Till next time beautiful people, remember to read and review