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…
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Cupid's Wrath
Chapter 13: Trouble
Ember could only stare at he guardian of time with a look of complete and absolute shock, her jaw was hanging and she had a sinking suspicion that some none ghostly pig was trying to fly.
Clockwork did not just say that she was suppose to save Phantom now, did he?
"You're kidding me?..."Ember finally managed to say.
"I don't believe this is a joking matter, Ms. Mclain…."Clockwork said seriously to the pop idol who now realized he wasn't kidding around.
Ember could only stand there in disbelief.
He was really expecting that she was suppose to save the dipstick?!
"You...You don't really expect me to risk my neck for Phantom, do you?..."She asked the time ghost who nodded.
"Danny is in very real trouble right now, and only you have the power to save him, the person who stole the arrows will strike him this afternoon and without the guardian of love to control and guide the power of the arrows, more and more people won't be able to find their soul mates and Danny could very easily lose his free will..."Clockwork explained once more to the proud ghostly diva who still had a stubborn frown on her face.
"He's serious...Danny really might lose his free will...'Ember thought in a worried way...only to realize what she was doing and shook that thought away as she glared at the guardian of time.
Danny wasn't anything to her but an enemy...That's all he's ever been to her...that all he'll ever be to her. Why should she care what happens to him?
"That's not my problem..."She said as she crossed her arms, looking down to her shoes, trying to ignore the uneasiness she was experiencing right now.
"Ember, I know you have been through a traumatic experience and I know you wouldn't bother helping Cupid after what he did to you...but Danny really needs you right now, the world needs you right now..."Clockwork said softly to her, only to watch her back away from him.
"Why the hell should I care what happens to Phantom?! We're just enemies and nothing else! Why should I bother saving him?! Why should I bother getting Cupid's stupid arrows back?! And Why should I even care about any of this crap?!…."Ember demanded, trying to keep her angry face while Clockwork still stood impassive as ever.
A few seconds have passed and Clockwork finally addressed the bitter ghost girl who was still trying to keep an air of pride.
"Perhaps...Because it does bothers you...….Perhaps, because you don't like the idea of Danny losing his free will….Perhaps because, spell or not, he treated you with courtesy during this entire events...Perhaps, because as bitter as you are, even you aren't petty enough to watch the entire world shift out of balance...and perhaps...Perhaps because you aren't as cruel as you make yourself out to be...at least not enough to abandon someone to such a horrid fate...one you can easily prevent..."Clockwork said to the diva who still stubbornly refused to look at him.
Ember was almost shaking a bit, her anger, pride and something else were consuming her, she didn't want to admit it, but Clockwork was right...This didn't sit well with her at all...Even if she and Danny were enemies...she couldn't bring herself to wish for that to happen to him…
She didn't like the idea of him becoming someone's love slave for all time.
But she wasn't a hero, she wasn't his friend and she most definitively wasn't his girlfriend...She was just his enemy...She was just a bitter ghost with nothing but her guitar and her ambitions. She didn't have any love in her heart.
She just...She just didn't.
She was just a bitter, hateful ghost….Cupid said so himself.
"Ember, you can't fool me...I know your entire past, your present and your future….I know you don't want this to happen…."Clockwork insisted to her.
"Just leave me alone..."She said stubbornly.
"Are you really going to ignore your conscious in favor of your pride...Please, tell me your not that much of a fool?..."Clockwork said, only for Ember to turn to him with an angry expression.
"I'm not a hero Clockwork...I never was and I never will be...I think you just wasted both of our time..."Ember shot back, though her tone and expression were soft, as if silently begging the time master to leave her be.
Clockwork only stood there and Ember suddenly had a sinking feeling about this, she suddenly remember it might not be the wisest decision to snap at the time master...however Ember could only see him sigh.
"Very well Ms. Mclain...I won't force you...Stay in here if that's what you want..."Clockwork said, surprising the ghostly diva.
"What?...You...You are going to threaten or force me to do this little task..."Ember asked in absolute disbelief, if the world was in such a crises, she would have figured he would have forced her to do it, whether she liked it or not.
"If you are so dead set against doing what's right and behaving like the "villainess" you believe you are...I can't force you to stop..."Clockwork said with no emotion and Ember could only stare.
She didn't know why...but...but she didn't like the way Clockwork called her a "villainess", she flinched when the time master looked back at her one last time.
"Just remember this Ms. Mclain, you're capable of more things than you believe yourself to be….and you could have easily had what you wanted...only if you truly tried..."He said before disappearing.
Ember could only stand there, she couldn't believe his words.
Once Clockwork was back in his tower, he opened another time window to see Ember still rooted to the spot where he left her.
"Now let's see if you can pass my test..."Clockwork thought as he continued to watch the ghostly diva.
He could see a crossroad was coming up...and the next events would be greatly influence by her own choices.
"Please prove to me your not a fool….'Clockwork thought to himself as he continued to watch the following events.
Back to Ember's realm, the ghostly pop princess was still mulling over what just happened.
"What did he mean by that?..."Ember thought in confusion.
She soon found herself alone in her realm once more, but Clockwork's words just wouldn't stop replaying in her mind. Some mortal stole the sacred love arrows and the world was in risk of losing balance, Danny was in big trouble and apparently only she had the power to save him.
"I wonder what he meant by power...and what did the last thing he said even mean?...'She muttered to herself.
Clockwork said that she was more than what she thought she was?...What on earth was that suppose to mean?!
"Why did he suddenly get all philosophical like that?..."She muttered before her thoughts turned her thoughts back to Danny and she felt that uneasiness once more.
Just last week she would have laughed off the entire situation and maybe want to witness the dipstick lose his free will...maybe then he probably wouldn't be a thorn in her side anymore and she could go back to her plans.
But things were different now...despite the fact that the events of the last few days were just a spell, Ember still remembered them in detail...including the so called date with the white hair half ghost with a hero complex that she was once sure she would hate for all time.
Cupid's spell never changed anything about their relationship...They were still enemies no matter what.
"Why?...Why am I even thinking about this?...Why can't I ignore Clockwork's warning and go on with my afterlife?...and...and why?...Why can't I stand the idea of anything happening to Danny?..."Ember muttered, feeling so much sadness as she thought about Danny as someone's slave.
She thought about his eyes...Either as blue or green...They were always so determined and Ember could always see such honesty in them...even when they were enemies and would fight each other...He had such an innocence in him that just wasn't normal, at least in her opinion.
She suddenly imagined those eyes in a permanent hypnotic-like state as he did whatever bidding his new master ordered him to do.
It...It really didn't sit well with her...Not at all. She didn't like the idea at all even if she felt that she should have.
"Am I...Am I really considering this?...'Ember muttered as she realized she was facing a crossroads.
She could easily just ignore the entire thing, Clockwork said he wouldn't force her after all. She could just forget about it, go back to her music and her afterlife and whatever….or she could finally stop being a bitch and do what was probably the first decent thing she has ever done as a ghost.
"What am I going to do?..."Ember thought as she merely stood there, with her pride and her conscious in a full out melee with each other as she weighed her options.
That afternoon
Casper High.
Danny sighed, it was lunch time and he finally managed to lose his fan club and was soon on his way to the roof for some much needed brooding...uh….privacy
He really just needed to be by himself, his fan club has been even more bothersome, he even found a pair of panties with a girl's phone number in his locker when he went to get his books!
"Don't they have even a shred of decency?!..."Danny growled as he recalled throwing away the pair of underwear in disgust, before being surrounded by several dozen girls who were practically molesting him with their eyes.
He groaned and was just happy he finally had a moment of peace to himself. As he made it to the roof, he was surprised to see that Sam was already there, staring at the clouds as she seemed deep in thought.
"Hey..."He said to her.
"Hey..."She said back as she noticed he still seemed depressed like earlier.
"Are you alright?..."Sam asked in concern.
"Why wouldn't I be?..."He shrugged, trying to hide his own misery.
Sam gave him her typical "You can't fool me look" and pleaded once more.
"Maybe because you came to school all dark and gloomy...and that's coming from me..."Sam said with her hands on her hips but Danny still gave her a stubborn frown.
"Who are you? My mother..."He said sarcastically and Sam knew something was up.
No matter what, Danny would always tell her or Tucker about something that bothered him, but right now he looked as bad as the day they broke up.
"Danny, please..."Sam pleaded to the ghost boy who still refused to look at her. However he noticed the way she was looking at him, it was the same kind she would give him when he was down and she wanted to help him.
He knew that, romance or not, he could never refuse her when she gave that look. Taking a deep breath, he knew he couldn't fight it.
"It wasn't real..."He mumbled a bit in a quiet voice.
"What?..."Sam asked, not sure if she heard him right.
"I said it wasn't real...He said a little louder and Sam saw the hurt in his eyes.
"W-What wasn't real?..."Sam asked to her friend.
"The thing with Ember, alright!..."He snapped at her, much to her own shock.
"It..It wasn't real..."He muttered once more in a melancholy tone.
"What do you mean "not real", you mean she was tricking you?..."Sam asked to her friend who shook his head.
"No...It all happened last night..."Danny began explaining the events from the last few days, from Ember's acting strange around him, to the alley kiss, her saving him from Skulker, all the way up to there sham date at Styx's Cafe and the almost kiss they had, only to be informed by Cupid himself that it was nothing but a big joke of his to get back at Ember for insulting him.
"And then Ember marched right over to me….I thought for sure she was going to try and destroy me or something only for her to start crying and then disappearing..."Danny said angrily.
Sam could only stand there in shock...While she didn't like Ember at all, she found herself pitying the wanna be pop star as much as she pitied her unhappy friend.
"You...You grew to care about her...Didn't you?..."Sam asked to him, only to watch him turn away.
"It doesn't matter...It wasn't real to start with..."He said sulking and Sam sighed.
She couldn't believe what her best friend went through and she found herself furious with this so called Cupid for what he had done.
How dare he play around with Danny and Ember's hearts like that! It was absolutely unethical.
Sam honestly wanted to help him out. She knew that Danny was sensitive when it came to relationships and liking a girl, it was part of the reason Sam fell for him in the first place, she knew that no matter what, if a girl ever expressed genuine interest in him, he always treated them with respect and once even found himself falling back.
The thing with Valerie wasn't something she liked to remember, but it served as proof that Danny had a big heart and was always willing to forgive those he truly thought had a chance for redemption.
It was obvious he might have have done the same to Ember if it had been real.
But it wasn't and he was dealing with the pain right now.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that Danny..."Sam said softly, truly feeling bad for him.
"Yeah….Me too..."He muttered once more.
"Why does this always happen to me?...I find a girl I like and something always ends up ruining it..."He thought depressingly as he recalled his love life.
Paulina was not something he liked to be reminded of...especially by her...But at one point he was sure he was in love with her and he remembered being over the moon when he dated her, only to discover Kitty was possessing her just to get back at Johnny for his wandering eye. The end result was her falling for his ghost half and still treating his human half like garbage until he revealed himself and he soon found himself with the tables turned with Paulina after him and he rejected her after being exposed more and more to her less than kind traits.
Valerie was a different story, they started out as bitter enemies and rivals, she hated his ghost half for ruining her life and he didn't care for her hunting him every chance he got. It was only after the incident with Pariah that he stared getting along with her which would lead to much deeper feelings. He was so close to asking her to be his girlfriend only for her to call it off because of her ghost fighting career.
It seems irony really liked dealing with him.
And the thing with Sam….They had been best friends since kindergarten, they practically grew up together and ever since middle school everyone teased them about having feelings for the other. It was only till high school happened that he found himself falling for her and it was the Disasteroid crises that had him accepting his feelings and they became a couple.
He was sure Sam would have been the one...but real life got in the way of that.
He truly liked and cared about her, but it would have been weeks before a lot of incompatibilities would show up. Sam was a great girl but she was very impulsive and could be bossy at times, and he soon found himself not being fond of being exposed to her Gothic and vegan lifestyle on a deeper level than he was used to.
Not to mention his fame and fans only added the stress to their already existing problems which lead to their sparks fading and their breakup.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, Ember's attention was almost like a breath of fresh air to him. True, he was freaked out at first but he found himself enjoying her company and getting to know her. He still recalled her defending him from Skulker and that passionate kiss she gave him.
He knew that by the time they watched the fireworks together...He liked her. It would have been so easy to kiss and fall for her then and there...He could have found himself becoming happy again.
But none of it was real...It was just a cruel, horrible, humiliating joke and there was absolutely nothing between him and Ember.
No matter what happened, they would always be enemies.
Danny was considering just skipping the rest of school and going home only for his ghost sense to go off.
"Ghost time..."Sam said as she quickly pulled out the thermos she always carried.
"Yeah..."Danny said as he transformed forms and checked to see who was bothering him now.
"Dipstick..."Danny froze when he heard that voice.
"It...It can't be..."He thought as he turned around to see Ember before him, looking concerned.
"What are you doing here?..."Sam demanded in a suspicious tone.
Okay, maybe she felt a little sorry for what happened to the other woman, but Ember was still technically an enemy and Sam is never just gives her trust away.
She was mildly surprised to see the expression on her face, Sam saw no trace of her usual determination or arrogance...If anything...She almost seemed worried.
"What's with her?..."Sam thought to herself as Ember approached them.
Ember honesty couldn't believe she was doing this...She was sure she needed her head examined or something...but she knew she had to do this or she would just go crazy.
"E-Ember...What...What brings you here?..."Danny asked awkwardly to the ghost singer.
Ember stared at him a bit, feeling so many emotions she couldn't explain yet...but she knew she had to do this now.
"I...I came to warn you about something..."Ember said suddenly, surprising the two other teens.
"Warn us?..."Danny asked in a confused tone of voice.
"Cupid's been kidnapped and someone stole his arrows….and according to Clockwork that's a bad thing..."Ember said, shocking Danny in the process.
"Clockwork?!..."He yelped, surprised that the all knowing time master was involved with this.
"He came to me earlier...He said your in trouble Danny...The person who stole the arrows is after you and without Cupid to handle them or whatever...something bad will happen...'Ember said, looking genuinely worried.
Danny only stood there agape, he couldn't believe that Ember Mclain, of all people, was warning him about an immense danger, or the fact that Clockwork trusted her enough to tell her about it.
"Why?...Why are you telling me this?...'Danny asked softly to the ghostly girl who shifted a bit.
He still remembered the last few days, and he remembered how concerned she seemed when he got injured by Skulker...and what lead to it...He could see the same kind of concern right now...but the spell was lifted last night.
Why did it seem like she was actually worried about him?
"I just did...Don't question it, Phantom..."She muttered with her arms crossed, not daring to look at the boy she got tangled up with.
"I did it because...because I can't stand the idea of you going through that sort of thing..."She thought to herself, but she would never tell him out loud.
Sam only stood there and observed the body language of the two ghostly beings, she couldn't believe that Ember actually came to warn them or that apparently Clockwork trusted her with such information. She was sure that Ember likely would have just ignored the information and even enjoy the idea of Danny in trouble.
"Could it be?...Does she?...'Sam wondered a bit. Could it be that she might actually...care?
"Clockwork just said that this afternoon, someone is gonna strike you with one of those arrows and apparently being stolen from Cupid warped their powers a bit...just...just don't do anything stupid and keep an eye out..."Ember said, still crossing her arms at the ghost boy who suddenly gave her a soft smile.
"Thank you for the heads up Ember….did Clockwork say who had the arrows?...'Danny asked.
Ember was about to answer..only to pause a bit.
"Actually...He didn't really say who had them...Ember said, and suddenly seemed mad that the so called all-knowing time master would leave out such a crucial tip.
"That's helpful..."Sam said sarcastically.
"HEY! This ain't my fault okay!..."Ember snapped only for Danny to calm her down.
"Calm down Ember, it's alright...I've handled bad guys with less info before...but did Clockwork say anything else that might be helpful?..."Danny asked her.
"The only thing he told me that apparently I'm suppose to-
I think that's enough…."A feminine voice broke out and all three turned around to see Paulina there giving them all a death glare, and her hands were behind her back.
"What are you doing here?...'Sam hissed and Danny looked upset that Paulina apparently discovered one of his hiding places.
"You don't own this roof Manson..."She said flatly to her before she took a few steps closer.
She was searching all over the school for her beloved, only to find him on the roof with the two whores that stood in her way. Paulina got angry at the mere sight of them being so close to her beloved and apparently that ghost bitch somehow knew about the arrows she stole.
"Do you mind? We were having a private conversation..."Ember said rudely, remembering this is one of Danny's fan girls...and for some reason...she didn't like her at all.
"Actually I do..."Paulina said glaring at the ghostly songstress.
"Danny darling, why are you still with these girls?..."Paulina asked in an acid like voice.
"I already told you it's none of your concern who I hang out with Paulina!...'He shouted, he was so sick and tired of her harassment.
"It's the concern of the girl your destine to love Danny..."Paulina said evenly and Danny looked like he was going to lose it.
"I don't love you and I never will!..."He shouted at her, only for his eyes to widened as he watch her pull something from behind.
It was a Fenton thermos?!
"That's not your choice..."She said before sucking him.
"At least not anymore it.."Paulina said as she put a cap on her prize.
"What the hell?! Release him now Paulina?!..."Sam and Ember both said in sync and were about to attack the spoiled girl, only for Ember to suddenly get electrocuted.
"WHAT THE HELL?!...She shouted before falling to the ground, feeling the residual shocks, Sam could only stare in disbelief.
"W-What?..."Sam wondered only to see a specter deflector around Paulina's waste.
"Where did you get that?..."Sam demanded.
"You're annoying..."Paulina said before pulling out a Fenton Wrist ray and hitting Sam straight on, knocking her out in the process.
Paulina smirked and stood over the two girls that were her competition to her beloved's heart. Only Ember was still barely conscious.
Ember hissed as she still felt pain from the shock, she looked up to see Paulina towering over her with an evil smirk on her face and the wrist ray as well.
"Looks like I win..."Paulina said to Ember before hitting her with the ray.
"HA! This was too easy..."She thought as she picked up the thermos that contained her beloved.
"Later whore...I have a date with my destiny..."Paulina said before making her escape.
Ember couldn't move as she felt the pain and her consciousness was beginning to give away.
"No...D-Danny..I-...Was the last thing she said before completely losing conscienceless.
-To be continued-
Next time on Cupid's Wrath
Kidnapping and Teaming up
Man this is getting intense...Paulina kidnapped Danny and knocked both Ember and Sam out…Tune in next time to see how this all turns out—Flower Princess11.
AN/: Sorry for taking a while and sorry for the false alarm with my last update but this chapter needed a little more time. Also don't forget to check out the latest chapter for Resurrected Memories ;)
Also I'm taking down my previous "New Fanfic announcement", to avoid the confusion with the chapters all right, so don't be confused when you see only 13 chapters.
REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewers:
MBTRIPPLES: YAY! I love cookies! :)
Fangirling2021: Thank you, I take a lot of pride in my writing skills but I also accept criticism when it's given...I know it's just meant to help improve myself as a writer and I thank you for taking the time.
Invader Johnny: Yeah Paulina's vanity is definitely NOT normal and what's worse is she clearly doesn't care about her actions as long as she gets what she wants.
Memmek10k: Thank you and also no problem, I'll be sure to check it out.
A-Friend01, Anonymous and rebfan90: Thank you all very much, I try to please ;)
DannyRangerPhantom: Anyone apposed to DRP's suggestion?
Wiseguy2415: You sense right, as hinted in this chapter, though they are still unaware of it for the time being.
Mr. R3M: Thank you and it's alright, review whenever you feel like, there's no limit really.
FeMorgenstern11 and JRFeatherston: :) Happy Dannyversary to you two as well :)
AwesomeSauce: I checked out that site and I'm still considering whether or not to use that but in the words of Clockwork : Only time will tell.
The Blade of Osh-Tekk: As I said, in due time.
Till next time beautiful people, remember to read and review