Whew, welcome to the long awaited chapter! Took only 8 months to write, since I began it in August of last year! Words cannot express how happy I am to have finished this. It's almost 8,000 words too, which makes it the longest in this whole story so far…
Thanks to those who Favorited and Followed this story from chapter 7 to now: fantasyconnect, devilhuntermistress, ChildOfNight6822, bibliophile030, Kimera20, Shadtastic, WinterRose47, Cute7Crasher, Asuka Sakura-chan, Sonozaki Mion, kylo ren knights of ren, Moonstone1000, moonythesecond, CalypsoTheL0ver, angierocks, WeatherKitten, kayadelphine, Soulless-Phantom14, AyaEmett, Luziefers nightmare, Fyrusfairy, NuggetMuncher, KsfanKs, Jacobfrit, EchoNel, Strong Like Donkey Kong, Armorheart, Commander M2, Bloody Moon Mist, alex1893, RedHeadsRock1010, Maximus Potter, SandyLS, Swordsman Glow, InuKag09, Nathy2000, riderpurple, vampireharry the 2, nightfright2, HavocOrder0999, Good Idea, rachelapril1006, Ryu Hizume, angelvan105, BloodRequiem1, Neverland's Kitsune X, Yozora no Hono, Dutoc, geassgurl, KhivaCross, Master-Juan-X, AspiringAuthor236, 66, gwencarson126, cryptologicalMystic, PhantomFentonFan, 2000girl, ahussein, Poptartian, jeanette9a, and Serlenia.
I APOLOGIZE IF I FORGOT ANYONE THAT WAS SERIOUSLY A LOT OF PEOPLE!
Special thanks to those who faved/followed me as an author: Sonozaki Mion, Moonstone1000, NOT Markiplier, WeatherKitten, PrennCooder, gwencarson126, Nathy2000, nightfright2, KakkoiiBaka, WeeoBip, Music luvz me, thewildeside, and DannyPhantomFanGirl1. Thanks so much! Considering I started out with 0 at chapter 1 of this story, this is amazing! :D
Lastly, thanks to those who left reviews : Invader Johnny, Mistress1296, hichilove25, 4-thish, AersomeAuthor13, Sockenmonster01, Wolfeather101, DannyPhantomPhandom, Brenne, jack sparrow (guest), shadow ninja (guest), Commander M2, memmek10k, The Trainer Grimm, Kimera20, jacobfrit, Sonozaki Mion, Guest, LuthienOronar, Lobisomen616, magicornis1, and angelvan105. I really wanted to be able to reply to every review I got, but they just got to be too much… Now I see why authors of huge, popular fics on here don't do that… There are just so many! Plus most of you probably don't even remember what you had said/asked, if it was from last August, or even a month or two ago. I will answer reviews for this chapter though, because I anticipate being finished much quicker with TUE, coming up next!
Also, here are the Poll Results from chapter 7: What is Vlad Plasmius's skin color?
Blue: 7
Blue-green: 1
Green: 3 (including me)
Started as Green-blue but changed to light blue: 1
In hindsight, I kind of consider it greenish-blue, not full on green. But at least I wasn't the only one who thought green! I guess it depends on perspective, and now that I think about it Vlad's appearance did change a bit throughout the series, if only slightly.
Thanks to those who cast a vote, it was cool to see what people thought about it!
Without further ado, welcome to Storm Clout!
Clout: influence or power, especially in politics or business.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the differences in storyline to the original Danny Phantom episode Reign Storm.
Storm Clout
Pink energy whizzed past the younger ghost's ear, forcing him to dodge to the left. Radioactive green shots fired back at the assailant, but none met their mark. To an onlooker, it would have appeared that the two ghosts were evenly matched.
"Looks like someone's getting a little out of practice."
"Oh I'm going easy on you, Little Badger!" A pink lazer the size of a quarter hit the other ghost's forehead.
"Ow, hey!" Danny responded, glaring at the other half-ghost in annoyance. "If that had hit an inch to the side, I'd be known as One-Eyed Inviso-Bill!"
"Just getting back into practice." Vlad explained cheekily, sending three more lightning-quick blasts. The ghost boy stretched his body around to dodge them, then disappeared into the floor. A moment later he flew back up directly in front of Vlad, knocking him off balance with a energy-infused punch.
Danny laughed at the man's annoyed expression, floating back a few feet.
"Oh, you're getting it now Daniel..." Four duplicates formed beside of Vlad, which made five copies in a row. The ghost boy formed his usual two duplicates, and the three Phantoms clenched their fists and prepared to fight.
The two opposing groups rushed at each other, the zap of blasts and the whooshing of Vlad's five capes filling the air. One by one, the duplicates began to pop out of existence, until only the two original ghosts remained.
Distracted by the strange feeling of his duplicates disappearing, Danny was knocked to the ground by a weak pink ghost ray.
"Good effort, that went on longer than last week." Vlad said, holding a gloved hand out to the defeated boy.
"One of these days, I'm gonna beat you Fruitloop..." He muttered with mock anger and let the man pull him up.
"I know. It's only a matter of time before you'll be experienced enough." The black-haired ghost said. "Even if you aren't quite there yet, you should feel proud of yourself. You've improved so much-"
"Yeah, yeah, enough with the sappy stuff." Danny chuckled. The two floated through the wall and emerged into the lab. Only a few months before, Vlad's mansion had been destroyed because of an unchanged Ecto-filter. Luckily the new one has been constructed very quickly, and was close to identical. Unfortunately Vlad did lose his Packers merchandise and other important things in his house, but at least no one had gotten hurt, and most lost items could be replaced.
The newly-built portal gleamed in the dim light, and the mysterious green swirls of the Ghost Zone casted eerie light on the walls. The white glow of the two ghosts lit up the room even more, until Vlad switched on the overhead lights.
The two halfas entered the green dimension together. The environment seemed to buzz with fear and power, more so than usual.
The older half-ghost frowned and squinted into the distance. "Something doesn't feel right... Do you feel it too?"
Danny nodded a little, shivering and backing up a few feet. "I don't know what it is but I don't like it..."
"Come on, I can teleport you home today." They returned into the lab, and Vlad closed and locked the portal. "I don't want you going back in there alone until we know what's going on, alright?"
"Fine, mom..." The boy muttered, rolling his eyes. "But I can take care of myself."
"I'm sure you can, most of the time, but not against whatever that was." Vlad said curtly before grabbing Phantom's hand and disappearing in a swirl of pink gas.
Deep in the Ghost Zone, an old, broken down castle was still and silent. It was known to most as Pariah's Keep.
An ecto-bird flapped lazily past the ruins, but was startled away with a frightened squawk when a bright light shone out the windows of the dark castle. The floating island beneath it shuddered from the raw power radiating from the building.
Granules of dust rose and pebbles hopped on the large purple rock.
The source of the disruption was the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep. Glowing cracks split the container, shooting rays of white light onto the cracked walls. Another wave of overwhelming power made the castle shake once more, and the Sarcophagus broke open similarly to a bird's egg. It barely remained in one piece as a large, powerful figure pushed its way out, glowing a fierce white light.
When the light died down, a large, strongly glowing figure was left, an insidious and insanely gleeful look on his face.
"It's been so long..." He cackled, floating forward and thinking of only revenge on those who had locked him up in the first place. The six ancients would be no match for him, once he regained his control over all ghosts of the Ghost Zone!
He quickly released the Fright Knight and set his master plans into motion, the same plans he had been meticulously creating for the past few hundred years, locked up in the Sarcophagus.
However, there were a few things he didn't account for, two anomalies belonging to a more present time...
Danny Phantom gasped and stumbled as they appeared in an alley not too far from FentonWorks. He was definitely not used to the strange feeling of teleporting, despite the fact that he had done it several times before with Vlad.
"I'm not sure if I'll ever get used to that..." The boy muttered, causing the older man to smirk in amusement. The two transformed simultaneously before walking down the street to Danny's house. The large, light up sign and array of ghost weapons on top made the house stand out drastically from the other buildings.
Once they had reached the doorstep, the doorbell was rung, and within seconds the door was opened by none other than Maddie Fenton. Surprise flashed across her face, soon followed by excitement.
"Vlad Masters! What brings you to Amity Park?" She asked, before pulling the door open wider. "Never mind that, come on in and make yourself at home! Did Danny give you a nice welcome?"
"Of course Madeline," Vlad shot an amused look toward the teenage boy beside him. "I thought I'd pay a visit to you and... Jack..." He trailed off before entering the house, Danny close behind.
"Jack! Vlad is-"
"VLADDIE!" A loud yell sounded through the house, and Jack noisily galloped up the stairs from the lab. Before the billionaire could even move, he was enveloped in a huge bear hug.
His face turned white in both annoyance and lack of air. "Can't-" he gasped "-breathe... Jack-"
"Jack dear, let poor Vlad go!" Maddie scolded, and her husband dropped his old friend onto the floor.
"Sorry V-Man! It's been so long since I've seen you last!" Jack roared in excitement.
"Yes, yes, it has been quite a while..." Vlad muttered, brushing off his black suit. "But not long enough..." He mumbled to himself, too quiet for anyone except Danny to hear.
"Well, I'm gonna go do homework." Danny said, wanting to escape an awkward attempt at conversation, and walked towards the stairs.
"All right, sweetie. Dinner's in an hour. And once you're finished with your work, why don't you come down and spend some time with Uncle Vlad?" Maddie suggested.
"Sure." The teen called down, hiding a laugh at what his mother didn't know.
Once he was gone, his mother sighed. "I'm sorry about him, Vlad. Sometimes I don't know what to do. He seems so antisocial and closed off lately..."
"I'm sure he's just going through a phase..." Vlad offered, hiding a chuckle of his own. "Just like all teenagers do. Anyway..." He braced himself for the new conversation. "What have you and Jack been working on lately?"
"Fenton!" An angry shout sounded through the hall, and Danny almost tripped running around a nearby corner. Several students stared as he rushed by with the star quarterback seconds behind.
It was the next day, and school had just ended at Casper High. Unfortunately, it was currently time for Danny's daily beating from Dash.
Danny panted as he reached the cafeteria, and his wide blue eyes searched for a hiding spot.
Only seconds later, Dash raced into the room, with his face red from the chase. "Fenton!" He glared around the room and left in a huff when the boy was nowhere to be seen.
Danny opened his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief from under the lunch table. Two sets of legs were on either side of him... as well as an annoyed Valerie.
"Find your own hiding spot!" Danny muttered, "I've got dibs under the nerds playing nerd-poker."
"Ease up, Fenton." Valerie rolled her eyes, "You're not the only one who needs to hide, you know."
"Valerie!" Yelled a desperate boy named Nathan, as he ran up beside the table. "Where are you? It's only three years until senior Prom! Why won't you say yes?!"
Danny looked over at Valerie, a small smile on his face. "Three years? We could be here awhile..."
"Wanna check over our book reports?" Valerie asked, returning the smile.
Ever since Valerie's suit was taken away, the girl hadn't ever been a problem anymore for the two half-ghosts. And once Danny realized how smart and cool she actually was (to his human side, at least) they had become friends of sorts.
Of course, Danny's best friends, Sam and Tucker, had concerns about it, and to an extent Danny did, too. What would the girl do if she found out he was the ghost who had "ruined her life"?
"So what could be up with the Ghost Zone?" Tucker asked the two other teenagers curiously. They looked both ways and crossed the street before continuing the conversation.
"No idea. And Vlad doesn't even know, so it must be something pretty weird." Danny replied uneasily.
"I'll say. You'd better keep the portal securely locked until you figure it out," Sam recommended, and the two boys nodded. Danny had already told his friends all about the events of the previous day, and Vlad's concern about the Ghost Zone.
By that time, they had approached the door of FentonWorks.
"You guys up for some Doomed?" Tuck questioned with a grin, "After my after-school snack of course."
"I'm pretty sure your definition of 'snack' isn't the same as everyone else's." Sam teased, thinking of Tucker's meat feasts that he had every day.
The door opened to reveal Jack, Maddie, Vlad and Jazz in the living room. The two men were in the middle of a game of chess, which was typical of Vlad to play often. Jazz was lounged on the couch reading a book and Maddie held a tea kettle.
"Hello, Danny, Sam, Tucker. How was school?" Maddie greeted with a smile.
"It was fine, thanks for asking Mrs. Fenton." Sam replied.
All of the sudden, red lights flashed, and a beeping alarm sounded through the house. Maddie and Jack immediately raced over to the wall and opened up the radar system.
"Galloping goblets... It's the Ecto-Exodus alarm!" Jack bellowed in shock.
"The Ecto-whaty-what?" Repeated everyone else in the room in confusion.
"The Ecto-Exodus alarm... The alarm that goes off when we're about to face a massive ghost invasion!" Maddie explained, causing the others in the room to look at each other worriedly.
Danny shot a look at Vlad before whispering, "Stall them!" to Sam, and he raced away.
The raven-haired boy transformed into his ghost form, once he was out of sight, and then he shot through the floor into the lab. The portal was in its normal state, with green swirls of light and ectoplasm. The boy held his breath as he waited for the supposed "ghost invasion" that was coming.
With a flash of light, a familiar figure emerged from the portal. "Beware!"
Danny stared for a second before bursting into laughter, "Just you? Oh man, what was I worried about?"
Then to his surprise, several faces formed around the Box Ghost, and multiple powerful ghosts came into the lab.
"Go, go!" Skulker yelled once he had emerged, and dozens of ghost streamed out around him. Danny gaped at the sight; this was more ghosts than he had seen at once ever before!
All of the sudden, a force crashed into him and pinned him to the floor. The boy blinked up to see a metal boot holding him down and the sneer of the Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter.
Ghosts continued to zip out of the portal by the dozens, shooting up through the ground and filling the sky. Danny laid in shock under Skulker's boot before grabbing the hunter's leg and flying up through the ceiling intangibly, with the metal ghost in tow.
Vlad, who had seen the commotion, shot up behind, his red and grey cape flapping out behind him, and the two halfas floated in front of dozens of ghosts, crowded in the sky above Amity Park.
"What is going on here?" Plasmius questioned sternly.
"And what are you all running from?" The younger half-ghost added.
"His name is Pariah Dark, the King of all ghosts." Ember explained darkly.
Shocked, Danny looked at the man beside him. "I think you mentioned him before... But I thought he was securely locked up by the Ancients!"
"Not anymore, apparently..." Vlad answered, his red eyes wide at the new dilemma. "First and foremost, does he have the Crown and the Ring?"
Walker stepped forward with a glare, showing a translucent container with a glinting ring inside. "I've had the Ring of Rage secured in my prison for years."
"And I have the crown, right here..." The Ghost Writer said, also holding up a box.
Back when Pariah had just been forced away, the Ancients had gathered the two items that granted almost unlimited power, and given them to (at least somewhat) trustworthy ghosts for safekeeping. That way, the two items weren't together or close to the King, should he escape. The powerful six could have kept the items themselves, but they preferred to let the ghosts have control over their fates without too much interaction. It was up to the citizens of the Ghost Zone to guard the powerful artifacts, which made sure that the crown and ring were within reach if ever needed.
Seeing the two items up close scared most of the ghosts, at least the ones that had been alive to witness the Kings terrible reign. Even without them, Pariah was one of the strongest ghosts to exist (besides the Ancients). And he would stop at nothing to acquire the two items to increase his power hundred-fold.
"Alright, alright... We need a plan..." Vlad muttered, "How about-"
"Who put you in charge?!" Skulker snapped, "You're not even a real ghost!"
"But he's one of the most able here!" An unknown ghost shouted, causing more ghosts to protest.
"What do you mean, I should be in charge! I was trusted by the Ancients to watch over the Ring-"
"But-"
"Hey!" Danny yelled, stopping the commotion. "If we just float around and argue about it, there's no point in trying!"
"What do you know, you've only even known about the Ghost Zone for a few months!"
"Would you please stop it?!" Vlad growled. "It's only the matter of time before the King finds the portal and shows up here! And we need to be ready! With all of us combined, and the ring and crown under our supervision... we may have a chance!"
"Your armies are amassed?"
The ghostly warriors saluted.
"Then on my orders-"
"On my orders..." Pariah interrupted, causing the Fright Knight to shrink back. "Go to that world! Bring the Ring and Crown to me! And to those who stand in your way... Show no mercy..."
The warriors and Knight bowed down to their King, before running off to send the armies into battle.
The sentient ghosts huddled around inside a dark, empty room in an abandoned warehouse. A fire flickered in a cracked fireplace, which sent faint orange light across the room.
The older half-ghost floated in front of a rotting wooden table, grimly studying a hand-drawn map of Amity Park. A truce had been made between all of the ghosts and half-ghosts, to defeat the greater enemy.
"He'll likely send an army soon." Skulker informed, with a glaring look at the two halfas. "He has a knack for overwhelming with sheer numbers of troops, even if they are mindless skeletons."
"The most important thing is to get the Ring and Crown as far away from here as possible." The Ghost Writer said, a nervous stutter tainting his voice. "We wouldn't have a chance at all if he gets them back!"
Vlad Plasmius, who hovered in front of the map, stroked his beard. "We have to be ready to defend ourselves against the army, Fright Knight and Pariah himself..." The ghosts frowned at that. It was a rag-tag group of Amity's most common ghosts against a huge army, Knight and powerful King. The odds weren't great, even if the King was at a disadvantage.
All of the sudden, a car alarm blared from outside the warehouse, and several screams followed.
"The skeletons are here." Ember commented dryly. "We don't have much time, in case you losers didn't know already."
"Well, we have to hurry!" Danny said with a determined look. "There are people in danger out there."
Skulker sneered, "Forget about the measly humans! We need to focus on protecting our own, and defeating the one being that could take over both of our worlds if he pleased!"
Vlad looked at Danny and dipped his head. "Go ahead and help people get to FentonWorks, and be back soon. Hopefully we'll have a solid plan by then."
The ghost boy smiled at his mentor and flew through the wall.
Skulker glared at the man in annoyance. "That wasn't necessary. The humans deserve this for blatantly hating our kind."
"You know what happens when a ghost doesn't give in to his obsession." Vlad responded curtly. The other ghosts in the room tensed and looked away. It was commonly known (to ghosts, at least) that if an obsession was ignored or lost for a long amount of time, the ghost would slowly be driven insane and then disappear completely, which was equivalent of dying for ectoplasmic beings.
Of course, the chances of that happening to a halfa at all were low, but Vlad didn't want to risk it. There was no harm in letting the boy do his thing if it kept him happy, and they didn't need him immediately anyway.
After a minute or two of silence, Vlad spoke up. "Back to the plan... I think our best bet would be to send two off in different directions with the Crown of Fire and Ring of Rage, and the rest stay to fight, and hopefully destroy, the King."
"We would need two who are fast and cunning to take the artifacts." Walker voiced with a frown.
"And ghosts who aren't absolutely needed for our victory against the bullies," Poindexter added tentatively.
"I may know of one," Vlad muttered, "though I'm not sure if she would side with us, even if we're the enemies of ghosts far worse."
"What do you mean?" Ember asked and crossed her arms, "You make it sound like she isn't a ghost!"
"That's because she isn't." Vlad answered truthfully, "but we may need her help to be successful. It is a long shot, but this is a true emergency, and I can't think of anyone more suited for the job."
Danny shot up into the air, and stared down at the giant army of green skeleton ghosts terrorizing the city. He immediately made two duplicates and told them to fight off the skeletons, and he himself flew full speed towards his house.
He sighed in relief when he saw that his parents had already put up the shield and sent out an announcement for people to escape to safety under the ghost shield. Crowds of Amity Park's citizens raced towards the green dome and went right through it into the safety of FentonWorks. Danny watched from above as the people were greeted by Maddie and Jazz out in the yard.
"Thank goodness my parents do the right thing when it's important," the ghost boy said to himself and began the trip back to the warehouse.
Valerie swiftly jumped out of her bedroom window and landed in a crouch behind a bush. Through the leaves, she could see glowing green skeletons marching around, flipping cars and breaking down doors.
The huntress grabbed a ghost gun from her belt and took aim. These ghosts were terrorizing her city, and if she didn't do anything about it, her dad could be harmed, as well as the rest of Amity Park.
Ever since her suit had been taken by Mr. Masters, Valerie had kept up ghost hunting despite his warning, which proved to be a much harder task without a metal suit to protect her and a hover-board for fast transportation. Luckily, her karate training from years before came in handy, and it allowed her to fight ghosts almost as effectively.
She did make an effort to steer clear of the Ghost Boy, though, because the last thing she wanted was to anger Vlad Masters again. She got a bad feeling around that man; there was something about him that just wasn't normal... Like the way he seemed to know more than he should, and his closed-off tone and body language. Also, the fact that he sided with Phantom spoke for itself. That ghost was nothing but trouble.
Valerie steeled her gaze and sent multiple shots towards the nearest skeletons. They dissipated into green light, but the action caught the attention of other ghosts. Valerie shot as many as she could from behind the bush before jumping out and knocking one over with a powerful kick.
The girl smirked to herself as the last ghost was defeated. She didn't need a stupid suit to be a ghost hunter!
She stole one last look at her apartment and took off running towards the city. It was her duty to keep Amity free of ghosts, and she wouldn't back down: not now, and not ever.
"Valerie!" Vlad whispered from an alley, when he saw the girl run by. A minute or two before, he had flown up invisibly and seen her traveling towards the city. Currently they were close to Casper High.
"Mr. Masters?" The girl questioned in surprise, turning around and seeing the man.
Vlad pulled a bundle out of his suit, and showed it to the girl, who watched with wide teal eyes.
"It's an emergency." The man said with a small smirk. Two ghosts turned visible behind him: one was Danny Phantom and the other was Vlad Plasmius (that was a duplicate, of course).
Valerie clenched her fists once she saw the ghosts, but nodded tentatively to signal her agreement. Vlad tossed the suit, and the teenage girl caught it. In a fluid motion, the red metal suit formed around her, complete with the hover board.
The four returned to the warehouse and went over the plan again, this time communicating it to Danny and Valerie.
"Valerie and Johnny, you two will each take one artifact and take it in different directions. It doesn't matter where exactly as long as they are taken quickly." Vlad explained to the two with fast modes of transportation.
Walker piped in for the next part of the plan, "The rest of us will be part of the fighting team, either to fight the skeleton warriors, the Fright Knight, or Pariah himself."
"Leave Pariah to Danny and I," Vlad said with a confident smirk, bumping fists with the younger halfa beside him. "When he comes, of course. Until then we will fight wherever we're needed."
"That leaves the skeletons and Knight to the rest of us." The Ghost Writer stated. "Who should fight who?"
"The Fright Knight would be a better fighter overall, but he doesn't have the advantage of large numbers." Walker stated. "My prison guards and I will fight the skeletons."
"Dora and I will join you." Poindexter said from the dragon's back.
"I will join too and be your friend!" Klemper said excitedly, clapping his hands and making the other ghosts groan.
"That leaves Kitty, Ember, and Spectra to worry about the Fright Knight. You girls okay with that?" The Ghost Writer asked.
"Sure!" Kitty said with a smile.
"Us girls'll deal with him all right!" Spectra grinned, cracking her knuckles.
"I will also join you for the hunt," Skulker added, causing Ember to smile gratefully at him.
Vlad nodded to the group, "I believe that accounts for everyone. Does everyone know the plan?"
He was met with the affirmative, and the plan was in motion.
Valerie slipped the skull ring onto her finger and prepared to fly away. The biker ghost, called Johnny, did the same beside her with the green crown.
"You ready?" He grinned and revved his motorcycle's engine.
"As ready as I'll ever be..." Valerie replied, still not believing she was siding with ghosts.
Once they heard the code word, they were off. As Valerie flew by, skeletons approached her from either side, but luckily she could fly right above them.
Her proud grin was wiped away when she unexpectedly crashed into a figure clad in black armor, who grabbed her arm tightly.
So much for the plan. The Fright Knight had not been expected to show up near the outskirts of the city...
"You have something that belongs to the King." He growled upon seeing the ring on her finger. She glared and reached behind her suit to get a ghost gun, when all of the sudden her captor was knocked to the side by a green blast.
She began to fall, but just in time her hoverboard caught her. She yelled with delight at having her suit back, and zoomed back to the fighting ghosts to assist her rescuer.
And, of course, it was the ghost boy.
She and the white-haired ghost alternated shots at the knight, but all they seemed to be doing was angering him even more.
Right when the Knight began to get the upper hand, a pink laser forced him back onto the ground. The ghost known as Plasmius flew down from the sky and glared at the black-armored ghost.
"Fools!" The Knight yelled as he floated up off the ground, holding up his green sword, "All I wanted to do was seize the King's property, and return to Pariah's Keep... But now you give me no choice. By the authority vested in me by my lord and liege..." The sword began glowing, and the Fright Knight plunged it into the earth. Vlad, Danny, and Valerie gasped and stared as spikes of green energy flew out from the ghostly weapon.
"I claim this town now and forever under the banner of Lord Pariah, the King of all ghosts!"
Green energy spiraled up in a tornado from the sword, and spread out in all directions before ascending towards the outskirts of the city. The citizens of the town watched in shock and horror from FentonWorks, as a giant dome encased the city. The ghosts fighting skeletons were distracted, and looked up in horror at the ghost shield that trapped them in the city.
"The sword is sunk, your die now cast
The sword removed shall signal fast
Make reappear the things thou hast
Or your next day shall be your last."
Once the prophecy-like poem was said, the Fright Knight vanished and a cloud of shrieking bats replaced him. Vlad and Danny shielded their faces from the flying creatures, and then stared at each other in shock.
"Well, at least he's gone for now." Vlad finally said, still shocked at what had just happened. "We need to help the others fight off the skeletons, and then we can make a new plan."
Valerie rolled her eyes, "That plan didn't work at all! Now we're trapped in Amity Park, and both the Ring and Crown are still here!" In the distance, they could hear Johnny's bike racing around as he ran over skeletons.
"I guess we underestimated the Fright Knight a bit. Plus our plan didn't exactly work like it was supposed to." Danny said in annoyance.
"The only thing we can do is regroup and try again..." The older halfa said with a sigh.
"What if we just remove the sword? Wouldn't that get rid of the shield so we could still go through with the plan?" Danny asked, walking over to the sword sticking out of the ground.
"Danny, no!" Vlad yelled, red eyes wide in shock and fear. "The sword is a signal!"
It was too late. Danny looked at the sword in his hands in confusion. "A signal? A signal of what?!"
The green light that had surrounded the sword retracted to the ghost shield above, and large cracks formed on the green dome. Fragmented pieces fell to the city below, several of which would have squashed the two half-ghosts had they not turned intangible.
They stared at the green swirls in the sky as the shield deteriorated. Somehow, Amity Park was in the Ghost Zone!
The green sword in Danny's grip started to shake, and flew out of his grasp and into the Fright Knight's, where he hovered above where the shield was. By his side was the Ghost King himself.
All of the ghosts stared up in horror, their bravery now gone as they flew away and out of sight. Danny, Vlad and Valerie looked up fearfully at the two powerful ghosts in the air above them.
"Where are my Ring and Crown?!" Pariah demanded, his booming voice echoing around the city.
Danny inconspicuously looked over to where the other ghosts had been, and there sat the crown on the ground, in plain sight. He would have facepalmed had the situation not been as dire.
A new wave of skeletons came rushing towards the three floating figures, looking for the two artifacts. The crown had already been found; it floated up into Pariah Dark's field of vision, and he grinned as the crown sat atop his head again.
"Now where is the Ring of Rage?" He demanded, eager to restore his power completely.
"That girl has it!" The Fright Knight exclaimed, pointing at Valerie, showing the clearly visible ring on her finger.
Valerie's breath caught in her throat as the two powerful ghosts glared at her. She peered at her allies nervously, and they did the same.
It was all over. The King couldn't possibly lose the ring again now, since he knew exactly where it was.
"Give me my Ring, girl, and I may spare you!"
Valerie pulled the ring off with a shaking hand and threw it as hard as she could in the opposite direction. "Go get it ghost freak!" She screamed and flew away on her hover board back towards the city.
Danny and Vlad remained there, blinking at the unexpected action by the Huntress.
"Attack! Now!" The older halfa commanded in a harsh whisper, and the two rushed towards the Ghost King, firing up energy in their hands.
A few shots were fired, but the King was prepared. He expertly dodged and grabbed both halfas around their necks.
Just by looking at them up close, he could tell something was different about them. With a sneer, he commented, "Part human and part ghost... interesting..."
Without hesitation, he brutally electrocuted both ghosts, causing them to transform into their human forms. Dazed, they fell to the ground, barely conscious.
The Ghost King chuckled evilly before flying in the direction of his Ring.
Once the ghosts had left the clearing, Valerie circled back around from the city upon seeing the two unconscious humans.
"Mr. Masters! Danny!"
She carefully picked them both up and flew towards FentonWorks. The huntress placed them down on furniture before sitting down against the wall, exhausted from the fight she had just been a part of.
Vlad pulled out a little rectangular contraption, and he stared down at it with a bitter feeling. He would probably regret what he was about to do, but he knew it was only to protect Danny.
A few hours had passed since he and Danny fell victim to the Ghost King. They had woken up in FentonWorks, and found out that the Fenton Ghost shield had expanded to protect the whole city.
Amity Park had somehow been teleported to the Ghost Zone, and the only explanation was that it was Pariah's doing. Of course, it had made it much easier for him to retrieve his two power-infused items, and he had succeeded in gaining them back.
Vlad figured the King had returned to his castle to re-energize before he would launch a full-scale attack on the Ghost Zone and Earth. Pariah could afford to take his time now that he had his unlimited power again.
So the billionaire had a last resort, to hopefully save both humans and ghosts alike from Pariah's second reign. If he died, so be it, as long as Danny and everyone else was safe.
The older half-ghost noiselessly made sure the dial was set to one hour, regretting his plan more and more as time went on. Would this ruin his relationship with the younger halfa who he cared for like family? What would Vlad have to do to earn the boy's trust again, assuming the man even survived this?
He sighed before walking out onto the roof. It was now or never, and time was precious. The King was somewhere doing who-knew-what with his unstoppable power, skeleton ghosts were still rampaging around the city, and most importantly Amity Park was literally stuck in another dimension.
In other words, there was no time to waste.
The man approached the raven-haired boy, cringing inside when he was met by a grim but determined smile.
"So, Fruitloop, are you ready to go kick Pariah's ghostly butt?" The younger half-ghost asked with his usual snarky attitude.
Vlad took a deep breath, "Well, about that... We have something to discuss."
"All right," Danny said, "What is it then?"
"Daniel... You aren't going to fight the Ghost King."
The boy blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," the man looked down, "I'm going, alone, and you're staying here where it's safe."
Danny stared, then started to chuckle, "Heh, that's funny. Great joke, Vlad, now shouldn't we really get going?"
The older half-ghost felt his eyes heating up with red energy. Danny was making it way harder than it had to be. Couldn't he just comply and not let it come to Vlad's plan B?
"I'm not going to let you come and get hurt fighting one of the most powerful ghosts in existence, Daniel."
"What? Get hurt?!" His voice cracked in annoyance, "I get hurt every freaking day, Vlad! You don't think I can handle this?"
"You're not ready..."
"This is what you've been training me for!" Danny's voice rose to a yell, "I could help you! You can't just go alone to fight! The chances of winning would be even lower! How does that make any sense to you?!"
"Danny, you have your whole life ahead of you!" Vlad shouted back, "I can't let you throw it all away for this! Pariah is the most powerful ghost to exist besides the Ancients! I can't let you fight him!"
"Oh, but you can go fight him all by yourself?" Danny snapped, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"
Vlad glared, "Dumb or not, it's happening."
Without a word, the man raised the device in his hand to point at the boy in front of him. He pushed the button before he could back down, flinching at the zapping sound of electricity.
It was the lowest voltage that would still make the device function. Vlad tested it on himself to make sure there were no terrible side effects. By all means, the device wouldn't bring lasting harm, at least physically.
Emotionally, it was another story.
The man flinched at the pained yelp and shocked betrayal in his student's eyes. Breathing hard, Danny stepped back, creating distance between him and Vlad.
"Wh-what did you do to me?!" He stuttered, his eyes wide as he looked fearfully at the other half-ghost.
"Your powers are gone for the next hour," Vlad explained quietly. "So you can't follow me and get hurt."
He boy stared in disbelief, his eyes glistening and pleading for Vlad to not leave him behind.
The elder halfa turned to Sam and Tucker, who were standing awkwardly to the side, looking down and around and anywhere but at their friend.
"Please, make sure he stays safe." He told them quietly.
Danny flinched and didn't meet his friends' eyes. The betrayal he felt was palpable and it made the three others cringe.
"Danny..." Sam said softly, "It's for the best-"
"For the best?!" He exclaimed in fury, tears building up in his blue eyes. "It's not for the best that Vlad is going to kill himself fighting an invincible Ghost King, alone!"
"It's his choice dude," Tucker muttered, "He's giving you this opportunity, you have to make the best of it..." He trailed off and looked to the floor.
Danny shook his head, sobs racking his body. Vlad shuddered at the sight and promised to himself that he'd make up for it later.
If there was a later for him...
Before he could change his mind, he transformed, maybe for the last time, and took off into the green sky. He gained speed as we went up and up, closer and closer to the bright green ghost shield surrounding Amity Park. Like Tucker had promised, it briefly turned off and back on again, which made enough space for Vlad to shoot through.
There was no turning back now.
Danny watched as the grey and red form disappeared into the sky. Strangely, he didn't feel terribly sad or angry... He just felt numb. Was this all a dream, and he would wake up in his bed, on a normal day?
He knew he should have been fighting more for permission to go with Vlad, for the older halfa's sake. But if it was all a dream, that wouldn't matter.
Danny pinched his arm, and concluded with a frown that it was indeed not a dream.
He looked at his friends, who had moved since when he had seen them last. Tucker was now right inside the building next to them, monitoring the switches that controlled the shield. Sam leaned against the wall close to the door, her purple haze to the ground and an unreadable expression on her face.
Danny slowly walked over, flinching when they looked over at him. He still couldn't believe that they had made a deal with Vlad behind his back, that he would be trapped where it was safe... Or at least more safe than where Vlad was going.
"Well..." He said quietly, "...You guys up for helping me get my powers back?"
Sam and Tucker looked at him, differing emotions in their eyes.
"Please. I have to go help, I just have to!"
"Danny..." Sam started.
"Vlad is one of the most powerful ghosts we know." Tucker interrupted. "There is a chance he will be successful alone."
"Yeah, a chance!" The ghost boy snapped back. "But not a good one! He said himself that Pariah is more powerful, even without his Ring and Crown giving him unlimited energy!"
"Which is exactly why you both shouldn't have to get hurt fighting him!" Sam yelled, unusual tears gathering in her lavender eyes.
"Sam... you have to let me do this!" Danny pleaded, taking her hand and not noticing her blush. "It's my responsibility."
"No it's not, dude." Tucker said quietly.
"Well maybe not, but then it's not Vlad's either!" He argued. "Please, with me and him fighting together there's a much better chance than just him fighting alone! You have to understand that!"
The techno-geek sighed in defeat and looked at the goth beside him, who wiped a tear from her cheek.
"Please!"
After a few seconds, Sam sighed and nodded to Tucker. After a moment, a determined expression made its way onto his face. "Okay, that device uses electricity to disable a ghost's powers..." He muttered, attempting to think of a cure for the effects. "Maybe I can rig up one of my own."
The halfa grinned and pulled both of his friends into a hug.
They could still succeed. But they had to hurry.
Vlad flew further and further into the Ghost Zone, the red castle growing larger and larger in the distance. He could already see a huge army of skeletons amassed, in wait for him.
With a deep breath, the halfa flickered into invisibility before flying closer. He knew he shouldn't waste his energy fighting the King's army, for his fight with Pariah was much more important.
His only priority was to get the King back into his tomb. That, and to not die... but the former mattered more.
He passed intangibly through the castle walls, and he emerged into the throne room where his enemy was waiting.
"Ah, I was wondering when you would show up." The ghost sneered, sitting comfortably upon his throne, both the Ring and the Crown glowing brightly. "I've been looking forward to seeing your pitiful attempt at defeating me."
"Well, why don't I show you then?" Vlad Plasmius growled and bared his fangs, conjuring up a strong white and pink beam and sending it straight towards the Ghost King. Sneering, the King easily dodged it and sent back one of his own.
The atmosphere of the throne room crackled with electricity as the two ghosts battled, the two figures never hesitating or flinching.
Vlad was knocked back into the far wall, the bricks crumbling from the force. He blinked open his red eyes to see the King's smirk in his face, and the halfa was lifted up by his grey cape.
"Pathetic." The King breathed into the other ghost's face, his large hands around his opponent's neck.
Vlad sent a strong ghost stinger to the other ghost, sending him flying back with a strangled yell.
"This fight isn't over yet." The half-ghost answered under his breath, pink energy returning to his gloved hands.
Pariah Dark smirked in response and sent another ghost-ray. The fight continued with both enemies deeply engaged, dodging and attacking viciously.
Vlad was punched back into the wall for the second time, groaning at the impact. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this up, but he knew he wouldn't stop until his opponent was safely locked away.
He saw the King approaching and struggled to pick himself up off the wall.
Much to their surprise, a familiar green laser shot from the corner of the room, and knocked the King into his throne, destroying it instantly.
A shadowed form flickered out of invisibility, neon green eyes sparkling with anticipation and a cocky grin on his face, "Can I join the party?"
Pariah floated upright and chuckled, "So now both human-ghosts are in my presence! It'll be an honor to destroy both of you abominations."
The older half-ghost sent a sharp glare to the younger, "I told you to stay where it was safe!" He hissed under his breath.
"Not this time, Fruitloop." Danny replied, still annoyed at the other half-ghost for obvious reasons, and his narrowed gaze moved to Pariah, who grinned at them both.
The ghost boy threw up a hasty green shield when a red blast came from the King, and the fight was back on. Vlad fought with renewed strength, knowing that it was not only him in danger anymore.
He had a fight to win and a son to protect.
Meanwhile, Sam and Tucker had brought up the Specter Speeder full of the ghostly allies from the earlier fight. The group of ghosts eagerly launched an attack against the skeleton army, knowing that the two halfas were fighting the King at the same time. They had to do their part to ensure victory for the Ghost Zone.
As their ghostly allies fought, Sam and Tucker sat inside the Speeder, worriedly looking out at the castle.
"Do you think they'll be okay?" Sam asked, still having doubt in her mind.
"You've seen what they can do," Tucker responded with a smile. "I believe in them."
The two teenagers turned back to watch the fight, hope and confidence in their hearts.
"No!" Danny shouted, throwing his hands outward at the advancing Pariah, who had been ready to attack Vlad. Freezing blue beams shot out from his fingertips, encasing the King in ice and halting the fight.
Both half-ghosts stared, chests heaving from the intense fighting from just seconds before. Danny shivered at the strange cold feeling in his fingertips that had encased the king in solid ice.
Vlad looked over proudly at Danny, who had seemingly found out how to use his ice core's power.
Before the two half ghosts could do anything, the ice began to melt, and the king's bright red eyes glowered with hate.
With a strong red blast, the fight was back on.
The two halfas acted as one, weaving in and out with attacks and making it hard for their enemy to land a hit. But they were tiring quickly, and the king seemed to have an endless amount of energy. And he obviously was aware, as his insidious grin gave away as he blocked attack after attack.
Panting, Phantom managed to knock the King back several feet and looked hopelessly to the older ghost beside him for a new idea.
"Let's try something," the man suggested tiredly, "Do you think you could conjure up that ice again?"
Danny shrugged, looking unsure.
"On the count of three, shoot between us, right there." Vlad pointed to the general area.
"One-"
The King was scowling at them, floating forward menacingly, not realizing their plan and the Sarcophagus lined up across the room behind him.
"Two-"
With a gasp, the younger half-ghost's irises lit up light blue, followed by his gloved hands. Hot pink energy sparked across the other ghost's fingertips.
"Three!"
Simultaneously, pink and blue energies met a few feet in front of the halfas, forming a bright, blinding white ball of light upon contact, and a glowing purple beam shot toward Pariah, who had no time to react before he was thrown to the other side of the room.
"No!" He screamed, furiously shooting back energy, but nothing seemed to save him from his fate.
Foot by foot, he was pushed back towards the Sarcophagus, red eyes lighting up in fear and shock as he realized what was happening.
"You will pay for this!" He threatened menacingly, practically seething at the two attacking halfas. "I will destroy both of you in the most painful way imaginable!"
Vlad, although exhausted, created a duplicate that flew up and fired a final shot, encasing the Ghost King in his prison, and holding the lid shut.
The two halfas ceased shooting energy, the ectoplasmic energy rays dissipating before their eyes.
Danny used his last bit of energy to duplicate like his mentor did; the Phantom copy stole the key from its glass case and locked the Sarcophagus for the second, and hopefully final time.
When Pariah Dark's yells could no longer be heard, both half-ghosts fell to the ground, completely drained of energy.
After twin rings of light and dark, two humans were all that remained in the throne room.
Chests heaving, they smiled at each other.
"We did it..."
"Let's go home, Little Badger."
And that was Storm Clout, everyone! (cue the applause and celebratory music!) I'm so sorry it took so long… And also, I realize many things were different than the episode. I took out the Ecto-skeleton, added the Plasmius Maximus, and basically changed the entire progression of the episode. But I think it turned out okay, hopefully.
I'll be posting a few chapters to my other one-shot story that goes with this one, Of Fruitloops and Badgers, so watch out for that! I already have a teaser for The Ultimate Enemy written and ready to post to OFAB, as well as a few other plot bunnies. I hope that will make up for my long absence. :)
Anyway thanks for reading, if you read that all the way through! I know it was long and poorly planned and all that. Maybe sometime I'll get better at writing better fight scenes, and overall better planned chapters... we can only hope!
See you all at TUE, coming up soon!
-Specter14