Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom or any of the characters. Danny Phantom is the sole property of Butch Hartman, Nickelodeon and Paramount global.

Empowered

Chapter 18: How to deal with a Teenage Sorceress?

There was tension as both Misty and Star were glaring at each other.

Danny felt like he was about to watch a another fight break out as he tried to figure out how to handle this.

He readied himself before anything got too serious.

Only one person can get through to Misty right now, and it's not who she is speaking to now. However, both she and Star were sending dirty looks to each other, clearly wanting to take the conflict to physical levels.

"I'd throw you across town if it weren't for the fact that I'm assuming now that Colette's wish has been fulfilled that I don't have powers anymore..."Star said, arms crossed.

"Well, you'd be right. If you did only get those powers because of her wish, then they'd have disappeared as soon as hers did..." Misty said.

"Which I am sure since I can no longer sense any of my magic flowing through you anymore..."She added quickly with a dismissive handwave.

"A shame. I was looking forward to flying around some more, but I guess that's been settled..."Star said, sighing longingly but accepted this development.

She was already missing being Starlight Spirit, but it was a small price to pay to stop Colette from trying to take over the world and get her grubby hands on Danny.

The one thing she was missing most was finally getting to soar above the clouds with her beloved.

However, her remaining rival had something in mind, judging from the UN-happy look on her face right now.

"We still have one thing to settle..."Misty muttered, looking mad about something.

"And that is?..."Star asked, only to receive a glare from Misty.

"You being the girlfriend of BOTH Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom!..."She said, looking at her in a judgmental way.

"No I'm not!..."Star said as the young sorceress didn't believe her.

Misty was upset to say the least as she recalled how Star was with both Danny's and resumed her argument.

"Don't try and play innocent. I know that Danny Phantom apparently hit on you once and tried to ask you out, but you turned him down. And yet, you still saw him behind Danny Fenton's back. I've seen the news and tabloids. You're toying one Danny with another! Shame on you!..."Misty said, sending her rival a dirty look.

Star heard this and rolled her eyes.

"Why am I not surprised that she's trying to make me the bad guy here?..."She muttered, sliding a hand down her face.

"Because you are! Heck, I'm almost scared to ask about how long you've been two timing him..."She added, looking at her like she's dirt.

"I am not..."Star tried, but the jealous girl cut her off.

"Stop lying! I know the truth here! Why not ask Phantom to-..." Misty turned her head, seeing him gone.

"Where'd he go?..." She asked, her rage momentarily gone.

Meanwhile

Danny took advantage of the situation, leaving as they were talking.

Danny, now invisible, flew into a nearby alley and tried to think of a plausible explanation, without revealing his secret.

"Come on, Fenton Think! There's got to be someway out of this before she puts two and two together..."He thought, trying to search his brain for an answer that would clear Star's name and satisfy Misty without her finding out the truth about his secret identity.

Miraculously, he got an idea that could work.

He changed into his human form, stepped out and presented himself.

"Hey!..." Danny went, stepping out and acting like he just got here, pretending that he was out of breath from searching for them.

"Star, are you okay? Danny Phantom told me that witch was dealt with..."He said, playing dumb and also wanting to make sure that she was alright.

Before Star could say anything, Misty got in her way and waved to the boy they both love.

"Danny? Cool! You're just about to hear on how your girlfriend is cheating on you!..."Misty said, pointing at her accusingly as she revealed Star's "dirty little secret".

Star and the others sent her unamused and even upset looks while Danny took a breath and thought fast.

"Misty, uh-..."Danny tried as the teenage sorceress inched closer to him.

"I know that this might seem crazy but it's the truth. Star is Starlight Spirit and she's been two timing you with Danny Phantom. She's trading one cute Danny for another..."Misty said, acting like she just caught Star red-handed.

Danny did his best to defuse the rough tension and knew one idea to do so.

"Misty, Star is not cheating on me!..."Danny said, walking in between the girls.

Misty stared incredulously with a hint of longing, while Star was just as confused. Yet both girls let the boy go on.

"The truth is...he has this fan girl...Paulina...she's almost as obsessed with Phantom as Colette is with me..."Danny explained.

"Go on…"Misty said, intrigued.

Star and the others realized where he was going with this and let him go on, ready to follow his league.

"Phantom asked for help with getting her off his back, because he was starting to get creeped out with how obsessed she is, and when the media labeled Starlight as his girlfriend, we went with it to get Paulina off Phantom's back. And while admittedly, it hasn't gotten her to stop, it has helped eased the tension a bit..."Danny explained, constructing his lie as fast as possible.

"Really?..."Misty asked.

Danny nodded.

"Yeah, I mean...Danny Phantom saved both mine and Star's lives more than once. I figured that I owed him one, so I let people think that Starlight Spirit is Phantom's girlfriend in front of the media and the town..."Danny said, hoping that he sounded convincing.

Misty blinked and then turned to the rest of Team Phantom and the red huntress.

"Is this for real?..."She asked, and the others nodded.

"Why the heck would we LIE about that?..."Sam said, hoping that her attitude would convince Misty of his sudden story.

Misty blinked before turning back to her crush, as if to sense if he's lying.

"So...you knew and...it's not...cheating?..."Misty asked.

"No. I can safely say that Star is NOT cheating on me with Danny Phantom..."Danny said, hoping that she fell for this.

Misty pondered as everone else hoped that she'd buy it and drop her suspicions.

Thankfully, it seemed to work as the teenage sorceress began to nod.

Her shoulder relaxed as she finally spoke.

"I guess it makes sense. If that Paulina is as bad as Colette, and I'm adding in the fact she basically kidnapped you with the intent to force you into a shotgun wedding, then Phantom has every reason to ask for help. I mean, I'd probably do the same thing..."Misty said, with a much calmer expression than before.

The ghost boy was relieved, to say the least.

"That worked? Thank goodness. I really had no other idea on what to do if it didn't..."Danny thought, happy that she fell for it.

However, Misty looked almost…disappointed.

She kept staring at Star with a frown as she sighed loudly, her tone thick with sadness and frustration.

"So, you're...NOT a cheater?..."Misty asked, while Star glared at her.

"Duh! And I take offense at the fact that you actually wanted to believe that!..."The blonde girl said, her dagger-like eyes herding the unwanted rival away.

"Ok. Ok. Sheesh. Sorry!..."Misty said, rolling her eyes away as if playing it off as a harmless case of taking cookies from a jar.

However, she then got curious about something.

"Wait...now that I know you aren't a cheater, but you were that ghost girl...uh...what exactly are you, Star? Are you human? A ghost and...are you...uh...alive?..."She asked, sounding at a loss and even concerned at the last part.

Star groaned, and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I am alive. The truth is, I once ended up getting superpower for a short while and NO, I am not telling you how. Just know that it's over but I am currently fully human, just like Colette is by now..."Star said.

"Really?..."Misty asked, and the blonde girl nodded.

"Yes. You can check my pulse, but I don't trust you to touch me or to keep your mouth shut!..."Star said, glaring holes at her.

Misty cringed at that, looking away.

Star seemed more dangerous to Misty than when she was Starlight Spirit, and that was saying something since she could no longer bench a bus.

It took the ghost boy holding her back to keep the peace, and even then, that stirred the sorceress's heartstrings.

However, she now realized that Star is not being unfaithful...and that Danny and the others now know she faked her amnesia and her role in this mess now.

"Now I can't even use the "she's a cheater" card and I have to eat my words! Darn it!..."She thought, hating this.

Even worse, she already used the memory wipe spell on Colette and she doesn't have the energy to caste another, and by the time she will, it won't do any good since too much time would have passed to wipe their memories.

She's doomed here.

She just there in defeat as the other teens were discussing what to do.

"I'm guessing that I can't just leave now, can I?..."Misty asked, looking nervous.

"No, you can't!..."Star said while her boyfriend pondered their next move.

"I guess that leaves only one question…"Danny said. "What are we going to do with you?..."He asked, sending her distrustful looks.

Misty began to feel her guilt building up inside her like before, all eyes were on her.

"We should keep an eye on her at all times..." Sam suggested.

"I should put a tracker in her phone..." Tucker offered, causing everyone to stare at him suspiciously.

"NOT FOR THAT REASON!..."He insisted.

"You so were thinking that..." Sam muttered.

"No! And I resent the accusation!..." Tucker went, frowning. "I already accepted that she's not into me, remember? Plus, I know when to backoff with girls..."He said, looking offended.

"Okay, okay. Sorry..."Sam said, realizing that maybe that accusation might have been much.

"Uh..."Misty was about to say something, but Star's glare silenced her.

Star frowned at her, before she and her boyfriend turned to the guilty sorceress.

"Before you decide that or anything else, I'd like to say something...I'm sorry for this mess. In hindsight, I never would have thought Colette would be involved, somehow, and cause all this…"Misty backed away, pushing her hand defensively.

Then, to the surprise of everyone, the girl prostrated herself on the ground, looking at Danny.

"What…what is this?…"Danny asked.

"I am sorry…"Misty spoke with undeniable, sincere apology and guilt.

"This is all my fault, and I never meant or wanted any of this to happen. I know you won't forgive me, but I wanted to make this clear before anything happens…"She said, looking miserable right now.

Misty looked up at everyone, her eyes making contact with the entire group.

"So please, just know I am completely remorseful for…all of this…especially to you, Danny…" She said, as a tear fell from her eye.

While Danny was momentarily moved, his girlfriend stepped up and shook her head at this.

"You still left out one other crucial detail...like the fact that you faked your amnesia and still tried to steal my boyfriend right under my nose!..."Star said, arms crossed.

Misty felt a little worse from the words she heard, while Danny was still contemplating on one very important question that need to be day out loud.

"What do you guys think we should do?..."He asked, as he turned to the others.

"We shouldn't trust a word that comes out of her..."Star said, before turning to Misty.

"So, I'm gonna be keeping a much closer eye on you than before..."She said as the other members of Team Phantom nodded in agreement.

To her surprise, Misty didn't argue with her.

"That's total fair, after everything I've caused so far I wouldn't blame any of you for not trusting me...but I just want you all to know is that...I really am sorry..."Misty said, looking at the ground to avoid eye contact.

"I heard..."Star said, still trying to figure out what to do with her.

"And don't pretend to lose your memory again. We're not falling for that again..."Sam said, sending her a dirty glare.

Misty cringed some more, choosing not to speak up.

All the while, Team Phantom decided to do a little emergency meeting.

"Wait here, don't even think of getting up..."Star ordered, before turning to Valerie.

"Val, keep an eye on her and make sure that she doesn't try to even look at us in a way that screams casting a spell..."She said.

"Got it..."Val said while Misty saw most of the group parting away.

"Wait, what are you guys doing?..."Misty asked.

"Just shut up and wait there, until we figure out what to do with you!..."Star barked, making Misty shrink from that.

She then noticed the serious look that Danny was sending and it made her feel worse. Misty just remained there, while Team Phantom went several yards away to discuss her fate, while Valerie kept her eye on her like a prison guard.

Misty was silent while Valerie had her arms crossed.

"Don't you even try using any of that hocus pocus. Just because I fight ghosts doesn't mean I won't knock you out..."Valerie said, pointing her finger at her.

Misty nodded in silence.

"I'm so dead!..."She thought, as she saw her crush, her rival and their friends apparently deciding her doom.

She was too scared to even think what they were talking about right now.

With Team Phantom

Danny, Star and the others stood several yards away to have a private meeting, about what to do with Misty.

"Now, what do we do about Misty the Teenage Witch?..."Sam asked.

"I'd suggest something awful but I don't want to be responsible for a Missing Person's alert..."Star said, still ticked.

Danny sighed in frustration.

"I don't know. Maybe we can...I dunno...ask Wulf or Frostbite to keep an eye on her or be around her until she's changed for the better or something, maybe do something to keep her from using magic again..."Danny suggested.

"Danny, Wulf is all the way at Lake Eerie and he has his paws full taking care of Danielle. We can't ask him to look after two people for you..."Star reminded.

"Plus, Frostbite is busy taking care of the Far Frozen and the Infi-Map. I don't think that they'd want to play warden with her either..."She said, making sure to keep her voice low.

"True..."Danny said, scratching the side of his head.

"And it's not like we can ask Val to guard her 24/7 to make sure that she doesn't try using magic on us like she's doing now. That's not exactly something she can explain to her dad..."Jazz said, and the others saw her point.

"Any other ideas?..." Danny asked, trying to figure out a way to keep Misty from causing trouble again.

"Its so much easier stuffing ghosts in the thermos than this..."He muttered.

"Well...maybe we can have her join us..."Tucker said, only to get looks from the others.

"I'm sorry. What? You're suggesting that we invite a literal witch with jealousy issues and delusions of grandeur...the SAME ONE who has both almost destroyed us and tried to steal my boyfriend TWICE to join our Team?!..."Star asked, looking at him like he's crazy.

"I'm just saying that Misty does have power and she did seem sorry. Maybe we can keep an eye on her, since who's more capable than us to keep her in line if she does use magic and we'll know what to do if she crosses any lines again. Maybe-..."Tucker tried but Star cut him off.

"No!..."Star said, refusing to allow it.

"She's the reason that I nearly became a Chinese vampire's bride AND Colette almost ruled the world just now just because she can't control her petty jealousy! I am NOT going to be on the same team as her for softball, much less for ghost fighting!..."She said, crossing her arms.

It was clear that she would not budge on the matter.

"Alright, geez. It was just a suggestion..."Tucker said, rolling his eyes.

"You just wanted to have her on the team as an excuse to hit on Misty again, right?..."Star accused.

Tucker glared at that.

"No! I haven't been into her since she labeled me as a "techno-geek", remember. Besides, as hot as she is, she's totally into Danny. That's the only reason she did any of this..."He said, making the ghost boy cringe uncomfortably at being reminded of that fact.

"Don't remind me..."The ghost boy muttered.

Star rolled her eyes, before sighing.

"Fine, sorry. But even so, why don't you do something useful like, I dunno, invent some kind of device that let's us track Misty down and let us know if she uses magic? Maybe block her powers too?..."Star suggested as Tucker frowned at her.

"You think I'm magic too?..."Tucker asked sarcastically.

"Come on, Tuck. You did make that mood helmet and put a chip in our phones that I'm so removing after this..."Danny reminded as his male friend shook his head.

"I'm a techno-geek, not a miracle worker. It would take forever to even come up with blueprints for something like that and even longer to actually make it. Not to mention, we're dealing with MAGIC here! That's not exactly something I can just magically, pun not intended for once, understand enough to track or block..."Tucker said, gesturing to his PDA as he explained the latter portion.

Star sighed.

"Terrific..."She muttered sarcastically.

"Well, what do we do?..."Danny asked, turning his head to look at Misty.

"First things first, I say we get that spell book away from her and any other trinkets she might have before she accidentally conjures an army just to make you her prom date..."Sam said, arms crossed.

"Finally, an idea that I can side with..."Star said, still glaring at Misty.

Team Phantom soon separated and returned to where Misty and Valerie were.

"Okay, we've come to a conclusion..."Danny said, making the sorceress even more nervous.

"So, what's gonna happen to me?..."Misty asked, shrinking back in fear.

"First things first, if you are really as sorry as you say you are, then prove it..."Danny said, getting her attention.

"I'll do anything. Honest!..."Misty said, desperate not to have him hate her.

"Give us your spell book! You can't be a threat without it!..." Star demanded.

"W-WHAT?! But... that's my family heirloom!..."Misty said, not wanting to give it up.

"An heirloom you've used to sick a creepy undead guy on me and make my stepsister a force of nature with a god complex!..." Star said, reminding her of her past mistakes.

"True..." Misty said in defeat.

"So... we want that and all other trinkets you have that might be used for magical purposes..."Sam said.

"I can bring you the book and my spell scrolls... but they are at home. Since it's so late, I only ask we do it tomorrow. I'll bring it, promise..." Misty said.

"And everything else?..." Sam asked.

"There's no need. My magic only awakened because of reading the book. Once it's gone, that should cancel out my magic. Even if I found, say, a magic box with a button on it with the power to "destroy Amity Park forever and ever", no magic means it'd be useless..." Misty said.

"You're serious?..." Star asked, raising a brow.

Her rival nodded.

"At best I can mix potions and make chants, but without the book, all I would be able to do is harmless stuff like a special incense that wards away all rats in a 10 mile radius..." Misty said.

"Oh, I'd love for you to use that on my place..." Valerie said, earning looks from everyone.

"What? If she's determined to turn over a new leaf, may as well use what little she'd be able to do for good use..."She said.

Star rolled her eyes.

"You can discuss rates with her after she hands over that stupid little evil book of hers. And just to make sure you don't run off... hand over your phone..." Star ordered.

"Uh... why?..." Misty asked.

"So Tucker can put a tracking chip in it, that way we'll know you're being honest..." Star said.

"Uh..."Misty paused, looking unsure.

"Don't worry, I can't hack into your camera or anything..." Tucker said.

He then noticed looks from everyone.

"I swear that I never considered that..."He insisted.

Misty didn't like it, but she also knew that she had little choice here.

She sighed.

"Fine... but only if you agree to get it out as soon as it's done..." Misty said as she handed her phone.

"Promise..."The tech geek said.

"Okay then..." Misty said in acceptance as Tucker turned to look at his best friend.

"Danny, come help me?..." Tucker asked.

"Sure..."He said, knowing what he'd need.

As their backs were turned to Misty, Danny used his power of intangibility to pull the chip out of his phone and into Misty's.

Once done, handed it to her.

"Here it is..."He said.

"That was fast..."Misty said, surprised.

"Well, I am a tech geek. This is my forte..."Tucker said.

Misty wanted to ask more, but her rival wanted to end things as soon as possible.

"So... bring us the book by this time tomorrow, unless you wanna get put on ours, as well as Danny Phantom's list of enemies..." Star said.

Seeing that she had no choice, the young sorceress sighed in misery.

"Okay..." Misty said with a weak nod as she started walking away in defeat.

Once Misty was gone, the Team let out sighs of relief.

"Finally..."Star muttered.

"That was TOO close..."Danny said, wiping off some sweat from his brow.

With that done, the mood had lifted. The heroes began to relax a bit.

"What a day..."Jazz said.

"I'll say. At least we got a chance to get about a semester's worth of payback on Colette..."Val said, looking on the bright side.

"True, but I am in no rush to ever see Empress Whats-her-face ever again..."Star said, and her boyfriend nodded.

"You and me both..."Danny said, glad that ordeal is over with.

"So, Danny... how did it feel to be in the role of a male damsel in distress?..."Sam asked with a smirk.

The ghost boy sighed.

"Let's just say I'm way more sympathetic to when it happens to Star..."Danny answered, not wanting to repeat what happened.

"Yeah, but she didn't get kissed by any other guys..." Tucker pointed out, earning a slap in the back of his head from Jazz and Sam.

"Ouch!..."He complained as he rubbed the back of his head..

"Shut it..."Sam said, knowing its not something that Danny wants to relive.

"Speaking of which...I better go..."Danny said as he started walking away.

"Where are you going?..."Jazz asked.

"Home. I still need like a TON of mouthwash and toothpaste to try and get rid of all of Colette's germs off me. I might even need a bath...for two weeks...in tomato sauce and pine leaves if that doesn't work..."Danny said as he rubbed his lips, still feeling sick from that unwanted kiss from his stalker.

Star and Team Phantom shuddered, the former with more anger.

"Yeah, I imagine Ember left a better aftertaste..."Star said, frowning.

Colette's punishment seemed minimum now. Perhaps there was time to go back and add a few bruises with some broken bones. However, she suspected that it may be unlikely at this point.

"Yeah, I need to brush my teeth and use mouthwash...for the entire night of soaking my tongue and gums if I have to..."He said, still looking ill as he recalled that awful moment.

He actually turned green for a moment, which his girlfriend noticed.

"Easy there, Boo. You look like you're about to hurl...not that I can blame you..."Star said, walking over to help her boyfriend.

"I've been fighting the urge to..."Danny muttered, briefly turning green again before he resisted the urge to lose his lunch.

Team Phantom soon left, hoping that Misty would keep her word and end of all the magical mayhem.

If not, then they just might have other problems to worry about.

Elsewhere

As Misty walked home, she only had one thing in mind.

About how she has go give up magic and her book to prove she's changed. She didn't want to, but she also knew that she has no other choice.

The unhappy sorceress groaned in defeat, knowing this won't be easy.

"I either have to give them the book... or they'll never forgive me..."She thought, knowing that she doesn't have any choice here.

She sighed, not looking forward to tomorrow but she had to make things right.

No matter what.

-To be continued-

Next time on Empowered

Tying Up Loose Ends

A/N(1): I dedicate this chapter to my family, my friends and my love for God :)

A/N(2): Special thanks to NeoMark, BeConfuzzled Writer and Jay The Average Fanboy for all their help in this chapter. You guys rock :)

A/N(3): Edits were made on 4/2/2023.

REPLIES to my loyal and totally awesome reviewer:

RonaldM40196867:

1) Yeah.

2) Yeah.

3) Not really, it was more to just get Beatrice off their backs.

4) Right.

5) Not exactly, but I can see some similarities.

6) I guess we will have to wait and see what happens.

7) Right.

8)Right.

9) Yeah.

10) It's mostly for her obsessive interest in Phantom, and because she somewhat reminds her of the snobs that she hangs out with for status reasons.

Jebest4781: Thank you :)

Danifan3000:

1) :)

2) How is this?

Luiz4200: Thanks, I will edit.

Also, Sam was wearing a mask and Colette didn't know she and the others were there. She only recognized Valerie because of her voice but that's it.

Eecobeo: It was more like the Simpsons.

Invader Johnny: I see your point.

CZS4: Thank you :)

How's this?

JDF Legacier Morphicon: Thank you :)

Here are my responses to your questions:

1) I think that she'd have a chance.

2) Yeah, I think she became a better person towards the end of the series.

3) Not really, I see Paulina as too spoiled and DP-obsessed.

4) Sorry, no spoilers. I guess that we will havd to wait and see what happens.

5) Maybe, but I see Shego being snarkier.

6) Maybe, if she could. Also, I will check.

Saberwolf335: How's this?

:) I hope you enjoyed this! Remember to read and review :)