CHAPTER 41: ICONOCLASM, PART 4

'God is dead.'

Friedrich Nietzsche introduced this near-famous saying into the public discourse of theology, claiming that belief in the Christian god had become a construct of Europe's then-current views on morality, and bound to collapse in time; unsustainable under its own weight as a religion, no different from late-stage capitalism of the modern day.

This has since taken on a new reality that has dominated the public discourse since the discovery of the Ghost Zone, providing the world with a definite, absolute, and objective understanding of the afterlife. It has since rendered religion as a concept obsolete, and driven people into the arms of science and reason instead.

For most, this was a mostly peaceful transition; religion had been mostly reduced to mere identity and not taken seriously by most of its so-called practitioners, left behind as a child would put away their toys. For those without a healthy financial status or otherwise at the subject of an oppressive government, it had become their only reality, either as a means of escaping subjugation or the struggles of everyday life.

Those who clung to their gods, restructuring their religions as something more akin to drug cartels and/or anti-government militias, began to create them through the same technology that disproved them at last. Their process was a crude half-science that yielded mixed results, if that, but ultimately resulted in the closest thing they could manage to bringing their gods to life.

By holding their faith as strongly as they could muster, they plunged themselves into Ghost Portals, imitating the same method which gave Danny Phantom his powers, and became incarnations of the very gods they believed in, convincing themselves of this fantasy to allow their ghosts to embody the deities themselves.

In a manner of speaking, Nietzsche's famous quote had predicted how these gods were able to be created, in that the gods were now literally dead.

After successfully defeating Danny Phantom and the Fenton family, Demon Phantom, an evil counterpart of Danny from an alternate future, took advantage of this methodology, perfecting it to create the gods of human imagination to use as weapons to destroy the Earth for his own means.

Now that Danny Phantom and the Fenton family has returned (as ghosts, in the case of the latter), alongside the newfound allies of Vlad Plasmius and Danielle Phantom, the gods have been defeated by their hands, just as their discovery of the Ghost Zone had done for them once before.

With the gods all trapped inside a Fenton Thermos, making it almost a very real iteration of Pandora's Box, they are careful not to see it open, and ensure that the threat is carefully kept sealed away from posing a threat again, for they have a greater task now that requires no distractions. Having disposed of the gods which threatened the Earth, there now laid the task of defeating the one who unleashed these evil deities.

They begin their mission with a return to the city where this threat originated and the epicenter which all the forbidden knowledge of the afterlife was made known:

Amity Park.

Arriving back to the city, the Fentons found no population of living or dead present in Amity Park, but instead a long, sad array of dead bodies and destroyed buildings; the city laid completely in ruins and no signs of life of afterlife anywhere to be found. Once recognizing this city as a lively place of many cultures and societies blending together to one, joining the ranks of New York City, the home they knew grew beyond recognition.

The city no longer resembled anywhere that the family could recognize as a home or welcoming as any place of belonging, but instead more like a trip through a battlefield of a war gone past. There was indeed a war that took place here, making this comparison a description rather than a metaphor, but it was no two or more countries that did battle here, or any other reason that might seem justifiable in the history books.

Instead, these people killed each other simply for the crime of not worshiping the same god as them.

The Fentons are no stranger to violence or battling against those with ideologies that bring tyranny and terror to others, but the sight of death on American soil is a blight on the nation they belonged to, and a misery to see in their home town, seeing it brought to such a low.

Both the nation and city are on the mind of the former president Tucker Foley, who takes in the carnage with the heaviest heart and greatest guilt. Responsible for the country for nearly 4 years, signing legislation and making decisions that effect all of the lives in his country, he cannot help but feel that what has happened here is his fault.

And he is right.

"Danny... Guys... What happened here?" Tucker asked.

"What's it look like happened? The people all killed each other." Danielle said.

"But... all this happened when I died?"

"No. It happened when you lived. All those policies of cutting taxes for the Fentons and giving them subsidies as far as the eye can see, ever think that other people might've needed that money? That they wouldn't look somewhere else for help and sell their souls just to live?"

"As a matter of fact, I started to right before I died. Well, before the attack, I should clarify. I started to think about more about doing right for the people, and less of trying to get back in your graces. Well, it was technically the evil Danny's graces, but the experience made me think twice all the same. You're right. I was a horrible president. Should've learned when I was young to stay away from power if I couldn't have handled it, or at least use it correctly to help people."

Tucker's admission of guilt brought a respectful nod to Danielle, and a slight increase in her demeanor towards him.

"Well, better late than never, I guess. That goes for more than one of us here." Danielle said.

"Save the blame and guilt for later like the rest of us. We're here." Danny said.

The family at last arrived just outside of the reach of Fenton City, where it floated contently above the sky of the city, where they soon found that their challenge laid not just in defeating Demon Phantom, nor even defeating all of his subordinates, but also in defeating another challenge that was laid out for them.

Reaching the part of the city where Fenton City rested above their heads, the Fentons found an army of machines standing in the way between them and the flying technological city that was their home. These machines were once also an important part of their lives, functioning as robot assistants known as Jazzbots...

...but were now radically redesigned and repurposed for war as the battle androids known as Techbots, each one possessed by the consciousness of Technus, the genius designer ahead of his time betrayed by a capitalist system. Once preaching the use of technology for peace and prosperity, the ghost redesigned these robots for death and destruction, a far cry from his mission in life.

"Not another step, Fentons!" One Techbot said.

"We won't hesitate to shoot down ruthless venture capitalists such as yourselves!" Another Techbot said.

"You'll stay right where you are!" A different Techbot said.

In droves do the Techbots stand between the Fentons and Fenton City, all keeping their weapons pointed directly at the family. Their presence makes the task of getting inside Fenton City a challenge on top of a challenge as it stood, with said former challenge showed itself by standing on top of Fenton City's hangar, standing alongside his subordinates.

Looking down on the arriving army of the Fentons, Demon Phantom smiled as they faced down his own army, which outnumbered them greater than any could even count on their own. Stepping off from the balcony of the hangar, Demon Phantom slowly descended to the ground, keeping himself floating in the air to speak to Danny and the Fentons, saying...

"Danny Phantom, whole again, all by yourself. What an achievement." Demon Phantom said.

The enemy's compliment was nothing more than a mockery for Danny Phantom, who disregarded his comment and returned his dialogue with a scowl.

"You like what I did with the place? Amazing how so many people can turn on each other so easy and so completely. All it takes is just the right little push." Demon Phantom said.

"We caught all your artificial gods, Demon. They're not gonna do your bidding any longer. You're already finished." Danny Phantom said.

"Funny. I seem to remember you believing your troubles were over after trapping them in a Fenton Thermos. How did that work out again? Oh, that's right, your entire family died and you lost your powers. Should we repeat this little experiment again?"

"By all means. We're scientists. We don't end any experiments until we get the results we want." Jazz said.

"And your cheap shot of killing me isn't an advantage you'll get again. I'm not giving up until you're finished." Sam said.

"We Fentons don't give in to ghosts." Jack said.

"We catch 'em like any other." Maddie said.

"And once you're a ghost hunter, you're always a ghost hunter, even in death." Tucker said.

"Especially when you have your own demons to battle." Vlad said.

"And win against. Like I will now." Danny Phantom said.

Observing the combined courage of the Fentons presented against him, Demon Phantom chuckled in amusement, meeting their challenge with a silent mockery.

"American bravado against all odds. Just what I love to see. By all means, then, make your stand... if you dare." Demon Phantom said.

Flying back to the sky, Demon Phantom raised out a single pointing hand towards the Fentons, making his order to the Techbots waiting below.

"Technus, attack!" Demon Phantom shouted.

[Soundtrack Cue: KMFDM - No Peace]

Taking the order from their master without hesitation or question, the Techbots all charged forth and began firing on the Fentons, marching forward as one army launching a coordinated attack on their enemies. The targets they were set against were few and small in number, which would make their elimination seem able to pass in mere seconds...

...but when the enemies in question are the world-renowned ghost hunters such as the Fenton family, there is no attack coordinated enough to end them so quickly, much less when they now have all the powers that come with being ghosts. Evading the initial attack, the Fentons all flew to the sky, avoiding the ectoplasmic blasts of the Techbots with a quick ascent.

Splitting up their initial congregation, the Fentons began firing back on the Techbots below, meeting the artificial hellfire with their own supernatural energy. Able to maneuver around the enemy attacks in the spacious comfort of the sky, the Fentons are not so easy for the Techbots to attack, and, stuck in the stationary position on the ground, they are all too easy for the family team to attack.

Down do the Techbots fall at the hands of Fentons; each of their ectoplasmic blasts taking down the machines, and a piece of the ghost of Technus with it. But even in this piecemeal fashion cannot the mind that created these robots be defeated, and always does a man of science have his own contingency plans for each eventuality.

Such is the case with trying to battle the Fentons in the air, knowing full well that his enemies would take to the sky and make full use of their ghostly abilities of flight. The Techbots, despite their large, metal builds, were not forced to continue their battle on the ground, for they were designed to do battle in the air themselves.

It is now that the Techbots all take to the sky as well, flying after the Fentons to fight them on their new home field. Once nothing but a mere turkey shoot, that advantage has long left the Fentons as they Techbots proceed to take advantage of their full abilities, taking to the skies to make this battle a dogfight.

Now, the fight is something more of a challenge, and a great one for both at that.

The battle now continues on in a way unique from any way that any human being could conceive or coordinate such a dogfight; the Fentons are all individual beings that carry their own thought processes and creativity, but the Techbots are all piloted by the sole consciousness of Technus, controlling each of them as extensions of himself.

As such, the Techbots' attacks and approaches start to become predictable, robotic and rigid, but their approach still comes fully coordinated and difficult to overcome with one of the world's smartest minds controlling them. Strength, creativity, nor belief become enough to win the challenge, and victory for either side seems far and away.

But the fight here is nothing more than a distraction from the real threat to the world. The mastermind behind the death and destruction that has already taken place is still over all their heads in the walls of Fenton City, and the presence of the Techbots here is nothing but a distraction in service of protecting him.

This fact is well known to the Fentons, who know that they must push through the Techbots and handle the real enemy.

"We're not getting anywhere with these guys! We gotta get up there and beat Dark Danny!" Sam shouted.

"These guys are a handful as it is! I'm just barely getting used to being able to shoot ectoplasm out of my hands!" Tucker shouted.

"Maybe we don't need to worry about all of us getting up there, just Danny!" Jack shouted.

"And how do you propose we do that, dad?!" Jazz shouted.

"If we manage to form a defense around him, we should be able to get him inside!" Maddie shouted.

"We can make that happen! Danny, family meeting!" Danielle shouted.

Coming to his younger sister's call, Danny rejoined the rest of the Fentons, all preparing to form themselves into the human (relatively speaking) shield to keep him protected and get inside Fenton City again. All together do his friends and family surround him, with his parents coming closest to him, alongside Vlad Plasmius.

"Just hold tight, Danny. We'll get you inside." Vlad said.

Joined together and ready, the Fentons began flying straight towards the skybound Fenton City, firing away at any Techbots that flew near. Their plan had shown itself to work in its first steps; the enemy Techbots showed no true greater threat than what they posed previously, still carrying our their attack in the same manner as before.

But the consciousness of Technus soon began to catch onto the strategy they were forming, and started to calculate a new strategy of his own. Taking control of his Techbots once again, the machine army began to approach the group of Fentons from both its front and behind, preparing to open fire.

The Fentons realized this incoming danger soon approaching, and realized the strategy now required alteration to succeed.

"You guys keep going! I'll hold off the ones in the back!" Tucker shouted.

Tucker then broke off from his position in the group, turning around to fire on the incoming Techbots. His lone stance of standing against the onslaught of machines by himself was met with surprise by the others, leading one of the few to join him and keep away the enemy from defeating their mission.

"I'm going with him. You guys keep going!" Jazz shouted.

Breaking off from the group, Jazz flew down and joined with Tucker, proceeding to blast away at the incoming Techbots. The Techbots approaching from behind opened fire on the group, which the offshoots of Tucker and Jazz responded by firing back and preventing them from hitting their targets.

Just as their comrades from behind had done, the Techbots from the front began firing as well, prompting more of the Fentons to break off from their hold. The remaining sibling and wife of Danny Phantom were the next to go, with the latter leaving her husband with a kiss.

"We'll clear some room for you." Danielle said.

"You just push on through. I know you can do it." Sam said.

Removing themselves from the formation, Sam and Danielle flew towards the swarm of Techbots and began firing on them, forcing many to break off from their own group and attempt to strike back against the two. The result of the Techbots' actions had left the swarm in front severely weakened, taking away manpower from the one force capable of preventing the Fentons from reaching their home again.

Extending their hands out, the remaining members of the group, Jack, Maddie, and Vlad, began firing a collected beam of ectoplasm straight into the swarm, blasting through the barricade of machines like a drill. The act of pushing through, a difficult and daring strategy, was less like drilling through dirt and seemed more like drilling through solid concrete and rock in hopes of breaking through.

Nonetheless, it is a task that the Fentons push themselves on to succeed, for failure is not an option, lest they doom the human race to the mercy of Demon Phantom as it was once before. Still do they push through the swarm, pushing their belief and concentration to the max to fuel their ectoplasmic beams to cut through.

And soon, their efforts pay off. The journey to reaching the hangar of Fenton City is one that seemed long and tormentuous, but the task has been succeeded. Trying as the effort was, it still left the task of getting Danny inside, the most important portion of the mission, unsolved.

Breaking apart their formation, Jack and Maddie leave the group to fire on the Techbots, who now turned their numbers directly on the hangar to stop the intrusion. More than intent to protect their son, the Fenton parents blast away at the incoming machines, urging the final two to continue.

"Move it! You're almost there!" Maddie shouted.

"Go on, Vladdie! Get our boy across the finish line!" Jack shouted.

Wasting not a moment provided by his former colleagues, Vlad grabbed Danny like a protective father, shielding himself over the half-dead hero from any incoming fire. Running towards the door to the hangar in a bum-rush, his cape flew out to the air, spreading itself to provide greater coverage for his precious cargo.

This same strategy proved to make himself an easier target for the Techbots, who responded by firing on the target while avoiding the fire of the Fentons striking back at them. Their numbers are great enough to land painful shots into their target through the struggles of avoiding their enemies, leaving Vlad to suffer many hits in the line of duty.

Bolt after bolt of ectoplasm made their way into Vlad's body, each hit taking away a piece of his astral form, whether it be merely his cape and clothing or even his own body. Either way, each hit is enough to inflict damage on his self, making him scream out in pain from each shot.

"Vlad!" Danny called.

But that is not enough to stop him. Still does he push himself on to the hangar door, watching it grow closer by the second, keeping Danny Phantom close in his arms to spare him from the enemy fire. He does not focus on the pain or the numbers of enemies behind him, but instead only the life in his arms and the wrong he has done throughout it, and how he must succeed in helping it for his own salvation.

"Never mind me! The door's right there! Get ready to phase through it!" Vlad shouted.

Reaching the hangar door at last, Vlad released Danny and held up his cape, once again shielding him from the attacks of the Techbots. In an instant, he received more airstrikes of hellfire coming from the ethereally-possessed machines, bringing him to his knees from the amount of psychic pain inflicted upon him.

"GO, DANNY! GO!" Vlad shouted.

Danny cannot help but spare a single look at Vlad and his suffering, given the vision of an innocent suffering at the hands of a higher being without the punishment of being turned to a pillar of salt. Instead, all he thinks about is regret over seeing Vlad push himself through so much torment, and perhaps even feels a sliver of respect for his former enemy at last.

The thought is but a moment, and replaced with action, and said action being his leap inside the hangar, turning himself intangible for the journey.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

At last, he is inside Fenton City, a place he has once called his home. Since being taken over by a group of ghosts who acted as some of his most dangerous enemies, the flying fortress has not undergone much in the way of change; all of interest inside the city is the technology to create their own gods as weapons, a task which they have already succeeded in.

The lack of change does not make Danny's venture back into Fenton City all the better or comfortable. Knowing full well the deaths that his family suffered here, dying here as a last stand against the most dangerous beings in the universe, the place he has made his home for many years is no longer a comforting place to be, no longer carrying its since of warmth and belonging.

In its place is a sense of sickness, a wrongness that comes with the knowledge that there is something is here that should not be. Something that does not belong here.

In archaic times, people would call this a 'haunting', a belief that a ghost is possessing their home, carrying with it the intent to torment those living within the house to make them leave. Science has brought an end to these superstitions, while also proving the existence of that very threat as well.

Danny Phantom has fought against this threat for most of his life, and he is here to fight these ghosts again.

If his home is haunted, then this is its exorcism.


ROCK IS DEAD

Ember McLain, like many youth in her age, has worshiped the countercultural movement of rock and roll. She has kept up with every popular band during her time, never missing a concert or tour, and, again like many others in her age group, has dedicated much of her time in the effort of trying to become a rock star herself.

She has spent what little money she made on a guitar and a setup, practicing on it non-stop until she became a star like the rest of the musicians she has seen on stage. She has spent blood, sweat, and tears for her goal, with little to show in the way of success, just like most others who opt to try their way to the top.

But unlike many others who try to reach for the pie in the sky, she tragically died in a house fire at a young age, unable to see even the chance of failure once more.

Her body had perished in the flames, but her passion for music nor her desire to be a star had not.

Reborn in the flames by the power of her own will, she returned to the Earth that once left in the form of a ghost, carrying with her all the emotions and motivations she had during most of her life, seeking to fulfill a goal that has since become perverted through her own resurrection.

All her attempts to fulfill it had been stopped by Danny Phantom, who confined her to a Fenton Thermos and cast her back into the purgatory of the Ghost Zone.

She is the first of the three ghosts that stand between Danny Phantom and his target, and she is the first who must go.

Slowly does Danny Phantom approach, walking through the halls of Fenton City to make his way to Demon Phantom. He knows that the three ghosts who serve him are in this building and seek to fight, but he knows not where the enemies lay, nor what they have in store for him.

He steps through with eagerness and anxiety married as one, keeping his fists clenched and full of ectoplasm in anticipation for the first sign of trouble that comes his way. His eyes carefully and slowly scan the area for any sign of the enemy, whether it be one ghost or many, keeping himself alert for any attack.

The attack does not come immediately and noticeably; the one who would attack instead opted to cautiously watch from the shadows, waiting for the moment which she could make her first strike. She waits in the dark with her guitar in hand, not unlike a guerilla warrior in the jungle.

And when she sees the time ripe for a strike, Ember threw down her pick to the strings of her guitar, playing a power riff on her instrument.

The resulting note from the guitar began to fly towards Danny as a projectile, sent at a frequency high enough to cut through his body with ease. The attack would have been more than effective on him, were it not for the fact that the very way in which the projectile was sent.

Existing purely as sound, the projectile was caught in the ears of Danny Phantom, signalling to him enough warning and time to avoid the attack. Jumping to a nearby crate, he dodged the attack, watching it impact into a nearby wall and leaving a large mark where it sliced into its metal.

Peering around a corner, Danny watched as Ember held her guitar to her side, pointing it towards his protective cover.

"Hey, Danny! Thought all that time I was on hiatus, that I lost a step on the guitar? Not even close, dipstick! Papa's got a brand-new bag of tricks!" Ember shouted.

Moving her hand up and down the neck of the guitar, Ember cocked the instrument like a weapon, which made a sound signalling the action was real and not exaggerated for cartoonish effect. Taking her pick to the strings again, she began playing a prolonged guitar solo, which every note played began firing towards Danny's cover in rapid succession.

Each note began to break down piece by piece of his cover, wearing it down to eventually reach its target behind the crate. The sound of each broken piece of the gate gave Danny Phantom a grave reminder of the incoming danger from the angered apparition, telling him that a call to action was dearly needed.

Ending the assault of musical gunfire on the crate, Ember cocked her guitar one more time, preparing a different projectile to fire at it.

"What's the matter? Wittle boy Danny doesn't wanna pway with me anymore? How about we play something else? How about a game of 'Hot Potato'?" Ember called.

Playing a power chord out from her guitar again, her instrument this time fired an explosive projectile, detonating against the crate and completely destroying it like a grenade would do in its place. With the crate completely destroyed, the other side of the object was at last revealed to see for Ember to step in and attack the target waiting...

...but Danny is nowhere to be found, making her attack completely ineffective against the half-dead hero.

"Hot potato? Kinda kindergarten. You always struck me as a 'Spin the Bottle' kind of girl." Danny said.

Turning and looking up to the sound of his voice, Ember found Danny floating above her, showing that he successfully avoided her attack.

"Oh, wow. The old witty comebacks. I almost forgot. It never impressed anybody, you know. Nobody cares about your little act." Ember said.

"Funny. I was gonna say the same thing about yours." Danny said.

Ember fired off another projectile by way of a power riff, which Danny flew out of sight in an instant, avoiding the attack completely. Though Ember's metaphysical attack did not land, Danny's verbal strike had landed perfectly on her, bringing her great agitation and fury brought about by tapping into her own insecurity.

"Arrogant little dipstick! Who do you think you're talking to?!" Ember sneered.

"Not the next Layne Staley, I'll tell you that. People in your time probably never cared about your love for music. Maybe not even your own family. That's why you became so obsessed with it, try to prove them wrong that you'll be somebody important." Danny said.

Turning to see Danny Phantom again, Ember fired another explosive blast from her guitar with a power riff, attempting to strike when the opportunity arose from his next sighting. Alas, the attack failed to land again, leaving her to strike nothing but thin air and debris while the insult struck a personal nerve.

"Oh, what's this, now? A psychology act? Your jokes aren't funny enough? You've got to try to play therapist with me? Your family might've been full of geniuses, but I think you fell a bit too far from the tree for that!" Ember shouted.

"Oh, I don't need a degree to figure you out, Ember. The whole reason you came back is because you wanted to be a big star. You wanted your spot in the limelight, to hear crowds call your name, to get a spot in the Rock-'n'-Roll Hall of Fame. Just like the only people who actually treated you with some kindness: Your favorite musicians, through all your favorite albums." Danny said.

Ember once again fired a blast at the next sighting of Danny, only to miss and plunge further into rage.

"I'm not hearing this out of you. I am so not hearing this." Ember panicked.

"Get a clue, Ember. You've got no talent at all. You have to rely on ghost powers just to get people's attention. The best rockers at least get some attention before they die, but you didn't even make a blip on the radar. College radio got better airtime than you. You're no Kurt Cobain. You're no Dave Grohl. You're not even Courtney Love." Danny taunted.

Ember once again fired a blast at Danny's next sighting, missing yet again and getting even more delirious, beginning to tear at her hair in anger.

"Shut up! Shut UP!" Ember screamed.

"So, you came back from the dead just so you could get another shot at fame and fortune. If you actually were lucky enough to meet some rockstars in the Ghost Zone, they would've given you a few fair warnings about trying for fame and fortune." Danny said.

Cocking her guitar once again, Ember began playing a solo and aiming her guitar wildly all across the air, firing projectile notes towards anything and everything in her sight, all in the vain hopes of hitting Danny Phantom. Her rampage was accompanied by an unrelenting scream, letting out all of her rage through her music and violence.

Eventually, the blind rage came to a stop as Ember let herself catch a breath (as a mental means of calming herself, no longer needing the air itself). Her eyes grew a bloodshot red out of the demeaning insults given to her, tapping into the fears and insecurities that led her to come back from the grave, and feeling more than intent to send someone else where she came from.

But Danny Phantom has no intent to go there, instead sending Ember McLain back. Appearing behind her again, he spoke out with another taunt of...

"They would've told you that it'll all come crashing down on your soon enough..." Danny began to say.

Smiling with insanity upon hearing his voice again, Ember cocked her guitar again and turned, preparing to fire on Danny...

...but Danny responded by extending his hand out to fire an ectoplasmic blast, aiming his shot straight for the head of her guitar. Once Ember played her next riff, an explosive projectile fired out from the head, making its trajectory for Danny Phantom, now having the living ghost in plain sight and trajectory...

...but, upon coming into contact with Danny's ectoplasmic blast, the explosive projectile from Ember's guitar detonated in the chamber, causing the entire guitar itself to explode in Ember's hands. Feeling ectoplasmic fire burn through her hands, she screamed in pain as she felt the flames, holding up her arms to look at the damage...

...but found that the damage was far worse than she could have imagined, and she had no more hands to speak of.

Gone were her hands, the tools which she played her beloved instrument of the guitar with, and left in their places goopy stumps dripping with liquid ectoplasm, leaking out her very essence onto the floor. Her initial scream was matched with one even louder and more pained, knowing that she was defeated and destroyed in a way all too damning and painful to her.

Falling to her knees in defeat, Ember began to shed tears over her hands, looking up to find Danny Phantom's sole hand raised towards her with a green charge within it. Looking down the charge of his self-invoked hellfire, Ember closed her eyes in grief, unable to look her own second death in the face.

"...and, in the end, you'll be nothing but a burnout." Danny finished.

At last, Danny fired out the ectoplasmic blast from his hand, projecting a beam large enough to encompass Ember's entire corporeal body. Feeling the fire of his soul tear apart her own, Ember let out one final defeated scream, which soon dissipated as here memetic buildup was destroyed in seconds.

Finally, ending the assault of the hellfire on Ember, Danny looked where she once stood, finding nothing.

Ember McLain is gone forever.

Now, one less ghost stands in the way of Danny Phantom, and he moves on forward to his next target.

"One down, two to go." Danny said.


SKULKER'S LAST HUNT

Not much is known about the past of the ghost named Skulker. The facts that are known about this post-human consciousness is that he was once a hunter of big game, a profession which most likely resulted in his own demise, and fueled his own return from the grave as a ghost.

The thrill of a hunt is an experience that has been in mankind since its first days of stepping out from the caves; to seek out a lesser animal to target, to track it down to a place where it is most vulnerable, and to kill it and take its corpse for food is a necessity, perhaps one might say a necessary evil, for humankind to survive.

Even with the advancements of farming and food processing, hunting has become a sport to many, whether it be as a simple hobby or a large sporting event that brings many to compete and challenge one another. It is a primal part of humankind that has not left, and perhaps will not leave just yet for many species to come.

And how interesting that something so primal can also come with scientific advancement, how interesting that a ghost of someone who once involved themselves in a vestigial part of human society has also chosen to compliment it with the latest and greatest achievements in technology and electronics, as is the case with Skulker.

In his afterlife, he has spent his near-eternal time hunting not simply game or any lesser animal, but instead other ghosts, ones that he deemed to be the greatest ones worth a hunt as proved by their threat to the Earth and Ghost Zone. He has forsaken the most dangerous game of man and chosen instead what comes after man.

That mission and mindset is what gave him the drive to return from the grave, and sent him after a hunt after Danny Phantom; a hunt that has lasted many years coming, and will reach its conclusion soon. After aid he has provided in bringing an end to civilization on Earth, Skulker cares no longer whether he captures and kills his prey or not, whether he falls defeated or succeeds.

Tonight, all he cares is that he has his hunt, just as he has always cared about.

The prey begins to make its way into the room, where the hunter awaits. Waiting and watching from the shadows, Skulker sees the arrival of Danny Phantom, and he knows that he has defeated one enemy already, proving that this fight will be a challenge of his worth.

Seeing Danny Phantom come forth, he smiles with a chuckle, and even begins to sing a song celebrating his arrival.

"If travel is searching,

And home has been found,

I'm not stopping...

I'm going hunting,

I'm the hunter,

I'll bring back the goods,

But don't know when..." Skulker sang.

The sounds of Skulker's song rang through the halls in an anticipating whisper, making their way to Danny's ears. Hearing a pop song come out from the mouth of a deadly undead hunter rather than some kind of clever, or even a not-so-clever, taunt, Danny Phantom let out an amused smile.

"Bjork, huh? I always pinned you as a Ted Nugent guy." Danny Phantom said.

"Oh, I enjoy my good ol' rock-and-roll, but Ember seemed to disagree with me on my own tastes in music." Skulker said.

"I just vaporized her into nothing. Her particles are halfway across the planet by this point. You're next."

"We'll see about that. But thank you for getting rid of that insufferable bitch from my afterlife. Now that she's gone, I've just got you to take care of!"

In the instant that Skulker finished his sentence, a net made out of laser beams began to make its way towards Danny, slicing through various objects in its path with the intent to take him along. The imminent arrival of the net and the destruction of all items in its path spelled out what seemed to be certain doom for Danny Phantom...

...but the threat was avoided altogether as he phased himself through the floor, allowing the net to pass over his head, and he returned back to the floor unharmed.

"Like it, Danny? Found some of your toys and decided to make a few design changes of my own. That one would've made mincemeat out of you." Skulker called.

"Nothing I couldn't avoid by phasing through the floor. You'll have to try a little harder than that if you want to kill me." Danny Phantom said.

"I know. I'm just getting warmed up."

Proceeding further to the sound of Skulker's voice, Danny was soon met with a series of turrets popping up all around him, all pointing their gun barrels directly at him. Charging up with ectoplasm, the turrets, fed electricity to power their artificial hellfire, opened fire on the half-dead hero...

...but Danny flew to one of the turrets before any could hit him, uprooting the turret from its place and aiming it to the others. The uprooted turret continued its fire, but had shot its projectiles towards its brothers rather than its intended target, sparing Danny from what would have been a certain death.

Danny Phantom then crunched the remaining turret in his hands to a ball, defeating the last of the enemy guns.

"I've seen cheap tricks like this before. You gonna actually present a real threat to me?" Danny Phantom asked.

Phasing his body to become visible once again, Skulker presented himself before Danny Phantom, accepting his challenge to pose a true and great threat. His mechanical suit carried on it multiple advanced weapons, all of which had pointed directly at his prey with moments away firing.

Danny Phantom did not respond to the threat of the weapons with fear or intimidation, instead opting to scoff at the display.

"Come on, Skulker. You always have to have all your fancy toys to do your work for you. Don't you want the thrill of a real hunt for once? Being able to fight your prey one-on-one?" Danny Phantom asked.

"Oh, I know what you're trying to do, Danny. Reverse psychology's not going to work on me. I spent a lot of time putting all this gear together, and I've every intent to use it on you." Skulker said.

"What for? So I can just dodge it all and blow you up anyway? That's cheap, Skulker. Why sell yourself short? You know how I got my powers back, you know how I took down Ember without trying, and you know how many times I've beaten you in the past. You know that crap's not gonna work on me. You know that I'm just gonna beat you like I always did, and do so for good this time. Why waste your last moments like this? Why not go out with a bang?"

This hunter has known his prey for quite some time, and is well aware of the strength and abilities he has gained and developed during his many years of superherodom. He knows that the prospect of trying to actually defeat him for good and make him a trophy is little more than a pipe dream, a fantasy of a pie in the sky...

...and, most importantly, he has never been concerned with the catch. He has only ever wanted the chase.

Knowing full well of his eventual defeat, Skulker opted to dismount all the weapons from his metallic body, letting the weapons fall to the floor. Discarding his various weapons, letting them fall to the floor, Skulker was not yet satisfied with removing the tools of destruction on his body.

Next, he opted to abandon his body itself, leaving behind the metal suit behind to show his true self to the enemy in a true confrontation. Leaving the warsuit behind, the green flames that showed afterlife within the machine vanished, making the only trace of Skulker his small, diminutive ghost form.

Upon leaving his mechsuit, however, Skulker's true form began to grow to a normal size, confronting Danny as an equal in size and stature, beginning to take a clearer form of a human being with his normal voice. Perhaps it is the promise of having a true hunt on his hands that boosts his size, his sense of self increased by the treatment given.

But whatever the reason behind his growth, he knows Danny is responsible, and he is thankful for the opportunity.

"Thank you, Danny Phantom. I've finally got the best hunt of my life." Skulker said.

"Happy to oblige." Danny Phantom said.

Taking his first step forward, Skulker began to rush towards Danny Phantom in a suicide run, reaching out his arms in a kamikaze attack to take down his sworn enemy. He knows that his end is coming soon, but he does not care, for all his concern now is the sweet, savory moments of the hunt that is in him, and how excited he feels.

And for this one finite moment, he feels alive again.

'Finite' is the key adjective to this situation, as his pleasure ultimately comes to an end with Danny Phantom returning the incoming attack with a blast of hellfire from the palm of his hand. Firing out a beam of ectoplasmic energy from his hand, the blast engulfed Skulker completely and entirely, breaking down his body to its bare particles.

His passing into oblivion is quick and as painless as can be, with the joy of the hunt taking his mind away from what pain there was. He has gone in peace.

Skulker is gone forever.

Now, with the hunter removed from his path, the prey is free to pursue his own mission, having only one more enemy standing in his way.

"Two down, one to go." Danny Phantom said.


KNIGHTFALL

The human race has dreamed up all manners of protectors for itself, manifesting themselves into guardian roles to stave off threats and predators that would harm their people. These archetypes might commonly be called lawmen, whether their servitude to the laws and morals of their time is questionable, but they often came in distinctive appearances to set them apart from the commoners.

For the Victorian Era, there was the knight. Covered head to toe in metal armor and always carrying a sword, the knights were fiercely loyal to their king, embarking out in battles and quests to see their kingdoms retain or expand their power, or further enrich their leader with gold and jewels.

With many of these archetypes coming to works of fiction for fun and amusement, the knight joined the ranks of the tropes of these stories, becoming romanticized and unintentionally given apologetics for their days of violence and terror during events such as the Crusades.

One such legend that has made its way to the funny books is the Black Knight, a knight above all in strength, ability, and courage, and favored by his king more than all other knights. Through the crimes and disparities of the past, the archetype of the knight has come to be known as one representing bravery and heroism, exemplified in this single character.

To those who are not on the side of the knight, however, the image of the knight can invoke terror and fear. With many knights being sent on missions by their king to slay those who are not loyal to their kingdom, those who would be the knight's victims fall victim to his blade, cut down for what was perceived as a crime in those days.

It is both of these images that bring to existence the ghost known as the Fright Knight, a medieval warrior with a sword that brings the worst nightmares of those it touches to life. His origin, too, is unknown, but perhaps we can speculate his origin based on these factors.

Is he a true knight of the days of Victorian England, once a servant to a king and acting as his tool to fulfill his every whim of power? Or perhaps is he a manifestation of mankind's belief in the archetype in the heroic black knight, never a true human being once in his life, only a mere collection of ideas? Or perhaps is he both, becoming some perverted amalgamation of supernature and fiction into a deadly warrior?

The question and its point are moot to the one and only Danny Phantom, the living ghost. His only concern is to remove the final obstacle in his path so he may defeat his worst enemy at last, and gain a conclusive victory over the one ghost who has caused him the worst losses and pain over his life.

To him, the Fright Knight is just another enemy in his way, and soon to be removed from his way.

Entering the room where the Fright Knight awaited, Danny Phantom stood before the armored apparition, keeping a distance that proposed a challenge between the two enemies. The Fright Knight seemed to accept the positioning as a call for a duel, and stood fast accordingly.

"So, the others have failed. I am all that stands between you and my master." Fright Knight said.

"And you're going down just like the others. Don't know why you chose to spend your afterlife on this, F.K.. You could've retired somewhere nice, maybe gone to Florida, eat at every diner in the state for a half-off veteran's discount. Why waste yourself devoting yourself to someone else?" Danny Phantom asked.

"I was born to serve, and in death, I still serve. That is all I have ever known. It was only by right of defeating my old master did the one called Demon Phantom become my new master. You value individualism and so-called freedom far too much for your own good. Perhaps you are more like him than you care to admit... or he is more like you than he cares to admit, either."

"Normally, I'd make the cliche statement saying that I'm nothing like him, but that's unfortunately not an applicable statement, considering who we're dealing with. I'm also not going to make the obligatory request for you to step aside, either. You deserve this just as much as Ember and Skulker, for taking part in murdering my family."

"I have murdered many families in my lifetime, Danny Phantom. Perhaps it will be the last on this day. But mere speeches will not solve our squabble. Ready yourself, if you dare."

As the Fright Knight raised his sword, Danny Phantom held up a fist, charging up ectoplasm within it, and manifesting it into a small energy blade extending from his fist.

"I'm ready." Danny Phantom said.

Responding with a nod, the Fright Knight took a defensive stance and began to side-step in a careful maneuver, leading Danny Phantom to do the same. Carefully watching one another and pantomiming the other's movements, the two opponents cautiously eye one another, watching ever so attentively towards the first strike.

It comes at last with Danny Phantom rushing forward with his blade, preparing to make a swing at the Fright Knight. The attack presented itself far too premeditated and choreographed to land an effective strike on the Fright Knight, leaving him to deflect it with his blade and step towards safety.

Ending his rush by looking back to the Fright Knight, Danny returned to his defensive state, slowly following the Fright Knight along his careful crabwalk to ensure the two maintained a steady and equal distance between one another. The opportunity to strike was once again put on wait, leaving the two to hope for its arrival.

Danny is the one who sees it once again, and takes advantage of it before the Fright Knight can. Rushing forward once again with his ectoplasmic blade, Danny clashed the weapon against the Fright Knight's, nullifying his initial strike. Not allowing one simple deflection to stop his attack, Danny threw two more slices towards the Fright Knight in succession to follow up his initial offense.

Just like before, the two strikes were deflected back by the Fright Knight's blade, leaving no impact or damage on the target. Moving back into position, Danny Phantom resumed his defensive stance, keeping his eyes locked onto the Fright Knight's eyes, with his peripheral vision keenly focused on the rest of his bodily movements.

Once more does Danny Phantom move forward and strike, this time making his three strikes in rapid succession to one another. Each and every attack is deflected as his past attacks had been once before, but the Fright Knight does not conclude his counter-move with a simple defense.

Instead, he finally begins to move forward and strike with his sword, making his own offensive moves towards Danny in response.

Trained well in battle as he is in defense, the Fright Knight's movements became too much for Danny to defend against on his own, pushing him back in retreat with each strike. Acting first as the one who would draw first blood, his initial dominance in his attacks had been naught but flukes in the fight, and the Fright Knight would prove to be the one to draw first blood instead.

And blood at last he draws, with but a nick of flesh taken from Danny's arm. The damage done to his opponent is less than trivial, if it can even be called damage in its minute infliction, but the bodily harm done to Danny Phantom is not what matters to the Fright Knight.

Instead, it is the very contact that he sword has made with Danny Phantom; his sword carries with it the ability to send anyone it touches to a hell of their own personal design, a world constructed from their own personal fears and nightmares. Danny Phantom has let the blade touch his body, activating the sword's power over him...

...and, in the blink of an eye, he is gone.

Reappearing in a pocket dimension willed into existence by the Fright Knight's sword, Danny Phantom has become caught in a black void, no longer showing any signs of the futuristic sky-city that he knew as home for many years past. Unfamiliar with his new environment, Danny looked around in confusion, unsure of the place he was now.

The voice of the Fright Knight, surrounding him in the air, made itself heard to give him a reminder of this place, and what purpose it served.

"Do not act so surprised, Danny Phantom. You know well that this place is a nightmare of your own making, built upon by your worst fears. It is the very touch of my sword against your hide that gives me the power over you to send you here, to tear your soul apart with itself." Fright Knight said.

The Fright Knight then appeared before Danny, preparing to make his first act of torment upon him.

"And I have no need to ask you what you fear, Danny Phantom. I know very well now what you fear. What you should ask yourself is: Do you know what you fear?" Fright Knight asked.

The Fright Knight then transformed itself into Jack Fenton, invoking a look of anxiety from Danny with the image of his father.

"I know that you fear what has already come to pass, what you have been forced to bear witness to." Fright Knight said.

An image of an ectoplasmic blade then appeared and went through the false Jack Fenton's head, disposing of him in the same way his genuine counterpart was murdered. After falling to the ground, the false Jack Fenton morphed into an image of Maddie Fenton, standing up to face Danny Phantom again, and beginning to step towards the half-dead hero.

"I know that you carry the deepest love for your family, and the very thought of their passing brings you great fear. That perfect, paralyzing, terror-wreaking fear." Fright Knight said.

The image then had a blade go through her head and heart each, felling this false Fenton to the ground like the previous. Next, it changed into the form of Jazz Fenton, picking itself up off the ground and continuing to march towards Danny with an unrelenting stare fixed on him with each following step.

"Paralyzing, yes. That was what became of you when you saw the first of your family perish at the hands of my new master, as he had slain these self-proclaimed ghost hunters with little trouble... and certainly no mercy." Fright Knight said.

The image of Jazz Fenton then split in half down the middle, falling dead as its true counterpart had done as well. At last, the image then began to transform into the image of Sam Manson Fenton, taking the form of Danny's wife to invoke the deepest and most personal emotions out from him.

Disturbing as the past portrayals of his family's deaths were, they ultimately meant little in comparison to the image shown here.

"You had stood by idly and watched as the one named Demon Phantom killed your family, and yet you did nothing to stop it. You had been too dumbstruck and stupefied to act. You were stricken by fear." Fright Knight said.

Just as the true counterpart had done, the image of Sam split apart at her belly, leaving both halves of her body to fall to the ground.

But one particular piece of her body did not fall as the others did. What remained of her still retaining animation was the fetus in her womb, separated from its home in her belly and devoid of any female organs to grow in and be provided nutrients to become a full-fledged human being.

It is a horrid and stark reminder of the life that Danny lost not only in his wife, but the life that grew within her as well. Forced to look upon a perverted image of his own unborn child as a cruel implementation of fear, Danny Phantom began to provide to the Fright Knight what he desired at last.

Taking the form of his unborn child, the Fright Knight smiled with the image of the undeveloped fetal face in Danny's nightmare, speaking one final taunt.

"And now, fear has not only taken away from you what you lost, but led you back to me, where you face your fears for an eternity to come." Fright Knight said.

The Fright Knight's words were enough to dishearten any prisoner trapped in any of his hells, and drive many more to insanity sooner or later with the threat of such torment inflicted on them for a prolonged time, and they began to work on Danny with the final images of his wife and child...

...but also below those feelings were a strength and courage that has not left him yet, pushing through the emotions to take action once again.

"You know something, F.K.? You're right about one thing. This is my worst fear, and I was forced to live through it. But there's a funny thing about things that scare you." Danny Phantom said.

Danny Phantom raised a hand full of ectolplasm to the fetus, bringing a look of surprise upon it, then face the full blast of his charge as it was sent flying back.

"After it scares you once, the shock value wears off. It's not so scary anymore." Danny Phantom said.

Taking the hit in the form of Danny's nightmare, the Fright Knight was forced out of the image of another being, taking his own form once again. Taking the full force of the attack, the nightmare world that he created around Danny Phantom had fallen, leaving way only for reality once again.

Charging his hand one more time, this time with a larger blast of hellfire promised, Danny aimed his arm towards the downed Fright Knight again.

"And here's another pro tip: Never dress up as a man's dead wife. Unless, of course, he pays you to." Danny Phantom joked.

Firing his ectoplasmic blast on the Fright Knight, Danny engulfed the medieval menace with the extension of his soul, completely dissolving his spectral being into its bare memetical particles without any chance to reconstitute. In the blast, there is a scream that comes out from the Fright Knight, and this scream is not one of pain...

...but one clearly of fear, and louder than any scream he had got from other victims in the past. Perhaps, in the end, it was his own fear of death that kept the Fright Knight in existence past his own death, and a desire to get more fear from others as he had done during the days of his life.

A life that was wasted on such a petty goal, and now would pursue that goal no longer.

The Fright Knight is gone forever.

Now, there are no more obstacles between Danny Phantom and his target, and he has no intention of wasting his time any longer with witty words or comebacks.

Now, all he can think about is Demon Phantom.


After fighting through three foes that he has tangled with frequently in his rogue's gallery, Danny Phantom continues to move through the halls of Fenton City until he reaches the one enemy who has eluded him as the most dangerous and most personal to his known adversaries. What makes him uniquely dangerous from the others is that Danny has only fought him once, and barely won after this one time...

...and, most importantly than even all that, is a ghost that used to be him in another timeline.

Once called the name of Dark Danny, it has relinquished its human name in favor of the moniker 'Demon Phantom'.

It has created artificial gods out of human beings, hacking their brains to kill them and harvest their ghosts to become the tools of destruction for his own purposes, it has killed the Fenton family and stripped Danny of his powers and left him for dead to do so, it has ravished its own world into a barren, lifeless wasteland to accomplish its own goals, but there is one question that looms above all else above these atrocities:

Why? To what end was all this violence for? What could the deaths of the Fentons in one timeline have done to turn Danny Phantom into a villain to all humanity?

The question does linger in the back of this world's Danny Phantom's mind, but it is not the forefront of his mind. Putting a permanent end to the ghosts that have served as his enemies during his early days as a ghost hunter, a measure he has never taken before now, his only intent is to head up and defeat this enemy at long last to avenge his family and all other deaths that have come from his hands, and prevent all others.

In search of the ghost named Demon Phantom, Danny comes to an executive boardroom, a place where the Fentons once made many business deals with other countries and companies in the past, to find the aforementioned ghost waiting for him, comfortably sitting in a chair to await his arrival.

"Ah, Danny Phantom. Good to see you made it. I like a man of punctuality." Demon Phantom said.

Taking no more interest to Demon Phantom's unserious remarks than before, Danny rose from the ground with ectoplasm in his fists and eyes, fully intent to fight and unleash his fury on the time-displaced doppelganger at last. Demon Phantom did not respond to the threatening stance as a serious threat, but instead opted to casually remove himself from his seat and take a step towards a small coffee tray.

Still refusing to acknowledge Danny's threatening stance, he poured himself a cup of coffee, sarcastically offering one to Danny as well.

"Care for a cup? Viennese Cinnamon. We've got cream and sugar, if you like." Demon Phantom said.

"YOU KILLED MY FAMILY, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Danny screamed.

Demon Phantom still made no appropriate response to Danny's approach, instead sipping his coffee, letting it pour through his body onto the floor.

"Come now, Danny, is that any way to talk about your own mother? We've got the same mom, or did, in case you don't remember. Besides, why so angry over me killing your family? I killed my family, too, and you don't hear me whining about it, and I've got all the reason to do so. It was my own guilty actions that got them killed. In your case, it was just incompetence that got them killed." Demon Phantom said.

"FUCK YOU!" Danny screamed.

Letting go of all restraint on himself, Danny Phantom unleashed a fury of ectoplasmic blasts on Demon Phantom, battering his body with bolt after bolt of hellfire unleashed straight from the anger and rage built up in his soul. Each shot fired carried forth not only a manifestation of his own psychic perception of energy, but also the pure emotion itself that existed as part of him, making each attack all the more deadly.

And it shows its effectiveness on Demon Phantom; taking hit after hit on the enraged ghost superhero, Danny's evil counterpart in turn had many pieces of his own etherial form dissipate with each shot, feeling his own body start to chip away near nothingness as the attack continued.

But the neither the attack nor its damage make Demon Phantom cry out in pain, but instead begin to laugh.

"Yes! Yes, that's it, Danny! Let out that rage! Take control! Assert yourself! Show me your power and how you plan to use it!" Demon Phantom shouted.

Hearing Demon Phantom's fits of laughter and words of encouragement over his own attack did little to encourage Danny to continue his assault; hearing the laughter and joy brought out from his own punishment, unable to discern whether it be sarcastic or genuine, is enough to make him stop in confusion.

Upon stopping does Danny Phantom still stand confused, seeing Demon Phantom laugh even when most of his body was shot away, even if it began to regrow.

"Yes! I love that energy, Danny! Love it!" Demon Phantom cheered.

Danny's confusion was not met with any concrete answers, but partially in fault because no questions were risen. Detecting the question without any utterance of a word in service of an inquiry, Demon Phantom ceased his cheerfulness and giddiness to properly explain the reasoning behind his reaction.

"Oh, are we a bit confused, Danny? Think that your little fit wasn't enough to beat me? Don't get me wrong, it definitely hurt, but it'll take more than that to stop me. But I don't think you'll want to stop me. In fact, after all I've done and tried so hard to see this through, I think you'll come around in time to thank me for bringing this world what it needs." Demon Phantom said.

The next comment from Demon Phantom provided no answers to Danny, but only further questions, and even offense with his belief that thanks were owed.

"Thank you? Why the hell should I thank you for what you've done?! What psycho in their right mind would be thankful for what you've done?! You tried to destroy the world! Just like you did your own!" Danny Phantom shouted.

"No, Danny. I never destroyed my world, and I never tried to destroy this one, either. I'm trying to save it." Demon Phantom said.

The next comment not only provided no answers and more offense still, but also complete shock upon hearing his final words.

"What?" Danny Phantom asked.

"Oh, I know it all seems a bit too confusing for the layman to understand, but worry not. I have a way of showing you how to save this world. To really save it, Danny. Not just perpetuate the same problems that go on forever in this world. To solve them all once and for all." Demon Phantom said.

Looking up to the air, Demon Phantom spoke next to M.I.S.T.E.R., Fenton City's A.I. manager, to make his point.

"M.I.S.T.E.R., deactivate all power from thrusters and suspension systems, passcode Alpha-3-1-5-Zeta-Epsilon." Demon Phantom said.

"Warning: Deactivating thrusters and suspension systems will cause Fenton City to plummet to the ground. From the city's current height, the results could be catastrophic for life on Earth." M.I.S.T.E.R. said.

"Understood. Proceed."

"Affirmative, Master Daniel."

Danny fails to understand what point can be made out of the threat of Fenton City colliding into the Earth, but he is far too panicked to stop that tragedy to contemplate it at the moment. Looking back up to the ceiling, he called on M.I.S.T.E.R. in attempt to cancel the order.

"M.I.S.T.E.R., cancel last order. Passcode 4-Beta-Theta-9-7-Lambda." Danny ordered.

"Voice and passcode not recognized." M.I.S.T.E.R. said.

Unable to stop the fall with an order to the city's A.I., Danny looked to Demon Phantom, knowing where the blame laid on for his current affair.

"Uh-oh, did I mention that I reset the parental controls?" Demon Phantom asked.

Unable to spend any time on anything else other than the task of stopping Fenton City from falling, Danny Phantom phased himself out of the city completely, beginning to fly outside of the massive fortress to find a way to stop its descent. Once reaching the outside, however, he found out that the task of stopping it was far more important than he first realized.

During his time inside Fenton City, the skybound laboratory had risen several miles into the air, reaching far beyond the sky and clouds. If the city were to fall from such a height, he knows that the consequences would be not only devastating and destructive for the area surrounding Amity Park...

...but perhaps for the entire Earth as well.

As with anyone in his position would think to do, his first instinct is to fly down to the bottom of the city and attempt to slow its descent by pushing back against it as hard as he can. Keep in mind, we did say 'in his position', and he happens to have more strength than any human being on Earth, and the ability to fly as well.

So it is only logical for Danny Phantom to try to stop his home from colliding with the ground by simplistic means, and try to save all life on Earth with his actions. Flying towards the bottom of the city, he began to push back against the falling fortress, giving all of his own life force to reverse and slow the rapid descent that it fell at.

For a few seconds of trial, it begins to work, and the city falls slower and slower with each second of his efforts.

But the one who allowed the descent to take place has no interest nor intent in letting that happen. Phasing his body out of Fenton City, Demon Phantom flew down to the bottom of the city and swooped up Danny Phantom, taking him away from his post and preventing him from continuing his efforts.

He does not take to his removal kindly, attempting to fight back against Demon Phantom in his restrained state and try to free himself to continue what he began. Alas, Demon Phantom's power is once again shown to trump his own, and it takes only minimal effort for him to restrain Danny and make him watch.

"Oh, no, no, no, I can't let you ruin the big event. This is the most important step towards making the world a better place at last. Just like we always tried to make it. Sorry to make you watch from the nosebleeds, I'd love for you to get a front-row seat, but we still get to watch the big climax just fine from here." Demon Phantom said.

Still continuing to fight against his captor, Danny Phantom's efforts to escape grew just as desperate as they were passionate, unable to allow himself to let Fenton City fall to the ground. Thrashing and shaking like a disobedient child in his mother's arms, demanding to be released, Danny does not let up against Demon Phantom, still trying with every fiber of his being to escape.

But all his efforts are too little, and far too late.

Those on the ground below are given the front-row seats to the event, as Demon Phantom would put it, but are too preoccupied with the opening act to fully notice the threat until the time to act would come too late. On the ground zero of Amity Park, the ghosts of the Fentons and friends still fight against the Techbots, a war of a few raged against many.

Both sides still fight just as relentlessly, and just as unforgiving to one another, with no signs of end or reprieve in sight. The Fentons are all fast and coordinated enough to make their stand last, and the Techbots are simply far too great in number for the Fentons to effectively and completely defeat.

With the sound of rumbling in the air, both sides finall find some reprieve in a moment of silence, ceasing their battle to investigate the boomingly loud sound.

"Say, honey, what do you suppose that is?" Jack asked.

"Well, it sounds somewhat like Fenton City, but I'm also hearing some kind of... loud whooshing sound just below it. It's starting to get louder, but..." Maddie trailed.

Looking up to see a large shadow emanating in the clouds, the answer and all need for it came to an end. Seeing the skybound fortress start to rapidly descend from its place in the sky to land on the ground, the Fentons and Techbots alike know the answer as well, and the realization that the battle no longer mattered.

Then, the city crashed.

Trapped in its suspension in the air for many years, Fenton City was once seen as some sort of heaven, totally unattainable for any other peoples on Earth and unable to be reached by regular man without any assistance or invention to get him there. It has served to be the world's single greatest landmark, standing as a symbol that represents science and all its advancements that it brings society.

But society itself has finally come to a definite end, with all its participants departing from it altogether as their lives also depart. Crashing into the Earth, Fenton City's collision resulted in a blast that no atomic bomb or earthquake could match up to, wiping all life on the planet in mere seconds.

The crash itself landed a blast force that destroyed almost every building and construct ever made by mankind, following a large rise in temperature from its impact. The seas had now boiled, killing all life within for an instant, every spot of land on Earth was now scorched from the blast, followed by a wave of toxic ashes and fumes resulting from the blast itself.

The 8 billion people that the Earth has accumulated over centuries of human propagation has not only had its rate reversed, but began to go to a dead 'zero' in mere seconds. The suffering and tragedy inflicted by Fenton City has come to all corners of the Earth, taking away what scraps of humankind still live on it.

The Fentons have promised to lead the human race towards a better tomorrow, but their lives had only managed to bring it the end of days.

Planet Earth is dead.