It took Danny and Danielle little time to find Ember's door, floating within the green and purple mass of the Ghost Zone. Skulker's island, as well as Klemper's and Technus' doors, were also nearby.
Danny knocked politely on Ember's blue door. A moment later, it opened to reveal Johnny, a grin on his pale face and a drink in his hand.
"Hey, Phantom! You made it!" he exclaimed. He raised his glass in a kind of salute. "Happy Birthday, kid!"
Danny's lips quirked in amusement. "Thanks, Johnny. But it's not my birthday, it's for my graduation."
"Yeah, whatever. Hey, and little Phantom's here, too! Wassup, Dani?" Johnny and Dani did a fist-bump, and then the biker ghost led the two Phantoms inside.
In the Ghost Zone, almost every ghost had their own lair. Some of them existed out in the open, like Skulker's island or Pariah's Keep, while others were tucked into pocket dimensions within the Ghost Zone behind doors, like Ember's was. The owner of a lair could change its appearance and layout as they wished, with a few restrictions (Klemper, for example, couldn't make his lair a tropical island). Clockwork had once mentioned off-handedly that both Danny and Danielle could create a lair if they wanted. Danny had rejected the idea, but Danielle had been intrigued, going on tours of the Ghost Zone to find her ideal spot.
The inside of Ember's lair was laid out like a concert venue. A long, grassy lawn led up to a large black stage, similar to the one she had created in front of Caspar High School. Tables laden with food and drinks were set to the side - covered with baskets of chips and pretzels, bowls of candy, a fruit platter, and a warmer for fried chicken and hot dogs, among other things. The weather was bright and sunny, perfect for a concert or outdoor party.
Conversation and laughter washed over them. Mingling in front of the stage or by the food tables, were a couple dozen ghosts. Danny knew nearly all of them - Klemper; Kitty; Elastica, Goliath, and Midori from Danny's forced time with Circus Gothica; a few of the younger members of the Far Frozen tribe; Princess Dora; and, towering above them all, Pandora.
Danny floated over to the crowd, and at once the ghosts stopped their conversations to greet him and wish him well. Kitty squealed and threw her arms around his neck and even kissed his cheek, making Danny blush. When she stepped back, grabbing a frowning Johnny's hand, the Far Frozen tribe members gathered Danny is a group hug, squishing him beneath their fur.
Pandora, with a big booming laugh, reached down and lifted Danny out of the yeti-pile and settled him on the palm of her hand.
"Hello, young Phantom!" she exclaimed. "Many felicitations on the completion of your education!"
"Ha, thanks, Pandora," Danny replied, grinning. "For the save, and the congratulations. And it's - really nice you came to this party."
"Of course! The Princess Dorothea and I have been enjoying our conversation immensely. And now the festivities will be even greater, now that you and your cousin are here."
Danny looked down and saw Princess Dora chatting with Dani; at the sound of her name she glanced up and waved at Danny. Danny waved back.
Pandora then set Danny back down on the ground, next to Danielle. No sooner had his ghostly feet touched the grass, however, did a blurring object crash into him and Danielle, sweeping them up into its arms.
"My lord! Lady Dani! How wonderful it is to see you again!"
Danny and Danielle chuckled before phasing out of the other ghost's grip. "Hey, Shade," Danny greeted.
Shade beamed at them with blindly-white teeth. She had light indigo-colored skin, darker blue hair and bright red eyes. Currently she was wearing a long amethyst tunic that would have gone down to her knees if she had legs; instead she'd opted for a ghostly tail.
Danielle threw her arms around the ghost. "I've missed you, Shade! Where have you been? I didn't know you were gonna be here!"
Dani and Valerie, on their cross-country ghost-hunting trip last summer, had run into Shade somewhere in the middle of Ohio. They'd gotten off to a bad start at first, but after a while they'd become friends; Shade had even returned to Amity Park with them before heading home to the Ghost Zone through the Fenton Portal.
Also, after meeting Danny and hearing about his heroics in saving Amity Park and the Ghost Zone, Shade had started referring to him as "lord" and Dani as "lady." It had been fun at first but now it was mildly uncomfortable, but no matter what he said, Shade hadn't stopped.
Shade grinned back at Dani. "Of course! When I heard about Miss Ember's party, I replied right away. I've been doing some exploring in the Ghost Zone, got a little lost, but I'm happy to see you again!"
As Shade and Dani talked, Danny excused himself and floated over to the food bar. He grabbed a hot dog and some chips, placing them on a paper plate, and filled a plastic cup with punch.
While he was there, Johnny strolled over and slung an arm around his shoulders. "Good on you, kid, seriously," he commented, before pouring himself another cup. "High school is rough, man."
Danny shrugged. "Yeah, well, it's not that big a deal. I mean, I woulda done better if I wasn't pulling ghost-fighting all-nighters."
Johnny grinned back at him. "Ain't gonna apologize for that. Chasing you around is one of my favorite past-times." He swallowed some of his drink, then added, "But, hey, you did better than me or Kitty. Or Ember, even. I dropped out before my senior year, and they hadn't finished yet before we all...you know." He jerked a hand across his throat.
Danny sobered at that. It wasn't often his ghostly frenemies mentioned their deaths. Not all deceased spirits ended up in the Ghost Zone, nor was every creature who lived there once human - Skulker, for example, had always existed in the Ghost Zone, a sentient blob thing for as long as he could remember. The more humanoid a ghost looked, however, the greater the chance they had once been alive.
Before Danny could say anything, however, a commotion by the front of the stage interrupted them. Mist had started flowing from the dais, swirling around the excited ghosts. The large amplifiers on the side of the stage began to pulse with the sound of electric guitar.
And then, Ember appeared on stage in a puff of blue smoke. Pinkish-red guitar in hand, she grinned wickedly at the crowd.
"HELLOOOO, Ghost Zone!" she shouted, earning some cheers and whistles. Her grin widened. "Today, we're here to celebrate the Ghost Boy - that annoyingly heroic do-gooder we all love to hate - Danny Phantom!"
A few more cheers and applause rippled through the audience as Ember momentarily turned the spotlight on Danny. Danielle - who was cheering the loudest - nudged his side. Danny blushed and gave a small wave.
Ember then struck a chord, bringing everyone's attention back on her. "So tonight, all you punks - you're gonna relax, eat, dance, party, and listen to some ROCKING music!"
The clearing erupted into cheers again, growing louder as Ember and her band played. Mostly their own music but Ember also slipped in some Dumpty Humpty songs, as well a few by Boys of the Fall Out, Powermore, and Michael Jackson. Ghosts mingled and moved together by the stage, creating an impromptu dance floor. Ember's strong, haunting vocals washed over the crowd, energizing them.
Danny watched with a grin before finishing his drink and letting Dani pull him out onto the dance floor. The ghosts parted for him, the man of the hour, shouting at him good-naturedly over the roar of the music. Ember leered down at him from the stage as she sang, but he met it with a smile, and soon she was smiling back. She might even have been blushing, but it was probably just a trick of the lights.
Ember had told them to relax and enjoy the party.
So, for the next few hours, that's exactly what Danny did.
A.N. - So this is a little shorter than I wanted, sorry about that.
I thought about having an after-party piece where Ember confesses to Danny and he awkwardly turns her down, but then I decided I just wanted to focus on the fun party aspect. This story is supposed to be fun and humorous, showcasing Danny's friendships within the Ghost Zone.
Also, the bit with Johnny and death was a way of me reconciling the vast array of creatures in the Ghost Zone and the conflicting canon of whether the ghosts are deceased spirits or not.
Hope you all stay safe and healthy during this time, and may your holidays be merry and bright!