On the roof of the Ops Center, Danny examined the ring closely. It gave off a soft glow, undetectable to the human eye, and a flow of power hummed inside. It called to him, tempting him to put the ring on. Danny shook his head and resisted. If Vlad had chosen to not wear the ring himself, then there must've been a reason why. But why had he given it to Valerie? Returning it to Vlad without knowing what it did was out of the question. Who knew what the power-hungry mayor would do with an object like this?
Danny's thoughts were interrupted when his core reacted to a large spike of ectoplasm. He shuddered as he released a chilled breath. Whoever was nearby was powerful. The ground shook. A loud noise like the cracking of a deep frozen lake tore through the silence. Looking around, he widened his eyes at the source of the sound. Giant fissures riddled the shield like neurons in the brain. The ground gave another violent shake and the shield disintegrated into dust. Through the falling particles, Danny looked to where his sense was directing him and transformed. Whoever was over there had just obliterated human's last defense.
Sirens pierced the night and people began to emerge from their homes. The emergency alert system was clearly working, but no one knew whether to run or hide. The ghosts, however, knew there was no hope in hiding from their tyrannical king, so fled in the opposite direction of the powerful being.
Seeing all the ghosts empty into the streets, the people cowered in fear. But when they noticed that the ghosts were not hurting anyone but were fleeing as well, they hesitantly followed the ghosts until they were running side-by-side.
Flooding the streets, the ghosts and humans ran from the skeletal army that was fast upon them. They knew they didn't stand a chance if the army caught up to them. They ran around cars and kiosks, stranglers and fallen citizens, and a tall metallic ghost who was not running, but staring up into the sky. If they were to have followed his gaze, they would have noticed a small ghost clad in black and white clothing, flying against the tide of the crowd.
"Skulker, come on!" Ember shouted when she noticed he had stopped.
Skulker turned to give his girlfriend a sad smile. "The hunt has begun." By his stance, she knew he wasn't leaving with her.
"Are you mad?!" she yelled after seeing his resolve. Fuming, she kicked a fire hydrant, breaking off its head. Feeling the water put out her hair, she sighed in frustration. Looking back at Skulker, she angrily shoved her fear aside, and strapped her guitar around her shoulder. "Then I'm going with you."
"Take that!" Valerie growled as she shot down another skeleton.
Awakened by the blaring sirens, Valerie shot out of bed, her jaw hitting the floor as she looked out the window. She and a few others had been using an empty office building as a basecamp in place of their homes outside the dome. The skeletal army had infiltrated the city and was terrorizing the citizens. Wasting no time, she had changed into her suit and sped off to where she was now, helping people escape.
Looking at the couple she had just saved she yelled, "Go! There's still more coming!" She pulled out a new clip for her ectogun as she watched them run down the street. With her gun reloaded, she started running toward the nearest scream when she nearly jumped out of her skin as a loud crash sounded behind her. She spun around and took aim, but hesitated when she saw two injured ghosts helping each other off the ground.
"Sidney, you should get out of here. I'll find Johnny and make sure he's safe," the green-haired ghost told the short, nerdy-looking ghost.
He looked at her uncertainly but flinched as an explosion was heard. Releasing a shiver, he reluctantly nodded. "Be safe," he said before turning around and taking off.
As the ghost flew into the air, Valerie prepared to shoot it down, but her gun was blasted out of her hand. Pulling another gun from her back, she whipped around and aimed it at her attacker.
"Leave him be," the green-haired ghost stated firmly, hand outstretched.
"Why should I?"
"He's trying to get to safety, like all these people around us. Would you shoot a human who's trying to avoid certain death?" Valerie hesitated as Danny's words surfaced. ' Some ghosts just want to live in peace.'
After Danny had left, she had spent a long time with the small blob ghosts. She had tried everything to get them to attack her. She had tried threatening them, grabbing one as a hostage, and releasing shots amidst their dance. All she was met with were blank stares and playful beckons. It left a bad taste in her mouth and since then she had been questioning everything she had done. Staring at this ghost, she didn't think she'd forgive herself if she attacked.
Lowering the gun, she answered. "No. Why aren't you fleeing, too?"
The ghost relaxed when she saw that the huntress was listening instead of shooting. "I'm looking for my boyfriend. He was shot down a couple of blocks ago," seeing all the hostility leave the ghost hunter, she added, "What about you? Escape is in the opposite direction."
Behind her helmet, Valerie gave a fierce look. "This is my home. I'd rather die than let a ghost tell me what to do."
The green-haired ghost smirked. "I like you. Let's work together." Valerie froze. Allowing a ghost to leave unharmed was one thing, but working with one was something she was not ready to do. ' It was the first time a ghost and a human fought together in Amity Park - it was nice to see'. The ghost continued, oblivious to the aghast expression on Valerie's face. "I bet I can get you further through the army's ranks and you can help me find Johnny. Heck, I bet he's joined Phantom in the fray, seeing as we were on the fence with the whole fleeing thing anyway."
Seeing the determined expression in the ghost's face, Valerie felt her resolve waver. "Fine."
What have I gotten into! Jazz thought, swinging the anti-creep stick at a skeleton. She screamed as the bat connected to the skull, shattering it. Breathing heavily, and using the bat for support, she took a moment to look around. The place was in ruins. Rubble from the earthquake was strewn across the street, and tongues of fire burst out of windows. She barely had time to register a writhing mass of ghosts falling straight at her. Diving out of the impact zone, Jazz watched the conglomeration hit the ground. Bones scattered like bowling pins, leaving behind a metallic center. Taking a closer look, Jazz spotted Johnny 13 trapped under his bike. "Johnny!" she exclaimed, running up to the ghost and using all her strength to pull the bike off of him.
"Hey, sweetheart. Haven't seen you in a while," Johnny replied, sitting up lazily and rubbing his head.
Jazz glanced behind him at the pile of remains and realized they were moving. "Get up! The bones are regrouping!" she shouted, activating her wrist ray as the skeletons finished reassembling. When one stalked towards them, Jazz shot it down while internally thanking Danny for the forced target practices. Having seen her poor shot, Danny had been both baffled and horrified to discover that not only did she miss her mark every time, but she inadvertently hit Danny. Every . Time . The forced practice had helped Jazz improve her aim while simultaneously helping Danny improve his defense, if not his pain tolerance.
Seeing the crumpled remains behind him, Johnny gave Jazz a lopsided smile before taking action. Together the pair shot, swung and punched in unison. They didn't stop until all the skeletons had turned to dust. Exhausted, they collapsed on the ground.
"That'll stop them for now," Jazz panted, wiping sweat off her brow. Hearing no response, she peered over her shoulder and saw Johnny looking grimly at his bike.
Finally releasing a sigh, his expression turned uninterested. He leaned back and said, "There's too many ghosts. I'll just crash again the next time they gang up on me." It was a morbid thought, but his tone was apathetic. "I hope Kitty got out alright," he added thoughtfully. "We got separated when we were ambushed."
"Kitty's tough," Jazz assured. "If she didn't get out, she'd be able to hold her own." She looked up at a fighting pair of ghosts in the sky. "I'm worried about Danny."
"Runt's got a death wish if you ask me," Johnny commented. "Saw him dive head first into Pariah's army." Putting his arms behind his head he added, "Brave kid. Stupid, but brave."
Jazz smirked at the thought of her brother's reckless hero complex. "I take it you don't like Pariah?"
Johnny shrugged. "The guy could swallow a toad for all I care."
"He could use some therapy, that's for sure," Jazz replied. They fell into a comfortable silence.
"Look at us," Johnny said, grinning at Jazz. "Two star-crossed lovers having one last relaxing evening together."
"You broke my heart, Johnny," Jazz deadpanned. Despite the circumstances and the impending doom lurking, Jazz couldn't hold back a grin as well. She gestured at the rubble and burning buildings surrounding them. "And if this is your idea of romantic, then it's no wonder we didn't work out." She didn't bring up the fact that he only dated her to get Kitty out of the Ghost Zone and neither did he. Tonight was not one for petty arguments.
Johnny laughed. "Ah, you're probably right." Shaking his head, he stood up and rolled a sore shoulder. He was making his way toward his bike when an idea came to Jazz.
"You're right about one thing, though," she began, gaining his attention. "There are too many of them, and we're not going to be able to get out of here." She looked at him evenly before continuing. "So let's say you and I go for one last wild ride? Who cares what tomorrow brings? Let's give 'em as much grief and chaos as we can today."
Johnny hummed thoughtfully. "Can't let the runt have all the fun," he finally replied, grinning.
"Exactly," Jazz smirked, grabbing the anti-creep stick and hopping on the bike. Together, they drove into the sky, bracing themselves for the fight to come.
Danny had come to a standstill. Brute strength had gotten him past the skeleton army, but now he faced the controlled ghosts and found himself unable to pass them. Gritting his teeth, he fired another weak blast. When the ghost easily dodged it, he said, "Boxy, we really gotta talk about this power up. Have you been training for a boxing match? Embracing your inner Rocky Johnson?" The ghost just blinked back, and Danny's smile faltered. "You know, I kinda miss your obnoxious rants." A blast whizzed past his head. Danny looked at the ghost grimly. He was reluctant to fight the ghost, and it wasn't because of his obvious increase in power. He didn't want to fight a ghost that was acting against his will. The blank unfocused gaze he received from one of the most expressive ghosts he knew was proof of that.
"Danny!" a voice shouted from across the street. Danny turned to find Sam blasting her way through the throng of ghosts. Tucker was taking the rear, making sure no one attacked from behind.
"Forgetting something?" Tucker asked, holding the thermos up with a smile.
Danny pushed his way through the ghosts. Grabbing the thermos, he smiled back at his friend. "Thanks, man. Once I saw the shield break I didn't have time to grab it," he told them.
"You should try that excuse on Lancer the next time you forget your homework," Tucker laughed despite the situation. "He might actually believe you."
"If he expects any of us to have our homework after this, then the rumors are true and he really is out of his mind," Sam retorted.
"Pride and Prejudice, Samantha! How could you say that of our dear teacher!" Tucker exclaimed, giving his best Lancer impression.
Sam let out a viscous growl. "Don't call me that!" she shouted angrily, taking her aggression out on a ghost that tried to stab her.
Danny quickly pulled up a domed shield before another ghost could attack while Sam and Tucker continued their banter. "I'm so glad you guys are here," he admitted to them, as relief washed over him. Sam and Tucker turned to their friend, taking in his haggard appearance.
"I saw you pulling punches with the Box Ghost on our way over," Sam commented.
"He's not in his right mind, Sam. None of them are," Danny countered.
"Dying before you stop the cause of their mindlessness won't help them either," she shot back.
"They will understand. It's not like you're killing them or anything," Tucker reasoned. "And when all this is over you can always find them and explain yourself."
"Ugh, you're probably right," Danny stated reluctantly. "I don't like it, but doing nothing won't help them. Come on. Let's go." Releasing his shield, Danny quickly shot two powerful blasts at the Box Ghost. Before he could regroup, Danny whipped out the thermos and sucked him up. Gesturing to his friends, the three fought their way through the ranks. They didn't hold back as they kicked, punched, and shot a path forward.
As they went, the ghosts got more and more powerful. When they thought that they could not go any further, a ferocious roar resounded in the air. Looking up, they spotted a giant, sky blue dragon, with a fluorescent flame in her mouth. Ghosts began to flee as green fire rained down. It reminded Danny of the wizard's floo service, and a pang went through him as he thought of Harry. If he knew what was going on, would he have helped? The tremor of something large hitting the ground brought Danny back to the present and he mentally berated himself. Thinking about the 'what ifs' wasn't going to help anyone.
Feeling wind from above, Danny looked up and came face-to-nose with the dragon.
"Dora!" Danny exclaimed, happy to see her fighting back.
Dora smirked. "Hop on, Sir Phantom. I will take you to the king." Nodding, Danny began to walk around her, but was quickly shot down by the hoard of ghosts surrounding them. Danny growled at them, but before he could retaliate, Sam and Tucker stepped in front of him.
"Go, Danny," Sam stated firmly, taking aim. "We'll hold them off."
"If there's anyone who can stop the loser king, it's you," Tucker said, agreeing with Sam. A mix of emotions flooded through Danny and he pulled them into a hug before quickly pulling them out of a barrage of ectoplasm.
"I don't know where I'd be without you guys," he stated, before running back to Dora.
"Dead in a ditch! You're already halfway there!" Tucker cackled back. Turning to the ghosts, his smile turned fierce. "Come on, Sam. These small fries have got nothing on Nasties chili fries. Now those are deadly."
"If you want to talk about deadly, then let's talk about your eating habits." Sam retorted, smirking grimly.
Tucker returned the smile and together they fired shot after shot while their friend escaped in the air. They didn't stop even after he was out of sight.
Not very many ghosts wanted to challenge a dragon, and those that did were quickly shot down by either Danny or Dora. From above, Danny could see that Pariah's army stretched for miles. He saw the hordes tearing down doors and setting fire to buildings. People were in the streets fighting with whatever they had. Danny smiled when he saw the Ghostwriter and the public librarian setting a barricade of books around the library and guffawed when he saw the Lunch Lady and grocery store patrons chucking canned spam at a group of ghosts in Pariah's army. He smiled to himself at the unusual display of camaraderie.
Feeling its seductive beckoning tugging at his core, Danny pulled out the ring and sat back. Its acidic color matched the sky above.
"Sir Danny, where did you get that?!" Dora exclaimed, noticing the subject of his intent gaze.
"A friend gave it to me," Danny admitted. Seeing Dora's horrified expression he asked, "Why?"
"Why, that is the Ring of Rage! A ring said to do the wearer's bidding, but at a terrible cost."
"Kinda like Desiree," Danny mused. He was having trouble looking away from the ring.
"You need to get rid of it," Dora interjected. "It was given to Pariah at the beginning of his reign by a sorcerer. When he put the ring on it gave him immense power, but it also infected his mind. It intertwined his greed and pride with anger. His drive to conquer grew tenfold, but so did his cruelty. With the ring he no longer had any mercy for his people."
Danny gave the ring a scrutinizing look. "Well he's not wearing it now; what harm can it do?"
Dora shook her head. "You don't understand. The ring's owner is Pariah. It will continue to give him power as long as he has claimed it. Only when someone new dons the ring and lays claim to it will it recognize a new owner and cease to follow his bidding." Dora looked down at the fighting below. "But whoever wears the ring will be infected with the same rage as Pariah. It's an endless cycle of anger and hatred."
Seeing the ring in a new light, Danny reluctantly put it away. It was too dangerous.
Looking down at his friend, he asked, "Hey Dora, what made you change your mind about fighting?"
The dragon took a moment of silence before answering.
"When I was alive, the only life I had ever known was a life ruled by someone else. My brother, as you recall, was not much better than the Ghost King. He was vile and cruel, and I was forced to do many things that I did not want to do under his rule." She gave a small shudder. "When I finally refused him, he sentenced me to death. I was so happy to finally be away from that monster. I had thought it was going to be so much better ." She gave a nasty laugh. "How wrong I was.
"Death was no better than life. Just more pain, fear, and servitude. All the ghosts were subjugated at that point except the ancients. Pariah was less forgiving than my brother, and the people and land were bled dry. When my brother finally joined us in the Infinite Realms, I had thought that he would join us in our pain and suffering, but Pariah instead gave him his own kingdom to rule," Dora scoffed derisively. "At that point I had convinced myself that there would be no better way of living. Even after Pariah was locked away, I was still trapped with my brother."
Dora looked down at the fighting ghosts below. "I had lost all hope until I met Sam."
Danny broke into a smile at the memory. "Her tenacity and righteous anger broke my numb barriers and showed me that I had to fight for my rights. And when you defeated my brother, the world was suddenly open for me. It was a foreign world, one that I was not used to. Ghosts were allowed to do what they wanted within reason."
"Some do without reason," Danny muttered.
Dora sent him a knowing smirk. "Up until recently, my people and I have been free to leave the kingdom or stay and thrive. We no longer are shackled in a medieval period where our lives revolve around a ruler's whims and desires. The kingdom of Aragon has reached its golden age. An age I never thought could exist." Her gaze turned fierce as she flew on. "An age I will fight to keep, even if it means death again."
Danny stood. "I will fight with you, Dora. You are not alone." His bold tone matched his stance. That is, until an ectoblast nearly singed his eyebrows off. He released a girly yelp as he narrowly dodged the attack.
Seeing another blast aimed at Dora, Danny tried to block it with a shield, but it quickly shattered from the impact. The pair fell several feet before Dora was able to regain stability. When they did, they looked at their attacker.
Fright Knight was riding on a black pegasus wielding his large sword. "Foolish mortals, you dare challenge the king!"
"Ugh, not this guy again," Danny complained before losing his balance when Dora jerked out of the way of another attack. Before they could steady themselves, Fright was upon them. He quickly swung his sword at Danny, before being blocked by a magenta shield. Danny looked up and spotted Plasmius floating down.
Danny rolled his eyes. "Impeccable timing as always, Plasmius," he snarked.
"You're lucky I came, Daniel, or you would have joined Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore in the headless hunt."
Danny scoffed. "As if that's a real thing."
"SILENCE!" Fright shouted, shooting purple energy at the group. Plasmius lazily threw up another shield. Danny watched the shield enviously as the ectoblast rebounded against it.
"I've had it with his incessant tantrums," Vlad seethed. His lips curled into a dark smirk. "Leave this one to me, Daniel. I'll teach him the consequences of angering his betters."
Danny winced for Fright's sake, but he knew better than to argue with the man.
"If you say so," he replied uncertainly, giving Dora the que to leave.
"Oh and Daniel," Vlad called. "If I hear you died from another one of your poorly executed dropkick combos, I will be quite displeased."
Danny's eye twitched at the comment. Before leaving, he muttered, "Fruitloop."
Vlad watched as Danny flew away on Dora. Once he was sure Danny was out of earshot, Vlad met Fright's glare with a smirk. "I have a proposition for you."
Danny apprehensively watched the pair until they were out of view.
"Hold on, Sir Danny!" Dora cried, spinning away from a giant fireball of blue energy. They crash-landed in a parking lot. Holding his head, Danny took in the familiar sight of Casper High School. Figures we'd end up here, he thought to himself.
His view was suddenly blocked by a massive foot. Raising his head, Danny met the glare of a black dragon.
"Cheap shot, Aragon," Danny spat with glowing fists.
"Only what you deserve," Aragon shot back, before narrowing his eyes at his sister. "Lowlives should know their place." Dora growled before lunging at her brother.
The two dragons were soon lost as fog blanketed the night sky. A cold chill slithered through the parking lot, causing the lights to flicker off. Hoarfrost crept along them like thorns on a stem.
Letting out a frosty breath, Danny felt the coldness seep deep inside him. All thoughts of fighting were halted as the feeling of frigidness engulfed him. The chill was unsettling, and Danny tried to shake the feeling. Rubbing his shoulders, he scoured the area to find its source, but the fog had thickened so much he could hardly see his hand. Fear began to stir inside him as he looked around and realized he was all alone.
Shuddering, Danny lamented that he really shouldn't be surprised. No one had really wanted to help him to begin with. They had probably realized this would end badly and fled. What had he expected? This wasn't the first time he was left on his own.
'There's nothing you can do to stop me from leaving, ' Harry's voice rang out in his mind. And he was right, wasn't he? Harry hadn't been home since those words were spoken.
' What makes you think the humans will help us? ' Ember's voice asked. She had been right, too, and Danny had been stupid to think otherwise. He had fought so hard to show humans that ghosts were not evil. He had thought that with Pariah's threat they would set aside their differences. That in doing so they would see that ghosts and humans weren't so different from each other. That he would feel comfortable telling his family who he really was. That he would be good enough.
'You're not my real brother.' No, he would never be enough in the eyes of his family. Danny felt more worthless than ever.
Crackling electricity filled his ears and Danny fell to his knees, hands trying to block out the sound. Closing his eyes, Danny saw the flashing green lights and remembered the pain that came with it. Why did no one turn off the portal? Why did he have to die only to be brought back as a freak forced to pretend nothing had happened? How could his parents not notice his suffering in silence?
'I can't wait to tear that spook apart, molecule by molecule,' came Jack's eager voice.
The static turned into screams as Danny watched with wide eyes as his parents cut into a ghost. The smell of antiseptic filled his nose and fear froze him in place.
" Stop !" he cried when the screams became too much. " Can't you see, you're hurting him ?!" His parents didn't listen but his dad's voice continued to resound in his mind.
'We know the kind of scum he is. All ghosts are evil.'
' You're a monster ,' Jazz's voice interjected as the image changed to a street filled with corpses. Danny scrunched his eyes closed again, trying to block the old nightmare. Fear churned inside his stomach.
"No," he replied softly. He waited until her voice had left before he felt brave enough to move. Opening his eyes, he saw scorched concrete and the smell of burnt ozone. He knew he was no longer in the parking lot.
"This isn't real," he told himself. He could feel the jaws of fear closing around his core. This memory was a reminder that he was a monster. How could he think that he could protect anyone?
He felt miserable and angry. Why were these thoughts and doubts still here in his head? Why couldn't he get rid of them? Jazz had spent hours trying to help him get over this, but here they all were again, as potent as ever. He had just been wasting her time. Just another way I disappoint my family. His misery took root and he felt like he'd never know happiness again.
Dora's pained roar pierced through his thoughts and Danny felt himself return to reality. He looked worriedly for his friend and saw a distant outline of her through the lingering fog. The feeling of fear didn't leave him, but he was no longer in the ruins of the Nasty Burger. Instead, he was back in the parking lot with a hooded figure hovering over him. He could see its decaying mouth opened wide as if it was sucking air.
"AH!" Danny jumped back. The figure followed him and Danny felt his fear increase.
Alarmed, Danny shouted, "Get back!" while throwing an ectoblast. The hooded figure easily dodged the blast and crept closer. The chill from before wrapped around him again. He shuddered. This creature must have been the reason he heard his family and saw his fears. Looking frightfully at the creature, Danny wasn't sure if he could fight something that made him feel that way. Another hooded figure joined the fray, causing Danny to pale. If he couldn't fight off the effects of one of those things, he was doomed with two.
A bark of laughter rang out, and Danny sent a glare at the black dragon, whose fight with his sister drew nearer.
"Don't like the dementors, boy? Then surrender," he sneered. Danny looked back at the hooded figures and swallowed thickly. These were the creatures that were born out of fear?
Dora hid her nervousness behind a wall of anger. "We'll never surrender, brother. You have tormented your people long enough!" she growled. If looks could kill, then both dragons would be out of commission. Where their gazes failed, their mouths did not. Blue and green steam formed as they prepared to fight. Before either party could attack, however, laughter boomed through the night air.
"So, this is man's defense. A puny dragon and a ghost defect." Danny turned and saw a giant man towering over them all. He was clad in royal garments from ancient civilizations and on top of his head was a crown wrapped in fire.
The chill deepened, Danny noticed the dementors closing in. Backing up, he followed Dora's example and blocked out his rising fear with anger. "Call your dogs off and fight me!" he yelled at the large ghost. He tried not to sound panicked but his shrill voice gave him away.
The king laughed again. "Have you come to challenge me, young halfa?" The dementors paused their pursuit, giving Danny a chance to breathe.
Mustering some courage, Danny squared his shoulders and shouted, "Let the ghosts go and leave. You've caused enough harm." His fists began to glow. "If you refuse, then I have no choice."
The night was filled with renewed laughter. "Who are you to order a king?!" Pariah asked in his mirth.
Danny frowned. "One who thinks your reign is a sham," he claimed. He found comfort in the familiar, though intimidating, banter and felt his fear subside.
The laughter died from Pariah's voice and his anger grew. "I rule life and death, boy," he growled. "This land and its people belong to me! You belong to me! Your purpose is to serve me!"
"Wrong!" Danny fired back. "Kings are supposed to be selfless. They serve the people, not the other way around."
Pariah narrowed his eyes. "You will pay for your insolence, child."
Danny fiercely met his gaze. "And you will pay for your war crimes, old man!" He watched as the ghost king pulled out a sword and braced himself as the fight of his life commenced.
.
A/N - I hope you enjoy! Next chapter will conclude the Pariah arc3
If you're confused by the dementors presence here, it gets addressed in a couple of chapters. (I couldn't resist having them join the fray).