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Danny was only fourteen when he made the very misguided choice to enter an inactive interdimensional portal. He is unsure what he was thinking when he did this. Danny Fenton had been explained lab safety since he was a toddler. Sure his mom and dad had a very unique idea of what lab safety is. What with the reanimated food that tries to kill them on occasion. However they were very series about in LAB safety. So he had no idea why he was so willing to walk into the highly dangerous machine. It was as if he had been drawn in forced to go through with the suicidal act. Like an unavoidable plot point in a story.
At first Danny didn’t believe that the portal had killed him. No, he had thought he was experiencing hallucinations caused by the over load of electricity, trauma, and a life time of unwanted ghost related facts. Come on who would believe that they had died when they still had to go to school, do homework, and chores. Plus he was a concision feeling being. Nothing like what his parents described ghosts as.
After a while of these hallucinations not stopping and actually having real world effects, he thought about telling his parents. After all they were ghost experts surly they could help him. On the other hand he would have to admit to doing more then just touching the portal like he told his parents. Danny really didn’t want to have that conversation or deal with the shear disappointment they would have. The not hallucinations weren’t even that bad. Just a bit distracting.
Danny had only had ghost powers for a month before he got into his first major fight. Sure he had seen these little blob ghosts wandering around the city, but no one else seemed to see them. So he thought he was just seeing things. It wouldn’t be the first time. The blobs were sweet too. Following him around like puppies and resting in his hair. Honestly there was no reason to tell anyone about them. Even Sam and Tucker as they would just look at him weird and ask if he was ok.
So it was about a month in to his half ghost life that he had to fight a ghost. It was of course not a graceful fight. Full of action, puns, witty one liners, and epic badassery. No, he had his ass handed to him. By a meat monster no less. It was gross. There was grease and chunks of patty in places that he didn’t think possible. It also caused him to try Sam’s ultra-recyclo-vegetarian diet. Much to Tuck’s betrayed disgust. There was just something life altering about literally being buried in meat.
This was also the first time he fully understood what he had done. Daniel Fenton son of two ghost hunter scientists had released an unknown number of eldrich abominations onto his town and potentially the entire human race. Danny a fourteen year old high schooler had doomed Earth. Suddenly he realized he had caused this! Silently he vowed to protect everyone. This was his fault. That meant he needed to fix it. Not that he really knew how besides fighting whatever showed up.
It was only a couple months later Danny meet the craziest frootloop in his undead life. An undead life that he shared with the man. While the half-ghost was obviously insane he has been a great help over the years. However the man really needed to work on his first impressions because trying to kill his father, marry his mother, and force Danny to be his son was not great. Although the man was great if Danny needed to know something about half-ghost life.
Despite the plotting, attempted murder, and the confusing desire to be a cartoon super villain Vlad would always answer Danny’s questions. The elder ghost would pull his punches when they fought, not that it was obvious. What with the injuries he would always nurse after one of their scuffles. When Danny learned this he didn’t understand why and confronted him about it. The frootloop had scoffed and denied ever pulling his hits instead monologueing about his latest evil plot.
Danny first made it onto Amity Park news when Walker invaded the town with an army. The prison warden had blamed the invasion on Danny. This lead to Danny be called “Invis-o-Bill”. A name that triggered a previously unknown ghost trait. So far no one had called him anything but what he had introduced himself as. Well Vlad calls him “Daniel” and Skulker “Ghost Child”. However these didn’t bother him as they were a variation of his name or literally what he is.
Being called “Invis-o-Bill” though had triggered a bit of a fit. Danny had immediately and obsessively shouted his name to whatever news personnel was listening. This of course didn’t work and merely caused the reporters to run. It also worsened his reputation. A reputation that became even sketchier when Freakshow forced him to steal.
Danny was only fifteen when he was told that he would kill everything he knows and loves. That his actions lead to the death of his family and ultimately the destruction of Earth. This was not as far fetched an idea as Danny would have hoped. Having previously caused the ghost crises they are currently experiencing in Amity. Desperately he begged for any way to prevent this. His core hurting at the very idea.
This lead to Danny’s introduction to time travel. The confusing wonder of parallel worlds, paradoxes, and alternate time lines. It would have been more exiting and wonder inducing if he was not fighting an older evil version of himself hell bent on causing destruction. If Danny was fatalistic he would wonder what cursed star he had been born under. Fortunately stars, the amazing balls of burning light that they are, can not curse people.
The fight was harsh. His other self willing to go to any lengths to force this time line. While Danny was willing to go to any lengths to prevent it. The two hopped time like it was a fad. Ultimately Danny managed to defeat his older self like some weird real life version of jedi training. “The only true enemy you have is yourself.” or something.
Near the end of tenth grade The King of all Ghosts Pariah Dark rose from his slumber. Pariah had sucked the entire town of Amity into the Infinity Realm. His parents previously, illegally, installed ghost shield protecting the residents. Together with friends and enemies Danny fought the King’s army. Wearing the battle suit and filled with unyielding determination, Danny managed to shove the ghost back into the Coffin of Eternal Sleep. The fight both harder and easier then the one against himself.
The town was thrown back into the mortal realm, and Danny was finally, FINALLY, known as Phantom. Not that he was well liked. The anti-ghost mentality only solidifying more with the unplanned trip to another realm. However despite these events that caused many ‘enemies’ to become friends. They still insist on attacking his town. Poking and pushing at Danny.
Now at sixteen years old. Three years after becoming a ghost. Fighting with anything and everything in his path. Danny (Phantom) Fenton is the new King of the Infinity Realms. Not that anyone had deemed to tell him that. That would have been too easy. That would have been logical. No, Danny had to find out after he got summoned. SUMMONED! Like he was some kind of demon.
Why would you summon the King of Ghosts? What would you even ask for? Who were the idiots trying to summon a being that they had no hope of controlling? Did Pariah Dark have to deal with this? Was this why he was so crazy?
These questions ran on loop through his head as he watched the black cloaked figures bow. Red paint, he hoped it was paint, forming a complex and very confusing magic circle. If this was going to become a thing then Danny would need to learn some magic. Well at least learn about summoning circles. He had seen ghosts do magic before. Hell the Egyptians introduced magic to Tuck. Maybe he could ask them.