Hey guys! This is just an idea that's been stuck in my head for a few days. I told myself I would work on school stuff, but this happened instead. Oh well, one day I'll learn how to be responsible. Anyway, I'm not sure whether to continue this or if it's best left as a one-shot. Either way, I hope you enjoy it! :)

Danny yelped and quickly jumped to the side as the ghost he was fighting fired yet another ectoblast at him. It was close—he could feel the paradoxically frigid heat of the blast as it passed inches from his face. He turned back to look at the ghost, wanting to keep her in his field of vision. Danny had never seen her before, which caused some difficulties because he was not sure how best to defeat her. Furthermore, her fighting style was different from most of the ghosts he fought. Most of his enemies had become somewhat predictable in their attacks. Hell, some of them even screamed out their plans in the middle of the fight. This habit, while annoying, made his job thoroughly easier.

This ghost, however, had barely said anything to him at all. He did not even know her name—which was even more rare in a ghost fight. Ghosts had a tendency to make themselves known whenever they attacked Amity. Even Danny had fallen into some of the same patterns. Don't get him wrong, he definitely did not take after Technus and Skulker. He was very much capable of keeping his mouth shut when he wanted to, but his banter definitely made them somewhat more enjoyable. Hey, when most of your free time is spent protecting the town, you have to have some fun with it, right?

Perhaps that's why this ghost was so unnerving. No fervent claims about her power and inevitable victory, no teasing him about his halfa status, no threatening to make him into a pelt or whatever. She was silent, did not seem to be fatiguing at all, and had a slight smile that curved the corners of her mouth upwards. She looked like she felt in complete control of the situation—and without a plan, backup, or evidently the same level of stamina, Danny was beginning to think there may be truth to that idea.

The ghost charged up another ectoblast, sending it speeding in Danny's direction. He did not have time to make a shield, and so resorted to jumping out of the way once more. He panted and wearily glanced back at the ghost. Her glowing red eyes were bright with determination and acute focus. She was dressed in a simple black top and red pants, and her glowing, fiery black hair was tied back in a ponytail.

"Why are you doing this?" Danny called out to her, not for the first time. Like before, he did not receive an answer. The ghost simply charged up another ectoblast and sent it careening towards him once more. Danny dodged to the side again, but failed to notice the second ectoblast coming straight towards his current position. Danny yelped at the blast knocked him backwards and through a portal. He came crashing down on the concrete and quickly looked around to figure out where he had landed. It looked like he was on the football field at his school. Another portal appeared and the strange ghost calmly glided through it.

"You can make portals?" Danny asked, exacerbated. Seriously, he only knew of one other ghost who was capable of that. The ghost woman said nothing, but her smile twitched somewhat.

"Oh, I'm so glad my surprise is amusing to you," Danny deadpanned.

The ghost fired another ectoblast again, this time ending directly in front of him and opening into another portal. Danny backed away, but the ghost had teleported behind him and pushed him through. Suddenly, Danny was falling again. Another portal opened beneath him, sending him to yet another location. Danny pulled on his flight abilities to slow his acceleration, hoping to regain his bearings. His fall slowed, but the ghost once again appeared alongside him and pushed him sideways through a portal. Danny was flung onto dirt and grass, and rolled from the impact of the attack. Danny groaned and tried to push himself up into a sitting position and felt his arms shake from the effort. White rings flashed around his waist, turning him human. His breathing was labored, and his mind raced with thoughts about what to do next. He saw the ghost land in front of him.

"Why… why are you doing this?" Danny asked once more, glancing up at her.

"Because, young Phantom," She replied, surprising Danny. "It is time that you learn what it means to be separated from your Obsession."

"What?" Danny asked, genuinely confused. "What did I ever do to you, huh?"

The ghost did not reply, but opened another portal, which she stepped through.

"Wait!" Danny protested, struggling to get up to his feet. He didn't know where he was, but he had a feeling he didn't want to be left here. By the time he got up to standing, it was too late. The portal was already sealing up behind her. Danny sighed. He was left alone, and was not sure exactly where he was. Danny groaned in frustration. He was tired and covered in scratches and bruises. Although those were sure to heal quickly, he still did not feel like dealing with trying to find his way back home. He just wanted to get back to his bed so he could sleep and forget about this stupid ghost fight. He sighed and accepted the fact that he had to start moving if he wanted to get there. He began walking along the road, his tired muscles aching in protest. Once he had regained enough strength, he changed back to Phantom. Being in his ghost form would help him to heal faster, and he wouldn't have to explain to anyone who walked by why Danny Fenton was so beat up.

Still, he did not quite have the energy to fly home. He was pretty fatigued from the fight, and was not certain whether or not the ghost was truly gone. For all he knew, she could be watching him and planning a sneak attack. As he trudged along, he realized that he knew the street that he was on. He actually wasn't that far from his house, only a couple blocks. That's weird, Danny thought. If he was right in Amity Park, then how could he be separated from his Obsession? Danny shrugged and kept walking.

A few minutes later, he was coming up to Amity's graveyard. He shivered at the realization; he never did like to be near graveyards. Particularly less so since he became a ghost. He wasn't quite sure why that was, he would have expected their to be more ghosts in graveyards. But then again, ghosts didn't really like to be reminded of their deaths, and graveyards were basically full of those reminders. He continued walking, but noticed two others who were walking towards the graveyard from the other direction. One was female and the other was male, and they were instantly recognizable to Danny. Those combat boots and bright red beret were unmistakable as they turned and passed through the gates. Danny quirked an eyebrow. What were Sam and Tucker doing in the graveyard?

Danny hobbled after them, curious about what had brought them to the graveyard. He passed through the gates, ignoring the shiver that passed through his spine. He followed his friends as they passed by rows of tombstones, feeling slightly creepy as he did so. He felt like he was stalking his friends, in a way. Oh well, it's not like he didn't sneak up on them all the time anyway, albeit unintentionally.

Eventually, Sam and Tucker came to stop in front of a tombstone. Danny walked up behind them, and decided to turn invisible to surprise them. He could use a laugh after the day he had, and a little ghostly fun never hurt anyone. He walked around to the other side of the gravestone, until he was standing directly in front of his friends. Holding back a laugh, he shouted "BOO!" while becoming visible.

The reaction couldn't have been more perfect. Sam jumped back and gasped, and Tucker let out the most high pitch scream that Danny had ever heard. Danny couldn't hold the laughter back any longer, and bent over as the laughs pealed out of him.

"Oh, man," Danny said, wiping his eyes. "You should have seen your faces! I think that was the best time I've ever gotten you!" Danny looked up at his friends, smiling. Sam's face was still etched with shock, her mouth open and her eyes wide. Tucker was trembling; clearly, he had gotten a serious dose of adrenaline.

"G-g-g-g-g-ghost!" Tucker stuttered out, teeth chattering. He took a step back, which Sam quickly followed.

"Oh, ha, ha, very funny, Tuck," Danny said, rolling his eyes. "I think we established that a while ago, dude."

Tucker and Sam didn't respond, but continued backing up step-by-step. Eventually they hit the back of another tombstone, causing their perilously slow retreat to come to an end.

Danny walked up closer to them. "Are you guys trying to get me back?" He asked. "Look, I'm sorry to let you down, but I think my prank was much better." Danny chuckled, slowly leaning back while floating. He didn't feel like he needed to conserve as much energy anymore since he now had backup with him.

Sam's eyebrows furrowed. "D-Danny? Is that you?" She asked, her voice lacking its usual bold, self-assured quality.

"Uh, yeah?" Danny said, coming to a more vertical position in the air. "Okay, you guys can quit joking now, you're starting to freak me out. You win, alright?"

Danny became more concerned when Sam's eyes started to fill with tears. Danny landed firmly on the ground, and turned back into Fenton. Maybe that weird portal ghost had messed with his friends, making them afraid of his ghost form. However, that action did not have the calming effects he intended. Tucker and Sam jumped back more, leaning on the tombstone as they tried to put as much distance between them as possible.

"Oh my god," Sam said quietly.

"Uh…Seriously, guys, what's going on?" Danny asked. He wanted to get closer to his friends, could feel his core pushing him to comfort them, but resisted. Clearly, his mere presence was distressing them enough as it was.

"D-dude," Tucker said, his voice quivering. His arm shook as he pointed a finger at the tombstone behind Danny. Danny turned around and swore once he saw what was written on the stone.

DANIEL JAMES FENTON

LOVING SON, BROTHER, AND FRIEND

YOUR SPIRIT WILL LIVE ON IN OUR HEARTS

Danny sighed, rubbing his eyes as he turned back to his friends. "As if I needed something else to worry about today," he mumbled.

"Alright," He said, putting his hands on his hips and looking directly at his still terrified friends. "When did this happen?"

"About a year and a half ago," Sam replied, looking down.

"Okay," Danny responded. "Now, is this the future or an alternate timeline?"

Sam and Tucker glanced at each other. "What?" They blurted in unison, confusion clear upon their faces.

Danny nodded. "Alternate timeline, then." He looked up at the sky in frustration, the fatigue from the day now resting heavily on his shoulders. "Damn it."