The Final Straw

A Danny Phantom One-Shot by Quill N. Inque

I do not own Danny Phantom.

Chapter 1 (and only)

"What is a hero without love for mankind?" -Doris Lessing

By any standards, high school can be rough.

But for young Danny Fenton, fresh from his epic clash in the New Mexican desert, this particular day of classes had taken its toll. It had been one of those days where everything that could have gone wrong, did.

First, Danny's alarm clock went on the fritz, and he woke up over an hour behind schedule. He'd had to hightail it to school, with not even a moment to spare for a bite to eat. His efforts at punctuality had been in vain, however, and he'd touched down in the schoolyard just as the bell rang. Upon arriving late to his first class, Lancer had promptly assigned him a detention and some punishment homework, and on the way out Danny had tripped over his shoelaces and fallen flat on his face, to the hilarity of everyone in the immediate vicinity.

Lunch had been no better. The lunch ladies, feared almost universally by Casper High's student body, had decided to "go green" and served up a nauseating dish called "Cooked Cabbage Surprise." Even though Danny had been starving on entering the cafeteria, his appetite had immediately vanished upon making eye contact with the steaming basins of culinary atrocity. He had almost sought refuge with his friends, but Sam and Tucker, lacking his ghostly healing abilities, were still recuperating from the injuries they had sustained in battle. So Danny had spent a miserable lunch all by himself.

Or he would have been by himself, if Danny hadn't been forced to flee from Paulina and the rest of his crazed fans.

But the afternoon held no mercy for the unfortunate teenager. Danny's history teacher had handed him a mountain of work that he'd missed while he'd been off battling the forces of evil. And when the lesson began, Danny realized he'd forgotten his textbook in his haste to leave the house.

All in all, quite a trying day for the young hero.

Danny sighed in relief as the final bell sent its shrill notes echoing through the halls of Casper High. With a grunt of effort, he swung his swollen backpack over his shoulders, wincing as the weight nearly toppled him over. The ghost boy made haste to join the mass exodus through the school's worn doorways, but his bid for freedom was halted abruptly by an immovable mass of solid muscle.

Dash Baxter grinned wickedly as he surveyed his favorite victim. "Going somewhere, Fen-turd?" he asked, cracking his knuckles ominously. "Did the big hero have a bad day?"

Danny gritted his teeth as he fought to control his dangerously frayed temper. "I don't have time for this, Dash," he said. "I have a ton of homework to do, because unlike you guys, I have a full-time 'saving the world' gig that tends to cut into my grades."

Dash laughed callously and slammed Danny into a particularly disreputable locker. "Cry me a river, Fen-toad," he said. "You're not going anywhere until I'm done with you." He followed up this threat with a hard jab to Danny's stomach.

Normally, Danny regarded Dash as little more than a nuisance. With his identity common knowledge, he was finally free to use his powers to get away or disappear when the football star came gunning for him. Compared to the usual foes in his Rogue's Gallery, Dash rated very low on the "Potential Threat List". But as you can imagine, our hero had had a grueling day, more so than usual, and thus it was at this moment that Danny's exceptional temper finally snapped.

The hero's eyes flashed an angry green, and Danny's hand clamped down on the bully's forearm with the force of a steel vice. By the time Dash had registered the movement, he had already been thrown clear across the now-deserted hallway, skidding to a painful stop mere feet from the doors.

Danny's voice was harsh with anger and contempt, and he bounced a glowing ball of energy from hand to hand. "You know, Dash, I've been a really nice guy to you for a really long time, despite the way you've treated me over the years. You certainly didn't deserve it! Do you have any idea how many times I could have fought back? I have lost count of how many days have gone by when I could have crushed you like a grape faster than a brain synapse! You're a bully and a thug, a pathetic loser that likes to torment others for no other reason than your own sick enjoyment!" His body turned intangible as Dash tried to punch him. "Oh, real smart, dude, trying to punch a half-ghost," Danny said sardonically as he dropped low, knocking Dash's legs out from under him with a sweep of his foot. "You couldn't take me blindfolded with both hands tied behind my back!" Then his voice turned dangerously calm, and the green ectoplasm began to give off enormous heat. "What do you think, Dash? Should I do it? Should I give you a little taste of what you've given me for so long?" The bully's face turned white with terror as Danny advanced. Dash closed his eyes, and waited for the worst-

-but was surprised when no swift vengeance fell upon him. His eyes widened as Danny extinguished the glowing orb with a flick of the wrist. "The answer is no, Dash," the hero said quietly, his green eyes meeting those of his cowering foe. "No matter how much I'd like to, no matter how much you deserve it, I won't abuse my strength like you have. Doing that would make me no different than the ghosts I fight every day." Danny stepped over the bully where he lay on the tile, deftly switching to his ghost form as he prepared to leave. "You're not worth it. You never were, and you never will be."

"See ya tomorrow, Dash."