Fantasma

Chapters

Prologue
Angelo Caduto
Kihono
Tasukete
Sói Tung

Prologue

Fantasma
Chapter One:
Prologue

The day was slowly dimming, and the sun was beginning to sluggishly hide behind the homes that resided in the small and friendly town of Amity Park. There was a chilling breeze that had begun to overtake the small suburb, as the season was in mid-change. People walking home from work and after-school related activities littered the streets, making it more busy, than what was the norm.

Although, everybody was too occupied to look up into the sky.

Above them, a young adolescent was floating in midair, his eyes glowing a deathly light green. He was bored. He found himself looking at his surroundings much more than the so called “predicament” in front of him. A widely used park was apparent on the ground below him. The playground, soccer field, nothing was new to him. Even though he could float, he still felt the need to express his ennui by resting his left elbow on a sculpture of the town’s founder.

The boy quickly ran his other hand through his bleach white hair, letting out a restless sigh as he stared monotonously at the embodiment in front of him. About twenty metres away, stood a semi-transparent, yet chubby man. The being floated up and down, kicking his legs as he spoke his threats with pride. His dark blue overalls remained motionless, as well for his knit hat, given the fact that they were both thirty feet in the air.

“I am the Box Ghost!” He shouted to the boy at the top of his lungs.The ‘Box Ghost’s’ voice was full of nothing but passion for his beloved boxes. He tried to sound like a stereotypical ghost, adding ooh’s and ahh’s unnecessarily and wiggling his fingers. Not needing to take another breath, he continued. “I am the master of all things cardboard and square!”

The boy simply let out a sharp grunt of annoyance, fed up with the Box Ghost’s ramblings. He has heard it all multiple times before, and he ultimately didn’t see this opponent as much of a threat. “Are ya done?”

The Box Ghost held up a single gloved finger. “Not yet.” The chubby spirit threw his hands up in the air dramatically, getting ready for round two of his threats. “Now prepare, as I release my corrugated, cardboard vengeance!” He shouted as he levitated three cardboard boxes out of scenic nowhere, enveloping them in a green ectoplasmic glow. With no further words, he let out a weak war cry and hurled them at the boy.

The boy gave a half-lidded stare, as he let his arms hang limp. He said nothing as the cardboard boxes simply fazed through him and landed abruptly on the unsuspecting civilians below. Now, normally the boy would have done something to prevent that, but boxes wouldn’t hurt anyone, so he deemed it useless.

“Now, are you done?” The boy once again asked, still completely unamused by this whole situation. The Box Ghost simply looked around, putting a finger up to his lip as if to ponder with an open mouth. With a sigh, he shrugged.

“Yeah...I’m done now.”

The teens lips curled into a playful smile, and his eyes turned hard. “Good, ‘cause I’m about to do some recycling!” The Box Ghost was hardly paying attention, as the teen quickly flew towards the would-be threat. He was staring up at the sky, lost in thought, as he slowly began to talk to himself.

“Hm, well, I guess recycling’s not all that bad, it’s beneficial to the environment and the ecology of most-” The mover was cut off as Danny sent him flying back with a rather painful punch to the abdomen.

“Oh, man! Do you EVER shut up?” The boy hollered, his patience slowly diminishing. He had much better things that he could have been doing at this point.

“Silence, Danny Phantom!” The Box Ghost pointed at the teen, while his other hand rested on his throbbing gut. “You are no match for me! I will have my revenge, and I will rule the world! Uheh!” He cheered, doing a dolty laugh at the end.

Danny groaned, his eyes angrily narrowing at the spirit. The white haired ghost boy pulled out his Fenton Thermos, and aimed it directly at the poor excuse for a ghost. Rolling his eyes, he popped off the lid. Almost silently, a large, blue laser launched itself out of the thermos, headed straight for the Box Ghost’s face.

“Fear me-eee-eee-eeeeeeeeeeeee-!” The chunky wraith cried humorously, as the azure beam struck him directly between the eyes. He roared as it enveloped him, and quickly began to suck him into the small, hand sized thermos. He let loose a shriek of madness before he shortly disappeared into the machine. With that, Danny quickly snapped the cap back on, to prevent the ghost from escaping.

“Of all the ghosts to escape...how did you manage?” Danny wondered to himself, looking the thermos over. With an unsatisfied shrug, he tucked the thermos under his arm and did a 180, before soaring back from which he came.

It had been an excruciatingly long day for him. Getting up at 7 AM, going to school, coming home, eating his dinner, only to battle an extremely irksome mover ghost. Although, it was all nothing new for him. Ever since his DNA had been infused with ectoplasm from the accident, he had been honing his powers. Almost becoming some sort of superhero. Well, it all came at a price for him. When he was at school, hardly anyone knew.

But, he guessed it was a good thing. Superheroes never gave out their actual identities for obvious reasons. If he went about and shouted “I’m the ghost savior Danny Phantom”, he would, most likely, get a lot of weird looks.

Danny closed his eyes for a brief moment, hoping to feel the gentle air slide past his face and cheeks, and frowned when no such thing happened. Sure, being in his ghost form had its many upsides, such as spooky powers like invisibility, intangibility, and the works. Although, sometimes, he missed the simple things. The things of which, he would never again, get to feel or see.

The half-blood reached his home in a matter of moments, exhaling and relaxing his body completely. He relaxed all of his muscles, helping him lose his palpability, once again. Danny dove through the roof of his house, going down vertically. Without being seen, he quickly phased through his sister Jazz’s room, who was noisily talking on the phone with one of her best friends. Below that, he maneuvered down through the kitchen, where his mother was making dinner. The fantastic odor resonating from the room was enough to make Danny’s stomach growl on the spot.

He quickly maneuvered his way into the basement, only to come to a dead halt, as he heard a familiar voice fill his ears. Technically, it was not a basement. More of a lab, if anything. It was basically a place for his parents to stash their ghost catching junk, although only half of which actually worked. The only thing of actual importance in the basement was the Ghost Portal that sat on the side wall. Danny’s keen hearing zoned in on the sounds that came from below, and realized that it was only his father. Even though Danny was invisible, he motioned himself over to the staircase carefully, making sure not to cause any unnecessary attention. He effortlessly released a small ring out from his body that extended to about two feet around him in diameter starting at his chest. It quickly cut in two, one circle going upwards, while the other went downwards. When both rings had reached the ends of his body, he was no longer in his ghost form. He was a normal kid once again. Jack Fenton stopped humming his little tune, when he heard a footstep coming from the staircase behind him.

“Huh? Oh, hey kiddo!” Danny’s father smiled gleefully as he screwed in the final bolt to the Ghost Portal.

Danny stumbled down the stairs, the Fenton Thermos well hidden behind his skinny frame. He lifted an eyebrow at his father. What could he possibly be doing now...?

“Uh, hey dad...what’s up?” Danny questioned, hoping to make nonchalant small talk in hopes to childishly redeem himself for any sort of suspicions his dad may have had against him. It was better to be safe than sorry.

“Not much, touching up the Ghost Portal a bit. Oh hoh, I’m so close! I can feel it!” His father said, rubbing his hands together in a mock diabolic fashion. Little did Jack know that the Ghost Portal had been fully operational for the last few months.

Danny wasn’t too comfortable with this, however. Both of their parents claimed to have built the Ghost Portal, although the blueprints, initial idea, and money originally came from his mother. Danny knew that his father literally had no idea what he was doing, seeing as he basically did not make it.

“Uhm...what are you doing to it, exactly?” Danny inquired, leaning in a little bit to get a good look at his father’s doings. It was difficult to see, however, past his rather large proportions. Jack suddenly beamed. His eyes almost seemed to sparkle, and a tear was brought to his eye.

“Oh, son. I knew it.” He wiped the tear from his eye, wettening his orange jumpsuit just a bit. “I knew you would join the family profession.” Danny simply rolled his eyes. Obviously, Jack had mistook Danny’s interest in the wrong way. The boy took a step back.

“Dad, I don’t want to be a ghost hunter...” He replied monotonously. Before Jack could respond, a tiny, barely audible sound protruded through the silence.

“The Box Ghost will have his revenge!” The tiny, high pitched voice shouted through its confinement inside of the Fenton Thermos. Danny’s heart stopped, and he looked around nervously, hoping and almost praying for some sort of distraction.

“What was that? It almost sounded like someone was trying to wreak vengeance...” Jack pondered, looking around the lab. His suspicions growing, he put his hand on his chin and looked comically at the ceiling.

“Uh...” Danny was desperate now, and he could feel himself begin to sweat anxiously. “Uh...the dryer?” There was a slight pause between the both of them. Danny clenched the top of the Fenton Thermos, hoping the drown out the Box Ghosts’ cries with his hand.

“Eh, must be.” Danny was more confused by his response, if anything. The dryer was all the way upstairs, it didn’t even make sense!

“Dinnertime!” Danny’s mother’s tender voice called from upstairs as his father let out an ecstatic cry. Jack could literally see the ripples in his father’s belly as his stomach loudly growled.

“Oh! Pork Chops! My favorite!” His father licked his lips, before actually jogging over to the stairs. Jack was already halfway to the first floor when Danny decided to correct him.

“Actually, I think she made turkey.” Danny rectified.

“Yeah, but real men have pork chops EVERY night.” His father proclaimed giddily as he almost blissfully skipped up the stairs. He looked over at the Ghost Portal uneasily. He limply dawdled over to the large yellow and black striped door, and pressed the “open” button directly to its right.

Nothing happened.

Danny raised an eyebrow, and pressed it again.

Nothing.

Thanks dad...

With a unhappy grunt, he banged the button as hard as he could without bringing injury to himself. The button itself made a small ‘click’ followed by the ominous hiss that came from the portal. When the doors opened, all that could be seen was a swirling green torrent of ectoplasmic material that almost seemed to beckon to him. Although he knew he could not go in there. He remembered the last time...

There was various shouts that came from the Fenton Thermos, which Danny ultimately ignored. Without saying a single word, he quickly flipped the ‘reverse’ switch on the thermos and aimed it directly at the portal. The pressure itself caused the cap to come flying off. With a blue light, and a horrifying scream, the beam that emitted from the thermos sent the Box Ghost hurtling into the Portal. Danny saw the ghost flail his arms uselessly as he was thrown back into the ghost world. There was a small ‘ding’ that came from the thermos, and the blue light quickly depleted. The job was done. The Box Ghost had returned to his own world.

He naturally turned off the Ghost Portal and shut the doors before turning back into his human form. That was it. That was the last time he goes inside the Ghost Zone, at least for a little while. He has had enough. Dealing with the Box Ghost was enough to drive anybody crazy...

He quickly forgot his little promise to himself, as the brand new smell of Pork Chops filled the air. Oh, dad..., Danny thought, as he mindlessly wandered up the stairs. Luckily for him, the ‘basement’ lead right up to their kitchen, and the awaiting dinner table. His mother, father, and older sister have already dug into their meals greedily, smacking their lips with pure delight. Danny looked at the one empty chair, and the food lying in front of it, it only took mere moments for his brain to get the distinct message from his stomach.

“Your dinner's all set, sweetie!” His mother cooed after she finished swallowing a little bit of her pork chop. The need to eat had disappeared from Danny’s body altogether, his stomach now full from some sort of slight depression.

“Uhm...I’m not hungry, thanks though.” Danny said, waving his hand just a little bit before heading towards the stairs just outside of the kitchen. His mother looked a little distraught.

“More for me!” His father shouted gladly as he reached for another plate of mashed potatoes. Danny’s mom stared at her boy longingly, but it didn’t seem to have much effect on him.

“You sure?”

Danny made his way up the stairs, letting out a large yawn. “Yeah. I’m probably just gonna hit the hay. ‘Night.” Danny replied just as he had hit the top of the stairs. He didn’t see, but his mothers looked down at the table for a brief moment, regretfully. He hobbled his way to his own room, passing the bathroom, and his sister’s room as well, which still happened to be playing some sort of pop music from within despite her absence.

At the end of the hall, the door creaked as Danny slowly opened it, where he was met with another yet familiar sight. The gray and lifeless walls hid in his peripheral vision, but the colors always were depressing to him when he always took notice. He had been asking to repaint his room to a much livelier color, but he has never gotten around to actually doing it. His cramped bed lied in the middle of the room with his lavender sheets the only thing that brought any sort of color into the room. Other than that, his room contained the usual: A lamp, dresser, nightstand, it was really nothing of much importance to him.

Slipping off his sneakers, he almost crawled into his bed, making sure that the light was already off. He had considered actually putting on his pajamas, but he really did not feel like it. He slid under his covers, letting out a deep sigh. It only took him mere seconds to get comfortable, as the blankets almost seemed to wrap him up in a specially made cocoon, much to his liking.

He was not looking forward to tomorrow, but he did not have a say when it came to his upcoming future. His sky blue eyes rapidly becoming more and more weighty, he eventually closed him. He fell asleep in a matter of moments, his stomach tightening as the indescribable feeling out doubt and worry clogged his entire being.

He did not know why.

Author's Note

Chapter one of what will be the exciting adventures of "Danny Phantom and friends in Ponyville." I plan on spending a decent amount of time on this, as I have PLENTY of ideas.

So, this is just the prologue, not much to say, really.

Comments and Feedback are GREATLY appreciated. I really want to know how I'm doing with this, as I really have good hopes for this story.

Thank you all for reading! Have a good one bros!

-Cyneryk

Angelo Caduto

Fantasma
Chapter Two:
Angelo Caduto

“Danny?”

The dark haired boy did not seem to take notice, as he was gazing off into space.

“Helloooo?”

Danny was still lost in his own mind, the inner mechanisms of his mind turning at a staggering speed. He quickly recovered from his state when a hand suddenly waved in front of his vision. “Danny!” It shouted once again, this time practically in his ear. Danny let out a uncomfortable groan as he rubbed his throbbing ear.

“What?” Danny asked, staring back at his best friend, who had his hands on his hips. He was giving him a rather unpleasant stare. Danny blushed a little bit. “Heh, sorry Tucker. What were you saying?”

Tucker pursed his lips, before furrowing his brow. “Are you okay? You seem out of it today?” He asked. Danny didn’t say anything, he just nodded. That didn’t seem to please the dark-skinned boy. He knew that Tucker wasn’t going to sit back and watch his best friend be upset.

“I’m fine, really. Just tired.” Danny grumbled, looking away and grasping onto the straps of his backpack. Casper High was bustling with pre-pubescent teenagers hurriedly chatting and barging their way the halls, not entirely eager to get to their next class. Every now and then, he’d get shoved by a random student. “You know, the usual...”

“Box Ghost?”

“Box Ghost.”

“Oh man...” Tuck slapped his head, just barely missing his glasses. “Will that guy ever give up?” Danny shrugged his shoulders tiredly.

“I have no idea how he keeps breaking out of there...” Danny admitted, his enthusiasm rising just a little bit. Talking to Tucker always seemed to cheer him up a bit, after all, they had been friends since forever.

“Maybe you should take a break, you seem worn out.” Tucker replied, while twisting the turn dial on his locker, eventually opening his locker and stuffing his books inside. It had always bothered Danny. Tucker was always seen with a black backpack on his shoulders, yet he preferred to carry everything in his arms.

“Well, I would if I could, I mean-”

“Dash! Twelve o’clock!” Tucker briskly interrupted. Danny stopped cold in his tracks, hesitating for a moment. Luckily for him, Tucker noticed his friends delay, and did the honors for him. He grabbed his best friend by the shoulders and literally hurled him into his open locker. The only sound that was heard was the “He-OOMPH!” that came from Danny, followed by a loud slam as the locker shut behind him. From inside said locker, Danny rubbed his now-bruised shoulder.

“Hey Technogeek!” A loud, muscular voice shot through the air from just outside of the locker. Danny’s heart almost stopped. There was only one person who had that voice, the one that speaks pure confidence, yet it was so full of hatred.

Dash.

The older bully, jock, suck up, it seemed like everything was in his favor. The kid who would spend every waking minute harassing Danny if he could. Well, actually, he already kind of did.

“Hey! Gimme back my hat!” Tucker shouted. Danny had a good idea what was going on, as he could hear Tucker’s boots stomping forcefully on the ground.

“Shorty!” Dash mocked. “Not until you tell me where Danny is! I have somethin’ I wanna give him!” Danny did not find that the least bit fair. Tucker wasn’t short, Dash was just unusually tall...and muscular. Tucker was getting more and more outraged, which was odd. Usually he was very down to earth and understanding...did he really love his hat THAT much?

“I haven’t seen him all day! Now give it to me!” Tucker grumbled. For some strange reason, he always did have a love for his beret. Danny had almost never seen him without it. There was a small sound that Danny could barely make out, a tiny “tink”, as if something had hit the nearby trashcan. “Come on. Seriously?” Tucker groaned.

“You want it back? Okay, suit yourself.” Dash replied. It was at this moment that Tucker actually began to shout in protest.

“Put me down! This isn’t cool, let go of m-” He was cut off as another “CLANG” came from the same vicinity, followed by more obnoxious laughing coming from Dash. Danny heard the laughs slowly begin to disappear down the hallway as his hopes began to teeter out.

“Tuck? You there?” Danny called from inside of the locker, a slight feeling of guilt lingering inside of him. Not even a second later, Danny heard the turn dial quickly spin. First left, then right, and then left again, before the locker quickly opened. Somehow, Danny wasn’t prepared, and fell on his stomach out of the locker.

“What is it with me and getting hurt today...?” Danny mumbled irritatingly as he picked himself off the ground, secretly hoping that he has not caught the attention of anyone important. He dusted himself off, took one look at Tucker, and exploded into a fit of giggles.

Dash must have thrown him into the trash can, as he was absolutely doused in garbage. His previously yellow, long sleeved shirt was covered in some sort of strange brown liquid, and there was a banana expertly perched on his head. By some means, Tucker still had his beret on his head. “You’re telling me...” Danny knew the perfect way to cheer his best friend up, however. There was only one thing in the world with the ability to do such a thing...

“Uh...ahem...wanna go get some lunch? I heard they’re serving hamburgers today.” With that, Tucker’s frown quickly turned to that of pure bliss. He shook the banana off the top of his head as he grabbed Danny by the wrist, who was grinning the whole time. He knew that Tucker couldn’t resist meat, by ANY means.

“LET’S GO.”

Both teens literally left skid marks on the ground as Tucker dragged his friend to the cafeteria, giggling incoherently to himself.

Tucker’s tittering came to a brief halt as both of the teens reached the lunchroom. It was apparent that Danny was right, there were indeed hamburgers for lunch. Both teens sprinted through the line with a speed that would have greatly impressed their gym teacher. Danny’s lunch consisted of a single hamburger, a carton of milk, and a little cup of various fruits and veggies. Tucker, on the other hand, had a tray full of what must have been dozens of burgers, which he actually struggled to carry.

The lunchroom walls were a wet green that almost seemed to slide down the walls like slime. There were posters for various after school activities posted all over the area. In some parts, you could not even see green, only the bleached white of the paper. There were about twenty tables in the lunchroom set up in a 5 by 4 fashion, all saved for various cliques and groups: Jocks, Gamers, Hipsters, Hippies, Meatheads, it was all the same.

Danny scanned the lunchroom, only to smile as his eyes laid upon a singular, black-clad girl sitting alone at a table, fiddling with what seemed like a cellphone. Tucker and Danny cheerfully wandered through the jam-packed cafeteria and gingerly sat on each side of the girl. She barely raised her violet eyes at them.

“Hey, Sam!” Danny voiced as they both almost slammed down their trays. Tucker immediately got started eating all of his hamburgers, to which Sam simply ignored.

“Uh, hey guys.” She replied, taking out both of her earbuds and fixing her plaid black skirt. What Danny had originally perceived as a cell phone, was some sort of small ipod. On the screen was some sort of japanese anime with two colorful characters sporting large swords on their hips, as if they were getting ready to battle. Danny wasn’t sure if he had heard Sam talk about this show before...

“Whatcha watchin’?” Danny asked, staring curiously at the screen. Sam shrugged.

“Eh, some new show I found. Sebete no Owari, I think...” She said. “I dunno, but there’s lots of fighting in it...” It was at this moment that Sam looked over and noticed that Tucker was going to town on his hamburgers, eating most of them in a few bites. His eyes were closed in absolute pleasure he ate, smiling and moaning in delight. As Tucker smacked his lips, Sam reeled back, curling her upper lip.

“This...this is amazing!” Tucker said in between bites and swallows.

“Ugh, meat eater...” She grimaced as she quickly reached for her veggie sandwich. “How can you eat that kind of stuff?” Sam sneered at the carnivore, who seemed unfazed by her questions.

“Psh, how can you not eat it? Look at it!” Tucker then shoved his half-eaten, cafeteria burger in front of the unsuspecting goth’s face. “Look at the texture! The way the grease glistens! The delightful scent of the sesame seeded bun! It’s...it’s amazing!”

Sam nearly hurled, her cheeks puffing up almost hilariously. Danny did her a favor, and shoved the burger out of her face for her. Tucker frowned, and there was a small silence between the three of them.

“Plus, veggies are gross.” He finished, sticking his nose in the air as he took a bite of his third burger with a hint of pride. Sam and Danny both rolled their eyes, but for different reasons. Danny had heard them fight about this plenty of times before, and no one ever won. What are the chances that one will give the other a shot before judging? Oh wait, that never happens in their world. That seemed to remind Danny of something...

“The last time you had veggies...didn’t you get diahrr-”

“Yes!” Tucker interrupted, reaching across Sam and throwing a hand over his friends mouth, smiling nervously at disgusted students that happened to be walking by with their trays. “Don’t talk about it! Please!” Tucker almost begged before taking his hand off Danny’s mouth, who simply blinked. Sam, who was now no longer in the mood to speak to Tucker, turned back to Danny.

“So, what’s new with you?” Sam rested chin on her knuckle boredly. Danny wanted to tell her about what’s been going through his head recently, but was not too sure. He’d always liked to have his more serious conversations with Sam, as she was more likely to take them more serious than Tucker. After a few moments on stalling, and playing with his assorted veggies, he finally spoke up.

“Uh, well...I’m not too sure anymore.” Sam raised her eyebrow. Little did anyone know that Tucker was secretly listening in despite his constant munching. “It’s just...is this what I’m going to spend the rest of my life doing?”

Sam was going to respond, but Tucker jumped in. He almost knocked her out of her seat, but luckily the girl composed herself. “Well, why wouldn’t you?” He waved his fifth burger in the air, as if he was trying to make a point. “What you have is unique, and you should embrace it. Take a look at us!” He wrapped his arm around Sam, holding the burger nauseatingly close to Sam’s face. She dry heaved. “I have my tech wizardry, and my amazing wits, while Sam has her clothes. It’s what makes us us, Dan.” Sam, after removing the hamburger from her face, began to nod. Well, until she realized just exactly what Tucker had said.

“Wait, what about how I dress?” Sam glared at Tucker, enough to make him gulp.

“Uh...” There was a sharp smack that filled the room, followed by small sobs that emitted from Tucker’s half-full mouth. With a satisfied smirk, Sam turned back to Danny, who did not really feel like laughing at this point. Not like he wanted to add insult to injury...although he did laugh at the fact that Tucker was covered in garbage.

To Danny, that was different.

“Eh, I don’t know. Hey, wanna come over to my house later? My dad fiddled with the Ghost Portal, and I don’t want to touch it unless Tucker checks it out first.” Danny asked. Tucker was not too thrilled. He gazed at his friend slowly and lazily, his chewing becoming involuntarily slower.

“What makes you think that I have any experience with a portal!?” Tucker almost shouted. Tucker had a point, but he was honestly just looking for a reason for his friends to come over that night. It was not like he had anything better to do.

“You just said so yourself, ‘Tech Wizard’. At least check it out? It’s not like I have any other geeks lying around.” Danny grinned playfully at his friend, who simply looked away with a ‘Humph’. Tucker crossed his arms, but eventually exhaled softly.

“Fine. But first...I’m going for a record...” Without another word, Tucker licked his lips and jumped onto his stool. He raised his hands above his head, as if he was an olympic diver. With the most serious face, his eyes looking forward, he literally dived into the mountain of burgers on the table, almost disappearing inside it. Unbeknownst to him, he managed to spray hamburgers over Sam, getting meat and condiments all over her hair and clothes. Danny had predicted this, and managed to turn intangible for a split second to escape the beefy fate, sending all the patties flying through him and onto the floor. Luckily, no one in the cafeteria seemed to have had seen him.

“TUCKER! UGH!” Sam shrieked in disgust as the grease stained her clothes, leaving her dripping in beef residue.

Danny could not stop laughing.

The day seemed to drag by, almost losing its motivation to keep going. Danny had spent most of the afternoon lost in thought. It was strange, because every time he managed to snap out of it, he would always forget the last thing that he had actually been thinking about.

After an eternity, all three friends finally appeared in Danny’s basement, unbeknown to his parents and older sister. They tip toed down the stairs, where Tucker almost immediately got started looking at the round portal. He took his trusty PDA out of his back pocket and attached it into a socket near the opening using some sort of cord. A line of digital code began to vertically make its way down the screen. Tucker stared at his device, as if it was completely absent in his own mind.

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” Danny asked, standing next to Sam, who wasn’t exactly excited watch her friend fiddle with gadgets. She was never if the technological type. If anything, Sam had the potential to be quite the hipster.

“Not really...but I can figure it out...” Tucker suddenly raised an eyebrow. “I’ve only done this once before-”

“You have?” Danny asked, not recalling.

“Eh, it was awhile ago.” He shrugged, looking back at his PDA. “Anyways, it’s...not the same as last time...” Danny stared over Tucker’s shoulder in a lame attempt to see the fancy codes, but that was before Tucker started to pace back and forth.

Sam was suddenly fully interested, she turned her head, accidently sending her short, inky hair all over the left side of her face. “What does that mean?” She asked as she lazily leaned against the wall.

“I...The codes are completely different than the last time. The codes that your mother had implemented that actually made the portal work I had stored on my PDA for safekeeping, and for a time like this.” Tucker absentmindedly pushed up his glasses. “But now they’re just jarbled. Whatever your dad did...I’d be surprised if this thing even worked...” Tucker looked up nervously at the looming portal in front of him. Just to be safe, he took a quick step back.

“But it does. I just returned the Box Ghost yesterday.” Danny admitted, to which Tucker paid barely any attention. Danny had apparently forgotten telling him not only a few hours ago.

“I know. It’s weird, the more code that’s generated, the more random and discombobulated it gets. It shouldn’t be working at all.” He said. His technological curiousness got the best of him, and slowly pressed the “enter” button on his PDA.

The second the button was pressed, the codes on his screen stopped moving, abruptly coming to a very sudden halt. “What the...” Tucker was flabbergasted, and Danny and Sam were starting to freak out a little behind him. Something you never want to hear is a tech-y kid like Tucker say something in surprise or something along the lines of “Uh-oh”. Especially when he was messing with his equipment.

“How does code just...stop?” Sam asked. Tucker rolled his eyes, as to him, it was a very basic question. Even Danny had a pretty good idea, although he wasn’t sure.

“Code stops when the program, or whatever this is, stops running. Apparently it’s...finished?” Tucker eyebrows furrowed. He did not know what to stare at, the codes, or the portal, so he just sort of alternated every few seconds.

“What was running inside of the Ghost Portal? Can it even run a different type of code other than the one in it?” Danny asked, honestly trying to sound smart. Tucker saw straight through it, but he did not seem to mind.

“No...the only code that it should run is that of which makes the Portal.”

“Then what’s going on?” Sam asked desperately, nervously glancing over at Danny. The boy shrugged. For some reason, he felt a draft in the room. It coursed through his spine and made his vigorously shiver. But it was not like a normal one, it was as if it was more of a spasm than a shiver...

“Only one way to find out.” Danny said, composing himself running over to the Ghost Portal. He slammed his pale hand on the scarlet ‘open’ button. The machine sputtered for a minute, as it began to slowly secrete an ominous, coral smoke that spread over the entirety of the lab, including the unsuspecting teens’ feet. Danny could not help but inhale the scent, filling his nostrils with some sort of indescribably sweet aroma. Sam and Tucker must have smelt it too. Sam’s face contorted into a disturbed scowl, while Tucker did not seem to mind.

Slowly. Very slowly, the Ghost Portal opened. Sam, Tucker, and Danny were all awestruck at the sight that stood before them when the portal had finally revealed to them its totality.

It was a forest.

The wood was immensely dark, to the point of where they could not see very far into it. But they could see about five feet in front of where the portal was placed. Instead of a sweeter scent, the woodland smelled entirely of pine and maple. The murky trees towered upwards, although neither teens could see that high up from where they were looking. There were many exotically colored shrubs and flowers that littered the forest floor. It was black, but the wood seemed to shine with an otherworldly shining beauty. Every so often, a brisk wind would flutter by, carrying small leaves across the terrain and whirl the trees. As they looked into the portal, it was almost as if they were staring into a beautiful picture. As if they were staring into another world altogether.

“Whoa...” Danny breathed, just loud enough for his two friends could hear. Sam and Tucker stood, awestruck, not wanting to move. Danny was more inquisitive than his friends, however.

“It’s...” Sam was looking for the right words, but it was getting harder to do so without tripping over herself. “..beautiful!”

“What is it...?” Tucker asked, knowing full well that no one would give him a correct answer. Danny shrugged, hesitantly taking a few steps closer to the portal. Before his friends could stop him, he stuck a hand through the portal.

“Danny, are you kidding me!?” Sam rushed over to him and pulled him away from the Portal angrily. Danny was none to pleased, and angrily tore his arm back from the frenzied girl. Danny wasn’t surprised, Sam was sometimes prone to overreacting...

“It’s not a good idea. Well...I think..it’s still a portal, it seems. We just don’t know to where it leads...” Tucker responded, after realizing what that meant, his eyes widened immensely, quickly followed by Sam, and then Danny. A portal to the Ghost World, another dimension, was believable by their terms. But to another world...?

“So...where does the Portal go to now?” Sam asked. Reluctantly looking inside. She was always one for adventure, but she had a bad feeling. Danny, however, couldn’t resist himself. It...it’s calling to me? he thought to himself. This was his opportunity that he could not resist. Although, he wasn’t sure what was beckoning to him inside of the portal, all he knew it that he wanted it. Bad.

“One way to find out!” Danny shouted, before sidestepping Sam. She had swung her arm in a quick attempt to catch him, but she had just missed. She had actually almost landed on the floor as a result. Danny, with an amused, yet childish, chuckle ran and jumped straight through the opening of the portal head first.

“DANNY!?” Sam and Tucker both said simultaneously after realizing his friends rather careless impulse.

The pale skinned boy stood up from the rough and rather scratchy forest floor after realizing that it was slightly moist. Once he got to his feet, he felt a surge of regret flow through him, one telling him that he had just made a huge mistake. However, the sereneness of the forest only seemed to calm him. He could barely see, but that was before he remembered a neat trick he had just recently learned about a week earlier. Danny closed his cobalt eyes for a brief moment, feeling feebly inside of himself for his power. When he opened his spheres, they were both a ghostly green, and he discovered that his eyesight had vastly improved. He could see a mile into the forest, although everything was tinted green. It was as if he was looking through night vision goggles.

“Hey...this isn’t too bad...” Danny muttered to himself. He could see small birds, or what he thought were birds, flying just below the treeline. The scent of pine was so strong that it almost burnt his nose. For some reason, there was a weird taste in the air, although he couldn’t describe it. It was...salty? He was not sure...but it burned his mouth a little bit.

The tranquility of the forest was quickly cut by the sound of two voices screaming behind him.

With a jolt, he turned around to see Sam lying on the mucky earth on her stomach. She was painfully groaning, cursing to herself and to the persona that was lying on top of her. Tucker was literally sitting on her back, holding his knee and rubbing his head as he groaned childishly to himself. He did not even notice the situation they were both in.

“Get off!” Sam shouted. Tucker turned to look under himself, and upon noticing the rather odd position they were in, did not hesitate to move. With a slight blush, he scampered off of her, holding on to his PDA tightly. Somehow, it still remained intact.

“Sorry...” Tucker stated, meekly rubbing the back of his neck. Sam held out of her hand, to which Danny grabbed. With a small grunt from both of them, she quickly got to her feet, her large boots beating the ground loudly. The view was even more beautiful than when they were simply looking inside.

“Thanks...now...” She poked Danny’s chest hard. Danny gulped, Sam was not fun to be around when she was angry. “What the heck do you think you’re doing?” She hollered. Danny looked at his other friend for assistance, but unfortunately, he was too busy fiddling with his PDA at the moment.

“I...I don’t know what came over me. Sorry.” Danny stated simply, hoping to put an end to the incessant shouting.

Sam still wasn’t pleased. She stared into his green eyes manically. Danny knew that look; the one that indicated that she almost wants to strangle you. He tried to make himself feel as small as possible. Also, the fact that everything was being seen in green did not entirely help. “You don’t just run through a portal like that! Even if you’ve done it before!”

“Jeez! Chill!” Danny raised his palms in front of his chest defensively, standing up to his best friend. Sam did not want any of it. She wanted her friend to know exactly what he did wrong.

“No! That was stupid!” Sam shot back.

“Sam?” A different voice asked, although it was immediately ignored.

“Can’t blame me for being curious.”

“Yes I can! Especially when it puts us in danger!”

“How do you know we’re in danger?”

“Danny?” The voice asked again, this time a little louder. The bickering friends were in no mood to oblige him. Tucker was getting irritated, that in mind, he ran over to them both and pulled them apart, having to muster almost all of his strength. He was by no means a strong kid. Being on a computer all day will do that to someone. “GUYS!”

“WHAT?!” They both shouted at him. Sam’s eye was twitched unwillingly. Tucker pointed a dark-colored finger behind both of them, which nervously shook in midair.

There was nothing there. Just the dark emptiness of the forest.

“What is it, Tuck?” Danny asked, trying as hard as he could to calm himself down. It really did not take long, however. He had more patience than Sam did, at least.

“The portal’s gone!”

Author's Note

Well, here is chapter two! I hope you all enjoy it! Well, seems like the portal went AWOL. Just what happened to it? Where are they? What's going to happen now? Will Tucker's PDA ever break even in the most harshest of situations? Stay tuned!

Anyways, thank you for reading!

Feedback and comments are GREATLY appreciated, just to let you guys know ;)

Alright, thanks again! Have a good one bros!

-Cyneryk

Kihono

Fantasma

Chapter Three:

Kihono

There was a long silence among the three friends. Danny and Sam both simultaneously dropped their jaws, the former actually taking a brief step backwards. His lungs refused to expand, as he felt a large lump forming in his throat, straining it to the point of where it physically hurt him. Even though Tucker had been the first to acknowledge it, he was shaking harder than his friends.

Tucker sprinted behind Danny and Sam and desperately flailed his arms in the air, as if the portal had just suddenly gone invisible instead of disappearing entirely. “I...I...” Tucker babbled repetitively, as his hands felt absolutely nothing but air. A small bead of sweat cascaded down his forehead, as his mind instinctively soared in a kind of paranoia of which he had not been accompanied by, as of late.

“Uh...” Danny was just as dumbfounded as Tucker. His jaw was hung humorously low to the ground. Unlike his other male companion, he refused to panic. For him, this was something that he had gotten very accustomed to. It was quite often that he was stuck fighting rather odd and terrifying ghosts. He had long outgrown his fear, as he had a duty to uphold in Amity Park. Situations like this definitely unnerved him, but he was by no means afraid. Well, he was not until Sam stepped in front of him as he wandered closer to the much-more-unstable Tucker.

For some reason, making Sam angry was something that Danny did not like to do, by any means. By the way her fists were clenched, and how hard she gritted her teeth, he assumed that he had done exactly that.

“What the heck, Danny!? Do you know what you just did?” Sam practically screamed in his face. Sam was so aggravated that she did not even notice Danny wipe trace amounts of her spit from his cheeks. “There’s some sort of strange phenomenon going on inside the portal, and what do you do? You jump right through it!”

Danny raised a finger to intervene, but Sam was too wrapped up in venting her frustrations to care.

“Guys? Guys, give me a hand! The portal has to be a-around here somewhere! Just help me look!”

“Jeez, Danny! We deal with the Ghost Zone and terrifying deities every other day! But then this comes along, and it didn’t cross your mind to stop and think that it may not be a good idea to jump straight into something like that!?” Sam shouted, putting her fists on her hips as a way to keep herself from clocking Danny straight in the mouth.

“Well, it’s kinda how I got my powers in the first place...” Danny interjected, raising his index finger into the air a little bit.

By no means was Sam amused by that comment. With an irritated grunt, she threw her hands in the air and turned her back to him. Almost immediately, Danny regretted opening his fat mouth, and his stupid brain from impulsively jumping inside the portal. Sam did seem to have a point.

Tucker was practically in tears on the other side of the clearing. “G-Guys! I-it’s not here! Why isn’t it here! I mean, we just came through it a second ago! Please help me look!” he begged, slowly losing his faith, as well as his sanity, in a matter of moments. Sam rolled her eyes, walked over and grabbed Tucker’s shoulders. Without a moment of hesitation, she proceeded to shake as violently as she could, causing his head to go flying back and forth. “Ow!” he exclaimed when she had finally ceased. For a second he feared that he may had obtained whiplash.

“Calm yourself!” Sam coaxed as she stared at her friend directly in his dark brown eyes. Tucker glared at Sam, not exactly with worry anymore, but with a slight hint of annoyance.

“I am calm, okay! Don’t shake me like that!” Tucker shot back, shrugging off Sam’s hands and rubbing the left side of his neck just a little bit. Danny silently frowned at the whole situation, and Tucker took quick notice. Seeing this, Danny stepped up to speak what had been on his mind for the last few minutes before Tucker formed some kind of bad opinion in his head about him.

“Look, I’m sorry, alright? I wasn’t thinking. I...” Danny was going to say something along the lines of what he had heard before he had jumped through the portal. The weird voice that almost seemed to coerce him into, rather impulsively, hopping inside. However, Danny kept that little fact to himself. He knew that if he tried giving some kind of excuse, whether it was exactly that or not, it would not end well for him. Plus, Tucker did not appear to be too angry with him at that point. The last thing he wanted was to have both of them mad at him. “...I don’t know why exactly I did it. But I didn’t plan for this to happen!”

“Of course you didn’t! But guess what? It did!” It appeared that the more Danny talked, the more argumentative and infuriated she became. Taking this into consideration, he shut his mouth until he deemed it necessary to open it again. “And now we’re stuck here with no food, or water, or knowledge of anything or-!”

Sam was definitely the most outdoorsy of the group. She actually knew various ways of finding food and water in nature. Considering that they were in an area, or...world...that they had no clue about, Danny found her skills to be practically useless. He began to suspect that Sam only said that simply for no other reason than to make him feel bad. Unfortunately for him, it was working. Despite this, he managed to tune out Sam’s nagging voice until Tucker got equally as tired. As Sam paused to inhale, Tucker butted in.

“Arguing isn’t going to solve anything!” In Danny’s head, he was slowly rooting Tucker on. “We’re here, and there’s...there’s no way out! The portal is gone and I don’t think it’s coming back!” Tucker explained. The realization slowly began to dawn on Sam, and her anger subsequently began to subside, much to Danny’s undying glee. There was a long, and rather awkward pause as everyone in the clearing stopped for a moment to think.

Since Sam had appeared to calm down, Danny found the courage to speak up. “Uhm, where are we anyways?” Danny asked, taking the time to actually look at his environment. The trees and other forest plants were glossy, and wet with dew. He presumed it to be extremely early in the morning. The chilled air and the fact that a very familiar songbird was singing made him think this. He tried to remember what kind of bird it was, as he had no idea. The only time he would hear it was when him and his father would go fishing in a lake just outside of town. It was some kind of two-noted tune, but Danny unwittingly decided not to think about it too much.

He looked over to see Sam and Tucker squinting through the forest. Their movements were basically begging Danny to answer their unsaid question. “I have no clue. All I can see is brush and trees and...more trees,” said Danny. Sam was going to ask how he knew, but Danny simply pointed to his glowing green eyes, causing her to let out a small “oh” of understanding.

“Well what do we do? This place looks...weird,” Tucker stuttered. For some reason, Sam’s mindset seemed to change upon looking at the invigorating new environment in front of her.

"Are you kidding? This is absolutely gorgeous!"

Danny was about to call her out, saying that she was just bashing the decision Danny made to enter the portal to this place not even two minutes ago. He held his tongue as to not bring unneeded attention upon himself yet again. “Sam, you’re all about nature. Where are we?” Danny already knew Sam’s answer, but there was no harm in asking away anyways. If anything, they might actually get something out of it.

“Hm...” she began to walk around, gazing and inspecting the various plants and trees that surrounded them, although she made sure not to wander too far. Even she knew of the possible danger that could lie ahead. After feeling a few leaves on the trees, and closely investigating them, she turned back to the awaiting Danny and Tucker. “Some kind of deciduous forest. Some of the trees around here are actually maple, but the rest I have no idea. All I can tell you is that we’re somewhere in the northern hemisphere. I mean...look at these plants!” Sam exclaimed, squatting down to get a better look at a very pink plant on the ground. It had very rosy petals with many light green leaves. What made Danny so sure that it was nothing he had ever seen before was that fact that the flowers were paired, and the stems were coiled around one another. If Danny wanted to pull one out, he would have to pull them both.

“I’ve never seen anything like this. I don’t think we’re on Earth, to tell you the truth,” Sam admitted. Tucker dramatically threw his hands to his temples.

“Oh man! If my dad finds out I went to another world again he’ll have me grounded!” He shouted. Both Sam and Danny rolled their eyes before turning their conversation back to the situation at hand.

“Well, then where the heck are we?” Danny muttered out loud. The only responses he received were two very blank stares. He felt like hitting himself in the face. They were stuck in what appeared to be a different world with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Not only that, but he had stupidly gotten his friends involved as well.

“Let’s take inventory on what we have before we set up a game plan,” Sam suggested, to which Danny and Tucker quickly obliged. If anyone had the rights to call the shots at a time like that, it was most definitely Sam.

One by one, the friends took out everything that was in their pockets. The results were less than flattering, to say the least. Sam had absolutely nothing on her besides her dark purple flip phone. Danny was going to question where she kept it, seeing as she was wearing a skirt, but stayed quiet when he meagerly saw her slip it into her left boot. “Yeah, all I have is my phone,” she said anyways.

Danny did not have much on his person either. In his back pocket resided his wallet, which only contained about five dollars. However, he knew the length’s Sam will go to get her way, and that she would most likely recommend that they use it to fuel a fire. With that in mind, he kept the money to himself. “All I have is my wallet, and my cell phone,” Danny acknowledged. Curiously, he took out his light blue flip phone and opened it, hanging onto a small hope that he might have been able to make a call.

“You don’t honestly think there’s reception out here...?” Sam commented. Danny, after hearing it put that way, blushed a little bit and slid the phone back into his pocket. He had checked, there was indeed no service. He scratched the back of his head.

“Heh...”

To Danny’s surprise, he had actually forgotten about Tucker, who was pulling various things one after another out of his beige backpack. A glint of hope resonated inside of Danny, but it was soon extinguished after he realized that Tucker carried barely anything of particular value. “Okay, I have some beef jerky,” Tucker said, tossing the package to his side. “...a Mountain Fizz...” Tucker tossed the soda next to the collection of beef jerky. “...and then I have both good news and bad news.”

“What’s the good news?” Danny asked immediately.

“I have my PDA, and it’s on full battery,” he replied. Sam sighed, as that did not make her feel the least bit safe. Sure, Tucker’s PDA had got them out of jams before, but surely it could not get them out of this one. Both Danny and Sam doubted that its GPS system would actually work in a place like that.

“What’s the bad news?”

“Well, I only have this one. The rest of my PDA’s were getting repaired today...as well as my charger...” Tucker explained, as everyone else almost instantaneously caught on.

“No offense, but how is your PDA supposed to actually help us out here? Not like the GPS system on there actually works,” Danny inquired, sliding his hands into his blue jeans. Tucker thought to himself for a moment, before actually opening his mouth.

“I’m sure it’ll come in handy at some point or another, just not now,” He replied. With that, he powered off his PDA and thrusted it into his backpack, along with the single soda and the package of beef jerky.

Danny had the worst feeling in the pit of his stomach. There was no way they would be able to stay alive for more than a few days without food and water. The beef jerky, say Sam did suck it up and eat some, could only nourish them for a few hours. It was actually a very tiny portion, in that case. The soda would not help either. If anything, it would make them much more lethargic and tiresome, not to mention all the sugar inside of it. Danny did not know if the soda would actually cause them to dehydrate faster, or if their bodies would just do that on their own without it. They needed actual food, and clean water. Hunting was definitely out of the question. If they were indeed in another world, it would be safe to assume that almost every meat source in the area could be potentially dangerous to eat. There were plenty of ways that they could get either poisoned or sick.

Also, Danny dealt with dead people all the time. He did not condone killing at all, and hoped to avoid hunting anyways. He silently hoped that they would come across some kind of common fruit, like an apple.

“So what’s the first course of action, Sam?” Danny asked, turning his gaze to her after watching Tucker slip his backpack into its snug position on his shoulders.

“Wait, why does Sam get to call the shots?” Tucker interfered, squinting his eyes at Danny just slightly. “I say I get to lead!”

“Tuck, Sam knows alot about navigating the woods already. If anything, she could get us out of here and to civilization,” Danny replied. Tucker opened his mouth, but upon further thought, closed it and proceeded to slouch his shoulders, dejectedly.

“Anyways...,” Sam’s voice cut through the chill air like a dull butter knife. “There’s a trail over there, and it has some kind of prints. I really can’t make them out, but they’re smaller than ours. It’s probably better if we go down there, we don’t know what kind of predators live out here,” she concluded, crossing her arms pridefully. Danny was always impressed with Sam, as he never met anyone as good at survival as her.

Unbeknownst to Sam and Danny, Tucker gulped as soon as Sam actually finished her sentence.

A thought rose in Danny’s head, and began to walk passed his friends and down the eerie looking wooded trail. “I can actually see, I’ll lead the way,” he said as he pointed to his abnormally green eyes. Tucker followed right behind him. Sam, however, closed her eyes and shook her head.

“Did you not learn anything from what I practically yelled at you earlier!?”

“What?”

As the time practically flew by, Danny’s presumption about the time of day proved to be correct. The sun refused to show itself over the horizon, but it did happen to get a little brighter in the forest, to the point of where Danny could turn his eyesight back to normal. The morning birds slowly began to arise from their peaceful slumber, and played their wondrous tunes without hesitation. The sounds delighted Danny, but he decided not to let his mind wander at a time like that.

Their entire group had been nothing but dead silent. They simply stayed upon the trail, watching and waiting for good news for what seemed like two hours. Tucker’s noxious voice almost scared the wits out of Danny. “So, anyone want to play I Spy?”

Danny and Sam did not even dignify that ridiculous question with an actual response. But since the awkward string of silence had been broken, Danny thought he might as well take advantage of it.

“I honestly don’t see any sign of an exit approaching any time soon,” Danny said truthfully, letting out a less than convincing sigh. Tucker loudly groaned from the back of the protective line that they had formed. Danny did not hear a peep from Sam, and the only reason that he knew she was still there was the fact that he could feel her slippery breath on the back of his neck.

“Well, what are we going to do now?” Tucker asked, stretching his voice in a way that made him seem like he was complaining. Danny felt slightly bad, and looked over his right shoulder to speak to him.

“Don’t worry, Tuck. There has to be-” Danny cut himself off, and stopped dead in his tracks. His movement mimicked that of a deer caught in the middle of a dozen speeding headlights. His eyes caught on something far in the distance. Without a single noise, he hurriedly ducked down behind a nearby bush. “Get down! Quick!” he whispered loudly. Sam did not take a single moment to hesitate, and squatted down right next to Danny. Tucker, however, was not paying attention.

“Huh? OOF-” he exclaimed as Sam forcefully pulled him down to the ground next to her. “Hey! What’s the big-” Danny practically jumped over Sam to do nothing more than to slap a hand over the loud mouths large lips.

“Shh!” Sam and Danny hushed simultaneously, putting a finger over their lips. Tucker’s eyes softened, and Danny let go of his mouth. “Be quiet. There’s a light in the distance,”

Tucker, having learned his lesson, resisted the urge to look over the brush. Sam, unfortunately, was much more eager at the off-chance that they might have found some sort of civilization. “Really?” she whispered. Danny was about to pull her back down to their hidden position, but after some deep consideration, decided not to.

“Yeah, we need to be quiet. Who knows who’s over there?” Danny questioned. Another bead of sweat fell from the technogeek’s face upon hearing Danny’s words.

“Y-yeah! What if it’s a hungry tribe of...werewolves!?”

“Werewolves?”

“...I don’t know! But you know what I’m getting at!” Tucker had to remind himself not to shout. “We’re in unknown territory, possibly even a different world! Who knows what could live in this forest? I haven’t seen one creature yet...I bet the food must be pretty scarce...” Tucker gulped yet again.

“Or we could just go check it out?” Sam suggested, standing up from her crouched position, practically staring down at their much more passive friend.. “What if someone lives there who could actually help us out?”

Danny rose up as well. “As much as I hate to admit it, Sam’s right. Look, if something happens I’ll go ghost and whisk us away,” he chimed, desperate to get Tucker to cope with their decision. It was not like Sam and Danny could just leave Tucker there as they investigated. What if there actually was something out there? It was not like Tucker could protect himself with what he had on him.

Tucker looked left and right nervously, shaking just slightly before deepingly exhaling. “Fine, let’s just make this quick,” With that, Tucker jumped up, but did not take a single step in any direction.

“I’ll go first, then...wimp...” Sam mumbled as she trudged through the brush noisily towards the mysterious light. Danny followed directly behind her, while Tucker lagged in the back of the line, scratching his head.

“Excuse me?”

“Come on!”

For some strange reason, the closer that the group had gotten towards the odd light source, the less the songbirds managed to sing. It was as if the light was drowning out all the natural noises of the forest, and replacing it with a horrifying silence, something that Danny was excruciatingly sick of, at this point.

As well of annoyed, the closer they got, the more confused Danny seemed to become as well. The light source slowly began to take shape into something extraordinary. He could not quite see over Sam’s head, and the low hanging branches and the rather tall bushes made it difficult to see it properly.

For a few minutes, Danny was wondering how close Sam was actually planning on getting to the light source before she finally ducked down behind a bush similar to what they were hiding behind just a few minutes ago. Danny and Tucker followed her example closely, while Tucker took the short route, and sat on Sam’s right, while Danny traveled around so that he could sit on her left. The three kids dropped their jaws as their eyesights finally focused, and they could actually lay eyes on what stood in front of them.

“I...I don’t believe it...”

“What the...”

“It’s a...treehouse?”

Tucker was correct, technically. Danny observed the strange architecture closely, not wanting to miss a single detail in it. It seemed to be a very large, and overgrown, tree. Although, he had no idea what type of tree it actually was, and Danny presumed it to be something that was native to this area, but not exactly their world. The base of the truck circled the inside of the clearing in about 50 feet diameter, much larger than anything near Amity Park. In the front of the tree, was a large purple door, and some small wooden stairs that lead right up to it. There was a small stone...something...stuck on said door, but Danny was too far away to be able to make it out.

On both sides of the door were two small circular holes, serving as windows. They both lacked sills, curtains, or anything else that would normally accompany a window. They were just...there.

However, what really unnerved Danny was what surrounded the treehouse entirely. Hanging from the ruthlessly tall branches were bottles, with various strings of rope around the necks. The bottles were all sorts of different colors, and were all kept shut with a cork. The most common colors were purple and red, but what Danny was more curious about was what was in said bottles.

On the ground, were a dozen masks. Very strange and emotion-filled masks that reminded him of something an ancient African tribe would wear as they danced around a campfire. Or was he thinking of Hawaiian tiki masks? He really could not differentiate what kind of mask they were, but he knew that he had seen them before.

A light burned from inside the hut, as well as a fire inside Danny. “Whoa!” he exclaimed, prompting both Tucker and Sam to hush him in return.

“It’s a hut...oh man...the werewolves!” Tucker brought back up, tugging and pulling on his beret nervously, as Sam did not appear to be the least bit affected.

“Well? What are we waiting for? Let’s go knock,” Sam said, standing up after greatly observing the situation and the hut herself.

“What? You can’t be serious! Who knows who, or what, lives in there?” Tucker replied, scrambling to drag Sam back down behind the bushes. Danny was clever enough to grab the back of his dark yellow sweater just before he could manage to actually stand on two feet.

“Well, duh. That’s why we should find out. Who knows? Maybe they could help us. It’s obvious that someone lives here,” Sam reasoned. “It’s better than walking away and potentially dying in the woods,”

By the time Danny looked back up, Sam was already walking through the clearing and headed towards the treehouse. Upon closer inspection, the stone item on the door that Danny was unable to make out was a skull and crossbones. And it was not stone, just worn bone.

It was Danny’s turn to gulp.

Sam gingerly made her way up the tiny staircase, the heel of her boot literally hanging off the edge of the stairs as Danny and Tucker stood at the bottom. Danny kept a strong grip on Tucker’s shirt, just incase something noncompliant would happen to reside on the other side of that door. Sam successfully knocked, and called out to the hut owner: “Hello? We really need some help out here! Can anyone help us?”

No response.

“Hello? Please, we’re lost, and we’re low on food and water! If you could at least point us in the right direction?” She asked again, pounding on the door two more times. Danny’s hopes, yet again, began to drop dramatically. It was so weird, usually things always work out perfectly. Even if their plans do not work out in the end, it usually turns out alright. Maybe this was the time were the perfect streak was finally brought to an abrupt halt.

“Oh look! No one’s home!” Tucker turned to Danny, his eyes pleading and begging. “Can we go now-”

Tucker was completely interrupted, when the sound of various gears and tumblers in the door creaked. Sam took a few steps back down the stairs. As a small wave of nervousness finally reached her, she searched for a slight consolation in her friends.

The door eventually opened, and the bright interior of the room momentarily blinded Danny. When his eyes focused just a few seconds later, his jaw dropped for the third time that day. He refused to believe just exactly he was looking at, and for a swift instant he felt like falling down, or even running away.

“Oh, hello! I was was not expecting a visitor! Especially not...you three, in particular...”

Author's Note

Oh, what do you know! An update! About time, amiright?

Sorry about the wait, folks. I came to a huge halt after the second chapter, for some reason. But after a lot of consideration and stuff I now have a good idea of where I want to take this story, so as of now this story is no longer on a hiatus.

Enjoy! o3o

-Cyneryk

Tasukete

Fantasma
Chapter Four:
Tasukete

Danny’s brain was refusing to function, and Sam and Tucker were having very similar problems. The young boy stared distantly at the sight in front of him, his mouth agape in pure stupor. Of all the possible things to open the door, why this? Danny’s brain wracked with confusion. He turned to look at Tucker, who’s left eye was profusely twitching.

Standing in front of the door was some kind of ring-clad zebra. She had various rings around her right foreleg, as well as much larger ones surrounding her neck. They were golden, glimmering like sun rays. She also bore aureate earrings that hung down heavily. Her coat was white, save for the very frequent black strips that accompanied her body. She had a tall mohawk that matched the color of her body. What Danny found extensively odd was the weird drawing on her posterior, which resembled a crudely drawn, swirling sun. She somewhat reminds Danny of one of those National Geographic specials that he saw in school, depicting various African tribes.

The zebra cocked her head, unsure of how to reply as three different sets of eyes stared disbelievingly at her. “You three seem lost, and truly mislaid. Is it that you just need some aid?” the zebra said. To be honest, she was a little confused at the fact that three hairless monkey’s just appeared at her doorstep. She began to wonder if she may have misconducted a potion recently.

Tucker looked over in Sam and Danny’s direction, pointing a scrawny finger at the zebra in question. “Did that zebra just talk?” he asked, his voice stammering uncontrollably.

Danny shook his head. “No… technically it rhymed.”

The zebra ignored the fact that they were talking about her and chose to change the subject of their rather awkward conversation. “Excuse me, please, but you look a little feeble. This forest in known to be quite lethal,” the zebra said, looking past them to inspect the forest momentarily.

Danny almost felt like passing out. Where they really speaking to a walking, talking, rhyming zebra? “Uhm, well, we’ve been wandering the woods for a few hours now…” Danny said. Actually, he really was not sure on how long it has been. He had simply guessed and was hoping that the zebra would feel enough pity to actually help them out.

Tucker grabbed Danny and Sam and pulled them to the side, away from the zebra. Said creature furrowed her brow, before letting out a toothy smile. “Do you really think this is a good idea? We’re talking to a zebra! How is she possibly going to help us? We should just get away while we can…” Obviously, Tucker was not thinking straight. Even Danny knew how ridiculous that sounded.

“Uh, Tucker? Did you hit your head or something? She’s obviously an intelligent species. She must live here, so surely she can help us.” Sam said, speaking slowly and calmly towards him.

“Yeah, it’s better than wandering around the woods for hours on end, and possibly dying in the process. Maybe she’ll actually give us some food or water,” Danny added in his two cents. Tucker sighed and looked at the ground, knowing that no matter what he said, he was still outvoted.

“Fine…”

All three of them turned back to the strange zebra, who continued to amusedly grin at their small group. “We are really sorry to bother you, but we could really use your help.” Sam said. The zebra raised up a single hoof, before opening up the door a little more.

“Do not say any more, you are welcome through my door.” said the zebra as she gingerly wandered back inside the depths of her own hut. Tucker, Sam and Danny all exchanged side-glances before walking inside the zebra’s home in a single-file manner.

Danny sure was surprised upon viewing the interior of the actual hut. Inside, hanging from the walls and the ceiling, were many more tribal masks and strange bottles. The temptation to grab one was hard to resist. He could not help but wonder if they were actually magic. However, he did not dwell on it, for he knew there was no such thing. Strangely enough, the entire home was just one single room. Was there even a bathroom? Danny thought.

There was a small, bunker like area in the corner of the home where a large, cheetah spotted bed resided. Danny came to the conclusion that this zebra lived alone. Sam had already come to this conclusion moments earlier, and not only that, it raised a few questions. However, she ended up keeping them to herself.

In the middle of the room was a massive cauldron, reminding Danny of something a witch would use for spells. Danny put the pieces of the puzzle together: the bottles, the tribal masks, and the cauldron, and realized that they have stumbled upon crazy.

The zebra strode over to some kind of sink. It was made almost entirely out of wood, and did not even include any sort of faucet. Using three wooden cups, she scooped water into them. Danny was going to ask if she would like help carrying them, seeing as she had hooves. He realized how rude he would have been had he actually asked soon after. The zebra had no problem bringing them water by placing one cup on the top of her mohawk, one in her hoof, and by biting down on the edge of the third cup. She handed out the water, with Tucker being the one to get the cup that the zebra held in her mouth. He grimaced when it entered his hand. Danny delighted in the taste of the water as it slithered down his throat. The zebra smiled as she watched two of the three hairless monkey’s drink their water. Tucker, when the zebra was not looking, dumped his out in the cauldron. He was not very thirsty anyways.

“I am glad I can be of assistance. You all have walked quite the distance,” the zebra spoke calmly. It was fairly obvious to Danny that the zebra was a female, not that it mattered or anything. Her voice was low for her gender, but it still rung like church bells in his ears, in a good way. “I go by many names, mainly a plethora. But you may call me the zebra, Zecora.” she said. Zecora? What an odd name, Danny thought. But then again, there were much weirder things he had come across in his life, this being one of them. Danny downed the rest of his water, seeing that Sam was a little too occupied with hers.

“My name is Danny,” he held a hand up to his chest, before pointing at Tucker. “These are my friends, Tucker,” he pointing to the dark skinned boy in the middle of the room, swatting at one of the bottles like he was a cat. Upon seeing three eyes gaze at him, he placed his hands behind his back and gave them a large, embarrassed smile. “uh, and that’s Sam.” Danny finished, motioning towards the girl who was just finishing the rest of her drink.

“It is nice to meet you, Danny, Sam and Tucker, but by the looks of you, I have seen no other.” Danny raised an eyebrow. Zecora’s rhymes were a little hard to understand sometimes, so it took Danny a moment until he could actually reply. She must mean she hasn’t seen humans before.
“Right...uh, yeah. We’re not really from here. You see-” Sam started, but Danny interjected. He wanted to make sure what was said was worded extremely carefully.

“I don’t think we’re from this world, back in ours we had this machine called the Ghost Portal. It would take us to the world of the dead, basically. Unfortunately, instead of taking us there this time, it brought us here.” Danny had a feeling that Sam was going to say that anyways, but he did not wish for his powers to get brought up. Zecora may deem him as dangerous, and they everybody is in trouble. He still was not exactly thinking straight, much like Tucker.

Upon hearing Danny’s explanation, Zecora cocked her head to the side. “World of the Dead, is that what you speak? I must say, Danny, that sounds rather unique.” Danny was seriously wondering if Zecora spoke in rhymes because it was just something she does, or if she had no choice but to. Either way, it took Danny another moment to decipher her words. He really should have paid more attention in English class.

Sam deliberately cut in. “In some sort of way, yes, it is. Especially since we’re the only ones who technically know about it that aren’t part of the dead.” she said, staring at Tucker as he made his way over to the rest of the group, finally. He scratched the back of his head and mumbled under his breath.

“Well, if we stay here any longer-” Either Tucker was speaking way too loud, or Danny was standing way too close. Either way, Danny socked Tucker in the shoulder as his way of saying ‘shut up’. Tucker groaned in pain, but said nothing before taking a seat on the wooden floor, directly next to the cauldron.

“That reminds me, Zecora, uhm, where are we?” Danny asked, right as Sam felt the exact same question on the tip of her tongue. Zecora beamed.

“Surely, you have an eye for notice, but you have stepped into the Everfree Forest.” An eye for notice? Everfree Forest? Danny was more confused than ever, however Sam was having a little more luck with catching on.

“Wait, Everfree Forest? That’s where we are?” Instead of coming up with another rhyme, Zecora just nodded.

“Are we even on Earth!?” Tucker suddenly shouted, tugging on his beret in anticipation.

Zecora uttered a sigh. “Young child there is no need for hysteria, but you are in the land of Equestria.” Danny, Tucker, and Sam all shared the same, jarred glance. Danny thought to himself, but was unable to put the pieces together.

“J...Just what the heck is Equestria?” Danny asked.

Zecora ignored his question completely, pretending not to have heard as she went to fetch another cup full of water for the light skinned boy. Danny disregarded his question in general.

“Uhm, so are there other zebra’s that live around here?” Tucker asked, slightly curious himself in the zebra more than their situation after calming down a little bit.

“I’m sorry, no, but I am the only. Being here can sometimes get lonely.” Zecora replied. For a such a grim comment that had been made, she had a kind smile spread across her face. Danny was somewhat wondering what Zecora was being so blunt with them, but it must be hard to be subtle as well as rhyme at the same time. All this brand new information was very difficult to take in, but he needed to learn to accept it. If this was some sort of elaborate prank, surely it would not go on for this long.

“You’re the only one that lives in the forest?” Tucker repeated. Zecora glared at Tucker, for she had answered the question just moments ago. Tucker got the hint and continued. “So, what’s beyond the forest?”

“The land outside, even I do not know much. I only leave rarely, it’s expected as such. Everything I need mainly resides in this forest, although there is a town way in the northwest…” Zecora tapped her chin a few times as she stared at the ceiling. “The ponies are kind-”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Tucker rudely cut the zebra off, and she was not very happy about it. “Ponies? We’re in a world full of talking animals?”

Zecora, once again, sighed at Tucker. “Ponies, by them this land is populous, at least, that is my hypothesis.” Danny raised an eyebrow. She does not know the main species of this land? Well, she did say that she barely ever leaves the forest. If the only things she ever speaks to are ponies, then it would make sense as to why she thinks this way. Besides, it is not like she had the internet or anything. But still, not only walking, talking zebras, but walking, talking ponies too? Danny’s head started to hurt a little bit.

“Welp, we’re in trouble…” said Tucker, throwing his hands in the air.

“So, now what do we do?” Danny asked nobody in particular, hanging his head low. “We have no way to get home…” Zecora noticed the distress in Danny’s voice, and frowned ever so slightly.

“Please, you three, do not worry. You may stay here, if you are not in a hurry. I have just enough room, so be my guest. I’ll give you a place to give your body’s good rest.” Zecora spoke, eloquently. Danny, Sam and Tucker all simultaneously poked up their heads, almost surprised as to what she had just said.

“Really? Wow, uhm, thanks Zecora.” Sam said, somewhat happy that they actually have found some sort of salvation. For a moment, she feared that death would have been just around the corner.

“The pleasure, no, it is all mine. Having guests around will most truly be divine.”

Danny smiled at the zebra, while Tucker was not quite sure how to feel. He had multiple bad feelings even upon entering the strange zebra’s hut. There were still many questions swirling around in his head that he did not ask for fear of angering Zecora, or his friends, more importantly. He knew what the zebra was offering was excessively kind, so he best not do anything to make her change her mind.

The zebra’s light blue eyes stared out the window, and she hesitantly debated on the next course of action. “The sun has fallen, it is very late. The moon is in a vigorous state. I shall go grab you some comfortable sheets, maybe as you sleep your troubles will be beat.” Danny sincerely doubted that, but he wondered if maybe it would help clear his head a little bit. Upon saying those words, Zecora toddled off.

When she returned, she held three large, soft blankets in her hoofs. With almost a motherly smile, she passed the blankets around to Sam, then Tucker, and then Danny. The latter let out a sharp yawn and they all graciously thanked the zebra for everything that she was doing for them. Danny was lucky. They were all lucky, actually, that they managed to stumbled upon such a caring and concerned creature. It was in the nick of time, also. Danny remembers that Zecora originally said that the forest was ‘lethal’. He practically owes Zecora his, as well as his friends, their lives.

Zecora shut off the lights and blew out the candles that kept the hut illuminated as she climbed into her own cheetah spotted bed, sighing contently as her body hit the pillows. Danny could hear the distinct sound of something clanging together, and assumed that it must be Zecora’s rings as she was taking them off. Little did Danny know, but as much as the rings were a part of her culture, she did not wish to wear them during sleep. To be frank, it was fairly uncomfortable.

Danny slept in the middle of the room, nearest the cauldron, while Sam had a different idea. She slept on the other side of the room right next to the window, letting the moon rays hit her face as she slept at a clever attempt to have the sun wake her up in the morning. Tucker had a grand idea of his own, and that was to sleep closest to the door just incase his strange suspicions were correct.

Danny tried to close his eyes and fall asleep that night, but his brain had failed to calm itself.

No one got any sleep that night.

Not even Zecora.

Author's Note

Shorter chapter this time, but hey it's worth it right?

Well, interaction between ponies(zebras) now! About time, am I right? Only took a few months...AHEM. Am I the only one who finds it kind of strange that Zecora's so kind towards the "hairless monkeys"? Or is it just me? Eh, maybe we'll find out in the next chapter.

Once again, sorry it's so short, but it will have to do for now. (Why is rhyming so hard?)

Have a good one bros! Comments and feedback are very much appreciated!

-Cyneryk

Sói Tung

Fantasma

Chapter Five:

Sói Tung

A large figure ran through the rough landscape found on the free floating chunks of land in the ghost zone. He jumped from rock to rock, as he made his way to his intended target. Other ghosts saw him, yet none dared to cross his path, as they saw the hulking form move with purpose, and determination. They knew that anything in his path would be removed, one way, or the other.

Wulf's eyes narrowed as he saw that the terrain was running out, and that the next area was a long jump away. Picking up his speed, he jumped, but found himself falling short. Seeing no other option, he used his ghost powers to fly to the floating chunk of rock. He could have flown to where he needed to go, but he would never do such a thing. It wasn't the way of his kind. Just like all wolves before him, and all wolves that would come after him. It was not in their "blood". Only in times of great need would they use their less than honorable abilities, and only if there was no other choice.

Like all wolves, Wulf would do things through the sharpness of his claws, the lethality of his fangs, and the strength of his back. It was his way, just as it has been for countless of generations. Dishonoring these ways, would mean dishonoring the great wolves of long past.

Letting out a growl as he landed on the edge of the large land mass, Wulf resumed his run, heading towards the place his bond brother had gone missing.

It began as nothing more than a rumor, a story about how the ghost boy vanished into an unstable portal, never to be seen again. At first, Wulf thought this to be nothing more than some sick joke by some of his brother's enemy's. Yet, as time passed, Wulf's bond brother, as well as his pack mates, proved to be missing, just as the rumors said.

He knew now that his brother needed his help, and so, he ran as fast as he could towards the doorway that led to his brother's realm. But when he came there, there was nothing. The swirling vortex of ectoplasm, that would lead him to the mortal world, was missing. The construct that made the portal was still there, an exact copy of the original found in his brother's clan's home. It formed here the moment the original was activated, and served as a doorway to his world ever since. But now, when Wulf needed it the most, it was gone.

Wulf growled in frustration, only to stop suddenly when he picked up a scent. He knew that smell. It was faint, distorted in a way, but definitely his brother's. He was here some time ago. This must be where he vanished.

"Brālis, kur jūs iet?" Wulf sighed out, he knew what he needed to do. He looked at his paws for a moment. His gift was rare among his kind, only a few ever had developed this ability, and even less chose to learn how to control it. He balled his paws into a tight fist for a moment, then released it, and unsheathed his claws.

He sliced into the air where the portal should be, and tore a hole in reality itself. He used the scent of his brother to guide him, as he clawed his way through the layers of reality. Making a doorway to the mortal realm was straight forward enough, but this was something he had never done before. Violent bursts of energy bit into his paws as he tore open a larger hole, the scent becoming stronger, clearer.

"Es tevi atradīs." Wulf grunted as he strained to tear open a hole large enough for him to go through. With a pained howl, a shimmering hole formed before him, opening a path into what seemed to be a dark forest of sorts.

Pain coursed through his paws, but he forced it out of his mind. He knew that this would most likely be a one way trip. The only way he was able to find this place, was because his brother's scent led him here. Still, he knew he needed to do this. Perhaps with the help of his bond brother would they be able to find a way home. Wulf looked around one last time, and stepped through the hole in reality, stepping into the forest that lay beyond, and the hole closed behind him.

<<>><<>><<>>

Leaves crunched underneath his feet, as Wulf circled the area he entered this world. Crisp clean air filled his lungs as he inhaled. Not something he needed to do per say, but he needed to get a fix on Danny's location, and the smell of decaying leaves, wild animals, and of a world untainted by the pollution often found in the human realm, was a welcome change of pace. It made him remember the times he ran wild in the large forests of his ancestors, before he joined them in the eternal hunting grounds, and before he learned the truth about that realm.

Sighing out, Wulf forced the strange, but familiar smells out of his mind, and focused on the one that he needed to find. It was stronger here, clearer. Danny had been here not too long ago, several days tops.

Taking several deep breaths, Wulf slowly opened his eyes as he found the path Danny and his pack mates had taken. He followed the scent through the forest, moving with practiced efficiency through the thick foliage, not making any more noise than was necessary.

The various creatures of the woods were acting alarmed as they sensed the unnatural aura coming from Wulf. Birds, rabbits, squirrels, and other small animals, all fled in panic as they saw the apex predator move with single minded devotion. All of the beasts that lived in the forest shied away from him, all, but one. One type of animal living in the forest took great interest in Wulf. And, as it saw Wulf run past his hiding place, it followed him.

Never before had it seen a creature like Wulf. It was different, and yet, it was the same. It recognized the energy coming from him, as the same energy that allowed his own kind to exist. It stalked Wulf with the same skill, gained through years of experience, his target showed.

For minutes he followed the strange creature that had entered his pack's territory, never getting too close, but never letting him out of his sights. But even the most experienced make mistakes, and it was only because he was so intrigued with Wulf's strangely familiar aura, that he missed the twig lying underneath his paw.

*SNAP*

The timberwolf looked at the twig, then at his paw. Bewilderment was obvious on his face, as he tried to figure out how he could have made such a mistake. Horrified realization settled in, and looking up, he saw the object of his interest was gone. The timberwolf looked around, frantically trying to find out where the large wolf had gone to. Yet there was no sight to be found, nor was there any smell he could detect.

The timberwolf moved through the foliage of the forest surrounding him, no longer caring about being quiet. He needed to find this other being, he needed to know what the creature was. But no matter where he looked, or which trail he followed, he couldn't find the creature.

Closing his eyes, and sighing out in defeat, the timberwolf knew that he had chased his target away.

Opening his eyes again, the timberwulf yelped out in fright, and reared back with such force that he fell backwards. Before him was the being he followed. His face mere inches away from his own.

There was no anger or rage in Wulf's posture, only a mild irritation. An irritation that he was followed without him noticing, at least, not until his pursuer stepped on that twig, and gave himself away. But as green eyes met green eyes Wulf couldn't help but be intrigued with the creature before him. He recognized the energy that showed in the creature's eyes as that of his own, a ghost. This being, this ghost, was one of his own. A wolf, yet not of his own pack. Where his own pack had transcended the physical plane, and became full spectral beings, this wolf still had a body connected with the physical world. Yet, there was an obvious connection with the world of the dead. For reasons Wulf would probably never know, the ghost had chosen to make a body of dead branches, twigs, and logs. A dead, physical body to roam the forest he found himself in.

Wulf stood up to his full height, puzzled by the strange ghost sitting before him.

"Ko mēs esam šeit? Viens no mana, un tomēr, jums nav." Wulf said puzzled.
("What have we here? One of my own, and yet, you are not.")

The timberwolf's ears perked up as Wulf spoke.

"Tu runā valodā?!" the timberwolf replied in amazement.
("You speak the language?!")

"Tas šķiet tik." Wulf answered in surprise.
("It would seem so.")

"Tu esi viens no mums?" the timberwolf asked.
("You are one of us?")

"Es esmu, un es neesmu. Mums ir tas pats, bet nav no tā paša iepakojuma." Wulf answered after thinking about the question for a moment.
("I am, and I am not. We are the same, but not from the same pack.")

Both wolves looked at each other, studying each other with a practiced eye.

The timberwolf saw a creature whose aura radiated strength, wisdom, pride and age. The timberwolf knew he faced an elder, one that had seen many full moons, and who had called out to his ancestors with each of them.

Wulf saw a wolf with many years of experience, but still a mere pup compared with his years. It probably was also the reason that he accidentally gave himself away. He was experienced, but had still much to learn.

"Pastāsti man jauno vienu, jūs esat redzējuši kādi dīvaini radījumi pārvietoties pa mežu pēdējo vairākas dienas?" Wulf asked suddenly, surprising the timberwolf.
("Tell me young one, have you seen any strange creatures move through the forest these past several days?")

"Mežs ir pilns ar dīvaini zvēri, kas viens jūs domājāt?" the timberwulf replied.
("The forest is full of strange beasts, which one do you mean?")

"Tur, iespējams, bija trīs no tiem. Tie neizskatās kā kaut kas pieder šeit." Wulf clarified.
("There were probably three of them. They wouldn't look like anything that belongs here.")

"Ar neapbruņotu pērtiķu." the timberwolf said in sudden realization, knowing what his elder was talking about.
("The naked apes.")

"Tātad jūs esat redzējis!" Wulf said with a pleased growl. He had picked up Danny's trail, but it was old. Maybe he knew where to look for his bond brother.
("So you have seen them!")

"Man ir. Viņi iekļuvis mana klana teritorijā, un mēs plānojam "tikt galā" ar tiem. Bet viens no tiem bija atšķirīgs, viņš smaržoja tāpat kā mums." the timberwolf told Wulf.
("I have. They intruded into my clan's territory, and we were planning to "deal" with them. But one of them was different, he smelled like us.")

Wulf sensed the unspoken part, they held of their attack because they didn't know what to make of this stranger strange being.

"Jūs bijāt gudri, lai uzbruktu viņiem.Viens, kas smaržoja tāpat kā mums, viņš būtu viegli varējis sakaut jums. Viņa pilnvaras nedrīkst novērtēt par zemu." Wulf said with a hint of pride towards his bond brother.
("You were wise not to attack them. The one that smelled like us, he would easily have been able to defeat you. His powers are not to be underestimated.")

The timberwolf picked up on the slight shift in tone in his elders voice. "Kas ir tas dīvaini būtne jums?" he asked.
("What is this strange being to you?")

"Viņš ir mans brālis." Wulf told him, his posture told the timberwolf that it was a smart move not to have attacked Danny, or he wouldn't have been of this world for much longer.
("He is my brother.")

"Tagad, pastāstiet man. Kādā veidā bija mans brālis, un viņa pack iet? Es paņēmu viņa smaržu, bet tas ir vecs." Wulf asked after a moment, giving the wooden wolf before him the time to let the latest revelation sink in.
("Now, tell me. Which way did my brother, and his pack go? I picked up on his scent, but it is old.")

"Viņi gāja šo ceļu, lai kur svītrainām poniju dzīvi." The timberwolf said, some slight fear could be heard in his voice.
("They went this way, towards where the striped pony lives.)

"Parādiet man." Wulf commanded.
("Show me.")

With an obedient nod, the timberwolf walked towards the area he indicated, leading Wulf towards the hut the zebra Zecora lived.

"Uzmaniet vecāko.Svītrainām viena, viņai ir dāvana arī redzēt pasauli nav domāts mirstīgo acīm." the timberwolf warned Wulf as they moved with practiced skill through the thick foliage.
("Take heed, elder. The striped one, she has a gift to see the world not meant for mortal eyes.")

Wulf only gave a nod in acknowledgement as he followed the curious wolf before him.

For a time, the two wolves moved through the forest, not speaking, or making any other sound. The many animals that crossed their path, quickly fled away when they saw the two massive creatures. Wulf, despite him paying close attention to the wooden wolf, took the time to listen to the voice of the forest. The wind blowing through the trees, making the leaves bristle, and causing the thick branches to groan and creek a bit. The scampering of the smaller animals as they moved through the dried up leaves covering the ground. The sound of water running, indicating a small river not too far away. The singing of birds, and even the smell all of the many shapes and forms produced. All of it spoke to Wulf, and it told him more than mere words would have been able to do.

This forest was truly untainted. Not something he had experienced back in the human realm, where they would destroy their forest to build their ever growing cities.

Both wolves came to a sudden stop, their ears perked. A scream sounded in the distance. Not the sound of some animal, but the sound of one in trouble. It was faint, muffled over the distance, and the trees it bounced off of, but it was still clear to hear for the wolves sensitive ears.

"Es zinu šos balsis." the timberwolf said annoyed.
("I know those voices.")

"Balsis?" Wulf asked, he did not make out more than one voice in the basal cry for help.
("Voices?")

"Jā. Viņi ir iekļuvis mūsu teritorijā, daudzas reizes iepriekš, tomēr viņi pastāvīgi nāk atpakaļ." the timberwulf sighed out loud.
("Yes. They have intruded into our territory many times before, yet they keep coming back. ")

"Nav jāuztraucas sevi ar to, problēma atrisinās pati." he added, more as an afterthought, as he thought back to the previous encounters with this troubling threesome.
("No need to worry yourself with it, the problem will solve itself. "")

"ROAAAR!!"

Wulf's ears fell flat against his head from the sound, while the timberwolf crouched down, his tail between his legs.

"Kas tas bija?" Wulf asked with a lowered voice as he noticed that the entire forest had fallen silent.
("What was that?")

"Nepatikšanas." was the timberwolfs only answer.
("Trouble.")

"AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

A scream pierced the otherwise silent forest. This time Wulf had no problem differentiating the trio of voices that blurred together in a universal cry for help.

Faster than the timberwolf could see, Wulf ran towards the sound. Wulf normally wasn't one to just jump into a fight that wasn't his, but the scream, the voices, they sounded young. Deep down in Wulf's core being, something responded when he heard the cry for help, and he moved with great haste to get to those that needed it. Besides, it is what his bond brother would do. And he couldn't just let him take all the glory of a good fight.

Forcing his way through the thick foliage, stealth completely abandoned, Wulf ran towards the area he heard the cry originate from. Leaves crunched underneath his feet, low hanging branches were snapped off, or cut off by his claws, and heavy pounding resonated through the air with each step he took. Trees flashed by in a blur, their shape becoming indistinguishable through his speed.

Another scream could be heard, as well as another loud roar. Wulf adjusted his path slightly as he noticed he was somewhat of course. The closer he got to the disturbance, the quieter it became around him, and the more he heard.

He heard the frantic running of creatures with hooves, as well as their labored breathing. He could hear a high pitched whining, and what sounded as crying as the source of the sounds moved around in a wild, random pattern.

And he heard the sound of a massive form move around. Heavy footfall and breathing, and the sound of eager growling.

Wulf recognized the sound of a predator enjoying his hunt, and taking the time to play with his prey.

Time seemed to slow down for Wulf as he came closer and closer to where his instincts led him. Gathering all the strength he could muster in his legs, Wulf jumped the last dozen meters, moving clean through a wall of leaves and branches, emerging on the other side.

For a split second time seemed to have stopped as Wulf looked around while hanging in the air with his arms held wide, claws extended. Torn twigs and leaves hung frozen in the air around him. A large beast stood several meters away from him. Its stance indicated that it was preparing to roar, but a clear look of surprise could be seen on its face. Wulf took notice of the large scorpion tail the creature possessed, as well as the large claws and fangs. He then saw the source of the beast's interest, and the source that had called him here, Three young ponies. All of them were pressed together in fear, with two of them holding their eyes closed and their ears flat against their heads. But the third, An orange and purple colored pony, must have heard Wulf, as he could see the small creature was turning its head towards him.

Time moved normal again, and Wulf hit the ground with force while the manticore took a double take from Wulf's sudden appearance. Scootaloo's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as she saw the imposing wolf standing before her friends and herself. She gulped loudly as she saw the long, sharp claws the wolf has, and quietly nudged her two friends to get their attention.

Sweetie Belle squeaked quietly as Scootaloo nudged her with her hoof. "Are we dead yet?" she asked timidly, not daring to open her eyes.

"I.. I don't think so." Scootaloo answered.

"How do you mean you don't think so?" Apple bloom asked frightened, "Do you mean you can't feel if you're alive or not?"

Sweetie Belle gasped at that, and held Apple Bloom even tighter in her grasp. "But if you can't feel, doesn't that mean you are dead?"

"ROAAARR!!"

All three fillies flinched from the loud roar, but only Scootaloo was able to see that the giant wolf was now attacking the manticore.

"Girls, you really need to see this." She said, excitement replacing the fear in her voice. Not that she was scared to begin with, she was not scared of some forest critter, no matter how big they might be.

"Are you crazy?" Apple Bloom half shouted, half whispered.

"No really you girls, look!" Scootaloo said while her wings started to buzz with excitement.

Slowly Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle cracked open one of their eyes. It took several long seconds before their fear stricken minds registered what they were seeing, but when they did their eyes snapped open faster than Rainbow Dash could fly.

"What is that thing?" Sweetie Belle asked frightened as she saw the giant wolf.

"I don't know, but isn't he awesome?" Scootaloo said.

"I don't know. He looks really angry." Apple Bloom said with a stammer in her voice.

"Maybe… Maybe we should get out of here while we have the chance?" Sweetie Belle said as she kept her eyes on the two giant beasts, their claws a blur in motion.

"And miss this?" Scootaloo said, never looking away from the fight. "This is awesome."

"You weren't saying that when the manticore chased us." Apple Bloom countered, her ears folded against her head to muffle the sound of the fight.

Scootaloo's excitement dropped somewhat as she was reminded of that small detail.

"Oh yeah." she murmured.

"What if whoever wins this fight comes after us next?" Apple Bloom continued.

Sweetie Belle squeaked loudly in fear at that.

"Please let's go." she almost begged Scootaloo.

"Yeah.. sure." Scootaloo said, finally understanding the predicament they were in.

The three of them slowly backed away from the two combatants, not wanting to draw any attention to themselves. But neither of them saw the branch Scootaloo was about to step on.

*SNAP*

"Oh shoot."

<<>><<>><<>>

Wulf stood before the beast. A creature he had not seen before in his existence. He did not know what to expect, but he knew not to underestimate his opponent. The beast walked on four legs, which gave it more speed, but he would be less agile in close quarters. Something Wulf could make use of, but the scorpion tail would be a dangerous weapon he had to take into account. Of course there were also the claws and fangs, but Wulf knew how to deal with those.

He grinned as he could feel the energy contained in his ectoplasmic blood course through his body. A fight was imminent, and he was going to enjoy every moment of it.

The two fighters slowly circled each other, observing the other. For a moment that was all they did, until, after what seemed like minutes, the manticore pounced, intending to tackle Wulf to the ground.

Anticipating this, Wulf rolled to the side. Getting back up again, he quickly delivered a blow to the manticore's unprotected side.

The manticore roared in anger as his tail flexed, and swung towards Wulf. Wulf jumped up in the air, and landed on top of the bulbous part of the tail, injuring it underneath his feet.

The manticore cried out in pain as he jerked his tail back in reflex, blood dripping from the cracks in the shell.

Wulf held his ground as he observed the now injured beast. That was too easy. Maybe he was wrong with his earlier assessment of its capabilities. The fast, predictable first strike. The obvious counter strike when Wulf hit him in the side. And clearly the beast was not accustomed to much pain, if his pained yelps were any indication.

It suddenly came to Wulf. This beast, it was only a mere pup, a child.

Wulf relaxed his stance, not wanting to fight one so young and inexperienced. The animals moment would come, but not here, not with him.

Wulf walked over to the manticore, and grabbed him by its muzzle. Lifting up the head, he stared into the beast's eyes. No words were said, but the message was all too clear to the manticore as he stared into the glowing green eyes.

"Leave!"

*SNAP*

Both Wulf and the manticore turned to the source of the sound. Although the manticore didn't have much of a choice in this as his muzzle was still firmly held in Wulf's claw.

Wulf looked down on three scared ponies. All of them trembling in fear as they pressed together.

With a growl, he released the manticore. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo pressed together even more firmly, afraid that the two beasts would now come to them.

But, to their surprise, the manticore fled away as fast as it could, while the giant wolf remained standing where he was.

Wulf looked down, wondering what he should do next. He didn't know where these three belonged, nor did he want to expose himself more than was necessary. But before he could make a decision he heard the sound of leaves bristling and twigs snapping coming from all around him. It was clear multiple beings were circling him, not even attempting to use stealth. Or they were just very bad at hunting their prey.

For a moment Wulf Thought about just taking the small ponies with him. Maybe the wooden wolf from earlier knew where they belonged. But suddenly he caught a whiff of a familiar smell. A smell he originally picked up from the three small ponies, a smell he could now smell coming from the bushes around him.

"HIYAAA!" a female shouted as a lasso emerged from the foliage, binding Wulf's claws at his side. He could easily escape, but he waited to see who or what would show up. To his mild surprise several larger ponies stepped out in the open. A white pony with a glowing horn on her head, and a purple mane and tail stepped in front of the smaller ponies. A blue pony with wings and a rainbow mane and tail flew towards him with speed. Seeing the obvious, and sloppy attack, Wulf simply stepped to the side. The pony shot passed him, and slammed into a tree.

A tug on the rope that bound him brought him to an orange pony with a blond mane and tail, and for some reason, a hat. Drag marks at her hooves showed he also had pulled her with him as he stepped to the side.

A purple glow formed at his feet, and a purple pony stepped in front of him. She too had a horn, and it was glowing with the same purple glow as the one that covered his feet.

A loud bang made him flinch, but he was unable to move away as he found his feet were stuck in place. Turning his head, he saw an overly bright pink pony with a cannon aimed squarely at him. And streamers and confetti littered the ground around him.

"Take that you meany!" she cried out.

"Pinkie dear, I don't think that is going to help." the white pony said.

"Indeed," the purple one said, "Fluttershy, you're up."

Wulf saw how a timid yellow winged pony stepped out of the bush she was hiding, yet the look in her eyes unnerved Wulf somewhat.

Fluttershy flew up, and right in front of his face, as she stared intently into the glowing green orbs.

"How dare you attack those three fillies?" she said angrily.

"Eeh.. actua-" Sweetie Belle began, but she was shushed by the larger white pony.

"Do you have an answer mister?" Fluttershy asked as her stare intensified.

Wulf could feel something move deep down in his being, something from times long passed, times when he was still alive. It reacted to whatever this pony was doing, but the years he had not lived outweighed the ones he lived, and he was able to suppress this strange feeling.

Instead, he returned the stare with a glare of his own.

A look of surprise and fright started to form on the face of the yellow pony as her stare was ineffective, and she slowly backed away.

"Fluttershy, what is it?" the purple pony asked.

"The stare, it is not working." she said frightful as she lowered to the ground.

"What?" the rest shouted, orange muffled by the rope in her mouth.

"How is that possible?" purple half yelled as she increased the energy she had placed on the wolf's feet.

"I.. I don't know. Th.. There… There is something with him. I couldn't feel him. It is almost as if.. As if… EEP" Fluttershy said with fright as she backed away from the large wolf, hiding behind her mane as she tried to increase the distance between herself and the animal.

"It's almost as if he is what dear?" the white pony asked.

"It's almost as if he.. he is dead."

"What was that?" white asked, not hearing what her friend was whispering.

"It is almost as if he is d-d-dead."

"What!?" all the others shouted, not believing what she had just said.

"Fluttershy, you can't be serious, right?" the blue pony asked as she approached Fluttershy, "He is standing right there, moving and all."

"I-I-I know. But I know what I saw, what I felt, and he is.. He is.. EEP!"

"Twilight dear, do you have any idea what is going on?" the white pony asked the purple pony, who Wulf now identified as this Twilight.

"I have no idea. Nor do I know anything about what species of wolves he is. I have never seen, heard or read about a wolf like this."

"Do you think it has something to do with Danny and his friends?" Orange asked as she had tied her rope to a tree.

This raised Wulf's attention. They knew his brother and his packmates. Focusing his senses, he noticed that they all carried the smell of his bond brother. He must have missed it in the excitement of events, but now the smell was all but impossible to ignore. Perhaps his brother needed a bath.

"So, what. We go and get those weird humans and see if they know this guy?" The blue pony asked.

"Maybe." Twilight pondered as she observed the big bad wolf, feeling a shiver go down her spine as she looked in his glowing green eyes.

"But what should we do with him, we can't just leave it like this. And we most certainly can't take it with us!" orange said as she inspected the knots she tied in the rope.

"Maybe one of us can go and get him?" the white pony offered.

"Maybe. But what..." Wulf lost interest in what they were discussing as he picked up on the sound of leaves crunching and twigs snapping. An all too familiar scent filled his nose as the source of the sound came closer and closer.

The ponies heard it too. Their ears perked up, and turned in the same general direction as they could hear the footsteps of several tall creatures come closer.

"I'm telling you. We're lost!" they heard someone say, and Wulf recognized it as the voice of his one of his brothers packmates.

"Trust me, were close." a female voice countered. "Just wait an…. Oho."

She suddenly stopped talking, and Wulf felt a shiver go down his spine. A tell tale sign a ghost was close by. He already knew who it was.

"Danny, was that..."

"Yes it was. Stay sharp you two!" Danny said. And mere moments later, they stepped out of the foliage, coming up in front of their new, unlikely friends, and a familiar, very unlikely friend.

"WULF!?"

Danny shouted as he stared wide eyed at his friend,

"What are you doing here?"

Wulf looked down on Danny, relief flooded through him when he saw his bond brother was safe. And although he did understand his language, he was not able to speak it, save a few words. And one in particular was all he knew he needed to say to convey his presence here.

"Brother."

Author's Note

FIRST OF ALL. I want to say something.

This chapter was written in its entirety by someone who'd I'd like to consider a good friend. He is a very selfless person who made this chapter for fun just for this story, and I didn't even ask. He simply took it upon himself, and I cannot explain just how much I appreciate him for this. He even wrote his own Danny Phantom fic that was loosely based off this one. I even gave it a read myself, and to be honest it's better than this one.

All in all, thank a bunch Powerdrainer! Go check this guy out!

And now that we have Wulf in the picture, just... how will things turn out? This story really has a thing for cliffhangers, doesn't it?

Have a good ones bros!

-Cyneryk