Disclaimer: Danny Phantom and all related characters (including their Alternate Universe counterparts)are the product of Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon studios. The Guardians of Space, Kat/Electra, the Ghost Master, and all related characters are the product Silent Elegy.
A/N: Wow, number sixteen already. Okay, this one takes place right on the heels of Phasmatis ex Machina, so if you're just joining us, you might want to read that one first. You might also want to skim through What If? since that's the first story that featured AU Danny. And if you like what you see, I highly recommend you drop by my profile for a list of all my fics in numerical order. Actually, I recommend you do that anyway, but I'm a bit biased.
Also, this semester is insane. For the next eight weeks, updates may be a bit sporadic. Just a warning.
The boy ran a hand through his snow-white hair, then dragged a few strands of it down in front of his eyes. He wondered if other super heroes had to deal with the same kinds of misunderstandings that he did. He wasn't much of a comic book reader, but he seemed to recall that they were generally well liked. Of course, the last comic he read had been an old issue of Captain America…
He stared down at his hands, too pale for any normal human, and sighed. They had loved him, at first. He was Phantom, the ghost boy who saved Amity Park. Girls wanted him; boys wanted to be him…it had been an incredible feeling, to be idolized. Then the novelty had worn off; people moved to the next best thing. He felt like a fallen star. Oh, he knew he'd simply let the fame go to his head, and he'd tried to move on as well. Then, the ghost attacks began.
Suddenly, every creature in the Ghost Zone, or so it seemed, had found a way into the real world. He suspected it had something to do with the Plasmius Portal in Wisconsin, but that didn't matter. Suddenly, everyone loved him again. And he did his best to protect them. Everything was going fine until Plasmius came back.
So here he was, a fallen hero, sitting in the Ghost Zone, hoping and praying that everyone would come to their senses and let him come home. He was tired, he was getting hungry, and he was lonely. He missed his family and friends. Well, his family, anyway. Jazz and Jack hadn't turned on him like everyone else.
"I want to go home…" he muttered, blinking back tears. He'd been alone for way too long.
After several minutes of feeling sorry for himself, he jumped and looked around. There was no one there, but he could have sworn someone called his name. He shrugged, but before he could go back to self-pity, someone called his name again, and his real one, at that. No one called him Danny anymore, except for his father and sister.
"Is someone there?" he called, drifting off of his perch. A noise to his left drew his attention to a door that had not been there a few minutes previous.
It was a remarkably normal door that might have guarded someone's closet in the real world. Curious, he flew closer; the door opened at his approach to reveal a room lined with mirrors. As he looked around at the reflections, each one depicting the various paths he might have taken, he was reminded of someone he met, and the story that person told. "You're the Guardians of Space," he ventured, awed.
"Yes…" one of them whispered. "We would offer you a chance…"
"If you wish to see your other self again, of course," another continued.
"Of course, I do!" he exclaimed without hesitation. The simple thought of being back among living human beings was almost intoxicating. The sun, the life, the people…
"Then go with our blessing, young one," they said kindly, opening the door behind him. He fled through into the sunlight of his counterpart's real world, laughing in joy and relief. It was a few moments after the door closed again before any of the Guardians spoke.
"He's not here, yet."
"Maybe he didn't notice."
There was a collective scoff before another pointed out, "He may be plotting something."
"Who cares? As long as he's not interfering in our game, let him plot." The other Guardians agreed to the wisdom and went back to their game.