Hey, hey, hey! Today is your lucky day! Here is a long one-shot. This one was really fun to write.

And I know this is a weird suggestion, but try to read this in dark mode. It really sets a good mood for this specific one-shot.

Without further ado, let's get to it, phans!

~○~

Ugh..

Where am I?

And.. why does every inch of my body hurt?

Danny opened his eyes to find.. nothing. Darkness. It was like he was stuck in a void. Emptiness.

He tried to get up with difficulty, but every moment he made sent electric currents though his entire body. He fell again and sighed heavily. He started to cough.

There was a red blinking light behind him. He squinted at it. It looked familiar.

Is that..

The ghost portal's emergency light on?

Danny sat on his knees, finally realizing that his oversized shirt was stuck to his skin. His fingers stung him, like acid had corroded his fingertips. He shivered, and his drenched clothes didn't help in warming him up, only sending shivers down his spine, and he didn't have his ghost sense to blame.

He finally stood up, inmediately leaning over a cube-like shape. It felt like a desk from his parents' lab. He needed to search for the exist.

After a lot of stumbling, he managed to find the stairs. Beside them, there should be a light switch, he thought.

He placed his hand on the wall and felt his way through the switch. He flipped it.

A buzz of electricity could be heard. The light weakly illuminated the room, then it exploded. Danny sighed, holding his aching side. He walked up the stairs slowly.

The living room was lit up by the windows, but it wasn't sunny. The skies were crimson red. There was a siren outside.

The couch was flipped, the glass windows were shattered, the table was flipped and the chairs were broken. It was like a tornado had struck. 

God, what happened?

Danny limped until he reached the window. There was no one outside. The state of the streets was worse than his living room. Only there, had been traces of ectoplasm and blood.

Where.. Where are my family, Sam and Tucker?

Danny's stomach churned at the thought. If the concrete walls of the buildings around him had given up and fell apart, his family and friends would never..

No.

Don't say that.

They are alive, Fenton. Stop your pessimism.

He nodded at the positive affirmation, but he couldn't help that..

He shook his head and sprinted up the stairs. There were burn marks and a lot of ectoplasm and blood mixed together. He tried to ignore the sticky mixture that stuck to his worn out shoes.

He checked his room and saw no one. The blanket was on the floor. The bedsheets on his bed were a browish red with dried up blood. A first aid kit laid open on the beaten up nightstand. There was used syringes, green and red bandages, baidaids. The scene gave him a huge sense of 'Deja vu' but he couldn't put a finger on what had happened that created this huge mess.

A question lingered in his troubled mind, waiting to be answered:

Was I the one on that bed?

Danny noticed a mirror, almost intact on the wall. He limped towards it. It had been cracked at the top right edge, but it wasn't enough to mask the pitiful sight of himself.

He looked tired and almost sick, with pale skin and wide eyes. Dried blood stuck to his messy raven black hair, and down his nose. His body was covered in blue and purple bruises, and cuts, from head to toe. His white shirt was wrinkled, also with dried blood and ectoplasm. When he lifted his shirt, there were loose bandages of green and red. His cheek was severely bruised. His clothes were tattered. Dust covered his entire body. The fenton kid looked like a mess.

"I.." His raspy voice surprised him. He breathed out rigidly and continued, "I've got to go ghost.. and find anyone." His head hung low to meet his arms, which were on the dresser, as he tried to transform. He didn't remember it to be so difficult. He eventually transformed. His suit was as good as new, since it always came back unscathed when he transformed, but his wounds, his cuts and his bruises didn't heal. He expected his skin to be more tan, but it was paler.

He didn't need to open his window, or to sneak out. The window was broken, and no one was with him.

He flew outside and tried to search for anyone to ask him what happened. He had so many questions on his mind. It feels like he had been sleeping for days, if not weeks. He barely even remembered the sight of his own family.

Some street was flooding with broken underground pipes. There were many craters in a certain street. Danny felt like he had been there before, but he couldn't remember much more.

As he flew, he saw almost nobody, but he would see dead bodies rotting in the streets of amity park. He hoped his family and friends didn't end up like one of them. Again, he quickly brushed the thought.

He found himself heading towards the Mansons' Mansion. He entered through her room.

The mansion was also battered, with scorch marks and falling debris. Sam's room was mostly intact. It was still not as tidy as Danny had remembered it, but it was still in a good condition, compared to what he had seen.

He found her phone, cracked, but it was still working. The battery was almost full, too.

He sat on her bed and held it with shaky hands. He hated going through her personal items, especially after the insane amount of guilt he had faced when he spied on her during the Gregor fiasco. He checked her messages and saw one she had sent him through her phone, but because of poor connection, it hadn't reached him:

Danny..

If you are still alive, we are in an underground bunker in Wisconsin.

Yes, that douchebag named Vlad Masters is helping us evacuate, being the major and all.

I have a gut feeling you are going to see this. I don't know how, but I hope it is true. You've always said my gut feelings are true. Please, catch up with us if you can, and I know it's hard in those times, but please, be safe.

Love you..

Danny's eyebrows furrowed in surprise. The more he learnt, the more questions bubbled inside his mind. His heart tapped rapidly in his chest at her last text, so that was his new destination, he had to go to Wisconsin.

But, how? He was so tired he felt like taking a long nap. At first, he thought of death. He questioned how he had survived such a brutal blow to the city while he was inside it, but now, he wanted to live. For Sam, for Jazz, for Tucker and surprisingly, for his parents.

He decided the only fast way to make it to that bunker was through the ghost zone.

***

Danny was soon back at his home. He made his hand glow with ectoplasmic energy to illuminate the portal's control panel. Even the simple task took a lot of energy out of him.

He pressed various buttons and the portal's gate had started to open until it stopped midway. Danny sighed in frustration and didn't bother to fix it. He squeezed himself into the opened part and made his way inside the portal. The sight made him falter.

The ghost zone appeared dim and more haunting than it already had been. Many islands and lairs were on fire. Some ghosts were flying in panic and some of frostbite's crew tried to stop the fire with their ice powers. It was working, but someone had to melt the ice. Danny could have in different circumstances, but he didn't even have the power to stand on his own.

He flew towards the direction of Vlad's portal. He suddenly found himself getting shot in the same hurt side. He couldn't suppress his moans as he clutched his side. He gasped for air, the world multiplying upon his eyes. He found someone grab his forearm and drag him across the air. He weakly thrashed, but to no avail. He finally saw a room around him and many ghosts. Ember had been the one to pull him inside. She closed the door.

"You are alive." Skulker said in extreme disbelief. Danny looked at him and spotted many of his enemies beside him. Spectra, Ember, Johnny, Kitty, The Box Ghost, The Lunch Lady and Technus. Danny found an odd look in their faces. Was.. was it pity?

"Yeah, let's hope it stays that way until I find my family." Danny sneered at him, backing away. His hand was still on his aching side as he leaned on the wall.

"No, no, no one.. no one is going to hurt you." Spectra looked away and crossed her arms, like it was a shame she wasn't going to kill him. Danny stared at her, puzzled.

"We won't, ghost child." Technus gave an evil smile, but really, he was trying to make it as sympathetic as possible.

"Why? I have been destroying your plans for two years." Danny's face suddenly adopted an expression of realization, "Unless you want something from me." His tired eyes were filled with hatred in a matter of seconds.

"Phantom," Johnny said, "You are the one who defeated the most powerful of ghosts. The ghost king, Vlad Plasmius, Walker.. As much as it hurts us to admit it, we do need your stupid help." Kitty glared at him for not helping with the convincing.

"Who are we fighting, exactly?" Danny asked after a moment of silence. All of them stared at him like he was joking. "Guys, who are we actually fighting? What happened?" They all stared at each other.

"You really don't remember?" Danny shook his head. Skulker stepped forward.

"His name is Wraith. He is stronger than everything we, ghosts, have ever seen. He was from the age of the Titans, who ruled the ages before Pariah Dark.." Danny's eyes suddenly became scared and wide.

"I.. I fought him, didn't I?" Daniel whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear. Nobody spoke, since it wasn't a good time to. He added, "I fought him on the streets of Amity Park. He.. he had an army?" Most nodded. Danny held his head with his hand and closed his eyes.

"Danny! Go!" Sam yelled at him, grabbing his hand. Danny twisted his hand out of her tight grasp, which stopped her, Tucker and Jazz from their tracks.

"No, Sam, I have to go and fight. If I don't, who knows what will happen to Amity Park?" Danny tried to crack a smile for his two friends and his sister.

"Dude, he is too powerful. You tried many times. Just let it go. We have to save what's left." Tucker tried to convince him, but he knew his friend was too stubborn.

"Come on, Danny.. You have to help evacuate." Jazz chirped in.

"What's the point of taking a step back when we know he is capable of taking two steps forward? You go, and I will stay and fight." Danny said. Sam, Tucker and Jazz were unconvinced. An explosion blew off at a distance.

"That's my cue.." Danny said. Jazz blinked away her own tears and hugged him tightly. When she let go, Tucker gave him a brotherly hug. Sam was still for a moment before she gave him a kiss on his cheek. She backed away really fast. Danny eventually recovered from his shock and asked, "Where is Mom and Dad?"

"The outskirts of town.. They are preparing for evacuation." Danny pursed his lip.

"Tell them."

"What? Are you serious?" Tucker asked.

"No, Danny, we are waiting for you till you come back."

"What if I don't?" Danny asked.

"Then we will tell them, but we are waiting for you. Stay safe, baby brother."

"Do you need to sit down?" Ember's sharp and almost demanding voice brought him back to reality. The box ghost moved a box towards him. When Danny sat down on the cardboard box, he realized he had been in the Box Ghost's lair all along.

"It just hit me. I.." He sighed, "You won't help me, will you?"

"Wraith has the ability to erase ghosts off existence. Unlike you, we fear for our lives." Spectra left.

"I am sorry, Phantom." Technus said, "No, actually, I am not. Have a good day." He thought again, "I did not mean this either." Danny stood up and watched them all leave.

"Wait, who shot me?" Skulker aimed his wrist gun a him.

"It was me, and if you don't go out this second, this one will burn your empty head." Danny stood tall despite his pain and aimed his glowing hand at Skulker. He shot his wrist gun away.

"I am not going to do this for your sorry butts, I am going to do it because my home is in danger, and for the record, you never offered your help and I don't need it anyways. Stay here and skulk like the lazy jerks you are." Danny was about to leave when Skulker's hook grabbed his head and slammed it into the wall.

"So, what? Are you asking to die, because I can make it slow and painful." Skulker threatened.

"Do it! Didn't you need my help a few minutes ago?" Danny challenged him. Skulker held him from his collar and shoved him out of the ghostly warehouse. He slammed the door on his face. Danny held his head, which had been slammed against a wall, and stood up. "God, I could pass out again any second."

He flew away until he reached the other side of the ghost zone. The colder, more haunting part. He had always hated going to that part in the ghost zone because all of his stronger enemies lurked there, but he had Frostbite to lean on, and Clockwork, though he doubted he would do anything to help him.

He eventually found Vlad's rectangular portal. The one behind that ugly painting of his. He almost made his hand go through it when he was pulled from his suit backwards. His hand was grabbed by a metal claw that electrocuted him. He screamed until he was let go. He heard weird sounds. When he looked upwards, he was surrounded with ghosts with an edgy steampunk armor.

Just when I reached Vlad's portal after a whole day of flying,

The image made him remember.. those are Wraith's goons. A part of his army.

I have to get out of here.

Danny went intangible and soared upwards. He made a 180 degree turn and went through the portal.

Vlad's mansion was as gloomy as he had imagined it to be. There were traces of a ghostly fight. Danny let out a sigh of relief and chuckled.

"Well, it would suck if I got attacked right now—" Danny found a dark shadow standing in front of him. The shadow lit its hand into a pink light, revealing white hair, a long thin face with a white trimmed goatee.

"It can't be.." Danny didn't know how to reply. "You are alive!"

Why does everyone keep saying that?

"Yeah, I guess I am. Where are they?" Danny gave a cold greeting.

"Daniel, no need to give me the cold shoulder—"

"Vlad," Danny pressed, "Where are they?"

"Follow me." Vlad walked. As they reached the open front door, which was broken and out of place, Vlad started to see Danny's state.

"Wow, you indeed look like someone who had just came out of a fight with a huge ghost titan, Daniel." Vlad looked at him with a fake look of amusement.

"Oh, hush it." Danny said, limping. As he walked down the stairs, he tripped and fell on his face.

"Would you like some—"

"No." Danny tried to get up but he only let out a cry of pain when he tried to stand on his feet. Vlad held his arm and gently helped him to stand. Danny saw the world sway upon him. It was only Vlad's grip that wouldn't let him fall to the ground.

If Vlad was really going to lead him to his family and friends, Danny could imagine the look of horror on their faces at his pitiful sight. If he were to be in their place, he would be scared, too.

Vlad finally reached his lab. The place brought him painful memories. He wanted to close his eyes to mask the torturing sight, but he needed to look at where he was going. This, after all, might be a trap.

Maybe, Vlad sent this message through Sam's phone, expecting me to come over and then throw me to Wraith's goons to kill me, or worse, Wraith himself—

"Daniel!" Vlad said, exasperated, like he had been calling him for a while, "Do you think you can go down this ladder?" Danny heard a lot of chattering and noise, like there were hundreds of people underground through this ladder. He nodded to Vlad.

"I think I will just float my way down." Vlad left him and twisted the giant wheel-like knob with both hands. The door eventually gave in and opened. Danny flew his way down and found elderly, middle-aged, children, teenagers from his own school and parents all in the confined bunker. It was big enough to fit all people, yet so small to give ultimate freedom. All were wearing a dark blue bodysuit. Some were sleeping, some were chatting, some were playing, but all shared the same helpless sad visage.

The bunker was three-floored, one was where everyone sat, the other was like a giant dormitory, and the last one seemed to be like a storage of canned goods, that many people were coming out of to distribute food amongst the crowd.

What caught his eyes was his red-haired sister, giving a young child some food with a sad smile. She had her hair twisted in a bun and eyes full of sorrow.

Behind her, were Jack and Maddie, talking to each other. Jack was holding a fenton bazooka and Maddie was patting on his shoulder. Danny didn't want to look at Vlad's expression at the scene.

Sam and Tucker were sitting on a couch, talking and looking at the ceiling. Sam looked like she had been crying, which striked Danny in his heart.

Nobody seemed to notice Danny Phantom's existence. It was like he was a ghost.

"Well, will you stand there for long, my little badger?" And for once, Danny didn't complain about Vlad's use for "My little badger".

"How long have I been.. away?"

"A week." Vlad said. It seemed like he had many questions, but he figured it wouldn't be time to ask.

Danny took a few steps forward and Maddie's encouraging smile to Jack fell. She dropped her empty plate, which shattered when it met the ceramic ground. The sound brought the attention of the entire crowd to Danny.

Danny gave a smile with a small wave, but he didn't expect both his parents to point their guns at him.

"Fire!"

"No!"

~○~

Hope you liked it! On the scale of 1 being meh to 10 being OH MY GOD WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, let me know how excited you are for a part two!