Work Text:
"SAM! NO!!!!"
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"Sam…"
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It had started out as a regular day. Senior year had begun a week ago for Danny, Sam, and Tucker. They were gonna take on the world together. The ghost's had stopped being a problem when Danny became Prince of the Infinite Realms. Because of the extra free time, Danny began to excel in his classes. He's still hoping to get some sort of job with NASA, even if it's not an astronaut.
Sam had begun apprenticing at the local botanical garden. Her gardening kick had really stuck with her, and she was enjoying it! She planned on attending college for environmental sciences and scoring a job with the conservation district.
Tucker's technology skills have increased dramatically since the trio began fighting ghosts. He can hack into most governmental places with ease (though for legal reasons he denies this) which comes in handy at times. He plans to enter the field of cyber security and design firewalls for common use.
The trio found themselves walking down the halls of Casper high heading to English.
"So then I gave Skulker the root beer, and he just gagged!" Danny chuckled. His friends both laughed. Sam's face split into a smile. Man, Danny loved it when she smiled.
They continued their walk until the classic puff of blue mist retched its way out of Danny's throat.
"This should be go-"
BAM!!!!!!!
The wall on the opposite side of the hallway shattered. The clacking sound of platform boots was followed by the face of one Friedrich Isak Showenhower also known as-
"Freakshow," Danny grunted bitterly. Following the clown were several ghosts with restraining collars. How DARE HE ENSLAVE DANNY'S PEOPLE!
The trio knew what to do. Quickly, they grabbed gear out of their bags, and Danny went to go transform.
"Danny?" Sam grabbed his arm before he ran, "be safe ok?"
"Only if you do the same!" He retorted before running.
While jogging to the restrooms, Danny heard a scream. He'd better hurry. Scurrying into the nearest stall, he slammed the door shut behind him. He didn't even bother using his catchphrase to transform.
He arrived on the scene to see Freakshow aiming a staff at the nearby students. He commanded the ghosts to restrain them. Danny spotted Sam and Tucker among the mix.
"NOW YOUR BELOVED PHANTOM BETTER COME OUT! Or I might just shoot one of his precious humans!" Freakshow yelled, "who will be first…?"
"NOT SO FAST FREAKSHOW!" Danny shouted.
"Ahhh Phantom! You're just in time! I was just about to pick a first hostage!" His voice was sickly to the ear. It sounded like he had snapped.
"You said you'd shoot them if I didn't come. I'm here! You have no reason to shoot them!" Anxiety welled in Danny's throat. There's definitely something bigger going on.
"Well…" the psychopath began, " a little birdie told me that you recently got a promotion in the world of ghosts."
Oh shit. One of the ghosts he's controlling probably told him.
"Anyways, Your Highness, my demands are simple. RELINQUISH YOUR THRONE TO ME OR I KILL THE GIRL!!!!"
Freakshow grabbed Sam from the crowd. Of course he had to pick her. The rest of the students looked like they were digesting the information just revealed to them.
Sam did not take being handled well. She kicked and screamed and stopped Freakshow's foot. The clown yelped and demanded that a ghost hold her in place. Sam continued to squirm while Danny tried to formulate a plan.
"Umm Freakshow? You know the Throne of the Infinite Realms isn't for humans right? The amount of power alone could kill you."
It wasn't a total lie. Frostbite mentioned something about that once. Either way Freakshow did NOT take that well.
"JUST GIVE ME THE THRONE!!!! OR SHE GETS IT!!!" The clown screamed like an angry toddler. Danny went to try to diffuse the situation, but was interrupted by the sound of a staff blast.
A second of silence passed to process what just happened. Sam gasped before clattering to the floor. Tears welled in Danny's eyes. His vision went green.
What happened next is not able to be told from Danny's POV since he doesn't really remember this part. Most people see Phantom as a classic cartoon comic book hero. None were prepared to see Phantom as anything but that.
Nobody was left unsurprised by the eldritch horror that awaited them that day. The many eyes and sharp teeth, the claws and disproportionate limbs all contributed to the monster-like figure before them. Freakshow fucked up. He fucked up big time.
A crack formed in the floor and swallowed the clown up whole. There was no stopping it. There was no sparing him. His fate was sealed.
Once Freakshow was portaled to the Nightmare Realm, Danny calmed down. His limbs retracted, his eyes went back to two, and his fangs shrunk into normal teeth. He was back to normal, loveable Phantom with only one thought on his mind.
"SAM! NO!"
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"Sam…"
Danny ran up to the form of his friend on the floor. Gently, he scooped her up into his arms and flew her to the roof. She was bleeding profusely out of her side. God there was so much blood.
"Sam talk to me, please!" His ghostly voice croaked. Her eyes fluttered part way open.
"Danny…" she smiled, "there's no saving me this time."
"THAT'S NOT TRUE! WE CAN GET YOU TO A DOCTOR! We can… we can fix this," Danny sobbed. He was pressing as hard as he could to stop the bleeding, but it wasn't working.
"Danny… can I tell you something? I want you to know before I die," Sam started.
"STOP! YOU'RE NOT GONNA DIE!! YOU CAN'T DIE! Sam… please stay with me."
"Shhhh, Danny just listen," she pressed her finger against his lip, "Danny, I love you."
Danny sobbed even harder before smiling.
"I…I love you too Sam," he leaned in and kissed her on the forehead, "I can't live without you."
"I know and I'm sorry we don't get to spend more time together. But who knows? Maybe I'll see you in the Realms!" She started to chuckle, but it soon turned into a cough.
Danny continued to try administering first aid. 911 was on their way. Sam reached up to him and brushed his cheek. Danny cradled her in his arms as she leaned her way forward and kissed him.
She breathed her last.
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Years later, a tired King Phantom comes home from a long day of paperwork. He pets his dog, Cujo, and walks into the garden, where his wife is, sitting among the flowers.
"Hey Sam! I'm home!"
Fin.