An Understanding
Doctor Who x Danny Phantom
"All and time and space he said. Let's go to a planet full of 'magic' he says. Shouldn't be much trouble. WELL HOW'S THIS FOR TROUBLE!?!?", Donna Noble shrieks at her friend, the Doctor, as they ran down the metal corridor of some facility on the planet called Amitesh.
A planet that has nothing but stuff of magic, spirits, and other wonders that is a sacred part of their daily life and religion. Unfortunately, the Doctor had to ruin it for Donna, telling her it's not really magic, but the planet's own physiology mixed with these people's own version of science creates an result in which it's like it actually was magic.
The Doctor did admit that his particular planet got it closest to what magic could possibly be. But the Time Lord remained adamant that magic does not exist.
Fortunately, Donna basically ignored the Doctor and just wandered off, staring at anything and everything. For the two were lucky enough to land in the middle of a festival. Amitesh's magic being showcased for all to see and appreciate.
Which leads back to the two's current actions.
"How was I supposed to know that the world ended because of a cult that believes in such a thing like a 'Ghost King'!?", the Doctor shouts back incredulously as they ran to stop said cultists.
"If you say it in such a way that suggests there is no Ghost King, why are we running to stop them?", Donna asks just as the duo practically screech to a halt to a thick door, the last remaining obstacle between them and the summoning.
"Don't you remember what I told you earlier?", the Doctor explains in a rush as he works on the door with his sonic screwdriver, "The planet's own location and physiology is what makes magic for these people possible. Now multiply that by the centuries of said locals using the magic more and more, both them and the planet becoming accustomed to the energies that can only increase over time and evolve so as to become apart of the people and the planet's core. There may be no Ghost King, but something big, and something dangerous is going to come out of this summoning and we need to stop it."
"Oh my God.", Donna gasped, as she then waves the Doctor to hurry, "Well get on with it and open the door already!"
"What do you think I've been doing!?", the Doctor shouts back, "Now if I can just get- Ah HAH!!"
The door opened, the Doctor and Donna took no time rushing in, only to come to a screeching halt at the sight before them. They entered the room just as the lead cultists, who's also the planet's lead researcher, Taariq Novak, and one of the first few to have greeted the Doctor and Donna upon their arrival to Amitesh. slit the throat of one of his own, Donna couldn't help scream and jump from the sudden action.
With life quickly leaving his eyes, his life flowing from his neck like a river, and the now dead cultist's body fell to the ground. Landing within the intricately made circle, and the moment the blood touched the lines carved into the metal floor, the circle glowed a bright toxic green.
"We're too late.", the Doctor breather as he and his companion could only stare as the summoners celebrated their success.
The wind began to pick up, whipping the cultist robes, the Doctor's coat, and Donna's flaming red hair.
"We have to get out!", the Doctor shouts over the wind, "Out! Everyone out! Now!"
But no one listened.
Donna and the Doctor couldn't drag them out, so they ran. But the door slammed shut just before they could get out. Donna slammed her fists and body against the door while the Doctor tried to work on it again with his screw driver, only to growl as he grips his hair in near desperation.
"It's a deadlock! I can't get us out!", the Doctor shouts.
"What do we do then!?", Donna cries out, "There's got to be something!"
The Doctor turns back to the circle just as unidentifiable green liquid bursts from the summoning circle, swirling around over it as if it was it's own mini hurricane or tropical storm.
"Hope and try to talk our way out of this.", the Doctor whispers as he grips Donna's hand tightly.
For his comfort, or hers. He's not quite sure, nor does have the time or willing to try and figure that out.
A bright light shined beneath the goopy liquid something seemed to be rising from the circle, a form or figure. When, suddenly, a giant, spindly, dark clawed hand slammed on to the floor, the claws digging into the floor, causing deep marks to appear from them. The hand is about the same size as the cultists', Donna, and the Doctor themselves.
The hand pushed down, creating a large dent in floor, added with the scratch marks from the claws, and something climbed up and out of the portal.
Loud moaning echoed in their ears, everyone clutched their hands to their heads in hopes of keeping the horrid noise out. But it did little to help. The liquid that was the first to burst through the portal suddenly fell to the ground, as if like a puppet with its strings cut off. But the thing didn't seem bothered by the goop as it just slid off it like water.
There is no more bright light coming from within the circle, but the circle itself is still glowing a soft toxic green, not as bright as it was before the summoning first started, but, aside from the thing that was just summoned, it served as the now dark room's only source of light.
With the wind and blinding light gone, everyone was now able to get a good look at what was something. It can only be described as an eldrich horror. It towered over them, it's arms to be somehow longer than it's body, it's clawed hands larger than it's own head, and larger than the people standing in the room as well. Their whole body seemed to be made between a mix of pure darkness and the many constellations of the universe, glowing green 'veins' can be seen at the creatures forearms, chest, calves, and neck. It's eyes are large circular, and just glowing toxic green, like the circle at the beginning of the summoning, and it's mouth similar, no lips or anything, the jagged black teeth matched it's body and attached with no covering of any sort unlike other humanoid shaped formed.
Donna clutched tightly to the Doctor, whom as seen Satan, genocide, army of Daleks, and many more horrors. And yet, this has been the most scared he has ever felt since his youth.
This, is something else that the Doctor has never before seen. But within the fear, the Doctor also feels excitement. He's ecstatic, this, nothing ever seen before. A creature beyond time and knowledge, something he doubted any of the Time Lords have ever seen or known before either.
"All hail Pariah Dark!", Taariq suddenly shouts, looking the picture perfect description of euphoric while the rest of his followers knelt and bowed to the creature they have successfully summoned.
"Hail!", the rest of the cultists shout back.
The creature, Pariah Dark these people had called it, seemed to be looking over its surroundings and studying the people slowly. As if taking in where it is and what it's going to do next.
Long moan, almost as if the creature were a whale, reverberated throughout the room. The only difference between a whale and this, is the whale's sound enchanting, while this thing made everyone shiver, hairs raising up, and everyone, even the excited cultists, felt nothing but fear for a moment.
"Pariah Dark! King of the Infinite Realms!", Taariq shouts, "We have summoned you here for your judgement and leadership! We have freed you from your imprisonment inside of the tomb others who have feared you and your power trapped you inside. Now we ask of you to take your rightful place as this world's rightful ruler, with us at your side!"
"They summoned this... this thing just so they can rule and gain power!?", Donna whispers to the Doctor in a quiet shriek, "What the hell's the matter with them?"
The Doctor almost rolled his eyes in agreement. Some things never change, no matter the world or time you travel to. And people call him mad... although they aren't wrong.
But before the Doctor could whisper anything back in reply, the creature suddenly turned towards them. It's glowing swirling lights for eyes seemed to freeze two in place, for no matter how much the Doctor wished to run, even if there was a escape route available to them, the Doctor doubt either he or Donna could run with the way this creature's stare seemed to pin them in place.
Taariq quickly noticed the creature's inquisitive stare upon the travelers, and answered its silent question almost proudly.
"These two were against you mi'lord.", Taariq informed the creature, pointing at the Doctor and Donna theatrically, "They dared to try and stop us! Stop you from rising! But we were lucky enough, clever enough to keep them away just in time to free you."
The creature hummed, still staring at the Doctor and Donna appraisingly.
"What shall be done with them my lord?", another cultist asked, looking more curious than disturbed by the creature's appearance.
The creature turned back to it's followers, its grim jagged mouth forming what looked to be a sinister smile.
"Lucky...", the creature said, the word coming out garbled and echoed in the near silent room.
"M-my lord?", Taariq asked, confused by the pool of dread that began to fill his entire being as he silently cursed himself for the stutter.
"It was lucky... that you summoned Me."
And before anyone could react or say a thing, like a snake, the creature struck. Sending men flying as they screamed their terror with just simple back hand. No, backhand isn't exactly the right word for what he did. For the creature barely flicked his wrist, and more than half of the cultists were airborne, crashing to the walls and floors. None getting up after quickly falling into the grip of unconsciousness.
Another swipe, more cultists flew through the air, leaving only the Doctor, Donna, and the lead cultist standing with the terrifying being.
"But, but why!?", Taariq cried, now looking terrified as he looked up to the creature for answers.
As he should be. Despite Taariq Novak's accomplishments and prowess as a researcher and inventor, the Amiteshian has no idea what he had unleashed.
Or who he could have unleashed if things have been any different.
"We did everything right! The ritual! The Sacrifice!", the lead cultist shouted in fear and desperation, "What did we do to offend you my lord Pariah Dark! What Did We Do!?"
The creature took pause, looking down at the humanoid with a blank expression, no one, not even the Doctor, knew what was going on through the creature's mind.
"You... summoned me...", the creature hissed.
"W-w-what of it?", the cultist stuttered, "Did we perform the ritual wrong? If so, please! Allow me to correct my mistake."
But the creature spoke as if the cultist didn't say anything.
"You summoned me to DESTROY.", it growled menacingly, orbs narrowing in anger and distaste at the sight of Taariq quivering.
"Isn't, isn't, i-isn't.", Taariq gulped, trying to collect himself in order to speak properly through his fear, "Isn't that what you do? Isn't that what Pariah Dark does."
The temperature in the room lowered rapidly, turning to freezing. Donna huddled closer to the Doctor, her body shivering from the freezing temperature, but the two travelers could not look away.
The creature leaned down, almost crouching, so that he and Taariq were barely inches apart. Taariq could only shiver and shake in anticipation as waited for the thing's answer.
It's next words caused terror to strike Taariq's very core.
"Who ever said that I was Pariah Dark?"
"Wh-w-who are you then?", Taariq managed to wheeze, fear filling ever bone of his much smaller body.
"P H A N T O M.", the creature hissed.
Donna quickly squeezed her eyes tightly shut and shoved her face in to the Doctor's arms as Taariq's screams loudly echoed in her ears, her head. She wouldn't be surprised if they echoed in her nightmares later that night.
If she and the Doctor manages to get out of this alive, that is.
For the next couple of minutes, there was silence. Donna's body remained tense as she expected some sort of blow or for the Doctor to start running his gob in order to try and talk them out of this terrifying mess.
But nothing.
Slowly, the human opened her eyes and looked up to see that the creature 'stood' a couple of feet in front of them, Taariq's body out of view behind it. It's glowing orbs for eyes seemed to be dimmer now, it's horrifying maw closed, looking sealed shut, as if the creature never had a mouth in the first place.
And that's when Donna felt it, an aura, or feeling, encasing the room. Comfort, warmth, and protection surrounded the two travelers. The Doctor could only stand there, looking up at the creature with wide eyes, filled with fascination and awe, for he could obviously feel the same thing. Donna just let herself sink into the comfort provided, her eyes contently sliding shut again as she sighed.
Then her eyes suddenly furrowed as her picked up something else within the room.
"Is it... purring?", Donna couldn't help but ask incredulously.
"Oh yes.", the Doctor grinned at his answer and Donna's question.
The two looked back up the creature, now both no longer fearful, but still cautious about what it's next move would be. Obviously, it's not Pariah Dark, the King of Ghosts, just like the Doctor said from the beginning. But it was still summoned here to destroy and rule, so what will it do next after taking down it's summoners.
What id did next surprised them.
Which seems to be a reoccurring pattern lately.
The creatures form suddenly lifted up and wrapped around it almost like a live cloak or blanket and folded in on itself. The creature's form shrunk more and more, ending up smaller than Donna, until a new, humanoid, form took shape, and the darkness and constellations receded to reveal a floating boy, a teenager no older than fifteen, the door behind the Doctor and Donna shedding light on the boys features.
He has white hair, and black and white hazmat suit, glowing toxic green eyes, a white cloak, black ring with a brilliant red gem as it's main focus, and a black crown, floating above his head, encased in flickering green flames that seemed to match the boy's eyes.
"Hi there.", the boy greeted easily.
"Who-? What-?", Donna could only gape while the Doctor's grin got wider and wider by the second.
"Oh that's brilliant.", the Doctor could only say, his eyes alight with his shining grin.
"What the bloody hell are you!?", Donna shouts, feeling exhausted and so very very confused over all that has happened in the last... five minutes?
It felt like this whole confrontation has lasted for days.
The Doctor winced a little, but didn't scold Donna, knowing exactly how she's feeling, it's kinda similar to how he assumed she felt on their first adventure together with the Racnoss.
"Sorry about her, rough day.", the Doctor explains, "Anyways, I'm the Doctor and this is Donna. What's your name and, well yeah, what are you? For curiosities sake."
"I'm Danny Phantom. King of the Infinite Realms and the summonee of these fruit loops.", Danny introduced himself as if this was the most normal thing in the universe.
"The Infinite Realms are real?", the Doctor gaped, "But-but that's impossible. It's supposed to be a myth!"
Danny just shrugged, "You'd think so with all the stories circling it. A lot of it just exaggerations, they're too crazy to be true, or they are just plain wrong."
"How much of it is true?", the Doctor asked eagerly.
Danny opened his mouth, then shut it with a confused look on his face.
"I actually don't know.", Danny responds as held his chin with a thoughtful look on his face.
"How can you not know?", Donna asked, "Aren't you the king?"
Danny rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, "Yeah, I just became King a little less than a year ago after defeating Pariah Dark in single combat. And the name is pretty literal the Infinite Realms are, well, Infinite, I have a lot to catch up on and I haven't even made a dent, much less a scratch so far."
"This is amazing.", the Doctor breathes before he began to mutter to himself on theories on which stories that he has heard or been told could be true and what it could mean.
"Wait, hold on, Pariah Dark?", Donna repeated, "You mean the supposed Ghost King that these bozos were trying to summon."
"Oh he was the Ghost King just, again, defeated him in single combat now I'm King.", Danny raised a confused brow, "I literally just said that."
"But-but there's no such thing as ghosts.", the Doctor almost shouts.
Danny just stared at them with an almost dead panned look.
"Who or what did you think lives in the Infinite Realms then?"
Silence followed his question. The Doctor looked like he was struggling to understand something for once.
"But, then, do you not age?", Donna asks, "Are all of you dead?"
Danny just smiles patiently, "A lot of them died, yes, but there are just as many that were born or created there too. You'd be surprised."
Donna let out a sound that was between a scoff, snort, and a laugh, "Trust me, we are."
"But what about you?", the Doctor asked gently, "Were you born or did you died."
Danny looks down at the Doctor, his expression neutral as he answered, "I died. At the age fourteen, I died in an accident at my parents lab in our basement. They haven't even realized it yet."
For a moment, the Doctor said nothing, for what could he truly say to some one who has died at such a young age. A child.
There's not much you really can say except, "I'm sorry."
"What are you apologizing for?", Danny asked, the Doctor didn't answer, nor did Donna, "I know I died young. Took me a while to actually get that I died in the first place."
Danny looked down at his shoes before looking up at the Doctor, his eyes glistening. Barely there, barely noticeable, but there. And the Doctor couldn't help by empathize, for isn't what this boy has gone through similar to what the Doctor has when he regenerates?
"Do you know how that feels?", Danny asked, his voice wobbly with emotion and he desperately tried to hold back his tears.
Donna couldn't say a thing, because no. She didn't understand, probably never will, and... Donna thinks she never wants to either.
But the Doctor... he understood. The Time Lord is pretty sure this boy-warrior, boy king, this child, doesn't realize how much the Doctor truly understands.
For just like the Doctor had ten times before, this boy has died, and then woke up and walked away as someone else. The Doctor has died and walked away as many people. But at the core, he always was the Doctor, yet he was still someone new. Danny Phantom is no different.
"I understand.", the Doctor croaks.
~
The past year and a half has been... rough for Danny. For the halfa didn't lie, it took him a bit to understand that he had actually died to become who he is today. And, with Jazz's, Clockworks, and the rest of his friends, allies, and enemies' (most of them anyways) help, Danny managed to work through that fact and accept it.
But recently, a week ago, it was his Death Day. No one caused trouble in Amity, Danny got a break from all the studying and paperwork at the Ghost Zone. In fact, almost everyone visited, but to either check on him, give him a gift, have a short chat, or all of the above.
Death Day is important to the Ghosts in the Ghost Zone, especially for those who had to actually die in order to get there. But unlike Birthdays, no matter peoples feelings towards it, Death Day is like a strange, yet comforting, mix between a funeral and a birthday. Many ghosts like to visits their grave during their Death Day, many others like to visit said ghost's grave to leave a gift or offering for the ghost.
Danny has been told that ghosts usually feel more at peace by their grave on Death Day. Doesn't mean everyone goes, but it's just something that feels safe and/or calming. Like going to your bedroom and lying on your bed after a stressful day.
Nothing went wrong for Danny on his Death Day, in fact, he quite enjoyed it surprisingly. It was somber on some points, eye opening for others, and even fun for the rest. Almost every ghost that Danny has ever met visited him or left him some sort of gift. Most visited, many worried over Danny because of the fact that he had no grave to visit.
So, with the help of Jazz, Tucker, and Sam, they made Danny a grave, hidden deep in the woods, and almost immediately gifts, offerings, blobs, and other ghosts appeared.
Jazz, Tucker, and Sam left after they had their moment of silence and some quiet to themselves over Danny's 'grave'. They didn't quite understand the importance and impact of Death Day aside from the fact that Danny died on that day.
Aside from Jazz, Danny doesn't think Sam or Tucker fully realized that Danny actually died that day he became a halfa. They've both kept to themselves ever since, both sharing similar haunted look in their eyes and bruised patches of skin that served as eye bags.
Jazz left because she believed that Danny deserved to spent his Death Day with the rest of the ghosts. Her exact words being, 'As long as I get your Birthdays, they get your Death Days.' Danny can not describe how right that feels.
But, yeah, aside from the small bit of hurt that he felt when Sam and Tucker started avoiding him now, Danny's first Death Day was great.
It wasn't until Danny was safely under his covers in bed that the realization hit him.
Just like Sam and Tucker, Danny's parents never knew that Danny, their own son, died right under their noses. In their lab, in their invention, which has quickly become their pride and joy and Danny can't help but feel his core twist.
No one, except for Jazz, realized that Danny had died.
No one living anyway.
Danny has always been the same to them in their eyes, but, that can't be any further from the truth. Danny has been through things, has done things, is capable of things that no one living will ever be. Jazz tries to understand, she's the only one living that truly does, but enough.
And none of the ghosts realize that despite having died, Danny is still, somehow, alive.
But this man, this living man, somehow understood? Understood the feeling of misplacement Danny almost constantly feels everyday of his half life?
Excuse him for not believing this stranger, but Danny doubts it.
But... it's a nice thought. That there is someone (that's not a fruitloop in denial like Vlad) who could understand.
"Thanks.", Danny smiled sincerely, genuinely thankful to the Doctor for trying.
Yet, somehow, the Doctor could tell that Danny didn't truly think that he understood.
"Donna, do you mind leaving Danny and I alone for a couple minutes?", the Doctor asks his friend, never once breaking eye contact with Danny as he does so.
Danny can't exactly read the look Donna sends the Doctor before sending Danny a small reassuring smile that reminded him a lot like the one's Jazz would send him.
"Take care sweetheart.", Donna waves before looking at the unconscious forms of the cultist with an unsure look, "I'll just... go find whatever this planet has for police to pick up this rif-raf."
"You do that.", the Doctor nods at Donna with a small smile and a wave of his fingers.
Donna just rolled her eyes, but returned the wave before leaving. The two males were both quiet at first. Danny wasn't sure how he felt being left alone with this man, but he knew he could easily escape if needed.
But Danny was knocked out of his musings when the Doctor finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"It's different, and it's always gonna be, that's the hard part. At first, you don't realize the difference, just filled with the euphoric feeling of being alive. Of surviving what should have been fatal.", the Doctor spoke plainly, but his eyes looked wet and haunted, as if he's done this more than once, "Only to realize later, that no, you didn't survive. You died. You're dead, but not. Who you were is dead and now, you're someone new. Yet you can never truly shake off how it felt to die, what it means and is like to be dead. And those close to you, can't see the difference, they either think you're someone totally different, or who you were before. But you're not, you're somehow right in the middle and sometimes, it gets so much, just goes back and forth and back and forth. You sometimes can't help but get confused and wonder, who are you now?"
Danny could only stare, his core twisting, but... in a good way. It was something different, something new. It threw Danny off guard, it was hard for him to wrap his head around it. Is this really happening? When is the Fenton luck going to kick in and let the other shoe drop?
Without even realizing it, Danny's cape, crown, and ring disappeared in a flash of green flames, leaving Danny as himself. Danny Phantom, not King, savior, or any other titles he got in the Ghost Zone after defeating Pariah Dark, just Danny.
"You understand?", Danny couldn't help but ask timidly.
The Doctor nods with a small bittersweet smile on his face.
"I understand."
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