Danny's Nightmare rough draft
The world is worn and fuzzy and blurry, like an old video tape. In a dark stretch of hallway there flies Danny Phantom with his white hair and black bodysuit, staring at something just out of view
"Aw, whatever," Danny says, grinning. "I was aiming for the birds, but you'll do."
The view broadens, and the viewer can see what he's fighting -- who he's fighting. There's another ghost facing Danny. He's humanoid with sickly blue-green skin offsetting his bright red eyes. He's decked out in a white, regal-looking outfit with a long cape and high collar. His expression is smug, and he raises an amused eyebrow at Danny's comment.
With a loud cry, Danny throws a clumsy punch, which the other ghost catches easily. He tosses Danny against a wall like it's nothing, but there's a distinct crack as his head makes impact and smashes the stone.
The dream grows fuzzy then. It flickers and buzzes like an old VHS tape before coming back into focus. The two are in another room now, a giant library with shelves that tower for over two stories. The room is illuminated by moonlight from the high windows, but the two ghosts are glowing with an eerie, ethereal light of their own.
"You're the ghost boy who uses his powers for good," the evil ghost sneers, a mocking smile on his face as he draws closer to Danny. He circles the boy, smile falling from his face to show his true disgust. "How quaint. Aren't you going to try to shove me into your ridiculous thermos?"
Danny floats back, swallowing nervously. "I… I don't want to fight you," he snaps, trying to take a confident stance.
"No," his opponent says, that mocking smile returning. "No, you don't."
And with that he lifts his arm. With a flick of his wrist a blinding blast of red energy slams Danny squarely in the chest, knocking him into a table. He tumbles across its surface before skidding off and slamming into a bookshelf, scattering books everywhere. Danny's back on his feet in moments and back in the air.
"Get away!" Danny snarls, thrusting his arm forward and shooting an energy blast of his own -- a smaller, visibly weaker green light.
"Hah. An ectoplasmic energy blast." The evil ghost smirks and sweeps his arm, generating a shield of red energy that blocks all of Danny's attacks. "So… year one. Tell me, child, can you do this yet?"
With a flash of light and a shrill, echoing sound, a perfect replica appears beside Danny… then another. Then another, nearly boxing the boy in. He floats back quickly, eyes wide.
"No… I can't! How are you doing all this?"
"Years of practice," the four ghosts say in unison, their hands beginning to glow once more. "Which you, unfortunately, have no time for."
They release the energy at once, four beams hitting Danny from all angles. He cries out in pain and it's only moments before he's collapsed on the ground. The four ghosts remerge into one as the boy struggles to get up. He manages to get to his feet, visibly battered, burned and beaten, clutching his chest in pain. A pink mist blows from the larger ghost's hands, residue from the forceful blasts before. He smirks down at Danny, whose eyes widen in genuine fear.
He doesn't even bother with ghost powers now. What follows is a good, old-fashioned, bare-handed beat down, and Danny is powerless to stop it. Eventually he's able to gather up enough strength to turn intangible and escape through a wall, only to collapse on the hallway floor.
The dream suddenly snaps back into focus. All the fuzziness is gone. It's no longer a recording or a blurry memory -- it's happening now. Danny struggles, feeling pain shoot through every limb. What had once been numb and distant like all his other dreams was now all too acute. He lays there on the floor, unable to do much else, even when he hears and senses Vlad come through the wall.
No… no, this isn't right. This wasn't how it happened. Hadn't he fallen unconscious here? Why is he still awake and aware? "It's not… supposed to be like this…"
Vlad chuckles, gazing down at Danny. "No, I suppose you wouldn't think so," he says, and Danny can hear the amusement in his voice. "That's right, you never got a chance to use your fancy new ninja moves on me, did you?"
Danny's eyes snapped open and he grunted, lifting himself onto his forearms despite how much it hurt. "What… how did you?"
"Well, go on then," Vlad stepped back, folding his hands behind his back, under his cape. Danny watched him, then got to his feet -- suddenly the pain was gone. His bodysuit was intact and the bruises were never there. Danny could picture the moves in his mind but he didn't have to. The months of practice had readied him for this and he moved fluidly, the stances and punches pure reflex.
Vlad held up a hand and blocked the punch with hardly any effort. Danny winced, but -- but that was fine! He'd learned far more than a punch. He shifts his feet and moves with the motion, turning his momentum into a kick -- which Vlad dodges before Danny can even process what's happening.
"Oh, come now, Daniel. Surely your new teacher taught you more than that."
Danny growls and grits his teeth. He continues his endless stream of hits but Vlad blocks and dodges them all easily with a sneer and a dry comment. With every passing moment Danny grows more and more furious and his form suffers for it, each move executed sloppier than the last. Finally Vlad yawns and ends the laughable display with a backhand across Danny's face.
Danny stumbles back but stays standing, clutching his jaw and glaring up and Vlad.
Vlad only smiles in response. "Really, Daniel, is that all you're good for? Only imitating the moves you learned like some kind of trained monkey?" He shakes his head and steps closer. "You really are just like that idiot father of yours. If only you had a shred of your mother's… creativity."
And with that Vlad moves into a stance and begin throwing all of Danny's lessons right back at him. Frantically, Danny moves to block each one, but he finds that impossible when Vlad begins to power up each hit with a ghost power -- charing the punches with ectoplasmic energy, adding momentum to each kick with flight, and phasing through every block only to become tangible at the moment of impact. It was barely two minutes before Danny thoroughly thrashed and back to that battered, worn-down state from before. stumbling as he tried to stand.
"When will you learn that the only one who can teach you what you need to know is me?" He shook his head. "Really, son--"
"I am not your--!"
"--oh, believe me, it shows. Most unfortunate.."
"And I will never--"
"--Right, because I'm a bad guy, right?" Vlad's hand comes forward, clasping around Danny's jaw and slamming his head against a wall and holding him there. "Because I do terrible things and hurt people for my own personal gain. Yet you have the gall to pass judgment on me and then turn around an take lessons from Six like it's nothing."
Danny's pinned to the wall, too weak to break himself free. He kicks at Vlad's torso and claws at his hand uselessly. grits his teeth, determined to finish a sentence this time. "Six is… a good person! He offered to help me!" Well… he did. Before he lost his memory. Now… does he still want to? Or is it just an obligation? Now that the doubt had come up he can't quite squash it down.
"I can't tell if you're just in denial, or just stupid," Vlad says, a wicked smile playing on his lips. "He's teaching you lethal moves, Daniel. What do you think he does with those? Birthdays and bar mitzvahs?" He leans in close. "I was the first to offer help, remember? And I know far more about your plight than he ever will."
"He never threatened to hurt my family," Danny spat.
Vlad shrugs. "I'm sure he would for the right price." His smile broadens, showing off his fangs. "If you really want his help, why don't you hire him? Then he could get me out of your hair forever. I'm sure you'd like that, wouldn't you? Have me killed, and walk away with your hands clean. It'd be so easy."
Danny's face twists into a furious scowl. He gathers his strength and kicks Vlad squarely in the chest with enough force to knock him back.
Vlad chuckles, brushing himself off. "No? I'm curious, Daniel, where exactly do you draw the line between good and evil? Because I just can't figure it out. How can you cling so tightly to your morals when you keep contradicting yourself?"
"Shut up!!" Danny snarls, charging forward with another clumsy punch.