Chapter Text
“We should move Amity somewhere else.”
“Where would we move it, Dash? We’re the only place left!”
The idea was almost dismissed. Everyone in the auditorium who’d heard it either laughed, sighed, or ignored the jock. The ruin, as people called it, had happened during a school day and left the students trapped inside until things were deemed safe. It was. The city was safe. Nothing else was, though, so they were trapped. Those haunted few who remained.
Most of the young people had decided to gather in the school. Kids were adaptable, especially those who were used to dealing with ghosts on a near-daily basis. They spent their days with anyone who'd managed to make it to the city in time, and went home every night.
The end of the world apparently still wasn't enough for these kids to stop going to school.
“Dash.” Danny Fenton, one of the only kids who’d taken well to the situation, was staring at Dash with wide eyes. “That is the dumbest smart idea I’ve ever heard.” Danny Fenton, the weirdest kid in Casper High, was grinning as he stood and turned to rush through the crowd of resting refugees from beyond the city.
“Sam! Tucker!” Danny slid to a stop, falling into a crouch in front of where his two friends were resting. “I have an idea! Dash had the idea. But I have an idea of how to make it happen.”
This level of enthusiasm had been unheard of the past week, so Danny was drawing more eyes than usual.
“Danny…”
“Sorry, Dude, but I don’t trust a plan built on any of Dash’s ideas.”
“No, no, just listen. I’ve got those extra amulets that remove you from the time stream, right?” His friends looked increasingly concerned with every word, and Danny continued despite them. “I have four. Sam, you’ve got that book with all the stuff on summoning circles. Tucker, you’re a master at reinterpreting things to mean what you want.”
“Don’t say all that so loud,” Sam hissed.
“I am pretty smart,” preened Tucker.
“Clockwork help me,” Danny muttered. “I’m saying we reverse engineer a summoning circle and incorporate the amulets so that instead of calling something to Amity, we send Amity to another timeline. We've been to some before, and we know there are safe ones; it'll just be on a bigger scale. We transport the whole city and everything in it to safety.”
Sam loved Danny. He was her best friend and, for a while, they’d even believed their relationship was romantic. It wasn’t, but that didn’t change the fact that they knew the most intimate parts of each other. They’d bared themselves to each other in mind, heart, and more. Sam loved Danny like a brother.
In spite of all that, she felt nothing when she slapped him upside the head. “We can’t do that. It would need anchors. It would take days or even weeks to figure out the circle. Then, we’d have to draw a circle of runes around the entire city. We can’t manage that.”
“The amulets can be used to make anchors. There are literature and language students who could help with translations and speed up the work. We have a bunch of athletes and artists here who could help make the circle. Having everyone work together on it could even help it hold onto the city, if the people of the city come together to make it! Sam, please, this could work, and it’s all we’ve got.”
Tucker loved Danny, too, but he remembered what had happened the last time he trusted his brother from another mother without question. The portal incident had changed everything. This plan could do the same.
“What if it doesn’t work?”
“What if it does?” said Danny.
“What if everyone catches on to us because we know too much about this stuff?”
“Better than everyone dying,” said Danny.
“What anchors are you thinking we’ll use? The amulets have to be on people.”
“The three of us and... Huntress,” said Danny, gears turning in his head in a way Tucker knew meant they couldn’t stop him. “I stand for death, she stands for life, we’ll be on the north and south ends of the circle. Then you guys stand at east and west to represent... natural chaos and man-made order? Balanced in every direction. Everything represented. It‘ll work, ancients giving.” He turned toward a nearby student, one of the younger girls who was watching with a notebook in her lap. “Can I borrow that?” asked Danny.
“What for?”
“I’ve gotta write this down before I forget it.” The girl shrugged and handed over the book and a pencil, to which Danny gave a quick bit of thanks and turned to the paper, quickly sketching a plus sign and writing at each point. “Order versus chaos. Man versus nature. You two will keep us balanced on the planes of reality. The will of the timelines. We’ll land somewhere able to accept us.”
“Danny, where are you getting all this?” Danny didn’t answer Sam. He kept writing, eyes glowing green. She leaned down and saw small clocks turning in either iris. “Oh, shit.”
“What? Sam?”
She turned to Tucker. “He asked Clockwork for help, and he's getting it. We’re doing this.”
“…no. No, really?” Tucker looked. Those gears in Danny’s eyes had been literal. “Fuck. Alright. Get your book. I’ll watch him.” Sam nodded and rushed off to get her grimoire.
“Huntress and I will represent the balance of life versus death. The protection of humans versus the protection of ghosts. The indomitable human spirit versus the unstoppable power of spirits. She and I will keep us balanced on the planes and unharmed on our travels. We can carve safety and escape into the circle to represent our goals. We can carve danger and loneliness to represent what we’re running from. It will work.” The gears and clock hands faded from his eyes, settling back into his usual blue with bits of green around the pupil. “Please, Tucker, I’m telling you- where’s Sam?”
“She went to get her grimoire. We’re in.”
“You are?!” Somehow, Danny was surprised despite how much he’d argued for this. “Yes! Thank you, Tucker! Hey! Mr. Lancer?!” Danny was yelling across the room now, at the man checking in with various students and organizing who would venture out to ferry supplies throughout the city.
“Oh, dear. Yes, Mr. Fenton?”
“Please, call me Danny. Mr. Fenton’s my father.” Danny repeated the same line as every other time, though Lancer never listened. “Anyway, who are your best language students? Like, if you had to pick a handful of people from this room to decipher and translate a newly discovered language, who would it be?”
Mr. Lancer sighed and started walking toward them while responding, “As much as I would usually love the chance to encourage my students’ skills, I’m not sure I trust your question not to lead to trouble, Danny. Why do you want your linguistically talented peer?”
“I need their help to translate magical runes and reverse engineer a summoning spell into a sending spell.”
Lancer stopped walking. “What?”
“Well, Dash had this idea. What if we move Amity somewhere else? This timeline’s done for, but there are countless others. I’m sure you’ve got some idea about the multiverse theory. Well, it’s true! And Tucker knows enough about quantum mechanics, Sam knows enough about magic, and I know enough about making shit that shouldn’t work do what I want it to! We can reverse a summoning spell so that instead of pulling something to our circle, we’d send everything in the circle, so Amity, to another timeline where it’s safe! Look, I’ve got it all figured out! We just-!”
“No,” Lancer stopped Danny’s ranting, “no, I believe this is another situation where it is best I don’t know. My top three students are Star, from your class, Maria, who’s sitting by the west wall with a red headband, and Ralph, who is usually as stoned as granite. I couldn’t tell you where he is.”
“No worries, Lancer. That’s more than enough, thank you!” Danny jumped up and turned toward the girl whose book he was still holding. “Can I borrow this? Or rip out that page or something?”
“Dude, it’s mostly math notes. I'm happy to be rid of it.”
“Thanks!” Danny ran off. He would start by hunting down Ralph. He’d seen the guy around while looking for a spot to transform a few times. Dude knew all the best hiding spots.
-=o0o=-
Danny gathered Ralph, Maria, and Star in an empty classroom and texted Sam and Tucker to meet him there.
“Bro, your phone works? All the towers are gone.”
“Oh, yeah. Tucker and I set it up to run off ectoplasm. The stuff has a very mild form of hive mind, so all our tech can connect as long as it is near ecto or has ecto.” His friends both sent affirmatives, so he set his phone aside and turned to the three students in front of him. “Okay. You guys are all good with languages and stuff. Sam is on the way with a grimoire of summoning spells. We need your help to figure out which symbols do what, then reorganize them into a new ritual circle that would theoretically send Amity to another timeline.”
The three all stared at him in confusion for a few beats.
“Hell yeah.”
“No, not ‘hell yeah.’ He’s talking about magic. That’s not real.” Maria crossed her arms, staring at Ralph over her glasses.
“Well,” Star leaned against the desk behind her, “ghosts are real and some of them do magic. I don’t see why this couldn’t be real, too. Besides, if anyone would know, it’s Danny and his friends. They’re the experts on weird.”
“Thank you, Star. So,” he looked between them, “you guys in on trying to save the city?”
-=o0o=-
The next two days, Danny, Tucker, Sam, Star, Ralph, and Maria all lived out of that room. They were working in an almost assembly line. Star, Ralph, and Maria all worked on translating which symbols meant or did what, then Sam would determine which symbols were needed and which ones could be useful, which would be handed off to Danny, who used his ‘particular set of skills’ to make sure the magic circle would work.
Tucker kept them all fed and made sure they got enough rest while throwing his input in wherever he could.
“Hey, Danny, what if we put this on the south end? Would that close the fraying section?”
Danny looked over to where Sam was pointing. They’d had to grab a bunch of scratch paper to draw out the circle big enough for them to fit all the necessary details, so Danny had to peek around a desk to see that section.
“It could, but that would be too many ‘strength’ motifs on that end, wouldn’t it?”
“No, we took out the other one to add a stability rune for the city infrastructure.”
Danny stood on the desk and studied the circle with the added rune. “Everybody step out for a few minutes.”
“What?”
“Why?”
“Danny?”
He chewed his lip, moving to the north end of the circle. “This could be it. I’ve gotta make sure it’s stable, though. So, everyone get out in case it isn’t.”
The group studied each other, then started moving, with Tucker stopping to take some pictures of the circle so far. “It better work or we’ll lose a lot of progress.” Then, Danny was alone with a ritual circle of paper, tape, and various pencil, pen, and crayon markings. They'd had to improvise after they ran out of ink pretty fast.
He knelt down, balancing himself on the north circle as he gently pressed his hand against the symbols on either side of him. Being half dead had its perks, some of which were especially closely tied to being the literal manifestation of balance.
He let just a little ecto-energy build on his fingertips, dripping onto the circle and spreading along it, painting a complex series of shapes and swirls and angles all along the floor. He watched the other end, waiting for the moment it would connect. Either it kept flowing, closing the cycle and traveling around in a stable stream, or it would block itself, and they’d have to try again.
Wait for it, come on… Yes! Yes! It was moving counter-clockwise, steady, and strong! It worked!
He focused on the flow, feeling for anywhere that his energy wasn’t returning to him or was slowing down, but there was nothing. It worked perfectly.
-=o0o=-
A few more days later, almost everything was set. Star had convinced Paulina to use her experience captaining the Cheer Squad to organize getting the circle drawn. Almost every student from Casper High was willing to try anything, so they were all using anything they could find to make the ritual circle. There were sections of chalk, spray paint, sticks, rocks, and anything else that wouldn't get smudged or blown away.
All that was left were the anchors.
"Danny?"
"Hey, Val. You know my crazy idea to send Amity somewhere else?"
Valerie sighed and ushered Danny into the apartment. She was one of the only teens who hadn't been part of the circle-drawing efforts, electing to stay home with her dad instead. "This isn't going to be quick. Want something to drink? We have teas that will never be made again. Limited edition."
Those kinds of jokes had been common.
"Sure, whatever you want for yourself. I'm not picky." Danny settled in at the dining table, waiting for Valerie to join him with two cups of tea. On a first sip, Danny could make out something citrusy. It was good. "So, the ritual."
"Your magic circle. I've heard about it. Seen it too. It seems like you're messing with some really complicated stuff." Valerie took a drink and glanced out the window. They couldn't see the circle from her apartment, but she'd taken to patrolling the edge of the city to see how far the ruin had spread. No more Portal meant no more ghosts, so she didn't have to patrol for those anymore, at least. "Are you sure you know what you're doing? If this goes wrong-."
"I've done everything I can to make sure it doesn't. I've double-checked the finished circle, as have at least 15 other people, to make sure it matches the test version from the school. All that's left is to put the four anchors on the cardinal directions and actually use the damn thing."
"Anchors?" Oh, right. Valerie's dad was home. Danny was just going to assume he'd heard everything.
"Anchors. I may have made a deal with the sentient form of time itself a while back, long story. Part of that deal was that I got these," he lifted one of the four amulets from in his pocket for the father-daughter duo to see. "This is a time amulet. Anyone wearing one is temporarily removed from the timestream. You can test it if you want. Just put it on and everything around you stops."
Valerie didn't surprise Danny by holding out her hand. She did surprise him a little when, immediately after putting it on, she teleported to take it off on the other side of the room. "It works. It's real. Danny, why do you have this?"
"Clockwork and I have a deal. I've done some work for him here and there and the amulets make that possible. There's more to it, but that's the important bit." Danny put the other three amulets on the table, keeping one hand resting on top of them. "We're going to have four people as anchors, each with an amulet to surround the city with their power. Four people to keep everything balanced and provide enough power to let this actually happen. It's gonna run on ecto-energy, so we need four people with high levels of ecto to sustain it between them. My levels are out of this world, almost literally, so I'll handle most of that. Sam and Tucker are both connected to the realms in their own ways, so they're two of the others. We need one more."
Valerie sat back down with a furrowed brow. "Danny... why are you here?"
Well... time for the moment of truth.
Danny reached his hand across the table and, when Val put the amulet into it, set it with the others before taking her hand. "Val, I wanted to let this be something that I never brought up unless I absolutely had to. So, now that the entire city might depend on it, I think it's time you know." He focused on her eyes, her reactions, every little detail. "I've known about Red Huntress since you first started."
"What?" Her hand was squeezing. Oh, wow, her hand was squeezing hard. "Danny, what the fuck?"
"I know, it's a big thing. I'm sorry. I figured I didn't have to say anything unless you did, but this is big. We need Huntress to stand south for this. You- In the mask, you represent humanity and their protection and safety. The suit is partially made of ghost tech, too, so it's got to have latent ecto levels that will help stabilize the circle."
"Danny, how do you know that?" She wasn't looking away.
"You remember that time you caught Sam and me making out in the park?" She nodded. "We recognized your voice. It was before you had the modulator. Well, Sam recognized you. I was kind of, uh, distracted."
"Dammit, Danny." Val put her other hand against her forehead and turned away. "Fine, what does Huntress have to do? When and where do you need me?"
"As soon as you're ready, we'll each take an amulet and go to our end of the ritual circle. You'll be south. There's an empty space between the runes for you to stand in and a little gear shape to press the amulet against. Just hold it in place, focus on getting Amity and her people somewhere safe, and say anything that feels right. Pray to any god, or to no god, or even recite poetry or lyrics. Whatever works in the moment, even if that means staying quiet and just focusing on the task at hand."
"Don't rituals and things usually have a fancy chant you have to memorize?"
"Usually, but those chants are to connect the spell to something specific outside of the circle. This time, everything we need is already inside, so there's no need to call into the beyond. It doesn't hurt, though, so I know Sam, Tucker, and I all have powers we'll be calling on for help. Connections in the Ghost Zone that might be able to give us an extra boost or that could guide the city where it needs to go."
"What connections?"
Danny stared down at their clasped hands. He'd started to psych himself out trying to read Valerie. She'd gotten better at hiding her emotions, even from a ghost that could usually feel them on people.
"After Undergrowth, the Ghost of Natural Chaos, invaded the city, he claimed Sam as a kindred spirit. She was basically Ghost Adopted into his domain as his apprentice. It's why her greenhouse is so healthy and how she survives on plants that logically shouldn't sustain her."
Valerie nodded, head still in her hand. "Okay, makes sense. Tucker?"
"He's a reincarnation. His previous life was the Pharaoh Duulaman, who stands as the rightful ruler of the Ghost Kingdom Te Duat. So, Tucker is going to regain his memories and position as Pharaoh T. Duulaman when he dies. He's going to call on his connection to the history of man since his soul is technically one of the oldest dead-man ghosts. Meanwhile, Sam will call on nature."
Val pulled her hand off her face, now holding Danny's in both of her own. Danny looked up at her, immediately overwhelmed again by the laser focus in her eyes. "Then I'll be the safety of man. What are you? What could you connect to that balances against humanity's protection?"
"The protection of the dead. You're the living. I'm the dead. We're both protectors, emphasizing that safety is a primary focus of this spell."
"Wait, what? How are you a protector of the dead?"
"I, well... There's no good way to say this and it's, um... kind of private?" Danny glanced toward Damon.
"Nope. Dad's staying. He knows everything I know. That's our agreement for my hunting. I don't keep him in the dark on anything."
Fuck.
Here goes.
Danny sighed, sent another mental plea to Clockwork, and transformed.
Then the shouting started.
-=o0o=-
Three hours later, Danny, Sam, Tucker, and the Red Huntress were all in position. The city waited with bated breath as Danny pushed green from his hands, slowly filling the runes to his right and working around the circle. It would take time to fill and activate, time they didn't have.
"Clockwork, Pandora, Frostbite, and Noctourne. To those whose favor I have earned and those who have granted me their blessing, I beg you to extend it once more. Let time be on our side. Let this power be harnessed and danger locked away. Let this circle stand with the strength of a glacier. Let this city find a place to rest." Danny kneeled, held his hands to the runes on either side of him, and pressed his face against the amulet to keep it in place, bowing to the city he was trying to save.
"Father, Master, Sire, and King. Undergrowth, who calls me Kin, I call on you, as your heir, to grant refuge to these mortal weeds; that they might cultivate a new life in a garden with fruitful soil. Let us not control nature, but follow her whims and find a garden that will be made more plentiful for our arrival. Grant us favor, I beg of thee." Sam stood, vines slowly rising from the runes to wrap around her legs, grounding her and the amulet in the circle; nature accepted her plea.
"Men of days old and long-passed, People of Te Duat, hear your Pharaoh's command and heed his cry. Let the men of this world be preserved, be transferred, and be delivered to safety. Let this kingdom, which carries the memory of your own, continue on in another world. Let these men and theirs be kin, let them be compassionate, compatible, and comparable to our own. Let them find refuge among those who will have and accept them." Tucker stood, Pharaoh's Scepter once again taken from the museum as a personal focus and held upright in both hands, one foot forward to keep the amulet in place despite the miniature dust-storm rising around him, head raised to focus on a sun he would never again lay eyes on.
Valerie, donning her Red Huntress armor, sat on her heels and pressed her hands to the amulet. "I don't know what to say." The green rushed past her, around her, under her... even through her, sliding through her armor and her body like he was made of the same stuff. Maybe some of her was. "I don't know what to say." She stared at the amulet, the gears in it turning slower and slower with every passing moment. The wind was picking up, mostly coming from where Tucker was supposed to be. "I don't know what to say except help us. Please, we need help." She tilted her head back, eyes closed beneath the hood as she openly wept and begged that what little hope they had would not be destroyed in this moment.
The city lay quiet, the people waiting with bated breath, until the sky turned green, the wind whipped cold, the grass grew a foot tall, and then- The sun was back, the sky was blue, the air was still but for a gentle breeze, and the land beyond the city was wheat and corn. People struggled to stay standing as the city shifted slightly to the side, but the world was no longer charred and barren. Their city was safe.