“Are you all certain?”
Clockwork’s voice had that quality that assured everyone present that he knew the answer, but was asking anyway.
The group surrounding him was an eclectic lot. Ghosts from all over the realms, some known to Danny, some not, as well as one of his best friends, and his parents were in attendance.
In truth they were the ones he was most surprised about their agreement.
“It’s been reassuring, the last few years, being validated with the truth being out.” Maddie said, “But it was never about validation.”
“Plus those rubberneckers won’t let me eat in peace!” Jack said.
He smiled at his dad, because he knew that wasn’t the real reason. The press had been hounding them for years at this point, and his father was never missing an ear to blather about ghosts to anymore. However, they weren’t doing it for them.
It was for him and Jazz.
With the reveal of his identity, they’d both lost their privacy. At best it was a few fans looking for autographs, at worst, it was full-on stalkers. He could always get away, but Jazz
The first time it happened, they tried to handle it, but the second, the third, the fourth… She was a pretty girl in a famous family. But that wasn’t the only problem with what was happening.
She, as bright and brilliant as she was, was being overshadowed. It had opened some doors, but every time it seemed like she was moving towards some career she found out the connection was made to get at her parents or her brother and that was what had hurt the most.
“Honestly, it’s not fun anymore messing with humans. When we were unknown, we could spook ‘em just fine, but now, we’re treated as scenery.” Johnny 13 posited. “Hell, one couple tried to get us to stay still for photos.”
“And with the league aware of our actions it’s impossible to get anything done anymore. How can I work under such scrutiny?” Technus supplied this time.
It wasn’t the most noble of reasons, but most of the ghosts had similar complaints. But that wasn’t the real reason for this decision.
It was the fear of being hunted or exploited.
The world wide reveal had mixed reactions around the globe. Even if their efforts to save the world garnered a lot of good will, there were always people with the resources or the efforts to destroy or use them. The Guys In White were one of them, in theory they’d been disbanded after the incident with the meteor, in practice they’ve just gone underground. Working to take ghosts out away from public eyes. Then there were organizations like the Hand or League of Assassins who sought to try and make their own ghostly soldiers or failing that, capturing some of the active ghosts to use them.
Danny remembered the sick feeling in his stomach when they’d found out and raided that base, what they’d been doing to those poor specters.
Danny let out a breath and looked at Clockwork, the observers and the ghost writer. “It’s not safe anymore. For any of us, this is known to the world. It’d be better if the world forgot.”
“The world, sans Amity Park.” Tucker stated. “We’ll still know, cause how could we not. That was what was voted by the majority.”
He was still acting mayor, in his second term at this point. When he’d moved to vote, there had been an odd mix of reception to the news of them removing the memory. But the truth was, Amity had suffered as well.
At first it’d been a good thing, the tourism industry skyrocketed as people came to see the haunted city, but that industry came with drawbacks. Corporations trying to buy people out of their homes to make resort-like locations to cater to visitors. A rise in petty crime, and of course, new villains appearing trying to gain access to the ghost portal.
The siege on Fenton Works by an organized effort of villains had been the last straw.
“Alright,” Clockwork tapped his staff and turned to the ghost writer. “You will write the memories out of the minds of the world.”
The pale man in the winter attire sort of sunk into himself. “I’ll need help doing so. I’ve never done anything this big before, and I’ll have to be careful. The effects won’t be as immediate either, it’ll be a gradual fade. It’s easier that way, details fading from the conscious mind and I’ll need help with the digital records.”
“But of course, I can be of help with that.” Technus spoke up. Tucker and Clockwork looked at him with suspicion. “With proper restrictions in place.”
“We can provide the energy, while I provide the time.” Clockwork said as he tapped his staff once more. “Once this is over, things will flow like they did before, the world will continue, as it was, with the ghosts of this realm being a superstition, and its ghostly hero” -he looked at Danny this time- “being anonymous once more.”
“Yeah, that’s okay.” In truth, he felt it was time to move on with his life. He’d spent so much of his teenage years chasing after ghosts, that it’d become what defined him. Now he was almost in his twenties and wanted to try something new.
Besides, the world had plenty of heroes. It’d be fine without Danny Phantom.
–
Guess who’s been reading Danny Phantom x DC fanfiction!
So yeah, this is my premise. Lots of peeps go for the, oh Danny is the Ghost King, or tossed to another dimension through the ghost zone. Those are fine. I’m just addressing the canon because while the last season wasn’t the best, some good things did happen.
How far I go on this, who knows.