(Jared's POV)
Memory Tardis…
A mash-up of various Tardis themes and contents. A display box of Tardis keys. I walked over to a book titled A History of the Time War, knowing how much trouble that caused for Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS. Dorothy McShane picks up a snazzy panama hat and puts it on, then spots a baseball bat in the umbrella stand with a sword. A voice with a penchant for rrrrrrrolling his Rs speaks.
"That Dalek got quite a beating, if I remember rightly." The Doctor said, happily.
"Professor!" Ace said, excitedly. "Jared!"
"Ace!" The Doctor cheered. "Jared!"
"Doctor, Ace." I said, walking over to the Doctor and Ace for a group hug. "Finally. I was wondering when I'll see you both."
The Doctor, Ace, and I hugged.
"Ah-ha-ha. Mine, I believe." The Doctor said, grabbing his hat from Ace and putting it on his head.
"Last time I saw you and Jared, Professor, you were a hologram." Ace said, sadly.
"Mmm."
"Hologram?" I asked, walking around the Memory TARDIS. "What are you talking about?"
"Spoilers, Ace." The Doctor said, frowning. "Jared hasn't done it yet."
"He hasn't?" Ace asked, tilting her head. "But Professor, you're here. You're real. You've got old."
"Time streams are funny things. In some, I regenerate. In others, I don't. It's all a matter of perspective." The Doctor said, smirking.
"I was in the middle of a meeting and then I was here."
"Well, this is a Memory TARDIS. I've been here five times now. I met all sorts of Doctors, companions, and their friends. It's a special place where old friends like us come to share stories. And to remember the good times and the bad." I said, stopping my pacing to lean against the TARDIS console. "It's also for us to have therapy sessions and to face the difficult truths we've been trying to suppress."
"Did you ever think of me?" Ace asked, looking at the Doctor.
"Oh, Ace! I thought about you every day." The Doctor said.
"Sometimes I wish I'd never left. That I'd stayed with you forever."
"Ah, well, that's the thing, you see. This place, this is forever. It's kept alive with memories, and we stoke its engine with our stories. And we can return here whenever we like, with a wish."
"That's how I met you, remember? With a wish."
"Ace, you know what's funny. That's how I also met the Doctor. With a wish!" I said, excitedly.
"Wicked. You never told me that, Jared."
"Mmm." The Doctor said, looking down at the floor.
"I wished I was somewhere else. Somewhere that wasn't Perivale." Ace said, letting out a sigh.
"Well, I wish I was somewhere else too. Somewhere that wasn't New Jersey."
"Jared, I was halfway across the universe."
"Iceworld. Brr." The Doctor said, looking up at Ace, making a freezing noise.
"Compared to you, Ace. I ended up in a different universe from my own. I ended up in this one after being sucked into a crack in time." I said, rolling my eyes.
"Except it wasn't my choice, remember? I was taken there by Fenric. I was just a part of one of his games." Ace said, looking between the Doctor and I.
"A game of traps." The Doctor said.
"Ace, you know what I'm worried about. Meeting the Toymaker and being a part of one of his games." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag.
"Jared, that is a valid concern. That would also be a game of traps."
"I don't think I want to remember." Ace said, looking between the Doctor and I.
"Ace, you should remember. You and my Spaceman here." I said, happily.
"It's too much!" Ace said, worried.
"Our pain comes to define us, Ace. Alongside the joy." The Doctor said.
"Good people died that day. So many lives were ruined."
"Others were set in motion."
"Dangerous undercurrents."
"I taught you to dive beneath the surface, to be unafraid. So... let's dive together this time. Into the water."
(Open POV)
24k Jewelry store…
It is after-hours, and at a display case, the jewelry being to glow and float. Danny pokes his head in to take a peek.
"And I thought the merchandise is flying off the shelves is just an expression." Danny said, entering the store and firing a couple of ecto-blasts at them.
Four ghosts appear as they are zapped, two male and two female.
"Woah! Who are you guys?" Danny asked.
One male, a dwarf, jumps on Danny's shoulders and pulls on his mouth then covers his eyes.
"Hey! I'm not a hat person! Especially if the hat is a dwarf!" Danny said, throwing the dwarf ghost off.
The dwarf crashes into a case and sets off the alarm, Danny tries to leave and runs into the other male, who is much MUCH larger.
"Okay, all things considered, maybe the tiny hat guy was better." Danny said, sadly.
The large ghost grabs Danny with one fist and throws him toward a female, eye-patched, who stretches herself across two columns, making slingshot across the room.
Danny opens his eyes and the other female, a tattooed ghost, reveals herself to be covered in tattoos, which come alive and attack Danny.
Danny powers up and fires and ecto shock wave that blows all the tattoo creatures into the other ghosts.
"You know, it's ghosts like you that give ghosts like me a bad name." Danny said, frowning.
Sirens are heard and a police cruiser pulls up in front of the store.
The tattooed ghost collects her tattoos, and she and the other ghosts phase through the ceiling, dropping their jewelry on Danny, which the two officers see when they bust in.
"Freeze Inviso-Bill!" Cop 1 said, angrily.
"Although it's hard to come up with a worse name than that." Danny said, phasing through the floor, leaving the jewelry on the floor.
"Hey. Want to take this stuff and blame one of the ghost kids?" Cop 2 asked.
"You're under arrest." Cop 1 said, sighing.
"Awww…"
(Jared's POV)
Sam's home…
Sam is sleeping soundly until a shaft of light hits her face.
"Good morning, sunshine! And how do we greet the brand new day?" Mrs. Manson asked.
"With a smile on your face and an attitude of gratitude!" Mr. Manson said, excitedly.
"I'm a creature of the night doomed to a family of morning people." Sam said, groaning and wrapped her pillow around her head.
"Uh, Sam, sweetie, I thought maybe we'd try to mix it up a little with the wardrobe today." Mrs. Manson said, producing a pink sundress with yellow floral print.
"Nothing says 'Hey world, look at me!' like floral prints." Mr. Manson said, happily.
"Okay, but I need to add just one little personal touch." Sam said, producing a can of spray paint and scissors, sprayed the dress black, making it look now like a funeral dress, and cuts the skirt part much shorter.
"Up next, is your teenage daughter moody, surly, is her outlook on life blacker than her eyeliner?" A woman asked, on the TV.
Sam blinks and glances at her parents, who glare suspiciously at her.
"Take an active interest in your child. Know who her friends are. Learn to recognize a bad influence when it walks in your door." The woman said, on the TV.
Danny comes in through the door with me and some CDs.
"Hey Sam, I got that Morbid Anti-social Youth CD you wanted." Danny said, holding the CDs.
"I got you the Neon Genesis Evangelion CD." I said, taking the Evangelion CD out of my sling bag. "Had to stop by the Helicarriers to get a copy."
Sam's parents glare at Danny and I.
"What? Have you heard 'My Parents Reek'? That cut rocks!" Danny cheered.
"Not as much as 'A Cruel Angel's Thesis'. Now that song slaps!" I said, excitedly.
Sam's parents glare more at Danny and I.
On the TV, there's a red spiral shown and Freakshow comes on.
"I... am Freakshow, ringmaster of the Circus Gothica…" Freakshow said, on the TV.
A skeleton is shown juggling skulls.
"...where your nightmares come alive. Circus Gothica…" Freakshow said, on the TV.
A gloomy/scary clown with sharp teeth is shown, howling with demented laughter, but while (still) frowning.
"...where the clowns never smile." Freakshow said, on the TV.
A heavily pierced man in an iron mask is shown.
"Circus Gothica. Come and get your freak on... with real freaks. Circus Gothica! Coming to Amity Park. Cross over... to the dark side." Freakshow said, wielding a staff with glowing red orb.
"Cross over to the dark side…" Danny said, in a trance-like state and his eyes glow.
"Now there's some evil mind pollution we won't be seeing any time soon, sweetie." Mrs. Manson said, turning off the TV.
"But we already bought our tickets." Sam said, as her parents raise their raise eyebrows, causing the goth to give an exasperated sigh. "We'll be fine, it's just harmless entertainment, right, Danny and Jared?"
"Yup. Totally harmless." I said, handing Sam the Evangelion CD.
"Cross over to the dark side…" Danny said.
"Hilarious. Can we leave now, or do you want to stay and corrupt my grandma?" Sam asked, and she and I pulled Danny out of the room through the door.
"Cross over to the dark si-i-ide." Grandma Manson said, in a trancelike state.
Sam's parents look concerned.
"I'm just kidding, lighten up!" Grandma Manson said, angrily.
"Will you quit messing with my parents? That's my job!" Sam yelled.
Amity Park…
"What?" Danny asked, blinking. "Um, sorry, Sam, Jared, musta got a little spacey." He rubs his head. "I was up pretty late last night."
"Just watch what you say around them, they already think I'm on the road to troubled teenhood." Sam said, while she began walking with Danny and I.
"Sam? Where are you going? School's this way." Danny said, pointing back to Casper High.
"The circus Gothica Train pulled into town last night. I'm cutting first period to watch the opening ceremony at the train station." Sam said, smirking.
"Sam…" Danny said, looking at Sam.
"Take it easy, Tucker's got first period free, he's covering for me."
(Open POV)
Tucker's home…
Tucker is dressed in drag, finishing the final touches to his Sam costume.
"This is so wrong." Tucker said, looking at the money in his hand. "But you make it right."
(Jared's POV)
Amity Park…
Sam runs off with me.
"Don't blame me if you get caught!" Danny yelled.
Danny's Ghost Sense goes off and he turns to see the dwarf ghost running with a heavy bag.
"And speaking of getting caught." Danny said, looking up to see the rest of the ghosts, also carrying bags. "I'm goin' ghost!"
Danny leaps onto a trash can, then a truck, then into the air, goes ghost, and chases after the ghosts as the cops catch up to them.
"Opening a new bank account? Don't forget your free toaster!" Danny said, firing an ecto blast which knocks the money sack out of the dwarf's hands.
The sack lands on a cruiser, causing it to swerve into a fire hydrant.
"Curse you, ghost kid!" The cop said, angrily.
"Oh great, more fans." Danny said, annoyed.
Danny chases the ghosts across town. They phase through a Circus Gothica billboard and Danny is temporarily hypnotized by Freakshow's orb.
Circus Gothica…
Danny shakes his head and phases through to find himself at the opening ceremony, where Circus Gothica's equipment and tents are already finished being set up.
Many goths are swarming the place.
"Terrific. The crooks got away, I'm late for school, and I've never seen so many goths out in broad daylight." Danny said, sarcastically.
Goths open up black umbrellas.
"Well, look who decided to slum it with the troubled teens." Sam said, happily.
"What? I'm not in trouble." Danny said, landing.
Sirens are heard approaching.
"Oh yeah, you're an upstanding citizen. Need to hide from the law?" Sam asked.
"No." Danny said, going invisible.
Danny jumps behind a bunch of iron drums and de-ghosts. Danny, Sam, and I whistle nonchalantly as cops go by.
"Come back here, Inviso-Bill!" A cop said, angrily.
One train car opens with a drop-down ramp and Freakshow slowly steps out of the shadows.
"Greetings, fellow outcasts. I am Freakshow, your master of ceremonies. Are you ready to smile, relax, and forget all your troubles amid the pleasant diversions of the circus?" Freakshow asked.
"NO!" The goths yelled, at the same time.
"Then you've come to the right place!" Freakshow said, walking amid the crowd. "Prepare to be disturbed and appalled by a small sample of the bizarre and abnormal world of Circus Gothica."
Freakshow gestures back to the train car.
An arrow tied to a rope launches across from the car and embeds in a pole. A woman emerges, crawling on the rope much like an insect, the goths gasp. A man balancing on a ball and juggling skulls rolls out, a heavily-pierced woman within an iron, spiked wheel follows, and an incredibly tall man in a skeleton suit emerges last. The goths cheer and Danny finds his gaze landing on Freakshow's staff and becomes mesmerized again.
"This is the greatest moment ever. Nothing could ruin this for me!" Sam said, excitedly.
"Except your parents." I said, rolling my eyes.
"My parents? You could have told me, Jared!"
"Parents of Amity Park!" Mrs. Manson said, over the megaphone.
A large protest crowd has gathered behind the Mansons.
"We urge you to boycott this morbid assault on the morals of our children!" Mrs. Manson yelled.
The goths boo at the protesters.
"What are they doing here?!? Why can't they have day-jobs like regular parents?!" Sam exclaimed.
"Don't let the rantings of the closed-minded norms beat you down. Show them your true colors! And when I say 'colors', I mean 'all black'. Make them see you for who you are." Freakshow said, leaping upon a crate above the crowd.
"Make them see us for who we are…" Danny said, as his eyes turned red. "Hey everyone!" He waves his arms. "Over here! We're Danny Fenton and Sam Manson! We cut school and we're proud of it!"
"Danny…" I said, wearing my TARDIS key around my neck. "There goes laying low for this."
The goth teens cheer as Danny poses proudly.
"You're one of us, now." A goth boy said, spraying Danny's shirt black.
"Sam?" Mr. and Mrs. Manson asked, at the same time.
Sam holds her head in her hands and I twirled the TARDIS key on the chain around my neck.
(Open POV)
Casper High…
Sam, Danny, and their parents are in the principal's office.
"Some might call this little act of rebellion a cry for attention, but I call it a cry for detention." Principal Ishiayama said, chuckling. "Isn't that clever?"
"Nice job, Danny. Maybe I should have cried 'Hey! It's Inviso-Bill!'" Sam said, angrily.
"I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me back there." Danny said, sadly.
"Bad judgment, that's what! Next time, think before you act!" Jack yelled.
A small gun on Jack's arm engages and squirts ecto goo all over the Mansons.
"...Obviously, the apple doesn't fall very far from the over-bearing, orange-jump suited tree!" Mrs. Manson said, scoffing.
"YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH JUMP SUITS?" Jack asked.
"Jack, let me handle this." Maddie said, placing her hands on top of Jack's. "YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH JUMP SUITS?"
"Samantha, I forbid you from seeing this boy or any of your other troubled friends." Mrs. Manson said.
"My friends are perfectly normal!" Sam yelled.
Mr. Lancer slams the door open, and in walks Tucker in the Sam outfit.
"This is so wrong." Principal Ishiyama said, letting out a sigh.
Circus Gothica fairgrounds…
Later that night, it was busy.
"Slaves! Center ring!" Freakshow said.
The tall man in the skeleton costume pulls off the outfit. It's actually the dwarf ghost on stilts. The juggling man becomes the large ghost. The spider woman leaps down and is the eye-patched ghost. The heavily pierced woman reveals herself to be the tattooed ghost.
"For generations, my family has controlled ghosts with this…" Freakshow said, holding up the staff. "…untold power and all they could think to do was to entertain the masses, whereas I have found a much more profitable use for you minions." He digs through a chest of gold/money. "And as soon as the newest member of our cast joins us, this entire town will be mine for the taking."
The orb glows and reveals Danny Phantom's face.
(Jared's POV)
Casper High library…
It is the next day and I am invisible from the view of Mr. Lancer.
"I wanted to experience something horrific and unimaginable." Sam said, holding up the Circus Gothica ticker and watches Lancer clip his toenails. "This isn't what I had in mind."
"We can always go to the circus tomorrow. That is, assuming we're not grounded and your parents let me within two-hundred feet of you." Danny said, sadly.
"Guess we'll have to settle for the live web-cast of opening night." Tucker said, hiding his PDA behind a book.
"That's the equivalent of watching a VTuber." I said, frowning.
Freakshow appears on Tucker's PDA, "Creatures of the night, unleash your dark side at Circus Gothica!"
"Unleash your dark side at Circus Gothica…" Danny said, walking towards the door.
"And just where do you think you're going, Mr Fenton?" Lancer asked, jumping in front of Danny.
Danny's eyes turn red, he smiles and leaps into Lancer.
"Unleash your dark side at Circus Gothica…" Danny said, overshadowing Lancer and walked into the janitor closet.
Danny phases out and locks Lancer inside.
"Cask of Amontillado!" Lancer said, banging on the door. "Let me out, let me out!"
"Danny, what are you doing? We're in too much trouble as it is!" Sam said, worried.
"No such thing as too much trouble. Unleash your dark side at Circus Gothica." Danny said, phasing through the ceiling.
"Okay. We have to follow Danny to Circus Gothica." I said, making myself visible.
"Oh no! But that would mean skipping detention and going to the circus!" Sam said, sarcastically.
"Um…" I said, noticing Tucker's stare. "Oh. The irony of that, Tuck."
Sam and I grabbed Tucker and we ran runs off.
Circus Gothica big top…
It is now dusk and I still have my TARDIS key around my neck.
"Please welcome a performer who puts the 'death' in 'death-defying acts'.... the Grim Reaper himself!" Freakshow cheered, gesturing to the high wire.
A hooded figure wielding a scythe glides across the wire, causing gasps of shock, then balances on the blade, causing cheers.
Outside, Sam and I entered the big top by the 'Cast Only' entrance.
"What are you doing back here?" Freakshow asked.
"Woah! Freakshow! This is so cool!" Sam said, excitedly.
"Sam, you have to focus." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag.
"Uhm, I'm looking for a friend of mine who was acting kinda weird."
"Oh, that narrows it down to, oh, everyone in this tent! HA-HAW!" Freakshow said, while the hooded figure approaches. "What are you doing, dolt?!? Get back out there and do your encore!"
The hooded figure pulls back their hood and is revealed to be Danny.
"Sam? Jared?" Danny asked, looking between Sam and I.
"What's that? Was that---was that free will?" Freakshow asked, holding the staff higher. "Obey me, minion!"
"What? You're controlling him?" Sam asked.
"It's like hypnosis or mind control." I said, looking at Danny.
"Get her." Freakshow said.
Danny raises the scythe and Sam screams.
Center ring…
"Please welcome a brand new vict…talent to the high wire in her first....and final...performance." Freakshow said, gesturing to the high wire.
Sam is perched precariously on the wire with a blindfold on that Danny slices off. Sam looks down and almost loses her balance.
"Sam?" Tucker asked, running into the room.
"Danny, listen, you don't wanna do this! You're being controlled!" Sam said, worried.
Danny raises his scythe and cuts the wire with an evil laugh. Sam screams as she falls and Danny returns to normal, leaping down and saving her. The crowd cheers.
"Danny, don't scare me like that!" Sam said, terrified.
"How should I scare you?" Danny asked, being controlled again.
"Danny! Sam's terrified!" I yelled, and Danny backed off. "Stop it!"
"Consider that a warning, girl." Freakshow said, walking away.
"Jeez, Sam, you nearly gave me a heart-attack! Can we take time off from your gothapalooza and actually look for Danny?" Tucker asked.
"Gah, Tuck. You're so slow sometimes." I said, rolling my eyes. "That was Danny under the hood. Freakshow is controlling him with a crystal ball! Come along, Manson, Foley!"
Sam, Tucker, and I ran right out of the center ring.
Circus Gothica big top…
Sam, Tucker, and I run right into the mob of parents.
"Sam! Shouldn't you be in detention?" Mrs. Manson asked.
"Umm... Lancer let us out?" Sam asked.
(Open POV)
Casper High…
"Let me out!" Lancer yelled, banging on the closet door.
(Jared's POV)
Circus Gothica…
"Are we late for the protest?" Maddie asked.
"I brought the Fenton Riot Gear." Jack said, pulling out a large gun from behind back and accidentally sets it off, blasting the Mansons' signs.
Mrs. Manson glares at Mr. Manson.
"What? I didn't invite them." Mr. Manson said.
"Hey, isn't Danny supposed to be with you?" Jack asked, noticing Sam, Tucker, and I.
"He was with us." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag.
"Not according to this restraining order he's not." Mrs. Manson said, taking out a piece of paper.
"Well he's not here and he's not at school, so where is he?" Maddie asked.
(Open POV)
Amity Park…
A museum alarm goes off and Freakshow's ghosts emerge, carrying various paintings. Danny emerges, decked in royal jewelry.
"Ecto-butts in gear!" Danny cheered, firing ecto blasts at the ghosts' rears, causing them to cry out.
The ghosts fly off.
"This party's just getting started!" Danny said, following the rest of the ghosts.
Police cars come flying up the road.
"Oh please!" Danny said, firing an ecto blast at the cars' tires.
Sam's house…
"In the wake of parental protest, Circus Gothica ringmaster, Freakshow, had this challenge to his critics." Tiffany Snow said, on the TV.
The news channel goes to Freakshow, standing in front of angry mob.
"I invite you to attend a free performance for parents, police, and concerned authority figures. See the show and see for yourselves that we're harmless entertainment." Freakshow said, on TV.
The news channel cuts back to Tiffany Snow.
"In other news, police got a break in the recent rash of mysterious burglaries as security cam footage revealed the ghostly culprits." Tiffany Snow said, on TV.
The news channel goes to security camera footage of Freakshow's ghosts and Danny stealing money. Danny sees the camera and blasts it.
"And finally, have you seen this out-of-shape teacher?" Tiffany Snow asked, on TV.
The news channel goes to picture of Mr Lancer with 'MISSING' across the bottom of the screen.
"He was last sighted in the Casper High School library…" Tiffany Snow said, on TV.
Sam switches the TV off. She is sitting on her bed with her laptop by her. Tucker and Jared come on screen.
"Sam, didja catch the news? We gotta do something to save Danny!" Tucker said, on screen.
"How ironic is it that I'm stuck under house arrest while my parents go to a free Circus Gothica show?!" Sam exclaimed.
"Only slightly less ironic than the fact that they were right about it being evil."
"Give me a day at the circus that doesn't have a gang of international smugglers or a hypnotist." Jared said, on screen. "I'd rather it be a fun day. Even if there's murder involved."
Sam drops a rope ladder outside her window and crawls out.
Amity Park…
On the ground, Sam runs into her grandmother.
"And just where do you think you're going, bubbala?" Grandma Manson asked.
"You don't understand grandma! My friend is in trouble, and if I don't do something right away…" Sam said, sadly.
"Ya know, I had a wild streak when I was your age." Grandma Manson said, pulling out a photo album and showing Sam a picture of herself when she was young.
Grandma Manson's riding a scooter.
"Why are you showing me this?" Sam asked.
"Who knows? Maybe I'm old and babbling, or maybe you should sneak out and help your friend while I'm lost in my memories." Grandma Manson said, happily.
Sam smiles and kisses her grandmother on the forehead, then runs away.
"This is so wrong…" Grandma Manson said, taking off her clothes, revealing clothes like Sam's and she puts on a wig like Sam's hair. "But I dig it!"
Circus Gothica big top…
"I'm keeping a detailed list of anything I find objectionable, immoral, or obnoxious." Mrs. Manson said, writing on a clipboard.
Jack spits soda/popcorn all over them.
"He on the list?" Mr. Manson asked.
"Right now, he is the list." Mrs. Manson said.
(Jared's POV)
Outside Circus Gothica…
Sam is sneaking about the grounds when a bat-shaped shadow falls on her. She hides under the train.
"Sam?" Tucker asked.
"Tucker? Jared?" Sam asked, looking between Tucker and I.
"Hey Sam. Is this a great Circus Gothica hat or what?" Tucker asked, ducking to see Sam and pointed to the bat on his beret.
"Seriously?" I asked while Sam gets up and slaps the bat away, mad.
"I'll take that as an 'or what'." Tucker said, sadly.
Train…
Sam, Tucker, and I jump on the train and go in through a top hatch in the caboose. We land in piles of gold, money, jewelry, paintings, etc. We look around and see Freakshow's staff.
"There's the crystal ball! Let's grab it and…" Sam said, happily.
Suddenly Sam, Tucker, and I are blasted out of the caboose. Danny emerges with Freakshow. The train whistle sounds and the train pulls away.
"Danny! No!" Sam said, worried.
"Yes, yes, please scream. A shame anyone who might help you is busy enjoying my free show. HAAAH!" Freakshow cheered.
Tucker, Sam, and I chase after the train.
(Open POV)
Circus Gothica…
Inside the big tent, the tattooed ghost phases through the top and releases her tattoos upon the crowd. The crowd screams in terror.
"GHOSTS!" Jack and Maddie said, at the same time.
Mr. Manson pulls back the tent flaps in an attempt to leave and come against a brick wall, "We're trapped!"
"Okay, that's objectionable, immoral, and obnoxious." Mrs. Manson said, writing down on a clipboard.
Outside Circus Gothica…
Sam, Tucker, and I look down upon the train from an overpass.
"We have to jump." I said, sadly.
"You crazy? I can't jump." Tucker said, sadly.
"And I can't abandon Danny." Sam said.
Sam, Tucker, and I hold hands and jump together onto the train. We land and fall on our stomachs.
"Plus, I'll never hear the end of it if my parents learn they're right about him being evil." Sam said.
(Open POV)
Circus Gothica…
"Stand back everyone!" Jack said, angrily.
Guns/phasers emerge from various parts of the Fentons' suits and fire in every direction while they make action poses. All of the tattoos are destroyed and the tattooed ghost is knocked away.
Maddie lands in front of the Mansons, "I ask you once again; YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH JUMPSUITS?!"
The Mansons grin nervously and hold their hands up.
(Jared's POV)
Outside Circus Gothica…
Sam, Tucker, and I run along the train cars towards the front.
"Yes!" I said, excitedly. "We made it."
(Open POV)
Circus Gothica…
Freakshow and the three remaining ghosts hear our footsteps.
"What are you waiting for? GO!" Freakshow yelled.
(Jared's POV)
Outside Circus Gothica…
The ghosts phase up in front of Sam, Tucker, and I, and Danny phases up behind us.
"Danny, it's us, Sam, Tucker, and Jared! Your best friends, remember?!" Sam exclaimed.
"Tucker? Sam? Jared?" Danny asked, blinking. "I.. I.." Sam, Tucker, and I smile hopefully, causing Danny to shake. "I…" Danny's eyes glow red. "...am a.. ghost. I have no friends."
Freakshow is now on top with us.
"Don't waste your breath, children. He's under my control now." Freakshow said.
(Open POV)
Circus Gothica…
"We owe you Fentons a debt of gratitude and an apology!" Mr. Manson said, angrily.
"Save it for the bake sale, Thurston. We need to bust out of this tent!" Jack said, excitedly.
"Leave it to us!"
"If there's one thing we Mansons know how to do, it's whip an angry mob of parents into a frenzy." Mrs. Manson said.
Soon, the crowd explodes out of the big top.
"Saddle up the Fenton RV! We'll head those spooks off at the pass!" Jack yelled.
(Jared's POV)
On top of the train…
"Don't just stand there, finish them!" Freakshow said, looking at Danny.
The train approaches some scaffolding.
"You should try holding that thing a bit higher." I said, while Freakshow raises his staff and it is knocked out of his grasp as the train passes under the scaffolding. "And there we go. Just as intended."
Tucker makes a grab for it but misses and it lands in Danny's hand.
"Way to go man!" Tucker said, walking up to Danny, his hand raised. "Now gimme five!"
Danny raises his hand and knocks Tucker away with a blast. Tucker hits the large ghost and is grabbed.
"Very good, drone. Now, bring me my staff. Come on, bring it…" Freakshow said, making kissing noises as if calling a dog over.
Danny looks uncertainty at the staff.
"Fight it Danny! He's not holding the crystal ball anymore, you are!" Sam said, angrily.
Freakshow grabs Sam and throws her aside, causing her to nearly fall off.
"Silence! Obey me, ghost! Give me my staff. Come on." Freakshow said, making kissing noises as if calling a dog over.
Danny looks uncertain again.
"I saw you up on that high wire, you were fighting him the whole time! Fight him now, Danny! You're not just a ghost! Fight him!" Sam said, worried.
"Danny, if you want to be Sam's boyfriend, snap out of it! Do it now!" I said, angrily.
"Quiet!" Danny said, groaning. "All of you!" He held his head. "I need to think!"
"Stop her! Now!" Freakshow yelled.
The train crosses onto a bridge, with a gorge below.
"Well, it's the crystal ball or your friend, Danny, your choice!" Sam said, backing away from the approaching ghosts and accidentally backs off the train. "I didn't mean that to be so literal!"
"Sam!" I said, and Sam screams.
"Sam! No!" Tucker said, terrified.
"Sam? SAM!" Danny said, jumping after Sam, letting go of the staff as he raced after her. "Jared, do you want to help?"
"No. Catch her." I said, while Danny catches Sam and brings her back up while the staff smashes on the ground below. Danny's eyes turn back to green. "Phew. That was a close one."
"Danny…are you okay?" Sam asked, looking at Danny.
"I think so. It's all a blur. I did some bad stuff, didn't I?" Danny asked.
"Nothing you can't fix." Sam said, smiling.
Danny and Sam land back on the train.
"Good. Now maybe one of you can convince Tiny here to let go of me?" Tucker asked.
"No need to." I said, as the three ghosts' eyes also go back to normal. "They were under the mind control of the staff. Once the staff broke, they're free."
"H-huh? Where are we?" The eye-patched ghost asked.
"Are we free? Finally free?" The dwarf ghost asked.
"Only one way to find out." Danny said, smirking.
The ghosts, Danny, and I gang up on Freakshow, grab him, and phase into the train.
Circus Gothica…
"Okay, uh, when I called you, er, 'minions', it was really a-a term of endearment like-like 'I love my minions!'" Freakshow said, terrified.
"You wanted a big haul? Try this on for size!" Danny said, blasting the boxes/bags of gold/money above Freakshow and causing them to fall on him.
"I'm so over hypnotism and mind control." I said, walking up to Freakshow to shock him to the point of nerve paralysis. "That's for good measure."
"Gah! Oh! That.. quite.. Smarted…" Freakshow said, frowning.
The train pulls to a stop in front of/among police cruisers that have blocked the track.
"So, what d'ya say we stick around and explain to the cops we were being controlled by an evil ringmaster?" Danny asked, and the ghosts phased out of the train. "Ya know, I had a feeling that would be their answer."
"Same. Let's go, Danny." I said, while Danny and I phase out as well.
The cops bust down the door and Freakshow grins innocently.
Amity Park…
A cop shoves Freakshow into the cruiser.
"Nice work, kids. You caught that weirdo goth punk thief red-handed!" Jack said, excitedly.
"I'm just happy you're all safe!" Mrs. Manson said, worried.
"More than safe, they're heroes!" Mr. Manson said, looking at Danny, Tucker, Sam, and I.
"We're so proud of you." Maddie said, happily.
"But you're all still grounded!" The Fenton and Manson parents yelled, at the same time.
Casper High…
Danny, Sam, and Tucker are all in the library, being forced to study as I am listening to the RWBY Volume 9 soundtrack on Spotify.
"Grounded, shmounded!" Grandma Manson said, pointing at Sam. "This is cruel and unusual punishment!"
"I know, but it was the only way I could convince them to lift their restraining order on Danny." Sam said, wearing the sundress from earlier. "And to not put one on Jared."
"At least Freakshow is in custody and the stolen goods were returned." Danny said.
"So why do I feel like we're forgetting something?" Tucker asked.
"Don't know." I said, smiling. "Could be anything, Tuck."
"Waiting for Godot, is anybody out there?!" Mr. Lancer exclaimed, banging on the cabinet door, sobbing. "This is so wrong!"
"See ya Monday." The janitor said, opening the door and pushing the mop in before closing the door.
Lancer jumps on the door and tries to pull it open, then continues banging on it.
Memory Tardis…
"We never talked about it. What happened that day. Hmm. It was all my fault. I was always on the run. Always eager for the next adventure." The Doctor said, letting out a sigh.
"Hmm, wasn't just you. That was my life. Keeping my head down, bottling things up inside. Maybe if we'd talked, we wouldn't have fallen out." Ace said, looking at the Doctor.
"Yes, well, I did things I'm not proud of. I used you, manipulated you, kept secrets. No wonder you abandoned ship."
"Walked off in a strop, you mean." Ace said, scoffing.
"Wait, you did that? So did I. But that was because the Doctor had me and Clara choose between saving humanity or a baby." I said, laughing a lot. "That day, it wasn't my best. But I was pissed."
"Glad I wasn't the only one that did that. Thanks for telling me, Jared." Ace said, sadly. "Cos I just kept seeing their faces. Sorin and Mike. Kara and Bellboy. So many people died for us. I needed someone to blame. By the way, Professor, that wasn't West London where you dropped me off."
"Really?" The Doctor asked.
"No! It was London, Ontario. Had a right palaver getting home without a passport."
"He dropped you off in Canada!" I said, still laughing. "Of all the places. That city is full of stroads. And it's around a ten hour flight! Maybe about 15 hours if it's full of connections."
"It was. That was a long flight. Glad you've done a lot of traveling on Earth, Jared." Ace said, frowning.
"Oops. Well, er... well, to be fair, we did have a very busy day, as I remember. Yes. Oh, yes. The Rani was up to her old tricks." The Doctor said, and I calmed myself down from laughing.
"I'm sorry I left you like that." Ace said, looking at the Doctor.
"No, but you had to go. To become the person you are today. To save the world. That is your destiny. That you set in motion."
"It really was. You had to kickstart A Charitable Earth, Ace. I made some donations here and there over the years." I said, happily.
"Thank you for your interest." Ace said, looking between the Doctor and I. "I went back to see her. Kathleen Dudman. My nan. After I left you I went to the care home every Tuesday. She never said much. She was so ill. We just sat together, holding hands. But before she died, I think there was this moment where she realised who I was. How we'd met before, when she was young. And her eyes changed. They sparkled. And she smiled like she'd never smiled before. Like she knew."
"She would have been very proud of everything you have achieved." The Doctor said.
"You know about that?" Ace asked.
"Yes, well, I check in from time to time. And do you want to know a secret? The best is yet to come."
"Professor, I loved you, you know. Like the dad I never had. I've never said that before, but I did. I still do."
"And I love you." The Doctor said, happily.
"We made a great team." Ace said, smiling.
"We were wicked!" The Doctor said, excitedly.
"Oh. Ace. Where's that jacket? The one with the patchwork?" I asked, walking around the TARDIS console room.
"Oh. On a hanger in my office. Pride of place, but officially retired." Ace said, looking at me.
"Hmm." The Doctor said.
"I think it's time to grow up. Does this thing fly?"
"Of course it does."
"How about a trip for old times' sake?"
"Where do you and Jared want to go?" The Doctor asked.
"Don't know. Let's go anywhere we want to. Maybe everywhere across all of time and space." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag.
"Somewhere there's danger. Somewhere there's injustice." Ace said, imitating the 7th Doctor.
And somewhere else the tea's getting cold." The Doctor said.
"Come on, Professor, Jared, we've got work to do." Ace said, looking between the Doctor and I.
"Ah!" The Doctor said, prodding the Time Rotor into life with his umbrella.
Ace finds a pair of dessert spoons and the Doctor plays them along her arms and my arms, finishing with our heads.
"Ow!" The Doctor yelled.