He hadn’t wanted to just run off to the Far Frozen again, to take advantage of his ghostly allies for every little problem. Feeling a bit funny in ghost form wasn’t anything new, wasn’t something worth worrying about. It was just a noise. A little thing.
He figured it was just his heart, still beating under ectoplasmic skin. It only felt louder, made his chest twinge uncomfortably because that wasn’t normal for ghosts, that’s all. He was only imaging the click. There wasn't a tick.
He ignored it. It did not ignore him. The stiffness, the discomfort only increased. He had hundreds of reasons to brush it off. How many ghosts had bones like he did? He felt fine after he changed back. It was a ghost only problem, and of course he felt sore as a ghost! Danny fought ghosts as a ghost, and got very well acquainted with the texture of buildings doing so. It would be strange if he wasn’t sore sometimes.
He would have kept ignoring it, dismissing it if his hand hadn’t seized up. It wouldn’t move beyond the slightest shudder, as if his muscles had locked in place. Being human didn’t make the sudden lock up vanish, and the noise he swore had been his heart clicked so loudly in his ears that he thought something had broken.
So much for not bothering Frostbite.
“I can suggest steps, Great One, but without confronting the cause the changes will continue.” The yeti’s massive fuzzy hand on his shoulder was not very comforting with the news that came with it. “Nor can I reasonably expect we would be able to make the ghosts responsible reverse it.”
“I don’t care who it is, I’ll still clobber them if it cuts this creepy stuff out.” Creepy was an understatement, but the only word he could think of. The ticking kept going at the same constant speed, ignoring or blind to his irritation and fear.
“It would be beyond even you. I am sorry. However, any of us here would be willing to assist you. I fear living outside of the Infinite Realms may become difficult if your body locks up more severely.”
“I’m not going to let someone make me unable to go home because they put some dumb ghost curse on me!”
Frostbite did not laugh, did not shrug and let him go ‘try’. Instead his grip tightened as he lowered his great head down to his eye level. “Young one, you cannot fight off time itself. I do not know why it has ensnared you, or how you caught its attention. I only know how to help you keep those growing gears in order.”
It sounded even worse when he phrased it like that. Gears? Like it wasn’t bad enough that he was half some weird ghost, he had to just add weird mechanical bits in too? “What do you mean time itself? You said a ghost did it!”
“Yes. There is a ghost, in theory. I do not know if they actually exist. I only know that in order to keep ‘peace’ within the realms time will twist some ghosts. To give them weaknesses, to keep any one ghost from becoming greater than it.” Frostbite didn’t flinch from his yell, instead focusing on Danny’s much smaller hand, ever so gently moving it and listening for a small click in each joint. “If they do not wish to be found, they will not be. I should be able to fix the misalignment- but it is temporary. Your body will not move in perfect sync with these new growths. They’ll catch and freeze like this again if you are not careful.”
Danny felt an awful lump in his throat. There was only one ghost that did time stuff? One ghost that was doing this to him? Putting freaky cogs and gears under his skin so they’d catch and break? To leave him helpless and unable to move like how his hand had become useless?
It wasn’t a nice thought, but he didn’t want to argue with Frostbite about a ‘time ghost’. If it wasn’t who he was thinking of, they’d know more than his fuzzy friend anyway.
-----------------
He found the clock tower as easily as he did the time he tried to beg for help in curing his friends after Vlad made them sick. The door was already half open, so he did not have the satisfaction of knocking it aside or kicking it down.
Instead he only had the constant ticking of the massive gears inside the tower. The ticking that was in perfect sync with that awful grinding in his chest, the uncomfortable twinge under his knuckles as if something far too large had been crammed under the joints. As if he was part of it. “Clockwork!” Was it a furious bark, or more of a pitiful mewl? He couldn’t tell over how loud everything felt.
Red eyes loomed over him, sudden and unexpected.
Nothing. Clockwork did not speak. Danny couldn’t force another word out of his throat, even though he wanted to scream at him, to ask what gave him the right to slip awful machinery inside him- to control him.
Clockwork’s face twisted for only a moment, swiftly enough that he couldn’t quite tell if it had been in rage or some other emotion full of bared teeth. “You are in trouble again, I take it.”
His passive question ignited the anger simmering in his chest, confusion knocked aside with a furious certainty. “Because of you!”
“In part.” Clockwork looked away, but did not move out of range of any attack Danny would care to make. “I did not kill you when ordered to.”
“I’m not talking about that! I’m talking about these- this- clockwork! Inside me!” He could have known- it was even the weird ghost’s name- how stupid was he?
“I understand. It is not an enjoyable experience, but one gets used to it, in time.”
No apology? Not even an explanation? “Why? I don’t- I don’t want this!” His fingers clenched and he pulled his arm back, prepared to take a swing. Instead of taking it his elbow made an awful crunch and froze, just as useless as his hand had been before.
Clockwork came close, reaching for his arm but he flew back, eyes burning in anger. “Don’t touch me! Not when you did it!”
The hooded ghost did not approach again, but did not back away either, shifting ages instead as if it would make a difference. “I understand your condition. Let me help, I will not harm you, and leaving your arm in that state will only make things worse in the future.”
He really wanted to shoot Clockwork right now. “No!”
Clockwork lowered his arm and sighed, eyes seeming dimmer than usual. “Very well. Just take care of yourself. If you awake with a key, guard it with everything you have.”
Still nothing useful from the bizarre ghost, just what sounded like threats. “I was stupid to think you were kind.” Danny spat as he backed away. He had to find some other way to fix this, a way to get a jump on this jerk of a ghost.
“I understand the pain you are going through. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone else.”
Danny left. He didn’t want to hear anything else. Didn’t want to feel how in sync all the weird little movements inside him were as he listened to seconds tick by. He hated how it smothered his anger and almost seemed to comfort him while he felt awful little metal disks clicking in his limbs. He couldn’t be here, he wouldn’t. He’d come back with friends and make him undo it.
---------
“You always complain you are lonely, Time Master. Be grateful.”
“I will not.”
“Pardon? Did you say you did not want your clock wound? That is what it sounded like, Clockwork. Did I mishear you?”
A low rumble that died into nothing but the constant beat of seconds. “Thank you.”
“Better. It’s difficult for an antique like yourself to get anything done all wound down like this, after all.”
Clockwork could only grit his teeth and refuse to look at his tormentor, the holder of a key he could not function without. “You will not take his key.”
“Of course we will. No reason for a pair of clocks to hold them. It is not as if he could wind himself.”
Perhaps not himself. Yet they could help one another. If only he had not lost his. In only he hadn’t entrusted it to traitors who claimed to work for ‘order’
one of a kind (1759 words) by AllisonNoir
Chapters: 1/2
Fandom: Danny Phantom
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Characters: Observants (Danny Phantom), Other Characters Referred
Additional Tags: Phil the Observant, Ghost Zone (Danny Phantom), Ghost Biology (Danny Phantom), Ghost Zone Politics (Danny Phantom), Worldbuilding, Ectoberhaunt Order (Danny Phantom), Ectoberhaunt Chaos (Danny Phantom), Disparagement of humans, Ectoberhaunt2022, Different Narrative Than Usual, They/Them Pronouns for the Observants, Day 19: One/One Hundred, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Series: Part 4 of fate written in the sky
Summary:
You might imagine every existence started with a blip, with an indescribable sound of creation, the first sign of a being’s forming. Or, the first blink of a newborn, some ungraspable difference between void and the join of a final element to slowly evolve into a living one, separating the delicate state between not-yet-existing and getting the last essence of turning into something then something alive...
But there is no sound. There never was. Humans try to pair everything – even a creation of a life – with senses they can perceive, while the world is more complicated than that. It shifted. It shifts. And it always will shift.
And life exists even when they have never thought life could exist: in a realm where everything is believed to be dead.
Everything hurt. Green rippled and twisted anywhere he looked, the movement confusing and uncomfortable when everything felt scrambled. Where was he?
Who was he, again?
Or more importantly, what was he? There was a painful pounding when he reached for those questions, having to force his eyes shut to try and push the worst of it back.
They should know, right? Have some sort of idea instead of an empty meaningless pain. Instead it almost felt like the twisting green of the sky had more answers than his head.
“So you’re finally awake? I almost thought you were just an empty shell.”
He jerked at the sound, staring openly at the massive red eyes that had appeared. They were like gaping wounds against the vibrant greens, but even that was getting eaten away by some pale surface. A face.
He knew he didn’t like it. Not why he felt uncomfortable and unsafe, just that something squirmed in his stomach and told him to get back and away from this massive thing. Something more than just a natural fear of something huge. Like he’d seen something like it before. Did he, though? How had he even figured out how to back away when he didn’t even know where he was? Was flying just a thing he did?
“Oh calm down. If I was going to hurt you, I would have acted when you were just senselessly floating, wouldn’t I?” The thin smile that joined the eyes did not help settle the squirming discomfort.
Yet he didn’t know anything. Beyond just reacting, everything was still a muddled blank space. This too-big creature might know something? Did he even want its help, with how uncomfortable those eyes made him? It took a moment to find his tongue, another to even grasp at the word and make it. “Where?”
“The Infinite Realms, of course.” Starlight seemed to snake below the strange, mask-like face, a darkness that blotted out the neons beyond like some sort of living curtain. “Your home, little one.”
He tried to move away again at that, an awful spike of wrongness screaming in his skull. Not his home, not his friend. He didn’t have a why, just the feeling.
All he did was run into the flowing curtain of starlight, spindly fingers locking him in place even as he struggled.
“I just told you to calm down.”
The voice was everywhere, which he decided did not make him want to calm down at all. He expected the hands to claw at him, to crush him. They didn’t. He was just sort of supported in the undulating black sea. “Who are you?”
The face let out a laugh. “Who am I? Don’t you have more important questions to worry about?”
Well, yes, but he wasn’t going to ask Mr. space face about it. Knowing who anyone was would still be progress.
“You can ask. I don’t mind helping new little ghosts.”
Ghosts. The word felt right, but also cold. Like it wasn’t a good thing, even if it was true. “What do you mean?”
“You didn’t exist until now, did you? A body freshly built from ectoplasm, but not yet awake until now. So you’re new.”
Part of him wanted to deny it, but a cold throb in his chest kept his mouth shut. So he was a ghost? Some ectoplasm thing? “I didn’t exist?” That part didn’t feel right. He should know things, but couldn’t. So he was something before, right?
“Indeed. You might be dealing with some leftover emotions and thoughts, ectoplam so loves to hold on to those.”
There was a weird pressure at his head. Oh. The thin fingers were carding through the bright white strands of hair on his head. Like he was a little frightened kitten, or something. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Of course it does. You made yourself a nice little body out of the ectoplasm flowing freely here in the Infinite Realms. It wasn’t always yours, nor will it always be. It remembers things of those who used it before, little one.” The brushing got a little gentler, but didn’t let him go. “They will fade as you adjust and make use of it. Do not let the confusion consume you, or you will just chase after shadows, trying to be the remnants of someone else. A terrible shame and waste of a new soul.”
Now he didn’t know how to feel. So all those instinctive feelings weren’t even his? It was true that the big scary space thing hadn’t actually hurt him, even though his first reaction was to run and fear them. “How do you know they aren’t mine, though?”
“Don’t you think you would remember existing?”
Yes. He felt like he should remember. That there was something. But nothing like making a body, nothing like the endless green. Yet he didn’t even have that. Just waking up and feeling lost. Alone. Scared.
“It’s normal for new ghosts. I know somewhere you can stay while you figure out how you want to be.”
It better not be somewhere all dark and scary. “Maybe I can figure it out on my own.”
“You might. I admit I am being selfish.” A low chuckle rumbled around him, only getting a little louder when he flinched. “Younger beings like yourself still have so many dreams to discover and have. If you simply got wiped out by a mindless beast, or crushed by trespassing unknowingly, I would miss out on all of that.”
So stars here was some sort of weird…dream…ghost thing? That sort of made sense. Those huge purple horns he could sometimes make out, sheep were sleepy things? Or something? It just felt right. “So that happens to new ghosts a lot?” The fear was creeping back up his spine.
“When they’re unfortunate enough to form in a desolate part of the realms like this, yes.” They paused, though the fingers never stopped messing with his head. “Which is why I’m here to guide you somewhere safe, if you wish.”
“Or you’re trying to trick me.”
“So suspicious for one so young! I have been upfront and honest with you so far, haven’t I?”
The fear shrivelled in the face of the guilt choking up his throat. He was being unfair, wasn’t he? He hadn’t been hurt. Honestly, with the weird hair combing his head did feel better. Less muddled and lost, at least. That, and he knew he was a ghost now. “I guess.” It was more of a mumble than anything.
“If you do not like it, you can leave. I expect a little cold core like yourself will feel quite happy there, however.”
“Cold core?” Great, more nonsense words. Weirdly familiar but nonsense words.
“Ice, to be more specific. The ones who live there can explain what cores are better than I can. It’s the ‘you’ that woke up, in short.”
Even though he hadn’t really agreed to go anywhere yet, he could tell they were moving now, a sort of change in how the stars undulated and seemed to streak past instead of remaining where he could see their paths. Was ice, was cold good? There was a sort of cold thing in his chest, it sort of pulsed at the promise of cold. So maybe that was true too.
“So, will you follow? Or do you prefer being given a lift?”
“I can follow!” It comes out louder than expected, a bite he didn’t feel snapping free. An indignant anger that just left him feeling even more confused.
“Fierce little thing, aren’t you? Good. It’s good to be a fighter if you frequent this part of the Realms.” The sky retreated from him, leaving him loose in the green of the realms again, though the massive ghost was right beside him, a constant reminder of how small and scrawny he was in comparison.
Was there a reason he made a body in a sort of black and white costume? Did it have something to do with the ice thing? It didn’t look very cold. That, and he swore he’d had legs before instead of just a misty black tail. Or was that some made up memory too? Instead of thinking too much about it, he focused on following the bigger ghost. Moving felt familiar, almost felt good, even if it was a bit difficult to tell how much he was moving with so few landmarks and how his guide was blocking half of his view.
The strange chunk of frozen land made him feel happy. Like it was a good place, a safe place. Not like where he woke up, and not like the dream ghost. It was weird to just want to be there, now that he could see it. Yet he longed for it anyway. Or maybe his ectoplasm was the only part of him that did.
—-
“You’ll play nicely with him, won’t you?” Nocturne asked the three yeti children, who kept their heads lowered even as their stumpy tails anxiously twisted in the snow behind them.
“Yeah! Course we will!”
“Uh. Mr Lord of Dreams, sir.” The second added with a cough when the first failed to add anything even after an elbow.
“Yeah, that!”
Danny looked anxiously at the three children, eyes flicking between them and himself. Perhaps he felt out of place, still being mostly humanoid. “It’s nice to meet you?” The boy finally managed to make himself speak, even though his lengthened and flattened ears betrayed his discomfort still.
Yet the clear anxiety only seemed to egg the fuzzy young ones on, recognizing a fellow kid who needed friends. “You too! Wanna play?”
“Uh. Sure? Play what?”
“Wellllll your horns are kinda tiny sooooooo we can’t do headbutts. But we can do-”
“SNOWBALL FIGHT!” The third one yelled and pelted the second one with snow, setting off a chorus of laughter and playful growls as more snow started flying.
Good. The boy would be more than distracted enough while he set Frostbite straight in the whole matter.
Which was tedious, dealing with a fang filled face and burning eyes as the leader of the far Frozen snarled at his perfectly sensible explanation.
“I will not lie to him. Your cruel games do not interest me.” Frostbite snapped, fury making his frozen arm crackle and flake. “We thank him for all his work by lying and cheating him? Never.”
“Now Frostbite, surely you don’t think the truth is kinder to him? Look at him, happily playing with your people. You call that cruelty?”
Another mindless growl. “A mockery, taking advantage of him when he’s still lost and confused.”
“Ah yes, joyful snowball fights are clearly the most awful things to do to him.” He bit back a sigh, knowing needling the bear would only make this even more tedious. “Why do you think telling him the truth is so much better, Frostbite? I know you like the little pain in our collective sides.”
“It is only the right thing to do. He will remember who he is with time.”
“Not if he does not try to recall his past, he won’t. It’s not as if he has that old body of his, that brain where he used to store all his memory. Nor does he have any of his original ectoplasm, lost with the rest of him. I did not lie to him. He is a new ghost, now that he’s truly dead.”
“He has history, people and places he cares for! You can’t just think tearing all of that from him is right.”
“Of course it is.”
Frostbite’s growl stopped, apparently struck dumb by the simple response. “No.”
“You know as well as I do that we are truly cut off from our sister dimension now. The fact he formed at all is proof enough.”
“The Realms always shift. This gap may very well be temporary.”
“All our connections were cut off. Killed. Ended. The creature kept in a mockery of life is here, in the Realms in a post death haze. As the thing that gave him life was killed. Of course he joined it in death.”
“You might be powerful, but you are not all seeing. We have had portals wink out before, and they have always returned.” Yet it was clear his words were finally digging into the massive yeti’s head.
“All of them at once? After the humans acted to be rid of us for good?” Nocturn only grinned in the silence as it stretched out longer and longer. “You are not so delusional to think this is just something that will be undone in time, are you?”
“I plan to find out more of what was done, and how it can be repaired. That does not mean we should lie to him, reduce him to a newly formed child that knows almost nothing at all.”
“Do you know who asked me to bring the little brat to you, to be cared for? It was not my idea, I assure you. I was perfectly happy to simply feed off the nightmares he would have of being lost and locked away from everything he knows. To feel the betrayal and emptiness and reality that he is no longer special, and is merely another dead soul. A ghost that can never even get back to everything he cares about so strongly.” Oh how he wished it could be that simple. Unfortunately, some ghosts were too powerful to ignore.
The dismissive snort bodes ill. “You do not take orders from anyone Nocturn, I know that much.”
“My dear sibling insisted I made sure he was comfortable with friends and allies. It was he who insisted I did not bring up his lost life.”
“The master of time?” Frostbite’s ears drooped, tail suddenly quite limp against the ground. “Even he truly thinks it is hopeless?”
“He can only see the future of places connected to the realms. He sees nothing of that world of humans anymore. Little Phantom out there would only suffer knowing about the world he cannot get to. Besides, all his little human friends probably just expect he’s dead and gone. Not that he’s still lingering as a new ghost. More guilt for him to pine and rage about but be unable to change.”
Frostbite did watch the children playing just at the edge of sight, tumbling and throwing up snow with reckless abandon. “He would be angry to know we kept his past from him.”
“I will be blunt. The only one who can give that old Phantom what he would want is me. By sinking him into an endless dream, a delusion to let him think he has what he can never have again.” He’d seen a future of that, the boy begging for something, anything to help the gaping hole where his heart and family should be. “I am perfectly fine having another sleepwalker, another mind to feed on until he’s nothing but a filter for emotions and ectoplasm. Yet others disagree. So he’s here, safe with you. If you don’t want to ‘lie’, so be it. I’ve done my part.”
More than his part, honestly. If Clockwork cared about the little brat so much, he should have collected him himself. He’d leave all the nonsense to Frostbite and his gaggle of yetis and wash his hands of the whole mess. He had far more pressing things to worry about now that there would be so few dreams with an entire world gone, unable to be harvested from.
