Third Person POV

Despite everyone's pestering, Clockwork refused to answer any of their questions and went about repairing the throne room. Nocturn helped here and there but mostly remained off to the side, staring into the blue box Clockwork had given him.

Fright Knight, Sam, Tucker, and Jazz caught Danny up to speed on everything that happened with Vizier, him being mind controlled, Elder Spirits and anything else that they could think of. Danny was reeling with all this information being given to him, but what had him most on edge was the fact that the coronation was today. He was out of time. He was going to be crowned as the new ruler of the Ghost Zone whether he wanted to or not.

Danny excused himself from his group of friends and headed towards the doors of the throne room. Jazz reached out to stop him but Fright Knight held her back. 

"I believe the Prince needs some time to himself. A lot has happened to him in a short amount of time," he said quietly. 

Jazz bit her lip and stared at her brother as he shuffled towards the large black doors. She sighed, and turned away, choosing to help clean up the throne room. Sam and Tucker joined in as Fright Knight rested against Nightmare, letting his wounds heal.

Just as Danny reached the doors, a hand clasped his upper arm and pulled him out of the way as the doors crashed open and in flooded a tidal wave of castle servants. Danny jerked himself free from the unknown hand's grip and turned to see the Nocturn-looking ghost towering over him.

"I am not 'Nocturn-looking'," the ghost pouted, "I am Nocturn. And I am quite offended you don't recognize your old enemy." He finished by crossing his starry arms and scowling slightly at Danny.

"Wait a second, how did you-" Danny started, before his eyes widened at what the ghost admitted. He began to charge his hands with green ecto-energy when Nocturn raised a glittery hand.

"I am not here to fight you, little one," he said quickly, "I merely wanted to offer some advice." 

Danny lowered his hands but still remained on defense. He wasn't ready to trust Nocturn just yet. 

Nocturn sighed, allowing his form to shrink so he was almost the same height as Danny. He held out his hands and gave Danny an expectant looking, silently asking the teen if this was better. Danny made no change in his posture nor did he give a sign of acknowledgement. The starry spirit sighed again, "I can tell the whole, Prince of the Ghost Zone is causing you quite the amount of stress. Might I suggest you just... put it on hold?" he offered, shrugging.

Danny's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?" the halfa questioned, "The coronation is today. I'm out of time and I doubt I'll be allowed to refuse now." Danny finished by throwing his hands in the air, exasperated.

Shaking his head, Nocturn continued, "You misunderstand me. You don't have to refuse, you can just pass on the position until you are ready." A smug grin appeared on Nocturn's face as he watched Danny's expression become hopeful. This was all too easy.

"But, who would I pass on the position to?" Danny asked, mentally going over ghosts he thought were trustworthy. There was Dora, but she already ran her own kingdom. Frostbite had an entire tribe to take care of, and would he even be able to survive outside the Far Frozen? Thoughts raced through Danny's mind and Nocturn winced. He placed a hand on Danny's shoulder, drawing the teen's attention to him.

"When the time for the coronation comes, announce that you are stepping down for the time being, and are naming Galahad as your temporary successor," Nocturn instructed, staring into Danny's eyes. 

Danny tilted his head in confusion. He opened his mouth to ask who Galahad was, but found that the words wouldn't come out. "W-Who..." Danny finally managed to mutter when loud music began to play, cutting the young halfa off.

The teen whipped around to see that the throne room had been completely transformed. Streamers and flowers adorned the walls, a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling and a carpet leading from the door to the throne had been laid on the ground. Stone benches stretched out on either side of the carpets, with enough room to hold thousands.

Nocturn grew to his normal size and placed a large hand on Danny's back, ushering the teen out of the throne room and into the hands of several maids and footmen. "Hurry now. You don't want to be late for your own coronation!" Nocturn called, as Danny was led away, his voice uncharacteristically cheerful. The starry spirit grinned to himself and floated back into the throne room where an unhappy Clockwork was waiting.

"What?" Nocturn asked, floating past Clockwork, "You're not the only mastermind here, old friend." The Elder Spirit of Mind floated down the aisle, calling over his shoulder in a hushed voice, "I have plans of my own, too."

Clockwork's eyes narrowed as he shifted to his toddler form. Had he made a mistake in trusting Nocturn? Only time would tell. For now, he had to ensure the coronation went off without a hitch. He followed after Nocturn as his eyes drifted to his staff. He noticed a smudge on the clockface of his staff. Using his glove, he wiped it away with ease and glimpsed at his reflection on the small surface. Closing his eyes, he continued towards the front of the room. He couldn't let his mind drift, not now. Not when he was so close.

Hey-o, Normal Line Break here. Wow it's been a while. Good to be back and see all you readers. Hope you're liking the chapter. Now if you'll excuse me, I hear a margarita calling my name. Continue on reading!

The throne room was prepared for a large celebration, but the only attendants to this ceremony were a few representatives of the Observant Council, Fright Knight, Nocturn, Clockwork and Danny's three human allies.

"I can't believe Danny is going through with this," Sam muttered, slouching in her seat.

"Is there nothing we can do? We can't stop this at all?" Tucker questioned, looking to Fright Knight.

The ghostly knight shook his head. "The Observants and Time Master have decreed it as such. We are powerless." Danny's words of doubt about being the new Ghost Prince rang in Fright Knight's head. He wished he could be by his liege's side, doing his best to encourage him, but his injuries prevented him from doing so.

"I'm still scared about the crown," Jazz added, narrowing her eyes at the flaming crown hovering above a satin pillow atop a small pillar next to the throne. "I know Clockwork said Vizier isn't a problem anymore but I can't help but feel like he isn't telling us everything," she said, casting a sideways glance at the purple clad ghost.

Once the throne room had been fully repaired, Jazz, Sam and Tucker all cornered Clockwork and demanded answers. Clockwork assured them that Vizier was gone for good and that Danny would have no further issues taking the throne. The humans tried to force an answer out of Clockwork about what Nocturn had done to Danny and why Clockwork defended him but Clockwork simply shifted to his middle aged form and floated away. Fright Knight had advised them that once Clockwork was done speaking, they weren't going to get any further answers from him. Begrudgingly, the humans left it at that and instead focused their efforts on helping the castle staff. 

Now that the moment was almost upon them, they wished desperately that they could cause a huge scene and sweep Danny out of the castle, away from all these responsibilities he didn't feel ready for.

Music filled the hall as the black and green patterned doors opened, revealing Danny Phantom in his Ghost Prince form. His white cape flowed elegantly behind him as he made his way to the throne, head held high. His eyes showed no signs of fear or doubt as he passed by his friends. Once he was in the sight of his friends he glanced their way and winked.

Jazz, Tucker and Sam muttered silently amongst themselves about what Danny was doing. They had seen that look on his face many times before. Danny had a plan.

The young halfa arrived in front of the throne, taking a long look at it before turning to face the small crowd. An Observant floated next to the Crown of Fire, lifting it from its pedestal and turning to the audience.

"Today, we crown a new King. The next ruler of the Ghost Zone. May he lead us into prosperity in the name of the Creator!" The Observant announced, raising the crown in the air. There were no cheers, only bitter silence. The Observant floated towards Danny and just as he about to place the crown on Danny's head, the teen ducked away, waving his hands above his head.

"Wait, hold on. Just wait a second," Danny said quickly. All eyes were on Danny. He gulped, taking a deep breath before straitening his back. His eyes flicked to the spot where Nocturn was sitting and the starry spirit had an encouraging smile plastered on his pale features. "I am not ready to be your new King," Danny admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"It does not matter if you are ready or not!" an Observant seated in the audience cried out, rising from his seat, "The Council has spoken!"

"Okay, I get that," Danny said, backing away from the Observant holding the crown as he continually tried to raise the crown over Danny's head. "But what if, I just hand over the throne to someone else for a little while? Until I'm ready for it?" Danny offered, "I'm just a kid, I haven't even graduated high school yet!"

Sam, Jazz and Tucker smiled, proud of Danny for standing up for himself while Fright Knight was amazed by his liege's bravery. Standing against the Observant Council's decree was a bold move and he hoped it would not end badly for the young halfa. Meanwhile Nocturn was holding back laughter in his seat as Clockwork's expression remained emotionless, though his grip on his staff tightened which did not go unnoticed by Nocturn.

"And who do you suppose would be a fitting replacement, your Highness?" another Observant asked, mockingly.

"Um," Danny began, dodging the crown holding Observant once again, "I think Galahad would be a pretty good choice."

The room went silent.

"How..." Fright Knight said, his voice shaking as he slowly rose from his seat, "How do you know that name?" The ghostly knight limped towards Danny as the teen backed away from his former bodyguard. 

"Uh... I just... I didn't..." Danny stammered as Fright Knight grew closer. Nightmare flew behind Danny, blocking his path. The teen bumped into the winged horse, turning to look at the steed. When he turned back around he was staring directly at Fright Knight. "Do you know who he is?" Danny asked as he felt his throat dry up.

"Galahad," Fright Knight whispered, "is my name."

Danny's eyes became as big as saucers. "You're Galahad?" Danny gasped. 

Fright Knight's eyes narrowed in confusion as an Observant suddenly appeared between the halfa and ghost knight, separating the two. "Enough of this," he warned, his giant eyeball head glaring at the two ghosts. "It does not matter who is who, we must crown a King that the Council has agreed upon. And that is Danny Phantom." 

"Now wait a moment Paradai," another Observant wearing a golden sash chimed in, floating in front of Danny. "Maybe the boy has a point."

Danny peeked out from behind the golden sashed Observant, eyeing Fright Knight. The ghostly knight returned Danny's stare as the two of them shrugged, equally confused at the current event.

"Airian, you cannot make a judgement without the Council's approval!" the Observant that separated Fright Knight and Danny, Paradai, scolded. He pointed a bony finger at Danny, squinting his enormous eyeball at the teen, "The boy must be crowned and will be advised by a court hand picked by the Council. That is what was agreed upon!"

"Oh my," Nocturn whispered leaning over to Clockwork, "this is getting quite interesting. Shouldn't you step in?"

"You know I can't, Nocturn," Clockwork hissed back, never taking his eyes off the Observants.

The other Observant, Airian, sighed. "The boy is clearly unwillingly to bear the weight of the crown," he said, placing a hand on Danny's shoulder. The teen shivered under the touch and stared up at the Observant. "I feel that, in this circumstance, we allow him to bend the rules a bit," Airian finished, looking down at Danny. He blinked at the teen, but Danny felt that it was meant as a wink.

Paradai's eye narrowed and he clearly wanted to continue the argument, but decided it would be pointless and returned to his seat, grumbling to himself about the Council under his breath.

Danny's shoulder was released and Airian crouched down so he was eye level with the teen. "If I may, your Highness?" he questioned, pointing at the Ring of Rage on Danny's hand. 

Danny blinked rapidly and looked at the ring on his finger. "Oh, of course," he said quickly, fumbling to get the ring off. Once he removed the ring, his princely garments disappeared in a puff of green flames. He handed the ring to Airian, who bowed slightly before rising to face Fright Knight.

The ghostly knight cast a glance at Danny, who merely smiled. "I may not have known that you were Galahad, but I think you're gonna make an awesome King," he chuckled, lightly punching Fright Knight in the arm.

Fright Knight blinked in shock. He dropped to one knee in front of Danny bowing his head. "I once told you I would stand by and serve you no matter what, my liege," the former bodyguard began, "and if this is what you truly wish for, I gladly accept the responsibility. Until you are ready to claim your true place on the throne."

Danny laughed awkwardly, "Yeah, not sure when that will be so don't worry about not getting comfy." The teen patted Fright Knight on the shoulder, and helped him to his feet. Danny let Fright Knight use him as a support and led him towards the throne. Airian floated ahead of them and took the crown from the Observant that had been trying to chase Danny down.

The golden sashed Observant faced Fright Knight. "Do you, sir Galahad, accept your role as King Regent until Danny Phantom is of age to ascend the throne?" Airian asked.

Fright Knight patted Danny on the back and released the teen, standing tall and proud. "I do," he replied, puffing out his chest, placing his fist over his core.

"Then by the power vested in me by the Observant High Council," Airian announced loudly, raising the Crown of Fire above Fright Knight's helmet, "I declare you King Galahad of the Ghost Zone!" Airian placed the crown atop Fright Knight's helmet and handed the Ring of Rage to him. 

Fright Knight glanced over at Danny to see that the teen had the biggest grin on his face. He winked at his former bodyguard and bowed. Fright Knight felt a warmth erupt from his core as he faced his new subjects. He was determined to not let his former liege down. He would rule fairly and justly, until Danny was ready to take his rightful place on the throne.

Jazz, Tucker, Sam and Nocturn all applauded happily while there was scattered applause from the Observants. Clockwork tapped his staff on the ground as he shifted to his elderly form.

"Now, let us celebrate our new King by-" Airian began, only to be interrupted by the doors of the throne room flying open. All the attendees were on their feet at once, aiming their weapons and abilities at the intruder. 

"What is the meaning of this?!" the Observant known as Paradai demanded.

"Hold on," Danny whispered, walking past Fright Knight, squinting at the unannounced figure currently lying face-down on the floor in front of the doors, "is that...?" Danny flew towards the intruder, eyes widening in realization. He turned the motionless body over as gasped as he recognized the ghost.

"Ghost Writer?!" Danny cried out, as the others surrounded him.

Ghost Writer groaned as his eyes fluttered. His clothes were burned and covered in green blood. He lifted a hand and weakly grabbed the front of Danny's HAZMAT suit. "I need... your help..." Ghost Writer said weakly, before he lost consciousness.

Danny looked around from his friends to the Observants, holding the now unconscious body of Ghost Writer in his arms. "What the heck is going on?!" Danny cried out as Sam pushed her way to his side and began inspecting Ghost Writer's wounds.

Off to the side, Nocturn and Clockwork watched on without interfering. "My oh my," Nocturn mused, elbowing Clockwork, "things are certainly going to get interesting now." He finished with a chuckle as Clockwork shifted to his toddler form.

Danny left Ghost Writer in the hands of Sam and the Observants. He approached Tucker, Jazz and Fright Knight. "We have to check out Ghost Writer's realm. I fought this guy before and he wouldn't come to me without a really good reason," Danny informed them. He mentally shuddered at the memory of being trapped in Ghost Writer's Christmas poem, but he felt that he kind of owed the ghost for changing his mind about Christmas. Though the young halfa did wonder how he got out of Walker's jail. Those questions would have to wait until Ghost Writer recovered.

Sam appeared at Danny's side, resting her elbow on her friend's shoulder. "I'm coming too. Ghost Writer is being taken care of by the castle staff. Plus, if you're going on a mission, you're gonna need the team muscle," she said with a smirk, flexing her muscles. 

Danny smiled warmly at his gothic friend. Sometimes he didn't know where he'd be without Sam, or any of his friends for that matter.

"Let's get to the Speeder! It'll get us there faster," Jazz said, leading the way out the doors. Sam, Danny, Tucker and Fright Knight followed after her, racing through the castle. Observants could be heard calling for Fright Knight to stay, but he ignored their cries. His first act as King would be to see the threat that attacked one of his subjects.

They arrived at the speeder and piled in, with Danny as a guide to Ghost Writer's realm. After around an hour, they arrived at their destination and were horrified at the sight of it.

"Um, please tell me that's what it looked like the last time you were here," Tucker asked Danny, a tremble in his voice.

Danny couldn't even form a response. Where Ghost Writer's magnificent mansion once stood, was a smoking pile of rubble. Burned pieces of paper and debris fluttered aimlessly around them. "Who could have done this?" Danny wondered aloud, pressing his hands against the window of the speeder.

Meanwhile...

Vlad sat in his darkened study, aimlessly stroking his beloved cat, Maddie. A burning feeling rose in his chest and he sighed. "You certainly took your time, didn't you?" Vlad chided, not taking his eyes off his cat.

A hooded ghost emerged from the shadows. "Sneaking into a castle filled with Observants is no easy feat, even for me," the ghost growled.

"No matter," Vlad said, waving his hand. Maddie stretched and leaped off Vlad's desk, curling up next to the fireplace. "Did you find what you need?" he asked, folding his hands under his chin and looking up at his ally. 

The hooded ghost's eyes narrowed. "No, I fear what I've been searching for is no longer in my grasp," the ghost admitted. Vlad sighed and leaned back in his chair. He was about to complain until the ghost raised a pale hand. "But," the unknown spirit added, "I did not leave empty handed." The ghost opened their cloak and out dropped a pile of items and animals. Specifically a golden dove in a cage, a silver harp, and pair of luminescent blue shackles. A black and silver scaled snake curled around the ghost's arm, nuzzling it affectionately.

Vlad raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly does this junk help us?" he questioned.

"Did you get the book?" the ghost retorted, scratching the snake's head. The snake hissed happily and glared at the elder halfa.

Vlad slid back in his chair and opened a drawer in his desk, pulling out an old, leather bound book. It had a series of gold and black symbols covering the front that Vlad could not make sense of. The leather was tattered and the color of it had faded into a soft blue. He had checked the contents of the book but it had been written in the same symbols that adorned the cover of the book. "Is this the book you speak of?" he asked, dropping the book on his desk. "I'll have you know it was quite difficult to get a hold of. You did not inform me of the Ghost Writer's abilities in full detail."

The hooded ghost's eyes lit up with glee, completely ignoring Vlad's comment. Pale hands emerged from the cloak and snatched the book, flipping through the pages eagerly. "Yes, this is it," the ghost said excitedly, their eyes never leaving the pages. "With this book and the Relic's I discovered, we officially have our first lead, Plasmius."

Vlad grinned, his eyes flashing red as black rings formed around his waist and spread over his body, transforming him into his ghostly alter ego. "Our first clue to finding the elusive Ancients of the Ghost Zone," he cackled. The hooded ghost joined in on his laughter until their laughs were echoing in the night.

TO BE CONTINUED IN BOOK TWO: THE PHANTOM PROPHECY