Third Person POV

Danny slowly floated to the ground, his mouth agape and his eyes nearly popping out of his skull. Did he just hear that right? He was the new King of the Ghost Zone? How is that even possible?! Questions were running rampant through Danny's head, yet his mouth formed no words.

"Is he just going to keep flapping his mouth like a fish or is he going to say something?" One of the Observants said, his tone annoyed. Another Observant shot him a dirty glare, his eye narrowing dangerously, as if warning his companion not to speak another word.

Danny whirled around to face Clockwork, utter disbelief on his face. "This has to be a joke, right? There's no way I'm King." Danny frantically scratched his head while he felt his core pound in his chest.

"You're not the King, Danny." Clockwork told him as he shifted into his toddler form. Danny let out a sigh of relief and visibly relaxed. "You're the Prince." The Time Master finished.

Danny froze once more and he felt his core sink into his gut. He ran his gloved hands through his snowy white hair. "That doesn't exactly make me feel any better, Clockwork." He dragged a hand down his face, pulling on his jaw. "There has to be a mistake. There are probably thousands of other ghosts more qualified to be King or Prince or whatever." He threw his hands  in the air. "Why don't you ask Dora or Frostbite or Pandora! Or literally anyone who isn't me!" Danny cried, a tad bit exasperated.

Clockwork sighed once more. "Danny, you are the only one who can take the throne." The wise ghost informed him. He shifted back to his middle aged form as he placed a hand on the panicking teen's shoulder. "You must calm down now."

"But why me? Why now?" Danny asked, gripping his hair. "The Ghost Zone has gotten along just fine without a King for a long time. Why does it need one now? And why is it me?!" The teen shook off Clockwork's comforting hand and floated back and forth in the air, still surrounded by Observants.

"You were the one to defeat Pariah Dark in battle." The Observant floating behind Danny answered. He appeared to be the one in charge as he seemed to be doing a lot of the formal talking, along with his attire being slightly different as he had a gold sash around his waist instead of the typical black one. 

Danny tilted his head. Yeah it was true, he defeated Pariah Dark, but he had a lot of help in doing so. His ghostly enemies and, even though he hated to admit it, Vlad all played an important part in Danny winning the fight while also keeping his own life. 

Before Danny could voice this, the head Observant spoke up once more. "The Ghost Zone has thrived for a very long time without a King, that fact is true." The Observant floated closer to Danny and the young halfa discreetly floated closer to Clockwork. Something about having a giant eyeball staring you down wasn't exactly the greatest feeling in the world. "Yet the Observant High Council has decided it would be best to try and reinstate the monarchy to control the spiral of chaos the Ghost Zone has fallen into." The Observant finished.

Danny turned to face Clockwork, but the Time Master remained silent and his face was void of any emotion. The young boy began to feel a little bit dizzy and started swaying back and forth. Clockwork put out a hand to steady the boy and faced the Observants. "I believe that is more than enough for today." Clockwork warned, pulling Danny close to him, "I have some matters to discuss with the young Prince and it would be best if you left your future King in peace for now."

The Observants didn't move. "I'm afraid that is not possible." One of the lower ranking Observants stated, "We are under direct orders to bring the boy to the castle at once."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Clockwork held back the urge to make a smart remark as he shifted to his elderly form. "If it is of such importance that the young Prince should arrive at his castle tonight, I will escort him there myself." The Time Master answered sternly.

The Observants looked as if they wanted to protest but decided it wasn't worth the effort. They exited through the portal and once the last Observant had left, Clockwork seemed to relax a little. "Every single one of those pompous eyeballs absolutely annoy me to no end." He muttered quietly to himself before sending an apologetic look Danny's way. "I do apologize if all this has startled you or inconvenienced you in any way."

Danny chuckled awkwardly. "I think saying this whole thing has 'inconvenienced' me is the understatement of the year." He rubbed the back of his neck, biting his lip lightly. "I still don't understand. Why a King? Why now? And most importantly why me?" At this point Danny was convinced he sounded like a broken record, but he just wanted someone to give him a direct answer. No dancing around the question, just a quick slap in the face.

"I'll explain on the way, I promise." Clockwork said, as he shifted to his toddler form and floated towards the portal. Danny followed after him like a lost puppy, not really thinking about the fact that Sam would kill him if she ever found out that he broke his promise. Both the Time Master and young halfa passed through the ghost portal and into the green mass of the Ghost Zone. A shiver ran through Danny as he felt the energy from the ghostly realm fuel his core.

"So, about those answers-" Danny began only for Clockwork to quickly cut him off.

"I'm getting there." The Time Master said. Danny quickly flew to Clockwork's side, his lips sealed. He knew better than to push Clockwork for information. Clockwork let out a small sigh. "To be completely honest, this has little to do with you defeating Pariah Dark in combat." Danny's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it after realizing he would be wise to not interrupt Clockwork.

"It was not an official battle for the throne, so you defeating him had next to no meaning." Clockwork continued, shifting to his middle aged form. "Chaos in the Ghost Zone in reaching to nearly uncontrollable levels. With the added interference of Vlad Masters, or Plasmius as he likes to call himself, even the Observants themselves have found reason to put a stop to the disorder in this realm."

Danny had to agree with Clockwork there. Vlad was behind a lot of the problems in the Ghost Zone. He was the one who freed Pariah Dark, he broke into the Observants' sacred Council Courtroom and freed Vortex who was in the middle of a trial, and countless minor issues that Danny couldn't be bothered to even think of.

"There were many ideas floating around, but eventually the Observants came to me seeking advice." The Time Master said this with grimace. Danny wondered if it was possible for ghosts to get migraines, as Clockwork looked like he was having one. "They demanded I show them the best course of action for the future of the Ghost Zone, and since I'm still on thin ice with them I had to oblige." Clockwork's grip on his staff tightened as he thought about what to say next. "I observed many possible futures, and many of them involved reinstating the monarchy. The next step was to decide who would take the throne."

Danny's expression turned to mild confusion as Clockwork went on. "The Observants needed someone strong and determined to take the throne. Someone who could handle any issues thrown at them, someone who could take the Ghost Zone's burdens and rest them on their own shoulders." Clockwork's eyes fell on Danny, "In the end, they chose you."

Danny began furiously scratching his head as he continued to fly alongside Clockwork. "Wait a second. You told me once before that they wanted to kill me. And even when I returned Vortex to their custody they still gave me kinda mean glares with their giant eyeball heads." Danny cupped his hands around his eyes for emphasis and gave Clockwork a mock glare. "What made them choose me?"

"Apparently they were willing to look over your past... mishaps and saw all the good you had done protecting your town from countless ghosts and invasions.They recognized your ability to lead and believed you were the best to restore order to the Ghost Zone." Clockwork shifted to his elderly form as he continued, averting his eyes away from Danny and focusing on the endless green of the Ghost Zone. "Not only because of your abilities, but because you are also technically one of us. The only difference between you and the rest of the ghosts in this realm is the fact that you are not fully controlled by your desire."

Danny stopped dead in his tracks. This was news to him. He knew that he was recognized as a half-ghost by the majority of his enemies, but this was the first time he was recognized by a higher power in the Ghost Zone. "No time for stopping," Clockwork called back to the teen as he continued flying through the zone, "the Observants will have my head if I don't deliver you to the castle."

The young halfa quickly flew to catch up to the elder ghost and matched his pace. "So, the Observants really think I'm best suited for this?" Danny asked, not yet fully convinced. 

Clockwork shook his head from side to side. "Not exactly." He said, switching his staff from one hand to the other. "At first, when the subject of you becoming the next King was brought up, they immediately had their doubts. But I pushed the case and they eventually agreed that you were truly their best option."

"Wait," Danny said, his expression turning to one of disbelief, "you were the one to convince them to make me the next King?!" He cried out so loud one had to wonder why every resident in the Ghost Zone wasn't pouring down on the two ghosts telling them to be quiet.

Clockwork grimaced, shifting back to his toddler form. "Yes, I deeply apologize for that. I know this is the last thing you want, but I have faith in you that you will be a good King." Clockwork eyed the teen warily. He knew that the teen was far from ready to become a Prince, let alone a King but he really had no other choice. It was either Danny or... Clockwork didn't even want to think of the alternative.

Clockwork turned his attention to ahead of them and saw their destination approach. He tapped the teen on the shoulder, snapping him back to reality. "Welcome to your castle, young Prince." Clockwork chuckled, trying to make light of the situation.

Danny bumped into Clockwork and shook his head before his eyes focused on the sight before him. The young halfa's eyes widened as he took in the massive castle. The once blood red castle now had a black and white color scheme. The stones that built up the castle were a smooth black and the roofs were tiled white. Black flags flew off the top of the towers with the teen's white DP symbol on them. Before the castle entrance had looked like screaming mouth but now it just looked like a normal entrance. There were two large white pillars on either side of the giant white door and on the door was the teen's trademark DP symbol in black. 

"I do hope this is all to your liking." Clockwork said, turning his gaze on Danny once more. The teen was silent, his jaw slack and his eyes nearly popping out of his skull. Clockwork waved his staff in front of the teen's face. "Is something wrong?" He asked, slightly concerned.

"This," the teen began, "is all mine?" His eyes were wide with amazement and a mixture of joy and confusion was all over his features.

Clockwork suppressed a smile and it turned into a smirk as he shifted back to his middle aged form. "Was the color scheme paired with your symbol everywhere not obvious enough?"

Danny rubbed his eyes as he let out a small laugh. "Just wanted to make sure no other ghost was copying my style."

Clockwork smiled at that. He was glad the boy had not lost his sense of humor in all this. "So would you like to just float out here all day or would you like to see the rest of your castle?" He asked. Danny smiled in reply as he did a loop-de-loop in the air before flying straight for the castle. The Master of Time happily shook his head as he watched the teen's rapidly shrinking figure and began to fly towards the castle himself. The two ghosts arrived at the main doors of the castle and Danny hovered there, unmoving, as if he had never seen a door before. 

Clockwork moved forward and tapped his staff on the 30 ft doors. They creaked opened to reveal a grand entryway. Danny and Clockwork floated into the castle as Danny took in the amazing sights around him. The entry hall was enormous. The ceiling had to be at least 50 ft up and the main floor 20 ft from side to side. A large chandelier made of crystals and diamonds hung from the middle of the ceiling. Suits of armor holding swords in a saluting position lined the walls. Tapestries adorned the walls with historical events in Ghost Zone history. Danny was even shocked to see a tapestry of him fighting Pariah Dark on the wall close to the main doors. Alongside the tapestries were banners that held the young hero's symbol in a variety of styles and colors. A thin black and white patterned carpet rested on the grey colored floor and led to another set of black doors with a white DP symbol on it and swirling silver markings on the other end of the entry hall.

The young halfa spun around in circles taking in everything around him and looking upon his new castle in awe. "Wow." Danny whispered to himself. Clockwork did not slow and continued down the hall, shifting to his elderly form halfway down the hall. Danny noticed this and sped up a little to catch up to the Time Master while still looking around the entryway. Before he knew it, Danny crashed face first into the next set of doors. He fell onto the ground stunned and quickly reached for his now very sore nose. Danny looked up at Clockwork to see that the ghost had a hand over his wrinkled eyes and was grimacing slightly.

Danny quickly rose to his feet, chuckling awkwardly and fighting hard to control an embarrassed blush. "Sorry. This is still a lot to take in all at one I guess." Danny apologized, locking his fingers behind his back and rocking back and forth on his feet.

Clockwork removed his hand from his eyes and smiled softly at the young halfa, reaching out to pat his shoulder comfortingly. "It's quite alright. But please to try to remain focused when the Observants are present. They are quite picky about that." Clockwork warned.

Danny nodded, "I'll try." 

With that, Clockwork opened the next set of doors and Danny's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. The doors led to a grand foyer and it was filled with many ghosts all wearing a maid, cook, or other servant type outfit. They were flying all around the room, cleaning, dusting, rearranging or preparing something. All of a sudden they dropped what their individual tasks as attention was drawn to the two ghosts who had just entered the room, namely Clockwork and Danny.

Danny watched as every pair of eyes on him widened at once and he heard a couple of ghosts gasp. "It's the Prince!" a little green skinned ghost girl with braided blonde hair and glowing red eyes wearing a maids outfit cried. All ghosts in the room started bowing and muttering apologies about the state of the castle.   

The teen's head whipped from side to side as he watched the ghosts bow before him. He looked to Clockwork for help but the old ghost seemed to be incredibly interested in his staff at the moment. Danny raised his hands apologetically and waved awkwardly. "Um, hi." He began. "You don't have to bow. I don't mean to interrupt."

The ghosts stopped bowing and a male ghost with light blue skin and slicked back white hair wearing what looked like an old fashioned butler's uniform stepped forward. He gave a short and small bow to Danny before resuming his stiff posture. "Greatest apologies sire. We were not expecting you so soon. The castle isn't even fully ready for your celebration."  The butler ghost said, with a proper English accent.

Danny's furrowed his brows in confusion. "My celebration?" He asked as he looked to Clockwork who was now in toddler form. "Do you know what they are talking about?"  

The old ghost looked at Danny and raised an eyebrow. He raised his staff and lightly tapped Danny on the head. "Your birthday is coming up soon is it not?" He informed the teen.

His birthday? Danny's eyes widened. He couldn't believe that in all the craziness that had been happening the past few weeks that he forgot about his own birthday. "Huh," Danny said, rubbing the back of his neck, eyes unfocused, "I guess it is."

"And not shortly after your birthday is the day you gained your ghost powers, correct?" Clockwork said. After thinking back a little bit, Danny nodded. "Well," Clockworkcontinued, "the Observants thought it was a brilliant idea to announce your ascension to the throne on the day you gained your powers." Clockwork gestured to the grand foyer and the ghosts flying to and fro. "So they began to prepare the castle for your birthday so then it would be ready for the announcement the five days after."

Danny tilted his head in confusion. "Why so ahead of time?" He asked.

Clockwork adjusted the time on his staff as he coolly said, "So it looks nice when you tell your friends and family about this."  

Danny's eyes nearly popped out of his skull as his core sank into his gut."What do you mean, 'when I tell my friends and family about this'?" If he was being honest, yes Danny had to agree that he couldn't keep this a secret from Tucker and Sam or even Jazz, but why did his parents have to know?

The Master of Time's expression turned serious. "Danny, there is no way that you will be able to keep you being the next King of the Ghost Zone from your friends. And eventually you will have to tell your parents the truth about everything." Clockwork watched as the boy began pacing back and forth after hearing his words, obviously distressed. Clockwork sighed and reached for the boy's shoulder, stopping him in tracks. "Danny, I am not going to force you to tell your family, nor will I tell you the best choice for you." The older ghost offered, "But I do suggest you attempt to open up to your family more. You have seen that they will accept you for who you are." Danny bit his lip and reluctantly nodded in agreement and understanding.

The teen sighed, scratching his head and  ruffling his snow white hair. "This is a lot to process Clockwork." He said, slightly pained. "Since I came here, is it alright to go home now?"

"Um, excuse me sire?" A voice with an English accent said before Clockwork could even open his mouth to reply. Danny and Clockwork turned to face the butler who had spoke to the young hero just a few moments ago. 

"Um, yes?" Danny answered. He felt kinda uncomfortable about being called sire, but he made no mention of the fact.

The butler ghost nodded, his face expressionless as he replied, "Everything is fine sire, but you have a guest waiting for you in the throne room." After relaying that bit of information the butler ghost went back to his duties. 

Danny once again tilted his head in confusion. "A guest? The Observants?" I asked Clockwork, who had shifted into his middle aged form, but he was already heading for a large staircase on the other side of the grand foyer. Danny huffed, annoyed, but followed after Clockwork regardless up the grand staircase at the other end of the room. At the top of staircase rested a pair of solid black doors with green swirled markings covering it. Clockwork floated up to the doors and halted directly in front of them, stopping Danny in his tracks before he bumped into the older ghost.

"Danny." Clockwork said, his tone quite stern. "Before we go in there promise me that you will not do anything rash." His expression showed no signs of joking, not that it normally did, and Danny felt oddly unnerved by the warning.

Danny crossed his arms and squinted his eyes. "What do you mean by that?" He asked.

Clockwork just shook his head as he shifted to his elderly form. "Just try to be on your best behavior." With that he opened the doors exposing a large throne room. It was huge but Danny didn't have much time to admire it as his attention was drawn to a familiar ghost with a flaming purple cape and glowing green sword standing near the back of the room. 

"Fright Knight!" Danny shouted flying straight at the Spirit of Halloween, fists glowing with green energy.   

All of a sudden, Danny was halted in his flight by something grabbing the neck of his suit, slightly choking the teen. "What did I just say about not being rash?" Clockwork questioned, annoyed as he held the struggling teen in his elderly but strong grip.

Danny looked back at Clockwork, immensely confused. "But it's Fright Knight!" The teen shouted, exasperated. "He's my enemy!"   

"Not anymore." Clockwork said, releasing the teen though still making sure that he stayed in between Danny and Fright Knight. Danny frowned at Fright Knight, strongly resisting the urge to fire an ectoblast at him. Fright Knight was standing beside what Danny assumed was the throne. Black stone steps led up to the throne. The frame was built of white metal with black cushions. A white banner with my symbol hung above the throne. 

Danny opened his mouth to ask about Fright Knight's presence only for Clockwork to hold up his purple gloved hand. Clockwork closed his eyes and shook his head. "All will be explained when the Observants arrive." He floated closer to the ground and towards Fright Knight and the throne.

Danny frowned, following after the Time Master but making sure to keep his distance from Fright Knight, who hadn't moved a single muscle. He seemed to be aware of the young hero's mistrust and was not going to do anything to provoke the teen. "And when exactly will that be?" Danny asked, crossing his arms unhappily. 

Clockwork looked at the clock on his staff. "Right now." He answered as he shifted back to his toddler form. Sure enough, 5 Observants entered the throne room just as Clockwork finished his statement. The Observants stood on either side of the Fright Knight, completely undisturbed by his presence. 

"Danny, you may sit down if you would like." Clockwork said, gesturing to the throne next to Fright Knight.

The teen glanced at the throne, then at Fright Knight and took a small step closer to Clockwork. "I think I'll just stand for now." He replied eyeing the throne warily. 

Clockwork nodded. "As you wish." He then turned to the Observants. "Now I do believe the Observants have many things to discuss with you." He finished. Clockwork turned to leave, but then quickly rethought his actions and returned to the teen's side. Even he had trouble dealing with the Observants so Danny would need some advising. Not to mention he was still on edge due to Fright Knight's presence. Danny shot him a grateful smile as he faced the Observants.

"Danny Phantom," One of the Observants began. "the Observants Council understands that this is all sudden-"

"No kidding." The young halfa muttered under his breath causing Clockwork to tap me lightly with his staff, silently reprimanding him. Danny sent Clockwork a glance of apology before going back to listening to the Observant.

"-but you must understand that now you will have large responsibilities as well as high expectations." The Observant finished, closing his giant eyeball.

"Any idea on what those would be exactly." Danny asked, hopeful that he didn't sound rude.

A different Observant spoke up this time. "We will allow you to continue living your normal life, and all that comes with it." Danny smiled at this. Then the Observant continued, "But it will be expected of you to attend to your Princely and eventually, Kingly duties." The Observant hid his hands in his sleeves as he leaned closer to Danny. "You will also be required to move to the Ghost Zone permanently after your coronation." 

That last part threw Danny off and he stumbled backwards away from the Observant. "Wait, WHAT! Move to the Ghost Zone permanently?!" Danny shouted, placing his hands on his chest. "I can't do that! You may have decided to make me the next King of the Ghost Zone, but I'm also a regular human kid." Danny threw his hands up in the air while turning to Clockwork for support. 

He was in his middle aged form as he nodded at Danny. "I agree with the young Prince." Clockwork said, placing a hand on the teen's shoulder, "He needs to live out his human life." Clockwork felt the tension in Danny's shoulder lessen as he sighed softly after hearing that. It must have comforted the teen to know that someone was on his side for once about this.

"But he must attend to his royal duties." A third Observant interjected.

Clockwork mentally rolled his eyes. Observants were very stubborn and he knew that they would not be easily moved on this subject. Especially after everything Clockwork had shown them. "Perhaps we can come to an agreement on this." Clockwork said shifting into his middle aged self. "Danny is allowed to live out his human life as normal, with regular visits to the Ghost Zone to attend to his duties." Clockwork floated closer to the Observants, fiddling with his staff. "When he is a few years older he will stay here for longer periods of time. At some point, he may choose to live here permanently, whether it be before his 'time' or not, but until that time do these terms sound reasonable? Observants? Danny?" Clockwork looked from the Observants to the young halfa.

Danny mulled it over and it sounded alright to him. Regular visits to the Ghost Zone didn't sound to bad; he usually went into the Zone at least once a week to regain some ecto-energy anyways. And in a few years he should be able or have told my parents about my ghostly abilities. I may not decide to live here full time but for now what Clockwork had laid out seemed reasonable. Even though he was still really against becoming the next King of the Ghost Zone, Danny agreed that this was the best possible option for him at the current moment until he could find a way out of this.

"I agree." Danny announced proudly.

Clockwork glanced over at the teen and nodded, giving him a rare smile. The Observants seemed to be discussing among themselves. While they were huddled in a little circle, Danny's attention was drawn back to Fright Knight, who had been silent the entire time. Danny didn't even think that he had even moved from his spot.

The Observants broke apart and Danny's attention returned to the frail looking ghosts. "Through unanimous vote, we representatives of the Observant Council agree with these terms." The 5 Observants said in unison.

Danny clapped his hands and smiled. "Great now that that's been dealt with, can someone please tell me what he is doing here?" He said, pointing at Fright Knight. Fright Knight finally moved as he adjusted his position to face the young hero.

"Quite simple, young Phantom." An Observant wearing a gold sash - which Danny began to recognize as a sign of leadership among Observants - said, "He is to be your bodyguard."

Danny took a second to process what the Observant had just said before he jerked his head from looking at the Observants to Fright Knight and back to the Observants. "What?! Why?!" He asked, slightly panicked.

"Even if we do not make a public announcement until we are nearer to the date of your coronation, word can spread around the Ghost Zone quickly if someone were to catch sight of the castle." The head Observant continued. 

"So to prevent any harm towards you before your coronation, Fright Knight will be with you at every moment to ensure your safety." Another Observant finished.

"I... He... But." Danny stammered. 

While Danny struggled to form words, Fright Knight finally spoke up. "Regardless of what you may think Phantom, I wish for peace in the Ghost Zone." His tone was sincere and he even offered Danny a small bow.

Danny whipped around to fully face Fright Knight. "Don't you work for Vlad now? He certainly doesn't want peace in the Ghost Zone and he hates me! Why should I trust you?" Danny interrogated.

Fright Knight rose and took a step towards Danny. "My loyalties lie first and foremost with the King. Plasmius had ordered me to spy on you and that is how I learned you were the next heir." Fright Knight then gestured to the Observants. "I was approached by the high council to once again resume my duties of serving the King." Fright Knight curled his right hand into a fist and pounded it against his chest. "I have not told Plasmius of your status and he still believes I am loyal to him."

Fright Knight drew his sword, holding it out in both hands and knelt down onto one knee, bowing his head. "I am your humble servant. I believe in my core that you can restore order to the Ghost Zone, and that you can undo the damage Pariah Dark's rule brought."

The room was dead silent after that. Danny stood in front of Fright Knight stiffly, not knowing how to respond to that. He looked over at Clockwork hoping the Time Master would assist him once more he appeared to be busy with his staff again. Danny frowned and returned his gaze to Fright Knight. Clearing his throat Danny said, "Thank you Fright Knight. Um, you may rise." As Fright Knight rose to his feet, Danny faced the Observants once more. "Alright, I'll have Fright Knight as my bodyguard but he has to stay out of sight. He can't be seen by my friends, family, or any other human or ghost I know." He said clearly, making it clear he was putting his foot down on the matter. 

The Observants muttered among themselves again. "Agreed." They said in unison.

Clockwork slammed his staff down on the ground, drawing the attention to him. "Good, I am glad we can all agree on something. Now that this is over, Danny I do believe you should get home. School starts in a few hours." Clockwork said in his elderly form.

Danny groaned. "Aw man." Without another word, he flew out the doors of the throne room, down the long staircase, through the grand foyer, and out the main doors of the castle. "I am going to be dead tired at school tomorrow." He muttered to himself as he flew toward the Fenton Ghost Portal. 

A/N: Whew, this one took a while to get out. I combined a few chapters and did a LOT of editing in this one so sorry it took so long. I hope you are enjoying the "re-write" so far. Thank you everyone for all your support! See you all in the next one!