Third Person POV 

It was midnight. Danny Fenton was currently sitting on his bed, wide awake and shivering with fear. He had gone on patrol by himself that night and ran into a few low powered ghosts, nothing he couldn't handle by himself. Then he ran into Skulker and that's where things got complicated.

The two had fought and Danny was just about to capture Skulker, when he had felt a surge of energy explode from his core. For a brief moment he had transformed into his Prince form, but he had quickly contained the power and transformed back. Though he was unsure whether or not Skulker had seen his form, he was terrified that the hunter had seen it. Currently, no one in the Ghost Zone aside from Clockwork, Fright Knight, the Observants and the castle staff knew of his new status. If it were to get out to his enemies that he was next in line for the throne of the Ghost Zone it would be disastrous.

Danny jumped as he heard a tap on his window. He clutched his comforter tightly as he looked over at the window, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw it was just Fright Knight. The knight phased into Danny's room, his glowing green eyes showing concern underneath the darkness of his helmet. "My liege, you seem distressed about something." Danny's bodyguard said.

The teen chuckled, backing up and sitting on his bed. "That's a bit of an understatement." He answered. Danny explained to Fright Knight what had happened during his fight with Skulker and his fears about the hunter seeing his Prince form. Fright Knight had pulled up a chair to sit in front of Danny and listened in silence as the teen informed of the night's events. Danny even told Fright Knight about Clockwork giving him the Ring of Rage but Fright Knight admitted that he had long known about Danny's ownership of the ring. Fright Knight told him that Clockwork had consulted with him about giving Danny the ring, much to the halfa's surprise.

When Danny finished his story, Fright Knight's mood seemed to become gloomy. "I offer my deepest apologies, my liege." He began, rising from the chair and kneeling in front of Danny. He lowered his head. "I was not here to watch over you, as is my sworn duty. For that I accept any punishment you give me." The bodyguard finished.

Danny's eyes widened as he raised his hands. "No, it's not your fault Fright Knight." Danny quickly assured. He glanced at his right hand and clenching it. "It's my fault I don't know how to control the power of the ring yet." He sighed.

Fright Knight rose to his feet. "Why don't you go to the Time Master?" He offered, resting his hand on his sword. "Tomorrow is Saturday. You do not have school."

Danny looked up at Fright Knight. He had a point. The teen smiled, transforming into his ghost form. "Great idea! Thanks Fright Knight." The teen said gratefully. 

The ghostly knight waved off the compliments. "I have done nothing deserving of your thanks." He answered.

Shaking his head, Danny patted his body guard on the shoulder as he began to phase through the floor. He soon noticed that Fright Knight wasn't following after him. "Um," Danny said, with just his upper body sticking out of the floor, "aren't you coming too?"

"I have not been summoned to his side." Fright Knight answered, without missing a beat. He started to phase through the floor. "I will escort you to his realm, but I will not remain. I trust the Time Master to keep you safe in my place." He finished as he passed through the floor. Danny raced after his bodyguard. They arrived in the basement and passed through the portal without a word. Fright Knight turned invisible upon their arrival in the Ghost Zone as to not attract attention to Danny. They traveled in silence as Danny continued to glance at his watch, looking for the place where time stood still. There trip was short as less than ten minutes after entering the Ghost Zone, Danny's watch stopped. The teen was enveloped in a bright light and vanished.

When Danny opened his eyes again he was staring up at Clockwork's Tower. Without a moment's hesitation he flew straight into the tower, ignoring manners by not knocking. Clockwork would forgive him. He more than likely already knew about the situation. 

Danny barged into Clockwork's main chamber and saw the Time Master floating in front of a large viewing screen. The screen showed no images nor a series of events - or 'parade' as Clockwork had put it once - yet Clockwork seemed to be enticed by the screen. Danny cleared his throat as he knocked on the already open door, slightly surprised that Clockwork hadn't heard Danny enter the room in the first place. And if he had, Clockwork had made no move to address his rude entrance.

The elder ghost turned to Danny, shifting from toddler form to middle-aged form. "Danny." He exclaimed, sounding surprised. The tone was short lived as he resumed his natural monotone as he continued, "What brings you here today?".

Danny tilted his head. "Don't you already know?" He asked.

Clockwork sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I may be the Master of Time, Danny, but it has a few stipulations." He pointed his staff at the screens. "I can see everything that has been, is, and will be, but not all at once." Clockwork lowered his staff and smiled in a teasing way. "I do have other responsibilities besides watching you after all." He finished.

Danny huffed, rolling his eyes at Clockwork. The ghost confused him more and more the longer Danny knew him it seemed. Remembering why he was there in the first place, Danny quickly explained the Skulker story once again. Clockwork listened and once Danny had finished, the Master of Time remained silent.

"So?" Danny asked, "What should I do?". He stared at Clockwork, hope in his eyes that the elder ghost would have an answer.

Clockwork was silent, lost in his own thoughts. He glanced at Danny's right hand and lowered his head. "This is my fault." He sighed. "I pushed the ring on you before you were ready. Not only that but I have neglected to teach you how to control its power." The Time Master floated forward and gently placed his hand on Danny's shoulder. "I shall rectify my wrongdoings now. Let's do some training." He finished, giving Danny a rare smile.

The young halfa was still confused and still seeking answers about Skulker and whether or not his identity as the Prince was in jeopardy, but Clockwork seemed firm in his decision. Danny remained silent and listened to Clockwork's instructions. They spent the next three hours practicing techniques similar to the ones that Frostbite had taught him to control his ice powers. 

When Clockwork was satisfied with Danny's skills, he ended the training. "Well done, Danny." He praised.

A large smile grew on Danny's face as he puffed out his chest with pride. Clockwork chuckled at the teen's antics. Suddenly, a small rumbling sound could be heard. Clockwork looked around the room quickly and his eyes fell upon an embarrassed teen. "Sorry, guess training took a lot more out of me than I thought." He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

Clockwork narrowed his red eyes, shifting to his elderly form. That rumbling sound was not one that could be made by a hungry teen. Both ghosts were soon knocked to the ground as the tower succumbed to a powerful tremor. Books were knocked off shelves, viewing screens clanked together, gears fell out of place. The tremor got stronger as Danny and Clockwork found themselves unable to gain their balance. A few seconds later, the tremor stopped. The viewing screens continued to swing and a few more items fell off shelves. The gears stopped clinking together and ran smoothly once more.

Both ghosts rose and Clockwork flew to his viewing screens, checking over every single one to ensure there was not a single crack on any of them. Danny floated over to Clockwork, watching the Time Master's frail form shift from toddler, to middle-aged and back to elderly over and over as he checked the screens. Clockwork was really agitated for him to be changing forms that quickly. "What was that?!" He asked, rubbing his elbow which had landed unceremoniously on when the tremor started. His whole arm felt numb. "I didn't know you could have earthquakes in the Ghost Zone." He added.

"You can't." Clockwork whispered to himself. Danny didn't quite catch what he had said but before the teen could ask Clockwork to repeat himself, the elder ghost floated down to Danny's side, settling in his middle-aged form. "Fright Knight." He spoke, slamming his staff into the ground. A portal opened next to Clockwork and Fright Knight immediately stepped out of it.

The ghost knight immediately noticed Danny cradling his elbow. "My liege!" He half-shouted, rushing to Danny's side, "Are you injured!?". Danny laughed as Fright Knight began to fret over him like a mother to a child. He assured his bodyguard that he was alright and Fright Knight relaxed. 

As Clockwork watched silently he felt a presence approach his tower. "Fright Knight." He exclaimed, looking at the doors leading into his chamber. He flew to them and shut the doors as the ghostly knight turned to Clockwork, keeping Danny behind him. "Take our Prince and make sure he gets out of this tower with the utmost discretion." He ordered without making eye contact. He pointed his staff at another door in the far corner of the room hidden by an old tapestry. 

Without a word of question Fright Knight turned, wrapped his arm around Danny's shoulders and rushed him towards the door. Danny tried to turn back to ask Clockwork what was going on as the Time Master flew about the room, fixing everything that had fallen or moved out of place during the tremor, but Fright Knight sent him a warning look. One that told Danny it was best if he kept silent. The teen closed his mouth and let himself be led away by Fright Knight, though he was quite upset about it. 

Once Fright Knight and Danny had exited through the secret door, Clockwork flicked his staff in the direction of the door. The tapestry covering it fell back into place and he floated back to his position in front of his viewing screens.

Mere seconds later the doors to his chamber flew open and it floated two very angry Observants. "Clockwork!" They shouted in unison. "What is the meaning of this?!" The two Observants floated to the space behind Clockwork, their eyeball heads staring daggers into his back.

"Hello gentlemen, how kind of you to stop by my humble realm." Clockwork answered as his viewing screens flickered to life. He watched in silence as the timeline began to stream across his screens.

The Observants grew irritated. "You know why we are here, Clockwork." One of the Observants began, floating closer to the Time Master. The other Observant tapped his companion on the shoulder, silently warning him not to get too close. They knew the outcome if they were to ever threaten the Time Master. 

The first Observant floated back and his companion started to speak. "We have come to discuss the tremors, Clockwork." He began, his tone peaceful and patient. "They are beginning to spread to multiple realms in the Ghost Zone." The Observants watched as the images on Clockwork's screens became wiggly and morphed into an image of Walker's Prison. They watched as the prison started to shake. Bricks crumbled off the walls, guards became disoriented and prisoners escaped in the chaos as guards attempted to recapture them. "This is not the only realm to have been affected." The Observant said as they continued to watch the destruction of Walker's Prison.

"Action must be taken on this!" The other Observant argued. He floated to Clockwork's side, ignoring the warnings of his companion. He moved in front of the Time Master, blocking his view of the screens. He pointed at Clockwork accusingly as he said, "We need to know the cause behind these tremors and stop it before the entirety of the Ghost Zone is no more than a pile of rubble!".

Clockwork calmly stared into the Observant's eye as he shifted to his elderly form. "Ten seconds." He said, his voice as monotone as ever.

"Excuse me?" The Observant questioned.

"You just wasted ten seconds of my time." Clockwork answered, "Time I could have spent figuring out the answer to your precious question. Time I could have spent looking over the timeline and overseeing it as is my sacred duty.". With every statement, Clockwork's tone grew more and more stern. He floated closer to the Observant getting right in his eyeball face. Clockwork's red eyes narrowed dangerously, "I do hope you remember that you are the one that needs me, not the other way around." A chill washed over the room as the Time Master eyed the Observant who had spoken to him so rudely. "Do not forget your place, Observant." Clockwork finished, the final word like acid on his tongue.

The Observant was frozen with fear. He felt as if Clockwork were to say another word, he would be in fear for his very existence. The Observant nodded and quickly returned to his place behind Clockwork with his companion silently, not daring to retort back to the Time Master.

"These tremors are nothing to be concerned over." Clockwork said after a moment of silence. He waved his staff and the screens now showed Walker's Prison in present time. The prison was being rebuilt and prisoners were being recaptured and re-incarcerated. "As you can see," He began, "everything is as it should be." He turned to face the two Observants, shifting into his toddler form. "The Ghost Zone is strong. It will take more than a few small tremors to make it fall into ruin." The Master of Time assured them.

Silence filled the room. The Observants looked as if they wanted to say more, but after Clockwork's warning they thought it best to keep silent. They accepted Clockwork's answer and said they would report this to the council. They paid their respects and left the room, closing the door behind them. Clockwork didn't move a muscle until he felt their presence disappear from his realm.

Once he was certain they were gone, Clockwork turned back to his viewing screens. He adjusted the time on his staff and tapped on the main screen gently. The screens began to shake gently, knocking against each other until the main screen showed an image of a darkened hall. Clockwork floated towards the screen as the surface began to shimmer and ripple. He passed through the screen with ease and found himself in a darkened hall. With a wave of his staff, the hallway became dimly lit with candlelight. 

The floor was tiled with grey stone which matched the crisp, white walls. A red silk carpet was in the center of the room leading from a pair of tall silver doors to a set of stone steps. Atop the stone steps was an altar shrouded in darkness.  A golden chandelier covered in diamonds hung from the ceiling, the diamonds making the candlelight shimmer in them. On the wall opposite to Clockwork hung four paintings, covered by black silk cloths. Under each painting was a different colored door. Clockwork floated forward and turned, staring up another set of four paintings. Three were covered by black silk cloths, but one remained uncovered. It was the painting above the door he just came through. A painting of him.

Clockwork sighed at the sight of it. "Not my best look." He muttered to himself, turning away from the painting. Clockwork floated to the other side of the room, stopping at the covered painting that was across from his. The door beneath the painting was colored a deep purple that almost looked black. Clockwork looked up at the painting, debating on whether or not to remove the cloth. In the end, he decided it would be better for him if he left it covered.

"You know," he began, shifting to his middle-aged form, "I was getting used to spending millenia as the last one of us.". Clockwork turned and surveyed the room, looking at each of the covered portraits and staring at the one of him in disdain. His eyes then fell upon the altar at the end of the room. "I was even used to not having to ever speak to them again." He sighed, twirling his staff in his hands, "Not that I ever enjoyed speaking with them.".

Clockwork turned back to the painting above the deep purple door, glaring at the black cloth. "If you plan on coming back, do me a favor and don't." He growled, staring daggers at the painting. "I have enough on my plate right now. I don't need to add you to the mix." He finished, turning away from the painting and floating back to the door he entered the room through. "For once in my life," he whispered as he passed through the door, "let me be wrong."

Normal Line Break here. Hoo boy, we're getting some new lore here. Keep on reading and thanks for stopping by.

At City Hall, Vlad sat at his desk working on some paperwork. His pet cat Maddie curled up on his lap, her gentle purring comforting Vlad. A chill ran down the elder halfa's spine as he continued to do his paperwork. "Well?" He asked, "Did you find what you were looking for?" He looked up and saw the shadowy figure floating in front of his desk.

"No." It replied simply.

Vlad waited for his accomplice to continue, but they made no move to. He chose to speak up instead. "Does this affect our plan at all?" He asked, resting his elbows on the desk and folding his hands under his chin.

The figure shook their head. "No, it merely just puts it on hold for a while." They answered. The figure floated to Vlad's side and asked, "May I visit your library?"

Vlad nodded and the figure left without another word. The elder halfa sighed, sinking into his chair and stroking Maddie, much to her pleasure. "This seems to be a lot of work for something that may not even exist." He muttered, draping an arm across his eyes. "But it's still worth the chance." He said with a smile. 

The sun began to rise on a new day, and many more challenges lie in wait for those involved in the young halfa's accession to the throne. 

A/N: I know, this is really late and it's not even that long. Sorry about all that. Had a bit of writer's block. I've been making new lore and history for this as I go and I think I now have a set backstory for everything. I wonder if you guys can figure it out hehehehe. Next update shouldn't take as long as this one did. Thank you all for reading and supporting me and I'll see you in the next one!