AN: Heeeeeeey everyone! *crickets chirping* ... Yeeeeah, sorry. I know I haven't updated Second Chance in too long. I've been busy again. Please dun't hate meh! I'll try getting it up soon, but I can't promise anything because I'm moving into my college dorm in a week. Anyways, about this story. My lovely friend, user "Lazy Chipmunk", requested this months ago, but I finally got it done! I hope it's what you wanted, even if it's probably not what you expected.

Special Note: I, personally, do not like the King Danny headcanon, but I did not let it affect this piece. So, for those who also do not like it... well, just don't read it if you don't think you'll like it. I will say that I kept it different from any of the others I've read, so you might like the story, even if you don't like the headcanon.

Enjoy!~

"Why-THUD- do-THUD- these things-THUD- always-THUD- happen-THUD- to me?!" exclaimed a certain 17-year-old while banging his head against the wall to punctuate his words.

"Daniel, though the chance of you getting a concussion from that is low, I do suggest you stop. Each time you hit your head, the numbers go up. I'd rather not see the wrath of Ms. Manson directed at myself for letting you injure yourself in my presence," Clockwork stated blandly. Danny Fenton, also known as Danny Phantom, huffed but stopped hitting his head, only then noticing things had a slight spin on them as it was. Looks like he really would have given himself a concussion. He turned around and looked back at Clockwork, who was watching him expectantly.

"Well, all I wanted was to stop by and ask a simple question but you hit me with this! You didn't even answer the question I had!"

"There was no need to. You know the answer already. It is as you feel it is. You didn't even want to ask me, but simply have my confirmation on it. Now that you have it, we can continue our conversation from before you began attempting to bludgeon your head." Danny sighed in annoyance, but the emotion was obviously not on the inside. Inside, he only felt absolute joy at knowing his suspicion had been correct. True, it had taken him longer to figure out than it should have, but he knew now that he could never doubt it again. Sam and him were, in fact, soulmates. Danny could already hear Tucker making drift-compatible jokes that would get him punched or kicked by a blushing Sam.

"What is there for me to even discuss on it? It doesn't seem like I have a choice or you wouldn't have told me, correct?" He slid down the wall to sit on the ground as the large, gear-covered room lacked anything to sit on. There really wasn't a point for a ghost who never rested and barely had visitors to keep them.

"There is always a choice, of course, but I believe the other choices you have would be most unfavorable for yourself and the rest of the worlds. They are still open, though. As you know, I cannot dare to choose for you, but I believe it necessary to inform you of what this entails, Daniel." Danny tried not to sigh again. Trust Clockwork to make a simple yes or no question have the most cryptic answer ever.

"So what exactly does me being the King of All Ghosts have to it? It seems like it's pretty obvious. I mean, a king is a king, right? All the same in essentials." After only a minute of being in his tower, Clockwork had slammed Danny with the biggest news he'd ever received. He had inherited the title of King of All Ghosts to be active once he turned eighteen. Danny had been hoping to use the occasion of his legal adulthood to do something much more special to him that involved a ring, but he really wasn't sure if that was the right day anymore with this going on.

"Not exactly what you have in mind. The Ghost King is not like any other king in existence when he is actually being a good king. When a Ghost King is a true king, his identity is unknown to all of his subjects besides a select few whom he chooses. He has the final say in all major decisions on the welfare of the Ghost Zone and knows all that is wrong with it. As far as you being half-human, there are no laws stating specifically that halfas cannot be kings. With as flimsy as those laws are, a full human could've become King or Queen if one of them had overtaken Pariah Dark."

Danny's interested was admittedly piqued, but not because of the power or anything. It was because of how entirely different it sounded from what he'd heard about Pariah Dark. Everyone had known his name, but then again, he wasn't particularly a "good" king. Danny still didn't know enough, though.

"So, what's even the point of having one? The Zone hasn't fallen apart within the years Pariah has been gone, now has it?" He sounded much more sure than he was on that, though. Lately, his usual enemies seemed easier to fight than before. He had assumed it was from his powers getting stronger again- which they had- but not so much that it should be that easy.

"It has survived but nothing more. The Ghost Zone is much like a living being. It needs nourishment to thrive. Before your parents built their Portal, there were enough ghosts constantly remaining here to give it that nourishment." Clockwork let it drop off there as he need not continue explain and had a partial smile, telling Danny he knew exactly how saying that had made the latter feel. Guilty. And even without this feeling, Danny could feel himself swaying already. With it, he might as well go ahead and say yes now because guilt meant responsibility. Clockwork honestly did know what was best for both of the dimensions just as much as he knew how to pull Danny's strings.

"So.. I mean.. Clockwork, I don't know how I could even do this! I don't know how to monitor an entire dimension or how to really be in charge of anything. I mean, I don't even know how to drive yet because I haven't had time to learn between school and ghost fights! And, though I do care about the Ghost Zone, wouldn't it make the ghosts who come out stronger again as well? That just makes things harder on myself, Clockwork. Does the Ghost Zone absolutely need a King to stay functioning?" Danny asked though more for the sake of making sure there was no way he could get out of it.

"Of course not," he stated to Danny's surprise but then continued with, "A queen would do as well." The halfa narrowed his eyes slightly though he should've known. He did, however, know this was truly big. Clockwork had given a straight-up answer nobody could misunderstand. Danny still wasn't sold on all of it, though.

"Isn't there anyone else who could do it? I mean, I've been beaten since I fought Pariah! Why can't it shift to any of those ghosts?! Not that I'd exactly want any of them in charge..."

"Except it's not your fight with Pariah that caused you to gain the place in line. Think clearly about it, and you'll understand, Daniel."

'Aaaand we're back to the cryptic again,' Danny mentally commented but did as he was told and began trying to work it out in his head. It hadn't been his defeat of Pariah, but the power could only pass through triumphing over another. The only thing he could think of was trying to figure out who had last bested him and when he had beaten them again afterwards. It was a dead fifteen minutes before Danny realized his epiphany and leaped up from his spot on the floor.

"Vlad was the last Ghost King?!" he half-yelped, hand running through his hair in stress as he understood. Clockwork neither confirmed nor denied this exclamation, but Danny didn't need it. It clicked. Vlad had been the one who sealed the Sarcophagus. Vlad had technically defeated Pariah. Vlad had become the Ghost King first then Danny had accidentally won it from him the previous month when he'd returned for one last fight which Danny easily succeeded in (though he hadn't killed the elder halfa-merely beaten him until the fight was over then helped arrest him for the government to take care of since it was the man who had held the world hostage, after all).

Danny now understood every single bit of it all and also knew something else. Had Vlad been told what Danny was learning right now, he would've abused it to no end and become an even stronger Pariah. Apparently, whomever gave Clockwork the go-ahead on telling Danny (most likely the Observants) trusted Danny enough to know he would not do so. He felt his confidence solidify. He would do this.

Danny finally came out of his thoughts and knew by Clockwork's face that he was making the choice the elder approved of.

"I'll accept it. I'm not sure how good I'll be at helping the Ghost Zone, but I'm going to try my hardest... on one condition," he stated, wanting to say everything aloud for his own sake. Clockwork nodded for him to continue. "I want to finish school first. I've been trying too hard to pass with good grades for me to give up when I graduate in less than a year."

Clockwork nodded once, his mysterious smirk plastered on his face again in triumph. "I believe the Ghost Zone should hold up fine until then." Danny slowly let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

The pair began discussing the finer details of what Danny would have to do and did so for quite a while until Dani called to tell her adoptive brother it was dinner time and to "get his butt home before she came in and dragged him out for quality family time".

Danny thanked Clockwork for it all and made a time to come back to discuss the rest of the details, but it was overall set into place. Danny thought about it all as he flew away from the ghostly clock tower. He was going to become the King of the Ghost Zone and would have to protect the ghosts he fought, but he knew he would at least have his family and friends and soulmate by his side. He was so wrapped up in all his thoughts, he missed the last words Clockwork said as he flew off.

"And so begins an age of prosperity."