Chapter 1: Foreshadow
The great blue crashes onto the lasting sands and the weathered rocks. Seagulls squawk in the air and snatch their dinner. The salty winds brush through the many untouched trees of the island of Molokai and the long raven-black hair of a certain fifteen year old girl.
With closed eyes, Danielle takes a deep sigh after breathing in the sweet aroma of the coast that people have forgotten. "If only Danny could see this place."
She opens her eyes to reveal sapphire and watches a seagull flap down and land next to her. It starts pecking at a piece of jewelry next to her, but the teen swipes at it and shouts, "Hey, stop that!" The bird shrieks in surprise and flies off. Danielle picks up the jewelry and examines it again.
The ring is colored green everywhere except for the black circle on top, wrapping around a green skull. The skull's eyes gleam red and the whole trinket glows a weird light. The ring reverberate an ominous feel to Danielle as well as something else. Ever since she found it on her travels, the teen felt attached to the jewelry, like every other girl, but more like it's a piece of her. Cliché, but that's how she feels. She couldn't leave it behind.
Danielle slides the ring on one of her fingers and examines it on her hand. "Hmm. Stylish. Goes well with my ghost eyes."
"Interesting piece of jewelry, young girl."
The girl reacts and spins around, getting to her feet. What she finds is a pale blue man wearing a purple cloak and wristwatches. His eyes glow red with knowledge, one having a scar, and on his chest is a clock, his feet a wispy tail. In his hand is a staff with a stopwatch on top. Altogether spells trouble for Danielle. She quickly transforms into her ghost form, which consists a black shirt with a white obtuse triangle wrapping her left waist and the tip reaching her right shoulder. The shirt shows her midriff and has a combined DP, the D having a swirl on top instead of three tails, just above the triangle, gloves that have white covering the edge and stretching to cover the bottom of her palm with the black topping the rest, and black jeans with a white stripe running down the side and wrapping around the cuff and white boots, black underneath. Her hair turns white and her eyes change to bright green. She charges her ecto-rays in her hands, but the ghost says, "Relax Danielle. I'm not here to hurt you."
She doesn't stir. "Who are you? And how do you know my name?"
"Good questions. Why don't we step into my place?" He extends his staff and a blue swirling portal appears. The ghost steps, or floats, back and motions for Danielle to enter. She doesn't move, years of survival taught her to not trust easily, but he reassures, "Don't worry. I'm a friend of Danny Phantom."
"Really?" Still cautious, the ghost girl finally moves her legs forward, hesitating by the portal. She finally enters and walks on a metal floor. Her jaw drops in astonishment when she looks around the place.
The whole residence is like a giant clock church. Everywhere, there are gears turning and ticking, reaper statues are seen in some columns and circular windows full of swirling green is floating around. She walks to one of the super-large windows and sees more gears floating around the place with the skies and ground a large green vortex. "Is this the Ghost Zone?"
"Yes, Danielle." The ghost says, floating by her, now an old man. The ghost girl continues to examine the large building when she notices a table with a familiar green container. She picks it up and finds it banged up from the inside. One of the dents looks like a fanged face. "What's a Fenton Thermos doing here?"
The kid-version of the ghost snatches it out of Dani's hand and answers, "It's my job to keep this safe from enemy hands. If the creature inside ever escaped, it would bring more chaos than Pariah Dark ever brought."
"Who's Pariah Dark?"
"Best if you don't know." He sets the Thermos back on the table and something inside jiggled it.
"Now back to your question, Danielle. First, my name is Clockwork, master of time. Second, I know your name because I know everything."
"A 'master of time' thing?"
"Yes."
"Okay. So does Danny know about you?"
"Of course. I inspired him once in the past."
Dani looks around the place again and asks, "So why did you bring me to…your place, I'm guessing?"
"I invited you here because of what you'll do in the future."
"What will I do; something bad? Are you going to kill me to stop it?" she asks, becoming more alert.
"Don't worry. I won't kill you." Clockwork floats to a large green screen as an adult. "But you will play a big part in creating the future. You and that ring."
She looks at her hand where the ring sits on her finger, which has starting glowing brighter. "What does this ring have to do with the future?"
He turns and asks, "Do you know what that ring is, Danielle?"
She shakes her head.
"The ring you hold right now is a powerful object. One of two. There is great power inside that jewelry that it could level a whole city. Maybe even a whole state."
"Uh…" The teen looks at the ring again, but now with pure fear.
"Do not fear. It can only destroy if it has one more item of power. Without it, the ring is just as harmless as a piece of jewelry." But he then whispers his last statement, so low Dani doesn't hear. "Unless in certain hands."
"Oh. Good. But I don't see how me and this ring can affect the future."
"It will. In time. But I must warn you. What you will face in the future will be like nothing you have ever encountered. It will truly test on where your loyalties lie."
"My loyalties lie with me and me alone. Even Danny knows that."
"Keep that in thought, and see what happens to you. Remember that." He states, changing from kid to senior.
Now, the ghost girl is shivering from his scary speech. She turns to one of the many windows that hold her reflection on it. Dani thinks she saw her reflection suddenly change into something frightening and dark, but it only lasts a second so she thinks it's just her active imagination. The clone shakes her head to clear it and turns back to Clockwork, who looks at one of the screens. "I think I know the answer but, is there a way to avoid it?"
"No."
"Figures," she sighs.
"You said you wanted to be like Danny," He morphs to a child. "Now you will." He creates a blue portal and says, "Through here, your journey starts."
The teen walks up to the portal to try and see the other side but it remain as a swirling mass. "Well, here goes nothing." She closes her eyes before walking through the portal. It closes and Clockwork murmurs, "Remember what I said." After turning into an adult, he asks, "Why are you here?"
Two beings appeared, both looking alien. Their bodies are as thin as sticks as well as their arms, which ends with claws, and floating eyeballs replaces the head. They're known as Observants. The one on the right says, "You should already know, Clockwork. We're here because we're wondering why you didn't destroy her."
"Because she posed no threat. That is why."
"But you know what she will become. If she is to be able to travel freely, then only chaos will follow."
The second Observant adds, "Dare I say it, she will be more powerful than even Dan Phantom and Pariah Dark combined."
"I heard that!" shouts the canister. "No one is more powerful than me!"
"Except Danny Phantom," Clockwork remarks.
The thermos shakes furiously after the comment along with yelling.
"If we don't act now, then the world as we know it shall end," Observant One states.
"Patience," is all Clockwork talks back. "A lot can happen in time. You should know yourself that the future isn't written in stone. Just wait."
The Observants look at each other before disappearing from the church. The master of time turns back to his screen, which has cleared to reveal a pale woman in ominous clothing looking at the destruction of civilization. "I just hope everything goes according to plan."
In the Future…
A worn-out Observant flies toward a threatening black castle, fear and pain showing in his one eye. He was about to enter the doors when two guards with green skin block his way with menacing spears. "Halt. None are permitted to enter."
"I must speak to the Queen at once," the Observant pants.
"None are permitted to enter. Please return to your residence."
Inside, a feminine voice echoes, "Let him in."
The guards move their spears and the Observant rushes in. He passes through another set of double doors, this one thicker than the first. Inside, a woman looks out a large window facing away from the ghost, only her shadow hair and black cape visible. In the room, there are a variety of soldiers, human and ghost, wearing different armor and different types of weapons. They all watch as the Observant stops halfway in the room and floats just above the gray carpet. He huffs, "Your majesty. I have terrible news."
"Let me guess," she says, her voice deathly harmonious, "Clockwork has sent Danielle to his clone to start on her quest to destroy my timeline."
"Uh, yes. How'd you know?"
"Did you forget that I am the ruler of time? I can see the past, present, and future in all the timelines. Nothing surprises me anymore."
"Of course. Might I suggest that you and some others stop her from-" He never got to finish when a blood-red beam pierces through his old robes, stabbing where his heart would be. The ghost gasps at the sudden pain, falling onto the cool stone. The soldiers murmur fearfully to each other when it happened. The Queen turns around to look at the fallen ghost with pure red eyes full of merciless power. Her pale face stretches as she makes a dead smile. She steps down the long line of stairs, her robes flowing around her feet, and says, "Did you also forget that Danielle going on this quest is the reason I came to power? If I stop her, then my reign also stops."
"I sure wish it would," one human soldier whispers to his fellow ghost. Another beam burns into his chest and he falls down, dead. The other soldiers return to form in surprise. The Queen walks up to the down ghost and grab his robe, lifting him up well off his tail. "Let this be a reminder to others of suggesting plans to me." She throws him away just as the last of his life diminishes, and two ghosts float in to dispose of the two carcasses. The Queen wipes her gloved hand on a rag and says, "Looks like it's time to head back into the past. I need to make sure it stays in line with mine or all is lost." She grins, showing razor-sharp fangs and whispers, "It'll be nice to see all of my old friends alive and well. But not for long." The Queen vanishes in a swirl of red, leaving behind a chuckle full of malevolence, frightening the soldiers to their cores.