Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.
Title: In Interesting Times
Author: unknown20troper
Rated: R
Warnings: Male/male smut, anal, non-con or dub-con (Dan/Clockwork), AU, profanity
Pairing(s): Dan Phantom/Clockwork, Dash/Tucker
Summary: King Tuck AU. Tucker is stuck in Egypt's past by Hotep-Ra, and Dash is transported to the land of the Vikings in the same time, and mistaken for their royal heir. Tucker becomes Dash's slave when the Vikings, manipulated by Hotep-Ra, plunder Egypt and take him back to their heir.
Notes: Constructive criticism welcomed. Please tell me if get the canon details, characterization or anything else wrong.
Chapter 5: Arguing Time
The duo flew through the Ghost Zone at the fastest possible speed (or what they thought the "fastest possible speed" was), not even considering the oddness and inherent ridiculousness of caring about when they reached the Time Keeper's place. Reaching it was all that mattered, and musings of that or any sort only would have been distracting.
Reaching Clockwork's tower was much harder than going to the Far Frozen had been. Ghosts now seemed to crowd around them, to trail them, to chase them through the emerald plasma of the Ghost Zone. Danny sighed, knowing that less ghosts bothered to stalk him and Sam when they went to the Far Frozen. He hoped curiosity was the ghosts' only motivation. If not…
He sighed in relief when he spotted the clock tower, Clockwork's lair; hope rising in his chest. Sam commented, "Seems we've reached the time guy." Danny smiled at the statement and the sardonically casual way that she said it.
Danny swished his tail, pushed his muscles to the limit and focused his determination, directing all his energy to the goal of reaching that magical place. He succeeded, slipping through a half-open window.
"Clockwork!" he called. "Clockwork! Tucker's stuck in ancient Egypt and because of Dash, I can't use the Infiniti Map to rescue him, so I, uh, need your help."
Clockwork looked up from the view given by his time portal, responding, "In rescuing your friend, not finding the map, correct? I could do either, but the former does seem to fit best with your conception of my abilities."
"You're right," Danny responded. "I want you to take Sam and I to ancient Egypt, to Tucker."
"Possible, though you should try not to do anything that could severely change the present."
"Okay, we'll try," he promised. "We don't know everything, but we'll try."
The Observants, one-eyed ectoplasm beings dressed in regal suits and cloaks, appeared behind Danny and Sam, displaying an excellent sense of timing. "You must not."
"Is that so?" Clockwork inquired, showing none of the rage that Danny and Sam would have. "Their reasons are benevolent. They have promised not to alter events any more than they have to."
"The ghost boy and his friends are a constant source of change," declared one of the Observants. "It is difficult for us to adjust to new time streams."
"I know," Clockwork responded. "However, you will do so when it is necessary. It is necessary now."
"This time stream is stable."
"There are better time streams."
"And worse ones. Do you know which will happen?"
"Any of them could. It just depends on what they do and what we do. Your interruption aborted several options and birthed many more to replace them."
"We did not order this," the Observants responded. "You are supposed to operate under our orders, not those of anyone who comes your way."
"I know that; I know everything," Clockwork stated. "You do not."
"Maybe you should just get us the Map?" Danny suggested.
"Ghost child, that is not an option either," the Observants replied. "The Infiniti Map and the human in possession of it are in the land of the Vikings. Your presence there, or Clockwork's…"
"Yes, as the Observants has guessed, the Infiniti Map is a crucial part of this time stream. Without it, Hotep-Ra's defeat and/or Tucker and Dash's rescue is less likely."
Danny sighed, frustrated. "Now, you're agreeing with them!"
"They have a valid point," Clockwork declared, his voice entirely neutral. "To retrieve the Map, you have to do all of that. If you do not, the future will be disrupted, causing it to change in a negative fashion."
"Specifics?"
"Many futures are possible, so specifying would be difficult."
"Difficult? You know everything."
"Yes, though explaining is it's quite a different matter," Clockwork responded, calmly. "I know why the death of a butterfly could produce a different future, for example, but not even the mortal that thought the idea up truly is capable of understanding it." He paused. "Since he did not think it up. That was one of my examples for ages, and he merely transformed it into a story and a commonly thought about concept."
"We aren't dealing with butterfly death here," Sam retorted. "I figure this will be easier to explain than that."
"A large percentage of those futures involve Hotep-Ra as the pharaoh of the Earth and Ghost Zone. In all of them, a love was prevented before it could happen."
"I understand the first part," Danny replied, musing. "But the second… what, is Tucker gonna fall madly in love with some Egyptian girl?"
Something unnamable flickered in Clockwork's eyes. "No."
"Is an Egyptian girl gonna fall for him?"
Again, the flicker. "No."
"Will two random people fall for each other because of this?"
Once again, the Time Keeper's eyes sparked. "Yes."
"Then why does it matter so much?"
"Their love, and the love of others are necessary for defeating Hotep-Ra."
"Okay, some random people's love will defeat Hotep-Ra?" Sam inquired. "How? We don't live in a storybook universe. Or Care Bears."
"That is not what I mean."
"What do you mean?"
"You will have to find out yourself."
Danny's temper reached its limit, his frustration burned inside him. Letting them out seemed necessary, since it felt as though they were destroying him from the inside. He grabbed the closest object and threw it, only realizing what it was once it was too late.
It cracked when it hit the floor, all the wear and tear inflicted on it making that possible. Smoke streamed out, and an intimidating, very familiar figure emerged.