Kingdom of Aragon
-:-
Morning arrived and the team was quick to get ready for the festival.
Dora had offered dresses to the female members, but they had to decline due to Frostbite's reminder that they're supposed to represent their own dimension, and that it would be best if they wore their hero uniforms for now.
However, despite that fact, Superboy overheard Dora tell the female members that if they changed their minds later on, they were more than welcome to wear the outfits. To which Miss Martian and Zatanna readily agreed.
Breakfast went by quickly, but was filling. The younger members and a few older members were surprised at how skilled the kitchen was at making human food so easily… considering the circumstances.
The team followed Frostbite and Dora through the grounds until they reached a gate where a purple and black carriage awaited their arrival.
"Whoa, this is so cool!" Beast Boy excitedly exclaimed as he started to look around the carriage.
"Are we all going to be able to fit? It looks like it's only meant for four passengers," Kid asked with slight disbelief.
Frostbite let out a hearty laugh before clasping a large hand on Kid Flash's shoulder, making the hero jump at the sudden gesture.
"Rest assured, young one, things are not what they always appear to be. Observe," he reassured, gesturing towards the carriage.
A few of the heroes gave each other skeptical glances before hesitantly walking toward the carriage. Beast Boy was the first to enter.
"Whoa, double cool!" The young shapeshifter came back out and was practically jumping up and down from excitement. "Guys, come look!"
Superboy and the rest of the Team followed and took a look inside to see that there was enough room to fit everyone comfortably inside the luxurious carriage.
"But- but how?" Kid gawked.
"Is it a space expansion spell?"
The clone watched as Frostbite grinned with pride. "Good eye, young Zatanna! Magic is not rare here in the Infinite Realms, as there are things that may not always be as they appear, young heroes."
Superboy frowned as he looked around. "Where's Danny?"
As if on cue, he heard the neighing of several horses from outside and a few people cheering and applauding. The Team looked at each other before going to look out the windows.
They saw Phantom walk out of the gates with a small amount of knightly attire on. He still wore his iconic suit underneath, but on his right shoulder was a dark gray armor piece. Draped across his shoulders was a black cape with a dark green liner, pinned together by a singular golden ring (similar to Frostbite's) with ice-blue beads on a string hanging loosely from its center.
Beast Boy and Kid gawked as he approached the carriage. "Dude, what?!"
"How come he can wear cool stuff!?"
"For appearances, of course."
The Team turned to see Dora standing next to Frostbite with her usual attire, but an added decorative hair piece and a thin blue hooded cloak.
She smiled as she continued. "And since he is attending with Lord Frostbite and I, it is customary to wear something similar to resemble our realms. And dare I say-" She turned to Phantom. "-I much prefer you in your Knightley attire. Don't get me wrong, Lady Pandora's choice of clothing was lovely, but I much prefer you in armor."
Phantom blushed a light green and sent a small smile back. "Thanks, Dora. And thank you Frostbite for the new clip."
"No thanks are needed, Great One. Now please, we must be going if we are to arrive soon." Frostbite politely urged.
Phantom nodded and started to walk towards the front of the carriage, to which the heroes gave him questioning looks.
He smirked at them and disappeared for a second, before coming back riding on the back of a black mare with glowing green eyes and black wings.
"So awesome!" Beast Boy was awed with stars in his eyes.
The rest of the team chuckled at the younger member as Frostbite and Dora joined them inside the carriage.
Superboy sent them an inquiring look before Dora smiled knowingly. "He prefers to ride outside of the carriage with Nightmare when there are more than a few of us. He believes it is his responsibility to guard the carriage as we go out."
"Is Nightmare the horse?" Miss Martian asked uncertainly.
Dora nodded with an amused smile. "Originally she was Fright Knight's menacing steed. But, she's taken a liking to Danny as of late."
"Menacing? Besides the wings and glowing eyes, it looks like a normal horse to me," Beast Boy commented.
Superboy looked back towards the horse and watched as Phantom smirked and whispered something to the horse.
The horse suddenly reared back and whinnied, showing off its mouth full of rows of sharp fangs instead of normal teeth.
Beast boy blanched and turned away from the window with a horrified expression. "Nevermind…"
They could hear Phantom and the coachmen laughing outside, reminding Superboy that they had yet again forgotten about the Halfa's advanced hearing.
"That guy I swear," Artemis sighed.
"What? The horse, or the sometimes annoyingly overprotectiveness?" Zatanna asked with a deadpan expression.
"Eh, probably both."
The rest of the team chuckled and agreed that it was just a Danny thing and watched as one of the coachmen closed the door. They heard a few orders ring out, some from Phantom, some from the guards and coaches, before the carriage started moving.
"Wait, so how are we going to get there by carria-"
The carriage literally lifted off the ground once it reached a certain speed and the speedster just blinked before letting out a defeated sigh.
"Nevermind…"
The team outright laughed and watched as floating doors and islands passing by.
Superboy could hear their ghostly friend and the coachmen talk back and forth every once in and while, but other than that, the ride was fairly quiet.
"Does the Team have any more questions for us before we arrive? It would be an excellent time to do so," Dora offered with a kind smile.
The clone watched as Nightwing and Aqualad gave each other a look before Aqualad decided to speak up. "We wanted to ask if you don't mind sharing, why is it so important that Phantom attends the Interdimensional Festival of Peace?"
The two leaders shared a look before deciding that Dora would be the one to speak.
"Danny, or Sir Phantom, as you may know by now, has made a name for himself in the Infinite Realms. As such, his appearance and attendance are almost mandatory if he wishes to maintain a good reputation among the numerous beings residing here."
"We actually only just found out about his knighthood…" Miss Martian commented with an uncertain tone.
"Why can't he just show up for a couple of hours and head back?" Artemis asked.
"If he already did something to be in their good graces, why say anything otherwise?" Superboy added with a frown.
Frostbite was the one to speak up this time. "Well, surely you and the team would understand… It's not easy being who or what he is. Some individuals, or other ghosts, within the Infinite Realms, or the Ghost Zone as you've come to call it, do not like humans, and would rather not have a human protecting them."
"Yeah, but that's normal-"
"Is it?" Frostbite interrupted Kid with a seemingly uncharacteristic neutral expression. "If your Atlantean friend were to go to the island where the Amazons reside, would he be respected and welcomed?"
"He knows about the Atlanteans and Amazons?" Superboy heard Beast Boy whisper to Miss Martian.
"I mean, I guess it makes sense since Phantom knew about Wonder Woman and the Atlanteans," she offered quietly.
The younger shapeshifter blinked. "Oh right…"
Kid scoffed. "The Amazons wouldn't welcome him, but that's because he's a guy so-"
"Aqualad," Frostbite asked, ignoring Kid's attempt at a comeback. "If your human friends were to go to Atlantis unannounced, claiming to be chasing a criminal, would your fellow Atlanteans be welcoming?"
The person in question frowned. "Unfortunately no… they would be questioned immediately and would ask for proof of their innocence."
"Yeah but-"
"-But, there is no difference." Frostbite sternly interrupted Kid Flash. "Danny Phantom must protect not only ghosts, who despise his human half but also the citizens of the Living Realms, who often are hostile towards his ghost half. Do you now understand?"
Kid crossed his arms and sighed defeatedly. "Yeah… yeah we do…"
Miss Martian cleared her throat. "But how does attending this festival help? He can't change what he is."
Frostbite offered a gentle smile. "It shows that he is willing to push himself to meet other dimensions and create treaties with others in order to maintain peace. It shows that he is willing to represent our section of the Infinite Realms in front of hundreds, if not thousands. It shows that he is willing to do whatever he has to, to keep the people safe."
The carriage went quiet as the Team stared at the yeti.
"Whoa…" Beast Boy commented as he looked at the floor in disbelief.
Frostbite chuckled. "'Whoa' would be correct to describe just how great the Great One is."
"But that's so much, how does he manage it all?" Miss Martian asked worriedly.
"Because despite everything that's happened to him, he still manages to see the good in people, and he has friends and allies, like you, that he can rely on for help should he need it."
Kid snorted. "Does that mean we get an honorary mention or something?"
Frostbite gave a hearty laugh. "I suppose it would! The Master of Time does have his reasons, as mysterious and cryptic as he may be."
"So, since Clockwork invited us-"
"It means we need to be on our best behavior since people are probably going to be eyeing us," Nightwing reminded.
"What your friend says is true. Both Lord Frostbite and I both believe that since the Master of Time has invited you, and word spreads quickly amongst our people, you all must remain vigilant and courteous to others." Dora advised with a serious tone.
"Understood. Thank you both for your advice," Aqualad thanked.
The carriage landed in front of another large gate. They found none other than the aforementioned Time Ghost waiting for them as soon as they stepped out of the carriage.
"Clockwork!" Beast Boy exclaimed excitedly as he jumped out of the carriage.
The Ghost Master of Time smiled. "That is my name. Greetings young members of the Justice League, please allow me to guide you to your… guides."
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Did he just make a pun?"
"And to think I'd ever see the day…"
The Team turned to see Phantom walking towards them with Nightmare in tow.
BONK!
"OW!"
The Team stared in disbelief as they watched Phantom rub the top of his head with a grimace, while Clockwork stood next to him with an unreadable expression, acting as if nothing happened. Nightmare let out an amused whinny, while Frostbite and Dora remained silent and acted as though the entire situation was normal.
"Tell me, Daniel. Did you honestly believe I'd forgotten about the events of the Tower of Fate?"
"Huh? Do you mean the bickering with Doctor Fate? But that wasn't entirely-"
"He knows what I speak of Mr. West," Clockwork interrupted. He started walking towards the gates of the Festival grounds. "Don't think just because we are here, that you are out of my jurisdiction and teachings."
Superboy watched as their ghostly friend stopped rubbing his head and started following the Time Ghost with a roll of his eyes. "Right… got it…"
The two other ghosts chuckled at the exchange and gently pushed the Team toward the entrance.
Superboy was left breathless.
There were hundreds of colorful shops scattered or lined up all around, as far as the eye could see. Each with different slices of life and cultures from all over the world and more so. The shops seemed to be a part of what he could see looked like a bazaar, while in the distance he could've sworn he could see a roman colosseum just like the one from the TV shows about Ancient Rome.
The air was full of a mixture of different kinds of food, spices, and perfumes. There were already hundreds of people walking around, all from different ways of life and cultures. There was a mixture of, mainly, humanoid ghosts, though there were also many of what seemed to be alien-like species alongside them as well.
And that was all from what could be observed just in front of the Team.
A chuckle knocked Superboy out of his stupor and turned to see Clockwork with an amused smile.
"Your guides will arrive shortly. Should you have questions, feel free to ask your guides. If you have questions for me, I will be near the Main Stage, located just West of here. Enjoy yourselves, and do try to be on your best behavior."
The Team thanked Clockwork as he walked away, Phantom turning to them with an apologetic smile.
"I'll catch up with you guys later," he waved as he started to walk towards Dora.
Superboy furrowed his eyebrows at this, but Artemis was the one to say something.
"Wait, you're not coming with us? But we know nothing about this place!"
"Which is why you guys have guides-"
Superboy and the rest of the Team were not too 'terbed' by his response.
The clone watched as the other sighed and looked up with a serious expression. "Look, Frostbite and Dora asked me to come with them to the Festival of Peace, right? That means I need to stick with them."
Beast Boy's tail flicked nervously. "Can't we all go together? At least for a little bit?"
"I'm afraid, little ones, that my son is bound by his eternal loyalty," a rich and powerful feminine voice answered.
The Team turned to see a giant woman tower several feet above them. She had four arms and was decked out with golden Greek armor on top of a golden and black toga. Her helmet covered the majority of her face, though they could make out her gentle and kind smile, despite her glowing red eyes and fiery pink hair.
Half of the Team was stunned by the sheer size of the woman, while the other half was stuck on what she had said.
"Son?!"
A hearty laugh came from the nine-foot ghost while their ghostly friend blushed a dark green. "Guys, it's not like that… She's like my ghost godmother."
The woman patted the younger ghost's head with an amused smile. "There's no need to be so shy, my son! Come now, we have a meeting to attend to!"
Superboy's eyebrows furrowed again as he turned towards his friend with crossed arms.
"You didn't say anything about a meeting…"
But before he could question his friend more, Frostbite appeared from behind them and placed a large hand on Phantom's shoulder.
"Ah! Lady Pandora! How good to see you!" he announced cheerfully.
The heroes were dumbstruck again as they stared at both the yeti and the giant woman.
"Pandora?!" Several exclaimed in disbelief.
All the ghosts present laughed heartily together (except for Phantom who was still blushing from embarrassment). Frostbite was the first one to calm down and address the heroes.
"We will have to explain later, young ones. The meeting was called last minute for the rulers and security personnel. I can assure you, Team, that it is anything but pleasant. Come now then, we mustn't be late."
Phantom nodded and turned to the Team with one last reassuring smile. "I'll see you guys later, okay?"
The ghosts disappeared into the crowd and the young heroes were left alone.
"Can you believe that guy?" Kid Flash scoffed.
"Hey cut him some slack, we did only just find out that he has to be here for political reasons. The least we can do is just be there for him," Zatanna reprimanded.
"Z does have a point…" Nightwing commented.
Kid scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah sure whatever, anybody see our guides anywhere?"
"Right here!"
They turned towards the voice and several froze in place as they watched who approached them.
"Wait a minute aren't you-?"
"Hello, Team."
"You?!"
"'Sup!"
"And you?!"
A blue-skinned girl with fiery blue hair and black rockstar makeup walked up to them with three other ghosts in tow.
The other female was gray-skinned with bright green messy hair, with a red jacket and skirt. The two males were also gray-skinned, though one looked like a biker, while the other looked like a middle-aged man with a purple jacket and gray scarf.
"No way, you guys are showing us around?"
"Got something against that, dipstick?" Ember smiled teasingly as her hair flickered.
"No!" Kid squeaked before clearing his throat. "No, just- surprised."
"Yeah well so are we," Johnny 13 commented with crossed arms.
"Well, I don't know about you three, but I for one wasn't going to question the Master of Time." The ghost with the purple jacket added matter-of-factly.
"Wait, Clockwork asked you guys to show us around?" Beast Boy asked with a nervous tail flick.
Ember winked. "You got it, kid. Thought it'd be best to have people you guys are familiar with rather than just some random weirdos."
"...Yeah, but aren't you guys like- the bad guys?"
"Pfft! According to who?! We just like sparing with Babypop every now and then. At least, that's how it is for me," Ember smiled mischievously.
"Hello, and to those who haven't met me before, I am Ghost Writer, or Writer, for short. As for the boy and I, we used to disagree; but we've come to an understanding."
"You guys already know how we work," Johnny said, winking at Artemis and Zatanna. With a soft shove from the girl next to him he continued. "For those that don't know, I'm Johnny 13 and this is my girlfriend Kitty. Danny agreed that if Kitty and I stay out of trouble and mind our own business, we get the green light to go for a drive or two in the Living Realm." Kitty nodded in agreement.
"So… you're not going to try to attack us?" Kid asked.
"Dude, you gotta be joking! There's like a zero-tolerance policy on fighting on the festival grounds," Johnny laughed.
"Wait, seriously?" Artemis asked.
"Yeah, didn't Danny tell you?" Kitty asked with a concerned frown.
Superboy watched as Aqualad and Nightwing shared a look.
"No, he hasn't." The two leaders shared a look. "It seems there are a few things he hasn't told us," Aqualad answered.
"Uh oh, human drama!" Kitty giggled excitedly.
"Kitty, later," Ember warned with a tired sigh and a roll of her eyes.
The other female ghost sighed in response. "Right, Right… Alright, you guys, come on! We're gonna show you the ropes around here."
"I call Miss Martian, Artemis, and Z!" Ember suddenly shouted as she put her arms around the Martian and Sorcerer's shoulders.
Kitty balled her fists and stomped. "No fair! Well, then I get Superboy, Nightwing, and Aqualad!"
Writer lightly chuckled and turned towards the remaining two. "Very well, Beast Boy and Kid Flash, you're with me."
"Oh come on Kitty, I wanted to hang out with the pranksters!" Johnny 13 whined.
"Johnny, you know as well as I do, that if a single prank were to happen here, and you were caught, Danny would have both of our heads." Kitty retorted with crossed arms.
The Team went quiet as yet more questions about their ghostly friend were formed.
"Ugh fine!" The biker relented.
"Maybe we can make a compromise?" Writer offered. "We'll switch up the groups after lunch, that way Johnny may have fun, and I won't bore the two hyperactive ones. Sounds fair?"
Johnny didn't hesitate to say yes.
"Hey!" Kitty whined.
"Come on babe, please?"
After a few seconds of her pouting, she irritably agreed.
"Yes! See you dudes at lunch!"
Before they split off, Aqualad turned to all of them with a reassuring look. "Team, stay close to your guides, we'll meet back here in a few hours. Perhaps we could try to relax, as we are technically here to enjoy ourselves."
Main Tent
-:-
Phantom took a deep breath mentally as he stood beside Pandora, Frostbite, and Dora waiting for the Observants to arrive.
There were other beings there too, as they were the first rulers to arrive from other parts of the Ghost Zone and a few other dimensions he couldn't remember the name of.
The Observants had decided that the new meeting place, or 'Main Tent', for the rulers would be at the far end of the Festival grounds near the Main Stage. It was similar as to how a yurt would be set up, though it was twice the size, made of light-gray concrete with a green roof, and the only pieces of furniture present was a large circular table with matching chairs and a few floor-length candelabras spread evenly throughout the space.
An aggravated sigh was heard as a heated ruler slammed his hand against the round table in front of them. "Why are we still waiting? Was this meeting not urgent?!"
"Yes, where are the Observants? As stand-ins for the Ancient Ones, have they no decency to arrive on time to their own meeting?"
"Calm thyselves, I am the one that has summoned you here." Clockwork retorted as he dramatically came out of the shadows.
Phantom couldn't help but roll his eyes. 'He just had to have a dramatic entrance...'
"Master of Time?! What is this? Why have you summoned us with such urgency on the first day of the Festival of Peace?!"
"Agreed! There are better things we could be doing with our time!"
"There have been rumors of an assassination plan," Frostbite announced with a serious expression.
The Halfa was taken aback by his friend's bluntness. 'Way to get straight to the point, Frostbite…'
Several gasps were heard around the room, while others were rendered speechless by the news.
"How can that be?" One asked barely over a whisper.
"Who would dare attack at this time of year?! Are they mad?!"
"This is unheard of!"
Clockwork raised his hand, and the room went quiet. "I am aware of this revelation and newfound information is quite shocking to you all. However, the Heir and his advisors have agreed that this matter should remain secretive until more information is found," He announced.
Hushed whispers sounded off.
"And the Heir himself has wished this? Does he have no sense of urgency!? Does he not wish to seek out the assassin before the damage is done?!" The same heated ruler from before retorted.
Clockwork shot a deadly glare and the ruler was taken aback. "The Heir was the first one to assess these rumors and has already begun an attempt to seek out the potential assassin with aid from Frostbite of the FarFrozen, Dorathea of Aragon, Pandora of the Acropolis, and Sir Daniel Phantom."
The room went silent again.
"Has there been any progress?" Someone asked with a tinge of fear in their voice.
Frostbite was the one to answer. "We have found that there are some truths behind these rumors, and we have narrowed down the list of who the intended target may be."
No sighs of relief were made.
Phantom could tell by looking around, that several rulers were unnerved and others anxious.
"Clockwork, Master of Time…"
The Halfa's ghostly mentor nodded in response and waved his staff for the ruler to continue.
The ruler stood up and looked around with determined eyes, getting nods here and there from several others before turning back to the Time ghost.
"What does the Heir wish for us to do?"
The ghost boy watched as Clockwork smiled a little before returning to an unreadable expression.
"For now, he says we must keep the peace. 'Our people and our visitors come first.' The FarFrozen and Lady Pandora's Acropolis have already offered to double the number of patrols and guards. As we are all aware, fighting is strictly prohibited from within the Festival's gates. Should there be an assassination attempt, the Heir and the aforementioned individuals will ensure no one is harmed."
The rulers nodded and readily accepted the Master of Time's response.
After about another 20 minutes of back-and-forth questions and precautions, the present rulers agreed to new security plans, and the meeting was adjourned.
"Well that was… interesting," Phantom commented softly when the last ruler had left.
"Yes, quite…" Frostbite placed a hand on the Ghost teen's shoulder. The white-haired ghost looked at the yeti curiously.
"Now that business is taken care of, should we not enjoy ourselves while we are here?" His friend offered with a smile.
Phantom smiled back, "Yeah, sure."
As they started towards the exit, Frostbite chuckled to himself before asking him, "Will you be joining this year's Blizzard games? I heard we might have quite the competition this year!"
"I'm afraid I'll need to steal my young apprentice for a bit."
Both of them turned to see Clockwork floating silently toward them.
Frostbite bowed his head and gave them both brief goodbyes before leaving.
"Is something-"
"Not here," the Time Ghost interrupted with a slight strictness. "The King's Tent."
The Halfa's stomach dropped again but made no comment as he obediently followed his overseer out of the Main Tent.
They walked past the Main Stage where not too far off was a large black tent with two green triangular flags waving at the top. Two knights, who looked very similar to Dora's knights, were posted outside of the singular entrance.
Clockwork raised his staff and two black and green armored knights pulled back the black curtains, allowing them to pass through.
It was surprisingly well-lit for a dark-colored tent. There were silver candle holders placed throughout the tent, allowing almost every square inch to be covered in a soft yellow light. The tent was also well furnished, with a couple of wooden tables adjourned with purple and black cushioned chairs, carpets and furs laid out on the ground, and some wooden shelves with scrolls and books. The tables were neatly organized with feather quills, pens, ink brushes, blank scrolls, papers, and books.
Further back in the tent was another set of black curtains pulled to the sides of the frame, revealing a medium-sized bed (with purple and black sheets), a dark wooden chest, and another candle holder.
Phantom turned to see Clockwork watching him take in the surroundings. He nodded as though confirming something to himself before sitting down in one of the cushioned chairs, all without saying a single word.
The Halfa sighed defeatedly and took off the cape and armor and placed it on the nearby table.
He took a steadying breath before turning back to his overseer. "It wasn't my fault-"
"So you would believe it to be."
"Nabu forced that outcome, Clockwork! I told them I didn't want to see Fate and yet-"
"And yet you still allowed yourself to be involved in that situation, which you were aware had the potential to jeopardize your assigned mission," he interrupted with stern eyes.
The teen grit his teeth. "Batman wouldn't-"
"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware he was Heir to the Infinite Realms," The Time Ghost interrupted sarcastically yet sternly.
Phantom let out an aggravated growl as he turned away from Clockwork, glaring at the blank scrolls and quills.
"Daniel.…"
The teen hesitantly turned back to his overseer with a disgruntled look.
"As I told you before you left my tower, that 'need I remind you that you are our future', whether you wish it or not. Your safety, and health, are things you need to take better care of. And while you have indeed improved, you are still not being mindful of how your decisions will affect your future. I am trying to help you, which is more than I should be doing given the circumstances of my position."
"It's not exactly like I expected a Lord of Chaos to show up either, Clockwork. Speaking of which, when you were going to tell me that I was going to be living on a planet with not just a Lord of Order, but a Lord of Chaos as well?"
"I did not find the information useful to your mission."
The half-ghost scoffed incredulously, before turning bitter with his words. "And what is my mission exactly? All you ever told me was 'do not let history repeat itself'. That gives me absolutely nothing to go by, Clockwork! Am I supposed to be stopping the government from making another GIW? Am I supposed to be making treaties with the Living Realm there to prevent ghost hunting, which I can't do without having an official title? I am so utterly and completely lost that I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doing right now!"
Clockwork sighed and stood up from his seat, gesturing for the other to stand next to him. Phantom reluctantly obeyed and walked over to the now solemn time ghost.
"Perhaps you are looking for the wrong things, my boy... Try looking at things from a different angle. Instead of looking for things you don't have, try looking for the things you do have. Now, if you're done with your venting process, I believe you have guests to attend to?"
The Halfa sighed defeatedly and started to throw back on his accessories for the day.
"Just one more question, Clockwork…"
The Time Ghost remained silent though attentive, which meant the teen was given permission to continue.
"Why was the Team assigned guides?"
The other smiled and turned away. "Everything is exactly as it should be… enjoy the Festival, Daniel."
Phantom rolled his eyes as he left the tent, mumbling to himself about cryptic ghosts and riddles.
