Chapter Text
"Pinky promise?"
Clockwork would've ripped out his own Ghost-Core had the childe requested it.
Promises... The time eldritch doesn't like making promises he can't keep, there are too many different variables when it comes to time-related matters, so making promises is not something the time eldritch does very often, the last promise he'd made was to his own childe oh so long ago and he still has not managed to fulfill that promise either, maybe this time around he'll manage to do so?
The time eldritch is uncertain about making another promise, however, the dying childe in his arms currently is also an eldritch as well... the youngest to ever exist in fact, at the moment Danny is barely even fifteen years old in human years, not even Clockworks own childe was this young when Nocturn had reached the eldritch level, and even worse Danny had turned into an eldritch being of the stars during the battle that would've decided the fate of everything they'd worked so hard for, Clockwork blames himself for not realizing what was happening earlier in this timeline, the rare yet obvious signs were there and he wouldn't have let Danny near the battlefield if the elder had thought it was possible for someone so young to be able to reach this level of power.
Box Ghost was the last one to reach the level of eldritch, and that was so many timelines ago that Clockwork doesn't bother remembering how long ago because the answer would drive him crazier than the Joker. However, he is certain that things need to change in the next timeline; otherwise, they're all going to die again, and he's going to be all alone again. He hates being alone in the universe; it is too quiet and utterly boring.
What a fool he's been, and it cost them everything again, sure the Fentons and their army of hunters are gone as well, but so are the people that his little king had desired to protect, his sister Jazz, his best friends, the entirety of the ghost zone's residents, Clockwork is the only one left again... this is far from the first time he's failed his king and making a promise after he's failed so many times is not something he wants to do.
Yet an endearing spark of fondness blazes through the elder's core, as he hooks his pinky with a much smaller one his tone unwavering "I Pinky promise" One, two, three... three Corebeats are all it takes before Clockwork's newest promise takes root in his core nested so closely to the promise he'd made to Nocturn so many centuries ago, the promise is made and turning back has never been an option for him when promises are involved.
Standing up he carries his nearly lifeless king to where the childe belongs, all too soon gently laying the younger eldritch down beside his Fraid's remains, their ghost cores, Tucker and Sam hadn't survived the battle nobody did, and like always whenever the universe comes to an end Clockwork was the only survivor, not because he wanted to be though, it's because he literally cannot be killed as the embodiment of time itself, as time is eternal which makes him beyond just immortal, his situation is not one he'd wish one on another soul.
Ten seconds pass by quickly as Danny's body fades into stardust leaving only his core behind, the little king's ghost core is different from normal ghosts, unlike Sam's Nature or Tucker's Electricity cores, he's never seen anything like Danny's universe core is similar to Clockwork's time core and other eldritch being's cores, only much smaller and way more fragile yet far more powerful then any of their cores combined, yet his king is dead again, as the young are fragile and because Clockwork is immortal it would be wiser to house the trio's cores inside his own for the next hundred centuries to allow the little ones to grow more powerful.
However, he cannot do so, the promise he'd just made to Danny only prevents that, yet if he were to find the loophole in the promise's meaning, then there'd be nothing to worry about.
"Pinky Promise... I'll remain myself "
Dammit...
Guess there's no helping it, a promise is a promise after all, so that means he cannot core adopt the trio as his own, although... glancing at Sam's nature core his grin widens dangerously as an idea for a timeline that might succeed comes to mind., it is natures truest form to change and adapt to its environment for continuous survival, its part of why the goth ghost is always one of the last to die, during what's eventually become a war with the Fentons and their army of ghost hunters, their future is dark, perhaps its time for Danny and his friends to grow up somewhere darker then Amity Park, maybe they'd live and not just survive, he truly hopes this plan works, it is already boring by himself.
The little king never made him promise that Maddie and Jack Fenton needed to be his parents, only that Danny remains himself, which can mean many many different things in reality, so what exactly makes up his little king? what makes Danny himself? what loopholes can he use to make sure that his little king won't die in the next timeline? he cannot allow this event to happen, not again, Now how does one prevent an all-destroying war from occurring and not break his promises?
Danny is many things... almost too many to pick just a few things, to simply sum up his whole being, However, eventually Clockwork decides that his king's being is made up of the bonds with his Fraid, his eldritch core, some important memories, feral chaos, kindness, and ruthlessness, as well as the love he has for outer space.
That might be why his core changed nature mid-battle from Ice to Universe when he reached the eldritch level, it is rare but not impossible, even with his king's core half-healed state... Danny's core had been broken into shards previously in the original timeline has everything to do with why he died in this one after the transformation ended, his current mortal form could withstand all that power thus the Halfa turned to stardust, now the next timeline needs to be one where the Childe can heal and grow stronger.
Several wisps of familiar energy cross his line of sight drawing his gaze away from the trio's cores that are cradled in his arms protectively alongside Nocturn's larger dream core, huh wait a minute? isn't that...
Oh, dear... Clockwork feels slightly ashamed to have forgotten that he's technically not fully alone, the ghost zone remains as eternal as time itself, and so long as he exists the impossible being shall never leave him, yet it is not the same without people to occupy their endless time it's boring and depressing, it seems she is running out patience otherwise the ghost zone wouldn't have appeared at all, she's not allowed to kill humans or the Fentons would be dead and the war wouldn't ever happen.
His eyes widen upon the moment the time ghost realizes, why the stronger being appeared at this moment in time and not during the last timeline, that this sudden appearance is not entirely due to her boredom or quick temper, a plan she's made them a working plan.
Four cores cradled in his arms he follows the wisps through time, and it seems like they are going on a journey to visit a friend, how curious, this has never happened before, how exciting he's looking forward to meeting this friend of the Ghost Zone what kind of creatures shall they be?
Not another ghost or a human, those are all gone now turned to dust or in Danny's special case stardust.
Gotham opens their eye lazily grinning sharply watching the glowing wisps that usually make up Ghosty's chosen form, oh? ~Fun~ she brought one of her children for a visit and what are those four orbs? are those eggs?
Yes, yes they are eggs yet the eggs aren't ready to hatch it seems, perhaps they can help with that, giving a little energy wouldn't harm the tiny ones and would speed up the growth process.
Leaving their hiding place of shadows the mountain-sized bat moves slowly so as to not make the ghost cradling the eggs afraid, Ghosty's wisps start braiding their fur again ~Silly Ghosty~ the ghost who smells of time soon allows Gotham to hold the eggs once he realizes that they aren't going to eat the little ones, and watches closely in worried fascination as the bat begins transferring their energy to the eggs.
The largest egg glows faintly which means good things usually, the two midsized eggs also glow faintly, however, the smallest egg not only glows but also seemingly asks for more energy, Gotham feels a pull at their soul wondering if that means the little one is still hungry, a little more energy should be okay...
Hopefully
Once the small egg has had its fill Gotham grins widely watching the bright glow grow brighter than the other three eggs had, this one is a special egg it seems, how wonderful that they were able to help provide nourishment, oh would ya look at the lovely braids Ghosty has hidden in their fur ~how sweet~ the wisps dance around the bat's massive form playfully and it is rather tempting to ask their friend to change forms so that the ghost has fur that can also be braided, yet they also know that its wrong to ask that as Ghosty usually doesn't like having a physical body.
A rattling giggle leaves Gotham's jaws as they realize that the time ghost never introduced himself, curious glowing gold eyes gaze intently at the caretaker of the eggs waiting patiently for him to state his name, Clockwork meets the mountain-sized bat's gaze without fear of being eaten seeing as the Ghost Zone is very trusting of this friend, another eerie giggle leaves the bats mouth and he realizes that he's being rude by not introducing himself to this extremely powerful motherly creature.
"Call me Clockwork, may I know your name?" the wisps that make up the Ghost Zone's preferred form soon change into words as she introduces the bat "This is Gotham City, and they would be purrfect nest for the little ones to grow up in" blinking in slight surprise that the giant bat is apparently a whole city given sentience and form, Clockwork wonders when the last time he felt hope was... glancing at the smallest core held so carefully in the bat's wings.
Oh yes, now he remembers, the last time he had hope was when his little king saved him from being bored, and because Clockwork is the only ghost left that means he has to be the one to ask for help, his plans keep failing and everyone always dies leaving him alone and so utterly bored, perhaps Gotham City might help, only one way to find out "When the universe restarts... " he never gets to finish his request as the time ghost soon finds himself being cradled like a baby as the bat nuzzles his hair making purring sounds that are similar to a cat.
And he almost screams in terror when the kindest voice he's ever heard echos inside his mind "Ours" guess that means yes? A rattling giggle leaves the bat once more as Gotham shares a fond look with their oldest friend, who might not have eyes at the moment yet Ghosty still manages to shed a few tears somehow, little Clockwork doesn't seem to realize what they meant by the single word claim, however, that is fine because the Ghost Zone understands the meaning behind that single word.
As well as the vow of protection that Gotham has given, they won't let these little ones die again and this small immortal can finally rest, now then how exactly should the universe be recreated this time? hmmm, there are a few events that cannot be changed... However, first things first it's naptime then they shall worry about the rest once it's time for worries, Clockwork doesn't quite manage to prevent the yelp of surprise once he realizes that Gotham has no intentions of letting him go and the wisps of the ghost zone have even curled around the cores almost like a blanket, as the bat hangs upside down from the very fabric of reality while cuddling? them all.
The elder beings have decided it is naptime, and Clockwork doesn't get to explain anything as he dozes off for a quick nap. A nap may help them make an even better plan now that there are three of them working together. He is worried about all of that energy Danny's almost fully healed core adsorbed from Gotham, though. The bat doesn't seem worried about that event at all, so hopefully, it is fine.
For now sleep, while the universe rebuilds itself again.
The knife in his hand flies several feet away and all he feels is pain as what feels like lightning bolts course through his body while he stares bewildered at the girl who stabbed him in the arm with a kitchen knife.
She won their duel again for the fourth time in a row... and now he owes her twenty bucks, shit... guess that means he'll be stealing more than usual, Jason mirrors the grin that she gives him while his friend helps him off the ground, honestly one of these days she'll probably kill him with her crazy science however he doesn't mind too much seeing as there's not much else to do in life besides hangout with Jazz or steal to survive.
Jason just wishes his best friend would move in with him already so she didn't have to return to Amity Park... the thought of a place so far away makes him sad and he wonders why she insists on returning to check on an empty house, they both know that her parents are never home and like him Jazz has to steal in order to survive, her parents go off on ghost adventures of insanity leaving her with not even the money for rent or water, let alone food money, and he's pretty sure Jazz is only the top of her class because she's so dammed smart, doesn't seem to matter that she only shows up for tests and usually spends all her time here, to bad she still has to return at some point instead of staying here full time.
~Awww how cute~ He's muttering to himself again and has no idea that he'd just said all of his surface thoughts out loud, ~hahaha~ Jazz grins widely listening to her friend muttering endlessly about how it is insane that her parents leave her alone with nothing needed for survival while they hunt ghosts all around the world, and while she thinks his over worrying is adorable, Jazz wonders if he's thinking of doing something stupid again like the last time he tried to follow her home or when he offered to gut her parents on her behalf, silly Jason has no clue what her parents are actually capable of or that Father is basically a giant, he'd need a lot more then a knife to take down Jack and Maddie Fenton.
Jazz knows it should bother her that they are Never home, and they rarely ever call the phone Mother had tossed her on the adult's way out the door two years ago, two years huh? not that hard to believe that it has been two years since she last saw her parents in person, it's been a year and a half since the last call, they are probably not dead or else the legal guardian that she found paperwork for would've taken her in probably. and if she were to end up in the legal guardian's custody Hopefully, Vlad Masters wouldn't mind her continued trips to Gotham, it is not like she intends to stop visiting Jason anytime soon and no adult alive or dead could stop her.
Glancing at the rising sun she sighs tiredly knowing that it'll be a week before she returns to the city she's grown so fond of, she intends to complete all the remaining tests for the year and not return to Amity Park, let the house be empty her parents never dust anyways and the water hasn't worked in a long time, besides the principal said if Jazz scored all hundreds on her tests then he'd personally sign the papers that shall allow her to skip several grades and enter high school early, which means she'll be able to graduate much sooner then originally planned and attend school in Gotham as a high schooler.
A true genius he'd called her, perhaps that's why the adult was so dead set on giving her college-level books if she managed to pass these last few tests, and Jason didn't know any of this information yet, it was going to be a surprise for his birthday alongside the cake she's been learning to make, the lunch lady ghost is surprisingly friendly when someone shows an active interest in learning to cook, none of the other kids their age like Jazz because they think she's a weirdo due to being so incredibly intelligent, and unnatural due to her ghost friends, the kids they whisper vile names in the hallways.
Doesn't matter what they think, her plans are much more important than whispers from brainless idiots, although the lunch lady ghost has threatened to cook a few of the little brats, Jazz has thankfully managed to prevent her from doing so stating that children don't taste good and wouldn't chicken be better, honestly why her parents are so hell-bent on hunting people so nice she'll never understand, so what if their not humans or alive anymore.
Flipping the knife in her hand Jazz offers the handle to Jason who has finally stopped muttering about murdering her deadbeat parents, his eyes widen in surprise when he notices what exactly she's offering him, and not even the low light of dawn can hide the blush on his cheeks "are ya sure?" grinning like the cat who devoured the canary she pushes the handle into his hand not wanting to take no for an answer "You need it more then I do, and besides I can always make another electric blade" at those words her friend huffs rolling his eyes while pocketing the knife and she almost cries when he hugs her, neither of them get hugs very often so it is nice to receive the feeling of safety that Jason's hugs always seem to give her for whatever reason, maybe she should ask Skulker or another ghost about it? her parents most likely won't be home anytime soon, so that only leaves the ghosts who seem happy to answer her questions.
Their hug ends and she punches his shoulder playfully to get him to smile through his tears, this is their little routine whenever she leaves Gotham, one day she'll be able to stay but that day is not today or even tomorrow, someday is rather far away.
Clockwork watches the children say their goodbyes for what feels like the hundredth time, and wonders what exactly the Ghost Zone has planned for Jazz, the girl is human and yet... she walks with ghosts like it is normal and so exciting not knowing what is going to happen in the future, for now, all he can really do is watch over them and make sure the Fenton hunters do not interfere with the plans made by the two elder beings, that's his part to play for now, although he's still rather nervous about having left the trio's cores in Gotham's care, it's not time for them to be reborn in the new universe yet and it seems the bat has special plans for the trio.
Nocturn has been revived and is safe in the ghost zone, his childe had only asked one question before allowing him to do as he wishes regarding his plans.
"Can I help this time?"
The elder eldritch had, of course, welcomed the offer of help from his childe, and at the moment the dream ghost was guarding their king's crown alongside Wulf as well as a select few others who recall the last timeline, there aren't many that remember but its enough to change things in small but important ways, lunch lady recalls enough to be kind to Jazz who seems to have taken rather well to the old ghosts cooking lessons, Skulker has barely left Jazz's side for more then a few days, and Vlad doesn't recall anything it seems, otherwise, he'd probably adopt the girl in a corebeat if Skulker hadn't practically beat the rich ghost to the punch, especially if the Halfa knew that he's her legal guardian or that the Fentons left a tiny child to survive on her own.
Well... Not entirely on her own anymore, the ghosts of the zone and Jason seem more than willing to maim anyone who so much as makes her cry, he's had to prevent Wulf from eating the children who stole her books, perhaps just one? maybe if one of those humans gets devoured then they'd leave her alone, and last but not least in any sense of the word, Skulker threatened the whole of Amity Park in public when adults started calling her names, lots of ghosts even started escorting her to school when Jazz decides attending is necessary like for tests, and isn't in Gotham with Jason or training with Skulker.
The Fenton hunters are never home so that means they abandoned their daughter right? By the logic of Human society Jazz is all but an orphan now that she has no human parents, but she has a ghost parent, Clockwork is fully aware of the fact that Skulker's been disobying his orders from when this timeline restarted, and the whole of the ghost zone plus Ghosty and Gotham's chosen forms were told the plan by Clockwork, ~honestly~ if the hunter is going to mess with his plans why can't he pick something harmless, like pretending to be a human if he wanted to adopt Jazz they could've gotten an apartment in Gotham with some paperwork forged by Walker, Instead of what Skulker has been doing for the little feral, ever since Jazz was rebirth into this new universe, but then his thoughts wander off toward the bullies again... And yeah maybe its not a horrible idea to keep feeding Jazz ectoplasm even if the hunter accidentally ends up core adopting her.
Maybe Danny won't mind being born a ghost this time around and only memoires are what matters regarding the promise? Clockwork has no clue... But he's trying his best plus Nocturn is visiting next moon, which means blowing up this timeline would ruin their plans for tea and gossip time... However none of that mattters to His time core as it pulses with dark emotions, whilst he reconsiders allowing Amity Park to live for not helping Jazz's sitation, stupid humans, ~breath in, breath out, breath in~ The enraged eldritch has to force himself to breath several more times, or his plans will be ruined by his dangerous temper the timeline goes to hell if he doesn't keep it under control, he hates timelocked events.
So hopefully, There won't be very many in this timeline, unlike the previous six, he's going to asking Gotham for an eternal nap if this timeline has more then three of em.
Great... Now he's sleepy again....
Two more breaths to prevent himself from destroying the universe again, or drawing Jazz's attention to his hiding place he takes a few moments to think over what needs to be done, protect Jazz that is their job at the moment, everything will be lost if she dies and unfortunately turning her into a half or a full ghost is not an option, as Danny probably needs to remain a Halfa, so now he gets to play the part of an unseen watcher not that he minds too much as she's not boring.
Now if only Gotham would kidnap him for what's become once-a-month naptime, other than the fact there is already one timelocked event in this timeline, everything seems to be going well so far, the exhausted time eldritch is completely unaware of the cat watching him curiously her eyes gleaming with golden chaos, and a Cheshire smile of interest.