Temporal Fragments

by Datawyrms (Verl)

Summary:

Being human again sucks. This whole 'second chance' thing is more frustrating than anything.
Especially when certain 'all powerful' ghosts start asking you for favours to deal with other time headaches!

It's not worth it. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake.
Yet apparently this other 'headache' knows a thing or two about being a useless, broken reflection of something better.

For Invisobang 2025 with some amazing art by @cookietastic on tumblr

Chapter 1

Okay, so he might have done a little grand theft body on an unspeakably powerful ghost, broke time so badly that an entire timeline got rewritten and managed to get a stupid old man to feel bad enough to get him a new, living body- but that didn’t mean he owed anyone a favour.

Certainly not the ghost whose body and powers he borrowed for a little bit. That was his own fault. If he could see all of time, he had no excuse to not see that whole little incident coming!

 

Yet here he was anyway. Scowling at his too scrawny arms instead of the purple cloaked ghost. Sure, ignoring the guy who literally just stopped all of time around you wouldn’t accomplish anything- but he was stuck in this stupid kid body again. He was allowed to be petty. He was owed it.

 

“We can theoretically wait forever, if that is what you want.” Clockwork’s statement did nothing to improve his mood.

 

“Seems like a waste of your powers.”

 

“In comparison to the rips and tears across time, this doesn’t even register.”

 

Clockwork just loved to be infuriating, didn’t he? Why couldn’t he just get a hint and go away? Show off. It wasn’t like the time powers were that impressive anyway. More painful and disorienting.

 

Waiting out a literal master of time did seem pretty impossible though. He only had so much patience for this. “Okay! Fine! What do you want?”

 

Clockwork’s smirk was so smug that it made Phantom want to punch it right off his face. “I have a job you are well suited for. Before you start yelling, it is a paid sort of job. I am not expecting your help for nothing in return.”

 

Phantom let out a mutter, he was going to instantly say no to being a free time monkey. So of course Clockwork wouldn’t even let him do that. Future looking cheater of a ghost. “Like you’d pay in anything useful.”

 

“I could move time more swiftly on that new human body of yours. I’ve heard you are not pleased about being sixteen again?”

 

The perfect sort of bribe. So this job had to be super unfair, or impossible, or some trick to get him disposed of yet again. “So what if I’m not? If you actually cared you’d just help instead of taunting me.”

 

“I can only use my powers so sparingly. However, if you solved a problem I was unable to resolve, I can easily justify why you should be able to make use of the time I did not use.”

 

Or age him into being totally dead. That seemed like a Clockwork thing to do. Meddler. “If you need some hero, why aren’t you bothering Danny?”

 

“Danny wouldn’t have the right skills for this.”

 

Ah. “So you want someone dead? Need some temporal attack dog?”

 

The look wasn’t disgust. Yet Clockwork dared to look concerned about his completely reasonable assumption. “No. I would not ask that of you.”

 

“Like I have skills Danny doesn’t that aren’t murder related?” He rolled his eyes as his scowl deepened. Half of his abilities didn’t work quite right after getting this new body. He felt as weak as he looked lately, and having some time ghost mock him about it was not appreciated.

 

“You might think you don’t, but you do. You’ve experienced more.”

 

“Experienced a lot of revenge, sure. But you aren’t looking for those skills, apparently.”

 

“What it’s like to lose everything. What can happen if you choose to lash out just to feel something. What does not help fill a void.”

 

If Clockwork was trying to play therapist he was going to throw something. “Knowing how that feels doesn’t actually do anything!”

 

“Would you recommend desperately fleeing your feelings and drowning them in the blood of a world you feel abandoned you?”

 

Phantom wished he could scowl even deeper. “Well no. It didn’t work.”

 

“Then your experience has given you a perspective not many will have.” Clockwork’s tone was strangely warm, and it made his skin itch. “All I am asking is for you to talk to someone. Even if they do not listen to you, your part of the deal will be done.”

 

That sounded way too generous. Maybe Clockwork figured out he was the worst at this convincing thing. “Still sounds like a pipsqueak job.”

 

“You have more in common with them than Danny does. He wouldn’t understand like you might.”

 

Clockwork better not be on some redeeming time criminals kick. Or you know what? Sure! Whatever! The weird ghost could have a hobby so long as he didn’t get dragged into it. “That’s it? No extra gotcha at the end?”

 

“Yes. Their temporal prison is giving me quite the migraine, if you talked them into getting out of it I’ll be quite grateful.”

 

A prisoner? Clockwork wanted to get someone out of a time prison? Well that explained things, he was practically an expert at that now. So why dress it up like talking is the important part? “One jailbreak for one ticket to twenty years old? That’s your deal?”

 

“You get your ‘ticket’ even if you cannot do the jailbreak part. I just need you to try to get them to think about leaving.” Clockwork stated again, a hint of exhaustion escaping as if repeating himself was difficult.

 

Which sounded like a lie. Better to just assume it was. “Fine. Deal. But you better not think I’ll just be your gopher again!”

 

“This way, then.” Clockwork’s arm swept out from his cloak as a slowly swirling portal appeared, a strange grey tint making it hard to tell it was meant to be blue.

 

“So how do I make a portal back when I’m done?” He scowled, the time master knew he couldn’t rip his own way back anymore.

 

“I will when you ask. Or when it sounds like you require one.”

 

“Anyone tell you that you’re a creepy stalker, Clockwork?”

 

The non committal shrug he got in return didn’t tell him much, but he didn’t want to admit he was afraid. If this was a trap, and it reeked of one, he didn’t have any real ability to get out of it. Sure he could curse Clockwork about it, but that wouldn’t free him if he was walking into a new prison.

 

So just in case this portal he was walking into was just a big trap he kept one arm back as he walked, flipping Clockwork the bird the whole way through.

Chapter 2

The room sure felt like a prison. Endless darkness in every direction, the only landmark being some ridiculously large tree. Which was weirdly black and grey, as if this empty area just sucked all the colour out of it. At least Clockwork had made good on his end of the deal- he wasn’t his proper age still, but he was no longer plagued by his prepubescent noodle arms. Nineteen now, maybe twenty? The long grey cloak wasn’t exactly his idea of fashion, but it fit. At least it wasn’t purple. The lack of logos and labels on his shirt was a bit weird, but the outfit was probably temporary enough to not worry about. What he really wanted to check was his ghost form. Unfortunately just checking it now could be really stupid. He doesn’t know anything about this time-headache causing person yet, and he isn’t going to risk giving them information for free. For all he knows, they’re that weird tree!

“Anyone actually here?”

Something moves at his voice. A stirring in the monochrome tree. “Wowwww. Decided to try and be original for once? Use some face I don’t know? Like that’s going to change how much I don’t want to even hear your blinding name?”

He’s getting sassed by a tree. Or someone in a tree. Great. “Listen I-“

“No, you listen! We all get one ‘god call’, right? So I already had one! Sure, Stardust actually heard it, but that’s close enough for me! I’m not interested! Get lost!”

“You think I’m a god?”

“Who else would you be? You’re the one who said the Universe wouldn’t ever answer us in the first place to just throw salt in the wound. So you can just run back to your little followers, Change God! I’m not changing anything, and you can choke on it.”

“The fuck is a change god?” Honestly almost nothing this person was saying made sense, but the god thing stuck out a bit.

The person in the tree stills at the question. “What kind of word is that?”

“What? You’re gonna get on my case for swearing?”

“But you didn’t say crab. Or even gems? Stars?” There’s a pause. “You really aren’t the Change God?”

“I don’t even know what a change god is, alright?”

“Stars.” It sure sounds like the tree person is swearing, even if it’s just ‘stars’. Apparently Vlad wasn’t the only one with weird swear censoring. “Who are you, then?”

He should have expected this question. It wasn’t one he liked very much. He’s not Danny, that’s for sure. All he knows is who he isn’t. “Phantom.” It’s all he can think of that doesn’t make his skin crawl. It’ll have to do for now.

“Interesting name.” There’s movement again as a strange being slips down to the ground. They look like the night sky forced into a mostly human shape, with a bright four pointed star on their chest and another bright shape instead of a head, but he can make out two eyes well enough. They don’t glow like a ghost though- and they haven’t set off his ghost sense either. Whatever this star creature is- it’s completely new to him.

“What about yours? It’s not like ‘Star’ or whatever, is it?” He almost bites his lip after speaking, that was something Danny would probably shoot off. The stupid impulses to behave like that have been so much worse in this new body.

“Ha! No.” The star thing squints at their cloak and tilts their head as they cross their arms, clearly pondering something. “You know what stars are?”

“Obviously? Why wouldn’t I?” Maybe he should have gotten Clockwork to be a bit more specific about where the heck he’d been sent. “If you don’t tell me your actual name I’m just calling you Star though.”

“You can call me Loop, I suppose. They/Them, if you’re planning on being around for a while.” Loop says, before going back to just staring.

It doesn’t really sound like a name, and the staring is making him want to hide in this cloak more. “Loop? Really?”

“Like Phantom is any better?”

So the star-thing might have a point that his name wasn’t much better, but he didn’t have to like it. “Whatever.”

Unfortunately, that doesn’t prompt Loop to say anything else. Like they’re waiting for some answer to just drop from the sky. Weren’t they a prisoner here? Why didn’t they want to escape? Or at least be happy there was someone to talk to?! He would have killed to have someone to show up while he was trapped in that stupid thermos. Not that he needed all that much motivation to kill but that was beside the point.

“Okay, so what did you do that was ‘so bad’ that you got put in this void prison?” He had to try something, the weird star creature was just refusing to really engage with him at all. Which whatever, sure. He didn’t really care if this ‘troubled soul’ got helped or not. But Clockwork wasn’t getting out of their deal because he ‘didn’t try hard enough’ or some other nonsense. “Destroy a town? Have a little revenge quest?”

“Destroy a- STARS no!” That finally got the thing talking, the star that made up their face getting painfully bright. “What would make you think I did anything as blindingly stupid as that?!”

Sure Clockwork! Just lie to the guy you’re sending on stupid missions! ‘They’re like you’ but they're this offended about a little bit of homicidal behaviour. “It was a guess! What else would get you trapped in a dump like this?”

“Ha! Thinking there needs to be a reason is pretty naive of you!” The star thing was snickering again, apparent offence forgotten. “Did you have some charmed life where everything is fair and the world isn’t cruel? Because that’s not how it goes~!”

“I know that! Or do you think having all your family and friends die at once is fair? In front of you?!” He doesn’t know why spilling his guts feels like the right thing to do. Maybe because this star person sure doesn’t know him, or anyone they could possibly tell about it.

Loop watches them with a wide eyed stare before seeming to shrink back, folding their arms. “No. No it is not.” They seem unsure, at the edge of an apology but unable to decide if they should actually voice it. “I do know what it’s like to lose them all, though.”

Oh. Some of Phantom’s anger cools at the statement. Did Clockwork more mean they were alike in losing things, not so much in actions? Which didn’t really explain why he was the best choice for this stupid quest, surely there was some nice person who got dealt a bad hand and didn’t ruin the whole world to get on this. “Not in some stupid explosion, right?”

“Nothing so dramatic.” Loop doesn’t find this question funny it seems, as they stare out at nothing. Perhaps they caught that Phantom was staring back, because Loop seemed to snap into an absurdly chipper stance and tone with a clap of their hands. “Though maybe there was one! It isn’t like I can remember~”

Oh great. An amnesiac star person. Totally relatable Clockwork. “You remember losing everything but not how it happened?”

“Yup. Aren’t I just a terrible person?” Loop’s eyes might be smiling, but it was more off putting than anything.

“If that’s all you need to be terrible, you have some weird standards.” Honestly it didn’t even sound that bad. If he’d forgotten everything, maybe things wouldn’t have gotten so violent. Nah. He’d probably be a menace anyway.

Loop blinked, then squinted. “No, I’m pretty sure anyone would consider it pretty terrible.”

“So you forgot on purpose?” Phantom still did not get this weird star person, at all.

“Well. No. I didn’t.”

“So how is forgetting your fault? That’s just stupid.” This whole thing was stupid. How was this not a Danny job?

“How could forgetting your entire home and past not be terrible if you’re one of the few people who can even remember it existed once? That you didn’t try hard enough to hold on- that you didn’t even realize how much you forgot until some blinding time loop-” Loop only seemed to glow brighter as they grew more heated, but cut themselves off. “Not that you need to care, stranger. It’s none of your concern.”

Well, confirmation about the time weirdness Clockwork complained about. Was that progress? “So your big crimes are forgetting things against your will and what. Getting stuck in time? That’s it?”

“That’s it?” Loop almost cackled at the question, leaning forward and jabbing at Phantom’s cloak. “That’s not bad enough for you?”

“It just sounds like stuff that happened to you. Not anything you did. Did you even throw, like, one car? Not even a tank, just a car.”

Phantom’s question just had Loop squinting again. “Car?”

“You know. Vehicles? Transport? Explode when you throw them at other stuff?” From the look he was getting, Loop had no idea what he was talking about. Though they didn’t seem too pleased about the ‘exploding’ part.

“Like…a bomb?”

“Sure, let’s go with that.” It wasn’t like he hadn’t thrown any of those either!

“I suppose I threw one of those. But I didn’t, too! Since I gave up! So everything I did is gone, forever! Ha! That’s what’s ‘so wrong’, stranger.” Loop almost seemed smug, so confident in finding a way to explain how ‘terrible’ they were.

Those words hurt in a way none of the others did. Everything he’d done, gone forever. Like he should be gone forever. “So you’re hiding here so you don’t disappear then?”

“I…don’t know. Maybe?” Loop was on the back foot again, even as they tried to find their more casual tone.

“Like I get that, I didn’t want to disappear either.” This empathy thing was not easy. “Apparently you shouldn’t though? Even if you aren’t stuck in here?” Though if Clockwork was lying about that part, he’d do his best to strangle the time ghost. He’d gotten the upper hand once, he could do it again.

“What if I did want to disappear? Instead of watching some copy of my life happen without me?”

Oh. This is what they had in common. The worst thing! Why that! Just because weirdo star person was okay saying it out loud sure didn’t mean he wanted to. “Well, you won’t disappear in this weird time void either.”

“Says who? Are you some sort of expert?”

“Says Clockwork.”

Another blank stare. “Is that one of your gods?”

“No, he’s a meddling pain in the butt that controls time.” Phantom scoffed.

“That sure sounds like a god.” Loop was a little less crumpled into themselves now, apparently curious enough to want to know more. “Does he change shape?”

“Sort of, only ages though most of the time.”

“You’re sure he isn’t a god then?”

“If he’s a god he’s a wussy one. I kicked his butt and stole his powers.”

“What.”

“And apparently you’re giving him a migraine by staying here, so you’re also kicking his butt, congratulations."

“WHAT?!” The light Loop was giving off was getting painfully bright now.

“So yeah. Not my idea but it’s his fault I’m here.” Phantom shrugged while Loop grappled with being told they were giving some time being migraines.

“And he wants me to go back to that world of ghosts? Where I’m nothing to anyone there?” Loop seemed to be scowling again.

“Join the club.”

That remark seemed to set Loop off. “As if you have any idea what that’s like!”

“Oh, you think I don’t?” Phantom snapped back as Loop leaned forward.

“Of course you don’t! It’s not like it’s common to trap everyone you love in some time loop because you’re too blindingly stupid to know you’re doing it! So you have to watch some COPY of you figure it out! Who gets to have your happy life now! That you could have had if you weren’t so worthless!” There was a weird red flare in Loop’s eye as they leaned forward, anger seeming to make them much spiker and threatening.

“Oh really? How about going back to find your old self and make sure his family and friends die huh? So he can be sad, miserable and alone, just like you? To just make sure you never get to be happy! And then the little brat spares you! How’s that for knowing what it’s like?!” Phantom knew his eyes were probably glowing with rage now, but he didn’t really care. If Loop wanted to pretend they were the only one who ‘knew’ about this sort of thing, they were due for a rude awakening.

It did make Loop back up, fairly quickly, though they seem fixated on his eyes.

It was fine. He didn’t actually have to help Loop, right? He’d done his end of the deal, talked to the weird star time problem. No one would know about that little outburst. Just Loop- who clearly wasn’t from any world close to his. This is fine.

Clockwork wasn’t opening a portal for him to go, though. Dang it. Did he want to embarrass himself by asking out loud?

“So you’ve used Wishcraft too, Phantom?” Loop’s question was a bit more timid, still keeping a decent distance now.

“What craft?” Loop didn’t mean that computer game right? It had craft in it. He was pretty sure. It was a pretty weird change in topic if they did mean that.

“Your eyes. They had that weird shade. That colour.” They gestured to their own eyes for a moment.

“Oh, that? It just slips out when I’m angry sometimes, it’s not some ‘craft’ thing.” Downsides of having a human body again. It just sort of did things, unlike the illusions he’d make.

“Right, you don’t know what Craft is. Hmmm.” Loop seemed to consider that fact for a few more moments before clapping their hands together. “Alright, how about this! Your ‘Clockwork’ not-god wants me to leave here, right?”

“Pretty much.”

“So how about we do a little trial period? We leave, and if I hate it he has to let me come back.”

“We? Why would I go with you?” Phantom’s brow furrowed.

“Why wouldn’t you? Apparently you don’t like your own world much either!” Loop smirked as he flinched at the correct guess. “That, and he can’t go back on the deal if you’re also there to see him cheat.”

Ugh. “Like I guess but I don’t control-” his attempt to explain was cut off by a new portal ripping open beside them. “Is that how you say ‘Deal’ Clockwork you nosy-” A time medallion flying through and smacking him in the head was probably as close to a ‘yes’ as he was going to get. And he didn’t even get to keep the offending little object before it vanished in an eyeblink.

“That’s definitely some god like behaviour, Phantom.”

“Don’t feed his ego, he’s enough of a pain as he is.” Phantom muttered. “But I guess we have a deal.”

Chapter 3

Maybe he should have guessed something was just off about this world Loop was from when they didn’t use the word ‘red.’ The whole total lack of colour thing was apparently not a fun prison feature! Instead of a bright blue sky and rolling green hills he was greeted with grey and more grey. At least the grass still seemed soft under his boots and the air didn’t taste strange. It wasn’t like Amity Park, but not exactly the vibe near Aunt Alicia’s place either. Not as thickly forested or stinking of animals. There was a little winding dirt trail that led to what he could only call a ‘quaint’ little village. A place he could squash flat in an instant. So no fun at all to even bother with, when he was still terrorizing the world.

Loop gave him yet another distraction, choosing to come through the portal with their hands over their eyes. “What are you doing?” Was all he could ask when the star being refused to look around even as birds started to sing their songs again.

“Oh, just preparing myself! If I open my eyes and see Dormont or that particular House of Change I’ll probably just scream! You wouldn’t like that~.” Loop’s obnoxiously chipper reply just made their actions look even more absurd.

“Then get it over with.” As if screaming could hurt him that much.

Loop stubbornly kept their eyes shut, but leaned towards his voice. “So we are in Dormont?”

“I don’t know! How would I know what the heck a dormont is?! I don’t come from your weird grey world!” Yes, obviously by the way Loop was talking Dormont was probably a place. He wanted to be difficult if they were going to keep forgetting he wasn’t from here.

Loop’s posture changed for a moment, a curious sort of tilt before seeming to think better of it and uncovering their eyes. A blink, and a deep breath out. “That’s not Dormont. I guess your not-god isn’t as bad as some other gods I know!”

Phantom scowled and muttered “No, he still sucks.” Before looking at the path to the town. Since apparently it wasn’t somewhere that would upset Loop to go towards.

“We can’t just waltz into a village you know.”

Phantom scoffed. “I do lots of things you ‘can’t do’.”

“UGH. It’s not because you physically can’t! We’ll attract too much attention.” Loop got in front of him, trying to appear somewhat imposing.

Phantom did double check just to be sure- but he was definitely in human form. Not his ghost one, very boring looking. Even if he looked ever so slightly better than Danny’s usual noodle body. “You might. Not my problem. I’m not interested in camping.”

“Well I’m not interested in being gawked at by a village of strangers.”

“Then disguise yourself? You can do that, right?”

“What gives you the idea I can do something like that?”

“Well you looked human before that…Time loop magic thing, right? So why shouldn’t you be able to look like that again?” Maybe whatever this ‘Craft’ stuff Loop talked about wasn’t as useful as ghost powers but surely if they were able to control time they could manage just looking different. “You don’t think I looked like this before my timeline died, did you?”

Loop squinted, clearly not really believing him. “What did you look like then?”

Well, he did want to check and make sure Clockwork didn’t cheat him. Loop didn’t seem like they’d do anything too violent, or be able to really hurt him even if they did. “More like this.” He refused to use the catch phrase, but could still summon the glowing rings to bring his ghost form out. What had been his only self for so long.

He didn’t have his old costume. No. He was still frustratingly similar to his younger self, white gloves and boots with the black jumpsuit. Maybe his teeth were a bit sharper, his hair a little closer to flames- but still obnoxiously Danny. Why did ‘trying’ to be a better person just mean he had to be him again? Stupid human body. He’d even take looking a bit more like Vlad instead . Not that Vlad would ever get to know that.

“I suppose the floating is new, but that’s not super convincing.” Loop was similarly unimpressed. “That and the eyes sure stand out if you weren’t next to me.”

“I used to be bigger, but apparently I can't have that back either.” Phantom grumbled, summoning up some energy to see if his ecto blasts felt any stronger. Which felt a bit more stable, like he wasn’t going to lose it with a second of distraction- but not really more powerful. Another disappointment. He could practically hear Clockwork’s smug taunting about even hoping that he could get his proper power back.

“Well I have no idea how you did that, and if you don’t know what Craft is I bet it’s not even something you can teach.” Loop was still keeping their back stubbornly towards the town. “So it’s still a bad idea to go anywhere near that place.”

“Just try focusing on what you used to look like and it’ll probably work.” That’s how it worked for him, surely if Loop could break reality they could do the same.

“Ha! That me is long dead.”

“So? I sure wasn’t alive either but here I am.” God was it impossible for this person to just try something before going ‘can’t do it?’. Annoying. That and a twinge familiar but he was refusing to think about that right now. “Just try it and you can be all ‘I told you so’ if I’m wrong.”

Loop looks uncomfortable again, focused more on the star on their chest than anything. A beat, a second, a breath and then Loop snapped back to ‘chipper’ yet again. “Oh I’ll definitely hold you to that, Phantom!”

At first there was nothing, which almost made him ask if Loop was actually trying or just standing around before Loop started to shift. There were no rings, no additional light like he expected. Instead Loop seemed to dim, the stars that made up their head and the dots all over their sky-like form flicking out bit by bit. They almost looked like they were melting before the strange shapelessness became more solidly a black cloak. It almost looked like it would stay blank before the strange four pointed star burned itself into the front. Without the light Loop seemed to have a pretty normal human face, even if their hair was a stark white and fairly fluffy- not quite like the star their head used to be but he still could see the resemblance. It almost felt like their other form was just hiding this one, and still was with that large cloak covering most of their body.

“Guess I was right.” Phantom couldn’t help the smug little comment, but Loop didn’t seem to be listening much. They were busy looking at their gloved hands that they poked out from under the cloak.

“Of course I still look like my Stardust. Why wouldn’t I! Stupid…” Loop was muttering, probably under the impression the half ghost could not hear.

“Get some new clothes and a haircut in town. Might help.” New clothes did sort of help with the whole ‘being stuck as Danny again’ thing. Not a lot, but a bit. Which was why shifting back out of his ghost form felt better- even if Clockwork picked this outfit, at least it wasn’t Danny’s.

Loop’s grimace only stayed in place for a moment. If they hadn’t forgotten they had more of a face now, Phantom expected he wouldn’t have seen even that much. “Maybe~! My cloak is already pretty different.”

“Yeah, it’s like you skinned your other form and are wearing it around.”

“Ew. Gross~!” Loop laughed, turning to look at the town. “Might as well see what Vaugarde is like when it isn’t being frozen in time.”

“Might as well.” It wasn’t like he had anything better to do until Loop decided if they hated being here or not so he could be done and go.

Notes:

Reminder to go tell @cookietastic on tumblr how amazing their art is!