Summary: Phineas makes a friend and finds out that she is being bullied. He then vows to help her, so Candace teaches him about busting.

'Cause, really, who hasn't been picked on at least once in their life? This something people can relate to.

Take the Bully by the Horns

*Middle School Cafeteria*

As Phineas and Ferb, carrying lunch boxes, walked into the cafeteria, Phineas said, "I told him to stop poking it, but he wouldn't listen. Then, Perry came in, acting like a mindless animal, and bite him. It was mean, but it did get him to stop poking it. But, enough of that. Where do you wanna sit?"

"Actually, brother," Ferb said, "I promised the folks in the Creative Writing Club that I would sit with them today."

Phineas stopped walking at this. "Oh. Alright. Let's go."

"Without you."

"What?" Phineas always sat with Ferb at lunch! "Why? Don't they like me?"

Ferb hesitated, then called to no one, "Coming," and walked briskly away.

Phineas, hurt by his brother's actions, watched him go. He sighed. "I guess it's not that big a deal. Ferb's allowed to sit with his other friends." He smiled. "Well, at least I have other friends, too." He scanned the lunchroom. Isabella was sitting with the Fireside Girls, whom Irving was trying, and failing, to flirt with. Buford was with the bullies. Baljeet was with the Math Club. Django was with the Art Club. Phineas frowned. "Hm... There don't seem to be any available seats with any of my other friends." Then, he saw a girl sitting all by herself and smiled. "Well, nothing says I can't make a new other friend."

The girl was African-American. She had a red hoodie, brown eyes, and black hair in cornrows that had two red beads on the ends. She looked up from her lunch tray when he approached.

"Hi, I'm Phineas," he greeted, his usual grin on his face. "Can I sit here?"

"I don't know." The girl (voice of Skai Jackson) raised an eyebrow. "Can you?"

Phineas laughed. "May I sit here?"

The girl smiled slightly, gesturing to the seat across from her. "You may."

Phineas sat down. "I'm Phineas. Oh, wait. I already said that. What's your name?"

"Shelby," the girl answered.

Phineas stuck out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Shelby." Shelby hesitantly shook his hand. "So, are you new in Danville?"

"N-no. I've lived here my whole life. I actually participated in some of yours and your brother's inventions."

"Really? Huh. I don't seem to remember ever seeing you before."

Shelby just shrugged.

Phineas opened his lunchbox and pulled out a sandwich. "You strike me as shy." He bit into his food.

Shelby frowned and nodded. "Yeah, a little."

Phineas swallowed and smiled at her. "That's okay. Shy people can still be fun. Hey, where are all your friends? Don't kids usually sit with their friends at lunch?"

"What about you?" Shelby quirked an eyebrow. "If what you're saying's true, then shouldn't you be sitting with your friends?"

"My friends are sitting with their other friends. I saw you sitting all by yourself, so I thought I'd give you some company." This made Shelby smile. "So, where are your friends? Are they waiting in the lunch line?"

Shelby frowned and looked away. "They, uh... They don't really...exist..."

Phineas frowned in sympathy. "You don't have any friends?"

"I-I'm really shy, and no one's ever actually came over and said anything...friendly..."

Phineas offered a comforting smile. "I'll be your friend." Shelby looked up at him in surprise. "No one should have to go without a friend. And, I'm all about friendship and doing good."

Shelby smiled. "Uh, th-thanks."

"So, whatch eatin'?" Phineas looked at her lunch tray and pointed to her foods, as he named them, "Looks like a cheeseburger that's probably not cheese or burger, French fries that aren't really French, and what may or may not be grape juice." Shelby laughed, and Phineas shrugged. "Hey, someone had to make fun of the cafeteria food."

*Middle School Hallway*

"I forgive you, Ferb," Phineas said as he and his brother walked to their lockers, "but you didn't need to apologize in the first place. You shouldn't have to be limited to spending time with me and only me." They reached their lockers, which were right next to each other, and opened them. "Besides, it worked out in my favor. I made a new friend." Ferb pulled out a book with one hand and gave his brother a thumbs-up with the other. Phineas continued, "Her name's Shelby. You'd like her, Ferb. She doesn't talk much, either. Well, she talks more than you, but still." Phineas saw something off-screen, and he grinned and waved. "Hi, Shelby! It's me, Phineas from school!" (A.N.T. Farm reference)

Shelby stopped in her tracks and looked him, a small smile on her face. Now that she wasn't sitting down, her blue jean skirt and black Mary Jane shoes were more noticeable. "Hi, Phineas."

"Ferb, this is Shelby," Phineas introduced. "Shelby, this is my brother, Ferb."

Ferb waved, and Shelby nodded in greeting.

Phineas nudged Ferb's elbow. "I told you she didn't talk much." He turned back to Shelby. "We gotta go. Mom's making bacon-wrapped chicken, and we don't wanna miss that." The boys started walking away. "See you later, Shelby."

"Bye, Phineas," Shelby called back. "And, it was nice meeting you, Ferb."

Ferb glanced back, pointed at her, winked, and clicked his tongue, as if to say, 'Back at ya.'

After a moment, Phineas stopped in his tracks and said, "Oh, wait. I think I forgot my math book. You go on ahead, Ferb. I'll catch up."

Ferb continued walking, and Phineas headed back to his locker. On the way there, he heard voices, went to find the source of them. He peered around a corner, and saw Shelby with three girls he didn't recognize. One had long, blond hair, a lavender dress, and purple jacket, and large, lavender hoop earrings (Pacifica Northwest from Gravity Falls), one had short dark brown hair with a hot pink streak in it, a camouflage top, and blue jeans, and the other had black hair in a low ponytail, a white belly shirt, and pink shorts.

Phineas noticed that Shelby sounded distressed. "Can't you girls just leave me alone?"

Pacifica pretended to examine her fingernails. "We'd love to, hun, but we really can't." She rolled her eyes. "I mean, seriously, beads in your hair? Aren't you a little old for that?"

Shelby shuffled uncomfortably. "No. No, I'm not."

"And, what's up with not talking?" Pink Streak asked rudely.

Ponytail laughed. "Maybe she's just dumb."

The three girls laughed. Shelby ran away, fighting back the tears in her eyes. Phineas, who couldn't decide whether to comfort his friend or yell at the mean girls, was rooted in place.

*Hallway*

"But, Phineas," Candace ranted, as she followed Phineas to his room, "Miss Applebottom built a ray that turns people into animals!"

Unfortunately, Phineas wasn't in the mood. He stopped walking and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Candace, I-I'm not in the mood to hear about...whatever you're trying to tell me."

Candace's frustration turned to concern. "What's wrong?"

"I made this friend, and she's really nice, but these girls were picking on her. Ugh! Bullying just makes me so mad!"

"Uh, you don't seem to mind, when Buford does it to Baljeet."

"That's different! Buford never makes Baljeet cry!"

Candace put her hand up to stop him. "Say no more, Phineas. I know what you're gonna do, tomorrow. You're gonna bust those girls, and I'm gonna teach you how to do it. Let's go outside, where there's more space for your training."

Phineas quirked an eyebrow. "Training?"

(This song is a parody of Be a Squirrel from the PnF episode, "What'd I Miss?")

-Male Singer-

So, you wanna bust some bullies.

Well, you've come to the right place.

Just listen up, and I will help you win over your case.

Find a grown-up and bring him

Or her to those bad girls.

If you concentrate, you'll graduate

And watch your plan unfurl.

This is how to bust!

(Come along, be a busting trainee.)

How to bust!

(I can assure, your friend will be free.)

How to bust!

(Believe it or not, it isn't easy.)

How to bust!

(But, it is still very worth it, indeed.)

"You're ready," Candace declared.

-The Next Day-

*Middle School Hallway*

Phineas spotted Shelby with the three mean girls and immediately ran off, ignoring the curious look from Ferb. Phineas spotted a teacher yelled, "Mr. Reese!"

The teacher jumped and whipped around. "Phineas! You scared the bejabbers out of me!" (Invasion of the Ferb-Snatchers)

"You've gotta see what's going on in the hallway!" Phineas grabbed his wrist and yanked him to the girls. "Look!" But, the girls were gone. "But, they... They were... They..." Then, he recalled, "Well, Candace did warn me that they might disappear..."

Elsewhere, Pacifica was by her locker, chatting with her two friends. "The secret is dolphin milk." She someone clear his throat and turned around. Phineas was scowling at her. She put on what was probably the cheesiest smile possible. "Well, well. If it isn't everyone's favorite triangle-headed basket-case."

Phineas jabbed his finger to her chest, ignoring the fact that he was shorter than her. "Listen here, Pacifica. You shouldn't pick on Shelby just because she's quiet." He removed his finger from her chest. "She's a really nice girl, and it's not fair for you to-"

Pacifica giggled, making Phineas angrier. "Hun, you don't seem to understand. There are two types of people in the world: those who are important, and those who are not. You and your little friend are not." Little did she know, Shelby had stopped in her tracks nearby. "So, take your annoying little rant to someone who cares, okay?"

"Hey," Shelby stomped up next to Phineas, "you can't talk to my friend, like that."

Pacifica giggled again. "Now, what makes you say that?" Mr. Reese stepped up to her, glaring daggers. Pacifica and her friends gulped. "Oh. That makes you say that."

"Ha ha!" Phineas jumped up in triumph. "Busted!"

*Middle School Cafeteria*

Shelby looked around for Phineas. She deflated, when she saw him sitting across from his brother and a raven-haired girl she didn't recognize. Shelby wasn't great with new people...

Phineas saw her, grinned, and waved. "Hi, Shelby! It's me, Phineas from school!"

Oh, what the heck? Shelby hesitantly walked over to their table. "H-hi."

"Guys," Phineas introduced, "this is Shelby, the girl I said was being bullied. Shelby, you remember Ferb." Ferb nodded in greeting. "And, this is our friend, Isabella."

Isabella smiled. "Whatcha doin'?"

Shelby didn't know why would ask that. "What I am doing?"

Isabella giggled. "It's just a catchphrase, Shelby."

Phineas patted the empty seat next to him. "Have a seat." She hesitantly did so. "You're gonna like Ferb and Isabella. They're really nice."

"Meaning, we would never even consider bullying," Ferb added.

Shelby smiled. It looked like she'd finally get some friends.

**Credits**

"You three are expelled!" The elderly principal, Mrs. Grey, exclaimed.

Pacifica and her friends gasped. "E-expelled!?" Pacifica repeated. "But-but-but-"

"No but's, young lady. You three have been causing trouble, since you came to this school, and I think everyone's had enough of it."

No. Pacifica could not be expelled. "You don't understand! My uncle said that, if I get expelled, I'll have to move back in with my parents in their mansion in Gravity Falls, Oregon! Normally, I wouldn't mind living in a mansion, but my parents are mean!"

"Well, I suppose the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"Hey!"

Mrs. Grey picked up the phone. "I'm calling each of your parents. You three are busted!"

The girls protested, but the principal completely ignored them.

The End

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