"Fireside Diaries"
Story Written by Freedom Fighter
Believe it or not, this is the start of the series' third season! Never did I think that it would last this long, nor believe that it would be one of my most popular fanfics EVER! So thank you for supporting this series!
I had originally planned to, for once, run this entire season in production order. But since I decided to release this season a couple weeks earlier than expected, I had to skip the first two episodes for now. That two-parter is a holiday special that you will be seeing in a couple weeks. Aside from that, production order all the way! In addition, for the first time there is an overarching storyline that will be seen throughout the season! About half of the episodes are connected and rely on one another, just like the four feature-length stories that have been released in the past. There will be breaks every two to three episodes to reach back into the past to do other stories (like the aforementioned holiday special), but this season is basically about moving forward the timeline.
To put it in perspective, the main 'plot' episodes this season, starting with this one, take place 12-13 months after "Phineas is Mine!" So the girls have grown up, so to speak. The time progression means, of course, that this series will start to move a bit further away from canon. Don't expect radical changes that turn everything from the cartoon on its head, but there will now be a few notable differences... as if they aren't already. I hope that won't deter you longtime fans from continuing on, but, trust me, you will love what I have in store for Season Three! And if you're new to the 'show,' welcome! I'm sure you'd love to just jump right in, and you probably can, but I'd recommend you go back and read the series from the start.
You've heard me yap enough, so let the season begin!
Disclaimer: The characters of 'Phineas and Ferb' belong to Disney.
Prerequisites (i.e. read these first before reading this):
- Entry #365 ("I'm Your Next Class President!")
- Entry #387 ("Fireside Diaries" Ep. 203 - "Cake Boss")
- Entry #400 ("Jamboree Jambalaya")
It was early afternoon on the first day of school, and all of the fifth and sixth graders at Danville Elementary were gathered inside the multi-purpose room for an assembly. The purpose of the assembly was to remind the kids of the rules, as well as re-introduce the class officers.
Entry #405
The best thing about the first day of a new school year is getting to catch up with all your classmates that you didn't get to spend time with over the summer. The second best, though, is seeing who is in Student Council!
The principal, a balding man in his 50s, stepped up to the microphone.
"Now, we'll begin the official 'welcome back' speeches by the class presidents, as elected by you last spring. First up, sixth-grade class and Student Council president Adyson Sweetwater!"
The sixth graders cheered with excitement, particularly Isabella, Gretchen, Holly, and Ginger, as well as Phineas, Ferb, and their other friends.
You might remember Adyson regaling you with the tale of how she won class president a few months ago...
Adyson wasted no time in getting to the podium and beginning her speech.
"Thank you, Principal Plum! Fellow sixth-graders, after a crazy campaign last spring, I am happy to say that I, your president, along with my fellow competitors..."
Pan over to the two friends she beat to win the election, Isabella and Baljeet, who both had smiles on their faces.
"...have talked extensively over the summer over how to make Danville Elementary a better place for everyone! And, boy, do we have a plan..."
As Adyson dove into her plan for the year, sitting behind her and just to her left was the fifth-grade class president, who was patiently waiting for his turn to speak.
Yes, his.
In the front row on the left side of the multi-purpose room, where the fifth-graders were all sitting, sat the girl who was president-elect back in the spring, and next to her was her campaign manager.
...but some of you seemed to forget that, at the same time she, Isabella, and Baljeet ran for the sixth-grade class president, I was running unopposed for fifth-grade class president.
The girls in question? Milly and Katie, of course.
Entry #405 - Written by Milly
You're probably thinking... if I ran unopposed, why am I sitting down here with the rest of my classmates, instead of sitting up on stage, preparing to address them? Well, that's a long and complicated story, but since my newest pen pal wanted to know the truth, I decided that it was time to spill the beans.
This is for you, Patrick!
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Entry #405 [FSD303] - The Rise and Fall of President Milly (11.26.12)
-
Let's start back in May, during the campaign week...
On a billboard on the second floor of Danville Elementary, numerous campaign posters had already been put up. Most were from candidates who were running for sixth-grade offices, including a number from the three competitors for president. Stapled in close proximity, from top to bottom, were three posters. The slogans were, in order, 'Vote for the cute one!,' 'I know what's best for you!,' and 'Sweetly bringing justice to the student body!'
"Wow," gasped Milly, who was standing in front of the billboard and reading the campaign flyers from Isabella, Baljeet, and Adyson, respectively. "So incredible!"
Holding her campaign flyer in one hand and a pocket-sized stapler in the other, she added her poster to the others.
Her campaign slogan? 'I'm Milly! Vote for me!'
As I said before, I was running unopposed for fifth-grade president, so I could've done nothing that entire week and still win office. But I still wanted to introduce myself to my classmates and tell them what I could do for them.
"All set?" Milly asked Katie.
"Yep!" Katie said, saluting as she grabbed hold of a cart filled with several trays of freshly baked muffins.
With that, Milly pushed open the double doors leading to the playground. She held them open to allow Katie to come out. It was recess on the Wednesday of campaign week, two days before the election, and it was time to spread the word about her candidacy.
"Future fifth-graders!" she shouted.
A number of nearby fifth graders looked up and over from the swings, jungle gym, and seesaws, turning their attention to Milly, who was chipper as she introduced herself.
"My name is Milly, and I'm running to be your next class president! I promise to do everything I can to make the fifth grade fun!"
But they apparently were uninterested, as they all went back to what they were doing.
"I can't do this without you," she said, starting to get down. "I'm running for you guys."
Katie was seeing her friend struggling to get through, and as her campaign manager, she would not allow that.
"FREE MUFFINS!"
Upon hearing the word 'free,' all of the fifth-graders within a 200 foot radius charged for the cart. Milly became excited again as she and Katie passed out cupcakes to them.
"Vote for Milly!" she told each person as she gave them a muffin.
Most of the other kids took their muffin and ran, but a few stuck around as Milly traversed the other parts of the playground. They started telling them their problems.
"I heard sixth graders endlessly pick on fifth graders!" one boy told her.
"They take all the good seats at lunch," another said.
"They push us around when we're all trying to get to the bus," remarked one girl.
"The sixth graders always get what they want! Why can't we?" questioned a third boy.
Milly took the concerns to heart as the group passed by the other members of Fireside Girls' Troop 46231, in the midst of a tense straw poll meeting.
As I got to talking to the would-be voters, I quickly sensed a common theme...
...one that I would use to figure out my platform.
The next day, Milly and Katie were seen handing out new and improved campaign flyers and buttons. Since they were in two different classes, they could hand out things twice as fast, in only half the time.
Each person that took a flyer and a button would note Milly's new campaign slogan. 'I'll fight for you!'
Sixth graders get all the respect from the school faculty, and, as I discovered, they pretty much always got what they wanted. So I figured, the way to go was to promise more fair treatment for us would-be fifth graders. Plus, I knew that no matter who won the sixth-grade presidential race, I knew that they'd be more than happy to help bridge the equality gap.
And it worked!
The principal was announcing the election results over the PA system...
"In the race for fifth-grade class president, the winner, with 85% of the vote... Milly!"
Milly had a smile on her face as her classmates and her teacher applauded her victory.
Okay, so 85% is pretty low for someone who officially ran unopposed, but I didn't care! I was president-elect, and I was already beginning to formulate how I'd fulfill my lone campaign promise!
The next night, in the Garcia-Shapiro backyard, a joint celebration party for both Adyson and Milly was being held. The two president-elects were chatting with each other and Isabella, who had joined in.
"Congratulations, fellow class president!" exclaimed Adyson. She then added, with remorse, "Sorry we weren't there to help you out."
"Yeah," Isabella said in agreement. "Adyson and I were too focused on trying to beat each other that we forgot to show our support for you."
"I understand," Milly replied. "What matters is that you're both supporting me now!"
The three girls shared a group hug.
"So," Isabella spoke up, "we heard about your campaign promise, Milly, and Adyson and I are with you one-hundred percent!"
"Izzy and I have seen some of that preferential treatment go against our fellow classmates thanks to sixth-graders," Adyson said, "and that has to stop! I'm willing to do what needs to be done to bridge the equality gap!"
"Thanks, girls! You have no idea how much this means to me!"
"You're welcome, Milly! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to mingle. Oh, and rub this victory in Izzy's face a little more. Ahem... HA HA, IZZY, I BEAT YOU, I BEAT YOU!"
The two future sixth-graders started to walk away.
"I don't mind," Isabella said, "but you just named me your adviser! First thing tomorrow morning, we're on the same side, got it?"
"I know, I know!"
Milly decided to mingle as well, although the number of fourth-graders at the party was outnumbered by the fifth-graders three-to-one. She came across the group that featured the four kids from recess on Wednesday who were the first to officially back her.
"Thanks so much, you guys!" she complimented them. "I assure you, I'll do everything in my power to keep my campaign promise!"
"Good to hear, Milly," said the first boy. "And don't worry about your promise! Me and the gang here have already put our plan in motion! We'll get our respect!"
"That's good. So, what's the plan?"
"Milly, Milly, this is your victory celebration! This is the time for you to be happy, not worry about the future! There'll be plenty of time for that in the days to come! When everything's in place, we'll tell you everything!"
Milly thought about it, and then flashed a big, bright smile.
"You're right! I have a year to fulfill my promise! Tonight, I'm just gonna par-tay! YEAH!"
With that, Milly scanned the area for Katie. When she located her, Milly ran off to talk to her.
Little did I know that by NOT prodding into their plan, I was essentially dooming myself to impeachment.
Wait... impeachment. Doesn't that get me a Saying a Word No One Else Knows in the Room patch?
Two weeks after the election...
It was early in the morning as kids were putting their bags in their lockers. Milly was in the process of doing the same, when all of a sudden, Katie came running up to her.
"Milly! MILLY!"
"What's wrong, Katie?"
Katie produced a flyer and handed it to Milly. "Have you seen this?"
Milly quickly took a gander at it. It read 'Fourth Friday Fight! Rally against the future fifth-graders!' In addition, in small print at the bottom, were the words 'endorsed by fifth-grade president-elect Milly.'
"WHAT? I DIDN'T ENDORSE THIS!"
Suddenly, the four kids walked up, each with a balloon in hand. Their leader, the boy from earlier, stepped forward to explain.
"Yes you did, President Milly!"
"No, I didn't! Why would I ask for a rally at the start of a school day?"
"But it's the best time! It's Friday, those kids are already looking ahead to the three-day holiday weekend. It's time to strike!"
"Strike? With those?"
She pointed at the balloons, which upon closer examination, she realized had shaving cream in them.
"I didn't agree to this! The sixth-grade president-elect is a good friend of mine and a fellow Fireside Girl! We were going to solve the disparity through diplomacy and peace!"
"Many have tried peace in the past and failed! This year, we're not going to give them a chance to shoot us down!"
He pointed all around them. To Milly and Katie's surprise, many of their fellow classmates pulled balloons out of their bookbags as well. They were filled with water, grape juice, or other assorted liquids. The male ringleader turned to his fellow 'warriors' and declared the strike to be on.
"FOR EQUALITY!"
"EQUALITY!"
With that, the fourth-graders started charging down the hall, towards the fifth-grade lockers a few doors down. The attack began immediately, and within seconds screams of distraught could be heard as fifth-graders began getting pelted with balloons.
"I've got to do something!" shouted Milly. "Katie, text Addy and warn her!"
"What are you going to do?" asked Katie as she pulled out her cellphone from her backpack.
"I've got to stop this!"
Most fifth-graders scrambled for the nearest classroom, even if it was not their own, and those who could not either ran for the mid-hallway restroom, the stairs, or just ducked for cover behind their locker door. Teachers of both grade levels closed the doors to the room; some from the inside to protect their kids, and others from the outside before going off to stop the attacking fifth-graders, even taking a couple hits themselves.
Milly scrambled through the 'front line' in search of both the lead four and Adyson.
"GET OUT OF HERE!"
Hearing Adyson's voice, Milly turned toward the restrooms. Adyson was irate as she pushed a boy out of the girls' restroom.
"This was the closest place to hide!" the boy pleaded.
"From WHAT?" Adyson questioned, not yet aware of the situation.
Two girls ran through, pushing the boy back inside in the process. Adyson had no time to object, as she suddenly realized the chaos unfolding around her. Balloons were airborne, flying from her left to her right, hitting a number of her classmates.
Including Baljeet, who had just been hit by a balloon filled with whipped cream.
"And that goes my last clean pair," he muttered, in embarrassment.
The attacks quickly subsided, though, as once teachers started disarming kids, many of the others gave up and started fleeing back to the safety of their own classrooms. The adults had not gotten to the lead foursome, though, who each had a balloon in hand and were now surrounding Adyson.
"There she is!" the lead boy exclaimed, pointing her out. "FOR EQUALITY!"
They all threw their balloons simultaneously, in hopes of hitting Adyson in four different places at once.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" cried Milly, running in from nowhere.
Milly shoved Adyson onto the floor, just the time to take the hits instead. The curly-haired girl was hit by all four balloons, which exploded on her and doused her with water, orange juice, grape juice, and pickle juice all at once. The four would-be attackers gasped in shock as Milly hit the ground face-first.
Adyson then felt a vibration in her blouse pocket. She reached in and saw Katie's warning text. It read 'Look out!'
"Oh... that just explains EVERYTHING!" she exclaimed, sarcastically.
The principal then appeared, via the mid-hallway stairway.
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"
He looked first at Milly, then at the other fourth-graders, and finally, at the teachers who had tried to quell the riot.
No one wanted to give an immediate response, only because it was apparent no one was going to be able to simply explain it.
The principal was not happy about what had happened, but because there were so many fourth-graders involved, he thought it would take too long to figure out who was responsible by interrogating everyone individually. So he just punished all of us by making every last fourth-grader stay after school that afternoon to clean the entire school building, from top to bottom.
Milly and Katie were among a group of six charged with sweeping and mopping the hallway that connected the classroom wing to the other parts of the school. The kids they were with were not pleased to with doing grunt work even though they were among those who participated in the balloon assault, but they did so anyway.
The two Fireside Girls themselves were doing the mopping... well, Katie was, while Milly talked and pushed the yellow water bucket on wheels.
"What kind of class president am I?" Milly asked aloud. "I should've prodded more into their plan... and stopped them from the get-go!"
"Don't blame yourself," replied Katie, without turning away from her work. "You had no reason to suspect their bad intentions. 'Sides, I'm pretty sure monitoring what all your classmates do twenty-four-seven is NOT in your job description."
About a hundred feet away, the door to the main office opened, and the foursome responsible for leading the attack on the fifth-graders trotted out, all with their heads drooped low in shame. They immediately headed for the duo. Katie stopped mopping and frowned at them, while Milly flashed a look of disappointment.
The lead boy was about to open his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by the principal's voice emanating from the PA system.
"Attention, fourth-graders. Since the ringleaders of this morning's little stunt have come forward and confessed, you are all free to go home."
The other kids in the girls' group cheered, as they dropped their brooms and dustpans and immediately sprinted off towards their lockers.
"We're really sorry," apologized the leader of the group. "It's just... we're tired of the injustice in this school!"
Milly smiled as she took a step forward and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I know... you four just went about getting justice the wrong way."
Katie propped the mop up against the wall, and then ran behind Milly. She opened the latter's backpack and, in a matter of moments, found what she was looking for. She passed it over-the-shoulder to Milly, who in turn handed it to the boy.
"This is the rough draft of the Upperclassmen Equality By-Law that I've been working hard on with Adyson," Milly explained. "We're planning to co-present it at the general Student Council meeting after school on Monday, and we have no doubt that, when put to a vote, it will be unanimously approved."
He started to read through the four-page document as his friends looked on from either side, also doing the same.
"This... this is pretty much everything we wanted!"
Milly nodded. "Yep! See? Us politicians can get the things done! It was just a matter of getting the right language down so that all parts of the new by-law are fair and just to everyone!"
"This is incredible! You're... you're the greatest class president ever!"
Milly began to blush.
"Well, heh... I don't know if I'd go that far."
The boy's friends then got the broom, the dustpan, and the mop, and picked up where the kids from before left off.
"So, by confessing," Milly thought out loud, "you four promised to clean the entire school?"
"Uh huh. And we all have detention every day for what's left of the school year. And he called each of our parents, who have to meet with him for us to avoid getting suspended. I think he kinda went a little easy on us, but still... we get what we deserve."
"Well, as much as I'm mad at you guys for doing what you did, I'm glad that in the end, you did the right thing and turned yourselves in. Thank you."
The boy nodded.
"Thanks, Milly. Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got work to do."
With that, he walked off, to join his associates in their punishment.
In the end, our principal ruled that I bore no responsibility for the actions of a misguided few, and therefore, I was free of punishment.
But you're probably thinking, 'If that's true, Milly, then why are you not class president?' Well...
Suddenly, Katie felt a vibration in the side of her backpack. She reached for that pocket and pulled out her cell phone.
"It's a text from Addy!"
Milly turned, wanting her friend to read it aloud to her.
"She says, 'Thanks for saving me from those rogue fourth-graders. Heard 'bout the punishment, though. Harsh!'"
Katie immediately started typing away at her phone to deliver a response. Before she could finish, though, her phone vibrated again.
"Oh, there's more."
Katie saved her draft, and then read aloud Adyson's second text.
"'Oh, and Gretch wanted me to warn you that the test results came back from all of those kids that got sick a couple weeks ago...'"
That was followed by a third text message...
"'Yeah, Milly's campaign cupcakes? Full of poison mushroom spores.'"
Did I forget to mention that about a dozen or so kids haven't been to school since election day? Yeah...
Now you know why.
Milly grabbed Katie by the shirt and started shaking her violently.
"WHADDYA MEAN EVERYONE GOT SICK OFF MY CUPCAKES? I THOUGHT WE HAD GOTTEN PAST THAT ALREADY?"
"AHEM!"
Milly stopped Katie, who was pointing at someone standing behind her.
Principal Plum.
"So... heh heh... how much of that did you hear?"
Back in the present, Adyson had given way to Milly's presidential replacement, who was now taking his turn to address his classmates.
So, I ended up getting in trouble for THAT. I agreed to, in order to avoid a giant scandal since I baked them in the school kitchen, to resign from the office of class president, effective immediately. And of course, that one incident, amongst many others, would eventually lead to Katie and I getting banned from all kitchens in the Tri-State Area until we turned 18. Which, in turn, we eventually would get rescinded by passing a Remedial Cooking Class... you remember that backstory, right?
Sigh... long backstory short, that's why I'm not on stage speaking right now.
Now you know, Patrick... hope you don't think badly of me after this.
Milly listened to her replacement closely, with a smile of relief on her face.
Oh, and if you're wondering about what happened to the Upperclassmen Equality By-Law that me and Adyson were working on...
"...I am dedicated to fulfilling the lone campaign promise of my predecessor. Together with President Sweetwater, we will continue our support of the Upperclassmen Equality By-Law and will see to its enforcement, to ensure equal treatment not only between the fifth- and sixth-graders themselves, but from the faculty as well! I, President Buxley, swear on it!"
With that, all the students in the room gave him a standing ovation. Especially Milly, who was the happiest of all.
Let's just say... one good thing came out of me being president.
End Entry
Author's Notes:
Ah, there's never a dull moment with Milly, is there? But I think it's why I continue to like characterizing her this way... I can do crazy storylines with her, and it doesn't always have to result in her being nuts herself, opening up plenty of possibilities! You guys seem to still like them, too, so I gotta keep putting these kinds of entries out as well.
Anyway, going forward, I'll be posting a sneak peek of each episode either the Thursday or Friday before the full episode goes up. I'll also still be doing the short teasers in these notes. Speaking of which, next week... Ginger intends to eliminate the biggest obstacle keeping her from spending time with Baljeet. Hmmm... I wonder what, or whom, that is!