I do not own 'The Hunger Games', 'Phineas and Ferb', or anything related.
Phineas and Ferb were coming home after another successful day of testing their latest invention. After winning the Hungry Games, the battle royale that pit contestants from all the different dimensions that made up the republic of Amet or 'districts' in a fight to the death, as there were two victors this time around they were rewarded two houses. Since they were one family and only needed to live in one, the other was used as a workshop. Phineas and Ferb had long been building Amusements for the Capital. Their District's economy (and worth) depended on them. But now they were allowed to test the inventions themselves rather than the Duck troopers, the 'peace keepers' of the districts (And now that they didn't have to go to school meant they had more time inventing). And not just them, but they invited their friends to join in the fun as well. As they arrived next door, they greeted their neighbours from opposite, the family of Heinz Doofensmirtz and Francis Monogram, both victors, who mentored them during the games.
"Hi boys," Their mum greeted them as they came in, "Did you two have fun next door?"
"Yeah, Mom!" Phineas replied.
At first their Mom was rather apprehensive of them testing their inventions themselves (And their sister, who probably wouldn't be alive if Phineas hadn't volunteered in her place in the Hungry Games, had no qualms in telling their mum what they were doing), but their Dad assured her that a) the inventions were crucial in their District's economy, b) they were sure to put all safety measures in place, and c) in a district as grim as District 1 they should be allowed to have some fun!
"That's good to hear. By the way, you have a visitor in the drawing room."
A visitor? Phineas wasn't sure who the visitor could be, let alone that they had a drawing room!
As they entered the room they were sure they hadn't noticed before, they saw sitting at the desk at the far end was President Wacko.
Phineas stood there uncertain as the president slowly drained his wine glass of pond water and the worm that was in it.
"Um, Mr President-?"
The President held up his finger as he continued to drink.
"Ah," He sighed once he was done, "I think-"
He stood up, pushing the chair behind him, "That it would be best if we remained dishonest with each other."
"Um, don't you be honest?"
"Oh no, honesty would do no good in this situation."
His hands behind his back, the president circled Phineas and Ferb like a predator circling his prey.
"You see, I have a problem, Phineas. A problem that began the moment you helped those seven remaining tributes escape from the Arena. Do you know what the basis of this republic is?"
"Um, that each district provides a resource unique to them and in return they're provided protection?"
"Well there's that. But it's also, like any functioning state, that the state's power is absolute. So if the state requires resources to be sent, then they are sent. If the state sentences a criminal to be executed, then they are executed. If a state sponsored entertainment says that 24 contestants go in, and only one comes out, then only one comes out. Now if any of those are not met, can you see how the state appears weak, and if the state appears weak then anarchy occurs?"
"I'm very sorry, Sir," Phineas replied, "It was not my intention to make the Capitol appear weak."
"Oh I know it wasn't. You're the type of boy who, I don't know, creates fun contraptions every day in Summer, totally oblivious to the reality that your mother would not approve no matter how many times your sister says 'you guys are so busted'."
"Wait, what?"
"And although the Capital was convinced that your actions in the Arena were that of a naïve little boy who didn't realise what he was doing, the rest of Amet, well, in their eyes if one person can escape justice, what's stopping them from doing the same?"
Phineas noted that the president was a few inches shorter than him. You wouldn't think that a yellow duck would ordinarily be that threatening, and even though he had claws and fangs in any other situation they would make him appear ridiculous than scary. However, right now Phineas couldn't help but notice the claws on each tip of his wing, on each toe, the fangs glistening at the front of his bill, his black eyes like a pair of abysses, threatening to suck everything in.
"Already there are reports of those throughout the republic who would seek to undermine the government's authority."
"…You mean rebels, Sir?"
"I avoid that term. 'Rebels', 'rebellion', 'freedom fighters' have positive connotations, as if they are noble heroes fighting against tyranny. Words have deeper meanings, you see, so it is important that the right words are used. So I would prefer to use the words that have no illusion to what they really are. Insurgents. Terrorists, anarchists, criminals. You're a good boy, aren't you Phineas? You obey the law, don't you? You're not a criminal, are you? You wouldn't do anything illegal, right? And you definitely don't want anyone to get hurt, do you?"
"…I'm sorry, Mr President, but I'm still not sure what it is you're asking me to do."
"Today you start your victory tour around the Republic. All I ask is that when you visit each district, assure them that you are a law-abiding citizen and that you're not the type to commit treason, and you would certainly not condone others to do so."
"…Ok, Mr President. I'll convince them."
"Convince me, Phineas. Convince me."
The president started to walk away.
"Oh, one more thing, Phineas. The last time we met, you told me that the unpredictable outcome of the last games would have pleased me. NEVER EVER PRESUME YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS I WANT."
His eyes seem to crackle. Phineas gulped.
"Okay then," The president smiled.
He walked out of the room.
"By the way, nice prey, predator simile, Narrator, but did you really have to tell everyone that I'm shorter than Phineas?"
I was trying to show the irony.
Now what's happening now? Oh right! Phineas had frozen after hearing the president walking out the room. The sound of his flat, webbed feet making contact with the ground. It brought back all of those visions he had of him in the games, his different personas, menacing him, his cackling.
"Phineas!"
Phineas' concentration was broken by Ferb.
"You had another episode, didn't you?"
In the games, Phineas was stung by a modified wasp call a tracker jacker. It caused him to see various visions. It had been a while since being in the arena, and he thought that the effect would have worn off by now.
Clearly it hadn't.
If it was up to Phineas, he would have put his experience in the games out of his head, treated it like it was all a bad dream, amongst the other bad dreams he now had because of them, including a dream about the zombies, his brother and friends among them…But that was impossible, as the victory tour, where the victor toured around the districts, occurred between the games. Then there was the opportunity of becoming a mentor for the next games. District 1 already had two mentors, but Phineas wouldn't feel right if he didn't at least try to help out, and his brother felt the same. What if someone they knew became a tribute?
The tour was to go in order of the districts, followed by a trip to the capital, before returning to District 1 for the closing celebrations. Phineas and Ferb travelled on the interdimensional train. Their mentors sat opposite them in the carriage, along with Sammy the Slug, their escort. As a reward for having a winning district, Sammy had been awarded a robotic exoskeleton.
"Now then, when you two give your speech in the District 2 town square," Sammy was telling them, giving them two sheets of paper each, "The president would like you to use these."
Phineas read through his script. It didn't even address the District 2 tributes by name. It talked about their sacrifice in the arena, and how the District 2 male tribute (Who Phineas remembered was called Finn) was a worthy opponent. Mostly it was about how Phineas and Ferb were grateful for everything the government had done for them, and how much they love their republic and support everything the government does, including protecting it from threats, within and without. He wondered what Ferb's said, as Phineas usually did the talking. Wait a minute!
"Sacrifice? I thought Finn survived?"
"Oh that's right, you don't know, do you? Well, you see, after returning to District 2, there was a mob."
"A mob?"
"The other tribute that he killed was a beloved member of District 2. A status of a victor would have protected him, but without that, well…"
Sammy straightened one of her antennae and wrapped the other around it, stretching the former. Phineas got the message.
"Oh, just heads up! There will be no mentioning of any of the other survivors' status after being yadda yaddaed. You won't even get to see them at all during the tour. It will be as if they never came back."
Phineas understood. Because there only should have been one survivor. There were only two victors this time around because the game makers were unable to ascertained who got yadda yaddaed first. Even so, Phineas was disappointed that he wouldn't get to see the others, especially Steven and Connie, their allies in the games.
The portal opened, and they found themselves in District 2. Phineas and Ferb looked out of the window. Before all they had ever seen of District 2 was the town square, but now they could see the whole world. It looked quite such a beautiful place. Sammy told them how a thousand years ago the dimension was similar to District 1, until a nuclear war.
"How come the future tends to either be post apocalyptic or dystopian, or both?" Phineas wondered, "Why can't the future ever be awesome? Hey, Where's the fence?"
"It has a wall that encompasses the entire known world."
Wow. A world sized wall.
The train landed in the town square. Phineas and Ferb were led to a platform. Phineas noted that the Duck troopers were bigger than the ones back home, with what looked like a pair of spikes on each of their wrists. He wondered if these were the duck commandoes that Steven mentioned. There were also robotic duck heads surveilling the area. Phineas had seen these on the broadcasts. He just assumed they were cameras, but they were everywhere. They looked out to the crowd of District 2. There were two stands amongst the crowd. Each had an image of the tribute from the district at the top. On the platform with Finn's face were what looked like two yellow, anthropomorphic dogs, one of the them hugging the other. As they gave their speeches, Phineas couldn't help but notice that one of the dogs, who he recognised as Finn's mentor, was staring at him. As they went on, the crowd was muttering, confused. Phineas guessed they probably expected more from the boys who supposedly defied the capital. After their speech, they had dinner with the new mayor of District 1, who was somewhat annoying.
They had just left the Surreal world of District 3. Like District 1, it was a city-based district with a fence rather than a wall, and Duck Troopers that resembled those back home. Phineas had no problem with the speech written for him when it came to the tributes there, as he didn't know them that well. Come to think of it, he couldn't even remember their names or what they looked like. The portal opened to the District that Phineas was dreading the most.
District 4. Mabel and Dipper's District.
Phineas couldn't believe how small District 4 was. Mabel had described it as 'a measley town', but still! The fence, which was in as good repair as the one for District 1, surrounded only a small town. When they got on the platform, they saw that instead of two stands in the crowd there was only just one. Because both tributes came from the same family. On it, stood Mabel and Dipper's mentors, hugging each other.
"People of District 4," Phineas started reading the script, "Myself and my brother Ferb are flattered by your District's hospitality. We thank you for welcoming us into your District. Me and my brother would not be alive were it not for the sacrifice your tributes made."
Phineas' mind flashed back to Mabel and Dipper in the Arena, and other visions appeared as well.
"The female tribute was a worthy ally. And- and…"
Phineas couldn't help but see the sad faces of everyone in the district. He sighed. This wasn't right.
He scrunched up the paper.
"He scrunched up the sheet!" Sammy wailed, "Oh no, Boss is gonna be so mad!"
"I didn't know Dipper that well," Phineas continued, "What I knew about him, I learnt from his sister, Mabel, how smart he was, how compassionate he was. He was the type of guy who was willing to discover the truth, no matter the cost, willing to help out anyone in need. Even though he seemed easily scared at first, deep down he was brave. It was tragic, what the Arena did to him. That it made him a killer.
But I knew Mabel. She was cheerful and kind. She didn't have to help me against the careers, or heal me after I was stung by a tracker jacker, or give me drink and food, but she did so anyway. Everywhere I look, I see her. In an action someone makes when helping out a stranger. In the flowers that I gave her. In the sun that she wore on her sweater when she-"
He couldn't finish the sentence. A young overweight man in a green t-shirt with a question mark started crying. Soon, everyone was in tears.
"She was more than my ally! Mabel was my friend, and – and – and I couldn't save her! I'm sorry!"
Phineas couldn't hold back the tears anymore. He heard a whistle. A four-note whistle. An old man had two fingers covering his mouth, and raised them in the air. A duck trooper turned its heard to look at him. Scanning the gesture, a word came up on its viewing screen: REBELLION.
"REBELLION DETECTED."
That set them all off.
"REBELLION DETECTED!"
The town square was in chaos, as the crowd scattered and screamed, as the Duck troopers grabbed civilians, threatening them with their guns, threw stands and furniture upside down, quacking "REBELLION!" Monogram grabbed Phineas and Ferb and dragged them into the mayoral building as several duck troopers landed on top of the old man, pinning him to the ground. He was laughing, seemingly not aware of what was going on around him. Another Duck Trooper readied his run.
"THE PENALTY FOR REBELLION: DEATH."
He aimed it at the old man's head. The doors to the building closed, but not before Phineas saw a glow of red.
P.S. I do not own 'Adventure Time', 'Regular Show', 'Gravity Falls', 'Steven Universe', Star Vs or anything related either.