Chapter 1

A ten-year-old boy with blue shorts and a striped shirt with the colors of both white and orange exited his house to the sidewalk. He had red fiery hair and a triangle for a head. He was Phineas Flynn, a young boy who was known for the amazing inventions he built in his summer vacation. The boy wasn't the only one. His stepbrother, Ferb Fletcher, also got some of the glory. But of course you know this, who doesn't?

Well, as a matter of fact, many do know who these boys were but they didn't know who the people were. The Flynn-Fletcher kids didn't know everyone. As long as they brought the best summer ever and make everyday count, then they're happy. Phineas, currently, was taking a quick trip to the hardware store. To make his next big project, he needed some supplies that he and his brother didn't own already. Earlier that week, Ferb had already gotten the blueprint but the part that they needed was used to make the project the previous day. But there was something else that Phineas needed. He was currently undergoing a secret project. The boy was going to make a hologram project device. Sure, he has built those before but he never had a handheld one that could possibly be used for emergencies… yeah he has no idea what he was going to use it for but it satisfies his tinkering habit.

"Morning Phineas, what do you need?" The store clerk asked him when he entered the little store.

"I need these," Phineas requested, sliding a paper over to him. The old man nodded when he read it and disappeared behind the curtains that left to the storage room. Eventually, he returned with the parts in a small black bag and placed them on the counter.

"Anything else?" Phineas shook his head as he grabbed the bag from the counter. "Have a good day, kid."

"Thanks, you too." With that, he left the store. As he made his way back home, he looked into the bag he was carrying and examined the items inside. One of them carried a blue glow to it, making his face light up, which would be used for that day's project. The other was smaller and looked more like a spark plug but its use was very different. He had been so focused on his purchased items that he accidentally bumped into someone. "Oof!"

"Ouch!" Phineas looked up to the person who let out that German accent cry of pain. It was a tall, hunched man with a white lab coat and long nose.

"Watch where you're going, kid!" He snapped, rubbing his sore chest.

"S-Sorry sir, I wasn't paying attention," the boy immediately apologized. He was about to leave the man when he noticed his black bag seemed lighter. Dang it, he dropped his parts when he bumped into the man. Phineas sighed and bent down to grab his items. He was about to reach for the blue glowing part but was snatched away from him, the sudden action made him slightly flinch. The boy looked up to the still standing man examining the piece.

"This is a power generating mechanical defuser?" The man asked, now looking at the standing boy.

"Yeah, how did you know?" The triangle headed boy questioned, interest spiking through the roof. He had now completely forgotten that his brother and friends were waiting for him at home.

"I'm an evil scientist, I use these to power my -inators from time to time," he smirked. The man handed the part back to the boy. "What are you going to use it for?"

"My brother and I are going to build a flying ship using that to power it. Then we and the rest of our friends are going to travel around the city," Phineas explained with a joyous grin. He also forgot about the 'stranger danger' rule.

"Really? I have something similar but it isn't a ship but more like a… flying panel, I guess, depending on how you look at it."

"My name is Phineas by the way," the boy introduced himself by holding out his hand. The man smiled and shook it.

"Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, but my friends call me...uh, I don't have any friends to call me anything so…," he awkwardly admitted, scratching his neck. To pass over the awkward moment, he came up with an idea. "How about you come by my place some time so you could show me what you could make while I show off my -inators?"

Phineas' face immediately lit up even more. "Really? I can really do that?" He asked excitedly, who smiled at the enthusiasm.

"Yeah, why not?"

"How about now? I don't have anything too important today," he suggested, once again clueless about his awaiting friends and brother at home. Heinz seemed to think it over.

"I don't know. I don't think your parents would allow you," he drawled out.

"I can send them a text," Phineas offered. Before the man could say otherwise, the boy sent the text to his mother. Not even ten seconds later she responded and said it was okay. "She says it's okay."

"Wow, permissive," he mumbled. "Okay, let's go. We'll take my truck, I live in the city."

"Fine by me," he shrugged. As decided, Heinz and Phineas both walked along the sidewalk for a while, sharing more about themselves and what they've made. When they made it to the car and started driving off after getting in, Phineas learned that the scientist is evil, which he didn't really believe, and fights his platypus nemesis and Venessa is his daughter. Heinz learned that the boy built many things over the summer with his stepbrother and friends and his mother was Linda Flynn. That made his mouth slightly drop but luckily the kid didn't notice. Soon enough, they both arrived at their destination. "That's a big building," he gaped as they got out of the pickup truck.

"Yeah, perfect for my schemes and -inator creating," Doofenshmirtz nodded, entering the building. They didn't say anything until they reached the spacious apartment.

"This is huge!" Phineas remarked. He giggled when he heard his echo repeat what he said. The man started reorganizing some scattered parts and whatnot.

"Sorry for the mess… I didn't expect any visitors today… or any day," he sheepishly smiled. The boy didn't seem to mind as he started running around the room and looking at the complex forms of technology and inventions. The evil scientist couldn't help but smile as the boy continued to appreciate his projects.

"These inventions are amazing-" Phineas praised.

"-inators," Heinz corrected.

"-but why is there a self-destruct button on all of them? Do you even need that?" He asked, ignoring the correction.

"Well, of course, I do I-" he paused as he thought the boy's question over in his head. "As a matter of fact, I don't need that. Yeah, you're right! I don't need a self destruct button."

Phineas inwardly rolled his eyes at the mistake now announced. He absolutely despised self-destruct buttons. Why would someone put one on? To destroy something they worked so hard on? It was stupid in the boy's opinion. "So, what do you want me to make?"

"I don't know. Let your imagination run wild," Heinz shrugged as he sat on a stool. Phineas walked over and hopped onto the table near it.

"Well, I usually come up with the ideas but I got nothing." They both sighed simultaneously, looking around the room for any ideas. Doofenshmirtz's eyes landed on a pile of his horror movies and on the top had a dinosaur cover. Phineas' eyes landed on the same thing so at the same time, they had ideas.

"What if we build a transforming ray?" They both suggested simultaneously. They paused, trying to process what happened, then laughed when it caught up to them.

"What kind of transforming Ray is the question?" Heinz asked.

"We could build one to transform into any animal but just to give it a twist, we could change the physical structure of it. Like you could be a rabbit with blue and green fur and yellow eyes," Phineas grinned as he continued, liking the idea more and more.

"Alright, let's do it," the man nodded in agreement. They both split up to search for the materials but the scientist mostly directed the boy where to go to find certain items. Eventually, they started off with a plan. "I'll wield the pieces together while you-"

"Nu-uh, no way kid. I'll take the burning metal while you take the other stuff," Doof shook his head. Phineas agreed to it nonetheless. As Heinz began working the melt into the proper shape, Phineas began working the proper compartments and materials to actually make them change into animals. It ended up being a small motherboard type of part. Once they were finished, the two guys put the parts together and stared at their invention. "Behold, the Change-inator!" The evil scientist praised.

"Uh, Dr. D?" The man looked at the boy. "Why is there a self destruct button on this?" Phineas questioned, narrowing his eyes as the sheepish man.

"Haha, like they say, old habits die hard," he swallowed under the ten-year-old's stare. Phineas shook his head and removed the button, smiling when it was done.

"Ready to test it out?" He asked him in growing excitement.

"Are you sure it'll work? I don't want to explain to your parents why you are permanently blue and green colored bunny with yellow eyes," he remarked.

"Don't worry, it'll work," he dismissed. "Who should go first?"

"Um…" The boy could obviously tell that the man was still on defense so he decided to prove it was okay.

"See, I'll show you," Phineas set the dial to some settings and aimed the gun on himself. Before the scientist could say anything against it, the boy pressed the trigger and shot himself in a green-ray. Two seconds later, a black dog with some yellow highlights to its fur and with green eyes replaced the boy's spot. Heinz could only drop his mouth in complete shock. This kid is insane! Was the only thought in his mind. "See, nothing to worry about. This is just a hologram that projected over my body, which you can't see." The dog used its paw to shoot himself with the ray again which re-replaced the boy with the ray in hand.

"Not bad kid," the man finally smiled when he found his voice. The boy shocked him, even more, when he rotated the ray to point it at him.

"What do you want?" Phineas asked ominously.

"How about… an ocelot with purple and blue spots and white iris?" He decided. The redhead raised his eyebrows but did what the man requested. Next thing he knew, the man was replaced with the colorful animal. "Cool," the wildcat grinned. Phineas changed back to his original animal form.

"How about we show off to the town?" The boy offered. The doctor nodded so the two raced out of the room and out of the building, running around like wild animals. The people that were just passing did jump out of the way but it didn't stop the adrenaline rush the two had. As a couple pranks, Heinz walked up to people and roared at them, scaring them off. He insisted the boy do it as well but he was a little unsure.

"Oh come on! There's nothing wrong with it. We're just having some fun," the man/wildcat reassured. Phineas gulped but ultimately nodded. He walked up to some of the kids that usually had fun with his inventions.

"Woah, that's a cool dog!" One of them said.

"He's fluffy too!" Another started petting the boy/dog. Phineas inwardly grinned and he couldn't help but feel the excitement growing in him. Once he got all of the kids to start petting them, he waited for a queue.

"Look! He has glowing green eyes!" A kid noticed.

"I can talk too!" Phineas exclaimed. All of the kids screamed in surprise and ran from the dog in complete fear. The dog stayed and rolled around the grass, howling in laughter. He heard Heinz start laughing too.

"That. Was. Angelic," the ocelot sputtered between breaths.

"That was amazing! Did you see their faces?" The boy laughed. The two spent the rest of the day pranking people with their holograms, not losing their touch for even a moment. Eventually, they started getting tired so they headed back to the apartment. They transformed back and sat on the couch.

"That was great," the man commented.

"Yeah, we should do this more," the boy agreed. So, as an idea, they exchanged numbers so they would keep in contact both knowing that they became good friends.

"Oh no, it looks like it'll be getting dark soon. Do you need a ride home?" Doofenshmirtz offered, slightly worried about letting a kid go alone.

"Nah, I know my way home and it won't take long," Phineas shot down. He got off the couch and headed toward the door not before he waved the evil scientist goodbye. As the boy made his out of the building and back home, it started growing darker and darker. Being a very imaginative ten-year-old, the shadows that trees cast and the dark alleyways started protruding more, scarring the boy. 'It's okay Phin, there's nothing wrong' he thought.

What he hated more than self-destruct buttons was the dark. As he continued down the city streets he noticed that he was around ten minutes from his home. Just to make matters worse, he started hearing sounds every which way. Phineas soon reached the suburbs but he wasn't home free yet. He looked at his phone, to see what time it was, but his battery died.

"Dang it," he mumbled to himself, pocketing the phone. As he continued his walk, he started paying attention to the sudden quietness that occurred. Then he heard footsteps. The boy stopped and he heard the footsteps stop a second too late. Completely freaking out, the redhead sprinted off as fast as he could. Phineas could hear the heavy footsteps coming closer to him and the strong pants of air go down his neck. Now in total blind fear, he used all the remaining energy he had and pushed it to the max and all the home. The stalker had stopped following him for a few minutes but he was still running like a total maniac. Just as he saw his house come into view, he felt tears of happiness and relief sting his eyes. Not knowing why, the boy immediately rushed into the backyard.

"Phineas!" He heard multiple people shout at him but he didn't notice. He needed one person and one only. Almost like a dart to a board, Phineas tackled Ferb into a hug and collapse in both exhaustion and relief, some of his tears coming out in the process. He felt his brother tightly hug him back.

"Don't ever do that to me again," he heard the Brit whisper.

"Dude, Danville is so scary at night," the younger one tried to laugh but it came out more like a sob. He felt a hand touch his shoulder, causing him to flinch and immediately cower behind his brother.

"Don't touch me!" He shrieked, his eyes swimming in fear. The redhead let his eyes adjust to the people around him. It was only Buford, Balijeet, Candace, and Isabella. It was the Jewish-Mexican girl who touched him. They all seem to be horrified to see optimistic boy in tears.

"It's okay," the taller boy with green hair reassured, surprising the younger one by using a second line. Although still weary, Phineas came out from behind but still kept by his brother. Sure, the lights were on but the shadows still poked out, making him nervous.

"Are you okay Phineas? Where did you go? Are you hurt? What happened?" Candace immediately started asking questions. The boy didn't seem to be paying attention but rather he had his eyes fixed on the backyard gate. He was almost expecting for the person following him to bust in and hurt him and all his friends and family. He flinched when he felt Ferb place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay Phineas?" Isabella asked her crush, concern laced in her voice.

"Y-Yeah," he nodded, taking a few glances back at the door. "Just got a little spooked."

"A little? You look like you saw a ghost," Buford remarked but they all knew it was his way to be concerned. "What happened to you Dinnerbell?"

"Yeah, why didn't you come earlier?" Baljieet piped up.

"I was at a friend's house once I got my part for the…" He realized that he left his bought items at Doofenshmirtz. "Dang it. Anyway, after I left, I guess I learned the hard way about Danville being dangerous at night."

"What do you mean?" Candace spoke up, both she and Ferb had protective stares that burned right through his soul. Phineas guesses that if that stalker would ever show his face, he wouldn't last against those two.

"I...rather not talk about it," he squeaked, eyes following on the floor. "Does mom and dad know about this?" He whispered to the green-haired Brit. Ferb shook his head. "Let's keep it that way. We wouldn't want them to worry."

"That does sound like a good idea," he whispered back, eyebrows furrowed together.

"Trust me. It'll be better," the redhead sharply stated. Although very concerned for his beloved brother, Ferb dropped the subject. "Sorry for worrying you guys, I should have texted you or something," he told the group. The kids nodded and went back to their homes (or rooms in Candace's case).

"I'm glad you're okay Phineas," Isabella whispered, giving him a quick hug. She felt him tense under the touch but eventually leaned into it.

"Sorry," was all he said. They retracted and waved goodbye, each going their separate ways. Fortunately, their parents were gone for the weekend so they didn't need to know about it. The boys brushed their teeth and got ready for bed, both losing their appetites for dinner. They laid there for a while, eyes staring at the ceiling in front of them.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Ferb quietly asked, taking his eyes off the ceiling to stare at his brother.

"Yeah. Just a little freaked out, nothing more," Phineas lied, scratching his ear a little. The Brit noticed this.

"What really happened when you were alone?" He pursued. The green-haired teen could almost sense his brother tense by the question.

"Shadows were scary, I didn't like them," he started. Ferb nodded, even though the other couldn't see him, because he knew about his brother's fear of the dark. But as the boy continued, he started to become a little unnerved. Phineas told him about his encounter with the person following him and how he ran all the way home after that.

"...Are you still scared?" The taller one asked after the story.

"...Yeah," Phineas whispered but since it was silent, the other heard it. Apparently reading his mind, Ferb got out of bed and walked over to the floating raft where the redhead laid. Without asking questions, the boy immediately scooted over and he saw a silhouette of his taller brother lay next to him then pull him in a close but lose hug, which he gladly accepted. The boys felt their pet platypus, Perry, hop on the bed and lay down near their feet. "Thanks." Ferb didn't need to say anything to make his brother happy. Phineas fell asleep to the steady heartbeat of the Brit and he too didn't last long against exhaustion. Both brothers safe and happy that they were together again.

To be continued...