The sun was dipping below the horizon as Danny flew home.

No luck. He'd been everywhere on Tucker's list; the park fountain, the fairgrounds, the movie theater, and all the antique stores and lamp stores in town. Not a single sight of Desiree.

Obviously, unless the genie ghost had chosen to haunt another town, this meant she had to be in the Ghost Zone. And thankfully, Danny knew finding her there would be substantially easier. He planned on heading over to the Far Frozen and borrowing the Infi-Map from Frostbite. It would surely lead him to Desiree's home, wherever that may be. It wasn't over yet.

Still, as the ghost boy watched the sun set, a typically beautiful sight, he couldn't help but feel his mood slip into darkness as well. A whole day with no Sam. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but knowing that his friend was acting like an antithesis of herself instilled in him a sense of dread. He thought back to Tucker's possession by Desiree, and how, over time, he'd become more and more consumed and corrupted by his rage and jealousy for Danny, to the point where he'd straight-up attacked him. He could only guess what that could mean in Sam's case. Had she blown his secret? Not only that, but all the other private things the three friends kept to themselves. This new Sam had no qualms about not only hanging with the popular kids, but also emulating their behavior, notably their overly harsh and shallow disdain for him. He could take it from Dash and Kwan, even Paulina, but Sam? His heart wasn't sure how much of that he could take, at least not without the sarcastically smug sort of manner she typically had.

"Ooof!"

He was so caught up in his reverie that he smacked right into the Ghost shield without even noticing it. Sliding to the ground, the boy transformed and looked up at the green energy dome covering his house. For a moment, he hoped that Desiree had been the cause (and was thus nearby), but rationality dictated that it was probably one of his dad's doings. Sighing, he walked through the shield and up to his front door, noticing a scrap of paper taped to it. In loopy handwriting, it read,

Danny,

Plug your nose; Dad sprayed ecto-repellant everywhere. If you need me, I'm at the library.

Love,

Jazz

"Great," he muttered. "Another round of nausea. Just what I need." Were his dad not so clumsy with the dials, Danny would almost be worried about falling under his control.

Taking a breath and holding his nose, he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Aw man!"

Even with his nostrils closed, the thick fabric of anti-ghost repellent made his eyes sting and his skin crawl.

"Danny?" His mom appeared from the kitchen, a gas mask covering her face and another in her hand. "Here," she handed it to him and he quickly put it on. "Sorry, your father's convinced there's a ghost somewhere in the house and he's been trying to drive it out all day."

"Ugh, why isn't this working?" Jack walked in behind his wife, also sporting a gas mask and the dreaded Fenton-Tuner. "I've sprayed and checked every inch of this house, Maddie. Not a single speck of free-floating ectoplasm to be found."

He pointed the Tuner at Danny, causing it to beep and him to tense up.

"It's not like it can go anywhere else," the ghost hunter went on, "not with the shield up and portal locked."

"Well, I'm sure it's nothing you two can't fix," was Danny's harried reply as he rushed for the stairs, "So, I'll just be upstairs if you need me."

"Danny, wait!" Maddie stopped him before he could set a foot on the first stair. "Jack's right. Something is weird." She took the Tuner from her husband and directed it over to him. The boy nervously tried to step out of the way, but she followed him with fluid movements. "Why's it going off around you?"

"Uh-" Danny floundered.

"Huh." Jack looked up. "You know, it has been doing that all weekend." His eyes narrowed. "And you have been getting sick a lot, haven't you?"

"What? N-no, that's ridiculous," Danny stammered, sweat beading on his forehead. "I-I'm sure it's just a coincidence."

"I don't think so, Danny." Maddie looked up sternly at her son, her eyes boring into him through her goggles. "No, this can mean only one thing."

Danny gulped, his body now shaking. This couldn't be it. Not now. Not without Sam.

"You're obviously contaminated by ecto-residue from the lab!" Maddie proclaimed, before turning to her husband. "Jack, haven't I been saying that it's dangerous for Danny to clean down there without protection?!" Handing back the Tuner, she went over to engulf her baffled son in a hug. "Look what it's done to our poor boy." Her eyes narrowed at her husband. "Maybe instead of playing with your gadgets all day, you could lend him a hand with it?"

"Uh…y-yeah," Danny said. "I mean, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. I mean, it's not like I've grown another head or something." He tried to wiggle out of his mom's clutches to no avail.

"No, but it is serious, Danny," Jack argued with a modicum of guilt. "All these traps and alarms we have all over the house. It's practically a death trap for anything covered in ectoplasm." He sighed, putting down the Tuner.

"Should we run him through the Fenton De-Com, Jack?" his wife asked.

Recoiling in horror, Danny roughly (and rudely) yanked himself free. "Whoa, I can bathe myself, thank you very much."

A polite knock resounded from the door. It opened, revealing Tucker…still in his girl garb.

"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton." He waved a touch awkwardly. "Just dropping by to help Danny with our homework." He sniffed the ripened air. "Anyone smell something funky?"

"It's anti-ghost repellant, Tucker," Maddie explained, "We thought there was an infestation, but it turns out our little boy is just contaminated." Danny's face went red. "Nice outfit, by the way."

"Look, Mom, Dad," Danny spoke up before anyone else could, wanting this to be over, "I know you're both trying to help, but we've really got to get to work on our homework. It's already late and Mr Lancer's already got it in for me as it is, so-"

Maddie sighed. "Fine, but I am prescribing you some anti-ecto body wash, young man." She went over and took the Tuner from Jack. "I also think maybe we should be a bit more choosy on what chores we assign him to."

"My thoughts exactly," Jack said, pulling out a Fenton sponge and bucket. "Danny, you and Tuck head upstairs. Your mother and I-" glared at him. "-I mean 'I'-will get the lab scrubbed and cleaned."

"But just to be safe, we'll keep the portal locked and shield up," Maddie added with a smile, "at least for tonight."

'Dang it.' "Fine by me," Danny muttered, trying not to glower in response to this new obstacle. "Come on Tuck." And with that, the two teens headed upstairs.

"So," Tuck asked after they sat down on his bed, "I take it you couldn't find Desiree?"

Danny sighed and shook his head. "Not a trace of her."

"I thought for sure that shawarma joint would be the place."

"Guess not," Danny replied, "So, what about you? Did Sam blab my secret?"

"No," Tuck replied, "but she's pretty much embraced the popular life in every other aspect."

This only marginally improved Danny's mood. Knowing Sam had slipped farther down into the popularity boid, however, suffocated his spirits regardless.

"That bad?" He almost hesitated to ask.

"'Fraid so."

Danny almost balked at his next question. Nonetheless, morbid curiosity took over. "Did she say anything about us?" Internally, Danny ended with, "about me."

"Uh, no. Not really," Tuck replied, though after what seemed like a moment of similar hesitation to his friend's. "I mean, Dash and the others did toss around a few 'those guys are dorks,' but Sam mainly just laughed and agreed with everything."

Great. Sam thought they were losers. As if Danny couldn't feel any more downhearted about all this. He sank his head down to look at the bed cover, his mind running dark and dreary. He didn't even have the energy to question his friend's moment of hesitation.

In the wake of his friend's silence, Tucker threw up his hands and embarked on a rant. "Ugh, this whole day stunk. First, I had to sit through two hours of teen monster drama. Then, I got stiffed out at Reinger's because I'm 'not their type.' And to top it all off, Sam and Paulina beat our high score at Alienator."

"It's Sam, that was bound to happen anyway," Danny reasoned, his voice now a mutter. "All the more reason we need to find Desiree and-" He suddenly paused and looked up as something suddenly dawned on him. "Wait, you went shopping at Reinger's?"

"What?" Tuck looked back at him, unashamed at the fact that he'd visited a woman's clothing store. "I figured that as long as I'm dressed as a girl, I might as well look nice." He looked down at the homemade, somewhat tacky disguise he wore.

"Well…good for you," Danny replied. That little tidbit was thankfully enough to place him in the right headspace. "But fashion woes aside, we need to move on. Sam's getting worse; we need to find Desiree, and if she's not here in Amity Park, then she has to be in the Ghost Zone." A smile of anticipation spread across his face. "And I know just how to find her."

"The Infi-Map?" Tucker guessed.

"Yep," Danny replied. "We just need to get Mom and Dad away from here so I can unlock the portal."

Tucker grinned. "I got an idea."

In the lab, Jack was scrubbing the floor (overseen by Maddie) when Tucker suddenly burst in.

"Mr. Fenton!" he cried, waving his arms. "I almost forgot, while I was at the mall, I saw a ghost at Reinger's!"

Jack shot up from the floor, his sponge sent flying. "A ghost?!"

"Yeah, it infected all the clothes with ghost gunk and overshadowed the manager!"

A moment later, the Fenton RV rocketed away from the house.

"INFESTATION!" Jack shouted. Tucker flopped around in the passenger seat, clinging to his seatbelt for dear life.

On the sidewalk, Maddie sighed and looked up to her son's bedroom window. "I'll go make sure they don't cause too much damage." She tapped a button on her wrist, summoning rocket skates in place of her boots. "Keep the house in lockdown, Danny!" She turned and raced after the RV.

Watching her vanish, the ghost-boy chuckled for the first time that day.

"Tuck, I don't know how you do it, but you impress me once again."

Feeling re-energized, Danny ran down to the lab, punched a few buttons on the Fenton computer, and watched as the portal unlocked and opened.

"Hang on, Sam." He transformed, rings splitting from his midsection and covering him in the jumpsuit—Sam's improved version with the 'D' emblazoned on the front. She'd lied about it but he later realized that no, it hadn't always been there. "We'll have you back to normal in no-time."

With a zoom, he flew inside, quickly leaving the portal behind.

"Mmmm." Pam beamed as the family chief presented another dish. "It smells wonderful, Philippe."

She looked across the food-covered table to her husband and mother-in-law, the former equally pleased and the latter looking less than enthused.

"Oh, come on, Mom," she said to the old lady, "How long has it been since we've had a dinner like this?"

"Knock knock," came a voice from their kitchen door. Jumping up, Pam skipped over and opened it. Greeting her was Sam, her arms loaded with shopping bags. Dropping them, she hugged her mother. "Hi Mommy. I hope you don't mind, but I invited a few friends over for dinner."

Pam looked to the quartet of kids behind her, all clutching bags as well.

"Well, we love having guests," she said, "but don't you all have homework?"

Sam shared a smirk with the others. They all knew Mikey was currently taking care of it for them.

"Oh, we already finished it all," Paulina spoke up, offering her signature sly grin.

"And your parents?" Jeremy added.

"Oh, they're fine with it," Star assured them. "We do this all the time."

"Alrighty then," Pam stepped aside, eager to see her daughter's new company. "Come in, make yourselves at home. Dinner's on the table."

"I can't believe you actually live here," Paulina said as they entered.

"I know, it's bigger than Paulina's," Kwan added, causing the girl to scowl at him.

"I'll give you guys a tour after dinner." Sam turned to her parents and gestured to her friends. "Mom, Dad, these are my new friends, Paulina Sanchez, Star Powers, Dash Baxter, and Kwan Kimura. They're the most popular kids at school."

"Well, nice to meet you all." Jeremy got up and extended his hand. "Jeremy Manson."

"Pamela," his wife added, doing the same. "But you can call me Pam."

"Nice to meet you," Paulina gave her best smile as she and the others shook their hands. "I can't believe you guys are Sam's parents."

"We never would have known," Star added.

"Well, until recently, it seemed like somebody was ashamed of her heritage," Pam said, putting an arm around her daughter and giving her a squeeze, "but thankfully, she's wised up and finally embraced what makes her special." They both smiled.

"So it would seem," Ida muttered, drawing their attention.

"Oh, forgive me," Jeremy said, gesturing towards her. "This is my mother, Ida."

"Charmed." The old lady weakly raised a hand in greeting.

"Well, let's not let dinner get cold," Pam said, signaling for her chief to bring in some more seats. "We've prepared a simple, yet elegant meal for the occasion."

"Hors d'oeuvres, consomme, green melange, fruits de mer, poulet, gougeres," Jeremy motioned to each dish, "and bombe glacees for dessert."

"I don't know what any of that is," Kwan said, "but it sounds delicious."

"Whoaaaaaaaaaa!"

Danny clung tightly to the glowing parchment as it whisked him through the Ghost Zone. As expected, Frostbite had been kind enough to lend the Infi-Map to the ghost boy ("anything for our savior!") and the artifact had literally jumped to life upon his command ("take me to Desiree's home").

Doors, portals, and islands flew past him on either side as the map pulled him deeper and deeper into the otherworldly realm, a number of which he recognized, but many others that were new to him. Wherever Desiree's home was, it appeared to be off the beaten path, said path being the routes he and his friends had attempted to map out during their many trips in the Spector Speeder.

Friends…Sam.

"Ugh!" The ghost boy shook the thought from his mind, keeping his mouth closed to avoid swallowing any ghost bugs. Soon, everything would be back to normal. Soon, he'd have his friend again.

Finally, the map came to a halt and the green void that made up the Ghost Zone came into focus.

"Finally," Danny said, rolling up the map and placing it in his back pocket. Looking forward, his eyes widened.

A magnificent Arabian palace hovered in front of him; its foundation a loose chunk of desert terrain. A pair of giant snake statues guarded the palace doors, both massive in height and gilded in gold, with twinkling red gemstones for the eyes. A towering, decorative archway stretched high above them, flanked on either side by looming spires. A huge gate surrounded the main building and the many towers around it, all of them topped with giant, curving domes that pointed to the sky.

"I feel like I'm back in history class," Danny remarked. Floating forward, he approached the entrance, pausing just before the statues. Their eyes were filled by giant rubies. They glowed almost hypnotically in the ecto-light, striking him with a sinister feeling.

"No thank you," the boy brushed past them and reached the doors. Again, he paused, this time to stare up at the massive structure and consider his next move.

What wonders and/or horrors did he expect inside? From plenty of past experiences, Danny knew that the Ghost Zone was almost always an unpredictable place and things rarely went as smoothly as planned. On a good day, he'd simply find himself face-to-face with a hostile resident. On a worst day, said residence would spring to life and unleash its wrath onto the intruder, mostly in the forms of deadly boody traps, guards, or both. The later cases more often than not tended to be from the more elaborate or sophisticated dwellings and just from appearance alone, Desiree's palace looked to be no exception. Knowing her backstory, the ghost-boy could easily guess that the former harem girl not only thought very highly of herself, but also would not take kindly to unexpected visitors and thus, would have primed her home for such.

Nevertheless, like with any situation, the halfa was prepared to meet it with bravery, determination, and, if possible given his current state, a few witty quotes. Jazz would call it overconfidence, he called it being a hero.

He went intangible and phased through the doors.

"Wow."

He found himself at the end of a great hall. The floors were carved from flawless, glistening marble and painted with Arabian symbols. Equally poised and decorated were the towering walls, the sky-tipped ceiling, and the array of curved arches and buttresses that connected the two together. Beautifully exotic plants, smooth alabaster columns, lifelike stone statues, and gold-plated furniture dotted the floor. Among the wall decor were tapestries and paintings of the genie from her days as a harem girl, doing a seductive dance. At the end of the hall, Danny could just make out the entryway to another room, though the massive length of the hall (seemingly large enough to fit the entire Casper High football field) made it difficult. Indeed, the interior was so colorfully diverse and elaborate that it was almost overstimulating on sight.

"Fancy." That was pretty much the only way Danny could describe the sight in front of him.

He floated down the hall, looking around for any sign of the palace's owner. Eventually, and with no success in locating the said owner, he reached the other side of the hall and phased through another set of doors. Thus he found himself in an atrium, decorated more or less the exact same as the preceding hall, statues, paintings, and all. The only new additions were a domed ceiling, a center fountain with a coiling boa constrictor, and several more doorways on each opposing wall.

"Okay, now it's starting to get old."

Forming his legs, he landed on the ground for a momentary rest and adjustment to plans. However, the moment his feet hit the ground, the room began to tremble and the surrounding statues emanated with ecto-energy. On his left, two stone scorpions sprang to life. On his right, a pair of spiders burst forth. The once inanimate statue of the boa constrictor unraveled and slithered off the fountain.

"But this is new," Danny had just enough time to remark before the ghost animals charged him. He launched skywards, narrowly avoiding their claws, fangs, and stingers. Then the creatures took flight as well, chasing him through the air.

"Ahh! Yikes! Whoa!" Danny cried as he rapidly dodged stinger strikes, snake bites, and webs from the spiders. He countered with ecto-blasts, but these bounced off the stone hides of the beasts. "Oh, come on!"

One of the spiders scored a shot, launching Danny into the nearby wall and encasing him in a web. As his attackers closed in, his eyes began to glow blue.

"Okay," he said as the web began to freeze. "You all need to COOL IT!"

Breaking free, he switched tactics, attacking them with his icy blasts. The scorpions and boa dodged out of the way, but the spiders were frozen solid. With two powerful punches, Danny shattered them to bits.

"Eee!" The constrictor wrapped its tail around him and squeezed, preparing to strike with its fangs. Straining, Danny rapidly froze the beasts from coils to head, managing to just avoid its open mouth.

Breaking free (and the snake into pieces), Danny faced the scorpions. They jabbed at him, but he went intangible and froze their stingers, causing them to snap off. Undeterred, the beasts came at him with their claws.

"I don't have time for this!" An annoyed Danny fired a series of arctic blasts, until finally, the creatures were fully frozen. With a pair of ecto-blasts, he reduced them to rubble.

"Is that it?" Danny said out loud. At that moment, several of Desiree's paintings morphed, their seductive smiles turning to angry scowls and their eyes glowing red.

"I had to ask." Danny summoned a dome shield in time to deflect the barrage of red eye beams.

.

"-and that's how I scored the winning touchdown!"

Around Dash, the other diners laughed and clapped as he flexed his muscles.

"Dash, that was incredible," Pam cheered. "Who knew you were so gifted?"

"You know, we're friends with some talent scouts at the country club," Jeremy added, "Just ask and we'll put in a good word for you."

"And Paulina," Pam added, "I know a spokesman for Vogue. They're always looking for new models."

The Latino girl squealed, loving the praise. "Ooh, to make the front cover, that would be my dream, Mrs. Manson!"

"Mine too," Dash said with a smirk, only to frown and hastily add, "Seeing you on the cover, that's what I mean."

"Oh, come on, Dash," Kwan teased as the others laughed. "Like you don't spend half of gym class flexing in front of the mirror." Dash flicked a forkful of cheese puff at him, eliciting even more giggles from the girls.

"In the meantime," Pam went on, "I love the idea of you joining the cheerleading squad, Sam." Her smile was infected with smugness. "I mean, I was head cheerleader during my time at Preston Prep, but it's never too late to start."

"Nothing shines brighter than a school-spirited smile," Jeremy added.

On the end of the table, Ida groaned. To say she was bored of the endless stories and praise of her granddaughter's new friends would have been an understatement.

"Well, I'll do my absolute best," Sam promised. "You know, I've actually been thinking about talking to the school board to see if we hold tryouts for a new mascot. Ravens are too bleak and dreary. Our school needs to be represented by something more colorful and preppy."

"Kittens?" Star offered.

"Maybe," Sam replied. "And if it's not too much, I'd also like to try and squeeze a spot into the school choir."

"Totes," Paulina said, "You should have heard the song she sang today."

"Really?" An intrigued Pam asked.

"Yeah, she led us all in this really big musical number about her new life," Star explained. "It was totally random, but in a cool way."

The parents both put their hands together. "Can we hear it?" they begged.

"Yeah Sam," Kwan urged. "Flex those golden pipes."

With the popular kids cheering her on, a blushing Sam stood up from the table and cleared her throat.

"It's not a phase," the preppy teen sang, "Or so I told my mommy~"

"AHHHHHHHH!"

In the middle of the atrium, a mountain of scarabs exploded. Flying out of the bugs' reach, Danny shot out his hands.

"ENOOOOOOUGH!"

Ice poured out from his palms. In seconds, the entire room, and the sea of scarabs filling it, were frozen under a thick layer of frigid glass.

With that, the room finally, FINALLY, went back to its dead silence. Hovering back to the ground, the battered, bruised, and bitten Danny briefly went to his knees, letting out breath after breath of exhausted relief.

"Hopefully, that's the last of her welcoming committee." Getting up, he looked around at all the doors, finally focusing on the pair directly across from the entrance. If the boy had to guess, these probably led to either the throne room or Desiree's bedchambers. He pressed his ears to them. Vaguely on the other side, he could hear a slight rumbling noise.

"Surely, it can't be worse than this." He phased through the doors.

Just as he'd expected, this was Desiree's bedchambers and, also just as expected, it was as lavish as the rest of the palace.

The walls and ceiling were adorned with elaborately-carved alcoves and windows topped with curtains, as well as yet more paintings and tapestries. Like the other rooms, beautifully carved statues and exotic plants decorated each of the many corners of the room, with fine-wooden furniture and comfy pillows made up the sitting area, bed, and dresser.

However, there was one aspect that caught the ghost boy's attention the most.

Hovering in the center of the room was Desiree…on a treadmill! Instead of a ghost tail, she sported a pair of legs and her typical harem outfit had been replaced with a tank top, capris, and running shoes. Over the whirring sound of the treadmill, he could hear her singing.

"If you wanna be with me, baby/There's a price to pay/I'm a genie in a bottle/You gotta rub me the right way…"

"And…it's not," Danny noted. "It's just weird." He soundlessly flew in and approached the genie, who remained unaware of his presence.

"Ooooooh/the boys are saying let's go…"

Going invisible, he snuck up in front of her treadmill. Just as he'd expected, she had headphones in her ears, connected to an Ipod strapped to her arm, hence her not noticing his entrance (or the ruckus from his epic battles). Grinning mischievously, he pressed the increase speed button.

Desiree was thrown out of her groove by the random change of speed.

"Wha-?"

She began to run faster, trying to keep up.

10. 11. 12. 20. 50! 100!

The genie was promptly ejected off the track, inflicting a hole onto the far wall.

"No pain, no gain." Danny smirked, turning visible.

Desiree crawled out of the hole, headphones scattered, gaze scrunched up in fury.

"YOU LITTLE-" She paused mid-sentence, closed her eyes, and breathed. "That's better." Still irked but seemingly subdued, she opened her eyes and floated up to face Danny. "Can a girl not complete her set without being interrupted?!"

"Not if she's a psychotic genie, who brainwashes my friends," Danny snapped.

Upon hearing this, Desiree's anger faded, her scowl turning into a rather sadistic grin. "What? You don't like the new Sam?" She said, teasingly.

"You turned her into a symbol of everything she hates." Danny growled, her attitude only making him angrier, "How do you think I like it?!" He practically spat these last few words.

Desiree's eyes widened, not out of fear, but fascination.

"Such rage," she remarked, "I don't remember you being this angry when your other friend-what was his name-?"

"Tucker!" Danny yelled.

"'Tucker' fell under my spell." She chuckled, her eyes slipping back to their usual half-lidded state. "Then again, with the feelings you have for her, I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

His anger halted as her words all but slapped him in the face.

"Feelings?" His cheeks warmed slightly. "I-What are you talking about? Sam's my friend, but there's not-"

"Oh, cut the crap, child!" Desiree's legs vanished as she circled the boy in almost shark-like fashion. "Everyone in the Ghost Zone knows about it." She leaned in closer, almost whispering in his ear. "The famous halfa with a hidden crush for the goth girl."

Danny was speechless. He and Sam had always denied that they had any romantic feelings for each other, despite the claims of Paulina or Dash or even his own parents. He 100% believed that…

…Didn't he? As much as he wanted to deny it, Desiree's words were making some degree of sense. He hadn't been this angry when Tucker had been possessed by her magic.

Was it possible-?

"Ugh!" He shook his head and swatted the genie away, refusing to let her mess with him any more. "I don't care what you or anyone else in this blasted zone thinks." He pointed a finger at her. "You hurt Sam and I'm here to fix it."

"Oh, really?" Desiree snarked, grinning razor-sharp.

"Yes." Calling back to his flight over the park, Danny yelled, "I WISH FOR THE REAl SAM BACK!"

Desiree gasped, her smile melting off like hot wax.

"NO!" She shut her eyes and braced her hands on her head. "NOT AGAIN! NOT THOSE DREADFUL WORDS!" Moaning melodramatically, she forced herself to look at the ghost boy, her eyes as wide as saucers. "I-I-I MUST OBEY!" Straining, she lifted her arm. "I MUUUUUUUST-"

Her act suddenly ended. "No."