Ethereal

14

"Okay, so the change occurred yesterday morning."

Danny Fenton was no longer sitting on the bed, instead opting to pace, or rather, swim, hurriedly around the room. Mermando and his father just watched nearby, offering helpful ideas.

"Yeah, it happened yesterday." Danny looked up briefly before shaking his head and directing his attention to the floor once more. "The whole thing happened yesterday. I don't know why I can't change back."

"How did you change back once you were in your ghost form?" Mermando inquired. He felt the need to help Danny as best he could, especially since Mabel was involved in the whole extravaganza. He didn't want her getting hurt.

"I just . . . thought about it. It was hard at first, but I got used to it."

"How did you change at the beginning?"

"I either got scared or worn out, I don't know."

"Have you tried that yet?" Mermando's father joined into the conversation, not wanting another recklessly evil merperson on his hands. Besides, Danny was a nice boy that deserved as much help as possible.

Danny rolled his snake-like eyes. "I passed out not that long ago and I've been scared since yesterday."

Mermando's father eyed the black water outside of the room. He sighed and started towards the door.

"Perhaps sleeping on it will allow us to come up with more ideas," he murmured. "Come, Mermando, let Danny rest."

The two left quietly, leaving Danny alone with his thoughts. It was as though he could feel the evil stirring inside him, and it reminded him all too much about Freakshow's mind control. However, the only one controlling the staff was him.

Ever so slowly, thoughts gave way to nothingness, and he sank down into the bed with closing eyes.

Danny awoke with a start.

He was in the bedroom that he had fallen asleep in, but every vibrant color, every blue hue, had turned black and white. Everything seemed frozen, the bed, the water, even himself. With a glance around the room he realized that he was still asleep.

A bright light shaped as a triangle came into focus in front of him and he snapped his attention towards it. A whirling sound broke the silence before a final, show-worthy voice was heard.

"Heya, Phantom. I see you're doing well."

A triangle, with one large eye and black sticks for limbs, came into view. It had a bow-tie where the mouth would presumably be, and a black hat sat atop the point that was his head.

"Do I know you?" Danny inquired. He felt slightly odd talking to a floating dream triangle, but he'd handled worse.

"The name's Cipher, Bill Cipher. I'm a Dream Demon, aka future ruler of the entire universe, and I've been watching you for awhile now."

"Of course you have," Danny muttered indifferently.

"You see this, kid?" Beside Bill, a hole formed, large and circular, that reminded him of the rips Wulf often made between the Ghost Zone and Earth. A mergirl with long brown hair and a blood red tail loomed into view, swimming angrily in her cage. Two sleeping guards rested outside the enclosure.

"That there is Serafina," Bill announced proudly. "Evilest merperson I've ever known, and trust me, I've been here for a while."

Danny didn't say a word.

"Can't do much damage in a cage, can she?" Bill inquired. His eye tilted upwards in a way that could only be classified as smirking.

"Pretty sure that's why she's in there."

"That's a shame," he murmured. "Now, how about we just--"

Bill snapped his fingers and the cage broke open with the loud sound of rusted metal. Serafina rushed out as the resting guards were awaken from their slumber, and with a smirk she rushed towards one of them.

Bill closed the hole, but the screams of the guard still echoed aimlessly throughout the room.

"There we are."

"Why did you do that?" Danny screamed. His eyes were still trained at where the hole had once been, his focus on the unprepared guard. A white ring, small and unnoticeable, formed around his waist before disappearing once more. Bill saw this change and his eye widened slightly.

"You see Phantom, you'll need a little help once you 'go rogue.' I thought about possessing you, all that power," Bill paused as if licking his lips, hungry for Danny's abilities, "but, who could do better at destroying than you? Really, all I had to do is let Serafina go. How simple."

"I won't let you hurt anyone," Danny said, a determined look plastered across his face.

"Oh, Phantom. I won't have to."

* * *

"Jazz, you can't go outside. Not after Wendy."

Jazz Fenton had packed her necessary equipment, watching as the sun rose once more.

"Yes, I can," she stated. "Danny's still out there. It's morning, she should be back anytime. After all," Jazz zipped her pack shut, "she is a werewolf."

"Why should you care?" Mabel asked. She was painting her hooves in the corner of the room. Her nose had turned black, her upper half becoming pale. Rainbow freckles dotted her nose.

"Wendy's our friend," argued Dipper. His eyes were wide in doubt, but he spoke like himself. His own skin had begun to turn a tan shade of brown, light freckles dotting his nose as well. The twins were both suffering the effects of the stream, though not as badly as their first transformation.

"I'll tell you what," Jazz said. "I'll go out by the lake, and if I see Wendy, I'll grab a leash and take her back to you guys. Deal?"

With a sigh, Dipper nodded. "Deal."

Jazz waved goodbye and exited the shack, slinking past her parents' tent and into the woods.

Little did she know, someone very human was watching her from the bushes.

And in their hands was Dipper's lost journal.

Guys. Wow. I just--4,000 READS? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?