Cinematic Adventures: Scooby Doo 2 Monsters Unleashed

Chapters

Unexpected Invitation
Reuniting with the gang
Mayhem at the Museum
A New Mystery
The Black Knight
Sneaking Out & New Looks
The Faux Ghost
Monster Hive
Troubling Times
Monster Mash
Heroes At Last

Unexpected Invitation

A beautiful symphony of twittering blue birds graced the clean crisp air on another bright sunny day in the land of Equestria. The leaves on the trees had already turned that beautiful shade of red, orange, and yellow as the season of fall taken full effect on Ponyville. All around the bustling little down, the local residents were doing their best to take up the copious amounts of leaves that fell from the numerous trees of the land and fallen right smack dab in the middle of their dwelling. Now it was not yet that time of year for the annual ‘Running of the Leaves’ so there was not yet a need to keep the leaves around. It was only right that every pony did their part to keep their town clean from the leaves.

In particular, one tiny little cottage right on the brink of the Everfree Forest was rather covered in leaves seeing as how many from the dark trees fell right into the tiny yard. The only one working, trying to take up those leaves, was a lone butter yellow Pegasus with a bright pink mane and triple butterfly cutie mark.

Fluttershy hummed a peaceful little melody to herself as she raked the lawn with great care and precision. The shy, timid Element of Kindness may not be as nitpicky about perfection as her friend Rarity usually was, but she still strived to keep her property in tip-top shape. Finally, she was able to take up the last of the leaves into a perfect little pile at the edge of her yard and turned back to admire her handiwork. The entire yard was all spick and span now without a single trace of leaves. She took a deep breath and released a gentle sigh of relief.

“Perfect!” She smiled.

She turned back to the open front door of her tiny cottage, seeing a miniscule, little white bunny with floppy ears frowning at her and tapping his tiny little foot on the ground like a disapproving parent. This was Angel Bunny, Fluttershy’s faithful companion (Or rather, the constant center of attention). The tiny little rabbit was so spoiled rotten, always taking full advantage of Fluttershy’s kindness. To him, everything either had to be done his way or no way.

“Oh Angel, doesn’t the yard look just perfect?” Fluttershy asked sweetly.

To which the little bunny rabbit just shook his head and crossed his tiny little arms in disapproval.

“Oh dear!” Fluttershy said worriedly. “Did I not rake every leaf? Or maybe it’s because the flowers need watering? Oh, I hope I remembered to clean out the gutters.”

Angel groaned to himself, face palming his little paw at Fluttershy’s worrying.

Okay… maybe she can be a bit nitpicky at times.

Nothing wrong with wanting your yard looking good. I for one take great pride in that.

Yeah right. I’ve been to your house; all I see is crab grass and weeds everywhere.

Moving on!

Angel hopped over toward Fluttershy, jumping upon her back. He pointed his little paw toward a pile of leaves then another section of the lawn, all while Fluttershy’s gaze followed his pointing.

“Oh, I see!” She realized. “You think that the leaves would be better over there, don’t you?”

Angel gave a little smile, nodding in affirmation. With her constant aim to please others, Fluttershy quickly got to work and raked the leaves over the side of the lawn that Angel pointed out. When that was done, she looked back at him for approval. But Angel took one look, shook his head, and pointed to another section of the yard. This went on for the next fifteen minutes before the poor dear collapsed from exhaustion. Sweat ran down her face as she looked up at Angel for his approval and to her upmost thanks, he finally nodded his head in approval. It was only when Fluttershy finally got back to her hooves and looked toward where the pile rested only to realize it was in the exact same place she had finished the first time.

She sighed to herself, as she flopped back down to the ground. But it was short lived when Angel jumped onto her chest. The little bunny rubbed his little tummy and Fluttershy could faintly hear the sound of gurgling coming from him.

“Oh, you must be absolutely starving Angel,” Fluttershy said. “Come on then, we’ll go inside and fix everyone up some supper.”

The little bunny quickly hopped off her chest and hopped quickly back toward the direction of the cottage. Fluttershy slowly got back up, working her way to the cottage and began whipping up meals for all her animal friends. She made a little salad with carrots for Angel, filled all the many birdfeeders for her bird friends, a good amount of honeycomb for Harry the bear, and so on and so forth.

After everyone had eaten, now contently relaxed, Fluttershy made her way into the kitchen to prepare her own food. As she was in the process of making her own salad and pouring herself a nice glass of juice, she heard the most horrible, most frightening sound she had ever heard in her entire life.

Fluttershy was so spooked that she dropped her glass of juice, which shattered to the ground.

“What in the wide world of Equestria was that?” She thought.

Apparently, all the other creatures heard it as well because now they were all running around and made noise in a blind panic. Fluttershy tried her best to calm her animal friends down, but at the moment they were so frightened that nothing was going to ease them. As much as she really didn’t want to, Fluttershy knew she had to investigate the sound.

Shaking like the leaves she had raked a few moments ago, Fluttershy cautiously made her way to her front door and slowly creaked it open. Looking out into the brisk afternoon air, she scanned around the area to see what could possibly be out there. At first, it didn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary, until… she saw it.

Looking toward the mighty Everfree, Fluttershy’s eyes widened in panic when she noticed a dark figure crouching upon one of the branches of the dark trees. The creature seemed to be black as night and stood at least seven feet tall when standing upright. It had long arms, long legs, and two huge wings that folded around its form as it stared down at her. And what ‘really’ captivated her most was the glowing red eyes that stared directly at her.

They were just so red it didn’t even seem possible. When their eyes met, it was thought this creature had a hold of the timid Pegasus. No matter how much she wanted to, she just couldn’t take her eyes off whatever this was. She wanted to understand what she was looking at, she wanted it to make sense. What could possibly have eyes glowing red like that, especially in the daytime?

The creature then stood up to its full height on the branch, stretching out its wings to their full length. It had to have easily a ten-foot wingspan, given how huge the wings and the creature itself was. The creature gave off one last ear-piercing screen before flying off into the darkness of the forest so fast that if she were to blink, she’d have missed it.

When the creature was finally gone, Fluttershy finally let go of a breath that she didn’t even realize that she had been holding onto for the longest time. Unable to speak, unable to scream, she simply bolted off into the direction of the castle of friendship to see the one pony who could possibly know what to do at a time like this.

Princess Twilight Sparkle currently sat at her desk in her office as she scribbled away at a series of fan letters, bills, and other serious papers that required her attention. She sighed to herself because she was so absolutely bored out of her mind with all this work. Looking over to the side of her desk, she noticed a single picture: Of Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer. She couldn’t help but shed a tear.

It had been a whole year since their last adventure, one year today since Sunset Shimmer decided to stay behind. It still hurt Twilight immensely that Sunset decided to stay behind. But at the same time, she understood ‘why’ she did. She knew Sunset needed to find her place in the galaxy, but it didn’t stop her from missing her best friend.

Just at the moment, Spike emerged carrying a huge stack of papers that was even taller than he was. The little dragon struggled and wobbled his way as he carried it over before placing it on her desk.

“More letters,” He breathed heavily. “Phew! That’s my tenth load today!”

Looking around the huge stack, Spike noticed Twilight’s sad expression. Just seeing her face also made him a slight upset as well.

“Hey! You okay, Twi?” He asked worriedly.

Twilight gave no response as she just continued to look at the picture. She didn’t say a single word, didn’t blink an eye, not even twitch at all in response. Spike slowly walked around the desk, leapt onto her lap, and cuddled up to her. It only took a moment before Twilight finally gave in and cuddled back.

“You really miss her huh?” Spike asked.

“Yeah,” Twilight nodded. “Sorry…”

“It’s okay. I know how you feel. True I may not have known her as well as you did, but I miss her too. Hard to believe it’s been a full year since we left.”

“I know,” Twilight sighed.

Spike turned toward his adoptive sister/mother, trying to give her a big reassuring smile.

“Come on Twi,” He said reassuringly. “If there’s one thing I know about Sunset, it’s that she wouldn’t want you sitting around moping all day. She’d want you to go off and have many wonderful adventures like she’s probably doing right now. You know she’ll come back and visit anytime.”

Twilight actually had a little ghost of a smile work its way onto her face, as she pondered Spike’s words. No doubt if Sunset were here right now, that’s exactly what she would say. Twilight then looked down toward Spike, with much more of a smile on her face now.

“Thanks Spike,” She thanked him. “I actually do feel a little better now.”

The two then embraced in a big hug before…

*KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!*

Some knocking at the front door of the castle caught their attention.

“Huh! I wonder who that could be?” Twilight questioned.

Spike, meanwhile, gave her a mischievous smirk.

“A little present from your number one assistant.”

Twilight and Spike both got up and quickly raced down toward the main foyer, right toward the front door. Twilight used her magic to open the door and was greeted with a magnificent sight.

“SURPRISE!!!”

Standing before her was her brother Shining Armor, her sister-in-law Cadence, and of course, her little niece Flurry Heart. Although Flurry wasn’t quite so little anymore, seeing she was now grown up. Albeit just a little younger than the Cutie Mark Crusaders used to be.

“Oh… my… gosh!” Twilight gasped. “What are you guys doing here?”

Twilight gave her big brother and her sister-in-law a big hug with both arms around one of them. Then she gave her niece an even bigger hug when she picked her up and spun her around, much to the little filly’s amusement.

“Stop Auntie Twily!” Flurry giggled. “You’re making me dizzy!”

“Oops, sorry sweetie!” Twilight apologized.

Twilight set Flurry down and the little filly nuzzled up to her side, to which Twilight returned.

“We came to surprise you with a visit,” Shining explained. “Hence, ‘surprise’.”

“Spike told us how you’ve been feeling a little down lately,” Cadence smiled. “And since you must’ve been very bored, we figured we’d come visit and we can go out to lunch together.”

Twilight turned toward Spike, who just held his arms behind his back and whistled innocently. Twilight just laughed as she pulled him to her side in a hug.

“Did I ever tell you that you’re the best assistant ever?” She asked.

“Only once or twice,” Spike joked. “But you know me. I never get tired of hearing it.”

Suddenly, Fluttershy burst into the castle at fully speed. Shining and Cadence noticed the incoming Pegasus and took a step to the side as she soared past them and into the castle. She skid to a halt, breathing like a winded rhino and her eyes were almost bugged out of her head. She looked truly petrified.

“Fluttershy, are you okay?” Twilight asked concerned.

Fluttershy, so freaked out and frightened, couldn’t come up with words to describe what she’d seen. She just pointed towards the edge of Ponyville and her cottage. Twilight turned toward the direction of the cottage, then back at her friend.

“Your cottage?” She asked.

Fluttershy nodded enthusiastically as she pointed toward the Everfree Forest and did her best to imitate what she saw. Twilight and the rest of the group watched the frightened Pegasus trying to act out what she had seen. It really confused them, unable to figure out what Fluttershy’s trying to say. After she finished, Twilight thought she could understand what it was Fluttershy was explaining.

“So… you saw something scary-looking in a tree of the Everfree Forest from your cottage?” She guessed.

To which Fluttershy nodded her head rapidly in confirmation.

“Oh my!” Cadence gasped.

“From what she was showing, it looks like whatever it was had to be huge with giant wings.”

“Like a manticore?” Flurry asked.

Fluttershy rapidly shook her head ‘no’. Twilight quickly walked toward her, placing a gentle comforting hoof over her back.

“Okay Fluttershy, calm down,” She spoke comfortingly. “How about you join us for lunch and try to relax a bit. When you calm down, you can explain whatever happened.”

Twilight proceeded to lead Fluttershy, along with the rest of her family, out the main foyer and outward into Ponyville. All the while, Fluttershy’s head rapidly turned side to side as if expecting that mysterious creature to appear and watch them every step of the way.

Sitting at one of the local restaurants in Ponyville, Twilight and the rest of her family sat in conversation. All the while, Fluttershy did her best to try and calm her nerves. As this went on, Twilight was in the midst of a conversation with Flurry Heart.

“So, how have you been doing in school lately?” Twilight asked Flurry.

“Been doing just great Auntie Twily,” Flurry said happily. “I’ve been getting straight A’s. Maybe one day I’ll be just as smart as you.”

Twilight smiled proudly as she reached over and gently rustled her little niece’s head. So young she was, and already showing so much potential. She then looked over toward Shining Armor and Cadence.

“How about you two?” She asked. “Any progress on making me another little niece or nephew to love?”

Shining actually spat out the drink he’d been sipping on when he heard that, while Cadence blushed an even deeper shade of pink than she already was. This caused both Twilight and Flurry to chortle so hard.

“Just kidding you guys!” Twilight laughed. “Oh man! That spit-take was priceless, Shiny!”

Both Shining and Cadence sighed with relief before they too began to laugh.

“Yeah, it was pretty epic, wasn’t it?” Shining laughed. “Though nothing as epic as what you and your friends go through lately, that says a lot coming from your big brother. Especially with that rather ‘handsome’ stud, Storm Shield…”

“Yes he is…” Twilight sighed, realizing. “Uh-uh… I mean yeah! Storm! He’s such a great guy! The fact he knows all those insanely powerful Jedis… having a nice speeder… he’s really cool! Eh-heh-heh…”

“Oh relax, Twily! I know Storm’s good to you. Can’t a big brother mess with his favorite sibling too?”

“Speaking of which, where is Storm Shield anyway?” Cadence asked. “Actually, don’t see much of him around since your last trip.”

“Oh yeah… well, today he decided to spend a little time with his mom, Celestia. They’ve been meaning to have some mother-son bonding time and it’s been a little tough to manage. We all could pretty much use a day to just spend time together and relax…”

In the midst of Twilight’s conversation, Spike leaned over toward Fluttershy who’s hoof trembled as she picked up her cup of tea slowly toward her lips.

“So… how you holding up there Flutters?” Spike asked calmly. “You doing okay?”

“N-N-No, I’m okay little Spike,” Fluttershy trembled. “I-I-I just need to sit quietly, that’s all.”

“You know under most circumstances I would totally understand that. But I know when you’re scared, and whatever you saw today must’ve been terrifying.”

“Oh, I don’t even know what I saw Spike,” Fluttershy moaned. “You’d think with all the scary encounters with stranger, terrifying beasts we’ve met you’d think I’d be numb to it at this point.”

“Probably from all the excitement we’ve been having with these trips lately. Not that it’s all entirely bad. We got to travel, meet new faces, and try new things. Makes you think none of the most dangerous beasts in the universe can stop the thrill of adventure.”

“There are times when there can be too much thrill for adventure,” Twilight spoke with Shining Armor. “Few years nearly getting captured or killed by space creatures, while only a few minutes of Equestria time… there’s just so much that carries with you.”

“I’m not sure if that has anything to do why you haven’t used the television for over a year,” Shining Armor pointed out. “We know you’ve still been thinking about Sunset lately.”

“Hmm… I was at least hoping to at least get ‘one’ message from her letting me know she’s okay. Sometimes I wonder if she’s forgotten all about us.”

“Kind of like how some of those old friends of yours must feel after your last adventures?” Cadence brought up. “They seemed a little sad whenever you girls leave.”

“We always promised that we’d come to visit every chance we could,” Twilight spoke. “It’s just been very difficult to find the time. The television’s been quiet these past few months…”

“Quiet seems to be the last thing on that creature’s mind,” Fluttershy spoke to Spike. “Why that creepy monster would come around near me still f-f-frightens me.”

“Did this monster even ‘try’ to hurt you when you first saw it?” Spike asked.

“T-T-That’s just the scary part… I didn’t know what it was going to do,” Fluttershy explained. “All it really did was just stand around… watching me… I can never forget it. The way it’s eyes glowed bright red… the way it arched its wings… and the scream…”

*BUZZZZ!!!!*

“EEP!!! The monster!” Fluttershy shrieked.

The yellow Pegasus quickly ducked under the table, much to Twilight and the others surprise. She shivered and shook as that strange sound buzzed around the area. Spike scanned around the area, trying to determine what was going on.

“Doesn’t sound like an animal…” Spike observed. “It sounds more like…”

“It sounds like static…” Flurry Heart spoke. “Like the noise those stereos make sometimes at Discord’s theater thing…”

It was then that something occurred to Spike.

“Hold the phone!”

Turning toward Twilight’s saddlebag, which was right beside the alicorn princess herself. Spike leaned his head against the saddlebag, hearing for the source. Before any pony can reply, Spike clicked open the bag and proceeded to dig through Twilight’s bag. The first things he removed were a bunch of random parchments and quills… like Twilight can’t carry enough. As he dug, he pulled out Twilight’s old Smarty-Pants doll.

“Huh… thought you lost this, Twi,” Spike remarked.

Carefully putting it aside, Spike kept digging until… he uncovered an open music box with a portrait of Twilight & Sunset, playing that same song they sung in their last adventure. The group turned toward Twilight with an incredulous stare.

“What? It’s a catchy song!” Twilight defended, sheepishly.

Finally, after a moment or two of digging, Spike finally found what he was looking for. An old walkie-talkie that had been sitting at the bottom of Twilight’s bag. And by the sound of it, someone was trying to patch through.

“Hey look Twi!” Spike pointed out. “Isn’t this that same walkie-talkie thing that those mystery sleuths gave you a while ago?”

“Omigosh!” Twilight gasped. “The Mystery Inc. gang!”

“You mean like Scooby’s friends?!” Flurry’s eyes widened.

“They must be trying to call us!” Twilight observed. “Lemme just see if I can adjust the setting a bit…”

Though a slight unfamiliar with this form of technology, Twilight worked her magic trying to figure this device out. Until eventually she was able to channel a frequency and a voice was partly able to get through.

“F-F-Fredster to Twilight! This is the Fredster talking!” A male voice spoke. “Can anyone read me? Over!”

“Fred! Fred Jones!” Twilight called out. “This is Twilight Sparkle! Reading loud and clear!”

“Ah, finally! You won’t believe how hard it was trying to get through. Must be a real bad reception there.”

“It’s all right, I hear you,” Twilight chuckled. “Is everyone else with you?”

“We’re all hear Twi!” Velma spoke up.

“And man have we got news for you guys!” Shaggy came in.

“Oh, do tell!” Twilight listened.

“So get this,” Daphne spoke. “Our hometown Coolsville has just opened this totally huge Criminology Museum, celebrating all our mysteries over the years. We’ve been invited to attend the grand opening and we’ve been asked to bring some special guests for the event.”

“In other words,” Velma began. “We’re calling to invite you and your friends to join us.”

“Reah!” Scooby’s voice spoke. “Rand Rurry too!”

“Oh Uncle Scooby, you didn’t have to ask!” Flurry smiled. “Of course I’d love to come!”

“Well Pinkie Pie would always say it’s rude to deny an invitation,” Twilight replied. “I think it would be a great idea for us friends to get together. I’ll start preparing for the trip right now, and we’ll be there soon.”

“Sounds good Twi!” Fred spoke. “I’ve got a good feeling about this.”

Soon Twilight returns the walkie-talkie into the bag and turned to face her brother and sister-in-law.

“Well guys, guess we’re actually going to reunite with some old friends after all,” Twilight declared. “Spike, can you prepare some letters to our—”

But Twilight Sparkle stopped soon as he saw Spike holding out a series of rolled up parchments, all signed and labeled to each of her friends.

“Who should I send the word out to first?” Spike smiled.

A short while later…

Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and the rest of the Mane Six gathered around the magical television. Twilight herself was already working on getting it started.

“Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy!” Pinkie hopped excitedly. “I can’t believe we’re going to Coolsville to see the old Mystery Inc. gang again! Well, not like ‘old’ old where their hairs turn gray, and can’t walk right anymore… I mean ‘old’ where we haven’t seen them in so long.”

“Yeah, yeah we get it Pinkie,” Rainbow conceded. “But I agree with you, it’s gonna be totally awesome!”

“Ya got that right there sugar cube,” Applejack agreed. “Been a long minute since we last seen Scooby and the gang. Ah fer one can’t wait for the hootenanny.”

Rarity, meanwhile, dragged a cart with a big tarp over it. Everyone looked at her in confusion.

“Um, what’s with the tarp Rarity?” Spike asked curiously.

“Well, we are attending the grand opening of a museum darling,” She pointed out. “For an event as grand as this, one must always have the proper ensemble.”

“Leave it to Rarity to focus on the fashion choices,” Rainbow sighed.

It was at that moment the door opened. Shining Armor, Cadence, and Flurry Heart all walked into the room, and everyone waved at them.

“I’m ready to go Aunty Twily,” Flurry said excitedly. “I can’t wait to see Uncle Scooby again. I wonder what we’ll do first.”

“Knowing Scooby and Shaggy, first thing them fellers want is an all ya-can-eat buffet,” Applejack joked.

This caused everyone to laugh over the fact that what she said was definitely more likely true. Then Twilight turned toward Shining Armor and Cadence, and all at once an idea popped in her head.

“Why don’t you guys come along?” She suggested. “Flurry’s your daughter after all, and you ‘did’ miss out on the last adventure we had with her. With how much of a disaster that almost was, it be nice to have you guys join us this time.”

Cadence and Shining both looked at each other, contemplating the idea for a moment before smiling and nodding their heads.

“We’d be honored to come along and meet your old Mystery Inc. friends,” Cadence smiled.

“Yeah, besides I think I might really get along with this Fred Jones guy,” Shining replied. “From what you guys told us about last time, sounds like he and I are more alike.”

“Yeah… I don’t know if that’s really a good thing,” Rainbow joked.

Shining sent a playful glare her way, as the cyan Pegasus chuckled silently to herself. Twilight flipped the switch on the machine and the giant crystal portal opened up. Everyone stood side-by-side, as they slowly entered through the portal and back across the dimensions. If only they had taken notice, however, of a pair of red glowing eyes watching from the shadows.

Reuniting with the gang

The crystal-clear portal opened, and the group consisting of the Mane Six, Spike, Shining Armor, Cadence, and Flurry Heart stepped out from the other side. Stepping into the new dimension, they expected to step out into the light of day. But instead, the black of night itself met them. Luna’s moon shined high in the sky, amongst millions of sparkling, twinkling stars all of which lit up the otherwise dark sky.

The group looked around to analyze exactly where they ended up this time, but their search quickly ended when they turned around to see that they stood before the front of ‘Mystery Inc.’ headquarters. It wasn’t hard to tell this was the base of operation for the crime solving sleuths due to the iconic Mystery Machine parked out front.

“Well, looks like we’re here,” Twilight pointed out.

“Pretty hard to mistake the paint job on that van for anything else,” Rainbow nodded.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Pinkie questioned excitedly.

The party pony bounced toward the front door and everyone else quickly followed behind. Pinkie gently tapped on the door two times, so lightly it would have been difficult for anyone to hear. She waited maybe ‘one’ whole second before she stared pounding the door lightly.

“Come on!” She yelled. “Pick it up! Show a little hustle in there!”

Not even a few moments later, the door swung open, and the group saw the familiar face of the leader of Mystery Inc. himself, Fred Jones. The strapping man with dirty blonde hair wore what resembled a really fancy dark blue suit and his trademark orange ascot tied into… well, a ‘tie’. Once his eyes darted down upon the familiar group of ponies, including the baby dragon, he smiled at them.

“Well hey there guys!” He greeted. “Wow! It’s been a whole minute, hasn’t it?”

“Ya got that right Jones!” Rainbow replied.

The spry Pegasus floated towards Fred and proceeded to fist/hoof bump with one another.

“Good to see you too Dash,” Fred smiled at her.

“You too jughead,” Rainbow smirked.

Fred turned toward the rest of the group, gesturing them inside.

“Well come on in,” He ushered. “Soon as the rest of the gang finish getting ready, we can all head out together.”

The entire group made their way indoors and were taken aback in shock at the sight of the Mystery Inc. HQ. The entire building was huge, with all different assortment of furniture, paintings, and all other forms of the most amazing things.

Everyone took a moment to fully take in the area around them, looking on in utter amazement.

“Wow, cool place!” Spike admired.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Fred nodded. “Built this place not too long after getting back from Spooky Island. Figured with Mystery Inc. back together again, we needed a sweet pad to rock in.”

“Well your sense in style is certainly one to admire darling,” Rarity complimented.

“That would be my doing.”

The addition of another voice had the entire group turning to the side and saw none other than Daphne Blake descending the stairs from the upper floor. The resident fashionista of Mystery Inc. was garbed in an elegant purple dress with a purple fur coat to match.

Typical Daphne wearing everything purple.

Hey! It’s a good color.

“Uh, excuse me Mr. Narrators,” Pinkie spoke to the sky. “Not that I don’t enjoy hearing your banter, but could you maybe hold off at least till the next scene?”

Ugh! Fine… but you owe us, Pinkie!

“Okie-dokie-lokie!” Pinkie smiled.

The pink party pony looked around, seeing everyone else staring at her in confusion.

“What?”

Everyone else decided it was far easier to not question Pinkie and just proceed with the conversation.

“Daphne darling!” Rarity greeted. “It’s simply divine to see you again.”

Daphne leaned down and the two fashionistas embraced in a hug.

“It’s so nice to see you again too Rarity,” Daphne replied. “And I also can’t wait to see what your genius mind came up with your guys’ outfits tonight.”

“Oh darling, if there’s one thing you should know about Madame Rarity is that you can always expect a smashing style.”

Rainbow leaned over to whisper to Shining, Cadence, and Flurry.

“Not to mention an inflated ego.”

This caused them all to chuckle quietly to themselves and Rarity snapped her head back with a glare toward her Pegasus friend. Daphne then went around giving hugs to everyone else in the group, as well before standing next to Fred. The sounds of footsteps alerted the group to yet another person entering the room, and everyone saw the genius behind Mystery Inc., Velma Dinkley. The spunky brainiac of the group wore a simple orange dress and heels.

She smiled immediately upon seeing the entire group.

“Oh my goodness!” She gasped. “It’s so good to see all of you again.”

She, much like Daphne, went around hugging everyone in welcome before standing back to smile at all of them.

“It feels like forever since we all stopped a rampaging horde of monsters from possessing human bodies on Spooky Island.”

“Like don’t remind us, man!”

That familiar voice was one everyone could recognize when they all turned toward another section of the main room to see none other than Shaggy Rogers, Scooby Doo, and Scrappy Doo entering the room. Shaggy was decked out in a brown suit and a green dress shirt, while Scooby and Scrappy both had what resembled dress collars over their regular collars.

“Reah, ro way!” Scooby shook his head.

“I for one don’t need to relive the memory of being locked in a crate for weeks!” Scrappy added, shuddering. “They couldn’t even add a bathroom…”

The moment Flurry’s eyes landed on the familiar Great Dane, that’s when her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. A huge smile spread its way across her face.

“Uncle Scooby!” She squealed.

Scooby Doo snapped his head in the direction of the voice, immediately smiling upon seeing the little filly.

“Rurry!” He said loudly.

The two raced toward each other, embracing one another in a big hug much to the rest of the groups’ amusement. Scooby even proceeded to lick Flurry’s cheek a few times, which just made the filly giggle. Finally, when the pulled apart, everyone assembled in one big group.

“It’s amazing seeing you all again,” Scrappy told them.

“You too little dude!” Rainbow chuckled. “Have the guys been treating you better since we left? If not, I’ve no problem breaking open a can of whoop-flank on ‘em.”

This caused everyone to chuckle in amusement.

“No, they’ve actually embraced me as a major team player,” Scrappy replied. “I’ve actually managed to kick quite a bit of butt on our adventures lately.”

“Like it’s true,” Shaggy nodded. “You shoulda seen Scrappy stand up to that giant ape when we went down to my great uncle’s mansion.”

“Wait a minute!” Pinkie emphasized. “I don’t know if this is the right universe for that story.”

She pulled out a bunch of stapled pieces of paper entitled, ‘Scooby Doo Animated Movies’. She read through it a tad before she finally shrugged and put the list back into her mane. It was then both Shaggy and Scooby took notice of Flurry.

“Like wow Flurry!” Shaggy admired. “You grew up something fierce!”

“Reah, your so rig now!” Scooby nodded.

Flurry just blushed over all the compliments coming her way. Twilight decided it was probably a good idea to introduce the rest of their group to them.

“Well since you guys already know us and Spike, I’d like to introduce you to my brother Shining Armor and my sister-in-law Princess Cadence,” She introduced.

Cadence and Shining both stepped forward, shaking hands with each member of Mystery Inc.

“It’s so nice to finally meet all of you,” Cadence said kindly. “We’ve heard so much about all of you from Twilight and Flurry.”

“No kidding!” Shining chuckled. “After your guys’ last adventure, Flurry wouldn’t stop saying ‘Scooby Doo’ for at least three months!”

“Daddy!” Flurry whined, blushing in embarrassment.

Fred looked toward the watch on his wrist and noticed it was rapidly approaching that time. The time where they would really have to get under way if they didn’t want to be late for the opening of the museum. Or at least, not to get stuck in traffic.

“Oh hey gang, look at the time,” Fred pointed. “We have to be at the red carpet in a half hour.”

“Well what are we waiting for?” Rainbow asked. “Let’s get the party started!”

“Aw, I knew I’d rub off on you eventually!” Pinkie teased.

“Hold up just a moment darling,” Rarity spoke up. “We can’t go just yet. We haven’t even changed into our apparel for the evening.”

She gestured toward the cart behind her, and Rainbow groaned in irritation.

“Do we really have to?” She whined.

“Oh come on Rainbow, it’s just for the night,” Twilight assured.

“Ugh! Fine…” Rainbow moaned.

“Is there a place we can all change?” Cadence asked the gang.

“Sure!” Daphne nodded. “Just upstairs and down the hall to the left.”

The Equestrians and Spike all nodded as they proceeded to make their way upstairs to dress for the evening.

Fifteen or so minutes later…

The gang heard the clopping of hoof steps, and they all turned to see their friends making their way downstairs. All the girls were adorned in the most beautiful looking dresses, while Spike and Shining Armor both wore fancy black dress coats.

Everyone admired the splendid dresses and suits the ponies and Spike were all wearing. They even fawned over how cute little Flurry looked in her dress.

“Well Rarity, you’ve certainly done it again,” Twilight admired.

“I love, love, LOVE my dress!” Flurry said excitedly.

“Seeing the smiles on all your faces makes it all worthwhile,” Rarity smiled proudly.

Meanwhile, Rainbow grumbled to herself as she tried to adjust her own dress. Applejack walked alongside her mare-friend, noting she was struggling.

“Ya alright there, sugarcube?” She asked.

“I hate wearing dresses,” Rainbow complained. “I always feel like a mummy when I’m wrapped up in these things.”

“Well, what that there dress lacks in roominess, it sure as hay makes up fer in looks,” Applejack complimented. “Ya sure look mighty pretty in that dress.”

Applejack leaned in and gave Rainbow a quick peck on the lips, which made the cyan tomboy Pegasus to smile and blush.

“Alright everyone, it’s showtime!” Fred announced.

“Oh! Almost forgot to ask,” Twilight remembered. “Are we going to need to assume our human forms again? If so, I can fix it with one simple spell.”

“Nah, you shouldn’t have to,” Fred shook his head. “You guys became pretty world famous yourselves when you helped us out on Spooky Island. Since then, people have wanted to meet the real you.”

“So… we’re becoming famous in other worlds, huh?” Spike smirked. “That’s pretty cool.”

Fred gave a small smirk as he lead the group toward the front door of the headquarters and pulled it open. Stepping out into the night air, the ponies and Spike all walked over toward the Mystery machine. They turned back seeing the gang staring at them, confused.

“What are you guys doing?” Velma asked.

“Aren’t we taking the van to the grand opening?” Shining asked.

“Like normally we would man,” Shaggy responded. “But since this is like our big night, we thought we’d travel in style.”

No sooner he said that, when a big, long stretch SUV limo came driving up in front of the group. The coolest thing about it was how the limo was also painted to resemble the Mystery Machine. Every pony and Spike all stared wide-eyed at the huge painted limo in absolute astonishment.

“So… cool!” Rainbow gasped, shocked.

Fred opened the door, holding it open for everyone to climb in one-by-one. Once the door was closed, the limo sped off towards the museum.

A buzz of paparazzi and excited fans stood cheering at the red carpet of the brand new Coolsonium Criminology Museum as they anxiously awaited the arrival of the famed Mystery Inc. The people had come from miles around just to see this amazing event. The local news was determined to cover this most historic event.

“Here we are folks on the red carpet of the grand opening of the Coolsonium Criminology Museum,” The news reporter announced. “Tonight’s premier exhibit is a rousing look back at the exploits of Mystery Incorporated.”

The stretch limo came cruising down the street before coming to a stop directly at the red carpet. A doorman opened the door allowing Fred to step out first. He then helped Daphne step out, followed by Velma. The crowd cheered even louder over the arrival of Mystery Inc., some even getting a little ‘overexcited’.

“Folks this crowd is going crazy over Mystery Inc.,” The reporter confirmed.

Before he could say anything else, a group of girls pushed past him and raced toward Fred. Seeing the oncoming crowd of girls, Fred smiled and proceeded to pull a number of ascots from his pockets, handing each to them one by one.

“Here you go girls,” He said. “I’ve got an ascot for each of you.”

The girls all shrieked and squealed as they raced back to where they stood before. That’s when Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy stepped out from the limo, with Shaggy waving excitedly at the crowd and Scooby threw a bunch of his head shots.

“Rello!” Scooby said excitedly.

“Check it out guys!” Shaggy pointed out. “It’s a Shag, Scoob, and Scrap quake and the whole city’s shakin!”

“Gee, this is one heck of a turnout!” Scrappy marveled. “I always hoped someday I’d be a big enough player in Mystery Inc. to be this popular. If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up.”

“Reah!” Scooby nodded.

Scooby then took notice of Shaggy’s milkshake that he’d been drinking along the way, using his tongue to grab hold of it, and bring it toward his mouth.

“Come on Uncle Scooby!” Scrappy called.

Scooby tried to get the cup off his face, but found it was sort of stuck. He shook his head around rapidly until it finally came loose. Unfortunately, it landed all over the chauffeur who smiled awkwardly.

“Rorry!” Scooby smiled sheepishly.

“I consider it a privilege sir,” The chauffeur spoke casually.

Soon the ponies and Spike all stepped out from the limo as well. The crown soon turned and started taking pictures of them too. Rarity, being the attention seeker she could be, embraced this and struck various poses showing off her dress. Rainbow, blinded by the flashes, stumbled all around because she couldn’t keep her balance. Fluttershy tried hiding from all the attention by hiding her head in her mane and ducked as low to the ground as she possibly could.

Meanwhile, every pony else just walked forward casually, giving smiles and waves toward the crowd as they passed by. A few even asked for autographs.

“Can I have your autograph, please?” A girl asked Twilight.

“Sure!” Twilight nodded.

Twilight grabbed the book and pen with her magic, using it to sign her autograph.

“I saw you and your friends on the news a while back when you guys helped Mystery Inc. save the world!” The girl said. “I’ve been a big fan ever since!”

“Wow!” Twilight said amazed. “That’s really nice of you. Thank you!”

As this went on, a couple twin girls with purple roses approached Daphne and handed her the roses.

“Well, don’t you two look beautiful!” She said sweetly. “Thank you!”

A group of girls chanted Velma’s name, much to the brainiac’s joy. Walking toward them, she shook their hands and one of them broke out in tears.

“Can you sign this please?” She asked tearfully. “We love you Velma!”

Velma signed the autograph for them and handed it back to them.

“Thanks!” She said, before walking away.

“I love her so much!” The girl cried.

Velma walked over toward Twilight and the others. Twilight smiled toward her.

“Feeling good?” She asked.

“You have no idea,” Velma smiled brightly. “This has been so amazing so far. I see you and the others have been quite popular tonight as well.”

“We get this kind of thing all the time back home. At this point, I’m pretty used to it. But it’s still nice to hear it every now and then.”

Shaggy walked toward the steps when a familiar group of people caught his eyes. He recognized them as a few of his older stoner friends from college.

“Hey!” He said with glee. “Right on!”

He proceeded to give each of them a high five and offered thanks for coming out. Scooby and Scrappy made their way up the stairs, waving and saying hello to a few fans. They caught sight of a couple dogs who barked in their direction. Being dogs themselves, they knew exactly what they were talking about and barked back in response. Fluttershy watched from the sideline and Spike came up alongside her.

“Any idea what they’re saying?” He asked her.

“Oh sure!” Fluttershy nodded. “That one said, ‘Sign my bowl’. The little one said, ‘Tug on my chew toy’. The last one said… actually, I’d rather not say it out loud.”

Fluttershy and Spike both looked at each other for a moment before deciding to leave it at that and walk off. As Fred and Daphne made their way halfway up the stairs, they were stopped by a blonde-haired woman wearing black. This was Coolsville’s head news broadcaster, Heather Jasper Howe.

“May I have a word with Coolsville’s hottest detectives?” She asked them.

“Absolutely!” Fred nodded.

“Well there you go, there’s your word,” Daphne interjected quickly. “Come on Fred, we’re late.”

Howe just rolled her eyes as she walked up and stood right next to Fred, staring back at the camera.

“Heather Jasper Howe reporting live from the grand opening of the new Coolsonium Criminology Museum with our guest of honor, the master detectives of Mystery Incoporated.”

She then turned her attention back toward Fred.

“So Fred, I think all of us would like to know how you feel about the museum showcasing an exhibit entirely dedicated to Mystery Incorporated.”

“Well, I personally believe it’s an amazing honor to showcase all the amazing work that Mystery Inc. has accomplished over the years from where we started to where we are now,” Fred responded.

“So with all your success, do you still have time for all of us here in little old Coolsville?” Howe asked.

“Of course!” Fred nodded. “Little old Coolsville can solve its problems without us, but we’ll always be here to help.”

He turned back toward the crowd and lifted his arm high in the air.

“The people of Coolsville are the BEST IN THE WORLD!!!” He shouted.

The crowd once again erupted in cheers of adoration, except for one old man in the audience glaring at the crime solvers before slinking off into the crowd.

While they made their way into the museum, Fluttershy felt some weird tingling sensation wash over her and she couldn’t quite make heads or tails of what it was. Looking up toward the sky, her eyes widened in fear as she saw a familiar black figure with red glowing eyes perched on top of the museum. She squeaked in fear before running forward, hiding behind Shining Armor and Cadence. The prince and princesses of the Crystal Empire turned and saw the Pegasus cowering in fear behind them.

“Are you okay, Fluttershy?” Cadence asked concerned.

“You look like you just saw a ghost,” Shining observed. “No pun intended of course.”

“It’s here!” Fluttershy squeaked loudly. “It’s here! The monster I saw in the Everfree is here!”

She pointed toward where she saw the creature. Both Cadence and Shining looked up only to see absolutely nothing there. Fluttershy slowly peeked up as well, but when she saw nothing was there, she looked around in confusion.

“B-B-But it was there!” She said confused. “It was looking down at me!”

“Just calm down Fluttershy,” Cadence assured. “Are you sure you’re still not in shock after seeing it in the Everfree? That you just ‘thought’ you saw it here?”

“I don’t ‘think’ I saw it,” Fluttershy spoke surely. “I saw it, I swear!”

“Okay, okay!” Shining stepped in. “How’s about I stay on guard for the rest of the night and keep watch for it? Will that help put your mind at ease?”

Fluttershy looked back up one last time before turning back toward them, nodding slightly. Flurry Heart raced up and jumped on Fluttershy’s back in excitement.

“Come on Aunt Fluttershy!” She said excitedly. “Let’s go and have fun!”

This actually made Fluttershy giggle a bit and ruffle Flurry’s mane.

“Okay sweetie,” She smiled. “We’ll go in.”

With Flurry still on her back, Fluttershy and Cadance both followed everyone else into the museum. Shining looked toward the sky one last time for anything suspicious.

“All right monster, you’ve got Prince Shining Armor to deal with,” Shining Armor declared, throwing fight poses. “I’ll be waitin’ for ya’, eyes and ears open, coiled like a tiger ready to spring!”

Eventually, he too made his way into the museum before a black shape soared across the sky.

Mayhem at the Museum

Inside the brand new Coolsonium Criminology Museum, an evening of grace and elegance was already underway. Many patrons walked the halls of the museum, as they either mingled, danced, or indulged in tasty food. Speaking of which, Shaggy and Scooby sat at a table with their plates piled high with mountains of food. So high in fact, they could almost touch the ceiling. They started shoveling the food into their mouths, one morsel at a time, and never once managed to break their stride. Scrappy walked on by them with a much smaller plate of food and looked at them with such wide eyes.

“Seriously, where do you guys put it all?” He asked, amazed.

After gulping down a large amount of food, Shaggy smiled toward the little pup.

“Like we’ve had years of practice, Scrappy old buddy,” He said. “When you’ve got a metabolism like me and your Uncle Scooby here, this is just a late-night snack.”

“Ruh huh!” Scooby responded, with his mouth still full.

“Sheesh! Your stomachs must be made of scrap iron or something!” Scrappy remarked.

“Can I help it if my first toy was a garbage disposal?”

The little pup kept walking while Shaggy and Scooby kept scarfing down their food. As he walked, he noticed Spike and Flurry observing the many costumes of past villains Mystery Inc. encountered. Walking right alongside them, he looked up at the one they were currently observing: the Ghost of Redbeard.

“You guys know the story about this one?” He asked them.

“Lemme guess,” Spike responded. “It’s about a guy who heard the story about a buried treasure and dressed like a pirate ghost to scare people away while he searched for it.”

“Or maybe someone who just really liked dressing like it’s Nightmare Night every day?” Flurry joked.

The three little ones shared a laugh before Scrappy began to tell the ‘real’ story.

“Actually, the story of ol’ Redbeard starts with the famous shipping tycoon, C.L. Magnus,” He explained. “His shipping business used to be one of the biggest on the high seas until eventually profits started to gravely diminish and he found himself in financial trouble. So he created the Redbeard character with a few of his henchmen dressing like pirate ghosts and plundered his own ships to sell the products.”

“Wait a minute! Now I’m lost,” Spike spoke up. “Why plunder your own ships to steal your own supplies you were hoping to sell anyway?”

“Doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose?” Flurry added.

“Well, the thing is that when his shipping companies sold the products, all the money went into the company rather than Magnus’ own pockets. So he figured he’d steal his products to sell himself and all the money would just go right back to him.”

Spike and Flurry both looked back up at the costume as they let the story soak in. To think pretty much every single costume in this wing had a similar back story to that was much to take in. People driven to crime due to financial ruin, greed, or even worse. This was both sad, yet pitiful, at the same time.

“So what happened to Magnus?” Spike asked.

“Well the gang solved the mystery, and he went to jail,” Scrappy answered. “I think he’s out now, but no one’s seen him ever since. Come to think of it, I don’t really know what became of ‘any’ of the people that got arrested.”

“Well whatever happened, it serves them right,” Flurry said. “Breaking the law is never okay, no matter what circumstances there were.”

“Wise words to live by,” Scrappy nodded.

The three then walked off to see what else the museum had to offer. Flurry returned to her parents’ side, as they both stood with Rarity and Fluttershy. They all looked at the costume of the Ozark Witch.

“What an ugly ensemble,” Rarity complained. “Couldn’t they have possibly put a little more thought into fashion when making this costume.”

“I don’t think that came up when they were making plans to terrorize people and steal goods,” Shining remarked. “They don’t seem like the type to worry about what kind of style their villain costume wore.”

Rarity just shook her head in disapproval before she walked off to find some of the others. Cadence and Shining both looked down at Flurry, smiling brightly.

“Are you having a good time sweetheart?” Cadence asked.

“The best!” Flurry nodded. “Normally I’d get bored at museums, but seeing all these creepy, kooky costumes is fun!”

“I’m glad you’re having a good time kiddo,” Shining smiled. “Just make sure not to wander too far or get into anything you aren’t supposed to. Unlike last time, I want to make sure to keep a special eye on you.”

“Daddy!” Flurry whined. “I was a foal back then. I’m a big filly now, and I can take care of myself just fine.”

Flurry huffed and turned to walk away, but accidentally tripped over her dress and planted right on the ground. Looking up at her parents, she noticed her father had a quirked brow and an almost smug look on his face. Flurry just grumbled to herself before picking herself up and stomped off in a hurry. Cadence just watched after her with a little headshake.

“Our little girl is growing up so fast,” She said.

“Yeah, but she’s still just a filly,” Shining reminded her.

Cadence smiled with a little eye roll. Shining was always so overprotective of Flurry, even if he knew she was growing up before their eyes. Not that she really blamed him, she too was guilty of being overprotective at times too. But at least she a slight more ‘lenient’. She looked over and saw Fluttershy quaking and hiding in her mane. She walked over, placing a comforting hoof over her.

“Still worried about the creature Fluttershy?” She asked.

Fluttershy did not respond, but merely nodded her head.

“Don’t you worry Fluttershy,” Shining assured her. “If I see any sign of that mean ole beast, I’ll protect both of you. Nothing gets past me!”

*CRASH!*

The sudden sound of a plate falling and crashing upon the floor made Shining squeak like a little girl and he jumped straight into his wife’s hooves. Shining stared at Cadence with a cheesy smile before she scoffed and dropped him to the ground.

“How heroic,” She spoke sarcastically.

Meanwhile, Fred and Daphne lead the reporters through the rest of the exhibit as Heather Jasper Howe continued to interview them.

“Fred, can you tell us a little bit about the exhibit?” She asked.

“Absolutely,” Fred nodded. “Mystery Inc. is proud to donate the costumes of criminals we’ve unmasked in the past.”

They stopped in front of one such exhibit, to which Daphne gestured toward the large suit of black armor.

“Like the Black Knight Ghost,” She showcased.

“Our very first case,” Fred remembered fondly.

Off another corner, both Velma and Scooby gestured to what looked like some kind of blobby-looking costume that lit up.

“The Ten Thousand Volt Ghost,” Velma smoke.

“Ruh huh!” Scooby nodded.

Daphne then led the reporters to a few more exhibits that showcased two skeletal costumes with one giant eye for heads and a terrifying looking pterodactyl.

“The Skeleton Men and even the dreaded Pterodactyl Ghost,” She said.

All the while, the Mane Six and Spike walked through these very same exhibits and looked them all over. It was then they came upon a certain monster that made them stop and almost burst out laughing. There was a giant zombie-like creature that also had feathers, a beak, talons, and many other things that a chicken would possess.

“Hey Velma!” Twilight called. “What about this one? This is one of the funniest looking costumes I’ve ever seen!”

Velma walked over and she herself almost laughed.

“Well, I’m glad you asked Twilight,” She said. “We also donated the costumes of some of our more ridiculous foes to the museum. Like Chickenstein here.”

Hearing that name was the last straw for some of the group. Rainbow and Applejack both fell over each other laughing and Spike soon joined in.

“Chickenstein?!” Rainbow laughed. “Seriously?! What’s so scary about a seven-foot chicken man?”

Spike jumped up and started walking around like a zombie, with Rainbow Dash acting like a mad scientist.

“It’s alive!” She said loudly. “It’s alive… and it smells like seven different herbs and spices!”

Once again, they both fell over laughing as Pinkie climbed up and pulled out a camera from her mane as she struck a pose with Chickenstein.

“Say ‘chicken pox’!” She smiled.

She snapped the picture quickly and got back down just as Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy walked up and looked at the costume.

“Ridiculous?” Shaggy questioned. “Obviously she forgot that dude trying to pluck us!”

“Reah!” Scooby nodded.

“Thankfully, I came in with a turkey baster and a bowl of stuffing,” Scrappy reminded. “Sent him running for the hills in a hurry.”

Hearing even more ridiculous comments, the Mane Six and Spike only laughed even harder. That’s when Daphne walked over and practically glared at Shaggy and Scooby.

“Guys, remember what I told you,” She said lowly.

“Never pick your nose in public?” Shaggy guessed.

“No…” Daphne responded disgusted. “But that’s good too.”

“Always taste your cupcakes before you frost them?” Pinkie interjected.

Everyone turned to her in confusion.

“No!” Daphne shook her head.

“Well it should be,” Pinkie replied gleefully.

Scooby perked up as he remembered just now what she said.

“Rimage is everything,” He said.

“Yes!” Daphne nodded. “Image is everything. Now the whole city is watching so let’s try and keep a brave face.”

Shaggy and Scooby both quickly went stiff as they found themselves standing directly in front of the statue of the Pterodactyl Ghost. They practically shivered with its amber eyes staring intently at them.

“They’re costumes,” Daphne sighed, walking away.

“Yeah, don’t worry you guys,” Rainbow added. “It’s just a big, featherless bird anyway. Nothing to be scared of.”

Daphne and Rainbow walked off together with the rest of the Mane Six, Spike, and Scrappy following closely behind. This left Shaggy and Scooby staring at the Pterodactyl Ghost.

“She’s right Scoob,” Shaggy said nervously. “Up close they look… totally fake.”

The scariest thing to them happened when the Pterodactyl Ghost actually blinked its eyes. Shaggy and Scooby both ran for cover. It was most certainly not supposed to do that.

Fluttershy kept looking out the window toward the night sky, scanning for any sight of the creature she’d seen. She could not understand why one single creature was making her feel on edge. Normally when she met a new creature and got to know them, she actually found she got along with them very well and they’d be instant friends. However, this creature only gave her a feeling of dread and terror as though something bad was going to happen. She didn’t know why but she certainly didn’t like it one single bit.

“Fluttershy!”

The sudden loud voice beside her made her shriek in fear and duck behind a nearby curtain. Rarity, the one who called her name, walked over to the curtain and drew it back revealing a whimpering Fluttershy.

“Darling, whatever’s the matter?” Rarity asked concerned. “You haven’t stopped looking out the window the whole night. Why even the slightest sound is enough to send you running. Normally you’re much braver than this.”

Rarity gently reached out her hoof for Fluttershy to take, which the frightened Pegasus did after a moment. Rarity led Fluttershy out of the curtains and they walked through the halls as Rarity tried to speak to her friend.

“So what has gotten you so startled dear?” She asked.

Fluttershy blushed and tried her hardest to look away. But Rarity kept using her magic to turn her back to face her.

“Please talk to me Fluttershy,” Rarity nearly begged. “I’m your best friend.”

Finally, Fluttershy released a deep sigh as she stared her friend in the eyes.

“Earlier today at home, I saw this big, scary-looking creature in one of the trees of the Everfree Forest,” She explained. “It was huge, had big black wings, and glowing red eyes. After it flew away, I ran to Twilight’s castle and tried to explain what I’d seen, but I was so scared I couldn’t speak! Then when we got here to the museum, I saw it again on the rooftop. It had to have followed us here for some reason, like it was a warning or something.”

Rarity had her eyes widen by what her friend was telling her.

“A warning of what?” She asked.

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy said worriedly. “But whatever it is, it won’t be good.”

They proceeded to stand with the rest of their friends that were watching the gang talk more about their monsters to the reporters. Now they were standing next to a big, black, slimy-looking monster with a single eye.

“The Tar Monster scared the locals in the city of Byzantius away in order to take their treasure,” Fred explained. “But on the positive side, he’d pave your driveway for free.”

Everyone laughed at the joke as Fred glanced sideways at Velma.

“Ain’t that right Velma?” He asked. “Velma?”

However, Velma seemed to be a million miles away in her head as she stared straight ahead completely frozen. Walking in her direction was a man wearing a light blue suit with spiky-looking blonde hair and glasses. No matter what would have happened in that moment, Velma could not take her eyes off this man. Even when he clumsily slipped and fell on the floor with a yelp, he got back up and Velma still never took her eyes off him. Cadence watched from the side, smiling warmly at the sight.

“What is it dear?” Shining asked her.

“Seems Velma’s in love,” She said fondly.

Shining looked over and smiled as well, as he placed his hoof around his wife and drew her close. Seeing Daphne making her way towards Velma, Cadence knew she had to get in on this too. Next thing they knew, Velma and the man both stood in front of each other just looking at each other and smiling.

“Hi!” The man said casually.

“Hi!” Velma responded dreamily.

Velma was still in such a loving daze, that she didn’t even know Daphne and Cadence were standing beside her until she turned and saw them before snapping back to reality.

“Oh Daphne, this is Patrick Wisely,” Velma introduced. “He’s the curator here at the museum.”

Daphne looked over at Patrick, smiling as she put a hand upon Velma’s back.

“It’s very nice to meet you Patrick,” Daphne greeted. “I trust you’ll be working closely with Velma on this ever-expanding exhibit?”

Daphne gave Velma a light push closer to Patrick as she walked away.

“And uh, this is Princess Cadence,” Velma added.

Cadence bowed her head in respect and Patrick did the same.

“Wow, I’ve never met an actual princess before,” Patrick smiled.

“Well don’t let the title dissuade you dear Patrick,” Cadence responded kindly. “I like to think of myself as like any of my subjects. No different than I. Anyway, it was charming to meet you. I do hope you and Velma have a wonderful time tonight.”

Velma then felt an invisible force push her just a slight bit more and turned to see Cadence smiling while her horn glowed.

“Listen Velma,” Patrick said. “I know that you’re a glamorous, mysterious, jet-setting adventurer reoccupied with international intrigue and all.”

Truth be told, most of what he just said did not describe Velma Dinkley at all. But being as in love as she was, Velma decided to go along with it.

“Oh yes, that’s me,” She answered nervously.

“I know,” Patrick nodded. “But there’s a symposium coming up on syntactic reasoning in the criminal brain and…”

He couldn’t finish what he was about to say because Velma let out a gasp and her eyes widened.

“I have always found a criminal’s inclination to incorrectly use the interrogative pronoun in place of the relative… delightfully absurd.”

“Me too!” Patrick smiled.

“Really?”

“Yeah!”

At that point, Rainbow walked into the conversation with a complete look of confusion.

“What the hay are you two eggheads going on about?” She asked. “If this is an attempt at flirting, you’re going it all wrong.”

That’s when Rainbow was yanked back down on the floor, courtesy of Applejack pulling her by the tail.

“Now you leave them two alone Dash,” She scolded. “Let them have their privacy. Why don’t you and ah make our way to that there dance floor?”

“Ah but A.J.!” Rainbow whined. “Dancing’s so lame!”

It was then Applejack got a brilliant idea in her head about how she can get Rainbow to go with her.

“That may be sugarcube, but ah was kinda lookin’ forward to dancin’ like these here humans do,” Applejack suggested.

She then stepped on her hind hooves and prompted Rainbow to do the same. She placed her forehooves around Rainbow’s neck.

“You know, with mah hooves here.”

She then moved Rainbow’s hooves down to where they were resting on her hips.

“And your hooves… here.”

Rainbow’s eyes popped out of her head, as her face turned into a crimson mask of blushing as she turned back toward Velma and Patrick.

“Later eggheads!” She said rapidly.

She galloped as fast as she could towards the dance floor. Applejack turned back to Velma and Patrick and delivered a quick tip of the hat before racing off after Rainbow. Velma and Patrick both looked back at each other as they chuckled in amusement.

“Sorry about that,” Velma apologized.

“It’s no problem,” Patrick assured. “They’re pretty cool. Anyway so I was figuring that you might want to go to the symposium together.”

This caused Velma’s eyes to widen in shock.

“Wait you mean like… like a…”

“Like a date,” Patrick finished. “With me.”

All at once, Velma quickly shook her head ‘no’.

“Oh uh, no I can’t Patrick,” She said quickly.

“Oh…”

“Uh mystery is my mistress, and I must heed her sweet call.”

“O-Okay…”

Velma turned and started to walk away looking both sad and shamed. Sad because she had just turned down a date with some really sweet guy and ashamed because she didn’t feel confident enough to go out with him in the first place. Walking back toward the rest of the group, they all noticed the sad look on her face.

“Hey Velma,” Twilight spoke. “What happened?”

“You two looked like you were really hitting it off,” Shining added.

Before she could even come up with an answer, a big crack of lightning and thunder struck. All the lights in the museum went out. The feeling had suddenly gone from a fun night to downright eerie and scary when another blast of lightning hit one of the museum windows. Glass shattered everywhere and started raining down on screaming patrons who all ran out of the way. Everyone started to panic as Mystery Inc. and the Equestrians all met up in the middle of everything.

“What’s happening?” Velma asked worried.

“I don’t know,” Pinkie said. “But the life of this party just went out and that’s not a good thing!”

“I think we a little more to worry about right now than the party Pinkie!” Twilight told her.

Daphne looked over toward one of the display cases covered by a curtain and noticed some strange green mist. Walking slowly toward it, she gently reached out for the curtain and drew it back quickly. Big mistake that was when a ‘very’ real Pterodactyl Ghost started shrieking and screeching when it saw her. Hearing the screeching, everyone looked over and saw the Pterodactyl Ghost was in fact not a costume, but alive and moving.

“Oh boy!” Daphne said frightened.

The Pterodactyl Ghost burst through the glass case and knocked Daphne down. Fred quickly ran up and pulled her out of the way, as Twilight and Shining Armor both charged their horns and sent bursts of magic at the creature. The monster shrieked in pain when the magic hit it and the beast took flight into the air.

“What are we going to do now?” Twilight asked panicked.

“We need to come up with a plan,” Fred answered.

From behind the Creeper’s costume, Shaggy and Scooby emerged looking terrified.

“Hiding is our plan,” Shaggy said scared.

“Reah!” Scooby nodded in fear.

“In case you haven’t noticed, there’s an unidentified freaky object in here.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll hold it off until you guys come up with something!” Cadence spoke up.

“Come on every pony!” Twilight said loudly.

The monster flew around the room before grabbing the Black Knight costume in its claw. The Mane Six, Cadence, and Shining Armor sprang into action trying to distract the Pterodactyl Ghost. Meanwhile, Spike and Flurry watched from the sidelines alongside Scrappy. They watched as all the ponies crowded around the monster and went on the attack. Twilight, Rarity, Shining, and Cadence all charged up their horns and bombarded the beast with blasts of magic, while Applejack used her rope to lasso the monster’s legs so it couldn’t fly away. Rainbow then zoomed up and started launching a series of rapid punches against the monster’s face. It was then Velma came up with an idea.

“The curtains,” She pointed.

“We’re on ‘em!” Fred nodded.

He and Daphne ran over to grab the curtains, while Velma ran up to Scooby and Shaggy.

“Come on you chickens!” She yelled. “Grab those ropes!”

“Rokay!” Scooby nodded.

“But chickens aren’t good with ropes!” Shaggy argued.

Scooby and Shaggy reached for the ropes, while Spike and Flurry stood by.

“I don’t know about you, but we can’t just sit around doing nothing!” Spike shouted. “We have to help them.”

“You’re right!” Flurry agreed. “Let’s help Scooby and Shaggy with the ropes!”

The three quickly ran over and grabbed the ropes as well. Soon the Mane Six and Mystery Inc. finally managed to get the Pterodactyl Ghost trapped in a corner and wrapped the curtains around it.

“Shaggy, use the ropes to tie him up!” Velma yelled.

Shaggy, Scooby, Spike, and Flurry all started to circle around the trapped monsters as they proceeded to tie it up.

“It’s just a costume,” Shaggy said to himself. “It’s just a costume. It’s just a costume.”

“Less talking, more tying!” Scrappy said.

Finally, they had the creature tied up and they held the ropes back smiling in triumph.

“We tied it!” Shaggy said victoriously. “Let’s go!”

“Good work guys,” Scrappy complimented.

“We did great!” Flurry cheered.

“Yeah we did!” Spike nodded.

The gang and the Equestrians all let the tied-up monster go… only for the ropes to fall to the ground, completely untied. The curtains opened to reveal the Pterodactyl Ghost grinning smugly with its arms crossed.

“That’s not good,” Shaggy gulped.

“Nope!” Spike and Flurry said in unison.

The monster screeched as it grabbed the Black Knight costume and flew off into the air. Everyone noticed the ropes were still attached to it and were quickly pulled at an accelerated rate. Shaggy, Scooby, Spike, and Flurry all looked down and noticed the ropes were still attached to them as well. They turned to each other in panic.

“Not good!” They all said simultaneously.

They were then yanked clear off the ground and into the air by the monster. It flew them all around the room and they crashed into the buffet tables, pulling them right through a number of food dishes.

“Flurry!” Cadence and Shining screamed.

“Spike!” Twilight yelled.

“We have to save Shaggy and Scooby!” Fred said urgently.

“As usual,” Velma added.

“MYSTERY INCORPORATED!”

A booming voice echoed through the halls, and everyone turned toward the broken window where a menacing looking masked figure stood. Dressed in black, he stood atop the damaged pane bellowing a deep, menacing laugh as it looked down toward the crime solving group and the ponies.

“This is only the first run on the ladder of your demise,” The figure address.

Meanwhile, Twilight, Shining, and Cadence were still in the process of chasing the Pterodactyl Ghost around trying to save the ones they love. The creature crashed into the costume of Redbeard and the sword it carried flew into the air. Daphne quickly ran forward and snagged the sword out of the air before it fell and chased after them as well.

“And this time, you’ll be the ones unmasked into the fools that you truly are.”

The rest of the Mane Six stepped up with determined looks on their faces, staring down toward the masked figure.

“Yeah, you wish buddy!” Rainbow spat. “When I get my hooves on you…”

“Such insolence as always…”

A swirling green cloud appeared on the ground before the Mane Six. When it cleared, Queen Chrysalis stood right in front of them laughing evilly. The girls all gasped and took a single step back in the presence of the former Changeling Queen.

“Chrysalis?!” Applejack growled. “What the hay are you doing here? Come tah get yer sorry flank handed to ya again?”

“Silence impudent worm!” Chrysalis growled. “You foiled my plans last time I was in this world, but I can assure you the same thing won’t happen again. I will have my revenge on you and that pathetic Mystery Inc.”

“You’ll have to get through us first, bug breath!” Rainbow sneered.

“Gladly…”

A cloud of black smoke then materialized alongside Chrysalis and a pair of glowing green eyes with red iris’ glared fiercely at the Mane Six. An eerie laugh echoed through the halls, as the Mane Six looked toward the black cloud and they all stepped back even further. Hearing this familiar laugh, even Twilight, Cadence, and Shining stopped and looked in shock toward the black cloud.

“No… it can’t be!” Twilight gasped bewildered. “That’s not possible!”

The eyes turned and locked with Twilight Sparkle.

“I’m afraid to disappoint you princess, but it is ‘entirely’ possible,” It mocked.

“King Sombra!” Cadence gasped.

“How is that possible though?” Shining asked. “You were destroyed!”

“Do you truly believe it’s easy to destroy the rightful ruler of the Crystal Empire?” Sombra laughed wickedly. “You may have destroyed my physical form, but my mentality and my spirit remain as lively as ever. Mark my words, I will find a way to regain a body of my own. And when I do, I’ll tear your living heart from your chest and crush it in my might… and right in front of your daughter!”

Chrysalis stepped forward again with a sadistic smile on her face.

“A fair warning for all of you,” She hissed. “Be afraid, be very afraid.”

Daphne finally leapt into the air and sliced the ropes holding Scooby, Shaggy, Spike, and Flurry, and they ‘all’ went flying across the room. Thankfully, Twilight and Cadence snapped from their shock and quickly used their magic to catch Spike and Flurry bringing them back over to safety. Meanwhile, Shaggy and Scooby crashed into a few other costumes, including Chickenstein, which made feathers fly everywhere.

The masked figure, Chrysalis, and Sombra all laughed menacingly before Chrysalis and Sombra disappeared in a puff of smoke. The Pterodactyl Ghost flew through the broken window with the Black Knight and the Ten Thousand Volt Ghost, while the masked figure grabbed the rope attached to it. The two then flew off into the night with the masked figure laughing madly, leaving a stunned group of mystery solvers and ponies gazing in shock.

“What the heck just happened?!” Rainbow asked.

A New Mystery

After the Pterodactyl Ghost attack, the Coolsonium Criminology Museum now laid in ruins with shards of broken glass and destroyed costumes everywhere. Most of the patrons already left in fear, while some had to be taken away to receive medical attention for injuries sustained during the attack. The only ones remaining in the museum were the police currently closing the area off as a crime scene, reporters covering the attack, Mystery Inc., and the Equestrians.

Speaking of whom, Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor were in the midst of scolding Spike and Flurry Heart for endangering themselves with that monster.

“Do you guys have any idea how bad that could’ve been?!” Twilight scolded loudly. “You could’ve easily gotten hurt!”

“Busted wing, busted limbs, cracked head, I could go on forever,” Shining added. “The point is: You two should’ve just stayed in hiding while we took care of it.”

“But we just wanted to help!” Flurry argued. “We’re both capable of helping and we didn’t want to sit on the sidelines.”

“Yeah, like last time,” Spike huffed.

Hearing that made Twilight’s angry demeanor crack a slight, instead replaced with one of guilt. She knew Spike was still extremely upset about being left out of their last adventure in this world. Hence why for the previous adventures, regardless of how dangerous, Twilight always made sure to bring Spike along. She approached the little dragon’s side, placing a gentle hoof around him.

“Look Spike, I’m really sorry you got left behind,” She apologized. “I know last time you really wanted to be here helping us out. And we’re really glad you’re along for the ride this time.”

“Then why is it such a problem trying to help you guys now?” Spike asked.

“It’s not so much you guys trying to help us because we ‘do’ appreciate it,” Twilight answered. “What worries us is the fact you guys deliberately put yourselves in danger, not thinking about what could’ve happened to you.”

“But we just…” Flurry began.

“No ‘buts’ about it Flurry Heart,” Shining said disappointed. “From now on, when we instruct you to do something, you’re expected to do it without question. Do I make myself clear young filly?”

Flurry looked as if she were about to argue further, but the stern look from her father’s face quickly made her shut her muzzle. Instead, she just looked down in defeat.

“Yes daddy,” She sighed sadly.

Shining turned to walk off and Flurry followed closely behind, still hanging her head in shame and sadness. As they walked, they passed the rest of the Mane Six who were examining the stand where the Pterodactyl Ghost had stood before. Velma was among them trying to determine the possibility of how the creature even made it inside the museum and past all security. Many of the girls were still in shock after the discovery that not only had Chrysalis returned for revenge, but King Sombra had somehow been resurrected.

“I just don’t get it,” Rainbow spoke confused. “We blasted Sombra to ashes… twice! Once in the Crystal Empire, and the other time in Canterlot. How the hay could he possibly have survived that?”

“Ah don’t know either sugarcube,” Applejack shrugged. “It just don’t make a lick ah sense tah me. Ah mean there ain’t never been no foe we used the elements on that done ever come back.”

“Well we did use the Elements to turn Discord back to stone,” Pinkie reminded. “Then… Celestia told us to use those same elements to bring him back too.”

“Urgh! Don’t remind me Pinkie,” Rainbow groaned, assuming a fighting stance. “Whatever the case, it don’t matter. If he and that old bug want another go, I don’t have a problem bringing the pain to ‘em again. I’ll give a huge ‘BAM!’ and a ‘POW’ and a ‘HEEE—YAH!!!’”

Applejack chuckled with amusement toward her marefriend, while she threw punches and kicks in the air like her usual spunky self.

In the meantime, Rarity was busy calming Fluttershy once more.

“Don’t you worry now Fluttershy,” She said soothingly. “The big, bad monster is gone now. We won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I knew it! I knew it was a warning!” Fluttershy whimpered. “I knew when I saw that creature something bad was going to happen.”

“You mean that pterodactyl was what you saw?” Rarity asked her.

To which Fluttershy shook her head ‘no’.

“No!” She shook. “It didn’t have glowing red eyes. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget such eyes.”

As they all talked amongst themselves, Velma was still searching for possible clues. Examining the fake concrete slab the Pterodactyl Ghost stood on, she noticed it didn’t look melded into the stand as it was supposed to be. Reaching out and pulling it back, the slab lifted off the ground and opened up to reveal a secret tunnel hidden beneath it which lead to Celestia only knows where.

“A secret hatch!” She gasped. “The real Pterodactyl Ghost much have come through here.”

Examining the side of the hatch, her eyes widened as her mouth dropped upon noticing something glowing. Reaching over and picking it up, she stared in utter amazement at what resembled some sort of scale glowing a turquoise shade. Every pony looked up and noticed her observing it. They couldn’t help but admire the scale as well. Twilight, Spike, Cadence, Shining, and Flurry all walked up as well and examined the scale.

“What is that Velma?” Twilight asked curiously.

“A reptilian scale,” Velma responded in amazement. “A most wonderful clue!”

“Well I agree it’s certainly a sight to behold and certainly a clue,” Cadence agreed. ‘However, it doesn’t really explain much about Chrysalis and Sombra.”

“Nor does it say anything about that masked guy that flew out of here with that creature,” Shining added.

At that moment, both Daphne and Fred approached and integrated themselves into the conversation.

“He stole two costumes,” Fred spoke up. “The Black Knight ghost and the Ten Thousand Volt ghost. Why?”

“Well, whatever the reason that masked figure had for stealing the costumes darling, seems he has unfinished business with you,” Rarity pointed out.

“The question is who?” Daphne asked.

Fred looked over the rest of the gang, among them the gathered Equestrians, and spoke his most famous quote to date.

“Well gang, it looks like we have another mystery on our hands.”

“And we’d certainly be happy to stay a while and help you guys solve it,” Twilight smiled.

“Not like we really have much of a choice,” Rainbow added. “That portal probably won’t open now that there’s a mystery to be solved.”

At that moment, Heather Jasper Howe, and a bunch of other news reporters (Especially members of the press) came forward with cameras and microphones at the ready.

“Fred, Daphne, could you answer a few questions for the press?” Howe asked them.

Fred turned around, ready to answer any question, while Daphne looked dead set against answering anything at this time.

“Um Fred, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Daphne warned. “We usually address the press ‘after’ we unmasked the criminals. We looked ridiculous back there.”

“Don’t worry about it sweetheart,” Fred assured her. “The press loves us.”

He turned back toward the Equestrian group.

“If you guys like to, you can head back to HQ and turn in for the night,” He addressed them. “We’ve got a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

The cameras started flashing as Fred and Daphne walked off to answer questions and Twilight turned back toward the rest of the group.

“He’s right guys,” She nodded. “We’ve got lots to do tomorrow. We should head on back to headquarters.”

Every pony nodded as they worked their way to the center of the room, knowing full well what was about to happen. Once they were all there, Twilight fired up her horn with a magical surge and teleported the entire group back to Mystery Inc. HQ. Soon they landed upon the familiar carpet in the midst of the living room area and shook themselves of the bizarre feeling of being teleported.

“You know, I’m starting to see why Gallus doesn’t like doing that,” Shining groaned, shaking himself off.

“Oh suck it up, you big baby,” Rainbow told him.

“Okay guys, this living space should have just enough room for all of us,” Twilight informed them. “Why don’t we all find a nice comfortable spot and get some shut eye?”

“I’m with you on that one,” Spike yawned.

“Me too!” Flurry nodded sleepily.

While every pony busied themselves trying to settle in for the night, Cadence walked out into the night air and gazed up at the sky as she contemplated all that happened tonight. Both Chrysalis and Sombra were now in this world, and no doubt want revenge on them for all that happened in the past. With having Flurry here with them as well, surely they were already planning on using her to get to them in some shape or form that it further increased her concerns.

“You okay?”

Cadence slowly looked back and saw her husband walking right up alongside her, as she looked back into the night.

“I’m just really worried Shiny,” She said worriedly. “What with Chrysalis and Sombra here, and this masked figure, I’m concerned for all of us. Especially little Flurry Heart.”

“I know what you mean,” Shining nodded in agreement. “It’s got me really worried too. I mean it was hard enough beating them when they were just by themselves. But now that they’ve teamed up… I don’t know what we’ll do.”

Shining looked over and saw the increasing worry on his wife’s face. So he decided to try his hand, or ‘hoof’ in his case, at easing her mind with assurance.

“The one thing I do know is that no matter what they throw at us, we’ll get through it,” He spoke confidently. “There’s no challenge evil can throw our way that can’t be solved with our love.”

Hearing his kind words, Cadence cracked a smile and turned to face him. As they stared into each other’s eyes, they both slowly leaned in till their lips met with a kiss. After finally pulling away, they both embraced in a loving hug.

“I love you Shining Armor,” Cadence smiled fondly.

“I love you too Cadence,” Shining reciprocated.

Aww… ain’t that sweet?

I know, right? Reminds me of my wife and I…

Shining proceeded to make his way inside and Cadence looked up toward the sky once more. She closed her eyes and silently wished for something that could help them in the battle lying ahead. When she opened her eyes again, she turned back and headed inside to call it a night.

The next day…

The sun rose over the horizon amidst the sound of chirping birds. Cadence was the first to wake before any pony else, as she slowly sat up from her position on the couch. She gently rose herself out of Shining Armor’s grasp as she stood up and approached her snoozing daughter lying beside her Aunt Twilight. Smiling at the cute display, Cadence gently leaned down and placed a kiss on her daughter’s forehead.

She then proceeded to make her way to the outside patio from the night before and admired the rising sun and the birds around her. One such little bird flew down by her side, starting to twitter a musical little tune which made her smile at the little creature.

Cadence quickly shoved her hoof over her mouth and her eyes widened in shock when her words started coming out in song form. It wasn’t even a moment later when another melodious voice caught her attention. She turned and saw Shining Armor coming out as well, so confused and shocked upon discovering that he was singing too.

While the two rulers of the Crystal Empire had little to no idea how this was even possible, they both smiled regardless. As a matter of fact, they rather enjoyed the prospect of power coursing through them simply through song.

When the two finished their huge musical number, they both leaned in and kissed with such passion they were lost in the moment. When they finally drew apart, they both laughed in upmost joy and giddiness over the fact that their newfound power felt really good.

“This is amazing!” Shining sighed wonderfully. “I don’t know what happened here, but whatever it was, it makes me feel even more powerful!”

“This could be exactly what we need against Chrysalis and Sombra!” Cadence agreed. “If song can make us feel so powerful all by itself, imagine if we were able to use it against our enemies.”

“We’d be unstoppable!”

Soon the feeling was tarnished when the sudden voice of Twilight Sparkle compelled them to come back inside.

“Cadence! Shining! You guys might want to come see this!”

The pair quickly ventured inside to find everyone, Mystery Inc. included, now awake and sitting in the living room watching the news. Heather Jasper Howe was just reporting on the museum attack from the night before.

“The higher the pedestal, the harder the fall. And Mystery Inc. fell far in the embarrassing debacle that tarnished the reputation of the once great gang. It was an utter disaster as two of the gangs key members, Norville 'Shaggy' Rogers and Scoobert 'Scooby' Doo, are seen here causing untold damage to Coolsville's hottest new tourist attraction which took a full two years to complete.”

The television cut to footage of Scooby, Shaggy, Spike, and Flurry being pulled through the museum by the Pterodactyl Ghost causing all sorts of damage to the exhibit.

“Well, at least she didn’t say our friends’ names,” Twilight sighed with relief.

“Witnesses also claim that the two other associates in league with the damages are allegedly members of the so-called ‘Equestrian Heroes’: Flurry Heart, the daughter of Prince Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and Mr. Spike… the Dragon, the self-proclaimed defender of the Crystal Empire…”

“Darn it!”

“When asked for comment, Fred Jones, leader of Mystery Incorporated, had this to say:”

“Little old Coolsville can solve it’s problems without us…”

Unfortunately, the issue with the clip was that it was cut off so no one could see the rest. This made Fred’s eyes, everyone else’s too, widen in shock.

“I didn’t say that!” Fred said shocked. “I mean I did, but that’s out of context!”

“Why that lying little parasprite!” Applejack growled.

"This is Heather Jasper Howe, disillusioned, from Coolsville."

Velma got up and switched off the television, as all around the room everyone looked extremely upset and disappointed over how things turned out. The only ones not present were Shaggy, Scooby, Spike, and Flurry who sat behind the kitchen counter. Contrarywise, they heard just about everything.

“It’s all my fault,” Velma sighed, ashamed. “I’m the one who told Shaggy and Scooby to get the ropes.”

“No Velma, it’s my fault,” Daphne responded. “I should have checked that they were tied before I let go.”

“It’s my fault too,” Fred finished. “We all know how Shaggy and Scooby can be. But it’s alright, we just need to stay strong, control, work, and succeed.”

“Aw don’t be so down on Uncle Scooby and Shaggy you guys,” Scrappy added in. “It should be mostly my fault too. I wasn’t there to help them out.”

“Don’t worry about it Scraps,” Fred assured.

That’s when Twilight decided to step up and voice her opinion.

“Okay guys, I agree at times Shaggy and Scooby can be a bit clumsy. And it’s true, they do screw up every now and then. But, at the same time, they tried their best and it just didn’t go entirely as planned. Though to be fair, I really should’ve kept a closer eye on Spike.”

“I must also apologize as well,” Shining spoke up. “Especially for Flurry’s involvement in all of this.”

“Well, no matter the situation, we can get it solved in no time,” Velma spoke determined. “Come on then gang, let’s get to the lab. We’ll figure a way out of this Jurassic jumble.”

The Mystery Inc. gang and the remainder of the ponies made their way into the research facility of the headquarters. All… except for Scrappy Doo, who stayed behind and turned toward the kitchen counter. The little pup worked his way around only to find a very somber looking Shaggy, Scooby, Spike, and Flurry. They sat together behind the counter looking rather glum.

“Got room for one more?” Scrappy asked.

Neither one gave an answer right away, instead they scootched so there was a space for Scrappy in the middle. The little pup made his way to the available spot and took a seat between the friends. In unison, they took a deep breath and released a heavy sigh from their lungs.

“We’re screw ups,” Shaggy declared sadly.

“Reah!” Scooby nodded in agreement.

“No kidding,” Spike huffed. “I can’t believe my luck sometimes. A year ago, I was able to force bark an entire squad of stormtroopers to oblivion. Now here I am dragged across the sky by some stupid extinct bird!”

“And now daddy’s never going to see me as anything but a baby ever again,” Flurry frowned. “I just want them to see I’m not that fragile little porcelain princess anymore. Is that too much to ask?”

“Believe me Flurry, I know how that feels,” Scrappy nodded sadly. “There are times I still get reviews from critics comparing me to this ‘Cousin Oliver’ guy, whoever that is. They say that the only reason I was even part of the Scooby Gang in the first place was just to make them last longer.”

“I never really realized how much we embarrassed the gang,” Shaggy said. “I guess looking back, whenever they made a plan we did screw up somehow I just never noticed before.”

“Re neither…” Scooby nodded.

“There’s gotta be some way to prove we actually belong in the gang,” Scrappy sighed. “Just something that’s totally unlike us.”

Scooby scratched his chin with his paw as he thought it over. It didn’t take long for Spike and Flurry to jump in.

“Yeah! I’d certainly like to be known as more than the dragon who put the Crystal Heart back!” Spike agreed.

“And I need to prove to my parents, and Auntie Twily, that I have what it takes to be just like them,” Flurry nodded.

“You know you guys?” Shaggy thought. “We could act like ‘real’ detectives!”

Everyone looked at each other in contemplation for a moment. Suddenly, Scooby burst out laughing, wiping a lone tear from his eye, until he snapped back to seriousness.

“Really?” He asked.

“Sure, why not?” Scrappy nodded. “If we started acting like real detectives and helped everyone solve this big mystery, maybe they’ll actually see us being more than capable of handling ourselves!”

“We’ll be seen as heroes, be respected for once, and get treated like equals all at once!” Flurry smiled.

Shaggy nodded before he jumped up and raised his right hand.

“Okay guys, raise your right paw… or claw… hoof… like whatever works.”

Everyone jumped up and raised their paws, though Scooby raised his left paw instead.

“No, that’s your left paw,” Spike corrected.

“Uncle Scooby, your ‘other’ paw,” Flurry laughed.

Finally, Scooby raised the correct paw while Spike and Flurry just shook their heads smiling.

“Now repeat after me,” Shaggy instructed. “From this day forward, we will no longer be our goofy selves!”

“From this day forward, we will no longer be our goofy selves,” Spike and Flurry said, in unison.

Scooby gave his reply… through a series of different sounds.

“We will be awesome detectives…”

“We will be awesome detectives…”

Once again, Scooby answered in a series of sounds.

“And we will act more like Fred and Velma and Daphne!” Shaggy declared.

“We will be terrific, fantastic, and above all spectacular like Aunt Twilight, mom and dad, and the rest of my aunties!” Flurry added.

“And cease being loserific, lametastic, and sucktacular like Chrysalis and Sombra,” Spike added.

“Rah rah sucktacular!” Scooby finished.

A short while later, the entire gang (Including the Equestrians) were researching information on the Pterodactyl scale Velma found. All of a sudden, the lab door burst open, and Shaggy, Scooby, Spike, and Flurry walked in dressed like the other members of Mystery Inc. Shaggy wore a green sweater with an orange ascot like Fred; Scooby wore one of Velma’s turtlenecks; Flurry Heart wore one of Daphne’s dresses she’d shrunk down to her size with her magic; and Spike wore a blonde-haired wig and a white shirt with an ascot.

“Like it’s time to solve a mystery,” Shaggy said determined. “Let’s kick this investigation up to an eleven!”

“Ruh huh!” Scooby agreed.

“Totally!” Flurry nodded.

“Far out!” Spike smiled

Meanwhile, everyone else (And every pony) were trying their hardest not to laugh at their friends’ new choice of apparel.

“Oh my gosh, I wish I had a camera!” Rainbow laughed.

Pinkie pulled a digital camera from her mane and quickly snapped a picture. She handed it to Rainbow, who proceeded to laugh even louder.

“What the heck are you guys doing?” Fred asked.

“Well, we figured the first step in solving a mystery would be to wear the right attire,” Shaggy answered.

He then turned his attention to Daphne.

“I’m sorry Daph, but your go-go boots didn’t fit… me.”

“Or me…” Spike added.

“Or me…” Flurry nodded.

Scooby then stepped forward, showing off his hindlegs that were garbed in Daphne’s purple go-go boots.

“Scooby!” Daphne said loudly. “Those so don’t go with that sweater!”

“Really?”

“Wait a second!” Twilight realized, looking around. “Where’s Scrappy?”

Suddenly, there was a brief organ music followed by a wolf howl. They briefly turned back to the lab door entrance and a tiny figure suddenly flipped toward them. Scrappy Doo, performing and throwing striking poses to sudden punk-rock music with a white t-shirt with a black belt, a matching black leather jacket, sunglasses, and for some reason long blonde hair atop his head. As if that wasn’t baffling enough, he was seen wielding what appeared to be a wooden stake in each hand thrusting them about like a pair of Sais. By the time he slipped one stake into his belt, threw his shades off, and gave a serious look while his wig flowed in the imaginary wind.

“Who's ready to solve a mystery?" Scrappy asked smugly.

Everyone in the group looked toward Scrappy Doo, specifically toward his new get up with wide eyes.

“Scrappy Doo, what on Earth are you wearing?” Velma asked shocked.

“Just a bunch of old stuff I found in Daphne’s closet,” Scrappy responded.

Everyone turned toward Daphne, who kept her eyes wide in shock while darting back and forth a million miles an hour.

“Something you want to tell us Daph?” Fred asked, crossing his arms.

“I have no idea what those were doing there,” Daphne spoke defensively. “I’ve never seen those before in my life.”

“Then why were they in your closet?” Twilight asked.

“Coincidence.”

“Maybe… but it still doesn’t make sense that—”

“HEY… Velma, is that analysis on the scale ready yet?” Daphne asked Velma quickly.

No sooner did she say that when the lab’s printer buzzed to live. The device printed out the very results they had been looking for. Velma grabbed it from the printer and Shaggy walked up, snatching it from her hands.

“Ahh… clues!” He said. “Alas, what are these strange markings?”

Fred rolled his eyes before approaching Shaggy and flipped the page over, as it turned out he had been looking at it upside down.

“Words,” He answered simply.

“Ahh… words. Scooby Doo, take note!”

“Rotcha!” Scooby nodded.

The Great Dane produced a sketch pad and started scribbling down stuff with a pencil, much to everyone’s amusement.

“Did you guys eat some bad pizza or something?” Rainbow asked seriously. “Or is this just part of you losing your minds?”

“Like, we’ve had bad pizza before,” Shaggy responded. “But we are completely sane.”

“Ah wouldn’t be too sure bout that,” Applejack whispered to her mare-friend.

“Come on you goofs,” Velma chuckled.

She snatched the results back and began examining them with Twilight and Cadence. But what they saw on paper, none of them could believe it.

“It’s come back positive,” Velma said shocked. “This is a real pterodactyl scale.”

“Precisely!” Shaggy spoke up.

“That just doesn’t make sense though,” Twilight shook her head. “I mean I don’t know much about ‘your’ Earth’s history, since I haven’t had the chance to read up on it much, but I ‘do’ know those creatures are long extinct.”

“So then how could it be possible for a creature that’s been gone for thousands of years to suddenly pop back up out of nowhere?” Cadence asked.

“Then again, that’s what we all first thought when we met Storm Shield,” Rarity pointed out.

Hearing her say that made every pony nod in unison. They were all completely shocked to discover Celestia had a son who had been locked away in the Philosopher’s stone for a thousand years. And still they were left with ‘more’ questions than answers lately.

“Still, we need to figure out how that creature could possibly exist and why it was working with that masked man, Chrysalis, and Sombra,” Shining said.

“Whoever that masked figure is, he’s out to humiliate us,” Fred added.

Walking over to the lab’s main computer, Daphne sat down and started punching in information on old files from Mystery Inc.’s past.

“Maybe it’s someone we unmasked,” She suggested.

“But who would be able to make a real pterodactyl ghost?” Velma asked.

Daphne pulled up a particular photo of a man with crazy hair and glasses. He looked completely insane, yet certainly fit the profile.

“The original pterodactyl ghost,” Daphne pointed out. “Dr. Jonathan Jacobo.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right,” Velma nodded.

“Okay, let’s rewind for a minute,” Rainbow spoke up. “First off, who the hay’s this guy?”

“Well, Dr. Jacobo used to be part of a pirated music smuggling ring many years ago when we first met him,” Scrappy explained. “After he’d gotten out of jail, he decided to turn his life around by going to school and become a famous scientist. However, his colleagues deemed him insane when it was discovered he was obsessed with creating monsters. So they kicked him out in disgrace, and he swore he’d make them pay.”

“Scrappy’s absolutely right,” Velma nodded. “Jacobo created the Pterodactyl Ghost and used it to wreak havoc with a state-wide crime spree. He stole millions of dollars which he used to finance in failed experiments trying to create monsters.”

“Oh goodness!” Fluttershy squeaked nervously. “Do you think he could be behind this?”

“Impossible,” Velma shook her head. “Three years ago, he attempted a prison escape. He constructed a pair of wings from scrap he collected throughout the prison and jumped off the prison wall one night. As he tried to fly away, the wings failed miserably, and he plummeted to the raging waters below. His body was lost at sea.”

Daphne then pulled up another report most familiar to them and it held some significance to their investigation.

“How about this one. Jacobo’s cell mate was released from prison two months ago: Jeremiah Wickles.”

A picture came up of the same old man seen in the crowd the other night, the very man scowling at the gang. Another diagram came up of a suit and armor everyone recognized.

“The Black Knight Ghost,” Fred realized. “That was one of the costumes that was stolen.”

“Yeah it was!” Twilight nodded. “Seems he might be our number one suspect in this case so far.”

“Right!” Shaggy spoke loudly.

This caused everyone to face him, and he just stood there feeling very awkward right now.

“And… um… Scooby Doo, what’s your conclusion?”

Scooby turned the sketch pad around, showing he had drawn a crude image of what resembled a rabbit.

“Bunny,” He said happily.

“Oh, Uncle Scooby!” Flurry and Scrappy shook their heads.

The Black Knight

Hidden in an unknown location, somewhere within the city of Coolsville, Chrysalis and Sombra plotted their next move against their sworn enemies. What happened at the museum was merely a message to Mystery Inc., along with those foolish ponies. But now… they needed a course of action against them.

“Have you thought of anything yet?!” Sombra snipped impatiently.

“I’m thinking!” Chrysalis growled. “Which is certainly more than I can say for you.”

“Forgive me for not contributing more efficiently,” Sombra said sarcastically. “I find it quite difficult to think of a plan without a physical brain… or a ‘body’ for that matter.”

Chrysalis just scoffed, as she turned back and proceeded to search through the number of things their masked accomplice had in their possession. Her green eyes scanned over what resembled some form of ancient looking tome and she proceeded to flip through a series of pages. When she caught sight of a particularly interesting piece in the text, it made her smile a twisted, fanged grin.

“So… this is how he made that flying beast,” She grinned. “Seems we just have a way to make this happen.”

The ghostly black image of Sombra floated beside her, glancing toward the book and to what she was looking at. Soon as his eyes landed upon it, he too grinned maliciously.

“Indeed…” He nodded. “Soon we’ll not only succeed in getting me a physical form, but also create our own army of monsters.”

“And this time, those pitiful ponies will stand no chance against us!” Chrysalis smiled.

Walking toward an old mirror off to the side, she lit up her jagged horn with her dark magic and used the mirror to spy on the ponies in question (Specifically Shining Armor and Cadance).

“Those stupid royals think their love is strong enough to defeat us,” Chrysalis chuckled. “Well, there’s one thing that they don’t know…”

With their evil plan racing through her head, Chrysalis did something she generally tried not to do all that much… she sang.

And using all the strength she had, she gave the old mirror a hard buck and it shattered to pieces on the floor, with the image of Shining Armor and Cadance now split apart. Sombra’s eyes stared at the pieces then towards Chrysalis.

“You do know it’s bad luck to break a mirror, right?” Sombra asked dryly.

“Oh, shut up!” Chrysalis hissed.

She then picked up the book with her magic before facing Sombra again.

“Now… we need to ensure that Mystery Inc. and those fools find this book…”

After the gangs, both Mystery and Equestrian, discovered some newfound evidence to shed some light on this case, they found themselves piled in the Mystery Machine and heading down the highway. Thankfully, Twilight learned something from Storm Shield within the past year and cast a spell on the van to make the interior more roomy than the exterior. This way, they could all ride along without feeling jammed packed inside.

Rolling down the highway, the Equestrians and Spike gazed out the windows as they watched the beautiful landscape pass by while they rode along.

“Wow, it looks so peaceful,” Cadance admired.

“It really does,” Shining nodded. “If only there wasn’t a creepy guy in a mask, a deranged bug pony queen, and a psychotic pony king out to get us. For once, I’d actually like a moment to just enjoy the scenery… especially with my favorite mare.”

Cadance merely nodded, sighing over how her husband’s words rang true.

“You guys got room back there?” Fred called out.

“Yeah, plenty of room,” Rainbow nodded.

“We’re good,” Applejack agreed.

“All right, just hang tight,” Fred said.

They kept driving toward Old Man Wickles’ house. Daphne provided her boyfriend directions since she knew where to go. And Fred actually agreed with her, following where she said to go.

“So what exactly is the plan here today?” Twilight asked.

“It seems Old Man Wickles deserves a visit before one of our other creepy conquests makes a comeback,” Velma responded.

“No offense or anything darling but after you all sent him to jail, you don’t honestly expect him to just invite you all in with open arms do you?” Rarity pointed out.

“Not at all.”

“Fred, up on the right,” Daphne said.

It wasn’t long until the van neared the front gate toward their next destination.

“Old Man Wickles’ ancestral manor,” Velma pointed out.

The gang pulled into the driveway of an old mansion that looked spooky beyond all belief. A number of bats flew from the belfry, which only made the already scary-looking old house creepier.

“Oh man, another creepy crib,” Shaggy said fearfully. “How come we can’t ever investigate, like, a Burger King or something?”

“Aw, come on,” Scrappy assured him. “I bet it’s not so bad inside.”

“Like easy for you to say man.”

“I’d like to check it out…” Flurry spoke excited.

“Like, how are you so cool with this?” Shaggy asked her.

“Come on, it’s not that scary,” Spike spoke confidently.

“Raggy!” Scooby called.

The Great Dane proceeded to perform some fighting gestures before giving his buddy a nudge on the side.

“You’re right,” Shaggy said, more confidently. “Then again, ‘Creepy’ is my middle name.”

“It is?” Spike asked.

“Yeah, why not?” Shaggy shrugged.

“Huh… and all this time I thought his middle name was ‘Norville’,” Pinkie replied.

Soon they all hopped out of the Mystery Machine ready to investigate. But Scooby was still lost in the moment as he wound up his paw and stood ready to throw a punch.

“Scoob!” Shaggy shouted loudly.

Having been distracted by his best friend, Scooby accidentally let the punch fly and socked himself in the chin knocking himself senseless. When he finally came to, he stumbled out of the van before shaking himself sane and rushed up toward the rest of the gang.

“Come on Uncle Scooby,” Flurry said excitedly.

“Rokay!” Scooby responded, bounding to them.

Soon they all climbed the stairs and up toward the front door, not even taking notice of the ‘No Trespassing’ sign.

“Looks like a bit of a fixer-upper,” Velma chuckled.

“I’ll say,” Shining nodded. “This place is a complete dump. How could anyone possibly live here?”

A couple of boys rode by on their bikes and got the groups’ attention.

“Hey, nice job last night!” A boy called, putting his thumb down. “LOSERS!”

Rainbow nearly flew right toward the two boys, aiming to knock their blocks off, but thankfully Applejack held her back by her tail.

“What dorks,” The other boy dissed.

“Quick, we need to think of a comeback,” Daphne whispered to her friends.

“Ooh… I got a good one!” Rainbow suggested. “How about…”

“Don’t even think about it!” Applejack warned. “There are children present. Not to mention yer talkin’ bout two children already.”

“Fine!” Rainbow huffed.

“Don’t worry, I got this,” Daphne assured. “Hey! Shut up!”

The boys just laughed and rode off down the road. Rainbow face-hoofed so hard and shook her head.

“I’ve heard better trash talk from mimes!” She remarked.

“Even I know better trash talk and I’m only eight!” Flurry nodded.

Both of her parents turned and glared at her. The little filly just gulped nervously before slowly stepping behind her Uncle Scooby to hide. Fred tried to get them inside by ringing the doorbell, but an announcement was heard.

“You are trespassing on Wickles Manor,” A man over the megaphone announced. “Leave now or pay the price.”

Shaggy, Scooby, and Fluttershy all had horrified looks on their faces. Poor Fluttershy was so scared, she hid behind her mane.

“Gee! That is some home security alert,” Scrappy observed.

“What kind of jerk makes that his doorbell?” Daphne asked offended.

“He probably doesn’t like company all that much,” Twilight suggested.

But this just caused Pinkie to release a loud gasp, as her eyes bugged out of her head.

“No company?!” She nearly yelled. “How does he throw parties? How does he make friends?! Oh, that just won’t do at all. When we get done with this mystery, I’m throwing Mr. Wickles the biggest party in town! One we can all go and have loads of good ole fashioned Pinkie Pie fun!”

Pinkie suddenly pulled out a bunch of party hats from her mane and stuck them on each individual’s head, then pulled out a big cake with the words ‘Nice to meet you Mr. Wickles’ on the top. Everyone just looked at the party pony for a moment before pulling the hats off their heads and Fred rang the doorbell again.

“Dude!” Shaggy tried to stop him. “He just said we’d pay the price!”

“Oh, come on, Shaggy,” Fred smirked. “What could possibly happen with ringing a doorbell?”

“Aaaaaaand… you jinxed it,” Twilight groaned.

After the doorbell rang again, a trap door opened beneath them, and they all fell instantly through it. Everyone screamed as they fell down the chute before they were placed into a sphere, which rolled them down like a roller-coaster on tracks and were brought into a different room. They rolled and rolled until they suddenly stopped and crashed upon one another.

“That’s what could happen by ringing a doorbell, Fred!” Shaggy scolded. “That!”

“That was fun!” Pinkie cheered. “Let’s go again!”

“I’ve got a better idea, let’s not!” Rarity groaned. “I think I dislocated my stomach…”

“At 7:00 pm, the owner will be home to set you free,” The speaker informed.

Everyone groaned in pain and irritation over the fact they’d be stuck together in this stupid cage till Wickles came home and discovered them. Who knows what will happen to them then?

“Boy… this guy must really hate salesmen,” Spike muttered.

“Hang on you guys,” Twilight told them. “I’ll get us out of here.”

She lit up her horn and used her magic to teleport them out of the cage. All of a sudden, her horn soon fizzled out and went limp.

“What the… why isn’t it working?” She asked confused.

“Let me try,” Cadance volunteered.

“Cadance too stood up as best she could and used her magic attempting to get them out, but her horn too fizzed out. It was then she noticed a small shimmering effect coating the cage and knew exactly what was going on.

“This coat is coated in a very strong electromagnetic field,” She observed. “It’s the one thing no amount of magic, unicorn or alicorn, can penetrate.”

“So we’re stuck here mommy?” Flurry asked.

“I’m afraid so honey,” Cadance nodded.

“Hey!”

A voice drew everyone I the cage to look over and spotted two other identical cages side-by-side. Inside one cage was a little girl scout and in the other were two priests with bibles.

“You want to buy a box of cookies?” The girl scout held a box.

“Excuse me,” A Priest added. “Have you heard the Good News?”

“Reah!” Scooby beamed. “Rhere’s rookies!”

Velma examined the lock on the cage and noticed exactly the type of lock it was.

“Oh brother,” She groaned, with a sigh. “The lock’s on a laser thumb print scanner.”

Suddenly, Daphne had an idea.

“Let me get my make up,” She spoke.

Rarity seems to have the same idea Daphne had, as she picked up Daphne’s makeup bag with her teeth and handed it to her.

“Here you are darling,” She said, through her teeth.

“Daphne, I know you’re a girly-girl, but I hardly think this is the time to check your make-up…” Applejack sighed.

“You know what, A.J.?” Daphne smirked slightly. “It’s never too late to learn how to properly apply make-up.”

“Let me guess, you’re going to use the make-up on the thumbprint scanner to get us free?” Scrappy guessed.

“Yep!” Daphne nodded. “The last good thumbprint should still be there, so… a little blush… a pore strip… and… voila!”

Just as Scrappy predicted, this allowed the sphere to come apart and free them instantly.

“Okay, so I guess being a girly-girl has its perks…” Rainbow shrugged.

“I enjoy being a girl,” Daphne smiled.

“I couldn’t agree more, Daphne dearest,” Rarity smiled.

The two shared a quick hoof/hand bump before proceeding to free the other captives in the other cages. And it was not long after until they made their way out of the dungeon.

It was a lengthy walk for our heroes, but finally they made it to the top floor. The girl scout and pastors gave quick thanks to Mystery Inc. and their friends for their release. The girl scout even let them have some cookies as a reward (For a fee of course).

“Rhanks for the rookies!” Scooby smiled.

“You’re welcome!” The girl scout beamed.

Soon as she eagerly skipped out of the door, along with the priests, this left Mystery Inc. and the Equestrian Heroes to investigate the house.

“Okay, from here I think we should split up and search for clues,” Spike suggested.

“That way we can cover more ground and find twice as many clues,” Flurry agreed.

“Yeah, come on guys,” Shaggy ushered his friends. “We’ll go this way.”

The Great Dane, the pup, and the filly followed Shaggy and Spike down one hall. This left Mystery Inc. and the others standing there with wide eyes.

“What just happened?” Rainbow asked.

“He stole the thing I say!” Fred gawked, greatly offended.

“Should we really be letting them go off on their own?” Shining asked concerned. “What if they get themselves hurt? Let’s face it, with Shaggy and Scooby it’s a pretty safe bet.”

“Come on you big worry wart,” Pinkie giggled. “They’ll be okay. I mean what’s the worst thing they can do?”

“PINKIE!!!!!!!!” The group shouted.

Shaggy and Spike went down one end of the hallway, while Scooby, Scrappy, and Flurry done down the other. Scooby creaked one door open and decided to check there. Flurry and Scrappy followed close behind.

“So Scrappy, you’ve been doing this detective longer than I have,” Flurry spoke up. “What exactly are we looking for?”

“When it comes to clues, it’s usually anything that seems out of the ordinary,” Scrappy informed her. “The kind of clues that helps connect with our investigation.”

“Rearching for clues~…” Scooby sang to himself.

In the midst of his investigation, he found a safe that read, ‘SECRET: DO NOT OPEN’.

“Raha! A clue!”

“Seems like it would be a possible place to keep a secret inside,” Scrappy said.

However, Scooby stood up on his hind legs and took the sunglasses above the safe.

“Oh, Uncle Scooby!” Flurry shook her head.

While this went on, the rest of the gang investigated another end of Wickles Manor. Currently, Daphne, Velma, Twilight, Cadance, and Shining were looking around the grand staircase. They soon noticed some glowing green footprints visible on the floor.

“Glowing footprints,” Daphne noticed.

“I’m impressed, Daphne,” Twilight smiled. “You seem more focused on solving mysteries lately than just looking your best or getting kidnapped.”

“Well, I’ve matured since last time,” Daphne said.

“Still impressive,” Twilight approved.

“That glow…” Velma observed. “It’s similar to the Pterodactyl scale.”

“Let’s follow these footprints and see where they lead,” Shining suggested.

“Good idea!” Cadance agreed.

The footprints began to lead them up the stairs.

Scooby, Scrappy, and Flurry kept exploring their portion of the house. Though in Scooby’s case, he’d been gathering random items and called them clues.

“Come on, there must be a real clue around here somewhere,” Scrappy told himself.

Scooby opened one drawer and saw a private diary. However, he found a pair of white boxers with red hearts on them and wore them on his head like a hat.

“A clue!”

Flurry, paying no attention to Uncle Scooby and his quirkiness, instead used her magic to levitate the diary out of the drawer and set it down in front of her.

“I really shouldn’t be doing this, but…”

Deciding against her morals, Flurry opened the diary and started scanning several pages.

“Hey Scrappy, come look at this!” She called out.

Scrappy quickly raced over to her and looked at the diary.

“Looks like you found Mr. Wickles’ private diary,” Scrappy observed. “Nice work Flurry, you actually found a clue.”

Flurry blushed over the acknowledgment, as the two picked up the clue and followed Scooby on their hunt for more.”

“Well, it looks like Wickles shares Jacobo’s fascination with the supernatural.”

This much Velma observed once her group entered the library for further investigating.

“Yep, sure looks like it,” Rainbow looked around. “Dude has so many creepy books here, it’s just a cauldron away from being Zecora’s hut.”

“He likes dust too,” Daphne cringed in disgust.

“Honestly, would it kill the man to give this area a good dusting?” Rarity agreed.

“No wait a minute Rarity,” Twilight spoke up. “Dust can actually be a really good thing. The dustier the book, the longer it’s been on the shelf.”

“You’re right Twilight,” Fred agreed. “We can tell what he’s been reading lately.”

The group examined the shelves for potential books more recently read. While searching, Cadance came upon a book that looked very clean.

“What about this one?” She asked.

Using her magic, she pulled it off the shelf and levitated it over to a nearby desk as the rest of the gang gathered around to observe it.

“What is it?” Daphne asked.

Velma took a closer look at the book, brushing her fingers over it.

“It’s an obsolete Celtic text used by secret societies in the mid-19th century,” She explained.

Fred cracked the book open and found a list of handwritten names on the front page.

“Look!” Daphne pointed to the final name. “The book belonged to J. Jacobo, the original Pterodactyl ghost.”

“Maybe he gave it to Wickles before he died,” Fred suggested.

“Being his cell mate, it would make sense,” Fluttershy nodded in agreement.

In the meantime, Shaggy and Spike searched for clues in the other wing of the mansion. When all of a sudden they came upon, not so much a clue, but still a ‘cool’ discovery.

“Hey Spike, check this out!” Shaggy called out.

“What is it man?” Spike asked, approaching.

“It looks like a giant record player.”

“That’s a gramophone actually Shaggy…” Spike corrected. “You have to crank it and then the sound comes out through the top. I think Vinyl Scratch had an old one back in Ponyville.”

Shaggy did just as Spike told him, to determine if it still worked… but nothing happened. Shaggy tried again and leaned in. However, there was an explosion and a rap song suddenly blared through the horn. Spike scratched the needle and took out the record to brush away the dust and smoke.

“Man, like that thing hasn’t been used in years!” Shaggy coughed.

“You said it…” Spike gagged.

Back in the library, the rest of the gang were still in the process of reading through the book they found.

“Can you read it?” Twilight asked Velma.

“It’s an amalgamation of magic and science,” Velma noted.

“In Equish rather than egghead please?” Rainbow asked, rolling her eyes.

“The action, process, or combination of something,” Cadance explained. “This basically balances magic and science, the two greatest rivals in the known universes.”

“Right!” Velma nodded, studying further. “Here’s a list of ingredients on how to create your own carbon-based organic, composite predators.”

The gang then all looked at each other, realizing just what this meant.

“This is an instruction manual on how to create monsters!” Velma concluded fearfully.

“Oh dear!” Fluttershy squeaked.

Meanwhile, back with the other group, Scooby Doo stumbled out of one of the rooms on his hind legs. He emerged carrying a huge pile of junk with Flurry Heart and Scrappy Doo following closely behind. The pair soon noticed Shaggy and Spike on the other end of the hall.

“Scooby!” Shaggy greeted his best friend.

“Clues!” Scooby said.

He dropped all his stuff right in the middle of the floor.

“Those aren’t clues, Scoob!” Shaggy sighed. “Those are just things you want!”

Spike spotted a peculiar instrument in the midst of the pile.

“And why would a toilet brush be a clue?” Spike added.

“That’s what I asked him when he grabbed it,” Scrappy sighed.

“Scooby-Dooby-Doo~…” Scooby sang like a blues singer. “Doo-Doo-Be-Dooby~…”

“Just ‘cuz you can sing in it, Scoob, doesn’t make it a clue…” Shaggy informed, before laughing. “It just makes it awesome!”

Spike, Flurry, and Scrappy all rolled their eyes while their two goofy pals sang through the brush. Spike soon noticed the diary in Flurry’s magical grip and floated over for a look.

“Hey, what you guys got there?” He asked curiously.

“I found Wickles’ diary,” Flurry replied. “I figured it’d be important.”

“And you thought right,” Scrappy smiled. “This book could have some valuable information inside.”

“Scoob, you got something on your paw…” Shaggy bent down, picking up a card. “’The Faux Ghost’?”

“According to the diary, it’s a night club,” Spike explained, studying the book. “Lots of bad guys go there to hang out and talk about the heroes they despise.”

“And what luck, it’s tonight!” Shaggy chuckled.

Then his eyes went wide in realization, as did Scooby’s and the three junior detectives.

“Wait! Like do you guys know what this means?” Shaggy asked. “We are detectives! We’ve found some actual clues!”

The five jumped in the air in celebration. Shaggy and Scooby sang again, even doing a little jig while the three little ones jumped for joy. However, their celebration didn’t last long as Scooby accidentally ended up in a knight in armor’s arms. Only there was a deep, sinister chuckling came inside it. Scooby whimpered and screamed, once he saw who he was with.

“BLACK KNIGHT GHOST!” Shaggy pointed, in fear and alarm.

The Black Knight Ghost laughed, and Scooby jumped out of his arms, the boxers falling off around him and ended up on the knight’s face. Shaggy and Scooby only did what they did best: Run away like little girls!

“Hey, tin can!” Scrappy glared, holding his ground. “Let’s see if you can handle a raging puppy with the strength of ten bulls!”

The Black Knight Ghost glared down toward Scrappy with glowing green eyes. Then the little pup charged toward the ghost like a bull. Snarling viciously at him, Scrappy leapt in the air and delivered a spinning kick to the head. The Black Knight’s helmet spun round and round until the knight stopped it with its iron clutches.

Spike also hurled a fireball, while Flurry fired a golden beam of magic toward the knight. The combined magical blasts knocked the Black Knight Ghost backward toward a wall before the three raced off to join the cowardly duo.

Shaggy and Scooby, now running around, tried blocking the door so the Black Knight Ghost couldn’t get through. Fortunately, Scrappy, Flurry, and Spike managed to get in before their friends started blocking the door.

“Quick you guys!” Shaggy said anxiously. “We need to block the door! We got like some heavy stuff here!”

“I’ll handle those!” Flurry volunteered.

Using her magic, she was able to lift the heavy load to barricade against the door. Shaggy ended up doing most of the handiwork with Scooby.

“Let’s see him get through this!” Shaggy chuckled.

However, the Black Knight Ghost emerged through a different door and wielded his sword. Scrappy, Flurry, and Spike came over to grab another item until they saw The Black Knight Ghost. The boys and the little princess groaned upon realizing there would be a secret door in this house.

“We outsmarted that moron!” Shaggy laughed.

“Reah!” Scooby grabbed a lampshade. “What a moron!”

“Guys… I think you should stop talking now,” Spike suggested nervously.

Shaggy took another object, unknowingly from the ghost.

“Thanks!”

“You’re welcome…” The Black Knight replied darkly.

Shaggy and Scooby realized the Black Knight Ghost was with them, which made them instantly scared.

“How did you know there was a secret door?” Spike asked the ghost.

“Never mind that!” The Black Knight chuckled, drawing his sword. “I would rather you all get ‘cut up’ in our discussion!”

“MOMMY! DADDY!!!” Flurry Heart shouted.

The rest of the Equestrians, with Fred, Daphne, and Velma included, burst into the room, and rushed over. Fred held a shield in his grip.

“Yo, Metal Head!” Fred held the shield. “Bring it!”

The Black Knight punched the shield multiple times, knocking it against Fred’s head repeatedly. He stumbled about in a daze, fighting to stay conscious.

“He brought it…” Fred murmured.

The rest of the group watched in dismay as Fred Jones fell into the center of the floor.

“Told him I should hold the shield, but no…” Shining groaned.

“Then why don’t you take his place, knave?!” The Black Knight Ghost challenged.

“Gladly…” Shining smirked, determined.

“Hey! I want in on this too!” Rainbow flew to his side.

“Me too sugar cube!” Applejack said, brandishing her rope.

“Guys, hold him off!” Velma commanded.

Daphne checked to see if Fred was okay. Luckily, the young man was just unconscious. She then jumped up and grabbed a medieval axe, joining in the fight.

“We got this, Velma!” Shining declared.

Using his magic, he lifted Fred’s shield and grabbed himself a sword to even the odds.

“I’ll look in this book!” Velma said, studying. “Maybe there’s a formula for finding his weakness.”

The Black Knight chuckled as he challenged Shining and the girls. But even to his surprise, none were going down that easily. Shining and the girls proved much stronger than the ghost previously thought. Shining Armor and Daphne kept the knight on their toes, their weapons clashing and sending sparks in the air. The Knight was heavily on the defense, blocking several hoof shots from Rainbow at an accelerated pace while Applejack used the distraction to lasso her rope on the knight’s free arm and pulled it back.

But even the ghost was not going to allow these challengers to win that easily. Even as Shining Armor’s sword swiped against him, it went through his exposed form and chuckled.

“I’m already dead, peasant!” The Ghost chuckled.

“Could really use that answer right about now, Velma!” Daphne shouted, over her shoulder.

“Here…”

Velma found the instruction and tried to read it. All the while, Fluttershy and Rarity held each other and dodged a swing from the Black Knight’s sword. Meanwhile, Pinkie stood on the sidelines wearing a giant foam finger on her hoof and a soda hat on her head.

“Go, go Gryffindor!” She cheered. “Go, go Gryffindor! Go, go—YEEP!!!”

The Black Knight Ghost swiped the sword against the foam finger and sliced the finger off. Fortunately, Pinkie’s hoof was still intact as she wiggled it.

“HEY! That was my new favorite foam finger I just bought!”

“’To find the creature’s weakest point’,” Velma read. “’Take the angle between the current position of the sun and your geographical point’…”

Daphne, Shining, Rainbow, and Applejack continued to fight off the ghost as best as they could. But it reached a point where Applejack was literally dragged by her feet trying to keep hold of the rope. Having enough, The Black Knight began to swung the Earth pony round and round like a mace drawing the three back.

“I’m… gonna… be… sick!!!!” Applejack screamed, through her teeth.

“VELMA!!!” The rest shouted.

“’Add this point 28 and a half feet up from sea level’…” Velma read, maintaining focus.

Daphne tried to swipe the axe against the Black Knight. However, like Shining’s attempt, it just went right through the middle and the ghost just giggled in mild amusement.

“That tickles!”

“This is bad!” Daphne frowned.

“You got that right,” Shining grunted. “Should have known ghosts don’t have stomachs.”

“I love you honey,” Cadance called out. “But for pony’s sake!”

The Black Knight Ghost merely laughed as he used his sword to cut Daphne’s axe in half. But Daphne and Shining continued to fight. At one point, Applejack finally let go and flew in the air screaming, until Rainbow Dash caught her in her arms. Applejack smiled and kissed Rainbow along the muzzle, a slight blush formed on her face before they raced off to rejoin their friends.

The fight itself continued up the stairs until eventually Daphne knocked the sword out of the ghost’s hands and it impaled itself into the floor. Daphne used the distraction to slide down the rails on her feet, while the ponies flipped over the ledge and landed on their hooves. Their moment of reprieve was short lived, however, when the Black Knight’s sword magically lifted off the ground and fought with them on its own.

“Oh great! An unfriendly ghost sword!” Rainbow remarked.

“’Take the square root of 30,869’…” Velma continued reading.

“Look, no hands!” The Black Knight taunted.

“Frankly ghost, I really don’t care,” Shining glared.

Taking the challenge, Shining swiped his sword against the floating sword bringing the fight to the specter. All while the girls surrounded the Black Knight trying to urge their smart friend to find a weakness.

“Any time would be great, Velma!” Daphne shouted.

“I’m trying!” Velma cried out. “’Subtract one, divide by B, follow upward eight degrees north’…”

Suddenly Velma realized what that meant. She rushed toward the front of the ghost… and kicked him right between his legs.

“Which makes his greatest weak point right here!” Velma concluded.

The Black Knight Ghost grunted, and his sword plopped to the ground.

“Right in the round tables…” He muttered, in slight agony.

“Actually, ‘crown jewels’ would’ve been the more appropriate term,” Pinkie corrected. “But that works too!”

“PINKIE PIE!!!” The group shouted.

“RUN!!!” Velma yelled.

Mystery Inc. and the Equestrian Heroes bolted out of the manor, Rarity and Fluttershy carrying a dizzy Fred Jones out of the house.

“Rin your race!” Scooby mocked the Ghost.

Scooby shoved the lampshade on the ghost’s head and ran with the others.

“Quick!” Twilight called out. “Let’s make a break for your place!”

They nodded in agreement as they made their great escape from Wickles’ manor. Shaggy nearly shut the door before Scooby got out, but luckily he made it. It wasn’t long before everyone returned to the meeting place, parking the van just outside, and officially went back to work and business.

Sneaking Out & New Looks

After their terrifying encounter with the Black Knight at Wickles manor, Mystery Inc. and their Equestrian friends made their return to headquarters. There were many new questions that only the clues they were able to find could help them answer and they needed to return A.S.A.P. When Fred pulled the Mystery Machine into the driveway, everyone jumped out in a blast and hurried their way inside.

When everyone saw the scene before them, they were horrified by the grizzly sight. Artifacts and clothing strewn everywhere, every square inch as far as the eye could see was now a complete wreck. What was most confusing was the fact it wasn’t even Mystery Inc. stuff that was destroyed, just those belonging to the Equestria team.

“What happened here?” Twilight asked shocked.

“Looks like Chrysalis and Sombra had a field day in our absence,” Shining observed.

“How can you tell?” Fluttershy asked.

Shining stepped forward, examining all of their destroyed belongings. It was then he noticed black dust covering everything. Even more so, there was also some strange glowing substance.

“Remnants of black magic and Changeling saliva,” Shining pointed out.

Flurry Heart peered from behind her mother and noticed something in the midst of the rubble that brought her to tears. Walking forward, at a slow pace, she used her magic to pick the torn remnants of her prized possession… her ‘Whammy’. The same toy snail she loved so much growing up, now reduced to a pile of cotton. The poor little filly broke down in tears.

Cadance walked alongside her daughter, drawing her to her side allowing a side for Flurry to cry upon. Her mother placed a comforting wing over her daughter, as she sobbed softly.

“I’m sorry about your Whammy, sweetie,” She apologized.

“Alright, now I’ll really enjoy making Chrysalis and Sombra pay!” Rainbow said through gritted teeth. “Messing with us is one thing. But making a little filly cry… that’s a new low!”

“Ah couldn’t agree with ya more hun,” Applejack nodded.

“If we want any chance against them, we must work immediately to identify all the clues we’ve found,” Rarity advised.

“Rarity is absolutely right,” Twilight agreed. “What do we do with our research, Velma?”

“I’m going to compare the glow of those footprints to the Pterodactyl scale,” Velma replied.

“We’ll check Wickles’ book,” Fred suggested.

“Great!” Pinkie smiled. “I’ll fire up the oven and whip us some mystery-solving cookies! You’ll thank me later!”

The pink party pony bounced off into the kitchen, leaving everyone else to their work. The only ones remaining within the vicinity were Scooby Doo, Shaggy Rogers, Scrappy Doo, Spike, and Flurry Heart. The latter of whom was still rather upset over her Whammy, cuddling it close to her chest. Uncle Scooby naturally tried his best to calm her down.

“Rits okay, Rurry,” He assured her. “Re can rix it!”

“No, it’s okay Uncle Scooby,” Flurry spoke, wiping her tears. “I’ll be fine…”

“I know what’ll cheer you up,” Spike spoke up. “Our major clue will lead us to our biggest lead to date… the Faux Ghost.”

“Dude, the Faux Ghost is an awesome clue!” Shaggy whispered, joyfully.

“Reah!” Scooby agreed.

“But what do we do with it?” Shaggy then wondered.

“We check it out and find some answers,” Scrappy said.

“Reah, ret’s rolve the rystery!” Scooby agreed.

“Just think about how great it’ll be if we solved this mystery!” Spike imagined.

Shaggy thought of the idea in his head, which certainly sounded like a good idea to him.

“Solve the mystery by ourselves,” He said to himself. “Well, it would certainly prove to the gang that we belong.”

“Reah!” Scooby nodded.

“Let’s head to the Faux Ghost, find Old Man Wickles, and see what he knows,” Shaggy devised. “But first, let’s give the gang the old ‘slipperooney’.”

“Well sure, but… how will we give them the slip?” Spike asked.

“Don’t worry, I got an idea…” Shaggy said.

The group proceeded into the kitchen where Shaggy procured a can of whipped cream from the fridge. Shaggy sprayed the cream into both Scooby and Scrappy’s mouths to make them appear to be diseased. Scrappy and Scooby both licked their lips a smidge.

“Rericious!” Scooby smiled.

“You said it Uncle Scooby!” Scrappy agreed.

The group turned to leave but froze in their places when they stood face-to-face with Pinkie Pie, who wore a matching apron and held a tray of cookies.

“What are you all up to?” She asked suspiciously.

“Oh… uh, Pinkie!” Shaggy chuckled nervously. “Like, what a surprise…”

“We were just—” Spike began.

“If you wanted a cookie, you’ll have to wait till I get done frosting them like everyone else,” She smiled. “You silly billies… and filly.”

Pinkie then placed the tray along the countertop and proceeded to frost them, all while the rest of the group looked back and forth between each other.

“Uh guys, quick conference,” Spike whispered sharply.

The group huddled together so they could whisper amongst each other in private.

“I’m thinking we should let her come with us,” Spike suggested.

“Like dude, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Shaggy asked. “I thought we wanted to do this on our own.”

“We do, but it might be a good idea to bring Pinkie along, so it won’t tip off the others.”

“Spike makes a good point,” Flurry agreed. “If just us went, that would send a big red flag to mom and dad. Not to mention the rest of my aunties.”

“Well, I’m cool with her coming along,” Scrappy nodded. “Provided she pulls her weight too.”

Everyone nodded in agreement before pulling apart and turning toward Pinkie Pie.

“Okay Pinkie, here’s the truth,” Spike confessed. “We found a clue which leads to a night club Mr. Wickles is supposed to be later tonight. We really want to solve this mystery ourselves to prove to everybody we are capable of more than one thing… and we’d like to give them the slip.”

Pinkie stopped her icing and turned around looking serious for a moment.

“Look guys, normally ole Pinkie would let you go off and have fun because that’s the kind of silly filly I am,” Pinkie informed them. “But I don’t know if that’s a good idea. It seems dangerous even for me!”

“Which is why we’d like you to come with us Aunt Pinkie,” Flurry spoke up. “Think about it: With you along, we’d be able to handle the situation much better.”

Pinkie thought for a moment but seemed a slight hesitant.

“I don’t know…”

“Did I mention we’ll be undercover super spies?” Spike added.

“Why didn’t you leave with that?” Pinkie smiled. “I’m in!”

Pinkie did a massive spin that made her resemble a raging tornado and when she came to a stop she now sported an ivory white suite jacket and dress shirt with a black bow tie.

“Agent Double-O Cupcake at your service,” Pinkie spoke, with a British accent.

Everyone gave an awkward smile and a thumbs up, as they put their plan into action. Shaggy first walked out of the kitchen and into the living room where Fred, Daphne, Shining, Cadance, Rainbow, and Applejack sat together.

“Hey guys…” Shaggy greeted the gang. “Scooby and Scrappy are kinda feeling… uh…”

He pulled both dogs out of the kitchen, the whip cream still all over their faces.

“Like they’ve got rabbies!”

Scooby started acting dramatic, while Scrappy twitched and growled like he’d gone completely bonkers.

“We’re just gonna go outside and get some fresh air,” Shaggy said.

He awkwardly shuffled out the front door with Scrappy and Scooby following close behind. Then Shining and Cadance noticed Spike and Flurry following behind the trio.

“And where do you two think you’re going?” Shining called out.

“Oh, uh… we were just going to take a walk with them,” Flurry responded nervously.

“Yeah, you know?” Spike added, stretching out. “Stretching the old hindquarters…”

“Nuh uh! Not without adult supervision you’re not,” Shining shook his head.

That’s when Pinkie popped between him and Cadance, making the pair yelp in surprise over her sudden entrance. So startled, Shining Armor clutched his chest and breathed heavily trying to calm himself.

“Don’t you both worry your itty-bitty-teensy-weensy heads about a thing,” She giggled. “Auntie Pinkie Pie reporting for babysitting duty!”

“Uh… thanks for offering Pinkie,” Shining sighed. “But I think we need more ‘responsible’ adult supervision.”

“Aw, but I am responsible!” Pinkie assured. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake will tell you I’ve gotten really good at managing Pound and Pumpkin, even though they keep growing.”

That’s when Cadance decided to add herself to the conversation.

“I personally think that’s a great idea,” She smiled.

Shining looked at his wife with a confused stare. Just as he was about to say something, one quick glare from Cadance made him shut his muzzle and keep quiet.

“You guys go out and enjoy yourselves,” Cadance told them. “We can manage things from here.”

“Thanks momma!” Flurry smiled, nuzzling her mom.

“Alrighty then,” Spike said excitedly. “Let’s get going!”

The two little ones quickly followed Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy out the door. Shining turned back toward Cadance with a look of uncertainty.

“Why did you just let them go?” He asked her. “What if they get hurt or…”

Cadance quickly shut his muzzle with one hoof over his lips and smiled at him.

“I understand your concern because I worry too,” Cadance responded. “But you ‘need’ to stop being so paranoid all the time. Like it or not honey, Flurry is growing up fast. And you need to learn to accept it.”

Before anything else could be said between the two, the doors to the lab burst open. Velma, Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy quickly emerged with determined looks on their faces.

“What’s up Velms?” Fred asked.

Velma gave no response, but instead simply walked right toward him and snatched the monster book from him. She flipped it open to one specific area.

“The analysis of the Pterodactyl scale,” She said. “It contains randamonium.”

“Which is… wut exactly?” Applejack asked.

Twilight grabbed the book from Velm’s grip with her magic and brought it over to herself.

“According to the book, it says it’s the critical ingredient required to make monsters,” She explained.

“Doesn’t randamonium glow?” Daphne asked. “Like those footprints in Wickles’ mansion?”

“That’s right Daphne,” Twilight nodded.

“If we prove Wickles is behind this, this mystery goes down like a dot-com and Coolsville digs us again!” Fred replied hopefully.

“We just need to find wherever Chrysalis, Sombra, and that masked guy are getting Randomonium,” Shining added. “We find the source; we can take them down.”

“There’s just one problem darling,” Rarity pointed out. “Where exactly would they even get this Randomonium?”

“Randamonium is a byproduct of Silver Mines,” Velma explained.

“Like the abandoned mining town in old Coolsville!” Fred realized.

“Then… that’s where we should go then,” Fluttershy smiled.

Rainbow chuckled as she cracked her hooves in anticipation.

“I can’t wait to thrown down with ugly one and ugly two! This is going to be… so awesome!”

Suddenly, Velma’s eyes went wide like saucers, and she quickly ducked to the floor. To everyone’s confusion, she started to crawl away.

“I’m invisible, I’m invisible,” She panicked.

“What’s the matter with you?” Shining asked, confused.

“I’m havin’ the sneaky suspicion the one at the door is Patrick,” Applejack guessed.

Everyone turned back and saw it was indeed none other than Patrick Wisely knocking at the front door. Everyone turned back and saw Velma climbing over the couch, then falling behind the back.

“Get rid of him!” She pleaded.

Velma continued to crawl away towards the lab while Cadance, Rarity, and Daphne shook their heads in amusement.

“Aw, the poor girl must have the love bug something terrible for that man,” Rarity giggled.

“Love, it makes us all a little crazy,” Daphne smirked.

“Totally!” Cadance nodded.

The Princess of Love and the two fashionistas all looked at each other with that same twinkle in their eyes, as they all nodded slowly. They proceeded to follow Velma into the lab, where she was still trying to crawl away.

“What are you doing?” Daphne asked Velma.

“He wants to ask me on a date!” Velma squeaked fearfully.

“And that’s… bad?” Cadance asked.

“It’s okay to be scared darling,” Rarity assured her.

“I am not scared…” Velma angrily pouted. “I’ve fought werewolves and ghosts, but in the end I know that when we usually unmask them that there’s just a shriveling little scared man inside.”

“Well it’s the same with dating,” Daphne smiled.

“Tell me about it,” Cadance giggled. “When Shining Armor and I went on our first date, I swear he almost threw up.”

“I thought Twilight said he did throw up,” Rarity told her.

“Yeah, but I just thought it was because of those bad hay fries,” Cadance cringed in disgust.

While they spoke, Daphne started crawling around after Velma trying to coax her out of this loop.

“Velma, have your eyes ever considered the adventures you’ve had in your life are just distractions to keep you away from what ‘really’ frightens you?” Daphne prompted. “Intimacy with another person? Hmm…?”

“What Daphne means to say is that all this fear is just keeping you away from someone who thinks you are the most special person in all of the worlds!” Cadance smiled.

“Not to mention someone who thinks you’re completely gorgeous darling,” Rarity added.

“But I’m more comfortable in the world of logic and facts,” Velma argued. “Besides… I’m not gorgeous.”

Daphne could sense a lack of confidence in her friend’s voice. So she helped her up.

“Everybody has flaws Velma,” She assured. “The object of a healthy relationship is to never let the other person know they’re there.”

Velma just hid behind a corner, as she peered out the lab windows and saw Fred and Patrick sharing a champagne toast.

“Daph, I really like this guy,” Velma said truthfully. “What would you do if you weren’t some glamorous and mysterious jet setter?”

Daphne and Rarity both stared at each other for a moment before smiling to one another and turned back toward Velma.

“I’d make myself one,” Daphne smiled. “Rarity, I think we can do a little work to help Velma out.”

When she looked back down at Rarity, she noticed the fashionista already wore her little orange glasses and a tape measure around her neck.

“I am way ahead of you darling!”

It was then Cadance stepped up in front of them and shook her head in disapproval.

“Velma, if you like a guy you shouldn’t change the way you present yourself,” She advised seriously. “You want a gentleman who loves you just the way you are.”

“I appreciate your advice Cadance,” Velma responded. “But I don’t think this can really hurt.”

“Okay, but I’m warning you: If this is the way you want to do this, there’s not a good chance this will go well for you.”

“Don’t worry Cadance,” Daphne assured her. “We won’t do anything ‘too’ major. Just a little something to give Velma an extra boost.”

Cadance still didn’t like the idea of Velma changing herself, just to get a guy to like her. But… since they are so insistent on going through with this and nothing she said will convince them otherwise, she wasn’t going to stop them.

“Alright,” She sighed. “Just ‘try’ to remember my advice, okay?”

With that, Daphne and Rarity dragged Velma off to work on her leaving the Princess of Love back in the living space. All she could think of in her head was how this was ‘not’ going to end well.

“You think it was wise leaving Velma alone with Daphne?” Fluttershy whispered to Rainbow Dash.

“Honestly, it’s Rarity I’m worried about her being with,” Rainbow answered back.

The sound of footsteps coming downstairs caused everyone to look up and in a split second their mouths dropped to the floor and their eyes bugged right out of their sockets. For there stood Velma, now sporting longer hair, no glasses, make-up, and a skin-tight orange body suit. She certainly looked drop dead gorgeous, and certainly not her usual self.

“Who’s that?” Shining asked.

“I think that’s Velma,” Twilight responded unsurely.

“Uh…” Fred blinked.

“Velma?” Patrick asked.

“Who’s your mommy?” Velma asked, trying to flirt.

“Okay, wut did Daphne do to Velma?” Applejack whispered.

Speaking of whom, both Daphne and Rarity walked down the stairs looking absolutely proud of themselves. They stood beside Cadance, who only shook her head disappointedly.

“Let’s solve a mystery…” Velma said seductively.

The front doors to Mystery Inq. H.Q. flew open and the motley crew walked out with Velma and Patrick taking the lead. Velma had a difficult time walking in the heels she wore, but she stumbled through while trying to impress Patrick. Daphne walked by while subtly trying to showcase a pouty look, which Velma tried to copy… vainly.

Patrick, on the other hand, could plainly see Velma looked uncomfortable as she walked by his side. Though for what reason he couldn’t figure out.

“Uh Velma, do you have to go to the bathroom?” Patrick asked Velma.

“No… not in this outfit…” Velma answered.

Patrick opened the back door of the Mystery Machine allowing Velma to venture inside first before him.

“Rarity, what did you do?” Twilight asked.

“Daphne and I thought we’d give Velma a helping hand with her problem,” Rarity shrugged innocently.

“Okay… but how’d ya get her into that outfit?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah, I’ve seen roomier looking bird houses,” Rainbow nodded in agreement.

“It’s… really complicated…” Rarity chuckled nervously.

“This is going to be one interesting night,” Cadance sighed.

“Hopefully we won’t have any more surprises,” Shining hoped.

They all made it into the Mystery Machine, though Velma had slight trouble due to her rubbery outfit. But eventually, they made their way onwards as the investigation continued. However, they were all completely unaware of the giant dark-winged creature with red glowing eyes standing atop of headquarters and took off flying after them.

The Faux Ghost

Later that very same night, Shaggy Rogers, Scooby Doo, Pinkie Pie, Scrappy Doo, Spike, and Flurry Heart snuck under the cover of nightfall toward the Coolsville Docks. Shaggy hid himself behind a slab of wood so he wouldn’t be seen while both Pinkie and Scooby expertly maneuvered themselves James Bond style. Spike, Scrappy, and Flurry had no problems staying hidden given they were small enough to hide behind a great number of items along the docks.

Eventually, they found themselves near the ends of the docks where there stood a large wooden building with a new sign in front of a man being unmasked.

“That’s it you guys,” Shaggy pointed out. “The Faux Ghost.”

“Man… I was expecting a little more,” Spike moaned disappointed. “Looks kind of plain if you ask me.”

“What were you expecting?” Scrappy asked Spike. “A bunch of rampaging monsters running all over the place?”

“Don’t be silly Scrappers,” Pinkie giggled. “Besides, we’re still way ahead of the story before running from monsters just yet…”

Pinkie Pie!

Remember our talk about spoilers?!

“Oopsie, sorry guys!” Pinkie spoke to the sky.

Everyone looked at Pinkie for a moment before shaking their heads and faced the entrance to the club.

“Are some of these folks the people you guys unmasked?” Flurry asked.

“You bet…” Shaggy said, examining familiar faces. “Like, that’s C.L. Magnus. He used to dress up as Redbeard’s ghost. And that’s Aggie Wilkins a.k.a. the Ozark Witch.”

“Okay… we heard the story about C.L. Magnus. But what about this Wilkins and the Ozark thing?”

“Well the story of the ‘Ozark Witch’ actually involved Aggie’s ex-boyfriend, Zeke Harkins,” Scrappy Doo explained. “Zeke buried some money from a bank he robbed a while back, around a half of a million dollars.”

“Oh my!” Flurry gasped.

“Aggie found directions to the carving on the board of this cabin, which was a map that explained how to get the money, in Zeke’s old spell-book and like tried to take the money for herself,” Shaggy added. “Then like these Hatfield guys moved in and Aggie had to get rid of them by making up the witch legend.”

“And she even used her pet cat to make them think she could turn into a witch too!” Scrappy recalled.

“Rats! Grrr…” Scooby snarled.

“Eventually Zeke did break out of prison when he learned Aggie discovered the directions, and returned to the location of the money trying to retrieve it before Aggie could,” Scrappy continued.

“Yikes!” Spike said. “Talk about a toxic relationship.”

“Yeah… and if they spot us, we’ll be invited to a weenie roast, one where we’re the weenies!” Shaggy shugdded.

“Mmm… rot-dogs!” Scooby sighed hungrily.

“Which basically means… we’ll most likely get killed?” Spike asked nervously.

“Pretty much,” Scrappy nodded.

“Like there’s gotta be a way that we can use our awesome new skills to get us in there without being recognized,” Shaggy wondered.

Everyone thought over all the possibilities over how to get themselves into the club undetected. But this proved to be a rather difficult subject to think about. That’s when an invisible lightbulb went off in Flurry’s head.

“I got it guys!” She said.

“Whatcha got Flurry?” Scrappy asked.

“I’ve been practicing my magic with Uncle Starburst and Uncle Thorax a while back. I think I’ve fully mastered the art of Changeling disguise.”

“But I thought only changelings had the power to disguise themselves,” Spike responded.

“Well truth be told, all unicorns ‘do’ have that power. We just didn’t have the knowledge like the Changelings do… don’t tell my Dad I said that.”

Flurry lit her horn with her golden magic aura, which began to surround the entire group. With a quick flash of light, the entire team was disguised in a rather… ‘unique’ ensemble. Shaggy was decked out in a stylish green suit and fedora, while Scooby was dressed in a very colorful jumpsuit with a very large afro. Scrappy was dressed in a tiny pair of denim jeans and matching jacket with a black mullet stretching down his back. Spike resembled an 80s version of Kenny Logins, while Flurry was clearly dressed like Cindi Lauper. Everyone looked at themselves, then back at Flurry.

“This is the best you could do?” Spike asked. “What’re supposed to be anyway? What the 70’s and 80’s thought was cool?”

“Okay… I may need a little more work,” Flurry replied bashfully.

“I don’t know, I kinda like it!” Shaggy smiled at his new threads. “Come on gang, let’s do this!”

He and Scooby started towards the club while the three youngers watched after them with worry.

“We’re so dead…” Scrappy deadpanned.

“Yep,” Spike nodded.

“Completely,” Flurry sighed.

Nevertheless, they followed the two goofs and made their way toward the Faux Ghost.

Inside the Faux Ghost, the patrons were enjoying one heck of a swinging time. With a live band livening up the place and people hanging out and eating, things were on fire. Then the two front doors of the bar burst open, and Shaggy and Scooby came in trying, and failing, to look cool.

“Hey, Hey, Hey!” Shaggy said loudly. “Everyone part like the Red Sea. It’s me, Shizzy McCreepy, and my brother, S.D. McCrawler! We are in the house and ready to part-ay!”

From behind the two came the three little ones looking around nervously.

“What are our alias names?” Scrappy whispered.

“Uh, I dunno…” Shaggy whispered back, with a shrug.

The group looked back at the bar, and everyone stared at them with mean mugs. Shaggy grew increasingly nervous.

“Uh, and these are our friends: Spudnick, Roady, and Piper!”

The three young members slowly turned their heads and looked at Shaggy with ‘Are you serious?!’ expressions.

“Well, it’s better than nothing,” Shaggy whispered.

“There’s no way this is going to work!” Spike responded.

Meanwhile, Aggie Wilkins walked by and noticed Scooby in his disguise. To her, he seemed like a handsome guy and walked right up to him.

“Hello, handsome…” She purred to Scooby.

“Rello, baby…” Scooby greeted back, trying to sound suave.

“Like not now Romeo,” Shaggy whispered, pulling him away. “We’ve got stuff to do.”

Just before they could walk away, their path was blocked by a rotund man wearing a dark undershirt and a Hawaiian overshirt. He pointed right at them, and they jumped back.

“This is a private club!” He spoke aggressively. “For those of us that got cred. And the only way you get cred is by dressing up as a terrifying creature and scaring the crud out of innocent people, obviously.”

Shaggy and Scooby both bumbled nervously, trying to think of something to say. But then suddenly, Pinkie burst from nowhere dressed as a rapper and placed her forehoof around the guy.

“Well obviously homeboy, you ain’t recognizing my peeps here!” She gestured to Shaggy and Scooby. “They’re the world famous Pickleaculas playa. Fifty percent pickle, fifty percent Dracula, but they be totally, one-hundred-percent terrifying my brother!”

The guy looked at Pinkie’s forehoof over his shoulder and gave a light glare. She chuckled nervously as she slowly pulled away and looked back toward Shaggy and Scooby before cracking a smile.

“Cool, I was the Cotton Candy Glob!” He said proudly.

He gestured to the drawing on the wall of a big pink cotton candy looking monster. Everyone looked at it and tilted their heads to the side in curiosity. Though Scrappy seemed a bit enthusiastic.

“Wait… you were the Cotton Candy Glob?” Scrappy asked.

“That’s right! Tried smuggling some stolen gold bars using ‘Mama’ Cass’s candy factory… didn’t go as well as I’d hoped.”

“Mama Cass?” Spike raised a brow.

“Oh! She used to be a member of the singing group, ‘The Mamas and the Papas’,” Scrappy explained. “Then she ran the ‘Sugar Plum’ Candy Company for a while.”

“Oh…”

“Huh, you seemed much fatter then,” Shaggy replied.

By the time he fully heard what he just said, his eyes widened along with everyone else. However, instead of getting punched in the face (As expected), the guy just patted him on the shoulder and walked away. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief when he was finally gone.

“Man, nice thinking on your part Pinkie,” Shaggy thanked Pinkie.

“I know, right?!” She said excitedly. “I came up with that one right on the button. I certainly didn’t expect them to believe it.”

“Wait! If you didn’t expect them to believe it, why do it?” Spike asked.

“I really wanted to wear the outfit, home dog,” Pinkie responded.

Next thing the entire group knew, they stood in the midst of a huge Mystery Inc bash-o-rama. Everywhere they looked, someone did something that involved bashing Mystery Inc. In fact, there was a man playing ‘Whack-A-Mole’ where the moles were in the shape of the Mystery Inc. gang. A couple other guys played darts, aiming at pictures of Mystery Inc. Two guys were then starting a fight over whether a Ghost clown was a better monster than the Cotton Candy Glob. It was so chaotic Shaggy didn’t even notice that he bumped into an old man at the bar.

“Watch out, idiot!” He scolded Shaggy.

Shaggy and the others all glanced toward the man, instantly recognizing him.

“Old Man Wickles…” He whispered.

“Leave me alone!” Wickles glared, like a grouchy old grump.

“I just, uh, I just wanted to say thank you,” Shaggy spoke to the old man. “Your portrayal of the Black Knight Ghost was, like, inspirational to my brother and me.”

“Not to mention me and our little friends here,” Pinkie added. “Right guys?”

“Oh yeah, totally inspirational!” Spike nodded.

“Couldn’t agree more!” Flurry agreed.

Wickles merely glared at them in firm, stoic silence. Hoping for more clues, Shaggy tried to spark some further conversation.

“Hey, have you done anything creepy and cool lately?” Shaggy asked.

Wickles glanced, but that got him to talk.

“Listen, I’m not normally one for giving advice, except for an old friend of mine, rest his soul, he died just before his younger daughter graduated from high school, she was like a niece to me… but I feel sorry for you because of your brother’s huge, hideous nose deformity.”

“Ruh?” Scooby glanced at his nose.

“There’s nothing wrong with your nose, Uncle Scooby,” Flurry whispered to him.

“Ranks Rurry!” He thanked her.

“Get out of this game while you got a chance,” Wickles quietly advised. “All of us here ain’t nuthin’ to admire.”

Shaggy and the others looked curiously at him.

“We needed people to believe we were different than they were,” Wickles continued, rather emotionally. “Maybe ‘cuz… we believed that there was something wrong with who we were in the first place.”

That truly got Shaggy to believe that ‘just’ maybe Mr. Wickles wasn’t so bad after all.

“I guess you’re sorta grateful to, um, Mystery Inc. for unmasking you…?” He asked, briefly removing his hat.

“Are you kidding?!” Wickles asked loudly. “If I see those twerps, I’ll tear their eyes out of their skulls! Make them eat the one eye while watching themselves eat it with the other eye! HA-HA-HA!!!”

This certainly caused everyone in the group to widen their eyes in fear. Shaggy and Scooby quickly walked off in the other direction with Pinkie, Scrappy, and Spike following close behind. Their movement stopped quickly when they noticed Flurry wasn’t following and turned back to find her still standing beside Mr. Wickles.

“Let’s go Flurry!” Spike whispered harshly.

“One minute!” Flurry whispered back.

The little filly then jumped onto the stool next to Mr. Wickles, looking toward the old man with a kind smile.

“I don’t think you mean what you said about Mystery Inc.” She said kindly.

“Like heck I don’t,” Wickles scoffed. “Because of them I ended up behind bars. I’d be sitting pretty if it weren’t for them.”

“So, you didn’t do the bad things the Black Knight did?”

This caused Wickles to instantly become lost for words. He merely groaned and turned away.

“Is it ‘really’ Mystery Inc. you’re angry with?” Flurry questioned. “Or someone else?”

“What do you want me to say kid?” Wickles responded. “That I was wrong? I know that! I took part in a smuggling-and-forgery ring, stealing and selling real paintings from a museum I worked for and replaced them with forgeries I painted myself! I knew a famous professor would instantly recognize the fake paintings and kidnapped him. And I even blamed all of it on the legend of the Black Knight, which I made up myself, just because I needed the money. So what if that meant being banned from every museum in the county? Nothing I do now changes anything.”

“I don’t think so,” Flurry smiled. “You still have your life, your freedom, and a chance to be a better person than you were before. I know you’ve had conflicted feelings towards Mystery Inc. for what happened, but I think if you reached out, they might help. Maybe what you really need is ‘someone’ to help you through it. Maybe what you really need… are some ‘friends’.”

For a moment, Wickles actually considered the little one’s words… then quickly shifted his head.

“Nah. As far as the world cares, I’m just an ex-con who put on a mask and became a monster.”

“You may have been a man in a mask,” Flurry said honestly. “But deep down, I don’t think you’re a monster.”

Flurry then leaned up and gave the old man a quick kiss on the cheek before walking away. Had she looked over her shoulder, she’d have seen Wickles place a hand where she kissed before giving a faint smile. Finally, the trio caught up with Shaggy, Scooby, and Pinkie.

“Here’s a clue for you guys,” Shaggy spoke frightened. “That dude’s wearing his freak hat twenty-four seven!”

“Reah!” Scooby nodded.

“Oh, he’s not such a bad old man,” Flurry assured. “I think he just needs some friends.”

“Sounds like something I’d say,” Pinkie smiled proudly, placing a hoof around Flurry.

“Either way, I gotta run to the bathroom,” Shaggy said quickly. “I’ll be back in a moment. Just don’t do anything to attract attention.”

“Rotcha!”

“You got it bud!” Spike gave a thumbs-up.

A 70’s song suddenly came on, as Aggie Wilkens invited Scooby to dance. Scooby had fun, despite barking along with the song. Pinkie bounced in and started doing some silly dance moves along with the Great Dane. Eventually, the two found themselves crowd surfing as Shaggy just returned.

“So like what did I miss?” Shaggy asked.

“We’ve got trouble,” Scrappy told him.

“Rahoo!” Scooby cheered, mid crowd-surfing.

“Like, I can see that…” Shaggy shivered.

Soon Scooby was back on his feet again and danced very wildly, except his wigs and glasses were coming loose. Shaggy, Scrappy, Spike, and Flurry tried to coarse him to stop shaking and that it was making his disguise come loose, but Scooby mistook it for dance moves which made the other party people copied.

“This cannot end well,” Scrappy face-palmed.

Scooby waved his head back which made his wig fly off and splash against a man’s food, which splashed in his face. The Great Dane kept singing along even when the music cut and everyone else stared at him realizing who he really was.

“Hey, it’s Scooby Doo!” One man called out sharply. “That meddling mutt what helped threw us in jail!”

“Who, me?” Scooby spoke nervously. “Ruh-ruh!”

Seeing his best friend was in trouble, Shaggy rushed over to save him.

“No, wait, that’s not Scooby Doo! That’s… um… S.D. McCrawley!”

“Yeah, that’s just his disguise!” Pinkie added in.

But it was plainly obvious to the three youngsters that it wasn’t the least bit convincing.

“It’s a mask!” Shaggy added, stretching Scooby’s face.

“Reah!” Scooby agreed.

The two drew apart and spread their arms out, which accidentally made Shaggy’s hat fly off.

“Oh, boy…” Flurry shook her head.

“What else can go wrong?” Spike groaned.

“And that’s Doo’s beatnik best pal, Shaggy Rogers!” Another man pointed out.

“RUN!!!” Shaggy yelled.

The whole group quickly raced through the bar, while a bunch of the patrons chased after them. Noticing a chut to the far side of the bar, the gang quickly ran and jumped down the chute sliding into the garbage outside the bar. Popping out of the top, Shaggy and Scooby both had looks of relief while the others shared looks of disgust.

“Like that wasn’t so bad right?” Shaggy asked.

“Says you!” Spike groaned. “This smells like Garble after he ate that extremely spicy enchilada.”

Meanwhile…

In the Mystery Machine, the rest of the gang and the Equestrians rode along to their next location. To say the feeling inside was certainly awkward would be the biggest understatement ever. Velma and Patrick both sat next to each other, but just in complete silence. Velma was becoming increasingly uncomfortable in her new outfit and judging by Patrick’s face he seemed quite the same. Twilight and the rest of the ponies in the van spoke few words, they just looked at each other back and forth.

“This isn’t going well at all,” Twilight whispered to Shining Armor.

“No kidding,” Shining whispered back. “They’ve hardly spoken two words to each other since we got in the van.”

“I warned her to just be herself,” Cadance sighed quietly.

Daphne kept a smile, but even she could tell this wasn’t going as planned. Velma then squeaked slightly, before facing Patrick awkwardly.

“That was my outfit, I swear…”

“Let’s hope so,” Rainbow whispered to Applejack.

“Hush up you,” Applejack quietly scolded.

By now Velma felt stupid sitting next to Patrick in uncomfortable, awkward silence. By this point, she was immediately regretting not taking Cadance’s advice on just being herself.

“This is awkward,” Fluttershy spoke quietly to herself.

“You know Velma, you’re as beautiful as ever,” Patrick finally spoke. “You’re just so different than I expected.”

As Fred drove alone, he took a quick glance out the passenger side window and his eyes suddenly widened in fear. Daphne looked at her boyfriend and could instantly catch the fear in his eyes. Normally Fred Jones does not fear much, so seeing actual terror in his eyes made her nervous.

“Fred, are you okay?” She asked worriedly.

Fred’s eyes kept darting back and forth between the road ahead and the passenger side door.

“Whatever you do, don’t look out your window,” He warned.

Daphne stiffened at those words. Whatever it was that had Fred so spooked was right outside her window. Curiosity had entranced her as she slowly turned her head and peeked out the window. Her eyes too widened when she caught sight of two giant red glowing eyes staring right back at her. Those eyes belonged to the giant black winged creature that was flying at the same speed as them and somehow keeping up alongside them.

Daphne quickly blinked her eyes just to make sure it wasn’t just her imagination. When her eyes opened again… the creature was gone. Seeing this made her sigh in relief, as she just thought it had to be both her and Fred’s imagination.

*BANG!*

Her eyes shot forward, and Fred slammed on the breaks as the Mystery Machine came to a screeching halt sending everyone screaming. When the van finally stopped, they peeked out the front windshield and were all captivated, horrified even, by the darkly entity standing on the hood of the Mystery Machine. The beast looked toward all of them with glowing red eyes that burned like dragon’s fire. Fluttershy was especially frightened, having been the one to have experiences with this being.

The creature then gave out a piercing screen before ascending rapidly into the air and out of sight. For the longest time, everyone inside the Mystery Machine just sat there staring at each other in horror and confusion.

“What… was… that?” Fred finally asked.

Twilight looked over at Fluttershy, who cowered behind her mane.

“Fluttershy, was that…?”

Fluttershy gave no response but merely nodded her head ‘yes’.

“What the hay is it?” Rainbow asked.

“Ah don’t know hun,” Applejack responded. “But it sure was big.”

“It certainly had a look that would terrify even the bravest of souls,” Rarity shook.

It was then everyone looked out the side of the van and saw another sight that made them widen their eyes in shock. They were right next to the Coolsonium Criminology Museum, only it looked completely destroyed. The banners torn to shreds, and even more windows were shattered. An assortment of media and policemen were surrounding the area as the van pulled up.

“Oh my goodness!” Velma gasped.

“What’s going on?” Fred asked.

“This cannot be good,” Daphne said.

Stepping out of the van, everyone looked around in complete awe. Heather Jasper Howe was interviewing the people and turned toward Mystery Inc. arriving at the crime scene.

“Just ignore her,” Twilight informed the others. “Just ignore her…”

“Any comments on the museum robbery?” Heather asked Fred.

“Mystery Inc. is currently investigating the two stolen costumes,” Fred spoke.

“No, the one that just happened,” Heather rolled her eyes slightly. “Where The Black Knight and Pterodactyl Ghost stole the rest of the costumes?”

“The rest of the costumes?” Fred asked.

Hearing that made Patrick, Velma, Shining, and Cadance race inside the museum. When they got into the Mystery Inc. exhibit, Howe had been correct and every single one of the costumes that were there before were no longer there.

“They even took Chickenstein…” Shining murmured.

Patrick picked up the standee that held one of the skeleton men and tossed it aside. He just seemed so distraught his own museum had been ransacked again.

“Oh Patrick, I am so sorry,” Velma apologized. “This must be horrible for you.”

“Don’t worry buddy,” Shining assured. “We’ll find those costumes and figure this out one way or the other.”

“Look guys, I have to go okay?” Patrick said sadly.

“Well, I’ll go with you,” Velma suggested.

“NO!” Patrick yelled. “No… I just have to figure out what’s going on.”

And with that, Patrick walked off the other direction leaving Velma, Shining, and Cadance to watch him leave. Velma seemed sad by his leaving and looked down sadly. The feeling of a hoof on her side caused her to look over to see Cadance looking at her with a smile.

“Don’t worry Velma,” She assured her. “The whole thing has just been stressful for Patrick. Things will work itself out soon.”

Velma just looked back after Patrick before running back out the front of the museum with Cadance and Shining following close behind.

Meanwhile, back outside, things were not going smoothly for Fred as Heather Jasper Howe constantly tried to turn every single one of his words against him.

“So, what you’re saying is it’s all downhill for Mystery Inc.?” Heather asked Fred.

“No!” Fred yelled. “You’re doing that thing again where you take everything I saw out of contest. You’re trying to make it sound like I think that Coolsville sucks!”

“FRED!!!!”

Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity face-hoofed in response. Now Fred felt really stupid right now.

“No… wait… I mean…” Fred stammered. “Don’t record that!”

Somehow, Heather’s interview with Fred was already on. Footage showed Fred talking about ‘Coolsville sucking’, which only made Fred feel worse.

“Open mouth… and in goes foot…” Twilight mumbled.

“Why would you put your foot in your mouth?” Fluttershy asked. “Can people actually do that?”

“No Fluttershy,” Applejack shook her head. “That just means when somepony says somethin’ stupid that they don’t mean to say.”

“And Fred just happens to suffer the worst case of it,” Rainbow groaned.

“Ugh… can this night get any worse?” Twilight groaned, covering her eyes.

“TWILIGHT!!!!” The group moaned.

Daphne frowned as she looked firmly towards the blonde woman and approached her. Soon she storming her way toward the ambitious reporter.

“I’ll be right back,” She called out.

“Wait for me darling!” Rarity called.

Daphne and Rarity both departed the Mystery Machine and hurriedly stormed over to Heather Jasper Howe as she finished her news report and signed off.

“What’s with the personal attacks?” Daphne demanded.

“You seem to be doing everything within your power to destroy the reputation of our friends,” Rarity pointed out angrily. “And simply for your own amusement too!”

“Look, I’m a huge fan,” Heather said. “It’s just my editor—”

“Who are you kidding?” Daphne interjected crudely.

“Do not play dumb with us!” Rarity added. “We know all about your little game!”

Heather than gave a smirk when she knew acting nice wouldn’t work.

“Who are you kidding?” She tried retorting.

Daphne just glanced sharply with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t think I don’t know your game,” Heather told her. “What do you do for the gang, really? Velma’s the smart one, Fred’s the leader, all you are is a pretty little face.”

She then turned toward Rarity.

“Not like your much better,” She smirked. “I may not know much about you and your little friends. But from what I do know, sounds to me you’re just the spoiled little drama queen.”

This caused Rarity to reel back. Sure she heard ponies (And people) say that to her before. But usually they don’t mean to say it in a hurtful way… until tonight. A stray tear fell from her eye as she turned away trying to hide it.

“Why are you doing this?” Daphne frowned.

“Because it’s my job to unmask those who pretend to be who they’re not,” Heather coldly replied.

As she bent down to leave, somehow Daphne recognized what Heather said. And for whatever reason, it sounded rather suspicious to her.

“You sound like…” Daphne muttered.

“Sound like who?” Heather replied innocently.

“The evil masked guy,” Daphne glared. “But you know that, because just as you know I’m standing here, you know ‘I’ know who ‘you’ know you are, which is, who’s a ‘her’, which is you.”

“Oh, now I see what you do for the gang,” Heather told Daphne. “You’re in charge of incoherent babbling.”

“MYSTERY INCORPORATED!!!”

Everyone turned and spotted the Evil Masked Figure standing atop the museum.

“Once again, you are proven useless before my power. Because of you, soon Coolsville… will be mine!”

With a quick swish of his coat, the figure disappeared into a black mist as everyone started scramble about with cops racing in search of the figure and Heather Jasper Howe trying to get her stuff together.

“Oh, darn it!” Heather cursed. “Thanks a lot! The scoop of the night, gone. Can’t you do anything right? Ned, get your camera and follow me.”

“Guess not…” Daphne muttered, hurt.

“This really does feel worse…” Rarity sighed sadly.

Monster Hive

Back along the Coolsville docks, the ‘Crime Solving’ goofs were still cleaning garbage off themselves after narrowly escaping the Faux Ghost. Spike picked off old eggshells off his scales, Flurry tried removing a mustard stain from her coat, while Scooby, Shaggy, and Scrappy picked old food off themselves. To say they were all grossed out beyond belief would be the biggest understatement of all time.

“Ugh, I smell like a gas station toilet,” Spike cringed.

“How would you even know what ‘that’ smells like?” Flurry nearly gagged.

“I had to use the bathroom at some point during these last few adventures. And I learned something about myself during those times: I… hate… gas station… bathrooms!”

Meanwhile, Pinkie Pie bounced up alongside the rest of the group without a single shred of trash anywhere on her.

“Wowie, wow, wow!” She exclaimed excitedly. “That was so much fun! It was even better than the time Cheesy and I threw that huge party in Baltimare. We danced with Songbird Serenade from dawn till dusk!”

This caused both Spike and Flurry to face her with confusion.

“When did you do that?” Flurry asked her.

“Oh, it was in the timeline expanse between the last Cinematic Adventure,” Pinkie answered.

PINKIE PIE!!!

“Oh, come on!” Pinkie looked up. “Someone or some pony had to talk of events of the previous year.”

Grr… you are SO lucky you’re adorable!

You do know she’s married, right?

Not what I was talking about but thank you.

Anyways… the group continued walking along the docks when suddenly they heard a rather loud commotion from further down the trail.

“STOP WASTING MY TIME, DO YOU HEAR ME?!”

Everyone jumped when they heard the loudness (And anger) in the person’s voice.

“Yikes! I wonder what’s going on,” Scrappy spoke curiously.

“With how loud their yelling, I don’t even want to know,” Flurry responded hesitantly.

Slowly approaching, ever more closely, the crew noticed two people in what appeared to be a scuffle as one man had another presses against a wall, as he was more or less demanding than the other.

“Now I want you to question all your scum-bucket friends. Find out what they know about those stolen costumes. Or else you’ll be known as the Soiled Underwear Ghost! I want answers. Now, go! Now!”

“Y-es, sir, yes, sir…” The other man stammered, walking out in fear.

The group looked on with wide eyes as the other man soon turned around and dusted himself off. Looking into each other’s eyes, they were all surprised to see it was none other than… Patrick.

“Patrick?” Shaggy spoke shocked.

Even Patrick himself seemed shocked seeing the others looking at him.

“Shaggy, Scooby, Scrappy, and uh… what were your names again?” He asked Spike and Flurry.

“Spike,” Spike waved nervously.

“Flurry Heart,” Flurry added.

Then Pinkie popped up behind Patrick and tapped him on the shoulder, which made him jump in alarm.

“And I’m Pinkie Pie!” She said excitedly. “Cupcake extraordinaire by day, secret agent at night. All sweet, all secretive!”

Patrick took a moment to get over his initial shock before chuckling awkwardly.

“Oh right, so what are all you guys doing here?” Patrick asked, adjusting his glasses.

Everyone looked at each other nervously, wondering if it was such a good idea to respond.

“Well uh… we just came down here to be undercover and stuff,” Shaggy responded.

“But then we heard you yelling at that guy,” Spike added.

“Oh… you heard that?” Patrick asked awkwardly.

“I think the whole dock heard that buddy,” Scrappy said seriously.

Then everyone nodded and it only made things slightly more awkward.

“Well, you know, my museum got broken into again, so I had to come here and try and get some answers,” Patrick replied innocently, lightly chuckling. “Gotta put on the tough-guy act, or these guys will eat me alive.”

“Oh…” Scrappy, Spike, and Flurry chuckled.

“You believe me, right?” Patrick asked, sounding grimly serious.

“Oh! Uh, yes, of course… uh…” Shaggy stammered nervously.

“I’m kidding!” Patrick chuckled. “I’m kidding, that’s the thing, that’s the tough guy act.”

“Oh, right!” Spike smiled nervously. “Of course… had us fooled for a moment!”

It was then the gang could see Old Man Wickles walking down the dock just behind Patrick. They knew they needed to follow him now or risk losing the trail.

“Look Patrick, we could stay here and do this all night,” Shaggy informed him. “And something tells me that you would, but we gotta make like your personality and split!”

“Yeah, we really need to go,” Scrappy nodded.

“Okay…” Patrick spoke, a bit suspiciously.

Patrick then watched as the group ran off in the opposite direction. He couldn’t possibly understand why they were out here by themselves looking to dig up information. He squinted after them before walking off to Celestia knows where.

A little while later, the small group followed Mr. Wickles to wherever it was he was going. But they soon found themselves by the Old Time Mining Town in Coolsville. The town was so old and abandoned for many years, which made it more suspicious that Mr. Wickles would come all the way here. In order to disguise themselves from Wickles seeing them, Shaggy and Scooby hid themselves in two big bushes and slowly followed close behind.

In the meantime, Scrappy, Flurry, Spike, and Pinkie Pie followed except they slunk and snuck their way behind an assortment of old junk littered all throughout the place.

“Why do Shaggy and Scooby get bush disguises and we don’t?” Pinkie pouted.

“Because I refuse to do anything to make me look ridiculous!” Spike rolled his eyes.

“Uncle Spike, you’ve seen real-life monsters, ghosts, protoplasm, and even a six-foot-tall zombie chicken,” Flurry pointed out. ‘The ridiculous train has long since left the station for us.”

“She’s got a point there,” Scrappy nodded.

Spike merely rolled his eyes as they continued to slowly sneak alongside Shaggy and Scooby before the entire team came to a halt. Shaggy and Scooby procured two tin cans on a string which they began to use to communicate with each other.

“Scooby Doo!” Shaggy called quietly. “Scooby Doo, cane you hear me?”

“Rello Raggy!” Scooby spoke through his can.

“Pinkie Pie reporting here Shaggy!” Pinkie spoke in another can.

Spike, Flurry, and Scrappy faced Pinkie Pie completely confused as to how she ended up with a can phone and they didn’t notice it before.

“Aunt Pinkie, when did you get that can?” Flurry asked.

“You really think I’d let Shaggy and Scooby play can phones without me?” Pinkie responded. “I may have been left out of the shrub game, but not ‘this’.”

All three young ones face-palmed/hoofed and groaned in irritation.

“Like I said, ‘long’ passed ridiculous,” Flurry sighed.

“No kidding!” Spike and Scrappy said in unison.

“Like focus you guys!” Shaggy called to everyone. “Wickles has led us into a terrifying ghost town!”

“Rhost rown?” Scooby asked.

“Yes, a ghost town!”

Hearing the confirmation, Scooby gave a huge holler that rang through the air. Scooby and Shaggy both hid back in their bushes, while Pinkie and the three little ones quickly hid behind an old car. And right on time, as Wickles turned back to look at whoever just screamed.

“Darn bushes yowling at me again,” Wickles muttered to himself.

The old man went on till he was officially out of sight. Shaggy and Scooby climbed out of their bushes, while the others came out from behind the car. Slowly, they quietly snuck off in search of him.

“Where do you think he went?” Spike asked.

“Like I have no idea dude,” Shaggy shrugged.

“Maybe we should look around here,” Flurry suggested. “I’m sure we’ll find him somewhere.”

The group entered an old mining storage building that seemed to be falling apart at the seams. They looked around but it seemed Wickles vanished into thin air.

“Like, where did Old Man Nutjob go?” Shaggy wondered.

“He has to be around here somewhere,” Scrappy responded.

“Ooh, I know!” Pinkie guessed. “Maybe there’s a super-secret passage somewhere he used to escape!”

“Considering our luck, like that might just be true,” Shaggy nodded.

The group quietly snuck through the warehouse, where they were only visible whenever they passed a series of windows allowing moonlight upon them. Passing the first window, all seemed normal as the group crept along. Passing the next window, Shaggy held Scooby in his arms in terror. Passing the third, the entire group held each other in a pile with Spike carrying them all along his shoulder.

“Now I know how Twilight felt back at the Castle of the Two Sisters!” He groaned, beneath the weight.

As they passed under the next window, things got a little spooky. Scooby now carried Shaggy, only he also carried one of the two skeleton men now completely alive. Shaggy and the monster both screamed at each other and fell. The monster tried going after them but fell on the floor and seemed to fall apart.

“Everypony, run!!!” Flurry yelled.

“Run, guys, it’s a ‘skelly’ thing!” Shaggy added, in panic.

“Hah! I’m not scared of skeletons!” Scrappy said determined. “Come on bonehead, put up your dukes!”

But Scooby picked Scrappy up and placed him on his back, as the entire group ran in panic. Unfortunately, Scooby didn’t pay attention to where he was going and tripped on something which caused both him and Scrappy to fly through the air and crashed near an old pickaxe. But the weird thing is how this pickaxe seemed connected to the ground and when leaning the other way, a secret compartment in the wall opened and revealed an old elevator.

“AH-HAH!!!” Pinkie pointed. “I knew a secret passage was here somewhere!”

“Wow, I did not expect that to happen,” Scrappy said confused.

“Relevator!” Scooby said.

“Wow Scoob!” Spike congratulated. “For once your clumsiness actually saved our lives!”

“Good work pal,” Shaggy spoke quickly. “Now let’s skedaddle!”

They quickly rushed through the door into the open elevator. Spike pressed the button quickly and it proceeded to go down. Where it would take them, none could possibly fathom. But anywhere away from those skeletons would be good enough for them.

Meanwhile…

The Mystery Machine, with the rest of the gang inside, rolling into the mining town and pulled to a complete stop. Stepping out, they all looked around at the deserted old joint.

“The place reminds me of Appleloosa,” Rainbow remarked. “Except this looks more like a dump!”

“Normally ah’d be one tah disagree,” Applejack nodded, looking around. “But this time, ya really do have a point there hun.”

“So, what’s your assessment Velmster?” Fred asked Velma.

“This place seems harmless enough,” Velma responded.

But it was rather clear from the tone of Velma’s voice that she seemed ‘out of this world’.

“I mean regarding whether the masked figure would be getting his randomonium here at the mines,” Fred clarified.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Velma apologized. “I’m just worried about Patrick. He seemed so upset when he left.”

“Well, I’m not surprised,” Fluttershy spoke up. “His museum was robbed twice after all. Poor guy put a lot of hard work into it. It would make any pony feel upset.”

“And… he doesn’t like me,” Velma frowned.

“O-kay…” Fred spoke awkwardly. “So your assessment is?’

“Love stinks!” Velma sulked.

Hearing her say this made Cadance shake her head, as she slowly trotted alongside her.

“Velma, it only didn’t go well because you tried being someone you’re not,” She spoke calmly. “I told you if you want Patrick to like you, you should’ve just been yourself. He asked you out back at the museum not because you’re a mysterious jetsetter. It’s because you were just being… you.”

For once in her smart life, Velma Dinkley actually felt stupid for not listening to the wisest advice she probably ever got.

“I don’t know why I didn’t just listen to you Cadance,” She sighed.

Cadance hovered off the ground and gave Velma a reassuring pat on the back.

“Don’t worry now Velma,” She smiled. “There will still be opportunities to make this right. Just make sure to be yourself next time.”

“Fred?” Daphne frowned. “Do you think I’m just a pretty face?”

“No… I mean, yes. I mean, not fat!” Fred stammered. “Definitely not fat. Is this sort of what you’re looking for?”

“Please just stop!” Shining warned. “You keep talking, it’ll get worse.”

“Fat?” Daphne frowned. “Why would you even use that word?”

“I’m staying out of this,” Rainbow muttered.

Fred soon looked over and came toward the window, as he saw Old Man Wickles talking with someone. Rainbow soon came over the window and saw what he saw.

“Never again will they underestimate us,” Wickles informed. “That’s right. I’ve gathered you here today for something big. At last, all these years of careful planning have culminated in this one glorious moment.”

“So… he’s the man in the mask,” Rainbow thought to herself.

Turning toward Fred, they collectively nod their hears and approached Wickles along with the others.

“Aha!” Fred yelled. “Old Man Wickles, caught red-handed in your foul monster-making scheme. With your ugly, evil henchmen.”

The others stepped out of the shadows, revealing themselves to be… plain, old men in suits.

“Hecnhmen?” One man replied. “Young man, we’re investors, and we’re listening to his pitch. Shh!”

“What the--?” Rainbow asked, out of confusion.

She looked over and saw Wickles preventing some form of model to his investors.

“So as I was saying, the Old Tyme Mining Town, a summer camp for kids where they can have an authentic mining experience,” Old Man Wickles informed. “They can dig for eighteen hours straight, just like in the golden days of yore. They have the time of their lives, and we get free miners!”

“Oh, he cannot be serious…” Rarity grumbled.

“Shh!” The men shushed her.

“Hmph!” Rarity pouted.

“All right… Mr. Wickles, we need to ask you a few questions,” Twilight questioned. “We know you have something to do with these monster attacks.”

“I don’t know nothing about no monsters,” Old Man Wickles defended.

“Then how come there was randamonium on the floor of your mansion?” Daphne questioned.

“There’s randamonium all over the place,” Old Man Wickles explained. “I come home with it in my shorts.”

“Are you continuing the work of your old pal Jonathan Jacobo?” Fred inquired.

“Old pal? Jacobo? We hated each other!” Old Man Wickles replied. “In the prison cafeteria, he used to steal my Tater Tots! And he got the lead in ‘My Fair Lady’!”

“This is getting’ mighty awkward,” Applejack said.

“Anything else?” Old Man Wickles asked.

“Well… any reason why there was a monster book at your place?” Rarity asked nervously.

“Wait a second… you’re the runts what vandalized my home,” Old Man Wickles accused. “Which one of you stole my toilet brush?”

This now seemed like a waste of time for the men.

“Well gentlemen, I believe we’ve seen quite enough,” The man in charge said. “I’m sorry, Jeremiah.”

The men picked up their briefcases and proceeded to leave.

“What happened?” Wickles asked confused. “I haven’t finished. Wait, fellas!”

Meanwhile…

Back in the elevator, the Goof squad continued their descent further into the Earth. As they went further down, they took notice of a giant room with tables filled with test tubes, beakers, and all assortment of scientific materials.

“Wowee, you guys!” Shaggy beamed. “I think we’re onto something. It’s like a huge laboratory.”

“Wow, and I thought Aunt Twilight had a huge science lab,” Flurry marveled.

The elevator finally hit the ground, and soon everyone emerged from it. Just as they did, it sprung to life and made its way back up.

“There goes out way up,” Spike pointed out.

No one really seemed to mind though, as they were too fixated on the massive amount of scientific research before them.

“Jeez… there’s so many chemicals…” Scrappy observed.

“Yeah, this place is like Clue-topia!” Shaggy added.

“We better not mess with any of them,” Flurry warned. “We don’t know what might happen.”

Scooby passed by what looked like a mirror, until he saw a handle and stood upon his hind legs to open it.

“Refrigerator!” He said excitedly.

Quickly pulling the refrigerator open, his eyes quickly caught sight of a yellow substance in a beaker on the top shelf.

“Remondade!”

Scooby quickly took a taste of the yellow stuff and the moment he did, a strange metamorphosis took place which no one else took notice of, as they were preoccupied with observing the large vault door on the wall before them.

“Well, whatever’s hiding behind there, someone really doesn’t want anyone getting in,” Spike observed, testing the door.

“I wonder what’s back there,” Flurry pondered.

“Maybe it’s their private candy stash!” Pinkie smiled.

Both Spike and Flurry looked toward Pinkie with ‘Really?!’ looks.

“What? That’s what I’d do if I wanted to keep my candy a secret.”

“No offense Aunt Pinkie, but I think someone’s hiding something more important than candy in that vault,” Flurry told her.

“More important than candy?” Pinkie said offended. “I don’t believe such a thing even exists!”

“Check it out!” Shaggy smiled, before facing his best friend. “Look at those weird letters, Scoob.”

Everyone turned around and their eyes immediately went wide soon as they noticed Scooby Doo had changed into an obese monster with two large eye stocks and tentacles.

“Raggy?” Scooby asked.

“Scooby… what did you do now?!” Spike groaned.

“He must have found something in that fridge and drank out of it,” Scrappy rolled his eyes.

“You don’t eat stuff that glows,” Shaggy told Scooby. “Like, there’s got to be an antidote in here somewhere.”

“You’re right!” Flurry nodded. “Let’s find it!”

“Here… try this Scoob!”

Shaggy offered Scooby a beaker with a dark blue substance.

“Looks medicinal to me,” Pinkie replied.

Scooby tried some while Shaggy spotted some on his fingers and licked it off.

“Hmm… tastes like strawberries…” Shaggy commented.

Just then, they both began to spasm uncontrollably as even more transformations took place.

“I don’t think that’s an antidote,” Spike commented.

“You don’t say,” Flurry rolled her eyes.

“I’m okay, guys,” Shaggy sighed thankfully.

However, soon as he looked at his reflection, he was horrified to discover he now had a woman’s body. The young ones looked at him with wide eyes and their jaws dropped.

“That’s disturbing…” Scrappy muttered.

“Yes, yes, it is,” Spike and Flurry spoke in unison.

“I got a chick’s body!” Shaggy exclaimed.

Scooby then appeared to be transformed into a certain Looney Tune.

“Rime the Razmanian Revil!” Scooby whimpered.

“Oh hey, I like that guy!” Pinkie smiled. “He’s so funny…”

“No time for fangirling, Auntie Pinkie Pie!” Flurry exclaimed. “We must help them!”

The three quickly raced over to the fridge and started rummaging through every shelf for the right vial. Spike grabbed hold of a light blue one and handed it to Shaggy. Shaggy quickly threw some toward Scooby and drank some more before hurling it over his shoulder. Unfortunately, some of it dropped onto Scrappy, Spike, and Flurry in the process. The results caused Spike to take on his own… pony form?

Flurry Heart assumed her own human form....

And Scrappy took the form of a giant, monster dog.

The three of them looked in horror over their new forms, while Pinkie looked on with interest. As Flurry waved her new hands in front of her face, Spike clopped his little hooves on the stone floor.

“Well… I always wondered what it be like as a pony,” Spike remarked.

“Is this how it feels to be human?” Flurry asked.

She took a brief step, but nearly lost her balance… luckily Pinkie was able to catch her before she fell.

“Take it easy there slugger!” Pinkie smiled. “First steps are not easy when it comes to being a ‘people’ person. Trust me… I’ve had practice.”

“This is not the kind of Puppy power I had in mind,” Scrappy spoke, looking at himself. “Can this day get any stranger?”

Suddenly, Scrappy’s abs instantly plopped into a beer gut, and he looked down with annoyance.

“Aside from ‘this’?”

“Check it out, dudes!”

Another deep voice drew the gang toward Shaggy… only now he looked like a high school wrestler with the most massive arms and shoulders they’ve ever seen.

“I’m buff!”

“We can see that,” Flurry smiled nervously.

Meanwhile, Scooby shifted from a looney devil into some form of an intelligent scientist, complete with an Einstein-style haircut.

“My God! It seems as if I’ve become ludicrously intelligent!” Scooby spoke, normally. “It’s awful! I long for the blissful ignorance of my former self. Chasing cats, licking my own rear end, eating my own vomit. Oh, those were wonderful times.”

“Uh… yeah…” Scrappy spoke awkwardly. “Whatever you say Uncle Scoob.”

“Check out my pecs, little man!” Shaggy smirked to Scooby.

“Suddenly, I miss the old Shaggy,” Flurry pouted.

“So do we…” Spike agreed, studying the chemicals.

“Please, allow me,” Scooby replied, handling the chemicals responsibly.

“What are you going to do with those?” Spike asked.

“This is a highly combustible synthesis,” Scooby replied.

“A what…?” Shaggy asked.

“He’s going to change us back to normal,” Spike translated. “Well… was fun being a pony while it lasted.”

“I don’t know…” Pinkie replied. “I wouldn’t say this would be the ‘last’ reference… wink-wink.”

“No way, geek!” Shaggy shouted.

All of a sudden, Shaggy reached for the antidote vial much to everyone’s shock.

“What’re you doing?!” Flurry exclaimed.

“I’m gonna stay this way forever!”

“HIT THE DECK!!!” Scrappy yelled.

Monster Scrappy tackled Flurry and Spike to the side of the room, as Pinkie quickly ducked into the refrigerator to hide, as Shaggy chucked the vial toward a wall and…

*BOOM!!!*

The remainder of the Scooby Gang, along with the Equestrians, heard the commotion. They quickly went to check it out, as Old Man Wickles looked toward them. As for their friends, well…

“Luckily that wasn’t the antidote,” Flurry coughed.

“Ugh…” Rainbow coughed, waving the smoke. “What happened in here?”

“This ‘Schwarzeneggian oaf’ almost destroyed us,” Scooby replied, logically.

“Go boom!” Shaggy chuckled.

“Oi!” Spike groaned.

“Oh, you are an embarrassment!” Scooby added.

He made his friend drink the antidote and gave himself some, changing back to… somewhatnormal. Scooby grunted once he fell on the floor with Scooby.

“That was almost exactly like my freshman year in college,” Shaggy grunted.

“At least you two are back to normal!” Scrappy said.

“Guys!”

The three youngsters turned around and their eyes widened in shock when they saw Twilight Sparkle and all the other ponies were staring in complete shock of their transformation. Flurry blushed heavily as she tried hiding behind her hair (Like a certain pony), while Scrappy rubbed his arm awkwardly. As for Spike, he chuckled nervously while scuffing a hind hoof on the ground.

“Uh, heh-heh… uh, hi… Twilight!” Spike smiled awkwardly.

“What are you guys doing here?!” Daphne asked. “You’re supposed to be sick, Scooby!”

“It’s… a miracle?” Flurry shrugged.

“I invented a potion!” Scooby smiled.

“You guys are in serious trouble!” Shining spoke sternly. “And where’s Pinkie Pie?!”

Suddenly, the refrigerator door came open and a moan was heard from inside. The group peered deeply into the fridge and their eyes widened as a figure emerged. Pinkie Pie came out before the group… only she was ‘not’ quite herself.

“Hiya guys!” Pinkie Pie greeted. “Boy, you wouldn’t believe what just happened—”

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” The group screamed, wide eyed.

“What? What’s everypony screaming at?” Pinkie asked confused.

She closed the refrigerator and soon spotted her altered reflection on the door.

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!” Pinkie screamed. “That’s the most hideous creature I’ve ever seen… oh wait, that’s me. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

“Turn her back! Turn her back!” Rainbow muttered. “TURN HER BACK!!!”

Twilight quickly went into action and cast a magic beam toward Pinkie Pie, exploding her with a great *POOF!!!*. Seconds later, Pinkie Pie was back to her… somewhat normal self.

“Aw… sweet, sweet comic relief!” Pinkie smiled, hugging herself. “I’m never letting myself go again!”

“Well, least that solves one problem…” Spike replied.

*POOF!*

The three youngsters were also hit by Twilight’s magic spell which reverted them back into their original forms… much to Spike’s chagrin.

“Ah, rats!” Spike frowned.

“We will talk about this later Spike…” Twilight warned.

“Pinkie Pie, you said that you were going to watch the kids!” Shining argued. “You promised you’d be responsible!”

“But I have been!” Pinkie argued. “I’ve had my eyes on them the whole time… from the potions mishap, finding this dirty mining town, the trip to the ‘Faux Ghost’…”

“You went to the Faux Ghost?!” The Scooby Gang asked, in shock.

“Uh… oops!” Pinkie smiled.

“Oh boy…” Scrappy shook his head.

While their friends gave the goofs the scolding a lifetime, Twilight Sparkle and Velma discovered some writing and walked over to investigate.

“You lied to us!” Fred scolded. “We’re a team. You don’t just go off half-cocked doing whatever you want.”

“Team?! Is that what we are?” Flurry asked, losing her temper. “Because you sure don’t treat us like part of the team… in fact, none of you have treated us like teammates since this whole mystery began!”

“You watch your tone young lady!” Shining Armor warned. “You know better than to go wandering off in some place you don’t know! This only proves you’re not ready to go off on one of these crazy adventures…”

“Now, now, let’s just calm down!” Cadance cut in. “We’re all together now… let’s just live in the now…”

“You know what Dad!” Flurry argued, ignoring her mom. “Just because you’re the Captain of the Guard, doesn’t mean you know everything! You tell me I should be safe, but you don’t teach me to defend myself!”

“Don’t you dare speak to me that way, little filly—”

“I am not the same baby alicorn who blew up the Crystal Heart, Dad! I know you still secretly blame me for that incident; I know why you still won’t let me use my full powers! Why must you still treat me like a helpless filly?”

“BECAUSE YOU ARE, FLURRY HEART!!!”

Shining Armor immediately gasped and blocked his mouth… but it was already too late. Flurry Heart stared in shock toward her father, her eyes widened with surprise. But she said no other word but turned her face away in shame. Of course, she wasn’t the only one appalled for some of the ponies (Especially Applejack and Cadance) looked on with shame… mostly toward Shining Armor. Before tensions continue to rise, Twilight Spoke up.

“Guys… you better take a look at this.”

This made everyone turn over and drop the subject… for now.

“’Beware who enters the Monster Hive’,” Velma read aloud, approaching another secret room. “’Inside your fears will come alive’.”

“You can read all that?” Rarity asked.

“You know me, I can read just about anything,” Velma replied, adjusting her glasses.

“Look!” Fred pointed out. “It’s the costumes from the museum!”

Sure enough, low and behold, all the stolen costumes were there by some weird mechanical contraption.

“They’re all here!” Fluttershy said.

“Zombie,” Velma muttered.

“Miner 49er,” Daphne added.

“Captain Cutler,” Shaggy gasped.

“The Tar Monster,” Scrappy said.

“He must have used the costumes to make real monsters,” Velma began. “Which implies—”

“He needs the costumes to make the monsters,” Fred added. “Which implies—”

“He already had a Pterodactyl Ghost costume somehow,” Daphne added. “Which implies—”

“Patrick’s the one,” Velma mumbled.

“Aw, Velma’s in love,” Daphne sighed, misunderstanding.

“No! I mean ‘the one’. The bad guy. That’s why he wanted to go out with me. To see what we knew!”

“I seriously doubt Patrick’s the villain behind this mystery,” Cadance spoke up. “He doesn’t exactly seem like the type of person to mastermind an army of monsters.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” Flurry muttered. “Not after seeing him when we left the Faux Ghost.”

“Flurry’s right,” Shaggy vouched. “We just saw Patrick at the bad guys’ hang-out. He was working both sides of Psycho Street.”

“And he seemed a little aggressive,” Scrappy added.

“Not to mention kind of scary,” Spike concluded.

“I don’t know who’s behind this, but we don’t need him transforming more costumes,” Fred informed the others. “Let’s find a way to shut down this monster-maker for good.”

There was a flashing red light just behind him, but he didn’t even notice it.

“There’s something over there!” Shining said, noting the red light.

Everyone else looked over and followed the strange light. Scooby and the others were about to follow, albeit slowly, when Shaggy stopped them.

“Psst! Guys!” Shaggy whispered. “We’re the ones that found this place. Score one for the big guys! Now we need to keep acting like mondo-groovy detectives. Come on.”

“Rokay,” Scooby nodded.

“We’ll need to find out how this think makes real monsters,” Scrappy said.

“Could be anything,” Shaggy shrugged.

The young detective nearly tripped and stepped on something. All of a sudden, a machine to come down as a couple costumes began to move. The group looked down and noticed Shaggy had stepped on some trigger of sorts.

“I may not be the smartest dragon around, but I think this might be the thing!” Spike observed.

“Great… all we need to do is take this thing off,” Flurry declared. “Last thing we need are more real monsters.”

But unfortunately, they spoke too soon when Shaggy and Scooby came to the machine.

“Shaggy! Scooby! NO!” Scrappy panicked.

But as he knew, somehow those blokes would find a way to mess up somehow… and boy was he right. Soon as they started pushing several buttons on the panel, they messed with it so much that every sound it made generated some form of music. The three could only watch as they started doing their own ‘theme song’ to this slightly catchy beat.

“I’m starting to wonder who’re the ‘real’ adults between us,” Scrappy face-pawed.

As the trio watched their pals mess around, what they failed to notice was that every costume put through the machine soon generated into real monsters, slowly coming together ready to terrorize Coolsville shortly. Shadowy silhouettes began to form over the group, Spike turned around for a brief second only to catch the growing mass of monsters before them.

“Uh… guys?” Spike spoke up.

“Like, what is it, Spike?” Shaggy asked.

“M-M-M-M-Monsters!” Scrappy stuttered.

“Huh?” Shaggy asked, turning around with Scooby.

“You’ve plagued us all!” Flurry cried out.

“We have… to remain… calm,” Shaggy smiled nervously.

But the monsters slowly stalking toward them was more than enough for Scooby to scream.

“Calm, Scooby-Doo!” Shaggy spoke. “You’re not being calm!”

Scooby then proceeded to slap Shaggy.

“I needed that.”

Scooby slapped him again.

“I needed that, too,” Shaggy smiled.

Then Scooby slapped him yet again… though more like punched him.

“You’re pushing your luck, Scoob!” Shaggy glared slightly.

Soon the monsters began their slow approach, which worried Shaggy, Scooby, and the rest of their friends. Scrappy began to growl toward the monsters, doing his best to come off as intimidating. But one look from all the monsters and they all laughed at him. Seeing them make a mockery out of him, Scrappy sighed in defeat.

“There are times I wish I was slightly taller,” Scrappy frowned.

“Did you guys find any—”

Fred had just begun to ask, as he approached with the others, before the monsters came into his sight. He froze as all the monsters glared at them.

“… thing…?”

“H-H-He did it…” Scooby pointed to Shaggy.

“The good news is: We found out what makes the monsters real,” Spike informed.

“Disconnect the control panel!” Velma suggested. “Maybe it’ll stop the machine!”

Fred soon raced to see what he could do to help and slid along the stairway railings.

“We’ll keep the monsters from getting closer,” Rainbow called out.

While Rainbow and the ponies handled some of the monsters, Fred grabbed for the control panel. Fred barely ducked a breath of fire emanating from one of the ghosts. Captain Cutler unsheathed his own weapon and reached to strike Fred. Luckily for him, Applejack caught his weapon with her lasso providing Fred enough time to pass the other ghosts after grabbing the control panel. Twilight, Cadance, Shining Armor, and Rarity used their magic beams to keep some of the monsters at bay, but they knew this would not last forever.

“Every pony, run!” Twilight yelped.

Fred dodged some crossbow arrows hurling toward him, racing as fast as he could from the monsters. Soon the two teams are on the run with monsters of Mystery Inc.’s past on the hunt.

“Come on, this way!” Shaggy called out. “Quick, the elevator!”

They kept running as fast as their legs could carry them. All of a sudden, a ghost made entirely out of electricity stops them at their feet.

“Sweet Celestia, what is that?!” Rarity yelled.

“The 10,000 Volt Ghost!” Scrappy gasped.

“Go, go, go!” Twilight cried out.

They quickly rushed around the ghost into the elevator for a hasty escape.

“We’re gonna die!” Shaggy gasped.

“Think positive!” Daphne told him.

“We’re gonna die quickly!” Shaggy replied.

“That’s not positive!” Fluttershy called out.

“Waaait for me!” The 10,000 Volt Ghost chuckled.

With his electrical abilities, he fired a few electric shocks sprouting a few explosions around them. They were soon back outside shortly after escaping the elevator. They just reached a dumpster when the one-eyed skeleton monsters emerged.

“Oh, come on!” Rarity complained.

“Ooh, my life just keeps better and better,” Twilight muttered.

Soon everyone was running off in different directions trying to escape all the monsters.

“Come on, guys!” Fred called out, midrunning.

“We’re comin’ ya’ll!” Applejack yelled.

“An exit!” Shaggy gasped.

“Shaggy, wait!!!” Spike yelled out.

But Shaggy already opened the door only to find… nothing. He fell out with Scooby, as Scrappy Doo jumped behind them with Spike and Flurry flying toward them. Shaggy and Scooby landed hard on the ground, while Scrappy landed nimbly on his feet and the other youngsters hovered over them. Flurry and Spike lifted their friends to their feet, and they proceeded to make a break for it. The skeletal monsters raced after them, though they had it harder than the cowardly duo themselves.

“STOP THEM!” The evil masked figure commanded. “Destroy the city if you have to but get me that control panel! With it, they can destroy everything I’ve set out to do.”

Shaggy, Scooby, Scrappy, Flurry, and Spike were racing out of the mining town only to find themselves at the edge of a deep cliff.

“Just our luck!” Scrappy gasped. “Trapped between a cliff and a pair of living dog bones!”

“Spike and I can just fly down to the road easily,” Flurry pointed out. “But how will you guys get down?”

It was then Shaggy spotted some trashcan lids and quickly grabbed one.

“Let’s rip it, Scoob!” Shaggy called out. “ZOINKS!”

With a daring leap, Shaggy hopped over the edge and skid along the rocky surface on the lid like snowboarding off a dry surface. Scooby proceeded to grab another lid, as Scrappy hopped upon his uncle’s back. With a mighty holler, Scooby jumped off the cliff while Scrappy held on tightly around his uncle’s collar. Spike and Flurry flew behind their friends without hesitation before the skeleton men got close.

But not willing to give up, the Red-Eyed skeleton turned to his confused, Green-Eyed companion and with one swift kick instantly transformed his gullible compatriot into a make-shift bone-sled. And with that the Skeletons were in hot pursuit of the Goof squad, who were having a heck of a time on this down-slope ride.

“We’re getting rad!” Shaggy called out.

“You could say… this pipe’s ripping!” Spike added.

“Please… stop!” Flurry muttered.

“Heads up guys!” Scrappy looked back. “Over there!”

Sure enough, the skeleton men were gaining on them with the red-eyed member using a set of arms to peddle down like skis. Scooby, with Scrappy hanging on, back-pedaled like a swimming form while Shaggy sled down another path, hopping over a slope for extra speed. At some point, the skeleton men were trying to reach for Scooby by any means with Scrappy doing everything he could to defend his uncle even as one skull held onto his uncle’s tail.

Eventually, Scooby and Scrappy found themselves in a position where they were riding the lid like a unicycle dodging trees and boulders they’d risk crashing into. Eventually, through this zany turn of events, Scooby grabbed onto a branch and swung over the skeleton beasts so now the doggy pair were following the skeleton people instead.

“Hiya boys!” Scrappy waved.

Distracted for a brief moment, the skeleton men failed to dodge a tree in their path and crashed violently shattering into pieces. One of the skulls ended up in Scrappy’s paw.

“To be or not to be, that is the question…” Scrappy quoted. “And… I’m bored!”

Scrappy hurled the skull aside and the dogs quickly hopped off the lid right on the edge of the cliff, watching the lid fall.

“SCOOBY!!!” Shaggy and the others called out.

By the time the dogs turned around, Shaggy barreled into Scrappy and Scooby. The trio flew through the air screaming with Flurry and Spike struggling to reach them. In the nick of time, the Mystery Machine pulled up right in front of them, the van door opened, and they barreled into the vehicle with a heavy crash.

“Are you guys okay?” Cadance asked, concerned.

“Sure, as long as you define ‘okay’ as in ‘massive agony’,” Shaggy whimpered.

“Reah…” Scooby groaned.

Shining and Cadance both tended to Flurry Heart, who still refused to look at her father. Twilight helped Spike back into a seated position.

“So… what’s the plan now?” Spike asked.

“We should get back to headquarters,” Fred suggested.

“No!” Velma told him. “That’ll be the first place they’ll look for us.”

“Then where do we go?” Twilight asked.

“I think ‘I’ know where to go.”

Soon the Mystery Machine drove off, hoping to find someplace safe away from the monsters. But little did they know, with an army of monsters now loose and set to be unleashed upon Coolsville… this night was about to get very worse.

Troubling Times

Back in Coolsville, the citizens went about their normal lives completely unaware of the horror making its way toward their front door. Currently, a large amount of daily commuters found themselves stuck in a massive traffic jam holding up the entire street. Many of them honked their horns in irritation while others voiced their frustration rather loudly.

Sounds like us on a daily basis, doesn’t it?

You have absolutely no idea, man.

Oh… I believe I do.

“Move that worthless piece of tin!” A man yelled, honking his horn.

While the many denizens worried themselves with the traffic, an even larger threat loomed behind them. A giant, ghostly pirate ship glided through the air directly over the citizens, who all looked in horror at the sight directly over their heads. The other citizens panicked and ran as fast as they could. Aboard the ghost ship were the evil masked figure, Chrysalis, and the spirit of Sombra observing the chaos below with wicked satisfaction.

“Citizens!” The masked figure stated loudly. “Turn in Mystery Inc. Your reward: We’ll let you live!”

The evil masked figure laughed darkly as the Tar Monster rose up from the street below, taking the form of a giant monstrous hand before regaining its original form.

“My monsters can make life very unpleasant.”

The Tar Monster spread his tar all across the street, trapping any unfortunate souls in its grasp as the ghost ship floated overhead.

“Find me Mystery Inc… NOW!!!”

Back in the Mystery Machine, the gang and the Equestrians continued their way to the safe location Velma told them about. All the while, they watched Heather Jasper Howe give an emergency update on events transpiring in Coolsville.

“Heather Jasper-Howe with an emergency update for Investigative Probe. A monster army has invaded Coolsville. Angry citizens have gathered outside Mystery Inc.’s offices in protest. They’re insisting the gang cooperate with the Evil Masked Figure’s demands.”

“Wow, things are getting worse by the minute,” Twilight sighed.

“You’d think in times of crisis like this everyone would band together to fight this,” Rarity spoke.

“Oh, they are banding together all right,” Rainbow frowned. “Against us!”

“Well, mainly against them,” Pinkie gestured to Mystery Inc.

This caused the entire gang to look back at Pinkie with heated glares. Pinkie chuckled nervously before ducking back down and everyone returned their attention to the screen. Before their eyes, the crowd angrily chanted and even called Mystery Inc. ‘Mystery Stink’. They then screamed and ducked as the Pterodactyl Ghost flew over them.

In the meantime, the Zombie started running rampant through the crowd and the whole thing broke into full blown panic. But that did not stop one determined newsman to have an interview with the creature.

“Excuse me, sir,” A newsman asked. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

The zombie snarled and hurled all over him, much to his disgust and dismay. Suffice to say, Scooby found what the zombie did hilarious. The Great Dane laughed a bit before noticing everyone glaring at him and shrunk down alongside Pinkie, who merely patted his shoulder.

“I beg you, Mystery Inc., if you can hear me, turn yourselves in!” Heather begged onscreen.

“But if we do, he’ll get the control panel back,” Fred spoke. “And the city will be in worse shape.”

“We’d be playing into his hands,” Daphne agreed.

“Not to mention we’d be giving ourselves in to Chrysalis and Sombra,” Shining shook his head. “Celestia only knows what those two will do.”

“And Equestria as we know would cease to exist!” Cadance nodded.

“Please, for our city’s sake…”

The sound of screaming on air caused every camera to turn toward the door only to see the Black Knight knock it down.

“Sorry… you’re cancelled.”

And then… the screen went dark as everything went off the air and all in the Mystery Machine looked on in shock and fear. The entire city was overrun by monsters at this very moment, and it seemed they were failing to do ‘anything’ to help. It was unknown right now how things could possibly get worse, but they were pretty certain they’d find it.

After driving for quite a while, deep in the woods outside Coolsville, the Mystery Machine finally pulled up along an old shack near the edge of a lake. Everyone eventually got out of the van and looked at the old place.

“So, what is this place?” Twilight asked.

“I’ll tell you what it is,” Rainbow replied. “A dump!”

As everyone emerged one by one, Shaggy helped Velma out of the van.

“The old high school clubhouse,” Velma informed. “We should be safe here.”

This caused Rainbow to freeze and stammer.

“Uh, and by dump I mean—uh—I’m so sorry.”

“Real smooth hon,” Applejack sighed.

“The place looks like it hasn’t been used in ages,” Rarity observed.

“We haven’t been here in years,” Daphne told her.

Fred, on the other hand, seemed a little distant and miserable compared to the others. A pout was on his face as he sat inside the van.

“Freddy, are you okay?” Daphne asked, concerned. “Do you wanna talk?”

“Talking’s for wimps,” Fred pouted. “It’s time for action.”

As Fred emerged from the van at last, the rest of the gang made their way into the old clubhouse. All… except for Scooby, Shaggy, Scrappy, and even Spike. They just stayed outside, sitting together in the back of the Mystery Machine.

“You know guys, this Evil Masked Figure is turning Coolsville into Ghoulsville,” Shaggy sulked. “And the gang is totally taking a hit for it.”

“Reah…” Scooby frowned.

“And what’s worse is that it’s all because of us,” Scrappy sighed.

“So much for trying to become an actual hero,” Spike frowned. “Now the only I’ll be known for is helping Chrysalis and Sombra create a monster army. Hmph… story of my life.”

“Like, this is the most ‘our faultiest screw-up ever’, Scoob,” Shaggy declared.

Scooby whimpered as he laid his head on Shaggy’s shoulder, while everyone else went up to the clubhouse unaware of the boys’ melancholy.

The clubhouse lights switched on soon as Velma pulled the switch on an old generator. As their eyes adjusted, they looked around the old place.

“At least the lights still work,” Fluttershy said.

“Sure does,” Velma replied, opening a hatch. “Oh, look. All my old tools!”

“After all our so-called success, we’re back in this old fire trap,” Fred groaned.

It was then Fred’s eyes caught sight of an old picture frame and picked it up. The picture itself was of Fred and the others that would become Mystery Inc. Of course, the kids (And even Scooby) were much younger and way before they became famous. But this photo… that brought back memories. Hanging out at the park, playing frisbee together, and the one time they could actually be just regular kids. The Equestrians approached Fred’s side and eyed the picture in his hands.

“You guys look so… uh… young…” Shining commented.

“Shining!” Cadance quietly scolded.

“It’s alright, Cadance,” Velma told her. “That was a long time ago.”

“The truth is… we’ve been solving mysteries long before the Black Knight ghost,” Daphne recalled sadly. “Of course, back then, we used to solve mysteries for the love of them. We had no reason to prove anything to anyone because just doing it is what kept us all together.”

“Yeah… and the mysteries all seemed to unravel themselves,” Velma nodded. “Sometimes the answers would just appear like magic.”

“Trust me sugarcube, we know exactly what y’all mean,” Applejack responded. “Ah can’t even tell ya the number ah times that’s happened to us.”

Flurry soon spotted something that resembled an old invention. Fred gazed at the picture, sighing in nostalgia of the good old days as Daphne and Velma came to his sides. Twilight turned back and noticed Flurry admiring the old invention. Curious herself, she approached her side.

“Whatcha got there, Flurry?” Twilight asked.

“It looks like the panel from the lab,” Flurry answered, sniffing the invention. “That scent smells… familiar.”

At that moment, Shining Armor stepped over and gently pushed Flurry aside.

“Listen Flurry, maybe it’s best if you just went and take a seat somewhere,” He told her. “Leave the work to the grown-ups.”

“Dad…”

“No!” Shining spoke sternly. “You’ve done way more than enough tonight. Sneaking out, going to a villain’s club, nearly getting blown up by potions. Need I really say more?”

Flurry’s lower lip quivered, as she tried to keep the tears from spilling.

“Y-Y-You know what…” Flurry stammered. “I’ve said nothing but positive things about you and mom, even after all the troubles we’ve had, and what do I get in return? You yell at me! Thank you so much…”

And then Flurry abruptly turned around and walked off, slightly stunning Shining Armor over how his daughter spoke to him. Twilight Sparkle and Applejack looked toward Shining with their own glares.

“What?” Shining asked.

“You can really just be unbelievable sometimes, you know that?” Twilight huffed in agitation.

Twilight just huffed and walked toward Velma as Applejack shook her head at Shining.

“Take it from a mare who has a younger sibling,” Applejack began. “I’ll admit I’m guilty of bein’ overprotective too. So can Rarity… and even Rainbow Dash. But if discouragin’ lil’ Flurry is all ya ever do, that’s all she’s ever gonna know! And that’s how she’ll be when she starts havin’ youngin’s!”

“If she has kids…” Pinkie spoke up.

One look from Applejack and Pinkie immediately zipped her lips, even throwing the ‘zipper’ away. She then turned back toward Shining for a moment, shook her head, and said nothing more before joining Rainbow Dash.

“I’m trying to do the right thing!” Shining called out. “… Am I?”

No pony answered him, not even his own wife. He just stood in his place pondering over everything, the shame spreading along his face when no one was looking. As Twilight sighed in frustration, she looked at the device alongside Velma.

“Can you tell me what this is Velma?” Twilight asked.

“Hey… my first multiple-resonance imaging device,” Velma smiled. “Made out of a crystal radio and old video games.”

All of a sudden, Velma’s eyes widened in realization as if she suddenly felt inspired.

“Wait a minute… randamonium has an algorithmic cross-currency of negative 4.121. With it, maybe… well, just maybe—”

“Okay hold up!” Rainbow butted in. “Before you go ‘any’ further, can the rest be explained in a language every pony can understand? Please?”

“We could reverse the current,” Fred informed. “And therefore, reverse the monster making process.”

“Precisely!” Velma told him. “All we need to do is rewire the control panel—”

“Bring it back to the Monster Hive and plug it into the base,” Daphne theorized.

“Right! And push the button—” Velma replied.

“And instead of creating monsters, all the monsters throughout the city will be destroyed!” Daphne concluded, smiling.

“Then we better get to work,” Twilight said elated.

“What are we standing around for slowpokes?” Rainbow piped in. “Let’s go, go, GO!”

Everyone agreed and set themselves to make things right in Coolsville again. Everyone, man, and pony, started working on some form of control panel with Twilight and Velma handling the science and logistics of the machine. Fred, Rainbow, and Shining worked the blowtorch to melt everything together. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Daphne worked together to sort all the different pieces together with Rarity observing the process to make sure all the details were functioning properly.

As Mystery Inc. and the Equestrians rewired the circuits of the control panel, Cadance found Flurry Heart sitting alone on a desk sadly pushing a model Mystery Machine toy across the counter with her magic. She could detect the sadness based on how slouched her shoulders were and the frown upon her face. The elder Princess approached her daughter, sitting quietly beside her.

“Hey Flurry,” She spoke softly. “Something the matter?”

Flurry merely shook her head, pushed the car aside, and turned away.

“N-N-Nothing’s… wrong,” Flurry replied sadly.

All at once, she felt her mother’s wing wrapped around her neck in the most comforting way. When little Flurry turned her head, she could see her mother’s concern as plain as the muzzle upon her face.

“Come on honey, you know you can tell me,” Cadance reassured. “Is this about what happened back at the Monster Hive?”

Flurry nodded her head slowly, as tears streamed from her eyes.

“All I wanted was to be like Auntie Twilight,” Flurry wept. “Brave… strong… the kind of pony who can save the day. But dad… he treats me like I’m still a baby. I understand he’s just worried about me… I do. It’s just… I wish, even ‘just’ once, he’d stop being overprotective.”

Cadance merely kissed her daughter on the forehead, granting her daughter the warmest smile.

“I get he can be overprotective sometimes, but that’s only because he loves you,” She spoke warmly. “One day, he’ll see you can care for yourself and be the great hero you are meant to be. I know that for a fact. I’m really sorry things didn’t work out as you guys hoped; I can only imagine how upset you all must be.”

Hearing this made Flurry scoff.

“I’m sorry momma, but you have absolutely no idea how we feel,” She spoke angrily. “When’s the last time you ‘failed’ to do anything? When’s the last time you, dad, or Aunt Twilight ‘failed’ anything? You can make all the mistakes you want and everything you guys do always turned out great. Every villain you fought was defeated, every friendship problem was solved, and every dispute across Eqeustria just disappeared when you guys step in. You’re the shining example of ‘perfection’… who are you to tell me you understand?”

Cadance was caught off guard by her daughter’s rant, but also understood ‘why’. Throughout the entirety of this trip, all this filly wanted was to prove she’s a strong leader capable of standing on her own hooves alone… just like her mother. She just pulled Flurry closer to herself.

“You know sweetie, ‘we’ really aren’t as great as you think,” Cadance spoke calmly. “Chrysalis trapped me in the Crystal Caves when your father and I were getting married. I never would’ve gotten out on my own if your Aunt hadn’t been dropped in those same caves. Your Aunt Twilight and the others had their own share of problems they could never resolve on their own… and they still have unresolved conflicts to work on. As for your father… well… I can’t even think of a day where he doesn’t screw up at least ‘once’.”

Hearing that actually made Flurry giggle as she leaned into her mother’s embrace, crying softly against her fur coat.

“My point is honey: No matter how hard you try to do the right thing, you’re going to screw up sometimes,” Cadance continued. “It’s all part of growing up to become the strong, dependent pony we strive to be. True… I am disappointed you lied to us and went off tonight, but I’m also extremely proud you took charge trying to solve this mystery. You remind me so much of myself… when I declared I’d ‘never’ be a damsel in distress ever again.”

And with that, she gave Flurry Heart another warm hug which made the little filly slightly better and returned the hug. She brushed her tears away, as she looked lovingly toward her mother’s eyes.

“Thanks mom,” Flurry smiled.

“You’re welcome honey,” Cadance smiled, stroking her daughter’s mane. “Now then, why don’t we go check on the boys outside? Poor dears must be cold.”

“Yeah… I’d like that.”

Cadance and Flurry stepped from the front door of the clubhouse and spotted Shaggy, Scooby, Scrappy, and Spike staring toward the rest of the gang. They all just looked so sad, seeing their friends working together inside. There they were cleaning up the mess and the boys are just standing outside so melancholy.

“Like, they’re totally having a montage in there without us,” Shaggy sighed. “I’ll tell you one thing for sure. They don’t need ‘our’ help to figure it out.”

“Things sure do sound great in there,” Scrappy said.

Cadance and Flurry trotted toward the tree, and the little filly climbed upon Scooby’s back. She gave his neck a big hug in an effort to cheer him up. While the Great Dane did smile slightly, it vanished just as quickly.

“What’s the matter Uncle Scooby?” Flurry asked softly.

“We’re rew-ups,” Scooby pouted.

“It’s okay,” Flurry assured. ‘Everyone screws up sometimes; it’s all part of growing up. The key is to never give up, get back on your feet, and keep trying no matter what life throws at you.”

“Like maybe that would be true Flurry, if we actually ‘succeeded’ every now and then… the right way,” Shaggy frowned. “The only time we do anything right is when we accidentally plowed into the Snow Ghost because we’ve accidentally glued our feet to rocket-powered roller-skates.”

“Reah… eight stupid times…” Scooby counted.

“That’s nothing…” Scrappy brushed off. “My first solo case after ‘three’ jobs at McKay Ranch and I get captured by a homicidal bug woman and locked in a cage! It’s no wonder even movie studios think I’m a ‘bad’ joke.”

“That is pretty sad…” Spike smiled nervously. “But I’m sure you’ve had better days.”

“Oh, yeah?” Shaggy replied. “Like what?”

Spike thought back to all the previous adventures, least the ones he’d been told of.

“Oh, lots of times…” Spike assured. “Um… there was that one time you… uh, no… um… Or… how about when?... oh no, no… uh…. Or, or, OR… the day that you two were…”

“Face it, Spike,” Shaggy frowned. “We’ll never be anything but our old goofy selves.”

“Reah…” Scooby added sadly.

“You know Flurry, I wish once, just once, I could do the right thing on purpose,” Shaggy sighed. “You know? I could be a hero and save the day… but who are we kidding, right?”

“Ooh, Shaggy…” Flurry sighed.

Cadance looked on in sympathy as Shaggy took a stone and hurled it into the pond before them. It skipped across the water a couple times before eventually sinking and striking something metal.

“Huh?” Spike looked up.

No sooner that it happened, the water began to bubble and glow green before a certain dive emerge from the front of them. Everyone’s eyes widened out of fear.

“Guys…” Spike spoke up. “Who’s that guy again?”

“Captain Cutler’s ghost…” Shaggy whispered, out of fear.

“Uh-oh…” Flurry gulped.

“CAPTAIN CUTLER’S GHOST!!!” Shaggy and Scooby panicked.

“EVERY PONY, RUN!!!” Cadance shouted.

They all turned and fled, following Shaggy and Scooby who were already well ahead. Back in the clubhouse, Fred looked out the window and saw their friends screaming.

“They found us!” Fred warned the others. “Finish that in the van and we'll take it to the Monster Hive.”

“Agreed!” Twilight nodded.

They soon rushed into the Mystery Machine and rode off as Captain Cutler’s ghost emerged from the water to capture them. The ghost brought out his crossbow and began to shoot it. The harpoon it the doors, but fortunately not the passengers inside. The metal man used all his strength to pull the van towards him, much to everyone’s horror.

“What will we do? What’ll we do?” Pinkie asked frantically. “What ARE we going to do?!”

“Fine, let’s go back!” Fred declared.

He started to back up the van, something even Captain Cutler didn’t see coming.

“Uh, Fred? We’re trying not to die here!” Rainbow told him.

“Trust me!” Fred called out.

Quickly backing the van, he struck Captain Cutler and sent him flying straight back into the pond.

“Nice!” Rainbow smirked. “I’d have personally given ole tin can a good dent with my bare hooves… but still nice.”

“Told ya,” Fred replied. “Hang on!”

Fred proceeded to shift the gears to drive and pressed onward. All the while Velma used a screwdriver to work on the device.

“Shaggy, give me a hand!” Velma cried out.

“This is tied for the most terrifying day of my life,” Shaggy spoke frightened.

“What day could ‘this’ possibly be tied for?” Rarity panicked.

“Every other freaking day of my life!” Shaggy cried.

“Thanks goodness,” Fluttershy sighed with relief.

The gang zoomed through town at top speed before the sight of a familiar flying monster caught their attention. The Pterodactyl Ghost flying over them, the ghost dinosaur’s wings flapping greatly.

“We’ve got company!” Scrappy told them.

“Tweety’s back!” Velma shrieked.

“Doesn’t that thing ever take a break?” Shining asked.

“Shaggy?!” Fred called out.

“Yeah?!” Shaggy called back.

“I’m putting her in cruise,” Fred told him. “Take the wheel!”

Shaggy soon went to take the wheel. The Pterodactyl Ghost snarled and grabbed hold of the back of the Mystery Machine, shattering some windows. This made everybody flip upside down and quickly Shaggy grabbed hold of the wheel. Fred kicked the back doors open and aimed a flamethrower at the flying dinosaur.

“Take THIS!” Fred shouted.

He shot some flames toward the monster, barely singing it.

“That should scare it,” Applejack smirked.

Instead, the Pterodactyl Ghost grabbed the flamethrower and broke it between its talons.

“Or not…” Pinkie said nervously.

“This is bad,” Fred frowned.

“No doubt,” Shaggy agreed, beside him.

Everyone quickly looked at Shaggy before a sudden realization occurred.

“Shaggy, who’s driving?” Spike asked.

Everyone faced the front seat and spotted Scooby Doo sitting in the passenger seat, looking at them with no one else behind the wheel.

“Rello!” Scooby waved.

“We’re dead,” Rainbow sighed.

“Very, very dead…” Shining nodded.

The Pterodactyl Ghost grabbed the interior carpet of the Mystery Machine in its talons and yanked the entire gang out of the back. Soon they were all screaming, hanging on for dear life as the ghost tried snapping at them with the van pulling them behind it. Fluttershy squeaked in fear as she tried in vain to kick the snapping monster with her hind hooves. That’s when Rainbow Dash flew in for the save.

“Hey bird brain!” She yelled. “Pick on some pony your own size!”

Rainbow jumped onto the monster’s back and bashed its head with lefts and rights. The monster screeched as it tried to fight Rainbow off. Using whatever mobility they had, Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle, Cadance, and Rarity used their magic to shoot the Pterodactyl Ghost. Unfortunately, they missed every shot.

“Try to keep it steady, Rainbow!” Twilight yelled.

“Gee, why didn’t I think of that?!” Rainbow yelled back.

Finally, the Pterodactyl managed to shake Rainbow off. She crashed right into the rest of the gang, her eyes rolled, and tiny Pterodactyls flew around her head. The monster swooped down again and made to finish them off. That is… until another flying object crashed into it. Everyone looked up in shock and amazement as the strange black creature with red glowing eyes they’d seen previously now in a mid-air battle with the Pterodactyl Ghost.

“Isn’t that the monster you saw Fluttershy?” Cadance asked.

“Fluttershy merely nodded in response.

“But why is it helping us?” Shining questioned.

“How about we don’t question it fer now and focus on getting back in the van!” Applejack yelled.

With the winged beasts battling it out in the sky, the gang tried to hull themselves back into the Mystery Machine. As they did, they could see through the windshield another frightening sight. A big rig truck driven by the Zombie at full speed toward them.

“Scooby, turn the wheel!” Velma said urgently.

“Reel?” Scooby asked himself.

Scooby quickly shuffled over the driver seat and looked at the wheel. Reaching out with his paw, all he managed to do was honk the horn and cover his eyes in fear. The Mystery Machine and the truck continued to barrel toward one another.

“SCOOBY!” Everyone screamed.

“Oh, let me!” Scrappy yelled.

The pup quickly leapt over the rest of the gang toward the front of his uncle. Grabbing the steering wheel, he veered a hard right. The Zombie noticed this and also turned the truck hoping to crash into them. However, the Mystery Machine managed to slide by the truck and made it through to the other side. Everyone finally managed to climb back into the van, as the Pterodactyl Ghost and the other monster battled behind.

The two flying monsters tackled one another trying to severely damage each other. The dark beast shrieked in pain as the Pterodactyl snapped its sharp teeth on one of its arms, but the monster reeled back and swiped the Pterodactyl in the eye with its sharp claws. The Pterodactyl screeched as it shoved the other winged monster off itself and soared down towards the Mystery Machine once more.

Just as it was about to snap at them again, the dark winged beast crashed into it again and sunk its fangs into the Pterodactyl’s back. It then overpowered the prehistoric predator with its own wings and steered it off course till it finally crashed into a billboard and got itself stuck.

Every in the Mystery Machine cheered as they saw the Pterodactyl Ghost trapped in the billboard as the dark creature took off into the sky. Twilight looked over toward Fluttershy and was met with surprise. The usually shy Pegasus didn’t cower in fear; instead, she stared after the beast in fascination.

“Something on your mind Fluttershy?” She asked.

“I just don’t understand,” Fluttershy spoke confused. “Whenever we’ve seen this creature before, it filled us with terror and other bad feelings. But now… it comes out of nowhere and helped us.”

“Yeah, kind of threw me off too,” Twilight nodded in agreement.

Fluttershy cocked her head off the side as thoughts raced through her head. Every the creature had been seen, it usually preceded some sort of tragedy or disaster. Almost as though it served as a prophet warning of destruction. Maybe it never intended to cause harm, but merely warned them of bad things to come. And now it just saved them from the Pterodactyl Ghost, which only led to one question on her mind…

“Why?” She thought.

Monster Mash

Author's Note

I really need to take a moment to really thank Dramamaster for half of this chapter because he really helped me out when I was super stuck on this one. So please offer him thanks because this chapter wouldn't exist without him

Monster Mash

Following their near-death experience with both Captain Cutler and the Pterodactyl Ghost, the Mystery Inc. crew and the Equestrians soon arrived back at the Old Time Mining Town. The Mystery Machine came in at full force and actually crashed into an old shack that ended up having an entire wall fall from the impact. The gang quickly jumped out and Rainbow peeked out, her head still spinning as she shook the grogginess off.

“Sheesh! Someone get that dog’s license!” She spoke dizzily.

“Hey, I did the best I could on the spot!” Scrappy shot back.

“Maybe not the best on the parking job though,” Spike commented.

“That’s something we can focus on after we’re all out of mortal danger,” Twilight reminded.

“Alright gang,” Fred addressed everyone. “The Monster Hive is right over there. Let’s get this control panel and plug her in.”

Suddenly, the sound of a horse whinny caught everyone’s attention and they turned to the side. And there… the Black Knight Ghost appeared, riding a black horse with glowing red eyes. In his hands he held a lance, as he stared intently toward Mystery Inc. and the Equestrians with great hatred. Specifically towards Fred Jones.

“You go nowhere, knave…” He said menacingly.

The Mane Six, Cadance, and Shining Armor jumped in front of everyone. They stood ready to defend those they cared for with every fiber of their beings.

“Come on tin can!” Rainbow challenged. “I’ve been wanting to put a dent in that armor all day!”

“We ain’t afraid of ya!” Applejack added. “No way, no how!”

Before they could do anything, Fred stepped in front of them and held a hand up, the signal to stand down.

“You guys take the long way around…” Fred instructed. “I’ll hold him off.”

The Black Knight merely glared toward Fred, all the more intensely. Shining Armor then stepped alongside Mystery Inc.’s leader, glaring toward the Black Knight as well.

“Then I’m fighting with you,” Shining spoke determined. “The rest of you go ahead and fix this mess.”

Everyone looked at each other for a moment, almost contemplating whether or not to go on like they said or stay behind and fight. However, they knew the longer they’d wait, the more monsters would run rampant in Coolsville. Reluctantly, they decided to go on and leave Fred & Shining to face the Black Knight.

“Come on,” Velma urged everyone.

“Go get him Fred!” Shaggy encouraged Fred.

Cadance quickly raced toward Shining Armor, planted a quick kiss on his lips, and then threw her hooves around him.

“You better come back to me,” She whispered.

“Always…” Shining whispered back.

As they finally pulled away, Shining looked toward Flurry Heart, who tried her best not to cry. But alas, she was failing miserably.

“D-Daddy…” She whimpered. “B-Before we g-go, I-I just wanted to say…”

But Shining gave her no chance to finish. Instead, he grabbed her and drew her to him with a bone-crushing hug. They hugged for what felt like the longest time before Shining pulled away and held her face in his hooves.

“I was wrong to say all those things Flurry,” He told her. “The truth is… I was so afraid you were growing up so fast. I secretly just always wanted you to be my baby girl, forever if I had the power. But I realize now… I can’t stop you from growing up; don’t miss this chance because of me. Now go… live your life… and make me proud.”

Tears streamed down Flurry’s face as she looked upon her father. Her mother then came behind her and used her magic to place her on her back. They ran off after the others as Fred and Shining planned their next course of action.

“What’s the plan chief?” Shining asked Fred.

“Follow me,” Fred responded.

The two raced toward another section of the yard where Fred pulled off an old tarp, revealing a very pristine motorcycle. Hoping upon the vehicle, he revved it to life and grabbed a helmet which he placed upon his head. Shining, getting the idea of where this was going, quickly used his magic to conjure his guard captain armor which appeared on his body in the blink of an eye. Fred drove the bike forward and grabbed for an old pipe to serve as his lance. Shining galloped behind him as they both emerged back toward the yard and stood across from the Black Knight.

This was the moment of truth for the young man and the stallion captain, the two staring down their foe like the scene of an old western standoff. Fred reached into his pocket and pulled out his old ascot, which he tied around his neck for luck. Then, the Black Knight charged forward on his horse at full speed and Fred revved off in his direction as well with Shining galloping alongside him. Shining shot off bolts of his magic toward the Black Knight, who expertly blocked them with his shield. As Fred and the Black Knight raced towards each other, they eventually zipped past each other with Fred’s arm grazing against the lance. Fred quickly did a full donut with the bin and now faced the Knight again, as he rubbed his now sore shoulder.

“I got you buddy!” Shining told him.

Using his magic, he quickly patched Fred’s arm, which now few like it was brand new.

“Thanks Shining,” Fred thanked.

“We’re almost inside!” Scrappy called out, racing forward.

“I can’t leave Fred like this,” Daphne frowned.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine,” Cadance assured her. “I have faith in both him and my Shiny.”

But despite the reassurance, Daphne simply pouted fearing for the life of someone very close to her. Her expression did not go unnoticed due to another curious alicorn in the room.

“Wow… they really do love each other,” Twilight smirked.

“Gee, what was your first clue Twi?” Rainbow replied snarky.

Just then, a great electrical surge exploded throughout the area. Before their very eyes, a very familiar electric ghost made its presence known and the Ten Thousand Volt Ghost appeared.

“Not so fast!” It shouted loudly.

With a surge of its electrical powers, the ghost rained down its power from the sky itself. Everyone and every pony managed to jump out of the way, avoiding being struck by such a surge of electricity. Daphne glared, while the others were scared knowing they stood no chance against the 10,000 Volt Ghost.

“You guys go!” Daphne told them. “I’ll take care of Sparky!”

“Daphne, it’s not worth it!” Rarity cried out. “10,000 volts can kill you!”

“We’ll find another way in,” Applejack assured.

“Don’t worry about me,” Daphne responded. “Just get that control panel to the hive.”

It was then Princess Cadance jumped in beside her.

“You won’t fight alone,” She told her. “I’m staying with you!”

“Momma, no!” Flurry yelled.

Cadance looked back toward Flurry then to everyone else.

“Keep Flurry safe for me!” She said. “Get to the monster hive as fast as you can; we’ll be right behind you.”

Everyone once again seemed uncertain but nonetheless quickly turned heel and ran off towards the Monster Hive. This left Daphne and Cadance to stand alone against the electrifying phantom. Daphne stood in a fighting position as Cadance readied her magic.

“Taste the pain Mr. Glowing Ugly Thing,” Daphne said determined.

“Yeah… like she said,” Cadance nodded.

Meanwhile, Fred and Shining held their own against the Black Knight using everything they’ve got. Fred revved the engine of the motorcycle again, as Shining cuffed the dirty floor with one hind hoof glaring with fierce determination. And together, they sped off into the Knight’s direction, side by side. Fred reeled back and popped a wheelie as they drew ever closer.

Then Shining leaped through the air, right in front of the Black Knight and delivered a flying side kick with his hooves and sent the demonic knight reeling back. Unknowingly, the Black Knight’s lance still collided against Fred knocking him off his motorcycle. The force sent him flying in the air and crashed against Shining Armor.

In between these turn of events, the 10,000 Volt Ghost fired a surge of electricity toward the girls. Cadance unleashed her magic with a mighty yell and their powers collided with such tremendous force. The forces of their power, pressing against each other like the positive and negative force of a magnet, made the earth beneath their feet steadily rise off the ground and Cadance’s mane hovered tremendously in the air as beads of sweat poured down her brow. She held on for as long as she could, even as her legs trembled trying to push back against the electrical surge and her vision struggled ever greatly.

Seeing her friend in peril, Daphne made a last-minute decision and raced forward. She hopped upon Cadance’s back and leapt toward the electrical ghost. By the time Cadance caught sight of the act, it was too late!

“DAPHNE!!!” Cadance shouted.

*BOOM!!!*

The moment Daphne’s foot contacted the ghost, the electricity exploded so greatly that Daphne and Cadance flew backward into the air like rockets in the night sky. They flew screaming until eventually they landed right toward the section of the Mining Town, where Shining Armor and Fred laid back. The boys turned seeing the keys to their heart lying beside them, winded yet happy to see them in return.

“Cadance…” Shining spoke.

“Daph, are you okay?” Fred asked concerned.

“I think so…” Daphne answered weakly.

“Well Shining… I guess this is it, huh?” Cadance replied, smiling.

“Oh Mi Amora…” Shining shook his head. “I’m so sorry… I’m sorry for all of this.”

“I’m afraid,” Fred admitted. “What a wimp, huh?”

“That doesn’t make you a wimp,” Daphne replied.

“Being honest with yourself only makes you stronger,” Cadance promised. “It’s that special quality that makes you… human.”

Meanwhile, Shaggy, Scooby, Velma, Scrappy, and the rest of the Equestrian group raced ahead towards the Monster Hive. The quicker they could get the control panel back in place, the sooner this whole nightmare would end. However, they quickly skid to a halt upon noticing the familiar silhouettes of two very familiar monsters.

“The skeleton men,” Velma whispered.

“Aw great!” Rainbow groaned. “We gotta deal with those boney bozos again!”

“At least it’s only two of them against all of us,” Twilight pointed out.

“For now anyway,” Rarity added.

The group quickly made their way around to another side of the building. They knew they needed a plan on how to proceed from this point without drawing too much attention.

“What do we do now?” Spike asked.

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m willing to fight my way out if I have to,” Scrappy said determined.

All at once, Velma handed Shaggy the control panel.

“Here Shaggy, take this.”

“Why’re you giving this to me?” Shaggy asked.

“We’ll distract those skeletal screwballs,” Velma told him. “Get this to the Monster Hive.”

“Us?” Shaggy asked.

“Yes Shaggy,” Twilight nodded. “Take Scrappy, Spike, and Flurry Heart with you. Get to the hive as quick as you guys can.”

“Once there, just plug the control panel into the base,” Velma instructed. “Push the button and fix this and destroy all the monsters.”

“But—but we can’t!” Shaggy spoke, sliding against the wall.

“Reah, we’re rew ups!” Scooby nodded sadly.

“He’s right Twilight,” Spike nodded dejected. “I mean throughout the entirety of this journey we haven’t really done ‘anything’ heroic.”

“But you guys,, we can’t just give up now,” Scrappy argued. “Our friends, our city, they are all depending on us!”

“And what can we do Scrappy?” Flurry asked. “All we’ve managed to do is get ourselves into even bigger trouble than we were already in!”

“We tried to be heroes like you guys, but we’re not okay!” Shaggy said. “We’re just not!”

“We’re not clever at making traps like Fred,” Spike listed. “We’re not good looking as Daphne nor as smart as you, Velma…”

“And we’re not even as brave and heroic as you Scrappy… or even Auntie Twilight,” Flurry added sadly. “And you can be satisfied knowing that every pony was right about me all along… I really am just a helpless filly who blows everything up…”

“Like me?” Velma spoke up. “That’s funny… I always wanted to be like you guys.”

“What do you mean?” Spike asked curiously.

“You guys are so free. You’re never afraid to be who you really are, whether you’re fearful or joyful or hungry.”

That got a slight chuckle from Shaggy and Scooby when Scrappy stepped up to them, and they had to look down toward their tiny friend.

“Don’t you see Uncle Scooby, I don’t look up to you because of what you’re trying to prove,” Scrappy spoke. “I know I may exaggerate too much about your mystery solving skills, and deep down I know you and Shaggy get scared easily. But I still treat you as my biggest hero because we’re family, and family always support each other… no matter what. If anything… you inspired ‘me’ to be braver than I’ve ever been, so I too can be a great detective not because I have to be but… I just ‘want’ to be.”

“And Spike,” Twilight spoke to him. “I knew there was something special in you after hatching you from that egg. When I looked in those eyes, I saw the look of a dragon who’d do great things. I know I don’t always brag about all the things you’ve contributed to, and I know it feels like I often don’t appreciate your actions… but you and your friends, you’ve always been heroes. Even if you haven’t known it, I always believed you can step up when it matters.”

“You… really think I can do this?” Spike asked, tearfully.

“You’re not just the little dragon who saved the Crystal Empire. You’re going to be the little dragon who saved Coolsville.”

Twilight Sparkle’s words seemed to touch something in his heart, like a newly lit beacon of hope that had long since dimmed for some time. His fears switch to a look of determination as he stuck out his chest and gave a salute.

“I won’t let you down, Twilight!” Spike declared.

“Good! Pinkie… follow them and make sure they reach the terminal.”

“Uh… when you said ‘Pinkie’… do you mean… me?” Pinkie asked. “But I thought—”

“Pinkie Pie… no pony can do a better job at keeping an eye on these kids than you,” Twilight declared.

“Well—” Rainbow began.

“Just remember,” Twilight continued. “What would Pinkie Pie do in a case like this?”

Pinkie Pie looked toward Twilight, then to her friends, and she too nodded with determination.

“I accept this responsibility understanding the consequences you’ve bestowed against me!” Pinkie spoke.

Now knowing what they must do now, Velma and the others turned toward each other and took a deep breath.

“Here we go,” Velma declared, walking off.

“Good luck!” Fluttershy spoke quietly.

The Goof Squad watched as their friends raced off to deal with the skeleton men. They just stood there breathing in word for word of what their friends said.

“Reroes…” Scooby sighed.

“Heroes…” Shaggy smiled.

“All right, every pony!” Pinkie faced the group. “Let’s… get… goofy!”

“On your knees, knave!” The Black Knight beckoned.

“Um, excuse me sir!” Cadance spoke up. “Can’t you see we’re ‘trying’ to have a talk?”

“Talking is for wimps,” The Knight growled.

“You can’t fool me with that macho façade,” Fred added. “You’re just afraid to show your sensitive side.”

“He’s right…” Shining Armor agreed. “Just because you wear black armor and act all mean and scary… you’re still a Knight! And knights swear themselves to valor…”

This stopped the Black Knight for a moment as Shining Armor slowly stood up, reciting some ‘old code’ as the others looked on. Even with the Black Knight hovered over them, his sword drawn and ready to slash, Shining Armor stood bravely before the ghastly knight.

“A knight’s heart knows only virtue; his blade defends the helpless,” Shining Heart recited. “His might upholds the weak; his word speaks only truth…”

“H-H-His wrath…” The knight trembled. “Undoes… the wicked…”

“Please Mr. Knight, your cause for The Evil Masked Figure means nothing to him,” Cadance implored. “Look inside your heart… and you’ll find the answer.”

This seemed to strike a nerve within the Black Knight’s armor, as if the spirit inside him seemed moved to tears.

“You’ve touched my inner child…” The Black Knight smiled.

Cadance nodded her head with a smile, as Shining Armor looked on proudly as if they’ve won themselves an ally…

“AND HE’S REALLY MAD!!!!” The Knight screamed, raising his sword.

All four eyes went wide realizing this tender moment didn’t last long.

“Well… that didn’t work…” Shining Armor gulped.

“Run…” Cadance squeaked.

And soon all four picked each other off the ground and started running before the Black Knight could reach them.

“Come on guys,” Scrappy urged. “I think we’re safe!”

The motley group slowly scurried out of their hiding spot and proceeded to make their way toward their destination. Shaggy took the lead only to bump his head into something big… and soft. Slowly and frightenedly, all five heads looked up to see a glowing, plump, and spooky presence of one of Mystery Inc.’s most notorious ghosts from days long past.

“Miner… forty… niner!” Shaggy spoke slowly.

The spirit of the old, bearded miner laughed menacingly toward the group. Then all of a sudden, he quickly shot fire from his lungs forcing the group to duck and jump multiple times to avoid getting singed.

“That’s new…” Scrappy trembled.

Before the miner could attack again, Shaggy raised a quick finger toward his face much to the ghost’s confusion. Then Shaggy quickly zoomed away leaving a trail of dust with Scooby and the others repeating and following suit. The monster miner chased after them, swinging his pickaxe and spewing flames against them. But the spirit was more than determined to reach the motley little crew and recover the control panel at all costs.

“I’ll get you, you varmints!” The miner declared.

In the meantime, the skeleton men were just getting themselves together while standing guard. Velma and the others took their position a few feet away from the boney men. Velma then picked up a pebble off the ground, while Rarity picked up another with her magic.

“Ooh boys!!!” Rarity called out.

Together, they hurled the pebbles toward the monsters, the tiny rocks bounced off their heads in comical fashion. They turned and soon noticed the group of trespassers in their wake.

“Your mama was a doggy treat!” Rainbow teased, waving her rump.

Insulted, the skeletal men pursued the group who proceeded to make a run for it as fast as their legs (Or wings) could carry them. Despite their comical pratfalls, bumping and crashing into things, the skeleton men were determined to capture the group by any means. Why they decided not to fight against these boney men, nobody knows. But then, the red-eyed skeleton grabbed his companion’s head and hurled it toward the group like a baseball… only to hit against the door beside them.

“Y’all couldn’t even pitch a buck-ball!” Applejack remarked.

“Come on, girls!” Twilight called out.

The pursuit continued as the group of friends raced away, with the Green-Eyed skeleton man retrieving his head back, inserting it back in place, and raced behind his companion to capture them.

Meanwhile, Daphne, Fred, Cadance, and Shining Armor found themselves in a corner with both the Black Knight Ghost and the 10,000 Volt Ghost surrounding them. It seemed to be the end for this small group of heroes.

“Dead… end…” The 10,000 Volt ghost chuckled.

Just then, finding themselves backed into their van, Daphne turned around and spotted some jumper cables near the open doorway. All of a sudden, an idea popped into her head.

“Remember when we were young, and you used to wear that jumper?” Daphne reminded Fred.

“Fred… in a jumper?” Shining asked.

“And we used to watch cable?” Daphne continued.

Fred and Shining Armor were too busy dodging sword swings to figure it out when they landed by the van. Cadance saw what Daphne was talking about and used her magic to draw their heads toward the cable and slowly it dawned on them.

“Ooh…” Shining Armor nodded. “What’s ‘cable’?”

“Honey, I love you… but for pony’s sake!” Cadance replied exasperated.

Quickly, they raced in and grabbed the jumper cables from the van. Grabbing one end of the cable, Daphne flipped a nearby pipe with one foot and attached the positive and negative ends with the pipe.

“Do it!” Cadance shouted.

Daphne hurled the pipe like a javelin through the torso of the electrical ghost. He tried to pry the pipe off him, but it was no used. Fred, with his end, proceeded to attach one cable against the knight’s sword… and one in the nether region of his armor.

“Lights out!” Shining called out.

Before the monsters could do anything, the Black Knight felt the surge of electricity flowing through his armor. The sensation flowing through the spirit prevented him from gaining any control of his mobility. And as for the 10,000-volt ghost, he could feel his energy flowing into the Black Knight’s body due to the pipe and the cables. Unfortunately, it was helpless to draw itself away from its ally.

“Blackout! Blackout!” The ghost shrieked.

The group quickly scattered to avoid what would happen next. The surge of electricity proved so strong, so overwhelming that eventually…

*BOOM!!!*

Heavy sparks exploded in a massive wave of fire, shooting in a wide angle. And all that remained of the Black Knight ghost was his glowing helmet, which soared across the air and tumbled along the dirty road just inches from Shining Armor’s hoof.

“Oh, crap!” The Black Knight groaned.

“Consider yourself ‘demoted’… knave,” Shining Armor smirked.

Velma and the girls kept running as fast as they could from the skeleton men. Eventually, the trail lead them to an open pipe way leaving them with little to no option.

“Oh for Celestia’s sake!!!” Rarity cried out.

“C’mon, y’all!!!” Applejack called out.

The group quickly jumped through the pipe as the vent door closed behind them, preventing the skeleton men from pursuing them any further. They found themselves latching onto the chute, which suddenly leaned forward and crushed the boney men in its landing leaving them very frustrated.

As for the girls, they slid and screamed for a few seconds until they eventually crashed onto the hard rocky surface below them. To say that it was quite a painful landing was an understatement, but at least they managed to escape the skeleton men… for now…

Elsewhere, the Miner 49er was still on the hunt for the scaredy cat crew. Eventually his search led him to a room and was briefly met by a rather interesting surprise. Pinkie Pie, randomly dressed in a tuxedo, holding Spike like a machine gun.

“You want to play rough, big boy?” Pinkie spoke, like a tough girl. “Okay, I play with you! Say hello to my little friend!”

Then with one tug of Spike’s tail, the little dragon forcibly belched some fire toward the ghost who tried to repel it back with his own flames. At first, both Dragon and Miner were even, as the former was practically in tears trying to keep up the fireworks. But then, Flurry Heart stepped up and fired her beam into the midst of the fire adding some additional heat for her friend. The extra firepower was more than enough to push the flames back toward the ghost until it eventually made contact.

When the fires dissipated, the Miner stood in shock, covered in soot and smoke emerging from his lungs. Unable to stand much longer, the ghost reeled back and landed on the floor in a hard *PLOP!*

“Well, what do you know?” Scrappy chuckled. “Guess you can hurt a ghost after all.”

“C’mon guys, let’s get out of here!” Flurry beckoned.

Nodding in agreement, the Goof Squad raced away leaving the Miner in a smoldering mess and hopefully away from any more monsters in their wake.

Later, we find Velma’s group picking themselves off the ground taking this brief moment to recover.

“Owie…” Velma groaned.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Twilight cringed.

“I for one am sick of constantly going splat on the ground all the time!” Rainbow hissed, rubbing her sore body. “I do it plenty of times at home and don’t like it anywhere else!”

Everyone slowly got back on their hooves, Fluttershy and Rarity helping Velma to her feet. However, Velma quickly noticed she had lost something important in the fall.

“My glasses,” She realized. “Oh brother, not again. I really need to consider contact lenses.”

“Don’t worry Velma, we’ll help you find them,” Twilight told her.

“Uh… girls?” Fluttershy squeaked. “You might want to see this…”

Twilight turned around to see what her friend was talking about. Immediately, her eyes grew wide, and her mouth dropped to the ground. Before her resembled some form of shrine, candles lit everywhere and many different pictures all over the place.

“What in the name of Celestia is all of this?” She asked bewildered.

“Hay if I know,” Rainbow responded.

As Velma felt her way around, her hand accidentally activated a nearby projector and its sole reel began to play. Footage began to air on the screen of what appeared to be Doctor Jacobo either teaching a class or presenting a seminar, either of which involving some complicated formulas on a board. The man seemed frustrated for some reason and some of the ponies looked on trying to see what’s up.

As the group looked around, Fluttershy squeaked in fear and the girls turned back. They looked up toward the ceiling to find some winged beast hanging over them.

“S-S-S-Scary bat…” Fluttershy shivered.

“Wait a minute,” Twilight spoke. “That’s not a bat!”

Even without her glasses, Velma was scarcely able to see that something was up. She found several old articles amidst the shrine, photos of the very same monster looming over them.

“That’s the Pterodactyl,” Velma confirmed. “The Pterodactyl Ghost!”

Then Rarity found another newspaper article, its headline discussing the opening of the new Coolsville Museum (Or at least promoting the criminology exhibit). And somewhere in the picture, the very same man stood by the entrance though the detail was difficult to see. As Rarity handed it to Velma, who put it in her pocket, another frame caught their attention. Looking closely, it looked like Jonathan Jacob posing for some kids in a classroom.

“What is all of this?” Rarity asked.

“A shrine!” Velma realized. “To Jonathan Jacobo? But who would be so obsessed with him?”

“Well… if it wasn’t Old Man Wickles,” Twilight pondered. “And since this Jonathan Jacobo is so connected with the museum, the only suspect we have to consider must be…”

“Velma…”

The group quickly turned around and much to their surprise, a familiar face stood over the group holding a pair of glasses.

“Lose something?” He asked.

Velma quickly put her glasses back on and as her vision was restored, her suspicions were confirmed. Patrick Wisely, the man she had that awkward date with now standing before her.

“Patrick…” Velma gasped.

“What are you doing down here?” Rainbow questioned.

“I’m trying to solve this mystery,” Patrick replied. “Same as you girls. I mean that is what you’re doing right? Trying to solve this mystery?”

“Um… yes?” Fluttershy answered nervously.

“Why are you so obsessed with Jonathan Jacobo?” Velma questioned.

“What are you talking about?” Patrick asked, approaching.

Before Patrick can get any farther, out of instinct Rainbow swung a hoof and smacked Patrick in the face.

“No way, Jose!” Rainbow shouted. “Girls, run!!!”

Velma and the others quickly raced away with Rainbow following close behind. Patrick merely turned around, rubbing the sore spot on his face.

“Girls!” Patrick called out, following them.

The girls found themselves on a metal pathway leading out of the cave. They turned around only to find Patrick following them. Quickly Twilight and Rarity stood in front of them, their horns lighting up and magic sparking out ready to fire.

“Stand back Patrick!” Rarity warned. “We’re warning you!”

“Just don’t come any closer!” Twilight added.

“Girls… I can explain!” Patrick insisted.

“It’s too late!” Velma spoke timidly. “We know who you are!”

“Just say the word Velmster!” Rainbow spoke, holding out her hooves. “I’ll give him one for!”

Suddenly, Velma screamed as the grate beneath her feet fell sending her with it. The girls turned briefly distracted, allowing Patrick time to break through and grab for Velma’s hand. The girls quickly clutched around Patrick, on one hand they didn’t want him to have his hand on their friend… but on the other hand, even Patrick wasn’t enough to keep Velma from falling to the hard bottom. This was a most precarious predicament and Velma couldn’t hold on to the grate forever.

“Velma, let go of the grate!” Patrick instructed.

“Why?” Rainbow questioned. “So she can fall to her death?”

“No, I have to pull her up!” Patrick begged. “Girls… you’ve gotta trust me.”

“No!” Velma objected. “I only trust the facts. And all the facts say you’re the Evil Masked Figure.”

“She has a point!” Twilight grunted. “Your museum was robbed ‘twice’… you were spotted near the Faux Ghost questioning those thugs. And now we just find you here with everything surrounding Jonathan Jacobo. How can we trust you?”

“What does your heart say?” Patrick asked.

“I don’t know… it’s beating too loud for me to hear,” Velma panicked.

“Look deeper,” Patrick urged. “You gotta trust me.”

Applejack strained as she kept her own hold around her friends. As she gazed toward Velma and heard Patrick’s words, a thought came to her. And as in an act of déjà vu, she turned toward Velma.

“Let go of the grate,” Applejack instructed.

“Are you crazy?!” Velma cried out.

“No, I ain’t! I promise y’all be safe!”

“That’s not true!” Velma argued. “Do you even hear what you just said?!”

“I’m hearin’ what Patrick’s sayin’! And what he’s sayin’ tah you is the honest truth. Let go… and you’ll be safe.”

Although incredulous that Applejack would suggest such a thing, Rainbow looked toward Applejack and saw the seriousness in her eyes. Knowing that her friend and lover was speaking from the heart, Rainbow’s strain slowly softened as she could hear the truth. Relenting, she released a heavy sigh and turned toward Velma.

“I trust her…” Rainbow spoke.

“Me too…” Fluttershy nodded. “Let go…”

Eventually, Velma did release her grip on the grate. Just as she was about to fall, Patrick gripped tightly against Velma’s arm and with her free hand she grabbed Patrick’s other hand. Together, the group pulled as hard as they could until Velma was safe on her feet along the grate. Soon the two stared toward each other, Velma shocked beyond belief that the man’s action went against any suspicion she had over him. Twilight Sparkle was in shock but for a more different reason.

“Whoa… Déjà vu…” Twilight gasped.

“You saved my life,” Velma told Patrick.

Suddenly, Patrick pushed Velma back and before any pony else could react, there was a terrible screech and the Pterodactyl Ghost caught Patrick in its talons and carried him off. The group turned as the monster soared off with Patrick, the man kicking and screaming as he was carried off into the distance.

“PATRICK!!!!” The group screamed.

“Velma!!! Twilight!!!”

The group turned as Daphne, along with Fred, Shining Armor, and Cadance arrived.

“That thing just flew off with Patrick!” Velma pointed.

“I’m going to turn that monster into jerk cider!” Rainbow declared.

Rainbow was just about to fly after him when a tug on her tail drew her back and she turned toward Applejack, her mouth clutching onto Rainbow’s tail.

“There’s nothin’ we can do now!” Applejack spoke.

“She’s right!” Daphne agreed. “The best we can do for him is get that control panel back where it belongs.”

Hearing the mention of the control panel, the group turned toward their four friends and an awkward silence drew amongst them.

“Twily…” Shining Armor spoke. “Where’s the panel?”

“Umm… about that?” Twilight spoke awkwardly.

“We, uh…” Velma stammered. “Gave it to Shaggy and Scooby.”

“That’s weird,” Fred chuckled. “It sounded like you just said you gave it to Shaggy and Scooby.”

At first, Fred thought the girls were pulling a joke even Shining Armor seemed amused. But one look into the nervous glance in Velma’s eyes and catching a few from the girls and their faces dropped in shock. Cadance looked around, noting that a few faces were missing.

“Where’s Flurry?” Cadance questioned.

“W-W-Well, please don’t be mad…” Fluttershy spoke up. “But she, along with Pinkie, Scrappy and Spike, are with the boys… to keep the panel… safe?”

Shining’s eyes went wide with shock. He turned toward his wife, who shared the same expression on her face. Though more worried how her husband would react. Suddenly, Shining started to laugh… a bit weakly… but then it started to grew.

“No… that’s no problem at all!” Shining chuckled. “She’s totally got this… chip off the old block. Any pony can see that Flurry c-c-c-c-can… can… mm-hmm… SWEET MOTHER OF BANANAS!!!”

Sighing, Shining Armor quickly fell backward and fainted much to the chagrin of the group.

“That’s my brother…” Twilight sighed.

Elsewhere, Shaggy, Scooby, Scrappy, Spike, Flurry, and Pinkie Pie ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Until eventually, they finally stumbled upon the entrance to the monster hive itself. Stopping quickly, they shut the doors behind them turning all the locks shut so no other scary monsters could come in after them.

“I think we lost ‘em,” Shaggy sighed thankfully. “Guys, we made it.”

Suddenly, a swirling entity appeared from behind them. Pinkie’s nostrils flared up as she smelled something… good.

“Ooh, what’s that sweet smell?” She asked giddy.

The entity itself stood behind them, looking upon the Goof Squad with glowing green eyes.

“You should never have locked those locks…”

The garbled voice drew the group to slowly turn around. Before their very eyes, they were shocked to see another monster… a large pink mass with a cone on its head. At first, they stood petrified in fear as the monster loomed over them.

“Now you’re stuck in here with me…” The monster declared. “The Cotton Candy Glob!”

All of a sudden, they immediately perked up on the thought and looked toward each other with widened eyes.

“Cotton… Candy… Glob?” The group questioned.

“Yes…” The beast smirked.

Curious, Scrappy slowly approached the monster and licked his tongue along the side. Tasting the material in his mouth, he realized something…

“Hey…” Scrappy gasped. “It is Cotton Candy!!!”

*Deploy Hallelujah effect here*

Shaggy smirked, Scooby Doo clapped his paws together excitedly, and even Flurry gave a big grin as she squealed. Pinkie Pie smiled as she pulled some shades from her mane, placed it over her eyes, and grabbed a set of forks and knives for herself and her friends.

“Oh no Mr. Glob, we’re not stuck in here with you,” Pinkie warned, clinking her utensils together. “You’re stuck in here with us!”

“Huh?” The Glob’s face dropped.

“BONZAI!!!!”

Shouting together, the group jumped straight toward the monster and began to gobble it down. The impact was so great that bits of cotton candy were sent flying over their heads and the monster squirmed with agony.

“NO!!! I’LL GIVE YOU CAVITIES!!!” The monster cried out.

“TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!” Pinkie Pie shouted, mid-munching.

The other members of the group raced to find their friends as quick as possible. They had no idea where their friends were or what shape they were in. All they could do was pray that they were fine.

“I don’t see Shaggy and Scooby anywhere,” Fred spoke, looking around.

“Poor kids are probably running around helpless and terrified,” Daphne added worried.

“Ooh… my poor little Flurry!” Cadance whimpered. “I’ll never forgive myself if anything happens to my baby!”

“Or Spike…” Twilight said nervously. “I just can’t imagine going home without another friend.”

Looking around, Fluttershy’s eyes went wide as she spotted something approaching.

“I don’t think you’ll have to leave any pony!” Fluttershy spoke. “Look!”

Suddenly, Shaggy and his friends came down from an elevator shaft standing proudly. Scooby and Scrappy were licking traces of cotton candy off their lips, with Scrappy even wearing the Glob’s cone upon his head like a king. Pinkie had so much cotton candy, that she seemed rather bloated… but she was content. Spike sat atop Flurry’s back, waving like a king greeting his subjects when Flurry caught sight of her parents.

“MOMMY!!! DADDY!!!” Flurry cried out.

“TWILIGHT!!!” Spike shouted.

The pair raced toward their friends, Twilight and Cadance laughing with joy as they held their hooves and hugged the little pony and dragon as tears streamed from their eyes. Shining joined in the embrace, Flurry wrapping her hooves around her father’s neck as their friends admired the scene.

“This is, like, the greatest day of our lives, Scoob!” Shaggy smiled, patting his full stomach.

“Reah!” Scooby smiled back.

“You see girls?” Pinkie smiled. “There’s nothing to worry about when Pinkie’s the baby-sitter!”

“Hah! I knew it all along!” Rainbow remarked, cockily. “Never doubted you for a second!”

“Sure, ya didn’t hon,” Applejack smirked.

“Finally, a monster we could sink our teeth into!” Scrappy sighed.

“You know, I’m kind of thirsty,” Shaggy realized. “I wonder if there’s a Liter-sized Soda Glob anywhere?”

“Good grief…” Rarity rolled her eyes slightly.

“Come on, guys!” Fred urged, taking the panel. “We have to hurry.”

“Right!” Twilight nodded in agreement. “Let’s get this control panel back before—”

Just as they raced into the monster hive, they were surprised to see a collection of monsters already waiting inside. The skeleton men fashioned themselves into some giant spider form and stood accompanied by the Zombie and the Miner 49er.

“Before that happens?” Spike guessed.

“Yeah… exactly…” Twilight sighed.

“AT LAST, I HAVE YOU, MYSTERY INC.!!!”

The Evil Masked Figure appeared on the railing before them, looming over them sinisterly.

“You’ll never make it past my monsters,” The Masked Man grinned.

“We’ll just see about that!” Twilight spoke determined.

“We’ve taken these jerks before, gang,” Daphne told the others. “Let’s do it again.”

“IT’S CLOBBERIN’ TIME!!!” Pinkie shouted.

Fred nodded and raced toward the monsters, three of whom shrieked with fright. Suddenly, something grabbed hold of his leg. Rising from the ground was the now living Tar Monster.

“It’s not them you need to worry about,” The Masked figure spoke.

“Now you’re stuck in my trap!” The Tar Monster taunted.

Fred chucked the control panel in Daphne’s direction, and she leapt into the air and caught it. One by one, the Mystery Inc. members threw the control panel and each of them managed to catch it, only for the Tar Monster to catch the teens one by one. Shaggy, the last to catch it, tried to stand up on an old box tog et away from the growing tar trap coming his way.

Finally, unable to take it anymore, Shining Armor and Cadance jumped in to help when suddenly… a figure landed before them chuckling sinisterly. It was none other than their old enemy… Queen Chrysalis.

“You two just don’t get it, do you?” She asked maliciously. “No matter how many times you put us down, we rise again. You end one plot, we forge another. All your efforts to erase us from existence completely, all for naught. And yet, you persist anyway. Tell me… why?”

Cadance and Shining turned toward one another as the same idea popped into their heads. They smiled at one another before facing Chrysalis with fierce determination.

“That may have been true in the past Chrysalis,” Shining said. “But no matter how many terrible plots you may conceive, love always conquers all in the end!”

“No matter how powerful you think you are, you’ll never stamp out our live,” Cadance smirked.

Shining and Cadance both faced each other, reached deep within their hearts, and belted out their love through song.

Chrysalis looked toward the two with confusion before her gaze turned hateful. She charged her jagged horn and fired a mighty barrage of magic toward them. Feeling the love course through their beings, Cadance and Shining easily avoided every shot and jumped out of the way. Chrysalis, determined not to be defeated by the power of love, fueled the power of her hatred with her own song. Chrysalis readied her horn again, only to get fizzled out much to her confusion. She tried again, but for some reason it didn’t seem to work. Cadance and Shining noticed this and quickly went on the attack.
Cadance and Shining fired their magic toward Chrysalis and the powerful bug monarch barely evaded the attack. Chrysalis once again tried firing a blast toward the two royals, but it merely bounced off them like it was nothing. She was quickly growing frustrated knowing none of her attacks were working. Cadance and Shining continued to hurl magical blasts toward Chrysalis, which she only barely avoided. Chrysalis found herself backed against a wall, her magic failing her much to her confusion and frustration.

Finally, Cadance and Shining pinned Chrysalis against the wall. Both their horns glowed brightly through their magical love. It seemed as if they managed to conquer the former Changeling queen… until she smirked wickedly. Within a split second, Chrysalis flared her horn to life with a dark aura and all the magic seemed to flow out of Cadance and Shining’s horns and into hers. Cadance and Shining both stood frozen in a magical vice, growing weaker by the minute. Finally, they both fell to the floor much to every pony’s horror, especially Flurry, as Chrysalis stood tall over them.

“MOM! DAD!!!” Flurry cried out.

“W-W-What h-happened?” Cadance asked weakly.

“I-I don’t k-know,” Shining responded.

“Allow me to explain you foals,” Chrysalis grinned. “You foolishly poured every single ounce of your love in that sickly sweet song; I knew you wouldn’t stop till you’ve felt you were in control. I let you believe my power was being halted so you’d put as much as you had into it. Once you were in a false sense of security, I was able to drain all you love from you and the power it gave you. Essentially… you’re powerless now!”

Neither of the two fallen ponies could take a moment to comprehend this, as the Tar Monster seeped over them. The ponies tried to help them, but the tar caught them so quickly not even the winged ponies could fly away in time. It had taken nearly all the others except for Scooby, Spike, Scrappy, and Flurry. As their friends laid trapped by the tar, a sick, twisted laughter rang through the hive. Everyone’s eyes turned up as the spirit of Sombra appeared, laughing over them.

“You all believed you had all the answers,” He mocked. “You truly believed you’d make things right once more. And you thought you’ve defeated me for good? Well… you thought wrong!”

As he spoke, the evil masked figure started up the monster machine again as Sombra slithered towards the open pod.

“Before you die, bear witness to the rebirth… of Sombra!” The Evil Masked Figure declared.

Sombra’s spirit made its way into the pod, as the door slowly shut. Soon, it went through the machine as the randomonium seeped in and worked its monstrous ways. When the pod came through the other side, sitting gently on the floor, it slowly opened and revealed a horrible sight.

A huge claw crashed on the ground before another one followed behind. Four giant scorpion-like legs emerged with a muscular torso and a serpentine-like spiked tail. Sombra emerged from the pod, looked down and admired his new form that fit every single definition of the word… monstrous.

Everyone looked in fear as the newly reanimated Sombra released a deep guttural laugh that rang throughout the monster hive.

“At long last, I, Sombra, the one true King of the Crystal Empire, have a body again!” He admired. “Just look at me! I’m amazing! So strong…”

He flexed his arm and mounds of muscles bulged, veins popping alongside.

“So fast…”

He fired a quick fist toward the nearest object… in which being the Zombie, sending him crashing near a wall comically.

“So… powerful…” Sombra smiled, chuckling. “I… LOVE IT!!! And now, with this new body, I will easily crush any and ‘all’ who dare step in my way. Soon, all of Equestria will belong… to me!!!”

“Ahem!!!”

Sombra quickly turned and spotted Chrysalis, who glared at him while tapping a foot on the ground. One awkward glance later and Sombra sighed with an arm toward Chrysalis.

“And the Queen…” Sombra sighed.

Chrysalis took her place by the new demon king, as the evil masked figure looked down from the walkway in satisfaction.

“Soon, your friends will be dead, and Coolsville will be destroyed!” The Evil Masked figure laughed. “My revenge will be final, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Scooby, Scrappy, Spike, and Flurry all looked around heartbroken. Anyone they could think of to help them were now suffering, trapped in the clutches of the Tar Monster. They looked toward one another, wondering what these four goofs could do at a time like this. Suddenly, as they found themselves backed against the wall, Scooby hit a fire extinguisher nearby and the group turned toward it.

Scooby and Scrappy looked toward the fire extinguisher, then back toward the tar monster, and one more look toward each other and they realized they had the same crazy idea.

“Do it!” Scrappy nodded.

Quickly grabbing the fire extinguisher, setting the hose, and pulling out the tab, Scooby aimed at the tar covering Shaggy and fired a spray the agent against the tar. The tar began to quickly freeze at an accelerated pace until finally it broke apart and Shaggy was freed from the monster’s clutches.

“Like, frostbite never felt so good!” Shaggy smiled.

“STOP THEM!!!” The Evil Masked Figure shouted.

Soon, all the monsters, along with Chrysalis and Sombra, began to race toward the group of goofs. It was then Shaggy realized what he needed to do.

“Go long, Scoob!” Shaggy shouted.

“Rokay!” Scooby shouted.

Scooby began to spray against the approaching tar out to get him, as he prepared to distance himself. Realizing the plan, Scrappy quickly turned to the one pony who could help…

“Pinkie Pie!!!” Scrappy shouted. “Snack me!!!”

“OKIE-DOKIE-LOKIE SIR!!!” Pinkie saluted.

With her mane, a strand managed to reach in and reveal a conveniently placed box of Scooby Snax. The hair hurled the box toward Scrappy Doo, who proceeded to catch the box and pull out a few snax.

“Here guys, catch!!!”

Scrappy proceeded to hurl two of the treats toward Spike and Flurry who looked on with confusion.

“This is no time for a snack!” Spike argued.

“Trust me!” Scrappy insisted.

Flurry quickly turned toward her parents nervously, who were still trapped in the tar. With what little strength they had, they nodded toward their daughter giving her some silent approval. Now her fears replaced with determination she quickly inhaled the treat down her throat and chewed quickly. As he watched Flurry and Scrappy eating their treats, Spike turned to his, shrugged, and took one big bite out of the snack.

“Mmm… bacon pizza!” Scrappy sighed.

“I’m tasting Hay Fries!” Spike smiled.

“I taste… tomato salad with extra avocados!” Flurry gasped.

Suddenly, their eyes widened, their tiny bodies quivered, and they started hopping up-and-down until… an explosion of smoke enveloped them. Scrappy Doo emerged appearing in his superhero form, taller and muscular, six pack abs, wide chest, and wearing violet tights and a cape (The rest a light purple) with the S.D. symbol up front. Spike too was slightly taller and muscular, assuming his dream form with plates of armor on his shoulders, a billowing red cape, and carrying a mighty lance. As for Flurry, not much had changed except it seemed her powers were fully reinvigorated, a massive charge forming on her horn and her eyes glowing a brightly white as her mane flowed through an invisible wind.

“TA DADADA TA DAAA!!!” Scrappy Doo shouted. “SUPER… PUPPY… POWER!!!”

A great green flame exploded from Spike’s mouth, adding to the effect of the presentation as Flurry hovered over the pair and stared toward the monsters with fierce determination. All the ponies in the room stared in awe and shock seeing the display before them.

“I’ve got to know what’s in that stuff!” Rainbow gasped.

“Hold on to your hats, boys!!!” Flurry called out. “IT’S TIME… FOR THE MONSTER MASH!!!”

“EXCELSIOR!!!” Spike shouted, deeply.

The trio began to race behind Scooby, as he sprayed a trail of ice for them to safely cross. Despite the Tar Monster’s efforts to catch Scooby, he slid and sprayed like a snowboarder or skateboarder. Either way, the Monster couldn’t catch him or his friends who merely flew by to fast for the eye to see. It seemed however the monster had them in a corner, as Scooby found himself hanging on in a skater position staring the beast in the eye.

“End of the line, Doo!” The monster taunted. “Come here, you worthless mutt!”

“Ooh… you just made a big mistake buddy!” Scrappy frowned.

Then everything happened all at once: Scooby managed to free the Tar Monster entirely in cold ice then kicked flipped the device until the nozzle was swiftly removed. Combined with Spike’s lance and Scrappy charging forward, Scooby zipped through the bed of ice ahead of him and the Tar Monster exploded into the pieces with Flurry flying behind them and all the pieces formed into one weird statue.

Scrappy flipped head over heels like a gymnast before landing on the skeleton men’s heads and bonked them together. Flurry charged toward the zombie monster, who’s face went wide, and she swung with a mighty front hoof…

“SHORYUKEN!!!” Flurry shouted.

The impact sent the zombie flying head over heels for a few seconds before it crashed upon the floor, tiny Flurry Hearts flew around his head as his eyes rolled.

Meanwhile, Sombra growled as he swiftly swung his claw against Spike, who expertly wielded his lance to evade the blows from the fiendish foe. Sombra’s frustration grew as Spike made this look so easily while even with his newfound strength he couldn’t lay a hand on the dragon. But this proved to be a distraction as Scrappy used the time to leap into the air and deliver an elbow drop to the back of Sombra’s neck knocking him down.

As Flurry flew around, surveying where Scooby was going, Chrysalis flew behind her and tried to shoot a burst of magic toward her. Before any pony else could react, the magic beam suddenly stopped inches away from Flurry Heart and she slowly turned around with an annoyed glance toward Chrysalis.

“In the back, Chrissie?” Flurry asked, sending the beam aside.

“IMPOSSIBLE!!!” Chrysalis shouted. “You can’t be more powerful than me; I have your family’s magic!!!”

“You want our magic, Chrysalis? All right… have mine!”

Flurry suddenly fired a huge chunk of her power towards Chrysalis, which initially she managed to catch with her horn attempting to absorb the magic. Just as Chrysalis felt satisfied gaining some additional power, her eyes widened as she felt something wrong. The magic started bursting from her horn and she found it difficult to control it all, while Flurry looked as if she wasn’t breaking a sweat.

“That’s enough…!” Chrysalis called out.

But Flurry Heart was not finished. Instead… the magic from her horn only glowed brighter as she continued hurling it against Chrysalis. She found herself straining, a slight twinge of pain forming in her body trying to hold it all in. The ponies, starting to see what Flurry was doing, started cheering for her.

“GO FLURRY!!!” Cadance cheered.

“GIVE IT ALL YOU’VE GOT, BABY GIRL!!!” Shining cheered.

“NOO!!! NO… STOP! STOP!!!” Chrysalis begged. “I CAN’T TAKE ANY MORE… STOP!!!”

Finally, the magic proved too much for Chrysalis to take and…

*BOOM!!!*

It literally exploded in her face, knocking Chrysalis backward and she struck her head against the wall falling into unconsciousness. The impact released all the magic out of her horn which flowed rapidly in the air. It hung around for a moment before returning to the source of whence they came. First to Flurry Heart, then to her parents who felt reinvigorated by the return of their magic. Flurry looked around, seeing all the other monsters failing to stop Scooby while Sombra was crying in agony as Scrappy locked one of his legs in a leg log and the beast was pounding away trying to tap out.

Flurry chuckled at the scene as she saw Scooby propel over the Miner 49er and made to catch the panel Shaggy tossed into the air. Just as it seemed the plan was in place, even as the evil masked figure started panicking, Flurry turned her eyes and saw the Pterodactyl Ghost screeching and flying toward Scooby.

“You’re BACK?!” Flurry complained. “I think NOT!”

Flurry produced her magic to shrink the Pterodactyl Ghost to the size of a housefly. The ghost screeched, but it sounded weak and pathetic, no higher than a squeak. Flurry looked straight faced, then smirked, as she summoned a fly swatter. One the ghost saw how big everything was, especially the fly swatter, it whimpered and flew away only to run smack into Fluttershy’s face. Now mad, Fluttershy opened her eyes wide, and the beast found itself trapped by… the stare.

“You’ve been a bad… bad monster!” Fluttershy spoke. “Now sit yourself into a corner and think about all you’ve done and don’t leave until you do!”

Shocked and frightened, the beast slowly flew itself into a corner and began to clutch itself, shaking and shivering much to the confusion of some of the monsters. By which time, Scooby finally had the panel while the remainder of his friends guarded him ready for another attack.

“You can’t do this to me!!!” The Evil Masked Figure sneered. “Who do you think you are?!”

“Care to tell him buddy?!” Spike smirked.

“Scooby… Dooby… Doo!” Scooby said loudly.

He lifted the control panel, put it in use, and the machine went haywire. Soon, in a matter of seconds, green smoke started to form around the monsters reducing them back to their costumed state one by one. The Evil Masked Figure watched on helplessly, as all his creations began to disappear before his eyes.

“NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

“YEAHHHHHHHH!!!!” Spike and Scrappy shouted in unison.

In the midst of all the chaos, the Pterodactyl Ghost squawked and tried to get away. But due to its size, the beast did not get very far, and Flurry practically sat on top of it, squishing him as flat as a pancake.

“Splat!” Flurry smirked.

Then, as the powered alicorn flew up with the monster shifting back into a costume, all Sombra could do was see all the monsters being destroyed before his eyes. And with the fading disappearance of the Tar Monster, it was not long before Mystery Inc. and the Equestrians were freed from the tar monster’s trap.

“MY ARMY!!!” Sombra shouted.

“MY MONSTERS!!!” The Evil Masked Figure groaned.

Defeated, the Evil Masked Figure attempted to make a run for it. Only to nearly fall down the grater when the path he walked on slipped under him. The poor Masked Figure found himself trapped, much to every pony’s amusement.

“Yeah… we might’ve ‘broken’ that…” Rainbow smirked.

“Clever!” Fred added.

“Who knew being klutzy would come in handy?” Pinkie replied innocently.

“Good boy, Scooby!” Shaggy smiled to his dog. “You did it!”

Scooby smiled proudly. And as three youngsters reverted back to their normal size, all two groups of friends came together proudly. There was no mistake, a happy day had come for them. Not just for the friends in general, but to all the citizens of Coolsville as well. Scrappy turned toward Spike and Flurry, who walked side by side toward each other.

“You guys were pretty amazing,” Scrappy smiled.

“They sure are,” Twilight nodded proudly.

Shaggy and Scooby smiled toward Flurry and Spike, the pair smiling back in return. Just then, a shadow loomed over the little princess and nervously she turned around. Fortunately, it was neither Chrysalis nor Sombra, but instead… her father Shining Armor stood over her studying her closely. She shyly looked toward her father, nervously anticipating he would beret her again. But instead, he placed a hoof upon her shoulder and smiled.

“I’m so proud of you… Flurry Heart,” Shining spoke.

Overwhelmed by happiness, Flurry Heart once more hugged her father, and a tender moment took place between the pair again. Soon Cadance joined into the hug, sharing this family moment between them. Unbeknownst to them, and everyone else, Sombra (Still in his beastly form) weakly approached Chrysalis and lifted the unconscious Changeling in his arms.

“Told you it was bad luck to break a mirror,” Sombra spoke quietly. “But least we got what we came for.”

With a gesture, the portal soon opened for them ready to take them back to the Benefactor. But Sombra didn’t get very far when something caught his eye and he turned. The Evil Masked Figure feebly reached his arm out for his associates.

“Help… me…” The Masked Figure uttered.

“Hmph…” Sombra smirked. “Sorry, but we don’t work for posers!”

And just like that, Sombra disappeared through the portal carrying Chrysalis with him. But this did not go completely unnoticed, for Flurry (In the midst of celebrating with her family) caught sight of the pair leaving and merely watched.

“The villains got away?” Shining Armor guessed.

“Yes Daddy…” Flurry nodded.

“Don’t you worry,” Cadance reassured. “We’ll be ready for them. Only this time… they’ll have to deal with all of us. Especially… us ‘three’.”

Flurry looked up toward her mother and the two ponies smiled toward each other, especially Flurry. Who now felt, for the first time in ages, she truly was an equal amongst her family. Though the villains got away again, for Flurry Heart… this was still a victory for her… and her friends.

Heroes At Last

Following all the chaos, and all the mayhem in between, all had been set right in Coolsville at last. As the morning rays shined upon the old Coolsville mining town, a number of reporters, press, and fans swarmed the area as Mystery Inc. and the Equestrians led the now handcuffed masked figure out of the building (Don’t ask how they got the handcuffs). Immediately, the reporters crowded around Mystery Inc. with all sorts of questions they could think of.

“Mystery Inc., do you know the identity of the Evil Masked Figure behind it all?” A newswoman asked, flooded with other reporters.

“Well, if our hunch is correct,” Velma drawled. “The Evil Masked Figure is…”

Without a further moment to waste, the group proceed to unmask the mysterious figure.

“NO!!!” The Evil Masked Figure growled.

Soon as the mask was removed, a certain female reporter was revealed. The crowd gasped in surprise, even the Equestrian group were a bit shocked by who it was.

“Heather Jasper-Howe,” Daphne smirked.

Scooby nodded along with the others, but even he seemed surprised as Patrick emerged from the crowd along with Old Man Wickles. To say all the reporters were confused was a gross understatement.

“But she was at the museum when the masked figure was on the roof,” Another newswoman pointed out.

“Even I must concur with that darling,” Rarity piped in. “Not to mention we both spoke to her when we all witnessed the masked figure on the roof.”

“You almost had us there, didn’t you?” Daphne asked the smirking Heather.

“So how’d she manage to pull it off?” Fluttershy asked curiously.

“Luckily for her she had an assistant helping her along with her evil plans,” Daphne informed.

She then pointed toward the middle of the crowd where there stood Heather’s most trusted cameraman.

“Ned.”

Ned looked around, but before he could run away some cops beside him grabbed the man.

“When I realized she was the Evil Masked Figure, he quickly changed into her costume,” Daphne replied.

“But why’d she do it?” The first newswoman asked.

“Because Heather Jasper-Howe is actually…”

Velma grabbed and removed Heather’s face, revealing to be yet another mask of an older man.

“Dr. Jonathan Jacobo: The original Pterodactyl Ghost.”

Everyone’s eyes went wide, and all their mouths dropped in complete, utter confusion over this.

“But how do you know this?” Another reporter asked.

“I can answer that one.”

Twilight Sparkle approached the reporters, using her magic to pull out the newspaper clipping they had discovered from the shine and displayed it to the people.

“When we were in the monster hive, we located Dr. Jacobo’s lair and discovered this newspaper clipping,” Twilight explained. “Upon closer inspection, it clearly showed the man in front of the newly finished Criminology museum.”

“That’s absolutely right Twilight,” Velma nodded. “According to the prison that he was incarcerated in, Jacobo supposedly died a year before construction even began.”

“So, Jacobo survived that fall off the prison wall,” Shaggy said.

“Reah!” Scooby nodded.

“He also adopted that false Heather Jasper-Howe persona to turn the press against us,” Scrappy added.

“And he framed that poor, hideous Old Man Wickles by putting that book and the Black Knight Ghost in his mansion,” Daphne finished.

The cops proceeded to start dragging Jacobo towards the armored van, but not before Rainbow Dash zipped right in front of them.

“Hold up fellas,” She said. “Before you take him away, I owe him something for almost killing us…”

Rainbow reeled back and slugged Jacobo right in the jaw, causing him to actually fall to the ground and the police had to haul him back to his feet. Rainbow smirked with a nod before floating back to the ground and walked alongside her mare-friend.

“Nice punch hon,” Applejack complimented.

“Eh, he only got about 20% power,” Rainbow shrugged. “I’d have given more, but I don’t want to get dragged off by the cops too.”

“Well still, that deserves one ah these,” Applejack smiled.

Applejack leaned in and kissed Rainbow right on the cheek, which caused the cyan blue Pegasus to turn into a love-struck idiot, as she stumbled around as though she were drunk and mumbling something incoherent. All the while, the cops were still dragging Jacobo to the police van.

“As if you getting the lead in ‘My Fair Lady’ wasn’t enough!” Wickles glared at Jacobo.

“I was an excellent Eliza!” Jacobo retorted. “You were ‘too acty’!”

“And stealing my Tater Tots!” Wickles snapped.

“You kept saying you felt puffy!” Jacobo retorted.

Wickles just glared toward his old nemesis, watching him getting dragged off with a goodly amount of satisfaction. He felt a slight tug on his pant leg and looked down to see Flurry Heart smiling at him.

“I always knew you were innocent Mr. Wickles,” She said happily.

Wickles knelt down onto one knee so that he could look Flurry Heart in the eye, as he shook his head in utter confusion.

“I just don’t get it kid,” He spoke. “Everyone else was ready to place the blame of this whole scheme on me in the blink of an eye. Why weren’t you one of them?”

“Because I sensed the sincerity in your words back at the Faux Ghost,” Flurry responded. “You truly felt guilty about what you had done in the past. All you needed is one person, or in this case a filly, to believe you.”

Wickles actually had a smirk creep onto his face, as he truly felt touched by the young pony’s belief in him even after such a short time.

“Thanks kid,” He said gratefully.

Flurry threw her arms around the old man in a big hug which was a surprise to Wickles. However, after his initial shock was gone, he gently placed an arm around her and gently reciprocated the hug.

Meanwhile, Fred tried to be smart as Velma but once again… he failed.

“And the real identity of Ned is…”

Fred came up toward the cameraman, grabbed his head and gave a forceful yank but nothing happened.

“Ow!” Ned cried.

“… Ned.”

“Fred, Ned never had a mask on,” Shining spoke up, slightly embarrassed.

Fred smiled sheepishly toward the others.

“And I would’ve gotten away with it too if it weren’t for those meddling punks, and their dumb dogs!” Jacobo called out.

The crowd soon cheered for Mystery Inc. as they had won yet another case.

“Great that everyone loves us again,” Scrappy smiled.

“You were a dude this whole time?” Ned asked Jacobo, betrayed.

“Of course, Dummkopf!” Jacobo muttered.

“But we cuddled!” Ned frowned, with a slight groan.

“That’s… disturbing,” Pinkie commented.

Later, Velma approached Patrick, who still stood amongst the crowd and smiled at her as she approached.

“Hi…” Velma spoke nervously.

“H-Hi Velma…” Patrick greeted. “Look, I know that must have seemed very suspicious—”

“No, I trust you…” Velma told him.

“Y-You do?” Patrick asked.

Velma looked over her shoulder and spotted Cadance smiling at her, gently waving her hoof for her to proceed. This time she wasn’t going to pretend to be someone she wasn’t.

“Uh, listen, Patrick…” Velma continued. “I’m not glamorous, or mysterious. But I do like you, very much. And I would like to go out with you again. But this time… I will go as myself.”

Hearing her say this, Patrick smiled even brighter than he had been before.

“I would like nothing more than that,” He responded happily.

The two smiled as they locked hands and walked over to where Cadance and Shining Armor stood side by side.

“Thank you so much Cadance,” Velma thanked. “I should have listened to you right from the start.”

“Like I said Velma, you don’t have to pretend in order to find love,” Cadance smiled. “Sometimes love finds you in the most mysterious and unexpected ways.”

Shining Armor smiled as he placed his hoof around his wife and gently kissed the side of her head.

“It sure does,” He nodded. “But when you find it, never let go.”

Speaking of which, Daphne snuck up behind Fred and when the handsome young man turned around, saw her standing there, he smiled brightly.

“Hey!” Daphne smiled. “They’re cheering for us again.”

“Yeah…” Fred smiled back. “I always thought that was the greatest thing in the world. Guess I had my eyes shut pretty tight, huh?”

Daphne just smiled more as she threw her arms around Fred and the two shared a passionate kiss. Flurry came running up to her parents and they both eagerly caught her in a massive hug.

“Oh my sweet baby girl,” Cadance said lovingly.

“Actually Cadance, how’s about from now on we just call her as she is,” Shining suggested.

“And what might that be?”

Shining looked upon his daughter as a huge, proud smiled formed upon his face.

“Our grown-up little mare.”

The proud parents hugged their daughter once more until a sudden sensation caused them to back away and look in surprise. Flurry was especially surprised as well because a strange glowing, golden light began to envelope her until it was nearly blinding. Everyone shielded their eyes until the light eventually faded and when they looked back at Flurry Heart, they were all speechless. Flurry was a slight confused by all the sudden eyes on her.

“Why are you all staring at me?” She asked confused.

“Maybe you should look behind you and find out,” Shining suggested proudly.

Flurry instantly turned her head and looked down at her flank. Her eyes instantly went wide, and a huge smile plastered onto her face. For there, right upon her flank, was her brand-new cutie mark which resembled a cross between her mother’s and her father’s with the Crystal Heart sitting atop a pink star that was crested onto a blue shield.

“My… my… my… MY CUTIE MARK!!!” Flurry yelled, gleefully.

The Mane Six and Spike all approached when they heard Flurry yelling and noticed her jumping around for joy as she admired her new cutie mark. Shining Armor and Cadance were so proud of their daughter as they came up and hugged her tightly. Soon everyone came up and joined in.

“Look at me Auntie Twily, look at me!!!” Flurry cheered. “I never imagined I’d get a cutie mark and now I got one!”

“Oh Flurry, I am so proud of you!” Twilight smiled.

“We all are little darling,” Rarity added.

“You really earned it little squirt,” Rainbow smirked.

When everyone pulled back from the hug, Twilight turned back toward little Spike. She caught him staring down toward the ground slightly sadly. Twilight walked up alongside him and gently nudged him with her hoof.

“Hey, you okay Spike?” She asked, sitting beside him.

“I guess…” Spike answered sadly. “I mean I’m glad we solved the mystery, don’t get me wrong. And it’s so cool Flurry got her cutie mark, it’s just… I wish something cool happened to me. But I’m still just the same old baby dragon I was when I woke up today… and when this whole trip started.”

Twilight smiled toward her little number one assistant, placing a single arm around him.

“What’s so wrong with that?” She asked. “I think the same old Spike is just as perfect, and I guarantee you every pony else does too. Having something like a cutie mark or praise from fans doesn’t make you a hero. Helping people in need, for the sole purpose of doing a good deed, that my friend is what makes a hero. You’ve done just that time and time again by just being yourself, Spike. Not just for all Equestria, but for so many other worlds… and the same for all the worlds we haven’t even been to yet.”

Hearing Twilight say this made Spike feel slightly better, even put a smile on his face. She was absolutely right because throughout the entirety of their journeys, from Equestria and all the other worlds, he’d been a big help in so many ways. Not always by doing the biggest, most heroic deeds but just for being so willing to help anyway he can.

“You know what, you’re right Twilight!” Spike smiled. “I am a hero. Not because I’m the biggest, not because I’m the strongest, but when it comes down to it I’m not afraid to step up and help no matter what stands in the way—uh ooh…”

“Something the matter Spike?”

“I-I-I don’t know, mmm…” Spike grunted, clutching himself. “All of a sudden I feel weird… and I haven’t had breakfast—ooh… ooh boy….”

All of a sudden, no sooner did the pain within him increase starting from the top of his chest and drawing down to his feet, an even stranger sensation developed with him. Soon the pain faded to a more tingly feeling inside like bits of his body falling asleep. And all of a sudden, through his eyes, everything seemed to either be getting smaller or his sights were getting higher. Either way, he hadn’t noticed that his limbs were growing until eventually the process stopped. Confused, he looked down only to realize he was slightly taller than Twilight and the others.

“What happened to me?” He asked.

Spike clasped his claws over his mouth, realizing his voice had gotten slightly deeper.

“Spike… you’re growing!” Twilight marveled. “You’re becoming… a full dragon!”

As this touching tender moment took place, a few news reporters asked Shaggy if he could wear the Captain Cutler helmet for them.

“Shaggy, can we get your photo in this?” A reporter asked.

“Uh, yes,” Shaggy smiled.

Without hesitation, he took Captain Cutler’s diving helmet and decided to try it on for size.

“That’s a nice fit there, Shaggy!” Scrappy smirked.

The little pup approached the rest of the rest of the Equestrian group, as he kept a close watch.

“Uh Scraps, what’re you doing?” Rainbow asked.

“Just waiting for the hilarity to ensue,” Scrappy answered casually.

“What do you…”

“Just wait… any minute now…”

Shaggy soon roared, pretending to be scary. Unfortunately, that attracted some attention in the wrong way.

“Rikes!” Scooby panicked.

Scooby snatched a boom mic from one of the camera crew and soon beat Shaggy with it, thinking the ‘real’ Captain Cutler was still up and running. Shaggy grunted and groaned before removing the helmet.

“Like, Scoob, it’s me, man!” Shaggy smiled to his best friend.

“Raggy!” Scooby smiled.

The Great Dane soon raced toward Shaggy, feeling much better now, pouncing upon him, and licking his face.

Everyone laughed at the quirky duo, but then soon erupted into cheers of celebration. Once again, Mystery Inc. and the Equestrians solved another mystery together and as a bonus all of Coolsville was saved. Flurry Heart climbed up onto Scooby’s back, hugged him around the neck and the big dog nuzzled up against her.

“Scooby Dooby Doo!!!” They both chanted.

Late in the night, at the Faux Ghost, everyone gathered for one swinging party in celebration. Everyone in town assembled on the dance floor, as Scooby Doo and Pinkie Pie stood on stage with a very special guest star.

“Fillies and gentle colts, ladies and gentlemen,” Pinkie announced, through a mic. “The Faux Ghost is pleased to present the musical guest star and ‘American Idol’ winner, Ruben Studdard!!!”

“Sing it, Ruben!” Scooby shouted.

Acknowledging the Great Dane’s request, Ruben grabbed the microphone and began to sing.

As the man sang, everyone on the dance floor started to jam and boogey as they had the time of their lives. The entire Equestria team danced with one another with Rainbow Dash and Applejack dancing together, Flurry with her parents, Pinkie break-dancing all across the floor, Twilight dancing with her now bigger dragon assistant Spike, and Rarity and Fluttershy dancing with one another. But soon, however, the celebration came to an end the moment a familiar portal back to Equestria opened up.

“Looks like it’s time to go home,” Twilight announced.

“Aww, can’t we stay a little longer?” Pinkie pleaded. “I still haven’t even got to break out ‘my’ super-duper, double looper, hoopty-dooper, Pinkie Pie twist.”

“Sorry Pinkie, but I think we’ve partied enough here tonight.”

Pinkie merely pouted and lightly kicked the floor beneath her before sluggishly following behind as the group started walking toward the Mystery Inc. crew.

“Heading out already?” Fred asked.

“Afraid so Fred,” Shining nodded. “Time we all got back home and start on our next big mystery.”

“Number one amongst them the whereabouts of Chrysalis and Sombra,” Cadance added. “And what they’re next plan is going to be.”

“Like I wouldn’t sweat it man,” Shaggy spoke up. “Knowing you guys, you’ll catch them and smoke ‘em six ways from Sunday.”

“Reah, roke ‘em!” Scooby nodded.

“Well, we’ll really miss you guys,” Daphne said.

“I just hope we’ll see you again,” Velma added.

“Don’t y’all worry bout that none,” Applejack said. “Ah’m sure we’ll be seein’ ya again real soon.”

“For more adventures and mystery solving,” Rarity nodded.

“Not to mention busting up baddies with my awesome moves!” Rainbow added, throwing punches in mid-air.

“Yeah!” Pinkie perked up. “Maybe you’ll get hired by some town in Scotland, with inhabitants complaining about being plagued by monsters! Only to discover that the monsters are actually victims, leading to Scooby & Shaggy coming to terms with their own prejudices and narrow belief systems!”

There was a slight awkward pause between the two groups for a moment, several members blinking. Shaggy and Scooby turned toward one another, as if pondering what the other was thinking, then turned back toward Pinkie shaking their heads.

“Nah…” They said in unison.

“Well… I could see some potential,” Scrappy replied, shrugging.

“We’ll see…” Velma added.

“Well… until that time comes, we’ll miss all of you,” Fluttershy smiled.

Everyone exchanged meaningful hugs and farewells before the Equestrian group slowly turned back towards the portal. They took one final look over their shoulders toward Mystery Inc. before they finally stepped through the portal and worked their way back home.

Meanwhile, in the badlands of Equestria, a fully recovered Chrysalis and the newly reanimated Sombra made their way through the caves of their hiding spot before eventually arriving in the dead center of the meeting area. There stood Tirek, Cozy Glow, the Dazzlings, Demitria, Andromedis, and the Mysterious Benefactor waiting for them.

Soon as the pair walked into the cavern, the Benefactor stood up and walked towards them as the two bowed their heads in respect. The Benefactor looked toward Sombara, smiling under their hood wickedly over his new form.

“Ah Sombra,” They spoke satisfied. “You’ve managed to acquire yourself a new body.”

“Indeed I have,” Sombra nodded, examining himself. “Oh, how fun it was toying with those pathetic little ingrates who dare call themselves ‘ponies’. Did they really think I’d be beaten so easily? All I needed was for them to think they’d won the battle… not realizing the real war coming to them.

“And… did you two managed to track for what we needed?”

“Oh yes… and much more,” Chrysalis smirked evilly.

Using her twisted magic, Chrysalis floated over a black box and slowly opened it to reveal a container of Randomonium. She also procured the ancient text she had retrieved from Mystery Inc. headquarters, shortly after the gang left for the mining town. Upon looking at the items, the Benefactor nearly salivated as they thought of what they could do with this.

“Excellent!” They grinned. “With this very substance and the knowledge within this book, we shall create an army of monsters to wreak mayhem and destruction my command….”

“Don’t you mean our command?” Tirek asked irritated.

“Don’t go thinking you can hold out on us,” Cozy Glow added. “We’re all part of this as well.”

The Benefactor merely growled quietly underneath their hood, before quickly turning back around and regaining their composure.

“Now then, we move onto the next phase of our plan,” They declared.

At that moment, a group of dark figures emerged from the shadows of the cave. The figures were all dressed in black robes, wearing skull masks that covered their faces. It was clear they were all humans but also quite evil to dress in such an ensemble. The Benefactor noticed the group of figures and walked over towards them with the tome and the Randomonium in their magical grip. The one leading the group of people simply reached out their gloved hands and the Benefactor let the items fall into their grasp.

“And you’re certain this will aid us, master?” The figure asked.

“More than you will ever know,” The Benefactor nodded. “Soon, we will get ‘everything’ we all wanted. And soon… the Dark Lord will rise again and not even death will stop him. But first…”

Two of the robed figures, their faces hidden behind masks, drew out a long table covered by a white sheet. The Mysterious Benefactor stood over the table as the figures set it into position. Then through a silent command, the figures lifted the sheet off the table… revealing the costume of a certain, ‘Chickenstein’.

“We use our newfound randomonium to turn the most ridiculous creature in the world… into the most frightening servant of our newfound order.”

The End…?