G5 Adventures in Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost

Chapters

Mystery Inc Botches A Case?
Secrets Revealed/Getting on the Road
Car Chase on the Cliffside
Storming the Castle/Asmodeus' First Appearance
Stories Arise and Flying to the Himalayas
Avalanches and Investigations (Part 1)
Avalanches and Investigations (Part 2)
The King of Demons Appears/Chase Through the Temple
Escaping with a Sacrifice/Hope Regained
The Temple Rescue Mission Begins
Mystery Inc Members Reunited/The Case Closes
Heading Home at Last
Causes for Celebration/Many, Many Years Ago

Mystery Inc Botches A Case?

The local shopping mall was closed… dark… almost bringing an ominous vibe through the quiet night.

Well... almost quiet, I mean.

A portal opened in the dark mall, and out stepped the Mane 6, Sparky, Queen Haven and Alphabittle, the pegasus queen and Misty’s father glancing around with wide eyes, until Alphabittle spoke up. “Huh… I thought it would be brighter in here.”

“Is there some sort of power outage?” Queen Haven asked. “I don’t think so,” Zipp shook her head. “We must be in the mall after closing time.”

“And luckily,” Sunny smiled, “we know EXACTLY what group would be in a dark shopping mall after hours.”

“WAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!”

Suddenly, an older man ran right past the ponies, causing them to leap out of the way as he rounded a corner. “Well… that was different,” Misty frowned. “I wonder why he’s so scared.”

“Ponies?!”

The ponies turned immediately to see Fred, Daphne and Velma screeching to an immediate halt, but Shaggy and Scooby couldn’t stop in time and tumbled into Pipp and Zipp. “Whoops! Sorry about that, girls,” Shaggy said as they got up. “We didn’t expect to see you guys tonight.”

“Hey, it’s all good!” Pipp reassured. “We’re just happy to see you again! And we have some family members of ours we wanna introduce you to.”

“Mystery Incorporated, meet my dad, Alphabittle Blossomforth, and Pipp and Zipp’s mom, Queen Haven of Zephyr Heights!” Misty introduced. “Queen Haven, Dad? Meet Shaggy, Scooby, Fred, Daphne and Velma.”

“Oh, it’s such a pleasure to meet you!” Queen Haven smiled. “Alphie and I have heard nothing but good things about you.”

“So have we!” Velma smiled. “It’s so nice to finally meet some of our Equestrian friends’ parents!”

“Uh, yeah, it’s great to meet both of you, but can we get going?” Fred said in a quick-speaking tone. “We have a suspect to nab!”

“Mind if we come along?” Alphabittle asked. “I’ve never been apart of a high-speed chase before.”

“Yeah yeah, sure,” Fred spoke, “now come on! He’s just up ahead!”

“You two might wanna get used to this,” Zipp said as they galloped after the gang. “Fred is sort of the leader, and he kinda takes things to a whole different level… whether we want him to or not.”

Queen Haven and Alphabittle spared each other a confused glance before they followed after their children and all their friends, old and new, after the gang’s suspect.

The man in question screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran through the mall at lightning speed and started running up the escalator. But as they reached the edge, Fred immediately stopped, causing the rest of the group to bump into him while Queen Haven and her daughters flew up to avoid the impact.

Zipp watched the suspect leave the escalator at the top floor, wondering why Fred would pause such a chase. “Fred, what are you doing? He’s getting away!”

“Zipp, as a detective, you should also know that while chasing a suspect, you have to avoid safety hazards too,” Fred told her. “And you should never run up a moving escalator. Safety first.”

Zipp groaned in frustration as Daphne developed a question. “Can we at least walk?”

“Um, better not chance it,” Fred advised. “We’ll just have to be slow and cautious.”

“You guys do that, and we’ll meet you at the top!” Sunny said, making a vine ramp that stretched all the way to the top, leading all of the Equestrians who couldn’t fly up to the next level of the mall, and Queen Haven, Zipp and Pipp flew up to meet them up there.

However, the escalator seemed to move incredibly slow, taking the gang forever to reach the top, something that slowed them down incredibly.

Sunny and Hitch looked at each other, both knowing that Fred took his leader role seriously, but this? This seemed a little too extreme for their taste.

Once the gang finally reached the top, Velma looked around, but didn’t see the suspect anywhere. “Now what?”

“I don’t know,” Zipp said frustrated, putting her visor away. “I can’t find any heat signatures of the suspect, so the trail has gone ice cold. Way to take the long way, Frederick.”

“Relax, everybody,” Fred said, trying to ease their frustration. “The real trick of leadership is seeing the whole situation from… above. Like the very top of, say, uh… a human pyramid. That's how you get the best out of your team and plan your next move.”

“He does know that we have pegasus ponies here, doesn’t he?” Alphabittle whispered. “Alphie has a point, Freddy dearest,” Queen Haven stated. “Maybe Pipp, Zipp and I might be able to get a good view of the mall from above.”

“And maybe while the royal pegasi do that, Scooby can sniff down here for clues!” Misty added. “Two search parties in one!”

“Ugh, all right, all right,” Fred sighed. “But make it quick-- if he makes it out of the mall, we may never find him again!”

Queen Haven and her daughters nodded before flying toward different shops, peering inside the open doors to see if the suspect was in there, but so far, they weren’t having any luck…

…until Scooby picked up the suspect’s scent, heading toward the nearby toy store. “That-a-way!”

“Huh? Oh yeah!” Sunny said. “The toy store is the only store that isn’t locked, so he must have found a way in there!”

“You see that? Great work, Scooby and Sunny,” Fred patted Scooby on the head before running toward the toy store. “Come on, gang!”

But as the gang followed, Shaggy and Scooby immediately halted as soon as they saw a pretzel cart to their right, their mouths watering in hunger. “Like, we’re right behind ya!” Shaggy said to his friends. “Me and Scoob just gotta take care of something first!”

“Oh yeah!” Scooby nodded, and the cowardly duo immediately dove into the salty treats, causing Hitch and Sparky to quickly abandon the chase and try to keep an eye on them. “I better stay with them, Dad. You guys keep following Freddy!” Misty said to her father, turning around and heading to her friends in order to give them a helping hoof while the chase resumed.

XXXXXXXX

The rest of the group entered the toy store with extreme caution, but it was dark, with Izzy and Alphabittle’s horns to illuminate the dark room. “Where is he?” Alphabittle wondered in a hushed tone of voice. “It’s so dark in here, even with my horn light, I can’t find anything!”

“Hmmm… I know he must be in here; I can feel it in my hooves,” Zipp said as she landed with her sister and mother beside her. “But where?”

Suddenly, there came a rattling sound from nearby, causing the ponies to jump, but Fred merely smirked at the act. “We got him. Follow me!”

Suddenly, Daphne thought of a better idea, deciding to speak her mind about such a thing. “Um… shouldn’t we booby-trap the doorway in case he tries to escape?”

“Daphne, I think I know when and when not to booby-trap a doorway,” Fred chuckled. “Let’s go.”

Daphne sighed as Izzy, Sunny, Velma and Alphabittle followed Fred away, turning toward Queen Haven. “Does this happen a lot to you, your highness?”

“More than you think. Some ponies think they have so many things figured out, they don’t want a second opinion,” Queen Haven said. “I think booby-trapping the doorway is a good way to make sure the villain doesn’t escape. But what in a toy store could we use?”

Pipp hummed as she looked around before her eyes settled on some large balls in a large cage. “What about those? With those balls, we could slow him down and potentially trip him up.”

“Good idea,” Zipp nodded. “Pipp, you keep look out. If he runs this way, give us the word and we’ll break the cage open!”

XXXXXXXX

“Be careful, everypony,” Sunny whispered as she, Fred, Velma, Izzy and Alphabittle walked. “The suspect could be anywhere, so keep your eyes peeled.”

“Peeled eyes? Eww!” Izzy gagged. “That just doesn’t sound good.”

“No, Izzy,” Velma whispered. “She means to look out for who we’re looking for.”

Soon, they came upon a display of teddy bears, where a giant, at least 10-foot teddy bear was sitting right in the middle. As they were about to move in a different direction, the giant teddy bear moved, and the suspect leapt out from it in an attempt to escape.

“Jinkies!”

“There it is!”

“Don’t let him get away!”

The suspect screamed as he ran past them, causing the group to chase after him while up near the entrance, Pipp saw the suspect coming. “He’s coming, Zipp! Now!”

“Let’s wing it!” Zipp shouted, and she and Queen Haven kicked the cage over, releasing all the balls onto the floor. And just like they expected, the suspect tripped over the balls and rolled right out of the toy store and rolled right toward the pretzel stand. “Uh oh!” Misty cried. “Shag, Scoob, Hitch, let’s go!”

“But we haven’t finished the pretzels yet!” Hitch argued, causing Misty to pull them away just as the suspect crashed into the stand. “Phew… that was close,” Scooby sighed. “Thanks, Misty.”

“Don’t mention it,” Misty smiled. “Dad, we got him!”

“Great job, Tea!” cried Alphabittle as Sunny used pretzels to bind the suspect’s hands together. “Now,” said Sunny, “all we have to do is wait for the authorities to arrive so the gang can wrap this case.”

XXXXXXXX

Once the sheriff had arrived on the scene, Velma moved toward the older man with the intent of ripping off his mask and revealing his true identity. “Now let's see who old Farmer Morgan really is.”

“Huh?” Zipp blinked. “Wait, does she think that his face is really…?”

But she didn’t have time to finish the question, because Velma was already pulling against the man’s face, but when it didn’t budge, she hummed in thought. “That’s odd.”

“Let me try,” Daphne offered, and tried to pull the so-called ‘mask’ off as well. “Ow, stop that!” the man cried. “That’s my face!”

“Guys, I think he’s telling the truth,” Sunny tried to step in. “And it seems like it’s really hurting him.”

“Cause it is, orange horsey!” the man yelped in pain as Daphne continued, causing Shaggy to hum in thought. “Looks like this ghost went a little heavy on the spirit gum,” he told Scooby, causing them both to laugh. “I don’t understand,” Fred said in confusion. “If it's not a mask, then that means he's…”

The sheriff then sighed and picked the man up. “The real Farmer Morgan.”

Many of the group gasped in shock, while the ponies only winced. “Oh jeez… we are SO sorry about that,” Misty apologized. “We were just following our friends and… well… things got a little out-of-hoof.”

“I have to agree,” Alphabittle said. “It was an honest mistake, right gang?”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t make any sense,” Daphne spoke up. “Farmer Morgan is selling the mall half his farmland for their big expansion.”

“If it goes out of business,” Velma agreed, “he'll lose millions.”

“So, like, why does he want to shut this place down?” Shaggy wondered. “He doesn’t. Morgan didn't stage the mall haunting,” the sheriff said before gesturing to the woman in handcuffs beside him. “Mrs. Malvo, the owner did.”

“And I would've gotten away with it, too,” Mrs. Malvo stated, “if you'd left the meddling to these kids.”

“But wait… if Farmer Morgan wasn’t responsible for the mall haunting,” said Hitch, “why was he running from us!”

“I’m afraid of teenagers!” Farmer Morgan answered, making the Mystery Incorporated crew immediately realize what they had done. “Hold the phone,” Fred spoke. “You mean… we were wrong?”

“Whoa… that’s a first,” Pipp said in concern. “Mystery Inc has never botched up a case in their entire lives!”

“Uh, actually, instead of being wrong,” said the sheriff, “the right term would be ‘criminally negligent’.”

“CRIMINAL?!”

“How many times do I have to tell you kids?” the sheriff sighed, looking toward the stunned teenagers. “Mystery-solving is a tough business. Even for the pros. There's no room for mistakes. You're almost 18. After that, if somebody like Morgan presses harassment charges, you're looking at prison time.”

“Prison?!” Zipp cried as the Mane 6 and Sparky got in front of their friends in defense. “No, that can’t happen!”

“Sheriff, please excuse me for butting in,” Alphabittle said, “but my daughter has told me nothing except good things about these kids. Making a mistake like this is big, I agree, but it’s the first time this has happened.”

“I agree,” Queen Haven said. “As queen of Zephyr Heights, I always try to give somepony a second chance after a wrong-doing. Maybe you can find it in your heart to do the same?”

“While I do agree that most would be given a second chance, your highness,” the sheriff stated, “this business is too dangerous for slip-ups. Case in point.”

Suddenly, Mrs. Malvo started running in the other direction, leaving Izzy to point this out. “She’s getting away!”

Luckily, the sheriff was able to stop her by shooting her rear end with a tranquilizer gun before turning back to Mystery Inc. “It's over, kids. From now on, there's only one mystery-solving crime stopper in this town. And he wears a badge. Also this cool hat.”

Hitch was just about to interject, but Misty shook her head to keep their friends from getting in further trouble. “Let me be absolutely clear,” the sheriff warned. “If I see you driving that Mystery Machine of yours one more mile, I'm putting you away.”

The ponies gasped at this as the sheriff turned toward Scooby. “Also, we do have a leash law in this town, so, you know. Thanks.”

Scooby growled as everyone went their separate ways, and once they were alone, Sunny turned to the gang with a frown. “Guys, I’m so sorry… are you okay?”

“...more disappointed in ourselves than anything,” Daphne frowned. “After we defeated Opaline, it’s like we’ve been back-tracking to our early mystery days, when we barely knew anything about solving crimes.”

“Aww, come on,” Alphabittle tried to encourage. “I’m sure it can’t be that bad.”

“No… the sheriff’s right,” Fred shook his head. “We better do what he says.”

“Wait a second…” Misty said with fear in her voice. “Does that mean…?”

Velma nodded, sighing in sadness. “Mystery Inc… is retiring.”

Secrets Revealed/Getting on the Road

Since the last time that the Mane 6 and Sparky saw their friends, the gang had gotten a whole house to share, courtesy of Daphne’s father, and the Mane 6, Queen Haven and Alphabittle were welcome to stay there until their quest was completed.

But… it was hard to think about the quest when the gang seemed so disheartened to give up what they loved.

Misty was definitely one that found this true, for this is what was keeping her awake for hours with the moon and stars glistening above.

After 30 minutes of tossing and turning on her mattress, Misty sighed, got up and walked into the living room to sit in front of the fireplace.

Why did the gang have to give up the thing they loved most after one mistake?

And yes, it WAS a big mistake, but... mistakes can be forgiven... can't they?

“Misty, dearest?”

Misty looked around to see Queen Haven approaching her, causing Misty to suddenly feel a mass amount of guilt. “I’m sorry if I woke you, Your Highness.”

“No, you did no such thing,” Queen Haven brushed off as she sat beside the young unicorn. “I had been up for a while anyhow, thinking about things.”

“Me too. Mom... everypony at home...” Misty trailed off. “...the gang giving up their hobby...”

Queen Haven sighed heavily at this. “That’s been weighing on my mind too. I wish I could have done something more to defend your friends, but... in different realms there are different and similar laws, and... I have to try and help abide by these laws. And I even have to try and respect them even though I don't feel like they're right, as much as I hate to admit such.”

“...it must be so hard trying to govern a whole kingdom of ponies that really depend on you,” Misty looked up at her. “Do you get... I don't know... scared? Thinking about the future, I mean?”

Queen Haven nodded with a sigh, a smile gracing her face. “All the time, actually.”

“Really?”

“Ponies think that the life of a royal is glamour and charm, and while it does have good aspects... it can be incredibly scary too. That's why I admire my little fillies so much... because they're so brave when they're here in countless worlds fighting who knows what. And you have been so courageous to keep striving to protect the realms despite everything you had been through in your past life.”

“The past is the past,” Misty said. “The future is the only thing that really matters... right?”

The queen chuckled at this. “Spoken like a true leader, if I do say so myself. Now... we better get back to bed. We have a garage sale to help with in the morning.”

“Right... no matter how much it hurts us,” Misty agreed, and after bidding one another good night, the pegasus queen and the blue unicorn retreated to their rooms for the night to prepare for the day ahead.

XXXXXXXX

By the time the morning finally came, everything had been set up for the yard sale, and by the time the sun was at its peak in the sky, there were already a lot of people at the sale itself.

Alphabittle and Queen Haven made themselves and useful in several different ways to help their kids and their friends-- moving boxes, talking to shoppers, collecting money and keeping an eye on Sparky when Hitch or Izzy couldn’t.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, Fred had already sold the Mystery Machine to a lucky buyer, and a few of the gang's most precious collector's items had been sold as well.

Daphne looked around at the shoppers left as she closed the money box. “I don't understand why we have to unload everything.”

That was when Fred approached, his shoulders slumped in disappointment and sadness. “I can't believe I just sold the Mystery Machine.”

“Fred, I'm sorry about that. I know it can't be easy to give up something you love-- if I had to give up the Crystal Tea Room, where I made so many precious memories with my Misty... I'd feel the same way,” Alphabittle tried to reassure. “But nopony can ever say that it's easy to retire, especially when you're retiring from something you love doing.”

Pipp sighed as she and her sister walked over. “It sure looks easy for Shaggy and Scooby, though-- even though I think most of it is just trying to cheer Misty up.”

True to her word, Shaggy and Scooby were lounging on chairs on the front lawn, dressed in Hawaiian shirts and drinking some of Sunny's best smoothies, and Misty was resting between them, trying to make light of the situation. “Ahh... this is the life, you guys,” Shaggy sighed in relaxation. “No more mysteries, no more ghosts, and no more year-round fancy attire.”

“Hey,” said a man in a blue shirt and hat walking past them. “I like your style.”

“Thank you,” Scooby slurped his smoothie before burping, causing him to cover his mouth with his paw. “Oh, heh... excuse me.”

“Misty, you’ve hardly touched your smoothie,” observed Sunny as she poured some more Dreamy Greenie smoothie into Shaggy’s glass. “Is Pineapple Paradise not your favorite anymore?”

“No no! I love it, I really do,” Misty said. “It's just... none of this business with the sheriff feels right, but I just can't put my hoof on it.”

“I know how you feel,” Zipp told her friend. “I wanted to go up and yell the sheriff off yesterday, but... I tried to think of what might be best for the gang.”

“Speaking of the gang,” Hitch said, “I don't think Fred is gonna take this sight too well...”

The stallion pointed toward the Mystery Machine with another driver at the wheel, and this caused Daphne to release an audible sigh. “I agree with Misty... this just doesn’t feel right.”

“...I love my Mystery Machine...” Fred mumbled to himself. “I feel like I just sold part of myself.”

Alphabittle sighed and put a hoof on Fred’s shoulder. “Come on, Hitch... let's take Fred and Sparky over here for a little fresh air.”

“Sounds good to me,” Hitch nodded, and picked up his baby dragon before the boys walked away, leaving the rest of the group to themselves. “I know how you feel, everyone,” Velma tried to assure her friends, “but it's not like we have a choice. Besides, it's already done. We've already closed all our cases and have absolutely no unfinished business. None whatsoever.”

“Eureka!”

The man from earlier immediately found a crystal clear sphere in one of the boxes set up on the table next to them, eagerly turning toward Velma and Daphne. “How much for the crystal ball?”

Suddenly, one look at the crystal ball caused Shaggy, Scooby and Daphne to freeze in complete shock.

They thought that crystal ball had been lost years ago!

Seeing her friends in so much surprise was enough to get Izzy confused. “Since when do you guys have a crystal ball? Oh my hoofness... were you gonna do fortune telling and not tell me?!”

“Well, it's not exactly that, Izzy,” Daphne struggled to find the words to explain, “but, um... I don't think...”

But before Daphne could finish, Shaggy and Scooby pushed by them, trying to get the crystal ball back into hiding for some odd reason. “Like, put that thing away!!”

Scooby ran around the man, causing him to stumble and drop the crystal ball. Luckily, Shaggy caught it, but that relief turned to fear when the crystal glowed with an eerie green light. “Oh, man… I know that glow.”

“Shaggy?” said a male voice coming from the crystal. “Shaggy, is that you?”

“Did that thing just…?” Fred began to say before Shaggy dropped the crystal ball, letting roll a little ways toward the ponies before a male figure, this figure being Vincent Van Ghoul, appeared within it. “Kids!” he cried out in relief. “I’ve been trying to reach you on this thing for months. Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby-Doo, where are you?”

Cautiously, everyone approached the crystal ball and Daphne picked it up. “We’re here,” she said hesitantly. “What’s up, Vincent?”

Zipp and Pipp shared a confused glance at this. “Vincent?”

“I think he prefers Mr. Van Ghoul,” Shaggy quickly interrupted. “No, Vincent is fine,” Vincent reassured before turning back to Shaggy, Scooby and Daphne. “Listen… I’ve found him. Or rather, he’s found me.”

At this remark, Scooby felt the fur on his neck raise in fear and familiarity. “Oh no…”

“You mean…?” Daphne began to ask before Vincent nodded. “The 13th and final ghost,” Vincent answered, causing Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby to become worried while everyone else looked majorly confused. “You must come at once to catch him, so we can seal the Chest of Demons forever! Hurry, I can't hold him off any long…”

But after he said this, the glow in the crystal ball went out, and Vincent’s image could no longer be seen. “Vincent?” Daphne called. “Vincent?”

Shaggy gulped nervously at this. “Like, I guess we've got some unfinished business after all.”

He and Scooby nervously whimpered and hugged each other, giving Zipp the opportunity to speak. “Okay, okay, is anypony else completely confused about what just happened or was it just me?”

“No, it’s not just you, darling,” Queen Haven said before the rounds of questions from many different members of the group began.

“How do you have a crystal ball?”

“Who is Vincent Van Ghoul?”

“How long have you known each other?”

“What’s a Chest of Demons?”

“Is it some sort of Equestrian artifact?”

“What did Vincent mean by ‘13th ghost’?”

Just then, the man who wanted to buy the crystal ball held a check within his reach. “And will you take a personal check?”

“NO!!” the gang and ponies responded harshly. “All right,” the man backed off. “It’s just a question.”

“Sorry about that!” Misty called as the man walked off. “Have a nice day!”

As the group made sure they were completely alone, Fred was about ready to demand an answer right then and there. “Daphne, are you gonna tell us what's going on here?”

“We said we’d never talk about this,” Shaggy said in a murmur. “We have no choice,” Daphne sighed. “Vincent’s in trouble, and it’s all our fault.”

This immediately caught everyone off-guard, Fred and Velma especially. “Our fault?!”

“Listen… something… happened,” sighed Daphne as she turned to face them. “The summer that Fred and Velma were both away at camp and before we met you Equestrians. Shaggy, Scooby and I traveled the world in search of ghosts, real ghosts I might add, that were set free from an ancient chest.”

“Ancient chest? Real ghosts?” Alphabittle asked with a shudder. “Sounds like something that could come from Bridlewood.”

Daphne then turned to Shaggy and Scooby. “Hey, maybe you two can get everything ready to heads up to Vincent’s, and maybe take the unicorns with you. This explanation might take a while, and I think it might be best to do it in smaller groups to handle individual questions.”

“Sure, Daph,” Shaggy sighed with a nod. “Iz? Can you, Alphabittle and Misty help us get packed?”

“Sure, Shag-a-roni!” Izzy chirped, and the unicorns followed Shaggy and Scooby into the garage while everyone else followed Daphne into the garage.

And this would be the story that they would never forget for as long as they lived.

XXXXXXXX

Once the others had entered her bedroom, Daphne (while searching through her closet for a certain outfit) had begun explaining what had went on all that time ago;

She, Scooby and Shaggy were on their way to Hawaii when they accidentally went down in the Himalayas, and during their time there, Shaggy and Scooby accidentally opened the Chest of Demons, releasing the 13 most terrifying ghosts on the face of the Earth into their world.

For weeks and months they tracked down every single ghost… all except one. And now that this ghost was back, it was up to them to go and catch it.

After the story was explained, Sunny was the first to speak, looking up from her notes in awe. “You guys captured real ghosts with supernatural powers?”

“Don’t be silly, Sunny,” Velma brushed off. “We’ve seen enough cases to know that real ghosts aren’t a thing.”

“Aha! There it is!” Daphne said, pulling a purple dress out of the closet, but instantly frowned at it. “Ugh… how did I ever think this was practical?”

“Oh, I agree,” Pipp said. “I’m sure I can totally find you a better outfit!”

Pipp tossed that dress onto Hitch’s head, causing Sparky to yelp in surprise, but then giggled as Hitch pulled the dress off his head. “This is insane,” Fred told Daphne with a frown. “I can’t believe you never told us, any of us, about this!”

“Well, the ponies always had their own problems, and Shaggy and I weren’t sure when to bring it up after you and Velma got back from camp,” Daphne said as Pipp continued to hand her outfit. “Besides, the whole experience really traumatized Scooby. He almost had a nervous breakdown. So, we decided the best thing for him was never to bring it up again.”

“Well… doing that for Scooby was really thoughtful,” Zipp said. “I can’t imagine seeing the guy break down over this.”

“Yeah… and I thought that being sheriff of an entire community was harsh,” Hitch said. “But Daph, you said there were 13 ghosts and you only caught 12.”

“Yes, didn’t you think,” said Queen Haven, “that with that last horrible beast on the loose, that this might come up again someday?”

“I understand, Queen Haven, but if you’re all worried about Scooby, don’t be,” Daphne advised. “He’s conquered his demons… twelve of them at least.”

“Hey, Daph,” Pipp said, holding up a bag. “What about this?”

“Hey… that’s perfect, Pipp!” Daphne took it from her. “Just give me a few minutes to get changed.”

XXXXXXXX

When Daphne got changed, she was now wearing a purple/magenta jumpsuit with matching fingerless gloves and boots, and her hair in a completely different hairstyle. “So, guys? What do you think?”

As soon as he saw Daphne with this new look, Fred only had one thing to say. “Whoa! Who are you?”

“I think you look great!” Sunny smiled. “That new look is really you.”

“Thanks,” Daphne smiled. “Now… we better get outside and see how the others are doing with preparations before we hit the road.”

XXXXXXXX

The gang soon went down to the garage, and as the doors slowly opened, they expected to see the unicorns, Shaggy and Scooby with their luggage.

Instead, they saw Shaggy and Scooby wearing all sorts of protective clothing, and the unicorns holding weapons of different kinds, as if fearful of what might be ahead.

Velma stared at how ridiculous Shaggy and Scooby looked for a moment. “What are you two wearing?”

“By what Shaggy and Scooby told us about their earlier adventures with these ghost things,” said Misty, “I’d say that they’re not wearing nearly enough!”

“Don’t worry about that, Misty. Daphne said that they handled 12 of these already,” Zipp spoke. “Will one more kill all of us?”

“Uh, Zipp dude,” Shaggy said, “that’s the question… isn’t it?”

“We won’t let anything happen to you, I promise,” Sunny told her friend with sincerity. “But if we wanna get to Vincent’s before nightfall we better hurry.”

“Well, we’d love to help,” Fred said, “but I just sold the Mystery Machine, so…”

“Don't worry. I've got it covered.”

Daphne pulled a cover off of a large object next to them, revealing a sleek, shiny red van underneath, much to the ponies' awe and amazement.

Fred, however, was shocked and confused by all these different changes. “You have a van too?!”

“It’s not a van,” Daphne chuckled. “It's a strategic, all-terrain mobile command unit.”

“Oooh! Wow-wow-wow!” Sparky giggled, running to the van and crawling on top of the hood, jumping around in happiness. “At least Sparky likes it,” Hitch said. “But it still kinda looks like a van to me.”

“It was a van,” Daphne corrected. “Then, Vincent had a few upgrades installed.”

“Kinda like the Marestream back home!” Izzy recalled. “Zipp and I made it out of an old cart, and then our magic made it into what it is today! This Vincent guy really knows how to unicycle!”

Fred brushed his hands over the van’s initials, feeling a sense of familiarity from it. “M.M?”

“Don’t worry, Freddy,” Daphne reassured. “There can only be one Mystery Machine.”

“But if it doesn’t stand for Mystery Machine,” said Alphabittle, “what does it stand for then?”

“Let me guess,” Velma crossed her arms with a smirk. “The Miss-tery Machine?”

“Uh… no,” Daphne said, “but that’s way better. Let’s call it that.”

“Okay, whatever. Everybody hop in and…” Fred was about to say something else when he noticed the shift next to him. “Oh, wait, wait. This is a stick. I can't drive a stick.”

“Everypony, let’s go!” Zipp said. “The more we stand here, the more we’re burning daylight!”

And so, everypony got in with Daphne at the wheel, and with the swift turn of the key and stomp on the gas pedal, they set off on their next new adventure... sure to be one for the ages.

Car Chase on the Cliffside

It had been a couple hours since the two combined groups of the Mane 6, along with Queen Haven, Alphabittle and Sparky, and Mystery Incorporated had set off to the castle of Vincent Van Ghoul in order to track down the 13th ghost from the Chest of Demons.

And during the long ride, the group managed to find themselves keeping busy in different ways.

For example, Daphne was the one driving, Velma was reading from the Grand Tome of the Chest of Demons and Zipp and Sunny were taking vigorous notes. Alphabittle and Hitch were sleeping in the backseat while Fred and Sparky were asleep in the front seat.

Misty and Izzy were snacking in the backseat with Shaggy and Scooby and Pipp and Queen Haven were talking about a variety of different things.

After a while, in the front seat, Velma let out a scoff from something she read in the book. “Grand tome? Please,” she rolled her eyes. “Please, it's barely 800 pages and most of it's the index.”

“But, it does have a lot of interesting information that we've never heard of about ghosts and spirits, Velma,” Zipp said. “You can’t deny that.”

“Zipp, what else do you want me to say?” Velma asked, holding up the book. “It's full of nonsense like, ‘The Chest of Demons can only be opened by the living’.”

“It’s true,” Scooby shrugged. “Of course it’s true!” Velma responded. “Because the dead don't open things. They don't do anything. They're dead!”

This shout was enough to wake Alphabittle, Sparky and Hitch, but Fred only stirred for a moment before falling asleep on Daphne’s shoulder again. “Man… are we there yet?” Hitch yawned. “We’ve been driving for hours! And I thought the flight from Maretime Bay to Zephyr Heights was long…”

“Not yet, Hitch. We should be there in a few hours though,” Daphne said, keeping her eyes on the road. “Well, speaking of the tome,” Sunny said to Velma, “does it say anything about what the 13th ghost might be?”

“Well, according to what Daph told me,” Velma said, glancing at the book again, “the one that got away is Asmodeus. King of demons. The most powerful of all evil spirits.”

This caused Shaggy and Scooby to yelp and hold onto each other, Izzy getting caught up in their hug as well. “Oh man…” Shaggy shuddered. “Like, we should have gotten rid of that crystal ball while we had the chance!”

“And I,” said Izzy, “should have moved before Shaggy and Scooby put me in the middle of their ‘Izzy-Shaggy-Scooby’ sandwich! GAH!!!”

Misty strained as she pulled Izzy out from between the cowardly duo, leaving them to fall in a heap in the back of the Mystery Machine.

Izzy sighed in relief at this before looking at the tired blue unicorn on the ground. “Thanks, Misty-Twisty.”

“Don’t mention it…”

“Hey, hey, Scooby!” Pipp tried lifting Scooby up. “Be careful! You’re flattening my wings like pancakes!”

While Queen Haven helped push Scooby off of Pipp's back, Daphne saw headlights appearing from the thick fog behind them, knowing that there was no one behind them just a few minutes ago… so where did that thing come from? “What the…?”

“There’s no such thing as ghosts!” Velma said, causing Shaggy to sit up. “You think we were born cowards?” he asked with a chuckle. “Sister, the main reason that we’re always on edge around ghouls and goblins, even fake ones, is that we've seen and fought 12 of the real thing! Plus, facing a bunch of Equestrian villains kinda adds to the point.”

“But Opaline was REAL, something that I could SEE,” Velma argued. “I’ve never seen those 12 other ghosts, and it’s just hard to believe in something that you can’t see for yourself.”

“Believe me, I always shared that philosophy before magic returned,” Alphabittle said. “But sometimes… trusting your friends and what they’ve seen is far more important than doubting them.”

“Well…” Velma still looked unsure about the subject. “I don’t know.”

At the same time, Daphne saw that the car behind them was quickly approaching with no intent in slowing down. Luckily, she knew just the way to handle this. “Hang on, gang!”

With the stomp of the gas pedal, the Miss-tery Machine sped down the road at an accelerated pace, causing the gang and ponies to jump in surprise. After a moment, Daphne slowed down and looked behind them to see that the car behind them had completely disappeared.

That was strange… where could it have gone? “Whoa!” Fred said, having woke up from the event. “What’s happening?”

“I thought someone was tailing us,” Daphne admitted, “but I guess--”

Suddenly, bright headlights appeared behind them, causing them all to gasp and look back. Turns out, a silvery black car with green flames emitting from the rear was right behind them, coming up so close that it was ramming into the rear end of the van. “YIKES!!” Hitch cried, grabbing Sparky out of mid-air. “What is that guy’s deal?!”

“I don’t know, but I don’t wanna find out!” Daphne said. “Hold onto something, guys!”

She quickly turned the wheel repeatedly to try and lose the black car, but it seemed to stick on their tail for quite a long distance, even appearing beside them after a few more moments of chasing.

Velma grabbed onto the tome and hugged it tight to calm herself. “I hope whoever’s driving that thing has insurance!”

“Insurance?” Misty questioned, looking at her friends. “Any idea what that is, ponies?”

As the ponies shrugged in confusion, Shaggy, Scooby and Queen Haven glanced out the window, but what they saw caused them to yelp. “Insurance follows the driver,” Shaggy said, “right?”

“Yes!” Velma answered. “Well, if that’s the case,” Queen Haven said, “we may have a problem!”

That’s when everyone looked over at the other car, realizing that their friends were right… the car had no driver within!

As the cat continued to slam and shove into the van, Daphne looked ahead just in time to see a tractor trailer heading straight for them, lights bright and horn blaring!

Everyone screamed as Daphne immediately turned the wheel, causing the Miss-tery Machine to barely avoid the tractor trailer, and they were soon chased again by that very same flame-spitting car.

That's when Sunny knew that she had to do something. “Izzy, Alphabittle, Misty, fire up your horns! We have to get this guy off of our tail!”

“We can do that!” Alphabittle nodded. “Come on, girls!”

Misty and Izzy pushed the doors open before all three unicorns began to fire magic blast after magic blast at the car, but the car continued to dodge, as if it knew when each blast was going to hit the road. “He's too fast for us, Sunny!” Misty said between blasts. “We can't get a hit!”

“Then we'll just have to move onto plan B!” Daphne said before looking to the cowardly duo shivering in the back seat. “Shaggy, Scooby! Pull it together and deploy every countermeasure we have!”

Shaggy and Scooby nodded at this, but Fred became even more confused and bewildered than before. “Countermeasures?” he questioned before he turned toward the backseat. “Huh?”

In the back of the van was a high-tech computer system, to which glowed with a bright green light. “Ooh, what about this button?” Pipp pointed to one of the buttons. “That ought to give the mystery car driver a run for his money!”

“Sounds great, Pipp!” Shaggy nodded. “Here goes nothing!”

With one press of the button, oil came shooting out from the back tailpipe, much to Fred’s surprise. “It shoots oil slicks?!”

Unfortunately, the black car avoided the oil slick by racing up the cliff wall, causing Misty to shriek. “That car is unbeatable!”

“It may have skills,” Zipp said as she threw a couple smoke bombs at it, “but so do we!”

The smoke bombs exploded in front of the car, causing it to swerve quite a bit before it resumed the chase. This seemed to give Queen Haven an idea. “Scooby, are there any buttons where the van could release smoke?”

“Uh-huh!” Scooby pointed to a button near the pegasus queen. “Right there.”

“Well then… take this!”

The second Queen Haven pressed the button, a smoke releasing device opened on the back of the van, and a bunch of smoke covered the car’s view, completely dimming it’s headlights from view. “Good job, sweetie-hooves!” Alphabittle said as he and Misty closed the doors. “That ought to keep ‘em busy!”

Fred, however, was still in shock. “It has a smoke screen?!”

Daphne merely shrugged and looked back, sighing in relief that the car was no longer chasing them…

…or so she thought.

Only a mere second or two of peace later, that same car that was chasing them appeared in front of them, causing them to scream and screech to a halt. “Okay,” Hitch said in panic, “how did they do that?!”

“I don’t really know how and I really don’t care at the moment!” Zipp said as she leapt forward, pushing Daphne out of her seat and taking the wheel. “Move over, Daph! I’m driving! Sparky, hit the gas!”

Sparky leapt on the gas pedal as Zipp shifted the van into reverse, and they sailed the way they came, full-speed I may add, backwards! “It may just be my sick gut telling me so,” said Pipp, “but somepony REALLY doesn’t want us on the road!”

That’s when Daphne looked behind them at the cliff, and seemed to get an idea. “Well, why didn’t they just say so? Zipp, I need you to drive off the cliff!”

“WHAT?!”

“I’ve got a plan, guys, trust me! But it can only get us away from this guy if we drive off the cliff!”

“Well… okay, Daph, I trust you!” Zipp gulped. “Sparky, hit it! Everypony else, hold onto something!”

And that's what everypony did, holding onto something or someone else as Sparky leapt onto the gas, sending the gang speeding backward and over the cliff's edge, toward the water below. And during their death-defying plunge, Daphne pulled a lever, which must have activated something as the Miss-tery Machine hit the water's surface.

Back at the top of the cliff, the black car seemed satisfied for finally getting rid of them and continued up the side of the mountain.

But a few seconds after that car left, the Miss-tery Machine floated back to the surface with the help of a large, yellow rubber ducky raft that Daphne used for missions on the water. And while everyone else was trying to stop their fast-beating hearts, Daphne and Zipp laughed in excitement and high-hoofed. “I can’t believe we just did that!” Zipp cried. “That was AWESOME!!”

“Zephyrina Storm, how can you say that?!” Queen Haven barked. “We would have plummeted to our deaths if Daphne had not activated the raft!”

“Oh, right right… sorry,” Zipp chuckled nervously before clearing her throat. “Awesome, but very dangerous.”

“Well, at least it got that creepy stranger off our tail,” Sunny said. “Any idea who he was?”

“No idea,” Velma shrugged. “But whoever it was certainly did want us killed one way or another.”

Misty gulped nervously. “Do you think it was another agent of Opaline…?”

“I don’t know,” Daphne said, “but we better get to Vincent’s castle if we wanna investigate any further. Sparky, push that button with the propellor.”

Sparky giggled and did so, causing a propellor to move them down the river. “This will be much faster anyway,” Daphne assured. Back in the back, Alphabittle sighed and hugged Misty close. “I can’t believe you guys experience danger like this on these quests.”

“It starts to become a routine, but… I guess we go through it okay,” Misty said once catching her breath. “I guess I’m just… a little worried about you and Queen Haven. You guys have never been outside Equestria before, and…”

“Hey, it’s okay, Tea. Haven and I will be fine,” Alphabittle reassured her, lifting her chin so she could look at him. “Trust me on that.”

“Well… all right then,” Misty said. “I trust you then. I just hope we get to Vincent’s place before we run into that stranger-danger car again.”

But what they didn't know that, flying above the cover of the clouds, was a strange, winged figure... and it seemed to flying to Vincent's castle as well.

Storming the Castle/Asmodeus' First Appearance

A few minutes after they escaped from whatever tried to kill them on the side of the mountain, they arrived at Vincent Van Ghoul’s family castle-- a tall, looming structure that stood out in the mountain terrain.

Once reaching the castle, they got out of the van and walked toward it, flashlights and horns illuminated. That’s when Hitch gulped nervously. “You’re sure Vincent lives here?”

“Only during winter and early spring,” Daphne responded. “He’s a snow-bird.”

Shaggy looked at all the creepy gargoyles on the railing of the steps, and couldn’t help but shudder afterwards. “More like a snow bat.”

“You think this is creepy? You should have seen Opaline’s castle back in Equestria,” Misty said. “It was creepy-central for me… for all those moons, anyway.”

They soon approached the doors, where Hitch pressed the doorbell. But instead of the regular bell sound most were used to hearing, an ear-piercing scream echoed through the air, scaring the group out of their wits.

After the scream ended, Fred noticed a tiny crack within the door. “That’s odd,” he said. “The door’s open.”

“Come on, gang,” Fred and Daphne then spoke at once, “let’s…”

But upon realizing they spoke at the same time, Fred and Daphne looked at each other for a moment before Fred spoke again. “Let’s… follow Daphne inside.”

“No way,” Scooby shook his head instantly. “I’m with you, Scooby-Doo,” Shaggy agreed. “Like, no way are we stepping through those doors.”

“Guys, we have to go in!” Alphabittle argued. “If we don’t, we may never find the 13th ghost and he could cause havoc in this world!”

“But then again, we won’t die,” Shaggy pointed out. “That’s a perk, isn’t it?”

“You won’t get through to them that way, Alphabittle. Trust me, we’ve tried. Luckily, we have our own way,” Daphne said before giving Fred a box of Scooby Snacks and nudging him forward. “Me?” he asked before facing Shaggy and Scooby again. “Okay, uh… say, guys, would you do it for a couple of…?”

That’s when Shaggy cleared his throat and hushed his voice down to a whisper. “One. You start with one and then we haggle.”

“Okay, hold up,” Pipp stopped the conversation right there. “Where did you two learn to haggle?”

“Flim-Flam taught them how,” Daphne responded casually. “Flim-Flam?” Velma questioned, not recognizing the name, so Daphne decided to help jog their memory. “The little huckster who used to travel around catching ghosts with us? About 3'6"? Sold us all those bottles of snake oil we unloaded at the garage sale? We never mentioned Flim-Flam?”

“Vincent Van Ghoul? The Chest of Demons?” Fred named off. “The Miss-tery Machine? And now a whole other member of the gang?”

“Hate to break it to you, Daph,” Zipp said, “but it seems like there’s quite a bit you never mentioned.”

“Excuse me,” Shaggy tapped Fred on the shoulder. “I believe we were haggling?”

Fred sighed in exasperation as he turned to face his friends again. “Look, I'm gonna say one Scooby Snack, you're gonna say three and then we settle on two, okay? Let's just cut to the chase.”

He laid the Scooby Snacks in their hands and paws, and Shaggy and Scooby easily downed them within seconds. “Ha!” Izzy laughed. “That was the easiest negotiation ever!”

“Thanks, Daphne,” Scooby smiled as they walked toward the doors. “Uh, I’m Fred,” Fred spoke, “not Daphne.”

“Uh-huh,” Izzy rolled her eyes. “Sure, buddy.”

Fred groaned to himself before the doors were pushed open, allowing the group to enter the dark halls of the castle. Velma glanced around at the dark corridors, honestly shuddering to herself. “This place gives me the creeps.”

“Oh, that’s interesting,” Hitch smirked. “I thought you didn’t believe in creeps.”

“Well, I’m starting to believe in a couple.”

Shaggy and Scooby giggled at this response before they all entered the main foyer, which was surprisingly… not as full-of-life as they thought it would be. “The place looks deserted,” Daphne observed. “If Vincent took off, maybe he left a clue as to where he's headed.”

“I would have left a clue as to what will happen to you if you don’t leave!”

When the gang’s heads whipped around to try and detect the source of that voice, a bright light appeared from the stairs, causing them to look away in order to not blind themselves. When the light dimmed enough so they could see, they looked and saw a peculiar sight at the top of the stairs.

At the top of the stairs was a leopard with wings, much like Allura, but with a different kind of design. She had dark purple-blue fur with lighter colored fur on her face, chest and paws, golden spots, glowing golden feathers on her wings and mint-green eyes, glaring down at the group with disdain.

As the group gasped at seeing her, the leopard leapt down to the bottom of the stairs and slowly took a few steps toward them, causing the group to keep their distance. “You are trespassing on the grounds of the Van Ghoul family castle,” she growled. “Who are you and what do you want?”

“We don’t mean to cause any harm,” Zipp reassured. “We’re here to see Vincent Van Ghoul-- we’re the ones he called about capturing the 13th ghost!”

“Hmmm…” the leopard said with a frown. “Hate to tell you, but he isn’t here. I came back from my flight and he wasn’t anywhere to be seen. How do I know you haven’t done anything with him?”

“Because we just got here,” Hitch gulped, “and us ponies really have no evil intentions whatsoever…?!”

“Geez…” Pipp shuddered. “This leopard reminds me SO much of Allura, spots and wings and all!”

The leopard suddenly gasped, eyes wide. “You… you know Allura? Is she coming for her former subjects again?! Oh no no no... I gotta hide before she gets here!”

“No no no, wait! She isn’t coming, and unfortunately, we wish we didn’t even meet her,” Sunny said quickly, calming her down. “We actually defeated her the last time we saw her, so there’s nothing to worry about… um…”

“...Kova,” the leopard responded, still a little cold and hesitant. “Apprentice to Vincent Van Ghoul.”

“Kova, you must know this castle like the back of your paw,” Zipp said. “Do you have any idea where Vincent might be?”

“Truth be told, I’ve only been his apprentice for a short time, and I don’t know how to navigate the castle all that well,” Kova responded. “So… I’m just as clueless as you are.”

“Like, let’s all split up, then,” Shaggy suggested. “Scoob and I will check the pantry, the kitchens, and the snackatorium!”

Queen Haven raised an eyebrow at this. “The snackatorium?”

“Like, I’m sure it’s a thing, your highness,” Shaggy said. “Where’s your sense of discovery?”

Scooby began to sniff and walk up the stairs, causing Kova to look at him strangely. “So… are you guys just follow the dog wherever he goes?”

“Eh, works for me,” Pipp shrugged. “Zipp and I will go with Shag and Scooby.”

“Me and Misty too!” Izzy said, hugging Misty close. “Right, fellow unicorn buddy?”

“Right!” Misty nodded. “Dad, you and Queen Haven gonna be okay for a while?”

“Don’t worry about us, Tea,” Alphabittle assured. “We’ll be fine.”

Misty nodded before she, Izzy and the pegasus sisters followed Shaggy and Scooby up the stairs, and then Daphne turned to Velma. “You better go with the girls so you can keep an eye on Lewis and Bark over there.”

“Got it.”

“Alphie and I will go down this way,” Queen Haven pointed down another long hallway. “We can meet here in an hour and review what we’ve found… if anything at all.”

“Good plan, Queen Haven,” Hitch nodded. “Good luck, everypony.”

That’s when the other groups split up, and Kova kept her distance from the remaining group… until she saw a glow coming from Daphne’s bag. “Hey… what’s that?”

Daphne reached into her bag and pulled out the crystal ball, shining rather brightly. “That’s strange,” Sunny muttered before nudging Daphne to walk toward the door again. “I wonder…”

When Daphne got close to the door with the ball, the crystal lost its glow. But, when it got closer to another staircase, its glow resumed. “What do you think it means?” Fred wondered. “I think these crystal balls work a lot like modern phones do,” Sunny stated. “Vincent called us from this crystal ball, which means he was calling from another crystal ball, right?”

“Right,” Daphne nodded before holding the ball out. “So maybe…”

Daphne tilted the crystal ball closer toward the stairs, and her theory was soon confirmed. “It’s a homing beacon!”

“A what?” Kova blinked. “What she means is that the two crystal balls are connected somehow,” Hitch said. “So…”

“All we have to do is follow the glow,” said Fred, “and we may be able to find Vincent!”

“Really?” Kova asked. “You’ll help me find Vincent? But… we just met.”

“But we’re all friends here, and friends help one another no matter what,” Sunny said. “Keep your paws and hooves crossed so that this works. Come on!”

She, Hitch and Sparky trotted down the stairs with Kova flying overhead, but Daphne and Fred crashed into one another before they could follow.

“Oops! Sorry.”

“My fault.”

“No, no, you first.”

“My fault.”

“Go ahead, I'll follow you.”

Sunny sighed and continued to lead the group away, unaware that they were seemingly being watched.

XXXXXXXX

Queen Haven shuddered as she and Alphabittle walked through the cobweb-infested hallways, trying to avoid the spiders. “Alphie, can you believe this is sort of the thing the kids deal with on a normal basis?”

“Not when we first got to this world, I didn’t,” Alphabittle said. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to think when Misty first told me about these Unity Quests. They sounded amazing, but dangerous all at once… does that make sense?”

“It does,” Queen Haven said. “I just… I never thought we would get to go with them, but now that we’re here, we need to give them their space to do what they do best.”

“I agree,” Alphabittle said before he gulped. “But… we can stay together… right?”

“Of course!” Queen Haven insisted. “Us staying together is the best thing we can do for one another.”

Alphabittle sighed and cuddled close with her. “Come on then. We better keep looking for any sign of this Vincent Van Ghoul character.”

XXXXXXXX

Back in the kitchen, Shaggy and Scooby had no trouble starting a late-night snack with pretty much everything they could find. “Like, this sure beats searching the dungeons,” Shaggy admitted with a laugh. “Right, Scoob, old buddy?”

Scooby nodded as he helped Izzy get a turkey out of the fridge. “Indeed.”

“Whoo, yes!” Pipp said. “If I had to search the dungeons, it would be as bad as… ugh… a world without Canternet!”

“Oh yeah…” Zipp rolled her eyes. “That would be so horrible.”

“Zipp, come on,” Misty said to her friend gently. “She’s just trying to make a point in her own words.”

“Still… it gets annoying!”

As the others continued to get snacks and discuss, Velma managed to find a pulley system in the window system, smiling in satisfaction as she pulled on them. “Yep, as I suspected. This pulley system must run throughout the entire castle.”

“All right then, Ms. Skeptic,” Pipp rolled her eyes. “But that still doesn’t explain the hoof-shaking howling winds that have been echoing since we got here.”

“She does have a point,” Misty said. “Either that wind is enchanted, or… ooh, I don’t wanna think about what it could be at the moment.”

“Oh, hey!” Shaggy said to the Great Dane and lavender unicorn. “See if you can find some soup in there, will you, guys?”

“Sure thing, Shaggy-in-a-Baggy!” Izzy saluted. “One can of soup, coming up!”

She and Scooby carefully approached the cupboard, but when they looked inside of it, they saw some white-glowing, evil-looking eyes staring back at them, causing them to yelp and slam the cupboard door shut. “What is it?” Pipp asked. “Did the soup have low sodium?”

“B-B-Bing-- bing bong!” Izzy said breathlessly. “Bing bong bong bing bong bing!!!”

“Like, there’s nothing to get upset about, Iz” Shaggy reassured. “We can always add salt. Just bring it over here, Scoob.”

Just as Scooby was about to open the cupboard door, it opened by itself, and a clawed hand reached out and handed Scooby the soup can before it ducked inside.

This was enough to get Scooby to leap about 4 foot into the air and on top of Shaggy’s shoulders for protection. “Like, hey!” Shaggy cried out, causing Velma to sigh. “Would you guys knock it off?” she asked, opening the cupboard. “We're supposed to be looking for clues.”

“Velma!” Izzy shrieked as Velma entered the cupboard. “No!”

Velma seemed to remain in there for a few moments, and the ponies honestly got worried.

What if there really was something dangerous in there?

But… Zipp knew from experience that jumping to conclusions meant jumping to trouble.

So… they waited… and waited… and waited until…

“EEEEEEEEEK!!!!”

The sudden squeal from Velma caused the group to scream in surprise, Izzy and Misty hunkering down with bowls over their heads, Pipp and Zipp clung onto each other while Shaggy and Scooby just collapsed on the floor.

At that moment, Velma came out from the cupboard with a large speaker within her grasp. “Guys, I found the howling wind. It's just a recording played on a network of hidden speakers!” she exclaimed in happiness. “I knew something was up as soon as we arrived.”

But that’s when she saw most of the group shivering on the floor, still rattled from her squealing. “Stop messing around, everyone,” she said, pulling most of them up off the ground. “We need to find out what this speaker leads to.”

“I hate to say it, but she may be right,” Zipp said. “The speaker might be important with the case. Let’s head out of here so there aren’t so many distractions.”

The group began to exit the kitchen, with Scooby taking one long look at the cupboard before following his friends to follow the next set of clues.

XXXXXXXX

“So… let me get this straight,” Kova said to Sunny and Hitch as they continued to walk down the hall with Daphne and Fred. “Your friends here traveled all over the world for as long as you guys have been friends, if not longer, but they were suddenly forced to give it up after one mistake? Psh… the law these days. Oh, no offense, Sheriff Hitch.”

“None taken,” Hitch brushed off. “I don’t really get it either, but as a sheriff, I have to respect the laws from other places-- Sparky, please be careful!!”

Sparky was hopping around and on all sorts of old things, causing Kova to gasp and grab him in her paws. “Gotcha, little guy! You gotta be careful, you’re gonna get hurt if you keep hopping like that.”

Sparky looked up at her with an adorable look, causing Kova to chuckle. “You know… you’re kinda cute. My grandpa always said that my… my brother was curious as a cub, just like you.”

This tidbit of information was enough to get Sunny's attention rather immediately. “You… have a brother?”

“Had… had a brother,” Kova sighed before giving Sparky back to Hitch. “But… that isn’t important right now. Finding Vincent is. So… come on.”

After Sunny and Hitch spared each other a confused glance, they followed Kova, Daphne and Fred to a large, circular room with lots of bookshelves and books on all sides.

However, there wasn't anything other than that in the room, confusing the group further. “I don’t get it,” Daphne said. “We were led here, but I don't see Vincent or his crystal ball.”

“I knew it…” Kova sighed, ears flattening. “It's a dead end, and that means that we're never gonna find him.”

“There’s always a way out, Kova. You just have to look for it,” Fred told her before turning to Daphne. “Hand me your flashlight.”

Daphne padded around for her flashlight, but when she discovered it wasn’t there, she sighed. “I must have left it in the van.”

“Aha!” Fred spoke, as if he was expecting it. “There you go. You said it. It is a van.”

“Of course it’s a van,” Daphne said with a chuckle. “I just didn't want you to feel like I was moving in on your turf. Which I am.”

“Daph!” Sunny scolded. “Not helping!”

“I know Fred is just trying to prove his point, Sunny, but I’ve been through this already when Fred was away at camp,” Daphne said. “I know how to see the whole situation from above, and how to plan the next move. I’m fine.”

“Well, I’m not,” Fred said, picking up an unlit torch. “I mean… there must be SOMETHING I can do.”

But then, as Fred picked up the torch, Daphne immediately noticed a part of the wall open behind them. “Don’t… do… anything.”

Fred immediately dropped the torch, never hearing Daphne speak in such a tone before. “But, Daphne, I only want to…”

“No, she means don’t move,” Kova repeated. “I think I see something…”

Spreading her wings wide, Kova took a deep breath, and a soft light began to form on her feathers. “Wow!” Sunny cried. “How did you do that?”

“Winged leopards have a variety of magical powers,” Kova explained. “While Allura has the power to hypnotize with her purr, I can give off light and warmth, just like the sun, from my wings. And the light from my wings is showing me something right over there.”

She flew over to the crack in the wall and pried it open a bit, and Fred immediately knew what it was. “A secret passageway!”

“Oh, how lovely!” Queen Haven said as she and Alphabittle found their way into that same room. “It seems you children are back in business!”

“It seems that way, your majesty,” Daphne said as the secret passageway was opened further so they could all fit inside. “And we're getting closer to finding Vincent, I know it. Come on!”

So, the combined groups entered the secret passageway with the crystal ball to illuminate their path.

XXXXXXXX

Back in the castle corridors, Scooby was heavily sniffing the speaker Velma was holding while Shaggy was holding his leash and Velma was explaining her theories to the ponies that were with them. “Once Scooby has the scent, he'll lead us to the source of the...”

“Velma, this is one thing that we don't need Fredsplained to us,” Zipp said with a shrug. “Scooby gets the scent, we follow him, end of story.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Izzy asked. “Let's go go go go!!”

After Scooby stopped sniffing the speaker, Misty rubbed the top of his head. “All right, Scooby. You got the scent?”

Scooby nodded to this. “Uh-huh.”

“Like, just let me know when-- YIKES!!!” Shaggy yelled as Scooby burst into a full sprint, going down the hall at top speed with Velma and the four ponies running behind them. “Keep it up, Scooby!” Velma encouraged while Shaggy yelled in panic. “Let me down, Scooby!”

Scooby did eventually stop near a window, and let Shaggy crash into a suit of armor right beside it before Scooby started barking at whatever was outside.

This barking caused Shaggy to get up and join his friends. “Like, what is it?”

Zipp sighed as she only saw two mice on the other side of the window. “Just a false alarm, everypony.”

But then, Scooby continued to bark till there was no stopping him, causing Misty to try and calm him down. “Scooby, Scooby, calm down! Everything's okay!”

“Yeah, Scooby,” Velma leaned against a brick on the wall. “It's only a couple of...”

But what she didn't realize was that this brick was a trigger, and it opened up a trap door beneath the group that caused them to slide down slides, completely out of control!

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Daphne and Fred led their group to the lowest point in the castle, but there was still no sign of Vincent. “Well, I'm definitely stumped,” Kova said, clearly frustrated. “This one is totally a dead end.”

Alphabittle looked back at the staircase that was behind them. “Maybe we should head back upstairs?”

“No, the ball led us here,” Daphne said as they approached a circle of coffins. “This is where
we're supposed to be. Heh... it's probably obvious. I bet it's about to hit us right over the head.”

“...hold on,” Hitch said as he heard something above them, making his ears twitch. “Do you guys hear...?”

Suddenly, screaming came from above them, and the rest of their friends fell right on top of them, causing them all to groan in pain from the pile they were in. “Like, mind if we drop in?” Shaggy asked with a chuckle. “Quite literally, I might add.”

“Tea, are you and your friends okay?” Alphabittle asked his daughter as they got up. “Yeah, we're all fine, just a little... lost and confused,” Misty told him. “I don't think you guys found anything much either?”

“Afraid not. We've looked everywhere,” Daphne said in exasperation, “and there's no sign of Vincent and no clue as to where he might've gone.”

Kova sighed and was just about to give up when she noticed Scooby sniffing in front of one of the coffins, and this struck her as something that should be investigated. “Hey, Sunny? I think your dog friend found something!”

“Yeah... it looks like you're right,” Sunny said, approaching the Great Dane. “What is it, Scooby?”

“Vincent!” Scooby barked. “Vincent!”

Queen Haven gasped, remembering Cloudpuff tracking his toy down one time and immediately realized Scooby was right. “Quick, my darlings! Help me get this lid off!”

The ponies, Kova and Mystery Incorporated strained as they pushed and pulled the lid off of the coffin, and when they peered inside, Daphne gasped at seeing Vincent tied up and gagged within the coffin. “Vincent!”

“Here, let us get this off you,” Misty said and removed the binds, letting Vincent go free. “Kova, Daphne, Shaggy,” Vincent sighed in relief. “Thank ghoulness it's you!”

Scooby smiled with a cheerful wag of his tail. “Hello, Vincent.”

“And Scooby-Doo. Oh, how I've missed you all,” Vincent smiled and patted Scooby on the head. “Eapecially these last few weeks.”

“But it's not just us, Vincent,” Kova smiled. “We have some new pony friends here to help us-- Sunny Starscout, her friends, Queen Haven and Alphabittle, meet Vincent Van Ghoul, my personal mentor.”

“It's a pleasure to meet all of you,” Vincent smiled. “And we appreciate it from the bottom of our undead hearts that you came to help us.”

“No problem, Mr. Van Ghoul,” Zipp said. “Just tell us where you want us, and we’ll be ready to catch that 13th ghost in no time flat.”

Vincent was just about to respond to this when he noticed something lurking in the darkness of the room... and it was something far more sinister than anyone could ever imagine. “It’s Asmodeus.”

“Like, we know,” Shaggy said. “We read all about him on the way here.”

“No... it's not that,” Kova said, pointing her paw toward the darkness. “He's right there! In the shadows!”

The ponies' ears flattened with either looks of determination or fear as a monstrous creature flew out from the shadowy sectors.

Asmodeus was a tall, dark red-purple humanoid with a pair of wings on his back, and his head had long and curved black horns, a fanged mouth and a pair of glowing yellow eyes. In addition, he wore a Roman-like outfit, with gray robes, tattered dark gray pants, gray armbands, a black cape and an A-shape belt buckle.

The humanoid monster lit his claws up with fireballs and roared at the group, causing them to scream in terror right before Sunny lit up in her alicorn form. “Everypony, stand together! We have to show him that we're not going to run and be afraid of him!”

“Uh, Sunny, as much as I try and appreciate your enthusiasm,” Shaggy said, “that's kind of hard to do when he shoots fireballs at us!!!”

The second Shaggy said this, a fireball was thrown at them, causing the others to run and hide behind one of the other coffins while Sunny deflected the fireball into a nearby wall.

Once Sunny approached the group with her wings and horn still lit up bright, Vincent quickly turned to the gang. “Now, kids! Open the Chest of Demons!”

“And quickly!” Kova hissed. “Before that guy burns us to bits!”

“Yes... the chest...” Asmodeus growled in a sinister voice that made the ponies honestly freeze in fear. “Bring me the chest...”

“You don't have to tell me twice!” Shaggy said and began to get the chest out of the coffin, only to find that it was not there. “Like, where is it?!”

“What do you mean, 'where is it'?” Zipp asked. “Didn't you put it in the van to take with us?!”

“But we thought Vincent had it,” Daphne argued. “No,” Vincent shook his head, “I left it with you.”

“And I mailed it back to you,” Shaggy told Vincent, “when school started!”

“Where did you send it?”

“Your real house! In the Himalayas!”

Asmodeus breathed another blast of fire out at them, causing the others to scream as Sunny brought up her shield to deflect it. “That wasn't his house!” Kova told Shaggy irritability. “It was an Air Boo-n-Boo!”

Asmodeus finally was able to knock Sunny aside, causing her shield to shatter. “Give it to me!!”

“It isn't here, you vile beast!” Queen Haven said with her wings outstretched. “As Queen of Zephyr Heights, I suggest that if you want it, you leave us alone and you go find it yourself!”

The monster, in response, merely roared lunged at them, causing the gang to gasp and shield their eyes, bracing for impact as Kova opened her wings and snarled at the top of her lungs.

XXXXXXXX

But when the rest of the group opened their eyes after a moment, they looked around to discover that Asmodeus had disappeared. “Where did he go?” Fred wondered. “To find the chest,” Kova responded with a heavy heart. “For as long as he holds it... it can't hold him.”

“We must find it before he does,” Vincent agreed with his young student. “But first... I believe many of you deserve an explanation.”

Queen Haven sighed, wrapping wings around her daughters. “Yes, Mr. Van Ghoul, yes. I think an explanation would do us all some good.”

Author's Note

This is one of the OCs I plan on using for this story:

Aurelia the Jaquin by BlueyBirdy -- Fur Affinity [dot] net

Stories Arise and Flying to the Himalayas

Vincent Van Ghoul and his young flying leopard apprentice guided the group, who were slightly shaken after their encounter with Asmodeus, into the castle sitting room, where Kova flew into the room, pushing a cart of tea, cakes and cookies into the room. “Here you go. I always prepare some snacks for me and Vincent, but I always make way too many for just both of us-- help yourselves.”

“Aww, well aren't you just the sweetest?” Queen Haven said as she took her tea cup from the cart. “Thank you, Kova.”

The group did the same, munching cookies and cakes and sipping tea for a few moments before Kova turned to her mentor. “I think the best place to start would be from the beginning, sir. Long before you met Shaggy, Daphne and Scooby here.”

“A very good point, my young apprentice,” Vincent said, sitting in his chair with a heavy sigh. “It was all my fault...”

XXXXXXXX

“Through here.”

A younger Vincent guided a younger Mortifer through the dark tunnels until their destination was finally in sight. “King Solomon's private vault.”

Mortifer and Vincent ran toward the entrance at the top of the stairs, where Vincent inspected all of the markings on the door before finding one shaped like a demon. Upon seeing it, he gently pressed on it, causing a chain reaction that caused the wall to raise, revealing a giant stone coffin on the other side.

And Vincent knew what this was immediately. “The Chest of Demons!”

Vincent and Mortifer immediately ran toward the coffin, and Vincent slid his crow bar underneath the lid, and moved it until he felt his crow bar impact something on the inside. “I think I hit something.”

Together with Mortifer, they lifted the lid off, revealing the small red chest with the demon carved in the lid... the thing they had saught after for a long time.

Mortifer easily helped Vincent to carry the chest out of the coffin, excited and overjoyed. “One of the most important archaeological discoveries in history. Vincent, we are going to be famous!”

However, Vincent's next response surprised Mortifer greatly. “No. It's too dangerous. The chest exists. The demon chest in which Solomon trapped the 13 ghosts that plagued the ancient world. The evil contained in this box was never meant to be released.”

Suddenly, as he moved his hand toward the lock, Vincent froze in realization. “Vincent?” Mortifer questioned. “What's wrong?”

“The lock. The crow bar must have--”

But the chest immediately opened, flinging Mortifer and Vincent back and letting all of the 13 ghosts fly out into the world, free to plague the world once more.

XXXXXXXX

At the end of the story, the group was in stunned silence for a few moments... like they were living every moment that Vincent had told them of.

Finally, Fred decided to speak. “So... what happened?”

“Mortifer and I tracked down and trapped all 13 of the ghosts in the Chest of Demons. And that's where they remained,” Vincent said, looking at Shaggy and Scooby with a slight glare, “until these two let them out.”

“Shaggy? Scooby?” Zipp raised an eyebrow at this. “Is that true?”

“Like... maybe...?” Shaggy gulped. “But it was a totally total accident! Honest!”

“We know, guys, we know,” Alphabittle told them reassuringly. “Even though Haven and I have only known all of you for a short time, we sense that you're good people.”

“And I didn’t doubt either of you for a second,” Queen Haven said. “And at least 12 of the ghosts have been captured in that chest.”

“So who did they turn out to be?” Velma asked, turning to Daphne. “Crooked real estate agents? Disinherited step-children? Vengeful lighthouse keepers?”

“Velma, we keep telling you,” Daphne said, “they're real ghosts and they're all really dangerous!”

“Uh-huh.”

“And the last ghost is still on the loose,” Kova said, getting up from her perch. “Asmodeus... the 13th, and like Allura, very evil and very powerful.”

“How I had hoped he'd vanish from this realm for good,” Vincent said, looking toward the fiery flames in front of him. “I faced him once before, of course... but Mortifer was by my side then.”

Pipp felt the sadness within Vincent's words, feeling the need to ask one important question. “Whatever happened to Mortifer? I-If you don't mind me asking.”

Vincent was silent for a few moments, looking toward the flames before sadly responding. “We said we would protect the chest with our lives... and that's what he did, brave soul. He paid for my foolishness then just as you're paying for it now.”

“Oh, Vincent... I'm so sorry...” Queen Haven said with a frown. “I know how horrible it must feel to lose someone you love... whether a best friend... or the king you planned to share your life with.”

Pipp and Zipp looked toward their mother and then each other... it had been a long time since their mom had talked about their dad... not since he passed all those years ago.

But they knew that the queen was just trying to help Vincent, so they had to respect their mother's methods.

Shaggy and Scooby approached Vincent and Queen Haven, with Shaggy looking toward a giant portrait hanging in front of the fireplace. “Like, speaking of paying, I hope this portrait was cheap,” Shaggy told Vincent. “It doesn't look anything like you.”

“Well, sticking around here jabbering would be a grave mistake,” Vincent advised before moving to the center of the room. “We have to get to the Himalayas before Asmodeus finds the chest.”

“Well, that would be great,” Hitch said, “but how are we gonna get there in that sort of time-frame?”

“The way pegasi and flying leopards have done it for centuries,” Kova smirked, unfolding her wings. “We fly.”

XXXXXXXX

Soon enough, Vincent had gotten everyone aboard his bat-like jet plane, taking off into the sky toward the Himalayas.

Zipp had decided to go to the front and see if the pilot needed any help (since she flew the Marestream quite often), and this left the others to relax in the back.

Scooby acted as a flight attendant and wheeled a cart full of snacks around, stopping in front of Fred to give him a snack and a refreshment. “Uh, cran-apple please.”

Scooby handed Fred his drink before holding up two small bags. “Peanuts or cookies?”

“Uh… one of each?”

“Oh my…” Scooby dropped the snacks in Fred’s lap with a huff before moving onto the rest of the passengers. “This sure is a neat jet, Mr. Van Ghoul,” Fred told Vincent, who was sitting beside him with Kova. “Thank you, Fred,” Vincent smiled. “You'd think I paid dearly for it. But you'd be wrong… dead wrong. Ha ha ha ha…”

Misty squeaked as thunder and lightning came from beside the plane and out of nowhere, causing her father to comfort her gently. “Easy, Tea, you’re safe now.”

“I know,” Misty nodded, “but… thunder kinda creeps me out. Reminds me of being... you know... locked away in Opaline's castle on stormy nights.”

Alphabittle frowned in concern when Misty said this. “You still think about that, huh?”

“I try not to, because I have you, and my mom, and Queen Haven and all my friends, plus Opaline is gone forever now, but… it’s hard sometimes.”

At the same time, Fred was talking to Daphne, feeling a lot better about himself and his role at the moment. “See, Daphne? I don't mind being chauffeured. As long as it's a highly-skilled professional at the wheel.”

“Uh-huh,” Daphne smirked. “Say, has Zipp introduced you to the pilot yet? If not, you should go up and say hello.”

Fred smiled at this… getting to know the pilot might be a good move on his part. “Don’t mind if I do.”

He got out of his seat and moved toward the cockpit, knocking on the door and causing a voice that wasn’t Zipp’s to answer. “Like, come on in!”

Fred blinked… he knew that voice! “Shaggy?”

When he opened the door, he was shocked not to see Zipp flying the plane, but Shaggy flying it instead! “Shaggy?!”

“It’s Captain Rogers up here, young man,” Shaggy spoke with a rather confident smile. “Not for vanity, but because when you got 10 tons of steel and the lives of every passenger in your hands, it's best to think of yourself as the office, not the man.”

Zipp only chuckled from the co-pilot's seat. “Are you sure it isn't a little bit for vanity?”

“Well...” Shaggy said with a chuckle. “Okay, maybe a little bit for vanity.”

That's when Scooby entered the cockpit with his cart, causing Shaggy to clear his throat. “Uh, stewardess?”

Scooby glanced down at him with a frown. “That’s flight attendant.”

Zipp couldn't help but try and keep her laughter bottled in. “Whatever you say, toots. And you might wanna lose the makeup... kinda makes you stand out... if that’s even possible...!”

“Hoo hoo hoo hoo! Nice!” Shaggy laughed, high-fiving her and causing Fred to back up right into his seat much to Daphne and Pipp's amusement. “What’s the matter, Freddy boy?” Pipp asked. “Not comfortable with somepony else at the helm?”

“Well, no-- I-I mean, yes... I mean, oh I don't know what I mean!”

Hitch chuckled as he approached with Sparky. “Boy, Freddy, I didn’t realize this before, but like me, you are not a fan of change.”

At the same time, Velma and Sunny were talking to Vincent and Kova from their seats. “One thing’s bugging me, Vincent,” Velma spoke up. “Castle Van Ghoul…”

“The rigged shudders?” Vincent smirked. “The recorded howling?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s right!” Sunny said. “How did you know about that?”

“Oh, that’s just the alarm system Vincent rigged up,” Kova said. “Keeps all unwanted guests away.”

“I knew it!!” Velma practically leapt from her seat in excitement, and this caused Sunny and Kova to glance at her strangely, which caused Velma to correct herself. “Not that it wasn't convincing. But ghosts aren't real.”

“I wish that were true,” Vincent said as Scooby passed some sleeping masks around. “But fear not, Velma, before we are finished, I promise you will change your mind about ghosts and goblins.”

But, Velma merely scoffed at the thought. “Never!”

“Well, I definitely wanna catch up on sleep,” Pipp said with a yawn before turning to her mother. “Right, Mom?”

But when she turned she found Queen Haven and Alphabittle already fast asleep, and Misty giggled a bit. “Let them sleep… we have a long day ahead tomorrow, and we need our energy.”

XXXXXXXX

Later that night, while everypony else was fast asleep in their chairs, Izzy stirred to hear footsteps walk past her, her eyes slowly opening.

When she finally got a good look, she noticed that Kova had snuck to the back of the plane, holding something within her paws and... looking rather sad.

This was enough to get Izzy rather concerned, and this got the unicorn to get up and approached her. “What’s up, Kova-Nova?”

Kova gasped in surprise, but when she saw it was Izzy, she relaxed a bit. “Oh... Izzy, it's you.”

“Of course it's me!” Izzy said, sitting beside her. “Who did you think it would be? Some sort of long lost relative you haven’t seen in many moons?”

As Izzy giggled at her own antics, she saw that Kova was looking down at the ground, causing Izzy to immediately stop laughing. “Oh… d-did… did I say something wrong?”

“No… it’s okay,” Kova shrugged off quickly. “It was a long time ago when it happened, I barely remember it anyway.”

“...remember what? I’m your friend, Kova,” Izzy said softly, putting her hoof on Kova’s shoulder. “And friends can tell each other things.”

“...you really mean that?” Kova asked hesitantly. “You won’t… tell anypony else yet, will you?”

“I unicorn-y flake promise to not tell anypony until you tell me to.”

Kova sighed before taking out the object she had been fiddling with her paws and handing it to Izzy. When Izzy got a closer look at it… she was curious and in awe all at once.

It seemed to be a necklace of sorts, with a linen rope and at the end, there was a crystal fragment that glowed in the dim light.

After a moment or two, Kova spoke up. “My brother and I have matching necklaces that our parents gave us before they... before Allura banished them from the colony, shortly after she and her brother discovered that they were starting an uprising against them.”

“Oh... I'm so sorry,” Izzy frowned in concern. “So... who raised you and your brother in the meantime?”

“Our grandfather, Percius,” said Kova. “He was greatly respected in the colony... well, at least until my brother got banished...”

“Why would he get banished?”

Kova hated to be reminded of that horrible day... but in order for Izzy to understand, she needed to explain the entire story. “After our parents got banished, my brother Aveen worked day and night to track all the possible locations they could have gone to, and tried to rally all the leopards in the colony in a search party to find them, many of them knowing that my parents were just trying to save them. Things were going really well... until Twitch, Allura's little rabbit minion, caught word of what he was doing.”

Izzy shuddered at that. “Twitch always gave me the willies!”

“Me too,” Kova nodded. “Once he told Allura and her brother what Aveen was planning, they chased Aveen out of the village, and... Allura dropped Aveen's necklace at my paws, claiming that he 'would never be a hindrance again'.”

Tears began to form in her eyes, causing her to quickly try and wipe them away. “Ever since Allura got banished, I tried to close myself off from caring about anyone, but... ever since Vincent took me in as his apprentice, that plan kinda backfired.”

“Oh, Kova... I'm so sorry...” Izzy said comfortingly. “That must have been horrible. I promise, this secret is safe with me. Hoof to heart.”

“...yeah. Hoof to heart,” Kova said, touching Izzy's hoof with her paw. “Come on... we better get back to bed.”

But as she laid down, suddenly, Kova suddenly had a question on her mind. “Izzy? How come you're giving off the aura that you understand exactly what I've been through?”

“...because everypony has at some point,” Izzy said simply in response, and that was the last thing to be said before the two friends retired for the night.

The next day, the Chest of Demons would be found, Asmodeus would be reimprisoned and everything would be right as rain...

...or so they hoped.

Avalanches and Investigations (Part 1)

The rest of that night seemed rather peaceful, with dreams of succeeding in defeating Asmodeus, being home in Equestria… a multitude of happy things.

But we will soon see if these happy things were going to be a reality or not.

As the sun slowly began to rise over the snowy mountaintops, Shaggy’s voice on the intercom system woke everybody up, causing many to remove their sleeping masks. “Like, ladies and gentlemen,” Shaggy announced, “this is Captain Rogers. We are now entering Himalayan airspace. If you look out to the right side of the plane, you'll see a ratty old haunted temple.”

The group looked down at the temple Shaggy was speaking of through the window, Daphne humming in thought for a few moments. “Funny,” she muttered. “I don't remember seeing that courtyard the first time we flew in here. Of course, we were a little busy crash-landing at the time.”

“Uh… crash-landing?” Alphabittle asked upon hearing this. “What was that about crash-landing?!”

“Dad, remember, this was before we met the gang, so we couldn’t have been with them at the time,” Misty reminded. “We were still in Equestria.”

“Oh… right, of course,” Alphabittle chuckled nervously. “I knew that.”

“And even though crash-landing doesn’t sound ideal,” Queen Haven said, “it seemed that you made it out of there all right.”

Zipp then came out of the cockpit with a smile. “All right, everypony, bundle up!” she exclaimed. “We should be landing in a few minutes, and then this Unity Quest can really get started!”

“It’s lucky Pipperoni and I have been working on the winter outfits we appeared in at the North Pole a few months back! Just in case we needed them again,” Izzy said with a grin as she and Pipp revealed some of the winter outfits that they had been working on for quite some time.

Misty's winter outfit consisted a purple wool hat with butterflies on it, a purple scarf with butterflies on it and purple leg warmers.
Hitch's winter outfit consisted of a light-yellow sweater with the words "#1 Sheriff" on it.
Pipp's winter outfit consisted of a dark purple sweater, purple earmuffs with her hair in a different style and little purple booties on her hooves.
Sunny's winter outfit consisted of light-yellow earmuffs and a light-yellow scarf.
Izzy's winter outfit consisted of a dark purple sweater with lighter purple polka-dots and matching earmuffs.
Queen Haven's winter outfit consisted of a purple scarf and a royal-looking purple cape.
Alphabittle's winter outfit consisted of a pink scarf with white stripes on it.
Zipp's winter outfit consisted of a dark pink and light blue wool hat with a dark pink and light blue wool sweater to go with it.

“Wow, guys, these are amazing! Everypony, bundle up!” Sunny excitedly told her friends, grabbing her outfit. “Once we get out there, we solve this mystery and find the Chest of Demons!”

XXXXXXXX

Once the plane had landed, everypony got out of the plane, bundled up with their personalized winter clothing and warm fur… well, everyone except Fred, who was trying to drive the Miss-tery Machine out of the lower part of the plane, but it kept stopping abruptly every couple seconds...

...which was actually pretty funny. “Nope. Hang on, I got it,” Fred said through the open window. “This time. Oh! Ah... drat. Hang on, I got it, I got it this time! Drat.”

“Does he always have this much trouble with the vehicles?” Alphabittle murmured to his daughter and her friends. “Not usually,” Zipp whispered back, honestly amused. “But it’s pretty fun to watch when he does struggle.”

“Zephyrina…?” Queen Haven raised an eyebrow at her eldest daughter, making Zipp chuckle nervously. “Just kidding, Mom, just kidding!”

At the same time, Vincent checked his phone for a few moments, but then turned back to the group with a grave expression on his face. “Daphne, my Air Boo n' Boo host just scream-mailed me back on my DiePhone. The package from Shaggy was never delivered by the ghostal service.”

But, while Kova tried her best not to laugh at the puns, the others gave Vincent either a deadpan look or a confused expression. “What?” Kova asked. “One too many puns?”

“Speaking from experience with dad jokes,” said Misty, “I’d say that was three too many.”

“Maybe four,” Hitch agreed. “But… they were kinda funny at first.”

Sparky babbled in agreement before Daphne looked around at the near empty airport with a frown on her face. “Where is everybody? It's a supernatural capital of the world!”

“News reports say,” Velma explained after looking at a news website on her phone, “the whole village has been evacuated due to… ‘demon infestation’.”

“Asmodeus!” Scooby, Misty and Izzy cried, looking at one another in panic. “But… how in the world did tall, red and creepy get here before us?” Alphabittle wondered. “We took a private jet, for pony’s sake!”

“I don’t know, but we need to find the Chest of Demons,” Sunny said, “and fast!”

“Yeah!” Zipp agreed. “Who knows what might happen if Asmodeus releases the rest of the ghosts from the chest!”

“Hey,” Shaggy spoke up, looking in another direction. “Don’t we know that guy?”

“Shaggy, have you got retro-grade amnesia or something?” Kova asked in sarcasm. “He’s the 13th ghost? We just ran into him at our castle?”

“No, not him,” Shaggy said. “That guy, over there!”

Shaggy was pointing over at a familiar man at the yogurt stand nearby, and suddenly, Queen Haven remembered where she saw him. “Come to think of it, I think that was one of the men at your garage sale!”

“You’re right, your highness!” Daphne realized. “He was there!”

“Oh, yeah, Bernie Alan,” Fred recalled as he approached. “I still have the check he bounced.”

“And he’s here? Now?” Vincent said, raising his opera glasses to get a better look. “That’s quite a coincidence.”

“In my experience, Vincent, there is no such thing,” Velma slapped Vincent on the back, making him drop his opera glasses to the ground. “My opera glasses!”

“It may be my overprotective father instincts kicking in,” said Alphabittle, “but something in my gut is telling me that we need to keep a close eye on this Bernie Alan character.”

“But no too close,” Daphne advised, “okay, gang?”

But when the group looked again, Shaggy and Scooby had disappeared. “Huh?” Hitch looked around. “Where did they…?”

“Take a better look, sheriff,” Zipp pointed over to Shaggy and Scooby, who were directly behind Bernie Alan at the frozen yogurt cart. And when he saw them, Bernie screamed and started running on the nearby path. “We've got a runner. Looks like he's headed for the temple,” Daphne said before giving orders. “Vincent, you, me, Kova and the boys are going to follow that tourist. Velma, Fred, take the Miss-tery Machine into town to look for Shaggy's…”

After seeing Vincent’s excited face, Daphne let out a sigh. “Scare package.”

“Daphne’s right,” Sunny said. “It's possible the post office has been holding on to it until further notice.”

Vincent gasped at this. “But of course-- the dead letter office!” he realized before speaking in a sinister tone. “Mail goes in… but it never comes out! Mwah ha ha ha ha ha!”

This caused the others to give him a deadpanned look. “Vincent, I care about you,” said Kova, “but now isn’t the time.”

“Sorry,” Vincent apologized. “Force of havoc. Er, habit!”

“Why don’t we all split up too?” Queen Haven suggested to the Equestrians. “That way we can provide our friends here with protection if the situation were to arise.”

“Good idea, Mom,” Zipp said. “Hitch and I can go with Fred and Velma to the post office.”

“And Izzy, me, Misty and Pipp will go with the others,” Sunny said. “Queen Haven, Alphabittle? Which group do you want to go with?”

“I think Haven and I will go with Fred and Velma’s group,” Alphabittle said. “Going to a post office sounds nice and safe.”

“Yes, as much as I care about you, girls,” Queen Haven told her daughters, “extreme danger is your thing, not mine.”

Zipp chuckled a bit. “Sure, Mom.”

“All right then,” Kova said. “If anyone needs anything, try to contact Pipp or Zipp. I just hope we find the Chest of Demons before anyone else does.”

“Believe me,” Misty said. “We hope the same thing.”

XXXXXXXX

With Velma at the helm of the Miss-tery Machine, she and Fred led Hitch, Sparky, Zipp, Queen Haven and Alphabittle into the post office, which seemed strangely quiet.

So quiet that Fred had to ring the front bell to try and get someone’s attention. “Hello?”

But, there was no answer… just silence. “Excuse me, is anypony here?” Queen Haven called out. “The Queen of Zephyr Heights demands your presence!”

“Mom, I don’t think that’s going to work,” Zipp frowned. “Seems like the post office is deserted too… just like the rest of the village.”

“Do you think Asmodeus got here first?” Hitch asked. “And stole the Chest of Demons before we got here?”

“Ohhhhh…” Sparky trembled, not liking the sound of that. “Maybe, Hitch,” Velma said. “But there still could be a chance that the chest is still here.”

That’s when Queen Haven saw the door with a sign on it, reading ‘Dead Letter Office’. Remembering what Vincent said before, Queen Haven opened the gate to allow the group to pass through to the back. “Come on.”

The group followed the queen into the back room, where many packages laid waiting on the shelves. “We laughed at Vincent, but he was right,” Fred shuddered as he looked around. “This place is creepy.”

“The sooner we find Shaggy's box,” said Zipp, beginning to look at packages, “the sooner we can leave.”

But as they began to move packages and look at the labels, they were unaware of the two sets of eyes watching them from the darkness.

XXXXXXXX

The remaining ponies, Kova, Vincent, Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby trudged through the snow as quietly as they could, trying not to startle Bernie Alan and give themselves away. Eventually, they caught up with him at an intersection of paths, and Bernie was looking at the map and the different paths, confused beyond measure.

Misty honestly felt a twinge of sympathy for him, her ears folding. “He looks lost…”

“I don’t fully understand what we’re doing,” Vincent spoke up. “Is this all because of a bounced check?”

“No no, you said it yourself,” Daphne told Vincent. “It's a pretty strange coincidence this guy showed up here. I think he knows something we don't.”

“But, instead of creepily following him to wherever he’s going,” said Kova, “why don’t we just ask him WHY he’s here?”

“Like, the man’s a notorious check bouncer,” Shaggy answered. “We’d never get the truth!”

“But… there has to be another way other than stalking him,” said Pipp with a sigh. “Oh, if only Zipp was here… she would be able to come up with something genius to get the truth out of him.”

But as Pipp said the word ‘truth’, Scooby began to get an idea. “Unless…”

He whispered his idea to Shaggy, who lit up at the idea. “Hey, that’s right!” he said before turning to Vincent. “Vincent old buddy, why don't you cast a truth-telling spell on him? That ought to get us some answers.”

“He can do that?” Misty asked with wide eyes. “He’s one of the most powerful sorcerers in the world!” Kova bragged. “Of course he can, right, Vincent?”

“Right, of course!” Vincent said with some hesitation. “Um… let me see…”

Suddenly, there came a strange rumbling sound, to which Daphne heard immediately. “Did you hear something?”

“Oh, like, that's just Scooby's stomach,” Shaggy clarified. “He hasn't eaten anything in over seven minutes.”

Scooby’s stomach growled as emphasis, causing the ponies and Kova to look at them with rolled eyes and smiles. “No, I believe I heard it too,” Vincent spoke up. “It came from down the road.”

But when the group looked to the intersection of paths, they discovered that Bernie had vanished from sight. “Oh no!” Sunny cried. “He’s gone, and there are no tracks for us to follow!”

“Come on,” Daphne urged. “We have to find--”

Then, all of a sudden, there came another growling sound, and Scooby automatically assumed that it was his stomach again. “Excuse me.”

“No, Scoob!” Misty said. “I think this time, Daphne is right!”

“It wasn’t you!” Shaggy added out of fear. “It… it was…!!!”

The same sound appeared again, and this caused Shaggy and Scooby to hug each other in fear and for Sunny to spark her alicorn form again, in case it was something dangerous.

When the group realized that the sound was getting louder, everyone turned to see the same black car that tried to run them off the side of the mountain earlier was just a little higher on the hill above them.

Daphne was first to let out an audible groan. “You gotta be kidding me…”

“EEK!!!” Izzy cried. “It’s that driverless car again!”

“Like, RUN!!” Shaggy shrieked. “Wait,” Daphne stopped anyone from moving. “This is crazy. First the guy from our garage sale shows up, now the car that tried to run us off the road on our way to find Vincent? What's the connection?”

“Maybe he's just a big fan of us but doesn’t want us to know about it, so he tried to kill us to cover it up...?” Izzy asked, causing Pipp and Misty to stare at her in surprise. “What? It could happen!”

“I don't know about all that,” Kova responded with some hesitancy, “but I do know there's a bigger question that needs a bigger answer.”

Scooby grew more and more nervous as he heard the car's engine revving louder and louder. “What’s that?”

Kova narrowed her eyes at the car, wings spread wide. “Why isn’t that car coming toward us right now?”

“You know... that's a good question,” Sunny said curiously. “If it was really wanting to after us, it would have come by now.”

Suddenly, as the car continued to rev, and as it shot out green flames from its tailpipes, the snow behind the car and the snow toward the top of the mountain began to crack and move toward them at an alarming pace. “Oh no...” Misty trailed off. “All that motor revving! He was starting an...”

“AVALANCHE!!!!!!” everyone screamed out of panic not wanting to get severely flattened. “Say, Daph,” Shaggy then spoke in a relatively and strangely calm voice, “like, nowcan we...?”

“RUN!!!” Daphne shrieked before they all bolted, running for a short ways before they began sliding down the mountain at top speed, trying to escape the massive amounts of snow and ice heading their way.

XXXXXXXX

Back at the post office, the search for Shaggy’s package was going nowhere, and many members of the group were beginning to get tired and frustrated...

...Velma especially. “I don't think we'll ever finish checking all these labels.”

“Well, we definitely won't if we have an attitude like that,” Alphabittle said, nudging her. “It’s like I always told Misty, 'if you think about the worst outcome, those thoughts will surely be your result.”

“Alphabittle is right. Don't give up, Velma. You can do it,” Fred tried to encourage. “Velma, Velma, Velma!”

This got the ponies blinking in confusion as Fred continued his little... routine. “V-E-L-M-A. She's the one who...”

“...why are you doing that and risking your chances at embarrassment?” Hitch asked with a raised eyebrow, and this led Fred to sigh sadly. “You're right. I don't know what my role is anymore...”

“Huh?”

Before anything else could be said, however, a pile of boxes behind them fell over, meaning one thing and one thing only... someone else was in there with them. “Okay,” said Velma, “that was weird.”

“Hitch and I will go and check it out,” Fred offered. “We will?!” Hitch blinked, causing Fred to glance at him. “Oh! Oh yeah, right... we will.”

But before they could move, however, Queen Haven flew in their path to stop them. “Wait! I've watched movies like this with Cloudpuff back in Zephyr Heights-- this feels like the right moment to insert a trap!”

“No offense, Queen Haven,” Fred spoke as he pushed past her, “but I think I would know whenever I was walking into a...”

Suddenly, a net sprung up from around Fred, hoisting him up into the air, much to his own surprise. “...oh...”

“Gotcha!”

At the sound of this voice, the group stood ready for some sort of attack, and from the shadows appeared to be a darker-skinned teenager with black hair and wearing a yellow hoodie.

Beside of him was a flying leopard much like Kova, but a different color scheme-- this leopard had pink fur with dark pink swirls as her spots, a white underbelly, teal eyes and pink and teal feathers on her wings.

Needless to say, neither of them looked happy to see intruders, and Velma was first to rush forward with a gasp while Queen Haven and Zipp got Fred down from the trap. “What’s going on here?”

Avalanches and Investigations (Part 2)

While Fred, Velma and the rest of the Equestrians were following the strangers that deemed them earlier as trespassers, the others were sliding and galloping down the mountain at top speed...

...and needless to say, no one was enjoying the experience. “WHOAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!” Misty screamed at the top of her lungs as she and Scooby slid on their rear ends. “I DON'T LIKE THIS RIIIIIIIIIIIIDE!!!!!!!”

“Keep moving, everypony, and don't stop!” Kova said to her friends as she, Pipp and Sunny ran ahead of the rest of their friends. “The temple shouldn’t be much further!”

“Like, I hope you're right about that!” Shaggy cried, panting tiredly. “Because I don't think I can run for much longer!!!”

But as they began losing momentum, climbing up a tall hill, the avalanche quickly gained on them and swept them off the ground and in the midst of the snow around them. Everyone screamed at the top of their lungs as the heaps of snow tossed them around constantly, with Vincent moving constantly to avoid getting crushed. “I’m getting too old for this!!”

Luckily, Izzy and Shaggy were able to push Vincent out of the way before they were crushed by a giant piece of ice. “RUN!!” Shaggy wailed as they tried to pick up speed. Pretty soon, they were able to escape the insides of the avalanche, but they were nowhere near safe yet.

Eventually, Sunny got an idea. “Kova, fly up ahead and tell us if there are any steep embankments! The rest of you, get on a pony’s back!”

Vincent leapt onto Izzy’s back, Scooby got onto Misty’s, Shaggy got on Pipp’s and Daphne got on Misty’s, just as Kova flew up and got a good look. “Sunny, there’s a steep hill dead ahead!”

“But we’re never gonna be able to slow down in time to hide behind it!” Daphne tried to reason. “That’s cause we’re not gonna hide behind it! We’re gonna jump it!” Sunny said with a smirk. “Ponies, Kova when I give the signal, stop running and slide after me! Ready…? NOW!!!”

The flying leopard and ponies in question did as she said and slid on their bellies toward the embankment, using it as a giant ramp to get up and away from the danger of the avalanche, eventually landing on a nearby hill.

Everyone panted tiredly, but out of relief, knowing that they were safe for now. “That… was… HORRIFYING!!!” Kova said, a paw to her chest as she tried to feel her beating heart. “Don’t ever make me do that again!”

“Trust me, I’ll try and come up with a different solution next time,” Sunny said, out of breath. “Is everyone else okay?”

“A little cold,” Misty said, shaking away some snow, “but otherwise, fine.”

“Well, the good news is,” Daphne said, pointing to a nearby structure, “that we made it to the temple!”

But suddenly, a familiar revving caused the group to gasp and look toward the mountain in terror. “Like, I think,” said Shaggy, “I already know the bad news!”

The car from before was not too far away, causing another avalanche that started further up the mountain, and Pipp shrieked in panic. “What do we do?!”

“Pipp, you and Kova fly ahead of me and guide us in the right direction!” Sunny said as she assigned jobs. “I’ll use my alicorn powers to keep obstacles out of the others’ way!”

“But we’ll never be able to outrun another avalanche, dude!” Shaggy pointed out. “That’s right… so we need a sled!” Misty cried. “Something that can get us to the temple fast!”

Izzy looked around for a moment before she spotted the sign to the temple. “Ooh, what if we use that?”

“Perfect!” Daphne said. “Looks like those winters at my uncle's cabin in Aspen are finally gonna pay off. Everybody on the sign sled!”

“We’ll fly ahead and clear a path for you!” Sunny said, shifting into her alicorn form before flying off with Pipp and Zora. At the same time, Misty and Izzy and their friends got on the sled and quickly pushed off, just before the avalanche got to them.

The sled sped down the mountain after the three flyers, down the many cliffs and making tight turns. Thankfully, Pipp and Zora and Sunny were able to keep them out of some trouble, like steering past trees and making it safely down the cliffs when they came to them.

But as they zoomed across the bridge leading toward the temple, they realized that the sled was going much too fast, and they were going to crash at any moment!

Daphne turned toward Vincent with a worried glance. “Vincent, now would be the perfect time for a door-opening spell!”

“Kids,” Vincent interrupted, “there’s something I should--”

But before he could finish, the avalanche quickly gained on them, pushing them and the flyers towards the doors that much more quickly. “Come on, somebody!” Shaggy cried. “Open the doors already!!”

“And hurry!!” Pipp cried. “Izzy and I got this!” Misty cried. “Let’s light it up!”

She and Misty quickly lit their horns, spreading their magic aura toward the doors and opening them just enough for them to duck inside, but didn't have enough time to close it before the avalanche closed in on them, covering the only way out with snow and ice.

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, the others had no idea of what was happening to their friends as they followed the boy in the hoodie and the pink flying leopard, now known as Ciela, through the village. “You want your Chest of Demons?” the boy asked as he led them to a nearby shop entitled ‘The Realm of Darkness’. “All right. Prepare to enter the realm of darkness.”

Alphabittle shivered after this. “Nice play on words, kid, but can we go in already? My hooves are freezing!”

“Oh, of course! You guys aren’t used to this kind of weather,” Ciela realized before opening the door. “Come on in.”

The others walked into the shop, glad to get out of the cold for a few moments, before their eyes settled on a medium-sized chest with a demon carved in the lid at the end of the room. “Do you think that’s the Chest of Demons?” Hitch asked as Zipp looked at the photo that Kova gave her for reference. “It looks that way.”

“Phew!” Alphabittle sighed in relief. “Thank goodness its still closed.”

“Alphabittle, please,” Velma rolled her eyes before she turned toward the chest. “You’re not starting to believe that nonsense, are you?”

“Velma!” Fred cried, as if he knew what she was planning. “What are you doing?!”

“Fred, it’s just a box.”

Everyone watched nervously as Velma laid her hand on the chest lid, and then, to Fred’s horror, she opened it, just a crack. “NO!!!”

Fred leapt into hiding as the ponies shielded themselves for something to happen, just as Velma opened the lid all the way. “See? It’s just an empty old…”

Suddenly, Velma was cut off when a beam of light came from within the box. “Jinkies!!”

“See?!” Zipp cried as Velma dove into the hiding place near Fred’s. “Shaggy and Daphne told you those were real ghosts, and now they’re loose!”

“Stay behind me, Haven!” Alphabittle said boldly, stepping in front of his girlfriend. “I’ll protect you and the kids from those things!”

But to their surprise, the teenager in the yellow hoodie just smiled and walked past them toward the chest. “Are you insane?!” Velma shrieked. “It’s…”

“Double-lined with a vacuum seal,” the teenager interrupted, taking a drink out of the box, “to keep your cold stuff cold and your hot stuff hot.”

Fred blinked in confusion as he and Velma came from hiding. “It’s a… cooler?”

“Ahem… of course it is!” Velma said, trying to pretend she knew what it was the entire time. “Just a plain old cooler.”

“Oh, well, if you're looking for something fancier,” the teenager said, pulling back a curtain, “we got it all!”

The ponies and Sparky gasped with wide eyes when they saw a large selection of Chest of Demons themed items in the back, not expecting this in the slightest. “Chest of Demons coolers, Chest of Demons lunchboxes,” the teen listed, “phone chargers, you name it, we got it. And it's all celebrating the relic that made this village the tourism capital of the Himalayas. At prices so low, it's demonic!”

“...come on, guys,” Velma groaned. “Let’s get out of here.”

Ciela squeaked before the teen got in their path in an attempt to stop them. “Uh, I can probably cut you a deal if you buy four. Or three? Two.”

“Let me just ask one thing, business-pony to businessman,” Alphabittle spoke. “Have you ever sold one of those things?”

“Once,” the boy smiled, as if thinking back to a distant memory. “A long time ago.”

“Sorry,” Fred interrupted, “but we’re looking for the real Chest of Demons.”

“The… the real one?” Ciela asked in surprise. “You mean, the one that was up at the temple? Well… it USED to be there, but no one’s been up there in a long time.”

“May I ask why?” Queen Haven asked. “Maybe it can help us in our search for the real chest.”

“Uh, you're not ghost hunters, are you?” the boy in the hoodie asked, causing Fred to smirk. “In fact, we are.”

Ciela gulped as the boy in the hoodie smirked. “Oh no… I know that look…”

Without another moment of hesitation, the boy in the hoodie led the group, Ciela included, into a barricaded room full of monster equipment before quickly speaking. “Now say you've got trouble with a capital T like the one in tormented and terrified and truly trick-or-treatify!”

Fred and Sparky blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

“I'm talking about ghosts. I'm talking about goblins, ghouls, and beasts galore. To fight off fiends, and freaks, and more, you need a monster weapons store!” the boy in the hoodie said. “A laser-guided harpoon gun will take down that leviathan. This silver-bullet cannon, yes, for stopping werewolves with success. A garlic bomb applied with speed will vex a vampire guaranteed! So, monster hunters, come on down, you'll soon be saying that you found the lowest rental rates around! Here at Benny’s Monster Towwwn!!!”

However, at the end of the… skit, the others just looked at the hoodie boy with confusion while Ciela chuckled nervously and helped him to his feet. “I’m… guessing you haven’t seen their commercial?”

“No, not really,” Hitch said. “But man… Pipp would be impressed with those rhymes.”

“I don’t know,” Zipp frowned. “I’d say this looks pretty suspicious.”

“Me too, Zipp. What I see is that with all the superstitious tourists coming through here,” Velma turned toward the hoodie boy with a smirk, “I'll bet you do quite a business.”

The boy shrugged with an honest smile. “What can I say? Fighting the undead, it's a living.”

“Don’t tell them that!” Ciela hushed him. “They’ll just think we’re suspects!”

“No, we don’t think of you as suspects, dear,” Queen Haven said. “We’re just trying to figure out where the chest is so we can make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hooves.”

“Really?” Ciela asked. “Wow… someone I once knew always accused her followers of doing something wrong…”

“Let me guess,” Hitch interrupted. “Allura?”

“Actually… yeah!” Ciela said in surprise. “How’d you guys know?”

Zipp only chuckled. “Lucky guess.”

Fred immediately noticed a Segway-like device nearby, eagerly walking toward it. “Whoa! Neat!”

“You’re welcome to take it for a test run,” Ciela offered. “But, one thing I gotta know,” the boy interrupted. “You can drive stick, right?”

Fred immediately paused at this after putting on the helmet. “Uh…”

“Ha ha ha! Just kidding. It practically drives itself.”

With one push, Fred was sent off… unfortunately, he had no idea how to steer that thing, leaving Alphabittle to groan. “I better go see if I can help him.”

“Wait for me!” Zipp cried, galloping after Misty’s father. “Hitch, make sure he doesn’t get out!”

“On it!”

Hitch ran toward the doors just before the hoodie boy turned to Velma, smoothing his hair out to impress her. “Now, what can I interest you in?”

“Nothing,” Velma crossed her arms. “I don’t believe in ghosts.”

“But Velma dear,” said Queen Haven, “if you don’t believe in ghosts, what DO you believe in?”

“Science,” Velma explained. “And you Equestrians, of course.”

“Just because science can’t explain ghosts now,” the hoodie boy said, “doesn’t make them less real.”

“Yeeeeeah, nice try,” said Velma as several crashing sounds were heard in the background. “You're a good salesman, but not that good. We believe in facts, not fantasy. Right, Fred?”

But when she looked over, Fred and Hitch and Alphabittle were trying to piece the Segway back together, chuckling nervously while Zipp watched. “We uh…” Zipp smiled nervously, “...we had a little trouble with the Segway thing.”

“Come on,” Velma grabbed Fred and pulled him away. “We’re leaving.”

“Whoa, hey hey hey!” the hoodie boy tried to get them to slow down and not leave. “Listen, it's really dangerous out there after dark. You guys might wanna stay together!”

“Thank you, young man!” Queen Haven said. “Have a good day!”

And just like that, the group left the shop, leaving Ciela to sigh. “Nice people… I hope they do okay out there…”

XXXXXXXX

“Can you believe that guy back there?” Velma asked her friends. “Trying to scare us like that?”

“He was just doing his job, Velma, like we all have to sometimes,” Hitch said. “But I gotta admit, he was pretty good at what he did.”

“Yeah, I know,” Fred nodded, sounding a little sad. “What talent. And between the souvenir shop and the monster store, he's got two jobs. I don't even have one anymore.”

“Huh…?”

This immediately caught Zipp’s attention, and she flew in front of Fred to stop him. “Fred, talk to me. What are you talking about?”

“The thing is…” Fred took a breath before he began to explain. “Daphne's the leader, Shaggy's the pilot, Scooby digs up clues and serves cold drinks, and Velma’s the resident skeptic. What do I do? You saw me on that scooter. I... I can't even do background hijinks right.”

“Fred, of course you have a job in the gang,” Alphabittle tried to reassure. “You help keep the gang together and organized, and that’s really important.”

“And at least you’re honest,” said Velma as a thick fog began to cover the area. “Unlike that salesman back there. Selling the same stories about things lurking in the dark trying to nab us. Let me tell you, if something was trying to nab us, I'm pretty sure we'd… WAAH!!!”

But when the group turned around, Velma was nowhere to be seen. “Velma?” Hitch called. “Velma?!”

Sparky picked up Velma’s glasses from off the ground, but something pulled them off the ground as well!

But who?

We're going to soon find out, and then, things in our story may take an even more drastic turn.

The King of Demons Appears/Chase Through the Temple

It was only a few short minutes ago that an avalanche forced Sunny, Izzy, Pipp, Misty, Kova, Vincent and the remaining members of Mystery Incorporated into the temple, barely making it inside before the entrance was covered in a large amount of ice and snow.

This left them trapped in the dark... alone and cold in the silence.

That is, until Shaggy's voice spoke up from out of the darkness. “Like, that was snow picnic! Ha ha!”

“Yeah, real funny, Shaggy,” Pipp said sarcastically. “You’re lucky we weren’t turned into pony popsicles!”

“But we weren’t,” Daphne's voice spoke up next. “And being together is the most important thing right now.”

Suddenly, Kova sniffed the air, not liking the smell that entered her nose. “Why does it smell like wet…?”

But as her wings and Izzy and Misty’s horns lit up, Kova saw that Scooby was holding her, Daphne, Shaggy and Vincent very tightly, all while waist-deep in the snowbank. “...oh…”

Scooby continued to whimper for a few more seconds until Shaggy rubbed his head reassuringly. “Like, relax, Scooby-Doo. We’re all still alive.”

“Are you sure, Shaggy…?”

Shaggy looked around, but at the creepy atmosphere that seemed to linger over the temple, all his optimism melted away. “Nope!”

He quickly darted to Scooby and hugged him tight, causing Kova to sigh. “So much for bravery. Hang on, Scoob, I’ll get you out of there.”

She quickly picked the Great Dane up in her paws and set him to the side as the others got out of the snow pile while the others got out and looked around. “How very lucky the unicorns were able to open the door in time,” Vincent said in relief. “We could have been crushed between the doors and avalanche.”

“But on the other hoof,” said Misty, “we’re completely snowed in!”

“Then dude,” said Shaggy, “how are we supposed to get out of here?!”

“I have an idea,” Daphne said in thought. “Follow me and watch out. Places like this are always filled with booby traps.”

“All right then, everypony!” Pipp prepared to take off. “Let’s get in there and--”

But before she could fly off, her wings glitched and she came crashing to the floor. “Ow...”

“Whoa!” Izzy ran over to Pipp and helped her up. “You okay, Pipperdoodle?”

“Yeah, but what the hay just happened?” Pipp asked while flapping her wings. “Why did my wings stop working?”

“Ohhh right...” Kova suddenly recalled something. “I just remembered that some forms of magic don't work within the temple walls, so we have to rely on other types of magic if the situation were to arise.”

“Oh, great...” Misty sighed. “Just what we needed-- to be stranded in a creepy place with no magic!”

But deciding that her friends needed her, with or without magic, Misty sighed and followed her friends through the hallways of the temple, with Kova’s wings lighting the way, since her magic seemed to be working in the temple walls.

Sunny admired the walls of the temple with sparkling eyes, gasping in wonder. “Look at all of these historical artifacts! Even though we're here on a mission, I would totally love to get a closer look at these artifacts if we have the time!”

Kova chuckled at this. “My grandfather would have loved you, Sunny. He was a history buff too, and he loved to study magic and old history books when he wasn't chasing me and my brother down.”

Sunny giggled at this. “Your family sounds really great. Do you think we'll get the chance to meet them?”

“...I wish,” Kova said with a sigh. “My grandpa passed about a moon ago and my brother... well...”

Sunny frowned at the sound of this. “Sensitive subject?”

“...yeah, you could say that. And... Allura did have something to do with it.”

“Oh... I'm so sorry, Kova, I had no idea,” Sunny said sincerely. “I can't imagine how hard that was for you.”

“...thanks, Sunny,” Kova smiled gently. “I really appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. I thought Izzy would be the only one who would listen to me.”

“Izzy is a really great listener,” said Sunny, “but you can talk to us about how you're feeling whenever you want to. You know that, right?”

“...I do now. Thanks, Sunny... for everything.”

“No problem. Now come on-- we have friends to catch up with!”

XXXXXXXX

When Sunny and Kova led the group to the middle of the temple, where there was a view of the sky, they realized that there was a high wall between them and any attempt at freedom.

Vincent was the first to speak after a moment. “I don't suppose anyone has a rope?”

“Right... and with Equestrian magic down and only one flyer,” Daphne reasoned out loud, “it looks like we'll have to find another way out.”

“Like, come on, Vincent,” Shaggy tried to urge their friend. “Don't you have a spell that can make us fly like a pegasus?”

“Or,” said Sunny, “something that might increase Kova’s strength so she might be able to lift everyone out at once?”

“Oh, kids,” Vincent said, hanging his head, “I'm so sorry. I'm...”

Suddenly, Daphne pointed toward something that caught her offguard. “Are you seeing what I'm seeing?”

There on the offering table sat a small candle, the flame on it burning brightly. “So somebody left a candle burning, big deal,” Shaggy brushed off. “But wait... no one's been in here before us,” Pipp pointed out. “So if none of us lit that candle, then who ELSE could have lit that candle?!”

Kova gulped nervously at this. “I'll give you three guesses...”

“I'll give you one!”

At this shout, everyone looked up in fear to see the fearsome Asmodeus towering on the temple walls above them, holding a package under his arm and leaving many to gasp while Shaggy cried out in terror. “Zoinks!!”

Asmodeus dove down toward them and fired a massive fireball, causing many to dive out of the way and into the snow, thankfully not harmed further than that. While the others were still recovering, Asmodeus pulled a secret door up and entered the secret passageway within, letting the door begin to close behind him. “He’s gonna get away!” Izzy cried. “Not for long!” Sunny responded. “Come on, Daphne!”

Both of them charged toward the door, where Daphne grabbed a large piece of wood and slid under the door with Sunny in pursuit, the wood helping to keep the door open. At the same time, the piece of paper from the package Asmodeus was holding flew off, landing in Sunny's hooves.

The others sighed in relief that their friends had made it, and Sunny beckoned them to follow. “Come on, guys! We still have a mission ahead of us!”

The others crept through the door just as the doors slammed shut, causing Shaggy and Scooby to bolt toward their friends. “What is it?” Vincent asked Daphne about the slip of paper, just as Pipp got a good look at it, her eyes widening. “It’s the Chest of Demons! Asmodeus has it!”

Scooby slammed into the rest of the group, causing them to stumble and land in a huge pile. After everyone got themselves handled, Scooby pointed in the direction that Asmodeus went. “And he’s getting away!”

“No he’s not!” Daphne said as she helped her friends to their feet, paws and hooves. “Come on, gang! I’m gonna miss this…”

“Believe me,” said Pipp as she ran beside Daphne, “so will we.”

The others continued to follow Daphne through the hallways, trying to follow Asmodeus without letting him know he was being followed. When they finally reached the spot where Asmodeus was, Daphne shushed the group before swinging on a banner and grabbing the chest from him, much to his anger. Daphne tossed the chest to Shaggy, and that’s when the chase really began.

Shaggy, Scooby, Pipp and the two unicorns ran as fast as their feet could take them to get away from Asmodeus, who somehow got ahead of them and grabbed the chest from them, causing them to run and hide in the costume closet. Then, one look at some costumes gave Sunny an idea.

Dressing her friends up in a snow-white monster-like costume, they appeared before Asmodeus who dropped the Chest of Demons in surprise and allowed them to make a quick getaway. Of course, Asmodeus quickly figured out and started chasing them again.

After a moment, the group ended up inside a room where both doors locked them in and the spikes started lowering from the ceiling, intending to crush the group. Luckily, to their relief, Scooby managed to find a door in the floor and they escaped the room through that.

But, as they came out on the other side, they ran into Asmodeus again!

No matter where they turned, he was there. Even when they were going up some spiral stairs, he was there waiting. Luckily, before he could steal the chest from them, Shaggy activated a switch that let the stairs turn into a slide and they slid down the staircase again.

They quickly got to the top of the building, and Shaggy used a banner as a zipline to swing their way into the other side of a huge gap.

But at one point, Scooby tripped and lost his friends, prompting Asmodeus to blow a ring of fire to trap the Great Dane. Luckily, Daphne swooped in and saved him, but Asmodeus was able to grab the chest for a few moments, only for Scooby to steal it back by poking the demon between the eyes.

But no matter who’s favor the chase turned in, Asmodeus still ended up with the Chest of Demons in his possession.

XXXXXXXX

After a while of running, Pipp, Izzy, Misty, Shaggy and Scooby reached a large room with a large tolling bell above them. “What do we do?!” Misty asked. “That demon king could be after us in no time!”

“Don’t panic, ponies!” Pipp reassured. “All we need is the element of disguise and some clever improvisation!”

“Uh…” Scooby looked over at Shaggy with confusion. “Did you understand any of Pipp’s theater talk?”

“Like, nope,” Shaggy said. “Not a word.”

Pipp sighed, ears drooping in exasperation. “Just follow my lead…”

XXXXXXXX

Within a few minutes, Asmodeus entered that very same room, looking around for anything suspicious…

…but he did not find anything. All there was in that room were some people doing some meditation.

So, he decided to take his leave just before one of the meditators greeted him. “Like… namaste.”

Asmodeus turned to see Shaggy, in a red cloak that Pipp had found for a disguise, getting up to greet him. “You're just in time for the complimentary hour of guided meditation,” Shaggy said. “My sisters, come forth and greet our newest brother-in-arms!”

Pipp, Izzy and Misty (who also wore red cloaks) turned to him and bowed. “Namaste, great demon brother,” Izzy said dramatically. “We shall turn your life around and help you find spiritual peace, kapish?”

Asmodeus blinked in confusion. “Uh…”

“Good, good, good,” Pipp patted his shoulder before trotting over to Scooby. “Don't mind Brother Scoobert-- he's observing the last year of a ten-year vow… of silence.”

Scooby opened his eyes and looked at his friends with confusion. “I am?”

Misty chuckled nervously at this. “Well, he was…” she said before turning to Scooby in a whisper. “Scooby, I thought we agreed you would keep silent during the skit!”

“Oh… did I?” Scooby recalled with a nervous giggle. “Sorry…”

“Anyway, first you'll need to pretzel your legs like a lotus,” Shaggy said, getting down on the floor and crossing his legs into an uncomfortable position. “And no, I don't know what a lotus is. But who doesn't love a good pretzel? Am I right? Man, I love pretzels.”

Asmodeus tried to cross his legs for this part, but was unable to, holding the Chest of Demons, so Izzy and Misty helped him with this part. “Now, you'll need to free up your hands for this bit,” said Shaggy. “So, Sister Misty and Sister Izzy, if you please…?”

“Come to Izzy…” Izzy whispered, reaching out for the chest when Asmodeus roared, sending the unicorns flying back into a nearby wall. After a moment of silence, Misty groaned as they got up. “We’re okay!”

“Now,” Shaggy scolded, “is that anyway to achieve inner peace?”

“Speaking of peace,” Pipp cut in, “I think it’s about time for our mantra. Brother Scoobert?”

Scooby then sat down on the floor with his legs crossed and eyes closed before beginning to chant. “Om… om… om… om, oooom…!!”

Now, it was Shaggy's turn to do the same thing. “Like, om… om… om…”

Asmodeus watched this in confusion, still grasping the chest tightly before shrugging and deciding to try meditation himself. “Om… om…”

“Om… ohhhhh my pony!” Pipp cried out with wide eyes. “We forgot to get you a robe!”

“Oh, you’re right, Sister Pipp!” Izzy said before she and Shaggy rushed over to a nearby chest. “What are you, a size six?”

“Hmmm…” Scooby said, studying Asmodeus a bit. “Seven-and-a-half.”

“No no no, I think he looks like more a seven,” Misty interrupted before Asmodeus started glaring at her. “Seven… and three quarters…?”

“Thirteen!” Asmodeus barked, just as Izzy and Shaggy arrived with the largest cloak the ponies had ever seen. “Thirteen? Zoinks!” Shaggy exclaimed. “You’re a big one, dude!”

“Ahem,” Misty cleared her throat as she held up one of the sleeves with her horn. “Now, just slip those arms through the sleeves…”

Asmodeus did so without any complaints, and then, when his arms were fully off the chest, Misty knew when to give the cue. “Pipp, now!”

Pipp leapt in without any hesitation and kicked the Chest of Demons to Scooby, and in his attempt to get the group, Asmodeus got himself tied up in the robe, allowing the group to run for the doors. “Namaste!” Shaggy cried. “Namaste!”

“Namaste,” said Pipp, “as far away from us as possible-ay!!”

And just like that, they sped off through the doors, and within minutes, Asmodeus trailed behind, the fires of his fury strengthening him beyond level.

Now we can only wonder... what would our heroes do next?

Escaping with a Sacrifice/Hope Regained

“Faster, ponies, faster!!” Misty shrieked as the group ran from Asmodeus, who were hot (literally) on their heels. “We can’t let Asmodeus get the chest!”

“We know, Misty, we know!” Pipp panted as they ran. “Oh pony, I wish my wings weren’t totally useless right now!”

“Quick!” Shaggy said as he quickly pulled the group into a corner. “Over here!”

Once the group was out of sight, Asmodeus whizzed past their hiding place at the speed of light, allowing them to escape for safety when the coast was clear. They reached a window at the end of the hall, but then they noticed the glow from Asmodeus circling back around again. “Where do we go now?!” Izzy asked. “We’re trapped!”

“I hate to say this, guys, but I think we only have one option!” Misty cried. “JUMP AND JUMP NOW!!!”

After Misty leapt out the window, Izzy and Pipp did the same, followed by Shaggy and Scooby. Then, they got the idea to slow their descent by grabbing onto some banners and to each other, letting them slowly sink to the ground… until they lost grip on the banner and fell on their stomachs and rear ends.

Luckily, they were fine, but they had other problems to worry about-- namely, getting away from Asmodeus before he followed them!

At the same time, Kova, Vincent, Daphne and Sunny were walking into the open, looking for their friends since they all got seperated a little while ago. “We’ve looked all over for them, Daphne!” Kova said, sounding clearly worried. “What if we never find them?”

“Don’t give up, Kova-- trust me,” said Daphne with a reassuring smile. “Shaggy and Scooby, as well as the other ponies, always know how to surprise us.”

But suddenly, Shaggy and Scooby and the other ponies slammed into the others, knocking them all to the ground and causing them to roll back toward the entrance. “Ow,” Vincent groaned, “my tailbone…”

“Guys, you did it!” Sunny cried in celebration. “You got the chest!”

“And,” Scooby said, “we cheated Asmodeus right out.”

“I gotta admit,” said Misty, “Dad will be pretty impressed once he hears how we duped the all-powerful king of demons.”

“But, the darkness is right on our tails,” said Shaggy, pointing back the way they came, “if you know what I mean!”

It was true-- the glow of Asmodeus was getting closer with each passing second, making Daphne realize they quickly needed an escape plan. “We’ve gotta get out of here! Kova, Scooby, start digging a way out!”

“Oh, you called the right duo for the job!” Kova smiled. “Come on, Scoobers!”

But, as the winged leopard and Scooby began to dig at the snow pile, they quickly slipped and fell either on their stomachs or on their rear ends. “Hey, what gives?!” Kova said. “The snow wasn’t this slippery a while ago!”

“Oh no!” Pipp cried. “We’ve been away from the entrance for so long, the snow must’ve iced over!”

“You mean, we’re stuck here?! Oh, come on!” Shaggy sobbed before grabbing Vincent’s shirt front. “Vincent, old buddy, what we need right now is a good old-fashioned snow-melting spell!”

“I hate to say it, but they might be right,” Kova told her mentor. “I haven’t learned how to use my wings’ heat to melt ice yet! It has to be you, Vincent.”

Vincent sighed heavily at this. “I tried to tell you,” he said regretfully. “Ever since Asmodeus showed up, I haven't been able to cast a single successful spell. I'm having wizard's block!”

Suddenly, the terrified gasps of the Equestrians caused Vincent to turn, seeing Asmodeus, his wings burning with fire, stomping toward them. “GIVE ME THAT CHEST!!!”

“Oh boy… it’s deja vu with Opaline all over again!!” Izzy shrieked, causing Scooby to whimper with his ears flattened. “We’re doomed!”

“You have to try, Vincent!” Daphne said as she held the chest. “It’s our only chance!”

So, with Asmodeus looming closer, Vincent took out his crystal ball and tried to make an attempt at a spell to melt the ice and help them escape. “Spirits of the Scorpio, reveal your power. Let it flow into this realm with heated glow and melt this blasted icy snow!”

But, like he expected, the crystal ball did nothing, and the snow still remained. “Oh, neigh way!” Pipp cried in shock. “It didn’t work!”

“I guess Vincent was telling the truth,” Kova muttered. “He does have wizard’s block!”

“What’s wrong, old man?” Asmodeus asked as he came closer. “No powers?”

“Power,” Vincent hummed to himself, looking at the crystal ball he was holding. It may have been a risky decision, but there was really no other choice in the matter.

He had to do this.

He tossed his crystal ball toward the ground, and upon impact with the ground, it shattered, causing a bright light that blinded everyone and knocking a majority of the group out cold.

XXXXXXXX

Daphne was the first to wake up from her unconscious state, getting up to discover that she, Shaggy, Scooby, Kova and the Equestrians were no longer in the temple like they were an hour or two ago. “What… what happened?”

“Ugh… my head…” Kova groaned as the others got up and checked themselves over. “Hey, check it out!” Misty said as her horn lit up. “My magic is working again!”

“Mine too!” Sunny cried, creating a small vine. “Our magic is back now that we’ve left the temple!”

“Like, it worked!” Shaggy cheered. “You got us out, Vincent! Ha ha!”

But, as he and Scooby looked around, Vincent was nowhere in sight, much to their concern. “Vincent?”

“Huh?” Daphne looked down and saw that the crystal ball in her bag was glowing, and pulled it out so they all could gather round. Then, in the ball formed the image of none other than Vincent himself. “Vincent!” Daphne cried in relief. “Daphne, you’re safe!” Vincent exclaimed. “It worked!”

“How’d you do it?” Shaggy asked. “If I told you how the trick was done,” said Vincent with a smug smirk, “it would no longer be magic.”

But then, Sunny became confused. “But if you destroyed your ball, how are you calling us right now?”

“I always carry a spare,” Vincent told her before looking around, as if he was trying to see if something was coming. “Listen… I don't have much time. I'm just calling to say goodbye.”

Scooby cocked his head in confusion. “Goodbye?”

“Yes, Scooby,” Vincent said, his voice sounding… remorseful, almost. “You kids, Kova and the Equestrians need to run. This is between Asmodeus and me now as it should always have been.”

“No, Vincent! We’re a team, all of us!” Kova tried to argue, not wanting to lose him like she lost her brother and parents. “You can’t--”

“I must! I’m sorry I got you all into this… especially you, Kova. You’re a strong leopard, and I know you’ll use the lessons I taught you well.”

Suddenly, Asmodeus’ roar caught their attention, causing Kova and the Equestrians to become frightened. “Do not fear,” Vincent whispered. “I have the chest… for now. There's still time for you to get away. Take the plane. Save yourselves!”

And just like that, the connection was cut out, much to Kova’s horror. “VINCENT!!!”

But the connection was gone... and surely, her mentor was gone as well. “No…” Daphne said in a heartbroken tone. “Vincent…”

“He’s gone… I lost Vincent too…” Kova said, sitting down as tears began to enter her eyes. “I lost him like I lost my family!”

“Oh, Kova… it’s gonna be okay,” Izzy tried to reassure. “Yeah,” Sunny agreed. “We’ll get him back.”

“How?!” Kova asked as the tears were coming down her face. “How do we get back into the temple, and how do we defeat Asmodeus? Do you have a plan?”

“Well…” Sunny hesitated. “No. Not yet.”

“But, we will think of it!” Pipp added quickly to not discourage the leopard. “I mean… it’s not like more trouble is about to come falling on our heads.”

Suddenly, screams came from the sky, and they all looked to see Fred, Velma, Hitch, Sparky, Zipp, Queen Haven and Alphabittle landing in the nearby snowbank.

“Huh?!”

“Oh my pony!”

“What on Earth?!”

“Mom?!”

“Dad?!”

“You’re all okay!”

Queen Haven spit out snow as Pipp came to help her sister and mother out of the snowbank. “Oh, hello, my darlings! Do you mind if we drop in?”

Shaggy and Scooby laughed at this. “Good one, your highness,” Shaggy said. “Hilarious!”

“Oh, Tea! I’m so glad you’re all safe!” Alphabittle said as he hugged his daughter. “Wait, you ARE okay, right?”

“Yes, Dad, as well as we can be,” Misty nodded. “But, where did you all come from? What happened?”

Velma stepped forward, without her glasses, mind you, smiling. “Something… unexplanable…”

“Like, where are your glasses?” Shaggy asked. “I don’t need them,” Velma responded, as if in a daze. “I see everything clearly now. Yes, everything.”

“It’s a long story,” Zipp spoke up. “But to put it bluntly, I think Velma just had her first real ghost encounter up on that mountain.”

Scooby waved a paw in front of Velma’s face as Izzy whispered to Sunny, “I think she’s still having that first ghost encounter!”

“Shh, Izzy!” Sunny scolded. “Don’t be rude!”

That's when Hitch noticed one member of their group was missing. “Hey, where’s Vincent?”

“Vincy…?” Sparky seemed to cue, causing Kova to clear her tears and stand up. “He's in the temple with Asmodeus and the Chest of Demons… alone…”

“Well,” said Fred, preparing to walk toward the temple, “then let’s…”

“No, Fred, it’s over,” Daphne said, completely disheartened. “The doors and windows are frozen shut. By the time we make it in, the chest will already be open. Maybe the sheriff was right. We're out of our depth.”

“Because of some frozen doors?” Alphabittle said with a scoff. “Come on! All of you kids have faced things harder than this!”

“No…” Velma spoke up next. “Daphne's on to something. I mean, what's the point? Ghosts exist, and they're about to take over the Earth. There's nothing we can do about it.”

“Of course there’s something we can do!” Sunny said, getting in front of Velma before moving to the rest of her Mystery Inc friends. “Remember Opaline? Both times, I might add? We did something about it then, and we won, saving Equestria and Paradise from her twisted evil!”

“Sunny, think about it,” Shaggy said. “Like, we were pretty good with Opaline and guys in rubber masks, but when the monsters are real…”

Kova sighed, understanding what he was saying. “We’re just not equipped. Maybe Vincent was wrong…” she said sadly. “I’m not ready to become a wielder of magic like him and the sorcerers in his family… and I never was.”

Scooby burst into tears at that moment, leaving Zipp to come over and hug him out of comfort. “Aww, Scooby, don’t cry… we’ll figure something out.”

“Actually, Zipp, those are tears of joy,” Shaggy clarified. “You took the Scooby Snacks with you and we haven't seen you in, like, hours.”

“It’s true!” Scooby sobbed, hugging Zipp around the neck. “It’s all true! Oh, Zipp…!!”

Zipp sighed and pulled out the box of Scooby Snacks and tossed a few into Scooby's mouth, just as Shaggy got an idea of how he could get some for himself. “Like… boo? Boo-hoo? Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo?”

“Oh, for pony’s sake, just take them!” Zipp sighed, handing Shaggy and Scooby the whole box. “Come now, dears, we can’t just give up,” Queen Haven tried to urge the boys. “We still have to save Vincent before it’s too late!”

“But… we can’t,” Scooby gulped down his mouthful of Scooby Snacks. “We’re cowards…”

“Yes, but even cowards have to be brave sometimes. You can change that.”

However, Shaggy and Scooby still looked unsure. At the same time, Fred pulled out the keys to the Miss-tery Machine and held them out to Daphne. “By the way, here are your keys.”

Daphne sighed and nudged them back toward Fred. “You keep them,” she advised. “I don’t know what convinced the ponies, Kova or me and general that I should be a leader in the first place. All I did today was let them down.”

This got all the ponies to look at all their friends in despair:

Velma was shattered to believe that her life philosophy was gone, Kova was still heartbroken at letting Vincent get into danger, Shaggy and Scooby had just run out of snacks, and now Daphne was doubting herself as a leader?

That's when Sunny knew that she had to do something.

She gathered all the other ponies into a circle for a team meeting. “Guys, we have to come up with a way to remind the gang not to lose hope or faith in themselves!”

“I agree,” Alphabittle said. “It’s depressing me to see them like this.”

“So… what do you think we should do, Sunny?” Misty asked. “Telling them with words isn’t helping!”

“No… but maybe helping them realize it with song will!” Sunny said, getting an idea, much to the others’ confusion. “Huh?”

“Yeah, huh?” Pipp blinked. “Believe me, Sunny, I’m all for songs, but is this really the right time?”

Sunny only smiled. “Just follow my lead and you’ll see what I mean.”

That’s when Sunny turned toward the gang, and began to sing as a soft tune began to play through the mountains.

Sunny: Hey, ponies, listen to me
You gotta hear what I'm sayin'
You've got that sparkle deep inside
You've got a talent worth displayin'

Then, the other ponies began to sing along, causing their cutie marks to radiate in colors of the rainbow, much to the gang and Kova's bewilderment.

Hitch and Sunny: We just need a little hope

Izzy, Hitch and Sunny: We just need a little unity

Alphabittle and Queen Haven: We just need to find the ma-agic
That's inside of everypony

Mane 6, Alphabittle and Queen Haven: Sometimes it feels a little hopeless
But things aren't always what they seem
Can you feel it? The energy?
Yeah, the power is growing

“Sunny, while I appreciate the sentiment,” Velma said, “what does singing have to do with saving the world?”

“I realize you’re all tired, cold and scared, and probably even a little confused,” Sunny said, walking toward them, “but no matter what, I know that Asmodeus can’t take what makes you guys… you.”

Scooby raised a brow at this. “And that is…?”

“Don’t you remember, Scooby?” Sunny asked. “Hope… courage, leadership… kindness. All of you have these things deep inside you. And if now isn’t the right time to release those qualities… then I don’t know when a good time is!”

All: Don't look now, things will get better
So hold my hoof 'cause we're growin' together
We've got the strength to take on whatever
Cause we've got the magic, we've got the magic in us

Then, Sunny turned into her alicorn form and took the liberty of flying up with Queen Haven and the sisters as they sang, and the singing eventually reached Shaggy and Scooby after a moment.

Mane 6, Alphabittle, Queen Haven: So everypony everywhere
Now is the time to raise your voices
You know it's time to show your courage, yeah
And nopony's gonna stop us, no

Ponies, Shaggy and Scooby: Cause there is hope when we're together
And it grows stronger when we sing
So raise our voices in unison
Raise our voices in harmony, yeah!

“I… I understand what you’re all saying,” said Kova, still feeling unsure, “but… but what if Asmodeus destroys the Chest of Demons and releases the spirits before we get there? Like you said before, you guys don’t have a plan yet!”

“We may not have a plan yet, but that doesn’t mean we’ll never have a plan,” Zipp pointed out. “And as long as we have hope…”

“...and courage,” Pipp added, “we’ll be just fine.”

That's when everybody began to sing again, if not louder than before.

Ponies, Shaggy and Scooby: Cause there is hope when we're together
And it grows stronger when we sing
So raise our voices in unison
Raise our voices in harmony, yeah!

All: Don't look now, things are getting better
So hold my hoof 'cause we're growin' together
We've got the strength to take on whatever
Cause we've got the magic, we've got the magic

Don't look now, things are getting better
So hold my hoof 'cause we're growin' together
We've got the strength to take on whatever
Cause we've got the magic, we've got the magic

Then, the rising sun mixed with the light of the cutie marks and the glow of Kova's necklace, causing a radiant aurora to cover the sky.

All: Just take another look, things are getting better
We're growin' stronger, growin' together
We'll always have each other forever
Cause we've got the magic, we've got the magic in us

Pipp: Don't look now

All: Yeah, we've got the magic, we've got the magic in us

Pipp: Don't look now

All: We've got the magic, we've got the magic in us

Pipp: Don't look now

All: We've got the magic, we've got the magic in us

Pipp: Don't look now

All: We've got the magic, we've got the magic in us

And as the sun began to rise further in the sky, the cutie mark magic ceased, and the sky returned to normal. “Thanks for reminding us never to give up hope, Sunny,” Daphne smiled gratefully. “I guess I needed to hear it more than I ever realized. And now that our heads are clear, I have an idea of how we can save the world from possible spiritual destruction.”

“You have a plan?!” Kova asked. “Thank the stars! Lay it on us, Daph!”

“Okay then,” Daphne smiled. “Velma, do you know of anyone in town who might help us with this?”

“Actually,” Velma said, “I know just the guy.”

“Perfect. Take Fred, Alphabittle, Queen Haven and Sparky with you. The others are coming with me and Shaggy.”

“Uh… one question, Daphne,” Misty said. “What’s the plan exactly?”

“Five words, Misty,” Daphne smiled. “We’re going to the airport!”

“Yay… ooh…” Izzy began to cheer, but quickly stopped. “Wait, why are we doing that again?”

“Because, the only way into the temple right now is by that opening in the roof,” Sunny said. “And if we fly the plane over the temple and float down in through that opening…”

“...we may be able to get inside without Asmodeus knowing!” Hitch realized. “That’s brilliant!”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Zipp asked with wings spread. “We have a world to save!”

“Hang on, Vincent!” Kova cried. “We’re coming for you and the Chest of Demons soon!”

The Temple Rescue Mission Begins

It was only an hour or two later, and everyone had split up to set Daphne’s plan into motion.

In the Miss-tery Machine, Alphabittle, Velma, Queen Haven and Sparky all groaned at the harsh stops Fred was making, trying to get this clutch deal figured out. “This clutch…” he muttered. “I can’t…”

“Fred, stop it already!” Alphabittle groaned while Queen Haven held Sparky in her hooves. “I think I’m gonna be sick!”

“Alphie, hush! Fred’s simply trying his best!” Queen Haven scolded before looking over Velma’s shoulder. “Velma dear, what are you looking for?”

“My spare glasses. I'm pretty sure I left a pair in the van. Oh, here they are,” Velma grabbed the glasses before putting them back on her face. “Oh yeah. WAH!!”

Queen Haven lost Sparky for a few moments before Velma caught him in her arms, just as Fred was complaining about the clutch again. “This clutch! Every time! I can't… Get it to make…”

But, Velma instantly saw what Fred had been doing wrong. “Oh, uh… that handle isn’t the clutch.”

Fred looked over at her in surprise. “You mean this isn’t…?”

“That’s the emergency brake. That pedal next to the gas is the clutch.”

Fred instantly pressed that pedal, and the van began to smoothly drive down the road, much to the others' relief. That's when Fred took the opportunity to turn to them. “Not a word about this to Daphne.”

“Oh, lips are sealed,” Alphabittle promised. “Hey, uh… I wanted to ask before, but what was with that peppy-like attitude back at the post office.”

Fred gulped at that. “Oh, heh… that. Well, I… uh… okay, everybody thinks I’m honest all the time, but the truth is… I lied!!” he finally admitted. “Last summer, I went to… cheerleading camp!”

“Ohhhhhh…” Velma said as Sparky giggled. “That makes sense.”

“Daph thinks I’m some kind of leader, but she’s only half right. I’m a cheerleader,” Fred admitted. “I've been down in the dumps, because I thought everyone had a job but me. But now I know what my job is. What it's always been.”

“Supporting your friends whenever they’re low… precisely what a good leader does,” Queen Haven finished. “Take it from a queen, Freddy… you ARE a good leader, no matter if you went to military school or cheerleading camp.”

Fred sighed at this. “Thanks, your highness. That means a lot coming from you.”

“It’s my pleasure. Now, as my daughters often say,” Queen Haven said, “let’s go kick some tail!”

XXXXXXXX

Back at the gift shop/monster store, the boy in the yellow hoodie were snacking on microwavable Chest of Demon chicken nuggets while Ciela slept right beside him. “Mmm…” he muttered to himself. “You can really taste the demons. Spicy.”

Suddenly, the door burst open, revealing Velma, Fred and their current Equestrian companions. “Huh, what?” Ciela said, looking around startled, having been woken up from her nap when they came in. “Oh, it’s you guys again!”

“Aha!” the hoodie boy smiled. “I had a feeling you'd be back.”

“You know what?” Velma challenged as she got in the shopkeeper’s face, prompting Alphabittle to try and hold her back. “I was a lot happier before I believed in ghosts!”

“Oh… w-what changed your mind?” Ciela asked nervously. “Doesn’t matter,” Velma dismissed. “What does matter is that right now, up in that temple, somebody's about to release 13 of the most terrifying ghosts upon the face of the Earth!”

That’s when Velma opened up the entrance to the monster shop. “So, we'll need one of everything.”

“Oh-ho! Wow!” Ciela said in an impressed tone before suddenly thinking of something. “Okay, um… let me just have your…” the boy began to say before Queen Haven and Alphabittle shot him a look. “Uh, no, right, of course, time is of the essence if you're gonna…”

“Hold on a second, buddy,” Ciela said, stopping him before looking at the group with a worried expression. “Did you say… 13 ghosts?”

“We sure did,” Alphabittle said just as the hoodie boy and Ciela looked at one another. “Help us load these supplies. We’ll explain on the way.”

XXXXXXXX

“Okay, so since we’re not pegasi or alicorns,” Hitch said as he attached balloon packs to Izzy and Misty’s backs, “these will help us float beside our friends down to the temple below... as long as the balloons don't deflate or pop before we get down to the ground.”

“Heh heh heh…” Misty chuckled nervously. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Hitch.”

“Okay, everypony,” Zipp’s voice echoed through the intercom system. “We’re officially at 5000 feet. Shag, open her up!”

At that second, the back of the plane opened up, exposing the group to the cold below. But, the second he looked down at the ground, Scooby yelped and covered his eyes, not believing the ponies and Daphne somehow talked him into this.

Shaggy and Zipp then came out from the cockpit, the former smiling. “Like, the autopilot's unavailable, cause it's engaged,” he said with a laugh. “Little cockpit humor for ya.”

“Ha ha, very funny, Shaggy,” Pipp said. “Okay, guys, we know the drill,” Kova said. “Daphne gets on Sunny's back, Shaggy gets on Pipp’s and Zipp gets Scooby on her back. At the signal we went over, we jump out of the plane and descend for the ground. Got it?”

Many of the group nodded. “Got it!”

“Not really…” Shaggy gulped. “But, we’re ready to go anyway!”

Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby got on Sunny and the pegasus sisters’ backs, with Kova at the front of the group, and then the countdown began.

“Three…”

“Two…”

“One…”

“FOR EQUESTRIA!!!”

At this signal, all the ponies leapt out of the plane with either wings spread or balloon escape packs activated, slowly descending down toward the temple below while the plane flew off into the distance.

XXXXXXXX

“Look, Alphie!” Queen Haven pointed to the descending group. “They did it!”

“Now,” Fred told the others, “let's hope they can stall Asmodeus long enough for us to get there with all this hunting gear.”

“And stall Asmodeus,” said the shopkeeper from inside the Miss-tery Machine, “long enough for us to get there with all this hunting gear.”

“He just said that!” Ciela scolded. “Huh? Oh, sorry,” said the shopkeeper. “I said, ‘And stall Asmodeus long enough for us to get there with all this hunting gear’!”

“Forget it! And don’t touch anything back there,” Fred ordered as the Miss-tery Machine got moving again, and he then turned toward Velma. “You think we really should've brought him? Ciela might be handy, but him…”

“He's the only one who knows how to use all this crazy junk,” Velma argued, “so yes.”

“Besides,” said Queen Haven, “the boy and Ciela might help us in more ways than you think.”

Suddenly, the computer in the back of the Mystery Machine began to beep continuously until the boy in the hoodie checked it. “Looks like we've got a bogey at 12 o'clock!”

“How do you…?” Fred began to ask before stopping the van, seeing the same black car from before at the top of a nearby hill. “This guy!”

“You know him?” Ciela asked in a confused tone. “Not really a him,” said Queen Haven, cradling Sparky, “so much as an it.”

“And it nearly caused us to perish when we were on our way to meet our friends and caused an avalanche that almost froze our kids!” Alphabittle snapped. “So I have some serious tea to blend with this guy!”

“Here it comes!” Fred cried as the car sped toward them at top speed. “Every-creature, hang on!”

Fred slammed on the gas, which made the Miss-tery Machine speed forward and this caused everyone else to hold on for their lives as sharp turns were made repeatedly in order to escape.

Sparky was the only one enjoying the ride, however, while everyone else either groaned out of sickness or screamed in terror.

After a while of driving on the path, the hoodie boy looked out the window at a stretch of icy snow and got an idea. “Go left, go left!”

“Are you crazy?!” Alphabittle asked. “The van can't drive on that icy snow patch!”

“Trust us!” Ciela urged. “We have a plan!”

Fred decided to take her word for it and turned toward the icy patch with the black car in immediate pursuit. Once they got to the icy patch, the hoodie boy typed vigorously at the computer in the back seat before a set of skis appeared from the bottom of the van, allowing it to speedily move across the ice.

With this, Fred honestly seemed impressed. “That was amazing!”

“You haven’t seen anything yet!” Ciela smirked. “Alphabittle, Queen Haven, open the doors and give me enough space to work!”

Both ponies worked together to open the doors and then gave Ciela room to do whatever she had planned. Her feathers on her wings began to glow before she flapped them once (and hard) to create a whirlwind that spun the car around, slowing it down for a few moments before it gave up the chase again. “My goodness, Ciela!” Queen Haven spoke. “You can create whirlwinds?”

“Yep! My signature leopard power!” Ciela smiled. “Pretty neat, huh?”

“Uh… hate to interrupt the moment here,” said Alphabittle, blasting magic out of his horn, “but that guy is still chasing us!”

Luckily, the hoodie boy was still two steps ahead. “And the piece de resistance…”

A smoke screen then enveloped the car just as it hit an icy patch, allowing it to slide off the road and down the hill, landing in a deep snowbank, much to everyone's amazement. “Whoa!” Fred cried. “That was incredible!”

“How did you know how to do all that?” Velma asked the hoodie boy, who shrugged. “Well, it's not my first time in a strategic all-terrain mobile command unit.”

Queen Haven hummed in thought at this... Daphne called it that before, and maybe... no, maybe she was just overthinking it.

XXXXXXXX

The Miss-tery Machine drove across the bridge and toward the temple, allowing those in it to exit the vehicle and look out at the large mound of snow covering the front doors. “So, since we’re here,” Alphabittle said, “now we just need to find a way inside without using pony magic. Cause once we’re in there, our magic won’t work until we find a way out.”

Ciela looked up at the shopkeeper with a smirk before turning to the older unicorn and pegasus couple. “Leave that to us, guys. We'll have you in there in two shakes of a pony's tail.”

“All right then…” Queen Haven smiled. “Show us what to do.”

Mystery Inc Members Reunited/The Case Closes

While their friends and families were trying to make their way inside, Kova, the rest of Mystery Inc and the Mane 6 were slowly walking through the halls of the temple, cautious and watching out for Asmodeus, all while looking for Vincent and the Chest of Demons.

They had to be close… Kova could feel it in her wings.

Suddenly, a faint sound could be heard, causing Daphne to stop the group as she looked around. When they got moving, she heard that same sound again, and came up with a hypnothesis to what it could be. “Izzy… did you take off your balloon-pack before we got moving?”

“Uh…” Izzy gulped nervously. “Sure did!”

But as she, Shaggy and Scooby moved forward a bit, Zipp saw the balloons hanging from Izzy’s backpack and tugged on their cord, sending her back onto her rear and causing her to chuckle nervously. “Uh… where did those come from…?”

“Izzy, we’re supposed to not get noticed!” Zipp whispered. “Somepony like Asmodeus could see the balloons and they would be onto us!”

“I couldn’t do it with just my hooves! No thumbs!” Izzy said before pointing at Scooby. “Scooby was supposed to help me take this thing off but he forgot?”

Scooby chuckled nervously at this. “Oops.”

Daphne looked at the Great Dane sternly. “Scooby…”

“Shh! Like, would you guys keep it down?” Shaggy asked from where he and Kova were sitting. “Kova and I are trying to hear what Vincent and Asmodeus are talking about.”

This caught everyone’s attention immediately. “Huh?”

Daphne, Scooby and the Mane 6 approached the side of the railing with their friends and looked down to see Vincent with the Chest of Demons in his arms, and Asmodeus was stalking up closer to him… but what caught them offguard was the fact that they were having a conversation. “Then take it!” Vincent said to the demon king. “Strike me down and take it, if that's what you wish.”

However, Asmodeus did no such thing. “I won’t.”

“That’s right,” Vincent taunted. “Because the chest can only be opened by the living. You need me.”

“NONSENSE!!” Asmodeus roared. “Now hand over the chest!”

“We have to do something!” Sunny whispered. “I don’t think Vincent is going to be able to stall much longer!”

“But you don’t have your magic!” Kova argued. “How are we going to fight back?”

“...we’re not,” Hitch said, getting an idea. “We’re going to try and get Asmodeus away from Vincent so we can get him to a safer place.”

“Okay,” said Zipp, “but do you have any ideas on how we can do that?”

Hitch looked around and saw a large white cloth nearby, and then glanced at Pipp and Zipp’s wings before glancing at Daphne. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

“I think so,” Daphne smiled. “Let’s do this!”

XXXXXXXX

While the others were formulating a plan to save Vincent and the chest, the shopkeeper and Ciela used a bottle of what they call ‘Lotsa Luck Joy Juice’ to melt the snow around the doors so they could get in with the ghost chasing gear, impressing Fred further. “Unbelievable!”

“Yeah,” the shopkeeper smirked. “This stuff melts anything.”

Suddenly, Vincent’s voice could be heard further into the temple. “Take it!”

“I think I hear something! Come on!” Ciela urged, and the group rushed after the leopard and into the dark hallways.

XXXXXXX

“I would've thought all this toying around was beneath you. Maybe the great king of demons isn't quite the fierce monster we thought he was,” Vincent said, avoiding Asmodeus’ fire blasts as best he could while taunting him. “Let us be done with this. I've lost everything to you in this decades-old fight, starting with my best friend! If Mortifer were here…”

“Well, he isn't, is he?” Asmodeus challenged with a growl. “He's gone forever. And soon, you can join him.”

Suddenly, a ghostly moaning caused them to turn, and a large white ghost (which was really Scooby, Shaggy and Daphne standing on each others' shoulders under the white sheet they found earlier) came out of the shadows, while Pipp and Zipp used their wings to create an unearthly wind while Scooby spoke in a ghost-like voice. “I am the 14th ghost... whoooo...”

Misty quietly sighed at this. “Oh boy... why did we think this was a good idea?”

“Just wait for the signal, Misty,” Zipp whispered. “That’s when we'll dive in and get the chest.”

Asmodeus stared at the so called ghost with a skeptic look. “There is no 14th ghost.”

“Like that's what yoooooou think...” Shaggy moaned in a ghostly manner. Asmodeus took the opportunity to lunge for the group, causing Vincent to quickly react, throwing the chest down before leaping onto Asmodeus, and causing both of them to fall to the ground.

Pipp gasped as soon as she saw the chest land. “The chest! We have to move now!”

“You’re right!” Sunny nodded. “Ponies, Kova, move out!”

Kova took to the air as the ponies charged toward Asmodeus and the chest, but Asmodeus was able to grab Kova out of thin air and threw her into the ponies, causing them to fall into a heap on the floor. After a moment, Izzy chose to speak. “Okay... it may just be me, but that went so much better in my head!”

While the ponies and Kova were down, Asmodeus took the chance and grabbed the chest before making a run for it, much to Vincent’s horror. “No!!”

“Vincent!” Kova exclaimed and tried to follow him, but she could barely move from under the stack of ponies trying to get to their feet, and before she knew it, Vincent was out of sight.

And as the group tried to figure out their next move, the others looked down at them from the top of the balcony. “Is that Asmodeus?” Ciela asked, looking down at the disguised group. “Nope,” Velma said as she took out one of the ghost-chasing devices. “But a ghost's a ghost!”

“Huh? Hi,” Scooby waved from underneath the sheet. “I think it's doing something!” Queen Haven cried. “Velma, now!” the shopkeeper cried. “Use the Vaccu-Spook!”

“Oh no...” Misty cried out before she and the other ponies blocked their friends. “Dad, Queen Haven, no! This is a misunderstanding!”

“Wait, huh?” Ciela looked confused until Daphne and the boys removed their disguise. “Daphne? Shaggy, Scooby?” Fred questioned. “Ha! Nice human pyramid.”

The shopkeeper immediately recognized those names, lighting up with a smile. “Did you say Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby?!”

Those three immediately recognized their old friend with excited smiles. “Flim-Flam?!”

“Oh, you all know each other! That's great!” Ciela smiled. “Hold on a second,” said Velma, turning to the shopkeeper in confusion. “I thought your name was Benny.”

“Oh no,” Flim-Flam said. “Benny owns the shop. I'm just the eye candy.”

Ciela then chuckled nervously. “Did I forget to tell you his name when we first met? Whoopsie...!”

“Flim-Flam, is it really you?” Daphne asked. “Of course it's me!” Flim-Flam said as he ran down the stairs to greet his old friends. “Like, dude,” said Shaggy, “you grew up!”

“Fast,” Scooby agreed, causing Flim-Flam to nod. “I was long overdue for a growth spurt. Daphne, your hair is totally different. Shaggy, I've never seen you wear a shirt that isn't red.”

“Hiya!” Scooby happily licked Flim-Flam in the face. “And Scooby-Doo!” Flim-Flam exclaimed. “You haven't changed one bit. You know, I thought that red van was familiar. Oh! And this is Ciela!”

The pink leopard bowed to her new friends with a smile. “The pleasure is all mine. Flim-Flam's told me all about you guys, but I never thought I'd get to meet you!”

“It’s great to meet you too, Ciela,” Daphne smiled, rubbing her head. “We owe you one for keeping Flim-Flam here out of trouble.”

“Well,” said Fred, “looks like the gang is finally all here.”

“Come on,” Kova quickly urged. “We’ve gotta find Vincent before he winds up in even more trouble!”

“Wait wait wait… Vincent Van Ghoul is here too?!” Ciela asked. “Was nobody going to pick up a phone?”

With Kova and her light leading them, the group set off down the hallway that Asmodeus and Vincent disappeared down, eventually reaching a larger room at the end.

When they got there, everyone gasped in shock-- Vincent was laying back against the edge of a fountain, groaning in pain, and the Chest of Demons was no longer in sight! “Vincent!” Kova cried, flying over to him with Ciela and Flim-Flam in pursuit. “Kova? Flim-Flam?” Vincent asked with surprise. “Oh, this is quite a reunion. But I'm afraid it's too late! The world is doomed, and it's all my fault!”

“That’s crazy!” Flim-Flam said. “You, me, Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby? We all fought the 13 ghosts.”

“And we helped with this mission too,” Sunny said. “And if it really is the end,” Alphabittle frowned, “we’re all responsible.”

“No, you don’t understand,” Vincent explained, shaking his head. “The portrait hanging in my family's castle. It isn't of me but my ancestor.”

This caused the others to glance at him in confusion, just before Vincent began telling them a story. “The first to bear the name Van Ghoul. He was the most powerful sorcerer the world has ever known… but power corrupts. Little by little, he used his magic to twist the will of man into his service. But the powers of good conspired to relieve my ancestor of his self-appointed throne. He was defeated, stripped of his mortality, trapped in a specially-crafted inescapable prison. Where, unfortunately, he had nothing but to wait and grow his already substantial powers. In life, he was called Asamad Van Ghoul. But now he goes by…”

After piecing everything together, Ciela and Zipp reached the same conclusion as to who Vincent’s ancestor turned out to be. “Asmodeus…”

“I’m the last of the Van Ghouls,” Vincent concluded. “And as such, the crimes of my ancestor are my responsibility and mine alone. I'm sorry I never told you.”

“Vincent… I understand exactly what you’re going through,” Misty said, stepping forward. “For years, I served an evil alicorn who was bent on conquering Equestria, and even after she was defeated, I still felt really guilty about it. And I’m sure Ciela and Kova can agree, neither of them are proud for serving Allura when she had eyes on them like a hawk. What matters now is that you have friends here who care about you, and that we’re gonna help you end this fight, no matter what. Right, everypony?”

“Right,” Kova agreed. “That’s a hoof to heart promise right there.”

“So… I say that we should all band together,” said Queen Haven, “find this king of demons and get the Chest of Demons back! What do you say, everypony?”

“Fools!”

Everyone immediately turned to see Asmodeus at the top of a very large staircase, the Chest of Demons in his grasp. “It’s finished!” he roared. “The chest is mine!”

And just like that… the Chest of Demons was opened.

Lights and mist came swirling out of the chest and into the room, as did a horrendous smell that caused many to cover their noses in disgust. “He’s releasing the ghosts!” Misty cried. “We’re too late, and we’re powerless to stop him!”

“What kind of attitude is that?” Fred asked before getting out a set of pom-poms and waving them around while chanting. “We’ve got spirits, yes we do! We’ve got spirits, how about… uh…”

Everyone looked at him in such a strange manner in that moment, and Queen Haven found the moment to chuckle nervously. “Freddy, darling, I think we can all agree that this is CLEARLY bad timing.”

“Yeah… you’re right, your highness,” Fred cleared his throat. “Bad timing.”

“HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!” Asmodeus cackled at the top of his lungs. “Velma, now!” Flim-Flam shouted. “Use the Vaccu-Spook!”

Velma stepped forward with the device in her hands, the others watching in suspense so she could turn it on and get this nightmare over with. However, upon realizing something, Velma laid the device on the ground. “No.”

“Velma, what in Equestria are you doing?!” Zipp cried. “The Vaccu-Spook is the only thing that can stop him now!”

However, Velma ignored her and walked over to Vincent. “Mr. Van Ghoul, something’s bothering me.”

“Is it the smell?”

“In the last day,” Velma began, “I've seen everything I believed turned upside down. Ghosts and demons were real. So I decided to play by that set of rules.”

However, Daphne was still confused. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying,” Velma continued, “that rules are rules. And the first rule of the Chest of Demons is that it can only be opened by the living.”

While many of the group gasped at this, Izzy was the only one to speak. “She’s abso-tootly right!”

Asmodeus seemed to realize that the group found this out, sealing the chest again before trying to make a break for it. “Yes she is,” Daphne smirked. “Sparky, toss me the Vaccu-Spook!”

The little dragon did as requested and tossed Daphne the device before she smiled at her friends. “I think it's time we see who this king of demons really is.”

Upon activation, Daphne used the Vaccu-Spook to pull Asmodeus closer to them until his head, which was just a mask, came right off and revealed who was under the mask.

Underneath the costume was a man who was overweight, partially bald, with brownish hair, slightly grayish, with a curly mustache.

But while the rest of Mystery Inc, the ponies, Sparky and the leopards were confused on who this man was, Vincent’s eyes widened in surprise and complete confusion. “It... it can't be! I saw you die!”

“Die? Wait a minute...” Zipp immediately paused. “Does that mean that... this is Mortifer?!”

“What?!”

“Neigh way!”

“That’s not possible!”

“Hold on...” Ciela whispered. “Who's Mortifer?”

Mortifer decided to ignore the comments and turned back to Vincent. “You saw an illusion. I was always good with illusions. The magician that tricked the wizard.”

“But... but this doesn’t make any sense!” Sunny said, running forward with Kova. “Why did you do all this? Vincent’s your best friend!”

“I wanted the chest from Vincent, but he wouldn’t let it go,” Mortifer sneered at Vincent. “You thought it called to you. You never saw for what it really is-- an artifact. Ancient, beautiful, and priceless.”

“Priceless?”

Everyone looked at that moment to see Bernie Alan emerge from the shadows with a smirk. “Then how'd you come up with 10 million? That's your asking number, isn't it, Quinch?”

“Bernie Alan?” Fred raised an eyebrow. “Boy, are you a bad penny.”

“More like a bad check, Freddy,” Pipp spoke up. “Bernie Alan?” the tourist man said in a British accent. “Ha! I think not.”

Just then, his disguise ripped off, revealing a slender British man underneath, much to the group’s surprise. “Vance Linklater. Undercover Interpol detective and amateur figure skater. Swarm, boys!”

Just then, FBI agents poured in through the ceiling and handcuffed Mortifer instantly, surprising the group even further than before. “Okay, okay, okay. Is this an episode of ‘Things Get Weirder and Weirder’?” asked Hitch in confusion. “What’s going on right now?”

“Well, sir, we’ve been tracking old Quinchie here for months ever since he began reaching out to the world's wealthiest collectors about selling them the legendary Chest of Demons,” Vance explained. “But the trail went cold after your garage sale, kids. So, lucky I was in town for the upper Himalayas Men's Interpretive Semi-finals.”

“Hold on,” said Shaggy in confusion. “Like, if you're a cop, then, like, why did you run away from us?”

“I’m afraid of teenagers.”

Even with Vance’s ridiculous excuse, Daphne did begin to put the pieces that they had missed together. “So it was only about profiting off the sale of an ancient relic.”

“And that means,” said Zipp, finishing the conclusion, “that is was never about releasing the 13 ghosts!”

“But speaking of which, where are they?” Misty asked. “We saw the chest open, but what was with all that vapor?”

Scooby, Kova and Ciela began to sniff at the chest for a moment before coughing in disgust, and Shaggy approached and instantly saw what was wrong. “Oh man!”

“Shaggy?” Queen Haven said. “What is it, dear?”

“I think I shipped Vincent the wrong Chest of Demons,” Shaggy said, showing the group all the rotten food inside. “This… this one's the cooler I bought off Flim-Flam!”

“Told you I sold one,” Flim-Flam said. “But even if it is the wrong chest,” said Sunny, “that still doesn’t explain all the lights and screaming mist.”

Flim-Flam chuckled and pointed to a switch on the side of the chest. “That's just part of the premium, total-immersion package.”

“So… we were never in any real danger with the Chest of Demons around?” Alphabittle said before sighing in relief. “That’s such a relief…”

“Well, you all have been a great help,” Vance told the combined teams. “You should think about solving mysteries full-time.”

Pipp let out a chuckle at such a claim. “If only he knew…”

“Wait a second,” Daphne said. “We’re not done here.”

“Oh, yeah!” Fred realized and went over to Mortifer, whispering what he wanted Mortifer to say. “Huh? I would've gotten away with it… if it weren't for you meddling kids?”

This caused everyone to sigh in relief. “That’s better,” Misty smiled. “I’m just glad we’re all together, safe and sound.”

“Believe me, dear. So are we,” Queen Haven smiled. “Alphie and I are so proud of all of you.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Zipp smiled. “I know this quest wasn’t easy on either of you, but… I’m glad we’re all together for this one moment.”

As the ponies and gang hugged it out, Mortifer approached Vincent with a sorrowful look. “I’m sorry, old friend.”

“For impersonating my ancestor?”

“And for this.”

Suddenly, the handcuffs around Mortifer’s wrists disappeared and wound up on Vincent’s instead, just before the same black car from earlier burst through the temple wall. “That’s my ride,” Mortifer smirked at the stunned crowd. “Don’t look so shocked!”

And just like that, he got in the driver's seat of the car and drove out through the tunnel of snow he left behind. “Well, that was different,” Ciela said, earning surprised looks from her new friends. “Hey, I’m just saying, things on this mountain can be DULL when no one’s around.”

“We’ve got to stop him!” Daphne told Vincent, who shrugged as the handcuffs faded into thin air. “Oh, just let him go.”

“No… Daph’s got a point. That car’s engine!” Sunny said with pinned ears. “If he keeps revving it like that…”

“The avalanche!” Kova cried. “You’re right!”

“If Mortifer starts an avalanche, he could bury the entire temple under snow and there’d be no way out!” Zipp cried. “We have to go after him!”

“Then we’ve gotta go out the same way he did!” Alphabittle cried. “Ciela and Kova, lead the way!”

“Follow us!” Ciela cried, and everyone ran through the tunnel as fast as their feet, hooves and wings would allow, hoping to catch Mortifer in time.

XXXXXXXX

Everyone raced through the tunnel as fast as they could after Mortifer, and once they got out, they found the car preparing to cross the bridge. “Mortifer!” Vincent cried. “You must listen! The engine--!”

“Sounds fine to me!” Mortifer said before laughing mockingly. “So long, Vincent!”

But, as he revved the engine to get across the bridge, a large mound of snow began to slide down the mountain toward them. “Mortifer, you fool!” Vincent cried out. “STOP!!”

Alphabittle, Izzy and Misty lit their horns in an attempt to slow down the avalanche, but Misty strained loudest out of the three. “Sunny, I don’t think we’ll be able to slow it down in time!”

“Everyone, get back!” Kova cried to her friends. “Who knows what’ll happen next!”

As everyone backed up as far as they could go, the avalanche reached the bridge as Mortifer’s car was going across it, and the weight of the snow and the car combined on the bridge caused it to collapse into the canyon below, with Mortifer going down with it! “AAHHHHHH!!!”

“NOOOOO!!!” Vincent cried out, but it was too late-- the car had already fallen. Queen Haven stifled a sob into Alphabittle’s shoulder, and luckily, he was there to comfort his girlfriend as the Mane 6 ran over to check the canyon for any sign of life. “I… I-I don’t see anything!” Pipp cried. “Do you think he’s…?”

“I…” Sunny hesitated for a moment. “I don’t know.”

Suddenly, a large waft of smoke caused the ponies to stumble back toward their friends, and Vincent could have sworn that in the smoke was the image of his ancestor before it faded away. “He's at peace. Asamad Van Ghoul can finally rest. I... I don't understand.”

Hitch sighed as he picked Sparky up and put him onto his back. “You and me both.”

“Well,” Velma said, handing Vincent the tome she read earlier, “it might have something to do with this translation.”

Vincent opened the tome to the page Velma had bookmarked. “Asmodeus will not rest until he achieves his revenge.”

“Only the ancient Sanskrit word for revenge looks a lot like the word for redemption,” Velma pointed out. “Asamad Van Ghoul had a lot of time in the Chest of Demons to consider his misdeeds. He wasn't looking for vengeance. He wanted to be redeemed. If I had to guess, I'd say the 13th ghost, your ancestor, was watching out for you like a guardian angel. And now that you're safe, he can finally rest.”

“Yes… that’s right,” Vincent nodded. “I’m sure it is.”

“Like, are you guys nuts?!” Shaggy blurt out. “That was just a big glob of-- OW!!”

As Shaggy was about to protest, Zipp stomped on his foot to silence him, causing Scooby to giggle and hoof-bump her with a smile.

Then, Vance approached Vincent, who was watching Mortifer climb out of the canyon, only to be tackled by the FBI. “I'm sorry about your friend.”

“It’s all right. I can always visit him in the ghoul-ag,” Vincent said with a smile. “Ha ha ha ha ha… AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

Kova merely chuckled at this. “He’s going to be fine. Come on, guys… I think it’s time we got you guys home.”

“Good idea,” Sunny smiled. “A little rest is sure to do us all good.”

Heading Home at Last

It was only an hour or two later when the group returned to the airport to return back to Vincent and Kova’s castle and back to Equestria. And while Velma and Flim-Flam, alongside Hitch, Sparky and Ciela, Zipp and Pipp stood with Daphne and Fred, watching the sun set, where Fred turned toward Daphne with a smile. “See, Daph, you got this leadership thing in the bag.”

“Freddy’s totally right. All you needed was a little encouragement,” Pipp agreed before flying a bit into the air. “A cheeeeeeering seeeeeeectioooooooon, yeah!!!!”

“You guys aren’t about to whip out pom-poms, are you?” Zipp asked with a smirk, since Queen Haven told her about Fred being in cheerleading camp and all. “No, but I do mean it, though,” Fred said as he turned toward Daphne. “I'm sorry if I never saw it before, Daph, but you're the engine that makes this whole team run.”

“Awww...” Daphne smiled warmly. “I may be the engine, but you'll always be the driver.”

Fred smiled at the compliment, and Pipp and Zipp decided that it was best that they leave the two of them alone... but not before Fred turned to the elder sister with a question. “Hey, Zipp? Do you think, uh... Captain Rogers will let me fly the plane?”

Zipp stifled a laugh with her response. “As long as you stay away from the emergency brake.”

“...Velma...”

As Pipp and Zipp burst into laughter, Queen Haven took the chance to approach them with Alphabittle. “Girls? May Alphie and I... talk to you for a moment?”

“Sure,” Pipp nodded. “What is it?”

“Well... your mom and I were wanting to talk to you about the next step in our relationship,” Alphabittle explained. “We were wondering if you two would mind taking over your mom's duties in Zephyr Heights for the next week or so, because...”

Queen Haven smiled as she concluded the sentence. “...Alphie is taking me for a romantic getaway to Ponytropico.”

“Really?! Oh, that's awesome!” Zipp exclaimed. “Of course we don't mind!”

“And we can totally look after Cloudpuff for you!” Pipp smiled. “And maybe we can ask Paradise and Misty to look after the Crystal Tea Room while you're gone!”

“Oh, thank you very much,” Queen Haven smiled. “This is sure going to be a trip to remember, right, Alphie?”

“I agree.”

XXXXXXXX

“Wow... it sounds like you're doing a great job at being a pony dragon dad, Hitch,” Ciela said as she and Hitch climbed out of the Miss-tery Machine. “On that note... you have any idea on how you can find the dragons? In case you ever needed their help?”

“Not yet, but... I know we'll find them when we're meant to,” Hitch said. “We just gotta be patient.”

“Well, until then... you guys are going to do a great job on whatever Unity Quest is next. I just know it.”

“Thanks, Ciela.”

Sparky giggled and climbed onto Ciela's back, causing a laugh out of both Hitch and the pink leopard. At the same time, Flim-Flam and Velma were having their own personal discussion. “So,” said Flim-Flam, “after all of that...?”

“Indeed,” Velma nodded. “My healthy skepticism is back. Hopefully for good.”

“What about all that stuff you said about Asamad Van Ghoul?”

Velma looked over at Vincent, who was happily laughing with Shaggy, Scooby, Kova and the remaining Equestrians. “Those stories have been central to Vincent's entire life. I didn't wanna take that away from him.”

“So you made it up!” Ciela smiled as she and Hitch heard Velma’s reasoning. “Okay, fine, the 13th ghost turned out to be fake. But what about the first 12?”

“Mass hallucinations from high-altitude oxygen deprivation. I mean, it is the Himalayas.”

“Okay,” said Daphne as she and many of the others approached, “but what about your close encounter?”

“I gotta agree with Daphne. There were no other Equestrians around,” Alphabittle stated, “so what do you think grabbed us and flew us up the mountain?”

“I'm glad you asked. It was dark and I lost my glasses.”

Flim-Flam crossed his arms and waited for her to continue. “And…?”

Velma merely pointed behind them. “Ski lift.”

Everyone looked back, seeing a ski lift going to the top of the mountain, and began to complain.

“Really?!”

“Come on!”

“Gimme a break!”

“Are you serious right now?”

“Clearly,” said Velma, “we wandered into the path of a ski lift, and our clothes got caught. I could pull up a dozen articles about similar incidents on my phone right now.”

The others merely looked at her with a skeptic look… that is, until Velma sighed. “Okay, fine, I'll prove to you that ghosts are just stories.”

That’s when she reached into the trunk and pulled out a familiar-looking chest from within. “The real Chest of Demons.”

“Can you believe it was in the van with Shaggy's luggage the entire time?” Daphne asked with a soft chuckle. “If we had known that from the beginning, maybe we could have avoided this situation,” Zipp muttered, “but then again… this amazing adventure might not have happened.”

But just then, to the horror of everyone, Velma began to move toward the lid of the chest to open it!

“What are you doing?!”

“Velma, stop!”

“Are you nuts?!”

“Oh my pony!”

“Yeah, Velma,” said Fred, “I mean… what if you’re wrong…?”

Velma looked at them and the chest repeatedly for a moment, considering the alternatives for a moment before sighing. “Fine.”

That's when Velma noticed Ciela trying to keep in giggles while Flim-Flam was smirking at her. “What?”

“Nothing,” Flim-Flam said just as the others approached, prompting him to hand Shaggy a case of bottles. “Oh, hey, Shaggy, here's that case you asked for.”

Shaggy lifted a bottle out of the case, and Daphne instantly recognized what was inside. “Lotsa Luck Joy Juice! Aww, Flim-Flam! I remember this stuff!” she said, kissing Flim-Flam while doing such, and prompting Flim-Flam to nudge Fred in the ribs. “Told you it could melt anything.”

“Like, are you sure,” said Shaggy, “that you don't wanna join us on our trans-haunt-tlantic flight?”

This prompted Kova and Izzy to laugh, and Vincent gave Shaggy the thumbs up signal. “Nah,” Flim-Flam responded. “Somebody's gotta stick around and tell the tourists the tale of Asmodeus. The demon king who almost ruled the world.”

“And make a tiny profit off the merchandising, I suspect,” Velma smirked, causing Ciela to giggle. “Don’t worry… the people always come first in my opinion.”

That’s when Flim-Flam turned to Vincent with a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Vince,” he said. “Ciela and I will keep old Mortifer’s name out of it. And we’ll keep an eye out for more flying leopards, letting ‘em know that it’s safe to live here without Allura controlling them again.”

Vincent smiled at this. “Thank you, Flim-Flam. I'll see you when Kova and I are in town for my coven's next meeting.”

“Bye!” the ponies waved their new friends farewell before getting on the plane with their friends. But before the plane closed up, Vincent turned to Flim-Flam again. “And for ghoulness sake, Flim-Flam, please, stay out of trouble.”

“No promises, Vinnie.”

“Hmm hmm… that’s my boy.”

At that instant, the plane began to take off in the sky, leaving Ciela and Flim-Flam to wave goodbye.

“Bye, guys! See you soon!”

“So long, sports fans.”

XXXXXXXX

While the ponies and their friends were on the plane, a portal began to open up in the back of the plane, leaving Sunny to sigh. “Looks like we’re getting ready to leave, guys.”

“Well, it was great to meet you, Queen Haven and Alphabittle,” Daphne smiled. “Get back to Equestria safe.”

“Oh! One more thing!” Kova said before handing Izzy a familiar necklace. “I want you to have this.”

“But… don’t you need it to remind you of your brother?”

“He’d agree that it’s in safe hooves with you, Izzy,” Kova smiled before handing Zipp a scroll. “And this scroll has some information on flying leopards and Allura, Zipp, in case you were to ever need it.”

“Thank you, Kova,” Zipp smiled. “We’ll never forget you or Vincent, and we’ll be back to visit… promise.”

And just like that, the ponies ventured into the portal before it closed, leaving the gang alone. Not even a few minutes after, though, Daphne found Fred staring out the window at the sunset. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” Fred nodded. “Just thinking about our impending retirement.”

“Well,” said Daphne, “as my last official act as leader, I'm calling it off.”

“Huh?”

“This is what we do best, Freddy,” Daphne smiled. “I'm not ready to give it up, just because we made one tiny mistake. And by the way, I'm still not convinced old Farmer Morgan was totally innocent.”

“I agree!” Velma spoke up between them. “First off, the guy's boot prints were all over the ghost's secret lair. Second…”

“Imitation yak jerky,” said Shaggy as he moved through the plane as the flight attendant. “Imitation yak jerky anyone?”

“Hang on a second,” Fred spoke. “Shaggy, if you're back here, who's flying the plane?”

That’s when he walked into the cabin and discovered that the one flying the plane was none other than…

“Scooby-Dooby-Dooooooooooo!!! Hee hee hee hee!!”

One thing was for sure… these next set of adventures would definitely be full of excitement… and danger.

For you see, Allura is still wandering the world, looking for the star she needs… and she won’t stop until she has revenge on Sunny Starscout and her friends.

Causes for Celebration/Many, Many Years Ago

For the first time in a long time, it had never been such a joyous time in Equestria.

Misty Brightdawn not only found her father, Alphabittle Blossomforth, but she also got her mother, Paradise Moonray, to come home and switch to the side of good after being the adopted daughter of Opaline Arcana for so long...

...and bringing Opaline back from the dead using the Amulet of Spiritalia.

But luckily, with the help of Mystery Incorporated and some new friends from their last Unity Quest, the Mane 6, Sparky and Paradise were able to gain enough hope and courage to imprison the evil fire alicorn within the Together Trees in Norville o’er Morgania, Camelot and Morgan’s Keep for all eternity.

And ever since Paradise returned, she had felt a lot of love from her former husband, who treated her like the same mare he had met all those moons ago, she and Misty were really reconnecting and having fun, and even she and Queen Haven were on their way to becoming great friends.

But... we all know that the moments of peace, which had stretched into three, long blissful months, would not last long...

...especially when it comes to our intrepid pony heroes.

XXXXXXXX

“Zipp, come on!!” Pipp impatiently groaned as the Mane 6, Sparky, Alphabittle and Paradise flew to Zephyr Heights in the Marestream. “Mom needs us in Zephyr Heights by noon!”

“I know, I know!” Zipp said as they sailed through the rain and dark clouds. “I just need to be super careful in this weather... good flying and bad weather don't always mix.”

“Well, take your time but hurry too,” Misty urged. “Dad can't be late to his own two years of dating anniversary party!”

“Aww, we'll get there in time, Misty-Twisty,” Alphabittle reassured before turning to Paradise. “And I'm glad you decided to come, Paradise. I know it isn't easy to see me with another mare.”

“You deserve to be happy, Alpha,” Paradise said gently. “To be quite honest, I wasn't sure if I should come, but Pipp then Zipp and then Queen Haven looked at me with those puppy eyes and I couldn't resist.”

“What can we say?” Zipp chuckled. “We have all sorts of way to convince ponies-- the puppy dog eyes, or as Mom calls them, 'the Cloudpuff eyes', are the most famous resource.”

“Eek, this is so exciting!” Sunny squealed. “Both of your families are gonna be coming together for one, unity filled celebration! I wonder what kinds of activities Queen Haven has planned! And what about the gifts? Oh my glitter, we didn't even get gifts!”

“Sunny, I'm sure that you all being there will be all the gifts that Haven needs,” Alphabittle reassured. “But... I did think of a little something that she might like. I'm giving it to her at the end of the party.”

“She’s gonna love whatever you give her, I'm sure of it,” Hitch said as he cradled Sparky. “The best gift you can give somepony is time and love.”

“And Queen Haven definitely loves you, Alphabittle!” Izzy said teasingly. “It doesn’t take an ancient unicorn ritual to see that.”

“Heh heh... thanks, Izzy.”

Soon, the Marestream flew into the royal garden or Zephyr Heights, letting everypony off when Queen Haven and Cloudpuff flew outside to Greer them. “Alphie, my darlings! You made it!” she said flying to each of them and giving them a hug. “I was worried that you wouldn’t make it in time due to the storm!”

“Come on, Your Highness, you know how Zipp drives,” Hitch said with a chuckle. “We always show up just in the nick of time, kinda like those superheroes on TV.”

“Ha ha! That sounds right to me,” Queen Haven said before smiling at Paradise. “And I'm so glad you decided to come, Paradise. Welcome to Zephyr Heights.”

“Thank you so much, Queen Haven,” smiled Paradise. “Now… why don’t we all go inside? There is a royal celebration waiting for us, after all.”

“Of course,” Queen Haven smiled. “Come on, everypony-- first stop, the dining hall for a royal feast!”

XXXXXXXX

But what the ponies didn’t know was that their latest Unity Quest would be just around the corner… and the reason for their quest all started many years ago… long before any of you were born.

You see, two young men, by the names of Vincent and Mortifer, had been going around retrapping 13 ghosts that they had set free from an ancient box called the Chest of Demons, and they were so close to completing their goal.

All they had to do was capture one more ghoul, and the chest could be sealed forevermore.

One dark night, as they were luring the final ghost through the forest, animals scattered, more scared than any other emotion as Mortifer and Vincent reached a small clearing. “Here! The chest!” Mortifer shouted. “Now, Vincent!”

Vincent reached and got the box (which was dark red with a skull in the lid) out of his backpack just before an eerie wind began to blow through the clearing, and both of them could feel the dark presence of the ghost getting closer. “Get ready,” Mortifer warned. “We’ve almost got him!”

Only a few seconds after that, the demonic, white-glowing eyes of the ghost (which looked more like a horned demon) appeared from the darkness and directly behind them, along with a sinister growl and a roar. “Now!” Mortifier cried to his friend. “Do it now!”

Vincent immediately opened the chest, allowing the box's magic to send a beam of light into the sky before forcefully sucking the final ghost inside, and when the ghost was finally sucked in, the force of the chest closing was enough to throw Vincent backward and onto the ground.

After making sure the task was really done, Mortifer went to Vincent's side to help him up. “Vincent, we did it!”

“Mortifer,” Vincent looked around after catching his breath. “Did… did we…?”

“Yes! We got him!” Mortifer said as he helped Vincent to his feet, and they then approached the chest, with Vincent picking it up off the ground. “That’s all 13. It’s done.”

Suddenly, white glowing eyes from many different figures appeared from the darkness, coming from all different directions and making the two grown men weary. “Done? Hardly,” Vincent dismissed. “Evil's minions will stop at nothing to open this chest and release once more the plague of their 13 masters upon our realm. We have a duty, Mortifer.”

This remark caused Mortifer to sigh, knowing his friend was right. “Of course,” he nodded. “We need to split up if we're going to have a chance. Give me the chest.”

“No! It’s too dangerous,” Vincent moved the chest away. “I won’t let you.”

“Then run,” Mortifer advised. “I will distract them.”

You see, Mortifer was training to be a magician, and he was able to use his magician illusion to create a smoke bomb to allow himself to make it look like he had vanished from sight when he was running away while the ghouls were distracted.

Of course, the spirits weren’t fooled, and chased after him after a few mere moments. “Go!” Mortifer cried to Vincent. “There’s no time!”

Even though he didn’t want to, Vincent began to run in the other direction until he heard Mortifer’s terrified screams. When he looked back, he saw that Mortifer was trying to bat away the ghouls surrounding him, and they even managed to pick him up off the ground a few feet before Mortifer fell into a bush.

Unfortunately, seconds after Mortifer went into the bush and the spirits joined him, something internally made the bush explode, and when the light and smoke cleared… Mortifer was no longer there.

Vincent gasped, feeling tears of heartache enter his eyes. “Mortifier…”

And as if he knew what Mortifer would want him to do, Vincent took the chest and ran, fearing to look back.

He would make sure no one opened this chest and experienced that same heartache again… not as long as he was around.

XXXXXXXX

Sunny shivered as an ice cold feeling washed over her, much to Queen Haven’s concern. “Oh, Sunny, are you all right?”

“I… I don’t know,” Sunny said. “I thought I felt something… different in the air. But… it’s probably nothing. This is yours and Alphabittle’s special day, so… it’s definitely nothing we should worry about right now.”

But that’s when Izzy felt a tingling on her rump, causing her to look down and gasp. “Hey, our cutie marks are glowing again! We have unity!!!”

“Not just that, Izzy… I think we’re being summoned on another Unity Quest!” Misty said. “But why? Opaline is gone and Mom has returned to good!”

“More specifically,” said Paradise, “why are Queen Haven and Alphabittle’s cutie marks glowing just like yours?”

“Huh?”

Queen Haven and Alphabittle looked down at their rumps to see their cutie marks glowing as well, as well as a portal forming nearby. “This is strange,” Alphabittle frowned. “We’ve never been let on a Unity Quest with you all before.”

“Do you think this quest is so serious,” Queen Haven said, “that you need more ponies with you?”

“I don’t know, but I think we better go find out,” Hitch said. “We should be back soon, Paradise, since time stops while we’re gone.”

“I’ll keep an eye on the palace, and on Cloudpuff while you’re gone,” Paradise nodded. “Good luck!”

“Wait a second, ponies,” Sunny said. “This could be really dangerous. I don’t know if we should bring Queen Haven and Alphabittle along.”

“Well, they do have glowing cutie marks,” Pipp said. “Maybe it might be beneficial if we bring them.”

“Well... I guess so. All right, everypony... and Alphabittle and her royal highness,” Sunny said, taking a deep breath. “Next stop… our next Unity Quest!”

That’s when all of the ponies and Sparky rushed toward the portal before jumping inside, letting the Unity Quest officially begin.