G5 Adventures in Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright

Chapters

The Third Phantom is Unmasked/Dewey's Deception
A Magical Beginning to Our Story
The Mystery Inc Reunion/First Phantom Encounters
Meeting New Friends/Opera House Horrors
Splitting Up and Looking for Clues (Part 1)
Splitting Up and Looking for Clues (Part 2)
Midnight Confessions/The Second Phantom Attack
Dress Rehearsal Drama
The First and Second Phantoms Unmasked
Last Minute Investigating
Chase of the Fourth Phantom
The Final Performances/Another Mystery Solved

The Third Phantom is Unmasked/Dewey's Deception

Velma and Zipp had begun their search for footage in the control room, and as Pipp and Hitch were with Fred, Daphne and the SirenSong Sisters as the Talent Star finals drew closer and closer, Izzy, Misty, Sunny and Shaggy were working on their own plans... how to get Scooby into the opera house without the security guards suspecting.

And to do that... Izzy had to get her friends to be the most creative they've ever been.

Now, at this very moment, Shaggy and the ponies were finishing up their plans. “There’s a lot of police at the opera house, Scooby,” Shaggy told the Great Dane, “so if we're gonna get in, this disguise has gotta be a good one. How’s it coming, Iz?”

“Almost done…” Izzy placed a pair of glasses on Scooby’s muzzle, finishing the disguise of an older man with a long beard. “And… viola!”

“Perfect!” Misty smiled. “I think this is gonna work, Scooby-Doo!”

“Yeah!” Scooby nodded optimistically. “Now, repeat after me,” Shaggy said before speaking in a shaky voice. “These kids today…”

Scooby then did his best to mimic what Shaggy was doing. “These kids today…”

“Darn newfangled contraptions!”

“Excuse me, sonny. Does this computer have an Internet in it?”

“By Celestia,” said Sunny, “I think he’s got it!”

Suddenly, her phone rang, and Sunny answered the call she was getting from Pipp. “Sunny! Where are you?!” the pink pegasus whispered. “The SirenSong Sisters are getting ready to go on and I’d hate for you guys to miss their opening act!”

“We’ll be right there!” Sunny promised before disconnecting the call. “Okay, guys, it’s time we go cheer our friends on and solve this mystery once and for all!”

XXXXXXXX

Luckily, Sunny and the rest of their friends were able to get to the opera house to see Breena, Eden and Pavari finishing their act, and the crowd was going wild for them, just like they had hoped!

Pavari: If the top is where you wanna stay...!!!

SirenSong Sisters: You gotta work hard (Uh-huh)
To make it look it easy
You gotta live fast
To keep makin' that money (Ooh)

If you want to be as famous as me
You gotta work, you gotta work, you gotta work

Watch me work!

Everyone in the audience roared in applause by the end of the act, and once they had gotten done waving to their fans, the sisters flew offstage and allowed Brick to come on and introduce the start of the show. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Talent Star finals. I'm your host, the man, Brick Pimiento,” Brick welcomed the audience with a smile. “Now, I'm sure you've all heard that we've had some trouble?”

Images of the phantom appeared on the large screens, causing the audience to gasp. “Mm-hm, terrible business. Terrible,” Brick continued. “Because of this so-called Phantom, we're down to just three acts. Emma... Blake and Jones… and Chrissy!”

The audience cheered as live footage of the performers waiting backstage was shown, leading Brick to chuckle. “By the end of the show tonight, one will be crowned this year's Talent Star. The others receive a year's supply of Fudge-a-Roni. Fudge-a-Roni, the great taste of fudge with the convenience of roni.”

“Oooh!” Shaggy and Scooby said in awe from where they and the remainder of the Mane 6 watched from nearby. “Guys, focus!” Misty shushed her friends. “Just remember the plan.”

“As you know,” Brick told the audience, “on Talent Star, you decide the winner. You can vote by text or online. Your votes will be tallied in real time and displayed on this scoreboard. Heh, and now, going out live all over the world, I give you Chrissy!”

“Come on, guys,” Sunny urged her friends. “We better get to Emma’s dressing room if the phantom is gonna show up. Fred, Daphne and the others are already waiting for us.”

As the group silently departed, Chrissy then began her performance, while Barb gave the thumbs-up to someone offstage... a plan of their own in mind.

Chrissy: Stay away from my man, home-wrecker
Nobody comes between me and my man
Stay away…

XXXXXXXX

In her dressing room, Emma was busy combing her hair while Breena laid beside her, grooming herself as the hand of the phantom reached out to try and sabotage Emma's violin.

But suddenly, Eden and Pavari swooped in with ropes made from vines and grabbed the phantom's hands, with Fred and Daphne helping to pull them tight. “You were right, Emma,” Fred told their friend. “You are better bait than us.”

“The most important thing is,” said Pavari, “we can finally see who’s really behind all this.”

But at that moment, the phantom broke out of the vines holding him and ran out of the room, but he didn’t get far when he crossed paths with Scooby, and Scooby’s disguise made him scream at the same time the Great Dane screamed, allowing the rest of the Mane 6 enough time to tackle the phantom to the ground.

And once the phantom was finally secured, Daphne pulled the phantom’s mask off, revealing who was underneath. “Lance Damon!”

“Aha!” Hitch cried confidently. “I knew he would be involved somehow! Er… and at some point.”

“So it was you all along!” Fred spoke up. “When it wasn’t Mel.”

“Ugh!” Lance groaned. “I would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for you meddling kids… and your nosy… old guy?”

“Thanks,” said one of the police officers as they took Lance away. “We’ll take it from here.”

“Happy to help!” Eden waved the officers farewell before Dewey approached Fred and Daphne. “Blake and Jones,” he said, “you’re on in 30 seconds!”

“Come on, guys!” Sunny encouraged, and the rest of the ponies, Fred and Daphne ran after her to the stage. “Brick. Blake and Jones have been cued. They'll be on in 30,” Dewey said silently into his headset before turning and walking, accidentally bumping into Scooby, causing him to gasp and Scooby to try and repeat the lines he had practiced earlier. “These darn newfangled… k-kids?”

Breena cringed at that… but, Dewey seemed to buy it as he put on some more hand sanitizer. “Ugh, your grandfather smells like a dog.”

Shaggy sniffed the air with a suspicious look. “Yeah? Well, you smell like lemons!”

“It’s the hand sanitizer,” Dewey responded simply before walking down the hall and out of sight. That’s when the sisters and Shaggy and Scooby suddenly recognized the smell from one of their earlier clues. “Lemons!”

“Like the phantom!” Shaggy realized, and they all looked down the hall that Dewey went down, with Eden sniffing the air. “The lemon smell goes down that way!”

“Then maybe we can catch him and get to the bottom of this!” Breena agreed. “Come on!”

That's when the pink leopard, her younger sisters and two of their new friends raced off after Dewey, hoping that their suspicions wouldn't be confirmed.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Chrissy had just finished her performance and walked offstage, listening to the applause as she elbowed Brick out of her way. “Ugh, one side, doofus. I killed out there.”

“Heh, yeah. Fantastic,” Brick said sarcastically. “Uh, by the way, they just arrested your dad. Ciao.”

Chrissy pouted at this, throwing her microphone aside as her mother approached her. “Sweetie… Daddy’s in trouble--”

“I told that pinhead to watch his step!” Chrissy snapped. “Idiots.”

XXXXXXXX

“Fantastic, Chrissy, just fantastic,” Brick said as the votes Chrissy got skyrocketed into the millions. “Wow, look at those numbers. Up next, Blake and Jones!”

“Okay, guys,” Pipp whispered encouragingly, “you got this!”

“You can do it!”

“Break a leg!”

“We believe in you!”

With the encouraging words of their pony friends in mind, Daphne and Fred walked out onto the stage to perform their act in front of the crowd.

Daphne: Rainstorm over the ocean
Sunshine after the rain
Clouds rise up from the water
Nature's endless chain

The world keeps on spinning
From day into the night
From season to season
From darkness to light....

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, while the others were watching Fred and Daphne perform, the SirenSong Sisters, Shaggy and Scooby arrived in the backstage waiting area, where Breena looked around in alarm. “Where’s Dewey?!”

“I don’t know,” Emma responded with a shrug. “He’s supposed to be here.”

“Where the heck is Dewey?” Brick asked as he approached. “Like, nobody knows!” Shaggy responded. “Well, wherever he is,” Brick said, listening into his earpiece, “he's still wearing his headset. I can hear him. He's breathing hard. Sounds like he's running and muttering. Something about soap. But that's what he's always talking about so…”

“Mind if we borrow this? Thanks!” Pavari snatched the earpiece and gave it to Shaggy before the five ran/flew off. “Hey!” Brick shouted as they left before turning to Collette. “Hey, you, yes. Get me another earpiece. And a latte. Yeah, yeah, fantastic.”

XXXXXXXX

“Come on, guys!” Breena encouraged her sister and friends as they ran along, and as Scooby ditched his disguise. “We’ve gotta get to Dewey’s office!”

“Why… don’t… we just… fly there?!” Eden panted as she struggled to keep up. “Man, my legs are tired!”

“But we can’t stop now!” Pavari said. “We just had another breakthrough, I can feel it!”

They immediately found Dewey’s office and burst inside, looking around for a moment before Shaggy found a brochure about the soap diamond sitting on Dewey’s desk. “The lemon smell is still fresh!” Eden said. “He was here recently!”

Scooby then looked at the brochure in curiosity. “Soap?”

“Yeah! That’s what he’s talking about!” Breena said, putting her paws on the Great Dane’s shoulders. “The soap diamond!”

“And it’s right around the corner, too!” Pavari agreed. “Come on, we gotta go tell Velma and Zipp!”

XXXXXXXX

“What the heck are you guys doing in here?” K.T asked the panting group as soon as they arrived at the control room. “I’m sorry, K.T, but we don’t have time for this!” Breena said. “This is a total bonefide emergency!”

“Guys!” Velma said smiling as she and Zipp approached. “You’ll never guess what me and Zipp found of…”

“No time!” Shaggy interrupted. “Dewey! Phantom! SOAP DIAMOND!!”

Zipp blinked in confusion. “Wait… are you saying that…?”

“We don’t have time for this! Come on!” Eden pushed Zipp out of the room as Shaggy grabbed Velma, and they rushed out of the room to warn the rest of their friends.

XXXXXXXX

“Dewey is the phantom too?!” Misty cried out. “That explains his kooky behavior!”

“And a lot of other things too,” Velma agreed. “He told the police to assign everyone they have here. He must have done that so no one would be watching the mineralogical society!”

“Ugh, I knew he was trouble from the moment we met!” Breena growled. “I should have trusted my instincts, but I guess the star treatment got in my head…”

“Sis, this isn’t your fault,” Pavari purred in reassurance. “Yeah,” Hitch said. “That could have happened to any-creature.”

“But what matters now,” said Zipp, “is that we stop him from stealing that diamond!”

All three leopards extended their wings, and Eden gave the group a confident smile. “Tell us what to do.”

“You guys need to stay here and keep Emma and her family safe,” Sunny told the three sisters. “The rest of us will go after Dewey, but we’ll let you know if we need backup.”

“Good idea, Sunny. This way!” Velma urged her friends, and the sisters waved farewell as their friends ran off. “Knock ‘em dead, Emma!” Zipp called to the young violinist as they ran past her.

Now the chase was really on. They had to find Dewey and save the soap diamond… but they had no idea what the diamond might do to their Equestrian powers.

But… we’ll get to that in the next chapter.

A Magical Beginning to Our Story

It was about three weeks after the Mane 6 and Sparky's previous Unity Quest in Metropolis, and needless to say... it was an event that made the group realize how dangerous their Unity Quests could be.

I mean... fighting off giant, kryptonite-powered robots? Not exactly your every-day kind of thing. And by the time they got home, they were completely exhausted.

And until they were going to be sent on their next Unity Quest, the others decided to make their lives as normal as they possibly could... but it wasn't easy.

But, as the summer began, the ponies realized that they needed to do something special, so their summer memories weren't bad ones.

Luckily, Izzy knew just the little filly to take them on their next adventure.

XXXXXXXX

“This way, everypony!” said an excited young voice. “It's happening just on the other side of the forest!”

This voice belonged to Violette Rainbow, who was a purplish brown unicorn with white spots, due to her vitiligo, long lavender, light pink and baby blue dreadlocks that swoop over to her right, and she has a cutie mark with cyan heart-shaped paint board with two paintbrushes.

Violette was leading the Mane 6 and Sparky through the forest to a special event that she was sure that the group was going to love... even if it was on the other side of the Bridlewood Spog.

As the group leapt over a pit of green mud after Violette, Hitch and Izzy fell into it, getting caked in it before they followed after their friends, panting in exhaustion. “Where… do you think… she’s taking us?” Hitch panted. “I’m not sure,” Sunny spoke up, “but she said it was really important!”

Finally, Violette stopped running when she approached a large pond, where thousands of breezies were flying around and around in a circle, eyes sparkling in excitement. “Wow!” she squealed as the Mane 6 finally caught up to her. “It’s finally happening!”

“What?” Zipp panted. “What’s happening?”

“And where?” Izzy asked, wandering onto the scene with mud covering her face, which she shook off in order to see what was in front of them. “Oh! There!”

“Wow… I’ve never seen anything like this!” Sunny exclaimed, looking up at all the breezies swirling around. “Me neither!” Pipp agreed, flying up and taking some selfies with the breezies in the background. “Violette, what is this totally ClipTrot worthy sight?!”

“This is the Swirlpool Starlight!” Violette explained to her friends. “Every ten years, all the breezies gather and combine their magic in a special ceremony. Anypony who witnesses it is forever changed when the breezies' magic looks into their hearts!”

“Looks into their hearts?” Hitch looked confused. “How is that supposed to work?”

Before Violette could respond to this, however, a magical rainbow orb appeared at the center of the pond where the Breezies were circling, and that orb created a bright flash that blinded the group for a moment.

When their vision returned, the pond seemed to glow for a moment before returning to normal. “...wow,” Zipp blinked. “That sure was something else.”

“So what happens now?” Misty asked in curiosity. “Violette Rainbow. Step forth and look into your future,” a mysterious voice said as the rocks glowed in a pattern before heading towards the lily pad at the center of the lake. “Whoa... it knows my name!” Violette said with an excited smile before leaping onto the rocks and onto the lily pad.

But the second she stepped onto that lily pad, the water started circling around her before it launched in the air in a swirling tornado. “Violette!!” Sunny cried in panic while the others looked stunned... all except Izzy, who scoffed in reassurance. “She's fine,” she told her friends. “Maybe it's giving her a makeover. Or superpowers! Or eating her brains! Ooh, or a friendship bracelet.”

The water tornado then ceased, and after it disappeared completely, they saw Violette at the center. “Violette? You okay?” Zipp asked in concern. “Okay...?! It was hoof-tacular!” Violette exclaimed happily, her cutie mark sparkling before she started jumping back to her friends. “The spog! The magic! It looked in my heart! It said my heart was kind and that Bridlewood would grow green and lush with me as its gardener!”

As Izzy and Violette hugged tenderly, Misty had a worry suddenly enter her brain. “Wait. Did you say it looked into your heart?”

“Yeah! It showed me all sorts of memories,” said Violette, “and it told me my future too! It was amazing!”

Misty looked a little nervous at that, causing Izzy to frown in concern. “Is everything okay, Misty-Twisty?”

“Well... if it shows you things from your past before it shows you your future,” Misty admitted, “I just... I don't want to be reminded of all the bad things I did.”

“Misty, you’re one of the good-est ponies that we know,” Izzy said. “And, even after all that happened to you, I’m sure the universe will think the same thing,” Zipp agreed. “And if it doesn’t… well, me and the universe are gonna have some words.”

“And,” Hitch said, “I might have to use words that aren’t good for Violette and Sparky to hear.”

Everyone blinked in surprise at this before they all burst into laughter. “Thanks, guys,” Misty smiled. “I feel a lot better.”

“Sunny Starscout, Hitch Trailblazer, Izzy Moonbow, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm and Misty Brightdawn,” the mysterious voice called out again. “Step forth and look into your future.”

“It’s calling all of us at once?” Sunny asked, looking at her friends. “This sounds intriguing.”

“And potentially risky,” Hitch said before setting Sparky down next to Violette. “Can you keep an eye on Sparky while we’re inside that thing?”

“Sure!” Violette smiled. “Have fun!”

One by one, the ponies walked across the rocks and onto the lily pad, and the water tornado formed once the last pony had stepped on. When the group opened their eyes, they found that they were no longer on the lily pad…

…but in a vast, swirling, galaxy-like place, causing them to gasp in awe. “Guardians of the Unity Crystals,” said the voice as memories of their past adventures appeared around them, “you are some of the purest ponies Equestria has seen since the days of Twilight Sparkle and the Guardians of Harmony. But your quests in other dimensions are not over yet. You will find a way to defeat the evil Allura… just so long as you stick together.”

“Wait… really?” Sunny asked. “But, do you know where the star shards are? And where she’s going next?”

“Unfortunately… I do not,” the voice said, causing them to frown. “You must rely on your instincts, and let your friendship guide you through… because your next adventure is starting sooner than you think.”

But, before they could say anything else, the watery tornado fell apart, revealing them up into the outside world. “So, what kind of future did you get?” Violette asked curiously. “What did it say?!”

“It did say we would defeat Allura in time, and that's a relief,” Sunny said. “But... it said something else too.”

“Our next adventure is starting sooner than we think...” Zipp hummed in thought before letting out a stunned gasp. “Do you think that voice somehow knew that we would be going on another Unity Quest soon?”

“I think it does!” Violette pointed at their flanks. “Look at that!”

Truth be told, their cutie marks were glowing rather brightly, and the magic from them created a swirling portal nearby. “Wow, that was coincidentally timed,” Izzy chirped. “Let's go find that star shard and stop that evil pussycat!”

“Violette,” said Sunny as Sparky hugged Hitch’s hoof as a farewell, “are you going to be okay here with Sparky for a little bit?”

“Yeah. I'll be here watching the breezies until you get back,” Violette said with a nod. “Just... be careful out there.”

“Don't worry, we will be,” Zipp said, rubbing her head before turning to her friends. “Come on, guys, we gotta go!”

And so, the Mane 6 bid their goodbyes with Violette Rainbow and Sparky before jumping through the portal, setting off on what could be their most... musical Unity Quests yet.

Author's Note

I was totally inspired to use the Swirlpool Starlight episode and twist it around a bit, so we could get a glimpse into the Mane 6's future.

The Mystery Inc Reunion/First Phantom Encounters

It was a dark, stormy night in the Midwest part of the United States... and since it was the beginning of summer, it was only gonna get worse from that point onward.

At a rest stop on the side of the highway, where people were stopping to either stretch, get something to eat or get dry from the shower they were getting, a portal opened up, letting the Mane 6 step out of it and look around in surprise. “Well, we usually don’t end up in places like this,” Sunny said, “but if the Unity Crystals say this is where we need to be, then they’re usually right.”

“Even so, I don’t think we’re going to be going out there anytime soon,” Misty said as she looked out at the pounding rain. “It’s raining pega-mice and racoonicorns out there!”

“Speaking of the rain, it looks like there’s someone else pulling up,” Zipp said, looking out the window. “And… it looks like the Mystery Machine!”

Everyone rushed to the window to see that Zipp was right-- the Mystery Machine hurriedly parked right in front of the rest area, and their Mystery Incorporated friends got out and rushed toward the doors, to which Sunny and Hitch held open for their beloved friends.

The gang was panting tiredly by the time they got into the rest area, and Scooby shook his fur out, causing the ponies to yelp. “Hey, Scooby!” Pipp cried. “Watch the mane!”

“Whoops!” Scooby blinked in surprise. “Sorry, Pipp!”

“Boy, are we happy to see you guys,” Fred spoke as he rung out his ascot. “Thanks for letting us in-- I was sure we were gonna get drenched out there!”

“Anything for you guys,” Zipp said as she gently flapped her wings to dry them off. “So, if you don’t mind me asking,” said Sunny, “where exactly are we?”

“About 40 miles from the city of Chicago, Illinois,” Velma explained. “We’re heading there for Daphne and Fred to compete in the finals of a TV talent show.”

“You guys are gonna be on TV?!” Izzy blurt out. “Lucky pega-mice!”

“You guys are welcome to come and watch if you want,” Fred told the ponies. “We could use all the support we can get.”

“Awww, we would love to come!” Sunny smiled. “And on the plus side, if it doesn’t have to do with superheroes or evil robots,” Misty said, “it's an even better game.”

“Dudes, we were just talking about that earlier!” Shaggy exclaimed with a shudder. “I mean, Krypto and Tempest were cool and everything, but… I just hate to think of what trouble Lex Luthor causes on a daily basis.”

“Well, I don't think we need to worry about trouble in Metropolis at the moment,” Zipp told her friends. “Right now, let's wait for the rain to slack up and tell the gang about what happened at the Swirlpool Starlight.”

“Swirlpool Starlight?” Daphne spoke out of curiosity. “What’s that?”

“Oh-ho, you better sit down,” Pipp told them as she brought out her phone. “This needs a story and photo evidence.”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, deep in the heart of Chicago, stood a majestic old opera house, where the set for the Talent Star finale was being set up... and it was where three flying leopard sisters, who were also music sensations, were arriving.

These were the SirenSong sisters, who were previous Talent Star winners who were going to be at the finale to cheer the finalists on. And although they were in the same litter, their fur colors and powers could not be anymore different.

The eldest sister, named Breena, had a pink pelt with black and light pink spots, bright magenta eyes and had the power of fire, and could manipulate it however she wanted.
The middle sister, who was named Eden, had a green pelt, light yellow fur on her muzzle, chest and paws, green and red spots and blue-gray eyes, and she had the power to create plants with the stomp of her paws.
Finally, the youngest sister, who was named Pavari, had a blue pelt, violet eyes, dark blue and pink spots, and she had the power to control water.

“So... this is the place,” Breena said with a smile. “Man, this brings back a lot of memories, right, girls?”

“Uh, yeah... sure, Bree,” Eden nodded. “This wad the start of our musical careers-- how could we forget?”

“Well, come on, then!” Pavari said excitedly, running toward the building. “Let's get in there and get this party started!”

“Pavari! Wait for us!” Breena groaned to herself before she and Eden flew after their sister and into the building.

XXXXXXXX

In the main stage area, the stage manager Dewey Ottoman was over the construction of the set with his assistant K.T nearby. Now, if there's one thing you need to know about Dewey, he was obsessed with cleanliness...

...even if no one else on the crew was. “Careful with that. Lift with your legs. Your legs,” he told some crew members lifting a heavy prop piece before turning to some more crew members wheeling a large cart in. “Did you wipe your feet before you came in? I'm talking to you!”

Dewey then got down and began to scrub the muddy footprints off of the stage, when another cart was rolled in, causing him to groan and begin scrubbing harder... unaware that the entire scene was being watched from someone above the rafters.

At that moment, the three sisters came in and landed on the stage. “Hi there, Mr. Ottoman,” Eden smiled warmly. “Me and my sisters are here to--”

“Oh, good heavens!!” Dewey shrieked as soon as he saw them. “My dears, have you been wallowing around in a mud bath? Your paws are absolutely filthy!”

“Huh?” Pavari looked down at her paws, confused. “I don’t see any mud on my--”

“See, this is why we don’t let many animals onto the show-- no matter how talented they truly are, they track mud and… whatever else through here and I can NEVER get it cleaned!” Dewey muttered audibly, scrubbing where the leopards had been standing as they walked off to the side. “Geez… I assume that he’s still a clean freak?” Eden muttered. “Eden, be quiet,” Breena scolded. “Mr. Ottoman is just… set in his ways, I guess.”

“I understand that,” Pavari said as she licked her paws to groom herself. “I mean, I love being clean almost as much as I love getting dirty.”

Dewey was too into scrubbing to hear what the leopards were saying, and as he continued to scrub, he crawled right toward a filthy garbage can, making him gasp in shock. “Disgusting…” he muttered, standing back up and turning to K.T, taking the clipboard she was holding. “The garbage in this trash can is filthy. I want this garbage cleaned at once! Hello!”

However, everyone else, including the sisters, had begun to do their own thing and were ignoring him altogether. “Is anyone listening to me? Am I the only one here who cares about cleanliness?”

All of a sudden, the giant star prop for the show began to fall, causing Dewey to scream and leap out of harm's way, and this caused all of production to stop as a thin coat of dust from the debris covered practically everything.

That left one question in everyone's minds... who in the world would do such a thing?

Breena, Eden and Pavari were the first to open their eyes when a wicked laughter filled the air, and most everyone turned up to see a menacing figure with glowing red eyes on the rafters.

As the figure leapt down from the rafter, the figure had a green skeleton head, a dark red large cape and a black bow tie.

Breena screamed as she and her sisters ducked to avoid the figure, and Dewey hunkered down to do the same thing, only for the figure to grab the clipboard before swinging out of sight, cackling as he did so.

Everyone seemed to get up as soon as they saw that the figure had disappeared, but Dewey looked horrified at such an idea. “The... the... the... the... the phantom!!!”

And just like that, the manager of Talent Star fell right onto the ground, scaring Eden half to death... and she was already pretty spooked. “Uh... phantom?” Pavari asked in confusion. “W-What do you think just happened, Breena?”

“Honestly, Pavari? I'm not sure what the heck just happened,” Breena said, a bit unsure. “But I do know one thing... we need to find him before someone gets hurt.”

“Find him?!” Eden shrieked. “Bree, I know you're oldest and everything, but that's the craziest idea you've ever come up with!”

“Do you have a better one?” Breena snapped before regaining her composure. “Just... spread out and search the theater for anything out of the ordinary. And someone take care of Mr. Ottoman, please!”

The three sisters spread their wings and flew in different directions, hoping to find out who this phantom was, what he wanted and where he was heading...

...hopefully before something worse happened that would cause the Talent Star finale to be canceled.

XXXXXXXX

Not long after the Mane 6 got done telling their Mystery Incorporated friends about the Swirlpool Starlight, and the fact that they would be able to defeat Allura, the rain slacked off just enough to where they could get out to the Mystery Machine and back on the road to Chicago again.

In order for Fred and Daphne to practice their songs for their performances, Shaggy took the driver’s position up front, and Scooby and Velma gladly joined him while the Mane 6 sat in the back with Fred and Daphne.

As the Mystery Machine swerved through the rain and the busy traffic heading to the city, Velma flipped through her Chicago guidebook and looked at some interesting facts... well, interesting to her, anyway. “Did you know Chicago is the third largest city in the U.S.?”

“Well, I sure didn't know that,” Sunny said as she peeked over the seat, “but I have overheard that they have some of the best pizza.”

“Yeah! Pizza!” Scooby licked his chops before giggling and Velma gladly listed another fact for her friends to learn from. “Did you know Chicago has almost 200 art galleries?”

“You really have no idea where my interests lie, do you?” Shaggy asked, leading Izzy to scoff. “Who cares about the food part?” the lavender unicorn asked. “So many art galleries, so many potential ideas to have and so little time to see it all in before we have to go home!”

“Eh, she's got a point,” Misty shrugged. “We have to enjoy our time on these quests before we know what our mission is-- and if that means pizza and art galleries, then that's what we'll do.”

“Speaking of which, I still can't believe we're really finalists on Talent Star! Aah!!!” Daphne squealed in excitement. “Have I mentioned that it's my favorite show?”

“Once or twice,” Fred shrugged. “In this breath...” Zipp muttered with the roll of her eyes. “Well, it is. And Brick Pimiento is the greatest host ever. Ooh! There he is!” Daphne excitedly pointed to a billboard with Brick Pimiento and the Talent Star logo on it. “I’m so excited!”

“And we’re excited for you! I’ve been watching clips of you guys performing online,” Sunny said, holding up her phone. “And even though I’m sure you guys are amazing, it’s still hard to believe you made it through that last round of eliminations-- your competitors were pretty tough.”

“Aww, come on, Sunny,” Fred smiled reassuringly. “We had it sewn up! You know that singers have the advantage.”

Then, he began playing a soft tune on his guitar, and as the ponies all listened thoughtfully, Daphne didn’t recognize the tune. “Hey, that’s not the song we’re doing.”

Fred only shrugged as he continued to play. “This is a little something I wrote myself.”

“Huh,” Shaggy said as he turned his head to look at Fred. “Like, that’s catchy.”

“Eyes on the road, Shaggy!” Hitch yelped. “Eyes on the road!”

“Right!” Shaggy quickly turned around to drive regularly again, and Daphne found herself getting more entranced with the song or… who was PLAYING the song with each passing moment. “Fred, that's beautiful. I really like you… it!” she quickly corrected as the ponies tilted their heads in confusion. “I like it. Not you. I mean, I like you but… heh, I, uh, like your song?”

However, Fred didn’t seem to notice Daphne’s odd behavior. “Thanks!”

“Well, you guys are good,” said Shaggy, “but Scooby and I are gonna beat you. Right, Scoob?”

“You betcha!” the Great Dane smiled. “Uh… last time I checked,” said Zipp, “you two aren’t in the competition.”

“We will be,” Shaggy told her, “once Brick sees our amazing juggling act!”

“Shaggy, as much as I love your optimism,” said Sunny, “you can’t audition the day before the finals-- it wouldn’t be right to anyone else!”

“But you can audition before the finals if you’re awesome!”

“But…” Sunny tried to say before Izzy scoffed. “Don’t worry, Sunny! We’ll keep an eye on them while we’re here.”

“Well, you guys are gonna have to do that on your own,” said Pipp, “because I’m focusing all my attention on Fred and Daphne so I can help them feel ready for their winning performance!”

“Aww, thanks, Pipp!” Daphne smiled sweetly. “That’ll really help if we have someone like you to help mentor us.”

“Okay,” Velma said, interrupting the moment. “We definitely wanna hit the Field Museum. There's a Picasso exhibit. Oh, oh! And it says here that the Mineralogical Society has the world-famous soap diamond on display!”

But when she turned to look at her friends, they were all giving her confused or deadpan expressions, causing her to smile nervously. “Hey, does it say anything in those books about that opera house where we're shooting the show?” Hitch asked. “Yeah,” Velma said, showing Hitch and Zipp a picture of the opera house in question. “It's almost a hundred years old... it's been closed since the '70s...”

“and there are rumors that it's haunted!” Zipp read out loud with wide eyes, just before a loud crunch caused the group to look at Shaggy, who was eating a sandwich. “Of course it's haunted,” he said. “Like, when do we ever go to a place that is not haunted?”

“Wait... if you're eating,” said Sunny, “then who's driving?!”

As it turns out, while Shaggy was eating, he shoved Scooby into the driver’s seat, despite the dog having no prior driving experience. “Uh... green means go, right?”

“Shaggy!!” everyone cried out in a scolding manner. “Scooby-Dooby-Dooooooo!!!” Scooby howled, and as he weaved in and out of the traffic, his friends screamed and clung to each other tightly.

And one thing was for sure... this was definitely going to be an interesting adventure.

Meeting New Friends/Opera House Horrors

Scooby had taken control of the Mystery Machine just a few minutes ago, and he had been weaving in and out through the traffic of Chicago and the pouring rain in order to get to the opera house for Fred and Daphne to check in on time.

And the one thing that Zipp knew she would have to remember from this experience?

Either never let Scooby drive again, or give him some seriously advanced driving lessons.

XXXXXXXX

Finally, the rain stopped, and Zipp and Hitch managed to guide Scooby into a parking spot across the street from the opera house, letting everyone stagger out and onto solid ground. “Oh thank hoofness that's over!” Pipp sighed in relief. “I don't mean for you to take offense to this, Scooby, but you need some serious driving lessons before you set a paw behind the wheel again.”

“Pipp, I think you just took the words right out of my mouth,” Hitch agreed, causing Scooby to chuckle nervously as he climbed out of the front seat. “Sorry...”

“No harm done, Scooby,” Misty rubbed the top of Scooby’s head reassuringly. “Now come on-- we gotta go inside the opera house and get Fred and Daphne checked in!”

And so, both groups left the Mystery Machine and walked across the street before they started walking up the opera house stairs. “This place is amazing!” Velma exclaimed. “I can't believe it's been closed for so long.”

“You know what?” Pipp asked in a soft tone as she stared up at the building before them. “Neither can I... this place is almost too pretty to be haunted.”

But as a majority of the ponies, Fred, Daphne and Velma went inside the building, a security guard stepped in front of Izzy, Sunny, Shaggy and Scooby, stopping them from following. “I'm sorry, sir,” he said sternly. “No animals allowed except seeing-eye dogs.”

“Huh? But he’s a beloved icon who’s helped us save the world more than once!” Izzy protested, wrapping a hoof around Scooby lovingly. “And what about us ponies? Aren’t we technically animals?”

“I… you know,” said Sunny after a moment of brief silence, “I don’t really have a good protest for that.”

“Like, it’s okay, Sunny,” Shaggy reassured the earth pony mare before turning back to the rest of their friends. “You guys, go ahead. We’ll catch up with you.”

“No, they won’t,” the security guard said bluntly. “Okay… we’ll, uh… see you later,” Fred told the others with a wink, to which Shaggy nodded at before the others went inside. The security guard looked at them suspiciously just before Shaggy and Scooby nudged their two pony pals away. “What are we gonna do now?” Sunny asked once they were out of earshot. “If he sees Scooby, he won’t let us enter the building!”

“Like, I don’t think we have to worry about that. Come on,” Shaggy said. “I got a plan.”

Izzy and Sunny glanced at each other before following Shaggy and Scooby around the next corner, unsure of what their friends might have planned.

XXXXXXXX

Fred, Daphne and Velma led their remaining pony pals inside the opera house, where they approached one of the crew members. “We're supposed to check in with the assistant director?” said Daphne. “Dewey?” the crew member chuckled. “Heh, yeah, good luck with that. He's in there.”

As the crew member wheeled his cart away, the others looked confused before walking toward the doors toward the main part of the opera house.

When they walked through the doors, they walked down the aisle, past several people and up onto the stage, where Collette was attempting to use smelling salts to wake up Dewey, which worked after a moment. “What? Where?” he blurt out as he got up. “What happened?”

“You know,” said Collette, trying to help Dewey remember what had occurred. “That guy.”

“The phantom!!” Dewey exclaimed before passing out again. “Hi there,” Misty smiled at Collette as they approached. “Our friends are supposed to check in.”

“Yeah, I know,” Collette said politely, “but you’re going to have to wait.”

She let Dewey smell the smelling salts again, and he shot up, much to the group’s surprise. “What? Where? The phantom!!” he shrieked, just before passing out again. “The phantom?” Fred blinked before Collette groaned and tried the smelling salts again. “He keeps doing that!”

“You know,” said Velma, “overuse of smelling salts can damage the nasal passages.”

Collette seemed confused as soon as Velma said that. “His or mine?”

“His,” Zipp frowned, just as Dewey regained consciousness again. “The phantom!!” he wailed before passing out once again. Just then, an older man with a clipboard walked onstage. “Hey, I found that clipboard the phantom took,” he said, giving the clipboard to Collette. “And also I quit. I ain't hanging around this place for another second. It's haunted.”

As the crew member walked off, Zipp and Pipp flew to get another look at the clipboard as the others gathered around to see what it said. “Christine must win?” Hitch raised an eyebrow at that. “Who the heck is Christine?”

“I’m not sure,” Misty said, “but I have a funny feeling we’re about to find out.”

“Well, gang,” Fred declared, “it looks like we've got another mystery on our hands.”

Pipp sighed and looked at her friends with a tired look. “Why am I not surprised?”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Sunny and Izzy had gladly offered to help some crew members bring in some instruments, and Shaggy offered to do the same.

But around that time, Scooby seemed to have disappeared, sparking Izzy and Sunny’s curiosity as to where he might have gone.

That was no matter… maybe they could finally get inside the opera house.

Sunny and Izzy had no trouble getting inside with their loads, but when Shaggy was about to enter, the security guard stopped him. “Hold it right there.”

“Hey!” Shaggy huffed while keeping a firm grip on the cart he was pushing. “Like, it’s just a bass, man.”

“Sure, it is,” the security guard said before opening the case, revealing that there was a bass in there. “Oh, uh, well, go on in then.”

“Thank you!” Shaggy said before pushing the bass inside, and letting Scooby come out from behind the bass. “Ooh! Nice hiding place, Scoobers!” Izzy said to the dog affectionately. “Come on,” Sunny said. “If we wanna get inside without Scooby being seen, we need to be smart about where we hide next.”

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, as the ponies were trying to figure out their next move, two adults came in with a little girl with her blonde hair in a ponytail, and both parents were being… well… ridiculously loud. “Chrissy does not give interviews unless she can approve all questions in advance,” said the mother. “She will accept no questions regarding politics, religion or her favorite color. Because I said so!!”

“Well, hello there,” Daphne said to the girl sweetly as she and Pipp approached. “Are you…?”

“Are you trying to psych her out?” the father quickly accused. “Is this some kind of mind game?!” the mother blurt out. “S-Sorry,” Pipp apologized, not used to seeing accusations coming at them so quickly. “We were just saying hi.”

“Well, don’t!” said the father furiously. “You can’t just talk to Chrissy!” the mother agreed, revealing that the girl’s name was Chrissy. “She's very sensitive,” the father went on. “You have to talk to her before you talk to her to let her know you're going to talk to her.”

“Isn’t that right, sweetie?” Chrissy’s mother asked, but Chrissy was too busy checking her reflection to care. “Whatever.”

“You see?!” Chrissy’s parents blurt out, causing Pipp to chuckle nervously. “Totally-- roger that. Duly noted.”

Chrissy’s father then went on the stage to speak to Collette while Chrissy’s mother remained on the phone with someone else. “Yeah, hi,” the father greeted rudely. “We’re here to check in.”

“We’re checking in!!” Chrissy’s mother yelled over the phone. “Hate to tell you this,” Collette said nervously, “but Mr. Ottoman’s kind of unconscious right now.”

“Are you saying we can't check in?” Chrissy’s father asked. “They’re saying we can’t check in!!” Chrissy’s mother then shouted before Chrissy’s father turned back to Collette. “This is totally unacceptable!”

“Uh…”

“She said ‘Uh’!” Chrissy’s mother repeated Collette’s words, just before another girl, probably about 10 years old, came up to the group, wearing a yellow t-shirt and blue jeans. “They’re pretty much like that all the time.”

“Hey, you’re Emma, right?” Fred asked. “The violinist?”

“Yeah! And you’re Fred and Daphne!” Emma smiled. “I saw your audition tape; you guys were great. And I'm not just saying that because of the cameras.”

“What cameras?” Hitch asked curiously. “Those cameras,” Emma answered, pointing to the cameras in the opera house and the TV cameras. “They’re catching all the backstage drama.”

“That’s the best part of the show!” Daphne agreed. “All the ‘who likes who’ and ‘who hates who’ stuff.”

“Well, it used to be our favorite part of the show,” Breena spoke as she and her sisters landed on the stage, “but here lately? Ehh... not so much.”

“Hey, we know you three!” Fred exclaimed with a bright smile. “You’re the SirenSong Sisters, from season seven!”

“Yeah, that’s us! And you’re Daphne and Fred!” Eden said excitedly, recognizing the pair. “You guys have some serious talent.”

“I gotta agree with my sister for a change,” Breena smiled. “We’ve come back to cheer on the remaining finalists, and… don’t tell anyone else, but you guys are one of my favorites.”

“But,” said Pavari, “I thought you said we couldn’t HAVE favorites because we would be unfairly giving that favorite contestant an advantage.”

“Pavari, quiet!”

“Uh, heh… hi, I’m Misty,” Misty then introduced to break up the tension between the sisters, “and these are my friends-- Hitch, Zipp and Pipp. We have two other friends, Sunny and Izzy, but they’re not here at the moment.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Breena smiled. “I’m Breena, and these are my younger sisters, Eden and Pavari.”

“Wow, I’m surprised that you guys didn’t recognize us as quickly,” Eden spoke up. “The thing is, we’re actually from Equestria on a special mission, but we came to support Fred and Daphne during the show,” Zipp explained. “We will have to get to know each other better while we’re here though.”

Suddenly, as the groups began to get acquainted with one another, Brick Pimiento himself walked out onstage, looking confident and happy overall. “Hello, everyone, and welcome to Talent Star. Hey, I'm your host, Brick Pimiento,” he greeted everyone on the stage. “I just wanted to reassure you all that everything is fantastic, just fantastic. There isn't a problem, nothing happened and there's definitely no ghost.”

“Ghost?!” Chrissy’s parents yelped. “Ghost? I didn't say ghost. Why would I say ghost when there's no ghost, heh?” Brick tried to cover up his mistake of mentioning the ghost. “Fantastic!”

From behind the curtain, Shaggy and Scooby peeked out and saw the host before getting excited. “Like, there he is!” Shaggy whispered. “Yeah!” Scooby nodded. “There he is!”

“Phew… it took a while to find him,” said Sunny, “but we finally did. Izzy, are you sure you can handle taking care of them while I rejoin the others?”

“No problem!” Izzy reassured. “I got these two under control! Or at least… I hope I do.”

“You're okay there, right, Dewey, heh? Fantastic,” Brick chuckled and rubbed Dewey’s hair, messing it up. “Well, carry on.”

As Brick walked away, Izzy and Shaggy and Scooby discreetly followed while Sunny trotted over to the others. “Hey, guys. What did we miss?”

“A lot, to put it quite bluntly,” Zipp said. “But, we have a bunch of people to introduce you to.”

Suddenly, Dewey sniffed as he regained consciousness, an odor that no one else could smell reaching him. “I smell dog!”

Sunny gasped and feared that he had found Scooby, but before she could look for their friends, Collette approached her employer. “Uh, Mr. Ottoman, are you all right?”

“Dogs are nothing but big furry sacks of germs,” Dewey grasped her shoulders. “Did you know that?”

“I don’t think that…”

“I'm going to find that dog if it takes me all night! Give me that!” Dewey snatched the clipboard from Collette’s grasp before walking off. “Phew… that was too close,” Sunny muttered to herself. “Is he always this way around animals?”

“Every animal, even us,” Pavari admitted. “And we’re Talent Star champions!”

“So?” Eden turned to look at her. “That shouldn’t give us any kind of advantage!”

Pavari growled. “That’s what I was TRYING to say!”

“GIRLS!!” Breena snapped, her eyes flaring with anger. “Muzzle it!”

“...sorry, Breena…” the remaining sisters apologized shamefully before Breena turned to Sunny. “Sorry you had to see that, Miss… uh…”

“Sunny,” Sunny introduced, holding a hoof out for Breena to shake. “Sunny Starscout.”

“Aren’t you the earth pony who can turn into an alicorn?” Eden asked excitedly. “Pipp just told us about you!”

“Oh, well… yeah,” Sunny nodded. “That’s me.”

“Your abilities are so cool!” Pavari agreed. “Makes our water, fire and plant powers seem a little lame.”

“But we know how you don’t like to feel treated like a higher pony,” Breena said, “so we’re happy just to have you as a friend.”

Sunny sighed in relief. “Thanks… I’m happy to have you as friends too.”

“Hey, where’s Izzy?” Daphne asked as she looked around. “I thought you and her were together.”

“Well,” Sunny said, trying not to say anything about Scooby, “there was… something she and some more friends had to take care of. But I'm sure they'll be back soon. Or... at least I hope they will be...”

XXXXXXXX

“Mr. Pimiento! Mr. Pimiento!” Izzy called as she and the boys raced after the host, eventually catching up to him in the hallways. “Can we have two minutes of your time?” Shaggy asked the host. “We’ve got an act that's just terrific!”

“Yeah!” Scooby said, nodding. “Terrific!”

“And we're sure that if you give them a chance,” said Izzy, “they could take your entire show by storm!”

“My friends, I've built my career on two deeply held beliefs. One, all talent deserves a chance to be seen...” Brick said while turned around as Shaggy and Scooby began their act. “...and two... juggling stinks.”

Upon hearing this, Shaggy and Scooby paused their juggling act and hid the balls before Brick turned around. “So what have you got for me?”

“Just follow my lead and improvise!” Izzy whispered to her friends. Izzy then began to tap dance in place, and Shaggy and Scooby followed her lead before they danced off to the side, causing Brick to chuckle nervously and slip away before they came back. “Ta-daaaaaa!!” Izzy exclaimed as she and the boys peaked their heads around the corner, but everyone was stunned to see that Brick had disappeared. “Okay… we definitely need to come up with a better plan for next time.”

“Yeah! We were terrible!” Shaggy agreed. “That act was just--”

Suddenly, a blood curdling scream caused all three of them to freeze and shake in total terror. “Uh… I don’t know what that was,” Izzy trembled, “but I’m running away from it!!!”

“Us too!” Scooby agreed, and he and Shaggy followed their unicorn friend in the opposite direction as the scream.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, the rest of the Mane 6, the rest of Mystery Inc and Brick heard the scream and went running right into the control room, where they gathered around K.T, who was responsible for keeping the cameras and audio running. “Is it him?” Brick asked as they looked toward one of the monitors, which showed a green-skulled figure approaching Chrissy and laughing, causing her to scream. “Yeah,” K.T nodded. “It’s the phantom!”

“The phantom?” Misty and Daphne questioned, causing K.T to notice them. “What are they doing…?”

“There!” Velma pointed to the phantom on another monitor. “Now he’s there!” Sunny pointed to another monitor a good distance away from the other one. “Great! Not only are we dealing with a phantom of an opera house,” said Hitch, “but we’re also dealing with a fast phantom too!”

“Velma, you, Sunny and Zipp watch the monitors. You can tell us where he is,” Fred said before dialing his phone and running off. “Daphne, you and the others come with…”

“Yes!” Daphne agreed before she, Hitch and Misty ran after him with Pipp flying overhead.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Izzy and Shaggy and Scooby had come from another hallway when they came face to face with the same phantom, causing them to run as the phantom cackled and gave chase.

But as they turned the corner, they realized that this was a dead end, and Izzy flung a tarp over them to keep them from being seen while Shaggy and Scooby clung to her and each other in terror.

XXXXXXXX

“Which way?” Fred asked the others from the phone as he, Daphne and their group of ponies ran through the halls. “Turn left at the end of the hall,” Velma instructed, watching them as they took that turn. “And then,” Zipp spoke, “take the second door on your left!”

“Are you getting all of this on camera?” Brick asked, causing K.T to nod. “Yeah. This is great stuff!”

“Fantastic! Ooh, should we use it for promos or leak it to Whotube?”

“Both!”

Velma hummed in thought as Sunny and Zipp kept watching the monitors, and couldn’t help but feel that Brick was a little too quick to claim the phantom as a publicity stunt.

And that could be a good motive.

XXXXXXXX

Hitch opened the door that Zipp instructed them to go into, but when Fred tried to turn on the light, he discovered that they weren’t working. “Don’t worry, guys,” Misty reassured. “I got this.”

The blue unicorn dimly lit her horn, and the group slowly moved into the room, which appeared to be some sort of large storage room.

But, as they passed an entire display full of axes, something sinister happened-- someone or... something began to push the axes over one by one, making them fall and nearly hit the five friends. “Look out!!” Daphne shrieked, and the ponies were able to dive for safety while Fred and Daphne managed to escape the axes falling. “Is everyone okay?” Fred asked in concern. “Yeah, we’re fine,” Pipp panted, “but… I don’t think my heart is ever gonna slow down!”

The group left the storage room behind just as Hitch spoke into the phone. “Velma, which way?”

“I don’t know!” Velma shook her head. “I can’t see where he went!”

XXXXXXXX

“Quick!” Shaggy cried as he spotted a door for him, Izzy and Scooby to dive into. “In here!”

The three quickly ran inside the storage closet and hid among the bits of clothing they had on the rack, giving Izzy enough time to slow her breathing down before turning to her friends. “Well, he may never think to look in here, right?”

“Right…” Scooby whimpered just before a familiar scent caught his nose. “I smell lemons.”

“Yeah! I smell lemons too!” Izzy realized after sniffing the air. “Like, so do I!” Shaggy agreed before turning to someone else hiding in that storage room. “Do you smell lemons?”

But when he turned, he was horrified to discover the phantom was hiding in that room as well, causing the three of them to bolt out of the room and in one direction while the phantom raced off in another.

XXXXXXXX

“There!” Velma cried over the phone as she spotted the phantom racing down a hallway. “He’s heading north!”

“North… which way is that?” Fred asked. “Go left!” Sunny said. “No, wait… it’s right, then left!”

However, the mix-up in the directions caused the ponies to tumble into each other, and for Fred and Daphne to awkwardly collide.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry.”

“I didn’t mean to…”

“GO!!” Velma shouted, causing the group to bolt in that direction again.

XXXXXXXX

“He’s on the stairs!” Velma told the others as she watched the phantom, but as he got to the middle of the staircase, the phantom seemed to disappear before their eyes! “What…?” Zipp couldn’t believe it. “Did you all see that?!”

“I sure did,” Sunny said. “And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… maybe he really IS a ghost.”

Sunny and Zipp spared each other a nervous glance-- they weren't sure what they just saw, but whatever it was... this was going to make the investigation that much more interesting.

Splitting Up and Looking for Clues (Part 1)

The phantom haunting the opera house had just disappeared into thin air while Izzy, Shaggy and Scooby were running away from it, and Fred and Daphne, plus Pipp, Hitch and Misty, were chasing it.

But the question was... how did he do it and where did he go?

After a few minutes, everyone met in the lobby of the opera house, including a still shaken Izzy, Shaggy and Scooby. “Guys, something freaky-deaky is going on!” Izzy said with wide eyes. “There was this ghost with a green skull head and he was chasing us all over and he smelled like lemons, and--”

“We know, Izzy-- we all saw him just like you did,” Daphne interrupted. “But how could he just disappear?”

“There must be a rational explanation,” Velma pointed out. “Yeah,” Shaggy agreed. “Like, he's a ghost!”

“A ghost who smells like lemons?” Zipp raised an eyebrow. “That sounds kinda weird.”

“And it's not weird to have a ghost who doesn't smell like lemons?”

“Well, one thing is for sure,” Sunny told her friends. “We have to get to the bottom of this!”

“Especially since that phantom could cause the entire Talent Star finale to be canceled!” Breena agreed. “And I, for one, can not let that happen.”

“You mean WE can't let that happen?” Eden corrected her sister. “We are a team, after all.”

“You know what I mean! I was speaking for all of us!”

“But were you, though?” Pavari muttered. “I never gave you permission to do that...”

“Come to think of it,” Eden agreed, “me neither.”

Breena and her sisters continued to bicker back and forth at each other before Hitch brought out his whistle and blew into it, stopping the feud. “Look, girls, I don't know what you're fighting about,” he said, “but we need you to try and put it aside for now and help us solve this mystery before something worse happens!”

The sisters looked a bit ashamed at how they started fighting so suddenly in front of all their new friends, leading Breena to sigh. “You're right, sheriff. We'll do our part to make sure this phantom guy doesn't harm you, our friends or the chances of the finale going on.”

“But, if I may say so,” said Pavari, “we better get out of here before Mr. Ottoman finds your dog friend and has the whole building sanitized… again.”

But before anyone else could move, Dewey and Collette burst through the doors, and Dewey looked livid at the fact that Scooby was in the building. “Dog!”

“Dog?” Scooby looked around in confusion. “Where?”

“Get that germ sack out of here! Right now!” Dewey demanded as Scooby lowered his head, and the ponies stood beside their friend in defense as Dewey continued to mutter to himself. “Did he leave footprints? I think I see footprints-- he didn't touch any walls, did he? Oh, my gosh! Now I'll have to sanitize the entire building!”

Dewey got on his hands and knees and began to scrub the floors, prompting the others to slightly back away. “Good thing I brought bleach…” Dewey muttered before he came face to face with Scooby. “Out, I said! Out, out, out!”

“Hey! We’ll have you know that Scooby-Doo is a beloved icon and deserves to be treated as such!!” Pipp said angrily, stomping her hoof. “Mr. Ottoman, Scooby is part of this gang of mystery solvers who are going to help us with this phantom thing,” Breena tried to tell him, “and the only--”

“It’s okay, Breena-- we were just leaving,” Zipp reassured one of their new friends. “Come on, guys.”

The Mane 6 and the gang then began to take their leave with the sisters following after, and the last thing they heard was Dewey practically screaming at Collette. “I want this floor buffed,” he cried, “and I want it polished!”

XXXXXXXX

By the time that the group had went through the door, they couldn't hear much of Dewey's ranting, but Misty was concerned about it and how it was effecting those around them. “Girls... has Dewey always acted this way? Wanting to clean anything and everything?”

“To be honest… we never asked, due to how short-tempered he is,” Pavari admitted with a slight shrug. “But it makes me think something happened to make him be like this.”

“We can worry about that later, though,” Zipp said. “We need to split up and gather clues about this phantom guy before things get even crazier.”

“Right,” Velma agreed. “Okay… Izzy, Zipp and I will check us in to the hotel and do some internet research. Shaggy and Scooby, take Misty and Sunny and go to the library on State Street to see what you can find out about the opera house's history.”

“How are we the choice for library research?” Shaggy asked in confusion. “Hey, what matters is we’ll be together,” Misty pointed out to her friends. “That’s a good plan in my book.”

“Hitch, Pipp and I will see what we can find in the building,” Fred volunteered. “Daphne, you come with--”

“Yes! I’m going with Fred!” Daphne squealed before following, causing Velma to quietly sigh in annoyance. “Wait up, guys!” Pavari called after Fred and Daphne’s group. “I wanna come with you!”

“Pavari!” scolded Breena. “Isn’t that something we should discuss as a family first?”

“...family?” Pavari muttered before turning to her older sister. “You know… you talk a big game, bossing me and Eden around like we’re your servants. We’re supposed to be in this for the fun, Bree… not for the fame. I’m sorry… but it’s about time I start making my own decisions.”

And just like that, the youngest of the sisters flew off after Fred, Daphne, Hitch and Pipp, leaving Breena stunned before turning to Eden. “Eden… you’ll stay with me… right? You’ve been one of my right-paw leopards since the beginning of our careers!”

“You’re right, I have… but Pavari’s right, too,” Eden said with a frown. “Ever since we won Talent Star, it feels like you’ve been putting us off for the spotlight, making all the decisions by yourself and expecting us to follow in your paw prints. So… I don’t think us sticking together is a good idea. Not until you shape up your act.”

“...come on, Eden,” Misty invited. “You can stick with me, Sunny and the boys.”

Eden spared Breena one last look before she followed her new friends down the sidewalk, leaving the remaining group members on their own.

XXXXXXXX

Breena hadn’t said a word since she, Velma, Zipp and Izzy left for the Hotel Canard, and her new friends knew they couldn’t let her be so down and out. “Hey, Breena?” Zipp spoke first. “We don’t mean to pry, but…”

“...what’s been going on between you and your sisters?” Velma added. “Maybe there’s a way we can help.”

“...you guys like long stories?” Breena asked, causing Izzy and Zipp to nod. “Well… our parents were some of the best in the world. But… a few years ago, the flying leopard colony we were originally a part of disbanded after our cruel leaders were banished to other realms.”

“You mean… Allura and her brother?” Zipp asked. “Actually… yeah,” Breena said in surprise. “How did you know?”

“Eh, story for another time,” Izzy shrugged. “But then what happened?”

“Well… me and my sisters lived with our parents until 2 years ago, and I always promised to look after them and give them the best life possible,” Breena explained. “People found out about our singing talents and I thought being on Talent Star would be a great way to make a new life for ourselves. But… I guess my sisters don’t realize how much I'm trying to keep our win alive, so we can keep living this best life.”

“I’m sure they realize that,” Zipp said, “but I’m sure there must be some other way for you to…”

“Hey, look!” Breena interrupted as they stopped in front of a large hotel. “I think this is the hotel! Come on!”

The pink leopard ran toward the revolving doors and stepped inside, causing the others to follow after her toward the front desk, where an older man was working at the front desk. “Welcome to the Hotel Canard,” he greeted politely. “How may I be of service?”

“Hello,” Velma said, “we need to check…”

But just then, Chrissy’s parents barged in front of them, causing them to stumble back. “Hi-- checking in,” Chrissy’s mother said rudely. “Barb and Lance Damon and Chrissy!”

“I’m sorry,” the man said with a frown. “This young lady and her friends were--”

Suddenly, Lance interrupted him with an accusing tone of voice. “Hey, are you giving us attitude?”

“I think he’s giving us attitude!” Barb agreed. “Listen, buddy,” Lance snapped, “I want someone to take Chrissy's bags to the room now!”

The man looked over at Velma, Breena and their two Equestrian pals, but Velma decided to speak to clear up the conflict. “Go ahead, we’ll wait.”

“Uh, yeah!” Zipp agreed. “No problem.”

As a hotel worker moved some of the bags out of their way, the four friends could see Chrissy sitting on a pile of luggage. “Oh, Chrissy!” Izzy smiled before remembering what Zipp said happened earlier. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I’m okay,” Chrissy responded matter-of-factly. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“Weren’t you scared of the phantom?” Velma asked curiously. “You were screaming, and--”

Then, just like her parents, Chrissy laughed, rudely interrupting Velma. “That wasn't a scared scream, stupid. It was a happy scream,” she said, leaping off the luggage she was sitting on, “because he told me I'm gonna win the competition.”

“Wait,” Zipp spoke in confusion. “He told you…?”

“I’m gonna win!” Chrissy interrupted cheerfully. “Even if he has to obliterate all the other contestants. Isn't that awesome?!”

“Uh…” Breena was unsure of what to say before Chrissy’s mother stepped in. “It’s true! We have a genuine psycho on our side. Score!”

“And that's why the phantom wrote ‘Christine must win’ on that clipboard,” Lance added. “Her name’s Christine.”

“But,” said Barb, “call her Chrissy.”

“Only don't call her Chrissy,” Lance finished rudely, “because don't talk to her. You're getting horse, cat and nerd breath all over her.”

“Come on, Chrissy. Keep smiling!” Barb said with a clenched smile as the family walked off. That’s when an older man dressed like a magician approached them. “Oh, they're unbearable, aren't they?”

“Yeah,” Breena said before looking at him. “Who are you?”

“I am… the Great Pauldini!” the magician introduced before pulling an egg out of nowhere. “My card.”

“Oh, that’s funny!” Izzy giggled. “That card looks just like an egg!”

The Great Pauldini seemed to notice his mistake and stuck the egg back into his coat. “Okay, egg, card, whatever. I made it appear, right? Can you do that? No, you can't because you're not a magician,” he said, making a bouquet of roses appear before he gave them to Velma. “Who’s a magician?”

“You are?” Velma guessed. “Oh, yeah, heh. Up high!” the Great Pauldini said, and the others shared a five-way high five with him. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

And just like that, he merrily walked away. “I like him,” Izzy told her friends. “He reminds me of Rufus from back home!”

“Although,” said another male voice, “he’s pretty unbearable himself.”

“Tell me about… hello?” Velma turned, but didn’t see anyone there, much to her confusion. That's when Zipp cleared her throat and gestured toward the ground. All four girls looked down to see a smaller man with a charming smile right in front of them. “Waldo… the ventriloquist,” he introduced just as a hotel employee wheeled a cart with a puppet on it over to them. “And here's Hufnagel, my dummy.”

“Hiya, toots!” Hufnagel seemed to say. “And I sit on his lap,” Waldo added. “It's funny and not at all demeaning. Right?”

“Uh… right,” Zipp nodded, shaking his hand. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

“Right,” Waldo said before hopping off of Hufnagel and walking away. “Catch you ladies later.”

But as he walked away, four ladies with different colored hair and rock and roll styled outfits approached and got in his way. “Oh my gosh,” swooned the girl with green hair, “he is adorable!”

“I am not adorable,” Waldo corrected. “I am… hot.”

“You know what?” asked the girl with dark purple hair. “He kind of is.”

“Totally,” the girl with blue hair agreed. “Um, I saw him first,” the girl with pink hair interrupted. “Hey!” Breena smiled at the group in recognition. “You guys are that band, right?”

“Yes,” the girl with green hair nodded. “We are…”

“GIRLASAURUS REX!!! RAWWWWR!!” all girls roared in unison, just before the girl in green giggled excitedly. “Oh, my gosh, we are so metal, heh.”

“Cathy,” the girl with blue hair scolded, “it's so not metal to say, ‘Oh my gosh, we’re so metal’.”

“Right… sorry,” Cathy apologized to her bandmates before turning back to the group. “We were a country act until three months ago.”

“We agreed we weren’t telling people that,” the girl in purple said sternly. “Now come on-- look surly.”

And then, with sour faces, the four girls walked off. “Well… all of these people are… interesting, to say the least,” Zipp hummed. “And if you ask me,” said Velma, “I think a lemon-scented ghost would fit right in with this crowd.”

Splitting Up and Looking for Clues (Part 2)

Back at the opera house, Fred and Daphne were navigating the darkness with Pavari, Hitch and Pipp right nearby, searching for their own clues about the phantom. “And ever since we started our careers,” said Pavari, “Breena has treated it like it's the most important thing in the world… and she used to treat US like we were the most important thing. It just... it hurts, you know?”

“Awww, I’m sorry, Pavari,” Hitch apologized with a frown. “That does sound hard.”

“As a pop star myself, I know that your career and your fans should be important,” Pipp said, “but… maybe there’s another reason as to why Breena is acting like that with you and your other sister?”

“Well… maybe,” Pavari shrugged sadly. “But… she doesn’t really talk about it much.”

Pipp and Hitch looked at each other sadly before they moved into another room with Fred and Daphne leading the way. “Fred, why do ghosts and monsters and stuff turn up wherever we go?” Daphne asked the ascot-wearing leader of Mystery Inc. “Is it something about us?”

“No,” Fred responded casually. “This happens to everyone.”

“Uh… what?” Hitch looked surprised at this. “What makes you say that?”

“It would be too much of a coincidence if this only happened to us,” Fred explained. “So logically everyone must run into ghosts and monsters all the time.”

“Really?” Daphne questioned in surprise. “Sure,” Fred nodded. “It’s simple math. They must be everywhere.”

“...in a way, that kind of makes sense,” Pipp said in thought. “In all our quests, we’ve faced villains that were literal monsters, or they were monsters metaphorically, so…”

Suddenly, there came a loud crash from the next room over, causing Pavari to gulp nervously. “It’s coming from over there…”

“Stay behind us,” Hitch told her. “We’ll take care of it… or at least, I hope we can…”

The group slowly approached the door on the other side of the room, and when Fred opened it, everyone screamed when they saw an obese Caucasian male with reddish-brown hair on the other side, and the group screaming caused the unknown man to scream as well.

After the screaming had settled down, the man decided to get some answers out of them. “What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here?” Fred demanded in return. “I'm Mel Richmond. I own this building and I have a right to lurk in it,” the man said before looking at Fred and Daphne. “You must be from the show, right?”

“Yeah. Fred and Daphne are contestants,” Hitch answered. “Right… well, good luck to ya,” Mel told Fred and Daphne. “You make a cute couple.”

“We're not a cute couple!” Daphne said nervously, causing Mel, Pipp, Hitch and Pavari to look at her rather strangely. “I mean, heh, we're not a couple... So we can't be a cute one, although we would be if we were. Which we're not. I mean, it's not like we don't like each other, we just don't like-like each other. It's just not likely. Right, Fred? Or do we? We don't right? Do we? Why are we talking about this so much? Can we just change the subject now, please? This is none of your business!”

“Uh… okay then,” Hitch cleared his throat to clear the silence. “Mr. Richmond, do you know anything about the phantom?” Fred asked, causing Mel to groan and sit down. “That business again,” he said irritably. “Look, that was all way before my time. I inherited this place a few years ago when my father passed away.”

Pipp immediately felt sorry for the man, since she knew what it was like to lose a father, and her ears flattened in sympathy. “Oh, we’re so sorry.”

“Well, me too. It’s costing me thousands of dollars a week,” Mel spoke. “I can't do anything with it. People are still spooked by that phantom nonsense and that was 35 years ago.”

“What was 35 years ago?” Fred asked curiously, leading Mel to sigh before he explained what he meant. “It happened back in the 70s,” he began the story. “Before that there had been some oddities, but, you know, nothing scary. But when my father turned the place into a disco, all heck broke loose. The phantom wreaked havoc every night, but people thought it was part of the show.”

“Huh… I guess some people back then didn’t scare as easily,” Pavari said quietly to her friends. “Despite the phantom, the club flourished,” Mel continued. “Customers looked forward to seeing him, even though it was said his mask hid a terrible deformity.”

“What kind of deformity?” Hitch asked nervously. “No one really knew for sure,” Mel told him mysteriously, causing Hitch to gulp. “No one was ever really hurt. But then the Phantom became
more destructive-- he even set fires. Then one night… he destroyed the disco ball.”

Pipp gasped dramatically at that. “No!”

“Oh, yes,” Mel nodded grimly. “After that, no one came back. Finally, my father had to close the place down. I hadn't been able to rent it at all until the Talent Star people came around. Now they say the phantom's back.”

Pavari whimpered nervously, her ears pinning. “Well,” said Mel, having a thought, “maybe I'll get lucky and he'll burn the place down so I can collect the insurance money, eh? Heh, heh. Or maybe I should put on a cape and mask and do it myself! Ha ha…”

However, this remark led Pavari to sink further to the ground in fear, and Fred, Daphne, Pipp and Hitch looked at him with raised eyebrows. “What?” Mel asked innocently before realizing his error. “Ah, now, don't look at me like that. You see, that's why I don't make jokes.”

“Well… thank you for your help anyway, Mr. Richmond,” Hitch cleared his throat. “We’ll be on our way now.”

The group bid Mel Richmond farewell before they walked out of that storage room and out of Mel's earshot. “If I may say so,” Pipp said, “that guy is a few music notes short of a song... and definitely a worthy suspect.”

“You're definitely right about him being suspicious, Pipp,” Fred pointed out, “but we better head to the hotel and meet up with the others to see what they found.”

Pavari sighed reluctantly. “Do we though?”

“Yes, we do,” Daphne told the young leopard. “I'm sure you can talk things out with your sister, but you won't know unless you try.”

Pavari sighed and nodded, knowing her new friends were right before following them out of the room.

XXXXXXXX

Eden was quiet while she walked with Misty, Sunny, Shaggy and Scooby, trying to not say anything to stop herself from saying the wrong thing.

But as they navigated the streets of Chicago, Misty noticed Eden's quiet behavior and became concerned. “You okay, Eden? You haven't said much since we left the opera house.”

“...I just didn't wanna say anything that would make you mad at me too,” Eden said quietly with her head held low. “I seem to do that all the time with Bree.”

“Hey, you're not gonna say anything to make us mad,” Sunny said. “I understand that sometimes during an argument, you need space from your friends. But it doesn't mean that you're growing apart from each other.”

“Yeah-- Scooby-Doo and I love time that we have to ourselves,” Shaggy interjected his thoughts into their conversation. “Like for instance, do you know what I like best about going to the library, Eden?”

Eden took a guess after a moment. “The books?”

“Nope. The fact that it's far, far away from that phantom guy.”

“You said it,” Scooby nodded with a smile. “And,” Shaggy added, “it's nice that Velma trusts us with such an important assignment like...”

Suddenly, a very similar aroma stopped Shaggy, Scooby and Eden in their tracks, and they looked across the street and found exactly what food was creating this aroma. “PIZZA!!”

Shaggy, Scooby and their new leopard friend raced down the street as fast as their wings and feet would go, causing Sunny to sigh. “Come on, Misty... we better go after them before Shaggy and Scooby cause anymore trouble.”

XXXXXXXX

Shaggy, Scooby and Eden burst through the door in excitement, Shaggy laughing in excitement. “Gimme eats!”

“Right this way, sir,” said the waitress of the restaurant, and Shaggy and Scooby linked arms and walked off with Eden trotting after them, and Sunny and Misty managed to catch up to them at the table. “Gee... you guys are a lot faster than I remember!” Sunny said as she and Misty sat down. “But, we're supposed to be looking for clues, remember?”

“We can always look for clues later, Sunny,” Eden told her new friend. “Besides, I haven't had pizza in ages! We have to figure out which kind we want!”

“Do you have anything bigger than the extra-extra-large?” Shaggy asked the waitress. “Yeah,” the waitress nodded, “but it's not on the menu. Oh, and you have to sign a release form saying we're not responsible if you die.”

Sunny looked at Shaggy and Scooby, who both looked equally excited, but then she realized that any minute now, they were gonna look at her with desperate eyes, causing her to sigh. “Oh, what the heck… we’ll take it.”

“Alrighty,” the waitress nodded in compliance. “But I'll have to move you to another table.”

“Why?” Misty asked, but then, the waitress gave quite the surprising answer. “Because this one is smaller than your pizza.”

“Awesome…!!” Shaggy, Scooby and Eden high fived before they followed the waitress to the largest table in the restaurant, completely all to themselves. But, looking up at the chandelier and walls around them, Eden hummed in thought. “Something’s missing…”

As she closed her eyes and spread her wings, she gave one mighty stomp of her paw, causing green magic (similar to an earth pony’s magic abilities) to spread all over the walls and ceiling, and causing vines and flowers to grow around the table and on the chandelier. “Wow, Eden! That was amazing!” Misty smiled. “Heh, thanks,” Eden chuckled, sitting down at the table with her friends. “It took a lot of practice to master my powers to the extent that I have, but it really adds visual effect when me and my sisters perform.”

Suddenly, a siren coming from the kitchen went off, causing all eyes to turn that way, and two muscular guys wheeled a pizza that was at least as long as a school bus (the biggest pizza Sunny and Misty had ever seen), and the waitress pressed a button that slid the pizza off the tray and onto the table.

Shaggy and Scooby were beyond ecstatic, laughing and giggling excitedly, and even Shaggy went as far as hugging the pizza. “If you don’t mind,” said Shaggy to the waitress, “we’d like to be alone with the pizza.”

“Okie-dokie,” the waitress smiled. “Uh, we can wrap up the leftovers for you.”

“Left… overs?” Shaggy repeated before he and Scooby burst into immediate laughter. “Uh oh!” Misty exclaimed, realizing what was about to happen. “Eden, you might wanna duck!”

“Why would I-- WHOA!!” Eden yelped as soon as food started flying, and she ducked under the table with Sunny and Misty to avoid getting food on themselves. Shaggy and Scooby devoured that whole pizza in at least 45 seconds, much to the shock and bewilderment of all the patrons… who were unlucky and got pizza remains all over them.

After the pizza was devoured, Shaggy and Scooby licked the pizza off their faces before the ponies and Eden got out from their hiding spots, and as the crowd glared at them angrily… they actually started applauding at the feat that Shaggy and Scooby had displayed. “I’d just like to say,” said the amazed waitress, “that it's an honor to be in your presence.”

“Like, I’m sure it is,” Shaggy grinned. “Gee,” Eden whispered to Misty and Sunny, “being a bit modest much?”

Misty only giggled at the leopard and her question. “You have no idea.”

Suddenly, the door to the restaurant burst open, and in came several men dressed in black came in through the door right after an extravagantly dressed woman with extremely long nails, and many people were crowding around her, hoping to get a picture or get an autograph.

However, Scooby tilted his head in confusion. “Who's that?”

“That's Lotte,” Eden responded with a smile. “She's on Talent Star, and she's already won a bunch of other talent shows.”

The waitress, who appeared to be a big fan, nodded in agreement. “She was great on America's Got Singing... and Sing or Die... and Singetty-Sing-Song-Sing!”

“So... she's a singer?” Misty guessed out of innocence. “You could say that,” Eden shrugged. “But, she's also a major diva who's... well... I think you're about to see how heartless she can get.”

Sunny, Misty, Shaggy and Scooby looked to see a little girl, probably around Emma's age, approach Lotte for an autograph, but Lotte looked in disgust at the tights-and-shorts combo that the young girl was waiting. “Mmm-mmm,” Lotte responded sassily. “I do not sign for anyone wearing tights and shorts... because it's wrong.”

This was obviously not the answer that the girl was expecting, because the next thing she knew, she was running off in tears. “Yeah yeah, you better run!” Lotte called after her. “Oh boy...” Misty gulped nervously. “She’s got the same kind of cocky attitude as Posey and Opaline put together!”

“I hate to agree with that part, but... I think you might be right,” Sunny spoke. “Have you and your sisters met her before, Eden?”

“Not personally,” frowned Eden, “but we've seen her around enough to know that she's pretty stiff competition and will do pretty much anything to win.”

“And, uh... not to make anyone nervous,” said Sunny, “but... she's coming this way!”

Indeed, Lotte was walking in their direction, and the waitress lifted a notepad up to her. “Would you...?”

“Leave us!” Lotte quickly demanded, and the waitress immediately backed off. “Um... hi, Lotte,” Eden greeted as casually as Lotte turned toward her and her new friends. “I'm Eden SirenSong, o-one of the SirenSong sisters, and these--”

“I already know who you are!” Lotte interrupted, piercing her long nails into the wall and causing the others to shriek in surprise. “And I want you to take a message to Daphne and Fred-- Tell them they don't stand a chance. I will crush all who oppose me. I will feast upon their blood. Their families will weep over their smoldering corpses. I will leave nothing but their scarves. So swears Lotte!”

That's when she began to carve her name into Shaggy’s shirt and Scooby’s chest, spelling out each letter as she did so. “L... O... T... T... E! Lotte...”

Shaggy and Scooby screamed and bolted toward the door with their friends in pursuit as Lotte cackled victoriously. “Here you go!” Misty gave the waitress some money. “Keep the change! Thanks for everything!”

And just like that, she and Sunny bolted after their friends in the direction of the hotel, hoping to catch their friends before they landed in some sort of trouble.

Midnight Confessions/The Second Phantom Attack

Right after leaving the pizza parlor, Eden and Misty and Sunny darted after Shaggy and Scooby to the Hotel Canard, since the pair was so traumatized by what Lotte did to them, not just physically, but mentally.

Luckily, Daphne had sent Shaggy the room information in a text a few hours earlier, so they were able to go up the elevator and right to the room, where the others were gathered on or around the bed while Velma was making a suspect list on the computer. “Hey, guys,” Shaggy said after panting tiredly. “Where have you guys been?” Breena asked her friends out of concern. “The library closed hours ago!”

However, Eden blinked in confusion, completely forgetting about their original assignment. “The… what?”

“...never mind…” Breena deadpanned, annoyed with her little sister. “We found plenty of information online. “There was definitely a phantom back in the '70s, but I don't think the one we saw was the same person,” Velma said, pulling up a photo of the phantom on her computer. “This is from earlier tonight.”

“Pipp, did you post that on your social media feed?” Zipp asked. “No, I-I didn’t!” Pipp quickly denied. “But, if Pipp didn’t post it,” said Daphne, “where did you get that picture?”

“It’s all over the internet. Talent Star is really milking this for publicity,” Velma said before pulling up a picture of the original phantom side-by-side with the picture from earlier. “See? The outfit is different. I think what we saw today was someone taking advantage of the old stories for their own purposes.”

“But hold on-- you guys saw him disappear, right?” Hitch asked. “If he disappeared, he had to have been a real ghost!”

“We saw it on a monitor, Hitch,” Sunny reminded. “It could have been faked somehow.”

“Hold on a sec, guys…” Misty spoke, suddenly having a thought. “You guys don’t think Allura had something to do with this… do you?”

“Allura? But she’s been banished from this realm,” said Pavari. “Why would she have something to do with this?”

The others looked worried, unsure of what they should tell the sisters about the former leader of the winged leopards… and what she may have been planning.

They couldn't keep their friends in the dark, though... especially when Allura could pop up just about anywhere. “Well… here’s the thing,” Izzy began with a worried look. “Allura may or may not have slipped through the barrier keeping her in Starlight Ridge and now we’re racing against her to find pieces to a star that can help her travel to and take over different realms, so… yeah.”

“...okay, this officially just got a lot worse than a phantom!” Breena exclaimed with wide eyes. “Allura could be anywhere at any time!”

“And that’s why we have to be vigilant,” Sunny reminded her friends. “Who knows where she might pop up next.”

“But if Allura isn’t behind this particular plan,” Fred spoke, “then who are the likely suspects?”

“Definitely Chrissy’s parents,” Daphne pointed out. “You’re right!” Fred realized. “The phantom seems interested in making sure Chrissy wins the competition.”

“And Brick Pimiento,” Zipp agreed as Velma put his picture on the suspect list. “He was a little too quick to capitalize on the phantom for publicity.”

“Yeah,” Velma agreed. “Could he be doing this to boost the show’s ratings?”

“What about Mel Richmond? The guy who owns the opera house?” Fred pointed out, and Velma added his picture to the list. “Maybe what he said about insurance money wasn't a joke.”

“What about Dewey Ottoman?” Daphne spoke up. “He’s creepy.”

“Does he have a motive?” Zipp asked. “Uh, isn’t being creepy a motive?” Pipp countered with an eyebrow raised, prompting Velma to add Dewey to the suspect list anyway. Suddenly, Shaggy thought of someone else to add to the list. “Ooh! Ooh! You gotta be Lotte down!”

“You think Lotte is the phantom?” Pavari asked her friends in surprise. “Honestly, I think she’s scarier than the phantom!” Misty said with a nervous shudder. “Just put her down.”

Velma did so out of compliance, and once all the pictures were on the screen, she hummed in thought. “Everyone on this list but Mel Richmond and Lotte have been seen at the same time as the phantom,” she said. “And that could make them even more likely suspects,” Zipp agreed. “We’re gonna have to keep an eye on them tomorrow.”

Fred yawned and stretched tiredly after this was said. “Guys, it's getting late. We have the dress rehearsal in the morning,” he told the others, “and the big show tomorrow night. I say we get some sleep.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Jones!” Misty said with a wink before she, Shaggy and Scooby prepared to leave the room. But, as they opened the door, they were stunned to see Lotte on the other side of it, causing them to scream. “I will break you--” Lotte began to say before Shaggy slammed the door shut, causing Velma to sigh. “We have adjoining rooms, Shaggy,” she said, opening a door on the other side of the room. “You guys can go this way.”

Misty, Shaggy and Scooby bolted into the other room immediately after this. “See you in the morning,” Fred waved to Daphne before he, Hitch and Sunny followed Misty and the boys into the next room. And as she watched Fred walk off, Daphne sighed romantically. “He said he’ll see me…”

Velma and Zipp each sighed in exasperation before Breena giggled. “Come on, sisters… let’s head to our room for the night too.”

“...okay. See you guys later!” Pavari waved to those remaining before she and her sisters flew out of the room and toward their quarters for the night.

XXXXXXXX

Velma, Zipp, Izzy and Pipp were fast asleep in their beds and cots during the middle of the night when something caused Velma to wake up and look over at Daphne’s bed as she put on her glasses. “Daph...?”

Unfortunately, she gave no answer, because when Velma looked again, she noticed that Daphne wasn't in her bed. “Velma...?” Pipp yawned as she and Izzy slowly stirred. “Where’s Daphne gone to?”

“Oh, that's an easy question!” Izzy said, pointing her hoof to the balcony. The three of them got out of bed, careful not to wake Zipp, in order to go outside and check on her. “Trouble sleeping?” Velma asked, leading Daphne to sniffle and wipe her eyes. “Yeah…”

“Are you okay?” Pipp asked in concern. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m fine…”

“You’re obviously not fine, Daphne,” Velma could tell that Daphne wasn’t being honest right away. “Why don’t you tell us about it?”

That’s when Daphne finally revealed a… well, not-so-secret secret. “I’m in love with Fred!! There-- I said it!”

Izzy gasped dramatically at this. “WHAAAAAAAT?!

“Oh my pony, I would have NEVER guessed!” Pipp agreed. “Really?” Velma said sarcastically at this. “Wow, I never would have… gosh, that's a shocker.”

“I’ve kept it a secret for so long,” Daphne said, looking up at the sky. “I just had to tell someone… er, somepony.”

“Uh, this is just my own thoughts,” Pipp said, “but shouldn’t you be telling somepony BESIDES us? Like… Freddy for instance?”

However, Daphne immediately disliked such an idea. “No! Oh my gosh, no! I was hoping this competition would bring us closer… but even after all the time rehearsing and performing together… I just can't say anything.”

That's when Daphne pulled out a small piece of paper. “I even wrote a song, to that tune Fred composed? It explains how I feel about him. But if I think about singing it, I feel like I'm going to throw up… or pass out… or both!”

“Pipp’s right-- you have to tell him, Daph,” Velma pointed out. “You'll never know how he feels unless you talk to him.”

“I can't. Maybe if I win Talent Star, that would give me the confidence. Maybe then I could talk to him,” Daphne realized before violently shaking Velma. “Girls, we just have to win! We just have to!!”

Izzy helped to steady Velma after that violent shaking fit, and that’s when Pipp approached Daphne. “If confidence is what you need, then I’m your pony. But you should know… you have more confidence than you think.”

Daphne looked at Pipp in surprise. “You really think so?”

“I really do,” Pipp smiled before nudging Daphne back into the hotel room, with Izzy and Velma in pursuit. “Come on… you can’t win Talent Star if you’re sleepy, can you?”

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, in another room, Lotte was sleeping peacefully when a shadowy figure came into her room and swapped out her voice spray for some other material.

XXXXXXXX

Back in the other adjoining room, Shaggy and Scooby were having a quiet conversation, so they wouldn’t disturb their sleeping friends. “Scooby-Doo, are you awake?” Shaggy asked. “I can’t sleep.”

“Me neither,” Scooby sat up before turning to his best friend on the floor. “You want the bed?”

“No,” Shaggy declined politely. “It's been almost two hours since we had that pizza and I'm starving, heh. Maybe the hotel has a vending machine or something.”

“Ugh…” Sunny yawned as she sat up. “What’s this talk about a vending machine…?”

“Like, sorry, Sunny,” Shaggy apologized. “Scoob and I were gonna go grab something to eat.”

“Eh, I might as well come with you,” Sunny said as she got off the bed quietly to avoid waking Misty. “With this phantom on the loose, you can’t be too careful… and my stomach has been kinda grumbling.”

XXXXXXXX

Sunny, Shaggy and Scooby crept out of their hotel room as quietly as they could in order to get to the vending machines without waking anyone.

However, they were unaware that the phantom was coming out of Lotte's room at the exact same time.

They bumped into each other in the hallway, causing Sunny and the boys to scream as soon as they saw the phantom, who cackled and tried to grab them. Unfortunately, when Sunny and her friends tried to get back into their hotel room, the door had locked behind them, causing them to flee down the hall in their own attempt to escape.

But, as they rounded one of the corners, they were stunned to discover that they had hit a dead end, allowing the phantom to corner them! Luckily, Sunny was able to leap right on him and knocked him down to the ground, allowing her friends and herself another chance at escape.

Shaggy and Scooby ran through several different racks of clothes, the clothes getting stuck to them in the process, but then the two of them, along with Sunny, crashed into a laundry cart and went rolling down the hall until they crashed into several other carts.

As they made it out from the laundry and began running again, Scooby collided with Dewey Ottoman, causing both of them to land on the floor. “Dog!”

Scooby looked back and saw that the phantom was getting closer, so he leapt right off of Dewey and after his friends, leaving Dewey to sit up with a groan of disgust. “I touched a dog! I have dog bacteria!!”

Sunny, Shaggy and Scooby finally reached the kitchen, where the two boys hid behind a table with Sunny near them to protect them just as the phantom entered the room, laughing maliciously just as he shoved a huge pole in front of the door, trapping the three friends and himself inside. “Like, take it easy there, phantom dude!” Shaggy tried to keep his voice from quivering. “Yeah!” Scooby agreed. “Or else Sunny will have to go full alicorn on you!”

“Well, I will only if I have to!” Sunny gulped. “So… just trying to warn you!”

However, the phantom chuckled maliciously again, picking up a large knife and advancing in their direction. “Uh… I don’t think that’s taking it easy!” Sunny told her friends, panic laced in her voice. “That’s taking it WAY too hard! RUN!!”

Shaggy and Scooby screamed as the two of them, plus their earth pony friend, tried to avoid the knife and the phantom, eventually running around a table a couple of times before they pulled Sunny underneath a nearby table. Then, as the phantom began looking for them, Sunny and her friends began to pick up the table and scoot it over toward the exit, hoping the phantom wouldn't notice...

...but he noticed... big time.

He chopped the knife right through the table, causing them to scream and bolt to the outside balcony, after shoving a pedestal in front of the door. Unfortunately, the phantom was able to open the door and follow them outside, leaving them with absolutely no place left to go... they were trapped!

As Shaggy and Scooby began to quiver behind Sunny as the phantom got closer, Sunny knew what she had to do-- there was no doubt in her mind about that. So, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her alicorn form beginning to appear. “I am all three pony kinds… wrapped up into one…”

“Sunny! What are you doing?!” Shaggy whispered loudly. “This is no time for a poetry contest!”

“...my cutie mark comes to life,” Sunny continued as her alicorn form developed fully, “with hope bright at the sun!!”

As her alicorn form fully developed, she stomped her front hooves onto the ground, sending a shock wave through the entire hotel, with Sunny hoping it would wake her friends while the phantom was blown back a bit. Unfortunately, after shaking of the dizziness, the phantom began to get closer, and after Sunny spread her wings and waited for him to make a move…

…Fred tossed a net out of the window, prompting Breena, Eden and Pavari to leap out the window with it, and once the net fell on the phantom, the sisters pounced on him to keep him down “And THAT’S what you get,” Pavari snarled, “for messing with our friends!”

But, the phantom seemed unfazed by the comments, standing up and knocking the sisters off him before cackling, and a green cloud of smoke swirled around him, and once the smoke was gone… the phantom was too! “What?!” Eden looked around. “Where did he go?!”

The other members of the Mane 6, Daphne, Velma, Lotte and Brick finally managed to push the door open, and Sunny sighed in relief as her friends came up and hugged her. “Are you guys okay?” Misty asked. “We were so worried when we felt Sunny’s sonic wave!”

“We’re fine,” Scooby nodded. “Sunny used her alicorn powers to save us!”

“A sonic wave? That’s what that was” Breena asked as she and her sisters looked at Sunny with wide eyes. “I just thought it was an earthquake. Respect.”

“Heh… thanks,” Sunny smiled. “But I don’t understand-- how in the world did he just disappear?”

That’s when Fred noticed something alarming about the net he had used. “It’s been cut!”

“It's okay, everyone. He's gone,” Brick said reassuringly. “No harm done. Heh, everybody back to bed. Fantastic! This phantom's gonna get us a 40 share…”

The sisters, Shaggy and Scooby prepared to follow him inside when they saw Lotte standing beside the door, causing them to meow/yell in terror. “Enough with the screaming! Gonna skin you alive…” Lotte sneered before yawning and turning away. “Good night.”

And just like that, she walked off… but not before Eden sniffed the air. “Hey… there’s no lemon scent like the last time the phantom showed up!”

“Yeah!” Scooby nodded. “You’re right!”

“Come on,” Breena urged her friends. “We need to follow Lotte and Brick... just to see where they're going.”

Pavari and Eden sighed at this, but reluctantly followed their older sister and friends away... just before Dewey came out with a sponge and bucket within reach. “A little baking soda and water will get that out…”

“I’m sure the hotel staff will…” Izzy tried to say before Dewey interrupted her. “No, no, no, please. I should get 45 minutes of scrubbing out of this.”

“You know…” said Velma, “that smoke bomb seemed like something a magician would do.”

“...and the Great Pauldini's nowhere to be seen!” Hitch realized, looking around. “True. But, does he have a motive?” Fred asked. “Winning Talent Star would sure be a motive,” Pipp said. “And there are a whole lot of people here who have an itch to win.”

“This just keeps getting more and more mysterious,” Daphne said. “But, you know what the real mystery is?” Velma asked. “Yeah,” Zipp agreed before looking at Fred. “How did you get hold of a net so fast in the middle of the night?”

“Um, well, I…”

“Oh my gosh,” Zipp said in realization. “You sleep with a net, don’t you?”

The others stifled laughter as Fred blushed in embarrassment. “Lots of people do!”

Sunny sighed to calm herself down. “Okay, everypony, we need to get back to sleep and do more investigating tomorrow-- we have to solve this mystery before the show tomorrow night. Otherwise… Daphne and Fred’s talent careers may be over.”

Dress Rehearsal Drama

It was the day after the second phantom attack, and the gang was all set to look for clues in between rehearsals.

However… their worries were also for Breena, Eden and Pavari, wondering if they were going to make it through this rehearsal without bickering and feuding like all three pony kinds did before magic returned.

But, they would have to see what would be ahead of them to know for sure.

XXXXXXXX

The ponies decided to enter the opera house with Shaggy and Scooby (who were disguised as a mother with her baby) in order to make sure they got past the security guard without any problems... and keep Shaggy and Scooby out of any unwanted mishaps.

By the time they arrived at the door, the security guard looked at the baby carriage suspiciously before instantly melting at the thought of seeing the ‘little one’ inside. “Aw, look at the little…” he began to say before removing the blanket, revealing Scooby dressed as a baby, startling him. “...baby?”

“Gooby-Gooby-Goo,” Scooby said, shaking his rattle before Shaggy pushed the carriage inside the opera house, with the Mane 6 in pursuit.

XXXXXXXX

When everyone finally entered the opera house to get ready, the finishing touches were being added to the stage and Dewey stepped out to the podium, dusting off his dress rehearsal schedule. “Okay, people!” he announced. “We've only got one dress rehearsal, so let's get it right. Chrissy Damon, you're up first.”

But, on the other side of the stage, Dewey saw that Barb and Lance were arguing again, this time barely audible, and Chrissy was watching them, causing him to growl in frustration before calling her again. “Chrissy!”

“Ready!” Chrissy chirped cheerfully, and skipped out on stage just before the music began, and even Pipp had to admit, for how… dangerous Chrissy sounded, she had a really good voice.

Chrissy: Stay away from my man, home-wrecker
Nobody comes between me and my man
Stay away… or I'll pummel you
I'm a runaway train

Don't think I won't fight you
Don't think I'll lay down
Don't think I won't punch you
Right to the ground

Noooo-wao-wao-wao-wao

I will never rest
Until you're far away
My fists are gonna put you
In a world of pain

Stay away from my man

By the time the song was over, Chrissy’s parents were smiling fondly at Chrissy, and as she walked off the stage and out of earshot, Velma knew she had to say… something about that performance. “For a girl her age, that song seems a little… incredibly inappropriate.”

“Yeah,” Fred nodded. “Very incredibly,” Sunny agreed. “But you gotta admit,” Pipp spoke up, tilting her head, “she does have style… something I kind of admire?”

Chrissy's parents applauded her as she walked past them, but she merely dropped her microphone and walked off, huffing. “All right, all right, very good. And next, we have…” Dewey said before he read the next name with exasperation. “...the SirenSong Sisters.”

“All right, girls!” Breena smiled, taking the lead up toward the stage. “It’s showtime!”

“Um… Breena?” Eden tried to speak. “I was hoping maybe we could… change it up a bit this time?”

Breena turned back to her with a raised eyebrow. “Huh? How?”

“Well… we could all take turns singing ‘If the top is where you wanna stay’,” Pavari suggested. “It is in the song three times, so it makes sense.”

“Huh… I never thought about that before,” Breena hummed, and then remembered the conversation she had with Izzy and Zipp, a smile slowly coming onto her face. “I guess we could always try that.”

“Really?” Eden and Pavari chorused. “Well… yeah. Just for a trial run, and then we'll decide for sure before the show tonight,” Breena reminded them before the three sisters took their positions onstage. “All right… let’s do this!”

Once the sisters had taken their positions onstage, the music began to play, and the platforms and the staircases that went with them, began to rise, just as the sisters began their song.

Breena: Mmm-mmm…

Never gets old no matter how much I'm told
I'm amazing

Eden and Pavari: You’re amazing

Breena: Hard to get tired when I'm always on fire
I'm blazin'

Pavari and Eden: Ooh, you’re blazin’

SirenSong Sisters: All my greatest, it doesn't come for free (Yeah)
All my talent, tt doesn't grow on trees
Take a breather (Ooh), then take it all away

Breena: If the top is where you wanna stay…

SirenSong Sisters: You gotta work hard (Uh-huh)
To make it look it easy
You gotta live fast
To keep makin' that money (Ooh)

If you want to be as famous as me
You gotta work, you gotta work, you gotta work
Watch me work

“Wow,” Zipp commented from where she, Misty, Sunny, Shaggy and Scooby were watching the song and dance routine in the audience. “They may fight at times, but you gotta admit it-- they’re amazing!”

“I’ll agree to that!” Sunny cheered before pumping a hoof in the air to cheer the sisters on. “WHOO-HOO!!”

Breena: Haters wanna be me or be with me
Yeah, they're f-f-frеakin'

Pavari and Eden: Yeah, they’re freakin’

Eden: I just keep on workin', lurkin', smirkin'
When they think that I'm peakin'

Pavari: Never peakin’, yeah

SirenSong Sisters: All my greatest, it doesn't come for free (Yeah)
All my talent, tt doesn't grow on trees
Take a breather (Ooh), then take it all away

Eden: If the top is where you wanna stay...!!!

SirenSong Sisters: You gotta work hard (Uh-huh)
To make it look it easy
You gotta live fast
To keep makin' that money (Ooh)

If you want to be as famous as me
You gotta work, you gotta work, you gotta work
Watch me work

Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, go ahead and watch me work
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
Go ahead and watch me work

Pavari: If the top is where you wanna stay...!!!

SirenSong Sisters: You gotta work hard (Uh-huh)
To make it look it easy
You gotta live fast
To keep makin' that money (Ooh)

If you want to be as famous as me
You gotta work, you gotta work, you gotta work

Watch me work!

Everyone in the audience and those waiting backstage for their turn cheered wildly as the performance ended, and Breena turned to her sisters. “Wow, your idea was really something, Edie! I think it made our performance that much better!”

“R-Really?” Eden looked surprised. “You really like it?”

“Of course I do!” Breena smiled before her face fell. “I’m sorry if I haven’t said it enough.”

“...thanks, sis,” Eden smiled. “I appreciate that.”

As the sisters leapt off the stage to join their friends, Dewey stepped up to the mic again. “Next is… Emma Gale,” he announced before looking at Collette. “Has anyone cleaned this microphone recently?”

“Like, an hour ago?” Collette supposed. “Unbelievable. Are we savages…?” Dewey muttered and got to cleaning the mic as the most beautiful violin music filled the air. Emma was in her own universe by that moment, not disturbed by the fiery effects bursting up out of the stage, and everyone was watching her in amazement. “Oh my gosh, she’s amazing!” Daphne said before turning to the couple watching her next to them. “Are you Emma’s parents?”

“Hey, Mike and Meg Gale, pleased to meet you,” Emma’s father smiled. “ Boy, isn't she terrific?”

“Yeah,” Fred nodded. “I think she's got a good shot at winning.”

“Well, we sure hope so,” Meg spoke. “Without that prize money the bank's going to take our farm.”

“O-Oh,” Hitch felt his heart twinge at that. “That’s terrible.”

“Yeah…” Meg sighed sadly. “It's been in our family for five generations. Mike's grandparents are buried there.”

The other ponies, Fred and Daphne looked at each other with sadness and sympathy… up until now, they had only cared about Fred and Daphne winning the show and the prize money… not of what it would mean to others.

Especially Emma’s family.

Pipp wanted Fred and Daphne to win, but… then again… she wouldn’t mind if they lost some either. “So, uh,” Mike interrupted the silence, looking at Fred and Daphne, “what are you two gonna do with the money if you win?”

But, honestly? Fred and Daphne hadn’t even thought about what they would have done with the prize money, so… they just said the first thing that came to their minds.

“Um, could use some new seat covers for the van.”

“Um, possibly a hat…?”

Unsure of what they should say, Izzy, Hitch and Pipp looked at their friends before looking toward the audience and noticed that Misty, Shaggy and Scooby were missing...

...and they hoped that Misty was keeping their friends out of trouble.

XXXXXXXX

Misty was following Shaggy and Scooby through the back hallways of the opera house to find Brick Pimiento, and they eventually did after a few minutes. “Hey, Mr. Pimiento!” Misty smiled. “I know the boys were a little unprepared before...”

“...but now we have got the act for you,” Shaggy finished, letting Scooby nod in agreement. “We are... hold for it... contortionists!”

“Ta-da!” Scooby said with a smile, making Misty blink in surprise. “Uh... contort-a-what-now?”

Ignoring Misty’s confusion, Brick turned back to the boys. “All right, well, let's see what you got.”

Shaggy and Scooby began to stretch and pop their bones a bit before they began their routine... and this made Misty a tad uncomfortable and a tad worried about what she was about to see.

XXXXXXXX

Pavari, Eden and Velma were going to look through the hall for their friends when Shaggy and Scooby let out a pained scream, and when they went to check on their friends, Brick got in their path, startling them. “You might wanna go help your friends. They've gotten themselves a little tangled, heh. Fantastic.”

And just like that, he ran off, leaving the three of them to peek around the corner to see Misty trying to pull a twisted Shaggy and Scooby apart, but to no avail. “We need aspirin, a chiropractor and some baby oil...” Shaggy groaned as he and Scooby fell to the ground. “...right now!”

Velma blinked in surprise as the two leopard sisters seemed to wince at the scene. “Um... okay...?”

“I actually think I have a better idea,” Eden said in thought. “Pavari, do you think we could make a long, wet vine that can squirm in between Shaggy and Scooby and pry them apart?”

“Absolutely!” Pavari smiled. “Let’s do this!”

She and Eden slammed their paws together, letting them glow before a slippery wet vine grew from the ground, worming its way between Shaggy and Scooby, causing them to giggle. “Hey!” Scooby giggled. “That tickles!”

And after a bit of worming their way through, the vines managed to pry Shaggy and Scooby off of one another, causing them to fall to the ground. “Nice work, you two!” Misty told the leopards as she helped Shaggy and Scooby to their feet. “But we better get back to the stage before Fred and Daphne’s turn.”

XXXXXXXX

By the time that the others had returned to the stage, Emma had just finished her act, and Dewey was set to announce who was next. “Next up... Lotte Lavoie!”

“All right, all right!” Lotte shooed her man-posse away from her. “Throat spray.”

One of her man posse members handed her a bottle, to which she used to spray her throat before taking a microphone and stepping out onto the stage.

Peeking out from their hiding place, Shaggy and Scooby gasped in fear over Lotte, and Eden and Pavari whimpered, leading Breena to wrap her wings around them comfortably.

But then... something very unusual happened. Every time Lotte began singing, her voice came as a hoarse squeak, along with some coughing fits.

And even with a raspy voice, Lotte directed her fury toward everyone in the room, prompting them to hide. “Who did this to me...?! Who...?!” she snarled. “Someone is going to pay for this. Someone is going to pay!”

XXXXXXXX

Within a few minutes, the doctor was able to examine Lotte's throat. “Well... how does it look, doc?” Zipp asked in concern. “Well,” said the doctor, “it appears that her throat has been sprayed with some kind of chemical irritant. There's no permanent damage, but you won't be able to sing for a week.”

Unfortunately, Lotte began to direct her anger toward the doctor, one of her own body guards, the ponies... anyone who was around, and this caused Shaggy, Scooby and Misty to hide in the nearby closet. “I'm gonna sue you and you and you... and EVERYONE!!!” Lotte hoarsely shrieked before she marched off the stage, her body guards in pursuit. “Somebody had better fix this or I am going to get mad!”

And just like that, Lotte was out of the building and officially out of the competition. Daphne was one of thise that watched her leave before turning to her friends. “So do you think maybe the phantom is behind this?”

“Hmm... he could be,” Hitch nodded. “But I think we need to keep an eye out for anything suspicious in the meantime.”

“We’re behind schedule, people!” Dewey said impatiently. “Next up are... Blake and Jones!”

“Okay, guys,” Velma said, “we'll keep an eye open for the phantom.”

“Actually, we'll keep both of our eyes open!” Izzy agreed. “So we can keep an even better eye out!”

“Right-- don't worry about a thing!” Zipp reassured before she, Breena, Shaggy and Scooby rushed off to survey the area. And since their friends were taking care of watching out for the phantom, Fred and Daphne stepped out onstage, with Fred playing his guitar and Daphne starting to sing a song.

Daphne: Rainstorm over the ocean
Sunshine after the rain
Clouds rise up from the water
Nature's endless chain

The world keeps on spinning
From day into the night
From season to season
From darkness to light

But, during the second verse, Breena, Zipp, Shaggy and Scooby saw someone rushing through the darkness, and rushed up to the rafters to get a closer look as Fred and Daphne reached the chorus.

Fred and Daphne: Our lives keep evolving
Through hope and despair
I can take all the changes
Knowing you're there

We are like the rivers
That join at the sea…

As soon as Breena and Zipp flew up to the rafters, with Shaggy and Scooby climbing the ladder, they looked down and saw that the figure running was only Brick Pimiento, causing Zipp to sigh in relief. “Easy, guys-- it’s only Brick.”

Shaggy and Scooby rested comfortably on the railing of the rafters… up until they accidentally slipped and fell right on Brick as Fred and Daphne finished up their song.

Daphne: It’s enough for me
It’s enough for me…

The other ponies, Eden and Pavari stomped their paws/hooves and cheered for their friends, and Emma rushed out onstage and hugged Daphne. “You guys were great!”

“Thanks!” Daphne smiled warmly.

XXXXXXXX

“Sorry, sir,” Shaggy apologized to Brick as Breena and Zipp helped everyone up. “So sorry.”

“Was that your new act?” Brick asked with a slight chuckle. “What are you, the human cannonball?”

“To be quite honest,” Breena admitted as she held up Brick's jacket for him to slip through, “we thought you might’ve been the phantom.”

“What? Why would you think that?” Brick asked quickly and nervously. “That's crazy.”

Zipp couldn’t help but hum at Brick’s nervous behavior… and wondered if Velma was right about Brick being the phantom after all.

XXXXXXXX

When the others arrived with their friends, the Great Pauldini was rehearsing his disappearing trick, to which was successful, much to the surprise of the gang. “Still no sign of the phantom,” Velma whispered. “Maybe the whole thing’s over,” Daphne supposed. “I wouldn’t go that far yet, Daph,” Sunny whispered. “I got a bad feeling about this.”

After a minute or so, it was Waldo's turn, sitting on his dummy's lap while he did his act.

“Say, Hufnagel, are you an actor or a dummy?”

“I don't know, what's the difference?”

Izzy burst into laugher at this. “He's hilarious, right guys?”

“Uh… sure, Iz,” Pipp said in sarcastic agreement. “Sure.”

At the same time, the Girlasaurus Rex band was watching from down in the audience when the girl with dark purple hair smiled admiringly at Waldo. “He’s so hot.”

Suddenly, Cathy gasped in alarm upon seeing something. “Oh my gosh, he’s on fire!”

“Totally…”

“No!” Cathy shook her head, pointing at Waldo. “I mean, he’s really on fire!”

“Hey, Hufnagel, do you…” Waldo began to ask when a revolting smell hit him head on, “...smell something burning?”

But when he looked down, he was alarmed to see that Hufnagel was on fire! Everyone gasped just before Pavari flew over and used her powers to extinguish the flames... but not before the phantom's laughter echoed throughout the entire opera house. “Christine must win!”

The Mane 6 and the leopard sisters gathered around their new friends, glancing around cautiously in case the phantom were to appear. “Security, find that phantom!!” Dewey shrieked to the security on scene. “Find him, find him!!”

After the security team split up, Waldo was seen leaving the stage. “Waldo? Hey, you're not leaving, are you, buddy?” Brick nervously asked. “No,” Waldo responded sarcastically, “I thought I'd stay and risk my life for a stupid talent show.”

“Hey, that's fanta... hey.”

“Of course I'm leaving. And the rest of you will too, if you have any sense,” Waldo warned, giving the Girlasaurus Rex band his card before he left.

However, the girls began wrestling over the card and arguing, causing them to fall to the floor and, causing Zipp to call out to them as she and her friends left the stage. “Girlasaurus Rex? I think you guys are on!”

The ponies and their Mystery Inc friends took their seats in the audience to watch the performance while Breena, Eden and Pavari watched off to the side, and even they had to admit, they were excited to see what this band had in them.

“We are…”

“GIRLASAURUS REX!!! RAAAAWR!!!”

Scooby yelped and hid at this, but that’s when the band took their places to perform. “One! Two! One, two, three, four!”

But, as the band began to play, their instruments suddenly fell apart one by one, and even the drums came apart and rolled in different directions. Even with no instruments, the band attempted to try and mimic their sounds, but this was all ruined when the phantom’s face suddenly appeared on the screens.

Everyone gasped at this as the band ran for cover, and the leopard sisters leapt in front of Girlasaurus Rex to protect them in case the phantom tried anything. “Christine must win… HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!”

Dewey and Collette immediately hid behind the podium in fright, and Dewey reached out to K.T in the sound booth. “K.T.? Where is he? Where is he?!”

“He’s in the prop room. No, wait! He's in the coffee… h-he's everywhere! What the heck?!”

“Okay, guys, this is getting bad,” Sunny told her friends as the phantom continued to cackle. “Most all the acts have been eliminated so far, and next time? Who knows what the phantom will do!”

“Sunny’s right,” Zipp said. “This guy is as dangerous as Allura! Maybe even more so!”

“So wha… what do we do?” Scooby asked fearfully. “I'll tell you what we're gonna do-- we're gonna buckle down and solve this case,” Sunny rubbed the Great Dane reassuringly. “No matter where it may take us... and no matter who it may lead us to.”

Author's Note

This is the song I decided to use for the sisters' number one hit:

Watch Me Work | Trolls Trollpedia | Fandom

The First and Second Phantoms Unmasked

There was no doubt about it… whoever this phantom really was knew how to get what they wanted.

And if our heroes didn’t do something fast, something worse may happen during the live performances!

As soon as the phantom’s image disappeared from the main stage, security was immediately called. “Don't worry. We'll find him,” one of the security guards said reassuringly. “Let’s split up.”

But when he and his partner went to ‘split up’, they ended up colliding right into one another. “Okay,” the security guard groaned, “the other way.”

But then, the two security guards fell right off the stage and onto their faces, causing everyone to wince. “Find him,” Dewey whimpered. “Now, now, now, now!”

“Jeez, I get everyone is worried, but Dewey needs to take a SERIOUS chill pill,” Pipp rolled her eyes. “And speaking of which,” said one of the Girlasaurus Rex members, “we’re out of here.”

But, as soon as they started to leave, Brick stood in their way. “Heh, ladies, where are you going? Come on.”

“Dude, someone busted our instruments,” said the guitarist with a sneer. “What's next, our heads?”

“Think we can catch up with Waldo?” the pink-haired band member asked, and Cathy walked away, pulling Waldo’s card out of her pocket. “What do you mean we?”

“Come back here!” the other band members cried and chased after her. “Zipp and Sunny were right before. We gotta do something,” Fred told the others. “Velma, you've seen all the acts, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Who do you think the frontrunners are? I mean, of the ones that are left?”

“Honestly?” Velma shrugged. “You guys, the violin girl and Chrissy.”

“Yes!” Pipp pumped a hoof. “I knew Fred and Daphne were frontrunner material!”

“Pipp!” Zipp scolded. “Not the time for your manager cred!”

Pipp blinked a moment before blushing in embarrassment. “Oh, right… sorry.”

“So,” Daphne hummed in thought, “if the phantom wants Chrissy to win, he'll try to get rid of Emma and us!”

“Breena,” Fred turned to the eldest leopard sister, “can you and Emma’s parents take her someplace safe?”

“You got it!” Breena saluted before she flew off. “We’re gonna set a trap for the phantom,” Fred explained to the others, “and Daphne and I will be the bait.”

“Oh, good!” Daphne smiled before the others glanced at her. “I mean, yeah, whatever.”

“And when the time is right,” Misty said, “the rest of us will leap out and grab the phantom so we can get this mystery over with!”

“Okay, guys,” Sunny said, “we just need to get into position, and then, as Fred likes to say… it’s trapping time!”

XXXXXXXX

A while after all the contestants had gotten done rehearsing, a janitor was sweeping the stage when he saw Fred and Daphne walk out onto the stage so they could start their plan. “Well, uh, we're gonna take a nap now,” Fred spoke loudly so the phantom could possibly hear. “In our dressing room!” Daphne agreed. “Uh… no one cares?” the janitor said in confusion, but that didn’t stop Fred and Daphne from proceeding.

“Yeah, so, uh, we'll be asleep and napping. Just totally unprotected.”

“In our dressing room. Asleep.”

“Unguarded!”

“In our dressing room!”

“Unguarded!”

And by the time they walked off, the janitor looked so confused-- what the heck were they doing?

XXXXXXXX

A few minutes later, back in the dressing room, Pavari and Eden and Hitch and Pipp were going to pretend to be asleep so they could leap out and get the phantom whenever he came in, and the rest of the ponies, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby were going to be hiding in the closet. “Hang tight,” Fred told them. “Something’s bound to happen.”

“To you, right? Not to us?” Shaggy asked curiously, causing the ponies and Velma to look over at him scoldingly. “What? I'm just asking.”

“Hey, it’s a fair question,” Scooby agreed, just before Fred shut the closet door, leaving the group inside to only have light coming from Izzy and Misty's horns. “It’s only a matter of time now,” Pipp told her friends before turning off the light, and they all closed their eyes, pretending to sleep while they waited...

...and waited...

...and waited some more.

Before our heroes knew it, two hours had passed and there had been absolutely no sign of the phantom. “This is ridiculous!” Shaggy muttered in annoyance from inside the closet. “We've been waiting forever. And, Velma, would you get your elbow out of my ribs?”

“Uh… she’s over here with me, Shaggy,” Zipp whispered with a raised eyebrow. “Hold on a sec,” Misty said, lighting her horn and shining it in Shaggy’s direction. “Then whose big elbow...?”

But before she could finish speaking, the phantom poked his head out and growled at them from a rack of clothes, causing Shaggy, Scooby, Velma and the remainder of the ponies to scream and burst out of the closet, causing the others to sit up in alarm. “Guys?” Eden looked alarmed. “What happened?!”

“Ph… ph… PHANTOM!!” Shaggy shrieked in terror. “He was in the closet!” Misty exclaimed. “Who knows how long he was in there with us!”

Fred looked into the closet, shining his flashlight into the back of it before noticing something. “He must have gone through there!”

Zipp looked inside the closet and gasped at what Fred was shining his flashlight at. “A secret door built right into the closet! I gotta admit… that’s impressive, even for a villain.”

“Well then… that’s where we have to go,” Sunny said. “We gotta follow him before he gets too far away!”

“Awwww…” Shaggy whined as the others crawled into the trapdoor. “Like, I hate hidden passages! They never lead anywhere good.”

“Too bad, so sad!” Pavari nudged his rear end to get him to move. “Let’s move it before the phantom gets too far ahead!”

XXXXXXXX

After the group finished crawling through the trapdoor, they ended up in a dark tunnel, to which they lit with their flashlights and lit horns. However, Shaggy hated the fact that they were heading through a secret passageway. “When's the last time we were in a hidden passage and it led to, like, miniature golf?”

“Is he like this all the time?” Eden asked her friends, causing Pipp to chuckle. “You have NO idea.”

XXXXXXXX

A little while later, after a while more of walking, they reached a wider section of tunnels, with water flowing all throughout, like some sort of underground river. “We must be in the sewers below the opera house!” Hitch realized. “The perfect place for a phantom of an opera house to hide out when he isn’t scaring us half to death.”

“Wait... the sewers?” Pavari stopped in her tracks. “The part of the city that's like an underground river?”

“Uh... I never thought about it like that, but yeah,” Sunny said as the others stopped in confusion. “Why do you ask?”

“Uh... I'll be back.”

And before the ponies or their friends could say a word, Pavari leapt into the air, a swirl of light turning her wings into fins and her back legs into a tail before she dove right into the water. “What in Equestria?!” Hitch said in shock. “How did she do that?!”

“It kinda comes with her powers,” Eden said just before Pavari popped her head up. “I can change between mer-leopard and regular form at will-- pretty cool, huh?”

“Other than the fact that you transformed in the sewers,” Velma shuddered at the fact, “then yeah.”

“Oops, sorry! When I see water,” Pavari said with a nervous chuckle, “I can’t help myself.”

The young leopard leapt right out of the water, turning back to normal in the process before the others pulled her up onto solid ground. “Like, these sewers have so many passageways,” Shaggy told the others. “How are we gonna find--?”

“Shh!” Pipp silenced him, her senses tingling. “Do you hear something?”

The others silenced themselves in order to listen, and discovered that Pipp was right-- there was definitely something in the air... and it sounded just like organ music!

And whoever was playing the organ? They were pretty good. “Where is it coming from?” Izzy asked, looking around. “I think it’s coming from this direction!” Eden said, pointing in a certain direction before running off. “Come on!”

The others immediately flew/ran after her, but as soon as they rounded the next corner, they stopped in their tracks immediately-- dozens and dozens of rats were coming out of a nearby pipe and heading straight for them! “RATS!!” Shaggy shrieked, but as the group moved out of the way of the rats, Shaggy nearly fell off the path, causing Scooby and Eden to quickly grab Shaggy before he fell… and it was a good thing they did, otherwise Shaggy wouldn’t have liked getting wet like Pavari did.

Shaggy sighed in relief before rubbing Scooby and Eden on the head, allowing the former to whimper in pleasure, and Eden purred at the touch. “That was too close,” Zipp said in relief. “We really need to be careful going forward.”

“Especially…” Pipp shuddered, “...if there are rats in the picture. Eww eww eww!!!”

Nevertheless, the group continued walking down that path until they reached a section where a cave-in seemed to have occurred, but rocks were blocking their path.

But while the pegasi and the winged leopards could fly over it, the others had no choice but to climb over the rock pile. Scooby whimpered as he climbed after his friends, his paw almost slipping on a rock, but Sunny was able to hold him steady. “Whoa! Careful, Scooby! We don’t want you to take an unwanted bath.”

Sunny and Scooby proceeded to follow their friends up the rock pile, but when they got to the top, something caused them to stop, little red eyes, and a lot of them, I might add, were glaring right at them. “Huh? What’s that?” Scooby wondered. “Hang on,” Sunny said. “I have an idea.”

Quickly enough, Sunny shifted into her alicorn form and proceeded to shine some light into the cavern… but she and Scooby screamed at what the light revealed. “BATS!!”

The bats screeched and flew out of the cave right at them, causing them to scream and brace themselves. However, the bats were able to startle the group so much that they fell right off the platform and onto a long slide, screaming at the top of their lungs.

But, as they continued to slide, Sunny suddenly got an idea. “Ponies! Try and stop yourselves and the gang will stop right behind you! Quick!”

Quickly enough, the ponies slammed their hooves onto the ground or spread their wings wide while doing so, stopping in their tracks and causing the gang to slam into them, stopping as well…

…well, all except one gang member.

Velma was still sliding right toward the edge of the slide, causing Pavari and Eden to leap over their halted friends and grab Velma’s sweater, their paws digging into the slide with their wings spread wide for balance.

Velma sighed in relief… that was way too close. “Good thing this sweater is a cable-knit!”

“Good work, everypony,” Hitch said with a sigh. “That was way too close.”

“Hang on!” Sunny said as she lifted her friends up in her magic. “We’re getting everypony out of here!”

She flew up in her alicorn form and lifted everypony back onto solid ground, causing them to sigh in relief… just before the same organ music was heard once more. “There it is again!” Daphne exclaimed. However, the music seemed to be even louder than before...

...and this meant that they were getting closer.

Scooby and the leopards used their keen ears to try and pinpoint the source of the sound, but Scooby was able to figure out where it was coming from first and pointed down a nearby tunnel. “This way!”

Everyone darted after Scooby into the tunnel, and the further they got down the tunnel, the louder the music became.

As they rounded the next corner, they appeared to be some sort of large room with an organ at the end of it, and you may be wondering... who was so expertly playing the organ at this time of night, far below the streets?

Well, you'll never believe this, but... it was the phantom!

When the phantom quickly turned, it caused the others to gasp and flinch, expecting him to attack... but this was not the reaction they recieved. He almost seemed... happy to see them. “I suppose it was only a matter of time until someone found me. Welcome to my home!” the phantom told them as he left the organ and got closer to them. “I have lived here in the dank, reeking sewers all my life… forced to hide from society to conceal the hideous, twisted mass of flesh that is my face. But now, I can hide no longer. Behold! The Phantom of the Opera!”

The ponies braced themselves when the phantom ripped off his mask, expecting to see something hideous like he said, but... the phantom just appeared to be a normal, Caucasian male with blonde hair... not really anything to be afraid of.

Daphne was the first to speak after a moment. “Um… you look fine…?”

“I… what?” the man questioned in surprise. “I mean, you’re no Brad Pitt or anything,” Pavari agreed, “but… you look okay.”

That’s when the man, in confusion, approached a mirror, still obviously ashamed. “But look. Gaze upon my foul, deformed visage! I'm hideous! Hideous!”

The man sobbed sadly, leading Izzy and Misty to frown at each other as they approached with Shaggy, who noticed something about the mirror that the man never noticed before. “Dude, this is a funhouse mirror.”

“I… it is?” the man blinked in surprise. “But this is the only mirror I've ever looked in. I mean, I don't have any others, and when I go out, I always wear the mask.”

Daphne pulled a hand mirror out of her pocket and gave it to the man, who smiled at seeing his true face. “Hey! I look good!” he said before giving the mirror back to Daphne. “Well, this is embarrassing. Wow, uh, heh… I wish I had the last 40 years back. Uh, so it's super awkward right now. I, uh... anyway, yeah.”

“Um… Mr. Phantom?” Misty spoke up cautiously. “Steve,” the man stuck out his hand. “Steve Trilby.”

“Uh… Steve,” Fred cautiously shook their new friend’s hand. “Why have you been sabotaging the talent show?”

However, Steve was drawing a blank to the whole thing. “The what now?”

“Talent Star? The TV show whose finale is tonight?” Pipp tried to remind him. “Yeah,” Daphne nodded. “You wrecked instruments and set fire to a dummy, and…”

“Not me,” Steve denied. “I haven't been up at all lately, except to get food.”

“So that’s what you were doing in the dressing room?” Zipp asked in confusion. “Going to get food?”

“Yeah, that’s the secret door to the vending machines. I like those burritos. The bean and cheese ones?”

“Ooookay, somehow I buy that,” Hitch said with an eye roll. “But, back in the 70s…?” Pavari tried to ask, leading Steve to sigh and try his best to explain. “Oh, yeah. I mean, I did some stuff back then. Stuff I'm not proud of. It was when they turned the opera house into a disco. I had loved the opera so much. I can hear everything from down here, you know. But that disco music made me crazy! And those ridiculous outfits the people wore. You know, the little neck scarf thingies and the mini-skirts and…”

But when he saw that Daphne and Fred wore those exact same clothes, he quickly tried to correct himself. “Oh… b-but on you guys, they work,” he said before going to sit down on a nearby sofa. “Anyway, that was when I was young and impetuous. I haven't bothered anyone for almost 40 years now. Could I, um… could I see that mirror again?”

“Here, take mine,” Pipp handed him a mirror. “I have plenty at home.”

Steve admired his reflection with a pleased smile. “Look at me. I'm an Adonis!”

At the same time, the others were pulled into a private discussion. “Guys, I’m pretty sure he’s telling the truth,” Misty said. “Steve never really wanted to hurt anybody, even back all those years ago.”

“I agree,” Sunny said. “I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt.”

“That may be true, girls,” Fred told them, “but if he isn't behind everything that's going on, then who...?”

Suddenly, there came a shriek from back at the opera house, and it could be heard all the way down in the sewers. And fearing that there might be something horribly wrong, Eden and Pavari led their friends out of the sewers below to investigate.

XXXXXXXX

Collette was on the stage and looking up at something while she shrieked, and the others raced on the stage to check on her. “Collette!” Zipp cried. “What’s wrong?!”

“We heard the shriek,” Misty agreed, “and came running!”

Suddenly, the group looked up and gasped at what they were saying-- someone was hanging from a cord on the ceiling, and they weren't moving!

To prevent anyone from thinking the wrong thing, Fred flicked on the lights, and they saw the Great Pauldini hanging from a harness on the ceiling, indeed alive, much to the ponies' relief. “Hellooooo!!” the Great Pauldini cried. “Uh, kind of stuck up here!”

“...oh,” Collette deadpanned before she walked off. “So,” said the Great Pauldini, “could someone get a ladder, or something?”

“Great Pauldini, what happened?!” Sunny asked in alarm. “The harness is part of my disappearing trick,” the magician explained. “I was working on it when the phantom shoved me off the catwalk!”

“I guess this mystery isn’t over yet,” Zipp sighed in frustration. “We gotta keep an extra eye out for anything suspicious.”

Breena then flew into the room, panting and out of breath. “I heard Collette screaming! Is everyone okay?!”

“There’s more than one phantom, sis!” Eden exclaimed in worry. “We met the first phantom from the 70s, but he isn’t really a bad guy, but there’s another phantom on the loose somewhere!”

“Hey,” Steve said, pointing up to the top of the stage. “What’s that up there?”

When the others turned their attention to where Steve was pointing, someone else in a phantom costume was trying to set the curtains ablaze. “Oh no!” Breena cried. “It's the phantom!”

The ghoulish phantom laughed devilishly and made a run for it down the catwalk. “I’m going after him. Watch the exits” Fred ran for the ladder, and Eden ran after him along with Pavari and Zipp. “We’ll put out the fire.” Shaggy said, and Scooby quickly agreed. “Yeah!”

Shaggy, along with Scooby, Hitch, and Sunny went to get the fire extinguisher off the wall, While Fred, Pavari, Eden, and Zipp climbed up the ladder to chase after the phantom.

“Hey! Get back here!” Zipp demanded and flew after him while Pavari and Eden stayed behind with Fred for support, and just as Fred made it up a flight of stairs, he saw the phantom holding a sandbag. “Look out!” Pavari gasped as the phantom threw the heavy bag at them. Luckily, the two leopards went airborne while Fred ducked. Then, the phantom ducked underneath Zipp as she tired to tackle him and watched as he ran off. “Darn it! Almost got him!”

“Just don't let him get away!” Eden shouted.

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, Shaggy, Scooby, Hitch, and Sunny clambered up a set of stair to the catwalk that led to the burning curtains. Shaggy shook the extinguisher and pressed the release button, but nothing happened. “Come on! Work!”

“I don't wanna be a backseat sheriff here, but I think you’re supposed to pull the pin,” Hitch pointed out, just before Scooby took initiative and pulled out the pin. “Thanks, Scoob-- AHHH!!!” Shaggy pushed the release again and a gush of foam sprayed out of the nozzle, and the sudden force was enough to push Shaggy over the railing. Thankfully, before he could fall, Sunny and Hitch grabbed a hold of him and pulled him back on the catwalk. “You okay, Shaggy?” Sunny asked in concern. “Yeah. Like, double thanks.” Shaggy said, and sprayed down the fire.

XXXXXXXX

Back with the Fred and the others, they chased the phantom down the catwalk, refusing to let him get out of their sights again. Nearing the end, the phantom leapt off it and onto another catwalk.

Zipp, Eden, and Pavari, being winged creature, took flight and flew after him while Fred was forced to make the jump. However, he miscalculated and undershot, and was just barely able to grasped the catwalk’s edge.

XXXXXXXX

From down below, Daphne squealed and squeezed Velma’s arm. “Ow! You’re squeezing my arm!” Velma complained. “Come on, Freddy!” Misty cried. “We believe in you!”

“You can do it, Fred!” Izzy said with a face full of popcorn, and this caused the rest of team to look at her with annoyed looks. “What?”

“Read the room, Izzy!” Pipp reprimanded. “I am! It has my on the edge of my seat!” Izzy stuff another hoofful of popcorn into her mouth.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Fred was struggling to climb back up onto the platform, but Eden and Pavari noticed this and swiftly came to his aid. “Don’t worry, Fred! We’re coming!” Pavari grabbed ahold of his arm and starting pulling. “Um... small problem with that, sis!” Eden watched with dreaded eyes as the phantom walked up to them, letting out a demented laugh.

But as the sisters gasped, Zipp's voice caught them offguard. “Oh no you don't!”

The white pegasus grabbed the phantom’s cape and pulled it over his head, just as Fred quickly untied his ascot. “Get away from here, girls. I need a clear shot.”

“Are you crazy?!” Eden strained. “You’re about to fall off the edge!”

“Trust me!”

At that moment, the phantom flipped the cape off and lifted his foot to crush Fred’s hand. The two leopards and pegasus moved out of the way just in time as the phantom’s foot came down. Fred swung back and wrapped his ascot around the phantom’s leg, causing Fred to pull back hard, sending the phantom onto his back.

Once this was over, Pavari and Eden pulled Fred back onto the catwalk. “Whoa!” Pavari cried. “That was crazy!”

“Yeah!” agreed Zipp. “Crazy but awesome!”

However, the phantom wasn’t done yet and sinisterly pulled out the acetylene torch out of his coat. “Look out!” Daphne squeezed Velma’s arm even tighter. “Hey! Quit it.”

The phantom swung the metal canister at the four of them. Fred was now backed up to the edge again. Zipp acted first, delivery a buck right to the phantom’s chest. The phantom tumbled to the ground and growled at them just before Eden and Pavari swooped in to attack. The phantom stepped, narrowly avoiding getting scratched, but then, the phantom elbowed Eden in the chest and back-handed Pavari, sending them backwards onto the catwalk. He tackled Fred, forcing him to catch him by the wrists, and Zipp was pinned behind him.

Zipp and Fred pushed back, but the phantom was strong and had them pinned against the railing, causing him to laugh and ignite the acetylene torch.

Sunny gasped in terror at this. “Oh no!”

“Zipp!” Pipp cried out to her sister. “I can’t look!” Breena looked away. Fred and Zipp struggled to hold back the phantom, and it seemed like the bright, blue flame of the torch was inching closer and closer closer to them.

Suddenly, they heard a battle cry, and the phantom turned to see Steve swing toward on a rope. And before he could do anything, Steve kicked him away and onto another catwalk.

The rough landing was more than the catwalk could handle and the support beams snapped. The catwalk dropped and the two men and two of the leopard sisters crashed onto the opera stage while Zipp was able to get away.

With the phantom down for the count, Velma grabbed the mask and yanked it off, revealing the culprit to be…

“Mel Richmond?”

The dress tore away, freeing Richmond’s constrained stomach, just as the others approached to check on their friends. “Oh my stars, are you both okay?!” Breena asked as she checked her sisters over. “Are there any wing feathers out of place?!”

“Oh, yeah. We’re fine.” Eden said, making Breena sigh in relief. “Yeah,” Pavari agreed. “One strike to the gut isn’t enough to take me down.”

“Speak for yourself,” Steve wheezed. “I think I'm dying...”

“Uhm, actually I’m pretty you’re okay,” Pipp said. “But, look! I’m all bloody!” Steve pointed at his reddened reflection on a mirror, and Daphne inspected the mirror a bit more closely. “There’s just some red paint on the… do you understand how mirrors work at all?”

“Give me a break. I grew up in a sewer,” Steve replied. Just before anything else could be said, Hitch, Zipp and Sunny approached Mel Richmond with a glare. “So,” said Hitch, “you were gonna burn the place down for the insurance money.”

“Yes,” Mel scoffed. “And I would have gotten away with it too... if it hadn't been for you meddling kids, those freaky horses and your nosy dog.”

“Dog?” the security guard from earlier looked around. “Where?!”

“Zoinks!” Shaggy shrieked, and he and Scooby quickly ran off with Misty and Sunny in pursuit. But, as the others watched the security guard chasing Shaggy, Scooby, Sunny and Misty, Mel tried to sneak away, causing Zipp to plant her hoof firmly on his cape and making him fall to the ground. “Relax, Richmond,” she sneered. “You’re not going anywhere.”

That's when Dewey, accompanied by the leopard sisters and the police, walked onto the stage. “Is this the guy?” one of the officers asked. “That’s him, officer,” Dewey sneered. “Mel Richmond.”

But, as the officers put Mel under arrest, Pipp suddenly had a puzzling thought come into her mind. “Wait. This still doesn’t make sense.”

“Pipp’s right,” Daphne agreed. “If you wanted the insurance money, why didn't you just burn the place down? Why all the other stuff?”

“I didn’t!” Mel shook his head. “But whoever did gave me the idea to put on this costume. Stupidest idea I ever had…”

Suddenly, the phantom’s laughter echoed through the opera house again, and all the lights went out, causing everyone to gasp in terror. “Christine must win!”

“What the heck?!” the second police officer cried. “Otherwise,” the phantom continued, “I will rain death and destruction down upon this place! So swears the phantom! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!”

Breena and her sisters screamed and leapt out of the way just as one of the stage lights fell, crashing to the floor, but luckily, the sisters were able to get away unharmed. “Now will you take this seriously?” Dewey asked the officers. “I want as many officers as you can spare here for the show tonight.”

“I was thinking the same thing, buddy,” the female officer nodded. “We’re on it.”

“So you’ll do it?” Dewey asked optimistically. “You'll put all your men on this? And can you keep that dog out of here too?”

With that, the others went their separate ways… unaware that they had forgotten the Great Pauldini up in the rafters again. “Hellooo!! I still need a ladder! Helloooo?!” he called. “The Great Pauldini is not pleased!!”

Author's Note

I had some serious help from Indywriter Productions with some of this scene-- I owe them so much!

Last Minute Investigating

While the phantom rang out a warning in the main part of the opera house for all to hear, Misty and Sunny were currently running with Shaggy and Scooby to try and escape the security guard on their tail. “Stop that dog!”

“Come on, guys! Hurry!” Sunny told her friends as they ran down the hall before turning and reaching another hallway. “What do we do?!” Misty cried. “He’s coming right at us!”

“I have an idea,” Sunny said, “but Misty, it’s going to require a lot of power. Are you up for it?”

“You bet I am! Hang on!”

Misty strained heavily as she ignited her horn, and managed to levitate everypony up toward the ceiling just as the security guard came their way. While the group kept quiet in their hiding place, the security guard looked around and thought he saw Shaggy's feet and Scooby's tail peeking out of a coat rack, and immediately smirked. “Well, well, guess they got away because they're not here. Anywhere and… aha!!”

But, as he moved some clothes to reveal the duo, he was shocked that it was only a belt and shoes that looked just like Shaggy’s shoes and Scooby’s tail, causing the guard to growl in frustration and leave… unaware that those he was looking for were right over his head.

As they watched him drive away, Shaggy and Scooby high-fived their Equestrian friends in silence… just before they all witnessed Brick Pimiento coming out of the sound booth, as if he wanted no one to know he was there.

That’s when Shaggy and Scooby silently encouraged Misty to float them down closer. “Brick!” Shaggy greeted cheerfully, causing Brick to shriek as the group levitated down to the ground. “I wasn't doing anything-- I was just in there, not doing anything. I was doing something, but it was nothing.”

“Sorry, we didn’t mean to scare you,” Misty tried to apologize just before Shaggy put hats on his and Scooby’s heads. “Like, we have a totally great act for you!”

Brick wasn’t as tense when Shaggy said this, and even managed to smile. “Oh. Oh! Uh… well, fantastic. By all means, proceed.”

“Guys… do we really have time for this?” Sunny asked her friends worriedly. “The guard could come back at any second!”

“Trust us, Sunster-- this won’t take long,” Shaggy said before clearing his throat. “Say, Scooby-Doo, what bone will a dog never eat?”

“I don’t know, Shaggy,” Scooby shrugged. “What bone will a dog never eat?”

“A trombone!”

Both Shaggy and Scooby laughed at their own humor, but Sunny and Misty looked sort of worried... Brick didn't look at all pleased. “Heh, yeah… that’s fan-- SECURITY!!!”

Shaggy yelped and tried to come up with another joke to tell. “Scoob, what vegetable do you get when you cross a dog with a rose?”

“I don’t know, Shaggy!”

“A collie-flower!”

“Heh heh…” Misty chuckled nervously at Brick, hoping he wouldn't give them away. “Funny, right?”

“DOOOOG!!!” the security guard ran onto the scene, causing Misty, Shaggy and Scooby to scream and run off, with the guard chasing after them and causing Sunny to chuckle nervously and smile nervously at Brick. That’s when the others walked/trotted over to them. “Mr. Pimiento?” Pipp called out, and Brick smiled as the others approached. “Blake and Jones! Well, you must be happy.”

“Why?” Daphne asked in curiosity as to why Brick would say such a thing. “Your odds of winning are way up,” Brick explained. “There are only four acts left.”

“Actually three,” Izzy clarified. “We just heard that the Great Pauldini just quit.”

“Heh… whatever. Anyway, the publicity the Phantom has generated has been fantastic. We're expecting our highest ratings ever,” Brick scoffed, closing the sound room door behind him as Velma and Zipp looked curiously at this. “Come on, let me show you the projections.”

As Brick led the rest of their friends away, Velma turned to look at where Brick had come out of. “The sound room, huh? Come on, Zipp… time to do a little investigating on our own.”

The two girls entered the sound room and looked around, with Zipp noticing that one of the microphones was still on when she tapped her hoof against it. “It’s still on… but why?”

“And check it out!” Velma pointed to the cable hooked to the microphone, and the TV monitor that showed the talent show stage. “So whoever was using this mic would be heard on the stage… interesting.”

“What do you think we should do next?” Zipp asked. “I think we need to review the security footage from a few minutes ago and see what we can find out,” Velma answered. “I bet K.T can probably help us with that part. Come on.”

XXXXXXXX

Immediately after they left the sound room, Velma and Zipp went to go interview K.T in the control room. “Do you keep the footage all the cameras in here shoot?” Velma asked. “Well, of course,” K.T responded. “There's a whole digital database on the server.”

“Could we look through it?” Zipp asked curiously. “Sure,” K.T shrugged, “but there's 2000 hours of footage in there.”

“Oh, man…” Velma sighed as she sat down at the control panel. “Now there's no way I'm gonna have time to go see the soap diamond.”

“We can worry about gemstones later, Velma,” Zipp said. “If we want Fred and Daphne to have a go at finishing this competition and a go at potentially winning, we have to buckle down and solve this case.”

“You’re right, Zipp,” Velma sighed. “Come on… let’s get to it. The competition starts in an hour!”

Chase of the Fourth Phantom

After leaving Breena, Eden and Pavari SirenSong behind to look after Emma and her parents, Mystery Incorporated and the Mane 6 ran down the hall as fast as they could, hoping to catch Dewey before he stole the soap diamond from the mineralogical society.

But, the ponies didn't realize how much of an effect this particular fight would have on their powers.

Pipp panted as she and Fred ran beside Shaggy, and the pink pegasus looked at her friend with wide eyes. “Is he saying anything?!”

Shaggy listened closely before faint sounds reached his ears. “Oh oh, I can hear traffic! He's outside!” he told his friends before hearing something else. “Like, he just said 'Got it'! We might be too late!”

“Not if we get there first!” Sunny cried. “Follow me! I know a shortcut!”

Everyone followed Sunny out of a side door in the alley, and ran out of the alley to where the mineralogical society was, where Scooby suddenly saw something at the top of the fire escape. “There!”

Turns out, Scooby had saw Dewey in his phantom disguise making a break for it down the fire escape, and the two combined groups ran across the road to stop him. “Dewey!” Fred cried, and Dewey froze before donning a phantom-like voice. “I am the phantom! I know nothing of this ‘Dewey’!”

“Dude! We know it’s you!” Shaggy cried. “You’re still wearing your headset!”

“Huh?!” Dewey took off his headset and realized that he had been caught… big time, I might add. “Oh, darn…”

He continued trying to make his escape down the fire escape, but he got wrapped up in his own cape, causing him to tumble down the fire escape before reaching the bottom, but the diamond fell out of his reach. “The soap diamond!” Velma cried as it fell out of its pouch. Luckily, Scooby ran and caught the diamond in his mouth while Izzy managed to catch its pouch on her horn. “NO!!” Dewey shrieked. But… the others didn’t know that he wasn’t going to give up.

Not by a long shot.

As Dewey climbed down the fire escape, the others came to congratulate their friends on catching the diamond. “Way to go, Scooby-Doo!” Shaggy scratched the dog’s head. “And you too, Izzy!”

“Yeah,” Zipp agreed. “That was close.”

“Thanks, guys,” Izzy said as Scooby put the diamond back in the bag… just before the headlights of Dewey’s car turned on, making the ponies slightly... incredibly worried. “Uh-oh!!”

“I want that diamond!!” Dewey shrieked as he drove straight at them. “RUN!!” Hitch cried, and the ponies led their friends down the road to try and escape Dewey’s reach. “Izzy, toss me the diamond!” Pipp cried. “I’ll try to fly it out of harm’s way!”

“Here you go, Pippster!” Izzy tossed the bag to her friend, to which Pipp grabbed in her mouth. But, when she tried to fly out of harm’s way, her wings glitched and she fell back onto her hooves, letting the bag fly into Scooby’s mouth. “Pipp! What’s wrong?!” Misty cried. “It’s my wings!” Pipp explained. “They’re not working!”

“Ugh… my horn isn’t either!” Izzy strained. “It’s the diamond!” Zipp realized as she, Sunny and Hitch ran beside Fred and Daphne. “It must be shorting out our powers as long as we’re close to it!”

“What are we gonna do?!” Daphne cried. “That’s easy!” Sunny explained. “Keep the diamond from Dewey and RUN!!”

Pipp, the unicorns, Shaggy and Scooby continued to be chased by Dewey, but it was clear they couldn’t outrun him for very much longer.

That’s when Scooby decided to dash his fears aside and protect his friends.

He jumped right up onto the front of Dewey’s car to try and block his view, but the bag flew out of his mouth and into Dewey’s grasp.

As Dewey’s car sped toward them, Fred pushed the girls out of the way while the ponies were able to leap aside as the car zoomed around the corner. “He’s got Scooby! And the diamond!” Zipp realized. “We have to help him!” Misty said frantically. “We will!” Fred reassured. “Everyone, to the Mystery Machine!”

“Hang on, Scooby!” Izzy called as they rushed toward the van. “We’re coming!”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Dewey’s car tore down the street with Scooby hanging on for dear life. The Mystery Machine raced up behind him, surprising Dewey. Scooby, realizing that this was his chance, crawled onto the car hood and nabbed the bag in his teeth before he leapt off.

Fred turned the van sideways and Velma opened the passenger side door, letting her catch the Great Dane in her arms. “Way to go, Velma!” Zipp smiled, letting Velma giggle. “Thanks.”

Dewey looked back angrily, but he should’ve watched where he was going. He turned a saw he was heading right for a flatbed truck. He screamed and hit the brakes, but it was too late-- his car side-struck the massive vehicle. The truck’s load dislodged from the flatbed and drums of sticky, pink slime splattered all over Dewey’s car.

This left the rest of the ponies to groan and wince.

“Oooh…”

“That’s gotta hurt.”

“He’s gonna need to buff that out.”

As the Mystery Machine sped away, Dewey desperately wiped away the slime off of himself before he growled and sped off after the gang.

XXXXXXXX

Back with the gang, Misty sighed in relief. “Thank goodness that’s over…”

“I don’t know about that,” Zipp hummed with a frown. “It seems a little too easy if you ask me.”

That’s when Scooby looked back and saw Dewey speeding toward, laughing like a maniac. “Yikes! Freddy, he’s gaining on us.”

Fred hardened his gaze and floored it just before they weaved past nighttime traffic and into an alleyway. Dewey was right behind them, crashing through two trash cans, causing a tidal wave of garbage to cover his windshield. “Eww! Icky!”

The two vehicles darted from the alleyway and into another road. “He’s still right behind us!” Fred looked back at Dewey’s car. “Watch the road! Watch the road!” Misty shrieked. That's when the gang rocketed through a busy intersection, with cars stopping and veering out of the way to avoid a collision. Fred looked and noticed Dewey was nowhere to be seen, causing the ponies to sigh in relief.

Maybe they finally lost him.

Suddenly, those smiles of relief turned into gasps of horror when they saw that Dewey was veering into their side of the road. Suddenly, Fred glared at the incoming car and sped up, causing the ponies, not to mention, the other members of the gang, to panic. “Fred what are you doing?” Velma asked nervously. “Are you trying to get us killed?!” Hitch asked. Fred didn’t flinch and neither did Dewey. The two vehicles side-swiped each other, causing them to spin out of control.

The gang all screamed as the van spun like a top, but unfortunately, once the spinning ended, Dewey didn’t give up and sped after them once again. “What is with this guy?!” Zipp asked. “You think he would have some kind of boundries!”

“Boundaries were thrown out the window when he decided to pretend to be a phantom!” Sunny pointed out. Then, the two vehicles swung around oncoming traffic, putting the entire gang on edge. “I can’t watch!” Shaggy stammered just before Scooby put his paws over his eyes. “Thanks, Scoob.”

The Mystery Machine veered onto the opposite lane where two cars were driving toward them. “Look out!” Sunny screamed, and luckily, the van scraped past the two cars with Dewey right behind them. “There’s no way we can lose him!” Fred said. “He’s just too fast!”

“Look out!” Daphne pointed up ahead where a set of crossing gates lowered in front of traffic. There was a lift bridge up ahead, beginning the open up for a passing garbage barge. “What are we gonna do?!” Pipp cried. “We’re completely cornered!”

“Give me that bag.” Fred held out his hand, and Velma handed him the bag just as Dewey pulled up behind them and Fred floored it and tore past the waiting vehicles. He crashed through the crossing gates and up the lifting bridge. “Fred, are you crazy?!” Misty asked in shock. “We don’t have our powers to protect us, remember?!”

“Trust me, guys!” Fred cried. “I know what I’m doing.”

Dewey then sped after them, and as the bridge lifted higher into the air, the two vehicles began losing speed and traction on the asphalt. “Ooooh... I think I’m going to be sick...” Pipp said while holding her mouth closed. Fred remained concentrated on the edge of the bridge, right before Dewey rammed them from the behind, jolting them out of their fearful stupor. He rammed again, this time more violently and the van swung out of control. “Everybody hang on!” Sunny shouted. “I’m not sure what’s about to happen, but it can’t be anything good!”

As the others held on for dear life, the Mystery Machine crashed through the guardrail and hung precariously over the edge, teetering just like a seesaw. All the while, Dewey’s car lost all traction and began to slide down the lift bridge, but Dewey was able to escape and grab the van's back doors before Dewey's car smashed back down to the road and exploded into flames.

XXXXXXXXX

Back in the Mystery Machine, Sunny groaned and rubbed her head just before looking at her friends. “Is... is everypony okay?”

“Other than being tossed around like a flapjack,” Hitch groaned, “I think we're all okay.”

Suddenly, the back doors of the Mystery Machine opened, revealing Dewey and making everyone gasp in shock. “Hold it right there.”

“Like, heh, that's actually a pretty good suggestion,” Shaggy fearfully whimpered as the ponies took fighting stances, even though they had no powers to fight back as long as the diamond was close by. As Dewey stepped into the van, a sword blade rose from his feather duster, causing Izzy and Hitch to shriek and whimper out of fear. “That,” Daphne told Dewey, “is the cleanest sword I've ever seen!”

“Thank you,” Dewey smiled and polished the sword blade a bit. “Now, I'll take that bag!”

But when he turned to the group again, he found that the driver door was open and the gang had escaped, prompting Dewey to growl and head out after them.

XXXXXXXX

The ponies scrambled after their Mystery Incorporated friends up the side of the bridge, and luckily, the gang was there to help them up.

But, their worries increased when they found Dewey at the very top of the bridge, just a few yards away. “The bag,” he ordered firmly. “Hand it over.”

“No way, neat freak!” Zipp snarled. “You’ll have to pry it from our cold, dead hooves before we hand the diamond over!”

“Uh... what Zipp means to say,” Shaggy tried to correct the pegasus, “is that maybe we could hand it over for a good price...?”

Luckily, Misty was able to elbow him into silencing himself. “Why do you want this diamond so badly, anyway?” Fred asked with a narrowed gaze. “I need it,” Dewey sneered, “to complete my collection of cleanliness themed treasures. I've already stolen the Ammonia Lisa and the Sponge of Turin.”

“So that was you!” Velma realized. “Uh-huh,” Dewey smirked with a nod. “But you need three things to make a collection. Three things. Two is just bookends.”

Pipp took one step backwards, but when she prepared to take another one, she realized that she was dangerously close to falling off, causing her to whimper... falling without wings to slow your fall was a serious thing.

They had to play their next moves carefully from this point.

However, Dewey wasn't going to make this easy. “Now give... me... the bag!”

The ponies looked at each other, then at the gang, unsure of what they should do, when Fred did one of the most shocking things the ponies had ever seen... he dropped the bag toward the waters below! “NO!!” Dewey shrieked, and without a moment’s hesitation, he dove right after the bag, leaving Sunny to gasp. “Dewey!”

As she tried to activate her alicorn form, Fred stopped her in her tracks. “Don’t worry, Sunny, he’ll be fine… trust me.”

But, Sunny was still confused, even as they watched Dewey continue to fall as he got hold of the bag... before eventually grimacing when Dewey landed right in the middle of a huge garbage pile on the back of a huge boat.

Luckily, Dewey was unharmed from the fall... even if he was caked in garbage. “Garbage! Unclean, unclean! Ew, ew, ew!” he said, trying to wipe the garbage off of him. “But I got the diamond!”

That’s when he realized that the soap diamond was probably under the trash, and began digging to find it. “Oh, the soap diamond, gotta find it, gotta find it, ugh!” he muttered before eventually finding the bag with the diamond inside. “Heh, I've got it!”

“Oh no! We have to get the diamond!” Zipp prepared to dive, but Fred quickly stopped her. “No, just wait. Trust me on this.”

The ponies reluctantly continued to wait as Dewey opened the bag… and revealed that no diamond was in there, but one of Scooby’s dog bones was. “Yuck!” Dewey tossed the bone away. “A slobbery dog bone!”

“Oooh,” Fred smirked, revealing the diamond out of his pocket, “too bad.”

Scooby giggled at this, and the ponies gave a huge sigh of relief.

That was WAY too close for comfort.

Dewey snarled as police boats surrounded them on all sides, and looked up at the combined groups with disdain. “And I would have gotten away with it,” he said, “if it hadn't been for you meddling kids, those disgusting horses and your filthy, germy dog!”

“But…” Pipp was about to say before she sighed. “...never mind.”

“Come on, everypony,” smiled Sunny. “We need to get this diamond to the proper authorities, and then make it back in time for the finale results!”

“Sunny’s right,” Hitch looked over at Fred and Daphne. “You guys have got a competition to win!”

Author's Note

I had Indywriter's help with some of this scene-- give them your outmost support!

The Final Performances/Another Mystery Solved

Meanwhile, during the Mane 6 and Mystery Incorporated’s final face off with Dewey, the SirenSong Sisters and Emma’s parents were currently watching her amazing performance, and in just a few moments, the winner of Talent Star would be revealed.

But... the other thing that leopard sisters were thinking about were their new friends-- did they catch Dewey yet? Were they okay?

But before they had time to ask someone if they had seen their friends, Emma had finished her performance, causing the audience and those watching off to the side to cheer. “Emma Gale, everyone. Fantastic. Just fantastic, heh,” Brick said as everyone kept their eyes glued to the votes increasing on the screen. “Hey, look at those numbers. Oh, it's going to be close. Oh, it is going to be close! And the voting closes... now!”

At that second, all the votes stopped, and while Chrissy had the least amount of votes, Emma and Fred and Daphne had the same amount of votes each! “Fantastic, fantastic! Unbelievable! It's a tie!” Brick announced to the audience, just as Chrissy growled and angrily stomped away with her mother following. “Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to need a tie-breaking encore performance. Right here tonight, right after these messages.”

The audience applauded at this, and the SirenSong Sisters were giggling and congratulating Emma as Brick came over to her, the leopards and her parents. “This is...?”

“Fantastic?” Emma assumed. “Yes!” Brick chuckled. “A tie! Do you have another piece you can do?”

“Yeah,” Emma said with a frown, “but Daphne and Fred…”

“What about them?”

“They’re not here,” Eden said. “They’re chasing down another phantom with the rest of our friends!”

“Another?!”

“Apparently,” Emma’s mother added, “this time, it’s Dewey!”

“They told us leopards to keep an eye on things here,” Breena said, “and they’d be back as soon as they can.”

“Heh, always knew there was something not right about that Dewey guy,” Brick spoke before turning to Collette. “You. You're the new assistant director.”

“Sir,” Collette said in delight, “you won’t regret this--”

“Don’t care,” Brick interrupted. “Emma's up after the break. We'll just hope Blake and Jones get back in time. Go!”

And just like that, everyone separated to get ready, and Pavari sighed sadly. “I just hope Daphne and Fred get back in time…”

“We all do, sis,” said Breena, “but in case they don’t, I have an idea as to how we can stall.”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, the gang and ponies had slid down the bridge toward the awaiting officers after Dewey had been taken into custody, and one of the officers turned to Fred and Daphne, alongside Pipp and Zipp. “Blake and Jones?”

“That’s us!” Daphne chirped. “Yep,” Zipp smirked. “And we caught…”

“Dewey Ottoman,” the officer interrupted. “Yeah, that Brick guy called, we know everything.”

“Here’s the soap diamond, officer,” Fred smiled. “Good work,” the officer said as he took the diamond. “Now, hop in. You tied with the violin girl so you gotta do a tie-breaker. We'll take you back to the show.”

“Wow, thanks!” Pipp smiled. “But, you really don’t have to.”

“Yes, I do,” the officer smiled. “I got 50 bucks on your friends to win.”

XXXXXXXX

After everyone in the groups had piled into the police truck, they zoomed toward the opera house at top speed, and Velma took this chance to explain to the others some of the things she and Zipp found earlier. “So Dewey was the Phantom who faded away in that stairwell.”

“Like, how did he do that?” Shaggy wondered. “Zipp and I checked the camera in the stairwell,” Velma explained. “He had made a video loop of the empty stairwell and spliced it into the camera feed.”

“Of course!” Sunny realized. “So when he ran in there…”

“He activated the loop with a remote,” Zipp concluded, “switching the view on the monitor to the empty stairwell and making it look like he disappeared!”

“Honestly, that’s pretty clever,” Misty pointed out. “In a villainous sort of way.”

“But, guys,” said Velma, pulling a DVD out of her pocket, “you’ll never guess what we found when we went through all the backstage camera footage.”

“Velma’s right,” Zipp smirked. “This is gonna blow your socks, horns and hooves off!”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Breena was using her fiery magic to add a little more special effects to Emma’s final performance, and let Breena and her sisters tell you…

…Emma was a sure contender for that prize money.

After her performance was finished, the crowd applauded, as well as the sisters, as Brick came onto the stage again. “Fantastic, Emma, just fantastic. And look at those numbers!” Brick smiled. “Now it's Blake and Jones's turn and… apparently, they are NOT in the building. So it looks like they forfeit their…”

“Wait a second!” Breena interrupted as she and her sisters flew in front of him, hoping to stall until their friends returned. “Me and my sisters could always perform our new song while we wait for them to get here! You know… as a crowd-pleaser?”

“Sorry, girls, but we just don’t have that kind of time,” Brick said, “So, I’m afraid that--”

“You can't bring that dog in here!”

Everyone gasped as they saw Mystery Inc and the Mane 6 trying to get to the stage, but the security guard stopped them in their tracks. “Hold it right there.”

“Sir, you don’t understand!” Misty said sternly. “We need to get in here!”

“Exactly! And just because Scooby is a dog,” Pipp agreed, “doesn’t give him any less right to be here!”

“They’re exactly right,” the officer from before said, stepping forward. “That dog was instrumental in the apprehension of a dangerous felon.”

The security guard blinked a moment before moving aside. “Uh… you can bring that dog in here.”

“Finally… and all it took was a police officer to help us,” Hitch rolled his eyes. “Come on,” Velma said to the others as Fred, Daphne, Hitch and Pipp took the stage. “We have to make some arrangements.”

Scooby shot the security guard a little smirk as they walked past, and Hitch and Pipp waited off to the side with the SirenSong Sisters as the audience cheered and Fred and Daphne walked onstage. “Ladies and gentlemen, Blake and Jones are here for their tie-breaker!” Brick announced before turning to them. “Where were you?”

“We caught another phantom,” Fred smiled. “Fantastic, just fantastic,” Brick congratulated. “How many does that make now?”

“Three,” Fred spoke. “Four,” Daphne added, “if you count the original phantom.”

“Call me Steve!” Steve called as he waved from the front row. “Fantastic work. Fantastic,” Brick told the duo. “Are you ready for your tie-breaker performance?”

However, Fred seemed confused at this. “We have to perform our song again?”

“No,” Brick answered, “you have to do another song, heh. Grab your guitar, you're on. Blake and Jones, ladies and gentlemen! Aren’t they fantastic?”

But, as Fred and Daphne went offstage, they turned to their temporary manager. “Pipp, what are we gonna do?” Fred asked. “We didn't rehearse anything else!”

“Well, in show business,” said Pipp, “sometimes you just have to work with what you have. But we need to come up with something fast.”

Suddenly, as Pipp said this, Daphne got an idea. “Wait… we actually do have something else!”

“Oh my pony, you’re right!” Pipp smiled, remembering what Daphne had said the previous night before turning to Fred. “Freddy, that song you wrote? Well, Daph wrote some words for it.”

“She did?” Fred looked surprised. “Why didn't you tell me?”

“Just start playing,” Daphne told him. “ This will work. It has to.”

XXXXXXXX

Up in the control room, K.T could see that Fred and Daphne were walking onstage as a soft guitar tune began to play throughout the opera house... and then, Velma, Shaggy, Scooby and the rest of the Mane 6 walked in. “What is it now?”

“Well, K.T,” Zipp said with a smirk, “we thought you might be able to help us with a little surprise.”

XXXXXXXX

“Do you really think Daphne’s lyrics and Fred’s song will be enough?” Hitch asked Pipp and the leopard sisters from off to the side. “I mean… Emma is some pretty tough competition.”

“Once you hear it, Hitch,” said Pipp, eyes focused on the stage, “it’ll blow you away-- trust me.”

“Well, we’re about to hear it for ourselves,” said Pavari nervously… just as Daphne began to sing to Fred, imagining no one else was in the room.

Daphne: We’ve been close a long time
As close as friends can be
But in my heart's a secret
For only you and me

I've tried to tell it many times
But my nerves got in the way
Well, I can't wait another night
To say what l must say

I love you…

Fred: I love you…

Daphne: I love you
Yes, I do…

Fred and Daphne: I love you…

And then, just as the melody came to a close... Daphne and Fred shared their first kiss in front of that audience, causing the ponies, the rest of Mystery Inc and the SirenSong Sisters to smile in happiness.

Daphne had finally shared her feelings for Fred, and at the perfect time.

By the time the kiss ended, so did the song, and the audience roared in applause. Daphne was sure that she and Fred were going to win with this performance... at least... until she saw Emma and her parents waving on the other side of the stage, making her remember that they were close to losing pretty much everything they had.

A thought she couldn't bare to think about. “Fred…”

Fred looked over at Emma too, and remembered the same thing before he and Daphne turned to look at Pipp.

Pipp wanted Fred and Daphne to win more than anything, but… Emma and her family needed the money a lot more.

So, she, Hitch and the SirenSongs nodded at each other before nodding at Fred and Daphne.

And this nodding made everyone silently agree that they had to throw the contest in Emma’s favor.

Daphne then cleared her throat and decided to pull some of the jokes Shaggy had come up with earlier to stop people from voting for them. “Say, Fred, what bone will a dog never eat?”

“I don’t know, Daphne.”

“A trombone!”

As Fred and Daphne continued to laugh, the audience muttered in confusion, prompting them to continue with the scheme.

“Say, Fred, what vegetable do you get when you cross a dog with a rose?”

“I don’t know, Daphne.”

“A collie-flower!”

XXXXXXXX

Meanwhile, back in the control room, the others were seeing what was happening, and Shaggy was confused beyond measure as the audiences began to boo. “Like, what the heck are they doing?”

“They’re throwing the contest!” Izzy realized. “Right!” Sunny nodded. “So Emma can win and her family can keep their farm!”

“Awww…” Scooby cooed. “That is so sweet.”

“Way to go, sis…” Zipp smiled at her sister’s allowance to Fred and Daphne to pull such a stunt. “Way to go.”

XXXXXXXX

“Say, Fred,” Daphne continued telling some more jokes, “what did the dog say to the tree?”

“I don’t know, Daphne.”

“Bark!”

Fred and Daphne laughed for a few moments more, and the booing got even louder, so Daphne and Fred decided to walk offstage and rejoin their friends just as Brick walked onstage, clearly confused by the events. “Well, that was uncomfortable, heh. All right. The voting closes… now!”

“Come on, come on…” Eden muttered, wings around her sisters in anticipation. “Come on…!!”

And at that moment, the votes stopped coming in, and it was clear to the world who the winner of Talent Star that season was. “Fan-tas-tic!” Brick smiled. “The winner is… Emma Gale!”

The crowd ultimately went wild at this, and Emma joyfully hugged her parents before walking onto the stage and hugging the SirenSong Sisters before shaking Brick’s hand. “Congratulations, Emma. Fantastic. Just fantastic. And Blake and Jones,” Brick said, shaking Fred’s hand as Fred and Daphne walked onto the stage, “you may not have won, but congratulations on catching all of the phantoms. All of them, every last one.”

“Not quite all,” Fred told him. “Velma, roll the footage!”

Zipp activated a lever that activated the DVD that Velma had showed them earlier, and no one, not even Brick himself, could believe what was on it.

Brick dressing up as the phantom as well!

Brick was stunned that he was finally caught and tried to run for it, but Pipp and Hitch, along with the SirenSong Sisters helped the police officers block his path. “That’s enough, Pimiento!” the officer who got them back to the show sneered. “Wait, you don’t understand! I had to do it. The ratings have been dropping for years. I needed the publicity. You don't know what it's like, being around all you talented people all the time and being… me!” Brick exclaimed in frustration. “What am I good at? Nothing. All I do is smile and say ‘fantastic’ a lot. I am pathetic!”

“Well, guess what?” Breena snarled. “You’re gonna look a lot more pathetic behind bars.”

“Come on, Pimiento,” the officer said, taking Brick by the arms. “I would have gotten away with it,” Brick sighed, “if it weren’t for--”

“--those meddling kids, ponies and their nosy dog,” the officer finished. “Yeah yeah, we know.”

“Do you think this is the last one?” Hitch asked. “Don’t know,” one of the officers said before turning to the audience. “Hey, is anyone else the phantom? Show of hands?”

But, when no one raised their hands, the officer turned to Hitch and Pipp again. “Yeah, looks like we got them all.”

The officers began to escort Brick away when the officer from earlier turned to Fred and Daphne. “You guys owe me 50 bucks.”

Fred and Daphne chuckled nervously as the officers were leading Brick away… just before Breena spoke up to the crowd. “Well, everyone, the show isn’t over yet! Who wants to hear the song me and my sisters wrote right now?!”

The crowd cheered at this, and this led Eden to giggle. “All right, guys! Hit it!”

Pipp hit a button on her phone, and music that started out as whistling began to play, just before the sisters began to sing and take the stage as the ponies and Mystery Inc watched from down below.

Breena: It’s some kind of love, it's some kind of fire
I'm already up, but you lift me higher
You know I'm not wrong, you know I'm not lyin'
We do it better, yeah, we do it better, yeah

Eden: I don't mind if the world spins faster
The music's louder

Pavari: The waves get stronger

Eden and Pavari: I don't mind if the world spins faster
Faster, faster

SirenSong Sisters: Just let me take you to a better place
I'm gonna make you kiss the sky tonight
Yeah, if you let me show the way
I'm so excited to see you excited

I'll take you to a better place, yoo-hoo
And, baby, you can love me on the way
We're flyin' up to outer space
I'm so excited to see you excited, yeah

“And now,” Breena announced to the crowd as their new friends got up on the stage with them, “please welcome Mystery Incorporated and the Unity Squad!”

The crowd cheered as the ponies and Mystery Inc took to the stage, and they began to sing alongside the sisters as well.

Hitch: You like the bass down low

Zipp: I wanna lose control

Pipp: I wanna dance all night, you like it nice and slow

Izzy and Misty: Don't want it any other way, tell all your friends you're gonna stay
When we're together, you know that

Ponies and Mystery Inc: We do it better

Sunny: I don't mind if the world spins faster
The music's louder, the waves are gettin' stronger

Ponies: I don't mind if the world spins faster
Faster, faster, faster

All: Just let me take you to a better place
I'm gonna make you kiss the sky tonight
Yeah, if you let me show the way (Show the way)
I'm so excited to see you excited

I'll take you to a better place, yoo-hoo
And, baby, you can love me on the way
We're flyin' up to outer space
I'm so excited to see you excited, yeah

I like to see you lose control
(Ain't nobody better, we do it better)
I know a place, say that you'll go with me, yeah
(Ain't nobody better, we do it better)

Then, the ponies' cutie marks sent fireworks blastiing upward and above the audience, who cheered louder with every lyric sung.

All: Just let me take you to a better place
I'm gonna make you kiss the sky tonight
Yeah, if you let me show the way (Show the way)
I'm so excited to see you excited

I'll take you to a better place, yoo-hoo
And, baby, you can love me on the way
We're flyin' up to outer space
I'm so excited to see you excited, yeah!

The song ended there, prompting the audience to cheer, and all members of that group took a bow.

The portal would soon come to take the Equestrians home, but they were almost too happy to care. Cause they knew that if they stuck together in unison, just like the members of a band...

...they were going to harmonize their way to victory.