G5 Adventures in Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare

Chapters

Pippsqueak Problems/Scare at Camp Little Moose
A New Mission Begins
Day 1 of Camp Little Moose
Day 2 of Camp Little Moose/The Fishman Attacks!
Woodsman Frights and Discussions in the Moonlight
Investigations and Campfire Legends (Part 1)
Investigations and Campfire Legends (Part 2)
The Legend of Ricky LaRue/Realizing the Plot
Escaping the Flood
Finding the Treasure/The Final Showdown
Case Closed at Last/Finding Courage is the Key

Pippsqueak Problems/Scare at Camp Little Moose

It is almost the end of summer vacation in Equestria, and a very special group of best friends were going to make sure that the few remaining weeks of summer were going to be the best ever.

For once, I'm not talking about our heroes, the Mane 6.

This time, I'm talking about three very special fillies who happen to live in the same apartment complex-- the Maretime Bay Pippsqueaks.

First off, there's Seashell, a lavender earth pony filly with white socks, light pink hooves, green eyes and a green mane and tail the same color. Her cutie mark was a green conch shell, and two small pink stars were right behind it, totally creating a signature look with her pink tail bow.

Next, Glory, one of the original Pippsqueaks from Zephyr Heights. This pegasus filly had a blue coat, white hooves, blue eyes, pink and white feathers on her wings, and a purple mane and tail with blue streaks. Her cutie mark was a pink and purple firework, which matched her pink tail bow as well.

Finally, we move onto Peach Fizz, who was a young orange unicorn filly with light green eyes and red hooves, a white mane and tail with green, yellow and red streaks, a red bow on her tail and a cutie mark of a sparkling peach.

Since these three met, they've been the best of friends, and when Glory and Peach Fizz's families moved right across the hall to Seashell, they were beyond thrilled-- they couldn't wait!

However... their parents had their own thoughts on the matter... and they weren't exactly good.

We'll find out more about this when we get to the story.

XXXXXXXX

“Mom! Come on!” Seashell said excitedly, prancing by the door of her apartment. “We have to get a good spot on the beach!”

“All right, all right, sweetie!” said Seashell’s mother with a chuckle. “Just making sure we have everything packed for the perfect mother-daughter beach day.”

Seashell's single mother was named Ocean Silk, who was a white, almost-pearl colored earth pony mare with pink eyes, a curly blue and pink mane and tail, and a cutie mark of some thread and a knitting needle. She worked as a seamstress in Maretime Bay, and designed outfits for a lot of ponies in town. Ever since Seashell's father died when she was three, Ocean was trying hard to make a comfortable life for her and for Seashell...

...but it wasn't always easy.

Ocean Silk grabbed her beach bag and closed the door before colliding into someone-- her next door neighbor and Glory's father, Solar Charge.

Solar Charge was a confident pegasus stallion with a brownish-orange coat, a green mane and tail with thin red streaks, brown eyes, brown hooves, green feathers in his wings and a cutie mark of a megaphone. Back in Zephyr Heights, he worked to train royal guards in training for Queen Haven, but ultimately retired from doing such after Glory's mother disappeared when she was four.

And needless to say, with anyone other than Glory, he was NOT a patient stallion.

Solar cleared his throat, trying best to keep his temper down. “I suggest you walk where you’re going next time, Ocean Silk.”

“I apologize, Solar Charge,” Ocean Silk said, narrowing her eyes for a moment before calming herself down. “But Seashell and I were just on our way to the beach and we’re in a bit of a rush.”

“Seashell!” Glory squealed and hugged Seashell tightly. “Glory! This is great!” Seashell exclaimed. “You and your dad should come to the beach with us! Can they, Mom?”

“Well,” Ocean Silk stammered, “I-I think it would be all right for Glory to come along, but I’m sure her father--”

“Dad isn’t busy, are you, Dad?” Glory asked her father, who sighed deeply and rubbed her head. “Of course not, my little firework. But, I’m not getting in the water, though.”

“Of course a pegasus wouldn’t get into the water.”

The two parent-daughter couples turned to the other side of the hall, where they saw Peach Fizz emerging from her apartment with her mother, Amethyst Charm.

Amethyst Charm was a darker color than Seashell was, with darker hooves, light blue eyes, a magenta and yellow mane and tail and a cutie mark was an amethyst, a sapphire and an emerald bunched together. She worked as the local gemstone specialist in Bridlewood and is highly respected in her work. Ever since she and Peach Fizz's father got a divorce before magic returned, she's kept Peach Fizz as far away from her father as possible for some reason, but Peach Fizz never dared to ask why, fearing it would upset her mother.

One more thing... Amethyst is still getting used to the fact that pegasi and earth ponies were living with unicorns, so she still had some... opinions about them.

Solar Charge looked at the unicorn mare with a steely-eyed look. “Why do you say that, neighbor?”

“Everyone knows that if a pegasus’ wings get wet, they’re useless-- utterly useless!” Amethyst tossed her head. “And then, they’ll be nothing more than drowned rats!”

Solar Charge looked livid by this point, causing Glory to try and keep her father calm. “But… Mama?” Peach Fizz looked puzzled. “Glory got her wings wet before, she did perfectly fine flying.”

“Yes, but she’s never had them fully SUBMERGED in water, has she?” Amethyst looked toward Glory. “Cause… oh yes. She’s afraid to swim.”

Glory whimpered nervously at such a claim, and luckily, Ocean Silk was able to step in before there was a fight. “Please, everyone, calm down! I’m sure if we just talk about this in an orderly fashion, I think we can--”

“You have no say in this, earth pony!” Solar snarled. “This is between me and the uptight snob!”

“SNOB?!” Amethyst looked appalled at such a claim. “If you should blame anyone, blame yourself! Bringing your daughter to a beach town where there’s water all around us?!”

“...Dad said it was a change of pace,” Glory muttered, but the adults were arguing so loud, none of the fillies could be heard.

Sure, their parents argued sometimes, but it never got this intense before. And the more agitated these three got, the more magic could start to be affected.

Suddenly, Amethyst Charm said something none of them expected. “If you two are going to act like total ruffians in front of my daughter, then SHE shouldn’t have to associate with YOUR daughters any longer!”

“What exactly are you suggesting?” Ocean Silk said defensively. “I’m suggesting,” Amethyst sneered, “that Peach Fizz and I move back to Bridlewood, where I won’t have to deal with the likes of YOU TWO any longer!”

“WHAT?!” the Pippsqueaks shouted, hating the idea immediately. “Mama, no!” Peach Fizz begged. “I love it here in--”

“You know what?! Fine!” Solar got in Amethyst’s face. “If that’s how you want to play it, I’m going to ask if our old apartment in Zephyr Heights is still available for rent! GOODBYE TO THE BOTH OF YOU!!”

With that, the pegasus father and unicorn mother angrily trotted back into their apartments and slammed the doors behind them… leaving their daughters immediately shattered.

Ocean Silk calmed herself down just enough to see that Seashell and her best friends were crying, trying to comprehend what had just happened. “Oh… oh, girls, I… I’m so sorry you had to hear all that.”

“...I-I just remembered, me, Glory and Peach Fizz wanted to go by Mane Melody to hang out,” Seashell said, trying to clear away her shaking voice. “C-Can we go to the beach tomorrow?”

“...of course, sweetie,” Ocean Silk hugged her daughter. “You and your friends go and have fun.”

And then, without another word, the three of them ran off down the hallway, leaving Ocean Silk to wonder…

“What have we done…?”

XXXXXXXX

The Mane 6 and Sparky were hanging out at Mane Melody with Rocky and Jazz when the three Pippsqueaks burst through the door, panting and crying all at once and instantly getting everyone concerned. “Hey, Pippsqueaks, what’s wrong?” Pipp asked, fluttering to their side. “You look like I did when the first ‘Pipp Petals criticism’ blog came out.”

“It… it’s our parents!” Glory sobbed. “They got into a huge fight, and Peach Fizz and I might be leaving Maretime Bay!”

“That’s not right!” Sunny said, shocked. “You three should be able to stay together even if your parents get into a little fight.”

“But it wasn’t just a little fight, Sunny-- it was the biggest fight this month!” Seashell protested, clearing away her tears. “They always do this!”

“We had to get out of there,” Peach Fizz. “Mama and Mr. Charge were so mad at each other, we couldn’t be there anymore…”

“Oh, girls…” Misty said softly, hugging the three. “I’m so sorry.”

“Why don’t you girls have a seat?” Rocky asked, gesturing to a salon chair. “We can do any kind of treatments you want while you tell us the story.”

“Yeah,” Zipp nodded. “Maybe we can even help.”

“Well… okay,” Seashell nodded as the three sat down. “So, me and Mama were gonna go to the beach today, but when we bumped into Glory and her dad… well, he was less than thrilled to see us.”

“And believe us…” Glory sighed. “It’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

This got the others completely concerned-- even if this wasn’t a Unity Quest, this may be a mission they would need time to tackle.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time that the Pippsqueaks were confessing all their parental problems to the Mane 6, in the mortal world, there was a camp in session at a place called Camp Little Moose, and at this camp, around the campfire, Burt, the head counselor, was telling a spooky story to some kids while they roasted marshmallows.

And boy… this tale was a doozy. “The story I'm about to tell you is Camp Little Moose's darkest secret. A tale so terrifying, if your parents knew, they'd never send you here in the first place,” Burt began the tale in order to get the kids riled up. “Now, 50 years ago, right here at Little Moose… there was a counselor named Jerry McCreedy… the meanest counselor in the history of summer camp. If you were late to flag raising, he'd yell at you. If you were afraid of the water, he'd throw you in the lake. If you had candy, he'd eat it.”

The kids gasped at each of these claims… especially the candy part. “So one day, the campers decided to play a little prank on old McCreedy,” Burt continued the tale. “They put a snake in his daypack. And while Jerry was out hiking, he reached for his trail mix… and got a handful of slithering serpent!”

This caused the kids to once again gasp in terror, barely able to move. “McCreedy was so scared,” Burt continued, “he lost his footing and clean fell off Devil's Drop. Slid all the way down on his face, banging his head on every rock.”

“W-W-W-What happened to him?” one of the boys asked nervously. “They never found the body,” Burt said vaguely. “But legend has it the significant head trauma drove him insane. They call him… the Woodsman!”

Suddenly, there came a sound coming from the woods, and the campers were horrified to see an ominous figure, dressed in dark clothing, cackling and holding an ax right above Burt’s head! “It’s the woodsman!” one of the boys shrieked. “RUN!!”

The kids ran off, staggering over each other as they tried to flee, but after a moment, it was revealed that one of the other counselors, Darryl, was just wearing a disguise to scare them, causing Darryl and Burt to burst into laughter. “That was great, Darryl,” Burt said with a smile. “You had them jumping higher than a tick on a trampoline.”

Once realizing that Darryl and Burt were just playing a little prank on them, even the kids found themselves laughing-- it actually was kind of fun to be scared. That’s when Darryl blew his whistle to get everyone’s attention. “All right, everybody, that's enough for tonight. Back to your cabins.”

The kids seemed to comply with this and started walking back to their cabins with their friends. And after Burt had left, Darryl made sure to douse the campfire so no wildfires would spread because of them. But suddenly, there came a loud banging sound coming from nearby, earning his attention. “What was that?”

Darryl got out his flashlight and began to move in the direction of the sound. Eventually, he discovered that it was the door of the boathouse, flying open and closed repeatedly in the wind. “I could swear I locked that door…” Darryl muttered, but moved toward the door to lock it anyway. But as he did, he heard a bunch of sinister laughing behind him, causing him to tense up and look behind him to see a sinister figure.

This figure had green skin, yellow sclera, and long, black hair while wearing a brown fedora and a brown jacket, and had his face and hands covered in bandages, also wielding an ax with a sinister grin.

As the figure raised his ax, Darryl let out a terrified scream, too scared to move.

XXXXXXXX

Burt heard some kind of scream coming from the counselors' cabin, and when he opened the door to see what it was, he found Darryl running along the path, terrified. “It’s the Woodsman! He’s real! AAAAAAHHHH!!!”

Burt wasn’t sure what to make out of this, but before he could go after Darryl, an explosion went off in the distance, causing Burt to gasp, knowing exactly what exploded. “The boathouse!”

He ran in the direction of the boathouse, and when he arrived, the boathouse was completely engulfed in flames, and the words "GET OUT" were engraved in the wood that was left behind.

Then, the Woodsman cackled again, right in front of Burt, causing him to gasp in fear as well. “It can’t be!”

The Woodsman merely cackled again, throwing his ax at Burt and sending him on the run.

One thing was definitely for sure… this was definitely a terrifying mystery that needed to be solved… and fast.

A New Mission Begins

“And then, we asked my mom if we could come here instead of going to the beach,” Seashell concluded her story with her ears pinned, “and well… you guys kinda know the rest.”

Seashell, Glory and Peach Fizz had just got done telling the Mane 6, Sparky, Rocky and Jazz about the feuding that had went on between their parents over the past few months, ending with the argument that happened earlier that day.

Needless to say, the other ponies and Sparky were shocked at this kind of behavior and felt bad for the fillies.

Hitch was the first to approach them with a sympathetic look. “I’m so sorry you girls had to go through that. I met with each one of your parents personally, and unfortunately, they never told me about this. But I’m sure that maybe if I talk to them, maybe we can reach some sort of personal agreement.”

“Thanks, Sheriff Hitch,” Glory sighed, “but when my dad makes a decision, he usually sticks to it.”

“My mom too,” Peach Fizz sighed, looking down at the floor. “I just wish we could spend one more summer together before we had to leave.”

As everypony tried to think of a way to help the fillies, Jazz suddenly looked at all their cutie marks and gasped. “Looks like you had your wish answered, Peach Fizz! Look at all your cutie marks!”

The Mane 6, as well as the Pippsqueaks, looked down at their cutie marks and realized they were glowing brightly-- a sign that they were being summoned by the Unity Crystals for another mission.

Seashell gasped excitedly at this. “Does this mean we get to go with you this time?!”

“I guess it does!” Izzy giggled. “But, you fillies have to promise that you’ll do what we say at all times,” Sunny told them sternly. “Okay?”

“We promise!” the Pippsqueaks said. “Jazz, can you take Sparky over to Grandma Figgy’s?” Hitch asked, handing the baby dragon over to her. “I think it might be best if he doesn’t come this time.”

“Sure thing, Hitch,” Jazz nodded and took the baby onto her back. “Now, do you fillies need to grab anything from home before we leave?” Zipp asked before suddenly realizing what she said. “Sorry, force of habit.”

“All we need is to stay with you,” Peach Fizz said, hugging up against Zipp. “That’s the only thing we want.”

The Mane 6 looked at each other sympathetically, realizing that this may be the fillies' one ticket to having a good summer memory before they were ripped apart.

They had to try and make it a good one for them.

Sunny sighed at this. “Okay, then… everypony, back to the Brighthouse!”

XXXXXXXX

Back in the mortal world, the day after the Woodsman attack at camp, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo were seemingly having lunch in the woods, with Scooby sitting in a hammock while Shaggy handed him a freshly made sandwich. “Here you go, Scoob, 18 inches of hoagie heaven.”

“Ooh! Yum!” Scooby said in delight, licking his lips in hunger. “Now this is what I call camping,” Shaggy said before taking a bite out of his sandwich. “Good friends…”

“Good food…” Scooby continued. “And,” said Shaggy, “most importantly…”

“...no monsters!”

Shaggy and Scooby continued to feast on their sandwiches for a few moments, until a sound caused them to turn toward a wooded area, where they saw some sort of figure approaching them slowly, with its arms stretched out. To them, that only meant one thing only. “MONSTER!!”

Shaggy leapt into the hammock with Scooby for protection… just as the figure fell out into open view, revealing itself to be only Velma wearing some sort of suit. “Sorry, guys,” she apologized for scaring them. “I was just checking out this mosquito-proof suit. Maybe I should try a small.”

That's when Daphne approached the three with a shopping cart full of supplies for their trip. “You guys, quit messing around. We're here to pick up supplies,” she said, revealing that they weren’t ACTUALLY camping yet-- just in a camping themed store. “You know how excited Fred is about taking us to his old summer camp.”

At that moment, Fred appeared, dressed in different camping accessories with a wide smile on his face. “I am so excited to take you guys to my old summer camp!”

“Like, you don’t say,” Shaggy said sarcastically before he and Scooby giggled. “You guys are gonna love being counselors at Camp Little Moose,” Fred told them before being reminded of something. “Did I ever tell you the time me and Davey Reynolds tried canoeing Schmidt's Creek without a paddle?”

Unfortunately, this was a story the gang had heard before... about 20 times, to those who want to keep track. “Yes…”

“There we were,” Fred began retelling the tale. “10 years old and not a paddle between us.”

Daphne sighed as everyone walked toward the checkout… only to be stopped by a familiar portal opening up because of them. “Oh, thank goodness!” Velma sighed quietly. “Sunny and her friends showed up just in time to stop that story.”

However, it wasn't Sunny and her friends who popped out of the portal first. Instead, it was the Pippsqueaks, who looked a bit dazed from the wild ride. “Whoa…” Seashell looked around after a moment. “Where are we?”

“I don’t know,” Peach Fizz shook her head. “But we definitely don’t have anything like this back home.”

That’s when the Mane 6 finally emerged from the portal before it closed, lighting up at seeing their friends. “Hey, guys! It’s great to see you!” Zipp said, high-fiving Fred as the others gave their friends hugs. “We actually have some guests on our Unity Quest this time.”

“Everyone, meet the Pippsqueaks! This is Seashell, Peach Fizz and Glory!” Pipp gestured to each filly. “Girls, meet Mystery Incorporated-- Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Velma and Daphne! We’ve been on a bunch of quests with these guys.”

“It’s nice to meet you, girls,” Daphne smiled sweetly. “Pipp’s actually told us quite a bit about you.”

“Really?!” Seashell said excitedly. “That’s awesome! I mean, uh… good things, I hope.”

The gang couldn't help but giggle at the filly's answer, and Glory flew up to Scooby and began rubbing his head, giggling to herself. “Awww, he’s so cute!” she cooed before reaching into her mane and pulling out a cookie. “Can I give him a treat?”

“Like, sure,” Shaggy nodded. “Though he and I usually go through 5 boxes of cookies on a weekly basis.”

“Sit, boy,” Glory said, prompting Scooby to sit before she tossed the cookie into his mouth. “Wow! He’s amazing!”

“They don’t allow pets in our apartment building at home,” Peach Fizz said, “so Glory loves to be around animals whenever she can.”

But then, the smiles from the Pippsqueaks faded upon remembering their own dilemma. “I just… don’t think we’re going to have a home in Maretime Bay for long,” Glory said quietly. “Not after what happened.”

Sunny felt her heart twinge at this, and when she noticed Mystery Inc looking sympathetic and confused, she had an idea and turned to the Pippsqueaks. “Hey, girls? Why don’t you, Shaggy and Scooby go find some snacks? That way you guys can get to know each other a little.”

“Okay,” Peach Fizz nodded, and the three fillies walked off with their new friends while Pipp turned to Fred, Velma and Daphne. “The Pippsqueaks are kinda going through some stuff with their parents at home-- they’re fighting, and Glory and Peach Fizz might have to move back to Zephyr Heights and Bridlewood.”

“Oh, that’s awful,” Daphne frowned. “Nopony should have to be put through that.”

“Well, maybe the girls will like where we’re going for a few weeks,” Fred said. “We’re volunteering at my old summer camp, Camp Little Moose, and I’m sure the Pippsqueaks would love going there as much as I did.”

“You know, Fred… that’s actually not a bad idea,” Zipp said in thought. “It would really help take their mind of things, and give US time to find a solution for when we have to go back to Equestria.”

“We’d love to have you guys along… especially if it means that you guys can stop Fred from retelling his old camp stories,” Velma whispered to avoid Fred’s earshot. “Now, let’s get this stuff checked out and into the van before it weighs anymore.”

XXXXXXXX

After the camping supplies were paid for, the Mane 6 helped the gang load it into the van, just as the owner of the store, an older white man, came out to speak to them. “Sure do appreciate your business, kids,” he said. “Say, if you're heading up to Little Moose Lake, you best get a move on. Those mountain roads can be mighty tricky come nightfall.”

“Loud and clear, sir. Thanks for everything,” Hitch said politely. “Hold on a second,” Daphne said, looking around. “Where are the Pippsqueaks, Shaggy and Scooby?”

“Look out!”

The next thing the group knew, Shaggy and Scooby were riding on a shopping cart out to the van with the Pippsqueaks, and while the Pippsqueaks were able to jump off in time, Shaggy and Scooby landed in the huge pile of supplies. Seashell gasped and hopped up to the bumper of the van to see if she could see any kind of movement from her friends. “Scooby? Are you okay?”

“Don't worry about him,” Shaggy reassured the filly, sitting up. “He landed on a cushion of freeze-dried ice cream.”

Scooby took out a packet of freeze-dried ice cream and placed the contents into his mouth, his mouth watering at the savory flavors. “Mmm… rocky road!”

As Scooby licked his chops to get the leftover ice cream off, and as the others laughed at the dog's antics, Velma saw another smaller building off to the side of the camping store. “Camp City Historical Museum. What's that?”

“Oh, just a little hobby of mine,” the store owner said. “There's a lot of history in this area. Myths, legends. Even a few ghost stories. You wanna hear one?”

Glory gulped nervously. “Um… no?”

“I’m good,” Scooby said before he and Shaggy instantly slammed the back door of the Mystery Machine shut. “Thanks again for the supplies, sir,” Misty said. “But like you said, we have a long way to go before nightfall, so we need to get going.”

XXXXXXXX

And that's what our heroes did, getting into the Mystery Machine and driving down the road. On the way there, Pipp and Zipp decide to narrate the tale of Zombie Island-- the Unity Quest that let them all meet for the first time.

From the Moat Monster to the zombies, all the way to the cat creatures, it was truly an amazing tale. “And after we all got on the boat to leave Moonscar Island, the portal appeared, and we said goodbye to these guys and came back to Equestria,” Zipp finished. “And that’s the true story about how we all met and solved our first mystery together.”

“Wow… that’s an incredible story!” Glory exclaimed, completely in awe with the tale. “I mean… except for the cat creatures part.”

“Luckily, we haven’t heard any kind of trouble from Moonscar Island,” Sunny reassured the fillies, “so I assume the cat people haven’t made any kind of come back.”

“On another note,” said Velma, looking at the GPS that Fred had recently installed, “according to the GPS, we should be able to see the camp right now.”

“Hey, guys!” Hitch pointed out the window. “This is something you have to see!”

Everyone looked through the window to see a glamorous camp just near a gorgeous lake that seemed to be well-liked and well enjoyed, due to how many people and ponies were walking around. “Wow!” Daphne exclaimed. “That place is beautiful!”

“OMP, yes!” Pipp said, taking pictures through the window. “This is my kind of place!”

“You know, Freddy,” Zipp admitted, “I wasn't too excited about roughing it. But I think I'm going to like Camp Little Moose.”

“Oh-ho, sweet innocent Zipp,” Fred chuckled. “That’s not Camp Little Moose.”

“It’s not?” Scooby asked in confusion. “That’s Camp Big Moose,” Fred turned his nose at the other camp and instead pointed down below the camp in the valley next to a huge dam. “That’s Camp Little Moose.”

Compared to Camp Big Moose, this camp was smaller and a bit... worn down. The cabins were a bit old-fashioned, and there was an old dirty lake right nearby-- even the camp sign seemed older than dirt. “Oh,” Fred smiled as they drove through the camp, “they've really fixed the place up.”

Pipp sighed, her ears pinning. “You gotta be kidding me… we have to stay here?!”

“Pipp, don’t be rude!” Sunny scolded. “I don’t think it looks all bad… right?”

However, Fred was oblivious to the Mane 6's current conversation, still excited about the experience. “I've spent a zillion summers here as a camper… but now, I'm finally gonna be a counselor!”

“...I hate to be a bit of a downer,” Seashell whispered to Daphne and Velma, “but this place is, uh… kind of a dump.”

“It’s… rustic, Seashell,” Daphne tried to put it another way. “And it could really use some of Izzy’s unicycling talents.”

“Man, I don't care what it looks like,” Shaggy told the group, “as long as it isn't haunted.”

Suddenly, Darryl ran out in front of the Mystery Machine, causing the ponies to gasp as Fred immediately put on the brakes. “Stop! Turn back!” Darryl shouted. “This place is haunted!”

After hearing this, Shaggy and Scooby immediately slapped themselves out of frustration, just as Fred leaned his head out the window to speak. “Hey, buddy, what seems to be the problem?”

“He’s real!” Darryl exclaimed. “Get out of here while you still can. I'm going to Camp Big Moose! YAAAAH!!!”

And just like that, Darryl was gone. “What do you think that was all about?” Misty asked in concern. “Beats me,” Fred shrugged, unbuckling his seatbelt. “But we're gonna find out.”

“Good idea, Fred. Ponies, let’s move out!” Zipp said, and everyone except Shaggy, Scooby and the Pippsqueaks left the van. “What part of ‘Get out, save yourselves’ didn’t you understand?!” Shaggy called after their friends. “How about this one time we listen to the wild-eyed lunatic?!”

“But what if the camp is in trouble?” Glory asked the boys. “We can’t just leave without finding out the problem! Come on. guys!”

Reluctantly, knowing the filly was right, Shaggy and Scooby followed the Pippsqueaks out of the van while the others looked around. “This is not a Camp Little Moose welcome,” Fred spoke, clearly not pleased as he looked at the sign. Turns out, the words "GET OUT" had been scraped against it... an utterly terrifying warning. “Where is everybody?” Sunny wondered. “Maybe if we look around a bit,” said Misty, “we can find someone to answer these questions.”

“Pippsqueaks, better stay close,” Zipp said with a narrowed gaze. “This could be Allura’s doing.”

The Pippsqueaks gulped nervously, but nodded to this, and stuck behind their friends as they walked around the cabins a bit, not a single person in sight…

…at least until they began hearing a voice. “...just a campfire story, but he was here!”

“Did you hear that?” Daphne asked as they all listened to the voice again. “...madder than a bear with a bee sting!”

“Oh! It’s coming from down there!” Pipp pointed down the nearby path toward the lake, and they all galloped and flew down the path to see what or who they might be able to find.

XXXXXXXX

Turns out, this voice belonged to Burt, who was talking to one of the local rangers about the boathouse explosion the night before. “He was laughing when he threw his ax at me.”

“I think it'd be a good idea to cancel the second session of camp,” the ranger advised as he took down the report. “Way ahead of you, Ranger Knudsen,” Burt nodded. “I've already notified all the parents. Camp Little Moose is officially closed for the summer.”

“What?!” Fred cried, screeching to a halt at the end of the path. “You can’t cancel camp!”

Burt seemed to recognize this voice immediately and turned to Fred with a wide grin. “Why, I'd know that ascot anywhere-- Freddy Jones! Get over here and give me a Little Moose welcome!”

That’s when Fred and Burt approached each other and began the rhyme that every kid who went to Camp Little Moose knew by heart.

“High in the mountains…”

“...deep in the spruce…”

“...on the shore of the lake…”

“...it’s Camp Little Moose!”

“Little Moose, Little Moose, Liiiittlllle Moose!”

Fred and Burt chuckled before hugging, and this made the ponies and the rest of the gang smile at the connection. “Ah. The Little Moose welcome always warms my heart,” Burt smiled before Sunny approached. “Excuse me, sir, but what’s this we heard about canceling camp?”

“And what happened to the boathouse?” Fred asked. “I don't mean to scare you kids…” said Ranger Knudsen, “but we're having a little trouble with an ax-wielding maniac.”

“It was the Woodsman!” Burt told Fred with wide eyes. “Oh no!” Shaggy cried. “Not the Woodsman!”

“Uh… who’s the Woodsman?” Scooby whispered. “Like, I don’t know,” Shaggy shuddered, “and I don't wanna find out.”

“The Woodsman?” Fred questioned before smirking. “Oh, come on, Burt, you don't believe that old campfire story.”

“Nah, I swear, Fred!” Burt protested. “I saw him with my own eyes!”

However, Fred still seemed hesitant to believe such a thing. “t's probably just a prank by those snobs at Camp Big Moose.”

“Fred, this seems really serious,” Misty pointed out with a frown. “Besides, if Burt saw the Woodsman with his own eyes, I think we need to at least take his word for it.”

“Besides,” Velma said as she inspected the damage. “I've heard of camp rivalries, but this is a little extreme.”

“You,” said Ranger Knudsen, smirking at her, “hit the nail on the head, beautiful.”

“Oh, I didn't say anything,” Daphne said politely. “Well, I wasn't talking to you,” the ranger told her bluntly before going back to his jeep. “It's best if you folks just head on home. Let the professionals handle this.”

As Velma shot him a look, the ranger drove off in the direction of his ranger station, and Daphne turned to Velma with an excited look. “Somebody likes you!”

“...shut up…”

XXXXXXXX

When everyone gathered at the Camp Little Moose sign to discuss what to do, Fred and the Pippsqueaks seemed extremely disappointed about the camp being shut down... but Fred was actually the first one to speak. “But I was gonna be a counselor, mentor, hero...”

“I'm sorry, Fred,” Burt apologized, “but I had no choice. No campers means no camp.”

“But... you have me, Seashell and Glory,” Peach Fizz spoke. “We’ll be happy to be campers... especially if it means getting away from our problems.”

“Well, that's mighty nice of you, little fillies,” Burt told them, “but it takes more than three campers to make a summer camp... well, a summer camp.”

Suddenly, a large yellow bus pulled into the camp, and off of it came three young middle school aged kids:

The first was a young boy with average build and had short, blond hair and a Camp Little Moose shirt.
The second was the only girl of the group, and her attire consisted of glasses, a dark purple hoodie, black shorts, and black shoes with long socks.
Lastly, the third kid was a chubby young boy with glasses, a Camp Little Moose shirt and an orange baseball cap.

As soon as the kids stepped off the bus, the blonde haired boy looked around, confused. “Where is everybody?”

“Camp's canceled,” Burt tried to tell the kids. “Didn't you kids get the message?”

“...what message?” the girl deadpanned. “The one that said welcome to Camp Little Moose!” Fred told them cheerfully, interrupting Burt. “I'm Fred-- I'll be your counselor, mentor, hero.”

“Good to meet you, Fred. I'm Luke,” the blonde haired boy shook Fred’s hand. “Trudy...” the girl muttered before walking off. “Deacon,” the chubby boy took a breath out of his inhaler before shaking Fred's hand. “Hi! I'm Seashell,” the earth pony filly introduced, “and these are my friends Glory and Peach Fizz.”

“Wow! Real ponies!” Luke said fist-bumping Glory, who was flying at his level. “This is totally gonna be sweet!”

As the fillies were trying to socialize with their fellow campers, Burt pulled Fred off to the side. “I don't know if this is such a good idea, Fred. Maybe we should just put these kids back on that bus.”

But before anything else could be said, the bus began to drive away. “Hey. Hey! Hey, where are you going?” Burt asked, running after it. “You get back here!”

At the same time, Fred began to think of the activities to do. “So, what will it be first? Equestrian-back rides through the woods? No, no, no, I got it. Zip line!”

“Sounds awesome!” Luke exclaimed. “Sounds awful...” Trudy muttered as she and Deacon, as well as Seashell, Peach Fizz, Hitch and Zipp, followed Fred away, leaving the others alone. “This may just be my jinxie sense,” Izzy said in thought, “but it kinda feels like Fred's forgetting something.”

“You mean, the fact that we have a mystery on our hands?” Velma asked her. “Oh, yeah!” Izzy nodded in response. “That's it!”

“Like the only mystery I'm interested in solving...” Shaggy spoke, “...is The Case of What's For Dinner. What do you say we look for clues in the kitchen, Scoob?”

And as quick as a flash, Scooby had grabbed a bag of groceries and a chef hat from the van. “Way ahead of you.”

“I'll give you a hoof with that, fellas,” Sunny said. “The kitchen is one of my happy places.”

“Um... could I help you with them, Sunny?” Glory asked timidly. “I helped my dad with cooking a lot back home.”

“Oh, sure. We'd love some extra help,” Sunny nodded. “Come on, let's get into that kitchen and cook the night away!”

As the groups split up to cover the activities, they were blissfully unaware that this adventure would be more frightening than it seemed...

...more frightening by a long shot.

Day 1 of Camp Little Moose

The second session of Camp Little Moose had officially started with three human campers and three pony campers.

It was a small group, but better than nothing.

And it would give the Mane 6 and Mystery Incorporated enough time to work out this whole Woodsman business.

The Pippsqueaks couldn't be more excited to get to have one last summer together before they may be forced apart.

And the first activity that would be a real changing experience? Zip-lining through the tree tops.

However, Deacon was so nervous about the situation, leaving Misty, Pipp and Daphne to try and calm him down before he had a panic attack. “It's okay, Deacon,” Daphne said, patting the ground with her foot. “You're on the ground.”

“Daphne’s right. See?” Pipp stomped the ground with her hoof. “The ground isn't going anywhere.”

“I'll fly up and see if the others need help at the top,” Misty said, levitating off the ground and lifting toward the platform at the top of the tree. Along the way, she passed Zipp, who was carrying Peach Fizz on her back, and Velma, who were just behind Trudy. “Keep going, Trudy,” Velma said encouragingly. “You're going to love the zip line.”

“What’s a zip line?” Trudy asked boredly, waving her phone around. “I'm just trying to get cell phone reception.”

“One, keep both hands on the ladder unless you wanna plummet back to the ground,” Zipp said, nudging her. “Two, I think you're gonna love soaring through the forest if you just give it a fair chance.”

“And if Princess Zipp says it'll be fun,” Peach Fizz agreed, “then it'll be fun!”

Trudy only shrugged and continued to climb up the ladder, only to meet Izzy and Hitch at the top of it. Seashell, on the other hoof, was watching Ferd harness Luke in so he could go on the zip line first. “Okay, Luke,” Fred spoke up. “Whenever you're ready, just step off the...”

“Whooooo-hoo-hoo!!!” Luke cheered before sailing off of the platform and into the treetops. “...platform,” Fred finished, watching Luke fly out of his sight, cheering wildly. After a moment, Fred turned to Seashell with a smile. “Okay, Seashell... you ready for your turn?”

“I think so,” Seashell nodded, stepping onto the platform. “I always wanted to go zip lining back home, but my mom, while she can be amazing all the time, she can be a little bit... worrisome when it comes to stuff like this.”

“Not to mention... it's kinda high,” Peach Fizz gulped nervously, looking down from their treetop position. “Hey, I have an idea to help with that,” Pipp said with a smile as she flew next to them. “What if me and Zipp fly beside you for a little bit? Until you feel ready to do it on your own?”

“Hey... I'd like that. Thanks, Pipp,” Seashell said happily, letting Fred finish harnessing her in before she jumped off the platform, with Pipp flying beside her.

And to Seashell's surprise... the zip line was way more fun than she ever imagined!

Now she could only wonder how Glory was doing cooking with the others.

XXXXXXXX

Glory sniffed the pudding cooking on the stove, the sweet aroma making her mouth water. “Mmm... this pudding smells really good, Sunny! What kind is it again?”

“Razzleberry surprise,” Sunny said as she stirred the pudding. “It's the perfect topping with vanilla ice cream to go with dessert tonight. My dad jsed to make it all the time when I was a filly and we would go camping together.”

“Well, I'm glad dessert is going okay for you girls,” Shaggy said after tasting what he was cooking. “But I feel like something's missing from my Five-Alarm Chili.”

“My dad always made chili at home,” Glory spoke as she flew over. “Can I have a taste?”

“Sure, but I got to warn you,” Shaggy said as he got a spoonful of chili, “it's my spiciest recipe yet.”

Glory took a bite of the chili, and to the surprise of the remaining trio, she was able to swallow it without any kind of reaction. And after swallowing it, Glory hummed in thought. “If my dad was here, I would have him put in more Zephyr Heights reaper peppers, but... we don't have those here, so I'm not sure what exactly it might need.”

Scooby then glanced off to the side where he saw a few peppers laying on the counter, and without thinking much of it, he plopped one in its mouth and swallowed it. “Oh-ho, man, Scoob!” Shaggy said, clearly impressed. “Those are some of the hottest peppers known to THIS world!”

Scooby didn't feel the heat for a moment, but suddenly, it felt like his mouth was burning, and turns out... it was literally doing just that.

After a moment of running around with smoke emitting from his mouth, Shaggy grabbed the hose device from the sink and blasted Scooby in the mouth to cool him down, and after a moment, the heat went away... even if Shaggy was splashed with water during the process.

After Sunny turned the water off, she handed Shaggy a towel before turning to check on Scooby. “You okay, Scooby-Doo?”

“Delicious!” Scooby said before he burped a large mass of smoke from his mouth, allowing Glory to fan it away before it ruined the food. “Thanks, Glory,” smiled Sunny gratefully. “With the food and with helping out around here.”

“You're welcome,” Glory smiled before sighing to herself. “At least it makes me think less of our problem... I wonder how Peach Fizz and Seashell are doing.”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Peach Fizz and Seashell, along with everybody else, were trying their best to build a fire while Fred led an entire demonstration. “I don't mean to brag, but I was Little Moose Fire Starting Champion six years running,” Fred spoke as he managed to get a small fire going. “And with a little practice, you too can learn to master this skill.”

Suddenly, there came a roaring of flames, and over with the remainder of the Mane 6, Daphne, Velma and the human campers, Luke had managed to get a huge fire blazing, causing him to excitedly laugh. “Check it out!”

“All right, Luke!” Zipp laughed. “And it was your first try too!”

“Ooh ooh ooh!” Izzy levitated a bag of marshmallows over to the group. “I have the marshmallows ready for roasting!”

Fred sighed in disappointment before he glanced to the side and saw something disheartening...

...Peach Fizz, sitting beside her fire-making supplies, looking extremely down and out.

That's when Fred took the chance to approach her. “Hey, Peach Fizz... is everything all right?”

“Well... Mama and I never went camping before, since we already lived in Bridlewood,” Peach Fizz hesitantly explained. “And besides, she always said that she was too dignified to 'rough it'. She... always says stuff like that. It's like I can't do anything right for her.”

“Hey, just cause your mom thinks a certain way doesn’t mean you do everything wrong,” Fred told the filly comfortingly. “Besides, making a fire takes a lot of practice. Why don’t I do it with you this time?”

“Really?” Peach Fizz asked with a smile. “Thanks, Freddy!”

“Okay, I’ll show you what to do,” Fred spoke, grabbing the materials, “and then you follow after me. Got it?”

“Got it!”

XXXXXXXX

Peach Fizz, with Fred's help, managed to build her fire perfectly, and Peach Fizz couldn't help but giggle happily when the excitement rushing through her made her cutie mark glow.

However, a few hours later is when the trouble would really start.

The fire was going out, and it was getting more difficult for Sunny to stir the pudding she and Glory made. “Shaggy, how’s your chili doing? The pudding is thickening, but not too much.”

“Well, let me put it this way,” Shaggy said, checking the fire under the stove. “Like, if we don't get more firewood, my chili's gonna be too chilly to eat.”

Suddenly, the sound of Scooby sobbing caught their attention. “Oh, don’t cry, Scooby,” Glory said comfortingly. “Yeah, dude,” Shaggy nodded. “There's plenty of wood in the woods.”

“Uh… guys?” Sunny pointed at Scooby again, revealing that he was chopping onions, and that’s why he was crying. “Oh… onions,” Shaggy realized sheepishly. “Good thinkin’, Scoob.”

“Glory, I had an idea. Why don’t you go and help Scooby gather some more firewood?” Sunny suggested. “Shaggy and I can handle the rest of the food prep here, and it might be good for the two of you to keep one another company, especially with that whole ax-wielding maniac still out there.”

At first, Glory didn't like the thoughts of going into the woods at night with the Woodsman out there too, but once realizing that Scooby would be with her, she took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay… I think we can do that, right, Scoob?”

“Uh-huh,” Scooby nodded with a smile. “Be back soon!”

And so, Scooby and Glory set forth into the woods to find the firewood they needed.

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Zipp and Hitch were helping Fred with a wildlife lesson, where Fred found a strange set of pawprints in the dirt. “Yep, no doubt about it. These are moose tracks.”

“Uh... I've never seen a moose in Equestria before, Fred,” Hitch said as he inspected the tracks, “but these seem a little more... canine than what a moose's tracks would look like.”

“Yeah, and those look a little small for a moose,” Luke nodded. “Are you sure?”

“I'm a camp counselor-- of course I'm sure. Those are moose tracks,” Fred spoke before a rustling sound caught his attention. “Shh. I think the moose is on the other side of these bushes.”

Seashell and Peach Fizz nervously whimpered at the fact that a large moose might be on the other side of the bushes, and hugged Pipp and Izzy tightly in order for protection.

Then, when Fred moved the bushes, he revealed that the pawprints belonged to Scooby, who was carrying firewood while Glory flew around and collected it.

And seeing everyone staring at him made Scooby blink in confusion. “What?”

“Huh... it's funny, Freddy,” Zipp said smugly. “That moose and it's bird friend look AWFULLY familiar-- like we've seen them before.”

The group giggled at Fred’s little mess-up, just before Fred gestured the group away. “Okay, guys, back to camp.”

“Oh yeah! Let's go!” Izzy chirped, prancing ahead of the group. “It’s arts and crafts time!”

Glory and Scooby watched their friends go out of sight before they shrugged at each other and continued on their way. However, after a few moments of silence, Glory sighed and turned to the Great Dane. “Scooby, can I talk to you? About the problem we have back home? I would talk to Peach Fizz and Seashell about it, but... I don't wanna upset them more than they already are now.”

“Sure,” Scooby nodded and set his load of firewood down. “What's on your mind?”

“My dad... he really is amazing,” Glory began the conversation. “He's taken care of me in the best possible way ever since my mom left when I was really young. But... even though I'm happy in Maretime Bay, I think Dad was happier in Zephyr Heights for some reason.”

“Did you ask him about why he feels that way?” Scooby asked. “...no. He doesn't like to talk about what's bothering him,” Glory shook his head. “He doesn't want me to worry, but... then again, moving me away from my best friends really DOES make me worry. I wanna figure out how I can change my dad's mind, but... I'm just not sure how to do that.”

Scooby whimpered softly as Glory hung her head in sadness, and nuzzled her head tenderly in an attempt to cheer her up.

Glory giggled at the Great Dane's Gentle touch, feeling a lot better now that knowing she had all of that heartache off her chest. “Thank you for listening, Scooby. That really makes me feel better. Now I think we need to get a few more sticks, just so we can make sure Shaggy doesn't have chilly chili for dinner tonight.”

Scooby giggled at the pun, gathering the wood he had set down again. “Chilly chili... that's a good one, Glory.”

But as they began to get moving again, there came a rustling in the woods, making Scooby a bit nervous. “Fred?” he called out, shaking. “Velma?”

“D-D-Daphne?” Glory called out, stammering a bit. But then, the rustling sound coming from the woods was revealed to be just a young moose, causing Scooby to sigh in relief. “So that’s what a moose looks like?” Glory asked in a whisper. “Huh… it looks a lot bigger than I expected.”

Suddenly, something caused the young moose to run off into the forest, and what was that something?

As you may have guessed, it was the Woodsman himself.

Seeing the Woodsman's ax glittering in the evening light, Scooby and Glory began to carefully back away, Scooby stammering until the Woodsman threw his ax at them, thankfully hitting a tree, but causing their fear to be thrown into overdrive. “WOODSMAN!!”

“SCOOBY, RUN!!!” Glory screamed and bolted away as fast as she could, with Scooby dropping the wood and following behind immediately. From there, it was a full sprint until they got back to the kitchen, where Scooby boarded up the door to prevent the Woodsman, who might have been following them, from coming inside.

Shaggy sighed when he saw that the two of them only came back with the small twig latched in Scooby's tail. “Oh, Scoob. When you and Glory went for wood…” he said, “I didn't know you were gonna bring it back one piece at a time.”

“I don’t know, Shaggy,” Sunny shook her head with a frown. “They look more scared than anything. What happened out there?”

Scooby didn’t answer Sunny's questions right away but pulled the window shade down in order to prevent them from being seen through it. “Wood man,” he stammered fearfully. “Wood man!”

“Yeah-- wood, man,” Shaggy nodded, not understanding what Scooby was trying to say. “That's what we need. I guess I'll have to get it myself.”

“Shaggy, wait!” Glory cried out in panic. “Don’t go out there!”

However, while Sunny held the pegasus filly close, Shaggy opened the front door, revealing an ominous figure out there in the darkness. “WOODSMAN!!” Scooby shrieked before fainting in Shaggy’s arms. But then, Burt came into the kitchen with a handful of firewood. “I saw smoke coming from the chimney. Figured you boys and your friends could use some more firewood.”

“Like, thanks, Burt,” Shaggy smiled. “Dinner’s almost ready.”

Shaggy then set Scooby roughly on the floor, prompting him, Glory and Sunny to look out the door. “Well, I guess the Woodsman is gone now, guys,” Sunny said, patting Glory on the head. “We’re safe here for now.”

“...I hope you’re right…” Glory muttered as Scooby turned to close the door before the group got ready for dinner.

XXXXXXXX

A few minutes later, everyone sat in the large table in the dining hall (which was two tables pushed together), and Shaggy went around the table, pouring chili into everybody’s bowls. “Like, man, I hope you're hungry…” Shaggy told everyone, “because I'm about to serve up Shaggy's famous Five-Alarm Hole-In-The-Bowl Chili.”

Misty sniffed the air, her mouth starting to water at the warm aroma. “Mmm… it smells amazing!”

“But here’s the real kicker,” Hitch said, getting a spoon. “Does it TASTE amazing?”

Fred took the first bite of chili, then after a moment, it felt like his mouth was quite literally on fire. “Spicy…”

“Here, Scooby-- there’s still plenty more if you’re still hungry,” Glory said as she helped Shaggy pour some chili into Scooby’s bowl. After the chili was poured, Scooby took the bowl into his paws and began to slurp…

…but as it turns out, the chili was so hot, it burned a hole in the bowl, just like the name of the chili said it would.

Everyone laughed at this, even Scooby... even though it seemed like someone else was watching them from the outside. At the same time, Zipp wiped her mouth before turning to the campers. “Okay, guys-- we already told all of you about how we met Mystery Inc, so I think it’s time we told you a different story. Any suggestions, guys?”

“Ooh, ooh! I know!” Peach Fizz eagerly waved her hoof. “What about the story where you went to that town and defeated the evil witch ghost?”

“Ooh, that’s a good one, Peach Fizz! And it’s one of my favorites too!” Sunny said. “Okay, it all started late one night when we came through the portal. The gang was in the process of solving the mystery of two viking spirits, when we stepped in and tried to help. Fortunately, we had some unexpected help from some new friends-- Ben Ravencroft and Autumn Rain.”

“She was the earth pony who practiced different kinds of magic, right?” Seashell asked. “Right,” Zipp nodded. “They invited us back to their hometown of Oakhaven for the autumn festival that week, but we had no idea that this adventure was going to lead us down a whole new path…”

XXXXXXXX

Later that night, the Pippsqueaks were settled into their cabin right next to the Mane 6's cabin, so if they needed their older pony friends, they could just go right on over and speak to them.

Unfortunately... sleep was the last thing on their minds.

Seashell sighed sadly, causing Glory to look down at her from the top bunk. “You okay, Seashell?”

“Yeah… I’ve just never stayed in another world before… let alone a world away from my mom,” Seashell sighed. “I don’t think she was TRYING to hurt us by getting into that argument… I think she was just trying to protect us and our friendship.”

“...if only our parents understood that,” sighed Peach Fizz from the bed on the other side of the room. “We have until this mission is over to figure out how,” Glory told her friends. “And Sunny and her friends said they would help us. We just have to trust them.”

Seashell sighed, fidgeting under the covers a bit. “I sure hope you’re right, Glory… because with this Woodsman character outside… I think we need each other now more than ever.”

Day 2 of Camp Little Moose/The Fishman Attacks!

The rest of the night seemed to go smoothly after the Pippsqueaks had their discussion about their parents and what they were going to do when this Unity Quest was over...

...even if the thoughts of the Woodsman gave these fillies the willies.

Nonetheless, a new day would be starting soon, and that meant a new adventure would begin as well.

However. no one expected the new adventure to start really early that next morning-- like... just a few minutes after the sun started rising.

As the ponies, the campers and their Mystery Inc friends tried to sleep for a little while longer, Fred's voice echoed over the camp speakers, waking them up with a startle. “Good morning, Camp Little Moose. This is your favorite camp counselor and mentor inviting you to rise and shine!” Fred spoke cheerfully. “It’s a balmy 67 degrees with winds coming out of the north northwest at eight miles per hour. We're expecting a high today in the upper 80s, so don't forget your sunscreen.”

As Fred continued to speak, everyone came out of their cabins looking groggy and tired (all except Luke, that is), and Trudy looked over at Velma and Zipp. “Is this guy for real?”

“I’m afraid so,” Zipp sighed. “Usually, I’m a morning pony, but this is WAY too early for excitement, even for me.”

“...because today is Water Fun Day!” Fred announced over the speakers. “So let's meet down by the dock ASAP, okay, Little Moosers?”

“Wait a second…” Glory said. “Did he just say… ‘Water Fun Day’?”

“He sure did!” Izzy said, brightening up a bit after being groggy for a few minutes. “I loved water fun days back in Bridlewood… even though it was just a small lake.”

Glory gulped nervously… how was she going to tell her friends that she wasn’t sure if she liked the water…

…let alone the fact that she didn’t know how to swim?

XXXXXXXX

A few minutes later, everyone met by the docks of Little Moose Lake, most of them still droggy as Fred approached, heavily prepared for the day ahead. “Hey, campers. Who's ready to have fun?”

Luke, however, was the only one who gave a thumbs up, while the others just looked bored and yawned… even the Mane 6 weren’t used to getting up THIS early. “I don’t wanna be rude, Freddy,” Misty said, “but an hour more of sleep sounds more fun to me right now.”

“Uh… yeah,” Glory faked a yawn. “Me too.”

Shaggy then noticed Scooby beginning to dose off, prompting him to wake the Great Dane by nudging him with his elbow. “I’m up,” the Great Dane yelped, “I’m up!”

“Okay, gang, here’s the plan,” Fred told the group, holding a clipboard. “An hour of canoeing, two hours of fishing, followed by a half-hour of swimming!”

“In… there?” Daphne asked hesitantly, looking toward the murky waters of the lake next to them. “Yep,” Fred nodded confidently, not at all fazed. “Um… if it were up to me,” Pipp whispered to her sister, “I would NOT, in my right mind, swim in there even if my life depended on it.”

“I hate to agree with you, sis, but… yeah,” Zipp whispered back. “That lake is kind of a dump. But don’t say anything to Fred-- he really seems to like this place.”

“Lips are sealed.”

As the pegasus sisters were chatting amongst themselves, Luke came up with another suggestion. “Hey, why don't we go up to Big Moose Lake? That lake is sweet.”

“Oh, no, not Big Moose Lake,” Fred immediately dismissed. “We can't go up there.”

“Why not?” Trudy asked curiously. “Yeah, Fred,” Hitch said with a raised eyebrow. “Why can’t we go up there?”

Fred seemed to hesitate to answer for a few moments, and when he did answer, his voice became ominous and full of warning. “Because,” he said, “Big Moose Lake is haunted.”

That seemed to make everyone freeze, wide eyed in surprise… except Shaggy, who immediately tried to leave. “I’m out.”

“Wait a second,” Sunny said, stopping him in his tracks before turning to Fred. “I love some good history, but how exactly can a lake be haunted?”

“Many years ago,” Fred began to tell the tale, “there was a camper named Neil Fisher. The other kids picked on him all the time… so he spent most of his days swimming in Big Moose Lake. In fact, he spent so much time in the water… he grew gills! And fins! He became… the Fishman! And he haunts Big Moose Lake to this day.”

Glory hated the fact that sooner or later, she would have to fess up about not being able to swim, and a haunted lake seemed to make her wanna go there less. “I-Is that true?”

“Of course not,” Velma dismissed. “He just doesn't want us to go to Big Moose Lake.”

“Guys,” Fred tried to protest, “ we've got a perfectly good lake right here. Give it a chance.”

But one look at that lake made the ponies shudder-- the green color was enough, but when they saw a tiny frog literally sink to the bottom after jumping on a lily pad?

It was too sickening to witness anymore.

Finally, Daphne turned to Fred with her hands on her hips. “We’re all going to Big Moose.”

Then, as he watched the rest of his friends and the campers leave, Fred hung his head and sighed to himself. “...we're all going to Big Moose.”

And just like that, he had no choice but to follow the others up to Big Moose Lake.

XXXXXXXX

Big Moose Lake was a lot prettier than Little Moose Lake ever was-- almost like something you would see on a postcard.

However... the only ones not happy about the development were Glory, who still seemed a little hesitant about the water, but hid her fear well... and Fred, who didn't seem happy to be at the enemy camp.

Fred stared down at the waters of the lake for a long time before Daphne approached and smiled at him reassuringly, causing him to smile back.

Even if it didn't go exactly the way he had originally planned, there was almost nothing that could stop the perfect water fun day... even if one of the Pippsqueaks was scared of the water.

Now it was time to have some fun.

XXXXXXXX

The first thing Shaggy and Scooby did was take Izzy and Misty up to a high cliff to go fishing, and after sitting there a long time, Shaggy and Scooby finally caught something.

However, when they pulled it up, it was nothing but an old rubber boot. However, they still high-fived each other and Misty and Izzy out of happiness.

XXXXXXXX

Next, by the lake, Shaggy tossed a frisbee as Scooby ran up and caught the object in his mouth before landing on the ground and skidding to a halt close to a sulking Fred. Proud of catching the frisbee, Scooby walked off with it, unintentionally tossing sand onto him. Looking annoyed, Fred spat out some sand from his mouth and growled in annoyance.

This caused the Pippsqueaks to try and contain their laughter.

XXXXXXXX

After the frisbee game, Shaggy made himself a huge sandwich topped high with condiments, meats and cheeses. When the sandwich was done, Shaggy felt a tap on his shoulder, only to discover it was Hitch, who needed help to secure Deacon's life jacket.

Once Shaggy had secured it and Hitch led Deacon away, he turned back toward his sandwich, only to discover it was missing...

...and Scooby had eaten all of it in just a few bites, causing him to chuckle nervously.

That's when Daphne, Velma and the older girl ponies got changed into their bathing suits, showing them off in front of the boys before going to eat a watermelon snack.

But instead of eating it like the rest of his friends were doing, Scooby put his whole slice in his mouth, smiling while doing such.

XXXXXXXX

A little while later, finally, it was time for lunch. But, when it was time for Scooby to prepare Daphne's burger, he topped it high with ingredients like gummy worms, a fish, ketchup and even an olive on top... something that made Pipp loose her appetite entirely.

Later, once everyone got their burgers (as Daphne got a better and normal burger), they sat around a fire, eating as Fred sat down and tried to join in, but the smoke from the fire blew in his face, so he had to move to another seat. Just when he was about to eat his burger, though, the smoke blew into his face again, causing him to cover his mouth with his arm in annoyance as he ran off, causing everyone else to laugh.

He finally managed to get out into the lake and eat his burger in peace... at least until Shaggy and Scooby blew smoke in his face from their portable grill, annoying him further.

XXXXXXXX

After lunch, it was finally time for some archery practice.

Luke did some archery as he shot an arrow right on a bullseye, then shot another arrow at the same target, destroying the first arrow in the process.

But, when Deacon was having trouble, Peach Fizz pulled back on the arrow to help him, but accidentally slipped and let the arrow go flying through the air... into the outhouse...

...and right through Burt's hat.

Burt came out of the outhouse and looked around in annoyance before looking up at the arrow in his hat in confusion.

XXXXXXXX

A little while after archery ended, that's when Seashell and Velma approached the water with Trudy in order to see how cold the water was.

Velma touched the water with her toe, but the instant she did, she screamed before running off a bit and stopping to shiver for a moment. But she yelped and ran off because Shaggy ran up with a bucket of water and tossed the water toward Velma. And this caused Trudy and Seashell to laugh at this.

XXXXXXXX

Now, it was time for everyone to dive into the cool waters for a swim.

Fred jumped off the tree hanging over a cliff and dove into the water as the others cheered at that.

Then, it was Zipp's turn, flying over the water before diving in-- Deacon even whistled for the huge splash she created.

Then, Shaggy took a swing off the rope with Misty and Izzy diving in after him, and Daphne took a plunge herself.

Afterward, Shaggy was sitting on a tube wearing sunglasses, smiling as he held up a drink.

XXXXXXXX

After a bit more swimming time, the Pippsqueaks were getting their own fishing lesson from Shaggy and Scooby when they suddenly felt a tug from their fishing rods.

They all reeled up what they hoped to be something good, only to find that they reeled up Fred who was glaring at them in annoyance.

So, Shaggy and Scooby helped the Pippsqueaks lower Fred back into the water before disposing of their fishing gear and running before Fred could find them.

XXXXXXXX

Mind you, this was only a few of the activities they did while the sun was out.

As the day was slowly coming to an end, the groups decided to split up and do some group canoeing.

Glory decided to stick with Velma, Trudy, Izzy and Pipp.
Peach Fizz was with Fred, Luke, Hitch and Zipp.
Lastly, Seashell decided to stay with Daphne, Scooby, Shaggy, Sunny and Misty.

As they passed by Velma and her group in their canoe, those in Fred's canoe playfully used their paddles to splash them with water, causing Velma and the girl ponies to laugh (Pipp not minding for once). Trudy, however, seemed more annoyed than anything. “Boys are so immature.”

“Aww, come on, Trudy!” Izzy brushed it off. “They’re just having fun.”

“Hey, the sun's going down,” Velma observed. “If we're gonna go swimming, we better do it now.”

But as she looked, she saw that Glory looked a little uncomfortable with the idea of swimming, while Trudy… well, didn’t seem interested at all. “Glory? Is everything okay?” Velma asked. “Well… the thing is… I’ve never really been around water that much,” Glory admitted. “And, well… I don’t really know how to swim. I like being splashed and I love baths, but… I don’t know how to swim like other fillies do.”

“Aww… hey, that’s okay,” Pipp said reassuringly. “It took me a long time to figure out how to swim too.”

“...Peach Fizz’s mom thinks that if pegasi get their wings wet,” Glory said, looking at her wings, “they’re useless.”

“No way! Zipp surfs all the time when she has the chance to,” Pipp brushed off. “Hey, what if tomorrow, Zipp and I teach you how to swim like a pro?”

“Really? You’ll do that for me?” Glory asked excitedly, causing Pipp to nod. “Thanks, Pipp!”

“Well, we know why Glory was down and out,” Velma said before looking at Trudy. “But I sorta get the feeling you’re just not crazy about camp in general.”

“This is not my idea of a good time,” Trudy shrugged, “but my parents thought a little fresh air would do me some good. They say I spend too much time inside in front of the computer.”

“Believe me, sister-- I’m totally not the outdoorsy type,” Pipp shook her head. “But give it a chance,” Velma quickly added. “Who knows? Maybe you'll have fun.”

Trudy sighed and dipped her hand in the water, letting some small fish come closer to it out of curiosity. Glory couldn't help but feel sympathetic to Trudy, sitting down beside her with a gentle smile. “You know, Trudy… I know how unfair it can be when parents make decisions without their kids. Believe me… my dad wants to move me away from my best friends, and I hate it.”

“Really?” Trudy asked, looking at her. “That does sound harsh.”

“I know… I’m trying to come up with a plan to stop this from happening,” said Glory with a sad sigh, “but… I haven’t been able to think of anything.”

“Well… maybe I could help with that,” Trudy supposed. “I do have pretty good creative thinking skills when it comes to problem-solving.”

“Wow! Thank you, Trudy!” Glory beamed. “With you on our side, I know me, Seashell and Peach Fizz can convince our parents not to separate us.”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Fred was giving Peach Fizz and Luke a fishing lesson, while Zipp and Hitch kept their eyes open for any signs of fish close to them. “Luke, Peach Fizz?” Fred called. “The secret to catching fish is all about…”

“Freddy!” Peach Fizz cried. “I think we got one!”

Turns out, she was right-- Luke and Peach Fizz were holding a huge fish in their grasp, causing Hitch and Zipp to cheer... but Fred seemed to groan to himself.

It seemed like there wouldn't be anything else to teach Luke, or the Pippsqueaks, by the way they were learning so fast.

But just then, a large blue speedboat sped right across the lake and past them, nearly causing their boat to tip over if Zipp and Hitch hadn’t balanced it out in time. “Hey!” Fred shouted. “Slow it down!”

“I agree!” Hitch said. “You’re going way faster than boat laws back home!”

“Uh… Hitch?” Zipp raised an eyebrow. “We don’t HAVE boat laws back home.”

“...oh. Well, after this, I’m gonna make some!”

Suddenly, two teens that were being pulled behind that boat leapt right over them, cheering happily and seemingly having a good time. “Cool!” Peach Fizz exclaimed. “Sweet!” Luke agreed. “Not cool OR sweet,” Fred dismissed. “I can’t stand those snobs at Camp Big Moose. With their fancy speedboats and air conditioned cabins, and…”

Suddenly, that same speedboat came to a stop near them, and driving was a young adult woman with long brown hair, wearing a red bathing suit. And then, whatever negative comment Fred had to say about Camp Big Moose left his mind. “...and hot counselors…”

“Ewww, Fred…!” Peach Fizz gagged. “Get a room!”

“Sorry about that,” the Camp Big Moose counselor said politely. “Oh, our fault. Totally our fault,” said Fred quickly, causing the other ponies to look at him strangely. “No problem at all!”

Then, the counselor waved goodbye before leaving them behind.

No doubt about it, though… Daphne was not going to be happy when she realized Fred had the hots for this counselor.

XXXXXXXX

Later on, as the sun was going down, Scooby decided to go for a little scuba diving before it got too dark, and Shaggy and Daphne paddled their group's canoe out to the middle of the lake. “Ha-ha. Oh, boy, Scoob,” Shaggy said with a smirk. “It looks like you're ready to go scuba diving.”

“Scuba-duba-doo!” Scooby said with a cheerful giggle. “Wow, scuba diving looks like fun!” Seashell said. “Can I go with him, Sunny? Please?”

“Well… I guess that would be okay,” sighed Sunny. “But stay close to Scooby the entire time, okay?”

“I will, promise!” Seashell said enthusiastically. “Let’s go!”

Misty helped Seashell into her own scuba diving gear, and together, Scooby and Seashell dove under the water to begin their excursion.

Seashell never knew how beautiful the underwater world could be in that moment... but now that she was experiencing it, she wished her mother was there to experience it with her.

But that also meant that she had a brand-new tale to tell her mother when they got back to Equestria.

Scooby instantly caught sight of a small catfish and urged Seashell to follow him after it... well, at least until they lost it at the edge of a large underwater cliff.

But that's not all they found.

At the bottom of the lake seemed to be a large structure, almost looking like a church, which instantly got Scooby and Seashell's attention. “A building…?”

What in the world could a building be doing at the bottom of the lake? That’s exactly what Seashell wanted to find out, so she gestured for the Great Dane to follow her.

But what they DIDN'T realize was that someone was following them... and it wasn't a friendly sight.

Seashell and Scooby were swimming along, happy as well... a pony and a dog when suddenly, something grabbed Seashell by the back leg.

And when she and Scooby glanced back to see what it was, a horrifying mutant fishman monster roared in their faces, causing them to scream and bolt back to the surface.

XXXXXXXX

Sunny, Misty, Shaggy and Daphne were patiently waiting on Seashell and Scooby to return, and when they did, they leapt back into the boat in panic, the Great Dane only yelping one word. “FISHMAN!!”

“Fishman?!” the others questioned out of surprise… but that surprise turned to fear when they saw the Fishman leapt right out of the water and toward them. “FISHMAN!!!”

And as quick as they could, they grabbed their paddles and stroked away, trying to get away from this horrible mutant monster.

XXXXXXXX

“Uh, ponies?” Pipp spoke up to her group after realizing something. “I don’t wanna be a party pooper pony, but I think we may have forgot somepony.”

“Hey… she’s right!” Glory looked around. “Where’s Deacon?”

“FISHMAN!!!” the others screamed as they paddled past, much to Velma’s confusion. “Did they say…?”

“Fishman!” Trudy cried out, pointing toward the water. Upon seeing the Fishman, they paddled to get away from the creature not following them, but they didn't get too far when the Fishman grabbed their boat and began to pull it under, ready to eat them and causing them to scream in panic.

The Fishman would have eaten them too, if it weren't for Luke, Fred, Zipp and Hitch, grabbing the creature with their fishing line and ropes made from vines.

Unfortunately, the Fishman sped toward them and chopped the boat in half, leaving Hitch and Luke on one side and Peach Fizz and Fred on the other while Zipp was able to fly up to safety. “Okay,” the white pegasus muttered, “this is getting ridiculous!”

“Quick!” Daphne said as her group pulled up beside Velma’s group on their canoe. “Come on, guys!”

“Thanks a million, you guys!” Pipp sighed as they got on the canoe. “Don’t thank us yet, Pipp,” Misty said as she focused on paddling. “Now we have to get the others before the Fishman gets us!”

And that’s just what they did-- Fred, Luke, Hitch and Peach Fizz leapt into the canoe while Zipp pushed it forward with all her might, pushing the canoe… right in the direction of the dam at the edge of the lake! “Uh, guys?!” Hitch cried out in panic. “I think we might be going the wrong way!”

Realizing Hitch was right, the group screamed as the canoe finally stopped, halfway in the water and halfway in mid-air, looking down at the sorry-looking Little Moose Lake at least 1000 feet below them.

Realizing that it would only be a matter of time before they fell down the dam, Pipp turned to her sister and Daphne at the back of the canoe. “Zippster, Daphne! Put us in reverse mode and let's get out of here!”

“We'll try!” Zipp strained hard. “But it isn't easy to pull an entire load of people on one canoe!”

Unfortunately, as Zipp and Daphne tried to get them to reverse, the Fishman shoved them off the edge of the dam, sending them plummeting down toward the lake below!

Everyone screamed as they fell down the side of the dam, skipped across Little Moose Lake, tore through the camp and right through the dining hall...

...and when they finally stopped halfway into the dining hall, they saw Deacon sitting there, casually eating a bowl of ice cream. “Hey guys. How was the canoeing?”

Hitch struggled to stop breathing so hard for a moment before he eventually turned to Deacon with wide eyes. “You... do NOT want to know!”

Woodsman Frights and Discussions in the Moonlight

After the previous experience with the Fishman, there seemed to be one set of bad news and one set of good news.

The bad news was that they had TWO ghouls to worry about instead of just one.

But the good news was that everyone made it out of the Fishman experience safe and sound... even though many of them were scared out of their minds.

After Ranger Knudsen had been called to the scene, Burt told the ranger everything that had just occurred to the best of his ability. “Then I saw them coming down that hill,” he said, “faster than a pack of buzzards on a bobsled.”

“Yeah!” Peach Fizz agreed, still shaken. “We were almost Fishman food!”

“In a way, I’m actually kind of thankful he wasn’t able to follow us,” Hitch said. “But in a way, falling down a dam is something I never want to do again, with or without the fish freak.”

“Can you describe this Fishman?” the ranger asked the group. “Uh… let me see…” Seashell hummed in thought, trying to remember what the Fishman looked like before she saw Scooby impersonating the creature. “Oh, uh… he had gills… HUGE teeth and about yay high.”

“That’s Neil Fisher to a T!” Burt realized before starting to panic. “First the Woodsman, now the Fishman? All of Little Moose's campfire legends are coming to life!”

“...there really is no other explanation,” the ranger shrugged, catching Zipp in her detective stupor. “How about someone is using these monsters to try and scare us away?” Velma stated as if it were obvious. “Why don't you just stick to being pretty?” Ranger Knudsen shot her a little look before walking away, causing Velma to annoyedly turn to Pipp, Izzy and Daphne. “Did he just say what I think he said?”

“Uh, yeah!” Pipp gushed. “He thinks you’re pretty!”

Zipp slapped her face with her hoof. “...not the right time, sis.”

Suddenly, Scooby remembered something about the earlier dive, and whispered to Seashell, who suddenly remembered what it was. “Oh yeah! During our swim, Scooby and I could have swore we saw a building under the water!”

“Underwater building… I'll put it in my report,” the ranger said before getting in his jeep. “If there really are monsters loose, you kids better head back to town. This camp is just too dangerous.”

After shooting Velma one last flirty wink, he proceeded to drive off into the night. “Like, you heard the man,” Shaggy spoke up before turning to Scooby. “We're out of here, Scoob.”

That’s when Scooby zipped off and returned with his things, and Deacon did the same thing. “Let’s bounce!” said the Great Dane. “Whoa whoa whoa, hold it, you guys,” Sunny said sternly. “I speak for ALL of us when we’re not going anywhere.”

“We're not?” Deacon asked in surprise. “Sunny's right,” Fred agreed in a confident tone. “If someone's trying to scare us away, we need to find out why.”

“And the next time they come into our camp,” Glory said, “we're gonna be ready-- right, Pippsqueaks?”

“Yeah!”

“Absolutely!”

“Uh... I actually don't think that's a good idea, girls,” Zipp said. “The Woodsman and the Fishman both proved to be really dangerous, and your parents wouldn't like us leading you three into danger.”

“But... I know we can help!” Peach Fizz tried to protest. “You said yourself that other creatures that were close to our age helped you guys out before, so why not us?”

“...wow. That was something I didn't expect,” Shaggy said, “but they do have you guys there.”

The Mane 6 looked at each other, seemingly conflicted, but realized that the Pippsqueaks were right-- they did need a chance to prove themselves...

...even when they've let friends they've met on their quests help them in fights. Especially the friends that were around the Pippsqueaks' age or even younger.

Eventually, Zipp sighed and nodded. “Okay, okay... but you guys have to promise us that you'll stay out of harms way if the Woodsman were to show up. Hide, run... do something to keep yourselves safe.”

The Pippsqueaks each seemed to comply with the request, and nodded in sincerity. “We hoof to heart promise!”

“All right-- those of who who aren't going to be involved head back to your cabins,” Fred told everyone else. “We have a trap to set before the Woodsman rolls around again.”

XXXXXXXX

After the other campers had gone to bed, the others set up the trap and waited patiently for the Woodsman to show up... and then they could finally get some answers.

As they all laid in hiding, a coated figure trudged through the dark forest before eventually setting off the trap, hoisting the figure into a tarp and into the air. “We got him!” Zipp exclaimed as the entire group gathered around. “Now it's time to get some answers,” Fred declared, preparing to let the tarp down. “Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the Woodsman.”

But as the figure was set down, they removed the coat and hat they were wearing, revealing to be someone Fred had encountered earlier that day. “You're not the Woodsman. You're that gorgeous counselor from Big Moose.”

“I'm Jessica,” the woman introduced, and while everyone else seemed friendly toward Jessica, Daphne gagged, seemingly not impressed. “If you don't mind me asking, young lady...” Burt spoke up, “...why are you sneaking around our camp after lights out?”

“I didn’t mean to scare you guys,” Jessica told them, standing up, “but some of our camping equipment has gone missing and, well, I thought it might be you Little Moosers playing a prank.”

“Little Moosers don't play pranks. We leave that to those snobs at Camp Big Moose,” Fred spoke before realizing what he just said. “Oh, no offense.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, Jessica,” said Hitch with a frown, “but we haven't seen any camping equipment. But if there's a chance that we do see the equipment, you'll be the first to know.”

“Thanks,” Jessica said with a smile. “Stolen camping gear? Monster attacks?” Velma said out of confusion. “What is going on?”

“GET OUT!!”

Suddenly, the group gasped and turned to see the Woodsman behind them, wielding his ax and looking like he was ready to kill somepony. “Y-Y-You don't have to tell us twice!” Pipp said fearfully. “EVERYPONY RUN!!”

The gang scattered in all directions around the campsite. Shaggy, Scooby, Izzy, and Seashell all scrambled up the center flagpole to escape the axe wielding, woodsman. Silence reigned through the camp for a few moments, at least until Izzy spoke up with a slight quiver. “Did he leave...?”

“You know, I actually think we lost him,” Shaggy said with a smile. “Phew...” Seashell breathed a sigh of relief. “That's a...”

Suddenly, the pole shook violently and the sound of splintering wood could be heard below. The woodsman was hacking away at the flagpole with his ax. “...relief?!” Seashell squeaked. “Like, I spoke too soon!” Shaggy spoke in fear. Every strike from the woodsman caused the flagpole to shudder and shake, which caused the four of them to slowly slip down from it. “Please, Mr. Woodsman!” Seashell begged. “Leave us alone!”

Shaggy, Scooby, Seashell, and Izzy frantically clambered higher up the pole to keep from getting anywhere near the Woodsman. And that's when the hacking finally stopped. “Maybe he'll give up,” Shaggy tried to assure. However, one last powerful swing of the axe caused the pole to begin to tip. “Uh-oh...” Scooby gulped. “You spoke to soon, again, Shaggy!” Izzy cried as the pole fell. The four of them screamed and held onto the pole for dear life as it crashed against one of the cabins.

Unfortunately for them, relief was only brief when they noticed the woodsman walking up the pole toward them. “RUN FOR IT!!” Izzy shouted, and quickly enough, the four climbed up the rest of the flagpole and onto the roof of the cabin. The Woodsman laughed evilly as Shaggy, Scooby, Seashell, and Izzy desperately tried to get away.

Suddenly, Scooby came to a grinding halt causing the other three to immediately stop behind him. “Scoob!” Shaggy said anxiously. “Now is NOT the time to stop!”

“No more roof...” the Great Dane pointed to ground, far down below. And as it turns out, he was right-- they were at the edge of the roof, high above the ground. “Oh, what do we do now?!” Seashell asked, now in a full-blown panic. “We're trapped!”

There was no time to think of a way down-- the woodsman quickly caught up to them and held his axe high in the air, ready to strike down when suddenly, Izzy thought of ONE solution. “SCATTER!!!”

Immediately after she leapt aside, Scooby, Shaggy, and Seashell did the same, just before the woodsman's ax slammed down onto the roof. The two pairs slid down either side of the of the cabin roof, each grabbing a hold of the gutter system. “Like, are you two okay?” Shaggy called to Scooby and Seashell.

“No!” the dog and filly cried out at once, causing Izzy to whimper nervously. “Us either!!”

To make matters worse, the gutter holders began to snap away, unable to handle the extra weight. One by one, the small brackets broke free from the building.

As the final holders snapped free, the gutters broke loose from the cabin, causing them to swing wildly toward each other. Shaggy, Scooby, Seashell, and Izzy went back to screaming as the swung away from the cabin. They sailed across the campsite and into a bush, and after a moment, she popped up from the foliage, frightened. “Scooby!” Shaggy said happily. “Shaggy!” Scooby returned the joy and relief, and the two immediately hugged, laughing. “Seashell! Are you okay?” Izzy asked frantically.

“Frightened, but, I don't think I'm hurt in any way,” Seashell looked over herself, causing Izzy to sigh in relief. “Thank hoofness for that...”

“But where's the Woodsman?” Seashell asked, frightened. “Is he coming?”

“Like, I don't think so,” Shaggy looked around, seeing no Woodsman in sight. “He's gone!”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Fred, Hitch, Misty, Velma, Jessica and Peach Fizz were hiding in the dining hall with the lights off, making it seem like no one was there... or at least, that's what they wanted the Woodsman to believe. “So, what's the plan, Fred?” Misty asked in a whisper. “How do we get out of this?”

“We hide here until he goes away,” Fred whispered back. “That’s your plan?” Jessica scoffed. “That is so Little Moose.”

“I suppose one of you might have a better idea?” Fred asked with the roll of his eyes. But suddenly, the Woodsman tossed the table aside, revealing the group underneath. “Yeah!” Peach Fizz shrieked. “RUN!!”

The group bolted from the dining hall as fast as they could, but they accidentally got separated from Jessica as they were trying to escape.

And to make matters worse, the Woodsman eventually cornered Fred, Velma, Hitch and Peach Fizz, his ax raised. “I told you to get out!!”

“Hold it right there, Woodsie!”

The Woodsman turned to see Daphne, Burt, Sunny (in her alicorn form) and all three pegasi flying down to them on the zipline, and once they got close enough, those on the zip line grabbed their friends and jetted them off to safety.

And during the flight, they lowered close enough to the ground so they were able to pick up Shaggy, Izzy, Seashell and Scooby. And needless to say, Shaggy was relieved to see them. “Like, am I glad to see you!”

Scooby was even so happy, he began to lick Zipp on the face, grossing her out. “Scooby! Cut it out!”

Eventually, the group got closer and closer to the ground, and the zip line eventually broke, sending everyone tumbling onto the ground.

Daphne was the first to rise and turned to her friends. “Is everyone okay?”

“Ugh... dizzy, but fine otherwise,” Sunny shook her head. “What about everypony else?”

“Like, ask me again when we're out of Camp Creepy,” Shaggy said as he sat up. Unfortunately, when Fred looked around, he realized that there was one person missing from the group. “W-Where's Jessica?”

Suddenly, Jessica's screams pierced the air, and they all gasped to see her being chased by the Woodman, deeper and deeper through the forest. “Come on!” Glory urged the others. “We have to save her!”

“Pippsqueaks, wait for us!” Pipp cried, and the group chased the Pippsqueaks after Jessica, hoping to save her in the nick of time.

XXXXXXXX

Jessica ran further and further down the path away from the Woodsman, looking back every once and a while to see if he was still chasing her. She didn't realize she passed a vine-covered sign that pointed to Devil's Peak not too far up ahead. A large shadow slowly loomed over the sign and the Woodsman huffed and chortled, his crooked grin gleaming against the moonlight.

Jessica soon found herself face-to-face with the massive canyon, and the only thing allowing her to the other side was a rickety, old footbridge. She stared at it, too afraid to cross.

I mean, who WOULDN'T be afraid to cross that thing?

That's when the Woodsman's ominous laugh echoed from behind her. She looked back and gasped seeing the figure's shadow against the jagged, rock walls.

With no other choice, Jessica slowly began crossing the bridge. The wooden panels groaned and creaked with every footstep. Suddenly, one of the boards broke, leaving Jessica to catch herself and leaving her legs dangling under the bridge. Jessica hesitantly looked down, seeing the broken wood drop into the river far below her. As she got back up, she heard the Woodsman's laughter again, this time much closer. She looked back to see the ghoulish being standing at the foot of the bridge with the same grin, making Jessica realize she was in the most danger.

Now what could she do?

“Hold it right there, Woodsman.”

The Woodsman looked back to see the rest of Mystery Incorporated, Burt and all the ponies standing behind them, ready to fight by any means necessary. “We got you. There's nowhere to go,” Daphne said sternly. “And we're not running away this time,” Sunny said firmly. The woodsman stared at them, then at the bridge... just before he got an idea.

In the blink of an eye, he swung his ax and sliced through the ropes holding one side of the bridge. The bridge lopsided, knocking Jessica off her feet. And then, to the others' horror, he sliced the other ropes holding the bridge in place.

With the deck of the bridge now free, it flung back from the recoil, taking Jessica with it, causing her to scream as it swung deep into the ravine. “JESSICA!!!!”

Not seeing any other choice, the Pippsqueaks darted over to the side of the ravine and jumped, with Shaggy and Scooby hot in pursuit as they grabbed onto the bridge. “Shaggy! Scooby!” Hitch yelled in shock. “Girls!” Zipp screeched in horror. “Don't worry, Jessica!” Peach Fizz cried. “We'll save you!”

As the deck swung back, nearing the other side of the ravine, The Pippsqueaks desperately tried grabbing the ledge. “Hurgh! It's too far away!” Seashell exclaimed, still reaching her hoof out. “I can't reach!”

The deck slowly began to swing backward, and the group clung on with all their might, while Jessica, unfortunately, couldn't hold on any longer. Her fingers slipped from the boards and she began to fall, but luckily, Shaggy was able to grab her just in the nick of time.

That's when Glory noticed a small stone ledge sticking out from the canyon wall just under the top... which gave her an idea.

Beating her wings as fast as she could, she swung the bridge toward the ledge, and with this added momentum, it was enough for Shaggy, Scooby, Jessica and the Pippsqueaks to land on the ledge just as the swinging portion of the bridge smashed into the jagged rocks below.

Scooby gulped nervously as soon as this happened. “Zoinks!”

“Like, you took the word right out of my mouth,” Shaggy told the Great Dane. “Guys!” Misty said, looking down at the ledge. “Are you okay?”

“We're fine... I think,” Jessica said, still a bit shaken. But, the Pippsqueaks knew by the others' stern gaze... they were in serious trouble. “What were you thinking? Running off the ledge like that?” Sunny scolded them. “Sunny, come on!” Seashell protested. “We had to do something to save Jessica!”

“But, you could've gotten yourselves killed!” Pipp exclaimed angrily. “I mean, it was one thing for Shaggy and Scooby to do something like that, but you three? You can't just run off a bridge like that.”

“You know, Pipp... if they hadn't, I probably wouldn't even be here right now,” Jessica spoke on the Pippsqueaks' behalf. “They were incredibly brave.”

“Even if they were acting brave, we told you girls not to get in harm's way,” Sunny said firmly. “Never do anything like that ever again. Do you understand that?”

The Pippsqueaks nodded their heads, a bit ashamed for not thinking the situation through before reacting. “We understand, Sunny,” Peach Fizz nodded softly. “We're really sorry we did all that.”

“We're not mad at you, girls. Okay... we are a little upset,” Zipp admitted, making the Pippsqueaks feel a little worse than before. “We were just scared for you.”

“We know. But we also understand that it wasn't the smartest thing to do,” Glory nodded. “And we'll never do anything like this again.”

“Here,” Fred offered his hand. “Let me help you up.”

“Oh, no. The woodsman is up there,” Shaggy crossed his arms, with Scooby doing the same thing. “Actually... he's not!” Hitch said, looking around. “He's gone!”

Turns out, Hitch was right-- the Woodsman was nowhere in sight. Nothing but the ghastly wind keeping the gang company. “That’s strange...” Misty muttered as she, Izzy and Sunny lifted their friends to safety. “Where do you think he went?”

“I don't know, but we better get back to camp and check on the kids,” Zipp said. “And one thing is for sure... this Woodsman business is NOT helping the camp stay open.”

XXXXXXXX

Later, when the gang arrived back at the campsite, a horrific sight awaited them. "Oh, would you look at this place?" Burt said in disbelief. "Now, that just ain't right."

All of the cabins now had the phrase "GET OUT" carved out all over them-- it was even marked in the dirt at their feet and hooves.

Then, Deacon and Luke emerged from their cabin, the latter rubbing his eyes tiredly. “Hey, what's going on out here?”

“Yeah,” Trudy nodded, emerging from her own cabin. “We're trying to sleep.”

“Seriously? Like, you kids slept through all that?” Shaggy asked in surprise. “I'm impressed.”

“Heavy sleeping aside,” Zipp said, “it seems like someone definitely wants us to leave.”

“But who? And why?” Hitch asked. “I'm not sure, but that's something we can wonder about tomorrow,” Sunny said with a yawn. “Right now, everyone needs some sleep... especially since we have a case to solve.”

The Pippsqueaks spoke not a word, but just entered their cabin with the most dejected looks on their faces... something Shaggy, Scooby and Pipp noticed more than anyone else.

Suddenly, Pipp seemed to have an idea. “Guys, could you do me the craziest of favors?”

“Anything, Pipp,” Scooby nodded, and when Pipp whispered the plan to the boys, they eagerly nodded.

Now this was something they could definitely do.

XXXXXXXX

“...Seashell? Glory? Are you girls awake?”

Seashell sighed and sat up when she heard Peach Fizz's sweet, gentle voice. “Yeah... I am.”

“Me too,” Glory spoke in a depressed tone. “I can't believe we actually jumped off a ledge-- what were we thinking?”

“I guess we were more worried about Jessica than anything,” Seashell admitted. “I know Pipp and the others said they weren't mad at us anymore, and that they were just scared, but... did you see how mad they were?”

“...it kind of reminded me how Mama reached when I told her I made friends that weren't unicorns after magic came back,” Peach Fizz admitted with a shrug. “Girls... we're no help to this case, and we still have no ideas on how to keep our parents from splitting us up. What are we gonna do when we have to go back to Maretime Bay empty-hoofed?”

Before anyone else could answer, the door to the cabin opened, causing the Pippequeaks to gasp, fearing it was the Woodsman again.

Thankfully, it was just Shaggy and Scooby coming into the cabin with their pillows and blankets. “Sorry to scare you, girls,” Shaggy spoke up, “but Pipp thought it might be fun to have a sleepover in your cabin tonight.”

“...she just wants you to keep an eye on us and make sure we don't do anything reckless again,” Glory assumed. “Well... maybe that too,” Scooby shrugged. “Dudes, what you did was super brave, no one can deny that part,” Shaggy told them, rubbing Peach Fizz on the head. “But... even the bravest of heroes have to know when to wait for their time to shine.”

“Is that what you guys did when you helped defeat Opaline?” Seashell asked. “Pipp told us the story once, but she and the other ponies weren't there when Opaline took control over Misty’s mom and stole Sunny's cutie mark.”

“Well, that was a real... experience, to say the least,” Shaggy chuckled nervously. “Hey... what if we told you that story from our perspective?”

“Yeah,” Scooby said before smirking. “I mean... if you're not too scared.”

“No way!” Glory said enthusiastically. “We leapt off a cliff and fell down a dam, for pony's sake!”

The group giggled at this, and Shaggy and Scooby brought the girls over to them before they began to tell the tale.

And after finishing the story, the Pippsqueaks, Shaggy and Scooby fell asleep, with some brand new friendships blooming.

Hopefully, these next few days would blow through easier than the last... especially with all these campfire monsters wandering around.

Author's Note

I totally owe Indywriter one for helping me with this chapter-- give them your love!

Investigations and Campfire Legends (Part 1)

By the time the next morning rolled around, the ponies were pleased to see that Shaggy, Scooby and all three Pippsqueaks were snuggled up against one another, having fallen asleep like that after the story from the previous night.

But there would be more time for peace when this mystery was finally solved, and Camp Little Moose would be safe at last.

And so, by the time the group had woke up the next morning, they decided that it might be a good idea to head up to Camp Big Moose and see if anything was out of place up there… much to Fred’s chagrin.

He hated the thoughts of going to the enemy camp, but one look from everyone, even the Pippsqueaks, told him that they were going up there whether he liked it or not.

When the group arrived at Camp Big Moose, not only did they find out that it was much larger than Camp Little Moose, but there were way more activities, and it seemed much more… civilized, if you want to find the correct word for it.

Misty, who enjoyed Camp Little Moose for just being the way it is, was also enamored by Camp Big Moose when Jessica took them on a little tour. “Wow, guys! This place seems to have everything!”

“It doesn’t have everything,” Fred muttered, just before some campers on scooters drove past them. Trudy seemed just as entranced with Camp Big Moose as some of the ponies were, smiling a little since she got there a few days ago. “Personal transporters… computer lab… cute boys… we don't have cute boys at Little Moose.”

“Uh… hello?” Luke referred to himself. “Take a hint, Luke,” Seashell patted his leg with her hoof. “She doesn’t mean you.”

This caused Shaggy, Scooby and some of the others to try and contain their giggling as they moved along with the tour. “About a week ago,” said Jessica as they moved past a huge tank of water, “we noticed that some sonar equipment had gone missing from the Marine Biology Center.”

As soon as Jessica had got done speaking, a huge orca leapt out of the water and splashed a majority of the group, causing them to laugh… except for Fred, that is. “And a few days ago,” Jessica continued, “an RV disappeared from the Motorsports Pavilion.”

“Motorsports?” Zipp couldn’t help but be impressed and excited all at once. “Now we’re talking!”

“Come on, Zipp,” Fred rolled his eyes. “Now they’re just showing off.”

“Most luxury RVs have GPS locators built in,” Velma pointed out. “I’ll ping the area to see if it's sending out a signal!” Pipp volunteered, pulling out her phone. And after a few seconds, the phone beeped to show it had the location on the RV. “Got it!”

“According to this,” said Hitch, taking a look at the phone, “it looks like it’s in a place called… Shadow Canyon.”

“Shadow Canyon?” Burt repeated. “They say that place is haunted by the ghost of a lost hiker… still searching for her way out. They call her the Specter of Shadow Canyon. Legend has it if you hear her terrifying wail, you're a goner.”

The Pippsqueaks clung to each other at this, and even Izzy seemed nervous. “Uh, Burty-Wurty? I-I kinda sorta DEFINITELY didn’t need to hear that.”

“Wait a second, guys. The stolen RV is in Shadow Canyon,” Daphne pointed out. “But the missing sonar equipment, that could only be used in the lake.”

“But whoever is behind this can’t be in two places at once, right?” Peach Fizz asked. “Right,” Fred agreed. “I guess If we're gonna get to the bottom of this mystery… I guess we better split up and look for clues.”

“He always says something like that,” Izzy whispered to the campers, who nodded in understanding. “Let me get this straight,” Deacon interrupted. “There's a crazy man with an ax in the woods… a ghost in the canyon… a fish monster in the water… and you guys wanna split up and look for clues?”

“That usually is our standard method of doing things,” Zipp said. “Zipp, Hitch and I will check out the lake,” Fred spoke first. “I wanna check out that building Seashell and Scooby saw. Who's with me?”

“Me, me!” Seashell said. “Maybe there’s something about it that Scooby and I missed before.”

“I’ll go too,” Jessica volunteered. “I'm a certified scuba instructor.”

“I'm a certified scuba instructor…” Daphne muttered under her breath. “What was that, Daph?” Hitch raised an eyebrow at her. “Huh? Nothing,” Daphne then spoke. “I’ll go with you.”

“Scuba diving? Sweet!” Luke exclaimed. “Count me in!”

“Then the rest of us will head to Shadow Canyon,” Sunny told the others. “Oh, no!” Scooby protested against the idea. “Like, you can forget it,” Shaggy agreed with the Great Dane. “Every time someone tells a campfire story, it comes true. Scooby-Doo and me are trying to live a Specter-free lifestyle here. You can find us in that five-star dining hall when you get back.”

“Um… can I stay with them too?” Peach Fizz raised a hoof. “I-I don’t wanna see any scary specters.”

“Sure thing,” Misty nodded in understanding. “Sunny and I can stay here with you guys.”

“And maybe you should take Deacon with you,” Pipp pointed at the third camper, who was breathing very heavily in panic. “He seems a little freaked out.”

“Okay, then… everyone stay together and let us know if you need any help,” Sunny told the others, who nodded in agreement. “Let’s do this!”

XXXXXXXX

Only a little while later, Fred's group reached the middle of Big Moose Lake and dropped anchor before getting into their scuba gear. “Luke, if the Fishman surprises us,” Fred told the younger camper, “I'll catch him with this net launcher. So there's no reason to be…”

But by the time Fred turned, Luke had already fell back into the water. “...afraid,” Fred finally finished. “How am I supposed to be his mentor if he never listens?”

“Don’t worry, Freddy,” Daphne reassured. “You'll get your chance.”

“Either way, if we wanna get to the bottom of this mystery,” Zipp said as she and Hitch finished putting Seashell into her scuba gear, “we gotta go WAY down.”

And so, the rest of the group dove into the water after Luke, who spotted some trees at the bottom of the lake and urged the others to follow him...

...unaware that they were being watched.

XXXXXXXX

Pipp had downloaded the coordinates to Shadow Canyon onto Velma's GPS (since Pipp knew her phone would have ZERO signal that way), and then, their group got in one of Camp Big Moose's jeeps and set out for the canyon.

After a little while of driving, Burt noticed that the GPS had completely lost power, causing it go completely blank. “We lost the signal!” Burt exclaimed. “Now what?”

“Do you think it was the batteries?” Glory asked curiously. “No way,” Velma shook her head as they pulled to a stop. “I just bought new batteries for the trip. Anyway, Shadow Canyon's not too far from here.”

“Besides,” said Pipp, “it can't be too hard to find one stolen RV.”

“I wouldn't try and explore that place without a map or a GPS, young lady,” Burt told Pipp sternly as Izzy and Trudy got out of the jeep to look at something. “Many a hiker has lost their way around those parts.”

This led Velma to sigh in exasperation. “I hope Fred and Daphne’s group are having more luck than we are.”

Izzy and Trudy had been studying some markings on the side of the road for a moment, when Glory got out of the jeep and walked over to them. “What are you girls looking at so hard?”

“Check it out,” Trudy pointed out the marks. “Tire tracks, leading across this field.”

Velma got out and studied the tracks as well, realizing that Trudy was right. “Good eye, you three!”

“I bet if we follow these tracks,” said Glory, “we’ll find the stolen RV!”

“It’s worth the old Señor Butterscotch try!” Izzy said encouragingly. “Let’s go!”

And so, the group got into the jeep and immediately began to follow the tire tracks again. And as she looked toward the back seat, Velma couldn't help but notice that Glory was letting Trudy brush her mane... something she would normally let only her father do.

That made Izzy, Pipp and Velma realize that Glory was beginning to make a real friend in Trudy.

Now, if they could find out who was behind these hauntings, and stop the Pippsqueaks' parents from separating the fillies, things might actually work out in their favor.

XXXXXXXX

Back in the lake, Luke was leading the rest of his group through a creepy looking forest at the bottom of the lake, all bare and lifeless.

As they swam through a patch of seaweed, Daphne cleared some away and saw something not too far off-- a building, just like the one Seashell and Scooby had seen a little while earlier!

They must have been closer to the truth than they thought.

But as Fred moved the group closer, Daphne noticed something moving through the seaweed rather quickly, and immediately realized that the Fishman was gaining on them!

When the Fishman realized Fred and Zipp were right above him, he leapt to attack, only for Daphne to push them out of the way before they could get struck.

Then, as the others were making a break for it, Fred used his net launcher, but the Fishman tore right through the net with his large teeth.

Fred ducked to narrowly avoid the monster as it swam right toward him, but then, he, Seashell and Daphne realized that the Fishman was still swimming around them, trapping them in that small patch of forest.

To make matters worse, Fred only had one net in his launcher, so they were immediately out of weapons.

As the Fishman leapt to attack again, Seashell decided to be a bit bold and kicked the Fishman right in the jaw with her hind legs, and the next time he came around, Fred used the net launcher as sort of a baseball hat, striking it in the face again.

As Hitch and Zipp stood nearby with Jessica and Luke, they realized that they had to hide somewhere until the Fishman gave up the fight... and fortunately, Luke saw a small cave nearby.

It might have been small, but it was better than nothing.

At the same time, Fred lodged the net launcher into the Fishman's mouth to prevent it from attacking them anymore, but the Fishman used his strong jaws to snap the device in half before going after Fred again.

This time, it grabbed Fred by the flipper and began to pull him further toward the bottom of the lake.

Hitch, Zipp and Daphne immediately saw this, and while Fred was able to get free after a moment, losing his flipper in the process, Daphne knew that she had to do something fast.

So, she detached her air tank and sent it right toward the Fishman, knocking him into a nearby tree.

Fred was able to give Daphne some of his air in the meantime, while Jessica, Luke and Seashell gestured everyone toward the small cave they discovered.

But, as they were all swimming into the cave, the Fishman was able to grab Daphne by the ankle, causing her to scream and try to pull away.

Hitch and Zipp grabbed Fred as he grabbed Daphne, and the three of them pulled against the creature, with Daphne kicking the Fishman right in the face, which allowed the group to swim into the cave for cover, leaving the Fishman behind.

XXXXXXXX

Fred, Daphne, Hitch and Zipp eventually surfaced inside the cave, coughing for a moment before sighing to themselves... a disaster well avoided. “That was close,” Luke said in relief as he, Seashell and Jessica joined them. “Are you guys okay?” Seashell asked in concern. “We were really worried!”

“Yeah,” Fred nodded, wrapping his arms around Daphne. “Thanks to Daphne, Hitch and Zipp.”

“Anytime, Freddy,” Daphne nodded as they all swam to shore. “Seashell, you and Scooby were right!” Luke told the earth pony filly. “There's a whole town under there. We gotta check that out.”

“Sorry, Luke,” Hitch said sternly, “but we can't go back out there with the Fishman waiting for us.”

“Then,” said Daphne, looking at a tunnel ahead, “I guess we'll have to see where this cave leads.”

“Good thinking-- cave exploring sounds a lot more fun than swimming with that fish freak,” Hitch spoke up, leading Zipp to sigh. “I just wonder if the others are doing okay…”

Investigations and Campfire Legends (Part 2)

At the same time that Fred’s group had been tangling with the Fishman and Velma’s group were following tire tracks from the stolen RV, Sunny and Misty’s group, consisting of themselves, Deacon, Shaggy, Scooby and Peach Fizz, stayed at Camp Big Moose, waiting for any word from their friends.

And the best place to go while waiting? The dining hall, which had the biggest buffet that the ponies had ever seen.

Shaggy, Scooby and Deacon chose to right some of the personal transporters that they had on site to get around, and Misty, Peach Fizz and Sunny chose to walk.

However, food and fun were the last things on Peach Fizz's mind.

She was still trying to figure out how she could convince her mother to not move her back to Bridlewood.

When she had a thought, she tapped Misty on the shoulder. “Misty? Would it be totally weird if I asked my mom if I could stay at the Brighthouse with all of you?”

Misty and Sunny turned to her in surprise at this. “Peach Fizz, you know we love hanging out with you,” Misty told the filly, kneeling at the filly's level, “but I think your mom might miss you if you chose to separate yourself from her.”

Peach Fizz seemed reluctant to believe this. “I don’t know about that… she thinks I’m too posh to be hanging out with pegasi and earth ponies, but… I don’t like being posh-- I just wanna be me.”

“I understand that. Maybe if you talk to her and let her know how you feel, maybe you two can work something out,” Sunny said gently. “Never hurts to have a little hope.”

Peach Fizz nodded, and decided to consider this with Glory and Seashell when they got back.

But right now, they had to keep their eyes and ears open for anything suspicious. “Now this,” Shaggy said, looking at the buffet in front of them, “is my idea of roughing it.”

“You said it!” Scooby agreed with a grin. “Aren't you guys the least bit worried about the Woodsman coming back?” Deacon asked the two cowards. “I hate to say it, guys, but Deacon DOES have a point,” Misty tried to tell her friends. “We do need to keep our eyes open.”

“Man, all I'm worried about is whether to have chocolate on my cheesecake,” Shaggy said, “or cheese on my chocolate cake.”

“How about both?” Scooby asked, causing Peach Fizz to gag in disgust at the sound of cheese on chocolate cake. “Scooby-Doo, you are a genius!” Shaggy praised the Great Dane, who lifted a graduation cap to his head. “Yeah, a genius. Hee hee hee hee hee hee!”

“I really think we ought to stay here at Camp Big Moose,” Deacon told the others before taking a breath from his inhaler. “If we go back to Little Moose, something bad's gonna happen.”

“Put that down!” yelled a voice, and the group turned to see that one of the Camp Big Moose counselors had spotted them. “What do you guys think you're doing here? You don't go to Camp Big Moose!”

Many of the campers heard this with horrified gasps, but then, they grabbed whatever food item was nearby with angry expressions, making Scooby and Misty gulp nervously. “Busted…”

That's when all the Big Moose campers began to pelt the six friends with all sorts of food items, causing Peach Fizz to shriek and try not to get hit. At that moment, Sunny realized that maybe Camp Big Moose wasn’t the safest place to be right then, and they should probably head somewhere else. “Come on, guys-- we better get out of here!”

So, off the segways and ponies went, with Shaggy and Scooby snatching a few food items for the road. Eventually, they got out of the dining hall, down some stairs (which were very bumpy for the boys riding the segways) and down a flat road that led away from Camp Big Moose.

Eventually, they went away from the main road and onto a dirt road, and while the ponies leapt over and slide under a tree branch, the boys nearly crashed into it, finding that the segways were a lot harder to control than they had previously thought.

That's when Shaggy immediately noticed that they were heading for a cliff that was right above Shadow Canyon, and immediately panicked. “Where are the brakes on this thing?! AH!!”

“Hang on, Shaggy!” Sunny shouted, and she, Misty and Peach Fizz pulled back with all their might, eventually stopping Shaggy before he could roll over the edge. “Phew…” Misty then sighed. “That was too close!”

“Hey, wait a second,” Peach Fizz spoke up, looking around and realizing something. “Wasn’t Scooby and Deacon right behind us?”

The second she said that, Scooby slammed into Shaggy, knocking him off his segway and onto Scooby’s, and sending Shaggy’s segway plummeting to the canyon floor, smashing into a million pieces. “Guys, whatever you do,” Misty said as she and Peach Fizz gently tried to take the segway into their magic auras, “do NOT move until we tell you to.”

Scooby nodded stiffly when Misty said this. “Got it…”

“LOOK OUT!!” Deacon’s voice rang out as the ponies finally got the segway stabilized, and the next thing that the group knew, Deacon crashed into them, making them lose their footing and stumble into the canyon below!

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Velma’s group had just arrived in Shadow Canyon, following the tire tracks that they had found before.

Eventually, they got out of the jeep and followed the tire tracks on foot… er, hoof. “Shadow Canyon…” Burt couldn’t help but shudder. “This place creeps me out.”

“Come on,” Velma urged. “That RV's gotta be around here.”

“Velma’s totally right!” Izzy chirped as she pranced along, following the tracks. “It’s not like it could just vanish into--”

But suddenly, right as she was about to keep speaking, she slammed right into the canyon wall, causing her to fall over and shake her head. “...a rock wall?”

“That's weird. The tracks just come to a stop,” Trudy said as she helped Izzy back onto her feet. “An entire RV doesn’t just disappear,” Velma said. “Velma is totally right,” Pipp nodded. “Something had to have happened to it!”

Suddenly, the sounds of screams caught their attention, and they all turned to see Scooby, Shaggy and Deacon rocketing toward them at top speed before slamming right into the rock wall, the segway breaking into pieces upon impact. “Oh, man…” Shaggy groaned dizzily, “I feel like I got hit by a truck.”

That’s when Pipp looked more closely at the rock wall, finding something odd about it before pounding on the spot where the boys had impacted, immediately realizing what happened. “More like you hit an RV-- you guys found it!”

“Shaggy, Scooby and Deacon found the RV?” Misty panted as she, Peach Fizz and Sunny trotted over to them. “Wow, that was lucky.”

“How did you guys even get here?” Velma asked them. “Two words, Velma,” Peach Fizz sighed tiredly. “Don’t ask.”

“You know, it’s kind of ingenious,” Velma said, turning back toward the RV. “Someone painted the RV to look exactly like the canyon wall.”

“Hang on, I know a professional makeup trick that can help,” Pipp said, pulling out a makeup brush and rubbing it over the RV, making the paint rub off and making the door handle appear. “Way to go, Pipp! That really worked!” Sunny said before she opened the door. “Come on, let’s check it out.”

“Like, I would go with you,” Shaggy responded, still dizzy, “but I don't know which one to follow.”

“Peach Fizz and I will stay with them, Sunny,” Glory volunteered with a passionate smile. “We won’t let them out of our sight.”

“Thanks, girls,” Sunny smiled back before everyone else entered the RV, marveling at the high-tech equipment that was inside. “Wow… either someone really likes video games,” Misty said, “or somepony’s been staked out in here for days.”

Izzy sniffed the air and gagged at the wretched smell the RV had inside. “It smells like it too…”

That’s when Velma’s eyes settled on a specific piece of equipment. “This must be the sonar equipment that went missing from Camp Big Moose. What are they using it for?”

Velma climbed behind the computer and tried to access the files it had, only to find it was password-protected. “Well, that tears it,” Sunny sighed in frustration. “Sunny’s right,” Burt sighed. “Nothing we can do now.”

“Guess we better get out of here,” Deacon suggested, only for Izzy to block his way optimistically. “Come on, Deacon-Beacon! We can’t give up THAT easily.”

“Let me take a shot at it,” Trudy said, sitting down at the computer. “I'll use admin privileges to bypass the authentication requirement.”

“Then you can modify the registry to a temp password! Good thinking!” Pipp smiled, causing the others to look at her strangely. “What? I have to know my tech if I need to keep my Pippsqueaks updated!”

Only a few seconds later, access was granted, allowing the group to access the files that was being printed off. “This appears to be a sonar image of the bottom of the lake,” Velma spoke in thought, looking at the paper she was holding. “What on Earth are they looking for?”

“Do you think it could have something to do with the building that Seashell and Scooby saw earlier?” Misty asked. “Maybe,” Sunny said in thought. “We just have to keep pressing forward with more clues.”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Fred's group were still trying to navigate through the caves, having felt like an eternity since they hid out from the Fishman's clutches. “It feels like we've been walking forever,” Jessica said, rubbing her feet as she held the torch. “But there’s gotta be someway outta here,” Zipp told her. “We just have to keep moving until we find it.”

“Yeah,” Seashell nodded in agreement. “Cause there’s no way I’m going swimming in that lake again.”

“Hey, guys?” Luke said from where he found a series of crates. “I think I found something!”

That’s when the others approached and studied the equipment more closely as Luke opened a crate. “There's a whole crate of candles here.”

“That doesn't look like a candle,” Daphne said as Luke lit the so-called ‘candle’, only for the fuse to begin to go off. Luckily, Fred was able to recognize that it was dynamite, and threw it away from them before it exploded and could hurt them.

When the dust finally settled, Luke stood up nervously. “That was dynamite, wasn't it?”

“...yes, Luke,” Hitch sighed loudly, putting a hoof on his face. “Yes, it was.”

“And there’s a lot of it,” Daphne observed. “But what would somepony need all that dynamite for?” Seashell wondered. “I don’t know,” Zipp said, taking a picture of the scene, “but this is a major clue. We need to tell the others about this when we finally get out of here.”

In the area where the dynamite exploded, Jessica saw a beam of daylight passing through a hole that had opened up, brightening her spirits. “Daylight!” she exclaimed. “That explosion just gave us a way out!”

“Way to go, Jessica!” Hitch congratulated. “Come on, guys,” Zipp encouraged. “We need to get back to Camp Little Moose right away!”

XXXXXXXX

“So, Sunny said we should just tell our parents how we feel, and hope that they change their minds?” Glory asked Peach Fizz, who told the former about her discussion with Sunny and Misty back at Camp Big Moose. “Does she KNOW my dad? Once a decision’s been made… there’s no stopping him.”

“I know,” Peach Fizz sighed with a nod. “The same way with my mom. But… I told Sunny I would at least talk to you and Seashell about it.”

“Once we get back to Camp Little Moose,” said Glory, “we can tell Seashell about what Sunny said… and hopefully, Sunny will be right about this.”

“Like, Sunny’s never been wrong in all the time we’ve met her, little dudes,” Shaggy said with his eyes closed while Scooby tried to swat a fly with his tail. “Everything’s gonna work out in the end, you’ll see.”

Glory sighed as she and Peach Fizz sat down near them. “I hope you’re right…”

Suddenly, a loud and terrifying wail filled the air, causing the hairs on the back of their necks to immediately stand, as well as causing them to shake in total terror. “Um…” Glory looked at her friends, new and old. “D-D-Did you guys just hear that…?”

“Um…” Scooby shook his head, despite hearing the sound. “Nope!”

“Good,” Shaggy agreed. “Me neither!”

Just then, the door opened, and Pipp and Velma stuck their heads out. “Hey, did you guys hear that noise?” Pipp asked them, only for the shriek to echo through the air again. “...oh… that noise?” Peach Fizz gulped. “Uh… nope!”

“Lay it off, Peach Fizz,” Glory sighed. “That isn’t gonna work twice.”

Suddenly, a horrifying specter came into view, dressed in a black hood and screeching at the top of her lungs, and causing the Pippsqueaks to scream in fright. “It’s the Specter of Shadow Canyon!” Burt yelled. “Everypony!” Sunny cried out. “Get in the jeep!”

Immediately, everyone got into the jeep, with Pipp in the back with the Pippsqueaks, Shaggy, Scooby and Deacon, and Sunny and the unicorns in front with the others, just before the jeep lurched away to prevent being caught by the specter.

The specter herself gave quite a chase, but luckily, Sunny was able to shift into alicorn form, and with a little help from Misty and Izzy, were able to blast at her to keep her from grabbing anyone and taking them away.

Not to mention, Scooby throwing different things at the specter from Deacon's backpack helped too.

But to make the situation a bit more complicated, Velma also had to dodge rocks in the path while she was driving, causing everyone to scream that much more.

Eventually, as they got closer to the pathway leading out of the canyon, the specter seemed to disappear, making Pipp sigh in relief. “I think we might’ve lost her.”

“That’s good,” Glory said, putting a hoof to her chest, “cause I thought my heart was getting ready to explode!”

But, when they turned again, the specter was right in front of them, even breaking through the windshield to try and reach them! Luckily, Velma was able to slam on the brakes and fling her off before she could cause anymore harm, just before they started heading out of the canyon.

But as they did, the jeep slammed into the side of the canyon, causing a rockslide to tumble down right where the specter was and allowing the rest of the group to make it out of the canyon safely.

After making it out of the canyon, Shaggy turned to Burt with a fearful expression. “Burt, if you have any more campfire stories…” he said, “...I'd appreciate it if you'd keep them to yourself!”

“I totally agree with that statement!” Pipp raised a hoof. “So do we!” Glory and Peach Fizz exclaimed. “But, now that we’re out of there,” Misty said, “we need to get back to Camp Little Moose to tell the others what we found… and fast!”

The Legend of Ricky LaRue/Realizing the Plot

Both groups of investigating teams (if you count Shaggy and Scooby's group and Velma's group as one whole group) had just faced two campfire legends that had come to life-- the Specter of Shadow Canyon and the Fishman swimming in Big Moose Lake.

And luckily, both groups managed to escape AND find clues that might help them point to who might be behind these so-called hauntings.

Once all the groups made it back to Camp Little Moose unharmed, but still shaken from these events, they reunited and discussed what they had found earlier that day. “Seashell and Scoob were right,” Fred told the group what they had found during the scuba dive. “It looked like an entire town on the bottom of the lake.”

“I’ve heard of ponies and people having lakeside properties,” Hitch said, “but what we saw was ridiculous.”

“It explains why someone was searching the lake with sonar equipment,” Zipp said. “They must have been looking for that underwater town.”

“But what about the dynamite? How does that fit into all this?” Daphne wondered. “I don’t know, but if someone wants to make something explode,” Sunny shuddered, “then we need to figure this case out before anyone else gets hurt.”

“Oh, are you guys really gonna just sit around here and try and solve this mystery?” Deacon asked rather bluntly. “Clearly, someone doesn't want us to be at Camp Little Moose. We should listen to them. I'm going to Camp Big Moose, where it's safe. Who's with me?”

Shaggy and Scooby immediately raised their hands and paws, but one look from Velma caused them to immediately lower their hands and paws again. “Trudy, Luke? Pippsqueaks?” Burt said to the other campers. “Maybe it's best if y'all go with Deacon.”

“Forget it-- we’re Little Moosers through and through,” Seashell said confidently. “She’s totally right for a girl,” Luke added, trying to ignore the glare he got from Seashell. “We wanna help you guys catch whoever's messing with our camp.”

Trudy then stood up, lowering her hood with a smile. “Me too.”

“Are you guys totally sure this is what you want?” Zipp asked in concern. “Yep,” Trudy nodded. “I wanna help solve the mystery.”

“And besides, if you guys have enough courage to do this sort of thing on ALL your Unity Quests,” said Glory, “then we wanna be just like you.”

The Mane 6 and Mystery Inc felt touched by these words, and nodded in understanding-- it was their choice, after all. However... Deacon was less than thrilled by this statement. “Oh... y-y-you're all nuts, you hear me? Nuts!” he said, taking a breath of his inhaler. “I’m outta here!”

And just like that, he marched off into the dark. “I better give him a lift up to Big Moose. I have to get the jeep back anyway,” Jessica said, waving the group goodbye before heading out after Deacon. “It still feels like we're missing a piece of the puzzle,” Fred spoke in thought. “You know… Fred’s right,” Misty said. “What we need is an expert on this area, who might be able to give us further insight.”

Suddenly, Velma grinned as she got an idea. “I know just the person.”

XXXXXXXX

Once leaving the Pippsqueaks, Luke and Trudy in Burt's care, the Mane 6 and Mystery Inc headed back out to the Camp City camping store and historical museum, where the owner was happy to let them inside and look around. “Yeah, you kids definitely came to the right place,” the owner spoke up. “I know just about everything there is to know about this area.”

“All right then. If you know all about this area,” said Zipp, “then what can you tell us about a town on the bottom of Big Moose Lake?”

“Ahh… you mean Moose Creek,” the owner recalled. “It used to be an old mining town. But years ago, they moved everybody out of there… dammed the creek and created Big Moose Lake. Of course, that's only part of the story.”

As Shaggy and Scooby were messing with a cat statue (which actually turned out to be a real cat), the owner got a file out from the cabinet of what they were looking for, set it out on the table for all to see before beginning the tale. “Moose Creek was home to a notorious gangster named Ricky LaRue. After pulling the biggest bank heist of his life, the cops were hot on Ricky's trail. So the legend goes… he stashed his loot somewhere in Moose Creek. They locked LaRue up and threw away the key. And not long after, the dam was built, flooding the town of Moose Creek. LaRue's treasure was lost forever… somewhere down in the depths of Big Moose Lake.”

“#CreepyLegend,” Pipp shuddered. “But at least we have a possible motive into those hauntings at the camps.”

“But we may need to dig a little deeper to find out more,” Zipp said. “Do you mind if we borrow this?” Velma gestured to the file. “Be my guest,” the owner complied with this. “But if you kids happen to find LaRue's loot… don't be afraid to spend a little of that scratch over at Camp City, you hear?”

“Thanks again for this, sir,” Sunny smiled as they began to head out. “We’ll bring this back as soon as we’re done with it!”

XXXXXXXX

In order to get some peace and quiet, the group headed out to a lookout spot overlooking Big Moose Lake, to get some feels as Daphne looked through the file until she found something rather interesting. “Guys, listen to this,” she said, pulling out an old piece of paper “Before LaRue died, he told his cellmate, BabyFace Boretti, the secret to finding his hidden gold: When dawn breaks on the summer solstice, the steeple will point the way.”

“The summer solstice?” Sunny muttered. “That’s today!”

“Or,” Velma corrected, “it will be when the sun rises in a few hours.”

“And get this article I found online!” Pipp pulled out a picture. “Two months ago, BabyFace Boretti escaped from jail!”

Shaggy looked at Pipp's phone, realizing that BabyFace Boretti was a lot shorter than anyone would have guessed. “Like, one thing's for sure, man,” he said. “This guy's too short to be the Woodsman or Fishman.”

“So, he’s gotta have an accomplice!” Misty realized what Shaggy was saying. “Or stilts,” Scooby shrugged. “Either way, we definitely have to keep this in mind,” Zipp told the others. “But the only question that remains,” said Hitch, “is why try to scare us away from Camp Little Moose? What does that have to do with it?”

Suddenly, looking at the map of Big Moose Lake and the actual lake itself, Velma suddenly thought of something that made her blood run cold. “Jinkies! Here’s Big Moose Lake, and here’s the dam!” she said, pointing these out on the map. “And below it, Camp Little Moose.”

“So, if someone wanted to get to the treasure,” Sunny realized, “all they would need to do is blow the dam!”

“The dynamite!” Daphne realized. “But if they blow the dam,” Zipp began to panic, “all that water will flood our camp!”

“Not Little Moose!” Fred panicked. “All of my beloved childhood memories will be underwater!”

“Not to mention, Burt, the Pippsqueaks, Luke and Trudy!” Pipp added. “Our friends and our camp are in big-time trouble!”

“Well, then it’s a good thing tackling big-time trouble is what we do best!” Zipp told her friends confidently. “Guys, this may be the biggest mystery we’ve ever had to face. But with courage…”

“Hope!”

“Kindness!”

“Confidence!”

“Creativity!”

“And empathy,” Misty finished, “we may stand a chance at saving our camp and solving this mystery!”

Shaggy, Scooby and the rest of the gang looked at each other before nodding and smiling at the ponies. “We’ll follow your lead,” Velma said. “Just tell us what to do.”

“First things first,” Sunny said, shifting into her alicorn form, “Pipp, Zipp and I will fly ahead and look for a shortcut. The rest of you need to follow our lead so we can get to the camp in time.”

“You heard her, people!” Izzy shouted in a military-like voice. “LET’S GO GO GO SAVE CAMP BIG MOOSE MOOSE MOOOOOOSE!!!!”

The others looked at her a little blankly, causing her to chuckle nervously. “Too much…?”

And so, with their plan in mind, the groups set off either in the air or in the Mystery Machine, hoping to save their friends before it was too late.

Escaping the Flood

Upon immediately realizing that whoever was behind the camp hauntings was going to blow the dam at Camp Big Moose and flood Camp Little Moose to find the hidden treasure of Ricky LaRue, the Mystery Incorporated crew and the Mane 6 decided that they needed to get back to Camp Little Moose and rescue their friends that they had left behind.

So, Sunny and Pipp and Zipp took to the sky while the others leapt into the Mystery Machine, and the three flyers guided the Mystery Machine down the road and toward Camp Little Moose as fast as they could go.

But when they got to the camp, their hearts sank with fear and heartache at what they saw.

The cabins were completely destroyed, and their friends weren't anywhere within their sight, sparking a further worry. “Looks like the Woodsman had a field day while we were gone,” Zipp said, pulling out her visor. “Spread out, guys-- our friends have to be around here somewhere.”

That's when they all split up and started calling out to their friends.

“Luke!”

“GLORY!!!”

“Burt!”

“Trudy!”

“Seashell, where are you?!”

“PEACH FIZZ!!!”

“Oh, what if we don't find them?” Pipp asked, worry immediately laced in her tone. “What if the Woodsman found them?! What if he--?!”

“Hey hey hey, Pipp, hey,” Zipp hugged her little sister close. “You're gonna be okay-- they're gonna be okay. We'll find them, I promise.”

But just then, the door to one of the only remaining structures opened, revealing Burt and the young campers within. “You're back!” Burt cried in relief. “That old boy chopped up my camp faster than a beaver with a buzz saw!”

“Pipp!!” Peach Fizz cried as she and her friends came out of the structure, and Pipp, Shaggy and Scooby, along with Sunny, ran forward and hugged them tightly, grateful that they were all safe and sound. “We-- we were so scared!” Glory said, hugging Scooby tightly and trying to keep from crying. “I thought he was gonna find us!”

“He didn't, though, and you guys are safe,” Sunny told her. “And that's all that matters.”

“We're so sorry, Fred,” Luke apologized as he went over to Fred, with Seashell right behind. “If we were real Little Moosers... we would have stopped him from destroying our camp.”

“Yeah. And now...” Seashell looked at all the cabins... well, what was left of them. “...we have nothing left.”

Fred could immediately see the two were disheartened, and kneeled to their level to comfort them. “Hey, don't be so hard on yourselves, guys. Little Moose isn't about the cabins and the canoes and campfires. The true spirit of Little Moose is in here,” he said, pointing to their chests. “And you all have got it.”

Seashell looked up at him. “We do?”

Fred nodded and stood up before beginning the Little Moose camp cheer. “High in the mountains...”

“Deep in the spruce,” Luke recited next. “On the shore of the lake...” Zipp and Hitch spoke the next line. “It's Camp Little Moose,” Trudy said before they all did the final line together. “Little Moose, Little Moose, Liiiiittllle Moose!!”

This caused everyone to laugh, reminding themselves that even though the camp was gone, they still had each other... and that was all that mattered.

Suddenly, after the laughter died down, Velma suddenly thought of something. “If the Woodsman didn't find the Pippsqueaks, Burt, Luke and Trudy... then he thinks the camp is empty.”

“So?” Scooby tilted his head. “What she means is that if he thinks the camp is empty,” Misty clarified, “then he probably thinks that it's okay to--”

Suddenly, a series of loud explosions coming from the dam caused the group to scream and turn to look that way. It was just like they had feared... the dam was bursting open, and the water was coming their way fast!

They had to get away from the flood, otherwise things would NOT end well for any of them. “Everybody! Into the van!” Fred shouted. “Flyers too!” Zipp shouted. “We can’t risk anything happening to one of us!”

“But is there even room for all of us?!” Hitch wondered out loud. “We’re about to find out!” Pipp grunted as she shoved Hitch into the van. “Now move it or lose it!”

Everyone managed to get in, though it was a tight squeeze, and they immediately began driving down the road as fast as they could, keeping an eye on the water through the back doors of the van.

But upon seeing Fred in the backseat with a majority of the group, Daphne suddenly had a thought. “Fred, if you're back here, then who's driving?!”

When the group looked, Scooby was behind the wheel with the Pippsqueaks sitting behind him, and Seashell suddenly turned to the Great Dane. “Wow, Scooby-- I didn’t know that you could drive!”

“Uh…” Scooby gulped nervously, “...I can’t!”

Hearing this, along with the water gaining on them, instantly caused the group to scream at the top of their lungs while Scooby took some wild turns as they headed for the Little Moose Lake dock.

Unfortunately, as they began driving on the dock with the flood right behind them, Shaggy suddenly realized something after looking ahead of them. “Like, we’re running out of dock!”

“Everypony, brace yourselves!!” Sunny shrieked as they all held onto each oither just before Scooby went off the dock… only for the Mystery Machine to land on two canoes that were sitting there, much to their relief.

But they weren’t out of harms way yet-- not by a long shot.

The flood came up from behind them like a giant tsunami wave that tossed them around wildly, with Hitch trying his best not to puke.

The wave soon carried them toward the banks of the lake, crashing into the side of it and letting the Mystery Machine try and climb up the steep banks. “We’re never gonna make it!!!” Peach Fizz cried, covering her eyes with her hooves. “Even if we don’t make it… at least we’re all together,” Seashell told her best friends sincerely. “Pippsqueaks forever?”

Glory and Peach Fizz nodded and put their hooves on Seashell’s. “Pippsqueaks forever!”

Their cutie marks let out a light that turned into wisps of magic that flew out of the Mystery Machine and behind it, giving it the boost it needed to make it onto solid ground.

At last… they were safe… temporarily, anyway.

Once everyone had caught their breath, Pipp turned to Scooby with relief. “Scooby, that driving was amazing! Did you plan that?!”

“Nope,” Scooby said before chuckling nervously. “But it was good thing the Pippsqueaks’ cutie mark magic helped you, otherwise we would be under that water and we would've never escaped in time” Sunny said before turning to the fillies. “Good work, you three.”

“Thanks, Sunny, but for the record,” said Seashell, “we NEVER wanna do that again.”

“Dually noted.”

“Look!” Velma suddenly pointed something out. “Big Moose Lake is almost completely gone.”

True to her word, the last amount of water was flowing out of Big Moose lake and into the valley where Camp Little Moose used to be, and before long, a sight that no had seen in a long time had caught their attention.

And what was that sight, you may wonder?

It was Moose Creek, the town that the owner mentioned back at the museum, that had finally returned.

And within that small town was the key to solving this whole mystery once and for all.

Finding the Treasure/The Final Showdown

By the time that everyone had gotten out of the Mystery Machine, the long-forgotten town of Moose Creek had finally been revealed at the bottom of where Big Moose Lake used to be...

...and it really was a historical discovery for the ages.

As the last of the water poured out of Big Moose Lake, everyone stood on the banks and looked down at the town below. “Like, presto!” Shaggy exclaimed. “Instant town, just subtract water!”

“Come on!” Luke urged. “Let’s check it out!”

“Right behind ya, Luke!” Seashell squealed before she and Luke slid down the banks as if they were on skis in the winter time. “You might have to get your hooves dirty for this, sis!” Zipp exclaimed before following suit. “WHOO-HOO!!!”

“You know, for once,” Pipp sighed, “I actually don’t mind this! LOOK OUT BELOW!!”

And so, everyone slid down the banks of Big Moose Lake (where it used to be) and into the town below… all except Burt, who bounced up and down on his bottom the entire way.

Once reaching Moose Creek, everyone began to walk around, amazed that this historical town had been underwater for so many years... and had a treasure somewhere nearby. “This is so cool,” Trudy couldn’t help but grin. “You know, Trudy? You’re right,” Sunny said as she walked alongside the girl. “This town is really going to make an impact on this entire area, and bring more tourists than ever! Well… once it’s cleaned up a bit.”

As this went on, Daphne realized her boots were caked in mud, making her sigh as she tried to shake them off. “Well, these shoes are ruined.”

“Tell me about it,” Pipp said, trying to shake the mud off of her as well. “I don’t think I’ll ever get my old hoof shine back. But… if it’s for solving the mystery, I’m totally there.”

As they finished walking down the main street, Fred stopped the group upon seeing something on the old church. “Gang, look-- the steeple!”

“When dawn breaks on the summer solstice,” Zipp recalled, “the steeple will point the way! We just have to wait until the sun comes up and shines through the steeple, and that will lead us to Ricky LaRue’s hidden loot!”

Upon hearing footsteps approaching them, Misty then felt her ears twitch, just before she silenced the group. “I think I hear someone coming-- hide!”

Everyone split up into different hiding places behind cars along the street, and once the sound was approaching him, Fred tackled the one following them. “Gotcha!”

“Um… Freddy?” Sunny tried not to make the situation awkward, but… Fred was holding Jessica around the waist, making her chuckle. “We have to stop meeting like this.”

“You can let go of her now,” Daphne reminded Fred, who instantly and nervously complied. “Jessica!” Glory cried. “What are you doing here?”

“After the dam blew,” Jessica explained as the group gathered around her, “I saw Deacon heading this way, so I followed him.”

“Hold on… Deacon?” Zipp asked in confusion. “That kid is afraid of his own shadow.”

“So why would he come down to Moose Creek?” Velma wondered the same thing. But as they tried to make sense of this news, Scooby turned and saw the Woodsman right behind them, and tried twice to get Shaggy's attention by pulling on his shirt, only for Shaggy to disregard the Great Dane's nervous nature. “Not right now, Scoob.”

Scooby frustratedly then grabbed Shaggy’s face in his paw, and forcibly turned to show him what he was trying to say, and then… Shaggy saw the Woodsman for himself.

This sent the entire group to run and scream before bolting in different directions, with Luke, Fred, Jessica and the Pippsqueaks going one direction while everyone else ran in a different direction.

But as they were running, Deacon came out of the nearby Moose Creek jail and called out to them. “Guys! In here!”

“Phew! Are we glad to see you!” Pipp sighed in relief before they all ran inside the jail and into the furthest cell… only for Deacon to slam it shut on them. “Hey!” Shaggy cried out. “We’re locked in!”

“Deacon! What are you doing?!” Misty asked in panic and bewilderment. “The name’s not Deacon, toots,” Deacon began to say before he took off his hair, glasses and spoke in a deeper, less nasally tone. “It's BabyFace Boretti.”

This caused plenty of shocked and confused reactions among the group. “I admit it,” Velma spoke truthfully, “I did not see that coming.”

“Believe us, Velma,” Hitch sighed, “neither did we.”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Fred was leading Luke, Jessica and the Pippsqueaks into the church with the Woodsman hot on their tails, and when Fred tried to shut the door behind them, the Woodsman merely tried to chop right through it. “That way!”

“Go go go go!” Peach Fizz cried as they ran in the direction Fred told them to go in. This led them up the stairs toward the top of the building… at least until Luke stepped through a rotten board, causing his leg to get stuck.

Seashell gasped before she, the rest of the Pippsqueaks and Jessica ran back to help him, only for them to see the Woodsman quickly approaching. Eventually, Glory was able to pull Luke out, and they all managed to climb the rest of the way up the stairs, enter the tower and lock the door behind them.

“Uh… now what?” Luke asked nervously. “We’ll just have to stay here until we can get everyone down safely,” Fred told them. “Oh, where are Sunny and the others when you need them…?!”

XXXXXXXX

Deacon, or should I say, BabyFace Boretti smirked as Sunny and Hitch tried to buck the jail door down, but the metal was far too strong, even for earth pony strength, leaving the group trapped inside. “So,” Zipp said with a sneer, “you’ve been working undercover the entire time, trying to get us to come to Big Moose so you could blow the dam and find the loot for you and whoever else is behind this!”

“Man, for a pony, you sure are dense when it comes to figuring things out at the last second,” BabyFace Boretti told her before noticing the sun beginning to rise. “Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I got a date with a treasure.”

“Oh, you are so gonna get it when we get out of here!” Hitch told the criminal as he left the scene. “THAT’S A PROMISE!!”

“Hitch, take it easy!” Sunny tried to calm him down. “We’ll figure this out! I just hope Fred’s team is doing okay with the Woodsman still out there...”

XXXXXXXX

Back at the church, the Woodsman was beginning to pound through the trapdoor that led into the tower, causing the Pippsqueaks to nervously whimper, not sure of what to do next.

Eventually, the Woodsman broke through and set his eyes on Jessica, causing her to scream and be pinned up against the wall, with nowhere else to go.

That's when Peach Fizz decided to make the first bold statement of the Pippsqueaks, readying herself to either run... or fight. “Let her go, Woodsman!”

“Yeah!” Seashell agreed. “Or face Fred Jones and the Pippsqueaks!”

“I told you to get out,” the Woodsman sneered as he turned to face them, “but you didn't listen. Now you're gonna pay.”

“Wuh-oh…” Glory gulped as she, her best friends and Fred quickly ran out of room to flee. Fred immediately grabbed the Woodsman’s ax, and the two began to tustle while the Pippsqueaks slipped out of harm’s way. That’s when Luke saw the tower bell and got an idea. “Fred, look out!”

With the Pippsqueaks’ help, Luke pushed the bell toward the Woodsman, hitting him dead on while Fred got out of the way. The Woodsman broke through the wood on the windows and fell out once Glory kicked him out with her hind legs…

…but not before he grabbed Jessica by the leg and began to pull her down with him. “HELP!!!”

Fred leaned out the window and grabbed Jessica as the Pippsqueaks grabbed hold of him and each other, trying to not let go. As Fred and the girls pulled Jessica and the Woodsman back up, the Woodsman lost grip on Jessica's shoe and fell to the ground, splatting in the mud.

The Pippsqueaks and Jessica whimpered at this, not wanting to see the body down below, but eventually, they realized that the Woodsman wasn't moving... and he probably wasn't gonna bother them again.

Jessica then turned to Fred and gave him a quick peck on the cheek as a sign of gratitude. “Thanks.”

“Anytime,” Fred blushed nervously before rubbing Luke on the head. “Uh… good work, Luke. You too, Pippsqueaks.”

“Thanks!” Seashell beamed. “Now come on… let’s go find the others.”

XXXXXXXX

“Like, how long have we been in here?” Shaggy asked back in the jail cell, causing Scooby to make another mark on the wall and stop playing his harmonica. “Uh… five minutes.”

“Really?” Izzy asked in surprise. “I could have sworn that it felt longer than that.”

“It does feel longer, cause we’re completely trapped with no way to use our magic to escape,” Zipp sighed. “Believe me-- we’ve tried.”

“I can’t do hard time!” Shaggy suddenly bolted upright. “I gotta get outta here! Like, help!!”

Shaggy began to shake the bars of the cell so much, they began to rattle and fall out of place, allowing the others to slip through while he still shook them. “I'm too young! I'm going crazy! Someone, free us!”

“Uh… Shaggy-Waggy?” Izzy called out, and Shaggy had finally noticed his friends had escaped. “How'd they get out? Oh-ho-ho. Jailbreak. Cool.”

Immediately after being freed, everyone left the jail and ran out into the streets of Moose Creek again, only to meet up with the others. “Guys!” Zipp cried in relief. “Thank goodness you’re safe!”

“We got the Woodsman!” Fred spoke before gesturing to the ground. “He’s…”

“Gone!” Hitch cried, seeing the indent of the Woodsman, but no Woodsman in sight, causing Seashell to groan. “Now what?!”

“I think we’re about to find out!” Daphne pointed to the sky. “The sun is coming up!”

Indeed, the sun was beginning to rise, and as the sunlight shined through the steeple, it sent out a flash of light that hit the ground in a very specific spot. “Look, the steeple is pointing the way!” Trudy pointed at that spot. “So that means…” said Misty, “...the treasure must be right here!”

“Allow me,” Scooby offered before going into full digging mode, and once he reached the chest and prepared to tell everyone about it, he discovered he had caked the others in mud, causing him to chuckle nervously. “Found it.”

“I’ll help you bring it out!” Peach Fizz said before using her magic to levitate the chest out of the hole for everyone to see. Then, after picking the lock using Misty’s horn, Daphne opened the chest up for everyone to see the cash and gold inside. “It’s the treasure of Ricky LaRue!”

“And now,” said Zipp, “we have the perfect bait to lead the Fishman and the Woodsman back into our clutches!”

“Uh… you guys?!” Hitch cried, looking behind the group in panic. “I think we already found one of them!”

When everyone turned to see what Hitch was talking about, they immediately saw the Fishman roaring behind them, causing them to split up again, only for Daphne and Izzy to fall right in the mud with the Fishman preparing to pounce.

Well, he would have, if Scooby hadn't grabbed his tail to distract him so Daphne and Izzy could get away.

The Fishman flung Scooby off his tail and toward a brick wall, only for Sunny to catch him before he could get hurt. The Fishman was about to go afte them again, when Shaggy suddenly spoke up from behind. “Hey, fish face! Like, back away from my buddies!”

Shaggy slammed a wooden board onto the Fishman’s head, but it broke, and the Fishman took a couple of swipes at Shaggy, leaving him on the ground, and Fred and Hitch used a few more boards on the Fishman to help Shaggy get away.

Immediately, the Fishman set his sights on the others, causing them to flee right toward a brick wall, where the Fishman seemed to have them cornered.

That's when Pipp realized that the Pippsqueaks were nowhere in sight, but as she prayed that they were somewhere safer than they were right then, something... incredible then happened. “HEY!!! FISH BREATH!!”

The Fishman stopped the attack to see the Pippsqueaks right behind him, horns and wings and hooves glowing. “If you wanna mess with them,” said Glory, “you’ll have to deal with us first!”

“Girls, no!” Daphne cried. “Get out of here!” Misty cried out. “You’re an easy target for him!”

“That’s what we’re hoping!” Seashell said before kicking the Fishman away, and she and her best friends ran away, prompting the Fishman to pursue them once he got his bearings together.

The Fishman continued to try and attack the fillies, but they were much to quick for him to grab them. And once the Fishman was out in the open street, Glory looked back and cried, “NOW, SCOOBY!! NOW!!”

The Pippsqueaks then ran for safety as Scooby barreled down the street in the Mystery Machine, engaging in a battle of his own with the Fishman, and eventually knocking him through a brick wall, disoriented... and trapped. “We… we did it!” Peach Fizz told her friends. “We actually did it! We caught the Fishman!”

Scooby got out of the van and giggled, hugging the three fillies happily while the Mane 6 rushed to congratulate them as well. The others then surrounded the Fishman, and Velma prepared to pull off the Fishman's mask. “It's time to find out who this Fishman really is.”

She then yanked it off, revealing the Fishman to be another foe of theirs. “The Woodsman?” Daphne questioned. “Hold on,” Zipp stated. “This seems a little too easy.”

“I got this one, Zipp,” Glory said before grabbing the Woodsman’s mask and pulling it off, revealing the real culprit underneath. “Ranger Knudsen?!” Burt cried out in shock. “He was the Woodsman and the Fishman?” Misty asked. “Yep,” Velma nodded. “And I've got a feeling if we searched his ranger station… we'd find a specter costume too.”

“You think you got me all figured out, don't you, beautiful?” Ranger Knudsen asked seductively. “Oh, I didn’t say anything,” Daphne chuckled. “Uh… Daph?” Zipp spoke up. “He was talking about Velma, remember?”

“Oh, right.”

“Looks like we foiled his plan,” Fred said with his hands on his hips. “Not just his plan,” Hitch said, pointing to something with his hoof. “THEIR plan!”

Turns out, BabyFace Boretti was trying to get away with the treasure, prompting Scooby and the Pippsqueaks to nod in unison. “We got him!”

Then, as a team, the three fillies and the Great Dane charged and tackled BabyFace on his back, not about to let him go. “Get these horses and this dog off of me!! AGH!!”

“Not a chance, Boretti,” Zipp said before getting out her phone. “The only place you’ll be going, once I call the authorities, is back to prison with your ranger pal over there.”

And the Pippsqueaks? Well… let’s just say, they felt on top of the world.

Case Closed at Last/Finding Courage is the Key

Finally... the case of all the Camp Little Moose hauntings had finally been closed.

The authorities had been called, and soon, Ranger Knudsen and BabyFace Borretti were in handcuffs.

Once Velma had told him everything about what happened in the jail cell, Fred could not believe what he had just heard. “I can't believe Deacon was really BabyFace Boretti!”

“Believe me, we had no idea either,” Hitch admitted. “But he certainly knew how to play us.”

“After BabyFace broke out of prison...” Zipp began to explain, “...he teamed up with Ranger Knudsen to find LaRue's treasure.”

“Knudsen wore the Fishman costume as cover to search the lake for the lost town using the stolen sonar equipment,” Velma continued. “But with the solstice approaching and us showing up,” Sunny realized, “they had to step up their game.”

“Exactly!” Zipp said with a smile. “Boretti posed as a camper named Deacon, acting as an inside man. That's why Deacon kept trying to get us to leave.”

“He wasn't afraid of the Woodsman...” Glory said, piecing the clues together. “He needed us gone so they could blow the dam!”

“Right,” Velma nodded. “But when we found that RV, they realized we were getting close. So Knudsen brought the Specter to life to try and scare us off for good.”

“Like, I've got one question,” Shaggy said curiously. “How did Knudsen make the Specter fly?”

That's when Sunny and Trudy seemed to come up with the same answer at the same time. “Zip line!”

“We would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids,” BabyFace Borretti sneered. “And those pesky ponies too.”

“Hey!” Peach Fizz said, offended. While the other Pippequeaks tried to console her, Jessica approached Fred to talk to him about something. “Fred... I just wanted to say...”

Fred immediately shushed her to prevent her from speaking, having a speech of his own in mind. “Jessica... this thing between you and me, it could never work. You're Big Moose, I'm Little Moose. We're just too different. I'm sorry.”

However, what Fred thought Jessica was going to say was completely different to what Jessica ACTUALLY said. “I was just gonna say thanks again for saving my life.”

Fred felt his face flush up in embarrassment. “Oh. Oh, that thing. Sure, you're welcome.”

As Jessica walked away, Daphne couldn't help but smirk at the blonde-haired boy. “Smooth. Real smooth.”

XXXXXXXX

At the same time, Ranger Knudsen looked at Velma from the police car with a pleading look. “Wait for me?”

“In your dreams, Knudsen,” Velma crossed her arms just before the police car drove away. Luckily, Zipp was there to approach Velma and provide some sort of comfort.

At that same moment, Burt came over to Jessica with a new problem. “What are we gonna do?
I got a lake with no camp and you got a camp with no lake!”

“Maybe there's a way we can rebuild the camps to make them even better,” Misty said. “But how...?”

That's when Scooby seemed to get an amazing idea, whispering it to Shaggy and the Pippsqueaks, causing Seashell to smile in response. “Scooby-Doo, that's perfect! Scooby said that it would take some time, but you could combine the two camps to make one big megacamp that everyone would love coming to! We could call it... Camp Little Big Moose!”

“That’s brilliant!” Jessica exclaimed with a smile. “What an amazing idea!”

“Hey... thanks again for saving all of us back there, Pippsqueaks,” Trudy told the fillies. “What you did back there was--”

“Totally amazing!” Luke interrupted. “You three are just as big of heroes as Sunny and the others!”

“Well... I don't know about that...” Peach Fizz said with a blush. “Actually... I think that Luke is right this time,” Sunny smiled. “You three proved yourselves to be brave, smart, kind and willing to take action when the situation called for it. We're really proud of you.”

The cutie marks of the Pippequeaks glowed at this, and only a few seconds later, a portal opened nearby, causing Zipp to sigh. “Well, that's our cue to head home. Thanks again for the adventure, everyone. Good luck with building Camp Little Big Moose!”

“Wait a second,” Trudy said, stopping the ponies before they could leave. “What about the moving problem? The Pippsqueaks being separated from one another?”

“Don't get your hoodie in a bunch, Trudy,” Glory winked. “Us Pippsqueaks have a plan to fix that.”

After exchanging heartfelt good yes with their friends, the groups immediately parted ways, and the ponies set forth back into their own world.

XXXXXXXX

When the Mane 6 took the Pippsqueaks home to their families, the second they reached the floor of the apartments, Seashell's mother, Glory's father and Peach Fizz's mother were at it again, each claiming that their daughter was missing and thought that they were hiding with another family.

The Mane 6 seemed worried about this, but luckily... the Pippsqueaks had their own ideas in place on how to stop the fighting.

First, it was Peach Fizz's time to speak... or in this case, scream at the top of her lungs. “STOOOOOOOOOOOOOP FIIIIIIIGHTIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!!!!!!!!!”

At that very moment, Ocean Silk, Solar Charge and Amethyst Charm stopped their fighting and turned wide eyes to their stern looking daughters glaring at them. “Peach Fizz?” Amethyst asked in an appalled tone. “What have I told you about taking that kind of tone with me, young filly?”

“If you were trying to get your mother's attention, wouldn't you do the same thing?”

Amethyst tried to find some sort of words to scols her daughter, but instead, she stood there in stunned silence. “Well, I'm just glad you three are home,” Solar said before moving toward Glory. “Glory, let's get inside--”

“No, Dad. I'm not going anywhere until you listen to me for once,” Glory slapped her father's hoof away. “I know you prefer living in Zephyr Heights, cause you feel closer to where you last saw Mom. I miss her too, but you said yourself that we needed a change of pace. But... I like it here, more than anywhere else in the world!”

“Me too, Mama,” Peach Fizz spoke. “You keep teaching me to do what you do and be a dignified filly, but I wanna go and have fun with my friends, and I... I wanna go camping! Have real fun with you and... I want us to be a real family.”

“And Mom, I know you want me to be happy, and I love you more than anything else in the world,” Seashell told her mother. “And I know that you only yell when you're trying to protect me, but... I don't need you to protect me from standing up for myself. What we're trying to say is...”

“None of us want to be without one another!” the Pippsqueaks exclaimed. “And if you wanna leave, you can go without us!”

All three parents were stunned into silence, carefully considering each filly and her words.

Turns out... they knew that their daughters were right.

They had been putting themselves before their daughters' happiness, and it made them feel completely horrible.

Ocean Silk approached her daughter with regretful eyes. “Oh, my precious little Seashell... I'm so sorry for what we put you through today.”

“I am too, my little firework,” Solar apologized to Glory. “I guess I'm just a little too... hot-headed sometimes, and I need to learn how to control that. I never really meant to hurt you by what we said.”

“...I guess I was just trying to raise you like my mother raised me, and... I can see I've gone the wrong way about doing so,” Amethyst told Peach Fizz. “If you really want us to be a better mother-daughter duo, go camping and... not move back to Bridlewood... then, I think we should stay here and try and figure all of this out.”

“I agree,” Glory's father spoke up. “We're not going anywhere.”

“We'll all try our best to do better,” Ocean Silk then promised. “You have our word.”

The Pippsqueaks each hugged their parents in happiness while the Mane 6 looked on from afar. Now, all they had to wonder about was if Camp Little Big Moose was going to be a success.

XXXXXXXX

Camp Little Big Moose was opened a few weeks later, after the ponies had gone back to Equestria, and needless to say, everyone was thrilled with all the changes that had been made.

Faster zip lines, cabins made out of the houses in Moose Creeks, a bigger lake for activities... you name it, they did it.

One particular night, Burt and Jessica had gathered the campers and Mystery Incorporated around the campfire to tell their version of the Woodsman story. “He wouldn't stop searching for LaRue's treasure,” Burt spoke. “He'd sneak out every night and scour the depths of the lake. Ranger Knudsen was driven mad by greed.”

“They say he still wanders these woods with an ax... completely out of his mind,” Jessica told the frightened campers. “They call him...”

“...the Woodsman!”

By the end of the story, an evil laugh filled the air, and everyone screamed as a dark figure emerged from the woods. “It's the Woodsman!!” one of the boys yelped. “No, it's not,” Daphne said with a chuckle. “It's only...”

Scooby ripped off his Woodsman disguise, revealing his true self to the campers. “Scooby-Dooby-Booooooo!!!! Hee hee hee hee hee hee!!”

Finally, another mystery was solved, but don't worry...

...there are going to be many more adventures with our pony heroes just around the corner.

All you have to do is wait till the time is right.

Author's Note

Sorry if this chapter felt a little rushed-- my hands are tired from all this typing, and I have some really big plans for the rest of the season, so I need to get started.

Till next time, everyone!