G5 Adventures in Spooky Buddies

Pipsqueak had just made the ultimate sacrifice, willingly giving his soul to the Howlloween Hound so he could open the portal, saving Aurelia, the fillies and the Buddies and giving them their one chance to get away.

Aurelia, in very few words, was devastated.

Pipsqueak was the only friend she had left, and now she felt completely alone.

All our heroes could do was hide and ensure that the Hound couldn’t find them… at least until they could find another way to stop them.

XXXXXXXX

The Howlloween Hound approached the mirror and spoke in a loud tone of voice. “Open the portal! Release the spirits of the netherworld!”

The mirror gave an otherworldly glow before spirits began flying out of the mirror, left and right, cackling as though there was no end.

Once the spirits were free, the Hound went off in search of the fillies, Buddies and Aurelia to finish what he started.

The Hound may not have needed the Buddies' souls anymore, but anything to get them out of his way was good enough for him.

XXXXXXXX

“Come on, guys! Put your backs into it!” Zipp strained as she, Hitch and Misty tried to help Joseph open the gates to the manor, but they were stiffer than even the ponies didn’t know what. But what they didn’t expect, when they finally got the door open, was to see spirits flying out of the windows of the manor and out into the open world. “Oh no!” Misty cried with wide eyes. “Warick and the Hound must’ve got the portal open!”

“Ohhhhhh my Pippsqueaks….!!!!” Pipp tried her best not to start crying, openly terrified for the sake of her little friends. “Have faith, young ones,” Joseph said as he and the others got back in the car. “We can still stop it.”

“Yeah.” Sunny muttered, looking up in fear at the manor. “We don't have a choice.”

Joseph drove off towards the manor, none of them having any idea on how to stop this thing before anybody else got hurt.

XXXXXXXX

It was getting later into the night, and the streets had less and less trick or treaters occupying them, until the streets were empty for the night as everyone went back to their houses to inspect the delicious treats they got that night.

Well, all except for a group of young boys, who decided to stay out a little later than they were supposed to. They stood in the middle of the suburban street, smashing pumpkins with their feet and laughing when they exploded.

Suddenly, streams of white light filled the street as faint bits of ghoulish laughter reached their ears. The boys stopped in their fun, tensing as the streams of white circled the whole street, leaving all sorts of destruction in their wake.

Halloween decorations exploding.

A fire hydrant knocked down leaving behind a fountain of water pushing itself into the sky before coming back down.

Posts on fences breaking down and garbage cans being knocked over, the contents inside spilling out.

After a few moments of standing back to back with each other, each racked with fear and incomprehension, the group of young boys decided to get the heck outta there after the swirls of white light came towards them from all directions before suddenly disappearing. They ran, leaving behind a street littered with complete destruction.

XXXXXXXX

Back at Town Hall, the Fernfield Annual Spooky Brew Ha-Ha was in full swing, the party raging on until the late hours of the night. The dance floor was still full of people dancing to music, all having the time of their lives.

Until suddenly, streams of white light circled the air above them, however, instead of showing any fear, they simply thought it was all part of the show. “Sheriff Dan really went all out this year,” Billy's mother said to Mrs. Carroll when she noticed the spirits, as the two women, as well as the still possessed Mr. Carroll, danced to the music. “The special effects are amazing!”

“Oh, yeah,” Mrs. Carroll agreed with a nod. The spirits continued to circle above the crowd before they descended down, entering their bodies and taking over their minds. They convulsed for a moment before they stared ahead blankly and slowly made their way out of Town Hall, much like Mr. Carroll acted when he was under Warwick's hypnotic trance.

XXXXXXXX

Back at the manor, Joseph, the Mane 6 and the Buddies' kids got out of the car as they drove closer to the manor, unaware that Warwick was watching from the window. “Perfect,” he muttered wickedly. “Bring it right to me.”

XXXXXXXX

“Yo, this place is a lot creepier at night,” Billy said, his voice shaking, as the group cautiously walked up to the manor.

Zipp held up a hoof to keep the kids behind the Mane 6 at all times. “Stay close to us, kids. And remember the plan. We need to keep Warwick and the Hound distracted long enough for Aurelia to free the Buddies and Pippsqueaks.”

The rest of them nodded before they continued, their hearts racing in fear. Slowly, they entered the manor, the door creaking as it opened. “Warwick!” Joseph called once they were all inside. Sunny, Misty, and Izzy all had their horns charged, just in case, while Zipp and Pipp were hovering in the air, and Hitch had his hooves ready in case they needed any fawna magic. “We're here. We have your book.”

Suddenly, Warwick appeared from above on his staff. “Ah, just in time. Hand it over,” Warwick reached out, waiting for them to hang over the book, causing Izzy to whimper nervously. “Where are the Buddies?” Billy asked bravely. “And the Pippsqueaks!” Pipp continued, glaring daggers at Warwick.

Nopony or warlock or whatever Warwick was... would dare hurt her biggest fans and get away with it.

Warwick shrugged. “Oh, they're around here somewhere.”

He knew exactly where they were, completely unaware of everything that happened while he was waiting for his spellbook to be delivered. “Now, I'll be taking that book.”

However, Joseph stood in his way, grasping the book more firmly. “No book until you hand over those fillies and puppies.”

“Oh, really?”

Sunny saw the expression on Warwick’s face and his hands moved half a second before he cast the spell. She quickly jumped in front of the kids and her friends, them being top priority, quickly forming a golden shield around them. However, Joseph was standing at the forefront of the group and Warwick's spell hit him before Sunny's shield could protect him. The sparks hit him square in the chest, causing him to fly back off his feet and drop the spellbook.

Alice and Izzy shrieked at this while the others looked shocked. “Mr. Johnson!!”

As Warwick cackled, Sunny gritted her teeth as she held up her protective bubble. She wanted to help Mr. Johnson-- she did, but she had to make the choice between helping him or keeping the protection spell up, and she had to choose the latter, despite hating to have to choose at all.

Finally, the sparks died down and Sunny took down the protection bubble when she was sure the immediate danger had passed. Warwick laughed maniacally as he grabbed the spellbook and hurried up the stairs. “Mr. Johnson!” Alice cried out. “Are you okay?!”

“Come on, talk to us, please!” Hitch begged as they gathered around the fallen man. Smoke lifted from his chest as he groaned, barely able to lift his head. “Go after him, you kids. It's up to you now.”

“He's right, guys,” Misty said with a bold face. “It’s up to us to make sure Warwick never hurts anyone else again!”

“After him!” Zipp cried out. And so, the Mane 6 and Sparky led the Buddies' kids up the stairs in another attempt to stop Warwick.

XXXXXXXX

“Now, I shall complete the spell,” Warwick started as he approached the mirror with his spellbook in hand, oblivious to the fact that the Buddies and Pippsqueaks were missing and the spell had already been cast. “And all the creatures of the netherworld will be here forever and I will rule the land.”

Warwick chuckled to himself before placing the book on the pedestal and eagerly opening it. However, the warlock himself was blinded by a golden light with a choir singing in the background. He dropped his staff just as the Mane 6, Sparky and the kids ran into the room.

Sunny levitated the staff with her magic and gave it to Billy, who showed the most responsibility when it came to looking after it and the Mane 6 stood in front of the kids.

Since he didn’t notice them at first, Warwick tried to say the words on the glowing pages, despite the bright light. “Our Father… who art…” he began to say before he realized. “Wait a minute… this is not my spell book!”

“It’s the Bible!” Alice said, just as Warwick turned to face them. “Before we came here, Billy and Sunny had a thought,” Hitch agreed with a firm face. “They knew that if we gave you the REAL spellbook, there was nothing we could do to stop you, so what better than to replace the spellbook with a decoy?”

“Pretty brilliant on their part.” Zipp added with a shrug. “Gotta say, I'm impressed.”

Warwick growled in frustration. “Hand me my staff… boy!”

“Uh-oh…” Misty gulped, feeling as if this wasn't the best idea after all. “No! Protectus!” Billy cried, pointing the staff towards Warwick, the gem at the end of it glowing brightly. The spell’s force was enough to knock Warwick onto the ground with a yell before he fell unconscious, surprising the group entirely.

That’s when Sunny gave the next set of movements. “Hitch, use your earth pony magic to create really long vines! Zipp and Pipp, use those vines to tie Warwick up!”

“Already on it!” Hitch said as he stomped his hooves, creating two long vines for Pipp and Zipp to use to tie Warwick up.

He was out of their manes for now… but it wouldn’t be long before Warwick woke up.

They had to get the spirits back into the mirror, and fast!

XXXXXXXX

Back in another part of the manor, the Buddies, Pippsqueaks, and Aurelia entered a kitchen after exiting the secret passage. B-Dawg managed to talk Aurelia into moving on her own, but she still dragged her feet, her eyes empty of tears, not by choice, but because she had no more tears left to cry. “Oh sweet mama!” Budderball exclaimed, momentarily forgetting everything that's happened that night. “Where there's a kitchen, there's gotta be food.”

“Budderball, now's not the time.” Seashell scolded. “We need to find a place to hide. Now!”

“Yeah, before the Howlloween Hound find us,” Rosebud agreed with a bit of fright. “What's the point?” Aurelia said dejectedly, with her heart broken into a million pieces and burned to ash. “We're doomed anyway. The Hound's probably opened the portal already. Once he's done that… there's no stopping him.”

“Not that attitude!” Mudbud told the white dragon. “You heard Pipsqueak! You got us now, remember?”

“And we’re not gonna stop anypony when we’re stone ourselves,” Glory said. “Everyone spread out! Hurry!”

Aurelia disappeared immediately, cloaking herself, not moving a muscle. “It would be nice if her cloaking abilities extended to others.” Peach Fizz muttered as they all fanned out to find a place to hide. But before Budderball could wiggle himself into a hiding spot like the others, he spotted a jar underneath the table and licked his chops once he saw the label. “Mmm, perfect! Pickled eggs! A fellow can’t fight evil on an empty stomach.”

He walked up to the jar, opening it with his nose and dived in without hesitation... all while the others, even Aurelia, gagged in pure, unbridled disgust. “Ew, Budderball,” Rosebud started, her mouth and stomach twisting with disgust. “Those are eyeballs.”

“They're a bit rubbery,” Budderball answered as he swallowed his current bite. “Besides, I've got a stomach made of steel. You think these are the worst things I've eaten. This barely even makes the top ten.”

As Budderball chowed down on the pickled eyeballs, the Howlloween Hound approached from behind, the bones on his collar clanking together as he watched Budderball continue to dive into the eyeballs. “Uh, dude!” Mudbud said, trying to get his brother's attention. “No, seriously, Mudbud,” Budderball shook his head. “They’re not that bad. You want one?”

“Budderball… please don’t panic,” Seashell said to the largest pup of the five, trying to remain calm, “but the Howlloween Hound is right behind you!!”

“A-And I shouldn’t panic?!” Budderball blurt out before turning around, realizing they were all right. “Hello, children,” the Howlloween Hound smirked. “Just thought I would visit the kitchen for a late night snack.”

Upon hearing this… something inside Aurelia snapped.

The Hound already took everything from her, and he just kept on taking! Wouldn't he ever leave her alone? He just took her best friend, someone she thought of like a brother, and now he wanted to take the few ponies and pups she had left?

Over her dead body!

Aurelia immediately uncloaked herself, standing in front of Budderball with her fangs bared and a snarl emitting from her throat. “No one… gets past… me!”

The Howlloween Hound chuckled at such a remark. “Still willing to fight, dragon?”

“Oh, I’ll ALWAYS keep fighting,” Aurelia said defensively. “You may have taken Pipsqueak… but you will NEVER take my friends!”

However, while Aurelia was trying to stand up to the Hound, B-Dawg suddenly glanced at Budderball and got an idea. “All right, dawg,” he said to the Hound. “You win. But… take Budderball first! He’s got the most meat on his bones.”

“B-Dawg!” Rosebud immediately scolded, shocked to hear him say such a thing. “A-Actually,” Budderball shivered from behind Aurelia, “I’m not that tasty-- really!”

“Silence!” the Hound barked. “I don’t care who’s first. You’ll all end up in the same spot.”

“Trust me, dawgs,” B-Dawg assured the others. “I’ve got a plan.”

Mudbud could hardly believe it. “B-Dawg has a plan?”

“I can have a plan,” B-Dawg said before turning to Budderball, Aurelia and the Pippsqueaks. “Yo, Budderball. When I tell you, let one rip! And Aurelia, you and those fillies charge it up with that dragon breath and cutie mark magic!”

The Hound began to howl, smoke beginning to emit from his throat, giving B-Dawg the right signal. “Do it, dawgs! Now!”

Budderball strained as he put out one of his most powerful farts to date, sending it wafering toward the Hound. “Come on, girls!” Aurelia cried out to the Pippsqueaks. “We have to help!”

Aurelia then launched her dragon fire at the fart cloud, causing it to grow more powerful, and soon, the Pippsqueaks’ cutie marks began to glow before the fart wafered the rest of the way toward the hound.

The wind from the fart pushed the Howlloween Hound's spell back towards him, causing him to cough. “No! This can’t be happening!”

And with the help of Aurelia's dragon fire and the Pippsqueaks' cutie mark magic, the Howlloween Hound was turned to stone by his own spell.

B-Dawg chuckled. “Our secret weapon!”

“That was wicked, dude!” Mudbud cheered. “And disgusting, but seeing as it saved our lives, it was awesome!” Glory added, cheering with the rest of them. “That takes years of practice.” Budderball explained, so proud of himself that he didn't even try to act modest. “Good thinking, B-Dawg!” Rosebud praised. “Yes, great job!” Aurelia smiled before suddenly wondering somethng herself. “But how did you know that would work?”

B-Dawg shrugged. “I knew Budderball's potion could neutralize anything, including the Howlloween Hound.”

In all honesty, he had no idea it would work and it was a risk, , but since none of them had any better ideas, it was a risk he had to take.

Not that he'd admit that out loud. “Guys! We have to get back to the kids!” Peach Fizz realized. “And Sunny and the others!”

“Peach Fizz is right!” Buddha realized. “Come on!”

And so, the puppies, Aurelia and the three filly besties all fled the kitchen, leaving the Howlloween Hound's stone statue behind.

XXXXXXXX

Sunrise was going to happen any minute, and if the Mane 6 and their friends didn’t act fast, the spirits of the netherworld would remain in Fernfield forever.

But they had no idea how to send the spirits back into the mirror.

Luckily, Joseph arrived just in the nick of time, fully recovered from the blast Warwick gave him earlier. “Quickly, Billy!” He urged as he walked into the room. “The sun is rising! Say the spell!”

“Come on, Billy!” Alice urged, her voice panicked. “Say it, dude!” Pete agreed. “Do you know what spell you're doing?” Zipp asked, leaning over Billy's shoulder to look at the book as well. “I… I think so?” Billy answered hesitantly. “Good enough for us!” Hitch urged, pushing Billy forward. “Hurry! Warwick could wake up any second and try to stop us!”

So, with a racing heart, Billy looked at the book, holding the staff before starting the spell itself, with all his friends looking on. “Aboleo alica. Quod etiam bestia. Quod inritus universitas res. Verto super Quod narro is thrice,” Billy said as the mirror began to cloud up… and as Warwick began to regain consciousness. “All's ut eram inerferta furta! Dnuoh Neewollowoh! Dnuoh Neewollowoh!”

By this point, Warwick was fully aware of what was happening, and tried to stop the spell. “NOOOO!!!”

“Dnuoh Neewollowoh!” Billy cried out one final time, causing the spirits that were in Fernfield to come flying back toward the mirror. “You're finished, Warwick!” Joseph yelled as the whisps of white light began to enter the mirror, a sentence he's been waiting to say for 75 years.

The room was filled with spirits as the while around them before entering the mirror. The kids and Mane 6 were scared of all the spirits, but they had to trust the spell would work and stay where they were, otherwise they would probably get caught in the same spell.

As the spirits went into the mirror one by one, Warwick stood up, struggling to stay on his feet as an ethereal wind blew throughout the room. Eventually, he broke through the vines Hitch had created and glared toward the group. He started towards Billy, set on revenge. “I shall take you with me!”

“Not in a million years!” Sunny yelled as she jumped between Billy and Warwick, going at it with him for a second round, but this time, nobody was going to accidentally be turned into a monkey.

As they struggled, Joseph snuck up behind them. Sunny saw this and made their struggle closer to the mirror. Grunting, Joseph stepped on Warwick's foot hard, and, startled, Warwick let go of Sunny, stumbling back closer to the mirror. Joseph pushed Warwick again into the mirror, however, Warwick grabbed the edges in time to keep himself from going in completely. “It's you, that petulant child!” Warwick said as realization struck him. “You're back!”

However, Joseph remained firm this time. “The name is Joseph! Joseph Johnson!”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” Warwick screamed as he lost his grip and fell back into the mirror. And within seconds, he was gone.

Sunny took a few breaths of relief as Izzy rushed over to her. “Are you okay, Sunny-Bunny?”

“I… I’m fine now,” Sunny said, getting onto her hooves. “Thanks, guys.”

“Um… quick question, though,” Pipp raised a hoof. “W-What if he… you know… comes back?”

“I don’t think that will happen again, Princess Pipp,” Joseph said as he regained his composure. That's when he eyed the staff Billy was holding… and Misty immediately caught on. “Billy… we need this thing destroyed for good. That’s the only way we can ensure Warwick never gets out of that mirror.”

Billy nodded in agreement before turning to Joseph. “We couldn't have done any of this without you, Mr. Johnson. And after everything Warwick has done to you… would you care to do the honors?”

Joseph smiled softly at Billy before grabbing the staff Billy held out to him. He looked it over once, before rearing it back as high as he could and bringing it back down with a yell, smashing it on the wooden floor with all the strength he possessed, shattering the gem inside.

Seconds after the gem broke, the mirror Warwick was trapped in began to crack before the glass inside disappeared, sealing the portal forever.

As the kids, the Mane 6, and Joseph stared at the former mirror, panting heavily, with the gem shattered, the spells Warwick and the Hound casted began to reverse themselves all over Fernfield.

XXXXXXXX

In front of the sheriff's station, Deputy Sniffer was turned back from stone and Sheriff Monkey was back to being Sheriff Dan. In the cemetery, Zelda was also turned back from being stone.

The townsfolk of Fernfield, who were blankly walking somewhere, suddenly went back to being themselves with a Jolt, chatting confused amongst themselves. Back at the manor, Pipsqueak, his siblings, who had been stone for 75 years, and Hoot all turned back from stone as well, free to move and stretch themselves.

XXXXXXXX

Pipsqueak hurried up the manor stairs to the room with the mirror, barking at the boy that was and would forever be his, no matter how old he got or how many years passed with them separated. Joseph turned, his face lighting up instantly at seeing his four-legged best friend. “Pipsqueak!”

The Mane 6 couldn't help but coo as the little beagle puppy ran up to him and jumped up and down along his leg. Joseph bent down and picked him up, hugging him closely.

While the kids and Mane 6 loved watching this heartfelt reunion, they were worried about their own companions. “But where are the Buddies?” Bartleby asked. “And the Pippsqueaks!” Pipp looked around desperately. “Where are they?”

“We’re here!”

“Pipp!”

“We’re okay!”

Suddenly, coming through the door were five golden retriever puppies, three fillies, and one teenage dragon. As soon as Aurelia caught sight of Pipsqueak and Joseph, tears of pure joy filled her eyes. She shot across the room like a bullet, wrapping both of them in a dragon tight bear hug, knocking all three of them to the ground, threatening if they ever left her again, she’d turn them into stone herself and keep them with her at all times.

The kids immediately dropped to the ground to greet their puppies, while the Mane 6 hugged and fussed over the Pippsqueaks, grateful they were all safe. “You are never leaving our sight again the next time we go on a Unity Quest. You are going to be glued by our sides twenty four seven, and we are never going to take our eyes off you,” Pipp said sternly. “Do you understand? I'm half tempted to tie each of you to one of my friends.”

“...we’re sorry,” the fillies chorused, looking at the ground. “For what?” Hitch asked, confused. “There's no way you were expected to fight off the Hound and Warwick all by yourselves. We should be the sorry ones.”

“Yeah.” Sunny agreed. “We should've kept a closer eye on you instead of brushing off Zipp's concerns when she thought there was something wrong.”

The Pippsqueaks looked at each other, before sighing heavily. They learned their lesson once and it was a lesson they did not need to learn again. “But that's just it. Zipp was right,” Glory started, causing Peach Fizz to nod. “We knew the Howlloween Hound had been released since before we left the manor to meet you in front of the sheriff's station because…”

“Because we were the ones who released him.” Seashell continued when Peach Fizz trailed off, all of them looking down in shame.

“You… you did?” Zipp asked, regretting doubting her detective instincts when they were right… again. “Why didn't you just tell us?” Izzy asked, tilting her head. “Yeah. You know you can tell us anything,” Pipp added. “Well, we thought about it…” Seashell started. “But we worried that if we did…” Peach Fizz continued. “You wouldn't let us go on another Unity Quest,” concluded. “Because we messed this one up.”

The Mane 6 looked at each other before smiling and looking down at the three fillies. “We're not mad, you know,” Hitch stated. The Pippsqueaks shot their heads up, looking at the Mane 6 with wide shocked eyes. “Y-You're not?”

“While it's true we're a little disappointed that you didn't come to us first when this whole mess started…” Pipp began. “The truth is, if it wasn't you, someone else would've done it.” Zipp continued. “And I know from experience,” said Misty, “it's okay to make mistakes. Everypony messes up once in a while. It's a normal part of growing up.”

Izzy nodded to this. “The important thing is that you learn from them, you own up to them, and do what you can to fix it.”

“And I've got the feeling you've done all three,” Hitch finished. “So… you're really not mad?” Peach Fizz asked. “Even though we royally messed up?” Seashell added. And this simple question caused Sunny to smile. “You're not the only one who messed up. I accidentally turned Sheriff Dan into a monkey when I was trying to help Billy. As Misty said, we all make mistakes.”

She then turned to the rest of her friends. “And something tells me helping our friends defeat Warwick and the Hound was the reason we were sent here in the first place.”

“Come on, everyone!” Misty called with a smile. “Let's get out of this evil place!”

XXXXXXXX

As the group, which seemed to triple in size, exited the manor, it seemed as though the whole town of Fernfield were waiting outside. They could all hear the siren as Sheriff Dan pulled up in his cop car, assuring everyone that it was okay.

The twenty heroes stood just outside the manor, watching as Zelda, Deputy Sniffer, and Sheriff Dan emerged from the confused crowd, signaling that they were okay, even after being turned to stone or, in Sheriff Dan's case, a monkey.

Hoot was perched on a tree branch just outside the manor, watching with a small smile as the heroes emerged. “Maybe now I can be a wise owl.”

“It's a new day, at last.” Joseph said as he hugged Pipsqueak close. The kids and ponies looked at each other with bright smiles that seemed to shine in the early morning sun.

“Hey, can we get some help over here?”

They all turned to see Rodney and Skip, very much not rats, standing behind some bushes, the same bushes B-Dawg hid behind at the start of all this. And from the looks of it, they didn't have any clothes on.

Then what Skip said next just confirmed it. “Yeah. It's cold! Can someone find our clothes?”

As one, the group of heroes laughed, more than happy that their lives were back to normal, and that their biggest worries were no longer fighting evil dog spirits and powerful warlocks, but were now trying to find the two annoying daredevils some clothes and wondering how many jokes the five kids could make out of this to tease the two boys with for as long as they could.

Yes, the sun had risen on a new dawn, ending one terrifying chapter and beginning a more welcomed one, creating a new day at last.