The Pippsqueaks and the Buddies had been captured by Warwick and the Howlloween Hound, and if the kids and the Mane 6 ever wanted to see them again, Warwick demanded they bring his spellbook to the manor.

Of course, Aurelia arrived in the nick of time to alert them of the situation, and they were off like a shot, out to rescue their friends before it was too late, and Warwick took control of the world.

But would they succeed?

That’s the big question right there.

XXXXXXXX

The Pippsqueaks and the Buddies sat in an iron cage on the floor in the top room of the manor as Warwick flew in on his staff, looking pleased with himself as he faced the Hound and Hoot. “I told those wretched children to bring me my spell book.”

“What if they don't come with the book?” Hoot wondered out loud.

“Quiet, you moronic birdbrain,” Warwick spat. “They will want to save their precious puppies, won't they?”

The Pippsqueaks glared at Warwick as he cackled and hiccuped, knowing that one way or another, they were going to find their way out of this mess once and for all.

All they hoped was that these villains COULD be stopped.

XXXXXXXX

Aurelia flew ahead of Joseph’s car as they went down the road toward the manor, but as they drove along, Alice suddenly had a thought. “Mr. Johnson, what happens if we can't stop them?”

“Then the spirits will be under Warwick's control forever,” Joseph said with a heavy heart. “They'll take over Fernfield first, and who knows what they'll do next?”

“Yeeeah,” Izzy said, “that’s definitely not good.”

“One thing is definitely for sure,” said Misty. “We have to put a stop to this, one and for all… for the sake of all worlds, not just this one.”

This caused the others to nod as they continued to follow Aurelia down the road.

XXXXXXXX

Back at the manor, two rats scurried along the floor, squeaking. They hurried up the manor stairs and to the room that held the Buddies and the Pippsqueaks, and stopped right before the iron cage.

“What are you dudes up to?” Mudbud asked curiously. “We're going to get that dirty rat.” Skip replied, much to the chagrin of Rodney. “Hey, I resent that comment.”

“Come on! Or you'll be a dirty rat for the rest of your life!” Skip urged the rat next to him. “Ready to exact some revenge!” Rodney said, smiling with his rat mouth. “W-Wait! Free us fir--” Seashell started, but the two boy turned rats were already off, scurrying towards Warwick. “Or go after the evil warlock. That works too.”

Peach Fizz twisted her lips, looking up at her horn. “If that Hound didn't cast a spell on my horn, I might've been able to pick the lock with my magic. But it's dampened.”

“Soon, they will be here with my spell book,” Warwick said, not noticing the rats before turning toward the Hound. “And you can devour those… delicious puppy souls.”

Suddenly, the eight of friends trapped in the cage heard Warwick cry out in pain, and they knew the two human-turned rats got to him. They had to admit, seeing him get a small taste of his own medicine gave them more satisfaction than they care to admit. “Oh, what is it?” the Howlloween Hound asked with a roll of his eyes when Warwick continued screaming. “Something is biting me! Ow!” Warwick started before he yelped in pain again. “Quickly Hound, Hoot, do something!”

He began jumping around, making his shoes tap as though he was tap dancing to a musical number. B-Dawg was impressed, despite himself. “Yo, now that dawg has some serious moves.”

The Hound thought of something he could do to make the pain stop, but alas that would involve turning the idiot into stone, and unfortunately, his presence in this world was reliant on the said idiot, so, instead, the Hound watched, taking small pleasure in his pain.

Finally, the two rats dropped out of his robe, much to Warwick's relief. “Vermin!”

“You ain't seen nothing yet!” Rodney yelled at him. “Change us back you jerk!” Skip demanded. He thwnsaw the look on Warwick's face change and he knew it was time to get the heck outta Dodge... well, so to speak. “Run for it, dude!”

The two human-turned rats bolted from the room, avoiding Warwick's shoe in the process. Warwick growled in anger and turned to the Hound as the rats left his sight. “Hound! Get them!”

The Hound curled his lips and did as Warwick commanded, counting down the seconds until he was no longer under this idiot's command. But he still wasn't happy about it. “I'll get the book from those stupid kids and those pony pests!” Warwick cried out, causing fear to enter Rosebud's soul. “The ponies and our kids are here?!”

“Oh no!” Seashell gasped. This was exactly what the Pippsqueaks and their friends were hoping to avoid when they didn't tell the Mane 6. Warwick picked up his staff before turning to Hoot. “You guard the puppies and these fillies.”

“Yes, master,” Hoot said rather obediently. “Fail me,” Warwick warned, “and I'll turn you into a feather duster!”

Warwick walked away, planning to finally put a stop to this madness once and for all.

XXXXXXXX

Outside the manor, a young beagle puppy ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. Aurelia sent him to keep an eye on this end of things and he wouldn’t let her down.

He ran up the manor steps and through the front door, praying this would be the last time he set paw in there.

He entered the room where it all happened, for the second time as a living pup. For the past 75 years, he and Aurelia did all they could to avoid this room, it being not only the place where the mirror was kept, but also the root of all their horrible memories.

Now, he was entering it willingly, but not as a naive young pup, but as a hero this time to save his friends. “Psst, Buddies, Pippsqueaks,” he whispered, hoping not to be caught by the nearby owl. “Pipsqueak!” Peach Fizz exclaimed in a whisper. “Are we ever glad to see you!” Budderball sighed in relief. “I've gotta get you out of here,” Pipsqueak told his friends sternly. “Aurelia is out there right now, finding us some help. We just have to keep Warwick and the Houns from casting the spell until she can come back with reinforcements.”

But it was at that moment, Hoot spotted him, hooting with narrowed eyes. “What do you think you're doing?”

Pipsqueak stood firmly at this. “I'm saving my friends.”

“I can't let them escape. Master would be furious,” Hoot said, though there was the smallest tremble in his voice. Glory recognized it and seized the opportunity to try and speak up. “Hoot, why are you so loyal to Warwick?”

“Seriously, dude!” Mudbud added, catching onto what Glory was doing. “It's totally obvious he plans to get rid of you.”

“Which is totally not fair. Especially since you waited, like, 75 years for him to return? You're so loyal to him, but he's so mean to you,” Peach Fizz added with a soft frown. However, Hoot shook his head at this remark. “Master sometimes gets angry, but he would never get rid of me. He needs me.”

“Yo, are you hallucinatrippin’?” B-Dawg asked. “He's got that Howlloween Hound to do his dirty work now.”

“Yeah. He could've sent you to avenge him with those rats, but he sent the Hound instead.” Peach Fizz pointed out. “Yeah,” agreed Seashell with a nod. “And besides, he calls you names like... moronic birdbrain.”

“...that does sound like something he would say,” Hoot realized with a soft tone. “You have a conscience, but yet you have spent your whole life being bossed around by someone who doesn't respect you.” Buddha added, but this caused Hoot to turn away. “What do you know?”

And that was when Pipsqueak came with the finishing blow. “I know you never meant to hurt us, Hoot. And even though you've been under Warwick's control for a long time, you still have a chance at a happy life in this beautiful world. But if Warwick wins, we'll all be doomed. Haven't the last 75 years without evil been a lot nicer than your time under Warwick's wing?”

After a long moment of considering, Hoot had to realize that Pipsqueak had a point… all of them did. He was never respected as an equal… more as a lackey than anything. “It was kind of nice not having to look over my shoulder all the time.”

So, slowly, he flapped down and used his talons to pick the lock of the cage, releasing the Buddies and Pippsqueaks, causing a lot of them to smile. “You won’t regret it, Hoot,” Pipsqueak said sincerely. “I promise.”

XXXXXXXX

“RUN!!” Rodney yelled to Skip as they were chased by the Howlloween Hound. “He’s on our tail!”

The two of them ran through a small hole in the wall, escaping the Hound. The Hound snarled. “Rats! Another ridiculous chase.”

XXXXXXXX

“Thanks for saving us, Pipsqueak,” Glory said in relief. “We’re so glad you came when you did.”

“C'mon guys. We gotta go, before they return,” Pipsqueak urged. “But wait, what about Aurelia and the others?” Seashell asked. “Right here,” Aurelia said, appearing beside Pipsqueak, scaring the heck out of everyone. “Yo, dawg, you gave us a heart attack! We're too young to die!” B-Dawg scolded. “Oh, sorry about that,” Aurelia apologized. “I had to make sure it was safe before I could reveal myself. Right now, we have the advantage. Warwick and the Hound don't know that the Mane 6 and the kids know everything.”

Glory gasped, wide-eyed. “You were with them?”

Aurelia nodded. “Yeah. They're on their way. I was sent ahead to free you while Warwick and Hound were distracted trading the spellbook. But, it appears, Pipsqueak beat me to it.”

That’s when Seashell, Glory and Peach Fizz hung their heads, shameful at what they had done. “Hey… what’s wrong, girls?” Rosebud asked. “...this is all our fault,” Seashell muttered. “If we weren't so worried about what the Mane 6 thought of us and so worried about them not taking us on another Unity Quest and just told them everything from the start, we wouldn't be in this mess.”

However, B-Dawg shook his head to this. “Nope, dawgs, we ain't starting that blame game.”

“But it's true. If we had just told the Mane 6 when they asked us if something was wrong earlier…” Glory started, only to be interrupted by B-Dawg again. “Yo, if I hadn't said the Howlloween Hound's name three times, we wouldn't be in this mess.”

“If we hadn't made fun of B-Dawg for being scared, he wouldn't have felt the need to prove himself. Sorry about that by the way,” Budderball added, causing B-Dawg to brush the topic off. “It's cool. And I wasn't scared of nothin’ yo.”

“Have you literally learned nothing the entire day?” Rosebud asked, making B-Dawg blush and look away. “If we had just stopped and listened to Aurelia and Pipsqueak sooner instead of running around town like headless chickens, we might’ve realized the gravity of the situation sooner, before the real Hound came after us.” Buddha pointed out... and even Pipsqueak had to agree. “They're right. If me and my siblings weren't so naive and gone with Warwick willingly, he wouldn't have had the five puppy souls he needed.”

“If I had just been brave enough to fight Warwick before he was powerful 75 years ago instead of waiting for help, I could've delayed him long enough for the rest of Fernfield to get here,” Aurelia added. “If I had been less loyal to Warwick, and not given him the information he needed, he wouldn't have been able to capture you all,” Hoot piped. “If Sheriff Dan was more responsible and he didn't give that staff to Billy, the Warwick dude would have a whole lot harder time finding it,” Mudbud added. “And he'd be less powerful.”

“The point is, dawgs, we can be playin’ this game all night, goin’ round and round in circles til we were dizzy,” B-Dawg interrupted before they really did go at it all night. “B-Dawg's right.” Buddha agreed. “Go back far enough, and all of Fernfield is to blame for this.”

“When really, the only people who are to blame are the Hound and Warwick,” Rosebud continued. “What's important is that we do what we can now to stop Warwick and the Hound,” Aurelia finished.

The Pippsqueaks smiled at their friends. They were right, of course. Go back far enough and everyone could find some reason to blame themselves for this whole mess.

Blaming themselves wouldn't stop Warwick. Action would. “Aww… what a touching moment.”

The sound of a voice coming into the room was enough to make them all jump. Aurelia quickly cloaked herself, hiding from sight.

They all turned around to see the Howlloween Hound standing in the doorway, which just so happened to be the only exit. They all took a couple of steps back in fear, internally groaning. Had they saved the friendship lesson for later, they would've been out of here by now. They weren't about to make that mistake again anytime soon. “How did you get out?” the Hound continued. “I let them go,” Hoot said firmly, way more confidently than he ever said anything while under Warwick. “I knew I couldn't trust you,” the Hound said, though the tone of his voice made him sound like he couldn't care less. “I've had enough of the darkside.” Hoot continued. “I won't be responsible for anymore evil.”

Suddenly, the owl hooted as the Howlloween Hound approached him. “Run, children, run!”

“Come on! Let’s go!” Seashell cried before leading her friends out of the room as Hoot distracted the Hound, but as they were out of the room, the Hound used his powers to turn Hoot to stone before following.

All the puppies, the Pippsqueaks and Aurelia bolted down the stairs into the lower part of the manor, where they finally made it to the living room. They skidded to a stop when they realized there was nowhere else to go. “Dudes, we're trapped!” Mudbud announced as they glanced around the room. The Howlloween Hound entered the room, blocking the only exit. “Finally, your puppy souls will be mine.”

Pipsqueak took a deep breath. He was inspired by Aurelia's act of bravery and sacrifice and he vowed to do the same for his friends. “Let them go, Hound. All you need is me.”

Aurelia could see what Pipsqueak was doing a mile away and she would not stand for it. “Pipsqueak, no!”

“What is this?” the Hound asked, intrigued despite himself. Pipsqueak stepped forward to the Hound. Aurelia tried to go after him, but one glance from Pipsqueak and the rest of his friends, with heavy hearts, did everything they could to hold Aurelia back. It wasn't easy, but with the eight of them working together, they managed… barely. “Pipsqueak! No! Don't do this! Please!”

Pipsqueak knew that if was going to do this, he had to hurry. His friends couldn't hold Aurelia, a teenage dragon, back for long. “It's me, Pipsqueak. You stole all of my brothers’ and sisters’ souls. Now all you need is me to complete the spell. Then you'll have five souls of the same blood.”

Suddenly, something in the Hound's mind made him remember the young beagle. “Why, Pipsqueak, I do remember you. Your siblings were delicious.”

“Take me. And let the rest of my friends go. You don’t need them,” Pipsqueak said before he turned to his friends for the last time. “Goodbye, Buddies. Pippsqueaks.”

“No, dude! Don't!” Mudbud begged as he tried to help keep Aurelia back. “We'll find another way! We always do!” Seashell yelled. They all began to protest, but Pipsqueak silenced them all with a look. They all knew it was the only way. Even though the Howlloween Hound would be free, so would the Buddies, Pippsqueaks, and Aurelia.

They could then meet up with the kids and the Mane 6 and come up with a way to defeat the Howlloween Hound. There'd still be hope.

Finally, Pipsqueak turned to the white dragon, barely keeping herself together. “Thank you, Aurelia. For being the best friend any pup could ever ask for.”

“Pipsqueak! No! Please! Don't leave me! You're… you're all I have left! Don't do this!” Aurelia cried as she sobbed. She wasn't one for crying in front of others and she usually wasn't so vulnerable, but if a stranger saw her at that moment, they wouldn't even be able to tell. “No. You have eight new friends right here,” Pipsqueak told her before he turned to the others. “Take care of her for me. Just like she did with me all those years here.”

Pipsqueak turned back to the Hound, giving him a nod. With a mighty howl, gray smoke engulfed Pipsqueak, turning him to stone.

Aurelia wailed, collapsing to the ground. She was back at the night the Howlloween Hound took those four souls. The souls of her friends and she could do nothing. She was back at the night the fire burned down the forest, her home, and while her family burned, all she could do was stand there and watch. That feeling of helplessness returned tenfold. Here her friend sacrificed himself, and all she could do was stand there and watch.

She was numb inside. She didn't want to get back up. She didn't want to fight. The Howlloween Hound had taken everything from her. She recovered from the loss of her family, built a new life for herself here in Fernfield, and the Hound tore it all down.

“Aurelia! Aurelia! We have to go! We have to go now!”

Aurelia DID hear this, though she didn't know who it was. Nor did she care. She made a vow 75 years ago. She vowed she would never leave Pipsqueak alone in this manor. And she wasn't about to break that now, even if he was stone.

“Look! My magic's back!”

“Maybe if we all work together, we can carry her out of here!”

Suddenly, she felt hooves and paws pick her up and drag her through someplace. It was in the general direction of the wall, she thought, which was odd, since they were trapped. That's why Pipsqueak gave his soul... to let them get away! “Aurelia,” she heard a voice whisper in her ear... a voice belonging to none other than B-Dawg himself. “Aurelia, dawg, we’re gonna come back for him. I promise. But we can't do it alone. We need to get back up. But right now, we need you to fight. Remember what I told you earlier. You're a hero. And you're one of us now. Don't let his sacrifice be for nothing. Fight, dawg. We need you to fight…”

XXXXXXXX

“I can now open the portal.” The Howlloween Hound said as the fireplace closed behind the puppies and fillies with the limp dragon. He'd go for the fillies later. When he had more power. “I'm not waiting for that idiot Warwick any longer.”

And with that, he ran away, leaving Pipsqueak's cold stone body behind in the main room, the only sign of the sacrifice he made to keep hope alive.

Author's Note

It is with heavy hearts, I inform you today that... G5 is officially ending after nearly four years. I seriously thought they would keep going with TYT season 2 before ending it, but... I've been wrong before.

I'm going to try my best to keep G5 Adventures going, I promise.

...hoof to heart promise... 😭