Equestria Ninja Girls Who Ya Gonna Call?by WarriorofFaith18ChaptersPrologueSomething strangeThe SedgewickStayin Puft!Under New ManagementThe LibraryDull PlanHistory MuseumThe MandalaReturn to SedgewickShandor IslandPrologue“Are you troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night?” “Do you experience dread in your basement or attic?” “Have you or your family seen a spook, specter, or ghost?” “If the answer is yes, then don’t wait another minute!” “Just pick up the phone and call the professionals!” “Call the…” “GHOSTBUSTERS!” It was late at night in a museum as a security guard sat at the monitors watching a commercial on one of the screens. It was about three guys each wearing a different colored jumpsuit. The stout guy with red short hair wore a khaki jumpsuit. The tall guy with blonde hair wore a dark blue jumpsuit with a pink collar and red round glasses. The third guy with brown hair wore a brown jumpsuit with a green collar. “Our current staff is here twenty-four/seven to answer all your supernatural needs.” “GHOSTBUSTERS! We’re ready to believe you!” “Franchises available soon! Check in for details!” As he watched, the guard did not see a glowing figure moving around the hallways of the museum when suddenly he felt a small tremor which caused the monitors to turn static. He quickly grabbed his walkie and spoke in it. “Russell! Are you near the east wing?” Near another exhibit, another guard walked around with a flashlight as he answered his walkie. “Yeah?” “B-By the new Gozer exhibit?” Russell flashed his light to reveal a large banner that said ‘Gozer’. “Yeah. Why?” “Cause something’s heading your way!” “I swear if you’re dressed as Atilla the Hun again, I’m gonna smack you.” Russell then perked up. “Wait. I think I heard something. I’m gonna check it out.” As Russell looked around, the other guard continued. “Wanna hear something creepy? I was reading about Shandor, you know, the guy who donated most of the Gozer stuff? He was into the occult… you know, the supernatural. Weird dude.” Russell flashed his flashlight at a skeleton which startled him a bit. “Uh, why don’t we talk about this some other time? Any other time.” As he looked around, Russell was then ran passed by a woman with black hair carrying a couple books. She ran as if she was scared that she didn’t noticed the guard who dropped his light. “Hey! You can’t be in here! STOP!” Russell was about to chase her when he noticed a big blinding light moving towards him, causing him to scream. Maurice Lamarche David Coulier Frank Welker Arsenio Hall Rob Paulson Stephanie Nadolny Gwendolyn Yao Ashleigh Ball Steve Blum Based on the story and characters By Dan Ackroyd & Harold Ramis Based on the ‘Equestria Ninja Girls’ fiction series By WildCard25 In loving memory of Harold Ramis and Ivan Reitman…… Author's Note Here we go! For Halloween, I'm doing a crossover with Ghostbusters for the ENG series. It'll be based on the 2009 Ghostbusters The Video Game, only with The Real Ghostbusters vibes so expect some changes. Enjoy! Something strangeDeep in New York, and into the sewer lair of the Ninja Turtles, Donnie was working in his lab when he felt a small tremor and noticed his portal tracker short circuiting a little before stopping. “That was weird.” He mumbled checking his scanner. Just then, four other figures entered the lab. They were Applejack, Gamer, Shinigami, and Blade Swipe. “Donnie, what’s going on?” Asked Applejack. “Did we have an earthquake?” Blade wondered. “I don’t think so.” Gamer looked at his screen. “The G-forces are at normal levels. Besides, it’s possible but not likely for New York to have earthquakes.” “I don’t think it was an earthquake. It was this.” Donnie held up his portal tracker. “According to my scans, an energy surge so big it breached the multiverse.” “Think it’s something dangerous?” Asked Shini. “No doubt. I’ll see if I can pinpoint the source dimension.” Donnie checked his scanner. “Bingo! Hmm. Doesn’t look like a dimension we’ve been to.” “Should we contact the others?” Blade suggested. “Everyone is out and about. If we’re dealing with something big, we will have to go without them.” Applejack stated. “What a time for Bro and Serenity to have their double date with Leo and Twilight.” Gamer sighed. Shini patted his shoulder. “If it’s too much for us, we can come back and get them.” “Okay! I got the coordinates!” Donnie activated his portal tracker and produced a portal. “Let’s go!” The five jumped into the portal before it disappeared. “He’s tuned and ready to go!” “You may feel a little tingle.” Meanwhile, inside a firehouse, the three guys from the commercial were in a makeshift laboratory with a younger guy in a green jumpsuit like theirs. He was strapping on a power pack with a gun attached to it. When he was ready, the blonde man with the red glasses spoke again. “Good. We’ve perfected an extensive rigorous training method that should help you with your equipment’s basic functions.” “It takes some time to reach master throw skill, but its definitely worth the effort.” The red-haired guy assured. Just then, a green pudgy ghost with arms floated next to the guy. “Yeah! Worth the effort!” “Well, I’ll do my best.” The younger guy nodded. Suddenly, they were brushed with a blinding light that passed them and the building as they felt a small tremor. When it stopped, the guy with the glasses looked around cautiously. “Was that us?” “I don’t think so.” The redhaired guy scratched his head. “Ray.” The brown-haired guy looked at the redhaired guy. “Had to be a Psi energy pulse! Substantial! Significant and collected and centralized necromantic convulsion level seven or more!” “Agreed.” The guy with glasses pulled out a handheld device with two rods on top. “We need EMF measurements now.” “Uh guys?” the younger guy pointed to the green ghost was suddenly flying around ballistically. “Slimer? Are you okay?” Ray asked concerned. “Big! Big trouble! Something big!” the ghost feared trying to calm down. “I know the answer but I’m gonna ask anyway.” The guys saw a woman with red hair and glasses spoke in a Brooklyn accent. “Is a level seven whatever bad or very bad?” The guy with glasses looked up from his device. “On a scale of one to ten, I’d say….” “Let me guess.” Interrupted the brown-haired guy. “It’s a level seven.” “Let’s just say we’re about to get REAL busy.” Ray gulped. Just then, they all heard an alarm downstairs as Slimer screamed in fear. “The containment unit!” gasped Ray. “That’s not normal, is it?” the younger guy gulped. As they all hurried downstairs, the brown-haired guy griped. “And that’s not the fun way of ‘getting busy’, is it, Ray?” Soon, Donnie, Applejack, Blade, Shini, and Gamer jumped out of the portal before it closed. “Here we are.” Applejack looked around. “So where is here?” Gamer asked. “Let me check my scanner.” Donnie was about to check when they heard a scream. As it turned out, they landed in a church in the middle of a wedding ceremony. Everyone present was shocked at the sight of the talking turtle. “It’s a giant turtle man!” one of the guests cried. “The guy at PCOC told this place WASN’T haunted by ghosts!” the bride complained. “A ghost?” Applejack doubletook. Thinking quickly, Gamer turned to the pastor. “Uh did you ask if anyone objects to their marriage yet?” “Uuuh yes?” The pastor raised his brow. “Sorry, folks. No objection here!” Shini announced before slamming a smoke bomb, causing them to disappear. After coughing, the groom looked at his bride. “Shall we?” “Yeah. Let’s get to the reception before something else happens.” The pastor nodded. “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” Everyone applauded as the two kissed as one of the ushers grabbed his cellphone to make a call. “Hello! Ghostbusters?” The five hurried out of the church and hid in a nearby alley. They stopped to catch their breaths as Blade spoke. “Well... that was awkward.” “And we didn't even bring a gift.” Joked Shini. Donnie checked his scanner. “Well, this is where the energy reading came from.” “And judging by the familiar surroundings, it looks like we’re in New York.” Applejack looked around. “What I wanna know is why did they thought Donatello was a ghost and not a mutant?” Gamer wondered. Just then, they heard a unique siren in the distance getting closer. They peaked out to see a white Cadillac car drive with red fins, blue siren lights, a decked out roof rack, and a logo of no ghost on its car doors. “Whoa.” Gamer whispered. “A 1959 Cadillac.” “I know right?” Donnie jawdropped. "What in tarnation?!" said a confused Applejack as the car stopped in front. Applejack, Donnie, Gamer, Shinigami, and Blade Swipe stumbled upon four people. People they've never seen before. One who was wearing glasses, a redhaired guy, a brown-haired guy, and a younger guy. They each wore different colored jumpsuits and wore hi-tech backpacks with laser guns connected. However, all of them were focused on Donnie. The brownhaired guy spoke up. “Okay, Shell-for brains, step away from the kiddos and we may not go full stream on ya!” “What are you guys? Cosmonauts?” Gamer questioned. “Tourist.” The brown-haired guy mumbled. “No, we’re exterminators, kid, and your green friend is the cockroach.” Blade stood in front of Donnie and drew his sword. “You want my friend? You’ll have to go through me!” Applejack and Shini stood ready as lightning flickered from Blade’s sword surprising the four guys. "Whoa," said the brown-haired guy, "You see what I'm seeing, Ray?" "No, I'm seeing it too, Peter." said the redhead guy. "What do you think, Egon?" The one with glasses went over with a tracker and scanned Donnie, much to his personal space. "Well, Ray, I can tell you that he isn't a ghost. He is one hundred percent living." “Whoa.” The younger guy looked closer at Donnie. “Are you some kind of… mutant?” “Yes. Yes, I am.” Donnie assured. Egon then looked at the others with his device. “You’re from a parallel dimension, aren’t you?” “How did you know?” Applejack asked. “Your biorhythms are off, I’m detecting dormat readings inside of a couple of you, and I think one of you’s skin is a little gray.” "Never seen anyone like that before." said Peter. "Who are you guys?" "Oh, uh." said Gamer as he introduced themselves. "My name is Gamer. These ones are Donnie, Applejack, Blade Swipe, and Shinigami." "Nice to meet you." said Egon. "My name is Egon Spengler. These are my fellow associates. Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz, and our newest recruit Rowan Johnson." “We’re the…” Ray began before he, Peter, and Egon declared. “The GHOSTBUSTERS!” “Ghostbusters?” Shini raised her brow. Just then, a green ghost with arms flew in and accidentally ran into Donnie covering him slime. “Ew!” “Hey! Get off him!” Gamer tried to grab the ghost who zipped past him and behind Ray cowering. “I take it he’s a ghost?” “It’s okay! This is our friend, Slimer. He’s a good ghost.” Ray assured. "Even if he slimes ya constantly." said Peter irking Slimer. "So, what are all of y'all doin here?" asked Applejack. "Well, you see, Applejack, right? We were on our way to an assignment when we got a call from the church about a turtle man, and you know the rest." said Ray. “What about you guys?” Peter asked. Donnie held up his portal tracker. “My portal tracker picked up a huge amount of energy and we traced it into your dimension.” Egon looked at the tracker. “Impressive.” “It must’ve been the energy pulse from earlier.” Ray stated. “Maybe.” Slimer agreed. “And I suppose you’re gonna fight whatever it is with kung fu?” Peter teased. “Actually, Venkman, they’re ninjas.” Egon pointed out which surprised the group. “How did you know that, Mr. Spengler?” Donnie raised a brow. “Dr. Spengler, actually. Call me Egon.” Egon assured. “Second, you have a bo staff while Blade and Gamer have a katana on their backs.” “And we believe what caused the energy surge is a level seven or more entity.” Ray warned. “Then it’s safe to say you fellas are gonna need our help.” Applejack stated. “And we’re ready, willing, and able.” Shini added as the others stood ready too. “You’re gonna need more than just swords and sticks to take on ghosts!” Remarked Peter. “Well we gotta do something.” Argued Applejack. “We better let them help, Venkman.” Egon suggested. “Besides, they’re not going to take no for an answer.” “We sure aren’t.” Gamer said while skimming through a random comic book. Then, Ray got an idea. “Then you guys are gonna need some necessary equipment. “Rowan, come with me.” “Okay.” Rowan followed him to the back of their car as the others followed. Slimer tilted his head as Ray and Rowan grabbed more backpacks. “It’s a good thing I asked Janine, our secretary, where we keep our spare proton packs as well as a couple arm mounted packs.” “Proton packs?” Blade raised his brow. “Particle accelerators.” Peter explained. “It’s one of our little toys.” As they pulled out three more packs, Egon spoke. “We only have three spare packs. We’ll definitely give one to Blade and Donatello. Which of the rest of you is the strongest?” “I am.” Applejack spoke up. “Which means Gamer and Shinigami will use these arm mounted proton packs.” Ray added. “You sure ya wanna give one to the kid here?” Peter pointed to Gamer. “Look, Dr. Venkman, was it? I’ve defused bombs, worked on computers, fought off viruses, and worked on machinery. Handling an unlicensed nuclear accelerator shouldn’t be any different.” Gamer huffed. “Of course you can.” Peter smiled before mumbling. “A young Egon. Lord, they’re multiplying.” “But remember the very important rule about proton streams.” Ray warned. “Don’t cross the streams.” “Otherwise, kablooey!” Slimer interacted. “You mean-?” Donnie gulped. “Total protonic reversal?!” Gamer finished. “Uh come again?” Applejack asked as she, Shinigami, and Blade raised a brow. “Try to imagine all life stopping instantaneously and every molecule exploding in the speed of light.” Donnie explained. “And we’re goofing around with that kind of equipment.” Gamer jived. “Fantastic.” “Let’s see Tirek try to absorb that.” Blade mumbled. “So, you’re saying one wrong move and we’re bye bye?” Shini asked. “As long as no one crosses the streams, Shinigami, you’ll be fine.” Ray assured. Everyone looked to see Gamer looking at the internal configuration of his blaster before he saw them. “I’ll uh modify this later.” “Okay. Any questions?” When everyone didn’t ask, Peter then spoke again. “Alright! Everyone in the car!” “I like your car, by the way.” Gamer said as they all climbed in. “Is it a 59 Cadillac?” “Yep! Just needed a little fixer upper and gear and she’s a beaut.” Ray smiled. “We call it the Ecto-1.” “Catchy.” Donnie complimented. “Amazing.” Blade admitted. “Not bad.” Applejack grinned. “So all this gear is used for ghost hunting?” Shini looked at the computers. “Most of them are prototypes, but theoretically yes.” Egon explained. “All right, everyone! Next stop, the Sedgewick Hotel!” Peter started the engine and drove off with the sirens blaring through the streets. To be Continued Author's Note For each chapter, I will have a bio of each ghost each chapter based on Tobin's Spirit Guide (The Ghostbusters' know how on ghosts). Starting off is Slimer. Classification: Class 5 Repeating Vapor Appearances: Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2, The Real Ghostbusters, Slimer! And The Real Ghostbusters, Extreme Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters: The Video Game Slimer (also Spud, also Onionhead) is a translucent green mass of a ghost, with two skinny arms, no feet, several chins, and a massive butt. Slimer’s personality is one of tremendous gluttony, being referred to as a “disgusting blob”, and exists only to eat food [or to create mischief]. The only downside to this is that the food passes right through him, which is most likely why he's perpetually stuffing himself. "Ghost Class" wise he is referred to as a "focused, non-terminal repeating phantasm, or a Class Five full roaming vapor". He is first seen haunting a room service cart on the 12th floor of the Sedgewick Hotel, and according the manager, had been there for years. In the first Ghostbusters, Slimer was never referred to by name. He was dubbed "The Onionhead Ghost" due to the foul odor he was supposed to emit. His was officially given the name Slimer by Ray just to annoy Venkman. NOTES- Special thanks to Jebens1 for the part with the church which is based on the scene from the IDW comic crossover. Next time: The Sedgewick The SedgewickAfter forming their alliance, Donnie and the others joined the Ghostbusters on their mission. As they drove to the destination in the Ecto-1, the group shared their origin stories with the guys. “So you use to be an ordinary turtle along with your brothers before coming in contact with this… mutagen?” Ray recollected. “That’s right, Ray.” Donnie nodded. “And that stuff came from these brain aliens called the Kraang?” Peter raised a brow. “So much for there being no such thing as aliens.” “Some people say that about ghosts, Peter.” Egon stated before asking. “And your father was a ninja master turned rat who taught you guys as well as Applejack and her friends ninjutsu?” “Eyup.” Applejack nodded. “And your father was killed by his brother turned rival, this Shredder guy?” Rowan asked. “Sorry about him, btw.” “Yeah. Sorry.” Sighed Slimer. “Thanks.” Donnie smiled. Ray then turned to Blade. “So, Blade, you’re from a world of Ponies that got mutated by the Kraang?” “That’s right. While I look normal in this human form, back home I was changed by the Kraang and shunned by my friends. I lived in exile until my sister and my friends helped me back to society and now I am of the royal guard.” “Least you’re living the dream.” Chuckled Peter. “And Shredder’s old clan is under new management?” “Yes. My friend Karai, who Shredder raised but was really Splinter’s daughter, now runs the clan for the better. We even have our own cruise line. I might get you guys free season passes.” Shini smiled. “We’re here!” Peter stopped the car in front of a big building labeled ‘The Sedgewick Hotel’. Everyone got out and strapped on their gear. “So, what’re we up against here?” Gamer asked. “Right here.” Ray held up a book opened it to reveal a ghost of a really fat guy. The Ninjas and Rowan see the picture and almost throw up. “That thing’s more disgusting than Slimer.” Donnie groaned. Slimer only shrugged. “he's not wrong.” “I said the same thing when we caught him the first time.” Peter admitted. “What was that a ghost of?” Shini asked. Ray read from his book. “Arbison Morguncher, I crossed reference Sedgewick hotel ghosts. He was a wealthy but lonely epicurean.” Blade Swipe looked at Donnie confused before the tech turtle answered. “Greek Philosopher Student.” “Oh. So, what happened?” “Every year, the Sedgewick Hotel auctions off a huge Thanksgiving diner as a charity fundraiser. Morguncher outbid everyone.” “That's a unhealthy appetite.” Applejack crossed her arms. “Thanksgiving Day came and Morguncher came to dine alone. The dinner was for twelve people, but the Manager reluctantly let him eat the whole thing. Didn't even leave a single crumb.” Even Slimer felt sick to his stomach as everyone groaned in disgust. Gamer threw up in mouth before speaking. “Biologically speak, the human body can't handle that much.” “He didn't intent to. The police found a suicide note after he died from Gastric Rupture. Said he intended to die while indulging his greatest fantasy.” Everyone stared in shock at that information. "Well," Shini spoke up after a while. "That got dark." "Yeah," Applejack shivered. “betcha Mikey and Pinkie could eat that and survive.” “If Mikey did, he’d have to trade his nunchucks for a wheelchair. Pinkie…. Still trying to figure out.” Gamer pointed out. Slimer floated up to them curiously. “who they?” “Mikey’s my brother and Pinkie Pie’s one of our friends from the same school as Applejack. You’d probably get along with them, Slimer.” Donnie explained. “Speaking of which, how’re we going to handle Donnie going in?” Peter pointed out. “I got it covered.” Donnie held up his wrist. “I just never had the chance to use it at the church.” He pushed a button to activate his cloak as he stood in his human disguise. “Clever. Very clever.” Egon smiled. “Alright, everyone. Follow my lead.” Peter led the group inside the building. “Just stand behind me. Try to look highly trained.” As they entered, they passed the bellboy who opened the door for the group. “Hey Slimer.” He greeted the green ghost. “Hi, Bud.” Slimer smiled. As they walked through the lobby, they were stopped by a man in a tuxedo not looking happy. “That disgusting green blob is up on the twelfth-floor wreaking havoc!” “We can assure you it’s not the same ghost, Sir.” Ray pointed to Slimer who peaked out from his back and waved nervously. “Either way, I demand a refund right now.” Peter raised his hand to the manager. “Sir, if you read the fine print on our invoice.” “Invoices.” Ray corrected. “Right. Invoices. You’d see that your warranty on re-haunting expired some time ago. You should’ve taken the extended service agreement.” The manager scoffed before walking away. Slimer heard a bark and saw a familiar Scottish dog. “Hi Fred!” Slimer flew to him. As he saw his friend, Gamer saw Egon pull out his handheld device. “Hey, Egon. I’ve been meaning to ask you. What is that device?” “It’s a Psychokinetic energy meter. Or PKE for short.” Egon turned it on and hummed. “I’m getting some interesting PKE spikes here. Disturbances don’t seem to be exclusive to the twelfth floor. I’d like the chance to look around the building a little more. I’ll take Donatello and Blade Swipe and educate them on our equipment.” “Good. Dig up what you can.” Ray said. “That overweighted goober shouldn’t give the six of us too much trouble. Cmon, Slimer! Show time.” Slimer followed the group to the elevator as Rowan pushed the button. The elevator opened to reveal a pretty lady with dark hair wearing a black jacket and skirt. “Scuse us, Mam.” Applejack was interrupted by a push by Peter who ran next to the girl. “Well, hi. You’re perfectly safe now, miss. The Ghostbusters are here.” The lady rolled her eyes as she walked past the group. “Back off, loser. Never gonna happen.” This didn’t affect Peter who chuckled. “That approach rarely works on me. I’ll you all why later.” “Come on, Romeo.” Shini pulled him in the elevator as they rode it up to their destination. As they neared their floor, Ray turned the new recruits. “Alright, folks. Get ready.” “Yeah.” Applejack nodded. “Let’s get ready. Someone switch me on.” Gamer flipped the switch on her proton pack, activating it. As it started up, Gamer began to back away slowly next to Shinigami. “Newbies.” Chuckled Peter. “Dr. Stantz, if you do the honors.” “Proud to, Dr. Venkman.” Ray nodded as turned on his pack. As they left the elevator, Peter turned to the group. “Part of our subtlety for the city, all Proton packs must be off heavily populated areas.” “And in close quarters. It minimizes the city’s liabilities and satisfies the restraining order the maid here put on us.” Ray added. “World we live in today. You fire one proton stream of highly charged particles at someone… and they get sue-happy! We didn’t even burn her! I mean, there was redness! There was some redness!” “That doesn’t make me any more comfortable.” Shini stated before they heard a noise. “It’s him!” Peter fired a stream only to hit a cart with luggage causing the guy pushing it to run and scream. “Great. There goes another plaintiff. YEOW!” Peter narrowly dodged a stream aimed for his head. He glared back to see it was Gamer who fired it. “Sorry. My finger slipped.” He turned away to hide his smirked while Slimer snickered. They then heard clattering and turned to see the ghost they were after munching on a catering cart. “Agh! Disgusting.” Applejack groaned. “He makes my uncle look like he’s on a diet.” Gamer winced. “We told you.” Slimer said. Ray readied his blaster. “Alright. Showtime. We wear him out, then we capture him. That’s what your proton stream is for.” Everyone aimed their blasters towards the ghost following Ray’s signal. “Ready…. Steady…. NOW!” They fired their streams at the ghost who narrowly dodged their blast and hitting the cart instead. “Missed.” Shini deadpanned. “Don’t worry about it! We got him on the run! Let’s go!” Ray began to run before turning. “Peter!” “Ain’t you coming, Peter?” Applejack asked. “Nah! I’ve seen this one already. Know how it ends. You guys have fun now. I’ll cover the elevators and escort any ladies safely to their rooms.” “Yeah. Okay.” Shini rolled her eyes as Peter walked the other way. “Never mind. Let’s go!” Ray waved as they followed a slime trail left by the ghost. After a little ways, Ray pulled out his own PKE Meter like Egon’s. “This looks like a good spot to teach you guys how to use the PKE Meter.” “I’m looking forward to this.” Gamer grinned before letting Ray begin explaining. “Alright. Dig it. Your PKE Meter is the cornerstone of any supernatural investigation. Works like a divining rod.” He pointed the meter at a globe of slime as the rods on top went up while flashing. “Point it at psycho-kinetic energy, it measures electo-magnetic fluctuations and heats up. Point it away and it grows cold. Hot is better. Just follow the signal to the target.” “That’s pretty handy.” Shini smiled. Rowan handed his meter to her. “Here. You can try mine, Shini.” Shini accepted it and tried it out as Ray looked over her shoulder. “And this signal looks like your elusive overlarge targeted entity.” He spoke. “This way!” Shini led the group to a nearby bedroom then through the hallway before giving it back to Roland while Ray let Gamer use his meter. Slimer also helped out by sniffing around like a hound. Soon, they arrive at a corner with vending machines. “Phew! He’s definitely been here.” Ray sniffed as Slimer slimed through the machines. “Hey, Slimer! Could you find me a root beer?” Gamer asked. “You really want a soda after a ghost has been through here?” Applejack raised a brow. “I’m not picky.” Gamer shrugged. “Besides, I’m kinda thirsty.” Slimer popped out looking sad. “Sorry. All out.” “Worth a shot.” “Looks like he cleaned out all the snacks.” Ray stated. “So what now?” Before Ray could answer Roland, his radio crackled to life. “Ray! AUUUUGH! I DON’T FEEL GOOD!” “Peter? Peter! Come in! You okay?” Ray tried to respond. “Uh oh! Man down! We’ve got a man down! GO GO GO!” “This way! It looks like this hallway circles back to the elevators!” Applejack pointed. “Peter!” Slimer cried as they all hurried to the elevators. They arrived to find Peter on the floor, and he was covered in slime. “He’s been slimed! Again!” Ray gasped. “I hope he doesn’t need mouth to mouth.” Shini covered her mouth. “Wait! Again?” Applejack raised her brow while Slimer just whistled casually. “Hussle over here and help him up.” Ray said as Rowan and Gamer helped Peter up and Gamer took a little slime in a test tube. “I don’t know how this happened!” Peter whined. “I was guarding the elevators! That big fat stromboli snuck up on me! Gah! Functified again! Do I just have a sign on my back that says Slime Me?” “When one of us goes down, we’re always there for each other. It’s all about teamwork.” Ray said. “No, my friend. That was back in the pre-sliming era. Now… it’s all about payback.” Peter pulled out his blaster angrily. The radio crackled to life again. This time, it was Egon who spoke in it. “You guys need to get down here immediately. Our overweighted science experiment is down here tearing up the lobby and he’s not alone.” “More ghosts? But we gave this place a clean bill of health five years ago!” Ray responded. “New people die every day.” Egon pointed out before signing out. “Call the elevator, junior.” Ray told Rowan who pushed the button. The elevator opened up as the group hurried in. As they rode in the elevator, it suddenly stopped confusing everyone. “All right, Sloth head! You’ve had your fun! The elevator’s off limits!” Ray cried. “Yeah! Off limits!” Slimer repeated. Ray then spoke into his radio. “Egon. Come in. I think we’re stuck in the elevator. We need some help!” “Think we’re stuck? Let’s see.” Peter walked up to the floor buttons. “Think we’re stuck. Think we’re stuck. Anyone okay with officially stuck? Show of hands.” Rowan and Gamer were the only ones who raised their hands followed by Slimer. Applejack then walked up. “Let me see if I can pry the doors open.” “Wait!” Ray stopped. “Here it comes.” Everyone aimed at the door preparing to blast whatever was trying to get in. “KILL IT, RAY!” Peter cried. “Need a hand?” The doors opened to reveal it was Blade Swipe who opened it. “Hey, Blade.” Peter waved as they got out of the elevator before whispering to Ray. “Too bad it wasn’t Egon.” They all hurried to the lobby to see the Sloth Ghost flying around with other ghosts as everyone hurried to safety. “Could someone please call Winston and tell him his night off is officially over?” “Way ahead of you, Pete. Janine’s paging him right now.” Ray said. “Who’s Winston?” Shini asked. “We’ll tell you later, Shini. Right now, we need to help Egon’s group.” Ray led the group towards Egon and Donnie who were blasting at the ghosts, and they tried to blast them as well. “They won’t hold still!” Applejack cried missing one of the ghosts. “I found out if you move it like a whip, it’ll be a little more easier to catch’em.” Donnie advised before he missed another ghost. “Almost had him!” Everyone kept firing despite missing the ghosts and causing damages before the ghosts all fled. “They’re getting away!” cried Gamer. Egon spoke up. “Ray! Donatello! Applejack! Blade Swipe! Follow me! The others are floating back upstairs. Venkman! Take Rowan, Shinigami, and Gamer and Slimer to pull our Sloth friend into a trap as fast as you can! There’s a massive bulge in these spikes indicating that this is not some routine clearing job!” “He gets so bossy when he hasn’t had his nap.” Peter whispered. But he still led his group. On the way, Slimer sniffed the air. “Prime rib with honey glazed ham? Yum! Yum!” “Cmon, Spud! We haven’t got all night!” Peter called to him. He then pointed to a set of doors. “There! The Alhambra Ballroom. No way he’d pass that up.” “And that was where you busted Slimer the first time you met?” Shini recalled remembering Ray telling her group on the way over. “Uh huh. Uh huh.” Slimer nodded. “Well get ready for a little déjà vu, Spud. No doubt Fatso went in there.” Peter glared. “Then let’s go.” Rowan nodded. They were about to enter before the manager blocked the door. “Absolutely not! You can’t go in there. The Rodriguez Bar Mitzvah is set to start in half an hour!” “I’ll bet the beef brisket is today’s special” Peter gestured. “We’ll just make it quick.” Gamer walked up before the manager stopped him. “And you’ve done quite enough already. I’m sure the…. Thing… will just go away.” Just then, clattering could be heard behind the door. “Oh, sure. It will be gone soon.” Shini rolled her eyes. “I’m willing to risk it.” The manager stated. “You’re not going in there!” “Okay. That’s all I needed to hear! Alright, we’re out! Coffee time, everyone! Service has been declined beyond this point!” Peter declared as he led the group away. “He’s just lucky I leave the roughhousing to Love Shine and Luke. Otherwise, he’d be having trouble standing now.” Gamer muttered. “I’m just glad you’re on our side.” Rowan smiled. When they were gone aways, Peter led the group to the kitchen. “Okay, you guys bring your aprons? We’re gonna take a shortcut through the kitchen.” Egon then spoke through the radio. “Be careful, Peter. Remember the Ellis Island incident.” “Should we ask?” Shini asked Gamer who only shrugged. Peter just ignored her and headed towards a door and opened it. “Let’s see… the Alhambra should be right through… here. Hellooooo, chef.” He led the group through the kitchen as they avoided flying pots and pans with their gear. As they left the kitchen, Gamer and Shini saw Slimer with a huge sandwich. “Seriously?” Gamer huffed. “You’re making a sandwich while we have a job to do?” Slimer responded by handing him a can. “I found a root beer. Untouched.” Gamer accepted the can. “Thanks.” “Y’know, I thought that guy said Rodriguez Bar Mitzvah!” Peter spoke as they entered the ballroom. “Fancy.” Shini whistled. “I think I attended a wedding in one of these.” Gamer said. “Check out the spread!” They then saw the Sloth ghost floating around munching on the food lying around. “Would it kill him to mix in a green salad once in a while?” Peter deadpanned. “I’m gonna take it back. Blast him until he’s dazed and then throw your capture stream on him. Okay, Game Boy, with me on the left. Rowan, you and Shini take the right.” When they got into position, Peter spoke to Gamer. “Kay, Games. I want you blast him near the side. GO!” Gamer blasted at the Sloth ghost narrowly missing him while blasting a couple tables. “SHINI!” On que, Shini blasted next and while getting a hit on the Sloth ghost, ended up hitting a nearby bar. Rowan fired next as they scattered around trying to stop the ghost from escaping and making more damage while Slimer acted like a cheerleader. “Raw! Raw! Sizz boom Bah!” Finally, Rowan and Peter got their streams wrapped around the ghost. As he struggled with his proton beam on the ghost, Venkman called to Shinigami. “Shini! The trap! Toss it underneath Fat boy!” Shini responded by throwing a black box with a handle and yellow and black stripes on its doors. But as it slid underneath, it tilted sideways due to a glob of discarded food. “Oh no! Gamer! It’s tipped!” “I got it!” Gamer hurried to the trap and set it up right. But as he hurried back, he slipped on a puddle of slime and fell near Shinigami and his head hit the pedal. Thankfully, the trap opened trapping sloth ghost inside. As the trap closed, Peter and Rowan turned off their proton streams as Venkman smiled. “Sha! That’ll teach that overweighted goober to slime Pete Venkman. In this case, you guys as well.” Shini bent down to Gamer who still had his face on the floor. “You alright, Games?” “Yeah.” Gamer muttered. “I learned a very important lesson today.” “Really? What’s that?” Rowan asked as Venkman grabbed the trap. Gamer lifted his head. “Ectoplasm is very slippery.” Just then, the manager burst in and saw the mess. “The Alhambra Ballroom! The Bar Mitzvah! What have you done? The guests will be arriving in fifteen minutes!” “Now I really wish Pinkie and Rainbow joined us.” Gamer whispered as Shini nodded in agreement. Peter just scoffed. “What seems to be your problem? Thanks to me and my newly exclusively assigned recruits here, the festivities can now proceed in an entirely ghost-free environment, so… you’re welcome? Huh? And to all the Rodríguezes: La’Chaim from the Ghostbusters.” They all left the room passing the manager with Gamer drinking his root beer crushing his hand and tossing it in the trash can. When they entered, they were greeted by Ray, Egon, Blade, Donnie, and Applejack. “Nice of you guys to join us.” Ray smiled. “You nabbed the sloppy eater?” “On a crash diet now.” Gamer held up the filled trap. “How’s it going on you guys’ end?” “We’re starting to get use to the equipment, and we managed to get those other ghosts.” Donnie nodded. “It’s really not so hard once you know the basics.” Blade admitted before Ray looked up. “Whoa! Heads up! Urination is over!” More ghost appeared out of nowhere as they all started blasted at them. “Gamer! Shinigami! You guys set out the traps while we blast them!” Egon cried. “On it!” Gamer answered as the two started throwing traps under the ghosts. “Get it right this time.” Shini whispered as she threw a trap and stepped on the pedal, managing to catch one of the ghosts. “Yes!” “What an interesting device.” Blade eyed as he blasted while Slimer set a pedal next to him, allowing him to trap another ghost. Soon, it appeared that all the ghosts were captured. “Looks like that’s all of them.” Donnie noticed as they began to collect the traps. “Who is going to pay for all this?” The manager stormed up pointing to the damaged lobby. “No need to worry, sir. As you know, the mayor rode to office on a strictly pro-Ghostbuster platform. And now we invoice the city directly for all captures and eliminations. An unhaunted New York is a tourist friendly New York.” “I meant the damages.” The manager clarified. “What he means is the mayor and the city have taken out an extensive insurance policy as well so you’re covered.” Egon assured. “Honestly, I’m sensing a little hostility here. Perhaps we should just leave the ghosts here if that’s what you want, sir.” Peter grabbed a couple traps. “No! No. but please, be discreet.” The manager suggested. “Discretion is our strong word.” Ray said. “Up there!” Applejack pointed as everyone saw another ghost. This one looked like a fisherman with a fishing pole who flew passed the group. “Where did he come from?” Blade wondered. “Was there a fish special?” Gamer asked. “I suppose we should go after him, unless you want to explain it.” Egon turned to Ray. “Okay. Peter and I will explain while Applejack and Gamer load the traps up in Ecto-1. The rest of you go with Dr. Spengler. That fisherman shouldn’t cause too much trouble.” Donnie, Blade, and Shini nodded and followed Egon and Rowen to the stairway where the ghost flew in. when they entered, Egon looked at his PKE Meter and motioned the four to keep quiet and take the lead. Rowan went first followed by Blade, then Donnie, Shini, and Egon not far behind. Suddenly, a fishing hook hooked the stairwell before yanking, tearing up the stairs between the group and Egon. “Dr. Spengler!” cried Donnie. “Are you okay?” Blade called. “I’m fine. How about you four?” “We’re alright.” Shini answered. Egon looked at the damaged stairwell. “I can’t get across there! Move! You guys take the lead! And Take this trap!” He tossed them a spare ghost trap which Rowan caught. “I’ll get the others! We’ll get to you all as soon as possible!” As Egon hurried back, the four started to look around the floor they were on. As they walked around, Blade held up his hand stopping. “You guys hear that?” Donnie listened in. “It sounds like… water?” “Maybe someone’s filling a tub.” Rowan guessed. “Sounds more like a wave.” Blade heard more before they felt a tremor and were swept away by a huge wave. They got up to see water overflowing on the floor. “Everyone okay?” Donnie checked. “I think so.” Rowan stretched. “I’m just sorry I didn’t bring my swimsuit.” Shini poured water out of her hat. “Hey! Is there a bathtub overflowing up there?” Ray called on the radio. Egon spoke next. “More specifically, a 7,000 cubic meter bathtub full of protonically charged seawater. And… sea cucumbers?” “You guys okay up there?” Applejack asked. “Yeah, Applejack. We’re fine.” Blade assured in his walkie. “Hang tight! We’ll be up soon!” Gamer promised. “Alright! Let’s see if we can do something about this water problem.” Donnie led the group through the water. As they walked, they heard Egon speak again. “Ray, did the recruit as well as our guests about semi-dimensional rift entities? This type of highly agitated environment is likely a manifestation point.” “Hey! Something’s up with this chandelier.” Blade walked up to a chandelier on the wall that was sparking. When he got closer, it suddenly came to life startling him and started walking on its candles like a bug. “Hang on, Blade!” Rowan pulled out his blaster and blasted it destroying it before it could attack as Blade rolled over. “More on the way!” he pointed to a swarm of chandeliers crawling towards them. Donnie pulled out his blaster along with Blade while Shini turned hers on. “Blast them!” They all fired at the chandeliers destroying them. As they caught their breaths, Shini saw the fisherman ghost knocking down a vending machine. “There’s FishBait!” she cried. “Is that his name or a reference to Moby Dick?” Donnie asked. “A bit of both.” Shini shrugged. “After this, I leave the naming to Michelangelo.” “Let’s get’em!” Rowen cried as they ran after him. More chandeliers came after them as they blasted them. Rowen pulled out his PKE Meter to lead the group. Soon, they were nearing another hallway and found a set of elevators. “Hey guys.” Rowen walked up and pushed a button opening the elevators. The open doors caused the water to drain off the entire floor. “That’s one way to pull the plug.” Shini chuckled. Rowen smiled before checking his PKE Meter. “He went this way!” He led them to a seafood dining room and bar with a neon sign that said ‘Sargassi’s’. “Looks like a seafood bar and grill.” Donnie looked around. “He’s here somewhere.” Blade looked around as they readied their blasters. “There!” They saw the fisherman ghost merging from behind the piano. “Blast him!” Donnie cried as they fired at the fisherman who tried to fight back with his fishing pole. Shini, Blade, and Donnie used their ninja training to dodge his attacks while Rowen just ran around. Their blasts managed to it the ghost before it vanished in the kitchen nearby. Before they could give chase, they heard a door opened. They turned to see Egon, Peter, Ray, Slimer, Applejack, and Gamer hurrying in the room. “Good work. Are you alright?” Egon asked. “We are.” Blade nodded. “Are we glad to see you!” Rowan smiled. “Nice going! You might be the right people for this job!” Ray complimented. “Yeah! Right people for this job!” Slimer repeated. Peter surveyed the damage. “Yes, you four have destroyed a significant section of a five-star New York hotel in just under three hours. Your mother and I are so proud, aren’t we, Egon?” “Right.” The four rolled their eyes knowing his hint of sarcasm. “So, where’s the fisherman?” Applejack asked. “He went in there.” Shini pointed to the kitchen doors. “Let’s track it down!” Egon pulled out his Meter to scan for the ghost as the others followed in pursuit. Just as they drew closer to the door, it suddenly blew up and out merged a manifestation of ovens, utensils, and metals. “Sweet game sprites! It’s a combiner!” Gamer cried. “Ray? Egon? That’s a new one for even us, right?” Peter blinked. “First one I’ve ever seen!” Ray answered. “It’s some type of anthropomorphic animator! An entity which attracts familiar objects to itself so it can materially manifest its rage!” “It’s generating a field of attraction so strong that its able to reassemble its component parts!” Egon noticed. “Then we better blast it!” Donnie stated as they readied their blasters as the giant roared stomping towards them. “Full stream NOW!” Egon cried as they all fired. The golem tried to hit them as the ninjas all used their ninja training to dodge its attacks while blasting its armor to pieces. The Ghostbusters noticed and were impressed as they kept firing. Ray noticed the monster looking sluggish. “It’s losing its strength! Keep tearing it down!” Donnie then saw something glowing within the monster. “Got you! Time to yank you out!” The smart turtle used his stream to yank the fisherman ghost from the monster, causing it to crumble. “That’s it! Keep it steady!” Ray called as everyone else used their streams on the ghost. “Donatello! The spare trap I tossed to you earlier!” Egon spoke up. “Right!” Donnie still blasted as he pulled out the trap and tossed it underneath the ghost before stepping on the pedal. The trap opened sucking the fisherman ghost in it. Despite struggling, the ghost could not escape before slipping in the trap before it closed. As the group all crept up to the trap, Peter sighed. “Y’know, I thought I didn’t like knives and forks flying at me. But when knives and forks become a big angry giant, that’s really me not liking it. A lot.” “Me too.” Slimer huffed. “Happens every day, huh?” Ray shrugged as he grabbed the trap. “Okay. Since Mikey’s not here, I have to say it.” Donnie said before cheering. “Booyakasha!” “Uh, what he say?” Peter raised a brow. “Booyakasha. It’s Irish for ‘High glory and love for the moment’.” Egon translated. “My brother Mikey says it a lot. It’s his lingo.” Donnie rubbed his head. “It’s pretty catchy.” Ray smiled. “Yeah! Booyakasha!” Slimer cheered. “You guys are alright.” Rowan high fived Gamer. Peter just rolled his eyes. “Whatever happened to good old fashioned ‘Cowabunga’?” “Anyone hear from Zeddmore?” Ray asked. “Who’s he?” Shini asked. “Winston Zeddmore. He’s the other member of our team. Should be here by now.” Ray answered. Just then, they all felt a small rumble as a new voice spoke through the radio. “Uh, Guys? I’m right outside. And so’s something else.” “Gosh, we missed you, partner. Glad you could make it. but first, how was Aida? Hmmm?” Peter grinned. “Uh, we had to make do with these new specimens here.” “Really?” Applejack raised her brow. “I’ve been trying to get here for over four hours, Peter! Traffic is a little blocked right now!” “That’s New York traffic for ya.” Donnie shrugged before another tremor hit. “Seriously. What is that?” Gamer asked. Suddenly, Ray’s eyes widened. “Wait. I know that thud.” Egon took the radio. “Winston, what do you see out there?” “It’s big. It’s clean and soft and white. And you all aren’t going to like it.” At that moment, Blade saw something out the window and poked Donnie getting the others attention as they all were speechless as a big shadow covered the room. “By Darwin’s beard!” Donnie whispered. “What is that?” Shini asked. Ray was the most afraid. “No… this is not possible. Not here. Not now! Not again!” To be Continued Author's Note Here's two Tobin Spirit Guide pages: Name: Sloth Ghost Category: Class V Full-Roaming Cardinal The Sedgewick Hotel traditionally auctioned off a family Thanksgiving feast and donated the proceeds to charity (usually the St. Nicholas Rehabilitation Mission for Wayward Angels). In 1937, Arbison Morguncher, a wealthy but lonely epicurean, bid upon and won the feast. On Thanksgiving Day, he arrived to dine alone. The Sedgewick's manager protested that the feast was intended for more than 12 people, but Morguncher insisted that he be fed the entire meal. The Manager shrugged, and finally relented. Morguncher sat down and ate the entire meal, leaving not a crumb. "My compliments to the Chef," he said, seven hours later. Swallowing the last bite, he died from a gastric rupture due to massive overeating. Authorities later found a suicide note at Morguncher's home. It told that he intended to die while indulging his greatest fantasy. Name: Pappy Sargassi (AKA Fisherman ghost) Category: Class III Roaming Animator Descending from a long, proud line of seafarers and fishermen, Pappy Sargassi attempted to avoid the notoriously unlucky early deaths on the water that plagued his family by pursuing a more landlocked career. In 1950 he opened a restaurant, Sargassi's, and attempted to turn his back on the sea. In later years, he overcame his fear of the water and took up fishing. His family's curse caught up with him or he was the unluckiest fisherman who ever lived and he died choking on a fish stick while being eaten by a great white shark. Notes: -The bellhop Bud and the dog Fred were characters from the Slimer cartoons in Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters. Special thanks to Darth Wrex for the assistance. Next time: Stayin Puft! Stayin Puft!The Ghostbusters and Ninjas hurried out of the Sedgewick Hotel as the vibration got bigger. Peter patted Ray on the shoulder as he looked worried. There, across the street merged a giant white pudgy figure with a sailor hat and collar. “Holy chalupa!” Donnie gasped as the giant figure smashed buildings and roaring. Ray looked to Egon who had his PKE Meter out. “It wasn’t me this time. I swear it.” “Pull it together, Ray.” Peter rolled his eyes. Gamer then spoke up. “Okay! Who is Frosty the Snow Kaiju?!” “First off, Games, that’s not snow. It’s marshmallow.” Peter began. “And second, it’s the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.” Ray gulped. “Wait. As in Stay Puft Marshmallows?” Applejack blinked before everyone looked at her. “They’re my sister’s favorite when it comes to s'mores.” “So what? This is advertising campaign?” Shini asked. “Afraid it’s far from that.” The group saw another Ghostbuster run up. This guy was African American and wore a light blue jumpsuit with a red collar. “Winston!” cheered Slimer as Ray turned to the ninja group. “Everyone, allow me to introduce you to our fourth member, Winston Zeddmore. Winston, This is Donatello, Applejack, Gamer, Shinigami, and Blade Swipe.” “Nice to meet you.” Blade greeted as he shook Winston’s hand. “Likewise. Hopefully, I can get to know you guys while we work.” Winston nodded. “So did the big guy break out of the Containment unit again?” Ray asked. Slimer was shivering behind Applejack as he shook his head. “Uh uh. Not the big guy!” Egon looked at his meter. “He’s right. There’s something off about this Stay Puft! These reading are off! It’s not our Stay Puft! It must be… Gozer.” “What’s a Gozer?” Shini asked. “We’ll tell you on the way. Come on!” Ray spoke as he and Egon climbed in Ecto-1. “So, how do we stop this cheap confection?” Peter asked. “Hey, Ray. Weren’t you gonna finish up the intall of the Super Slammer today?” asked Winston. “The Super Slammer?” Donnie raised his brow. “It’s a big trap on top of our car.” Ray answered. “Sounds untested, tacky, and exciting! I’m in!” Peter grinned. “But will it work?” “Against the minions of a god? That was never the intent.” Egon pondered. “But in theory, I suppose it could. But a Muon trap of this capacity has never been used or even tried before.” “Uh huh, and why would that stop guys that don’t know any better?” Peter teased. “I bet Raph would say that.” Gamer whispered to Shini who snickered. Egon and Ray drove the car while the others walked to the side. “We’ll have to clear a path first.” Applejack stated. Suddenly, Stay Puft stomped on the ground. Everyone looked to see him laughing. “Whatever he did must’ve been funny.” Blade figured. Then, the place where Stay Puft stomped had blobs of marshmallow that morphed into marshmallow creatures. “Get moving! His residue is animating!” Egon warned. “And they’re heading this way!” Blade pointed to the creatures heading towards them. As they all started to blast at them, Ray spoke. “Lordy help us! Stay Puft is somehow hatching these…. Mini minions of himself! Well, that’s paranormal physiology for ya. Always something to make your stomach turn!” “Actually, Ray, it’s making me want a slice of Mikey’s pepperoni and marshmallow pizza!” Gamer cried as he blasted a minion off only to get covered in goo. Slimer flew up and licked the goo off him. “Thanks.” “Yum Yum!” Slimer salivated. “Nettlesome little yarpers! And yet they do look tasty.” Applejack admitted. “Bet Pinkie would try eating them.” After all the minions were beaten, Stay Puft threw a burning piece of debri near the Ghostbusters. “Heads up! More trouble!” Winston warned. Luckily, it landed in front of them, but blocked their path. Winston saw some smaller ghosts the looked like construction workers. “Multiple class five FRVs! Inbound!” “Ray, prepare the Muon Trap.” Egon spoke. “Switching on the Muon Trap.” Ray flipped the switch. “Ah yeah! My favorite song: Switched on Muon Trap!” Winston grinned. “Yeah! Switched on Muon Trap!” Slimer chimed. The group blasted the ghosts with their blasters and used their capture streams to catch the ghosts. “Oh yeah! I’m liking the Super Slammer!” Winston cheered as the started slamming the ghosts in the trap on top of Ecto-1. “It’s very sweet!” Shini agreed. Egon spoke from the car. “Throw all the ghosts you’ve captured at the Slammer. You can relinquish your handheld unit.” “Got it, Egon!” Donnie nodded as he slammed another ghost in the trap. “I dreaded you when you were alive. You’re worse!” Peter taunted before slamming another construction ghost in the Slammer. Egon looked back. “Ray, could you stop the car?” “No. Not if we want to catch up to our friend.” Ray answered. As Rowan slammed another ghost, Peter spoke up. “Hey! Don’t give them change! You’ll only encourage them!” “Venkman, we need to have a talk about tolerance!” scolded Winston. Donnie slammed the last ghost in the Muon Trap before looking around. “I think we got them all.” “Good. I need to catch my breath.” Breathed Gamer. Egon checked his meter. “I’m detecting something… significant… behind us.” “What is that?” Winston looked. “Am I hearing wings?” “I hear them too.” Blade sensed. “Up there!” Everyone looked at where Applejack pointed. Back at the Sedgewick Hotel, the gargoyle statues way up on the building began to move and come alive. “Class six! Kinetic animators! Multiple contacts!” Egon warned as the statues flew towards the group. As they blasted at them, Gamer was next to Donnie as he spoke. “Hey, D! Remember my Gargoyle theory?” “The one where gargoyles live in New York and fight evil like us? Yeah.” “Well now’s a good time to forget about it.” Gamer said before blasting one to pieces. “Grab em and slam em!” Winston cried. “Interesting. Ghosts and gargoyles.” Shini smiled. “Hey! That was a game: Ghosts and Gargoyles, a game we played when I was in the Seminary!” Ray recalled. “Ghosts and Gargoyles. What dink game didn’t you play? Do you have your eight-sided dice with you?” Peter rolled his eyes. “I do!” Slimer held up his dice. Through their teamwork, they defeated the gargoyles as Applejack walked up to a pile of marshmallow. “Let’s roast this stuff and be on our way.” She started blasting it with Blade joining her. “It’s not vaporizing fast enough!” Egon pointed. “There’s too much of it!” “Darn! And we were making good time too!” Winston huffed. “And I thought it couldn’t become any harder to get around Manhatten. Any ideas?” Ray wondered. “Pray for a meteor to strike?” Gamer shrugged. “Well, we’re not getting through that way now.” Donnie observed. Winston spoke up. “Let’s cut through this alley. We might be able to head off Stay Puft.” “Good idea.” Nodded Blade. They entered the alleyway only to find a wall of marshmallow blocking their path. “We need to find another way around this mess.” Ray stated. “I’ve had enough of the Marshmallow parade!” Wintson headed to a laundromat nearby. “Let’s see if we can find a short cut. Who’s with me?” “I’m in!” Applejack volunteered. “Me too!” Rowan joined in. “I’m coming too.” Blade followed with Slimer behind him. The four entered the laundromat which no one was around. “Spooky and clothesline fresh!” Slimer chuckled. As they walked, the laundry machines moved barricading their path. “Are you kidding me? A haunted laundromat?” Applejack huffed. “This way!” Winston led them through a path passed the machines. As he passed the water fountain, Rowan took a quick drink. “Thirsty?” Blade asked. “Yeah. Just enough to suffice.” Rowan nodded as he followed the others out. As they exited the laundromat, Winston pointed to a gas tanker stuck in the marshmallow pile. “That’s our ticket! That tanker’s leaking gas all over the place. That’s a safety hazard right there.” “I wanted to test these first, but since we’ve been waiving that safety step today anyway,” Egon spoke in the radio. “You should be aware, Rowan, that I’ve modified your Neutrona Wand which normally releases your proton stream.” “Wow! It’s like Christmas came early!” Winston grinned. “Christmas?” Slimer perked up. “Earlier than what? They started Christmas before Halloween this year! Santa came to my house dressed as Dracula!” Ray said in the radio. “I always feel like they start Christmas too soon all the time.” Gamer added. “I know, right? At least wait until Halloween is over before bombarding us with deals.” Shini agreed. “Can we focus, please?” Applejack politey asked. “Much as I love to talk about holidays, we still have our overgrown Nutty Buddy to deal with.” “Okay, let’s see. Try this.” Rowan looked at his blaster and pushed the button to release his stream, then pressed a button on the side and fired an orb blast at the gas which started to flame up. “You guys might want to step back.” Winston warned in the radio. “How far exactly?” Egon asked. “Back. WAY back!” Applejack responded. “Heads up!” Donnie cried before the marshmallow barricade exploded. “You guys alright?” Blade asked. “Do I still have eyebrows?” Egon responded. “Same old. Same old.” Peter sighed. “The lady said way back.” Winston reminded. “Way back.” Slimer repeated. As the group got through the wreckage with Ecto-1, Ray turned to Rowan. “Nicely done. Great job, kid!” “Yeah. Combustible gas. It’s the future.” Peter grinned. “Egon, once again on the Super Slammer. I, uh… my dog ate my homework.” “It’s a prototype, Peter. Do you recall the memo from you about you getting too many memos on prototypes?” “Well, I did write that memo.” Peter mentioned before Egon continued. “We’ve mounted a high-expansion, rapid cycle multiple ghost absorber. It’s faster and larger than our portable units.” “Am I in Jeoprady? Is it big enough to roast the big guy? Okay? Okay.” “And I thought Raph was intolerable.” Gamer rolled his eyes. “Potentially. But our exposure to inter-dimensional deities has been only marginal to date, so it would be wise to anticipate some errors.” Egon concluded. Soon, the group managed to arrive at Time Square as Ray spoke. “Time Square, post urban renewal. All shiny and clean. I love it!” Their thoughts were interrupted by a car tossed in front of them. They hurried to find Stay Puft throwing cars left and right. “Say, is that him?” Peter taunted. “Well, he’s hard to miss.” Answered Gamer before they all ducked from a flying car. “Egon, how close to we need that Super Slammer to real that guy in?” Applejack asked as they pulled out their throwers. “A lot closer than this.” Egon spoke. “What is he up to now?” Peter wondered as they saw Stay Puft looking in a nearby building. “He’s…. looking for something.” Ray noticed. “Is he looking for something or someone?” Egon wondered which caused Ray to sink down. As Ray got out of the car and strapped on a pack, there was a news reporter nearby. “If you can see behind me, the streets are in absolute chaos! Authorities are doing everything they can to quell the panic and maintain order! It is madness out here! The Stay Puft Marshmallow man, star of the popular children’s television series, is on a rampage! This is NOT the Stay Puft we’ve come to love! Fortunately, the Ghostbusters have arrived to put everything back in order!” As the group hurried to the street, one of the cars Stay Puft threw hit the top of Ecto-1. Egon got out to check the Muon Trap. “It’s damaged! I got to fix it, or we won’t stand a chance.” “I’ll help!” Gamer ran over to help. “We need to get from here to there! Make sure the Not-our-big-guy doesn’t find what he’s looking for!” Ray stated. “Good strategy. It’s dangerous. That’s a lot of open ground to cover.” Egon pointed out. Ray turned to the group. “Alright, I’ll take Rowan, Donnie, and Applejack and we’ll go across Time Square and get into the building Stay Puft is so interested in. You guys keep him in off us if you think you can!” “He knows you’re there, Ray!” Egon warned. “I don’t think he likes it!” “Yeah, he spotted us. Keep moving!” Ray led the group. “Go! We’ll hold him off!” Shini waved as she and Blade fired at Stay Puft while keeping their distance. “Gonna try something.” Blade placed his hand on his blaster and channeled his electricity through it to increase his stream against Stay Puft. “Keep away from those feet!” Ray called. “He’ll stomp you into jelly!” “Keep moving!” Applejack cried. “Here he comes! Evasive manuevers!” Donnie stated. “Stay close to me and as far away from him as you can!” Ray advised as the group hurried further. As they hurried, they heard Blade on the radio. “Anyone seen Dr. Venkman?” Ray tried to contact him. “Venkman! You got to distract him! Venkman, are you getting coffee? Venkman’s getting coffee!” “In that case, I’ll take mine black.” Joked Shini. Stay Puft threw another car which cleared a path to the building. “There’s our way in!” Donnie pointed. “Follow me! Quick!” Ray led them inside. “He’s getting closer!” Rowan looked back. The four hurried into the building as Ray spoke out to anyone running to safety. “It’s okay. Ghostbusters! Just a Class Five thought-form crossrip! The professionals are here! Everyone calmly exit the street! Make no sudden movements!” Suddenly, Marshmallow minions busted through the windows. “They’re breaking in!” Applejack pointed. “Blast’em!” Donnie cried before they fired their streams. Rowan and Ray joined in while Slimer taunted them. After they managed to defeat them, Ray saw Stay Puft on the move again. “Uh Oh. He didn’t find what he was looking for on the bottom floor! Come on! We gotta get to the top floors!” “There’s an elevator over there!” Donnie pointed. They hurried to the elevator as it opened. Two businessmen saw them and tried to push the button. “All full. Going up! He uh just passed gas. Take the next one.” Ray stopped the door. “Relax, sir. We handle foul vapors all the time.” “Besides, this is an emergency.” Applejack quoted as they got in. “Yeah! An emergency!” Slimer echoed. As they rode the elevator, they heard the two argue with each other. “Let’s stay in for lunch, you said. Why leave the building, you said. It’ll be quiet, you said. You know you’re fired?” “You’re right. I secretly knew our our lives would be in danger and thought, ‘Hey, I’ll make sure to trap Mark with me inside an ELEVATOR!” “Scuse us.” Donnie said as they exited to the top floor. “Stay with me! I’m sure there’s more fun up ahead.” Ray said as they hurried. “Yeah. Never a dull moment.” Applejack sighed. As they entered the office, Ray led with his PKE Meter out and motioned the group to go slow. “Keep an eye out.” As they entered the room, Ray’s meter raised its rods higher as everyone noticed. “Uh oh. No sudden movements.” “Keep your eyes peeled.” Donnie looked around. “Got quiet all the sudden.” Applejack whispered. Slimer looked up and screamed. Everyone looked to see Marshmallow minions bursting through the skylight. “They’re in the vents!” Rowan cried as they blasted at them. One minion crawled towards Applejack as the cowgirl grabbed her shuko claw and slashed it up. “And they say ninja weapons were useless.” Donnie blasted a minion then used his bo to jump over a couple more then blasted them from behind. It resulted in him getting covered in marshmallow goo. “I’m covered in marshmallow minion goo!” “Stay Puft is working overtime generating these little creeps!” Ray said as they blasted the last of them. “Whew! The janitors are gonna need the big brooms tomorrow morning.” Panted Donnie. “Yeah. The BIG brooms!” Slimer agreed. “Good shooting- AAH!” When Ray opened the door to the next room, more marshmallow minions bursted through. “The very big broom.” Slimer sighed as they fought again. Just then, they heard a woman scream. “Someone needs a Ghostbuster!” Ray stated. “Then let’s give her one!” Applejack nodded as they finished the last minion. As they hurried through a hall, Ray spoke in his radio. “Venkman! Blade! Shinigami! Come in! it’s pandemonium up here. Chunks of the building missing everywhere! You’re required at the site now!” “Blade and I are on our way!” Shini responded. Peter had a different answer. “So happy to be in demand but these sugarballs got me nailed down. They’re disgusting! And they’re unhealthy!” “Are you really overwhelmed or just drinking coffee?” Applejack asked. “Sorry, AJ! Couldn’t hear ya!” “Uh did I mentioned there’s a spectacularly beautiful lady in distress?” Ray added. “I’ll be right there!” Peter then signed off. The group entered the next room to see Stay Puft through a hole looking at a familiar lady. “No! Somebody help me!” “Easy now, Miss. Just relax. No sudden movements. You’re perfectly safe now.” Ray gestured. “Try to make your way towards us!” Applejack slowly tried to reach for the woman who tried to make her way to her before Stay Puft reached in. “Sudden movements!” Slimer screamed. Suddenly, on the other side, Blade bursted through the door with Shini behind him and blasted at Stay Puft. “Oh no you don’t!” “This way! Quick!” Shini gestured to the woman who hurried in the door as the others helped Blade blast Stay Puft away. “Perfect timing, Blade!” Ray said as the group hurried to the other side. “I’m just glad Shinigami and I weren’t too late.” Blade smiled. Rowan saw the view of the city through the hole. “Wow! Check it out!” “What a view, huh?” Ray smiled. “Manhatten. I love it!” “Me too!” Slimer chimed in. They hurried to the stairs to see Shini deadpanning as Peter spoke to the woman. “It’s okay. Dr. Venkman has you. You’re fine now.” “You didn’t spill your coffee, did you Peter?” Slimer chuckled at Ray’s jester. “Ray, I had coffee for all of us, even Shinigami’s all black coffee, but the little monster spilled it.” Peter protested as Applejack rolled her eyes to Shini who nodded in agreement. “And what’s the story with those things anyway?” “Anyway, are you alright, Mam?” asked Applejack. “Was that a manifestation of Gozer?” the lady asked. Peter answered first. “Uh, yeah. Probably. It just may be. Would you like to take the direct route outta here or the scenic route? It’s lady’s choice.” “There’s a stairwell outta here. Let’s go!” “You heard the lady! Cmon!” Blade kicked the door. “Whew! Grace under pressure. I appreciate that in a lady.” Donnie rolled his eyes at Peter’s words. “Oh brother. Was I like that with April?” “You really want my full honest answer?” Applejack raised her brow. “Nah. I already know the answer.” Donnie picked up the pace as they hurried down the stairs. “Let’s hurry before tubby soft squeeze figures out what we’re up to.” Ray pointed. Suddenly they felt a tremor. “I think he heard you, Dr. Stanz.” Blade muttered. “Tubby soft squeeze must have dog ears.” Peter added. Suddenly, the stairs in front of them broke. Rowan almost fell before Donnie and Applejack grabbed him in time. “Well, can’t go that way now.” Donnie pointed. “Well, it was a good idea for a second.” The woman shrugged. “Okay, let’s think! What did people do before stairs? Was it ladders or jumping from rock to rock?” Peter huffed. “Maybe we can jump to the other building and climb down from there.” Donnie suggested. “We go up then. To the roof.” Ray led the group upstairs as they avoided debri made by tremors. As they hurried, a hole smashed on the wall to reveal Stay Puft looking at them as the woman screamed. “Well hello there.” Peter waved casually. “Stay Puft spotted us! Move! Move!” Ray cried. “We’re almost there!” Blade stated as they doubled timed it. They made it to the roof as Shini opened the door to outside. “Well, that’s a relief.” Peter grinned. “Cmon! Let’s go!” the lady gestured. “This way!” Donnie hurried before he was forced back as a generator blew up revealing more construction ghosts. “Donnie/Donatello!” Everyone gasped. As everyone else blasted at the ghosts, the woman ran to Donnie and gasped as Donnie got up to find out his cloak watch was damaged, so he was a turtle again and his eyes widened. “oh no.” he whispered. “Is this what you really look like?” the lady asked. “Yes.” Donnie admitted as he got up. “But I assure you I’m really on your side.” “You can tell me later. I think your friends need your help!” she pointed to the battle. Donnie nodded as he hurried to help. As he started blast at the ghosts, Blade noticed his condition. “Donnie! Your cloak!” “I know. She saw me!” Donnie said as they continued firing. “We gotta make this quick!” Applejack threw a trap in and opened it trapping the ghosts. “Great job!” the lady cheered. As AJ grabbed the trap, Egon spoke from the radio. “I don’t mean to alarm you guys, but we lost sight of Stay Puft.” “Huh?” Slimer tilted his head. “How could you lose sight of that guy?” Shini deadpanned. “Couldn’t have gone far.” Donnie pointed as Ray pulled out his PKE Meter. “Strong signal!” he led the group to the edge of the roof when suddenly Stay Puft popped up and roared at them surprising them. Slimer screamed in fear the most. “Aim for his hands!” Blade cried as they opened fired at the marshmallow man. Together, they were able to knock him off the building. “That’s how you do it! Great job, guys!” Ray complimented. “Ha! Free smores for everybody from 54th street to 5th avenue! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!” “And Pinkie Pie isn’t here with graham crackers.” Applejack joked. Peter watches at the edge. “There he goes! The big evil sailor all the way to the- OH! Not even close! Didn’t make it! Hey, Ray? Say four guys, a turtle, and two gals the size of your finger knocked you off the side of the building and you had to climb all the way back up to tear them apart, how mad would you be at those dinky types?” “Not a happy camper, that’s for sure.” Ray figured. “Eyup.” Applejack agreed. “And maybe add a sugar high, too.” Shini grinned. “That giant blue and white toy…man…thing…or whatever…. Is still coming! It’s climbing the building!” the woman pointed. “Persistent big guy, isn’t he?” Blade glared. “I’m impressed with his agility, considering his complete lack of bones.” Peter smiled. Gamer then spoke from the radio. “Guys! Good news! We got the Super Slammer back on pulse and Ecto-1 is rolling! We’re repositioning now! Can you guys hold off Stay Puft for a few minutes?” “If by few, you mean less than one, then sure. We can do that.” Ray sighed. The building shook as Stay Puft climbed which caused Rowan to lose his balance and fall off the building. “Rowan!” everyone gasped. Luckily, Ray revealed he had a cable that held Rowan on the side of the building. “No sweat, kid! We gotcha!” “Well, long as you’re down there, could you see if you can knock off Mr. Sweetness?” Peter suggested. Blade quickly grabbed his Kyoketsu-shoge and tied a cable on it before stabbing it on the roof which Donnie noticed. “Blade! What are you doing?” “He needs help down there. I’m going down there!” and with that, Blade jumped to the same level as Rowan. “You guys okay?” Ray asked. “You’re both strapped in and we got a good grip on both of you. Here he comes! The Big Daddy manifestation himself! A raging blob of dendely packed marshmallow!” “Let’s melt him!” Blade told Rowan as they aimed their throwers. “Give him full stream!” Slimer cheered. “He’s right, Rookie. Your health insurance doesn’t begin for another 89 days.” Egon warned through his radio. “Well, that’s encouraging.” Rowan rolled his eyes. “FIRE!” As the two fired, Stay Puft conjured up more minions which they blasted at. “More minions? How many can he generate?” Donnie jawdropped. “From two thousand square feet of solid marshmallow? Probably sixty.” Peter answered. “I think that was a rhetorical question, Venkman.” Applejack pointed out. Rowan blasted with Boson Darts as Stay Puft continued his climb. “He’s still coming!” “Maybe this will even the odds!” Like before, Blade generated lighting through his proton pack and fired a big blast that pushed Stay Puft back. “Nice shot!” Ray grinned. “Is that his upset look? What do you think, Ray?” Peter asked. As they blasted, Donnie whispered to Applejack. “It appears he’s looking for something.” “Or someone.” Applejack looked at the woman. “Why are you looking at me?” “No special reason.” Applejack shrugged. Despite being pushed down a lot, Stay Puft was still climbing up with a burnt look. This time he was almost near Rowan and Blade. “You guys got him on the ropes! Fire the last one so we can all go home!” Ray cried. “Yeah! Fire the last one so we can all go home!” Slimer echoed. “FULL STREAM!” Blade and Rowan shouted as they blasted big at Stay Puft. The marshmallow man roared as he lost his grip and fell to the street below imploding into a big mess of marshmallow. “You killed my dessert!” Peter joked. “YEAH! Scoreboard reads Ghostbusters: 2! Gozer the Gozerian: 0! Looking like a big leaguer down there, guys!” cheered Ray. “Yeah! Looking good!” Slimer added. “What a mess down here!” Winston said on the radio. “Ray! Peter! Guys! We’re in position! The trap is set. We’re prepare to capture Stay Puft!” Egon spoke. “Where is he?” “He’s that big white puddle you’re driving through.” Peter responded. “Timing is off by just a hair, Egon, but we’re glad to hear the trap is working again.” Ray added. “Anyone got any chocolate? We could make s’mores.” Gamer joked as Shini laughed while the others pulled Blade and Rowan up. Later, after getting back down on the streets and near Ecto-1, and helping sneak Donnie from the crowds, the group looked at the lady. “I guess I owe you guys my life.” “She’s clean.” Egon checked her with his PKE Meter. “How do you feel?” Ray asked. “Pretty good, all extremely weird things considered.” “We can sure relate to that.” Applejack grinned. “So far, just a messed-up day at the office.” Peter teased. The others just rolled their eyes before Gamer spoke. “I remember you now. You were that lady we saw at the elevator at the Sedgewick.” “After she gave me the sideshow chickendrop? Yeah, I never forget a face.” Peter said. “What’s your name, Miss?” Shini asked politely. “My name is Illyssa. Dr. Illyssa. And-“ “I am Dr. Peter Venkman!” Peter declared. “Oh and that’s Egon, that’s Ray, Slimer, and That’s Winston, and you met him.” “Rowan.” Rowan introduced himself as Ray shook Illyssas hand. “Uh huh. The Ghostbusters.” Illyssa then pointed to the new group. “Though I don’t know them.” “This is Gamer, Applejack, Shinigami, Blade Swipe, and that’s Donatello.” Ray introduced. “Charmed.” Applejack greeted as illyssa shook everyone’s hand one by one. As she shook Donnie’s hand, Illyssa asked. “Are you a ghost too?” “Would you believe mutant?” Donnie smiled nervously. “Sorry if I scare you.” “Still better than a hundred-foot marshmallow man. Thank you for helping me. All of you.” Illyssa smiled. “Have you ever involved in this type of quantum temporal rift event before?” Egon asked. “A quantum what?” Illyssa raised her brow. “It’s called arcing. A large pulse of psychic energy.” Ray translated. “Actually, yes! I was at the museum… a pulse of blue light surged through the building. I was standing outside of a room on the thirteenth floor of a hotel.” “The Sedgwick.” Winston stated. “The Sedgewick doesn’t have a thirteenth floor.” Ray recalled. “It was pulling me like a magnet. I felt as though I was in a dream. I came to and ran over here.” “Here?” Blade asked Illyssa. “It’s a temporary office while I’m in town. I came to do some research when I…. woke up.” “That psychic pulse is why we are here.” Donnie assured. “That’s why we’ve teamed up with the Ghostbusters.” “We’d like you to come to our lab so we can run some brief tests and ask you more questions.” Egon suggested. Peter pushed Gamer into Slimer to get close to Illyssa. “Here’s an easy one. Would you like to Thai, Mexican, Japanese?” “I’ll take some Japanese please.” Gamer mumbled before getting Slimer off him. “Yum! Yum!” “Wow! Dr. Venkman! That time you almost went 45 seconds without saying anything abrasive. Wanna try for a full minute next time? Without pushing the kid?” Illyssa taunted. “A doctor and a fiery one! Charming. So charming.” Peter grinned as Ray directed him to the Ecto-1 while everyone packed up before driving back to the firehouse. To Be Continued Author's Note Here's our next page from Tobin's: Stay Puft Name: The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man Category: Class 7 Avatar Manifestation Stay Puft is the mascot of Stay Puft Marshmallows. When the Ghostbusters battled Gozer the Gozerian, They were told by Gozer to choose the form of their destructor, and Ray Stantz "chose" him as the form. All the other guys claimed they had emptied their minds, but Ray said he tried to think of something that could never harm them. As a child, Ray used to roast Stay Puft Marshmallows on the fire at Camp Waconda. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man was simply the mascot for the Stay Puft brand. His accidental choice resulted in Gozer being manifested in the form of a 100-foot-tall homicidal marshmallow man bent on destroying the Ghostbusters, New York, and the world. Despite being destroyed when the Ghostbusters crossed the streams to destroy Gozer's portal door, There was another Stay Puft that the Ghostbusters managed to trap and is now in the containment unit. This Stay Puft is more friendly and is good friends with Slimer and considers the Ghostbusters his friends. Notes: Since going by the cartoon lore, I'm going to say this Stay Puft they fought was a shadow of the Stay Puft who is actually an ally of the Ghostbusters. Yes, Gamer's Gargoyle theory teases Disney's Gargoyles. NO! There's no crossover in mind! So don't ask! I left out the Hindenburg theatre because I thought it slowed the chapter down. Next time: Under New Management! Under New ManagementLater, back at the firehouse, Gamer, Applejack, Blade, and Shini were joining Rowan and Winston in the basement next to a big red machine. Applejack was looking through a viewer next to it. “So that there is the real Stay Puft?” She asked as she saw another marshmallow man who was happily playing with a yo-yo. “Yep! The big guy!” Slimer nodded as he floated next to her. “That’s right, AJ. Unlike the one you guys blew up, this one is actually a lot nicer. We rarely let him out for special occasions.” Winston explained as he helped Rowan with the traps with ghosts in them. Blade looked at the red machine. “So this thing is where you guys put every ghost you ever caught?” “Yep. It’s called the Ecto containment unit. It’s where store all vapors, entities, slimers and any other ghost we manage to trap. Come over here and I’ll show you how it works.” Everyone gathered around Winston as he took one of the traps. “Start with a loaded trap. Open. Unlock the system.” He turned a big nob which opened a compartment and inserted the trap. “Insert the trap.” The red light went on as he pulled out the outer part of the trap. “Release. Close. Lock the system.” He closed it back up and pushed a couple white buttons. “This button sets your entry grid. This one mechanizes your field.” He flipped a big switch down then up as the green light lit up. “As Ray would say, the light is green, trap is clean. And that’s how you use the containment unit.” “Wow!” Awed Gamer. “Looks simple enough.” Shini smiled. “Go ahead, Shinigami. Try it out.” Winston handed her a trap. Shini followed Winston’s lead and was able to empty the trap successfully. “Light is green. Trap is clean. I like that.” Gamer, Applejack, and Blade all got to have a turn and we’re all successful. “Very good.” Winston smiled. “Good job!” Slimer cheered. “Dude, we gotta show Donnie!” Gamer smiled. “Speaking of Donatello, we better check see if he, Egon, and Ray learned anything about ms. Illyssa yet.” Blade suggested. “You guys go ahead.” Rowan insisted. “I’ll finish up with the remaining traps.” “Okay. Thanks, Rowan.” Applejack thanked as they followed Winston upstairs. In the lab, the group were watching as Egon and Ray were checking Illyssa, who wore a helmet with bolts and wires on it. After a little bit of nothing, Winston spoke. “So you know so much about Gozer because…?” “Because I’m a specialist in Mesopotamian culture and architecture. Sumerian, primarily. Gozerian, more specifically. I’m here as a guest curator for the new Gozer exhibit that’s opening tomorrow at the Natural History Museum.” Illyssa explained. “You are aware that we have some… history with Gozer.” Egon pointed out. “Yes. Of course.” “So he’s this god you guys fought years ago?” Donnie asked. “And who took on the form of Stay Puft who wasn’t your friend?” Applejack added. The Ghostbusters all nodded as Ray stated. “Gozer was a bush-leaguer before he met us! A strictly farm-team deity! We put him on the map.” “And they want an exhibit of him in the museum?” Blade raised a brow. “If it’ll make money for business, then yes, Blade.” Egon answered. “You’d be surprised at how many baddies made history.” Gamer pointed out. “So glad some like Dark Codex are lost in time back home.” Blade whispered. As they talked, no one saw Donnie perked up before walking in the shadows. “But our getting stiff on invites to opening night was just an oversight?” Peter guessed. “I have nothing to do with that.” Illyssa assured before everyone heard a new voice. “That, gentlemen, was all me!” Everyone turned to see a man in a business suit with light brown hair and short beard. “And I assure you that it was not an oversight.” Janine walked up behind him. “Oh by the way, you have visitors.” “Thanks, Janine! You’re a first class lookout!” Peter thanked sarcastically. Slimer hid behind Shinigami shivering as the witch girl whispered to Ray. “Who’s that?” “That’s Walter Peck. He was from the EPA and has been trying to shut us down despite seeing what we go up against.” Ray answered whispering. “Walter Peck!” Peter sneered. “I almost didn’t recognize you without the mayor’s backside.” Peck scoffed before he noticed the newcomers. “And who are they?” “Just a couple of helpers.” Winston stated. “Oh! Then I can add having minors using illegal equipment to your warranty.” Gamer glared through his goggles. “Mr. Peck! I have a license to handle this kind of equipment!” “Oh sure you do.” Peck rolled his eyes. “And what’s this? A baseball card?!” Gamer pulled out his license card as Applejack and Blade held him back from lunging towards Peck. “Okay! Let’s put it away in our skivvies!” an older man walked up chuckling. “And you are? Sorry. We’re kinda out of town.” Applejack spoke. “Mayor Mulligan. At your service. Oh, my apologies. Dr. Selwyn. Are you alright?” “I think so, but… I’m worried about the exhibit.” The mayor just laughed. “Are you kidding?! You can’t buy publicity like this! The curator of the Gozer exhibit… the expert Peck recommended… is attacked the night before the opening by Gozer himself! Please, tell me that was Gozer!” “I take it you’re a fan?” Shini asked before Egon spoke up. “Gozer manifested in a familiar form, one he had used before, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. But this event was weaker than his first encounter with us.” “Ha! That’s all I needed! Thanks!” Peter then walked up to the mayor. “Cmon, Jock, What’s the idea of bringing preck around here?” he coughed mentioning Peck. “Oh, have I coughed at the wrong time?” The mayor then cleared his throat and spoke serious. “Listen, you and Peck and all you guys are going to work together.” “WHAT?!” Peter gasped. “No way, no how.” Ray waved off. “Impossible.” Egon shook his head. “Had a feeling that’s a bad idea.” Applejack crossed her arm as Slimer blew a raspberry. “Why’s that, Mr. Mayor?” Blade politely asked. “Look. The city has given you at least a dozen contracts for the jails, courthouses, and wharves. You guys want to grow your business. Get some county and state work too. I’m all for it. You’ve been big supporters and great for my campaign.” “Well, some say our endorsement is what got you elected.” Ray recalled. “But not out loud.” The mayor continued. “Anyway, after all the damages you’ve been causing lately, the city council wants you under close supervision for a period of no less than six months.” “We file the reports on time. There’s no need for extra supervision.” Peter assured. “Ha! Funny guy, Venkman! You’ve always been my favorite!” the mayor laughed. “That’s where your friend Peck comes in. he’s annoying, a stickler for the rules, in other words, the perfect ‘Peck’ for the job! He’s our new head of P-COC.” “P-COC?” Slimer asked along with Ray and Gamer. “P-C-O-C. Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission.” Peck explained. “And my first official act is going to be suspending you clown’s operating liscense.” “Well, that didn’t last long.” Shini rolled her eyes. “Not so fast.” The mayor patted Peck’s shoulder. “Lighten up, Peck. Launch your investigation if you have to but for now, just keep them under control and my office in the loop. But remember, if the Ghostbusters cease to exist, so does your job. So you need each other. Beautiful, in an ironic symmetrical kind of way, isn’t it?” “Suppose that’s fair.” Applejack shrugged. Peter didn’t look convinced. “Hey, Mulligan. Come on…” “That’s Mayor Mulligan to you, Venkman.” The mayor stated. “So we have an understanding? This kind of protects all of us. You want more government business, I want to keep my approval rating, and Peck wants his little fiefdom. You all play by the rules. Easy, we all get what I want and the city council gets what they need.” “I think we’ll be able to comply.” Blade smiled. “Good to hear. By the way, who are you four again?” “As mentioned, we are out of towners helping the Ghostbusters with these recent events. I’m Blade Swipe and that’s Applejack, Shinigami, and Gamer. Our fifth member, Donatello, is busy at the moment.” “Nice to meet you. If you’re with the Ghostbusters, you’re fine with me.” The mayor shook Blade’s hand. Blade extended his hand to Peck, who just turned the other way, and then put it back after no luck as the mayor spoke more. “Okay! Big night tomorrow, Illyssa! Get some rest!” As the mayor left, Ray spoke up. “So, now that we’re all friends, can we get invites to the museum’s opening night?” “Not likely.” Peck sneered. “But I’ll be seeing you all soon. You can count on it.” He turned to leave before pointing to Gamer. “Especially you, Tinker Boy!” Gamer gestured to him as he left before Egon patted his shoulder to calm him down. “Haven’t been this angry since Dr. Droid.” “Eh! You get use to it.” Peter shrugged before looking around. “Where did Donnie go?” “I was helping Janine organize the cabinet downstairs while hiding.” Donnie said as he walked up the stairs holding a quesadilla with slime on it. “Did you lose a quesadilla, Slimer?” “I was wondering where I left that.” Slimer said as he floated over and ate the quesadilla from Donnie. “So glad Twilight didn’t see that.” Applejack said before turning to Ray and Egon. “She’s afraid of quesadillas.” “Fascinating.” Egon pondered. “Doesn’t Peck look like the kind of guy who would accidentally walk into the stream of a boson collider?” Everyone turned to Peter who spoke again. “I’m just saying. It could happen.” “That Peck guy doesn’t like you guys so much, does he?” Applejack asked. “More so, Applejack.” Ray sighed. “Peck used to work for the EPA and wanted to see our containment unit. When we refused, he had ceased and decease order and shut down our containment unit, resulting in it exploding.” “Then, why didn’t you show him it?” Blade asked. “He probably would’ve shut it down either way. You never know with those kind of people.” Peter warned. “He also got us arrested as a result.” Winston continued. “At that time, we learned that Gozer was returning to bring destruction to the world. Luckily, we were able to convince the mayor to stop Gozer and Peck got fired.” “Oh yeah. He’d love you guys for sure.” Shini rolled her eyes. “We hadn’t seen him for a year or so until he forced us to send Slimer to the government.” Egon added. “Because he almost endangered the city by using a cyclotron to get rid of Slimer, he got fired again.” “Yeesh! I’d hate to have his application.” Gamer gritted his teeth. “Yeah. No fun!” Slimer nodded. Later, After Egon upgraded the proton packs so everyone could use the Boson Darts, everyone gathered next to the Ecto-1 as Egon spoke. “Ray and I have been talking….” “… and we think we should have a look at the museum. Whatever happened tonight, it happened there.” Ray finished. “Good idea.” Donnie agreed as he held up his cloaking watch. “I was able to fix my cloaking device so I should be good.” “Okay. I’ll take one for the team.” Peter walked up to Illyssa. “And stay with Illyssa. You guys go with Winston, Rowan, and the others. I’ll be her personal protection.” “I’ll stay here for backup.” Applejack stepped up. “Backup for who?” Slimer and Shini laughed at Gamer’s joke while Peter shot him a look. Illyssa hid a little snicker herself. “Well, after Donatello helped me organize earlier, I could use an extra pair of hands around here.” Janine spoke from her desk. “Sure thing, Ms. Melnitz.” “Please, call me Janine, hon.” Janine smiled at Applejack. “What about Peck? He’s supposed to be informed about everything we do.” Winston wondered. “What he doesn’t know can’t hurt us.” Ray figured. “Sneaky. You guys ever thought about taking up ninjutsu?” Blade complimented. “Probably a little late for our day in age, Blade, but your compliment is well appreciated.” Egon spoke. “Let’s move.” Gamer said as they all got in Ecto-1. “Good luck!” Applejack waved as the Ecto-1 drove out. They were about halfway to the museum when Janine called through the car’s radio. “Hey, Guys! You need to make a detour. Something big is going down. It’s on 1010 WINS now.” “Tune it in!” Ray said as Rowen flipped the radio’s channel. “…and another ghostly sighting has staff at the New York Public Library scrambling for answers!” “The Grey Lady.” Egon figured. “Someone you know?” Donnie asked. “She was the first ghost we’ve encountered before we were terminated from the university and became Ghostbusters.” “Let’s get her for real this time!” Ray declared. “Go! Go! Go!” “What about the museum?” Gamer asked Ray. “It’s been there for a hundred and four years. Where’s it gonna go today?” Winston was at the wheel as he spoke to Ray. “Uh, this thing you guys have for the Grey Lady borders on the weird. You know that?” “She made us look like Shmucks! Not this time!” Ray huffed. “Yeah! Not this time!” Slimer agreed. “Oh! And another thing. Peck called and said I’m required to tell you where you are and what you up to.” Janine said in the radio. “Tell him he can meet us at the museum. We’ll be there…Eventually.” Egon responded as they drove up to the library. To Be Continued Author's Note Here's our next page from Tobin's: The Grey Lady Name: Eleanor Twitty Category: Class IV Semi-Anchored Entity Dr. Eleanor Twitty was the head librarian of the New York City Public Library and curated its Special Collections, which included ancient artifacts, stone tablets, and otherwise forgotten parchments. Dr. Twitty was seduced by a man named Edmund Hoover (also known as The Collector), who was a rather unscrupulous rare book collector. She was unaware that "The Collector" was just using her in order to get to the rare books in her care, including the Gozerian Codex. They got engaged. When she discovered her fiancee's true motives, she broke off the relationship and engagement. Sadly, dumping him all but sealed her fate and in March 1924, he murdered her in cold blood, in a secret section of the Library constructed by Gozer's infamous worshiper and architect, Ivo Shandor. Dr. Twitty was reported missing. The New York Police Department made every effort to find her and even conducted repeated room-to-room searches of the underground library stacks where she was last seen but she was never found alive. She was the fifth woman to go missing under mysterious circumstances in 1924. Hoover also murdered many others to cover up Twitty's death and collected their bodies like he collected books. At least 12 bodies of women were discovered under the library in a search led by Detective Sergeant Ambrose Hannigan. Hoover was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging before dawn on May 10, 1924. In 1984, the Library ghost caused a disturbance in the stacks of the New York City Public Library. As a librarian named Alice passed by a card catalog, the ghost exhibited telekinesis and made several drawers open on their own and cards shot out all over the area. Alice paused, turned around, screamed and ran, dodged drawers, and hurried through the stacks. She went left, left again, another left, turned and looked briefly, then kept running. She turned right, stopped, turned, and went left instead. She turned right, stopped, and came face to face with Library ghost. It transmogrified. Alice screamed and her hair was blown back. Alice only remembered it had arms because it reached for her. 10 people witnessed the ghost. It blew books off shelves from 20 feet away. Roger Delacorte contacted Columbia University for help. Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler conducted an investigation later that day. Egon confirmed the ghost's presence with the P.K.E. Meter. Notes: The time Peck forced the Ghostbusters to surrender Slimer was the episode Big Trouble for Little Slimer. It was the only episode to feature Walter Peck. and I think that's it. Next time: The Library! The LibraryThe Ghostbusters and Ninjas got out of Ecto-1 and geared up in front of the Public Library. Donnie made sure he turned on his cloak to look human to the cheering crowd behind the barricades. “Big crowd.” Egon spoke as they waved at the people. “Venkman would love this.” “Captain McMahon from the twelfth said there was a massive disturbance. Real fireworks show.” Ray reported. “Not much going on now.” Winston surveyed. “Maybe it’s the eye of the storm.” Gamer guessed. Egon noticed. “Maybe. But weren’t there two lions out here?” Donnie saw it. “Yeah there are usually two lions out here!” “Odd.” Blade said as they all got a closer look. “Check surveillance.” Ray whispered. Egon checked the lion statue with his PKE Meter. “Hmm. Interesting. Ray, take a look at this.” Ray looked over his shoulder. “Wow! Big spikes! You guys should see this!” The group walked up to the lion statue when suddenly the statue exploded. Merging from the rubble were a couple blue ghosts. “Stand back!” Blade cried. “Yikes!” Slimer gasped. “Whoa! Double full torso animators!” Ray cried. “They’re heading in the building!” Donnie pointed to the ghosts flying into the library. “Cmon! After them!” Ray cried as they hurried in. “You heard Stanz! Let’s move!” Winston encouraged. “Yeah! Let’s move!” Slimer repeated. They entered the library as Gamer noticed the ghosts flying to the upper level. “There they are!” “A couple of Class Five Animators. Never seen them in tandem like this! They’re really agitated!” Ray said as they hurried upstairs. “Must’ve read a bad book.” Shini joked. “Switching on the packs!” Winston stated as they turned on their proton packs. “Alright. Nice and easy. No sudden moves.” Ray warned. They crept up to the ghosts and blasted at them as the two ghosts avoided the streams. “Hey! He said, ‘Take it easy’! that’s not easy!” Winston cried. “Give me a break! I’m new at this!” retorted Donnie. Gamer fired at the ghosts as they flew passed him. “Missed! Dang it!” Egon adjusted his glasses. “That one’s a beast, Ray. Let’s chase him down. Winston, you take Blade Swipe and check that next doorway. See if he has any friends.” “Leave a haunted room? I got no problem with that.” Winston nodded. “The rest of you follow the other one. But before we split up, Ray and I will explain how to use the new shock blast mod we added to the packs.” As everyone saw the purple spiral on the tip of their throwers, Ray spoke up. “To use the Shock Blaster, it’s best to get up fairly close. It’s effect is very powerful, but dissipates quickly over distances.” “And please, be careful. All of you. It’s still a prototype.” Egon warned. “We’re trusting you all with this.” “And this here activates the Stasis Stream which will temporarily slow down paranormal entities. If you train the stream on the target long enough, you can actually stop it!” Ray added. “Rowan, please demonstrate.” Egon looked at Rowan who pushed the button and blasted a blue stream. “Cool! A freeze ray.” Wowed Shinigami. “A stasis stream. This has nothing to do with cold, but the effect is similar.” Ray corrected. Winston turned to Egon. “When do you have the time to work on all this stuff, Egon?” “I’ve been conducting an experiment where I sleep an average fourteen minutes a day. Leaves me a lot of time to work.” “That cannot be healthy for you.” Gamer blinked. “Ready to roll!” Ray grinned. “Rowen, you along with Gamer, Shini, and Donnie go after that one guy. We’ll meet you back here.” “Roger that.” Rowan nodded. “Let’s move!” Donnie said as the four hurried downstairs with Gamer held a PKE Meter. “He’s close. I can smell him.” The young hero whispered. “Always wanted to say that.” They walked towards a display case when suddenly, the ghost popped out and ran past Gamer sliming him. “Y’know, I’m beginning to understand why Venkman hates this.” He groaned as Shini and Rowen help him up. “Better keep your meters up.” Rowen warned. “Dr. Stantz warned me that animators can hide in anything.” He led the group through the hallway and into the main body of the library. “I’ve always wanted to visit the New York Public Library. It’s cool.” Gamer wowed. “I’ll have to ask April to take you to the one back home.” Donnie spoke. “Hey, bloodhounds! Up here! To your right!” Everyone looked to see Ray, Slimer, and Egon on the balcony as Slimer waved at them. Egon checked his meter. “Strong emanations. No direct source, though.” “Still looking for your guy?” Donnie asked. “We followed our guy in here and he gave us the slip.” Ray answered. Rowen looked at his meter which was beeping. “Guys? Detecting a strong anomaly here.” “Uh oh! Here comes something big!” Gamer pointed as books surrounded the ghost they were chasing. The books formed a monster round the ghost which roared at the team. “Holy chalupa!” gasped Donnie. “Now that is a fine example of level six bidimensional attractor.” Egon mumbled. The golem charged towards Rowen’s group as he cried. “Let’s shock blast it!” They used their shock blasts at the golem while Ray and Egon fired their proto streams from the balcony. “Hey, Egon! Did I mention it was a good idea you had to come up on the balcony?” Ray asked. The more attacks they did, the more books fell off the golem. “He’s losing strength! Keep it up!” Donnie cried. Egon saw something shining from the golem. “All of its power is emitting from a single focal object!” “Like this?” Shini hit the shiny part with her capture stream and yanked it off. “You got it!” Ray cheered as the golem exploded. “Nice work, Shinigami!” Gamer thumbed up. Shini chuckled. “Only kind I got.” “Man! Imagine how much PK energy it must take to collect and animate an entity like that?” Ray breathed. “A lot. A lot of very angry energy.” Egon mumbled. Gamer looked around. “How easy was that?” “Not so fast. I’m getting some big fluxes here.” Egon looked at his PKE Meter. “Over there!” Donnie pointed to a corridor. “I think it’s her! Yes! Yes, it’s her! Eleanor Twitty, the librarian!” And sure enough, Ray was right. The group saw a ghost of an elder lady. “Look! There she is! Meet us at the stairwell door!” Egon instructed as he and Ray hurried to their position. “Cmon!” Rowen cried. “She went this way!” Donnie ran towards the path. Egon spoke in his walkie. “Winston, you and Blade Swipe check upstairs to see if the other phantom doubled back.” “Roger!” Winston responded. As they group saw the librarian ghost, she shushed at them before disappearing. “She shushed us again. That witch!” Ray griped. “Well, she was a librarian.” Gamer pointed. “Well, it’s kinda personal.” Ray held his blaster. Slimer nodded in confirmation. The group ran downstairs as books fell off the shelves. Soon, they arrive at the lower floors. “PKE’s out. And keep quiet.” Egon whispered. As they looked around, Donnie saw the table and chairs floating in the air. “Creepy.” “Wow! A full stabilizing levitation! I’d say we’re close to something.” Ray wowed. “Gotta love a man who enjoys his work.” Shini rolled her eyes. “Ray…” Ray turned to Egon. “You got something?” “I got something.” Egon nodded not looking from his meter. “Right…. Here.” Everyone looked to the shelf to see the librarian ghost reappear and shushed them before flying away. “OOO! She keeps shushing us!” Ray fumed. “Well, we are in a library.” Donnie reminded. “Least she’s not mentioning overdue library books.” Gamer added. “So, why are you bent on this ghost, Mr. Stantz?” Shini asked. “That’s the Gray Lady. She’s the first ghost we’ve ever hunted.” Ray explained. “What she got away?” Donnie asked. “We…. Hadn’t invented the necessary equipment back then. We were still studying ghosts.” Egon sighed. “Man, I wish Venkman was here.” Ray said. “I’m pretty sure Venkman doesn’t.” Egon deadpanned. “Easy now. She’s very skittish.” Ray whispered as they crept in the next room. Moments they arrived, the floating furniture dropped to the floor. “Let’s go! We’ll cut her off!” “These readings are off the charts!” Donnie checked his meter. “I need to make bigger charts.” Egon figured. The group climbed down some stairs to see the lights turn off and dimming. “Wow! Now listen, the place is reading like a psychic pressure cooker.” Ray warned. “Prime your throwers. Everybody stick close together.” “Yeah. Together.” Slimer agreed. When they reached bookshelves, they suddenly began blocking everyone from each other. “This way! Quick!” Egon cried. Slimer tried to hurry before a shelf blocked his way and he fell on Gamer sliming him. “We gotta quit meeting like this.” Groaned Gamer. Soon, it was just Rowen with Shini, Gamer, and Slimer separated from Egon, Ray, and Donnie. Ray spoke through the walkies. “So much for stick together. Okay! New plan- fan out!” “Flexible approach, Ray.” Egon spoke. “Donatello and I will try to make our way around.” “There are two hostile spirits roaming around here.” Donnie added. “Two that we know about.” The three hurried to an opening in the shelves when a spooky voice shrieked. “QUIEEEEEEET!” “That was creepy.” Shini whispered. As they continued, one of the ghosts from earlier ran past them. “C’mon!” Rowen cried as they ran forward. “This way!” Gamer ran forward only for a bookshelf to ram into him. “Or not.” “Is it me? Or is it cold all of the sudden?” Shini rubbed her arms. “No I definitely feel it too.” Rowen said before they heard Egon on the radio. “Temperature’s dropping! Event imminant! Brace yourselves!” They stopped as they felt a tremor as books fell to the floor. When it stopped, they continued further when they Winston on the walkie. “Guys, Blade and I are in the periodical archives looking at a stack of old newspaper clippings. All about some nut named Edmund Hoover, AKA, the Collector.” “Hmm I bet Mikey would be the judge of that.” Shini joked. “Hmm. Go on.” Egon said before Blade spoke next. “This guy has a history you should know about. He was a rare book collector who seduced Eleanor Twitty, the head librarian at the time.” “The Gray Lady?” Ray gasped. “That would be my guess.” Egon figured. “Surprise. Surprise.” Gamer rolled his eyes. As they neared the door, they suddenly saw a glowing figure run past them. They hurried to another room to find giant stacks of book. “Check it out!” Shini looked at the stacks. “I hate to be the one who studies this many books. And Donnie would agree with me.” Gamer said. “Bet Twilight would too.” Suddenly, from the stacks merged the same figures as before. They were skeletal figures constructed by paper. “Head’s up!” Rowen warned as Slimer screamed. “Blast them!” Gamer cried. He and Rowen fired their shock blasts while Shini used her stasis stream to freeze them. Once they were destroyed, they continued venturing when Winston spoke in the radio. “Hey, guys, it’s dead up here. The good kind, I mean. You all cool?” “We may need to get back to you on that.” Egon responded. “You guys doing okay?” Blade checked. “Just dandy.” Donnie answered. “Likewise.” Gamer said as they entered a room with boxes and conveyer belts. “This must be where they sort out returned books or something.” Just then, Ray was the next to speak in the walkie. “Hey, Guys! What’s your twenty? I’m in some kind of dark tunnel, moving fast…. Towards a bright light!” “You guys hear that?” Shini pointed to a thumping noise and the group turned to see Ray flying out from one of the chutes followed by some books flying like bats. Ray then shook off his fall. “Class 1 Swarmers. Pesky but combustible!” “While my body is tough but hurtable.” Gamer groaned as he was under Ray before the Ghostbuster and Slimer helped him up. “Do I just have a sign on me that says ‘Fall on me’?” “Hold that thought.” Rowen said as they fired at the swarmers. After they got them all, Ray looked around. “Where’s that Class five Animator? I tracked the slug here.” “There!” Slimer pointed at the ghost who roared that the group. “Look what he did!” Shini huffed. “Let’s give him a new home… in our containment unit!” Ray declared as he aimed his blaster. The group fired their streams at the ghost and after a few misses, they were about to catch him when the other ghost came out of nowhere. “Looks like his buddy joined the party!” Rowen pointed as he and Gamer tag teamed against while Shini and Ray blasted the other one. Slimer grabbed the trap on Rowen’s belt and threw it between the two and floated away. “Hit it!” Gamer stomped on the pedal opening the trap which sucked both the ghost in at the same time before closing. “Phew! Good work. All of you. That took some doing.” Ray breathed before Egon spoke in the walkie. “Congratulations, Ray, but Donatello and I are in the Special Collections. Someone you’ve been wanting to meet again is here.” “We’re on our way!” Ray declared as he led his group further down the next hallway. “Keep an eye on the twitchy ones. They’ll really crease ya if you aren’t careful.” As they passed some card catalogs, some drawers open spewing cards everywhere. “This is why I use a computer.” Gamer deadpanned. When they ran up to a couple more shelves, more paper figures emerged and ran towards the group. “Not again!” groaned Slimer. “Outta our way!” Ray cried as they all blasted through them. “Mind the papercuts!” Joked Shini. “The Gray Lady is making her own reinforcements.” Ray stated before speaking into his walkie. “Keep your eyes open, team. She’s upping the ante.” “Thanks for the warning, Ray, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Winston replied. “You may want to just take our word for it.” Egon spoke. The four then saw a pink cloud before a shelf and revealed to be the Gray Lady. “Easy now, keep quiet. Let’s get a solid scan.” Ray whispered as Rowen pulled out his PKE Meter. “I missed that part, Ray! Repeat that!” Egon spoke getting the librarian ghost’s attention shushing the group before floating away. “Enough with the shushing!” Ray shouted. “We get it! We’re in a library!” Gamer yelled. “I swear she’s more stricter than my second grade teacher!” “Then let’s go shush her!” Shini grinned as they hurried after her. Suddenly, they were attacked by more book bats. Luckily, they blasted them all before hearing a loud voice. “NO! NOT MY BOOKS!” “SHUT UP!” Gamer snapped back. “Gives you the creeps, doesn’t it?” Ray spoke. “I think we better find Egon and Donnie before Gamer loses it.” Rowen said as Ray led them through a door while Slimer whistled nonchalantly. Meanwhile, Winston and Blade were in the archives when Ray called them. “Uh Winston, where the heck are you and Blade Swipe?” “In the periodical section checking the box scores from the Knicks game last night. Why?” Winston responded. “How’d they do?” Gamer asked. “More importantly, tell us more about this ‘Collector’, Winston.” Winston and Blade looked through old newspapers as Winston spoke first. “It says here this Collector used the Gray Lady to get the rare books in her care. Specifically a book called, get this, the Gozerian Codex.” “Great!” Ray wowed as Slimer agreed. “Yeah. And when she found out what he was up to, she dumped him.” Blade continued. “Smart lady.” Egon commented. “Not really. Evidently, he murdered her for it.” Winston spoke. “Uh-oh.” Ray gulped. “Can’t take rejection, huh? What a messed up akuma.” Shini muttered. “It gets more creepier. The Gray Lady was his first victim, but he killed a bunch more.” Blade spoke up next. “And let me guess, he collected their bodies, like he collected books?” Ray guessed. “Bingo! Ray, you get to buy me and Blade dinner.” Winston grinned. “Here’s the last on the Collector. Seconds before he was hanged, he said he would return as Azetlor, some sort of god, to keep watch over the library and every rare book in its collection.” “Sounds quite the bookworm.” Donnie spoke. “Sounds like the kind we run into every day, Donnie.” Winston spoke. “Sounds like we tell both each other stories.” Gamer added before signing off. Ray and his group hurried to a room labeled Juvenile and entered into a children based room and heard the sound of voices. “You hear that?” Ray asked. Slimer held his hand up and listened. “Children?” “Yeah.” Rowen nodded. Then they all saw chairs levitated near a tree like puppet stage. “Think they’re trying to tell us something?” Gamer asked. “What else did Hoover collect?” Wondered Shini. “Let’s get a move on. Nothing much we can do here.” Ray shrugged as the left the room. “Bye.” They heard a boy’s voice. “Got that right, Scooter!” Ray answered. “That was by far one of the creepiest moments of my life.” Gamer shuddered. They went downstairs more before Ray spoke. “Here’s the place. Special Collections. These rooms are packed with rare and valuable volumes.” “I’d hate to have to pay to replace any. Bet the fine’s very expensive.” Rowen spoke. “Yeah! Very expensive!” Slimer nodded. As they snuck in quietly, Ray saw Egon and Donnie facing the Gray Lady. “Okay. She’s in here with Egon and Donatello. Now keep quiet.” They all snuck in to surround the librarian ghost. Ray and Rowen pulled out their PKE Meters as they neared it closer when suddenly Slimer gave a big belch causing the Gray Lady to turn and shushed them before floating away. “Sorry.” The green ghost pouted. “I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m starting to see why Ray hates her shushing.” Gamer glared. They hurried forward only to be blocked by more skeletal page ghosts. These ones had shield to block their proton streams. “Looks like they’re sicking the entire science fiction section at us.” Egon deadpanned. “Remove the shields!” Donnie cried as he used his capture stream to yank a shield off one of them. Through their teamwork, it wasn’t long before they defeated them as Ray asked Egon. “Remember when you said print was dead?” “I wish.” Egon rolled his eyes. “Now where’d she go?” Gamer looked around. Egon checked his meter. “Valences up. She definitely left us a trail somewhere.” Shini noticed a trail of slime on the floor and followed it to a bookcase. “Over here!” Everyone hurried to her as Egon held up his meter to the wall. “Big spike. Riiiiight… here!” “I’ve seen this work in the movies.” Gamer walked up and pulled a book off the shelf which caused the shelf to open up a secret passage. “First book.” “Nice work, Good Buddy!” Rowen grinned as they walked in. they saw it was old and worn. “I didn’t know this area existed!” Ray wowed. “Looks like the janitors didn’t either.” Egon added. “Judging by the debris, I’d say for about eight years.” Donnie guessed. They entered a room full of books as Egon looked at the shelves. “What are these books? I don’t recognize them from Tobin’s.” “No. they’re in the Revised Etheary Catalog. I think the Gray Lady is constructing them from the books and minor spirits here. She maybe more powerful than we thought.” Ray guessed. He then looked at the vast bookshelves in the room. “Look at this place! I could spend a month taking inventory on these books!” “Let’s be careful what we wish for, Ray.” Egon warned. “Yeah! Be careful what we wish for!” Slimer echoed before he floated towards a stand with a book on it. Suddenly, it started giving of a fiery glow causing him to scream and hurry behind Donnie. “Wow! Dig that!” Ray awed as he walked towards it. “Uh, Dr. Stantz?” Donnie sweated. “Ray, I’m not entirely convinced this is the best course of action!” Egon gulped. “Hey! I bet this is a trap!” Ray stated as the stand floated. “Ya think?” Gamer rolled his eyes. “Welcome back, Stantz.” Shini huffed. “Book bats!” Donnie cried as more books flew towards them. “They got friends!” Ray noticed more skeletal figures running towards them as they all started blasting them. During the fight, Donnie pulled out his staff and hit a couple enemies in the crossfire with Shini helping with her chain. Egon noticed the bookshelf moving. “It’s on the move!” “To the left!” Ray cried as they hurried. As they blasted more, Egon noticed the structure of the room. “I’m having serious doubts about the structural integrity of this sub-basement.” “Now that you mentioned it, it does appear a little unstable. At least, not collapse on our heads unstable, but still a caution!” Donnie noticed. “It’s moving again!” Gamer noticed the bookstand floating to another part of the room which caused a small tremor. “And now it feels more unstable.” Donnie deadpanned. Egon turned to the group. “I’m telling you this substructure is unstable! The ceiling could come down on top of us!” Suddenly, the bookstand exploded to reveal another ghost like the previous two. Everyone began blasting it. “Our lobe probe experiment is working! You’re clairvoyant!” Ray told Egon. “No. I saw the support columns buckle.” Egon shrugged. “Donatello, now!” Donnie responded by throwing a trap under the ghost and stepping on the pedal opening it trapping the ghost. “I’m definitely getting the hang of this equipment!” he gleamed as he picked up the trap. “So, what now?” Shini asked. “Over there!” everyone followed Ray to the next room to see the Gray Lady who saw them and shushed them like before before bursting through a wall. “Oh boy.” “Creepy.” Gamer whispered. “Yeah. Creepy.” Slimer agreed. They all entered into a subterranean place. As they entered in it further, Ray wondered. “I wonder what’s down there.” “Something big. And, more than likely, terrifying.” Egon guessed. “Yay.” Rowen gestured. “It’s really dark down here.” Donnie said before they entered a room full of water. “And damp.” “Great. Hope no one has any open cuts. I’m thinking of flesh-eating bacteria.” Egon worried. “I’m more worried about ruining my shoes.” Shini teased as they got out. Ray noticed the door was locked. “It’s an electric door.” “I’ll see if I can find the power.” Donnie walked on a nearby platform and threw a switch turning on the power. “Yes! No!” The power went off as books combined into big book golems that attacked the heroes. “Find their source!” Gamer cried as they fired Boson Darts at them. Rowen then used his proton stream to yank out a glowing orb causing the golem to fall apart. “Can’t say I’m a big fan of the level 6 Bi Dimensional Attractor.” Egon spoke. “I’m with you on that.” Ray agreed. “We’re lucky there were only some books for it to manifest with.” “Everyone okay?” Everyone answered Egon’s question that they were okay. “Let’s keep moving.” Soon, they arrive at what appeared to be a broiler room. “Well, this looks cheery.” Donnie deadpanned. “Nothing bad could happen here.” Egon rolled his eyes. “This kind of reminds of that horror movie I watched with Sweetie Belle.” Gamer mentioned. “Just Sweetie Belle or with the other CMCs?” Shini grinned, irking Gamer. “IT WASN’T LIKE THAT ALRIGHT? WE JUST HAD TIME TO KILL!” He stated. “Of course.” Donnie then whispered to Ray and Slimer. “Sweetie Belle is our friend Rarity’s little sister and shes been really friendly with him and he so has a crush on her and doesn’t want to admit it.” “Ah.” Ray and Slimer nodded. “Can we just find Ms. Shush and get out of here?” Gamer grumbled unaware Egon scanned him with a handheld. Rowen then saw a hole in the wall all boarded up and blasted it open. “Hey guys!” “What you find, Youngblood? Good work! Spengler, Rowen found the exit!” Ray said as they hurried to the hole. “Our very own private shortcut to the underworld. That’s convenient.” Egon sighed as they entered the tunnel. Soon, they arrived at small room full of piles of books. After they entered, a cage door closed behind them. “Well, can’t go back.” Donnie gulped. “Uh guys?” Everyone looked to where Gamer was looking to see the Gray Lady sitting at a desk reading a strange book. Suddenly, a long hand grabbed her by the head tossing her around like a ragdoll as she screamed before slamming her back to the chair and closing. The book opened up again and floated to her hand as she stood up again like nothing happened. “Eerie place.” Shini whispered. “I wonder if this is the place where the Collector killed the Librarian?” Ray wondered while Slimer shuddered behind him. Egon held his PKE Meter. “I think that would be a safe assumption. That book she’s reading is emitting massive amounts of energy.” Ray smiled as he turned to Rowen. “That’s your cue, Killer! Go Get’em!” “Yeah! Go Get’em!” Slimer grinned. “Don’t worry. I’ll cover you.” Donnie pulled out his blaster. “Thanks, Donnie.” Rowen pulled his blaster out and crept towards the Gray Lady. He politely took the book from her before she vanished. “Huh. That went well.” Gamer spoke. “She took it well. Better than I expected.” Egon agreed. “It makes perfect sense if her residual spirit energy is tied to the book. The Gozerian Codex, right? Now that we have it, her echo must have been released. She’s gone! I think we helped her cross over!” Ray explained. Gamer then noticed something. “And she just crossed back.” “Oh no.” Ray whispered. The Gray Lady suddenly turned more ravaging and roared at the group. Everyone stepped back while Gamer glared at her. “Really? You’ve been shushing us all this time and now you just roar at us? Now I’m seeing you as a hypocrite!” The Gray Lady responded by roaring in his face. Gamer responded by roaring back. When the ghost tried to roar back, Gamer aimed his arm gun and blasted her into the wall. “Blast her!” Ray cried. But as they blasted at her, she was covered by books as three podiums circle her. “She’s shield by all those books!” Egon pointed. Donnie then got an idea. “The podiums! Hit the podiums!” He, Shini, and Gamer blasted the podiums as her book barrier crumbled. The Gray Lady floated around avoiding fire before Rowen and Egon got her with their capture stream. “Donatello! Throw the trap!” Donnie threw a trap under the Librarian Ghost and stepped on the pedal. After struggling, the ghost was sucked into the trap. “Huh. Wasn’t as tough as I thought it be.” Ray shrugged as he picked the trap up. “I was just thinking the same thing.” Egon agreed. “You mean she wanted to get captured and give us the book?” Shini guessed. “Yes, like she wanted us to tear this room apart.” Egon answered. “But why, Egon?” Slimer asked. “Uh guys?” Everyone looked to see a portal appear where Rowen pointed. “Where does this lead?” Gamer wondered. “Cross dimensional portal. From the fifth to the fourth. A whole world of ghosts. Something I’ve dreamed about since college.” Ray spoke. “It’s all in the Monarchia Daemonium. Fantastic! Ghostworld!” “I love a man who enjoys his work.” Shini shrugged. “I wouldn’t get too excited, Ray.” Egon warned. “I think she did this so we could meet an old friend of hers.” “Might as well. It’s the only way out.” Donnie recalled. “Rowen, you take the lead.” Egon spoke. “Don’t worry we do this stuff all the time.” Rowen nodded as he led the group through the portal. They found themselves in a place with a black sun, an orange sky with dark yellow clouds, and debris floating everywhere. “Hm. So this is what the Public Library looks like on the far side of a cross dimensional portal.” Egon looked around. “Whoa!” awed Donnie. “Weird.” Gamer gasped. “Amazing.” Shini added. “It’s one of infinite potential configurations. You know… theoretically.” Ray pointed. “So how do we get back to Winston and Blade? Over there!” Gamer pointed to a big door entrance. “Well, this looks like the Gozerian configuration.” Egon said as they entered. As they walked around, Egon spoke to Ray. “Ray, it has occurred to me that these events are interrelated.” “How so?” Donnie asked. “The Gozerian Exhibit, the huge energy pulse that attracted you guys, the Sedgewick Hotel, the return of Stay Puft…. Yeah…” Ray pondered. “Yeah, it’s too much of a coincidence that ever since we came to you guys’ dimension that all this involves this Gozer guy you’ve all been talking about.” Gamer thought out loud. “Yes, even this. All pointing to a single point of origin.” Egon pointed out. “Illyssa?” Shini guessed. “Illyssa.” Egon nodded. “Illyssa?” Slimer asked. “You don’t think…?” Rowen feared. “I’d rather not say until I’m sure.” Egon stated as they hurried forward. “We need to get out of here.” Ray deadpanned as they hurried through a nearby portal. Soon, they arrived at what appeared to be the main lobby of the library. “I do like what they’ve done with the place.” Ray admitted. “But I hoped that portal would’ve taken us back to the library.” Egon then figured something. “Actually, we are back at the Public Library. The dimensional membrane must be extremely thin.” “Someone’s keeping us here.” Ray spoke. “The Collector!” Donnie realized. “Yes, Azetlor wants to add to his collection. And he’s probably not too happy about us taking the Gozerian Codex with us.” Egon theorized. “And I thought those fat nerd collectors were needy.” Gamer rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah? What can a twisted little bookworm do to scare us?” Ray smugly asked. “He murdered Eleanor Twitty for it when he was alive. And a dozen others just to cover it up.” Egon recalled. “Uh Ray?” Gamer noticed something behind Ray who began taunting. “Hey Collector! We’re taking your book! Whaddya think about that?” “Uh Dr. Stantz?” Donnie gulped while Shini twitched. Ray then saw everyone looking worried and figured something frightening was behind him. “He’s right behind me, isn’t he?” “Yeah, I think you got his attention, Ray.” Rowen gulped as Slimer hid behind him. “oh boy.” Ray turned to see a giant blue worm with four tongues coming out of its mouth. “So what now?” Donnie asked. “Blast him!” Ray cried as they opened fire at the worm. He then noticed something. “He’s resisting our proton streams!” “Scatter!” Egon ordered as they hurried around the room. The worm spat out slimeballs full of books at the heroes, disgusting them. “I think I’m gonna throw up.” Shini gagged. “I got an idea!” Gamer used his capture stream to lift the slimeball and hurled it at the Collector into his mouth sticking out its tongues. “Rowen! Now!” Rowen fired his proton stream grabbing one of the worm’s tongues. When he tried to wrangle the beast, he ended up ripping it off as the Collector roared in pain. “Not what I expected, but it looks like it worked.” “I think you’re on to something! Take out those tentacles!” Egon instructed as he shot a slimeball at the Collector. “YEE HAW!” Ray cheered as he used his stream to rip off another tongue. The Collector roared as he tried to slam on the group who dodged every blow. “I think he’s on to our strategy!” Donnie cried. Gamer then stood facing the Collector. “Alright, Azetlor! Don’t like protons? Then have some SHINE POWER!” Gamer fired from his insignia before firing a proton stream allowing it to spiral around his Shine Power which hit Azetlor who roared in pain as his two remaining tongues stuck out. “Fascinating.” Egon wowed. “Kid’s got talent, I’ll give him that.” Ray agreed. “Quick! Someone get the remaining two!” Rowen and Donnie responded to Gamer’s cry by firing two streams and ripping them off. Azetlor roared before falling over imploding into thousands of books. “Yeah! Bye, Azetlor!” Ray cheered. “Bye bye!” Slimer waved. “We need to get outta here.” Egon stated. “Look! There’s a new portal! It’s got to be the way home!” Everyone saw the portal Donnie pointed to and hurried over. The radio then crackled with Winston’s voice. “Guys!” “Where are you all?” Blade’s voice spoke next. “We’re coming through!” Shini called as they all hurried in the portal. They arrived to find themselves back in the lobby of the library as Winston and Blade hurried over to them. “Good! You guys are all right.” Blade sighed in relief. “Where the heck were you guys!” Winston scolded. “Blade and I have been running all over this library, calling you, looking for you. Nothing.” “Aw! How sweet.” Shini joked before Egon explained what happened. “We passed through a cross-dimensional portal into an alternate version of the New York Public Library and fought a forty-foot monster made out of priceless antiques to steal an ancient magical book.” “And we kicked booty!” Slimer flexed his arms. “Oh. That would explain it. Next time, leave a note.” Winston advised. “Sorry, Winston.” Slimer pouted. “I’m just glad you guys are okay.” Blade smiled. “And we trapped the Gray Lady!” Gamer gleamed as Rowen held up the trap. “Let’s see her shush us now.” “Hey guys! Look at that!” Everyone looked to see Donnie noticing a big symbol on the wall. It was made of spirals and circles with symbols in them. Egon checked his PKE Meter. “Ray, does this mean anything to you?” “No. it wasn’t here the first time we came through.” Ray said. “What do you make of it, Donatello?” Blade asked. “I got nothing.” Donnie shrugged. “Gamer?” Gamer checked his goggles. “It’s not registering in my logs.” “What is it?” Shini asked. “Not entirely sure, Shinigami, but whatever it is, I think we shut it off.” Egon noticed one of symbols in a circle disintegrated. “I guess that means we won here.” Donnie guessed. Ray turned to Egon. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” “Thin crust. New York style. No invincible anchovies.” Winston held his hand up for a high five with only the younger group returning the five. “Yum. Yum.” Slimer salivated. “You guys have Antonio’s here in your world?” Gamer wondered. “The finest in town, Son.” Winston grinned. “Maybe later.” Ray spoke. “Right now, I need to get back to the lab and take a look at the Codex.” “And analyze the data we’ve collected. It could help us when we go to the museum.” Egon added as they began to head towards the exit. “Slice to go on the way?” Winston chimed, trying to convince the two. “Treat for the kids and Rookie?” “Please!” Slimer pleaded. “We need to know what this is.” Ray muttered not paying attention. Winston gave up. “I’ll call for delivery. Again.” “Might as well.” Donnie shrugged. “We need to let Applejack in on what happened and maybe even help anyway we can.” “Oh well.” Slimer sighed as they all headed back to the Ecto-1. To Be Continued Author's Note Finally! I'm back! Sorry for taking so long. There was a lot of stuff to go through the Library chapter. Plus, life, work, etc. But I'm gonna finish this before my next project. Anyway, Here's our next page from Tobin's: Azetlor The Collector Category: Class VI Elevated Remnant Type: Deity (supreme being) Azetlor, was a some kind of divinity worshiped by Sumerians around the same time when Gozer, the destruction deity was relevant. He was one of the most important and favorite of Gozer's creations praised of all Sumerian demideities, before Gozer himself was banished by his enemy Tiamat from the mortal world long ago. According to his legend, Azetlor was a demigod that has said to have lorded over the lost (to some, the lost meaning the dead, but that is falae). Azetlor's position in the Sumerian pagan pantheon as the "Keeper of Knowledge" was to find, collect and return what was lost, hence his new title "The Collector". He was entrusted with collecting anything that fell through between worlds, rather they be books, souls, relics, civilizations, etc. and ensuring they could eventually be returned to the world of the living in one new form or another. Yet, Azetlor developed an avaricious craving, and began to take and collecting things that had never been lost yet or not meant to become lost, and keep them all for himself, stepped out of his own role. He was cast to an abyssal other dimension by his superiors. It is there he waits for his freedom from his undesirable imprisonment one day in the future. After his banishment, Azetlor tried to find his way back to the earth, but failed. During his time in exile, he was found by a race of extra-dimensional ghosts that inhabit the Abyss. Azetlor enslaved these "Animators" and lay the foundation for his escape. Many thousands of years later, the psychopathic architect Ivo Shandor and his Gozer Worshippers were able to find Azetlor but unable to free him from his otherworldly prison. Shandor found a way to bind a part of Azetlor's essence to one of his most powerful cult leaders by the name of Edmund Hoover. Azetlor started to merge with his "chosen" host, allowing him to get foothold in the mortal world. When Edmund Hoover died, his soul became one with Azetlor, but without the the Gozerian Codex's mystical powers, he could not free himself from his prison. In life, Edmund Hoover was once a powerful member in the Cult of Gozer. He was also a serial killer upholding Azetlor's "precious" title 'The Collector'. Hoover seduced and became engaged to Tillie Wooten, daughter and principle heir of late American oil mogul George S. Wooten, and Hoover succeeded, thereby gaining access to rare books in the Wooten Collection. Yet, the Collection was also sought after by a rival book collector. But on the other hand, Hoover soon jilted Wooten for a librarian. Later in the year 1924, Hoover coax Eleanor Twitty, curator of the New York Public Library's Special Collections in an effort to gain access to the mysterious Gozerian Codex. They were engaged briefly. In March following that same year, when the head librarian Twitty had discovered her "husband" was hiding his true motives, she refused to allow him further access to the Special Collections. Hoover then murdered Twitty and hid her body in the secret chambers built by Shandor beneath the library's basement. Twitty was the fifth woman to go missing under mysterious circumstances in 1924. He also slain many others to cover up Twitty's death and collected their bodies like he collected books like his demonic possessor have ages past. The New York Police Department were unable to find the body of Eleanor Twitty despite a number of room-to-room searches of the book stacks, though they were able to charge Hoover with a number of other murders. At least 12 bodies of women were uncovered beneath the library in a search led by Detective Sergeant Ambrose Hannigan. Edmund Hoover was convicted for his crimes and sentenced to death by hanging before dawn on May 10, 1924. Before he was hanged, his last words were that he will return as Azetlor and guard all rare books in its collection. As a reward for a lifetime of servitude to the Gozer Worshippers in the name of Gozer, Edmund Hoover was given "eternal" life as he was transformed into Azetlor. He ruled small corner of the Ghost World plane known as the Abyss, where he dwells in the now newly formed Gozerian configuration of the New York Public Library during his centuries-long exile. However, Hoover did not know that Azetlor’s true form was less grander than he thought it would be. As Azetlor, Edmund Hoover had truly become a ‘bookworm’; an small, blue worm with four pink tentacles extending from its mouth and a squeaky voice. Ashamed of himself, he hid his true appearance underneath a giant mask and golem-like body. He is a giant humanoid mass of black slime, broken furniture with environmental debris. With the addition of his massive reserves of PK energy, made him a perilous enemy. But taking way his mask and fake body, he is nothing more than sniffling little worm that he really is. Cruster and Crusto are just a few of the lucky Animators who escaped the rule of Azeltor and were able to cross over to Earth. After many years of hiding, this small group of Animators learned about a band of mortal humans called the Ghostbusters who victoriously survived the wrath of Gozer the Destructor. With help of the Library Ghost try to lure the Ghostbuster into their realm, both the animators ended up captured; but it was small sacrifice for them to get rid of the one who enslaved them and their fellow animators. Notes: Took out some stuff that I felt slowed down the plot. The Slime Blowers will be introduced next chapter. I went with Wii version of Azetlor instead of the PS3/360 version. No special reason. and I think that's it. Next time: Dull Plan! Dull PlanThe Ghostbusters and the heroes arrived back in the Firehouse with Ecto-1 driving into the garage. Once it parked, Applejack went to welcome her friends. “Hey, guys. How’d it go?” the cowgirl greeted. “We got the Gray Lady.” Donnie held up the trap proudly. “Yeah. Janine briefed me after she radioed you guys.” Applejack nodded. “Speaking of, how was helping Ms. Melnitz?” Asked Gamer. “Pretty good. Got acquainted with each other while getting stuff done.” “We also got this book that might be a clue to this Gozer business.” Shini pointed as Ray showed her the Gozerian Codex. “And I’m gonna start my research on it while Egon finishes up the upgrades on the Proton Packs.” Ray grinned. “Donatello will help Ray with his research while Gamer helps me with the upgrades.” Egon added. “Just tell me what I need to do.” Gamer smiled as he followed Egon. “I’ll help Rowen with getting these ghosts in the containment unit.” Blade grabbed a couple traps before heading to the basement with Rowen. “I made you kids coffee.” Janine held up a tray with coffee in mugs with the Ghostbusters’ logo. After Donnie, Applejack, Shini, and Blade grabbed one mug, She gave one especially to Gamer. “AJ told me you’d prefer French Vanilla Cappuccino.” “Thanks, Ms. Melnitz.” Gamer happily accepted his drink. “Please, Call me Janine.” She then left a mug for Egon. “By the way, Egon, our new boss called…” “Please don’t call him that. Just ‘Peck’. That’s bad enough.” “Peck called again. He’s not happy. He says that if you guys fire one more unauthorized proton stream, he’ll shut us down for good.” “I guess Thank you is a foreign language to him.” Gamer said before drinking his cappuccino. “Believe me, you don’t know the half of it.” Janine patted him on the head before returning to her desk letting the two work. Later, Egon and Gamer joined everyone upstairs along with Blade and Rowen after they finished storing the ghost as they enjoyed the delivered pizzas while Ray looked through the Gozerian Codex. “Well, it’s a good read. But nothing about that.” He pointed to a picture of the symbol they saw in the library. Illyssa walked up before pointing to the symbol. “I know that symbol.” “How?” Donnie asked. “It shows up sometimes in Sumerian ritual magic. There’s a statue on lent at the museum that features it.” “What does it represent?” Ray asked her. “Just a symbol. Signifies a path to obtain great power. Some of my colleagues thinks it’s an old constellation.” “No constellation I ever saw.” Winston shrugged. “And I used to tell fortunes at Coney Island.” Peter walked by. “Is that right. Did you wear a turban?” “No, man. A red velvet robe with moons. It was plush.” “Fancy.” Shini grinned while Slimer whistled. “Yeah. I have studied constellations when I trained in witchery, but I’ve never seen such a thing.” Ray continued to look into the book. “Get this. The Codex does indicate there is some kind of feeder system required to channel energy to a Destructor Form.” “A destructor form… like Stay Puft?” Applejack guessed. “It’s entirely possible that this system and this pattern are connected.” Egon pondered. “It’s possible.” Gamer agreed. “Wait. You said the Gozerian statuary at the museum is on loan. From whom?” “Ivo Shandor. The architect.” Illyssa answered Egon. “Well, the Shandor foundation. They control Shandor’s remaining estates and holdings. Ivo was a big collector of Gozerian artifacts.” “Obsessive, huh?” Gamer looked up. “By ‘Ivo Shandor the Architect’, you mean ‘Ivo Shandor the Genocidal Maniac’, right?” Winston guessed. “That’s what I was researching when Gozer attacked me.” Illyssa nodded. “Could you tell us about this Ivo Shandor guy for those who are new to this?” Blade asked. Egon nodded before explaining. “Right. Ivo Shandor was an architect. He was also a doctor who did unnecessary surgery. In the 1920s, he started a secret society.” “Gozer worshippers.” Peter spoke up as Slimer gestured a ‘cuckoo’. “Right. After the first World War, Shandor decided humanity was too sick to survive. He wasn’t alone. He had over a hundred followers. They did bizarre rituals intended to bring about the end of the world.” “No doubt one of them was that Edmund Hoover guy at the library.” Donnie added. “Yeah. Plus, Shandor’s architecture firm was involved in a number of projects around town in the late 80’s, early 1900s.” Illyssa pointed. “Including Dana Barrett’s old building on Central Park West.” Egon recalled. “Who?” Applejack asked. “Dana Barrett. She was our first customer. And… Peter’s ex.” Ray hesitated while Peter just shrugged. “Yeah. And little Oscar.” Slimer sighed. “Oscar is her son from her former husband after Peter. Slimer used to babysit him a couple times.” Winston clarified. “Anyway, what other buildings did Shandor work on in New York?” Blade asked Illyssa. “He also did some renovations on existing buildings and a number of public works. There was controversy… because a lot of people thought the work was unnecessary.” “Let me guess. He did some renovations on the public library on fifth.” Gamer guessed. “Right. And… the Museum of Natural History.” “Recent visitations, specific, localized paranormal activity, the wave that brought you guys here…” Ray pondered. “They’re all connected to Shandor. And this pattern.” Egon theorized. “Wouldn’t surprise me.” Donnie agreed. “We should warn the mayor.” Winston suggested. “I don’t know, he’s likely to sick Peck on us more.” Ray figured. “And we don’t want that now, do we?” Gamer clenched his screwdriver. Egon patted his hand to calm him down before speaking up. “You should get a closer look at the Museum.” “Well, the Mayor’s gonna be at the Museum for the exhibition opening gala tonight.” Illyssa recalled. “It’s where I need to be too.” Peter grinned. “Illyssa, you sure make work fun for me. Is business casual okay? I don’t have a tux.” “Sure. You’d be the guest of honor, Venkman.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “I’m with Applejack on that. He doesn’t want you guys within three city blocks of the Museum tonight. He thinks you make his campaign contributors nervous. Besides, that Peck guy will be at the party, too.” “And I’m sure I’m underage to attend too.” Gamer muttered. Ray then spoke up. “Okay, Egon and Gamer will stay here and finish analyzing the data from the Library. Donatello and Blade Swipe will sneak in with their ninja skills through the skylights without the guests seeing them. The rest of us will go in by the service entrance of the museum and lay low. Peter and attend the party as Illyssa’s guest and stay in plain sight of Peck.” “And that frees us to check out the rest of the building.” Winston caught on. “Yeah!” Slimer cheered before Ray spoke to him. “Slimer, you’re with Donnie and Blade.” “Roger, Ray!” Slimer saluted. “I love this plan. It’s just dull enough to work.” Peter smiled. “Ill, I’m gonna buy you a corsage.” “Well then, I suggest we get a move on.” Applejack got up as they began to head down to the Ecto-1. Egon spoke to the group. “Before you go, Gamer and I added something new to the packs.” He showed the Proton Packs now had a green tank on its side while the gun had on it as well as another nozzle. “This is the PDS: Plasma Distribution System. Basically, it’s Slime Blower Mark two heavily modified from the early version. Your plasm banks are now integrated into the Proton Pack. It uses a base culture of ectoplasm developed from materials we discovered under the city a few years ago. The proto-culture is cross-strained with the original material and samples from various other ectoplasmic entities we’ve collected.” Peter raised his brow as Slimer whistled nonchalantly before Egon continued. “Well, this lends optimal properties to the final product: A self-regenerating strain of ectoplasm that can impair entities, cause caustic Black Slime to go inert, and reveal otherwise invisible ethereal structures that reside on this plane. You may want to take notes. You will be tested.” “Thanks, guys.” Shini thanked. “Alright. Let’s get going.” Rowen said as they got in the car. “See you guys in a bit!” Gamer waved as the Ecto-1 drove out. To Be Continued Author's Note Here's our next page from Tobin's: Book Centurion Category: Class VI Armored Composite[1] Type: Corporeal (dispersible) Behaviors: Attacks: Melee, Range, Rush Weaknesses: Proton Stream Special: Damage blocking shield Notes: It's not known if the attraction is the books or the actual stored knowledge, but these Class VI entities favor the same book and scroll-filled locations that Paper Constructs are drawn to. Book Centurions are composed of P.K.E.-bonded books and papers, but with a higher book concentration. Most notably, however, Book Centurions carry a distinctive shield, a concentrated P.K.E. barrier that blocks most directed energy attacks. Fortunately, the Capture Stream can still indirectly attack and can be used to tear the shield from the Centurion's hand. Contact Protocol: Book Centurions are not much different than Paper Constructs and as such, are susceptible to the same vulnerabilities--namely the Proton Stream and Boson Darts. However, these hardcover haunters carry a protective shield that makes then nearly invulnerable to your initial attacks. Make short work of these paper pests by using your Capture Stream to rip off their shields, then dispersing them with your Proton Stream or Boson Darts. Oftentimes, in the vicinity of a ghost with strong psychokinetic abilities, certain small objects will seem to take on a life of their own, moving at the behest of the controlling spectre. It's important to make the distinction between these objects that are being remotely manipulated and those having an actual spectral presence inside them. Notes: I wanted Gamer's go to drink is French Vanilla Cappuccino since he's too young for coffee. Had to give as much details about Ivo Shandor for those who never saw the first movie. and I think that's it. Next time: History Museum! History MuseumThe Ecto-1 drove up to the loading docks of the Natural History Museum. After parking, Ray, Winston, Rowen, Applejack, and Shinigami all got out and strapped on their packs and entered the back. When they were inside, Ray spoke in his walkie. “Yes, we just arrived at the loading dock. Keep Peck distracted. We’re going to poke around.” “Okay. I’ll take one for the team.” Peter spoke in the walkie. “Blade and I are nearing the skylight. We’ll make our way to your group.” Donnie spoke next. “Ten four, Donnie. Make sure you both keep hidden from the party guests.” Winston warned. The group looked around before Ray spoke up. “No sign of the curator. Illyssa said he’d meet us here.” Suddenly, he stopped the group. “Watch it! As I feared. Black Slime. Dangerous ectoplasm that is hazardous to the mind and body. Unchecked, it can eventually open a full inter-dimensional portal, an open doorway, and anything that wants to can come through. Egon and I haven’t designed clothing to protect us from it.” “In other words, the stains don’t come off.” Winston to the black substance. “Noted. So how do we get rid of it?” asked Applejack. “Some positively charged slime can neutralize it.” Ray pointed. “Like the one in our upgraded packs. If a full portal has been opened, it has to be sealed using your Slime Blower. That’s the key reason we developed that tech.” “Might as well do a little field test on the upgrades Games and Egon made.” Applejack pulled out her thrower and pushed a green switch. She then fired green slime at the black slime causing it to evaporate. “Successful test.” Grinned Shini. Winston saw a heavily damaged crate. “Somebody wanted out of this box in a big way.” They made their way to a hi-tech security door. Ray tried to open it, but it was shut tight. “Door’s sealed shut. Somebody, find the power.” Rowen looked past a pile of crates and saw a switch and pressed it. “Good work, Eagle Eye!” Winston thumbed up as the door opened. “Look at this. Something’s trailed packing material down the hall here.” “Packing material and slime.” Ray noticed as they entered. “Let’s clean house!” Rowen started spraying the black slime with Shini and Applejack helping. They were all about to enter the next room when they saw something flash by. “What the hoo hay was that?” Applejack cried. “Was that a possessor?” Winston asked Ray. “Maybe. Looked like a class 7 or above, too.” “Whatever happened to class two’s and three’s every now and then? What happened to them? They were easy.” Winston recalled. “Ah the good old days.” Ray sighed. “I’m more worried that she’ll stir things up around here. I expect we’ll see her again sooner than we want to.” “Let her.” Applejack tilted her hat. “I welcome a challenge.” They crept in the next room with their throwers out. After doing some creeping around, they saw a crate shake. “There’s something you don’t see every day.” Shini blinked. Ray aimed his thrower. “Hello? Who’s in there?” “Somebody who wants out is who.” Winston stated. Ray turned to Rowen. “Hey, cadet, get in here and clear this off please.” “Be ready for anything. Possessors can be very tricky.” Winston warned. “I’ll set my wand on low, just in case.” Rowen adjusted a nob before firing. Out came a middle-aged man in a black business suit. “Oh! Dr. Rutherford! Uh, Z, kids, meet the assistant curator of the museum.” Ray introduced. “Is that horrible terrible thing gone?” the man shivered. “Yeah. She’s gone.” Winston assured. “You alright, Dr. Rutherford?” Applejack asked. “I, uh, yes I suppose so. I’m a big fan. I even had you over for my daughter’s birthday a couple days ago.” “Is that so?” Ray grimaced before smiling. “Well, I think we can get you a stiker or button or mug or T-Shirt or something when we’re done here.” “Oh! That would be wonderful. Follow me… we’ll go through the restoration department.” Rutherford led the group to the elevator. But when the doors opened, the same ghost from before was inside. “There it is again! Don’t let it get me!” “Get behind me! She’ll have to go through me first!” Applejack stood between the ghost and Rutherford. “APPLEJACK! WAIT!” But Ray was too late. The ghost grabbed Applejack and went into her through a bright light. The cowgirl started floating and glowing while speaking gibberish. “Mwa ta natch calla worn ormon!!” “Applejack! What happened?” Shini gasped. “Possessor ghosts. It’s taken over AJ. I was trying to warn her before someone got possessed. Speaking from experience.” Ray admitted. “Can you help her?” Rutherford asked. “Only one way without hurting Applejack.” Winston aimed his thrower. “Hose her down!” Ray declared as they switched to Slime Blowers and sprayed Applejack. This was enough to free her from the ghost who they blasted with their proton streams. “I got her!” Rowen threw a trap and trapped the ghost in it. “Alright! You guys are really good!” Rutherford cheered. “Voila! That’s fusion based exorcism in a nutshell. Cleaner than someone’s head spinning around and barfing pea soup.” Winston grinned. “Is your friend okay?” Rutherford asked as Shini and Ray helped Applejack up. “You okay, Applejack?” Shini asked. “Huzza buzza. Huzza buzza? Bozza wazza shum.” Applejack muttered. “Yeah. She’ll be alright.” Ray assured. “If this place is possessed by possessors, we need to get to Peter and fast!” “And meet up with Donnie and Blade soon.” Winston added as they hurried in the elevator. Applejack was back to her senses and grumbled. “Nobody mention this to Rainbow Dash. She’ll never let me live this down.” “Trust me. I’ve been there.” Ray patted her shoulder before speaking to his walkie. “Venkman! We’ve found the curator. We’re on our way to the Gozer exhibit.” “Blade and I are in the museum. We’ll meet you there as well.” Donnie spoke. As they waited, Rutherford spoke to the group. “There’s so much to show you. Where to start? Things have been strange since they started setting up that exhibit.” Soon, the elevator opened up to reveal Peter waiting for them with his Proton Pack on. “Well, hello there.” “Dig it, Peter. We found a prossessor.” Winston grinned. “Don’t tell me Ray got possessed. Again.” Peter rolled his eyes. “Nope. Applejack.” Applejack fumed at first to Winston’s answer before sighing. “Well, I did say not to tell Rainbow Dash.” “I’m sensing a rivalry.” Peter teased. “She’ll have to go through me first. That’s exactly what she said.” Winston chuckled. “Just like a puppy. Every day’s a first day.” Peter grinned. “Hilarious.” Applejack deadpanned. “Don’t let it get you down, AJ. At least you weren’t possessed by a cruel Carpathian.” Ray smiled. “We better get going.” Rowen reminded as they headed to the exhibit. In the Gozer Exhibit, there were so many people in formal wear talking, laughing, etc. Among them, Walter Peck saw the Ghostbusters, Applejack, and Shini entering the exhibit and started making his way towards them. Applejack looked around the women in pretty dresses. “Pretty fancy. Rarity would’ve loved this.” “Definity.” Shini agreed as she picked up a kabob from a plate. “No, no, NO!” The group saw Peck walking up with a couple security guards. “I want the Ghostbusters ejected from the facility immediately!” “Where’s his honor, Pecker? We got news for him… and a photo op.” Peter grinned smugly. “The mayor is indisposed right now. Anything you need to tell him goes through me.” Peck stated. “Not happening, Peck-a-bee. This is for Jock and Jock alone. We will wait for him to get redisposal.” Peter spoke. While they were talking, no one saw Illyssa looking closely at a statue. It’s eyes glowed red as it seemed to possess her. “Security! Remove these men, and girls, with excessive force!” Peck ordered. “Uuh guys?” Everyone looked to where Ray pointed to see Illyssa levitating by the statue. There was a blinding light and sparks everywhere causing people to panic. “Why do the good ones play hard to get.” Peter deadpanned. Suddenly, more possessor ghost merged from the statue and began to possess some guests. “Not again!” groaned Applejack. The mayor walked in. “What in the heck is going on here!” Just then, Blade Swipe opened the door. “Everyone! Get to safety!” As the guests ran out the door, the Ghostbusters began sliming the possessed people. “They got Peck!” Winston saw Peck floating around speaking gibberish like Applejack did. “I never got him.” Peter shrugged as Rowen slimed him. As the last of guests evacuated, Blade called. “Donnie! Cost is clear!” Donnie ran it with Slimer next to him. “Okay. Help me get the traps in place!” As the others slimed the possessed people, Ray and Applejack focused on Peck until he was free and slimed. “Hurts, doesn’t it? Let it out.” Ray spoke. Peck glared at them. “I’ll see you all on Rikers island for this!” “You’re welcome!” Applejack growled as he stormed off. “Whoa! Take a break! Do you ever shut up?” Peter jived while Slimer blew a raspberry. “Lure them over here!” Donnie called to the group. They then began using their Proton Streams on the possessors before they could control more people. When they were in position, Donnie and Blade stepped on the pedals opening the traps. Slimer pressed one himself and trapped one too. Before long, all the possessors were captured. “That’s all of them. Now for Illyssa!” Blade stated. Everyone looked up to Illyssa who was still floating. Just before anyone could do anything, another ghost appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her and ran out of the room. “So, what now?” Rowen asked. “Okay, you guys go after Illyssa. Be careful. Shinigami and I will go to security.” Ray instructed. “I love this plan.” Peter gleamed. “I’ll man the security cameras to triangulate them on the monitors and talk you through.” Ray explained. “Good. I want a little payback.” Applejack held her thrower firmly. “See you both soon. Let’s go guys!” Winston led the group through the doors. “See you soon.” Shini waved. “Dr. Rutherford? If you’ll show us to security?” Peter, Winston, Donnie, Applejack, Blade, Rowen, and Slimer hurried in the next room which was an Mayan Aztec room. They saw Illyssa struggling to get free from the ghost. “Venkman! Get me down from here!” “That’s our cue!” Peter opened fire. “I doubt that fellas gonna do anything nice to her.” Applejack stated. They missed the ghost who ran off with Illyssa again. Suddenly, the mannequins began to move and run towards the group. “Mannequin ambush!” Donnie cried. “Don’t bother capturing them! Blast them into nothingness!” Winston instructed. They all blasted their way through the bunches of soldiers as they tried to hurry. “That was nowhere near fatal.” Peter sighed as they hurried to the next room. The next room looked like temple. They looked to see the ghost with Illyssa before he bolted again. “Hurry! Before they get away!” cried Winston before they saw more warriors charging at them.b“Let’s take it to the bridge!” “Did Winston just say ‘Take it to the bridge’? What exactly are you guys doing there?” Ray asked in his walkie. “Fewer funny jokes. More getting to the security cameras, please, Ray.” Donnie responded. As they blasted, Blade noticed one Manniquin look like he was giving orders. “That one is the leader! I'm going after him!” “Blade...” Winston could only watch as Blade Swipe raced across the room as the mannequins attacked. “He's either crazy or brave.” Peter mumbled. “Just shut up and cover him!” Donnie stated as he fired. As the others covered fire, Blade ran past the mannequins using his hockey stick to hit them. He made it to the leader and fought him one on one before charging his stick and destroyed it. “Get to the temple! The glowing one!” Winston led the group to Blade who sheathed his weapon. “Remember when I said he was crazy? Well, I lied.” Peter admitted. Applejack grabbed her walkie. “Stantz, Shini, any idea where they went?” “We haven’t made it to the security office yet! This place is really hopping!” Ray spoke in the radio. “Yeah. That’s a big 10-4.” Winston deadpanned. “Let’s go this way!” Rowen kicked a door opened and they all entered the next room. They heard the ghost laugh when more manniquins. “I’ve had enough!” Applejack put her claws on. “I know we’re dealing with ghost, but it’s time to show what ninjas can do.” Donnie pulled out his staff as Blade drew his sword and followed AJ as the three sliced and fought the manniquins tearing them apart. The Ghostbusters were surprised at the three’s progress. “Wow! They’re good.” Rowen admitted. “This could save us some trouble.” Winston added. “Go ninja! Go ninja! Go!” cheered Slimer. “Yeah, I gotta admit it. Maybe sticks and blades can fight the paranormal.” Peter shrugged. “Let’s save Dr. Seldwyn.” Donnie stated as they sheathed their weapons. As the group entered the next room, Peter looked at the displays. “Hittite. Mennonite. Phoenician. Babylonian. Assyrian. Mesopotamian. Sumerian.” “Ah he’s making it up.” Winston griped while Slimer chuckled. “Just one of those things. Ah, you pick this stuff up. You know, around the office.” Peter grinned. They soon came up to a gate that blocked their entrance to the next room. Just then, they heard Ray on the walkie. “Peter, come in.” “Hi honey. How was your day?” Peter teased. “Shinigami and I have reached the security office. This one is in shambles! It’s been sabotaged. Black slime all over the place. Only a few cameras are working.” Ray reported. “When you guys got a moment, could you open gate 3487?” Donnie asked. “Give me a minute.” “Found it.” Shini spoke as the gate lifted up. “Uh oh! We’re under attack! We’ll get back to you guys!” Ray gasped. “Ray, stay away from any posessors.” Winston warned before they heard gibberish. “Kazza gorba smotz chorzig glump!! Froga Froga!” “Dr. Stantz is unavailable right now. Give us a sec.” Shini chimed in. “Just go catch him, Shini. And keep Dr. Rutherford safe.” Winston advised. As the group entered an exhibit of the Civil War, Ray talked again on the walkie. “Okay, Shini got that possessor off me. We made it to a different security room. Shini says Rutherford hurried away to safety. Must’ve scared him away.” “You’re not pretty when possessed, Ray. Seriously.” Winston responded. “Uh uh.” Slimer shook his head. “We got you guys on the cameras. You’re coming up on the Civil War exhibit.” Shini reported. “Illyssa just passed through here.” “Okay we’re on it. Thanks.” Applejack responded. The group made their way to the other side of the room when the exit doors slammed shut. “Or not.” Blinked Rowen. “You know the difference between this exhibit and the other ones?” Winston grimaced. “The soldiers in this one have guns! Let’s just pass through here as quickly as we can, and…” “Uh Winston?” Slimer poked his shoulder. The group looked to see ghosts of civil war soldier appeared and started firing at each other. “Yeah. I didn’t think we could do it, either. I was just thinking happy thoughts, is all.” “I’m getting heavy interference on the monitors. Are you guys in trouble?” Ray asked. “Couldn’t have been the American Revolutionary, could it? Or the war of the Roses. Even the war on drugs! It just had to be this one.” Ranted Winston. “Hold that thought.” Donnie replied to Ray. “Maybe just a prop, but those barrels are marked explosive!” Peter pointed. “Well, I’m not gonna find out!” Applejack stated as she turned her pack on. As the others started blasting, Blade turned to Rowen. “Rowen, circle around to the right. I’ll take the right. And get your trap ready.” “Got it.” Rowen did as he was told as he and Blade snuck behind the soldiers’ fort. Both threw a couple traps underneath the distracted soldiers. “NOW!” on Blade’s mark, the two opened the traps and caught all the soldiers. “Let’s see them fellas fight it over in that trap!” Applejack stated. “Nice strategy there.” Winston grinned as they collected the traps. “Just a little maneuver I learned from soldier training.” Blade shrugged. “Yep. They took some casualties.” Peter grinned. “Now let’s get Illyssa.” Donnie stated. As they left the room, Ray spoke on the radio. “Okay, Shini and I made it to the security office. We see you guys on the cameras. No sign of Illyssa or her kidnappers though. Get this. In the early 1900s, the museum was run by a board of trustees. Powerful guys, tycoons, captains of industry. The chairman of the board was Cornelius Wellsley of International Steel. The museum was used by the board as a respectable front for all kinds of dubious activities. Mainly though, they were in a club run by our favorite evil architect.” “Ivo Shandor.” Shini added. “Right. They hired women from the St. Nicholas Rehabilitation Mission for Wayward Angels. Rumor has it, the board conducted all kinds of nasty rituals using these women.” “The more I hear about this Shandor guy, the more my skin crawls.” Applejack sneered. “We gotta find Illyssa and fast!” Donnie stated as they hurried. Soon they entered the Egyptian exhibit as Winston spoke. “Well, here we are. The Egypt exhibit. I practically lived here while I was working on my doctorate.” “I don’t know. I think of puzzles and children’s card games when it comes to Egypt.” Donni recalled. “Something I heard about from our recent friend Gill.” “There was less black slime then!” Everyone turned to see a puddle of black slime letting flaming skulls out. “Close the gap!” Donnie cried as they slimed the portal while Rowen and Peter blasted the skulls. “That was easy.” Applejack said before kicking the door open. “Uh, D? unless you remembered your cloak watch, you might want to cut back. Civilians.” “Oh.” Donnie wide-eyed, realizing he forgot his cloaking device. “We got this. Just stay behind me and Winston.” Peter instructed. Donnie hid behind the two as they entered the room to see civilians on the other side of the gate. “It’s okay, folks! Be calm. Everything’s under control!” Winston assured. “It’s the Ghostbusters!” a man gasped. “Ghosts! Get away! Get away!” They were being chased by more mannequins. Peter turned to Slimer. “Slimer! See if you can draw those guys away from those people.” “Me?!” Slimer blinked. “Just try to get them to us and we’ll trap them. Now go!” “Okay, Peter.” Slimer then phased through the gate and did as he was told. “Let’s go this way!” Donnie suggested as they entered another temple room. “Watch it!” Peter warned as the doors suddenly closed behind them. “Not another temple!” groaned Blade drawing his sword. “Of course. They trapped us inside with the ghosts.” Winston griped. “Wouldn’t it be nice to be locked on the outside for once every now and then?” “Sometimes, I wonder if you guys want to get out of doing your job instead of just doing it.” Applejack sighed as she got her claws and Donnie drew his staff. “Don’t think I ever said this and Leo isn’t here. Ninjas! Take’em down!” The three jumped down and fought off more Aztec mannequins and sliced them up into many pieces. Suddenly, more civil war ghosts appeared and tried to fire at the ninjas when Winston, Peter, and Rowen fired their streams at them. “You were saying?” Peter grinned at Applejack who responded by smiling and pulling out a trap and opening it sucking the ghosts in. Winston grabbed his walkie. “Ray, how do we get out of the Egypt exhibit? The main door is locked up tight.” “The Egyptian main room? Check the west wall. There should be a door leading through to the next exhibit.” Ray answered. The group hurried to the west wall only to see a wall as Donnie responded. “We’re at the West Wall, but we don’t see a door.” “Guys, remember what Dr. Spengler said. That ghosts can block up exits and the Slime Blowers can dissolve them.” Shini reminded. “Allow me!” Rowen fired his slime blower at the wall which dissolved into a door. “Nice work.” Winston thanked as they hurried out. The group hurried through a hallway when the lights suddenly shut off and turned on again a second later. “That was creepy.” Donnie muttered. Applejack looked around to notice someone was missing. “Wait! Where’s Venkman?” “Where did Peter go now?” Winston wondered. They were about to head to a turn when- “Nyahhahaha!” “Hi, Venkman.” Applejack was unfazed by Peter’s scare. Peter huffed. “Scooter, we have to go. Let’s roll!” “We better hurry. Slimer might need out help.” Blade feared. They hurried through more exhibits before arriving to another close gate. On the other side, Ray and Shini hurried to them. “Hey guys! Did you find Illyssa?” Shini greeted. “Not yet, but according to this PKE Meter, we’re close!” Donnie assured. “Her kidnapper must have taken back to the Gozer Exhibit.” Ray guessed as he opened the gate for them. “We gotta find Slimer too!” Rowen gasped. “He was distracting a couple ghosts that were chasing the guests!” “All token care of.” The group turned to see Slimer with Gamer and Egon running up to them. Gamer held up a trap. “We got them right here.” “Glad you could make it.” Applejack greeted. “I had to hurry over to tell you guys my discovery.” Egon said before looking around. “Where’s Venkman?” “I saw him go in the Gozer exhibit. Let’s go!” Rowen pointed as they hurried to the Gozer Exhibit. As it turned out, Peter was helping Illyssa up who was regaining consciousness. “What a nightmare.” She sighed. “Thank you. Not the words a rescuing hero wants to hear from his damsel in distress. May I say your eyes are much prettier when they’re not glowing like hot coals.” Illyssa smiled at Peter’s banter as the two leaned close to each other. Just then, the rest of the ghost busting group hurried in as Egon spoke. “Peter! I made an extraordinary frightening discovery!” “Why won’t you all go away!” Peter pouted unaware he accidently dropped Illyssa. “Romance is over! Just listen to what Dr. Spengler discovered!” Gamer declared. “All my data indicates that the Ghostworld is beginning to push through multiple cross portals from their dimension into ours!” Egon explained. “If that’s true, then they might find a way to our dimension or even one of our friends’ dimensions!” Donnie realized. “We can’t let that happened!” Applejack stated. Peter responded by tucking his belt. “Well, more overtime.” “Guys! Look!” Everyone looked to where Winston and Blade were looking at to see the symbol from before. “The nodes are glowing!” Blade noted as Egon looked at it. “Just like the other one. These nodes might indicate the locations of the cross portals to the Ghostworld.” “And that one’s black because we shut it down at the library.” Ray added. “So we shut down the rest. It’s a poodle walk, right?” Peter guessed. “First we gotta find them.” Shini reminded. “Uh fellas. There’s only one light out there.” Winston pointed. “So if the place is depicted on that symbol too…” “Then the museum is still active!” Applejack realized. “Stay sharp!” Suddenly merging from a puddle of black slime was the ghost who ran off with Illyssa. Everyone looked in shock as he glowed before combining with the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex covering it in black slime. “Holy Chalupa!” Donnie gasped. “Definitely a final boss.” Gamer gulped. “When I was a kid, I dreamed of fighting a T-Rex.” Ray reminisced. “Of course, it had skin and bones and was alive I only had a club, but with lemons we make lemonade.” “Yum! Yum!” Slimer salivated. “You have a weird way of making lemonade, Ray.” Blade said. “This is where we earn our paycheck.” Winston stated. “And this is where we realize we’re not being paid enough.” “Least you’re getting paid.” Shini deadpanned as the T-Rex roared at the group. Peter turned to Shini. “Shini, you and Slimer get Illyssa out of here before Dino hits on her again!” Shini led Illyssa out of harm’s way as Slimer hid underneath her hat. “He’s covered in black slime! What now?” Gamer asked. “Rowen, Applejack, and I will hit it with slime while the rest of you blast it!” Donnie suggested. “It’s our best strategy!” Egon agreed. “Hose’em!” Applejack cried as she, Rowen, and Donnie all slimed the T-Rex. After a little sliming, the dino was exposed. “Now we got him! Everyone! Wrangle the nod on his head and slam that sucker to the ground before he breaks loose!” Winston cried as the others fired their proton streams. Blade then charged electricity through his blaster intensifying his beam like before. This was enough to tear the skeleton apart, but the head floated back up and recovered in black slime. “This is gonna be harder than I thought.” He sweated. “Man, you can’t tell me these went quietly during extinction!” Winston huffed. “You just don’t see this kind of fight anymore!” “Triceratons were bad enough! I’d hate to face anymore dinosaurs after this!” Donnie mentioned as he slimed the head. “Why couldn’t the black slime make its way to a pillow factory? It always has to be something that has huge dangerous inanimate objects in it.” Ray wondered. “Just lucky is my guess.” Gamer guessed as he ran past Ray. “He’s loosing black slime! Keep sliming him!” Applejack cried. “Gotta time it just right.” Blade concentrated his electric attack through his proton pack which Egon noticed. “Blade! What are you doing?” “Trying to end this with one blow.” Blade answered. Egon saw the intense lightning on Blade and looked concerned. “Hmmm.” “The black slime’s off! Hit it with everything you got!” Rowen cried. Everyone shot their streams at the T-Rex’s head. As it roared, Blade yelled as he fired a huge blast at the head. This was enough to drive the ghost out of it as it disintegrated. “Our own little Jurassic playground.” Winston joked. “Just need to choose a good name to avoid copyright.” Gamer added. “Look! The nods shut down!” Donnie pointed to the symbol as a nod went black. “We did it!” Everyone looked to see Walter Peck with a little slime on his suit stormed up and he was not happy at all. “This is the final straw! I should’ve shuttered you fraudulent gangsters forever when I had the chance! You and your teenage cohorts! You know what? I’m going to put an end to this madness now! Right now! I’m shutting down your containment grid for good! You can kiss off a permanent liscense, not to mention any chance of more government contracts. You did this to me, and you’re going to pay!” Gamer angrily shook before Applejack grabbed him shaking her head no. “You’re welcome, you Peck!” Ray taunted. “Alright, that’s it! That’s it, you’re done, smart guys! You are done, you smart cool guys! I have the authority and I’m going to shut you and your phony containment grid down NOW! The whole city will have to pay for your shenanigans. The WHOLE city!” Peck rambled on, unaware of Egon scanning him with his PKE Meter behind him. “What? But that shuts you down too.” Peter raised his brow. “Ya might wanna think twice.” Applejack warned. But Peck ignored her. “Then so be it! I have bigger fish to fry.” He then heard Egon’s meter and snapped. “AND GET HIM OFF ME!” Egon backed up as Peck stormed off. He then turned to Peter. “I think we need to keep an eye on him.” “Ya think?” retorted Peter. “No, I mean we really need to keep an eye on him.” Egon stated. “I’m surprised he didn’t say anything about Donnie.” Rowen pointed. “Probably too angry to notice.” Donnie shrugged. As Shini and Illyssa joined the group with Slimer, Peter then noticed something. “Hey, Blade doesn’t look so good.” Everyone looked to see Blade Swipe staggering before collapsing. “BLADE!” the group cried as they hurried to him. “Get his pack off!” Ray cried as he and Peter took off Blade’s pack. “Is he all right?” Illyssa worried. Gamer analyzed him with his goggles. “It looks like he’s just drained.” “He must’ve used a lot of energy fighting that T-Rex!” Donnie theorized. “We better get him back to my lab right away.” Egon stated. “Applejack, help me get him in Ecto-1!” Winston cried. “Right!” Applejack hurried to help Winston lift Blade up. “Blade. Hold on.” To Blade, everything was blurry as he faded out. To Be Continued Author's Note Here's our next page from Tobin's: Tyrannosaurus Rex Skeleton Category: Class 7 Hybrid Conglomerate Abilities: Black Slime Composition, Bite Attack, Tail Swipe I've referenced smaller conglomerations elsewhere in this tome, beings composed of a small collective of objects drawn together by some common drive. On the larger end of the scale are mass inhabitation conglomerates. These much larger collections are composed of objects being actively possessed by a specter of high consciousness. These manifestations actively work in tandem to simulate the actions of a much larger being. This is usually a defensive measure, though it can also have a great utility. Notes: I thought I'd have Applejack possessed instead of Ray because I could see AJ getting possessed because of her stubbornness. It was Darth Wrex's idea to go with the T-Rex from the Wii version instead of the Chairman in the Xbox/PS version. It works. -Don't worry. Blade will be fine. and I think that's it. Next time: The Mandala! The MandalaBlade Swipe woke up to find himself strapped to an operating table. He was a regular pony as he struggled to get free. He saw a couple Kraang droids marching up to him before Kraang Subprime walked. “This is Project E?” he glared at Blade. “Affirmative, Kraang Subprime.” A Kraang droid answered. “According to our research, Project E is from that which is known as Equestria.” “That world where Kraang Prime got booted out of?” Subprime pondered. “Hmm. This could be useful to Kraang. I will talk to Kraang Prime when he returns to the Digital World. Inject the mutagen in him.” As Subprime left, the Kraang Droid turned to the other droid. “Kraang, inject mutagen in that which is known as Project E.” The Kraang Droid nodded and threw a lever. A claw with a syringe went to a mutagen tank and filled with mutagen. Blade struggled in his straps as the syringe drew closer to him. “No! No! NOOOOOO!” But his efforts were in vain as the syringe injected in him. Blade hollered in pain as the mutagen went into his body. The Kraang droids watched as Blade’s shadow showed fingers growing out of his front hooves. “Restrain him!” The Kraang droids grabbed Blade by his new arm as he still screamed in pain. A Kraang droid leaned closer to him. “Blade! Blade, Wake up!” “Blade! It’s okay!” Blade Swipe woke up to see he was in the firehouse, sweating from the memory he had with the Kraang in his dream. Blade Swipe panicked when Ray came up with a washcloth and struggled it out of his hands. He looked to see the other Ghostbusters, Illyssa, and his friends looking at him as he laid on a bed. “Easy, your safe. I was just going to clean the sweat off your forehead.” Ray coaxed. Blade touched his forehead and found he was sweating. “Sorry, Ray.” “You okay, partner?” Applejack asked. “Just... A bad memory.” Blade panted. “Where are my weapons?” “We took them off so you can rest. Egon and I ran some test and found you used a lot of energy on that Black Slime T-Rex.” Donnie explained. “Starting to wish Mikey was here to name these things.” Shini mumbled. “You should be careful how much lightning you fire, Blade. The particle throwers must’ve drained you more than usual.” Egon warned. “Sorry. Just wanted to help.” Blade sighed. “Anyway, we think you should rest for a bit.” Donnie advised. Blade Swipe wanted to argue, but he felt like his bones were lead. “Okay, I think your right.” “Already ordered a pizza for you. Whole thing is yours.” Ray smiled. “Thanks, Ray.” Blade thanked before Slimer came up with a cold Root Beer for him. “Thanks.” “Welcome.” The green ghost chuckled. “You guys are real heroes.” Illyssa complimented. “Kinda routine. As usual, I led the charge.” Peter boasted. “We’re fired heroes. Peck’s gonna pull our liscense.” Ray sighed. “Maybe we can bring Karai and my brother over to teach him a lesson.” Gamer spoke. “Just an option.” “Let’s keep from doing something rash, Games.” Shini rubbed his head. “Get real, guys. It’s the holidays. Nobody in this town is gonna be around to pull our license until Monday! We got a whole weekend to stop this calamity and probably half a dozen others, save the city. We got a four day weekend! We got time to ourselves!” “Then we better make it count.” Donnie got up. “We better figure out that constellation.” “I’ll help Rowen empty the traps.” Applejack volunteered. Janine spoke up. “Dr. Venkman, if they start evacuating Manhattan, I won’t be coming in on Monday. Catastrophic exodus of the city does not count as a floating holiday. I know, I looked it up.” Later, everyone was lounging in the garage while Ray was in the office studying the symbol while Gamer was trying to help. “What does this symbol mean?” Ray wondered. “Beats the heck outta me.” Gamer pondered. As he walked in, Winston noticed something. “Uh guys?” Everyone gathered around as he placed the symbol over the map of New York. “Perfect fit.” The way he had it, the nods of the constellation matched the locations of their past missions. “Of course!” Donnie wowed. “Impressive.” Shini smiled. Ray awed at this discovery. “It’s not a constellation. It’s a mandala!” “Come again?” Applejack asked. “I can’t believe I never saw it before.” Illyssa blinked. “Ok, for one minute could we pretend no one here knows what a mandala is.” Peter spoke. “I don’t.” Gamer raised his hand before Peter shushed him. “A mandala is like a spiritual labyrinth.” Egon spoke. “It looks like this is like a spiraling system that feeds the nodes along the line until it reaches a culmination point.” Shini studied the symbol. “Before he died, Shandor must have set some mechanism in place similar to the antenna in Dana’s building.” Ray guessed. “I think you helped to make that clearer.” Peter mumbled. “So, this was the gizmo that’s supposed to feed energy for the destructor form?” “That’s… that’s right Peter!” Ray exclaimed. “Well, Dr. Venkman.” Illyssa smiled. “Well, I had to get one right eventually, didn’t I? I mean, it’s just math.” “So those places we fought those ghosts are its batteries. Impressive.” Applejack shrugged. “Okay I’m just speculating, but it’s possible Ghosts are trapped in the system, funneled from node to node, and they get stronger and stronger, until they reach the end, and then they…” Ray then interrupted Egon’s theory. “Look, the first portal… the library. The second… the Museum. The third… the Sedgewick.” “Wait. Why didn’t we see the symbol when we were at the Sedgewick?” Gamer wondered. “Maybe it wasn’t active yet.” Guessed Donnie. “Probably. The Sloth Ghost was an escaped ghost while the fisherman ghost wasn’t a big enough threat.” Egon then looked the map. “And that means the fourth portal must be… right… here.” “The middle of the Hudson?” Winston raised his brow. “Well, according to the mandala, yes.” Ray confirmed. “It might need a little tweaking.” Egon shrugged. “I don’t know, plenty of bodies in that rivers could become ghosts.” Peter mentioned. “Ain’t it polluted as well?” Gamer asked. “That too.” “But what does this have to do with me? What did I do?” Illyssa wondered. “You were at the museum and the Sedgewick.” Ray recalled. “Maybe you were some sort of catalyst… accidentally setting things in motion.” Egon guessed. “You’re saying this is my fault?” Illyssa worried before Peter stood up. “You are blameless! What Egon meant to say was that you have some sort of connection to this thing and we’re gonna go back to the Sedgewick and find out what. Isn’t that right, Brainiac?” “That’s right, Peter.” Egon nodded. “You could’ve just been at the wrong place at the wrong time.” Everyone looked at Gamer. “I’ve been watching horror movies lately.” “With or without Sweetie Belle?” snickered Shini while Gamer blushed. “WILL EVERYONE JUST DROP IT! WE’RE JUST FRIENDS!” “What’s what they all say.” Peter whispered. “What Games is trying to say is that we don’t think know what to suspect until we get more proof.” Donnie translated. “Do you remember where you were going when you were at the Sedgewick?” Applejack asked. “I was standing outside a room… 1221. Something was compelling me to go in, but I woke up just before the door opened. I ran out of there as fast as I could. And then some jerk tried to pick me up on the elevator.” “I wonder who?” Applejack looked at Peter. Peter ignored her and turned to Illyssa. “Okay, you need to stay here where it’s safe and where you can’t set off any more cross dimensional shockwaves, hot stuff. Here, read up on the mandala, and the boys will take the kids and check out the Sedgewick.” “The boys? And what about you, superstar?” asked Winston. “I’m gonna have you drop me off near Peck’s office. Something tells me he’s not quite what he seems.” “Good idea. Meet us at the hotel when you’re done.” Ray then turned to Slimer. “Slimer, you stay here and take care of Blade as he recovers.” “You got it, Ray!” Slimer saluted. “And no trying to mooch Blade's pizza when it gets here!” Peter declared. “I'd never!” Slimer grumbled before Ray whispered in his ear. “There's an extra double pepperoni stuffed crust in the order with your name on it for being a big help lately.” “Yum! Yum! Thanks, Ray!” The green ghost licked his lips. “Alright! Let’s move out!” Egon said as they all got in Ecto-1. “Bye bye!” Slimer waved as they drove off. “I guess I better go tell Blade about the mandala before studying more.” Illyssa said before walking upstairs. To Be Continued Author's Note Here's our next page from Tobin's: Possessor Ghost Class: Class VII Wandering Possessor Type: Ghost (must trap) Behaviors: Attack: Range Weakness: Proton Stream Daze Duration: Moderate Trap Resistance: Medium Special: Possess Bystanders Mrs. Myrnick, a pragmatist with vision, opened the St. Nicholas Rehabilitation Mission for Wayward Angels. The mission took "fallen" and destitute women off the mean streets and cleaned them up, gave them hope, and trained them for "new" careers. St Nick's provided its desirable charges to many gentleman's club events, fraternity parties, and business conventions that occurred around the city on a regular basis, in exchange for considerable donations. Shrewd Mrs. Myrnick could always spot an opportunity and knew that her "customers" could not afford to let word of their excesses get around: These were highly respected and upstanding men in the community, after all. She told them she was willing to remain discreet, for a sizable donation. Unfortunately, Mrs. Myrnick failed to realize the lengths some would go to preserve their reputation and one night, a gang of Pinkertons paid a visit to St. Nick's. Mrs. Myrnick's ghost (and those of her charges) has appeared in many fine establishments and hotels since 1923, but they tend to favor the Natural History Museum. Contact Protocol: On their own, Possessor Ghosts aren't that much different than other spooks. Their ranged attacks, however, are far more powerful than most enemies. Take Possessor Ghosts down like would the Beauty Queen Ghosts. Force them out of their human hosts with your Slime Blower, then zap, cap, and trap! Notes: Darth Wrex suggested we'd have Blade Swipe have nightmares of his mutation. I guess it fits. Blade Swipe will be back in the final node mission. I wanted Gamer to point out about the pollution of the Hudson River, but I've read it's gotten better. if possible. I might have Blade to know about mandalas through the Dark Codex. Might save it for Shandor Island and I think that's it. Next time: Return to Sedgewick! Return to SedgewickAfter dropping Peter off near Peck’s office and Blade resting at the firehouse, the others drove up back to the Sedgewick Hotel. As they dismounted from Ecto-1, the group noticed things were quiet at the hotel. The lights were off and there were no people. “Pretty quiet here.” Donnie said as he turned on his cloak. “Eyup.” Applejack nodded as she put on her pack. “If this place were anymore dead, we’d need a coroner.” Winston whistled. “Egon used to be a licensed coroner.” Ray mentioned. “Really now?” Shini raised her brow. “Just a hobby now.” Egon waved off. They all walked up to the door to see a notice on it as Winston read it out loud. “Closed until further notice by the Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission.” “PCOC!” Ray snarled. Donnie read over Winston’s shoulder. “Entrance into this establishment is strictly forbidden and is punishable by fine and imprisonment.” “What now?” Egon asked. “We could ninja our way in.” Gamer suggested. “This notice is for the general public. It doesn’t imply to us! We’re bonded contractors for the city!” protested Ray before Winston pointed to the last sentence on the notice. “Especially the Ghostbusters.” Suddenly, the paper got shredded up while the group saw Applejack with her claw out. “Anyone see a notice now?” “Alright. We’ll melt our way in!” Ray pulled out his thrower. “Uh Dr. Stantz?” Everyone saw Gamer opening the door revealing it was unlocked. Ray looked a little put off as the group entered the hotel. Egon looked at his PKE Meter and pondered. “Hmm. This is disappointing.” “No. disappointing is the Jets losing in the last two minutes.” “Or in my brother’s case, the Huskers.” Gamer popped up before letting Winston continued. “Not being covered in slime by phantom ghouls out to kill us… doesn’t exactly make me reach for a hanky. Why’d they shut down? You guys didn’t bang the place up that bad last time we were here.” “I hope not.” Shini shrugged. “If this place really is a mandala node, a few burnt walls and broken ceilings are the last thing anybody’s…” Egon interrupted Ray. “And smashed furniture, broken chandeliers, destroyed paintings, shattered vases, probably some minor structural damage.” “And a ruined bar mitzvah.” Gamer added as Shini chuckled. “Thanks, Egon and Gamer. The point is there’s more to worry about here than some minor cosmetic issues.” Ray finished. “Definitely a mandala node.” Donnie agreed. “If we don’t shut down Shandor’s Mandala soon, most of Manhattan will be as vacant as this. Not to mention also becoming a bastion of absolute, mind-numbing horror for centuries to come!” Winston frowned at Ray’s conclusion. “Hey! I definitely don’t lay out two grand a month for a 600 square foot walk-up to live in a bastion. Let’s get to work.” They pulled out their throwers while Gamer pulled out a spare PKE meter along with Egon. As they entered the lobby, they saw shadowy figures roaming around. “It’s an ambush! Get’em hot!” Suddenly, Egon stopped Winston from firing. “Wait a minute! I don’t think they’re a threat. They may only be residual hauntings.” “Come again?” Applejack raised a brow. “They haven’t crossed entirely into this dimension. They’re just psychokinetic echoes. Ghosts of ghosts. Completely harmless.” “Great. I was hoping to meet a friendly ghost some day, but I’ll settle for harmless now.” Winston figured. “I’m getting a strong valence spike higher up in the building.” Gamer spoke up. “Illyssa said she was called to the twelve floor.” Donnie recalled. “Let’s start there!” Ray said. They hurried to the elevators. Applejack pushed the button, but nothing happened. “Power must be out.” “They’d have shut down the power when they closed.” Ray deadpanned. “Can we take the stairs?” Winston suggested. “Not after the last time we tried that.” Rowen shook his head recalling when the fisherman ghost damaged the stairs last time. “Yeah I forgot you weren’t with us last time, Winston. So no stairs, no elevator…” Ray suddenly heard something. “You guys hear something?” Everyone listened before hurrying to a pair of doors as Ray perked up. “I think we’re dealing with a level five anchored ambusher! Be careful.” “It went into the stairwell. We got it cornered!” Applejack stated. “Help!” they heard a woman’s voice cry. “This is just how a level five Anchored Ambusher lures you in!” Ray warned. “Then let’s ambush it.” Shini grinned. The group prepared their weapons before Donnie pulled the door open and the group stood face to face with… “The manager? What are you doing here?” Ray gasped. Sure enough, it was the hotel manager from last time in the corner whimpering. “Ghosts. Monsters. Everywhere!” “There was another voice. A woman screamed. Are you alone here?” Winston asked. “Look, I just said ‘Ghosts and monsters everywhere’. Does that sound like I’m alone?” The manager huffed. “He meant people, sir.” Applejack clarified. “Then, yes. I think so.” Suddenly, the manager screamed sounding like a woman. “Guess that explains that.” Gamer muttered. “Sir, there’s no need to fear. These are just shadows, echoes of actual ghosts. They won’t hurt you.” Egon assured. “Come with us, sir. We can lead you to safety.” Winston offered. The group led the manger out back to the lobby when Rowen noticed something. “Uh guys?” he pointed to the elevators. The group saw a middle-aged woman with black hair and wearing a red dress. She held a knife behind her back as she led a man to the elevator and the two fazed through into the elevator. The manager looked freaked out. “Good lord!” “Someone you know?” Applejack asked. “I do not know. Most of the old staff knows about the story about the Spider Witch, a professional widow who did unimaginable things in a room on the 12th floor in the 1920s.” Gamer began to shiver quietly as Egon asked the manager. “What’re you still doing here? Why didn’t you evacuate with everyone else?” “I came back last night to retrieve some payroll records, but the hotel won’t let me out! The doors shut on me! And the phones are down too.” “That means we’re trapped now too. And we have to hope that Peter finds out we’re missing? There goes our weekend.” Winston rolled his eyes. “We could try to ninja our way out.” Applejack suggested. “Don’t think that’ll be necessary.” Donnie pointed. Egon nodded. “Donatello is correct. The 12th floor is apparently the core of the node. If we can get the power back on, we can use the elevators.” “If the elevators don’t eat us.” Winston pointed. “Right. If the elevators don’t eat us.” Egon agreed. “Really?” Applejack deadpanned. Donnie turned to the manager. “Where are the circuit breakers for this place? We don’t have a lot of time.” The manager pondered. “Uh… breakers. They’re in my office. But the city came and turned off most of our power after the electrical fire on the third floor. There’s no way to turn it back on from here.” “That’s inconvenient.” Egon sighed. “We got to find someway to get the elevators moving.” Winston stated. “There’s a backup generator in the utility room off the kitchen. It’s for emergency blackouts.” “Worth a try. Let’s go!” Gamer said as they hurried to the kitchen. Suddenly, some of the echoes began to attack the group. “Watch out!” Ray cried as they all shock blasted them. “I thought these guys couldn’t hurt us!” Rowen cried. Egon pondered. “I guess some of them apparently fulminate to this plane. It doesn’t seem like they’re happy about it.” “Betcha Shandor bent some laws of nature to mess with us.” Gamer panted. “Right. Let’s find that generator!” Winston said as they hurried. The manager screamed as he saw his shadow and fainted. “Probably for the best.” Shini shrugged as they hurried into the kitchen. “Alright. Spread out. The utility room should be around here somewhere.” Ray advised as they looked around. “No doubt in a dark, scary corner.” Donnie added. “I’ve said it before but be careful. I don’t think we’re alone.” Egon warned. Applejack looked to see the kitchen was a mess. “Uh Shini, did you, Games, Rowen, and Venkman do all this when you went after that there Sloth Ghost?” “It was more the ballroom. Slimer mostly pigged out in here.” Shini grinned. “This is definitely the work of something big.” Ray gulped. “Big? As in ‘Big-big’?” Winston wondered. “Mm hm. At the very least. Maybe even bigger.” Winston blinked at Ray’s statement. “That’s very big.” “I think I found it!” Everyone saw Gamer opened a door. “Look! Gamer found the emergency generator!” Ray said as they entered the room which was filled with water. “Look for a switch or something to turn it on.” Winston spoke. “I got it.” Rowen walked in and flipped the switch which caused the generator to hum. “Ah! Sweet music.” Ray smiled. Suddenly, a headlight fell into the water electrocuting it. “I’d recommend not stepping in that water!” warned Egon. “Let me try something.” Donnie activated his medallion to transform and used the lightning to remove the light and un electrocute the water long enough for Rowen to hurry back across. “Thanks, Donnie.” He thanked. “That’s pretty cool, Donnie!” Ray wowed. “And this is the power of that medallion you told us about?” “Yep. From the apprentices of Clover the Clever from Equestria.” Donnie held up his medallion to show Ray and Egon. “Fascinating.” Egon grinned as Donnie powered back down. “The elevators should be working. Unless… never mind. Let’s get back to the lobby.” They all left the kitchen to find the manager was awake and waiting for them. “Thank heavens you’re here!” Egon looked at his meter. “Okay, it looks like the psycho-mass has come to rest about 190 feet above our heads.” “The 13th floor.” Ray recalled. “This hotel has no thirteenth floor. None of the grand hotels do.” The manager protested. “Yeah, what gives with that? You guys superstitious or something?” Gamer wondered. “Never mind that. We’ll split the difference! Egon, take Rowen, Donnie, and Gamer go to the 12th floor. Winston and I will go with AJ and Shinigami and check out the 14th.” Ray instructed before turning to the manager. “Sir, if you’ll please come with us.” “Alright but stay in contact. This place is extraordinary dangerous.” Warned Egon. The groups splitted into their assigned groups and went into one of the elevators that were now working again. As Egon’s group rode the elevator, they Winston on the walkie. “Egon, what were you saying earlier about the mandala node?” “You mean why we keep seeing new ghosts?” Egon responded. “Okay, think of the mandala as a city bus line. At the bus station, ghosts, or waiting passengers, are drawn into the system here and trapped. This concentrates their PK energy which is then eventually forced through to the next node, or station, and so on, until it all ends at final terminus. At each successive bus station, the station manager absorbs some of that energy. This makes the station manager, or Node Guardian, stronger so that it can keep the ghosts in line and destroy anyone who comes to the station to interfere with the flow. These nodes or bus stations gather the power used to feed a central point thus creating a much bigger threat to our world. Does that make more sense now?” “TTTC. Totally Trapped Transit Company.” Winston responded. “Yeah you were going strong until the passengers got trapped inside the bus station.” Ray spoke. “Made sense to me.” Applejack spoke next. “What? Sounds like something in a movie my sister told me about!” “When is my performance review again? I deserve more stock options.” Winston muttered. “Really? We’re trying to prevent the end of the world and you’re thinking about money?” Applejack began to argue. “Knock it off.” Shini spoke next. Suddenly, things went dark surprising Egon’s group as they saw the Spider Witch with the male ghost from earlier. They didn’t seem to notice the group as the male spoke to her. “I say, young lady, you’re full of surprises. Well, After you.” As they left, the lights went back on as the group looked shock at what they saw. “Well, that was terrifying.” Egon spoke. “So glad I went back at the firehouse.” Gamer gulped. “I nearly wet my shell.” Donnie muttered. “Be extremely careful, all of you. This is likely to be a point of dangerous concentration.” Egon warned as the elevator doors opened to the 12th floor. As they got out and looked around, Egon pulled out his PKE Meter. “Odd. It’s coming from everywhere and nowhere. Impossible to get a significant fix.” “That can’t be good.” Rowen mumbled as Egon grabbed his radio. “Ray, come in. are you there?” “Egon! What happened? We lost you for a minute. Shini has been trying to get Applejack and Winston to stop arguing.” Ray responded. “We had a close contact.” Egon responded as they continued to walk. “Anyway, I’ve got some more information on the Spider Witch ghost. The manager says the authorities never found her, but…” “The bodies were hung from the ceiling! They were drained of blood and dragged around!” The manager chimed in. “He said the victims were found in a pretty bad state.” Ray briefed. “We get it, Stantz!” Gamer griped trying to hide his sweat unaware Rowen noticed. But he kept trembling as the Manager went on. “The walls were painted in blood! Furniture was half chewed and crushed and piled in a corner like a big nest!” “She seemed to have vandalized the room badly, too!” Ray said. “Hmm. I don’t want to be hung from the ceiling and drained of blood.” Egon pondered. “Me neither.” Agreed Donnie. “Who would?” teased Rowen. “I’ll tell you this: I do NOT want to be found in a bad state… or vandalized.” Winston spoke in the walkie. “I think that statement is unanimous.” Ray spoke. “WILL YOU GUYS JUST SHUT UP!” The three stopped to see Gamer trembling realizing his outburst, falling to his knees, and began to cry. “I should’ve stayed with Blade!” “Whoa! Whoa! Easy there, little buddy.” Rowen patted his back. “You okay, Gamer?” Donnie worried. “Remember when we fought Spider Bytz in Anaheim? And when he bit Bro mutating him into that Shine Spider Mikey called him?” Donnie nodded as Gamer lifted his ski goggles to show his teary eyes. “Even though we cured him, I still have nightmares to that experience that I can’t even look at spiders the same! One night, I had a nightmare so bad I screamed in my sleep that Tony ran into my room and hugged me to wake me up. I…I should go back to Ecto-1.” Egon responded by kneeling down and placed his hand on Gamer’s shoulder. “Gamer, I know how you feel.” Gamer looked up as Egon continued. “When I was a child, I was being scared many times by one of our now greatest enemies. The Boogieman.” “THE Boogieman?” Rowen wowed. “Yes. After being scared multiple times, I began reading about the paranormal and supernatural. I wanted to find a way to stop him. You could say it was why I became a Ghostbuster. One day, we did face him. Of course, we couldn’t trap him because he’s not a ghost, so we used a prototype ghost bomb to seal his dimension away, so he won’t scare anyone again. Or so we thought. A year later, I fell off a skyscraper from the roof during a mission. Luckily, Winston saved me, but I acted unfazed when I was scared from the fall. The late-night movie didn’t help either. Somehow, my fear drew the Boogieman to us and free from his realm. He was bent on having revenge on us. I was able to adjust our particle throwers to zap the Boogieman long enough to trap him. We followed him to an amusement park only to get ensnared into his trap. Slimer got the Junior Ghostbusters to rescue us, but the Boogieman wasn’t scared. I had to break free and save the kids. That was enough for me to overcome my fear and trap the Boogieman. After that, I learned to admit my fear instead of suppressing it.” “The point is, Gamer, that it’s okay to be afraid, but you can’t let it stop you from doing what’s right.” Egon concluded. “And remember, we’re here for ya as well.” Donnie promised. Gamer took a few deep breaths before standing up. “Let’s go squash some spiders.” “That’s the spirit!” Donnie opened the door when they were startled to see a creature the size of a horse crawling away. “Okay that was creepy.” Egon grabbed his walkie. “Ray, come in.” “Egon, what’s up?” Ray answered. “What was the Spider Witch’s room number?” “1221. After her spree, it was locked up. Until five years ago when we remodeled.” The manager explained. “Here that? Room 1221. I think that…Hey!” Ray cried realizing what the manager meant. “You three ready?” Egon checked before they walked in and down the hallway. They turned the corner to see the hallway was webbed up. “Well, this looks inviting.” Donnie turned to Gamer. “You’re sure you’re up for this?” “I have to, D. It’s the only way to stop the Mandala.” Gamer shook off as much fear as he could before they continued. “Oh, greet our visitors!” a woman’s voice echoed as the egg sacks hatched into these demonic crawlers which crawled towards the four. “We’re not alone.” Egon deadpanned. “Full stream Now!” The four blasted the spider crawlers which imploded on impact. As they marched forward, more egg sacks opened with more spider crawlers which they managed to repel as they heard the woman’s voice again. “The Chairman sends the little spirits to me. They love me. They make me strong.” “Creepy.” Donnie whispered. “This floor is undergoing significant metamorphosis.” Egon observed. “I’d say that is a fact.” Gamer agreed. “Ghostworld is aggressively encroaching on ours.” “It’s not even utilizing a portal! This is very bad!” Donnie added. “Everyone stay together.” Egon warned as they pressed forward. Just then, they heard a male’s voice. “My ankles? Goodness, we hardly know each other. No, I… Who…what are you? No…! Help! No please! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!” “Well, he’s dead.” Gamer mumbled. Egon looked worried. “It’s the Ghostworld crossing through! Happening sooner than we expected! It looks like this is where the node is focused! We could use some help!” he quickly grabbed his radio. “Ray, are you there? Come in Ray!” “Applejack! Shinigami!” Donnie spoke in his T-Phone. Gamer looked at his gauntlet. “Signal lost.” “Looks like it’s up to us! Let’s find 1221 and finish this!” Egon concluded. “Sooner the better.” Rowen said as they went forward. “Come. Play with my friends.” The woman spoke as more spider crawlers hatched. The four kept blasting them to keep going forward. “Oh, you’ve come to play games? Oh, I know lots of games.” “Any of them Go Fish?” Everyone looked at Gamer. “What?” After blasting the rest of the spider crawlers, Donnie looked at the room numbers. “1220. 1222. No 1221.” “Really? Did they take it down?” Gamer deadpanned. “It has to be here! Search for 1221.” Egon said. “I got something!” Rowen held up his meter. “I’ve seen this happened at the museum! Watch this!” He then slimed a wall which revealed a door between the rooms. “That’s 1221! You found it!” Donnie cheered. “Way to go, Rowen!” Gamer fist bumped Rowen. “Good thinking! It was here all along.” Egon smiled. “You’re definitely thinking like a ghostbuster.” They entered the room to see the room webbed like the hallway. Gamer looked into the next room. “Looks like we go this way.” “I don’t like the looks of this, but we’ve run out of options. Let’s go.” Egon said as they entered a foggy room. “Come to me, little man.” The woman’s voice echoed. “I’m a minor, toots.” Gamer deadpanned before Donnie shushed him. They entered what appeared to be a webbed cavern. Egon and Donnie held their PKE Meters while Rowen and Gamer had their throwers out looking around knowing something was around. “We aren’t alone.” Egon mumbled. They heard the woman voice again. “Which ones are these? These aren’t mine. One isn’t even human. Everyone here is mine. The quiet man, the angry man, the hungry man, the scuttling ones… yes! Now you are here and that means you are mine! Even you, Turtle.” The voice laughed maniacally as the four looked around before Egon looked up. “Above us!” They all looked up to avoid a large shadow. Turned out to be the Spider Witch only she had sharp teeth and legs of a spider. She screamed as she tried to attack. “Blast her!” Donnie cried as they fired their proton streams while Rowen fired Boson Darts and Gamer used the Shock Blasts. They managed to hit her a couple times before she poofed away in a cloud. “Where’d she go?” Rowen looked around. Egon saw her near a large egg sack. “She’s getting stronger! Don’t let her recharge!” “Oh no you don’t!” Donnie fired at her as the Spider Witch fell to the floor and got up angrily. Gamer fired from her side before she shot him with web. “Oh, I don’t think so.” She smirked before Rowen and Egon blasted at her. She then used her spider legs to whack Rowen and Donnie away and pinned Egon down. “You’re mine now!” “EGON!” Rowen and Donnie cried. Gamer gasped to see what happened and began flashing back to when Shine Boy was mutated into Shine Spider. The more he struggled, the more determined he got to save the guy to tried to help him. As he fought through the web, he began to glow. “No. No! NOOOOOOOO!” In a blinding flash, Gamer bursted through the web, drew his sword, and dashed to the Spider Witch, slashing off one of her spider legs freeing Egon as she screamed and recoiled. “Are you okay?” Gamer asked as he helped Egon up. “Yes. Thanks to you, I am.” The Ghostbuster smiled. “You. Hurt me?” The Spider Witch hissed. “You tried hurting my friends! Consider us even!” Gamer snapped as his sword glowed bright laced with Shine Power. The Spider Witch attacked Gamer as the two clashed multiple times. Egon grabbed his thrower. “ROWEN! DONATELLO! FULL STREAM NOW!” Following Egon’s lead, Rowen and Donnie fired their streams holding the Spider Witch down. This gave Gamer an opening as he stabbed her in the chest. The Spider Witch screamed in pain as Shine Power exploded from her back. When Gamer pulled his sword out, The Spider Witch tried to escape before falling from the wall and flat on her back. Her spider legs moved a bit before curling up. In a blinding light, the four found themselves in the ballroom. “We’re back!” Donnie cheered as they put their throwers back. Egon held his PKE Meter and looked around before spotting something. “Look! The mandala map!” On the wall was the Mandala map just like in the library. The four saw as a symbol in one of the nodes vanished. “Guess that means we’ve won.” Rowen smiled. Gamer wiped the sweat off his brow and sheathed his sword before smiling while Egon talked to his walkie. “Ray. Winston. Come in. you there?” “Egon! What happened? You alright?” Ray responded. “The recruit found the 13th floor and we shut it down. PKE levels are back to acceptable parameters. This node of the Mandala is fully neutralized.” “Good. For a moment we were getting worried.” Applejack spoke followed by Shinigami. “We went back to the 12th floor and couldn’t find anything. Everything looks normal.” “Where are you guys?” Ray asked. “Looks like we’re back in the Ruby Ballroom. We’ll meet you at Ecto-1.” Egon responded. Donnie patted Gamer on the shoulder. “You did good, little buddy. You did good.” Gamer smiled as Rowen spoke up. “Cmon! Let’s get to the others.” As they began to head out, Gamer hung back with Egon as he spoke. “Dr. Spengler, thanks.” “Actually, I should be thanking you, Gamer. You saved my life back there.” Egon smiled. “I think your brother would’ve been very proud.” Gamer responded by hugging Egon who politely hugged back. After they broke, Egon went out, Gamer hung by the wall quietly. “I did it Bro. I did it.” “I have to agree with Dr. Spengler.” Gamer heard a voice and turned to see Master Splinter smiling at him. “Tony would be very proud of you.” “Master Splinter!” Gamer bowed in respect. “I’ve been watching you, Gamer. And you’ve shown great courage today.” “Thanks, Sensei, but I don’t think I’ll be watching any spider movies anytime soon. But I feel relieved about my brother’s mutation a while back.” Splinter patted his shoulder. “As you should be. We cannot change what has happened in the past. The important thing is you cured your brother and prevented anyone from getting bit from Spider Bytez. Now you must go stop the rest of the Mandala.” “Gamer?” Egon popped in to see Gamer all by himself. “You ready to go?” “I’m coming.” Gamer walked out as Egon saw a reading on his meter before shrugging it and walked out. To be Continued Author's Note Here's our next page from Tobin's: Spider Witch Category: Class VI Elevated Remnant[2] Type: Deity (supreme being) Behaviors: Attacks: Melee, Range Weaknesses: Proton Stream Notes: This anonymous woman (the authorities never discovered her identity), spent several years in the '20s living in the Hotel Sedgewick. There, for purposes only known to herself and to her master, Ivo Shandor, she lured men into her rooms and then murdered them (though it's uncertain if they were killed before or after they were hung from the ceiling and drained of their blood). As a reward for her efforts as a member of his inner circle, after her death, Shandor used his powers to "elevate" her, creating the Spider Witch. Now a terrifying spider-human fusion, she and her insect-like minions protect Shandor's interests in the strange, twisted plane that exists immediately between our world and the ghost world. "Most of the old staff knows the stories about the Spider Witch. She was a professional widow who did unimaginable things in a room on the twelfth floor back in the 1920's. Her victims were hung from the ceiling, drained of blood then dragged around. The walls of her room were literally painted with blood. The furniture was hacked, chewed and crushed up in the corner like a giant nest. Her room was 1221. After her spree it was locked up, until about five years ago when the hotel was remodeled." Notes: I edited out the Ghost Chefs because I felt they had no part of the plot. I felt that Gamer would have nightmares about Shine Boy's mutation into Shine Spider. (See Equestria Ninja Girls Ducks Rock for details) Plus, he never talked to Master Splinter. -And Egon would explain about The Boogieman from the two episodes from The Real Ghostbusters to help Gamer. and I think that's it. Next time: Shandor Island! Shandor Island“Egon, tell me again, why are we wandering endlessly in the fog?” After defeating the Spider Witch at the Sedgewick Hotel and picking up Peter and the fully recovered Blade Swipe, The Ghostbusters and Ninjas were riding Ray’s boat, The Marine Ecto-8, looking for their next destination on the Hudson River. “It’s the final node, Venkman. Close it, and we seal the mandala, trapping the ghosts inside.” Egon explained As Peter looked around with the Ecto Goggles. Applejack turned to Blade. “How ya feeling Blade?” “Much better. Dr. Seldwyn got me up to speed that you learned that the constellation was really a mandala. I’ve learned about mandalas through the grimoire when Dark Codex controlled me.” “That’s good. Once we seal the last one, it’ll be the end of it and hopefully we’ll go home.” Donnie added. “First, we gotta find the last node.” Gamer reminded while Slimer imitated a foghorn. Peter still looked skeptical. “Sorry to break it to you, Egon, but I don’t see a mandala…” Everyone looked in shock as a miniature island rose from the water. “You were saying?” Egon raised a brow. “Land ho.” Shini said. “Shandor Island. It’s here!” Ray awed. “Holy Chalupa!” Donnie blinked. “Now there’s something you don’t see every day.” Applejack admitted. As they entered the docks, some of the debris fell off narrowly missing the boat. “It’s too unstable! I’m going to have to drop you guys and circle around.” Ray warned. “If Ecto-8 sinks, we’re sunk too!” “I’ll stay with Ray and help keep the boat afloat.” Gamer volunteered. “Good idea.” Egon agreed. “Thanks, Games.” Ray thanked. Peter then walked up. “Ray, since you’re the most excited about going to ghost island, why don’t I just take the boat?” “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Applejack shot him a look. “No one asked you, Applejack. I was asking Ray.” Peter saw Ray shaking his head no as the others shoot him a look as well and chuckled. “Heh. Thought I was making a nice gesture, and you’re all giving me the suspicious look. Drop it instantly. Let’s keep going. Because nobody enjoys rushing headlong towards their death more than this fellow.” “Hail the conquering hero.” Blade muttered as everyone minus Ray and Gamer climbed to the loading dock. Slimer just floated with the group as Winston asked Egon. “What’s the story behind this place, Egon?” “The Shandors owned this island for generations. The castle was built in the 1860’s. Ivo Shandor used it as a refuge, a lab, and a temple for he and other cult members to worship Gozer.” “That guy definitely needed a new hobby that didn’t involve the end of the world.” Applejack muttered before Winston spoke again. “Okay, that’s all well and good. But can someone explain to me how an entire island sinks?” “According to basic geology, an island can sink when the weight of the island causes the lithosphere to bend downward. This can be caused by earthquakes, volcanoes, or subsidence.” Donnie then saw Winston deadpanning him. “But I guess Ivo Shandor did something different, so I’ll let Dr. Spengler explain.” “The night the last Shandor died, there was a huge tital surge and the river just swallowed the island whole. Shandor consecrated the whole island to Gozer, and the Ghostworld reclaimed it.” “Mm-Hm.” Peter, Shini, and Slimer exclaimed. “City’s lucky it’s in the middle of the Hudson instead of Rockefeller Center.” Winston figured. “We’re lucky now, but the Ghostworld will continue to assert itself into ours, and the damage will be incalculable.” Egon warned. “And no doubt it’ll find its way to our world or any other world we’ve visited.” Donnie feared. “Just another screwed up day at the office.” Peter joked. “Well, I didn’t redeem myself just to have some ghost god threaten my friends and family.” Blade stated. “Me neither. So let’s get moving and shut down the mandala.” Applejack walked up to a giant crane used her geode to move it. “Good thinking, AJ!” Winston grinned. “Just a little further.” Egon instructed. “Bring it in! a little more. Whoa! Great!” Applejack moved it close enough to drop a huge wooden pallet which dropped to make a pathway across. “Alright AJ!” Peter cheered. “Yeah! Alright AJ!” Slimer echoed. “Good work. Let’s go!” Donnie said as they hurried across and up some railroad tracks. As the group got halfway up, Blade saw a mine cart charging towards them. “Watch out!” Everyone got out of the way in time except for Slimer who was slammed into the cart and crashed with it. Luckily, he got up feeling woozy and floated back to the others. “You okay, Slimer?” Winston asked. “Okie dokie, Winston.” Groaned Slimer. “Whats the deal? We only get paid if we live.” Peter retorted. “Really?” Applejack deadpanned. “Let’s keep moving.” Egon advised. As they moved, more parts were falling off. “Maybe we should’ve brought helmets.” Shini worried. Ray spoke in the radio. “Guys, there’s way too much dangerous debris in here. Gamer and I have to take Marine Ecto-8 out where it’s safer.” “Don’t go too far, Ray. If we need you, we’re gonna really need you fast!” Winston responded. “Aye aye, Z. Raise us on the horn if you need us.” Ray replied. “Good luck, you guys!” Gamer spoke. Soon, the group arrived at what appeared to be a courtyard. “Check this joint out!” whistled Winston. “It looks like we’re at the courtyard of the castle.” Donnie guessed. “That’s a three-million-dollar view, even in Manhattan standards.” Egon admitted. “My apartment used to look like this.” Peter spoke. “Shandor’s public architectural style ranged from Federal to Art Deco. His personal tastes, however, obviously leaned towards Gozerian.” “Why am I not surprised?” Egon shrugged to Applejack’s question. “Now I see what they mean by early demonic.” Winston joked. As the group walked up to the stairs to make their way to the entrance to the castle, they suddenly heard the roar of a demon. “That doesn’t sound good.” Donnie gulped. “There’s an open door!” Egon pointed ahead. But before they could hurry, flaming gargoyles flew towards them. “Flaming gargoyles again?” groaned Applejack. “We’ve seen them before.” Winston recollected. “Slam them to the ground!” Donnie cried as they fired their proton streams on them. Using them to ensare the gargoyles, they slammed them to the ground smashing them. “That would explain why they attacked us at Time Square. They’re gargoyles from Shandor buildings.” Egon concluded. “Guess Ivo would be tickled pink to know his old security system still works so long after he died.” Winston said. “Wouldn’t be my first choice.” Donnie griped. “Venom crawlers at three o’clock!” Applejack pointed. The team used their slime blowers and streams to fight off the ongoing crawlers and gargoyles. After making their way across. “There’s the door!” Donnie cried as they hurried only for the main doors to close on them causing Slimer to slam on the door. “Now what?” Rowen sighed. “Look! The door is connected by that chain.” Winston pointed. “Okay. Donatello. Blade. Rowen. You’re up. I got your backs.” Egon was then interrupted by Applejack ripping the doors open. “We’re wasting time! We got a world to save! Unless you guys are still worried about your paychecks.” She stomped in. “Is she always like that?” Peter asked Donnie. “Only when there’s a job to be done.” Donnie shrugged. “Let’s move!” Winston led the group inside. “I take it we’re not welcome.” Egon checked his meter. “Really? That be a first.” Winston rambled. “I’m gonna get us all name badges that say ‘Hello. I’m not welcome here.’ Or maybe t-shirts. Or coffee mugs.” “Think we can get a couple to take home?” Shini grinned. As they searched around the place, the group looked around at the décor and portraits that were on the hallway walls. “Ya think all of Ivo Shandor’s relatives were Gozer worshippers?” Applejack wondered out loud. “You know, I think you’re the first to ask that, Applejack.” Egon pointed out. “Come to think of it, I have never been able to find anything about the Shandors outside of Ivo.” “Either he destroyed any signs of existence of the Shandors to avoid authorities or the Shandors were lost to time.” Donnie hypothesized. “That’s kinda sad.” Blade muttered. “And familiar.” Then, one portrait caught Winston’s eye. “Illyssa. I see her.” “You and me both.” Peter daydreamed. “She’s wearing a simple terrycloth robe. And she’s brought me coffee.” “Yum! Yum!” Slimer salivated before looking up shocked. “This can’t be right.” Applejack blinked. In the portrait, it looked like Illyssa only she wore a blue old dress. “That’s her alright. Spitting image.” Wowed Shini. “The resemblance is uncanny.” Egon rubbed his glasses. Donnie read the description under the painting. “This is Ivo Shandor’s mother, painted in 1885.” “Wait. Illyssa is a Shandor?” Blade pieced together. “Why does this always happen? I met a girl. She’s crazy about me. But she always turn out to be a fixer upper!” Peter whined. He then stopped Slimer from speaking. “I told ya, Spud, no more blind dates. Not since you tried to hook me up with that lunch lady.” Egon thought for a moment. “This is starting to make sense. Illyssa must’ve inadvertently triggered the Mandala because she has Shandor blood.” “She doesn’t know it. When I did her profile, she told me she was adopted.” Peter recalled. “Some coincidence.” Winston said. “No way this happened by accident.” Blade stated. “Somebody must’ve known. Why else bring her to the Gozer exhibit?” Applejack asked. Then, Egon remembered something. “The mayor did say that Peck personally recommended Illyssa to be the guest curator of the Gozer exhibit.” “You don’t think-?” Donnie blinked. “Gamer’s gonna hate him more.” Applejack agreed. Winston nodded. “Once a Peck, always a Peck.” “Yeah, once a Peck, always a Peck.” Slimer huffed. As they continued their venture, Winston spoke again. “Shandor must’ve employed hundreds of workers for years to build this place.” “Reminds me of King Sombra back home.” Blade mumbled. “The supports are waterlogged, the mortar is decrepit, and the foundation is shattered. In purely physical term, there’s no way all this can still be standing.” Egon critiqued. “Thank you, Dr. Spengler. You’d make a great house seller.” Shini joked. “You sound surprised.” Winston deadpanned. “No. Not really. It’s beautiful in a horrific way.” “Bet Dark Codex would love it here.” Blade admitted before they heard Ray on the walkie. “You can’t deny the pure genius of Shandor. It’s a pity that it was all used for evil. If he would’ve channeled some of it for good, the things he could’ve done.” “Maybe if we hit him with our Magic of Friendship, he could’ve been redeemed like our friend Sunset Shimmer.” Applejack added. “Uh guys?” Rowen pointed down near a statue on the floor below. At the foot of the statue were four ghosts in black robs glowing blue. “Posthumous Black Mass.” Egon whispered. “What? People still worshipping? Even after death? That’s a powerful church, man.” Winston grinned. “That might explain how these structures are still standing.” Egon realized. Ray spoke on the radio again. “Oh yeah! Ethereal stability induced by sheer focused concentration posthumous will. Unbelievable!” “I’ll just pretend I understood that.” Gamer mumbled. “Probably tell ya when you’re older, kiddo.” Ray said. “What’s unbelievable is that you can still use the word in context.” Winston pointed out. Just then, Slimer screamed as they saw the black ghost charging towards them. “They look like they’re covered in black slime! Slime them!” Donnie warned. Everyone fired slime at the black ghosts. They were joined by shadow figures that attacked the ghost busting group as well. Using their slime blowers, the heroes managed to vaporize them all. “I think it’s officially time for us to go.” Applejack stated. “I hear ya, AJ.” Winston agreed as they hurried out. As they exited the chamber, they saw something glowing in the next tower. “Check this joint out!” whistled Blade. “Unless my sensory array is malfunctioning, that is definitely the place we’re looking for.” Egon pulled out his PKE Meter. As they looked around, the floor behind Applejack and Rowen suddenly opened up causing the two to fall in. As they fell, Rowen grabbed Donnie while Applejack grabbed Shini as the two grabbed Blade, causing them to fall in as well. Slimer tried to pull Blade out but fell in too and the floor closed up. Peter noticed their absence. “Hey, where’d the kiddos go? Yo! Cool Breeze! Come on out! Slimer?” “Peter! Behind you!” Egon warned as more black ghosts surrounded the three Ghostbusters. The fallen group regined consciousness as they heard their friends through the walkie. “No! Get back! Take your imaginary hands off me! Peter!” “Yeow!” “No! There’s too many of them! Whoa!” “Egon! They got Egon! Bring him back here! Kids! Help us!” “Winston! Hang on!” Applejack cried. “We gotta save them!” Donnie declared. “Hang on! I’ll have Dr. Stantz drop me off to help!” Gamer spoke. “No, Gamer! Stay with Ray! We’ll get the others!” Shini responded. “Besides, that might do more harm than good.” Blade warned. “Okay, you guys need to get to the others so they can help you, please be careful we don’t know what we’re dealing with yet, but it sounds big and when big things attack, they hurt.” Ray spoke. “Understood, Dr. Stantz.” Rowen responded. Donnie looked around. “We appear to be in the sewer passageway of Shandor Island. If we use the PKE Meters, we might be able to the Ghostbusters and hopefully the mandala node.” “Then let’s get moving.” Applejack nodded. Donnie and Rowen held their meters out and led the group forward. As they walked, Blade looked down to see the water catacombs full of black slime. “That’s a lot of slime.” “Doesn’t surprise me one bit.” Applejack agreed. Donnie checked his meter. “It looks like there’s a way inside the castle down there.” “I’m not swimming in that gunk.” Shini deadpanned. The group turned to see Slimer wearing sunglasses, Hawaiian shirt, inner tube, and held a glass before tossing them aside. “Me neither!” “Guys! Over here!” everyone hurried to Rowen. “I found the sewer gate! We could use it to drain the black slime so we can get down there!” “Allow me!” Applejack used her geode to pull the gate down, sealing the path. “Alright, AJ!” Slimer cheered as they watched the black slime drained. “Uh oh.” Donnie sweated. From the draining black slime merged a giant black blob monster that roared at them. “Of course, there’s a monster in there!” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Hit it with slime!” Blade cried as they fired their slime blowers at it before seeing venom crawlers coming at them. “Venom crawlers!” Donnie cried before Shini slimed them. After much sliming, the black slime monster disintegrated into a big puddle before vanishing. They headed down to see another black slime monster charging towards them. “There’s another one!” cried Rowen. “Spread out!” Blade yelled. The five scattered to surround the monster before sliming it disintegrating it as well. Rowen looked at his meter. “This way!” He led the group through the canal. They had managed to slime every venom crawler that came after them. As they entered a metal tunnel, Donnie checked his meter. “The signal’s getting stronger this way.” The smart turtle pulled out the walkie he was given. “Donatello to Ghostbusters, come in! Venkman, Spengler, Zeddemore, acknowledge.” After a few seconds, they heard a response. “Donnie? Can you hear me?” “It’s Winston!” cheered Slimer. “We hear you, Winston. What’s your position?” Blade responded. “I’m trapped in a dark place. Can barely move my arms. Can you guys find me?” “We’re on our way.” Promised Rowen. After a few minutes of walking, they heard Winston again. “I think you kids are getting closer to me, the sounds are getting louder.” “Your signal’s getting stronger.” Donnie checked the meter. They got out of the tunnel to a strange factory. In the tubes and funnels swam gallons of different colored slime. “I can’t tell if this is pretty or creepy.” Shini looked around. “The colors are pretty nice.” Applejack shrugged. “Mr. Zeddemore has got to be around here somewhere. Keep looking.” Donnie pointed out. Everyone looked around while Slimer sniffed the ground like a blood hound. The green ghost sniffed at a big statue which suddenly moved a little surprising him. “Over here!” he got everyone’s attention and they hurried to the statue. “Winston has got to be inside!” Donnie guessed as Slimer frantically nodded. “How do we get him out?” Suddenly, Rowan accidently pressed a big button which opened up, freeing Winston inside. “Hey! Thanks, kids! I was seriously cramping up in there.” Winston thanked stretching a bit. “I refuse to let anyone be held by their will like I did.” Blade nodded. Winston looked around the factory. “This is all looking familiar. Ray would be giggling right now.” “Least it’s just slime and not mutagen.” Donnie grinned. “This must be where all the mood slime came from.” Winston figured. “Look! They must’ve pumped it into the sewers from here!” “You mean that gunk you guys told us about that could either make people kill each other or make a toaster dance?” Applejack recalled. “Yeah when we fought Vigo the Carpathian from that painting.” Winston nodded. “Let’s go find Egon. And… think about looking for Peter.” “We used the meters to find you. We can use it to find them. This way!” Donnie led them to the catwalk. They found a doorway as Winston kicked the metal doors open. They walked around to see more vats of slime. “What is this place?” Shini pondered. “I bet Mikey would love this place and mess with this stuff.” Donnie looked around. “If it wasn’t used for slime, I bet it could’ve made some colorful drinks.” Applejack figured. “You know, Ray had Slimer mascot for this fruit drink called Ecto Cooler a couple years back.” Winston recalled. “Sounds marketable.” Blade complimented. “It was actually pretty good.” As they headed up, Applejack whistled. “Shandor’s cult was working some crazy experiments in here.” “There’s blue slime, pink slime, yellow slime. But every ghost in here is covered in black slime.” Winston added. “Must be their favorite color.” Teased Shini. “But what’s generating it all? Where is it all coming from?” wondered Rowen. “Uh maybe ask them?” Donnie gulped as he pointed ahead to see dark figures charging towards them. “Slime them!” Winston cried as they fired their slime blowers at them. “Being dead for 80 years sure hasn’t improved these guys’ disposition any!” Winston joked. “I’m with ya on that, Mr. Zeddemore!” Blade agreed. “I don’t know which one of you shoved me into that crate, but you all owe me a big apology!” “Too bad Pinkie can’t help with that!” Applejack told Winston. Shini noticed something above. “Incoming! Gozer worshippers at 2 o’clock!” As the cloaked ghost flew towards them, the group slimed them as well. After they all disintegrated, Donnie cheered. “Booyakasha! Shandor isn’t here to save you now, is he?” “This is the kind of stuff that really shows well on your reviews. I think you guys are really turning some heads back at headquarters.” Winston smiled. “Thanks.” Blade looked around. “Man, what’re these spooks up to? I get the whole mandala immortality-and-power thing, but what’s up with all the slime science?” “Definitely Mikey would like it here.” Shini mumbled. “Ah! The island has got to be sitting directly on a cross-dimensional portal!” Donnie theorized. Just then, another voice spoke in the radio. “I think I hear you guys! Yes, that sounds like my equipment. You guys are getting close.” “Egon!” everyone gasped. “Find him, Slimer!” Shini said. Everyone followed the green ghost to the next room as he crept to a containment unit like they found Winston in. “Get me out of this thing! I don’t want to get eaten by black slime!” “Hang on, Egon!” Donnie turned to Rowen. “How’d you get this open last time?” “I think it was right…here.” Rowen pressed the same gem opening the container freeing Egon. “Thank you. This is going to reflect well on your performance review. All of you.” He thanked. “In most cases, I find close proximity to mildew stimulating. That was a little much, though.” “That’s…. anyway, we should probably go find Dr. Venkman.” Blade tried to change the subject. “Have you seen Venkman?” Egon asked. “Well… you know…” Winston debated. “Nope.” Applejack muttered. “Have you looked for him?” Egon raised his brow. “Well… you know…” “Nope.” Egon held up his meter. “The meter seems to indicate he’s somewhere in this direction.” Just then, Slimer sniffed the air. “Peter? Peter!” This caused the green ghost to speed forward in the factory. “Slimer! Wait up!” Donnie cried as the group hurried to follow him. As they hurried, they had to slime some more black slime ghost and another black slime monster. “This machinery indicates an astounding level of sophistication!” Egon pointed out. “Pure evil notwithstanding, Ivo Shandor was far ahead of his time.” As they looked for Slimer, Egon continued to show amazement. “You know, I have to take my hat off to Shandor. This lab was built how many years ago? It’s pretty impressive. It’s likely that Shandor was THE parapsychology expert of his time.” “Yeah. It’s very impressive!” awed Donnie. “Stay in the light, you two.” Warned Applejack. “We’re trying.” Donnie and Egon deadpanned. “I got a lock on Slimer’s signal!” Rowen checked the meter as they headed towards a freight elevator. “They must’ve stashed Venkman around here somewhere.” Egon theorized. Suddenly, they saw a proton stream fire from the floor above. “Help! Yo! A little help!” “I think I hear him.” Shini pointed. Peter walked up with Slimer looking down at them. “Hey! Someone call for a break? I think the Spud here found me faster than you guys.” “That’s Venkman, all right.” Winston grinned. “You sure about this, right?” “We need to be at full strength to shut down this node.” Egon reminded. Donnie spoke in his walkie. “Dr. Stantz! Games! Good news, we found and free the others.” “Way to go! I feel a momentum swinging in our favor!” Ray answered. “Good work. Now get out there and find the mandala node and shut it down. That’ll tick someone off.” Gamer added. The group used the elevator and reunited with Peter. “Hey, I got places to go, people to meet. Can we get outta here?” “Good job, kids. Glad to hear Peter’s okay.” Ray spoke. The group went through a hallway and found a familiar room. “Looks like we’re back where we left off.” Applejack noticed. They entered a big room with a huge machine that had models of the planets and these four spheres moving up and down. “That’s an interesting device.” Shini shrugged. “What are they doing?” asked Blade. Egon looked at his meter. “These readings are as big as those at the library when we crossed over. I think it’s safe to assume that the machine they’re working on was not built for a benign purpose.” “It’s an orrery! A device typically used for predicting planetary alignment.” Donnie pointed. “In this case, it appears to actually be aligning…. Dimensions?” “You do not think one of those dimensions is… Equestria?” Blade feared. “Or one of our friends’ dimensions.” Applejack added. “And what’s to stop Gozer from going there? We can’t let that happened!” “I’m with AJ! I for one do not want the dimensions to align. Not this close to Christmas!” Winston agreed. “That would put a damper on the holidays.” Egon muttered. “BIG damper!” Slimer held out his arms. “So how do we shut it down?” Shini asked. Egon pointed to the bouncing orbs. “The motion of those devices seems to be generating some sort of energy. Hard to tell, tough.” “What if we try locking them down?” Winston suggested. “I can calculate 54 likely outcomes. We’d survive 3 of them.” Egon calculated. “Three?” Slimer blinked. “That beats our usual odds.” Winston shrugged. “Same here. Let’s do it!” Applejack walked up to a sphere and used her geode to slam it down breaking it. “Let’s help her.” Blade went to another sphere and smashed it with his fist while Donnie used the blade on his staff to pierce the third orb. Then, the three used their weapons and destroyed the fourth together. “Nice work! You did it!” Winston cheered as Slimer applauded. “How come people smart enough to use science always try to take over the world? Huh? Egon? Ray? Anyone? Didn’t think so.” “Should we be offended by that, D?” Gamer asked. “Just let it slide, Games, let it slide.” Donnie responded but shot a look at Winston. Egon then noticed something. “Wait. Those planets are aligning. I’m not sure that this is the safest corse of action.” Shini then noticed some black slime oozing from the ground. “Uh guys?” “I think we found the source of the black slime, Winston.” Egon pointed. “I wasn’t that curious!” Winston snapped. “Then maybe keep your thoughts to yourself!” Applejack argued before Shini and Peter pulled the two. “Run now. Fight later.” Peter stated. “The whole room is filling up! Get to high ground!” Donnie cried as they hurried up the stairs. “Alright, gentlemen, it’s official. This was a bad idea.” Egon frowned. They hurried to the next floor and watched the floor below fill up with black slime. “Somebody ordered a black slime jacuzzi?” Donnie saw everyone frowning at him. “Oh come on! Mikey’s not here so might as well say it!” Blade then saw a door nearby. “Looks like we can exit through here.” Suddenly, they felt a tremor as the orrery fell apart in the black slime. “Shh. Here comes the big finale.” Peter teased. Emerging from the black slime was a giant slug with arms. On his neck was a circular statue structure. Rowen then covered his nose. “Augh! Who blew a big one?” “Whew! The stench is horrible!” Winston groaned. “Smells like the Fulton fish market when they have fish.” Peter said. Slimer stuck his tongue out making gagging noises. “Wait! I know that dumpster.” Peter noticed. “A putrid mass of hatred, vile, and anger.” Egon described. “It’s got to be a Slor.” “Not exactly Mr. Sunshine, is he?” Shini teased. “This is the part where we do what we do.” Peter readied his thrower. “Blow it back in the cradle!” The group fired their slime blowers as the Slor used the spheres as weapons to fire energy beams at them as they dodged. “Aim for his eyes!” Winston cried. “We need to cut off his Visine.” Peter agreed. “Somebody cut up some onions.” “Giving me the evil eye, huh?” Applejack glared at the Slor. The Slor roared recoiling in pain, knocking the statue off him and roared at the group before spewing black slime at them. “It’s got to have a vulnerable spot!” Winston demanded. “What about that green glowing thing on his head?” Rowen pointed to the green orb on the Slor’s head. “That is his head, right?” “How do we get to that?” Donnie asked. “Hey Slimer! Run around and look delicious, will ya?” “Me?” Slimer blinked at Winston. “Do it, Spud!” Peter cried. Slimer flew around getting the Slor’s attention. It tried to bite the little green ghost, but Slimer managed to dodge it. This was enough for the group to hit its green orb with their slime throwers, causing it to recoil in pain. “Hit it there! It doesn’t like that at all!” Winston bellowed. “Keep hitting it!” Blade cried. Everyone combined their slime stream and hit the Slor with everything they got before it roared in pain and sank into the black slime below. “And that’s all she wrote.” Peter grinned. Egon saw a nearby mandala as the node stopped glowing. “All the nodes are closed. The ghosts are trapped in the Mandala.” “Right where they belong! Our boy Ivo Shandor didn’t factor in the fact that he was messing with the Ghostbusters! Booyakasha!” Winston cried as he high fived Applejack. “Yeah! Booyakasha!” Slimer cheered. “It’s spreading.” Peter deadpanned before grinning. “Yeah, Peck made that same mistake. We’re gonna have a long talk with him.” “Don’t forget Dr. Venkman’s girlfriend is a Shandor.” Shini added. “Agreed.” Egon nodded. “I’m gonna have a long talk with her.” Peter agreed. Everything started tremoring as Ray spoke in the radio. “You guys need to get down to the shore and fast! I don’t know how much longer I can hold her. The whole island is sinking!” “Keep the motor running, Ray! We’re coming to ya fast!” Winston responded. “This way!” Blade cried as they hurried through the passageway he found earlier. It wasn’t long before they found the shore where Ray and Gamer had Ecto-8 waiting for them. “Hurry!” Gamer cried as he helped pull everyone on the boat with Winston helping. “Peter!” he cried as Peter jumped in followed by Rowen and Blade. Once everyone was in the boat, Ray drove it away just in time to see Shandor Island sinking back in the Hudson. Slimer screamed as he flew in slamming into Gamer sliming him by accident. Again. “Sorry.” The green ghost pouted as Gamer wiped the slime off. “All good, Spud. Glad you’re okay.” Gamer sighed. “You guys okay?” “Yeah. Mission accomplished.” Donnie thumbed up. Ray gleamed. “How was it? Was it cool? What did it look like? Did you get any samples? Did it have multiple eyes?” Everyone gave Ray the stink eye for his multiple questions as Egon spoke. “Ray… shut up.” “Yeah! Shut up!” Slimer huffed. “Let’s get back to shore. I’m starting to get seasick.” Applejack stated as they drove back to the docks. To Be Continued Author's Note Here's the next page from Tobin's Spirit Guide- Juvenille Sloar Then, during the Third Reconciliation of the Last of the Meketrex Supplicants, they chose a new form for him, that of a giant Sloar! Many Shubs and Zulls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of a Sloar that day, I can tell you! — Vinz Clortho; Ghostbusters Category: Class VII Ectoplasmic Outsider Type: Deity (supreme being) Behaviors: Attacks: Range Weaknesses: Slime Notes: Somehow, Shandor's cult, guided by Ivo Shandor himself, discovered a way to lure a young Sloar from its home dimension into our world. More impressively, they also managed to imprison that Sloar within a ghost world pocket at the heart of Shandor's island mansion. Fueled by hatred, bile and anger and assisted by mechanical monstrosities of Shandor's own design, this captive Sloar serves as the powerful guardian of the Lost Island's dimension-aligning Orrery machinery. Notes: -Again, edited out a couple things to speed the chapter along. Winston tells a reference to the old Hi-C drink Ecto Cooler from the 80's early 90's. (They temporarily brought it back in 2016 for the remake. Had to order it online) the reference of the mood slime from Ghostbusters II is in the game. And I think that's it. Next time: Breakout!
Prologue“Are you troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night?” “Do you experience dread in your basement or attic?” “Have you or your family seen a spook, specter, or ghost?” “If the answer is yes, then don’t wait another minute!” “Just pick up the phone and call the professionals!” “Call the…” “GHOSTBUSTERS!” It was late at night in a museum as a security guard sat at the monitors watching a commercial on one of the screens. It was about three guys each wearing a different colored jumpsuit. The stout guy with red short hair wore a khaki jumpsuit. The tall guy with blonde hair wore a dark blue jumpsuit with a pink collar and red round glasses. The third guy with brown hair wore a brown jumpsuit with a green collar. “Our current staff is here twenty-four/seven to answer all your supernatural needs.” “GHOSTBUSTERS! We’re ready to believe you!” “Franchises available soon! Check in for details!” As he watched, the guard did not see a glowing figure moving around the hallways of the museum when suddenly he felt a small tremor which caused the monitors to turn static. He quickly grabbed his walkie and spoke in it. “Russell! Are you near the east wing?” Near another exhibit, another guard walked around with a flashlight as he answered his walkie. “Yeah?” “B-By the new Gozer exhibit?” Russell flashed his light to reveal a large banner that said ‘Gozer’. “Yeah. Why?” “Cause something’s heading your way!” “I swear if you’re dressed as Atilla the Hun again, I’m gonna smack you.” Russell then perked up. “Wait. I think I heard something. I’m gonna check it out.” As Russell looked around, the other guard continued. “Wanna hear something creepy? I was reading about Shandor, you know, the guy who donated most of the Gozer stuff? He was into the occult… you know, the supernatural. Weird dude.” Russell flashed his flashlight at a skeleton which startled him a bit. “Uh, why don’t we talk about this some other time? Any other time.” As he looked around, Russell was then ran passed by a woman with black hair carrying a couple books. She ran as if she was scared that she didn’t noticed the guard who dropped his light. “Hey! You can’t be in here! STOP!” Russell was about to chase her when he noticed a big blinding light moving towards him, causing him to scream. Maurice Lamarche David Coulier Frank Welker Arsenio Hall Rob Paulson Stephanie Nadolny Gwendolyn Yao Ashleigh Ball Steve Blum Based on the story and characters By Dan Ackroyd & Harold Ramis Based on the ‘Equestria Ninja Girls’ fiction series By WildCard25 In loving memory of Harold Ramis and Ivan Reitman…… Author's Note Here we go! For Halloween, I'm doing a crossover with Ghostbusters for the ENG series. It'll be based on the 2009 Ghostbusters The Video Game, only with The Real Ghostbusters vibes so expect some changes. Enjoy!
Something strangeDeep in New York, and into the sewer lair of the Ninja Turtles, Donnie was working in his lab when he felt a small tremor and noticed his portal tracker short circuiting a little before stopping. “That was weird.” He mumbled checking his scanner. Just then, four other figures entered the lab. They were Applejack, Gamer, Shinigami, and Blade Swipe. “Donnie, what’s going on?” Asked Applejack. “Did we have an earthquake?” Blade wondered. “I don’t think so.” Gamer looked at his screen. “The G-forces are at normal levels. Besides, it’s possible but not likely for New York to have earthquakes.” “I don’t think it was an earthquake. It was this.” Donnie held up his portal tracker. “According to my scans, an energy surge so big it breached the multiverse.” “Think it’s something dangerous?” Asked Shini. “No doubt. I’ll see if I can pinpoint the source dimension.” Donnie checked his scanner. “Bingo! Hmm. Doesn’t look like a dimension we’ve been to.” “Should we contact the others?” Blade suggested. “Everyone is out and about. If we’re dealing with something big, we will have to go without them.” Applejack stated. “What a time for Bro and Serenity to have their double date with Leo and Twilight.” Gamer sighed. Shini patted his shoulder. “If it’s too much for us, we can come back and get them.” “Okay! I got the coordinates!” Donnie activated his portal tracker and produced a portal. “Let’s go!” The five jumped into the portal before it disappeared. “He’s tuned and ready to go!” “You may feel a little tingle.” Meanwhile, inside a firehouse, the three guys from the commercial were in a makeshift laboratory with a younger guy in a green jumpsuit like theirs. He was strapping on a power pack with a gun attached to it. When he was ready, the blonde man with the red glasses spoke again. “Good. We’ve perfected an extensive rigorous training method that should help you with your equipment’s basic functions.” “It takes some time to reach master throw skill, but its definitely worth the effort.” The red-haired guy assured. Just then, a green pudgy ghost with arms floated next to the guy. “Yeah! Worth the effort!” “Well, I’ll do my best.” The younger guy nodded. Suddenly, they were brushed with a blinding light that passed them and the building as they felt a small tremor. When it stopped, the guy with the glasses looked around cautiously. “Was that us?” “I don’t think so.” The redhaired guy scratched his head. “Ray.” The brown-haired guy looked at the redhaired guy. “Had to be a Psi energy pulse! Substantial! Significant and collected and centralized necromantic convulsion level seven or more!” “Agreed.” The guy with glasses pulled out a handheld device with two rods on top. “We need EMF measurements now.” “Uh guys?” the younger guy pointed to the green ghost was suddenly flying around ballistically. “Slimer? Are you okay?” Ray asked concerned. “Big! Big trouble! Something big!” the ghost feared trying to calm down. “I know the answer but I’m gonna ask anyway.” The guys saw a woman with red hair and glasses spoke in a Brooklyn accent. “Is a level seven whatever bad or very bad?” The guy with glasses looked up from his device. “On a scale of one to ten, I’d say….” “Let me guess.” Interrupted the brown-haired guy. “It’s a level seven.” “Let’s just say we’re about to get REAL busy.” Ray gulped. Just then, they all heard an alarm downstairs as Slimer screamed in fear. “The containment unit!” gasped Ray. “That’s not normal, is it?” the younger guy gulped. As they all hurried downstairs, the brown-haired guy griped. “And that’s not the fun way of ‘getting busy’, is it, Ray?” Soon, Donnie, Applejack, Blade, Shini, and Gamer jumped out of the portal before it closed. “Here we are.” Applejack looked around. “So where is here?” Gamer asked. “Let me check my scanner.” Donnie was about to check when they heard a scream. As it turned out, they landed in a church in the middle of a wedding ceremony. Everyone present was shocked at the sight of the talking turtle. “It’s a giant turtle man!” one of the guests cried. “The guy at PCOC told this place WASN’T haunted by ghosts!” the bride complained. “A ghost?” Applejack doubletook. Thinking quickly, Gamer turned to the pastor. “Uh did you ask if anyone objects to their marriage yet?” “Uuuh yes?” The pastor raised his brow. “Sorry, folks. No objection here!” Shini announced before slamming a smoke bomb, causing them to disappear. After coughing, the groom looked at his bride. “Shall we?” “Yeah. Let’s get to the reception before something else happens.” The pastor nodded. “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride.” Everyone applauded as the two kissed as one of the ushers grabbed his cellphone to make a call. “Hello! Ghostbusters?” The five hurried out of the church and hid in a nearby alley. They stopped to catch their breaths as Blade spoke. “Well... that was awkward.” “And we didn't even bring a gift.” Joked Shini. Donnie checked his scanner. “Well, this is where the energy reading came from.” “And judging by the familiar surroundings, it looks like we’re in New York.” Applejack looked around. “What I wanna know is why did they thought Donatello was a ghost and not a mutant?” Gamer wondered. Just then, they heard a unique siren in the distance getting closer. They peaked out to see a white Cadillac car drive with red fins, blue siren lights, a decked out roof rack, and a logo of no ghost on its car doors. “Whoa.” Gamer whispered. “A 1959 Cadillac.” “I know right?” Donnie jawdropped. "What in tarnation?!" said a confused Applejack as the car stopped in front. Applejack, Donnie, Gamer, Shinigami, and Blade Swipe stumbled upon four people. People they've never seen before. One who was wearing glasses, a redhaired guy, a brown-haired guy, and a younger guy. They each wore different colored jumpsuits and wore hi-tech backpacks with laser guns connected. However, all of them were focused on Donnie. The brownhaired guy spoke up. “Okay, Shell-for brains, step away from the kiddos and we may not go full stream on ya!” “What are you guys? Cosmonauts?” Gamer questioned. “Tourist.” The brown-haired guy mumbled. “No, we’re exterminators, kid, and your green friend is the cockroach.” Blade stood in front of Donnie and drew his sword. “You want my friend? You’ll have to go through me!” Applejack and Shini stood ready as lightning flickered from Blade’s sword surprising the four guys. "Whoa," said the brown-haired guy, "You see what I'm seeing, Ray?" "No, I'm seeing it too, Peter." said the redhead guy. "What do you think, Egon?" The one with glasses went over with a tracker and scanned Donnie, much to his personal space. "Well, Ray, I can tell you that he isn't a ghost. He is one hundred percent living." “Whoa.” The younger guy looked closer at Donnie. “Are you some kind of… mutant?” “Yes. Yes, I am.” Donnie assured. Egon then looked at the others with his device. “You’re from a parallel dimension, aren’t you?” “How did you know?” Applejack asked. “Your biorhythms are off, I’m detecting dormat readings inside of a couple of you, and I think one of you’s skin is a little gray.” "Never seen anyone like that before." said Peter. "Who are you guys?" "Oh, uh." said Gamer as he introduced themselves. "My name is Gamer. These ones are Donnie, Applejack, Blade Swipe, and Shinigami." "Nice to meet you." said Egon. "My name is Egon Spengler. These are my fellow associates. Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz, and our newest recruit Rowan Johnson." “We’re the…” Ray began before he, Peter, and Egon declared. “The GHOSTBUSTERS!” “Ghostbusters?” Shini raised her brow. Just then, a green ghost with arms flew in and accidentally ran into Donnie covering him slime. “Ew!” “Hey! Get off him!” Gamer tried to grab the ghost who zipped past him and behind Ray cowering. “I take it he’s a ghost?” “It’s okay! This is our friend, Slimer. He’s a good ghost.” Ray assured. "Even if he slimes ya constantly." said Peter irking Slimer. "So, what are all of y'all doin here?" asked Applejack. "Well, you see, Applejack, right? We were on our way to an assignment when we got a call from the church about a turtle man, and you know the rest." said Ray. “What about you guys?” Peter asked. Donnie held up his portal tracker. “My portal tracker picked up a huge amount of energy and we traced it into your dimension.” Egon looked at the tracker. “Impressive.” “It must’ve been the energy pulse from earlier.” Ray stated. “Maybe.” Slimer agreed. “And I suppose you’re gonna fight whatever it is with kung fu?” Peter teased. “Actually, Venkman, they’re ninjas.” Egon pointed out which surprised the group. “How did you know that, Mr. Spengler?” Donnie raised a brow. “Dr. Spengler, actually. Call me Egon.” Egon assured. “Second, you have a bo staff while Blade and Gamer have a katana on their backs.” “And we believe what caused the energy surge is a level seven or more entity.” Ray warned. “Then it’s safe to say you fellas are gonna need our help.” Applejack stated. “And we’re ready, willing, and able.” Shini added as the others stood ready too. “You’re gonna need more than just swords and sticks to take on ghosts!” Remarked Peter. “Well we gotta do something.” Argued Applejack. “We better let them help, Venkman.” Egon suggested. “Besides, they’re not going to take no for an answer.” “We sure aren’t.” Gamer said while skimming through a random comic book. Then, Ray got an idea. “Then you guys are gonna need some necessary equipment. “Rowan, come with me.” “Okay.” Rowan followed him to the back of their car as the others followed. Slimer tilted his head as Ray and Rowan grabbed more backpacks. “It’s a good thing I asked Janine, our secretary, where we keep our spare proton packs as well as a couple arm mounted packs.” “Proton packs?” Blade raised his brow. “Particle accelerators.” Peter explained. “It’s one of our little toys.” As they pulled out three more packs, Egon spoke. “We only have three spare packs. We’ll definitely give one to Blade and Donatello. Which of the rest of you is the strongest?” “I am.” Applejack spoke up. “Which means Gamer and Shinigami will use these arm mounted proton packs.” Ray added. “You sure ya wanna give one to the kid here?” Peter pointed to Gamer. “Look, Dr. Venkman, was it? I’ve defused bombs, worked on computers, fought off viruses, and worked on machinery. Handling an unlicensed nuclear accelerator shouldn’t be any different.” Gamer huffed. “Of course you can.” Peter smiled before mumbling. “A young Egon. Lord, they’re multiplying.” “But remember the very important rule about proton streams.” Ray warned. “Don’t cross the streams.” “Otherwise, kablooey!” Slimer interacted. “You mean-?” Donnie gulped. “Total protonic reversal?!” Gamer finished. “Uh come again?” Applejack asked as she, Shinigami, and Blade raised a brow. “Try to imagine all life stopping instantaneously and every molecule exploding in the speed of light.” Donnie explained. “And we’re goofing around with that kind of equipment.” Gamer jived. “Fantastic.” “Let’s see Tirek try to absorb that.” Blade mumbled. “So, you’re saying one wrong move and we’re bye bye?” Shini asked. “As long as no one crosses the streams, Shinigami, you’ll be fine.” Ray assured. Everyone looked to see Gamer looking at the internal configuration of his blaster before he saw them. “I’ll uh modify this later.” “Okay. Any questions?” When everyone didn’t ask, Peter then spoke again. “Alright! Everyone in the car!” “I like your car, by the way.” Gamer said as they all climbed in. “Is it a 59 Cadillac?” “Yep! Just needed a little fixer upper and gear and she’s a beaut.” Ray smiled. “We call it the Ecto-1.” “Catchy.” Donnie complimented. “Amazing.” Blade admitted. “Not bad.” Applejack grinned. “So all this gear is used for ghost hunting?” Shini looked at the computers. “Most of them are prototypes, but theoretically yes.” Egon explained. “All right, everyone! Next stop, the Sedgewick Hotel!” Peter started the engine and drove off with the sirens blaring through the streets. To be Continued Author's Note For each chapter, I will have a bio of each ghost each chapter based on Tobin's Spirit Guide (The Ghostbusters' know how on ghosts). Starting off is Slimer. Classification: Class 5 Repeating Vapor Appearances: Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2, The Real Ghostbusters, Slimer! And The Real Ghostbusters, Extreme Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters: The Video Game Slimer (also Spud, also Onionhead) is a translucent green mass of a ghost, with two skinny arms, no feet, several chins, and a massive butt. Slimer’s personality is one of tremendous gluttony, being referred to as a “disgusting blob”, and exists only to eat food [or to create mischief]. The only downside to this is that the food passes right through him, which is most likely why he's perpetually stuffing himself. "Ghost Class" wise he is referred to as a "focused, non-terminal repeating phantasm, or a Class Five full roaming vapor". He is first seen haunting a room service cart on the 12th floor of the Sedgewick Hotel, and according the manager, had been there for years. In the first Ghostbusters, Slimer was never referred to by name. He was dubbed "The Onionhead Ghost" due to the foul odor he was supposed to emit. His was officially given the name Slimer by Ray just to annoy Venkman. NOTES- Special thanks to Jebens1 for the part with the church which is based on the scene from the IDW comic crossover. Next time: The Sedgewick
The SedgewickAfter forming their alliance, Donnie and the others joined the Ghostbusters on their mission. As they drove to the destination in the Ecto-1, the group shared their origin stories with the guys. “So you use to be an ordinary turtle along with your brothers before coming in contact with this… mutagen?” Ray recollected. “That’s right, Ray.” Donnie nodded. “And that stuff came from these brain aliens called the Kraang?” Peter raised a brow. “So much for there being no such thing as aliens.” “Some people say that about ghosts, Peter.” Egon stated before asking. “And your father was a ninja master turned rat who taught you guys as well as Applejack and her friends ninjutsu?” “Eyup.” Applejack nodded. “And your father was killed by his brother turned rival, this Shredder guy?” Rowan asked. “Sorry about him, btw.” “Yeah. Sorry.” Sighed Slimer. “Thanks.” Donnie smiled. Ray then turned to Blade. “So, Blade, you’re from a world of Ponies that got mutated by the Kraang?” “That’s right. While I look normal in this human form, back home I was changed by the Kraang and shunned by my friends. I lived in exile until my sister and my friends helped me back to society and now I am of the royal guard.” “Least you’re living the dream.” Chuckled Peter. “And Shredder’s old clan is under new management?” “Yes. My friend Karai, who Shredder raised but was really Splinter’s daughter, now runs the clan for the better. We even have our own cruise line. I might get you guys free season passes.” Shini smiled. “We’re here!” Peter stopped the car in front of a big building labeled ‘The Sedgewick Hotel’. Everyone got out and strapped on their gear. “So, what’re we up against here?” Gamer asked. “Right here.” Ray held up a book opened it to reveal a ghost of a really fat guy. The Ninjas and Rowan see the picture and almost throw up. “That thing’s more disgusting than Slimer.” Donnie groaned. Slimer only shrugged. “he's not wrong.” “I said the same thing when we caught him the first time.” Peter admitted. “What was that a ghost of?” Shini asked. Ray read from his book. “Arbison Morguncher, I crossed reference Sedgewick hotel ghosts. He was a wealthy but lonely epicurean.” Blade Swipe looked at Donnie confused before the tech turtle answered. “Greek Philosopher Student.” “Oh. So, what happened?” “Every year, the Sedgewick Hotel auctions off a huge Thanksgiving diner as a charity fundraiser. Morguncher outbid everyone.” “That's a unhealthy appetite.” Applejack crossed her arms. “Thanksgiving Day came and Morguncher came to dine alone. The dinner was for twelve people, but the Manager reluctantly let him eat the whole thing. Didn't even leave a single crumb.” Even Slimer felt sick to his stomach as everyone groaned in disgust. Gamer threw up in mouth before speaking. “Biologically speak, the human body can't handle that much.” “He didn't intent to. The police found a suicide note after he died from Gastric Rupture. Said he intended to die while indulging his greatest fantasy.” Everyone stared in shock at that information. "Well," Shini spoke up after a while. "That got dark." "Yeah," Applejack shivered. “betcha Mikey and Pinkie could eat that and survive.” “If Mikey did, he’d have to trade his nunchucks for a wheelchair. Pinkie…. Still trying to figure out.” Gamer pointed out. Slimer floated up to them curiously. “who they?” “Mikey’s my brother and Pinkie Pie’s one of our friends from the same school as Applejack. You’d probably get along with them, Slimer.” Donnie explained. “Speaking of which, how’re we going to handle Donnie going in?” Peter pointed out. “I got it covered.” Donnie held up his wrist. “I just never had the chance to use it at the church.” He pushed a button to activate his cloak as he stood in his human disguise. “Clever. Very clever.” Egon smiled. “Alright, everyone. Follow my lead.” Peter led the group inside the building. “Just stand behind me. Try to look highly trained.” As they entered, they passed the bellboy who opened the door for the group. “Hey Slimer.” He greeted the green ghost. “Hi, Bud.” Slimer smiled. As they walked through the lobby, they were stopped by a man in a tuxedo not looking happy. “That disgusting green blob is up on the twelfth-floor wreaking havoc!” “We can assure you it’s not the same ghost, Sir.” Ray pointed to Slimer who peaked out from his back and waved nervously. “Either way, I demand a refund right now.” Peter raised his hand to the manager. “Sir, if you read the fine print on our invoice.” “Invoices.” Ray corrected. “Right. Invoices. You’d see that your warranty on re-haunting expired some time ago. You should’ve taken the extended service agreement.” The manager scoffed before walking away. Slimer heard a bark and saw a familiar Scottish dog. “Hi Fred!” Slimer flew to him. As he saw his friend, Gamer saw Egon pull out his handheld device. “Hey, Egon. I’ve been meaning to ask you. What is that device?” “It’s a Psychokinetic energy meter. Or PKE for short.” Egon turned it on and hummed. “I’m getting some interesting PKE spikes here. Disturbances don’t seem to be exclusive to the twelfth floor. I’d like the chance to look around the building a little more. I’ll take Donatello and Blade Swipe and educate them on our equipment.” “Good. Dig up what you can.” Ray said. “That overweighted goober shouldn’t give the six of us too much trouble. Cmon, Slimer! Show time.” Slimer followed the group to the elevator as Rowan pushed the button. The elevator opened to reveal a pretty lady with dark hair wearing a black jacket and skirt. “Scuse us, Mam.” Applejack was interrupted by a push by Peter who ran next to the girl. “Well, hi. You’re perfectly safe now, miss. The Ghostbusters are here.” The lady rolled her eyes as she walked past the group. “Back off, loser. Never gonna happen.” This didn’t affect Peter who chuckled. “That approach rarely works on me. I’ll you all why later.” “Come on, Romeo.” Shini pulled him in the elevator as they rode it up to their destination. As they neared their floor, Ray turned the new recruits. “Alright, folks. Get ready.” “Yeah.” Applejack nodded. “Let’s get ready. Someone switch me on.” Gamer flipped the switch on her proton pack, activating it. As it started up, Gamer began to back away slowly next to Shinigami. “Newbies.” Chuckled Peter. “Dr. Stantz, if you do the honors.” “Proud to, Dr. Venkman.” Ray nodded as turned on his pack. As they left the elevator, Peter turned to the group. “Part of our subtlety for the city, all Proton packs must be off heavily populated areas.” “And in close quarters. It minimizes the city’s liabilities and satisfies the restraining order the maid here put on us.” Ray added. “World we live in today. You fire one proton stream of highly charged particles at someone… and they get sue-happy! We didn’t even burn her! I mean, there was redness! There was some redness!” “That doesn’t make me any more comfortable.” Shini stated before they heard a noise. “It’s him!” Peter fired a stream only to hit a cart with luggage causing the guy pushing it to run and scream. “Great. There goes another plaintiff. YEOW!” Peter narrowly dodged a stream aimed for his head. He glared back to see it was Gamer who fired it. “Sorry. My finger slipped.” He turned away to hide his smirked while Slimer snickered. They then heard clattering and turned to see the ghost they were after munching on a catering cart. “Agh! Disgusting.” Applejack groaned. “He makes my uncle look like he’s on a diet.” Gamer winced. “We told you.” Slimer said. Ray readied his blaster. “Alright. Showtime. We wear him out, then we capture him. That’s what your proton stream is for.” Everyone aimed their blasters towards the ghost following Ray’s signal. “Ready…. Steady…. NOW!” They fired their streams at the ghost who narrowly dodged their blast and hitting the cart instead. “Missed.” Shini deadpanned. “Don’t worry about it! We got him on the run! Let’s go!” Ray began to run before turning. “Peter!” “Ain’t you coming, Peter?” Applejack asked. “Nah! I’ve seen this one already. Know how it ends. You guys have fun now. I’ll cover the elevators and escort any ladies safely to their rooms.” “Yeah. Okay.” Shini rolled her eyes as Peter walked the other way. “Never mind. Let’s go!” Ray waved as they followed a slime trail left by the ghost. After a little ways, Ray pulled out his own PKE Meter like Egon’s. “This looks like a good spot to teach you guys how to use the PKE Meter.” “I’m looking forward to this.” Gamer grinned before letting Ray begin explaining. “Alright. Dig it. Your PKE Meter is the cornerstone of any supernatural investigation. Works like a divining rod.” He pointed the meter at a globe of slime as the rods on top went up while flashing. “Point it at psycho-kinetic energy, it measures electo-magnetic fluctuations and heats up. Point it away and it grows cold. Hot is better. Just follow the signal to the target.” “That’s pretty handy.” Shini smiled. Rowan handed his meter to her. “Here. You can try mine, Shini.” Shini accepted it and tried it out as Ray looked over her shoulder. “And this signal looks like your elusive overlarge targeted entity.” He spoke. “This way!” Shini led the group to a nearby bedroom then through the hallway before giving it back to Roland while Ray let Gamer use his meter. Slimer also helped out by sniffing around like a hound. Soon, they arrive at a corner with vending machines. “Phew! He’s definitely been here.” Ray sniffed as Slimer slimed through the machines. “Hey, Slimer! Could you find me a root beer?” Gamer asked. “You really want a soda after a ghost has been through here?” Applejack raised a brow. “I’m not picky.” Gamer shrugged. “Besides, I’m kinda thirsty.” Slimer popped out looking sad. “Sorry. All out.” “Worth a shot.” “Looks like he cleaned out all the snacks.” Ray stated. “So what now?” Before Ray could answer Roland, his radio crackled to life. “Ray! AUUUUGH! I DON’T FEEL GOOD!” “Peter? Peter! Come in! You okay?” Ray tried to respond. “Uh oh! Man down! We’ve got a man down! GO GO GO!” “This way! It looks like this hallway circles back to the elevators!” Applejack pointed. “Peter!” Slimer cried as they all hurried to the elevators. They arrived to find Peter on the floor, and he was covered in slime. “He’s been slimed! Again!” Ray gasped. “I hope he doesn’t need mouth to mouth.” Shini covered her mouth. “Wait! Again?” Applejack raised her brow while Slimer just whistled casually. “Hussle over here and help him up.” Ray said as Rowan and Gamer helped Peter up and Gamer took a little slime in a test tube. “I don’t know how this happened!” Peter whined. “I was guarding the elevators! That big fat stromboli snuck up on me! Gah! Functified again! Do I just have a sign on my back that says Slime Me?” “When one of us goes down, we’re always there for each other. It’s all about teamwork.” Ray said. “No, my friend. That was back in the pre-sliming era. Now… it’s all about payback.” Peter pulled out his blaster angrily. The radio crackled to life again. This time, it was Egon who spoke in it. “You guys need to get down here immediately. Our overweighted science experiment is down here tearing up the lobby and he’s not alone.” “More ghosts? But we gave this place a clean bill of health five years ago!” Ray responded. “New people die every day.” Egon pointed out before signing out. “Call the elevator, junior.” Ray told Rowan who pushed the button. The elevator opened up as the group hurried in. As they rode in the elevator, it suddenly stopped confusing everyone. “All right, Sloth head! You’ve had your fun! The elevator’s off limits!” Ray cried. “Yeah! Off limits!” Slimer repeated. Ray then spoke into his radio. “Egon. Come in. I think we’re stuck in the elevator. We need some help!” “Think we’re stuck? Let’s see.” Peter walked up to the floor buttons. “Think we’re stuck. Think we’re stuck. Anyone okay with officially stuck? Show of hands.” Rowan and Gamer were the only ones who raised their hands followed by Slimer. Applejack then walked up. “Let me see if I can pry the doors open.” “Wait!” Ray stopped. “Here it comes.” Everyone aimed at the door preparing to blast whatever was trying to get in. “KILL IT, RAY!” Peter cried. “Need a hand?” The doors opened to reveal it was Blade Swipe who opened it. “Hey, Blade.” Peter waved as they got out of the elevator before whispering to Ray. “Too bad it wasn’t Egon.” They all hurried to the lobby to see the Sloth Ghost flying around with other ghosts as everyone hurried to safety. “Could someone please call Winston and tell him his night off is officially over?” “Way ahead of you, Pete. Janine’s paging him right now.” Ray said. “Who’s Winston?” Shini asked. “We’ll tell you later, Shini. Right now, we need to help Egon’s group.” Ray led the group towards Egon and Donnie who were blasting at the ghosts, and they tried to blast them as well. “They won’t hold still!” Applejack cried missing one of the ghosts. “I found out if you move it like a whip, it’ll be a little more easier to catch’em.” Donnie advised before he missed another ghost. “Almost had him!” Everyone kept firing despite missing the ghosts and causing damages before the ghosts all fled. “They’re getting away!” cried Gamer. Egon spoke up. “Ray! Donatello! Applejack! Blade Swipe! Follow me! The others are floating back upstairs. Venkman! Take Rowan, Shinigami, and Gamer and Slimer to pull our Sloth friend into a trap as fast as you can! There’s a massive bulge in these spikes indicating that this is not some routine clearing job!” “He gets so bossy when he hasn’t had his nap.” Peter whispered. But he still led his group. On the way, Slimer sniffed the air. “Prime rib with honey glazed ham? Yum! Yum!” “Cmon, Spud! We haven’t got all night!” Peter called to him. He then pointed to a set of doors. “There! The Alhambra Ballroom. No way he’d pass that up.” “And that was where you busted Slimer the first time you met?” Shini recalled remembering Ray telling her group on the way over. “Uh huh. Uh huh.” Slimer nodded. “Well get ready for a little déjà vu, Spud. No doubt Fatso went in there.” Peter glared. “Then let’s go.” Rowan nodded. They were about to enter before the manager blocked the door. “Absolutely not! You can’t go in there. The Rodriguez Bar Mitzvah is set to start in half an hour!” “I’ll bet the beef brisket is today’s special” Peter gestured. “We’ll just make it quick.” Gamer walked up before the manager stopped him. “And you’ve done quite enough already. I’m sure the…. Thing… will just go away.” Just then, clattering could be heard behind the door. “Oh, sure. It will be gone soon.” Shini rolled her eyes. “I’m willing to risk it.” The manager stated. “You’re not going in there!” “Okay. That’s all I needed to hear! Alright, we’re out! Coffee time, everyone! Service has been declined beyond this point!” Peter declared as he led the group away. “He’s just lucky I leave the roughhousing to Love Shine and Luke. Otherwise, he’d be having trouble standing now.” Gamer muttered. “I’m just glad you’re on our side.” Rowan smiled. When they were gone aways, Peter led the group to the kitchen. “Okay, you guys bring your aprons? We’re gonna take a shortcut through the kitchen.” Egon then spoke through the radio. “Be careful, Peter. Remember the Ellis Island incident.” “Should we ask?” Shini asked Gamer who only shrugged. Peter just ignored her and headed towards a door and opened it. “Let’s see… the Alhambra should be right through… here. Hellooooo, chef.” He led the group through the kitchen as they avoided flying pots and pans with their gear. As they left the kitchen, Gamer and Shini saw Slimer with a huge sandwich. “Seriously?” Gamer huffed. “You’re making a sandwich while we have a job to do?” Slimer responded by handing him a can. “I found a root beer. Untouched.” Gamer accepted the can. “Thanks.” “Y’know, I thought that guy said Rodriguez Bar Mitzvah!” Peter spoke as they entered the ballroom. “Fancy.” Shini whistled. “I think I attended a wedding in one of these.” Gamer said. “Check out the spread!” They then saw the Sloth ghost floating around munching on the food lying around. “Would it kill him to mix in a green salad once in a while?” Peter deadpanned. “I’m gonna take it back. Blast him until he’s dazed and then throw your capture stream on him. Okay, Game Boy, with me on the left. Rowan, you and Shini take the right.” When they got into position, Peter spoke to Gamer. “Kay, Games. I want you blast him near the side. GO!” Gamer blasted at the Sloth ghost narrowly missing him while blasting a couple tables. “SHINI!” On que, Shini blasted next and while getting a hit on the Sloth ghost, ended up hitting a nearby bar. Rowan fired next as they scattered around trying to stop the ghost from escaping and making more damage while Slimer acted like a cheerleader. “Raw! Raw! Sizz boom Bah!” Finally, Rowan and Peter got their streams wrapped around the ghost. As he struggled with his proton beam on the ghost, Venkman called to Shinigami. “Shini! The trap! Toss it underneath Fat boy!” Shini responded by throwing a black box with a handle and yellow and black stripes on its doors. But as it slid underneath, it tilted sideways due to a glob of discarded food. “Oh no! Gamer! It’s tipped!” “I got it!” Gamer hurried to the trap and set it up right. But as he hurried back, he slipped on a puddle of slime and fell near Shinigami and his head hit the pedal. Thankfully, the trap opened trapping sloth ghost inside. As the trap closed, Peter and Rowan turned off their proton streams as Venkman smiled. “Sha! That’ll teach that overweighted goober to slime Pete Venkman. In this case, you guys as well.” Shini bent down to Gamer who still had his face on the floor. “You alright, Games?” “Yeah.” Gamer muttered. “I learned a very important lesson today.” “Really? What’s that?” Rowan asked as Venkman grabbed the trap. Gamer lifted his head. “Ectoplasm is very slippery.” Just then, the manager burst in and saw the mess. “The Alhambra Ballroom! The Bar Mitzvah! What have you done? The guests will be arriving in fifteen minutes!” “Now I really wish Pinkie and Rainbow joined us.” Gamer whispered as Shini nodded in agreement. Peter just scoffed. “What seems to be your problem? Thanks to me and my newly exclusively assigned recruits here, the festivities can now proceed in an entirely ghost-free environment, so… you’re welcome? Huh? And to all the Rodríguezes: La’Chaim from the Ghostbusters.” They all left the room passing the manager with Gamer drinking his root beer crushing his hand and tossing it in the trash can. When they entered, they were greeted by Ray, Egon, Blade, Donnie, and Applejack. “Nice of you guys to join us.” Ray smiled. “You nabbed the sloppy eater?” “On a crash diet now.” Gamer held up the filled trap. “How’s it going on you guys’ end?” “We’re starting to get use to the equipment, and we managed to get those other ghosts.” Donnie nodded. “It’s really not so hard once you know the basics.” Blade admitted before Ray looked up. “Whoa! Heads up! Urination is over!” More ghost appeared out of nowhere as they all started blasted at them. “Gamer! Shinigami! You guys set out the traps while we blast them!” Egon cried. “On it!” Gamer answered as the two started throwing traps under the ghosts. “Get it right this time.” Shini whispered as she threw a trap and stepped on the pedal, managing to catch one of the ghosts. “Yes!” “What an interesting device.” Blade eyed as he blasted while Slimer set a pedal next to him, allowing him to trap another ghost. Soon, it appeared that all the ghosts were captured. “Looks like that’s all of them.” Donnie noticed as they began to collect the traps. “Who is going to pay for all this?” The manager stormed up pointing to the damaged lobby. “No need to worry, sir. As you know, the mayor rode to office on a strictly pro-Ghostbuster platform. And now we invoice the city directly for all captures and eliminations. An unhaunted New York is a tourist friendly New York.” “I meant the damages.” The manager clarified. “What he means is the mayor and the city have taken out an extensive insurance policy as well so you’re covered.” Egon assured. “Honestly, I’m sensing a little hostility here. Perhaps we should just leave the ghosts here if that’s what you want, sir.” Peter grabbed a couple traps. “No! No. but please, be discreet.” The manager suggested. “Discretion is our strong word.” Ray said. “Up there!” Applejack pointed as everyone saw another ghost. This one looked like a fisherman with a fishing pole who flew passed the group. “Where did he come from?” Blade wondered. “Was there a fish special?” Gamer asked. “I suppose we should go after him, unless you want to explain it.” Egon turned to Ray. “Okay. Peter and I will explain while Applejack and Gamer load the traps up in Ecto-1. The rest of you go with Dr. Spengler. That fisherman shouldn’t cause too much trouble.” Donnie, Blade, and Shini nodded and followed Egon and Rowen to the stairway where the ghost flew in. when they entered, Egon looked at his PKE Meter and motioned the four to keep quiet and take the lead. Rowan went first followed by Blade, then Donnie, Shini, and Egon not far behind. Suddenly, a fishing hook hooked the stairwell before yanking, tearing up the stairs between the group and Egon. “Dr. Spengler!” cried Donnie. “Are you okay?” Blade called. “I’m fine. How about you four?” “We’re alright.” Shini answered. Egon looked at the damaged stairwell. “I can’t get across there! Move! You guys take the lead! And Take this trap!” He tossed them a spare ghost trap which Rowan caught. “I’ll get the others! We’ll get to you all as soon as possible!” As Egon hurried back, the four started to look around the floor they were on. As they walked around, Blade held up his hand stopping. “You guys hear that?” Donnie listened in. “It sounds like… water?” “Maybe someone’s filling a tub.” Rowan guessed. “Sounds more like a wave.” Blade heard more before they felt a tremor and were swept away by a huge wave. They got up to see water overflowing on the floor. “Everyone okay?” Donnie checked. “I think so.” Rowan stretched. “I’m just sorry I didn’t bring my swimsuit.” Shini poured water out of her hat. “Hey! Is there a bathtub overflowing up there?” Ray called on the radio. Egon spoke next. “More specifically, a 7,000 cubic meter bathtub full of protonically charged seawater. And… sea cucumbers?” “You guys okay up there?” Applejack asked. “Yeah, Applejack. We’re fine.” Blade assured in his walkie. “Hang tight! We’ll be up soon!” Gamer promised. “Alright! Let’s see if we can do something about this water problem.” Donnie led the group through the water. As they walked, they heard Egon speak again. “Ray, did the recruit as well as our guests about semi-dimensional rift entities? This type of highly agitated environment is likely a manifestation point.” “Hey! Something’s up with this chandelier.” Blade walked up to a chandelier on the wall that was sparking. When he got closer, it suddenly came to life startling him and started walking on its candles like a bug. “Hang on, Blade!” Rowan pulled out his blaster and blasted it destroying it before it could attack as Blade rolled over. “More on the way!” he pointed to a swarm of chandeliers crawling towards them. Donnie pulled out his blaster along with Blade while Shini turned hers on. “Blast them!” They all fired at the chandeliers destroying them. As they caught their breaths, Shini saw the fisherman ghost knocking down a vending machine. “There’s FishBait!” she cried. “Is that his name or a reference to Moby Dick?” Donnie asked. “A bit of both.” Shini shrugged. “After this, I leave the naming to Michelangelo.” “Let’s get’em!” Rowen cried as they ran after him. More chandeliers came after them as they blasted them. Rowen pulled out his PKE Meter to lead the group. Soon, they were nearing another hallway and found a set of elevators. “Hey guys.” Rowen walked up and pushed a button opening the elevators. The open doors caused the water to drain off the entire floor. “That’s one way to pull the plug.” Shini chuckled. Rowen smiled before checking his PKE Meter. “He went this way!” He led them to a seafood dining room and bar with a neon sign that said ‘Sargassi’s’. “Looks like a seafood bar and grill.” Donnie looked around. “He’s here somewhere.” Blade looked around as they readied their blasters. “There!” They saw the fisherman ghost merging from behind the piano. “Blast him!” Donnie cried as they fired at the fisherman who tried to fight back with his fishing pole. Shini, Blade, and Donnie used their ninja training to dodge his attacks while Rowen just ran around. Their blasts managed to it the ghost before it vanished in the kitchen nearby. Before they could give chase, they heard a door opened. They turned to see Egon, Peter, Ray, Slimer, Applejack, and Gamer hurrying in the room. “Good work. Are you alright?” Egon asked. “We are.” Blade nodded. “Are we glad to see you!” Rowan smiled. “Nice going! You might be the right people for this job!” Ray complimented. “Yeah! Right people for this job!” Slimer repeated. Peter surveyed the damage. “Yes, you four have destroyed a significant section of a five-star New York hotel in just under three hours. Your mother and I are so proud, aren’t we, Egon?” “Right.” The four rolled their eyes knowing his hint of sarcasm. “So, where’s the fisherman?” Applejack asked. “He went in there.” Shini pointed to the kitchen doors. “Let’s track it down!” Egon pulled out his Meter to scan for the ghost as the others followed in pursuit. Just as they drew closer to the door, it suddenly blew up and out merged a manifestation of ovens, utensils, and metals. “Sweet game sprites! It’s a combiner!” Gamer cried. “Ray? Egon? That’s a new one for even us, right?” Peter blinked. “First one I’ve ever seen!” Ray answered. “It’s some type of anthropomorphic animator! An entity which attracts familiar objects to itself so it can materially manifest its rage!” “It’s generating a field of attraction so strong that its able to reassemble its component parts!” Egon noticed. “Then we better blast it!” Donnie stated as they readied their blasters as the giant roared stomping towards them. “Full stream NOW!” Egon cried as they all fired. The golem tried to hit them as the ninjas all used their ninja training to dodge its attacks while blasting its armor to pieces. The Ghostbusters noticed and were impressed as they kept firing. Ray noticed the monster looking sluggish. “It’s losing its strength! Keep tearing it down!” Donnie then saw something glowing within the monster. “Got you! Time to yank you out!” The smart turtle used his stream to yank the fisherman ghost from the monster, causing it to crumble. “That’s it! Keep it steady!” Ray called as everyone else used their streams on the ghost. “Donatello! The spare trap I tossed to you earlier!” Egon spoke up. “Right!” Donnie still blasted as he pulled out the trap and tossed it underneath the ghost before stepping on the pedal. The trap opened sucking the fisherman ghost in it. Despite struggling, the ghost could not escape before slipping in the trap before it closed. As the group all crept up to the trap, Peter sighed. “Y’know, I thought I didn’t like knives and forks flying at me. But when knives and forks become a big angry giant, that’s really me not liking it. A lot.” “Me too.” Slimer huffed. “Happens every day, huh?” Ray shrugged as he grabbed the trap. “Okay. Since Mikey’s not here, I have to say it.” Donnie said before cheering. “Booyakasha!” “Uh, what he say?” Peter raised a brow. “Booyakasha. It’s Irish for ‘High glory and love for the moment’.” Egon translated. “My brother Mikey says it a lot. It’s his lingo.” Donnie rubbed his head. “It’s pretty catchy.” Ray smiled. “Yeah! Booyakasha!” Slimer cheered. “You guys are alright.” Rowan high fived Gamer. Peter just rolled his eyes. “Whatever happened to good old fashioned ‘Cowabunga’?” “Anyone hear from Zeddmore?” Ray asked. “Who’s he?” Shini asked. “Winston Zeddmore. He’s the other member of our team. Should be here by now.” Ray answered. Just then, they all felt a small rumble as a new voice spoke through the radio. “Uh, Guys? I’m right outside. And so’s something else.” “Gosh, we missed you, partner. Glad you could make it. but first, how was Aida? Hmmm?” Peter grinned. “Uh, we had to make do with these new specimens here.” “Really?” Applejack raised her brow. “I’ve been trying to get here for over four hours, Peter! Traffic is a little blocked right now!” “That’s New York traffic for ya.” Donnie shrugged before another tremor hit. “Seriously. What is that?” Gamer asked. Suddenly, Ray’s eyes widened. “Wait. I know that thud.” Egon took the radio. “Winston, what do you see out there?” “It’s big. It’s clean and soft and white. And you all aren’t going to like it.” At that moment, Blade saw something out the window and poked Donnie getting the others attention as they all were speechless as a big shadow covered the room. “By Darwin’s beard!” Donnie whispered. “What is that?” Shini asked. Ray was the most afraid. “No… this is not possible. Not here. Not now! Not again!” To be Continued Author's Note Here's two Tobin Spirit Guide pages: Name: Sloth Ghost Category: Class V Full-Roaming Cardinal The Sedgewick Hotel traditionally auctioned off a family Thanksgiving feast and donated the proceeds to charity (usually the St. Nicholas Rehabilitation Mission for Wayward Angels). In 1937, Arbison Morguncher, a wealthy but lonely epicurean, bid upon and won the feast. On Thanksgiving Day, he arrived to dine alone. The Sedgewick's manager protested that the feast was intended for more than 12 people, but Morguncher insisted that he be fed the entire meal. The Manager shrugged, and finally relented. Morguncher sat down and ate the entire meal, leaving not a crumb. "My compliments to the Chef," he said, seven hours later. Swallowing the last bite, he died from a gastric rupture due to massive overeating. Authorities later found a suicide note at Morguncher's home. It told that he intended to die while indulging his greatest fantasy. Name: Pappy Sargassi (AKA Fisherman ghost) Category: Class III Roaming Animator Descending from a long, proud line of seafarers and fishermen, Pappy Sargassi attempted to avoid the notoriously unlucky early deaths on the water that plagued his family by pursuing a more landlocked career. In 1950 he opened a restaurant, Sargassi's, and attempted to turn his back on the sea. In later years, he overcame his fear of the water and took up fishing. His family's curse caught up with him or he was the unluckiest fisherman who ever lived and he died choking on a fish stick while being eaten by a great white shark. Notes: -The bellhop Bud and the dog Fred were characters from the Slimer cartoons in Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters. Special thanks to Darth Wrex for the assistance. Next time: Stayin Puft!
Stayin Puft!The Ghostbusters and Ninjas hurried out of the Sedgewick Hotel as the vibration got bigger. Peter patted Ray on the shoulder as he looked worried. There, across the street merged a giant white pudgy figure with a sailor hat and collar. “Holy chalupa!” Donnie gasped as the giant figure smashed buildings and roaring. Ray looked to Egon who had his PKE Meter out. “It wasn’t me this time. I swear it.” “Pull it together, Ray.” Peter rolled his eyes. Gamer then spoke up. “Okay! Who is Frosty the Snow Kaiju?!” “First off, Games, that’s not snow. It’s marshmallow.” Peter began. “And second, it’s the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.” Ray gulped. “Wait. As in Stay Puft Marshmallows?” Applejack blinked before everyone looked at her. “They’re my sister’s favorite when it comes to s'mores.” “So what? This is advertising campaign?” Shini asked. “Afraid it’s far from that.” The group saw another Ghostbuster run up. This guy was African American and wore a light blue jumpsuit with a red collar. “Winston!” cheered Slimer as Ray turned to the ninja group. “Everyone, allow me to introduce you to our fourth member, Winston Zeddmore. Winston, This is Donatello, Applejack, Gamer, Shinigami, and Blade Swipe.” “Nice to meet you.” Blade greeted as he shook Winston’s hand. “Likewise. Hopefully, I can get to know you guys while we work.” Winston nodded. “So did the big guy break out of the Containment unit again?” Ray asked. Slimer was shivering behind Applejack as he shook his head. “Uh uh. Not the big guy!” Egon looked at his meter. “He’s right. There’s something off about this Stay Puft! These reading are off! It’s not our Stay Puft! It must be… Gozer.” “What’s a Gozer?” Shini asked. “We’ll tell you on the way. Come on!” Ray spoke as he and Egon climbed in Ecto-1. “So, how do we stop this cheap confection?” Peter asked. “Hey, Ray. Weren’t you gonna finish up the intall of the Super Slammer today?” asked Winston. “The Super Slammer?” Donnie raised his brow. “It’s a big trap on top of our car.” Ray answered. “Sounds untested, tacky, and exciting! I’m in!” Peter grinned. “But will it work?” “Against the minions of a god? That was never the intent.” Egon pondered. “But in theory, I suppose it could. But a Muon trap of this capacity has never been used or even tried before.” “Uh huh, and why would that stop guys that don’t know any better?” Peter teased. “I bet Raph would say that.” Gamer whispered to Shini who snickered. Egon and Ray drove the car while the others walked to the side. “We’ll have to clear a path first.” Applejack stated. Suddenly, Stay Puft stomped on the ground. Everyone looked to see him laughing. “Whatever he did must’ve been funny.” Blade figured. Then, the place where Stay Puft stomped had blobs of marshmallow that morphed into marshmallow creatures. “Get moving! His residue is animating!” Egon warned. “And they’re heading this way!” Blade pointed to the creatures heading towards them. As they all started to blast at them, Ray spoke. “Lordy help us! Stay Puft is somehow hatching these…. Mini minions of himself! Well, that’s paranormal physiology for ya. Always something to make your stomach turn!” “Actually, Ray, it’s making me want a slice of Mikey’s pepperoni and marshmallow pizza!” Gamer cried as he blasted a minion off only to get covered in goo. Slimer flew up and licked the goo off him. “Thanks.” “Yum Yum!” Slimer salivated. “Nettlesome little yarpers! And yet they do look tasty.” Applejack admitted. “Bet Pinkie would try eating them.” After all the minions were beaten, Stay Puft threw a burning piece of debri near the Ghostbusters. “Heads up! More trouble!” Winston warned. Luckily, it landed in front of them, but blocked their path. Winston saw some smaller ghosts the looked like construction workers. “Multiple class five FRVs! Inbound!” “Ray, prepare the Muon Trap.” Egon spoke. “Switching on the Muon Trap.” Ray flipped the switch. “Ah yeah! My favorite song: Switched on Muon Trap!” Winston grinned. “Yeah! Switched on Muon Trap!” Slimer chimed. The group blasted the ghosts with their blasters and used their capture streams to catch the ghosts. “Oh yeah! I’m liking the Super Slammer!” Winston cheered as the started slamming the ghosts in the trap on top of Ecto-1. “It’s very sweet!” Shini agreed. Egon spoke from the car. “Throw all the ghosts you’ve captured at the Slammer. You can relinquish your handheld unit.” “Got it, Egon!” Donnie nodded as he slammed another ghost in the trap. “I dreaded you when you were alive. You’re worse!” Peter taunted before slamming another construction ghost in the Slammer. Egon looked back. “Ray, could you stop the car?” “No. Not if we want to catch up to our friend.” Ray answered. As Rowan slammed another ghost, Peter spoke up. “Hey! Don’t give them change! You’ll only encourage them!” “Venkman, we need to have a talk about tolerance!” scolded Winston. Donnie slammed the last ghost in the Muon Trap before looking around. “I think we got them all.” “Good. I need to catch my breath.” Breathed Gamer. Egon checked his meter. “I’m detecting something… significant… behind us.” “What is that?” Winston looked. “Am I hearing wings?” “I hear them too.” Blade sensed. “Up there!” Everyone looked at where Applejack pointed. Back at the Sedgewick Hotel, the gargoyle statues way up on the building began to move and come alive. “Class six! Kinetic animators! Multiple contacts!” Egon warned as the statues flew towards the group. As they blasted at them, Gamer was next to Donnie as he spoke. “Hey, D! Remember my Gargoyle theory?” “The one where gargoyles live in New York and fight evil like us? Yeah.” “Well now’s a good time to forget about it.” Gamer said before blasting one to pieces. “Grab em and slam em!” Winston cried. “Interesting. Ghosts and gargoyles.” Shini smiled. “Hey! That was a game: Ghosts and Gargoyles, a game we played when I was in the Seminary!” Ray recalled. “Ghosts and Gargoyles. What dink game didn’t you play? Do you have your eight-sided dice with you?” Peter rolled his eyes. “I do!” Slimer held up his dice. Through their teamwork, they defeated the gargoyles as Applejack walked up to a pile of marshmallow. “Let’s roast this stuff and be on our way.” She started blasting it with Blade joining her. “It’s not vaporizing fast enough!” Egon pointed. “There’s too much of it!” “Darn! And we were making good time too!” Winston huffed. “And I thought it couldn’t become any harder to get around Manhatten. Any ideas?” Ray wondered. “Pray for a meteor to strike?” Gamer shrugged. “Well, we’re not getting through that way now.” Donnie observed. Winston spoke up. “Let’s cut through this alley. We might be able to head off Stay Puft.” “Good idea.” Nodded Blade. They entered the alleyway only to find a wall of marshmallow blocking their path. “We need to find another way around this mess.” Ray stated. “I’ve had enough of the Marshmallow parade!” Wintson headed to a laundromat nearby. “Let’s see if we can find a short cut. Who’s with me?” “I’m in!” Applejack volunteered. “Me too!” Rowan joined in. “I’m coming too.” Blade followed with Slimer behind him. The four entered the laundromat which no one was around. “Spooky and clothesline fresh!” Slimer chuckled. As they walked, the laundry machines moved barricading their path. “Are you kidding me? A haunted laundromat?” Applejack huffed. “This way!” Winston led them through a path passed the machines. As he passed the water fountain, Rowan took a quick drink. “Thirsty?” Blade asked. “Yeah. Just enough to suffice.” Rowan nodded as he followed the others out. As they exited the laundromat, Winston pointed to a gas tanker stuck in the marshmallow pile. “That’s our ticket! That tanker’s leaking gas all over the place. That’s a safety hazard right there.” “I wanted to test these first, but since we’ve been waiving that safety step today anyway,” Egon spoke in the radio. “You should be aware, Rowan, that I’ve modified your Neutrona Wand which normally releases your proton stream.” “Wow! It’s like Christmas came early!” Winston grinned. “Christmas?” Slimer perked up. “Earlier than what? They started Christmas before Halloween this year! Santa came to my house dressed as Dracula!” Ray said in the radio. “I always feel like they start Christmas too soon all the time.” Gamer added. “I know, right? At least wait until Halloween is over before bombarding us with deals.” Shini agreed. “Can we focus, please?” Applejack politey asked. “Much as I love to talk about holidays, we still have our overgrown Nutty Buddy to deal with.” “Okay, let’s see. Try this.” Rowan looked at his blaster and pushed the button to release his stream, then pressed a button on the side and fired an orb blast at the gas which started to flame up. “You guys might want to step back.” Winston warned in the radio. “How far exactly?” Egon asked. “Back. WAY back!” Applejack responded. “Heads up!” Donnie cried before the marshmallow barricade exploded. “You guys alright?” Blade asked. “Do I still have eyebrows?” Egon responded. “Same old. Same old.” Peter sighed. “The lady said way back.” Winston reminded. “Way back.” Slimer repeated. As the group got through the wreckage with Ecto-1, Ray turned to Rowan. “Nicely done. Great job, kid!” “Yeah. Combustible gas. It’s the future.” Peter grinned. “Egon, once again on the Super Slammer. I, uh… my dog ate my homework.” “It’s a prototype, Peter. Do you recall the memo from you about you getting too many memos on prototypes?” “Well, I did write that memo.” Peter mentioned before Egon continued. “We’ve mounted a high-expansion, rapid cycle multiple ghost absorber. It’s faster and larger than our portable units.” “Am I in Jeoprady? Is it big enough to roast the big guy? Okay? Okay.” “And I thought Raph was intolerable.” Gamer rolled his eyes. “Potentially. But our exposure to inter-dimensional deities has been only marginal to date, so it would be wise to anticipate some errors.” Egon concluded. Soon, the group managed to arrive at Time Square as Ray spoke. “Time Square, post urban renewal. All shiny and clean. I love it!” Their thoughts were interrupted by a car tossed in front of them. They hurried to find Stay Puft throwing cars left and right. “Say, is that him?” Peter taunted. “Well, he’s hard to miss.” Answered Gamer before they all ducked from a flying car. “Egon, how close to we need that Super Slammer to real that guy in?” Applejack asked as they pulled out their throwers. “A lot closer than this.” Egon spoke. “What is he up to now?” Peter wondered as they saw Stay Puft looking in a nearby building. “He’s…. looking for something.” Ray noticed. “Is he looking for something or someone?” Egon wondered which caused Ray to sink down. As Ray got out of the car and strapped on a pack, there was a news reporter nearby. “If you can see behind me, the streets are in absolute chaos! Authorities are doing everything they can to quell the panic and maintain order! It is madness out here! The Stay Puft Marshmallow man, star of the popular children’s television series, is on a rampage! This is NOT the Stay Puft we’ve come to love! Fortunately, the Ghostbusters have arrived to put everything back in order!” As the group hurried to the street, one of the cars Stay Puft threw hit the top of Ecto-1. Egon got out to check the Muon Trap. “It’s damaged! I got to fix it, or we won’t stand a chance.” “I’ll help!” Gamer ran over to help. “We need to get from here to there! Make sure the Not-our-big-guy doesn’t find what he’s looking for!” Ray stated. “Good strategy. It’s dangerous. That’s a lot of open ground to cover.” Egon pointed out. Ray turned to the group. “Alright, I’ll take Rowan, Donnie, and Applejack and we’ll go across Time Square and get into the building Stay Puft is so interested in. You guys keep him in off us if you think you can!” “He knows you’re there, Ray!” Egon warned. “I don’t think he likes it!” “Yeah, he spotted us. Keep moving!” Ray led the group. “Go! We’ll hold him off!” Shini waved as she and Blade fired at Stay Puft while keeping their distance. “Gonna try something.” Blade placed his hand on his blaster and channeled his electricity through it to increase his stream against Stay Puft. “Keep away from those feet!” Ray called. “He’ll stomp you into jelly!” “Keep moving!” Applejack cried. “Here he comes! Evasive manuevers!” Donnie stated. “Stay close to me and as far away from him as you can!” Ray advised as the group hurried further. As they hurried, they heard Blade on the radio. “Anyone seen Dr. Venkman?” Ray tried to contact him. “Venkman! You got to distract him! Venkman, are you getting coffee? Venkman’s getting coffee!” “In that case, I’ll take mine black.” Joked Shini. Stay Puft threw another car which cleared a path to the building. “There’s our way in!” Donnie pointed. “Follow me! Quick!” Ray led them inside. “He’s getting closer!” Rowan looked back. The four hurried into the building as Ray spoke out to anyone running to safety. “It’s okay. Ghostbusters! Just a Class Five thought-form crossrip! The professionals are here! Everyone calmly exit the street! Make no sudden movements!” Suddenly, Marshmallow minions busted through the windows. “They’re breaking in!” Applejack pointed. “Blast’em!” Donnie cried before they fired their streams. Rowan and Ray joined in while Slimer taunted them. After they managed to defeat them, Ray saw Stay Puft on the move again. “Uh Oh. He didn’t find what he was looking for on the bottom floor! Come on! We gotta get to the top floors!” “There’s an elevator over there!” Donnie pointed. They hurried to the elevator as it opened. Two businessmen saw them and tried to push the button. “All full. Going up! He uh just passed gas. Take the next one.” Ray stopped the door. “Relax, sir. We handle foul vapors all the time.” “Besides, this is an emergency.” Applejack quoted as they got in. “Yeah! An emergency!” Slimer echoed. As they rode the elevator, they heard the two argue with each other. “Let’s stay in for lunch, you said. Why leave the building, you said. It’ll be quiet, you said. You know you’re fired?” “You’re right. I secretly knew our our lives would be in danger and thought, ‘Hey, I’ll make sure to trap Mark with me inside an ELEVATOR!” “Scuse us.” Donnie said as they exited to the top floor. “Stay with me! I’m sure there’s more fun up ahead.” Ray said as they hurried. “Yeah. Never a dull moment.” Applejack sighed. As they entered the office, Ray led with his PKE Meter out and motioned the group to go slow. “Keep an eye out.” As they entered the room, Ray’s meter raised its rods higher as everyone noticed. “Uh oh. No sudden movements.” “Keep your eyes peeled.” Donnie looked around. “Got quiet all the sudden.” Applejack whispered. Slimer looked up and screamed. Everyone looked to see Marshmallow minions bursting through the skylight. “They’re in the vents!” Rowan cried as they blasted at them. One minion crawled towards Applejack as the cowgirl grabbed her shuko claw and slashed it up. “And they say ninja weapons were useless.” Donnie blasted a minion then used his bo to jump over a couple more then blasted them from behind. It resulted in him getting covered in marshmallow goo. “I’m covered in marshmallow minion goo!” “Stay Puft is working overtime generating these little creeps!” Ray said as they blasted the last of them. “Whew! The janitors are gonna need the big brooms tomorrow morning.” Panted Donnie. “Yeah. The BIG brooms!” Slimer agreed. “Good shooting- AAH!” When Ray opened the door to the next room, more marshmallow minions bursted through. “The very big broom.” Slimer sighed as they fought again. Just then, they heard a woman scream. “Someone needs a Ghostbuster!” Ray stated. “Then let’s give her one!” Applejack nodded as they finished the last minion. As they hurried through a hall, Ray spoke in his radio. “Venkman! Blade! Shinigami! Come in! it’s pandemonium up here. Chunks of the building missing everywhere! You’re required at the site now!” “Blade and I are on our way!” Shini responded. Peter had a different answer. “So happy to be in demand but these sugarballs got me nailed down. They’re disgusting! And they’re unhealthy!” “Are you really overwhelmed or just drinking coffee?” Applejack asked. “Sorry, AJ! Couldn’t hear ya!” “Uh did I mentioned there’s a spectacularly beautiful lady in distress?” Ray added. “I’ll be right there!” Peter then signed off. The group entered the next room to see Stay Puft through a hole looking at a familiar lady. “No! Somebody help me!” “Easy now, Miss. Just relax. No sudden movements. You’re perfectly safe now.” Ray gestured. “Try to make your way towards us!” Applejack slowly tried to reach for the woman who tried to make her way to her before Stay Puft reached in. “Sudden movements!” Slimer screamed. Suddenly, on the other side, Blade bursted through the door with Shini behind him and blasted at Stay Puft. “Oh no you don’t!” “This way! Quick!” Shini gestured to the woman who hurried in the door as the others helped Blade blast Stay Puft away. “Perfect timing, Blade!” Ray said as the group hurried to the other side. “I’m just glad Shinigami and I weren’t too late.” Blade smiled. Rowan saw the view of the city through the hole. “Wow! Check it out!” “What a view, huh?” Ray smiled. “Manhatten. I love it!” “Me too!” Slimer chimed in. They hurried to the stairs to see Shini deadpanning as Peter spoke to the woman. “It’s okay. Dr. Venkman has you. You’re fine now.” “You didn’t spill your coffee, did you Peter?” Slimer chuckled at Ray’s jester. “Ray, I had coffee for all of us, even Shinigami’s all black coffee, but the little monster spilled it.” Peter protested as Applejack rolled her eyes to Shini who nodded in agreement. “And what’s the story with those things anyway?” “Anyway, are you alright, Mam?” asked Applejack. “Was that a manifestation of Gozer?” the lady asked. Peter answered first. “Uh, yeah. Probably. It just may be. Would you like to take the direct route outta here or the scenic route? It’s lady’s choice.” “There’s a stairwell outta here. Let’s go!” “You heard the lady! Cmon!” Blade kicked the door. “Whew! Grace under pressure. I appreciate that in a lady.” Donnie rolled his eyes at Peter’s words. “Oh brother. Was I like that with April?” “You really want my full honest answer?” Applejack raised her brow. “Nah. I already know the answer.” Donnie picked up the pace as they hurried down the stairs. “Let’s hurry before tubby soft squeeze figures out what we’re up to.” Ray pointed. Suddenly they felt a tremor. “I think he heard you, Dr. Stanz.” Blade muttered. “Tubby soft squeeze must have dog ears.” Peter added. Suddenly, the stairs in front of them broke. Rowan almost fell before Donnie and Applejack grabbed him in time. “Well, can’t go that way now.” Donnie pointed. “Well, it was a good idea for a second.” The woman shrugged. “Okay, let’s think! What did people do before stairs? Was it ladders or jumping from rock to rock?” Peter huffed. “Maybe we can jump to the other building and climb down from there.” Donnie suggested. “We go up then. To the roof.” Ray led the group upstairs as they avoided debri made by tremors. As they hurried, a hole smashed on the wall to reveal Stay Puft looking at them as the woman screamed. “Well hello there.” Peter waved casually. “Stay Puft spotted us! Move! Move!” Ray cried. “We’re almost there!” Blade stated as they doubled timed it. They made it to the roof as Shini opened the door to outside. “Well, that’s a relief.” Peter grinned. “Cmon! Let’s go!” the lady gestured. “This way!” Donnie hurried before he was forced back as a generator blew up revealing more construction ghosts. “Donnie/Donatello!” Everyone gasped. As everyone else blasted at the ghosts, the woman ran to Donnie and gasped as Donnie got up to find out his cloak watch was damaged, so he was a turtle again and his eyes widened. “oh no.” he whispered. “Is this what you really look like?” the lady asked. “Yes.” Donnie admitted as he got up. “But I assure you I’m really on your side.” “You can tell me later. I think your friends need your help!” she pointed to the battle. Donnie nodded as he hurried to help. As he started blast at the ghosts, Blade noticed his condition. “Donnie! Your cloak!” “I know. She saw me!” Donnie said as they continued firing. “We gotta make this quick!” Applejack threw a trap in and opened it trapping the ghosts. “Great job!” the lady cheered. As AJ grabbed the trap, Egon spoke from the radio. “I don’t mean to alarm you guys, but we lost sight of Stay Puft.” “Huh?” Slimer tilted his head. “How could you lose sight of that guy?” Shini deadpanned. “Couldn’t have gone far.” Donnie pointed as Ray pulled out his PKE Meter. “Strong signal!” he led the group to the edge of the roof when suddenly Stay Puft popped up and roared at them surprising them. Slimer screamed in fear the most. “Aim for his hands!” Blade cried as they opened fired at the marshmallow man. Together, they were able to knock him off the building. “That’s how you do it! Great job, guys!” Ray complimented. “Ha! Free smores for everybody from 54th street to 5th avenue! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!” “And Pinkie Pie isn’t here with graham crackers.” Applejack joked. Peter watches at the edge. “There he goes! The big evil sailor all the way to the- OH! Not even close! Didn’t make it! Hey, Ray? Say four guys, a turtle, and two gals the size of your finger knocked you off the side of the building and you had to climb all the way back up to tear them apart, how mad would you be at those dinky types?” “Not a happy camper, that’s for sure.” Ray figured. “Eyup.” Applejack agreed. “And maybe add a sugar high, too.” Shini grinned. “That giant blue and white toy…man…thing…or whatever…. Is still coming! It’s climbing the building!” the woman pointed. “Persistent big guy, isn’t he?” Blade glared. “I’m impressed with his agility, considering his complete lack of bones.” Peter smiled. Gamer then spoke from the radio. “Guys! Good news! We got the Super Slammer back on pulse and Ecto-1 is rolling! We’re repositioning now! Can you guys hold off Stay Puft for a few minutes?” “If by few, you mean less than one, then sure. We can do that.” Ray sighed. The building shook as Stay Puft climbed which caused Rowan to lose his balance and fall off the building. “Rowan!” everyone gasped. Luckily, Ray revealed he had a cable that held Rowan on the side of the building. “No sweat, kid! We gotcha!” “Well, long as you’re down there, could you see if you can knock off Mr. Sweetness?” Peter suggested. Blade quickly grabbed his Kyoketsu-shoge and tied a cable on it before stabbing it on the roof which Donnie noticed. “Blade! What are you doing?” “He needs help down there. I’m going down there!” and with that, Blade jumped to the same level as Rowan. “You guys okay?” Ray asked. “You’re both strapped in and we got a good grip on both of you. Here he comes! The Big Daddy manifestation himself! A raging blob of dendely packed marshmallow!” “Let’s melt him!” Blade told Rowan as they aimed their throwers. “Give him full stream!” Slimer cheered. “He’s right, Rookie. Your health insurance doesn’t begin for another 89 days.” Egon warned through his radio. “Well, that’s encouraging.” Rowan rolled his eyes. “FIRE!” As the two fired, Stay Puft conjured up more minions which they blasted at. “More minions? How many can he generate?” Donnie jawdropped. “From two thousand square feet of solid marshmallow? Probably sixty.” Peter answered. “I think that was a rhetorical question, Venkman.” Applejack pointed out. Rowan blasted with Boson Darts as Stay Puft continued his climb. “He’s still coming!” “Maybe this will even the odds!” Like before, Blade generated lighting through his proton pack and fired a big blast that pushed Stay Puft back. “Nice shot!” Ray grinned. “Is that his upset look? What do you think, Ray?” Peter asked. As they blasted, Donnie whispered to Applejack. “It appears he’s looking for something.” “Or someone.” Applejack looked at the woman. “Why are you looking at me?” “No special reason.” Applejack shrugged. Despite being pushed down a lot, Stay Puft was still climbing up with a burnt look. This time he was almost near Rowan and Blade. “You guys got him on the ropes! Fire the last one so we can all go home!” Ray cried. “Yeah! Fire the last one so we can all go home!” Slimer echoed. “FULL STREAM!” Blade and Rowan shouted as they blasted big at Stay Puft. The marshmallow man roared as he lost his grip and fell to the street below imploding into a big mess of marshmallow. “You killed my dessert!” Peter joked. “YEAH! Scoreboard reads Ghostbusters: 2! Gozer the Gozerian: 0! Looking like a big leaguer down there, guys!” cheered Ray. “Yeah! Looking good!” Slimer added. “What a mess down here!” Winston said on the radio. “Ray! Peter! Guys! We’re in position! The trap is set. We’re prepare to capture Stay Puft!” Egon spoke. “Where is he?” “He’s that big white puddle you’re driving through.” Peter responded. “Timing is off by just a hair, Egon, but we’re glad to hear the trap is working again.” Ray added. “Anyone got any chocolate? We could make s’mores.” Gamer joked as Shini laughed while the others pulled Blade and Rowan up. Later, after getting back down on the streets and near Ecto-1, and helping sneak Donnie from the crowds, the group looked at the lady. “I guess I owe you guys my life.” “She’s clean.” Egon checked her with his PKE Meter. “How do you feel?” Ray asked. “Pretty good, all extremely weird things considered.” “We can sure relate to that.” Applejack grinned. “So far, just a messed-up day at the office.” Peter teased. The others just rolled their eyes before Gamer spoke. “I remember you now. You were that lady we saw at the elevator at the Sedgewick.” “After she gave me the sideshow chickendrop? Yeah, I never forget a face.” Peter said. “What’s your name, Miss?” Shini asked politely. “My name is Illyssa. Dr. Illyssa. And-“ “I am Dr. Peter Venkman!” Peter declared. “Oh and that’s Egon, that’s Ray, Slimer, and That’s Winston, and you met him.” “Rowan.” Rowan introduced himself as Ray shook Illyssas hand. “Uh huh. The Ghostbusters.” Illyssa then pointed to the new group. “Though I don’t know them.” “This is Gamer, Applejack, Shinigami, Blade Swipe, and that’s Donatello.” Ray introduced. “Charmed.” Applejack greeted as illyssa shook everyone’s hand one by one. As she shook Donnie’s hand, Illyssa asked. “Are you a ghost too?” “Would you believe mutant?” Donnie smiled nervously. “Sorry if I scare you.” “Still better than a hundred-foot marshmallow man. Thank you for helping me. All of you.” Illyssa smiled. “Have you ever involved in this type of quantum temporal rift event before?” Egon asked. “A quantum what?” Illyssa raised her brow. “It’s called arcing. A large pulse of psychic energy.” Ray translated. “Actually, yes! I was at the museum… a pulse of blue light surged through the building. I was standing outside of a room on the thirteenth floor of a hotel.” “The Sedgwick.” Winston stated. “The Sedgewick doesn’t have a thirteenth floor.” Ray recalled. “It was pulling me like a magnet. I felt as though I was in a dream. I came to and ran over here.” “Here?” Blade asked Illyssa. “It’s a temporary office while I’m in town. I came to do some research when I…. woke up.” “That psychic pulse is why we are here.” Donnie assured. “That’s why we’ve teamed up with the Ghostbusters.” “We’d like you to come to our lab so we can run some brief tests and ask you more questions.” Egon suggested. Peter pushed Gamer into Slimer to get close to Illyssa. “Here’s an easy one. Would you like to Thai, Mexican, Japanese?” “I’ll take some Japanese please.” Gamer mumbled before getting Slimer off him. “Yum! Yum!” “Wow! Dr. Venkman! That time you almost went 45 seconds without saying anything abrasive. Wanna try for a full minute next time? Without pushing the kid?” Illyssa taunted. “A doctor and a fiery one! Charming. So charming.” Peter grinned as Ray directed him to the Ecto-1 while everyone packed up before driving back to the firehouse. To Be Continued Author's Note Here's our next page from Tobin's: Stay Puft Name: The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man Category: Class 7 Avatar Manifestation Stay Puft is the mascot of Stay Puft Marshmallows. When the Ghostbusters battled Gozer the Gozerian, They were told by Gozer to choose the form of their destructor, and Ray Stantz "chose" him as the form. All the other guys claimed they had emptied their minds, but Ray said he tried to think of something that could never harm them. As a child, Ray used to roast Stay Puft Marshmallows on the fire at Camp Waconda. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man was simply the mascot for the Stay Puft brand. His accidental choice resulted in Gozer being manifested in the form of a 100-foot-tall homicidal marshmallow man bent on destroying the Ghostbusters, New York, and the world. Despite being destroyed when the Ghostbusters crossed the streams to destroy Gozer's portal door, There was another Stay Puft that the Ghostbusters managed to trap and is now in the containment unit. This Stay Puft is more friendly and is good friends with Slimer and considers the Ghostbusters his friends. Notes: Since going by the cartoon lore, I'm going to say this Stay Puft they fought was a shadow of the Stay Puft who is actually an ally of the Ghostbusters. Yes, Gamer's Gargoyle theory teases Disney's Gargoyles. NO! There's no crossover in mind! So don't ask! I left out the Hindenburg theatre because I thought it slowed the chapter down. Next time: Under New Management!
Under New ManagementLater, back at the firehouse, Gamer, Applejack, Blade, and Shini were joining Rowan and Winston in the basement next to a big red machine. Applejack was looking through a viewer next to it. “So that there is the real Stay Puft?” She asked as she saw another marshmallow man who was happily playing with a yo-yo. “Yep! The big guy!” Slimer nodded as he floated next to her. “That’s right, AJ. Unlike the one you guys blew up, this one is actually a lot nicer. We rarely let him out for special occasions.” Winston explained as he helped Rowan with the traps with ghosts in them. Blade looked at the red machine. “So this thing is where you guys put every ghost you ever caught?” “Yep. It’s called the Ecto containment unit. It’s where store all vapors, entities, slimers and any other ghost we manage to trap. Come over here and I’ll show you how it works.” Everyone gathered around Winston as he took one of the traps. “Start with a loaded trap. Open. Unlock the system.” He turned a big nob which opened a compartment and inserted the trap. “Insert the trap.” The red light went on as he pulled out the outer part of the trap. “Release. Close. Lock the system.” He closed it back up and pushed a couple white buttons. “This button sets your entry grid. This one mechanizes your field.” He flipped a big switch down then up as the green light lit up. “As Ray would say, the light is green, trap is clean. And that’s how you use the containment unit.” “Wow!” Awed Gamer. “Looks simple enough.” Shini smiled. “Go ahead, Shinigami. Try it out.” Winston handed her a trap. Shini followed Winston’s lead and was able to empty the trap successfully. “Light is green. Trap is clean. I like that.” Gamer, Applejack, and Blade all got to have a turn and we’re all successful. “Very good.” Winston smiled. “Good job!” Slimer cheered. “Dude, we gotta show Donnie!” Gamer smiled. “Speaking of Donatello, we better check see if he, Egon, and Ray learned anything about ms. Illyssa yet.” Blade suggested. “You guys go ahead.” Rowan insisted. “I’ll finish up with the remaining traps.” “Okay. Thanks, Rowan.” Applejack thanked as they followed Winston upstairs. In the lab, the group were watching as Egon and Ray were checking Illyssa, who wore a helmet with bolts and wires on it. After a little bit of nothing, Winston spoke. “So you know so much about Gozer because…?” “Because I’m a specialist in Mesopotamian culture and architecture. Sumerian, primarily. Gozerian, more specifically. I’m here as a guest curator for the new Gozer exhibit that’s opening tomorrow at the Natural History Museum.” Illyssa explained. “You are aware that we have some… history with Gozer.” Egon pointed out. “Yes. Of course.” “So he’s this god you guys fought years ago?” Donnie asked. “And who took on the form of Stay Puft who wasn’t your friend?” Applejack added. The Ghostbusters all nodded as Ray stated. “Gozer was a bush-leaguer before he met us! A strictly farm-team deity! We put him on the map.” “And they want an exhibit of him in the museum?” Blade raised a brow. “If it’ll make money for business, then yes, Blade.” Egon answered. “You’d be surprised at how many baddies made history.” Gamer pointed out. “So glad some like Dark Codex are lost in time back home.” Blade whispered. As they talked, no one saw Donnie perked up before walking in the shadows. “But our getting stiff on invites to opening night was just an oversight?” Peter guessed. “I have nothing to do with that.” Illyssa assured before everyone heard a new voice. “That, gentlemen, was all me!” Everyone turned to see a man in a business suit with light brown hair and short beard. “And I assure you that it was not an oversight.” Janine walked up behind him. “Oh by the way, you have visitors.” “Thanks, Janine! You’re a first class lookout!” Peter thanked sarcastically. Slimer hid behind Shinigami shivering as the witch girl whispered to Ray. “Who’s that?” “That’s Walter Peck. He was from the EPA and has been trying to shut us down despite seeing what we go up against.” Ray answered whispering. “Walter Peck!” Peter sneered. “I almost didn’t recognize you without the mayor’s backside.” Peck scoffed before he noticed the newcomers. “And who are they?” “Just a couple of helpers.” Winston stated. “Oh! Then I can add having minors using illegal equipment to your warranty.” Gamer glared through his goggles. “Mr. Peck! I have a license to handle this kind of equipment!” “Oh sure you do.” Peck rolled his eyes. “And what’s this? A baseball card?!” Gamer pulled out his license card as Applejack and Blade held him back from lunging towards Peck. “Okay! Let’s put it away in our skivvies!” an older man walked up chuckling. “And you are? Sorry. We’re kinda out of town.” Applejack spoke. “Mayor Mulligan. At your service. Oh, my apologies. Dr. Selwyn. Are you alright?” “I think so, but… I’m worried about the exhibit.” The mayor just laughed. “Are you kidding?! You can’t buy publicity like this! The curator of the Gozer exhibit… the expert Peck recommended… is attacked the night before the opening by Gozer himself! Please, tell me that was Gozer!” “I take it you’re a fan?” Shini asked before Egon spoke up. “Gozer manifested in a familiar form, one he had used before, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. But this event was weaker than his first encounter with us.” “Ha! That’s all I needed! Thanks!” Peter then walked up to the mayor. “Cmon, Jock, What’s the idea of bringing preck around here?” he coughed mentioning Peck. “Oh, have I coughed at the wrong time?” The mayor then cleared his throat and spoke serious. “Listen, you and Peck and all you guys are going to work together.” “WHAT?!” Peter gasped. “No way, no how.” Ray waved off. “Impossible.” Egon shook his head. “Had a feeling that’s a bad idea.” Applejack crossed her arm as Slimer blew a raspberry. “Why’s that, Mr. Mayor?” Blade politely asked. “Look. The city has given you at least a dozen contracts for the jails, courthouses, and wharves. You guys want to grow your business. Get some county and state work too. I’m all for it. You’ve been big supporters and great for my campaign.” “Well, some say our endorsement is what got you elected.” Ray recalled. “But not out loud.” The mayor continued. “Anyway, after all the damages you’ve been causing lately, the city council wants you under close supervision for a period of no less than six months.” “We file the reports on time. There’s no need for extra supervision.” Peter assured. “Ha! Funny guy, Venkman! You’ve always been my favorite!” the mayor laughed. “That’s where your friend Peck comes in. he’s annoying, a stickler for the rules, in other words, the perfect ‘Peck’ for the job! He’s our new head of P-COC.” “P-COC?” Slimer asked along with Ray and Gamer. “P-C-O-C. Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission.” Peck explained. “And my first official act is going to be suspending you clown’s operating liscense.” “Well, that didn’t last long.” Shini rolled her eyes. “Not so fast.” The mayor patted Peck’s shoulder. “Lighten up, Peck. Launch your investigation if you have to but for now, just keep them under control and my office in the loop. But remember, if the Ghostbusters cease to exist, so does your job. So you need each other. Beautiful, in an ironic symmetrical kind of way, isn’t it?” “Suppose that’s fair.” Applejack shrugged. Peter didn’t look convinced. “Hey, Mulligan. Come on…” “That’s Mayor Mulligan to you, Venkman.” The mayor stated. “So we have an understanding? This kind of protects all of us. You want more government business, I want to keep my approval rating, and Peck wants his little fiefdom. You all play by the rules. Easy, we all get what I want and the city council gets what they need.” “I think we’ll be able to comply.” Blade smiled. “Good to hear. By the way, who are you four again?” “As mentioned, we are out of towners helping the Ghostbusters with these recent events. I’m Blade Swipe and that’s Applejack, Shinigami, and Gamer. Our fifth member, Donatello, is busy at the moment.” “Nice to meet you. If you’re with the Ghostbusters, you’re fine with me.” The mayor shook Blade’s hand. Blade extended his hand to Peck, who just turned the other way, and then put it back after no luck as the mayor spoke more. “Okay! Big night tomorrow, Illyssa! Get some rest!” As the mayor left, Ray spoke up. “So, now that we’re all friends, can we get invites to the museum’s opening night?” “Not likely.” Peck sneered. “But I’ll be seeing you all soon. You can count on it.” He turned to leave before pointing to Gamer. “Especially you, Tinker Boy!” Gamer gestured to him as he left before Egon patted his shoulder to calm him down. “Haven’t been this angry since Dr. Droid.” “Eh! You get use to it.” Peter shrugged before looking around. “Where did Donnie go?” “I was helping Janine organize the cabinet downstairs while hiding.” Donnie said as he walked up the stairs holding a quesadilla with slime on it. “Did you lose a quesadilla, Slimer?” “I was wondering where I left that.” Slimer said as he floated over and ate the quesadilla from Donnie. “So glad Twilight didn’t see that.” Applejack said before turning to Ray and Egon. “She’s afraid of quesadillas.” “Fascinating.” Egon pondered. “Doesn’t Peck look like the kind of guy who would accidentally walk into the stream of a boson collider?” Everyone turned to Peter who spoke again. “I’m just saying. It could happen.” “That Peck guy doesn’t like you guys so much, does he?” Applejack asked. “More so, Applejack.” Ray sighed. “Peck used to work for the EPA and wanted to see our containment unit. When we refused, he had ceased and decease order and shut down our containment unit, resulting in it exploding.” “Then, why didn’t you show him it?” Blade asked. “He probably would’ve shut it down either way. You never know with those kind of people.” Peter warned. “He also got us arrested as a result.” Winston continued. “At that time, we learned that Gozer was returning to bring destruction to the world. Luckily, we were able to convince the mayor to stop Gozer and Peck got fired.” “Oh yeah. He’d love you guys for sure.” Shini rolled her eyes. “We hadn’t seen him for a year or so until he forced us to send Slimer to the government.” Egon added. “Because he almost endangered the city by using a cyclotron to get rid of Slimer, he got fired again.” “Yeesh! I’d hate to have his application.” Gamer gritted his teeth. “Yeah. No fun!” Slimer nodded. Later, After Egon upgraded the proton packs so everyone could use the Boson Darts, everyone gathered next to the Ecto-1 as Egon spoke. “Ray and I have been talking….” “… and we think we should have a look at the museum. Whatever happened tonight, it happened there.” Ray finished. “Good idea.” Donnie agreed as he held up his cloaking watch. “I was able to fix my cloaking device so I should be good.” “Okay. I’ll take one for the team.” Peter walked up to Illyssa. “And stay with Illyssa. You guys go with Winston, Rowan, and the others. I’ll be her personal protection.” “I’ll stay here for backup.” Applejack stepped up. “Backup for who?” Slimer and Shini laughed at Gamer’s joke while Peter shot him a look. Illyssa hid a little snicker herself. “Well, after Donatello helped me organize earlier, I could use an extra pair of hands around here.” Janine spoke from her desk. “Sure thing, Ms. Melnitz.” “Please, call me Janine, hon.” Janine smiled at Applejack. “What about Peck? He’s supposed to be informed about everything we do.” Winston wondered. “What he doesn’t know can’t hurt us.” Ray figured. “Sneaky. You guys ever thought about taking up ninjutsu?” Blade complimented. “Probably a little late for our day in age, Blade, but your compliment is well appreciated.” Egon spoke. “Let’s move.” Gamer said as they all got in Ecto-1. “Good luck!” Applejack waved as the Ecto-1 drove out. They were about halfway to the museum when Janine called through the car’s radio. “Hey, Guys! You need to make a detour. Something big is going down. It’s on 1010 WINS now.” “Tune it in!” Ray said as Rowen flipped the radio’s channel. “…and another ghostly sighting has staff at the New York Public Library scrambling for answers!” “The Grey Lady.” Egon figured. “Someone you know?” Donnie asked. “She was the first ghost we’ve encountered before we were terminated from the university and became Ghostbusters.” “Let’s get her for real this time!” Ray declared. “Go! Go! Go!” “What about the museum?” Gamer asked Ray. “It’s been there for a hundred and four years. Where’s it gonna go today?” Winston was at the wheel as he spoke to Ray. “Uh, this thing you guys have for the Grey Lady borders on the weird. You know that?” “She made us look like Shmucks! Not this time!” Ray huffed. “Yeah! Not this time!” Slimer agreed. “Oh! And another thing. Peck called and said I’m required to tell you where you are and what you up to.” Janine said in the radio. “Tell him he can meet us at the museum. We’ll be there…Eventually.” Egon responded as they drove up to the library. To Be Continued Author's Note Here's our next page from Tobin's: The Grey Lady Name: Eleanor Twitty Category: Class IV Semi-Anchored Entity Dr. Eleanor Twitty was the head librarian of the New York City Public Library and curated its Special Collections, which included ancient artifacts, stone tablets, and otherwise forgotten parchments. Dr. Twitty was seduced by a man named Edmund Hoover (also known as The Collector), who was a rather unscrupulous rare book collector. She was unaware that "The Collector" was just using her in order to get to the rare books in her care, including the Gozerian Codex. They got engaged. When she discovered her fiancee's true motives, she broke off the relationship and engagement. Sadly, dumping him all but sealed her fate and in March 1924, he murdered her in cold blood, in a secret section of the Library constructed by Gozer's infamous worshiper and architect, Ivo Shandor. Dr. Twitty was reported missing. The New York Police Department made every effort to find her and even conducted repeated room-to-room searches of the underground library stacks where she was last seen but she was never found alive. She was the fifth woman to go missing under mysterious circumstances in 1924. Hoover also murdered many others to cover up Twitty's death and collected their bodies like he collected books. At least 12 bodies of women were discovered under the library in a search led by Detective Sergeant Ambrose Hannigan. Hoover was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging before dawn on May 10, 1924. In 1984, the Library ghost caused a disturbance in the stacks of the New York City Public Library. As a librarian named Alice passed by a card catalog, the ghost exhibited telekinesis and made several drawers open on their own and cards shot out all over the area. Alice paused, turned around, screamed and ran, dodged drawers, and hurried through the stacks. She went left, left again, another left, turned and looked briefly, then kept running. She turned right, stopped, turned, and went left instead. She turned right, stopped, and came face to face with Library ghost. It transmogrified. Alice screamed and her hair was blown back. Alice only remembered it had arms because it reached for her. 10 people witnessed the ghost. It blew books off shelves from 20 feet away. Roger Delacorte contacted Columbia University for help. Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler conducted an investigation later that day. Egon confirmed the ghost's presence with the P.K.E. Meter. Notes: The time Peck forced the Ghostbusters to surrender Slimer was the episode Big Trouble for Little Slimer. It was the only episode to feature Walter Peck. and I think that's it. Next time: The Library!
The LibraryThe Ghostbusters and Ninjas got out of Ecto-1 and geared up in front of the Public Library. Donnie made sure he turned on his cloak to look human to the cheering crowd behind the barricades. “Big crowd.” Egon spoke as they waved at the people. “Venkman would love this.” “Captain McMahon from the twelfth said there was a massive disturbance. Real fireworks show.” Ray reported. “Not much going on now.” Winston surveyed. “Maybe it’s the eye of the storm.” Gamer guessed. Egon noticed. “Maybe. But weren’t there two lions out here?” Donnie saw it. “Yeah there are usually two lions out here!” “Odd.” Blade said as they all got a closer look. “Check surveillance.” Ray whispered. Egon checked the lion statue with his PKE Meter. “Hmm. Interesting. Ray, take a look at this.” Ray looked over his shoulder. “Wow! Big spikes! You guys should see this!” The group walked up to the lion statue when suddenly the statue exploded. Merging from the rubble were a couple blue ghosts. “Stand back!” Blade cried. “Yikes!” Slimer gasped. “Whoa! Double full torso animators!” Ray cried. “They’re heading in the building!” Donnie pointed to the ghosts flying into the library. “Cmon! After them!” Ray cried as they hurried in. “You heard Stanz! Let’s move!” Winston encouraged. “Yeah! Let’s move!” Slimer repeated. They entered the library as Gamer noticed the ghosts flying to the upper level. “There they are!” “A couple of Class Five Animators. Never seen them in tandem like this! They’re really agitated!” Ray said as they hurried upstairs. “Must’ve read a bad book.” Shini joked. “Switching on the packs!” Winston stated as they turned on their proton packs. “Alright. Nice and easy. No sudden moves.” Ray warned. They crept up to the ghosts and blasted at them as the two ghosts avoided the streams. “Hey! He said, ‘Take it easy’! that’s not easy!” Winston cried. “Give me a break! I’m new at this!” retorted Donnie. Gamer fired at the ghosts as they flew passed him. “Missed! Dang it!” Egon adjusted his glasses. “That one’s a beast, Ray. Let’s chase him down. Winston, you take Blade Swipe and check that next doorway. See if he has any friends.” “Leave a haunted room? I got no problem with that.” Winston nodded. “The rest of you follow the other one. But before we split up, Ray and I will explain how to use the new shock blast mod we added to the packs.” As everyone saw the purple spiral on the tip of their throwers, Ray spoke up. “To use the Shock Blaster, it’s best to get up fairly close. It’s effect is very powerful, but dissipates quickly over distances.” “And please, be careful. All of you. It’s still a prototype.” Egon warned. “We’re trusting you all with this.” “And this here activates the Stasis Stream which will temporarily slow down paranormal entities. If you train the stream on the target long enough, you can actually stop it!” Ray added. “Rowan, please demonstrate.” Egon looked at Rowan who pushed the button and blasted a blue stream. “Cool! A freeze ray.” Wowed Shinigami. “A stasis stream. This has nothing to do with cold, but the effect is similar.” Ray corrected. Winston turned to Egon. “When do you have the time to work on all this stuff, Egon?” “I’ve been conducting an experiment where I sleep an average fourteen minutes a day. Leaves me a lot of time to work.” “That cannot be healthy for you.” Gamer blinked. “Ready to roll!” Ray grinned. “Rowen, you along with Gamer, Shini, and Donnie go after that one guy. We’ll meet you back here.” “Roger that.” Rowan nodded. “Let’s move!” Donnie said as the four hurried downstairs with Gamer held a PKE Meter. “He’s close. I can smell him.” The young hero whispered. “Always wanted to say that.” They walked towards a display case when suddenly, the ghost popped out and ran past Gamer sliming him. “Y’know, I’m beginning to understand why Venkman hates this.” He groaned as Shini and Rowen help him up. “Better keep your meters up.” Rowen warned. “Dr. Stantz warned me that animators can hide in anything.” He led the group through the hallway and into the main body of the library. “I’ve always wanted to visit the New York Public Library. It’s cool.” Gamer wowed. “I’ll have to ask April to take you to the one back home.” Donnie spoke. “Hey, bloodhounds! Up here! To your right!” Everyone looked to see Ray, Slimer, and Egon on the balcony as Slimer waved at them. Egon checked his meter. “Strong emanations. No direct source, though.” “Still looking for your guy?” Donnie asked. “We followed our guy in here and he gave us the slip.” Ray answered. Rowen looked at his meter which was beeping. “Guys? Detecting a strong anomaly here.” “Uh oh! Here comes something big!” Gamer pointed as books surrounded the ghost they were chasing. The books formed a monster round the ghost which roared at the team. “Holy chalupa!” gasped Donnie. “Now that is a fine example of level six bidimensional attractor.” Egon mumbled. The golem charged towards Rowen’s group as he cried. “Let’s shock blast it!” They used their shock blasts at the golem while Ray and Egon fired their proto streams from the balcony. “Hey, Egon! Did I mention it was a good idea you had to come up on the balcony?” Ray asked. The more attacks they did, the more books fell off the golem. “He’s losing strength! Keep it up!” Donnie cried. Egon saw something shining from the golem. “All of its power is emitting from a single focal object!” “Like this?” Shini hit the shiny part with her capture stream and yanked it off. “You got it!” Ray cheered as the golem exploded. “Nice work, Shinigami!” Gamer thumbed up. Shini chuckled. “Only kind I got.” “Man! Imagine how much PK energy it must take to collect and animate an entity like that?” Ray breathed. “A lot. A lot of very angry energy.” Egon mumbled. Gamer looked around. “How easy was that?” “Not so fast. I’m getting some big fluxes here.” Egon looked at his PKE Meter. “Over there!” Donnie pointed to a corridor. “I think it’s her! Yes! Yes, it’s her! Eleanor Twitty, the librarian!” And sure enough, Ray was right. The group saw a ghost of an elder lady. “Look! There she is! Meet us at the stairwell door!” Egon instructed as he and Ray hurried to their position. “Cmon!” Rowen cried. “She went this way!” Donnie ran towards the path. Egon spoke in his walkie. “Winston, you and Blade Swipe check upstairs to see if the other phantom doubled back.” “Roger!” Winston responded. As they group saw the librarian ghost, she shushed at them before disappearing. “She shushed us again. That witch!” Ray griped. “Well, she was a librarian.” Gamer pointed. “Well, it’s kinda personal.” Ray held his blaster. Slimer nodded in confirmation. The group ran downstairs as books fell off the shelves. Soon, they arrive at the lower floors. “PKE’s out. And keep quiet.” Egon whispered. As they looked around, Donnie saw the table and chairs floating in the air. “Creepy.” “Wow! A full stabilizing levitation! I’d say we’re close to something.” Ray wowed. “Gotta love a man who enjoys his work.” Shini rolled her eyes. “Ray…” Ray turned to Egon. “You got something?” “I got something.” Egon nodded not looking from his meter. “Right…. Here.” Everyone looked to the shelf to see the librarian ghost reappear and shushed them before flying away. “OOO! She keeps shushing us!” Ray fumed. “Well, we are in a library.” Donnie reminded. “Least she’s not mentioning overdue library books.” Gamer added. “So, why are you bent on this ghost, Mr. Stantz?” Shini asked. “That’s the Gray Lady. She’s the first ghost we’ve ever hunted.” Ray explained. “What she got away?” Donnie asked. “We…. Hadn’t invented the necessary equipment back then. We were still studying ghosts.” Egon sighed. “Man, I wish Venkman was here.” Ray said. “I’m pretty sure Venkman doesn’t.” Egon deadpanned. “Easy now. She’s very skittish.” Ray whispered as they crept in the next room. Moments they arrived, the floating furniture dropped to the floor. “Let’s go! We’ll cut her off!” “These readings are off the charts!” Donnie checked his meter. “I need to make bigger charts.” Egon figured. The group climbed down some stairs to see the lights turn off and dimming. “Wow! Now listen, the place is reading like a psychic pressure cooker.” Ray warned. “Prime your throwers. Everybody stick close together.” “Yeah. Together.” Slimer agreed. When they reached bookshelves, they suddenly began blocking everyone from each other. “This way! Quick!” Egon cried. Slimer tried to hurry before a shelf blocked his way and he fell on Gamer sliming him. “We gotta quit meeting like this.” Groaned Gamer. Soon, it was just Rowen with Shini, Gamer, and Slimer separated from Egon, Ray, and Donnie. Ray spoke through the walkies. “So much for stick together. Okay! New plan- fan out!” “Flexible approach, Ray.” Egon spoke. “Donatello and I will try to make our way around.” “There are two hostile spirits roaming around here.” Donnie added. “Two that we know about.” The three hurried to an opening in the shelves when a spooky voice shrieked. “QUIEEEEEEET!” “That was creepy.” Shini whispered. As they continued, one of the ghosts from earlier ran past them. “C’mon!” Rowen cried as they ran forward. “This way!” Gamer ran forward only for a bookshelf to ram into him. “Or not.” “Is it me? Or is it cold all of the sudden?” Shini rubbed her arms. “No I definitely feel it too.” Rowen said before they heard Egon on the radio. “Temperature’s dropping! Event imminant! Brace yourselves!” They stopped as they felt a tremor as books fell to the floor. When it stopped, they continued further when they Winston on the walkie. “Guys, Blade and I are in the periodical archives looking at a stack of old newspaper clippings. All about some nut named Edmund Hoover, AKA, the Collector.” “Hmm I bet Mikey would be the judge of that.” Shini joked. “Hmm. Go on.” Egon said before Blade spoke next. “This guy has a history you should know about. He was a rare book collector who seduced Eleanor Twitty, the head librarian at the time.” “The Gray Lady?” Ray gasped. “That would be my guess.” Egon figured. “Surprise. Surprise.” Gamer rolled his eyes. As they neared the door, they suddenly saw a glowing figure run past them. They hurried to another room to find giant stacks of book. “Check it out!” Shini looked at the stacks. “I hate to be the one who studies this many books. And Donnie would agree with me.” Gamer said. “Bet Twilight would too.” Suddenly, from the stacks merged the same figures as before. They were skeletal figures constructed by paper. “Head’s up!” Rowen warned as Slimer screamed. “Blast them!” Gamer cried. He and Rowen fired their shock blasts while Shini used her stasis stream to freeze them. Once they were destroyed, they continued venturing when Winston spoke in the radio. “Hey, guys, it’s dead up here. The good kind, I mean. You all cool?” “We may need to get back to you on that.” Egon responded. “You guys doing okay?” Blade checked. “Just dandy.” Donnie answered. “Likewise.” Gamer said as they entered a room with boxes and conveyer belts. “This must be where they sort out returned books or something.” Just then, Ray was the next to speak in the walkie. “Hey, Guys! What’s your twenty? I’m in some kind of dark tunnel, moving fast…. Towards a bright light!” “You guys hear that?” Shini pointed to a thumping noise and the group turned to see Ray flying out from one of the chutes followed by some books flying like bats. Ray then shook off his fall. “Class 1 Swarmers. Pesky but combustible!” “While my body is tough but hurtable.” Gamer groaned as he was under Ray before the Ghostbuster and Slimer helped him up. “Do I just have a sign on me that says ‘Fall on me’?” “Hold that thought.” Rowen said as they fired at the swarmers. After they got them all, Ray looked around. “Where’s that Class five Animator? I tracked the slug here.” “There!” Slimer pointed at the ghost who roared that the group. “Look what he did!” Shini huffed. “Let’s give him a new home… in our containment unit!” Ray declared as he aimed his blaster. The group fired their streams at the ghost and after a few misses, they were about to catch him when the other ghost came out of nowhere. “Looks like his buddy joined the party!” Rowen pointed as he and Gamer tag teamed against while Shini and Ray blasted the other one. Slimer grabbed the trap on Rowen’s belt and threw it between the two and floated away. “Hit it!” Gamer stomped on the pedal opening the trap which sucked both the ghost in at the same time before closing. “Phew! Good work. All of you. That took some doing.” Ray breathed before Egon spoke in the walkie. “Congratulations, Ray, but Donatello and I are in the Special Collections. Someone you’ve been wanting to meet again is here.” “We’re on our way!” Ray declared as he led his group further down the next hallway. “Keep an eye on the twitchy ones. They’ll really crease ya if you aren’t careful.” As they passed some card catalogs, some drawers open spewing cards everywhere. “This is why I use a computer.” Gamer deadpanned. When they ran up to a couple more shelves, more paper figures emerged and ran towards the group. “Not again!” groaned Slimer. “Outta our way!” Ray cried as they all blasted through them. “Mind the papercuts!” Joked Shini. “The Gray Lady is making her own reinforcements.” Ray stated before speaking into his walkie. “Keep your eyes open, team. She’s upping the ante.” “Thanks for the warning, Ray, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Winston replied. “You may want to just take our word for it.” Egon spoke. The four then saw a pink cloud before a shelf and revealed to be the Gray Lady. “Easy now, keep quiet. Let’s get a solid scan.” Ray whispered as Rowen pulled out his PKE Meter. “I missed that part, Ray! Repeat that!” Egon spoke getting the librarian ghost’s attention shushing the group before floating away. “Enough with the shushing!” Ray shouted. “We get it! We’re in a library!” Gamer yelled. “I swear she’s more stricter than my second grade teacher!” “Then let’s go shush her!” Shini grinned as they hurried after her. Suddenly, they were attacked by more book bats. Luckily, they blasted them all before hearing a loud voice. “NO! NOT MY BOOKS!” “SHUT UP!” Gamer snapped back. “Gives you the creeps, doesn’t it?” Ray spoke. “I think we better find Egon and Donnie before Gamer loses it.” Rowen said as Ray led them through a door while Slimer whistled nonchalantly. Meanwhile, Winston and Blade were in the archives when Ray called them. “Uh Winston, where the heck are you and Blade Swipe?” “In the periodical section checking the box scores from the Knicks game last night. Why?” Winston responded. “How’d they do?” Gamer asked. “More importantly, tell us more about this ‘Collector’, Winston.” Winston and Blade looked through old newspapers as Winston spoke first. “It says here this Collector used the Gray Lady to get the rare books in her care. Specifically a book called, get this, the Gozerian Codex.” “Great!” Ray wowed as Slimer agreed. “Yeah. And when she found out what he was up to, she dumped him.” Blade continued. “Smart lady.” Egon commented. “Not really. Evidently, he murdered her for it.” Winston spoke. “Uh-oh.” Ray gulped. “Can’t take rejection, huh? What a messed up akuma.” Shini muttered. “It gets more creepier. The Gray Lady was his first victim, but he killed a bunch more.” Blade spoke up next. “And let me guess, he collected their bodies, like he collected books?” Ray guessed. “Bingo! Ray, you get to buy me and Blade dinner.” Winston grinned. “Here’s the last on the Collector. Seconds before he was hanged, he said he would return as Azetlor, some sort of god, to keep watch over the library and every rare book in its collection.” “Sounds quite the bookworm.” Donnie spoke. “Sounds like the kind we run into every day, Donnie.” Winston spoke. “Sounds like we tell both each other stories.” Gamer added before signing off. Ray and his group hurried to a room labeled Juvenile and entered into a children based room and heard the sound of voices. “You hear that?” Ray asked. Slimer held his hand up and listened. “Children?” “Yeah.” Rowen nodded. Then they all saw chairs levitated near a tree like puppet stage. “Think they’re trying to tell us something?” Gamer asked. “What else did Hoover collect?” Wondered Shini. “Let’s get a move on. Nothing much we can do here.” Ray shrugged as the left the room. “Bye.” They heard a boy’s voice. “Got that right, Scooter!” Ray answered. “That was by far one of the creepiest moments of my life.” Gamer shuddered. They went downstairs more before Ray spoke. “Here’s the place. Special Collections. These rooms are packed with rare and valuable volumes.” “I’d hate to have to pay to replace any. Bet the fine’s very expensive.” Rowen spoke. “Yeah! Very expensive!” Slimer nodded. As they snuck in quietly, Ray saw Egon and Donnie facing the Gray Lady. “Okay. She’s in here with Egon and Donatello. Now keep quiet.” They all snuck in to surround the librarian ghost. Ray and Rowen pulled out their PKE Meters as they neared it closer when suddenly Slimer gave a big belch causing the Gray Lady to turn and shushed them before floating away. “Sorry.” The green ghost pouted. “I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m starting to see why Ray hates her shushing.” Gamer glared. They hurried forward only to be blocked by more skeletal page ghosts. These ones had shield to block their proton streams. “Looks like they’re sicking the entire science fiction section at us.” Egon deadpanned. “Remove the shields!” Donnie cried as he used his capture stream to yank a shield off one of them. Through their teamwork, it wasn’t long before they defeated them as Ray asked Egon. “Remember when you said print was dead?” “I wish.” Egon rolled his eyes. “Now where’d she go?” Gamer looked around. Egon checked his meter. “Valences up. She definitely left us a trail somewhere.” Shini noticed a trail of slime on the floor and followed it to a bookcase. “Over here!” Everyone hurried to her as Egon held up his meter to the wall. “Big spike. Riiiiight… here!” “I’ve seen this work in the movies.” Gamer walked up and pulled a book off the shelf which caused the shelf to open up a secret passage. “First book.” “Nice work, Good Buddy!” Rowen grinned as they walked in. they saw it was old and worn. “I didn’t know this area existed!” Ray wowed. “Looks like the janitors didn’t either.” Egon added. “Judging by the debris, I’d say for about eight years.” Donnie guessed. They entered a room full of books as Egon looked at the shelves. “What are these books? I don’t recognize them from Tobin’s.” “No. they’re in the Revised Etheary Catalog. I think the Gray Lady is constructing them from the books and minor spirits here. She maybe more powerful than we thought.” Ray guessed. He then looked at the vast bookshelves in the room. “Look at this place! I could spend a month taking inventory on these books!” “Let’s be careful what we wish for, Ray.” Egon warned. “Yeah! Be careful what we wish for!” Slimer echoed before he floated towards a stand with a book on it. Suddenly, it started giving of a fiery glow causing him to scream and hurry behind Donnie. “Wow! Dig that!” Ray awed as he walked towards it. “Uh, Dr. Stantz?” Donnie sweated. “Ray, I’m not entirely convinced this is the best course of action!” Egon gulped. “Hey! I bet this is a trap!” Ray stated as the stand floated. “Ya think?” Gamer rolled his eyes. “Welcome back, Stantz.” Shini huffed. “Book bats!” Donnie cried as more books flew towards them. “They got friends!” Ray noticed more skeletal figures running towards them as they all started blasting them. During the fight, Donnie pulled out his staff and hit a couple enemies in the crossfire with Shini helping with her chain. Egon noticed the bookshelf moving. “It’s on the move!” “To the left!” Ray cried as they hurried. As they blasted more, Egon noticed the structure of the room. “I’m having serious doubts about the structural integrity of this sub-basement.” “Now that you mentioned it, it does appear a little unstable. At least, not collapse on our heads unstable, but still a caution!” Donnie noticed. “It’s moving again!” Gamer noticed the bookstand floating to another part of the room which caused a small tremor. “And now it feels more unstable.” Donnie deadpanned. Egon turned to the group. “I’m telling you this substructure is unstable! The ceiling could come down on top of us!” Suddenly, the bookstand exploded to reveal another ghost like the previous two. Everyone began blasting it. “Our lobe probe experiment is working! You’re clairvoyant!” Ray told Egon. “No. I saw the support columns buckle.” Egon shrugged. “Donatello, now!” Donnie responded by throwing a trap under the ghost and stepping on the pedal opening it trapping the ghost. “I’m definitely getting the hang of this equipment!” he gleamed as he picked up the trap. “So, what now?” Shini asked. “Over there!” everyone followed Ray to the next room to see the Gray Lady who saw them and shushed them like before before bursting through a wall. “Oh boy.” “Creepy.” Gamer whispered. “Yeah. Creepy.” Slimer agreed. They all entered into a subterranean place. As they entered in it further, Ray wondered. “I wonder what’s down there.” “Something big. And, more than likely, terrifying.” Egon guessed. “Yay.” Rowen gestured. “It’s really dark down here.” Donnie said before they entered a room full of water. “And damp.” “Great. Hope no one has any open cuts. I’m thinking of flesh-eating bacteria.” Egon worried. “I’m more worried about ruining my shoes.” Shini teased as they got out. Ray noticed the door was locked. “It’s an electric door.” “I’ll see if I can find the power.” Donnie walked on a nearby platform and threw a switch turning on the power. “Yes! No!” The power went off as books combined into big book golems that attacked the heroes. “Find their source!” Gamer cried as they fired Boson Darts at them. Rowen then used his proton stream to yank out a glowing orb causing the golem to fall apart. “Can’t say I’m a big fan of the level 6 Bi Dimensional Attractor.” Egon spoke. “I’m with you on that.” Ray agreed. “We’re lucky there were only some books for it to manifest with.” “Everyone okay?” Everyone answered Egon’s question that they were okay. “Let’s keep moving.” Soon, they arrive at what appeared to be a broiler room. “Well, this looks cheery.” Donnie deadpanned. “Nothing bad could happen here.” Egon rolled his eyes. “This kind of reminds of that horror movie I watched with Sweetie Belle.” Gamer mentioned. “Just Sweetie Belle or with the other CMCs?” Shini grinned, irking Gamer. “IT WASN’T LIKE THAT ALRIGHT? WE JUST HAD TIME TO KILL!” He stated. “Of course.” Donnie then whispered to Ray and Slimer. “Sweetie Belle is our friend Rarity’s little sister and shes been really friendly with him and he so has a crush on her and doesn’t want to admit it.” “Ah.” Ray and Slimer nodded. “Can we just find Ms. Shush and get out of here?” Gamer grumbled unaware Egon scanned him with a handheld. Rowen then saw a hole in the wall all boarded up and blasted it open. “Hey guys!” “What you find, Youngblood? Good work! Spengler, Rowen found the exit!” Ray said as they hurried to the hole. “Our very own private shortcut to the underworld. That’s convenient.” Egon sighed as they entered the tunnel. Soon, they arrived at small room full of piles of books. After they entered, a cage door closed behind them. “Well, can’t go back.” Donnie gulped. “Uh guys?” Everyone looked to where Gamer was looking to see the Gray Lady sitting at a desk reading a strange book. Suddenly, a long hand grabbed her by the head tossing her around like a ragdoll as she screamed before slamming her back to the chair and closing. The book opened up again and floated to her hand as she stood up again like nothing happened. “Eerie place.” Shini whispered. “I wonder if this is the place where the Collector killed the Librarian?” Ray wondered while Slimer shuddered behind him. Egon held his PKE Meter. “I think that would be a safe assumption. That book she’s reading is emitting massive amounts of energy.” Ray smiled as he turned to Rowen. “That’s your cue, Killer! Go Get’em!” “Yeah! Go Get’em!” Slimer grinned. “Don’t worry. I’ll cover you.” Donnie pulled out his blaster. “Thanks, Donnie.” Rowen pulled his blaster out and crept towards the Gray Lady. He politely took the book from her before she vanished. “Huh. That went well.” Gamer spoke. “She took it well. Better than I expected.” Egon agreed. “It makes perfect sense if her residual spirit energy is tied to the book. The Gozerian Codex, right? Now that we have it, her echo must have been released. She’s gone! I think we helped her cross over!” Ray explained. Gamer then noticed something. “And she just crossed back.” “Oh no.” Ray whispered. The Gray Lady suddenly turned more ravaging and roared at the group. Everyone stepped back while Gamer glared at her. “Really? You’ve been shushing us all this time and now you just roar at us? Now I’m seeing you as a hypocrite!” The Gray Lady responded by roaring in his face. Gamer responded by roaring back. When the ghost tried to roar back, Gamer aimed his arm gun and blasted her into the wall. “Blast her!” Ray cried. But as they blasted at her, she was covered by books as three podiums circle her. “She’s shield by all those books!” Egon pointed. Donnie then got an idea. “The podiums! Hit the podiums!” He, Shini, and Gamer blasted the podiums as her book barrier crumbled. The Gray Lady floated around avoiding fire before Rowen and Egon got her with their capture stream. “Donatello! Throw the trap!” Donnie threw a trap under the Librarian Ghost and stepped on the pedal. After struggling, the ghost was sucked into the trap. “Huh. Wasn’t as tough as I thought it be.” Ray shrugged as he picked the trap up. “I was just thinking the same thing.” Egon agreed. “You mean she wanted to get captured and give us the book?” Shini guessed. “Yes, like she wanted us to tear this room apart.” Egon answered. “But why, Egon?” Slimer asked. “Uh guys?” Everyone looked to see a portal appear where Rowen pointed. “Where does this lead?” Gamer wondered. “Cross dimensional portal. From the fifth to the fourth. A whole world of ghosts. Something I’ve dreamed about since college.” Ray spoke. “It’s all in the Monarchia Daemonium. Fantastic! Ghostworld!” “I love a man who enjoys his work.” Shini shrugged. “I wouldn’t get too excited, Ray.” Egon warned. “I think she did this so we could meet an old friend of hers.” “Might as well. It’s the only way out.” Donnie recalled. “Rowen, you take the lead.” Egon spoke. “Don’t worry we do this stuff all the time.” Rowen nodded as he led the group through the portal. They found themselves in a place with a black sun, an orange sky with dark yellow clouds, and debris floating everywhere. “Hm. So this is what the Public Library looks like on the far side of a cross dimensional portal.” Egon looked around. “Whoa!” awed Donnie. “Weird.” Gamer gasped. “Amazing.” Shini added. “It’s one of infinite potential configurations. You know… theoretically.” Ray pointed. “So how do we get back to Winston and Blade? Over there!” Gamer pointed to a big door entrance. “Well, this looks like the Gozerian configuration.” Egon said as they entered. As they walked around, Egon spoke to Ray. “Ray, it has occurred to me that these events are interrelated.” “How so?” Donnie asked. “The Gozerian Exhibit, the huge energy pulse that attracted you guys, the Sedgewick Hotel, the return of Stay Puft…. Yeah…” Ray pondered. “Yeah, it’s too much of a coincidence that ever since we came to you guys’ dimension that all this involves this Gozer guy you’ve all been talking about.” Gamer thought out loud. “Yes, even this. All pointing to a single point of origin.” Egon pointed out. “Illyssa?” Shini guessed. “Illyssa.” Egon nodded. “Illyssa?” Slimer asked. “You don’t think…?” Rowen feared. “I’d rather not say until I’m sure.” Egon stated as they hurried forward. “We need to get out of here.” Ray deadpanned as they hurried through a nearby portal. Soon, they arrived at what appeared to be the main lobby of the library. “I do like what they’ve done with the place.” Ray admitted. “But I hoped that portal would’ve taken us back to the library.” Egon then figured something. “Actually, we are back at the Public Library. The dimensional membrane must be extremely thin.” “Someone’s keeping us here.” Ray spoke. “The Collector!” Donnie realized. “Yes, Azetlor wants to add to his collection. And he’s probably not too happy about us taking the Gozerian Codex with us.” Egon theorized. “And I thought those fat nerd collectors were needy.” Gamer rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah? What can a twisted little bookworm do to scare us?” Ray smugly asked. “He murdered Eleanor Twitty for it when he was alive. And a dozen others just to cover it up.” Egon recalled. “Uh Ray?” Gamer noticed something behind Ray who began taunting. “Hey Collector! We’re taking your book! Whaddya think about that?” “Uh Dr. Stantz?” Donnie gulped while Shini twitched. Ray then saw everyone looking worried and figured something frightening was behind him. “He’s right behind me, isn’t he?” “Yeah, I think you got his attention, Ray.” Rowen gulped as Slimer hid behind him. “oh boy.” Ray turned to see a giant blue worm with four tongues coming out of its mouth. “So what now?” Donnie asked. “Blast him!” Ray cried as they opened fire at the worm. He then noticed something. “He’s resisting our proton streams!” “Scatter!” Egon ordered as they hurried around the room. The worm spat out slimeballs full of books at the heroes, disgusting them. “I think I’m gonna throw up.” Shini gagged. “I got an idea!” Gamer used his capture stream to lift the slimeball and hurled it at the Collector into his mouth sticking out its tongues. “Rowen! Now!” Rowen fired his proton stream grabbing one of the worm’s tongues. When he tried to wrangle the beast, he ended up ripping it off as the Collector roared in pain. “Not what I expected, but it looks like it worked.” “I think you’re on to something! Take out those tentacles!” Egon instructed as he shot a slimeball at the Collector. “YEE HAW!” Ray cheered as he used his stream to rip off another tongue. The Collector roared as he tried to slam on the group who dodged every blow. “I think he’s on to our strategy!” Donnie cried. Gamer then stood facing the Collector. “Alright, Azetlor! Don’t like protons? Then have some SHINE POWER!” Gamer fired from his insignia before firing a proton stream allowing it to spiral around his Shine Power which hit Azetlor who roared in pain as his two remaining tongues stuck out. “Fascinating.” Egon wowed. “Kid’s got talent, I’ll give him that.” Ray agreed. “Quick! Someone get the remaining two!” Rowen and Donnie responded to Gamer’s cry by firing two streams and ripping them off. Azetlor roared before falling over imploding into thousands of books. “Yeah! Bye, Azetlor!” Ray cheered. “Bye bye!” Slimer waved. “We need to get outta here.” Egon stated. “Look! There’s a new portal! It’s got to be the way home!” Everyone saw the portal Donnie pointed to and hurried over. The radio then crackled with Winston’s voice. “Guys!” “Where are you all?” Blade’s voice spoke next. “We’re coming through!” Shini called as they all hurried in the portal. They arrived to find themselves back in the lobby of the library as Winston and Blade hurried over to them. “Good! You guys are all right.” Blade sighed in relief. “Where the heck were you guys!” Winston scolded. “Blade and I have been running all over this library, calling you, looking for you. Nothing.” “Aw! How sweet.” Shini joked before Egon explained what happened. “We passed through a cross-dimensional portal into an alternate version of the New York Public Library and fought a forty-foot monster made out of priceless antiques to steal an ancient magical book.” “And we kicked booty!” Slimer flexed his arms. “Oh. That would explain it. Next time, leave a note.” Winston advised. “Sorry, Winston.” Slimer pouted. “I’m just glad you guys are okay.” Blade smiled. “And we trapped the Gray Lady!” Gamer gleamed as Rowen held up the trap. “Let’s see her shush us now.” “Hey guys! Look at that!” Everyone looked to see Donnie noticing a big symbol on the wall. It was made of spirals and circles with symbols in them. Egon checked his PKE Meter. “Ray, does this mean anything to you?” “No. it wasn’t here the first time we came through.” Ray said. “What do you make of it, Donatello?” Blade asked. “I got nothing.” Donnie shrugged. “Gamer?” Gamer checked his goggles. “It’s not registering in my logs.” “What is it?” Shini asked. “Not entirely sure, Shinigami, but whatever it is, I think we shut it off.” Egon noticed one of symbols in a circle disintegrated. “I guess that means we won here.” Donnie guessed. Ray turned to Egon. “You thinking what I’m thinking?” “Thin crust. New York style. No invincible anchovies.” Winston held his hand up for a high five with only the younger group returning the five. “Yum. Yum.” Slimer salivated. “You guys have Antonio’s here in your world?” Gamer wondered. “The finest in town, Son.” Winston grinned. “Maybe later.” Ray spoke. “Right now, I need to get back to the lab and take a look at the Codex.” “And analyze the data we’ve collected. It could help us when we go to the museum.” Egon added as they began to head towards the exit. “Slice to go on the way?” Winston chimed, trying to convince the two. “Treat for the kids and Rookie?” “Please!” Slimer pleaded. “We need to know what this is.” Ray muttered not paying attention. Winston gave up. “I’ll call for delivery. Again.” “Might as well.” Donnie shrugged. “We need to let Applejack in on what happened and maybe even help anyway we can.” “Oh well.” Slimer sighed as they all headed back to the Ecto-1. To Be Continued Author's Note Finally! I'm back! Sorry for taking so long. There was a lot of stuff to go through the Library chapter. Plus, life, work, etc. But I'm gonna finish this before my next project. Anyway, Here's our next page from Tobin's: Azetlor The Collector Category: Class VI Elevated Remnant Type: Deity (supreme being) Azetlor, was a some kind of divinity worshiped by Sumerians around the same time when Gozer, the destruction deity was relevant. He was one of the most important and favorite of Gozer's creations praised of all Sumerian demideities, before Gozer himself was banished by his enemy Tiamat from the mortal world long ago. According to his legend, Azetlor was a demigod that has said to have lorded over the lost (to some, the lost meaning the dead, but that is falae). Azetlor's position in the Sumerian pagan pantheon as the "Keeper of Knowledge" was to find, collect and return what was lost, hence his new title "The Collector". He was entrusted with collecting anything that fell through between worlds, rather they be books, souls, relics, civilizations, etc. and ensuring they could eventually be returned to the world of the living in one new form or another. Yet, Azetlor developed an avaricious craving, and began to take and collecting things that had never been lost yet or not meant to become lost, and keep them all for himself, stepped out of his own role. He was cast to an abyssal other dimension by his superiors. It is there he waits for his freedom from his undesirable imprisonment one day in the future. After his banishment, Azetlor tried to find his way back to the earth, but failed. During his time in exile, he was found by a race of extra-dimensional ghosts that inhabit the Abyss. Azetlor enslaved these "Animators" and lay the foundation for his escape. Many thousands of years later, the psychopathic architect Ivo Shandor and his Gozer Worshippers were able to find Azetlor but unable to free him from his otherworldly prison. Shandor found a way to bind a part of Azetlor's essence to one of his most powerful cult leaders by the name of Edmund Hoover. Azetlor started to merge with his "chosen" host, allowing him to get foothold in the mortal world. When Edmund Hoover died, his soul became one with Azetlor, but without the the Gozerian Codex's mystical powers, he could not free himself from his prison. In life, Edmund Hoover was once a powerful member in the Cult of Gozer. He was also a serial killer upholding Azetlor's "precious" title 'The Collector'. Hoover seduced and became engaged to Tillie Wooten, daughter and principle heir of late American oil mogul George S. Wooten, and Hoover succeeded, thereby gaining access to rare books in the Wooten Collection. Yet, the Collection was also sought after by a rival book collector. But on the other hand, Hoover soon jilted Wooten for a librarian. Later in the year 1924, Hoover coax Eleanor Twitty, curator of the New York Public Library's Special Collections in an effort to gain access to the mysterious Gozerian Codex. They were engaged briefly. In March following that same year, when the head librarian Twitty had discovered her "husband" was hiding his true motives, she refused to allow him further access to the Special Collections. Hoover then murdered Twitty and hid her body in the secret chambers built by Shandor beneath the library's basement. Twitty was the fifth woman to go missing under mysterious circumstances in 1924. He also slain many others to cover up Twitty's death and collected their bodies like he collected books like his demonic possessor have ages past. The New York Police Department were unable to find the body of Eleanor Twitty despite a number of room-to-room searches of the book stacks, though they were able to charge Hoover with a number of other murders. At least 12 bodies of women were uncovered beneath the library in a search led by Detective Sergeant Ambrose Hannigan. Edmund Hoover was convicted for his crimes and sentenced to death by hanging before dawn on May 10, 1924. Before he was hanged, his last words were that he will return as Azetlor and guard all rare books in its collection. As a reward for a lifetime of servitude to the Gozer Worshippers in the name of Gozer, Edmund Hoover was given "eternal" life as he was transformed into Azetlor. He ruled small corner of the Ghost World plane known as the Abyss, where he dwells in the now newly formed Gozerian configuration of the New York Public Library during his centuries-long exile. However, Hoover did not know that Azetlor’s true form was less grander than he thought it would be. As Azetlor, Edmund Hoover had truly become a ‘bookworm’; an small, blue worm with four pink tentacles extending from its mouth and a squeaky voice. Ashamed of himself, he hid his true appearance underneath a giant mask and golem-like body. He is a giant humanoid mass of black slime, broken furniture with environmental debris. With the addition of his massive reserves of PK energy, made him a perilous enemy. But taking way his mask and fake body, he is nothing more than sniffling little worm that he really is. Cruster and Crusto are just a few of the lucky Animators who escaped the rule of Azeltor and were able to cross over to Earth. After many years of hiding, this small group of Animators learned about a band of mortal humans called the Ghostbusters who victoriously survived the wrath of Gozer the Destructor. With help of the Library Ghost try to lure the Ghostbuster into their realm, both the animators ended up captured; but it was small sacrifice for them to get rid of the one who enslaved them and their fellow animators. Notes: Took out some stuff that I felt slowed down the plot. The Slime Blowers will be introduced next chapter. I went with Wii version of Azetlor instead of the PS3/360 version. No special reason. and I think that's it. Next time: Dull Plan!
Dull PlanThe Ghostbusters and the heroes arrived back in the Firehouse with Ecto-1 driving into the garage. Once it parked, Applejack went to welcome her friends. “Hey, guys. How’d it go?” the cowgirl greeted. “We got the Gray Lady.” Donnie held up the trap proudly. “Yeah. Janine briefed me after she radioed you guys.” Applejack nodded. “Speaking of, how was helping Ms. Melnitz?” Asked Gamer. “Pretty good. Got acquainted with each other while getting stuff done.” “We also got this book that might be a clue to this Gozer business.” Shini pointed as Ray showed her the Gozerian Codex. “And I’m gonna start my research on it while Egon finishes up the upgrades on the Proton Packs.” Ray grinned. “Donatello will help Ray with his research while Gamer helps me with the upgrades.” Egon added. “Just tell me what I need to do.” Gamer smiled as he followed Egon. “I’ll help Rowen with getting these ghosts in the containment unit.” Blade grabbed a couple traps before heading to the basement with Rowen. “I made you kids coffee.” Janine held up a tray with coffee in mugs with the Ghostbusters’ logo. After Donnie, Applejack, Shini, and Blade grabbed one mug, She gave one especially to Gamer. “AJ told me you’d prefer French Vanilla Cappuccino.” “Thanks, Ms. Melnitz.” Gamer happily accepted his drink. “Please, Call me Janine.” She then left a mug for Egon. “By the way, Egon, our new boss called…” “Please don’t call him that. Just ‘Peck’. That’s bad enough.” “Peck called again. He’s not happy. He says that if you guys fire one more unauthorized proton stream, he’ll shut us down for good.” “I guess Thank you is a foreign language to him.” Gamer said before drinking his cappuccino. “Believe me, you don’t know the half of it.” Janine patted him on the head before returning to her desk letting the two work. Later, Egon and Gamer joined everyone upstairs along with Blade and Rowen after they finished storing the ghost as they enjoyed the delivered pizzas while Ray looked through the Gozerian Codex. “Well, it’s a good read. But nothing about that.” He pointed to a picture of the symbol they saw in the library. Illyssa walked up before pointing to the symbol. “I know that symbol.” “How?” Donnie asked. “It shows up sometimes in Sumerian ritual magic. There’s a statue on lent at the museum that features it.” “What does it represent?” Ray asked her. “Just a symbol. Signifies a path to obtain great power. Some of my colleagues thinks it’s an old constellation.” “No constellation I ever saw.” Winston shrugged. “And I used to tell fortunes at Coney Island.” Peter walked by. “Is that right. Did you wear a turban?” “No, man. A red velvet robe with moons. It was plush.” “Fancy.” Shini grinned while Slimer whistled. “Yeah. I have studied constellations when I trained in witchery, but I’ve never seen such a thing.” Ray continued to look into the book. “Get this. The Codex does indicate there is some kind of feeder system required to channel energy to a Destructor Form.” “A destructor form… like Stay Puft?” Applejack guessed. “It’s entirely possible that this system and this pattern are connected.” Egon pondered. “It’s possible.” Gamer agreed. “Wait. You said the Gozerian statuary at the museum is on loan. From whom?” “Ivo Shandor. The architect.” Illyssa answered Egon. “Well, the Shandor foundation. They control Shandor’s remaining estates and holdings. Ivo was a big collector of Gozerian artifacts.” “Obsessive, huh?” Gamer looked up. “By ‘Ivo Shandor the Architect’, you mean ‘Ivo Shandor the Genocidal Maniac’, right?” Winston guessed. “That’s what I was researching when Gozer attacked me.” Illyssa nodded. “Could you tell us about this Ivo Shandor guy for those who are new to this?” Blade asked. Egon nodded before explaining. “Right. Ivo Shandor was an architect. He was also a doctor who did unnecessary surgery. In the 1920s, he started a secret society.” “Gozer worshippers.” Peter spoke up as Slimer gestured a ‘cuckoo’. “Right. After the first World War, Shandor decided humanity was too sick to survive. He wasn’t alone. He had over a hundred followers. They did bizarre rituals intended to bring about the end of the world.” “No doubt one of them was that Edmund Hoover guy at the library.” Donnie added. “Yeah. Plus, Shandor’s architecture firm was involved in a number of projects around town in the late 80’s, early 1900s.” Illyssa pointed. “Including Dana Barrett’s old building on Central Park West.” Egon recalled. “Who?” Applejack asked. “Dana Barrett. She was our first customer. And… Peter’s ex.” Ray hesitated while Peter just shrugged. “Yeah. And little Oscar.” Slimer sighed. “Oscar is her son from her former husband after Peter. Slimer used to babysit him a couple times.” Winston clarified. “Anyway, what other buildings did Shandor work on in New York?” Blade asked Illyssa. “He also did some renovations on existing buildings and a number of public works. There was controversy… because a lot of people thought the work was unnecessary.” “Let me guess. He did some renovations on the public library on fifth.” Gamer guessed. “Right. And… the Museum of Natural History.” “Recent visitations, specific, localized paranormal activity, the wave that brought you guys here…” Ray pondered. “They’re all connected to Shandor. And this pattern.” Egon theorized. “Wouldn’t surprise me.” Donnie agreed. “We should warn the mayor.” Winston suggested. “I don’t know, he’s likely to sick Peck on us more.” Ray figured. “And we don’t want that now, do we?” Gamer clenched his screwdriver. Egon patted his hand to calm him down before speaking up. “You should get a closer look at the Museum.” “Well, the Mayor’s gonna be at the Museum for the exhibition opening gala tonight.” Illyssa recalled. “It’s where I need to be too.” Peter grinned. “Illyssa, you sure make work fun for me. Is business casual okay? I don’t have a tux.” “Sure. You’d be the guest of honor, Venkman.” Applejack rolled her eyes. “I’m with Applejack on that. He doesn’t want you guys within three city blocks of the Museum tonight. He thinks you make his campaign contributors nervous. Besides, that Peck guy will be at the party, too.” “And I’m sure I’m underage to attend too.” Gamer muttered. Ray then spoke up. “Okay, Egon and Gamer will stay here and finish analyzing the data from the Library. Donatello and Blade Swipe will sneak in with their ninja skills through the skylights without the guests seeing them. The rest of us will go in by the service entrance of the museum and lay low. Peter and attend the party as Illyssa’s guest and stay in plain sight of Peck.” “And that frees us to check out the rest of the building.” Winston caught on. “Yeah!” Slimer cheered before Ray spoke to him. “Slimer, you’re with Donnie and Blade.” “Roger, Ray!” Slimer saluted. “I love this plan. It’s just dull enough to work.” Peter smiled. “Ill, I’m gonna buy you a corsage.” “Well then, I suggest we get a move on.” Applejack got up as they began to head down to the Ecto-1. Egon spoke to the group. “Before you go, Gamer and I added something new to the packs.” He showed the Proton Packs now had a green tank on its side while the gun had on it as well as another nozzle. “This is the PDS: Plasma Distribution System. Basically, it’s Slime Blower Mark two heavily modified from the early version. Your plasm banks are now integrated into the Proton Pack. It uses a base culture of ectoplasm developed from materials we discovered under the city a few years ago. The proto-culture is cross-strained with the original material and samples from various other ectoplasmic entities we’ve collected.” Peter raised his brow as Slimer whistled nonchalantly before Egon continued. “Well, this lends optimal properties to the final product: A self-regenerating strain of ectoplasm that can impair entities, cause caustic Black Slime to go inert, and reveal otherwise invisible ethereal structures that reside on this plane. You may want to take notes. You will be tested.” “Thanks, guys.” Shini thanked. “Alright. Let’s get going.” Rowen said as they got in the car. “See you guys in a bit!” Gamer waved as the Ecto-1 drove out. To Be Continued Author's Note Here's our next page from Tobin's: Book Centurion Category: Class VI Armored Composite[1] Type: Corporeal (dispersible) Behaviors: Attacks: Melee, Range, Rush Weaknesses: Proton Stream Special: Damage blocking shield Notes: It's not known if the attraction is the books or the actual stored knowledge, but these Class VI entities favor the same book and scroll-filled locations that Paper Constructs are drawn to. Book Centurions are composed of P.K.E.-bonded books and papers, but with a higher book concentration. Most notably, however, Book Centurions carry a distinctive shield, a concentrated P.K.E. barrier that blocks most directed energy attacks. Fortunately, the Capture Stream can still indirectly attack and can be used to tear the shield from the Centurion's hand. Contact Protocol: Book Centurions are not much different than Paper Constructs and as such, are susceptible to the same vulnerabilities--namely the Proton Stream and Boson Darts. However, these hardcover haunters carry a protective shield that makes then nearly invulnerable to your initial attacks. Make short work of these paper pests by using your Capture Stream to rip off their shields, then dispersing them with your Proton Stream or Boson Darts. Oftentimes, in the vicinity of a ghost with strong psychokinetic abilities, certain small objects will seem to take on a life of their own, moving at the behest of the controlling spectre. It's important to make the distinction between these objects that are being remotely manipulated and those having an actual spectral presence inside them. Notes: I wanted Gamer's go to drink is French Vanilla Cappuccino since he's too young for coffee. Had to give as much details about Ivo Shandor for those who never saw the first movie. and I think that's it. Next time: History Museum!
History MuseumThe Ecto-1 drove up to the loading docks of the Natural History Museum. After parking, Ray, Winston, Rowen, Applejack, and Shinigami all got out and strapped on their packs and entered the back. When they were inside, Ray spoke in his walkie. “Yes, we just arrived at the loading dock. Keep Peck distracted. We’re going to poke around.” “Okay. I’ll take one for the team.” Peter spoke in the walkie. “Blade and I are nearing the skylight. We’ll make our way to your group.” Donnie spoke next. “Ten four, Donnie. Make sure you both keep hidden from the party guests.” Winston warned. The group looked around before Ray spoke up. “No sign of the curator. Illyssa said he’d meet us here.” Suddenly, he stopped the group. “Watch it! As I feared. Black Slime. Dangerous ectoplasm that is hazardous to the mind and body. Unchecked, it can eventually open a full inter-dimensional portal, an open doorway, and anything that wants to can come through. Egon and I haven’t designed clothing to protect us from it.” “In other words, the stains don’t come off.” Winston to the black substance. “Noted. So how do we get rid of it?” asked Applejack. “Some positively charged slime can neutralize it.” Ray pointed. “Like the one in our upgraded packs. If a full portal has been opened, it has to be sealed using your Slime Blower. That’s the key reason we developed that tech.” “Might as well do a little field test on the upgrades Games and Egon made.” Applejack pulled out her thrower and pushed a green switch. She then fired green slime at the black slime causing it to evaporate. “Successful test.” Grinned Shini. Winston saw a heavily damaged crate. “Somebody wanted out of this box in a big way.” They made their way to a hi-tech security door. Ray tried to open it, but it was shut tight. “Door’s sealed shut. Somebody, find the power.” Rowen looked past a pile of crates and saw a switch and pressed it. “Good work, Eagle Eye!” Winston thumbed up as the door opened. “Look at this. Something’s trailed packing material down the hall here.” “Packing material and slime.” Ray noticed as they entered. “Let’s clean house!” Rowen started spraying the black slime with Shini and Applejack helping. They were all about to enter the next room when they saw something flash by. “What the hoo hay was that?” Applejack cried. “Was that a possessor?” Winston asked Ray. “Maybe. Looked like a class 7 or above, too.” “Whatever happened to class two’s and three’s every now and then? What happened to them? They were easy.” Winston recalled. “Ah the good old days.” Ray sighed. “I’m more worried that she’ll stir things up around here. I expect we’ll see her again sooner than we want to.” “Let her.” Applejack tilted her hat. “I welcome a challenge.” They crept in the next room with their throwers out. After doing some creeping around, they saw a crate shake. “There’s something you don’t see every day.” Shini blinked. Ray aimed his thrower. “Hello? Who’s in there?” “Somebody who wants out is who.” Winston stated. Ray turned to Rowen. “Hey, cadet, get in here and clear this off please.” “Be ready for anything. Possessors can be very tricky.” Winston warned. “I’ll set my wand on low, just in case.” Rowen adjusted a nob before firing. Out came a middle-aged man in a black business suit. “Oh! Dr. Rutherford! Uh, Z, kids, meet the assistant curator of the museum.” Ray introduced. “Is that horrible terrible thing gone?” the man shivered. “Yeah. She’s gone.” Winston assured. “You alright, Dr. Rutherford?” Applejack asked. “I, uh, yes I suppose so. I’m a big fan. I even had you over for my daughter’s birthday a couple days ago.” “Is that so?” Ray grimaced before smiling. “Well, I think we can get you a stiker or button or mug or T-Shirt or something when we’re done here.” “Oh! That would be wonderful. Follow me… we’ll go through the restoration department.” Rutherford led the group to the elevator. But when the doors opened, the same ghost from before was inside. “There it is again! Don’t let it get me!” “Get behind me! She’ll have to go through me first!” Applejack stood between the ghost and Rutherford. “APPLEJACK! WAIT!” But Ray was too late. The ghost grabbed Applejack and went into her through a bright light. The cowgirl started floating and glowing while speaking gibberish. “Mwa ta natch calla worn ormon!!” “Applejack! What happened?” Shini gasped. “Possessor ghosts. It’s taken over AJ. I was trying to warn her before someone got possessed. Speaking from experience.” Ray admitted. “Can you help her?” Rutherford asked. “Only one way without hurting Applejack.” Winston aimed his thrower. “Hose her down!” Ray declared as they switched to Slime Blowers and sprayed Applejack. This was enough to free her from the ghost who they blasted with their proton streams. “I got her!” Rowen threw a trap and trapped the ghost in it. “Alright! You guys are really good!” Rutherford cheered. “Voila! That’s fusion based exorcism in a nutshell. Cleaner than someone’s head spinning around and barfing pea soup.” Winston grinned. “Is your friend okay?” Rutherford asked as Shini and Ray helped Applejack up. “You okay, Applejack?” Shini asked. “Huzza buzza. Huzza buzza? Bozza wazza shum.” Applejack muttered. “Yeah. She’ll be alright.” Ray assured. “If this place is possessed by possessors, we need to get to Peter and fast!” “And meet up with Donnie and Blade soon.” Winston added as they hurried in the elevator. Applejack was back to her senses and grumbled. “Nobody mention this to Rainbow Dash. She’ll never let me live this down.” “Trust me. I’ve been there.” Ray patted her shoulder before speaking to his walkie. “Venkman! We’ve found the curator. We’re on our way to the Gozer exhibit.” “Blade and I are in the museum. We’ll meet you there as well.” Donnie spoke. As they waited, Rutherford spoke to the group. “There’s so much to show you. Where to start? Things have been strange since they started setting up that exhibit.” Soon, the elevator opened up to reveal Peter waiting for them with his Proton Pack on. “Well, hello there.” “Dig it, Peter. We found a prossessor.” Winston grinned. “Don’t tell me Ray got possessed. Again.” Peter rolled his eyes. “Nope. Applejack.” Applejack fumed at first to Winston’s answer before sighing. “Well, I did say not to tell Rainbow Dash.” “I’m sensing a rivalry.” Peter teased. “She’ll have to go through me first. That’s exactly what she said.” Winston chuckled. “Just like a puppy. Every day’s a first day.” Peter grinned. “Hilarious.” Applejack deadpanned. “Don’t let it get you down, AJ. At least you weren’t possessed by a cruel Carpathian.” Ray smiled. “We better get going.” Rowen reminded as they headed to the exhibit. In the Gozer Exhibit, there were so many people in formal wear talking, laughing, etc. Among them, Walter Peck saw the Ghostbusters, Applejack, and Shini entering the exhibit and started making his way towards them. Applejack looked around the women in pretty dresses. “Pretty fancy. Rarity would’ve loved this.” “Definity.” Shini agreed as she picked up a kabob from a plate. “No, no, NO!” The group saw Peck walking up with a couple security guards. “I want the Ghostbusters ejected from the facility immediately!” “Where’s his honor, Pecker? We got news for him… and a photo op.” Peter grinned smugly. “The mayor is indisposed right now. Anything you need to tell him goes through me.” Peck stated. “Not happening, Peck-a-bee. This is for Jock and Jock alone. We will wait for him to get redisposal.” Peter spoke. While they were talking, no one saw Illyssa looking closely at a statue. It’s eyes glowed red as it seemed to possess her. “Security! Remove these men, and girls, with excessive force!” Peck ordered. “Uuh guys?” Everyone looked to where Ray pointed to see Illyssa levitating by the statue. There was a blinding light and sparks everywhere causing people to panic. “Why do the good ones play hard to get.” Peter deadpanned. Suddenly, more possessor ghost merged from the statue and began to possess some guests. “Not again!” groaned Applejack. The mayor walked in. “What in the heck is going on here!” Just then, Blade Swipe opened the door. “Everyone! Get to safety!” As the guests ran out the door, the Ghostbusters began sliming the possessed people. “They got Peck!” Winston saw Peck floating around speaking gibberish like Applejack did. “I never got him.” Peter shrugged as Rowen slimed him. As the last of guests evacuated, Blade called. “Donnie! Cost is clear!” Donnie ran it with Slimer next to him. “Okay. Help me get the traps in place!” As the others slimed the possessed people, Ray and Applejack focused on Peck until he was free and slimed. “Hurts, doesn’t it? Let it out.” Ray spoke. Peck glared at them. “I’ll see you all on Rikers island for this!” “You’re welcome!” Applejack growled as he stormed off. “Whoa! Take a break! Do you ever shut up?” Peter jived while Slimer blew a raspberry. “Lure them over here!” Donnie called to the group. They then began using their Proton Streams on the possessors before they could control more people. When they were in position, Donnie and Blade stepped on the pedals opening the traps. Slimer pressed one himself and trapped one too. Before long, all the possessors were captured. “That’s all of them. Now for Illyssa!” Blade stated. Everyone looked up to Illyssa who was still floating. Just before anyone could do anything, another ghost appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her and ran out of the room. “So, what now?” Rowen asked. “Okay, you guys go after Illyssa. Be careful. Shinigami and I will go to security.” Ray instructed. “I love this plan.” Peter gleamed. “I’ll man the security cameras to triangulate them on the monitors and talk you through.” Ray explained. “Good. I want a little payback.” Applejack held her thrower firmly. “See you both soon. Let’s go guys!” Winston led the group through the doors. “See you soon.” Shini waved. “Dr. Rutherford? If you’ll show us to security?” Peter, Winston, Donnie, Applejack, Blade, Rowen, and Slimer hurried in the next room which was an Mayan Aztec room. They saw Illyssa struggling to get free from the ghost. “Venkman! Get me down from here!” “That’s our cue!” Peter opened fire. “I doubt that fellas gonna do anything nice to her.” Applejack stated. They missed the ghost who ran off with Illyssa again. Suddenly, the mannequins began to move and run towards the group. “Mannequin ambush!” Donnie cried. “Don’t bother capturing them! Blast them into nothingness!” Winston instructed. They all blasted their way through the bunches of soldiers as they tried to hurry. “That was nowhere near fatal.” Peter sighed as they hurried to the next room. The next room looked like temple. They looked to see the ghost with Illyssa before he bolted again. “Hurry! Before they get away!” cried Winston before they saw more warriors charging at them.b“Let’s take it to the bridge!” “Did Winston just say ‘Take it to the bridge’? What exactly are you guys doing there?” Ray asked in his walkie. “Fewer funny jokes. More getting to the security cameras, please, Ray.” Donnie responded. As they blasted, Blade noticed one Manniquin look like he was giving orders. “That one is the leader! I'm going after him!” “Blade...” Winston could only watch as Blade Swipe raced across the room as the mannequins attacked. “He's either crazy or brave.” Peter mumbled. “Just shut up and cover him!” Donnie stated as he fired. As the others covered fire, Blade ran past the mannequins using his hockey stick to hit them. He made it to the leader and fought him one on one before charging his stick and destroyed it. “Get to the temple! The glowing one!” Winston led the group to Blade who sheathed his weapon. “Remember when I said he was crazy? Well, I lied.” Peter admitted. Applejack grabbed her walkie. “Stantz, Shini, any idea where they went?” “We haven’t made it to the security office yet! This place is really hopping!” Ray spoke in the radio. “Yeah. That’s a big 10-4.” Winston deadpanned. “Let’s go this way!” Rowen kicked a door opened and they all entered the next room. They heard the ghost laugh when more manniquins. “I’ve had enough!” Applejack put her claws on. “I know we’re dealing with ghost, but it’s time to show what ninjas can do.” Donnie pulled out his staff as Blade drew his sword and followed AJ as the three sliced and fought the manniquins tearing them apart. The Ghostbusters were surprised at the three’s progress. “Wow! They’re good.” Rowen admitted. “This could save us some trouble.” Winston added. “Go ninja! Go ninja! Go!” cheered Slimer. “Yeah, I gotta admit it. Maybe sticks and blades can fight the paranormal.” Peter shrugged. “Let’s save Dr. Seldwyn.” Donnie stated as they sheathed their weapons. As the group entered the next room, Peter looked at the displays. “Hittite. Mennonite. Phoenician. Babylonian. Assyrian. Mesopotamian. Sumerian.” “Ah he’s making it up.” Winston griped while Slimer chuckled. “Just one of those things. Ah, you pick this stuff up. You know, around the office.” Peter grinned. They soon came up to a gate that blocked their entrance to the next room. Just then, they heard Ray on the walkie. “Peter, come in.” “Hi honey. How was your day?” Peter teased. “Shinigami and I have reached the security office. This one is in shambles! It’s been sabotaged. Black slime all over the place. Only a few cameras are working.” Ray reported. “When you guys got a moment, could you open gate 3487?” Donnie asked. “Give me a minute.” “Found it.” Shini spoke as the gate lifted up. “Uh oh! We’re under attack! We’ll get back to you guys!” Ray gasped. “Ray, stay away from any posessors.” Winston warned before they heard gibberish. “Kazza gorba smotz chorzig glump!! Froga Froga!” “Dr. Stantz is unavailable right now. Give us a sec.” Shini chimed in. “Just go catch him, Shini. And keep Dr. Rutherford safe.” Winston advised. As the group entered an exhibit of the Civil War, Ray talked again on the walkie. “Okay, Shini got that possessor off me. We made it to a different security room. Shini says Rutherford hurried away to safety. Must’ve scared him away.” “You’re not pretty when possessed, Ray. Seriously.” Winston responded. “Uh uh.” Slimer shook his head. “We got you guys on the cameras. You’re coming up on the Civil War exhibit.” Shini reported. “Illyssa just passed through here.” “Okay we’re on it. Thanks.” Applejack responded. The group made their way to the other side of the room when the exit doors slammed shut. “Or not.” Blinked Rowen. “You know the difference between this exhibit and the other ones?” Winston grimaced. “The soldiers in this one have guns! Let’s just pass through here as quickly as we can, and…” “Uh Winston?” Slimer poked his shoulder. The group looked to see ghosts of civil war soldier appeared and started firing at each other. “Yeah. I didn’t think we could do it, either. I was just thinking happy thoughts, is all.” “I’m getting heavy interference on the monitors. Are you guys in trouble?” Ray asked. “Couldn’t have been the American Revolutionary, could it? Or the war of the Roses. Even the war on drugs! It just had to be this one.” Ranted Winston. “Hold that thought.” Donnie replied to Ray. “Maybe just a prop, but those barrels are marked explosive!” Peter pointed. “Well, I’m not gonna find out!” Applejack stated as she turned her pack on. As the others started blasting, Blade turned to Rowen. “Rowen, circle around to the right. I’ll take the right. And get your trap ready.” “Got it.” Rowen did as he was told as he and Blade snuck behind the soldiers’ fort. Both threw a couple traps underneath the distracted soldiers. “NOW!” on Blade’s mark, the two opened the traps and caught all the soldiers. “Let’s see them fellas fight it over in that trap!” Applejack stated. “Nice strategy there.” Winston grinned as they collected the traps. “Just a little maneuver I learned from soldier training.” Blade shrugged. “Yep. They took some casualties.” Peter grinned. “Now let’s get Illyssa.” Donnie stated. As they left the room, Ray spoke on the radio. “Okay, Shini and I made it to the security office. We see you guys on the cameras. No sign of Illyssa or her kidnappers though. Get this. In the early 1900s, the museum was run by a board of trustees. Powerful guys, tycoons, captains of industry. The chairman of the board was Cornelius Wellsley of International Steel. The museum was used by the board as a respectable front for all kinds of dubious activities. Mainly though, they were in a club run by our favorite evil architect.” “Ivo Shandor.” Shini added. “Right. They hired women from the St. Nicholas Rehabilitation Mission for Wayward Angels. Rumor has it, the board conducted all kinds of nasty rituals using these women.” “The more I hear about this Shandor guy, the more my skin crawls.” Applejack sneered. “We gotta find Illyssa and fast!” Donnie stated as they hurried. Soon they entered the Egyptian exhibit as Winston spoke. “Well, here we are. The Egypt exhibit. I practically lived here while I was working on my doctorate.” “I don’t know. I think of puzzles and children’s card games when it comes to Egypt.” Donni recalled. “Something I heard about from our recent friend Gill.” “There was less black slime then!” Everyone turned to see a puddle of black slime letting flaming skulls out. “Close the gap!” Donnie cried as they slimed the portal while Rowen and Peter blasted the skulls. “That was easy.” Applejack said before kicking the door open. “Uh, D? unless you remembered your cloak watch, you might want to cut back. Civilians.” “Oh.” Donnie wide-eyed, realizing he forgot his cloaking device. “We got this. Just stay behind me and Winston.” Peter instructed. Donnie hid behind the two as they entered the room to see civilians on the other side of the gate. “It’s okay, folks! Be calm. Everything’s under control!” Winston assured. “It’s the Ghostbusters!” a man gasped. “Ghosts! Get away! Get away!” They were being chased by more mannequins. Peter turned to Slimer. “Slimer! See if you can draw those guys away from those people.” “Me?!” Slimer blinked. “Just try to get them to us and we’ll trap them. Now go!” “Okay, Peter.” Slimer then phased through the gate and did as he was told. “Let’s go this way!” Donnie suggested as they entered another temple room. “Watch it!” Peter warned as the doors suddenly closed behind them. “Not another temple!” groaned Blade drawing his sword. “Of course. They trapped us inside with the ghosts.” Winston griped. “Wouldn’t it be nice to be locked on the outside for once every now and then?” “Sometimes, I wonder if you guys want to get out of doing your job instead of just doing it.” Applejack sighed as she got her claws and Donnie drew his staff. “Don’t think I ever said this and Leo isn’t here. Ninjas! Take’em down!” The three jumped down and fought off more Aztec mannequins and sliced them up into many pieces. Suddenly, more civil war ghosts appeared and tried to fire at the ninjas when Winston, Peter, and Rowen fired their streams at them. “You were saying?” Peter grinned at Applejack who responded by smiling and pulling out a trap and opening it sucking the ghosts in. Winston grabbed his walkie. “Ray, how do we get out of the Egypt exhibit? The main door is locked up tight.” “The Egyptian main room? Check the west wall. There should be a door leading through to the next exhibit.” Ray answered. The group hurried to the west wall only to see a wall as Donnie responded. “We’re at the West Wall, but we don’t see a door.” “Guys, remember what Dr. Spengler said. That ghosts can block up exits and the Slime Blowers can dissolve them.” Shini reminded. “Allow me!” Rowen fired his slime blower at the wall which dissolved into a door. “Nice work.” Winston thanked as they hurried out. The group hurried through a hallway when the lights suddenly shut off and turned on again a second later. “That was creepy.” Donnie muttered. Applejack looked around to notice someone was missing. “Wait! Where’s Venkman?” “Where did Peter go now?” Winston wondered. They were about to head to a turn when- “Nyahhahaha!” “Hi, Venkman.” Applejack was unfazed by Peter’s scare. Peter huffed. “Scooter, we have to go. Let’s roll!” “We better hurry. Slimer might need out help.” Blade feared. They hurried through more exhibits before arriving to another close gate. On the other side, Ray and Shini hurried to them. “Hey guys! Did you find Illyssa?” Shini greeted. “Not yet, but according to this PKE Meter, we’re close!” Donnie assured. “Her kidnapper must have taken back to the Gozer Exhibit.” Ray guessed as he opened the gate for them. “We gotta find Slimer too!” Rowen gasped. “He was distracting a couple ghosts that were chasing the guests!” “All token care of.” The group turned to see Slimer with Gamer and Egon running up to them. Gamer held up a trap. “We got them right here.” “Glad you could make it.” Applejack greeted. “I had to hurry over to tell you guys my discovery.” Egon said before looking around. “Where’s Venkman?” “I saw him go in the Gozer exhibit. Let’s go!” Rowen pointed as they hurried to the Gozer Exhibit. As it turned out, Peter was helping Illyssa up who was regaining consciousness. “What a nightmare.” She sighed. “Thank you. Not the words a rescuing hero wants to hear from his damsel in distress. May I say your eyes are much prettier when they’re not glowing like hot coals.” Illyssa smiled at Peter’s banter as the two leaned close to each other. Just then, the rest of the ghost busting group hurried in as Egon spoke. “Peter! I made an extraordinary frightening discovery!” “Why won’t you all go away!” Peter pouted unaware he accidently dropped Illyssa. “Romance is over! Just listen to what Dr. Spengler discovered!” Gamer declared. “All my data indicates that the Ghostworld is beginning to push through multiple cross portals from their dimension into ours!” Egon explained. “If that’s true, then they might find a way to our dimension or even one of our friends’ dimensions!” Donnie realized. “We can’t let that happened!” Applejack stated. Peter responded by tucking his belt. “Well, more overtime.” “Guys! Look!” Everyone looked to where Winston and Blade were looking at to see the symbol from before. “The nodes are glowing!” Blade noted as Egon looked at it. “Just like the other one. These nodes might indicate the locations of the cross portals to the Ghostworld.” “And that one’s black because we shut it down at the library.” Ray added. “So we shut down the rest. It’s a poodle walk, right?” Peter guessed. “First we gotta find them.” Shini reminded. “Uh fellas. There’s only one light out there.” Winston pointed. “So if the place is depicted on that symbol too…” “Then the museum is still active!” Applejack realized. “Stay sharp!” Suddenly merging from a puddle of black slime was the ghost who ran off with Illyssa. Everyone looked in shock as he glowed before combining with the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex covering it in black slime. “Holy Chalupa!” Donnie gasped. “Definitely a final boss.” Gamer gulped. “When I was a kid, I dreamed of fighting a T-Rex.” Ray reminisced. “Of course, it had skin and bones and was alive I only had a club, but with lemons we make lemonade.” “Yum! Yum!” Slimer salivated. “You have a weird way of making lemonade, Ray.” Blade said. “This is where we earn our paycheck.” Winston stated. “And this is where we realize we’re not being paid enough.” “Least you’re getting paid.” Shini deadpanned as the T-Rex roared at the group. Peter turned to Shini. “Shini, you and Slimer get Illyssa out of here before Dino hits on her again!” Shini led Illyssa out of harm’s way as Slimer hid underneath her hat. “He’s covered in black slime! What now?” Gamer asked. “Rowen, Applejack, and I will hit it with slime while the rest of you blast it!” Donnie suggested. “It’s our best strategy!” Egon agreed. “Hose’em!” Applejack cried as she, Rowen, and Donnie all slimed the T-Rex. After a little sliming, the dino was exposed. “Now we got him! Everyone! Wrangle the nod on his head and slam that sucker to the ground before he breaks loose!” Winston cried as the others fired their proton streams. Blade then charged electricity through his blaster intensifying his beam like before. This was enough to tear the skeleton apart, but the head floated back up and recovered in black slime. “This is gonna be harder than I thought.” He sweated. “Man, you can’t tell me these went quietly during extinction!” Winston huffed. “You just don’t see this kind of fight anymore!” “Triceratons were bad enough! I’d hate to face anymore dinosaurs after this!” Donnie mentioned as he slimed the head. “Why couldn’t the black slime make its way to a pillow factory? It always has to be something that has huge dangerous inanimate objects in it.” Ray wondered. “Just lucky is my guess.” Gamer guessed as he ran past Ray. “He’s loosing black slime! Keep sliming him!” Applejack cried. “Gotta time it just right.” Blade concentrated his electric attack through his proton pack which Egon noticed. “Blade! What are you doing?” “Trying to end this with one blow.” Blade answered. Egon saw the intense lightning on Blade and looked concerned. “Hmmm.” “The black slime’s off! Hit it with everything you got!” Rowen cried. Everyone shot their streams at the T-Rex’s head. As it roared, Blade yelled as he fired a huge blast at the head. This was enough to drive the ghost out of it as it disintegrated. “Our own little Jurassic playground.” Winston joked. “Just need to choose a good name to avoid copyright.” Gamer added. “Look! The nods shut down!” Donnie pointed to the symbol as a nod went black. “We did it!” Everyone looked to see Walter Peck with a little slime on his suit stormed up and he was not happy at all. “This is the final straw! I should’ve shuttered you fraudulent gangsters forever when I had the chance! You and your teenage cohorts! You know what? I’m going to put an end to this madness now! Right now! I’m shutting down your containment grid for good! You can kiss off a permanent liscense, not to mention any chance of more government contracts. You did this to me, and you’re going to pay!” Gamer angrily shook before Applejack grabbed him shaking her head no. “You’re welcome, you Peck!” Ray taunted. “Alright, that’s it! That’s it, you’re done, smart guys! You are done, you smart cool guys! I have the authority and I’m going to shut you and your phony containment grid down NOW! The whole city will have to pay for your shenanigans. The WHOLE city!” Peck rambled on, unaware of Egon scanning him with his PKE Meter behind him. “What? But that shuts you down too.” Peter raised his brow. “Ya might wanna think twice.” Applejack warned. But Peck ignored her. “Then so be it! I have bigger fish to fry.” He then heard Egon’s meter and snapped. “AND GET HIM OFF ME!” Egon backed up as Peck stormed off. He then turned to Peter. “I think we need to keep an eye on him.” “Ya think?” retorted Peter. “No, I mean we really need to keep an eye on him.” Egon stated. “I’m surprised he didn’t say anything about Donnie.” Rowen pointed. “Probably too angry to notice.” Donnie shrugged. As Shini and Illyssa joined the group with Slimer, Peter then noticed something. “Hey, Blade doesn’t look so good.” Everyone looked to see Blade Swipe staggering before collapsing. “BLADE!” the group cried as they hurried to him. “Get his pack off!” Ray cried as he and Peter took off Blade’s pack. “Is he all right?” Illyssa worried. Gamer analyzed him with his goggles. “It looks like he’s just drained.” “He must’ve used a lot of energy fighting that T-Rex!” Donnie theorized. “We better get him back to my lab right away.” Egon stated. “Applejack, help me get him in Ecto-1!” Winston cried. “Right!” Applejack hurried to help Winston lift Blade up. “Blade. Hold on.” To Blade, everything was blurry as he faded out. To Be Continued Author's Note Here's our next page from Tobin's: Tyrannosaurus Rex Skeleton Category: Class 7 Hybrid Conglomerate Abilities: Black Slime Composition, Bite Attack, Tail Swipe I've referenced smaller conglomerations elsewhere in this tome, beings composed of a small collective of objects drawn together by some common drive. On the larger end of the scale are mass inhabitation conglomerates. These much larger collections are composed of objects being actively possessed by a specter of high consciousness. These manifestations actively work in tandem to simulate the actions of a much larger being. This is usually a defensive measure, though it can also have a great utility. Notes: I thought I'd have Applejack possessed instead of Ray because I could see AJ getting possessed because of her stubbornness. It was Darth Wrex's idea to go with the T-Rex from the Wii version instead of the Chairman in the Xbox/PS version. It works. -Don't worry. Blade will be fine. and I think that's it. Next time: The Mandala!
The MandalaBlade Swipe woke up to find himself strapped to an operating table. He was a regular pony as he struggled to get free. He saw a couple Kraang droids marching up to him before Kraang Subprime walked. “This is Project E?” he glared at Blade. “Affirmative, Kraang Subprime.” A Kraang droid answered. “According to our research, Project E is from that which is known as Equestria.” “That world where Kraang Prime got booted out of?” Subprime pondered. “Hmm. This could be useful to Kraang. I will talk to Kraang Prime when he returns to the Digital World. Inject the mutagen in him.” As Subprime left, the Kraang Droid turned to the other droid. “Kraang, inject mutagen in that which is known as Project E.” The Kraang Droid nodded and threw a lever. A claw with a syringe went to a mutagen tank and filled with mutagen. Blade struggled in his straps as the syringe drew closer to him. “No! No! NOOOOOO!” But his efforts were in vain as the syringe injected in him. Blade hollered in pain as the mutagen went into his body. The Kraang droids watched as Blade’s shadow showed fingers growing out of his front hooves. “Restrain him!” The Kraang droids grabbed Blade by his new arm as he still screamed in pain. A Kraang droid leaned closer to him. “Blade! Blade, Wake up!” “Blade! It’s okay!” Blade Swipe woke up to see he was in the firehouse, sweating from the memory he had with the Kraang in his dream. Blade Swipe panicked when Ray came up with a washcloth and struggled it out of his hands. He looked to see the other Ghostbusters, Illyssa, and his friends looking at him as he laid on a bed. “Easy, your safe. I was just going to clean the sweat off your forehead.” Ray coaxed. Blade touched his forehead and found he was sweating. “Sorry, Ray.” “You okay, partner?” Applejack asked. “Just... A bad memory.” Blade panted. “Where are my weapons?” “We took them off so you can rest. Egon and I ran some test and found you used a lot of energy on that Black Slime T-Rex.” Donnie explained. “Starting to wish Mikey was here to name these things.” Shini mumbled. “You should be careful how much lightning you fire, Blade. The particle throwers must’ve drained you more than usual.” Egon warned. “Sorry. Just wanted to help.” Blade sighed. “Anyway, we think you should rest for a bit.” Donnie advised. Blade Swipe wanted to argue, but he felt like his bones were lead. “Okay, I think your right.” “Already ordered a pizza for you. Whole thing is yours.” Ray smiled. “Thanks, Ray.” Blade thanked before Slimer came up with a cold Root Beer for him. “Thanks.” “Welcome.” The green ghost chuckled. “You guys are real heroes.” Illyssa complimented. “Kinda routine. As usual, I led the charge.” Peter boasted. “We’re fired heroes. Peck’s gonna pull our liscense.” Ray sighed. “Maybe we can bring Karai and my brother over to teach him a lesson.” Gamer spoke. “Just an option.” “Let’s keep from doing something rash, Games.” Shini rubbed his head. “Get real, guys. It’s the holidays. Nobody in this town is gonna be around to pull our license until Monday! We got a whole weekend to stop this calamity and probably half a dozen others, save the city. We got a four day weekend! We got time to ourselves!” “Then we better make it count.” Donnie got up. “We better figure out that constellation.” “I’ll help Rowen empty the traps.” Applejack volunteered. Janine spoke up. “Dr. Venkman, if they start evacuating Manhattan, I won’t be coming in on Monday. Catastrophic exodus of the city does not count as a floating holiday. I know, I looked it up.” Later, everyone was lounging in the garage while Ray was in the office studying the symbol while Gamer was trying to help. “What does this symbol mean?” Ray wondered. “Beats the heck outta me.” Gamer pondered. As he walked in, Winston noticed something. “Uh guys?” Everyone gathered around as he placed the symbol over the map of New York. “Perfect fit.” The way he had it, the nods of the constellation matched the locations of their past missions. “Of course!” Donnie wowed. “Impressive.” Shini smiled. Ray awed at this discovery. “It’s not a constellation. It’s a mandala!” “Come again?” Applejack asked. “I can’t believe I never saw it before.” Illyssa blinked. “Ok, for one minute could we pretend no one here knows what a mandala is.” Peter spoke. “I don’t.” Gamer raised his hand before Peter shushed him. “A mandala is like a spiritual labyrinth.” Egon spoke. “It looks like this is like a spiraling system that feeds the nodes along the line until it reaches a culmination point.” Shini studied the symbol. “Before he died, Shandor must have set some mechanism in place similar to the antenna in Dana’s building.” Ray guessed. “I think you helped to make that clearer.” Peter mumbled. “So, this was the gizmo that’s supposed to feed energy for the destructor form?” “That’s… that’s right Peter!” Ray exclaimed. “Well, Dr. Venkman.” Illyssa smiled. “Well, I had to get one right eventually, didn’t I? I mean, it’s just math.” “So those places we fought those ghosts are its batteries. Impressive.” Applejack shrugged. “Okay I’m just speculating, but it’s possible Ghosts are trapped in the system, funneled from node to node, and they get stronger and stronger, until they reach the end, and then they…” Ray then interrupted Egon’s theory. “Look, the first portal… the library. The second… the Museum. The third… the Sedgewick.” “Wait. Why didn’t we see the symbol when we were at the Sedgewick?” Gamer wondered. “Maybe it wasn’t active yet.” Guessed Donnie. “Probably. The Sloth Ghost was an escaped ghost while the fisherman ghost wasn’t a big enough threat.” Egon then looked the map. “And that means the fourth portal must be… right… here.” “The middle of the Hudson?” Winston raised his brow. “Well, according to the mandala, yes.” Ray confirmed. “It might need a little tweaking.” Egon shrugged. “I don’t know, plenty of bodies in that rivers could become ghosts.” Peter mentioned. “Ain’t it polluted as well?” Gamer asked. “That too.” “But what does this have to do with me? What did I do?” Illyssa wondered. “You were at the museum and the Sedgewick.” Ray recalled. “Maybe you were some sort of catalyst… accidentally setting things in motion.” Egon guessed. “You’re saying this is my fault?” Illyssa worried before Peter stood up. “You are blameless! What Egon meant to say was that you have some sort of connection to this thing and we’re gonna go back to the Sedgewick and find out what. Isn’t that right, Brainiac?” “That’s right, Peter.” Egon nodded. “You could’ve just been at the wrong place at the wrong time.” Everyone looked at Gamer. “I’ve been watching horror movies lately.” “With or without Sweetie Belle?” snickered Shini while Gamer blushed. “WILL EVERYONE JUST DROP IT! WE’RE JUST FRIENDS!” “What’s what they all say.” Peter whispered. “What Games is trying to say is that we don’t think know what to suspect until we get more proof.” Donnie translated. “Do you remember where you were going when you were at the Sedgewick?” Applejack asked. “I was standing outside a room… 1221. Something was compelling me to go in, but I woke up just before the door opened. I ran out of there as fast as I could. And then some jerk tried to pick me up on the elevator.” “I wonder who?” Applejack looked at Peter. Peter ignored her and turned to Illyssa. “Okay, you need to stay here where it’s safe and where you can’t set off any more cross dimensional shockwaves, hot stuff. Here, read up on the mandala, and the boys will take the kids and check out the Sedgewick.” “The boys? And what about you, superstar?” asked Winston. “I’m gonna have you drop me off near Peck’s office. Something tells me he’s not quite what he seems.” “Good idea. Meet us at the hotel when you’re done.” Ray then turned to Slimer. “Slimer, you stay here and take care of Blade as he recovers.” “You got it, Ray!” Slimer saluted. “And no trying to mooch Blade's pizza when it gets here!” Peter declared. “I'd never!” Slimer grumbled before Ray whispered in his ear. “There's an extra double pepperoni stuffed crust in the order with your name on it for being a big help lately.” “Yum! Yum! Thanks, Ray!” The green ghost licked his lips. “Alright! Let’s move out!” Egon said as they all got in Ecto-1. “Bye bye!” Slimer waved as they drove off. “I guess I better go tell Blade about the mandala before studying more.” Illyssa said before walking upstairs. To Be Continued Author's Note Here's our next page from Tobin's: Possessor Ghost Class: Class VII Wandering Possessor Type: Ghost (must trap) Behaviors: Attack: Range Weakness: Proton Stream Daze Duration: Moderate Trap Resistance: Medium Special: Possess Bystanders Mrs. Myrnick, a pragmatist with vision, opened the St. Nicholas Rehabilitation Mission for Wayward Angels. The mission took "fallen" and destitute women off the mean streets and cleaned them up, gave them hope, and trained them for "new" careers. St Nick's provided its desirable charges to many gentleman's club events, fraternity parties, and business conventions that occurred around the city on a regular basis, in exchange for considerable donations. Shrewd Mrs. Myrnick could always spot an opportunity and knew that her "customers" could not afford to let word of their excesses get around: These were highly respected and upstanding men in the community, after all. She told them she was willing to remain discreet, for a sizable donation. Unfortunately, Mrs. Myrnick failed to realize the lengths some would go to preserve their reputation and one night, a gang of Pinkertons paid a visit to St. Nick's. Mrs. Myrnick's ghost (and those of her charges) has appeared in many fine establishments and hotels since 1923, but they tend to favor the Natural History Museum. Contact Protocol: On their own, Possessor Ghosts aren't that much different than other spooks. Their ranged attacks, however, are far more powerful than most enemies. Take Possessor Ghosts down like would the Beauty Queen Ghosts. Force them out of their human hosts with your Slime Blower, then zap, cap, and trap! Notes: Darth Wrex suggested we'd have Blade Swipe have nightmares of his mutation. I guess it fits. Blade Swipe will be back in the final node mission. I wanted Gamer to point out about the pollution of the Hudson River, but I've read it's gotten better. if possible. I might have Blade to know about mandalas through the Dark Codex. Might save it for Shandor Island and I think that's it. Next time: Return to Sedgewick!
Return to SedgewickAfter dropping Peter off near Peck’s office and Blade resting at the firehouse, the others drove up back to the Sedgewick Hotel. As they dismounted from Ecto-1, the group noticed things were quiet at the hotel. The lights were off and there were no people. “Pretty quiet here.” Donnie said as he turned on his cloak. “Eyup.” Applejack nodded as she put on her pack. “If this place were anymore dead, we’d need a coroner.” Winston whistled. “Egon used to be a licensed coroner.” Ray mentioned. “Really now?” Shini raised her brow. “Just a hobby now.” Egon waved off. They all walked up to the door to see a notice on it as Winston read it out loud. “Closed until further notice by the Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission.” “PCOC!” Ray snarled. Donnie read over Winston’s shoulder. “Entrance into this establishment is strictly forbidden and is punishable by fine and imprisonment.” “What now?” Egon asked. “We could ninja our way in.” Gamer suggested. “This notice is for the general public. It doesn’t imply to us! We’re bonded contractors for the city!” protested Ray before Winston pointed to the last sentence on the notice. “Especially the Ghostbusters.” Suddenly, the paper got shredded up while the group saw Applejack with her claw out. “Anyone see a notice now?” “Alright. We’ll melt our way in!” Ray pulled out his thrower. “Uh Dr. Stantz?” Everyone saw Gamer opening the door revealing it was unlocked. Ray looked a little put off as the group entered the hotel. Egon looked at his PKE Meter and pondered. “Hmm. This is disappointing.” “No. disappointing is the Jets losing in the last two minutes.” “Or in my brother’s case, the Huskers.” Gamer popped up before letting Winston continued. “Not being covered in slime by phantom ghouls out to kill us… doesn’t exactly make me reach for a hanky. Why’d they shut down? You guys didn’t bang the place up that bad last time we were here.” “I hope not.” Shini shrugged. “If this place really is a mandala node, a few burnt walls and broken ceilings are the last thing anybody’s…” Egon interrupted Ray. “And smashed furniture, broken chandeliers, destroyed paintings, shattered vases, probably some minor structural damage.” “And a ruined bar mitzvah.” Gamer added as Shini chuckled. “Thanks, Egon and Gamer. The point is there’s more to worry about here than some minor cosmetic issues.” Ray finished. “Definitely a mandala node.” Donnie agreed. “If we don’t shut down Shandor’s Mandala soon, most of Manhattan will be as vacant as this. Not to mention also becoming a bastion of absolute, mind-numbing horror for centuries to come!” Winston frowned at Ray’s conclusion. “Hey! I definitely don’t lay out two grand a month for a 600 square foot walk-up to live in a bastion. Let’s get to work.” They pulled out their throwers while Gamer pulled out a spare PKE meter along with Egon. As they entered the lobby, they saw shadowy figures roaming around. “It’s an ambush! Get’em hot!” Suddenly, Egon stopped Winston from firing. “Wait a minute! I don’t think they’re a threat. They may only be residual hauntings.” “Come again?” Applejack raised a brow. “They haven’t crossed entirely into this dimension. They’re just psychokinetic echoes. Ghosts of ghosts. Completely harmless.” “Great. I was hoping to meet a friendly ghost some day, but I’ll settle for harmless now.” Winston figured. “I’m getting a strong valence spike higher up in the building.” Gamer spoke up. “Illyssa said she was called to the twelve floor.” Donnie recalled. “Let’s start there!” Ray said. They hurried to the elevators. Applejack pushed the button, but nothing happened. “Power must be out.” “They’d have shut down the power when they closed.” Ray deadpanned. “Can we take the stairs?” Winston suggested. “Not after the last time we tried that.” Rowen shook his head recalling when the fisherman ghost damaged the stairs last time. “Yeah I forgot you weren’t with us last time, Winston. So no stairs, no elevator…” Ray suddenly heard something. “You guys hear something?” Everyone listened before hurrying to a pair of doors as Ray perked up. “I think we’re dealing with a level five anchored ambusher! Be careful.” “It went into the stairwell. We got it cornered!” Applejack stated. “Help!” they heard a woman’s voice cry. “This is just how a level five Anchored Ambusher lures you in!” Ray warned. “Then let’s ambush it.” Shini grinned. The group prepared their weapons before Donnie pulled the door open and the group stood face to face with… “The manager? What are you doing here?” Ray gasped. Sure enough, it was the hotel manager from last time in the corner whimpering. “Ghosts. Monsters. Everywhere!” “There was another voice. A woman screamed. Are you alone here?” Winston asked. “Look, I just said ‘Ghosts and monsters everywhere’. Does that sound like I’m alone?” The manager huffed. “He meant people, sir.” Applejack clarified. “Then, yes. I think so.” Suddenly, the manager screamed sounding like a woman. “Guess that explains that.” Gamer muttered. “Sir, there’s no need to fear. These are just shadows, echoes of actual ghosts. They won’t hurt you.” Egon assured. “Come with us, sir. We can lead you to safety.” Winston offered. The group led the manger out back to the lobby when Rowen noticed something. “Uh guys?” he pointed to the elevators. The group saw a middle-aged woman with black hair and wearing a red dress. She held a knife behind her back as she led a man to the elevator and the two fazed through into the elevator. The manager looked freaked out. “Good lord!” “Someone you know?” Applejack asked. “I do not know. Most of the old staff knows about the story about the Spider Witch, a professional widow who did unimaginable things in a room on the 12th floor in the 1920s.” Gamer began to shiver quietly as Egon asked the manager. “What’re you still doing here? Why didn’t you evacuate with everyone else?” “I came back last night to retrieve some payroll records, but the hotel won’t let me out! The doors shut on me! And the phones are down too.” “That means we’re trapped now too. And we have to hope that Peter finds out we’re missing? There goes our weekend.” Winston rolled his eyes. “We could try to ninja our way out.” Applejack suggested. “Don’t think that’ll be necessary.” Donnie pointed. Egon nodded. “Donatello is correct. The 12th floor is apparently the core of the node. If we can get the power back on, we can use the elevators.” “If the elevators don’t eat us.” Winston pointed. “Right. If the elevators don’t eat us.” Egon agreed. “Really?” Applejack deadpanned. Donnie turned to the manager. “Where are the circuit breakers for this place? We don’t have a lot of time.” The manager pondered. “Uh… breakers. They’re in my office. But the city came and turned off most of our power after the electrical fire on the third floor. There’s no way to turn it back on from here.” “That’s inconvenient.” Egon sighed. “We got to find someway to get the elevators moving.” Winston stated. “There’s a backup generator in the utility room off the kitchen. It’s for emergency blackouts.” “Worth a try. Let’s go!” Gamer said as they hurried to the kitchen. Suddenly, some of the echoes began to attack the group. “Watch out!” Ray cried as they all shock blasted them. “I thought these guys couldn’t hurt us!” Rowen cried. Egon pondered. “I guess some of them apparently fulminate to this plane. It doesn’t seem like they’re happy about it.” “Betcha Shandor bent some laws of nature to mess with us.” Gamer panted. “Right. Let’s find that generator!” Winston said as they hurried. The manager screamed as he saw his shadow and fainted. “Probably for the best.” Shini shrugged as they hurried into the kitchen. “Alright. Spread out. The utility room should be around here somewhere.” Ray advised as they looked around. “No doubt in a dark, scary corner.” Donnie added. “I’ve said it before but be careful. I don’t think we’re alone.” Egon warned. Applejack looked to see the kitchen was a mess. “Uh Shini, did you, Games, Rowen, and Venkman do all this when you went after that there Sloth Ghost?” “It was more the ballroom. Slimer mostly pigged out in here.” Shini grinned. “This is definitely the work of something big.” Ray gulped. “Big? As in ‘Big-big’?” Winston wondered. “Mm hm. At the very least. Maybe even bigger.” Winston blinked at Ray’s statement. “That’s very big.” “I think I found it!” Everyone saw Gamer opened a door. “Look! Gamer found the emergency generator!” Ray said as they entered the room which was filled with water. “Look for a switch or something to turn it on.” Winston spoke. “I got it.” Rowen walked in and flipped the switch which caused the generator to hum. “Ah! Sweet music.” Ray smiled. Suddenly, a headlight fell into the water electrocuting it. “I’d recommend not stepping in that water!” warned Egon. “Let me try something.” Donnie activated his medallion to transform and used the lightning to remove the light and un electrocute the water long enough for Rowen to hurry back across. “Thanks, Donnie.” He thanked. “That’s pretty cool, Donnie!” Ray wowed. “And this is the power of that medallion you told us about?” “Yep. From the apprentices of Clover the Clever from Equestria.” Donnie held up his medallion to show Ray and Egon. “Fascinating.” Egon grinned as Donnie powered back down. “The elevators should be working. Unless… never mind. Let’s get back to the lobby.” They all left the kitchen to find the manager was awake and waiting for them. “Thank heavens you’re here!” Egon looked at his meter. “Okay, it looks like the psycho-mass has come to rest about 190 feet above our heads.” “The 13th floor.” Ray recalled. “This hotel has no thirteenth floor. None of the grand hotels do.” The manager protested. “Yeah, what gives with that? You guys superstitious or something?” Gamer wondered. “Never mind that. We’ll split the difference! Egon, take Rowen, Donnie, and Gamer go to the 12th floor. Winston and I will go with AJ and Shinigami and check out the 14th.” Ray instructed before turning to the manager. “Sir, if you’ll please come with us.” “Alright but stay in contact. This place is extraordinary dangerous.” Warned Egon. The groups splitted into their assigned groups and went into one of the elevators that were now working again. As Egon’s group rode the elevator, they Winston on the walkie. “Egon, what were you saying earlier about the mandala node?” “You mean why we keep seeing new ghosts?” Egon responded. “Okay, think of the mandala as a city bus line. At the bus station, ghosts, or waiting passengers, are drawn into the system here and trapped. This concentrates their PK energy which is then eventually forced through to the next node, or station, and so on, until it all ends at final terminus. At each successive bus station, the station manager absorbs some of that energy. This makes the station manager, or Node Guardian, stronger so that it can keep the ghosts in line and destroy anyone who comes to the station to interfere with the flow. These nodes or bus stations gather the power used to feed a central point thus creating a much bigger threat to our world. Does that make more sense now?” “TTTC. Totally Trapped Transit Company.” Winston responded. “Yeah you were going strong until the passengers got trapped inside the bus station.” Ray spoke. “Made sense to me.” Applejack spoke next. “What? Sounds like something in a movie my sister told me about!” “When is my performance review again? I deserve more stock options.” Winston muttered. “Really? We’re trying to prevent the end of the world and you’re thinking about money?” Applejack began to argue. “Knock it off.” Shini spoke next. Suddenly, things went dark surprising Egon’s group as they saw the Spider Witch with the male ghost from earlier. They didn’t seem to notice the group as the male spoke to her. “I say, young lady, you’re full of surprises. Well, After you.” As they left, the lights went back on as the group looked shock at what they saw. “Well, that was terrifying.” Egon spoke. “So glad I went back at the firehouse.” Gamer gulped. “I nearly wet my shell.” Donnie muttered. “Be extremely careful, all of you. This is likely to be a point of dangerous concentration.” Egon warned as the elevator doors opened to the 12th floor. As they got out and looked around, Egon pulled out his PKE Meter. “Odd. It’s coming from everywhere and nowhere. Impossible to get a significant fix.” “That can’t be good.” Rowen mumbled as Egon grabbed his radio. “Ray, come in. are you there?” “Egon! What happened? We lost you for a minute. Shini has been trying to get Applejack and Winston to stop arguing.” Ray responded. “We had a close contact.” Egon responded as they continued to walk. “Anyway, I’ve got some more information on the Spider Witch ghost. The manager says the authorities never found her, but…” “The bodies were hung from the ceiling! They were drained of blood and dragged around!” The manager chimed in. “He said the victims were found in a pretty bad state.” Ray briefed. “We get it, Stantz!” Gamer griped trying to hide his sweat unaware Rowen noticed. But he kept trembling as the Manager went on. “The walls were painted in blood! Furniture was half chewed and crushed and piled in a corner like a big nest!” “She seemed to have vandalized the room badly, too!” Ray said. “Hmm. I don’t want to be hung from the ceiling and drained of blood.” Egon pondered. “Me neither.” Agreed Donnie. “Who would?” teased Rowen. “I’ll tell you this: I do NOT want to be found in a bad state… or vandalized.” Winston spoke in the walkie. “I think that statement is unanimous.” Ray spoke. “WILL YOU GUYS JUST SHUT UP!” The three stopped to see Gamer trembling realizing his outburst, falling to his knees, and began to cry. “I should’ve stayed with Blade!” “Whoa! Whoa! Easy there, little buddy.” Rowen patted his back. “You okay, Gamer?” Donnie worried. “Remember when we fought Spider Bytz in Anaheim? And when he bit Bro mutating him into that Shine Spider Mikey called him?” Donnie nodded as Gamer lifted his ski goggles to show his teary eyes. “Even though we cured him, I still have nightmares to that experience that I can’t even look at spiders the same! One night, I had a nightmare so bad I screamed in my sleep that Tony ran into my room and hugged me to wake me up. I…I should go back to Ecto-1.” Egon responded by kneeling down and placed his hand on Gamer’s shoulder. “Gamer, I know how you feel.” Gamer looked up as Egon continued. “When I was a child, I was being scared many times by one of our now greatest enemies. The Boogieman.” “THE Boogieman?” Rowen wowed. “Yes. After being scared multiple times, I began reading about the paranormal and supernatural. I wanted to find a way to stop him. You could say it was why I became a Ghostbuster. One day, we did face him. Of course, we couldn’t trap him because he’s not a ghost, so we used a prototype ghost bomb to seal his dimension away, so he won’t scare anyone again. Or so we thought. A year later, I fell off a skyscraper from the roof during a mission. Luckily, Winston saved me, but I acted unfazed when I was scared from the fall. The late-night movie didn’t help either. Somehow, my fear drew the Boogieman to us and free from his realm. He was bent on having revenge on us. I was able to adjust our particle throwers to zap the Boogieman long enough to trap him. We followed him to an amusement park only to get ensnared into his trap. Slimer got the Junior Ghostbusters to rescue us, but the Boogieman wasn’t scared. I had to break free and save the kids. That was enough for me to overcome my fear and trap the Boogieman. After that, I learned to admit my fear instead of suppressing it.” “The point is, Gamer, that it’s okay to be afraid, but you can’t let it stop you from doing what’s right.” Egon concluded. “And remember, we’re here for ya as well.” Donnie promised. Gamer took a few deep breaths before standing up. “Let’s go squash some spiders.” “That’s the spirit!” Donnie opened the door when they were startled to see a creature the size of a horse crawling away. “Okay that was creepy.” Egon grabbed his walkie. “Ray, come in.” “Egon, what’s up?” Ray answered. “What was the Spider Witch’s room number?” “1221. After her spree, it was locked up. Until five years ago when we remodeled.” The manager explained. “Here that? Room 1221. I think that…Hey!” Ray cried realizing what the manager meant. “You three ready?” Egon checked before they walked in and down the hallway. They turned the corner to see the hallway was webbed up. “Well, this looks inviting.” Donnie turned to Gamer. “You’re sure you’re up for this?” “I have to, D. It’s the only way to stop the Mandala.” Gamer shook off as much fear as he could before they continued. “Oh, greet our visitors!” a woman’s voice echoed as the egg sacks hatched into these demonic crawlers which crawled towards the four. “We’re not alone.” Egon deadpanned. “Full stream Now!” The four blasted the spider crawlers which imploded on impact. As they marched forward, more egg sacks opened with more spider crawlers which they managed to repel as they heard the woman’s voice again. “The Chairman sends the little spirits to me. They love me. They make me strong.” “Creepy.” Donnie whispered. “This floor is undergoing significant metamorphosis.” Egon observed. “I’d say that is a fact.” Gamer agreed. “Ghostworld is aggressively encroaching on ours.” “It’s not even utilizing a portal! This is very bad!” Donnie added. “Everyone stay together.” Egon warned as they pressed forward. Just then, they heard a male’s voice. “My ankles? Goodness, we hardly know each other. No, I… Who…what are you? No…! Help! No please! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!” “Well, he’s dead.” Gamer mumbled. Egon looked worried. “It’s the Ghostworld crossing through! Happening sooner than we expected! It looks like this is where the node is focused! We could use some help!” he quickly grabbed his radio. “Ray, are you there? Come in Ray!” “Applejack! Shinigami!” Donnie spoke in his T-Phone. Gamer looked at his gauntlet. “Signal lost.” “Looks like it’s up to us! Let’s find 1221 and finish this!” Egon concluded. “Sooner the better.” Rowen said as they went forward. “Come. Play with my friends.” The woman spoke as more spider crawlers hatched. The four kept blasting them to keep going forward. “Oh, you’ve come to play games? Oh, I know lots of games.” “Any of them Go Fish?” Everyone looked at Gamer. “What?” After blasting the rest of the spider crawlers, Donnie looked at the room numbers. “1220. 1222. No 1221.” “Really? Did they take it down?” Gamer deadpanned. “It has to be here! Search for 1221.” Egon said. “I got something!” Rowen held up his meter. “I’ve seen this happened at the museum! Watch this!” He then slimed a wall which revealed a door between the rooms. “That’s 1221! You found it!” Donnie cheered. “Way to go, Rowen!” Gamer fist bumped Rowen. “Good thinking! It was here all along.” Egon smiled. “You’re definitely thinking like a ghostbuster.” They entered the room to see the room webbed like the hallway. Gamer looked into the next room. “Looks like we go this way.” “I don’t like the looks of this, but we’ve run out of options. Let’s go.” Egon said as they entered a foggy room. “Come to me, little man.” The woman’s voice echoed. “I’m a minor, toots.” Gamer deadpanned before Donnie shushed him. They entered what appeared to be a webbed cavern. Egon and Donnie held their PKE Meters while Rowen and Gamer had their throwers out looking around knowing something was around. “We aren’t alone.” Egon mumbled. They heard the woman voice again. “Which ones are these? These aren’t mine. One isn’t even human. Everyone here is mine. The quiet man, the angry man, the hungry man, the scuttling ones… yes! Now you are here and that means you are mine! Even you, Turtle.” The voice laughed maniacally as the four looked around before Egon looked up. “Above us!” They all looked up to avoid a large shadow. Turned out to be the Spider Witch only she had sharp teeth and legs of a spider. She screamed as she tried to attack. “Blast her!” Donnie cried as they fired their proton streams while Rowen fired Boson Darts and Gamer used the Shock Blasts. They managed to hit her a couple times before she poofed away in a cloud. “Where’d she go?” Rowen looked around. Egon saw her near a large egg sack. “She’s getting stronger! Don’t let her recharge!” “Oh no you don’t!” Donnie fired at her as the Spider Witch fell to the floor and got up angrily. Gamer fired from her side before she shot him with web. “Oh, I don’t think so.” She smirked before Rowen and Egon blasted at her. She then used her spider legs to whack Rowen and Donnie away and pinned Egon down. “You’re mine now!” “EGON!” Rowen and Donnie cried. Gamer gasped to see what happened and began flashing back to when Shine Boy was mutated into Shine Spider. The more he struggled, the more determined he got to save the guy to tried to help him. As he fought through the web, he began to glow. “No. No! NOOOOOOOO!” In a blinding flash, Gamer bursted through the web, drew his sword, and dashed to the Spider Witch, slashing off one of her spider legs freeing Egon as she screamed and recoiled. “Are you okay?” Gamer asked as he helped Egon up. “Yes. Thanks to you, I am.” The Ghostbuster smiled. “You. Hurt me?” The Spider Witch hissed. “You tried hurting my friends! Consider us even!” Gamer snapped as his sword glowed bright laced with Shine Power. The Spider Witch attacked Gamer as the two clashed multiple times. Egon grabbed his thrower. “ROWEN! DONATELLO! FULL STREAM NOW!” Following Egon’s lead, Rowen and Donnie fired their streams holding the Spider Witch down. This gave Gamer an opening as he stabbed her in the chest. The Spider Witch screamed in pain as Shine Power exploded from her back. When Gamer pulled his sword out, The Spider Witch tried to escape before falling from the wall and flat on her back. Her spider legs moved a bit before curling up. In a blinding light, the four found themselves in the ballroom. “We’re back!” Donnie cheered as they put their throwers back. Egon held his PKE Meter and looked around before spotting something. “Look! The mandala map!” On the wall was the Mandala map just like in the library. The four saw as a symbol in one of the nodes vanished. “Guess that means we’ve won.” Rowen smiled. Gamer wiped the sweat off his brow and sheathed his sword before smiling while Egon talked to his walkie. “Ray. Winston. Come in. you there?” “Egon! What happened? You alright?” Ray responded. “The recruit found the 13th floor and we shut it down. PKE levels are back to acceptable parameters. This node of the Mandala is fully neutralized.” “Good. For a moment we were getting worried.” Applejack spoke followed by Shinigami. “We went back to the 12th floor and couldn’t find anything. Everything looks normal.” “Where are you guys?” Ray asked. “Looks like we’re back in the Ruby Ballroom. We’ll meet you at Ecto-1.” Egon responded. Donnie patted Gamer on the shoulder. “You did good, little buddy. You did good.” Gamer smiled as Rowen spoke up. “Cmon! Let’s get to the others.” As they began to head out, Gamer hung back with Egon as he spoke. “Dr. Spengler, thanks.” “Actually, I should be thanking you, Gamer. You saved my life back there.” Egon smiled. “I think your brother would’ve been very proud.” Gamer responded by hugging Egon who politely hugged back. After they broke, Egon went out, Gamer hung by the wall quietly. “I did it Bro. I did it.” “I have to agree with Dr. Spengler.” Gamer heard a voice and turned to see Master Splinter smiling at him. “Tony would be very proud of you.” “Master Splinter!” Gamer bowed in respect. “I’ve been watching you, Gamer. And you’ve shown great courage today.” “Thanks, Sensei, but I don’t think I’ll be watching any spider movies anytime soon. But I feel relieved about my brother’s mutation a while back.” Splinter patted his shoulder. “As you should be. We cannot change what has happened in the past. The important thing is you cured your brother and prevented anyone from getting bit from Spider Bytez. Now you must go stop the rest of the Mandala.” “Gamer?” Egon popped in to see Gamer all by himself. “You ready to go?” “I’m coming.” Gamer walked out as Egon saw a reading on his meter before shrugging it and walked out. To be Continued Author's Note Here's our next page from Tobin's: Spider Witch Category: Class VI Elevated Remnant[2] Type: Deity (supreme being) Behaviors: Attacks: Melee, Range Weaknesses: Proton Stream Notes: This anonymous woman (the authorities never discovered her identity), spent several years in the '20s living in the Hotel Sedgewick. There, for purposes only known to herself and to her master, Ivo Shandor, she lured men into her rooms and then murdered them (though it's uncertain if they were killed before or after they were hung from the ceiling and drained of their blood). As a reward for her efforts as a member of his inner circle, after her death, Shandor used his powers to "elevate" her, creating the Spider Witch. Now a terrifying spider-human fusion, she and her insect-like minions protect Shandor's interests in the strange, twisted plane that exists immediately between our world and the ghost world. "Most of the old staff knows the stories about the Spider Witch. She was a professional widow who did unimaginable things in a room on the twelfth floor back in the 1920's. Her victims were hung from the ceiling, drained of blood then dragged around. The walls of her room were literally painted with blood. The furniture was hacked, chewed and crushed up in the corner like a giant nest. Her room was 1221. After her spree it was locked up, until about five years ago when the hotel was remodeled." Notes: I edited out the Ghost Chefs because I felt they had no part of the plot. I felt that Gamer would have nightmares about Shine Boy's mutation into Shine Spider. (See Equestria Ninja Girls Ducks Rock for details) Plus, he never talked to Master Splinter. -And Egon would explain about The Boogieman from the two episodes from The Real Ghostbusters to help Gamer. and I think that's it. Next time: Shandor Island!
Shandor Island“Egon, tell me again, why are we wandering endlessly in the fog?” After defeating the Spider Witch at the Sedgewick Hotel and picking up Peter and the fully recovered Blade Swipe, The Ghostbusters and Ninjas were riding Ray’s boat, The Marine Ecto-8, looking for their next destination on the Hudson River. “It’s the final node, Venkman. Close it, and we seal the mandala, trapping the ghosts inside.” Egon explained As Peter looked around with the Ecto Goggles. Applejack turned to Blade. “How ya feeling Blade?” “Much better. Dr. Seldwyn got me up to speed that you learned that the constellation was really a mandala. I’ve learned about mandalas through the grimoire when Dark Codex controlled me.” “That’s good. Once we seal the last one, it’ll be the end of it and hopefully we’ll go home.” Donnie added. “First, we gotta find the last node.” Gamer reminded while Slimer imitated a foghorn. Peter still looked skeptical. “Sorry to break it to you, Egon, but I don’t see a mandala…” Everyone looked in shock as a miniature island rose from the water. “You were saying?” Egon raised a brow. “Land ho.” Shini said. “Shandor Island. It’s here!” Ray awed. “Holy Chalupa!” Donnie blinked. “Now there’s something you don’t see every day.” Applejack admitted. As they entered the docks, some of the debris fell off narrowly missing the boat. “It’s too unstable! I’m going to have to drop you guys and circle around.” Ray warned. “If Ecto-8 sinks, we’re sunk too!” “I’ll stay with Ray and help keep the boat afloat.” Gamer volunteered. “Good idea.” Egon agreed. “Thanks, Games.” Ray thanked. Peter then walked up. “Ray, since you’re the most excited about going to ghost island, why don’t I just take the boat?” “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Applejack shot him a look. “No one asked you, Applejack. I was asking Ray.” Peter saw Ray shaking his head no as the others shoot him a look as well and chuckled. “Heh. Thought I was making a nice gesture, and you’re all giving me the suspicious look. Drop it instantly. Let’s keep going. Because nobody enjoys rushing headlong towards their death more than this fellow.” “Hail the conquering hero.” Blade muttered as everyone minus Ray and Gamer climbed to the loading dock. Slimer just floated with the group as Winston asked Egon. “What’s the story behind this place, Egon?” “The Shandors owned this island for generations. The castle was built in the 1860’s. Ivo Shandor used it as a refuge, a lab, and a temple for he and other cult members to worship Gozer.” “That guy definitely needed a new hobby that didn’t involve the end of the world.” Applejack muttered before Winston spoke again. “Okay, that’s all well and good. But can someone explain to me how an entire island sinks?” “According to basic geology, an island can sink when the weight of the island causes the lithosphere to bend downward. This can be caused by earthquakes, volcanoes, or subsidence.” Donnie then saw Winston deadpanning him. “But I guess Ivo Shandor did something different, so I’ll let Dr. Spengler explain.” “The night the last Shandor died, there was a huge tital surge and the river just swallowed the island whole. Shandor consecrated the whole island to Gozer, and the Ghostworld reclaimed it.” “Mm-Hm.” Peter, Shini, and Slimer exclaimed. “City’s lucky it’s in the middle of the Hudson instead of Rockefeller Center.” Winston figured. “We’re lucky now, but the Ghostworld will continue to assert itself into ours, and the damage will be incalculable.” Egon warned. “And no doubt it’ll find its way to our world or any other world we’ve visited.” Donnie feared. “Just another screwed up day at the office.” Peter joked. “Well, I didn’t redeem myself just to have some ghost god threaten my friends and family.” Blade stated. “Me neither. So let’s get moving and shut down the mandala.” Applejack walked up to a giant crane used her geode to move it. “Good thinking, AJ!” Winston grinned. “Just a little further.” Egon instructed. “Bring it in! a little more. Whoa! Great!” Applejack moved it close enough to drop a huge wooden pallet which dropped to make a pathway across. “Alright AJ!” Peter cheered. “Yeah! Alright AJ!” Slimer echoed. “Good work. Let’s go!” Donnie said as they hurried across and up some railroad tracks. As the group got halfway up, Blade saw a mine cart charging towards them. “Watch out!” Everyone got out of the way in time except for Slimer who was slammed into the cart and crashed with it. Luckily, he got up feeling woozy and floated back to the others. “You okay, Slimer?” Winston asked. “Okie dokie, Winston.” Groaned Slimer. “Whats the deal? We only get paid if we live.” Peter retorted. “Really?” Applejack deadpanned. “Let’s keep moving.” Egon advised. As they moved, more parts were falling off. “Maybe we should’ve brought helmets.” Shini worried. Ray spoke in the radio. “Guys, there’s way too much dangerous debris in here. Gamer and I have to take Marine Ecto-8 out where it’s safer.” “Don’t go too far, Ray. If we need you, we’re gonna really need you fast!” Winston responded. “Aye aye, Z. Raise us on the horn if you need us.” Ray replied. “Good luck, you guys!” Gamer spoke. Soon, the group arrived at what appeared to be a courtyard. “Check this joint out!” whistled Winston. “It looks like we’re at the courtyard of the castle.” Donnie guessed. “That’s a three-million-dollar view, even in Manhattan standards.” Egon admitted. “My apartment used to look like this.” Peter spoke. “Shandor’s public architectural style ranged from Federal to Art Deco. His personal tastes, however, obviously leaned towards Gozerian.” “Why am I not surprised?” Egon shrugged to Applejack’s question. “Now I see what they mean by early demonic.” Winston joked. As the group walked up to the stairs to make their way to the entrance to the castle, they suddenly heard the roar of a demon. “That doesn’t sound good.” Donnie gulped. “There’s an open door!” Egon pointed ahead. But before they could hurry, flaming gargoyles flew towards them. “Flaming gargoyles again?” groaned Applejack. “We’ve seen them before.” Winston recollected. “Slam them to the ground!” Donnie cried as they fired their proton streams on them. Using them to ensare the gargoyles, they slammed them to the ground smashing them. “That would explain why they attacked us at Time Square. They’re gargoyles from Shandor buildings.” Egon concluded. “Guess Ivo would be tickled pink to know his old security system still works so long after he died.” Winston said. “Wouldn’t be my first choice.” Donnie griped. “Venom crawlers at three o’clock!” Applejack pointed. The team used their slime blowers and streams to fight off the ongoing crawlers and gargoyles. After making their way across. “There’s the door!” Donnie cried as they hurried only for the main doors to close on them causing Slimer to slam on the door. “Now what?” Rowen sighed. “Look! The door is connected by that chain.” Winston pointed. “Okay. Donatello. Blade. Rowen. You’re up. I got your backs.” Egon was then interrupted by Applejack ripping the doors open. “We’re wasting time! We got a world to save! Unless you guys are still worried about your paychecks.” She stomped in. “Is she always like that?” Peter asked Donnie. “Only when there’s a job to be done.” Donnie shrugged. “Let’s move!” Winston led the group inside. “I take it we’re not welcome.” Egon checked his meter. “Really? That be a first.” Winston rambled. “I’m gonna get us all name badges that say ‘Hello. I’m not welcome here.’ Or maybe t-shirts. Or coffee mugs.” “Think we can get a couple to take home?” Shini grinned. As they searched around the place, the group looked around at the décor and portraits that were on the hallway walls. “Ya think all of Ivo Shandor’s relatives were Gozer worshippers?” Applejack wondered out loud. “You know, I think you’re the first to ask that, Applejack.” Egon pointed out. “Come to think of it, I have never been able to find anything about the Shandors outside of Ivo.” “Either he destroyed any signs of existence of the Shandors to avoid authorities or the Shandors were lost to time.” Donnie hypothesized. “That’s kinda sad.” Blade muttered. “And familiar.” Then, one portrait caught Winston’s eye. “Illyssa. I see her.” “You and me both.” Peter daydreamed. “She’s wearing a simple terrycloth robe. And she’s brought me coffee.” “Yum! Yum!” Slimer salivated before looking up shocked. “This can’t be right.” Applejack blinked. In the portrait, it looked like Illyssa only she wore a blue old dress. “That’s her alright. Spitting image.” Wowed Shini. “The resemblance is uncanny.” Egon rubbed his glasses. Donnie read the description under the painting. “This is Ivo Shandor’s mother, painted in 1885.” “Wait. Illyssa is a Shandor?” Blade pieced together. “Why does this always happen? I met a girl. She’s crazy about me. But she always turn out to be a fixer upper!” Peter whined. He then stopped Slimer from speaking. “I told ya, Spud, no more blind dates. Not since you tried to hook me up with that lunch lady.” Egon thought for a moment. “This is starting to make sense. Illyssa must’ve inadvertently triggered the Mandala because she has Shandor blood.” “She doesn’t know it. When I did her profile, she told me she was adopted.” Peter recalled. “Some coincidence.” Winston said. “No way this happened by accident.” Blade stated. “Somebody must’ve known. Why else bring her to the Gozer exhibit?” Applejack asked. Then, Egon remembered something. “The mayor did say that Peck personally recommended Illyssa to be the guest curator of the Gozer exhibit.” “You don’t think-?” Donnie blinked. “Gamer’s gonna hate him more.” Applejack agreed. Winston nodded. “Once a Peck, always a Peck.” “Yeah, once a Peck, always a Peck.” Slimer huffed. As they continued their venture, Winston spoke again. “Shandor must’ve employed hundreds of workers for years to build this place.” “Reminds me of King Sombra back home.” Blade mumbled. “The supports are waterlogged, the mortar is decrepit, and the foundation is shattered. In purely physical term, there’s no way all this can still be standing.” Egon critiqued. “Thank you, Dr. Spengler. You’d make a great house seller.” Shini joked. “You sound surprised.” Winston deadpanned. “No. Not really. It’s beautiful in a horrific way.” “Bet Dark Codex would love it here.” Blade admitted before they heard Ray on the walkie. “You can’t deny the pure genius of Shandor. It’s a pity that it was all used for evil. If he would’ve channeled some of it for good, the things he could’ve done.” “Maybe if we hit him with our Magic of Friendship, he could’ve been redeemed like our friend Sunset Shimmer.” Applejack added. “Uh guys?” Rowen pointed down near a statue on the floor below. At the foot of the statue were four ghosts in black robs glowing blue. “Posthumous Black Mass.” Egon whispered. “What? People still worshipping? Even after death? That’s a powerful church, man.” Winston grinned. “That might explain how these structures are still standing.” Egon realized. Ray spoke on the radio again. “Oh yeah! Ethereal stability induced by sheer focused concentration posthumous will. Unbelievable!” “I’ll just pretend I understood that.” Gamer mumbled. “Probably tell ya when you’re older, kiddo.” Ray said. “What’s unbelievable is that you can still use the word in context.” Winston pointed out. Just then, Slimer screamed as they saw the black ghost charging towards them. “They look like they’re covered in black slime! Slime them!” Donnie warned. Everyone fired slime at the black ghosts. They were joined by shadow figures that attacked the ghost busting group as well. Using their slime blowers, the heroes managed to vaporize them all. “I think it’s officially time for us to go.” Applejack stated. “I hear ya, AJ.” Winston agreed as they hurried out. As they exited the chamber, they saw something glowing in the next tower. “Check this joint out!” whistled Blade. “Unless my sensory array is malfunctioning, that is definitely the place we’re looking for.” Egon pulled out his PKE Meter. As they looked around, the floor behind Applejack and Rowen suddenly opened up causing the two to fall in. As they fell, Rowen grabbed Donnie while Applejack grabbed Shini as the two grabbed Blade, causing them to fall in as well. Slimer tried to pull Blade out but fell in too and the floor closed up. Peter noticed their absence. “Hey, where’d the kiddos go? Yo! Cool Breeze! Come on out! Slimer?” “Peter! Behind you!” Egon warned as more black ghosts surrounded the three Ghostbusters. The fallen group regined consciousness as they heard their friends through the walkie. “No! Get back! Take your imaginary hands off me! Peter!” “Yeow!” “No! There’s too many of them! Whoa!” “Egon! They got Egon! Bring him back here! Kids! Help us!” “Winston! Hang on!” Applejack cried. “We gotta save them!” Donnie declared. “Hang on! I’ll have Dr. Stantz drop me off to help!” Gamer spoke. “No, Gamer! Stay with Ray! We’ll get the others!” Shini responded. “Besides, that might do more harm than good.” Blade warned. “Okay, you guys need to get to the others so they can help you, please be careful we don’t know what we’re dealing with yet, but it sounds big and when big things attack, they hurt.” Ray spoke. “Understood, Dr. Stantz.” Rowen responded. Donnie looked around. “We appear to be in the sewer passageway of Shandor Island. If we use the PKE Meters, we might be able to the Ghostbusters and hopefully the mandala node.” “Then let’s get moving.” Applejack nodded. Donnie and Rowen held their meters out and led the group forward. As they walked, Blade looked down to see the water catacombs full of black slime. “That’s a lot of slime.” “Doesn’t surprise me one bit.” Applejack agreed. Donnie checked his meter. “It looks like there’s a way inside the castle down there.” “I’m not swimming in that gunk.” Shini deadpanned. The group turned to see Slimer wearing sunglasses, Hawaiian shirt, inner tube, and held a glass before tossing them aside. “Me neither!” “Guys! Over here!” everyone hurried to Rowen. “I found the sewer gate! We could use it to drain the black slime so we can get down there!” “Allow me!” Applejack used her geode to pull the gate down, sealing the path. “Alright, AJ!” Slimer cheered as they watched the black slime drained. “Uh oh.” Donnie sweated. From the draining black slime merged a giant black blob monster that roared at them. “Of course, there’s a monster in there!” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Hit it with slime!” Blade cried as they fired their slime blowers at it before seeing venom crawlers coming at them. “Venom crawlers!” Donnie cried before Shini slimed them. After much sliming, the black slime monster disintegrated into a big puddle before vanishing. They headed down to see another black slime monster charging towards them. “There’s another one!” cried Rowen. “Spread out!” Blade yelled. The five scattered to surround the monster before sliming it disintegrating it as well. Rowen looked at his meter. “This way!” He led the group through the canal. They had managed to slime every venom crawler that came after them. As they entered a metal tunnel, Donnie checked his meter. “The signal’s getting stronger this way.” The smart turtle pulled out the walkie he was given. “Donatello to Ghostbusters, come in! Venkman, Spengler, Zeddemore, acknowledge.” After a few seconds, they heard a response. “Donnie? Can you hear me?” “It’s Winston!” cheered Slimer. “We hear you, Winston. What’s your position?” Blade responded. “I’m trapped in a dark place. Can barely move my arms. Can you guys find me?” “We’re on our way.” Promised Rowen. After a few minutes of walking, they heard Winston again. “I think you kids are getting closer to me, the sounds are getting louder.” “Your signal’s getting stronger.” Donnie checked the meter. They got out of the tunnel to a strange factory. In the tubes and funnels swam gallons of different colored slime. “I can’t tell if this is pretty or creepy.” Shini looked around. “The colors are pretty nice.” Applejack shrugged. “Mr. Zeddemore has got to be around here somewhere. Keep looking.” Donnie pointed out. Everyone looked around while Slimer sniffed the ground like a blood hound. The green ghost sniffed at a big statue which suddenly moved a little surprising him. “Over here!” he got everyone’s attention and they hurried to the statue. “Winston has got to be inside!” Donnie guessed as Slimer frantically nodded. “How do we get him out?” Suddenly, Rowan accidently pressed a big button which opened up, freeing Winston inside. “Hey! Thanks, kids! I was seriously cramping up in there.” Winston thanked stretching a bit. “I refuse to let anyone be held by their will like I did.” Blade nodded. Winston looked around the factory. “This is all looking familiar. Ray would be giggling right now.” “Least it’s just slime and not mutagen.” Donnie grinned. “This must be where all the mood slime came from.” Winston figured. “Look! They must’ve pumped it into the sewers from here!” “You mean that gunk you guys told us about that could either make people kill each other or make a toaster dance?” Applejack recalled. “Yeah when we fought Vigo the Carpathian from that painting.” Winston nodded. “Let’s go find Egon. And… think about looking for Peter.” “We used the meters to find you. We can use it to find them. This way!” Donnie led them to the catwalk. They found a doorway as Winston kicked the metal doors open. They walked around to see more vats of slime. “What is this place?” Shini pondered. “I bet Mikey would love this place and mess with this stuff.” Donnie looked around. “If it wasn’t used for slime, I bet it could’ve made some colorful drinks.” Applejack figured. “You know, Ray had Slimer mascot for this fruit drink called Ecto Cooler a couple years back.” Winston recalled. “Sounds marketable.” Blade complimented. “It was actually pretty good.” As they headed up, Applejack whistled. “Shandor’s cult was working some crazy experiments in here.” “There’s blue slime, pink slime, yellow slime. But every ghost in here is covered in black slime.” Winston added. “Must be their favorite color.” Teased Shini. “But what’s generating it all? Where is it all coming from?” wondered Rowen. “Uh maybe ask them?” Donnie gulped as he pointed ahead to see dark figures charging towards them. “Slime them!” Winston cried as they fired their slime blowers at them. “Being dead for 80 years sure hasn’t improved these guys’ disposition any!” Winston joked. “I’m with ya on that, Mr. Zeddemore!” Blade agreed. “I don’t know which one of you shoved me into that crate, but you all owe me a big apology!” “Too bad Pinkie can’t help with that!” Applejack told Winston. Shini noticed something above. “Incoming! Gozer worshippers at 2 o’clock!” As the cloaked ghost flew towards them, the group slimed them as well. After they all disintegrated, Donnie cheered. “Booyakasha! Shandor isn’t here to save you now, is he?” “This is the kind of stuff that really shows well on your reviews. I think you guys are really turning some heads back at headquarters.” Winston smiled. “Thanks.” Blade looked around. “Man, what’re these spooks up to? I get the whole mandala immortality-and-power thing, but what’s up with all the slime science?” “Definitely Mikey would like it here.” Shini mumbled. “Ah! The island has got to be sitting directly on a cross-dimensional portal!” Donnie theorized. Just then, another voice spoke in the radio. “I think I hear you guys! Yes, that sounds like my equipment. You guys are getting close.” “Egon!” everyone gasped. “Find him, Slimer!” Shini said. Everyone followed the green ghost to the next room as he crept to a containment unit like they found Winston in. “Get me out of this thing! I don’t want to get eaten by black slime!” “Hang on, Egon!” Donnie turned to Rowen. “How’d you get this open last time?” “I think it was right…here.” Rowen pressed the same gem opening the container freeing Egon. “Thank you. This is going to reflect well on your performance review. All of you.” He thanked. “In most cases, I find close proximity to mildew stimulating. That was a little much, though.” “That’s…. anyway, we should probably go find Dr. Venkman.” Blade tried to change the subject. “Have you seen Venkman?” Egon asked. “Well… you know…” Winston debated. “Nope.” Applejack muttered. “Have you looked for him?” Egon raised his brow. “Well… you know…” “Nope.” Egon held up his meter. “The meter seems to indicate he’s somewhere in this direction.” Just then, Slimer sniffed the air. “Peter? Peter!” This caused the green ghost to speed forward in the factory. “Slimer! Wait up!” Donnie cried as the group hurried to follow him. As they hurried, they had to slime some more black slime ghost and another black slime monster. “This machinery indicates an astounding level of sophistication!” Egon pointed out. “Pure evil notwithstanding, Ivo Shandor was far ahead of his time.” As they looked for Slimer, Egon continued to show amazement. “You know, I have to take my hat off to Shandor. This lab was built how many years ago? It’s pretty impressive. It’s likely that Shandor was THE parapsychology expert of his time.” “Yeah. It’s very impressive!” awed Donnie. “Stay in the light, you two.” Warned Applejack. “We’re trying.” Donnie and Egon deadpanned. “I got a lock on Slimer’s signal!” Rowen checked the meter as they headed towards a freight elevator. “They must’ve stashed Venkman around here somewhere.” Egon theorized. Suddenly, they saw a proton stream fire from the floor above. “Help! Yo! A little help!” “I think I hear him.” Shini pointed. Peter walked up with Slimer looking down at them. “Hey! Someone call for a break? I think the Spud here found me faster than you guys.” “That’s Venkman, all right.” Winston grinned. “You sure about this, right?” “We need to be at full strength to shut down this node.” Egon reminded. Donnie spoke in his walkie. “Dr. Stantz! Games! Good news, we found and free the others.” “Way to go! I feel a momentum swinging in our favor!” Ray answered. “Good work. Now get out there and find the mandala node and shut it down. That’ll tick someone off.” Gamer added. The group used the elevator and reunited with Peter. “Hey, I got places to go, people to meet. Can we get outta here?” “Good job, kids. Glad to hear Peter’s okay.” Ray spoke. The group went through a hallway and found a familiar room. “Looks like we’re back where we left off.” Applejack noticed. They entered a big room with a huge machine that had models of the planets and these four spheres moving up and down. “That’s an interesting device.” Shini shrugged. “What are they doing?” asked Blade. Egon looked at his meter. “These readings are as big as those at the library when we crossed over. I think it’s safe to assume that the machine they’re working on was not built for a benign purpose.” “It’s an orrery! A device typically used for predicting planetary alignment.” Donnie pointed. “In this case, it appears to actually be aligning…. Dimensions?” “You do not think one of those dimensions is… Equestria?” Blade feared. “Or one of our friends’ dimensions.” Applejack added. “And what’s to stop Gozer from going there? We can’t let that happened!” “I’m with AJ! I for one do not want the dimensions to align. Not this close to Christmas!” Winston agreed. “That would put a damper on the holidays.” Egon muttered. “BIG damper!” Slimer held out his arms. “So how do we shut it down?” Shini asked. Egon pointed to the bouncing orbs. “The motion of those devices seems to be generating some sort of energy. Hard to tell, tough.” “What if we try locking them down?” Winston suggested. “I can calculate 54 likely outcomes. We’d survive 3 of them.” Egon calculated. “Three?” Slimer blinked. “That beats our usual odds.” Winston shrugged. “Same here. Let’s do it!” Applejack walked up to a sphere and used her geode to slam it down breaking it. “Let’s help her.” Blade went to another sphere and smashed it with his fist while Donnie used the blade on his staff to pierce the third orb. Then, the three used their weapons and destroyed the fourth together. “Nice work! You did it!” Winston cheered as Slimer applauded. “How come people smart enough to use science always try to take over the world? Huh? Egon? Ray? Anyone? Didn’t think so.” “Should we be offended by that, D?” Gamer asked. “Just let it slide, Games, let it slide.” Donnie responded but shot a look at Winston. Egon then noticed something. “Wait. Those planets are aligning. I’m not sure that this is the safest corse of action.” Shini then noticed some black slime oozing from the ground. “Uh guys?” “I think we found the source of the black slime, Winston.” Egon pointed. “I wasn’t that curious!” Winston snapped. “Then maybe keep your thoughts to yourself!” Applejack argued before Shini and Peter pulled the two. “Run now. Fight later.” Peter stated. “The whole room is filling up! Get to high ground!” Donnie cried as they hurried up the stairs. “Alright, gentlemen, it’s official. This was a bad idea.” Egon frowned. They hurried to the next floor and watched the floor below fill up with black slime. “Somebody ordered a black slime jacuzzi?” Donnie saw everyone frowning at him. “Oh come on! Mikey’s not here so might as well say it!” Blade then saw a door nearby. “Looks like we can exit through here.” Suddenly, they felt a tremor as the orrery fell apart in the black slime. “Shh. Here comes the big finale.” Peter teased. Emerging from the black slime was a giant slug with arms. On his neck was a circular statue structure. Rowen then covered his nose. “Augh! Who blew a big one?” “Whew! The stench is horrible!” Winston groaned. “Smells like the Fulton fish market when they have fish.” Peter said. Slimer stuck his tongue out making gagging noises. “Wait! I know that dumpster.” Peter noticed. “A putrid mass of hatred, vile, and anger.” Egon described. “It’s got to be a Slor.” “Not exactly Mr. Sunshine, is he?” Shini teased. “This is the part where we do what we do.” Peter readied his thrower. “Blow it back in the cradle!” The group fired their slime blowers as the Slor used the spheres as weapons to fire energy beams at them as they dodged. “Aim for his eyes!” Winston cried. “We need to cut off his Visine.” Peter agreed. “Somebody cut up some onions.” “Giving me the evil eye, huh?” Applejack glared at the Slor. The Slor roared recoiling in pain, knocking the statue off him and roared at the group before spewing black slime at them. “It’s got to have a vulnerable spot!” Winston demanded. “What about that green glowing thing on his head?” Rowen pointed to the green orb on the Slor’s head. “That is his head, right?” “How do we get to that?” Donnie asked. “Hey Slimer! Run around and look delicious, will ya?” “Me?” Slimer blinked at Winston. “Do it, Spud!” Peter cried. Slimer flew around getting the Slor’s attention. It tried to bite the little green ghost, but Slimer managed to dodge it. This was enough for the group to hit its green orb with their slime throwers, causing it to recoil in pain. “Hit it there! It doesn’t like that at all!” Winston bellowed. “Keep hitting it!” Blade cried. Everyone combined their slime stream and hit the Slor with everything they got before it roared in pain and sank into the black slime below. “And that’s all she wrote.” Peter grinned. Egon saw a nearby mandala as the node stopped glowing. “All the nodes are closed. The ghosts are trapped in the Mandala.” “Right where they belong! Our boy Ivo Shandor didn’t factor in the fact that he was messing with the Ghostbusters! Booyakasha!” Winston cried as he high fived Applejack. “Yeah! Booyakasha!” Slimer cheered. “It’s spreading.” Peter deadpanned before grinning. “Yeah, Peck made that same mistake. We’re gonna have a long talk with him.” “Don’t forget Dr. Venkman’s girlfriend is a Shandor.” Shini added. “Agreed.” Egon nodded. “I’m gonna have a long talk with her.” Peter agreed. Everything started tremoring as Ray spoke in the radio. “You guys need to get down to the shore and fast! I don’t know how much longer I can hold her. The whole island is sinking!” “Keep the motor running, Ray! We’re coming to ya fast!” Winston responded. “This way!” Blade cried as they hurried through the passageway he found earlier. It wasn’t long before they found the shore where Ray and Gamer had Ecto-8 waiting for them. “Hurry!” Gamer cried as he helped pull everyone on the boat with Winston helping. “Peter!” he cried as Peter jumped in followed by Rowen and Blade. Once everyone was in the boat, Ray drove it away just in time to see Shandor Island sinking back in the Hudson. Slimer screamed as he flew in slamming into Gamer sliming him by accident. Again. “Sorry.” The green ghost pouted as Gamer wiped the slime off. “All good, Spud. Glad you’re okay.” Gamer sighed. “You guys okay?” “Yeah. Mission accomplished.” Donnie thumbed up. Ray gleamed. “How was it? Was it cool? What did it look like? Did you get any samples? Did it have multiple eyes?” Everyone gave Ray the stink eye for his multiple questions as Egon spoke. “Ray… shut up.” “Yeah! Shut up!” Slimer huffed. “Let’s get back to shore. I’m starting to get seasick.” Applejack stated as they drove back to the docks. To Be Continued Author's Note Here's the next page from Tobin's Spirit Guide- Juvenille Sloar Then, during the Third Reconciliation of the Last of the Meketrex Supplicants, they chose a new form for him, that of a giant Sloar! Many Shubs and Zulls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of a Sloar that day, I can tell you! — Vinz Clortho; Ghostbusters Category: Class VII Ectoplasmic Outsider Type: Deity (supreme being) Behaviors: Attacks: Range Weaknesses: Slime Notes: Somehow, Shandor's cult, guided by Ivo Shandor himself, discovered a way to lure a young Sloar from its home dimension into our world. More impressively, they also managed to imprison that Sloar within a ghost world pocket at the heart of Shandor's island mansion. Fueled by hatred, bile and anger and assisted by mechanical monstrosities of Shandor's own design, this captive Sloar serves as the powerful guardian of the Lost Island's dimension-aligning Orrery machinery. Notes: -Again, edited out a couple things to speed the chapter along. Winston tells a reference to the old Hi-C drink Ecto Cooler from the 80's early 90's. (They temporarily brought it back in 2016 for the remake. Had to order it online) the reference of the mood slime from Ghostbusters II is in the game. And I think that's it. Next time: Breakout!
