//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: The Terrifying Nightmare (Part 1) 
// Story: Yo-Kai Watch: The mystery of Springdale 
// by Tythen 
//------------------------------//

"Hello???" A filly's voice echoed throughout the vicinity. "First? Big Bro? Whisper? Jibanyan?" The names that she called out yielded no response.

"Nate? Katie?" Scootaloo continued calling names, but there was still no wave of sound returned. She sighed, "well that's great. What happened here anyway?" Scootaloo looked around her, the entire district of Downtown Springdale, a grey hazy fog covering everything around it. The sky, the streets, the air, everything had lost colour, leaving behind a constant unchanging shade of grey. The only distinct colour was the Black Sky, along with small yellow floating lights to allow the flightless filly to see everything around her.

"Springdale..." Scootaloo tried to remind herself... "Downtown Springdale to be exact, but it's all... Black and White. Is anypony here?"

"Roar..." A loud moan echoed throughout the land, the filly picking up the sound with hope,

"Somepony's here alright!" Scootaloo mentioned to herself, "Hey!!! I'm over here!!!" She called out,

"Roar?" The loud moan echoed again. This time, with an questionable tone.

"I need your help! Can you come over here and get me?" Scootaloo called out once more, but not until she realised that what she called out to, was her certain doom.

"GROARRRRRR!!!" A large body fell from the sky, landing a kilometre away from the filly, kicking up a large dust wave that crashed over Scootaloo.

"What the...?" Scootaloo coughed as she tried to clear the air, until she saw what she was calling to and stood still in fear. The area where the dust storm originated landed a giant bipedal creature in red stood there. Scootaloo took everything she could describe about this grotesque creature before her. Clawed hands and feet, pointy ears, curved fangs, yellow glowing eyes, a brown loin cloth, a golden horn on his head, and a large Iron-studded club that he carries.

"Ah..." Scootaloo started shaking in fear,

"Ahhh... GAAAAAAA!!!!!" The red beast set sights on Scootaloo and with a loud roar, he charged towards the filly with thundering steps and his club raised high. Scootaloo took this message in order to gallop away, but for some reason, her entire body refused to move.

"Wha-- Hey! I'm trying to move here!" Scootaloo told her legs, "let me RUN!!!" No matter how much she tugged and pleaded, her legs did not budge as the beast stood towering above her with angry eyes.

"Ah... Ah... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" Scootaloo released an ear-piercing scream as with a loud 'GARGA!' The large monster drove his club onto the filly's immobile body.

"AHH!!!!" Scootaloo screamed as she sat up straight on her bed. Frantically looking at her body, her limbs seemed intact and mobile. She quickly hopped out of bed and looked at the nearby mirror. An identical filly with a frightened face drenched in sweat and horror looked back at Scootaloo. Regardless of the frightened looks, her body was completely unharmed with no broken bones. Outside, the sound of chirping crickets can be heard and the presence of fog was absent. She then looked at her room mates, First was peacefully sleeping in bed, as was with Jibanyan on top of First's bed and Whisper in the air.

"Oh... Oh my Goodness... Oh Celestia..." Scootaloo slunk to the ground in shaking relief. Without any other word, she climbed back into bed and fell back to sleep once she stopped shaking and calmed down. Until she finds herself in a fog-covered district. Only this time, it was Uptown Springdale.

"Oh no...!" Scootaloo moaned, "again!? Seriously!?"

"Garga... Garga..." The sound of stomping and grunting can be heard. It didn't take a genius to know what that thing was.

"Ahh..." Scootaloo quickly hid behind the corner, noticing the same red club-wielding giant from before, stomping around the streets, looking for something. It also didn't take a genius to know that the 'something' was somepony. Specifically, her. "Please, don't get me again..."



As Celestia brought the Sun just above the Horizon over Springdale, all its inhabitants began to wake up to prepare for their usual day-to-day activities.

"Yawn..." Whisper moaned as he stretched his limbs and opened his eyes. "Good Morning everypony!"

"Huh?" First lifted his head, "oh. Good Morning Whisper!"

"Morning everypony." Jibanyan yawned, "how are you Scoots?"

"Argh!" Scootaloo woke up with a fright, causing everypony in the room to jump with a fright. Her eyes were red with pain and fatigue, a wrinkled face, and a messed up mane,

"Woah Big sis!" First looked at her sister with shock, "what happened to you? You look like you were having a bad dream!"

"I was Captain Obvious..." Scootaloo growled back, "it was ghastly..."



"Well?" First asked as the siblings, Whisper and Jibanyan trotted towards the School, "what was it about?"

"Ugh..." Scootaloo sighed as she stopped for a moment to take a sip of Coffee Milk, "I was all alone in a Black and White version of Springdale. Everything was so foggy. Worst of all, there's some gargantuan of a monster chasing after me! And something prevented me from galloping away and left me cowering in fear!" She continued drinking.

"Scoots," Flash pointed at the drink, "I understand you want to drink coffee milk in order to keep you awake, but the entire bottle? Perhaps you can share some with me?"

"Not everything is coffee in this drink!" Scootaloo retorted, "besides, it's mine!"

"Umm..." Whisper asked for the siblings' attention, "when you said black and white... And a gargantuan... Did that thing hold a... Large Weapon?"

"I think it was a weapon similar to what that White Yo-Kai was wielding when we found Leadoni." Scootaloo replied, "only that the spikes were actually designed with the weapon rather than having Nails pierced through it. Why's that?"

"Well uh..." Whisper gulped, "just a question of enlightenment!"

"Well, I hope school can be enlightening enough to get rid of those bad dreams for today!" Scootaloo sighed as the two walked through the gates of Springdale Elementary and up to the school.



Finding their homeroom, Scootaloo slid open the door to find yet another mysterious scene. Nate, Katie, Eddie, Bear, everypony including the teacher had their heads resting on their tables in a deep sleep.

"Well this is enlightening!" First joked, "looks like everypony's out!"

"I wonder if everypony slept too late?" Whisper theorised,

"Hmm..." Scootaloo nudged Katie, a few grunts came out of the filly's breath, but she never budged. "It looks like it."

"I sense no health concerns from Nate," First replied as he checked his pulse, breath, and any other vitals, "but I haven't checked everypony else though..."

"You don't need a medical genius to tell me that everypony is okay." Scootaloo replied, "It's clear to see that they're all asleep, so don't waste time checking the vitals of everypony, they don't like being examined 'kay?"

"Okay." First refrained his hooves before he could examine Bear,

"Fillies and Foals aren't very good at time management or memorisation aren't they?" Jibanyan asked,

"H-Hey!" First replied, "it's difficult alright?"

"But..." Jibanyan pointed at Mr Johnson "as an adult pony, he should be more responsible about it!"

"Yeah, now that you mention it..." Scootaloo scratched her head in thought. "Mr Johnson is also rather strict about it. Looks like some Yo-Kai's problems, again..."

"Impossible Scoots," Whisper shook his head, "everypony has an off-day you know!"

"Perhaps from your point of view Whisper, but as a student..." First replied as Scoots pulled out the lens of the Yo-Kai Watch, "we see things differently."

"Hah!" Scootaloo uncovered a Purple Tapir with a pink behind, dark purple ears and tail, yellow and red eyes with an orange-flower design next to it, an extended nose that looks like an elephant's trunk, and very sharp teeth.

"Hmm?" The Tapir felt something and looked towards the group, "oh, so that's why Baku felt something strange. You ponies can see Baku." It spoke in a lazy but clear and feminine, voice.

"Wh-What in Celestia's name are you!?" First yelled in fright,

"Shh!!!" Whisper, Scootaloo and Jibanyan quickly covered First's mouth, "you might worry those outside, as well as give the class a rude awakening!" But after a few seconds, there was no reaction from the door or the other sleepy ponies.

"I guess we were mistaken," Jibanyan replied, "that Yo-Kai must be something if he could put all those ponies in such a sleepy state that they couldn't be woken up!"

"Baku heard that!" Baku growled, "Baku is not one of those burly, aggressive, Bulls, Baku is a sophisticated, elegant, cow!"

"Yeah, your English tells me alright," First joked, "and you don't look like a cow..."

"You question Baku's animal knowledge!?" Baku replied offended, "A 'cow' is a name for a Female Tapir thank you very much! That's what Baku is. What do you know?"

"I'm afraid she's right First." Whisper looked up on the Yo-Kai Pad, "A male tapir is called a bull, and a female tapir is called a cow. They're related to Rhinos and Horses."

"Oh really?" First realised his mistake "sorry about that Miss Baku. If that's your name..."

"Indeed," Baku nodded, "Baku is Baku. Apology accepted little pony. And you might be?"

"I'm First Base, and this is my older sister Scootaloo." First introduced, "my Yo-Kai friends here are knows as Whisper and Jibanyan. Despite you being a Tapir, you're a Yo-Kai as well right?"

"Hmm..." Baku stared at First, "Your Face looks nice. Very tasty for Baku!"

"Why thank you! It's nice to see that somepony compliments my nice and tasty fa-- what did you say again?"

"Your face," Baku repeated, "very tasty! And Baku is hungry!"

"Uh..." First stepped back towards the door,

"You're hungry?" Scootaloo took the lead, "what happened? And what do you need to eat?"

"Baku's main diet is dreams. But none of them has been very interesting lately, that it never fills Baku up."

"Oh, so you're not going to eat me. Please don't..." First sighed with relief,

"No worry, Baku won't eat your face." Baku assured, "but your face still looks tasty."

"Anyway," Scootaloo returned to the conversation, "what's this about dreams?"

"Baku makes ponies and Yo-Kai sleepy." Baku explained, "then Baku eats their dreams. However, all the dreams of these foals and fillies are almost the same... Just take a look." With her nose, she released a thick cloud of visible smoke, that enshrouded Nate, Katie, Bear and Eddie. The thick cloud then separated into 4 segments and changed their forms into dream clouds where the dreams the four ponies are visible to the siblings.

"Alright!" A Bear with ridiculously tall legs wearing a heroic tight-suit exclaimed as he posed. "Bearstallion is here to save the day!"

"What is going on in his mind!? Why is he so freaking tall!?" First exclaimed,

"Hey Lava breath!" The tall Bear taunted at a nearby monster as tall as him, "bring it on!" In response, the monster let loose a breath of fire.

"Hah!" Bear jumped back in time, "is that the best you can do? Hragh..!" Bear swung his front legs and put it in some pose, "Bear Buster Beam!" He yells and as retaliation, his arms released a beam of light that knocked the monster flat out cold.

"Huh, no wonder why someponies are embarrassed to share their dreams sometimes. Awkward as heck." Scootaloo remarked as she saw the entire show. Baku trotted towards Bear's Dream cloud and with one deep breath, sucked the entire dream into her wide gaping mouth.

"What the!?" The siblings turned to the Purple Tapir, moving her jaws up and down as if she was munching on the dream.

"Still Hungry..." Baku moaned as she turned her attention to the dream of Eddie next. As the siblings did the same, they came across yet another ridiculously tall foal that looks like Eddie, tinkering and playing with the numerous gadgets in a room that has a view stretching across Springdale.

"Sir?" A random baby dragon entered the office. "I mean uh... Mr 7-foot Archer?"

"Ah! Just the dragon I needed to see." Eddie welcomed,

"Eddie's tall in his dream too!" First noted as Baku slurped up the dream and munched on it once more. Leaving Baku to finish chewing, the group turned to explore Nate and Katie's dreams.

"This is great!" A ridiculously tall Katie danced with joy as she was surrounded with large tall tables filled with hundreds of different types of desserts, especially cakes. "I'm so tall, that I can see and access all of the best desserts around!" She happily levitated a piece of cake close to her and chomped away with a fork.

"Finally!" A ridiculously tall Nate was located at an imaginary store frantically grabbing and pushing every item from the tallest shelves into his trolley. Toys, comics, books, video games, sports equipment, the catalogue was endless. "Now that I'm tall, I can easily get everything from the shelves without having to ask my parents or anypony for help!"

"Sheesh! Even Nate and Katie too!" First replied, "why is everypony dreaming about being so tall!?"

"Don't ask me," Scootaloo answered as Baku sucked up and ate the two dreams. "But hey, seems like Katie mostly likes cakes out of the desserts she picked, almost as much as Princess Celestia... Future Princess of Equestria perhaps? Better yet, the first Neighponese Princess of Equestria!" She joked,

"Kids, the number 8 is the number of how tall I am measuring by feet." A ridiculously tall Mr Johnson instructed, "and if you turn the 8 horizontally, it becomes... Wait for it... An infinity sign! Isn't that spooky or what!?" Mr Johnson laughed.

"Wow, even Mr Johnson too..." First replied as Baku gulped up the contents of the teacher's dream. "Everypony dreams about being tall, just so they could do this or that, or joke with this or that..."

"The pony mind is certainly interesting... And very strange..." Whisper concluded,

"Tell Baku about it." Baku yawned, "regardless, those dreams are all measly bite-sized snacks. Baku's still trying to find her big meal."

"A big meal huh?" Scootaloo thought "so... If you find and eat a dream that fits your stomach. Will everypony then be awake?"

"Perhaps," Baku shrugged, "when Baku full, nopony needs to sleep anymore."

"In that case, what do you need in a dream in order to fill you up?"

"Something... Big. Something... Amazing. At least, any dream that's not as identical or generic as these are, they sort of make me very sleepy..."

"Then how about a Yo-Kai's dreams?" Scootaloo suggested, "like Jibanyan's?"

"H-Hey!" Jibanyan jumped, "I'm not volunteering for this!!! I'd like to keep my dreams secret!"

"Well... It's worth a shot." Baku agreed and released her veil of sleeping gas on Jibanyan. With the gas passing through him awake, the cat Yo-Kai fell asleep when it passed. Jibanyan's dream started to take shame and form itself in front of the siblings.

"Meow... I'm finally 20-feet-tall..." A even more ridiculously tall Jibanyan stood in the sky. "And I'm going to protect my best friends Scoots and First!"

"Aww," Scootaloo blushed, "you're such a sweet cat."

"A Carriage!" Jibanyan gasped,

"Watch out Jibanyan!" First warned outside of the dream,

"Don't worry my siblings, stand behind me!" Jibanyan commanded,

"Woop woop! Yay! Jibanyan! You're our hero! Yay! Go! You can do it!" Miniature Stick figures only resembling Scootaloo and First due to their heads were jumping up and down cheering in the lamest way possible.

"Wow, seriously?" First looked at Jibanyan, unable to think of what he could say next.

"Mildly... Insulting." Was all Scootaloo had to say,

"Raah..." Jibanyan put on a fierce face, power radiating from his body. "GIANT PAWS OF FURY!!!" And though he unleashed a flurry of his paws-turned-fists, one punch was all it needed to smash the carriage into splinters and smithereens.

"Victory..." Jibanyan growled. Far behind, some mares could be heard squealing with happiness and excitement as a group of mares dressed with a mix of idol and cat clothes were galloping straight towards the giant cat.

"That's right, even I can win the hearts of Next Harmeowny."

"Aah!!!" The tiny two figures of Scootaloo and First lamely cried as they were trampled over by the idol group.

"Hey! That's Cold and Harsh!" First exclaimed again in shock,

"So much for being sweet and caring." Scootaloo pouted in disappointment. Once again, Baku sucked up the dream into her mouth and munched calmly.

"Nope, still small. Not satisfied yet." Baku shook her head,

"Well then..." Scootaloo looked at the sleeping Jibanyan, until an idea popped in her mind. "How about... Mine?"

"Scoots? Are you sure about this?" First turned around in realisation,

"Yep!"

"But Scoots," Whisper reasoned, "I don't think it's right to feed Baku your Ni--"

"Ah-Ah-Ah!" Scootaloo interrupted Whisper, "Yeah! You can use me!"

"Okay then, let's see what you've got." Baku replied as her trunk released the gas onto the flightless filly, which she fell into a deep sleep. From her dream bubble came not a ridiculously tall Scootaloo but...

"Fog," First stared at a dense cloud of fog and small yellow lights within it. "There's nothing else to see here but fog."

"Hmm..." Baku thought hardly, "her dream looks very ominous but... It's definitely not like the others. Oh well, bottoms up!" And with one big deep breath, Baku sucked up the dream and began chewing. After a few seconds of savouring the taste, a look of surprise and discomfort spread across her face, and her belly.

"Goodness!" Baku spoke, "this dream... Definitely is something strange!"

"Baku? Are... Are you okay?" First asked with concern,

"Baku is fine. It's just filled Baku quite substantially, but there's something odd about this dream that makes Baku's tummy very heavy..."

"Baku?" First repeated,

"So filling... And so tired. Gonna hit the sack." Baku yawned as she lied on the ground and instantly fell asleep. A few seconds later however, she started shaking and thrashing hard.

"Gaahh!!!" Baku yelled as moved from side to side, "Monster is trying to chase Baku! Please don't eat Baku monster!!!"

"Woah!" First jumped back at the Baku going through torment, "wh-what's going on Whisper?"

"Something certainly is strange..." Whisper observed, "but in this case, when Baku ate Scootaloo's dream, she fell asleep and began doing this. If there was a conclusion that can come from it. Well..."

"Scootaloo's dream of fog," First remembered, "that's her nightmare. Baku just ate Scootaloo's dream which is actually a nightmare. And now, Baku is now experiencing the same dream."

"Well," Whisper shivered with fear, "who wouldn't be scared of that dream?"

"Whisper..." First turned around, "what do you know about this dream? This is the second time you've talked with fear and uncertainty in your tone."

"I-I have no idea what you said!" Whisper deflected, "why don't you try and do something about Baku?"

"Well what can I do?" First asked, "she's in a nightmare right now! How can I communicate to her?"

"Just yell at her or something!!!" Whisper replied. As Baku continued shaking and stirring, she began to uncontrollably puff out her signature sleeping gas all around.

"Go to sleep monster!" Baku continued crying "Leave Baku alone!"

"Oh no!" First backed towards the door, covering his nose and eyes in hopes of not to fall asleep.

"She's losing it now!" Whisper warned, "if she continues like this, the entire gas may sneak out and cover the entire school!"

"Meaning it's going to put everypony to sleep!" First replied and realising that the gas was nearly upon him, he and Whisper exited the classroom and shut the door tightly behind him.

"This is bad," First stared at the clock, 5 minutes after the starting time of school, the bell ringing outside. "We have to do something! Or class is going to be a disaster!"

"First?" A voice came from the hallway. First turned to see his older brother Flash Sentry clad in his armor,

"Big Bro? What are you doing here?"

"Well, today's reconnaissance of you two consisted of Scoots requisitioning a bottle of Coffee Milk out of the frozen supply depot known as the fridge, and walking out the door to carry out your academic duties. However, your daily supply list was missing an important item when I inspected your bedroom." He pulled out two school bags, "since I was going to work, I thought I'd pop by and give you your school bags. I mean, it would be a hassle and an awkward state when you don't have your books and stationery! Only a nightmare would cause you to forget your important items."

"I guess so." First accepted the bags, "thanks a lot First!"

"Also, glad to give you your items outside your class. Both of us wouldn't want the embarrassing attention from your friends. By the way, where's Scoots?"

"About that..." First looked towards the classroom, "can you do something to help the class?"

"Well," First looked at the clock, "I've got plenty of time before I have to start my shift. However, doesn't school start right about now?"

"Yeah, but we'll need you to start it." First replied as he quickly opened the classroom door and shoved Flash into the sleepy fog before shutting it closed.

"What!?" Flash quickly turned back to the quickly shut door, "what is the meaning of thii--..." He wasn't able to finish as the sleeping gas went up into his senses and collapsed into a deep sleep.

"Sorry about that bro..." First re-entered the classroom with an gas mask designed for foals attached to his face, "but you need to wake up on your reaction skills."

"First," Whisper followed behind, also wearing a gas mask, "what are you planning??"

"Hey Baku?" First nudged the nightmare-possessed Yo-Kai. "C-Can you hear me?"

"Help! Help! Help!" Baku cried, "huh? There is some echoing voice from afar..."

"Oh! So you can hear me!" First replied as he saw the dreams of his brother rise from his head, "listen, there's a nice, big, juicy dream right in front of you."

"But Baku can't see anything!"

"Trust me Baku..." First moved Flash's dream towards Baku's mouth, not having the time to see what his brother is dreaming about, "I promise, it's the only way to get you out of here. Just do what you always do when you eat."

"O-Okay..." Baku grunted and opened her wide sharp jaws to begin her vacuum like breath. Slowly but surely, Flash's dream was caught in Baku's deep breath and squeezed itself into Baku's mouth until it was completely swallowed.

"Nom nom..." Baku chewed and munched frantically until she felt the dream's effects. She stopped thrashing and shaking around, and laying with a calm posture, she woke up.

"Baku... Baku's awake," she looked at herself,

"Ahh... Thank Celestia!" First exclaimed with relief that his brother's dream worked,

"Oh dear, it looks like Baku caused quite a mess here. Sorry about that," Baku apologised as she looked around at the gas-infested room. "Baku will fix it." Using her nose like a vacuum, she sucked and cleared away all the gas in the room and back into the nose.

"Hmm..." First carefully took the mask off and gave a little sniff, "nope! Fresh air as usual!" And completely removed the mask,

"Sleeping crisis averted..." Whisper sighed as he took off his mask.

"Thank you so much!" Baku thanked, "that was one bad dream! Thanks for that other dream you gave Baku after that. That dream was so amazing and delicious that it managed to get rid of that bad dream and wake Baku up fully satiated and satisfied!"

"So... You're not hungry anymore?" First asked,

"Yep! As Baku said, now that Baku is full, Baku won't need to eat for some time now. Your friends here will wake up sooner or later."

"That's good to know!"

"By the way, who should Baku thank for this wonderful dreamy meal?"

"This fine stallion over here!" First pointed to Flash, still asleep on the floor.

"HIM!?" Baku jumped with surprise, "but that's... How? Out of all the ponies here, he is the most average-looking of all! An average, generic guard wouldn't dream as big as that!"

"That's my brother Baku." First replied, a little bit offended,

"Oh, sorry. Baku didn't mean to offend your Older Brother, it's just that--"

"No I'm quite surprised myself." First interrupted, "who knew one of his dreams contain much more than all of the foals and fillies here? But then again, little ponies dream big!"

"Baku likes that thinking!" Baku replied,

"By the way, what was his dream like?" First asked with curiosity.

"Hmm... It's really amazing that it's hard to put it in words. Baku guesses that you'll have to see for yourself next time."

"Huh...?" Scootaloo's eyes opened, "did... Did I just go to sleep?"

"Oh! Big Sis! You're awake!" First picked his sister up, "are you feeling any better?"

"Well... I was having that dream... And for some reason, I completely forgot what it was about." She looked around the classroom, "what's Big Bro doing here?"

"What he always does as an honourable member of the Royal Guard," First chuckled, "help ponies out."

"Oh! So you were the one who fed Baku that dream!" Baku bellowed at Scootaloo, "you should have warned Baku that you have a monstrous nightmare!"

"Oh... Yeah..." Scootaloo remembered, "I kind of knew my mind was in a deranged state. Sorry about that. I won't feed you a nightmare next time you try to eat my dreams."

"Apology accepted. After all, it was your brothers who managed to save me from that." Baku turned to First and Flash, "and they've also filled me up full! For that, Baku can thank you as well, to a lesser extent anyway."

"You're welcome!"

"Anyway, Baku is full thanks to you two. Whenever Baku gets hungry again, Baku definitely know who to look for in order to eat the finest dreams!" With that remark, Baku glowed blue, giving the knowledge of what's happening to the siblings.

"Thanks Baku." Scootaloo extended her hoof to catch the glowing blue light leaving Baku. Looking at the light on her hoof once more, it formed into a Yo-Kai Medal of Baku. "Hope you have sweet dreams!"

"Huh?" Nate woke up,

"Eh?" Katie woke up too. One by one, the students began to notice the atmosphere around them and lifted their heads.

"Argh..." Flash also woke up, rubbing his head, "what happened???"

"Nothing of all sorts," First replied, dusting his armor, "you're doing Springdale and Equestria proud!"

"Thanks?"

"D-Don't you have work to go to as well?" Scootaloo picked up his bag and placed it on his back, "you shouldn't keep the force waiting! You've got a case to solve so we can go home!"

"Okay then," Flash understood the message, "see you at home!"

"Bye Flash!" The siblings waved as Flash exited the classroom, "Love you!"

"Man..." First shook himself, "that was dicey."

"I'll need you to tell me everything of what transpired after class." Scootaloo replied,

"Allow me!" Whisper volunteered,

"By the way," First looked around, "where's Jibanyan?"

"Meow..." Jibanyan sat beneath First's desk, still sleeping like a lion.



Though there was a lack of time, the class proceeded as normal throughout lessons and activities. By the time recess rolled in, Scootaloo heard the explanation of everything when she was asleep, as well as the discussions of dreams to friends.

"Wha-!?" Katie jumped in embarrassment and shocked, "how do you know I always like eating dessert?"

"Well... Whenever you day dream in class," Scootaloo reasoned, "you've always been talking about pudding, ice-cream, parfaits, and mostly cake!"

"Aww..." Katie sighed, "now I should really be mindful of what I eat..."

"We're friends!" Scootaloo laughed "we won't judge! Besides, Princess Celestia has a great obsession with cakes!"

"Really?"

"Hey guys!" Eddie and Bear galloped up towards the four foals, "you've got to check this out!"

"Oh no..." Katie gulped, the expression of dread across her face. "Not one of those 'mysteries' again!"

"Rumours?" First tilted his head,

"Well you see," Bear explained, "around Neighpon and even here in Springdale to an extent, there has been sightings and records of things that completely defies logic."

"Loads of these new rumours come up almost every week." Eddie continued, "there's one such as the floating samurai helmet, the night class, the mysterious disappearances at the Springdale construction site, and this..." He showed a photograph of a dog with a completely monstrous face.

"Aieee!" Scootaloo jumped in surprise, "what the heck is that creature!? It's face looks... Really weird!"

"Are you familiar with the mythological, fairy tail creature known as Humans?"

"Well... Yes?"

"This is known as a Human-Faced Dog, or HFC as for short."

"Now that you mention it..." First peered at the picture, "the face does look similar to the faces of humans that Ms Heartstrings always shows."

"When have you been spending time with Ms Lyra?" Scootaloo spoke up,

"Whenever she wants me to play a duet of Harp and Drums!"

"You play drums? I thought your talent was baseball!" Nate replied,

"It's a secondary hobby." First replied, "I'd play rock, classical, Trottish parade, and sometimes as an accompaniment. Not to brag..."

"You dolt!" Scootaloo corrected, "you've always told me that the reason why Ms Heartstrings required you to play for her is to only provide the duration and beat and these sorts of musical terms relating to time!"

"I still consider it an honour to accompany her, regardless if it's just to provide a rhythmic melody."

"Anyway!" Eddie continued, "there has been a sighting of the HFC around Uptown Springdale."

"W-Well..." Katie started to shiver, "about that... I swear... I swear I've seen a Human Faced Dog... Just yesterday near the park area..." Her mind flashed back at night, where Katie was trotting through the pavements all alone. However, she spotted what looks to be a poodle, trotting in front of her, made visible by the street-light.

"Aww... It's a little puppy!" Katie replied, until the dog heard the sound and turned around, where Katie's happy face changed into something worse.

"Ahh!!!" Katie snapped out of it, "it's so scary! I didn't even remember what it was like! All I knew I could do, was just run back home!"

"Okay...?" Scootaloo replied to her reaction,



As school finished, the siblings made their way home with Nate joining them on the path.

"Rumours and mysteries huh?" Scootaloo conversed, "seems rather, interesting..."

"If you must know..." Nate replied, "sometimes the four of us would go looking for those certain rumours. Normally, it would end up with Eddie blabbering all about disproving the supernatural and saying that he'd write a report on it. It's like he has a lot of free time."

"Well, he is an intelligent foal!" First reasoned,

"Yeah... Well..." Nate looked away,

"Hey..." First noticed, "you're thinking about Katie, are you not?"

"Is... Is it really that obvious?"

"Well, when Katie was talking about the HFC, you were looking very concerned..." First explained his observation until something crossed his mind, "now I get it! Your special somepony that you have your eyes on is Katie!!!"

"Don't blurt it out loud!" Nate jumped,

"Aww..." Scootaloo giggled, "how cute."

"D-Don't tell anypony, alright?"

"Your secret is safe with us." First promised,

"Now back to the HFC," Scootaloo returned to the subject, "If you want to look for it, I am quite interested to find it myself! As well as the other mysteries too."

"Well that's no problem!" Nate exclaimed, "It'd be great if you can join me! That is... If you are able to go out late at night."

"Wait... You mean we can't do it now?"

"I'm pretty sure my parents and your brother would be very worried if we weren't back for a long time after school." Nate explained, "besides, we've got homework to complete as well. If you manage to sneak out at night, then all is perfect!"

"Well then..." First looked at Scootaloo with concern, "we'll see what we can do. If we can get out, we'll meet you outside your house to discuss matters."

"Okay then, see you!" Nate waved goodbye as they went their separate ways.

"Yeah, about that... 'If' we can get out?" First turned to Scootaloo, "thou dare talkest to him of ifs!?"

"I didn't want to upset him!"

"Thou should be careful of our brother. The chances of ifs are null with him around! If we break for the night, he'll break our heads!"

"Why are you speaking in broken, olde, English?" Scootaloo replied, 

"I dunno, when you said 'if', I just felt like doing it."



Back at home, Scootaloo, First, Whisper and Jibanyan were busy thinking up of a plan to bypass their super alert of a brother.

"Sneak out the balcony?" First suggested,

"Too high for you and I."

"What about just sneaking downstairs and out the door? I mean, he wouldn't mind... Would he?"

"Perhaps..." Scootaloo replied, "but he'd be worried if he finds out we're out of our bed."

"Argh..." A familiar voice came from downstairs as the front door opened,

"Oh look! Flashy's back!" Scootaloo overheard,

"Big Bro!" First called as the two galloped down the stairs,

"Oh, you two... How was school? I hope things had returned to normal..."

"It sure has!" First answered, "how was work?"

"It's definitely... Something... Infuriating and confusing, but I'm afraid it's confidential. And I have to write to the Princesses a few days from now..."

"Well, we've got a few rumours ourselves from School." Scootaloo shared, "there's the floating helmet, the night class, the Human Faced Dog..."

"The HFC?" Flash interrupted, "that's certainly something that I'm still boggling my mind around."

"You've heard about it?"

"I've heard about all of them. They're not too major a problem, so the local force paid no attention to it. I of course, really wondered how each of these happened. But the HFC though, he's a very interesting one!"

"You've seen him!?" The siblings gasped,

"Looks hideous as nearly most ponies say, but I'm not judging because of appearances." Flash explained, "the reports say he's been charged for several things. Stealing, misconduct, a record of complaints from many mares for being a... Never mind that. He was released 2 days ago."

"Wait... Not just you... But everypony else can see them?" Scootaloo asked with great confusion,

"I wish that he would be invisible... But no, he's visible to possibly anypony."

"Interesting..."

"And there's one more!" First piped up, "there's the rumour and mystery that there has been disappearing ponies at the Construction site late at night!"

"Hold your horses!" Flash performed a double-take, "where did you hear about that?"

"These rumours were spread around in school. Why do you ask?"

"Well..." Uncertainty and pressure coursed through Flash's veins, "if information like this is really leaky in this town, I'd file a complaint about that."

"Do you know something about that too?" Scootaloo was eager to listen,

"I... Really shouldn't be telling you this. But if rumours coming from this case spreads like wildfire, I guess there's no harm telling you everything. But promise me, that you will not tell anypony else!"

"We promise not to tell!" First saluted,

"Very well then. The rumour of the disappearances in the building under construction at Downtown Springdale, is one of the most pressing cases in this Paranormal investigation."

"It sounds like some ponies are getting kidnapped. What's wrong with that?"

"It isn't. A lot of Ponies seemed very afraid of it. One of my colleagues were best friends with one of the construction ponies working in that tower. One day, that pony had to take the night-shift, and he never came back, nor did anypony contact him."

"Why?"

"It's because... He didn't exist." Flash replied,

"WHAT!?"

"Which is really puzzling. You see, even my colleague, his own best friend, didn't even seem to remember him. I don't seem to remember him. Even the construction company does not recall registering that name into their databases."

"But how do you know about this when you've never heard of him?"

"These are all assumptions and a theories of this mystery from the local force. If this pony did exist, and we all knew him from one point or another, it's like... That pony... Just faded from memory... Argh..." Flash galloped to the fridge, and pulled out a bottle of Fruit Milk, gulping it desperately. "I don't want to talk anymore about this, I'm sorry. The feeling of it just... Scares me..."

"Flash?"

"How would you feel?" Flash asked, "if your best friend that you've known your entire life, just disappears from existence, and even from your memory? What would happen, if either of you disappears off the face of the world? When nopony will remember except only a select few for Celestia knows why?" 

"Well..." Scootaloo tried to think of an answer, "it would be very painful..."

"Sorry about that. Perhaps you should just forget everything I said..." Flash moaned as he retreated to his room, until he paused and peeped his head out,

"One more thing. I'm afraid I can't allow you to go out at Night anymore. Especially not when this Celestia-forsaken rumour and mystery is around. It's just that... I don't want to feel the pain of forgetting any of you."

"We understand Flash." Scootaloo replied, "it be pretty difficult for us if you were to be erased from existence..." As Flash was out from view, Scootaloo and First expressed a face of defeat.



"Now what?" Scootaloo asked once their back in their room. "Do you have any idea how to get us out Whisper?"

"Hmm..." Whisper thought hard, "I could try carrying the both of you, but you'd be too heavy..."

"You know, even though we've been forbidden to go out now," First raised a concern, "should we 'still' go? I mean, if we're dealing with a Yo-Kai that makes anypony fade from memory, I wouldn't want to deal with that!"

"Well..." The realisation hit Scootaloo's mind, "now I'm not so sure myself either... But Nate, he's determined to find that HFC. I think we should support him with that."

"Th-Then in that case, how about we exclude the building under construction? We just look for the other rumours!"

"Sounds about okay." Scootaloo agreed, "but getting past Flash is still an obstacle. Besides, I'm not sure if our bodies could stay up all night..."

"Well well well!" A familiar voice came from the door. The siblings, Whisper and Jibanyan turned around to see a familiar Purple tapir trot into the room. "Of all the luck, Baku get to eat the dreams of you guys again!"

"Baku?" Scootaloo questioned, "what are you doing here?"

"Every night, Baku go to a random house to snack on the dreams of its inhabitants." Baku replied, "but this fine-looking house Baku picked happens to be yours!"

"Thanks for the compliment."

"You seem down on your luck. Something wrong?"

"I don't know, just wondering how to sneak outside at night without alerting our Big Brother is all."

"Is that so? Then good thing Baku is here for you!"

"You can help?" Scootaloo's eyes widened,

"Yes! Baku can help suck sleepiness out of ponies so that they can be awake at night..."

"Sounds awesome, but..." First piped in, "what about Flash?"

"Baku can also take your place at night!"

"Wait..." Scootaloo stopped, "what do you mean by 'take my place'?"

"Baku can change form into you so Big Brother won't be able to tell the difference! You'll understand when we show you. It's a piece of cake! Very tasty, tasty cake!"

"What do you think?" Scootaloo asked First,

"We promised Nate, so now that we have a way out, I guess we don't have any other choices. I'm in."

"Great!" Baku jumped, "since there are two of you, Baku will need to bring a friend along. She's very sweet and easy going, she'll easily become friends with you!"

"Cool! In that case, see you tonight!"



When Luna decided to pull the moon out, Scootaloo and First were ready to go to bed, or so Flash thought...

"Goodnight Flash!" The two called to their brother,

"Goodnight Scootaloo, First." Flash called from down below. The moment they could hear the light switch off in his room, it was time to take action.

"Is he out?" Whisper whispered,

"Yep!" Scootaloo replied, "now, we just have to wait for Baku and her friend."

"Baku is present!" Baku trotted in the room once again,"hope we're not late!"

"Not at all."

"This is my friend Whapir!" Baku introduced the siblings to a Yo-Kai that looks identical to Baku, only that it was white in colour, blue-white eyes instead of Baku's Yellow-red eyes, and purple-pinkish floral patterns.

"Nice to meet you Whapir!" First greeted back,

"Nice to meet you too!" Whapir greeted back, speaking fluently unlike Baku,

"Just out of curiosity, what's your ability?"

"Similar to Baku's, except I give good dreams that meet with anypony's respective happiness or desires." Whapir explained, "I've heard a lot about you two from Baku and what you did this morning. I'd be very happy to be friends with you!" And she offered out her Yo-Kai medal.

"Thanks!" Scootaloo accepted, "for trusting in us right now. I wish we could spend more time together doing things rather than just through connections and one-time jobs, so we get to understand each other more."

"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure we're all going to play a big role later on in life." Whapir smiled. "Now, why don't we get on to work?"

"C-Can we do this now?" First yawned, "I'm getting a little sleepy..."

"Okay then! No more talk! You two stand very still!" Baku instructed.

"..." Scootaloo and First stood still without any words as the two dream-eating Yo-Kai opened their mouths wide. A column of wind began sucking something from a sibling each, where it was unseen. After 10 seconds of inhaling and eating, Baku and Whapir were busily munching while the Siblings find their entire body systems fresh out of bed and awake for the morning.

"Wow! This certainly is something!" First swung around his legs actively, "I feel like a million bucks!"

"Thanks Baku and Whapir." Scootaloo bowed, "now we won't fall asleep by accident!"

"Glad to help." Baku replied, "your sleepy meal is full and lovely Scootaloo. Baku feel like going to sleep."

"Same..." Whapir replied "You should have tried First's sleepiness Baku, it was delicious."

"Blast!" Baku remembered, "Baku should have called dibs on First!"

"Oh well, maybe next time." Whapir replied, "good luck on your night exploration you two!"

A purple thick smoke exploded around both the tapirs and once it resided, an exact form of Scootaloo and First replaced them. Without any other word, Baku hopped into Scootaloo's bed while Whapir hopped into First's bed, and were out like a night, sleeping peacefully.

"..." Scootaloo had her mouth wide open as she stared at her own copy, Baku disguised as her. "So that's what you mean... I've got nothing else to say..." First on the other hand, was awestruck as he looked at Whapir disguised as him from head to hoof.

"That... Is awesome!" First quietly exclaimed, "they're like those changelings!"

"If you say so..." Scootaloo replied, "but it still looks a little bit... Creepy."

"As much as you two are interested in marvelling in Baku and Whapir's disguises, you've got somepony waiting for you!"

"Oh right," Scootaloo remembered, "now quiet First, and you two as well." She warned, "knowing Flash, he's very perceptive, even when he's asleep. Thankfully, we're just as stealthy. So we've gotta hit the front door without any sound."

"Shh..." First gestured a shushing sound to Whisper and Jibanyan as the two silently trotted down the stairs, past the living room and Flash's bedroom, and turned the lock on the front door...

"Is somepony there?" A voice came from the living room.

"Uh-oh...!" Scootaloo looked towards the door, then back to what she was doing. Looking around, she had nowhere to run, as the sound of hooves came closer and closer.

"It's just me Big Bro!" First called out and turned on the lights in the bathroom, "I needed to take a leak."

"Oh, okay!" Flash replied as trotted away from the door. With the sound of flushing and lights turning off, Scootaloo quickly used the distraction to open the lock and the door after it. As the party stepped outside the house with a silent closing sound, the four quickly trotted many metres away from the front door, before resuming their normal pace.

"Thanks for the save!" Scootaloo complimented her brother, "if it weren't for that, we'd be dead meat!"

"We're just out of the frying pan. We've got to get back home when this is over!"

"Quickly now, let's find Nate." Scootaloo gestured to the Adams residence. Silently trotting across the moon-shone tarmac, the two find their new best friend waiting outside his house.

"Nate!" Scootaloo called,

"Oh! There you are! You managed to get out!" Nate waved back, "so glad that you can make it!"

"Of course! We wouldn't let our friends down..." Scootaloo chuckled nervously,

"So, do you have any idea where you think the HFC will be?" First asked,

"We could check Triangle Park!" Nate suggested, "that's where Katie saw it last time!"

"Okay then, let's go!" Scootaloo replied as she lead the way to the park,

"If you must know..." Whisper warned the siblings as the trotted along, "we may be facing a great threat!"

"What do you mean? Is the HFC a Yo-Kai?" First asked,

"If it is, then it's all the more dangerous." Whisper pointed at the Yo-Kai Watch, "if you can only see Yo-Kai with that, then how can Nate, Katie, and everypony else see this HFC?"

"Huh, I've never actually thought of that," Scootaloo remembered, "even Flash could see it as well!"

"Yes." Whisper nodded, "if a Yo-Kai like that can be seen by everypony, that means this Yo-Kai holds tremendous power!"

"Tremendous power huh..." First shook, "I... I hope he isn't that horrendous as that picture!"

"Look! Over there!" Nate pointed towards an area.

"WHERE!?" First jumped, visible by the street light, a chocolate toy poodle was calmly walking along the park road, not minding anyone's business.

"Wait, that's just a dog." Scootaloo replied disappointed,

"Excuse me..." an adult voice from a stallion surprisingly came from the dog as he turned to face the group, shocking them all, including Whisper and Jibanyan. The dog had a grey coloured human face with thick-framed glasses and a ghost-like swirl on top of his head. "... But I prefer to be left alone."

"Human Faced Dog!!!" The five screamed in horror,



"Pardon your language," The dog calmly continued as the five attempted to calm down, "but I preferred to be called Manjimutt."

"M-Manjimutt?" Scootaloo was brave enough to reply,

"Correct," Manjimutt replied, "and I loathe being called a Human Faced Dog." Grabbing an umbrella, he practices swinging it like a golf club and calling out words like 'fore'. While the siblings, Whisper and Jibanyan were unfazed, Nate was the one with much more pressing answers.

"H-How can you talk!?" Nate blurted out,

"What do you mean?" Manjimutt asked as he put away the umbrella, "I talk, just like every single pony or Yo-Kai. Well, most Yo-Kai."

"Wait... Yo-Kai?" Nate tilted his head in confusion, "you mean those spirits causing unreasonable and unpredictable occurrences? But I thought Eddie said that they don't exist..."

"Yep, that's me alright."

"So it is true! You are a Yo-Kai after all!" First replied, "a mythological creature combined with two things to form a ghost!"

"I'd say it's a pitiful life being one at that too." Manjimutt sighed, "whatever I do, I always seemed to get arrested by the Guardsponies."

"What do you mean?" Scootaloo asked,

"Come with me, I'll tell you my story." Manjimutt led the group to a nearby food stand.

"You again?" The night attendant nonchalantly greeted,

"Indeed. I'll take the usual, Toilet Wine." Manjimutt ordered, "and these fine looking ponies and Yo-Kai can have some orange sodas. On my tab."

"Coming right up," the attendant brought out the drinks in an unwavering tone.

"Thanks, I guess." Nate looked at his glass of orange soda with confusion, before disregarding any form of threat and calmly drank away.

"So uh... How did you become... You?" Scootaloo asked as she sipped her drink,

"Well..." Manjimutt's mind flashed back, "I can say that it was something... Depressing. I was just a regular working pony like all of you. Until one day..."



"I'm sorry, but you're fired."

"Wha!?"

"It's nothing personal... It's just business..."

"No..."

"Good luck out in the world, hope somepony else got a job for you."

"The company was going down in sales, a few ponies had to be let go. Unfortunately, I was one of them." Manjimutt explained, then looked at the event where he sat at the same store the group was currently at right now, drinking his problems away.

"WHY!!!!" The pony Manjimutt yelled, "Just WHY!!!???"

"So then, I got drunk, and I decided to join a research lab tour where they are researching on the existence of humans and apparent findings of their DNA with the money I had. Then it all ended for me..."

As the pony Manjimutt strolled across a walkway above tubs of unknown peach-coloured liquid with others, a chocolate toy poodle was barking madly at him.

"Hey!" The tour guide yelled at the owner of the dog, "animals are not allowed in here! Have you forgotten the rules? Areas in the factory are dangerous! If somepony stumbles into one of these experimental vats of liquid... That somepony will be gone for good!" At that moment, the Poodle decided to wrestle himself free from his owner and tackle the Pony Manjimutt. The surprising force of the dog caused Manjimutt to stumble over the safety railway and fell face-first into one of the vats along with the dog. Nothing can be heard as after one large splash, not even a single hoof was surfaced from the watery pit, only a chain of bubbles.

"... At least, that's what I thought..." Manjimutt continued,

While an emergency rescue crew and staff personnel rushed in, they attempted to fish the bodies out of the vat. Neither pony nor dog resurfaced at the end of the net. Instead, there laid the body of a chocolate toy poodle with a green-ghostly cotton tail and hair wisp. Putting the mysterious organism back on dry floor, hoping to see a response. To their shock and horror, the body stood upright as a dog and turned his around, revealing his face to everypony around him. A dog's body with a human face, and completely devoid of any pony features. The only thing that stayed the same, was the black thick-framed glasses.

"And that's how I became... Manjimutt!" Manjimutt concluded,

"So..." The foals and Yo-Kai thought out a mathematical solution,

"(Ugly looking business pony + Chocolate Poodle) x Human DNA = Manjimutt!"

"It makes sense." Nate nodded,

"Well then..." First finished his drink, "thanks for sharing your story. Now we understand how you came around as a Yo-Kai. It's very similar to how Hungramps came to be the Yo-Kai he is. My condolences that you couldn't live as happily as he does as a Yo-Kai."

"Wait..." Nate semi-choked on his drink, "you've seen... Other Yo-Kai?"

"Really?" First tensed up at Nate's attempted prompts and realised what he had just said, "I have no idea what you are talking about!"

"Silly kid," Manjimutt sighed as he walked over to a nearby lamp post after finishing his drink, ready to take a leak, "everypony is like that, unable to see any other Yo-Kai except me. Let me give you some advice, there's always a select group of ponies are able to see Yo-Kai with their own eyes. Yo-Kai are everywhere, dealing with the stress of their life just like you."

"Uh, Manjimutt? What the hay are you doing!?" Scootaloo's eyes widened at his attempted action, "I know you're a dog but... Your actions still looks really awful!"

"Hold it!" Two guardponies quickly flew and grabbed a hold of Manjimutt, "you're doing this again! We told you that conduct like this is not allowed in public unless you have the excuse of being drunk!"

"Looks like it's back to the slammer for you!" The other one spoke as they carried him away,

"DOGGONE IT!" Manjimutt bellowed as he was carried away, not before he managed to toss his medal towards the direction of the foals.

"Well, thanks I guess..." Scootaloo shrugged as she picked up the medal from the ground. The mosaic picture of Manjimutt was present on the Purple Medal.

"Th-The HFC... He gave you something..." Nate pointed out,

"It's... Complicated..."

"You know what? Judging by what I've seen, I'm going to do Majimutt a favor and keep an open mind."

"That's sweet."

"But that doesn't mean I won't be silent about this." Nate continued, "both of you seem to have some connection with Yo-Kai. Are you one of those 'select ponies'?"

"Well... Guess the cat's out of the bag." First replied without any resistance, "we'll tell you everything. You fine with that Sis?"

"At least somepony will know that we aren't crazy!" Scootaloo nodded then took over, "sure. We're not exactly 'select' ponies that can see Yo-Kai. However..." She showed the large watch hanging from her neck, "this is what enables us to see Yo-Kai."

"Wow..." Nate looked at the Watch with amazement in his eyes, "have you ever told your brother about that?"

"No." First replied, "we've kept it secret from him."

"To add to seeing Yo-Kai, we can also befriend them too. The medal we've collected from Manjimutt is the proof that we have a bond of friendship between us. We do favours to help improve his life, and they can do the same to us." Scootaloo continued,

"Hay, we've even got a cat Yo-Kai as a partner and another Yo-Kai as our butler!" First added,

"Yo-Kai huh... Could that be the reason I was wearing a dress to school on your first school days?" Nate asked,

"Also the reason why you were sleeping at school this morning, Yo-Kai is why." First nodded,

"Do you want to see them?" Scootaloo offered, popping open the lens, "If you look through the lens here, you can see the Yo-Kai like we do. If you aim it at a Yo-Kai for a certain period of time, it becomes permanently visible to your naked eye."

"Thanks for the thought but..." Nate refused, "I think I'll be fine with knowing what they're doing through your words."

"If you change your mind, the watch will always be with me!" Scootaloo shook the watch,

"I'll think about it." Nate replied,

"Well then! Case closed! Should we go home?" First asked,

"First, remember why we decided to go outside?" Scootaloo reminded, "we're here to find the reasons behind the rumours!"

"Oh... Right..." First gulped,

"So Nate, do you know the locations of the rumours?"

"The floating helmet is rather mysterious, but it mostly floats around the roads of Uptown Springdale. As for the night class, it's just at school!"

"Okay then, let's go!" Scootaloo commanded and led the way,

"By the way," Nate piped up, "how long have you kept that Watch for?"

"Three weeks," First gave it some thought, "it's not hard to forget when you first meet a Yo-Kai who has the item for seeing other Yo-Kai."

"And, how long has this Yo-Kai been your butler?"

"We released him from his prison after 190 Years." First continued, "once released, he became indebted to us. He's quite helpful, but most times, he's not that knowledgeable either."

"I heard that!" Whisper replied,

"Guys! Hold your positions!" Scootaloo signalled to stop, "quiet... Something is lurking around the corner..." One by one, the foals and Yo-Kai peeked around the corner, wondering what was going on, then it hit them. The helmet of a Neighponese Guard, emptily floating around the streets in front of their school.

"This... This is really... Creepy." First gazed at the floating helmet,

"You think the ghost of an old Neighponese Guard is there?" Jibanyan asked,

"That's one of the theories that Eddie is still skeptical about." Nate answered,

"Wait... What the!?" Scootaloo looked at Nate, then to Jibanyan, then back to Nate, "how did you!?"

"What's going on?" First turned around in shock,

"Wasn't that you who was talking?" Nate replied,

"N-Never mind..." Scootaloo dismissed,

"Hey!" First turned back to where he was looking. Only this time, there was nothing but empty space. "The helmet's gone!"

"Darn it!" Scootaloo replied, "whatever, we can find it floating around next time."

"Hey!" Whisper pointed towards the school, where a classroom on the ground floor was fully lit. "There's something going on in there!"

"You're right!" Nate focused his eyes with Whisper's note, "I see it clear as a ghost!"

"Wait a minute!" First picked it up, "Nate, can you actually hear Whisper?"

"Wh-Who's Whisper?" Nate started to sweat, "I thought that was you who spoke!"

"Nate, I never said anything about the school. Our Yo-Kai Butler did," First analysed as he turned around "so how can you hear--WOAH!" Unbeknownst to Nate, the mysterious Neighponese Guard Helmet that disappeared found itself attached to his head. It not only gave Nate a new look, but also surrounded him with a yellow aura.

"Holy Celestia!" Scootaloo jumped with fear, "how did the helmet get onto your head!?"

"I'm wearing something on my head?" Nate scratched his head, "oh hey! I actually am wearing something! And... I see a really weird ghost and cat following you. Are those the Yo-Kai that are your partners and butlers?"

"Yeah but..." First nodded, "I thought you couldn't see them... Are you actually a selected 'pony'?"

"Impossible." Whisper replied, "It should be plain obvious to see that he is inspirited!"

"Oh, right, the Yellow Aura." Scootaloo remembered, "though, it's quite interesting to see that you've decided to say a Yo-Kai is behind all this!"

"I could say the same!" Whisper retorted, "you couldn't even tell he was inspirited in the first place!"

"Let's not fall apart now!" First broke up, "let's just help Nate first. Big Sis?"

"Alright alright." Scootaloo sighed as she pointed the watch at Nate. The helmet began to shake uncontrollably, pulling itself free from the Earth Pony, and started expelling purple fumes out of his body until it was hidden from view. As the fumes subsided, a floating helmet that has eyes, nose, mouth, and even a nice, straight moustache and beard.

"Well I'll be! You are able to see me!" The helmet spoke,

"Ah!" First stepped back, "so you are a talking helmet!" 

"Why thanks for the compliment!" The Yo-Kai bowed, "it's been 100 or more years that I've been recognised,"

"Wait... 100 Years? Just who are you?"

"My name, is Helmsman. It is an honour to meet your acquaintance." The Helmet named Helmsman bowed,

"100 Years?" First repeated,

"Yo-Kai are not just formed from the souls of once living beings or any form of emotion, even objects can gain spirits too!" Whisper explained,

"So you're 'actually' a real Neighponese Guard Helmet yes?"

"From more than 100 years ago!" Helmsman replied, "I was a fine looking helmet, proudly worn by an honourable Neighponese Soldier from long ago, recognised by many through weary wars, blood-spilling battles and his ability to unite his comrades to tip the scales! With his helmet and armour, he was the most fearsome!"

"Sounds like Flash." Scootaloo replied,

"It was until one day... my owner fell in battle..." Helmsman replied, "Of all the places I couldn't protect, it was his eyes. With a stray arrow piercing his skull. It was over for him... And us. I am ashamed!!!"

"Us?"

"On his grave, the helmet which is I, and the body armour, were set on display to honour his legacy. The ponies say, that his soul and his presence still lives on within the items that protected him throughout war, and that he will watch the future endeavour of his country..."

"Touching..." Scootaloo replied, "The love and tribute to a war figure... We can empathise with that."

"The loss of our owner isn't the end to this tragedy..." Helmsman continued, "one day, our land was invaded. Homes were destroyed, villages were ransacked, every living pony was cast out! But worst of all... My armour and I were separated from our owner's grave and each other!"

"That's cruel!"

"Torn apart from each other, I was tossed around all of Neighpon as a museum display and sooner before I knew it, I was all alone..."

"And once you've gained um... became a Yo-Kai, I assume that you've been looking for your other half right? The armour?"

"And still to this day." Helmsman nodded, "I have been looking for my body ever since. I tried placing myself onto the heads of anypony I can see at night, but every single one of them lack the passion, the blood, or the honour of a warrior! When I placed myself onto this foal, I wanted to release myself as soon as possible... He's just so average!"

"Harsh? But to answer your question, we're currently at peace with the numerous lands and races in this big world. There are no longer any wars occurring today, not that I know as of yet..." First informed.

"But don't give up!" Scootaloo encouraged, "I'm sure you can find your other half! The world may be big, but you have all the time in this world to find your other half! I mean, if you are a Yo-Kai from a helmet, then there should be a Yo-Kai from that armour!"

"Hmm... Perhaps you may be right..." Helmsman lightened up,

"Why don't we help you while we're at it!" First asked, "we too are looking out for Yo-Kai. If you want to find your armour, then we can help you too!"

"It's very tempting..." Helmsman wondered, "my mission may take a long time. I wish not to trouble kind folk like you!"

"It's okay." Scootaloo comforted as she stared straight at Helmsman and firmly placed her hoof on her chest, "on my honour as a guard!"

"Is that so?" Helmsman looked carefully in Scootaloo's eyes, "hmm... Such determination to help... It is obvious to see that you are too young an age to be a fearless warrior. However, I can see that you have the eyes of one! And you too! Earth Pony of Orange and Dark Blue! Perhaps you two are related?"

"Brother and Sister." First replied, "our family has been loyally involved with the monarchy through service to the Royal Guard. Our big brother is a Royal Guard too!"

"I see..." Helmsman replied, "so both of you have the heart too... Very well! May I know your names?"

"Scootaloo!"

"First Base."

"Brave and Kind Scootaloo, Courageous and Willing First Base! I graciously accept your help to find my other half! I swear an oath of friendship to both of you! We shall be sworn allies for eternity!" With that oath, Helmsman glowed blue and a Medal popped out of the light,

"Thank you very much!" Scootaloo bowed back in respect, "we shall not let you down. Now can you stop inspiriting our friend?"

"Oh! Forgive me..." Helmsman apologised and released his influence on Nate.

"Huh?" Nate blinked rapidly and looked as the inspiriting aura left his body, "what was I saying?"

"Uh... It's nothing. Right Whisper?"

"Nothing at all!" Whisper replied,

"Who are you talking to Scoots? Is it that Yo-Kai you have as your butler?"

"I see... So you can't remember perceiving Yo-Kai after you've been purified..." First analysed,

"What happened?"

"Nothing, just mystery of the helmet solved!"

"Aww! What's it all about!?"

"Well..." First chuckled as he held the floating helmet "the helmet's alive alright. Contains the soul of an old Neighponese Warrior, or half of it."

"Aww..." Nate looked disappointed, "this is Yo-Kai related, right?"

"Yes." Scootaloo answered,

"I believe you then." Nate answered, "if it's especially coming from you two, I know a Yo-Kai's got to be behind something!"

"Thanks for believing." First thanked,

"No problem. Now, we've got a night class to attend!"



Climbing over the School Gates and approaching the brightly lit classroom window. The three foals and Yo-Kai peered into the windows. There, all they just saw is a group of foals and fillies sitting down and listening to the teacher who was busy showing them some advanced mathematics.

"It's just a normal class, nothing suspicious. Are you sure this rectifies as a rumour?" Scootaloo analysed, "I mean, the Princess of Friendship had to study day and night, being Princess Celestia's student..."

"I understand that..." Nate replied, "but the School System had mentioned nothing about running evening classes. Especially this late at night!"

"Hmm..." Scootaloo peered at her watch. The clock hands point towards half past eleven in the silent night. "Valid point."

"Do... Do any of the ponies look recognisable?" First asked,

"Not at all..." Nate answered, "I mean, I only know all of our class, but not everypony in the school!"

"If this wasn't a normal occurrence..." Scootaloo structured a question, "how can we show or see for ourselves that this isn't a normal occurrence?"

"Could it be one of those Yo-Kai?" Nate asked,

"Why you ask?"

"Just a random shot at the dark." Nate replied, "besides, everything that has been going wrong between me and others, you said they were Yo-Kai. Since the floating Helmet was a Yo-Kai, could a Yo-Kai be pulling the strings behind the evening class?"

"Okay then! We'll help with that..." Scootaloo pulled out her Watch Lens and was ready to aim towards the class, until a fast stream of wind from behind interrupted their process.

"Did you feel that?" Scootaloo looked around.

"A quick burst of wind..." Jibanyan answered, "something just went fast behind us."

"Maybe it's just the wind..." First replied,

"It sure feels strange. Never mind, let's just go back and HEY!" Nate turned around and exclaimed to his surprise at the empty, pitch-black classroom.

"But-- There was a class here a second ago!" Scootaloo tried to explain,

"Even though it may be a trick, it would take much longer than a second for everypony to leave and with the lights turned off!" First added,

"Guys, can you please stop over-analysing and trying to be smart!?" Nate interrupted, "I'm pretty sure that it's a Yo-Kai we're dealing with!"

"Okay okay!" Scootaloo replied, lifting up her open-lens watch. "I'll just see what's going on!" Scanning around the dark classroom, the light picked up nothing but dust and tables.

"Anything?" First asked,

"Nope!"

"Keep looking around..." Whisper advised, "some Yo-Kai might leave a trail of their doings."

"A-Okay!" Scootaloo nodded and continued scanning around the classroom, focusing mostly on the most obscure places. It was until she placed the light on the classroom door that a dark tail of clouds slivered around the bend of the door area and away from view, into the hallway.

"Ah!" Scootaloo pointed out, "a snake! It just slipped into the hallway!"

"Then what are you waiting for!? After that Yo-Kai!" Whisper commanded,

"If we can get into the front door that is," First pointed to the front doors of the school building. "I bet it's locked and set on alarm!"

"Then how about the service entrance?" Nate suggested, "On the right side of the school building, there's a small entrance for the faculty staff to enter the school after hours. I'm pretty sure that the place is still open."

"You sure?"

"I've had to sneak in here with Bear, Eddie and Katie in order to get the best seats to see the firework display for the summer festival held every year."

"Fireworks? Summer Festival? You've got to invite us the next time the festival comes."

"It will be here in two months time!" Nate tried to remember, "of course we'll invite you! We're friends after all!"

"It's a promise!" First replied as they trotted towards the side of the building. A grey square double door, smaller than the main door, lays still between two small trees.

"Well, this is it." Nate introduced, "mares first."

"Gladly." Scootaloo stepped forward and quietly laid a hoof on the door. Slowly applying pressure, the door quietly arched outwards, allowing a passage between the interior and exterior of the building.

"What did I tell you?" Nate chuckled as the group entered the school in single file into a wide room full of office cubicles. "Now this is the teacher's and staff room. The door to enter the school is still locked however, The keys should be on the back of the hall, near the door to the Principal's office. I'll go get it." As Nate was distracted with getting the keys, the siblings and Yo-Kai thought it would be a good idea to recon the hallway from the door windows. Scanning the watch around the first floor hallway, the dark cloudly tail can be seen once more. This time, it left a longer trail where a big clump of clouds was at it's end. Focusing on the cloud ball itself, the watch surprisingly revealed the sillouette, turning the dark clouds into normal clouds of white... And the ball of clouds disappated, leaving behind a smaller floating spirit having elderly features and wearing a traditional Neighponese set of clothes in grey. A hat, a kimono with yellow linings, a khaki-coloured collar of beads, a red charm, and a small, flat, wooden staff.

"Hoo hoo hoo!" An elderly but cheeky tone echoed from the hallway, "I feel like somepony saw through the illusions of my identity..."

"Oh crap! I think it can sense us!" First desperately hid from view.

"Any Yo-Kai can sense that they have been identified." Whisper corrected, "It's not hard to notice when you feel somepony that is not a Yo-Kai is watching you. When the Yo-Kai lens and light fall upon a Yo-Kai, the Yo-Kai would receive a strange feeling. It is more of a passive and pressurising feeling rather than being uncomfortable. However, all Yo-Kai know what that type of feeling means. It is the feeling of their 'invisibility' being nullified to some ponies. Remember that you aren't... Or weren't the only ones that can use a Yo-Kai Watch."

"Are we compromised?"

"No, but the Yo-Kai may be cautious of his surroundings." Whisper explained, "after all, if somepony can point a watch and reveal its existence to that pony's eyes, it tells the Yo-Kai that somepony is around, seeing him."

"Uh oh..."

"Relax little bro!" Scootaloo laughed, "do you honestly think a Yo-Kai that small and elderly is dangerous?"

"Hey guys!" Nate galloped back, a key in his mouth, "I've got it! Let's open it up!"

"Wait!" First warned, but it was too late. As Nate inserted the key and turned the handle, the floating Yo-Kai turned around to see the door open and reveal two foals (and Yo-Kai) facing right back towards him.

"Oh shoot!" First gasped "now we are really compromised!"

"Watch out!" Whisper warned, "there's a haze approaching us at high speeds!"

"Where?" Scootaloo asked,

"Right in front of--!" The mentioned haze quickly swept the group, interrupting all of their current situations and sentences.

"Guys? Where are you? I can't see anything!" Nate cried,

"Cough cough..." Scootaloo coughed,

"Argh!" First tried to back away from the hazy gas, retreating to the staff room to take a break. Suddenly, an unfamiliar aura enveloped him.

"My goodness! Surely you've forgotten that I've been following you?" Helmsman greeted the foal,

"Oh! Helmsman! Sorry about that!"

"At least, it's a great thing that I followed both of you from a distance. Otherwise, you'd be in for a bad time!"

"Why? What's going on?"

"You were ambushed, there isn't just one Yo-Kai... The perpetrator of the haze is a Yo-Kai too!"

"Really!?" First turned around. The haze has subsided, but Scootaloo, Whisper, Jibanyan and Nate looked very woozy and dizzy.

"Well..." Scootaloo replied, "maybe we were compromised after all. Hey First, can you--" A small burst of light interrupted her conversation as she felt something on her flank. Excited but completely surprised, she turned her head to see the picture of the Yo-Kai Watch design imprinted on her flanks as a Cutie Mark.

"OH. MY. CELESTIA!!!" Scootaloo shrieked with joy, "I GOT IT! I FINALLY GOT MY CUTIE MARK!!! MY TALENT IS YO-KAI HUNTING! I'VE GOT TO TELL THE OTHERS!"

"Wait a minute...!" Jibanyan opened his eyes to a large pile of Choco Bars, "NO WAY! Somepony just left a stash of their Choco Bars here! Sweet! I'm in heaven!"

"Hey Whisper!" Scootaloo called, "check it out! I've got my cutie mark!"

"I can see that!" Whisper replied "congratulations!"

"But I couldn't have done it without your help!" Scootaloo continued, holding out a specially customised medal, "here! As thanks and congratulations for being the best butler ever!"

"I-Impossible!!!" Whisper welled up with tears, "thank you! Thank you so very much!"

"Goodness!" Nate shook himself off as he stood up, "what was going on?"

"Nate?" A familiar voice rang through his ears,

"K-Katie?" Nate turned around to see the filly standing behind him, smiling calmly. "What are you doing here? I thought everypony would be asleep!"

"It's your birthday isn't it?" Katie asked, "I thought I came to give you a gift!"

"No, that's months away!"

"Oh, my apologies. In that case, have it anyway!" Katie happily offered a neatly wrapped gift to Nate,

"S-Seriously?" Nate accepted it, his cheeks filled with the colour of burning hot red. "W-Why?"

"It's... Just to show my affection!" Katie smiled back,

"Awwww!!! YES!!!" Nate jumped with joy and happiness as he cuddled the present with affectionate care. Whilst the three were enjoying their greatest desires, First just stared at the three with an empty and confusing expression. To his eyes, the four companions were cheering about their wonderful achievements but was not present. Scootaloo still had a blank flank, not noticing that her back had Jibanyan's teeth attempting to sink into it, Whisper was madly cheering around, and Nate was holding absolutely nothing, and Katie was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a ring of dark clouds were above their heads, shining down a calm light of sky blue.

"Yep! Definitely a good time!" Helmsman watched,

"What's going on with them!?" First blurted out,

"Hah! Jokes on you Yo-Kai Pad! Now that I'm a genuine butler, looks like I don't need your help anymore!" Whisper laughed as he tossed the Yo-Kai Pad behind him, not knowing that First managed to catch it on the way down. Remembering that yellow Yo-Kai's face, First quickly skimmed through the pages of Yo-Kai descriptions till he found the one he was looking for.

"From the mysterious tribe, Illoo!" First read out loudly, "he's a Yo-Kai that can cast illusions upon unsuspecting ponies, putting them in a trance or illusions... Let's see here... 3rd place in the recent Yo-Kai Games? He must be one tough cookie!"

"Hoo hoo hoo!" A voice sailed over him, "so you're the one who found me! It is very interesting that you can't fall into my world of illusions..."

"Yeah... I'm not so sure myself... What did you do to me Helmsman?"

"The same thing a normal helmet does: Protect your head."

"Like those mutant villains from those comic books?"

"Let's not get into the details!" Helmsman interrupted, "let's just say I can protect your head, physically AND mentally! What you need to worry about is that it's not just this Yo-Kai you're facing as an opponent!"

"You did say there was another..." First remembered, "hey Scoots, can I borrow?" The foal asked his sister, pointing at the Yo-Kai Watch,

"Sure! Just remember to return it! After all, befriending Yo-Kai is my talent!" Scootaloo acceptingly took it off and handed it over.

"Thanks. How interestingly generous of you..." First thanked. Pulling out the lens once more, First scanned Illoo's surrounding to find yet another Yo-Kai that looks similar to Illoo, only that it was purple and indigo, with a sky blue bead necklace.

"Hoo Hoo!" The other Yo-Kai giggled, "It looks like you can see through my haze too little youngster! Few can achieve that! My name's Elloo, and I'm Illoo's brother! What's your name foal?"

"I'm First Base! Nice to meet you!" First bowed as a greeting,

"Such nice manners!" Elloo complimented,

"Wait a minute! This isn't the time to exchange greetings!" First remembered, "what are you two doing here?"

"You see Hoo Hoo," Elloo explained, "Illoo here just loves to use his powers and to enjoy and laugh at the reactions of ponies and other Yo-Kai."

"Hoo hoo hoo!" Illoo laughed as he floated around and through the four hypnotised figures.

"And I thought I'd stick with him! Since we're brothers and all. I'd normally help pull him out of trouble with other Yo-Kai with my power!"

"And what is that?"

"Do you remember that whoosh from outside and that oncoming haze?" Elloo explained, "that was me! My power can allow me or others to dissipate into a thin haze and can allow movement at great speeds!"

"Oh I see, so you used your haze form to confuse us, then Illoo managed to use this opportunity to catch Scoots and the group into illusions. As for me, it was a lucky break."

"Hoo hoo hoo!" Illoo laughed, "that is correct!"

"Now that I know the situation here, it comes to my next question. Can you let my friends go?"

"Hmm? Now why would I do that?"

"I'll become your friend! I'll do anything for you!"

"Tempting! Tempting!"

"Hmm..." Elloo gave it some thought, peering at the Yo-Kai Watch. "The device in your possession... That is the Yo-Kai Watch. Is it not?"

"Uh yeah!" First replied, "though I would say that it belongs to my sister. On the other end, I get the Medallium!" He pulled out the red book,

"Hoo hoo!" Elloo shook with excitement, "the book that treasures the bonds between Pony and Yo-Kai! Look like the rumours of two young ponies that can actively see Yo-Kai are true!"

"Once again, word really does spread fast." First mused to himself,

"And due to that, there has been news and warnings from the Yo-Kai community. All Yo-Kai should be careful when visiting the pony realm. Now that there has been the sightings of a Yo-Kai Watch in possession by ponies, it could put the existence of Yo-Kai under threat."

"Really?" First looked at his friends, innocently engrossed in their illusions. "But I understand. For a furtive kind, being identified by the living can be scary." 

"But now that I look at you, you just look like any other pony: Not minding the business of other kinds."

"But..."

"Of course, now that you have the Yo-Kai Watch and a few comapnions yourself, you do. However, I see understanding, care, your resolve and reason of finding Yo-Kai. Although it may be self gain, your resolve is to care for others dear to you."

"You can tell? That's amazing!"

"It's just a guess." Elloo chuckled, "besides, you're a foal. Of course young ponies like that wouldn't be evil... Would they?"

"Well, the bullies of my former school used to be evil... I think..."

"And so, I must implore you hear my request. We originally came here not to play pranks on ponies, but to look for our wandering brother. Will it be beneficial to you if you can tag along with us?"

"Your brother huh? Looks just like you?"

"Different colours."

"Then, why don't you two become our friends, and we can rely on one another?"

"What do you think Illoo? Should be let the boy become our friend?"

"Why not?" Illoo laughed, "your friends are very entertaining when they get excited about their desires!"

"Yeah..." First looked back to his friends once more, "they look ridiculous."

"I beg to differ!" Illoo replied, "they are full of life! Full of dreams! It's not just funny, but inspiring!"

"How so?"

"It's... Reminiscent of my living life. Perhaps you'll understand when you'll grow older."

"Okay then, do we have a deal then?" 

"Can we wait a bit more?" Illoo asked, "I want to spend more time enjoying myself!"

"Seriously?" First scratched his head, "for a Yo-Kai who looks elderly, you've got the most childish interests..."

"Look who's talking! Hoo hoo!" Elloo laughed, "a kid mocking a Yo-Kai for being a Kid!"

"Hey!" A shout echoed through the hallways. "Who's there!?"

"Uh-Oh...!" First perceived the shout and from the corner of his eyes, found a light increasing in intensity. "I think we've alerted somepony... We need to get out of here fast!"

"B-But!" Illoo hesitated,

"Show yourself!" The guard commanded as he turned towards the hallway where the commotion came from.

"No!" First yelped as he came face to face with the security guard and his flashlight. Standing fearfully still, the Guard looked confused as he began flashing the light in different locations.

"What the heck was that? All I just see is some haze..."

"What are you doing!?" Elloo whispered to First, "now's your chance to get out of here!"

"Oh! Right!" First nodded and pushed his companions towards the entrance they came from.



Safely undetected and back to breathing the outside air, the companions can now rest, their minds free from possession, and great disappointment taking its place.

"M-My cutie mark!" Scootaloo gasped at her picture-less flank once again, "I-It was there! And why does the fur on my back feel ruffled and painful?"

"Argh!" Jibanyan mumbled as he desperately wiped his teeth, "what the heck did I put my teeth into!? This looks like pony fur!"

"My medal! My Yo-Kai Pad!!! WHY!?!?!?" Whisper cried himself to shame,

"Katie..." Nate did the same as Whisper,

"Sometimes living in a dream is cruel." First remarked. "But how did we manage to get out?"

"I inspirited all of you so you could become hazy like me. That way, that large pony was unable to see you."

"I see, thanks for your save."

"Letting you get caught isn't something friends would do. Besides, you've earned both our trust, as we should trust you. Finding our brother is an important thing."

"In that case, I'm sure we can fulfil our end of the bargain!" First promised,

"Very well then," Elloo pulled out his Yo-Kai Medal and took Illoo's too, "take it that our alliance won't be forgotten along the lines of our lives."

"Your word is my honour!"

"So uh... You guys alright?" First looked at his confused and unhappy friends.

"Yeah... I shouldn't let dreams be dreams." Scootaloo sighed,

"One day, I'll make sure that Katie will notice me!" Nate vowed to himself,

"Good luck with that," Jibanyan snickered,

"So now that the mysteries are solved, we can go home now right?" First asked,

"Yeah. I think we've got our answers. Let's hit the sack." Scootaloo nodded,

"Really?" Nate questioned, "because I still feel a little unsatisfied." This put fear and worry into the minds and hearts of the siblings

"Oh-no... Please don't..." First gulped,

"A-Anything but that..." Scootaloo added,

"Come on guys! Don't tell me you're scared about ponies disappearing from a construction building!"

"Well, about that..." First replied,

"Guys stop talking!" Scootaloo warned, "something feels weird."

"Really?" Nate asked,

"The air..." Scootaloo concentrated, "it's dead."

"Oh no..." Whisper gulped, "this is bad."

"Now that you mention it, the nature has gone awfully silent..." First replied. After a few seconds the loud bang of a gong echoed throughout the sky.

"What was that!?" First jumped at the sudden sound of the instrument.

"I-I didn't do anything!" Nate defended,

"Wait!" Scootaloo replied, "I swore I just saw the watch resonate a red aura..." Without any other word, the group looked down at the Yo-Kai Watch. True to Scootaloo's word, the watch resonated a red ring of light a second time, along with the quieter echoing of a gong... Then a third...

"Umm..."

When the Watch rang a fourth time, the gong echoed louder than the first, and the inside design of the watch 'opened' up to reveal a black cover with the red, ominous picture of a devil-like face.

"What is going on with that thing!?" Nate asked,

"Everypony! Be careful!" Whisper warned, "it's coming!"

"What's coming?" First asked, until he started looking around him. "Oh... That's what's happening."

"Oh no... This can't be... It can't be happening... That nightmare... It's real!" Scootaloo clutched her head in shock and denial as a thick fog from all directions enveloped the entire region of Springdale, placing everypony into an atmosphere of grey clouds and fog, and yellow floating lights.

(TO BE CONTINUED...)