//------------------------------// // Training Day // Story: Cinematic Adventures: Scooby Doo Wrestlemania Mystery // by extremeenigma02 //------------------------------// After the events transpired in the WWE Arena, the entire group (Minus one) made their way back to the training grounds feeling rather nervous and concerned. Things certainly became more complicated since their initial arrival in this world. Shaggy and Scooby have been booked a match with Kane, the Mane Six must fight the Ministry, and Storm Shield must go through Kane just for a shot at the Undertaker. True, the identities of the Mane Six and their friends have been kept under wraps by everyone in the WWE. But needless to say, they were in for a whole heap of trouble and keeping their secrets was the least of their concerns. “Like, Velma, are you crazy?!” Shaggy yelped. “Reah, re can’t right Kane!” Scooby frowned. “And now we’ve got to fight this evil Ministry just so they don’t take over this place,” Rainbow added. “I mean I’ve got no problem fighting some pony in hoof-to-hoof combat, but this is actual wrestling!” “We don’t even know the first thing about wrestling in this world,” Twilight spoke up. “Yeah, the only pony in our world who knows a thing of wrestling is Cheerilee’s sister!” Pinkie replied. “And she’s too expensive to book for this story!” “That may be true girls, but that hasn’t stopped you all before,” Storm spoke encouragingly. “Besides, I’m the one with the huge challenge in front of me. I have to fight that freakish Fiend and somehow survive his arsenal. And even if I do, there’s the all-powerful Lord of Darkness I have to prepare for.” “And poor Fluttershy is in their clutches as we speak,” Rarity pointed out. “I can’t bare to imagine what those horrid ruffians will do to such a sweet mare.” “Pull yourselves together,” Velma told them all. “I need you guys to buy us some time if we’re gonna solve this mystery, and clear Scooby’s name.” “I don’t know, Velma,” Fred told Velma. “We only have a few days before Shaggy and Scooby get slaughtered.” “Thanks Fred,” Shaggy said sarcastically. “Great show of confidence, Jones!” Rainbow shook her head. “Just being honest,” Fred shrugged. “They’re gonna need a lot longer than a few days to learn how to compete in the ring,” Cookie crossed his arms. “It worked out for our counterparts in another story,” Pinkie smiled. Everyone faced Pinkie with a great deal of confusion etched on their faces. “Pinkie, what the hay are you talking about?” Rainbow asked. “You know… we met Roman Reigns, got signed with NXT, and Rainbow fell in love with some guy named Jason,” Pinkie explained. “I did what now?” Pinkie thought for a moment before she finally shook her head. “Never mind, wrong universe,” She squealed. “Anyways, back to the training!” Everyone stared at Pinkie for a few moments, as though trying to understand what the crazy party pony was referring to. Ultimately, they just brushed it off and moved on. “Anyway Cookie, can’t ‘you’ train Shaggy and Scooby for their match with Kane?” Spike asked Cookie. “Ah… maybe I could train ‘em enough so they might survive,” Cookie shrugged. “Thanks, Cookie!” Twilight thanked. “For a few minutes…” Cookie muttered. “A.J.! You wanna help me here?” “Sure, Cookie/Sure thing, Cookie!” Applejack’s eyes widened with confusion, until she turned to her side. The rest of the gang looked over and saw none other than A.J. Lee skipping toward them already dressed in her wrestling attire. The spunky brunette smiled at Shaggy and Scooby with a wave. “Oh…” Applejack realized. “Hi boys!” Lee greeted. “I heard you could use some practice sessions. Wouldn’t want those itty-bitty whiskers to get bent.” She smiled as she ran her hand across Shaggy’s scruffily chin. Shaggy smiled back before leaning next to Scooby. “Like, Scooby Doo, this might not be so bad after all!” Shaggy smiled coyly. A.J.’s smile suddenly turned into a heated glare, as she grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him close to her face. “Never underestimate a diva!” She warned. “Like, noted!” Shaggy replied fearfully. “Let’s get to work then,” A.J. said, letting him go. “We’ve got a lot to cover before your match.” She proceeded to lead Shaggy and Scooby away to begin their training, with the rest of Mystery Inc. following close behind. This left the Mane Six, Spike, and Storm standing there with Cookie. “Now with that out of the way, we need to focus on you guys,” Cookie told them. “Shaggy and Scooby may have a big deal with Kane, but you have ‘really’ seemed to land yourselves in hot water.” “What would you expect when dealing with guys who kidnapped our best friend?” Storm replied. “If anyone else here was in a similar situation, they’d do anything to get back by any means.” “I understand, and I also respect you all for doing what you did,” Cookie nodded. “That’s why I want to do anything and everything I can to help you guys.” “So, what’re we supposed tah do?” Applejack asked. “Follow me to the rings and we’ll get started.” Cookie proceeded to walk towards the three rings in the training camp and the rest of the group followed behind. One-by-one they stepped into the ring and Cookie turned around to face them. “In order to face off against the threat that’s against you guys, you’ll need training by the best,” He told them. “Thankfully, Mr. McMahon has allowed for you all to have a manager that will help you get everything you need for this upcoming fight. He’s one of the greatest managers of all time and with his help, you might be able to pull this off.” Cookie gestured to the stage entrance for the training yard, and everyone looked over to see who’d be managing them throughout this endeavor. From out of the entrance emerged one of the greatest managers in WWE history: the ‘Mouth of the South’, Jimmy Hart… No relation to the Hart Foundation of the same name, we’ve checked… *Clears throat* With his signature white suit, decked out in red hearts, his stylish hair, and signature megaphone in hand, the legendary manager made his way into the ring. He quickly shook hands with Cookie before turning his attention to the six girls and two boys standing before him. “What’s happening baby?” He said excitedly. “I’m the ‘Mouth of the South’ Jimmy Hart and let me tell you, I have managed some of the greatest wrestlers in the history of the WWE. Now I’ve been asked to help you young ones get in top physical conditioning for your matches at WrestleMania and that’s exactly what I intend to do. “However, I can’t very well do it on my own. So I rounded up some old friends of mine who are going to help train all of you. That being said, let me introduce you to the rest of your training team.” First amongst the training team, walking down the ramp, was one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time: the legendary ‘Hulkamania’ himself, Hulk Hogan. The man who helped launch WWE into the mega media giant that it is today. A winner of countless championships, standing toe-to-toe with dozens of legends, and a WWE Hall of Famer. The Hulkster stepped into the ring and stood alongside Jimmy Hart, as they waited for the next trainer to enter. Next emerged another WWE Hall of Famer and bonified icon in the wrestling industry, known as ‘the Best There Is, the Best There Was, and the Best There Ever Will Be’: Bret ‘the Hitman’ Hart. Bret stepped into the ring, shook hands with Hogan and Hart, and stood beside them waiting for the next trainer. The next man had been known by many names in his illustrious WWE career. From ‘the Heartbreak Kid’ to ‘Mr. WrestleMania’, even ‘the Showstopper’. That being the legendary sexy boy: Shawn Michaels. The multiple time WWE champion, who revolutionized the Ladder match, and joined with Triple H to form the legendary D-Generation-X (But that’s another story). Next was one of the greatest in-ring psychologists of all time. The iconic Hall of Famer known as Jake ‘the Snake’ Roberts. With his signature snake bag slung over his shoulder, the master of mind games entered the ring to stand alongside his fellow Hall of Famers. Up next came a former Intercontinental Champion and one of the greatest highfliers to step foot in a wrestling ring, the legendary dragon himself: Ricky Steamboat. Steamboat, a man who held legendary battles against the likes of Rick Rude, his colleague Jake Roberts, Randy Savage, and other iconic names in the wrestling industry and often came out victorious (Mostly…) Coming out next was the former United States military corrections officer turned WWE superstar: Sgt. Slaughter. The former WWE champion walked to the ring dresses in his camouflage attire, his canvas cover hat, and his swagger stick in hand ready to whip someone’s ass if need be. Next came a man who always believed if you can’t win something fairly, all he’d have to do was buy it. Perhaps the richest man in the WWE (Next to Vince McMahon): ‘the Million Dollar Man’ Ted DiBiase. Of course, as always, over his shoulder he carried his most prized possession: the Million Dollar Championship belt. The entire belt was made of solid gold and the three front plates were made of ‘hundreds’ of the purest diamonds money could buy… Why couldn’t the bad guys have stolen ‘that’ belt? Please Pinkie! No interruptions! *Clears throat* If we can just continue… Finally came perhaps the greatest in-ring performer to ever lace a pair of wrestling boots: the ‘Nature Boy’ Ric Flair. This man represented everything that one ever believed a professional wrestler should be. He had the style, the attitude, everything the most loyal wrestling fans could imagine. Hence why he was a 16-time World Champion, a record which most likely could ‘never’ be broken. All the legends stood in the ring before the Mane Six, Spike, and Storm Shield. They all looked toward these great warriors of the past with utter amazement. “Wow…” Twilight gaped, amazed. “Couldn’t have said it better myself!” Spike nodded. “Alright folks… let’s get to work!” Storm said determined. <> For the rest of the day, the Equestrian group (In their human forms) trained vigorously with the WWE legends. Running the ropes, lifting weights, practicing a series of wrestling holds, absolutely ‘everything’ it took to become WWE wrestlers (Even for a short period of time). Needless to say, these legends weren’t going easy on these kids, working them harder than these kids have ever worked in their entire lives. At times, it almost felt too much too handle as the stress and toll could be seen as plain as the nose on their face. But they always remembered the one lesson these great men bestowed upon them at the start of their training: No pain, no gain Meanwhile, Shaggy and Scooby’s training with A.J. Lee wasn’t exactly going according to plan. They had originally started in the ring with A.J. teaching the fundamentals of combat… and ended up crashing into each other. They moved onto lifting weights… and sent nearly ‘all’ the rookies to the hospital following a ‘barbell’ incident… So, these guys are hopeless? Yeah… way to be specific. Outside the wrestling ring, the rest of the gang watched the Equestria group train. While these kids were doing fine, it was tough to watch Shaggy and Scooby fail… miserably. Amongst everyone watching these kids train, Rueben stood on the sidelines watching with a glare. This did not go unnoticed. “Everything okay, Reuben?” Daphne asked. “No, everything’s not okay,” Reuben huffed. “I don’t understand why my uncle is willing to train Shaggy, Scooby, and those ‘other’ guys and not me! Just because he never won a championship doesn’t mean I can’t.” Daphne merely blinked, not understanding ‘why’ either. Yet the more this frustrated man dumped on her, the more likely he’d slip up and reveal a potential clue. “Sorry…” Reuben apologized. “You see, it’s just because all my life, I dreamed of being a WWE Superstar. I’ve even come up with my own name: ‘the Bone Bender’. I got an outfit all made of spandex and bones. ‘Real’ bones I got on the internet. Want to see?” Though she could see he was clearly excited, Daphne… was not. “Uh, maybe later,” She replied awkwardly. Yeah, I wouldn’t call ‘Bone Bender’ a name… more like a nickname. Clearly sounds more like a title for a ‘Create-A-Wrestler’ character… “Raphne…” Daphen and Reuben turned to the side, spotting Shaggy and Scooby peeking out from under the ring apron. The two were as scared as they could ever be. “Rou gotta ride us!” Scooby said urgently. “A.J.’s like Kane with lipstick!” Shaggy spoke fearfully. Well, she dressed like Kane once, so… At that moment, Fred and Velma raced alongside them. Velma held what appeared to be some form of map in her hands. “Hey guys, we found maps of the whole area!” Fred informed them. “And I found a perfect place to start looking for clues about the ghost bear,” Velma added. Back in the ring, A.J. was looking for Shaggy and Scooby. “Shaggy! Scooby!” She called. “Where are you guys hiding?” Out of fear, the two quickly scurried out from under the ring and hid behind the rest of the gang. “Like what are we waiting for?” Shaggy asked. “Ret’s go! Ret’s go! Ret’s go!” Scooby said urgently. “Maybe we should get the others so they can help us out,” Fred suggested. Nodding, the gang made their way toward the other training ring where the Mane Six and Storm stood outside with the other legends. The only one in the ring was Spike, who currently received some one-on-one training with Ric Flair. “Hey guys, want to come look for clues about the ghost bear?” Velma asked them/ “Just a moment Velma,” Twilight replied. “We’re just waiting on Spike to finish up here. “How’s he doing?” They addressed Velma to Spike in the ring, who was currently speaking with Ric. “Remember, to be the man you must ‘beat’ the man,” Ric told Spike. “To ‘beat’ the man, you’ve gotta ‘outthink’ him. Know his every move before he does it. Now I want you to run those ropes again and take a bump. But this time, imagine your opponent is in there with you and how you can avoid him.” Spike nodded in understanding as Flair stepped out of the ring. Spike ran the ropes just as ordered and took a bump (fall) in the ring. It hurt his back upon impact, but the more times he performed it the less pain he felt. While doing so, Spike imagined every opponent of different sizes. And each time, he thought of ways to avoid them… all the while his daydreams had him surrounded by a swarm of adoring fans, among them a beautiful Griffin carrying a sign with his name, asking him to… “SPIKE!!!” Spike snapped from his thoughts by Twilight’s voice and turned to the others, only to trip over his own feet and fall flat on his face. “Ooh…” The Equestrians cringed. Ric Flair merely shook his head, along with the other legends as Spike took his hand, grabbed the back of his head, and peeled his face off the ring to face Twilight. “We’re heading out to look for clues on the ghost bear,” She told him. “Want to come?” “Alright, in a minute…” Spike groaned, picking himself up. “Just let me do one more…” *BOOM!!!* A huge explosion sent the group flying back as another giant ring of fire surrounded the ring. Spike found himself stranded in the ring, as the flames shot high into the air. He turned toward the stage and spotted Kevin Thorn and Abyss making their way down towards him. Spike stood tall and defiant, prepared for a fight. The moment Thorn and Abyss reached ringside, they looked at each other with a sick smirk before leaping onto the ring apron. Stepping through the ropes, they stared at the teenage dragon like he was a piece of meat they were ready to devour. “I’m not scared of you creeps!” Spike challenged. “Get in here and fight like… like… whatever you’re supposed to be!” Then, much to his confusion… they stopped. They both looked towards Spike and actually took a few steps back when they saw who appeared out of nowhere beside him. Eyes widened, Spike slowly turned his head to the side and was surprised by the sight of a man standing next to him, the most twisted and disturbed wrestler in the business: Malakai Black. The ‘Dutch Destroyer’ stood side-by-side with Spike, staring venomously at the diabolical duo standing before them. Spike had no idea what was going on or why this man came out of nowhere. But he seemed ready to fight alongside Spike. The dragon-turned-teen took a fighting stance and Black did the same as they both stared intently at Thorn and Abyss. “Ooh… you evil jerks are in for it right now!” Spike smirked. “You’re going to pay for kidnapping Fluttershy…” *WHAM!!!* Malakai spin-kicked Spike on the head and he fell to the ground, nearly unconscious from the heavy hit he received. Black stood over the fallen teen, as Thorn and Abyss came over, picked him up, and held his arms back. The rest of the Equestrians, regaining consciousness, watched in shock as Spike struggled in their grasp, as Black stood before him with murderous intent. “SPIKE!!!” The girls cried out. The dastardly trio turned back toward the stage as John Cena raced down the ramp and skid into the ring to aid his little friend. Cena made a mad dash and laid the offense on Malaki, but Thorn and Abyss pounced on him. Seeing Cena outnumbered, Spike jumped into the fray and attacked the three cohorts. But even with Spike’s help, the pair found themselves at a severe disadvantage. Everyone faced the stage again in absolute shock, seeing the emergence of the 11-time WWE champion: the ‘Rated R Superstar’ Edge. Edge ran down the ring, as fast as he could, slipping into the ring. Thorn went for a clothesline, but Edge ducked underneath, ran off the ropes, and struck Thorn with a massive Spear. Thorn rolled on the ground, clutching his sternum in pain as he landed outside the ring. Finally having the fair, even playing field, Spike and Cena followed up on the momentum with Cena lifting the huge monster Abyss over his shoulders and delivered the Attitude Adjustment. Spike proceeded to deliver a huge punch to Malakai Black’s face, sending him reeling against the ropes yet still standing. With a mighty cry, Spike charged and delivered a huge clothesline sending him over the top rope and onto the floor. The terrible trio quickly retreated up the ramp and stood on stage facing the ring. Cena, Edge, and Spike stared toward them as Cena grabbed a nearby microphone. “You all think you’re pretty brave, huh?” He asked. “Coming in here and beating up a rookie in training? Not to mention your cowardly three-on-one attack! Well, judging by the looks of it, I’d say things are a bit more even!” Edge then grabbed the microphone out of Cena’s grasp. “From what ‘I’ see, clearly you guys are itching for a fight,” He observed. “And if that’s the case, we’re more than happy to oblige. How about it? The three of you against the three of us… at WrestleMania?!” Malakai Black stood before the two monsters and procured a microphone seemingly from nowhere. “You three cannot begin to fathom the powers the Undertaker possesses,” He said. “He came to me and offered the opportunity to surpass him and lead his forces of darkness into the future. It seems in order to prove myself worthy, I will ensure you fade entirely to black. We shall see you at WrestleMania.” And in the ring our heroes stood, the challenge laid out before their enemies and now another match was booked. The rest of the Equestrians stood upon their feet turning toward the scene before them, seeing that their friend has just added himself into another match. Spike, in question, massaged his sore knuckles after that fierce blow as he stared out toward his enemies. With one of their friends still under their custody, Spike felt obligated more than ever to step up and prove himself. The only hope for Spike now would be that the combined efforts of John Cena & Edge would be enough to face three of the Ministry’s dangerous foes.