//------------------------------// // Hiking up Mount Everest/Chased by the Snowman // Story: G5 Adventures in Chill Out, Scooby-Doo! // by ponydog127 //------------------------------// “Breathe in, breathe out,” Izzy said in a calming voice while Hitch breathed into a paper bag, completely in panic. “Breathe in, breathe out... and just keep doing that.” “Admit it, Freddy,” Daphne said with a scoff. “We're lost!” Hearing the word 'lost' caused Hitch to start breathing faster, and Izzy sighed-- there went Hitch being almost calm. “We're not lost. We're just taking a shortcut,” Fred shrugged, much to Zipp's frustration. “Across Mongolia?!” “Just keep an eye out for road signs to Timbuktu,” Fred simply responded. “So, Velma, what can you tell us about this abdominal snowman?” Sparky hummed in confusion while the ponies gave him a look. “Not abdominal, Fred,” Velma said. “It's pronounced abominable.” Fred tried to pronounce the word correctly, but ultimately failed to do such, making Sparky giggle. “There are a number of different theories regarding the abominable snowman,” Velma spoke. “And there have been many photographs taken of the yeti's footprints.” “Hold it-- back up,” Pipp raised a hoof. “Yeti? What in hoof's name is a yeti?” “The yeti is the name used by the local mountain people to describe the creature,” Velma flipped a page before Fred spoke up again. “So the yeti and the subliminal snowman are the same thing?” “Not subliminal, Fred,” Velma said before trying to pronounce the name, but flubbed repeatedly and causing the others to laugh. “Now you've got me all mixed up!” “Whatever the name is, I still don’t understand,” Zipp said after the laughing died down. “What does any of this have to do with our friends? And could Opaline have something to do as to why they’re in the Himalayas?” “No mystery there, Zipp,” Daphne said as mountains came into view. “One thing we know is for sure… Shag and Scooby always know how to find trouble.” XXXXXXXX At the same time, Shaggy, Scooby, Misty and Sunny had gotten dressed in comfortable winter wear and followed their new friends and Alphonse up the side of the mountain, hauling some heavy equipment with them while the wind howled. After walking only a half an hour, Shaggy turned to his best friend, tired and cold and hungry. “Scoob, old buddy, how did we ever wind up on this frozen freak-fest?” “I don’t know, Shaggy…” Scooby shook his head. “This honestly isn’t so bad,” Sunny said as she and Misty walked ahead of them. “We’ve been through snow before on Winter Wishday; who’s to say we can’t handle this?” “No offense, Sunny, but this is NATURAL weather-- not weather caused by some sort of ancient unicorn ritual,” Shaggy said. “What was the spell called again?” “Oh, frostyshivers, I think,” Misty said, and her horn glowed blue before some snow flopped down on her head. “Oh… right. Gotta avoid saying it too much, unless we wanna wind up in a blizzard.” Shaggy sighed and tilted his goggles up to get used to the sunlight. “Like, what I wouldn't give right now for a nice warm Scooby Snack.” “Scooby Snacks? Ho-ho-ho! Well, why didn't you just say so?” Alphonse stopped and broke open a crate, revealing a boat load of Scooby Snacks just waiting for eating. “Oh boy!” Scooby said excitedly. “Scooby Snacks!” “Yeah. A whole year's supply of them. Ha-ha-ha!” Shaggy quickly dumped some snacks into Scooby’s mouth. “Like, maybe this trip wasn't such a bad idea after all, Scoob.” The two instantly began to dive in for more, and Sunny and Misty giggled to themselves about it. “Mountain climbing requires a lot of energy…” Pemba explained, “...so we must eat many times a day.” “Well, that sounds a lot like a job Shaggy and Scooby are made for,” Sunny joked, and after helping Shaggy and Scooby out from the crate, Misty went over to the supplies the professor brought. “What about you, professor? Got anything yummy to add to our impromptu potluck?” When Misty threw the tarp off, there was no food on the sled, but instead were all sorts of explosives… like he wanted to blow something up. “Oh…” Shaggy said with wide eyes. “Like, what’s all this stuff?” “Don’t touch anything!” Ember snapped, unfolding her wings as she got in front of them. “Ember, please!” Professor Jeffries pleaded, and Ember scoffed and walked forward so she could pull the sled. “I apologize for that,” the professor said, pulling the tarp back over the explosives. “But this equipment is very sensitive. We'd better keep moving.” Ember pulled the sled ahead of the group, and once they were out of hearing range, Sunny turned to the group with a suspicious look. “Gee, it seems like their equipment isn’t the only thing that’s sensitive.” “Yeah…” Scooby said. “Sensitive.” “Hey…” Misty looked around as they prepared to walked forward, not seeing Snow Spell with the others. “Where did Snow Spell go?” Suddenly, a soft humming came from the ledge below them, and they dropped their supplies so they could get closer. What they saw below was Snow Spell humming to herself, creating something small and icy within her hooves with her magic. “Snow Spell?” Sunny called, causing the mare to yelp and look up. “Did you fall down there? Want some help getting out?” “Oh… thank you, Sunny, but I’ve lived in these mountains all my life,” Snow Spell said before jumping up to them. “I’m as agile as a snow leopard when it comes to climbing.” “S-S-S-Snow leopard…?” Shaggy and Scooby gulped. “Oh, don’t worry! None of them live around here,” Snow Spell said quickly, before sighing. “Don’t… tell anypony what I was doing… please? Especially not Pemba-- I don't want to know what he may think of me.” “Well… we won’t, but… what were you doing?” Sunny asked. “You can trust us, especially Shaggy and Scooby, to never tell a secret.” Snow Spell sighed… she never wanted anypony else to know this, but they seemed so kind… so trustworthy… and kindness and being trustworthy are two things she valued. “All right… when I was a filly, back in my village, I discovered that I could sense a snowstorm a mile away, and when it snowed, I could stay out there longer than anypony else. That’s when… one day… I discovered I could do this.” Lighting her horn in a blue aura, she swirled her hooves around in a certain way, creating a large snowflake within her hooves. This caused the group to gasp in awe and delight. “Snow Spell… this is beautiful!” Misty said. “You can control ice and snow?” “Yes. My parents and brother were supportive of me, but… the rest of my village saw me as a danger to my family and others,” Snow Spell admitted sadly. “So, to avoid bringing harm to my loved ones… I left the village when I was seven, and I haven’t shown my ice powers to anyone since. Not even Pemba, or Minga, or anyone else in the village I call home.” “Gee… I never knew ponies could be so cruel to one of their own,” Shaggy frowned. “We’re sorry, Snow Spell.” “It’s all right. I have people who do care about me. It actually feels good to tell somepony after so long,” Snow Spell said. “We promise,” Sunny said, “we won’t tell a soul until you ask us to.” “Hoof to heart,” all four friends recited, putting their hands/paws/hooves on their heads “Thank you… I know that my secret is safe with you,” Snow Spell said. “Come on… we need to catch up to the others before it gets too dark.” XXXXXXXXX The hike seemed to get more and more exhausting, but during the hike, Snow Spell found herself becoming closer to the four newcomers, talking with them quite a bit during their travel. Eventually, Shaggy and Scooby felt like they could no longer go on. “Man, Scoob,” Shaggy panted, “the air is so thin up here, like, I think my lungs are gonna pop.” “Yeah…” Scooby wheezed. “Mine too.” “We must keep moving,” Pemba urged. “The weather station is only a bit further.” Suddenly, Ember turned around and stared back down the mountain while Alphonse got out his binoculars. “I think we’re being followed,” the pegasus sneered, and Alphonse nodded in response. “Oui, madam, lumitette mademoiselle. You see?”  Pemba looked through the binoculars to see his sister Minga climbing up the mountain, and sighed in exasperation. “What did I tell you, professor? She is stubborn as a yak.” “Minga?” Sunny asked as she got closer. “What in Equestria are you doing up this way?” “I was going to leave the village,” Minga explained, “but then I heard the weather report over the radio. There is a terrible snowstorm coming. I only followed to warn you.” “You and that radio,” Pemba scoffed. “Every day, all you do is stare off into space… listening to that jabber-mouthed DJ playing his records.” “He’s not a jabber-mouth!” Minga protested, bringing out her radio. “His beautiful voice is the only friend I have on this lonely mountain. Here, just listen.” Pemba unplugged the headphones, and the DJ’s voice was able to be heard by everyone around. “And here's a cut from their last album, recorded just before the band's tragic breakup. The song went on to become a one-hit wonder, after its use in a popular Tv commercial for furniture polish.” “Wow,” Misty commented. “Who’d have thought you’d find a radio station way up here?” “You can’t, honestly,” Snow Spell frowned. “It’s just the man at the weather station pretending to be a DJ.” Suddenly, Pemba gasped as he faced his sister with a smirk. “You have a crush on the weather man. And now you're tagging along just for an excuse to meet him!” “That’s not true!” Pemba defended. “There is a snowstorm coming!” “I think she might be right,” Sunny said. “Look at those clouds!” The clouds seemed as big and black as the inside of Opaline’s heart, and Ember knew as much as the next pony that meant trouble. “It could blow us right off this mountain. We've got to find shelter, and fast.” But the second they began to get moving, the snowstorm quickly came upon them. “We’ll never make it!” Pemba yelled through the howling winds. “We're going to have to set up our tents here.” “You mean, camping?” Misty asked with wide eyes. “Out here? With that psychotic snowman and whatever else out there on the loose?!” Shaggy chuckled nervously and placed a hand on Scooby’s head. “Scoob, old buddy, if there's one thing I don't like about this plan it's everything about this plan!” “We have no other choice, guys!” Sunny said to the whimpering duo. “Grab your stuff and head for that side of the ledge! We’ll set up camp there!” Everyone followed Sunny further to the spot she mentioned, while Ember straggled along with a scowl. “Soon… soon we don’t have to worry about this snow again. Not while I  have to say anything about it…” XXXXXXXX Camp had been set during the storm, and everyone waited in their tents for it to die down. Pemba wanted a few words with his sister, so Snow Spell decided to bunk with her new friends to pass the time. All the while, Misty couldn’t help but feel suspicious about this character called Ember.  What was her deal? And why did she seem so mad about them touching the explosives earlier? The storm eventually died down after it began to get dark, and once they made sure the coast was clear, Professor Jeffries and Ember climbed from their tent and walked off. While in Shaggy and Scooby’s tent, Shaggy had dressed Scooby in all sorts of loud objects to try and scare off any potential intruders. “Okay, Scoob. Like, you've got first watch,” Shaggy said. “If that big-footed bogeyman shows his frozen face, he'll have to deal with Scooby-Doo, guard dog extraordinaire.” “Yeah–- guard dog!” Scooby said before saluting like a soldier. “Scooby-Dooby-Doooooooo!!” Snow Spell blinked as Scooby marched outside. “You really think that’s going to keep the snowman away if he were to come this way?” “Might wanna roll with it,” Sunny said. “When Shaggy and Scooby get an idea in their heads, there’s no stopping them… unless its food.” XXXXXXXXX Back outside, Scooby stood as still as a statue until he began to pace back and forth before the tent. “Hup-two-three-four, hup-two-three-four, hup-two-three-four, hup--” “Uh, Scooby? Keep it down, huh, buddy?” Misty asked, peeking her head out from the tent. “You wanna wake up the whole neighborhood?” “Oh…” Scooby said with a nervous chuckle. “Sorry.” “Don’t worry, buddy. I’m not mad,” Misty said as she came out of the tent with a small sigh. “In fact, I could use a distraction right now. You saw how Ember acted earlier… right?” “Yeah,” Scooby nodded. “She doesn't seem too friendly.” “To us especially. And not to anyone else, other than the professor,” Misty pointed out. “I just can't help but get a bad feeling about her... am I just being paranoid? Or are my feelings completely valid?” Scooby whined and licked the side of Misty's face, which caused her to giggle. “Thanks, buddy. Now, what do you say we get back to bed so we can get--?” Then they heard a roar that made them scream and scared them back into their tent and Alphonse got out of his tent in excitement. “Ha-ha-ha! The creature! He knows we are here!” Then, another roar echoed across the mountainside. “Zoinks, and, like, he doesn't sound too happy about it,” Shaggy shuddered, and Scooby nodded before they ducked back into their tent. But Alphonse wasn't in the mood to give up quickly, and opened the tent to face them. “Mes amis, you cannot quit now.” “Uh, sorry, Mr. Lafleur, but after our hooficure,” Misty said as Scooby filed her hooves, “we really need to get some beauty sleep.” But, Alphonse literally dragged them out into the cold by force. “Not to worry, mes amis. Come. I show you something you like, eh?” He pressed a button on the remote, and lasers began to dance back and forth down the mountain a good ways. “Like, it's a laser light show,” Shaggy said. “I don't know...” Snow Spell frowned. “It feels too direct to be a laser light show... or any kind of show.” “Of course not. You see? The traps, they are set,” Alphonse told them confidently. “First I catch ze monster, then Shaggy and Scooby, and their friends, they will go home.” That seemed to catch Shaggy, Scooby and all three ponies off-guard. “What?!” they shrieked before turning to him in anger. “Like, I get it now!” Shaggy said. “You're no tour guide!” “No, mon frère,” Alphonse shook his head. “I am Alphonse Lafleur, ze greatest hunter in all ze world!” “And you were going to use me and my friends as monster bait,” Misty snarled, “to help you catch that ice cold cretin!” “Yeah,” Scooby nodded with a huff. “Monster bait!” “All of this, just for a monster that lurks in these mountains?” Snow Spell's gaze began to narrow, and a wind began to quickly pick up. “I hope you never catch that beast, so you can show the world how foolish you were to potentially let me friends get hurt!” “Snow Spell, calm down!” Sunny said urgently. “If you get any angrier, the snow and wind could blow us off the mountain!” “I appreciate you trying to help, Sunny,” Snow Spell said as she began to paw her hoof into the snow. “But I have this under control.” Suddenly, a roar caught her off-guard, and the abominable snowman leapt down right in front of them. “Ha ha ha!!” Alphonse laughed. “At last, ze creature! He is here!” “And, like, we're gone, man! Real gone!” Shaggy argued, and he, Scooby, Misty and Sunny broke out into a run. “Snow Spell, come on!” Misty called back. “Let's go!” Snow Spell didn't waste any time and ran after her friends in order to keep away from the monster. During the chase, Alphonse tries to trap the monster but he failed when the traps were set off on him then the monster continued to chase the heroes. The monster then encountered the five of them as Santa Clause, elves and reindeer, and Shaggy quickly gave him a gift. It unraps the gift revealing a snow globe, with him in it, but that made him angry and they binded him in a bag and they spun him away, and then they run as it chases them again to the igloo with them fishing. When the monster arrived, Shaggy handed him the fishing rod. And then he was pulled into and kicked out of the water, they ran. The fish slapping at the Abominable Snowman before going back to the water, and the angry monster went after the heroes again. During the midst of the chase, Pemba quickly emerged from his tent. “What is going on out here?” “Like, you don't want to know!” Shaggy wailed, and the snowman roared at Pemba before he ran, but unfortunately, Pemba got caught in one of the monster traps. “No!!” “Pemba!!” Snow Spell cried, screeching to a halt. “We'll come back for him, Snow Spell, I promise!” Sunny said. “Right now, we have to get this monster off our rear ends!” But they were immediately halted when the snowman jumped right in their path. And to make matters worse, the ground bridge undernesth them began to crumble! “Like, if I wasn't freezing,” Shaggy trembled, “I'd be having a major meltdown!” “Come on, alicorn powers...” Sunny strained. “Come on, come on!” The second she was able to transform and grab Snow Spell and Misty, the bridge broke, and Shaggy and Scooby began to plummet toward the ground! “No no no!!” Sunny cried. “When I get close, grab the boys with your magic!” “Right!” both unicorns nodded, and Sunny began to dive after their screaming friends. But once they got close enough, Misty and Snow Spell grabbed Shaggy and Scooby in their magic auras. “We got them!” Misty cried in relief. “But...” Sunny strained. “I can't hold all of you up much longer! Hang on!” The five began to drop quickly, falling into the snow and rolling into a giant snowball before falling into a large snowbank. “Ugh... is everyone alright?” Snow Spell groaned as she and her friends popped out of the snowbank. “Um... I would be...” Misty gulped. “If that light wasn't coming toward us!” Indeed, there was a large set of lights coming their way, and they hid in the snowbank as they got closer. Turns out, it was a snowmobile coming closer, and a familiar figure to Shaggy and Scooby came out from it. “Shaggy? Scooby? Is that really you?” “Huh?” everyone popped out of the snow as they looked toward an obese man in his young adult years with brown hair. “It's me, Del Chillman. Wow! What are you guys doing up here?” “Would you believe it?” Shaggy groaned. “We're on vacation.” “Yeah... vacation,” Scooby said. “Well, all of you hop in,” Del invited. “Let's get you someplace warmer than out here.” Seeing no complaints, the group quickly got into the snowmobile, with Alphonse watching as it took off. “So, Shaggy, his friends, and ze puchy hitched a ride, eh? No matter, where they go, ze monster will sure to follow.”