//------------------------------// // Family Beach Day!/Trouble in Tokyo // Story: G5 Adventures in Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword // by ponydog127 //------------------------------// The previous Unity Quest in New York City was something that the ponies will never forget… in more than one way. The sights and spending the entire adventure with the Smurfs was amazing, but having to protect them from the evil wizard Gargamel was a lot of work, and not to mention dangerous. On this adventure, they got lucky. But next time, they could be in a whole new stretch of trouble, especially with Paradise still out there and not knowing where she could be. That’s when Pipp and Misty seemed to get a great idea-- they could invite their families for a family day celebration down on the beach! There, they could spend some time with their loved ones and sort of unwind before the Unity Crystals called them out on another mission. Finally... the day of the big family beach day arrived. XXXXXXXX “All right… Dad and me will probably be over in this general area,” Misty said, setting some towels down near the cliff. “Not too far from the water, but not too far away from the stairs in case we wanna go up to town.” “Sounds great, Misty!” Hitch said as he and Sparky set up some beach toys. “Sparky is gonna build a sandcastle over here while me and Granny talk.” “How does Queen Haven like the beach?” Sunny asked Pipp and Zipp. “Zephyr Heights is more of a… sky-centered city.” “We took her down here to show her where we first found that Ocean Lily, and the ocean is one of the most beautiful sights she’s ever seen,” Zipp said. “I don’t think she’ll be out surfing with me though.” “Of course not!” Pipp scoffed. “She is a queen! Queens don’t surf.” “And you’re saying crown princesses don’t surf either?” “Well, I-- what?! No! That is not what I am saying at all!” “Uh, hey! Speaking of families,” said Izzy, separating the two sisters, “I think I see everypony arriving!” Everyone turned to see she was right-- an elderly pink earth pony mare came down the steps first, making Hitch gasp and gallop into her waiting hooves. “Granny!” “Oh, hello, my darling Hitchie!” Grandma Figgy said, hugging her grandson. “And hello to you too, my little dragon sweetheart!” Sparky giggled as his grandma tickled his tummy, just as the royal trumpets sounded, and Queen Haven made her arrival with royal guards Thunder and Zoom. “Girls! Oh, I’m so happy to see you!” “Mom!” Pipp ran up and hugged her. “We’re glad you could make it,” Zipp smiled. “Now all we gotta do is wait for Alphabittle to arrive.” “I could hardly believe it when I heard Misty is Alphie’s daughter,” Queen Haven admitted before glancing over toward Misty. “But, I am more than willing to accept her with open hooves.” “That’s great,” Zipp smiled. “I’m sure Alphabittle will be glad to hear it too.” “Hey, I think I see him now!” Sunny said, looking toward the tall gray unicorn stallion coming down the stairs, and Misty gasped in delight. “Dad!” “Hey, my Misty-Wisty!” Alphabittle said, hugging her tenderly. “Oh, sorry… that’s what I used to call you when you were just a filly, and I guess I’m trying to break myself from that habit.” “Oh, it’s okay,” Misty said. “I’m glad you’re here. Is this your first time in Maretime Bay?” “Actually, yeah. I’ve never been to the coast before except after magic returned… it’s kinda peaceful down here.” “...not as peaceful as you’d think,” Zipp muttered, but Pipp chuckled to her sister in order to get her to be quiet. “Now that we’re all here, we can get this party started!” XXXXXXXX Nights in Tokyo, Japan were always busy-- buildings flashing their bright lights, cars all over honking through traffic, people walking on the streets… but there was one part of town that wasn’t as busy… the older districts of the city. Specifically, the old Tokyo Museum of Cultural History. In the midst of the building, a young teenager named Kenji was listening to music while cleaning the floors with a young unicorn filly (with a creamish-yellow coat, dark purple eyes, a mane and tail of different shades of blue, part of her mane tied up in a ponytail, and a cutie mark of a dream catcher) named Dream Maker. The filly seemed hard at work while Kenji was working and rocking out when he and the filly yelped at the sight of a shadow going over the glass ceiling above them, but they saw nothing there when they looked up. The museum’s curator, Mr. Takagawa and his assistant Moon Blossom (an earth pony mare with a celadon green coat, medium orchid colored eyes, a wavy and somewhat curled navy blue mane and tail and a cutie mark of dark blue magic swirling around a moon) encountered the two of them staring at the ceiling, and Mr. Takagawa let out an exasperated sigh. “Kenji? Kenji!” “AHH!!” Kenji screamed as the filly yelped, not expecting them to be in there with them as Mr. Takagawa handed him a mop. “I’m paying you to look after Dream Maker and to clean the floors, not stare off into space!” “We’re sorry, Miss Blossom and Takagawa san,” Dream Maker bowed her head, disappointed in herself for getting so distracted-- she was always the level-headed one of herself and Kenji. “But, w-we got distracted.” Mr. Takagawa let through a heavy sigh, rubbing his hand over his face. “Alas, that is why no one comes to the museum anymore,” he said just before turning and glaring at the two. “Too many distractions-- no discipline. No respect for the old ways.” “Come with us-- we’ll show you,” Moon Blossom told the two, despite Kenji's protesting. “Miss Blossom, where are we going?” Dream Maker asked, ears pinned fearfully. “I’ve never gone down this hallway before. I-I’m sorry I got distracted, I just…” “Hey, it’s okay,” Moon Blossom assured, taking on a gentle tone. “I know sometimes fillies get distracted, and you’ve been going through a lot lately. Mr. Takagawa just wants to make sure you learn something from this experience.” “Well… I guess so…” With this being said, Moon Blossom and Mr. Takagawa led the two of them to a back room that they had never thought about going into before, and turned on the lights to reveal a jet-black suit of armor with some gold and dark red mixed in. “Behold,” Mr. Takagawa spoke with a flourish. “The Black Samurai!” Dream Maker and Kenji’s eyes immediately widened as they gasped. “Awesome… the Black Samurai…” Dream Maker stared up at the case with wide eyes of admiration. “Never heard of him,” Kenji shrugged, a little unfazed. “The most fearsome warlord in the history of Japan! Do you see what I am getting at, Kenji?” Mr. Takagawa asked. “Uh… yes, Takagawa san,” Kenji answered hesitantly. “You want me to mop in here.” “No!” Mr. Takagawa answered in exasperation. “That this exhibit could save the museum!” Suddenly, the lights went out without any explanation, and a harsh wind began to blow, which slammed the door to the main part of the museum shut, and electricity began to surge throughout the armor. And worst of all, Moon Blossom had no idea how to explain it. “W-What is happening?!” The samurai’s red eyes glowed just before the glass case burst open, revealing a moving, laughing suit of armor, which rose from its sitting position before going over and stealing a sword. “I… live…” “Kenji! Do something!” Dream Maker said, hiding behind Moon Blossom with pinned ears. Kenji ran forward immediately with his mop in hand, and tried to use it as a weapon, but the samurai sliced it immediately, laughing before bursting through the ceiling and flying into the busy city. Once catching their breath, Dream Maker turned to her earth pony mentor with slight fear. “Miss Blossom… what exactly did we just see?” “I don’t honestly want to say this, but… it feels like the only explanation,” Moon Blossom gulped. “The ghost of the Black Samurai… has returned.” XXXXXXXX Everyone was having a great time at the beach, eating and making sandcastles and playing in the water. But, Hitch and the mares all agreed that if Paradise were to make a move on Equestria, they had to tell their families so they could expect it… and they had to tell them about their Unity Quests too. It seemed to be for the best. “Um… Mom?” Zipp asked. “Could we talk to you, Grandma Figgy and Alphabittle for a second? It’s important.” “Oh, of course, darling,” Queen Haven smiled. “What is it?” “Well… often times, you would see our cutie marks glow, and we usually have to rush off to the Brighthouse, right?” Sunny asked. “Well… there’s a purpose for that. Our cutie marks have been sending us on quests to other worlds, in order to stop two villains.” “One of them was an evil fire alicorn who wanted Sparky for her dragon fire,” said Hitch. “Another one… well… is Misty’s mom, the adopted daughter of that fire alicorn.” Alphabittle sighed at that… Misty had told him that Paradise abandoned her out in the woods as a filly, but he had no idea she had taken such a dark turn. “Oh goodness!” Grandma Figgy gasped. “Are you all right, Misty dear?” “I’m fine now, Miss Figgy,” Misty nodded. “We just wanted to let you guys know in case we’re together and have to run off… and if Mom were to find her way back to Equestria.” “Of course,” Alphabittle said. “Your secret is safe with us until you’re ready to share it with others.” “Oh my! Darlings, look!” Queen Haven said. “I think your cutie marks are right on cue!” Turns out, their cutie marks were glowing extremely bright, leaving Izzy to sigh. “At least time passes slowly here, so we can still enjoy beach day when we get back.” “Granny, can you look after Sparky until we get back?” Hitch asked, handing Sparky over to his grandma. “No worries, Hitchie,” Grandma Figgy assured. “I’ll keep my eyes on him the whole time.” “All right then, everypony-- back to the Brighthouse!” Sunny declared. “We have a Unity Quest to embark on!”