The ponies were on their way out to the Marestream to complete their next Unity Quest, but on their way outside, something strange happened. Their cutie marks began to glow brightly, sending streaks of magic to a nearby wall, causing a portal to quickly ignite. “That’s strange,” Zipp hummed. “Our cutie marks have never made a portal to our Unity Quest destination outside the Brighthouse before.”
“I’m definitely not complaining-- at least we don’t have to go ALL the way to Maretime Bay and then ALL the way back when we’re done,” Hitch said. “Well, what are we waiting for?” Misty asked them. “Let’s head into the portal and wherever this Unity Quest will take us!”
“Right behind you, Misty-Twisty!” Izzy said, and they followed the blue unicorn into the portal before it disappeared in a flash of light.
XXXXXXXX
Coolsville’s annual Halloween carnival was one of the events that Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Incorporated crew had to come home for and take a break from mystery solving-- there hadn’t been one time that they hadn’t missed one.
But this year would be entirely different than Halloweens in years past. This one would be a bit more… monstrous than ever.
Now, back to the story.
The one ride that the gang couldn’t miss was the Ghost Coaster, one of the best roller coasters they’ve ever been on-- it was so terrifying, it was incredible! And that’s what the gang was riding now, a coaster filled with ghouls, goblins, witches and even a werewolf or too. And instead of being scared out of their minds, Scooby and Shaggy just laughed and had fun.
Once the ride was over, the gang was out of breath, but smiling in delight as they got off. “Jeepers, that was seriously scary,” Daphne said. “Come on! Let's go again!”
But the way Velma groaned told the red-headed girl otherwise. “Let’s not and say we didn’t.”
“I’m with Daphne,” Fred interrupted them with a smile. “The Ghost Coaster is by far the scariest ride at the Halloween Carnival.”
Meanwhile, Shaggy and Scooby were bouncing on the haunted castle bounce house, and Shaggy laughed. “Are you kidding?” he asked. “Like, that ride put the easy in cheesy!”
“Yeah… cheesy!” Scooby giggled as they hopped off, with Daphne and Fred and Velma going behind a photo scene, with Fred as a vampire, Velma as a werewolf and Daphne as a witch. Daphne smirked at their best friends with a knowing smirk. “Are you sure you weren’t just a little bit scared?”
“By all the blood sucking vampires?” Fred asked in a Transylvania-styled voice. “Howling werewolves?” Velma added with a smirk. “And wicked witches!” Daphne cackled, but Shaggy only chuckled, not frightened one bit. “Nice try, gang, but Scoob and I aren't scared of any of those phony old frights.”
“Yeah, phony frights,” Scooby agreed with a giggle. “Come on,” Fred said with the same knowing smirk Daphne was wearing. “Not even on Halloween night?” Daphne asked, and Shaggy’s face grew into a smirk as well. “Ha! Are you kidding? Halloween is the one night when you know everything is fake!” he said before he gestured to all the nearby people in costumes. “Just take a look around! It's nothing but wannabe witches and goofball ghosts as far as the eye can see.”
As for Scooby, the Great Dane took one look at the cotton candy machine nearby and dove in, his head lathered with the sweet pink fluff, which he happily licked off his face. “Yum yum,” he said with a giggle, prompting Shaggy to laugh as he came over with a gigantic lollypop. “But I got to admit, a holiday invented just to eat candy can't be all bad.”
As Shaggy downed the lollipop in one gulp, a portal suddenly opened near the two of them, and the ponies stepped out of it, still dressed in their costumes. “Wow!” Izzy said in awe. “This town sure goes out for Nightmare Night! Or… Halloween. Heh heh, it’s so fun to say!”
“Sunny, Misty, ponies!” Shaggy exclaimed happily. “You’re back!”
“Yippee!” Scooby howled, licking Misty on the face as the other gang members came closer. “Okay, okay, Scoobers!” Misty said, hugging him. “It’s great to see all of you too! Happy Halloween!”
“It’s an even better Halloween now that you guys are here,” said Daphne. “How many crystals do you guys still need to find?”
“Three more, and we should be able to snap my mom out of her evil plan,” Misty said with relief. “And the sooner we find them, the better.”
“Well, like, I hope you guys can stay and celebrate Halloween with us,” Shaggy said. “Especially with those kooky costumes!”
“Aww, thanks!” Pipp smiled, looking at her costume. “Designed by yours truly. Just wait till I see what I’m imagining for all of you!”
While Pipp, Misty and Sunny continued to talk to each other, Zipp had found a sign not too far away and pointed over at it. “Hey, check it out,” she said, prompting Izzy, Hitch, Fred and the girls to come closer. “Halloween Spectacular,” Velma read. “The Amazing Krudsky, master of magic!”
“This oughta be good,” Daphne said. “I’ll grab tickets before they sell out!” Fred offered before going in that direction. “And with our costumes, nopony will suspect a thing!” said Hitch. “It’s the perfect disguise-filled night to be looking for the crystal.”
Meanwhile, the remaining mares watched patiently as Shaggy dunked his head into the apple-bobbing bucket, pulling out three apples before he downed the three of them in one bite. Sunny giggled and turned toward the Great Dane beside her with a smile. “Try and beat that, Scoob.”
“Scooby-Dooby-Doooo!!” Scooby howled and cannonballed right into the bucket, causing a huge splash which came down on most of the group, leaving them wet beyond belief. “Scooby!” Velma and Daphne fussed, but when Scooby came up with all the apples in his mouth, they couldn’t help but smile and try and stifle a laugh. But nearby, a man in a top hat and coat couldn’t help but grumble in anger. “Confounded mutt!” he exclaimed. “Look what you’ve done! I’m soaked! Argh… wet dog smell…”
Seeing that this man might not be really in a talking mood, the ponies and Sparky decided to take cover and make sure he would be safe to be around before revealing themselves. “Oh, wow! We know you! You’re the Amazing Krudsky!” Fred exclaimed as he approached with the tickets. “We were just on our way to catch your act,” Daphne told him. “Act?” Krudsky smirked. “The Halloween Spectacular is no mere act. Now, out of the way. I must go blow-dry my cummerbund.”
“So, like, I guess we'll be seeing you inside,” Shaggy smiled, but before he left, he walked toward Scooby. “Three magic words,” he said. “No… dogs… allowed.”
“Huh?” Scooby blinked in surprise, and they all watched as Krudsky stormed off. The ponies and Sparky came out of hiding, and they themselves couldn't believe what just happened. Scooby had made one tiny mistake, and Krudsky just banned him from seeing the show? “Can you believe the nerve of this guy?” Shaggy crossed his arms, displeased. “Master of magic… puh-lease! Like, what a bunch of Halloween hooey! All of us know that ponies can harness magic way better than he supposedly could.”
“Yeah-- hooey!” Scooby huffed, nose stuck up in the air. “He did seem pretty upset,” Sunny frowned. “Maybe we could try and talk to him, see if he can undo the banishment so Scooby can still see the performance.”
“I don’t think he’s in much of a talking mood, especially when it will come to Shaggy and Scooby,” Zipp interrupted. “We have to figure out another plan.”
But, suddenly, Shaggy thought of a little something to get Krudsky back for this unfair judgement. “Hey. That gives me an idea. Like, what do you say we get in on the act?”
He whispered his plan to Scooby and Pipp, and by their excited and mischievous smiles, they were in. “Misty, wanna help?” Pipp whispered. “I don’t know,” said Misty. “Whatever you’re planning doesn’t sound good.”
“Oh, come on, it’s fine! Nopony’s gonna get hurt. Trust me.”
Misty was still rather unsure of the idea, but she didn’t want to disappoint Pipp and cause tension. So, against her better judgment… she nodded. “Great! Meet us at the back of the tent when the show starts to get Scooby inside,” Pipp whispered. “And leave the rest to us.”
XXXXXXXX
While Fred, Daphne and Velma went inside the tent to watch the show, Sunny, Hitch, Izzy and Zipp watched from outside, just to keep an eye on things... and keep an eye out for their friends, who mysteriously disappeared as the show was about to begin. Soon, the show began, the red curtains pulling apart. “Once a year, on Halloween night, the powers of the dark meet the powers of the light!”
Krudsky then appeared in a flash of light and a puff of some, causing the crowd to applaud in delight. “People of Coolsville, fix your slack-jaw gaze upon my dazzling powers!”
Krudsky, after making this claim, waved his wand to ignite fireworks, much to the crowd’s delight, just before he set his wand on the table. “From the elegant parlors of Vienna to this unglamorous backwater, I, the Amazing Krudsky, have come to astound you! Abra-cam, kalabazam!”
But, instead of a rabbit like he was expecting, Scooby’s head popped up from his hat! “Ta-da!” he exclaimed. “Scooby-Dooby-Doo! Hee hee hee hee!”
Krudsky looked beyond surprised as the crowd laughed, thinking that this was all part of the act, while Sunny, Hitch, Izzy and Zipp's faces went as pale as ghosts, with their eyes wide. “What is Scooby doing?!” Hitch wondered in a whisper, keeping Sparky back and out of sight. “Sabotaging the show?!”
“This must be what Pipp, Shaggy and Scooby were whispering about earlier!” Zipp realized with a growl. “I am SO gonna get my sister for this.”
Shaggy then went onstage and removed the table cloth from the table while Misty and Pipp remained out of sight behind the curtains. “Like, check it out-- that's not magic. This table has a hole in it!” Shaggy showed off, causing the crowd to gasp. “Confound it…” Krudsky growled. “You’re ruining my--”
But before he could finish, he fell right underneath the stage with a scream. “And would you look at that? Like, a trapdoor built right into the floorboards!” Shaggy said, nudging Scooby playfully. “That must be how he magically appeared on stage.”
“Oooh… uh-huh, uh-huh,” Scooby nodded enthusiastically. “There’s no mystery here, Scoob,” Shaggy said to the dog loud enough for the crowd to hear. “Like, the Amazing Krudsky is just a make-believe magician.”
The crowd instantly didn’t like hearing that Krudsky was a fraud, beginning to boo at him and jeer, resulting all of them leaving the show early. “No, please!” Krudsky protested, struggling and climbing out from the trapdoor. “C-Come back! I can explain!”
But it only took one child sticking their tongue out at him that made Misty gulp nervously. “Pipp? You think we MAY have taken things a little too far?”
“...maybe a little,” Pipp grimaced as she nodded. “But just a little.”
“I’ll get you for this,” Krudsky threatened, closing himself behind the curtains on the opposite side of the stage that the ponies were on before opening them again. “And your big dog too!”
Once Krudsky had disappeared behind the curtains again, Misty and Pipp came out of hiding. And that's when the real fear set in-- when their friends heard about this... Misty was sure that they were in serious trouble.