//------------------------------// // Opaline's Return and the Knightly Challenges Begin // Story: G5 Adventures in Scooby-Doo! The Sword and the Scoob // by ponydog127 //------------------------------// “All right… those last pieces should go around Fred’s chest,” Phoenix said to her new friends, “but make sure they’re not so tight that he can’t breathe.” The fiery unicorn had gone into the stables with Pipp, Sunny, Izzy, Daphne and Scooby to help Fred get ready for the tournament, and although she hadn’t done too many designs with knight armor, she knew how some knights put it on, and instructed the group in how to put it on properly. Once this was done, Fred was fully dressed in the silver armor, turning back toward his friends. “Well… how do I look?” Daphne smiled, putting his ascot around his neck before kissing him gently. “Like my knight in shining armor.” “Mine too,” Scooby licked Fred’s face, causing Fred to smile. “Thanks, Scoob.” “Well, Fred, you better get out there,” Sunny said. “Before King Arthur gets too impatient.” Suddenly, wicked laughter filled the air again, causing Sunny to flinch, looking around. “There it is again! That’s the same laughter I heard earlier!” “Oh, I believe you now, Sunny,” Pipp said fearfully. “Cause I heard it too!” “But… if it’s not any of us laughing,” Phoenix spoke, “then where is that laughter coming from?” “Oh, I know where it’s coming from…” In a puff of smoke, a familiar, terrifying figure appeared in the stable with them, wickedly smirking. “...it came from me.” “No…” Sunny backed up in terror. “No, it can’t be!!” “Opaline…?!” Scooby gulped. “She’s back?!” “But… but I thought you guys destroyed her!” Fred argued, causing Izzy to gulp. “That makes two of us!” “I-I don’t understand,” Phoenix said, startled and confused. “Who is she? W-What’s going on?” “Oh, there’s no need to keep secrets from her, Sunny. I was the rightful heir to Equestria until my magic was stripped from me… and I was destroyed,” Opaline sent a glare toward Sunny, Pipp, Izzy and the three remaining members of Mystery Incorporated before smirking. “But no matter… anything is possible when your family comes to back you up.” At this, Sunny raised an eyebrow. “What are you…?” “She means me,” Paradise said quietly, coming out of the shadows. “I freed her from the world of the dead.” “You what?!” Pipp cried. “Paradise, how could you?!” “Misty was so convinced that you were capable of turning to good!” Daphne agreed. “We all were! What is she gonna think of you now?!” “SILENCE!!!” Opaline snarled. “Paradise… let me speak to them.” “Yes, Mother,” Paradise said with a bow. “Of course.” “Now… my plan is like this; once I gather enough cutie mark magic, including yours,” said Opaline toward the three ponies who faced her before, “I will create a portal back to Equestria and take ALL the cutie marks there. And once I do… the Unity Crystals will be MINE!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” After her laughter, she shot a strong beam of magic toward Izzy, Pipp and Sunny, causing Phoenix to gasp and leap in front of them. “NO!!!” The fiery unicorn was immediately caught in the spell, causing the others to gasp. “PHOENIX!!” “Take one step toward her,” said Paradise with her horn blazing with magic, “and your magic is next.” This left the group in an unbearably hard place… risk their cutie marks to save her, or obey their orders? XXXXXXXX While they were waiting for the challenges to begin, Royal suddenly felt a shiver of familiarity rush over her, groaning in pain. But her body only shivered like that when… her friends were in danger. Phoenix… it had to be Phoenix! “Royal?” Royal snapped her head to look at Misty, and she was very concerned for the sake of her new friend. “A-Are you okay?” “Oh… y-yes, I’m fine,” Royal said with a stammer. “If… if you’ll excuse me…” With that, the pegasus immediately got up and trotted off, much to Shaggy’s concern. “Like, is she okay?” “I don’t know… you stay here with King Arthur,” Misty told him. “I’m gonna see what’s wrong.” XXXXXXXX Phoenix immediately began to strain in her magic binds as Opaline got closer. “No… no! Keep away from me!!” “Hush, little pony, don’t say a word…” Opaline smirked as her eyes began to glow violet. “And let me take what is rightfully mine…” And with the glow of her horn, Phoenix’s cutie mark was ripped away from her flank and Opaline levitated it into a small jar before handing it to Paradise. “Hold onto this-- don’t let those ponies near it.” “Phoenix!” Izzy cried as she, Pipp and Sunny ran to her once Opaline undid her binds. “Talk to us! Are you okay?!” “Y-Yes… but… weakened,” Phoenix said as she tried to stand. “I felt all the magic from my body leave me once my mark was stolen… but I’m okay now.” “Ohhh, that is it!” Fred snarled before he ran right toward her to try and take her down-- a risky move in the ponies’ opinion. “Why, I oughta…” Opaline merely lit her horn once again at this. “FREEZE!!!” And suddenly, at her cry, Fred froze in place, falling onto her side. “I… I can’t move!” “Let him go!” Pipp cried in anger. “Don’t worry,” Morgan slyly assured. “It’s only temporary. “But long enough to stop him from competing. Now nothing can stop Morgan from taking the throne from Arthur and me from taking Equestria by storm! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” And as Paradise quickly trotted to her mother’s side, they both disappeared in a puff of smoke. Scooby immediately turned to the others, clearly terrified. “What are we gonna do?!” “We have to figure out someway to stop them,” Sunny desperately said, “but with Opaline having a cutie mark and its power in her possession, she just got stronger!” “And Fred can’t joust like this,” Daphne said worriedly as Izzy helped her pick Fred up off the ground. “He'll have to forfeit, and King Arthur will win!” Pipp gulped at this. “Which means we might…” “Poof,” Scooby whimpered. “Disappear.” “No… we have to give Zipp, Hitch and Velma more time to get us out of this time period, and we have to make sure everypony stays safe if Opaline were to get stronger!” Sunny said. “Any ideas?” “Well… we could always have the knights who aren’t participating be on high alert,” Daphne said, “so they can keep an eye out for Morgan, Opaline and Paradise.” “Good idea,” Fred nodded. “And I have another plan… a plan so crazy, it might just work.” XXXXXXXX “Royal? Royal Enchantment, where are you?!” Misty had been wandering through the halls, looking all over for their new pegasus friend, after she left so suddenly, and before the challenge began. She looked worried... but Misty couldn't figure out why. Suddenly, Misty heard sniffling coming from the throne room, and even though she only knew Royal for a short time, Misty could recognize sadness from a mile away... ...and Royal was devastated. As Misty entered the throne room, Royal stopped crying on the throne and wiped her eyes as Misty came forward. “Misty... uh... what are you doing here?” “You're kidding... you left the arena so worried, I had to come and check on you,” Misty pointed out. “What's going on, Royal? You know you can tell me... right?” “Y-Yes, I do, but... if I tell you... it could change the friendship between us and our friends forever.” “No... we would never let that happen, I promise you that. You can tell me... and you can bet your life that I wouldn't judge.” Royal thought about this for a bit before she sighed. Misty was right. She had kept this secret for so long.... she had to tell somepony. And Misty seemed like the right pony for the job. Royal hopped down from the throne, approaching Misty and removing an anklet of her front leg. And when Misty looked and saw it, she gasped in surprise. In Royal's leg were black cracks, and now that Misty saw this, there were scars like these in all of her legs. Never seeing this before in her life, Misty had a lot of questions. “What... what happened?” Royal sighed heavily before beginning her tale. “Me and Aspen and my friends did live in a village where we got powers connected to what our cutie marks were, but... what I didn't tell you was that... my cutie mark is connected to me controlling dark magic.” “Really?” “Unfortunately, yes. The elders of our village saw me as a hindrance, and so a lot of other ponies.” Misty looked at her with a soft expression. “Except your friends and Aspsn... right?” “Yeah. My aunt, Aspen's mother, passed away a few years ago, leaving Aspen in my care,” Royal continued, “and Platinum and Phoenix were my best friends since fillyhood. But then... about two years ago... an evil wolf pack attacked our village, killing almost everypony in it... except for my cousin, my friends, and me.” Misty put her hooves to her mouth to muffle a gasp. “Royal, I am so sorry! That's... that's horrible! Is the attack how you... got those scars?” “...sort of,” Royal admitted. “While we were looking for a new home, one of those wolves from that pack had followed us, and when we reached a dead end, they all attacked. I was able to fly somewhere safe, but Aspen and the girls were in trouble. I was so fed up with anger and fear that I slammed all four of my hooves down-- hard-- and used my dark magic to send those wolves into oblivion. That day is when I got the scars... and that's when I realized how dangerous my anger could be.” “But... you were only angry because those wolves were attacking somepony you cared about,” Misty said. “You didn't do it for a vengeful purpose.” “...that's what Phoenix kept telling me. But... I don't know if I should ever trust myself again...” Misty sighed before she decided go tell Royal a story of her own. “...my life isn't all butterflies and rainbows either. My mom was the adopted daughter of a fire alicorn named Opaline, who was awful-- my mom served her, and once I was born, she abandoned me at Opaline’s doorstep in order to make up for her mistake of going out and falling in love.” “Oh, Misty...” Royal whispered. “I am so sorry...” Misty nodded in acknowledgement. “Look... Opaline was more awful than you could ever know. She kept me locked in her lair for moons, and manipulated me due to her evil thinking, promising me a cutie mark if I did what she said. But... I managed to help defeat her, even though the memories of what I did still haunt me. The point is... you can turn those memories into ways to learn... to help you confront the terrors from your past. I know you can do it, Royal... all you have to do is believe in yourself.” Royal sighed, thinking about all of what Misty said... realizing that she was right. She had to do something to fix these wrongs that she had committed. And that included forgiving herself. Smiling, Royal hugged her friend, who gladly hugged back. “Thank you, Misty... for listening.” “Don't mention it... that's what friends do, right?” Royal smiled and reached under her wing, pulling a shiny object out from it. “Here... I want you to keep this.” Under her wing had been a silver tiara, decorated with rhinestones, pearls and small butterfly-shaped beads... something very valuable to her. Misty gasped in surprise, taking the crown and putting it on. “Royal... it's beautiful! But... are you sure?” “I actually don't need anymore tiaras, so... I wanna give you one, as a thank you gift.” “...thank you. I love it.” “No problem at all. Now come on... we have a knightly challenge to get to.” XXXXXXXX Only a few minutes later, a large crowd of people developed around the arena, and they were chanting Fred’s name over and over, waiting for him to come out to start the tournament. But, he never came out, and King Arthur was smirking while Shaggy, Misty and Royal looked into the arena worriedly. “Um… where’s your knight?” “Uh… I don’t know,” Misty frowned. Where was Fred? He had to come out and win, otherwise they’d disappear! Suddenly, a fanfare began to play, and down in the arena, the suited competitor for Shaggy's side came into the arena on a white and gray horse. Only, it wasn't Fred on that horse-- it was Daphne! The presence of a girl wearing knight's armor caused the crowd to gasp and murmur in shock and confusion. “Is that a non-man?” King Arthur questioned in shock, and Shaggy shook his head instantly. “No, that's Daphne! Where's Fred?!” “Felled by dark magic,” Daphne clarified. “It's a long story that I'll have to explain later, but for now, I'm standing in.” King Arthur was skeptical about the opposing side's winning chances. “A non-man doing sporty man things? That's a laugh, isn't it? Ha! Well, Norville, after you lose, maybe I can find a job for you on my staff,” King Arthur wrapped an arm around Shaggy's shoulders. “What are your thoughts on waste removal? I've got a few ripe buckets of…” That's when Misty decided to speak on Shaggy's behalf, having enough of the king berating what all women could do. “Actually, King Arthur, in all of our lands, non-men... uh, women can do whatever they put their minds to. And some of them are pretty scary.” Daphne smiled from her position, and turned to face her opponent, Sir Lancelot, staring down at him like a hawk. Once their visors were lowered and their lances were given, they charged. But, instead of crashing into the opponent, the lances smashed at the impact of one another, leaving the loud noise to make Shaggy and King Arthur quiver in fear. The squires supplied the knights with new lances before they charged again, but this time, both knights were knocked off their horses and onto the ground! Everyone in the stands gasped as Lancelot began to rise and drew his sword, while Daphne was weaponless AND powerless. Suddenly, there came a voice. “Smite him, Daph!” Daphne turned to see Scooby and Phoenix wheeling the still-frozen Fred in on a cart, with Sunny, Izzy and Pipp standing close by. “Smite that knight right in the snoot!” Izzy encouraged enthusiastically. Soon enough, the entire village was chanting Daphne’s name over and over. But then, Sir Lancelot charged right toward Daphne, causing Sunny to gasp in alarm. “Daphne, look out!” Daphne was able to avoid Lancelot’s attack a few times, all while the stands stood with tension. “You fight like a girl,” Lancelot insulted, “so I’ll go easy on you!” Once Daphne was pressed against the back of the wall, she turned to look at Lancelot with a cocky look. “Oh, I was just dodging,” she told him. “Was I supposed to be fighting?” “Look, little girl. First off, you’re as skinny as a--” Lancelot started to say, but Daphne then started throwing punches and kicks right at him, leaving Lancelot bruised and beaten. “...stick…” “Don’t worry,” Daphne said confidently. “Those dents will buff right out.” “Yes! Yes! Yes!!” Royal cheered, flying around in joy while Shaggy laughed joyously. “Lancelot just got beat by a girl! Ha ha ha ha!!” “That’s a point for you,” King Arthur told Shaggy, “but it was sooo worth it!” And apparently, the crowd was also pleased, cheering as loud as their lungs could inhale. “Sir Daphne! You’re my night in shining armor!” Fred shouted to Daphne from the sidelines, which caused Daphne to blush as she continued to face the roaring crowd. But I won't say the remaining part of the adventure is going to be easy. Because let me tell you... it isn't. XXXXXXXX “Phoenix, can you and Scooby watch over Fred for a little while?” Sunny asked the cutie markless unicorn. “We have to go tell Misty and Shaggy about what happened in the stables.” “Of course,” Phoenix nodded. “You can count on us.” The three mares immediately galloped up the stairs and toward their friends, but Misty immediately noticed that her friends looked slightly panicked. “Guys, what is it? You look like you've just seen a ghost.” “Much worse than a ghost... much worse!” Pipp panted. “It's Opaline! She's back!” Misty, upon hearing those words, felt her blood run cold, eyes widening in fear. “W-Wha... w-w-what?!” “Hold on,” Royal interrupted. “The same Opaline that you said you all destroyed several months ago? The one who kept you locked away for all those moons?” “Like, that's the one,” Shaggy said with a shudder. “But how is she back? I-I thought she... well... e-exploded!” “Well... that's what I hate to tell you, Misty,” Sunny said gently. “Somehow, Paradise was able to bring Opaline back, and... they're both teaming up with Morgan le Fay, and Opaline already stole Phoenix's cutie mark.” “What?!” Royal cried. “Oh, those villainous creatures! When I get my hooves on them, I--” “Why...? Why did I trust that my mom still had some good in her...?” Misty sniffled, trying to keep her tears from falling. “I should have trusted you guys when you said that I shouldn’t get my hopes up...” “Misty, I'm so sorry...” Shaggy said comfortingly. “We'll find a way to stop her... again.” “Of course we will,” Royal stated. “What's the plan?” “Pipp, run up to Merlin's tower and alert the others,” Sunny said. “Royal, can you get the queen to take Aspen inside where it's safe?” “Of course.” “Misty, stay up here with Shaggy, Royal and King Arthur,” Sunny went on. “Izzy and I will keep an eye on things from the ground level, and if they were to attack, we'll be ready.” She looked up toward the sky, taking a deep breath. “Opaline isn't going to take over Equestria... not now, not ever. We're gonna make sure of it.”