While Lex Luthor was scolding his trainee Tempest Nova on her exuberant ways, the tour seemed to be going smoothly, with Mayor Flemming and Ophelia taking the lead.
But... something about Tempest and her demeanor worried Zipp... and that something? She was beginning to wonder if Tempest was being hurt like Misty was.
Not physically, but mentally.
That’s when she decided to ask her friends about it. “Guys… I think something’s wrong with Tempest.”
“Huh?” Fred looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you guys see how cruel Mr. Luthor looked at her?” Zipp asked. “Like… how Misty said that Opaline used to look at her.”
“You know… now that you mention it, she did look kinda jumpy back there,” Daphne said in thought. “I just thought it was because she was shy, but…”
“That is something to consider, but let’s not jump to conclusions yet,” said Sunny. “I say we wait until we see her again, and then… maybe we can ask.”
“And behind these doors, you'll find the Hall of Justice trophy room,” the mayor said to the group as the doors opened to reveal the priceless treasures inside. “These are just some of the mementos collected by the Justice League to serve as a reminder of their many years of vigilance and service.”
The friends gasped in awe as they walked around the Trophy Room where there were many items from the league; the Batsuit, Wonder Woman's tiara, the Lasso of Truth, Superman's armor, among other things. “The items in this room are both precious and priceless,” the mayor said, just as Velma noticed some empty display pedestals next to her. “Even these empty pedestals?”
“Well, there were a few alien artifacts too sensitive to leave out for the tour. “An alien-made metal weapon,” listed the mayor, “a Mother Box, the Phantom Zone projector…”
“Phantom projector?! Zoinks!” Shaggy cried as he leapt into the mayor's arms, causing Ophelia to chuckle. “It's just the name, Shaggy. It doesn't have anything to do with ghosts. Or projection for that matter...”
The mayor nodded as Ophelia used her magic to set Shaggy on the ground again. “Luckily, the most dangerous weapons are now safely locked away in a secure military facility offsite.”
At the same time, Scooby had taken one of the energy rings of Green Lantern from a nearby display case and put it on his paw, causing him to grow and become quite aggressive. Luckily, Velma was able to take it off and put it back where it belonged, all while Scooby smiled sheepishly.
While this went on, the mayor’s phone began ringing. “Okay, feel free to explore,” the mayor told the tour group, “and we'll resume the tour in ten minutes.”
When the mayor went to take his phone call, Scooby walked with Pipp while she took plenty of selfies, and Scooby found a cardboard cutout of Superman and stuck his head through the hole. “Pipp, Shaggy, look! I’m a super dog!”
“Awwww, how #cute!” Pipp said as she patted Scooby on the head. “But the only super dog I've heard of,” said Shaggy, “comes with extra chili and a side of more chili!”
As Shaggy laughed at his joke, Scooby tried to wiggle out of the cutout, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get loose.
At the same time, the mayor got done with her phone call, but it was clear by her expression that it wasn’t a good one. “Has something happened?” Daphne asked, leading the mayor to sigh. ““Lex Luthor just increased his bid to purchase the Hall of Justice,” she said as Pipp, Izzy and Shaggy tried to get Scooby free. “At this rate, the City Council may not even bother putting it up for auction. Luthor will win. Luthor always wins.”
“Well, since we’ve noticed his real attitude problem,” Hitch said with a frown, cradling Sparky, “I can say that he COULDN’T have won the popular vote.”
“And Superman always beats him! I’m sure he and the rest of the Justice League are out there somewhere,” Fred assured. “And once we solve this mystery and find them,” said Daphne with a slight frown, “imagine how sore they'll be when they find out you sold their headquarters to Lex Luthor!”
“Oh… I hope you’re right,” the mayor sighed. But before anything else could be said, a glowing figure appeared above them, causing the mayor’s eyes to widen. “Holy…”
“Jinkies!”
“Jeepers!”
“Sweet sauce horseshoe toss!”
“Zoinks!”
“Ruh-roh!”
“Oh my pony!”
“Uh… run?”
Before the eyes of many, the same molten-lava phantom appeared from out of thin air, and as it roared at the crowd, Ophelia and the mayor desperately ran toward the door. “You heard him!” Ophelia shouted to the tourists. “Head for the lobby!”
“You guys go!” Zipp whispered to the gang. “We’ll change into superhero form and drive this guy off!”
While the ponies ran into a seperate part of the room to transform, everyone else ran out of the room at top speed, but the gang unknowingly began to leave Scooby behind! “SHAGGY!!”
“Hang on, Scoob!” Shaggy ran back and grabbed a bow and arrow, beginning to fire arrows repeatedly, only for them to go right through the phantom. That was when a theory about the phantom began to surface in Shaggy’s mind. “Hey! Like, it is a projection! See?”
But as the bow he was holding made contact, golden electricity began to shock Shaggy repeatedly, much to the others’ shock. “Projections don’t do that!” the mayor cried, just before a familiar voice interrupted. “That’s why we’re here!”
Everyone turned to see the Mane 6 emerging in their superhero form, and while Hitch, Misty and Sunny protected Fred, Daphne, Velma and Sparky, Izzy used a pair of scissors as a boomerang to free Scooby from the cutout, and Pipp and Zipp shoved the three of them out of harm's way. Then, after they got themselves together, the phantom dove at them, knocking them aside before flying through the nearby wall. “What?” Misty questioned with shock as their friends got up. “Where did he go?”
“Do you see him, Royal Bolt?” Sunny asked Zipp, whose eyes glowed a bright blue as she scanned around. “No… I don’t!” Zipp said, alarmed. “It’s like he just vanished!”
Immediately after the group began looking for the phantom, he appeared in between Fred, Velma, Daphne and the unicorns, and as the phantom appeared to be heading for Velma (more specifically, her glasses), Zipp shot out a lightning bolt that went right through him, and Daphne thrusted a pole through him while Hitch reared and kicked a punching bag through him as well.
Unfortunately, all of these passed through the phantom, but quickly allowed the group to start running. “Hurry!” the mayor shouted. “Come on!”
“Unity Squad, stay with the gang, no matter what!” Sunny said to her friends as they galloped down the hall. “We have to keep them safe!”
“RIGHT!!”
Misty and Pipp stuck behind Shaggy and Scooby for most of the way, but they ended up getting separated from their friends before eventually ducking into the command center.
Unfortunately, as soon as they got there, a red flash of light and a warning dubbed ‘EMERGENCY LOCKDOWN’ repeatedly flashed upon the screen. “Like, man! You’re telling me!” Shaggy whimpered. The roar of the phantom coming their way was enough to get them to cling to one another in fear before Pipp saw a good hiding place. “Under the table, quick!”
All four of them dove under the table, and then the room fell completely silent after the phantom entered the room… aside from Shaggy and Scooby’s chattering teeth. “Like, as long as we’re quiet,” Shaggy whispered, “there’s no way that phantom will--”
Suddenly, there came a loud barking sound coming from somewhere in the room. “Dudes!” Shaggy scolded. “I said quiet!”
“Wasn’t me,” Scooby shrugged. “Well, if it wasn’t you,” Misty wondered, “then who?”
Then, the barking started up again. “See?” Scooby asked, and fearfully, the group peaked out from under the table to see who it was.
To Misty and Pipp's surprise, it was a white dog with brown eyes, a yellow collar and a red cape attached, barking and growling at the phantom, who roared back in response. Then, to everyone’s shock, the dog actually began to lift off of the ground!
The eyes of Shaggy, Scooby and the girls had never been wider as they began to realize what was going on. “It’s… it’s…” Misty stammered before the dog flew right at the phantom, which caused a wide smile to grace Scooby’s face. “A super-dog!”
From the ground, the four friends could see that the dog was incredibly agile and fast as he flew, and even could shoot laser eyes! Those laser eyes were able to push the phantom back through the wall, no longer being able to scare Shaggy, Scooby and the two super-powered ponies.
After defeating the phantom, the white dog flew back to the table and barked, wagging his tail happily, and this definitely told the girls he was friendly.
And Scooby’s response to the entire thing? Giggling and passing out on the floor due to excitement. “Thank you so much for saving us,” Pipp smiled as Shaggy and Misty helped their friend up off the floor. “We appreciate it more than you know.”
“Yeah! Like, thanks!” Shaggy said, and the dog barked some kind of response… but the girls frowned at that. “It’s too bad our superpowers don’t let us talk to animals like Hitch's earth pony magic,” Pipp frowned. “Then we can understand what he’s saying.”
“Maybe Hitch can help us understand him,” Misty pointed out. “I just hope they realize that we’re still in here and that phantom could come back…”
XXXXXXXX
“This way, everypony!”
“Hurry up!”
“Through here!”
“Come on!”
Fred, Daphne, Velma and the remaining super-powered ponies quickly began to get all the tourists away from harm, while Mayor Fleming and Ophelia waited outside to make sure everyone made it out. “Uh, thank you for visiting the, um… oh, never mind,” the mayor sighed before Velma noticed that members of their group were missing. “Hey, has anyone seen Butterfly Defender, Harmonizer, Shaggy and Scooby?”
“They were right behind us!” Zipp cried out, honestly thankful that Velma remembered to use their alias. “We must’ve gotten separated!” Fred assumed. “Speaking of getting separated,” said the mayor, “you kids better--”
Suddenly, a blaring alarm began to go off, putting steel in front of the windows and completely trapping them inside. “Ophelia!” Hitch cried to get through the metal. “Mayor Fleming! Oh… it’s no use! We’re completely sealed in!”
“On the bright side,” said Fred as the ponies removed their masks, revealing their regular forms, “so is the phantom!”
“That’s the bright side?” Daphne asked with a raised eyebrow. “Hey, if us being in here with the phantom can help us solve this mystery,” said Sunny, “I’ll take it… just so long as our friends are okay.”
“Aha!” Velma shouted in realization after looking at the nearby map. “Follow me!”
The group dashed after her through a series of twists and turns, eventually reaching the control room where they found the remaining members of the gang, Pipp and Misty (the two mares being in their normal forms again). “Just as I thought!” Velma smiled. “Really great work, you guys!”
“Yeah!” Daphne nodded in agreement. “Locking down the facility once the civilians were evacuated…”
“To make it easier to find and catch the phantom,” said Fred with an impressed smile. “Ha. What a trap!”
“It wasn’t us,” Shaggy told them with a shake of his head. “You think we’d lock ourselves in with the phantom?”
“Uh-uh!” Scooby shook his head. “The phantom was here, but we didn’t even have to use our powers to fight him off!” Pipp agreed. “We actually had some… unexpected help.”
Zipp raised an eyebrow at this. “Really? From who?”
Shaggy turned the chair at the control panel around to reveal the white super-dog who saved them earlier, surprising the group as the white dog barked cheerfully. “Aww!” Fred exclaimed. “What a cute pup!”
“Oh, look at you!” Daphne cooed at the white dog before Izzy suddenly thought of something. “Do you think he got left behind by one of the tourists? And now he’s all by himself?”
“Hmmm… I’d say he looks more like a stray,” Velma said, inspecting the dog. “Messy fur, dirty claws, that hungry look in his eyes…”
To Shaggy and Scooby, they seemed to fill in all of those boxes as well, causing Scooby to suddenly think of something. “Shaggy… are we strays?”
“Yep!” Shaggy nodded without hesitation. “But if you guys didn’t initiate the lockdown, who did?” Fred wondered as Shaggy gestured to the white dog again. “You guys,” he said, “you’re looking at him!”
Hitch glanced at Sunny rather strangely. “The dog?”
“A super-dog!” Scooby exclaimed, and this caused even more confusion than before. “And that’s not all he can do,” Pipp went on. “He can fly like a pegasus and he’s got heat-vision!”
“It’s a stray dog, not Superman,” Daphne immediately dismissed. “Well, whoever did it,” said Fred as the white dog suddenly darted across the control room, “they just gave us a leg up in finding the so-called phantom.”
“All right,” Daphne muttered in thought. “So, if I were a monster, where would I…?”
Suddenly, the white dog began to bark and paw at the break room door nearby, as if wanting the gang to check it out. “What is it, boy?” Sunny asked curiously. “Is there something in the break room?”
A sudden crash caused them all to flinch and look toward the door with wide eyes. “Sounds like the break room is already broken,” Shaggy said nervously. “We’ll wait out here.”
“Oh no, you don’t,” Hitch said, pushing the cowardly duo forward. “We’re going to solve this mystery no matter what it takes.”
Fred gently tilted the door handle and pushed the door open, and the Mane 6, plus the gang, as they struggled to get through the door all at once, saw Lex Luthor, Rex and Tempest Nova in the break room.
And through all the grunting and straining, Velma spoke first. “Lex Luthor?!”
“Annoying kids?” Lex looked at the group in surprise. “Rex Ruthor?” Scooby questioned, only to be met with Rex’s angry growl. “Oh, hey, Tempest!” Izzy greeted cheerfully. “Nice to see you!”
“Oh, uh… yeah,” Tempest said, looking a little surprised. “It’s nice to see you too.”
The white dog pushed through the gang and finally made it into the breakroom, causing Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne and Velma to fall on the floor, prompting Rex to laugh as the ponies helped the gang back onto their feet. “Now that we're all reacquainted, what are you still doing in the building?” Daphne asked. “We’re locked down.”
“We know,” Tempest responded, ears folded. “We got separated from my driver in this labyrinth,” Lex complained, “and--”
“And what?” Zipp asked with a narrowed gaze. “And I got lost, okay?” Lex groaned, embarrassed. “Yes, the great Lex Luthor finally did what Lois Lane and Mayor Fleming have been telling him to do for years. He got lost.”
“Anyway…” said Tempest, trying to shift the conversation to make it less awkward, “...we got locked in here, and Rexie and I got kinda hungry… Rex more than me, though.”
“But this infernal machine won’t take my dollar!” Lex interrupted, kicking a vending machine while holding a dollar with his face on it. “You have to flatten it out,” Hitch deadpanned. “Believe me, I’ve had THAT problem before.”
“It’s perfectly crisp,” Lex sneered. “The stupid thing just won't take my dollar. I had them printed up when I was president. They're perfectly acceptable legal tender.”
“We can just give you a real dollar,” Daphne deadpanned. “No, it's fine. Been meaning to field test this anyway.”
Lex aimed his laser watch at the glass casing and blasted it open earning yelps and screams from the others. When it was done Lex smiled at the others but they just gave him frowns of disapproval. “Oh, don't look at me like that. I'll pay them back. Believe me, if there's one thing Superman and the Justice League can expect from me, it's payback,” Lex alliterated in a villainous tone again before seeing a bag of his favorite chips. “Ooh! Chipzees!”
As Lex and Rex each took what they wanted from the pile, he noticed Shaggy and Scooby eagerly panting and wanting some of the snacks, making Lex sigh. “Oh, I suppose…” said Lex as Shaggy and Scooby rushed back and forth to get the snacks they wanted. “If you must… help yourselves.”
“Like, we thought you’d never ask, Lex old buddy!” Shaggy patted his shoulder before zooming to the table with Scooby. “Well, I’ve seen super speed,” observed Lex, “but this…”
“Trust me,” said Pipp, “you haven’t seen ANYTHING yet! Just watch and see how fast they can eat.”
Shaggy and Scooby sat down with napkins around their necks to eat the vending machine food they collected, but before they could take a single bite, all of it disappeared before their very eyes!
Turns out, the white dog used his own super speed to swipe the snacks and eat them at a rather fast pace… something that impressed Tempest greatly. “That was fast!”
“That,” Lex told his trainee, recognizing the white dog after seeing the skills he displayed, “was Krypto.”
“Krypto?” Scooby questioned, never hearing of such a name as the white dog raced to his and Misty's side. “The super-dog,” said Lex as Rex began to growl. Scooby and the Mane 6 looked at Krypto again, who barked and spun around before revealing his tag to have Superman's symbol on it. This caused Scooby to giggle in excitement. “I knew it!”
“Yes, Superman’s best friend. Imbued with many of the same powers and weaknesses as the Man of Steel,” Lex told the gang as Krypto flew over to the snack pile. “He must've been left behind when the League vanished.”
Krypto then used his heat vision to make a bag of popcorn explode, and popcorn rained down from the sky, making the group gaze in wonder before Krypto dove in. “Hmm…” Sunny muttered. “I wonder who’s been feeding him.”
“Like, apparently… nobody,” Shaggy observed from how much Krypto was eating. “Wow!” Zipp exclaimed in wonder. “A real-life superhero dog!”
“Who’s a good super-dog?” Fred cooed, rubbing Krypto on top of his head. “Ooh, who’s such a good super-dog?”
“I’d be careful,” Lex warned. “Kryptonian fleas have serrated metal claws and can live for several hundred Earth years.”
“Whoa!” Fred jumped back, chuckling nervously as Krypto began to scratch himself. After he was done, Krypto saw a poster of Superman on the fridge, at first panting happily before whimpering in sadness at his friend being gone. “Aww…” Hitch frowned sympathetically. “I don't think I can understand Kryptonian hound, but I think he really misses Superman.”
“Ugh. Join the club,” Lex interrupted the conversation. “I miss him every time I open fire.”
“...don’t worry, Krypto. I’m sure the Justice League will come back someday,” Tempest reassured the dog softly as the rest of the group shot Lex a deadpan look. “But until then… you have me! I’ll be your friend.”
Krypto sniffed her for a moment before barking and wagging his tail, causing Tempest to giggle. “I think that means yes in Kryptonian hound.”
Lex shot her a stern glare, causing her to gulp. “But, um… maybe we need to look for a way out first? Maybe get some air?”
“Better yet,” said Daphne, “we need to find some clues about this phantom.”
“Good idea. I think that I saw the word ‘kitchen’ on the directory in the lobby,” said Shaggy. “Sunny, Misty, Scoob and I--”
“And Krypto,” Scooby interrupted. “Right. The girls, Scoob and I and our bodyguard Krypto will start there,” said Shaggy. “Hey, Tempest!” Misty called toward the earth pony filly. “Wanna come with us?”
“M-Me? You want me to come with you?” Tempest asked them in surprise. “Of course! Like, you look like you would be a great asset to the team,” Shaggy smiled. Tempest nervously looked back at Lex, who growled and merely rolled his eyes at her… and then, Tempest managed to smile, deciding to make a decision of her own for once. “Y-Yeah… I think I will come with you.”
“Great! Let’s go!” Sunny spoke, and the six of them moved toward the doors before Shaggy spotted a candy bar on the ground. “Oh, look-- one left!”
But, as Shaggy moved to put the bar into his pocket, Krypto flew past at super speed and grabbed it, without Shaggy even noticing. Scooby, Krypto and Tempest quietly chuckled at this joke just as Shaggy noticed something else. “Oh, hey!” he said, lifting his foot up. “There’s another one under my shoe!”
Scooby looked toward Krypto before breaking into a super fast run and grabbing the bar as Shaggy put it into his pocket, again without noticing. “Lucky me. Let’s go, guys,” Shaggy said to his group, beginning to walk out of the room. “You know, if you're all good, I might just let you share in the bounty.”
Scooby, Krypto and Tempest giggled again before they followed Shaggy, Sunny and Misty out of the room, and once they were out of the room all the way, Sunny and Misty put on their superhero masks and walked alongside their friends. “And since you're so good with tech, Mr. Luthor, why don’t you join me, Zipp and Hitch in the Command Center to go over the Hall's closed-circuit security camera footage?” Velma suggested. “I know what's happening. You just want to keep an eye on me. But the joke's on you,” Lex told her, causing Daphne and Velma to look at each other for a moment. “I happen to love closed-circuit security camera footage. Race you to it!”
And just like that, he and Rex ran out of the room, leaving Zipp to sigh in exasperation. “They’re gonna be a handful,” she told Velma as they left the room, leaving Daphne, Fred, Izzy and Pipp alone once more. “So… what?” Fred asked Daphne, still concerned about the whole ‘Jimmy Olsen boyfriend’ thing. “It was like a… co-ed summer camp?”
“Fred,” Daphne said with a frown before she, Fred and the two remaining mares left the room to begin their own search for clues.