//------------------------------// // Holographic Investigating/The Solomon Grundy Chase // Story: G5 Adventures in Scooby-Doo! and Krypto Too // by ponydog127 //------------------------------// Unfortunately, as the others were rushing around the Hall of Justice, finding very little clues, Shaggy and Scooby were currently running for their lives from the supervillains they accidentally created, while Sunny and Misty were trying to defend them and Krypto and Tempest Nova tried to get the computer to work again. Sunny and Misty used their alicorn and unicorn powers to keep the villains away from Shaggy and Scooby for a short time, but Scooby was being chased by Solomon Grundy around the room. “Scooby-Doo! Hang in there!” Shaggy cried as Sunny and Misty kicked the bad guys away from their friends.  Meanwhile, Tempest tried to press some buttons and get the computer working again. “Come on… work, you stupid machine! Hurry up and work already!” She hit the computer again, and electricity shot around her similar to that of her ancestor’s magic before she was thrown back with a painful cry and fell onto the ground. Sunny, Misty and Shaggy gasped at this. “TEMPEST!!” Even Krypto barked in concern. “I'm okay!” Tempest groaned as she tried to sit up. “My leg just hurts!” “Scooby, can you try and get Tempest onto your back for now?” Misty asked. Scooby nodded and managed to evade Solomon Grundy long enough for him to scoop Tempest onto his back before continuing to run again. At the same time, Krypto continued to try and get the computer working again. “There has to be someway out!” Misty cried. “I mean… where did these things even come from?!” “Hey! Super-Dog!” Shaggy cried to Krypto. “Like, we could use a little help over here!!” Krypto disregarded this and continued to bark at the computer, trying to get it to respond. It finally did, and its holographic features sent them from the highly advanced kitchen to out into the streets of Metropolis… …much to the group’s shock. “Guys… have we lost it,” said Tempest, “or did we just magically transport to…?!” Krypto barked again, and the scene around them then changed to a place that Scooby recognized. “The Daily Planet?” “Oh, no…” Shaggy said, scrambling to the top of a filing cabinet. “I think my life is flashing before my eyes!” Krypto barked one more time, sending everyone to the park, where Shaggy suddenly began to assume what was going on. “Like, wait a second, what if this is all just--” “Holograms?” Scooby interrupted. “Huh?” Shaggy blinked. “Dude, I was gonna say indigestion. How’d you get…?” That’s when Scooby pointed to a sign above the door. “Danger,” Sunny read. “You are entering the Justice League holographic training simulator, AKA the kitchen.” “Huh… holograms?” Tempest blinked. “Was that there the whole time?” Krypto rolled his eyes and barked at this. “All right, all right,” Misty spoke. “No need to shout!” Sunny helped Shaggy down from the statue as the Joker and Harley Quinn played catch with a bomb, which blew up in Harley’s face as they approached the others. “Well, if these guys are just holographic simulations,” said Shaggy, “all we have to do is reprogram the…” But that’s when Misty, Sunny, Shaggy and Scooby noticed the fried up computer. “Oh no!” Sunny cried out. “The computer is completely fried!” “In other words… we’re doomed!” Shaggy whimpered. Unfortunately, all this whimpering was enough to get the villains’ attention, and they prepared their weapons and stepped closer to them. “Oh no!” Scooby gasped in panic. “You said it, Scoob!” Shaggy cried. “Like, there's only one thing left to do!” “WHOA!!!” Tempest cried, clinging to Scooby as he and Shaggy dove into the bushes and out of sight. “Well… I guess it’s up to us!” Sunny told Misty and Krypto. “We’ll try to keep them away from the others as long as we can, but Krypto, you have to get that thing working!” Krypto barked in confirmation as Sunny and Misty lit their horns with cold looks on their faces. “All right, Misty,” whispered Sunny. “When I count to three, we leap right on them. Ready? One… two…” “There you are!” When the villains, Krypto and the ponies turned, they saw Shaggy and Scooby had come out of the bushes, now wearing matching tour guide outfits. “You’re all late,” Scooby scolded the villains, who muttered out of confusion. “No matter! Still plenty of time to complete our tour of beautiful Centennial Park,” Shaggy said, his back turned while he gestured for Krypto to keep working on the computer repairs. “My name's Norville, and I'll be your docent, if you think that's decent, anyone who doesn't can voice their dissent.” Tempest peeked out of the bushes in confusion. “What’s going on, Sunny?”  “I think Shaggy and Scooby have a plan,” Sunny whispered, “but we’re gonna need you to stay in the bushes for a while, okay?” “Sure thing,” Tempest nodded. “Not like I can go anywhere with my leg or anything.” Sunny and Misty removed their masks, putting themselves in their civilian forms before trotting over. “You got any room for two more on the tour?” Misty asked casually. “Ahh, the more the merrier, my good mares!” Shaggy said as Scooby brought over matching t-shirts for the villains to wear. “Thank you, Docent Scoobert.” Scooby then proceeded to place the t-shirts on the villains while Sunny and Misty got lanyards that had the same style. “Remember, folks,” said Shaggy, “the lanyards and the t-shirts aren't just for fashion, they're how we keep a headcount to ensure we end the tour with the same number of paying customers we start with.” “But don’t worry!” Sunny added quickly. “I read online that they’ve never lost more than… one or two guests.” The villains, however, looked a little worried when Sunny said this, allowing Krypto enough time to start work on the computer system. “Yeah, they're not all gems,” Shaggy stated. “Okay, we've got our t-shirts and we're ready to begin our walking tour of these historic grounds on this super sunny day, but first... how about a cool drink of delicious, locally-sourced sparkling mineral water?” Scooby brought out a spray bottle full of water, approaching the villains. “Hold still...” “Hydration, ladies and gentlemen, it's good for the soul and for the skin!” Shaggy said as Scooby and Misty took turns spraying the villains in the face. “You'll all thank us tomorrow, especially that pale, handsome fella with the million-dollar smile.” The Joker blushed heavily at this, causing Harley to laugh and nudge his side. “He's talking about you!” “Now if you'll follow us, we'll begin our tour with the famed Centennial Park Sludge Pits, just behind those trash cans over there,” Shaggy urged the group to walk along the path. “We’re walking... we're walking...” Misty took out her phone and began to snap a lot of pictures for her to send to Pipp later-- she was sure that the pop star princess would want to see them, even if they were in some sort of holographic simulation. All the villains seemed to be falling for the scheme, and the Kryptonian Exiles even enjoyed several charred-up hot dogs. “Yes, the views are spectacular,” Shaggy announced to the tour group. “Please feel free to capture the memories and don't forget to tag all your photos with our hashtag, 'CheapoTours'.” The Joker immediately grabbed a camera and began to take a picture of Solomon Grundy, when Sunny and Misty suddenly came up to them. “Oh, let us help!” Sunny said, pushing Solomon back a bit. “Sometimes, you need an extra hoof to help you find your light.” That’s when Misty pushed him forward until he was really close to the camera lens. “There. Much better. Feel free to snap away!” The Joker proceeded to take his picture of Solomon, but the flash from the camera blinded him, causing Solomon to hit Joker right on top of the head. This prompted Joker and Harley Quinn to attack him, and this led the other villains into an attack on each other themselves. And while the villains were busy fighting amongst themselves, Shaggy and Scooby removed their disguises and Sunny and Misty put on their masks again, transforming back to their superhero forms. “Like, that ought to keep them busy,” said Shaggy, “right, Scoob, ol' buddy?” “Yeah,” Scooby said with a chuckle, just as Tempest popped her head from the bushes. “Thank goodness… I don’t ever wanna deal with those guys again.” “Speaking of,” said Misty, “how are the repairs coming, Krypto?” To the group’s relief, Krypto managed to get the computer working and barked, making all of the holograms disappear… and letting the door open, letting Lex Luthor, Hitch, Zipp and Velma, along with Rex, come through. “Velma!” cried Scooby in relief. “Shaggy, Scooby, girls!” Hitch exclaimed. “Are you okay? We heard all the commotion and came galloping!” “We’re fine now,” said Shaggy. “Thanks to Krypto fixing that computer thingy.” “Hey wait… what happened to Tempest?” Zipp asked in concern for the filly that was now on Scooby’s back again. “She got shocked by the computer, but I think she should be okay,” Misty said. “She just needs a little rest.” That’s when Lex noticed the room they were in. “A holographic simulator? See, this is the kind of attraction I was talking about. Money in the bank!” Tempest winced from Scooby's back before the tiny filly staggered off of him. “Tempest? You sure you should be moving on that leg?” Sunny asked with a frown. “I-I think I’ll be okay,” Tempest nodded. “As long as I take it slow.” “Ugh, still weak and pathetic, aren't you?” Lex asked her bluntly, causing her to fold her ears back and not say anything, and causing the other ponies to glare at him. That’s when the computer suddenly spoke again. “Identify.” “I’m Lex Luthor!” Lex shouted. “Does no one know…?” Suddenly, the computer scanned Krypto’s collar, causing it to glow and the entire simulation room to go dark. “This just keeps getting better…” Shaggy said nervously, just before the lights came back on, revealing them to be in the control room again. “What’s this?” Scooby looked around, thinking that this was another simulation just as the computer spoke again. “D-D-Displaying archives. Krypto Collar Cam. Time Index, March 15th, 1740 hours.” “Archive?” Hitch looked confused. “What does that mean?” “Security footage from a camera housed in the guard dog's collar,” Lex explained. “From the night the Justice League vanished!” Velma realized. “This could be very enlightening.” “But… what if we don’t like what we see?” Tempest asked worriedly. “What if somepony gets hurt?” “We won’t let that happen,” Sunny told her gently. “Just stay near us and you’ll be fine.” Suddenly, the trouble alert began to go off, and Krypto pawed at the nearby door and barked. “Call me crazy,” said Misty, “but I think he wants us to follow him!” “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Zipp cried, and they all followed Krypto down the hall as crashing sounds seemed to emerge from somewhere close. “Sounds like trouble, all right…” Velma said as they ran. Suddenly, something or someone burst through the wall and landed in front of them, and everyone froze, it being a figure that most of the group recognized. “Superman…!” Tempest gasped. “I-I had never seen him up close before-- I came to LexCorp a few weeks after the Justice League disappeared.” “But whether it’s real or simulated,” Zipp said, “I gotta admit, this is cool! Er… somewhat cool, in this case.” Whining, Krypto walked over to his best friend, wanting to see if there was something he could do. “Run, boy! Take cover!” Superman warned. “Go!” He flew back in the direction he was blasted from before a flash of light came from another room, which was revealed to be the lobby. But when the others followed Krypto into the lobby, there was no one else there. Krypto growled as he glanced around the room, and Zipp scratched the back of her head with her hoof. “I-I don’t get it! It's like Superman just... disappeared without a trace!” “There's no trace of any Justice League members... or any trace of anything, other than this debris,” Tempest added, inspecting the area. “Like, I wouldn’t say that exactly!” Shaggy said before pointing at a nearby tapestry. “Look! There's something behind the tapestry!” “T-The phantom?!” Scooby asked in fright. “Why would a phantom need to hide behind a tapestry?” Lex asked bluntly, and as he reached out to pull the tapestry, his hand went right through. “Whoa!” Sunny inspected their surroundings. “This whole thing is a holographic recording!” “Good eye, Sunny,” Velma elbowed the earth pony/alicorn mare. “Unless Krypto's camera saw them there that night, we won't see them here.” Speaking of Krypto, Scooby looked around and noticed that Krypto had vanished. “Krypto?” “He's... over there,” Misty pointed her hoof at Krypto, who sniffed around and whined, laying on the ground, completely depressed. Misty frowned at this, but before she could make a move toward Krypto, Tempest was already ahead of her, putting a gentle hoof on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Krypto,” she whispered. “We'll find him.” Shaggy suddenly whimpered out of fear, freezing immediately in place. “Unless he has something to say about it!” Solomon Grundy was in the middle of the room with them, and as he roared at them, Shaggy and Scooby and Tempest screamed in terror, and Sunny, Hitch, Zipp and Misty leapt in front of their friends to defend them. “Computer!” Lex shouted. “Delete Solomon Grundy program!” “Solomon Grundy is not running.” “Oh, yes, he is!!” Scooby yelped in panic as Solomon Grundy ran toward them at top speed. “And honestly? So are we!!” Tempest shrieked, leading everyone except Krypto and the super-powered ponies ran toward the door. Sunny launched beam of light at the bully by stomping her hooves, blinding him and causing him to stumble backwards. “Good job, Sunny! This will give us enough time to run for our lives!” Hitch cried. “What?!” Misty cried as she fired a beam to reblind Solomon. “We can't run away!” “But we do have to warn the others and make sure he doesn't hurt the gang!” Zipp realized. “Ponies, Krypto, follow me! Hurry!” The ponies and Krypto raced toward the door, allowing Solomon to rub his eyes and give the groups chase through the halls. XXXXXXXX Izzy, Pipp, Daphne and Fred joined in the chase as soon as the others raced past them in the hallways, and soon, Mercy Graves (Lex's assistant) joined in the chase as well, having been looking for her employer, his dog and Tempest everywhere. The chase seemed to last for ages, and the ponies were using all of their pony abilities and their superpowers to protect their powerless friends... but unfortunately, Solomon still seemed to be putting up a good chase. Eventually, the chase led everyone back to the main control room, where the ponies managed to block the exits to keep him from going anywhere. However, he managed to grab Scooby in his arms, causing the Great Dane to whimper fearfully. “Oh no!” Misty cried. “He’s got Scooby-Doo!” “Nopony make any sudden movements!” Sunny cried. “We don’t want to cause Grundy to hurt Scooby, but we also need to think of a plan to save him!” While Scooby tried to squirm free and the remaining members of the group seemed in panic or trying to think of a plan, Lex was one of those that… surprisingly remained calm. “All right, no one panic. Grundy may look like nothing more than a mindless brute,” he said, taking out several wads of bills with his face on them, “but, I assure you, everyone has their price.” Solomon roared in his face at this, causing Lex to stumble backwards, dropping his money in the process. “Why won't anyone take my money?!” Krypto growled, finally deciding to take action, and flew up to distract Solomon… only for the purple-tinted creature to grab him as well! “He’s got them both!” Daphne cried. “Somebody, do something!” “I know!” Fred cried, reaching into the utility belt and pulled out several small, black balls before rolling them on the ground. When the balls released smoke, the ponies thought that it was some sort of sleep gas. But... all it did was release a 'happy birthday' message for Robin, causing Fred to sigh and take the belt off. “I need to have a talk with Batman about this belt.” “Okay, Unity Squad!” Daphne cried. “Your turn!” “Right!” Sunny nodded. “Unity Squad, with me!” The Mane 6 rushed forward and surrounded Grundy on all sides, leaving him no room for escape. “Solomon Grundy, we gave you a chance to back down,” Zipp declared as their cutie marks began to glow, “but you leave us no choice! Time for some good old fashioned unity magic!” As their cutie marks began to illuminate and as the ponies prepared to take Grundy down, another bright flash from somewhere nearby caused everyone to shield their eyes… and when their vision returned, Grundy was gone, and Scooby and Krypto were left getting off the floor. The ponies were the most stunned at this. “Did… did we do that?” Izzy asked with wide eyes. “No!” Pipp cried, shaking her head in surprise. “Grundy just… vanished!” Fred suddenly looked at the others. “You don't think...” “No, I don't.” “Nope. Uh, don't think so.” “No, definitely not.” “Not in a million years.” “Dream on.” “Not a chance.” “...still...” Fred shrugged and put the belt back on, causing Daphne to sigh as Tempest ran toward the two dogs. “Scooby! Krypto!” Scooby giggled as the little filly hugged both of them close, and Shaggy sighed and kneeled next to the three of them. “Thank goodness, we're all safe!” “Yeah... that's a real relief,” Sunny said, just before Sparky’s nervous babbling drew her attention to something horrifying... ...not one... not two... not three... ...but six phantoms appeared in mid-air, waiting to attack the group once and for all!