//------------------------------// // Tempest's Key Quest // Story: G5 Adventures in Scooby-Doo! and Krypto Too // by ponydog127 //------------------------------// After Solomon Grundy disappeared into thin air, releasing Scooby and Krypto from his hold, even more trouble arrived. Six phantoms, five more than the one that came before, showed up in the control room, and they began pressing the group over near the wall, without any room to run. “Uh, just a curious question,” said Hitch. “How many of those phantoms are there in this place!” “This is the end!!” Scooby wailed. That's when Daphne finally popped the cork on all the feelings lingering in her stomach. “I danced with Jimmy Olsen one time at summer camp. It was the big goodbye party and no one would dance with him, and I felt bad and it obviously meant more to him than it did to me, and if we really only have a few seconds left, I couldn't live my last moments as a fraud!” As Daphne took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, everyone seemed to stare in surprise for a few moments... even the phantoms. And after a few moments passed, Lex decided to finally speak up. “Jimmy Olsen? Huh...” “Uh... guys?!” Zipp said as she and the ponies tried to use their cutie mark magic to keep the phantoms back. “Try to be a little more focused on current events, would ya?!” However, as much as the ponies fought, swatted and blasted at the phantoms, they wouldn’t back down. Krypto even tried barking at the phantoms, but... once glance at one of them caused him to whimper and back down, much to the ponies' confusion. Krypto wasn't scared of anything before now, so... what got him so upset? Fred looked at Daphne, still a little afraid, and took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking. “Daphne, if we get out of this, I'll understand if you want to...” Daphne looked down at Fred’s hand and took it, just as the group prepared themselves for an attack. However, when a bright flash came and went, the group looked around to discover that the phantoms had vanished. “They disappeared!” Daphne said in shock. “And,” said Zipp, “as mysteriously as they reappeared! Interesting...” That's when Lex suddenly noticed something. “They're not the only ones.” “He's right!” said Misty, realizing that one member of their group was missing. “The phantoms just took Mercy!” “Have mercy!” cried Scooby, just as Velma approached Mercy's messenger bag. “Without her messenger bag? She's been lugging this heavy thing--” But when she picked it up, she immediately noticed something was off. “That's odd...” “What is it?” Tempest asked. “It's empty!” Velma showed them the empty bag. “Empty?!” Lex blurt out. “All my stuff was in there!” “What kind of stuff? Maybe I can search for it,” Zipp tried to offer. “Never you mind,” Lex sneered. “Well, whatever it was,” said Pipp, shaking the bag, “it's gone now. Along with Mr. Luthor's ride home.” That's when Fred seemed to have a good idea. “We can drop you somewhere when this is all over. I do have a van.” “Does it have active camouflage?” “...no, it's a regular van.” “Well, then, what's the point? What's the point of any of this?” Lex said out of frustration. “Why am I trapped in here with a bunch of kids, two dogs, a useless filly and meddling ponies when I have millitary-grade bulldozers outside right now, ready to bring this infernal building to the ground?!” “You're nothing but a lump of slime without any kind of soul!!” Everyone gasped at what was said, but what surprised them even more was that it wasn't any member of the gang or the Mane 6... ...it was Tempest! The little filly was finally standing her ground, pink eyes filled with anger. Lex turned to the filly, staring daggers right back at her. “What did you just say?” “...you heard me. All you care about is money or being better than Superman,” Tempest sneered, “and you tried to inflict your teachings onto me. Well, you made a mistake with messing with my new friends! They're kind, and loyal, and they actually care about me unlike you! I haven't felt that kind of love since my mom passed away! And you completely disregarded my grief as nothing! I'm done dealing with this! You hear me?! I'm done!” Lex pointed a finger right in the filly's face. “You... are out on the street when we finally get out of this phantom-infested place.” “That's fine,” Fred spoke up as Krypto and Mystery Inc approached and stood beside Tempest. “Because I'm sure that we can find her a better home than the one she has now.” “And,” Scooby huffed, “one away from you!” “...whatever. Go ahead and take her. She was useless to me, and people will see how useless the Justice League really is before long.” Suddenly, something Lex said got the gears in Velma's brain to turning. “That's it!” “What's it?” Lex sneered. “I was this close to figuring out the solution to the mystery, but there was one tiny piece of the puzzle out of place,” Velma spoke. “President Luthor, you just knocked it into place.” Suddenly, Lex's phone rang, causing him to pick it up. “I have to take this. Excuse me. But Velma called me 'president'. Everybody heard it. No takesies-backsies,” he said before he and Rex walked out of the room. “Where have you been?” “All right,” Velma said as she turned to her friends. “Now that Lex is gone, we can get to the bottom of this phantom business, and find out what happened to the Justice League. All we need is the perfect trap.” “Say no more,” Fred smirked and pressed a button on the utility belt, which covered everyone in foam, causing Zipp and Pipp to blow it off of everyone. “...great...” Pipp groaned. “There goes my mane treatment...” Shaggy sighed as soon as all the foam was gone. “Like, seeing as Superman's counting on us, anyone got a better idea?” Krypto barked immediately at this. “I think he's trying to tell us something!” Izzy said. “What is it, Krypto?” Scooby asked, and by the way Krypto was looking at them, it was if he was telling them 'I have a plan, so listen up'. While everyone else listened to Krypto's plan, Tempest took out her key from her mane and muttered something to herself. “Find the lock to this key, and as the place to start, go to where this key was forged, and your destiny will finally start. The lock has to be here somewhere, but... I just don't know where.” “Don't know where what is?” Tempest yelped as the Mane 6, Krypto and the Mystery Inc gang turned to look at her, and then she looked down at the key in her hoof. Her mother would want her to tell her new friends about this... maybe they might be able to help. Tempest reached her hoof out and gave Velma the key. “My mom gave me this key before she passed. The lock to it is somewhere in the Hall of Justice, but... I-I'm not sure where it is.” Velma hummed as she studied the key for a moment. “I’ve never seen these patterns before… have you, Sunny?” “They do look familiar,” Sunny pointed out. “And they’re old, but I don’t exactly know what they mean.” “And there’s a poem my mom told me that relates to it,” Tempest cleared her throat. “Find the lock to this key, and as the place to start, go to where this key was forged, and your destiny will finally start.” “Cryptic… do you have any idea what it means?” Daphne asked. “ I think... it has something to do with... a new home, a new family, a new life,” Tempest said in thought. “I thought that maybe if I could just find the door it goes to, I'd find a new family that actually cares for me… and maybe find a purpose in my life.” “So?” Hitch questioned curiously. “Have you found it yet?” “...no. I know it’s somewhere in the Hall of Justice, but… I have no idea where exactly.” Sparky got off of Hitch’s back and hugged the filly’s leg, causing her to smile. “Thanks, Sparky… that means a lot coming from you,” she smiled just before Krypto nuzzled her. “I mean… it means a lot coming from both of you.” “Well, we have some time before we have to put Krypto’s plan into action,” Sunny said. “And I think this is just as important as finding the Justice League. Come on, everypony! Let's split up and find that door!” And so, everyone went in different directions, with Zipp and Krypto taking to the sky, and they all began searching, a gentle tune filling the air.  Misty: What is the key to a family? (Oh, oh) What is the key to a home? Tempest: What is the part that I'm missin' (Oh, oh) To help me find where I belong? Hitch: I’m searchin’, I'm lookin' for somethin' Somethin' that comes from the heart (From the heart) Cause sometimes you need something to lift ya up And help to reignite your spark Tempest, Misty and Hitch: Cause I've got you and you've got me Cause when you're with your friends, yeah, you're with your family Keep 'em in your heart 'cause that is the key Oh, when you're with your friends, yeah, you're with your family I've got you and you've got me Cause we aren't just friends, no, we're a family When you're feelin' lonely or incomplete Don't forget about your friends, yeah, they're your family Oh-whoa, oh, oh, oh Cause when you're with your friends, yeah, you're with your family… After a while, all of the group (except for Zipp and Krypto) reunited, but unfortunately, they didn’t find anything. “Like, Scoob and I searched any place where they might be a door,” Shaggy said, “but…” “No door anywhere,” Scooby frowned, leading Tempest to sigh. “I’m so sorry, guys… I shouldn’t have led you on this wild goose chase.” “It’s okay, Tempest. We know how good your heart is,” said Fred. “And,” Velma spoke, “even if you don’t find exactly what you’re looking for, we could always be your family.” Tempest smiled at Mystery Incorporated when they said this. “You guys mean that?” “Of course!” Daphne smiled. “Velma and I have always wanted another girl in the family.” “And that would mean, when we come to visit,” said Sunny, “we’d all be friends forever…” “And ever!” Pipp cheered, and this led to a massive group hug that lasted for a few moments… at least until Pipp noticed there were two people missing from the hug. “Hey, has anyone seen Krypto and Zipp?” “Tempest! Krypto and I found it!” Zipp said, flying toward the ground before landing, all out of breath. “We found… the door!” Tempest gasped immediately at this, and everyone followed Zipp and Krypto back the way they came. XXXXXXXX Krypto and Zipp moved a bookshelf out of the way in the library, letting a doorway be visible to those in the group. “This is it!” Tempest cried. “This is the door!” “We couldn’t see it before because the bookshelf was in the way. But once Krypto helped me move it… BOOM!!” Zipp exclaimed before Scooby pushed on the door to open it. “It’s locked! Which means…” “You’ll need this,” Misty handed her the key. “Oooh!!” Izzy squealed. “Where will it lead us to?” “Well… my mom said that I should use it to go to the cave where it was forged, but… I had another idea,” Tempest said. “Maybe I should use it to find where the Justice League is so we can bring them home.” “Tempest, this may be your one chance to fulfill your mom’s final wishes,” Velma said. “Besides, I wanna wait for Lex Luthor and Rex to get back before I reveal what I’ve found out.” “...Krypto?” Tempest looked over toward her new canine friend. “What do you want me to do?” Krypto whined gently and nudged the key in her hoof toward the door, and Tempest sadly understood. “You really want me to use the key… for me?” Krypto barked in confirmation, and Tempest sighed deeply. “Okay, boy… if you’re sure.” Taking another deep breath, Tempest placed her key in the door’s lock. “The place I would like to go… is the place this key was forged. The place my mother would read to me about, and the place my destiny will begin!” She twisted the key into the lock, which disappeared as shaking began and rocked the entire building. “It’s working!” Izzy cheered. “Okay, but, like, do we think it’s supposed to shake like that?” Shaggy asked as he and Scooby held each other to keep their balance. “Maybe it’s a little rusty!” Fred shrugged, trying to be reassuring. “At least… I hope that’s all it is!” Then, the shaking finally stopped, and as the door glowed, it opened, revealing a swirling portal on the inside, making everyone's eyes grow wide. Tempest looked back toward her friends, feeling a little nervous. “S-So, I-I guess we just…” “Step through this strange door into the unknown based entirely on the word of your mom!” Izzy said, trying not to sound nervous, but it caused Scooby and Tempest to both gulp as Pipp turned to look at Zipp. “Mom would not be pleased to know we were thinking about doing this.” “When has that ever stop us?” Zipp questioned with a smirk. “Well… okay then. You first, Hitch,” Sunny suggested with a nervous smile. “Me?” Hitch asked in surprise. “No, no, I couldn’t possibly. After you.” “You ponies aren’t scared of going through a portal, are you?” Daphne asked them with a smirk. “No! No, of course not! We go through portals all the time,” said Hitch quickly. “We’re just… being too polite with each other.” “Sparky, no!” Sunny tried to warn the dragon as he got closer to the porta. “Be careful!” Sparky cooed in wonder and ran right through the portal, causing the group gasp in shock. “Well,” Fred gulped, “I guess we have no choice now! Let’s go, gang!” With that, the gang and ponies followed Sparky into the portal, screaming as they entered. XXXXXXXX For the gang going through an interdimensional portal for the first time, they thought they did pretty well. It was basically a twisty slide going in all sorts of directions, screaming like they were on a roller coaster... which was actually pretty good, considering how the gang screamed on a normal basis. Finally, all seven ponies, Sparky, Krypto and all the members of Mystery Inc fell to the ground out of the portal, landing on top of one another in a huge heap. “Hey!” said Izzy. “That wasn’t so bad.” Velma groaned, adjusting her glasses. “Speak for yourself… where in the world did we end up?” Once they looked ahead, they gasped as they discovered that they were in a stunning cavern full of crystals of many different colors. “It’s… beautiful!” Sunny cried in awe as they all stood up, and Pipp immediately pulled out her phone. “Definitely no service here, but… I’m almost too happy to care!” “Tempest,” said Daphne, “do you recognize this place?” “...these are the crystal caverns below Metropolis! My mom said these were lost to explorers almost 200 years ago!” Tempest cried. “I-I didn’t expect this to be the place it would send us…” “Well, now that we know that the key sent us here,” said Zipp, “now what do we do?” “Look!” Scooby pointed at the ground. “Hoofprints!” Everyone looked where he was pointing, and glowing green hoofprints were illuminating the ground and forming a path right in front of Tempest, much to the surprise of many. “Tempest… I think those footprints are meant for you!” Misty said. “We’ll be right behind you, but I think you better take the lead.” “Me? Uh… okay,” Tempest nodded slowly, and followed the hoofprints with her friends following behind her. When she finally got to the end of the footprints, she stopped and looked at what the hoofprints had led them to. Sitting on a pedestal was a glowing necklace with a beautiful bluish purple gemstone inside (in the shape of a diamond), and it made Tempest stare in wonder for a few moments. “Wow… I’ve never seen anything like that before…” “It looks like it’s radiating with some kind of mystical energy,” Zipp said as she studied the necklace. “But… I can’t figure out what kind.” “...you think that this is something my mom must have left for me?” Tempest looked at her friends. “I mean... how else would she have known about this?” “Well, there's always that possibility,” Misty said, “but... there's only one way to find out for sure.” “Like, go on, Tempest dude,” Shaggy coaxed the filly. “Try out the new bling!” “Well... if you really insist...” Tempest took the necklace and put it around her neck, admiring it for a few moments... just before it started glowing. This led to Tempest staring in confusion before swirls of light began to wrap around her and lift her into the air. “Uh... g-g-guys?! What's going on?!” Unfortunately, the group couldn't answer-- they were too busy trying to shield themselves from the light, and Tempest felt her body begin to transform. She felt a glittery green mask form on her face, a fairy wing design for a hooficure, blue and green paint on her legs, and... the most miraculous thing of all? Wings, fairy wings, materialized on her back. As the light dimmed, Tempest was lowered to the ground, and Krypto was one of the first to run and check on her when the entire group gasped at what happened. Tempest groaned slightly and looked up at them. “What? W-Why is everypony looking at me like that?” “I, uh... I-I'm not sure whether we should tell you or not, so... I think it might be best to show you,” Pipp said, bringing the filly to a nearby crystal, allowing Tempest to gasp upon seeing her reflection. “Wings? A superhero mask? I... I don't understand!” “The necklace must have the capability to give you your own superhero identity,” Zipp said as she insprected the filly, “along with wings and your own superpowers!” “Your mom must have saw the hero inside you,” Daphne told the filly. “That must be why she gave you this key and told you to come to this exact spot.” “But... a hero? Me?” Tempest asked, looking at the necklace. “I don't know where I would even start! There's so much I would have to learn!” “Well, it's lucky you have another four legged superhero ready to help you out,” Hitch said, rubbing Krypto on the head. “And... I think it would he beneficial if you had a superhero name, just in case your regular identity was at risk.” Tempest hummed in thought. “Well... my mom would sometimes refer to me as a light in the night, and... my wings look like fairy wings, so... what about Night Fairy?” “Perfect! And now that we know your superhero name and how you're able to transform,” Zipp said, “we can get back up to the control room. No doubt Mr. Luthor is done with his phone call right about now.” “Good idea,” Velma nodded. “Then, we can solve this mystery and bring the Justice League back home... I promise.” That's when the group headed back toward the portal, with Tempest taking one last look around before following. Her mother was right. Her destiny was going to start here... and she might be more valuable to the gang's success and the League's return than she thinks.