//------------------------------// // The Mystery Inc Reunion/First Phantom Encounters // Story: G5 Adventures in Scooby-Doo! Stage Fright // by ponydog127 //------------------------------// It was a dark, stormy night in the Midwest part of the United States... and since it was the beginning of summer, it was only gonna get worse from that point onward. At a rest stop on the side of the highway, where people were stopping to either stretch, get something to eat or get dry from the shower they were getting, a portal opened up, letting the Mane 6 step out of it and look around in surprise. “Well, we usually don’t end up in places like this,” Sunny said, “but if the Unity Crystals say this is where we need to be, then they’re usually right.” “Even so, I don’t think we’re going to be going out there anytime soon,” Misty said as she looked out at the pounding rain. “It’s raining pega-mice and racoonicorns out there!” “Speaking of the rain, it looks like there’s someone else pulling up,” Zipp said, looking out the window. “And… it looks like the Mystery Machine!” Everyone rushed to the window to see that Zipp was right-- the Mystery Machine hurriedly parked right in front of the rest area, and their Mystery Incorporated friends got out and rushed toward the doors, to which Sunny and Hitch held open for their beloved friends. The gang was panting tiredly by the time they got into the rest area, and Scooby shook his fur out, causing the ponies to yelp. “Hey, Scooby!” Pipp cried. “Watch the mane!” “Whoops!” Scooby blinked in surprise. “Sorry, Pipp!” “Boy, are we happy to see you guys,” Fred spoke as he rung out his ascot. “Thanks for letting us in-- I was sure we were gonna get drenched out there!” “Anything for you guys,” Zipp said as she gently flapped her wings to dry them off. “So, if you don’t mind me asking,” said Sunny, “where exactly are we?” “About 40 miles from the city of Chicago, Illinois,” Velma explained. “We’re heading there for Daphne and Fred to compete in the finals of a TV talent show.” “You guys are gonna be on TV?!” Izzy blurt out. “Lucky pega-mice!” “You guys are welcome to come and watch if you want,” Fred told the ponies. “We could use all the support we can get.” “Awww, we would love to come!” Sunny smiled. “And on the plus side, if it doesn’t have to do with superheroes or evil robots,” Misty said, “it's an even better game.” “Dudes, we were just talking about that earlier!” Shaggy exclaimed with a shudder. “I mean, Krypto and Tempest were cool and everything, but… I just hate to think of what trouble Lex Luthor causes on a daily basis.” “Well, I don't think we need to worry about trouble in Metropolis at the moment,” Zipp told her friends. “Right now, let's wait for the rain to slack up and tell the gang about what happened at the Swirlpool Starlight.” “Swirlpool Starlight?” Daphne spoke out of curiosity. “What’s that?” “Oh-ho, you better sit down,” Pipp told them as she brought out her phone. “This needs a story and photo evidence.” XXXXXXXX At the same time, deep in the heart of Chicago, stood a majestic old opera house, where the set for the Talent Star finale was being set up... and it was where three flying leopard sisters, who were also music sensations, were arriving. These were the SirenSong sisters, who were previous Talent Star winners who were going to be at the finale to cheer the finalists on. And although they were in the same litter, their fur colors and powers could not be anymore different. The eldest sister, named Breena, had a pink pelt with black and light pink spots, bright magenta eyes and had the power of fire, and could manipulate it however she wanted. The middle sister, who was named Eden, had a green pelt, light yellow fur on her muzzle, chest and paws, green and red spots and blue-gray eyes, and she had the power to create plants with the stomp of her paws. Finally, the youngest sister, who was named Pavari, had a blue pelt, violet eyes, dark blue and pink spots, and she had the power to control water. “So... this is the place,” Breena said with a smile. “Man, this brings back a lot of memories, right, girls?” “Uh, yeah... sure, Bree,” Eden nodded. “This wad the start of our musical careers-- how could we forget?” “Well, come on, then!” Pavari said excitedly, running toward the building. “Let's get in there and get this party started!” “Pavari! Wait for us!” Breena groaned to herself before she and Eden flew after their sister and into the building. XXXXXXXX In the main stage area, the stage manager Dewey Ottoman was over the construction of the set with his assistant K.T nearby. Now, if there's one thing you need to know about Dewey, he was obsessed with cleanliness... ...even if no one else on the crew was. “Careful with that. Lift with your legs. Your legs,” he told some crew members lifting a heavy prop piece before turning to some more crew members wheeling a large cart in. “Did you wipe your feet before you came in? I'm talking to you!” Dewey then got down and began to scrub the muddy footprints off of the stage, when another cart was rolled in, causing him to groan and begin scrubbing harder... unaware that the entire scene was being watched from someone above the rafters. At that moment, the three sisters came in and landed on the stage. “Hi there, Mr. Ottoman,” Eden smiled warmly. “Me and my sisters are here to--”  “Oh, good heavens!!” Dewey shrieked as soon as he saw them. “My dears, have you been wallowing around in a mud bath? Your paws are absolutely filthy!” “Huh?” Pavari looked down at her paws, confused. “I don’t see any mud on my--”  “See, this is why we don’t let many animals onto the show-- no matter how talented they truly are, they track mud and… whatever else through here and I can NEVER get it cleaned!” Dewey muttered audibly, scrubbing where the leopards had been standing as they walked off to the side. “Geez… I assume that he’s still a clean freak?” Eden muttered. “Eden, be quiet,” Breena scolded. “Mr. Ottoman is just… set in his ways, I guess.” “I understand that,” Pavari said as she licked her paws to groom herself. “I mean, I love being clean almost as much as I love getting dirty.” Dewey was too into scrubbing to hear what the leopards were saying, and as he continued to scrub, he crawled right toward a filthy garbage can, making him gasp in shock. “Disgusting…” he muttered, standing back up and turning to K.T, taking the clipboard she was holding. “The garbage in this trash can is filthy. I want this garbage cleaned at once! Hello!” However, everyone else, including the sisters, had begun to do their own thing and were ignoring him altogether. “Is anyone listening to me? Am I the only one here who cares about cleanliness?” All of a sudden, the giant star prop for the show began to fall, causing Dewey to scream and leap out of harm's way, and this caused all of production to stop as a thin coat of dust from the debris covered practically everything. That left one question in everyone's minds... who in the world would do such a thing? Breena, Eden and Pavari were the first to open their eyes when a wicked laughter filled the air, and most everyone turned up to see a menacing figure with glowing red eyes on the rafters. As the figure leapt down from the rafter, the figure had a green skeleton head, a dark red large cape and a black bow tie. Breena screamed as she and her sisters ducked to avoid the figure, and Dewey hunkered down to do the same thing, only for the figure to grab the clipboard before swinging out of sight, cackling as he did so. Everyone seemed to get up as soon as they saw that the figure had disappeared, but Dewey looked horrified at such an idea. “The... the... the... the... the phantom!!!” And just like that, the manager of Talent Star fell right onto the ground, scaring Eden half to death... and she was already pretty spooked. “Uh... phantom?” Pavari asked in confusion. “W-What do you think just happened, Breena?” “Honestly, Pavari? I'm not sure what the heck just happened,” Breena said, a bit unsure. “But I do know one thing... we need to find him before someone gets hurt.” “Find him?!” Eden shrieked. “Bree, I know you're oldest and everything, but that's the craziest idea you've ever come up with!” “Do you have a better one?” Breena snapped before regaining her composure. “Just... spread out and search the theater for anything out of the ordinary. And someone take care of Mr. Ottoman, please!” The three sisters spread their wings and flew in different directions, hoping to find out who this phantom was, what he wanted and where he was heading... ...hopefully before something worse happened that would cause the Talent Star finale to be canceled. XXXXXXXX Not long after the Mane 6 got done telling their Mystery Incorporated friends about the Swirlpool Starlight, and the fact that they would be able to defeat Allura, the rain slacked off just enough to where they could get out to the Mystery Machine and back on the road to Chicago again. In order for Fred and Daphne to practice their songs for their performances, Shaggy took the driver’s position up front, and Scooby and Velma gladly joined him while the Mane 6 sat in the back with Fred and Daphne. As the Mystery Machine swerved through the rain and the busy traffic heading to the city, Velma flipped through her Chicago guidebook and looked at some interesting facts... well, interesting to her, anyway. “Did you know Chicago is the third largest city in the U.S.?” “Well, I sure didn't know that,” Sunny said as she peeked over the seat, “but I have overheard that they have some of the best pizza.” “Yeah! Pizza!” Scooby licked his chops before giggling and Velma gladly listed another fact for her friends to learn from. “Did you know Chicago has almost 200 art galleries?” “You really have no idea where my interests lie, do you?” Shaggy asked, leading Izzy to scoff. “Who cares about the food part?” the lavender unicorn asked. “So many art galleries, so many potential ideas to have and so little time to see it all in before we have to go home!” “Eh, she's got a point,” Misty shrugged. “We have to enjoy our time on these quests before we know what our mission is-- and if that means pizza and art galleries, then that's what we'll do.” “Speaking of which, I still can't believe we're really finalists on Talent Star! Aah!!!” Daphne squealed in excitement. “Have I mentioned that it's my favorite show?” “Once or twice,” Fred shrugged. “In this breath...” Zipp muttered with the roll of her eyes. “Well, it is. And Brick Pimiento is the greatest host ever. Ooh! There he is!” Daphne excitedly pointed to a billboard with Brick Pimiento and the Talent Star logo on it. “I’m so excited!” “And we’re excited for you! I’ve been watching clips of you guys performing online,” Sunny said, holding up her phone. “And even though I’m sure you guys are amazing, it’s still hard to believe you made it through that last round of eliminations-- your competitors were pretty tough.” “Aww, come on, Sunny,” Fred smiled reassuringly. “We had it sewn up! You know that singers have the advantage.” Then, he began playing a soft tune on his guitar, and as the ponies all listened thoughtfully, Daphne didn’t recognize the tune. “Hey, that’s not the song we’re doing.” Fred only shrugged as he continued to play. “This is a little something I wrote myself.” “Huh,” Shaggy said as he turned his head to look at Fred. “Like, that’s catchy.” “Eyes on the road, Shaggy!” Hitch yelped. “Eyes on the road!” “Right!” Shaggy quickly turned around to drive regularly again, and Daphne found herself getting more entranced with the song or… who was PLAYING the song with each passing moment. “Fred, that's beautiful. I really like you… it!” she quickly corrected as the ponies tilted their heads in confusion. “I like it. Not you. I mean, I like you but… heh, I, uh, like your song?” However, Fred didn’t seem to notice Daphne’s odd behavior. “Thanks!” “Well, you guys are good,” said Shaggy, “but Scooby and I are gonna beat you. Right, Scoob?” “You betcha!” the Great Dane smiled. “Uh… last time I checked,” said Zipp, “you two aren’t in the competition.” “We will be,” Shaggy told her, “once Brick sees our amazing juggling act!” “Shaggy, as much as I love your optimism,” said Sunny, “you can’t audition the day before the finals-- it wouldn’t be right to anyone else!” “But you can audition before the finals if you’re awesome!” “But…” Sunny tried to say before Izzy scoffed. “Don’t worry, Sunny! We’ll keep an eye on them while we’re here.” “Well, you guys are gonna have to do that on your own,” said Pipp, “because I’m focusing all my attention on Fred and Daphne so I can help them feel ready for their winning performance!” “Aww, thanks, Pipp!” Daphne smiled sweetly. “That’ll really help if we have someone like you to help mentor us.” “Okay,” Velma said, interrupting the moment. “We definitely wanna hit the Field Museum. There's a Picasso exhibit. Oh, oh! And it says here that the Mineralogical Society has the world-famous soap diamond on display!” But when she turned to look at her friends, they were all giving her confused or deadpan expressions, causing her to smile nervously. “Hey, does it say anything in those books about that opera house where we're shooting the show?” Hitch asked. “Yeah,” Velma said, showing Hitch and Zipp a picture of the opera house in question. “It's almost a hundred years old... it's been closed since the '70s...” “and there are rumors that it's haunted!” Zipp read out loud with wide eyes, just before a loud crunch caused the group to look at Shaggy, who was eating a sandwich. “Of course it's haunted,” he said. “Like, when do we ever go to a place that is not haunted?” “Wait... if you're eating,” said Sunny, “then who's driving?!” As it turns out, while Shaggy was eating, he shoved Scooby into the driver’s seat, despite the dog having no prior driving experience. “Uh... green means go, right?” “Shaggy!!” everyone cried out in a scolding manner. “Scooby-Dooby-Dooooooo!!!” Scooby howled, and as he weaved in and out of the traffic, his friends screamed and clung to each other tightly. And one thing was for sure... this was definitely going to be an interesting adventure.