"Scoota-Loo, Where Are You!?"

by Kieva Lynn

Horror of the Horseless Headman!

Author's Note:

In terms of what it looks like,
basically, think this guy, only
a lot bigger:

Also:

The substance in this chapter is fictional. I had hoped to use
something real, but research quickly showed me that all of my
options were either:
A: Too harmless.
B: Too lethal.
C: Also dangerous to humans.

Given that, making something up was my best bet.

Cleaveland's Corner, Kansas. Balanced precariously on the line between large town and small city the burg was supported by the revenue streams of hundreds of horse ranches large and small. 'Was' past tense, for as our tale begins the town was threatened by a most peculiar circumstance, which was causing ranchers all around to gather up their herds and leave the area. Indeed, as we look out upon a gravel road running through the fields to the west late one evening, we hear a steadily growing ruckus which resolves itself into the thunderous beats of hundreds of hooves. Panicked horses, over fifty of them, charge past, running scared as if the devil himself were on their tails.

Close behind the stampeding equines we find a range rover, following. As the herd goes off road and into terrain too rough for the vehicle to pursue, it pulls to the shoulder of the road and a man emerges from the driver's door. He is older, but still built powerfully from a lifetime of farm work. "Damn it! Not again!" He curses, slamming a fist down onto the rover's hood.

A woman steps from the passenger door. "Gunther, maybe we should just go. Everyone else is." She says.

"No way Penny." Gunther growls. "My family's been here for four generations! I'm not leavin'!"

"But if the stories are true..."

"They ain't. I mean come on! It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life!"

Before the woman could answer, both she and he heard an odd sound. It started low, then it started to grow, like the wind moaning in winter but not that, a howling that bought ice to the bones. They looked back the way they had come from, just as the source strode into view. "No way in hell." Gunther whispered as he saw, and then Penny screamed as it rushed towards them...

XXXXX

One day later. Halloween. Mystery Inc's travels had bought them to Cleavland's Corner just in time for the holiday, happily for Shaggy, Scooby, and the Crusaders who were not missing out on the chance to go trick or treating. Shaggy had dressed as a cowboy, Scooby as a pirate, Scootaloo as a ninja, Apple Bloom as (of course) an apple tree, and Sweetie Belle as a princess. (That is, Equestrian princess, so, fake wings.)

Freddy pulled Mystery Machine to the curb at the end of a long winding residential street on the west side of town, and everyone piled out. He and Daphne had chosen not to dress up. Velma was at least wearing a sweater with the words 'This is my costume' emblazoned across the front. "Alright everyone, here we are!" Freddy announced.

"Yay!" The fillies chorused.

"Like this is gonna be awesome!" Shaggy said.

"Yeah! Rawsome!"

"So y'all just say 'trick or treat' right?" Apple Bloom asked, "Not the whole 'Nightmare Night' line?"

"That's right." Daphne said.

Velma added "Your line is cool, but it wouldn't really work since we don't call it Nightmare Night."

"I guess not." 'Bloom said.

Practically vibrating with excitement, Scootaloo said only "Great! Let's go already!"

"Right." Shaggy said. "Fred, Daphne, see you later."

Fred and Daphne waved as the others started off down the road, then went for a romantic couple's walk of their own.

Meanwhile, the rest of the gang approached the first house. The porch light was on, and there were Jack O Lanterns and skeletons on the porch. Shaggy rang the bell, and after a few seconds a young man opened the door, a large bowl of candy in his hands. "Trick or treat!" Everyone exclaimed, and the man smiled and started to pass out the treats when he looked down and noticed the ponies.

"What!? You three shouldn't be here!"

"Huh?"

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous for you, that's why not!" The man quickly dropped a pair of peanut butter cups in each of the girl's bags. "There. Now go! Hurry! Get out of here! Get out of town! Now!" He slammed the door in their faces.

"Well that was rude." Velma said.

"Yeah, but at least he did give us candy." Scootaloo said. She frowned. "Wonder what that was all about anyway?"

"Like I'm sure I don't know. Let's go on to the next house, huh?"

Continuing down the street, they stopped at many more homes without further incident, save for a guy dressed as Charlie Brown who gave them all rocks and called it 'meta.' Bags filling with candy, apples, and popcorn balls, they reached the end of the street, crossed over, and started back the other way.

"Hay! I just noticed something..." Scootaloo said, "Where's everyone else?"

The others looked around, taking notice for the first time of what Scootaloo meant: There were no other trick or treaters in sight.

"Like weird." Shaggy said.

"Yeah! You'd think there'd be kids everywhere." Sweetie Belle agreed.

"Well it is a weeknight." Velma said. "Maybe this is one of those towns where most people do it on the weekend no matter when the actual day falls."

"Maybe... Still seems like there'd be somebody else around though...."

The third house on this side of the road was a large three story structure, old but well cared for, with a deep front porch. Something about the place screamed 'old money.' There were no decorations in evidence, but the porch light was on so they knocked. The knock was answered by a sixtyish woman with steel-grey hair in a tight bun and cold hazel eyes. She looked down at the fillies, then sneered at Shaggy and Velma. "What is the meaning of this!?"

"Like trick or treat ma'am!" Shaggy replied, holding out his bag.

"You know what I mean! How dare you bring these... horses... Onto my property!"

"Ponies." Sweetie Belle corrected.

"It's Halloween ma'am." Velma said. "We're just-"

The woman interrupted her, "You know good and well what you're doing! Who put you up to this!? To think that anyone would dare to bring filthy horses-"

"Ponies."

"Horses! Here! Get out! Get off my property you trespassers! Now! Before I call the police!"

"Okay okay, we're going, sheesh!" Scootaloo turned and trotted back down the walk toward the road, followed by the others. She looked over her shoulder to see the woman still staring after them. If looks could kill, the glare would have been a small nuke.

"Crab." Apple Bloom grumbled.

"Yeah, Rrab." Scooby agreed.

Velma said "You said it. Still... Isn't it awfully strange to choose to live in a horse-ranching community if you don't like equines?"

"Maybe she just can't afford to leave?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Nuh-uh. You saw that place right? The old bat's loaded." Scootaloo argued.

"No name calling girls." Velma said, then muttered "Even if I agree with you."

Scootaloo shook her head. "I guess you're right... Let's just go on to the next house, eh?

XXXXX

Meanwhile, Fred and Daphne were walking hand in hand three streets over, enjoying the decorations and each other's company. "As much as I love our friends," Daphne said, "There's just no together alone time in the van."

"You said it." Freddy agreed. He chuckled, "Hey, look at this one!" The house they were passing was decorated to the hilt, with a glowing eye in each upstairs window and fake blood running from the sills of each of the bottom windows.

"That's neat."

"Yeah, I love Halloween... Say, you know what would make it even better?"

"Oh no Freddy, don't you dare say it!" Daphne exclaimed. "We don't need a mystery tonight!"

"But Daphne, how perfect would it be to have a Halloween monster on Halloween!?"

"Yeah, yeah, it'd be appropriate. But what about our alone time?"

"Well we always split up anyway..."

It was about then that they heard the sounds of a man cussing to himself, accompanied by the sounds of some heavy object being dragged along the ground. Investigating, the couple found a rancher trying to muscle a large heavy chest into his truck. Freddy rushed forward and grabbed ahold of a corner of the chest, saying "Let me help you!"

Together, they managed to lift the heavy weight the rest of the way into the vehicle. Wiping his brow with a handkerchief, the man offered his hand to shake. "Thank you kindly young man. Not sure I ever woulda managed that myself."

"Always happy to help. Oh! I'm Fred and this is Daphne."

"Gunther Hollings. M' wife Penny's inside loadin' up the next chest."

"Next chest? Going on a trip or something?" Daphne asked.

Penny appeared at the door. "Y'all aren't from around here are ya?"

"No ma'am. We're just passing through, needed a place to stop while our friends went trick or treating." Freddy explained.

Gunther and Penny's eyes both went wide. "You got kids running around this town at night!?"

"Well there are a couple of our friends with them."

"Even so..." Gunther said, "You asked if we was goin' on a trip. Fact is, we're gettin' outta town and never coming back!"

Penny added "And if y'all are wise, you'll do the same."

"Do you mind if we ask why?" Freddy asked.

"Well because o' him of course... Because of the Horseless Headman!"

"Don't you mean Headless Horseman?" Daphne asked with one eyebrow raised.

Penny laughed. "I wish! I mean, that guy's already got a horse! He'd probably leave ours alone. But as it is..."

"Freddy," Daphne sighed, "It sounds like you got your wish."

"And how!" Freddy cheered. "Sir, what can you tell us about the monster?"

"Well, it first showed up, oh, I guess about three months ago. Though, you understand, Penny and me didn't see it 'til yesterday. Just heard all the rumors we didn't believe 'til we saw for ourselves. Anyways, it's this big, huge head-thing that runs around on legs no bigger than a normal person. Got normal sized arms too, stick right outta the head just below the ears."

"Wow! I can't wait to get a look at this thing!" Freddy enthused.

"That makes one of us." Daphne said. To Gunther she asked "You say it's after your horses?"

"Everybody's horses." Gunther nodded. "It riles them up, chases them out of their stables, follows 'em clear across country miles from town before it gives up."

"And what happens when it catches one?"

Gunther frowned. "Don't rightly know. Never heard of 'em actually catchin' one. Seems to just wanna chase 'em away."

"That's gotta be our first clue." Daphne said.

"Right." Freddy agreed, "Why would it just want the horses out of town?"

"Let's find the others and start investigating...."

XXXXX

Shaggy knocked on the next door. After the run-in with the horse-despising woman, they had visited four more homes without any troubles. So, it was inevitable that they were due. And sure enough, as soon as the homeowner opened the door his eyes went wide, he screamed at the top of his lungs, and he slammed the door shut hard.

"What is it with some people in this town?" Apple Bloom wondered.

"Like I'm sure I don't know." Shaggy said.

"It's weird though. Our costumes aren't that scary." Scootaloo mused.

"Um... You guys...?" Sweetie Belle said. She was looking behind the group. "I think I know why that man was screaming. And I don't think it was our costumes."

"Well what was it then?" Scootaloo asked.

"That!" Sweetie answered, pointing and screaming. The group turned, and there before them stood a giant head.

"Yoooowl!!!" Scooby yelled, leaping into Shaggy's arms as Shaggy exclaimed "Zoinks! It's a... an... um..." He cocked his head in confusion. "Like what is it anyway?"

"I am the Horseless Headman..." The monster growled.

"Like I thought big head mode was just for video games!" Shaggy said.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Velma sighed.

"The Horseless Headman does not joke..." The monster looked down at the fillies. "Horses..."

"Ponies!" Sweetie Belle replied.

"Horses..."

"Ponies!"

"Horses..." The Headman began to move towards them. "Must... Have... Horses..."

"Ponies!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed again, exasperated.

"Ah don't think he cares about the difference Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom shouted.

"It's coming right for us!" Scootaloo said, "Hoof it!"

And so the chase was on. The gang was fast, of course, but for a giant head the monster was also surprisingly swift. It managed to stay on their heels up and down two city blocks. As they ran, the residential streets began to give way to businesses, self storage facilities, and schools. "Like I got an idea!" Shaggy exclaimed. "In here!" He ducked into an empty school building and the others followed.

They found themselves in the school's auditorium. "What's the plan Shaggy?" Scootaloo asked.

"Like okay, we've got about twenty seconds to get ready. Here's what we need to do..."

When the Headman stepped into the room, matching Shaggy's estimate to the letter twenty seconds later, it didn't find what it expected. Instead of being deserted, the auditorium appeared to be filled with reporters (Velma, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and countless cardboard cutouts) receiving a press conference from Sheriff Shaggy and Deputies Scooby and Scootaloo.

"What can y'all tell us about this Headman?" reporter Apple Bloom asked.

"Like his head is really, really big. Next question... You miss?"

"Why does the Headman want ponies?" reporter Velma asked.

"Who doesn't like ponies?" Deputy Scootaloo answered. "Aside from one batty old crab..." She added under her breath. "Next question..." The Headman began to moan as it moved towards the front of the room. "Ahh! Yes sir, you with the head..."

The Headman continued forward, moaning ever louder. "Rlease state it the form of a question rir." deputy Scooby said. The monster didn't respond, just kept coming.

"I don't think he's buying it Shaggy!" Velma shouted.

"Right!" Scootaloo agreed. "Sweetie! 'Bloom! Now!" On either side of the main aisle, the fillies grabbed ropes in their teeth and pulled hard, triggering the deadfall trap rigged above. (How did Shaggy set this up in twenty seconds? It's best to not ask.) The trap, comprised of tools, boards, and anything else big and heavy Shaggy could find dropped down onto the monster, burying it.

"We rot him!" Scooby cheered.

"Cool! Won't Freddy be upset when he finds out we trapped a monster without him?" Scootaloo agreed. And then the Headman broke free, casting aside the debris and rising to it's feet.

"Zoinks!"

"It's got the strength of a hundred heads!" Sweetie Belle said in awe.

"What it's got..." Velma said, "Is a headache *this* big... And we're written all over it! Run!"

The gang ran. The Headman followed. And what no one quite realized in the confusion was that they had ran in different directions. Velma, followed by Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, had taken the east doors from the auditorium, which quickly led them back outside. While Shaggy led Scooby and Scootaloo out the west doors, deeper into the sprawling high school...

XXXXX

"Wait up girls!" Velma called out, "I think we lost him."

"Thank goodness..." Sweetie Belle said, plopping down to catch her breath.

"Question is though, did we lose him or did he go after the others?" Velma wondered. "Oh well, either way I guess we've got a mystery on our hands and hooves... Sorry about your trick or treating."

"Aw, ah bet we'll wrap this up with plenty of time left for more." Apple Bloom said.

Sweetie Belle said "Oh I hope so! But... What was that thing?"

"Eeyup. I mean, 'Horseless Headman?' Don't make no sense... Unless it's a joke about the Headless Horse."

"Headless Horse? Odd... Here on Earth, the old story is the Headless Horseman, a rider in black that got decapitated and now roams the world with a jack o lantern on his shoulders, searching for a new head that looks like his old one."

"That is just like the Headless Horse." Apple Bloom said.

"Weird... But in any case, the Headless Horseman has a horse and hunts for a head. Apparently this guy has... is... a head, and hunts for horses." Velma facepalmed. "Is it me, or are these monsters getting weirder and weirder?"

"It's not you." Apple Bloom said. "So, we look for clues now right?"

"Right... But really, I'm not sure where to even start."

"What about that place?" Sweetie Belle asked, pointing across the street to an old abandoned industrial park.

"Why there?"

Sweetie shrugged. "I'm starting to figure out how these things work."

"I got nothing better." Velma shrugged as well, and they started looking for a way through the security fence.

Getting through the fence didn't take long; Less than fifty feet from where they started, there was a large section of the chain link hanging loose. The ponies started through, but Velma drew their attention to something. "Take a look at this girls... This isn't just age damage. Someone has cut the fence links in a straight line up and down..."

"Why just cut the one line though?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Why not cut around and make a full circle?"

"Too obvious." Velma replied.

Apple Bloom stomped a forehoof. "Ah get it! Leave it this way, you can still come an' go by pushin' it outta the way, but if someone comes along they might not even notice!"

"Exactly." Velma gazed through the fence at the structures beyond. "And now I'm really interested to see what's in here..."

Passing through the cut in the fence, they began to explore. It quickly became obvious that most of the buildings in the park were just as abandoned as they appeared: There was no power. Everywhere they found empty chambers, rusting machinery, and a layer of dust several inches deep. At first, there was no indication that the dust had ever been disturbed. No one had set foot in these places for decades.

But then, in one of the larger buildings, they came across of trail of boot prints in the dust. "This looks pretty new." Apple Bloom said.

Velma agreed. "You're right. Let's follow." They did so, but once the trail led outside, where winds and rain had prevented the dust from accumulating, they lost the trail in a hurry. But then...

"You hear that?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Some kinda humming sound." Apple Bloom agreed. "Like machinery runnin.'"

"This way!" Sweetie Belle said, and galloped ahead.

The structure which the sound led the trio to looked identical to all the others on the outside. Large, covered in rusting steel sheets, with busted out windows in a row near the top. Nevertheless, they knew they had the right place as soon as they saw the door. Or, rather, the glowing green indicator light next to the door. "Power." Velma said. "Something's up in there."

"Let's check it out." Apple Bloom said. She started to creep forward, but Velma stopped her.

"Wait. That light probably means a security system. We need another way in..." Velma looked around. Her eyes settled on the next building over. "Come on, I've got an idea if we're lucky."

They slipped into the next building, and climbed the rickety stairs to it's highest level. Here they found open windows facing the windows of their target building next door. They searched until Apple Bloom found what was needed; a long thick plank of sturdy oak wood, which they extended out their window and secured on the sill of the window opposite. Then they scrambled across.

In spite of the fact that it clearly had power, as evidenced by the security light by the door and the now unmistakable hum of running machines inside, the building appeared to be dark. Until Sweetie Belle reached through the busted out window and pushed aside a heavy blackout curtain, revealing that the interior was in fact very brightly lit by strips of florescent panels along the roof.

"Shhh...." Velma whispered, and led the way slowly in through the window, and along the high catwalk to the stairs going down. From here they could see that the whole interior was one vast room. Along one wall there was a workbench covered in tools and spare parts. Along the opposite wall were large glass tanks filled to varying levels with some mysterious blue liquid. And in the center was an enormous drill, working away drilling slowly but surely deeper into the earth. No one was in sight.

"Drilling... For oil?" Apple Bloom wondered.

"Whatever that stuff is, it isn't oil." Velma said. "Let's check it out."

They descended to the floor and examined the drill, but there was no indication on it to point them to any conclusions. Velma and Apple Bloom approached the workbench and started going through it's contents. "All I'm seeing is things that would be needed to repair the drill." Velma said.

"Same ah think," Apple Bloom answered, "Except for these glass jars an' lids." She pointed to a large collection of Mason Jars in a corner of the bench."

"I'll bet those are used to sample the liquid. Maybe transfer small amounts to be tested." Velma shook her head. "Keep looking. There's gotta be some kind of clue here somewhere." Apple Bloom nodded, and they continued to search.

Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle had decided to take a closer look at the glass tanks. They were numbered from one to five, and stretched the length of the wall they were on. At the bottom were spigots threaded for large hoses, which were stored nearby. "So they're loading it in trucks or something..." She thought. "But what is it?"

Sweetie decided she needed a closer look. Using her magic, she managed to turn the know above one of the spigots just enough for a tiny amount, perhaps a quarter of an ounce, to pour onto the floor. She stepped closer to examine it. The fluid was different from anything the unicorn had seen before. Dark blue, more viscose than water but not as thick as, say, pancake syrup, it didn't actually glow but there was an unmistakable opalescence to it...

The next thing Sweetie Belle knew, she was coming to outside the building, with a concerned looking Velma and a sickly looking Apple Bloom standing over her. "W... What happened?" She asked.

Velma explained "We heard a thud and looked to see you passed out next to our mystery liquid. Then when Apple Bloom got close to it she got weak legged too. So we got outside in the clear air as quick as we could. How do you feel?"

"Woozy... But getting better. How about you Apple Bloom?"

"Ah think I'll be okay. I wasn't close to it as long as you were."

"Velma?" Sweetie asked.

Velma shrugged. "I'm fine. I guess it either doesn't affect humans, or affects us much more slowly."

Apple Bloom said "Is this a clue Velma? Ah mean that the Head-guy wants us for some reason, and this stuff seems t' hurt us?"

"It sure is." Velma nodded. "Okay you two, wait here for a second."

"Huh? Wait?"

"You two don't dare go back inside. And in any case we came out through the alarmed door, meaning that I expect Mister Big-Head to show up any time now... But I'm not leaving without a sample." Velma rushed back into the building. Her thoughts were simple. The ponies hadn't been affected by the fluid until Sweetie Belle let some out of the tanks. Thus, it must be safe for them if contained. She grabbed one of the Mason jars Apple Bloom had noticed earlier, filled it, capped it, and ran back outside where she found Sweetie Belle back on her hooves and both Crusaders looking much better than they had moments earlier.

"I think I'm okay now." Sweetie Belle said.

"Good, then let's move." Velma answered. Even as she spoke, they all heard the moans of the approaching Headman. Not wasting a moment, they ran, getting away before he came into view...

XXXXX

Meanwhile, Shaggy, Scooby, and Scootaloo had been running through the interior of the High School, fleeing the Headman who was close on their tails. "This place is so big!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "Back home, we just had one classroom for everypony!"

"Schools here used to be that way too. There's just too many kids nowadays." Shaggy said.

"Too many horses!" The Headman behind them said.

"For the last time we're ponies!" Scootaloo shouted at him.

"Rapple Bloom was right Rootaroo!" Scooby said, "Re doesn't care."

"I guess so! So what do we do!?"

"Just keep running!" Shaggy said, "Something'll come up!"

And so it did. As the trio fled, down the length of one long hall, right around the corner into another, shorter hall, left into what they expected to be another hall... But was actually a dead-end next to the school cafeteria, with a trash slot in the wall directly in their path. Man, Pony, and Dog fell through the slot and slid down the chute to the basement. The Headman got stuck in the chute entrance, cursing to itself as it struggled to get free. Scootaloo looked back up the chute and chuckled at the sight of the monster's head wedged half-in half-out of the slot.

"Like check it out!" Shaggy said as he looked around once he were free of the trash bin. "Mother lode!"

"Mother lode of clues!?" Scootaloo asked, joining him.

"Even better! Mother lode of food! We're in the cafeteria storeroom!" Shaggy and Scooby's eyes were wide with delight.

"You guys? Big monster head thing chasing us? He's gonna get free and come down here..."

"Like don't worry Scoots, we know. But I think he got wedged pretty tight. We've got time."

"Yeah! Rime to eat!"

"Right you are ol' buddy ol' pal! So let's get fixin'!"

Scootaloo could only shake her head as Shaggy and Scooby began gathering ingredients and stacking up enormous Dagwood sandwiches. They included a third for her. "Well... I am hungry..." The filly chuckled. "But can we eat on the run?" She asked, balancing her sandwich on her back between her wings.

"Rood idea!" Scooby agreed. "Rootaroo's right about the Readman coming for us Rhaggy!"

"Like yeah, let's go."

Ten minutes later, sandwiches finished, they were still lost in the twisting halls of the school basement. They came to a new hallway with a sign over the double doors: 'Shop Hall.'

"Shop?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeah, it's like car repair and metal-working, woodworking, machining, drafting, all that kinda stuff."

"Cool. Like the human version of Cloud-crafting for Pegasai."

"I guess so. But, you know what I like here?" Shaggy asked, "Look down to the end of the hall! It's an exit sign! There must be stairs!"

"Awesome! Let's get out of here!" Scootaloo agreed.

Halfway down the hall, Scooby suddenly stopped and stared into one of the rooms. "Scooby?" Scootaloo asked.

"Rue! Rue!" The dog exclaimed, and bounded in. Shaggy and Scootaloo looked at each other, shrugged, and followed.

"Like okay Scoob, what's you clue?"

"Rhis!" Scooby pointed to the oddest contraption any of the three had seen in some time. There was a seat in the middle, like a bucket seat from a car. A steel framework was attached to the seat back. At the bottom, it was also attached to what looked like bicycle pedals, but the chain running from the pedals led not to wheels but instead to a very complicated series of moving parts that resembled legs. To either side of the seat was another assemblage of pedals and waldos that controlled a set of mechanical arms.

"Some kind of mecha-suit?" Scootaloo wondered.

"Like let's try it out." Shaggy said. He climbed into the seat, locked the seat belt, and started carefully experimenting with the controls. He found that he was indeed able to walk on the suit's legs and control the arms with amazing precision. Of course, it was just then that the Headman arrived, slamming in through the classroom door, moaning. "Zoinks! He's found us!" Scooby, Scootaloo, climb on and hold on tight!"

Shaggy ran, piloting the mech suit, with his passengers clinging for dear life. The Headman gave chase. They found the stairs at the end of the hall and climbed, relieved to locate exit doors at the very top. They burst out into the night, but the Headman was right there. It grabbed an arm of the mech suit, spinning it around, and Shaggy began using the suit to fight the Headman.

"Coooooool!" Scootaloo cheered, "Horseless Headman versus Mecha-Horseless Headman!"

"Like yeah I'd be in awe if I wasn't terrified!" Shaggy answered.

"Yeah! Rerrified!"

The battle continued for several minutes, neither combatant able to get any advantage over the other. Shaggy had begun to despair of ever getting out of this one. But it was just then that, a couple of blocks away, Velma had opened the security door to get Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle out into fresh air, away from the mystery liquid. A loud alarm begun to sound from a watch on the Headman's right arm. The response was immediate: The monster stopped fighting, stepped back. Glared at Scootaloo. "Horse. Leave. Or I come back for you..." It laughed maniacally, then turned and ran away.

While Shaggy slumped in his seat, Scootaloo wondered "What was that about?"

"Like I have no idea... I'm just glad it happened." Shaggy unstrapped himself and climbed free of the mech suit. "Now come on you two... Let's go find the others, and I mean quick! 'Cause I've got a bad feeling we've not seen the last of him!"

XXXXX

Fred and Daphne had finished questioning Gunther and Penny and were on their way to find the others when Fred was tackled by Scooby who grabbed ahold of the back of his head, leaned in close to his face, and exclaimed "Rig head! Rig head!"

"You've seen the Horseless Headman!?" Daphne asked.

"Like seen, run from, fought, you name it!" Shaggy said. He frowned. "Wait a minute! How have you heard of him? Freddy... Please tell me this isn't another one of your 'know about the monster in advance and not tell me' tricks!"

"We heard from some locals Shaggy. I swear I'm innocent this time!" Freddy said, waving his hands in a placating manner.

"Alright, I think I believe you."

"But at least we found a clue!" Scootaloo said. "And I think I might know who it is!" She told Fred and Daphne about the horse-hating woman, and how she had, like the Headman, insisted on calling the ponies horses.

"That does sound suspicious..." Freddy said. "As does the mecha suit you guys found at the school."

"But where are Velma and the other Crusaders?" Daphne wondered.

"Right here!" Velma called out as she approached with the other two ponies.

Velma showed everyone the Mason Jar of fluid and everyone shared the clues they had found with each other.

"We've got a lot of clues." Freddy said, "But I still think we're missing something... One last piece of the puzzle to link everything together."

Velma said "I agree. That's why I was planning to take Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to the local horse doctor. Maybe he'll be able to tell us something about this stuff and why it affected them the way it did."

"That sounds like a plan." Freddy agreed. "Let's go!"

XXXXX

A short time later, they found the doctor. Henry Trable, D.V.M., was an aging man with deep jowls and thinning grey hair, but a sprightly spring to his step and a genuine love for his work. Delighted to have the opportunity to examine such unusual patients, he had quickly ushered the entire gang into his office. Once there, he examined Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle closely, eventually popping a sucker in each of their mouths and declaring that they both seemed fit.

"But that stuff knocked me out!" Sweetie Belle said.

"An' danged near took me off mah hooves too!" Apple Bloom agreed.

"Hmmm...." Trable mused. He turned to Velma. "You say you have a sample?"

"Right here sir." Velma replied, producing the jar.

The doctor's response was immediate. "It can't be!" He grabbed the jar. "Come with me to the lab miss! We need to run some tests, but if this is what I think it is..."

Velma went with Henry while the rest of the gang waited. In less than half an hour, they returned.

"Ceruleum." Henry said. "A rare substance, liquid at room temperature, with a wide variety of industrial applications. And totally harmless to humans but toxic as anything to all equines."

"Poison!?" Scootaloo gasped. " It's like... Pony Kryptonite! Will Sweetie and 'Bloom be okay!?"

"Oh yes, neither of your friends was exposed long enough for any permanent issues." Henry reassured her.

"But like, I'm still confused." Shaggy said. "If this Ceruleum stuff is so bad for horses, how have there been so many of them around here for so long without any problems?"

Velma explained "Because the deposit is deep Shaggy. Further down than the local aquifers even. No one knew it was there until now, except for the Headman."

"But everything adds up now." Daphne said. "We still don't know who the Horseless Headman is, but we do know why whoever it is, is doing it. So all we need now..."

"Is a trap!" Everyone concluded together...

XXXXX

The Horseless Headman moved cautiously through the deserted streets of town. He knew that someone was investigating his scheme. He also knew that bizarre alien equines were in town. Most likely, the two were related. Still, all he really wanted was for them to leave, and in spite of being aliens the creatures had certainly seemed afraid of him. One more good scare should do the trick. Assuming he could find them. Hope sprung in his heart that maybe they had already left. But then his attention was drawn to something that didn't belong. Above the door of a long abandoned building was a sign:

Doctor Norville Rogers, D.Q.
Phrenology
*Giant Heads Welcome*

Moaning, the Headman slammed the door down and burst in. A dog in drag was seated behind a desk with a 'receptionist' sign. "Oh my!" It said, "Rhis looks like an emergency! Roctor Rogers!" A young man in a white lab coat emerged from the back room and together with the dog pushed the moaning Headman into said room and shoved him into an oversized seat.

"Now then, let's have a look at you..." The doctor said. He produced a set of large calipers and began measuring the Headman's, well, head. "Oh, look at this! The ratio of your skull front to back and side to side is all wrong! It indicates a sociopathic personality! And here! These large bumps on the top of you head are plainly the result of nearly being crushed in a failed trap..."

"Huuurgh.... Do not mock the Headman..."

"Mockery is the last thing on my mind sir! As you read on the sign out front I'm a licensed Doctor of Quackery! Now then, as I continue to examine your skull, I can't help but notice that it is in fact quite large... Are you by chance a giant head monster sir?"

"I am the Horseless Headman... I must have horses!"

"Of course you must sir." The doctor said. "And in fact it's your lucky day! Girls?"

With a shout of "Get 'em!" The trio of alien equines appeared from behind a curtain, jumping right at the Headman. He let out a scream, which was drowned out by the equine's shout of "Cutie Mark Crusaders! Boom! Headshot! Yaaay!!!"

Before the Headman knew what was happening, the trio had somehow managed to tar and feather him. They jumped away as he tore loose of the chair the doctor had forced him into and roared. "Like that's it girls!" The doctor screamed, "He's really torqued at us now! Run for it!!" Doctor, Dog, and Aliens fled, and the Headman followed...

XXXXX

It was, all in all, a typical Freddy trap. Shaggy, Scooby, and the Crusaders would get the monster all riled up, so angry it would blindly chase them wherever they led it. 'Where they led it' would be the High School gymnasium, where Velma and Daphne would be waiting. As soon as Shaggy and the others were clear, the girls would raise the gym's volleyball net, entangling and trapping the Headman. This was only the first phase though. Given how easily the monster had escaped Shaggy's deadfall trap it was certain the net wouldn't hold it for long. Luckily, it wouldn't have to if all went according to plan...

After getting the Headman's attention in the phony doctor's office, the bait team made a beeline straight for the school. They entered through a set of doors near the cafeteria, and wound their way through several hallways before reaching the gym. They piled through the door, shouting warnings that the monster was coming, and continued to run, past the centerline, over the waiting volleyball net. Surprisingly, no, none of them got tripped up in the netting. The Headman was close behind, and Daphne and Velma raised up the net. The Headman slammed into it, got tangled, but just kept going. He didn't even slow down as he dragged the net along with him, Daphne and Velma along for the ride.

"Oh no! It's not working!" Freddy exclaimed.

At a certain point, the net was stretched too taught. With a snapping noise, it flipped forward, with the result that Daphne and Velma were now in front of the Headman. It approached them, moaning. "You should have left when I gave you the chance..." The monster said, and was about to attack when everyone heard sounds like bicycle pedals being pumped hard, and there was Shaggy, seated in the mecha suit again.

"Get away from them you... ...Head!"

The monster turned to face Shaggy. "You seek another dance with the Headman?"

"Like not so much. Freddy? Now would be a good time!"

From his perch atop the bleachers, Freddy swung in on the gym's climbing rope. He used a large carabiner to clip the rope securely to the monster's back, then jumped free as Scootaloo triggered the mechanism to retract the rope up towards the roof. The Headman flailed about, but was unable to free itself as it swung in an arc around the room...

XXXXX

A short time and one call to the local police later. At Daphne's request, the deputies had bought Doctor Trable, as well as Gunther, Penny, and...

"Huh!?" Scootaloo exclaimed, looking back and forth between the still-swinging Headman and the equinophobic woman from earlier in the night. "But... But I was sure she had to be the Headman!"

"Heck I coulda told you better than that." Gunther said. "Mrs. Sue Richmont here, she's been a town fixture her whole life. Can't figure she'd ever do anything to hurt any of us."

"But she hates ponies an' horses!" Apple Bloom said.

The hard expression on Sue's face softened, even so slightly. "I... I don't hate you child... I'm afraid of you."

"Huh!?" The three fillies chorused.

Sue explained, "My family founded this town. On raising, racing, and selling horses. I loved them when I was a girl. Still do at a distance... But, when I was, oh, about the age I expect you three are... Well, there was an accident. A stampede. I got out of the way. My best friend didn't. And ever since..."

The Crusaders exchanged uncomfortable looks. "Um... We're sorry... For your friend. And for thinking the worst of you." Sweetie Belle whispered.

Nodding, Sue looked up at the Headman. "Now then, can someone please tell me what this ridiculous... thing... is and why it's been terrorizing our town?"

"I'm wondering the same thing." The deputy said. "You've caught him and that's great, but what was it all about in the first place?"

"This." Velma said, holding up the jar of Ceruleum. "Ceruleum is very rare, and worth nearly half it's weight in gold. There wasn't supposed to be any around here, but our Headman discovered a deposit deep, deep below ground and decided to keep it to himself."

"Which like makes sense, because he'd make a lot more money selling it under the table and ignoring all the pricey E.P.A. regulations for mining it." Shaggy said.

Daphne said, "But he had a problem: Ceruleum is extremely dangerous to horses."

"Like 'Bloom and me found out the hard way." Sweetie Belle said.

"Pony Ryptonite." Scooby quoted Scootaloo.

Doctor Trable explained "It takes time to cause permanent harm, but just one spill of the stuff and the jig would have been up: Horses all around would have started getting sick."

Gunther asked "So, he started chasing all the horses away to make sure they wouldn't accidentally give him away?"

"Exactly!" Freddy said. "That explains why you never heard of the Headman catching any horses. In spite of all his talk about wanting them, all he really wanted was them gone."

Scootaloo pointed to the mech suit. "That's another clue. Betcha anything the guy inside is controlling the headman with another one of those."

"Well this explains everything then..." Penny said, "Except for who it is."

Daphne and Velma began lowering the rope, until the Headman was just above the floor. "Right." Freddy said. "Let's see who the Horseless Headman really is!" Working together, Freddy, Shaggy, and Scooby each grabbed ahold of hidden fingerholds in the Headman, disengaged the locks, and removed the monster's face. Inside, seated in a copy of the mech suit Scooby had found, was...

"Hay! You're that guy!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.

"Yeah! The guy we met trick or treating that told us to get out of town!" Scootaloo agreed.

"It's Robert Nash..." The Deputy said, "He teaches Geology and Metal Shop here."

"Which explains both how he knew enough to learn about the Ceruleum," Velma mused, "And where the Headman suit came from. He must've had his shop students build it for him."

"And I would've gotten away with it!" Nash spat, "If it weren't for you meddling kids, and your dog and pony show!"

"Rog and pony show? Re hee hee hee hee hee...."

"Oh!" Sweetie Belle suddenly exclaimed, "What time is it?"

"Seven thirty!" Shaggy said, "Still plenty of time for trick or treating left! Scooby, girls, let's get to it!"

"Yay!"

Comments

[BestinDworld]

8452620
looking foward to unity 2....if ever

[badninja]

Not bad. I think the girls are just going to love hanging out with the gang!

[UniqueSKD]

What on earth is this?

This is the strangest and dumbest crossover I have EVER seen.

And I think I'm in love with it.

Adding to Watch, giving a Like, and a double thumbs up to you.

[Dusk Star Shine]

At least the girls get to see the Human version of Nightmare Night now without the Monster trying to run them off.

[Pyrotechnic]

Velma was at least wearing a sweater with the words 'This is my costume' emblazoned across the front.

I really shouldn't be surprised, but I actually expected better from Velma! She dressed as herself. Velma isn't scary.

"Right!" Scootaloo agreed. "Sweetie! 'Bloom! Now!" On either side of the main aisle, the fillies grabbed ropes in their teeth and pulled hard, triggering the deadfall trap rigged above. (How did Shaggy set this up in twenty seconds? It's best to not ask.)

Shaggy channeled his inner Pinkie to set that up in twenty seconds. There, I solved the unsolvable problem. I want my two dollars!

And what no one quite realized in the confusion was that they had ran in different directions. Velma, followed by Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, had taken the east doors from the auditorium, which quickly led them back outside. While Shaggy led Scooby and Scootaloo out the west doors, deeper into the sprawling high school...

This always happens. You can't find good clues together so you must pull a horror movie trope and split up. Poor Scooby and Shaggy always seem to break away. If this was an actual horror movie, they would be the first to go. Good thing it isn't as they are the best part after Velma.

"What about that place?" Sweetie Belle asked, pointing across the street to an old abandoned industrial park.

"Why there?"

Sweetie shrugged. "I'm starting to figure out how these things work."

It took 5 episodes for Sweetie to figure out how a basic episode works! I am disappointed in you Sweetie. It took me two episodes as a kid to realize the formula.

The monster said, and was about to attack when everyone heard sounds like bicycle pedals being pumped hard, and there was Shaggy, seated in the mecha suit again.

"Get away from them you... ...Head!"

I love you so much! This, This right here is why you are now the best person ever! I love you so much for quoting this! My favorite series of all time! You rock so much! You have literally just earned like all of the kudos in the world!

A great chapter! It was so worth reading as it is being written! I love this concept so much!

[No1MporXant]

You're doing wonderful so far, but you should probably do something that brings back the attention of what's going on in Equestria, like have it where Mystery Inc. & the Crusaders run into Spike the Dragon, who Twilight had sent to the Scooby World to find the Crusaders, and establish a form of communication between the two worlds, so that Applejack & Rarity wouldn't worry so much about Apple Bloom & Sweetie Belle's safety, and Spike reveals that he had been though a whole lot of crap in the Scooby World just to find the Crusaders, he especially got a lot of trouble from the Humans who thought of him as some kind of monster, and they even tried shooting at Spike with Guns, fortunately he found out the hard way that his dragon scales are too dense for the bullets to harm him, meaning that he's basically bullet-proof, and he has come to have very little trust over the humans of the Scooby World, and he joins Mystery Inc. just so he can keep an eye on the Crusaders, because even though the Ponies had told him that the gang are their friends, he's still keeping his guard up, That would be an interesting way to get Equestria more involved in the future.

[Dustchu]

Heheheh, this was cute, and another great chapter well done!

[Alondro]

But little did anyone know that just below the ceruleum deposit was "The Food of the Gods"...

d1466nnw0ex81e.cloudfront.net/n_iv/600/854199.jpg

Dang it, Scootaloo! Put that kid down!

[R-Bot]

Nice Alien reference btw

8513490
I think having Spike would be awesome to have for Mystery Inc.

[Kieva Lynn]

8512658
I swear I DO have some plans in the works, I'm just still in the middle of refining the details.

[MyWorld93]

8524699
Looking for this?

radioactive-studios.com/biohazard-films/files/2015/10/Scooby-Fracas-08-Technology-e1446523478888.jpg

[Ri2]

*gasp* The monster was some random guy we'd completely forgotten about! The perfect cover!