The previous Unity Quest in New York City was something that the ponies will never forget… in more than one way. The sights and spending the entire adventure with the Smurfs was amazing, but having to protect them from the evil wizard Gargamel was a lot of work, and not to mention dangerous.

On this adventure, they got lucky. But next time, they could be in a whole new stretch of trouble, especially with Paradise still out there and not knowing where she could be.

That’s when Pipp and Misty seemed to get a great idea-- they could invite their families for a family day celebration down on the beach! There, they could spend some time with their loved ones and sort of unwind before the Unity Crystals called them out on another mission.

Finally... the day of the big family beach day arrived.

XXXXXXXX

“All right… Dad and me will probably be over in this general area,” Misty said, setting some towels down near the cliff. “Not too far from the water, but not too far away from the stairs in case we wanna go up to town.”

“Sounds great, Misty!” Hitch said as he and Sparky set up some beach toys. “Sparky is gonna build a sandcastle over here while me and Granny talk.”

“How does Queen Haven like the beach?” Sunny asked Pipp and Zipp. “Zephyr Heights is more of a… sky-centered city.”

“We took her down here to show her where we first found that Ocean Lily, and the ocean is one of the most beautiful sights she’s ever seen,” Zipp said. “I don’t think she’ll be out surfing with me though.”

“Of course not!” Pipp scoffed. “She is a queen! Queens don’t surf.”

“And you’re saying crown princesses don’t surf either?”

“Well, I-- what?! No! That is not what I am saying at all!”

“Uh, hey! Speaking of families,” said Izzy, separating the two sisters, “I think I see everypony arriving!”

Everyone turned to see she was right-- an elderly pink earth pony mare came down the steps first, making Hitch gasp and gallop into her waiting hooves. “Granny!”

“Oh, hello, my darling Hitchie!” Grandma Figgy said, hugging her grandson. “And hello to you too, my little dragon sweetheart!”

Sparky giggled as his grandma tickled his tummy, just as the royal trumpets sounded, and Queen Haven made her arrival with royal guards Thunder and Zoom. “Girls! Oh, I’m so happy to see you!”

“Mom!” Pipp ran up and hugged her. “We’re glad you could make it,” Zipp smiled. “Now all we gotta do is wait for Alphabittle to arrive.”

“I could hardly believe it when I heard Misty is Alphie’s daughter,” Queen Haven admitted before glancing over toward Misty. “But, I am more than willing to accept her with open hooves.”

“That’s great,” Zipp smiled. “I’m sure Alphabittle will be glad to hear it too.”

“Hey, I think I see him now!” Sunny said, looking toward the tall gray unicorn stallion coming down the stairs, and Misty gasped in delight. “Dad!”

“Hey, my Misty-Wisty!” Alphabittle said, hugging her tenderly. “Oh, sorry… that’s what I used to call you when you were just a filly, and I guess I’m trying to break myself from that habit.”

“Oh, it’s okay,” Misty said. “I’m glad you’re here. Is this your first time in Maretime Bay?”

“Actually, yeah. I’ve never been to the coast before except after magic returned… it’s kinda peaceful down here.”

“...not as peaceful as you’d think,” Zipp muttered, but Pipp chuckled to her sister in order to get her to be quiet. “Now that we’re all here, we can get this party started!”

XXXXXXXX

Nights in Tokyo, Japan were always busy-- buildings flashing their bright lights, cars all over honking through traffic, people walking on the streets… but there was one part of town that wasn’t as busy… the older districts of the city.

Specifically, the old Tokyo Museum of Cultural History. In the midst of the building, a young teenager named Kenji was listening to music while cleaning the floors with a young unicorn filly (with a creamish-yellow coat, dark purple eyes, a mane and tail of different shades of blue, part of her mane tied up in a ponytail, and a cutie mark of a dream catcher) named Dream Maker.

The filly seemed hard at work while Kenji was working and rocking out when he and the filly yelped at the sight of a shadow going over the glass ceiling above them, but they saw nothing there when they looked up.

The museum’s curator, Mr. Takagawa and his assistant Moon Blossom (an earth pony mare with a celadon green coat, medium orchid colored eyes, a wavy and somewhat curled navy blue mane and tail and a cutie mark of dark blue magic swirling around a moon) encountered the two of them staring at the ceiling, and Mr. Takagawa let out an exasperated sigh. “Kenji? Kenji!”

“AHH!!” Kenji screamed as the filly yelped, not expecting them to be in there with them as Mr. Takagawa handed him a mop. “I’m paying you to look after Dream Maker and to clean the floors, not stare off into space!”

“We’re sorry, Miss Blossom and Takagawa san,” Dream Maker bowed her head, disappointed in herself for getting so distracted-- she was always the level-headed one of herself and Kenji. “But, w-we got distracted.”

Mr. Takagawa let through a heavy sigh, rubbing his hand over his face. “Alas, that is why no one comes to the museum anymore,” he said just before turning and glaring at the two. “Too many distractions-- no discipline. No respect for the old ways.”

“Come with us-- we’ll show you,” Moon Blossom told the two, despite Kenji's protesting. “Miss Blossom, where are we going?” Dream Maker asked, ears pinned fearfully. “I’ve never gone down this hallway before. I-I’m sorry I got distracted, I just…”

“Hey, it’s okay,” Moon Blossom assured, taking on a gentle tone. “I know sometimes fillies get distracted, and you’ve been going through a lot lately. Mr. Takagawa just wants to make sure you learn something from this experience.”

“Well… I guess so…”

With this being said, Moon Blossom and Mr. Takagawa led the two of them to a back room that they had never thought about going into before, and turned on the lights to reveal a jet-black suit of armor with some gold and dark red mixed in. “Behold,” Mr. Takagawa spoke with a flourish. “The Black Samurai!”

Dream Maker and Kenji’s eyes immediately widened as they gasped. “Awesome… the Black Samurai…” Dream Maker stared up at the case with wide eyes of admiration. “Never heard of him,” Kenji shrugged, a little unfazed. “The most fearsome warlord in the history of Japan! Do you see what I am getting at, Kenji?” Mr. Takagawa asked. “Uh… yes, Takagawa san,” Kenji answered hesitantly. “You want me to mop in here.”

“No!” Mr. Takagawa answered in exasperation. “That this exhibit could save the museum!”

Suddenly, the lights went out without any explanation, and a harsh wind began to blow, which slammed the door to the main part of the museum shut, and electricity began to surge throughout the armor. And worst of all, Moon Blossom had no idea how to explain it. “W-What is happening?!”

The samurai’s red eyes glowed just before the glass case burst open, revealing a moving, laughing suit of armor, which rose from its sitting position before going over and stealing a sword. “I… live…”

“Kenji! Do something!” Dream Maker said, hiding behind Moon Blossom with pinned ears. Kenji ran forward immediately with his mop in hand, and tried to use it as a weapon, but the samurai sliced it immediately, laughing before bursting through the ceiling and flying into the busy city. Once catching their breath, Dream Maker turned to her earth pony mentor with slight fear. “Miss Blossom… what exactly did we just see?”

“I don’t honestly want to say this, but… it feels like the only explanation,” Moon Blossom gulped. “The ghost of the Black Samurai… has returned.”

XXXXXXXX

Everyone was having a great time at the beach, eating and making sandcastles and playing in the water. But, Hitch and the mares all agreed that if Paradise were to make a move on Equestria, they had to tell their families so they could expect it… and they had to tell them about their Unity Quests too.

It seemed to be for the best.

“Um… Mom?” Zipp asked. “Could we talk to you, Grandma Figgy and Alphabittle for a second? It’s important.”

“Oh, of course, darling,” Queen Haven smiled. “What is it?”

“Well… often times, you would see our cutie marks glow, and we usually have to rush off to the Brighthouse, right?” Sunny asked. “Well… there’s a purpose for that. Our cutie marks have been sending us on quests to other worlds, in order to stop two villains.”

“One of them was an evil fire alicorn who wanted Sparky for her dragon fire,” said Hitch. “Another one… well… is Misty’s mom, the adopted daughter of that fire alicorn.”

Alphabittle sighed at that… Misty had told him that Paradise abandoned her out in the woods as a filly, but he had no idea she had taken such a dark turn. “Oh goodness!” Grandma Figgy gasped. “Are you all right, Misty dear?”

“I’m fine now, Miss Figgy,” Misty nodded. “We just wanted to let you guys know in case we’re together and have to run off… and if Mom were to find her way back to Equestria.”

“Of course,” Alphabittle said. “Your secret is safe with us until you’re ready to share it with others.”

“Oh my! Darlings, look!” Queen Haven said. “I think your cutie marks are right on cue!”

Turns out, their cutie marks were glowing extremely bright, leaving Izzy to sigh. “At least time passes slowly here, so we can still enjoy beach day when we get back.”

“Granny, can you look after Sparky until we get back?” Hitch asked, handing Sparky over to his grandma. “No worries, Hitchie,” Grandma Figgy assured. “I’ll keep my eyes on him the whole time.”

“All right then, everypony-- back to the Brighthouse!” Sunny declared. “We have a Unity Quest to embark on!”

Family Beach Day would have to be put on hold for now-- a new Unity Quest was awaiting the ponies at the Brighthouse, and with Sparky, Grandma Figgy, Alphabittle and Queen Haven somewhere safe, they could embark on this quest without any hassle.

As they climbed to the top of the Brighthouse, Izzy let out a squeal. “I wonder where the Unity Crystals are gonna send us this time! Maybe to a deserted island, or a fairytale kingdom, or maybe it's a world run entirely by robots!”

“I… somehow doubt the last one,” said Zipp, “but we’re about to find out!”

The Unity Crystals and the cutie marks gave off an astonishing light, and as that light faded, the ponies were sent on their next quest, somewhere in the deep unknown.

XXXXXXXX

The next thing the ponies knew, they were crashing into the cold, metal floor of a high moving train, groaning. “Geez…” Pipp groaned. “I thought getting flung out of portals in Smurf Village and New York were rough… it feels like we can never catch a break anymore!”

Fortunately, their presence wasn’t sensed by anypony else-- other people on the train were too distracted by social media or work or talking to someone else to notice. “Okay, look around, guys,” said Sunny. “Maybe we can find somepony out of the picture and see if they need--”

“Ponies?”

The ponies practically leapt a foot into the air and swiftly turned to see Scooby-Doo and the rest of Mystery Incorporated standing behind them. “Oh, it's you guys!” Sunny said out of relief. “Sorry we're so jumpy.”

“Trust me,” Zipp agreed. “If you knew about our adventure in New York... well... let's just say it was an... experience.”

“Sounds like it,” Daphne said. “Do you guys have a Unity Quest in Japan?”

“Japan?” Hitch blinked. “So that's where we are!”

“Right,” Misty nodded. “And until we can find our quest, we better stick close to the gang for a while. Besides... who knows what lingering threats are still out there.”

XXXXXXXX

After a good hour or two of talking about the ponies' most recent adventure, the train finally pulled to a stop at the station, stepping off and out onto the busy streets with brochures and guidebooks in hand, ready for their next adventure in a new place they have yet to explore. “Wow… we made it gang-- Shibuya Station,” Fred declared. “The most popular meeting place in all of Tokyo.”

“And I can see why. Everyone in Japan is already here!” Velma said, looking around at the crowd, just as Shaggy reached into his bag and pulled out an empty Scooby Snacks box. “But, like, wouldn't you know it? We're all out of Scooby Snacks!”

Scooby reached into the box with his head to see if he was wrong, but his head went right through, causing him to sob sadly. “Oh… don’t worry, Scooby,” Misty patted his shoulder. “I’m sure there are some Scooby Snacks around here somewhere. Just keep your eyes and nose open.”

All of a sudden, Scooby went sniffing like crazy, and his eyes darted in many directions until he found his target-- next to a nearby wall was a vending machine that only sold Scooby Snacks… his kind of vending machine. “Scooby Snacks!” Scooby pressed his muzzle against the glass. “Scooby Snacks!”

“Way to go, Scoob! A Scooby Snacks vending machine!” Shaggy said as he did the same, causing Pipp to laugh. “It’s the wave of the future...!”

Just then, Shaggy and Scooby began to lick the glass of the vending machine, causing Pipp and Izzy to barrel over in laughter.

Suddenly, Daphne’s phone buzzed, and she smiled once she saw she had recieved a message. “Hey, I've got a text message from Miyumi,” she said. “She says, ‘Meet me at the statue of… Hachiko’?”

Of course, as to be expected, no one knew who Hachiko was. “Wow, I've heard of a lot of different pony names in my lifetime,” said Sunny, “but no one with a name like that.”

“Any idea who this… Hachiko person looks like?” Hitch asked with a confused look. “Let’s see…” Velma muttered as she flipped through her guidebook. “Hachiko… Hachiko…”

All of a sudden, they heard some kids shouting the very same name, and looked to see them taking a picture in front of a golden statue of a dog. “Like, check it out, Scoob,” Shaggy said as he and Scooby approached it, carrying armfuls of Scooby Snack boxes. “Hachiko’s not a person, he’s a pooch!”

“Ohhhh... Hachiko is a dog! And a very... shiny one at that,” Izzy said, tapping the statue. “Iz?” Zipp whispered. “That dog is a statue.”

“It is? Oh, heh... whoopsie! Sorry, Mr. Hachiko... good statue dog?”

“Here it is,” Velma found the Hachiko section in her book and read it out loud. “Hachiko used to greet his master every day when he came home on the train. One day his master died… and Hachiko spent the rest of his life waiting at the station for his master to return.”

“Wow… sounds like he was one cool canine,” Hitch said, eyes wide full of amazement. Shaggy chuckled before he turned to the Great Dane next to him. “Hey, Scoob-- like, maybe they’ll put up a statue of you someday.”

“Me? Oh boy-- hee hee hee hee!” Scooby handed Shaggy his load and rushed to the statue, striking several poses, much to the amusement of his friends. “Look at Scooby,” Daphne pulled out her phone to take some pictures. “What a ham!”

“Ooh!” Pipp pulled out her own phone. “Let me get in on that photo taking action!”

Scooby began to pose for countless photos taken by Pipp and Daphne, giggling as the photo shoot came to an end. Someone else suddenly began to giggle too, and a girl around the gang’s age and a young white, gray and black griffin wearing a pair of goggles on his head and bright green eyes came out from behind the statue. The griffin decided to speak up first. “It’s going to take more than that, Scooby-Doo.”

Scooby whined in confusion-- how did that griffin possibly know his name? “If you want to have a statue of your own in Japan, you must first become a legend,” the girl explained. “Just like Hachiko. Today, in honor of his great loyalty, his statue serves as a special place… for faithful friends to meet.”

Fred was first to blink out of confusion. “Uh… I’m sorry, but… have we met?”

Daphne gasped and rushed forward. “You must be Gray Flyer and Miyumi!”

“And you are Miss Daphne Blake,” Miyumi spoke with a smile as the three bowed to each other. “Gray and I have heard all about you and the Scooby gang.”

“And your band of Equestrian heroes known as the Unity Squad,” Gray smiled at the ponies. “It’s an honor to meet all of you.”

“Oh! Wow, uh… you two,” Sunny smiled, although a bit surprised at how much respect they were getting right off the bat. However, Shaggy and Scooby seemed to take in the respect with a lot of pride. “What do you know, Scoob? Looks like our reputation precedes us!” Shaggy said, but then gulped worriedly. “I-I hope that’s a good thing…”

Gray let out a giggle. “Of course it is,” he reassured. “Can I tell you a secret?” Miyumi asked them. “I sometimes wish we could be members of the Scooby gang too.”

“Like, tell you what. Next time there's a gruesome ghost up in our grill, you've got first dibs,” Shaggy told her. “Uh-huh,” Scooby nodded in agreement, but Fred smiled reassuringly. “Hey, don't worry, guys. We're not here to solve any mysteries this time.”

“We're just here to help the ponies with whatever Unity Quest they have and to watch Daphne compete in the big martial-arts competition,” Velma added. “Wow, Daphne!” Zipp smiled. “I didn’t know you did martial arts!”

“It’s been a hobby of mine for a while now,” Daphne shrugged. “And I’m just so honored to be invited to the tournament.”

“And so should you be,” Gray spoke, going completely serious in the blink of an eye. “Miss Mirimoto runs the most exclusive martial-arts academy in all the world-- only the most exemplary students are accepted by her.”

“But first…” Miyumi said grimly with narrowed eyes, “you must survive the tournament.”

Hearing these words caused most of the ponies (other than Zipp, Hitch and Sunny) to tremble, as well as Scooby jumping into Shaggy’s arms. “S-S-Survive?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I say survive?” Miyumi asked as she corrected herself with a laugh. “I meant win. First you must win the tournament.”

“Well… that’s better… I think,” Misty said. “Well, come on, ponies! What are we waiting for?” Sunny asked. “The sooner we get going, the sooner we may be able to find our quest!”

“And,” Zipp said, “potentially finding our next crystal!”

“Well, then we have just the ride,” Gray winked. “Follow us!”

XXXXXXXX

The ride that Gray Flyer was speaking of was a high-tech plane called the Hover Jet, and as quickly as it allowed them to board and fasten their seatbelts, it quickly took off over the city. “Wow, what a sweet ride,” Fred looked out the window. “All it needs is a groovy green paint job.”

“Uh… not quite, Freddy,” Shaggy said to his friends, frowning worriedly from the empty cockpit. “I can think of one more thing it needs-- like, how about a pilot?”

“Don’t worry, we’re perfectly safe,” Miyumi pressed a few buttons, and two chairs rose into position. “The Hover Jet is the world's first fully functioning robotic plane.”

“That’s amazing!” Zipp said as they entered the cockpit, the ponies eagerly moving to the windows. “I've studied mechanical engineering,” Velma said, “but I've never heard of anything this advanced.”

“Here in Japan, technology is taking over everything,” Miyumi explained, “while many of our old traditions are fading away.”

Soon, the plane reached the edge of Tokyo’s borders, and began to fly all the way out to sea. “So, have you seen Paradise any since Nowhere, Kansas?” Daphne asked the ponies once they were alone. “No, but I have a funny feeling she’s going to be in Japan somewhere,” Hitch said. “And with Sparky back at home, she’ll have nothing to help her gain power from… except the crystal of course.”

“We’ll find it before she does,” said Misty. “Well… at least I hope we do.”

At the same time that the Mane 6 was catching their Mystery Incorporated friends up on their previous adventure in the Big Apple, students at the martial arts academy out in the middle of the ocean were practicing their moves for the upcoming tournament, throwing punches in the air left and right.

But up above the training arena, Mr. Takagawa and Moon Blossom were trying to warn elegant headmistress, Miss Mirimoto, about what they saw the night before, and about the terror that could befall the world if they were not careful. “Please… Miss Mirimoto, you have to believe us!” Moon Blossom practically begged. “Our world could be in great peril if we don’t act quickly!”

“It is true-- theghost of the Black Samurai has returned!” Mr. Takagawa agreed. “Soon, he will come for the Destiny Scroll!”

Miss Mirimoto’s only response was a chuckle. “A very entertaining story, Mr. Takagawa,” she smirked. “I’m sure it will bring many new visitors to you and Miss Blossom's brand-new exhibit.”

Moon Blossom sighed, her ears flattening in shame as Miss Mirimoto gestured to her grand display of students. “Now, as you can see, our grand tournament is about to begin. We would be most pleased to have you join us,” she said before turning to the muscular man behind her. “Sojo… please show our… honored guests to their seats.”

“Y-You must listen!” Mr. Takagawa pleaded, but his cries went unheard as Sojo grabbed him by his arms and carried him down the stairs, Moon Blossom trotting behind them in order to help her mentor if he needed it. “The scroll…” Mr. Takagawa panted, “must be… protected!”

“I can assure you, Mr. Takagawa… ghost or no ghost… the Destiny Scroll will be quite safe behind these walls,” Miss Mirimoto reassured confidently, and Mr. Takagawa began to struggle more in Sojo's grip. “If you… say so…!”

“Sojo! Release him!” Miss Mirimoto commanded, and Sojo dropped Mr. Takagawa on the floor, causing Moon Blossom to quickly help him to his feet. “You must forgive poor Sojo,” Miss Mirimoto told the two visitors. “He does only as he is told. His loyalty to me is unquestioned.”

Suddenly, the sound of Sojo hitting the gong echoed throughout the facility, catching their attention. “Plane… the plane!” Sojo shouted as the Hover Jet flew over toward the center of the facility, causing Miss Mirimoto to smile pleasingly. “Ah, the last of our guests to arrive. Have them report to the staging ground immediately. We shall have a demonstration.”

XXXXXXXX

The Hover Jet landed in the midst of the academy, where Maru pressed a button and opened the staircase and revealed a stunningly beautiful area with a small pond and beautiful cherry blossom trees all around. “Wow… what a beautiful airport!” Fred exclaimed. “It's not an airport, Freddy,” Sunny pointed out. “This is a traditional Japanese garden! I read a book about one of these on one of our previous quests.”

Daphne was the first to approach a small fish pond, taking a deep breath and sighing in content. “Can't you just feel the peace and tranquility?”

Shaggy, Scooby, Misty and Izzy took a calming deep breath, the former two not feeling as stressed out as before. “Ohhh yeah,” Shaggy smiled. “Scoob, old buddy, like, from here on out, no matter what happens… I'm just gonna go with the flow.”

“Go with the flow,” Nita responded smoothly, just as Sojo's shadow cast over them, and Sojo was carrying some different colored martial-arts uniforms. “All must wear uniform!” he shouted, and Shaggy gulped fearfully. “Like, my go-with-the-flow just got up and went!”

But before they could run from the scene, Sojo grabbed Shaggy and Scooby before he forced them into the uniforms he had waiting for them before piling them on the cold, stond covered ground. “Ooh, ouch…” Misty groaned. “That's one way for someone to get you dressed…”

“Are you guys okay?” Sunny asked, helping pick them up. “Yeah, I think so,” said Shaggy. “Just… a little frazzled.”

“But even if you are a little frazzled,” said Pipp, “you look absolutely pony-tastiiic in those martial arts outfits!”

Gray and Miyumi were some of those to see the incident occur, and needless to say, Miyumi was not pleased. “No, Sojo! Bad Sojo! Not them-- her!” she said, pointing at Daphne. “All must wear uniform,” Sojo declared, and prepared to do the same moves to Daphne, but she grabbed him by the arm and tossed him to the ground with great strength. “Sorry, Sojo,” Daphne then apologized, “but I handle my own wardrobe.”

XXXXXXXX

After Velma, Fred, Daphne and Miyumi all got changed into their own uniforms, Miyumi and Gray decided to show them around while the students of the academy were still working on their kicks and punches. “Check it out, Scoob!” Shaggy said. “It’s a carnival of karate!”

“Ooh… uh-huh!” Scooby nodded enthusiastically. “The competition this year is fierce,” Miyumi explained before they approached a tall man with red hair, preparing to smash into some blocks and wood before him. “That’s Kerry Kilpatrick, the Irish national champion.”

Without any hesitation, Kerry smashed into the wood and stone, breaking it completely and startling the ponies out of their wits. “He’s a two-fisted demolition dynamo,” Gray added, completely unfazed. Next, they went to see a pretty woman dressed in blue and an eyepatch on her face kicking several boards like it was nothing. “Sapphire Sonja,” Miyumi said. “The only thing deadlier than her kick… is her beauty.”

Just then, a muscular man bound in a chained collar growled at the group, causing Shaggy, Scooby, Misty and Izzy to quickly hide behind Sojo. “And that's Japan's own Mad Dog Masimoto. A favorite to win this year,” Gray explained. “Once he’s off his leash, you’re really in the doghouse.”

Masimoto continued to bark and snarl, but Scooby soon got an idea and threw him a bone, to which he happily buried in the ground. “Gee whiz,” Shaggy spoke up. “Like, talk about a creep with a canine complex.”

“Yeah,” Scooby agreed with a giggle. “I really don’t get it,” Misty frowned, coming out from behind Sojo. “Why do people feel the urge to just kick and punch their opponents just for fun? Shouldn’t we be all working for some form of unity?”

“According to my FlyPad, people in Japan have been doing martial arts, especially karate, for hundreds of years,” Zipp said. “It’s said to have really good health benefits for your mind and body.”

“I don’t really know what mindfulness benefits it has,” Misty said, “but living with Opaline has made me realize something-- this stuff is scaring the cutie marks off me!”

Scooby whimpered and nuzzled Misty in comfort, just as a loud gong went off. “That means the tournament will begin shortly,” Miyumi explained. “Daphne, you must go to get ready. The rest of you head to the bleachers.”

“What about you guys?” Hitch asked. “I can go with you to watch along if you want,” Gray offered. “You coming, Miyumi?”

“I will be there shortly,” said Miyumi, scratching his head. “Now go.”

The others nodded and did as she asked, and soon as the gang took their seats in the bleachers, Miss Mirimoto took her place to open the event. “Most honored participants… welcome to Mirimoto Academy's Tournament of Champions,” she spoke clearly. “The finest martial artists in all the world have gathered here today for one single purpose: to prove that they are the best!”

The students below cheered, and the ponies and Mystery Inc, along with Gray, seemed to be cheering at their loudest. “By this time tomorrow,” Miss Mirimoto continued, “most of you will be sent home in humiliating defeat.”

To this, many groaned, but Miss Mirimoto wasn’t finished with her speech just yet. “But there is one among you who has already displayed the heart of a champion. Miss Daphne Blake?”

The ponies gasped immediately at hearing their friends’ names and stood up out of their seats. What could Miss Mirimoto possibly want with Daphne? “Um… over here. Hello,” Daphne spoke up, a little nervous. “Can this be?” Miss Mirimoto asked with a smile, , gesturing to the solemn Sojo next to her. “The tournament has not yet begun, and already you have defeated the mighty Sojo.”

“I-I didn’t mean to. It’s just that-- eh…” Daphne tried to explain herself, but trailed off. “This is most impressive,” Miss Mirimoto complimented her. “Perhaps you would honor us… with a demonstration of your superior skill.”

“As in… right now?”

Miss Mirimoto stood firm. “Your opponent will always attack when you least expect it.”

As Daphne tried to comprehend what was going on in that moment, the other students and martial-arts masters moved out of the way to clear some room, and Daphne soon saw who her opponent was-- Miyumi herself.

First, they bowed in order to show respect, and after displaying their fighting stances, the fighting began with kicks, chops and even some jumps and fancy moves kicking in. “Like, meow!” Shaggy exclaimed from the bleachers. “Talk about a kung-fu cat fight-- huh!”

“Uh-huh. Meow!” Scooby agreed. “I-I don’t get it! Why are Miyumi and Daphne being forced to fight one another?” Misty asked. “Aren’t they friends?”

“Often times, I never understand it either,” Gray shrugged. “But often times, I see the martial arts as a way to relieve stress, build bonds and test your physical and mental skills.”

“Still… couldn’t they do it in a way that’s… you know… less destructive?”

While Misty and Gray continued to chat, the other ponies and gang members could only watch as Miyumi and Daphne tried their best to beat one another in their own game. They weren’t sure who would win… until Miyumi purposefully removed Daphne’s hairband, making her hair go into her face before she flung Daphne over her shoulder and onto the ground. Luckily, she was unharmed. “Hey… that was a dirty trick,” Daphne said as she got back onto her feet. “The first rule of Mirimoto Academy,” Miyumi handed Daphne the hairband. “If you want to win, you must be willing to do that which others are not willing to do.”

Gray sighed, a little down as he heard this. “The one rule of this academy that I really don’t get.”

“Most impressive, Miss Blake,” Miss Mirimoto approached. “You lack proper training, but I see in you much… potential.”

Daphne smiled as an embarrassed blush came onto her face before Miss Mirimoto turned to her students. “The tournament begins tomorrow at sunrise… but tonight, a feast has been prepared in your honor!”

This caused the students to cheer happily, and Pipp turned to look at her friends. “Hear that, guys? A feast in our honor!”

“Oh boy!” Scooby licked his chops as Shaggy chuckled and rubbed his hands together. “Finally! Something worth fighting for!”

Misty sighed and merely walked away, not understanding why martial arts were forcing people to fight when they didn’t want to fight. “Misty, what’s wrong?” Izzy asked. “Aren’t you excited about the feast?”

“No, no, I am,” Misty said. “I’ve never had a feast in my honor before. It’s just… martial arts doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”

“You mean… the part about the fighting?” Hitch asked. “Not just that,” said Misty. “I mean… I’ve never been fond of physical violence. Opaline would threaten to hit me sometimes, but she never did. But, I guess those scars often remained. I mean… what’s the purpose?”

Gray suddenly lit up at an idea before walking toward the building nearby. “Follow me,” he told the ponies, Shaggy and Scooby. “There’s something I wanna show you. Maybe it can help Misty understand the martial arts a bit better.”

XXXXXXXX

Gray pushed open some large doors with his talons, revealing to the ponies, Shaggy and Scooby a grand room filled with many different artifacts… and Sunny got so excited, her eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! So many historical artifacts from another realm to study! I gotta get to looking!”

“Wait for me!” Zipp called, flying after the ecstatic earth pony. This left Shaggy, Scooby, Pipp and Hitch to giggle. “Classic Velma and Sunny behavior.”

“Over here, guys!” Gray called, and they were summoned over to a tapestry hanging from the wall. “Whoa… this looks ancient,” Zipp said, rubbing the tapestry with her hooves. “Probably from the time of Twilight Sparkle or longer.”

“What is all this, Gray?” Misty asked. “All of these things have two things in common-- Equestria and the martial arts,” Gray explained. “During the early Equestrian era, ponies would often use the martial arts not just as a self-defense tactic but a way to build bonds.”

“Really?” Zipp asked. “That’s so cool! Maybe we could learn some moves to help tangle with Misty’s mom!”

“Zipp!” Sunny scolded. “Misty wants to convince her mom to let go of Opaline’s evil, not hurt her!”

“Oh, right… sorry, Misty.”

“It’s okay,” Misty assured. “I guess I know how you feel. Dealing with my mom can get really frustrating sometimes.”

Suddenly, a deep growling sound caused them to jump at least a foot in the air. “Oh, sorry, guys,” Shaggy said sheepishly. “Like, I think that’s our Let’s Eat alarm.”

“Yeah,” Scooby nodded. “We’re hungry.”

“Then let’s get going!” Hitch said. “We have a feast to go to!”

XXXXXXXX

That night, fireworks lit up the sky in a multitude of different colors as everyone sat down to a feast of Japanese cuisine, geisha girls and sumo wrestling. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, and couldn’t wait to see what the next day would bring. “Boy, the service here is great,” Hitch spoke as he and the rest of the gang watched a geisha girl take up some plates and cups. “But, uh… our waitress sure could use a suntan.”

“She’s not a waitress, Hitch. She’s a geisha girl,” Daphne explained to which Velma nodded. “Geisha-- the ancient Japanese tradition celebrating exquisite beauty.”

“Speaking of beauty, check out the buffet table!” Shaggy laughed excitedly as Scooby began to pant. “It’s like there’s a party in my stomach, and everything’s invited!”

Scooby nodded and giggled at this, blowing up his paw to make it twice as big before slamming it onto a bowl, making all the nutritional contents fly into his mouth. “Ha ha ha ha! Like, you must be a black belt in kung food!” Shaggy joked with a laugh. “Yeah,” Scooby agreed with a giggle. “Here, Scooby,” Sunny offered the dog a freshly made smoothie. “Try this brand new Karate Kicks Smoothie I made.”

Scooby took one slurp from the cup, and his eyes instantly lit up. “Yummy!”

“What's in this stuff?” Misty asked, taking a sniff from the cup. “Açaí berries, dragon fruit, mango and strawberries,” Sunny said. “Mostly bold and subtle flavors, but it really takes a chomp out of flavors that I've done in the past.”

“Forget my karate chop,” Shaggy took an apple from another basket. “Like, check out my karate chomp! Ha ha!”

But before he could take a bite, a ninja star pierced itself through the apple, and Shaggy looked around in confusion-- where in the world did that come from?

Just then, one of the geisha girls let out a gasp, dropping her tray and pointing toward something. “Ninjas!”

Everyone turned to see green-eyed ninjas invading the facility, making many scream in panic. “Wow! Real life ninjas, how cool!” Fred exclaimed, but something about it made Zipp’s wings shuddee-- and that was never a good feeling. “I don’t think these guys are a part of the act!”

Suddenly, one of the ninjas tried to attack with stars, but Daphne used the wooden table as a shield to keep them from getting hit.

One by one, the martial-arts masters tried their hand at taking the ninjas down, but both Kerry and Sonja were flung off to the side and Masimoto was wrapped in his own chains. Soon the ninjas surrounded the gang, who were the only ones not hiding, and Shaggy, Scooby and Misty trembled as Sunny’s eyes darted around for a way out. “We’re surrounded!”

Suddenly, a blast of wind hit them head on, and flashes of lightning caused the gang to block their vision. When their vision cleared, a man in black samurai armor and red eyes was left, cackling triumphantly and terrifyingly. “Who’s that?!” Misty blurt out. “Who cares?!” Shaggy cried with a gulp. “Not me!” Scooby whimpered. But before they could make any more movements, the samurai unsheathed his sword and dashed at them, leaving Fred to immediately take charge. “Let’s get outta here!”

The gang and their Equestrian friends immediately split up, just as the samurai sliced the table in half and sent his ninja warriors after the gang.

XXXXXXXX

Pipp, Zipp, Shaggy and Scooby galloped and ran down the halls at top speed, faster than they've ever gone before... that is, until they reached a buffet table, where Shaggy and Scooby immediately got an idea.

The Great Dane and his best friend began to devour as much food as they possibly could, getting so large that they looked like sumo wrestlers, rolling into the ninjas and squishing them flat. “Phew…” Pipp sighed in relief. “That was way too close.”

But just as they thought they were done, the samurai appeared behind them and chased them into a room full of geisha girls, sending them screaming. Fortunately, this gave Zipp another idea. “Shaggy, Scooby, you’re gonna have to put on some dresses and a LOT of blush.”

“Oh brother,” Scooby sighed. “What’s she got up her hooves?”

Within a few minutes, Zipp had gotten Shaggy and Scooby all ready, and just as the samurai burst into the room, Shag and Scoob were now dressed like geisha girls, hoping the samurai would have been fooled by Zipp's prank. Unfortunately he wasn’t, sending them running once again into some of the ninjas from before on the top floor of the building. So, there was only one way out-- down.

They slid down the roof and into the open skies, Shaggy holding a parasol and Scooby using some fans to keep him and Shaggy in the air while the sisters managed to fly above them. This tactic proved rather effective... well, at least until Scooby yelped and trembled at how high they were. “Like, I almost forgot,” Shaggy gulped. “We’re afraid of heights!”

“Now you tell us?!” Zipp shrieked. She and Pipp grabbed the parasol and tried to flap their wings as hard as they could, but the combined weight of Shaggy and Scooby, not to mention the parasol itself, caused them to scream and drop right out of the sky and right through one of the ceilings of the academy, taking a minute to groan in pain before Scooby gasped, covering Shaggy’s mouth before he could yell out and cause them to lose their cover. “Ponies... S-Shaggy… look…”

Shaggy, Pipp and Zipp managed to catch what Scooby was staring at, and their eyes went wide-- the samurai was right there in front of them! As the samurai let out a deep, menacing laugh, the two sisters backed up to their friends to protect them if they were soon spotted. “At long last…” the samurai said wickedly. “The Destiny Scroll… is mine…”

But before he could closely examine the scroll after taking it, a voice rang out. “Stop, thief!”

The samurai and even the girls, Shaggy and Scooby turned to see their friends, Miyumi, Gray and even Miss Mirimoto standing nearby, fury deep on their faces. “You will not be allowed to escape,” Miss Mirimoto swore, but the samurai simply rolled up the scroll and laughed. “You are too late!”

“We shall let steel decide,” Miss Mirimoto said simply, pulling out her sword before lunging. This made the samurai and Miss Mirimoto engage in a high-octane duel, and the ponies could only watch as the swords and dagger clashed together. The samurai ultimately lost after his sword was flung off to the side, causing Shaggy and Scooby to yelp in surprise. But then, the samurai threw some sort of smoke bomb and flew to the outside, laughing evilly. “The Black Samurai will live again… forever!!! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!!”

And as quickly as he appeared, he was gone from sight. “So, it is true,” Miss Mirimoto said firmly with a small sigh. “The ghost of the Black Samurai has returned.”

“G-G-Ghost?!” Shaggy, Scooby and the ponies cried, looking worried. There was no doubt about it in Sunny's mind, however-- they found their quest, just... not in the way anyone wanted.

Once they were sure the Black Samurai’s ghost was gone, the gang decided to investigate the hall the scroll was hanging in, not finding anything else that was stolen. “I’m glad all of you are okay,” Sunny said to Shaggy, Scooby and the pegasus sisters, rubbing Scooby’s head. “This samurai fella is someone who isn’t to be messed with.”

“You’re telling me,” Pipp said, smoothing down her mane. “He nearly sliced my mane right off! Oh… and nearly killed us too.”

“But most of it just doesn’t add up,” Velma said out of confusion, picking up a nearby vase. “The artwork in this collection must be worth a fortune.”

“And the Equestrian collection in the next room must be worth twice as much, based on what was in there,” Hitch agreed. “So, why would the Black Samurai go through all this trouble if he was just gonna steal one particular scroll?”

“I’d say,” said Zipp, “whatever had to be on that scroll is either really expensive… or really important.”

“Well gang,” Fred declared, “it looks like we landed smack-dab in the middle of another mystery.”

“It is no mystery,” said a voice, and the gang turned to see Miss Mirimoto entering with Miyumi, Gray, Moon Blossom and Mrs. Takagawa at her and Sojo’s sides. “The legend of the Black Samurai has been told for centuries,” Mr. Takagawa spoke. “May I present Mr. Takagawa,” Miss Mirimoto introduced, “most honored curator from the Tokyo Museum of Cultural History, and his apprentice, Moon Blossom.”

“Pleased to meet you both, Mr. Takagawa,” Daphne said politely as they bowed to one another. “You’ll have to excuse us,” Misty smiled with a nervous expression. “We don't really know much about Japanese folklore.”

“But ghosts are kind of our specialty,” Fred added. “Speak for yourself!” Shaggy argued. “My specialty is a triple-decker Scooby Snack and ice cream with chocolate-sauce sandwich.”

“Uh huh. Mine too,” Scooby explained with the lick of his lips. “So… Moon Blossom?” Sunny started. “You guys know about this Black Samurai character?”

“I’ve been hearing legends about him since I was a filly, but I’ve never believed it until this point in my life,” Moon Blossom said. “So… I suppose it’s best if you hear the story first-hoof. The legend began hundreds of years ago when fierce warriors known as the samurai served the warlords of Japan with absolute loyalty.”

Zipp and Sunny immediately began to take down various notes as the story continued forward. “The most fearsome of all,” Mr. Takagawa went on, “were the ronin, the samurai who had lost his master. Set adrift, like a wave on the open sea. One ronin sought out the master sword maker Masamune. The legendary master agreed to forge the samurai a sword of great mystical power… but it would take an entire year to complete the work.”

“Yeeesh… if we had to wait an entire year to defeat Opaline with some sort of magical Equestrian source,” said Hitch, “I think I probably would have lost my noggin.”

That got Misty to wondering… how long would it take to finally defeat her mother? If the battle with Opaline was long… who knows how long this battle would be? She wouldn’t want to be a burden to her friends.

“The master's evil-minded apprentice, Muramasa, offered to forge him another sword,” Moon Blossom added onto the story, “but only in half the time.”

During a brief moment of silence, Moon Blossom dipped a brush into a bottle of ink, beginning to paint or draw on a blank sheet of paper. When she was done, a sword was left on the page, drawn to absolute perfection, wowing the ponies and making their eyes grow wide as Mr. Takagawa’s voice brought back their attention. “The samurai returned,” Mr. Takagawa continued, “and upon drawing the blade felt an uncontrollable surge of dark power! The evil spirit of the apprentice had passed into the blade itself. It was a sword of hatred… a sword of darkness… a Sword of Doom! And in that moment was born… the Black Samurai!”

A clap of thunder caught their attention, and this caused Shaggy and Scooby to retreat into an old suit of armor, and everyone else to jump in surprise. “Finally,” said Moon Blossom, after allowing the group enough time to get themselves together, “the master’s blade was complete. He named it the Sword of Fate and entrusted its mystical powers to a fearsome Green Dragon.”

“A dragon?” Zipp immediately grew intrigued. “Really?”

“That’s him on that poster,” Moon Blossom gestured over to a painting on the wall of a long dragon holding a sword in its claws hanging on the wall. “Heaven and earth trembled as the two great swords clashed…” the earth pony continued, as if she was FEELING the battle happening. “...until, using his sacred magic, the Green Dragon defeated the Black Samurai, imprisoning him forever within the Sword of Doom.”

Then, looking toward the painting of the Green Dragon, Mr. Takagawa let out a sigh. “Centuries passed, and the story faded into legend.”

“Wow, Mr. Takagawa. That’s some story!” Izzy said breathlessly, just as Shaggy and Scooby quietly emerged from the suit of armor… well, almost quietly. “Like, story nothin’,” Shaggy told her. “That sounds more like… a nightmare!”

“Yeah…” Scooby whimpered. “But what does all this have to do with the Destiny Scroll?” Daphne looked to Miss Mirimoto. “The Destiny Scroll holds the only clue to the hidden location of the Sword of Doom-- in the form of an ancient riddle,” Miss Mirimoto spoke. “If the ghost can solve the riddle of the scroll,” Moon Blossom said worriedly, “he will reclaim the Sword of Doom and free his evil spirit!”

“...and Mom could take this to our advantage,” said Misty quietly, “using the Black Samurai to destroy the only ponies in her way of total domination!”

This caused the Shaggy and Scooby to glance worriedly at one another-- there was no way the gang would let that happen… but they couldn’t help but wonder what the consequences would be like if they failed. “If only we'd gotten a good look at that scroll…” Velma spoke with a hum. “Maybe we could’ve solved the riddle first.”

“Yeah, like too bad,” Shaggy said as he and Scooby shook off the armor. “The scroll is gone.”

“Aww, too bad,” Scooby feigned sadness as he and Shaggy began to walk out of the room. “Guess that’s the end of this mystery,” Shaggy said triumphantly. “No my friends,” Miss Mirimoto replied. “The mystery has only begun.”

With the press of a button on her fan, a secret panel opened up from inside the wall, and everyone stood wide eyed at what was inside. “The Destiny Scroll!” Mr. Takagawa gasped. “So the other scroll was a fake!” Hitch said enthusiastically with a wide smirk. “Ha ha! Psyche!”

“Yes,” Miss Mirimoto took the scroll from the panel, giving it to Mr. Takagawa to examine. “But the Black Samurai will soon realize the deception… and return.”

XXXXXXXX

“Then what are we waiting for?” Zipp asked. “Let’s get this scroll taken care of so we can find the Sword of Doom and save the world!”

“Wow, heh…” Gray chuckled. “You sound like you’ve done this a lot.”

“13 times, not counting this one,” Izzy shrugged, causing the others to stare at her. “Don’t any of you keep track of this stuff?”

Despite the overall shock, the ponies and Gray helped to clear stuff of a table so the scroll could be set down and read more clearly. “I will translate the inscription,” Mr. Takagawa said. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The paper dragon shows the way.”

“The journey of a thousand miles…” Velma started. “...begins with a single step?” Mindy questioned. “The paper dragon shows the way…” Aid muttered in thought. “What in the wide world of Equestria could that mean?”

“I got it!”

At the shout, everyone turned to see Shaggy and Scooby trying to best each other at origami animals. “Like, check it out, Scoob-- an origami octopus. Beat that! Ha ha!” Shaggy boasted. Scooby smirked before getting some blue paper and some scissors and cutting the paper until it revealed a wintry design. “Look! Snowflakes! Hee hee hee hee hee hee!”

“Oooh, nice unicycling skills, boys!” Izzy said. “Maybe I can show you how to make these origami creations into little friends whenever you get lonely! All it takes is a couple of googly eyes so they follow you in every direction.”

“Like, gee, Izzy…” Shaggy chuckled. “That’s… great! Heh heh…”

That’s when Velma suddenly thought of something. “That’s it!” she exclaimed. “The paper dragon must be a reference to origami-- the Japanese art of folding paper!”

Zipp suddenly realized what Velma was getting at, immediately flying up to the table. “Velma’s right!” she said before putting her hooves on the scroll. “Okay, Iz-- help Shag and Scoob make an origami dragon! But this time, use the scroll!”

“No!” Mr. Takagawa shouted, not wanting to see the scroll being folded out of whack, but Zipp slid the scroll over to the three and they immediately got to work. “Just a little tuck here,” Shaggy muttered, “a fold there…”

“This goes under,” Izzy said quietly as Mr. Takagawa whimpered, “that goes over… and just a few more finishing touches…”

And finally after some more rigorous folding efforts, the dragon was finally complete, new words showing on the outside of the paper. “Ta-da!” Izzy, Shaggy and Scooby shouted happily, and Sunny gasped at what had occured. “The words have been rearranged!”

“Yes,” Mr. Takagawa nodded. “It now reads… ‘The journey begins with a thousand steps’.”

“The journey begins with a thousand steps? How’s that any different?” Miyumi wondered. “Hang on, gang. I think I got something,” Velma typed something into her laptop before showing the group an image of something rather... intriguing. “The Temple of a Thousand Steps.”

“Huh?” the ponies, Shaggy and Scooby gathered around with wide, wonder-filled eyes. “According to my FlyPad,” said Zipp, looking at the same information, “it’s an ancient ruin located on a remote jungle island in the South Pacific Ocean!”

“Yes, I’ve got it too,” Mr. Takagawa came over to them, holding a book and stopping on the page with the Green Dragon on it. “The island temple is devoted to… oh... the Green Dragon!”

“Sis, you guys are some kind of genius!” Pipp hugged her sister. “Nopony else would have thought about folding the scroll to form a new statement!”

“Heh… thanks. Comes with the cutie mark, I guess.”

“The Sword of Doom must be hidden in the temple,” Miss Mirimoto said, and Fred’s face grew determined. “Then we gotta find a way to get to that island.”

“Sojo, ready the Hover Jet,” Miss Mirimoto said, and Sojo bowed before going to do as he was told. “Gray Flyer and Miyumi will accompany you on your journey as my representatives.”

This caused the gray griffin and the young student to gasp-- this was certainly a first in their book. “Thank you, sensei!” Miyumi bowed to her teacher. “Mr. Takagawa?” Miss Mirimoto called. “You will go along as the team’s translation expert. And Moon Blossom? Your abilities in the unknown regions might come in handy on this retrieval.”

“My mentor and I will serve with distinction,” Moon Blossom bowed respectfully, while the Scooby and Shaggy beamed with excitement. “A tropical-island vacation in the sunny South Pacific?” Shaggy asked with a laugh. “Like, now you’re speaking our language!”

“Uh-huh!” Scooby agreed instantly. “Then let’s go go go! We have a mythical, terrifying-sounding sword to find!” Misty said, and the group rushed to get ready for the long trip ahead. When she made sure they were gone, Miss Mirimoto snuck into the shadows and whispered, “They’re gone.”

After a moment, a familiar unicorn, Misty’s mother, to be exact, came out of hiding. “Are they on their way to the island as you predicted, Mirimoto?” Paradise Moonray asked seriously. “Indeed,” Miss Mirimoto nodded. “This plan is so foolproof, not even that foolish daughter of yours and her friends know what is really going on.”

“Excellent-- then that pesky crystal should be with the sword,” Paradise said. “Once they find it, I’ll have the means to return to Equestria!”

“And,” Miss Mirimoto smirked, “my plans will fall into motion as well.”

“Right, right, of course,” Paradise slightly rolled her eyes before smirking as the Hover Jet took off into the night. “Look out, little ponies… Paradise and the Black Samurai are coming to town…”

Sunny, her pony friends, Scooby-Doo and Mystery Incorporated had finally gotten their mission-- to head to the Temple of a Thousand Steps to find the Sword of Doom and the fourth cutie mark crystal, and keep them away from those who wanted them... AKA, the Black Samurai and Paradise Moonray, who was unknowingly waiting in the shadows for the perfect moment to reveal herself.

As she and her friends packed their bags to get ready for the long trip ahead, not knowing of Paradise and Miss Mirimoto's master plan, Pipp found herself so excited, she began to sing out loud, and her friends soon eventually joined in.

Every new day is the best day ever!

Pipp: A brand new day
A brand new chance, a brand new way
To be my very best pon-ay
And live my best life, 'cause there's only one now
Yeah, only one now

Misty, Pipp and Hitch: Sometimes it can feel
Like a bit of a circus
That's just fine by me
Because I like it that way

Pipp: A life full of adventure

Misty, Pipp and Hitch: It just fills me with purpose

Pipp: It keeps me on my hooves and, yeah

Ponies: That's how it's gonna stay

Every day's so bright, every day's full of magic
Every day feels right, every day is a classic
And just when I think it can't get any better
Every new day is the best day ever

Whoa, oh-oh, oh, oh, it's like, it's like
Every new day is the best day ever

Zipp: Can't bring me down...

Pipp and Zipp: Can't stop the vibes I'm bringin' round

Misty: To everypony here in town

Ponies: So live your best life, 'cause there's only one now
Yeah, only one now

Every day's so bright, every day's full of magic
Every day feels right, every day is a classic
And just when I think it can't get any better
Every new day is the best day ever

Whoa, oh-oh, oh, oh, it's like, it's like
Every new day is the best day ever
Whoa, oh-oh, oh, oh, it's like, it's like
Every new day is the best day ever!

And by the song was finished, the Hover Jet took off into the sky, leaving an evil plot in the midst of being commenced.

XXXXXXXX

The Hover Jet was going at an alarmingly fast speed, all the way over the ocean on a direct route toward the temple in question. “We should be getting close,” Velma said. “I've uploaded the coordinates into the navigation system using my laptop's wireless interface.”

“It's very exciting for us to join you on this mystery. We’re usually not allowed to venture so far from Miss Mirimoto,” Miyumi said as she, Gray, Sunny and Daphne sat together in the cockpit. “She seems like a really great sensei-- someone to look up to,” Sunny smiled. “She is,” Gray nodded. “But she demands absolute loyalty, like that of a samurai.”

“Indeed,” Mr. Takagawa nodded. “Someone who still cares for the old ways.”

“Yeah, like the good old days, when people chased each other around with big swords,” Shaggy nodded. “Pardon my saying so,” Hitch held up a hoof in defense, “but that puts the mental in sentimental.”

Scooby nodded and made the cuckoo sign with his paw, making Moon Blossom giggle a bit. “I like your name by the way, Moon Blossom,” Misty smiled. “Your secretive, but you’re also really pretty-- not afraid to share your wisdom with the world.”

“Oh… thank you,” Moon Blossom smiled. “I never thought of my name that way. My parents just named me that because I was born under a cherry blossom tree on a cool March night.”

Izzy sighed dreamily at that. “Everything you say sounds like a poem being put on paper…”

“Speaking of paper,” said Zipp, “how did you learn to draw so well?”

“Yeah,” Shaggy said. “I thought your cutie mark was a moon.”

Moon Blossom looked down at her cutie mark with a smile. “It is. I’ve always loved the night, and the moon is a sign of wisdom in my family. But, a real passion I have is drawing and sharing stories of the past.”

“Oooh, do go on!” Pipp said. “Maybe you can tell us a story right now!”

“Well… what if I do something better?” Moon Blossom smiled. “Izzy, do you have a set of watercolor paints in that sash of yours?”

“Sure do! Here you go!” Izzy handed them off to Moon Blossom, who began to paint on some pieces of paper as her cutie mark began to glow. “I lived high up in the mountains with a colony of earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi, living with my parents, grandparents and my young friend and assistant, Dream Maker.”

As she spoke and painted, her cutie mark began to glow, and all the drawings began to emerge from the page. “Wow…” Misty gasped in awe. “This is beautiful!”

“Ooh!” Scooby giggled as a painted butterfly landed on his nose. “Unlike Equestria all those moons ago,” Moon Blossom said, “all three of us ponies were friends, and spent countless days in the settlement we called home. One night, I went out for a walk with Dream Maker when a rockslide began to form in the darkness, and was heading straight for the colony!”

“Oh no!” Zipp cried. “What happened?!”

“Well, Dream Maker and I rushed toward the colony and woke everypony up, warning them about the rockslide,” Moon Blossom continued to paint the events. “I urged everypony to use their magic all at once to stop the rocks before they reached the village, since I could see so well in the dark. Once the rockslide was stopped, I realized my cutie mark was glowing! That meant that I was a natural born leader, and I decided to travel around with Dream Maker until I met Mr. Takagawa, and he offered to take us in and help him run the museum.”

The painted images soon disappeared back onto the paper as soon as the story ended, leaving several group members in shock. “Wow…” Pipp said with awe. “That’s… so pony-tastic! I mean, not that a rockslide nearly destroyed your village, but… everything else!”

“Hey, maybe you could show us how to paint like this?” Hitch asked. “Sparky, my baby dragon buddy back home, would go crazy for this!”

Moon Blossom smiled. “I’d love that very much.”

Mr. Takagawa smiled-- it was good to see his young mentee connect with more ponies and new friends so easily, despite not knowing them for only a few hours. At that moment, an alarm sounded from Velma’s laptop, and she expressed a happy smile-- they had to be close now. “Here we go, gang!”

The Hover Jet began to fly into some very thick fog, blinding the gang with white clouds all over the place. “I can’t see anything,” Daphne frowned. “It’s like the whole world just disappeared.”

“Zoinks!” Shaggy exclaimed worriedly. “Like, so much for our sunny South Pacific vacation.”

“It’s probably a figure of speech, Shaggy. But, if I’m right, the island should be right in front of us,” Sunny scoured around to see what he could find, despite all the fog before them. But suddenly, the plane nearly collided with a rocky arch before the island came into their line of sight. “Look, gang-- there it is!” Fred exclaimed. “The Temple of a Thousand Steps!”

“Whoa… it’s gigantic!” Misty exclaimed with wide eyes. “Well, if we’re gonna get down there and find the Sword of Doom,” Zipp sighed, “we better move out.”

XXXXXXXX

“That… is… it!” Hitch panted, collapsing on the stairs. “Can’t… go on!”

“Ugh… how far do we still have to go?” Pipp groaned, causing Zipp to look up. “At least… 500 more steps until we reach the top.”

“Come on, everyone! We can do this!” Moon Blossom exclaimed. “We just have to get a little tougher!”

“We’re all toughened out!” Izzy panted. “I don’t know how we can make it the rest of the way without our hearts going SPLAT!!”

Moon Blossom chuckled. “You don’t have to worry about that. I think you all are stronger than you know.”

“Oooh!” Pipp perked up immediately. “I think I feel a song coming oooon!!”

And just like she predicted, Moon Blossom began to sing a very moving and upbeat song.

Moon Blossom: I know a lot about overcoming doubt
So many things they told me that I couldn’t do
I went and proved them wrong, so now I’ll pass along
These simple words I hope get through to you

It doesn’t matter what they say
There’s only one voice to obey
And it’s that little voice inside
So let that be your guide
Then you can save the day!

Swiftly enough, Moon Blossom began to climb the rocks on the side of the mountain with precision and grace, much to the awe of her friends.

Moon Blossom: Cause you are stronger than you know
Stronger than you know
You may be small but give it your all
And you will finally show

That you are stronger than you know
So much stronger than you know

“You don’t have to climb the stairs the same way,” Moon Blossom hinted. “Each of you is unique-- the way you climb should be just as unique!”

“Hey… she’s right!” Sunny smiled. “And if we help one another, we can make the job that much easier and more fun!”

“But Sunny,” Daphne argued, “you really think we can do this?”

“I know we can!”

Sunny: Just look at what we can achieve
Through any danger we can leave

Misty: And we could conquer any maze
A new trail we could blaze

Both: If only we believe...!!

And so, at this, the entire group began to climb the mountain their own unique way-- some flew, some hopped, some used plants to climb and some bounced up the mountainside like it was nothing.

All: That we are stronger than we know
Stronger than we know
We may be small but if we give our all
We will finally show

That we are stronger than we know
So much stronger than we know.

So much stronger...
...than we knoooooooooooow!!!

And by the time the song was finished, they finally reached the very top of the mountain. “Phew… we made it, Scoob! Ha ha ha ha! Like, in your face, Temple of a Thousand Steps!” Shaggy shouted from the very top, allowing the echo to go all the way toward the bottom. “Yeah…” Scooby said tiredly. “Scooby… Dooby… I'm pooped. But, we had fun!”

“And by helping each other,” said Sunny, “we all made it, gang!”

“And check out that stone carving above the temple door!” Zipp pointed out, and what it was caused Mr. Takagawa to gasp. “The Green Dragon!”

“If the Green Dragon’s carving is here, then this must be the place!” Hitch cheered. “Let’s go inside!”

“Hold on,” Gray held up a claw to stop him. “Let me go first-- there could be some sort of traps in here that we could stumble right into if we’re not careful.”

The young griffin carefully entered the temple, steady on his feet, using his night vision ability to see in the darkness to see if there were any traps on the floor. Fortunately, the temple was wide open, and he couldn’t see anything that would set off any traps. “All clear.”

“Oh, thanks, Gray,” Hitch smiled. “I probably would’ve tripped over something if it weren’t for your quick thinking.”

“You’re welcome. Now come on-- I want to see what secrets this place has to offer!”

The gang immediately entered the temple, looking around in the darkness at the ancient history of this large, singular, mountaintop building. “Check out the size of that disco ball!” Shaggy pointed to the giant lantern above them. “That’s no disco ball, Shaggy,” Velma shook her head. “It’s a Japanese lantern.”

“According to some books I read on the way here,” said Sunny, “people in Japan light those kinds of lanterns for special parties and festivals across the nation.”

“Plus, they’d make a pretty cool night light,” Zipp agreed. “Hey, maybe that’s got something to do with the next clue!” Fred realized, but Shaggy didn’t think so. “Or maybe we should just say we tried and, like, call it a day.”

But as Shaggy was speaking, he hit a lever close to him, which set off a chain reaction that set a rope on fire and lit the lantern, which lit the entire room. “Jinkies!” Velma cried. “Shaggy!” Misty cried. “You did it!”

“I did?” Shaggy questioned. “I-I mean, I did! Ha ha ha… like, what did I do, Scoob?”

“I don’t know,” Scooby shrugged as the group looked at the walls that were now illuminated by the lantern’s light. “It looks like some sort of treasure map,” Velma observed. “Showing the whole island!” Sunny agreed. Just then, Daphne spotted the same picture Moon Blossom showed them earlier on another part of the wall. “Is that the Sword of Doom?”

Once she had taken a good look at the drawing, Moon Blossom gasped in surprise. “Yes!” she exclaimed. “It must be!”

“But it’s on the other side of the island,” Gray sighed in disappointment. “Well, there is a good thing about this,” said Hitch. “We’re on the right track to finding where the Sword of Doom is actually hidden.”

“I will translate the inscription,” Mr. Takagawa offered before translating the language. “The secret falls from the mouth of the dragon.”

To this, Daphne groaned slightly. “Another dragon riddle?”

“Dragons were very important to Japanese culture,” Moon Blossom shrugged. “I bet the Green Dragon came up with these riddles to try and stump the Black Samurai if he ever came looking for the sword.”

“Uh… speaking of riddles,” Shaggy called from the opposite part of the temple, “like, does this mean there’s a cafeteria on this island?”

“Shaggy, that’s ridiculous!” cried Zipp with a frown. “There’s no such thing as ancient cafeterias! …is there?”

As she, Moon Blossom and her mentor walked over to where Shaggy was standing, Mr. Takagawa’s face scrunched in confusion, and strangely enough, these symbols looked a lot like a knife and fork. But once Mr. Takagawa saw what it meant, he quickly became fearful. “No! We must get out of here!”

“Like, why?” Shaggy called, but the group didn’t waste any time following him out of the temple. “Hurry!” Mr. Takagawa cried. “Before they catch us!”

But suddenly, the group abruptly stopped outside the doors of the temple to see an army of masked villagers, pointing spears at them and grunting in some sort of ancient language. And even when they took their masks off to show they were not monsters, they still didn't look too happy to see them. Scooby whimpered and backed up slowly behind Misty, who protected him by sheltering him with her body. “Okay,” Fred whispered to the group. “Everybody just stay calm and let me do all the talking.”

“We’re doomed,” Pipp muttered, just as Fred came closer to the natives and cleared his throat. “Hello there,” he greeted. “Heh… we’re from America!”

XXXXXXXX

Like Pipp and the rest of the ponies anticipated, Fred's words did nothing to try and help the team. Instead, the natives got that much angrier, bringing them to their leader before Sunny, Misty, Moon Blossom, Zipp, Mr. Takagawa, Fred, Shaggy and Scooby were thrown into a pot while the others were dressed in grass skirts and flowery accessories. “Like, how do we get ourselves into these things?” Shaggy wondered. “Fred,” Zipp spat, tossing Fred a heated glare. “Fred is how we wind up into these things.”

Then, the leader spoke an unknown language to his troops, but afterwards, they began to chant ‘Droo ga ga’ over and over. “Droo ga ga?” Fred questioned quietly. “It must be their name for the Green Dragon,” Moon Blossom assumed. “They’re going to offer us as a sacrifice!”

“Ohh…” Scooby whimpered before they all glanced over at the others, looking frightened and worried. “And I think we’re going to be married to that icky tribal chief…” Daphne muttered, all of them groaning in disgust as the chief sniffed his own armpits. “Not if I can help it,” Velma spoke matter-of-factly. “Miyumi, if you can reach my bag, I’ve got a plan to save all our skins.”

“Okay,” Miyumi spoke with a nod. “Just bare yourselves a little longer, guys!” Gray whispered loudly. “We’ll get you out of there and out of these flowery skirts in no time! Blech… flowers do not look good on some griffins, namely me.”

“I think these guys actually have some style,” Pipp said. “You know… if our friends weren’t close to being eaten.”

Just then, the tribal leader carried a lit torch over to the pot where most of the group were being held, hoping to boil them to a crisp, and then eat them. “Boy, you guys really know how to cook,” Shaggy said, taking a spoonful of... whatever they were cooking them in. “Hmm… but there’s something still missing.”

So, they began to pick leaves off of the chief’s necklace and stirred them into the green liquid, where Sunny took a sample slurp to get a good taste test. “Mmm…! Hey, that’s more like it!”

“Here, taste!” Shaggy shoved the spoon into the chief’s mouth, but after sampling it, he smiled in delight-- that was good! “Well, what are you waiting for?” Shaggy asked. “Come on in, the water’s fine!”

The tribal leader immediately let them out of the pot so he and his followers could have more room, where Shaggy and Scooby started to add more and more ingredients to the soup to make it more delectable. “Like, now we’re cookin’, right Scoob?” Shaggy asked. “Yeah,” Scooby agreed, and put some salt and pepper in the soup, but it made it taste terrible! He spit out the liquid and gagged for a moment, but pretended to like it so their cover wouldn’t be blown. “I mean, mmm-mmm… yummy.”

“Phew…” Zipp sighed as she flapped her wings to dry them out. “Good cover, Scoob.”

“Okay, that should do it. Now, just cover and simmer for one hour…” Shaggy strained, and he, Sunny, Misty and Scooby slid the giant pot cover onto it, engulfing the chief and his followers in darkness. But no sooner than they thought they did it, the chief lifted the cover off and had his men surround the group, making Shaggy chuckle nervously. “That's the problem with gourmet cooking nowadays,” he said. “Like, everyone's a critic.”

“Ponies, surround the gang!” Sunny shouted as she shifted into her alicorn form. “Make sure the gang is untouched!”

Velma chuckled as she typed vigorously on her laptop. “I don’t think you'll have to worry about us, Sunny!”

Before the group could question this, a harsh wind began to blow from out of nowhere, and many of the villagers looked on, wide eyed before following their frightened leader someplace safe… just before the Hover Jet flew in, causing Gray to gasp in surprise. “You did it, Velma!”

“Lucky for us the plane's robotic navigator is still connected to my wireless interface,” Velma spoke with a grin. “The villagers must think the Hover Jet is the Green Dragon,” Fred assumed, and Zipp decided now would be their perfect chance to escape. “So what are we dragon our hooves for? Come on!”

XXXXXXXX

After leaving the villagers’ grounds, the Hover Jet flew far and wide over the luscious island. They weren’t sure what exactly they were looking for, but they knew that it had to be something dragon related, like before.

On the ride over the island, Misty examined the book Mr. Takagawa brought with them, focusing on the Green Dragon especially hard.

Why did she feel like this dragon was no myth, but a real legend, just waiting out there to be found?

“You’re thinking about him too, aren't you?”

Misty turned to see Sunny, Shaggy and Scooby sitting next to her. “Yeah...” Misty nodded. “For some reason, I just feel like if we could find this dragon, he could give us so many answers to our questions! Like... how do we stop Mom? Where did Sparky come from? How do we make sure all of Equestria is protected, not just Maretime Bay all by itself?”

“We'll find the answers soon, Misty. We have to keep our heads steady and level,” said Sunny gently, “in order to solve this mystery.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Misty sighed, putting the book on the table. “We just need to keep our eyes on the prize...”

XXXXXXXX

After a long while of talking, flying, singing and navigating, the Hover Jet stopped, and the entire group looked up to see a magnificent sight-- a gigantic waterfall, and the cave’s entrance where the water came from looked like a roaring dragon’s head, making the entire group gasp in amazement. “The secret falls from the mouth of the dragon!” Daphne recalled the riddle from earlier. “The riddle is pointing to the waterfall,” Miyumi realized with a nod. “So, like… what do we do next?” Shaggy asked. The way Zipp answered was with a determined smirk, and tilting a lever upward a bit to make the Hover Jet elevate to the dragon’s mouth. “We go in for a closer look.”

“Like, I was afraid you were gonna say that...”

The Hover Jet then flew inside the cave, bats emerging from the ceilings and flying out to do some hunting. Once they had flown in a good ways, the jet landed on the cold rocky floor, and the group marveled at the uniqueness of the statues around them. But the second Scooby looked out at the statues, he screamed and retreated back into the Hover Jet. “Come on, Scoob,” Sunny urged. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“Yeah, see?” Shaggy tapped one of the statues with his fist. “Like, they’re only statues.”

“Uh uh, uh uh, uh uh!”

But luckily, Fred knew what would get the Great Dane out of there, pulling a box from his backpack. “Would you do it for a Scooby Snack?”

It took Scooby a minute to think of a response. Sure, a Scooby Snack would be nice… but then again, this was scary. “Nope!”

“Would you do it for two Scooby Snacks?” Velma asked. “Uh uh,” Scooby answered, snout in the air. But then, Miyumi decided to give it a go. “How about 10 Scooby Snacks? Ha ha ha!”

This immediately got Scooby’s attention, and the large dog nodded enthusiastically before he leapt into Miyumi’s arms. “Scooby Dooby Dooooo!! Hee hee hee hee!”

“Glad you’re coming along, Scooby,” Hitch elbowed the Great Dane. “Come on-- if my hunch is right, we need to go this way.”

“Let me light the way, guys. Follow me!” Izzy chirped and let her glowing horn guide them down the brick walkway provided for them. Soon, they reached the main cavern, with a path right over the water. “Wow…” Sunny looked around with a wide smile. “Look at this place!”

“Totally awesome!” cried Zipp, taking several photos. “Definitely something the sword of an ancient, evil samurai would be hiding.”

“We found it at last!” Mr. Takagawa pointed forward. “The Sword of Doom!”

Like he said, the sword rested on a stone table underneath a beacon of light, just laying in wait to be taken back to Japan. “So, like, what are we waiting for?” Shaggy wondered. “Let’s grab the sword and blow this pop stand!”

“Uh huh!” Scooby nodded in agreement, while Daphne remained unsure and a little worried. “I don’t know, guys,” she shook her head in response. “Something doesn’t feel right about this.”

“Yeah...” Misty hummed. “Living with Opaline all that time has given me a danger meter like I don't know what, and why would the sword just be waiting there waiting to take it? I think this seems like a trap just waiting to spring on us.”

“But… Miss Mirimoto is expecting us to bring the sword back to Japan,” Miyumi argued. Taking a deep breath, she decided to make a risky decision. “If you want to win… you must be willing to do that which others are not willing to do.”

This being said, Miyumi walked up the stairs toward the sword, Gray hot on her heels from the air. “Miyumi, you have to see that this could be dangerous!” he argued, getting in her path. “Is really getting some ancient sword to Japan really worth all this trouble?”

“If we get through sword home,” said Miyumi, “we could be heroes, Gray! We could have everything we ever dreamed of! Now... just let me pass.”

Gray sighed and relented, flying back down to the others with a worried look. He knew he didn’t like this rule and for good reason.

He was so afraid that Miyumi was gonna get hurt... but it seemed important to her, so... he managed to relent.

But was this really the right choice?

Once reaching the sword, Miyumi gently grabbed it and lifted it off it’s platform, unknowingly setting off a trigger that made the entire cavern begin to shake. “Zoinks!” Shaggy exclaimed. “That did it!”

“Run for it!” Velma cried as the shaking continued, leading the entire group to try and escape. But unfortunately, the gap in the closing entrance was too small to reach before the bridge across the water collapsed. And what made it worse, the Black Samurai found them and flew in before the entrance sealed. “Yikes!” Scooby yelped as the ponies got in front of their friends to protect them. “Foolish mortals!” the Black Samurai boomed. “Return the sword to me and I shall destroy you quickly.”

“Return the sword and be destroyed?” Pipp repeated before she laughed nervously and whispered to the others. “As much as I live for spooky things, I-I’d hate to hear option number 2.”

The Black Samurai charged toward them, leading them to split up and try to keep the sword from the samurai’s clutches, but it was anything but easy.

Moon Blossom and Mr. Takagawa had to run past poisonous darts before Moon Blossom tossed the sword down to Shaggy, Scooby, Misty and Sunny. The four of them continued to run, even when giant eyeballs from a nearby statue began to chase them down a huge slide.

Daphne and Velma stood with Zipp and Pipp, trying to hide from the samurai just before Shaggy, Scooby, Misty and Sunny fell right on top of them, sending all of them to the floor. “Ow...” Misty groaned out of pain. “That was pretty unpleasant.”

“My glasses!” Velma fumbled around in the darkness. “Ooh... I can see a thing without my glasses!”

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! That's funny,” Shaggy said with Velma’s glasses on his face. “I can't see a thing with your glasses!”

Suddenly, the ominous laughter of the Black Samurai could be heard above them, sending everyone on the run again. Once they were reunited again, the group found themselves once again the target of the Black Samurai flying their way, leading them to jump out of the way before they got hit and leaving the Black Samurai to crash into the rock wall.

His helmet flew off, and this gave the group to look and see who was really behind all this madness. But when they saw who it was, they were beyond shocked. “Sojo?!”

Sojo growled at the group, although defeated. “Wait wait wait wait-- this doesn’t make any sense,” Pipp shook her head. “How can Sojo be behind this? He’d never want to cause Miss Mirimoto and the academy harm.”

But, Velma only smiled in response. “Actually, Pipp, it makes perfect sense. But first, let’s get Sojo and the Sword of Doom back to Japan.”

Miss Mirimoto expected the group’s return at the old Tokyo Museum of Cultural History, and once they landed, Sunny and Hitch used their earth pony powers to tie Sojo to a nearby support post, in case he tried to make a move for the sword, to which Moon Blossom rested on a table nearby. “It’s all very simple,” Velma began to explain. “Sojo has been behind these samurai shenanigans all along.”

“He stole the Black Samurai's armor from the museum,” Fred added as Scooby put on a jetpack. “And he used this high-tech mini jetpack,” Shaggy added, turning Scooby’s jetpack on, “to fly around like a real live ghost.”

“Scooby-Dooby-Doo!” Scooby cheered, picking Izzy up with his paws and flying higher and higher up to the ceiling, leading Izzy to cheer with him. “Sojo’s master plan,” Velma went on, “was to bring the legend of the Black Samurai to life and scare everyone away from the tournament.”

“That way he could steal the destiny scroll and search for the Sword of Doom on his own,” Daphne nodded. “So that means... once we set out to solve the mystery,” Gray figured out, “his only hope was to steal the sword from us!”

Zipp scoffed at this behavior in disbelief. “Talk about a sneaky samurai.”

“Yeah-- sneaky,” Scooby nodded with a huff, with Izzy tossing her nose up in the air. “Yes,” Miss Mirimoto nodded. “And he would have gotten away with it too… if it weren’t for you meddling kids.”

As the group began to smile, Zipp suddenly felt that something was off.

Very off.

Especially when they heard a familiar voice from the shadows. “And their meddling ponies too… especially my so-called daughter.”

Paradise Moonray sauntered out from the shadows, leaving the ponies to brace themselves for attack. “Mom!” Misty shouted. “I should have known you would have been involved in this scheme!”

“Of course you should have, meddlesome filly. Because I am the most feared unicorn in all the lands… just like Mother Opaline was,” Paradise smirked slyly. “SOJO!!”

Sojo immediately broke free from his ropes just as the ninjas from before arrived on the scene, surrounding them instantly and causing a series of shocked responses.

“Zoinks!!”

“Yikes!”

“Jeepers!”

“Jinkies!”

“Sweet sauce horseshoe toss!”

But as Fred was about to respond, he paused. “Dang…” he muttered. “I still don’t have a catchphrase!”

“Fred!” Zipp scolded. “Seriously?!”

“Uh, sorry… got lost in the moment.”

“We must protect the sword!” Mr. Takagawa exclaimed, but was held back by the ninjas. Luckily, he was able to pull off one of their masks, but was met with a robotic face that made Sunny and Moon Blossom gasp. “They’re robots!”

“Ninja robots! Double cool!” Fred exclaimed, earning shameful glances from all the ponies. “Uh… sorry, I geeked out there for a sec.”

“So, like, the ninjas were your own robots?” Shaggy asked. “Huh?” Scooby cocked his head. “I-I don’t get it.”

“Miss Mirimoto, why would you choose to join forces with my mom? She’s evil!” Misty tried to reason. “And this sword is beyond dangerous! More trouble than it’s worth!”

“And,” said Zipp, “if you just wanted us to find the sword, why create a tournament in the first place?”

Their remarks caused Miss Mirimoto to chuckle. The tournament was just an excuse to gather the greatest martial artists from around the world,” she explained. “Paradise approached me, tired and weakened from her last battle with you all, and we decided to work together and both get what we want. Using computer analysis, their various fighting styles were digitized into my… ninja robots. After that, all I needed was to find someone who could solve the riddle of the Destiny Scroll. And who better than the world's greatest teenage detectives and their puny pony friends?”

Gray's head lowered sadly while the ponies and gang looked beyond furious. And to think they were beginning to respect her. “Come on, Miyumi!” Daphne prepared a fighting stance. “We can fight them together!”

But, Miyumi didn’t say a word, and instead walked toward the sword. “M-M-Miyumi?” Gray called out of shock, but Daphne gasped upon realizing what she was doing. “You’re one of them!”

“I’m sorry, but I must remain loyal to my sensei,” Miyumi said, bringing the sword to Miss Mirimoto. “Tomorrow night when the moon is full,” Miss Mirimoto explained as she brought Paradise the sword, “Paradise will help me resurrect the Black Samurai from the Sword of Doom. Once we have freed his spirit, he will call us his masters!”

“No! This is madness!” Moon Blossom furiously stomped her hoof. “And once the Black Samurai has returned, his sword will increase my power, and I will return to Equestria and take my rightful place as it’s queen,” Paradise smirked. “And I,” said Miss Mirimoto, “will order the samurai to lead my robot ninjas against the ignorant forces of this modern age! Then the ancient world of the samurai… and the new world of technology… shall exist in perfect harmony.”

“...it could work,” Shaggy shrugged. “Shaggy!” Sunny scolded. “That would NOT work! Each age has their own time that makes them unique! Clashing these ideas could spread worldwide, causing unhappiness and war!”

“Miyumi, Gray, did you guys know about this?” Hitch asked. “No!” Gray answered quickly with a desperate gaze. “Our only instructions were to earn your trust… by becoming your friends.”

“The first rule of Mirimoto Academy,” Miss Mirimoto smirked. “If you want to win, you must be willing to do that which others are not willing to do.”

Daphne’s gaze narrowed-- this was going way too far, dragging Miyumi and Gray into this evil scheme. “But if you do things that a winner wouldn't do… that automatically makes you a loser!”

Daphne then kicked the sword of the way from Paradise's magic aura, and it landed right in Shaggy and Scooby's laps, causing them to scream upon realization when the ninjas began to surround them. “Ponies, I'll use my powers to hold them off!” Moon Blossom shouted, using her earth pony magic to throw the ninjas back. “Get Shaggy, Scooby and the sword someplace safe! NOW!!”

“WE’RE ON IT!!” the ponies shouted, and as Shaggy and Scooby flew out of the room with the sword, Pipp, Sunny (who was in her alicorn form) and Zipp grabbed Izzy, Misty and Hitch and followed the two into the sky, with some of the ninjas not far behind. “Like, all aboard the Samurai Sword Express!” Shaggy cried as they flew out into the distance. “You did it, Moon Blossom!” Velma cheered. “The ponies, Shaggy and Scooby got away!”

“But you will not be so fortunate...” Paradise sneered, throwing Moon Blossom into the gang before she and Miss Mirimoto turned and walked toward the doors, with Sojo and a reluctant Miyumi and Gray following. “I hope you will enjoy your new role as part of the museum’s permanent collection,” Miss Mirimoto smirked wickedly, just as the doors began to close, Miyumi and Gray sparing them one final teary-eyed look before they closed, leaving the others trapped in darkness.

XXXXXXXX

Shaggy, Scooby and the girls continued to fly throughout Tokyo while being chased by the ninjas, ducking under buildings, swinging around lampposts, dodging ninja stars, and so forth. And after a long while of being chased, Shaggy looked behind them and saw that they had no ninjas on their tails... literally, since a ninja grabbed Shaggy by the foot earlier. “Way to go, everypony!” he laughed. “I think we lost ‘em!”

“Phew… what a relief!” Pipp sighed as she struggled to carry Izzy. “You guys are not as easy to carry as I thought!”

“Well, look on the bright side,” Misty said. “At least we still have plenty of fuel for Shaggy and Scooby to fly with us.”

But suddenly, the jetpack began to sputter as soon as he said that, and the boys began to descend toward the ground. “Speaking of losing… I-I think they're losing altitude!” Sunny cried. “Dive, ponies! Dive!”

The ponies dove down to catch their friends as they neared the ground screaming, eventually catching them... and they all tumbled to the ground in a heap, luckily all unharmed.

Suddenly, the ninjas appeared, causing the group to scream and flee once again, managing to find shelter inside a small restaurant that the ninjas passed right by, and when they ducked back inside, they were met with an older man with a white beard. “Welcome to Green Dragon Sushi,” he greeted. “You sit-- eat sushi. Good for you, eh?”

“Uh… that really depends,” Hitch shrugged. “You guys got anything without a head on it somewhere?”

The man brought out a dead fish and quickly chopped off the head, causing the group to grimace and smile nervously... that was not something they needed to see. “You like miso soup?” the man asked, and the sound of warm soup made Sunny smile happily. “Miso soup? Sounds perfect!” she smiled, making Shaggy chuckle. “Like, me so hungry.”

“Yeah. Me so hungry too,” Scooby nodded. The old man nodded and dipped a large spoon into a pot full of soup consisting of dashi stock, tofu, green onions and dried seaweed. Once the eight small bowls were filled, he handed them over to the group, who drank a little bit from the bowls, tickling their taste buds. “Ahh…” Zipp sighed contently. “That really hit the spot!”

“Yummy yum,” Scooby smiled, just before the man greeted them in the Japanese language. “I am Matsuhiro. Menu?”

Shaggy took the menu and discovered that there was something very interesting on the cover of it. “Hey, check it out, guys,” he spoke, pointing to the cover. “Like, it’s our old friend, the Green Dragon!”

“Wow!” Izzy said in awe. “He must be EVERYWHERE in Japan!”

“Ahh… so you know the legend?” Matsuhiro asked. “You could say that,” Sunny chuckled, just as the old man turned to put some rice in a smaller bowl. “Do you know what I like most about legends? New chapters are being written all the time,” he said with a chuckle. “You never know what is going to happen next.”

“That’s definitely what happens in our line of work,” said Zipp. “We travel all over, helping people with their different problems and trying to save them from ponies who want magic all to themselves.”

“It’s not easy, especially when they’re… ponies you should be close to…” Misty referred to her mother as she spoke, leaving Shaggy and Scooby to comfort her. “But as long as we stick together, I think we’ll be fine.”

“Ah, indeed,” Matsuhiro smiled. “Friendship is a powerful weapon… and a great source of comfort when you are in need of it.”

The ponies found themselves growing more comfortable with the man… he just seemed so wise and understanding. Suddenly, the robot ninjas burst through the windows of the restaurant, causing the group to scream-- they weren’t expecting the ninjas to find them so fast! Shaggy gulped and slowly lifted the Sword of Doom to defend themselves as the ponies braced themselves for attack. “Like, Sword of Doom, don't fail us now.”

“Eh? The Sword of Doom? But… how?” Matsuhiro asked out of surprise. “Uh, we’ll tell you later,” Misty answered. “Right now, we’ve got a serious case of the robot ninjas!”

But surprisingly, Matsuhiro grabbed a sword from the wall and slashed the nearest ninja as it drew closer and closer to them. “Now we will have some fun!”

“I don’t know about the rest of you…” said Izzy, before Hitch interrupted her. “We gotta hide!!”

The ponies pulled Shaggy and Scooby back behind the counter as they watched Matsuhiro battle the ninjas one by one with expert precision. But, while they were distracted, one of the ninjas used their chains to grab the sword and pulled it over to him. “No!” Shaggy cried. “The Sword of Doom!”

Thunder and rain poured from the heavens as the ninjas leapt off into the night, Matsuhiro glancing all around. “They are gone,” he said with a huff. “Gee whiz,” Pipp said in surprise. “For a sushi chef, you’re no cold fish with a samurai sword.”

“That is because,” Matsuhiro declared, “I am… samurai!”

This caused the group’s eyes to widen in shock, looking at each other, unsure of what to say. “Whoa whoa whoa whoa,” Shaggy said after a moment. “Like, did you and I hear him right?”

“I think we all did,” Sunny whispered. “Come,” Matsuhiro beckoned the group, walking away from the restaurant. “We have much to discuss for your journey ahead.”

Unsure of what they should do next, the group decided to comply and followed the old man into the rain.

XXXXXXXX

As for the others, Fred had found a warrior’s axe and helmet, and was now trying to chop through the wooden doors that were preventing them from escaping. “Give it up, Freddy,” Velma said. “Those doors must be three feet thick.”

Panting in exhaustion for a moment, Fred was determined to keep going. “We gotta get outta here somehow,” he said. “I’ll chop away all night if I have to.”

“We don’t have all night,” Moon Blossom said dejectedly, ears pinning as she laid her head in between her hooves, and Mr. Takagawa sighed. “I should not have been so critical about this modern age,” he said. “If only I had one more chance, I would fight to save this world like a modern-day samurai!”

Suddenly, the locks became undone, and as the gang looked on in confusion, it was revealed that Dream Maker and and Kenji undid the lock as they were getting ready to clean in there, and boy, did they yelp in shock at seeing them in there. Mr. Takagawa laughed happily, not caring that the young employees were beyond confused. “You’ve freed us, Kenji!” he cheered. “You’re a hero!”

“Thank you, Dream Maker!” cried Moon Blossom, hugging her assistant and friend. “Thank you, thank you!”

“Moon Blossom? Takagawa-san? Why did you lock yourselves in the vault?” Kenji asked, taking his headphones off his ears. “There is no time to explain,” Mr. Takagawa said before turning to the gang. “Soon enough, there will be more than one samurai brought back to life.”

“Come on,” Moon Blossom urged them. “We have a lot to do if we want to save both this world and Equestria from falling into the wrong hands.”

XXXXXXXX

Matsuhiro had taken the downtrodden ponies, Shaggy and Scooby out of Tokyo and was now taking them across a gigantic lake in the middle of the fog. However, the group was too upset with themselves to notice anything. “How could we let those rotten robots take the Sword of Doom?” Shaggy asked. “What are we gonna do now?”

“I don’t know…” Scooby whimpered. “We have to think of something, otherwise our worlds could be in real danger,” Zipp said, but sighed in exasperation. “But I’m just not thinking of anything!”

“I should have known Mom would be helping with a scheme like this,” Misty frowned. “I-I guess I was just trying to be more like you guys and more levelheaded… not so easily fooled, like a complete idiot.”

“Misty, you’re not an idiot,” Sunny said. “Paradise, no offense, is the idiot, because she should have never abandoned you to Opaline to begin with. You deserved to be raised by your father, and you deserved to be happy for all those moons.”

“I mean… yeah, I guess so,” Misty said. “But then again… if Opaline hadn’t raised me instead of my mother, I wouldn’t have met you guys. So… I guess one good thing did come out of it.”

The ponies smiled at this… but somehow, they could sense Misty was still in the dumps. They had to do something to solve this crisis, but they just didn’t know what. It was hard to think when their friends could be in serious trouble back home. “Look there,” Matsuhiro pointed ahead of them to a glorious mountain. “The great mountain, Fuji-san. Sacred training ground for generations of… samurai.”

“Samurai?!” the four friends questioned, unsure of what Matsuhiro was thinking when he looked at them. “B-B-But we don’t know anything about being samurai warriors!” Hitch argued, and Scooby shook his head in agreement. “Do not be afraid,” Matsuhiro spoke wisely. “A samurai must overcome his fear. When fear is gone… the mind will be empty.”

“Ha ha ha. Like, an empty mind? Well, why didn’t you just say so?” Shaggy asked him with a laugh. “Now, that’s something I’ve got already!”

“Uh-huh. Me too!” Scooby nodded, a smile forming. But Zipp and Misty didn’t understand-- how could having an empty mind help in these dire circumstances?

Soon, they docked the boat and stepped out onto the shoreline, looking around at the foggy mountain surroundings, unsure of what they were looking for. Then… they saw a figure walking toward them out of the fog.

A figure with a unicorn horn and pegasus wings.

Misty gasped and leapt behind her friends. “Opaline’s ghost!!” she shrieked. That’s when the figure stepped out into full view.

It was definitely an alicorn, but it wasn't Opaline. In fact, it was a gorgeous alicorn mare with a long flowing mane with pink, dark bluish purple and blue highlights in it, a white coat, blue colored wing tips, dark purple eyes, a silver crown, collar and shoes and a cutie mark of a shining crystal. “Hello,” she greeted in a soft tone. “I hope I didn’t scare you all too much. It’s terribly foggy out.”

“U-Us? Scared?” Misty chuckled nervously. “Nah, we were, uh… totally terrified.”

“My name is Queen Etheria,” said the alicorn. “I take it you are all friends of Matsuhiro?”

“Yes, your majesty,” said Sunny. “We need help. Our friends are in trouble, and two villains have the Sword of Doom, and are intending to release the Black Samurai from the blade.”

“Hmmm… I see…” Queen Etheria said. “I trust that Matsuhiro will train you well for what is required on this journey.”

“Journey? What journey?” Hitch asked. “A literal one or a metaphorical one?!”

Queen Etheria smiled with a little laugh. “You will see in due time. For now, let’s start our walk to the temple. Once there, Matsuhiro will become your teacher, and I will oversee your training.”

XXXXXXXX

Although the ponies had no idea what Queen Etheria and Matsuhiro were talking about on their way up the mountain, they followed them the entire way with Shaggy and Scooby in pursuit.

Once reaching the top of the mountain, Matsuhiro put Shaggy and Scooby into their uniforms from the academy and he and he instructed the group to slice bushes and brambles with swords to which they held in magic auras, in their hooves and in their bare hands. “The samurai never hesitates,” Matsuhiro spoke as they sliced and diced. “He acts, he fights, he wins! Without fear, without anger, without mind.”

“And without lunch breaks,” Shaggy panted in exhaustion. “Like, I’m ready to trade in this samurai sword for a shish kebab.”

“Oh… shish kebab… yummy yum,” Scooby said hungrily. “I know we’re all tired from this training,” Sunny sighed. “I am too. But Matsuhiro is a samurai sword master, and Queen Etheria is very wise. And if they think that this can help us stop Mirimoto, Paradise and whatever evil they have planned, then we should trust them… otherwise we’ll never be able to stop the Black Samurai if he were to return.”

“Sunny? While Shaggy and Scooby proceed,” said the queen, “may I speak to you and your friends for a moment?”

“Of course. Be right back.”

The ponies immediately trotted over to Queen Etheria, looking rather confused. “Did we do something wrong, your highness?” asked Hitch worriedly. “Oh, not at all, Hitch,” the queen smiled. “I just wanted to give you all a simple gift to thank you for working so hard.”

“A gift? Oooh, thank you!” Izzy smiled. “What is it?”

Queen Etheria lit her horn and levitated six pendants with dragons on them, causing Sunny to gasp upon recognition. “These pendants look just like the Green Dragon!”

“I see you read about him before,” Queen Etheria smiled warmly. “He is a dear, dear friend of mine from long ago. He gave these pendants to me in hopes of giving them to several young ponies who deserved them. And I believe that you’re the ones he would want to have them.”

“Wow... thank you! They're beautiful!” Misty said as they put the pendant on. “We’ll take great care of them, promise.”

“Come on, guys,” Zipp urged. “We better get back to Shaggy and Scooby before the vines overtake the yard.”

XXXXXXXX

After slashing of the vines finally got done, Matsuhiro had them lift a giant gate over the path to the temple with nothing but their own strength. “That’s it, Scoob,” Shaggy said as they finished the task. “We did it!”

Scooby sighed in exhaustion, wiping the sweat on his face with his paw while the ponies hoof-bumped one another with cheers of success. Matsuhiro chuckled warmly from the front of the temple. “Well done, tomodachi,” he congratulated. “You are ready to begin.”

“Begin?!” the others gulped worriedly-- what else could he have planned? “The last chapter has ended,” Matsuhiro continued. “The next is yet to be written.”

Queen Etheria lit her horn and magically sliced some vines from the front of the temple walls, revealing different images of gates. “These are the four gates: Earth… Air… Fire… and Water,” Queen Etheria explained. “Passing through each, you will be purified,” spoke Matsuhiro. “You have already found the Gate of Earth.”

“Huh?” the group blinked, glancing up at the gate they just lifted. “All you must do now,” Matsuhiro said to them as he and Queen Etheria bowed, “is pass through.”

The group glanced at each other-- that seemed easy enough. So, the eight friends stepped through the gate, feeling somewhat more confident in themselves. “Ha ha! That was easy,” Izzy shrugged. “The journey has begun,” Matsuhiro said. “There can be no going back now.”

“Okay. Like, where to next?” Shaggy asked. “The legend tells of two swords,” Queen Etheria explained, creating magic images of the instructions she began to give. “The Sword of Doom and the Sword of Fate. Pass beyond the four gates to the lair of the Green Dragon. Wake him from his ancient slumber… and seize the Sword of Fate!”

Hearing this set of instructions was not something that the group expected, but if Queen Etheria and Matsuhiro said they should do it, they had better listen up. But before they left, Shaggy let off a gulp. “Like, any chance you'd throw in a couple of Scooby Snacks for the road?”

Queen Etheria and Matsuhiro merely raised their eyebrows at this behavior. “Uh, thank you, Queen Etheria,” said Sunny quickly. “We’ll get right on it and we'll save the world in no time at all.”

“Remember, young ponies,” the queen called after them. “The necklaces I gave you will be more handy than you believe!”

The ponies spared her a glance and nodded before following Shaggy and Scooby out into the unknown.

XXXXXXXX

The next gate they needed to find was the Gate of Air, and as they got further and further up the side of Mount Fuji, the colder the air seemed to get. “Like, S-S-Scoob, old b-b-buddy,” Shaggy shivered as they walked through the blinding snow. “Remind me again how we got t-t-t-talked into this!”

“I-I d-d-don’t r-r-remember,” Scooby quivered, just as cold as his best friend. “We were given orders by a wise old samurai and an alicorn queen that has been living on Mt. Fuji for more than 200 moons!” Zipp said, trying not to shiver and keep herself warm. “If they say we gotta do this, we gotta do this!”

“Especially,” said Hitch, “If Equestria and this world are at stake!”

Scooby shivered, but nodded. “C-Can we at least get some magic to warm us up a little bit?”

Izzy and Misty nodded and lit their horns, providing a small shield of warmth for the group, allowing the snow and ice coming on them to melt, but seemed to keep coming at them. As Shaggy and Scooby were unsure of how much longer they could take the cold, the clouds parted to reveal that same red gate as before. “T-T-There it is!” Shaggy exclaimed. “That just be the Gate of Air!”

“Ha ha! Last one there is a rotten samurai!” Zipp laughed before breaking out into a run. The others swiftly followed behind her, and all of them crossed the gate to the other side of the clouds. “Whoo-hoo!” Pipp cheered. “We made it!”

But no sooner than this was said, the clouds cleared, making them realize they were standing on nothing but air, making Scooby yelp and jump into Shaggy’s arms, and Sunny, Pipp and Zipp took to the air, grabbing Hitch, Misty and Izzy, all of their eyes squeezing shut. “Like, whatever you do, Scoob,” Shaggy begged his best friend, “don’t… look… down!”

Scooby did his best not to look down, but then again, curiosity got the better of him and he did so anyway, yelping in panic, which caused Shaggy and Scooby to fall and scream into the volcano below. But suddenly, a rock above the lava caught their fall. “Ha ha ha ha… phew,” Shaggy sighed in relief. “Like, that was a close one!”

“Are you guys okay?” asked Hitch as the ponies flew down to them, with Sunny, Hitch, Izzy and Misty landing on the rock with them. “That was quite a fall.”

“We're fine... I think,” Shaggy nodded. “At least this isn't getting any worse.”

Suddenly, the rock began to crack, and it fell into the lava with the group hanging on for the ride, surfing on the river of melted molten rock below them, with Pipp and Zipp flying above them to guide them. “Like, check us out, Scoob-- we’re hanging ten!” Shaggy said before gulping. “10,000 degrees Fahrenheit that is!”

Scooby whimpered worriedly at the thought of falling in, but tried to keep focus so that wouldn't happen. “There it is, everyone!” Shaggy pointed toward the red gate over the glowing river of melting molten rock. “The Gate of Fire!”

“Everyone, lean in unison!” Sunny turned her shoulders, and the others owed her example to jump through the gate. But soon after, the flow of lava turned curvy and bumpy, and the group started to lose control over it just as they got to a deep lake, to which the flow of lava ended and led them right to the Gate of Water on the bottom of a gigantic lake.

After passing through the final gate, the group swam back to the surface and found themselves in a beautiful lagoon. And on the shores of the lagoon sat a large cave, and once glance at their surroundings made the group's eyes widen in shock and awe. “We made it, guys,” Shaggy said as they walked out of the water, surprisingly warm and dry. “This must be the Green Dragon's groovy grotto.”

“Heh, not bad for a mystical dragon who probably doesn't even exist,” Pipp complimented, getting a look from Hitch and causing her to quickly correct herself. “E-Even though Sparky exists in our world, of course.”

But then suddenly, an echoing voice caught their attention. “Who dares enter my sacred grove?” it asked, and the group turned to see glowing green eyes peering at them from the darkness… the eyes of the Green Dragon himself. “Be ye samurai?”

“You bet,” Shaggy said, surprisingly calm. “Like, I'm Shogun Shaggy, and these are my faithful companions-- the Unity Squad and Samurai Scooby-Doo.”

“Hello…” Scooby spoke nervously, waving. “Shaggy, what are you doing?” Hitch asked him in a whisper. “We can’t lie to the Green Dragon! What if he sees we’re not samurai and does something really bad to us?”

“He won’t, Hitch. Trust me.”

Hitch sighed, deciding they could play the charade for now before they all bowed before the dragon in the cave. “Oh, Great Green One,” Shaggy said respectfully, “we come bearing rotten news. The Sword of Doom is back and the Black Samurai is on the attack!”

The Green Dragon roared in response, and it was so powerful, it almost blew them away. “Impossible!” the dragon boomed angrily. This caused Izzy, Misty, Shaggy and Scooby to begin to quiver, and the others stood ready in case the dragon tried anything. Instead, the dragon lifted a single dragon paw out into the open, a crystal ball glowing in his grasp. “Ages ago, the Sword of Doom was hidden away… protected by guardians of stone, high atop a secret mountain on a savage island, surrounded by an impenetrable fog.”

The crystal ball showed everything the dragon spoke of, and when he pulled the crystal back inside the cave, the group looked at each other, not sure if they should tell the beast that it was them who located the Sword of Doom to begin with. Sunny chuckled nervously, being the first to break the silence. “Yeeeeeeah, funny story about that,” she said, which caused Scooby to chuckle nervously as well. “B-B-But, that's all ancient history,” Hitch spoke up, despite being absolutely terrified of the dragon's great power. “Tonight, the modern world is in danger… and we need your help.”

But, by what they could see on the dragon's face, his expression was solemn. “There's no place left in the world for dragons.”

With that, the dragon slithered back into the cave, but the others went inside after him, hoping to convince him some other way. “Oh, come on. What are you?” Zipp asked in a cocky manner. “A big green dragon, afraid of a little sword fight?”

“Zipp!” Sunny scolded. “You can’t speak to an ancient dragon that way! It’s the same as if you were talking to your mom like that!”

“Ooh… whoops…”

“Well... Zipp is actually right, sir… in a way,” Misty admitted, giving her friend a glare about speaking so cockily. “If you really believe that there's no place left for dragons, then… you just gotta get out there and prove them wrong! And to start, you can come out of this cave and help us kick some Black Samurai butt.”

Suddenly, the dragon's eyes illuminated down on them, allowing the dragon to get a closer look. “You don't look like… samurai,” he said, and this led Shaggy and Scooby to chuckle nervously. “Tell him, Shaggy,” Scooby said in a frightened tone, and this caused Shaggy to gulp. “Like, the truth is--”

Before Shaggy could finish, the dragon's crystal ball illuminated in green flames, to which the dragon blew their way, causing the ponies to scream and seal their eyes shut. But surprisingly, the flames… didn't burn, and they disappeared a few minutes later, hearing the dragon speak in a proud tone. “That's better.”

At that moment, the ponies, Shaggy and Scooby looked down at themselves to find that their attire had been altered magically into the attire of a samurai (Shaggy and Scooby) and a ninja (for all the other ponies) respectively. “Like, wow!” Shaggy said with a chuckle. “Check it out, Scoob. We're rolling old-school, samurai-style.”

“Yeah. Old school,” Scooby beamed. “This… is… amazing!” Sunny exclaimed, looking at her brand-new outfit. “His dragon fire acts the same way Sparky’s does back home!”

“And look!” Misty held up her dragon pendant. “The pendants the queen gave us are glowing!”

The group looked down at the pendants to discover Misty was right-- they were glowing, just as the crystal ball illuminated at its brightest, revealing the entire dragon. “For centuries, Queen Etheria has guarded the dragon power pendants, while I have guarded the Sword of Fate, awaiting the day when their services would again be needed. That day… has finally come.”

The dragon finally revealed his tail, and you can guess what was inside of it-- the sword! Shaggy and Scooby caught it in unison, smiling before the two of them and their Equestrian friends were swept onto the back of the dragon, flying higher and higher out of the mountain’s crater. “The legend must end where it all began!”

“Like, up up and away we go!” Shaggy exclaimed. “Wheeeee!!!!” Scooby cheered alongside the ponies. “Whoa-ho, we gotta try flying on Sparky’s back when he gets a little older!” Zipp exclaimed, feeling the wind on her face. “This feels great!”

“Heh heh, yeah, it does!” Misty agreed, standing on the dragon’s back and letting the flowing wind toss her mane around. “Young Misty?” the Green Dragon called out, surprising Misty as to how he knew her name. “Uh…” Misty stammered a response. “Y-Yes, sir?”

“I wanted to thank you for convincing me,” the dragon said. “If not for your bold spirits, I probably would not have come, still feeling sorry for myself. I realize now that you and young Zipp was right… I must make some changes if dragons are to return to the world.”

“Oh! Well… I’m glad we could help,” Misty said. “But… wait. There’s still some things I’m confused about. How did you know my name? And what did you mean by ‘dragon power pendants’? Are they magical in someway?”

“Whoever wears those pendants will have their power increased by tenfold, and since I am the one who helped create them with the queen’s help, I can look into the hearts and minds of who wears them, and deem them worthy upon inspection,” the Green Dragon explained. “And you all are the purest souls I have ever come across.”

The ponies sat up tall and proud as the dragon said this... hearing him say this was like the happiness they felt while they were defeating Opaline, times 100. But it took a lick to the face from Scooby to make Misty come back to her mind, remembering that they still had a mission to accomplish. “Mr. Green Dragon, think we can go faster? We gotta get back to Tokyo before the Black Samurai’s spirit is released by Mom and Miss Mirimoto!”

“Hold on,” the Green Dragon smirked before lurching even faster into the sky, making the group once again cheer as they held on tight for the ride of their lives. All they hoped now was that they got back to Tokyo before it was too late to save their friends and their world.

The moon was rising high into the sky as Shaggy, Scooby and the Mane 6 rode the Green Dragon back to Tokyo, but meanwhile, the remaining gang members, Mr. Takagawa, Kenji and their pony pals had their own plan in place-- hopefully it would work enough to short out the ninjas and take the sword back.

As the moon reached its peak in the night sky, Miss Mirimoto and Paradise emerged from the building, faces firm. “Sojo, come!” Miss Mirimoto commanded firmly. “It is time.”

Sojo soon emerged, wearing the armor of the Black Samurai, and behind him emerged Gray Flyer and Miyumi, the former holding the sword in her grasp. Once both were beside her, Paradise pulled the Destiny Scroll from her saddlebag. “The Destiny Scroll still has one last secret.”

When Miss Mirimoto took the scroll from Paradise and lifted the scroll higher, words began to form on the backside, much to Gray's surprise. “Standing on the bridge of his defeat,” Miss Mirimoto read, “hold the Sword of Doom to the rising full moon. The spell will be broken, and the spirit of the Black Samurai shall be set free!”

Gray whimpered from that, but a piercing glare from Paradise told him that if he made any attempts to disobey, the consequences would be brutal. It was then that Paradise gave out the next set of orders. “Sojo, walk to the bridge.”

“Sojo walk to bridge,” Sojo nodded obediently and walked in that direction. “Miyumi, make sure you and Gray not fail me this night,” Miss Mirimoto spoke calmly to her students. “Your loyalty shall be rewarded in the coming new worlds.”

“Yes, sensei,” Miyumi bowed her head and walked after Sojo, with Gray following reluctantly. From the roof of the building, Fred, Daphne, Mr. Takagawa and Moon Blossom watched anxiously for the right moment to strike. “Okay, gang, get ready,” Fred whispered. “I can’t believe Miyumi’s really going through with this,” Daphne groaned. “With friends like her, who needs enemies?”

“Don’t be too harsh on her, Daphne,” Moon Blossom said gently. “She and Gray were only following orders. If they had disobeyed, they would have been severely punished. They clearly had no choice.”

At the same time, Sojo reached the middle of the bridge and put on the helmet. “Miyumi, sword.”

But when Miyumi wasn’t beside him, he looked down off the bridge to see Miyumi and Gray running off with the sword, the griffin behind Miyumi to protect her from any surprise attacks. “The treacherous little fool!” Miss Mirimoto groaned in frustration, making Daphne cheer from their position on the roof. “Way to go, Miyumi!” she exclaimed loudly. “I knew you were one of us!”

But, she accidentally gave away their locations, and the ninja robots sped right toward them. “Oops!” Daphne said-- that wasn’t part of the plan. “Now, Velma!” Moon Blossom cried, and Velma turned to Kenji and Dream Maker. “Hit it, Kenji!”

Kenji fired up the machine they made, and Dream Maker stood ready to do her part. “Magnetic pulse away!” she shouted and pressed the red button in front of her. Soon, the magnetic pulse made all the robot ninjas short-circuit and fall to the ground, causing Kenji to cheer. “It worked!”

But suddenly, the machine went haywire, activating magnetic pulses that made all of Tokyo’s power go dark, causing many to panic over the city-wide blackout. “Hmmm… maybe it worked a little too well…” Velma hummed. “But at least our plan worked… somewhat,” Dream Maker shrugged. Gray let out a sigh, looking at all the robot ninjas on the ground in front of him and Miyumi-- that was way too close for comfort. But suddenly, he and Miyumi leapt out of the way of Miss Mirimoto's swords and Paradise's magic blast, the unicorn's face flaring with anger. “Ungrateful children!”

“I was blinded by my loyalty to you, but now, I can see clearly!” Miyumi shot back. “How dare you disobey me?” Miss Mirimoto and Paradise attacked them again and again, only for them to jump out of the way repeatedly. But suddenly, one sweeping blast caused both of them to stumble to the ground and caused Paradise to grab the sword from them. Gray gasped, reaching out for the sword with his claws. “The sword!”

Paradise cackled as she tossed the sword to Sojo, who unfurled it from its holder and held it up to the full moon. Lightning shot out of it, causing everyone present to shield their eyes as the light got brighter, and the echoing laughter of the Black Samurai filled the air around them.

When the light was gone, Sojo was unconscious in his underwear, and the Black Samurai lowered himself down onto the bridge, chuckling triumphantly. “The Black Samurai lives again…”

But before Paradise could step forward, the headmistress of the academy pushed her aside, much to Paradise's shock. “No, samurai,” she said, causing the samurai to turn to her. “I am the master here. Bow before me, and I shall give you the world.”

To this remark, the Black Samurai chuckled and held out his hand. “Foolish one.”

Miss Mirimoto groaned in pain as she was forcefully brought before him. “It is you who should call me master,” the Black Samurai growled before flinging her back, causing her to hit the stairs and become unconscious also. “You’re right,” Paradise told the samurai, bowing to his will. “I am at your service, oh great samurai, and I merely ask for one thing in return.”

“Oh?”

“Yes… dub me with power from your sword,” Paradise said, rising to her hooves, “so I may take control of the land of Equestria as it’s true ruler… just as my mother would have been.”

Dream Maker shuddered from where she, Velma and Kenji watched everything. “If Opaline was as bad as her, I’d say ‘like mother, like daughter’.”

After a moment of silence, the Black Samurai burst into maniacal laughter. “Meddlesome pony! I give power to NO ONE!!” he exclaimed. “And since you seem like you aren’t going to give up without a fight…”

He held out his hand again, picking Paradise up against her will as she tried to fire magic blasts at him before flinging her toward the wall, and once close enough, chains wrapped around her hooves and neck, trapping her. “Let me go!!” Paradise shrieked, trying to break free. “QUEENS ARE NOT TO BE TREATED LIKE THIS!!!”

“Well… at least Paradise is out of the way,” Moon Blossom muttered, “but the battle doesn’t seem to be over yet.”

As soon as she said that, the Black Samurai focused his attention on the others. “Bow before me, mortals.”

The Sword of Doom shot out magic that grabbed onto everyone and floated them toward him, forcing them into a painful bowing position while the Black Samurai raised the sword to the sky. “All shall serve me… FOREVER!!”

XXXXXXXX

The Green Dragon was finally flying over Tokyo, and the group on his back were now scanning for any signs of their friends, Paradise or Miss Mirimoto’s ninjas. Just then, Scooby spotted something that alarmed him greatly. “Ponies, Shaggy, look!”

He pointed his paw down below and saw lightning emitting from the Sword of Doom, and the Black Samurai was the one in control, their friends under his influence and Paradise chained. “At last…” the samurai sneered. “Freedom is mine!”

“Oh no… like, we’re too late!” Shaggy cried worriedly. “Fear not!” the Green Dragon assured. “Unity Squad, Shogun Shaggy, Samurai Scooby, you must carry on the fight. Hold the pendants high and unsheathe the Sword of Fate… so that my spirit may enter the blade. I shall be with you always… guiding you and the sword… from within.”

None of the group liked this idea, but in their hearts, they had no choice. The ponies lifted their pendants high as Shaggy unsheathed the sword, which caused both the sword and pendants to glow brilliantly as the dragon entered the blade, causing Shaggy and Scooby to fly on their own, and the pendants seemed to allow the same thing to happen to them. Their screams from above caused the group to look up in alarm. “Guys!” Daphne exclaimed in surprise. “Look!”

“It’s the ponies, Shaggy and Scooby!” Gray beamed. “Ow… my neck!” Dream Maker yelped, feeling pain from it as they watched the group fly in for a landing. “Right on time!” Zipp shouted. “Late as usual!”

While the ponies managed to make a soft landing, Shaggy and Scooby crashed before the bridge, causing the Black Samurai to turn. When he did, he saw Scooby holding Shaggy on his shoulders, Shaggy wielding the sword, and the ponies stood right near their friends in case something happened. The Black Samurai let out a snarl. “Who dares challenge the Black Samurai?”

“Zoinks! Like, here we go, Scoob,” Shaggy told the Great Dane while the group tensed. “Remember what they taught us in samurai school.”

“Uh… uh, I forgot!” Scooby panicked, causing Pipp to slap her face with a whimper. The Black Samurai suddenly charged, and while Scooby covered his eyes with his paws, Shaggy raised the Sword of Fate in defense, causing the Black Samurai to be propelled back a little ways before realizing what this sword was. “The Sword of Fate…” he realized as his eyes narrowed. “Impossible!”

This time, it was Shaggy’s turn to smirk. “Like, if you think that’s impossible,” he said, “try flying into Tokyo on a Green Dragon sometime.”

“Remember guys, since you wield the sword, you’re the only one that can take him in head-to-head combat,” Sunny reminded. “But we're gonna be right beside you in case you need it.”

“NO!!” Paradise screamed from where she was imprisoned. “Your foolish friends may be taking on the samurai, but you will not aid in their defeat of him!”

Her magic aura shot out shadows in the shape of ponies with glowing violet eyes, making Hitch gulp. “Shadow monsters…”

“Don’t worry. We can take ‘em,” Zipp smiled. “I say it’s time to get this fight started, don’t you?”

The shadow ponies tensed up, causing the Mane 6 to tense up with their cutie marks and pendants glowing. At the same time, the Black Samurai and Shaggy and Scooby readied their swords… before both sides charged, and the duel suddenly began.

The ponies kicked, blasted magic and plants and flung the shadow monsters around, the pendants around their necks increasing their strength while the swords of those fighting on the bridge clashed repeatedly for a few moments, before Scooby got the idea, since he was the bottom half, to tickle the Black Samurai, causing him to laugh before Zipp flung a shadow monster into the Black Samurai, tossing him back a good ways.

Now THAT felt good in her eyes.

After regaining himself, the Black Samurai slashed the bridge, allowing Scooby to take his position with the sword on the top half, also taking the fight into mid air for a few minutes before all three of them splashed down into the water. “The water!” Misty realized. “That can be a shadow monster's weakness! Izzy, we gotta push them back toward the water!”

“On it, Misty-Twisty!” Izzy saluted as she and Misty fired multiple blasts that eventually pushed the shadow monsters into the water, watching them sink into the water. The other shadow monsters, realizing they couldn’t get close to the water, leapt upon the ponies, sending them rolling toward some trees. At the same time, while trying to get free, they saw Shaggy, Scooby and the Black Samurai battling on top of the water before Shaggy and Scooby were pushed to the opposite side, and flew out of harm’s way before they were crushed by trees that the samurai slashed. “Fools!” he shouted. “You are no match for me!”

Scooby giggled intimidatingly, but one slash from the Sword of Doom caused Shaggy and Scooby to drop to the ground, luckily unharmed, but a little bit woozy. Sunny saw this and unleashed her alicorn form, making her wings shine increasingly bright. “Leave… our friends… ALONE!!”

The bright light from her wings was enough to blind the shadow creatures and allow them to fall into the river, never to be seen again. After making sure the shadow creatures were gone, the ponies leapt and flew to the other side of the river to check on their friends. “Are you guys okay?” Pipp asked them. “That’s quite the fight they were putting you through.”

“Yeah, we’re good,” Shaggy panted. “But I’m not sure how else we can beat that dude!”

“A samurai must overcome his fear,” came the voice of Matsuhiro from nearby, causing the ponies to glance around. “When fear is gone… the mind will be empty.”

“Did-- did you hear that, Scoob?” Misty looked up at the Great Dane on top of Shaggy’s shoulders. “Yeah… I did,” Scooby nodded. “It’s that sushi sword master Matsuhiro,” Shaggy said. “He’s in my head!”

“No I’m not! I’m over here!” Matsuhiro called, calling to them from nearby through a megaphone, with Queen Etheria standing beside him in all her glory. “The samurai acts without anger. He fights without mind.”

Suddenly, to Misty… what Matsuhiro was saying was finally making some sense. And this gave her an idea that was sure to help Shaggy and Scooby finally defeat the samurai!

But before she could tell them her idea, Paradise released a blast that knocked all the ponies backwards, and the Black Samurai kicked Shaggy out from underneath Scooby as the samurai charged their way with a cackle. “Yikes!” Scooby yelped in panic, unsure of what to do. “It’s okay, Scooby!” Misty assured. “You can do this! Just let all thoughts leave your mind!”

“What?!” Hitch cried. “Misty, how’s that supposed to help?!”

“Remember what Matsuhiro kept saying?” Misty asked. “The samurai doesn’t think-- he isn’t even angry! If Scooby erases all thoughts from his mind, he’ll react to the attacks more clearly! And there’s one more thing-- we can’t interfere. Scooby is wielder of the sword, and what he does next is his decision alone. All we can do is believe in him, and give him courage!”

The ponies and Shaggy looked at each other with worry, but eventually decided that Misty had somewhat of a point.

Scooby was in control here, and if Misty thought he could do it by clearing his mind… then he should do it. “Misty is right!” Sunny said. “Don’t think, Scoob! Just let it go!”

“Like, no mind!” Shaggy reminded. “Oh, yeah,” Scooby nodded and closed his eyes, staying perfectly still as the samurai charged their way. “The Sword of Doom… shall be your destroyer!”

Scooby remained silent and still as the ponies, Shaggy and their imprisoned friends watched with anticipation, and as the Black Samurai got closer, Scooby's eyes snapped open as he leapt into the air, the sword raised above his head. Then, when Scooby came down, he slammed the Sword of Fate down before hitting the Sword of Doom at full force, causing a bright flash of light.

When the flash faded all the way, the group looked to see the Black Samurai holding the two seperate pieces of the Sword of Doom. “Scooby, you did it!” Misty cheered as the ponies came over to him. “The Sword of Doom is useless now, and the samurai’s spells are broken!”

“NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” the Black Samurai shouted in anguish as lightning shot into the sky, leaving Scooby and the ponies to shield themselves before the samurai fell limp on the ground. And with the samurai gone, his spell over the others broke, and the group was free from his control. Shaggy laughed as he came closer to the six ponies and their dog friend, picking up the Sword of Fate. “Like, that psychotic samurai forgot one thing,” he said. “When it comes to no mind, we've got everybody beat. Like, our minds are always empty.”

“Yuh-huh,” Scooby giggled happily, feeling nothing but pride in the feat he had just accomplished, just as the others came forward. “Ponies, Scooby, Shaggy!” Gray exclaimed. “That was amazing!” Dream Maker happily spoke. “Thanks,” said Misty. “But it was mostly Scooby. We just helped.”

Just then, the group heard a quiet groan coming from… inside the armor?

Scooby quietly whimpered at the sound of it, placing his paws on the face part of the helmet and removing it, and everyone gasped as an old man with white hair was underneath it. “Like, it’s just a little old man,” Shaggy spoke. “...whoa,” Zipp blinked in surprise. “That sure was anticlimactic.”

“Thank you… most honored friends,” the old man wheezed. “You have released my spirit from the evil power of that cursed sword… and saved your world. I shall be… eternally… grateful. You are indeed… samurai… and your legend… shall be told… forever...”

And once he was done speaking, he closed his eyes before he vanished into thin air. “Whoa,” Fred said with wide eyes. “He disappeared.”

“Well, you gotta hand it to him. He went out in real samurai style,” Hitch said sadly, listening to Scooby’s sad whimpers. “Congratulations, samurai,” Matsuhiro called from the rooftop. “The last chapter of the legend has finally been written… by you.”

The ponies sat beaming with pride, but Shaggy and Scooby's smiles were the biggest of them all by that point. “You guys were amazing!” Moon Blossom said after a few moments. “How did you learn to do all that?”

“Thinking without mind, to wrap it up quickly,” Izzy shrugged casually, and even though the others didn’t understand it, they nodded slowly. “And, we had some help from the Green Dragon and the alicorn Queen Etheria,” Sunny added. “Wait… the Green Dragon? And an alicorn queen?” Moon Blossom put her hooves against Sunny's shoulders, eyes widening. “You saw the Green Dragon and an alicorn queen?!”

“The dragon is in here,” Scooby pointed to the sword’s blade. “Yeah,” Shaggy nodded. “Like, he went into the blade to guide us in fighting the samurai dude.”

“And he and the queen gave us these dragon pendants that increased our strength,” Zipp said. “That’s how we defeated the shadow monsters so it seemed effortless.”

“But… since the fight’s over, w-what do we do now?” Gray asked. “Gee… I don’t know,” Misty frowned. “The dragon never told us that.”

“We can take the sword back to where it belongs,” Queen Etheria said with Matsuhiro on her back, prompting Scooby to put the sword back in its holder, and the queen smiled at all of them. “Thank you all for your bravery. The dragon pendants are now yours. And… with them, the cutie mark crystal may be closer than you think.”

With this advice being given, the queen flapped out of sight, leaving the others to wave goodbye. “Hey… this is a pretty epic quest we’ve been on,” Hitch said before humming. “But I can’t help but feel we’ve forgotten something.”

“Really?” Velma asked. “What?”

“ME!!”

Everyone turned to see Paradise breaking out of her chains, horn lit up in rage and causing many to gasp. “Oooh… right,” Hitch grimaced. “She’s what we forgot.”

“Remember, everypony,” Sunny said. “Clear your thoughts and believe in yourself. That’s the way to confront evil.”

The group took a deep breath before letting it out, staring at the angry unicorn with disdain… but made no movements toward her. “What? Chickening out?” Paradise mocked. “Ready for me to BLAST YOU FROM EXISTENCE?!!”

“No,” Misty said firmly. “We’re not gonna do anything. And you can’t touch us if we don’t do anything. We're going to defeat you, Mom... but in due time.”

“I suggest you leave,” Miyumi said. “Before we call the authorities and have you, Miss Mirimoto and Sojo get taken away.”

“And,” Moon Blossom agreed, “we better not catch you in Tokyo or any part of Japan again.”

Paradise let out an audible growl at this before relenting. “Fine… but without that cutie mark crystal, Equestria is one step closer for me to take it over! You just remember that.”

And just like that, she galloped away and into the brush. “Phew… good work, everyone,” Daphne said before frowning. “I’m just sorry we couldn’t find the cutie mark crystal.”

“Actually… I think we already found it,” said Sunny. “Scooby, use the sword to reflect a little bit of moonlight onto the pendants!”

Scooby did as asked, and when the pendants were held together, it revealed fragments of the cutie mark crystal inside each one, making Pipp gasp. “The crystal was in the pendants all along! Man, we are getting good at this!”

“Should… we be getting ready to go home?” Hitch asked. “I can say that we deserve a little celebration first,” said Sunny. “Especially for a particular big-hearted Great Dane hero.”

Scooby giggled bashfully, and it was all agreed-- in the next coming days, the party would most definitely begin!

After everything was set in order, and Miss Mirimoto and Sojo were sent with the proper authorities for their crimes, Mr. Takagawa and Moon Blossom decided to honor Scooby’s bravery with a grand celebration… but now, they had to get the Tokyo Museum of Cultural History ready for its grand opening.

Once the museum opened a few days later, And to say so, the Black Samurai’s suit of armor was the hit of the museum and the most popular exhibit. But that wasn’t the only rewarding experience in the gang’s future.

Scooby was being honored with a special ceremony in Shibuya Station, and many people, including the martial artist masters from around the world, showed up in their way to thank the Great Dane for saving the day.

Along with the rest of the gang, the ponies stood at Scooby’s side the entire time, smiling in delight. “And so,” Mr. Takagawa said to the crowd awaiting the reveal of the surprise under the tarp, “it is with great honor that we present, for loyal service to his friends, to Japan and to all the world, this statue…”

At this cue, Moon Blossom grabbed the tarp in her mouth and yanked at it, pulling off the surprise-- a statue of Scooby himself. “...in honor of… Scooby-Doo!”

The crowd cheered happily, and the ponies were cheering loudest most of all as reporters and such took pictures of Shibuya Station’s newest statue for all the world to see. “Scoob!” Shaggy exclaimed. “You really did get your own statue!”

“Ha! And they even got your good side,” Zipp joked, nudging Scooby with her hoof. “Yeah,” Scooby giggled, followed by the giggle of someone else they knew. “Congratulations, Scooby!” Gray spoke up, with Miyumi now dressed in casual clothing. “Now,” Miyumi added in agreement, “Japan will remember you forever.”

“Are you sure you guys won’t come with us, Miyumi?” Daphne asked in confirmation, and Velma nodded at this. “There’s bound to be other mysteries that need solving.”

“And there’s always room for two more in the Mystery Machine,” Fred added. “Yeah. Like, you can sit in the back with me and Scooby,” Shaggy offered. “Yeah, sit with me!” Scooby smiled, causing Gray to chuckle. “You’re all really sweet… but solving mysteries is what you do best.”

“Now I need to figure out what it is that I do best,” Miyumi said. “Then maybe someday… I will have what it takes to become a legend too-- just like you, Scooby.”

She planted a kiss on the Great Dane’s nose, just before many people came over to get their picture taken with the now famous dog. “Oh, brother,” Velma chuckled. “This could take a while.”

To this, Shaggy laughed in agreement. “We may just have to leave Scooby here and take the statue home.”

Everyone laughed at this, and Pipp immediately grabbed the microphone from the stage and flew to the crowd. “We have some time before we get going,” said Pipp, “so who wants to hear a song for the newest hero of Japan?!”

Needless to say, the crowd was beyond ecstatic for this, and Pipp and the other ponies began to sing their hearts out.

Every day’s so bright
Every day’s full of magic
Every day feels right
Every day is a classic

And just when I think
It can’t get any better
Every new day is the best day ever!

Whoa, oh-oh, oh, oh, it's like, it's like
Every new day is the best day ever
Whoa, oh-oh, oh, oh, it's like, it's like
Every new day is the best day ever!

Scooby stood at the statue with the ponies as the song finished, taking in the crowd around him. “Scooby… Dooby… Doooooo!!!” he howled, winking as he and the ponies waved to the crowd, another Unity Quest completed.

But when the ponies got back to Equestria, they would work their hardest to defeat Paradise and bring her back to good.

Count on it.