Chapter Thirteen: Darkness Falls Across the Land

 

            As much as she enjoyed sitting in the captain’s chair, Chief Engineer Maighdlin “Scotty” Scott couldn’t have felt more uncomfortable. Chekhov, Sulu, Nyoto, and everyone else were doing their part on the bridge. At times, Scotty wondered why Captain Jace left her in charge of the Enterprise when her expertise was best suited in the engineering room. But she dared not question the captain’s orders.

            “Where are ya, captain?” she muttered. It had been hours since Jace and her away team reported in and Scotty was beginning to get worried.

            And then something happened on the viewscreen that stunned Scotty and the bridge crew: Earth had been swallowed up by a shadow. The entire planet went from being green-and-blue to black nothingness in seconds.

            “Nyoto!” Scotty turned to the communications officer. “Any word from Captain Jace?”

            Nyoto held his hand to his earpiece and gave Scotty a dire look. “I’m getting no word from the planetary surface, Ms. Scott.”

            Scotty’s anxiety had risen to whole new levels.

            Then she and the bridge crew heard the sound of heavy grinding and wheezing within that space of the ship. Scotty believed it to have been coming from the Enterprise itself, until she spotted a large domino shape materializing near one of the entrances to the bridge.

            A door manifested on its structure and, to the surprise of Scotty and the bridge crew, Captain Jace walked out with a cavalcade of characters, including Melissa, Milo, and Zack. “Captain?” Scotty addressed, relieved albeit baffled. “What the devil is going on here?!”

            Jace gave her Chief Engineer a comforting pat on the shoulder. “I’ll explain later, Scotty,” she reassured. “Thanks for keepin’ an eye on things.” She then looked to the viewscreen, seeing what had become of Earth. “It’s a whole lot worst from up here.”

            “The stakes are higher than ever now,” Dipper stated.

            “I’ll get started to linking my TARDIS to your ship,” Kara notified Jace.

            “Excellent,” Jace acknowledged. “Ms. Scott will assist you.”

            Scotty eyed her strangely. “Captain?!” She saw Jace motion to the domino-shaped monolith that she and the others stepped out of moments ago. Scotty reluctantly stepped through the door and received the shock of her life from what she saw on the other side. “Oh, ya gotta be kiddin’ me!”

            It took Kara and Scotty less than half an hour to link Kara’s TARDIS with the Enterprise computer. Once Chekhov confirmed it on the navigational computer, Jace commanded to him and Sulu, “Initiate the slingshot maneuver.”

            Chekhov and Sulu exchanged perturbed glances before carrying out the order.

            The “slingshot maneuver” was something the Enterprise crew hadn’t done since they ended up on Earth in the year 1969. It was their only method for returning to the 23rd century, though it was one that pushed the ship to its limits.

            And they were about to do it all again.

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            It took by sundown to get there, but Ash, Cavin, and the Gummis managed to make their journey to Dunwyn. The kingdom was just a short trek from the forest, and they were relieved to see that it hadn’t yet been penetrated. “There’s still time to warn King Gregor,” Ash said.

            “H-H-Hold on, Ash!” Zummi cried. “You’re saying we all go to Gregor and warn him about Arthorn’s Igrmy…I mean, Igthorn’s Army?”

            “That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Ash confirmed.

            “B-But you can’t!” Zummi restricted. “You and Cavin swore an oath on the Great Book of Gummi that you would never tell of the Gummis’ existence to any humans!”

            “Zummi, we—!”

            “Hold it right there!” Ash, Cavin, and the Gummis froze when they were suddenly cornered by the people they just moments ago defeated back in Gracie Manor. The exterminators in the beige flight suits aimed their guns at them – specifically at Ash.

            “Oh, give me a break, will ya?!” Ash groaned.

            “I’ll give ya a break!” Venkman retorted. “I’ll break this ol’ neutrona wand upside your head!”

            “Not before I rip you in half with ol’ Bessie here!” Ash revved up her chainsaw, accepting Venkman’s challenge.

            Just when it seemed like another fight was about to break out…

            “Alright! Everybody STOP!!” Bill stood in between the adversaries in an act of resolution. “This nonsense has gone on too far! I bet neither of you can even remember what started this whole thing!”

            “Of course we can!” Mal said. “They literally bounced into our crib and then bounced on us!”

            “You all kidnapped and tortured Ash!” Cubbi accused.

            “You take that back! My dad made her a sandwich!” Cricket countered.

            The bickering went on for a minute before everyone was silenced by a loud boom fired close by. They all realized that it was Ash who made the sound, having fired her sawed-off shotgun into the air. “Let’s get one thing straight – I ain’t no liar,” Ash stated. “I went into that mansion my own self, thinking I would find Binx. Nobody kidnapped or tortured me.” She nodded to Bill and added, “That one right there is the only guy in that whole place that showed me any sort of generosity.”

            Bill blushed. “Well…it seemed like the neighborly thing to do.”

            “If there’s one thing I agree with the pudgy yellow human on, it’s that we’re fightin’ the wrong people,” Gruffi said. “It’s only a matter of time before Igthorn and his army storm Dunwyn castle.”

            “And we can use the reinforcements,” Ash said, eyeing the Ghostbusters, the Descendants, the Greens, T’Eve, Star, Marco, Anne, and the Plantars.

            Venkman was reluctant at first to accept Ash’s truce, but she eventually came around and shook hands with the Chainsaw Warrior. “Alright,” she said. “How’re we playing this all out?”

            “Well, like we were saying before you guys entered the picture – we have to warn the king of Dunwyn about what’s comin’,” Ash gathered.

            “But, Ash…” Zummi began.

            “Forget oaths and books, Zummi!” Ash snapped. “We’re way past all that! Your world and my future are at stake!”

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            Reunited in Arthur’s kingdom, J.G. and Leidy hugged.

            “¿Dónde está Miguel?” J.G. asked her. (Translation: “Where’s Miguel?”)

            “Está a salvo con Meagan,” Leidy replied. (Translation: “He’s safe with Meagan.”)

            Relieved to hear this, J.G. glanced over at Clary, who was having a private discussion with Jace along one corner of the throne room. “Entonces, ese es el novio que la seguía llamando,” he observed. (Translation: “So, that’s the boyfriend who kept calling her.”)

            “Dice que es un cazador de sombras,” Leidy told J.G. (Translation: “He says he’s a Shadowhunter.”)

            J.G. frowned at the name. “Sounds vaguely familiar,” he uttered in English.

            Meanwhile, Clary scolded to Jace, “What are you guys doing in the Middle Ages with a Shadowhunter legend like Scrooge McDuck?”

            “Why are you here, Clary?” Jace deflected.

            “She got here by accident, just like the rest of us,” J.G. stepped in Clary’s defense.

            “I’ve got nothing to say to a mundane ghost hunter,” Jace harshly proclaimed.

            Lisa entered the conversation, notifying J.G., “Yeah, did we forget to mention these so-called ‘Shadowhunters’ have a burning hatred towards Ghostbusters?”

            Hearing this, Spengler shrugged and uttered, “What else is new?”

            “There are bigger things happening here than your petty discrimination,” Clary told Jace.

            “That’s the smartest thing I’ve heard anyone say in hours!” Scrooge bellowed. “We need to find Natalie Venkman!”

            “She’s back in the mansion with the rest of the team,” J.G. said. “We can reach her through the walkie-talkies Lisa and Leidy brought with them.”

            “Well, don’t just stand there – do it!” Scrooge demanded.

            Not wishing to displease McDuck, whose patience was wearing thin enough, J.G. took Leidy’s walkie-talkie and contacted Venkman. “I read ya, Jay,” she responded over the device.

            “You’ll never guess who just dropped by: Scrooge McDuck!” J.G. informed.

            “And you’ll never guess what happened to us: we were ambushed by a bunch of bouncing bears – friends of our dear Chainsaw Warrior friend, Ash Williams.”

            Jace grimaced. “Bouncing bears?”

            “Ah! She means ‘Gummi Bears’,” Merlin clarified. “I happen to know one of them. Though I probably shouldn’t have admitted that, since I swore an oath.”

            “Venkman, where in blazes are you?!” Scrooge screeched into the walkie-talkie.

            “We’re headed for this castle – someplace called ‘Dunwyn’,” Natalie said. “Ash and the Gummis say that’s where this dude named Igthorn is setting his sights with some sort of invading army.”

            Arthur was stricken by these details. “They’re going to need our help. I’ll gather as many brave souls willing to defend Dunwyn to their last breath.” He was already out of his throne room before he finished announcing his plan.

            With Arthur initiating his task, J.G. told Natalie, “We’ll meet you there soon with a lot of backup.”

            “Copy that,” Venkman acknowledged.

            “Wait,” Binx suddenly said in a moment of realization. “If they are all there in Dunwyn, who is at the manor?”

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            Like a dark fog that spread throughout the forest, Duke Igthorn and his massive invasion force of ogres and three witch sisters made their trek towards the kingdom of Dunwyn, the night creeping upon them. With little to no effort, a couple of ogres pulled a carriage loaded with stone gargoyle statues – figures that Igthorn deemed integral to the coming invasion.

            Their trek brought them across a large clearing where there stood a structure that Igthorn thought to be a castle at first glance but then figured to be an inn. He only discovered what it actually was when Winifred identified it as “Gracie Manor! It’s here!”

            Noting how overjoyed she and her sisters were, Igthorn questioned, “What’s so special about a house?”

            “This house has unimaginable properties, my dear duke,” Winifred said. “That fool Binx cursed it in a poor attempt at ridding us from time and space, so now it travels between time and space under the right control.”

            Igthorn feigned a yawn. “You’re boring me, witch. Unless this thing can help us in overtaking Dunwyn, I have no interest in it.”

            “Then leave me and my sisters to it, while you trounce around, claiming yet another kingdom,” Winifred insultingly insisted. “You already have all that you need for your ridiculous conquest! We don’t need us!”

            “I couldn’t agree more,” Igthorn settled.

            The Sandersons watched the power-hungry duke and his army advance without them. “I really hate that guy,” Mary said with a snarl.

            “But I loved twirling his mustache!” Sarah giggled.

            “Forget Igthorn,” Winifred told her sisters. “We have more important matters to tend to, now that we have the haunted mansion!”