The pups were minding their own business at the lookout. The weather has been gloomy lately, either being rainy or hazy. This often caused accidents to happen, but today seemed to be rather quiet.
It still wasn't a good day to go outside unless it was mandatory. Zuma was the only pup who enjoyed going out in this weather, the opposite could be said about Rocky, who was refusing to go outside for anything other than an emergency. Until the weather improved, he stayed inside to find things to keep him busy.
The rest of the pups just did their own things throughout this time. Rubble was looking for something new to watch while Skye looked out the window and sighed. Because of the weather, she wasn't allowed to fly as much, which made her feel bored.
"Do you have any preferences on what show to find?" Rubble asked.
"Maybe something with action," Skye muttered. She wasn't fully paying attention to what Rubble was doing.
Rubble tried looking in that genre when he noticed something else, horror movies. Curious, he took a look at some of the titles as Ryder walked into the room. The moment he saw the bulldog browsing horror movies, he quickly swiped the remote away.
"Sorry Rubble, but not after last time," Ryder proclaimed.
"What? It wasn't that bad," Rubble remarked.
"Then what was the screaming noise that woke us up at two in the morning?" Skye asked.
Rubble thought back to that night. "Well…. Um…. That's different. I can handle a little scare now."
"…Right."
"Whatever happens, we got a call from the mayor," Ryder informed.
"Is there an emergency?" the pups gasped.
"No, but there is a familiar face we'll have to deal with."
"Katie?" Skye asked.
"Farmer Al?" Rubble guessed.
"Not exactly," Ryder replied. "Rubble, I'll need you to come with me." Perplexed, the construction pup did so while getting his gear.
(Scene change: PAW Patrol badge)
Ryder, Rubble, and Chase drove close to Jake's mountain. The pups followed behind Ryder as they weren't too familiar with this route. It was mostly off-road and it didn't look like it was commonly used.
The weather was only hazy so there wasn't any rain to worry about. Eventually, they arrived at what looked like an old mine. There were some remains of buildings and a couple of rails for minecarts caked in rust with weeds growing around them. The first thing that caught Rubble's eye was the tunnel that led to the side of a mountain.
This tunnel had caved in. It too looked like it had been abandoned for years. "What's this place?" Chase asked.
"This used to be a gold mine during the old days of Adventure City," Ryder said, "It must've run dry at this point."
"And why did the mayor want us to meet here?" Rubble asked. He didn't like the look of the old mine, there was something ominous about it.
"About that…"
"Ah, you're here!" called a voice. Ryder and the pups looked back to see a few cars driving up. One of which belonged to Mayor Goodway but another driver looked to be a familiar man in a purple suit and top hat.
"Humdinger!" Chase and Rubble gasped. Both jumped out of their vehicles and ran up to Humdinger, who was just as shocked to see them.
"Gah! You again!" he gasped.
"What are you doing here?!" Chase cried.
"Settle down, pups," Mayor Goodway requested, "Humdinger isn't here to give us trouble."
"Quite right. I'm only here for your mine," Humdinger proclaimed.
"And what do you plan on doing with it?" Chase questioned.
"Simple, find any minerals inside and help make a profit for Foggy Bottom."
"Foggy Bottom?" Rubble questioned.
Humdinger groaned as he felt like he shouldn't have to explain this but he did so. "I'm the mayor of Foggybottom, a town not so far from your city. You weren't using this old mine so I'll be taking it off your hands."
"What did this mine even contain?"
"This used to be used for gold," Mayor Goodway explained. Chase and Rubble were both shocked by this.
"Gold?!" they cried.
"I doubt it," Ryder proclaimed. "The mine has been closed for years, likely because it ran dry."
"That's one idea," Mayor Goodway commented, "But there is also a legend about the old gold mine."
"What happened?" Chase asked.
"Many years ago, during the end of the mine's lifespan, there was a Saint Bernard named Dusty. He was a common sight at the mines and was beloved by the workers. One rainy day, however, the mines became unstable. The workers got out but sadly Dusty wasn't so lucky."
"Wh… What happened to him?"
"He got trapped in the mine just as the exit collapsed. Dusty was trapped inside and now they say that his ghost haunts this mine." Rubble shivered as he looked at the caved-in entrance.
"Oh, that's just some scary story meant to frighten children," Humdinger scoffed. "I don't see what any ghost could do to the workers. Now let's get this safety check over with."
"Well, I can save you the trouble and say this place might have to start from scratch," Rubble proclaimed. "The supports that did survive all those years ago are probably rotten, that building there looks like it's gonna collapse any second, and those rails are practically unusable."
Just as Rubble finished his speech, they could feel the wind picking up again. "The weather could also add some risk to the miners," Ryder informed.
"We have modern tech technology to help avoid things like flooding," Humdinger stated. "Just show what we need to get fixed and prepared."
Chase just sighed before looking at Rubble. "Come on, the sooner we do this, the sooner we can get out of here," the police pup muttered. Rubble watched Chase and the humans walking away. The bulldog shivered a little bit as the wind kept blowing.
It felt like it got stronger, knocking off Humdinger's hat. That wasn't the detail that worried Rubble, the wind was starting to make a sound similar to that of a howl. Wanting to get out of there as soon as possible, he wasted no time checking to see what needed to be made safe.
(Scene change: Rubble's badge)
That evening, Rubble had sped ahead of Chase and Ryder to get home as soon as possible. After parking his rig, the construction pup made a beeline back inside of the lookout.
The pups saw him enter, but he was simply a blur as he rushed past them. Ryder and Chase came in shortly later at a much steadier pace. "What's Rubble in a rush for?" Marshall asked, "TV and food are down here."
"He got scared at the mine that Mayor Humdinger is reopening," Chase explained.
"Wait Mayor Humdinger?!" Skye gasped.
"It's nothing to get worried about," Ryder informed, "He's only the mayor of Foggybottom and trying to use the old gold mine for… Something. I'm not sure what his end game is."
"So is Rubble so scared?" Marshall asked.
"Mayor Goodway told us about some legend about a dog haunting the mines." Skye groaned as she thought about their earlier events. "It's probably nothing to worry about."
"Yeah, the scariest thing I saw at that mine was the family of rats in the old building," Chase informed. He gagged a little in disgust.
"So will we have to go to that mine again?" Marshall asked.
"Mayor Goodway had requested that we check in during the mine's process," Ryder informed, "Humdinger isn't willing to wait for the weather to improve, so we'll have daily inspections for safety."
"That doesn't sound like it'll go well."
"Hopefully, with these checks things should be alright. Hopefully, this talk about ghosts doesn't last too long."
The next day, Rubble was driving back to the mines with Rocky behind him. They were helping to bring new supports for the shafts Neither of them were happy, Rubble was worried about possible ghosts and Rocky didn't want to be out in the weather. The recycling pup looked up at the sky, checking for any rain clouds.
"Ugh, why couldn't he wait until the sun is out," Rocky complained.
"It would help make the mines safer," Rubble said. They drove to the site where they could see some workers already busy. Some were setting in modern technology for their equipment, some were digging away at the caved-in mines.
One of the workers, Mr. Hudson, saw the pups approaching. "Ah, glad you could make it," he said, "First of all, you're going to need this." He handed a hard hat to Rocky, who swapped out his cap to put it on.
"So where do you want to leave these joists?" Rocky asked.
"You can leave a few by the entrance, we're about to replace some of the old posts." Rocky nodded and drove his truck over to unload his cargo. While he did that, Rubble had to ask something.
"Did you notice anything strange or…. Creepy around here?" the bulldog asked. Just as he asked this, the wind began to pick up.
"So far we've just had a little trouble with the old warehouse," Mr. Hudson explained.
"Nothing spooky?"
"Not exactly, but we have dealt with some annoyances." They could hear some giggling and looked to see a couple of kittens running around and playing. Mayor Humdinger had brought his kitten to the mines and they were trying to find a way to keep themselves entertained.
"What's so wrong itty bitty kitties?" Rubble asked.
"They're getting in the way of our work, and they're putting themselves at risk. At least have them wear hard hats."
"Do they even come in their size?"
"I asked the mayor, but he just brushed it off."
As if on cue, Mayor Humdinger walked over to the worker and the pup while wearing a purple hard hat. "So you have the supports we need," he said.
"Rocky's unloading them now," Rubble said, "Mayor Humdinger, don't you have a hard hat for your kittens?"
"I have to have those specially made," he stated, "Do you know how long it took me to find this hard hat?"
"Sir, I think it'll be best if you're safe rather than sorry," Mr. Hudson warned. "Have your kittens stay in the break room or at least your car."
"I left their tablet at home, they'll tear up my car seats in boredom."
"I'd rather be bored than hurt," Rubble admitted. He hopped out of his rig and walked over to the kittens, who were starting to wrestle with each other. They stopped and stared when Rubble approached them. "Hey kitties, you can't be playing around here. It's too dangerous."
"Hey, the mayor let us play out here," the black and white cat stated.
Rubble looked at the kittens and seemed perplexed. "You all look very familiar." He took out his shovel and scooped up the kitten that had a matching fur pattern to himself.
"Hey, put me down," the kitten cried.
"I'm trying to get you to safety." Rubble walked over to where he could see Humdinger's car, but after only getting a few feet the rest of the kittens tried tackling him to stop him.
"You're not the boss of us," the chocolate brown kitten proclaimed.
"Yeah we can do what we want," the gray kitten added. Suddenly there was a loud thud and crack from behind them. Rubble and the kittens looked to see a boulder had landed where they stood a few minutes ago.
The boulder was only the size of the construction pup, but the impact had caused it to break into six pieces. The pup and kittens were quite shaken. "That…. That could've hit us," the beige female kitten commented.
"Maybe we sh-should just wait in the car," the gray cat suggested. The kittens all made a beeline for Humdinger's car, meowing to be let back inside.
Rocky and some other workers came running over to where Rubble stood, looking at the boulder. "We heard a loud thud, what happened?" Rocky asked. Rubble just pointed to the big boulder, shaking a little bit. "Man, it's as big as you."
"The kittens and I were just standing there," the construction pup informed. He looked rather pale.
"It's probably just some rocks knocked loose from the digging." Rubble looked towards the mines and how far the rock would've had to fall for it to land where it did.
"Maybe it's Dusty telling us to go away." Rocky just rolled his eyes at this.
As soon as the pups finished their visit, they started driving home. Rubble was still shaken up after what happened to him, even more so when the wind made that howling sound again. Along the way home, they were passing by Jake's cabin. Rocky wanted to go straight home in case of rain, but Rubble wanted answers.
"You go on without me," the bulldog said, "I'm going to check a few things."
"Right, don't take too long," the mixed breed replied. They two split up with Rubble heading to Jake's cabin.
When he got there, he found Jake just about to go inside when he saw the bulldozer driving and stopping. "Yo, dude, what's up?" Jake asked.
"Hi, Jake," Rubble said, "Have you heard about the plan for the mine?"
"That old gold mine? I heard about Humdinger's plan for it. Best case scenario for that place, it can get some lead."
"You mean like the kind of stuff they use for the power plant's walls?"
"It's also used for some plumbing products. Why do you bring that place up though?"
"...Have you heard about the story of Dusty?"
"The dog trapped inside the mine? I've heard of his legend. Some people say that he's looking for whoever gets too close, that way he can take their place and someone else can be stuck in the mines forever." He looked at Rubble, who looked like he was cowering in his rig's seat. "Relax, man, it's just a story."
"Then what's the howling at the mines?"
"It's probably just the wind. I wouldn't worry about it that much. You should listen to the ghost story I tell on camping trips."
"Um, no thanks. Thanks, Jake!" Rubble quickly drove away now wanting to know what actually happened in the mines.
He made a couple of stops around Adventure City to ask people what they knew about the mines and the legend of Dusty. There were some mixed results from this.
Some people had never heard of the legend or even knew there had been a gold mine. Others said Dusty's tale was one about a warning while others said that it was one wanting revenge.
Nobody seemed to have a straight answer. Rubble was now starting to feel more frustrated than scared. "That mine had to be a major part of the city back in the day," he said to himself.
Suddenly he got a message from his pup tag. "Rubble where are you at?" Ryder called, "You're going to miss lunch."
"What?! I'm on my way!" He quickly sped back to the lookout after losing track of time. When he arrived, he saw the rest of the pups had finished lunch as seen by Sam placing their food bowls away. Rubble's was still left out waiting for him.
"Where have you been?" Skye asked.
"I was researching Dusty's story and the mine," Rubble explained.
An annoyed groan was heard from half of the pups. "There is no ghost," Chase stated.
"Well, that boulder was sending a message. How else would it break into pieces for each kitten?"
"What are you talking about?" Skye questioned.
"After the kittens and I moved a little bit, a boulder landed where we were moments ago. It broke into six pieces and there were six kittens."
"…That does sound pwetty cweepy," Zuma admitted. "Sounds like someone wanted to hit them."
"Did you see anyone suspicious at the mine?" Chase asked.
"No, everyone I saw there was on ground level," Rubble explained.
"And I saw the mineshafts weren't deep enough for anyone to go in safely," Rocky noted. "There doesn't seem like a good spot for anyone to hide after the stone was thrown." This seemed concerning to the pups.
"I guess we'll need to take a look around tomorrow and see if we find anything wrong," Chase proclaimed. "Anyone want to help me check?" Rubble quickly left the room as he didn't want to be at the mines again. With that, the police pup looked to the rest of the team.
"I think I could take a look with you," Marshall volunteered. "I haven't been up the mines before."
"That'll be good. If anyone is up there causing trouble, they won't recognize you."
"Just make sure not to forget a helmet," Rocky noted.
(Scene change: Marshall's badge)
The next day, Chase and Marshall drove up to the old gold mine. They could see the workers were busy. The pups got out and Chase started sniffing around as Marshall went to talk with the miners. "Excuse me, sir," the Dalmatian said, "Have you noticed any strange events happening around here?"
Mr. Hudson looked at the pup. "Hey there," he said, "Kind of glad you're here, some of the workers said that they saw weird things inside of the mine."
Both pups seemed perplexed. "What did they see?" both of them asked.
"Well, they think some kind of animal got into the mines. They keep finding a trail of paw prints leading to the exit just before it disappears."
"That doesn't sound too odd," Chase commented.
"That's the thing, the trail ends just before they get out of the mine."
"Then where would the animal go?" Marshall asked.
"We don't know," Mr. Hudson shrugged. They all heard the wind blow and the sound of howling was heard again. "Not to mention that howling is starting to creep some people out."
"It's just the wind," Chase proclaimed.
"Then how come they can hear it down in the mines?" Mr. Hudson pointed to the mine entrance, where some workers were walking out looking nervous.
"Hmm, maybe we should take a look for ourselves."
"If you say so," Marshall muttered. The police pup was given a hard hat as he got his flashlight ready. Both he and Marshall switched on their lights and were about to walk down inside if it wasn't for two large stones landing in front of them.
Both pups jumped as they looked up to see where the stones came from, but they saw nothing. "Maybe this mine is more unstable than we think," Chase muttered.
"Or someone doesn't want us going in," Marshall muttered. Chase shook this off before he walked into the mine with his light shining the way. Marshall shivered a bit before he followed his friend, not wanting to be alone.
Down in the mines, they found it was like a long tunnel that went on forever. They had to travel pretty far to get to the miners. Once they got there, Marshall would ask them some questions as Chase looked around for clues.
During their search, the pups would hear about the howling and mysterious paw prints, both of which seemed to come from nowhere. They couldn't find anything or anyone that was out of place, at most they were able to find a couple of loose rocks that only seemed to come down whenever someone wanted to go deeper into the mine.
Every time they looked, they couldn't find anyone throwing them. "Hmm, maybe they already know we're here," Marshall guessed.
"But they would need a good hiding spot," Chase said, "And the only way they could be this is if they were invisible." Chase began to head to the exit as Marshall was worried about this statement being true. They started to walk out of the mines as something caught the fire pup's eye.
There looked to be two lights side by side each other. They looked like a pair of eyes watching him. Feeling a shiver run down his back, Marshall sprinted past Chase before getting outside and jumping into his firetruck.
"Did you see anything?" asked a voice. Marshall looked to see the kittens were in Humdinger's car. All of them were wearing hard hats despite being inside with the windows partly closed.
"I think I saw something watching me," Marshall said, "It had glowing green eyes." The kittens shivered and ducked down in the car after hearing this. Chase came walking over to him a few moments later confused.
"What's the rush?" the police pup asked.
"Um, did you see any glowing green lights in the mine?"
"No, where did you see them?"
"Down there," Marshall replied, pointing at the entrance. "I can't tell at what point, I'm just going to get out of here before something bad happens." Before Chase could say anything else, Marshall quickly drove away as fast as he could. Chase was annoyed and confused.
When Marshall got back to the lookout, he told the rest of the pups what he had seen. "So there is a ghost inside?" Zuma asked.
"I think so," Marshall replied.
"Are you sure it wasn't something else?" Rocky asked.
"I don't know what kind of purpose two green lights would serve down in the mines," Rubble commented. "One maybe, but two of them?"
"Perhaps there were some lights the miners were using," Skye suggested.
"Then why not use a regular white light?"
"Plus, those green lights weren't shining anything," Marshall added. "It's like they were just focusing on me." Some of the pups felt very creeped out.
Then Chase arrived. He had finished the inspection and wanted to talk to Marshall. "Well, I couldn't find any source of those green lights you talked about," the police pup proclaimed. "None of the workers said they even knew about it."
"Maybe it was just Marshall's mind playing tricks on him," Skye joked.
"The kittens asked if I saw anything," Marshall remembered, "Maybe they saw the eyes too."
"I think these ghost stories are messing with your heads," Rocky proclaimed. Marshall and Rubble glanced at each other, feeling a little worried.
(Scene change: Chase's badge)
As the days passed, strange things started to happen at the mines. Most miners left and never came back to work. The ones that did stay kept hearing the howling winds getting louder and louder, stones would fall down without rhyme or reason, and tools would sometimes be misplaced. It seemed to happen more often with workers who weren't taking caution or didn't follow the rules. The workers who were careful seemed to have better luck, but they did get a sinking feeling and often felt on edge.
Rumors began to spread about the mine, which started causing some problems, as Chase would find out one day. He and Ryder drove up to the mines to find a crowd of people wanting to get inside. Plenty of them had cameras to take pictures or record videos.
Chase got his megaphone out of his pup pack and spoke up. "Please leave the mines, immediately," he announced, "This is a private property."
"But what about that ghost?" one man cried.
"We want to know if it's real or not," a woman added.
"Is it true Marshall saw green eyes?" called a child. Ryder looked to see this child was Alex, who shouldn't be out here on his own.
"Okay, everyone," Ryder called, "It's not safe to be here without the proper equipment. You don't have to go home but you can't stay here."
"Not until I have something to say," called an old voice. They saw an old man approach the boy and pup. The man wore a purple scarf, red long johns with a plaid pattern, blue overalls, brown boots, and a hat broken on the sides.
"Um, can we help you sir?"
"Per? Per what?" the man asked. Chase and Ryder glanced at each other, confused. "Sorry, you're going to have to speak up."
Chase nodded and used his microphone. "You people can do whatever you want, just as long as you don't stay here," the police pup spoke through his megaphone. Just as he said this, the wind began to blow again, making the infamous howling sound. The workers and people started to worry. It wasn't the wind that Ryder was worried about, it was the dark clouds starting to come in.
"It looks like rain," he gasped, "We better leave in case it makes the rock wall weak." The people were more about getting wet than any falling rocks, but still, they began to disburse as the old man looked at the mines.
"Oh Dusty," he sighed. After muttering this, he walked away.
The clouds eventually developed into a heavy storm. It would last throughout the entire day. It was more irritating than concerning. The rain had been on and off for a while. It was still raining the next day, even though it wasn't as heavy as the day before. It was time for another inspection check at the mine, the trouble was there weren't too many pups to go.
Marshall and Rubble were too scared to go, Rocky's truck wasn't used to driving on those old roads, plus he didn't want to get wet, Skye couldn't fly in the high winds, and Chase was busy with Ryder downtown, which meant the only one available was Zuma. Despite his lack of safety knowledge compared to the rest of the team, he still headed up there to check it out.
At the mines, Humdinger was waiting in his car with the kittens, they were getting bored. "Can we go home yet?" the chocolate brown kitten asked.
"Not until one of those pups shows up and checks to make sure the mine is safe," Humdinger proclaimed.
"It's raining out there," the white and black kitten stated, "Why would anyone work here today?"
"We're finally making progress with profits," Humdinger proclaimed, "We have a machine to pump water out of the mines so there won't be flooding. Now, where is that PAW Patrol?" He looked out his car just as Zuma arrived.
"Sorry I'm late dudes," the water pup apologized, "I was the only pup available."
Humdinger wasn't sure about the water pup doing the inspection, but he wanted it to be over with. "Fine, just tell me you can make sure this mine is safe," he groaned. He took his umbrella out of the car with him as he and Zuma walked closer to the mines. Before he had left, Zuma was given a list they were meant to check, given this was something Rubble would normally do.
It took quite a while, much longer than either Humdinger or the kittens would've liked. "Can't we go already?" the beige kitten questioned.
"It shouldn't take this long," the brown and white kitten stated.
"Maybe one of us should go and check," the grey kitten suggested.
"Great idea, Tabby," the chocolate brown kitten said, "Thanks for volunteering."
The kitten named Tabby paused. "Wait, what? I didn't volunteer for anything!" Before he can make an argument, Tabby is forced out of the car by the other kittens. Now that he was outside, in the rain, Tabby grumbled to himself as he went to find Zuma and Mayor Humdinger.
The two were just heading for the exit after the inspection was over. "Sowwy this took so long," Zuma apologized, "I don't usually do this kind of stuff."
"Well, the job is done, and we can keep working," Humdinger proclaimed. "Plus you can go home."
Zuma just shrugged and was about to leave the mines just as they saw the gray kitten started running inside. "Hey, what awe you doing in hewe?"
"You're taking forever," Tabby proclaimed.
"You shouldn't be in here!" Humdinger proclaimed, "Let alone without a helmet."
"But the kittens and I are getting bored and…". Tabby paused as the howling winds blew again.
"I think it's time to go," Zuma proclaimed. They quickly started sprinting to the exit as the howling got louder, it almost sounded like screaming at this point.
When the three got out they could hear some rocks starting to crumble. "I thought you said they were safe!" Humdinger cried.
"I said they should take caution with this heavy wain," Zuma proclaimed. They ran out the exit but Tabby tripped over some stones. Before either Zuma or humdinger could run back and get him there was a loud "SNAP!"
One of the supports was struck by a rock, causing it to break. Stones began to fall down, blocking the exit, much to the shock and horror of Zuma and Humdinger. As soon as there was a deafening noise, it was now absolutely silent.
"Oh no! The workers!" Zuma cried.
"My kitty!" Humdinger gasped. Zuma just looked at him in disbelief before he quickly activated his pup tag.
Back at the Lookout, Ryder was about to take out his sketchbook when he got Zuma's call. Concerned, he quickly answered. "What's the matter?" Ryder answered.
"It's the mines!" Zuma cried, "I was just about to finish the inspection when it just…. Fell apawt!"
"Oh boy…. Stay where you are, Zuma, help's on the way!" Ryder extended his pup-pad to press the roll call button.
Downstairs, Rocky was chatting with Rubble. "You're seriously not going out because of the rain?" Rubble questioned.
"Partly," Rocky noted, "It's also because there's more of a chance something needs fixing downtown. Plus, don't you think our pup mobiles should have roofs?"
"Yeah, that's kind of a good point."
"Exactly. I'm only willing to go out if there's an emer…"
"PAW Patrol, to the lookout!" Ryder announced.
"Ryder needs us!" the pups cried.
"Like that," Rocky finished. The pups ran to the evaluator as fast they could, but Marshall was still damp from the rain, he started to slip. The pups tried to get out of the way, but the fire pup ended up crashing right into Rocky.
"Ouch! My bad!" Marshall cried.
"This is karma for something, isn't it?" Rocky muttered. The pups shrugged as they headed up the elevator, got suited up, and then jumped out into the observatory.
"Ready for action, Ryder sir!" Chase announced. Then they noticed they were a pup short.
"Say, where's Zuma?" Skye asked.
"He's still at the mines, where there's been a cave-in," Ryder explained. He lowered the TV screen to show footage of the cave-in, much to the shock and horror of the pups.
"I knew I should've gone up there with him," Rocky groaned, feeling frustrated with himself.
Ryder didn't waste any time and started assigning tasks. "Rubble, you and your rig will be needed to help dig out the entrance."
"Rubble on the double!" the construction pup proclaimed.
"Rocky, I'll need you and your tool to keep the supports up long enough to get all of the miners out."
"Green means go!"
"The rest of you pups, stand by," Ryder ordered, "PAW Patrol is on a roll!"
.
.
.
.
.
After a quick drive, the team arrived at the scene of the disaster. Zuma was doing his best to try and clear the tunnel, but he didn't have the right tools for the job. "Wyder," the pup gasped, "I was trying my best, but the tools I have…"
"You did your best, Zuma," Ryder stated, "We're here now."
"I was just finishing the checks. I don't understand how this could've happened."
"There's probably some water causing the rocks to become weakened," Rubble guessed.
"But that wouldn't be too much of a problem if the supports were maintained properly," Rocky informed.
"Wait, yeah. I thought there wewe a couple of cwacks in those joists." They thought about it before looking at Humdinger.
"We were only just now making a profit," Humdinger proclaimed, "We had to cut cost somewhere."
"Yeah, well now they're paying the price," Rocky stated.
"Rubble," Ryder spoke, "Start digging!" He didn't have to be told twice. Powering on his rig's drill, Rubble started breaking and digging boulders away.
"But what can do I?" Zuma questioned.
"Help me check to make sure the water pump is still flowing water if the mines," Rocky proclaimed. They both ran over to the pump which looked to have gotten hit by stones. The pump was damaged and didn't seem to be working.
"Oh no! What do we do?" Rocky wasted no time opening the pump up and could see a flywheel that wasn't turning. He thought about what they could use to make it spin, then he looked over to Zuma's hovercraft.
"Bring your hovercraft over here!" Rocky proclaimed, "We can use one of the blades like a flywheel!" Zuma did so as Rocky grabbed some supplies from his truck to hook the hovercraft up to the pump.
Rubble meanwhile was starting to clear the entrance out just enough for them to get in and out. "We just need to make sure that test doesn't crash down on us," Rubble proclaimed.
"Give me a minute," Rocky called. He was busy attaching a belt to one of the blades on Zuma's hovercraft and the pump. "Let her rip!" Zuma pressed on the gas, making the blades spin, making the pump work, and started to suck the water out of the mines. While Zuma took care of that, Rocky went to help refit some support.
As soon as they could see the entrance was secure, Ryder, Rubble, and Rocky ran inside to rescue the miners.
By the light of a flashlight, Ryder and the pups searched around, calling out to the miner who had gotten stuck. "Ryder?" called a voice. They headed down deeper into the mines until they could find all of the miners grouped together.
Most of them were covered in dust, some had some scraps and bruises, and one was holding a scared looking kitten. They were all relieved to see the PAW Patrol. "Is anybody seriously injured?" Ryder asked.
"Thankfully no," Mr. Hudson said, "Just a little shaken, that's all."
"If you can all walk, follow us to the exit now!" They jumped when they could hear the hollowing again.
Rubble was worried. "That's probably a bad sign," he muttered. Everyone ran to the exit as fast as they could as they heard some rumbling sounds. They made sure all of the workers got out, but once it was Ryder and the pups' turn, the mine caved in.
"Ryder!" Zuma cried. They all looked at the caved-in entrance. "We need to start digging!" He quickly tried activating his pup tag, but when he tried calling Ryder, he could only get static in response. Some workers tried to start digging away at the rubble, but as fast as they dug, more stone came crashing down.
"Stop, we're making it worse!" Mr. Hudson cried. Everyone stopped as they were now worried about the boy and pups trapped inside.
Back in the mine, Ryder, Rubble, and Rocky got back from the blocked exit as they could feel more stones coming down. When it stopped, Ryder quickly tried to contact Zuma. "Zuma, do you copy?" he called. The only response he could get was bits of static. Rubble and Rocky tried their pup tags, but the same thing happened.
"Now what do we do?" Rocky asked, "It's too dangerous to dig out."
"Stay calm, Zuma is still out there. He's likely called the rest of the team for help. We just need to wait in here and hope for the best." They weren't sure how this was going to play out.
Rubble looked down and thought he saw something, it was a paw print. It seemed to be bigger than his and Rocky's, so he was curious about where it came from. Then the pup could see the paw prints no had a trail, leading down into the mine. Curious, Rubble decided to follow since they had nowhere else to go.
Ryder and Rocky saw him starting to wander of so they quickly followed him. Rubble saw the trail seemed to lead down a path had gone unnoticed before. Unlike most of the mines, that was just one path that big enough for a grown man, the path the paw prints led down looked to be smaller. Thankfully, it was big enough for Ryder the pups to crawl through, despite uncertainties.
"I'm not sure about that path," Ryder informed, "What it leads to a dead end?"
"I can take a look first," the bulldog proclaimed, "I'm smaller than both of you."
"Just be careful," Rocky warned, "It feels like this mine wants us dead." Rubble just nodded and started making his way through the narrow tunnel. He kept track of the trail of paw prints to see where it would end up.
The tunnel went on for a little while, and then Rubble began to hear the howling winds again. It quickly made him shiver with fear. The stories that he had heard were starting to come back again. He wasn't sure if the ghost was warning him or luring him into a trap. The pup was tempted to go back but then he remembered what happened earlier.
The only reason they had Zuma going to the mine was because he and Marshall were too scared to go because of the ghost stories. Because of this, they didn't have a proper safety check and they could've prevented this trouble. Plucking up courage, Rubble kept exploring the tunnel until he could see some light shining in.
Rubble crawled out into a larger opening to find a small crack in the wall where the paw prints ended. He looked through the crack and could see there were some trees outside. "This might be a way out," the pup gasped, "I just need to make it bigger. Ruff, chisel!"
Activating his pup-pack's tool he started chizzling away at the crack in the wall. Dust flew everywhere, but it seemed to be stable. After a bit of chiseling, Rubble managed to make a hole slightly big enough for him to crawl out of. With a bit of a squeeze, the bulldog was free!
He jumped and yipped in delight, then quickly remembered Ryder and Rocky. He needed to get back to his rig and fast.
(Scene change: Rubble's badge)
Meanwhile, Chase, Marshall, and Skye were racing to the scene of the disaster. Zuma had called for them after the cave in, and they were wasting no time. The weather was finally clearing up so Skye could fly ahead of the boys, it also meant she could fly higher. As she did, she could see something and yellow running up the hill to the mines.
"Guys, I think I see someone running our way," Skye informed. Chase and Marshall look to see Rubble trying to get their attention, he was thankful when they stopped.
"Rubble, how'd you get out?" Marshall asked.
"I'll explain on the way," Rubble said, jumping into the back of Chase's car. "I need to get my rig so we can free Ryder and Rocky!" Once he was buckled, they sped off. The construction pup could see some other vehicles were behind them, including Sam and Owen along with a news van.
When they arrived at the mines, they found the workers unsure of what to do. Zuma was delighted to see the rest of the team. "Dudes, glad you could get he… Wait, how did Wubble get out?" the water pup asked.
"I found an alternate exit!" Rubble informed. He jumped out of the back seat before he made a beeline for his rig. Once he was in the driver's seat, he quickly sped off back to where he escaped. Confused, the rest of the pups followed him, with Zuma having to carpool with Chase since his hovercraft was still hooked to the pump.
After some quick driving, Rubble got back to the opening and positioned his rig's drill and started to make a bigger hole. The pups could see what he was doing and got out of their vehicles. Chase and Marshall readied their lights as Rubble could hear cracking.
They were thankful to see the wall break off a big chunk of rock, which Rubble quickly moved out of the way. The opening was now big enough to drive one of their pup-mobiles into. "Okay, they should be in there," Rubble informed, "Follow me!" The construction pup led the charge into the mine with the rest of the pups following him.
Deep inside, Rocky and Ryder were still waiting for any good news. Soon they could hear something crawling through the tunnels and saw the pups crawling through. "Pups, you made it!" Ryder cheered.
"I managed to make us an exit on the other side," the bulldog explained, "It's right this way." Ryder and Rocky were led through the opening back to the opening that Rubble had created. They found Sam, Owen, and the news crew waiting outside. Ryder's parents were relieved that he was alright.
"Are you okay?" Owen asked.
"I am now," Ryder replied.
"Well, I'm happy about that," Sam sighed with relief.
"And I think we can all be happy if this mine is shut down permanently," Chase proclaimed. "It's officially too dangerous to operate."
"Agreed," Rocky commented. "Just give me a minute to recover and then we'll take care of things."
A few hours later, with clean-up and news interviews, the mine was now officially closed. Mayor Humdinger didn't stay long, he and his kittens went back to Foggy Bottom in a huff. The crowd began to leave, leaving only the PAW Patrol to look at the remnants of the mine.
"You can't say they didn't try," Marshall commented.
"Even if we had proper inspections," Ryder said, "I doubt this mine would've lasted for very long."
"I mean, it would only be a matter of time before someone goes in to try and find Dusty's ghost," Rocky proclaimed.
"It'd be more likely that Dusty would meet them," came an old voice. Ryder and the pups looked to see the old man walking towards them.
"Oh, boy, this guy," Chase muttered to himself. He tried avoiding eye contact as their leader spoke to the old man.
"Sir, I thought you would've left with the crowd," Ryder said.
"Oh, I was just taking one last look around this place," the old man explained, "I thought it would be a good way of saying goodbye."
"Goodbye, to the mines?"
"To Dusty. I and many other men wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for him." He sighed as he looked around before focusing on Ryder again. The old man held his hand out to shake. "I feel like I should introduce myself. Otis Goodway."
"I'm Ryder," said Ryder. He shook his hand as he had to ask a follow-up question. "Now, when you say Goodway, do you mean the same as Mayor Goodway?"
"Of course. She's my niece."
"Huh, small world," Skye commented.
"Can you tell us what you know about Dusty?" Rubble asked.
"Heh, thought you would never ask. You have something I can use as a seat?" Ryder pointed to his ATV, which Otis sat on so he could explain his story.
It had happened years ago, back when the mine was still profitable. Dusty was a common sight at the mines and the workers enjoyed his company, Otis included. Everything was going well at the mines until one stormy day something went terribly wrong.
Dusty looked inside the tunnels and could see some stones were falling down as they were crumbling. Knowing what was going to happen, he ran inside to warn the miners. They all heard him barking like crazy as he told them what was going to happen.
Everyone started running for their lives as they didn't want to get trapped inside, however, there was a badly timed injury, making one of the workers fall behind. Dusty wasn't leaving him through, giving the worker support he helped him to the exit just as it started to cave in.
Just as he pushed the worker out of the mines, it all came crashing down on Dusty. The workers all did their best to dig him out as fast as they could, but it was already too late.
Otis felt depressed after finishing his story. The pups were also saddened after hearing this. "He didn't deserve that," Chase sighed.
"It's sad, but at least Dusty helped save all of those people," Ryder noted.
"Yes, I just wished he could be here to see you brave pups," Otis said. He simply looked at the entrance that was still blocked. "I wished there was some way he could be remembered."
Rubble was also saddened after hearing Dusty's story, then he remembered something. "I still have a boulder after digging an exit," he informed, "I'm pretty sure it could be big enough for a statue."
"Cashew?" Otis questioned, "Or did you say statue? I'm hard of hearing." Rubble repeated what he said and that got Otis excited. "Well, it's a good thing I picked up sculpting as a hobby. Show me where you've got that boulder!".
(Scene change: Rubble's badge)
The next day, Rocky was using his truck's forklift prongs to help move a statue of Dusty into place next to a section dedicated to the closed mine. "Ah, now it's finished," Mayor Goodway said, "A perfect addition to the museum."
"You think Dusty would like it?" Zuma asked.
"I'm sure he'd be proud of it," Otis said. He helped place down a plaque on the statue's stand, it read "Dusty the Golden Hero."
"It's a shame we couldn't get a golden statue," Rubble said.
"I'm sure he'd understand," Ryder said, "There probably wasn't any left. Hopefully, we don't need to worry about that mine now that it's sealed up."
"I'm sure Dusty would be happy with that," Mayor Goodway said, "Whether or not there's a ghost."
The pups just shared a laugh at this while Rubble looked at the statue. He wasn't sure if there was a ghost, all he could guess was that Dusty would've been proud.