Okay, so we dealt with Libby meeting the Trio for the first time, so now it's time for the aftermath...
I mentioned last time how much I love both of these episodes, but this one might be my favorite of the whole season.
In case I didn't mention it before, I wasn't the biggest fan of Libby in the beginning. I didn't hate her or anything, but I felt there were too many episodes that focused solely on her relationship with Molly instead of Scratch's. And because the two of them were prevented from meeting, the episodes could only put focus on one relationship at a time. So naturally, this episode was a major milestone in the series. Not only did it pave the way for new interactions, but it succeeded in getting Libby to fall into my good graces.
And my god, the song, "One Best Friend"? That song, man. That freakin' song. It. Is. AWESOME. In case you don't know, it's a parody of Europe's "The Final Countdown" (which the Rolling Stone incorrectly calls the second worst song of the 1980s; lol they don't know what they're talking about). And it sounds just as epic as its predecessor. It may very well be not just my favorite song this season but my favorite in the entire show. Seriously, the only thing I don't like about it is it suffers from "Musicalis Interruptus," which I know they did intentionally for a joke, but still, it ruins the moment. I really wish this show had an official soundtrack that cuts out the dialogue and sound effects, because I would totally buy it and listen to it on loop, this song especially.
So, yeah. That's about all I have to say about "Friend Off" really. It's just an awesome episode with an awesome song that really closes out the first half of Season 1 perfectly. Let's hope my rendition of it can do it justice. Here we go...
(Yes, I did reference a scene from the Casper movie. No, I still haven't seen it, just clips of it. I don't really have a desire to watch the whole thing because the character designs freak me out too much. I will admit though, the song, "Remember Me This Way" makes me bawl my eyes out every time I hear it.)
Stretch, Stinkie, & Fatso: Muahahahahahaaaa!
Molly: Can't believe you're all mine
Fatso: Uh, what?
Molly: You and me for all time
Stretch: No way!
Molly: I'm never, ever, EVER gonna be alone again
Stinkie: This stinks!
Molly: It's just you three and me
Fatso: For all eternity?!
Molly: For all ETERNITY!
Stretch, Stinkie, & Fatso: NOOOO!
Molly & Ghostly Trio: It's the Ghost-Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee
Fatso: We've been cursed!
Stinkie: It's the worst!
Molly: Now you're stuck with me
Molly & Ghostly Trio: We're never gonna be apart
Stretch: Is there a way to hit 'restart'?
Molly: Nope!
Molly & Ghostly Trio: We're the Ghost-Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee
Molly: That's me!
Stinkie: Well, that's she. Hee, hee, hee!
Molly & Ghostly Trio: Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee!
Fatso: Oh yeah!
Chapter 20
Not-So-Friendly Competition
Libby opened her eyes as she slowly started to regain consciousness. The sight of the Ghostly Trio had to have freaked her out pretty badly if her first reaction was to immediately faint upon seeing them. But it was hard to blame her for that reaction, since it wasn't every day one sees a supernatural spirit, let alone three of them.
Molly was the first thing Libby saw when she awoke.
"Molly?" she mumbled. "You won't believe this. I had the craziest dream that you were friends with ghosts! Crazy, right?"
Just then, the Trio flew into view.
"Is she finally awake?" Stretch asked impatiently.
"'Bout time!" Stinkie complained.
"And now back to your regularly scheduled episode of 'The Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee'!" Fatso announced.
"Eep!" Libby reeled back. "It wasn't a dream!"
"Libby," Molly began. "I'd like you to meet the Ghostly Trio! Here, I'll introduce you. First, there's Stretch!"
"Oh boy…" Stretch grumped.
"Don't mind him. He can be a jerk sometimes. But don't let that fool you, because way deep down, he's got a heart of pure gold. Isn't that right?" Molly gave Stretch a friendly noogie.
"Get your fleshie paws off me, McGee!" Stretch smacked her hand away.
"Aw, see? So sensitive."
Molly moved to Stinkie next.
"And this is Stinkie. He's what you might call a connoisseur of all things rancid and yucky."
Stinkie grinned proudly. "Ya could say I really put the 'sewer' in 'connoisseur.'" he belched in Libby's face, making her cough.
Molly cleared the air with her hand. "Ha, ha! Good one, Stinkman!" she whispered to Libby. "You get used to it after a while, I promise."
Finally, Molly introduced Fatso.
"And last but not least is Fatso! He likes food and…other stuff…honestly, no one really knows what goes through his head, but we love him anyway!"
"What's up, doc?" Fatso greeted Libby, who was still trying to process the whole situation.
"Wha? I…"
Molly addressed the Trio. "You guys, this is Libby."
"We know who she is, bone bag." Stretch remarked. "Obsessed with turtles…"
"Stinks at softball…" Stinkie continued.
"Way too deep into conspiracy theories…" Fatso finished.
"Yeah, we're pretty familiar with 'the Libby.'" Stretch made air quotes.
Libby was really freaked out now. She retrieved her tape recorder.
"Supernatural theory #37 confirmed! Ghosts are real! And they're very rude."
"And don't you forget it, sister!" Fatso replied.
Molly pulled them all into a hug.
"At long last the truth is out! Now my four BFFs can be BFFs together! Yay!"
The Trio slipped out of Molly's arms.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who says we wanna be friends with Libby?" Stretch replied.
Libby also escaped Molly's grasp.
"And who says I wanna be friends with them? No offense, Molly, but you'd have to be nuts to wanna hang around these bozos." she gagged, still getting over Stinkie's belch. "Not to mention have no sense of smell…"
"Besides," Stretch went on. "Ya can only have one best friend and that spot's already taken! By me!"
"You mean 'me'!" Stinkie claimed, pointing at himself.
"That's what I said! 'Me'! We all know Molly and I are the closest. Obviously, since she likes me best!"
"No way! I already told ya, I'm Molly's number one! She said so, right Molly?"
"Um…" Molly stammered.
"Please!" Stretch scoffed. "You're at best her number two! Which is fittin' since that's what she thinks ya smell like!"
Stinkie was offended. "Hey! I'll have you know that Molly likes my natural scent! Don't ya, Moll?"
"Well…it's very uh…one of a kind?" Molly confessed.
"See?"
Fatso got in between them. "Fellas, there's no need to fight. You can both be Molly's number twos."
"What's that supposed to mean, lard ball?" Stretch threatened.
"I mean, c'mon. Molly definitely considers me her true BFF. I'm the biggest out of all of us."
"Yeah, so?"
"That means I have the most love to give."
"More like the most stupid to give!"
"You're all wrong!" Libby argued. "I'm the only one worthy of being Molly's best friend! None of you deserve her!"
"Oh yeah?" Stretch sneered. "Who asked you, ya turtle-smoochin' weirdo?"
"Guys, guys!" Molly intervened. "Calm down! We're all friends here."
Stretch made a buzzer sound. "Wrong! I refuse to be friends with none of these clowns! Especially not her!" he pointed at Libby.
"Same here!" Stinkie agreed.
Fatso only nodded.
"That goes double for me!" Libby folded her arms and looked away from the Trio. "I'm very particular about who I let in my friend circle."
"Not everyone has to like each other all the time, Molly." Stretch added.
"Um…yes they do!" Molly exclaimed. "Because more friends equals more fun! Right?"
The Trio and Libby shook their heads and turned their backs on each other.
Molly sighed. "Okay, okay. I understand. We'll just let this friendship flower bloom naturally." she grinned cheekily. "With no interference from me whatsoever…"
Molly put her hands behind her back and crossed her fingers during this last statement, indicating that she was lying through her teeth. Whether they liked it or not, she was going to make Libby and the Trio friends no matter what.
The next morning, the Trio woke up in their san phra phrom to find a huge envelope next to each of their pillows (they had all slept in separate rooms due to not speaking to each other).
"Huh." the three said simultaneously. "That definitely was not there last night."
They opened their respective envelopes and pulled out a message written in Molly's handwriting. It read: "Meet me at the softball field after school for for a SUPER FUN SURPRISE! Love, your best friend-Molly."
"Ha!" the Trio fist pumped after reading their letters. "I knew I was her best friend!"
What they didn't know, however, was that Libby had received a similar note in her locker at school.
"Ha! I knew I was her best friend!" she cheered.
As soon as school let out, the four of them wasted no time heading to the softball field. Stretch was the first to arrive.
"Molly!" he called. "I'm here! Where are ya?"
He floated around the whole field, but Molly was nowhere in sight.
"Hmph. This surprise of hers better be 'super fun' if she's makin' me come to this dump. I hate organized sports…"
He then bumped into Stinkie.
"Hey!" both of them shouted simultaneously. "What are you doin' here?! Molly wanted me to meet 'er for a super fun surprise because I'm her best friend! No you ain't! Am too! Stop copyin' everythin' I say!"
At that moment, Fatso showed up, rereading the note Molly sent him. He looked up and noticed his brothers arguing.
"Oh…well, this is embarrassin'…"
"You got a letter, too?!" Stretch accused. "What the heck is goin' on?!"
"I dunno!" Stinkie shrugged. "But you two better beat it before Molly gets here! Otherwise, your presence will make 'er uncomfortable."
"We'll make 'er uncomfortable?!" Fatso repeated. "You're the one who never brushes his teeth!"
"And given that I'm Molly's BFF, she accepts that about me!"
"Both of you shut it!" Stretch ordered. "There ain't no point in bickerin' over this. Like I said, Molly likes me more than either of yous!"
"Oh yeah?" Stinkie retorted. "Then how come she called us here too, huh?"
"Probably 'cause she feels sorry for ya."
"Sorry for us?"
"Yeah! And she's gonna feel even more sorry after she sees what I do to yer faces, unless ya scram!"
"I don't gotta do nothin'!" Stinkie refused.
"Me neither!" Fatso agreed.
Stretch rolled up his imaginary sleeves. "Your choice…"
Before Stretch could pounce on the two of them, he noticed Libby approaching.
"You?!"
Libby gasped. "You three?! You're the fun surprise Molly was talking about?!"
"Oh, this is a surprise all right." Stinkie moped. "But it ain't a fun one, that's for sure!"
Libby glared. "Go back to your tombstones, you obnoxious creeps! If Molly wanted me here, then it's clearly a 'living-persons-only' activity."
"Oh yeah? We'll see how much longer you're considered a 'livin' person' once I'm done with ya!" Stretch threatened.
Libby scoffed. "What are you gonna do? Spook me to death? Please. You couldn't scare a turtle out of its shell."
"Wanna bet?"
"Hey guys?" Fatso interrupted. "I think I found the surprise Molly was talkin' about…"
The others looked in his direction, realizing what he was referring to. Sitting next to first base was a bright pink flag with Molly's face printed on it. Above her face was a rainbow and a boat with the word 'Friend' on its side (presumably a 'friend ship').
"Oh no…" Stretch and Libby both said. "This is another Molly scheme, isn't it?"
Just then, Libby got a video message from Molly on her phone. The Trio peeked over her shoulders so they could watch, too.
"Hello, my friends." Molly started. "I'm speaking to you through the magic of pre-recorded video! Why? Because I know all you four need is some quality time together so you can see how amazing you all are! So, I've put together…a scavenger hunt!"
"A scavenger hunt?" Stretch shook his head. "No way! I ain't got time for some stupid game!"
"It's not stupid, Stretch. Anyway, you're a ghost, so you've got all the time in the world."
Stretch was flattered. "Aw…she knows me so well."
Video Molly continued. "The goal of the scavenger hunt is to work as a team!"
"Blech…teamwork gives me gas." Stinkie belched.
"Stinkie, we both know you can burp on command. Teamwork has nothing to do with it."
"Dang. She got me."
"And Fatso? No singing random Rihanna lyrics, okay?"
Fatso frowned before he could even start singing. "Am I that predictable?"
"Now, the first clue is, fittingly enough, under first base. Be sure to snap a friendship selfie at each location for our five-way BFF scrapbook!" Video Molly held out a book covered with stickers of her, Libby, and the Trio. "Happy bonding!"
Libby lifted up the first base and she and the ghosts were immediately blasted with confetti and glitter.
"Oh c'mon!" Stretch sputtered. "I'm gonna be pickin' this stuff out for weeks!"
Meanwhile, Molly was spying on the four of them, disguised as the Lemmings mascot. She held out a pair of binoculars and watched them as they attempted to wipe off all the glitter.
"'I gotta say, Libby,'" she imitated Stretch. "'For a fleshie, yer a pretty good friend, ya know?'" she then impersonated Libby. "'Why thank you, Stretch. You three are wonderful companions as well.'" she switched to Stinkie. "'I may stink, but this brilliant plan of Molly's sure doesn't!'" and finally, Fatso. "'Yeah, this scavenger hunt is really bringin' us together! Pop culture reference! Random non-sequitur!"
Unbeknownst to her, Libby and the Trio were fully aware of her presence.
"That's definitely Molly in the Lemming costume, right?" Stretch concluded.
"Undoubtedly." Libby agreed, watching Molly do some corny dance moves in the suit.
"Yep." Stinkie nodded.
"That is so her." Fatso concurred.
The four sighed and moved away, right as the real Lemmings mascot showed up and started chasing Molly out of the field.
"Well, if I know Molly…" Stretch began. "And I do."
"So do I!" Libby, Stinkie, and Fatso cried.
"Yeah, yeah. Keep tellin' yerselves that. Then I know she put a ton of work into this."
"Uh-huh. Probably stayed up all night plannin' everythin' out, too." Stinkie added.
"And she won't stop bugging us until we at least pretend to try." Libby finished.
"Yeah! And…" Fatso tried, but couldn't think of anything else. "Darn. That's pretty much it, isn't it?"
"Well, let's get this over with!"
Stretch snatched the piece of paper Libby had retrieved from under the base. Written on it was a poem.
"'Strawberries are pink, chocolate is brown. Ice cream is the best and so is having friends around.'"
"Well, I don't know what that means." Fatso shrugged. "But now I want ice cream. What do ya say we go grab some before we look for the next clue?"
Stretch facepalmed at his brother's obliviousness.
So, the group headed for the ice cream parlor. As soon as they got there, the vendor handed Libby a tray carrying four sundaes.
"Your little friend already paid for these." the vendor informed her. "And she asked me to read you this." she held out a piece of paper with "Clue number 2" printed on the side. "'Your next clue is yummy and nice. You'll find it within this creamed ice.'"
"Uh…okay, thanks." Libby acknowledged, returning to the Trio.
"Blech…" Stretch gagged. "And I thought your poetry was rough."
"Watch it…" Libby threatened.
Fatso took Libby's phone and snapped a selfie of himself, Libby, and his brothers with the ice cream, all of them putting on fake smiles. The vendor gave Libby a confused stare, wondering how she was able to take a photo with a tray of ice cream in her hands.
The "new friends" then took a seat in a booth to enjoy their frozen delicacies.
"Well, I gotta hand it to Molly," Fatso began. "If there's one thing that'll make me tolerate losers like you, it's ice cream!"
With that said, Fatso grabbed his bowl and slurped up its contents. Stretch and Stinkie did the same. Libby cringed as their messy eating got food droplets all over her clothes, much to her disgust.
When Fatso finished his bowl, he immediately snatched Libby's and devoured that one, too.
"Hey!" Libby scolded. "That one was mine!"
"I didn't see yer name on it!" Fatso teased.
Stinkie then belched out the next clue and it landed on Libby's face. The Trio laughed as she peeled off the drooly paper and set it aside.
"You guys really are disgusting, obnoxious creeps!"
The Trio curtsied. "Thank you!"
"I mean, seriously! What does Molly see in you?"
Stretch got in her face. "Hey, shut up, skin bag!"
"Back off!"
"Take a hike!"
"Get a grave!"
Outside the ice cream shop, Molly, now disguised as a waving noodle man, witnessed their interactions.
"Bloom, you beautiful friendship flower, bloom!"
Stretch laid back in his seat. "Speakin' of Molly, I think I know the real reason why she set this all up for us."
"I thought it was to force us to become friends with each other." Fatso recalled.
"And if you thought it, then we know it's wrong. This ain't a friendship outin'! It's a competition!"
"A competition for what?" Libby asked.
"Since Molly obviously can't have more than one best friend, she's testin' us to see how far we'll go for 'er, so that way, she can make a decision once and for all!" he picked up the paper Stinkie burped up. "These 'clues' she's been leavin' are actually her way of keepin' score, 'cause whoever finds 'em first gets the point!"
Stinkie swiped the clue. "In that case, I guess I'm in the lead, since this one was in my ice cream!"
"Actually, you're tied with me." Libby corrected. "Because I found the first clue under the base."
"That don't count!" Stinkie insisted. "She gave that one to ya!"
"And yet, I still got to it before any of you did."
"Well, just you wait!" Fatso glowered. "'Cause I'm gonna find the rest of 'em!"
"Ha!" Stretch guffawed. "You couldn't find sand in a desert!"
"Enough stalling!" Libby declared. "Let's just read the next clue already."
"Good idea." Stretch mocked her. "The faster we do that, the faster ya can lose!"
Libby ignored him and read the poem aloud. "'Through all your adventures, you've proved yourself gallant.'"
Stretch covered Libby's eyes and read the rest. "'And I think you're all so full of…'"
"Talent!" Libby deduced, without even having to look at the last word. "Ha! I know where we need to go next!"
Libby then lead the Trio to the auditorium in Brighton Middle School. She found the next envelope underneath a ladder.
"Yes! That's two points for me!" she boasted. "Not bad for someone who can't phase through walls, huh?"
"You got lucky." Stretch scoffed.
"Of course Molly would include this. She knows how important the talent show is to me." Libby looked around as she reminisced. "It is where I found my voice, after all."
"Oh yeah, I remember that, too." Stretch snickered. "And what a baaaad voice it was! If I had ears, they would've been bleedin'."
Libby gasped. "You know about my singing voice?!"
Stretch put his hand on her shoulder. "Yep! By the way, ya never did thank me for helpin' ya get outta yer comfort zone."
Libby shuddered. "W-W-What do you mean?"
"Who do ya think moved yer hand so ya'd sign yer name under the wrong list?"
"You did that?! All this time I thought it was a muscle spasm!"
"Nope! It was all him!" Fatso pointed at Stretch angrily. "He was tryin' to humiliate ya the whole time! I was gonna sing for ya to help ya save face, but then he went and stole my voice!"
"Hmph! I wish I still had it so I wouldn't have to hear your constant whinin'!" Stretch snarled.
Stinkie continued. "I think you'll come to find that most of the weird stuff you thought were just coincidences happened 'cause of us. We follow Molly everywhere, ya know. The park…"
"The school…" Fatso chimed in.
"Your house…" Stretch grew bigger and scarier. "Where you reveal yer deepest, darkest secrets…"
Libby gulped, shrinking into her turtleneck. "Y-You weren't there when I told her what happened at Andrea's sleepover in third grade, were you?"
"Pro tip." Stinkie giggled. "Don't drink so much water before bed, all right Tinkles? Hee, hee, hee!"
Libby's face became bright red. "I can't believe Molly let me spill my shame while you were there! Maybe we're not as close as I thought. She did hide not just one, but three secret friends from me."
Stretch pinched Libby's cheek, preparing to take another selfie. "She did indeed! Looks like we know who her real bestie is."
Stinkie and Fatso barged in.
"Yeah, me!"
"I think you mean me."
They fake smiled once more and took the picture.
Stretch was able to find the next clue, which was in the park, behind the statue of Auntie Maimed.
"Ah, now here's a classic Molly-Stretch milestone. This is where I saved her life from a ghost that turned into a tornado."
Stinkie glared. "No ya didn't! Auntie Maimed did! You got blown away!"
"Yeah, but I also brought Auntie Maimed to the world of the livin' so she would save Molly!"
"Nuh-uh! I did!" Fatso disagreed. "I'm the one who told 'er what was goin' on!"
Libby took another selfie. "Well, you wouldn't have thought to bring her here at all if I hadn't told Molly who the real hero of Brighton was."
"Big whoop!" Stretch sneered.
Their argument continued throughout each stop in the scavenger hunt, the next one being a portrait of Abraham Lincoln in a museum.
"See that?" Stretch bragged. "You may have a lotta book knowledge about historical figures, but ya sure ain't friends with 'em like me! Take my ol' buddy Abe Lincoln here. We go way back."
"Oh, what a surprise!" Stinkie remarked sarcastically. "There ya go again, lyin' about knowin' Lincoln!"
"Hey! It ain't a lie anymore! I really do know the guy now!"
"And how often do ya talk to 'im, huh?" Fatso pointed out.
"Well, you may know fancy ghosts," Libby spoke up. "But I know Molly. Our friendship is forged in the fires of shared trauma. We defeated Howlin' Harriet together."
Stinkie rolled his eyes. "Oh please! Ya crafted toes outta cocktail weenies. They didn't even smell!"
"Not to mention it was a waste of perfectly good weenies!" Fatso added. "Meanwhile, I possessed a bus fulla Korean pop stars for 'er! Ya ever done that?"
"No." Libby admitted. "But I don't need to. Molly chooses to be my friend, whereas she's cursed with you three."
The Trio became self-conscious upon hearing this.
"Well…technically, we're cursed together." Stretch explained. "And even if we weren't, that don't mean she wouldn't wanna be friends! Right?"
"Well, she'd definitely wanna be friends with me!" Stinkie stated proudly. "I got a lotta attributes!"
"More like a lotta 'nasty toots'!" Fatso joked.
"Face it, boys." Libby continued. "If any of you were really Molly's best friend, she wouldn't need me."
She and the Trio gave each other competitive looks. The battle for Molly's friendship had officially begun. As the four continued the scavenger hunt, they started to imagine themselves in a colosseum, preparing for the ultimate showdown. Molly was sat upon a throne above them, so she could oversee the epic scuffle. Libby and the Trio waved to her briefly and then they charged at each other.
It's a fantasy showdown
It's a fight to the end
Only one can survive
There can be only one best friend
Libby's first attack was to throw her friendship bracelet toward Fatso like a ninja star. Fatso created a temporary hole in his belly, allowing the friendship bracelet to go right through him.
"Ha!"
It's a clash of the titans
They've got powers, but she's got the brains
"Hey!" Fatso cried offendedly, not noticing Libby sneaking up behind him so she could karate chop him in half. "Ow!"
See?
Who will remain?
"Me!" Libby and the Trio exclaimed.
Three must be vanquished so that there can be
Only one best friend
Stretch and Libby each wielded an item Molly had personally given them. Stretch had a portrait of himself and Molly (his brothers as well, but he scratched them off) while Libby had another friendship bracelet. Both items transformed into weapons that they could use against each other in a sword fight.
One best friend
"Die!" Libby ordered. "Again…"
Stinkie snuck up behind them and belched a stench cloud in their faces. Stretch ended up fainting, but Libby only coughed mildly and slapped on a face mask to avoid breathing in the fumes. She then retrieved a bottle of air freshener and sprayed the air, as well as Stinkie.
"Gah! Uncle, already!" he begged.
"Muahahahaha!" Molly laughed maniacally at the scene in front of her.
Stretch sat up and noticed Fatso floating in the corner by himself. He extended his arms and pulled his youngest sibling towards him.
One best friend
"Uh…hi?" Fatso greeted nervously.
Stretch grinned and, using his friendship-infused sword, sliced Fatso up like a ham.
There can only be-
"Time-out!" Fatso declared, picking up some pieces of himself.
"Oh c'mon!" Stretch whined.
"He always does this." Stinkie informed Libby.
"Hey, this is supposed to be a fair fight." Fatso explained. "I can't exactly pull my weight if it's all over the place!"
"Hurry up already!" Stretch demanded.
"Unbelievable." Libby shook her head and took a sip out of a water bottle.
"This is a fantasy! Ya shouldn't be takin' this long!" Stinkie reminded his brother.
"Almost got it…" Fatso stuck the last bit of his body on. "There. Man, I gotta start workin' out again. Okay…time-in!"
Libby and the ghosts pounced on each other, tumbling into the ground.
-one best friend!
(Fighting for a BFF)
One best friend
(In an epic battle to the death)
While the Trio were tussling, Libby slipped away and came back with a vacuum cleaner. She switched it on and sucked all three spirits in.
One best friend
(Nowhere to flee)
After the Trio were contained, Molly threw a flag with all five of their faces on it into the colosseum. The Trio, having escaped their trap, noticed the flag falling and they all dove to catch it, along with Libby.
No, there can only be…
One best friend!
At long last, Libby and the Trio were almost at the end of the scavenger hunt. All of them were tied with three points each. The final clue was in a corn field, stuffed into a scarecrow's arm.
"There it is!" Libby pointed.
"Yep! And it's all mine! See ya, losers! HAHAHAHA!" Stretch bolted towards it.
Libby, Stinkie, and Fatso chased after him.
"Hey!"
"Oh no ya don't!"
"Get back here!"
The four raced across the field, pushing and shoving their way to the front. Libby ended up getting there first and she snatched the envelope out of the scarecrow.
"Ha! Got it!"
"Gimme!" Stretch yanked on the letter and Stinkie and Fatso soon joined in.
"No! Stop!"
"Let go!"
"Cut it out!"
"Get away!"
Molly, who had been tracking her friends' progress the whole time, creeped up behind them and spied on their little spat from a pile of turnips.
"Aww…they're working together to open the last clue…" she misinterpreted. "I am so good at forging friendships."
"Why don't ya do us all a favor and get lost?!" Stretch shouted at Libby. "The very concept of you makes people sad!"
"What do ya know?" Stinkie retorted. "She does yer job better than you!"
"At least we don't smell like a rottin' corpse!" Fatso snapped.
"I'm dead! What do ya expect?"
"All of you be quiet!" Libby lectured. "Molly and I were so happy together, until you three came along and ruined everything!"
"Hey! We was here first, flesh face!" Stretch reminded her. "And Molly'll be happier without any of you jokers!"
"I had a best friend for life!" Libby went on. "But you wouldn't understand that because none of you. Are. Alive!"
"Cheap!" Fatso scowled.
Molly gasped. "What? They're fighting? No, no, no, no, no! This isn't how it's supposed to go! We can all be friends with each other! Please, stop!"
But nobody heard her and even if they did, it probably wouldn't have stopped the argument. Eventually, Libby and the Trio's constant tugging on the envelope caused it to rip apart and Libby to fall backward into the scarecrow. The scarecrow then tipped over and knocked over a wheelbarrow full of turnips.
"Great. Now look what ya did!" Stretch scolded Stinkie.
"What I did? It was his fault!" Stinkie pointed at Fatso.
"It was not!" Fatso argued.
"Was too!"
"Was not!"
As their bickering continued, they failed to notice one of the turnips that fell out of the bucket was rolling toward a mouse. The mouse caught the turnip in its mouth and climbed over a nearby ladder. This caused the ladder to fall onto a rake sitting beside it, which sprung up and pushed a tire. The tire then rolled over to a row of boards and they fell down like dominoes right into the "on" switch for the mulching machine. Once the machine turned on, it pulled in the huge pile of turnips that was sitting on its conveyer belt…the same pile of turnips Molly happened to be hiding in.
"Wah! No, no, no!"
She tried to crawl her way out of the tasteless vegetables, but she was far too deep already. She ended up getting forcefully dragged into the mulching machine. To make matters worse, the doors shut behind her, leaving her trapped. And to make matters even worse than that, the machine's fan had turned on, sucking the turnips toward it and shredding them to pieces. Molly too felt herself being pulled toward the fan and she gripped onto a pipe. She knew, however, this only delayed the inevitable. With no other choice, she let out a terrified scream.
"Stretch! Stinkie! Fatso! HEEEEELLLLP!"
Thanks to the power of the curse, the Trio began to levitate to Molly's location. Stretch held himself back briefly, though, so he could rub it in Libby's face.
"Well, would ya look at that? It seems Molly's summonin' me. Has she ever magicallly summoned you before? No? It's settled then! I win! I'm Molly's BFF! Later, bone bag!"
Stretch released Libby and rejoined his brothers.
"Hey! No fair! She summoned me, too!" Stinkie reminded him.
"And me!" Fatso added.
"Yeah, but clearly, she summoned me first." Stretch stated matter-of-factly.
"How would you know?" Stinkie demanded.
"She always summons me first 'cause, like I said, she likes me best!"
"Why you little-!"
"I'll show you!"
Libby watched as the Trio got into a fight cloud and floated away. She looked down sadly, realizing that Stretch was right. It was obvious that Molly didn't care for her as much as she did the Trio, otherwise she would have called her to help instead. Heartbroken by the loss of her closest friend, Libby began to walk home.
The Trio were still fighting by the time they got into the mulching machine. As soon as they were inside, however, they were pulled toward and mangled by the fan. Molly winced, realizing that was about to happen to her, but unlike the Trio, she wouldn't be able to regenerate herself.
"What the heck are ya doin' in here?" Stretch asked Molly as he reformed. "Ya know what? I don't care that much. More important question: Ya summoned me first, right? I mean, of course ya did since I'm your best friend and all."
"Wrong!" Stinkie spat. "It's me!"
"Nuh-uh!" Fatso disagreed. "I'm more likable than either of you!"
"Fine! Let's let Molly pick." Stretch decided. "Go ahead, Moll. Who's yer true bestie?"
Stinkie laughed. "One thing's for sure, it definitely ain't Libby!"
"Yeah! She don't even know you're in here!" Fatso mentioned. "I bet she ain't even botherin' to come look for ya! Some pal she is!"
"Will you guys just help me already?!" Molly shouted.
The Trio lifted Molly and tried to phase her through the top of the machine, only for Molly to just fall back down.
"Dang it! Every time!"
"Hey, it ain't our fault ya can't pass through walls!" Stretch claimed.
"You'll have to open the door!" Molly suggested.
"I'm on it!" Stretch saluted.
Stinkie shoved him. "No, I am!"
"I wanna do it!" Fatso whined.
"I don't care who does it!" Molly scolded. "Just do it now before I become turnip paste!"
The Trio exited the machine and located its door. At first, Stretch tried tugging on the handle with his extendable arms, but it wouldn't budge.
"Step aside!" Stinkie got in front of Stretch. "Clearly, this door needs a key…a Stin-key, that is!"
Stinkie inhaled and blasted the machine with his foul breath in an attempt to melt the door off. But that didn't work either.
"Yeesh…not even a little rust? This thing's resilient…"
"LEEROY JEEEENKINS!"
Stretch and Stinkie moved out of the way as Fatso charged head-first into the door, which only resulted in him getting comically injured.
"'Bout time ya used yer head for somethin'." Stretch commented.
"Fellas, I think I found the problem!"
Stinkie directed the others' attention to a keypad beside the door, indicating that the only way to open it was to enter a passcode. Stretch typed in "1111" and the message "ACCESS DENIED" flashed on the screen.
"Aw man! This'll take forever to crack!"
"Yeah, you'd have to be a big nerd to be able to get that thing open." Stinkie observed.
All three ghosts froze as they realized who that "big nerd" had to be.
"Oh…this is gonna be real awkward…" Fatso feared.
Luckily, Libby hadn't gotten far in the minutes since she walked off, so the Trio were able to catch up with her.
"Libby!" Stretch flew in front of her. "Thank goodness you're still here!"
Stinkie did the same. "Thank goodness we found ya!"
"Thank goodness it's Friday!" Fatso blurted randomly.
"It's Wednesday." Stretch corrected, smacking Fatso.
Libby, however, only gave the three a glare and kept walking, thinking they had just come back to brag some more.
"I don't wanna talk to you guys! Leave me alone!"
Stretch floated beside her. "Hey, I don't blame ya. I wouldn't wanna talk to those lamebrains either. But ya gotta listen, okay? We need yer help!"
"Why should I help you?"
"Look, we know we said a lot of mean stuff…" Stinkie started.
"And did a lot of mean stuff…" Fatso continued.
"And we may or may not have cheated in the scavenger hunt by swipin' some of yer flags when you weren't lookin'…" Stretch confessed. "But the only reason we were jerks is 'cause…well…we don't wanna lose Molly to ya!"
"It's true!" Stinkie wailed. "We was afraid she'd pick you over any of us! She really likes ya a lot, ya know."
"And we don't blame her!" Fatso finished. "You're cooler than us, smarter than us, generally more pleasant to be around than us." he sniffed his armpit. "Oh! Did I mention more hygienic?"
Stretch grabbed Fatso by the lips. "Ya made yer point already! But here's the kicker: unless we stop feudin' and work together, none of us are gonna get to be Molly's best friend, 'cause we're about to lose her for good! She's in danger!"
Libby gasped. "Danger?!"
The Trio led her to the mulching machine where Molly was still screaming and holding on for dear life.
It's a moment of crisis
But they won't fight no more
"Eh. We'll see." Stretch crossed his arms.
They can fix it together (together)
Bounded forever (forever)
Not one, but four
Stretch flew into the machine and stretched his arms out for Molly to grab, intending to hold on to her as long as possible until the others could get the door open. Outside, a farmer had come by to polish the machine, preventing Libby from getting to the door. Thankfully, Stinkie was able to knock the farmer out with his noxious breath and afterwards, Fatso transformed into a trampoline for Libby to bounce her way up to the machine's door.
Four best friends
(Disregard that other song)
Four best friends
(As it turns out, that whole song was wrong)
Four best friends
Stretch's grip on Molly was beginning to loosen and she drew nearer and nearer toward the fan. But Libby was able to enter the correct code on the keypad, opening the door and thus, allowing the two of them to escape.
(Now we can see that there can)
Also sometimes be
Four best friends
"OMG!" Molly cried as Stretch lowered her and Libby to the ground safely. "You saved me, Stretch!"
"Oh yeah, I guess I did." Stretch boasted, earning snarls from Stinkie and Fatso. "…But, if I'm bein' honest, I couldn't have done it without these guys. Especially Libby."
"Yeah, how'd ya know what the code was, by the way?" Stinkie inquired.
"I took a guess." Libby referred to a water tower behind them that had the caption "City of Brighton February 29, 1872" printed on it. "Based on the day Brighton was founded. Guess obsessing over local history does have its benefits."
Molly hugged them all once more. "Aww…this is why you're all my best friends!"
"Wait, really?" Fatso was bewildered. "So, we spent the whole day competin' over you for nothin'?"
"Not for nothing." Libby corrected him. "Because it turns out, we're all winners! Maybe having more friends is more fun."
"Yeah!" Molly chuckled. "That's what I've been saying!"
Stretch scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I guess we could share Molly from now on. I mean, it's only fair, since she loves all of us the same, anyway."
"Yep!" Libby agreed. "Plus, it clearly takes both the living and the dead to get her out of trouble."
"Tell me about it! She's exhaustin'! Always bouncin' around, not lookin' where she's goin'…"
"Not to mention those all-nighters she pulls when she has some big scheme." Stinkie added.
"Right?" Fatso chimed in. "And how about the fact that she feels the need to wake us up every Saturday? I mean, c'mon! We're ghosts! Can't she just let us rest in peace?"
Libby giggled. "That's nothing! Did you know she brought bats, sheep, and a cheese cannon to my bat mitzvah?"
"Oh yeah! She did that, too!"
"Yep! Definitely Molly!"
"We told 'er it was a dumb idea, but does she ever listen? Noooo!"
Molly smiled at how well her best friends were bonding, not even caring it was over how much she drove them all crazy.
"Scavenger hunts bringin' people together, right?"
She awaited an answer, only to realize Libby and the Trio had left her behind.
"And what's with the 'sweet baby corn' thing?" Stretch prattled on.
"I know, right?" Libby snickered. "She says it every chance she gets!"
"It ain't even a real catchphrase!" Stinkie commented. "It's just some obscure veggie that wishes it could be as popular as its namesake."
"Yeah, I ain't never even seen her eat baby corn!" Fatso claimed. "And the way I sees it, if ya don't eat it, ya shouldn't say it."
Molly chased after them. "Guys! Hold on! Let's not rush anything now! Friendships take time, after all! Uh…guys?"
"Speaking of food, I never did get my ice cream." Libby recalled. "I think I'll go back to the shop and grab another sundae. Would you three care to join me?"
The Trio nodded.
"Would we?"
"You bet!"
"You're buyin'!"
Libby took out her phone and snapped one final selfie of herself and the Trio, only this time, the smiles were as real as ever. The only one not smiling in the picture, in fact, was Molly, who couldn't help but feel like a fifth wheel to their group.
"Guys! Wait for me!"
Four best friends!
Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee!
Well peeps, it's official. We're halfway through this bad boy. Which means, this story is going on hiatus until probably early December, because the next two chapters are the holiday specials! My plan was to start writing them late November so I can post them on the first day of Hanukkah and Christmas Day respectively, but coincidentally enough, they fall on the same day this year. So, I'll probably just end up posting the "Festival of Lights" one a week before Christmas or something. After that, I'll return to my normal writing schedule in January of 2025. In the meantime, I'm going to take the next week or so off before I get back to updating "On My Dragon's Wings." I have two more chapters written up, but I'd like to have at least four done before I upload again, just in case of unexpected poll results (and if you don't know, chapters for OMDW take way longer to write up than the five days it takes for a chapter of this story). Speaking of which, just a friendly reminder that the poll for the next chapter is still up, so if you'd like to cast your vote, do so now because I may close it by the end of next week.
Okay, until next time, spooksters! corneyforever out!