Spooky season's greetings, readers! And welcome to my newest fanfic, aptly released just in time for Halloween. And as you can probably guess by the title, it's a crossover between two of my favorite Halloween-themed cartoons, "Casper the Friendly Ghost" (more specifically, "The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper") and "The Ghost and Molly McGee." Not only that, but it's also the first crossover fic I've posted!
"But corneyforever, wasn't The Fairy Grojparents technically a crossover fic?" Personally, I consider that more of a parody than a crossover, since it was utilizing only one set of characters, while this one utilizes both. "But what about all those crossover chapters you wrote for Meeting Grojband?" Well, those were just "chapters," not a full-blown fanfic.
So, some backstory is in order. Back in 2021, I first discovered "The Ghost and Molly McGee" on Disney's YouTube channel and somehow fell in love with it before the first episode even aired. All I had to go by at the time was a 2-minute clip and the show's theme song. But honestly, I didn't even need to watch the actual clip from the show because the theme song sold me right off the bat. It was AMAZING, maybe even the best theme song for a cartoon I've ever heard. Seriously, I probably broke YouTube's replay button with how many times I listened to it and I still sometimes listen to it on loop even when I'm not watching an episode. Another thing that sold me on the series though was probably the premise. If you don't know, the show follows a young teen optimist, the titular Molly McGee, as she attempts to spread joy into the world with her positive thinking and giggly personality. So, basically, she's Pinkie Pie in a human body. Along the way, she ends up making friends with a ghost named Scratch, who happens to be her polar opposite. Unlike Molly, Scratch is rude, sarcastic, and finds pleasure in making humans miserable. Despite this, Molly takes a liking to Scratch, much to his annoyance, and they form an unlikely friendship. And trust me, if there's one plot-type I'm a sucker for, it's odd friendships.
So I waited rather impatiently for the first episode to air and when it did, I was ecstatic. Upon watching it and some of the episodes following it, however, I felt that it didn't quite meet my previously high expectations. The pilot was more than a little rushed, but worse than that, it introduced concepts that the first season rarely ever touched on. Molly and Scratch's relationship, one of the things that pulled me to the show in the first place, was ignored in favor of Molly's relationship with Libby, a character who wasn't even in any of the promotional material. Not to mention, the first few episodes mostly take place in the boring, old human world, and focus on very basic, slice-of-life stories. The curse that bonds Molly and Scratch permanently and serves as Scratch's motivation for driving the McGees away, and also appeared to be a part of the main concept according to the theme song, is completely forgotten about by Episode 5 because Scratch has already grown attached to Molly with very little character development on his end (don't get me wrong, this is what I wanted for their relationship, but it really needed more buildup). It wasn't a bad start per say, but it was definitely a weak start.
Still, I decided to keep watching, hoping that it would get better. And to my surprise, it did. I came to find that despite this being an episodic series for the most part, it managed to incorporate some well-written story arcs between episodes. Not only that, but it displayed some pretty strong continuity, to the point where a single, hard-to-notice detail in one episode would later become a plot point in another. And that season finale...my god. I mean no exaggeration when I say that "The Ghost and Molly McGee" has one of the best season finales of any show I've ever watched, including "Friendship is Magic." Speaking of "Friendship is Magic," this show also has some fantastic musical numbers and not just the theme song either. Every single episode has at least one song and they're all bangers. One of these days I may have to do a "Top 10 Favorite TGAMM Songs" list in the author's notes because I can't get enough of them.
But do you know what my favorite part of this show is? Scratch himself! He is absolutely ADORABLE and it didn't take long for him to become my favorite character. I just love his deadpan snarkiness and his tendency to act like a large ham (it helps Dana Snyder aka Master Shake plays him). Not to mention his quick wit makes him the absolute perfect foil for Molly. Words cannot describe how much I love this little ghost.
Then one day I stumbled across "The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper" (or just "Casper" as it was called in the 90's when it aired). Now, until that day, I had never really acquainted myself with any incarnations of "Casper the Friendly Ghost," but I was somewhat familiar with its formula. For one, I knew it followed the adventures of a cute and friendly ghost with a disdain for scaring people, who was often encouraged by other ghosts to be scary. And for two, I knew the original 40s cartoons tended to have a sweet and innocent demeanor to them, subscribing to the outdated belief that "animation is only for kids." But "Spooktacular" was different and unlike anything I expected of a Casper adaptation.
First of all, it was essentially made to be a continuation of the live-action "Casper" movie...which...is something I don't think I've ever seen before. I mean, I've seen cartoons turned into live-action movies and even live-action movies made into cartoon series, but this is the first cartoon I've ever seen that was based on a live-action movie that was already based on another cartoon. Granted, I did read that they originally were planning on just making a straight-up sequel to the movie instead, but had to settle for an animated series due to the live actors being involved in other projects at the time. How the cartoon actually stacks up to the movie, I can't say because I never watched it.
But let me tell you, this show was one of the biggest surprises of my life. I legitimately did not expect a show based on "Casper the Friendly Ghost" of all things to be this insanely funny. But it was. Every episode I watched had me rolling on the floor, guffawing at every rib-tickling joke they spat out, from a character's literal-mindedness, to random 90s pop culture references, to Fatso's non-sequiturs that rival even Ed's from "Ed Edd n Eddy." I haven't laughed this hard at an obscure animated program since I rewatched Catscratch; it is that good. If you're an Animaniacs fan, then chances are you'll get a kick out of this one too (Unsurprisingly, it even features some of the former show's writers and voice actors). A lot of the jokes would not be out of place in the world of the Warner siblings, and the same can be said for the songs as well. Personally, I think the Ghostly Trio's alphabet song is up there with Yakko's Nations of the World, no lie. I swear, I have no idea why Fox Kids didn't survive past the 90s. Between shows like this and "Thunderlizards," it's clear it deserved a lot more respect and recognition than it got.
Okay, I know I've been ranting for a while, but I promise I'm about to get to the point. So yeah, "The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper" is an underrated gem that is, at the same time, pure comedy gold. But despite Casper having his name in the title, it's not really him that makes the show what it is. The real stars of the show are his three uncles, the Ghostly Trio, consisting of sardonic leader Stretch, disgusting and ill-mannered Stinkie, and gluttonous, but lovable Fatso. These guys are an absolute riot and they're definitely what make this show for me. Every single moment they're on screen is a delight and I cannot get enough of them. Sure, they're generally unpleasant and it can be uncomfortable watching them make the lives of the innocent (particularly Casper) miserable, but when they're on their own, they really shine. Their distinct personalities allow them to play off of not just each other, but the entire cast, extremely well. Their relationship with Dr. Harvey is especially noteworthy, with the latter constantly trying to figure out how their minds work, only to fail spectacularly when they just use it as an opportunity to mess with him. In a way, they're a lot like Discord from "Friendship is Magic," specifically after he was reformed: technically considered allies to the heroes, but get immense pleasure from driving them crazy with their bizarre habits.
It didn't take long for me to develop the same adulation for the Trio as I did with Scratch but it took me a bit to realize why. Then it dawned on me; it's because the Trio essentially is Scratch. Watching their behaviors, I was quick to correlate them with the way Scratch behaves. Scratch is basically the Trio combined into one incorporeal being, comprising of traits from each of them (Stretch's cynicism, Fatso's gluttony, and a touch of Stinkie's disgusting habits and love of rude humor). They were practically one in the same, or three in the same or something like that. But the correlations didn't stop there. The more "Casper" episodes I watched, the more I noticed parallels between it and "Molly McGee," beyond both of them being shows about ghosts. There were several episodes of both of them that more or less shared the same plot and that's when I knew this was truly a match made in heaven.
So ultimately, I combined the worlds of Friendship, Maine and Brighton to create the perfect crossover for Halloween. The way I decided it would work is the fic would take place in the "Molly McGee" universe and follow the plots of the "Molly McGee" episodes, much like how "Meeting Grojband" went, keeping the humans in said universe the same, but having the Trio play and share the role of Scratch. But then I realized that it would make more sense if all the ghosts in "Molly McGee" were replaced with ghosts from "Casper." I knew then that I was gonna have to do some serious research if I wanted to get every part casted. So, the past few months, I watched through the entire "Casper" series to get an idea of who should play who. Unfortunately, due to the series being mostly unknown, episodes beyond the first season were difficult to find, except in foreign languages. I ended up having to settle for dubs with Ukrainian voices speaking over the somewhat muffled English dialogue. But even though I couldn't hear every little bit of the English dub, I didn't have much trouble figuring out what was going on and could even make out a few good lines that I ended up using here and there, as well as discovering a few characters I could cast. Pretty soon, I had all of the major roles covered. The difficult part was finding characters to play the one-shots and to this day, I still haven't found too many. In fact, I originally was going to just write up a few chapters ahead of time and figure out the smaller roles later. However, since I was and am doing the episodes in airdate order, I got stuck on who should play Howlin' Harriet in episode 3. And even once I finished watching all of "Casper," I still didn't have a clue who could play her. That's when I decided it might be best if I just have some ghost characters be played by themselves if I can't find a "Casper" counterpart right for them (the Chairman was another one, but I deliberately kept him the same). After all, these characters aren't really the focus of the story anyway, so in the end, who really cares? On the flip side, though, there are plenty of great characters from "Casper" that I haven't found a "Molly McGee" counterpart for yet but would still like to include them. So, who knows? I may even take some original suggestions from you guys. Heck, maybe I'll even rewrite a few "Casper" episodes.
Ooh boy, this might be the longest author's note I've written thus far, but I'm just super excited to introduce this story to everyone! I have a feeling this one is going to get more attention than "On My Dragon's Wings" (which I'm still planning on continuing, btw) since even though hardly anyone remembers Casper's adventures in the 90s, "Molly McGee" is fairly popular, not to mention a lot more relevant. Even still, I'd recommend watching some episodes of "Casper" if you want to get to know its characters better and understand the references. The entire first season is available to watch in English on YouTube, as well as a couple episodes from Season 2 (albeit with questionable quality), scattered episodes from the first half of season 3, and good luck with anything after those. Okay! At long last, let's begin...
The little ghost shivered as she slowly approached the podium. Her day of judgment by the Ghost Council had arrived and she was very much dreading it. Lately, she hadn't been living, or rather afterliving, up to the council's undeadly standards of being a proper ghost, which meant she would be subject to the most severe punishment the Ghost World had to offer. However, the fearful phantom felt she had a good reason for falling behind in her scaring quotas, and that maybe if she explained herself, she might get off easy.
Unfortunately for her, the Ghost Council consisted of the four most strict, merciless, no-nonsense spirits of all time: Ms. Banshee, a former ghoul school teacher with a voice as big and loud as her personality, J. Edgar Boover, head of the Eternal Revenue Service who was in charge of auditing haunted houses, Ms. Stifflips, an owner of a young specter orphanage with a particular distaste for living people, and Professor Albert Frankenstein, the father of modern spookology, who took scaring more seriously than any other apparition.
But even if the ghost somehow managed to earn pity from those four, it would make no difference. For the only one whose opinion actually mattered in the Ghost World was that of a mysterious, cloaked, skeleton-like figure, known only as the Chairman. It was he who decided who was worthy of frightening what all the ghosts dubbed "fleshies," and thus, always had the final word. Of course, he never actually spoke at all. In fact, no one knew for sure what he was or where he came from. But his foreboding appearance was enough to make the other ghosts tremble in his presence, so they didn't argue when he stepped up as their supreme ruler.
After reviewing the ghost's recent performance, the council was ready for further discussion.
"Ahem…" J. Edgar Boover began. "Frankly, your performance has been…disappointing."
"Ja," Professor Frankenstein concurred, as a device that measured the sadness of fleshies appeared. It was currently in the green area, which meant happiness had taken over. "Misery has declined in Cedar Valley."
"While joy is on the rise." Ms. Banshee nodded disapprovingly. "Tell me. Are you aware of what happens to ghosts who fail to spread misery in their respective towns?"
"Uh…w-w-w-well…I uh…" The little ghost stammered.
"Stop…STUTTERING!" Ms. Banshee yelled, nearly sending the ghost flying.
"Y-Y-Yes, I am! But…it's not my fault!" the ghost pleaded. "They opened a dog rescue! You can't expect me to compete with puppies!"
The ghoul transformed into an adorable dog to make a point.
"Well, unfortunately for you, that is what we expect." J. Edgar Boover answered. "And so does the Chairman."
The aforementioned spirit raised a bony hand and pointed into the void. Suddenly, a vortex made up of pale, miserable ghosts came down.
"NO!" the ghost held onto the floor to resist, even though it only prolonged the inevitable. "Don't send me to the Flow of Failed Phantoms! Give me another chance! I know I can do better! PLEASE! THEY HAD PUPPIIIIIEEEEESSSS!"
In a matter of seconds, the ghost was sucked up into the vortex, doomed to spend the rest of eternity spinning with all the others that disappointed the Chairman. Once she was gone, the flow flew out of sight.
Ms. Banshee sighed. "Are we done yet? There's only so many times we can exile ghosts until it goes from enjoyable to just plain boring."
J. Edgar Boover checked his itinerary. "The good news is, we only have one performance left to review. But the bad news…"
The rest of the council groaned.
"Oh nein…"
"Not them…"
"Must we?"
"I'm afraid so…"
Another ghost holding a parchment stepped up.
"The Ghost Council summons…" he too let out a groan. "The Ghostly Trio…"
A portal opened up and in dropped a trash can carrying three ghosts of distinct appearances. The biggest of them was chowing down on a slice of pizza while the buck-toothed one next to him was coating his armpits with garbage. The one in the middle, the tallest, was struggling to get out from between the others.
"Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso…"
Upon hearing their names, the three ghosts looked up at the council and grinned.
"Well, hell-ooooo Ghost Council!" the tallest ghost, Stretch, said.
"Hell-ooooo fun police!" the buck-toothed ghost known as Stinkie said.
"Hell-oooo Dolly!" the big ghost aptly named Fatso said.
Stretch floated up to the podium.
"I gotta say, you guys are lookin' extra revoltin' today. Really, I mean it. You're just disgusting! All of ya! But especially you, Ms. Banshee." he winked flirtatiously at the former teacher.
Stinkie joined them. "Yeah, is that a new perfume you got on, sweetie? Its scent is truly sickening. I like it…"
Fatso popped out from behind Ms. Banshee's seat, still holding the pizza slice. "Looks to me like she's been puttin' on weight too. Have ya, toady lips?"
Ms. Banshee became annoyed. "Flattery will get you nowhere, boys. So…SIT DOWN!"
The Trio was blown off of the podium and Fatso's pizza landed on J. Edgar Boover's face.
"Now then," Ms. Banshee continued, looking through a book of records. "Ah, here we are. 'Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso.' You three are rude…"
J. Edgar Boover removed the pizza from his face and Fatso ate it while it was still in his hand. Meanwhile, Stretch purposefully knocked off Ms. Stifflips' hat.
"…crude…"
Stinkie belched in Professor Frankenstein's face.
"Und disgusting!" he gagged.
The Trio blushed.
"Aw shucks!"
"Stop it, you!"
"I'm turnin' red as a tomato over here!"
J. Edgar Boover cleaned off his glasses. "Yes, if it were up to us, we'd have all of you done away with immediately."
"Sadly, it's not our decision." Ms. Banshee summoned the misery meter once again. This time, it was in the red zone. "And we can't argue with your numbers. Your town of Brighton is truly a miserable place."
The Ghostly Trio laughed and high-fived each other as Boover wrote something in the record book.
"We shall mark your performance as 'adequate.'" he shut the book. "At last! Our work is done!"
"Thank goodness!" Ms. Stifflips stated. "What say we all head off to the Haughty Haunts Club to celebrate?"
The other three council members agreed.
"Great idea!"
"Absolutely"
"Wunderbar!"
The Ghostly Trio noticed their superiors leaving and caught up to them.
"Hey, sounds terrifyin'!" Stretch claimed. "This'll be me and the boys' first time. What's the dress code? Should we wear pants? Also, should we grow legs so we can wear pants?"
"Does the buffet really serve all varieties of smelly cheeses?" Stinkie asked. "I gotta maintain my death breath somehow."
"Are the Soul Singers performing tonight?" Fatso chimed in. "I heard they're in need of a baritone."
Ms. Banshee only laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. You three aren't invited."
"But you are dismissed." Professor Frankenstein added.
The next thing the Trio knew, they were teleported back to their attic in the world of the living. They landed in a pile on the floor.
"And they say we're the rude ones." Fatso grumped.
Stretch shoved his brothers off. "Aw, who needs those guys anyhow?"
"Not us, that's for sure! Friendship stinks!" Stinkie claimed. "And not in a good way!"
"Yeah! We don't need nobody 'cause we got each other, right guys?" Fatso grinned, earning scowls from the two older ghosts.
Stretch flew over to the window and shut the curtain. "Let's make a pact, boys…to never make friends with anyone! The Ghostly Trio is not gonna stoop to lowly companionship! No way!"
Stretch put his hand in. Stinkie did the same.
"No how!"
"No no Nanette!" Fatso stated.
"'No no Nanette'?" Stretch repeated, baffled. "What the heck is that?! That was so stupid you hurt my head!"
"Yeah, let's see how you like it, big boy!"
Both Stretch and Stinkie whacked Fatso on the head, as they tended to do when the youngest sibling said something they found idiotic. Fatso didn't mind, usually. That was just the way they bonded. Little did the three of them know, they would soon have to deal with another kind of bond…one that would become eternal…
corneyforever presents…
The Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee
Chapter 1
For Better or Curse
13-year old Molly McGee bounced up and down in her seat as she looked out the window of the car her dad was driving. Despite how many times they had moved, Molly never got tired of seeing new towns.
"Ahh, Brighton." she said. "Ya know what I see here? Limitless potential!"
She waved to a friendly-looking man sitting on a bench in front of a coffee shop. He smiled and waved back, but then the bench broke apart from his weight and a nearby sign toppled onto him. Then a nursery of raccoons ran by and scooped him up. Molly tried not to let that discourage her though. She always liked to look on the bright side.
"Ya know what I see?" her younger brother, Darryl, said from the seat beside her. "A clean slate."
"And let's keep it that way, Darryl." their mother, Sharon, scolded. "No more disasters! Flammable or otherwise."
Darryl shrugged. "I make no promises."
This earned him a harsh stare from both the McGee parents and he scooted toward the window nervously. Molly smirked. If there was one thing her brother loved, it was being a troublemaker.
Just then, Sharon's phone rang and when she answered it, an elderly woman showed up on the screen.
"Hey, Mom!" she greeted. "We're almost there."
"I know. I've been tracking you." the woman explained. "Tell Peter to step on it!"
The father, Pete, groaned at how overbearing his mother-in-law could be.
"Hi, Grandma Nin!" Molly and Darryl called from the backseat.
A few minutes later, the car pulled up to a gorgeous, purple house with flowers growing in the front yard.
"Here we are, McGees!" Pete announced.
Molly and Darryl's eyes widened joyfully.
"Well, it's not the worst house we've ever lived in." Sharon joked.
Pete got a good look at the house.
"Oh. Sorry, that's not our house."
He turned the car around so they were facing the other side of the street.
"That's our house."
The McGees looked at the dwelling currently in front of them and cringed. It was nothing like the home they just saw. It was painted a sickly beige color. The windows were covered in cobwebs and some of them even had holes. The staircase leading to the doorstep was broken in some parts. And the grass surrounding it was dead. There was even a raven sitting atop the roof, cawing.
The McGees stepped out of the car, their faces ridden with disappointment.
"Turn me around so I can see!" Grandma Nin begged.
Sharon turned her phone in the house's direction. Nin shut her eyes in disgust.
"Ew! Turn me back!"
"Granted, it is a bit of a fixer upper." Pete smiled sheepishly.
Then one of the window's shutters fell off and into the dead grass. Pete frowned, hating himself more and more for choosing a career that required so much relocation.
"Dad?" Molly put a hand on Pete's shoulder. "I'm not gonna lie to you…I LOVE IT!"
The young teen snatched the bag out of Pete's hands and laughed as she ran toward the door.
Inside, the Trio had been napping in a hammock upstairs, but were awoken suddenly by the sound of the girl's joviality.
"What the heck is goin' on?" Stretch sat up and opened the attic curtain. That's when all three of them saw the family outside.
"Hey, it's a family of fleshies!" Fatso observed.
"Yeah. And it looks like they're movin' in to our house!" Stinkie noted.
"Fleshies? Livin' at our place? I don't think so!" Stretch led the others over to the attic door. "C'mon boys, we gotta-"
Right as the three were about to exit, a broom pushed the door open, squishing them against the floor. Molly climbed in and tossed her bag into a corner.
"Wow! My new bedroom!" she looked around and frowned. "…is kinda a dump. It needs the Molly McGee touch!"
Using the broom, she started to sweep up all of the cobwebs and dust. When the Trio recovered, they were shocked at what the child was doing to their beautifully filthy home.
"Hey! Knock it off!" Stretch zoomed past Molly and swiped her broom.
"Those cobwebs are vintage, skin sack!" Stinkie informed her.
Molly gasped. "A ghost? Three ghosts?!"
As the phantoms tried to reattach the webs, Molly turned around and mumbled to herself.
"Okay, Molly. Focus up. You've never met a ghost before, so make a good impression."
"…"
"…GHOST HUG!"
Molly grabbed all three spirits and squeezed them so tightly, their eyes and noses came off.
"Oops! I'm so sorry! Here, let me get that. Does this go here?"
Molly picked up the Trio's facial features and attempted to put them back in the right places. By the time she finished, Stinkie had Stretch's long nose, Fatso's mouth was on his forehead, and they all had each other's eyes.
"Heh. I guess I can be a little too friendly sometimes…"
The ghosts pulled themselves together, getting their body parts back where they belonged, and then surrounded Molly.
"Well, we ain't no friendly ghosts!" Fatso snarled.
"Talk to our bulb-headed nephew for that!" Stinkie added.
"Yeah! Now beat it, bone bag!" Stretch demanded.
Before Molly could respond, Fatso morphed into a cannon and Stinkie and Stretch stuffed her in his mouth. Stretch then pulled Fatso's tail, shooting Molly through the attic door, which Stinkie happily opened for her. The door slammed shut and the brothers laughed triumphantly.
To their surprise, however, Molly came back in, completely unfazed. In fact, she looked impressed.
"Whoa! Did that really just happen? You can change into any shape? This attic has everything! And it comes with a bonus you, you, and you!" she pointed at each of the ghosts. "I'm never, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER leaving!"
Stretch snapped his fingers and he and the Trio huddled up. They whispered to each other for a brief moment and then turned back to Molly.
"Oh yeah?" Stretch snarked. "Well, if ya ain't gonna leave, then…Uh, take a step back, will ya?"
Molly did so.
"Nah, too far. Come back."
Molly stepped forward.
"That's it. A little more. Okay, that's enough. Stop! Now…if ya won't leave, then get a load of this!"
The ghosts suddenly transformed into bigger, more terrifying versions of themselves.
"WE CURSE YOU, MOLLY MCGEE!" Stretch announced.
The room became dark and Molly felt her feet lift off the floor as she and everything else in the attic started to float.
"Wherever you go, whatever you do, for the rest of your days, we'll be there!" Stretch continued, wrapping himself around Molly's neck. "Taunting you!"
Stinkie did the same. "Tormenting you!" he breathed a stench cloud in Molly's face.
"Tickling you!" Fatso tickled Molly's chin, making her laugh.
Stretch and Stinkie smacked Fatso across his face.
"We will personally make it our afterlife's mission to turn your every waking moment into an unending NIGHTMARE!"
As Stretch spoke, bugs and worms crawled out of his mouth and onto Molly. The brothers took a great delight in the terrified look on her face. But it didn't last long.
"Fantastic performance!" Molly commented.
"Huh?"
The Trio reverted to their normal appearances, confused by this reaction. The room lit up again and everything stopped floating in midair.
"I mean, where did those bugs even come from? What?!" Molly stuck her head into Stretch's mouth and looked around. "So, now that we're best friends…"
Stretch held and shook his head. "Best friends?"
"Well, you're going everywhere I go and doing everything I do, right?" Molly got into the three's faces.
"I…guess?" Stretch answered.
"I…suppose?" Stinkie responded.
"I…spy?" Fatso suggested randomly.
"Best friends confirmed!"
Molly began to rearrange some of the objects in the attic and add a few decorations to brighten it up. The whole time, the Trio just stared in horror and disbelief.
"We're gonna make music videos together, become internet famous, and then we're gonna tell ghost stories all night! You're gonna be so good at it and I'm gonna be like 'Aah! I'm so scared!' And we're gonna volunteer to wash old people…"
"Why the heck would we do that?" Stretch asked.
"You know, best friend stuff!" Molly hugged the Trio again before taking a couple of posters out of her bag. "Now, what are your thoughts on posters? Kittens or puppies? Hm? Maybe the puppies?"
As the teen kept prattling on, the Trio's distress continued to grow.
"Fellas? We didn't curse Molly McGee," Stretch said. "She cursed us!"
For the next hour or so, Molly continued to ruin the Trio's attic with her cutesy decor.
Together forever
My best friends and me
Molly hung up a few more animal posters and put an arm around the Trio happily. They shoved her off and gagged, hinting they wanted nothing to do with her, but she only smiled and spun them around playfully. When she walked away, the three glared at the posters and ripped them off the wall in disgust.
We're stickin' together
For the rest of eternity
As Molly started to put a lightbulb into the room's previously empty light socket, Stretch put on the creepiest face he could muster.
"LEAVE, MOLLY MCGEE!"
"Ooh! Hold that pose!"
Molly got out her phone and snapped a picture of her and Stretch.
"Selfie! Aww, look at your little face!" she poked Stretch in the nose. "All right, let's do this!"
Stinkie nodded at Stretch, as if to say, "Let me handle this." The buck-toothed ghost flew inside a vase where Molly was about to put some fresh flowers. When she approached him, he popped out.
"Smell-o-gram!"
But just as he was about to release a cloud of pent-up gas, Molly stuffed the flowers in his mouth.
We'll be joined at the hip forever and ever
Like an insane surgeon sewed us together
Then it was Fatso's turn to scare Molly away. He took possession of a stuffed rabbit and spookily spun its head around.
'Cause we've got a bond so deep
It touches my soul
Molly, however, just picked him and hugged him to her cheek. Fatso screamed and tried to escape, but Molly's grasp was too strong and she placed him into a corner with her other stuffed animals. The big ghost started to cry.
"No fair!"
And you're never alone,
'Cause we're never apart
Like a parasitic worm
I live in your hearts
Molly started to paint the attic a bright purple color, even accidentally coloring the Trio as they popped out of the walls in an attempt to frighten her.
No matter what, Molly couldn't be stopped. The Trio was powerless to do anything as their perfectly grim and gloomy attic was turned into a little girl's paradise.
It's you and I, best friends for life
With no chance of parole
Together forever (I'm sticking to you!)
And ever and ever (Like poop on a shoe!)
As a last resort, the Trio jumped into one of Molly's boxes and started to throw random things at her to drive her out. But she caught every single one and put them in their proper places.
BFFs, buds, pals!
It's gonna be
"Aw, fuggedaboudit!" Stretch grumped, not even bothering to chuck the last item, a photo album, and instead begrudgingly handing it to Molly. She showed her appreciation by hugging him and his brothers again.
My best friends and me!
Permanently!
"And…perfect!"
Molly set the photo album onto her bookshelf and admired her finished work, all the while, the Trio crowded themselves into a corner, traumatized by the now cheerful atmosphere.
"Okay, what if we asked nicely?" Stretch offered. "Could you leave, please?"
Molly sucked in her teeth. "Ooh, sorry. Nope on that." she hung up a map of the United States. "See, Dad's city planner job pulled us McGees from Ada, Oklahoma to Zuni, New Mexico and everywhere in between."
The Trio watched as Molly put pins on all the locations her family had moved to. Then to their surprise, she stopped smiling.
"I've um…I've left behind a lot of friends…" she admitted.
The Trio's eyes widened at this statement. They almost felt sorry for the girl. Almost. Molly smiled again.
"But, Brighton's gonna be different." she hoped, placing a star-shaped pin on the map. "We McGees are making our forever home right here. And I've already got not one, not two, but three forever friends!"
She wrapped her arms around the ghosts, but they pushed her away.
"Hey, hey! We ain't a part of your problems, kid!" Stretch yelled. "We're outta here!"
The three spirits phased through the attic window, deciding that if Molly wouldn't leave, they would.
"Oh no!" Molly opened the window frantically. "You did the 'too friendly' thing again! Stretch! Stinkie! Fatso! Come back!"
Upon hearing Molly call out to them, the Trio froze in midair, but not because they wanted to. A powerful force was preventing them from going any further.
"Hey! What gives?"
They tried to fight it off, but in the end, they didn't have a choice and they were sent flying back toward the house.
"AAHHH!"
Molly opened her arms for their return and they crashed into her. All four landed on top of a bean bag chair.
"What the heck was that?" Stretch got up, rubbing his head. "Why are we back here?"
"You don't think that curse…?" Stinkie guessed.
"…is makin' us stay?" Fatso finished.
"Oh, you've gotta be kiddin'!" Stretch facepalmed.
Molly beamed. "No…way! You come to me whenever I say your names?! On-demand besties?!" she got in their faces and whispered. "It's the future of friendship…"
"Oh no. No, no, no, no, NO!" Stretch refused, opening a portal to the Ghost World. "There's gotta be a way to fix this! C'mon boys!"
Stretch pulled his brothers into the portal and then it disappeared.
"Huh?" Molly put her hands out where the portal had been. "Stretch? Stinkie? Fatso? Where'd you guys go?"
The Trio soon arrived at the gates to the Haughty Haunts Club, a hangout exclusive to the most popular phantoms of the spirit world.
"This is where they said they'd be." Stretch recalled. "Let's go!"
Immediately, they were stopped by a large, transparent hand.
"Not so fast, fellas." the owner of the hand, a burly guard ghost, told them. "You ain't welcome here. Important ghosts only."
Stretch rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, we've heard it all before. We're just here to see-"
"There she is!" Stinkie pointed ahead.
Stepping out of the club was Ms. Banshee and J. Edgar Boover.
"Yoo-hooo! Ms. Banshee!" the Trio called.
Ms. Banshee sighed. "Not again…"
"Hey! Where ya goin'?"
"Over here, cutie pie!"
"Hubba hubba!"
Ms. Banshee and Boover reluctantly approached their least favorite ghosts.
"What are you three doing here?" Ms. Banshee grumbled.
"What are we doin' here?" Stretch chuckled. "Oh yeah, funny story actually. We was in the neighborhood 'cause we found ourselves in need of some sage advice. And, well, we figured there ain't nobody in the Ghost World with more infinite knowledge than the most beloved member of the Ghost Council herself. So, uh…how 'bout it, dollface?"
Ms. Banshee gave a sideways glance to J. Edgar Boover, who only shrugged. She pinched her forehead and sighed.
"Make it quick."
"Great! So, uh…we got these friends, see? And uh…they was tryin' to curse a fleshie, okay? But they kinda sorta accidentally ended up cursin' themselves."
"Oh yeah!" Stinkie nodded. "Our friends did that!"
"Wait…" Fatso scratched his head. "We don't have any friends. I thought we made the curse?"
Stretch and Stinkie bonked their brother on his head.
"Heh, heh." Stretch laughed nervously. "Don't mind Fatso here, Ms. Banshee. His stomach's gotten so much bigger than his head that his brain had to shrink itself so it could still fit. Anyway, uh…what we was wonderin' is…what can we, I mean, our friends, do to uncurse themselves?"
J. Edgar Boover swiped a scroll Stretch was hiding in his ectoplasmic pocket and opened it up. Written on the scroll were the words of the curse the Ghostly Trio set on Molly. Boover adjusted his glasses and started to read.
"'Wherever you go, whatever you do…we'll be there'? These friends of yours sound like real numbskulls, Stretch. It's more of a curse on the ghosts than the fleshie."
"Well, there is one way out." Ms. Banshee read the first line of the curse. "'If you won't leave.' Since the curse has that stipulation at the beginning, it is possible to reverse it. All your friends must do is scare the fleshie so badly that they'll leave the house forever."
"And then the curse is broken!" Stretch concluded. "Okay! Here's the thing, though. This girl, she ain't scared of nothin'!"
"Girl?" J. Edgar Boover laughed. "As in a child? Surely she doesn't make all the decisions for her family."
"So you're sayin' we can't scare Molly…" Stretch began.
"…but scarin' her family will be a snap! We can do that no problem!" Stinkie snapped his fingers.
"Uh…don't you mean, 'our friends can do that'?" Fatso corrected them.
Fed up with him butting in, Stretch and Stinkie tore off Fatso's mouth.
"Thanks for the tip, Ms. B." Stretch acknowledged. "I'm guessin' you want us to repay ya somehow. Course we don't got any money, but since you're so crazy about me, you'd probably prefer I pay ya in…special favors…" he puckered his lips.
"As a matter of fact, there is something you can do for me, Stretch." Ms. Banshee answered.
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
"…GET OUT OF MY FAAAAAAAAACE!"
Ms. Banshee's scream was so loud, it sent the Trio flying into a portal back to the living world.
"You're so good at that." J. Edgar Boover commented.
Ms. Banshee blushed. "Tell me something I don't know."
Back at the McGee household, Sharon and Pete were busy unpacking in the kitchen while Darryl sat on the counter playing on his tablet.
"You wanna put the cereal in this cabinet?" Pete asked Sharon. "That's sheer madness!"
"It completes the bowl-utensil-cereal triangle." Sharon informed her husband. "Cereal has to go in here."
Darryl took the box from his mom.
"No. Cereal has to go…" he dumped the box's contents into his mouth along with some soy milk from the fridge. "In here!"
Pete laughed and picked up another cereal box with intent to put it in the overhead cupboard. But when he opened it, he nearly had a heart attack. Stretch emerged from the cabinet and swiped the cereal.
"Well, I think cereal should go…right here!" he poured the rest of the cornflakes into Pete's pants and cruelly laughed.
Pete screamed, along with Sharon, while Darryl threw up the cereal he just ate. Then Stinkie phased out of the fridge, drinking from the milk carton.
"Hey! Got milk?" he sprayed the milk out of his nostrils and all over Sharon.
"AAAHHH!" she shrieked.
"By the way, I'm lactose intolerant."
Stinkie belched, filling the room with a horrible stench.
"Gah!" Sharon coughed. "There's not even any dairy in that!"
Darryl took a step back, trying to escape the wretched odor. That's when Fatso decided to pop out of the cereal box he was holding.
"Whaddya know? Looks like they do still put prizes in these things! Muahahaha!"
Darryl yelped and dropped the box.
"That's it!" Pete declared. "Leave the boxes! Leave the cereal! Leave everything!" he sprinted out the back door. "Leave yourselves!"
Sharon frowned in an annoyed manner at her spouse's rashness. Pete came back in and pushed his family out of the kitchen.
"Bring yourselves!"
The Trio laughed and chased the McGees to the front door, ensuring they would get out for good. The family's screaming could be heard all the way from Molly's room, even shaking off one of the pictures on her wall.
"HELP! HELP!"
"Oh boy." Molly mumbled, heading downstairs.
The Trio continued to make ghostly noises toward the McGees as they made a beeline for the exit.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Molly blocked their way. "Guys, it's okay! Allow me to introduce you to my new best friends: Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso."
Sharon glanced up at the three ghastly faces above her. "Those things have names?!"
"Out of the way, Molly!" Pete commanded. "We're leaving this house and never coming back! We got the cereal, right?"
Darryl held up the box.
"No! No, no, no, Dad!" Molly pleaded as the Trio swarmed around the McGees. "We can't leave our forever home just because it comes with a few ghosts. Besides, they don't mean to be scary. They're just grumpy, gassy, and maybe a little hangry?"
The Trio reverted to their normal selves.
"Hey! Who are you callin' grumpy, flesh face?!" Stretch spat.
"You leave my extremely sensitive ghoulish guts outta this!" Stinkie insisted.
"Yeah! And we definitely ain't…uh…what was the last thing you said?" Fatso asked Molly.
"Hangry?" Molly answered.
"Yeah! Right. What's that mean again?"
"You know, when you're angry and hungry at the same time?"
"Oh, well in that case, you're dead on. Got any food?"
Molly handed Fatso an unwrapped granola bar. "Want this?"
"Not if it's carob." Fatso took a bite, earning a facepalm from Stretch. "What? I'm wastin' away here!"
Molly gently shoved Darryl closer to the ghosts.
"Darryl? You're gonna love these guys!"
Darryl poked Fatso's belly, getting a strange slime on his finger. "Ew…they're so gross." he then dug his hand into the big ghost, grabbing a fistful of goo. "Gimme more!"
"Hey!" Fatso chastised as Darryl played with his ectoplasm like it was putty.
"And Dad?" Molly went on. "You always tell us we shouldn't be afraid of people who are different. Shouldn't that apply to ghosts, too?"
Pete smiled. "You're right, Molly. And I think the preferred term is 'post-living people.'" he then addressed the Trio. "Welcome to our home. I mean, your home. Which is technically our home."
The Trio gave him dirty looks.
"Heh, heh…" Pete chuckled. "I'm a little flustered. Sorry, this is all very new to me."
He opened his mouth to pour some cereal into it, only to get covered in Darryl's spit-up.
Molly went to her mother last.
"And Mom, you're gonna love-"
Sharon was on her phone. "Way ahead of you, Moll! Nobody disclosed ghosts! I'm calling our realtor and getting some money back on this dump!"
Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso were once again agitated.
"What…is…WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!" Stretch screamed, becoming larger and scarier again.
"What…is…WRONG WITH YOUR BRAINS?!" Stinkie added, copying Stretch.
"What…is…WRONG WITH WEARING SOCKS AND SANDALS TOGETHER?!" Fatso mentioned.
"THAT IS SO STUPID YOU HURT OUR HEADS!" Stretch and Stinkie told him.
Then the three phased through the floor, leaving behind a pile of slime that landed on top of the McGees. Molly grinned.
"I think they really like you guys."
Later that night, after the McGees finished unpacking, Molly sat on her bed to make a video call to Grandma Nin. As they talked, the Ghostly Trio floated over Molly's bed, attempting to scare the wits out of her grandmother.
"The new house is amazing, Grandma Nin! It came with ghosts!" Molly gestured to the Trio. "But don't be scared. We're already best friends."
"We are not friends, Grandma Nin…" Stretch moaned.
"I'm not scared, Molly." Grandma Nin assured her. "In Thailand, many houses have ghosts. Have I ever told you about san phra phrom?"
Molly thought hard. "Uh…no. What's that?"
"A little house within your home to honor your ghosts."
Stretch halted in midair and stopped his brothers as well.
"Whoa, whoa! Hold up, fellas! I like the sound of that!"
"You mean like…this?"
Molly dug into a box and pulled out a dollhouse.
"What do you think, guys?"
The Trio shrunk down and went inside.
"Huh. Got a nice, open floor plan."
"Love that old paint and wood chip smell."
"The fridge is pretty sizable, too!"
"So…would it be okay if we stuck around a little while?" Molly smiled.
The Trio faced her through the dollhouse's upstairs window. Stinkie and Fatso gave Stretch approving grins, clearly willing to do anything if it meant they got a dream home out of it.
"Eh…okay." Stretch decided. "I guess we can work somethin' out."
"Don't forget to leave an offering of food and drink to keep your ghosts happy." Grandma Nin added.
"Hey, now you're talkin', lady!" Stinkie exclaimed.
"Well, you heard her, McGee!" Stretch smirked. "How's about whippin' us up some tacos?"
"Ooh! I'll have two! No, no, wait! Three!" Fatso requested.
Molly stood up. "You got it, boys! Five tacos comin' up!"
"Good. And uh, just so ya know, I like mine with corned beef and sour cream on the side. Soft shell." Stretch informed her.
"Pile on the garlic and onions for me!" Stinkie cried.
"Okey-dokey!" Molly agreed. "Fatso, how 'bout you? Whatcha want in yours?"
"Surprise me!"
"Ooh!" Molly rubbed her hands together. "Chocolate it is!"
The Trio grinned. Perhaps Molly wasn't all bad if she was willing to do stuff for them. They would let her stay for a little while, but they promised themselves that the relationship wouldn't go anywhere. After all, they made a pact to never make friends with anyone, and she certainly wasn't going to be the one to break it. And even though they were a bit happier than they had been before Molly came along, they insisted it was because she was doing their bidding, not because they liked her. As soon as they found an opportunity, they would kick Molly to the curve once and for all and spend the rest of their afterlives in complete solitude. Then they would be truly happy.
Speaking of happiness, in the Ghost World, Brighton's Misery Meter had risen slightly closer to the green zone, showing that the town was becoming happy. Which meant that the Chairman was starting to become unhappy…
Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee!
And there you have it! Hope you guys enjoyed the first installment!
Currently, I have two more chapters written up and a third one nearing completion. As per usual, I'll be posting them every Friday all throughout this month. Afterwards, I may start writing more of "OMDW" and just alternate between that and this every week. And yes, as you can tell by the title, this fic will only be covering the season 1 "Molly McGee" episodes (and possibly a few original scenarios), BUUUUUT I'm more than willing to write season 2 if you guys want it badly enough.
I got nothing else to say, 'cause I pretty much said all that needs to be said at the top. And if I did miss something, I'm not worried about it 'cause I can just write it in the next author's notes. Thanks for reading, and have a spooktacular day!