A/N: And this is where we see the full scope of the witches' usual mayhem, albeit extended with Daphne the witch and Googie involved this time around. :)
Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost (Rewrite)
Chapter 8: The Witches' Hut
Meanwhile, at the Dead Bogs, Shaggy, Scooby, Googie, Scrappy, and the whole company passed through a lot of signs, those of which said, "The Dead Bogs", "Go Back", "Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter", "Beware", and, most curiously, "Free Parking".
"So, this is the place, right, Jack?", Moon asked.
"It certainly looks that way to me.", Elsa responded.
"End of the line, guys. There's the witches' hut just like I promised.", Jack responded as he turned back to her and the others.
"Fangs a bunch, Jack.", Sibella thanked.
"Much obliged, Sibella. Look, I gotta bounce, but they can help you find the Goblin Castle, you know, assuming' they don't, uh, eat ya first.", Jack warned.
"Eat us?!", Shaggy and Scooby shivered with fright in response.
"Not to worry. We'll be sure to give them a good reason not to eat us.", Vincent assured.
"And if they still try to eat us, they'll be sorry for it.", Googie added.
"I guess it's a good thing we have Daphne as our witch of the group, huh?", Dilla grinned.
"Well, yeah. I guess.", Daphne blushed.
"Are you sure you can't come with us, though, Jack?", Flim Flam asked.
"Sorry, guys, but those old bags take one look at me and splat! I'm pumpkin pie, you know what I'm sayin'?", Jack responded.
"But even with our spell cards, how are we gonna get past the shadow goblins without you?", Jay asked.
"Yeah. How?", Scooby concurred.
"Are you kidding? You all rescued me from the brainless horseman, hello! That took real courage and everybody knows courage is the most powerful magic of all.", Jack assured.
"That may be true for most of us, but in the case of those two, it was mostly out of panic.", Marcie responded.
"Hey, whatever you call it, it's workin' for 'em. Keep it unreal and Happy Halloween!", Jack shouted as he bounced away past the hill.
"Happy Halloween to you, too, Jack!", the group waved before Shaggy then petted Scooby's head, making him grin.
"Step lively, now. If those witches know something about the Goblin King's castle, the sooner we get to the hut, the sooner we can be on our way.", Vincent spoke to the group.
"Right.", Googie agreed before they headed for the hut.
Later, as the group neared the hut, Rowena turned to Willow.
"Are you sure you can handle this, Willow?", Rowena asked.
"Mm-Hmm.", Willow nodded.
"All right. Just stay close to me, though. Okay?", Rowena asked.
"Okay.", Willow agreed before Daphne, Googie, Scrappy, Scooby, and Shaggy cautiously peeped through the open front doorway as a witch was stirring some kind of concoction in her cauldron.
"Boil and bubble, toil and trouble; if it's too weak, then make it a double!", the grand witch spoke before she and the owl laughed with the cat meowing before laughing.
"So, those are the witches?", Daphne asked with a whisper.
"I guess. Except I only see one over here, at least as far as I can tell.", Googie responded.
"For once in our lives, Scoob, like, I hope we're too late for supper...", Shaggy spoke to Scooby.
"It is very rude to linger in doorways.", the Grand Witch spoke, turning to Shaggy, Scooby, Googie, Scrappy, and Daphne just before the front door closed, trapping them inside.
"Shaggy! Scooby!", Jay spoke in worry.
"Googie!", Marcie, Moon, Dilla, Damien, and Rowena shouted as Willow gasped.
"Are you guys okay?", Willow shouted.
"Yeah, Willow! We're fine. Just a bit sore in our rumps, though.", Googie assured as she, Shaggy, and Scooby were rubbing their sore butts due to the backlash of the door pushing them inside.
"Eye of snake and tongue of rat; pie of rhubarb, wing of bat.", the grand witch spoke before laughing, puzzling, if not worrying Shaggy, Scooby, Googie, Daphne, and Scrappy.
"So, what are you working on?", Scrappy asked.
"Well, if you must know, I'm working on a special concoction. Speaking of which, it's almost ready. Here, taste.", the grand witch spoke as she got out a mini spoon and scooped up some of the concoction into it.
"Uh, no thanks. I'd really rather...", Shaggy began only to get cut off as the Grand Witch put the spoon into Shaggy's mouth and removed it.
After that, Shaggy started convulsing a little and then shrunk down before turning into a snail, albeit with his hair and face still normal.
"Shaggy, are you okay?", Googie asked.
"Like, yeah. But, boy, do I feel sluggish all of a sudden.", Shaggy responded before looking at his reflection in the lens and freaking out from the sight.
"Zoinks!", Shaggy exclaimed.
"Hm. I wonder. You, there. Fellow witch.", the Grand Witch spoke.
"Uh, my name's Daphne.", Daphne responded.
"Whatever. Do you happen to see any frog's tongue around here?", the grand witch asked.
"Uh...", Daphne began in slight worry before she was cut off.
"Bup. Never mind. It's right here.", the Grand Witch interrupted as she walked over to it and got it, passing Daphne a couple of times before placing it in the cauldron.
"Uh, what are you doing, exactly?", Googie asked.
"Just testing something.", the Grand Witch only assured before she put the spoon with the concoction inside her mouth before removing said spoon, causing Googie to convulse the way Shaggy did before then shrinking and turning into a frog, but with her hair and eyes still normal.
"Oh, no! Googie!", Scooby shouted in worry.
"Are you okay, Googie?", Daphne asked.
"Yeah. Doing great. Although, I feel really weird.", Googie responded before giving a slight involuntary ribbit.
"And why do I feel like I have a craving for flies?", Googie added before looking at herself and then exclaiming with a gasp in shock.
"I'm a frog?!", Googie exclaimed.
"Hm. I knew it. Not enough dragon's tooth.", the Grand Witch spoke before she placed said ingredient into the cauldron and then giving Scooby a taste of the concoction as well, making him convulse as well, only this time, he turned into a mouse.
"Ruh-roh.", Scooby spoke in worry.
"'Ruh-roh' is right, Scooby. I think that cat's getting hungry.", Daphne spoke in worry before the Cat meowed and jumped down with anticipation before growling as it neared Scooby, who freaked out and ran, taking the cat aback some, before hiding under Shaggy's shell as the cat let out another meow, stepping closer to them.
"Not so fast! If you want to eat them, you're gonna have to go through me first!", Googie urged before puffing up her chin with a ribbit and then spewing out her frog tongue, which latched itself onto the cat's nose, making it yowl and hiss while trying to get Googie off it, but to no avail.
"Hurry, guyth! Now'th your thanthe!", Googie urged while holding onto the cat by the nose with her tongue.
"Like, hang on, Scoob! While Googie keeps that cat busy, we gotta make a beeline from this feline!", Shaggy urged before he only slithered slowly, albeit not very slow, nor fast.
Then, it was only a matter of time before the cat swatted Googie off it with its paws, thankfully, not by the tongue, before Googie landed on the ground.
"Hah! You like that?! There's plenty more where that came from.", Googie warned.
"Wow. And here, I did not think you'd still be as spunky as me as a frog.", Scrappy commented.
"What can I say? Your bravery's rubbing off on me.", Googie responded.
"No, no, no, no, this will never do.", the owl spoke before picking up her witch hat and a wand before growing back into her apparent true form, a slightly chubby witch with long green hair.
"For once, that's one thing we can both agree on.", Daphne agreed before she got out her wand and used hers, just as the Owl Witch used hers, to change Googie, Shaggy, and Scooby back to normal as they grew to normal size and normal form with Scooby on top of Shaggy, who's trying his best to keep balance.
"Hey. We're back to normal! Thanks, Daphne.", Googie grinned.
"You're welcome. But it wasn't just me.", Daphne responded.
"Quite right. More meat on them this way.", the Cat agreed before snapping her fingers and turning into a woman with blue hair, red sleeved gloves, and a nice complexion, something that neither the grand witch, nor the owl witch seemed to have.
"Come, my sweets. We just love to 'have you for dinner.'", the cat witch added before laughing as the Grand Witch and Owl Witch joined her in laughter before the door was forced open by Vincent and Flim Flam.
"Sorry, witches, but they are not on the menu tonight! Or any other night for that matter, especially when there is a matter of grave importance.", Vincent discouraged as he and Flim Flam walked in.
"Asmodeus and Revolta stole not only the light magic from Fairy Princess Willow, but also the Chest of Demons. We have to get to the Goblin King's castle first before they do. Do you know how we can get there?", Flim Flam asked.
"Yes. We can guide you to the hidden lair of the Goblin King. But first, you all must help us.", the Grand Witch responded before she and the witches laughed.
"Okay. As long as you aren't going to eat us.", Googie agreed.
"So, what do you need help with?", Daphne asked before the cat witch put her hat on as green smoke began emanating more prominently with skulls, skeletons, bats, and ghosts visible in said smoke.
"There are bad omens everywhere tonight. Some dark force has upset the supernatural balance. Catastrophe rides on the wind!", the Grand Witch stated.
"You don't think Asmodeus and Revolta could be behind that, do you, Scrappy?", Googie guessed.
"Well, I wouldn't put it past 'em.", Scrappy responded before the green smoke disappeared.
"I'm afraid I had to cancel my midnight ride. Naturally, my magic broomstick is devastated.", the Grand Witch responded.
"M-m-m-m-magic broomstick?!", Scooby and Shaggy shivered.
"You mean this little guy?", Daphne asked, gesturing to the broomstick that was walking as the top of it was dropping down before turning around and dropping down even further.
"Oh. Poor little thing.", Daphne spoke, feeling awful for the broomstick.
"Indeed. He was so looking forward to it.", the Grand Witch agreed before whispering into Daphne's ear.
"One witch to another, it's very bad to break a magic broom's spirit. Once broken, they are never the same again.", the Grand Witch whispered.
"And that's why you need us, right?", Daphne guessed.
"Of course.", the grand witch agreed.
"Thanks. It's very helpful, Grand Witch, but I'm not exactly a witch. I only look this way until the sun rises.", Daphne stated.
"Courtesy of Mr. Gibbles' special magic potion.", Vincent added.
"A magic potion capable of turning you into a witch? Ha! Now, I've seen everything.", the Grand Witch smirked.
"Well, not a witch exactly, but...", Daphne began.
"All right, brooms. Enough moping. These nice people are going to take you out for a spin, aren't you, boys?", the Grand Witch asked, making Broomy stand up straight excitedly.
"That's perfect. With broomy, we might be able to travel more effectively, especially toward the G.K.'s castle.", Scrappy grinned.
"Scoob, old buddy, like, why do I get the feeling that we're the ones about to get spun?", Shaggy asked nervously.
"Oh, no.", Scooby responded equally nervously.
"Don't worry, guys. I can teach you how to fly. I am a self-taught witch this time of night after all.", Daphne assured.