Shaggy felt the cold night air crashing into his face as Matches rushed along. He and Scooby had already been draped across the dragon's back for nearly two hours. Most days, this would have easily worn them both out and even lulled them to sleep. With the unfortunate situation and new knowledge hanging over their heads, however, neither was in much of a sleeping mood. Neither one had said a word since they left Grimwood's either.

Both knew the night ahead of them would be both tiring and stressful. The past few days had already taken its agonizing toll on their emotions. This had already been in addition to the past few years. All things considered, both wanted to get things handled so they would finally gain some peace and quiet. Matches seemed to sense all of this and put everything he had into getting them to Transylvania.

Shaggy felt a sense of foreboding which drew him out of his blind furry. There was a presence pushing its way into his mind. This presences was calling to him.

"Mr Rogers, welcome back to my world, hahahahaha." The growl behind it solidified for Shaggy who was calling to him. It was the wolf, and the howling in his comment reminded Shaggy who had really been in control of this situation. It reminded Shaggy of why he was here and what had led him to this flight.

The menacing voice was different than before, however. There was not the same level of venom and challenge. This time it almost seemed…friendly?

While Shaggy was lost in his thoughts, Scooby felt Matches begin to change his flight trajectory. As Scooby leaned carefully over to survey the landscape below without falling off of Matches, he noticed the large castle at the top of the cliff. The high walls offered great defense toward a ground offensive. Scooby smiled to himself. Good thing they were here for an airborne offensive. He barked once to get Shaggy's attention.

At Scooby's bark, Shaggy looked down to note the scene Scooby was trying to make him aware of. Ready or not, Bat, Shaggy was here.

VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX

The Grimwood alumni were pacing, unable to contain their frustration. With Coach, Scooby, and Matches off to find Sibella, that really just left Elsa, Phanty, Tanis, and Winnie to defend the school. While that was certainly doable, it did not seem to make any of the girls happy.

As the boys had left, the girls went to find Miss Grimwood and tell her everything they had learned. With a look of pure terror on her eyes, Miss Grimwood faced the girls.

"Ladies, I must call on you for something I had hoped never to need. It would seem that the Vampire King has made a personal enemy of your coach. In the process, he has upset a very good man. Perhaps there is more than meets the eye about Mr Rogers. As the old saying goes, 'Demons run when a good man goes to war' (Sorry for the Doctor Who Reference). I am not sure what exactly Dracula has done to our poor Sibella, but you can all rest assured that your Coach will not let anything happen to her any more than she will let anything happen to him."

She stopped as the girls stared at her. They seemed to find a new level of confidence in this. "In the meantime, we must stand in their place and defend this school. I must protect my current students and I ask that you join me in defending the school."

Miss Grimwood stared around, waiting for confirmation from her previous students. As she made eye contact with each one, she noted them nodding individually. "Thank you girls. I must help hide the girls. You have your own plans to prepare."

As she turned to walk away, Fred came running up. "Miss Grimwood, I thought I just saw-"

She cut him off. "Mr. Jones, you are correct. You did indeed see a dragon flying off. That happens to be something of a mascot for the school. His name is Matches. In case you did not see, Mr Rogers and Mr Doo left with him. We will soon be in the throes of a very dangerous situation for all involved on our property. I would suggest you leave now, else you will have to choose sides."

As she finished, she gave him a pressing stare. It was as if she was waiting for his answer. Fred hesitated for a moment before diving in. "Miss Grimwood, my friend and I have always jumped in to help, even when we weren't the most qualified. I made the mistake of forgetting that when we learned about Shaggy. I won't back out again. How can I help?"

"Well great, glad to have the human on board. Now does anyone have a plan?" Winine asked in a rather irritated tone.

"Plan?" Fred brightened at this. He smiled as he turned to face the rest of the ladies present. "I have a plan…"

The girls all closed in around Fred, listening closely to his plan. It was going to be a long night, especially considering the players involved in this battle. However these ladies and this man were going to make their mark in one way or another.

VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX

As Matches' feet settled onto the ground of the courtyard, Shaggy jumped off quickly taking stock of his surroundings. As Scooby slithered down Matches' back, Shaggy noted the sheer height of the walls. They were at least 60 feet tall on every side and they were as smooth as possible. They had obviously been constructed by a master mason. There wasn't even enough of a gap between the stones for him to get a grip. If things went back, he would be caught here. More than that, there was no cover around the courtyard.

Shaggy turned his attention back to the hulking frame of Matches, noting the Dragon's darting eyes. If possible, the Dragon looked scared. It seemed odd to Shaggy for a creature as big as Matches had become to find terror in a situation like this. Especially considering that Matches could actually fly out of this courtyard. Noting the terror in the Dragon would previously have left Shaggy a trembling mass on the ground. Today, however, he did not have time for fear. That wouldn't get him closer to Dracula and therefore closer to Sibella. Shaggy turned away and sighed.

"Matches, why don't you get back up in the air? I'll call if we get in over our heads." Shaggy et out his own little reassuring laugh at his joke. When he didn't hear anything in return, he glanced back over his shoulder. Noting that the dragon was gone, Shaggy relaxed a bit. He turned on his heel to face Scooby.

"Ready, old buddy old pal?"

At Scoob's growl, Shaggy knew the Great Dane was with him. Shaggy took a few calming breaths, trying to decide his next move. Watching the wall across from him, he paused as he heard a noise. There was a rush of stale wind as a hole began to make its presence known. As Shaggy stared at the hole, he noticed it getting larger, forming a door way in the center of the wall. Shaggy suddenly felt a queasy feeling in his stomach. Taking stock of the hole and his situation, Shaggy realized that not only was this convenient, but far too simple since he had yet to be attacked. Hmmmm…

Turning to look for Scooby, Shaggy realized that the dog was not where he had left him. Looking frantically for his four-legged furry pal, Shaggy became nervous for the first time since he had decided to come here. The last thing he needed or wanted was for Scooby to get hurt. Of course he should have considered the fact that Scooby was not magical like him or Matches before inviting the brave, stupid, foolish dog to join him.

Then there was the voice. That menacing one from before that had not been quite so menacing.

"Are you ready?" It was a plain question. No threat, no challenge like before. This was just as if an old mentor is talking to a pupil years later. It felt oddly satisfying and Shaggy knew this hole was his next step. After casting one more glance around for the Great Dane, Shaggy squared his shoulders back and strode off for the black hole.

What awaited him on the other side…well…

VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX

Miss Grimwood had barricaded herself and the girls into the basement of the manor. It was considered a safe space for them and Miss Grimwood knew that with the help of the girls and Freddy, they even stood a chance of remaining safe.

Of course, she had known this place would keep them safe. That had been before though. Before Shaggy came to visit and his soirée into the monster world had led him to some unwanted powers. It had been before she had heard about the troubles Mr Rogers had faced and had gone to see him. It had been before SIbella tried to become the monster she had thought was expected of her. It had been before Shaggy and Sibella had found comfort in one another.

And it had been before Shaggy was pushed, possibly farther than ever before, because of the actions of that mad monster, Dracula Dracul.

With this new information, Miss Grimwood feared what would actually come next for her school and more importantly, for her girls. She held several close to her as they waited quietly in the basement to discover what their future held.

XVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX

Winnie was pacing back and forth across the porch. She had to admit, Freddy had one incredible plan. Of course it would have been a better plan if it had been able to make use of Sibella, Scooby, Matches, and Shaggy. With them gone, it fell to Herself, Tanis, Elsa, and Phanty, not to mention some fancy footwork from Fred. It was going to be hectic, but certainly they could manage.

She gave one last look out over the horizon. Then she saw it. Lining up across the edge of the school grounds came creatures in numbers she had never seen before. There were vampires, sure. That was expected considering Sibella's father. What concerned her was what else she saw. Staring out at the growing sea of red eyes, Winnie could see ghosts, trolls, goblins, centaurs, werewolves…

She did a double take on the last one. Werewolves? Helping Dracula as opposed to Shaggy? That could only mean one thing as far as Dracula's actions.

Staring out over the grounds, Winnie watched as the army of monsters began to advance. IT was slow at first, but no less terrifying. Each step by the collection of monsters revealed more and more to take their place should they fall. It seemed as if Dracula had called all of the monster world in to fight this battle for him. Seemed just like Dracula to do something like that.

Winnie stopped as she came to rest before the door. She reared her head back and let out a bone chilling howl as she felt her own vision beginning to fade. Was this from fear? Excitement? She wasn't sure, but it couldn't be good. Unable to fight it anymore, she faded into oblivion.

VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX

As the sounds above her began to fade, Miss Grimwood decided perhaps it was time to explore. She would have the students stay here, but she needed to see the destruction before letting them out. Carefully withdrawing herself from the terrified embrace of a few girls, Miss Grimwood carefully ventured up the stairs. The creaking as each step groaned under her weight sounded harder and louder than she would ever remember. About half way up, Miss Grimwood turned back to face the girls.

"Stay here. I am going to see how things have gone."

Moving forward again, Miss Grimwood reached the top of the old stairs. She carefully reached out a hand and brought it to rest on the metal door knob. It felt cold in her hand and she just hoped that chilling feeling was not a premonition of what was to come.

With a deep breath, Miss Grimwood turned the handle and pulled the door open. As her eyes adjusted to the sight before her, she took in the cracked walls, torn carpet, shredded paintings, broken vases, and sadly the dead bodies. One fell in against her as she pulled the door open. As Miss Grimwood caught the body, she felt a gasp. 'Not quite dead' she reminded herself as she moved the person back to the hall to lay on flat ground.

As she turned to face the man, she noticed the familiar blue eyes and blond hair.

"Mr Jones. I am so glad you are not dead. What happened?"

Slowly opening his eyes, Fred made eye contact with the headmistress. As soon as he did, he pulled away. "We had a great plan in place. We put things in order and were so ready. We had prepared for any and all possible variants…Well, almost all of them. Apparently there was one which no one was ready for."

He coughed for a second. He had found the battle very difficult, but had somehow survived.

"That one we were not ready for was Winnie. Apparently Dracula has been calling werewolves to his cause. When he came to find Sibella, he decided he would need something for Coach. So he took control of Winnie. He drove her mad and pushed her. It was all we could do to stop her. She was a wild woman and not in a good way.

"Then the war began. There was so much happening so fast. Monsters were falling left and right. But each time Winnie jumped in to fight one of us, there was nothing to be done. No one could attack her. And it ended up costing us. She took each of us out bit by bit. Not killing us, but just enough to make sure we 'couldn't interfere' as she kept saying. It was bad."

Here Fred broke down into an uncontrollable fir of coughing. Miss Grimwood wrapped her arm around him. Fred went on. "When it was all over, this shadow appeared. It took all of the ladies. I'm not sure where, but you and I both know whom is behind this at the very least."

Miss Grimwood nodded absently. She knew as well and it seemed things were going from bad to worse. She was not sure she, let alone her school would survive this way. As she tried to pull away from Fred after settling him onto a couch, he grabbed her arm to stop him.

"Miss Grimwood, might I borrow your phone? I….need to make a phone call or two."

Looking down at the injured and bleeding blond man before her.

"Of course you can Fred. Thank you for all you have done.

VXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVXVX

Moving out of the darkness, Shaggy found himself staring up into flickering lantern light. Turning to carefully face each side of his new room, Shaggy noted the creatures he saw. On three sides, there was an odd collection of just about every kind of monster one could imagine. And in each case, the monsters were there glaring at him. He could feel the anger in their stairs, but their anger felt forced.

It was the fourth wall which caught his eyes. Standing on a balcony, staring out over the pit which Shaggy found himself in was none other than the bat of the hour himself, Dracula. He was sitting there in his flowing coat, waiting for the noise to quiet down. As he slowly rose to his feet, Shaggy turned to see the purple hair beside Dracula. He just caught a glimpse of her face and noticed that she was asleep. Well at least that much was good news.

"Velcome to the Pit, my dearest monsters. Today, ve vill crown a new victor. And that victor shall be given a chance like no other. Join me in welcoming our contestant for today, Shaggy, the wolf man, Rogers."

Here there was an offensively loud amount of booing and cursing. Shaggy laughed at himself as he considered the level of underdog he must be in this situation. Dracula did not seem very happy to see a grin on Shaggy's features.

"Come now, Shaaa-Gy." Dracula offered Shaggy's name in the way he did during their first meeting. "Don't you recognize myself? We are old friends, after all." He grinned, trying to see the fear and frustration in the man's face.

To Dracula's dismay, Shaggy stared back. He did not offer any facial expression at all, but one glance would tell you that the danger lie in Shaggy's eyes. They were filled with a strength Dracula had not seen before. What set Dracula off, however, was the other thing he saw there. IT was not something which could be explained, but it made staring down the person in his pit much more difficult.

"Do not even try to consider yourself a friend, you fiend. What do you want?" Shaggy's voice dripped with venom which Dracula had never imagined anyone could manage. "My dear Shaa-Gy, all I want is for you to participate in a small challenge." Here he gestured down to the pit. "See, this place where you are standing is known as the Pit. It is a place where I am allowed to test the greatest of the monster world."

"And naturally you thought of me? This would have nothing whatsoever to do with Sibella, would it?" As Shaggy stared at Dracula, the vampire smiled.

"Nothing really, my boy. Nothing more than what you have dragged her into."

"And now I am here to compete at your whim, yet again? NO thanks Batty, I still remember how the last time ended for me." Here Shaggy turned his back on the Vampire, looking for a way out.

"Shaggy Rogers, NEVER turn your back on a vampire!" Dracula shouted down at the man standing in the pit.

"Now now, batty, don't try making rules here. Just get out of my way."

"Shaggy, we both know you need this opportunity in your life. Tell you what, finish the challenge and I will provide you with one free wish and should it be within my power, it shall be yours."

As Shaggy staed at the Vampire, then to Sibella, and back to the older Dracul, he took a deep breath. "Consider me involved, for now."

With that, Dracula began to laugh. He cast his shadow as Shaggy's first opponent rose into the pit. It was a very familiar form, but this one was growling at him. Shaggy stared in disbelief.

"Winnie?! What are you doing here?"

"Shaggy, run! I can't fight Dracula and if he gets you too, he will make life miserable. He took me from Grimwoods!"

Shaggy tensed. If Dracula had been to visit Grimwoods and already returned, things would not be going well for the students. The anger and frustration Shaggy felt at this was undescribable.

"Yes, Velcome to Vinnie the Verevolf! She is your typical were wolf and she is the daughter of our current Wolf Man! Join me in welcoming her to our midst. As the cheering around the Pit rose, Shaggy turned to see Wnnie charging at him and ramming into his chest full force. As he fell to the ground, he felt the pain in his body. He had been fighting it. But that his told him it was true. As Winnie attacked and began to hurt him, Shaggy did nothing to fight back. After a minute, Dracula raised his hand and Winnie stopped beating him. He face Shaggy.

"Shaa-Gy, I for one would greatly appreciate you partaking in this fight. Otherwise there is no fight." Slowly curling his lips up into a smile, Dracula reached out and ran his fingers through the still unconscious Sibella's hair. I may not be able to personally control you, like I can your poor friend Winnie, but a long life has taught me which buttons to press. I am now here to take control of you. See, I know how to tug at your heart strings. Therefore, you can either fight Vinnie like a good little Wolf Man, or you can walk away from Sibella forever.

Shaggy felt the pain in his chest. He knew what he had to do. He just hoped he could figure everything out before it was too late. Taking a deep breath, Shaggy turned to the voice which had been steadily growing inside of him for quite a few years now. This time he would welcome it like a friend.

"Hello Shaggy, are you ready?"

"Yes" Shaggy said this last line out loud and as he did, he felt his body go through the changes. He felt himself become even more muscled and defined as his snout grew. With Long canine teeth stretching from his gums and hair growing across his body, Shaggy flexed his hands experimentally and turned to face Dracula.

"Hide from me for now, Dracula, but it will not last. I came here to take back my happiness from you. It doesn't matter what happens next, but you will not be able to mess with these girls or any of my friends after today."

At this he dropped his gaze directly to Sibella. Under the weight of his stare, he saw her twitch, even if she was unconscious.

"I'm coming for you, my Queen."