Sibella trembled as she went to work. The process of changing someone into a vampire was generally painful. Most times it happened, the vampire didn't care about what happened to the person being changed.
This was not most times. This was Sibella working through the process as quickly as she could. She was doing everything in her power to change Shaggy. She needed it to happen painlessly. And she needed it to happen now. She needed to save him.
Of course he was also a wolf man, so changing him already offered certain complications. How could changing someone who was already a monster into some other kind of monster be good or even possible? But in that moment, she didn't know and she didn't care. All she wanted was to save shaggy and to have him again.
Finally, feeling ready, she drew back and bit deep into his neck. She drank just enough of his blood to feel his pulse and feel how good that taste felt. Fighting the urge to drink it all, she pulled herself back. It was no easy task. Sibella generally avoided drinking humans, but even the few she had drained tasted nowhere near as wonderful as Shaggy. But the frantic nature of their current situation drove her to fight her urge. As she did, she carefully pricked her palm and forced a few drops of her own blood into his lips.
Then came the waiting. The hesitating. SIbella slid back, unsure whether it had worked or what to do next. As she did, the rest of the Grimwood girls came to surround her. The pulled her into a large group hug. They may be monsters, but this was their coach. He had done nothing but be nice and care for them and for that he had been punished. None of them wanted that. They were worried for him.
Just as they felt themselves becoming truly worried as to whether it had worked or not, there was a grinding sound behind them. The girls turned to face the sound, fearing what was coming. There was a light that began to grow. Watching it intently, the girls began to realize that the wall on the far side of their prison was rising. That had to be a good thing.
But as the wall of stone gave way, the girls saw that it was replaced by a wall of monsters. And what was worse, that wall of monsters was growling, chanting, screaming at them. It was a terrifying sight and Sibella knew that only trouble could come from this. She felt her body offer an involuntary shiver which travelled down not only her back, but the rest of the girls as well. With a deep sigh, Winnie pulled away to look at the rest of the girls.
"Well, at least let's not go down without a fight. We can make this at least worth everything Coach gave us."
"Rand Re Roo!" The girls turned at the voice and saw Scooby-Doo come running up.
"Scoob!" SIbella shouted, as the Great Dane jumped into her arms. "Where have you been?"
"Ri rot reperated rom Raggy, ro Ri rent rexploring!" (I got separated from Shaggy, so I went Exploring). Here he offered his trade mark giggle. The girls couldn't help but laugh before Winnie decided to bring them back to reality.
"Sorry to interrupt, but we have some other concerns on our hands besides Scooby and a dead Shaggy."
Now it was Scooby's turn to be shocked. He jumped out of Sibella's arms and ran over to see his best friend lying there on his back He whimpered as he nudged Shaggy's body before turning to face Sibella with a question on his face.
"I tried Scooby. I'm sorry." Scooby turned back to see the bite marks on Shaggy's neck. Then he walked over to the girls. He walked right past them and stood between them and the monsters. As he did, he began growling and barking. Before any of the girls could stop him, he took off running toward the monsters who had now begun to advance.
"Scooby, NO!" They all shouted after him and began running toward him. Then all hell broke loose. There was a scream of pain from behind the monsters. The first werewolf met Scooby who simply jumped up and landed on his back, digging his claws in. He was thrown off shortly after and slammed to the ground in the center of a circle of closing monsters. The girls, seeing all of this, ran toward Scooby, ready to fight for him.
But it didn't seem to matter. The girls noted as they got closer that none of the monsters were able to get more than a few steps away from Scooby-Doo before some odd force repelled them it was almost mesmerizing to watch. As the girls got closer, they heard a shout from above.
"Scooby, are you ok?"
All eyes turned up to see where the noise was coming from. To the girls shock and amazement, it was Fred hanging from the ceiling where the pit was. He had somehow managed to open it. Above him was a tall slender redhead, a slightly shorter brunette with glasses, and three ladies dressed in gothic attire. All of the girls recognized the divas of pop instantly.
"The Hex Girls?!"
"At your service." Thorn said before returning her attention to Scooby-Doo. "Fred, we really need to move now. I'm not sure how much longer we can hold." Fred turned his attention back to the girls. He tossed a rope down to them calling out.
"Let's go ladies. We need to move. I'm not sure how long Matches and our witch friends here can distract those beasts." In an instant, everyone was clambering up the rope. Elsa was the toughest, but once everyone else pitched in, she was easy enough. Sibella was last because she had run back to Shaggy's body first. She placed a quick peck on his check as a tear ran down her own.
Then she turned just in time to see Scooby fall. She sprinted in his direction, battering her way through till she was by his side. She wrapped the dog in her arms and made eye contact with the blond hanging from the ceiling. Catching her drift, Fred Threw the rope down to her, warning everyone to get ready to pull hard and fast. As soon as Sibella had a good grip and threw the rope around Scooby, Fred shouted.
"NOW!" In a flash, everyone hauled on the rope. The plucked Sibella and Scooby off the ground and through the hole the gang had managed to create in the floor of the pit. As the monsters stood, screaming and jumping to try and follow, the were battered flat by a rush of wind and wings. With one last puff of fire, Matches flew up through the whole which had been magically closing in the process. As the group settled to catch their breaths, Fred began making introductions all the way around.
"Ladies, I would like you to meet the rest of Mystery Inc., Daphne Jones and Velma Dinkley. And apparently you know these three, but I would also like to introduce you to our friends Thorn, Dusk, and Luna." Here he turned to face his friends. "And ladies, I would like for you to meet Shaggy and Scooby's students, Sibella the Vampire, Winnie the Werewolf, Tanis the Mummy, Phanty the Phantom, and Elsa the daughter of Frankenstein."
"Rand Rhis Ris Ratches." (And this is Matches). Scooby offered from his post beside Fred. Fred laughed and added in. "Yes, this is Matches." He gesture dup to the large dragon who was settling down on his stomach to try and see what was going on.
A quick glance around told Winnie and Sibella that the pit was empty as opposed to when they had been here just a bit previously. That was comforting at least, but there was no telling how long that would last. Suddenly Fred caught something and turned back to the Grimwood girls.
"Girls, where is Shaggy?"
As they hung their heads, Fred wished he hadn't even asked. Looking carefully at Sibella, he felt he had to say something else. "I'm sorry ladies, I shouldn't have asked." At this, Sibella stood up and faced Shaggy's friends.
"No, its ok Fred. Shaggy is gone. He came here to save me, and he did. He became the Wolf Man and fought my father. Not only did they fight, but Shaggy won. He made Dracula promise to never hurt any of the Grimwood girls or any of you ever again." Here her voice caught. After a quick sob, she felt Winnie and the rest of the Grimwood girls place their hands on her back. She took a deep breath and went on.
"Of course, my father being the jerk that he is said he would personally never hurt us but couldn't promise anything about his minions. We were dropped into the dungeon where Shaggy changed back. He had been hurt and was dying. He couldn't change back into the Wolf Man, so I tried to save him by turning him." She stopped here, breaking down entirely. Fred took that as a sign.
"And it didn't work." Sibella just nodded, unable to stop her tears.
"Vhat a Pity, the poor Volf Man is dead and gone. Good Riddance. He vas Becoming a bit annoying anyvays." Hearing this, all the people in the pit turned their attention to the balcony. Standing there, once again wrapped in his cape was the Vampire King, Dracula Dracul. He had a very smug look on his face. Sibella felt the anger rising in her at her already cruel father. The growl from behind her told her that Winnie felt the same way. The chorus of angry huffs which came next meant the rest of the people here agreed with her. Her father needed to go away in a bad way.
"Father, it would be simply fangtastic if you let us go. You have already shown us so much of your lovely hospitality." Sibella hoped her father could feel the pain from each and every word she offered. If looks could kill…
"Vell now, vhat fun vould that be?" Dracula stood, raising his arms in a shrugging gesture as he said this. And in that instant, the walls to the sides of the pit opened to reveal the crowd of monsters who had attacked them before. This was going to be a fight to the death in one way or another.
"What now Freddy?" Daphne asked her husband and everyone turned to him expectantly. Fred shrugged.
"What else. We honor Shaggy's memory and fight to save the Grimwood girls." Feeling the conviction in Fred's voice, everyone knew this was the only plan. The humans and monsters all turned so their backs were to Matches, readying themselves for the coming onslaught of monsters. They were circling the wagons, so to speak.
Then, the growling and the screaming stopped.
And the monster army charged. Dracula stood on his perch in the balcony as the war raged beneath him. He did not care what happened. He knew he had more than enough monsters at his disposal to handle a few little fools. Even his daughter, who had sadly decided to side with them. Why couldn't she just be a good vampire and trust her father. Why did she have to go fall in love with Shaggy, of all people. He hated that man. Even in death, the Wolf Man was costing him. Here he was telling his monsters to kill his daughter. Ah well, he would have to let that go. She was never much of a vampire princess…too caring and considerate.
He knew of her journey over the past two years and he hated it. She was the Vampire Princess, queen perhaps one day. Why did she bother caring so much about all the other monsters? Her job was to rule them. So maybe this was for the best.
Dracula watched the monsters all tear into the small gang. The Grimwood girls, humans, witches, dragon, and dog all fought valiantly, but it was not enough. In short order, they were all dragged down. Even Matches was set upon by a few trolls and spider creatures as they trapped his wings and muzzled him. Dracula had silently commanded his army to kill no one. He wanted the pleasure of watching each one die individually and perhaps even having them watch one another die.
He dropped down over the balcony ledge and stalked over to where his new prisoners were planted on their knees. He stood over each one, taking in the look of defeat and rage that mixed on their faces. He knew he had won and had done it convincingly. He finally stopped before Sibella.
"Vhy my poor daughter. It is certainly a pity that you have chosen their side as opposed to your own fathers. But that is the choice you made. And it has already cost that fool his life." He watched her seething at him, drinking in her anger before he went on. "And now you shall vatch the rest of these fools die." Here he let out a growling laugh.
"It is not nice to threaten to kill Mother Nature's Children." Dracula jumped at this line. He turned to see Miss Grimwood standing behind him. She was short and stout, but she was different too. He could see the anger in her eyes and suddenly felt himself getting angry.
"Vhy Miss Grimwood, vhat a pleasant surprise."
"Do not start with me, Dracula Dracul. You have threatened my students with their lives and have threatened the friends of Shaggy Rogers. That is unacceptable. Now you must pay the piper and it would seem that I, as Mother Nature, must take that toll."
As she said this, Miss Grimwood began to change before their very eyes. She was suddenly a tall woman, not nearly as stout, but she did still maintain an almost grandmotherly appearance. And Dracula could feel the rage and power pouring off of her. But it didn't matter if she was Mother Nature, no one would stand in the way of his plans.
"Miss Grimwood or Mother Nature, I do not care. You can either leave or join these fools." As he said this, he allowed himself to give into the primal strength that fury offered. It was the same power that had taken him when he had come to fight Shaggy. He slipped his cape from his shoulders. Miss Grimwood turned to face him.
Suddenly Dracula felt himself trapped. He could not move his feet. Looking down, he noted that small vines had grown up and wrapped him tightly.
"You bring death, Dracul. I bring life!" At this, several small plants began to grow up, threatening to engulf the vampire. He would have none of that. He turned into a bat and flew out of the mess.
"Vhat do you think I am, a fool? I vill have my victory!" He swooped down toward the woman, transforming back into his vampire form at the last second. As he collided with Miss Grimwood, he felt strong roots take hold all around him. He turned to see a large tree had suddenly sprung up behind him. He began to fight earnestly, but it was no use. It would seem Miss Grimwood was thoroughly in control.
Unfortunately, time has a strange way of affecting one. Miss Grimwood, or rather Mother Nature had spent so long caring for her girls, that her fighting was…well, gone. She was already spent by the time she raised the tree to take the vampire and she was far more ancient than him. And somehow he knew this.
Suddenly Dracula was free. He was once again to his feet and apart from the tree. He began circling Miss Grimwood, taunting her.
"Vhats wrong old voman? Is that all the fight you have?" As Miss Grimwood continued turning to face him warily, Dracula smiled. "Vhat a pity. I had hoped for a real fight. No matter." Here he sprung forward and knocked her to the ground.
"Now you vill join my little party." With the fight gone from Miss Grimwood, she collapsed beneath the weight of other monsters who dragged her unceremoniously to the rest of the gang. As she arrived, she turned her face to the girls.
"I'm sorry girls."
"No Miss Grimwood."
"Yeah, don't be sorry."
"You shouldn't have come." Everyone stopped to stare at Sibella on this. There was fury and pain in her eyes. She was glaring at her father as she continued. "The girls at Grimwood now need you Miss Grimwood. And yet here is my father, yet again trying to take away anyone and everyone I love. He is going to kill all of you, and you'll die just like…"
As she trailed off, everyone in their small gang tried to fight to get to her, to comfort her.
Dracula watched all of this with a grin on his face. He was a terrible person and he knew it, but it did not matter. He was the king of the vampires. Of all monsters for that matter. If they did not respect him, he would just have to show them.
At this, Dracula began to laugh before fluttering back up to his balcony. He considered the small gang of fighters trapped below him, wondering what his exact approach should be.
"Vell, let us see. How should I handle killing your friends, my daughter? Perhaps ve should start with the witch girls?" He waited for a reaction. Getting none, he continued. "Or maybe you would prefer I start with the blond man? The dragon? Some of your old classmates?" Still not the reaction he wanted. She remained exactly as she had been before. He could feel the anger pouring off of her, but he wanted to see it. So he moved to his next pawn.
"Vell then Vhat is Ve start by killing this dog?" Then he saw her twitch. He could feel the anger rising in her face. She looked ready to scream. And he began laughing, his dark terrible laugh. It bellowed through the chamber, shaking everything. Dracula had won and he knew it.
He turned to face the door to the balcony as it opened and someone entered.
"Yes, what is it?"