Another night meant another mystery to solve, culminating in the arrest of a mythical villain. Usually, it would just be a greedy ne'er do well in an elaborate costume whose motives had something to do with the haunted piece of land, but on the rare occasion, a real monster would be the culprit. It was a song and dance that the Mystery Inc. gang had grown all too accustomed to ever since they were just a group of innocent kids with a magical talking puppy, but as the crew grew older, these instances lessened in frequency, as it became harder and harder to let their baddie-busting escapades dictate their lives.
Tonight's spooky locale of choice was a haunted church at the top of a hill just outside of Crystal Cove, the gang's hometown. Apparently, there were reports of an undead bride and groom scaring away anyone who attempted to inspect the place, but surely they wouldn't remain a problem for long. Creaking open the lockless front door, Fred was the first to enter, aiming his flashlight around the dusty, disheveled wooden interior. Daphne was close behind, not looking quite as bubbly as she usually was, and the disgust on her face only became more visible upon seeing the dirt and cobwebs all over the place. She could already imagine how much of her parents' money it would take to dry clean her favorite mini-dress.
"Alright, gang! It's time we split up and look for clues!" Fred announced, as the only one truly excited to be here.
"Like, jinkies Fred," Shaggy replied, trailing behind the others, who gave him funny looks. "What? Like, someone had to say it since Velma was too busy to join us again. Darn that faraway, Ivy League college she got into…"
"Reah, Raggy ras a point," answered Scooby-Doo, who slowly trotted in alongside his owner. Whereas the others looked more or less the same as usual, Scooby's increased age was very obvious, not just from his slowed movements, but from the sparse wrinkles on his skin, the noticeable cloudiness in his eyes, and the formerly black spots on his body that had turned gray.
"Like, it's gonna be so much harder to find clues without her humungous brain helping us out."
"Well yeah, maybe with that attitude." Fred maintained his confident grin.
"I'm afraid I'll have to side with the dog on this one," Daphne interjected. "Face it, Fred, we've grown up. Don't get me wrong, I've always enjoyed going on all these escapades, but the fact is, clearly it's not something we can do forever. Velma's hardly available these days, Scooby's getting old, and heck, you're lucky my moonlight lakeside shoot was canceled, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to tag along."
"I don't appreciate the reminder about Scoob's age, but, like, I agree otherwise," Shaggy replied.
"I suppose you guys are onto something… but look, we're already here, so unless something suddenly comes up for either of you, then why not just solve one more mystery before we put Mystery Inc. on the back burner, huh?" Now, Fred was on his knees, always eager to score another victory for his team. "Please? For old time's sake?"
"…okay, fine. But only because I'm curious as to what this bride's dress looked like." Daphne rolled her eyes, strutting ahead of Fred with her own flashlight.
"I suppose we could chase down just one more crook- er, two. What about you, Scoob? Think you've got one more chase left in ya'?" Shaggy turned to his dog, petting him on the head.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I rink I do." Scooby nodded.
With that, the gang split up and looked around for any signs of these dual monsters. While Shaggy and Scooby unsurprisingly searched together, Daphne chose to tag along with Fred. Despite her annoyance at his obsession with the past and little else, the feelings she'd harbored for him since childhood were still there. Perhaps it was something they could finally explore once they'd stopped chasing ghouls for good.
"So what exactly does this 'moonlight lakeside shoot' entail exactly?" Fred inquired, examining a thick bible with a scratched-up cover.
"Well, it was gonna rely mostly on the light of the moon to illuminate the photos, alongside the jars of fireflies that the photographers would empty into the shots," Daphne explained. "And the swimwear I was supposed to wear in the shoot was gonna be all black, so it would work nicely with the lighting. Apparently, tankinis are coming back in style, so this shoot's promoting a new line of them. And let me tell you, the moment I put one of them on, it felt like I was back in my single digits and… Fred?"
Looking around, she spotted the team's leader too busy frantically searching around the main chapel room, probably not just for clues, but likely for places to set a trap too.
"Okay, I… guess I'll send you some pics after it's done then…"
Meanwhile, the cowardly gluttons of the team were busy searching the church's basement, finding rows of cafeteria-like tables and an abandoned, empty buffet. Like the rest of the establishment, it was all cloaked in dust and teeming with bugs and the occasional bat or mouse. Shaggy quivered as he looked around, fumbling with a flashlight, while Scooby sniffed along the ground to detect anything unusual. His nose ended up leading them into the equally barren kitchen, where he continued his hunt, unsurprisingly for the sustenance his bottomless stomach required. If there's one thing that hadn't changed with that dog's age, it was his appetite.
"Hmm, like, according to Fred, this basement used to act as a mess hall for holiday church gatherings, as well as a soup kitchen for the poor," Shaggy explained. "Mmmm… like, I wonder what kinds of soup they'd serve here. She-crab bisque? Egg drop? French onion? Chicken noodle?"
"Ran't go wrong with Rincinatti rilli." Scooby licked his chops, sharing a moan of delight with his owner. "Aw, man, now I'm rungry."
"Like, you said it, but it doesn't look like there's any food around to distract us this time. If you do find any, then it's either expired, eaten by rats, or both."
"Not rexactly!"
Before Shaggy could get a word in, his dog scampered over to a cluster of dust on one of the countertops, but the moment he sank his teeth into it, the whole thing disintegrated, forming a cloud of dust that surrounded his face. All the poor dog could do was let out a hard sneeze that shook the room, launching him into Shaggy's arms.
"Like, gesundheit," Shaggy chuckled.
"Aww, I rought it was rotton randy," Scooby groaned.
He started to whine and tremble the moment he was set back on the ground, for right on cue, a pair of shrill, eerie shrieks could be heard, echoing throughout the church and making their location hard to pinpoint.
"Like zoinks, Scoob! I think it's them!" Shaggy yelped as he pulled his dog into a tight, shivery hug.
"Yep." Scooby nodded frenetically. "Ret's get outta here!"
Once the shouting died down, the duo thought it would be best to get out of the part of the building they were in, quietly creeping back through the mess hall and trembling all the while. Things seemed to be going fine until Scooby took a glance at the mirror-covered walls to his left, seeing what looked to be a marrying zombie couple staring ominously at him with an eerie glow surrounding their bodies. In an instant, he jerked his head to the right, only to see that no one was there. Sighing in relief, he continued to trek forward, only to bump into the same bride, who looked down blankly at him.
"Ruh-roh! Raggy!" Scooby shrieked, scrambling towards his owner. He could only imagine the shock on his face when he looked back and saw the female ghoul chasing him over.
Continuing to scream in terror, the two made their way back upstairs to regroup with the others, the undead bride continuing to give chase.
"Like, yo Fred! Wh-Where are you guys?!" Shaggy panicked into his phone.
"We're just on the top floor. I think this giant church bell might make for a good trap," Fred replied on the other end. "Looks like something right out of a movie, wouldn't you say, Daph?"
"I suppose, Fred." Daphne could be heard in the background.
"Well, we just found one of the two culprits and-" Shaggy began.
"Two! The other one's here too!" Scooby butted in, pointing to the zombie groom who had just joined his wife.
"Well, in that case, you two just keep fleeing like you always do and lure 'em up here. If this plan works, we just might wrap this one up in record time!" Fred chirped.
"Like, consider it done!" Shaggy hung up, continuing to sprint alongside his dog.
In true Mystery Inc. fashion, the chase was lengthy and elaborate, as Shaggy and Scooby-Doo acted as the distraction to get the enemy right where they were needed. They scuttled back and forth between the pews, hid under tables, disguised themselves by hanging on large crosses, or even hid inside the massive church organ. Unfortunately for them, the organ was still functional, as once the undead couple started to play a spooky hymn on its keys, plumes of dust were blown out, with Shaggy and Scooby's coughing giving them away.
Eventually, they led the couple to the top floor, where they were told to stop right under a massive copper bell.
"Alright, perfect timing. Now once they get here, I'll trap them right under there," Fred explained, readying the thick rope attached to it.
"Like, not with us I hope," Shaggy replied.
"Of course not! You hurry over here the moment they arrive."
Cue another shriek from the undead married-to-be as they arrived at the top of the rickety wooden stairwell, lunging at Shaggy and Scooby upon spotting them again. Right on cue, Fred started tugging on the rope with all his might, ringing the church bell, which stopped the ghouls dead in their tracks as they cried out and covered their ears. Even the dust and bats that were set off by this didn't have much of an effect.
"Okay, boys. That's your cue to hurry out," Fred said, continuing to ring the bell. "Hurry! The bell's gonna give out soon!"
With their adversaries still frozen on the spot, Shaggy and Scooby hopped a few feet off the ground, scurrying in place before dashing away. Except, only Shaggy managed to run to safety, as Scooby felt something loudly crack inside him, dropping him back to the ground as he yowled in agony.
"Scoob! Like, are you okay?!" Shaggy called out in alarm.
"N-Nooo…" Scooby moaned, slowly wriggling back to his feet and limping away. Shaggy attempted to run back to help him, but was stopped by Fred.
"Don't do that, Shaggy. It's too dangerous," he said.
"But like, my best friend is over there!" Shaggy retorted.
"Fred, just stop ringing it for a few seconds so we can save Scooby!" Daphne screeched.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, gang. The bell's gonna collapse in seconds," Fred answered, though he didn't seem too thrilled with what he just said.
"Like, you can't be serious… c'mon now, Scoob! Hurry, buddy!" Shaggy called out to his dog.
And his encouragement seemed to work. As the bell continued to ring, even after Fred let go of the rope, it shook the rotten, wooden beams holding it up, causing them to crumble and fall apart and loosening itself in the process. Continuing to whimper, Scooby slowly but surely limped out from under the bell, which barely missed his tail as it fell upon the undead couple, effectively trapping them. Just as everyone else sighed in relief, things took a turn for the worse. The church bell turned out to be so heavy that it broke through the old floor, falling down to the basement with the monsters still trapped inside. The collision shook the entire building, prompting Shaggy and Daphne to grab onto Fred for support.
Suddenly, a pile of wood scraps from the ceiling collapsed onto Scooby's exhausted form, weighing him down enough to where he crashed through the floor as well, but thankfully he stopped at the main floor.
"Oh no! Scooby!" Shaggy started to tear up, zipping down the stairs and hurriedly unburying his unconscious best friend. The others looked down on him through the hole in the ceiling, equally concerned.
Figuring that the bad guys were already trapped and that the police would come by and find them after hearing the disturbance, the gang decided to skip the mask removal for once and hurry off to the pet hospital. Fred, Shaggy, and Daphne sat somberly in the hallway just outside their dog's room, each with varying levels of anxiety visible on their faces. It wasn't long until Velma burst through the doors at the end, panting after finally spotting her friends.
"Whew… I got your calls as… soon as my term… paper… was done!" she wheezed, adjusting her thick glasses. "Is he doing alright?"
"Like, hard to say, Velma." Shaggy sniffled, hugging his knees.
"Yeah, he got beaten up pretty badly," Daphne added, already a bit red in the eyes from crying a bit. "Combine that with his old age and…"
"Don't! Like, please don't go there!"
"Man, I really don't get it. We've been through far more chaotic situations with barely a scratch, so what the heck happened here?" Velma scratched her head. "You mean to tell me you guys were really that worse off without me?"
"Ahem. Excuse me, gang," a female veterinarian announced, peeking out of the nearest room.
"Like, give it to me straight doc! How bad is it?!" Shaggy lunged at her, gripping her lab coat as he swallowed a sob.
"I hate to say this, Mr. Rogers, but I'm afraid Scooby-Doo won't make it this time. He's already quite an old canine, and while we could patch up most of his injuries, the painkillers are not recommended for senior dogs."
"Oh, like say it isn't so!"
"I'm afraid it is so, Shaggy." Fred put a hand on his pal's shoulder.
"Looks like all we can do is say our goodbyes before he's put down," Velma interjected, and in spite of her bluntness, Shaggy knew she was right. She almost always was.
So with that, the four young adults headed into the room, where they found a limp, bandaged Scooby under the covers of his bed, next to a beeping heart monitor. He weakly opened his black eyes to see his friends for what felt like the last time.
"R-Raggy…?" he weakly groaned.
"Gotta say, Scoob, I… some tiny part of me always knew we wouldn't be doing this forever, but… I didn't think it'd end like this," Fred said, barely able to make eye contact. "You'll be missed, my friend. And… I'm sorry my arrogance brought this on you."
"Have to agree. Thanks for everything, Scooby. Losing you is gonna leave a huge void in not just my heart, but also my purse… from where I'd always keep that spare box of Scooby Snax," Daphne lightly chuckled, dabbing at her eyes with her green scarf.
"So long, Scooby-Doo. You always were a valuable asset to the team… and the franchise…" Velma hung her head, stroking Scooby on his. "At least now you won't have to suffer any longer."
Shaggy took a deep breath after the others spoke, knowing he couldn't stall any longer. But all he could do was gulp and look away, unable to bear the thought of his best friend seeing him cry.
"Oh, Scooby… like, why'd you have to go, man?" he asked in a wavering voice. "It seems like only yesterday, I took you in after no one else would since they all were too freaked out that you could talk. And… and you were small enough to where I could hold you like a baby. We promised we'd be there for each other until the end, and now… now you're…"
Shaggy looked up as he saw his dog weakly extend his paw to hold his hand, giving him a frail smile and just enough encouragement to keep going.
"Scooby-Doo… I love you… and I'll miss you so much… h-here, have one last Scooby Snack. For old time's sake."
"I can't seem to remember whether the snack or the dog came first," Velma muttered.
"I rove you too… Raggy…" Scooby groaned back.
Pulling the small, cookie-like treat out of his pocket, Shaggy allowed Scooby to gobble it up from his outstretched hand, treating him to a head rub as he chewed and swallowed it. He had another one to eat himself, as a cheers of some sorts, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. All he could do was kneel next to his best friend and hug him as tightly as he could, quietly weeping and remaining by his side even after the doctor inserted the needle into his arm and the heart monitor flatlined. Just like that, everyone's favorite talking Great Dane had crossed the rainbow bridge.
The whole time, his other friends stood behind him. Velma looked at the floor, her crying completely silent. Daphne rubbed Shaggy's back, struggling not to get too hysterical herself. Fred pinched the bridge of his nose and looked away, fearing he might lose it if he stared at the now lifeless dog before him.
Outside, the depressed gang headed down the front steps, back to the Mystery Machine, which much like its owners, was starting to show its age as well. A white station wagon, presumably belonging to Velma, was parked next to it.
"Man, it really sucks to see Scooby go like this," Velma remarked, removing her glasses to wipe her eyes. "In all honesty, I thought it would be all the years of people food in his diet, not some property damage."
"Knock it off, Velma." Daphne spat mid-sob, elbowing her best friend. "Besides, I thought you were past your meta phase."
"Sorry, old habits die hard."
"N-No, no, guys! It's okay! W-We can still do this without him, we… we can still make this mystery thing work. I mean, we still have a distraction-" Fred rambled, jittering all the while.
"Seriously, Fred?" Daphne finally lost it, slapping her crush across the face. "Is solving mysteries all you ever think about?! Do you really not have anything else going on that you have to let Mystery Inc. dictate your life?! Even after we just lost one of our members?! Well, I honestly wouldn't mind a clean break from it all. I've got a cool new shoot coming up and probably more where it came from."
"Yeah, and I'm about to graduate three years early, with my whole future being planned out subconsciously as we speak," Velma retorted, readying her own car keys. "I'll be lucky if I can set aside any time to watch mysteries, let alone get my hands dirty solving them."
"Okay, fair enough. Er, Shaggy?" Fred put a hand on Shaggy's shoulder, only to have it smacked away.
"Sorry, Fred, but I just lost my best pal. He was the very reason I ever agreed to chase down all those ghouls for you. So long as I had him by my side, I was just confident enough that I could succeed at saving the day, but now he's gone and I'm honestly not sure where to go from here. And I certainly don't appreciate you trying to move on like nothing happened while I'm still grieving," Shaggy explained and it was enough to give his friend some pause. Everyone knew that whenever he stopped squeezing "likes" into his sentences, he was being dead serious.
"Face it, Shaggy. Once stubborn, always stubborn." Daphne rolled her eyes, climbing into the back of the van alongside him. "Now Fred, just drop us off back at our dorms and give us our space."
"You got it," Fred replied in a broken tone.
"So… I'll see you guys around, I guess." Velma shrugged.
"Yeah… see ya," Shaggy replied without looking her way.
After the two cars drove off, everyone split up to focus on their interests outside of mystery-solving. Velma went back to the college she studied at, separate from her friends, while Fred parked the Mystery Machine, leaving Shaggy and Daphne to exchange the final goodbyes (and condolences on Daphne's part) before disappearing into the cloudy night. Now completely alone, Shaggy arrived at his dorm, seeing the service animal permit taped to his door and slightly smirking at the little scheme he'd enacted to ensure Scooby could live on campus with him. He knew he'd have to think of a reason why he suddenly didn't need a service dog anymore, but that could wait until later.
Perhaps I could use some emotional support, he thought to himself.
Taking the tag down and placing it, crumpled, into the wastebasket, Shaggy stood in front of his nightstand, between his elevated bed and mini-fridge, the latter filled to the brim with snacks and minor-friendly drinks. Out of his pockets came his wallet and dorm key, alongside the last Scooby Snack he'd attempted to eat earlier and still couldn't bear to. Following this was Scooby-Doo's iconic collar, which he'd recovered just before he was taken into urgent care. Feeling his eyes brim with tears again, Shaggy set it down in front of a framed picture of himself as a kid shortly after taking Scooby in as a puppy. He looked into his younger self's eyes with pity, seeing the pure joy on his face after finally having a best friend and the complete obliviousness to the possibility of his dog leaving him.
Figuring it was too late and too painful to think any harder about the situation, Shaggy resigned to his drowsiness and climbed into bed without changing into his pajamas, struggling to drift off as whispery, hiccupy sobs escaped his lips. Normally, a midnight snack would be enough to help him sleep better, but for once in his life, Norville Rogers lost his appetite.