Chapter 4:

Castle Creeps

[And a very happy 25th Anniversary to Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island!]

Following the little event they'd just witnessed, the gang regrouped in front of the moped rental stand.

"Nobody recognizes Shaggy's cousin," Daphne lamented, her voice tinged with frustration.

"I'm thinking we should head up to this Mondavarious guy's castle," suggested Fred. "Seems like the most likely place to hide a hypno-wheel."

Scooby simply shook his head in dismay. "Ro rastles!" he replied with a forlorn expression.

"We don't DO castles!" Shaggy chimed in.

"Why not?" inquired Velma.

"Because castles have paintings with eyes that watch you," Shaggy began, his words tinged with a hint of paranoia, "and knight's armor that you THINK is a statue, but there's a guy inside who follows you every time you turn around!" As Shaggy spoke, Scooby helpfully pantomimed the eerie scenarios he described.

Daphne couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh, come ON, Shaggy," she chided. "How many times has that happened?"

Shaggy's response was swift and surprisingly precise. "TWELVE!" he declared, his tone a mixture of exasperation and pride. "I should know, I've kept track!"

Daphne couldn't resist teasing her friends a little further. With a mischievous smirk, she produced a familiar orange-and-beige box and dangled it tantalizingly before them. "Then I guess you won't want any of..." She paused dramatically, revealing her trump card, "these?"

"SCOOBY SNAX?!" Scooby and Shaggy exclaimed in unison, their eyes widening with joy.

"I bought these from a kiosk right before the flight," she explained. "I know you guys can't resist these things."

In a silent agreement, Scooby and Shaggy exchanged a knowing glance, then huddled briefly to discuss the terms of their surrender. Finally, they turned to face Daphne.

"2 Scooby Snax each," Shaggy negotiated with a grin.

"Deal," replied Daphne as she picked out two Scooby Snax for each of them. Shaggy and Scooby got into position, and opened their mouths.

Winding up her arm, Daphne pitched the Snax into the air. Both beatnik and dog caught the foodstuffs in their mouths, and felt a sudden burst of energy in their bodies.

"Mmm...mmm...MMMM~!" they exclaimed as they turned into rockets, and blasted into the air, exploding in two bursts of fireworks! Once the fireworks ceased, they floated down to the ground like feathers.

"Okay...we're ready!" they replied.

The rest of the group acknowledged their readiness with a nod as Fred pointed toward the imposing castle perched atop a nearby hill. "Let's see what they're hiding up there!"

A FEW MINUTES LATER...

The gang had arrived inside the Haunted Castle, and were on high alert. Shaggy and Scooby's eyes seemed to dart about at every turn, as their teeth clattered like castanets. Scrappy was standing before Daphne, protectively wielding a novelty baseball bat he'd purchased at one of the stores.

Suffice to say, the inside of the castle looked much more different than the outside—shag carpeting, flower-print wallpaper…it looked more garish than ghoulish.

"Not what I expected…" commented Shaggy.

"So much for Mondavarious's Castle of Horrors..." added Scrappy.

"Speak for yourself," remarked Daphne. "My eyes are frightened just from all this outdated decor!"

"Alright, let's split up & look for clues," decided Fred. "Daphne, you and I—"

But before he could continue, Daphne stopped him. "I don't think so, Fred. I know where your mind goes when we get trapped in a mummy's tomb!" she protested.

"Why are you all huffy?" asked Fred. "What'd I ever do to you?"

"You cheated on me, Freddy, with every fan you could get your hands on!" Daphne explained. "You were like a lion with impalas, looking for the ones that were wounded, or too young to know any better. I'm going with Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy; at least I know I can trust them!"

"Alright, fine," replied Fred with a sigh. "Velma and I will go together one way. You head off with Shaggy and the others."

"Oh, joy," remarked Velma dryly.

Hoping to get everyone else focused back on the mission, Scrappy spoke up. "Let's get movin'!" he exclaimed. "There's gotta be something in this place!"

And with that, the group divvied up and went off in their separate directions.

As Shaggy, Scooby, Scrappy and Daphne went down a hall, they spotted a picture at the very end. It was of the strange symbol they saw on the cloak Mondavarious wore.

Daphne and Scrappy didn't quite recognize it, but Shaggy and Scooby did, and they kept wondering—just where had they seen this symbol before?

Daphne and Scrappy were looking around for clues...although Scrappy's thoughts were elsewhere.

"...honestly, how did things ever get so crazy between all of us?" the puppy asked aloud.

Daphne sighed. "I dunno. It seems like as we got older, we drifted apart," she replied, gazing distantly off. "It used to be so simple. Four kids and their dogs solving mysteries..."

... ... ...

FOUR YEARS AGO...

A television host, Archibald Salazar, stood on a colorful studio set for his cheesy variety show.

"Now, as promised, the young detectives who defeated the Blue Scarab imposter!" he announced, and the audience applauded loudly.

"Fred Jones!" The aformentioned Fred jogged down a set of stairs, clad in his white sweater and classic orange ascot. He gave the audience a thumbs-up.

"Daphne Blake!" Next came Daphne, who trotted down the other side of the stage, waving. She was clad in an eggplant-&-pink outfit, with a chartreuse scarf.

"Shaggy Rogers!" Then came Shaggy, down another set of stairs, wearing his green t-shirt and mahogany-colored boot-cut corduroys. He held up his arms triumphantly.

"Velma Dinkley!" Afterwards came Velma, walking out modestly, wearing her thick glasses and orange cowl-neck sweater. She smiled politely and nodded.

"And Scooby-Doo & his nephew Scrappy!" Finally, Scooby-Doo came barreling out onto the stage, with Scrappy clinging to his tail for dear life. As he slid towards the edge of the stage, he panicked and tried to halt himself, but ended up falling into the front row.

And as Scooby poked his head up amongst the crowd, he did his trademark laugh. "Re-hee-hee-he-hee!"

Some time later, the Mystery Machine was driving down the highway through Yucca Flats. Fred and Daphne were in front with Velma between them, and Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy all sat in the backseat.

They all looked much happier. These were the days long before the group had begun to drift away from one another. Back when Mystery, Inc. was a tightly-bound group, happy to simply solve mysteries. At that time, they weren't just four kids and two dogs...they were like a family!

As time passed, however, celebrity guest stars began to infiltrate their adventures, transforming them into publicity stunts. This shift culminated in strange and seemingly genuine paranormal phenomena that left an indelible mark on their reputation. Fred's ego swelled as the group's fame grew, causing Velma to simmer with resentment over her lack of recognition. Daphne and Scrappy were pigeonholed into the roles of "the damsel in distress" and "the annoying puppy."

Fame had ultimately torn the gang apart, and it looked like only a miracle could bring them back together.

... ... ...

"...fame. Who needs it?" Scrappy spoke up. "If I had a chance, I'd gladly give it up so we could all be a family again."

Scooby wiped a few tears away, and Shaggy blew his nose on a handkerchief.

"Well, families often forget what's important," replied Daphne. "It's when they lose something more important than themselves that something can be fixed between them."

"Well...okay," Scrappy replied.

And so, they continued on.

Meanwhile, with Fred and Velma, the duo were walking through a hallway full of pictures of Anne Geddes' babies.

"We can split up now," said Velma. "It was nice of you to pretend, but I know you'd rather have gone with the others."

"Well, I wouldn't wanna leave ya alone..." responded Fred. "It used to always be you, me and Daphne splitting up together..."

The intelligence in Velma's eyes cut through Fred's façade. "Even then I knew you'd rather it just be you and Daphne," she said, her voice revealing the depth of her awareness.

"Hey! Come on, it ain't like that!" Fred protested, his voice carrying a hint of vulnerability. "Nerdy girls like you do it for me too!"

Velma scoffed. "Tell that to all the pretty young fangirls you were leering at," she retorted.

Amid their banter, Fred's tone grew soft. "Most of those fangirls were all the same," he admitted. "You were the only person I could talk to about stuff behind the mysteries."

"W-well..." Velma started. "...if that was the case, then why did you always take credit for figuring out the mysteries? You don't think I've got stuff I'd like to share, too?"

"Well...I just let my ego get too swollen," Fred admitted.

"There's an understatement," remarked Velma.

"But like I promised, when this is all over, you'll get your credit where it's due this time," said Fred.

Velma gave the blonde man a hard look. "That'd better be true."

"Velma...I personally promise that I will give you the credit you are looking for this time," Fred told the bespectacled girl. "And if this works out, I promise that I won't hog it all ever again."

Velma, holding him to his word, pointed a finger at him. "You better."

And with that, the two continued on.

Fred felt his face grow warm as they ventured through the darkness; despite his bravado and boisterous attitude, he really DID have feelings for Velma.

He blew things with Daphne due to his misdeeds years ago, but he didn't wanna mess things up with Velma. Sure, he claimed to only be doing this investigation to recuperate his lost fame. But in reality, he just wanted to solve another mystery with his friends. He hoped that something would come along to show how he had changed...and for the better.

As they passed a picture of a child dressed like a cabbage, its eyes began to follow them.

MEANWHILE...

In the library, Daphne grazed her fingers along the books on a very long shelf: a combination of Grisham novels, self-help tomes by Fulghum, and withered volumes on occult subjects.

"What're you doing, Daph?" inquired Scrappy.

"I'm trying to find a secret passage," Daphne replied. "There's always secret passages in creepy castles. I mean, we've been through enough of them for that to be a regular thing!"

Meanwhile, Shaggy and Scooby were looking at a large portrait of a man in a purple cloak and hat, with a golden mask over his face.

"Like, Scoob, does this guy in the Halloween getup look kinda familiar?" asked Shaggy.

Scooby rubbed his chin a few times, before he responded. "Ruh...nope. Rot ringing any rells."

"I hope it comes to us soon," said Shaggy. "This costume and that weird skull symbol keep popping up."

And so, the both of them continued down the hall, while the eyes started following them.

The gang had no idea they were being watched, or what was in store for them...

"Guys?" asked Daphne. "Come in here...I just found something."

As Scooby and Shaggy approached, they made their way into a large, circular room with a podium in the center of the room. Atop it was a large book with golden letters that spelled "DAEMON RITUS".

"Daemon Ritus?" read Shaggy. "Like, what the heck's that?"

Daphne opened the book where a page was marked; it was filled with English and Latin text, some passages marked in yellow highlighter. "An ancient artifact that when enough energy is harnessed, can act as a key to summoning the ancient demon.—Meggido..." she read.

"Why do I get the feeling this Meggido character isn't a kindly old man who bakes cookies for orphans?" asked Scrappy.

"Then you'd be right," said Daphne as she looked to another page, depicting a massive, monstrous creature, totally demonic in nature. "In exchange for releasing him from his prison, Megido would reward his followers with various gifts, such as fame, fortune, immortality...and in exchange for ultimate power, Meggido would unleash his army of demons upon the world..." she read as the next page showed a large illustration of thousands of demons, rushing down upon a throng of terrified humans.

Shaggy and Scooby had been scared before, but that was when it just seemed like there was ONE of these monsters. Now they were being told there would be AN ARMY'S WORTH?!

"This Mondavary-whatzit must wanna try and summon this demon!" Scrappy pieced together. "So he can be immortal or whatever!"

"But what about the strange symbol we keep seeing?" asked Daphne. "Not to mention that painting—how does it all connect?"

And at that moment...lightbulbs went off in Shaggy and Scooby-Doo's heads. Everything suddenly clicked into place!

"Wait, Scoob! Like, who do we know who dressed in some crazy purple outfit, puts that symbol on all of his stuff, has a buffet-sized grudge against our family, and is obsessed with becoming immortal?!" asked Shaggy.

"PHIBES!" he and Scooby exclaimed in unison.

Scrappy raised a brow in surprise. "Phibes?!" he exclaimed.

"Who?" asked Daphne.

"Like, it's a long story!" replied Shaggy. "Scoob and I will tell you everything after we regroup with Fred and Velma!"

"Reah, reah!" Scooby nodded, before he heard Mondavarious' shouting.

"Two went this way!" he called. "The others, él cocina!"

Zarkos and Mondavarious moved swiftly down the hallway, passing by 3 large Ming vases.

Once they were far away, Shaggy and Daphne poked out of two, while Scooby, with Scrappy on his head, poked out of the other.

"We've got to find Fred and Velma," urged Daphne. And as she and the dogs climbed out, Shaggy found himself wedged inside his.

"Uh, a little help?" he asked.

Scooby and Scrappy strained, pulling with all their might, but Shaggy remained firmly wedged within the vase. Just when they were about to call it quits, inspiration struck.

"Wait a second!" exclaimed Scrappy. "Daphne, why don't you use some a' that tai-chi stuff to break the vase?"

"Well, I'll see what I can do," Daphne replied as she did some stretches.

Shaggy winced and shut his eyes, bracing himself for impact.

"KEEEEE-YAAAH!" he heard Daphne shout. As her fist shot forward, the vase burst, shattering to pieces. Shaggy was left feeling a bit shaky, but not harmed at all.

"L-like...th-thanks..." he managed to reply.

Daphne smiled. "Don't mention it!" she commented. "Now let's go find Velma!"

"And Fred," Scooby added.

Daphne rolled her eyes and added, "and Fred."

Scooby nodded, and they quickly headed off to find the others.